AAFMAA

Last updated
American Armed Forces Mutual Aid Association
Industry Financial services
Life insurance
GenreNot-for-profit
Founded1879 (1879)
Headquarters,
U.S.
Key people
BG Michael J. Meese, USA, Ret., PhD
President
Mark H. Matsuura
Chief Financial Officer
Kevin Kincaid
Chief Marketing Officer and Vice President for Sales
COL Jerry Quinn (USAR)
Chief Operating Officer
Charlene Wilde
Senior Vice President and Assistant Secretary
Jeff Havener
President, AAFMAA Mortgage Services LLC
Charles B. Betancourt
Chief Operating Officer AAFMAA Property
LTC Steve Mannell, USA, Ret.
President, AAFMAA Wealth Management & Trust
ProductsInsurance, Government Benefits counseling, Wealth Management & Trust services, Mortgages
Total assets Increase2.svg $1.29 billion
Number of employees
150
Website aafmaa.com

American Armed Forces Mutual Aid Association (AAFMAA) is a Virginia-based not-for-profit, tax-exempt, member-owned association that provides diversified financial services, including life insurance, investing and trust services, mortgage services, and survivor services to the U.S. Armed Forces communities. [1] At the end of 2019, membership exceeded 85,000 [2]

Contents

AAFMAA was founded in 1879 by a group of Army officers in response to the 1876 Battle of the Little Bighorn to provide financial assistance to the families of deceased soldiers. [3] [4] AAFMAA has since expanded to offer wealth management, trust, and mortgage services to past and present members of the Armed Forces. [4]

History

AAFMAA was established on January 13, 1879, in response to the 1876 Battle of the Little Bighorn to provide financial assistance to the families of deceased soldiers. [4] The founding documents of the association were prepared by a committee of Army officers chaired by Brigadier General Roger Jones. [4]

The association was originally called the Army Mutual Aid Association and membership was only open to members of the Army. In 1984, membership expanded to include Air Force officers and the name was changed to Army and Air Force Mutual Aid Association (AAFMAA) in 1987. In 1995, membership expanded to include non-commissioned Officers and, in 2000, membership expanded again to include enlisted ranks. In September 2011, membership expanded to include service members of the Marine Corps, Navy and Coast Guard. As of 2020, membership includes all members of the United States Armed Forces who are on active duty, retired, guard, reserves, students of the service academies, ROTC cadets, and honorably discharged veterans. To reflect the expansion in membership, the association's name was changed to American Armed Forces Mutual Aid Association on June 12, 2013.

AAFMAA is headquartered at Fort Myer, Virginia with additional offices in Reston, Virginia; Fayetteville, North Carolina; and Morrisville, North Carolina. [4]

In 2009, AAFMAA formed AAFMAA Member and Survivor Benefits LLC. [4] As of July 2010, AAFMAA Member and Survivor Benefits provide AAFMAA's grandfathered members and the surviving widows and widowers of deceased AAFMAA members with education and assistance of government and military benefits. [4]

In 2012, AAFMAA formed AAFMAA Wealth Management & Trust LLC (AWM&T) to provide financial planning, investment management, and trust services to members. [4] [5] AAFMAA Wealth Management & Trust LLC is a North Carolina chartered trust company headquartered in Fayetteville, North Carolina with a branch office in Reston, Virginia. [6]

In 2016, AAFMAA formed AAFMAA Mortgages Services LLC (AMS) to provide mortgage products to members. [7] [8] AMS has locations and/or local Military Mortgage Advisors in Morrisville, North Carolina; Fayetteville, North Carolina; Wilmington, North Carolina; Tempe, Arizona; Denver, Colorado; Dallas, Texas; Reston, Virginia; and Virginia Beach, Virginia to provide assistance and services to members. [6]

Lines of business

Life Insurance: AAFMAA's offerings include whole life and term insurance. [9] AAFMAA policies do not include a war clause, terrorist clauses, or aviation clauses or exclusions. [9] In 2019, AAFMAA had over 121,000 policies in force and $25.1 billion insurance in force. [2]

Living Services: Living services include document storage in AAFMAA's digital and physical vaults, personal affairs planning information, including estimates of Social Security, survivor benefits, insurance coverage, and projected college costs, insurance counseling, pre-retirement/separation from service briefings, representation with the Veterans Administration (VA) for claims. [10]

Survivor Assistance Services: Survivor Assistance Services are included with every membership, including payment of AAFMAA death benefit, VA claims initiation, VA claims representation, lifetime individualized benefit notification, Social Security notification, Financial Awareness Service and an annual statement of spouse entitlements. [10]

Wealth Management and Trust Services: AAFMAA Wealth Management & Trust LLC (AWM&T) provides financial planning, investment management, and trust services to members. [5] In 2019, AWM&T had $74 million member assets under management. [2]

AWM&T has offices in Fayetteville, North Carolina and Reston, Virginia and representatives located throughout the country, often near military bases, to provide assistance and services to members. [6]

Financial planning services include assessment of member net worth, cash flow, insurance, education funding, retirement planning, and estate planning. [5] Investment management includes asset allocation, investments monitoring, portfolio repositioning and takes into account risk tolerance, investment restrictions, and investment objectives. [5] An Investment Policy Statement (IPS) is developed for each member at the beginning of the relationship. [5]

Trust services include estate planning support and complete trust services, including acceptance of assignment as trustee, and trust asset management and administration. AWM&T can act as a trustee with most trust types, including revocable living, irrevocable, charitable remainder, charitable lead, testamentary, special needs, irrevocable life insurance, court-appointed, and foundations.

