DONEGAL GROUP INC - Quarter Report: 2017 June (Form 10-Q)

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q

(Mark One)

For the quarterly period ended June 30, 2017

OR

For the transition period from                      to                     .

Commission file number 0-15341

Donegal Group Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

1195 River Road, P.O. Box 302, Marietta, PA 17547

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip code)

(717) 426-1931

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Not applicable

(Former name, former address and former fiscal year, if changed since last report)

Indicate by check mark whether 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  ☒    No  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its 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  ☒    No  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.    ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).    Yes  ☐    No  ☒

Indicate the number of shares outstanding of each of the issuer’s classes of common stock, as of the latest practicable date: 21,745,343 shares of Class A Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share, and 5,576,775 shares of Class B Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share, outstanding on August 1, 2017.

DONEGAL GROUP INC.

INDEX TO FORM 10-Q REPORT

PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Item 1. Financial Statements.

Donegal Group Inc. and Subsidiaries

Consolidated Balance Sheets

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

1

Donegal Group Inc. and Subsidiaries

Consolidated Statements of Income

(Unaudited)

Donegal Group Inc. and Subsidiaries

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income

(Unaudited)

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

2

Donegal Group Inc. and Subsidiaries

Consolidated Statements of Income

(Unaudited)

Donegal Group Inc. and Subsidiaries

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income

(Unaudited)

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

3

Donegal Group Inc. and Subsidiaries

Consolidated Statement of Stockholders’ Equity

(Unaudited)

Six Months Ended June 30, 2017

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

4

Donegal Group Inc. and Subsidiaries

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

(Unaudited)

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

5

DONEGAL GROUP INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

(Unaudited)

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

1 - Organization

Donegal Mutual Insurance Company (“Donegal Mutual”) organized us as an insurance holding company on August 26, 1986. Our insurance subsidiaries, Atlantic States Insurance Company (“Atlantic States”), Southern Insurance Company of Virginia (“Southern”), Le Mars Insurance Company (“Le Mars”), the Peninsula Insurance Group (“Peninsula”), which consists of Peninsula Indemnity Company and The Peninsula Insurance Company, Sheboygan Falls Insurance Company (“Sheboygan”) and Michigan Insurance Company (“MICO”), write personal and commercial lines of property and casualty coverages exclusively through independent insurance agents in certain Mid-Atlantic, Midwestern, New England and Southern states. We also own 48.2% of the outstanding stock of Donegal Financial Services Corporation (“DFSC”), a grandfathered unitary savings and loan holding company that owns Union Community Bank (“UCB”), a state savings bank. Donegal Mutual owns the remaining 51.8% of the outstanding stock of DFSC.

We have four segments: our investment function, our personal lines of insurance, our commercial lines of insurance and our investment in DFSC. The personal lines products of our insurance subsidiaries consist primarily of homeowners and private passenger automobile policies. The commercial lines products of our insurance subsidiaries consist primarily of commercial automobile, commercial multi-peril and workers’ compensation policies.

At June 30, 2017, Donegal Mutual held approximately 45% of our outstanding Class A common stock and approximately 83% of our outstanding Class B common stock. That ownership provides Donegal Mutual with approximately 73% of the combined voting power of our outstanding shares of Class A common stock and our outstanding shares of Class B common stock. We believe Donegal Mutual’s voting control of us benefits us for the reasons we describe in our Annual Reports on Form 10-K and in our proxy statements. Our insurance subsidiaries and Donegal Mutual have interrelated operations due to a pooling agreement and other intercompany agreements and transactions. While each company maintains its separate corporate existence, Donegal Mutual and our insurance subsidiaries conduct business together as the Donegal Insurance Group. As such, Donegal Mutual and our insurance subsidiaries share the same business philosophy, the same management, the same employees and the same facilities and offer the same types of insurance products.

