Category: Insurance Companies

Travel Insurance Companies – The Best And Worst Review

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Ask any expert to name the best and worst travel insurance companies, and you’ll probably get a noncommittal answer. “It depends,” they’ll say, careful not to sound like they have a favorite — or a least favorite.

But ask Michael Blank, and he’ll tell you about his experience with Seven Corners Travel Insurance.

Blank recently set sail on a Celebrity cruise to the Middle East, India, and Southeast Asia. Along the way, both he and his wife contracted severe sinus infections, which sent them to the ship’s infirmary. A doctor treated the couple with antibiotics and billed them $313. Blank completed a quick online claim form.

“Seven Corners paid right away,” says Blank, a pharmaceutical research and development executive in Philadelphia.

Actually, that’s the way it’s supposed to work. The best travel insurance policies for your upcoming fall and winter trips offer extensive coverage. They also pay their claims promptly, according to customers, travel agents and experts. And the worst? Don’t even get me started.

These are the worst travel insurance companies
OK, do get me started.

The absolute worst travel insurance companies aren’t travel insurance companies at all. A few years ago, readers of my consumer advocacy site asked for help with their claims against a company selling something called travel “protection.” The company billed itself as travel insurance without actually claiming to be insurance in a clumsy attempt to evade state regulators. It refused to honor what appeared to be legitimate claims.

In the end, one of the company’s stakeholders tried to drag me into to court for writing about it. Fortunately, authorities caught up with the scam and shut it down.

Case dismissed.

By the way, if you want to read travel insurance horror stories, you can find plenty of them on my nonprofit consumer advocacy site.

Some travel companies, such as tour operators and cruise lines, also offer “protection” that isn’t insurance. Coverage is limited (for example, they only offer credit if you have to cancel, not a refund). And the restrictions are significant. Since the company itself underwrites the “protection,” the company’s bankruptcy would render it useless.

Note: Some travel protection products are totally legit insurance products and worth considering. For example, BHTP’s ExactCare Extra product combines fixed benefits with traditional coverage. It covers trip cancellation, trip interruption, medical coverage, emergency evacuation, but also flight cancellations and missed connections.

But in a sense, the worst travel insurance may be none at all. Too many travelers are turned off by the negative stories and bogus “protection” policies and decide to skip travel insurance altogether. It’s a decision they often regret when they have to cancel their trips and can recover none of their money.

Good travel insurance can cover you when medical insurance won’t, particularly for international travelers. It protects against trip delays, offers rental car coverage, and covers lost luggage and accidental death. Finding a great travel insurance plan and buying travel insurance doesn’t have to be difficult.

The best travel insurance companies
Every year, I survey my readers on the best travel insurance companies. Here are last year’s winners. (I’ll start the polling again in October, so stay tuned.) But in the meantime, I hear from thousands of travelers about their insurance experiences. Not all of them are positive, but many are. They merit a second look at about the halfway point through this year.

Here’s my current list of the best major travel insurance companies, based on reader feedback and the latest consumer surveys:

Allianz Global Assistance

Allianz Global Assistance is the largest travel insurance company. It’s owned by Allianz SE, the world’s largest diversified insurance company. Thanks to the scale of its parent company, Allianz can offer better insurance at a lower rate. The company typically works fast on claims and resolves most complaints quickly and to the customer’s satisfaction. Just in case it doesn’t, I publish the names of its customer service executives on my advocacy site.

Jim Angleton, who runs a credit card company in Miami, remembers a recent flight from the Middle East to Miami. With a hurricane bearing down on South Florida, his airline canceled the flight and told him to wait four days. “We ran and got the last four business class tickets on Emirates,” he says. Allianz quickly reimbursed him for the tickets.

“In today’s crazy travel world and climate it is very important — almost a must — to have trip insurance,” he says.

