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                                                                    EXHIBIT 31.1

                                  CERTIFICATION

I, Robert Rosenkranz, certify that:

     1.   I have reviewed this quarterly report on Form 10-Q of Delphi Financial
          Group, Inc. (the "registrant");

     2.   Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue
          statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact
          necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances
          under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to
          the period covered by this report;

     3.   Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial
          information included in this report, fairly present in all material
          respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows
          of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this
          report;

     4.   The registrant's other certifying officer and I are responsible for
          establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as
          defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) for the
          registrant and have:

              a.   designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused
                   such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed
                   under our supervision, to ensure that material information
                   relating to the registrant, including its consolidated
                   subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those
                   entities, particularly during the period in which this
                   report is being prepared;

              b.   [Paragraph omitted pursuant to Securities and Exchange
                   Commission Release Nos. 33-8238 and 34-47986]

              c.   evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant's disclosure
                   controls and procedures and presented in this report our
                   conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure
                   controls and procedures, as of the end of the period
                   covered by this report, based on such evaluation; and

              d.   disclosed in this report any change in the registrant's
                   internal control over financial reporting that occurred
                   during the registrant's most recent fiscal quarter that has
                   materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially
                   affect, the registrant's internal control over financial
                   reporting; and

     5.   The registrant's other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based
          on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial
          reporting, to the registrant's auditors and the audit committee of
          registrant's board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent
          functions):

              a.   all significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the
                   design or operation of internal control over financial
                   reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect
                   the registrant's ability to record, process, summarize and
                   report financial information; and

              b.   any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management
                   or other employees who have a significant role in the
                   registrant's internal control over financial reporting.

Date: August 13, 2003

                                     /s/   ROBERT ROSENKRANZ
                                     ------------------------------------------

                                     Robert Rosenkranz
                                     Chairman of the Board, President and Chief
                                     Executive Officer