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(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
iDelaware
i62-1598430
(State
or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)
(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
i1 Fountain Square
iChattanooga,iTennessee
i37402
(Address of principal executive offices)
(Zip Code)
(i423)
i294-1011
(Registrant's telephone number, including area code)
Not Applicable
(Former name, former address and former fiscal year, if changed since last report)
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title
of each class
Trading Symbol(s)
Name of each exchange on which registered
iCommon stock, $0.10 par value
iUNM
iNew
York Stock Exchange
i6.250% Junior Subordinated Notes due 2058
iUNMA
iNew
York Stock Exchange
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. iYes [X] No [ ]
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). iYes [X] No [ ]
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,”“accelerated filer,”“smaller reporting company,” and "emerging growth company" in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
(Check one):
iLarge
Accelerated Filer
x
Accelerated filer
☐
Non-accelerated filer
¨
Smaller reporting company
i☐
Emerging
growth company
i☐
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a)
of the Exchange Act.
☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). Yes i☐ No ☒
The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the Act) provides a "safe harbor" to encourage companies to provide prospective information, as long as those statements are identified as forward-looking and are accompanied by meaningful cautionary statements identifying important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those included in the forward-looking statements. Certain information contained in this quarterly report on Form 10-Q (including certain statements in the consolidated financial statements and related notes and Management's Discussion and Analysis), or in any other written or oral statements made by us in communications with the financial community or contained in documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), may be considered forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Act. Forward-looking statements are
those not based on historical information, but rather relate to our outlook, future operations, strategies, financial results, or other developments. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date made. We undertake no obligation to update these statements, even if made available on our website or otherwise. These statements may be made directly in this document or may be made part of this document by reference to other documents filed by us with the SEC, a practice which is known as "incorporation by reference." You can find many of these statements by looking for words such as "will,""may,""should,""could,""believes,""expects,""anticipates,""estimates,""plans,""assumes,""intends,""projects,""goals,”"objectives," or similar expressions
in this document or in documents incorporated herein.
These forward-looking statements are subject to numerous assumptions, risks, and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control. We caution readers that the following factors, in addition to other factors mentioned from time to time, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements:
•The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business, financial position, results of operations, liquidity and capital resources, and overall business operations.
•Sustained periods of low interest rates.
•Fluctuation in insurance reserve liabilities and claim payments due to changes
in claim incidence, recovery rates, mortality and morbidity rates, and policy benefit offsets due to, among other factors, the rate of unemployment and consumer confidence, the emergence of new diseases, epidemics, or pandemics, new trends and developments in medical treatments, the effectiveness of our claims operational processes, and changes in governmental programs.
•Unfavorable economic or business conditions, both domestic and foreign, that may result in decreases in sales, premiums, or persistency, as well as unfavorable claims activity.
•Changes in, or interpretations or enforcement of, laws and regulations.
•A cyber attack or other security breach could result in the unauthorized acquisition of confidential data.
•The
failure of our business recovery and incident management processes to resume our business operations in the event of a natural catastrophe, cyber attack, or other event.
•Investment results, including, but not limited to, changes in interest rates, defaults, changes in credit spreads, impairments, and the lack of appropriate investments in the market which can be acquired to match our liabilities.
•Increased competition from other insurers and financial services companies due to industry consolidation, new entrants to our markets, or other factors.
•Changes in our financial strength and credit ratings.
•Our ability to develop digital capabilities or execute on our technology systems upgrades or replacements.
•Actual
experience in the broad array of our products that deviates from our assumptions used in pricing, underwriting, and reserving.
•Availability of reinsurance in the market and the ability of our reinsurers to meet their obligations to us.
•Ability to generate sufficient internal liquidity and/or obtain external financing.
•Damage to our reputation due to, among other factors, regulatory investigations, legal proceedings, external events, and/or inadequate or failed internal controls and procedures.
•Recoverability and/or realization of the carrying value of our intangible assets, long-lived assets, and deferred tax assets.
•Effectiveness
of our risk management program.
•Contingencies and the level and results of litigation.
•Ineffectiveness of our derivatives hedging programs due to changes in the economic environment, counterparty risk, ratings downgrades, capital market volatility, changes in interest rates, and/or regulation.
•Fluctuation in foreign currency exchange rates.
For further discussion of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see Part 1, Item 1A of our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020.
All
subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to us or any person acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained or referred to in this section.
Change in Net Unrealized Gain on Securities Before Adjustment (net of tax expense (benefit) of $i226.9; $i653.9;
$(i207.3); $i217.4)
i858.8
i2,507.7
(i787.2)
i841.0
Change
in Adjustment to Deferred Acquisition Costs and Reserves for Future Policy and Contract Benefits, Net of Reinsurance (net of tax expense (benefit) of $(i165.8); $(i510.6);
$i166.0; $(i129.8))
(i625.6)
(i1,939.9)
i630.9
(i493.8)
Change
in Net Gain on Hedges (net of tax benefit of $—; $i7.1; $i5.4; $i0.5)
i0.4
(i24.4)
(i20.3)
(i1.6)
Change
in Foreign Currency Translation Adjustment (net of tax expense (benefit) of $(i0.2); $i2.9;
$i1.6; $i0.8)
i9.3
(i3.0)
i16.6
(i66.6)
Change
in Unrecognized Pension and Postretirement Benefit Costs (net of tax expense of $i1.2; $i1.1;
$i2.4; $i3.0)
i4.1
i3.9
i7.9
i10.9
Total
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)
i247.0
i544.3
(i152.1)
i289.9
Comprehensive
Income
$
i429.9
$
i809.8
$
i183.8
$
i716.4
See
notes to consolidated financial statements.
5
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY (UNAUDITED)
iThe
accompanying consolidated financial statements of Unum Group and its subsidiaries (the Company) have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by GAAP for complete financial statements. For further information, refer to the consolidated financial statements and footnotes included in our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020.
In our opinion, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring accruals) considered necessary for a fair presentation
have been included. Interim results are not necessarily indicative of full year performance, particularly when considering the risks and uncertainties associated with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the impacts it may have on our financial position, results of operations, liquidity and capital resources, and overall business operations.
/
Note 2 - iAccounting
Developments
Accounting Updates Adopted in 2021:
Accounting Standards Codification (ASC)
Description
Date of Adoption
Effect on Financial
Statements
ASC 740 "Income Taxes"
The amendments in this update simplified the accounting for income taxes by removing certain exceptions in the guidance related to the following: 1. losses in continuing operations when there is income in other items, 2. foreign subsidiaries becoming equity method investments and vice versa, and 3. year-to-date interim period losses exceeding anticipated loss for the year. The amendments also simplified the accounting for income taxes related to the following: 1. franchise taxes
partially based on income, 2. step up in the tax basis of goodwill, 3. allocation of tax expense to entities not subject to tax, 4. enacted changes in tax law or rates in interim periods, and 5. employee stock ownership programs and investments in qualified affordable housing projects accounted for using the equity method.
The adoption of this update did not have a material effect on our financial position or results of operations.
Summary
of Financial Statement Impacts of Accounting Updates Adopted in 2020:
Effective
January 1, 2020, we adopted an update under ASC 326 "Financial Instruments - Credit Losses" that amended the guidance on the impairment of financial instruments. The update added an impairment model known as the current expected credit loss model that is based on expected losses rather than incurred losses and will generally result in earlier recognition of allowances for losses. The current expected credit loss model applies to financial instruments such as mortgage loans, fixed maturity securities classified as held-to-maturity, and certain receivables. The update also modified the other-than-temporary impairment model used for available-for-sale fixed maturity securities such that credit losses are recognized as an allowance rather than as a reduction in the amortized cost of the security. The reversal of previously recognized credit losses on available-for-sale fixed maturity securities is allowed under
specified circumstances. The guidance was applied using a modified retrospective approach through a cumulative-effect reduction to retained earnings of $i18.9 million as of the beginning of the period of adoption. For available-for-sale fixed maturity securities, the update was applied prospectively. Other-than-temporary impairment losses recognized on available-for-sale fixed maturity securities prior to adoption of the update cannot be reversed.
See Note 4 for discussion
on the allowance for current expected credit losses on our commercial mortgage loans and the allowance for credit losses on our available-for-sale fixed maturity securities. See Note 12 for discussion on the allowance for expected credit losses on our premiums receivable balances.
8
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED) - Continued
The amendments in this update provide optional guidance, for a limited period of time, to ease the potential burden in accounting for and recognizing the effects of reference rate reform on financial reporting. The guidance allows for various practical expedients and exceptions when applying GAAP to contracts, hedging relationships, and other transactions affected either by discontinued rates as a direct result of reference rate reform or a market-wide change in interest rates used for discounting, margining or contract price alignment, if certain criteria are met. Specifically, the guidance provides certain practical expedients for contract
modifications, fair value hedges, and cash flow hedges, and also provides certain exceptions related to changes in the critical terms of a hedging relationship. The guidance also allows for a one-time election to sell or transfer debt securities that were both classified as held-to-maturity prior to January 1, 2020 and reference a rate affected by the reform.
Adoption is permitted as of the beginning of the interim period that includes March 12, 2020 (the issuance date of the update), or any date thereafter, through December 31, 2022, at which point the guidance will sunset.
We do not anticipate needing to adopt this guidance, but we will continue to monitor our
contracts and hedging relationships throughout the adoption period.
ASC 944 "Financial Services - Insurance"
This update significantly amends the accounting and disclosure requirements for long-duration insurance contracts. These changes include a requirement to review, and if necessary, update cash flow assumptions used to measure the liability for future policy benefits for traditional and limited-payment contracts
at least annually, with changes recognized in earnings. In addition, an entity will be required to update the discount rate assumption at each reporting date using a yield that is reflective of an upper-medium grade fixed-income instrument, with changes recognized in other comprehensive income. These changes result in the elimination of the provision for risk of adverse deviation and premium deficiency (or loss recognition) testing. The update also requires that an entity measure all market risk benefits associated with deposit contracts at fair value, with changes recognized in earnings except for the portion attributable to a change in the instrument-specific credit risk, which is to be recognized in other comprehensive income. This update also simplifies the amortization of deferred acquisition costs by requiring amortization on a constant level basis over the expected term
of the related contracts. Deferred acquisition costs are required to be written off for unexpected contract terminations but are no longer subject to an impairment test. Significant additional disclosures will also be required, which include disaggregated rollforwards of certain liability balances and the disclosure of qualitative and quantitative information about expected cash flows, estimates, and assumptions. The application of this guidance will vary based upon the specific requirements of the update but will generally result in either a modified retrospective or full retrospective approach with changes applied as of the beginning of the earliest period presented. Early adoption is permitted.
We are currently evaluating the impact of the update and expect that the adoption will have a material impact on our financial position and results of operations and will significantly expand our disclosures. We do not have products with market risk benefits. We will adopt this update using the modified retrospective approach and do not expect to early-adopt this update.
9
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED) - Continued
Fair Value Measurements for Financial Instruments Carried at Fair Value
We report fixed maturity securities, which are classified as available-for-sale securities, derivative financial
instruments, and unrestricted equity securities at fair value in our consolidated balance sheets. We report our investments in private equity partnerships at our share of the partnerships' net asset value per share or its equivalent (NAV) as a practical expedient for fair value.
The degree of judgment utilized in measuring the fair value of financial instruments generally correlates to the level of pricing observability. Financial instruments with readily available active quoted prices or for which fair value can be measured from actively quoted prices in active markets generally have more pricing observability and less judgment utilized in measuring fair value. An active market for a financial instrument is a market in which transactions for an asset or a similar asset occur with sufficient frequency and volume to provide pricing information on an ongoing basis. A quoted price in an active market provides
the most reliable evidence of fair value and should be used to measure fair value whenever available. Conversely, financial instruments rarely traded or not quoted have less observability and are measured at fair value using valuation techniques that require more judgment. Pricing observability is generally impacted by a number of factors, including the type of financial instrument, whether the financial instrument is new to the market and not yet established, the characteristics specific to the transaction, and overall market conditions.
We classify financial instruments in accordance with a fair value hierarchy consisting of three levels based on the observability of valuation inputs:
•Level 1 - the highest category of the fair value hierarchy classification wherein inputs are unadjusted and represent quoted
prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities at the measurement date.
•Level 2 - valued using inputs (other than prices included in Level 1) that are either directly or indirectly observable for the asset or liability through correlation with market data at the measurement date and for the duration of the instrument's anticipated life.
•Level 3 - the lowest category of the fair value hierarchy and reflects the judgment of management regarding what market participants would use in pricing assets or liabilities at the measurement date. Financial assets and liabilities categorized as Level 3 are generally those that are valued using unobservable inputs to extrapolate an estimated fair value.
Valuation
Methodologies of Financial Instruments Measured at Fair Value
Valuation techniques used for assets and liabilities accounted for at fair value are generally categorized into three types. The market approach uses prices and other relevant information from market transactions involving identical or comparable assets or liabilities. The income approach converts future amounts, such as cash flows or earnings, to a single present amount, or a discounted amount. The cost approach is based upon the amount that currently would be required to replace the service capacity of an asset, or the current replacement cost.
We use valuation techniques that are appropriate in the circumstances and for which sufficient data are available that can be obtained without undue cost and effort. In some cases, a single valuation technique will be appropriate (for example,
when valuing an asset or liability using quoted prices in an active market for identical assets or liabilities). In other cases, multiple valuation techniques will be appropriate. If we use multiple valuation techniques to measure fair value, we evaluate and weigh the results, as appropriate, considering the reasonableness of the range indicated by those results. A fair value measurement is the point within that range that is most representative of fair value in the circumstances.
The selection of the valuation method(s) to apply considers the definition of an exit price and depends on the nature of the asset or liability being valued. For assets and liabilities accounted for at fair value, we generally use valuation techniques consistent with the market approach, and to a lesser extent, the income approach. We believe the market approach provides more observable data than the income approach, considering
the type of investments we hold. Our fair value measurements could differ significantly based on the valuation technique and available inputs. When using a pricing service, we obtain the vendor's pricing documentation to ensure we understand their methodologies. We periodically review and approve the selection of our
10
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED) - Continued
Note 3 - Fair Values of Financial Instruments - Continued
pricing
vendors to ensure we are in agreement with their current methodologies. When markets are less active, brokers may rely more on models with inputs based on the information available only to the broker. Our internal investment management professionals, which include portfolio managers and analysts, monitor securities priced by brokers and evaluate their prices for reasonableness based on benchmarking to available primary and secondary market information. In weighing a broker quote as an input to fair value, we place less reliance on quotes that do not reflect the result of market transactions. We also consider the nature of the quote, particularly whether it is a bid or market quote. If prices in an inactive market do not reflect current prices for the same or similar assets, adjustments may be necessary to arrive at fair value. When relevant market data is unavailable, which may be the case during periods of market uncertainty, the income approach can, in suitable
circumstances, provide a more appropriate fair value. During 2021, we have applied valuation approaches and techniques on a consistent basis to similar assets and liabilities and consistent with those approaches and techniques used at year end 2020.
Fixed Maturity and Equity Securities
We use observable and unobservable inputs in measuring the fair value of our fixed maturity and equity securities. For securities categorized as Level 1, fair values equal active Trade Reporting and Compliance Engine (TRACE) pricing or unadjusted broker market maker prices. For securities categorized as Level 2 or Level 3, inputs that may be used in valuing each class of securities at any given time period are disclosed below. Actual inputs used to determine fair values will vary for each reporting period depending on the availability of inputs which may, at
times, be affected by the lack of market liquidity.
Level 2
Level 3
Instrument
Observable Inputs
Unobservable Inputs
United
States Government and Government Agencies and Authorities
Valuation Method
Principally the market approach
Not applicable
Valuation Techniques / Inputs
Prices obtained from external pricing services
States,
Municipalities, and Political Subdivisions
Valuation Method
Principally the market approach
Principally the market approach
Valuation Techniques / Inputs
Prices obtained from external pricing services
Analysis of
similar bonds, adjusted for comparability
Relevant reports issued by analysts and rating agencies
Audited financial statements
Foreign Governments
Valuation
Method
Principally the market approach
Principally the market approach
Valuation Techniques / Inputs
Prices obtained from external pricing services
Analysis of similar bonds, adjusted for comparability
Non-binding
broker quotes
Call provisions
Public Utilities
Valuation Method
Principally the market and income approaches
Principally
the market and income approaches
Valuation Techniques / Inputs
Prices obtained from external pricing services
Change in benchmark reference
11
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED) - Continued
Note 3 - Fair Values of Financial Instruments - Continued
Level
2
Level 3
Instrument
Observable Inputs
Unobservable Inputs
All Other Corporate Bonds - Continued
Public covenants
Comparative
bond analysis
Relevant reports issued by analysts and rating agencies
Audited financial statements
Redeemable Preferred Stocks
Valuation
Method
Principally the market approach
Principally the market approach
Valuation Techniques / Inputs
Non-binding broker quotes
Financial statement analysis
Benchmark yields
Comparative
bond analysis
Call provisions
Relevant reports issued by analysts and rating agencies
Audited financial statements
Perpetual
Preferred and Equity Securities
Valuation Method
Principally the market approach
Principally the market and income approaches
Valuation Techniques / Inputs
Prices obtained from external pricing services
Financial
statement analysis
Non-binding broker quotes
The management of our investment portfolio includes establishing pricing policy and reviewing the reasonableness of sources and inputs used in developing pricing. We review all prices that vary between multiple pricing vendors by a threshold that is outside a normal market range for the asset type. In the event we receive a vendor's market price that does not appear reasonable based on our market analysis, we may challenge the price and request further information about the assumptions and methodologies used by the vendor to price the security. We may change the vendor price based on a better data source such as an actual trade. We also
review all prices that did not change from the prior month to ensure that these prices are within our expectations. The overall valuation process for determining fair values may include adjustments to valuations obtained from our pricing sources when they do not represent a valid exit price. These adjustments may be made when, in our judgment and considering our knowledge of the financial conditions and industry in which the issuer operates, certain features of the financial instrument require that an adjustment be made to the value originally obtained from our pricing sources. These features may include the complexity of the financial instrument, the market in which the financial instrument is traded, counterparty credit risk, credit structure, concentration, or liquidity. Additionally, an adjustment to the price derived from a model typically reflects our judgment of the inputs that other participants in the market for the financial instrument being measured at
fair value would consider in pricing that same financial instrument. In the event an asset is sold, we test the validity of the fair value determined by our valuation techniques by comparing the selling price to the fair value determined for the asset in the immediately preceding month end reporting period.
Certain of our investments do not have readily determinable market prices and/or observable inputs or may at times be affected by the lack of market liquidity. For these securities, we use internally prepared valuations, including valuations based on estimates of future profitability, to estimate the fair value. Additionally, we may obtain prices from independent third-party brokers to aid in establishing valuations for certain of these securities. Key assumptions used by us to determine fair value for
13
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED) - Continued
Note 3 - Fair Values of Financial Instruments - Continued
these securities include risk free interest rates, risk premiums, performance of underlying collateral (if any), and other factors involving significant assumptions which may or may not reflect those of an active market.
The parameters and inputs used to validate a price on a security may be adjusted for assumptions about risk and current market conditions on a quarter to quarter basis, as certain features may be more significant drivers of valuation
at the time of pricing. Changes to inputs in valuations are not changes to valuation methodologies; rather, the inputs are modified to reflect direct or indirect impacts on asset classes from changes in market conditions.
At June 30, 2021, approximately i25.3 percent of our fixed maturity securities were valued using active trades from TRACE pricing or broker market maker prices for which there was current market activity in that specific security (comparable
to receiving one binding quote). The prices obtained were not adjusted, and the assets were classified as Level 1.
The remaining i74.7 percent of our fixed maturity securities were valued based on non-binding quotes or other observable and unobservable inputs, as discussed below:
•i58.9
percent of our fixed maturity securities were valued based on prices from pricing services that generally use observable inputs such as prices for securities or comparable securities in active markets in their valuation techniques. These assets were classified as Level 2.
•i10.9 percent of our fixed maturity securities were valued based on one or more non-binding broker quotes, if validated by observable market data. When only one price is available, it is used if
observable inputs and analysis confirms that it is appropriate. These assets, for which we were able to validate the price using other observable market data, were classified as Level 2.
•i4.9 percent of our fixed maturity securities were valued based on prices of comparable securities, internal models, or pricing services or other non-binding quotes with no other observable market data. These assets were classified as either Level 2 or Level 3, with the
categorization dependent on whether there was other observable market data.
Derivatives
Fair values for derivatives other than embedded derivatives in modified coinsurance arrangements are based on market quotes or pricing models and represent the net amount of cash we would have paid or received if the contracts had been settled or closed as of the last day of the period. We analyze credit default swap spreads relative to the average credit spread embedded within the LIBOR-setting syndicate in determining the effect of credit risk on our derivatives' fair values. If net counterparty credit risk for a derivative asset is determined to be material and is not adequately reflected in the LIBOR-based fair value obtained from our pricing sources, we adjust the
valuations obtained from our pricing sources. For purposes of valuing net counterparty risk, we measure the fair value of a group of financial assets and financial liabilities on the basis of the price that would be received to sell a net long position or transfer a net short position for a particular risk exposure in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date under current market conditions. In regard to our own credit risk component, we adjust the valuation of derivative liabilities wherein the counterparty is exposed to our credit risk when the LIBOR-based valuation of our derivatives obtained from pricing sources does not effectively include an adequate credit component for our own credit risk.
Fair values for our embedded derivative in a modified coinsurance arrangement are estimated using internal pricing models and represent the hypothetical value of the duration mismatch
of assets and liabilities, interest rate risk, and third party credit risk embedded in the modified coinsurance arrangement.
We consider transactions in inactive markets to be less representative of fair value. We use all available observable inputs when measuring fair value, but when significant unobservable inputs are used, we classify these assets or liabilities as Level 3.
14
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED) - Continued
Note 3 - Fair Values of Financial Instruments - Continued
Private Equity Partnerships
Our private equity partnerships represent funds that are primarily invested in private credit, private equity, and real assets, as described below. Distributions received from the funds arise from income generated by the underlying investments as well as the liquidation of the underlying investments. There is generally not a public market for these investments.
i
The
following tables present additional information about our private equity partnerships, including commitments for additional investments which may or may not be funded:
Initial
2 year lock on each new investment / Quarterly after 2 year lock with 90 days notice
i1.3
Total Private Credit
i273.7
i180.2
Private
Equity
(b)
i232.6
Not redeemable
i191.0
i9.2
Initial
5.5 year lock on each new investment / Quarterly after 5.5 year lock with 90 days notice
i34.3
Total Private Equity
241.8
225.3
Real
Assets
(c)
i176.3
Not redeemable
i185.2
i55.7
Quarterly
/ 90 days notice
i—
Total Real Assets
i232.0
i185.2
Total
Partnerships
$
i747.5
$
i590.7
(a)Private
Credit - The limited partnerships described in this category employ various investment strategies, generally providing direct lending or other forms of debt financing including first-lien, second-lien, mezzanine, and subordinated loans. The limited partnerships have credit exposure to corporates, physical assets, and/or financial assets within a variety of industries (including manufacturing, healthcare, energy, business services, technology, materials, and retail) in North America and, to a lesser extent, outside of North America. As of June 30, 2021, the estimated remaining life of the investments that do not allow for redemptions is approximately 39 percent in the next 3 years, 45 percent during the period from 3 to 5 years, 14 percent during the period from 5 to 10 years, and 2 percent during the period from 10 to 15 years.
(b)Private
Equity - The limited partnerships described in this category employ various strategies generally investing in controlling or minority control equity positions directly in companies and/or assets across various industries (including manufacturing, healthcare, energy, business services, technology, materials, and retail), primarily in private markets within North America and, to a lesser extent, outside of North America. As of June 30, 2021, the estimated remaining life of the investments that do not allow for redemptions is approximately 16 percent in the next 3 years, 35 percent during the period from 3 to 5 years, 48 percent during the period from 5 to 10 years, and 1 percent during the period from 10 to 15 years.
(c)Real Assets - The limited partnerships described
in this category employ various strategies, which include investing in the equity and/or debt financing of physical assets, including infrastructure (energy, power, water/wastewater, communications), transportation (including airports, ports, toll roads, aircraft, railcars) and real estate in North America, Europe, South America, and Asia. As of June 30, 2021, the estimated remaining life of the investments that do not allow for redemptions is approximately 11 percent in the next 3 years, 35 percent during period from 3 to 5 years and 54 percent during the period from 5 to 10 years.
We record changes in our share of net asset value of the partnerships in net investment income. We receive financial information related to our investments in partnerships and generally record investment income on a one-quarter lag in
16
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED) - Continued
Note 3 - Fair Values of Financial Instruments - Continued
accordance with our accounting policy.
i
The
following tables present information about financial instruments measured at fair value on a recurring basis by fair value level, based on the observability of the inputs used:
Total Realized and Unrealized Investment Gains (Losses) in
Level 3 Transfers
Fair Value End of Period
Change in Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Securities Held at the End of Period included in
Earnings
OCI1
Purchases
Sales
Into
Out
of
OCI
Earnings
(in millions of dollars)
Fixed Maturity Securities
States,
Municipalities, and Political Subdivisions
$
i41.8
$
i—
$
i0.4
$
i—
$
i—
$
i—
$
(i28.4)
$
i13.8
$
(i1.7)
$
i—
Foreign
Governments
i21.8
i—
i0.2
i—
i—
i—
i—
i22.0
i0.2
i—
Public
Utilities
i14.6
i—
i2.2
i—
i—
i292.4
i—
i309.2
i40.1
i—
Mortgage/Asset-Backed
Securities
i34.1
i—
(i4.0)
i—
i—
i144.4
(i0.2)
i174.3
i10.5
i—
All
Other Corporate Bonds
i600.5
i—
i1.7
i6.0
(i29.1)
i177.8
(i210.4)
i546.5
i33.9
i—
Total
Fixed Maturity Securities
i712.8
i—
i0.5
i6.0
(i29.1)
i614.6
(i239.0)
i1,065.8
i83.0
i—
Perpetual
Preferred Equity Securities
i4.6
(i0.1)
i—
i—
i—
i—
i—
i4.5
i—
(i0.1)
Embedded
Derivative in Modified Coinsurance Arrangement
(i22.8)
(i45.0)
i—
i—
i—
i—
i—
(i67.8)
i—
(i45.0)
1
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)
Realized and unrealized investment gains and losses presented in the preceding tables represent gains and losses only for the time during which the applicable financial instruments were classified as Level 3. The transfers between levels resulted primarily from a change in observability of three inputs used to determine fair values of the securities transferred: (1) transactional data for new issuance and secondary trades, (2) broker/dealer quotes and pricing, primarily related to changes in the level of activity in the market and whether the market was considered orderly, and (3) comparable bond metrics from which to perform an analysis. For fair value measurements of financial instruments that were transferred either into or out of Level 3, we reflect the transfers using the fair value at the beginning of the period. We believe this allows for greater
transparency, as all changes in fair value that arise during the reporting period of the transfer are disclosed as a component of our Level 3 reconciliation.
22
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED) - Continued
Note 3 - Fair Values of Financial Instruments - Continued
i
The
table below provides quantitative information regarding the significant unobservable inputs used in Level 3 fair value measurements derived from internal models. Unobservable inputs for fixed maturity securities are weighted by the fair value of the securities. Certain securities classified as Level 3 are excluded from the table below due to limitations in our ability to obtain the underlying inputs used by external pricing sources.
Embedded Derivative in Modified Coinsurance Arrangement
(i39.8)
Discounted
Cash Flows
Projected Liability Cash Flows Weighted Spread of Swap Curve
Weighted Spread of Swap Curve
(d)
Actuarial Assumptions
i1.0%
(a)Represents basis point adjustments
to apply a discount due to the illiquidity of an investment
(b)Represents basis point adjustments for credit-specific factors
(c)Represents a decision to price based on par value, cost, or owner's equity when limited data is available
(d)Represents various actuarial assumptions required to derive the liability cash flows. Fair value of embedded derivative is most often driven by the change in the weighted average credit spread to the swap curve for the assets backing the hypothetical loan.
/
Isolated
increases in unobservable inputs other than market convention will result in a lower fair value measurement, whereas isolated decreases will result in a higher fair value measurement. The unobservable input for market convention is not sensitive to input movements. The projected liability cash flows used in the fair value measurement of our Level 3 embedded derivative are based on expected claim payments. If claim payments increase, the projected liability cash flows will increase, resulting in a decrease in the fair value of the embedded derivative. Decreases in projected liability cash flows will result in an increase in the fair value of the embedded derivative.
23
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED) - Continued
Note 3 - Fair Values of Financial Instruments - Continued
Fair Value Measurements for Financial Instruments Not Carried at Fair Value
The methods and assumptions used to estimate fair values of financial instruments not carried at fair value are discussed as follows:
Mortgage Loans: Fair value of newly originated, seasoned performing, or sub-performing but likely to continue cash flowing loans are calculated using a discounted cash flow analysis. Loans’ cash flows are modeled and appropriately discounted by a rate based on
current yields and credit spreads. For sub and non-performing loans where there is some probability the loan will not continue to pay, a price based approach would be used to estimate the loan’s value in the open market utilizing current transaction information from similar loans.
Policy Loans: Fair values for policy loans, net of reinsurance ceded, are estimated using discounted cash flow analyses and interest rates currently being offered to policyholders with similar policies. Carrying amounts for ceded policy loans, which equal $i3,317.4
million and $i3,390.6 million as of June 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020, respectively, approximate fair value and are reported on a gross basis in our consolidated balance sheets. A change in interest rates for ceded policy loans will not impact our financial position because the benefits and risks are fully ceded to reinsuring counterparties.
Miscellaneous Long-term Investments: Carrying amounts
for tax credit partnerships equal the unamortized balance of our contractual commitments and approximate fair value. Our shares of FHLB common stock are carried at cost, which approximates fair value.
Long-term Debt: Fair values for long-term debt are obtained from independent pricing services or discounted cash flow analyses based on current incremental borrowing rates for similar types of borrowing arrangements.
Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB) Funding Agreements: Funding agreements with the FHLB represent cash advances used for the purpose of investing in fixed maturity securities. Carrying amounts approximate fair value.
Unfunded Commitments to Investment Partnerships: Unfunded equity commitments represent amounts
that we have committed to fund certain investment partnerships. These commitments are legally binding, subject to the partnerships meeting specified conditions. Carrying amounts of these financial instruments approximate fair value.
24
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED) - Continued
Note 3 - Fair Values of Financial Instruments - Continued
i
The
following table presents the carrying amounts and estimated fair values of our financial instruments not measured at fair value and indicates the level in the fair value hierarchy of the estimated fair value measurement based on the observability of the inputs used:
Total
Financial Instrument Assets Not Carried at Fair Value
$
i—
$
i2,670.0
$
i3,880.1
$
i6,550.1
$
i6,173.5
Liabilities
Long-term
Debt
$
i2,393.1
$
i1,494.3
$
i—
$
i3,887.4
$
i3,345.7
Payable
for Collateral on Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB) Funding Agreements
i—
i312.2
i—
i312.2
i312.2
Other
Liabilities
Unfunded Commitments
i—
i0.9
i—
i0.9
i0.9
Total
Financial Instrument Liabilities Not Carried at Fair Value
$
i2,393.1
$
i1,807.4
$
i—
$
i4,200.5
$
i3,658.8
The
carrying values of financial instruments such as short-term investments, cash and bank deposits, accounts and premiums receivable, accrued investment income, securities lending agreements, and short-term debt approximate fair value due to the short-term nature of the instruments. As such, these financial instruments are not included in the above chart.
Fair values for insurance contracts other than investment contracts are not required to be disclosed. However, the fair values of liabilities under all insurance contracts are taken into consideration in our overall management of interest rate risk, which seeks to minimize exposure to changing
interest rates through the matching of investment maturities with amounts due under insurance contracts.
26
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED) - Continued
At June 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020, all fixed maturity securities were classified as available-for-sale. The amortized cost and fair values of securities by security type are shown as follows:
States,
Municipalities, and Political Subdivisions
$
i133.4
$
i1.5
$
i0.1
$
i—
Foreign
Governments
i20.3
i1.2
i—
i—
Public
Utilities
i76.3
i3.7
i25.4
i2.3
Mortgage/Asset-Backed
Securities
i3.0
i0.1
i3.1
i0.1
All
Other Corporate Bonds
i520.4
i22.4
i113.5
i24.5
Redeemable
Preferred Stocks
i9.5
i0.1
i—
i—
Total
Fixed Maturity Securities
$
i762.9
$
i29.0
$
i142.1
$
i26.9
/
i
The
following is a distribution of the maturity dates for fixed maturity securities. The maturity dates have not been adjusted for possible calls or prepayments.
The
following chart depicts an analysis of our fixed maturity security portfolio between investment-grade and below-investment-grade categories as of June 30, 2021:
Gross Unrealized Loss
Fair
Value
Gross Unrealized Gain
Amount
Percent of Total Gross Unrealized Loss
(in millions of dollars)
Investment-Grade
$
i40,361.3
$
i6,376.7
$
i44.5
i74.0
%
Below-Investment-Grade
i3,152.5
i286.5
i15.6
i26.0
%
Total
Fixed Maturity Securities
$
i43,513.8
$
i6,663.2
$
i60.1
i100.0
%
/
The
unrealized losses on investment-grade fixed maturity securities principally relate to changes in interest rates or changes in market or sector credit spreads which occurred subsequent to the acquisition of the securities. Below-investment-grade fixed maturity securities are generally more likely to develop credit concerns than investment-grade securities. At June 30, 2021, the unrealized losses in our below-investment-grade fixed maturity securities were generally due to credit spreads in certain industries or sectors and, to a lesser extent, credit concerns related to specific securities. For each specific security in an unrealized loss position, we believe that there are positive factors which mitigate credit concerns and that the securities for which we have not recorded a credit loss will recover in value. We have the ability and intent to continue to hold these securities to recovery of amortized cost and believe
that no credit losses have occurred.
As of June 30, 2021, we held i131 individual investment-grade fixed maturity securities and i15
individual below-investment-grade fixed maturity securities that were in an unrealized loss position, of which i6 investment-grade fixed maturity securities and i8
below-investment-grade fixed maturity securities had been in an unrealized loss position continuously for over one year.
In determining when a decline in fair value below amortized cost of a fixed maturity security represents a credit loss, we evaluate the following factors:
•Whether we expect to recover the entire amortized cost basis of the security
•Whether we intend to sell the security or will be required to sell the security before the recovery of its amortized cost basis
•Whether the security is current as to principal and interest payments
•The significance of the decline in value
•Current
and future business prospects and trends of earnings
•The valuation of the security's underlying collateral
•Relevant industry conditions and trends relative to their historical cycles
•Market conditions
29
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED) - Continued
•Bid and offering prices and the level of trading activity
•Adverse changes in estimated cash flows for securitized investments
•Changes in fair value subsequent to the balance sheet date
•Any other key measures for the related security
While determining whether a credit loss exists is a judgmental area, we utilize a formal, well-defined, and disciplined process to monitor and evaluate our fixed income investment portfolio, supported by issuer specific research and documentation as of the
end of each period. The process results in a thorough evaluation of problem investments and the recording of credit losses on a timely basis for investments determined to have a credit loss. We calculate the allowance for credit losses of fixed maturity securities based on the present value of our best estimate of cash flows expected to be collected, discounted using the effective interest rate implicit in the security at the date of acquisition. When estimating future cash flows, we analyze the strength of the issuer’s balance sheet, its debt obligations and near-term funding arrangements, cash flow and liquidity, the profitability of its core businesses, the availability of marketable assets which could be sold to increase liquidity, its industry fundamentals and regulatory environment, and its access to capital markets.
i
The
following tables present a rollforward of the allowance for credit losses on available-for-sale fixed maturity securities, all of which are classified as "all other corporate bonds" in the preceding tables:
Three Months Ended June 30
2021
2020
(in millions of dollars)
Balance,
beginning of period
$
i7.3
$
i48.0
Credit
losses on securities for which credit losses were not previously recorded
i—
i7.6
Change
in allowance due to change in intent to hold securities to maturity
i—
(i20.8)
Change
in allowance on securities with allowance recorded in previous period
i—
(i5.0)
Change
in allowance on securities sold during the period
(i7.3)
i—
Balance,
end of period
$
i—
$
i29.8
Six
Months Ended June 30
2021
2020
(in millions of dollars)
Balance, beginning of period
$
i6.8
$
i—
Credit
losses on securities for which credit losses were not previously recorded
i—
i55.6
Change
in allowance due to change in intent to hold securities to maturity
i—
(i20.8)
Change
in allowance on securities with allowance recorded in previous period
i0.5
(i5.0)
Change
in allowance on securities sold during the period
(i7.3)
i—
Balance,
end of period
$
i—
$
i29.8
/
At
June 30, 2021, we had commitments of $i148.6 million to fund private placement fixed maturity securities, the amount of which may or may not be funded.
Variable Interest Entities
We invest in variable interests issued by variable interest entities. These investments include tax credit partnerships, private equity partnerships, and special purpose
entities. For those variable interests that are not consolidated in our financial statements, we are not the primary beneficiary because we have neither the power to direct the activities that are most significant to economic performance nor the responsibility to absorb a majority of the expected losses. The determination of whether we are the primary beneficiary is performed at the time of our initial investment and at the date of each subsequent reporting period.
30
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED) - Continued
As of June 30, 2021, the carrying amount of our variable interest entity investments that are not consolidated in our financial statements was $i877.6 million, comprised of $i19.4
million of tax credit partnerships and $i858.2 million of private equity partnerships. At December 31, 2020, the carrying amount of our variable interest entity investments that are not consolidated in our financial statements was $i776.8
million, comprised of $i29.3 million of tax credit partnerships and $i747.5 million of private equity partnerships. These variable interest entity investments are reported as other long-term investments
in our consolidated balance sheets.
i
The Company invests in tax credit partnerships primarily for the receipt of income tax credits and tax benefits derived from passive losses on the investments. Amounts recognized in the consolidated statements of income are as follows:
Three
Months Ended June 30
Six Months Ended June 30
2021
2020
2021
2020
(in millions of dollars)
Income Tax Credits
$
i5.4
$
i8.3
$
i10.8
$
i16.6
Amortization,
Net of Tax
(i3.7)
(i5.5)
(i7.4)
(i11.0)
Income
Tax Benefit
$
i1.7
$
i2.8
$
i3.4
$
i5.6
/
Contractually,
we are a limited partner in these tax credit partnerships, and our maximum exposure to loss is limited to the carrying value of our investment, which includes $i0.7 million of unfunded unconditional commitments at June 30, 2021. See Note 3 for commitments to fund private equity partnerships.
Mortgage Loans
Our mortgage loan portfolio is well diversified
by both geographic region and property type to reduce risk of concentration. All of our mortgage loans are collateralized by commercial real estate. When issuing a new loan, our general policy is not to exceed a loan-to-value ratio, or the ratio of the loan balance to the estimated fair value of the underlying collateral, of 75 percent. We update the loan-to-value ratios at least every three years for each loan, and properties undergo a general inspection at least every two years. Our general policy for newly issued loans is to have a debt service coverage ratio greater than 1.25 times on a normalized 25 year amortization period. We update our debt service coverage ratios annually.
We carry our mortgage loans at amortized cost less the allowance for expected credit losses. The amortized cost of our mortgage loans was $i2,398.5
million and $i2,445.2 million at June 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020, respectively. The allowance for expected credit losses was $i11.4
million and $i13.1 million at June 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020, respectively. Interest income is accrued on the principal amount of the loan based on the loan's contractual interest rate. We report accrued interest income for our mortgage loans as accrued investment income on our consolidated balance sheets, and the amount of the accrued income was $i7.8
million and $i8.0 million at June 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020, respectively.
31
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED) - Continued
The
risk in our mortgage loan portfolio is primarily related to vacancy rates. Events or developments, such as economic conditions that impact the ability of the borrowers to ensure occupancy of the property, may have a negative effect on our mortgage loan portfolio, particularly to the extent that our portfolio is concentrated in an affected region or property type. An increase in vacancies increases the probability of default, which would negatively affect our expected losses in our mortgage loan portfolio.
We evaluate each of our mortgage loans individually for impairment and assign an internal credit quality rating based on a comprehensive rating system used to evaluate the credit risk of the loan. The factors we use to derive our internal credit ratings may include the following:
•Loan-to-value ratio
•Debt
service coverage ratio based on current operating income
•Property location, including regional economics, trends and demographics
•Age, condition, and construction quality of property
•Current and historical occupancy of property
•Lease terms relative to market
•Tenant size and financial strength
•Borrower's financial strength
•Borrower's equity in transaction
•Additional collateral, if any
Although
all available and applicable factors are considered in our analysis, loan-to-value and debt service coverage ratios are the most critical factors in determining whether we will initially issue the loan and also in assigning values and determining impairment. We assign an overall rating to each loan using an internal rating scale of AA (highest quality) to B (lowest
32
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED) - Continued
quality). We review and adjust, as needed, our internal credit quality ratings on an annual basis. This review process is performed more frequently for mortgage loans deemed to have a higher risk of delinquency.
We estimate an allowance for credit losses that we expect to incur over the life of our mortgage loans using a probability of default method. For each loan, we estimate the probability that the loan will default before its maturity (probability of default) and the amount of the loss if the loan defaults (loss given default). These two factors result in an expected loss percentage that is applied to the amortized cost of each loan to determine the expected credit loss. As we are the original underwriter of the mortgage loans, the amortized cost generally equals the principal amount of the loan. We measure losses on defaults of our mortgage loans
as the excess amortized cost of the mortgage loan over the fair value of the underlying collateral in the event that we foreclose on the loan or over the expected future cash flows of the loan if we retain the mortgage loan until payoff. We do not purchase mortgage loans with existing credit impairments.
In estimating the probability of default, we consider historical experience, current market conditions, and reasonable and supportable forecasts about the future market conditions. We utilize our historical loan experience in combination with a large third-party industry database for a period of time that aligns with the average life of our loans based on the maturity dates of the loans and prepayment experience. Our model utilizes an industry database of the historical loss experience based on our actual portfolio characteristics such as loan-to-value, debt service coverage, collateral type, geography,
and late payment history. In addition, because we actively manage our portfolio, we may extend the term of a loan in certain situations and will accordingly extend the maturity date in the estimate of probability of default. In estimating the loss given default, we primarily consider the type and value of collateral and secondarily the expected liquidation costs and time to recovery.
The primary market factors that we consider in our forecast of future market conditions are gross domestic product, unemployment rates, interest rates, inflation, commercial real estate values, household formation, and retail sales. We also forecast certain loan specific factors such as growth in the fair value and net operating income of collateral by property type. We include our estimate of these factors over a two-year period and for the remainder of the loans’ estimated lives, adjusted for estimated prepayments. Past
the two-year forecast period, we revert to the historical assumptions ratably by the end of the fifth year of the loan after which we utilize only historical assumptions.
We utilize various scenarios to estimate our allowance for expected losses ranging from a base case scenario that reflects normal market conditions to a severe case scenario that reflects adverse market conditions. We will adjust our allowance each period to utilize the scenario or weighting of the scenarios that best reflects our view of current market conditions.
33
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED) - Continued
The decrease in our estimate of expected losses during the first quarter of 2021 is primarily due to improved economic conditions and recovery from COVID-19, specifically as it relates to underlying commercial real estate values. There was no material change in our estimate of expected losses during the second quarter of 2021.
There were iiiino///
troubled debt restructurings during the three and six months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020. At June 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020, we held iino/
mortgage loans that were greater than 90 days past due regarding principal and/or interest payments.
We had iiiino///
loan foreclosures for the three and six months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020.
We did not hold any impaired mortgage loans during three and six months ended June 30, 2021, or 2020, nor did we recognize any interest income on mortgage loans subsequent to impairment.
At June 30, 2021, we had commitments of $i58.5
million to fund certain commercial mortgage loans. Consistent with how we determine the estimate of current expected credit losses for our funded mortgage loans each period, we estimate expected credit losses for loans that have not been funded but we are committed to fund at the end of each period. At June 30, 2021, and December 31, 2020, we had $i0.2 million and $i0.1
million, respectively of expected credit losses related to unfunded commitments on our consolidated balance sheets.
Transfers of Financial Assets
To manage our cash position more efficiently, we may enter into repurchase agreements with unaffiliated financial institutions. We generally use repurchase agreements as a means to finance the purchase of invested assets or for short-term general business purposes until projected cash flows become available from our operations or existing investments. Our repurchase agreements are typically outstanding for less than i30
days. We post collateral through our repurchase agreement transactions whereby the counterparty commits to purchase securities with the agreement to resell them to us at a later, specified date. The fair value of collateral posted is generally i102 percent of the cash received.
Our investment policy also permits us to lend fixed maturity securities to unaffiliated
financial institutions in short-term securities lending agreements. These agreements increase our investment income with minimal risk. Our securities lending policy requires that a minimum of i102 percent of the fair value of the securities loaned be maintained as collateral. We may receive cash and/or securities as collateral under these agreements. Cash received as collateral is typically reinvested in short-term investments. If
securities are received as collateral, we are not permitted to sell or re-post them.
As of June 30, 2021, the carrying amount of fixed maturity securities loaned to third parties under our securities lending program was $i231.7 million, for which we received collateral in the form of cash and securities of $i108.5
million and $i130.8 million, respectively. As of December 31, 2020, the carrying amount of fixed maturity securities loaned to third parties under our securities lending program was $i96.6
million, for which we received collateral in the form of cash and securities of $i17.6 million and $i82.8 million, respectively. We had iino/
outstanding repurchase agreements at June 30, 2021 or December 31, 2020.
36
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED) - Continued
United
States Government and Government Agencies and Authorities
$
i1.0
$
i0.1
State,
Municipalities, and Political Subdivisions
i—
i0.4
Public
Utilities
i1.3
i0.3
All
Other Corporate Bonds
i106.2
i16.8
Total
Borrowings
$
i108.5
$
i17.6
Gross
Amount of Recognized Liability for Securities Lending Transactions
i108.5
i17.6
Amounts
Related to Agreements Not Included in Offsetting Disclosure Contained Herein
$
i—
$
i—
/
Certain
of our U.S. insurance subsidiaries are members of regional FHLBs. Membership, which requires that we purchase a minimum amount of FHLB common stock on which we receive dividends, provides access to low-cost funding. Advances received from the FHLB are used for the purchase of short-term investments or fixed maturity securities. Additional common stock purchases may be required, based on the amount of funds we borrow from the FHLBs. iThe
carrying value of common stock owned, collateral posted, and advances received are as follows:
We enter into master netting agreements with each of our derivative's counterparties. These agreements provide for conditional rights of set-off upon the occurrence of an early termination event. An early termination event is considered a default, and it allows the non-defaulting party to offset its contracts in a loss position against any gain positions or payments due to the defaulting party. Under our agreements, default type events are defined as failure to pay or deliver as contractually agreed, misrepresentation, bankruptcy, or merger without assumption. See Note 5 for further discussion of collateral related to our derivative contracts.
We
have securities lending agreements with unaffiliated financial institutions that post collateral to us in return for the use of our fixed maturity securities. A right of set-off exists that allows us to keep and apply collateral received in the event of default by the counterparty. Default within a securities lending agreement would typically occur if the counterparty failed to return the securities borrowed from us as contractually agreed. In addition, if we default by not returning collateral received, the counterparty has a right of set-off against our securities or any other amounts due to us.
37
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED) - Continued
Shown below are our financial instruments that either meet the accounting requirements that allow them to be offset in our balance sheets or that are subject to an enforceable master netting arrangement or similar agreement. Our accounting policy is to not
offset these financial instruments in our balance sheets. Net amounts disclosed below have been reduced by the amount of collateral pledged to or received from our counterparties.
Net investment income reported in our consolidated statements of income is
presented below.
Three Months Ended June 30
Six Months Ended June 30
2021
2020
2021
2020
(in
millions of dollars)
Fixed Maturity Securities
$
i471.4
$
i542.5
$
i941.2
$
i1,082.3
Derivatives
i17.7
i20.7
i33.9
i40.9
Mortgage
Loans
i24.7
i28.0
i51.0
i57.0
Policy
Loans
i5.0
i5.0
i9.8
i9.8
Other
Long-term Investments
Perpetual Preferred Securities1
i2.0
i10.6
i5.6
(i6.5)
Private
Equity Partnerships2
i51.9
(i31.3)
i87.8
(i20.9)
Other
i1.3
i1.7
i3.4
i4.9
Short-term
Investments
i0.3
i2.4
i0.9
i8.8
Gross
Investment Income
i574.3
i579.6
i1,133.6
i1,176.3
Less
Investment Expenses
i7.8
i7.6
i15.3
i16.1
Less
Investment Income on Participation Fund Account Assets
i3.0
i3.0
i6.1
i6.2
Net
Investment Income
$
i563.5
$
i569.0
$
i1,112.2
$
i1,154.0
1
The net unrealized gain recognized in net investment income for the three and six months ended June 30, 2021 related to perpetual preferred securities still held at June 30, 2021 was $1.5 million and $4.2 million, respectively. The net unrealized gain (loss) recognized in net investment income for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020 related to perpetual preferred securities still held at June 30, 2020 was $10.0 million and $(7.9) million, respectively.
/
2 The net unrealized gain recognized in net investment income for the three and six months ended June 30,
2021 related to private equity partnerships still held at June 30, 2021 was $32.0 million and $59.0 million, respectively. The net unrealized loss recognized in net investment income for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020 related to private equity partnerships still held at June 30, 2020 was $41.0 million and $35.6 million, respectively. See Note 3 for further discussion of private equity partnerships.
39
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED) - Continued
Realized investment gains and losses are as follows:
Three
Months Ended June 30
Six Months Ended June 30
2021
2020
2021
2020
(in millions of dollars)
Fixed Maturity Securities
Gross
Gains on Sales1
$
i2.3
$
i3.6
$
i73.6
$
i5.0
Gross
Losses on Sales
(i2.5)
(i4.1)
(i3.6)
(i4.8)
Credit
Losses
(i1.0)
(i5.4)
(i9.3)
(i59.3)
Mortgage
Loans and Other Invested Assets
Gross Gains on Sales
i1.0
i—
i3.5
i0.3
Gross
Losses on Sales
i—
i—
i—
(i0.2)
Credit
Losses
(i0.1)
(i2.0)
i1.6
(i4.6)
Embedded
Derivative in Modified Coinsurance Arrangement
i1.7
i41.9
i18.6
(i45.0)
All
Other Derivatives
(i0.1)
(i1.0)
i1.6
(i1.7)
Foreign
Currency Transactions
(i0.4)
i0.8
(i0.5)
i0.1
Net
Realized Investment Gain (Loss)
$
i0.9
$
i33.8
$
i85.5
$
(i110.2)
/
1Gross
gains on sales of fixed maturity securities includes gains of $67.6 million as a result of the second phase of the reinsurance transaction that we completed during the first quarter of 2021. See Note 12 for further discussion.
Note 5 - iDerivative Financial Instruments
Purpose of
Derivatives
We are exposed to certain risks relating to our ongoing business operations. The primary risks managed by using derivative instruments are interest rate risk, risk related to matching duration for our assets and liabilities, foreign currency risk, and credit risk.Historically, we have utilized current and forward interest rate swaps, current and forward currency swaps, forward benchmark interest rate locks, currency forward contracts, forward contracts on specific fixed income securities, and credit default swaps. Transactions hedging interest rate risk are primarily associated with our individual and group long-term care and individual and group disability products. All
other product portfolios are periodically reviewed to determine if hedging strategies would be appropriate for risk management purposes. We do not use derivative financial instruments for speculative purposes.
Derivatives designated as cash flow hedges and used to reduce our exposure to interest rate and duration risk are as follows:
•Interest rate swaps are used to hedge interest rate risks and to improve the matching of assets and liabilities. An interest rate swap is an agreement in which we agree with other parties to exchange, at specified intervals, the difference between fixed rate and variable rate interest amounts. We use interest rate swaps to hedge the anticipated purchase of fixed maturity securities thereby protecting us from the potential adverse impact of declining
interest rates on the associated policy reserves. We also use interest rate swaps to hedge the potential adverse impact of rising interest rates in anticipation of issuing fixed rate long-term debt.
•Forward benchmark interest rate locks are used to minimize interest rate risk associated with the anticipated purchase or disposal of fixed maturity securities or debt. A forward benchmark interest rate lock is a derivative contract without an initial investment where we and the counterparty agree to purchase or sell a specific benchmark interest rate fixed maturity bond at a future date at a pre-determined price.
40
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED) - Continued
Note 5 - Derivative Financial Instruments - Continued
Derivatives designated as fair value hedges and previously used to reduce our exposure to interest rate and duration risk included:
•Interest rate swaps were used to effectively convert certain of our fixed rate securities into floating rate securities which were used to fund our floating rate long-term debt. Under these swap agreements, we received a variable rate of interest and paid a fixed
rate of interest. Additionally, we used interest rate swaps to effectively convert certain fixed rate, long-term debt into floating rate long-term debt. Under these swap agreements, we received a fixed rate of interest and paid a variable rate of interest.
Derivatives designated as either cash flow or fair value hedges and used to reduce our exposure to foreign currency risk are as follows:
•Foreign currency interest rate swaps are used to hedge the currency risk of certain foreign currency-denominated fixed maturity securities owned for portfolio diversification. Under these swap agreements, we agree to pay, at specified intervals, fixed rate foreign currency-denominated principal and interest payments in exchange for fixed rate payments in the functional currency of the operating segment.
Derivatives not designated as hedging instruments and used to reduce our exposure to foreign currency risk, credit losses on securities owned and volatility of the underlying deferred assets in our non-qualified defined contribution plan are as follows:
•Foreign currency interest rate swaps previously designated as hedges were used to hedge the currency risk of certain foreign currency-denominated fixed maturity securities owned for portfolio diversification. These derivatives were effective hedges prior to novation to a new counterparty. In conjunction with the novation, these derivatives were de-designated as hedges. We agree to pay, at specified intervals, fixed rate foreign currency-denominated principal and interest payments in exchange for fixed rate payments in the functional
currency of the operating segment. We hold offsetting swaps wherein we agree to pay fixed rate principal and interest payments in the functional currency of the operating segment in exchange for fixed rate foreign currency-denominated payments.
•Credit default swaps are used as economic hedges against credit risk but do not qualify for hedge accounting. A credit default swap is an agreement in which we agree with another party to pay, at specified intervals, a fixed-rate fee in exchange for insurance against a credit event on a specific investment. If a defined credit event occurs, our counterparty may either pay us a net cash settlement, or we may surrender the specific investment to them in exchange for cash equal to the full notional amount of the swap. Credit events typically include events such as bankruptcy, failure to pay, or
certain types of debt restructuring.
•Foreign currency forward contracts are used to minimize foreign currency risk. A foreign currency forward is a derivative without an initial investment where we and the counterparty agree to exchange a specific amount of currencies, at a specific exchange rate, on a specific date. We use these forward contracts to hedge the currency risk arising from foreign-currency denominated securities.
•Total Return Swaps are used to economically hedge a portion of the liability related to our non-qualified defined contribution
plan. A total return swap is an agreement in which we pay a floating rate of interest to the counterparty and receive the total return on a portfolio of exchange traded funds. These swaps are cash settled on the last day of every month and the notional amended each month based on periodic distributions from and contributions to the plan assets.
41
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED) - Continued
Note 5 - Derivative Financial Instruments - Continued
Derivative Risks
The basic types of risks associated with derivatives are market risk (that the value of the derivative will be adversely impacted by changes in the market, primarily the change in interest and exchange rates) and credit risk (that the counterparty will not perform according to the terms of the contract). The market risk of the derivatives should generally offset the market risk associated with the hedged financial instrument or liability. To help limit the credit exposure of the derivatives, we enter into master netting agreements with our counterparties whereby contracts
in a gain position can be offset against contracts in a loss position. We also typically enter into bilateral, cross-collateralization agreements with our counterparties to help limit the credit exposure of the derivatives. These agreements require the counterparty in a loss position to submit acceptable collateral with the other counterparty in the event the net loss position meets or exceeds an agreed upon amount. Credit exposure on derivatives is limited to the value of those contracts in a net gain position, including accrued interest receivable less collateral held. As of June 30, 2021, our credit exposure on derivatives was $i1.3
million. At December 31, 2020, we had $i0.7 million credit exposure on derivatives. iThe
table below summarizes the nature and amount of collateral received from and posted to our derivative counterparties.
Carrying
Value of Collateral Received from Counterparties
Cash
$
i16.1
$
i8.7
Carrying
Value of Collateral Posted to Counterparties
Fixed Maturity Securities
$
i41.5
$
i54.0
See
Note 4 for further discussion of our master netting agreements.
The majority of our derivative instruments contain provisions that require us to maintain specified issuer credit ratings and financial strength ratings. Should our ratings fall below these specified levels, we would be in violation of the provisions, and our derivatives counterparties could terminate our contracts and request immediate payment. The aggregate fair value of all derivative instruments with credit risk-related contingent features that were in a liability position was $i44.4
million and $i59.7 million at June 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020, respectively.
42
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED) - Continued
Note 5 - Derivative Financial Instruments - Continued
Derivative Transactions
i
The table below summarizes, by notional amounts, the activity for each category of derivatives. The notional amounts represent the basis upon which our counterparty pay and receive amounts
are calculated.
As of June 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020, we had $i200.1 million and $i210.2
million notional amount of receive fixed, pay fixed, open current and forward foreign currency interest rate swaps to hedge fixed income foreign currency-denominated securities.
During the second quarter of 2021, we entered into a $ii250.0/
million notional forward benchmark interest rate lock in order to hedge the interest rate risk associated with the cash flows related to the early redemption of certain of our debt securities. We terminated the interest rate lock in the second quarter of 2021 and recognized a loss of $i1.2 million that was reported as a cost related to the early retirement of debt in our income statement.
During the first quarter of 2021, in connection with the second phase of the Closed Block individual disability reinsurance
transaction, we reclassified $i0.6 million of deferred gains from accumulated other comprehensive income into earnings included in the net realized investment gain line item on our income statement. The deferred gains were related to previously
43
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(UNAUDITED) - Continued
Note 5 - Derivative Financial Instruments - Continued
terminated interest rate swaps designated as hedging instruments of fixed maturity securities in the Closed Block individual disability product line. See Note 12 for further discussion.
As of June 30, 2021, we expect to amortize approximately $i55.8
million of net deferred gains on derivative instruments during the next twelve months. This amount will be reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income into earnings and reported on the same income statement line item as the hedged item. The income statement line items that will be affected by this amortization are net investment income and interest and debt expense. Additional amounts that may be reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income into earnings to offset the earnings impact of foreign currency translation of hedged items cannot be estimated.
As of June 30, 2021, we are hedging the variability of future cash flows associated with forecasted transactions through the year 2045.
Fair Value Hedges
As of
June 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020, we had $i450.0 million and $i362.4 million notional amount of
receive fixed, pay fixed, open current and forward foreign currency interest rate swaps to hedge fixed income foreign currency-denominated securities.
At December 31, 2019, we had $i250.0 million notional amount of receive fixed, pay variable interest rate swaps to hedge the changes in the fair value of certain fixed rate long-term debt which matured in the third quarter of 2020 along with the hedged debt. These swaps effectively converted the associated fixed rate long-term
debt into floating rate debt and provided for a better matching of interest rates with our short-term investments, which have frequent interest rate resets similar to a floating rate security.
i
The following table summarizes the carrying amount of hedged assets and the related cumulative basis adjustments related to our fair value hedges:
Carrying
Amount of Hedged Assets
Cumulative Amount of Fair Value Hedging Adjustment Included in the Carrying Amount of the Hedged Assets
For
the three and six months ended June 30, 2021, $i17.1 million and $i10.2
million, respectively, of the derivative instruments' gain was excluded from the assessment of hedge effectiveness. For the three and six months ended June 30, 2020, $i4.5 million of the derivative instruments' loss and $i24.3
million of the derivative instruments' gain, respectively, was excluded from the assessment of hedge effectiveness. There were iino/
instances wherein we discontinued fair value hedge accounting due to a hedged firm commitment no longer qualifying as a fair value hedge.
Derivatives not Designated as Hedging Instruments
As of June 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020, we held $ii148.2/
million notional amount of receive fixed, pay fixed, foreign currency interest rate swaps. These derivatives are not designated as hedges, and as such, changes in fair value related to these derivatives are reported in earnings as a component of net realized investment gain or loss.
44
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED) - Continued
Note 5 - Derivative Financial Instruments - Continued
As
of June 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020, we held $i11.9 million and $i11.7 million, respectively,
notional amount of single name credit default swaps. We entered into these swaps in order to mitigate the credit risk associated with specific securities owned.
As of June 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020, we held $i28.1 million and $i11.9
million, respectively, notional amount of foreign currency forwards to mitigate the foreign currency risk associated with specific securities owned.
As of June 30, 2021, we held $i80.8 million notional amount of total return swaps to mitigate the volatility associated with changes in the fair value of the underlying notional assets in our non-qualified defined contribution plan. This derivative is an economic hedge not designated as a hedging instrument, and changes in fair
value are reported as a component of other expenses in our income statement.
We have an embedded derivative in a modified coinsurance arrangement for which we include in our realized investment gains and losses a calculation intended to estimate the value of the option of our reinsurance counterparty to cancel the reinsurance contract with us. However, neither party can unilaterally terminate the reinsurance agreement except in extreme circumstances resulting from regulatory supervision, delinquency proceedings, or other direct regulatory action. Cash settlements or collateral related to this embedded derivative are not required at any time during the reinsurance contract or at termination of the reinsurance contract. There
are no credit-related counterparty triggers, and any accumulated embedded derivative gain or loss reduces to zero over time as the reinsured business winds down.
Locations and Amounts of Derivative Financial Instruments
i
The following tables summarize the location and fair values of derivative financial instruments, as reported in our consolidated balance
sheets.
Note 5 - Derivative Financial Instruments - Continued
i
The following
tables summarize the location of gains and losses of derivative financial instruments designated as hedging instruments, as reported in our consolidated statements of income.
Three
Months Ended June 30
2021
2020
Net Investment Income
Net Realized Investment Gain (Loss)
Interest and Debt Expense
Net Investment Income
Net Realized Investment Gain (Loss)
Interest and Debt Expense
(in
millions of dollars)
Total Income and Expense Presented in the Consolidated Statements of Income of Which Hedged Items are Recorded
The
following table summarizes the location of gains and losses of derivative financial instruments designated as cash flow hedging instruments, as reported in our consolidated statements of comprehensive income (loss).
Three Months Ended June 30
Six
Months Ended June 30
2021
2020
2021
2020
(in millions of dollars)
Gain (Loss) Recognized in Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) on Derivatives
Note 5 - Derivative Financial Instruments - Continued
i
The
following table summarizes the location of gains and losses on our derivatives not designated as hedging instruments, as reported in our consolidated statements of income.
Note 7 - Liability for Unpaid Claims and Claim Adjustment Expenses
ii
Changes
in the liability for unpaid claims and claim adjustment expenses are as follows:
2021
2020
(in millions of dollars)
Balance at January 1
$
i24,180.2
$
ii23,076.7/
Less
Reinsurance Recoverable
i8,378.9
ii2,246.8/
Net
Balance at January 1
i15,801.3
i20,829.9
Incurred
Related to
Current Year
i3,461.0
ii3,187.2/
Prior
Years
Interest
i359.2
i528.5
All
Other Incurred
(i217.3)
(i270.5)
Foreign
Currency
i25.0
(i130.2)
Total
Incurred
i3,627.9
i3,315.0
Paid
Related to
Current Year
(i1,151.3)
(i1,015.9)
Prior
Years
(i2,215.8)
(i2,546.6)
Total
Paid
(i3,367.1)
(i3,562.5)
Reserves
Ceded Pursuant to Reinsurance Transaction
(i990.0)
i—
Net
Balance at June 30
i15,072.1
i20,582.4
Plus
Reinsurance Recoverable
i9,042.2
i2,260.2
Balance
at June 30
$
i24,114.3
$
i22,842.6
/
The
majority of the net balances are related to disability claims with long-tail payouts on which interest earned on assets backing liabilities is an integral part of pricing and reserving. Interest accrued on prior year reserves has been calculated on the opening reserve balance less one-half of the period's claim payments relative to prior years at our average reserve discount rate for the respective periods.
"Incurred Related to Prior Years - All Other Incurred" shown in the preceding chart includes the $i133.1 million
increase in benefits and change in reserves for future benefits resulting from the realization of previously unrealized investment gains and losses as a result of the second phase of the Closed Block individual disability reinsurance transaction, which impacts the comparability between the years presented. Excluding that adjustment, the variability exhibited year over year is primarily caused by the level of claim resolutions in the period relative to the long-term expectations reflected in the reserves. Our claim resolution rate assumption used in determining reserves is our expectation of the resolution rate we will experience over the life of the block of business and will vary from actual experience in any one period, both favorably and unfavorably. Also included in the six months of 2021 was a reinsurance recoverable of $i990.0 million
representing the ceded reserves related to the cohort of policies on claim status as of January 1, 2021 (DLR cohort) related to the second phase of the Closed Block individual disability reinsurance transaction. See Note 12 for further discussion regarding the total impacts of the Closed Block individual disability reinsurance transaction.
/
53
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED) - Continued
Note 7 - Liability for Unpaid Claims and Claim Adjustment Expenses - Continued
Reconciliation
i
A reconciliation of policy and contract
benefits and reserves for future policy and contract benefits as reported in our consolidated balance sheets to the liability for unpaid claims and claim adjustment expenses is as follows:
Life
Reserves for Future Policy and Contract Benefits
i8,431.1
i8,436.7
Accident
and Health Active Life Reserves
i12,910.4
i12,374.8
Adjustment
Related to Unrealized Investment Gains and Losses
i5,386.6
i6,459.8
Liability
for Unpaid Claims and Claim Adjustment Expenses
$
i24,114.3
$
i22,842.6
/
The
adjustment related to unrealized investment gains and losses reflects the changes that would be necessary to policyholder liabilities if the unrealized investment gains and losses related to the corresponding available-for-sale securities had been realized. Changes in this adjustment are reported as a component of other comprehensive income or loss.
54
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED) - Continued
We have ithree principal operating business segments:
Unum US, Unum International, and Colonial Life. Our other segments are Closed Block and Corporate.
i
Segment information is as follows:
Three
Months Ended June 30
Six Months Ended June 30
2021
2020
2021
2020
(in millions of dollars)
Premium Income
Unum
US
Group Disability
Group Long-term Disability
$
i458.6
$
i461.0
$
i916.3
$
i924.0
Group
Short-term Disability
i213.6
i203.6
i428.8
i406.8
Group
Life and Accidental Death & Dismemberment
Group Life
i414.6
i414.6
i824.6
i829.1
Accidental
Death & Dismemberment
i42.0
i41.7
i83.4
i83.4
Supplemental
and Voluntary
Individual Disability
i113.6
i113.1
i229.3
i222.6
Voluntary
Benefits
i212.1
i224.0
i430.8
i454.4
Dental
and Vision
i67.6
i64.7
i134.7
i130.1
i1,522.1
i1,522.7
i3,047.9
i3,050.4
Unum
International
Unum UK
Group Long-term Disability
i105.1
i89.0
i202.2
i179.8
Group
Life
i28.0
i25.1
i55.3
i56.0
Supplemental
i27.9
i24.6
i55.9
i48.5
Unum
Poland
i22.5
i18.4
i44.5
i37.4
i183.5
i157.1
i357.9
i321.7
Colonial
Life
Accident, Sickness, and Disability
i236.4
i250.3
i477.1
i499.6
Life
i96.1
i96.8
i192.7
i190.6
Cancer
and Critical Illness
i87.2
i91.5
i176.3
i183.1
i419.7
i438.6
i846.1
i873.3
Closed
Block
Long-term Care
i174.9
i165.7
i352.3
i330.5
Individual
Disability
i72.4
i83.1
i144.5
i160.1
All
Other
i1.8
i1.5
i4.0
i4.1
i249.1
i250.3
i500.8
i494.7
Total
Premium Income
$
i2,374.4
$
i2,368.7
$
i4,752.7
$
i4,740.1
//
55
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED) - Continued
We
measure and analyze our segment performance on the basis of "adjusted operating revenue" and "adjusted operating income" or "adjusted operating loss", which differ from total revenue and income before income tax as presented in our consolidated statements of income due to the exclusion of net realized investment gains and losses and the amortization of the cost of reinsurance as well as certain other items as specified in the reconciliations below. We believe adjusted operating revenue and adjusted operating income or loss are better performance measures and better indicators of the revenue and profitability and underlying trends in our business. These performance measures are in accordance with GAAP guidance for segment reporting, but they should not be viewed as a substitute for total revenue, income before income tax, or net income.
Realized investment gains or losses depend on
market conditions and do not necessarily relate to decisions regarding the underlying business of our segments. Our investment focus is on investment income to support our insurance liabilities as opposed to the generation of realized investment gains or losses. Although we may experience realized investment gains or losses which will affect future earnings levels, a long-term focus is necessary to maintain profitability over the life of the business since our underlying business is long-term in nature, and we need to earn the interest rates assumed in calculating our liabilities.
We have exited a substantial portion of our Closed Block individual disability product line through the two phases of the reinsurance agreement that was executed in December 2020 and March 2021. As a result, we exclude the amortization of the cost of reinsurance that was recognized as a result of the exit of the business related
to the DLR cohort of policies. We believe that the exclusion of the amortization of the cost of reinsurance provides a better view of our results from our ongoing businesses. See Note 12 for further discussion regarding the total impacts of the Closed Block individual disability reinsurance transaction and the amortization of the cost of reinsurance.
We may at other times exclude certain other items from our discussion of financial ratios and metrics in order to enhance the understanding and comparability of our operational performance and the underlying fundamentals but this exclusion is not an indication that similar items may not recur and does not replace net income or net loss as a measure of our overall profitability.
57
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED) - Continued
A reconciliation of total revenue to "adjusted operating revenue" and income before income tax to "adjusted operating income"
is as follows:
Three Months Ended June 30
Six Months Ended June 30
2021
2020
2021
2020
(in
millions of dollars)
Total Revenue
$
i2,993.0
$
i3,021.2
$
i6,065.0
$
i5,892.3
Excluding:
Net
Realized Investment Gain (Loss)
i0.9
i33.8
i85.5
(i110.2)
Adjusted
Operating Revenue
$
i2,992.1
$
i2,987.4
$
i5,979.5
$
i6,002.5
Income
Before Income Tax
$
i262.6
$
i337.6
$
i461.4
$
i539.7
Excluding:
Net
Realized Investment Gains and Losses
Net Realized Investment Gain Related to Reinsurance Transaction
i—
i—
i67.6
i—
Net
Realized Investment Gain (Loss), Other
i0.9
i33.8
i17.9
(i110.2)
Total
Net Realized Investment Gain (Loss)
i0.9
i33.8
i85.5
(i110.2)
Items
Related to Closed Block Individual Disability Reinsurance Transaction
Change in Benefit Reserves and Transaction Costs
i—
i—
(i139.3)
i—
Amortization
of the Cost of Reinsurance
(i19.7)
i—
(i39.7)
i—
Total
Items Related to Closed Block Individual Disability Reinsurance Transaction
(19.7)
—
(179.0)
—
Cost Related to Early Retirement of Debt
(i67.3)
i—
(i67.3)
i—
Impairment
Loss on ROU Asset
(i13.9)
(i12.7)
(i13.9)
(i12.7)
Adjusted
Operating Income
$
i362.6
$
i316.5
$
i636.1
$
i662.6
/
Note
9 - Employee Benefit Plans
i
Defined Benefit Pension and Other Postretirement Benefit (OPEB) Plans
We sponsor several defined benefit pension and OPEB plans for our employees, including non-qualified pension plans. The U.S. qualified and non-qualified defined benefit pension plans comprise the majority of our total benefit obligation and benefit cost. We maintain a separate defined benefit plan for eligible employees
in our U.K. operation. The U.S. defined benefit pension plans were closed to new entrants on December 31, 2013, the OPEB plan was closed to new entrants on December 31, 2012, and the U.K. plan was closed to new entrants on December 31, 2002.
58
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED) - Continued
The following table provides the components of the net periodic benefit cost (credit) for the defined benefit pension and OPEB plans.
Three
Months Ended June 30
Pension Benefits
U.S. Plans
U.K. Plan
OPEB
2021
2020
2021
2020
2021
2020
(in
millions of dollars)
Service Cost
$
i2.4
$
i2.7
$
i—
$
i—
$
i—
$
i—
Interest
Cost
i16.1
i18.3
i1.0
i1.2
i0.7
i1.1
Expected
Return on Plan Assets
(i25.1)
(i26.6)
(i2.5)
(i2.3)
(i0.2)
(i0.2)
Amortization
of:
Net Actuarial Loss
i5.4
i4.6
i0.4
i0.3
i—
i—
Total
Net Periodic Benefit Cost (Credit)
$
(i1.2)
$
(i1.0)
$
(i1.1)
$
(i0.8)
$
i0.5
$
i0.9
Six
Months Ended June 30
Pension Benefits
U.S. Plans
U.K. Plan
OPEB
2021
2020
2021
2020
2021
2020
(in
millions of dollars)
Service Cost
$
i4.8
$
i5.5
$
i—
$
i—
$
i—
$
i—
Interest
Cost
i32.4
i36.5
i2.1
i2.4
i1.5
i2.1
Expected
Return on Plan Assets
(i50.3)
(i53.3)
(i5.0)
(i4.7)
(i0.3)
(i0.3)
Amortization
of:
Net Actuarial Loss
i10.7
i9.3
i0.7
i0.6
i—
i—
Prior
Service Credit
i—
i—
i—
i—
(i0.1)
(i0.1)
Total
Net Periodic Benefit Cost (Credit)
$
(i2.4)
$
(i2.0)
$
(i2.2)
$
(i1.7)
$
i1.1
$
i1.7
/
The
service cost component of net periodic pension and postretirement benefit cost (credit) is included as a component of compensation expense in our consolidated statements of income. All other components of net periodic pension and postretirement benefit cost are included in other expenses.
59
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED) - Continued
Note 10 - Stockholders' Equity and Earnings Per Common Share
i
Earnings Per Common Share
i
Net income per common share is
determined as follows:
Three Months Ended June 30
Six Months Ended June 30
2021
2020
2021
2020
(in
millions of dollars, except share data)
Numerator
Net Income
$
i182.9
$
i265.5
$
i335.9
$
i426.5
Denominator
(000s)
Weighted Average Common Shares - Basic
i204,504.5
i203,624.3
i204,323.1
i203,466.9
Dilution
for Assumed Exercises of Stock Options and Nonvested Stock Awards
i769.3
i46.8
i686.7
i48.3
Weighted
Average Common Shares - Assuming Dilution
i205,273.8
i203,671.1
i205,009.8
i203,515.2
Net
Income Per Common Share
Basic
$
i0.89
$
i1.30
$
i1.64
$
i2.10
Assuming
Dilution
$
i0.89
$
i1.30
$
i1.64
$
i2.10
/
We
compute basic earnings per share by dividing net income by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding for the period. In computing earnings per share assuming dilution, we include potential common shares that are dilutive (those that reduce earnings per share). We use the treasury stock method to account for the effect of outstanding stock options, nonvested stock success units, nonvested restricted stock units, and nonvested performance share units on the computation of diluted earnings per share. Under this method, the potential common shares from stock options, nonvested stock success units, and nonvested restricted stock units will each have a dilutive effect, as individually measured, when the average market price of Unum Group common stock during the period exceeds the exercise price of the stock options and the grant price of the nonvested stock success units and nonvested restricted stock units. The outstanding nonvested stock success units
and nonvested restricted stock units have grant prices ranging from $i12.45 to $i49.31. There
were no outstanding stock options as of June 30, 2021. Potential common shares from performance based share units will have a dilutive effect as the attainment of performance conditions is progressively achieved during the vesting period. Potential common shares not included in the computation of diluted earnings per share because the impact would be antidilutive, approximated i0.3 million and i0.9
million potential common shares for the three and six months ended June 30, 2021. There were approximately i1.8 million and i1.5
million potential common shares that were antidilutive for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020, respectively.
/
i
Common Stock
As part of our capital deployment strategy, we may repurchase shares of Unum Group's common stock, as authorized by our board of directors. During the first six months of 2021, we did not have
an open share repurchase program and did not repurchase any shares.
Preferred Stock
Unum Group has i25.0 million shares of preferred stock authorized with a par value of $i0.10
per share. iNo preferred stock has been issued to date.
/
60
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED) - Continued
We are a defendant in a number
of litigation matters that have arisen in the normal course of business, including the matters discussed below. Further, state insurance regulatory authorities and other federal and state authorities regularly make inquiries and conduct investigations concerning our compliance with applicable insurance and other laws and regulations. Given the complexity and scope of our litigation and regulatory matters, it is not possible to predict the ultimate outcome of all pending investigations or legal proceedings or provide reasonable estimates of potential losses, except if noted in connection with specific matters.