Amex Assurance

Talk about squeaky clean. I’ve received virtually no complaints about Amex Assurance products, which in and of itself is a powerful endorsement. Amex offers all kinds of protection and insurance policies, and you don’t have to be a cardmember to qualify for coverage. If you run into problems, I always publish the Amex executive contacts on my advocacy site, too.

Generali Global Assistance

Generali Global Assistance’s predecessor, CSA Travel Protection, has long been a recognized name in travel insurance. And Generali’s parent company, The Europ Assistance (EA) Group, has been around since 1963. Generali says its success is “built on the foundation of trust.” Based on the few cases we receive on my consumer advocacy site, they live up to their promises. I’ve had an opportunity to work with Generali on several stories since I published my last list. It has a true customer-centric corporate culture, which is great. (And just in case they forget, here are Generali’s executive contacts.)

Seven Corners

Seven Corners is privately held and headquartered in Carmel, Ind. Blank’s experience, as described earlier in the story, is not unique. This low-key specialty benefit management company specializes in doing business with agencies of the U.S. government, foreign governments, and corporations. Their cases tend to get resolved quickly and with a minimum of publicity. Here are the Seven Corners executive contacts, in the unlikely case you’re the exception to the rule.

Travelex

Travelex is owned by Cover-More Group, one of Australia’s largest insurance providers. I can count on one hand the number of Travelex cases we get. The company offers solid coverage and processes claims quickly. A vast majority of its customers are pleased with their travel insurance policies, which is as much as anyone could expect. Here are the Travelex executive contacts.

Christine Dailey, who works for a construction company in Los Altos, Calif., reported her positive experience with Travelex. She’d purchased coverage for a three-week European cruise.

“I had a fall on Portuguese cobblestones during a shore excursion and fractured a finger,” she says. “Incurred $910 in medical treatment by the ship’s doctor.”

At home, her health insurance covered her medical care. But not abroad. Travelex didn’t harass her with a lot of paperwork requirements for her claim. “I received payment in full within three weeks,” she says.

Travel Guard

If you’ve never heard of Travel Guard, you probably know AIG, its parent company. Like the other insurance companies on this list, it has a sterling reputation for delivering insurance coverage to travelers. I’ve had several dealings with Travel Guard since I published my last list of insurance companies. Travel Guard processed its claims quickly and followed up to make sure the customer was happy. I’m impressed by their professional attitude and have absolutely no reservations about recommending a Travel Guard policy. Here are the Travel Guard executive contacts.

Travel insurance doesn’t solve everything
A few words of warning: While these are the best travel insurance companies, they’re not perfect. Too often, they oversell their products with large-print hyperbole, only to have fine-print restrictions that severely limit their coverage. The biggest: limits on pre-existing conditions. That’s a problem mostly created by their underwriters, who are trying to limit their exposure. You have to read the fine print very carefully to avoid getting stuck with a useless policy.

Also, there are items even the best travel insurance company won’t cover. That’s one reason many of the travelers who contact me buy more than insurance. For instance, they’ll pay $270 for a one-year medical evacuation membership like MedjetAssist. Medjet has access to a fleet of more than 250 private air ambulances that can evacuate hospitalized members. Or they’ll sign up for International SOS, which provides global security to companies.

Travel insurance won’t cover everything. But you don’t really want to leave home without it.

The 8 Best Health Insurance Companies to Use in 2019

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The 8 Best Health Insurance Companies to Use in 2019

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Trying to find the best health insurance can be a confusing process. There are several criteria to keep in mind when you make your decision including financial strength, customer service ratings, claims service, plan prices, policy offerings, coverage benefits, and provider choices. There is no one “best” health insurance company, but the best one for you will depend on the type of health insurance you need, your budget, and what is available in your area.

Many health insurers offer the option of a Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) or Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) Plan. An HMO has its own network of doctors who have an agreed-upon price for the health care services they provide, while a PPO is made up of pre-approved physicians that participate in the network and offer lower costs to members. Most PPO plans will also allow you to access an out-of-network provider for a higher fee.

