-----BEGIN PRIVACY-ENHANCED MESSAGE----- Proc-Type: 2001,MIC-CLEAR Originator-Name: webmaster@www.sec.gov Originator-Key-Asymmetric: MFgwCgYEVQgBAQICAf8DSgAwRwJAW2sNKK9AVtBzYZmr6aGjlWyK3XmZv3dTINen TWSM7vrzLADbmYQaionwg5sDW3P6oaM5D3tdezXMm7z1T+B+twIDAQAB MIC-Info: RSA-MD5,RSA, RMq5f+5SYvkOQMYn7NdhobWJzvVUiqbemR7BDhHHOLsNeocZw+KAPpJS0w5nrLSW neqD2O3bSjNVE4oh5p3DiQ== 0000355429-05-000251.txt : 20050809 0000355429-05-000251.hdr.sgml : 20050809 20050809142826 ACCESSION NUMBER: 0000355429-05-000251 CONFORMED SUBMISSION TYPE: 10-Q PUBLIC DOCUMENT COUNT: 7 CONFORMED PERIOD OF REPORT: 20050630 FILED AS OF DATE: 20050809 DATE AS OF CHANGE: 20050809 FILER: COMPANY DATA: COMPANY CONFORMED NAME: PROTECTIVE LIFE CORP CENTRAL INDEX KEY: 0000355429 STANDARD INDUSTRIAL CLASSIFICATION: LIFE INSURANCE [6311] IRS NUMBER: 952492236 STATE OF INCORPORATION: DE FISCAL YEAR END: 1231 FILING VALUES: FORM TYPE: 10-Q SEC ACT: 1934 Act SEC FILE NUMBER: 001-11339 FILM NUMBER: 051009083 BUSINESS ADDRESS: STREET 1: 2801 HGWY 280 S CITY: BIRMINGHAM STATE: AL ZIP: 35223 BUSINESS PHONE: 2058799230 MAIL ADDRESS: STREET 1: PO BOX 2606 CITY: BIRMINGHAM STATE: AL ZIP: 35202 10-Q 1 plc10q.htm PLC 10Q 6-30-05 PLC 10Q 6-30-05

FORM 10-Q
_____________
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D. C. 20549
 
[X] QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d)
OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
 
For the quarterly period ended June 30, 2005
 
OR
 
[ ] TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d)
OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
 
For the transition period from __ to __
 
Commission File Number 001-12332
 
Protective Life Corporation
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
 
Delaware
(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)
 
95-2492236
(IRS Employer Identification Number)
 
2801 Highway 280 South
Birmingham, Alabama 35223
(Address of principal executive offices and zip code)
 
(205) 268-1000
(Registrant's telephone number, including area code)
__________________
 
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes [X] No [ ]
 
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes [X ] No []
 
Number of shares of Common Stock, $.50 par value, outstanding as of August 9, 2005: 69,661,981 shares.
 





PROTECTIVE LIFE CORPORATION
Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q
For Quarter Ended June 30, 2005
 
INDEX
 
 
Page
Part I. Financial Information:
 
Item 1. Financial Statements (unaudited):
 
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
2
   
Consolidated Condensed Statements of Income for the
 
Three and Six Months ended June 30, 2005 and 2004
3
 
Consolidated Condensed Balance Sheets as of June 30, 2005
 
and December 31, 2004
4
 
Consolidated Condensed Statements of Cash Flows for the
 
Six Months ended June 30, 2005 and 2004
5
 
Notes to Consolidated Condensed Financial Statements
 
6
   
Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
 
and Results of Operations
12
   
Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
35
   
Item 4. Controls and Procedures
35
   
Part II. Other Information:
 
Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds
36
   
Item 4. Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders
36
   
Item 6. Exhibits
36
   
Signatures 
37
   







REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM



To the Directors and Share Owners
Protective Life Corporation


We have reviewed the accompanying consolidated condensed balance sheet of Protective Life Corporation and its subsidiaries as of June 30, 2005, and the related consolidated condensed statements of income for each of the three-month and six-month periods ended June 30, 2005 and 2004, and the consolidated condensed statements of cash flows for the six-month periods ended June 30, 2005 and 2004. These interim financial statements are the responsibility of the Company's management.

We conducted our review in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). A review of interim financial information consists principally of applying analytical procedures and making inquiries of persons responsible for financial and accounting matters. It is substantially less in scope than an audit conducted in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, the objective of which is the expression of an opinion regarding the financial statements taken as a whole. Accordingly, we do not express such an opinion.

Based on our review, we are not aware of any material modifications that should be made to the accompanying consolidated condensed interim financial statements for them to be in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

We have previously audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), the consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2004, and the related consolidated statements of income, share-owners' equity, and cash flows for the year then ended, management’s assessment of the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2004 and the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2004; and in our report dated March 15, 2005, we expressed unqualified opinions thereon. The consolidated financial statements and management’s assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting referred to above are not presented herein. In our opinion, the information set forth in the accompanying consolidated condensed balance sheet as of December 31, 2004 is fairly stated in all material respects in relation to the consolidated balance sheet from which it has been derived.



/s/ PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

Birmingham, Alabama
August 8, 2005

 

 

PROTECTIVE LIFE CORPORATION
CONSOLIDATED CONDENSED STATEMENTS OF INCOME
(Dollars in thousands except per share amounts)
(Unaudited)



 
Three Months Ended
Six Months Ended
 
June 30
June 30
 
2005
2004
2005
2004

REVENUES
Premiums and policy fees
 
$
488,301
 
$
456,088
 
$
960,444
 
$
899,884
 
Reinsurance ceded
   
(314,899
)
 
(285,369
)
 
(599,812
)
 
(534,708
)
Net of reinsurance ceded
   
173,402
   
170,719
   
360,632
   
365,176
 
Net investment income
   
282,374
   
265,899
   
570,327
   
530,507
 
Realized investment gains (losses):
Derivative financial instruments
   
(26,021
)
 
8,740
   
(32,389
)
 
13,823
 
All other investments
   
12,480
   
(923
)
 
40,358
   
15,704
 
Other income
   
44,235
   
37,563
   
87,651
   
74,982
 
Total revenues
   
486,470
   
481,998
   
1,026,579
   
1,000,192
 
BENEFITS AND EXPENSES
Benefits and settlement expenses, net of reinsurance ceded:
(three months: 2005 - $279,484; 2004 - $252,954
six months: 2005 - $544,847; 2004 - $494,241)
   
291,636
   
282,469
   
592,070
   
569,785
 
Amortization of deferred policy acquisition costs
   
51,867
   
45,053
   
126,118
   
104,847
 
Other operating expenses, net of reinsurance ceded:
(three months: 2005 - $54,489; 2004 - $43,164
six months: 2005 - $91,363; 2004 - $82,726)
   
69,525
   
59,106
   
143,079
   
130,791
 
Total benefits and expenses
   
413,028
   
386,628
   
861,267
   
805,423
 
INCOME BEFORE INCOME TAX AND CUMULATIVE EFFECT OF CHANGE IN ACCOUNTING PRINCIPLE
   
73,442
   
95,370
   
165,312
   
194,769
 
Income tax expense
   
25,411
   
34,075
   
57,198
   
68,169
 
NET INCOME BEFORE CUMULATIVE EFFECT OF
CHANGE IN ACCOUNTING PRINCIPLE
   
48,031
   
61,295
   
108,114
   
126,600
 
Cumulative effect of change in accounting principle,
net of income tax
   
0
   
0
   
0
   
(15,801
)
NET INCOME
 
$
48,031
 
$
61,295
 
$
108,114
 
$
110,799
 
NET INCOME BEFORE CUMULATIVE EFFECT OF
CHANGE IN ACCOUNTING PRINCIPLE PER
SHARE - BASIC
 
$
.68
 
$
.87
 
$
1.53
 
$
1.80
 
NET INCOME BEFORE CUMULATIVE EFFECT OF
CHANGE IN ACCOUNTING PRINCIPLE PER
SHARE - DILUTED
 
$
.68
 
$
.86
 
$
1.52
 
$
1.78
 
NET INCOME PER SHARE - BASIC
 
$
.68
 
$
.87
 
$
1.53
 
$
1.58
 
NET INCOME PER SHARE - DILUTED
 
$
.68
 
$
.86
 
$
1.52
 
$
1.56
 
CASH DIVIDENDS PAID PER SHARE
 
$
.195
 
$
.175
 
$
0.37
 
$
0.335
 
Average shares outstanding - basic
   
70,517,476
   
70,284,893
   
70,496,026
   
70,213,500
 
Average shares outstanding - diluted
   
71,279,363
   
71,030,983
   
71,276,577
   
70,959,287
 





See notes to consolidated condensed financial statements

 

 

 
PROTECTIVE LIFE CORPORATION
CONSOLIDATED CONDENSED BALANCE SHEETS
(Dollars in thousands)
(Unaudited)


 
June 30
December 31
 
2005
2004

ASSETS
Investments:
Fixed maturities, at market (amortized cost: 2005 - $14,885,118; 2004 - $13,711,526)
 
$
15,686,373
 
$
14,412,605
 
Equity securities, at market (cost: 2005 - $111,088; 2004 - $56,049)
   
115,758
   
58,941
 
Mortgage loans on real estate
   
3,124,877
   
3,005,418
 
Investment in real estate, net
   
91,981
   
107,246
 
Policy loans
   
466,701
   
482,780
 
Other long-term investments
   
186,059
   
259,025
 
Short-term investments
   
626,795
   
1,059,557
 
Total investments
   
20,298,544
   
19,385,572
 
Cash
   
98,316
   
130,596
 
Accrued investment income
   
192,454
   
196,076
 
Accounts and premiums receivable, net
   
348,688
   
44,364
 
Reinsurance receivables
   
2,883,648
   
2,750,260
 
Deferred policy acquisition costs
   
1,866,815
   
1,821,972
 
Goodwill
   
49,423
   
46,619
 
Property and equipment, net
   
46,878
   
45,454
 
Other assets
   
255,413
   
264,512
 
Assets related to separate accounts
Variable annuity
   
2,286,141
   
2,308,858
 
Variable universal life
   
225,527
   
217,095
 
   
$
28,551,847
 
$
27,211,378
 
LIABILITIES
Policy liabilities and accruals
 
$
11,179,410
 
$
10,680,666
 
Stable value product account balances
   
5,846,120
   
5,562,997
 
Annuity account balances
   
3,447,394
   
3,463,477
 
Other policyholders' funds
   
149,247
   
151,660
 
Securities sold under repurchase agreements
   
31,550
   
0
 
Other liabilities
   
1,495,208
   
1,075,949
 
Accrued income taxes
   
21,701
   
13,195
 
Deferred income taxes
   
311,146
   
312,544
 
Liabilities related to variable interest entities
   
465,078
   
482,434
 
Long-term debt
   
469,317
   
451,433
 
Subordinated debt securities
   
324,743
   
324,743
 
Liabilities related to separate accounts
Variable annuity
   
2,286,141
   
2,308,858
 
Variable universal life
   
225,527
   
217,095
 
     
26,252,582
   
25,045,051
 
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENT LIABILITIES - NOTE 2
SHARE-OWNERS' EQUITY
Preferred Stock, $1.00 par value, shares authorized: 3,600,000; Issued: None
Junior Participating Cumulative Preferred Stock, $1.00 par value
shares authorized: 400,000; Issued: None
Common Stock, $.50 par value, shares authorized: 160,000,000
shares issued: 2005 and 2004 - 73,251,960
   
36,626
   
36,626
 
Additional paid-in capital
   
433,040
   
426,927
 
Treasury stock, at cost (2005 - 3,624,716 shares; 2004 - 3,802,071 shares)
   
(13,011
)
 
(13,632
)
Unallocated stock in Employee Stock Ownership Plan
(2005 - 487,616 shares; 2004 - 594,961 shares)
   
(1,610
)
 
(1,989
)
Retained earnings
   
1,504,442
   
1,422,084
 
Accumulated other comprehensive income:
Net unrealized gains on investments, net of income tax:
(2005 - $180,178; 2004 - $154,913)
   
334,616
   
287,695
 
Accumulated gain - hedging, net of income tax: (2005 - $2,780; 2004 - $4,639)
   
5,162
   
8,616
 
     
2,299,265
   
2,166,327
 
   
$
28,551,847
 
$
27,211,378
 





See notes to consolidated condensed financial statements

 

 

PROTECTIVE LIFE CORPORATION
CONSOLIDATED CONDENSED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(Dollars in thousands)
(Unaudited)


 
Six Months Ended
 
June 30
 
2005
2004

CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES
Net income
 
$
108,114
 
$
110,799
 
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
Realized investment (gains) losses
   
(40,358
)
 
(14,061
)
Amortization of deferred policy acquisition costs
   
126,118
   
104,847
 
Capitalization of deferred policy acquisition costs
   
(208,213
)
 
(184,876
)
Depreciation expense
   
7,635
   
4,355
 
Deferred income tax
   
(19,454
)
 
(10,823
)
Accrued income tax
   
7,193
   
(14,343
)
Interest credited to universal life and investment products
   
353,739
   
327,199
 
Policy fees assessed on universal life and investment products
   
(197,873
)
 
(174,381
)
Change in accrued investment income and other receivables
   
(434,111
)
 
(165,590
)
Change in policy liabilities and other policyholders' funds
of traditional life and health products
   
381,201
   
359,401
 
Net change in trading securities
   
190
   
(13,594
)
Change in other liabilities
   
302,392
   
(86,310
)
Other, net
   
5,715
   
(6,320
)
Net cash provided by operating activities
   
392,288
   
236,303
 
 
CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES
Investments available for sale, net of short-term investments:
             
Maturities and principal reductions of investments
   
901,967
   
1,119,804
 
Sale of investments
   
2,887,405
   
1,654,206
 
Cost of investments acquired
   
(4,963,208
)
 
(2,988,484
)
Mortgage loans:
             
New borrowings
   
(304,451
)
 
(333,338
)
Repayments
   
182,005
   
229,592
 
Change in investment real estate, net
   
3,757
   
1,140
 
Change in policy loans, net
   
16,040
   
16,087
 
Change in other long-term investments, net
   
5,598
   
2,779
 
Change in short-term investments, net
   
446,623
   
(64,672
)
Purchase of property and equipment
   
(5,283
)
 
(5,536
)
Net cash used in investing activities
   
(829,547
)
 
(368,422
)
CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES
             
Borrowings under line of credit arrangements and long-term debt
   
52,600
   
76,000
 
Principal payments on line of credit arrangement and long-term debt
   
(34,716
)
 
(153,101
)
Net proceeds from securities sold under repurchase agreements
   
31,550
   
0
 
Dividends to share owners
   
(25,756
)
 
(23,204
)
Issuance of subordinated debt securities
   
0
   
103,093
 
Issuance (purchase) of common stock held in trust
   
0
   
(67
)
Investment product deposits and change in universal life deposits
   
1,563,274
   
1,301,337
 
Investment product withdrawals
   
(1,275,863
)
 
(1,208,967
)
Other financing activities, net
   
93,890
   
5,848
 
Net cash provided by financing activities
   
404,979
   
100,939
 
CHANGE IN CASH
   
(32,280
)
 
(31,180
)
CASH AT BEGINNING OF PERIOD
   
130,596
   
136,698
 
CASH AT END OF PERIOD
 
$
98,316
 
$
105,518
 

 
See notes to consolidated condensed financial statements

 

 


PROTECTIVE LIFE CORPORATION
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED CONDENSED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Unaudited)
(Amounts in tables are in thousands, except per share amounts)


NOTE 1 - BASIS OF PRESENTATION

The accompanying unaudited consolidated condensed financial statements of Protective Life Corporation and its subsidiaries (the "Company") have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Rule 10-01 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the disclosures required by GAAP for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, the accompanying financial statements reflect all adjustments (consisting only of normal recurring items) necessary for a fair statement of the results for the interim periods presented. Operating results for the three and six-month periods ended June 30, 2005 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending December 31, 2005. The year-end consolidated condensed balance sheet data was derived from audited financial statements, but does not include all disclosures required by GAAP. For further information, refer to the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in the Company's annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2004.

Certain reclassifications have been made in the previously reported financial statements and accompanying notes to make the prior year amounts comparable to those of the current year. Such reclassifications had no effect on previously reported net income or share-owners' equity.

With respect to the unaudited consolidated condensed financial information of the Company for the three and six-month periods ended June 30, 2005 and 2004, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP ("PricewaterhouseCoopers") reported that they have applied limited procedures in accordance with professional standards for a review of such information. However, their separate report dated August 8, 2005, appearing herein, stated that they did not audit and they do not express an opinion on that unaudited consolidated condensed financial information. Accordingly, the degree of reliance on their report on such information should be restricted in light of the limited nature of the review procedures applied. PricewaterhouseCoopers is not subject to the liability provisions of Section 11 of the Securities Act of 1933 for their report on the unaudited consolidated condensed financial information because that report is not a "report" or a "part" of a registration statement prepared or certified by PricewaterhouseCoopers into which this Form 10-Q may be incorporated by reference within the meaning of Sections 7 and 11 of the Act.

NOTE 2 - COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENT LIABILITIES

The Company is contingently liable to obtain a $20 million letter of credit under indemnity agreements with its directors. Such agreements provide insurance protection in excess of the directors’ and officer’s liability insurance in force at the time up to $20 million. Should certain events occur constituting a change in control of the Company, the Company must obtain the letter of credit upon which directors may draw for defense or settlement of any claim relating to performance of their duties as directors. The Company has similar agreements with certain of its officers providing up to $10 million in indemnification that are not secured by the obligation to obtain a letter of credit.

Under insurance guaranty fund laws, in most states insurance companies doing business therein can be assessed up to prescribed limits for policyholder losses incurred by insolvent companies. The Company does not believe such assessments will be materially different from amounts already provided for in the financial statements. Most of these laws do provide, however, that an assessment may be excused or deferred if it would threaten an insurer's own financial strength.

