CL Life
A Utah-domiciled specialty fixed-annuity insurer (NAIC 88153), operating out of Fort Worth, Texas - relaunched in 2022 under the Crestline investment platform and, since December 2025, part of Rithm Capital - carrying a B++ (Good, stable) rating from AM Best alongside a separate KBRA A-, with a deliberately focused one-product MYGA lineup.
Financial strength
B++
AM Best
A-
KBRA
AM Best B++ (Good)
CL Life carries a B++ (Good) Financial Strength Rating from AM Best - the fifth-highest of thirteen categories, in the "Good" band. First assigned September 2022 and affirmed with a stable outlook in February 2026.
KBRA A- (second agency)
CL Life also holds an A- insurance financial-strength rating from Kroll Bond Rating Agency (KBRA), a separate second-agency read; the two agencies use different scales and are shown side by side rather than blended.
Rithm / Crestline platform
Relaunched in 2022 under Crestline, an alternative asset manager. Crestline - and with it CL Life - became part of Rithm Capital effective December 1, 2025; parent-platform AUM is a group figure, not insurer surplus.
Utah insurer, Fort Worth office
CL Life is a Utah-domiciled insurer (NAIC 88153) with a statutory home office in Salt Lake City and an operating office in Fort Worth, Texas; its predecessor insurance platform traces to 1978.
CL Sundance MYGA
CL Life's annuity lineup is a single product: the CL Sundance multi-year guaranteed annuity, offered in a short menu of guarantee periods with an annual free-withdrawal allowance and an RMD waiver.
Run live numbers on CL Life products
Choose a product type, then select a current product. The analyzer shows available values for your premium, age, state, and timing, and leaves out details that are not published for that selection.
MYGAs / Fixed Annuities
Selected product: CL Tarrant Trail 6-Year
A fixed annuity group for buyers who want a declared guaranteed rate, principal protection, and tax-deferred growth.
Other current products
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Explore CL Life products
CL Life’s lineup, grouped by what each product group is built to do. Current rates come from CANNEX via AdvisorWorld and are checked daily.
Multi-Year Guaranteed Annuity
Fixed-rate contracts grouped separately from indexed annuities so guaranteed terms are compared on their own terms.
- Fixed-rate contracts grouped separately from indexed annuities
- Guaranteed term rates and surrender context live on each product page
Best for: Savers who want a declared fixed rate for a set period and a direct path to each product review.
CL Sundance
A short-surrender multi-year guaranteed annuity from CL Life offered in a short menu of guarantee periods — running from a short term up through a mid and a longer term — with an annual free-withdrawal allowance, an RMD waiver, and single or joint annuitization at maturity, available in a limited set of US states and backed by a B-grade A.M. Best-rated carrier.
5-year guaranteed rate
5.7%
CL Tarrant Trail 4-Year
A state-limited CL Life fixed annuity with a live one-year rate guarantee inside a longer surrender schedule.
1-year guaranteed rate
7%
CL Tarrant Trail 6-Year
A longer-surrender CL Life fixed annuity whose currently published rate is guaranteed for only one year.
1-year guaranteed rate
7.5%
Rates are pulled live from CANNEX via the AdvisorWorld data feed · 2026-07-16. Caps, payout rates, and guaranteed rates vary by state, premium band, and rider election — confirm current terms on each product page.
Free Comparison Report
Get CL Life's current rate report
Compare CL Life's live rates, carrier ratings, and product tradeoffs against alternatives in one personalized report.
Find your fit
CL Life has a one-product annuity lineup, so the fit question is simple: is a declared-rate MYGA the job, and does the current rate clear the bar for a B++-rated carrier?
Company overview
What CL Life is
CL Life and Annuity Insurance Company (NAIC 88153) is a Utah-domiciled specialty fixed-annuity insurer - statutory home office in Salt Lake City, operating office in Fort Worth, Texas - focused on declared-rate fixed accumulation and period-certain income rather than a broad life or market-linked shelf.
Checked 2026-07-16 · AnnuityRatesHQ carrier research
The carrier was relaunched in 2022 under Crestline, an alternative asset manager, on top of a predecessor insurer with roots to 1978. Crestline's AUM (an affiliate/parent figure - the manager's platform, not CL Life's own balance sheet) sits behind the general account, while CL Life remains the legal issuing insurer behind its guarantees.
Checked 2026-07-16 · AnnuityRatesHQ carrier research
CL Life's annuity lineup centers on CL Sundance.
Verified July 2026 · CANNEX Financial Exchanges via AdvisorWorld
Scale, labeled
Domicile
Utah
Utah-domiciled insurer, NAIC 88153; statutory home office in Salt Lake City, operating office in Fort Worth, Texas.
Checked 2026-07-16 · AnnuityRatesHQ carrier research
Owner
Rithm / Crestline
Relaunched 2022 under Crestline; Crestline acquired by Rithm Capital effective 2025-12-01. Ownership chain: Rithm -> Crestline -> CL Life (parent/group).
Acquired Dec 2025 · AnnuityRatesHQ carrier research; AM Best
AM Best
B++ (Good)
Fifth-highest of thirteen AM Best FSR categories; stable outlook, affirmed 2026-02-20. Financial-size category V (a small absolute-capital band).
Checked 2026-07-16 · AM Best
Focused MYGA lineup
1 MYGA
The annuity lineup centers on the CL Sundance multi-year guaranteed annuity.
Verified July 2026 · CANNEX Financial Exchanges via AdvisorWorld
History highlights
CL Life's predecessor insurance platform traces to 1978, providing legal continuity and a historical insurance-company foundation.
Roots to 1978 · AnnuityRatesHQ carrier research
In 2022, Crestline relaunched the carrier as CL Life and Annuity Insurance Company, a Utah-domiciled insurer operating out of Fort Worth, Texas; AM Best assigned its initial B++ (Good) rating in September 2022.
Rated 2022-09 · AM Best press release
Rithm Capital acquired Crestline - and with it CL Life - effective December 1, 2025; AM Best affirmed the B++ (Good) rating with a stable outlook on February 20, 2026, and KBRA reported an A- in April 2026.
Affirmed 2026-02 · AM Best press releases; KBRA
An asset-manager-built carrier, now on the Rithm platform
CL Life took shape in 2022 when Crestline - an alternative asset manager - relaunched a predecessor Utah-domiciled life insurer (roots to 1978) as a dedicated fixed-annuity carrier, pairing an existing license with institutional credit and insurance-asset expertise.
Checked 2026-07-16 · AnnuityRatesHQ carrier research
In late 2025, Rithm Capital - a publicly traded asset manager - acquired Crestline Management, and with it CL Life, effective December 1, 2025. AM Best placed CL Life's ratings under review during the deal and, on February 20, 2026, removed that status and affirmed B++ (Good) with a stable outlook, noting a fresh $15 million capital commitment from Rithm to support near-term growth.
Affirmed 2026-02 · AM Best press releases
The scale figures in CL Life's story - Crestline's AUM and Rithm's larger platform - are affiliate and parent/group figures, not the carrier's own size. CL Life itself is a young, focused, still-growing annuity writer, and its B++ rating and small AM Best financial-size category (V) reflect that stage: secure, in the "Good" band rather than the "Excellent" A-range.
Checked 2026-07-16 · AnnuityRatesHQ carrier research; AM Best
Financial strength
AM Best
CurrentB++
Good financial-strength rating - the fifth-highest of thirteen AM Best categories, in the "Good" band (below the A-range), with a small financial-size category V. Affirmed with a stable outlook on February 20, 2026 after the Rithm Capital acquisition of Crestline closed.
Checked 2026-07-16
KBRA
A-
Insurance financial-strength rating from Kroll Bond Rating Agency, reported April 2026 - a separate second-agency view on a different scale, shown alongside rather than blended with the AM Best grade.
Checked 2026-07-16
What makes CL Life different
A focused, single-lane shelf
CL Life's annuity lineup is one MYGA: CL Sundance. Evaluation comes down to its guaranteed rate, term menu, and the B++-rated carrier behind the contract.
Verified July 2026 · CANNEX Financial Exchanges via AdvisorWorld
Asset-manager DNA behind the general account
Crestline - an alternative asset manager - built CL Life around its investment capabilities, and the platform now sits inside Rithm Capital following the December 2025 acquisition. Institutional asset management supports the portfolio (parent/group scale, not insurer surplus); CL Life remains the issuing insurer behind every contract.
Checked 2026-07-16 · AnnuityRatesHQ carrier research
Two ratings, stated plainly
B++ (Good) from AM Best is the fifth-highest of thirteen categories and sits below the A range, while KBRA independently rates CL Life A-. The two scales are shown side by side, not blended. AM Best also flags a limited market position, growth-execution risk, high affiliated offshore reinsurance, and an evolving ERM framework.
Checked 2026-07-16 · AM Best; AnnuityRatesHQ carrier research; KBRA
Conservative, service-first posture
CL Life positions itself around predictable, tax-deferred growth with a conservative investment approach and personalized service - a guarantee-first pitch that matches the declared-rate product it actually sells.
Checked 2026-07-16 · CL Life corporate site
About CL Life
CL Life and Annuity Insurance Company (NAIC 88153) is a Utah-domiciled fixed-annuity carrier operating out of Fort Worth, Texas, relaunched in 2022 under Crestline and - since December 1, 2025 - part of the Rithm Capital platform following Rithm's acquisition of Crestline.
Checked 2026-07-16 · AnnuityRatesHQ carrier research; AM Best
CL Life carries a B++ (Good, stable) rating from AM Best and a separate A- from KBRA, and focuses on conservative, tax-deferred fixed annuities. Parent-platform AUM describes the asset manager, not the insurer; contract guarantees remain obligations of CL Life. Its annuity lineup centers on the CL Sundance multi-year guaranteed annuity.
Checked 2026-07-16 · AM Best; AnnuityRatesHQ carrier research; KBRA
CL Life offers the Sundance fixed annuity across several guarantee periods, with an annual free-withdrawal allowance and an RMD waiver.
Verified July 2026 · CANNEX Financial Exchanges via AdvisorWorld
Free Comparison Report
Get CL Life's current rate report
Compare CL Life's live rates, carrier ratings, and product tradeoffs against alternatives in one personalized report.
Sources
- CL Life corporate site — 2026-07-16
- AM Best - initial B++ (Good) rating assigned to CL Life and Annuity Insurance Company — 2022-09-15
- AM Best - B++ (Good) affirmed, stable, removed from under review after Rithm Capital acquired Crestline Management (effective 2025-12-01), with $15M Rithm capital commitment; financial-size category V — 2026-02-20
- AnnuityRatesHQ carrier research - CL Life overview (Utah domicile, NAIC 88153, Fort Worth operating office), Crestline/Rithm backing, KBRA A- (Apr 2026) — Checked 2026-07-16
- Live product catalog (CL Sundance MYGA), rates, terms, state availability: CANNEX Financial Exchanges via AdvisorWorld — Verified July 2026