Sun Life selected as most trusted brand in Life Insurance

2011 second year in a row receiving the Reader's Digest Trusted Brand award

TORONTO, March 1 /CNW/ - Canadians from coast to coast have named Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada as the "most trusted brand in Life Insurance" for the second consecutive year in a Harris/Decima poll, commissioned by Reader's Digest, for the 2011 Trusted Brand awards program.

Sun Life ranked higher than 38 other insurers, receiving 14 per cent of unaided votes in 2011, up from 10 per cent in 2010. Today, trust and transparency are considered just as important to a corporate reputation as the quality of products and services it offers(1) - a fact that Sun Life does not take lightly.

"At Sun Life Financial, our brand is a promise we make to everyone we have the privilege of being affiliated with. Our employees and advisors live the brand every day and it's our pleasure to conduct our business in a way that honours that promise," says Lori Landry, Vice-President, Marketing, Sun Life Financial Canada. "Being recognized as the most trusted brand in Life Insurance is a great compliment from Canadians."

In the poll, respondents were asked to indicate, unprompted, the company they consider the most trusted brand for life insurance. Participants were then asked to consider whether the brand they were thinking of possessed several different attributes including superior quality, excellent value, an understanding of its customer's needs and whether they would recommend the brand to others, as an indication of their trust.

"Reader's Digest is an ambassador for the importance of trust for nearly seven million Canadians," said Nancy Bradshaw, Group Director, Reader's Digest. "Being recognized for this award is a strong indication of the integrity of Sun Life's business and the faith Canadians place in it as an organization."

In addition to life insurance, Sun Life offers quality, value and a strong emphasis on customer service in a wide variety of areas including health insurance, individual wealth management, financial planning, group savings plans, pensions and group benefits.

The Reader's Digest 2011 Trusted Brand awards program is used to determine consumer attitudes and opinions related to 31 specific brand categories and to recognize the "Most Trusted" brand in each of those categories. First launched in Asia in 2000, the program now polls people in 28 countries.

About Sun Life Financial

Sun Life Financial is a leading international financial services organization providing a diverse range of protection and wealth accumulation products and services to individuals and corporate customers. Chartered in 1865, Sun Life Financial and its partners today have operations in key markets worldwide, including Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, India, China and Bermuda. As of December 31, 2010, the Sun Life Financial group of companies had total assets under management of $464 billion. For more information please visit www.sunlife.com.

Sun Life Financial Inc. trades on the Toronto (TSX), New York (NYSE) and Philippine (PSE) stock exchanges under the ticker symbol SLF.

Note to Editors: All figures in Canadian dollars.

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    (1) 2010 Edelman Trust Barometer. Page 7
    (http://www.scribd.com/full/26268655?access_key=key-1ovbgbpawooot3hnsz3u)