American Memorial Life Insurance Company Review
Last updated: February 1st, 2023
Reviewed by
Grant Desselle
Licensed Insurance Agent
Table of Contents
About American Memorial
If you’re older than 50 and you have shopped for burial or funeral options, chances are likely American Memorial is a company you’ve heard of. American Memorial is the underwriting entity for Assurant Global Preneed. In other words, American Memorial is the sister company that you’ll work with and speak with to buy life insurance from the parent company Assurant. While this may sound shady, it’s perfectly normal in the life insurance industry.
Through its American Memorial Life Insurance distribution channel, Assurant Preneed Global has over 3,000 funeral home partners and is the largest provider of preneed funeral insurance in the U.S. and Canada.
American Memorial’s biggest partnership is with SCI, Service Corporation International, the largest funeral and cremation service company in North America. Assurant Preneed Global provides insurance products and support services for SCI.
Assurant Preneed began operating with the acquisition of United Family Life Insurance Company in 1980. American Memorial Life Insurance Company was purchased in 2000. Assurant Preneed offices are located in Atlanta, Georgia, and Rapid City, South Dakota.
Our take on American Memorial
American Memorial Life Insurance Company is a subsidiary of Assurant, a company that has been in the insurance game since 1892. American Memorial began in 1955, and has grown ever since.
While Assurant offers a variety of financial solutions, American Memorial targets the niche market of final expense life insurance.
Niche companies are always a tradeoff. Younger applicants will find themselves faced with limited options, and probably won’t find affordable life insurance from a company like American Memorial. Seniors, however, can benefit greatly from the final expense and pre-need policy options, which can ensure that your final expenses are taken care of in advance, sparing your family any financial burdens.
| A.M. Best Rating | A- |
| S&P Rating | A |
| BBB Rating | A+ |
| Customer Service Phone | 800-533-2220 |
| Website | www.assurant.com |
| Address | American Memorial Life Insurance 440 Mount Rushmore Road Rapid City, SD 57701 |
What we like
Pre-Need Coverage Travels with You
Paying for your funeral up-front may seem like a risk, but American Memorial promises that your policy is flexible enough for you to move or change funeral directors.
Strong Reputation and Backing
Despite some legal setbacks involving their health insurance, Assurant remains a strong company with a reliable financial track record.
Few Customer Complaints
Compared to other companies their size, American Memorial has received fewer customer complaints than the industry average.
What We Don’t Like
No Online Quotes
No online quotes are available, and applicants will need to speak with an agent to obtain policy details and premium rates.
Limited Policy Options
These policies serve a narrow segment of the market. Those expecting term life insurance or whole life insurance policies will have to look elsewhere.
High Modified Plans
The modified plans tend to be costly. Those with health conditions may wish to shop around to find the best rates.
American Memorial Life Insurance Products
Pre-Need Insurance
A pre-need plan is designed to cover the cost of funerals and other end-of-life expenses. With this policy, the policyholder makes all the arrangements with the funeral home and then determines an up-front cost. After that, the policyholder will obtain a pre-need policy that fulfills these financial requirements. After your death, the American Memorial pays the funeral home on your behalf. Typically, these funds are available within 24 hours.
Your Story, Your Way
The key advantage of a pre-need policy is that it locks in your rates upfront. This also allows you to plan your funeral, which eases the burden on your family as well as gives you the chance to design your funeral according to your own wishes.
Flexible Payment
American Memorial Life offers flexible payment options. Policyholders can pay for the policy in a lump sum, or make payments over three, five, or ten years.
Policy Moves with You
If you change cities or wish to change funeral directors, you won’t have to make any changes to your plan. It’s not entirely clear how this works, however, given that the price is based on a preexisting arrangement with one funeral home. Policyholders may wish to raise this question to ensure that a new funeral home will provide the services they desire.
Final Expense
Final expense insurance is intended to cover any end-of-life expenses. This includes such things as remaining medical bills, outstanding debt, etc. Ultimately, the money is not earmarked for a particular purpose, so your beneficiaries can use the money as they see fit. Approval is dependent on your answers to a few basic medical questions, with no need for a formal medical exam.
American Memorial Life offers two variants of this final expense policy: the Preferred Plan and the modified plan.
Level Benefit Preferred Plan
The Preferred Plan offers level benefits for the lifetime of the policy, which ensures that your rates stay locked in. Rates are as follows:
| Age range | Minimum coverage | Maximum coverage |
| 0-60 | $5,000 | $50,000 |
| 61-70 | $3,000 | $25,000 |
| 71-80 | $3,000 | $20,000 |
| 81-85 | $3,000 | $20,000 |
This policy is designed for those in good health. Those with medical conditions should pursue the modified plan, below.