Atlantic States, our largest subsidiary, participates in a pooling agreement with Donegal Mutual. Under the pooling agreement, Donegal Mutual and Atlantic States pool their insurance business and each company receives an allocated percentage of the pooled business. Atlantic States has an 80% share of the results of the pooled business, and Donegal Mutual has a 20% share of the results of the pooled business. Pooled business represents the predominant percentage of the net underwriting activity of both Donegal Mutual and Atlantic States.

Donegal Mutual completed the merger of Mountain States Mutual Casualty Company (“Mountain States”) with and into Donegal Mutual effective May 25, 2017. Donegal Mutual is the surviving company in the merger, and Mountain States’ insurance subsidiaries, Mountain States Indemnity Company and Mountain States Commercial Insurance Company, became insurance subsidiaries of Donegal Mutual as a result of the merger. As of the effective date of the merger, Donegal Mutual assumed all of the policy obligations of Mountain States and began to market its products together with its insurance subsidiaries as the Mountain States Insurance Group in certain Southwestern states. For an indefinite period of time, Donegal Mutual will exclude the business of the Mountain States Insurance Group from the pooling agreement with Atlantic States. As a result, our consolidated financial results will exclude the results of Donegal Mutual’s operations in those Southwestern states.

The same executive management and underwriting personnel administer products, classes of business underwritten, pricing practices and underwriting standards of Donegal Mutual and our insurance subsidiaries. In addition, as the Donegal Insurance Group, Donegal Mutual and our insurance subsidiaries share a combined business plan to achieve market penetration and underwriting profitability objectives. The products our insurance subsidiaries and Donegal Mutual market are generally complementary, thereby allowing the Donegal Insurance Group to offer a broader range of products to a given market and to expand the Donegal Insurance Group’s ability to service entire personal lines or commercial lines accounts. Distinctions within the products Donegal Mutual and our insurance subsidiaries offer relate generally to specific risk profiles targeted within similar classes of business, such as preferred tier products versus standard tier products, but we do not allocate all of the standard risk gradients to one company. Therefore, the underwriting profitability of the business the individual companies write directly will vary. However, because the risk characteristics of all business Donegal Mutual and Atlantic States write directly are homogenized within the underwriting pool, Donegal Mutual and Atlantic States share the underwriting results in proportion to their respective participation in the underwriting pool.

6

On July 18, 2013, our board of directors authorized a share repurchase program pursuant to which we have the authority to purchase up to 500,000 shares of our Class A common stock at prices prevailing from time to time in the open market subject to the provisions of applicable rules of the SEC and in privately negotiated transactions. We did not purchase any shares of our Class A common stock under this program during the six months ended June 30, 2017 or 2016 . We have purchased a total of 57,658 shares of our Class A common stock under this program from its inception through June 30, 2017.

2 - Basis of Presentation

Our financial information for the interim periods included in this Form 10-Q Report is unaudited; however, our financial information we include in this Form 10-Q Report reflects all adjustments, consisting only of normal recurring adjustments that, in the opinion of our management, are necessary for a fair presentation of our financial position, results of operations and cash flows for those interim periods. Our results of operations for the six months ended June 30, 2017 are not necessarily indicative of the results of operations we expect for the year ending December 31, 2017.

We recommend you read the interim financial statements we include in this Form 10-Q Report in conjunction with the financial statements and the notes to our financial statements contained in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016.