The region you live in will determine which health insurers you have access to, and coverage options vary from state to state. It can be a daunting process trying to find a health insurer that matches all your needs, but we’ve done the research to come up with a list of insurers that have a good reputation and perform well in the areas of policy offerings and plan choices. These 8 health insurers are some of the best options for health care coverage for 2019.

The 8 Best Health Insurance Companies to Use in 2019

01  Best for Health Savings Plan (HSA) Options: Kaiser Permanente

Kaiser Permanente is a trusted name in health insurance. It offers medical care through its managed care organization and a network of Kaiser Foundation hospitals and medical centers. It has won numerous customer service awards from J.D. Power & Associates and has excellent financial strength ratings. Kaiser Permanente offers health insurance to residents of Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Washington, and both Northern and Southern California, as well as those living in the Mid-Atlantic and Northwest regions. Its network includes more than 22,000 participating physicians.

If you live in Kaiser Permanente’s coverage area, you have access to several plan options including classic plans, essential plans, and advantage plans. All plan types offer the option to add a health savings Plan (HSA) option. HSA options have an individual deductible of $5,000 and a family deductible of $10,000. Depending on the plan you choose, you have access to services like unlimited doctor’s visits, no co-pay plans, after-hours care, generic prescription drugs, and online wellness tools.

02  Best Large Provider Network: BlueCross/BlueShield

The Blue Cross Association offers health insurance coverage not only in the United States but worldwide in over 170 countries. Almost 100 million Americans have their health insurance through a BlueCross/BlueShield organization. There are 39 Blue Cross health insurance organizations in the U.S. and most have A.M. Best financial strength ratings of “A+ (Excellent)” or above.

Blue Cross member s have access to plans through HMOs and PPOs. The HMO plans offer the most comprehensive plans at the greatest savings but limit doctor choices to those inside the HMO. The PPO plans, on the other hand, offer more flexibility with a great number of participating doctors. In fact, Blue Cross PPO providers are so numerous that you are likely to be close to one no matter what part of the country you live in. Blue Cross plans also give you access to HSA and FSA health savings accounts. With an FSA plan, you can save money tax-free for health insurance deductibles and other health-related expenses. The HSA plan is similar but must be used only for medically-qualifying expenses. Many people apply the funds in these plans to insurance deductibles and enjoy the benefits of lower insurance premiums with a high-deductible plan.

03  Best for Online Care: UnitedHealthCare

UnitedHealthCare has an “A (Excellent)” financial strength rating from A.M. Best and is the largest single health insurer in the U.S. It offers individual insurance that meets the Affordable Care Act (ACA) requirements for essential care. A real standout feature for UnitedHealthCare members is the access to online care, including the ability to order prescriptions online, speak with a nurse help hotline, and participate in online wellness programs. Members can also go online 24/7 to set up doctor’s appointments, file claims, and find doctors. They even have a mobile app so you can use these resources on the go.

UHC is a great choice for people who want the option to manage their health care electronically. HMO and PPO plans are available with access to healthcare savings accounts (HSA) and Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA).  Member discounts are available for hearing aids, vision services (including Lasik), and smoking cessation programs. UnitedHealthCare has a very large preferred provider network of over 790,000 participating physicians.

04  Best for Employer-Based Plans: Aetna

Aetna has an excellent reputation and is one of the largest health insurers in the U.S. It has an “A (Excellent)” A.M. Best rating and provides employer health plans to residents of all 50 U.S. states. Aetna offers affordable health insurance options that include preventive care, hospitalization, office visits, immunizations and other types of essential health care services. Members also have access to tax-free health savings account (HSA) plans. There is a large provider network, so members will be able to find an Aetna-approved provider no matter the part of the country they reside in. Network plan options allow members to see an in-network doctor or any licensed doctor, although seeing ​a network doctor will provide the greatest savings. There are numerous wellness programs available to Aetna members including gym memberships, weight-loss programs, chiropractic services, and more.

