There are consumer ratings based on a consumer's experience in dealing with a specific insurance carrier.
In addition, there are financial strength ratings of insurers which are issued by independent rating agencies after a review of the insurer's financial statements.
In addition, life insurance plans may be rated based on how competitive the pricing is compared to other insurers.
As for financial ratings, you can review these by visiting the rating agencies; such as, ambest.com. And, the III (Insurance Information Institute) issues reports of the insurers that issued the most individual life insurance policies for the previous year.
You can find the most affordable life insurance policy by requesting free life insurance quotes online which provide you with side-by-side price comparisons of the leading insurers.
Here is a list of some of the highest rated life insurance companies.