Estate planning at Pan-American Life
How to protect 9 Pan-American Life accounts — manage beneficiaries by phone, fund a trust by mail, and file claims through Pan-American Life's Empathy -- bereavement support for beneficiaries of U.S. policies (provided at no cost)
Policyowner Services (Pan-American Life division)
Pan-American Life Insurance Company, P.O. Box 9060, Oak Brook, IL 60522-9807
Empathy -- bereavement support for beneficiaries of U.S. policies (provided at no cost)
Life Claims
Pan-American Life Insurance Company, P.O. Box 9060, Oak Brook, IL 60522-9807
Pan-American Life offers 9 insurance products that play a central role in estate planning. Because policy proceeds pass directly to named beneficiaries—bypassing probate entirely—keeping designations current is one of the highest-impact steps policyholders can take.
Managing beneficiaries at Pan-American Life is straightforward—changes can be made by mail and by phone, typically taking 15-20 minutes to complete the form once it is received. Trust funding is also available, allowing families to name a trust as the policy beneficiary or establish an irrevocable life insurance trust (ILIT).
Pan-American Life has documented procedures for both preparing accounts during your lifetime and handling claims when an account holder passes away.
Preparing your estate
Beneficiaries and trust funding
How to update beneficiaries by phone, fund a trust by mail, and review 9 account types at Pan-American Life.
View details →When someone dies
Death claim process
Contact Pan-American Life's Empathy -- bereavement support for beneficiaries of U.S. policies (provided at no cost) to file a claim. 6-step process, 7 required documents, and contact information for survivors.
View details →For questions about any of these procedures, contact Pan-American Life's Empathy -- bereavement support for beneficiaries of U.S. policies (provided at no cost) at 800-323-7320.
Frequently asked questions
No. Despite having an Online Policy Manager at https://policyholder-uslife.palig.com, Pan-American Life does not offer beneficiary self-service: the portal's published services are premium payment, loan repayment, and in-force illustration requests. A beneficiary change is a paper process. Call Policyowner Services at 800-323-7320 (Monday-Friday, 8:00am-5:00pm CT) or email LifePolicyownerServices@palig.com to have the change of beneficiary form sent to you, then complete it with each beneficiary's full legal name, date of birth, relationship, and percentage allocation, and mail it to P.O. Box 9060, Oak Brook, IL 60522-9807. Pan-American Life does not publish this form as a public download. Because the change is not effective until the carrier records it, allow mail and processing time -- do not assume a designation is updated the day you sign the form.
Sources
Data sourced from Pan-American Life primary sources (17 pages reviewed). How we research.
Policyowner Services (Pan-American Life division)
Pan-American Life Insurance Company, P.O. Box 9060, Oak Brook, IL 60522-9807
Empathy -- bereavement support for beneficiaries of U.S. policies (provided at no cost)
Life Claims
Pan-American Life Insurance Company, P.O. Box 9060, Oak Brook, IL 60522-9807
Estate planning articles
Learn how to protect your Pan-American Life accounts and other assets with trusts, beneficiary designations, and estate planning documents.
