The Standard is a workplace benefits carrier. Almost every life insurance certificate carrying that name reached the holder through an employer, a union, an association or a public-sector plan. That single fact governs the answer to whether the coverage can be sold, because a certificate under an employer’s master contract is not a policy you own.
This page identifies which legal entity actually issued your coverage, explains the ownership problem in plain terms, and walks through the conversion and portability rights that matter when employment ends. It is educational content only. Pine Lake Life Solutions does not purchase policies, is not affiliated with The Standard, StanCorp Financial Group or Meiji Yasuda, and does not give legal, tax or investment advice.
In This Article
- Which Company Issued Your Certificate
- The Ownership Problem in Group Coverage
- Conversion and Portability When Employment Ends
- What The Standard Sells Today, and Why It Matters
- The Growing Meiji Yasuda Footprint in U.S. Life Insurance
- What to Request Before You Decide Anything
- Frequently Asked Questions
Which Company Issued Your Certificate
“The Standard” is a brand, not a single insurer. The company’s own website states that The Standard is a marketing name for Standard Insurance Company of Portland, Oregon, licensed in all states except New York, and The Standard Life Insurance Company of New York of White Plains, New York, licensed only in New York, and that products and availability vary by state and are solely the responsibility of the applicable insurance company. The site footer carries a StanCorp Financial Group, Inc. copyright.
That distinction is not academic. If you worked in New York, your certificate was almost certainly issued by the New York company, and its forms, filings and state regulator differ from the Oregon company’s. Look at the certificate face page and note the exact issuing entity before you call anyone.
Standard Insurance Company traces its founding to 1906 in Portland. On its financial strength page the company states that in November 2025 A.M. Best affirmed the credit ratings of Standard Insurance Company and group affiliate companies as A, and that it is one of only eight life and health insurers to have achieved an A rating or higher every year since 1928, the first year A.M. Best issued ratings. Ratings are reviewed continuously, so confirm the current rating with A.M. Best before relying on it.
The Ownership Problem in Group Coverage
A life settlement is a change of ownership. The person or entity that owns a policy sells it to a licensed institutional buyer, who becomes owner and beneficiary and pays the premiums thereafter. Only the owner can do that.
Under a group plan, the master contract belongs to the employer, trust, union or association that sponsored it. Employees receive a certificate describing their coverage. A certificate confers meaningful rights — naming a beneficiary, electing amounts during open enrollment, sometimes accelerating a portion of the benefit on a terminal diagnosis — but not an ownership interest that can be conveyed to a stranger.
The second obstacle is durability. Group coverage ends when you leave the job, when the sponsor changes carriers, or when the plan is terminated. A settlement buyer is acquiring a death benefit expected to pay many years in the future, and coverage that a benefits committee can end at renewal cannot support that expectation. For the great majority of Standard group certificates, the accurate answer is that a sale is not available.
Conversion and Portability When Employment Ends
Group life plans commonly include two continuation rights, and they are not the same thing.
Conversion allows you to exchange group term coverage for an individual permanent policy issued by the carrier, without new medical underwriting, if you apply within the period stated in the certificate. The converted policy is priced at your attained age and is generally far more expensive per month than payroll deduction was. What you are buying is access without a medical exam, which is exactly what has value if your health has changed.
Portability allows you to continue group term coverage at group rates for a limited period after eligibility ends, by paying the carrier directly. It is usually cheaper and usually temporary, and it leaves you holding a certificate rather than an owned policy.
Both rights run on short deadlines measured from the date coverage ends, and both are set by the certificate and applicable state law rather than by any general rule. Request the last acceptable application date for each, in writing. Elections are often mutually exclusive, so ask whether choosing one forfeits the other.
| Where you worked | Likely issuing entity | Where it is licensed |
|---|---|---|
| New York | The Standard Life Insurance Company of New York (White Plains, NY) | New York only |
| Any other state | Standard Insurance Company (Portland, OR) | All states except New York |
| Either | Confirm on the certificate face page | Products and availability vary by state |
What The Standard Sells Today, and Why It Matters
The Standard’s own website separates what it offers individuals from what it offers through employers. Under personal insurance and investments it lists annuities and individual disability insurance. Life and accidental death and dismemberment coverage appears under workplace benefits, along with retirement plans, dental and vision, group disability, accident, cancer, critical illness, hospital indemnity and voluntary life.
