FedNat Holding Co - Quarter Report: 2007 September (Form 10-Q)
UNITED
STATES
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON,
D.C. 20549
FORM
10-Q
x
QUARTERLY
REPORT
PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES
EXCHANGE
ACT OF 1934
FOR
THE QUARTERLY PERIOD ENDED September 30, 2007
OR
o
TRANSITION
REPORT
PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES
EXCHANGE
ACT OF 1934
FOR
THE TRANSITION PERIOD FROM ___________________TO
_______________________
Commission
File number 0-2500111
21st
Century
Holding Company
(Exact
name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Florida
|
65-0248866
|
|
(State
or Other Jurisdiction of
Incorporation
or Organization)
|
(IRS
Employer
Identification
Number)
|
3661
West Oakland Park Boulevard, Suite 300, Lauderdale Lakes, Florida
33311
(Address
of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)
954-581-9993
(Registrant's
telephone number, including area code)
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to
be
filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during
the
preceding 12 months (or for such period that the registrant was required to
file
such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the
past
90 days.
Yes
x
No
o
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an
accelerated filer, or a non-accelerated filer. See definition of “accelerated
filer and large accelerated filer” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange
Act
Large
accelerated filer o
|
Accelerated
filer x
|
Non-accelerated
filer o
|
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule
12b-2 of the Exchange Act).
Yes
o
No
x
Indicate
the number of shares outstanding of each of the issuer’s classes of common
stock, as of the latest practicable date.
Common
Stock, $.01
par
value
- 8,185,315 outstanding as of November 08, 2007
21ST
CENTURY HOLDING COMPANY
INDEX
PAGE
|
||
ITEM
1
|
Financial
Statements and Supplementary Data
|
3
|
ITEM
2
|
Management’s
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations
|
22
|
ITEM
3
|
Quantitative
and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk
|
42
|
ITEM
4
|
Controls
and Procedures
|
42
|
PART
II: OTHER INFORMATION
|
||
ITEM
1
|
Legal
Proceedings
|
44
|
ITEM
1A
|
Risk
Factors
|
44
|
ITEM
2
|
Unregistered
Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds
|
45
|
ITEM
3
|
Defaults
upon Senior Securities
|
45
|
ITEM
4
|
Submission
of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders
|
45
|
ITEM
5
|
Other
Information
|
46
|
ITEM
6
|
Exhibits
|
46
|
SIGNATURES |
48
|
-
2
-
PART
I: FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Item
1
21st
CENTURY
HOLDING COMPANY
CONSOLIDATED
BALANCE SHEETS
Period
Ending
|
|||||||
September 30, 2007
|
December 31, 2006
|
||||||
(Dollars
in Thousands)
|
|||||||
ASSETS
|
|||||||
Investments
|
|||||||
Fixed
maturities, available for sale, at fair value
|
$
|
119,084
|
$
|
98,525
|
|||
Fixed
maturities, held to maturity, at amoritized cost
|
20,366
|
19,667
|
|||||
Equity
securities, available for sale, at fair value
|
8,409
|
6,641
|
|||||
Total
investments
|
147,859
|
124,834
|
|||||
Cash
and short term investments
|
14,151
|
17,917
|
|||||
Receivable
for investments sold
|
496
|
-
|
|||||
Finance
contracts, net of allowance for credit losses of $60 in 2007 and
$116 in
2006, and net of unearned finance charges of $32 in 2007 and $90
in
2006
|
830
|
1,831
|
|||||
Prepaid
reinsurance premiums
|
14,916
|
14,460
|
|||||
Premiums
receivable, net of allowance for credit losses of $386 and $66,
respectively
|
3,141
|
7,222
|
|||||
Reinsurance
recoverable, net
|
16,798
|
20,230
|
|||||
Deferred
policy acquisition costs
|
10,467
|
11,153
|
|||||
Deferred
income taxes, net
|
4,813
|
3,610
|
|||||
Income
taxes receivable
|
1,200
|
787
|
|||||
Property,
plant and equipment, net
|
1,111
|
1,296
|
|||||
Other
assets
|
2,570
|
4,556
|
|||||
Total
assets
|
$
|
218,351
|
$
|
207,897
|
|||
LIABILITIES
AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY
|
|||||||
Unpaid
losses and LAE
|
$
|
50,320
|
$
|
39,615
|
|||
Unearned
premiums
|
68,136
|
77,829
|
|||||
Premiums
deposits and customer credit balances
|
2,049
|
3,793
|
|||||
Revolving
credit outstanding
|
10
|
10
|
|||||
Bank
overdraft
|
9,881
|
8,107
|
|||||
Subordinated
debt
|
-
|
4,167
|
|||||
Deferred
gain from sale of property
|
2,115
|
2,467
|
|||||
Accounts
payable and accrued expenses
|
6,688
|
5,715
|
|||||
Total
liabilities
|
139,198
|
141,704
|
|||||
Commitments
and Contingencies
|
|||||||
Shareholders'
equity:
|
|||||||
Common
stock, $0.01 par value. Authorized 25,000,000 shares; issued and
outstanding 7,999,311 and 7,896,919, respectively
|
80
|
79
|
|||||
Additional
paid-in capital
|
51,004
|
47,070
|
|||||
Accumulated
other comprehensive income (deficit)
|
(817
|
)
|
(967
|
)
|
|||
Retained
earnings
|
28,885
|
20,011
|
|||||
Total
shareholders' equity
|
79,152
|
66,193
|
|||||
Total
liabilities and shareholders' equity
|
$
|
218,351
|
$
|
207,897
|
SEE
ACCOMPANYING NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS
-
3
-
21ST
CENTURY
HOLDING COMPANY
CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(UNAUDITED)
Three Months Ended September 30,
|
Nine Months Ended September 30,
|
||||||||||||
2007
|
2006
|
2007
|
2006
|
||||||||||
(Dollars in Thousands except
EPS and dividend data)
|
(Dollars in Thousands except
EPS and dividend data)
|
||||||||||||
Revenue:
|
|||||||||||||
Gross
premiums written
|
$
|
16,064
|
$
|
24,670
|
$
|
109,716
|
$
|
111,031
|
|||||
Gross
premiums ceded
|
(30,736
|
)
|
(57,378
|
)
|
(46,545
|
)
|
(60,750
|
)
|
|||||
Net
premiums written
|
(14,673
|
)
|
(32,709
|
)
|
63,171
|
50,281
|
|||||||
Increase
in prepaid reinsurance premiums
|
19,322
|
42,060
|
1,504
|
32,795
|
|||||||||
Decrease
(Increase) in unearned premiums
|
22,532
|
12,356
|
9,693
|
(10,821
|
)
|
||||||||
Net
change in prepaid reinsurance premiums and unearned
premiums
|
41,854
|
54,416
|
11,197
|
21,974
|
|||||||||
Net
premiums earned
|
27,181
|
21,707
|
74,368
|
72,255
|
|||||||||
Commission
income
|
431
|
460
|
6,922
|
618
|
|||||||||
Finance
revenue
