Corebridge Financial
American financial services group providing annuities, life insurance, retirement plans, wealth management, and institutional financial solutions.
Last updated August 31, 2026
Overview
Corebridge Financial is an American financial services company focused on insurance, retirement, and investment-related solutions. It was created from the separation of American International Group's life and retirement operations and began operating as an independent public company following an initial public offering in September 2022. The business is organized around four principal areas: individual retirement, life insurance, retirement services, and institutional markets. Its offerings include fixed and variable annuities, life insurance, employer-sponsored retirement plans, retirement recordkeeping and administrative services, wealth management, and investment solutions for institutions. Through its retirement businesses, the company serves individuals as well as employees and organizations in sectors such as education, health care, government, and nonprofit services. The group also provides products and services to financial professionals, employers, institutional investors, and other distribution partners. The company has roots in the American General insurance businesses, whose history in Houston dates to the formation of American General Insurance Company by Gus Sessions Wortham in 1926. Over the following decades, the predecessor businesses expanded through acquisitions and the development of life insurance and annuity operations. A significant earlier addition was The Variable Annuity Life Insurance Company, or VALIC, acquired by American General in 1977. VALIC became an important foundation for retirement-plan services directed at education, health-care, government, and nonprofit employees. American General also expanded through the acquisition of Gulf United's insurance operations and the 1982 purchase of NLT Corporation. In 1998, AIG agreed to acquire SunAmerica, an annuity provider, in a major stock transaction. American General itself became part of AIG after AIG announced a proposed $23 billion stock acquisition in 2001, following the collapse of a proposed acquisition by Prudential plc. Its life, retirement, and related financial businesses subsequently formed the operating base for the company later branded Corebridge Financial. AIG announced plans in 2020 to separate its life and retirement activities through a public offering. In 2021, Blackstone agreed to acquire a 9.9 percent interest in the planned company and entered into a long-term asset-management arrangement covering a portion of the life and retirement portfolio. Corebridge launched as an independent public company on September 15, 2022, in an offering that raised approximately $1.68 billion according to the cited reference material. After the separation, Corebridge continued to reshape its portfolio. It agreed to sell AIG Life Limited in the United Kingdom to Aviva in 2023 and sold Irish health insurer Laya Healthcare to AXA later that year. Nippon Life Insurance Company acquired an equity interest from AIG in 2024 and was identified as Corebridge's largest shareholder by the end of 2025. The company also entered into a substantial variable-annuity reinsurance arrangement with a Venerable Holdings subsidiary in 2025. Reference material further describes a proposed all-stock combination with Equitable Holdings announced in 2026, subject to the applicable transaction process and approvals. Corebridge maintains a prominent presence in the American retirement and insurance market, while its corporate identity has progressively replaced the former AIG branding at its Houston headquarters. It also has a long-running relationship with the PGA of America as an official life insurance and retirement partner. The company was included in the Fortune 500 and the S&P 400 in 2025, reflecting its scale as a publicly traded insurance and retirement-services group.
