UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, DC 20549
FORM 10-K
X | Annual report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2013 | |
Transition report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 | ||
Commission file number 1-11848
REINSURANCE GROUP OF AMERICA, INCORPORATED
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Missouri | 43-1627032 | |
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) | (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) | |
1370 Timberlake Manor Parkway, Chesterfield, Missouri | 63017 | |
(Address of principal executive offices) | (Zip Code) | |
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (636) 736-7000
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of each class | Name of each exchange on which registered | |
Common Stock, par value $0.01 | New York Stock Exchange | |
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.
Yes ü No
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act.
Yes No ü
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ü No
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted 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 and post such files). Yes ü No
Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. [ ü ]
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):
Large accelerated filer ü Accelerated filer Non-accelerated filer Smaller reporting company
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company. Yes No ü
The aggregate market value of the stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant, based upon the closing sale price of the common stock on June 30, 2013, as reported on the New York Stock Exchange was approximately $4.9 billion.
As of January 31, 2014, 70,790,937 shares of the registrant’s common stock were outstanding.
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
Certain portions of the Definitive Proxy Statement in connection with the 2014 Annual Meeting of Shareholders (“the Proxy Statement”) which will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission not later than 120 days after the Registrant’s fiscal year ended December 31, 2013, are incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K.
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REINSURANCE GROUP OF AMERICA, INCORPORATED AND SUBSIDIARIES
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Item | Page | |
PART I | ||
1 | ||
1A | ||
1B | ||
2 | ||
3 | ||
4 | ||
PART II | ||
5 | ||
6 | ||
7 | ||
7A | ||
8 | ||
9 | ||
9A | ||
9B | ||
PART III | ||
10 | ||
11 | ||
12 | ||
13 | ||
14 | ||
PART IV | ||
15 | ||
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Item 1. BUSINESS
A. | Overview |
Reinsurance Group of America, Incorporated (“RGA”) is an insurance holding company that was formed on December 31, 1992. The consolidated financial statements herein include the assets, liabilities, and results of operations of RGA, RGA Reinsurance Company (“RGA Reinsurance”), Reinsurance Company of Missouri, Incorporated (“RCM”), RGA Reinsurance Company (Barbados) Ltd. (“RGA Barbados”), RGA Americas Reinsurance Company, Ltd. (“RGA Americas”), RGA Atlantic Reinsurance Company, Ltd. (“RGA Atlantic”), RGA Life Reinsurance Company of Canada (“RGA Canada”), RGA Reinsurance Company of Australia, Limited (“RGA Australia”) and RGA International Reinsurance Company (“RGA International”) as well as several other subsidiaries, all of which are wholly owned (collectively, the “Company”).
The Company is primarily engaged in the reinsurance of individual and group coverages for traditional life and health, longevity, disability, asset-intensive (e.g., annuities) and critical illness products, and financial reinsurance. RGA and its predecessor, the Reinsurance Division of General American Life Insurance Company, a Missouri life insurance company, have been engaged in the business of life and health reinsurance since 1973. The Company’s operations in the U.S. and Canada contributed approximately 66.7% of its consolidated net premiums during 2013. In 1994, the Company began expanding into international markets and now has subsidiaries, branch operations, or representative offices in Australia, Barbados, Bermuda, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates (“UAE”) and the United Kingdom (“UK”). RGA is considered one of the leading life reinsurers in the world based on premiums and the amount of life reinsurance in force. As of December 31, 2013, the Company had approximately $2.9 trillion of life reinsurance in force and $39.7 billion in consolidated assets.
Reinsurance is an arrangement under which an insurance company, the “reinsurer,” agrees to indemnify another insurance company, the “ceding company,” for all or a portion of the insurance risks underwritten by the ceding company. Reinsurance is designed to (i) reduce the net amount at risk on individual risks, thereby enabling the ceding company to increase the volume of business it can underwrite, as well as increase the maximum risk it can underwrite on a single risk; (ii) stabilize operating results by leveling fluctuations in the ceding company’s loss experience; (iii) assist the ceding company in meeting applicable regulatory requirements; and (iv) enhance the ceding company’s financial strength and surplus position.
Life reinsurance primarily refers to reinsurance of individual or group-issued term, whole life, universal life, and joint and last survivor insurance policies. Health and disability reinsurance primarily refers to reinsurance of individual or group health policies. Critical illness reinsurance provides a benefit in the event of the diagnosis of a pre-defined critical illness. Asset-intensive reinsurance primarily refers to reinsurance of annuities and corporate-owned life insurance. Longevity reinsurance primarily refers to reinsurance of annuities in payout status. Financial reinsurance primarily involves assisting ceding companies in meeting applicable regulatory requirements by enhancing the ceding companies’ financial strength and regulatory surplus position. Financial reinsurance transactions do not qualify as reinsurance under U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”), due to the low-risk nature of the transactions. These transactions are reported in accordance with deposit accounting guidelines. Ceding companies will often contract with more than one reinsurance company to reinsure their automatic business. Group reinsurance and facultative treaties are typically written with one reinsurer.
Reinsurance may be written on an indemnity or an assumption basis; however, the Company has not entered into any assumption reinsurance contracts. Indemnity reinsurance does not discharge a ceding company from liability to the policyholder. A ceding company is required to pay the full amount of its insurance obligations regardless of whether it is entitled or able to receive payments from its reinsurer. In the case of assumption reinsurance, the ceding company is discharged from liability to the policyholder, with such liability passed directly to the reinsurer. Reinsurers also may purchase reinsurance, known as retrocession reinsurance, to transfer their risk exposure. Reinsurance companies enter into retrocession agreements for reasons similar to those that drive primary insurers to purchase reinsurance.
Reinsurance is written on a facultative or automatic treaty basis. Facultative reinsurance is individually underwritten by the reinsurer for each policy to be reinsured, with the pricing and other terms established based upon rates negotiated in advance. Facultative reinsurance is normally purchased by ceding companies for medically impaired lives, unusual risks, or liabilities in excess of the binding limits specified in their automatic reinsurance treaties.
An automatic reinsurance treaty provides that the ceding company will cede risks to a reinsurer on specified blocks of policies where the underlying policies meet the ceding company’s underwriting criteria. In contrast to facultative reinsurance, the reinsurer does not approve each individual policy being reinsured. Automatic reinsurance treaties generally provide that the reinsurer will be liable for a portion of the risk associated with the specified policies written by the ceding company. Automatic reinsurance treaties specify the ceding company’s binding limit, which is the maximum amount of risk on a given life that can be ceded automatically to the reinsurer and that the reinsurer must accept. The binding limit may be stated either as a multiple of the ceding company’s retention or as a stated dollar amount.
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Facultative and automatic reinsurance may be written as yearly renewable term, coinsurance, modified coinsurance or coinsurance with funds withheld. Under a yearly renewable term treaty, the reinsurer assumes primarily the mortality or morbidity risk. Under a coinsurance arrangement, depending upon the terms of the contract, the reinsurer may share in the risk of loss due to mortality or morbidity, lapses, and the investment risk, if any, inherent in the underlying policy. Modified coinsurance and coinsurance with funds withheld differs from coinsurance in that the assets supporting the reserves are retained by the ceding company.
Generally, the amount of life and health reinsurance ceded is stated on an excess or a quota share basis. Reinsurance on an excess basis covers amounts in excess of an agreed-upon retention limit. Retention limits vary by ceding company and also may vary by the age or underwriting classification of the insured, the product, and other factors. Under quota share reinsurance, the ceding company states its retention in terms of a fixed percentage of the risk with the remainder to be ceded to one or more reinsurers up to the maximum binding limit.
Reinsurance agreements, whether facultative or automatic, may include recapture rights, which permit the ceding company to reassume all or a portion of the risk formerly ceded to the reinsurer after an agreed-upon period of time (generally 10 years) or in some cases due to changes in the financial condition or ratings of the reinsurer. Recapture of business previously ceded does not affect premiums ceded prior to the recapture of such business, but would reduce premiums in subsequent periods. The potential adverse effects of recapture rights are mitigated by the following factors: (i) recapture rights vary by treaty and the risk of recapture is a factor that is considered when pricing a reinsurance agreement; (ii) ceding companies generally may exercise their recapture rights only to the extent they have increased their retention limits for the reinsured policies; and (iii) ceding companies generally must recapture all of the policies eligible for recapture under the agreement in a particular year if any are recaptured (which prevents a ceding company from recapturing only the most profitable policies). In addition, when a ceding company recaptures reinsured policies, the reinsurer releases the reserves it maintained to support the recaptured portion of the policies.
Reinsurers may place assets in trust to satisfy collateral requirements for certain treaties. Securities with an amortized cost of $2,124.7 million were held in trust for the benefit of certain RGA subsidiaries to satisfy collateral requirements for reinsurance business at December 31, 2013. Additionally, securities with an amortized cost of $7,842.9 million as of December 31, 2013 were held in trust to satisfy collateral requirements under certain third-party reinsurance treaties. Under certain conditions, the Company may be obligated to move reinsurance from one subsidiary of RGA to another subsidiary of RGA or make payments under a given treaty. These conditions include change in control or ratings of the subsidiary, insolvency, nonperformance under a treaty, or loss of the subsidiary’s reinsurance license. If the Company is ever required to perform under these obligations, the risk to the consolidated company under the reinsurance treaties would not change; however, additional capital may be required due to the change in jurisdiction of the subsidiary reinsuring the business and may create a strain on liquidity, possibly causing a reduction in dividend payments or hampering the Company’s ability to write new business or retain existing business.
During 2006, RGA’s subsidiary, Timberlake Financial, L.L.C. (“Timberlake Financial”), issued $850.0 million of Series A Floating Rate Insured Notes due June 2036 in a private placement. The notes were issued to fund the collateral requirements for statutory reserves required by the U.S. Valuation of Life Policies Model Regulation (commonly referred to as Regulation XXX) on specified term life insurance policies reinsured by RGA Reinsurance. Proceeds from the notes and the Company’s direct investment in Timberlake Financial were deposited into a series of trust accounts as collateral and are not available to satisfy the general obligations of the Company. As of December 31, 2013, the Company held assets in trust and in custody of $913.5 million for this purpose, which is not included in the assets held in trust amounts above. See Note 14 - “Collateral Finance Facility” in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information on the Timberlake Financial notes.
Some reinsurance agreements give the ceding company the right to force the reinsurer to place assets in trust for the ceding company’s benefit to provide collateral for statutory reserve credits taken by the ceding company, in the event of a downgrade of the reinsurer’s ratings to specified levels, generally non-investment grade levels, or if minimum levels of financial condition are not maintained, or based on certain treaty performance measures. As of December 31, 2013, the Company had approximately $1,552.3 million in statutory reserves associated with these types of treaties. Assets placed in trust continue to be owned by the Company, but their use is restricted based on the terms of the trust agreement.
B. | Corporate Structure |
RGA is an insurance holding company, the principal assets of which consist of the common stock of RCM, RGA Barbados, RGA Americas, RGA Canada, RGA International and RGA Atlantic as well as several other subsidiaries, all of which are wholly owned. Potential sources of funds for RGA to make stockholder dividend distributions and to fund debt service obligations are dividends and interest paid to RGA by its subsidiaries, securities maintained in its investment portfolio, and proceeds from securities offerings and borrowings. RCM’s primary sources of funds are dividend distributions paid by RGA Reinsurance Company, whose principal source of funds is derived from current operations. Dividends paid by RGA’s reinsurance subsidiaries are subject to regulatory restrictions of the respective governing bodies where each reinsurance subsidiary is domiciled.
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The Company has five geographic-based or function-based operational segments: U.S., Canada, Europe & South Africa, Asia Pacific and Corporate and Other. The U.S. operations are further segmented into traditional and non-traditional businesses. The Company's segments primarily write reinsurance business that is wholly or partially retained in one or more of RGA’s reinsurance subsidiaries. See “Segments” for more information concerning the Company’s operating segments.
Ratings
Insurer financial strength ratings, sometimes referred to as claims paying ratings, represent the opinions of rating agencies regarding the financial ability of an insurance company to meet its obligations under an insurance policy. The Company’s insurer financial strength ratings as of the date of this filing are listed in the table below for each rating agency that meets with the Company’s management on a regular basis:
Insurer Financial Strength Ratings | A.M. Best Company (1) | Moody’s Investors Service (2) | Standard & Poor’s (3) |
RGA Reinsurance Company | A+ | A1 | AA- |
RGA Life Reinsurance Company of Canada | A+ | Not Rated | AA- |
RGA International Reinsurance Company | Not Rated | Not Rated | AA- |
RGA Global Reinsurance Company | Not Rated | Not Rated | AA- |
RGA Reinsurance Company of Australia Limited | Not Rated | Not Rated | AA- |
(1) | An A.M. Best Company (“A.M. Best”) insurer financial strength rating of “A+ (superior)” is the second highest out of fifteen possible ratings and is assigned to companies that have, in A.M. Best’s opinion, a superior ability to meet their ongoing obligations to policyholders. |
(2) | A Moody’s Investors Service (“Moody’s”) insurer financial strength rating of “A1” (good) is the fifth highest rating out of twenty-one possible ratings and indicates that Moody’s believes the insurance company offers good financial security; however, elements may be present which suggest a susceptibility to impairment sometime in the future. |
(3) | A Standard & Poor’s (“S&P”) insurer financial strength rating of “AA-” (very strong) is the fourth highest rating out of twenty-one possible ratings. According to S&P’s rating scale, a rating of “AA-” means that, in S&P’s opinion, the insurer has very strong financial security characteristics. |
The ability to write reinsurance partially depends on a reinsurer’s financial condition and its financial strength ratings. These ratings are based on a company’s ability to pay policyholder obligations and are not directed toward the protection of investors. A ratings downgrade could adversely affect the Company’s ability to compete. See Item 1A – “Risk Factors” for more on the potential effects of a ratings downgrade.
Regulation
The following table provides the jurisdiction of the regulatory authority for RGA’s primary operating and captive subsidiaries:
Subsidiary | Regulatory Authority | |
RGA Reinsurance | Missouri | |
Parkway Reinsurance Company (“Parkway Re”) | Missouri | |
Rockwood Reinsurance Company (“Rockwood Re”) | Missouri | |
Castlewood Reinsurance Company (“Castlewood Re”) | Missouri | |
RCM | Missouri | |
Timberlake Reinsurance Company II (“Timberlake Re”) | South Carolina | |
RGA Canada | Canada | |
RGA Barbados | Barbados | |
RGA Americas | Barbados | |
Manor Reinsurance, Ltd. (“Manor Re”) | Barbados | |
RGA Atlantic | Barbados | |
RGA Worldwide Reinsurance Company, Ltd. (“RGA Worldwide”) | Barbados | |
RGA Global Reinsurance Company, Ltd. (“RGA Global”); | Bermuda | |
RGA Australia | Australia | |
RGA International | Ireland | |
RGA Reinsurance Company of South Africa, Limited (“RGA South Africa”) | South Africa | |
RGA Reinsurance, RGA Global and RGA International are also subject to regulations in the other jurisdictions in which they are licensed or authorized to do business. Insurance laws and regulations, among other things, establish minimum capital requirements and limit the amount of dividends, distributions, and intercompany payments affiliates can make without regulatory approval. Additionally, insurance laws and regulations impose restrictions on the amounts and types of investments that insurance companies may hold. In addition, new standards to be imposed upon European insurers by Solvency II, revisions to the insurance laws of Bermuda similar to Solvency II, changes to regulations in Canada and revisions to the insurance holding
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company laws in the U.S. and other jurisdictions could, in the near future, affect RGA International, RGA Global, RGA Canada, RGA Reinsurance and other subsidiaries, and the clients of each to varying degrees.
General
The insurance laws and regulations, as well as the level of supervisory authority that may be exercised by the various insurance departments, vary by jurisdiction, but generally grant broad powers to supervisory agencies or regulators to examine and supervise insurance companies and insurance holding companies with respect to every significant aspect of the conduct of the insurance business, including approval or modification of contractual arrangements. These laws and regulations generally require insurance companies to meet certain solvency standards and asset tests, to maintain minimum standards of business conduct, and to file certain reports with regulatory authorities, including information concerning their capital structure, ownership, and financial condition; and subject insurers to potential assessments for amounts paid by guarantee funds. RGA Reinsurance and RCM are subject to the state of Missouri’s adoption of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (“NAIC”) Model Audit Rule which requires an insurer to have an annual audit by an independent certified public accountant, provide an annual management report of internal control over financial reporting, file the resulting reports with the Director of Insurance and maintain an audit committee. Moreover, the new model insurance holding company standards promulgated by the NAIC during 2010 will likely be adopted by the state of Missouri to become effective in 2014. These new standards will permit the Missouri regulator to request and consider, in its regulation of the solvency of and capital standards for RGA Reinsurance and RCM, information about the operations of other subsidiaries of RGA and the extent to which there may be deemed to exist contagion risk posed by those operations. In addition, the RGA insurers are now the subject of a supervisory college which involves regular meetings of the insurance regulators of the insurance entities of RGA. These regular meetings are expected to bring about additional questions and perhaps even limitations on some of the activities of the insurance company members of RGA.
RGA’s reinsurance subsidiaries are required to file statutory financial statements in each jurisdiction in which they are licensed and may be subject to periodic examinations by the insurance regulators of the jurisdictions in which each is licensed, authorized, or accredited. To date, none of the regulators’ reports related to the Company’s periodic examinations have contained material adverse findings.
Although some of the rates and policy terms of U.S. direct insurance agreements are regulated by state insurance departments, the rates, policy terms, and conditions of reinsurance agreements generally are not subject to regulation by any regulatory authority. The same is true outside of the U.S. In the U.S., however, the NAIC Model Law on Credit for Reinsurance, which has been adopted in most states, imposes certain requirements for an insurer to take reserve credit for risk ceded to a reinsurer. Generally, the reinsurer is required to be licensed or accredited in the insurer’s state of domicile, or post security for reserves transferred to the reinsurer in the form of letters of credit or assets placed in trust. The NAIC Life and Health Reinsurance Agreements Model Regulation, which has been passed in most states, imposes additional requirements for insurers to claim reserve credit for reinsurance ceded (excluding yearly renewable term reinsurance and non-proportional reinsurance). These requirements include bona fide risk transfer, an insolvency clause, written agreements, and filing of reinsurance agreements involving in force business, among other things. Outside of the U.S., rules for reinsurance and requirements for minimum risk transfer are less specific and are less likely to be published as rules, but nevertheless standards can be imposed to varying extents.
Regulation XXX, implemented in the U.S. for various types of life insurance business, significantly increased the level of reserves that U.S. life insurance and life reinsurance companies must hold on their statutory financial statements for various types of life insurance business, primarily certain level premium term life products. The reserve levels required under Regulation XXX are normally in excess of reserves required under GAAP. In situations where primary insurers have reinsured business to reinsurers that are unlicensed and unaccredited in the U.S., the reinsurer must provide collateral equal to its reinsurance reserves in order for the ceding company to receive statutory financial statement credit. Reinsurers have historically utilized letters of credit for the benefit of the ceding company, or have placed assets in trust for the benefit of the ceding company, or have used other structures as the primary forms of collateral.
RGA Reinsurance is the primary subsidiary of the Company subject to Regulation XXX. In order to manage the effect of Regulation XXX on its statutory financial statements, RGA Reinsurance has retroceded a majority of Regulation XXX reserves to unaffiliated and affiliated unlicensed reinsurers and special purpose reinsurers, or captives. RGA Reinsurance’s statutory capital may be significantly reduced if the unaffiliated or affiliated reinsurer is unable to provide the required collateral to support RGA Reinsurance’s statutory reserve credits and RGA Reinsurance cannot find an alternative source for the collateral. In 2012, the NAIC began a study of the uses life insurers make of special purpose reinsurers. While this study continues, it is possible that in the future there may be some limitations on RGA Reinsurance’s ability to use special purpose vehicles to finance Regulation XXX reserves. Such limitations could cause the Company to utilize alternative financing methods.
RGA Reinsurance, Parkway Re, Rockwood Re, Castlewood Re and RCM prepare statutory financial statements in conformity with accounting practices prescribed or permitted by the State of Missouri. Timberlake Re prepares statutory financial statements in conformity with accounting practices prescribed or permitted by the State of South Carolina. Both states require domestic insurance companies to prepare their statutory financial statements in accordance with the NAIC Accounting Practices and Procedures manual subject to any deviations permitted by each state’s insurance commissioner. The Company’s non-U.S.
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subsidiaries are subject to the regulations and reporting requirements of their respective countries of domicile. In the future, a convergence between U.S. reporting standards and International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS") or the replacement of one or more individual U.S. reporting standards with individual IFRS may occur, which may affect the presentation of the Company’s consolidated financial statements.
Capital Requirements
Risk-Based Capital (“RBC”) guidelines promulgated by the NAIC are applicable to RGA Reinsurance and RCM, and identify minimum capital requirements based upon business levels and asset mix. RGA Reinsurance and RCM maintain capital levels in excess of the amounts required by the applicable guidelines. Timberlake Re, Parkway Re, Rockwood Re and Castlewood Re’s capital requirements are determined solely by their licensing orders issued by their states of domicile. Pursuant to its licensing order issued by the South Carolina Department of Insurance, Timberlake Re only calculates RBC as a means of demonstrating its ability to pay principal and interest on its surplus note issued to Timberlake Financial. It is not otherwise subject to the RBC guidelines. Similarly, Parkway Re, Rockwood Re and Castlewood Re are not subject to the requirements of the NAIC’s RBC guidelines. Regulations in international jurisdictions also require certain minimum capital levels, and subject the companies operating there to oversight by the applicable regulatory bodies. RGA’s subsidiaries meet the minimum capital requirements in their respective jurisdictions. The Company cannot predict the effect that any proposed or future legislation or rulemaking in the countries in which it operates may have on the financial condition or operations of the Company or its subsidiaries.
Insurance Holding Company Regulations
RGA Reinsurance, Parkway Re, Rockwood Re, Castlewood Re and RCM are subject to regulation under the insurance and insurance holding company statutes of Missouri. The Missouri insurance holding company laws and regulations generally require insurance and reinsurance subsidiaries of insurance holding companies to register and file with the Missouri Department of Insurance, Financial Institutions and Professional Registration (“MDI”), certain reports describing, among other information, their capital structure, ownership, financial condition, certain intercompany transactions, and general business operations. The Missouri insurance holding company statutes and regulations also require prior approval of, or in certain circumstances, prior notice to the MDI of certain material intercompany transfers of assets, as well as certain transactions between insurance companies, their parent companies and affiliates.
