BBanner Life Insurance Company provides affordable life coverage in the U.S., focusing on term life and universal life, with its New York subsidiary William Penn Life Insurance serving New York. Its products include term life death-benefit policies for specified periods and permanent universal life with potential cash value, along with pension risk transfer (PRT) solutions for employers. The company distinguishes itself through a broad independent broker network (over 150,000 agents), a digital platform, flexible underwriting, and data partnerships with LexisNexis and Human API, plus a large PRT book built since 2015. Its goal is to offer accessible life protection at scale, grow its PRT business, and use its distribution and data capabilities to serve policyholders and employers across the U.S., now backed by Meiji Yasuda Group after the 2026 acquisition and the related portfolio-management arrangement with Legal & General.
Work here?Claim your company
Industries
Company Size
501-1,000
Company Stage
Acquired
Total Funding
N/A
Headquarters
Frederick, MD
Founded
1949
See people who can refer or advise you
Help us improve and share your feedback! Did you find this helpful?
Total Funding
N/A
N/A
Industry Average
Funded Over
1 Rounds
The 5-minute advisor - september 4, 2026. OUR PORTAL JUST GOT A LOT MORE USEFUL! The Thompson Agency, Inc. has expanded and upgraded its quote tools so you can explore more solutions without having to hunt down a different tool for every type of business. And if you're an agent who doesn't live and breathe life insurance every day, that's exactly the point. You don't have to know every product or every carrier. LIFE | BANNER LIFE'S QUOTE-TO-APPLY... A seamless experience from QUOTE TO application. Banner Life's new Quote-to-Apply tool gives your clients a personalized link where they build their own quote, adjust coverage amount and term to see premium in real time, then move straight into a two-factor digital application. No paperwork mailed back and forth. You're notified when a client starts, and the case stays tied to you for commission if the application is approved. Simply share your personal link. Your client will take it from there. PROTECTION IUL VS. COMPETITORS ANNUITIES SNAPSHOT Thompson Agency - Rates Effective 9/1/26 - For Agent Use Only Thompson Agency - Rates Effective 9/1/26 - For Agent Use Only | | Highest Rate in Year 1 (Guarantee Years & Surrender Years Match) | | Guarantee/ Surrender Yrs | AM Best Rating | Carrier Name | Product Name | 1st Yr Rate | | 3-year | A+ | Athene | MaxRate 3 ($100K+) | 5.30% | | 4-year | A+ | Integrity Life | MultiVantage 4 ($20K+) | 5.05% | | 5-year | A+ | Protective Life | Secure Saver 5 ($75K+) | 5.60% | | 6-year | A | American National | Palladium MYG 6 ($100K-$249,999) | 9.60% | | 7-year | A+ | Athene | MaxRate 7 ($100K+) | 5.65%* | | 8-year | A | American National | Palladium MYG 8 ($100K-$249,999) | 5.15% | | 9-year | A | American National | Palladium MYG 9 ($100K-$249,999) | 5.15% | | 10-year | A | Lincoln Financial Group | MYGuarantee Plus 10 ($100K+) | 5.50% | | Highest Average Yield with Equal Surrender & Guarantee Period | | Guarantee/ Surrender Yrs | AM Best Rating | Carrier Name | Product Name | Rate | | 3-year | A | American National | Palladium MYG 3 ($5K-$99,999) | 5.20% | | A+ | Athene | MaxRate 3 ($100K+) | 5.30% | | 4-year | A | Corebridge Financial | AP VisionMYG 4 ($100K+) | 4.90% | | 5-year | A | American National | Palladium MYG 5 ($5K-$99,999) | 5.45% | | A+ | Cincinnati Life | MYGA 5 SPDA ($10K+) | 5.50% | | A+ | Protective Life | Secure Saver 5 ($75K+) | 5.60% | | A | American National | Palladium MYG 5 ($250K+) | 5.70% | | 6-year | A | American National | Palladium MYG 6 ($5K-$99,999) | 9.50/4.50 · Avg 5.32% | | A | American National | Palladium MYG 6 ($100K-$249,999) | 9.60/4.60 · Avg 5.42% | | A | American National | Palladium MYG 6 ($250K+) | 9.75/4.75 · Avg 5.57% | | 7-year | A | American National | Palladium MYG 7 ($5K-$99,999) | 5.20% | | A+ | Mutual/United of Omaha | Ultra-Premier 7 ($25K+) | 5.45% | | A+ | Athene | MaxRate 7 ($100K+) | 5.65%* | | 8-year | A | American National | Palladium MYG 8 ($5K-$99,999) | 5.05% | | A | American National | Palladium MYG 8 ($100K-$249,999) | 5.15% | | A | American National | Palladium MYG 8 ($250K+) | 5.30% | | 9-year | A | American National | Palladium MYG 9 ($5K-$99,999) | 5.05% | | A | American National | Palladium MYG 9 ($100K-$249,999) | 5.15% | | A | American National | Palladium MYG 9 ($250K+) | 5.30% | | 10-year | A | American National | Palladium MYG 10 ($5K-$99,999) | 5.05% | | A | Lincoln Financial Group | MYGuarantee Plus 10 ($100K+) | 5.50% | | Add'l details see Fixed Annuities Comparison Spreadsheet. Rates effective 9/1/26 and subject to change without notice. For Agent Use Only; Not to be Shared with Public. *Athene MaxRate - see product rate sheet as some states differ in rate %. American National (ANICO) offers higher interest rate for the Palladium MYG MAX (No Liquidity, except RMD's). Be sure to check ANICO current rate sheet. CYBERSECURITY AWARENESS MONTH You don't need a security team to be a target this October. You just need to be smaller than the business down the street that has one. Verizon's 2026 breach report put a number on that gap: small and midsize businesses accounted for roughly 96 percent of last year's ransomware victims where size was known. The FBI's latest crime report logged $20.877 billion in losses across 2025, up 26 percent year over year. And IBM found that one blind spot most companies haven't even considered yet, employees using AI tools nobody approved, added $670,000 to the average breach when it showed up. This week's article is a fully updated Cybersecurity Awareness Month guide for 2026, built for small business owners and HR teams who don't have an IT department writing their security policy. Inside, The Thompson Agency, Inc. cover: * Why small businesses, not big ones, absorbed 96 percent of last year's ransomware hits * The $670,000 blind spot most ten-person offices don't know they have * Four things actually worth doing this October if you have zero security budget * What HR should be doing differently than IT this month, and why it's currently backwards * The employee benefit already sitting in most benefits packages that would have stopped last week's breach cold October is the one month a year when attention, budget, and employee patience line up at once. Miss it, and you're waiting until next fall.
Banner Life Insurance Company has become the largest US term life insurance provider, capturing 13% of the market in Q1 2026. The company achieved a record Annualized Premium Equivalent of $239 million in 2025, marking a 19.5% increase over 2024. Banner Life has risen from seventh-largest provider in 2018 to top-ranked this year. The growth follows the company's digital transformation, including its Horizon platform launched in 2019, which has guided nearly one million applicants through digital applications. In February 2026, Meiji Yasuda Group acquired Banner Life, marking a milestone in the Japanese insurer's global growth strategy. Through Q1 2026, Banner Life's term policy counts increased by 38%, significantly outperforming the industry's 6% increase.
Ethos Technologies has expanded its partnership with Banner Life Insurance Company to offer two new Ethos-branded whole life insurance products: Simplified Issue Whole Life and Guaranteed Issue Whole Life. The products will be available through Ethos' technology platform, extending the company's final expense solutions to more families. The collaboration moved from concept to market launch in under five months. Ethos now offers 12 products through its platform, working with carriers including Banner Life, TruStage Financial Group, Ameritas Life Insurance, Protective, North American Sammons and Aflac. The new whole life products will initially be available through select agencies and aim to help families cover end-of-life and other expenses. Both companies emphasised their shared commitment to closing the US life insurance coverage gap through more accessible and affordable solutions.
