Fabric by Gerber Life life insurance: who issues it and how it works

Overview

Fabric began in 2015 as a Brooklyn, New York startup founded by Adam Erlebacher and Steven Surgnier to help young parents with "financial must-dos": life insurance, a will and saving for children. In January 2022, Western & Southern Financial Group, the Cincinnati mutual holding company group that has owned Gerber Life since 2018, announced it had completed the purchase of Fabric Technologies from its venture investors, led by Bessemer Venture Partners. Terms were not disclosed.

Fabric now operates as Fabric by Gerber Life, a direct-to-consumer brand of the Western & Southern group, and was still selling when we checked its site in October 2026. Besides term life, the app offers a free will and a kids investment account (a custodial UGMA account offered through a Western & Southern advisory affiliate).

Who issues the policy

Despite the Gerber Life name, Fabric's term policies are not issued by Gerber Life Insurance Company. Fabric's site says its policies are issued by Western-Southern Life Assurance Company, a Western & Southern company, and Western & Southern's disclosure says the term policy series is issued by Western-Southern Life Assurance Company, Cincinnati, Ohio, "which operates in DC and all states except NY," and distributed by Gerber Life Agency, LLC using Fabric Technologies. Gerber Life is a brand used under license from Nestlé and Gerber Products Company.

The issuer, not the app, pays claims. Western & Southern's ratings page, current as of April 24, 2026, lists AM Best A+ (Superior) for its life insurers, according to our Western & Southern Financial Group profile.

Before the 2022 acquisition, Fabric sold term life and accidental death policies issued by Vantis Life Insurance Company, a subsidiary of Penn Mutual. If you bought then, your policy is still Vantis Life's obligation; check your policy schedule for the issuer name.

How buying works

You enter your age, state and desired coverage for a quote, then complete an online application that Fabric says can take as little as 10 minutes. Fabric says qualified applicants can get instant coverage with no medical exam; licensed staff are available by chat or phone if you need help. A Clark.com review reported that Fabric requires an exam above $1.5 million of coverage and for some health conditions; that is a secondary source, so confirm during your application.

Fabric offers a 30-day money-back guarantee (its free-look period) and says you can cancel at any time with no hidden fees. The premium is level for the term, which Fabric calls a "price lock guarantee."

Products and limits

• Term life: $100,000 to $5 million, in terms of 10 to 30 years. Fabric's app-store disclosure also names an accelerated death benefit riders: how they work and how they're taxed issued with the policy.
• Wills: a free online last will and testament.
• Kids investment account: a custodial account for children under 15, with a minimum recurring contribution of $20 a month plus administrative fees.

Fabric publishes a dated example: pricing "as of 5/22/24" for a 10-year term for a 30-year-old non-smoking woman in Texas in excellent health, and a starting price of $7.85 a month for a 25-year-old woman with $100,000 of coverage. Those are Fabric's own examples for healthy young applicants, not typical prices. Fabric does not sell in New York.

Reputation

We found no published regulatory enforcement action against Fabric or Gerber Life Agency in sources searched in October 2026. The issuer, Western-Southern Life Assurance Company, belongs to a group rated A+ (Superior) by AM Best, AA by Fitch, AA- by S&P and Aa3 by Moody's as of April 2026. We do not repeat review-site star ratings.

Who it suits

Fabric suits parents of young children who want straightforward term coverage from a highly rated insurer and like having a will and child savings tools in the same app. Because it offers policies from a single issuer, it cannot show you how other insurers would price your health profile; compare with a broker if you have health conditions (see how to compare life insurance quotes fairly).

• Strengths: issuer in a group rated A+ by AM Best; coverage up to $5 million; no-exam instant decisions for qualified applicants; free will; 30-day money-back guarantee.
• Weaknesses: one issuer only; term only; not available in New York; the Gerber Life name can mislead buyers about which company issues the policy; age limits are not clearly published on the site.

How to contact Fabric by Gerber Life

Fabric offers support by phone, email and live chat through its support page and app, but its public site does not list a phone number we could verify. Western & Southern's general line is 877-367-9734, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern, at 400 Broadway, Cincinnati, OH 45202. For a policy issued before 2022 by Vantis Life, Penn Mutual lists a Vantis service line of 866-826-8471.