Western & Southern Financial Group life insurance

Overview

Western & Southern Financial Group is a Cincinnati financial services group built around The Western and Southern Life Insurance Company, which has sold life insurance since 1888. It is ultimately owned by Western & Southern Mutual Holding Company, a mutual holding company, rather than by stock investors. The group ranked #25 among U.S. life insurance groups by 2024 individual life direct premiums written, according to NAIC market share data, with $1.86 billion in premiums and a 1.19% share.

Consumers know it through several brands. Western & Southern Life sells through its own field agents and a call center. Gerber Life sells children's and final-expense coverage directly and through agencies. Columbus Life and Lafayette Life sell through independent agents, and Integrity Life and National Integrity sell annuities. Seven life insurers make up the group: Western & Southern Life, Western-Southern Life Assurance Company, Columbus Life, Gerber Life, Integrity Life, National Integrity Life and Lafayette Life. Its 2025 annual report shows $7.7 billion in revenue, $161.7 billion of insurance in force, $1.7 billion of policyholder claims paid and about 4.9 million individuals and families protected. Its affiliates also include Fort Washington Investment Advisors, Touchstone mutual funds and Eagle Realty Group.

History

The Western and Southern Life Insurance Company was established in Cincinnati in 1888 to sell weekly-premium industrial life insurance that factory workers could afford. William J. Williams, its first secretary, sold policy number 1 on May 7, 1888, and Dr. Frank Caldwell was the first president. In 1910 Williams and his brother Charles bought a controlling interest, and their family led the company for about 40 years. Western & Southern reorganized as a mutual owned by its policyholders, completing the process in 1948. Starting in the 1950s, it acquired nine insurance companies and two banks over 14 years.

The modern group took shape through acquisitions. Columbus Life was formed in 1986 through a merger with Columbus Mutual. Western & Southern bought Integrity Life and National Integrity Life in 1999, and The Lafayette Life Insurance Company joined in 2007. In 2018 it acquired Gerber Life Insurance Company, which the Gerber baby food company founded in 1967. The Gerber Life name is used under license from Nestlé and Gerber Products Company. In 2022 Western & Southern bought Fabric Technologies, a digital insurance platform that now runs Fabric by Gerber Life. John F. Barrett, who joined as chief financial officer in 1987, is chairman, president and CEO. The group first made the Fortune 500 in 2002.

Life insurance products

What you can buy depends on which brand you approach.

• Western & Southern Life (agents and call center): term life, which its term page describes in 10-, 20- and 30-year lengths; participating whole life eligible for non-guaranteed dividends; and universal, indexed universal and survivorship universal life. Its rider literature describes chronic illness advances against the death benefit.
• Gerber Life Grow-Up Plan: whole life for children aged 14 days through 17 years, with coverage from $5,000 to $50,000 that doubles during the child's 18th year. A Guaranteed Purchase Option rider, included with standard-issue policies, guarantees the right to buy more coverage later.
• Gerber Life Guaranteed Life (50+): guaranteed-acceptance whole life for ages 50 through 80, with $5,000 to $25,000 of coverage ($15,000 maximum in South Dakota). It has a two-year graded death benefit for death from natural causes, while accidental death pays in full from the start. See final expense insurance: what it covers and costs.
• Gerber Life whole life and term: adult whole life for ages 18 to 80, with $50,000 to $1 million of coverage ($500,000 maximum from age 56). Term for ages 21 to 70 runs 10, 15, 20, 25 or 30 years for $100,000 to $5 million. It is quoted online through Fabric by Gerber Life and issued by Western-Southern Life Assurance Company.
• Columbus Life and Lafayette Life: life insurance and annuities sold through independent agents. Columbus Life targets upper-middle-income and emerging affluent clients, and Lafayette Life targets affluent, mass-affluent and small-business markets.

Other products

The group is a large annuity writer. Integrity Life serves every state except New York, and National Integrity Life serves New York and a few other northeastern states. Together they offer fixed, indexed, immediate and variable annuities, and Western & Southern Life sells annuities through its agents. Gerber Life also sells accident protection insurance and the Gerber Life College Plan. The wider group offers mutual funds through Touchstone, investment advisory services, 529 college savings plans and institutional money management through Fort Washington.

Buying and service

Western & Southern Life sells face to face through its field agents, supported by a Cincinnati call center. Its customer service line, 866-832-7719, is staffed 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern time on weekdays, with Spanish-speaking representatives available. Policyholders can log in online to view policies and annuities and make payments.

Gerber Life is the group's direct-to-consumer brand. You can get a quote and apply online or by phone (800-425-5164 for new applications), and Gerber Life also sells through independent agencies. Its policy service line is 800-704-2180, open weekdays 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Eastern. Term policies, along with kids' investment accounts and digital wills, are managed through the Fabric by Gerber Life app. If you are unsure which company issued your policy, check the company name on the policy or statement. Each Western & Southern insurer is responsible only for its own policies.

Claims

For Western & Southern Life policies, anyone, including a family member, beneficiary or funeral home, can start a death claim online. It takes about 10 to 15 minutes and needs the insured's name, date of birth and date of death, the beneficiary's details and the policy number. The company says its claims department follows up within two to three business days. A certified death certificate is not required to start, but including one speeds processing. Some qualifying claims can use a faster "Express Claim" with fewer documents. Benefits can be paid as a lump-sum check, deposited into a Western & Southern Life account, or taken as interest or installment income. Claims help is at 800-926-1315, documents can be emailed to [email protected], and the mailing address is P.O. Box 1399, Cincinnati, OH 45273-9425.

Gerber Life claims go to 800-628-0560 or the Life Claims Processing Unit, 445 State St., Fremont, MI 49412. Fabric by Gerber Life term claims go to 877-623-7177. See our how to file a life insurance claim guide for the general steps.

Ratings and reputation

Western & Southern's ratings page, current as of April 24, 2026, lists A+ (Superior) from AM Best, AA (Very Strong) from Fitch, AA- (Very Strong) from S&P and Aa3 (Excellent) from Moody's for its life insurers. Gerber Life is rated only by AM Best, at A+ since February 2024, and Lafayette Life is not rated by Moody's. The company says it has held the AM Best A+ for most of its insurers since June 2009. See AM Best, S&P, Moody's and Fitch ratings explained.

Western & Southern ranked second in customer satisfaction in the J.D. Power 2025 U.S. Individual Annuity Study, which measures annuity customers, not life insurance customers. The group's 2025 annual report showed record revenue, net investment income and operating income.

Who it suits

Western & Southern suits families who want a local agent and traditional participating whole life or term coverage, parents and grandparents shopping for a small children's whole life policy, and adults 50 to 80 who need a small final-expense policy without health questions. Through Gerber Life's online term, it also offers up to $5 million of term coverage bought digitally. The trade-offs vary by brand. Guaranteed-issue policies cost more per dollar of coverage and have a two-year graded benefit, children's policies top out at $50,000, and the several sister companies can make it unclear whom to call.

• Strengths: mutual holding company ownership with A+ (AM Best), AA (Fitch), AA- (S&P) and Aa3 (Moody's) ratings; channels for every buyer, including career agents, independent agents and online; a well-known children's and senior guaranteed-issue line through Gerber Life; ranked second in J.D. Power's 2025 individual annuity study.
• Weaknesses: products, phone numbers and claims lines differ across seven insurers and several brands, so beneficiaries must first identify which company issued the policy; Gerber's guaranteed-issue coverage is capped at $25,000 with a two-year graded benefit; children's Grow-Up Plan coverage tops out at $50,000.

How to contact Western & Southern Financial Group