In some of these matters, no specified amount is sought. In others, very large or indeterminate amounts, including punitive and treble damages, are asserted. There is a wide variation of pleading practice permitted in the United States courts with respect to requests for monetary damages, including
some courts in which no specified amount is required and others which allow the plaintiff to state only that the amount sought is sufficient to invoke the jurisdiction of that court. Further, some jurisdictions permit plaintiffs to allege damages well in excess of reasonably possible verdicts. Based on our extensive experience and that of others in the industry with respect to litigating or resolving claims through settlement over an extended period of time, we believe that the monetary damages asserted in a lawsuit or claim bear little relation to the merits of the case, or the likely disposition value. Therefore, the specific monetary relief sought is not stated.
Unless indicated otherwise in the descriptions below, reserves have not been established for litigation and contingencies. An estimated loss is accrued when it is both probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount of the loss can
be reasonably estimated.
Claims Handling Matters
We and our insurance subsidiaries, in the ordinary course of our business, are engaged in claim litigation where disputes arise as a result of a denial or termination of benefits. Most typically these lawsuits are filed on behalf of a single claimant or policyholder, and in some of these individual actions punitive damages are sought, such as claims alleging bad faith in the handling of insurance claims. For our general claim litigation, we maintain reserves based on experience to satisfy judgments and settlements in the normal course. We expect that the ultimate liability, if any, with respect to general claim litigation, after consideration of the reserves maintained, will not be material to our consolidated
financial condition. Nevertheless, given the inherent unpredictability of litigation, it is possible that an adverse outcome in certain claim litigation involving punitive damages could, from time to time, have a material adverse effect on our consolidated results of operations in a period, depending on the results of operations for the particular period.
From time to time class action allegations are pursued where the claimant or policyholder purports to represent a larger number of individuals who are similarly situated. Since each insurance claim is evaluated based on its own merits, there is rarely a single act or series of actions which can properly be addressed by a class action. Nevertheless, we monitor these cases closely and defend ourselves appropriately where these allegations are made.
Miscellaneous Matters
Three
alleged securities class action lawsuits were filed against Unum Group and individual defendants as follows:
•On June 13, 2018, an alleged securities class action lawsuit entitled Cynthia Pittman v. Unum Group, Richard McKenney, John McGarry, and Daniel Waxenberg was filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee. The plaintiff seeks to represent purchasers of Unum Group publicly traded securities between January 31, 2018 and May 2, 2018. The plaintiff alleges the Company caused its shares to trade at artificially high levels by failing to disclose information about
the rate of long-term care policy terminations and long-term care claim incidence resulting in misleading statements about capital management plans and long-term care reserves. The complaint asserts claims under Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder and seeks compensatory damages in an amount to be proven at trial. The Company strongly denies these allegations and will vigorously defend the litigation.
61
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED) - Continued
Note 11 - Commitments and Contingent Liabilities - Continued
•On July 13, 2018, an alleged securities class action lawsuit entitled Scott Cunningham v. Unum Group, Richard McKenney, John McGarry, and Daniel Waxenberg was filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee. The allegations, class period, and damages claimed mirror those in the Pittman matter. The Company strongly denies these allegations and will vigorously defend the litigation.
•On July 25, 2018, an alleged securities class action
lawsuit entitled City of Taylor Police and Fire Retirement System v. Unum Group, Richard McKenney, John McGarry, Steve Zabel, and Daniel Waxenberg was filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee. The plaintiff seeks to represent purchasers of Unum Group publicly traded securities between October 27, 2016 and May 1, 2018. The allegations and damages claimed mirror those in the Pittman matter. The Company strongly denies these allegations and will vigorously defend the litigation.
On November 9, 2018, the court consolidated the Pittman, Cunningham,
and City of Taylor Police and Fire Retirement System cases into one matter entitled In re Unum Group Securities Litigation, appointed a lead plaintiff and lead plaintiff’s counsel, and directed the plaintiff to file a consolidated amended complaint. On January 15, 2019, the plaintiff filed a consolidated amended complaint asserting claims under Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder and seeks compensatory damages in an amount to be proven at trial as well as costs, expenses, and attorney’s fees. On March 18, 2019, the Company filed a motion to dismiss the consolidated amended complaint. On June 1, 2020,
the court granted the Company's motion and dismissed the cases with prejudice. On June 26, 2020, the plaintiff filed a notice of appeal with the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, which, on June 28, 2021 affirmed the district court's dismissal of the cases with prejudice.
62
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED) - Continued
In June 2021, we issued $i600.0 million of 4.125% senior notes due 2051. The notes are callable
at or above par and rank equally in the right of payment with all of our other unsecured and unsubordinated debt.
Also in June 2021, we purchased and retired $i500.0 million aggregate principal amount of our 4.500% senior notes due 2025, for which we incurred costs of $i67.3 million
related to the early retirement of debt.
In July 2021, we terminated our three-year, $100.0 million unsecured revolving credit facility, which was originally set to expire in April 2022. There were no letters of credit issued from the credit facility and there were ino borrowed amounts outstanding at the time of termination. Also in July 2021, we entered into a new five-year, £75 million unsecured standby letter of credit facility with the same syndicate of lenders, pursuant to which a syndicated
letter of credit was issued in favor of Unum Limited (as beneficiary), our U.K. insurance subsidiary, and is available for drawings up to £75 million until its scheduled expiration in July 2026. iNo amounts have been drawn on the letter of credit. If drawings are made in the future, we may elect to borrow such amounts from the lenders pursuant to term loans made under the credit facility. Borrowings under the credit facility are subject to financial covenants, negative covenants, and events of default that are customary. The two primary financial covenants
include limitations based on our leverage ratio and consolidated net worth. We are also subject to covenants that limit subsidiary indebtedness. The credit facility provides for borrowings at an interest rate based either on the prime rate or federal funds rate.
/
i
Income Tax
On June 10, 2021, the Finance Bill 2021 was enacted, resulting in a U.K. tax rate
increase from 19 percent to 25 percent, effective April 1, 2023, which resulted in $i24.2 million of additional tax expense in operating earnings for the revaluation of our deferred tax assets and liabilities in the second quarter of 2021.
/
i
Allowance
for Expected Credit Losses on Premiums Receivable
At June 30, 2021, March 31, 2021, and December 31, 2020, the allowance for expected credit losses on premiums receivable was $i31.0 million, $i33.7 million,
and $i38.8 million, respectively, on gross premiums receivable of $i576.3 million, $i602.9 million,
and $i525.8 million, respectively. The decrease in the allowance of $i2.7 million and $i7.8 million
during the three and six months ended June 30, 2021, respectively, was driven primarily by improvements in the age of premiums due to be collected and improvements in unemployment levels.
/
At June 30, 2020, March 31, 2020, and January 1, 2020, the allowance for expected credit losses on premiums receivable was $i47.5
million, $i32.6 million, and $i23.8 million, respectively, on gross premiums receivable of $i627.0
million, $i607.2 million, and $i543.0 million, respectively. The increase in the allowance during the three and six months ended June 30, 2020 of $i14.9 million
and $i23.7 million, respectively, was driven primarily by the increase in unemployment levels and the general uncertainty around the financial condition of some of our customers resulting from the impacts of COVID-19.
i
Impairment
Loss on Right-of-Use Asset
During the second quarters of 2021 and 2020, we recognized impairment losses of $i13.9 million and $i12.7 million,
respectively, on the right-of-use (ROU) asset related to one of our operating leases for office space that we do not plan to continue using to support our general operations. The impairment losses were recorded as a result of a decrease in the fair value of the ROU asset compared to its carrying value. The fair value of the ROU asset was determined based on a discounted cash flow model utilizing estimated market rates for sub-lease rentals. The impairment losses for each period are recorded within other expenses in the consolidated statements of income and are included within our Corporate segment.
/
63
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS - Continued
In December 2020, we completed the first phase of a reinsurance transaction, pursuant to which Provident Life and
Accident Insurance Company, The Paul Revere Life Insurance Company, and Unum Life Insurance Company of America, wholly-owned domestic insurance subsidiaries of Unum Group, and collectively referred to as "the ceding companies", each entered into separate reinsurance agreements with Commonwealth Annuity and Life Insurance Company (Commonwealth), to reinsure on a coinsurance basis effective as of July 1, 2020, approximately 75 percent of the Closed Block individual disability business, primarily direct business written by the ceding companies. On March 31, 2021, we completed the second phase of the reinsurance transaction, pursuant to which the ceding companies and Commonwealth amended and restated their respective reinsurance agreements to reinsure on a coinsurance and modified
coinsurance basis effective as of January 1, 2021, a substantial portion of the remaining Closed Block individual disability business that was not ceded in December 2020, primarily business previously assumed by the ceding companies. Commonwealth established and will maintain collateralized trust accounts for the benefit of the ceding companies to secure its obligations under the reinsurance agreements.
In December 2020, Provident Life and Casualty Insurance Company (PLC), also a wholly-owned domestic insurance subsidiary of Unum Group, entered into an agreement with Commonwealth whereby PLC will provide a 12-year volatility cover to Commonwealth for the active life cohort (ALR cohort). On March 31, 2021, PLC and Commonwealth amended and restated this agreement to incorporate the ALR cohort related to the
additional business that was reinsured between the ceding companies and Commonwealth as part of the second phase of the transaction. As part of the amended and restated volatility cover, PLC received a payment from Commonwealth of approximately $18 million. At the end of the 12-year coverage period, Commonwealth will retain the remaining incidence and claims risk on the ALR cohort of the ceded business.
In connection with the second phase of the reinsurance transaction, Commonwealth paid a total ceding commission to the ceding companies of $i18.2 million. The
ceding companies transferred assets of $767.0 million, which consisted primarily of cash and fixed maturity securities. In addition, we recognized the following in the first quarter of 2021 related to the second phase:
•Net realized investment gains totaling $i67.6 million related to the transfer of investments.
•Increase in benefits and change in reserves for future benefits of $i133.1 million
resulting from the realization of previously unrealized investment gains and losses recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income.
•Transaction costs totaling $i6.2 million.
•Reinsurance recoverable of $i990.0 million
related to the policies on claim status.
•Payable of $307.2 million related to the portfolio of invested assets associated with the business ceded on a modified coinsurance basis.
•Cost of reinsurance, or prepaid reinsurance premium, of $i43.1 million related to the DLR cohort. The total cost of reinsurance recognized on a combined basis for the first and second phases was $i854.8 million
for which we amortized $i19.7 million and $i39.7 million during the three and six months ended June
30, 2021.
/
•Deposit asset of $i5.0 million related to the ALR cohort. The total deposit asset recognized on a combined basis for the first and second phases was $i91.8 million.
64
ITEM 2. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Executive Summary
Unum Group, a Delaware general business corporation, and its insurance and non-insurance subsidiaries, which collectively with Unum Group we refer to as the
Company, operate in the United States, the United Kingdom, Poland and, to a limited extent, in certain other countries. The principal operating subsidiaries in the United States are Unum Life Insurance Company of America (Unum America), Provident Life and Accident Insurance Company (Provident), The Paul Revere Life Insurance Company (Paul Revere), Colonial Life & Accident Insurance Company, Starmount Life Insurance Company, in the United Kingdom, Unum Limited, and in Poland, Unum Zycie TUiR S.A. (Unum Poland). We are a leading provider of financial protection benefits in the United States and the United Kingdom. Our products include disability, life, accident, critical illness, dental and vision, and other related services. We market our products primarily through the workplace.
We have three principal operating
business segments: Unum US, Unum International, and Colonial Life. Our other segments are the Closed Block and Corporate segments. These segments are discussed more fully under "Segment Results" included herein in this Item 2.
The benefits we provide help the working world thrive throughout life's moments and protect people from the financial hardship of illness, injury, or loss of life by providing support when it is needed most. As a leading provider of employee benefits, we offer a broad portfolio of products and services through the workplace.
Specifically, we offer group, individual, voluntary, and dental and vision products as well as provide certain fee-based services. These products and services, which can be sold stand-alone or combined with other coverages, help employers of all sizes attract and retain a stronger workforce
while protecting the incomes and livelihood of their employees. We believe employer-sponsored benefits are the most effective way to provide workers with access to information and options to protect their financial stability. Working people and their families, particularly those at lower and middle incomes, are perhaps the most vulnerable in today's economy yet are often overlooked by many providers of financial services and products. For many of these people, employer-sponsored benefits are the primary defense against the potentially catastrophic fallout of death, illness, or injury.
We have established a corporate culture consistent with the social values our products provide. Because we see important links between the obligations we have to all of our stakeholders, we place a strong emphasis on operating with integrity and contributing to positive change in our communities. Accordingly, we are committed
not only to meeting the needs of our customers who depend on us, but also to being accountable for our actions through sound and consistent business practices, a strong internal compliance program, a comprehensive risk management strategy, and an engaged employee workforce.
This discussion and analysis should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto in Part I, Item 1 contained in this Form 10-Q and with the "Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements" included below the Table of Contents, as well as the discussion, analysis, and consolidated financial statements and notes thereto in Part I, Items 1 and 1A, and Part II, Items 6, 7, 7A, and 8 of our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020.
Operating
Performance and Capital Management
For the second quarter of 2021, we reported net income of $182.9 million, or $0.89 per diluted common share, compared to net income of $265.5 million, or $1.30 per diluted common share, in the second quarter of 2020. For the first six months of 2021, we reported net income of $335.9 million, or $1.64 per diluted common share, compared to net income of $426.5 million, or $2.10 per diluted common share in the same period of 2020.
Included in our results for the second quarter of 2021 are:
•A net realized investment gain of $0.9 million before tax and $0.6 million after tax, or $0.01 per diluted common share,
•Amortization
of the cost of reinsurance of $19.7 million before tax and $15.5 million after tax, or $0.08 per diluted common share,
•Cost related to the early retirement of debt of $67.3 million before tax and $53.2 million after tax, or $0.26 per diluted common share,
65
•An impairment loss on the right-of-use (ROU) asset related to one of our operating leases of $13.9 million before tax and $11.0 million after tax, or $0.05 per diluted common share, and
•Tax expense related to a U.K. tax rate increase of $24.2 million, or $0.12 per diluted common share.
Included
in our results for the first six months of 2021 are:
•A net realized investment gain, excluding the net realized investment gain related to the Closed Block individual disability reinsurance transaction, of $17.9 million before tax and $14.2 million after tax, or $0.07 per diluted common share.
•Amortization of the cost of reinsurance of $39.7 million before tax and $31.3 million after tax, or $0.16 per diluted common share.
•Cost related to the early retirement of debt of $67.3 million before tax and $53.2 million after tax, or $0.26 per diluted common share,
•An impairment loss on the ROU asset of $13.9 million before tax
and $11.0 million after tax, or $0.05 per diluted common share,
•Tax expense related to a U.K. tax rate increase of $24.2 million, or $0.12 per diluted common share, and
•The impact from the second phase of the Closed Block individual disability reinsurance transaction that closed in the first quarter of 2021, which resulted in a net loss of $71.7 million before tax and $56.7 million after tax, or $0.27 per diluted common share
Included in our results for the second quarter and first six months of 2020 are:
•Net realized investment gains (losses) of $33.8 million before tax and $25.4 million after tax or $0.12 per diluted common share, and $(110.2) million before tax and $(87.7)
million after tax, or $0.43 per diluted common share, respectively, and
•An impairment loss on the ROU asset of $12.7 million before tax and $10.0 million after tax, or $0.05 per diluted common share for both the second quarter and first six months of 2020.
Adjusting for these items, after-tax adjusted operating income for the second quarter of 2021 was $286.2 million, or $1.39 per diluted common share compared to $250.1 million, or $1.23 per diluted common share, for the same period of 2020. After-tax adjusted operating income was $498.2 million, or $2.43 per diluted common share, in the first six months of 2021, compared to $524.2 million, or $2.58 per diluted common share, in the first six months of 2020. See "Reconciliation of Non-GAAP and Other Financial Measures" contained in this Item 2 for a reconciliation of these items.
Our
Unum US segment reported a decrease in adjusted operating income of 22.7 percent and 40.2 percent in the second quarter and first six months of 2021, respectively, compared to the same periods of 2020, due primarily to unfavorable benefits experience. The benefit ratio for our Unum US segment was 71.7 percent and 73.0 percent in the second quarter and first six months of 2021, respectively, compared to 68.1 percent and 66.3 percent in second quarter and first six months of 2020. Unum US sales decreased 3.1 percent and 6.9 percent in the second quarter and first six months of 2021, respectively, compared to the same periods of 2020. Overall persistency was higher relative to the prior year period.
Our Unum International segment reported an increase in adjusted operating income, as measured in U.S. dollars, of 64.2 percent and 48.4 percent in the second quarter
and first six months of 2021, respectively, compared to the same periods of 2020. As measured in local currency, our Unum UK line of business reported an increase in adjusted operating income of 66.3 percent and 48.7 percent in the second quarter and first six months of 2021, respectively, compared to the same periods of 2020 due to higher net investment income and lower operating expenses. Also contributing to the increase in adjusted operating income was higher premium income during the second quarter of 2021 compared to the same period of 2020 and favorable benefits experience during the first six months of 2021 compared to the same period of 2020. The benefit ratio for our Unum UK line of business was 82.5 percent and 79.0 percent in the second quarter and first six months of 2021, respectively, compared to 82.5 percent and 81.5 percent in the same periods of 2020. Unum International sales, as measured in U.S. dollars, increased 10.0 percent and 4.3 percent in
the second quarter and first six months of 2021 compared to the same periods of 2020. Unum UK sales, as measured in local currency decreased 3.2 percent and 7.6 percent in the second quarter and first six months of 2021 relative to the same periods of 2020. Overall persistency was higher relative to the prior year period.
Our Colonial Life segment reported an increase in adjusted operating income of 5.4 percent in the second quarter of 2021 and a decrease of 1.7 percent in the first six months of 2021, respectively, compared to the same periods of 2020. Impacting the results in each period was a decline in premium income, higher net investment income, unfavorable benefits experience, and lower operating expenses. The benefit ratio for Colonial Life was 51.7 percent and 53.5 percent in the second quarter and first
66
six
months of 2021, respectively, compared to 50.7 percent and 51.6 percent in the same periods of 2020. Colonial Life sales increased 53.7 percent and 17.3 percent in the second quarter and first six months of 2021, respectively, compared to the same periods of 2020. Persistency was higher relative to the prior year period.
Our Closed Block segment reported income before income tax and net realized investment gains and losses of $91.5 million and $29.2 million in the second quarter and first six months of 2021, which includes the impacts related to the second phase of the Closed Block individual disability reinsurance transaction during the first quarter of 2021 and the amortization of the cost of reinsurance. Excluding these items, our Closed Block segment reported adjusted operating income of $111.2 million and $208.2 million in the second quarter and first six months of 2021 compared to $36.7 million and
$66.4 million in the same periods of 2020. The long-term care interest adjusted loss ratio was less favorable in the second quarter and first six months of 2021 relative to the same periods of 2020 but continues to be lower than our long-term expectations. The interest adjusted loss ratio for individual disability, excluding the reserve recognition impact from the reinsurance transaction during the first quarter of 2021, was favorable during the second quarter and first six months of 2021 relative to the same periods of 2020. See "Closed Block Individual Disability Reinsurance Transaction" contained herein for further discussion.
Our net investment income yields continue to be pressured by the low interest rate environment as we maintain consistent credit quality in our invested asset portfolio. The net unrealized gain on our fixed maturity securities was $6.6 billion at June 30,
2021, compared to $7.6 billion at December 31, 2020, with the decrease due primarily to an increase in U.S. Treasury rates. The earned book yield on our investment portfolio was 4.91 percent for the first six months of 2021 compared to a yield of 4.75 percent for full year 2020.
We believe our capital and financial positions are strong. At June 30, 2021, the risk-based capital (RBC) ratio for our traditional U.S. insurance subsidiaries, calculated on a weighted average basis using the NAIC Company Action Level formula, was approximately 375 percent, which is in line with our expectations. We did not repurchase shares during the first six months of 2021. Our weighted average common shares outstanding, assuming dilution,
equaled 205.3 million and 203.7 million for the second quarters of 2021 and 2020, respectively, and 205.0 million and 203.5 million for the first six months of 2021 and 2020, respectively. As of June 30, 2021, Unum Group and our intermediate holding companies had available holding company liquidity of $1,717 million that was held primarily in bank deposits, commercial paper, money market funds, corporate bonds, and asset-backed securities.
Impairment Loss on Right-of-Use Asset
During the second quarters of 2021 and 2020, we recognized impairment losses of $13.9 million and $12.7 million before tax, respectively, or $11.0 million and $10.0 million after tax, on the ROU asset related to one of our operating leases for office space that we do not plan to continue using to support our general
operations. The impairment losses were recorded as a result of a decrease in the fair value of the ROU asset compared to its carrying value. For further information related to the impairment losses on the ROU asset, see Note 12 of the "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements" contained in Item 1.
In December 2020, we completed the first phase of a reinsurance transaction, pursuant to which Provident, Paul Revere, and Unum America, wholly-owned domestic insurance subsidiaries of Unum Group, and collectively referred to as "the ceding companies", each entered into separate reinsurance agreements with Commonwealth Annuity and Life Insurance Company (Commonwealth), to reinsure
on a coinsurance basis effective as of July 1, 2020, approximately 75 percent of the Closed Block individual disability business, primarily direct business written by the ceding companies. On March 31, 2021, we completed the second phase of the reinsurance transaction, pursuant to which the ceding companies and Commonwealth amended and restated their respective reinsurance agreements to reinsure on a coinsurance and modified coinsurance basis effective as of January 1, 2021, a substantial portion of the remaining Closed Block individual disability business that was not ceded in December 2020, primarily business previously assumed by the ceding companies. Commonwealth established and will maintain collateralized trust accounts for the benefit of the ceding companies to secure its obligations under the reinsurance agreements.
In
December 2020, Provident Life and Casualty Insurance Company (PLC), also a wholly-owned domestic insurance subsidiary of Unum Group, entered into an agreement with Commonwealth whereby PLC will provide a 12-year volatility cover to Commonwealth for the active life cohort (ALR cohort). On March 31, 2021, PLC and Commonwealth amended and restated this agreement to incorporate the ALR cohort related to the additional business that was reinsured between the ceding companies and Commonwealth as part of the second phase of the transaction. As part of the amended and restated volatility cover, PLC received a payment from Commonwealth of approximately $18 million. At the end of the 12-year coverage period,
67
Commonwealth will retain the
remaining incidence and claims risk on the ALR cohort of the ceded business.
In connection with the second phase of the reinsurance transaction, Commonwealth paid a total ceding commission to the ceding companies of $18.2 million. The ceding companies transferred assets of $767.0 million, which consisted primarily of cash and fixed maturity securities. In addition, we recognized the following in the first quarter of 2021 related to the second phase:
•Net realized investment gains totaling $67.6 million, or $53.4 million after tax, related to the transfer of investments.
•Increase in benefits and change in reserves for future benefits of $133.1 million, or $105.1 million after tax, resulting from the realization of previously unrealized investment
gains and losses recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income.
•Transaction costs totaling $6.2 million, or $5.0 million after tax.
•Reinsurance recoverable of $990.0 million related to the policies on claim status (DLR cohort).
•Payable of $307.2 million related to the portfolio of invested assets associated with the business ceded on a modified coinsurance basis.
•Cost of reinsurance, or prepaid reinsurance premium, of $43.1 million related to the DLR cohort. The total cost of reinsurance recognized on a combined basis for the first and second phases was $854.8 million for which we amortized $19.7 million, or $15.5 million after tax, and $39.7 million, or $31.3 million after tax, during the
three and six month periods ended June 30, 2021, respectively.
•Deposit asset of $5.0 million related to the ALR cohort. The total deposit asset recognized on a combined basis for the first and second phases was $91.8 million.
We released approximately $200 million of capital during the first quarter of 2021 in addition to the $400 million that was released in December 2020. See Note 12 of the "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements" contained herein in Item 1 for further discussion on the impacts related to this reinsurance transaction.
2020 Long-term Care Reserve Increase
During the fourth quarter of 2020, we completed a review of
policy reserve adequacy, which incorporated our most recent experience and included a review of all material assumptions. Based on our analysis, during the fourth quarter of 2020, we updated our reserve assumptions and determined that our gross policy and claim reserves should be increased by $151.5 million to reflect our current estimate of future benefit obligations. This increase was primarily driven by an update to our interest rate assumption, partially offset by favorable premium rate increase approvals and inventory updates.
U.K. Referendum
On January 31, 2020, an official bill was passed formalizing the withdrawal of the U.K. from the European Union (EU). A deal was reached on December 24, 2020 on the future trading relationship with
the EU. The deal focused primarily on the trading of goods rather than the U.K.’s service sector, which will be subject to further negotiations in 2021 and will focus on financial services and future regulation. In addition, the U.K. government is reviewing the regulatory framework of financial services companies which may result in changes to U.K. regulatory capital or U.K. tax regulations. We do not expect that the underlying operations of our U.K. business, nor the Polish business which is in the EU, will be significantly impacted by the withdrawal, but it is possible that we may experience some short-term volatility in financial markets, which could impact the fair value of investments, our solvency ratios, or the British pound sterling to dollar exchange rate. Further discussion is contained herein in "Unum International Segment" in this Item 2.
Coronavirus Disease 2019
(COVID-19)
On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization identified the spread of COVID-19 as a pandemic. COVID-19 has caused significant disruption to the global economy and has unfavorably impacted our company as well as the overall insurance industry. Due to the unprecedented nature of these events and the current pace of change in this environment, we cannot fully estimate the ultimate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic at this time. We are closely monitoring emerging pandemic trends that have and may continue to have adverse impacts on our business.