3 - Earnings Per Share

We have two classes of common stock, which we refer to as our Class A common stock and our Class B common stock. Our certificate of incorporation provides that whenever our board of directors declares a dividend on our Class B common stock, our board of directors shall simultaneously declare a dividend on our Class A common stock that is payable to the holders of our Class A common stock at the same time and as of the same record date at a rate that is at least 10% greater than the rate at which our board of directors declared a dividend on our Class B common stock. Accordingly, we use the two-class method to compute our earnings per common share. The two-class method is an earnings allocation formula that determines earnings per share separately for each class of common stock based on dividends we have declared and an allocation of our remaining undistributed earnings using a participation percentage that reflects the dividend rights of each class. The table below presents for the periods indicated a reconciliation of the numerators and denominators we used to compute basic and diluted net (loss) income per share for each class of our common stock:

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We did not include outstanding options to purchase the following number of shares of Class A common stock in our computation of diluted earnings per share because the exercise price of the options exceeded the average market price of our Class A common stock during the applicable periods:

4 - Reinsurance

Atlantic States and Donegal Mutual have participated in a pooling agreement since 1986 under which each company places all of its direct written premiums into the pool the pooling agreement established, and Atlantic States and Donegal Mutual then share the underwriting results of the pool in accordance with the terms of the pooling agreement. Atlantic States has an 80% share of the results of the pool, and Donegal Mutual has a 20% share of the results of the pool.

Our insurance subsidiaries and Donegal Mutual purchase certain third-party reinsurance on a combined basis. Le Mars, MICO, Peninsula and Sheboygan also purchase separate third-party reinsurance that provides coverage that we believe is commensurate with their relative size and risk exposures. Our insurance subsidiaries use several different reinsurers, all of which, consistent with the requirements of our insurance subsidiaries and Donegal Mutual, have an A.M. Best rating of A- (Excellent) or better or, with respect to foreign reinsurers, have a financial condition that, in the opinion of our management, is equivalent to a company with at least an A- rating from A.M. Best. The following information describes the external reinsurance our insurance subsidiaries have in place for 2017:

8

Our insurance subsidiaries and Donegal Mutual also purchase facultative reinsurance to cover exposures in excess of the covered limits of their third-party reinsurance agreements.

In addition to the pooling agreement and third-party reinsurance, our insurance subsidiaries have various reinsurance agreements with Donegal Mutual.

We have made no significant changes to our third-party reinsurance or the reinsurance agreements between our insurance subsidiaries and Donegal Mutual during the six months ended June 30, 2017.

5 - Investments

The amortized cost and estimated fair values of our fixed maturities and equity securities at June 30, 2017 were as follows:

At June 30, 2017, our holdings of obligations of states and political subdivisions included general obligation bonds with an aggregate fair value of $209.9 million and an amortized cost of $199.7 million. Our holdings at June 30, 2017 also included special revenue bonds with an aggregate fair value of $96.1 million and an amortized cost of $90.5 million. With respect to both categories of those bonds at June 30, 2017, we held no securities of any issuer that comprised more than 10% of our holdings of either bond category. Education bonds and water and sewer utility bonds represented 58% and 23%, respectively, of our total investments in special revenue bonds based on the carrying values of these investments at June 30, 2017. Many of the issuers of the special revenue bonds we held at June 30, 2017 have the authority to impose ad valorem taxes. In that respect, many of the special revenue bonds we held at June 30, 2017 were similar to general obligation bonds.

9

The amortized cost and estimated fair values of our fixed maturities and equity securities at December 31, 2016 were as follows:

At December 31, 2016, our holdings of obligations of states and political subdivisions included general obligation bonds with an aggregate fair value of $220.1 million and an amortized cost of $211.0 million. Our holdings at December 31, 2016 also included special revenue bonds with an aggregate fair value of $96.8 million and an amortized cost of $91.7 million. With respect to both categories of those bonds at December 31, 2016, we held no securities of any issuer that comprised more than 10% of that category. Education bonds and water and sewer utility bonds represented 62% and 23%, respectively, of our total investments in special revenue bonds based on their carrying values at December 31, 2016. Many of the issuers of the special revenue bonds we held at December 31, 2016 have the authority to impose ad valorem taxes. In that respect, many of the special revenue bonds we held are similar to general obligation bonds.

