CIA

Citizens, Inc.

A life insurance company based in Austin, Texas, Citizens, Inc. sells two kinds of policies: U.S. dollar-denominated whole life and endowment plans to residents of Latin America and the Pacific Rim, and "final expense" burial policies to Americans through independent agents. Founded in 1969 and led for most of its history by founder Harold E. Riley, the firm went public on the New York Stock Exchange in 2002. Its international twist: because premiums are paid in dollars, policyholders are shielded from swings in their own local currencies.