Knights of Columbus

Knights of Columbus is a fraternal benefit society founded in the 1880s to provide practical aid to Catholic families at a time when social insurance systems were limited.[1] From the beginning, an insurance benefit was central to the organization's purpose-helping widows and children avoid financial ruin if a wage earner died.[1]

Over the decades, the Knights' insurance operation grew into a major life insurer within the fraternal system, with a distribution model built on a dedicated field force serving members and their communities.[1] Regulatory filings identify the organization as a life/disability writer under its own NAIC code, reflecting a structure that is distinct from stock or mutual insurers owned by outside shareholders.[2]

Product strategy has remained closely tied to the Knights' identity: permanent life protection, annuities, and related offerings positioned around family security and long-term stewardship rather than short-term sales cycles.[1] Like other life insurers, it has had to price and manage guarantees through wide swings in interest rates, and the fraternal model's policyholder/member orientation is designed to keep capital focused on long-duration promises.[1][2] Reinsurance is commonly used across the industry for risk management, though public-facing materials do not consistently emphasize a single reinsurer relationship over time.[1]

Sources: [1] https://www.kofc.org/en/who-we-are/our-history.html ; [2] https://interactive.web.insurance.ca.gov/companyprofile/companyprofile?doFunction=getCompanyProfile&event=companyProfile&naic=58033