The practical implication is that a Standard life policy held by a consumer is very likely group or voluntary coverage obtained at work rather than a retail individual contract bought through an agent. If you believe you own an individual Standard life policy, verify the product name and issuing company on the face page, because the distinction changes every subsequent step.
Ownership at the parent level has also changed. StanCorp Financial Group is no longer publicly traded: Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Company acquired it in a merger completed March 7, 2016, in which each StanCorp share was converted into the right to receive $115.00 in cash, making StanCorp a wholly owned subsidiary. The Oregon Division of Financial Regulation approved the acquisition of Standard Insurance Company and StanCap Insurance Company Inc. by Meiji Yasuda on January 6, 2016. Meiji Yasuda, founded in 1881, is described on The Standard’s site as Japan’s third-largest life insurer.
The Growing Meiji Yasuda Footprint in U.S. Life Insurance
The Standard is no longer Meiji Yasuda’s only American life platform. In February 2025 Legal & General Group announced the sale of its U.S. protection business to Meiji Yasuda at a valuation of $2.3 billion, a transaction Legal & General later confirmed as completed. That U.S. protection business operates through Banner Life Insurance Company and William Penn Life Insurance Company of New York.
For a policyholder, corporate ownership changes rarely alter contract terms — guarantees written into a certificate remain guarantees. What they do change is correspondence, branding and sometimes service phone numbers. If you receive mail referencing a parent or affiliate name you do not recognize, that is usually the explanation rather than a sign of a problem.
The one thing worth doing after any ownership change is confirming the current servicing address and phone number, and making sure the carrier has your correct mailing address on file. Lapse notices that go to an old address are a common and entirely preventable way to lose coverage.
What to Request Before You Decide Anything
Ask your benefits office for the certificate of coverage and the summary plan description. Ask the insurer for a written statement of your current benefit amount, whether the certificate carries any cash value, whether an accelerated death benefit provision applies, and the last dates to apply for conversion and for portability.
Because The Standard’s group service lines are usually plan-specific, use the phone number printed on your certificate or benefits statement, or the contact page at standard.com, rather than a number found on a third-party site. Confirm the issuing entity first so your questions reach the right company.
Pine Lake Life Solutions offers a free, no-obligation policy review. We will read the certificate with you and give you a straight answer, including when the answer is that no sale is possible. We do not buy policies, we guarantee nothing about eligibility or value, we are not affiliated with or endorsed by The Standard, and we do not provide legal, tax or investment advice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I sell my The Standard group life policy?
Generally no. Group life is issued under a master contract owned by your employer, union, association or a plan trust, and you hold a certificate rather than an owned policy. Without ownership there is nothing to transfer to a buyer, and group coverage can also end when employment ends or the plan changes carriers. Conversion is usually the only route to an owned policy.
Which company actually issued my Standard certificate?
The Standard’s website states that The Standard is a marketing name for Standard Insurance Company of Portland, Oregon, licensed in all states except New York, and The Standard Life Insurance Company of New York of White Plains, New York, licensed only in New York. Check the certificate face page for the exact entity, since forms and state regulators differ between the two.
Is The Standard still an independent company?
No. Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Company acquired StanCorp Financial Group in a merger completed March 7, 2016, with each StanCorp share converted into the right to receive $115.00 in cash. The Oregon Division of Financial Regulation approved the acquisition of Standard Insurance Company and StanCap Insurance Company Inc. by Meiji Yasuda on January 6, 2016.
Does an ownership change affect my coverage?
Contract guarantees written into your certificate are unaffected by who owns the parent company. What typically changes is branding, correspondence and sometimes service phone numbers. The practical step after any ownership change is to confirm the current servicing contact information and make sure the insurer has your correct mailing address so notices reach you.
Is Pine Lake affiliated with The Standard?
No. Pine Lake Life Solutions is independent and has no affiliation with, endorsement from, or agency relationship with The Standard, Standard Insurance Company, StanCorp Financial Group or Meiji Yasuda. We do not purchase policies. Our only offer is a free, no-obligation policy review, and nothing here is legal, tax or investment advice.
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Pine Lake Life Solutions does not purchase life insurance policies and does not provide legal, tax, or investment advice. Information provided is for educational purposes only. Eligibility for any option, including life settlements, is not guaranteed and depends on individual circumstances, policy terms, underwriting, and market conditions. Consult independent legal, tax, or financial professionals before making decisions regarding a life insurance policy.