MONTPELIER, Vt.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 28, 2026--
National Life Group recently announced the appointment of Matt Frazee as Chief Financial Officer of the organization.
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Frazee joined National Life Group in 2011 as Vice President and Controller. He moved into the Operations organization in 2016 and was promoted to Senior Vice President in 2017. In 2018, he joined the Distribution organization and was most recently named Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer in January 2024. Throughout his tenure, Matt has demonstrated strong business acumen and a leadership approach that brings a broad, enterprise-wide perspective.
“It has been a pleasure to watch Matt grow and succeed in various positions at National Life,” said Chair, CEO, and President, Mehran Assadi. “He brings the financial acumen and discipline required for this role as well as a commitment to serve our customers, colleagues and communities. He is well positioned to help take our organization to the next level.”
Prior to joining National Life Group, Frazee spent 11 years with Deloitte where he delivered consulting and accounting services to companies in the insurance industry. A licensed CPA, Frazee received his B.S. in Accounting from Northwestern College.
About National Life Group
National Life Group has been keeping promises since 1848, providing access to flexible, secure life insurance and annuities for families, businesses, educators, and first responders nationwide. With an independent, entrepreneurial spirit, our values are to “Do good, Be good, Make good” for our customers, agents, employees, and the communities we serve. Learn more at NationalLife.com.
National Life Group® is a trade name of National Life Insurance Company (NLIC), Montpelier, VT founded in 1848, Life Insurance Company of the Southwest (LSW), Addison, TX chartered in 1955, and its affiliates. Each company is solely responsible for its own financial condition and contractual obligations. LSW is not an authorized insurer in New York and does not conduct insurance business in New York. NLIC, the flagship of National Life Group was founded in 1848, and all references to 1848 are attributable to NLIC.
Products are issued by National Life Insurance Company and Life Insurance Company of the Southwest.
Matt Frazee, Chief Financial Officer of National Life Group
A man charged with starting one of the wildfires in Spokane, Washington, that have destroyed hundreds of buildings planned the crime for weeks and researched when the weather would be best for igniting it, police said.
In an interview after his arrest, Aaron Farinacci said “fire is powerful, beautiful, and that things that go through fire experience a kind of rebirth," Spokane County Detective Michael Drapeau wrote in a court filing Wednesday.
Farinacci, 37, is charged with starting the Old Trails fire, one of three fires in the Spokane area that have burned more than 850 buildings, destroying whole neighborhoods and streets, and forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of people. He is also charged in connection with four smaller fires ignited in the summer of 2025 and last month.
He was scheduled to be arraigned on five first-degree arson charges Thursday, but his lawyer asked for a competency evaluation before he enters a plea. Spokane Superior Court Judge Jeremy Schmidt said he would review that request. He set bond for $2 million, ruling that Farinacci was a risk to community safety, a flight risk and that there was potential for a violent offense.
Defense attorney Colin Charbonneau did not immediately return messages seeking comment.
Farinacci denied starting the Old Trails fire when police initially contacted him, but during an interview with Drapeau, he confessed to that fire as well as others last year and last month, the detective wrote. That led to the four additional arson charges.
He told the detective that he always carries marijuana or cigarettes so he would have a legitimate reason to have a lighter and matches.
“He knows arson is an easy crime to get away from if you have time, and he had time,” Drapeau said.
Farinacci researched the weather to predict a day that would be hot and windy and have low humidity for starting the Old Trails fire, Drapeau said. He also looked up the work of a well-known serial arsonist and purchased items to make a “time delay device” for igniting a wildfire, using notebook paper, matches, a cigarette and a rubber band, the detective said.
Farinacci picked Saturday, Aug. 1, to start the fire because he knew there would be strong winds — reaching 50 mph (80 kph), the detective said.
Farinacci said he knew it was going to get bad but claimed he didn’t intend for it to grow as much as it did, Drapeau said.
Paul Child, 64, has been credited with leading police to Farinacci. He was driving with his grandson along some railroad tracks when he saw a man standing there and looking toward nearby trees. About 10 minutes later, the man was still there.
“He was bent over in the brush, acting nervous,” Child told The Associated Press on Tuesday. “You get the feeling this guy’s up to something.”
Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels said at a news conference Thursday that it’s going to be weeks before people can safely return to their homes in areas burned in the Spokane fires. No deaths or serious injuries have been reported, he said.
Drapeau said Farinacci also admitted responsibility for 25 fires near his apartment building in summer 2025. Most were near the Spokane River or the Centennial Trail.
Farinacci said he didn't think the Aubrey White fire that ignited on July 6, 2025, would cause damage but "one house got ‘slightly damaged’ from the side,” the detective said. That blaze started near the Centennial Trail and soon became a large wildfire that threatened homes and structures, the court filing said. It led to evacuations and road closures. An investigation determined it was caused by arson, but police didn't have any suspects.
The Aubrey White fire was added to the charges against Farinacci, as were three others, the court filing states. Farinacci faces arson charges for the Meenach fire that started on July 8, 2025, the Fort George fire on Aug. 11, 2025, and the Indian Bluff fire on July 24, 2026.
Farinacci served about a decade in prison after killing his father in Mesa, Arizona, in 2010. He also shot himself at that time but survived. He was charged with murder but pleaded guilty in 2012 to manslaughter and aggravated assault. Farinacci’s lawyer repeatedly raised concerns about his mental health during the case.
Drapeau said Farinacci indicated that he moved to the Copper River Apartments in the Spokane area in October 2022.
The detective said Farinacci's son was born in 2025, and he started having difficulty dealing with “life issues” and began smoking marijuana.
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Associated Press reporter Hallie Golden contributed to this story from Seattle.
Scorched trees stand over the remains of Riverside Real Life church Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026, after a wildfire hit the northern part of Spokane, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
A burned truck sits in a driveway near several destroyed homes in a residential neighborhood Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026, after a wildfire hit the northern part of Spokane, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Crews work near several burned down houses after a wildfire hit the northwest part of Spokane, Wash., Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
A burned section of trees is marked with pink tape Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026, in an area near the origin point of the Old Trails Fire, after a man was arrested, suspected of starting the wildfire in Spokane, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
