A.M. Best & Company has upgraded its rating of Prudential Insurance Company of America to "A+ XV" (Superior) from "A XV" (Excellent). This is excellent news for Prudential and for the industry. Prudential is a 125 year old company once known for its advertisements asking you to "Get a Piece of the Rock!" It reported over $550 billion in assets as of March 31, 2003 making it the second largest life insurer in the United States.

Prudential's other ratings include an A+ from Standard & Poors, an A1 from Moodys, an AA- from Fitch and a B- from Weiss Research.