Mortgage Services: AAFMAA Mortgage Services LLC (AMS) provides members with mortgage loans to build, buy or refinance a home. [8] This includes VA loans, FHA, USDA, a proprietary Construction Advantage loan, VA Cash Out Refinance, VA Interest Rate Reduction Refinancing Loan (IRRRL), and VA High Balance Loans. [8] In 2020, AMS originated $233 million of residential mortgages. [2]

AMS has locations and/or local Military Mortgage Advisors in Morrisville, North Carolina; Fayetteville, North Carolina; Wilmington, North Carolina; Tempe, Arizona; Denver, Colorado; Dallas, Texas; Reston, Virginia; and Virginia Beach, Virginia to provide assistance and services to members. [6]

AMS is a VA-approved mortgage lender and an Equal Housing Lender.

Honorable board members and chairmen

See also

Related Research Articles

A pension fund, also known as a superannuation fund in some countries, is any program, fund, or scheme which provides retirement income.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">G.I. Bill</span> U.S. law providing benefits for World War II veterans

The G.I. Bill, formally known as the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, was a law that provided a range of benefits for some of the returning World War II veterans. The original G.I. Bill expired in 1956, but the term "G.I. Bill" is still used to refer to programs created to assist American military veterans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Department of Veterans Affairs</span> Department of the United States government

The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a Cabinet-level executive branch department of the federal government charged with providing lifelong healthcare services to eligible military veterans at the 170 VA medical centers and outpatient clinics located throughout the country. Non-healthcare benefits include disability compensation, vocational rehabilitation, education assistance, home loans, and life insurance. The VA also provides burial and memorial benefits to eligible veterans and family members at 135 national cemeteries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Life insurance</span> Type of contract

Life insurance is a contract between an insurance policy holder and an insurer or assurer, where the insurer promises to pay a designated beneficiary a sum of money upon the death of an insured person. Depending on the contract, other events such as terminal illness or critical illness can also trigger payment. The policyholder typically pays a premium, either regularly or as one lump sum. The benefits may include other expenses, such as funeral expenses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Financial services</span> Economic service provided by the finance industry

Financial services are economic services tied to finance provided by financial institutions. Financial services encompass a broad range of service sector activities, especially as concerns financial management and consumer finance.

The United Services Automobile Association (USAA) is an American financial services company providing insurance and banking products exclusively to members of the military, veterans, and their families. It was founded in 1922 in San Antonio, Texas, by a group of 25 U.S. Army officers as a mechanism for mutual self-insurance when they were unable to secure auto insurance because of the perception that they, as military officers, were a high-risk group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian Securities Institute</span> Canadian organization

The Canadian Securities Institute is a Canadian organization that offers licensing courses, advanced certifications, continuing education and custom training for financial services professionals in Canada and internationally.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Savings and loan association</span> Type of financial institution

A savings and loan association (S&L), or thrift institution, is a financial institution that specializes in accepting savings deposits and making mortgage and other loans. The terms "S&L" and "thrift" are mainly used in the United States; similar institutions in the United Kingdom, Ireland and some Commonwealth countries include building societies and trustee savings banks. They are often mutually held, meaning that the depositors and borrowers are members with voting rights, and have the ability to direct the financial and managerial goals of the organization like the members of a credit union or the policyholders of a mutual insurance company. While it is possible for an S&L to be a joint-stock company, and even publicly traded, in such instances it is no longer truly a mutual association, and depositors and borrowers no longer have membership rights and managerial control. By law, thrifts can have no more than 20 percent of their lending in commercial loans—their focus on mortgage and consumer loans makes them particularly vulnerable to housing downturns such as the deep one the U.S. experienced in 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian Western Bank</span> Canadian bank based in Edmonton, Alberta

Canadian Western Bank, also operating as CWB Financial Group, is a Canadian bank based in Edmonton, Alberta. The bank serves clients both in Western Canada and in other provinces.

A mutual organization, or mutual society is an organization based on the principle of mutuality and governed by private law. Unlike a true cooperative, members usually do not contribute to the capital of the company by direct investment, but derive their right to profits and votes through their customer relationship. A mutual organization or society is often simply referred to as a mutual.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Truist Financial</span> Banking company in the U.S.

