Sun Life Partners with benefitsCONNECT® to Grow Online Enrollment Capacity in Group and Voluntary Benefits

WELLESLEY, Mass. --(Business Wire)--

The U.S. business group of Sun Life Financial Inc. (NYSE: SLF, TSX: SLF) and benefitsCONNECT®, a leader in web-based electronic enrollment and employee benefits administration software for small to mid sized employers, announced today an agreement allowing HR professionals who offer Sun Life group and voluntary products to manage their benefits programs on a fully integrated online platform.

The partnership allows brokers and HR executives to offer Sun Life group and voluntary benefits products using benefitsCONNECT®, an online benefits enrollment and administration system with fully automated EDI connectivity among employer groups, insurance carriers, TPAs, payroll vendors and brokers. Brokers and employers can access benefitsCONNECT®'s technology with Sun Life products at a negotiated per-employee fee.

"Sun Life's agreement with benefitsCONNECT® reinforces our commitment to providing our customers solutions that simplify the administration of benefits across the market segments we support," said Geoff Walton, assistant vice president, Voluntary Benefits with Sun Life Financial. "As a multi-carrier platform, with a focus on employers of 150 to 2,500 employees, benefitsCONNECT® provides one of the best online benefits administration and enrollment solutions in the industry, along with a valuable broker-centric business model."

"We are thrilled to include Sun Life's array of group and voluntary benefits options as part of benefitsCONNECT®'s platform-assisted enrollment experience," said benefitsCONNECT®'s founder and CEO, Troy R. Underwood. "Partnering with Sun Life, a leading insurer focused on growing electronic enrollment, enables us to widely distribute the time and cost-saving advantages of online benefits management to brokers and employers."

About Sun Life Financial

p> Sun Life Financial is a leading international financial services organization providing a diverse range of protection and wealth accumulation products and services to individuals and corporate customers. Chartered in 1865, Sun Life Financial and its partners today have operations in key markets worldwide, including Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, India, China and Bermuda. In the United States and elsewhere, insurance products are offered by members of the Sun Life Financial group that are insurance companies. Sun Life Financial Inc., the holding company for the Sun Life Financial group of companies, is a public company. It is not an insurance company and does not offer insurance products for sale in the United States or elsewhere, and does not guarantee the obligations of its insurance company subsidiaries. In the United States, Sun Life Financial provides a range of products and services to employers and their employees, including group and voluntary life, disability, dental and stop-loss insurance products. These products are issued by Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada in all states except New York. In New York, these products are issued by Sun Life Insurance and Annuity Company of New York. Product offerings may not be available in all states and may vary depending on state laws and regulations. Sun Life Financial Inc. trades on the Toronto (TSX), New York (NYSE) and Philippine (PSE) stock exchanges under the ticker symbol SLF. For more information please visit www.sunlife.com/us.

About benefitsCONNECT®

benefitsCONNECT®, a web-based benefits administration and enrollment system, automates and simplifies year-round online benefits enrollment and management. benefitsCONNECT® enables employer groups to manage all traditional and non-traditional benefits in one easy-to-use portal. The system provides secure electronic data connectivity with carriers and benefit providers, ensuring accurate enrollment and billing statements. Employees can manage their election information year-round, while brokers and HR administrators have access to manage eligibility, communicate with employees via the portal, and can generate consolidated billing reports and other government mandated reports. benefitsCONNECT® provides expert training and technical support to all clients, and the company's platform-assisted enrollment process helps employers clearly and consistently communicate the value of the employee benefits package.

About Transcend Technologies Group, Inc.

Founded in 2001, Transcend Technologies Group, Inc. (dba benefitsCONNECT®) is a privately held company that specializes in Internet-based software applications for the health insurance and benefits industry. Transcend licenses benefitsCONNECT® for benefits administration and online enrollment and agencyMANAGER for agency management functionality, and has established clients across the United States who entrust their book of business to benefitsCONNECT® products. For additional information, visit www.benefitsCONNECT.net, or contact Sales at 916-421-4000 or sales@benefitsCONNECT.net.

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