A number of civil jury verdicts have been returned against insurers and other providers of financial services involving sales practices, alleged agent misconduct, failure to properly supervise representatives, relationships with agents or persons with whom the insurer does business, and other matters. Increasingly these lawsuits have resulted in the award of substantial judgments that are disproportionate to the actual damages, including material amounts of punitive and non-economic compensatory damages. In some states, juries, judges, and arbitrators have substantial discretion in awarding punitive and non-economic compensatory damages which creates the potential for unpredictable material adverse judgments or awards in any given lawsuit or arbitration. Arbitration awards are subject to very little appellate review. In addition, in some class action and other lawsuits, companies have made material settlement payments. The Company, like other financial services companies, in the ordinary course of business, is involved in such litigation and in arbitration. Although the outcome of any such litigation or arbitration cannot be predicted, the Company believes that at the present time there are no pending or threatened lawsuits that are reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on the financial position, results of operations, or liquidity of the Company.

NOTE 3 - OPERATING SEGMENTS

The Company operates several business segments each having a strategic focus. An operating segment is generally distinguished by products and/or channels of distribution. A brief description of each segment follows:

·  
The Life Marketing segment markets level premium term and term-like insurance, universal life, variable universal life and "bank owned life insurance" (“BOLI”) products on a national basis primarily through networks of independent insurance agents and brokers, stockbrokers, and in the BOLI market.

·  
The Acquisitions segment focuses on acquiring, converting, and servicing policies acquired from other companies. The segment's primary focus is on life insurance policies sold to individuals.

·  
The Annuities segment manufactures, sells, and supports fixed and variable annuity products. These products are primarily sold through stockbrokers, but are also sold through financial institutions and independent insurance agents and brokers.

·  
The Stable Value Products segment sells guaranteed funding agreements “GFAs” to special purpose entities that in turn issue notes or certificates in smaller, transferable denominations. The segment also markets fixed and floating rate funding agreements directly to the trustees of municipal bond proceeds, institutional investors, bank trust departments, and money market funds. Additionally, the segment markets guaranteed investment contracts “GICs” to 401(k) and other qualified retirement savings plans.

·  
The Asset Protection segment markets extended service contracts and credit life and disability insurance to protect consumers’ investments in automobiles and watercraft.

The Company has an additional segment referred to as Corporate and Other. The Corporate and Other segment primarily consists of net investment income and expenses not attributable to the segments above (including net investment income on unallocated capital and interest on all debt). This segment also includes earnings from several small non-strategic lines of business (primarily cancer insurance, residual value insurance, surety insurance, and group annuities), various investment-related transactions, and the operations of several small subsidiaries.

The Company uses the same accounting policies and procedures to measure segment operating income and assets as it uses to measure its consolidated net income and assets. Segment operating income is generally income before income tax, adjusted to exclude net realized investment gains and losses (net of the related amortization of deferred policy acquisition costs and participating income from real estate ventures) and the cumulative effect of change in accounting principle. Periodic settlements of interest rate swaps associated with corporate debt and certain investments are included in realized gains and losses but are considered part of operating income because the swaps are used to mitigate risk in items affecting segment operating income. Segment operating income represents the basis on which the performance of the Company’s business is assessed by management. Premiums and policy fees, other income, benefits and settlement expenses, and amortization of deferred policy acquisition costs are attributed directly to each operating segment. Net investment income is allocated based on directly related assets required for transacting the business of that segment. Realized investment gains (losses) and other operating expenses are allocated to the segments in a manner that most appropriately reflects the operations of that segment. Investments and other assets are allocated based on statutory policy liabilities, while deferred policy acquisition costs and goodwill are shown in the segments to which they are attributable.

 

 

There are no significant intersegment transactions.

The following tables summarize financial information for the Company’s segments. Asset adjustments represent the inclusion of assets related to discontinued operations.

   
Three Months Ended
June 30
 
Six Months Ended
June 30
 
   
2005
 
2004
 
2005
 
2004
 
Revenues
                 
Life Marketing
 
$
144,013
 
$
127,136
 
$
307,745
 
$
273,419
 
Acquisitions
   
105,399
   
110,991
   
207,945
   
222,731
 
Annuities
   
66,390
   
60,962
   
159,568
   
127,967
 
Stable Value Products
   
78,166
   
68,688
   
152,660
   
136,600
 
Asset Protection
   
71,947
   
69,851
   
137,025
   
141,527
 
Corporate and Other
   
20,555
   
44,370
   
61,636
   
97,948
 
Total revenues
 
$
486,470
 
$
481,998
 
$
1,026,579
 
$
1,000,192
 


   
Three Months Ended
June 30
 
Six Months Ended
June 30
 
   
2005
 
2004
 
2005
 
2004
 
Segment Operating Income
                 
Life Marketing
 
$
38,332
 
$
43,597
 
$
77,473
 
$
85,198
 
Acquisitions
   
21,473
   
23,461
   
42,508
   
44,664
 
Annuities
   
8,145
   
4,975
   
12,209
   
7,788
 
Stable Value Products
   
13,484
   
13,926
   
27,883
   
25,625
 
Asset Protection
   
6,292
   
4,371
   
12,464
   
8,974
 
Corporate and Other
   
9,380
   
3,128
   
21,025
   
7,433
 
Total segment operating income
   
97,106
   
93,458
   
193,562
   
179,682
 
                           
Realized investment gains (losses) - investments(1)
   
5,317
   
(1,474
)
 
10,783
   
11,493
 
Realized investment gains (losses) - derivatives(2)
   
(28,981
)
 
3,386
   
(39,033
)
 
3,594
 
Income tax expense
   
(25,411
)
 
(34,075
)
 
(57,198
)
 
(68,169
)
Net income before cumulative effect of change in accounting principle
   
48,031
   
61,295
   
108,114
   
126,600
 
Cumulative effect of change in accounting principle
   
0
   
0
   
0
   
(15,801
)
Net income
 
$
48,031
 
$
61,295
 
$
108,114
 
$
110,799
 
                           
(1) Realized investment gains (losses) - investments
 
$
12,480
 
$
(923
)
$
40,358
 
$
15,704
 
Participating income from real estate ventures
   
(5,883
)
 
0
   
(5,883
)
 
0
 
Related amortization of DAC
   
(1,280
)
 
(551
)
 
(23,692
)
 
(4,211
)
   
$
5,317
 
$
(1,474
)
$
10,783
 
$
11,493
 
                           
(2) Realized investment gains (losses) - derivatives
 
$
(26,021
)
$
8,740
 
$
(32,389
)
$
13,823
 
Settlements on certain interest rate swaps
   
(2,960
)
 
(5,354
)
 
(6,644
)
 
(10,229
)
   
$
(28,981
)
$
3,386
 
$
(39,033
)
$
3,594
 


 

 

Operating Segment Assets
June 30, 2005
 
   
Life
Marketing
 
Acquisitions
 
Annuities
 
Stable Value
Products
 
                   
Investments and other assets
 
$
6,540,245
 
$
4,012,350
 
$
5,978,170
 
$
5,722,142
 
Deferred policy acquisition costs
   
1,340,250
   
313,400
   
72,031
   
19,214
 
Goodwill
   
10,354
   
0
   
0
   
0
 
Total assets
 
$
7,890,849
 
$
4,325,750
 
$
6,050,201
 
$
5,741,356
 
                           
 
 
   
Asset
Protection 
   
Corporate
and Other
   
Adjustments
   
Total
Consolidated
 
                           
Investments and other assets
 
$
838,672
 
$
3,499,902
 
$
44,128
 
$
26,635,609
 
Deferred policy acquisition costs
   
113,937
   
7,983
   
0
   
1,866,815
 
Goodwill
   
38,986
   
83
   
0
   
49,423
 
Total assets
 
$
991,595
 
$
3,507,968
 
$
44,128
 
$
28,551,847
 
 
Operating Segment Assets
December 31, 2004
 
   
Life
Marketing 
   
Acquisitions
   
Annuities
   
Stable Value
Products
 
                           
Investments and other assets
 
$
5,967,768
 
$
4,063,711
 
$
5,980,259
 
$
5,377,917
 
Deferred policy acquisition costs
   
1,262,637
   
337,372
   
81,251
   
18,301
 
Goodwill
   
10,354
   
0
   
0
   
0
 
Total assets
 
$
7,240,759
 
$
4,401,083
 
$
6,061,510
 
$
5,396,218
 
 
 
   
Asset
Protection 
   
Corporate
and Other
   
Adjustments
   
Total
Consolidated
 
                           
Investments and other assets
 
$
879,385
 
$
3,027,486
 
$
46,261
 
$
25,342,787
 
Deferred policy acquisition costs
   
113,918
   
8,493
   
0
   
1,821,972
 
Goodwill
   
36,182
   
83
   
0
   
46,619
 
Total assets
 
$
1,029,485
 
$
3,036,062
 
$
46,261
 
$
27,211,378
 


NOTE 4 - STATUTORY REPORTING PRACTICES

Financial statements prepared in conformity with GAAP differ in some respects from the statutory accounting practices prescribed or permitted by insurance regulatory authorities. In accordance with statutory reporting practices, at June 30, 2005, and for the six months then ended, the Company's insurance subsidiaries had combined capital and surplus of $1.4 billion and net income of $94.3 million. At June 30, 2005, the combined asset valuation reserve held by the Company’s insurance subsidiaries was $186.4 million.

NOTE 5 - NET INCOME PER SHARE

Net income per share - basic is net income divided by the average number of shares of common stock outstanding including shares that are issuable under various deferred compensation plans. Net income per share - diluted is adjusted net income divided by the average number of shares outstanding including all diluted, potentially issuable shares that are issuable under various stock-based compensation plans and stock purchase contracts.


 

 

Net income and a reconciliation of basic and diluted average shares outstanding is summarized as follows:

   
Three Months Ended
June 30
 
Six Months Ended
June 30
 
   
2005
 
2004
 
2005
 
2004
 
                   
Net income
 
$
48,031
 
$
61,295
 
$
108,114
 
$
110,799
 
Average shares issued and outstanding
   
69,618,179
   
69,388,677
   
69,578,030
   
69,281,046
 
Stock held in trust
   
0
   
(87,588
)
 
0
   
(84,365
)
Issuable under various deferred compensation plans
   
899,297
   
983,804
   
917,996
   
1,016,819
 
Average shares outstanding - basic
   
70,517,476
   
70,284,893
   
70,496,026
   
70,213,500
 
Stock held in trust
   
0
   
87,588
   
0
   
84,365
 
Stock appreciation rights (“SARs”) (a)
   
256,212
   
286,742
   
283,411
   
300,163
 
Issuable under various other stock-based compensation plans
   
505,675
   
371,760
   
497,140
   
361,259
 
Average shares outstanding - diluted
   
71,279,363
   
71,030,983
   
71,276,577
   
70,959,287
 
 
(a)    Excludes 119,400 and 0 SARs as of June 30, 2005 and 2004, respectively, that are antidilutive.  In the event the average  market price exceeds the issue price of the SARs,
such rights would be dilutive to the Company's earnings per share and will be included in the Company's calculation of the diluted average shares outstanding.
    
 
 
NOTE 6 - RECENTLY ISSUED ACCOUNTING STANDARDS

In December 2004, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 123(R), “Share-Based Payment” (“SFAS 123(R)”). SFAS 123(R) is a revision of SFAS 123, “Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation,” which was originally issued by the FASB in 1995. SFAS 123(R) will become effective for the Company January 1, 2006. As originally issued, SFAS 123 provided companies with the option to either record expense for share-based payments under a fair value model, or to simply disclose the impact of the expense. SFAS 123(R) requires companies to measure the cost of share-based payments to employees using a fair value model, and to recognize that cost over the relevant service period. In addition, SFAS 123(R) requires that an estimate of future award forfeitures be made at the grant date, while SFAS 123 permitted recognition of forfeitures on an as incurred basis. When SFAS 123 was originally issued, the Company elected to recognize the cost of its share-based compensation plans in its financial statements. The Company is currently evaluating the provisions of SFAS 123(R), but does not anticipate that adoption of this standard will have a material impact on its financial position or results of operations.

NOTE 7 - COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

The following table sets forth the Company's comprehensive income (loss) for the periods presented below:

   
Three Months Ended
June 30
 
Six Months Ended
June 30
 
   
2005
 
2004
 
2005
 
2004
 
                   
Net income
 
$
48,031
 
$
61,295
 
$
108,114
 
$
110,799
 
Change in net unrealized gains/losses on investments,
net of income tax:
(three months: 2005 - $123,035; 2004 - $(197,684)
six months: 2005 - $39,390; 2004 - $(110,635))
   
228,494
   
(367,127
)
 
73,154
   
(205,465
)
Change in accumulated gain-hedging, net of income tax:
(three months: 2005 - $(867); 2004 - $1,070
six months: 2005 $(1,860); 2004 - $2,204)
   
(1,610
)
 
1,987
   
(3,454
)
 
4,094
 
Reclassification adjustment for amounts included in
net income, net of income tax:
(three months: 2005 - $(4,368); 2004 - $323
six months: 2005 - $(14,125); 2004 - $(5,496))
   
(8,112
)
 
600
   
(26,233
)
 
(10,208
)
Comprehensive income (loss)
 
$
266,803
 
$
(303,245
)
$
151,581
 
$
(100,780
)



 

 

NOTE 8 - RETIREMENT BENEFIT PLANS

The net periodic benefit cost recognized for the Company’s defined benefit pension plan and unfunded excess benefits plan are as follows:

   
Three Months Ended
June 30
 
Six Months Ended
June 30
 
   
2005
 
2004
 
2005
 
2004
 
                   
Service cost
 
$
1,691
 
$
1,201
 
$
3,795
 
$
3,213
 
Interest cost
   
1,736
   
1,352
   
4,144
   
3,677
 
Expected return on plan assets
   
(2,414
)
 
(1,427
)
 
(4,842
)
 
(3,707
)
Amortization of prior service cost
   
51
   
32
   
133
   
124
 
Amortization of net loss
   
950
   
734
   
1,739
   
1,204
 
Net periodic benefit cost
 
$
2,014
 
$
1,892
 
$
4,969
 
$
4,511
 


The Company previously disclosed in its financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2004, that it expected to contribute $6.6 million to its pension plan in 2005. The Company now estimates that it will contribute $9.9 million to its pension plan in 2005. As of June 30, 2005, no contributions had been made. As of August 9, 2005, $2.0 million had been contributed to the pension plan.

In addition to pension benefits, the Company provides limited healthcare benefits and life insurance benefits to eligible retirees. The cost of these plans for the six months ended June 30, 2005 and 2004 was not material.

NOTE 9 - LONG TERM DEBT

On April 1, 2005, the Company redeemed the $34.7 million of 8.25% Senior Notes due in 2030. At June 30, 2005, the Company had $52.6 million outstanding under its $200 million revolving line of credit due July 30, 2009. Additionally, at June 30, 2005, the Company was in compliance with all debt covenants.
 

NOTE 10 - CUMULATIVE EFFECT OF CHANGE IN ACCOUNTING PRINCIPLE

In January 2004, the Company adopted Statement of Position 03-1 “Accounting and Reporting by Insurance Enterprises for Certain Nontraditional Long-Duration Contracts and for Separate Accounts” (“SOP 03-1”). SOP 03-1 provides guidance related to the establishment of reserves for benefit guarantees provided under certain long-duration contracts, as well as the accounting for mortality benefits provided in certain universal life products. In addition, it addresses the capitalization and amortization of sales inducements to contract holders. The SOP was effective January 1, 2004 and was adopted through an adjustment for the cumulative effect of change in accounting principle originally amounting to $10.1 million (net of $5.5 million income tax). During the third quarter of 2004, the Accounting Standards Executive Committee of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants “AcSEC” issued a Technical Practice Aid “TPA”, which provided additional interpretive guidance on applying certain provisions of the SOP. As a result of this additional guidance, in the fourth quarter of 2004, the Company restated its cumulative effect charge as of January 1, 2004 to record an additional expense of $5.7 million (net of $3.1 million income tax) for a total cumulative charge to net income of $15.8 million, net of income tax of $8.5 million ($0.22 per share on both a basic and diluted basis).



 

ITEM 2. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL
CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
(Dollar amounts in tables are in thousands)


INTRODUCTION

This Management’s Discussion and Analysis should be read in its entirety, since it contains detailed information that is important to understanding the Company’s results and financial condition. The Overview below is qualified in its entirety by the full Management’s Discussion and Analysis.

Protective Life Corporation (the “Company”) is a holding company whose subsidiaries provide financial services through the production, distribution, and administration of insurance and investment products. Founded in 1907, Protective Life Insurance Company is the Company's largest operating subsidiary. Unless the context otherwise requires, the "Company" refers to the consolidated group of Protective Life Corporation and its subsidiaries.

The Company operates several business segments each having a strategic focus. An operating segment is generally distinguished by products and/or channels of distribution. The Company's operating segments are Life Marketing, Acquisitions, Annuities, Stable Value Products, and Asset Protection. The Company also has an additional segment referred to as Corporate and Other which consists of net investment income on unallocated capital, interest on all debt, earnings from various investment-related transactions, and the operations of several non-strategic lines of business. The Company periodically evaluates its operating segments in light of the segment reporting requirements prescribed by SFAS No. 131, “Disclosures about Segments of an Enterprise and Related Information”, and makes adjustments to its segment reporting as needed.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS - CAUTIONARY LANGUAGE

This report reviews the Company’s financial condition and results of operations including its liquidity and capital resources. Historical information is presented and discussed. Where appropriate, factors that may affect future financial performance are also identified and discussed. Certain statements made in this report include “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include any statement that may predict, forecast, indicate or imply future results, performance or achievements instead of historical facts and may contain words like “believe,”“expect,”“estimate,”“project,”“budget,”“forecast,”“anticipate,”“plan,”“will,”“shall,”“may,” and other words, phrases, or expressions with similar meaning. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties which may cause actual results to differ materially from the results contained in the forward-looking statements, and the Company cannot give assurances that such statements will prove to be correct. Given these risks and uncertainties, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as a prediction of actual results.

For a more complete understanding of the Company’s business and its current period results, please read the following Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations in conjunction with the Company’s latest annual report on Form 10-K and other filings with the SEC.

