Aflac Named a Most Ethical Company for Fourth Consecutive Year

COLUMBUS, Ga., March 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Aflac, the insurance company that pays you cash fast when you have been injured or become ill, has been recognized by Ethisphere magazine as a World's Most Ethical Company for a fourth consecutive year. The annual award recognizes companies that demonstrated a commitment to ethical leadership, compliance practices and corporate social responsibility in 2009.

"Being named a World's Most Ethical Company for a fourth straight year is a tremendous honor," Aflac Chairman and CEO Dan Amos said. "Since our company began in 1955, Aflac has prioritized honesty, integrity and transparency at all levels of our organization. This international recognition validates these long-held values."

This is the fourth year Ethisphere, which is a think tank dedicated to the creation, advancement and sharing of best practices in business ethics, corporate social responsibility, anticorruption and sustainability, has published the WME rankings that appear in Ethisphere magazine's Q1 issue. Ethisphere reviewed thousands of nominations from companies in over 100 countries and 36 industries in order to determine the winners.

"Aflac's promotion of a sound ethical environment shines within its industry and shows a clear understanding that operating under the highest standards for business behavior goes beyond goodwill and lip service, and is intimately linked to performance and profitability," said Alex Brigham, executive director of the Ethisphere Institute. "This year's World's Most Ethical Companies award was more competitive than ever because companies realize that making ethics a priority is critical amidst a tough economic environment."

Brigham added, "Compliance or ethics failures add up to more than fees, fines and penalties. The leadership distraction and turnover, forced alteration of a working profit model and heightened scrutiny that result show good ethics means better business."

Aflac has appeared on the World's Most Ethical Companies list every year since the creation of the award.

About Aflac

When a policyholder gets sick or hurt, Aflac pays cash benefits fast. For 55 years, Aflac products have 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. Aflac has been recognized by Ethisphere magazine as one of the World's Most Ethical Companies for four consecutive years and was also named by the Reputation Institute as the Most Reputable Company in the Global Insurance Industry for two consecutive years. In 2010, Fortune magazine recognized Aflac as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in America for the twelfth consecutive year and also included Aflac on its list of most admired companies for the ninth time. 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.

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SOURCE Aflac