American National

American National Insurance Company was founded in 1905 in Galveston, Texas, and built a long history as a diversified insurer serving individuals and businesses through multiple product lines, including life insurance.[1] Over the 20th century, its growth reflected a classic regional-to-national pattern: expanding product offerings, building agency relationships, and using a broad portfolio to manage risk across economic cycles.

In the 2020s, ownership changed. Brookfield announced the completion of its acquisition of American National Group in 2022, marking a shift from long-standing private ownership to being part of a global asset-management platform.[2] American National's own materials describe the company group and its operating structure, which helps clarify which legal entities issue policies and how the group is organized.[3]

Strategically, the opportunity in the Brookfield era is to pair a traditional insurer's policy obligations with a large-scale investment platform while staying within insurance regulatory guardrails. The challenge is familiar: life insurance profitability depends on disciplined pricing and investment returns over decades, so ownership changes matter mainly in how they influence capital strength, investment approach, and customer servicing.

Sources: [1] Texas State Historical Association (TSHA) - American National Insurance Company: https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/american-national-insurance-company. [2] Brookfield press release - Brookfield completes acquisition of American National: https://bnt.brookfield.com/press-releases/brookfield-completes-acquisition-of-american-national. [3] American National - Our Companies / About (group structure): https://www.americannational.com/about-us/our-companies.