Under current Missouri insurance laws and regulations, unless (i) certain filings are made with the MDI, (ii) certain requirements are met, including a public hearing, and (iii) approval or exemption is granted by the Director of the MDI, no person may acquire any voting security or security convertible into a voting security of an insurance holding company, such as RGA, which controls a Missouri insurance company, or merge with such an insurance holding company, if as a result of such transaction such person would “control” the insurance holding company. “Control” is presumed to exist under Missouri law if a person directly or indirectly owns or controls 10% or more of the voting securities of another person. New model insurance holding company standards promulgated by the NAIC during 2010 will likely be adopted by the state of Missouri before the end of 2014 to require greater disclosure to regulators of matters within the RGA group of companies.
Restrictions on Dividends and Distributions
Current Missouri law, applicable to RCM, and its wholly-owned subsidiary, RGA Reinsurance, permits the payment of dividends or distributions which, together with dividends or distributions paid during the preceding twelve months, do not exceed the greater of (i) 10% of statutory capital and surplus as of the preceding December 31, or (ii) statutory net gain from operations for the preceding calendar year. Any proposed dividend in excess of this amount is considered an “extraordinary dividend” and may not be paid until it has been approved, or a 30-day waiting period has passed during which it has not been disapproved, by the Director of the MDI. Additionally, dividends may be paid only to the extent the insurer has unassigned surplus (as opposed to contributed surplus). Pursuant to these restrictions, RCM’s and RGA Reinsurance’s allowable dividends without prior approval for 2014 are approximately $145.9 million and $155.0 million, respectively. Any dividends paid by RGA Reinsurance would be paid to RCM, which in turn has the ability to pay dividends to RGA. The MDI allows RCM to pay a dividend to RGA to the extent RCM received the dividend from RGA Reinsurance, without limitation related to the level of unassigned surplus. Historically, RGA has not relied upon dividends from its subsidiaries to fund its obligations. However, the regulatory limitations described here could limit the Company’s financial flexibility in the future should it choose to or need to use subsidiary dividends as a funding source for its obligations.
In contrast to current Missouri law, the NAIC Model Insurance Holding Company Act (the “Model Act”) defines an extraordinary dividend as a dividend or distribution which, together with dividends or distributions paid during the preceding twelve months, exceeds the lesser of (i) 10% of statutory capital and surplus as of the preceding December 31, or (ii) statutory net gain from operations for the preceding calendar year. The Company is unable to predict whether, when, or if, Missouri will enact a new measure for extraordinary dividends.
Missouri insurance laws and regulations also require that the statutory surplus of RCM and RGA Reinsurance following any dividend or distribution be reasonable in relation to their outstanding liabilities and adequate to meet their financial needs.
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The Director of the MDI may call for a rescission of the payment of a dividend or distribution by RGA Reinsurance or RCM that would cause their statutory surplus to be inadequate under the standards of the Missouri insurance regulations.
Pursuant to the South Carolina Director of Insurance, Timberlake Re may declare dividends after June 2012 subject to a minimum Total Adjusted Capital threshold, as defined by the NAIC’s RBC regulation. As of December 31, 2013, Timberlake Re met the minimum required threshold. Any dividends paid by Timberlake Re would be paid to Timberlake Financial, which in turn is subject to contractual limitations on the amount of dividends it can pay to RCM.
Dividend payments from other subsidiaries are subject to the regulations in the country of domicile, which are generally based on their earnings and/or capital level.
Default or Liquidation
In the event that RGA defaults on any of its debt or other obligations, or becomes the subject of bankruptcy, liquidation, or reorganization proceedings, the creditors and stockholders of RGA will have no right to proceed against the assets of any of the subsidiaries of RGA. If any of RGA’s reinsurance subsidiaries were to be liquidated or dissolved, the liquidation or dissolution would be conducted in accordance with the rules and regulations of the appropriate governing body in the state or country of the subsidiary’s domicile. The creditors of any such reinsurance company, including, without limitation, holders of its reinsurance agreements and state guaranty associations (if applicable), would be entitled to payment in full from such assets before RGA, as a direct or indirect stockholder, would be entitled to receive any distributions or other payments from the remaining assets of the liquidated or dissolved subsidiary.
Federal Regulation
With enactment of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act during 2010, discussions will continue in the Congress of the United States concerning the future of the McCarran-Ferguson Act, which exempts the “business of insurance” from most federal laws, including anti-trust laws, to the extent such business is subject to state regulation. With the McCarran-Ferguson Act exemption for the business of insurance, a reinsurer may set rate, underwriting and claims handling standards for its ceding company clients to follow. Judicial decisions narrowing the definition of what constitutes the “business of insurance” and repeal or modification of the McCarran-Ferguson Act may limit the ability of the Company, and RGA Reinsurance in particular, to share information with respect to matters such as rate setting, underwriting, and claims management. Likewise, discussions may again resume in the Congress of the United States concerning potential future regulation of insurance and reinsurance at the Federal level. It is not possible to predict the effect of such decisions or changes in the law on the operation of the Company, but it is now more likely than in the past that insurance or reinsurance may be regulated at the Federal level in the U.S. Additionally, new credit for reinsurance rules in the U.S. allowing for collateral reduction has the potential to allow foreign competitors to provide reinsurance to U.S. insurers with reduced collateral requirements. This may ultimately lower the cost at which RGA Reinsurance’s competitors are able to provide reinsurance to U.S. insurers. In addition, the vesting of authority in the U.S. Federal Reserve to review the solvency of certain financial institutions deemed systemically important could impose an additional layer of solvency regulation upon selected insurers and reinsurers. While it is not expected that any RGA entity would be deemed to be systemically important and become the subject to this additional scrutiny, the potential exists for one or more of RGA Reinsurance’s clients to be given the designation subjecting the client’s reinsurance programs to scrutiny by the Federal Reserve.
Environmental Considerations
Federal, state and local environmental laws and regulations apply to the Company’s ownership and operation of real property. Inherent in owning and operating real property are the risks of hidden environmental liabilities and the costs of any required clean-up. Under the laws of certain states, contamination of a property may give rise to a lien on the property to secure recovery of the costs of clean-up. In several states, this lien has priority over the lien of an existing mortgage against such property. In addition, in some states and under the federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (“CERCLA”), the Company may be liable, in certain circumstances, as an “owner” or “operator,” for costs of cleaning-up releases or threatened releases of hazardous substances at a property mortgaged to it. The Company also risks environmental liability when it forecloses on a property mortgaged to it, although Federal legislation provides for a safe harbor from CERCLA liability for secured lenders that foreclose and sell the mortgaged real estate, provided that certain requirements are met. However, there are circumstances in which actions taken could still expose the Company to CERCLA liability. Application of various other federal and state environmental laws could also result in the imposition of liability on the Company for costs associated with environmental hazards.
The Company routinely conducts environmental assessments prior to taking title to real estate through foreclosure on real estate collateralizing mortgages that it holds. Although unexpected environmental liabilities can always arise, the Company seeks to minimize this risk by undertaking these environmental assessments and complying with its internal procedures, and as a result, the Company believes that any costs associated with compliance with environmental laws and regulations or any clean-up of properties would not have a material adverse effect on the Company’s results of operations.
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Underwriting
Automatic. The Company’s management determines whether to write automatic reinsurance business by considering many factors, including the types of risks to be covered; the ceding company’s retention limit and binding authority, product, and pricing assumptions; and the ceding company’s underwriting standards, financial strength and distribution systems. For automatic business, the Company ensures that the underwriting standards, procedures and guidelines of its ceding companies are priced appropriately and consistent with the Company’s expectations. To this end, the Company conducts periodic reviews of the ceding companies’ underwriting and claims personnel and procedures.
Facultative. The Company has developed underwriting policies, procedures and standards with the objective of controlling the quality of business written as well as its pricing. The Company’s underwriting process emphasizes close collaboration between its underwriting, actuarial, and administration departments. Management periodically updates these underwriting policies, procedures, and standards to account for changing industry conditions, market developments, and changes occurring in the field of medical technology. These policies, procedures, and standards are documented in electronic underwriting manuals made available to all the Company’s underwriters. The Company regularly performs internal reviews of both its underwriters and underwriting process.
The Company’s management determines whether to accept facultative reinsurance business on a prospective insured by reviewing the application, medical information and other underwriting information appropriate to the age of the prospective insured and the face amount of the application. An assessment of medical and financial history follows with decisions based on underwriting knowledge, manual review and consultation with the Company’s medical directors as necessary. Many facultative applications involve individuals with multiple medical impairments, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes, which require a complex underwriting/mortality assessment. The Company employs medical directors and medical consultants to assist its underwriters in making these assessments.
Pricing
Automatic and Facultative. The Company has pricing actuaries dedicated in every geographic market and in every product category who develop reinsurance treaty rates following the Company’s policies, procedures and standards. Biometric assumptions are based on the Company’s own mortality, morbidity and persistency experience, taking into account industry and client-specific experience. Economic and asset-related pricing assumptions are based on current and long-term market conditions and are developed by actuarial and investment personnel with appropriate experience and expertise. Management has established a high-level oversight of the processes and results of these activities, which includes peer reviews in every market as well as centralized procedures and processes for reviewing and auditing pricing activities.
Operations
Generally, the Company’s business has been obtained directly, rather than through brokers. The Company has an experienced sales and marketing staff that works to provide responsive service and maintain existing relationships.
The Company’s administration, auditing, valuation and finance departments are responsible for treaty compliance auditing, financial analysis of results, generation of internal management reports, and periodic audits of administrative and underwriting practices. A significant effort is focused on periodic audits of administrative and underwriting practices, and treaty compliance of clients.
The Company’s claims departments review and verify reinsurance claims, obtain the information necessary to evaluate claims, and arrange for timely claims payments. Claims are subjected to a detailed review process to ensure that the risk was properly ceded, the claim complies with the contract provisions, and the ceding company is current in the payment of reinsurance premiums to the Company. In addition, the claims departments monitor both specific claims and the overall claims handling procedures of ceding companies.
Customer Base
The Company provides reinsurance products primarily to the largest life insurance companies in the world. In 2013, the Company’s five largest clients generated approximately $1,922.7 million or 22.4% of the Company’s gross premiums. In addition, 18 other clients each generated annual gross premiums of $100.0 million or more, and the aggregate gross premiums from these clients represented approximately 32.6% of the Company’s gross premiums. No individual client generated 10% or more of the Company’s total gross premiums. For the purpose of this disclosure, companies that are within the same insurance holding company structure are combined.
Competition
Reinsurers compete on the basis of many factors, including financial strength, pricing and other terms and conditions of reinsurance agreements, reputation, service, and experience in the types of business underwritten. The Company’s competition includes other reinsurance companies as well as other providers of financial services. The Company believes that its primary competitors on a global basis are currently the following, or their affiliates: Munich Re, Swiss Re, Hannover Re and SCOR Global
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Re. In addition, the Company competes with Pacific Life Re, Prudential Financial and a number of other financial service providers on annuity block business. However, within the reinsurance industry, the competitors can change from year to year.
Employees
As of December 31, 2013, the Company had 1,890 employees located throughout the world. None of these employees are represented by a labor union.
C. | Segments |
The Company obtains substantially all of its revenues through reinsurance agreements that cover a portfolio of life and health insurance products, including term life, credit life, universal life, whole life, group life and health, joint and last survivor insurance, critical illness, disability, longevity as well as asset-intensive (e.g., annuities) and financial reinsurance. Generally, the Company, through various subsidiaries, has provided reinsurance for mortality, morbidity, and lapse risks associated with such products. With respect to asset-intensive products, the Company has also provided reinsurance for investment-related risks.
The following table sets forth the Company’s premiums attributable to each of its segments for the periods indicated on both a gross assumed basis and net of premiums ceded to third parties:
Gross and Net Premiums by Segment
(in millions)
Year Ended December 31, | |||||||||||||||||||||
2013 | 2012 | 2011 | |||||||||||||||||||
Amount | % of Total | Amount | % of Total | Amount | % of Total | ||||||||||||||||
Gross Premiums: | |||||||||||||||||||||
U.S. Traditional | $ | 4,663.4 | 54.4 | % | $ | 4,460.4 | 54.2 | % | $ | 4,124.2 | 53.5 | % | |||||||||
U.S. Non-Traditional | 67.2 | 0.8 | 64.6 | 0.8 | 65.5 | 0.9 | |||||||||||||||
Canada | 1,016.5 | 11.8 | 968.6 | 11.8 | 940.1 | 12.2 | |||||||||||||||
Europe & South Africa | 1,359.7 | 15.9 | 1,338.0 | 16.2 | 1,224.4 | 15.9 | |||||||||||||||
Asia Pacific | 1,466.8 | 17.1 | 1,391.8 | 16.9 | 1,341.3 | 17.4 | |||||||||||||||
Corporate and Other | (0.2 | ) | — | 9.2 | 0.1 | 8.7 | 0.1 | ||||||||||||||
Total | $ | 8,573.4 | 100.0 | % | $ | 8,232.6 | 100.0 | % | $ | 7,704.2 | 100.0 | % | |||||||||
Net Premiums: | |||||||||||||||||||||
U.S. Traditional | $ | 4,518.0 | 54.7 | % | $ | 4,308.8 | 54.5 | % | $ | 3,979.5 | 54.2 | % | |||||||||
U.S. Non-Traditional | 22.5 | 0.3 | 14.1 | 0.2 | 13.2 | 0.2 | |||||||||||||||
Canada | 962.3 | 11.7 | 915.7 | 11.6 | 835.3 | 11.4 | |||||||||||||||
Europe & South Africa | 1,331.6 | 16.1 | 1,308.5 | 16.5 | 1,194.5 | 16.3 | |||||||||||||||
Asia Pacific | 1,419.8 | 17.2 | 1,350.3 | 17.1 | 1,304.5 | 17.8 | |||||||||||||||
Corporate and Other | (0.2 | ) | — | 9.2 | 0.1 | 8.7 | 0.1 | ||||||||||||||
Total | $ | 8,254.0 | 100.0 | % | $ | 7,906.6 | 100.0 | % | $ | 7,335.7 | 100.0 | % | |||||||||
The following table sets forth selected information concerning assumed life reinsurance business in force by segment for the periods indicated. The term “in force” refers to insurance policy face amounts or net amounts at risk.
Reinsurance Business In Force by Segment
(in billions)
As of December 31, | |||||||||||||||||||||
2013 | 2012 | 2011 | |||||||||||||||||||
Amount | % of Total | Amount | % of Total | Amount | % of Total | ||||||||||||||||
U.S. Traditional | $ | 1,385.6 | 47.9 | % | $ | 1,393.3 | 47.6 | % | $ | 1,343.0 | 50.4 | % | |||||||||
U.S. Non-Traditional | 2.2 | 0.1 | 2.3 | 0.1 | 5.5 | 0.2 | |||||||||||||||
Canada | 386.3 | 13.4 | 389.7 | 13.3 | 344.9 | 12.9 | |||||||||||||||
Europe & South Africa | 629.8 | 21.8 | 602.5 | 20.6 | 513.4 | 19.3 | |||||||||||||||
Asia Pacific | 486.0 | 16.8 | 539.8 | 18.4 | 457.6 | 17.2 | |||||||||||||||
Total | $ | 2,889.9 | 100.0 | % | $ | 2,927.6 | 100.0 | % | $ | 2,664.4 | 100.0 | % | |||||||||
Reinsurance business in force reflects the addition or acquisition of new life reinsurance business, offset by terminations (e.g., life and group contract terminations, lapses of underlying policies, deaths of insureds, and recapture), changes in foreign
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currency exchange, and any other changes in the amount of insurance in force. As a result of terminations and other changes, assumed in force amounts at risk of $408.1 billion, $163.4 billion, and $304.8 billion were released in 2013, 2012 and 2011, respectively. In 2011, the Asia Pacific segment experienced significant production relative to group business in Australia somewhat offset by the termination of group contracts.
The following table sets forth selected information concerning assumed new business volume by segment for the indicated periods. The term “volume” refers to insurance policy face amounts or net amounts at risk.
New Business Volume by Segment
(in billions)
Year Ended December 31, | |||||||||||||||||||||
2013 | 2012 | 2011 | |||||||||||||||||||
Amount | % of Total | Amount | % of Total | Amount | % of Total | ||||||||||||||||
U.S. Traditional | $ | 89.7 | 24.2 | % | $ | 151.4 | 35.5 | % | $ | 110.5 | 25.8 | % | |||||||||
U.S. Non-Traditional | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||
Canada | 46.0 | 12.4 | 49.0 | 11.5 | 51.1 | 11.9 | |||||||||||||||
Europe & South Africa | 132.8 | 35.9 | 136.0 | 31.9 | 148.3 | 34.6 | |||||||||||||||
Asia Pacific | 101.9 | 27.5 | 90.2 | 21.1 | 119.0 | 27.7 | |||||||||||||||
Total | $ | 370.4 | 100.0 | % | $ | 426.6 | 100.0 | % | $ | 428.9 | 100.0 | % | |||||||||
Additional information regarding the operations of the Company’s segments and geographic operations is contained in Note 15 – “Segment Information” in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
U.S. Operations
The U.S. operations represented 55.0%, 54.7% and 54.4% of the Company’s net premiums in 2013, 2012 and 2011, respectively. The U.S. operations market traditional life and health reinsurance, reinsurance of asset-intensive products, and financial reinsurance, primarily to large U.S. life insurance companies.
Traditional Reinsurance
The U.S. Traditional segment provides life and health reinsurance to domestic clients for a variety of products through yearly renewable term agreements, coinsurance, and modified coinsurance. This business has been accepted under many different rate scales, with rates often tailored to suit the underlying product and the needs of the ceding company. Premiums typically vary for smokers and non-smokers, males and females, and may include a preferred underwriting class discount. Reinsurance premiums are paid in accordance with the treaty, regardless of the premium mode for the underlying primary insurance. This business is made up of facultative and automatic treaty business.
Automatic business is generated pursuant to treaties which generally require that the underlying policies meet the ceding company’s underwriting criteria, although in certain cases such policies may be rated substandard. In contrast to facultative reinsurance, reinsurers do not engage in underwriting assessments of each risk assumed through an automatic treaty.
As the Company does not apply its underwriting standards to each policy ceded to it under automatic treaties, the U.S. operations generally require ceding companies to retain a portion of the business written on an automatic basis, thereby increasing the ceding companies’ incentives to underwrite risks with due care and, when appropriate, to contest claims diligently.
The U.S. facultative reinsurance operation involves the assessment of the risks inherent in (i) multiple impairments, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes; (ii) cases involving large policy face amounts; and (iii) financial risk cases, i.e., cases involving policies disproportionately large in relation to the financial characteristics of the proposed insured. The U.S. operations’ marketing efforts have focused on developing facultative relationships with client companies because management believes facultative reinsurance represents a substantial segment of the reinsurance activity of many large insurance companies and also serves as an effective means of expanding the U.S. operations’ automatic business. In 2013, 2012 and 2011, approximately 19.8%, 20.4%, and 20.4%, respectively, of the U.S. gross premiums were written on a facultative basis.
Only a portion of approved facultative applications ultimately result in reinsurance, as applicants for impaired risk policies often submit applications to several primary insurers, which in turn seek facultative reinsurance from several reinsurers. Ultimately, only one insurance company and one reinsurer are likely to obtain the business. The Company tracks the percentage of declined and placed facultative applications on a client-by-client basis and generally works with clients to seek to maintain such percentages at levels deemed acceptable. As the Company applies its underwriting standards to each application submitted to it facultatively, it generally does not require ceding companies to retain a portion of the underlying risk when business is written on a facultative basis.
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In addition, several of the Company’s U.S. clients have purchased life insurance policies insuring the lives of their executives. These policies have generally been issued to fund deferred compensation plans and have been reinsured with the Company. The Company’s consolidated balance sheets included interest-sensitive contract reserves of $1.3 billion as of both December 31, 2013 and 2012, and policy loans of $1.2 billion and $1.3 billion as of December 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively, associated with this business.
Non-Traditional - Asset-Intensive Reinsurance
The Asset-intensive segment primarily concentrates on the investment risk within underlying annuities and corporate-owned life insurance policies. These reinsurance agreements are mostly structured as coinsurance, coinsurance with funds withheld, or modified coinsurance of primarily investment risk such that the Company recognizes profits or losses primarily from the spread between the investment earnings and the interest credited on the underlying annuity contract liabilities. Reinsurance of such business was reflected in interest-sensitive contract liabilities of approximately $11.0 billion and $11.5 billion as of December 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively.
Annuities are normally limited by the size of the deposit from any single depositor. The Company also reinsures certain indexed annuities, variable annuity products that contain guaranteed minimum death or living benefits and corporate-owned life insurance products. Corporate-owned life insurance normally involves a large number of insureds associated with each deposit, and the Company’s underwriting guidelines limit the size of any single deposit. The individual policies associated with any single deposit are typically issued within pre-set guaranteed issue parameters.
The Company primarily targets highly rated, financially secure companies as clients for asset-intensive business. These companies may wish to limit their own exposure to certain products. Ongoing asset/liability analysis is required for the management of asset-intensive business. The Company performs this analysis internally, in conjunction with asset/liability analysis performed by the ceding companies.
Non-Traditional - Financial Reinsurance
The Company’s U.S. Financial Reinsurance segment assists ceding companies in meeting applicable regulatory requirements while enhancing their financial strength and regulatory surplus position. The Company commits cash or assumes regulatory insurance liabilities from the ceding companies. Generally, such amounts are offset by receivables from ceding companies that are repaid by the future profits from the reinsured block of business. The Company structures its financial reinsurance transactions so that the projected future profits of the underlying reinsured business significantly exceed the amount of regulatory surplus provided to the ceding company.
