Neither one is the better company, and most people who land on this page are really asking who these two are rather than which wins. Corebridge Financial is the life and retirement business that used to sit inside AIG, taken public in its own right, with policies issued by American General Life Insurance Company of Houston. Transamerica is the United States business of the Aegon group, with policies issued by Transamerica Life Insurance Company of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Both write term, both write permanent coverage and both write a small final expense policy, so the honest way to choose is to name the job first, then have that same job quoted at both and read the two answers side by side.
At a glance
| Corebridge Financial | Transamerica | |
|---|---|---|
| How the name came about | The AIG life and retirement business, taken public as Corebridge in 2022 | A long running American name, part of the Aegon group since 1999 |
| Who issues the policy | American General Life Insurance Company, Houston, and US Life in New York | Transamerica Life Insurance Company, Cedar Rapids, and TFLIC in New York |
| Company structure | Stock company, common stock listed on the New York Stock Exchange | Stock company inside Aegon, a Netherlands based group |
| Term life | Select-a-Term, sold with 18 different term length choices | Trendsetter term in 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 years, convertible |
| Permanent shelf | Permanent coverage with cash value options, plus final expense whole life | Whole life, index universal life, plus final expense whole life |
| Small burial coverage | Final expense whole life for seniors, some paths without a medical exam | Immediate Solution for day one cover, Easy Solution for tougher health |
| How you buy it | Independent agents and financial professionals | Independent agents, financial professionals and workplace plans |
| Beyond life insurance | Annuities and workplace retirement plans under the same brand | A large workplace retirement and employee benefits business |
| Financial strength | Look the exact issuing company up at ambest.com | Look the exact issuing company up at ambest.com |
One kept its insurer and changed its name. The other kept its name and changed its insurers.
Both companies arrived at the name on the envelope through corporate change rather than founding, and the change ran in opposite directions. That is the structural difference worth knowing here. Corebridge is a newer brand over a long standing insurer. AIG separated its life and retirement business and took it public as Corebridge Financial in 2022, and its common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under CRBG. The company writing the policy never moved: American General Life Insurance Company in Houston issued that coverage before the rebrand and issues it now, with The United States Life Insurance Company in the City of New York writing for New York residents. Transamerica is the reverse. The name has been familiar in American finance for generations and is the United States face of the Aegon group, and over the years affiliated insurers have been consolidated behind it. So at Corebridge the letterhead changed and the contract did not, while at Transamerica the letterhead stayed put and the entities behind it were combined. Either way, read the insurer name on page one rather than the brand on the brochure, and look that name up at ambest.com.
Who each one actually suits
Corebridge Financial
The former AIG life and retirement business, now publicly traded on its own
- You want the term length matched to the actual year the need ends, since Select-a-Term is sold with 18 different term length choices rather than the usual handful.
- You want permanent coverage bought for the death benefit itself rather than for cash value growth, and you would rather have that priced by a company that also writes a full term shelf.
- You already hold an AIG life policy, because that coverage lives at Corebridge today and is still serviced by the insurer that issued it in the first place.
- You like being able to read a parent company report, which Corebridge publishes as a company whose common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
- You want a permanent policy whose cash value is invested in market subaccounts through variable universal life, and you understand what that involves.
Transamerica
A long familiar American brand, owned by the Aegon group since 1999
- You are shopping a small burial policy, which Transamerica writes as simplified issue whole life in two versions: Immediate Solution pays the full benefit from the first day for applicants who qualify on health, and Easy Solution keeps a door open for tougher health histories by phasing the benefit in.
- You want index universal life, which Transamerica keeps on its individual shelf, where growth above the guarantees comes from credits tied to the movement of an index inside a floor and a ceiling the contract spells out.
- You want term you can turn into a permanent policy later without another medical exam, which Trendsetter allows during its conversion period.
- You want one company that can cover both ends of a household at once, from term sized to a mortgage down to a small policy meant only to cover a funeral.
- Your workplace retirement plan is already administered by Transamerica, and keeping fewer companies in your life is worth something to you.
If you already hold one of them
If your statement says Corebridge and you remember buying from AIG, nothing about your policy changed: the issuing company, the premium, the death benefit and the beneficiaries are all exactly as written, and the only housekeeping worth doing is confirming the beneficiary is still the person you intend. If your statement says Transamerica and you remember buying from a company with a different name, that is almost certainly a consolidation, which is ordinary in this business and carries the obligations along with it. Either way, read the policy you already own before you shop anything, because it was priced on the health you had the day it was issued, and that is usually worth more than the premium makes it look. A review that ends in keep what you have is a perfectly good result, and we will tell you so plainly.
