Segment and Other Operating Information

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Segment Reporting Information, Operating Income (Loss) [Abstract]

Segment and Other Operating Information

The Company has two reportable segments:  Life Insurance and Home Service Insurance. Our Life Insurance segment primarily issues endowment contracts, which are principally accumulation contracts that incorporate an element of life insurance protection and ordinary whole life insurance, to non-U.S. residents through CICA Ltd.  These contracts are designed to provide a fixed amount of insurance coverage over the life of the insured and may utilize rider benefits to provide additional coverage and annuity benefits to enhance accumulations. CICA and CNLIC issued ordinary whole-life, credit life and disability and accident and health related policies, throughout the Midwest and southern U.S. until they ceased most domestic sales beginning January 1, 2017.

Our domestic Home Service Insurance segment operates through our subsidiaries SPLIC, MGLIC and SPFIC, and focuses on the life insurance needs of the middle- and lower-income markets, primarily in Louisiana, Mississippi and Arkansas.  Our policies are sold and serviced through over 175 funeral homes and 240 independent agents who sell policies, collect premiums and service policyholders.  To a lesser extent, our Home Service Insurance segment sells limited liability, named peril property policies covering dwelling and contents.

The Life Insurance and Home Service Insurance portions of the Company constitute separate businesses. In addition to the Life Insurance and Home Service Insurance business, the Company also operates other non-insurance portions of the Company ("Other Non-Insurance Enterprises"), which primarily include the Company’s IT and Corporate-support functions that are included in the tables presented below to properly reconcile the segment information with the consolidated financial statements of the Company.

The accounting policies of the reportable segments and Other Non-Insurance Enterprises are presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP and are the same as those described in the summary of significant accounting policies.  The Company evaluates profit and loss performance based on U.S. GAAP net income before federal income taxes for its two reportable segments.

The Company's Other Non-Insurance Enterprises represents the only difference between segments and reported consolidated operations.

Year ended December 31, 2020 (In thousands)	Life Insurance		Home Service Insurance	Other Non-Insurance Enterprises	Consolidated
Revenues:
Premiums
Life insurance	$	128,900	41,428	—	170,328
Accident and health insurance	301		718	—	1,019
Property insurance	—		3,982	—	3,982
Net investment income	45,885		13,051	1,261	60,197
Realized investment gains (losses), net	1,340		223	(61)	1,502
Other income	1,806		19	3	1,828
Total revenue	178,232		59,421	1,203	238,856
Benefits and expenses:
Insurance benefits paid or provided:
Claims and surrenders	93,813		27,332	—	121,145
Increase in future policy benefit reserves	25,825		4,098	—	29,923
Policyholders' dividends	5,554		33	—	5,587
Total insurance benefits paid or provided	125,192		31,463	—	156,655
Commissions	17,944		14,125	—	32,069
Other general expenses	16,323		17,402	19,944	53,669
Capitalization of deferred policy acquisition costs	(15,568)		(4,907)	—	(20,475)
Amortization of deferred policy acquisition costs	23,987		3,452	—	27,439
Amortization of cost of insurance acquired	460		1,356	—	1,816
Total benefits and expenses	168,338		62,891	19,944	251,173
Income (loss) before income tax expense	$	9,894	(3,470)	(18,741)	(12,317)

Year ended December 31, 2019 (In thousands)	Life Insurance		Home Service Insurance	Other Non-Insurance Enterprises	Consolidated
Revenues:
Premiums
Life insurance	$	136,941	41,410	—	178,351
Accident and health insurance	725		658	—	1,383
Property insurance	—		4,613	—	4,613
Net investment income	44,779		13,058	1,694	59,531
Realized investment gains (losses), net	6,795		1,470	(3,016)	5,249
Other income	1,412		4	2	1,418
Total revenue	190,652		61,213	(1,320)	250,545
Benefits and expenses:
Insurance benefits paid or provided:
Claims and surrenders	82,964		23,863	—	106,827
Increase in future policy benefit reserves	39,873		1,839	—	41,712
Policyholders' dividends	6,004		36	—	6,040
Total insurance benefits paid or provided	128,841		25,738	—	154,579
Commissions	20,128		14,094	—	34,222
Other general expenses	23,012		19,517	5,911	48,440
Capitalization of deferred policy acquisition costs	(17,448)		(4,807)	—	(22,255)
Amortization of deferred policy acquisition costs	23,832		4,436	—	28,268
Amortization of cost of insurance acquired	492		1,054	—	1,546
Total benefits and expenses	178,857		60,032	5,911	244,800
Income (loss) before income tax expense	$	11,795	1,181	(7,231)	5,745

Year ended December 31, 2018 (In thousands)	Life Insurance		Home Service Insurance	Other Non-Insurance Enterprises	Consolidated
Revenues:
Premiums
Life insurance	$	140,566	41,259	—	181,825
Accident and health insurance	580		638	—	1,218
Property insurance	—		4,817	—	4,817
Net investment income	39,985		13,125	1,095	54,205
Realized investment gains (losses), net	358		(46)	(204)	108
Other income (loss)	1,833		(1)	1	1,833
Total revenue	183,322		59,792	892	244,006
Benefits and expenses:
Insurance benefits paid or provided:
Claims and surrenders	69,149		21,954	—	91,103
Increase in future policy benefit reserves	43,671		4,276	—	47,947
Policyholders' dividends	6,316		46	—	6,362
Total insurance benefits paid or provided	119,136		26,276	—	145,412
Commissions	20,079		14,883	—	34,962
Other general expenses	18,718		20,435	8,479	47,632
Capitalization of deferred policy acquisition costs	(17,194)		(5,501)	—	(22,695)
Amortization of deferred policy acquisition costs	29,915		4,320	—	34,235
Amortization of cost of insurance acquired	583		1,875	—	2,458
Total benefits and expenses	171,237		62,288	8,479	242,004
Income (loss) before income tax expense	$	12,085	(2,496)	(7,587)	2,002

The table below summarizes assets by segment.

December 31, (In thousands)	2020		2019
Assets:
Life Insurance	$	1,381,723	1,284,844
Home Service Insurance	385,931		391,366
Other Non-Insurance Enterprises	75,766		68,726
Total assets	$	1,843,420	1,744,936

GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION

The following table sets forth, by country, the Company's annual total of earned premiums from geographic area for the years indicated:

Years ended December 31, (In thousands)	2020		2019	2018
Area:
United States	$	52,667	53,656	53,836
Colombia	25,783		26,768	27,605
Venezuela	19,956		22,353	24,783
Taiwan	19,078		19,403	18,888
Ecuador	13,301		14,198	15,187
Argentina	9,175		10,069	9,960
Other foreign countries	38,993		40,562	41,302
Net reinsurance	(3,624)		(2,662)	(3,701)
Total premiums	$	175,329	184,347	187,860