History
Corebridge Financial emerged from the life, retirement, and wealth-management activities of American International Group, but its corporate lineage extends much further into the history of American insurance. American General Insurance Company was established in Houston on May 8, 1926, by Gus Sessions Wortham. Wortham had worked in insurance in Texas and had previously been associated with his father's agency. The new company developed as Texas insurance regulation permitted insurers to combine multiple lines of business. A major predecessor organization was the National Sick and Accident Association, founded in Nashville in 1900 and later known as NLT Corporation. American General acquired NLT in 1982 after a contested takeover process. American General had previously acquired Nashville-based L&C, and the two businesses were combined over time. Non-insurance entertainment assets associated with NLT, including the Grand Ole Opry, Opryland, WSM, and The Nashville Network, were subsequently divested to businesses that became associated with Gaylord Entertainment. In 1977, American General acquired The Variable Annuity Life Insurance Company, commonly known as VALIC. VALIC specialized in tax-deferred retirement plans for employees in education, health care, government, and nonprofit organizations. Its operating companies later became part of the retirement-services platform associated with Corebridge. American General also acquired Gulf United's insurance operations in 1983, expanding its insurance base. The company underwent important strategic changes in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. AIG agreed in 1998 to acquire SunAmerica, an annuity provider, in an $18 billion stock transaction. A proposed acquisition of American General by Prudential plc was announced in 2001 at a reported value of $26.6 billion, but the transaction was abandoned after opposition from Prudential shareholders. AIG subsequently announced an agreement to acquire American General for $23 billion in stock. American General continued as AIG's life insurance and retirement-services subsidiary, and Old Line Life Insurance later merged with American General in 2003. AIG announced in 2020 that it intended to separate its life and retirement operations and take the new business public. In 2021, Blackstone agreed to purchase a 9.9 percent interest in the planned company for $2.2 billion in cash. The companies also entered into a long-term asset-management agreement covering approximately one quarter of AIG's life and retirement portfolio, with the scope expected to grow over time. Corebridge Financial launched on September 15, 2022, through the largest IPO of that year to that point, raising approximately $1.68 billion according to the reference material. The new company was structured around individual retirement, life insurance, retirement services, and institutional markets. This separation gave AIG a separately identified public vehicle for its life and retirement operations while allowing Corebridge to develop its own corporate identity and capital strategy. Corebridge subsequently reduced or reshaped selected international operations. In 2023, it agreed to sell AIG Life Limited in the United Kingdom to Aviva and sold Irish health insurer Laya Healthcare to AXA. In 2024, Nippon Life Insurance Company acquired an equity interest from AIG. Corebridge branding replaced AIG branding at its Houston headquarters in September 2024. By the end of 2025, Nippon Life was identified as the company's largest shareholder, holding 24.6 percent. The company's later strategic actions included a 2025 agreement to reinsure all variable annuities in its individual retirement business through Corporate Solutions Life Reinsurance Company, a Venerable Holdings subsidiary. The portfolio was valued at $51 billion as of March 31, 2025, and the transaction was valued at $2.8 billion. The deal was described as closing in stages in August 2025 and January 2026. Reference material also reports that Corebridge agreed in March 2026 to merge with Equitable Holdings in an all-stock transaction valued at $22 billion. The proposed combination would have approximately $1.5 trillion in assets under management and more than 12 million clients, subject to the relevant completion requirements. Corebridge has also maintained a public-facing partnership with the PGA of America. The relationship began under AIG in 2019 and continued under Corebridge as an official life insurance and retirement partner. Corebridge was included in the Fortune 500 and S&P 400 in 2025, and reference material reports a first-place ranking among annuity providers in the 2026 J.D. Power Life & Annuity Distribution Partner Experience Study.
- 2026Proposed merger with Equitable Holdings
Corebridge announces a proposed $22 billion all-stock combination with Equitable Holdings.
- 2025Corebridge enters the Fortune 500 and S&P 400
Corebridge is included in both indexes according to the reference material.
- 2024Nippon Life acquires an equity interest
Nippon Life purchases an equity interest in Corebridge from AIG, while Corebridge branding replaces AIG branding at its Houston headquarters.
- 2023International portfolio transactions
Corebridge agrees to sell AIG Life Limited to Aviva and completes the sale of Laya Healthcare to AXA.
- 2022Corebridge Financial becomes a public company
Corebridge launches through an AIG spin-off and IPO on September 15.
- 2021Blackstone invests in the planned company
Blackstone agrees to acquire a 9.9 percent interest and enters a long-term asset-management arrangement with AIG.
- 2020AIG announces planned separation
AIG announces plans to separate its life and retirement businesses and pursue a 2022 IPO.
- 2001American General becomes part of AIG
After a proposed Prudential transaction fails, AIG announces a stock acquisition of American General.