Common questions
Which is better, Corebridge or Transamerica?
Neither, in the abstract. Both are large, established insurers writing term, permanent coverage and small final expense policies in most states, and the sensible way to pick is by the job rather than by the brand. Corebridge tends to suit a reader who wants the term length matched to an exact year. Transamerica tends to suit a reader who wants a small burial policy with a clear split between day one coverage and a phased in benefit. Name what the policy has to do first, then have that same job quoted at both, and let your own age, health and state settle the rest.
Is Corebridge the same company as AIG?
It grew out of AIG and is now its own company. AIG separated its life and retirement business and took it public as Corebridge Financial in 2022, and Corebridge common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange. The important part for a policyholder is that the issuing insurer never moved. Corebridge life policies are issued by American General Life Insurance Company of Houston, except in New York, where they are issued by The United States Life Insurance Company in the City of New York. If you bought an AIG life policy, American General wrote it then and holds it now.
The name on my statement is not the company I bought from. Did anything change?
Not the part that matters. Insurers are rebranded, separated and consolidated regularly, and the contract travels with the obligation, so your coverage amount, your premium and your beneficiaries stay exactly as written. At Corebridge the brand changed above an insurer that stayed put. At Transamerica a number of affiliated insurers were folded in under a name that stayed put. If you want certainty about who holds your contract today, look up the exact insurer name printed on your statement through your state department of insurance, then ask that company for a current in force illustration.
Both names also show up on retirement plans at work. Is that the same company?
Yes, in both cases, and it is worth knowing because it is a common source of confusion. Corebridge runs an annuity and workplace retirement business alongside its life insurance, and describes itself as one of the largest providers of retirement solutions and insurance products in the United States. Transamerica likewise runs a workplace retirement and employee benefits business under the same brand as its life insurance. So a Corebridge or Transamerica envelope in your mail may be about a retirement account rather than a life policy. Read what the statement is for before you assume it is one or the other.
I want a small burial policy. Do both of them write one?
Both do, and this is one place they genuinely differ in shape. Transamerica writes final expense as simplified issue whole life in two versions: Immediate Solution pays the full benefit from the first day for applicants who answer the health questions favorably, and Easy Solution phases the benefit in over the early years so a tougher health history still has a door. Corebridge offers final expense whole life for seniors as well, with some paths available without a medical exam. Issue ages, amounts and availability vary by state, so confirm the current terms where you live before you settle on either.
Can I get coverage from either one without a medical exam?
From both, in places. Simplified issue is the normal route for final expense at either company, meaning health questions on the application take the place of an exam. On larger term and permanent policies, whether an exam is required depends on your age, the amount and your health history, and both companies use accelerated underwriting paths for applicants who qualify. The practical move is to ask early what your specific case would call for, because the answer moves with the amount you are applying for more than with the company you apply to.
Which one costs less?
There is no honest answer to that in the abstract. What you pay turns on your age, your health, tobacco use, the amount, the product and the state you live in, and the two companies are often being asked to quote different things. A 20 year term policy and a small simplified issue burial policy are not the same purchase, so setting one premium against the other tells you very little. Decide what the coverage has to do first, then have that same job priced at both companies and at two or three other well rated carriers, and read the quotes side by side.
If I already have one of these, should I switch to the other?
Not automatically, and often not at all. Coverage you already own was priced on the health you had when it was issued, so if your health has changed since, replacing it can cost more or may not be available on the same terms. Any honest comparison starts by valuing what you already hold, and a review that ends in keep what you have is a perfectly good result.
Can I hold policies from both companies at once?
Yes. There is no rule against owning coverage from more than one insurer, and plenty of households do, often because policies were bought at different life stages for different reasons. What matters is that the total coverage matches what your family would actually need, and that you are not paying twice for the same job.
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The right answer depends on you, not on the brochure.
Rates for Corebridge Financial and Transamerica both depend on your age and health, which means the better buy for your neighbour may be the worse buy for you. A licensed professional will price both against what you already have and tell you which is genuinely better, including when the honest answer is to keep what you have.
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This comparison is general information, not legal, tax, or financial advice. Product availability, pricing and underwriting differ by state, age and health, and change over time. Policy Review Center is a free comparison and referral service, not an insurance agency, insurer, or producer, and it connects you with independent licensed agents. Carrier names are used for reference only and do not imply any endorsement or affiliation.