Western United Life Highlights
Current Corporate Owner & Structure
- Current Owner: ManhattanLife (Manhattan Life Group).
- Corporate Status: Active.
- Recent Name Change: In April 2025, the company officially changed its name from Western United Life Assurance Company to Western United Life Insurance Company.
- Reason: This coincided with moving its legal domicile (state of incorporation) from Washington to Texas.
Early History & The Metropolitan Crisis (1963–2012)
- 1963: Western United Life Assurance Company (WULA) is founded in Spokane, Washington.
- Original Focus: Annuities and life insurance products for the Pacific Northwest.
- 1990s–2003: The company operates as a subsidiary of Metropolitan Mortgage & Securities Co., a large financial conglomerate based in Spokane.
- 2004: The Metropolitan Mortgage Collapse.
- Event: Parent company Metropolitan Mortgage & Securities Co. files for bankruptcy amid a massive accounting scandal (one of the largest in Washington state history).
- Regulatory Seizure: The Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner (Mike Kreidler) seizes control of Western United Life to protect policyholders.
- Outcome: Unlike the parent company's investors (who lost millions), Western United Life's policyholders were protected because the insurance assets were ring-fenced by regulators.
- 2005–2012: The company operates under regulatory supervision (receivership/rehabilitation) while the state seeks a buyer to restore it to private ownership.
The ManhattanLife Era (2013–Present)
- 2013 (April): ManhattanLife acquires Western United Life Assurance Company.
- Significance: This sale successfully exited the company from regulatory supervision. It became a privately owned subsidiary of the Houston-based Manhattan Life Group.
- 2014 (February): Investors Consolidated Insurance Company merges into Western United Life.
- Impact: This merger expanded Western United Life’s licensing from 16 states to 39 states, allowing it to market its annuities nationally.
- 2019–Present: The company becomes the primary "Annuity Division" for ManhattanLife, specializing in Multi-Year Guaranteed Annuities (MYGAs).
- 2025 (April): Redomestication & Name Change.
- The company moves its legal charter to Texas and slightly modifies its name to Western United Life Insurance Company (replacing "Assurance").
- Note: despite the legal move to Texas, the operational service center for annuities remains in Spokane.
Contact & Home Office Information
While the legal headquarters is now in Houston (with ManhattanLife), the Annuity Operations center remains at the historic Spokane address.
- Annuity Operations Office (For Policy Service):929 West Sprague AvenueSpokane, WA 99201
- Corporate Headquarters:10777 Northwest FreewayHouston, TX 77092
- Phone: 1-800-247-2045
- Website: www.manhattanlife.com
Sources of Information
- ManhattanLife Newsroom: Press releases detailing the 2013 acquisition, 2014 merger with Investors Consolidated, and 2025 name change.
- Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner: Historical records regarding the 2004 seizure and subsequent sale of Western United Life.
- The Spokesman-Review: Extensive journalistic coverage of the Metropolitan Mortgage bankruptcy and the protection of Western United Life assets.
- AM Best: Financial strength rating reports linking WULA to Manhattan Life Group.
