Articles from Symetra Financial Corporation

With National Financial Literacy Month underway, Symetra today announced a new partnership with Operation Hope, a national nonprofit focused on financial literacy empowerment and economic education, to bring community financial literacy workshops, coaching and referral services to underserved adults in the Greater Hartford, Conn., area. Symetra has committed $350,000 to fund the first three years of the program, Symetra Hope Inside, through 2027.

With National Cancer Prevention Month underway, Symetra Life Insurance Company unveiled a new consumer-facing web-based resource highlighting the unique combination of cancer care benefits and services of its groundbreaking Cancer Care Compass. Introduced in 2024, the industry-first optional rider package provides a suite of features and benefits that can help support customers during their lifetime. It is available at application for an additional cost on Symetra’s indexed universal life (IUL) policies.

Symetra Financial Corporation today announced the appointments of Soraya Alexander and April Galda Joyce to its board of directors. Ms. Alexander is chief operating officer of online fundraising platform GoFundMe and president of its subsidiary, Classy, Inc. Ms. Galda Joyce was most recently CEO and director of Beat Capital Partners Americas, a subsidiary of United Kingdom-based MGA platform Beat Capital Partners Limited. The appointments were effective March 31, 2024.

Symetra Financial Corporation received a 2024 Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Award from the Bank Insurance & Securities Association (BISA), which annually recognizes the successful diversity efforts of organizations from the financial services industry.

Symetra Financial Corporation (“Symetra”), a wholly owned subsidiary of Sumitomo Life Insurance Company (“Sumitomo”), today announced the designation of Sally Jewell as chair of its board of directors, effective Aug. 24, 2023. Ms. Jewell, former U.S. Secretary of the Interior under President Barack Obama and former CEO of REI, joined Symetra’s board in March 2018. She succeeds Thomas Marra, who recently resigned after serving as chair since 2017.

Symetra Financial Corporation (“Symetra”), a wholly owned subsidiary of Sumitomo Life Insurance Company (“Sumitomo”), today announced the resignation of Thomas M. Marra as chair of its board of directors, effective July 31, 2023. Mr. Marra, who has served in the role since July 4, 2017, is stepping down to pursue new opportunities. Sumitomo, as Symetra’s shareholder, will designate a new chair shortly.

Symetra Financial Corporation today announced the publication of its first corporate social responsibility (CSR) report —Symetra Social Impact 2022.

Symetra Financial Corporation today announced the appointments of Kevin R. Byrne and Thomas J. Girard to its board of directors. Mr. Byrne is recently retired chief executive officer of Pacific Global Asset Management, and Mr. Girard most recently served as chief investment officer, Fixed Income for NYL Investors, from which he retired in June 2018. The appointments were effective March 31, 2023.

Symetra has received a Silver Stevie® Award in the “Inside or Telesales Team of the Year” category in the 17th annual Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. The Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service are the world’s top honors for customer service, contact center, business development and sales professionals. The 2023 winners were announced during a gala event attended by more than 400 professionals from around the world at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada on Friday, March 3.

Working with regulators in the U.S., Japan and Bermuda, Symetra Financial Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sumitomo Life Insurance Company, today announced that it had established Symetra Bermuda Re Ltd. to reinsure certain risks of Symetra Life Insurance Company, a subsidiary of Symetra Financial Corporation. Symetra Bermuda Re is registered with the Bermuda Monetary Authority as a Class C insurer. On Dec. 20, 2022, Symetra Bermuda Re completed its first reinsurance transaction, reinsuring an 80% quota share of fixed deferred and fixed indexed annuities issued by Symetra Life on and after Jan. 1, 2022.

With college graduation season in full swing, Symetra today announced a new national partnership with Morgan State University (MSU), among the nation's most diverse Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Symetra will provide multiyear, wraparound support for 25 MSU scholars by 2025, funding tuition and barrier reduction for students enrolled in the Actuarial Science program. The Symetra scholarship program is part of an initiative to promote diversity in opportunities and outcomes for students pursuing a post-secondary degree by partnering with HBCUs.

Symetra Financial Corporation today announced the appointments of Sharon Brock and Denise Leonhard to its board of directors. Ms. Brock is retired executive vice president and co-chief financial officer of Tokio Marine HCC and Ms. Leonhard is chief commercial officer at Venmo. The appointments were effective March 31, 2022.

Symetra, a national provider of employee benefits, annuities and life insurance, today announced the launch of its first corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative—Symetra Social Impact—establishing a strategic CSR roadmap and outlining program goals through 2025. Unified under an equity and inclusion framework that emphasizes social impact, the new program integrates community, environmental sustainability, and governance efforts to more broadly influence and drive positive outcomes for customers, communities and employees.

Symetra Financial Corporation today announced the promotion of executive vice president Chantel Balkovetz to Chief Operations Officer. In this newly created role, Ms. Balkovetz will add leadership for Symetra’s Information Technology organization to her current responsibilities heading Service & Operations for the company’s Retirement, Benefits and Individual Life divisions. She reports to Margaret Meister, president and chief executive officer, Symetra Financial Corporation.

Symetra Financial Corporation today announced that its investment subsidiary, Symetra Investment Management Company (SIM), is now a Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Launched in January 2020, SIM will expand its existing relationship with Symetra, continue to facilitate the ability of Symetra’s Japan-based parent, Sumitomo Life Insurance Company, to invest in U.S.-based assets, and begin to pursue third-party institutional clients.