# Protective Life

> Protective Life is a Birmingham-based insurance and financial services group that sells life insurance and annuities, administers acquired policy blocks, protects vehicles and other recreational assets, and offers employee benefits. Now a U.S. subsidiary of Daiichi Life Group, Protective pairs a retail distribution network with an unusually developed acquisition capability: 61 completed deals, nearly 32 million policies and contracts in force, about $142 billion in assets and $1 trillion of life insurance in force as of the end of 2025.

- **Founded:** 1907
- **Headquarters:** Birmingham, United States
- **Founders:** William Dorsey Jelks (Founder)
- **Team size:** More than 3,800 employees as of January 1, 2026, across Birmingham, greater Cincinnati, St. Louis and a national virtual workforce
- **Products:** Life insurance, Annuities and retirement solutions, Asset protection, Employee benefits, Policy-block acquisitions and administration
- **Notable:** Reached $1 trillion of life insurance in force in 2021., Reported nearly 32 million policies and contracts in force and $142 billion in assets at year-end 2025., Completed 61 acquisitions by January 2026 and invested about $7 billion in acquisitions since 1970.

## Products & services

- **Life insurance** — Term, whole, universal and variable universal life policies for income replacement, business continuity, estate planning and legacy needs.
- **Annuities and retirement solutions** — Fixed, indexed, immediate and variable annuities designed for tax-deferred accumulation, guaranteed income and wealth transfer.
- **Asset protection** — Vehicle service contracts, GAP coverage, limited warranties, ancillary products, dealer participation programs, training and F&I technology across auto, RV, marine and powersports.
- **Employee benefits** — Statutory short-term disability, paid family and medical leave and medical gap products, expanded through the ShelterPoint acquisition.
- **Policy-block acquisitions and administration** — Acquisition, reinsurance, conversion and long-term servicing of life insurance and annuity portfolios originated by other companies.
- **Stable value products** — Funding-agreement products for institutional markets, including retirement plans and other qualified investors.
- **Commercial mortgages and structured settlements** — Commercial real estate financing in selected segments and administration of structured-settlement payment streams.

## Achievements

- Reached $1 trillion of life insurance in force in 2021.
- Reported nearly 32 million policies and contracts in force and $142 billion in assets at year-end 2025.
- Completed 61 acquisitions by January 2026 and invested about $7 billion in acquisitions since 1970.
- Paid $4.44 billion in life and annuity claims and payouts to 87,812 customers during 2025.
- Earned a 19th appearance on the Ward's 50 list of top-performing U.S. life-health insurers in 2026.
- Was named to TIME's America's Best Companies 2026 list.
- Earned Great Place to Work certification for a fifth consecutive year in 2026.
- The Protective Foundation has given $98.4 million since 1994 and supported 169 nonprofits in 2025.

## Latest updates

- **2026-07** — Protective made its 19th appearance on Ward's 50 and was named to TIME's America's Best Companies 2026 list.
- **2026-06** — Protective earned Great Place to Work certification for the fifth consecutive year; 89% of surveyed employees called it a great place to work.
- **2026-05** — CEO Rich Bielen announced plans to retire at the end of 2026; President and CFO Paul Wells is due to become president and CEO on January 1, 2027.
- **2026-04** — Protective agreed to acquire Obsidian Insurance Holdings, a specialty property and casualty platform with more than $1 billion in annual gross written premium; closing is expected in late 2026 or early 2027, subject to approvals.
- **2026-01** — Protective completed its acquisition of Portfolio Holding, expanding dealer F&I, reinsurance management and dealer wealth programs.
- **2026-01** — Protective launched a life and annuity distribution relationship with Alfa Insurance.

## Links

- Website: https://www.protective.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/protective-life
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/ProtectiveLife
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/protectivelife/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ProtectiveLife

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/protective-life
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-13