Catholic United Financial
Catholic United Financial is a member-owned, not-for-profit fraternal benefit society founded in 1880 that underwrites life insurance, annuities, IRAs, and Medicare supplements for Catholics in five Upper Midwest states, distributing through a parish-based Member Advisor network alongside community benefits.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1880
- HeadquartersSaint Paul, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Catholic United Financial does
Catholic United Financial, operating under the Trusted Fraternal Life brand, is a member-owned, not-for-profit fraternal benefit society founded in 1880 and domiciled in Minnesota. It underwrites and distributes life insurance (term, whole life, universal life, and youth term), fixed annuities, IRAs, and Medicare supplement products exclusively to Catholics in five Upper Midwest states: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, North Dakota, and South Dakota. Distribution is delivered through a Member Advisor field force embedded within Catholic parishes, which also serves as the on-ramp for a parallel set of fraternal member benefits.
The society operates a fraternal benefits package that goes beyond insurance, including scholarships, parish and community grants, volunteer councils, a Giving Network, the Catholic Schools Raffle, and education financing partnerships (e.g., Sallie Mae). It is supported by the Catholic United Financial Foundation (established 1997) and has been assigned an 'A' financial strength rating by Kroll Bond Rating Agency (KBRA), affirmed in December 2025. The business model is membership-funded through premiums, annuity spreads, and IRA contributions, with surpluses redeployed into member benefits rather than returned as profit.
Operating cadence is reflected in member-facing programs including long-term care planning seminars and webinars, a 2023 hire of a VP of Transformation, and a January 2026 board appointment with external communications expertise. Geographic expansion beyond the current five-state footprint is not signaled in the available data, and there is no indication of inorganic growth activity, public listing, or material fundraising.
Catholic United Financial firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Catholic United Financial
- Legal name
- Catholic United Financial
- Website
- https://catholicunitedfinancial.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1880
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Catholic United Financial is a member-owned, not-for-profit fraternal benefit society founded in 1880 that underwrites life insurance, annuities, IRAs, and Medicare supplements for Catholics in five Upper Midwest states, distributing through a parish-based Member Advisor network alongside community benefits.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Catholic United Financial industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Fraternal Life Insurance and Retirement Products
- NAICS
- Direct Life, Health, and Medical Insurance Carriers (52411)
- SIC
- Life Insurance (6311), Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Participating (Dividend) Whole Life Insurance (FSAIABAI)
Keywords
Where Catholic United Financial is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Saint Paul
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Catholic United Financial business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Life Insurance Products: Catholic United Financial earns premium revenue from term life, whole life, universal life, and youth term life insurance policies. As a member-owned not-for-profit, profits are transformed into grants, scholarships, and community programs rather than distributed to shareholders.
- Annuities: Fixed annuities including single premium annuities and flexible premium annuities provide guaranteed income for retirement. The company earns spread income on annuity products with no annual fees or service charges after the surrender period.
- Individual Retirement Annuities (IRAs): Traditional and Roth Individual Retirement Annuities offer tax-advantaged retirement savings with guaranteed minimum rates of return. Contribution limits for 2025 are $7,000 for under age 50 and $8,000 for age 50 and over.
- Medicare Supplement Insurance: Medicare Supplement (Medigap) insurance products help cover costs not covered by Medicare. Revenue generated from premium payments for these insurance products.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Post-High School Tuition Scholarship - $500 for Catholic institutions, $300 for non-Catholic institutions |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Member Assistance Matching Grant - up to $1,000 match |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Impact Team Funding - $150 per team |
| Unit Pricing | Annual | Youth Term Life Insurance - $30 per year for $30,000 coverage, or single payment option |
| Other | Annual | Catholic Schools Raffle Program |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Catholic United Financial product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Catholic United Financial sells life insurance (term, whole, universal, and youth term), annuities (single premium and flexible premium), individual retirement annuities (Traditional and Roth IRAs), 403(b) Tax Sheltered Annuities, SEP Plans, and Medicare Supplement (Medigap) insurance to individual Catholics and Catholic families in the Upper Midwest. Products are issued by Trusted Fraternal Life and distributed through a Member Advisor field sales force. Members additionally receive scholarships, grants, volunteer programs, and access to free financial education workshops.