|
116
|
335
|
463
|
1,467
|
|||||||||
Managing
general agent fees
|
178
|
602
|
1,600
|
1,983
|
|||||||||
Net
investment income
|
2,329
|
1,573
|
6,029
|
4,381
|
|||||||||
Net
realized investment gains (losses)
|
(1,441
|
)
|
263
|
(1,489
|
)
|
743
|
|||||||
Other
income
|
778
|
(170
|
)
|
1,757
|
780
|
||||||||
Total
revenue
|
29,571
|
24,770
|
89,649
|
82,227
|
|||||||||
Expenses:
|
|||||||||||||
Loss
and LAE
|
14,850
|
10,271
|
38,610
|
27,183
|
|||||||||
Operating
and underwriting expenses
|
3,884
|
3,780
|
10,949
|
8,392
|
|||||||||
Salaries
and wages
|
1,775
|
1,699
|
5,065
|
5,309
|
|||||||||
Interest
expense
|
28
|
135
|
173
|
545
|
|||||||||
Policy
acquisition costs, net of amortization
|
5,379
|
4,999
|
14,896
|
13,044
|
|||||||||
Total
expenses
|
25,916
|
20,884
|
69,693
|
54,474
|
|||||||||
Income
before provision for income tax expense
|
3,656
|
3,887
|
19,956
|
27,753
|
|||||||||
Provision
for income tax expense
|
1,787
|
857
|
6,766
|
9,806
|
|||||||||
Net
income
|
$
|
1,869
|
$
|
3,029
|
$
|
13,190
|
$
|
17,947
|
|||||
Basic
net income per share
|
$
|
0.24
|
$
|
0.40
|
$
|
1.66
|
$
|
2.41
|
|||||
Fully
diluted net income per share
|
$
|
0.24
|
$
|
0.40
|
$
|
1.64
|
$
|
2.27
|
|||||
Weighted
average number of common shares outstanding
|
7,891,650
|
7,560,872
|
7,927,366
|
7,433,953
|
|||||||||
Weighted
average number of common shares outstanding (assuming
dilution)
|
7,948,385
|
7,562,563
|
8,050,983
|
7,912,077
|
|||||||||
Dividends
paid per share
|
$
|
0.18
|
$
|
0.12
|
$
|
0.54
|
$
|
0.36
|
SEE
ACCOMPANYING NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
-
4
-
21ST
CENTURY
HOLDING COMPANY
CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(UNAUDITED)
Nine Months Ended September 30,
|
|||||||
2007
|
2006
|
||||||
(Dollars
in Thousands)
|
|||||||
Cash
flow from operating activities:
|
|||||||
Net
income
|
$
|
13,190
|
$
|
17,947
|
|||
Adjustments
to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating
activities:
|
|||||||
Amortization
of investment discount, net
|
(272
|
)
|
(221
|
)
|
|||
Depreciation
and amortization of property plant and equipment, net
|
232
|
251
|
|||||
Net
realized investment (gains) losses
|
(352
|
)
|
743
|
||||
Gain
on sale of assets
|
-
|
(463
|
)
|
||||
Common
Stock issued for interest on Notes
|
109
|
128
|
|||||
(Recovery)
provision for credit losses, net
|
(48
|
)
|
119
|
||||
Provision
(recovery)for uncollectible premiums receivable
|
320
|
(54
|
)
|
||||
Non-cash
compensation
|
309
|
395
|
|||||
Changes
in operating assets and liabilities:
|
|||||||
Premiums
receivable
|
3,762
|
3,320
|
|||||
Prepaid
reinsurance premiums
|
(456
|
)
|
(39,395
|
)
|
|||
Reinsurance
recoverable, net
|
3,432
|
155,684
|
|||||
Income
taxes recoverable
|
(413
|
)
|
-
|
||||
Deferred
income tax expense
|
(1,203
|
)
|
(2,031
|
)
|
|||
Deferred
gain on sale of assets
|
-
|
(2,482
|
)
|
||||
Policy
acquisition costs, net of amortization
|
686
|
(1,605
|
)
|
||||
Premium
finance contracts receivable
|
1,049
|
4,943
|
|||||
Other
assets
|
1,635
|
4,260
|
|||||
Unpaid
losses and LAE
|
10,704
|
(122,811
|
)
|
||||
Unearned
premiums
|
(9,693
|
)
|
10,821
|
||||
Premium
deposits and customer credit balances
|
(1,744
|
)
|
570
|
||||
Funds
held under reinsurance treaties
|
-
|
3
|
|||||
Income
taxes payable
|
-
|
7,892
|
|||||
Bank
overdraft
|
1,773
|
(11,949
|
)
|
||||
Accounts
payable and accrued expenses
|
973
|
(1,792
|
)
|
||||
Net
cash provided by operating activities
|
23,995
|
24,272
|
|||||
Cash
flow used in investing activities:
|
|||||||
Proceeds
from sale of investment securities available for sale
|
159,573
|
230,940
|
|||||
Purchases
of investment securities available for sale
|
(181,182
|
)
|
(259,823
|
)
|
|||
Purchases
of property and equipment
|
(47
|
)
|
(381
|
)
|
|||
Proceeds
from sale of assets
|
-
|
5,607
|
|||||
Net
cash used in investing activities
|
(21,657
|
)
|
(23,657
|
)
|
|||
Cash
flow (used in) provided by financing activities:
|
|||||||
Subordinated
debt
|
(2,083
|
)
|
(3,333
|
)
|
|||
Exercised
stock options
|
103
|
1,637
|
|||||
Dividends
paid
|
(4,316
|
)
|
(2,906
|
)
|
|||
Exercised
warrants, net
|
2,035
|
7,969
|
|||||
Acquisition
of Common Stock
|
(2,000
|
)
|
(2,001
|
)
|
|||
Tax
benefit related to non-cash compensation
|
159
|
-
|
|||||
Revolving
credit outstanding
|
0
|
(187
|
)
|
||||
Net
cash (used in) provided by financing activities
|
(6,104
|
)
|
1,179
|
||||
Net
(decrease) increase in cash and short term investments
|
(3,766
|
)
|
1,795
|
||||
Cash
and short term investments at beginning of period
|
17,917
|
6,071
|
|||||
Cash
and short term investments at end of period
|
$
|
14,151
|
$
|
7,866
|
SEE
ACCOMPANYING NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
-
5
-
21ST
CENTURY
HOLDING COMPANY
CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(UNAUDITED)
(continued)
|
2007
|
2006
|
|||||
Supplemental
disclosure of cash flow information:
|
|||||||
Cash
paid during the period for:
|
|||||||
Interest
|
$
|
44
|
$
|
160
|
|||
Income
taxes
|
$
|
7,300
|
$
|
4,650
|
|||
Non-cash
investing and finance activities:
|
|||||||
Accrued
dividends payable
|
$
|
1,473
|
$
|
972
|
|||
Retirement
of subordinated debt by common stock issuance
|
$
|
2,083
|
$
|
1,667
|
|||
Stock
issued to pay interest on subordinated debt
|
$
|
109
|
$
|
128
|
SEE
ACCOMPANYING NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
-
6
-
21st
Century Holding Company
Notes
to Consolidated Financial Statements
(1) Organization
and Business
The
accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements of 21st
Century
Holding Company have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted
accounting principles (“GAAP”) for interim financial information and with the
instructions for Form 10-Q and Rule 10-01 of Regulation S-X. These financial
statements do not include all information and notes required by GAAP for
complete financial statements, and should be read in conjunction with the
audited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in the
Company's annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2006.