KNOWN TRENDS AND UNCERTAINTIES

The factors which could affect the Company's future results include, but are not limited to, general economic conditions and the following known trends and uncertainties: we are exposed to the risks of natural disasters, malicious and terrorist acts that could adversely affect our operations; we operate in a mature, highly competitive industry, which could limit our ability to gain or maintain our position in the industry; a ratings downgrade could adversely affect our ability to compete; our policy claims fluctuate from period to period, and actual results could differ from our expectations; our results may be negatively affected should actual experience differ from management's assumptions and estimates; the use of reinsurance introduces variability in our statements of income; we could be forced to sell investments at a loss to cover policyholder withdrawals; interest rate fluctuations could negatively affect our spread income or otherwise impact our business; equity market volatility could negatively impact our business; a deficiency in our systems could result in over or underpayments of amounts owed to or by the Company and/or errors in our critical assumptions or reported financial results; insurance companies are highly regulated and subject to numerous legal restrictions and regulations; the Company is exposed to potential risks from recent legislation requiring companies to evaluate their internal control over financial reporting; changes to tax law or interpretations of existing tax law could adversely affect the Company and its ability to compete with non-insurance products or reduce the demand for certain insurance products; financial services companies are frequently the targets of litigation, including class action litigation, which could result in substantial judgments; the financial services industry is sometimes the target of law enforcement investigations and the focus of increased regulatory scrutiny; our ability to maintain low unit costs is dependent upon the level of new sales and persistency of existing business; our investments are subject to market and credit risks; we may not realize our anticipated financial results from our acquisitions strategy; we are dependent on the performance of others; our reinsurers could fail to meet assumed obligations, increase rates or be subject to adverse developments that could affect us; computer viruses or network security breaches could affect our data processing systems or those of our business partners; our ability to grow depends in large part upon the continued availability of capital; and new accounting rules or changes to existing accounting rules could negatively impact us. Please refer to Exhibit 99, incorporated by reference herein, about these factors that could affect future results.

The Company’s results may fluctuate from period to period due to fluctuations in mortality, persistency, claims, expenses, interest rates, and other factors. Therefore, it is management's opinion that quarterly operating results for an insurance company are not necessarily indicative of results to be achieved in future periods, and that a review of operating results over a longer period is necessary to assess an insurance company's performance.

OVERVIEW — RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

In the following discussion, segment operating income is defined as income before income tax, adjusted to exclude net realized investment gains and losses (net of the related amortization of deferred policy acquisition costs (“DAC”) and participating income from real estate ventures) and the cumulative effect of change in accounting principle. Periodic settlements of interest rate swaps associated with corporate debt and certain investments are included in realized gains and losses but are considered part of segment operating income because the swaps are used to mitigate risk in items affecting segment operating income. Management believes that segment operating income provides relevant and useful information to investors, as it represents the basis on which the performance of the Company’s business is internally assessed. Although the items excluded from segment operating income may be significant components in understanding and assessing the Company’s overall financial performance, management believes that segment operating income enhances an investor’s understanding of the Company’s results of operations. Note that the Company’s segment operating income measures may not be comparable to similarly titled measures reported by other companies.


 

 
 
The following table sets forth a summary of results and reconciles segment operating income to consolidated net income:
 
 
 
Three Months Ended
June 30 
     
Six Months Ended
June 30
     
     
2005
   
2004
   
Change
   
2005
   
2004
   
Change
 
Segment Operating Income
                                     
Life Marketing
 
$
38,332
 
$
43,597
   
(12.1
)%
$
77,473
 
$
85,198
   
(9.1
)%
Acquisitions
   
21,473
   
23,461
   
(8.5
)
 
42,508
   
44,664
   
(4.8
)
Annuities
   
8,145
   
4,975
   
63.7
   
12,209
   
7,788
   
56.8
 
Stable Value Products
   
13,484
   
13,926
   
(3.2
)
 
27,883
   
25,625
   
8.8
 
Asset Protection
   
6,292
   
4,371
   
43.9
   
12,464
   
8,974
   
38.9
 
Corporate and Other
   
9,380
   
3,128
   
199.9
   
21,025
   
7,433
   
182.9
 
Total segment operating income
   
97,106
   
93,458
         
193,562
   
179,682
       
                                       
Realized investment gains (losses) - investments(1)
   
5,317
   
(1,474
)
       
10,783
   
11,493
       
Realized investment gains (losses) - derivatives(2)
   
(28,981
)
 
3,386
         
(39,033
)
 
3,594
       
Income tax expense
   
(25,411
)
 
(34,075
)
       
(57,198
)
 
(68,169
)
     
                                       
Net income before cumulative effect of change in
accounting principle
   
48,031
   
61,295
   
(21.6
)
 
108,114
   
126,600
   
(14.6
)
Cumulative effect of change in accounting principle,
net of income tax
   
0
   
0
         
0
   
(15,801
)
     
                                       
Net income
 
$
48,031
 
$
61,295
   
(21.6
)
$
108,114
 
$
110,799
   
(2.4
)
                                       
                                       
(1) Realized investment gains (losses) - investments
 
$
12,480
 
$
(923
)
     
$
40,358
 
$
15,704
       
Participating income from real estate ventures
   
(5,883
)
 
0
         
(5,883
)
 
0
       
Related amortization of DAC
   
(1,280
)
 
(551
)
       
(23,692
)
 
(4,211
)
     
   
$
5,317
 
$
(1,474
)
     
$
10,783
 
$
11,493
       
                                       
(2) Realized investment gains (losses) - derivatives
 
$
(26,021
)
$
8,740
       
$
(32,389
)
$
13,823
       
Less settlements on certain interest rate swaps
   
(2,960
)
 
(5,354
)
       
(6,644
)
 
(10,229
)
     
   
$
(28,981
)
$
3,386
       
$
(39,033
)
$
3,594
       

 
Net income for the second quarter of 2005 reflects moderate growth in segment operating income, offset by net realized investment losses. Net realized investment losses were $23.7 million and $28.3 million for the second quarter and first six months of 2005, respectively, compared to net realized investment gains of $1.9 million and $15.1 million, respectively, for the same periods of 2004. Partially offsetting the change in realized investment gains and losses is the cumulative effect charge of $15.8 million recorded in the first six months of 2004, with no such adjustment in 2005. (See Note 10 to the Consolidated Condensed Financial Statements for additional information related to the cumulative effect of change in accounting principle.) Life Marketing’s operating income decreased 12.1% and 9.1% from the second quarter and first six months of 2004, respectively, reflecting higher overall expenses, partially offset by continued growth in life insurance in-force through new sales. The quarterly and year-to-date declines in the Acquisitions segment’s operating income are due to the normal runoff of the segment’s previously acquired blocks of business. Improvement in the equity markets and higher sales of variable annuities contributed to the increase in the Annuities segment’s earnings, while increases in average account values, partially offset by spread compression, resulted in higher year-to-date operating income in the Stable Value Products segment. The Asset Protection segment’s operating income increased 43.9% and 38.9% over the second quarter and first six months of 2004, respectively, primarily due to improvements in the segment’s service contract and credit insurance product lines. The second quarter results for the Asset Protection segment were also improved over the prior year due to improvements in the discontinued lines.

 

 


RESULTS BY BUSINESS SEGMENT

In the following segment discussions, various statistics and other key data the Company uses to evaluate its segments are presented. Sales statistics are used by the Company to measure the relative progress in its marketing efforts, but may or may not have an immediate impact on reported segment operating income. Sales data for traditional life insurance are based on annualized premiums, while universal life sales are based on annualized planned premiums plus 6% of excess over target premiums. Sales of annuities are measured based on the amount of deposits received. Stable value contract sales are measured at the time that the funding commitment is made, based on the amount of deposit to be received. Sales within the Asset Protection segment are generally based on the amount of single premium and fees received.

Sales and life insurance in-force amounts are derived from the Company’s various sales tracking and administrative systems, and are not derived from the Company’s financial reporting systems or financial statements. Mortality variances are derived from actual claims compared to expected claims. These variances do not represent the net impact to earnings due to the interplay of reserves and DAC amortization.


Life Marketing
The Life Marketing segment markets level premium term and term-like insurance, universal life (“UL”), variable universal life and "bank owned life insurance" (“BOLI”) products on a national basis primarily through networks of independent insurance agents and brokers, stockbrokers, and in the BOLI market. Segment results were as follows:
 

   
Three Months Ended
June 30
     
Six Months Ended
June 30
     
   
2005
 
2004
 
Change
 
2005
 
2004
 
Change
 
                           
REVENUES
                         
Gross premiums and policy fees
 
$
290,333
 
$
250,931
   
15.7
%
$
564,102
 
$
486,917
   
15.9
%
Reinsurance ceded
   
(235,968
)
 
(205,072
)
 
15.1
   
(435,714
)
 
(373,858
)
 
16.5
 
Net premiums and policy fees
   
54,365
   
45,859
   
18.5
   
128,388
   
113,059
   
13.6
 
Net investment income
   
62,541
   
58,929
   
6.1
   
123,694
   
116,869
   
5.8
 
Other income
   
27,107
   
22,348
   
21.3
   
55,663
   
43,491
   
28.0
 
Total operating revenues
   
144,013
   
127,136
   
13.3
   
307,745
   
273,419
   
12.6
 
                                       
BENEFITS AND EXPENSES
                                     
Benefits and settlement expenses
   
72,994
   
66,692
   
9.4
   
162,777
   
138,718
   
17.3
 
Amortization of deferred policy acquisition costs
   
21,413
   
10,926
   
96.0
   
39,240
   
32,007
   
22.6
 
Other operating expenses
   
11,274
   
5,921
   
90.4
   
28,255
   
17,496
   
61.5
 
Total benefits and expenses
   
105,681
   
83,539
   
26.5
   
230,272
   
188,221
   
22.3
 
                                       
OPERATING INCOME
   
38,332
   
43,597
   
(12.1
)
 
77,473
   
85,198
   
(9.1
)
                                       
INCOME BEFORE INCOME TAX
 
$
38,332
 
$
43,597
   
(12.1
)
$
77,473
 
$
85,198
   
(9.1
)


 

 
 
The following table summarizes key data for the Life Marketing segment:


   
Three Months Ended
June 30
     
Six Months Ended
June 30
     
   
2005
 
2004
 
Change
 
2005
 
2004
 
Change
 
Sales By Product
                         
Traditional
 
$
26,861
 
$
42,208
   
(36.4
)%
$
61,369
 
$
89,043
   
(31.1
)%
Universal life
   
41,638
   
19,266
   
116.1
   
74,385
   
36,963
   
101.2
 
Variable universal life
   
1,197
   
1,474
   
(18.8
)
 
2,335
   
2,599
   
(10.2
)
   
$
69,696
 
$
62,948
   
10.7
 
$
138,089
 
$
128,605
   
7.4
 
                                       
Sales By Distribution Channel
                                     
Brokerage general agents
 
$
29,495
 
$
39,580
   
(25.5
)
$
65,667
 
$
82,328
   
(20.2
)
Independent agents
   
18,746
   
12,570
   
49.1
   
36,057
   
25,310
   
42.5
 
Stockbrokers/banks
   
18,004
   
6,782
   
165.5
   
30,629
   
12,841
   
138.5
 
BOLI/other
   
3,451
   
4,016
   
(14.1
)
 
5,736
   
8,127
   
(29.4
)
   
$
69,696
 
$
62,948
   
10.7
 
$
138,089
 
$
128,606
   
7.4
 
                                       
Average Life Insurance In-Force(1)
                                     
Traditional
 
$
337,741,129
 
$
290,597,427
   
16.2
 
$
333,005,255
 
$
282,880,158
   
17.7
 
Universal life
   
44,572,685
   
39,999,009
   
11.4
   
43,862,908
   
39,506,180
   
11.0
 
   
$
382,313,814
 
$
330,596,436
   
15.6
 
$
376,868,163
 
$
322,386,338
   
16.9
 
                                       
Average Account Values
                                     
Universal life
 
$
4,036,023
 
$
3,571,371
   
13.0
 
$
3,960,093
 
$
3,518,249
   
12.6
 
Variable universal life
   
221,347
   
185,814
   
19.1
   
219,930
   
181,012
   
21.5
 
   
$
4,257,370
 
$
3,757,185
   
13.3
 
$
4,180,023
 
$
3,699,261
   
13.0
 
                                       
Interest Spread - Universal Life(2)
                                     
Net investment income yield
   
6.18
%
 
6.45
%
       
6.16
%
 
6.46
%
     
Interest credited to policyholders
   
4.88
   
4.94
         
4.83
   
4.95
       
Interest spread
   
1.30
%
 
1.51
%
       
1.33
%
 
1.51
%
     
                                       
Mortality Experience (3)
   
3,813
   
(203
)
       
5,065
   
1,991
       
                                       
(1) Amounts are not adjusted for reinsurance ceded.
(2) Interest spread on average general account values.
(3) Represents a favorable (unfavorable) variance as compared to pricing assumptions.


Operating income decreased 12.1% and 9.1%, respectively, from the second quarter and first six months of 2004. This decrease is the result of higher overall expenses, partially offset by increases in total revenues of 13.3% and 12.6% for the quarter and year-to-date, respectively, primarily due to moderate increases in sales and growth of life insurance in-force and average account values.

Net premiums and policy fees grew by 18.5% in the current quarter and 13.6% year-to-date due to the growth in life insurance in-force achieved over the last several quarters. Net investment income increased approximately 6.0% for the quarter and first six months of 2005, reflecting the growth of the segment’s assets, offset by lower investment yields. Interest spreads for the first six months have declined 18 basis points from the prior year. The increases of 21.3% for the quarter and 28.0% year-to-date in other income are primarily due to additional income from the segment’s broker-dealer subsidiary. Due to the nature of these businesses, the majority of this additional income is offset by increases in other operating expenses.

Benefits and settlement expenses were 9.4% and 17.3% higher than the second quarter and first six months of 2004, respectively, due to growth in life insurance in-force, fluctuations in mortality experience and higher credited interest on UL products resulting from increases in account values. Mortality for the current quarter was $4.0 million more favorable than the prior year, while year-to-date mortality was $3.1 million more favorable than the same period of 2004. Amortization of DAC was 96.0% and 22.6% higher for the quarter and first six months, respectively, than 2004 primarily due to unfavorable effects of unlocking on UL amortization in 2005 compared to the prior year, increased amortization resulting from the capitalization of premium taxes on excess premiums in the universal life line, and reductions to amortization in 2004 resulting from the SOP implementation.


 

 

Other operating expenses for the segment were as follows:



   
Three Months Ended
June 30
     
Six Months Ended
June 30
     
   
2005
 
2004
 
Change
 
2005
 
2004
 
Change
 
                           
Insurance Companies:
                         
First year commissions
 
$
103,671
 
$
63,520
   
63.2
%
$
183,719
 
$
141,775
   
29.6
%
Renewal commissions
   
8,187
   
7,504
   
9.1
   
15,982
   
15,177
   
5.3
 
First year ceding allowances
   
(33,230
)
 
(39,002
)
 
(14.8
)
 
(73,583
)
 
(83,624
)
 
(12.0
)
Renewal ceding allowances
   
(47,664
)
 
(39,462
)
 
20.8
   
(85,790
)
 
(70,285
)
 
22.1
 
General & administrative
   
44,414
   
45,007
   
(1.3
)
 
91,322
   
93,572
   
(2.4
)
Taxes, licenses and fees
   
7,887
   
6,144
   
28.4
   
14,367
   
10,434
   
37.7
 
Other operating expenses incurred
   
83,265
   
43,711
   
90.5
   
146,017
   
107,049
   
36.4
 
                                       
Less commissions, allowances & expenses capitalized
   
(98,424
)
 
(59,622
)
 
65.1
   
(171,338
)
 
(131,893
)
 
29.9
 
                                       
Other operating expenses
   
(15,159
)
 
(15,911
)
 
(4.7
)
 
(25,321
)
 
(24,844
)
 
1.9
 
                                       
Marketing Companies:
                                     
Commissions
   
17,599
   
15,511
   
13.5
   
35,697
   
31,066
   
14.9
 
Other
   
8,834
   
6,321
   
39.8
   
17,879
   
11,274
   
58.6
 
Other operating expenses
   
26,433
   
21,832
   
21.1
   
53,576
   
42,340
   
26.5
 
                                       
Other operating expenses
 
$
11,274
 
$
5,921
   
90.4
 
$
28,255
 
$
17,496
   
61.5
 


Currently, the segment reinsures significant amounts of its life insurance in-force. The Company is currently in the process of increasing its retained amounts on certain of its newly written products. Pursuant to the underlying reinsurance contracts, reinsurers pay allowances to the segment as a percentage of both first year and renewal premiums. A portion of these allowances is deferred as part of DAC while the remainder is recognized immediately as a reduction of other operating expenses. While the recognition of reinsurance allowances is consistent with GAAP, non-deferred allowances often exceed the segment’s non-deferred direct costs, causing net other operating expenses to be negative. Consideration of all components of the segment’s income statement, including amortization of DAC, is required to assess the impact of reinsurance on segment operating income.

Other operating expenses for the insurance companies were relatively unchanged from the prior year, as the additional expenses incurred as a result of the increase in sales were offset by the additional amounts capitalized as DAC. Amounts capitalized as DAC generally include first year commissions and allowances, and other deferrable acquisition expenses. The change in these amounts generally reflects the trend in sales for the quarter.

Other operating expenses for the marketing companies increased 21.1% and 26.5%, respectively, for the second quarter and first six months of 2005, as compared to the same periods of 2004, primarily as a result of higher commissions and other expenses in the segment’s broker-dealer subsidiary, resulting from higher revenue.

Sales for the segment increased 10.7% and 7.4% versus the second quarter and first six months of 2004 primarily due to the significant increase in universal life sales. The strong UL sales were partially offset by lower production of traditional life in the brokerage general agent channel. Sales of BOLI business also declined from 2004. BOLI sales will vary widely between periods as the segment responds to opportunities for these products only when the market accommodates required returns.
 