Applicants are also expected to receive coverage face-to-face. If you apply over the phone, your coverage is capped at $15,000, regardless of age or health.
Modified Plan
A modified plan is intended for those with minor or well-managed health conditions, such as type-2 diabetes or well-managed hypertension. As with the Preferred Plan, coverage varies by age:
| Age range | Minimum coverage | Maximum coverage |
| 40-60 | $5,000 | $15,000 |
| 61-70 | $3,000 | $15,000 |
| 71-80 | $3,000 | $10,000 |
Note that unlike the Preferred Plan, the modified plan has a narrower range of ages.
Additionally, this is a graded benefit plan, which means that the full death benefit is not available until the third year of the policy. During the first two years, beneficiaries receive a return of the premiums plus an additional 10% interest.
Policy benefits
Riders
American Memorial Life Insurance does not offer any additional riders with which to customize their policies. This decreases their overall value substantially, as many competing companies offer living benefits and other customizable features.
30-Day Free Look Period
American Memorial allows its policyholders to return their policy for a refund up to 30 days after purchase. This isn’t all that unusual in the industry but gives buyers greater confidence that they can “try out” their policy without a huge risk.
Cost
These policies are intended to offer low coverage amounts, since their purpose is considerably more narrow than other whole life insurance offerings on the market. As such, policyholders can expect generally affordable rates.
A 40-year-old man can receive a $10,000 policy for around $25/month, and his rate will go up to $115/month at age 70. These are generally competitive with other final expense policies on the market today, but they are hardly the best. The fact that no riders are included decreases the value of these policies substantially.
If you have pre-existing health conditions that prevent you from obtaining final expense insurance elsewhere, American Memorial may be a valid option. But if you shop around, you may be able to find policies that have better options and a lower monthly premium.
Performance
Financial ratings
American Memorial Life is well-reviewed by consumer agencies:
- S&P Rating: A
- A.M. Best Rating: A-
Additionally, their parent company, Assurant has an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau. However, Assurant has historically made news for canceling the health coverage of some of their sick policyholders. They have since recovered from that scandal, and this should not impact the life insurance offered through American Memorial Life. Customers should simply be aware of the parent organization’s legal and financial history before making a final decision.
Customer reviews
Customer ratings
The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) provides ratings to insurance companies based on the number of customer complaints. A customer complaint ratio of 1.0 is considered average. The NAIC has a complaint index of 0.26, which indicates that they receive fewer customer complaints than other companies their size.
Leave a Reply
Want to join the discussion?Feel free to contribute!
Leave a Reply
See what you qualify for by answering some health questions.
-
Brian is the founder and CEO of Insurist and carries Life, Health, and Property & Casualty licenses in all 50 U.S. states. Since 2013, Brian has been a member of Million Dollar Round Table, a designation for the top 1% of financial advisors worldwide. Brian has been featured in Yahoo! Finance, Money.com, Entrepreneur.com, Life Happens, Forbes, MSN, and Good Financial Cents. Brian’s goal is to show customers the best products, the quickest answers to their questions, and provide expert advice.
-
Grant's past experience includes work as a licensed sales agent for Hagerty Insurance. He has reviewed thousands of existing auto policies across the nation and issued hundreds of new ones on everything ranging from classic cars undergoing restoration to modern exotics and motorcycles.
Wondering why I make auto payment for many years now and my bank statement has always said paid to American Memorial but this month Dec. 2020 it say paid to Assurance. Same payment but did they change over or sell out American Memorial???
I hope you mean Assurant.
Assurant is the parent company and they have been doing a rebrand.
Assurant Solutions Preneed Division – Rapid City
440 Mt. Rushmore Road
Rapid City, SD 57701
1-800-533-2220
Open Monday through Friday – 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. (MST).
Every month I’m having $87.15 drafted from my checking account, tagged as “AMERICAN MEM. PREM PYMT 210128 3124115 FRANK QUARANTA”
Will these premiums continue to be drafted till I die? I assume this is to cover my funeral expenses with McEwen Funeral Service correct?
How much am I insured for?
Thank You
Premiums are typically taken out every month until you call the insurance company to make a change. Depending on the cash value of the policy, you may be able to pay premiums out of the cash value. But your death benefit decreases by the amount withdrawn. I would contact the funeral service for assistance.
It seems to me that the only answer you have for every question is to contact them. It is hard to do when every you call, you are put on hold forever, or they say they can’t help you, but they want your money, or don’t take it when you have set it up.