The
December 31, 2006 year-end balance sheet data was derived from audited financial
statements but does not include all disclosures required by GAAP. The financial
information furnished reflects all adjustments, consisting only of normal
recurring accruals, which are, in the opinion of management, necessary for
a
fair presentation of the financial position, results of operations and cash
flows for the periods presented. The results of operations are not necessarily
indicative of the results of operations that may be achieved in the
future.
21st
Century
Holding Company (“21st
Century,” “the Company”, “we,” “us”) is an insurance holding company, which,
through our subsidiaries and our contractual relationships with our independent
agents and general agents, controls substantially all aspects of the insurance
underwriting, distribution and claims process. We are authorized to underwrite
homeowners’ property and casualty insurance, commercial general liability
insurance, and personal automobile insurance in various states with various
lines of authority through our wholly owned subsidiaries, Federated National
Insurance Company (“Federated National”) and American Vehicle Insurance Company
(“American Vehicle”).
Federated
National is authorized to underwrite homeowners’ property and casualty insurance
and personal automobile insurance in Florida as an admitted carrier. American
Vehicle is authorized to underwrite personal automobile insurance and commercial
general liability coverage in Florida as an admitted carrier. In addition,
American Vehicle is authorized to underwrite commercial general liability
insurance in Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina, Virginia, Missouri, Nevada,
Maryland, Arkansas and California as a surplus lines carrier; and in Texas,
Louisiana and Alabama as an admitted carrier. American Vehicle operations in
Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Texas, South Carolina, Virginia and
Alabama are on-going. American Vehicle operations in Nevada, Maryland, Arkansas,
Missouri and California are expected to begin this year. American Vehicle has
applications pending authorization as a surplus lines carrier in the states
of
Oklahoma, Ohio and Tennessee; and an application pending authorization as an
admitted carrier to the state of Illinois.
During
the nine months ended September 30, 2007, 75.2%, 23.3% and 1.5% of the premiums
we underwrote were for homeowners’ property and casualty insurance, commercial
general liability insurance and personal automobile insurance, respectively.
During the nine months ended September 30, 2006, 72.8%, 22.3% and 4.9% of the
premiums we underwrote were for homeowners’ property and casualty insurance,
commercial general liability insurance and personal automobile insurance,
respectively. We internally process claims made by our own and third-party
insureds through our wholly owned claims adjusting company, Superior Adjusting,
Inc. (“Superior”). We also offer premium financing to our own and third-party
insureds through our wholly owned subsidiary, Federated Premium Finance, Inc.
(“Federated Premium”).
We
market
and distribute our own and third-party insurers’ products and our other services
primarily in Florida, through contractual relationships with a network of
approximately 1,500 independent agents and a select number of general agents.
Assurance
Managing General Agents, Inc. (“Assurance MGA”), a wholly owned subsidiary, acts
as Federated National’s and American Vehicle’s exclusive managing general agent
in the state of Florida. As American Vehicle continues its expansion into other
states, we intend on retaining other general agents to market our commercial
general liability insurance product beyond the state of Florida. Assurance
MGA
currently provides underwriting policy administration, marketing, accounting
and
financial services to Federated National and American Vehicle, and participates
in the negotiation of reinsurance contracts. Assurance MGA generates revenue
through a 6% commission fee from the insurance companies’ gross written premium,
policy fee income of $25 per policy and other administrative fees from the
marketing of company products through the Company’s distribution network. The 6%
commission fee from Federated National and American Vehicle was made effective
January 1, 2005. Assurance MGA plans to establish relationships with additional
carriers and add additional insurance products in the future.
-
7
-
21st
Century Holding Company
Notes
to Consolidated Financial Statements
(2)
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies and Practices
(A) Critical
Accounting Policies
The
preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management
to make estimates and assumptions about future events that affect the amounts
reported in the financial statements and accompanying notes. Future events
and
their effects cannot be determined with absolute certainty. Therefore, the
determination of estimates requires the exercise of judgment. Actual results
inevitably will differ from those estimates, and such differences may be
material to the financial statements.
The
most
significant accounting estimates inherent in the preparation of our financial
statements include estimates associated with management’s evaluation of the
determination of liability for unpaid loss and loss adjustment expenses (“LAE”)
and the amount and recoverability of amortization of deferred policy acquisition
costs. In addition, significant estimates form the basis for our reserves with
respect to finance contracts, premiums receivable and deferred income taxes.
Various assumptions and other factors underlie the determination of these
significant estimates, which are described in greater detail in Footnote 2
of
the Company’s audited financial statements for the fiscal year ended December
31, 2006 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on March 16,
2007.
The
process of determining significant estimates is fact-specific and takes into
account factors such as historical experience, current and expected economic
conditions, and in the case of unpaid loss and LAE, an actuarial valuation.
Management regularly reevaluates these significant factors and makes adjustments
where facts and circumstances dictate. In selecting the best estimate, we
utilize various actuarial methodologies. Each of these methodologies is designed
to forecast the number of claims we will be called upon to pay and the amounts
we will pay on average to settle those claims. In arriving at our best estimate,
our actuaries consider the likely predictive value of the various loss
development methodologies employed in light of underwriting practices, premium
rate changes and claim settlement practices that may have occurred, and weight
the credibility of each methodology. Our actuarial methodologies take into
account various factors, including, but not limited to, paid losses, liability
estimates for reported losses, paid allocated LAE, salvage and other recoveries
received, reported claim counts, open claim counts and counts for claims closed
with and without payment of loss.
Accounting
for loss contingencies pursuant to Statements of Financial Accounting Standards
(“SFAS”), No. 5 involves the existence of a condition, situation or set of
circumstances involving uncertainty as to possible loss that will ultimately
be
resolved when one or more future event(s) occur or fail to occur. Additionally,
accounting for a loss contingency requires management to assess each event
as
probable, reasonably possible or remote. Probable is defined as the future
event
or events are likely to occur. Reasonably possible is defined as the chance
of
the future event or events occurring is more than remote but less than probable,
while remote is defined as the chance of the future event or events occurring
is
slight. An estimated loss in connection with a loss contingency shall be
recorded by a charge to current operations if both of the following conditions
are met: First, the amount can be reasonably estimated; and second, the
information available prior to issuance of the financial statements indicates
that it is probable that a liability has been incurred at the date of the
financial statements. It is implicit in this condition that it is probable
that
one or more future events will occur confirming the fact of the loss or
incurrence of a liability.