The Company primarily targets highly rated insurance companies for financial reinsurance due to the credit risk associated with this business. A careful analysis is performed before providing any regulatory surplus enhancement to the ceding company. This analysis is intended to ensure that the Company understands the risks of the underlying insurance product and that the transaction has a high likelihood of being repaid through the future profits of the underlying business. If the future profits of the business are not sufficient to repay the Company or if the ceding company becomes financially distressed and is unable to make payments under the treaty, the Company may incur losses. A staff of actuaries and accountants track experience for each treaty on a quarterly basis in comparison to models of expected results.
Customer Base
The U.S. operations market life reinsurance primarily to the largest U.S. life insurance companies. The Company estimates that approximately 87 of the top 100 U.S. life insurance companies, based on premiums, are clients. The treaties underlying this business generally are terminable by either party on 90 days written notice, but only with respect to future new business. Existing business generally is not terminable, unless the underlying policies terminate or are recaptured. In 2013, the five largest clients generated approximately $1,600.7 million or 33.8% of U.S. operation’s gross premiums. In addition, 42 other clients each generated annual gross premiums of $20.0 million or more, and the aggregate gross premiums from these clients represented approximately 56.7% of U.S. operation’s gross premiums. For the purpose of this disclosure, companies that are within the same insurance holding company structure are combined.
Canada Operations
The Canada operations represented 11.7%, 11.6%, and 11.4% of the Company’s net premiums in 2013, 2012 and 2011, respectively. In 2013, this segment assumed $46.0 billion in new business, predominately representing recurring new business, as opposed to in force transactions. Approximately 85.9% of the 2013 recurring new business was written on an automatic basis.
The Company operates in Canada primarily through RGA Canada, a wholly-owned subsidiary. RGA Canada is a leading life reinsurer in Canada, based on new individual life insurance production. It assists clients with capital management and mortality and morbidity risk management and is primarily engaged in traditional individual life reinsurance, as well as creditor, group life and health, critical illness, and longevity reinsurance. Creditor insurance covers the outstanding balance on personal, mortgage
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or commercial loans in the event of death, disability or critical illness and is generally shorter in duration than individual life insurance.
Clients include most of the life insurers in Canada, although the number of life insurers is much smaller compared to the U.S. In 2013, the five largest clients generated approximately $541.1 million or 53.2% of Canada operation’s gross premiums. In addition, 10 other clients each generated annual gross premiums of $20.0 million or more, and the aggregate gross premiums from these clients represented approximately 39.3% of Canada operation’s gross premiums. For the purpose of this disclosure, companies that are within the same insurance holding company structure are combined.
RGA Canada employs its own underwriting, actuarial, claims, pricing, accounting, systems, marketing and administrative staff in offices located in Montreal and Toronto.
Europe & South Africa Operations
The Europe & South Africa operations represented 16.1%, 16.5%, and 16.3% of the Company’s net premiums in 2013, 2012 and 2011, respectively. This segment serves clients from subsidiaries, licensed branch offices and/or representative offices primarily located in France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, the Netherlands, Poland, South Africa, Spain, Turkey, the UAE and the UK.
The principal types of reinsurance for this segment include life and health products through yearly renewable term and coinsurance agreements, the reinsurance of critical illness coverage that provides a benefit in the event of the diagnosis of a pre-defined critical illness and the reinsurance of longevity risk related to payout annuities. The reinsurance agreements of critical illness coverage may be either facultative or automatic agreements. Premiums earned from critical illness coverage represented 19.2% of the total net premiums for this segment in 2013.
In 2013, the UK operations generated approximately $903.8 million, or 66.5% of the segment’s gross premiums. In 2013, the five largest clients generated approximately $635.9 million or 46.8% of Europe & South Africa operation’s gross premiums. In addition, 10 other clients each generated annual gross premiums of $20.0 million or more, and the aggregate gross premiums from these clients represented approximately 24.7% of Europe & South Africa operation’s gross premiums. For the purpose of this disclosure, companies that are within the same insurance holding company structure are combined.
RGA’s operations in the UK, Continental Europe, South Africa, India and Mexico employ their own underwriting, actuarial, claims, pricing, accounting, marketing, and administration staffs with additional support services provided by the Company’s staff in the U.S. and Canada.
Asia Pacific Operations
The Asia Pacific operations represented 17.2%, 17.1%, and 17.8% of the Company’s net premiums in 2013, 2012 and 2011, respectively. The Company has a presence in the Asia Pacific region with licensed branch offices and/or representative offices in Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, New Zealand, Labuan (Malaysia) and China. The Company also established a reinsurance subsidiary in Australia in January 1996.
The principal types of reinsurance for this segment include life, critical illness, health, disability, superannuation, and financial reinsurance. Superannuation is the Australian government mandated compulsory retirement savings program. Superannuation funds accumulate retirement funds for employees, and in addition, offer life and disability insurance coverage. Reinsurance agreements may be either facultative or automatic agreements covering primarily individual risks and, in some markets, group risks. Premiums earned from critical illness coverage represented 17.4% of the total net premiums for this segment in 2013.
The Australian operations generated approximately $833.5 million, or 56.8% of the total gross premiums for the Asia Pacific operations in 2013. In 2013, the five largest clients generated approximately $607.5 million or 41.4% of Asia Pacific operation’s gross premiums. In addition, 15 other clients each generated annual gross premiums of $20.0 million or more, and the aggregate gross premiums from these clients represented approximately 38.9% of Asia Pacific operation’s gross premiums. For the purpose of this disclosure, companies that are within the same insurance holding company structure are combined.
The Hong Kong, Labuan, Japan, Taiwan, China and South Korea offices provide full reinsurance services and are supported by the Company’s U.S. and International Division Sydney offices. RGA Australia employs its own underwriting, actuarial, claims, pricing, accounting, systems, marketing, and administration service with additional support provided by the Company’s U.S. and International Division Sydney offices.
Corporate and Other
Corporate and Other operations include investment income from invested assets not allocated to support segment operations and undeployed proceeds from the Company’s capital raising efforts, in addition to unallocated investment related gains or losses. Corporate expenses consist of the offset to capital charges allocated to the operating segments within the policy acquisition costs and other insurance expenses line item, unallocated overhead and executive costs, and interest expense related
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to debt. Additionally, Corporate and Other includes results from, among others, RGA Technology Partners, Inc. (“RTP”), a wholly-owned subsidiary that develops and markets technology solutions for the insurance industry and the investment income and expense associated with the Company’s collateral finance facilities.
D. | Financial Information About Foreign Operations |
The Company’s foreign operations are primarily in Canada, the Asia Pacific region, Europe, and South Africa. Revenue, income (loss) before income taxes, which include investment related gains (losses), interest expense, depreciation and amortization, and identifiable assets attributable to these geographic regions are identified in Note 15 – “Segment Information” in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. Although there are risks inherent to foreign operations, such as currency fluctuations and restrictions on the movement of funds, as described in Item 1A – “Risk Factors”, the Company’s financial position and results of operations have not been materially adversely affected thereby to date.
E. | Available Information |
Copies of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports are available free of charge through the Company’s website (www.rgare.com) as soon as reasonably practicable after the Company electronically files such reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission (www.sec.gov). Information provided on such websites does not constitute part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
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Item 1A. RISK FACTORS
In the Risk Factors below, we refer to the Company as “we,” “us,” or “our”. Investing in our securities involves certain risks. Any of the following risks could materially adversely affect our business, results of operations, or financial condition and could result in a loss of your investment. These risks are not exclusive, and additional risks to which we are subject include, but are not limited to, the factors mentioned under “Forward-Looking and Cautionary Statements” in Item 7 below and the risks of our businesses described elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Many of these risks are interrelated and occur under similar business and economic conditions, and the occurrence of certain of them may in turn cause the emergence, or exacerbate the effect, of others. Such a combination could materially increase the severity of the impact on our operations, liquidity and financial condition.
Risks Related to Our Business
A downgrade in our ratings or in the ratings of our reinsurance subsidiaries could adversely affect our ability to compete.
Our financial strength and credit ratings are important factors in our competitive position. Rating organizations periodically review the financial performance and condition of insurers, including our reinsurance subsidiaries. These ratings are based on an insurance company’s ability to pay its obligations and are not directed toward the protection of investors. Rating organizations assign ratings based upon several factors. While most of the factors considered relate to the rated company, some of the factors relate to general economic conditions and circumstances outside the rated company’s control. The various rating agencies periodically review and evaluate our capital adequacy in accordance with their established guidelines and capital models. In order to maintain our existing ratings, we may commit from time to time to manage our capital at levels commensurate with such guidelines and models. If our capital levels are insufficient to fulfill any such commitments, we could be required to reduce our risk profile by, for example, retroceding some of our business or by raising additional capital by issuing debt, hybrid, or equity securities. Any such actions could have a material adverse impact on our earnings or materially dilute our shareholders’ equity ownership interests.
Any downgrade in the ratings of our reinsurance subsidiaries could adversely affect their ability to sell products, retain existing business, and compete for attractive acquisition opportunities. Ratings are subject to revision or withdrawal at any time by the assigning rating organization. A rating is not a recommendation to buy, sell or hold securities, and each rating should be evaluated independently of any other rating. We believe that the rating agencies consider the financial strength and flexibility of a parent company and its consolidated operations when assigning a rating to a particular subsidiary of that company. The ability of our subsidiaries to write reinsurance partially depends on their financial condition and is influenced by their ratings. In addition, a downgrade in the rating or outlook of RGA, among other factors, could adversely affect our ability to raise and then contribute capital to our subsidiaries for the purpose of facilitating their operations and growth. A downgrade could also increase our own cost of capital. For example, the facility fee and interest rate for our syndicated revolving credit facility are based on our senior long-term debt ratings. A decrease in those ratings could result in an increase in costs for that credit facility and others. Also, if there is a downgrade in the rating of RGA, or any of our rated subsidiaries, some of our reinsurance contracts would require us to post collateral to secure our obligations under these reinsurance contracts. Accordingly, we believe a ratings downgrade of RGA, or any of our rated subsidiaries, could have a negative effect on our ability to conduct business.
We cannot assure you that actions taken by ratings agencies would not result in a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations. In addition, it is unclear what effect, if any, a ratings change would have on the price of our securities in the secondary market.
We make assumptions when pricing our products relating to mortality, morbidity, lapsation, investment returns and expenses, and significant deviations in experience could negatively affect our financial results.
Our life reinsurance contracts expose us to mortality risk, which is the risk that the level of death claims may differ from that which we assumed in pricing our reinsurance contracts. Some of our reinsurance contracts expose us to morbidity risk, which is the risk that an insured person will become critically ill or disabled. Our risk analysis and underwriting processes are designed with the objective of controlling the quality of the business and establishing appropriate pricing for the risks we assume. Among other things, these processes rely heavily on our underwriting, our analysis of mortality and morbidity trends, lapse rates, expenses and our understanding of medical impairments and their effect on mortality or morbidity.
We expect mortality, morbidity and lapse experience to fluctuate somewhat from period to period, but believe they should remain reasonably predictable over a period of many years. Mortality, morbidity or lapse experience that is less favorable than the mortality, morbidity or lapse rates that we used in pricing a reinsurance agreement will negatively affect our net income because the premiums we receive for the risks we assume may not be sufficient to cover the claims and profit margin. Furthermore, even if the total benefits paid over the life of the contract do not exceed the expected amount, unexpected increases in the incidence of deaths or illness can cause us to pay more benefits in a given reporting period than expected, adversely affecting our net income in any particular reporting period. Likewise, adverse experience could impair our ability to offset certain unamortized deferred
16
acquisition costs and adversely affect our net income in any particular reporting period. We perform annual tests to establish that deferred policy acquisition costs remain recoverable at all times. These tests require us to make a significant number of assumptions. If our financial performance significantly deteriorates to the point where a premium deficiency exists, a cumulative charge to current operations will be recorded which may adversely affect our net income in a particular reporting period.
RGA is an insurance holding company, and our ability to pay principal, interest and/or dividends on securities is limited.
RGA is an insurance holding company, with our principal assets consisting of the stock of our reinsurance company subsidiaries, and substantially all of our income is derived from those subsidiaries. Our ability to pay principal and interest on any debt securities or dividends on any preferred or common stock depends, in part, on the ability of our reinsurance company subsidiaries, our principal sources of cash flow, to declare and distribute dividends or to advance money to RGA. We are not permitted to pay common stock dividends or make payments of interest or principal on securities which rank equal or junior to our subordinated debentures and junior subordinated debentures, until we pay any accrued and unpaid interest on such debentures. Our reinsurance company subsidiaries are subject to various statutory and regulatory restrictions, applicable to insurance companies generally, that limit the amount of cash dividends, loans and advances that those subsidiaries may pay to us. Covenants contained in some of our debt agreements and regulations relating to capital requirements affecting some of our more significant subsidiaries also restrict the ability of certain subsidiaries to pay dividends and other distributions and make loans to us. In addition, we cannot assure you that more stringent dividend restrictions will not be adopted, as discussed below under “Our reinsurance subsidiaries are highly regulated, and changes in these regulations could negatively affect our business.”
As a result of our insurance holding company structure, in the event of the insolvency, liquidation, reorganization, dissolution or other winding-up of one of our reinsurance subsidiaries, all creditors of that subsidiary would be entitled to payment in full out of the assets of such subsidiary before we, as shareholder, would be entitled to any payment. Our subsidiaries would have to pay their direct creditors in full before our creditors, including holders of any class of common stock, preferred stock or debt securities of RGA, could receive any payment from the assets of such subsidiaries.
The availability and cost of collateral, including letters of credit, asset trusts and other credit facilities, could adversely affect our operations and financial condition.
Regulatory reserve requirements in various jurisdictions in which we operate may be significantly higher than the reserves required under GAAP. Accordingly, we reinsure, or retrocede, business to affiliated and unaffiliated reinsurers to reduce the amount of regulatory reserves and capital we are required to hold in certain jurisdictions. A regulation in the United States, commonly referred to as Regulation XXX, requires a relatively high level of regulatory, or statutory, reserves that U.S. life insurance and life reinsurance companies must hold on their statutory financial statements for various types of life insurance business, primarily certain level term life products. The reserve levels required under Regulation XXX increase over time and are normally in excess of reserves required under GAAP. The degree to which these reserves will increase and the ultimate level of reserves will depend upon the mix of our business and future production levels in the United States. Based on the assumed rate of growth in our current business plan, and the increasing level of regulatory reserves associated with some of this business, we expect the amount of required regulatory reserves to grow significantly.
In order to reduce the effect of Regulation XXX, our principal U.S. operating subsidiary, RGA Reinsurance Company, has retroceded Regulation XXX-related reserves to affiliated and unaffiliated reinsurers, including affiliated insurers governed by captive insurance laws. Additionally, some of our reinsurance subsidiaries in foreign jurisdictions enter into various reinsurance arrangements with affiliated and unaffiliated reinsurers from time to time in order to reduce statutory capital and reserve requirements. We retrocede business to our affiliates to help reduce the amount of regulatory capital required by the laws of certain jurisdictions, including the U.S. and the UK.
State insurance regulators have been scrutinizing the use of captive reinsurers to satisfy certain reserve requirements. If a state insurance regulator that regulates any of our domestic insurance companies restricts the use of such captive reinsurers or makes them less effective, our ability to reinsure certain products, maintain risk based capital ratios and deploy excess capital could be adversely affected. As a result, we may need to alter the type and volume of business we reinsure, increase prices on those products, and raise additional capital to support higher regulatory reserves or implement higher cost strategies, all of which could adversely impact our competitive position and our results of operations and financial position. We cannot estimate the impact of discontinuing or altering our captive strategy in response to potential regulatory changes due to many unknown variables such as the cost and availability of alternative capital, potential changes in regulatory reserving requirements under a principle-based reserving approach which would likely reduce required collateral, changes in acceptable collateral for statutory reserves, the potential introduction of the concept of a “certified reinsurer” in the laws and regulations in certain jurisdictions where we operate, the potential for increased pricing of products offered by us and the potential change in mix of products sold and/or offered by us and/or our clients.
We believe that the capital required to support the business ceded to our affiliated reinsurers reflects a more realistic expectation than the capital requirements applicable to our insurance subsidiaries that are retroceding such policies, which have
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capital requirements that are often considered to be quite conservative. As a general matter, for us to reduce regulatory reserves on business that we retrocede, the affiliated or unaffiliated reinsurer must provide an equal amount of regulatory-compliant collateral. Such collateral may be provided in the form of a letter of credit from a commercial bank, through the placement of assets in trust for our benefit, or through a capital markets securitization.
In connection with these reserve requirements, we face the following risks:
• | The availability of collateral and the related cost of such collateral in the future could affect the type and volume of business we reinsure and could increase our costs. |
• | We may need to raise additional capital to support higher regulatory reserves, which could increase our overall cost of capital. |
• | If we, or our retrocessionaires, are unable to obtain or provide sufficient collateral to support our statutory ceded reserves, we may be required to increase regulatory reserves. In turn, this reserve increase could significantly reduce our statutory capital levels and adversely affect our ability to satisfy required regulatory capital levels, unless we are able to raise additional capital to contribute to our operating subsidiaries. |
• | Because term life insurance is a particularly price-sensitive product, any increase in insurance premiums charged on these products by life insurance companies, in order to compensate them for the increased statutory reserve requirements or higher costs of insurance they face, may result in a significant loss of volume in their life insurance operations, which could, in turn, adversely affect our life reinsurance operations. |
We cannot assure you that we will be able to implement actions to mitigate the effect of increasing regulatory reserve requirements.
Changes in the equity markets, interest rates and/or volatility affects the profitability of variable annuities with guaranteed living benefits that we reinsure; therefore, such changes may have a material adverse effect on our business and profitability.
We reinsure variable annuity products that include guaranteed minimum living benefits. These include guaranteed minimum withdrawal benefits (“GMWB”), guaranteed minimum accumulation benefits (“GMAB”) and guaranteed minimum income benefits (“GMIB”). The amount of reserves related to these benefits is based on their fair value and is affected by changes in equity markets, interest rates and volatility. Accordingly, strong equity markets, increases in interest rates and decreases in volatility will generally decrease the fair value of the liabilities underlying the benefits.
Conversely, a decrease in the equity markets along with a decrease in interest rates and an increase in volatility will generally result in an increase in the fair value of the liabilities underlying the benefits, which has the effect of increasing the amount of reserves that we must carry. Such an increase in reserves would result in a charge to our earnings in the quarter in which we increase our reserves. We maintain a customized dynamic hedge program that is designed to mitigate the risks associated with income volatility around the change in reserves on guaranteed benefits. However, the hedge positions may not be effective to exactly offset the changes in the carrying value of the guarantees due to, among other things, the time lag between changes in their values and corresponding changes in the hedge positions, high levels of volatility in the equity markets and derivatives markets, extreme swings in interest rates, contract holder behavior different than expected, and divergence between the performance of the underlying funds and hedging indices. These factors, individually or collectively, may have a material adverse effect on our net income, capital levels, financial condition or liquidity.
We are exposed to foreign currency risk.
We are a multi-national company with operations in numerous countries and, as a result, are exposed to foreign currency risk to the extent that exchange rates of foreign currencies are subject to adverse change over time. The U.S. dollar value of our net investments in foreign operations, our foreign currency transaction settlements and the periodic conversion of the foreign-denominated earnings to U.S. dollars (our reporting currency) are each subject to adverse foreign exchange rate movements. Approximately 39% of our revenues and 30% of our fixed maturity securities available for sale were denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar as of and for the year ended December 31, 2013. We use foreign denominated revenues and investments to fund foreign denominated expenses and liabilities when possible to mitigate exposure to foreign currency fluctuations.
We depend on the performance of others, and their failure to perform in a satisfactory manner would negatively affect us.
In the normal course of business, we seek to limit our exposure to losses from our reinsurance contracts by ceding a portion of the reinsurance to other insurance enterprises or retrocessionaires. We cannot assure you that these insurance enterprises or retrocessionaires will be able to fulfill their obligations to us. As of December 31, 2013, the retrocession pool members participating in our excess retention pool that have been reviewed by A.M. Best Company, were rated “A-”, the fourth highest rating out of fifteen possible ratings, or better. We are also subject to the risk that our clients will be unable to fulfill their obligations to us under our reinsurance agreements with them.
We rely upon our insurance company clients to provide timely, accurate information. We may experience volatility in our earnings as a result of erroneous or untimely reporting from our clients. We work closely with our clients and monitor their
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reporting to minimize this risk. We also rely on original underwriting decisions made by our clients. We cannot assure you that these processes or those of our clients will adequately control business quality or establish appropriate pricing.
For some reinsurance agreements, the ceding company withholds and legally owns and manages assets equal to the net statutory reserves, and we reflect these assets as funds withheld at interest on our balance sheet. In the event that a ceding company was to become insolvent, we would need to assert a claim on the assets supporting our reserve liabilities. We attempt to mitigate our risk of loss by offsetting amounts for claims or allowances that we owe the ceding company with amounts that the ceding company owes to us. We are subject to the investment performance on the withheld assets, although we do not directly control them. We help to set, and monitor compliance with, the investment guidelines followed by these ceding companies. However, to the extent that such investment guidelines are not appropriate, or to the extent that the ceding companies do not adhere to such guidelines, our risk of loss could increase, which could materially adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. Interest earned on funds withheld represented 5.3% and 4.0% of our consolidated revenues in 2013 and 2012, respectively. Funds withheld at interest totaled $5.8 billion and $5.6 billion at December 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively.
We use the services of third-party investment managers to manage certain assets where our investment management expertise is limited. We rely on these investment managers to provide investment advice and execute investment transactions that are within our investment policy guidelines. Poor performance on the part of our outside investment managers could negatively affect our financial performance.
As with all financial services companies, our ability to conduct business depends on consumer confidence in the industry and our financial strength. Actions of competitors, and financial difficulties of other companies in the industry, and related adverse publicity, could undermine consumer confidence and harm our reputation.
Natural and man-made disasters, catastrophes, and events, including terrorist attacks, epidemics and pandemics, could adversely affect our business and results of operations.
Natural disasters and terrorist attacks, as well as epidemics and pandemics, can adversely affect our business and results of operations because they accelerate mortality and morbidity risk. Terrorist attacks on the United States and in other parts of the world and the threat of future attacks could have a negative effect on our business.
We believe our reinsurance programs are sufficient to reasonably limit our net losses for individual life claims relating to potential future natural disasters and terrorist attacks. However, the consequences of further natural disasters, terrorist attacks, armed conflicts, epidemics and pandemics are unpredictable, and we may not be able to foresee events that could have an adverse effect on our business.