We made reclassifications from available for sale to held to maturity of certain fixed maturities at fair value on November 30, 2013. We segregated within accumulated other comprehensive loss the net unrealized losses of $15.1 million arising prior to the November 30, 2013 reclassification date for fixed maturities we reclassified from available for sale to held to maturity. We are amortizing this balance over the remaining life of the related securities as an adjustment to yield in a manner consistent with the accretion of discount on the same fixed maturities. We recorded amortization of $604,812 and $694,613 in other comprehensive income during the six months ended June 30, 2017 and 2016, respectively. At June 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016, net unrealized losses of $10.4 million and $11.0 million, respectively, remained within accumulated other comprehensive loss.

10

We show below the amortized cost and estimated fair value of our fixed maturities at June 30, 2017 by contractual maturity. Expected maturities may differ from contractual maturities because issuers of the securities may have the right to call or prepay obligations with or without call or prepayment penalties.

Gross realized gains and losses from investments before applicable income taxes for the three and six months ended June 30, 2017 and 2016 were as follows:

We held fixed maturities and equity securities with unrealized losses representing declines that we considered temporary at June 30, 2017 as follows:

11

We held fixed maturities and equity securities with unrealized losses representing declines that we considered temporary at December 31, 2016 as follows:

We make estimates concerning the valuation of our investments and the recognition of other-than-temporary declines in the value of our investments. For equity securities, we write down the investment to its fair value, and we reflect the amount of the write-down as a realized loss in our results of operations when we consider the decline in value of an individual equity security investment to be other than temporary. We monitor all investments individually for other-than-temporary declines in value. Generally, we assume there has been an other-than-temporary decline in value if an individual equity security has depreciated in value by more than 20% of our original cost and has been in such an unrealized loss position for more than six months. We held eight equity securities that were in an unrealized loss position at June 30, 2017. Based upon our analysis of general market conditions and underlying factors impacting these equity securities, we considered these declines in value to be temporary. With respect to a debt security that is in an unrealized loss position, we first assess if we intend to sell the debt security. If we determine we intend to sell the debt security, we recognize the impairment loss in our results of operations. If we do not intend to sell the debt security, we determine whether it is more likely than not that we will be required to sell the debt security prior to recovery. If we determine it is more likely than not that we will be required to sell the debt security prior to recovery, we recognize the impairment loss in our results of operations. If we determine it is more likely than not that we will not be required to sell the debt security prior to recovery, we then evaluate whether a credit loss has occurred with respect to that security. We determine whether a credit loss has occurred by comparing the amortized cost of the debt security to the present value of the cash flows we expect to collect. If we expect a cash flow shortfall, we consider that a credit loss has occurred. If we determine that a credit loss has occurred, we consider the impairment to be other than temporary. We then recognize the amount of the impairment loss related to the credit loss in our results of operations, and we recognize the remaining portion of the impairment loss in our other comprehensive income, net of applicable taxes. In addition, we may write down securities in an unrealized loss position based on a number of other factors, including when the fair value of an investment is significantly below its cost, when the financial condition of the issuer of a security has deteriorated, the occurrence of industry, issuer or geographic events that have negatively impacted the value of a security and rating agency downgrades. We held 207 debt securities that were in an unrealized loss position at June 30, 2017. Based upon our analysis of general market conditions and underlying factors impacting these debt securities, we considered these declines in value to be temporary.

We amortize premiums and discounts on debt securities over the life of the security as an adjustment to yield using the effective interest method. We compute realized investment gains and losses using the specific identification method.

We amortize premiums and discounts on mortgage-backed debt securities using anticipated prepayments.

12

Our investment in affiliate represents our 48.2% ownership interest in DFSC. We account for our investment in affiliate using the equity method of accounting. Under this method, we record our investment at cost, with adjustments for our share of DFSC’s earnings and losses as well as changes in the equity of DFSC due to unrealized gains and losses. We include our share of DFSC’s net income in our results of operations. We have compiled the following summary financial information for DFSC at June 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016 and for the three and six months ended June 30, 2017 and 2016, respectively, from the financial statements of DFSC. The financial information of DFSC at June 30, 2017 and 2016 and for the three and six months then ended is unaudited.