05  Best for Telehealth Care: Cigna

Cigna is a global health insurance provider and offers health insurance in 12 U.S. States: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas. It has an “A (Excellent)” financial strength rating from A.M. Best. Its preferred provider network includes more than 500,000 participating physicians. No referrals are necessary to see an out-of-network provider although greater savings are realized by using an in-network provider.

Plan options, deductibles and co-pay options will vary by state. High-deductible plans are available along with health care savings plan options. Policyholders have access online to search plan network doctors, estimate costs, check claims status, and get insurance ID cards. There are several attractive member benefits including access to a home delivery pharmacy, health information helpline, rewards programs, flu shot information, and the Cigna telehealth connection program, which allows you access to board-certified telehealth providers including American Well and MDLIVE.

06  Best for HMO Plans: HCSC

Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC) is the largest customer-owned health insurer in the U.S. It was founded in 1936 and services more than 15 million members in its operating states of Illinois, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. (Plans and coverage options vary by state.) Wellness programs are available including an online health assessment tool, smoking cessation support, weight-loss programs, maternity programs, fitness programs, and a 24/7 nurse hotline. You can choose coverage from several plan types including HMO and PPO plans. Health savings plans are available, and you can also choose a high deductible plan to help reduce insurance premium costs.

07  Best for Wellness Care: Molina Healthcare

Molina Healthcare offers health insurance to residents of California, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Michigan, Mississippi,  New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wisconsin. It insurers more than 3.5 million members across the United States. Coverage options, plan choices, and benefits vary by state. Many of its health plans come with no copays and cover these types of essential medical care: prenatal, emergency services, hospital care, vaccinations, lab tests/x-rays, prescription drugs, doctor’s visits, and vision insurance.

Molina has some excellent perks, wellness care, and preventive health care services for its health insurance members including unlimited doctor’s visits, a pregnancy program for high-risk mothers, a 24-hour nurse advice helpline, vouchers for 10 weeks in the Weightwatchers program, and access to over-the-counter smoking cessation products.

08  Best for Eastern States Residents: Highmark

Highmark is a regional health insurer offering coverage to several eastern U.S. states. Coverage plans and options will vary based on where you live. Tiered plans are available with gold, silver. and bronze options. Highmark has an Exclusive Provider Organization (EPO) plan which means you can only use the providers within the network. There are no health benefits for out-of-network providers. Preferred Plan Provider (PPO) options are also available. There is a wide range of deductible and co-pay options, so you are likely to be able to find a plan to meet your budgetary needs.

Highmark offers member benefits including a wellness profile, personal health digital assistant, health trackers, a symptom checker, and other health education and information. Discounts are available to members for nutrition, fitness, vision, and hearing services, as well as travel savings. Lifestyle program services are available to members who need assistance with weight loss, nutrition, exercise, stress management, behavioral health, and smoking cessation.

Here are the 5 Largest Chinese Insurance Companies

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The Chinese insurance market has grown at a furious pace in recent years. Between 2000 and 2014, the industry grew about 1,200% in size as measured by written premiums. During this same period, most of the largest Chinese insurance companies listed shares on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and other exchanges as part of an effort to reform the industry by reducing government control, increasing transparency, and exposing the companies to the demands of the market and shareholders. Today, the biggest insurance companies in China rank among the largest companies in the world in terms of market capitalization.

China Life Insurance Co., Ltd.

With a market capitalization of about $107 billion, China Life Insurance Co., Ltd. (NYSE: LFC) is the biggest insurance company in China and one of the top insurance companies in the world. China Life traces its roots to the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949. It operates life insurance and property and casualty insurance businesses, and it also offers asset management services and other financial services.