We operate in a competitive industry which could adversely affect our market share.
The reinsurance industry is highly competitive, and we encounter significant competition in all lines of business from other reinsurance companies, as well as competition from other providers of financial services. Our competitors vary by geographic market, and many of our competitors have greater financial resources than we do. Our ability to compete depends on, among other things, our ability to maintain strong financial strength ratings from rating agencies, pricing and other terms and conditions of reinsurance agreements, and our reputation, service, and experience in the types of business that we underwrite. However, competition from other reinsurers could adversely affect our competitive position.
We compete based on the strength of our underwriting operations, insights on mortality trends based on our large book of business, and responsive service. We believe our quick response time to client requests for individual underwriting quotes and our underwriting expertise are important elements to our strategy and lead to other business opportunities with our clients. Our business will be adversely affected if we are unable to maintain these competitive advantages or if our international strategy is not successful.
Tax law changes or a prolonged economic downturn could reduce the demand for insurance products, which could adversely affect our business.
Under the U.S. Internal Revenue Code, income tax payable by policyholders on investment earnings is deferred during the accumulation period of some life insurance and annuity products. To the extent that the U.S. Internal Revenue Code is revised to reduce the tax-deferred status of life insurance and annuity products, or to increase the tax-deferred status of competing products, all life insurance companies would be adversely affected with respect to their ability to sell such products, and, depending on grandfathering provisions, by the surrenders of existing annuity contracts and life insurance policies. In addition, life insurance products are often used to fund estate tax obligations. The estate tax provisions of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code have been revised frequently in the recent past. If Congress adopts legislation in the future to reduce or eliminate the estate tax, our U.S. life insurance company customers could face reduced demand for some of their life insurance products, which in turn could negatively affect our reinsurance business. We cannot predict whether any tax legislation impacting corporate taxes or insurance products will be enacted, what the specific terms of any such legislation will be or whether, if at all, any legislation would have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
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A general economic downturn or a downturn in the equity and other capital markets could adversely affect the market for many life insurance and annuity products. Factors including consumer spending, business investment, government spending, the volatility and strength of the capital markets, deflation and inflation all affect the economic environment and thus the amount of profitability of our business. An economic downturn may yield higher unemployment, lower family income, lower corporate earnings, lower business investment and lower consumer spending, and could result in decreased demand for life insurance and annuity products. Because we obtain substantially all of our revenues through reinsurance arrangements that cover a portfolio of life insurance products, as well as annuities, our business would be harmed if the market for annuities or life insurance was adversely affected. Therefore, adverse changes in the economy could affect earnings negatively and could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. In addition, the market for annuity reinsurance products is currently not well developed, and we cannot assure you that such market will develop in the future.
Our reinsurance subsidiaries are highly regulated, and changes in these regulations could negatively affect our business.
Our reinsurance subsidiaries are subject to government regulation in each of the jurisdictions in which they are licensed or authorized to do business. Governmental agencies have broad administrative power to regulate many aspects of the reinsurance business, which may include reinsurance terms and capital adequacy. These agencies are concerned primarily with the protection of policyholders and their direct insurers rather than shareholders or holders of debt securities. Moreover, insurance laws and regulations, among other things, establish minimum capital requirements and limit the amount of dividends, tax distributions, and other payments our reinsurance subsidiaries can make without prior regulatory approval, and impose restrictions on the amount and type of investments we may hold. The State of Missouri also regulates our reinsurance subsidiaries as members of an insurance holding company system. The regulation of our reinsurance subsidiaries in this way necessitates restrictions upon RGA as the ultimate parent of these entities.
Recently, insurance regulators have increased their scrutiny of insurance holding company systems in the United States. Much of the additional scrutiny is on activities of the insurance company’s entire group which includes the group’s parent company and any non-insurance subsidiaries. While the laws have not extended regulation to RGA and its non-insurance subsidiaries, the manner in which the insurance regulators regulate RGA’s insurance subsidiaries is now influencing the activities of all other entities within the Company. In 2010, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, or “NAIC”, amended its Model Insurance Holding Company System Regulatory Act to provide for an expanded supervision of insurance groups operating in the United States. The scope of these changes includes a review of enterprise risk management programs as well as expanded review of agreements between licensed insurers and their group members. Twenty-six states have either adopted these new standards or are in the process of adopting these standards. It is expected that Missouri will adopt these new standards as law before 2015.
At the United States Federal level, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act established a Federal Solvency Oversight Counsel to identify financial institutions, including insurers and reinsurers that are systemically important to the United States financial system. A finding that RGA, or one of its U.S. subsidiaries, is systemically important could ultimately subject the identified entity to additional capital requirements based on business levels and asset mix and other supervision. Such additional scrutiny might also impact RGA’s ability to pay dividends. While we do not currently anticipate that the Financial Stability Oversight Counsel will find RGA to be systemically important, a few of RGA’s client insurance companies have been designated systemically important and we anticipate that more could receive such designation. Designation of RGA’s client insurance companies could impact RGA through additional scrutiny of the client’s reinsurance programs with the Company, including a consideration of the volume of business ceded by the insurer to the Company. Moreover, we cannot assure you that more stringent restrictions will not be adopted from time to time in other jurisdictions in which our reinsurance subsidiaries are domiciled, which could, under certain circumstances, significantly reduce dividends or other amounts payable to us by our subsidiaries unless they obtain approval from insurance regulatory authorities. We cannot predict the effect that any NAIC recommendations or proposed or future legislation or rule-making in the United States or elsewhere may have on our financial condition or operations.
Acquisitions and significant transactions involve varying degrees of risk that could affect our profitability.
We have made, and may in the future make, strategic acquisitions, either of selected blocks of business or other companies. The success of these acquisitions depends on, among other factors, our ability to appropriately price the acquired business. Additionally, acquisitions may expose us to operational challenges and various risks, including:
• | the ability to integrate the acquired business operations and data with our systems; |
• | the availability of funding sufficient to meet increased capital needs; |
• | the ability to fund cash flow shortages that may occur if anticipated revenues are not realized or are delayed, whether by general economic or market conditions or unforeseen internal difficulties; and |
• | the possibility that the value of investments acquired in an acquisition, may be lower than expected or may diminish due to credit defaults or changes in interest rates and that liabilities assumed may be greater than expected (due to, among other factors, less favorable than expected mortality or morbidity experience). |
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A failure to successfully manage the operational challenges and risks associated with or resulting from significant transactions, including acquisitions, could adversely affect our financial condition or results of operations.
Our international operations involve inherent risks.
In 2013, approximately 33.3% of our net premiums came from our operations in Europe & South Africa and Asia Pacific. One of our strategies is to grow these international operations. International operations subject us to various inherent risks. In addition to the regulatory and foreign currency risks identified above, other risks include the following:
• | managing the growth of these operations effectively, particularly given the recent rates of growth; |
• | changes in mortality and morbidity experience and the supply and demand for our products that are specific to these markets and that may be difficult to anticipate; |
• | political and economic instability in the regions of the world where we operate; |
• | uncertainty arising out of foreign government sovereignty over our international operations; and |
• | potentially uncertain or adverse tax consequences, including the repatriation of earnings from our non-U.S. subsidiaries. |
Some of our international operations are in emerging markets where these risks are heightened and we anticipate that we will continue to do business in such markets. Our pricing assumptions may be less predictable in emerging markets, and deviations in actual experience from these assumptions could impact or profitability in these markets. Additionally, lack of legal certainty and stability in the emerging markets exposes us to increased risk of disruption, to adverse or unpredictable actions by regulators and may make it more difficult for us to enforce our contracts, which may negatively impact our business.
We cannot assure you that we will be able to manage these risks effectively or that they will not have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.
Our risk management policies and procedures could leave us exposed to unidentified or unanticipated risk, which could negatively affect our business or result in losses.
Our risk management policies and procedures to identify, monitor, and manage both internal and external risks may not predict future exposures, which could be different or significantly greater than expected. These identified risks may not be the only risks facing us. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us, or that we currently deem to be immaterial, may adversely affect our business, financial condition and/or operating results.
Unanticipated events affecting our disaster recovery systems and business continuity planning could impair our ability to conduct business.
In the event of a disaster such as a natural catastrophe, an industrial accident, a blackout, a computer virus, a terrorist attack or war, unanticipated problems with our disaster recovery systems could have a material adverse impact on our ability to conduct business and on our results of operations and financial position, particularly if those problems affect our computer-based data processing, transmission, storage and retrieval systems and destroy valuable data. We depend heavily upon computer systems to provide reliable service, data and reports. Like other global companies, we have experienced threats to our data and systems from time to time, but we have not experienced a material breach of cyber security. Administrative and technical controls, security measures and other preventative actions we take to reduce the risk of such incidents and protect our information technology may not be sufficient to prevent physical and electronic break-ins, and similar disruptions from unauthorized tampering with our computer systems. In addition, in the event that a significant number of our managers were unavailable in the event of a disaster, our ability to effectively conduct business could be severely compromised. These interruptions also may interfere with our clients’ ability to provide data and other information and our employees’ ability to perform their job responsibilities.
Risks Related to Our Investments
Adverse capital and credit market conditions may significantly affect our ability to meet liquidity needs, access to capital and cost of capital.
The capital and credit markets experience varying degrees of volatility and disruption. In some periods, the markets have exerted downward pressure on availability of liquidity and credit capacity for certain issuers.
We need liquidity to pay our operating expenses, interest on our debt and dividends on our capital stock and to replace certain maturing liabilities. Without sufficient liquidity, we will be forced to curtail our operations, and our business will suffer. The principal sources of our liquidity are reinsurance premiums under reinsurance treaties and cash flow from our investment portfolio and other assets. Sources of liquidity in normal markets also include proceeds from the issuance of a variety of short-and long-term instruments, including medium-and long-term debt, subordinated and junior subordinated debt securities, capital securities and common stock.
In the event current resources do not satisfy our needs, we may have to seek additional financing. The availability of additional financing will depend on a variety of factors such as market conditions, the general availability of equity, credit, the
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volume of trading activities, the overall availability of credit to the financial services industry, our credit ratings and credit capacity, as well as the possibility that customers or lenders could develop a negative perception of our long- or short-term financial prospects. Similarly, our access to funds may be impaired if regulatory authorities or rating agencies take negative actions against us. Our internal sources of liquidity may prove to be insufficient, and in such case, we may not be able to successfully obtain additional financing on favorable terms, or at all.
Disruptions, uncertainty or volatility in the capital and credit markets may also limit our access to capital required to operate our business, most significantly our reinsurance operations. Such market conditions may limit our ability to replace, in a timely manner, maturing liabilities; satisfy statutory capital requirements; generate fee income and market-related revenue to meet liquidity needs; and access the capital necessary to grow our business. As such, we may be forced to delay raising capital, issue shorter tenor securities than we prefer, or bear an unattractive cost of capital which could decrease our profitability and significantly reduce our financial flexibility. Further, our ability to finance our statutory reserve requirements depends on marketplace conditions. If marketplace capacity is limited for a prolonged period of time, our ability to obtain new funding for such purposes may be hindered and, as a result, it may limit or adversely affect our ability to write additional business in a cost-effective manner. Our results of operations could be materially adversely affected by disruptions in the financial markets.
Difficult conditions in the global capital markets and the economy generally may materially adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Our results of operations, financial condition, cash flows and statutory capital position are materially affected by conditions in the global capital markets and the economy generally, both in the United States and elsewhere around the world. Poor economic conditions, volatility and disruptions in capital markets or financial asset classes can have an adverse effect on our business because our investment portfolio and some of our liabilities are sensitive to changing market factors. Additionally, disruptions in one market or asset class can also spread to other markets or asset classes. Past economic uncertainties and weakness and disruption of the financial markets around the world have led to concerns over capital markets access and the solvency of certain European Union member states and of financial institutions that have significant direct or indirect exposure to debt issued by such countries. While the governments of certain European Union member states have either enacted measures to address their debt problems or demonstrated willingness to negotiate a solution to these problems, it is uncertain how effective any measures that have been adopted or proposed would be in resolving concerns regarding sovereign debt in those countries.
Concerns over U.S. fiscal policy and the trajectory of the U.S. national debt could have severe repercussions to the U.S. and global credit and financial markets, further exacerbate concerns over sovereign debt and could disrupt economic activity in the U.S. and elsewhere. As a result, our access to, or cost of, liquidity may deteriorate. In 2011, S&P downgraded the AAA rating on U.S. Treasury securities to AA+ with a negative outlook, and in October 2013 Fitch warned that it may downgrade its credit rating of U.S. national debt. As a result of uncertainty regarding U.S. national debt, the market value of some of our investments may decrease, and our capital adequacy could be adversely affected. Further downgrades, together with the sustained current trajectory of the U.S. national debt, could have adverse effects on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
These events and continuing market upheavals may have an adverse effect on us, in part because we have a large investment portfolio and are also dependent upon customer behavior. Our revenues may decline in such circumstances and our profit margins may erode. In addition, in the event of extreme prolonged market events, such as the global credit crisis, we could incur significant investment-related losses. Even in the absence of a market downturn, we are exposed to substantial risk of loss due to market volatility.
If our investment strategy is unsuccessful, we could suffer losses.
The success of our investment strategy is crucial to the success of our business. In particular, we structure our investments to match our anticipated liabilities under reinsurance treaties to the extent we believe necessary. If our calculations with respect to these reinsurance liabilities are incorrect, or if we improperly structure our investments to match such liabilities, we could be forced to liquidate investments prior to maturity at a significant loss.
Our investment guidelines permit us to invest up to 10% of our investment portfolio in non-investment grade fixed maturity securities. Those guidelines also permit us to make and invest in commercial mortgage loans. While any investment carries some risk, the risks associated with lower-rated securities are greater than the risks associated with investment grade securities. The risk of loss of principal or interest through default is greater because lower-rated securities are usually unsecured and are often subordinated to an issuer’s other obligations. Additionally, the issuers of these securities frequently have relatively high debt levels and are thus more sensitive to difficult economic conditions, specific corporate developments and rising interest rates, which could impair an issuer’s capacity or willingness to meet its financial commitment on such lower-rated securities. As a result, the market price of these securities may be quite volatile, and the risk of loss is greater.
The success of any investment activity is affected by general economic conditions, which may adversely affect the markets for interest-rate-sensitive securities, mortgages and equity securities, including the level and volatility of interest rates and the extent and timing of investor participation in such markets. Unexpected volatility or illiquidity in the markets in which we directly
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or indirectly hold positions could adversely affect us. For additional information on risks related to our investments, see “Risks Related to Our Investments” below.
Interest rate fluctuations could negatively affect the income we derive from the difference between the interest rates we earn on our investments and interest we pay under our reinsurance contracts.
Significant changes in interest rates expose reinsurance companies to the risk of reduced investment income or actual losses based on the difference between the interest rates earned on investments and the credited interest rates paid on outstanding reinsurance contracts. Both rising and declining interest rates can negatively affect the income we derive from these interest rate spreads. During periods of rising interest rates, we may be contractually obligated to reimburse our clients for the greater amounts they credit on certain interest-sensitive products. However, we may not have the ability to immediately acquire investments with interest rates sufficient to offset the increased crediting rates on our reinsurance contracts. During periods of falling interest rates, our investment earnings will be lower because new investments in fixed maturity securities will likely bear lower interest rates. We may not be able to fully offset the decline in investment earnings with lower crediting rates on underlying annuity products related to certain of our reinsurance contracts. Our asset/liability management programs and procedures may not reduce the volatility of our income when interest rates are rising or falling, and thus we cannot assure you that changes in interest rates will not affect our interest rate spreads.
Changes in interest rates may also affect our business in other ways. Higher interest rates may result in increased surrenders on interest-based products of our clients which may affect our fees and our earnings on those products. Lower interest rates may result in lower sales of certain insurance and investment products of our customers, which would reduce the demand for our reinsurance of these products. In January 2014, Janet Yellen assumed the position of Chair of the U.S. Federal Reserve. During her confirmation hearings in November 2013, Ms. Yellen indicated that she supported continuing the Fed’s low interest rate policies, but it is uncertain whether or not the Fed’s current monetary policies will continue during Ms. Yellen’s tenure as Fed Chair. If interest rates remain low for an extended period of time, it may affect our results of operations, financial position and cash flows.
The liquidity and value of some of our investments may become significantly diminished.
We hold certain investments that may lack liquidity, such as privately placed fixed maturity securities, mortgage loans, policy loans, and equity real estate. If we require significant amounts of cash on short notice in excess of normal cash requirements or are required to post or return collateral in connection with our investment portfolio, derivatives transactions or securities lending activities, we may have difficulty selling these investments in a timely manner, be forced to sell them for less than we otherwise would have been able to realize, or both.
We could be forced to sell investments at a loss to cover policyholder withdrawals, recaptures of reinsurance treaties or other events.
Some of the products offered by our insurance company customers allow policyholders and contract holders to withdraw their funds under defined circumstances. Our reinsurance subsidiaries manage their liabilities and configure their investment portfolios so as to provide and maintain sufficient liquidity to support anticipated withdrawal demands and contract benefits and maturities under reinsurance treaties with these customers. While our reinsurance subsidiaries own a significant amount of liquid assets, a portion of their assets are relatively illiquid. Unanticipated withdrawal or surrender activity could, under some circumstances, require our reinsurance subsidiaries to dispose of assets on unfavorable terms, which could have an adverse effect on us. Reinsurance agreements may provide for recapture rights on the part of our insurance company customers. Recapture rights permit these customers to reassume all or a portion of the risk formerly ceded to us after an agreed upon time, usually ten years, subject to various conditions.
Recapture of business previously ceded does not affect premiums ceded prior to the recapture, but may result in immediate payments to our insurance company customers and a charge to income for costs that we deferred when we acquired the business but are unable to recover upon recapture. Under some circumstances, payments to our insurance company customers could require our reinsurance subsidiaries to dispose of assets on unfavorable terms.
The defaults or deteriorating credit of other financial institutions could adversely affect us.
We have exposure to many different industries and counterparties, and routinely execute transactions with counterparties in the financial services industry, including brokers and dealers, insurance companies, commercial banks, investment banks, investment funds and other institutions. Many of these transactions expose us to credit risk in the event of default of our counterparty. In addition, with respect to secured and other transactions that provide for us to hold collateral posted by the counterparty, our credit risk may be exacerbated when the collateral we hold cannot be liquidated at prices sufficient to recover the full amount of our exposure. We also have exposure to these financial institutions in the form of unsecured debt instruments, derivative transactions and equity investments. There can be no assurance that any such losses or impairments to the carrying value of these assets would not materially and adversely affect our business and results of operations.
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Defaults on our mortgage loans and volatility in performance may adversely affect our profitability.
Our mortgage loans face default risk and are principally collateralized by commercial properties. Mortgage loans are stated on our balance sheet at unpaid principal balance, adjusted for any unamortized premium or discount, deferred fees or expenses, and are net of valuation allowances. We establish valuation allowances for estimated impairments as of the balance sheet date. Such valuation allowances are based on the excess carrying value of the loan over the present value of expected future cash flows discounted at the loan’s original effective interest rate, the value of the loan’s collateral if the loan is in the process of foreclosure or otherwise collateral dependent, or the loan’s market value if the loan is being sold. At December 31, 2013, we had valuation allowances of $10.1 million related to our mortgage loans. The performance of our mortgage loan investments, however, may fluctuate in the future. An increase in the default rate of our mortgage loan investments could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.
Further, any geographic or sector concentration of our mortgage loans may have adverse effects on our investment portfolios and consequently on our consolidated results of operations or financial condition. While we seek to mitigate this risk by having a broadly diversified portfolio, events or developments that have a negative effect on any particular geographic region or sector may have a greater adverse effect on the investment portfolios to the extent that the portfolios are concentrated. Moreover, our ability to sell assets relating to such particular groups of related assets may be limited if other market participants are seeking to sell at the same time.
Our valuation of fixed maturity and equity securities and derivatives include methodologies, estimations and assumptions that are subject to differing interpretations and could result in changes to investment valuations that may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations or financial condition.
Fixed maturity, equity securities and short-term investments, which are reported at fair value on the consolidated balance sheet, represent the majority of our total cash and invested assets. We have categorized these securities into a three-level hierarchy, based on the priority of the inputs to the respective valuation technique. The fair value hierarchy gives the highest priority to quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3). An asset or liability’s classification within the fair value hierarchy is based on the lowest level of significant input to its valuation. For example, a Level 3 fair value measurement may include inputs that are observable (Levels 1 and 2) and unobservable (Level 3). Therefore, gains and losses for such assets and liabilities categorized within Level 3 may include changes in fair value that are attributable to both observable market inputs (Levels 1 and 2) and unobservable market inputs (Level 3).
The determination of fair values in the absence of quoted market prices is based on: (i) valuation methodologies; (ii) securities we deem to be comparable; and (iii) assumptions deemed appropriate based on market conditions specific to the security. The fair value estimates are made at a specific point in time, based on available market information and judgments about financial instruments, including estimates of the timing and amounts of expected future cash flows and the credit standing of the issuer or counterparty. Factors considered in estimating fair value include: coupon rate, maturity, estimated duration, call provisions, sinking fund requirements, credit rating, industry sector of the issuer, and quoted market prices of comparable securities. The use of different methodologies and assumptions may have a material effect on the estimated fair value amounts.
During periods of market disruption including periods of significantly rising or high interest rates, rapidly widening credit spreads or illiquidity, it may be difficult to value certain of our securities, such as alternative residential mortgage loan (“Alt-A”) securities and subprime mortgage-backed securities, if trading becomes less frequent and/or market data becomes less observable. There may be certain asset classes that were in active markets with significant observable data that become illiquid due to the financial environment. In such cases, more securities may fall to Level 3 and thus require more subjectivity and management judgment. As such, valuations may include inputs and assumptions that are less observable or require greater estimation as well as valuation methods that are more sophisticated or require greater estimation thereby resulting in values that may be different than the value at which the investments may be ultimately sold. Further, rapidly changing and/or disruptive credit and equity market conditions could materially impact the valuation of securities as reported within our consolidated financial statements and the period-to-period changes in value could vary significantly. Decreases in value may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations or financial condition.