My dad filled out the paperworkand met with a man. He paid a $25 fee and was told if they don’t give him life insurance he will get the money back. Been 2 months and he hasn’t gotten his money back. Scammers taking people’s money. Y’all should be ashamed!!!
Please know that we are not American Memorial. We help people who have issues or questions regarding American Memorial. I’ve never heard about a $25 fee, unless it was the first month’s premium.
My husband and I recently pre-arranged basic cremation services from Funeral Alternatives in Medford, Oregon. We are signed up for “Full Benefit Single Premium Plan” and understood that this was a onetime full payment which we paid ($1385.00 each). After receiving a whole life policy on July 22, 2021 which states “Annual Premium” of that amount and a Benefit Description stating “Nonparticipating single premium whole life policy that endows at age 100, we are confused! Are we expected to pay further annual premiums? I have until August 8,2021 to cancel these arrangements and policy so would appreciate a quick reply from you.
If it was a single premium plan, then that should be the only payment.
I have spent time and money in an effort to prove that my June premium was mailed, and received by you. In the meantime, my July pmt. covers June, etc. til last week when a warning was mailed to my daughter who initiated the policy. I have spoken with your phone representatives several times, several times with the BofA whose Bill Pay sent the check … and I sent a fax explaining the circumstances … to learn that after seven days … and three months of checks shifting … you are looking into it … and it will take another 3-4 days. There is no compensation for my time and money spent. I’m not ready to collect on the policy yet, so consider my situation … and find out what happened to the check that you received in June.
Hi Patricia.
Are you trying to get ahold of American Memorial?
We are not them. We are an agency.
Here is the support page for American Memorial policies.
https://www.assurant.com/claims-and-support/final-expense-preneed
Make sure you email your issue to them so you have a record of it.
I hope you get this worked out.
I’AM SORRY I GOT INVOLVED WITH THESE PEOPLE I BEEN HUNG UP ON APPOINTMENTS WHERE NO SHOW AND I WANT MY MONEY BACK. I HOPE I DON’T HAVE TO TAKE LEGAL ACTION TO GET MY MONEY BACK
I have been paying $100 more than my agreed to monthly payment of $86.43. American Memorial told me because I am paying off my expense’s early that they cannot send me a monthly statement telling me how much I have paid or owe. Really. Is this how they do business? My remaining expense on my final arrangements was around $2000.00
I requested that my contract be terminated and money refunded in December of 2021.
The company has been as obstructionist as it possibly can be.It’s March of 2022 andI still haven’t received the form to do it.I wouldn’t ever use this company!
You are not alone :(
One way to get their attention is to file a complaint without the department of insurance. Do a search for “department of insurance Florida” or “file an insurance complaint Florida” or whatever your state is.
Ex. https://www.myfloridacfo.com/division/consumers/needourhelp.htm or https://apps.fldfs.com/eService/Newrequest.aspx
I hope this helps.
Thanks, how do I go about getting info on my pre-need policy I have had in effect for ten years. Who do I call> The funeral home I bought it through?
Yes. The funeral home should be your first call.
My dad was buying this insurance I just found out. He passed away 7 years ago. Can someone contact me?
Thank you
We do not sell American Memorial policies. You need to contact them directly. https://www.assurant.com/claims-and-support/final-expense-preneed
They are not the easiest company to deal with. We have a life insurance claims attorney if you need one. Talk to a claims specialist
Is there not a website for American Memorial? My paper work says Assurant on it but when I go there website it wont let me finish my whole policy number to create an account.
The website is difficult to navigate. Here is the page for life insurance policies. https://www.assurant.com/claims-and-support/final-expense-preneed
My mom has been paying $220 for the last 8 years since they talked her into funeral insurance the day after my dad’s funeral. She has paid over $20,000 in Tennessee where the cap is $6000 for a funeral trust. When she called them to ask about lowering the premium they told her that she could not do that and that she would have to keep paying until she died. She is about to turn 77 and doesn’t plan on dieing anytime soon.
You will need to run the numbers. What is the death benefit of the policy?
Is there a cash value inside the policy? You may want to cash the policy out.
I recommend you look at the policy and find your options.
Make sure you talk with a licensed agent at their company.
I got a final funeral arrangement, from Oakdale Memorial Park, Glendora, CA. the funeral cover amount is 4,672.00 I been paying 87.74 a month. in ten years finance I will be paying 9,530.40 is double the total amount. This is like buying a car or more. I’ll be paying 4,858.40 of interest only. I think this is a rip off to seniors. How can I get out of this contract. I’m paying 30.00 + you making 57.74 interest. This is a rip off.