 
Acquisitions

The Acquisitions segment focuses on acquiring, converting, and servicing policies acquired from other companies. The segment's primary focus is on life insurance policies sold to individuals. Segment results were as follows:



   
Three Months Ended
June 30
     
Six Months Ended
June 30
     
   
2005
 
2004
 
Change
 
2005
 
2004
 
Change
 
                           
REVENUES
                         
Gross premiums and policy fees
 
$
66,104
 
$
69,659
   
(5.1
)%
$
131,604
 
$
139,128
   
(5.4
)%
Reinsurance ceded
   
(17,257
)
 
(17,840
)
 
(3.3
)
 
(37,286
)
 
(34,941
)
 
6.7
 
Net premiums and policy fees
   
48,847
   
51,819
   
(5.7
)
 
94,318
   
104,187
   
(9.5
)
Net investment income
   
56,099
   
58,704
   
(4.4
)
 
112,813
   
117,359
   
(3.9
)
Other income
   
453
   
468
   
(3.2
)
 
814
   
1,185
   
(31.3
)
Total operating revenues
   
105,399
   
110,991
   
(5.0
)
 
207,945
   
222,731
   
(6.6
)
                                       
BENEFITS AND EXPENSES
                                     
Benefits and settlement expenses
   
68,784
   
71,340
   
(3.6
)
 
135,183
   
144,360
   
(6.4
)
Amortization of deferred policy acquisition costs
   
7,185
   
7,476
   
(3.9
)
 
14,256
   
15,325
   
(7.0
)
Other operating expenses
   
7,957
   
8,714
   
(8.7
)
 
15,998
   
18,382
   
(13.0
)
Total benefits and expenses
   
83,926
   
87,530
   
(4.1
)
 
165,437
   
178,067
   
(7.1
)
                                       
OPERATING INCOME
   
21,473
   
23,461
   
(8.5
)
 
42,508
   
44,664
   
(4.8
)
                                       
INCOME BEFORE INCOME TAX
 
$
21,473
 
$
23,461
   
(8.5
)
$
42,508
 
$
44,664
   
(4.8
)


 


The following table summarizes key data for the Acquisitions segment:



   
Three Months Ended
June 30
     
Six Months Ended
June 30
     
   
2005
 
2004
 
Change
 
2005
 
2004
 
Change
 
                           
Average Life Insurance In-Force(1)
                         
Traditional
 
$
10,912,493
 
$
12,243,296
   
(10.9
)%
$
11,052,073
 
$
12,421,888
   
(11.0
)%
Universal life
   
17,314,671
   
18,546,671
   
(6.6
)
 
17,476,843
   
18,720,370
   
(6.6
)
   
$
28,227,164
 
$
30,789,967
   
(8.3
)
$
28,528,916
 
$
31,142,258
   
(8.4
)
                                       
Average Account Values
                                     
Universal life
 
$
1,708,352
 
$
1,732,770
   
(1.4
)
$
1,712,455
 
$
1,738,442
   
(1.5
)
Fixed annuity(2)
   
214,063
   
219,551
   
(2.5
)
 
215,016
   
220,821
   
(2.6
)
Variable annuity
   
77,202
   
97,447
   
(20.8
)
 
80,714
   
99,577
   
(18.9
)
   
$
1,999,617
 
$
2,049,768
   
(2.4
)
$
2,008,185
 
$
2,058,840
   
(2.5
)
                                       
Interest Spread - UL & Fixed Annuities
                                     
Net investment income yield
   
7.04
%
 
7.28
%
       
7.07
%
 
7.25
%
     
Interest credited to policyholders
   
5.16
   
5.21
         
5.15
   
5.24
       
Interest spread
   
1.88
%
 
2.07
%
       
1.92
%
 
2.01
%
     
                                       
Mortality Experience(3)
   
2,718
   
2,216
         
3,165
   
2,876
       
                                       
 
 
(1)    Amounts are not adjusted for reinsurance ceded.
(2)    Includes general account balances held within variable annuity products.
(3)    Represents a favorable variance as compared to pricing assuptions.



 

 

Net premiums and policy fees declined 5.7% and 9.5% from the second quarter and first six months of 2004, respectively. These decreases are the result of the runoff of the acquired blocks of business. Year-to-date net premiums were additionally decreased by payment during the first quarter of 2005 of amounts due under two reinsurance treaties. While this had no net income impact, the payments decreased net premiums and policy fees by $3.9 million, benefits and settlement expenses by $3.5 million, and other operating expenses by $0.3 million.

Net investment income was also lower for the current quarter and year-to-date due to the runoff of business and lower overall earned rates. The segment continues to review credited rates on UL and annuity business to minimize the impact of lower earned rates on interest spreads. The year-to-date interest spread declined 9 basis points from the same period of the prior year.

Benefits and settlement expenses for the second quarter and first six months are 3.6% and 6.4% lower, respectively, than the comparable periods of the prior year due to the decline in in-force business. The year-to-date decrease also includes the impact of the reinsurance payments mentioned above. Amortization of DAC decreased during the current quarter and the first six months of 2005 due to the overall decline in business as well as a favorable change in DAC adjustments on certain universal life and deferred annuity blocks. Other operating expenses decreased 8.7% and 13.0% from the second quarter and first six months of 2004, respectively, due to lower commissions resulting from lower net premiums, reductions in other general expenses, and the reinsurance payments discussed above.

The segment’s life insurance in-force and UL and annuity account values have declined from 2004 levels as no new acquisitions have been made since 2002. In the ordinary course of business, the segment regularly considers acquisitions of blocks of policies or smaller insurance companies. However, the level of the segment’s acquisition activity is predicated upon many factors, including available capital, operating capacity, and market dynamics. The Company will continue to pursue suitable acquisitions as they become available.

Annuities

The Annuities segment manufactures, sells, and supports fixed and variable annuity products. These products are primarily sold through stockbrokers, but are also sold through financial institutions and independent agents and brokers. Segment results were as follows:



   
Three Months Ended
June 30
     
Six Months Ended
June 30
     
   
2005
 
2004
 
Change
 
2005
 
2004
 
Change
 
                           
REVENUES
                         
Gross premiums and policy fees
 
$
7,866
 
$
7,594
   
3.6
%
$
15,706
 
$
15,222
   
3.2
%
Reinsurance ceded
   
0
   
0
         
0
   
0
       
Net premiums and policy fees
   
7,866
   
7,594
   
3.6
   
15,706
   
15,222
   
3.2
 
Net investment income
   
54,786
   
51,523
   
6.3
   
110,936
   
103,111
   
7.6
 
Other income
   
2,264
   
1,555
   
45.6
   
3,990
   
3,340
   
19.5
 
Total operating revenues
   
64,916
   
60,672
   
7.0
   
130,632
   
121,673
   
7.4
 
                                       
BENEFITS AND EXPENSES
                                     
Benefits and settlement expenses
   
48,687
   
44,456
   
9.5
   
96,767
   
90,502
   
6.9
 
Amortization of deferred policy acquisition costs
   
2,173
   
6,568
   
(66.9
)
 
9,399
   
11,965
   
(21.4
)
Other operating expenses
   
5,911
   
4,673
   
26.5
   
12,257
   
11,418
   
7.3
 
Total benefits and expenses
   
56,771
   
55,697
   
1.9
   
118,423
   
113,885
   
4.0
 
                                       
OPERATING INCOME
   
8,145
   
4,975
   
63.7
   
12,209
   
7,788
   
56.8
 
                                       
Realized investment gains
   
1,474
   
290
         
28,936
   
6,294
       
Related amortization of DAC
   
(1,280
)
 
(551
)
       
(23,692
)
 
(4,211
)
     
                                       
INCOME BEFORE INCOME TAX
 
$
8,339
 
$
4,714
   
76.9
 
$
17,453
 
$
9,871
   
76.8
 


 

 



The following table summarizes key data for the Annuities segment:



   
Three Months Ended
June 30
     
Six Months Ended
June 30
     
   
2005
 
2004
 
Change
 
2005
 
2004
 
Change
 
                           
Sales
                         
Fixed annuity
 
$
60,841
 
$
108,305
   
(43.8
)%
$
120,409
 
$
124,400
   
(3.2
)%
Variable annuity
   
90,329
   
63,317
   
42.7
   
167,332
   
125,040
   
33.8
 
   
$
151,170
 
$
171,622
   
(11.9
)
$
287,741
 
$
249,440
   
15.4
 
                                       
Average Account Values
                                     
Fixed annuity(1)
 
$
3,448,809
 
$
3,161,984
   
9.1
 
$
3,445,667
 
$
3,171,000
   
8.7
 
Variable annuity
   
2,181,000
   
1,992,455
   
9.5
   
2,190,214
   
1,994,422
   
9.8
 
   
$
5,629,809
 
$
5,154,439
   
9.2
 
$
5,635,881
 
$
5,165,422
   
9.1
 
                                       
Interest Spread - Fixed Annuities(2)
                                     
Net investment income yield
   
6.42
%
 
6.60
%
       
6.45
%
 
6.54
%
     
Interest credited to policyholders
   
5.67
   
5.72
         
5.60
   
5.71
       
Interest spread
   
0.75
%
 
0.88
%
       
0.85
%
 
0.83
%
     
                                       
                                       
 
                   
As  of
June 30
     
                       
2005
   
2004
       
                                       
GMDB - Net amount at risk(3)
                   
$
183,797
 
$
252,932
   
(27.3
)
GMDB - Reserves
                   
$
3,266
 
$
5,097
   
(35.9
)
S&P 500 Index
                     
1,191
   
1,141
   
4.4
 
                                       

(1)    Includes general account balances held within variable annuity products.
(2)    Interest spread on average general account values.
(3)    Guaranteed death benefit in excess of contract holder account balance.


Segment operating revenues increased 7.0% and 7.4% compared to the second quarter and first six months of 2004, respectively, primarily as a result of higher net investment income. Average account balances have grown approximately 9% from the prior year, resulting in higher investment income. The additional income resulting from the larger account balances was reduced in the second quarter of 2005 by lower interest spreads. Interest spreads on fixed annuities declined 13 basis points compared to the second quarter of 2004, primarily due to the rebalancing of the investment portfolio discussed below. The increase in other income is primarily due to an increase in asset-based fees.

During the first quarter of 2005, the investment portfolio was rebalanced to improve the duration match between the segment’s assets and liabilities. Approximately $300 million in securities were sold, causing the large increase in realized investment gains for the six months ended June 30, 2005. These gains were partially offset by an increase of $22.4 million in DAC amortization associated with those gains. The resulting funds from this transaction were reinvested in assets with lower rates than the investments that were sold, causing a decline in the investment income yield for the segment’s portfolio. The segment continually monitors and adjusts credited rates as appropriate in an effort to maintain the interest spread. The year-to-date interest spread has increased slightly (2 basis points) from the prior year.

Total benefits and expenses increased 1.9% and 4.0% for the quarter and year-to-date, compared to the same periods of 2004. This increase is primarily due to higher benefits and settlement expenses and other operating expenses, offset by lower DAC amortization. The increase in benefits and settlement expenses is primarily due to higher credited interest resulting from increased average account values, while additional operating expenses were incurred related to the development of a new product.

These increases were substantially offset by a $5.0 million reduction in DAC amortization in the current quarter due to favorable unlocking. While the investment income yield obtained on the reinvested assets resulting from the portfolio rebalancing discussed above was lower than the yield obtained prior to the rebalancing, the actual yield on the reinvested assets exceeded previously projected spread income. The higher investment yield resulted in higher future estimated gross profits in the segment’s market value adjusted annuity line, causing the favorable unlocking of DAC.

Sales of fixed annuities declined 43.8% and 3.2%, while sales of variable annuities increased 42.7% and 33.8% from the second quarter and first six months of 2004, respectively. Fixed annuity sales are down due to lower interest rates, while variable annuity sales are benefiting from the improvement in the equity markets. Total year-to-date sales are 15.4% higher than the prior year. In addition to improving variable annuity sales, the improved equity markets also reduced the net amount at risk with respect to guaranteed minimum death benefits by 27.3%.

Stable Value Products

The Stable Value Products segment sells guaranteed funding agreements “GFAs” to special purpose entities that in turn issue notes or certificates in smaller, transferable denominations. The segment also markets fixed and floating rate funding agreements directly to the trustees of municipal bond proceeds, institutional investors, bank trust departments, and money market funds. Additionally, the segment markets guaranteed investment contracts “GICs” to 401(k) and other qualified retirement savings plans. Segment results were as follows:


   
Three Months Ended
June 30
     
Six Months Ended
June 30
     
   
2005
 
2004
 
Change
 
2005
 
2004
 
Change
 
                           
REVENUES
                         
Net investment income
 
$
76,081
 
$
66,666
   
14.1
%
$
149,956
 
$
130,699
   
14.7
%
                                       
BENEFITS AND EXPENSES
                                     
Benefits and settlement expenses
   
60,084
   
50,720
   
18.5
   
117,253
   
100,489
   
16.7
 
Amortization of deferred policy acquisition costs
   
1,121
   
803
   
39.6
   
2,205
   
1,564
   
41.0
 
Other operating expenses
   
1,392
   
1,217
   
14.4
   
2,615
   
3,021
   
(13.4
)
Total benefits and expenses
   
62,597
   
52,740
   
18.7
   
122,073
   
105,074
   
16.2
 
                                       
OPERATING INCOME
   
13,484
   
13,926
   
(3.2
)
 
27,883
   
25,625
   
8.8
 
                                       
Realized investment gains
   
2,085
   
2,022
         
2,704
   
5,901
       
INCOME BEFORE INCOME TAX
 
$
15,569
 
$
15,948
   
(2.4
)
$
30,587
 
$
31,526
   
(3.0
)


The following table summarizes key data for the Stable Value Products segment:

 
   
Three Months Ended
June 30
     
Six Months Ended
June 30
     
   
2005
 
2004
 
Change
 
2005
 
2004
 
Change
 
                           
Sales
                         
GIC
 
$
5,000
 
$
39,000
   
(87.2
)%
$
29,050
 
$
39,000
   
(25.5
)%
GFA - Direct Institutional
   
0
   
960
   
(100.0
)
 
0
   
960
   
(100.0
)
GFA - Registered Notes - Institutional
   
350,000
   
0
   
n/a
   
700,000
   
300,000
   
133.3
 
GFA - Registered Notes - Retail
   
96,795
   
68,250
   
41.8
   
128,640
   
289,750
   
(55.6
)
   
$
451,795
 
$
108,210
   
317.5
 
$
857,690
 
$
629,710
   
36.2
 
                                       
Average Account Values
 
$
5,808,943
 
$
5,062,014
   
14.8
 
$
5,763,519
 
$
4,956,987
   
16.3
 
                                       
Operating Spread
                                     
Net investment income yield
   
5.37
%
 
5.40
%
       
5.34
%
 
5.42
%
     
Interest credited
   
4.24
   
4.11
         
4.18
   
4.17
       
Operating expenses
   
0.18
   
0.16
         
0.17
   
0.19
       
Operating spread
   
0.95
%
 
1.13
%
       
0.99
%
 
1.06
%
     


Operating income declined 3.2% and increased 8.8% from the second quarter and first six months of the prior year, respectively. The quarterly decline is due to spread compression and higher operating expenses, offset by growth in average account balances. Differences in portfolio composition caused the investment income yield to decline, while increases in LIBOR caused the interest credited rate to increase, resulting in a decrease in the net interest spread of 16 basis points for the second quarter of 2005 compared to the same period of 2004. Increased operating expenses for the quarter primarily due to legal fees associated with the West Virginia subpoena discussed in the “Recent Developments” section herein and the upcoming registration associated with the GFA program, caused the additional decline of 2 basis points in operating spreads. Currently, operating spreads are anticipated to range from 90-95 basis points for the remainder of 2005. The growth in average account balances was primarily driven by sales of the Company’s registered funding agreement-backed notes program as discussed below.

The increase in operating income for the first six months is due to growth in average account balances of 16.3%, partially offset by spread compression of 6 basis points. The year-to-date spread compression is due to the same factors discussed above for the quarter, moderated by the maturity of high rate contracts in the first quarter resulting in an interest credited rate of 4.12% for the first quarter of 2005.

Total sales were 317.5% and 36.2% higher than the second quarter and first six months of 2004, respectively. Institutional sales continue to be strong. Retail note sales improved during the quarter but continue to lag behind prior year-to-date results. The decline in retail note sales from the prior year is due to general market conditions including interest rate volatility. The Company currently anticipates total annual sales for 2005 of $1.5 billion.

Asset Protection

The Asset Protection segment markets extended service contracts and credit life and disability insurance to protect consumers’ investments in automobiles and watercraft. Segment results were as follows:



   
Three Months Ended
June 30
     
Six Months Ended
June 30
     
   
2005
 
2004
 
Change
 
2005
 
2004
 
Change
 
                           
REVENUES
                         
Gross premiums and policy fees
 
$
113,504
 
$
115,354
   
(1.6
)%
$
227,508
 
$
233,533
   
(2.6
)%
Reinsurance ceded
   
(61,621
)
 
(62,120
)
 
(0.8
)
 
(126,684
)
 
(125,226
)
 
1.2
 
Net premiums and policy fees
   
51,883
   
53,234
   
(2.5
)
 
100,824
   
108,307
   
(6.9
)
Net investment income
   
8,602
   
7,500
   
14.7
   
16,202
   
15,041
   
7.7
 
Other income
   
11,462
   
9,117
   
25.7
   
19,999
   
18,179
   
10.0
 
Total operating revenues
   
71,947
   
69,851
   
3.0
   
137,025
   
141,527
   
(3.2
)
                                       
BENEFITS AND EXPENSES
                                     
Benefits and settlement expenses
   
29,851
   
33,363
   
(10.5
)
 
56,380
   
65,562
   
(14.0
)
Amortization of deferred policy acquisition costs
   
17,669
   
17,522
   
0.8
   
35,215
   
37,478
   
(6.0
)
Other operating expenses
   
18,135
   
14,595
   
24.3
   
32,966
   
29,513
   
11.7
 
Total benefits and expenses
   
65,655
   
65,480
   
0.3
   
124,561
   
132,553
   
(6.0
)
                                       
OPERATING INCOME
   
6,292
   
4,371
   
43.9
   
12,464
   
8,974
   
38.9
 
                                       
INCOME BEFORE INCOME TAX
 
$
6,292
 
$
4,371
   
43.9
 
$
12,464
 
$
8,974
   
38.9
 


The following table summarizes key data for the Asset Protection segment:


   
Three Months Ended
June 30
     
Six Months Ended
June 30
     
   
2005
 
2004
 
Change
 
2005
 
2004
 
Change
 
                           
Sales
                         
Credit insurance
 
$
51,421
 
$
59,035
   
(12.9
)%
$
101,527
 
$
110,281
   
(7.9
)%
Service contracts
   
62,437
   
54,861
   
13.8
   
109,575
   
99,136
   
10.5
 
Other products
   
13,567
   
8,940
   
51.8
   
22,642
   
17,091
   
32.5
 
   
$
127,425
 
$
122,836
   
3.7
 
$
233,744
 
$
226,508
   
3.2
 
                                       
Loss Ratios (1)
                                     
Credit insurance
   
33.5
%
 
38.1
%
       
33.3
%
 
38.9
%
     
Service contracts
   
72.2
   
87.6
         
72.8
   
82.1
       
Other products
   
73.6
   
76.6
         
68.4
   
77.4
       
 
(1)    Incurred claims as a percentage of earned premiums.