Truist Financial Corporation is an American bank holding company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. The company was formed in December 2019 as the result of the merger of BB&T and SunTrust Banks. Its bank operates 2,781 branches in 15 states and Washington, D.C., offering consumer and commercial banking, securities brokerage, asset management, mortgage, and insurance products and services. It is on the list of largest banks in the United States by assets; as of August 2023, it is the 9th largest bank with $514 billion in assets. As of January 2021, Truist Insurance Holdings is the seventh largest insurance broker in the world, with $2.27 billion in annual revenue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian Automobile Association</span> Canadian not-for-profit organization

The Canadian Automobile Association is a federation of eight regional not-for-profit automobile associations in Canada, founded in 1913. The constituent associations are responsible for providing roadside assistance, auto touring and leisure travel services, insurance services, and member discount programs within their service territories. The CAA National Office in Ottawa coordinates relations between the clubs, oversees joint initiatives, and lobbies the federal government. In 2020 and 2021, the Gustavson Brand Trust Index named CAA the most trusted brand in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Veterans Benefits Administration</span> Component of U.S. Department Veterans Affairs

The Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. It is responsible for administering the department's programs that provide financial and other forms of assistance to veterans, their dependents, and survivors. Major benefits include Veterans' compensation, Veterans' pension, survivors' benefits, rehabilitation and employment assistance, education assistance, home loan guaranties, and life insurance coverage.

Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance (SGLI) is a life insurance program available to all active duty and reserve members of the uniformed services of the United States. Supervised by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, the program is administered by the Prudential Insurance Company of America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disabled American Veterans</span> Veterans organization

The Disabled American Veterans (DAV) is an organization created in 1920 by World War I veterans for disabled military veterans of the United States Armed Forces that helps them and their families through various means. It was issued a federal charter by Congress in 1932. It currently has over 1 million members. As a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization, it is outside the purview of – and therefore not rated by – Charity Navigator. DAV's Employer Identification Number (EIN) is 31–0263158.

TruStage Financial Group, Inc., formerly known as CUNA Mutual Group, is a mutual insurance company that provides financial services to cooperatives, credit unions, their members, and other customers worldwide. TruStage Financial Group sells commercial and consumer insurance and protection products. TruStage Financial Group provides retirement plan services to small businesses and credit union employees. The Madison, Wisconsin-based company also provides auto, home, life and loan protection products to credit union members through its TruStage brand.

Navy Mutual, originally established as Navy Mutual Aid Association (NMAA), is a nonprofit, federally tax-exempt, mutual-benefit Veterans Service Organization (VSO) It was established in 1879 by naval officers for the purpose of providing life insurance and annuities to members of the sea services, and their families. Membership for the past decade has averaged 105,000 members. In 2016, Navy Mutual had over 141,000 military members and families insured under various plans; by 2019, the number of insurance plans increased to over 145,000 with a member retention rate of 98.4%. For seventeen consecutive years through 2020, Navy Mutual has earned a Fitch Insurer Financial Strength (IFS) rating of A+, with a Stable Rating Outlook.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Credit unions in the United States</span>

Credit unions in the United States served 100 million members, comprising 43.7% of the economically active population, in 2014. U.S. credit unions are not-for-profit, cooperative, tax-exempt organizations. The clients of the credit unions become partners of the financial institution and their presence focuses in certain neighborhoods because they center their services in one specific community. As of March 2020, the largest American credit union was Navy Federal Credit Union, serving U.S. Department of Defense employees, contractors, and families of servicepeople, with over $125 billion in assets and over 9.1 million members. Total credit union assets in the U.S. reached $1 trillion as of March 2012. Approximately 236,000 people were directly employed by credit unions per data derived from the 2012 National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) Credit Union Directory. As of 2019, there were 5,236 federally insured credit unions with 120.4 million members, and deposits of $1.22 trillion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SWBC</span>

Southwest Business Corporation (SWBC) is a diversified financial services company providing insurance, mortgage, and investment services to financial institutions, businesses, and individuals.

References

  1. http://www.aafmaa.com/AboutUs/Overview.aspx
  2. 1 2 3 4 "AAFMAA Annual Report 2019" (PDF). AAFMAA.
  3. Association, Army Mutual Aid (1933). Annual Report ... for the Year Ended February 28, Organized January 13, 1879. B. S. Adams.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "History of the AAFMAA". Archived from the original on 2020-09-18.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "Military Wealth Management & Trust Services | AAFMAA WM&T". www.aafmaa.com. Retrieved 2021-03-12.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "General Inquiries & Office Locations | Contact Us | AAFMAA". www.aafmaa.com. Retrieved 2021-03-12.
  7. "Our Mission & History | About AAFMAA | AAFMAA". www.aafmaa.com. Retrieved 2021-03-11.
  8. 1 2 3 "Military Mortgage Services | Military Home Loans | AAFMAA". www.aafmaa.com. Retrieved 2021-03-12.
  9. 1 2 "Military Life Insurance Policy & Program Options | AAFMAA". www.aafmaa.com. Retrieved 2021-03-12.
  10. 1 2 "Member Benefits | Military Benefits & Entitlements Help | AAFMAA". www.aafmaa.com. Retrieved 2021-03-12.
  11. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-07. Retrieved 2011-02-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)