13

6 - Segment Information

We evaluate the performance of our personal lines and commercial lines segments based upon the underwriting results of our insurance subsidiaries using statutory accounting principles (“SAP”) that various state insurance departments prescribe or permit. Our management uses SAP to measure the performance of our insurance subsidiaries instead of United States generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”). Financial data by segment for the three and six months ended June 30, 2017 and 2016 is as follows:

14

7 - Borrowings

Lines of Credit

In July 2017, we renewed our existing credit agreement with Manufacturers and Traders Trust Company (“M&T”) relating to a $60.0 million unsecured, revolving line of credit. The line of credit expires in July 2020. We have the right to request a one-year extension of the credit agreement as of each anniversary date of the credit agreement. At June 30, 2017, we had $34.0 million in outstanding borrowings from M&T and had the ability to borrow an additional $26.0 million at interest rates equal to M&T’s current prime rate or the then current LIBOR rate plus 2.25%. The interest rate on our outstanding borrowings from M&T is adjustable quarterly, and, at June 30, 2017, that interest rate was 3.48%. We pay a fee of 0.2% per annum on the loan commitment amount regardless of usage. The credit agreement requires our compliance with certain covenants. These covenants include minimum levels of our net worth, leverage ratio, statutory surplus and the A.M. Best ratings of our insurance subsidiaries. We were in compliance with all requirements of the credit agreement during the six months ended June 30, 2017.

MICO is a member of the Federal Home Loan Bank (“FHLB”) of Indianapolis. Through its membership, MICO has the ability to issue debt to the FHLB of Indianapolis in exchange for cash advances. MICO had no outstanding borrowings with the FHLB of Indianapolis at June 30, 2017. The table below presents the amount of FHLB of Indianapolis stock MICO purchased, collateral pledged and assets related to MICO’s membership in the FHLB of Indianapolis at June 30, 2017.

15

Atlantic States is a member of the FHLB of Pittsburgh. Through its membership, Atlantic States has the ability to issue debt to the FHLB of Pittsburgh in exchange for cash advances. Atlantic States had $35.0 million in outstanding advances at June 30, 2017. The interest rate on the advances was 1.25% at June 30, 2017. The table below presents the amount of FHLB of Pittsburgh stock Atlantic States purchased, collateral pledged and assets related to Atlantic States’ membership in the FHLB of Pittsburgh at June 30, 2017.

Subordinated Debentures

Donegal Mutual holds a $5.0 million surplus note that MICO issued to increase MICO’s statutory surplus. The surplus note carries an interest rate of 5.00%, and any repayment of principal or payment of interest on the surplus note requires prior approval of the Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services.

8 - Share–Based Compensation

We measure all share-based payments to employees, including grants of stock options, and use a fair-value-based method for the recording of related compensation expense in our consolidated statements of income. In determining the expense we record for stock options granted to directors and employees of our subsidiaries and affiliates, we estimate the fair value of each option award on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. The significant assumptions we utilize in applying the Black-Scholes option pricing model are the risk-free interest rate, the expected term, the dividend yield and the expected volatility.

We charged compensation expense related to our stock compensation plans against income before income taxes of $602,380 and $807,252 for the three months ended June 30, 2017 and 2016, respectively, with a corresponding income tax benefit of $210,833 and $282,538, respectively. We charged compensation expense related to our stock compensation plans against income before income taxes of $1.2 million and $1.6 million for the six months ended June 30, 2017 and 2016, respectively, with a corresponding income tax benefit of $420,068 and $565,441, respectively. At June 30, 2017, we had $2.5 million of unrecognized compensation expense related to nonvested share-based compensation granted under our stock compensation plans that we expect to recognize over a weighted average period of approximately 1.7 years.

