If you're shopping for life insurance or own a policy you may be wondering about the financial security of your life insurance company.

Financial ratings are an indication of an insurer's ability to pay their claims and meet their financial obligations. It basically is a sign of how strong and financially secure a life insurance company is and how they compare to other insurers.

Several independent rating services review the financials of insurers and issue a financial strength rating. leading rating services include AM Best, Moody's and D&B.

The higher the rating, the more financially secure the insurance company.

If you want to check the financial strength rating of an insurer you can go to www.ambest.com and look up insurer ratings.

In addition, you can review a list of leading life insurance carriers including their financial ratings.