Product overview
Catholic United Financial operates as a member-owned not-for-profit fraternal benefit society offering a comprehensive portfolio of life insurance and retirement savings products designed for Catholic individuals and families. The core product lineup centers on three main life insurance categories: Term Life Insurance (including Youth Term and Instant Decision Term variants), Whole Life Insurance (encompassing 20-Pay, Value Life, Final Expense, and Single Premium options), and Universal Life Insurance. Retirement products include Annuities (Single Premium and Flexible Premium), Individual Retirement Annuities (Traditional and Roth IRAs), and specialized plans (TSAs for clergy/public school employees and SEP Plans for employers). Long-term care funding strategies integrate fixed-rate annuities with LTC riders and life insurance Living Benefit Riders. A separate Medicare Supplement product line addresses healthcare coverage gaps. Beyond financial products, membership unlocks an extensive benefits ecosystem including post-high school tuition scholarships, Impact Teams volunteer program, grant programs (event sponsorship, education technology, disaster recovery, seminarian support), the Catholic Schools Raffle fundraising initiative, and member assistance matching grants for those facing hardship.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Catholic United Financial Foundation: A 501(c)(3) non-profit foundation that provides members with faith-honoring options for charitable giving.
Products and services
- Term Life Insurance Affordable temporary life insurance coverage available for 10, 20, or 30 years with level premiums, death benefit, and conversion options to permanent insurance. Includes Instant Decision Term for ages 18-55 up to $500,000 in coverage. Targeted at individual Catholics seeking family financial protection.
- Whole Life Insurance Permanent life insurance with guaranteed cash value accumulation, level premium payments that never increase, and lifetime protection with guaranteed death benefit. Includes 20-Pay Whole Life, Value Life Whole Life, Final Expense, and Single Premium Whole Life variants. Targeted at individual Catholics seeking lifetime coverage and cash value growth.
- Universal Life Insurance Permanent life insurance combining protection with flexible premium payments and tax-deferred cash value accumulation at competitive interest rates. Features adjustable death benefit and guaranteed minimum interest rate. Targeted at individual Catholics seeking flexible permanent life insurance.
- Youth Term Life Insurance (TLC) Term life insurance for children ages 60 days to 15 years with affordable annual premium of $30/year for $30,000 coverage or a single payment option. Includes option to convert to permanent policy. Targeted at Catholic families seeking coverage for children.
- Annuities Retirement savings vehicles providing guaranteed minimum interest rates, protection from stock market risk, and guaranteed income stream for retirement with no annual fees or service charges after the surrender period. Includes Single Premium Annuities and Flexible Premium Annuities. Targeted at individual Catholics seeking guaranteed retirement income.
- Individual Retirement Annuities (IRAs) Tax-advantaged retirement savings through Traditional IRAs (tax-deductible contributions, tax-deferred growth) and Roth IRAs (after-tax contributions, tax-free qualified withdrawals). Includes catch-up contributions for those 50+. Contribution limits for 2025 are $7,000 for under age 50 and $8,000 for age 50 and over. Targeted at individual Catholics building retirement savings.
- Tax Sheltered Annuities (TSAs) and SEP Plans Specialized retirement plans: 403(b) Tax Sheltered Annuities for employees of public schools, tax-exempt organizations, and clergy; SEP Plans offering flexible, tax-deductible employer contributions with simplified administration. Targeted at Catholic clergy, school employees, and tax-exempt organization employees.
- Medicare Supplement (Medigap) Insurance Medicare Supplement insurance helping cover costs not paid by Original Medicare, including billing and claims assistance through dedicated phone support (1-888-769-9981) and online portal. Targeted at individual Catholics aged 65 and older in the five-state service area.
