AFL AFLAC Inc

COLUMBUS, Ga., March 7, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Aflac, the company that pays cash benefits fast when you are sick or hurt, today announced that it has been named a World's Most Admired Company by FORTUNE magazine for the 10th time. The voluntary insurance giant finished No. 1 in the Innovation category for health and life insurance and No. 3 overall for health and life insurance. According to FORTUNE, the Most Admired list is the definitive report card on corporate reputations.

"We are honored to be rated among the world's most admired companies for the 10th time and pleased to be recognized as a leader in the insurance industry; especially in the area of innovation," Aflac Chairman and CEO Dan Amos said.

To compile the list of Most Admired Companies, FORTUNE started with approximately 1,400 companies: the 1,000 largest U.S. companies ranked by revenue; non-U.S. companies in FORTUNE's Global 500 database with revenue of $10 billion or more; and the top foreign companies operating in the United States.  Extracted from that list were a total of 673 companies from 32 countries, which were analyzed on nine criteria, from investment value to social responsibility.

The World's Most Admired Companies survey is conducted by the Hay Group, a global management consulting firm. The 2011 list currently appears online at FORTUNE.com.  Companies finishing within the top half of their industry will appear in the print edition of FORTUNE magazine on March 21, 2011.

About Aflac

When a policyholder gets sick or hurt, Aflac pays cash benefits fast. For 55 years, Aflac insurance policies have helped provide a safety net and given policyholders the opportunity to focus on recovery, not financial stress. In the United States, Aflac is the number one provider of guaranteed-renewable insurance. In Japan, Aflac is the number one insurance company in terms of individual insurance policies in force. Aflac insurance products provide protection to more than 50 million people worldwide. For four consecutive years, Aflac has been recognized by Ethisphere magazine as one of the World's Most Ethical Companies and by Forbes magazine as one of America's Best-Managed Companies in the Insurance category. In 2011, Fortune magazine recognized Aflac as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in America for the thirteenth consecutive year. Also, Fortune magazine included Aflac on its list of Most Admired Companies for the 10th time in 2011. Aflac Incorporated is a Fortune 500 company listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol AFL. To find out more about Aflac, visit aflac.com or aflacenespanol.com.

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SOURCE Aflac