 
Operating income increased 43.9% and 38.9% from the second quarter and first six months of 2004, respectively. Earnings from core product lines are up $1.8 million and $4.8 million for the quarter and year-to-date, respectively, while, discontinued operations improved in the current quarter but are relatively unchanged year-to-date.

Within the segment’s core product lines, service contract earnings improved $2.0 million for the quarter and $3.8 million year-to-date, while credit insurance earnings improved $0.9 million and $1.9 million for the same periods. Earnings from other products were $1.1 million and $0.9 million lower for the quarter and year-to-date, respectively, compared to the prior year. The overall improvement in earnings from core operations was partially offset by the lack of income from charter sales in 2005, compared to charter sales of $0.2 million and $1.2 million for the second quarter and first six months of 2004, respectively.

The decline in net premiums was primarily related to decreases of $3.8 million and $9.3 million for the quarter and year-to-date periods, respectively, in the credit insurance lines due in part to higher levels of reinsurance. Additionally, as expected, net premiums in the discontinued lines continue to decrease, resulting in net premiums for these lines that were $2.1 million and $4.5 million lower for the second quarter and year-to-date, respectively. Partially offsetting these declines were increases in net premiums in the vehicle service contract and other lines of business totaling $5.1 million for the quarter and $6.5 million for the first six months, reflecting the continued steady growth of these lines.

Other income has increased from the prior year 25.7% and 10.0% for the quarter and year-to-date, respectively, due to increases in administrative fees on service contracts, resulting from the increased volume in this product line.

Benefits and settlement expenses decreased 10.5% and 14.0% from the second quarter and first six months of 2004, respectively, primarily due to the overall improvement in loss ratios, most notably in the service contract line. Loss ratios in both the service contracts and credit insurance have continued to improve over prior periods as a result of segment initiatives to increase pricing and tighten the underwriting and claims processes. Loss ratios for other products also declined, primarily due to the continuing improvement in the closed blocks of business in the segment’s runoff lines.

Other operating expenses are approximately $3.5 million higher for both the quarter and first six months of 2005 compared to the prior periods. Approximately one third of this increase is due to the reclassification of the interest on funds withheld expense. These costs were included in benefits and settlement expenses in the prior year, but are now being reflected as a component of other operating expenses. (This change also contributed to the overall decrease in benefits and settlement expenses discussed above.) The remainder of the increase is primarily due to higher commissions on service contracts due to increased volume.

Total segment sales increased 3.7% and 3.2% for the second quarter and the first six months, respectively, compared to the same periods of 2004. Sales of credit insurance through financial institutions have continued to outperform the prior year due to a third party administrator relationship. These sales are expected to decline over the next year as the third party administrator goes into runoff. Additionally, credit insurance sold through automobile dealers has declined from the prior year, resulting in an overall decline in credit insurance sales of 12.9% for the quarter and 7.9% for the first six months. Service contract sales continued to improve in the second quarter, exceeding the prior year amounts by 13.8% for the current quarter and 10.5% year-to-date. The year-to-date improvement in service contract sales is comprised of increases of $8.8 million and $4.8 million, respectively, in the vehicle and marine lines.




Corporate and Other

The Company has an additional segment referred to as Corporate and Other. The Corporate and Other segment primarily consists of net investment income and expenses not attributable to the segments above (including net investment income on unallocated capital and interest on debt). This segment also includes earnings from several small non-strategic lines of business (primarily cancer insurance, residual value insurance, surety insurance, and group annuities), various investment-related transactions, and the operations of several small subsidiaries.

The following table summarizes results for this segment:


   
Three Months Ended
June 30
     
Six Months Ended
June 30
     
   
2005
 
2004
 
Change
 
2005
 
2004
 
Change
 
                           
Operating income(1)
 
$
9,380
 
$
3,128
 
$
6,252
 
$
21,025
 
$
7,433
 
$
13,592
 
                                       
Realized gains and losses - investments
   
2,728
   
(3,100
)
 
5,828
   
2,655
   
3,915
   
(1,260
)
Realized gains and losses - derivatives
   
(28,671
)
 
3,251
   
(31,922
)
 
(38,853
)
 
3,188
   
(42,041
)
Income before income tax
 
$
(16,563
)
$
3,279
 
$
(19,842
)
$
(15,173
)
$
14,536
 
$
(29,709
)
 
(1)    Includes settlements on interest rate swaps of $2,960 and $5,354 for the three months ended June 30, 2005 and 2004, respectively, and $6,644 and $10,229 for the six months ended
    June 30, 2005 and 2004, respectively.

 
 
Operating income increased $6.3 million and $13.6 million from the second quarter and first six months of 2004, respectively, primarily due to increased investment income, improved results from the runoff lines, and lower operating expenses. Net investment income increased $1.7 million and $9.3 million for the quarter and year-to-date, respectively, while income from interest rate swaps decreased $2.4 million and $3.6 million for these same periods. The year-to-date increase in net investment income is primarily the result of higher amounts of unallocated capital and increased participating income from mortgage and real estate, partially offset by lower income on trading securities. Results for the runoff insurance lines have improved from the prior year, with operating losses of $2.2 million and $5.0 million for the second quarter and first six months of 2005, respectively, compared to losses of $5.5 million and $9.4 million for the same periods of 2004.

Realized Gains and Losses

The following table sets forth realized investment gains and losses for the periods shown:
 


   
Three Months Ended
June 30
     
Six Months Ended
June 30
     
   
2005
 
2004
 
Change
 
2005
 
2004
 
Change
 
                           
Fixed maturity gains
 
$
6,550
 
$
5,954
 
$
596
 
$
43,314
 
$
25,852
 
$
17,462
 
Fixed maturity losses
   
(458
)
 
(2,299
)
 
1,841
   
(6,855
)
 
(5,376
)
 
(1,479
)
Equity gains
   
1,438
   
825
   
613
   
1,576
   
1,390
   
186
 
Equity losses
   
(28
)
 
(22
)
 
(6
)
 
(835
)
 
(22
)
 
(813
)
Impairments on fixed maturity securities
   
(50
)
 
(2,523
)
 
2,473
   
(296
)
 
(2,723
)
 
2,427
 
Impairments on equity securities
   
(24
)
 
(2,125
)
 
2,101
   
(24
)
 
(2,125
)
 
2,101
 
Other
   
5,052
   
(733
)
 
5,785
   
3,478
   
(1,292
)
 
4,770
 
Total realized gains (losses) - investments
 
$
12,480
 
$
(923
)
$
13,403
 
$
40,358
 
$
15,704
 
$
24,654
 
                                       
Foreign currency swaps
 
$
(9,483
)
$
(1,799
)
$
(7,684
)
$
(13,460
)
$
(11,518
)
$
(1,942
)
Foreign currency adjustments on stable value contracts
   
9,306
   
1,934
   
7,372
   
13,531
   
11,924
   
1,607
 
Derivatives related to corporate debt
   
8,838
   
(3,736
)
 
12,574
   
8,497
   
3,163
   
5,334
 
Derivatives related to mortgage loan commitments
   
(32,802
)
 
13,678
   
(46,480
)
 
(27,932
)
 
5,308
   
(33,240
)
Other derivatives
   
(1,880
)
 
(1,337
)
 
(543
)
 
(13,025
)
 
4,946
   
(17,971
)
Total realized gains (losses) - derivatives
 
$
(26,021
)
$
8,740
 
$
(34,761
)
$
(32,389
)
$
13,823
 
$
(46,212
)

 

    Realized gains and losses on investments reflect portfolio management activities designed to maintain proper matching of assets and liabilities and to enhance long-term investment portfolio performance. The change in net realized investment gains for the current quarter, excluding impairments, reflects the normal operation of the Company’s asset/liability program within the context of the changing interest rate environment. The reduction of investment impairments for the second quarter and first six months of 2005 compared to the same periods of 2004 reflects a significant reduction in default rates. Additional details on the Company’s investment performance and evaluation are provided in the “Liquidity” and “Capital Resources” sections included herein.

Realized investment gains and losses related to derivatives represent changes in the fair value of derivative financial instruments and gains and losses on derivative contracts closed during the period. The Company has entered into foreign currency swaps to mitigate the risk of changes in the value of principal and interest payments to be made on certain of its foreign currency denominated stable value contracts. The net change in the realized gains (losses) resulting from these securities in the second quarter and first six months of 2005 was $(0.3) million and $(0.3) million, respectively. These changes were the result of differences in the related foreign currency spot and forward rates used to value the stable value contracts and foreign currency swaps. The Company also uses interest rate swaps to mitigate interest rate risk related to certain Senior Notes, Medium-Term Notes, and subordinated debt securities. Declining long-term interest rates during the current quarter caused the 2005 results from these swaps to compare favorably with both the second quarter and first six months of 2004. The Company has taken short positions in U.S. Treasury futures to mitigate interest rate risk related to the Company’s mortgage loan commitments. The losses from these securities in the second quarter and first six months of 2005 were the result of declining interest rates in the current quarter.

The Company also uses various swaps and options to mitigate risk related to certain other investments held by the Company. For the second quarter and first six months of 2005, a portion of the change, a $0.3 million decrease and $5.7 million decrease, respectively, in realized gains (losses) resulted from lower interest rates in 2005, which impacted the fair value of certain interest rate swaps and options. An increase of $0.1 million and a decrease of $4.7 million for the second quarter and first six months of 2005, respectively, related to gains (losses) from embedded derivatives within certain bonds that matured during the respective periods. For the first six months of 2005, realized gains (losses) increased by $0.5 million due to the impact of embedded derivatives within certain asset swaps that were called in the first quarter of 2005. For the second quarter and the first six months of 2005, an immaterial increase and a $0.9 million decrease, respectively, in realized gains (losses) was due to embedded derivatives within annuity contracts and reinsurance agreements.

Additionally, in the first quarter of 2005, the Company recorded a $7.1 million realized investment loss (derivative financial instruments) related to accrued investment income, which arose in periods prior to 2003. The impact had no effect on previously reported segment operating income and no material effect on previously reported net income.

CONSOLIDATED INVESTMENTS

Portfolio Description

The Company's investment portfolio consists primarily of fixed maturity securities (bonds and redeemable preferred stocks) and commercial mortgage loans. The Company generally purchases its investments with the intent to hold to maturity by purchasing investments that match future cash flow needs. However, the Company may sell any of its investments to maintain proper matching of assets and liabilities. Accordingly, the Company has classified $15.4 billion of its fixed maturities and certain other securities as “available for sale.”

Additionally, the Company consolidates a special-purpose entity, in accordance with FIN 46, whose investments are managed by the Company. The Company has classified these investments with a market value of $413.3 million at June 30, 2005, as “trading” securities.

The Company’s investments in debt and equity securities are reported at market value, and investments in mortgage loans are reported at amortized cost. At June 30, 2005, the Company’s fixed maturity investments (bonds and redeemable preferred stocks) had a market value of $15.7 billion, which is 5.4% above amortized cost of $14.9 billion. The Company had $3.1 billion in mortgage loans at June 30, 2005. While the Company’s mortgage loans do not have quoted market values, at June 30, 2005, the Company estimates the market value of its mortgage loans to be $3.4 billion (using discounted cash flows from the next call date), which is 7.8% above amortized cost. Most of the Company’s mortgage loans have significant prepayment fees. These assets are invested for terms approximately corresponding to anticipated future benefit payments. Thus, market fluctuations are not expected to adversely affect liquidity.


 

 

The following table shows the reported values of the Company's invested assets.

           
   
June 30, 2005
 
December 31, 2004
 
   
($ in thousands)
 
                   
Publicly-issued bonds
 
$
13,711,932
   
67.6
%
$
12,519,107
   
64.6
%
Privately issued bonds
   
1,973,245
   
9.7
   
1,889,905
   
9.7
 
Redeemable preferred stock
   
1,196
   
0.0
   
3,593
   
0.0
 
Fixed maturities
   
15,686,373
   
77.3
   
14,412,605
   
74.3
 
Equity securities
   
115,758
   
0.6
   
58,941
   
0.3
 
Mortgage loans
   
3,124,877
   
15.4
   
3,005,418
   
15.5
 
Investment real estate
   
91,981
   
0.4
   
107,246
   
0.6
 
Policy loans
   
466,701
   
2.3
   
482,780
   
2.5
 
Other long-term investments
   
186,059
   
0.9
   
259,025
   
1.3
 
Short-term investments
   
626,795
   
3.1
   
1,059,557
   
5.5
 
Total investments
 
$
20,298,544
   
100.0
%
$
19,385,572
   
100.0
%


Included in the table above are $413.3 million and $410.1 million of fixed maturities and $0.0 million and $7.2 million of short-term investments classified by the Company as trading securities at June 30, 2005 and December 31, 2004, respectively.

Market values for private, non-traded securities are determined as follows: 1) the Company obtains estimates from independent pricing services or 2) the Company estimates market value based upon a comparison to quoted issues of the same issuer or issues of other issuers with similar terms and risk characteristics. The market value of private, non-traded securities was $2.0 billion at June 30, 2005, representing 9.7% of the Company’s total invested assets.

The Company participates in securities lending, primarily as an investment yield enhancement, whereby securities that are held as investments are loaned to third parties for short periods of time. The Company requires collateral of 102% of the market value of the loaned securities to be separately maintained. The loaned securities’ market value is monitored on a daily basis, with additional collateral obtained as necessary. At June 30, 2005, securities with a market value of $551.3 million were loaned under these agreements. As collateral for the loaned securities, the Company receives short-term investments, which are recorded in “short-term investments” with a corresponding liability recorded in “other liabilities” to account for the Company’s obligation to return the collateral.

Risk Management and Impairment Review

The Company monitors the overall credit quality of the Company’s portfolio within general guidelines. The following table shows the Company's available for sale fixed maturities by credit rating at June 30, 2005.

S&P or Equivalent
Designation
 
Market Value
 
Percent of
Market Value
 
   
($ in thousands)
 
           
AAA
 
$
6,112,093
   
40.0
%
AA
   
564,935
   
3.7
 
A
   
2,721,505
   
17.8
 
BBB
   
4,754,874
   
31.1
 
Investment grade
   
14,153,407
   
92.6
 
BB
   
729,355
   
4.8
 
B
   
335,257
   
2.2
 
CCC or lower
   
46,344
   
0.3
 
In or near default
   
7,475
   
0.1
 
Below investment grade
   
1,118,431
   
7.4
 
Redeemable preferred stock
   
1,196
   
0.0
 
Total
 
$
15,273,034
   
100.0
%


 

 

Not included in the table above are $386.9 million of investment grade and $26.4 million of less than investment grade fixed maturities classified by the Company as trading securities.

Limiting bond exposure to any creditor group is another way the Company manages credit risk. The following table summarizes the Company's ten largest fixed maturity exposures to an individual creditor group as of June 30, 2005.

Creditor
 
Market Value
 
   
($ in millions)
 
       
Berkshire Hathaway
 
$
86.7
 
Goldman Sachs
   
82.1
 
American Electric Power
   
81.5
 
FPL Group
   
80.9
 
Kinder Morgan
   
79.0
 
Metlife
   
78.4
 
Dominion Resources
   
78.0
 
Wachovia
   
77.9
 
Bank of America
   
76.7
 
Southern Company
   
74.5
 


The Company’s management considers a number of factors when determining the impairment status of individual securities. These include the economic condition of various industry segments and geographic locations and other areas of identified risks. Although it is possible for the impairment of one investment to affect other investments, the Company engages in ongoing risk management to safeguard against and limit any further risk to its investment portfolio. Special attention is given to correlated risks within specific industries, related parties and business markets.

The Company generally considers a number of factors in determining whether the impairment is other-than-temporary. These include, but are not limited to: 1) actions taken by rating agencies, 2) default by the issuer, 3) the significance of the decline, 4) the intent and ability of the Company to hold the investment until recovery, 5) the time period during which the decline has occurred, 6) an economic analysis of the issuer’s industry, and 7) the financial strength, liquidity, and recoverability of the issuer. Management performs a security-by-security review each quarter in evaluating the need for any other-than-temporary impairment. Although no set formula is used in this process, the investment performance, collateral position and continued viability of the issuer are significant measures considered.

The Company generally considers a number of factors relating to the issuer in determining the financial strength, liquidity, and recoverability of an issuer. These include but are not limited to: available collateral, tangible and intangible assets that might be available to repay debt, operating cash flows, financial ratios, access to capital markets, quality of management, market position, exposure to litigation or product warranties, and the effect of general economic conditions on the issuer. Once management has determined that a particular investment has suffered an other-than-temporary impairment, the asset is written down to its estimated fair value.

There are certain risks and uncertainties associated with determining whether declines in market values are other-than-temporary. These include significant changes in general economic conditions and business markets, trends in certain industry segments, interest rate fluctuations, rating agency actions, changes in significant accounting estimates and assumptions, commission of fraud and legislative actions. The Company continuously monitors these factors as they relate to the investment portfolio in determining the status of each investment. Provided below are additional facts concerning the potential effect upon the Company’s earnings should circumstances lead management to conclude that some of the current declines in market value are other-than-temporary.

Unrealized Gains and Losses

The information presented below relates to investments at a certain point in time and is not necessarily indicative of the status of the portfolio at any time after June 30, 2005, the balance sheet date. Information about unrealized gains and losses is subject to rapidly changing conditions, including volatility of financial markets and changes in interest rates. As indicated above, the Company’s management considers a number of factors in determining if an unrealized loss is other-than-temporary, including its ability and intent to hold the security until recovery. Furthermore, since the timing of recognizing realized gains and losses is largely based on management’s decisions as to the timing and selection of investments to be sold, the tables and information provided below should be considered within the context of the overall unrealized gain (loss) position of the portfolio. At June 30, 2005, the Company had an overall pretax net unrealized gain of $805.6 million.