China Life maintains a substantial nationwide service network, with nearly 750,000 dedicated agents and more than 60,000 service outlets. The company’s customer base approaches a combined 200 million people in individual and group life insurance policies, long-term health insurance policies and annuities. China Life is listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange, the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange.

Ping An of China

Ping An of China was founded in 1988 and held its initial public offering (IPO) in 2004. While the company began as a property and casualty insurance company, it has since expanded into the life insurance, banking, online financial services and wealth management businesses with the stated goal of becoming a comprehensive financial services provider. It has a market capitalization of about $90 billion.

Ping An employs more than 225,000 full-time employees and partners with more than 625,000 sales agents across China. The company counts more than 89 million customers across its business units. Ping An is listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

China Pacific Insurance

China Pacific Insurance Group is an integrated insurance provider offering property and casualty insurance, life insurance and reinsurance products, as well as asset management and investment services. The company counts more than 300,000 agents across its businesses and serves about 80 million customers across the country. China Pacific Insurance traces its roots to 1991. It was listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange in 2007 and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 2009. It has a market capitalization of more than $33 billion.

People’s Insurance Company of China Group

People’s Insurance Company of China Group was established in 1949. Today, its subsidiaries count more than 300 million customers in property and casualty insurance, life insurance, health insurance, and real estate. Its most substantial subsidiary is PICC Property and Casualty Company, which sells a wide variety of non-life insurance products, including auto, homeowners, commercial property and agricultural policies. People’s Insurance Company of China Group owns approximately 69% of outstanding PICC Property and Casualty shares. People’s Insurance Company of China Group is listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. It has a market capitalization of about $21 billion.

New China Life Insurance

New China Life Insurance Company was founded in 1996 and has quickly grown into a top-five company in the industry. While its primary business remains life insurance, the company also has growing business interests in the investment industry and the health care industry. New China Life Insurance counts more than 26 million customers, 175,000 agents and 1,600 business locations across the country. The company was listed on both the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and the Shanghai Stock Exchange in 2011. It has a market capitalization of more than $17 billion.

Best Tips – How To Buy Stock In Insurance Companies

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Insurance companies offer products that most of us need and in doing so take on many of the risks that we don’t want. Insurance companies tend to be viewed as big, relatively boring financial institutions, but they are, in fact, in the business of protecting others from financial harm and risk management.

Historically, insurance companies were structured as mutual companies, owned by the policyholders and operated only for the benefit of policyholders. On the other hand, stock companies are owned by shareholders and they seek to maximize return to shareholders. In recent years, many mutual companies have converted into stock companies in a process called demutualization. Because mutual companies do not issue shares to the public, only stock companies can be invested in the stock market.

Insurance companies sell policies that promise to payout a benefit to the policyholder if a covered event occurs during the term of the policy. With life insurance, the covered event would be death of the insured. With homeowners insurance that might be a house fire, storm damage or theft.

In exchange for the insurance coverage, the policyholder pays the insurer premiums, which are invested to earn a profit for the company until they are needed to pay out claims

Investing in Insurance Companies
Insurance companies have unique circumstances that make their analysis different from other financial institutions such as banks or lenders.

All insurance companies have a set of future liabilities that they are contractually obliged to pay out given a qualifying event. As a result, they must invest premiums received conservatively in order to have a ready reserve of liquid assets on hand to pay out those claims. Insurance company portfolio managers utilize asset-liability management (ALM) by matching assets to liabilities; rather than the more familiar asset-only management that looks to maximize return while minimizing portfolio risk.

Insurance company portfolios are therefore largely made up of fixed-income securities like high-quality bonds issued by the U.S. government or AAA-rated bonds from large corporations.

Generally speaking, there are two general types of insurance companies outside the health sector: Life insurance and property and casualty insurance. Each has special considerations that investors should consider.