We received cash from option exercises under all stock compensation plans during the three months ended June 30, 2017 and 2016 of $652,027 and $3.4 million, respectively. We received cash from option exercises under all stock compensation plans during the six months ended June 30, 2017 and 2016 of $2.2 million and $4.1 million, respectively.We realized actual tax benefits for the tax deductions related to option exercises of $70,822 and $243,600 for the three months ended June 30, 2017 and 2016, respectively. We realized actual tax benefits for the tax deductions related to option exercises of $178,356 and $278,196 for the six months ended June 30, 2017 and 2016, respectively.

9 - Fair Value Measurements

We account for financial assets using a framework that establishes a hierarchy that ranks the quality and reliability of the inputs, or assumptions, we use in the determination of fair value, and we classify financial assets and liabilities carried at fair value in one of the following three categories:

Level 1 - quoted prices in active markets for identical assets and liabilities;

Level 2 - directly or indirectly observable inputs other than Level 1 quoted prices; and

Level 3 - unobservable inputs not corroborated by market data.

For investments that have quoted market prices in active markets, we use the quoted market price as fair value and include these investments in Level 1 of the fair value hierarchy. We classify publicly-traded equity securities as Level 1. When quoted market prices in active markets are not available, we base fair values on quoted market prices of comparable instruments or price estimates we obtain from independent pricing services and include these investments in Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy. We classify our fixed maturity investments as Level 2. Our fixed maturity investments consist of U.S. Treasury securities and obligations of U.S. government corporations and agencies, obligations of states and political subdivisions, corporate securities and mortgage-backed securities.

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We present our investments in available-for-sale fixed maturity and equity securities at estimated fair value. The estimated fair value of a security may differ from the amount that could be realized if we sold the security in a forced transaction. In addition, the valuation of fixed maturity investments is more subjective when markets are less liquid, increasing the potential that the estimated fair value does not reflect the price at which an actual transaction would occur. We utilize nationally recognized independent pricing services to estimate fair values or obtain market quotations for substantially all of our fixed maturity and equity investments. These pricing services utilize market quotations for fixed maturity and equity securities that have quoted prices in active markets. For fixed maturity securities that generally do not trade on a daily basis, the pricing services prepare estimates of fair value measurements based predominantly on observable market inputs. The pricing services do not use broker quotes in determining the fair values of our investments. Our investment personnel review the estimates of fair value the pricing services provide to determine if the estimates we obtain from the pricing services are representative of fair values based upon our investment personnel’s general knowledge of the market, their research findings related to unusual fluctuations in value and their comparison of such values to execution prices for similar securities. Our investment personnel regularly monitor the market, current trading ranges for similar securities and the pricing of specific investments. Our investment personnel review all pricing estimates that we receive from the pricing services against their expectations with respect to pricing based on fair market curves, security ratings, coupon rates, security types and recent trading activity. Our investment personnel review documentation with respect to the pricing services’ pricing methodology that they obtain periodically to determine if the primary pricing sources, market inputs and pricing frequency for various security types are reasonable. At June 30, 2017, we received two estimates per security from the pricing services, and we priced substantially all of our Level 1 and Level 2 investments using those prices. In our review of the estimates the pricing services provided at June 30, 2017, we did not identify any material discrepancies, and we did not make any adjustments to the estimates the pricing services provided.

We present our cash and short-term investments at estimated fair value. We classify these items as Level 1.

The carrying values we report in our balance sheet for premium receivables and reinsurance receivables and payables for premiums and paid losses and loss expenses approximate their fair values. The carrying amounts we report in our balance sheet for our subordinated debentures and borrowings under lines of credit approximate their fair values. We classify these items as Level 3.

We evaluate our assets and liabilities on a recurring basis to determine the appropriate level at which to classify them for each reporting period.

The following table presents our fair value measurements for our investments in available-for-sale fixed maturity and equity securities at June 30, 2017: