Foresters Life Insurance and Annuity Company recognized by The Ward Group for being among top 50 life insurance companies

NEW YORK, NY, Sept. 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ - Foresters Life Insurance and Annuity Company has been selected to the 2016 Ward's 50®group of top performing companies. This is the seventh consecutive year that Foresters Life Insurance and Annuity Company has been included among the top 50 life insurance companies by The Ward Group.

"It is an honor to be recognized again by The Ward Group for being among the top 50 life insurance companies in the United States," says Carol Springsteen, President of Foresters Life Insurance and Annuity Company. "This prestigious industry award further underscores the success of our organization as we continue to grow and build our firm's financial strength with a dedicated focus on providing our clients with superior products and world-class customer service."

Annually, The Ward Group analyzes the financial performance of nearly 3,000 property-casualty insurance companies and nearly 700 life-health insurance companies domiciled in the United States and identifies the top performers in each segment. The Ward Group has conducted the Ward's 50 analysis since 1991. It is a financial analysis of the insurance industry based on publicly available data and conducted independently of the Ward Group annual benchmarking programs. Each Ward's 50 company has passed all safety and consistency screens and achieved superior performance over the five years analyzed.

The Ward Group is the leading provider of benchmarking and best practices studies for insurance companies. The firm, an Aon Hewitt company, analyzes staff levels, compensation, expenses and business practices for all areas of insurance company operations and helps companies to measure results, optimize performance and improve profitability.

About Foresters Financial Holding Company, Inc. (formerly First Investors)
Foresters Financial Holding Company, Inc. consists of a group of diversified financial services companies that include a registered broker-dealer, two investment advisers, a life insurance company and a transfer agent. Foresters Financial Services, Inc., a broker-dealer, helps everyday families reach their financial goals by offering solutions and guidance through its network of financial representatives working in 44 branch offices across the United States. Foresters Investment Management Company, Inc. is the investment adviser to the First Investors family of funds, which had more than $11 billion in total assets under management as of June 30, 2016.  Foresters Life Insurance and Annuity Company, Inc., a New York domiciled insurance company, offers a range of insurance and annuity products and maintains an "A" (Excellent) rating by A.M. Best¹. For more information visit foresters.com.

About Foresters Financial
Foresters Financial^™ is an international financial services provider with more than three million clients and members in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, and total funds under management of $34 billion^². With a history of more than 140 years, we provide life insurance, savings, retirement and investment solutions that help families achieve their financial goals, protect their families and improve their communities.^³ For more information, visit foresters.com.

Foresters Financial and Foresters are trade names and trademarks of The Independent Order of Foresters (a fraternal benefit society, 789 Don Mills Road, Toronto, Canada M3C 1T9) and its subsidiaries.

^¹ An "A" (Excellent) rating is assigned to companies that have a strong ability to meet their ongoing obligations to policyholders and have, on balance, excellent balance sheet strength, operating performance and business profile when compared to the standards established by A.M. Best Company. A.M. Best assigns ratings from A++ to F, A++ and A+ being superior ratings and A and A- being excellent ratings. In assigning the Foresters Life Insurance and Annuity Company (FLIAC) rating on August 18, 2016, A.M. Best stated that the rating outlook is "stable", which means it is unlikely to change in the near future. See ambest.com for our latest rating.

^² In Canadian dollars as of December 31, 2015.

^³ Products offered vary by country. Not all products are available for distribution in all jurisdictions. In the United States, products are offered by The Independent Order of Foresters and its subsidiaries, including Foresters Financial Services, Inc. a registered broker-dealer. Securities, life insurance and annuity products are offered through Foresters Financial Services, Inc. or independent producers. Insurance products are issued by Foresters Life Insurance and Annuity Company, New York, or The Independent Order of Foresters. Investment advisory products and services are offered through Foresters Advisory Services, LLC, a registered investment adviser.

SOURCE Foresters Financial