Jackson National Life life insurance

Overview

Jackson National Life Insurance Company, which markets itself simply as Jackson, is a major U.S. annuity company and the main operating company of Jackson Financial Inc., listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker JXN. It is headquartered in Lansing, Michigan, with offices in Franklin, Tennessee, and Chicago. Jackson's own New York company, Jackson National Life Insurance Company of New York, serves New York residents.

Jackson is an unusual name on a list of life insurers. It stopped selling new life insurance in 2012, and its business today is overwhelmingly annuities sold through financial professionals. Its life insurance premiums come from policies it bought from other insurers, plus older Jackson policies still in force. The Jackson National group ranked #59 among U.S. life insurance groups by 2024 individual life direct premiums written, according to NAIC market share data, with $450.8 million in premiums and a 0.29% share, all of it renewal premium on existing policies. Jackson Financial's 2025 annual report says the company had more than 1.3 million life and annuity policies in its Closed Life and Annuity Blocks segment, with $20.1 billion of reserves at the end of 2025.

History

Jackson National Life was founded in Jackson, Michigan, in 1961 by A. J. "Tony" Pasant, a Lansing insurance salesman and field manager, as a small regional life insurer. It grew into a national company and in 1986 was bought by the British insurer Prudential plc, which is not related to the U.S. company Prudential Financial.

Under Prudential plc, Jackson built its annuity business and grew by buying blocks of life insurance and annuities. In May 2005 it completed the purchase of Life Insurance Company of Georgia from ING, adding about 1.6 million life insurance policies and annuity contracts. In 2012 it bought Reassure America Life Insurance Company (REALIC), the U.S. administrative reinsurance business of Swiss Re, for about $600 million; the deal closed that September. In 2018 it agreed to reinsure John Hancock's group payout annuity business. Jackson's annual report says it has acquired more than $15 billion of life and annuity reserves since 2012 and that it discontinued new life insurance sales that year because buying mature blocks was a more efficient way to diversify than selling new policies.

Two later events reshaped the company. In June 2020 Jackson reinsured a large block of its fixed and fixed indexed annuities to Athene. Then Prudential plc separated Jackson through a demerger, and Jackson Financial became an independent public company on September 13, 2021. Laura L. Prieskorn, a Jackson employee of more than 30 years, has been chief executive since February 2021. Jackson Financial's corporate structure also includes Brooke Life Insurance Company, the direct parent of Jackson National Life, and Brooke Life Reinsurance Company, a Michigan captive reinsurer.

Life insurance products

Jackson does not sell life insurance. Its life business is a closed block made up of:

• Older Jackson National Life policies, which included traditional and interest-sensitive life insurance sold before 2012.
• Policies that came with Life Insurance Company of Georgia, acquired in 2005.
• Policies that came with Reassure America Life Insurance Company, acquired from Swiss Re in 2012. REALIC was Swiss Re's U.S. administrative reinsurance (Admin Re) business, which managed blocks taken over from other insurers, so some of these policies were originally sold under other names.

If you own one of these policies, its terms did not change when it moved to Jackson. Jackson's contact page tells Reassure America policyholders to keep using the service provider address and phone number shown on their most recent correspondence, because those policies have their own administration. Owners of older universal life policies should watch whether their premiums are enough to keep coverage in force and request an how to request and read an in-force illustration if unsure. The guide when your life insurance policy is sold to another company explains how acquisitions like these work.

Other products

Annuities are Jackson's core business. It sells variable annuities, which are its flagship product, registered index-linked annuities (RILAs), fixed indexed annuities and fixed annuities, as well as institutional products. Variable annuities and RILAs are securities sold with a prospectus, and many include optional guaranteed lifetime withdrawal benefits for an added fee. These products can carry surrender charges and layered fees, so annuity fees, explained and annuity surrender charges and free withdrawals are worth reading before you buy. Jackson Financial's investment arm, PPM America, manages most of its general account.

Buying and service

Jackson sells annuities only through financial professionals, such as advisors at broker-dealers, banks and independent advisory firms, not directly to consumers. Contract and policy owners call 800-644-4565, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Eastern; an automated line at 877-565-2968 gives values and contract information 24 hours a day. The general information line is 517-381-5500. Owners can also send secure messages through a form on jackson.com that covers billing and payments, death claims, forms, status requests and tax forms.

Regular mail, including premium payments, goes to Jackson, P.O. Box 24068, Lansing, MI 48909-4068. The fax number for life insurance is 517-706-5552. Jackson of New York contract owners call 888-965-6569, or 800-599-5651 for automated values and contracts bought through a brokerage firm.

Claims

Jackson does not publish a separate life claims phone line. To report a death, call the contract owner line at 800-644-4565 or use the contact form on jackson.com and choose "Death Claim" as the topic. Jackson will tell you which forms and documents it needs; typically that means a claimant statement and a certified death certificate. Life insurance documents can be faxed to 517-706-5552 or mailed to the Lansing P.O. box. Beneficiaries of Reassure America policies should use the contact details on that policy's correspondence. The claims guide covers the general steps.

Ratings and reputation

Jackson Financial's investor site lists Jackson National Life's financial strength ratings as of February 18, 2026: A (Excellent) from AM Best, A (Strong) from S&P, A3 (Good) from Moody's and A (Strong) from Fitch. In December 2025 AM Best affirmed the A financial strength rating and upgraded Jackson's long-term issuer credit rating to "a+" from "a", citing very strong risk-adjusted capitalization and improving statutory earnings.

Jackson was not part of the J.D. Power 2026 U.S. Individual Life Insurance Study, which ranks companies that sell new life insurance. Its business is concentrated in variable annuities with living benefit guarantees, which are sensitive to stock markets and interest rates; Jackson runs a hedging program to offset that risk.

Who it suits

Jackson matters to two groups: people whose older life insurance came from Jackson, Life of Georgia or Reassure America, and investors who want a variable or index-linked annuity through an advisor. It is not an option for anyone shopping for new life insurance.

• Strengths: A-range ratings from all four major agencies as of February 2026; a large, established annuity business with a separate New York company; publicly traded, with detailed SEC disclosure; long experience administering acquired blocks.
• Weaknesses: sells no new life insurance; annuities sold only through financial professionals; heavy reliance on variable annuities ties results to market swings; Reassure America policies use a separate service provider, which can confuse owners.

How to contact Jackson National Life