Quantifiable outcome
- More than $4 million in scholarships awarded to members since 1955
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Catholic United Financial
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Catholic United Financial technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Catholic United Financial partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Catholic United Financial competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Securian Financial: A Minnesota-based mutual insurer offering life insurance, annuities, and retirement products. Comparable product portfolio and Midwest geographic footprint, though not faith-aligned.
- Sammons Financial Group (North American Company): A financial services group issuing life insurance, annuities, and retirement products through its North American Company subsidiary. Comparable product mix in life insurance and fixed annuities, with broader national distribution.
- National Western Life: A stock life insurance company specializing in life insurance and annuity products for niche and underserved markets. Comparable focus on tailored life and annuity solutions, though for-profit and nationally distributed.
- Ameritas: A mutual insurance company offering life insurance, annuities, and retirement products nationally. Comparable product mix in life and annuities, though secular and significantly larger in scale.
Direct peers
- Foresters Financial: A fraternal benefit society offering life insurance and savings products to members, with a values-based member benefits program. Comparable as a fraternal life insurer, though non-denominational and larger in scale.
- Gleaner Life Insurance Society: A fraternal benefit society offering life insurance and annuities with a member-benefits program and local agent network. Comparable as a smaller fraternal life insurer with a values-driven membership model.
- Modern Woodmen of America: A fraternal benefit society providing life insurance, annuities, and retirement planning through a network of local representative agents. Comparable fraternal structure and field-force distribution model.
- Knights of Columbus: A Catholic fraternal benefit society offering life insurance, long-term care, and retirement products exclusively to Catholic members and their families. The closest direct peer given the shared Catholic faith alignment, fraternal structure, and product portfolio overlap.
- Thrivent Financial: The largest fraternal benefit society in the United States, with a faith-based (Christian) orientation and a similar mix of life insurance, annuities, and retirement products sold through a field force of financial advisors. Highly comparable as a faith-aligned, member-owned fraternal insurance carrier, though larger and nationally licensed.
- Catholic Financial Life: A Catholic fraternal benefit society headquartered in Milwaukee providing life insurance and annuities to Catholic members. Directly comparable niche positioning, fraternal structure, and geographic overlap in Wisconsin/Midwest.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Catholic United Financial social profiles
Digital presenceCatholic United Financial financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Catholic United Financial leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles19 records
Catholic United Financial subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries3 records
Catholic United Financial funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Catholic United Financial M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Catholic United Financial
What does Catholic United Financial do?
Catholic United Financial sells life insurance (term, whole, universal, and youth term), annuities (single premium and flexible premium), individual retirement annuities (Traditional and Roth IRAs), 403(b) Tax Sheltered Annuities, SEP Plans, and Medicare Supplement (Medigap) insurance to individual Catholics and Catholic families in the Upper Midwest. Products are issued by Trusted Fraternal Life and distributed through a Member Advisor field sales force. Members additionally receive scholarships, grants, volunteer programs, and access to free financial education workshops.
Is Catholic United Financial a public or private company?
Catholic United Financial is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Catholic United Financial founded?
Catholic United Financial was founded in 1880. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Catholic United Financial based?
Catholic United Financial is headquartered in Saint Paul, United States, in the North America region.
How does Catholic United Financial make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Life Insurance Products are the primary driver. The others are annuities, individual Retirement Annuities (IRAs) and medicare Supplement Insurance.
Who are Catholic United Financial's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Securian Financial, Sammons Financial Group (North American Company), National Western Life and Ameritas. Direct peers are Foresters Financial, Gleaner Life Insurance Society, Modern Woodmen of America, Knights of Columbus, Thrivent Financial and Catholic Financial Life.
Does Catholic United Financial have an API?
No public API is recorded for Catholic United Financial.
What industry is Catholic United Financial in?
Catholic United Financial's product category is Fraternal Life Insurance and Retirement Products. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAIABAI, Participating (Dividend) Whole Life Insurance. Its NAICS code is 52411 and its SIC code is 6311.