The reported value of our relatively illiquid types of investments, our investments in the asset classes described in the paragraph above and, at times, our high quality, generally liquid asset classes, do not necessarily reflect the lowest current market price for the asset. If we were forced to sell certain of our assets in disruptive and/or volatile market conditions, there can be no assurance that we will be able to sell them for the prices at which we have recorded them and we may be forced to sell them at significantly lower prices.
The determination of the amount of allowances and impairments taken on our investments is highly subjective and could materially affect our results of operations or financial position.
The determination of the amount of allowances and impairments vary by investment type and is based upon our periodic evaluation and assessment of known and inherent risks associated with the respective asset class. Such evaluations and assessments
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are revised as conditions change and new information becomes available. Management updates its evaluations regularly and reflects changes in allowances and impairments in operations as such evaluations are revised.
For example, the cost of our fixed maturity and equity securities is adjusted for impairments in value deemed to be other-than-temporary in the period in which the determination is made. The assessment of whether impairments have occurred is based on management’s case-by-case evaluation of the underlying reasons for the decline in fair value. Our management considers a wide range of factors about the security issuer and uses their best judgment in evaluating the cause of the decline in the estimated fair value of the security and in assessing the prospects for near-term recovery. Inherent in management’s evaluation of the security are assumptions and estimates about the operations of the issuer and its future earnings potential. There can be no assurance that our management has accurately assessed the level of impairments taken, or allowances reflected in our financial statements and their potential impact on regulatory capital. Furthermore, additional impairments or additional allowances may be needed in the future.
Defaults, downgrades or other events impairing the value of our fixed maturity securities portfolio may reduce our earnings.
We are subject to the risk that the issuers, or guarantors, of fixed maturity securities we own may default on principal and interest payments they owe us. At December 31, 2013, the fixed maturity securities of $21.5 billion in our investment portfolio represented 64.4% of our total cash and invested assets. The occurrence of a major economic downturn (or a prolonged downturn in the economy), acts of corporate malfeasance, widening risk spreads, or other events that adversely affect the issuers or guarantors of these securities could cause the value of our fixed maturity securities portfolio and our net income to decline and the default rate of the fixed maturity securities in our investment portfolio to increase. A ratings downgrade affecting issuers or guarantors of particular securities, or similar trends that could worsen the credit quality of issuers, such as the corporate issuers of securities in our investment portfolio, could also have a similar effect. With economic uncertainty, credit quality of issuers or guarantors could be adversely affected. Any event reducing the value of these securities other than on a temporary basis could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Our investments are reflected within the consolidated financial statements utilizing different accounting bases and accordingly we may not have recognized differences, which may be significant, between cost and fair value in our consolidated financial statements.
Our principal investments are in fixed maturity and equity securities, short-term investments, mortgage loans, policy loans, funds withheld at interest and other invested assets. The carrying value of such investments is as follows:
• | Fixed maturity and equity securities are classified as available-for-sale and are reported at their estimated fair value. Unrealized investment gains and losses on these securities are recorded as a separate component of accumulated other comprehensive income or loss, net of related deferred acquisition costs and deferred income taxes. |
• | Short-term investments include investments with remaining maturities of one year or less, but greater than three months, at the time of acquisition and are stated at amortized cost, which approximates fair value. |
• | Mortgage and policy loans are stated at unpaid principal balance. Additionally, mortgage loans are adjusted for any unamortized premium or discount, deferred fees or expenses, net of valuation allowances. |
• | Funds withheld at interest represent amounts contractually withheld by ceding companies in accordance with reinsurance agreements. The value of the assets withheld and interest income are recorded in accordance with specific treaty terms. |
• | We use the cost method of accounting for investments in real estate joint ventures and other limited partnership interests in which we have a minor equity investment and virtually no influence over the joint ventures or the partnership’s operations. The equity method of accounting is used for investments in real estate joint ventures and other limited partnership interests in which we have significant influence over the operating and financing decisions but are not required to be consolidated. These investments are reflected in other invested assets on the consolidated balance sheets. |
Investments not carried at fair value in our consolidated financial statements — principally, mortgage loans, policy loans, real estate joint ventures, and other limited partnerships — may have fair values that are substantially higher or lower than the carrying value reflected in our consolidated financial statements. Each of such asset classes is regularly evaluated for impairment under the accounting guidance appropriate to the respective asset class.
Risks Related to Ownership of Our Common Stock
We may not pay dividends on our common stock.
Our shareholders may not receive future dividends. Historically, we have paid quarterly dividends ranging from $0.027 per share in 1993 to $0.30 per share in 2013. All future payments of dividends, however, are at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend on our earnings, capital requirements, insurance regulatory conditions, operating conditions, and such other factors as our board of directors may deem relevant. The amount of dividends that we can pay will depend in part on the
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operations of our reinsurance subsidiaries. Under certain circumstances, we may be contractually prohibited from paying dividends on our common stock due to restrictions associated with certain of our debt securities.
Certain provisions in our articles and bylaws may delay or prevent a change in control, which could adversely affect the price of our common stock.
Certain provisions in our articles of incorporation and bylaws, as well as Missouri law, may delay or prevent a change of control of RGA, which could adversely affect the price of our common stock. Our articles of incorporation and bylaws contain some provisions that may make the acquisition of control of RGA without the approval of our board of directors more difficult, including provisions relating to the nomination, election and removal of directors, the structure of the board of directors and limitations on actions by our shareholders. In addition, Missouri law also imposes some restrictions on mergers and other business combinations between RGA and holders of 20% or more of our outstanding common stock.
These provisions may have unintended anti-takeover effects. These provisions of our articles of incorporation and bylaws and Missouri law may delay or prevent a change in control of RGA, which could adversely affect the price of our common stock.
Applicable insurance laws may make it difficult to effect a change of control of RGA.
Before a person can acquire control of a U.S. insurance company, prior written approval must be obtained from the insurance commission of the state where the domestic insurer is domiciled. Missouri insurance laws and regulations provide that no person may acquire control of us, and thus indirect control of our Missouri reinsurance subsidiaries, including RGA Reinsurance, unless:
• | such person has provided certain required information to the Missouri Department of Insurance; and |
• | such acquisition is approved by the Director of Insurance of the State of Missouri, to whom we refer as the Missouri Director of Insurance, after a public hearing. |
Under Missouri insurance laws and regulations, any person acquiring 10% or more of the outstanding voting securities of a corporation, such as our common stock, is presumed to have acquired control of that corporation and its subsidiaries.
Canadian federal insurance laws and regulations provide that no person may directly or indirectly acquire “control” of or a “significant interest” in our Canadian insurance subsidiary, RGA Canada, unless:
• | such person has provided information, material and evidence to the Canadian Superintendent of Financial Institutions as required by him; and |
• | such acquisition is approved by the Canadian Minister of Finance. |
For this purpose, “significant interest” means the direct or indirect beneficial ownership by a person, or group of persons acting in concert, of shares representing 10% or more of a given class, and “control” of an insurance company exists when:
• | a person, or group of persons acting in concert, beneficially owns or controls an entity that beneficially owns securities, such as our common stock, representing more than 50% of the votes entitled to be cast for the election of directors and such votes are sufficient to elect a majority of the directors of the insurance company, or |
• | a person has any direct or indirect influence that would result in control in fact of an insurance company. |
Similar laws in other countries where we operate limit our ability to effect changes of control for subsidiaries organized in such jurisdictions without the approval of local insurance regulatory officials. Prior to granting approval of an application to directly or indirectly acquire control of a domestic or foreign insurer, an insurance regulator in any jurisdiction may consider such factors as the financial strength of the applicant, the integrity of the applicant’s board of directors and executive officers, the applicant’s plans for the future operations of the domestic insurer and any anti-competitive results that may arise from the consummation of the acquisition of control.
Issuing additional shares may dilute the value or affect the price of our common stock.
Our board of directors has the authority, without action or vote of the shareholders, to issue any or all authorized but unissued shares of our common stock, including securities convertible into, or exchangeable for, our common stock and authorized but unissued shares under our stock option and other equity compensation plans. In the future, we may issue such additional securities, through public or private offerings, in order to raise additional capital. Any such issuance will dilute the percentage ownership of shareholders and may dilute the per share projected earnings or book value of the common stock. In addition, option holders may exercise their options at any time when we would otherwise be able to obtain additional equity capital on more favorable terms.
The price of our common stock may fluctuate significantly.
The overall market and the price of our common stock may continue to fluctuate as a result of many factors in addition to those discussed in the preceding risk factors. These factors, some or all of which are beyond our control, include:
• | actual or anticipated fluctuations in our operating results; |
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• | changes in expectations as to our future financial performance or changes in financial estimates of securities analysts; |
• | success of our operating and growth strategies; |
• | investor anticipation of strategic and technological threats, whether or not warranted by actual events; |
• | operating and stock price performance of other comparable companies; and |
• | realization of any of the risks described in these risk factors or those set forth in any subsequent Annual Report on Form 10-K or Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. |
In addition, the stock market has historically experienced volatility that often has been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of particular companies. These broad market and industry fluctuations may adversely affect the trading price of our common stock, regardless of our actual operating performance.
The occurrence of various events may adversely affect the ability of RGA and its subsidiaries to fully utilize any net operating losses (“NOL”s) and other tax attributes.
RGA and its subsidiaries may, from time to time, have a substantial amount of NOLs and other tax attributes, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, to offset taxable income and gains. Events outside of our control may cause RGA (and, consequently, its subsidiaries) to experience an “ownership change” under Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code and the related Treasury regulations, and limit the ability of RGA and its subsidiaries to utilize fully such NOLs and other tax attributes.
In general, an ownership change occurs when, as of any testing date, the percentage of stock of a corporation owned by one or more “5-percent shareholders,” as defined in the Internal Revenue Code and the related Treasury regulations, has increased by more than 50 percentage points over the lowest percentage of stock of the corporation owned by such shareholders at any time during the three-year period preceding such date. In general, persons who own 5% or more (by value) of a corporation’s stock are 5-percent shareholders, and all other persons who own less than 5% (by value) of a corporation’s stock are treated, together, as a single, public group 5-percent shareholder, regardless of whether they own an aggregate of 5% or more (by value) of a corporation’s stock. If a corporation experiences an ownership change, it is generally subject to an annual limitation, which limits its ability to use its NOLs and other tax attributes to an amount equal to the equity value of the corporation multiplied by the federal long-term tax-exempt rate. If we were to experience an ownership change, we could potentially have in the future higher U.S. federal income tax liabilities than we would otherwise have had and it may also result in certain other adverse consequences to RGA.
Item 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
The Company has no unresolved staff comments from the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Item 2. PROPERTIES
The Company leases its headquarters facility in Chesterfield, Missouri, which consists of approximately 197,354 square feet. In addition, the Company leases approximately 349,927 square feet of office space in 36 locations throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, South Africa, and the Asia Pacific region.
Most of the Company’s leases in the U.S. and other countries have lease terms of three to five years, although some leases have terms of up to 15 years. As provided in Note 12 – “Commitments and Contingent Liabilities” in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, the rental expense on operating leases for office space and equipment totaled $18.5 million for 2013.
The Company believes its facilities have been generally well maintained and are in good operating condition. The Company believes the facilities are sufficient for its current requirements. In February 2013, the Company commenced construction of its new world headquarters in Chesterfield, Missouri, which will replace its current leased headquarters, to meet its projected future capacity needs.
Item 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
The Company is subject to litigation in the normal course of its business. The Company currently has no material litigation. A legal reserve is established when the Company is notified of an arbitration demand or litigation or is notified that an arbitration demand or litigation is imminent, it is probable that the Company will incur a loss as a result and the amount of the probable loss is reasonably capable of being estimated.
Item 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES
Not applicable.
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PART II
Item 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS, AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES
Information about the market price of the Company’s common equity, dividends and related stockholder matters is contained in Item 8 within Note 19 – “Quarterly Results of Operations (Unaudited)” and in Item 1 under the caption Regulation – “Restrictions on Dividends and Distributions”. Additionally, insurance companies are subject to statutory regulations that restrict the payment of dividends. See Item 1 under the caption Regulation – “Restrictions on Dividends and Distributions”. See Item 8, Note 3 – “Stock Transactions” in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for information regarding board approved stock repurchase plans.
Set forth below is a graph for the Company’s common stock for the period beginning December 31, 2008 and ending December 31, 2013. The graph compares the cumulative total return on the Company’s common stock, based on the market price of the common stock and assuming reinvestment of dividends, with the cumulative total return of companies in the Standard & Poor’s 500 Stock Index and the Standard & Poor’s Insurance (Life/Health) Index. The indices are included for comparative purposes only. They do not necessarily reflect management’s opinion that such indices are an appropriate measure of the relative performance of the Company’s common stock, and are not intended to forecast or be indicative of future performance of the common stock.
Cumulative Total Return | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
12/08 | 12/09 | 12/10 | 12/11 | 12/12 | 12/13 | |||||||||||||||||||
Reinsurance Group of America, Incorporated | $ | 100.00 | $ | 112.36 | $ | 127.89 | $ | 125.74 | $ | 130.80 | $ | 192.33 | ||||||||||||
S & P 500 | 100.00 | 126.46 | 145.51 | 148.59 | 172.37 | 228.19 | ||||||||||||||||||
S & P Life & Health Insurance | 100.00 | 115.57 | 144.76 | 114.78 | 131.53 | 215.02 | ||||||||||||||||||
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Item 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA
The following selected financial data has been derived from the Company’s audited consolidated financial statements. The consolidated statement of income data for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011, and the consolidated balance sheet data at December 31, 2013 and 2012 have been derived from the Company’s audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere herein. The consolidated statement of income data for the years ended December 31, 2010 and 2009, and the consolidated balance sheet data at December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009 have been derived from the Company’s audited consolidated financial statements not included herein. The selected financial data set forth below should be read in conjunction with “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and the consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere herein.
Selected Consolidated Financial and Operating Data
(in millions, except per share and operating data)
As of or For the Years Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||||||
Income Statement Data | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | |||||||||||||||
Revenues: | ||||||||||||||||||||
Net premiums | $ | 8,254.0 | $ | 7,906.6 | $ | 7,335.7 | $ | 6,659.7 | $ | 5,725.2 | ||||||||||
Investment income, net of related expenses | 1,699.9 | 1,436.2 | 1,281.2 | 1,238.7 | 1,122.5 | |||||||||||||||
Investment related gains (losses), net: | ||||||||||||||||||||
Other-than-temporary impairments on fixed maturity securities | (12.7 | ) | (15.9 | ) | (30.9 | ) | (31.9 | ) | (128.8 | ) | ||||||||||
Other-than-temporary impairments on fixed maturity securities transferred to (from) accumulated other comprehensive income | (0.2 | ) | (7.6 | ) | 3.9 | 2.0 | 16.0 | |||||||||||||
Other investment related gains (losses), net | 76.9 | 277.6 | (9.1 | ) | 241.9 | 146.9 | ||||||||||||||
Total investment related gains (losses), net | 64.0 | 254.1 | (36.1 | ) | 212.0 | 34.1 | ||||||||||||||
Other revenues | 300.5 | 244.0 | 248.7 | 151.3 | 185.0 | |||||||||||||||
Total revenues | 10,318.4 | 9,840.9 | 8,829.5 | 8,261.7 | 7,066.8 | |||||||||||||||
Benefits and expenses: | ||||||||||||||||||||
Claims and other policy benefits | 7,304.3 | 6,666.0 | 6,225.2 | 5,547.1 | 4,819.4 | |||||||||||||||
Interest credited | 476.5 | 379.9 | 316.4 | 310.0 | 323.7 | |||||||||||||||
Policy acquisition costs and other insurance expenses | 1,300.8 | 1,306.5 | 990.1 | 1,137.6 | 1,010.0 | |||||||||||||||
Other operating expenses | 466.7 | 451.8 | 419.3 | 362.0 | 294.9 | |||||||||||||||
Interest expense | 124.3 | 105.3 | 102.6 | 91.0 | 69.9 | |||||||||||||||
Collateral finance facility expense | 10.5 | 12.2 | 12.4 | 7.8 | 8.3 | |||||||||||||||
Total benefits and expenses | 9,683.1 | 8,921.7 | 8,066.0 | 7,455.5 | 6,526.2 | |||||||||||||||
Income before income taxes | 635.3 | 919.2 | 763.5 | 806.2 | 540.6 | |||||||||||||||
Provision for income taxes | 216.4 | 287.3 | 217.5 | 270.5 | 167.6 | |||||||||||||||
Net income | $ | 418.9 | $ | 631.9 | $ | 546.0 | $ | 535.7 | $ | 373.0 | ||||||||||
Earnings Per Share | ||||||||||||||||||||
Basic earnings per share | $ | 5.82 | $ | 8.57 | $ | 7.42 | $ | 7.32 | $ | 5.12 | ||||||||||
Diluted earnings per share | 5.78 | 8.52 | 7.37 | 7.17 | 5.09 | |||||||||||||||
Weighted average diluted shares, in thousands | 72,461 | 74,153 | 74,108 | 74,694 | 73,327 | |||||||||||||||
Dividends per share on common stock | $ | 1.08 | $ | 0.84 | $ | 0.60 | $ | 0.48 | $ | 0.36 | ||||||||||
Balance Sheet Data | ||||||||||||||||||||
Total investments | $ | 32,441.1 | $ | 32,912.2 | $ | 24,964.6 | $ | 22,666.6 | $ | 19,224.1 | ||||||||||
Total assets | 39,674.5 | 40,360.4 | 31,634.0 | 28,670.2 | 24,905.8 | |||||||||||||||
Policy liabilities(1) | 28,386.1 | 27,886.6 | 21,139.7 | 19,647.2 | 17,643.6 | |||||||||||||||
Short-term debt | — | — | — | 200.0 | — | |||||||||||||||
Long-term debt | 2,214.4 | 1,815.3 | 1,414.7 | 1,016.4 | 1,216.1 | |||||||||||||||
Collateral finance facility | 484.8 | 652.0 | 652.0 | 850.0 | 850.0 | |||||||||||||||
Trust preferred securities | — | — | — | 159.4 | 159.2 | |||||||||||||||
Total stockholders’ equity | 5,935.5 | 6,910.2 | 5,818.7 | 4,765.4 | 3,639.8 | |||||||||||||||
Total stockholders’ equity per share | 83.87 | 93.47 | 79.31 | 64.96 | 49.87 | |||||||||||||||
Operating Data (in billions) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Assumed ordinary life reinsurance in force | $ | 2,889.9 | $ | 2,927.6 | $ | 2,664.4 | $ | 2,540.3 | $ | 2,325.1 | ||||||||||
Assumed new business production | 370.4 | 426.6 | 428.9 | 327.6 | 321.0 | |||||||||||||||
(1) | Policy liabilities include future policy benefits, interest-sensitive contract liabilities, and other policy claims and benefits. |
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Item 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Forward-Looking and Cautionary Statements
This report contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 including, among others, statements relating to projections of the strategies, earnings, revenues, income or loss, ratios, future financial performance, and growth potential of the Company. The words “intend,” “expect,” “project,” “estimate,” “predict,” “anticipate,” “should,” “believe,” and other similar expressions also are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, some of which cannot be predicted or quantified. Future events and actual results, performance, and achievements could differ materially from those set forth in, contemplated by, or underlying the forward-looking statements.
Numerous important factors could cause actual results and events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by forward-looking statements including, without limitation, (1) adverse capital and credit market conditions and their impact on the Company’s liquidity, access to capital and cost of capital, (2) the impairment of other financial institutions and its effect on the Company’s business, (3) requirements to post collateral or make payments due to declines in market value of assets subject to the Company’s collateral arrangements, (4) the fact that the determination of allowances and impairments taken on the Company’s investments is highly subjective, (5) adverse changes in mortality, morbidity, lapsation or claims experience, (6) changes in the Company’s financial strength and credit ratings and the effect of such changes on the Company’s future results of operations and financial condition, (7) inadequate risk analysis and underwriting, (8) general economic conditions or a prolonged economic downturn affecting the demand for insurance and reinsurance in the Company’s current and planned markets, (9) the availability and cost of collateral necessary for regulatory reserves and capital, (10) market or economic conditions that adversely affect the value of the Company’s investment securities or result in the impairment of all or a portion of the value of certain of the Company’s investment securities, that in turn could affect regulatory capital, (11) market or economic conditions that adversely affect the Company’s ability to make timely sales of investment securities, (12) risks inherent in the Company’s risk management and investment strategy, including changes in investment portfolio yields due to interest rate or credit quality changes, (13) fluctuations in U.S. or foreign currency exchange rates, interest rates, or securities and real estate markets, (14) adverse litigation or arbitration results, (15) the adequacy of reserves, resources and accurate information relating to settlements, awards and terminated and discontinued lines of business, (16) the stability of and actions by governments and economies in the markets in which the Company operates, including ongoing uncertainties regarding the amount of United States sovereign debt and the credit ratings thereof, (17) competitive factors and competitors’ responses to the Company’s initiatives, (18) the success of the Company’s clients, (19) successful execution of the Company’s entry into new markets, (20) successful development and introduction of new products and distribution opportunities, (21) the Company’s ability to successfully integrate and operate reinsurance business that the Company acquires, (22) action by regulators who have authority over the Company’s reinsurance operations in the jurisdictions in which it operates, (23) the Company’s dependence on third parties, including those insurance companies and reinsurers to which the Company cedes some reinsurance, third-party investment managers and others, (24) the threat of natural disasters, catastrophes, terrorist attacks, epidemics or pandemics anywhere in the world where the Company or its clients do business, (25) changes in laws, regulations, and accounting standards applicable to the Company, its subsidiaries, or its business, (26) the effect of the Company’s status as an insurance holding company and regulatory restrictions on its ability to pay principal of and interest on its debt obligations, and (27) other risks and uncertainties described in this document and in the Company’s other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”).
Forward-looking statements should be evaluated together with the many risks and uncertainties that affect the Company’s business, including those mentioned in this document and the cautionary statements described in the periodic reports the Company files with the SEC. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made. The Company does not undertake any obligations to update these forward-looking statements, even though the Company’s situation may change in the future. The Company qualifies all of its forward-looking statements by these cautionary statements. For a discussion of these risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements, you are advised to see Item 1A – “Risk Factors”.