Life Insurance Companies
When evaluating life insurance companies, it is important to know that government regulation directs them to maintain an asset valuation reserve (AVR) as a cushion against substantial losses of portfolio value or investment income. Therefore, these companies tend to have less financial leverage at work than other kinds of financial institutions. This poses potential valuation problems since it implies that insurers value assets at market value but liabilities at book value.

Actuarial science has developed mortality tables that are very good at determining on average when life insurance claims will come due as policyholders pass away. The size of those liabilities are also known in advance because life insurance policies are issued with stated death benefits which do not adjust with inflation. Since both the amount and expected timing of liabilities are fairly well known, these companies seek to invest in portfolios that match the size and duration of those liabilities. The amount of excess return, or the amount by which assets exceed liabilities is referred to as the surplus. Maximizing surplus value and stability are the main objectives of life insurance portfolios. Because life insurance policies typically do not pay a benefit for many years, the investment portfolio of these companies tend to consist of high-quality bonds with maturities many years out.

Life insurance companies must also consider disintermediation risk when policyholders withdraw cash value (take loans against that cash value) from permanent policies causing increased demand for liquidity from the portfolio. This usually occurs during periods of high interest rates. At the same time, high interest rates cause the portfolios of insurers to decline since they are mainly invested in bonds, and the prices of bonds go down as interest rates go up. This combination of factors can lead to increased volatility of returns and greater risk during periods of high interest rates.

Some of the largest publicly listed life insurance companies are: MetLife (MET), Prudential (PRU), Genworth Financial (GNW), Lincoln National (LNC), AXA (AXAHY:OTC) and Aegon (AEG).

Investing in Property & Casualty Companies
Asset-liability management is crucial to property and casualty companies as well, but the risk exposures of these companies vary from life insurers in a number of areas. While the product offerings are more diverse – home, automobile, motorcycle, boat, liability, umbrella, flood etc. – the durations of these liabilities are much shorter: generally a year or less per policy. Therefore, the investment portfolios of these companies will tend to consist of high-quality bonds with maturities of a few months to a year.

Additionally, claims can take a long time to be resolved and paid out. The claims process can be contentious and possibly spend years in litigation before the claim is paid – if it is paid at all.

Many non-life policies also carry inflation risk, as the policies promise to fully replace the value of an item, even if that item is nominally more expensive in the future due to inflation. Taken together, both the timing and amount of liabilities are more uncertain than for life companies.

Property and casualty insurance companies also undergo an underwriting cycle or profitability cycle, which typically lasts 3-5 years. During period of intense business competition, prices on policies are reduced to retain business and capture market share (think of all the advertisements claiming to lower the cost of your car insurance). Frequently, prices of securities in the insurance company’s portfolio fall below sustainable levels and lead to losses as claims on policies are paid out. The company must then liquidate portfolio assets to supplement cash flow, and share prices may drop. Insurers are forced to raise the prices of policies and profitability begins to grow once again, opening the door for renewed competition. As a result, property casualty insurance companies will tend to invest in a portfolio of taxable bonds during the period of the cycle where losses occur and switch to non-taxable bonds such as municipal bonds during periods of positive profits.

Some of the largest property and casualty insurance companies listed on stock exchanges where investors can buy shares are: Allstate (ALL), Progressive (PGR), Berkshire Hathaway (which owns Geico and a number of other insurance companies), Travelers (TRV), and Zurich (ZURVY:OTC).

The Bottom Line
Knowing the special circumstances that insurance companies operate under helps in evaluating whether or not a listed insurance company is a good investment and whether the economic environment is conducive to profitability for these companies.

High interest rate environments can be detrimental to life insurance companies as they face disintermediation risk. Property and casualty insurance companies are subject to the ebbs and flows of the profitability cycle. Being able to recognize when the economics of these industries are changing might make for buy or sell signals accordingly. Also keeping in mind the duration and maturities of the bonds in the portfolios of different kinds of insurance companies can help determine how change in interest rates will effect each.