- 1998AIG agrees to acquire SunAmerica
AIG announces a major stock acquisition of annuity provider SunAmerica.
- 1982American General acquires NLT
American General prevails in its takeover of NLT Corporation and later combines the insurance operations of the former rivals.
- 1977American General acquires VALIC
American General acquires The Variable Annuity Life Insurance Company, expanding its retirement-plan business.
- 1926American General Insurance Company is founded
Gus Sessions Wortham establishes American General Insurance Company in Houston, Texas.
- 1900National Sick and Accident Association is established
The Nashville insurance company that later became NLT Corporation, an important predecessor business, is founded.
Products and positioning
A large American insurance and retirement-services provider positioned around long-term financial security, income planning, workplace retirement, life protection, and institutional risk management.
Individual retirement productsRetirement and annuities
Corebridge's individual-retirement business provides annuity and related financial products intended to help individuals accumulate savings, generate retirement income, and manage longevity and market risks. The business includes variable annuities and other retirement-oriented solutions distributed through financial professionals and related channels.
Life insuranceInsurance
The life-insurance business provides protection products designed to transfer financial risk associated with death and related long-term obligations. It forms one of Corebridge's four stated core businesses and derives from the life-insurance operations previously held within AIG and its predecessor companies.
Corebridge Retirement ServicesRetirement services
Corebridge Retirement Services supports employer-sponsored retirement programs through plan administration, recordkeeping, participant services, and related financial solutions. Its predecessor platform includes VALIC, which specialized in tax-deferred retirement plans for education, health-care, government, and nonprofit employees.
Institutional markets solutionsInstitutional finance
The institutional-markets business serves organizations and professional counterparties with insurance, investment, risk-transfer, and related financial solutions. It gives Corebridge exposure beyond individual policyholders and workplace retirement participants.
Wealth management servicesWealth management
Corebridge provides wealth-management and investment-related services connected with retirement planning and long-term financial needs. These services complement its insurance and annuity products and are distributed through professional and institutional channels.
Flagship businesses
- Individual retirement products
- Corebridge Retirement Services
- Life insurance products
- Institutional markets solutions
- VALIC-derived retirement-plan services
Marketing campaigns
- 2019PGA of America partnership
United States
The life-insurance and retirement partnership originally established under AIG continued under the Corebridge brand. Corebridge became an official life insurance and retirement partner of the PGA of America and supported a team of PGA professionals seeking to qualify for the PGA Championship.
Outcome. The partnership continued as a Corebridge-branded sponsorship and public engagement platform.
Brand decisions
- 2026Proposed combination with Equitable HoldingsM&A
Corebridge and Equitable Holdings sought to combine their insurance, retirement, and wealth-management businesses.
What changed. The companies announced an all-stock merger reportedly valued at $22 billion.
Aftermath. The proposed combination was described as creating a company with approximately $1.5 trillion in assets under management and more than 12 million clients.
Reported transaction value. $22 billion (March 2026 announcement)
- 2025Variable-annuity reinsurance transactionStrategy
Corebridge sought to transfer risk associated with the variable annuities in its individual-retirement business.
What changed. Corebridge agreed to reinsure the full variable-annuity portfolio through Corporate Solutions Life Reinsurance Company, a Venerable Holdings subsidiary.
Aftermath. The transaction was scheduled to close in stages in August 2025 and January 2026, subject to the stated transaction process.
Transaction value and covered portfolio. $2.8 billion transaction value; $51 billion portfolio value (Portfolio measured March 31, 2025)
- 2023Divestiture of AIG Life LimitedM&A
Corebridge reviewed its international insurance portfolio after becoming a separately identified public company.
What changed. Corebridge agreed to sell its United Kingdom life-insurance subsidiary, AIG Life Limited, to Aviva.
Aftermath. The transaction reduced Corebridge's direct exposure to the United Kingdom life-insurance market.