For traded and private fixed maturity and equity securities held by the Company that are in an unrealized loss position at June 30, 2005, the estimated market value, amortized cost, unrealized loss and total time period that the security has been in an unrealized loss position are presented in the table below.

   
Estimated
Market Value
 
% Market
Value
 
Amortized
Cost
 
% Amortized
Cost
 
Unrealized
Loss
 
% Unrealized
Loss
 
   
($ in thousands)
 
   
<= 90 days
 
$
656,467
   
38.8
%
$
660,131
   
37.8
%
$
(3,664
)
 
6.6
%
>90 days but <= 180 days
   
337,453
   
20.0
   
350,508
   
20.1
   
(13,055
)
 
23.5
 
>180 days but <= 270 days
   
289,575
   
17.1
   
293,052
   
16.8
   
(3,477
)
 
6.2
 
>270 days but <= 1 year
   
27,300
   
1.6
   
30,187
   
1.7
   
(2,887
)
 
5.2
 
>1 year but <= 2 years
   
182,636
   
10.8
   
196,162
   
11.2
   
(13,526
)
 
24.3
 
>2 years but <= 3 years
   
143,122
   
8.5
   
147,598
   
8.5
   
(4,476
)
 
8.0
 
>3 years but <= 4 years
   
23,579
   
1.4
   
24,668
   
1.4
   
(1,089
)
 
2.0
 
>4 years but <= 5 years
   
177
   
0.0
   
273
   
0.0
   
(96
)
 
0.2
 
>5 years
   
29,663
   
1.8
   
42,984
   
2.5
   
(13,321
)
 
24.0
 
Total
 
$
1,689,972
   
100.0
%
$
1,745,563
   
100.0
%
$
(55,591
)
 
100.0
%


At June 30, 2005, securities with a market value of $27.6 million and $16.2 million of unrealized losses were issued in Company-sponsored commercial mortgage loan securitizations, including $12.8 million of unrealized losses greater than five years. The Company does not consider these unrealized positions to be other-than-temporary, because the underlying mortgage loans continue to perform consistently with the Company’s original expectations.

The Company has no material concentrations of issuers or guarantors of fixed maturity securities. The industry segment composition of all securities in an unrealized loss position held by the Company at June 30, 2005, is presented in the following table.

   
Estimated
Market Value
 
% Market
Value
 
Amortized
Cost
 
% Amortized
Cost
 
Unrealized
Loss
 
% Unrealized
Loss
 
   
($ in thousands)
 
   
Agency Mortgages
 
$
5,572
   
0.3
%
$
5,611
   
0.3
%
$
(39
)
0.1%
Banking
   
83,863
   
5.0
   
85,355
   
4.9
   
(1,492
)
2.7
Basic Industrial
   
97,875
   
5.8
   
101,021
   
5.8
   
(3,146
)
5.7
Brokerage
   
27,917
   
1.6
   
28,197
   
1.6
   
(280
)
0.5
Communications
   
89,024
   
5.3
   
90,314
   
5.2
   
(1,290
)
2.3
Consumer Cyclical
   
93,596
   
5.5
   
100,788
   
5.8
   
(7,192
)
12.9
Consumer Noncyclical
   
25,353
   
1.5
   
27,804
   
1.6
   
(2,451
)
4.4
Electric
   
199,578
   
11.8
   
207,867
   
11.9
   
(8,289
)
14.9
Energy
   
42,129
   
2.5
   
43,280
   
2.5
   
(1,151
)
2.1
Finance Companies
   
254,975
   
15.1
   
261,727
   
15.0
   
(6,752
)
12.2
Insurance
   
48,000
   
2.8
   
48,561
   
2.8
   
(561
)
1.0
Municipal Agencies
   
70
   
0.0
   
70
   
0.0
   
0
 
0.0
Natural Gas
   
82,903
   
4.9
   
83,984
   
4.8
   
(1,081
)
1.9
Non-Agency Mortgages
   
498,470
   
29.5
   
512,827
   
29.4
   
(14,357
)
25.8
Other Finance
   
34,951
   
2.1
   
39,031
   
2.2
   
(4,080
)
7.3
Other Industrial
   
16,838
   
1.0
   
16,893
   
1.0
   
(55
)
0.1
Other Utility
   
41
   
0.0
   
44
   
0.0
   
(3
)
0.0
Technology
   
12,205
   
0.7
   
14,401
   
0.8
   
(2,196
)
4.0
Transportation
   
41,670
   
2.5
   
42,445
   
2.4
   
(775
)
1.4
U.S. Government
   
34,942
   
2.1
   
35,343
   
2.0
   
(401
)
0.7
Total
 
$
1,689,972
   
100.0
%
$
1,745,563
   
100.0
%
$
(55,591
)
100.0%



 

 

The range of maturity dates for securities in an unrealized loss position at June 30, 2005 varies, with 20.9% maturing in less than 5 years, 23.5% maturing between 5 and 10 years, and 55.6% maturing after 10 years. The following table shows the credit rating of securities in an unrealized loss position at June 30, 2005.

S&P or Equivalent
Designation
 
Estimated
Market Value
 
% Market
Value
 
Amortized
Cost
 
% Amortized
Cost
 
Unrealized
Loss
 
% Unrealized
Loss
 
   
($ in thousands)
 
   
AAA/AA/A
 
$
915,197
   
54.1
%
$
925,707
   
53.0
%
$
(10,510
)
 
18.9
%
BBB
   
491,279
   
29.1
   
502,945
   
28.8
   
(11,666
)
 
21.0
 
Investment grade
   
1,406,476
   
83.2
   
1,428,652
   
81.8
   
(22,176
)
 
39.9
 
BB
   
169,694
   
10.0
   
179,827
   
10.3
   
(10,133
)
 
18.1
 
B
   
65,576
   
3.9
   
73,404
   
4.2
   
(7,828
)
 
14.1
 
CCC or lower
   
48,226
   
2.9
   
63,680
   
3.7
   
(15,454
)
 
27.9
 
Below investment grade
   
283,496
   
16.8
   
316,911
   
18.2
   
(33,415
)
 
60.1
 
Total
 
$
1,689,972
   
100.0
%
$
1,745,563
   
100.0
%
$
(55,591
)
 
100.0
%


At June 30, 2005, securities in an unrealized loss position that were rated as below investment grade represented 16.8% of the total market value and 60.1% of the total unrealized loss. Unrealized losses related to below investment grade securities that had been in an unrealized loss position for more than twelve months were $20.4 million. Securities in an unrealized loss position rated less than investment grade were 1.4% of invested assets. The Company generally purchases its investments with the intent to hold to maturity. The Company does not expect these investments to adversely affect its liquidity or ability to maintain proper matching of assets and liabilities.

The following table shows the estimated market value, amortized cost, unrealized loss and total time period that the security has been in an unrealized loss position for all below investment grade securities.

   
Estimated
Market Value
 
% Market
Value
 
Amortized
Cost
 
% Amortized
Cost
 
Unrealized
Loss
 
% Unrealized
Loss
 
   
($ in thousands)
 
   
<= 90 days
 
$
64,912
   
22.9
%
$
66,114
   
20.9
%
$
(1,202
)
 
3.6
%
>90 days but <= 180 days
   
109,987
   
38.8
   
120,453
   
38.0
   
(10,466
)
 
31.3
 
>180 days but <= 270 days
   
1,986
   
0.7
   
2,456
   
0.8
   
(470
)
 
1.4
 
>270 days but <= 1 year
   
5,557
   
2.0
   
6,448
   
2.0
   
(891
)
 
2.7
 
>1 year but <= 2 years
   
51,375
   
18.1
   
58,277
   
18.4
   
(6,902
)
 
20.7
 
>2 years but <= 3 years
   
567
   
0.2
   
647
   
0.2
   
(80
)
 
0.2
 
>3 years but <= 4 years
   
23,222
   
8.2
   
24,221
   
7.7
   
(999
)
 
3.0
 
>4 years but <= 5 years
   
55
   
0.0
   
130
   
0.0
   
(75
)
 
0.2
 
>5 years
   
25,835
   
9.1
   
38,165
   
12.0
   
(12,330
)
 
36.9
 
Total
 
$
283,496
   
100.0
%
$
316,911
   
100.0
%
$
(33,415
)
 
100.0
%


At June 30, 2005, below investment grade securities with a market value of $24.0 million and $11.9 million of unrealized losses were issued in Company sponsored commercial mortgage loan securitizations, including securities in an unrealized loss position greater than five years with a market value of $24.0 million and $11.9 million of unrealized losses. The Company does not consider these unrealized positions to be other-than-temporary, because the underlying mortgage loans continue to perform consistently with the Company’s original expectations.

Realized Losses

Realized losses are comprised of both write-downs for other-than-temporary impairments and actual sales of investments. For the second quarter and first six months of 2005, the Company recorded pretax other-than-temporary impairments in its investments of $0.1 million and $0.3 million, respectively, compared to $4.6 million and $4.8 million for the comparable periods of 2004.

As previously discussed, the Company’s management considers several factors when determining other-than-temporary impairments. Although the Company generally intends to hold securities until maturity, the Company may change its positions as a result of a change in circumstances. Any such decision is consistent with the Company’s classification of all but a specific portion of its investment portfolio as available for sale. During the six months ended June 30, 2005, the Company sold securities in an unrealized loss position with a market value of $634.1 million resulting in a realized loss of $7.7 million. The securities were sold as a result of normal portfolio rebalancing activity and tax planning. For such securities, the proceeds, realized loss and total time period that the security had been in an unrealized loss position are presented in the table below.

   
Proceeds
 
% Proceeds
 
Realized Loss
 
% Realized Loss
 
   
($ in thousands)
 
   
<= 90 days
 
$
530,311
   
83.6
%
$
(4,122
)
 
53.6
%
>90 days but <= 180 days
   
0
   
0.0
   
0
   
0.0
 
>180 days but <= 270 days
   
9,019
   
1.4
   
(223
)
 
2.9
 
>270 days but <= 1 year
   
14,749
   
2.3
   
(224
)
 
2.9
 
> 1 year
   
80,011
   
12.7
   
(3,121
)
 
40.6
 
Total
 
$
634,090
   
100.0
%
$
(7,690
)
 
100.0
%


MORTGAGE LOANS

The Company records mortgage loans net of an allowance for credit losses. This allowance is calculated through analysis of specific loans that are believed to be at a higher risk of becoming impaired in the near future. At June 30, 2005 and December 31, 2004, the Company's allowance for mortgage loan credit losses was $4.6 million and $3.3 million, respectively.

During the first quarter of 2005, Winn-Dixie Stores Inc. (Winn-Dixie), an anchor tenant in the Company’s mortgage loan portfolio, declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy. At June 30, 2005, the Company had 40 loans amounting to $106.4 million in loan balances in which Winn-Dixie was considered to be the anchor tenant for the underlying property (including 12 loans with balances of $20.8 million included in mortgage loan securitization trusts in which the Company holds retained beneficial interests). At June 30, 2005, the rents from Winn-Dixie represented approximately 51% of the total rents applicable to the properties underlying these loans (including approximately 67% of rents on loans in mortgage loan securitizations). On June 21, 2005, Winn-Dixie announced a reorganization plan that included selling or closing 27 stores that served as the anchor tenant for properties underlying loans in the Company’s mortgage loan portfolio. At June 30, 2005, the 27 loans associated with these properties had outstanding principal balances totaling $56.1 million. As of the date of this report, Winn-Dixie has rejected the lease on eight of these properties and the Company is either in the process of foreclosing on the property or negotiating with the owner. The eight mortgage loans associated with these properties had outstanding balances of $22.8 million as of June 30, 2005. One potential impairment has been identified and the mortgage loan reserve included $1.6 million related to this loan at June 30, 2005. Of the remaining 19 stores, five have been sold and the leases on 14 stores are in the process of being offered for sale. The Company will continue to actively monitor these loans and assess them for potential impairments as circumstances develop in the future.

For several years the Company has offered a type of commercial mortgage loan under which the Company will permit a slightly higher loan-to-value ratio in exchange for a participating interest in the cash flows from the underlying real estate. As of June 30, 2005, approximately $474.9 million of the Company’s mortgage loans have this participation feature.

At June 30, 2005, delinquent mortgage loans and foreclosed properties were less than 0.1% of invested assets. The Company does not expect these investments to adversely affect its liquidity or ability to maintain proper matching of assets and liabilities.

LIABILITIES

Many of the Company's products contain surrender charges and other features that reward persistency and penalizes the early withdrawal of funds. Certain stable value and annuity contracts have market-value adjustments that protect the Company against investment losses if interest rates are higher at the time of surrender than at the time of issue.

At June 30, 2005, the Company had policy liabilities and accruals of $11.2 billion. The Company's interest-sensitive life insurance policies have a weighted average minimum credited interest rate of approximately 3.92%.

MARKET RISK EXPOSURES

The Company’s financial position and earnings are subject to various market risks including changes in interest rates, changes in the yield curve, changes in spreads between risk-adjusted and risk-free interest rates, changes in foreign currency rates, changes in used vehicle prices, and equity price risks. The Company analyzes and manages the risks arising from market exposures of financial instruments, as well as other risks, through an integrated asset/liability management process. The Company’s asset/liability management programs and procedures involve the monitoring of asset and liability durations for various product lines; cash flow testing under various interest rate scenarios; and the continuous rebalancing of assets and liabilities with respect to yield, risk, and cash flow characteristics.

The primary focus of the Company’s asset/liability program is the management of interest rate risk within the insurance operations. This includes monitoring the duration of both investments and insurance liabilities to maintain an appropriate balance between risk and profitability for each product category, and for the Company as a whole. It is the Company’s policy to generally maintain asset and liability durations within one-half year of one another, although, from time to time, a broader interval may be allowed.

These programs also incorporate the use of derivative financial instruments primarily to reduce its exposure to interest rate risk, inflation risk, and currency exchange risk. Combinations of interest rate swap contracts, futures contracts, and option contracts are used to mitigate or eliminate certain financial and market risks, including those related to changes in interest rates for certain investments, primarily outstanding mortgage loan commitments and mortgage-backed securities, and the Company’s outstanding debt. Swap contracts are also used to alter the effective durations of assets and liabilities and to mitigate the inflation risk caused by the issuance of inflation adjusted notes through the Stable Value Products segment. The Company uses foreign currency swaps to manage its exposure to currency exchange risk on certain stable value contracts denominated in foreign currencies, primarily the European euro and the British pound.

Derivative instruments expose the Company to credit and market risk and could result in material changes from quarter-to-quarter. The Company minimizes its credit risk by entering into transactions with highly rated counterparties. The Company manages the market risk associated with interest rate and foreign exchange contracts by establishing and monitoring limits as to the types and degrees of risk that may be undertaken. The Company monitors its use of derivatives in connection with its overall asset/liability management programs and procedures.

In the ordinary course of its commercial mortgage lending operations, the Company will commit to provide a mortgage loan before the property to be mortgaged has been built or acquired. The mortgage loan commitment is a contractual obligation to fund a mortgage loan when called upon by the borrower. The commitment is not recognized in the Company's financial statements until the commitment is actually funded. The mortgage loan commitment contains terms, including the rate of interest, which may be different than prevailing interest rates. At June 30, 2005, the Company had outstanding mortgage loan commitments of $954.2 million at an average rate of 6.00%.

The Company believes its asset/liability management programs and procedures and certain product features provide protection for the Company against the effects of changes in interest rates under various scenarios. Additionally, the Company believes its asset/liability management programs and procedures provide sufficient liquidity to enable it to fulfill its obligation to pay benefits under its various insurance and deposit contracts. However, the Company’s asset/liability management programs and procedures incorporate assumptions about the relationship between short-term and long-term interest rates (i.e., the slope of the yield curve), relationships between risk-adjusted and risk-free interest rates, market liquidity and other factors, and the effectiveness of the Company’s asset/liability management programs and procedures may be negatively affected whenever actual results differ from those assumptions.

 

 

LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES

Liquidity

The Company meets its liquidity requirements primarily through positive cash flows from its operating subsidiaries. Primary sources of cash from the operating subsidiaries are premiums, deposits for policyholder accounts, investment sales and maturities, and investment income. Primary uses of cash for the operating subsidiaries include benefit payments, withdrawals from policyholder accounts, investment purchases, policy acquisition costs, and other operating expenses.

While the Company generally anticipates that the cash flows of its subsidiaries will be sufficient to meet their investment commitments and operating cash needs, the Company recognizes that investment commitments scheduled to be funded may, from time to time, exceed the funds then available. Therefore, the Company has established repurchase agreement programs for certain of its insurance subsidiaries to provide liquidity when needed. The Company expects that the rate received on its investments will equal or exceed its borrowing rate. Additionally, the Company may, from time to time, sell short-duration stable value products to complement its cash management practices. The Company has also used securitization transactions involving its commercial mortgage loans to increase liquidity for the operating subsidiaries.

The Company’s positive cash flows from operations are used to fund an investment portfolio that provides for future benefit payments. The Company employs a formal asset/liability program to manage the cash flows of its investment portfolio relative to its long-term benefit obligations. See additional discussion of the Company’s asset/liability program in the “Market Risk Exposures” section.

The life insurance subsidiaries were committed at June 30, 2005 to fund mortgage loans in the amount of $954.2 million. The Company's subsidiaries held $725.1 million in cash and short-term investments at June 30, 2005. Protective Life Corporation had an additional $2.7 million in cash and short-term investments available for general corporate purposes.

Protective Life Corporation’s primary sources of cash are dividends from its operating subsidiaries; revenues from investment, data processing, legal, and management services rendered to subsidiaries; investment income; and external financing. These sources of cash support the general corporate needs of the holding company including its common stock dividends and debt service. The states in which the Company’s insurance subsidiaries are domiciled impose certain restrictions on the insurance subsidiaries’ ability to pay dividends to Protective Life Corporation. These restrictions are generally based in part on the prior year’s statutory income and surplus. Generally, these restrictions pose no short-term liquidity concerns for Protective Life Corporation. The Company plans to retain substantial portions of the earnings of its insurance subsidiaries in those companies primarily to support their future growth.

Capital Resources

To give the Company flexibility in connection with future acquisitions and other funding needs, the Company has registered debt securities, preferred and common stock, and stock purchase contracts of Protective Life Corporation, and additional preferred securities of special purpose finance subsidiaries under the Securities Act of 1933 on a delayed (or shelf) basis.

In May 2004, the Company’s Board of Directors authorized a $100 million share repurchase program, available through May 2, 2007. There has been no activity under this program, and future activity will be dependent upon many factors, including capital levels, rating agency expectations, and the relative attractiveness of alternative uses for capital.

A life insurance company's statutory capital is computed according to rules prescribed by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners ("NAIC"), as modified by the insurance company's state of domicile. Statutory accounting rules are different from GAAP and are intended to reflect a more conservative view by, for example, requiring immediate expensing of policy acquisition costs. The NAIC's risk-based capital requirements require insurance companies to calculate and report information under a risk-based capital formula. The achievement of long-term growth will require growth in the statutory capital of the Company's insurance subsidiaries. The subsidiaries may secure additional statutory capital through various sources, such as retained statutory earnings or equity contributions by the Company.

Contractual Obligations

The table below sets forth future maturities of debt, subordinated debt securities, stable value products, notes payable, operating lease obligations, other property lease obligations, mortgage loan commitments, and liabilities related to variable interest entities.

   
2005
 
2006-2007
 
2008-2009
 
After 2009
 
   
(in thousands)
 
Long-term debt(a)
 
$
18
 
$
2,167
 
$
52,600
 
$
414,532
 
Subordinated debt securities(b)
                     
324,743
 
Securities sold under repurchase agreements
   
31,550
                   
Stable value products(c)
   
508,739
   
2,439,054
   
1,681,150
   
1,217,178
 
Operating leases(d)
   
2,905
   
8,477
   
3,788
   
2,982
 
Home office lease(e)
   
1,148
   
77,678
             
Mortgage loan commitments
   
954,157
                   
Liabilities related to variable interest entities(f)
   
406,103
   
2,401
   
35,755
   
20,819
 
Policyholder obligations(g)
   
472,927
   
1,812,722
   
1,647,509
   
9,405,192
 
 
 
 

(a)
Long-term debt includes all principal amounts owed on note agreements, and does not include interest payments due over the term of the notes.
(b)
Subordinated debt securities includes all principal amounts owed to non-consolidated special purpose finance subsidiaries of the Company, and does not include interest payments due over the term of the obligations.
(c)
Anticipated stable value products cash flows, excluding interest not yet accrued.
(d)
Includes all base lease payments required under operating lease agreements.
(e)
The lease payments shown assume the Company exercises its option to purchase the building at the end of the lease term.
(f)
Liabilities related to variable interest entities are not the legal obligations of the Company, but will be repaid with cash flows generated by the variable interest entities. The amounts represent scheduled principal payments.
(g)
Estimated contractual policyholder obligations are based on mortality, morbidity, and lapse assumptions comparable to the Company’s historical experience, modified for recent observed trends. These obligations are based on current balance sheet values and do not incorporate an expectation of future market growth, interest crediting, or future deposits. Due to the significance of the assumptions used, the amounts presented could materially differ from actual results. As separate account obligations are legally insulated from general account obligations, the separate account obligations will be fully funded by cash flows from separate account assets. The Company expects to fully fund the general account obligations from cash flows from general account investments.
 
 
RECENTLY ISSUED ACCOUNTING STANDARDS
 
    In July 2005, the FASB issued an exposure draft of a proposed interpretation, Accounting for Uncertain Tax Positions - an Interpretation of FASB Statement 109. The draft contains proposed guidance on the recognition and measurement of uncertain tax positions. It also addresses the accrual of any interest and penalties related to tax uncertainties and the classification of liabilities resulting from tax uncertainties on the balance sheet. The draft includes a proposed effective date of December 15, 2005. The Company is currently evaluating the provisions of this draft interpretation, but does not currently anticipate that its adoption would have a material impact on its financial position or results of operation.
 
 
See Note 6 to the Consolidated Condensed Financial Statements for additional information regarding recently issued accounting standards.


 

 

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

A proposal to amend Actuarial Guideline 38 (promulgated by the NAIC and part of the codification of statutory accounting principles) has been approved by two groups within the NAIC structure, and appears likely to be officially adopted during third quarter 2005, with an effective date of July 1, 2005. Actuarial Guideline 38, also known as AXXX, sets forth the reserve requirements for universal life insurance with secondary guarantees (“ULSG”). The Company believes that the proposal will increase the reserve levels required for many ULSG products, and potentially make those products more expensive and less competitive as compared to other products including term and whole life products. The Company believes that the impact of the proposal on the Company will be prospective only and has the potential to reduce the competitiveness and/or profitability of its newly written products as compared to traditional whole life or other high cash value insurance products or other products supported by relatively inexpensive capital (such as reinsurance of redundant reserves). To the extent that the additional reserves are generally considered to be economically redundant, capital market or other solutions may emerge to reduce the impact of the proposal, if adopted in its current form. The ability of the Company to access such solutions may depend on factors such as the ratings of the Company, the size of the blocks of business affected, the mortality experience of the Company and other factors. The Company cannot predict when or if these solutions may become available to the Company or its competitors.

The financial services industry has recently become the focus of increased scrutiny by regulatory and law enforcement authorities relating to allegations of improper special payments, price-fixing, bid-rigging and other alleged misconduct, including payments made by insurers and other financial service providers to brokers and the practices surrounding the placement of insurance business and sales of other financial products as well as practices related to finite reinsurance. Such publicity may generate litigation against financial service providers, even those who do not engage in the business lines or practices currently at issue. It is impossible to predict the outcome of these investigations or proceedings, whether they will expand into other areas not yet contemplated, whether they will result in changes in insurance regulation, whether activities currently thought to be lawful will be characterized as unlawful, or the impact, if any, of this increased regulatory and law enforcement scrutiny of the financial services industry on the Company. As these inquiries appear to encompass a large segment of our industry, it would not be unusual for large numbers of companies in the financial services industry to receive subpoenas, requests for information from regulatory authorities or other inquiries relating to these and similar matters. From time to time, the Company receives subpoenas, requests or other inquires and responds to them in the ordinary course of business.

In the first quarter of 2005, the Company received a subpoena from the Attorney General of West Virginia for documents and other information relating to funding agreement-backed securities, special purpose vehicles, and related subjects. The Company understands that other U.S. based life insurers that participate in funding agreement backed note programs have received similar subpoenas. The Company has responded to the subpoena. The Company is not aware of any problems relating to its participation in funding agreement-backed note programs that would have a material adverse effect on its results of operations or financial condition.

The California Department of Insurance has promulgated proposed regulations that would characterize some life insurance agents as brokers and impose certain obligations on those agents that may conflict with the interests of insurance carriers or require the agent to, among other things, advise the client with respect to the best available insurer. The Company cannot predict the outcome of this regulatory proposal or whether any other state will propose or adopt similar actions.



 

 

Item 3.
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

There has been no material change from the disclosures in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2004.

Item 4.
Controls and Procedures

 
(a)
Disclosure controls and procedures

Under the direction of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, we evaluated our disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting and concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of June 30, 2005. It should be noted that any system of controls, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the control system’s objectives will be met. Further, the design of any control system is based in part upon certain judgments, including the costs and benefits of controls and the likelihood of future events. Because of these and other inherent limitations of control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that all control issues, if any, within the Company have been detected.

 
(b)
Changes in internal control over financial reporting

No significant changes in our internal control over financial reporting occurred during the quarter ended June 30, 2005 that have materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, such internal control over financial reporting. Our internal controls exist within a dynamic environment and the Company continually strives to improve its internal controls and procedures to enhance the quality of its financial reporting.



 

 

PART II

Item 2.
Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds

During the quarter ended June 30, 2005, the Company issued no securities in transactions which were not registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Act”).

Item 4.
Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders

The Annual Meeting of Share Owners of Protective Life Corporation (the “Company”) was held on May 2, 2005. Shares entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting totaled 69,608,132 of which 65,256,062 shares were represented.

At the Annual Meeting the following directors were elected. The number of shares cast for and authorized withheld for each nominee is shown below.

Name of Directors
Number of Shares Voted For
Authorization Withheld
     
John J. McMahon, Jr.
63,652,297
1,603,565
James S. M. French
65,082,679
173,183
John D. Johns
63,179,809
2,076,052
Donald M. James
63,759,129
1,496,733
J. Gary Cooper
65,083,264
172,598
H. Corbin Day
65,193,026
62,836
W. Michael Warren, Jr.
65,186,215
69,646
Malcolm Portera
65,187,593
68,268
Thomas L. Hamby
65,187,837
68,025
Vanessa Leonard
65,201,862
53,999
William A. Terry
65,193,741
62,121


Share owners approved a proposal to ratify the appointment by the Board of Directors of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as the independent registered public accountants for the Company and its subsidiaries for 2005. Shares voting for this proposal were 63,087,993, shares voting against were 2,121,534, and shares abstaining were 46,535.

Item 6.
Exhibits

Exhibit 15 - Letter re: unaudited interim financial information.

Exhibit 31(a) - Certification Pursuant to §302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

Exhibit 31(b) - Certification Pursuant to §302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

Exhibit 32(a) - Certification Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. §1350, as Adopted Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

Exhibit 32(b) - Certification Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. §1350, as Adopted Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

Exhibit 99 - Safe Harbor for Forward-Looking Statements.



 

 


SIGNATURE


Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.

PROTECTIVE LIFE CORPORATION

Date: August 9, 2005                         /s/ Steven G. Walker _________________
Steven G. Walker
Senior Vice President, Controller
and Chief Accounting Officer
(Duly authorized officer)

 
 
 
 
EX-15 2 ex15.htm EXHIBIT 15 Exhibit 15
Exhibit 15




 

Securities and Exchange Commission
450 Fifth Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20549



Commissioners:

We are aware that our report dated August 8, 2005 on our review of interim financial information of Protective Life Corporation and its subsidiaries (the "Company") for the six month periods ended June 30, 2005 and 2004, and included in the Company's quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2005, is incorporated by reference in the Company's registration statements on Form S-8 (File Nos. 333-32420, 33-51887 and 33-61847) and Form S-3 (File Nos. 333-121791, 333-86477, 333-39103 and 33-59769).


/s/ PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP



Birmingham, Alabama
August 9, 2005
EX-31.A 3 ex31_a.htm EXHIBIT 31.A Exhibit 31.a

Exhibit 31(a)

Certification Pursuant to §302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

I, John D. Johns, certify that:

1. I have reviewed this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q of Protective Life Corporation for the period ended June 30, 2005;

2. Based on my knowledge, this Quarterly 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 quarterly 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)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) 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) Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;

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 (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) 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 9, 2005

/s/ John D. Johns                                  
John D. Johns   
Chairman of the Board,  President and
Chief Executive Officer

 
 
 


EX-31.B 4 ex31_b.htm EXHIBIT 31.B Exhibit 31.b
Exhibit 31(b)

Certification Pursuant to §302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

I, Allen W. Ritchie, certify that:

1. I have reviewed this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q of Protective Life Corporation for the period ended June 30, 2005;

2. Based on my knowledge, this Quarterly 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 quarterly 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)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) 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) Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;

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 (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) 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 9, 2005

/s/ Allen W. Ritchie                                   
Allen W. Ritchie
Executive Vice President and
Chief Financial Officer
EX-32.A 5 ex32_a.htm EXHILBIT 32.A Exhilbit 32.a
[PROTECTIVE LIFE CORPORATION LETTERHEAD]




EXHIBIT 32(a)

CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO
18 U.S.C. SECTION 1350,
AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO
SECTION 906 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002



In connection with the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q of Protective Life Corporation (the “Company”) for the period ending June 30, 2005 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Report”), I, John D. Johns, Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company, certify, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. §1350, as adopted pursuant to §906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, that to the best of my knowledge:

(1) The Report fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; and

(2) The information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and result of operations of the Company.


/s/ John D. Johns
John D. Johns
Chairman of the Board,
President and Chief Executive Officer

August 9, 2005


This certification accompanies the Report pursuant to §906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and shall not, except to the extent required by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, be deemed filed by the Company for purposes of §18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
EX-32.B 6 ex32_b.htm EXHIBIT 32.B Exhibit 32.b

[PROTECTIVE LIFE CORPORATION LETTERHEAD]




EXHIBIT 32(b)

CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO
18 U.S.C. SECTION 1350,
AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO
SECTION 906 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002



In connection with the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q of Protective Life Corporation (the “Company”) for the period ending June 30, 2005 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Report”), I, Allen W. Ritchie, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of the Company, certify, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. §1350, as adopted pursuant to §906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, that to the best of my knowledge:

(1) The Report fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; and

(2) The information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and result of operations of the Company.


/s/ Allen W. Ritchie
Allen W. Ritchie
Executive Vice President and
Chief Financial Officer

August 9, 2005


This certification accompanies the Report pursuant to §906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and shall not, except to the extent required by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, be deemed filed by the Company for purposes of §18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

EX-99 7 ex99.htm EXHIBIT 99 Exhibit 99
Exhibit 99
to
Form 10-Q
of
Protective Life Corporation

for the six months

ended June 30, 2005
 
Safe Harbor for Forward-Looking Statements


The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the “Act”) encourages companies to make “forward-looking statements” by creating a safe harbor to protect the companies from securities law liability in connection with forward-looking statements. All statements are based on future expectations rather than on historical facts and forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements can be identified by use of words such as “expect,”“estimate,”“project, “budget,”“forecast,”“anticipate,”“plan,” and similar expressions. Protective Life Corporation (the “Company”) intends to qualify both its written and oral forward-looking statements for protection under the Act.

To qualify oral forward-looking statements for protection under the Act, a readily available written document must identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. The Company provides the following information to qualify forward-looking statements for the safe harbor protection of the Act.

The operating results of companies in the insurance industry have historically been subject to significant fluctuations. The factors which could affect the Company’s future results include, but are not limited to, general economic conditions and the known trends and uncertainties which are discussed more fully below.

The Company is exposed to the risks of natural disasters, malicious and terrorist acts that could adversely affect the Company’s operations.

While the Company has obtained insurance, implemented risk management and contingency plans, and taken preventive measures and other precautions, no predictions of specific scenarios can be made nor can assurance be given that there are not scenarios that could have an adverse effect on the Company. A natural disaster or an outbreak of an easily communicable disease could adversely affect the mortality or morbidity experience of the Company or its reinsurers.

The Company operates in a mature, highly competitive industry, which could limit its ability to gain or maintain its position in the industry.

Life and health insurance is a mature industry. In recent years, the industry has experienced little growth in life insurance sales, though the aging population has increased the demand for retirement savings products. Life and health insurance is a highly competitive industry. The Company encounters significant competition in all lines of business from other insurance companies, many of which have greater financial resources than the Company, as well as competition from other providers of financial services. Competition could result in, among other things, lower sales or higher lapses of existing products.

The insurance industry is consolidating, with larger, potentially more efficient organizations emerging from consolidation. Participants in certain of the Company’s independent distribution channels are also consolidating into larger organizations. Some mutual insurance companies are converting to stock ownership, which will give them greater access to capital markets. Additionally, commercial banks, insurance companies, and investment banks may now combine, provided certain requirements are satisfied. The ability of banks to increase their securities-related business or to affiliate with insurance companies may materially and adversely affect sales of all of the Company’s products by substantially increasing the number and financial strength of potential competitors.

The Company’s ability to compete is dependent upon, among other things, its ability to attract and retain distribution channels to market its insurance and investment products, its ability to develop competitive and profitable products, its ability to maintain low unit costs, and its maintenance of strong ratings from rating agencies.

A ratings downgrade could adversely affect the Company’s ability to compete.

Rating organizations periodically review the financial performance and condition of insurers, including the Company’s subsidiaries. In recent years, downgrades of insurance companies have occurred with increasing frequency. A downgrade in the rating of the Company’s subsidiaries could adversely affect the Company’s ability to sell its products, retain existing business, and compete for attractive acquisition opportunities. Specifically, a ratings downgrade would materially harm the Company’s ability to sell certain products, including guaranteed investment products and funding agreements.

Rating organizations assign ratings based upon several factors. While most of the factors relate to the rated company, some of the factors relate to the views of the rating organization, general economic conditions and circumstances outside the rated company’s control. In addition, rating organizations use various models and formulas to assess the strength of a rated company, and from time to time rating organizations have, in their discretion, altered the models. Changes to the models could impact the rating organizations’ judgment of the rating to be assigned to the rated company. The Company cannot predict what actions the rating organizations may take, or what actions the Company may be required to take in response to the actions of the rating organizations, which could adversely affect the Company.

The Company’s policy claims fluctuate from period to period, and actual results could differ from its expectations.

The Company’s results may fluctuate from period to period due to fluctuations in policy claims received by the Company. Certain of the Company’s businesses may experience higher claims if the economy is growing slowly or in recession, or equity markets decline.

Mortality, morbidity, and casualty expectations incorporate assumptions about many factors, including for example, how a product is distributed, persistency and lapses, future progress in the fields of health and medicine, and the projected level of used vehicle values. Actual mortality, morbidity, the projected level of used vehicle values, and casualty claims could differ from expectations if actual results differ from those assumptions. In addition, continued activity in the life settlement industry could have an adverse impact on the Company’s level of persistency and lapses.

The Company’s results may be negatively affected should actual experience differ from management’s assumptions and estimates.

In the conduct of business, the Company makes certain assumptions regarding the mortality, persistency, expenses and interest rates, or other factors appropriate to the type of business it expects to experience in future periods. These assumptions are also used to estimate the amounts of deferred policy acquisition costs, policy liabilities and accruals, future earnings, and various components of the Company’s balance sheet. The Company’s actual experience, as well as changes in estimates, are used to prepare the Company’s statements of income.

The calculations the Company uses to estimate various components of its balance sheet and statements of income are necessarily complex and involve analyzing and interpreting large quantities of data. The Company currently employs various techniques for such calculations and it from time to time will develop and implement more sophisticated administrative systems and procedures capable of facilitating the calculation of more precise estimates.

 

 

Assumptions and estimates involve judgment, and by their nature are imprecise and subject to changes and revision over time. Accordingly, the Company’s results may be affected, positively or negatively, from time to time, by actual results differing from assumptions, by changes in estimates, and by changes resulting from implementing more sophisticated administrative systems and procedures that facilitate the calculation of more precise estimates.

