Below, please see the primary points of comparison between life insurance carriers. Note that Prudential is widely known as the most lenient of the top term carriers when it comes to underwriting. 

Prudential Company History

Prudential, one of the most recognized names in  America, was founded in Newark, New Jersey in 1875 where it was known as the Prudential Friendly Society. 

Prudential operated as a mutual life insurance company, owned by its policyholders, for more than a century. However,  it has since restructured to become a publicly traded company. PRU began trading on the NYSE in 2001.

Prudential was named the number one life/health insurer by Fortune magazine's "Most Admired" list.

Prudential Financial Ratings

Prudential Financial has consistently demonstrated the strength to meet it's ongoing obligations and conduct new business. Prudential Financial's A.M. Best rating of A+  is significant , as A.m. Best is considered to be the most important rating agency in the life insurance market. 

Additionally, it is worth noting that COMDEX is an insurance industry specific rating.

Prudential Life Insurance Products

^{Term Essential®-Prudential's best priced option}   

^{Term Elite®- This policy comes with enhanced conversion privileges.}

^{PruLife®- Return of Premium}

^{PruLife®- Universal Protector- Basic UL policy}

^{PruLife® SUL Protector: Survivorship GUL policy} 

^{PruLife® Essential UL: Cash value UL}

^{PruLife® Founder’s Plus UL:  Indexed UL}

^{PruLife® Index Advantage UL: Indexed UL with no lapse guarantee}

^{PruLife® Survivorship Index UL: Indexed UL designed for 2 lives.}

Prudential Life Insurance Riders

Available Prudential term policy riders include:.

Prudential Life Insurance tends to be priced higher, sometimes significantly, than other carriers. However, this pricing is not "apples to apples". Rather, Prudential's pricing reflects a business  model that welcomes more health risks. This can be a  important to you if you are in less than perfect health. 

For instance if Prudential rates a moderately overweight 53  year old woman with sleep apnea as "standard Plus" while other "better priced" companies rate her as Table 2, the more expensive company  becomes the cheapest. Take a look:

So as you can see in this example , the final price has just as much to do with the underwriting decision as it does with the rates you see on quote tools.

Prudential will always be viewed as "more expensive", but sometimes there is more to the story than meets the eye. 

Prudential  Underwriting Highlights

Prudential has an extensive list of underwriting "sweet spots" Let's take a look:

Medical Marijuana -  At Prudential Financial medical marijuana use is rated solely on the reason why they were prescribed. 

DUI's-  Prudential Applicants with a arrest and conviction for DUI are eligible for standard rates after 3 years

Sleep Apnea- Underwriting at Prudential for sleep apnea allows preferred rates possible with CPAP use.

Build (Age 60 and Over)- Expect to see a more  lenient  build chart for age 60 and older at Pru.

Elevated Liver Function - Prudential will look into an ELF lab rather than just rate or decline the policy.

Anxiety/Depression- Mood disorder are eligible for preferred plus with  Prudential underwriting.

No Exam Life Insurance Options at Prudential Financial

Pru FastTrack 

FastTrack is the accelerated underwriting platform in use by Prudential.  It uses the application questions and publicly available information to make a decision. 

This platform speeds the underwriting process considerably. However, it is only available for people Prudential will classify as Standard Plus or better.

This may defeat the purpose of using Prudential in the first place. After all, if you are in good health, you can use a better priced carrier.

Prudential  Customer Service

Prudential customer service has very mixed reviews. The result is that it's difficult to draw any conclusions.

The NAIC complaint report shows a spotless record for Prudential.  However,  "total Complaints" include only  complaints that the respective state agreed with the complainant.

J.D. Power & Assoc. rank Prudential 3/5. The Better Business Bureau grades B- for Prudential.

Prudential  Contact Information

Address:751 Broad Street
Newark, NJ 07102

Phone:(973) 802-6000

Web:https://www.prudential.com/personal

Prudential Financial : Final Thoughts

Prudential is a fantastic carrier. However, they have different strong points than other carriers and this needs to be considered when choosing a company for your application. If you are high risk or health impaired, prudential is worth a look. However,  price conscious consumers in excellent health can often find better deals in the marketplace.

While Prudential may not be the best choice for a young healthy woman,  it may be more understanding of anxiety/depression medication or a previous DUI. In any case where you have a question about your health class, the best advice is to speak with an experienced independent agent with access to a multitude of carriers.

Thank you  for using the Bequest Mutual to research Prudential Life Insurance. We hoped it helped and we hope you contact us with any questions.