We
are
required to review the contractual terms of all our reinsurance purchases to
ensure compliance with SFAS No. 113,
Accounting and Reporting for Reinsurance of Short-Duration and Long-Duration
Contracts.
The
statement establishes the conditions required for a contract with a reinsurer
to
be accounted for as reinsurance and prescribes accounting and reporting
standards for those contracts. Contracts that do not result in the reasonable
possibility that the reinsurer may realize a significant loss from the insurance
risk assumed generally do not meet the conditions for reinsurance accounting
and
must be accounted for as deposits. SFAS No. 113 also requires us to disclose
the
nature, purpose and effect of reinsurance transactions, including the premium
amounts associated with reinsurance assumed and ceded. It also requires
disclosure of concentrations of credit risk associated with reinsurance
receivables and prepaid reinsurance premiums.
-
8
-
21st
Century Holding Company
Notes
to Consolidated Financial Statements
(B)
Impact of New Accounting Pronouncements
In
February 2007, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued
SFAS No. 159 “The
Fair Value Option for Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities— Including an
Amendment of SFAS No. 115”
(“SFAS No. 159”), which permits an entity to measure many financial assets
and financial liabilities at fair value that are not currently required to
be
measured at fair value. Entities that elect the fair value option will report
unrealized gains and losses in earnings at each subsequent reporting date.
The
fair value option may be elected on an instrument-by-instrument basis, with
a
few exceptions. SFAS No. 159 amends previous guidance to extend the use of
the fair value option to available-for-sale and held-to-maturity securities.
SFAS No. 159 also establishes presentation and disclosure requirements to
help financial statement users understand the effect of the election. We will
adopt SFAS No. 159 on its effective date, January 1, 2008. We do not
expect the adoption of SFAS No. 159 to have a material impact, if any, on our
financial position or results of operations.
In
June
2006, FASB issued FIN 48, Accounting
for Uncertainty in Income Taxes
that
clarifies the accounting for income tax reserves and contingencies recognized
in
an enterprise’s financial statements in accordance with SFAS No. 109,
Accounting
for Income Taxes.
This
Interpretation also provides guidance on derecognition, classification, interest
and penalties, accounting in interim periods, disclosure and transition. This
Interpretation is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2006.
The Company has evaluated and concluded that the impact of FIN 48 will be
minimal and includes a policy of classifying interest and penalties related
to
income tax as elements of income tax expense in the consolidated financial
statements. As required by FIN 48, this change was done prospectively.
Previously, penalties and interest were classified as operating and underwriting
expenses.
In
December 2004, FASB revised SFAS No. 123, Share-Based
Payments
(“SFAS
No. 123R”). This statement eliminates the option to apply the intrinsic value
measurement provisions of the Accounting Principles Board (“APB”) No. 25 to
stock compensation awards issued to employees. Rather, SFAS No. 123R requires
companies to measure the cost of employee services received in exchange for
an
award of equity instruments based on the grant date fair value of the award.
That cost will be recognized over the requisite service period (usually the
vesting period) during which an employee is required to provide services in
exchange for the award. SFAS No. 123R also requires companies to measure the
cost of employee services received in exchange for employee stock purchase
plan
awards. SFAS No. 123R was effective for 21st
Century’s fiscal year beginning January 1, 2006 as subsequently extended by the
SEC pursuant to its April 13, 2005 announcement.
In
connection with the implementation of SFAS No. 123R, we have determined that
the
pretax charge to earnings for the year ending 2007 will total approximately
$0.6
million, of which approximately $0.5 million was charged to income from
continuing operations before provision for income taxes for the nine months
ended September 30, 2007. The effect on earnings per share for the nine months
ended September 30, 2007 for both undiluted and fully diluted was less than
$0.04 per share. For a more detailed discussion, please see Footnote 8, titled
Stock Compensation Plans.
(C)
Stock Options
At
September 30, 2007, the Company had two stock-based employee compensation plans
and one stock-based franchise compensation plan, which are described later
in
footnote 8, Stock Compensation Plans.
Effective
January 1, 2006, the Company adopted the fair value recognition provisions
of
SFAS No. 123R using the modified-prospective-transition method. Under that
transition method, compensation cost recognized during the nine months ended
September 30, 2007 includes compensation cost for all share-based payments
granted subsequent to January 1, 2007, based on the grant date fair-value
estimated in accordance with the provisions of SFAS No. 123R.
During
the nine months ended September 30, 2007, we have granted 30,000 qualified
stock
options to employees and 10,000 non-qualified stock options to a director and
20,000 to the Chief Financial Officer with an average option price of
$12.28
per
share. Like all other outstanding stock options, these stock options contain
service conditions and do not contain any performance conditions. For a further
discussion regarding the provisions of SFAS No. 123R and its effect on our
operations, please refer to footnote 8, Stock Compensation Plans.
-
9
-
21st
Century Holding Company
Notes
to Consolidated Financial Statements
(D)
Earnings
per Share
Basic
earnings per share (“Basic EPS”) is computed by dividing net income by the
weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period
presented. Diluted earnings per share (“Diluted EPS”) is computed by dividing
net income by the weighted average number of shares of common stock and common
stock equivalents outstanding during the period presented; outstanding warrants
and stock options are considered common stock equivalents and are included
in
the calculation using the treasury stock method. Additionally, when applicable,
we include in our computation of the weighted average number of common shares
outstanding all common stock issued in connection with the repayment of our
Subordinated note.
(E)
Reclassifications
Certain
amounts in 2006 financial statements have been reclassified to conform to the
2007 presentation.
(3)
Revolving Credit Outstanding
Federated
Premium’s operations are funded by a revolving loan agreement (“Revolving
Agreement”) with FlatIron Funding Company LLC (“FlatIron”). The Revolving
Agreement is structured as a sale of contracts receivable under a sale and
assignment agreement with Westchester Premium Acceptance Corporation (“WPAC”) (a
wholly-owned subsidiary of FlatIron), which gives WPAC the right to sell or
assign these contracts receivable. Federated Premium, which services these
contracts, has recorded transactions under the Revolving Agreement as secured
borrowings. Outstanding borrowings under the Revolving Agreement as of September
30, 2007 and December 31, 2006 were unchanged at approximately $10,000. This
credit facility was scheduled to terminate, at our request, on September 30,
2007 and we are currently in the process of settling all aspects of this
relationship.
