Aflac Retains Title as a World's Most Ethical Company

COLUMBUS, Ga., March 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Aflac, the number one provider of supplemental insurance in the United States, serving more than 466,000 employers across the nation and protecting more than 50 million people worldwide, has once again been named a World's Most Ethical Company. This marks the sixth straight year that Aflac has appeared on this prestigious list compiled by Ethisphere® Institute, a leading international think-tank dedicated to the creation, advancement and sharing of best practices in business ethics, corporate social responsibility, anticorruption and sustainability. Aflac is the only insurance company that has maintained a spot on the list for six straight years, every year since the inception of the award.

"It is a tremendous honor that Ethisphere -- the foremost authority on corporate ethics -- named Aflac a World's Most Ethical Company for the sixth time in six years," Aflac Chairman and CEO Dan Amos said. "As a company that was founded on the belief that profits and principles go hand-in-hand, we are pleased to see our philosophy validated by the judges at the Ethisphere Institute."

According to Ethisphere, 2012 saw a record number of nominations and applications, providing evidence of both the award's growing prominence and companies' desire to be acknowledged for their high ethical standards. The 2012 list is the largest since the award's inception in 2007.

"Each year the competition for World's Most Ethical Companies intensifies as the number of nominations submitted for consideration grows," said Alex Brigham, executive director of Ethisphere. "This year's winners like Aflac know that a strong ethics program is a key component to a successful business model, and they continue to scrutinize their ethical standards to keep up with an ever-changing regulatory environment."

Through in-depth research and a multistep analysis, Ethisphere reviewed nominations from companies in more than 100 countries and 36 industries. The methodology for the World's Most Ethical Companies includes reviewing codes of ethics, litigation and regulatory infraction histories; evaluating the investment in innovation and sustainable business practices; looking at activities designed to improve corporate citizenship; and studying nominations from senior executives, industry peers, suppliers and customers.

Read about the methodology and view the complete list of the 2012 World's Most Ethical Companies at http://ethisphere.com/wme. The World's Most Ethical Companies will also be featured in the Q1 issue of the quarterly magazine Ethisphere.

ABOUT AFLAC
When a policyholder gets sick or hurt, Aflac pays cash benefits fast. For more than 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 life insurance company in terms of individual policies in force. Aflac insurance products provide protection to more than 50 million people worldwide. For six 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 2012, FORTUNE magazine recognized Aflac as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in America for the 14th 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.

ABOUT ETHISPHERE INSTITUTE
The research-based Ethisphere® Institute is a leading international think-tank dedicated to the creation, advancement and sharing of best practices in business ethics, corporate social responsibility, anti-corruption and sustainability. Ethisphere Magazine, which publishes the globally recognized World's Most Ethical Companies Ranking™, is the quarterly publication of the Institute. Ethisphere provides the only third-party verifications of compliance programs and ethical cultures that include: Ethics Inside® Certification, Compliance Leader Verification™ and Anti-Corruption Program Verification™. The Institute's premier membership group, the Business Ethics Leadership Alliance™, is a business ethics forum that includes more than 100 leading corporations, universities and institutions that collectively leverage their experience, expertise and innovative ways to address emerging compliance challenges. More information on the Ethisphere Institute, including ranking projects and membership, can be found at http://www.ethisphere.com.

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SOURCE Aflac