Insurance Companies World’s Top 10

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 Insurance Companies World’s Top 10

Insurance helps us to do exactly what this quote suggests. We all face many kinds of risks: risk of meeting with an accident, falling sick, being a victim of a natural disaster or fire, and above all risk of life. All these risks not only come with pain and suffering but also hurt financially. Insurance is one way of being prepared for the worst; it offers the surety that the economic part of the pain will be taken care of. In this article, we take a look at some of the top insurance companies. There are many criteria on the basis of which such a list can be prepared: premium collections, market capitalization, revenue, profit, geographical area, assets and more. The following list focuses on a number of factors and the insurance companies on it are in no particular order.

1) AXA

With over 102 million customers in 56 countries and an employee base of 157,000, AXA is one of the world’s leading insurance groups. Its main businesses are property and casualty insurance, life insurance, saving and asset management. Its origin goes back to 1817 when several insurance companies merged to create AXA. The company is headquartered in Paris and has a presence across Africa, North America, Central and South America, Asia Pacific, Europe and the Middle East.

In 2013, AXA as a move to increase its foothold in Latin America acquired 51% of the insurance operations of Colpatria Seguros in Colombia. During the same year, AXA became the largest international insurer operating in China as a result of its 50% acquisition of Tian Ping (a Chinese property and casualty insurer). In addition, the company acquired the non-life insurance operations of HSBC in Mexico. The AXA Group reported total revenues of €99 billion for fiscal year 2015.

2) Zurich Insurance Group

Zurich Insurance Group, a Switzerland-headquartered global insurance company, was founded in 1872. Zurich Group, together with its subsidiaries, operates in more than 170 countries, providing insurance products and services. The core businesses of Zurich include general insurance, global life and farmers insurance. With its employee strength of over 55,000, Zurich caters to the vast insurance needs of individuals and businesses of all sizes: small, mid-sized and large-sized companies and even multinational corporations.

Total revenues in 2015 were $60.568 billion.

3) China Life Insurance

China Life Insurance (Group) Company (LFC) is one of Mainland China’s largest state-owned insurance and financial services companies, as well as a key player in the Chinese capital market as an institutional investor. The origin of the company goes back to 1949 when the People’s Insurance Company of China (PICC) was formed. Its offshoot PICC (Life) Co. Ltd was created after parting ways with PICC in 1996. PICC (Life) Co. Ltd was renamed as China Life Insurance Company in 1999. The China Life Insurance Company was restructured in 2003 as China Life Insurance (Group) Company, which has seven subsidiaries. The businesses are spread across life insurance, pension plans, asset management, property and casualty, investment holdings and overseas operations.

The company is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and the Shanghai Stock Exchange, and is the biggest public life insurance company in terms of market capitalization in the world.

4) Berkshire Hathaway

Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRK.A) was founded in 1889 and is associated with Warren Buffet, who has transformed a mediocre entity into one of the largest companies in the world. Berkshire Hathaway is now a leading investment manager conglomerate, engaging in insurance, among other sectors such as rail transportation, finance, utilities and energy, manufacturing, services and retailing through its subsidiaries.

It provides primary insurance, as well as reinsurance of property and casualty risks. Companies like Berkshire Hathaway Reinsurance Group, GEICO, Berkshire Hathaway Primary Group, and General Re, National Indemnity Company, Medical Protective Company, Applied Underwriters, U.S. Liability Insurance Company, Central States Indemnity Company and the Guard Insurance Group are subsidiaries of the group.

5) Prudential plc

Prudential plc (PUK) is an insurance and financial services brand with operations catering to 24 million customers across Asia, the U.S., the U.K and most recently Africa. Prudential was founded in United Kingdom in 1848. Prudential Corporation Asia, Prudential U.K., Jackson National Life Insurance Company and M&G Investments are the main businesses within the group. Jackson is a prominent insurance company in the United States, while Prudential U.K. is one of the leading providers of pension and life.