The
effective interest rate on this line of credit, based on our average outstanding
borrowings under the Revolving Agreement, was 19.88% and 9.78% for the three
months ended September 30, 2007 and 2006, respectively. Interest expense on
this
revolving credit line for the three months ended September 30, 2007 and 2006
was
unchanged at approximately $500. Interest expense on this revolving credit
line
for the nine months ended September 30, 2007 and 2006 totaled approximately
$1,500 and $8,000, respectively.
(4)
Commitments and Contingencies
Management
has a responsibility to continually measure and monitor its commitments and
its
contingencies. The nature of the Company’s commitments and contingencies can be
grouped into three major categories, insured claim activity, assessment related
activities and operational matters.
We
are
involved in claims and legal actions arising in the ordinary course of business.
Revisions to our estimates are based on our analysis of subsequent information
that we receive regarding various factors, including: (i) per claim information;
(ii) company and industry historical loss experience; (iii) legislative
enactments, judicial decisions, legal developments in the awarding of damages,
and (iv) trends in general economic conditions, including the effects of
inflation. Management revises its estimates based on the results of its
analysis. This process assumes that past experience, adjusted for the effects
of
current developments and anticipated trends, is an appropriate basis for
estimating the ultimate settlement of all claims. There is no precise method
for
subsequently evaluating the impact of any specific factor on the adequacy of
the
reserves, because the eventual redundancy or deficiency is affected by multiple
factors. In the opinion of management, the ultimate disposition of these matters
will not have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial position,
results of operations, or liquidity.
We
operate in a regulatory environment where certain entities and organizations
have the authority to require us to participate in assessments. Currently these
entities and organizations include, but are not limited to, the Florida
Insurance Guarantee Association (“FIGA”), Citizens Property Insurance
Corporation (“Citizens”) the Florida Hurricane Catastrophic Fund (“FHCF”) and
the Florida Joint Underwriters Association (“Florida JUA”),
-
10
-
21st
Century Holding Company
Notes
to Consolidated Financial Statements
As
a
direct premium writer in the State of Florida, we are required to participate
in
certain insurer solvency associations under Florida Statutes 631.57(3) (a).
Participation in these pools is based on our written premiums by line of
business compared to total premiums written statewide by all insurers.
Participation may result in assessments against us as it did in 2006. On October
11, 2007, FIGA’s Board certified the need to assess each member an amount equal
to two (2%) percent of the member’s Florida net direct written premiums for the
calendar year 2006. Both American Vehicle and Federated National are considered
members of FIGA. FIGA’s certification was approved by Florida’s Insurance
Commissioner on October 29, 2007. We have estimated that our participation
with
this assessment will total approximately $2.8 million and is payable November
30, 2007. During 2006, we were assessed $3.9 million in connection with the
FIGA. For statutory accounting purposes these assessments are not charged to
operations, in contrast GAAP treatment is to charge current operations for
the
assessments. Through policyholder surcharges, as approved by the Florida Office
of Insurance Regulation (“OIR”), during the nine months ended September 30,
2007, we collected approximately $1.3 million. FIGA’s October 11, 2007
assessment was charged to operations during the period ended September 30,
2007.
Future assessments by this association are undeterminable at this
time.
During
its regularly scheduled meeting on August 17, 2005, the Board of Governors
of
Citizens determined a 2004 plan year deficit existed in the High Risk Account.
Citizens decided that a $515 million Regular Assessment was in the best interest
of Citizens and consistent with Florida Statutes. On this basis, Citizens
certified for a Regular Assessment. Federated National’s participation in this
assessment totaled $2.0 million. Provisions contained in our excess of loss
reinsurance policies provide for reinsurance participation totaling $1.5
million.
During
a
subsequent regularly scheduled meeting on or about December 18, 2006, Citizens
Board determined an additional 2004 plan year deficit existed in the High Risk
Account. Citizens decided that an additional $515 million Regular Assessment
was
in the best interest of Citizens and consistent with Florida Statutes. On this
basis, Citizens was certified for a Regular Assessment. Federated National’s
participation in this assessment totaled $0.3 million. Future assessments by
this association are undeterminable at this time.
Pursuant
to Section 627.3512, Florida Statutes, insurers are permitted to recoup the
assessment by adding a surcharge to policies in an amount not to exceed the
amount paid by the insurer to Citizens. Through policyholder surcharges, as
approved by the OIR, during the nine months ended September 30, 2007, we
collected approximately $0.4 million in connection with the Citizens
assessments.
The
OIR
issued Information Memorandum OIR-06-008M, titled Notice
of Anticipated Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund Assessment, dated
May
4, 2006, to all property and casualty, surplus lines insurers, and surplus
lines
agents in the state of Florida placing them on notice of an anticipated FHCF
assessment. Sighting the unprecedented hurricane seasons of 2004 and 2005,
the
FHCF exhausted nearly all of the $6 billion in reserves it had accumulated
since
its inception in 1993. The Florida State Board of Administration, the body
that
oversees the FHCF, issued its directive to levy an emergency assessment upon
all
property and casualty business in the state of Florida. There is no statutory
requirement that policyholders be notified of the FHCF assessment. The FHCF
and
OIR are, however, recommending that insurers include the FHCF assessment in
a
line item on the declaration page for two reasons: (1) this is a multi-year
assessment and (2) there may be concurrent assessments and the insureds should
know what amount is for which assessment. The assessment became effective on
all
policies effective after January 1, 2007 and will be remitted to the
administrator of the assessment as collected and therefore accounted for in
a
manner such that amounts collected or receivable are not recorded as revenues
and amounts due or paid are not expensed.
In
addition to the assessments noted above, the OIR has also issued Information
Memorandum OIR -07-02M, titled Information
Regarding Emergency Assessment by Citizens Property Insurance
Corporation,
dated
January 11, 2007, to all property and casualty insurers in the state of Florida
placing them on notice that an order has been approved for an emergency
assessment by Citizens for its High Risk Account. This order requires insurers
to begin collecting the emergency assessment for policies issued or renewed
on
or after July 1, 2007. Similar to the FHCF assessment discussed above, the
Citizens emergency assessment will be remitted to the administrator of the
assessment as collected and therefore accounted for in a manner such that
amounts collected or receivable are not recorded as revenues and amounts due
or
paid are not expensed.
-
11
-
21st
Century Holding Company
Notes
to Consolidated Financial Statements
Both
Federated National and American Vehicle participate in an insurance
apportionment plan under Section 627.351, Florida Statutes, which is referred
to
as a Joint Underwriting Plan (“JUA Plan”). The JUA Plan provides for the
equitable apportionment of any profits realized, or losses and expenses
incurred, among participating motor vehicle insurers. In the event of an
underwriting deficit incurred by the JUA Plan, which is not recovered through
the policyholders in the JUA Plan, such deficit shall be recovered from the
companies participating in the JUA Plan in the proportion that the net direct
written premiums of each such member during the preceding calendar year bear
to
the aggregate net direct premiums written in this state by all members of the
JUA Plan. During the nine months ended September 30, 2007, Federated National
and American Vehicle were not assessed by the JUA Plan based on their respective
Cash Activity Reports. These assessments would be charged to operations as
paid.