The use of reinsurance introduces variability in the Company’s statements of income.

The timing of premium payments to, and receipt of expense allowances from, reinsurers may differ from the Company’s receipt of customer premium payments and incurrence of expenses. These timing differences introduce variability in certain components of the Company’s statements of income, and may also introduce variability in the Company’s quarterly results.

The Company could be forced to sell investments at a loss to cover policyholder withdrawals.

Many of the products offered by the Company and its insurance subsidiaries allow policyholders and contract holders to withdraw their funds under defined circumstances. The Company and its insurance subsidiaries manage their liabilities and configure their investment portfolios so as to provide and maintain sufficient liquidity to support anticipated withdrawal demands and contract benefits and maturities. While the Company and its life insurance subsidiaries own a significant amount of liquid assets, a certain portion of their assets are relatively illiquid. If the Company or its subsidiaries experience unanticipated withdrawal or surrender activity, the Company or its subsidiaries could exhaust their liquid assets and be forced to liquidate other assets, perhaps on unfavorable terms. If the Company or its subsidiaries are forced to dispose of assets on unfavorable terms, it could have an adverse effect on the Company’s financial condition.

Interest-rate fluctuations could negatively affect the Company’s spread income or otherwise impact its business.

Significant changes in interest rates expose insurance companies to the risk of not earning anticipated spreads between the interest rate earned on investments and the credited interest rates paid on outstanding policies and contracts. Both rising and declining interest rates can negatively affect the Company’s spread income. While the Company develops and maintains asset/liability management programs and procedures designed to preserve spread income in rising or falling interest rate environments, no assurance can be given that changes in interest rates will not affect such spreads.

From time to time, the Company has participated in securities repurchase transactions that have contributed to the Company’s investment income. Such transactions involve some degree of risk that the counterparty may fail to perform its obligations to pay amounts owed and the collateral has insufficient value to satisfy the obligation. No assurance can be given that such transactions will continue to be entered into and contribute to the Company’s investment income in the future.

Changes in interest rates may also impact its business in other ways. Lower interest rates may result in lower sales of certain of the Company’s insurance and investment products. In addition, certain of the Company’s insurance and investment products guarantee a minimum credited interest rate, and the Company could become unable to earn its spread income should interest rates decrease significantly.

Higher interest rates may create a less favorable environment for the origination of mortgage loans and decrease the investment income the Company receives in the form of prepayment fees, make-whole payments, and mortgage participation income. Higher interest rates may also increase the cost of debt and other obligations having floating rate or rate reset provisions and may result in lower sales of variable products.

Additionally, the Company’s asset/liability management programs and procedures incorporate assumptions about the relationship between short-term and long-term interest rates (i.e., the slope of the yield curve) and relationships between risk-adjusted and risk-free interest rates, market liquidity, and other factors. The effectiveness of the Company’s asset/liability management programs and procedures may be negatively affected whenever actual results differ from these assumptions.

 

 

In general terms, the Company’s results are improved when the yield curve is positively sloped (i.e., when long-term interest rates are higher than short-term interest rates), and will be adversely affected by a flat or negatively sloped curve.

Equity market volatility could negatively impact the Company’s business.

The amount of policy fees received from variable products is affected by the performance of the equity markets, increasing or decreasing as markets rise or fall. Equity market volatility can also affect the profitability of variable products in other ways.

The amortization of deferred policy acquisition costs relating to variable products and the estimated cost of providing guaranteed minimum death benefits incorporate various assumptions about the overall performance of equity markets over certain time periods. The rate of amortization of deferred policy acquisition costs and the estimated cost of providing guaranteed minimum death benefits could increase if equity market performance is worse than assumed.

A deficiency in the Company’s systems could result in over or underpayments of amounts owed to or by the Company and/or errors in the Company’s critical assumptions or reported financial results.

The business of insurance necessarily involves the collection and dissemination of large amounts of data using systems operated by the Company. Examples of data collected and analyzed include policy information, policy rates, expenses, mortality and morbidity experience. To the extent that data input errors, systems errors, or systems failures are not identified and corrected by the Company’s internal controls, the information generated by the systems and used by the Company and/or supplied to business partners, policyholders, and others may be incorrect and may result in an overpayment or underpayment of amounts owed to or by the Company and/or the Company using incorrect assumptions in its business decisions or financial reporting.

In the third quarter of 2002, the Company discovered that the rates payable on certain life insurance policies were incorrectly entered into its reinsurance administrative system in 1991. As a result, the Company overpaid to several reinsurance companies the reinsurance premiums related to such policies of approximately $94.5 million over a period of 10 years beginning in 1992. The Company has received payment from substantially all of the affected reinsurance companies.

Insurance companies are highly regulated and subject to numerous legal restrictions and regulations.

The Company and its subsidiaries are subject to government regulation in each of the states in which they conduct business. Such regulation is vested in state agencies having broad administrative power dealing with many aspects of the Company’s business, which may include, among other things, premium rates, reserve requirements, marketing practices, advertising, privacy, policy forms, reinsurance reserve requirements, and capital adequacy, and is concerned primarily with the protection of policyholders and other customers rather than share owners. At any given time, a number of financial and/or market conduct examinations of the Company’s subsidiaries is ongoing. The Company is required to obtain state regulatory approval for rate increases for certain health insurance products, and the Company’s profits may be adversely affected if the requested rate increases are not approved in full by regulators in a timely fashion. From time to time, regulators raise issues during examinations or audits of the Company’s subsidiaries that could, if determined adversely, have a material impact on the Company. The Company cannot predict whether or when regulatory actions may be taken that could adversely affect the Company or its operations. In addition, the interpretations of regulations by regulators may change and statutes may be enacted with retroactive impact, particularly in areas such as health insurance and accounting or reserve requirements. In particular, the NAIC has been debating whether changes should be made to Actuarial Guideline 38, which interprets the reserve requirements for universal life insurance with secondary guarantees, and, if so, whether any such changes should be made retroactively. In July 2005, the governing Committee of the NAIC adopted amendments that, if adopted by the full NAIC, would increase these reserve requirements as of July 2005 for products issued after that time.


 

 

The Company and its insurance subsidiaries may be subject to regulation by the United States Department of Labor when providing a variety of products and services to employee benefit plans governed by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). Severe penalties are imposed for breach of duties under ERISA.

Certain policies, contracts, and annuities offered by the Company and its subsidiaries are subject to regulation under the federal securities laws administered by the Securities and Exchange Commission. The federal securities laws contain regulatory restrictions and criminal, administrative, and private remedial provisions.

Other types of regulation that could affect the Company and its subsidiaries include insurance company investment laws and regulations, state statutory accounting practices, anti-trust laws, minimum solvency requirements, state securities laws, federal privacy laws, federal money laundering and anti-terrorism laws, and because the Company owns and operates real property state, federal, and local environmental laws. The Company cannot predict what form any future changes in these or other areas of regulation affecting the insurance industry might take or what effect, if any, such proposals might have on the Company if enacted into law.

The Company is exposed to potential risks from recent legislation requiring companies to evaluate their internal control over financial reporting.

Under Section 404 of the Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002, effective at year-end 2004, management is required to assess the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. The Company’s auditors are required to attest to and report on management’s assessment. Implementation guidance has been issued by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) and the SEC. The Company, like other publicly traded companies, has limited experience with this process. The Company believes that its control environment is effective; however, it is possible that adverse attestations with respect to other companies in the industry or in business in general could result in a loss of investor confidence and/or impact the Company or the environment in which it operates.

Changes to tax law or interpretations of existing tax law could adversely affect the Company and its ability to compete with non-insurance products or reduce the demand for certain insurance products.

Under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), income tax payable by policyholders on investment earnings is deferred during the accumulation period of certain life insurance and annuity products. This favorable tax treatment may give certain of the Company’s products a competitive advantage over other non-insurance products. To the extent that the Code is revised to reduce the tax-deferred status of life insurance and annuity products, or to increase the tax-deferred status of competing products, all life insurance companies, including the Company and its subsidiaries, would be adversely affected with respect to their ability to sell such products, and, depending upon grandfathering provisions, would be affected by the surrenders of existing annuity contracts and life insurance policies. For example, changes in laws or regulations could restrict or eliminate the advantages of certain corporate or bank-owned life insurance products. Changes in tax law, which have reduced the federal income tax rates on corporate dividends in certain circumstances, could make the tax advantages of investing in certain life insurance or annuity products less attractive. Additionally, changes in tax law based on proposals to establish new tax advantaged retirement and life savings plans, if enacted, could reduce the tax advantage of investing in certain life insurance or annuity products. For example, President Bush’s Fiscal Year 2006 Budget proposal includes changes that would create new and expanded vehicles for tax-exempt savings, including expanded “Retirement Savings Accounts” and “Lifetime Savings Accounts” which would permit higher contributions and tax-free build-up. In addition, life insurance products are often used to fund estate tax obligations. Legislation has been enacted that would, over time, reduce and eventually eliminate the federal estate tax. Under the legislation that has been enacted, the estate tax will be reinstated, in its entirety, in 2011 and thereafter. President Bush and members of Congress have expressed a desire to modify the existing legislation, which modification could result in faster or more complete reduction or repeal of the estate tax. If the estate tax is significantly reduced or eliminated, the demand for certain life insurance products could be adversely affected. Additionally, the Company is subject to the federal corporation income tax. President Bush has also formed a President’s Advisory Panel, which has been instructed to develop proposals for fundamental reform of the federal tax system. Such proposals could include substantial changes to the federal income tax laws currently in effect, or the adoption of a “flat tax” or federal sales tax in lieu of the current income tax structure. The Company cannot predict what changes to tax law or interpretations of existing tax law may ultimately be enacted or adopted or whether such changes could adversely affect the Company.

Financial services companies are frequently the targets of litigation, including class action litigation, which could result in substantial judgments.

A number of civil jury verdicts have been returned against insurers, broker-dealers, and other providers of financial services involving sales practices, alleged agent misconduct, failure to properly supervise representatives, relationships with agents or other persons with whom the insurer does business, and other matters. Often these lawsuits have resulted in the award of substantial judgments that are disproportionate to the actual damages, including material amounts of punitive non-economic compensatory damages. In some states, juries, judges, and arbitrators have substantial discretion in awarding punitive and non-economic compensatory damages, which creates the potential for unpredictable material adverse judgments or awards in any given lawsuit or arbitration. Arbitration awards are subject to very limited appellate review. In addition, in some class action and other lawsuits, companies have made material settlement payments.

Group health coverage issued through associations has received some negative coverage in the media as well as increased regulatory consideration and review. The Company has a small closed block of group health insurance coverage that was issued to members of an association; a lawsuit is currently pending against the Company in connection with this business.

The Company, like other financial services companies, in the ordinary course of business is involved in such litigation and arbitration. Although the Company cannot predict the outcome of any such litigation or arbitration, the Company does not believe that any such outcome will have a material impact on the financial condition or results of operations of the Company.

The financial services industry is sometimes the target of law enforcement investigations and the focus of increased regulatory scrutiny.

The financial services industry is sometimes the target of law enforcement investigations relating to the numerous laws that govern the financial services and insurance business. The Company cannot predict the impact of any such investigations on the Company or the industry.

The financial services industry has recently become the focus of increased scrutiny by regulatory and law enforcement authorities relating to allegations of improper special payments, price-fixing, bid-rigging and other alleged misconduct, including payments made by insurers and other financial services providers to brokers and the practices surrounding the placement of insurance business and sales of other financial products as well as practices related to finite reinsurance. Such publicity may generate litigation against financial service providers, even those who do not engage in the business lines or practices currently at issue. It is impossible to predict the outcome of these investigations or proceedings, whether they will expand into other areas not yet contemplated, whether they will result in changes in insurance regulation, whether activities currently thought to be lawful will be characterized as unlawful, or the impact, if any, of this increased regulatory and law enforcement scrutiny of the financial services industry on the Company. As these inquiries appear to encompass a large segment of our industry, it would not be unusual for large numbers of companies in the financial services industry to receive subpoenas, requests for information from regulatory authorities or other inquiries relating to these and similar matters. From time to time, the Company receives subpoenas, requests or other inquires and responds to them in the ordinary course of business.

The Company’s ability to maintain low unit costs is dependent upon the level of new sales and persistency of existing business.

The Company’s ability to maintain low unit costs is dependent upon the level of new sales and persistency (continuation or renewal) of existing business. A decrease in sales or persistency without a corresponding reduction in expenses may result in higher unit costs.

Additionally, a decrease in persistency may result in higher or more rapid amortization of deferred policy acquisition costs and thus higher unit costs, and lower reported earnings. Although many of the Company’s products contain surrender charges, the charges decrease over time and may not be sufficient to cover the unamortized deferred policy acquisition costs with respect to the insurance policy or annuity contract being surrendered. Some of the Company’s products do not contain surrender charge features and such products can be surrendered or exchanged without penalty. A decrease in persistency may also result in higher claims.

The Company’s investments are subject to market and credit risks.

The Company’s invested assets and derivative financial instruments are subject to customary risks of credit defaults and changes in market values. The value of the Company’s commercial mortgage loan portfolio depends in part on the financial condition of the tenants occupying the properties which the Company has financed. Factors that may affect the overall default rate on, and market value of, the Company’s invested assets, derivative financial instruments, and mortgage loans include interest rate levels, financial market performance, and general economic conditions as well as particular circumstances affecting the businesses of individual borrowers and tenants.

The Company may not realize its anticipated financial results from its acquisitions strategy.

The Company’s acquisitions have increased its earnings in part by allowing the Company to enter new markets and to position itself to realize certain operating efficiencies. There can be no assurance, however, that suitable acquisitions, presenting opportunities for continued growth and operating efficiencies, or capital to fund acquisitions will continue to be available to the Company, or that the Company will realize the anticipated financial results from its acquisitions.

Additionally, in connection with its acquisitions, the Company assumes or otherwise becomes responsible for the obligations of policies and other liabilities of other insurers. Any regulatory, legal, financial, or other adverse development affecting the other insurer could also have an adverse effect on the Company.

The Company is dependent on the performance of others.

The Company’s results may be affected by the performance of others because the Company has entered into various arrangements involving other parties. For example, most of the Company’s products are sold through independent distribution channels, and variable annuity deposits are invested in funds managed by third parties. Additionally, the Company’s operations are dependent on various technologies, some of which are provided and/or maintained by other parties.

Certain of these other parties may act on behalf of the Company or represent the Company in various capacities. Consequently, the Company may be held responsible for obligations that arise from the acts or omissions of these other parties.

As with all financial services companies, its ability to conduct business is dependent upon consumer confidence in the industry and its products. Actions of competitors and financial difficulties of other companies in the industry could undermine consumer confidence and adversely affect retention of existing business and future sales of the Company’s insurance and investment products.

The Company’s reinsurers could fail to meet assumed obligations, increase rates or be subject to adverse developments that could affect the Company.

The Company and its insurance subsidiaries cede material amounts of insurance and transfer related assets to other insurance companies through reinsurance. The Company may enter into third-party reinsurance arrangements under which the Company will rely on the third party to collect premiums, pay claims, and/or perform customer service functions. However, notwithstanding the transfer of related assets or other issues, the Company remains liable with respect to ceded insurance should any reinsurer fail to meet the obligations assumed by it.

 

 

The Company’s ability to compete is dependent on the availability of reinsurance or other substitute capital market solutions. Premium rates charged by the Company are based, in part, on the assumption that reinsurance will be available at a certain cost. Under certain reinsurance agreements, the reinsurer may increase the rate it charges the Company for the reinsurance. Therefore, if the cost of reinsurance were to increase or if reinsurance were to become unavailable or if alternatives to reinsurance were not available to the Company, or if a reinsurer should fail to meet its obligations, the Company could be adversely affected.

Recently, access to reinsurance has become more costly for the Company as well as the insurance industry in general. This could have a negative effect on the Company’s ability to compete. In recent years, the number of life reinsurers has decreased as the reinsurance industry has consolidated. The decreased number of participants in the life reinsurance market results in increased concentration risk for insurers, including the Company. In addition, going forward reinsurers are unwilling to continue to reinsure new sales of long-term guarantee products. If the reinsurance market further contracts, the Company’s ability to continue to offer its products on terms favorable to the Company would be adversely impacted.

Computer viruses or network security breaches could affect the data processing systems of the Company or its business partners.

A computer virus could affect the data processing systems of the Company or its business partners, destroying valuable data or making it difficult to conduct business. In addition, despite our implementation of network security measures, our servers could be subject to physical and electronic break-ins, and similar disruptions from unauthorized tampering with our computer systems.

The Company’s ability to grow depends in large part upon the continued availability of capital.

The Company has recently deployed significant amounts of capital to support its sales and acquisitions efforts. Capital has also been consumed as the Company increased its reserves on the residual value product. Although positive performance in the equity markets has recently allowed the Company to decrease its guaranteed minimum death benefit related policy liabilities and accruals, deterioration in these markets could lead to further capital consumption. Although the Company believes it has sufficient capital to fund its immediate growth and capital needs, the amount of capital available can vary significantly from period to period due to a variety of circumstances, some of which are neither predictable nor foreseeable, nor within the Company’s control. A lack of sufficient capital could impair the Company’s ability to grow.

New accounting rules or changes to existing accounting rules could negatively impact the Company.

Like all publicly traded companies, the Company is required to comply with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (GAAP). A number of organizations are instrumental in the development and interpretation of GAAP such as the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB), and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). GAAP is subject to constant review by these organizations and others in an effort to address emerging issues and otherwise improve financial reporting. In this regard, these organizations adopt new accounting rules and issue interpretive accounting guidance on a continual basis. The Company can give no assurance that future changes to GAAP will not have a negative impact on the Company.

In addition, the Company’s insurance subsidiaries are required to comply with statutory accounting principles (SAP). SAP is subject to constant review by the NAIC and its committees as well as state insurance departments in an effort to address emerging issues and otherwise improve financial reporting. The Company can give no assurance that future changes to SAP will not have a negative impact on the Company.

Forward-looking statements express expectations of future events and/or results. All forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain as they are based on various expectations and assumptions concerning future events and they are subject to numerous known and unknown risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected. Due to these inherent uncertainties, investors are urged not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. In addition, the Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements to reflect changed assumptions, the occurrence of unanticipated events, or changes to projections over time.
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