Results of Operations
We have experienced a disruption in sales activity
related to certain of our product lines due to some potential new customers deferring their purchasing decisions given the current economic environment. If we continue to experience this disruption, our
68
premium income in our principal operating segments may continue to be impacted. In addition, in certain of our product lines, we have seen pressure in the number of lives insured with our customers as they navigate the current environment. With respect to premium collectability, as our outlook regarding the economic environment and the financial condition of our customers has improved, we have begun to reduce the allowance for expected credit losses on our premiums receivable balances that we established during 2020. However, circumstances may deteriorate quickly which could
result in the decline of persistency levels and sales growth in the near term, and potentially longer if the current situation persists, which may materially impact our results of operations.
We have experienced higher mortality in our life product lines and higher claim incidence in certain of our disability product lines. With respect to our long-term care product line, we have experienced higher claimant mortality. Although our results within these product lines have begun to reflect a return to pre-pandemic levels, we continue to monitor the benefits experience of all our products for trends potentially correlated with COVID-19.
For further information on our allowance for expected credit losses see Note 12 of the "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements" contained herein in Item 1. For further discussion regarding the benefits
experience for each of our operating business segments, see "Segment Results" herein in this Item 2.
Financial Condition
Investments
Regarding our fixed maturity security portfolio, the current economic conditions have increased volatility in the capital markets and have caused significant pressure on the profitability of many companies. Our fixed income exposure to consumer cyclicals, which have been stressed due to COVID-19 related shutdowns, is a small portion of our portfolio and our exposure to other stressed industries such as airlines and restaurants is minimal. We continue to monitor capital market activity on a regular basis and to the extent that there are continued volatility and ratings downgrades related to the issuers of our fixed maturity securities,
we could experience further credit losses, an increase in defaults, and the need for additional capital in our insurance subsidiaries. However, we remain confident in the overall strength and credit quality of our investment portfolio.
Other
If we experience unfavorable trends in the above areas of focus, we may also experience certain additional, correlated impacts such as an increase in the amortization of deferred acquisition costs if we have a decline in persistency. We may also be required to write-off or impair certain intangible/long-lived assets such as value of business acquired and goodwill if we experience declines in the overall profitability of our businesses. Furthermore, if the profitability of our businesses declines, we may
also be required to establish a valuation allowance regarding the realization of our deferred tax assets.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
We have strengthened our liquidity position through actions such as maintaining a higher level of short-term investments and posting additional collateral from certain of our U.S. insurance subsidiaries to the regional Federal Home Loan Banks (FHLB). As a result, we believe we have the appropriate liquidity and access to capital to avoid significant disruption to our operations. We have not yet experienced a significant impact to our liquidity as a result of the collection of premiums and submitted claims activity; however, we continually monitor the developments of these items.
As
of June 30, 2021, we have borrowed $286.6 million of funds through our memberships with the regional FHLBs and
those funds are used for the purpose of investing in either short-term investments or fixed maturity securities and have additional borrowing capacity of approximately $906 million that can be utilized for liquidity if the need arises. Additionally, we have access to an unsecured revolving credit facility that allows us to borrow up to a total of $500 million. There are currently no outstanding borrowings on this facility, but we remain in compliance with required covenants should we choose to borrow in the future. We have no significant upcoming debt maturities until 2024. We continue to meet the financial covenants contained in our current debt agreements and credit facilities, and we expect that we will continue to meet those covenants in subsequent periods.
To
the extent that we begin to experience a significant impact to our liquidity, we would likely sell highly liquid invested assets or borrow funds on our credit facilities to meet operational cash flow requirements.
69
Business Operations
Other than disruption to sales processes in certain of our product lines, we have not experienced a significant disruption to our operational processes as we have been able to successfully implement our business continuation plans to accommodate remote work arrangements for the safety of our employees and customers. We also have not experienced significant disruption to our financial reporting systems or internal control over financial reporting and disclosure
controls and procedures as a result of COVID-19. We have implemented certain travel restrictions on international travel for the safety of our employees and customers, but do not expect those restrictions to significantly disrupt our operations.
Consolidated Company Outlook
We believe our disciplined approach to providing financial protection products at the workplace puts us in a position of strength. The products and services we provide have never been more important to employers, employees and their families, especially given the COVID-19 pandemic. We continue to fulfill our corporate purpose of helping the working world thrive throughout life’s moments by providing excellent service to people at their time of need. Our strategy remains centered on growing our core businesses, through investing and transforming
our operations and technology to anticipate and respond to the changing needs of our customers, expand into new adjacent markets through meaningful partnerships and effective deployment of our capital across our portfolio.
Given the disruption and uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, we expect full year premium income to grow slightly from the prior year, but at a rate that is below our historical levels. In addition, we may also continue to experience increased claims volatility.
The low interest rate environment continues to place pressure on our profit margins by impacting net investment income yields as well as potentially discount rates on our insurance liabilities. We also may continue to experience further volatility in miscellaneous investment income primarily related to changes in partnership net asset values and bond call activity. As
part of our continued pricing discipline and our reserving methodology, we continuously monitor emerging interest rate experience and adjust our pricing and reserve discount rates, as appropriate.
Our business is well-diversified by geography, industry exposures and case size, and we continue to analyze and employ strategies that we believe will help us navigate the current environment. These strategies allow us to maintain financial flexibility to support the needs of our businesses, while also returning capital to our shareholders. We have strong core businesses that have a track record of generating significant capital, and we will continue to invest in our operations and expand into adjacent markets where we can best leverage our expertise and capabilities to capture market growth opportunities as those opportunities re-emerge. Long-term, we believe that consistent operating results, combined with the
implementation of strategic initiatives and the effective deployment of capital, will allow us to meet our financial objectives.
Further discussion is included in "Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures,""Consolidated Operating Results,""Segment Results,""Investments," and "Liquidity and Capital Resources" contained herein in this Item 2 and in the "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements" contained herein in Item 1.
Reconciliation of Non-GAAP and Other Financial Measures
We analyze our performance using non-GAAP financial measures. A non-GAAP financial measure is a numerical measure of a company's performance, financial
position, or cash flows that excludes or includes amounts that are not normally excluded or included in the most directly comparable measure calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP. The non-GAAP financial measure of "after-tax adjusted operating income" differs from net income as presented in our consolidated operating results and income statements prepared in accordance with GAAP due to the exclusion of net realized investment gains and losses and the amortization of the cost of reinsurance as well as certain other items as specified in the reconciliations below. We believe after-tax adjusted operating income is a better performance measure and better indicator of the profitability and underlying trends in our business.
Realized investment gains or losses depend on market conditions and do not necessarily relate to decisions regarding the underlying business of our segments. Our investment
focus is on investment income to support our insurance liabilities as opposed to the generation of realized investment gains or losses. Although we may experience realized investment gains or losses which will affect future earnings levels, a long-term focus is necessary to maintain profitability over the life of the business since our underlying business is long-term in nature, and we need to earn the interest rates assumed in calculating our liabilities.
70
As previously discussed, we have exited a substantial portion of our Closed Block individual disability product line through the two phases of the reinsurance agreement that were executed in December 2020 and March 2021, respectively. As a result, we exclude the amortization of the cost of reinsurance
that was recognized upon the exit of the business related to the DLR cohort of policies. We believe that the exclusion of the amortization of the cost of reinsurance provides a better view of our results from our ongoing businesses.
We may at other times exclude certain other items from our discussion of financial ratios and metrics in order to enhance the understanding and comparability of our operational performance and the underlying fundamentals, but this exclusion is not an indication that similar items may not recur and does not replace net income or net loss as a measure of our overall profitability. See "Executive Summary" contained herein in Item 2 and Notes 7 and 12 of the "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements" contained herein in Item 1 for further discussion regarding the total impacts of the Closed Block individual disability reinsurance transaction, the amortization of the
cost of reinsurance, the cost related to the early retirement of debt, the impairment losses on the ROU asset, and the U.K. tax rate increase.
A reconciliation of GAAP financial measures to our non-GAAP financial measures is as follows:
Three Months Ended June 30
2021
2020
(in
millions)
per share *
(in millions)
per share *
Net Income
$
182.9
$
0.89
$
265.5
$
1.30
Excluding:
Net
Realized Investment Gain (net of tax expense of $0.3; $8.4)
0.6
0.01
25.4
0.12
Amortization of the Cost of Reinsurance (net of tax benefit of $4.2; $—)
(15.5)
(0.08)
—
—
Cost
Related to Early Retirement of Debt (net of tax benefit of $14.1; $—)
(53.2)
(0.26)
—
—
Impairment Loss on ROU Asset (net of tax benefit of $2.9; $2.7)
(11.0)
(0.05)
(10.0)
(0.05)
Impact
of U.K. Tax Rate Increase
(24.2)
(0.12)
—
—
After-tax
Adjusted Operating Income
$
286.2
$
1.39
$
250.1
$
1.23
* Assuming Dilution
71
Six
Months Ended June 30
2021
2020
(in millions)
per share *
(in millions)
per share *
Net Income
$
335.9
$
1.64
$
426.5
$
2.10
Excluding:
Net
Realized Investment Gains and Losses
Net Realized Investment Gain Related to Reinsurance Transaction (net of tax expense of $14.2; $—)
53.4
0.26
—
—
Net Realized Investment Gain (Loss), Other (net of tax expense (benefit) of $3.8;
$(22.5))
14.1
0.07
(87.7)
(0.43)
Total Net Realized Investment Gain (Loss)
67.5
0.33
(87.7)
(0.43)
Items
Related to Closed Block Individual Disability Reinsurance Transaction
Change in Benefit Reserves and Transaction Costs (net of tax benefit of $29.2; $—)
(110.1)
(0.53)
—
—
Amortization of the Cost of Reinsurance (net of tax benefit
of $8.4; $—)
(31.3)
(0.16)
—
—
Total Items Related to Closed Block Individual Disability Reinsurance Transaction
(141.4)
(0.69)
—
—
Cost
Related to Early Retirement of Debt (net of tax benefit of $14.1; $—)
(53.2)
(0.26)
—
—
Impairment Loss on ROU Asset (net of tax benefit of $2.9; $2.7)
(11.0)
(0.05)
(10.0)
(0.05)
Impact
of U.K. Tax Rate Increase
(24.2)
(0.12)
—
—
After-tax
Adjusted Operating Income
$
498.2
$
2.43
$
524.2
$
2.58
* Assuming Dilution
We
measure and analyze our segment performance on the basis of "adjusted operating revenue" and "adjusted operating income" or "adjusted operating loss", which differ from total revenue and income before income tax as presented in our consolidated statements of income due to the exclusion of net realized investment gains and losses and the amortization of the cost of reinsurance as well as certain other items as specified in the reconciliations below. These performance measures are in accordance with GAAP guidance for segment reporting, but they should not be viewed as a substitute for total revenue, income before income tax, or net income.
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A reconciliation of total revenue to "adjusted operating revenue" and income before income
tax to "adjusted operating income" is as follows:
Three Months Ended June 30
Six Months Ended June 30
2021
2020
2021
2020
(in
millions of dollars)
Total Revenue
$
2,993.0
$
3,021.2
$
6,065.0
$
5,892.3
Excluding:
Net
Realized Investment Gain (Loss)
0.9
33.8
85.5
(110.2)
Adjusted Operating Revenue
$
2,992.1
$
2,987.4
$
5,979.5
$
6,002.5
Income
Before Income Tax
$
262.6
$
337.6
$
461.4
$
539.7
Excluding:
Net Realized Investment Gains and Losses
Net
Realized Investment Gain Related to Reinsurance Transaction
—
—
67.6
—
Net Realized Investment Gain (Loss), Other
0.9
33.8
17.9
(110.2)
Total
Net Realized Investment Gain (Loss)
0.9
33.8
85.5
(110.2)
Items Related to Closed Block Individual Disability Reinsurance Transaction
Change in Benefit Reserves and Transaction Costs
—
—
(139.3)
—
Amortization
of the Cost of Reinsurance
(19.7)
—
(39.7)
—
Total Items Related to Closed Block Individual Disability Reinsurance Transaction
(19.7)
—
(179.0)
—
Cost
Related to Early Retirement of Debt
(67.3)
—
(67.3)
—
Impairment Loss on ROU Asset
(13.9)
(12.7)
(13.9)
(12.7)
Adjusted
Operating Income
$
362.6
$
316.5
$
636.1
$
662.6
Critical Accounting Estimates
We prepare our financial statements in accordance with GAAP. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires
us to make estimates and assumptions that affect amounts reported in our financial statements and accompanying notes. Estimates and assumptions could change in the future as more information becomes known, which could impact the amounts reported and disclosed in our financial statements.
The accounting estimates deemed to be most critical to our financial position and results of operations are those related to reserves for policy and contract benefits, deferred acquisition costs, valuation of investments, pension and postretirement benefit plans, income taxes, and contingent liabilities. There have been no significant changes in our critical accounting estimates during the six months ended June 30, 2021.
For
additional information, refer to our significant accounting policies in Note 1 of the "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements" in Part II, Item 8 and "Critical Accounting Estimates" in Part II, Item 7 of our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020.
Accounting Developments
See Note 2 of the "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements" contained herein in Item 1 for further information on accounting developments.
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Consolidated Operating Results
(in
millions of dollars)
Three Months Ended June 30
Six Months Ended June 30
2021
% Change
2020
2021
% Change
2020
Revenue
Premium
Income
$
2,374.4
0.2
%
$
2,368.7
$
4,752.7
0.3
%
$
4,740.1
Net Investment Income
563.5
(1.0)
569.0
1,112.2
(3.6)
1,154.0
Net
Realized Investment Gain (Loss)
0.9
(97.3)
33.8
85.5
(177.6)
(110.2)
Other Income
54.2
9.1
49.7
114.6
5.7
108.4
Total
Revenue
2,993.0
(0.9)
3,021.2
6,065.0
2.9
5,892.3
Benefits
and Expenses
Benefits and Change in Reserves for Future Benefits
1,854.1
(1.5)
1,882.8
3,905.3
4.5
3,737.6
Commissions
259.7
(4.9)
273.0
519.6
(5.9)
552.2
Interest
and Debt Expense
45.3
(4.6)
47.5
89.7
(3.8)
93.2
Cost Related to Early Retirement of Debt
67.3
N.M.
—
67.3
N.M.
—
Deferral
of Acquisition Costs
(129.7)
(13.5)
(149.9)
(260.3)
(16.5)
(311.9)
Amortization of Deferred Acquisition Costs
136.0
(3.3)
140.7
302.4
(4.6)
316.9
Compensation
Expense
247.4
6.1
233.2
484.3
2.5
472.7
Other Expenses
250.3
(2.3)
256.3
495.3
0.7
491.9
Total
Benefits and Expenses
2,730.4
1.7
2,683.6
5,603.6
4.7
5,352.6
Income
Before Income Tax
262.6
(22.2)
337.6
461.4
(14.5)
539.7
Income Tax
79.7
10.5
72.1
125.5
10.9
113.2
Net
Income
$
182.9
(31.1)
$
265.5
$
335.9
(21.2)
$
426.5
N.M.
= not a meaningful percentage
Fluctuations in exchange rates, particularly between the British pound sterling and the U.S. dollar for our U.K. operations, have an effect on our consolidated financial results. In periods when the pound weakens relative to the preceding period, translating pounds into dollars decreases current period results relative to the prior period. In periods when the pound strengthens, translating pounds into dollars increases current period results relative to the prior period.
The weighted
average pound/dollar exchange rate for our Unum UK line of business was 1.393 and 1.248 for the three months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020, and 1.387 and 1.265 for the six months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively. If the 2020 results for our U.K. operations had been translated at the exchange rates of 2021, our adjusted operating revenue and adjusted operating income by segment would have been higher by approximately $20 million and $2 million, respectively, in the second quarter of 2020 and higher by approximately $33 million and $3 million, respectively, in the first six months of 2020. However, it is important to distinguish between translating and converting foreign currency. Except for a limited number of transactions,
we do not actually convert pounds into dollars. As a result, we view foreign currency translation as a financial reporting item and not a reflection of operations or profitability in the U.K.
Premium income for our principal operating business segments in the second quarter and first six months of 2021 was generally consistent with the same prior year periods of 2020, with higher premium income in the Unum International segment mostly offset by a decline in the Colonial Life segment.
Net investment income decreased in the second quarter and first six months of 2021 relative to the same periods of 2020 due to decline in the yield on invested assets and a decrease
in the level of invested assets supporting the Closed Block individual disability product line resulting from the reinsurance transaction, partially offset by higher miscellaneous investment income, particularly related to our private equity partnerships, and an increase in the level of invested assets in our other product lines.
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Credit losses on fixed maturity securities were $1.0 million and $5.4 million in the second quarters of 2021 and 2020, respectively, and $9.3 million and $59.3 million during the first six months of 2021 and 2020, respectively. Included in the net realized investment gains and losses for the first six months of 2021 is a net realized investment gain of $67.6 million related to the transfer of investments in the second phase of
the Closed Block individual disability reinsurance transaction. Also included in net realized investment gains and losses were changes in the fair value of an embedded derivative in a modified coinsurance arrangement, which resulted in realized gains (losses) of $1.7 million and $41.9 million in the second quarters of 2021 and 2020, respectively, and $18.6 million and $(45.0) million in first six months of 2021 and 2020, respectively. The changes in the embedded derivative are primarily driven by movements in credit spreads in the overall investment market. See Note 4 in the "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements" contained herein in Item 1 for further information on realized investment gains and losses.
Other income is primarily comprised of fee-based service products in the Unum US segment, which include leave management services and administrative services only (ASO) business, and the underlying
results and associated net investment income of certain blocks of individual disability reinsured business in the Closed Block segment.
Overall benefits experience was favorable in the second quarter of 2021 relative to the same period of 2020 but was unfavorable in the first six months of 2021 relative to the same period of 2020. Overall benefits experience for the first six months of 2021 includes the reserve recognition impact from the second phase of the Closed Block individual disability reinsurance transaction that occurred during the first quarter of 2021. The benefits experience for each of our operating business segments is discussed more fully in "Segment Results" as follows.
Commissions and the deferral of acquisition costs were lower during the second quarter and first six months of 2021 compared to
the same periods of 2020 driven primarily by lower sales in our Unum US voluntary benefits product line and lower prior period sales in the Colonial Life segment. The decrease in the amortization of deferred acquisition costs in the second quarter and first six months of 2021 compared to the same periods of 2020 is primarily due to a decline in the level of the deferred asset.
Interest and debt expense decreased in the second quarter and first six months of 2021 relative to the same periods of 2020 due primarily to a lower level of outstanding debt, which includes the December 2020 redemption of the Northwind notes by Northwind Holdings, LLC (Northwind Holdings).
Cost related to early retirement of debt includes costs associated with the purchase and retirement of $500.0 million
aggregate principal amount of our 4.500% senior notes due 2025. See Note 12 of the "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements" contained herein in Item 1 for further information.
Other expenses and compensation expense, on a combined basis, increased in the second quarter and first six months of 2021 compared to the same periods of 2020 due to the amortization of cost of reinsurance related to the Closed Block individual disability reinsurance transaction, growth in our fee-based service products, and an increase in operational investments in our business. These increases were partially offset by a decrease in the allowance for expected credit losses on premiums receivable balances and our continued focus on expense
management and operating efficiencies. Also contributing to the increase for the first six months of 2021 compared to the same period of 2020 are the costs related to the second phase of the Closed Block individual disability reinsurance transaction that occurred in the first quarter of 2021.
Our effective income tax rates for the second quarter and first six months of 2021 were 30.4 percent and 27.2 percent of income before income tax, respectively, compared to 21.4 percent and 21.0 percent for the same prior year periods. Our effective income tax rates differed from the U.S. statutory rate of 21 percent in effect for the second quarter and first six months of 2021 primarily due to deferred tax expense related to a U.K. tax rate increase from 19 percent to 25 percent, effective April 1, 2023, pursuant to Finance Bill 2021 enacted on June
10, 2021, and global intangible low-taxed income tax. See Note 12 of the "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements" contained herein in Item 1 for further information.
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Consolidated Sales Results
Shown below are sales results for our three principal operating business segments.
(in
millions)
Three Months Ended June 30
Six Months Ended June 30
2021
% Change
2020
2021
% Change
2020
Unum
US
$
208.6
(3.1)
%
$
215.3
$
420.0
(6.9)
%
$
451.1
Unum
International
$
33.1
10.0
%
$
30.1
$
56.3
4.3
%
$
54.0
Colonial
Life
$
111.1
53.7
%
$
72.3
$
201.3
17.3
%
$
171.6
Sales shown in the preceding chart generally represent the annualized premium income on new
sales which we expect to receive and report as premium income during the next 12 months following or beginning in the initial quarter in which the sale is reported, depending on the effective date of the new sale. Sales do not correspond to premium income reported as revenue in accordance with GAAP. This is because new annualized sales premiums reflect current sales performance and what we expect to recognize as premium income over a 12 month period, while premium income reported in our financial statements is reported on an "as earned" basis rather than an annualized basis and also includes renewals and persistency of in-force policies written in prior years as well as current new sales.
Sales, persistency of the existing block of business, employment and salary growth, and the effectiveness of a renewal program are indicators of growth in premium income. Trends in new sales, as well as existing
market share, also indicate the potential for growth in our respective markets and the level of market acceptance of price levels and new product offerings. Sales results may fluctuate significantly due to case size and timing of sales submissions. The impact of COVID-19, which began in 2020, caused higher unemployment levels and general uncertainty around the financial condition of our customers as well as disruption in our sales processes. We have begun to see improvement in certain of these factors subsequent to the onset of COVID-19, which has resulted in an increase in sales for certain of our product lines during the second quarter of 2021, but we continue to see pressure on our overall sales resulting from the impacts of the pandemic.
See "Segment Results" as follows for a discussion of sales by segment.
76
Segment
Results
Our reporting segments are comprised of the following: Unum US, Unum International, Colonial Life, Closed Block, and Corporate.
Unum US Segment
The Unum US segment is comprised of group disability insurance, which includes our long-term and short-term disability products, our medical stop-loss product, and our fee-based leave management services and ASO business, group life and accidental death and dismemberment products, and supplemental and voluntary lines of business, which are comprised of individual disability, voluntary benefits, and dental and vision products.
Unum US Operating
Results
Shown below are financial results for the Unum US segment. In the sections following, financial results and key ratios are also presented for the major lines of business within the segment.
(in
millions of dollars, except ratios)
Three Months Ended June 30
Six Months Ended June 30
2021
% Change
2020
2021
% Change
2020
Adjusted
Operating Revenue
Premium Income
$
1,522.1
—
%
$
1,522.7
$
3,047.9
(0.1)
%
$
3,050.4
Net
Investment Income
183.6
3.8
176.9
363.3
1.9
356.5
Other Income
41.3
17.0
35.3
81.7
8.2
75.5
Total
1,747.0
0.7
1,734.9
3,492.9
0.3
3,482.4
Benefits
and Expenses
Benefits and Change in Reserves for Future Benefits
1,092.1
5.3
1,036.8
2,225.4
10.1
2,021.4
Commissions
147.6
(4.4)
154.4
295.5
(4.3)
308.7
Deferral
of Acquisition Costs
(65.4)
(13.4)
(75.5)
(132.3)
(14.7)
(155.1)
Amortization of Deferred Acquisition Costs
73.9
2.6
72.0
172.6
(4.0)
179.7
Other
Expenses
319.5
1.3
315.3
636.7
0.4
634.0
Total
1,567.7
4.3
1,503.0
3,197.9
7.0
2,988.7
Adjusted
Operating Income
$
179.3
(22.7)
$
231.9
$
295.0
(40.2)
$
493.7
Operating
Ratios (% of Premium Income):
Benefit Ratio
71.7
%
68.1
%
73.0
%
66.3
%
Other
Expense Ratio
21.0
%
20.7
%
20.9
%
20.8
%
Adjusted
Operating Income Ratio
11.8
%
15.2
%
9.7
%
16.2
%
77
Unum
US Group Disability Operating Results
Shown below are financial results and key performance indicators for Unum US group disability.
(in millions
of dollars, except ratios)
Three Months Ended June 30
Six Months Ended June 30
2021
% Change
2020
2021
% Change
2020
Adjusted
Operating Revenue
Premium Income
Group Long-term Disability
$
458.6
(0.5)
%
$
461.0
$
916.3
(0.8)
%
$
924.0
Group
Short-term Disability
213.6
4.9
203.6
428.8
5.4
406.8
Total Premium Income
672.2
1.1
664.6
1,345.1
1.1
1,330.8
Net
Investment Income
94.0
(2.6)
96.5
191.4
0.8
189.9
Other Income
39.8
17.8
33.8
79.3
9.8
72.2
Total
806.0
1.4
794.9
1,615.8
1.4
1,592.9
Benefits
and Expenses
Benefits and Change in Reserves for Future Benefits
502.4
3.8
484.1
1,005.7
3.5
971.5
Commissions
50.8
5.6
48.1
102.1
4.2
98.0
Deferral
of Acquisition Costs
(12.5)
6.8
(11.7)
(25.1)
2.4
(24.5)
Amortization of Deferred Acquisition Costs
12.8
(3.0)
13.2
25.7
(3.0)
26.5
Other
Expenses
192.6
4.0
185.2
383.4
3.9
369.1
Total
746.1
3.8
718.9
1,491.8
3.6
1,440.6
Adjusted
Operating Income
$
59.9
(21.2)
$
76.0
$
124.0
(18.6)
$
152.3
Operating
Ratios (% of Premium Income):
Benefit Ratio
74.7
%
72.8
%
74.8
%
73.0
%
Other
Expense Ratio
28.7
%
27.9
%
28.5
%
27.7
%
Adjusted Operating Income Ratio
8.9
%
11.4
%
9.2
%
11.4
%
Persistency:
Group
Long-term Disability
90.1
%
89.4
%
Group Short-term Disability
87.2
%
86.9
%
Premium
income was slightly higher in the second quarter and first six months of 2021 compared to the same periods of 2020 due primarily to higher sales in certain of our group short-term disability products. Net investment income was lower in the second quarter of 2021 relative to the same period of 2020 due to a decline in the yield on invested assets and a lower level of invested assets, partially offset by higher miscellaneous investment income. Net investment income was slightly higher during the first six months of 2021 relative to the same period of 2020 due to higher miscellaneous investment income, mostly offset by a decline in the yield on invested assets and a lower level of invested assets. Other income increased in the second quarter and first six months of 2021 compared to the same periods of 2020 due to continued growth in our fee-based service products.