Future assessments by this association are undeterminable at this
time.
The
2004,
2003 and 2002 consolidated Federal Income Tax Returns filed by the Company
have
been examined by the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) during 2006 and 2005. We
have concurred with certain IRS conclusions and have appealed other conclusions.
Irrespective of the ongoing appellate process, we do not believe that a material
adjustment will occur. Income taxes receivable are net of $160,000 valuation
allowance established during the year ended December 31, 2007 in conjunction
with this process. The Company records valuation allowances to reduce deferred
tax assets to the amount that is more likely than not to be realized. When
assessing the need for valuation allowances, the Company considers future
taxable income and ongoing prudent and feasible tax planning strategies. Should
a change in circumstances lead to a change in judgment about the realizability
of deferred tax assets in future years, the Company would adjust related
valuation allowances in the period that the change in circumstances occurs,
along with a corresponding increase or charge to net income. The resolution
of
tax reserves and changes in valuation allowances could be material to the
Company’s results of operations for any period, but is not expected to be
material to the Company’s financial position.
Relative
to the Company’s commitments stemming from operational matters, effective on or
about March 1, 2006, 21st
Century
sold its interest in the Lauderdale Lakes property to an unrelated party. As
part of this transaction, 21st
Century
has agreed to lease the same facilities for a five-year term. Our lease for
this
office space expires in December 2011.
The
expected future lease payouts in connection with this lease are as
follows:
Fiscal
Year
|
Lease payments
|
|||
2007
|
$
|
150,722
|
||
2008
|
612,934
|
|||
2009
|
625,193
|
|||
2010
|
637,697
|
|||
2011
|
650,451
|
|||
Total
|
$
|
2,676,997
|
From
July
27, 2007 to August 7, 2007, several securities class action lawsuits were filed
against the Company and certain of its executive officers in the United States
District Court for the Southern District of Florida on behalf of all persons
and
entities who purchased the Company's securities during the various class periods
specified in the complaints. While the specific factual allegations vary
slightly in each case, the complaints allege that the defendants made false
and
misleading statements and failed to accurately project the Company's business
and financial performance during the putative class period. The complaints
seek
an unspecified amount of damages and claim violations of Sections 10(b) and
20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5. The Company expects
that these two actions will be consolidated into one case in the United States
District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
While
the
Company believes that the allegations in the complaint are without merit, an
unfavorable resolution of pending litigation could have a material adverse
effect on our financial condition. Litigation may result in substantial costs
and expenses and significantly divert the attention of the Company's management
regardless of the outcome. There can be no assurance that the Company will
be
able to achieve a favorable settlement of pending litigation or obtain a
favorable resolution of this litigation if it is not settled. In addition,
current litigation could lead to increased costs or interruptions of normal
business operations of the Company.
-
12
-
21st
Century Holding Company
Notes
to Consolidated Financial Statements
(5)
Comprehensive Income
For
the
three and nine months ended September 30, 2007 and 2006, comprehensive income
consisted of the following:
For the three months ended September 30,
|
For the nine months ended September 30,
|
||||||||||||
2007
|
2006
|
2007
|
2006
|
||||||||||
Net
income
|
$
|
1,868,802
|
$
|
3,029,285
|
$
|
13,190,036
|
$
|
17,947,156
|
|||||
Change
in net unrealized gains on investments available for sale
|
1,444,212
|
1,312,936
|
241,086
|
959,364
|
|||||||||
Comprehensive
income, before tax
|
3,313,014
|
4,342,221
|
13,431,122
|
18,906,520
|
|||||||||
Income
tax benefit (expense) related to items of other comprehensive
income
|
(620,872
|
)
|
(494,058
|
)
|
(90,721
|
)
|
(361,009
|
)
|
|||||
Comprehensive
income
|
$
|
2,692,142
|
$
|
3,848,163
|
$
|
13,340,401
|
$
|
18,545,511
|
(6)
Segment Information
FASB
Statement No. 131, Disclosures
About Segments of an Enterprise and Related Information,
requires that the amount reported for each segment item be based on what is used
by the chief operating decision maker in formulating a determination as to
how
many resources to assign to a segment and how to appraise the performance of
that segment. The term chief operating decision maker may apply to the chief
executive officer or chief operating officer or to a group of executives. Note:
The term of chief operating decision maker may apply to a function and not
necessarily to a specific person. This is a management approach rather than
an
industry approach in identifying segments. The segments are based on the
Company’s organizational structure, revenue sources, nature of activities,
existence of responsible managers, and information presented to the Board of
Directors.
A
segment
must be reported on if any one of the following exists:
·
|
Revenue,
including unaffiliated and inter-segment sales or transfers, is 10%
or
more of total revenue of all operating
segments.
|
·
|
Operating
profit or loss is 10% or more of the greater, in absolute amount,
of the
combined operating profit (or loss) of all industry segments with
operating profits (or losses).
|
·
|
Identifiable
assets are 10% or more of total assets of all operating
segments.
|
Operating
segments that are not reportable should be combined and disclosed in the ‘‘all
other’’ category. Disclosure should be made of the sources of revenue for these
segments.
Accordingly,
we have discontinued our segment disclosures for the finance segment, as it
did
not exceed the 10% threshold for revenues, earnings or assets.
(7)
Reinsurance Agreements
We
follow
industry practice of reinsuring a portion of our risks and paying for that
protection based primarily upon total insured values of all policies in effect
and subject to such reinsurance. Reinsurance involves an insurance company
transferring or “ceding” all or a portion of its exposure on insurance
underwritten by it to another insurer, known as a “reinsurer.” The ceding of
insurance does not legally discharge the insurer from its primary liability
for
the full amount of the policies. If the reinsurer fails to meet its obligations
under the reinsurance agreement, the ceding company is still required to pay
the
insured for the loss. Our reinsurance agreements are designed to coincide with
the seasonality of Florida’s hurricane season.
-
13
-
21st
Century Holding Company
Notes
to Consolidated Financial Statements
For
the
2007-2008 hurricane season, the excess of loss and FHCF treaties will insure
us
for approximately $403.0 million of aggregate loss and LAE with a maximum single
event coverage totaling approximately $320.0 million, with the Company retaining
the first $3.0 million of loss and LAE. Additionally, we purchased,
Reinstatement Premium Protection from the private sector, which would reimburse
the Company 100% of the cost of reinstatement premium for a second event. The
FHCF affords coverage for the entire season, subject to maximum payouts, without
regard to any particular insurable event. The cost to the Company for these
reinsurance products for the 2007-2008 hurricane season, including the prepaid
automatic premium reinstatement protection will be approximately $46.5 million.
The reinsurance companies and their respective A. M. Best rating are listed
in
the table as follows:
Reinsurer
|
A.M.