Overview
RGA is an insurance holding company that was formed on December 31, 1992. The consolidated financial statements include the assets, liabilities, and results of operations of RGA, RGA Reinsurance, RCM, RGA Barbados, RGA Americas, RGA Atlantic, RGA Canada, RGA Australia and RGA International as well as other subsidiaries, all of which are wholly owned (collectively, the Company).
The Company is primarily engaged in the reinsurance of individual and group coverages for traditional life and health, longevity, disability, annuity and critical illness products, and financial reinsurance. RGA and its predecessor, the Reinsurance Division of General American Life Insurance Company, a Missouri life insurance company, have been engaged in the business
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of life reinsurance since 1973. Approximately 66.7% of the Company’s 2013 net premiums were from its operations in North America, represented by its U.S. and Canada segments.
The Company derives revenues primarily from renewal premiums from existing reinsurance treaties, new business premiums from existing or new reinsurance treaties and income earned on invested assets.
The Company’s primary business is life and health reinsurance, which involves reinsuring life insurance policies that are often in force for the remaining lifetime of the underlying individuals insured, with premiums earned typically over a period of 10 to 30 years. Each year, however, a portion of the business under existing treaties terminates due to, among other things, lapses or voluntary surrenders of underlying policies, deaths of insureds, and the exercise of recapture options by ceding companies.
As is customary in the reinsurance business, clients continually update, refine, and revise reinsurance information provided to the Company. Such revised information is used by the Company in preparation of its financial statements and the financial effects resulting from the incorporation of revised data are reflected in the current period.
The Company’s long-term profitability primarily depends on the volume and amount of death and health-related claims incurred and the ability to adequately price the risks it assumes. While death claims are reasonably predictable over a period of many years, claims become less predictable over shorter periods and are subject to significant fluctuation from quarter to quarter and year to year. The maximum amount of individual life coverage the Company retains per life varies by market and can be as high as $8.0 million. In certain limited situations the Company has retained more than $8.0 million per individual life. Exposures in excess of these retention amounts are typically retroceded to retrocessionaires; however, the Company remains fully liable to the ceding company for the entire amount of risk it assumes. The Company believes its sources of liquidity are sufficient to cover potential claims payments on both a short-term and long-term basis.
The Company has five geographic-based or function-based operational segments: U.S., Canada, Europe & South Africa, Asia Pacific and Corporate and Other. The U.S. operations are further segmented into traditional and non-traditional businesses. The U.S. operations provide individual life, long-term care, group life and health reinsurance, annuity and financial reinsurance products. During 2012, the Company issued its first fee-based synthetic guaranteed investment contracts, which include investment-only, stable value contracts, to retirement plans. The Canada operations reinsure traditional individual life products as well as creditor reinsurance, group life and health reinsurance, non-guaranteed critical illness products and longevity reinsurance. Europe & South Africa operations include a variety of life and health products, critical illness and longevity business throughout Europe and in South Africa, in addition to other markets the Company is developing. The principle types of reinsurance in Asia Pacific include life, critical illness, health, disability, superannuation and financial reinsurance. Corporate and Other includes results from, among others, RTP, a wholly-owned subsidiary that develops and markets technology solutions for the insurance industry, interest expense related to debt and the investment income and expense associated with the Company’s collateral finance facility. The Company measures segment performance based on profit or loss from operations before income taxes.
The Company allocates capital to its segments based on an internally developed economic capital model, the purpose of which is to measure the risk in the business and to provide a consistent basis upon which capital is deployed. The economic capital model considers the unique and specific nature of the risks inherent in RGA’s businesses. As a result of the economic capital allocation process, a portion of investment income and investment related gains and losses is credited to the segments based on the level of allocated capital. In addition, the segments are charged for excess capital utilized above the allocated economic capital basis. This charge is included in policy acquisition costs and other insurance expenses.
The Company is one of the leading life reinsurers in North America based on premiums and the amount of life reinsurance in force. Based on an industry survey of 2012 information prepared by Munich American at the request of the Society of Actuaries Reinsurance Section (“SOA survey”), the Company has the second largest market share in North America as measured by individual life insurance in force. The Company’s approach to the North American market has been to:
• | focus on large, high quality life insurers as clients; |
• | provide quality facultative underwriting and automatic reinsurance capacity; and |
• | deliver responsive and flexible service to its clients. |
In 1994, the Company began using its North American underwriting expertise and industry knowledge to expand into international markets and now has operations in Australia, Barbados, Bermuda, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, the UAE and the UK. The Company generally starts new operations from the ground up in these markets as opposed to acquiring existing operations, and it often enters these markets to support its North American clients as they expand internationally. Based on information from competitors’ annual reports, the Company believes it is the third largest global life and health reinsurer in the world based on 2012 life and health reinsurance premiums. The Company conducts business with the majority of the largest U.S. and international life insurance companies. The Company has also developed its capacity and expertise in the reinsurance of asset-intensive products (primarily annuities and corporate-owned life insurance) and financial reinsurance.
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Industry Trends
The Company believes that the following trends in the life insurance industry will continue to create demand for life reinsurance.
Outsourcing of Mortality. The SOA survey indicates that U.S. life reinsurance in force has nearly doubled from $5.3 trillion in 2002 to $9.7 trillion at year-end 2012. The Company believes this trend reflects the continued utilization by life insurance companies of reinsurance to manage capital and mortality risk and to develop competitive products. However, the survey results indicate a decline in the percentage of new business being reinsured in recent years, which has caused premium growth rates in the U.S. life reinsurance market to moderate. The Company believes the decline in new business being reinsured is likely a reaction by ceding companies to a broad-based increase in reinsurance rates in the market, stronger capital positions maintained by ceding companies in recent years and a desire by ceding companies to adjust their risk profiles. However, the Company believes reinsurers will continue to be an integral part of the life insurance market due to their ability to efficiently aggregate a significant volume of life insurance in force, creating economies of scale and greater diversification of risk. As a result of having larger amounts of data at their disposal compared to primary life insurance companies, reinsurers tend to have better insights into mortality trends, creating more efficient pricing for mortality risk.
Capital Management. Changing regulatory environments, most notably in Europe, rating agencies and competitive business pressures are causing life insurers to evaluate reinsurance as a means to:
• | manage risk-based capital by shifting mortality and other risks to reinsurers, thereby reducing amounts of reserves and capital they need to maintain; |
• | release capital to pursue new business initiatives; and |
• | unlock the capital supporting, and value embedded in, non-core product lines. |
Consolidation and Reorganization Within the Life Reinsurance and Life Insurance Industry. As a result of consolidations over the last decade within the life reinsurance industry, there are fewer competitors. According to the SOA survey, as of December 31, 2012, the top five companies held approximately 74.3% of the market share in North America based on life reinsurance in force. As a consequence, the Company believes the life reinsurance pricing environment will remain attractive for the remaining life reinsurers, particularly those with a significant market presence and strong ratings.
The SOA surveys indicate that the authors obtained information from participating or responding companies and do not guarantee the accuracy and completeness of their information. Additionally, the surveys do not survey all reinsurance companies, but the Company believes most of its principal competitors are included. While the Company believes these surveys to be generally reliable, the Company has not independently verified their data.
Additionally, merger and acquisition transactions within the life insurance industry continue to occur. The Company believes that reorganizations and consolidations of life insurers will continue. As reinsurance services are used to facilitate these transactions and manage risk, the Company expects demand for its products to continue.
Changing Demographics of Insured Populations. The aging of the population in North America is increasing demand for financial products among “baby boomers” who are concerned about protecting their peak income stream and are considering retirement and estate planning. The Company believes that this trend is likely to result in continuing demand for annuity products and life insurance policies, larger face amounts of life insurance policies and higher mortality and longevity risk taken by life insurers, all of which should fuel the need for insurers to seek reinsurance coverage. The Company continues to follow a two-part business strategy to capitalize on industry trends.
1) Continue Growth of North American Mortality Business. The Company’s strategy includes continuing to grow each of the following components of its North American mortality operations:
• | Facultative Reinsurance. Based on discussions with the Company’s clients, an industry survey and informal knowledge about the industry, the Company believes it is a leader in facultative underwriting in North America. The Company intends to maintain that status by emphasizing its underwriting standards, prompt response on quotes, competitive pricing, capacity, value added services and flexibility in meeting customer needs. The Company believes its facultative business has allowed it to develop close, long-standing client relationships and generate additional business opportunities with its facultative clients. The Company has processed over 300,000 facultative submissions annually since 2011. |
• | Automatic Reinsurance. The Company intends to expand its presence in the North American automatic reinsurance market by using its mortality expertise and breadth of products and services to gain additional market share. |
• | In Force Block Reinsurance. There are occasions to grow the business by reinsuring in force blocks, as insurers and reinsurers seek to exit various non-core businesses and increase financial flexibility in order to, among other things, redeploy capital and pursue merger and acquisition activity. The Company continually seeks these types of opportunities. |
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2) Continue Expansion Into Selected Markets and Products. The Company’s strategy includes building upon the expertise and relationships developed in its North American business platform to continue its expansion into selected markets and products, including:
• | International Markets. Management believes that international markets offer opportunities for long-term growth, and the Company intends to capitalize on these opportunities by establishing a presence in selected markets. Since 1994, the Company has entered new markets internationally, including, in the mid-to-late 1990’s, Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, South Africa, Spain, Taiwan and the UK, and beginning in 2002, China, India and South Korea. The Company received regulatory approval to open a representative office in China in 2005 and a provisional branch license in 2013, opened representative offices in Poland and Germany in 2006, opened new offices in France and Italy in 2007, opened a representative office in the Netherlands in 2009 and commenced operations in the UAE in 2011. Before entering new markets, the Company evaluates several factors including: |
◦the size of the insured population,
◦competition,
◦the level of reinsurance penetration,
◦regulation,
◦existing clients with a presence in the market, and
◦the economic, social and political environment.
As previously indicated, the Company generally starts new operations in these markets from the ground up as opposed to acquiring existing operations, and it often enters these markets to support its large international clients as they expand into additional markets. Many of the markets that the Company has entered since 1994, or may enter in the future, are not utilizing life reinsurance, including facultative life reinsurance, at the same levels as the North American market, and therefore, the Company believes these markets represent opportunities for increasing reinsurance penetration. In particular, management believes markets such as Japan and South Korea are beginning to realize the benefits that reinsurers bring to the life insurance market. Markets such as China and India represent longer-term opportunities for growth as the underlying direct life insurance markets grow to meet the needs of growing middle class populations. Additionally, the Company believes that regulatory changes (e.g., Solvency II) in European markets may cause ceding companies to reduce counterparty exposure to their existing life reinsurers and reinsure more business, creating opportunities for the Company.
• | Asset-intensive Reinsurance and Other Products. The Company intends to continue leveraging its existing client relationships and reinsurance expertise to create customized reinsurance products and solutions. Industry trends, particularly the increased pace of consolidation and reorganization among life insurance companies and changes in products and product distribution, are expected to enhance existing opportunities for asset-intensive reinsurance and other products. The Company began reinsuring annuities with guaranteed minimum benefits on a limited basis in 2007. To date, most of the Company’s asset-intensive reinsurance business has been written in the U.S.; however, the Company believes opportunities outside of the U.S. may further develop in the near future, particularly expanding its operations in Japan. The Company also provides longevity reinsurance in the UK and Canada, and in 2008 entered the U.S. healthcare reinsurance market with a primary focus on long-term care and Medicare supplement insurance. In 2010, the Company expanded into the group reinsurance market in North America with the acquisition of Reliastar Life Insurance Company’s U.S. and Canada operations. |
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Results of Operations
Consolidated
Consolidated net income decreased $213.1 million, or 33.7%, and increased $85.8 million, or 15.7%, in 2013 and 2012, respectively. Diluted earnings per share on net income were $5.78 in 2013 compared to $8.52 in 2012 and $7.37 in 2011. The decrease in net income in 2013 is primarily due to a significant loss in the Asia Pacific segment and a decrease in investment related gains partially offset by higher investment income and the recognition in other revenues of gains on the repurchase of collateral finance facility securities of $46.5 million. The loss in the Asia Pacific segment reflects an increase in Australian group claims liabilities primarily related to total and permanent disability coverage and disability income benefits as well as poor claims experience in the Australian operation’s individual lump sum and individual disability businesses, primarily in the second quarter of 2013. The decrease in investment related gains was primarily due to a decrease in net hedging gains related to the liabilities associated with guaranteed minimum living benefits.
The increase in net income in 2012 was primarily due to an increase in investment related gains and an increase in net premiums in all segments. The increase in investment related gains reflected a favorable change in the value of embedded derivatives within the U.S. segment due to the effect of tightening credit spreads and a reduction in the benchmark interest rate in the U.S. debt markets. During 2012, the Company executed a large fixed deferred annuity reinsurance transaction in its U.S. Asset-Intensive segment. The Company deployed approximately $350.0 million of capital to support this transaction, which increased the Company’s invested asset base by approximately $5.4 billion. Foreign currency exchange fluctuations resulted in decreases to net income of approximately $1.3 million and $4.5 million in 2013 and 2012, respectively.
The Company recognizes in consolidated income, any changes in the value of embedded derivatives on modco or funds withheld treaties, equity-indexed annuity treaties (“EIAs”) and variable annuity products. The combined changes in these three types of embedded derivatives, after adjustment for deferred acquisition costs and retrocession, resulted in increases to net income of approximately $80.3 million and $77.0 million in 2013 and 2012, respectively, as compared to the prior years. These fluctuations do not affect current cash flows, crediting rates or spread performance on the underlying treaties. Therefore, management believes it is helpful to distinguish between the effects of changes in these embedded derivatives, net of related hedging activity, and the primary factors that drive profitability of the underlying treaties, namely investment income, fee income, and interest credited. The individual effect on income before income taxes for these three types of embedded derivatives is as follows:
The change in the value of embedded derivatives related to reinsurance treaties written on a modco or funds withheld basis are subject to the general accounting principles for Derivatives and Hedging related to embedded derivatives. The unrealized gains and losses associated with these embedded derivatives, after adjustment for deferred acquisition costs, reduced net income by $6.5 million in 2013 and increased it by $33.1 million in 2012, respectively, as compared to the prior years.
Changes in risk-free rates used in the fair value estimates of embedded derivatives associated with EIAs affect the amount of unrealized gains and losses the Company recognizes. The unrealized gains and losses associated with EIAs, after adjustment for deferred acquisition costs and retrocession, increased net income by $23.0 million and $7.3 million in 2013 and 2012, respectively, as compared to the prior years.
The change in the Company’s liability for variable annuities associated with guaranteed minimum living benefits affects the amount of unrealized gains and losses the Company recognizes. The unrealized gains and losses associated with guaranteed minimum living benefits, after adjustment for deferred acquisition costs, increased net income by $63.8 million and $36.6 million in 2013 and 2012, respectively, as compared to the prior years.
Consolidated net premiums increased $347.4 million, or 4.4%, and $570.9 million, or 7.8%, in 2013 and 2012, respectively, due to growth in life reinsurance in force, before the effect of foreign currency fluctuations. Foreign currency fluctuations relative to the prior year affected net premiums unfavorably by approximately $142.0 million and $62.6 million in 2013 and 2012, respectively. Consolidated assumed life insurance in force was $2,889.9 billion, $2,927.6 billion and $2,664.4 billion as of December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011, respectively. Foreign currency fluctuations affected the increases in assumed life insurance in force unfavorably by $86.7 billion in 2013 and positively by $34.2 billion in 2012. The Company added new business production, measured by face amount of insurance in force, of $370.4 billion, $426.6 billion and $428.9 billion during 2013, 2012 and 2011, respectively. Premiums on U.S. health and group related coverages contributed $101.4 million and $164.6 million to the increase in net premiums in 2013 and 2012, respectively. Management believes industry consolidation and the established practice of reinsuring mortality risks should continue to provide opportunities for growth, albeit at rates less than historically experienced in some markets.
Consolidated investment income, net of related expenses, increased $263.7 million, or 18.4%, and $155.0 million, or 12.1%, in 2013 and 2012, respectively. The increases in investment income in 2013 and 2012 reflect a larger average invested asset base somewhat offset by lower effective investment portfolio yields. Contributing $163.5 million to the increase in investment income in 2013 were market value changes related to the Company’s funds withheld at interest investment associated with the reinsurance of certain EIAs. The effect on investment income of the EIAs' market value changes is substantially offset by a corresponding change in interest credited to policyholder account balances resulting in an insignificant effect on net income. In
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addition, investment income associated with a large fixed annuity transaction executed in the second quarter of 2012 increased investment income by $85.2 million and $129.8 million in 2013 and 2012, respectively. Average invested assets at amortized cost, excluding funds withheld and other spread business, totaled $18.1 billion, $16.6 billion and $15.3 billion in 2013, 2012 and 2011, respectively. The average yield earned on investments, excluding funds withheld and other spread business, was 4.73%, 4.98% and 5.28% in 2013, 2012 and 2011, respectively. The average yield will vary from year to year depending on a number of variables, including the prevailing interest rate and credit spread environment, changes in the mix of the underlying investments and cash balances, and the timing of dividends and distributions on certain investments. While there has been some improvement in 2013, a continued low interest rate environment in the U.S. and Canada is expected to put downward pressure on this yield in future reporting periods.
Total investment related gains (losses), net, declined by $190.1 million in 2013 and improved by $290.2 million in 2012. The decline in 2013 was primarily due a decrease in net hedging gains related to the liabilities associated with guaranteed minimum living benefits of $106.5 million and unfavorable changes in the value of embedded derivatives associated with reinsurance treaties written on a modco or funds withheld basis of $44.8 million, partially offset by favorable changes in the embedded derivatives related to guaranteed minimum living benefits of $37.4 million. The improvement in 2012 is primarily due to a favorable change in the value of embedded derivatives related to guaranteed minimum living benefits of $328.8 million and a favorable change in the value of embedded derivatives associated with reinsurance treaties written on a modco or funds withheld basis of $202.2 million offset by a decrease in the fair value of derivatives used to hedge the embedded derivative liabilities associated with guaranteed minimum living benefits of $261.6 million. See Note 4 - “Investments” and Note 5 - “Derivative Instruments” in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information on investment related gains (losses), net, and derivatives. Investment income and investment related gains and losses are allocated to the operating segments based upon average assets and related capital levels deemed appropriate to support segment operations.
The consolidated provision for income taxes represented approximately 34.1%, 31.3% and 28.5%, of pre-tax income for 2013, 2012, and 2011, respectively. In 2011 the Company recognized an income tax benefit associated with previously enacted reductions in federal statutory tax rates and adjustments to various provincial statutory tax rates in Canada. This 2007 enactment included phased in effective dates through 2012. These adjustments in tax rates should have been recognized beginning in 2007, when the Canadian tax legislation was enacted. The Company recorded a cumulative tax benefit adjustment of $30.7 million in 2011 in “Provision for income taxes” to correct the deferred tax liabilities that were not properly adjusted. If the impact of the tax rates had been recorded in the prior years, the Company estimates that it would have recognized approximately $3.0 million, $6.0 million, $9.0 million, and $12.0 million of tax benefit in the years ended 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010, respectively.
The effective tax rates for 2013, 2012 and 2011 are affected by earnings of non-U.S. subsidiaries in which the Company is permanently reinvested whose statutory tax rates are less than the U.S. statutory tax rate of 35.0%, Subpart F income, tax expense related to uncertain tax positions and differences in tax bases in foreign jurisdictions. Both Canada and Australia statutory rates of approximately 27% and 30% (blended federal and provincial in Canada), respectively, are less than the U.S. statutory rate resulting in the legal entities in these jurisdictions giving rise to the majority of the foreign rate differential. The Company’s valuation allowance on total deferred taxes increased to $102.2 million as of December 31, 2013 from $10.1 million as of December 31, 2012. See Note 9 - “Income Tax” in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information on the Company’s consolidated effective tax rate. The increase is primarily related to the establishment of deferred tax assets and a corresponding valuation allowance in connection with the transfer of the RGA Re New Zealand branch to RGA Australia, and the establishment of a valuation allowance on a portion of the deferred tax asset in RGA Australia.
Critical Accounting Policies
The Company’s accounting policies are described in Note 2 – “Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. The Company believes its most critical accounting policies include the establishment of premiums receivable; amortization of deferred acquisition costs (“DAC”); the establishment of liabilities for future policy benefits and incurred but not reported claims; the valuation of investments and investment impairments; the valuation of embedded derivatives; and accounting for income taxes. The balances of these accounts require extensive use of assumptions and estimates, particularly related to the future performance of the underlying business.
Differences in experience compared with the assumptions and estimates utilized in establishing premiums receivable, the justification of the recoverability of DAC, in establishing reserves for future policy benefits and claim liabilities, or in the determination of other-than-temporary impairments to investment securities can have a material effect on the Company’s results of operations and financial condition.
Premiums Receivable
Premiums are accrued when due and in accordance with information received from the ceding company. When the Company enters into a new reinsurance agreement, it records accruals based on the terms of the reinsurance treaty. Similarly, when a ceding company fails to report information on a timely basis, the Company records accruals based on the terms of the reinsurance treaty as well as historical experience. Other management estimates include adjustments for increased in force on existing treaties,
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lapsed premiums given historical experience, the financial health of specific ceding companies, collateral value and the legal right of offset on related amounts (i.e. allowances and claims) owed to the ceding company. Under the legal right of offset provisions in its reinsurance treaties, the Company can withhold payments for allowances and claims from unpaid premiums.
Deferred Acquisition Costs
Costs of acquiring new business, which vary with and are directly related to the production of new business, have been deferred to the extent that such costs are deemed recoverable from future premiums or gross profits. Such costs include commissions and allowances as well as certain costs of policy issuance and underwriting. Non-commission costs related to the acquisition of new and renewal insurance contracts may be deferred only if they meet the following criteria:
• | Incremental direct costs of a successful contract acquisition. |
• | Portions of employees’ salaries and benefits directly related to time spent performing specified acquisition activities for a contract that has been acquired or renewed. |
• | Other costs directly related to the specified acquisition or renewal activities that would not have been incurred had that acquisition contract transaction not occurred. |
The Company tests the recoverability for each year of business at issue before establishing additional DAC. The Company also performs annual tests to establish that DAC remain recoverable at all times, and if financial performance significantly deteriorates to the point where a deficiency exists, a cumulative charge to current operations will be recorded. No such adjustments related to DAC recoverability were made in 2013, 2012 and 2011.
