9/11 profoundly impacted the life insurance community, as it did all Americans.
The life insurance community will never forget the attack on our country, its people and our American way of life.
I wasn’t working in the life insurance business on the day of the attack, September 11, 2001. But I have learned from the people who were part of the business then and now. The immediate reaction from companies, agents and brokers was to act swiftly and efficiently to help the families that it could.
Within days of the attack, life insurers were paying claims, bypassing when necessary — with the support of regulators — the traditional requirement of a death certificate.
The life insurance community knew its role: to be there, fulfilling its financial promises to families. We were then, and we continue to be resilient and prepared to help families in times of need, whatever the precipitating event.
That is our mission.
The life insurance community knows it cannot relieve the emotional toll on the families that lose loved ones. But it can help ensure that the hopes and dreams formed during happier days are not extinguished by a loved one’s passing.
As our nation remembers 9/11, the life insurance community remembers those who perished that fateful day. It remembers the first responders, many of whom continue to suffer 20 years later.
It remembers the families and all those affected and hopes that our contributions have played a role in healing.
Susan K. Neely was President and CEO of the American Council of Life Insurers (ACLI), the nation’s leading trade association determined to help families live better lives by achieving financial security and certainty. As president and CEO, Neely drove public policy and advocacy on behalf of ACLI’s member companies that represent 93 percent of industry assets and serve 90 million families. She is CEO Emeritus through December, 2024.
