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The Western and Southern Life Insurance Company
The Western and Southern Life Insurance Company opened in Cincinnati in 1888 as a mutual life insurer, meaning policyholders, not public shareholders, own the...
The Western and Southern Life Insurance Company
The Western and Southern Life Insurance Company opened in Cincinnati in 1888 as a mutual life insurer, meaning policyholders, not public shareholders, own the firm. Today, it anchors the Western & Southern Financial Group, a collection of insurance, asset management, and real estate subsidiaries operating from a 41-story headquarters tower that defines the Queen City skyline. Chairman, President and CEO John F. Barrett has led the group since 1994, overseeing an expansion that turned a regional mutual into a multi-line financial services enterprise. Investment activity flows through Fort Washington Investment Advisors, the group's asset management arm led by CEO Maribeth Rahe. Fort Washington deploys capital across public equities, fixed income, and private markets, and it also sponsors the Touchstone Investments family of mutual funds. The parent company carries a sizable commercial mortgage loan portfolio on its balance sheet — a common yield strategy for insurance general accounts — and holds direct real estate equity, including the Great American Tower at Queen City Square and the Lytle Park Hotel in downtown Cincinnati. Residential holdings extend beyond Ohio to apartment properties in Wilmington, North Carolina, Georgia, and Indiana. Exact assets under management are not publicly disclosed. Public records show the enterprise operates multiple life insurance subsidiaries and maintains active memberships in industry bodies including LIMRA, NAIOP's Cincinnati chapter, and the International Swaps and Derivatives Association, signaling a derivatives program typical of insurer hedging and yield-enhancement strategies. The Western & Southern Financial Fund, with Vice President and Senior Counsel Edward J. Babbitt as secretary/treasurer, serves as the group's philanthropic vehicle, focused on Cincinnati-area community grants. Western & Southern's structural differentiator is its mutual ownership form. With no public earnings pressure, the company reinvests surplus into its general account portfolio and downtown Cincinnati real estate. The Fort Washington subsidiary gives it institutional asset management capability without outsourcing — an integrated model that blends policyholder liabilities with proprietary investment execution.
General information
Firm type
Insurance
Year founded
1888
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Cincinnati
Corporate office
Cincinnati, OH, United States
Principals
John F. Barrett
Chairman, President, CEO
Maribeth Rahe
CEO of Fort Washington Investment Advisors
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at Western & Southern?
Investment management is centralized under Fort Washington Investment Advisors, a wholly-owned subsidiary led by CEO Maribeth Rahe. Fort Washington handles both the insurance general account portfolio and third-party mandates, including the Touchstone Investments mutual fund platform. John F. Barrett, as group CEO, oversees the strategic allocation of the parent company's balance sheet.
How is Western & Southern structured — is it still a mutual company?
Yes, Western & Southern Life Insurance Company remains a mutual insurer owned by its policyholders rather than public shareholders. The broader Western & Southern Financial Group includes multiple life insurance subsidiaries, Fort Washington Investment Advisors, and Touchstone Investments. The mutual structure means surplus earnings are reinvested or distributed to policyholders, not external equity investors.
What role does real estate play in Western & Southern's portfolio?
Real estate is a meaningful allocation and a visible local commitment. The company owns the 41-story Great American Tower at Queen City Square, the Lytle Park Hotel, and the Phelps building in downtown Cincinnati. Its residential portfolio includes apartment properties in Wilmington, North Carolina, Georgia, and Indiana, alongside a mortgage loan portfolio that provides commercial real estate debt exposure typical of insurer general accounts.
Does Western & Southern manage money for outside investors?
Yes, through Fort Washington Investment Advisors and the Touchstone Investments mutual fund family. Fort Washington serves institutional clients with strategies spanning equities, fixed income, and private capital. Touchstone offers retail and advisor-sold mutual funds. This third-party business operates alongside the internal management of the insurance group's own assets.
What is the relationship between Western & Southern and Touchstone Investments?
Touchstone Investments is a mutual fund platform sponsored by Western & Southern Financial Group through its Fort Washington Investment Advisors subsidiary. Touchstone offers a range of equity, fixed-income, and multi-asset funds, often sub-advised by external institutional managers, making it a distribution channel alongside Fort Washington's direct institutional mandates.
How does Western & Southern approach philanthropy?
The Western & Southern Financial Fund serves as the primary giving vehicle, with Vice President and Senior Counsel Edward J. Babbitt acting as secretary/treasurer. The fund focuses on community grants in the Cincinnati area, historically supporting arts, education, health, and human services organizations, reflecting the company's mutual-company ethos and century-plus local presence.
What is Western & Southern's posture on derivatives?
The company is an adhering party to the International Swaps and Derivatives Association, which indicates an active derivatives program. For a life insurer of its scale, this typically involves interest rate hedging on its long-duration liability book, currency hedging for any foreign exposures, and potentially credit default swaps or equity options for portfolio yield enhancement and risk management.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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