Insurance is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent, uncertain loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for payment. An insurer is a company selling the insurance; the insured, or policyholder, is the person or entity buying the insurance policy. The amount to be charged for a certain amount of insurance coverage is called the premium. Risk management, the practice of appraising and controlling risk, has evolved as a discrete field of study and practice.

The transaction involves the insured assuming a guaranteed and known relatively small loss in the form of payment to the insurer in exchange for the insurer's promise to compensate (indemnify) the insured in the case of a financial (personal) loss. The insured receives a contract, called the insurance policy, which details the conditions and circumstances under which the insured will be financially compensated.

Insurance involves pooling funds from many insured entities (known as exposures) to pay for the losses that some may incur. The insured entities are therefore protected from risk for a fee, with the fee being dependent upon the frequency and severity of the event occurring. In order to be insurable, the risk insured against must meet certain characteristics in order to be an insurable risk. Insurance is a commercial enterprise and a major part of the financial services industry, but individual entities can also self-insure through saving money for possible future losses.

American National Insurance Company (NASDAQ: ANAT) is a major American insurance corporation based in Galveston, Texas. The company and its subsidiaries operate in all 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and American Samoa.

American National was founded in 1905 by Galveston businessman William Lewis Moody, Jr. Today the company offers a wide array of insurance products and services including life insurance, annuities, health insurance, property and casualty insurance, credit insurance, and pension plan services. Through its subsidiary, ANREM, the company founded and developed the large-scale housing development, South Shore Harbour, in League City, Texas.

Although a publicly traded company, the majority of the stock continues to be controlled by the Moody family through the Moody Foundation and Libby Shearn Moody Trust, which are administered by the trust department of the family owned Moody National Bank.

American National is subject to insurance regulation and examination by all 50 states as well as federal entities like the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Federal Trade Commission. In addition, its records are audited by KPMG as well as the major financial rating agencies. The ratings reflect the company’s capitalization, operating performance and liquidity. American National was listed in Forbes Magazine in its "100 Most Trustworthy Companies" list for 2009.