Best Rating
|
|
UNITED
STATES
|
||
Everest
Reinsurance Company
|
A+
|
|
Folksamerica
Reinsurance Company
|
A-
|
|
GMAC
Re/Motors Insurance Corporation
|
A-
|
|
Munich
Reinsurance America, Inc.
|
A
|
|
Odyssey
America Reinsurance Corporation
|
A
|
|
QBE
Reinsurance Corporation
|
A
|
|
BERMUDA
|
||
ACE
Tempest Reinsurance Limited, Bermuda
|
A+
|
|
Amlin
Bermuda Limited
|
A-
|
|
Ariel
Reinsurance Company Limited, Bermuda
|
A-
|
|
DaVinci
Reinsurance Ltd, Bermuda
|
A
|
|
Flagstone
Reinsurance Limited
|
A-
|
|
Max
Bermuda Limited
|
A-
|
|
New
Castle Reinsurance Company Limited
|
A-
|
|
Renaissance
Reinsurance Ltd, Bermuda
|
A
|
|
|
||
UNITED
KINGDOM
|
|
|
Amlin
Syndicate No. 2001 (AML)
|
A
|
|
Ascot
Underwriting Syndicate No. 1414 (RTH)
|
A
|
|
G.S.
Christensen and Others Syndicate No. 958 (GSC)
|
A
|
|
MAP
Underwriting Syndicate No. 2791 (MAP)
|
A
|
|
Talbot
Underwriting Syndicate No. 1183 (TAL)
|
A
|
|
|
||
EUROPE
|
|
|
Converium
Limited, Switzerland
|
B++
|
For
the
2006-2007 hurricane season, we assembled a range of reinsurance products
designed to insure the Company for an aggregate of approximately $414.5 million
for a minimum of two catastrophic events. The reinsurance treaties contained
several complex features and through a series of fluid retentions, attachment
points and limitations, additional coverage may have been afforded Federated
National for events beyond the first two catastrophic events. Our retention
would have varied depending on the severity and frequency of each catastrophic
event. The reinsurance companies and their respective participation in the
season's program are noted in the table as follows:
-
14
-
21st
Century Holding Company
Notes
to Consolidated Financial Statements
First Event Participation
|
|
Reinstated Premium Protection
|
|||||||||||||||||
AM Best
Rating
|
Reinsurer
|
$20m in
excess of
$15m
|
|
$40m in
excess of
$35m
|
|
$72m in excess
of $75m and FHCF
participation
|
|
$20m in
excess of
$15m
|
|
$40m in
excess of
$35m
|
|||||||||
A+
|
Ace
Tempest Reinsurance Ltd
|
7.5%
|
|
7.5%
|
|
||||||||||||||
A
|
Amlin
2001 Syndicate
|
5.0%
|
|
5.0%
|
|
5.0%
|
|
5.0%
|
|
||||||||||
A-
|
Amlin
Bermuda Ltd
|
2.5%
|
|
4.0%
|
|
4.0%
|
|
2.5%
|
|
||||||||||
A
|
American
Reinsurance Company
|
|
3.5%
|
|
|||||||||||||||
A
|
Ascot
1414 Syndicate
|
6.5%
|
|
||||||||||||||||
A++
|
National
Liability and Fire Company
|
33.8%
|
|
6.6%
|
|
77.6%
|
|
||||||||||||
B++
|
Converium
AG
|
5.0%
|
|
||||||||||||||||
A+
|
Everest
Reinsurance Company
|
22.0%
|
|
4.3%
|
|
12.0%
|
|
||||||||||||
NR
|
Wentworth
Insurance Company Ltd
|
5.0%
|
|
.
|
5.0%
|
|
|||||||||||||
A-
|
Flagstone
Reinsurance Ltd
|
4.3%
|
|
4.0%
|
|
||||||||||||||
A
|
MAP
2791 Syndicate
|
2.5%
|
|
2.5%
|
|
2.5%
|
|
2.5%
|
|
||||||||||
A-
|
New
Castle Reinsurance Company Ltd
|
|
2.0%
|
|
2.0%
|
|
2.0%
|
|
2.0%
|
|
|||||||||
A
|
QBE
Reinsurance Corporation
|
1.5%
|
|
1.0%
|
|
||||||||||||||
A
|
Renaissance
Reinsurance, Ltd
|
12.5%
|
|
12.5%
|
|
||||||||||||||
A+
|
XL
Re Limited
|
2.5%
|
|
||||||||||||||||
A
|
Odyssey
|
3.5%
|
|
||||||||||||||||
A
|
Catlin
Insurance Company Ltd
|
25.0%
|
|
25.0%
|
|
||||||||||||||
NR
|
Allianz
Risk Transfer (Bermuda) Ltd
|
33.0%
|
|
33.0%
|
|
||||||||||||||
A
|
Liberty
Mutual Insurance Company
|
34.7%
|
|
||||||||||||||||
NR4
|
American
Vehicle Insurance Company (Affiliated)
|
|
25.0%
|
|
25.0%
|
|
In
the
discussion that follows it should be noted that all amounts of reinsurance
were
based on management’s analysis of Federated National’s exposure levels to
catastrophic risk. Our data was subjected to exposure level data analysis at
various dates through December 31, 2006.
Our
overall reinsurance structure was divided into four major layers of financial
impact in connection with any single catastrophic event. The bottom layer was
considered the first $15 million of losses. The next layer was considered to
be
greater than $15 million and less than $35 million. The next layer was
considered to be greater than $35 million and less than $233.3 million. The
fourth layer was considered losses greater than $233.3 million and less than
305.3 million.
For
the
first and second catastrophic events equal to or less than $15 million, the
bottom layer, Federated National would have retained 100% of the first $4.3
million and the last $0.7 million of this bottom layer. The FHCF would have
participated 100% for the $10 million in excess of Federated National’s first
$4.3 million.
For
the
first and second catastrophic events with aggregate losses in excess of the
first $15.0 million discussed above and less than $35 million, Federated
National acquired 100% reinsurance protection with a single automatic premium
reinstatement protection provision. The $20 million of coverage afforded in
this
layer was by way of 42% traditional, single season, excess of loss
(“Traditional”) treaties and 58% structured multi-year, excess of loss
(“Structured”) treaties. As noted in the chart above, American Vehicle reinsured
Federated National via a traditional treaty for 25% of this $20 million layer.
Relative to the structured excess of loss reinsurance treaties, terms contained
in these treaties afford capacity in this layer beyond the 2006 - 2007 season
for two additional hurricane seasons. The structured treaties offered respective
coverage for a single event in each of the three hurricane seasons and one
additional respective coverage that could be applied as needed in any one of
the
three hurricane seasons. One of the structured treaties, representing 25% of
this layer, contained a provision that prevented the Company from recovery
if
any single event resulted in damages that exceed $20 billion in the Unites
States and its territories.