Prudential plc is listed on the stock exchanges of London, Hong Kong, Singapore and New York. It has approximately 22,308 employees worldwide, with assets under management worth £509 billion.

6) United Heath Group

The UnitedHealth Group Inc. (UNH) tops the list of diversified health care businesses in the United States. Its two business platforms – UnitedHealthcare for health benefits and Optum for health services – work together, serving more than 85 million people in every U.S. state and 125 countries. The UnitedHealth Group uses its experience and resources in clinical care to improve the performance of the health care services sector.

The company reported revenue of $157.1 billion in 2015. Fortune has featured UnitedHealth Group as the “World’s Most Admired Company” in the insurance and managed care sector six years in a row.

7) Munich Re Group

Founded in 1880, Munich Re Group operates in all lines of insurance and has a presence in 30 countries, with focus a on Asia and Europe. The company’s primary insurance operations are carried out by its subsidiary, ERGO Insurance Group, which offers a comprehensive range of insurance, services and provision. Munich Re Group’s home market is Germany, where ERGO is a leader in all areas of insurance. The group’s newest arm, Munich Health, parlays the group’s risk-management and insurance expertise into the health care field.

The group has around 45,000 employees worldwide, working in all businesses of insurance: life reinsurance, health reinsurance, accident reinsurance, liability business, motor reinsurance, property-casualty business, marine reinsurance, aviation reinsurance and fire reinsurance. The Munich Re Group reported a profit of €3.1 billion in 2015.

8) Assicurazioni Generali S.p.A.

Assicurazioni Generali, founded in 1831, is the Assicurazioni Generali Group’s parent company. The Generali Group is not only a market leader in Italy, but is also counted as a prominent player in the field of global insurance and financial products. The group, with a presence in more than 60 countries, is an international brand with dominance in Western, Central and Eastern Europe. The Generali Group’s prime focus has been life insurance, offering diverse products from family protection and savings polices to unit-linked insurance plans. It offers an equally diverse range of products in the non-life segment as well, such as coverage of car, home, accident, and health, along with coverage of commercial and industrial risk.

The group has 77,000 employees and a client base of 65 million people worldwide. It has €480 billion in assets under management and is one of the world’s 50 largest companies.

9) Japan Post Holding Co., Ltd.

The Japan Post Holding Co., Ltd. is a major state-owned conglomerate in Japan. The company has four primary divisions: Japan Post Service (for mail delivery), Japan Post Network (runs the post offices), Japan Post Bank (deals with banking functions), and Japan Post Insurance (provides life insurance). Japan Post Insurance operates within Japan Post Holding to provide insurance to its clients. The insurance arm makes use of the post offices nationwide network, in addition to its own sales offices, to reach out and provide services to the clients.

Japan Post Holding, which went public in 2015, reported consolidated after-tax profits of $3.84 billion from April through December of 2015. The group runs the largest insurer in Japan (Japan Post Insurance).

10) Allianz SE

Founded in 1890, Allianz SE is a leading financial services company, providing products and services from insurance to asset management. Allianz caters to customers in more than 70 countries with €1.8 billion in assets under management. Insurance products range from property and casualty products to health and life insurance products for corporate and individual customers. The company is headquartered in Germany.

In 2015, total revenues reached a new high of €125.2 billion euros.

The Bottom Line
Some of the other reputable names in the insurance business are ING Group (ING), Prudential Insurance Company of America (a subsidiary of Prudential Financial, Inc., PRU), AIA Group Ltd., Ping An Insurance Company of China, Ltd., American International Group, Inc. (AIG), Manulife Financial Corporation (MFC), and MetLife, Inc. (MET). Picking the right insurance company to invest in is important and should not be based on a company’s size alone. A few things on your check list should be the company’s rating, its financial strength, if the company specializes in any particular type of insurance, refusal of claims in the past, proximity of office, premium rates and discounts offered on multiple policies.