Benefits experience was unfavorable in the
second quarter and first six months of 2021 compared to the same periods of 2020 due to higher claims incidence in the group short-term disability product line.
Commissions and the deferral of acquisition costs were higher in the second quarter and first six months of 2021 compared to the same periods of 2020 due primarily to higher sales in the group short-term disability product line. The amortization of deferred acquisition costs decreased in the second quarter and first six months of 2021 compared to the same periods of 2020 due to a decline in the level of the deferred asset. Our other expense ratio increased in the second quarter and first six months of 2021 compared to the same periods of 2020 due primarily to an increase in operational investments in our business
78
and
growth in our fee-based service products, which was partially elevated from higher volumes due to the current COVID-19 environment.
Unum US Group Life and Accidental Death and Dismemberment Operating Results
Shown below are financial results and key performance indicators for Unum US group life and accidental death and dismemberment.
(in
millions of dollars, except ratios)
Three Months Ended June 30
Six Months Ended June 30
2021
% Change
2020
2021
% Change
2020
Adjusted
Operating Revenue
Premium Income
Group Life
$
414.6
—
%
$
414.6
$
824.6
(0.5)
%
$
829.1
Accidental
Death & Dismemberment
42.0
0.7
41.7
83.4
—
83.4
Total Premium Income
456.6
0.1
456.3
908.0
(0.5)
912.5
Net
Investment Income
26.9
15.5
23.3
51.8
5.7
49.0
Other Income
0.5
—
0.5
0.8
(20.0)
1.0
Total
484.0
0.8
480.1
960.6
(0.2)
962.5
Benefits
and Expenses
Benefits and Change in Reserves for Future Benefits
388.8
4.2
373.2
834.6
20.0
695.3
Commissions
35.9
(2.7)
36.9
72.7
(0.8)
73.3
Deferral
of Acquisition Costs
(9.0)
7.1
(8.4)
(18.4)
2.8
(17.9)
Amortization of Deferred Acquisition Costs
9.6
(2.0)
9.8
19.2
(2.5)
19.7
Other
Expenses
53.5
8.7
49.2
105.6
3.2
102.3
Total
478.8
3.9
460.7
1,013.7
16.2
872.7
Adjusted
Operating Income (Loss)
$
5.2
(73.2)
$
19.4
$
(53.1)
(159.1)
$
89.8
Operating
Ratios (% of Premium Income):
Benefit Ratio
85.2
%
81.8
%
91.9
%
76.2
%
Other
Expense Ratio
11.7
%
10.8
%
11.6
%
11.2
%
Adjusted
Operating Income (Loss) Ratio
1.1
%
4.3
%
(5.8)
%
9.8
%
Persistency:
Group
Life
90.1
%
88.6
%
Accidental Death & Dismemberment
89.6
%
87.8
%
Premium
income in the second quarter and first six months of 2021 was generally consistent with the same periods of 2020. Net investment income was higher in the second quarter and first six months of 2021 relative to the same periods of 2020 due to higher miscellaneous investment income, partially offset by a decline in the yield on invested assets.
Benefits experience was unfavorable in the second quarter and first six months of 2021 compared to the same periods of 2020 due primarily to a higher average claim size. Also impacting the comparison for the first six months of 2021 compared to the same period of 2020 is higher incidence in the group life product line, resulting from the impacts of COVID-19.
Commissions were lower in the second quarter and first six months of 2021 compared to the same periods of 2020 due primarily to lower prior period sales. The
deferral of acquisition costs was slightly higher in the second quarter and first six months of 2021 relative to the same periods of 2020 due to higher sales and higher deferrable expenses related to certain sales-based incentive compensation costs. The amortization of deferred acquisition costs decreased in the second quarter and first six
79
months of 2021 relative to the same periods of 2020 due to a decline in the level of the deferred asset. The other expense ratio increased in the second quarter and first six months of 2021 compared to the same periods of 2020 due primarily to an increase in operational investments in our business, partially offset by our continued focus on expense management and operating efficiencies.
Unum US Supplemental
and Voluntary Operating Results
Shown below are financial results and key performance indicators for Unum US supplemental and voluntary product lines.
(in
millions of dollars, except ratios)
Three Months Ended June 30
Six Months Ended June 30
2021
% Change
2020
2021
% Change
2020
Adjusted
Operating Revenue
Premium Income
Individual Disability
$
113.6
0.4
%
$
113.1
$
229.3
3.0
%
$
222.6
Voluntary
Benefits
212.1
(5.3)
224.0
430.8
(5.2)
454.4
Dental and Vision
67.6
4.5
64.7
134.7
3.5
130.1
Total
Premium Income
393.3
(2.1)
401.8
794.8
(1.5)
807.1
Net Investment Income
62.7
9.8
57.1
120.1
2.1
117.6
Other
Income
1.0
—
1.0
1.6
(30.4)
2.3
Total
457.0
(0.6)
459.9
916.5
(1.1)
927.0
Benefits
and Expenses
Benefits and Change in Reserves for Future Benefits
200.9
11.9
179.5
385.1
8.6
354.6
Commissions
60.9
(12.2)
69.4
120.7
(12.2)
137.4
Deferral
of Acquisition Costs
(43.9)
(20.8)
(55.4)
(88.8)
(21.2)
(112.7)
Amortization of Deferred Acquisition Costs
51.5
5.1
49.0
127.7
(4.3)
133.5
Other
Expenses
73.4
(9.3)
80.9
147.7
(9.2)
162.6
Total
342.8
6.0
323.4
692.4
2.5
675.4
Adjusted
Operating Income
$
114.2
(16.3)
$
136.5
$
224.1
(10.9)
$
251.6
Operating
Ratios (% of Premium Income):
Benefit Ratios:
Individual Disability
48.4
%
52.8
%
45.4
%
52.5
%
Voluntary
Benefits
44.2
%
43.1
%
41.7
%
37.8
%
Dental
and Vision
77.1
%
36.0
%
75.1
%
50.7
%
Other Expense Ratio
18.7
%
20.1
%
18.6
%
20.1
%
Adjusted
Operating Income Ratio
29.0
%
34.0
%
28.2
%
31.2
%
Persistency:
Individual
Disability
89.0
%
90.1
%
Voluntary Benefits
74.5
%
73.0
%
Dental
and Vision
86.6
%
81.7
%
Premium
income was lower in the second quarter and first six months of 2021 compared to the same periods of 2020 due to a decline in the voluntary benefits product line as a result of lower sales, partially offset by growth in the individual disability and dental and vision product lines. Net investment income was higher in the second quarter and first six months of 2021 compared to the same periods of 2020 due to higher miscellaneous investment income, partially offset by a decline in the yield on invested assets.
80
Benefits experience for the individual disability product line was favorable in the second quarter and first six months of 2021 compared to the same periods of 2020 due primarily to lower claims incidence. Benefits experience for voluntary benefits
was unfavorable in the second quarter and first six months of 2021 compared to the same periods of 2020 due to higher claims incidence in the critical illness product line. Also impacting the comparison for the first six months of 2021 compared to the same period of 2020 is higher incidence in the life product line, resulting from the impacts of COVID-19. Benefits experience for the dental and vision product line was unfavorable in the second quarter and first six months of 2021 due to higher claims incidence compared to the same periods of 2020 where we experienced lower claims incidence resulting from the impacts of COVID-19.
Commissions and the deferral of acquisition costs were lower in the second quarter and first six months of 2021 compared to the same periods of 2020 due primarily to lower sales in the voluntary benefits product line. The amortization of deferred acquisition costs increased in the
second quarter of 2021 compared to the same period of 2020 due primarily to a higher level of policy terminations in the individual disability product line. The amortization of deferred acquisition costs decreased in the first six months of 2021 relative to the same period of 2020 due to a decline in the level of the deferred asset, primarily in the voluntary benefits product line. Our other expense ratio improved in the second quarter and first six months of 2021 compared to the same periods of 2020 due to a decrease in the allowance for expected credit losses on premiums receivable and our continued focus on expense management and operational efficiencies.
Sales
(in
millions of dollars)
Three Months Ended June 30
Six Months Ended June 30
2021
% Change
2020
2021
% Change
2020
Sales
by Product
Group Disability and Group Life and AD&D
Group Long-term Disability
$
42.0
(23.9)
%
$
55.2
$
73.1
(15.6)
%
$
86.6
Group
Short-term Disability
31.2
5.4
29.6
55.3
26.3
43.8
Group Life and AD&D
63.8
12.7
56.6
94.0
11.0
84.7
Subtotal
137.0
(3.1)
141.4
222.4
3.4
215.1
Supplemental
and Voluntary
Individual Disability
14.9
4.9
14.2
31.9
(13.6)
36.9
Voluntary
Benefits
43.7
(7.0)
47.0
144.7
(17.6)
175.6
Dental and Vision
13.0
2.4
12.7
21.0
(10.6)
23.5
Subtotal
71.6
(3.1)
73.9
197.6
(16.3)
236.0
Total
Sales
$
208.6
(3.1)
$
215.3
$
420.0
(6.9)
$
451.1
Sales
by Market Sector
Group Disability and Group Life and AD&D
Core Market (< 2,000 employees)
$
83.4
3.5
%
$
80.6
$
141.6
7.4
%
$
131.8
Large
Case Market
53.6
(11.8)
60.8
80.8
(3.0)
83.3
Subtotal
137.0
(3.1)
141.4
222.4
3.4
215.1
Supplemental
and Voluntary
71.6
(3.1)
73.9
197.6
(16.3)
236.0
Total Sales
$
208.6
(3.1)
$
215.3
$
420.0
(6.9)
$
451.1
Group
sales decreased during the second quarter of 2021 compared to the same period of 2020 due to lower new customer sales in the large case market and lower sales in our medical stop-loss product, partially offset by higher sales to new and existing customers in the core market, which we define as employee groups with fewer than 2,000 employees. Group sales increased in the first six months of 2021 compared to the same period of 2020 due to higher sales to existing customers in our core and large case markets and higher sales to new customers in our core market, partially offset by lower sales to new customers in our large case market and lower sales in our medical stop-loss product. The sales mix in the group market sector for the first six months of 2021 was approximately 64 percent core market and 36 percent large case market.
81
Individual
disability sales, which are primarily concentrated in the multi-life market, increased in the second quarter of 2021 compared to the same period of 2020 due to higher sales to both new and existing customers. Individual disability sales decreased in the first six months of 2021 compared to the same period of 2020 due to lower sales to both new and existing customers. Voluntary benefits sales decreased during the second quarter and first six months of 2021 compared to the same periods of 2020 due to lower sales to new and existing customers in both the core and large case markets. Dental and vision sales increased in the second quarter of 2021 compared to the same period of 2020 due to higher sales to existing customers, partially offset by lower sales to new customers. Dental and vision sales decreased in the first six months of 2021 compared to the same period of 2020 driven primarily by lower sales to new customers, partially offset by higher sales to existing
customers.
The impact of COVID-19, which began in 2020, caused higher unemployment levels and general uncertainty around the financial condition of our customers as well as disruption in our sales processes. We have begun to see improvement in certain of these factors during the second quarter of 2021, which has resulted in an increase in sales for certain of our product lines, but we continue to see pressure on our overall sales resulting from the impacts of COVID-19 including increased competition in the large-case market as the recovery from the pandemic progresses. Further discussion of COVID-19 is contained herein in "Executive Summary" in this Item 2.
Segment Outlook
We remain committed to offering consumers a broad set of financial protection benefit
products at the worksite. During 2021, we will continue to invest in a unique customer experience defined by simplicity, empathy, and deep industry expertise through the re-design of our processes and the increased utilization of digital capabilities and technology to enhance enrollment, underwriting, and claims processing. In addition, we will continue to focus on the expansion of our portfolio of products. In particular, with respect to smaller employers, we will continue to provide comprehensive consumer-focused products, enhance our distribution model, and utilize our digital tools to bring industry leading enrollment capabilities and a fully integrated customer experience. Our differentiated offering and significant investment in leave management services will allow for substantial growth opportunities, particularly with larger employers, and stronger persistency in our core products. We believe our active client management and differentiated integrated customer
experience across our product lines, underpinned by strong risk management, will continue to enable us to grow our market over the long-term.
Given the disruption and uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, we expect full year premium income to grow slightly from the prior year, but at a rate that is below our historical levels. In addition, we may also continue to experience claims volatility, particularly in our group short-term disability and group and voluntary life products as well as potential disruption in our overall claims processing activity, which can result in short-term unfavorable experience. Furthermore, we could continue to experience an increase in the volume of activity associated with our leave management product which would lead to an increase in expenses.
The low interest rate environment continues to place pressure
on our profit margins by impacting net investment income yields as well as potentially discount rates on our insurance liabilities. Our net investment income may continue to be unfavorably impacted by fluctuations in miscellaneous investment income. As part of our continued pricing discipline and our reserving methodology, we continuously monitor emerging interest rate experience and adjust our pricing and reserve discount rates, as appropriate. We continuously monitor key indicators to assess our risks and adjust our business plans accordingly.
82
Unum International Segment
The
Unum International segment is comprised of our operations in both the United Kingdom and Poland. Our Unum UK products include insurance for group long-term disability, group life, and supplemental lines of business, which includes dental, individual disability, and critical illness products. Our Unum Poland products include insurance for individual and group life with accident and health riders. Unum International's products are sold primarily through field sales personnel and independent brokers and consultants.
Operating Results
Shown below are financial results and key performance indicators for the Unum International segment.
(in
millions of dollars, except ratios)
Three Months Ended June 30
Six Months Ended June 30
2021
% Change
2020
2021
% Change
2020
Adjusted
Operating Revenue
Premium Income
Unum UK
Group
Long-term Disability
$
105.1
18.1
%
$
89.0
$
202.2
12.5
%
$
179.8
Group Life
28.0
11.6
25.1
55.3
(1.3)
56.0
Supplemental
27.9
13.4
24.6
55.9
15.3
48.5
Unum
Poland
22.5
22.3
18.4
44.5
19.0
37.4
Total Premium Income
183.5
16.8
157.1
357.9
11.3
321.7
Net
Investment Income
35.7
35.7
26.3
61.7
16.9
52.8
Other Income
0.1
(50.0)
0.2
0.2
—
0.2
Total
219.3
19.4
183.6
419.8
12.0
374.7
Benefits
and Expenses
Benefits and Change in Reserves for Future Benefits
147.5
18.2
124.8
277.0
9.3
253.4
Commissions
13.9
14.9
12.1
26.8
9.8
24.4
Deferral
of Acquisition Costs
(3.4)
9.7
(3.1)
(6.3)
3.3
(6.1)
Amortization of Deferred Acquisition Costs
2.0
17.6
1.7
4.1
17.1
3.5
Other
Expenses
34.5
4.5
33.0
67.0
3.1
65.0
Total
194.5
15.4
168.5
368.6
8.3
340.2
Adjusted Operating
Income
$
24.8
64.2
$
15.1
$
51.2
48.4
$
34.5
Foreign
Currency Translation
The functional currencies of Unum UK and Unum Poland are the British pound sterling and Polish zloty, respectively. Premium income, net investment income, claims, and expenses are received or paid in the functional currency, and we hold functional currency-denominated assets to support functional currency-denominated policy reserves and liabilities. We translate functional currency-denominated financial statement items into dollars for our consolidated financial reporting. We translate income statement items using an average exchange rate for the reporting period, and we translate balance sheet items using the exchange rate at the end of the period. We report unrealized foreign currency translation gains and losses in accumulated other comprehensive income in our consolidated balance sheets.
Fluctuations in exchange
rates have an effect on Unum International's reported financial results and our consolidated financial results. In periods when the functional currency strengthens relative to the preceding period, translation increases current period results relative to the prior period. In periods when the functional currency weakens, translation decreases current period results relative to the prior period.
83
Unum UK Operating Results
Shown below are financial results and key performance indicators for the Unum UK product lines in functional currency.
(in
millions of pounds, except ratios)
Three Months Ended June 30
Six Months Ended June 30
2021
% Change
2020
2021
% Change
2020
Adjusted
Operating Revenue
Premium Income
Group Long-term Disability
£
75.2
5.0
%
£
71.6
£
145.6
2.1
%
£
142.6
Group
Life
20.0
(1.0)
20.2
39.8
(10.4)
44.4
Supplemental
19.9
—
19.9
40.2
4.4
38.5
Total
Premium Income
115.1
3.0
111.7
225.6
—
225.5
Net Investment Income
24.3
22.1
19.9
41.7
6.4
39.2
Total
139.4
5.9
131.6
267.3
1.0
264.7
Benefits
and Expenses
Benefits and Change in Reserves for Future Benefits
95.0
3.0
92.2
178.2
(3.0)
183.8
Commissions
7.4
4.2
7.1
14.1
(0.7)
14.2
Deferral
of Acquisition Costs
(1.2)
9.1
(1.1)
(2.0)
(13.0)
(2.3)
Amortization of Deferred Acquisition Costs
1.3
8.3
1.2
2.6
—
2.6
Other
Expenses
20.1
(9.0)
22.1
39.0
(8.5)
42.6
Total
122.6
0.9
121.5
231.9
(3.7)
240.9
Adjusted
Operating Income
£
16.8
66.3
£
10.1
£
35.4
48.7
£
23.8
Weighted
Average Pound/Dollar Exchange Rate
1.393
1.248
1.387
1.265
Operating
Ratios (% of Premium Income):
Benefit Ratio
82.5
%
82.5
%
79.0
%
81.5
%
Other
Expense Ratio
17.5
%
19.8
%
17.3
%
18.9
%
Adjusted Operating Income Ratio
14.6
%
9.0
%
15.7
%
10.6
%
Persistency:
Group
Long-term Disability
89.4
%
87.7
%
Group Life
84.3
%
83.0
%
Supplemental
89.2
%
90.5
%
Premium
income was higher in the second quarter of 2021 compared to the same period of 2020 due to growth in the in-force block resulting from the impact of rate increases in the group long-term disability product line and higher overall persistency. Premium income during the first six months of 2021 was consistent with the same period of 2020.
Net investment income was higher in the second quarter and first six months of 2021 compared to the same periods of 2020 due to higher investment income from inflation index-linked bonds, partially offset by a lower yield on fixed-rate bonds. Partially offsetting the increase in net investment income during the first six months of 2021 compared to the same period of 2020 was lower miscellaneous investment income.Our investments in inflation index-linked bonds support the claim reserves associated
with certain group policies that provide for inflation-linked increases in benefits. The change in net investment income attributable to these index-linked bonds is generally offset by a change in the reserves for future claim payments related to the inflation-linked group long-term disability and group life policies.
84
Benefits experience in the second quarter of 2021 was consistent with the same period of 2020, with improved experience in the group long-term disability product line and lower claims incidence in the group life product line, offset by higher inflation-linked experience in benefits. Benefits experience was favorable in the first six months of 2021 compared to the same prior year period, with favorable experience in
both the group long-term disability and group critical illness product lines, partially offset by higher inflation-linked experience in benefits and higher claims incidence in the group life product line.
Commissions and the deferral of acquisition costs in the second quarter and first six months of 2021 were generally consistent with the same prior year periods. The amortization of deferred acquisition costs during the second quarter and first six months of 2021 was generally consistent with the same prior year periods. The other expense ratios during the second quarter and first six months of 2021 were lower compared to the same prior year periods due to our continued focus on expense management and operating efficiencies and certain prior year expenses related to COVID-19 that did not recur.
Sales
(in
millions of dollars and pounds)
Three Months Ended June 30
Six Months Ended June 30
2021
% Change
2020
2021
% Change
2020
Unum
International Sales by Product
Unum UK
Group Long-term Disability
$
15.2
16.9
%
$
13.0
$
23.3
7.9
%
$
21.6
Group
Life
9.6
54.8
6.2
16.1
36.4
11.8
Supplemental
4.8
(39.2)
7.9
9.9
(34.0)
15.0
Unum
Poland
3.5
16.7
3.0
7.0
25.0
5.6
Total Sales
$
33.1
10.0
$
30.1
$
56.3
4.3
$
54.0
Unum
International Sales by Market Sector
Unum UK
Group Long-term Disability and Group Life
Core
Market (< 500 employees)
$
13.0
27.5
%
$
10.2
$
21.2
9.8
%
$
19.3
Large Case Market
11.8
31.1
9.0
18.2
29.1
14.1
Subtotal
24.8
29.2
19.2
39.4
18.0
33.4
Supplemental
4.8
(39.2)
7.9
9.9
(34.0)
15.0
Unum
Poland
3.5
16.7
3.0
7.0
25.0
5.6
Total Sales
$
33.1
10.0
$
30.1
$
56.3
4.3
$
54.0
Unum
UK Sales by Product
Group Long-term Disability
£
10.8
2.9
%
£
10.5
£
16.7
(2.9)
%
£
17.2
Group
Life
6.9
38.0
5.0
11.6
23.4
9.4
Supplemental
3.5
(45.3)
6.4
7.2
(39.0)
11.8
Total
Sales
£
21.2
(3.2)
£
21.9
£
35.5
(7.6)
£
38.4
Unum
UK Sales by Market Sector
Group Long-term Disability and Group Life
Core Market (< 500 employees)
£
9.3
14.8
%
£
8.1
£
15.3
—
%
£
15.3
Large
Case Market
8.4
13.5
7.4
13.0
15.0
11.3
Subtotal
17.7
14.2
15.5
28.3
6.4
26.6
Supplemental
3.5
(45.3)
6.4
7.2
(39.0)
11.8
Total
Sales
£
21.2
(3.2)
£
21.9
£
35.5
(7.6)
£
38.4
85
The
following discussion of sales results relates only to our Unum UK product lines and is based on functional currency.
Group long-term disability sales increased in the second quarter of 2021 compared to the same period of 2020 driven by higher sales to new customers in the core market, which we define as employee groups with fewer than 500 employees, and existing customers in the large case market, partially offset by lower sales to new customers in the large case market and existing customers in the core market. Group long-term disability sales were lower in the first six months of 2021 compared to the same period of 2020 driven by lower sales to new customers in the large case market and existing customers in the core market.
Group life sales increased in the second quarter and first six months of 2021 compared to the same periods of 2020 driven
primarily by higher sales to both new and existing customers.
Supplemental sales were lower in the second quarter and first six months of 2021 compared to the same periods of 2020 due primarily to lower sales in both the group critical illness and dental product lines.
Segment Outlook
We are committed to driving growth in the Unum International segment and will build on the capabilities that we believe will generate growth and profitability in our businesses over the long term. Within our Unum UK line of business, expanding our group long-term disability market position remains a priority. In addition, we will continue to focus on increasing participation levels while also developing new distribution and services to reach new small case clients. We will also continue
the implementation of price increases and will maintain our disciplined sales approach. Within our Unum Poland line of business, we will leverage our U.S. and U.K. expertise to grow existing distribution channels and expand our current product offerings. We continue to invest in digital capabilities, technology, and product enhancements which we believe will drive sustainable growth over the long term.
Given the uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, we may experience further volatility in our financial results in 2021. Sales activity could be lower and we could also continue to experience claims volatility in our group life and disability product lines. Uncertainty in the U.K. economy may continue to pressure our growth expectations in the near-term and may also lead to lower claim discount rates. However, we believe we are well positioned to capitalize on future growth opportunities as the operating
environment improves. As part of our continued pricing discipline and our reserving strategy, we continuously monitor emerging interest rate experience and adjust our pricing and reserve discount rates, as appropriate. We will likely continue to experience volatility in net investment income and our benefit ratio due to fluctuations in the level of inflation in the U.K.; however, we do not expect this to have a significant impact on adjusted operating income. We continuously monitor key indicators to assess our risks and attempt to adjust our business plans accordingly to respond to external challenges.
86
Colonial Life Segment
The
Colonial Life segment includes insurance for accident, sickness, and disability products, which includes our dental and vision products, life products, and cancer and critical illness products issued primarily by Colonial Life & Accident Insurance Company and marketed to employees, on both a group and an individual basis, at the workplace through an independent contractor agency sales force and brokers.
Operating Results
Shown below are financial results and key performance indicators for the Colonial Life segment.
(in
millions of dollars, except ratios)
Three Months Ended June 30
Six Months Ended June 30
2021
% Change
2020
2021
% Change
2020
Adjusted
Operating Revenue
Premium Income
Accident, Sickness, and Disability
$
236.4
(5.6)
%
$
250.3
$
477.1
(4.5)
%
$
499.6
Life
96.1
(0.7)
96.8
192.7
1.1
190.6
Cancer
and Critical Illness
87.2
(4.7)
91.5
176.3
(3.7)
183.1
Total Premium Income
419.7
(4.3)
438.6
846.1
(3.1)
873.3
Net
Investment Income
41.6
13.0
36.8
79.3
6.4
74.5
Other Income
0.3
—
0.3
0.5
(16.7)
0.6
Total
461.6
(3.0)
475.7
925.9
(2.4)
948.4
Benefits
and Expenses
Benefits and Change in Reserves for Future Benefits
216.8
(2.5)
222.4
453.0
0.6
450.4
Commissions
78.1
(10.3)
87.1
156.4
(13.2)
180.1
Deferral
of Acquisition Costs
(60.9)
(14.6)
(71.3)
(121.7)
(19.2)
(150.7)
Amortization of Deferred Acquisition Costs
60.1
(10.3)
67.0
125.7
(6.0)
133.7
Other
Expenses
71.7
(9.9)
79.6
143.4
(12.0)
162.9
Total
365.8
(4.9)
384.8
756.8
(2.5)
776.4
Adjusted
Operating Income
$
95.8
5.4
$
90.9
$
169.1
(1.7)
$
172.0
Operating
Ratios (% of Premium Income):
Benefit Ratio
51.7
%
50.7
%
53.5
%
51.6
%
Other
Expense Ratio
17.1
%
18.1
%
16.9
%
18.6
%
Adjusted
Operating Income Ratio
22.8
%
20.7
%
20.0
%
19.7
%
Persistency:
Accident,
Sickness, and Disability
74.9
%
74.0
%
Life
84.3
%
83.7
%
Cancer
and Critical Illness
81.9
%
81.2
%
Premium
income decreased in the second quarter and first six months of 2021 compared the same periods of 2020 due to lower prior period sales. Net investment income increased during the second quarter and first six months of 2021 relative to the same periods of 2020 due to higher miscellaneous investment income and a higher level of invested assets, partially offset by a decline in the yield on invested assets.