DAC related to traditional life insurance contracts are amortized with interest over the premium-paying period of the related policies in proportion to the ratio of individual period premium revenues to total anticipated premium revenues over the life of the policy. Such anticipated premium revenues are estimated using the same assumptions used for computing liabilities for future policy benefits.
DAC related to interest-sensitive life and investment-type policies are amortized over the lives of the policies, in proportion to the actual and estimated gross profits expected to be realized from mortality, investment income less interest credited, and expense margins.
Liabilities for Future Policy Benefits and Incurred but not Reported Claims
Liabilities for future policy benefits under long-term life insurance policies (policy reserves) are computed based upon expected investment yields, mortality and withdrawal (lapse) rates, and other assumptions, including a provision for adverse deviation from expected claim levels. The Company primarily relies on its own valuation and administration systems to establish policy reserves. The policy reserves the Company establishes may differ from those established by the ceding companies due to the use of different mortality and other assumptions. However, the Company relies upon its ceding company clients to provide accurate data, including policy-level information, premiums and claims, which is the primary information used to establish reserves. The Company’s administration departments work directly with its clients to help ensure information is submitted by them in accordance with the reinsurance contracts. Additionally, the Company performs periodic audits of the information provided by ceding companies. The Company establishes reserves for processing backlogs with a goal of clearing all backlogs within a ninety-day period. The backlogs are usually due to data errors the Company discovers or computer file compatibility issues, since much of the data reported to the Company is in electronic format and is uploaded to its computer systems.
The Company periodically reviews actual historical experience and relative anticipated experience compared to the assumptions used to establish aggregate policy reserves. Further, the Company establishes premium deficiency reserves if actual and anticipated experience indicates that existing aggregate policy reserves, together with the present value of future gross premiums, are not sufficient to cover the present value of future benefits, settlement and maintenance costs and to recover unamortized acquisition costs. The premium deficiency reserve is established through a charge to income, as well as a reduction to unamortized acquisition costs and, to the extent there are no unamortized acquisition costs, an increase to future policy benefits. Because of the many assumptions and estimates used in establishing reserves and the long-term nature of the Company’s reinsurance contracts, the reserving process, while based on actuarial science, is inherently uncertain. If the Company’s assumptions, particularly on mortality, are inaccurate, its reserves may be inadequate to pay claims and there could be a material adverse effect on its results of operations and financial condition.
Claims payable for incurred but not reported losses are determined using case-basis estimates and lag studies of past experience. The time lag from the date of the claim or death to the date when the ceding company reports the claim to the Company can be several months and can vary significantly by ceding company, business segment and product type. Incurred but not reported claims are estimates on an undiscounted basis, using actuarial estimates of historical claims expense, adjusted for current trends and conditions. These estimates are continually reviewed and the ultimate liability may vary significantly from the amount recognized, which are reflected in net income in the period in which they are determined.
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Valuation of Investments and Other-than-Temporary Impairments
The Company primarily invests in fixed maturity securities, mortgage loans, short-term investments, and other invested assets. For investments reported at fair value, the Company utilizes, when available, fair values based on quoted prices in active markets that are regularly and readily obtainable. Generally, these are very liquid investments and the valuation does not require management judgment. When quoted prices in active markets are not available, fair value is based on market valuation techniques, market comparable pricing and the income approach. The Company may utilize information from third parties, such as pricing services and brokers, to assist in determining the fair value for certain investments; however, management is ultimately responsible for all fair values presented in the Company’s consolidated financial statements. This includes responsibility for monitoring the fair value process, ensuring objective and reliable valuation practices and pricing of financial instruments, and approving changes to valuation methodologies and pricing sources. The selection of the valuation technique(s) to apply considers the definition of an exit price and the nature of the investment being valued and significant expertise and judgment is required.
Fixed maturity securities are classified as available-for-sale and are carried at fair value. Unrealized gains and losses on fixed maturity securities classified as available-for-sale, less applicable deferred income taxes as well as related adjustments to deferred acquisition costs, if applicable, are reflected as a direct charge or credit to accumulated other comprehensive income (“AOCI”) in stockholders’ equity on the consolidated balance sheets.
See “Investments” in Note 2 – “Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” and Note 6 – “Fair Value of Assets and Liabilities” in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information regarding the valuation of the Company’s investments.
Mortgage loans on real estate are carried at unpaid principal balances, net of any unamortized premium or discount and valuation allowances. For a discussion regarding the valuation allowance for mortgage loans see “Mortgage Loans on Real Estate” in Note 2 – “Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
In addition, investments are subject to impairment reviews to identify when a decline in value is other-than-temporary. Other-than-temporary impairment losses related to non-credit factors are recognized in AOCI whereas the credit loss portion is recognized in investment related gains (losses), net. See “Other-than-Temporary Impairment” in Note 2 – “Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for a discussion of the policies regarding other-than-temporary impairments.
Valuation of Embedded Derivatives
The Company reinsures certain annuity products that contain terms that are deemed to be embedded derivatives, primarily equity-indexed annuities and variable annuities with guaranteed minimum benefits. The Company assesses each identified embedded derivative to determine whether it is required to be bifurcated under the general accounting principles for Derivatives and Hedging. If the instrument would not be reported in its entirety at fair value and it is determined that the terms of the embedded derivative are not clearly and closely related to the economic characteristics of the host contract, and that a separate instrument with the same terms would qualify as a derivative instrument, the embedded derivative is bifurcated from the host contract and accounted for as a freestanding derivative. Such embedded derivatives are carried on the consolidated balance sheets at fair value with the host contract.
Additionally, reinsurance treaties written on a modified coinsurance or funds withheld basis are subject to the general accounting principles for Derivatives and Hedging related to embedded derivatives. The majority of the Company’s funds withheld at interest balances are associated with its reinsurance of annuity contracts, the majority of which are subject to the general accounting principles for Derivatives and Hedging related to embedded derivatives. Management believes the embedded derivative feature in each of these reinsurance treaties is similar to a total return swap on the assets held by the ceding companies.
The valuation of the various embedded derivatives requires complex calculations based on actuarial and capital markets inputs and assumptions related to estimates of future cash flows and interpretations of the primary accounting guidance continue to evolve in practice. See “Derivative Instruments” in Note 2 – “Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” and Note 6 – “Fair Value of Assets and Liabilities” in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information regarding the valuation of the Company’s embedded derivatives.
Income Taxes
The Company provides for federal, state and foreign income taxes currently payable, as well as those deferred due to temporary differences between the financial reporting and tax bases of assets and liabilities and are recognized in net income or in certain cases in other comprehensive income. The Company’s accounting for income taxes represents management’s best estimate of various events and transactions considering the laws enacted as of the reporting date.
Deferred tax assets and liabilities resulting from temporary differences between the financial reporting and tax bases of assets and liabilities are measured at the reporting date using enacted tax rates in the relevant jurisdictions expected to apply to taxable income in the years the temporary differences are expected to reverse.
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The realization of deferred tax assets depends upon the existence of sufficient taxable income within the carryback or carryforward periods under the tax law in the applicable tax jurisdiction. The Company has deferred tax assets related to net operating and capital losses. The Company has projected its ability to utilize its U.S. and foreign net operating losses and has determined that all of the U.S. losses are expected to be utilized prior to their expiration and established a valuation allowance on the portion of the foreign deferred tax assets the Company believes more likely than not that deferred income tax assets will not be realized.
The Company will establish a valuation allowance if management determines, based on available information, that it is more likely than not that deferred income tax assets will not be realized. Significant judgment is required in determining whether valuation allowances should be established as well as the amount of such allowances. When making such determination, consideration is given to, among other things, the following:
(i) | future projected taxable income exclusive of reversing temporary differences and carryforwards; |
(ii) | future reversals of existing taxable temporary differences; |
(iii) | taxable income in prior carryback years; and |
(iv) | tax planning strategies. |
Any such changes could significantly affect the amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements in the year these changes occur. The Company accounts for its total liability for uncertain tax positions considering the recognition and measurement thresholds established in general accounting principles for income taxes. The tax effects of a position are recognized in the consolidated statement of income only if it is more likely than not to be sustained upon examination by the appropriate taxing authority. Unrecognized tax benefits due to tax uncertainties that do not meet the more likely than not criteria are included within other liabilities and are charged to earnings in the period that such determination is made. The Company classifies interest related to tax uncertainties as interest expense whereas penalties related to tax uncertainties are classified as a component of income tax.
U.S. Operations
U.S. operations consist of two major segments: Traditional and Non-Traditional. The Traditional segment primarily specializes in individual mortality-risk reinsurance and to a lesser extent, group, health and long-term care reinsurance. The Non-Traditional segment consists of Asset-Intensive and Financial Reinsurance. During 2012, Asset-Intensive within the Non-Traditional segment issued its first fee-based synthetic guaranteed investment contracts which include investment-only, stable value contracts, to retirement plans.
For the year ended December 31, 2013 | Non-Traditional | |||||||||||||||
Traditional | Asset-Intensive | Financial Reinsurance | Total U.S. | |||||||||||||
(dollars in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||
Revenues: | ||||||||||||||||
Net premiums | $ | 4,518,051 | $ | 22,521 | $ | — | $ | 4,540,572 | ||||||||
Investment income, net of related expenses | 542,657 | 716,658 | 4,624 | 1,263,939 | ||||||||||||
Investment related gains (losses), net: | ||||||||||||||||
Other-than-temporary impairments on fixed maturity securities | (8,404 | ) | (260 | ) | — | (8,664 | ) | |||||||||
Other-than-temporary impairments on fixed maturity securities transferred to (from) accumulated other comprehensive income | (253 | ) | — | — | (253 | ) | ||||||||||
Other investment related gains (losses), net | 13,515 | 44,676 | (392 | ) | 57,799 | |||||||||||
Total investment related gains (losses), net | 4,858 | 44,416 | (392 | ) | 48,882 | |||||||||||
Other revenues | 3,066 | 114,098 | 60,893 | 178,057 | ||||||||||||
Total revenues | 5,068,632 | 897,693 | 65,125 | 6,031,450 | ||||||||||||
Benefits and expenses: | ||||||||||||||||
Claims and other policy benefits | 3,927,991 | 28,244 | — | 3,956,235 | ||||||||||||
Interest credited | 53,285 | 415,149 | — | 468,434 | ||||||||||||
Policy acquisition costs and other insurance expenses | 623,126 | 239,661 | 12,771 | 875,558 | ||||||||||||
Other operating expenses | 92,667 | 14,291 | 7,053 | 114,011 | ||||||||||||
Total benefits and expenses | 4,697,069 | 697,345 | 19,824 | 5,414,238 | ||||||||||||
Income before income taxes | $ | 371,563 | $ | 200,348 | $ | 45,301 | $ | 617,212 | ||||||||
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For the year ended December 31, 2012 | Non-Traditional | |||||||||||||||
Traditional | Asset-Intensive | Financial Reinsurance | Total U.S. | |||||||||||||
(dollars in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||
Revenues: | ||||||||||||||||
Net premiums | $ | 4,308,780 | $ | 14,095 | $ | — | $ | 4,322,875 | ||||||||
Investment income, net of related expenses | 535,589 | 497,431 | 1,068 | 1,034,088 | ||||||||||||
Investment related gains (losses), net: | ||||||||||||||||
Other-than-temporary impairments on fixed maturity securities | (10,608 | ) | (1,566 | ) | — | (12,174 | ) | |||||||||
Other-than-temporary impairments on fixed maturity securities transferred to (from) accumulated other comprehensive income | (6,303 | ) | — | — | (6,303 | ) | ||||||||||
Other investment related gains (losses), net | 14,441 | 207,211 | (141 | ) | 221,511 | |||||||||||
Total investment related gains (losses), net | (2,470 | ) | 205,645 | (141 | ) | 203,034 | ||||||||||
Other revenues | 4,616 | 112,016 | 46,005 | 162,637 | ||||||||||||
Total revenues | 4,846,515 | 829,187 | 46,932 | 5,722,634 | ||||||||||||
Benefits and expenses: | ||||||||||||||||
Claims and other policy benefits | 3,732,717 | 12,724 | — | 3,745,441 | ||||||||||||
Interest credited | 55,667 | 322,857 | — | 378,524 | ||||||||||||
Policy acquisition costs and other insurance expenses | 598,875 | 245,579 | 4,567 | 849,021 | ||||||||||||
Other operating expenses | 91,161 | 12,442 | 9,635 | 113,238 | ||||||||||||
Total benefits and expenses | 4,478,420 | 593,602 | 14,202 | 5,086,224 | ||||||||||||
Income before income taxes | $ | 368,095 | $ | 235,585 | $ | 32,730 | $ | 636,410 | ||||||||
For the year ended December 31, 2011 | Non-Traditional | |||||||||||||||
Traditional | Asset-Intensive | Financial Reinsurance | Total U.S. | |||||||||||||
(dollars in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||
Revenues: | ||||||||||||||||
Net premiums | $ | 3,979,489 | $ | 13,189 | $ | — | $ | 3,992,678 | ||||||||
Investment income, net of related expenses | 495,650 | 362,722 | 164 | 858,536 | ||||||||||||
Investment related gains (losses), net: | ||||||||||||||||
Other-than-temporary impairments on fixed maturity securities | (14,493 | ) | (6,519 | ) | (57 | ) | (21,069 | ) | ||||||||
Other-than-temporary impairments on fixed maturity securities transferred to (from) accumulated other comprehensive income | 2,980 | 756 | 12 | 3,748 | ||||||||||||
Other investment related gains (losses), net | 55,724 | (101,771 | ) | (83 | ) | (46,130 | ) | |||||||||
Total investment related gains (losses), net | 44,211 | (107,534 | ) | (128 | ) | (63,451 | ) | |||||||||
Other revenues | 3,401 | 87,518 | 36,373 | 127,292 | ||||||||||||
Total revenues | 4,522,751 | 355,895 | 36,409 | 4,915,055 | ||||||||||||
Benefits and expenses: | ||||||||||||||||
Claims and other policy benefits | 3,458,279 | 14,277 | — | 3,472,556 | ||||||||||||
Interest credited | 59,891 | 255,354 | — | 315,245 | ||||||||||||
Policy acquisition costs and other insurance expenses | 555,511 | 42,717 | 3,191 | 601,419 | ||||||||||||
Other operating expenses | 85,106 | 8,217 | 6,875 | 100,198 | ||||||||||||
Total benefits and expenses | 4,158,787 | 320,565 | 10,066 | 4,489,418 | ||||||||||||
Income before income taxes | $ | 363,964 | $ | 35,330 | $ | 26,343 | $ | 425,637 | ||||||||
Income before income taxes for the U.S. operations segment decreased by $19.2 million, or 3.0%, and increased by $210.8 million, or 49.5%, in 2013 and 2012, respectively. The decrease in income before income taxes in 2013 can be largely attributed to Asset-Intensive business within the U.S. Non-Traditional segment. The decrease is primarily the result of a decrease in investment related gains (losses), net due to the significant amount of investment related gains recognized in 2012 associated with the portfolio restructure of a new fixed annuity transaction. In addition, rising interest rates during the year reduced the fair value of embedded derivatives associated with treaties written on a modco or funds withheld basis. These decreases were slightly offset by improved performance in Asset-Intensive business within the U.S. Non-Traditional segment mainly as a result of the aforementioned fixed annuity transaction that was entered into during 2012 and the strong equity market performance in 2013.
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In addition, continued growth in Financial Reinsurance business within the U.S. Non-Traditional segment also offset some of the negative variance, with an increase in income of approximately $12.6 million, or 38.4%.
The increase in income before income taxes in 2012 can primarily be attributed to Asset-Intensive business within the U.S. Non-Traditional segment. The increase in Asset-Intensive income before income taxes in 2012 is largely due to a new fixed annuity coinsurance transaction entered into during the year and the effect of changes in credit spreads on the fair value of embedded derivatives associated with treaties written on a modified coinsurance or funds withheld basis. Also contributing to the increase in income in 2012 was the net effect of the embedded derivative supporting the guaranteed minimum living benefits associated with the Company’s variable annuities, after adjustments for related deferred acquisition expenses.
Traditional Reinsurance
The U.S. Traditional segment provides life and health reinsurance to domestic clients for a variety of products through yearly renewable term, coinsurance and modified coinsurance agreements. These reinsurance arrangements may involve either facultative or automatic agreements.
Income before income taxes for the U.S. Traditional segment increased by $3.5 million, or 0.9%, and $4.1 million, or 1.1% in 2013 and 2012, respectively. The increase in income before income taxes in 2013 can be attributed to an increase in investment income, net of related expenses, mainly due to a higher invested asset base and investment related gains (losses), net. Offsetting this somewhat was slightly unfavorable mortality experience compared to 2012. The increase in income before income taxes in 2012 is primarily due to slightly more favorable mortality experience in 2012 compared to 2011. Investment income increased $39.9 million due to a higher invested asset base, however this was more than offset by a decrease in net investment related gains of $46.7 million.
Net premiums increased $209.3 million, or 4.9%, and $329.3 million, or 8.3% in 2013 and 2012, respectively. These increases in net premiums were driven primarily by the growth in individual life business in force and health and group related coverages. The segment added new life business production, measured by face amount of insurance in force, of $89.7 billion, $151.4 billion and $110.5 billion during 2013, 2012 and 2011, respectively. Total face amount of life business in force was $1,385.6 billion, $1,393.3 billion and $1,343.0 billion as of December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011, respectively. Contributing to the increase in 2012 was a large in force block transaction of $42.4 billion which contributed $64.8 million to the increase in net premiums. In addition, premiums on health and group related coverages contributed $101.4 million and $164.6 million to the increase in net premiums in 2013 and 2012, respectively.
Net investment income increased $7.1 million, or 1.3%, and $39.9 million, or 8.1%, in 2013 and 2012, respectively, primarily due to growth in the average invested asset base offset by lower yields in both years. In 2012, a new in force transaction was recorded which generated approximately $21.9 million of investment income. Investment related gains increased by $7.3 million and decreased by $46.7 million in 2013 and 2012, respectively. Investment income and investment related gains and losses are allocated to the various operating segments based on average assets and related capital levels deemed appropriate to support segment operations. Investment performance varies with the composition of investments and the relative allocation of capital to the operating segments.
Claims and other policy benefits as a percentage of net premiums (“loss ratios”) were 86.9%, 86.6% and 86.9% in 2013, 2012 and 2011, respectively. Although reasonably predictable over a period of years, claims experience is typically volatile over shorter periods.
Interest credited expense decreased $2.4 million, or 4.3%, and $4.2 million, or 7.1%, in 2013 and 2012, respectively. The variances in interest credited expense are largely offset by variances in investment income. The decreases in both 2013 and 2012 can be attributed to one treaty in which the most prevalent credited loan rate decreased, partially offset by a slight increase in its asset base. Interest credited in this segment relates to amounts credited on cash value products which also have a significant mortality component. Income before income taxes is affected by the spread between the investment income and the interest credited on the underlying products.
Policy acquisition costs and other insurance expenses as a percentage of net premiums were 13.8%, 13.9% and 14.0% in 2013, 2012 and 2011, respectively. Overall, while these ratios are expected to remain in a predictable range, they may fluctuate from period to period due to varying allowance levels within coinsurance-type arrangements. In addition, the amortization pattern of previously capitalized amounts, which are subject to the form of the reinsurance agreement and the underlying insurance policies, may vary. Also, the mix of first year coinsurance business versus yearly renewable term business can cause the percentage to fluctuate from period to period.
Other operating expenses increased $1.5 million, or 1.7%, and $6.1 million, or 7.1% in 2013 and 2012, respectively. Other operating expenses, as a percentage of net premiums, were 2.1% in each of 2013, 2012 and 2011. The expense ratio tends to fluctuate only slightly from period to period due to maturity and scale of this segment.
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Non-Traditional - Asset-Intensive Reinsurance
Asset-Intensive within the U.S. Non-Traditional segment primarily assumes investment risk within underlying annuities and corporate-owned life insurance policies. Most of these agreements are coinsurance, coinsurance with funds withheld or modco whereby the Company recognizes profits or losses primarily from the spread between the investment income earned and the interest credited on the underlying deposit liabilities, as well as fees associated with variable annuity account values and guaranteed investment contracts.
Impact of certain derivatives
Income for the asset-intensive business tends to be volatile due to changes in the fair value of certain derivatives, including embedded derivatives associated with reinsurance treaties structured on a modco or funds withheld basis, as well as embedded derivatives associated with the Company’s reinsurance of EIAs and variable annuities with guaranteed minimum benefit riders. Fluctuations occur period to period primarily due to changing investment conditions including, but not limited to, interest rate movements (including risk-free rates and credit spreads), implied volatility and equity market performance, all of which are factors in the calculations of fair value. Therefore, management believes it is helpful to distinguish between the effects of changes in these derivatives, net of related hedging activity, and the primary factors that drive profitability of the underlying treaties, namely investment income, fee income (included in other revenues), and interest credited. These fluctuations are considered unrealized by management and do not affect current cash flows, crediting rates or spread performance on the underlying treaties.
The following table summarizes the asset-intensive results and quantifies the impact of these embedded derivatives for the periods presented. Revenues before certain derivatives, benefits and expenses before certain derivatives, and income before income taxes and certain derivatives, should not be viewed as substitutes for GAAP revenues, GAAP benefits and expenses, and GAAP income before income taxes.