Transaction value. £460 million (September 2023 announcement)
- 2023Sale of Laya HealthcareM&A
Corebridge continued to refine its international business mix after the AIG separation.
What changed. Corebridge sold Irish health insurer Laya Healthcare to AXA.
Aftermath. The sale transferred the Irish health-insurance operation to AXA.
Transaction value. €650 million (October 31, 2023)
- 2022Corebridge IPO and spin-offOther
AIG's life and retirement businesses were prepared for independent operation and public ownership.
What changed. Corebridge began operating on September 15, 2022, through a spin-off structure and initial public offering.
Aftermath. The company became an independent public financial-services group focused on insurance, retirement, and institutional markets.
IPO proceeds. $1.68 billion (September 2022 IPO)
- 2021Blackstone minority investment and asset-management agreementM&A
AIG sought strategic capital and an asset-management relationship ahead of separating its life and retirement operations.
What changed. Blackstone agreed to acquire a 9.9 percent interest in the planned company and entered into a long-term agreement to manage a portion of the relevant portfolio.
Aftermath. The arrangement accompanied the creation of Corebridge as a separately identified life and retirement company.
Blackstone cash investment. $2.2 billion (2021 announcement)
- 2020AIG selects separation and IPO strategyStrategy
AIG determined that its life, retirement, and related financial businesses should be separated from the broader group and prepared for a public offering.
What changed. AIG announced plans for a 2022 IPO of the newly separated business, which later became Corebridge Financial.
Aftermath. The plan culminated in Corebridge's launch as an independent public company in September 2022.
Recent events
- 2026Corebridge announces proposed merger with Equitable Holdings
Corebridge announced an all-stock merger agreement with Equitable Holdings reportedly valued at $22 billion. The proposed combination would create a financial group with approximately $1.5 trillion in assets under management and more than 12 million clients.
M&A - 2026AIG agrees to sell its remaining Corebridge shares
AIG agreed to sell its remaining shares in Corebridge, described in the reference material as the culmination of a five-year separation process.
M&A - 2026Corebridge ranks first among annuity providers in a J.D. Power study
The company was ranked first among annuity providers in the J.D. Power 2026 Life & Annuity Distribution Partner Experience Study, according to the cited material.
Other - 2025Corebridge joins the Fortune 500 and S&P 400
Corebridge was included in the Fortune 500 and the S&P 400, according to the cited reference material.
Other - 2025Corebridge agrees to reinsure its individual variable annuity portfolio
Corebridge entered an agreement with Corporate Solutions Life Reinsurance Company, a Venerable Holdings subsidiary, to reinsure the individual retirement business's variable annuities, valued at $51 billion as of March 31, 2025. The transaction was valued at $2.8 billion and was scheduled to close in stages.
Other - 2025Nippon Life becomes Corebridge's largest shareholder
Nippon Life was identified as Corebridge's largest shareholder on December 31, 2025, with a 24.6 percent stake.
M&A - 2024Nippon Life acquires an equity interest in Corebridge
Nippon Life Insurance Company acquired an equity interest in Corebridge Financial from AIG, strengthening its relationship with the company.
M&A - 2024Corebridge brand replaces AIG identity at Houston headquarters
The Corebridge name replaced AIG branding on the America Tower of the American General Center in Houston.
Other - 2023Corebridge agrees to sell AIG Life Limited to Aviva
Corebridge agreed to sell its London-based life insurance subsidiary, AIG Life Limited, to Aviva for approximately £460 million.
M&A - 2023Corebridge sells Laya Healthcare to AXA
Corebridge sold Irish health insurer Laya Healthcare to AXA in a transaction reported at approximately €650 million.
M&A - 2022Corebridge Financial launches following AIG separation and initial public offering
Corebridge Financial began operating as an independent public company after AIG separated its life, retirement, and related financial businesses through an IPO.
M&AOther
Sources
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