No-exam Life Insurance AI Visibility Ranking Trends - November 2026

Answer capsule

The November 2026 No-exam Life Insurance benchmark compares 10 companies across 505 AI answers that met its inclusion rules. Banner Life leads with 383 recommendations (75.84% of answers). At least one tracked company was recommended in 488 answers; some answers recommended several companies.

The rankings distinguish being mentioned from receiving an affirmative recommendation, then examine placement and the wording used about each company. Earlier monthly results show how counts and rates changed, with each month using its own answer total. These results describe the answers reviewed, not product quality or customer satisfaction. Differences between monthly samples limit comparisons and do not establish why a result changed.

For the strategic interpretation of this benchmark, read CiteWorks Studio's analysis of How AI Search Is Recommending No-exam Life Insurance

Industry leaderboard

Questions This Section Answers

• How do No-exam Life Insurance rank by recorded AI recommendations in November 2026?

The leaderboard orders companies by how many answers affirmatively recommended them, not by how often they appeared. A company can be mentioned frequently yet recommended less often, so mention counts and recommendation counts answer different questions.

Ties in recommendation counts would share a rank; the printed table shows the recorded order. Placement rates are nested within recommendations, so first-place and shortlist figures should be read as subsets rather than additional wins.

Key findings

Tracked-company answer coverage

Questions This Section Answers

• How often did the November 2026 No-exam Life Insurance answer sample recommend any tracked company?

488 distinct answers recommended at least one tracked company. Counting each company recommendation separately gives 2047, because an answer can recommend several companies. Answers with no tracked recommendation may still have recommended companies outside this comparison.

Nearly every qualified answer recommended at least one tracked company, and most recommended several. That overlap means company totals cannot be summed into a market share: one answer can support multiple companies at once.

The small remainder of answers with no tracked recommendation may still have named companies outside this comparison. Coverage therefore describes the reviewed answers, not the whole market of available insurers.

Reach and affirmative recommendation

Banner Life ranks 1 by recommendation count. Mentions: 404 (80.00%); recommendations: 383 (75.84%). Top 3 placements: 302 (59.80%); first-place placements: 197 (39.01%).

Wording about the company: 388 positive, 16 neutral, 0 negative mentions. The proportion of mentions that also included a recommendation was 94.8%. The net framing score was 0.96 (defined in Methodology).

21 mentions had no recorded recommendation. Of recorded recommendations, 78.85% were Top 3 and 51.44% were first-place.

Mention means the company appeared in an answer; recommendation means the answer affirmatively endorsed it. Banner Life's mentions and recommendations are close in number, so most appearances carried an endorsement, though a minority of mentions did not.

A high recommendation count reflects recorded answers, not sales, customer choice or product superiority. Where counts are equal, the ranking should be treated as a tie rather than a unique winner.

Recommendation order and placement

Placement describes where a recommended company sat in an answer's ordering. Shortlist placements are a subset of recommendations, and first-place placements are a subset of shortlist placements, so these figures should not be added together.

Recommendation-to-mention ratios vary by company and describe answer wording only. A strong ratio on a small base is less stable than the same ratio on a larger one, and none of these ratios measure conversion.

Classified framing in context

Framing classifies the wording used about a company in the selected answers: positive, neutral or negative. Most mentions here are positive, with neutral wording forming a minority and negative wording rare.

Neutral wording is not a negative signal, and positive wording does not explain why a recommendation occurred. Framing is not customer sentiment, reputation or a measure of company quality.

Company results in detail

Banner Life

Questions This Section Answers

• What do the November 2026 AI answer results show about Banner Life mentions, recommendations and placement?

Banner Life ranks 1 by recommendation count. Mentions: 404 (80.00%); recommendations: 383 (75.84%). Top 3 placements: 302 (59.80%); first-place placements: 197 (39.01%).

Wording about the company: 388 positive, 16 neutral, 0 negative mentions. The proportion of mentions that also included a recommendation was 94.8%. The net framing score was 0.96 (defined in Methodology).

21 mentions had no recorded recommendation. Of recorded recommendations, 78.85% were Top 3 and 51.44% were first-place.

From October 2026 to November 2026, Banner Life's mention count stayed at 404, while its recommendation count fell from 391 to 383. The recommendation rate was 72.27% and 75.84% respectively.

Banner Life leads on recommendation count, and its mentions almost always carried an endorsement. Its placements skew strongly toward the top of answer orderings, with first-place results forming a large share of its recommendations.

Between the two most recent months, mentions held steady while recommendations declined slightly and the recommendation rate rose. These are separate recorded comparisons; the change does not establish a cause.

Pacific Life

Questions This Section Answers

• What do the November 2026 AI answer results show about Pacific Life mentions, recommendations and placement?

Pacific Life ranks 2 by recommendation count. Mentions: 338 (66.93%); recommendations: 319 (63.17%). Top 3 placements: 181 (35.84%); first-place placements: 47 (9.31%).

Wording about the company: 322 positive, 16 neutral, 0 negative mentions. The proportion of mentions that also included a recommendation was 94.4%. The net framing score was 0.95 (defined in Methodology).

19 mentions had no recorded recommendation. Of recorded recommendations, 56.74% were Top 3 and 14.73% were first-place.

From October 2026 to November 2026, Pacific Life's mention count fell from 360 to 338, while its recommendation count fell from 344 to 319. The recommendation rate was 63.59% and 63.17% respectively.

Pacific Life holds second place by recommendation count, with a high share of its mentions also recommended. Its shortlist placements are substantial, but first-place placements are a much smaller portion of its recommendations than the leader's.

Both mentions and recommendations fell from the prior month while the recommendation rate was nearly flat. The comparison is descriptive and does not explain the movement.

Protective

Questions This Section Answers

• What do the November 2026 AI answer results show about Protective mentions, recommendations and placement?

Protective ranks 3 by recommendation count. Mentions: 319 (63.17%); recommendations: 298 (59.01%). Top 3 placements: 172 (34.06%); first-place placements: 37 (7.33%).

Wording about the company: 302 positive, 17 neutral, 0 negative mentions. The proportion of mentions that also included a recommendation was 93.4%. The net framing score was 0.95 (defined in Methodology).

21 mentions had no recorded recommendation. Of recorded recommendations, 57.72% were Top 3 and 12.42% were first-place.

From October 2026 to November 2026, Protective's mention count fell from 378 to 319, while its recommendation count fell from 365 to 298. The recommendation rate was 67.47% and 59.01% respectively.

Protective ranks third by recommendation count, and most of its mentions included an endorsement. Shortlist placements account for a majority of its recommendations, while first-place placements are comparatively uncommon.

Mentions, recommendations and the recommendation rate all declined from the previous month. Because monthly answer samples differ, the recorded drop should not be read as a cause or a verdict on standing.

Nationwide

Questions This Section Answers

• What do the November 2026 AI answer results show about Nationwide mentions, recommendations and placement?

Nationwide ranks 4 by recommendation count. Mentions: 254 (50.30%); recommendations: 221 (43.76%). Top 3 placements: 102 (20.20%); first-place placements: 50 (9.90%).

Wording about the company: 226 positive, 28 neutral, 0 negative mentions. The proportion of mentions that also included a recommendation was 87.0%. The net framing score was 0.89 (defined in Methodology).

33 mentions had no recorded recommendation. Of recorded recommendations, 46.15% were Top 3 and 22.62% were first-place.

From October 2026 to November 2026, Nationwide's mention count fell from 282 to 254, while its recommendation count fell from 252 to 221. The recommendation rate was 46.58% and 43.76% respectively.

Nationwide sits mid-table by recommendation count, with a lower recommendation-to-mention ratio than the companies above it, meaning a larger share of its appearances lacked an endorsement. Its first-place placements are a relatively large portion of its recommendations.

Mentions and recommendations both declined from the prior month, and the recommendation rate eased slightly. These are recorded comparisons only.

Mutual of Omaha

Questions This Section Answers

• What do the November 2026 AI answer results show about Mutual of Omaha mentions, recommendations and placement?

Mutual of Omaha ranks 5 by recommendation count. Mentions: 220 (43.56%); recommendations: 204 (40.40%). Top 3 placements: 81 (16.04%); first-place placements: 18 (3.56%).

Wording about the company: 209 positive, 11 neutral, 0 negative mentions. The proportion of mentions that also included a recommendation was 92.7%. The net framing score was 0.95 (defined in Methodology).

16 mentions had no recorded recommendation. Of recorded recommendations, 39.71% were Top 3 and 8.82% were first-place.

From October 2026 to November 2026, Mutual of Omaha's mention count rose from 206 to 220, while its recommendation count rose from 189 to 204. The recommendation rate was 34.94% and 40.40% respectively.

Mutual of Omaha ranks fifth by recommendation count, with most mentions carrying an endorsement. Shortlist placements form a moderate share of its recommendations, and first-place placements are uncommon.

Unlike most companies above it, both mentions and recommendations rose from the previous month, and the recommendation rate increased. The change is recorded, not explained.

Transamerica

Questions This Section Answers

• What do the November 2026 AI answer results show about Transamerica mentions, recommendations and placement?

Transamerica ranks 6 by recommendation count. Mentions: 173 (34.26%); recommendations: 151 (29.90%). Top 3 placements: 66 (13.07%); first-place placements: 9 (1.78%).

Wording about the company: 155 positive, 17 neutral, 1 negative mentions. The proportion of mentions that also included a recommendation was 87.3%. The net framing score was 0.89 (defined in Methodology).

22 mentions had no recorded recommendation. Of recorded recommendations, 43.71% were Top 3 and 5.96% were first-place.

From October 2026 to November 2026, Transamerica's mention count rose from 169 to 173, while its recommendation count fell from 154 to 151. The recommendation rate was 28.47% and 29.90% respectively.

Transamerica ranks sixth by recommendation count, with a recommendation-to-mention ratio below most of the table. First-place placements are rare relative to its recommendations, and it is the only company here with a recorded negative mention.

Mentions rose slightly while recommendations dipped, and the recommendation rate edged up. These movements are separate observations, not evidence of cause.

Penn Mutual

Questions This Section Answers

• What do the November 2026 AI answer results show about Penn Mutual mentions, recommendations and placement?

Penn Mutual ranks 7 by recommendation count. Mentions: 145 (28.71%); recommendations: 131 (25.94%). Top 3 placements: 75 (14.85%); first-place placements: 22 (4.36%).

Wording about the company: 134 positive, 11 neutral, 0 negative mentions. The proportion of mentions that also included a recommendation was 90.3%. The net framing score was 0.92 (defined in Methodology).

14 mentions had no recorded recommendation. Of recorded recommendations, 57.25% were Top 3 and 16.79% were first-place.

From October 2026 to November 2026, Penn Mutual's mention count fell from 147 to 145, while its recommendation count fell from 138 to 131. The recommendation rate was 25.51% and 25.94% respectively.

Penn Mutual ranks seventh by recommendation count, and its shortlist placements form a relatively large share of its recommendations, with first-place placements also notable for its size.

Mentions and recommendations both declined slightly from the prior month, while the recommendation rate was essentially flat. The comparison describes recorded answers and does not establish why counts moved.

Symetra

Questions This Section Answers

• What do the November 2026 AI answer results show about Symetra mentions, recommendations and placement?

Symetra ranks 8 by recommendation count. Mentions: 125 (24.75%); recommendations: 116 (22.97%). Top 3 placements: 65 (12.87%); first-place placements: 2 (0.40%).

Wording about the company: 119 positive, 6 neutral, 0 negative mentions. The proportion of mentions that also included a recommendation was 92.8%. The net framing score was 0.95 (defined in Methodology).

9 mentions had no recorded recommendation. Of recorded recommendations, 56.03% were Top 3 and 1.72% were first-place.

From October 2026 to November 2026, Symetra's mention count fell from 147 to 125, while its recommendation count fell from 140 to 116. The recommendation rate was 25.88% and 22.97% respectively.

Symetra ranks eighth by recommendation count, with a high recommendation-to-mention ratio. Its shortlist placements are a solid share of recommendations, but first-place placements are very rare, so its strength lies in appearing on lists rather than at the top.

Mentions, recommendations and the recommendation rate all declined from the previous month. The comparison is descriptive.

Ethos

Questions This Section Answers

• What do the November 2026 AI answer results show about Ethos mentions, recommendations and placement?

Ethos ranks 9 by recommendation count. Mentions: 167 (33.07%); recommendations: 115 (22.77%). Top 3 placements: 48 (9.50%); first-place placements: 9 (1.78%).

Wording about the company: 116 positive, 51 neutral, 0 negative mentions. The proportion of mentions that also included a recommendation was 68.9%. The net framing score was 0.69 (defined in Methodology).

52 mentions had no recorded recommendation. Of recorded recommendations, 41.74% were Top 3 and 7.83% were first-place.

From October 2026 to November 2026, Ethos' mention count fell from 174 to 167, while its recommendation count fell from 137 to 115. The recommendation rate was 25.32% and 22.77% respectively.

Ethos ranks ninth by recommendation count, and its mention count sits above several companies ranked higher. Its recorded answers pair mentions with recommendations less often than those of its peers, so its recommendation-to-mention ratio is the lowest in the table. That ratio describes the recorded answers only, not customers, sales or conversion.

Mentions and recommendations both fell from the prior month, and the recommendation rate moved with them. The wording around Ethos was largely positive with no negative mentions; framing is a classification of wording, not evidence of why endorsements occurred or of company quality. The earlier month is a separate selected sample, so the change does not establish a cause.

Ladder

Questions This Section Answers

• What do the November 2026 AI answer results show about Ladder mentions, recommendations and placement?

Ladder ranks 10 by recommendation count. Mentions: 122 (24.16%); recommendations: 109 (21.58%). Top 3 placements: 43 (8.51%); first-place placements: 9 (1.78%).

Wording about the company: 109 positive, 13 neutral, 0 negative mentions. The proportion of mentions that also included a recommendation was 89.3%. The net framing score was 0.89 (defined in Methodology).

13 mentions had no recorded recommendation. Of recorded recommendations, 39.45% were Top 3 and 8.26% were first-place.

From October 2026 to November 2026, Ladder's mention count fell from 159 to 122, while its recommendation count fell from 150 to 109. The recommendation rate was 27.73% and 21.58% respectively.

Ladder ranks tenth by recommendation count, with most mentions carrying an endorsement. Shortlist placements form a moderate share of its recommendations, and first-place placements are uncommon.

Mentions, recommendations and the recommendation rate all declined from the previous month, with the rate falling noticeably. The comparison is recorded only and does not explain the movement.

Earlier ranking snapshot context

Questions This Section Answers

• How do the available No-exam Life Insurance snapshots from August 2026 to November 2026 differ in recommendation coverage and measurement scope?

Only months with verified results are shown. Monthly sample coverage is listed in Methodology.

Each month is a separate sample of AI answers, and the number of included answers differs across months. Counts and rates should be read together: a lower count can accompany a higher rate when the answer base shrinks.

Rank changes across months describe recorded ordering in different samples. They do not establish rank stability, equivalent sampling or the reasons behind any shift.

What the November Rankings Show

These sections answer different questions. Reach asks whether a company appeared; recommendation asks whether the answer endorsed it; placement asks where it sat among endorsements; framing asks how it was described. A company can be visible without being endorsed, or endorsed without leading an answer.

Because one answer can cover several companies, totals overlap and should not be summed. The monthly comparisons show recorded change across separate samples, not causes, and framing is wording rather than customer sentiment.

Methodology

Questions This Section Answers

• How were the November 2026 No-exam Life Insurance AI visibility measures counted, and what do they not establish?

This benchmark has partial coverage: 3 of 3 planned question categories contributed usable observations; 0 contributed none. This describes question-category coverage, not demonstrated platform outages. Findings apply to the available answer set.

The month in the title is the reporting period. The exact dates when the original AI answers were collected have not been verified.

Each company is counted at most once in each answer that meets the benchmark rules. A recommendation requires both an affirmative endorsement and positive wording. Mention, recommendation, Top 3 and first-place rates use the full benchmark answer total. Top 3 and first-place results are included within recommendations, not added to them.

The recommendation-to-mention ratio divides recommendations by mentions. It describes AI answer wording, not customer conversion. Net framing is positive minus negative mentions, divided by all mentions, on a scale from -1 to +1. It does not measure customer satisfaction or company quality.

Market: US; 10 tracked companies. AI services represented: ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, Google AI Mode, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity.

Research screening totals (answer observations can include repeated questions):

The source does not provide a reader-facing definition of “reserved”; that screening label is reported without inferring a reason for exclusion. Only the included benchmark answers form the rate denominator.

One answer can mention or recommend several companies. Adding company totals would therefore count some answers more than once. The results describe the AI answers reviewed, not independently verified facts about the companies or their products.

Monthly sample coverage:

The answer samples differ between months. These comparisons show how the recorded results changed; they do not establish why they changed.

Coverage is partial: findings apply to the reviewed answer set, and the exact collection dates were not verified. Each company counts at most once per answer, and recommendation requires both endorsement and positive wording.

Placement results are nested within recommendations, and the recommendation-to-mention ratio describes answer wording, not conversion. Net framing runs from negative to positive and is not a quality or satisfaction measure. Monthly samples differ, so comparisons show recorded change without explaining it.