Ethos and Banner Life expand offering to bring final expense coverage to more families. AUSTIN, Texas and FREDERICK, Md., March 24, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) - Ethos, a leading life insurance technology company on a mission to democratize access to life insurance, today announced an expansion of its relationship with Banner Life Insurance Company ("Banner Life"), a leading provider of term life insurance, to offer two new Ethos-branded whole life insurance products, Simplified Issue Whole Life and Guaranteed Issue Whole Life through Ethos' technology platform. The collaboration marks a deepening of the two companies' relationship and extends Ethos' suite of final expense solutions to even more families across the country. "Ethos shares our commitment to closing the US life insurance gap, and we're proud to offer solutions that make life insurance coverage more affordable and..." "We are thrilled to deepen our relationship with Banner Life and help bring their trusted brand into the final expense market," "We are very pleased to collaborate with Ethos on the launch of two new whole life insurance products to the marketplace," "Ethos shares our commitment to closing the US life insurance gap, and we're proud to offer solutions that make life insurance coverage more affordable and..." "We are thrilled to deepen our relationship with Banner Life and help bring their trusted brand into the final expense market," "We are very pleased to collaborate with Ethos on the launch of two new whole life insurance products to the marketplace," "Ethos shares our commitment to closing the US life insurance gap, and we're proud to offer solutions that make life insurance coverage more affordable and..." Ethos has built one of the most advanced technology platforms in the life insurance industry, enabling carrier partners to reach new markets and deliver seamless policyholder experiences. In partnership with Ethos, Banner Life has expanded its product portfolio and extended its reach to those seeking affordable permanent protection that can help cover end-of-life and other expenses. "We are thrilled to deepen our relationship with Banner Life and help bring their trusted brand into the final expense market," said Peter Colis, Co-Founder and CEO of Ethos. "This expansion is a testament to the power of our technology platform - by moving from initial concept to an in-market launch in just under five months, we've again proven that we can enable world-class carriers to reach more families with the protection they need, faster than ever before." "We are very pleased to collaborate with Ethos on the launch of two new whole life insurance products to the marketplace," said Mark Holweger, President and CEO of Banner Life Insurance Company. "Ethos shares our commitment to closing the US life insurance gap, and we're proud to offer solutions that make life insurance coverage more affordable and accessible to people." The expanded product portfolio will be available initially through select agencies With the launch of these two new products, Ethos adds further redundancy to its product portfolio, expanding it to 12 products. Ethos' prestigious roster includes top-rated carriers Banner Life Insurance Company, TruStage(TM) Financial Group, Inc., Ameritas Life Insurance Corp., Protective, North American Sammons and Aflac, working with Ethos to enhance the accessibility and affordability of life insurance and final expense coverage for millions of families. About Ethos Ethos is a leading life insurance technology company on a mission to protect families. With its robust three-sided technology platform, Ethos is transforming the life insurance experience for consumers, agents, and carriers alike. Ethos offers instant accessible products and a seamless online process that requires no medical exams and just a few health questions; it eliminates traditional barriers, making it easier than ever for everyone to protect their families. Through its platform, Ethos is redefining how life insurance is bought, sold, and underwritten. Learn more at ethos.com. About The Banner Life family of companies The Banner Life family of companies, established through its predecessor companies in 1949, consists of two insurance companies, Banner Life Insurance Company, which insures policyholders and annuitants in 49 states, District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, and Banner Life's wholly-owned subsidiary, William Penn Life Insurance Company of New York, which insures policyholders and annuitants in New York. William Penn products are available exclusively in New York; Banner Life is not authorized as an insurer and does not do business in New York. Banner Life and its subsidiaries are owned by Meiji Yasuda North America Holdings Inc, part of Meiji Yasuda Group. Banner Life is dedicated to continually enhancing its term life insurance and retirement products and experience for everyone. And with 99% of term life insurance claims paid to nearly 4,000 families, and retirement secured for about 27,000 annuitants in 2025, the Banner Life family of companies is here when people need us most. The Banner Life family of companies is here for you, here for good and here for better. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are often identified by words such as "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "plan," "project," "will," or similar expressions and include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the expected benefits of the expanded collaboration with Banner Life, including the ability of Ethos' technology platform to enable carriers to reach new markets and more families, the anticipated availability of the new whole life insurance products through select agencies, and any other statements that are not historical facts. These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially, including risks described in the "Risk Factors" section of Ethos' Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") on March 17, 2026 and in other reports Ethos files from time to time with the SEC. Except as required by law, Ethos undertakes no obligation, and does not intend, to update these forward-looking statements. Allyson Savage Vice President of Communications, Ethos [email protected]
Meiji Yasuda Group has acquired Banner Life and its family of companies for approximately $2.3 billion, following regulatory approvals. The transaction, initially announced in February 2025, includes US term life insurance and pension risk transfer businesses previously owned by Legal & General Group. Banner Life currently ranks as America's third-largest term life insurer, with double-digit new premium growth over three years. Its pension risk transfer business has written over $14 billion in premium across 130 transactions since 2015. In 2025, the company insured more than 1.6 million customers and administered retirement benefits for over 200,000 annuitants. The acquisition strengthens Meiji Yasuda's North American presence, with Banner Life serving as its main US individual life insurance and sole pension risk transfer operation.
Find jobs on Simplify and start your career today
Don't see your dream role? Check out thousands of other roles on Simplify.Browse all jobs
Industries
Company Size
501-1,000
Company Stage
Acquired
Total Funding
N/A
Headquarters
Frederick, MD
Founded
1949
Find jobs on Simplify and start your career today
Don't see your dream role? Check out thousands of other roles on Simplify.Browse all jobs