87
Benefits experience in the second quarter was unfavorable compared to the same period of 2020 with unfavorable experience in the accident, sickness, and disability product line, partially offset by improved experience in the life product line. Benefits experience during the first six months of 2021 was unfavorable compared
to the same period of 2020 due primarily to unfavorable experience in the life product line resulting from the impacts of COVID-19.
Commissions and the deferral of acquisition costs were lower in the second quarter and first six months of 2021 relative to the same periods of 2020 due to lower prior period sales. The amortization of deferred acquisition costs was lower during the second quarter and first six months of 2021 relative to the same periods of 2020 due to a decline in the level of the deferred asset driven by lower prior period sales. The other expense ratio was lower in the second quarter and first six months of 2021 relative to the same periods of 2020 due primarily to our continued focus on expense management and operating efficiencies and a decrease in the allowance for expected credit losses on premiums receivable balances.
Sales
(in
millions of dollars)
Three Months Ended June 30
Six Months Ended June 30
2021
% Change
2020
2021
% Change
2020
Sales
by Product
Accident, Sickness, and Disability
$
69.2
52.8
%
$
45.3
$
126.6
15.2
%
$
109.9
Life
26.2
62.7
16.1
46.8
27.2
36.8
Cancer
and Critical Illness
15.7
44.0
10.9
27.9
12.0
24.9
Total
Sales
$
111.1
53.7
$
72.3
$
201.3
17.3
$
171.6
Sales
by Market Sector
Commercial
Core Market (< 1,000 employees)
$
72.6
58.2
%
$
45.9
$
134.9
18.9
%
$
113.5
Large
Case Market
17.6
76.0
10.0
29.1
32.9
21.9
Subtotal
90.2
61.4
55.9
164.0
21.1
135.4
Public
Sector
20.9
27.4
16.4
37.3
3.0
36.2
Total Sales
$
111.1
53.7
$
72.3
$
201.3
17.3
$
171.6
Beginning
in 2020, the impact of COVID-19 caused higher unemployment levels and general uncertainty around the financial condition of our customers as well as disruption in our sales processes. However, we have seen improvement in these factors subsequent to the onset of COVID-19 which has resulted in an increase in sales for each of our product lines and market sectors during the second quarter and first six months of 2021 relative to the same periods of 2020. The number of new accounts increased 86.0 percent and 25.1 percent, respectively, in the second quarter and first six months of 2021 compared to the same periods of 2020. The average new case size increased 1.5 percent in the second quarter of 2021 but decreased 8.4 percent during the first six months of 2021 compared to the same periods of 2020, respectively.
Segment Outlook
We remain
committed to providing employees and their families with simple, modern, and personal benefit solutions. During 2021, we will continue to utilize our strong distribution system of independent agents, benefit counselors, and broker partnerships. We will also continue to invest in new solutions and digital capabilities to expand our reach and effectiveness, driving growth and improving productivity while enhancing the customer experience. In 2021, we will also bring an enhanced engagement and enrollment platform to market, enabling deeper connections with employees through the enrollment process as well as maintaining stronger relationships throughout the customer lifecycle. We believe our distribution system, customer service capabilities, digital and virtual tools, and ability to serve all market sizes position us well for future growth in the long-term.
Given the uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic,
the disruption experienced in our sales activity is expected to result in continued lower premium income during 2021. We could also continue to experience claims volatility, particularly in our life and disability products. The lower interest rate environment will continue to have an unfavorable impact on our profit margins, and volatility in miscellaneous investment income is likely to continue. While we believe our underlying profitability will remain strong, current economic conditions and increasing competition in the voluntary workplace market are seen as
88
external risks to achievement of our business plans. We continuously monitor key indicators to assess our risks and adjust our business plans accordingly.
89
Closed
Block Segment
The Closed Block segment consists of group and individual long-term care, individual disability, and other insurance products no longer actively marketed. We discontinued offering individual long-term care in 2009 and group long-term care in 2012. Individual disability in this segment generally consists of policies we sold prior to the mid-1990s and entirely discontinued selling in 2004. As of March 2021, we have ceded a significant portion of this individual disability business to a third party reinsurer. See "Executive Summary" herein Item 2 for further discussion. Other insurance products include group pension, individual life and corporate-owned life insurance, reinsurance pools and management operations, and other miscellaneous product lines.
90
Operating
Results
Shown below are financial results and key performance indicators for the Closed Block segment.
(in
millions of dollars, except ratios)
Three Months Ended June 30
Six Months Ended June 30
2021
% Change
2020
2021
% Change
2020
Adjusted
Operating Revenue
Premium Income
Long-term Care
$
174.9
5.6
%
$
165.7
$
352.3
6.6
%
$
330.5
Individual
Disability
72.4
(12.9)
83.1
144.5
(9.7)
160.1
All Other
1.8
20.0
1.5
4.0
(2.4)
4.1
Total
Premium Income
249.1
(0.5)
250.3
500.8
1.2
494.7
Net Investment Income
294.7
(9.7)
326.3
591.9
(10.6)
662.4
Other
Income
12.1
(11.7)
13.7
30.5
(4.4)
31.9
Total
555.9
(5.8)
590.3
1,123.2
(5.5)
1,189.0
Benefits
and Expenses
Benefits and Change in Reserves for Future Benefits
397.7
(20.3)
498.8
949.9
(6.2)
1,012.4
Commissions
20.1
3.6
19.4
40.9
4.9
39.0
Interest
and Debt Expense
—
N.M.
0.7
—
N.M.
1.5
Other Expenses
46.6
34.3
34.7
103.2
48.1
69.7
Total
464.4
(16.1)
553.6
1,094.0
(2.5)
1,122.6
Income
Before Income Tax and Net Realized Investment Gains and Losses
91.5
149.3
36.7
29.2
(56.0)
66.4
Impacts from Closed Block Individual Disability Reinsurance Transaction
—
—
—
139.3
N.M.
—
Amortization
of the Cost of Reinsurance
19.7
N.M.
—
39.7
N.M.
—
Adjusted Operating Income
$
111.2
N.M.
$
36.7
$
208.2
N.M.
$
66.4
Interest
Adjusted Loss Ratios:
Long-term Care
74.6
%
67.0
%
76.2
%
74.0
%
Individual
Disability1
69.6
%
89.5
%
69.3
%
87.1
%
Operating
Ratios (% of Premium Income):
Other Expense Ratio2
10.8
%
13.9
%
11.4
%
14.1
%
Income
Ratio
36.7
%
5.8
%
Adjusted Operating Income Ratio
44.6
%
14.7
%
41.6
%
13.4
%
Persistency:
Long-term
Care
95.4
%
95.3
%
Individual Disability
86.4
%
88.8
%
1
Excludes the $133.1 million reserve recognition from the first six months of 2021 related to the second phase of the reinsurance transaction that occurred during the first quarter of 2021.
2 Excludes $19.7 million and $39.7 million of amortization of the cost of reinsurance during the second quarter and first six months of 2021, respectively. Also excluded from the first six months of 2021 is $6.2 million of transaction costs related to the reinsurance transaction that occurred during the first quarter of 2021.
N.M.
= not a meaningful percentage
91
Premium income for long-term care increased in the second quarter and first six months of 2021 relative to the same periods of 2020 due to rate increases partially offset by policy terminations. We continue to file requests with various state insurance departments for premium rate increases on certain of our individual and group long-term care policies which
reflect assumptions as of the date of filings. In states for which a rate increase is submitted and approved, we routinely provide customers options for coverage changes or other approaches that might fit their current financial and insurance needs. Premium income for individual disability decreased in the second quarter and first six months of 2021 compared to the same periods of 2020 due to policy terminations and maturities.
Net investment income was lower during the second quarter and first six months of 2021 relative to the same periods of 2020 due to a decrease in the level of invested assets supporting individual disability resulting from the reinsurance transaction and a decline in the yield on invested assets, partially offset by higher miscellaneous investment income, primarily related to increases in the net asset values (NAV) on our private equity partnerships.
Other
income, which primarily includes the underlying results and associated net investment income of certain blocks of individual disability reinsured business, continues to decline due to expected terminations and maturities.
The interest adjusted loss ratio for long-term care was less favorable during the second quarter and first six months of 2021 relative to the same periods of 2020 driven primarily by lower claimant mortality. The interest adjusted loss ratio for long-term care for the rolling twelve months, excluding the reserve charge related to the update of assumptions in the fourth quarter of 2020, was 70.0 percent. The interest adjusted loss ratio for individual disability, excluding the reserve recognition impact from the reinsurance transaction, was favorable during the second quarter and first six months of 2021 relative to the same periods of 2020 driven primarily by lower submitted claims.
The
decrease in interest and debt expense is due to the December 2020 redemption of the Northwind notes by Northwind Holdings.
The other expense ratio, excluding certain transaction costs incurred and the amortization of the cost of reinsurance related to the previously discussed reinsurance transaction, was lower in the second quarter and first six months of 2021 compared to the same periods of 2020 driven primarily by our continued focus on expense management and operating efficiencies.
Segment Outlook
We will continue to execute on our well-defined strategy of implementing long-term care premium rate increases, efficient capital management, improved financial analysis, and operational effectiveness. We will continue to explore structural options to enhance financial flexibility. Despite
continued anticipated premium rate increases in our long-term care business, we expect overall premium income and adjusted operating revenue to decline over time as these closed blocks of business wind down. We will likely experience volatility in net investment income due to fluctuations of miscellaneous investment income and the increased allocation towards alternative assets, primarily private equity partnership investments, in the long-term care product line portfolio. We record changes in our share of the NAV of the partnerships in net investment income. We receive financial information related to our investments in partnerships and generally record investment income on a one-quarter lag in accordance with our accounting policy. As these net asset values are volatile and can fluctuate materially with changes in market economic conditions, there may possibly be significant movements up or down in future periods as conditions change. We continuously monitor key
indicators to assess our risks and adjust our business plans accordingly.
Profitability of our long-tailed products is affected by claims experience related to mortality and morbidity, resolutions, investment returns, premium rate increases, and persistency. We believe that the interest adjusted loss ratio for long-term care will be relatively flat over the long term, but may continue to experience quarterly volatility, particularly in the near term as our claim block matures and as we continue the implementation of premium rate increases. Specific to our long-term care line of business, which is in loss recognition and should report levels of benefits plus operating expenses that equal the gross premium reported, we expect the long term interest adjusted loss ratio to be in the 85 to 90 percent range with some quarterly volatility. Claim resolution rates, which measure the resolution of claims from recovery,
deaths, settlements, and benefit expirations, are very sensitive to operational and external factors and can be volatile. Our claim resolution rate assumption used in determining reserves is our expectation of the resolution rate we will experience over the life of the block of business and will vary from actual experience in any one period. It is possible that variability in any of our reserve assumptions, including, but not limited to, interest rates, mortality, morbidity, resolutions, premium rate increases, benefit change elections, and persistency, could result in a material impact on the adequacy of our reserves, including adjustments to reserves established under loss recognition.
As a result of the execution of the reinsurance agreement related to our individual disability line of business where we have fully ceded a significant portion of this business, we expect that the primary impact on earnings
will be the amortization of the
92
cost of reinsurance for that agreement which we expect will be approximately $80 million for 2021. The cost of reinsurance will continue to be amortized on a declining trajectory consistent with the expected run-off pattern of the ceded reserves, which we estimate to be approximately 25 years. Due to the relatively small amount of business that will be retained, we expect that the interest adjusted loss ratio will be more volatile from period to period and we expect minimal earnings related to the retained business.
In consideration of the recent COVID-19 pandemic and related impacts, we expect our Closed Block segment could temporarily experience greater than normal volatility across
multiple risk factors. Specific to our long-term care line of business, we expect that we may experience additional volatility as it relates to mortality, incidence, and interest rates.
93
Corporate Segment
The Corporate segment includes investment income on corporate assets not specifically allocated to a line of business, interest expense on corporate debt other than non-recourse debt, and certain other corporate income and expenses not allocated to a line of business.
Operating Results
(in millions of dollars)
Three
Months Ended June 30
Six Months Ended June 30
2021
% Change
2020
2021
% Change
2020
Adjusted Operating Revenue
Net
Investment Income
$
7.9
192.6
%
$
2.7
$
16.0
105.1
%
$
7.8
Other Income
0.4
100.0
0.2
1.7
N.M.
0.2
Total
8.3
186.2
2.9
17.7
121.3
8.0
Interest,
Debt, and Other Expenses
138.0
87.2
73.7
186.3
49.4
124.7
Loss
Before Income Tax and Net Realized Investment Gains and Losses
(129.7)
(83.2)
(70.8)
(168.6)
(44.5)
(116.7)
Cost
Related to Early Retirement of Debt
67.3
N.M.
—
67.3
N.M.
—
Impairment Loss on ROU Asset
13.9
9.4
12.7
13.9
9.4
12.7
Adjusted
Operating Loss
$
(48.5)
16.5
$
(58.1)
$
(87.4)
16.0
$
(104.0)
N.M.
= not a meaningful percentage
Adjusted operating loss, which excludes the cost related to the early retirement of debt during the second quarter of 2021 and the impairment losses on the ROU asset during the second quarter of both 2021 and 2020, declined in the second quarter and first six months of 2021 relative to the same periods of 2020 due primarily to higher net investment income, which resulted from an increase in the level of invested assets, and lower operating expenses. See Note 12 of the "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements" contained herein
in Item 1 for further discussion on the costs related to the early retirement of debt and the ROU asset impairments.
Segment Outlook
We expect to continue to generate excess capital on an annual basis through the statutory earnings in our insurance subsidiaries and believe we are well positioned with flexibility to preserve our capital strength while also returning capital to our shareholders. We may experience volatility in net investment income based on both the composition and level of invested assets that we allocate to our products from period to period.
94
Investments
Overview
Investment
activities are an integral part of our business, and profitability is significantly affected by investment results. We segment our invested assets into portfolios that support our various product lines. Generally, our investment strategy for our portfolios is to match the effective asset cash flows and durations with related expected liability cash flows and durations to consistently meet the liability funding requirements of our businesses. We seek to earn investment income while assuming credit risk in a prudent and selective manner, subject to constraints of quality, liquidity, diversification, and regulatory considerations. Our overall investment philosophy is to invest in a portfolio of high quality assets that provide investment returns consistent with that assumed in the pricing of our insurance products. Assets are invested predominately in fixed maturity securities. Changes in interest rates may affect the amount and timing of cash flows.
We
manage our asset and liability cash flow match and our asset and liability duration match to manage interest rate risk. We may redistribute investments among our different lines of business, when necessary, to adjust the cash flow and/or duration of the asset portfolios to better match the cash flow and duration of the liability portfolios. Asset and liability portfolio modeling is updated on a quarterly basis and is used as part of the overall interest rate risk management strategy. Cash flows from the in-force asset and liability portfolios are projected at current interest rate levels and at levels reflecting an increase and a decrease in interest rates to obtain a range of projected cash flows under the different interest rate scenarios. These results enable us to assess the impact of projected changes in cash flows and duration resulting from potential changes in interest rates. Testing the asset and liability portfolios under various interest rate scenarios
enables us to choose what we believe to be the most appropriate investment strategy, as well as to limit the risk of disadvantageous outcomes. Although we test the asset and liability portfolios under various interest rate scenarios as part of our modeling, the majority of our liabilities related to insurance contracts are not interest rate sensitive, and we therefore have minimal exposure to policy withdrawal risk. Our determination of investment strategy relies on long-term measures such as reserve adequacy analysis and the relationship between the portfolio yields supporting our various product lines and the aggregate discount rate assumptions embedded in the reserves. We also use this analysis in determining hedging strategies and utilizing derivative financial instruments for managing interest rate risk and the risk related to matching duration for our assets and liabilities. We
do not use derivative financial instruments for speculative purposes.
Our investment portfolio is well diversified by type of investment and industry sector. We have established an investment strategy that we believe will provide for adequate cash flows from operations and allow us to hold our securities through periods where significant decreases in fair value occur. We believe our emphasis on risk management in our investment portfolio has positioned us well and generally reduced the volatility in our results.
As part of the second phase of the Closed Block individual disability reinsurance agreement entered into in December 2020 with Commonwealth, we transferred fixed maturity securities of $226.8 million on an
amortized cost basis and $293.7 million on a fair value basis and we recorded a total realized investment gain from the transfer of these securities, including a related net gain from cash flow hedges of $67.6 million in the first quarter of 2021.After the transfer of these fixed maturity securities, the overall credit profile of our remaining portfolio has not changed.See "Executive Summary" for further information on the reinsurance transaction contained herein in this Item 2.
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COVID-19
During 2020, economic conditions increased volatility in the capital markets and caused significant pressure on the profitability
of many companies. Our fixed income exposure to consumer cyclicals, which had been stressed due to COVID-19 related shutdowns, is approximately 3.7 percent of our fixed maturity security portfolio. Our exposure to other stressed industries such as airlines and restaurants is minimal at 0.2 percent and 0.3 percent of our portfolio, respectively. We had approximately $91.5 million of downgrades of investment-grade securities to high yield or below investment grade in the first quarter of 2021 and had no downgrades in the second quarter of 2021. The downgrades that occurred in the first quarter of 2021 did not have a significant impact to our below investment grade investments as a percent of our total investment portfolio as our holdings of below-investment-grade securities decreased from 6.7 percent at December 31, 2020 to 6.1 percent at June 30, 2021 on a fair value
basis.
We continue to monitor capital market activity on a regular basis and to the extent that we experience volatility and ratings downgrades related to the issuers of our fixed maturity securities again, we could experience further credit losses, an increase in defaults, and the need for additional capital in our insurance subsidiaries. However, we remain confident in the overall strength and credit quality of our investment portfolio. Net investment income may decline, as the sustained low interest rate environment will continue to impact the yield on our invested assets, particularly related to the investment of new cash flows. For further discussion, see "Fixed Maturity Securities" contained herein in this Item 2.
See "Executive Summary"
for further information on the impact from COVID-19 contained herein in this Item 2.
Fixed Maturity Securities
The fair values and associated unrealized gains and losses of our fixed maturity securities portfolio, by industry classification, are as follows:
Fixed Maturity Securities - By Industry Classification
Fair Value of Fixed Maturity Securities with Gross Unrealized Loss
Gross Unrealized Loss
Fair Value of Fixed Maturity Securities with Gross Unrealized Gain
Gross Unrealized Gain
Basic Industry
$
3,220.4
$
409.1
$
100.5
$
2.6
$
3,119.9
$
411.7
Capital
Goods
3,959.3
591.1
124.9
2.0
3,834.4
593.1
Communications
2,710.5
497.5
65.9
2.2
2,644.6
499.7
Consumer
Cyclical
1,622.7
205.8
163.4
5.4
1,459.3
211.2
Consumer Non-Cyclical
7,047.9
1,133.7
290.3
14.7
6,757.6
1,148.4
Energy
3,639.9
617.0
50.0
3.9
3,589.9
620.9
Financial
Institutions
3,772.4
433.2
266.9
7.4
3,505.5
440.6
Mortgage/Asset-Backed
781.2
65.6
0.6
0.1
780.6
65.7
Sovereigns
1,143.4
230.3
54.8
2.6
1,088.6
232.9
Technology
1,841.4
182.3
56.3
1.6
1,785.1
183.9
Transportation
2,096.9
276.9
67.3
1.9
2,029.6
278.8
U.S.
Government Agencies and Municipalities
5,060.4
725.4
303.9
4.7
4,756.5
730.1
Public Utilities
6,617.4
1,235.2
262.9
11.0
6,354.5
1,246.2
Total
$
43,513.8
$
6,603.1
$
1,807.7
$
60.1
$
41,706.1
$
6,663.2
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The
following two tables show the length of time our investment-grade and below-investment-grade fixed maturity securities portfolios had been in a gross unrealized loss position as of June 30, 2021 and at the end of the prior four quarters. The relationships of the current fair value to amortized cost are not necessarily indicative of the fair value to amortized cost relationships for the securities throughout the entire time that the securities have been in an unrealized loss position nor are they necessarily indicative of the relationships after June 30, 2021. The decrease in the unrealized loss on fixed maturity securities during the second quarter of 2021 was due primarily to a decrease in U.S. Treasury rates.
Unrealized Loss on Investment-Grade
Fixed Maturity Securities
Length of Time in Unrealized Loss Position
(in
millions of dollars)
2021
2020
June 30
March
31
December 31
September 30
June 30
Fair Value < 100% >= 70% of Amortized Cost
<=
90 days
$
6.1
$
122.1
$
3.8
$
10.1
$
18.0
> 90 <= 180 days
30.2
6.1
3.9
4.7
45.7
>
180 <= 270 days
3.0
10.4
1.5
14.9
1.9
> 270 days <= 1 year
3.0
2.1
6.4
0.7
0.1
>
1 year <= 2 years
2.2
6.9
0.1
2.3
2.4
> 2 years <= 3 years
—
2.3
2.3
—
—
Total
$
44.5
$
149.9
$
18.0
$
32.7
$
68.1
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Unrealized
Loss on Below-Investment-Grade Fixed Maturity Securities
Length of Time in Unrealized Loss Position
(in
millions of dollars)
2021
2020
June 30
March
31
December 31
September 30
June 30
Fair Value < 100% >= 70% of Amortized Cost
<=
90 days
$
0.3
$
3.9
$
4.0
$
13.8
$
16.1
> 90 <= 180 days
2.4
3.8
—
4.5
77.1
>
180 <= 270 days
2.9
—
1.6
40.0
0.4
> 270 days <= 1 year
—
—
7.8
0.2
5.5
>
1 year <= 2 years
2.8
5.8
1.9
6.4
8.1
> 2 years <= 3 years
—
0.4
5.0
4.1
11.7
>
3 years
7.2
8.5
7.4
8.1
7.9
Sub-total
15.6
22.4
27.7
77.1
126.8
Fair
Value < 70% >= 40% of Amortized Cost
>
90 <= 180 days
—
—
—
—
5.2
> 180 <= 270 days
—
—
—
1.0
3.8
>
270 days <= 1 year
—
—
—
3.8
—
> 1 year <= 2 years
—
5.4
10.2
9.8
13.6
>
2 years <= 3 years
—
—
—
8.1
—
> 3 years
—
—
—
13.8
13.9
Sub-total
—
5.4
10.2
36.5
36.5
Total
$
15.6
$
27.8
$
37.9
$
113.6
$
163.3
At
June 30, 2021, we held no fixed maturity securities with a gross unrealized loss greater than $10.0 million.
We had no individual realized investment losses of $10.0 million or greater from credit losses or sales of fixed maturity securities during the second quarter or first six months of 2021. We had no individual realized investment losses of $10.0 million or greater from sales of fixed maturity securities in the second quarter or first six months of 2020.
During the first quarter of 2020, we recognized the following credit losses greater than $10 million:
•$20.8 million on fixed maturity securities issued by an oil and gas producer.The profitability
of the company has been impacted by the decline in oil prices.Given the current environment, near term debt maturities may be difficult to refinance.We changed our intent to hold this security in the second quarter of 2020 and recognized a $1.4 million loss on the sale of the security in addition to the credit loss previously recorded.
•$17.1 million on fixed maturity securities issued by an oil and gas producer.The profitability of the company has been impacted by the decline in oil prices and the company has a high
level of debt.The company filed for bankruptcy as expected in early April 2020.We changed our intent to hold this security in the third quarter of 2020 and recognized a $1.0 million loss on the sale of the security in addition to the credit loss previously recorded.
•$10.2 million on fixed maturity securities issued by a paper company whose sales of lumber and other products have been impacted by the slowdown in the economy.As a result of an improvement in lumber and other products, during
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the
fourth quarter of 2020, we reversed the remainder of the allowance for credit losses that we had recognized in the previous quarters of 2020.
During the remainder of 2020, we did not experience any credit losses exceeding $10 million.
As of June 30, 2021, the amortized cost net of allowance for credit losses and fair value of our below-investment-grade fixed maturity securities was $2,881.6 million and $3,152.6 million, respectively. Below-investment-grade securities are inherently riskier than investment-grade securities since the risk of default by the issuer, by definition and as exhibited by bond rating, is higher. Also, the secondary market for certain below-investment-grade issues can be highly illiquid. Additional downgrades may occur, but we do not anticipate any liquidity problems resulting
from our investments in below-investment-grade securities, nor do we expect these investments to adversely affect our ability to hold our other investments to maturity.
Fixed Maturity Securities - Foreign Exposure
Our investments in issuers in foreign countries are chosen for specific portfolio management purposes, including asset and liability management and portfolio diversification across geographic lines and sectors to minimize non-market risks. In our approach to investing in fixed maturity securities, specific investments within approved countries and industry sectors are evaluated for their market position and specific strengths and potential weaknesses. For each security, we consider the political, legal, and financial environment of the sovereign entity in which an issuer is domiciled and operates. The country of domicile
is based on consideration of the issuer's headquarters, in addition to location of the assets and the country in which the majority of sales and earnings are derived. We do not have exposure to foreign currency risk, as the cash flows from these investments are either denominated in currencies or hedged into currencies to match the related liabilities. We continually evaluate our foreign investment risk exposure.