For the year ended December 31, | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | |||||||||
(dollars in thousands) | ||||||||||||
Revenues: | ||||||||||||
Total revenues | $ | 897,693 | $ | 829,187 | $ | 355,895 | ||||||
Less: | ||||||||||||
Embedded derivatives – modco/funds withheld treaties | 68,285 | 117,055 | (89,648 | ) | ||||||||
Guaranteed minimum benefit riders and related free standing derivatives | (19,627 | ) | 49,392 | (17,851 | ) | |||||||
Revenues before certain derivatives | 849,035 | 662,740 | 463,394 | |||||||||
Benefits and expenses: | ||||||||||||
Total benefits and expenses | 697,345 | 593,602 | 320,565 | |||||||||
Less: | ||||||||||||
Embedded derivatives – modco/funds withheld treaties | 41,068 | 75,849 | (75,546 | ) | ||||||||
Guaranteed minimum benefit riders and related free standing derivatives | (8,346 | ) | 27,862 | (7,339 | ) | |||||||
Equity-indexed annuities | (30,082 | ) | 5,264 | 16,507 | ||||||||
Benefits and expenses before certain derivatives | 694,705 | 484,627 | 386,943 | |||||||||
Income (loss) before income taxes: | ||||||||||||
Income before income taxes | 200,348 | 235,585 | 35,330 | |||||||||
Less: | ||||||||||||
Embedded derivatives – modco/funds withheld treaties | 27,217 | 41,206 | (14,102 | ) | ||||||||
Guaranteed minimum benefit riders and related free standing derivatives | (11,281 | ) | 21,530 | (10,512 | ) | |||||||
Equity-indexed annuities | 30,082 | (5,264 | ) | (16,507 | ) | |||||||
Income before income taxes and certain derivatives | $ | 154,330 | $ | 178,113 | $ | 76,451 | ||||||
Embedded Derivatives - Modco/Funds Withheld Treaties - Represents the change in the fair value of embedded derivatives on funds withheld at interest associated with treaties written on a modco or funds withheld basis. The fair value changes of embedded derivatives on funds withheld at interest associated with treaties written on a modco or funds withheld basis are reflected in revenues, while the related impact on deferred acquisition expenses is reflected in benefits and expenses. Changes in the fair value of the embedded derivative are driven by changes in investment credit spreads, including the Company’s own credit risk. Generally, an increase in investment credit spreads, ignoring changes in the Company’s own credit risk, will have a negative impact on the fair value of the embedded derivative (decrease in income). Changes in fair values of these embedded derivatives are net of an increase (decrease) in revenues of $(1.6) million, $(62.7) million and $23.1 million for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011, respectively, associated with the Company’s own credit risk. A 10% increase in the Company’s own credit risk rate would have increased revenues in 2013 by approximately $0.1 million. Conversely, a 10% decrease in the Company’s own credit risk rate would have decreased revenues in 2013 by approximately $0.1 million.
In 2013, the change in fair value of the embedded derivative increased revenues by $68.3 million and related deferred acquisition expenses increased benefits and expenses by $41.1 million, for a positive pre-tax income impact of $27.2 million,
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primarily due to a decrease in investment credit spreads. In 2012, the change in fair value of the embedded derivative increased revenues by $117.1 million and related deferred acquisition expenses increased benefits and expenses by $75.8 million, for a positive pre-tax income impact of $41.2 million, primarily due to a decrease in investment credit spreads.
Guaranteed Minimum Benefit Riders - Represents the impact related to guaranteed minimum benefits associated with the Company’s reinsurance of variable annuities. The fair value changes of the guaranteed minimum benefits along with the changes in fair value of the free standing derivatives (interest rate swaps, financial futures and equity options), purchased by the Company to substantially hedge the liability are reflected in revenues, while the related impact on deferred acquisition expenses is reflected in benefits and expenses. Changes in fair values of these embedded derivatives are net of an increase (decrease) in revenues of $(12.5) and $16.5 million in 2013 and 2012, respectively, associated with the Company’s own credit risk. Changes in fair values of embedded derivatives on variable annuity contracts associated with the Company’s own credit risk for the year ended December 31, 2011 were not material. A 10% increase in the Company’s own credit risk rate would have increased revenues by approximately $0.4 million in 2013. Conversely, a 10% decrease in the Company’s own credit risk rate would have decreased revenues by approximately $0.4 million in 2013.
In 2013, the change in the fair value of the guaranteed minimum benefits, after allowing for changes in the associated free standing derivatives to substantially economically hedge risk, decreased revenues by $19.6 million and related deferred acquisition expenses decreased benefits and expenses by $8.3 million for a negative pre-tax income impact of $11.3 million. In 2012, the change in the fair value of the guaranteed minimum benefits, after allowing for changes in the associated free standing derivatives to economically hedge risk, increased revenues by $49.4 million and related deferred acquisition expenses increased benefits and expenses by $27.9 million for a positive pre-tax income impact of $21.5 million.
Equity-Indexed Annuities - Primarily represents the impact of changes in the benchmark rate on the calculation of the fair value of embedded derivative liabilities associated with EIAs, after adjustments for related deferred acquisition expenses. In 2013 and 2012, expenses decreased $30.1 million and increased $5.3 million respectively.
Discussion and analysis before certain derivatives
Income before income taxes and certain derivatives decreased by $23.8 million and increased by $101.7 million in 2013 and 2012, respectively. The decrease in income in 2013 was largely a result of a higher level of investment related gains and corresponding changes in DAC in 2012. This decrease was largely offset by the effect of a full year of earnings from a large deferred annuity coinsurance agreement entered into during the second quarter of 2012. The increase in income in 2012 was in part due to net changes in investment related gains and losses associated with the funds withheld and coinsurance portfolios and their related DAC impact. Funds withheld capital gains and losses are reported through investment income while coinsurance activity is reflected in investment related gains (losses), net. In addition, income earned on a new fixed annuity coinsurance transaction also contributed to the increase in earnings in 2012 compared to 2011.
Revenue before certain derivatives increased by $186.3 million and $199.3 million in 2013 and 2012, respectively. These increases were driven by a combination of changes in investment income related to equity options held in a funds withheld portfolio associated with equity-indexed annuity treaties and an increase in investment income attributed to the new coinsurance agreement mentioned above. The effect on investment income related to equity options is substantially offset by a corresponding change in interest credited expense. In addition, other revenues increased $2.5 million and $27.1 million in 2013 and 2012, respectively, due primarily to the amortization of the deferred profit liability associated with the new fixed annuity coinsurance transaction.
Benefits and expenses before certain derivatives increased by $210.1 million and $97.7 million in 2013 and 2012, respectively. These increases were primarily due to an increase in interest credited related to the new fixed annuity coinsurance transaction and EIAs. These changes were mostly offset by corresponding increases or decreases in investment income.
The invested asset base supporting this sub-segment decreased by $0.3 billion and increased by $5.4 billion in 2013 and 2012, respectively. The growth in the asset base in 2012 was driven by the new fixed annuity coinsurance transaction executed during the year. As of December 31, 2013 and 2012, $4.3 billion and $4.2 billion, respectively, of the invested assets were funds withheld at interest, of which 95.6% and 92.3%, respectively, was associated with one client.
Non-Traditional - Financial Reinsurance
Financial Reinsurance within the U.S. Non-Traditional segment income before income taxes consists primarily of net fees earned on financial reinsurance transactions. Additionally, a portion of the business is brokered business in which the Company does not participate in the assumption of risk. The fees earned from financial reinsurance contracts and brokered business are reflected in other revenues, and the fees paid to retrocessionaires are reflected in policy acquisition costs and other insurance expenses.
Income before income taxes increased by $12.6 million, or 38.4%, and $6.4 million, or 24.2%, in 2013 and 2012, respectively. The increases in 2013 and 2012 were primarily related to the addition of new contracts and related additional fees from financial reinsurance.
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At December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011, the amount of reinsurance assumed from client companies, as measured by pre-tax statutory surplus, risk based capital and other financial reinsurance structures, was $4.4 billion, $2.7 billion and $2.0 billion, respectively. The increases in both 2013 and 2012 can primarily be attributed to an increase in the number of new transactions executed each year and is consistent with the increase in related income. Fees earned from this business can vary significantly depending on the size of the transactions and the timing of their completion and, therefore, can fluctuate from period to period.
Canada Operations
The Company conducts reinsurance business in Canada primarily through RGA Life Reinsurance Company of Canada (“RGA Canada”), a wholly-owned subsidiary. RGA Canada assists clients with capital management activity and mortality and morbidity risk management, and is primarily engaged in traditional individual life reinsurance, as well as creditor, group life and health, critical illness, and longevity reinsurance. Creditor insurance covers the outstanding balance on personal, mortgage or commercial loans in the event of death, disability or critical illness and is generally shorter in duration than individual life insurance.
For the year ended December 31, | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | |||||||||
(dollars in thousands) | ||||||||||||
Revenues: | ||||||||||||
Net premiums | $ | 962,311 | $ | 915,764 | $ | 835,298 | ||||||
Investment income, net of related expenses | 204,851 | 190,337 | 188,304 | |||||||||
Investment related gains (losses), net: | ||||||||||||
Other-than-temporary impairments on fixed maturity securities | — | — | — | |||||||||
Other-than-temporary impairments on fixed maturity securities transferred to (from) accumulated other comprehensive income | — | — | — | |||||||||
Other investment related gains (losses), net | 17,010 | 27,659 | 26,996 | |||||||||
Total investment related gains (losses), net | 17,010 | 27,659 | 26,996 | |||||||||
Other revenues | 845 | 6,504 | 5,433 | |||||||||
Total revenues | 1,185,017 | 1,140,264 | 1,056,031 | |||||||||
Benefits and expenses: | ||||||||||||
Claims and other policy benefits | 758,519 | 706,716 | 673,105 | |||||||||
Interest credited | 46 | 28 | — | |||||||||
Policy acquisition costs and other insurance expenses | 221,638 | 206,337 | 180,712 | |||||||||
Other operating expenses | 40,496 | 40,212 | 37,261 | |||||||||
Total benefits and expenses | 1,020,699 | 953,293 | 891,078 | |||||||||
Income before income taxes | $ | 164,318 | $ | 186,971 | $ | 164,953 | ||||||
Income before income taxes decreased by $22.7 million, or 12.1%, and increased by $22.0 million, or 13.3%, in 2013 and 2012, respectively. The decrease in 2013 is due to better traditional individual life mortality experience in the prior year and a decrease of $10.6 million in net investment related gains. In addition, 2012 income before income taxes reflected the impact of a decrease in reserves of $16.2 million for a block of group creditor business as a result of a refinement of estimates and $6.3 million of income from the recapture of a previously assumed block of individual life business. The increase in income in 2012 is primarily due to the aforementioned items. Foreign currency exchange fluctuation in the Canadian dollar resulted in a decrease in income before income taxes of approximately $6.1 million and $0.9 million in 2013 and 2012, respectively.
Net premiums increased $46.5 million, or 5.1%, and $80.5 million, or 9.6%, in 2013 and 2012, respectively. Foreign currency exchange fluctuation in the Canadian dollar resulted in a decrease in net premiums of approximately $29.4 million and $9.0 million in 2013 and 2012, respectively. Premiums increased in 2013 and 2012 primarily due to new business from both new and existing treaties. In addition, creditor premiums increased by $10.1 million and $23.9 million in 2013 and 2012, respectively. The segment added new business production, measured by face amount of insurance in force, of $46.0 billion, $49.0 billion and $51.1 billion during 2013, 2012 and 2011, respectively. The face amount of total reinsurance in force totaled approximately $386.3 billion, $389.7 billion, and $344.9 billion at December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011, respectively. Excluding the impact of foreign exchange, reinsurance in force increased 6.8% in 2013. Premium levels can be significantly influenced by currency fluctuations, large transactions, mix of business and reporting practices of ceding companies, and therefore may fluctuate from period to period.
Net investment income increased $14.5 million, or 7.6%, and $2.0 million, or 1.1%, in 2013 and 2012, respectively. The effect of changes in the Canadian dollar exchange rates resulted in a decrease in net investment income of approximately $6.4 million and $2.9 million in 2013 and 2012, respectively. Investment income and investment related gains and losses are allocated to the segments based upon average assets and related capital levels deemed appropriate to support segment operations. Investment performance varies with the composition of investments and the relative allocation of capital to the operating segments. The increases in investment income, excluding the impact of foreign exchange, were mainly the result of increases in the average invested asset base due to growth in the underlying business volume, offset by decreases in investment yields.
43
Other revenues decreased by $5.7 million and increased by $1.1 million in 2013 and 2012, respectively. Other revenues in 2012 were primarily related to fees earned from the modification of an existing treaty and a fee earned from the recapture of a previously assumed block of individual life business. Other revenues in 2011 were primarily related to a $4.9 million fee earned from the recapture of a previously assumed block of individual life business.
Loss ratios for this segment were 78.8%, 77.2% and 80.6% in 2013, 2012 and 2011, respectively. The increase in the loss ratio for 2013 compared to 2012 is due to better traditional individual life mortality experience in 2012. Loss ratios for the traditional individual life mortality business were 93.7%, 91.8% and 93.4% in 2013, 2012 and 2011, respectively. The decrease in the 2012 loss ratio was primarily due to the aforementioned $16.2 million decrease in reserves for a block of group creditor business. Excluding creditor business, loss ratios for this segment were 92.3%, 90.9% and 92.1% in 2013, 2012 and 2011, respectively. Historically, the loss ratio increased primarily as the result of several large permanent level premium in force blocks assumed in 1997 and 1998. These blocks are mature blocks of long-term permanent level premium business in which mortality as a percentage of net premiums is expected to be higher than historical ratios. The nature of permanent level premium policies requires the Company to set up actuarial liabilities and invest the amounts received in excess of early-year claims costs to fund claims in later years when premiums, by design, continue to be level as compared to expected increasing mortality or claim costs. Excluding creditor business, claims and other policy benefits, as a percentage of net premiums and investment income were 72.6%, 71.8% and 72.0% in 2013, 2012 and 2011, respectively.
Policy acquisition costs and other insurance expenses as a percentage of net premiums totaled 23.0%, 22.5% and 21.6% in 2013, 2012 and 2011, respectively. Policy acquisition costs and other insurance expenses as a percentage of net premiums for traditional individual life business were 12.7%, 12.7% and 12.6% in 2013, 2012 and 2011, respectively. Overall, while these ratios are expected to remain in a predictable range, they may fluctuate from period to period due to varying allowance levels and product mix. In addition, the amortization pattern of previously capitalized amounts, which are subject to the form of the reinsurance agreement and the underlying insurance policies, may vary.
Other operating expenses increased $0.3 million, or 0.7%, and $3.0 million, or 7.9%, in 2013 and 2012, respectively. The effect of changes in the Canadian dollar exchange rates resulted in decreases in operating expenses of approximately $1.1 million and $0.3 million in 2013 and 2012, respectively. Other operating expenses as a percentage of net premiums were 4.2%, 4.4% and 4.5% in 2013, 2012 and 2011, respectively.
Europe & South Africa Operations
The Europe & South Africa segment includes business generated by our offices principally in the UK, South Africa, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Turkey and the UAE. The segment provides reinsurance for a variety of life and health products through yearly renewable term and coinsurance agreements, critical illness coverage and longevity risk related to payout annuities. Reinsurance agreements may be facultative or automatic agreements covering primarily individual risks and, in some markets, group risks.
For the year ended December 31, | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | |||||||||
(dollars in thousands) | ||||||||||||
Revenues: | ||||||||||||
Net premiums | $ | 1,331,559 | $ | 1,308,462 | $ | 1,194,477 | ||||||
Investment income, net of related expenses | 55,604 | 45,576 | 44,351 | |||||||||
Investment related gains (losses), net: | ||||||||||||
Other-than-temporary impairments on fixed maturity securities | — | — | (332 | ) | ||||||||
Other-than-temporary impairments on fixed maturity securities transferred to (from) accumulated other comprehensive income | — | — | — | |||||||||
Other investment related gains (losses), net | 9,161 | 11,574 | 6,332 | |||||||||
Total investment related gains (losses), net | 9,161 | 11,574 | 6,000 | |||||||||
Other revenues | 25,164 | 6,679 | 5,031 | |||||||||
Total revenues | 1,421,488 | 1,372,291 | 1,249,859 | |||||||||
Benefits and expenses: | ||||||||||||
Claims and other policy benefits | 1,159,318 | 1,134,219 | 1,001,921 | |||||||||
Interest credited | 6,114 | — | — | |||||||||
Policy acquisition costs and other insurance expenses | 55,054 | 51,236 | 59,217 | |||||||||
Other operating expenses | 111,880 | 112,889 | 105,619 | |||||||||
Total benefits and expenses | 1,332,366 | 1,298,344 | 1,166,757 | |||||||||
Income before income taxes | $ | 89,122 | $ | 73,947 | $ | 83,102 | ||||||
Income before income taxes increased by $15.2 million, or 20.5%, and decreased by $9.2 million, or 11.0%, in 2013 and 2012, respectively. The increase in income before income taxes in 2013 was primarily due to increased business volumes, most notably in fee income treaties, partially offset by unfavorable claims experience. The decrease in income before income taxes in
44
2012 was primarily due to unfavorable claims experience in the UK. Foreign currency exchange fluctuations contributed to a decrease in income before income taxes of approximately $2.6 million and $5.9 million in 2013 and 2012, respectively.
Net premiums grew by $23.1 million, or 1.8%, and $114.0 million, or 9.5%, in 2013 and 2012, respectively. These increases were the result of new business from both new and existing treaties including an increase associated with reinsurance of longevity risk in the UK of $48.0 million and $39.0 million in 2013 and 2012, respectively. In addition, net premiums in 2013 and 2012 include approximately $9.9 million and $110.0 million, respectively, associated with single premium in force transactions in Italy. The segment added new business production, measured by face amount of insurance in force, of $132.8 billion, $136.0 billion and $148.3 billion during 2013, 2012 and 2011, respectively. The face amount of reinsurance in force totaled approximately $629.8 billion, $602.5 billion, and $513.4 billion at December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011, respectively. Foreign currency exchange fluctuations contributed to a decrease in net premiums of approximately $30.3 million and $51.6 million in 2013 and 2012, respectively. The segment’s primary currencies are the British pound, the Euro and the South African rand. Premium levels can be significantly influenced by currency fluctuations, large transactions and reporting practices of ceding companies and therefore can fluctuate from period to period.
A portion of the net premiums for the segment, in each period presented, relates to reinsurance of critical illness coverage, primarily in the UK. This coverage provides a benefit in the event of the diagnosis of a pre-defined critical illness. Net premiums earned from this coverage totaled $255.5 million, $248.6 million and $244.8 million in 2013, 2012 and 2011, respectively.
Net investment income increased $10.0 million, or 22.0%, and $1.2 million, or 2.8%, in 2013 and 2012, respectively. The increase in 2013 can be primarily attributed to growth in the average invested asset base. The increase in 2012 can be primarily attributed to growth in the average invested asset base largely offset by a decrease in the investment yields. Investment income and investment related gains and losses are allocated to the various operating segments based on average assets and related capital levels deemed appropriate to support segment operations. Investment performance varies with the composition of investments and the relative allocation of capital to the operating segments.
Other revenues increased by $18.5 million, or 276.8% and $1.6 million, or 32.8%, in 2013 and 2012, respectively. The increase in other revenues in 2013 relates to a new transaction in Continental Europe which resulted in initial fee income of $14.8 million. At December 31, 2013 and 2012, the amount of reinsurance assumed from client companies, as measured by pre-tax statutory surplus, risk based capital and other financial reinsurance structures was $1.0 billion and $0.3 billion, respectively. The increase was primarily due to the aforementioned transaction in Continental Europe. Fees earned from this business can vary significantly depending on the size of the transactions and the timing of their completion and, therefore, can fluctuate from period to period.
Loss ratios for this segment were 87.1%, 86.7% and 83.9% in 2013, 2012 and 2011, respectively. The increases in the loss ratios in 2013 and 2012 were due to unfavorable claims experience, primarily from UK critical illness and mortality coverages. Although reasonably predictable over a period of years, claims experience is typically volatile over shorter periods. Management views recent experience as normal volatility that is inherent in the business.
Interest credited expense increased by $6.1 million in 2013. Interest credited in this segment relates to amounts credited to the contractholders of unit-linked variable annuities associated with the Company’s acquisition of Leidsche Verzekeringen Maatschappij N.V. on August 13, 2013. The effect on interest credited related to unit-linked variable annuities is substantially offset by a corresponding change in investment income and investment related gains (losses), net.
Policy acquisition costs and other insurance expenses as a percentage of net premiums were 4.1%, 3.9% and 5.0% for 2013, 2012 and 2011, respectively. The increase in the ratio in 2013 is primarily due to new treaties and the performance of existing treaties containing significant ceding allowances. The decrease in the ratio in 2012 is related to a decrease in the amortization of deferred acquisition costs affected by the mix of business, primarily in the UK. These percentages fluctuate due to timing of client company reporting, variations in the mixture of business and the relative maturity of the business. In addition, as the segment grows, renewal premiums, which have lower allowances than first-year premiums, represent a greater percentage of the total net premiums.
Other operating expenses decreased by $1.0 million, or 0.9%, and increased by $7.3 million, or 6.9%, in 2013 and 2012, respectively. Foreign currency exchange fluctuations resulted in a decrease in operating expenses of approximately $0.8 million and $3.9 million 2013 and 2012, respectively. Other operating expenses as a percentage of net premiums totaled 8.4%, 8.6% and 8.8% in 2013, 2012 and 2011, respectively. These decreases in expenses as a percentage of net premiums reflect sustained growth in net premiums for this segment.
45
Asia Pacific Operations
The Asia Pacific segment includes business generated by our offices principally in Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, New Zealand, South Korea, Taiwan and mainland China. The principal types of reinsurance include life, critical illness, disability, superannuation, and financial reinsurance. Superannuation is the Australian government mandated compulsory retirement savings program. Superannuation funds accumulate retirement funds for employees, and, in addition, offer life and disability insurance coverage. Reinsurance agreements may be facultative or automatic agreements covering primarily individual risks and in some markets, group risks.
For the year ended December 31, | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | |||||||||
(dollars in thousands) | ||||||||||||
Revenues: | ||||||||||||
Net premiums | $ | 1,419,828 | $ | 1,350,330 | $ | 1,304,490 | ||||||
Investment income, net of related expenses | 91,927 | 83,387 | 84,837 | |||||||||
Investment related gains (losses), net: | ||||||||||||
Other-than-temporary impairments on fixed maturity securities | — | — | (336 | ) | ||||||||
Other-than-temporary impairments on fixed maturity securities transferred to (from) accumulated other comprehensive income | — | — | — | |||||||||
Other investment related gains (losses), net | (5,596 | ) | 8,990 | 7,350 | ||||||||
Total investment related gains (losses), net | (5,596 | ) | 8,990 | 7,014 | ||||||||
Other revenues | 35,300 | 52,838 | 34,073 | |||||||||
Total revenues | 1,541,459 | 1,495,545 | 1,430,414 | |||||||||
Benefits and expenses: | ||||||||||||