North American Company for Life and Health Insurance offers term and permanent life insurance, and annuities; which include fixed index annuities, traditional fixed annuities, multi-year guarantee annuities and single premium immediate annuities (SPIA). The company was founded in 1886, and has stood strong to help protect those who counted on the company for financial security, even through two World Wars, the Great Depression and multiple recessions. In 1996, North American was acquired by Sammons Financial Group. Unlike many other financial services companies, North American is not publicly traded—meaning the company is not subject to short-term earnings pressures that are often faced by its publicly traded peers. The company maintains strong industry ratings that are a direct result of the efforts of its dedicated employee-owners and long-term growth strategy.