Mortgage Loans
The carrying value of our mortgage loan portfolio was $2,387.1 million and $2,432.1 million at June 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020, respectively. Our investments in mortgage loans are carried at amortized cost less an allowance for expected
credit losses which was $11.4 million and $13.1 million at June 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020, respectively. Our mortgage loan portfolio is comprised entirely of commercial mortgage loans. Our mortgage loan portfolio is well diversified geographically and among property types. Due to conservative underwriting, the incidence of problem mortgage loans and foreclosure activity continues to be low. We held no impaired mortgage loans at June 30, 2021 or December 31, 2020. See Note 4 in the "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements" contained herein in Item 1 for further discussion of our mortgage loan portfolio and the allowance for expected credit losses.
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Private
Equity Partnerships
The carrying value of our investments in private equity partnerships was $858.2 million and $747.5 million at June 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020, respectively. These partnerships are passive in nature and represent funds that are primarily invested in private credit, private equity, and real assets. The carrying value of the partnerships is based on our share of the partnership's net asset value (NAV) and changes in the carrying value are recorded as a component of net investment income. We receive financial information related to our investments in partnerships and generally record investment income on a one-quarter lag in accordance with our accounting policy. We recorded net investment income totaling $51.9 million and $87.8 million for the partnerships in the second quarter and first
six months of 2021, respectively. The majority of our investments in partnerships are not redeemable. Distributions received from the funds arise from income generated by the underlying investments as well as the liquidation of the underlying investments. There is generally not a public market for these investments. We had $710.1 million of commitments for additional investments in the partnerships at June 30, 2021 which may or may not be funded. See Note 3 in the "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements" contained herein in Item 1 for further discussion of our private equity partnerships.
Derivative Financial Instruments
We use derivative financial instruments primarily to manage reinvestment, duration, foreign currency, and credit risks. Historically, we have utilized
current and forward-starting interest rate swaps, options on forward-starting interest rate swaps and U.S. Treasury rates, current and forward-starting currency swaps, forward treasury locks, currency forward contracts, forward contracts on specific fixed income securities, and credit default swaps. Credit exposure on derivatives is limited to the value of those contracts in a net gain position, including accrued interest receivable less collateral held. Our credit exposure on derivatives was $1.3 million at June 30, 2021. We held $16.1 million of net cash collateral from our counterparties at June 30, 2021. The
carrying value of fixed maturity securities posted as collateral to our counterparties was $41.5 million at June 30, 2021. We believe that our credit risk is mitigated by our use of multiple counterparties, all of which have an investment-grade credit rating, and by our use of cross-collateralization agreements.
Other
Our exposure to non-current investments, defined as foreclosed real estate and invested assets which are delinquent as to interest and/or principal payments, totaled $20.0 million and $20.8 million on a fair value basis at June 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020, respectively.
For further information see
"Investments" in Part I, Item 1 and "Critical Accounting Estimates" and "Investments" in Part II, Item 7 of our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020, and Notes 3, 4, and 5 of the "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements" contained herein in Item 1.
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Liquidity and Capital Resources
Overview
Our
liquidity requirements are met primarily by cash flows provided from operations, principally in our insurance subsidiaries. Premium and investment income, as well as maturities and sales of invested assets, provide the primary sources of cash. Debt and/or securities offerings provide additional sources of liquidity. Cash is applied to the payment of policy benefits, costs of acquiring new business (principally commissions), operating expenses, and taxes, as well as purchases of new investments.
We have established an investment strategy that we believe will provide for adequate cash flows from operations. We attempt to match our asset cash flows and durations with expected liability cash flows and durations to meet the funding requirements of our business. However, deterioration in the credit market may delay our
ability to sell our positions in certain of our fixed maturity securities in a timely manner and adversely impact the price we receive for such securities, which may negatively impact our cash flows. Furthermore, if we experience defaults on securities held in the investment portfolios of our insurance subsidiaries, this will negatively impact statutory capital, which could reduce our insurance subsidiaries' capacity to pay dividends to our holding companies. A reduction in dividends to our holding companies could force us to seek external financing to avoid impairing our ability to pay dividends to our stockholders or meet our debt and other payment obligations.
Our policy benefits are primarily in the form of claim payments, and
we have minimal exposure to the policy withdrawal risk associated with deposit products such as individual life policies or annuities. A decrease in demand for our insurance products or an increase in the incidence of new claims or the duration of existing claims could negatively impact our cash flows from operations. However, our historical pattern of benefits paid to revenues is generally consistent, even during cycles of economic downturns, which serves to minimize liquidity risk.
The liquidity requirements of the holding company Unum Group include common stock dividends, interest and debt service, and ongoing investments in our businesses. Unum Group's liquidity requirements are met by assets held by Unum Group and our intermediate holding companies, dividends from primarily our insurance subsidiaries, and issuance
of common stock, debt, or other capital securities and borrowings from existing credit facilities, as needed. As of June 30, 2021, Unum Group and our intermediate holding companies had available holding company liquidity of $1,717 million that was held primarily in bank deposits, commercial paper, money market funds, corporate bonds, and asset-backed securities. No significant restrictions exist on our ability to use or access funds in any of our U.S. or foreign intermediate holding companies. Dividends repatriated from our foreign subsidiaries are eligible for 100 percent exemption from U.S. income tax but may be subject to withholding tax and/or tax on foreign currency gain or loss.
As part of our capital deployment strategy, we may repurchase shares of Unum Group's
common stock, as authorized by our board of directors. During the first six months of 2021, we did not have an open share repurchase program and did not repurchase any shares. See Note 10 of the "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements" contained within Item 1.
Liquidity and Capital Resource Considerations - COVID-19
We have strengthened our liquidity position through actions such as maintaining a higher level of short-term investments and posting additional collateral from certain of our U.S. insurance subsidiaries to the regional FHLBs. As a result, we believe we have the appropriate liquidity and access to capital to avoid significant disruption to our operations. We have not yet experienced a significant impact to our liquidity as a result
of the collection of premiums and submitted claims activity; however, we continually monitor the developments of these items.
As of June 30, 2021, we have borrowed $286.6 million of funds through our memberships with the regional FHLBs and those funds are used for the purpose of investing in either short-term investments or fixed maturity securities and have additional borrowing capacity of approximately $906 million that can be utilized for liquidity if the need arises. Additionally, we have access to an unsecured revolving credit facility that allows us to borrow up to a total of $500 million. There are currently no outstanding borrowings on this facility, but we remain in compliance with required covenants should we choose to borrow in the future. We have no significant upcoming debt maturities until 2024. We continue to meet the financial covenants
contained in our current debt agreements and credit facilities, and we expect that we will continue to meet those covenants in subsequent periods.
In December 2020, we completed the first phase of a reinsurance transaction, pursuant to which Provident, Paul Revere, and Unum America, wholly-owned domestic insurance subsidiaries of Unum Group and collectively referred to as "the ceding companies", each entered into separate reinsurance agreements with Commonwealth Annuity and Life Insurance Company (Commonwealth), to reinsure on a coinsurance
basis effective as of July 1, 2020, approximately 75 percent of the Closed Block individual disability business, primarily direct business written by the ceding companies. In March 2021, we completed the second phase of the reinsurance transaction, pursuant to which the ceding companies and Commonwealth amended and restated their respective reinsurance agreements to reinsure on a coinsurance and modified coinsurance basis effective as of January 1, 2021, a substantial portion of the remaining Closed Block individual disability business that was not ceded in December 2020, primarily business previously assumed by the ceding companies. Commonwealth established and will maintain collateralized trust accounts for the benefit of the ceding companies to secure its obligations under the reinsurance agreements.
In
connection with the second phase of the reinsurance transaction, Commonwealth paid a total ceding commission to the ceding companies of $18.2 million. The ceding companies transferred assets of $767.0 million, which consisted primarily of cash and fixed maturity securities. We released approximately $200 million of capital during the first quarter of 2021 in addition to the $400 million that was released in December 2020.
See "Executive Summary" contained here in this Item 2 for further discussion on the impacts related to this reinsurance transaction.
Unum
Group and certain of its intermediate holding company subsidiaries depend on payments from subsidiaries to pay dividends to stockholders, to pay debt obligations, and/or to pay expenses. These payments by our insurance and non-insurance subsidiaries may take the form of dividends, operating and investment management fees, and/or interest payments on loans from the parent to a subsidiary.
Restrictions under applicable state insurance laws limit the amount of dividends that can be paid to a parent company from its insurance subsidiaries in any 12-month period
without prior approval by regulatory authorities. For life insurance companies domiciled in the U.S., that limitation generally equals, depending on the state of domicile, either ten percent of an insurer's statutory surplus with respect to policyholders as of the preceding year end or the statutory net gain from operations, excluding realized investment gains and losses, of the preceding year. The payment of dividends to a parent company from a life insurance subsidiary is generally further limited to the amount of unassigned funds.
Unum America cedes blocks of business to Fairwind Insurance Company (Fairwind), which is an affiliated captive reinsurance subsidiary domiciled in the United States. The ability of Fairwind to pay dividends to Unum Group will depend on its satisfaction of applicable regulatory requirements and on the performance of the business reinsured by Fairwind.
The
ability of Unum Group and certain of its intermediate holding company subsidiaries to continue to receive dividends from their insurance subsidiaries also depends on additional factors such as RBC ratios and capital adequacy and/or solvency requirements, funding growth objectives at an affiliate level, and maintaining appropriate capital adequacy ratios to support desired ratings. The RBC ratios for our U.S. insurance subsidiaries at June 30, 2021 are in line with our expectations and are significantly above the level that would require state regulatory action.
In connection with a financial examination
of Unum America, which closed at the end of the second quarter of 2020, the Maine Bureau of Insurance (MBOI) concluded that Unum America’s long-term care statutory reserves are deficient by $2.1 billion as of December 31, 2018, the financial statement date of the examination period. The MBOI granted permission to Unum America on May 1, 2020, to phase in the additional statutory reserves over seven years beginning with year-end 2020 and ending with year-end 2026. The 2020 phase-in amount was $229 million and was funded using cash flows from operations. The 2021 phase-in amount will be calculated and recorded in the fourth quarter of 2021. This strengthening will be incorporated by using explicitly agreed upon margins into our existing assumptions for annual statutory reserve adequacy testing. These actions will add margin to Unum America's best estimate assumptions. Our
long-term care reserves and financial results reported under generally accepted accounting principles are not affected by the MBOI’s examination conclusion. We plan to fund the additional statutory reserves with expected cash flows.
Unum Group and/or certain of its intermediate holding company subsidiaries may also receive dividends from our U.K. subsidiaries, the payment of which may be subject to applicable insurance company regulations and capital guidance in the
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U.K. Unum Limited is subject to the requirements of Solvency II, a European
Union (EU) directive that is part of retained UK law pursuant to the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018, which prescribes capital requirements and risk management standards for the European insurance industry. Our U.K. holding company is also subject to the Solvency II requirements relevant to insurance holding companies, while its subsidiaries (the Unum UK Solvency II Group), which includes Unum Limited, are subject to group supervision under Solvency II. The Unum UK Solvency II Group received approval from the U.K. Prudential Regulation Authority to use its own internal model for calculating regulatory capital and also received approval for certain associated regulatory permissions including transitional relief as the Solvency II capital regime continues to be implemented. In connection with the recent exit from the EU, the U.K. government is reviewing the regulatory framework
of financial services companies, which may result in changes to U.K. regulatory capital or U.K. tax regulations. Recent economic conditions have caused volatility in our solvency ratios used to monitor capital adequacy.
The payment of dividends to the parent company from our subsidiaries also requires the approval of the individual subsidiary's board of directors.
During 2021, we intend to maintain a level of capital in our insurance subsidiaries above the applicable capital adequacy requirements and minimum solvency margins.
Insurance regulatory restrictions do not limit the amount of dividends available for
distribution from non-insurance subsidiaries except where the non-insurance subsidiaries are held directly or indirectly by an insurance subsidiary and only indirectly by Unum Group, which does not apply to our current entity structure.
Funding for Employee Benefit Plans
During the six months ended June 30, 2021, we made contributions of $34.7 million and £1.8 million to our U.S. and U.K. defined contribution plans, respectively, and expect to make additional contributions of approximately $32 million and £2 million during the remainder of 2021. We made no contributions to our U.S. and U.K. qualified defined
benefit pension plans during the six months ended June 30, 2021. We do not expect to make any further contributions to either plan during 2021. We have met all minimum pension funding requirements set forth by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act. We have estimated our future funding requirements under the Pension Protection Act of 2006 and under applicable U.K. law and do not believe that any future funding requirements will cause a material adverse effect on our liquidity.
Debt
Our long-term debt balance at June 30, 2021 was $3,441.4 million, net of deferred debt issuance costs of $35.4 million, and consisted primarily of unsecured senior notes and junior subordinated debt securities.
In
June 2021, we issued $600.0 of 4.125% senior notes due 2051. The notes are callable at or above par and rank equally in the right of payment with all of our other unsecured and unsubordinated debt.
Also in June 2021, we purchased and retired $500.0 million aggregate principal amount of our 4.500% senior notes due 2025, for which we incurred costs of $67.3 million related to the early retirement of debt.
We have a credit facility that is under a five-year agreement and is effective through April 2024. The terms of this agreement provide for a borrowing capacity of $500.0 million with an option to be increased up to $700.0 million. We may also request, on up to two occasions, that the lenders' commitment termination dates be extended by one year. The credit facility provides for the issuance of letters of credit subject to certain terms and limitations. At
June 30, 2021, letters of credit totaling $0.4 million had been issued from this credit facility, but there were no borrowed amounts outstanding.
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In July 2021, we terminated our three-year, $100.0 million unsecured revolving credit facility, which was originally set to expire in April 2022. There were no letters of credit issued from the credit facility and there were no borrowed amounts outstanding at the time of termination. Also in July 2021, we entered into a new five-year, £75 million unsecured standby letter of credit facility with the same syndicate of lenders, pursuant to which a syndicated letter of credit was issued in favor of Unum Limited (as beneficiary), our U.K. insurance subsidiary, and
is available for drawings up to £75 million until its scheduled expiration in July 2026. No amounts have been drawn on the letter of credit. If drawings are made in the future, we may elect to borrow such amounts from the lenders pursuant to term loans made under the credit facility. Borrowings under the credit facility are subject to financial covenants, negative covenants, and events of default that are customary. The credit facility provides for borrowings at an interest rate based either on the prime rate or federal funds rate.
There are no significant financial covenants associated with any of our outstanding debt obligations. We continually monitor our compliance with our debt covenants and remain in compliance. Our credit facilities include financial covenants that place limitations on our leverage ratio and consolidated net worth. The credit facilities also include covenants that limit subsidiary
indebtedness. We have not observed any current trends that would cause a breach of any of our debt or credit facility covenants. See "Debt" and Note 8 of the "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements" contained in Part II, Items 7 and 8, respectively, of our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020 for further discussion.
Commitments
At June 30, 2021, we had unfunded unconditional commitments of $0.7 million to fund tax credit partnership investments and $12.6 million to fund the purchase of transferable state tax credits. These
commitments are recognized as liabilities in our consolidated balance sheets, with a corresponding recognition of other long-term investments and other assets, respectively. In addition, we had commitments of $148.6 million to fund certain investments in private placement fixed maturity securities and $710.1 million to fund certain private equity partnerships. As of June 30, 2021, we had $58.5 million of commercial mortgage loan commitments.
With respect to our commitments and off-balance sheet arrangements, see the discussion under "Commitments" in Part II, Item 7 of our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020. During the first six months of 2021, there were no substantive changes in our commitments, contractual obligations, or other off-balance sheet
arrangements other than the changes noted herein.
Transfers of Financial Assets
Our investment policy permits us to lend fixed maturity securities to unaffiliated financial institutions in short-term securities lending agreements, which increases our investment income with minimal risk. We account for all of our securities lending agreements and repurchase agreements as secured borrowings. As of June 30, 2021, we held $108.5 million of cash collateral from securities lending agreements. The average cash collateral balance during the first six months of 2021 was $57.1 million, and the maximum amount outstanding at any month end was $108.5 million.As of June 30,
2021, we held $130.8 million of off-balance sheet securities lending agreements which were collateralized by securities that we were neither permitted to sell nor control. The average balance of these off-balance sheet transactions during the first six months of 2021 was $168.5 million, and the maximum amount outstanding at any month end was $186.9 million.
To manage our cash position more efficiently, we may enter into repurchase agreements with unaffiliated financial institutions. We generally use repurchase agreements as a means to finance the purchase of invested assets or for short-term general business purposes until projected cash flows become available from our operations or existing investments. We had no repurchase agreements outstanding at June 30, 2021,
nor did we utilize any repurchase agreements during the first six months of 2021. Our use of repurchase agreements and securities lending agreements can fluctuate during any given period and will depend on our liquidity position, the availability of long-term investments that meet our purchasing criteria, and our general business needs.
Certain of our U.S. insurance subsidiaries are members of regional FHLBs. As of June 30, 2021, we owned $26.1 million of FHLB common stock and had outstanding advances of $286.6 million from the regional FHLBs.
See Note 4 of the "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements" contained herein in Item 1 for further information.
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Consolidated
Cash Flows
(in millions of dollars)
Six Months Ended June 30
2021
2020
Net
Cash Provided by Operating Activities
$
544.2
$
852.4
Net Cash Used by Investing Activities
(506.7)
(1,090.7)
Net Cash Provided (Used) by Financing Activities
(111.4)
319.8
Net
Change in Cash and Bank Deposits
$
(73.9)
$
81.5
Operating Cash Flows
Operating cash flows are primarily attributable to the receipt of premium and investment income, offset by payments of claims, commissions, expenses, and income taxes. Premium income growth is dependent not only on new sales, but on policy renewals and growth of existing business, renewal price increases, and persistency. Investment income growth is dependent on the growth in the underlying assets supporting our insurance reserves and capital and on the earned
yield. The level of commissions and operating expenses is attributable to the level of sales and the first year acquisition expenses associated with new business as well as the maintenance of existing business. The level of paid claims is affected partially by the growth and aging of the block of business and also by the general economy, as previously discussed in the operating results by segment.
Included in the change in insurance reserves and liabilities and net realized investment (gain) loss to reconcile net income to
net cash provided by operating activities as reported in our consolidated statements of cash flows for the first six months of 2021 were the impacts of the second phase of the Closed Block individual disability reinsurance transaction that occurred during the first quarter of 2021. Also included in operating cash flows for the first six months of 2021
was $456.8 million of cash paid to the reinsurer related to the second phase of the Closed Block individual disability reinsurance transaction. See Note 12 of the "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements" for additional information on the Closed Block individual disability reinsurance transaction.
Investing Cash Flows
Investing cash inflows consist primarily of the proceeds from the sales and maturities of investments. Investing cash outflows consist primarily of payments for purchases of investments. Our investment strategy is to match the cash flows and durations of our assets with the cash flows and durations of our liabilities to meet the funding requirements of our business. When market opportunities arise, we may sell selected securities and reinvest the proceeds to improve the yield
and credit quality of our portfolio. We may at times also sell selected securities and reinvest the proceeds to improve the duration matching of our assets and liabilities and/or re-balance our portfolio. As a result, sales before maturity may vary from period to period. The sale and purchase of short-term investments is influenced by proceeds received from FHLB funding advances, issuance of debt, our securities lending program, and by the amount of cash which is at times held in short-term investments to facilitate the availability of cash to fund the purchase of appropriate long-term investments, repay maturing debt, and/or to fund our capital deployment program.
See Note 4 of the "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements" contained herein in Item 1 for further information.
Financing Cash Flows
Financing
cash flows consist primarily of borrowings and repayments of debt and dividends paid to stockholders.
In June 2021, we issued $600.0 million of 4.125% senior notes due 2051 and received total proceeds of $588.1 million.
Also in June 2021, we purchased and retired $500.0 million aggregate principal amount of our 4.500% senior notes due 2025, for which we paid an additional $62.8 million in cash associated with the early retirement of this debt. We had issued the $500.0 million 4.500% senior notes in May 2020 and had received total proceeds of $494.1 million.
During the first six months of 2020, we made principal payments of $30.0 million on our senior secured non-recourse notes issued by Northwind Holdings.
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During
the first six months of 2021 and 2020 we paid dividends of $116.7 million and $115.8 million, respectively, to holders of Unum Group's common stock.
Included in financing cash flows during the first six months of 2021 was $17.9 million of cash received related to the ALR cohort volatility agreement with Commonwealth.
See Note 12 of the "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements" contained herein in Item 1 and "Debt" contained in this Item 2 for further information.
Ratings
AM Best, Fitch Ratings (Fitch), Moody's Investors Service (Moody's), and Standard &
Poor's Rating Services (S&P) are among the third parties that assign issuer credit ratings to Unum Group and financial strength ratings to our insurance subsidiaries. Issuer credit ratings reflect an agency's opinion of the overall financial capacity of a company to meet its senior debt obligations. Financial strength ratings are specific to each individual insurance subsidiary and reflect each rating agency's view of the overall financial strength (capital levels, earnings, growth, investments, business mix, operating performance, and market position) of the insuring entity and its ability to meet its obligations to policyholders. Both the issuer credit ratings and financial strength ratings incorporate quantitative and qualitative analyses by rating agencies and are routinely reviewed and updated on an ongoing basis.
We
compete based in part on the financial strength ratings provided by rating agencies. A downgrade of our financial strength ratings can be expected to adversely affect us and could potentially, among other things, adversely affect our relationships with distributors of our products and services and retention of our sales force, negatively impact persistency and new sales, particularly large case group sales and individual sales, and generally adversely affect our ability to compete. A downgrade in the issuer credit rating assigned to Unum Group can be expected to adversely affect our cost of capital or our ability to raise additional capital.
The table below reflects the outlook as well as the issuer credit ratings for Unum Group and the financial strength ratings for each of our traditional insurance subsidiaries as
of the date of this filing.
AM Best
Fitch
Moody's
S&P
Outlook
Stable
Stable
Negative
Stable
Issuer
Credit Ratings
bbb
BBB-
Baa3
BBB
Financial Strength Ratings
Provident Life and Accident Insurance
Company
A
A-
A3
A
Provident Life and Casualty Insurance Company
A
A-
NR
NR
Unum Life Insurance Company of America
A
A-
A3
A
First
Unum Life Insurance Company
A
A-
A3
A
Colonial Life & Accident Insurance Company
A
A-
A3
A
The Paul Revere Life Insurance Company
A
A-
A3
A
Starmount
Life Insurance Company
A
NR
NR
NR
Unum Insurance Company
A-
A-
A3
NR
Unum Limited
NR
NR
NR
A-
NR
= not rated
We maintain an ongoing dialogue with the four rating agencies that evaluate us in order to inform them of progress we are making regarding our strategic objectives and financial plans as well as other pertinent issues. A significant component of our communications involves our annual review meeting with each of the four agencies. We hold other meetings throughout the year regarding our business, including, but not limited to, quarterly updates.
106
On April 8, 2021, Fitch affirmed their financial strength ratings for our domestic insurance subsidiaries
and their issuer credit ratings on our senior debt obligations. In addition, Fitch revised their outlook to stable from negative, citing a favorable outlook compared to original COVID-19 expectations, earnings and capital metrics stability, and manageable credit losses.
On June 10, 2021, AM Best upgraded their financial strength rating on Starmount Life Insurance Company from A- to A, reflecting the strategic importance of dental and vision products for Unum Group, and also affirmed their financial strength rating for our other domestic insurance subsidiaries as well as their issuer credit ratings on our senior debt obligations. In addition, AM Best revised their outlook to stable from negative, citing an easing of balance sheet pressure due to improving COVID-19 related
economic conditions, and favorable profitability trends that are expected to continue.
There have been no other changes in the rating agencies' outlooks or ratings during 2021 prior to the date of this filing.
Agency ratings are not directed toward the holders of our securities and are not recommendations to buy, sell, or hold our securities. Each rating is subject to revision or withdrawal at any time by the assigning rating organization, and each rating should be regarded as an independent assessment, not conditional on any other rating. Given the dynamic nature of the ratings process, changes by these or other rating agencies may or may not occur in the near-term. We have ongoing dialogue with the rating agencies concerning our insurance risk profile, our financial flexibility, our operating performance, and the
quality of our investment portfolios. The rating agencies provide specific criteria and, depending on our performance relative to the criteria, will determine future negative or positive rating agency actions.
See our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020 for further information regarding our debt and financial strength ratings and the risks associated with rating changes.
ITEM 3. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
We are subject to various market risk exposures including interest rate risk and foreign exchange rate risk. With respect to our exposure to market risk,
see the discussion under "Investments" in Item 2 of this Form 10-Q and in Part II, Item 7A of our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020. During the first six months of 2021, there was no substantive change to our market risk or the management of this risk.
ITEM 4. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, we have evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures, as defined in Rule 13a-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, as of the end of the period covered by this report. We
evaluated those controls based on the 2013 Internal Control - Integrated Framework from the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. Based on that evaluation, these officers concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of June 30, 2021.
There have been no changes in our internal control over financial reporting, as defined in Rule 13a-15(f) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, during the quarter ended June 30, 2021 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
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PART
II - OTHER INFORMATION
ITEM 1. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
Refer to Part I, Item 1, Note 11 of the "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements" for information on legal proceedings.
ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
There have been no material changes from the risk factors disclosed in our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020.
ITEM
2. UNREGISTERED SALES OF EQUITY SECURITIES AND USE OF PROCEEDS
As part of our capital deployment strategy, we may repurchase shares of Unum Group's common stock, as authorized by our board of directors. During the second quarter of 2021, we did not have an open share repurchase program and did not repurchase any shares.
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SIGNATURES
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.