Eight out of the 10 highest-paid CEOs of U.S. public life insurance underwriters saw their year-over-year total compensation increase in 2017.

Prudential Financial Inc.'s John Strangfeld Jr. became the highest-paid CEO of a public life insurer in 2017, earning $19.1 million in total compensation, an 8.7% increase over the prior year. Most of his compensation growth was due to an $1 million increase in stock awards, which were $6.3 million in 2017.

Gary Coleman, CEO and Co-Chairman of Torchmark Corp., saw his compensation jump 37.6% last year, the largest increase according to an analysis by S&P Global Market Intelligence. Coleman's total compensation was $7.2 million in 2017, with $2.7 million coming in the form of stock grants and $1.7 million in options.

The second-highest paid CEO, Aflac Inc.'s Daniel Amos, saw his total compensation fall by nearly 20% compared to the prior year. He earned $16.3 million in 2017.

Did you enjoy this analysis? Click here to set alerts for future Data Dispatches. Basic compensation information is available on a company's briefing book page on Market Intelligence.