-
15
-
21st
Century Holding Company
Notes
to Consolidated Financial Statements
For
the
first and second catastrophic events where aggregate losses exceeded $35
million, but were less than $233.3 million, Federated National acquired 100%
reinsurance protection through a combination of private market reinsurers and
the FHCF program. The private market reinsurers afforded coverage to insure
us
for $40 million against covered losses in excess of $35 million. The FHCF
afforded coverage to insure us for 90% of loss greater than $55.6 million and
less than $231.5 million. The private treaties “wrapped around” the FHCF treaty
afforded coverage, in aggregate, for losses in excess of $35 million but less
than $233.3 million. The FHCF treaty was an aggregate “for the entire season”
treaty while the private market treaties afforded respective per event coverage.
As to reinstatement of coverage for the private market treaties, Federated
National purchased a single automatic premium reinstatement protection provision
that would have provided for an automatic reinstatement for 89% of the $40
million coverage. Federated National would have been responsible for the
remaining premium reinstatement protection and the cost in connection with
that
reinstatement was estimated to be approximately $2.1 million. Federated National
would also have been responsible for seasonal losses beyond what was afforded
through this part of the FHCF coverage.
If
an
event had occurred where aggregate losses exceed $233.3 million, but were less
than $305.3 million, Federated National had acquired traditional reinsurance
treaties representing 65.3% of this layer without a provision for premium
reinstatement protection. Premium reinstatement coverage would have been
prorated as to amount and if the first event exhausted this coverage, then
Federated National would have been responsible for approximately $10.4 million
for reinstatement protection. Additional coverage was afforded to Federated
National via Industry Loss Warrants (“ILW”). The ILW policies provided for
payments to Federated National based solely on industry wide losses to private
and commercial property only in the State of Florida. A payment to Federated
National would only have been considered under the terms of these contracts,
if
insured wind damages incurred in the State of Florida had exceeded amounts
varying between $25 billion and $20 billion excluding public property and
certain other named exclusions.
The
Company would have been responsible for single catastrophic events, with
incurred losses in excess of approximately $305 million subject to the terms
of
the ILW’s above.
The
estimated cost to the Company in connection with this reinsurance structure
was
approximately $73.0 million, which for the most part was payable in quarterly
installments that began July 1, 2006 and were amortized through earned premium
in accordance with the provisions and terms contained in the respective
treaties.
As
a
result of the loss and LAE incurred in connection with the hurricane activity
that occurred in 2004 and 2005, the Company has reflected in its operations
the
effects of each storm as follows:
2004
Hurricanes
|
Claim
Count
|
Gross
Losses
|
Reinsurance
Recoveries
|
Net
Losses
|
|||||||||
(Dollars
in millions)
|
|||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
Charley
(August 13)
|
2,572
|
$
|
65.3
|
$
|
55.3
|
$
|
10.0
|
||||||
Frances
(September 3)
|
3,809
|
54.2
|
44.1
|
10.1
|
|||||||||
Ivan
(September 14)
|
1,062
|
26.5
|
-
|
26.5
|
|||||||||
Jeanne
(September 25)
|
1,563
|
13.9
|
-
|
13.9
|
|||||||||
Total
Loss Estimate
|
9,006
|
$
|
159.9
|
$
|
99.4
|
$
|
60.5
|
-
16
-
21st
Century Holding Company
Notes
to Consolidated Financial Statements
2005
Hurricanes
|
Claim
Count
|
Gross
Losses |
Reinsurance
Recoveries
|
Net
Losses
|
|||||||||
(Dollars
in millions)
|
|||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
Dennis
(July 10)
|
322
|
$
|
2.8
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
2.8
|
||||||
Katrina
(August 25)
|
2,115
|
14.6
|
11.6
|
3.0
|
|||||||||
Rita
(September 20)
|
19
|
0.1
|
-
|
0.1
|
|||||||||
Wilma
(October 24)
|
11,733
|
174.5
|
171.5
|
3.0
|
|||||||||
Total
Loss Estimate
|
14,189
|
$
|
192.0
|
$
|
183.1
|
$
|
8.9
|
Effective
March 28, 2006, American Vehicle entered into a 100% quota-share reinsurance
treaty with Republic Underwriters Insurance Company (“Republic”). Republic is
domiciled in the State of Texas and licensed both directly and on a surplus
lines basis in approximately 32 states. Republic has a financial rating of
“A-”
Excellent with A.M. Best. This arrangement would have facilitated the
policyholder who requires their commercial general liability insurance policy
to
come from an insurance company with an A.M. Best rating. Our arrangement with
Republic allowed for a 4.75% commission on net written premium and reimbursement
for all other costs in connection with the treaty such as premium taxes and
assessments. We also remit a 1% commission to the intermediary broker on the
same net written premium. Under this agreement, the Company assumed
approximately $348,000 in premiums in connection with its operations in the
State of Texas. Our operations in Texas began in December 2006. During the
three
months ended March 31, 2007, this 100% quota-sharing reinsurance treaty with
Republic was cancelled, on a run-off basis, at their request, effective June
30,
2007.
We
are
selective in choosing reinsurers and consider numerous factors, the most
important of which are the financial stability of the reinsurer, their history
of responding to claims and their overall reputation. In an effort to minimize
our exposure to the insolvency of a reinsurer, we evaluate the acceptability
and
review the financial condition of the reinsurer at least annually.
Our
automobile quota-share reinsurance treaties for 2003 include loss corridors
with
varying layers of coverage based on ultimate incurred loss ratio results whereby
the two insurance companies will retain 100% of the losses between incurred
loss
ratios of 66% and 86% for policies with an effective date of 2003. Despite
the
loss corridor, the reinsurer assumes significant insurance risk under the
reinsured portions of the underlying insurance contracts and it is reasonably
possible that the reinsurer will realize a significant loss from the
transaction. Our ultimate incurred loss ratios for these treaties as of December
31, 2006 are estimated to be 66.6% and 77.4% for Federated National and American
Vehicle, respectively.
(8)
Stock Compensation Plans
We
implemented a stock option plan in November 1998 that provides for the granting
of stock options to officers, directors, employees and consultants. The
objectives of this plan include attracting and retaining the best personnel,
providing for additional performance incentives, and promoting our success
by
providing employees the opportunity to acquire common stock. Options outstanding
under this plan have been granted at prices that are either equal to or above
the market value of the stock on the date of grant, typically vest over a four
or five-year period, and expire six or ten years after the grant date. Under
this plan, we are authorized to grant options to purchase up to 900,000 common
shares, and, as of September 30, 2007 and December 31, 2006, we had outstanding
exercisable options to purchase 102,750 and 44,750 shares,
respectively.
In
2001,
we implemented a franchisee stock option plan that provided for the granting
of
stock options to individuals purchasing Company owned agencies that were then
converted to franchised agencies. The purpose of the plan was to advance our
interests by providing an additional incentive to encourage managers of Company
owned agencies to purchase the agencies and convert them to franchises. Options
outstanding under the plan were granted at prices that were above the market
value of the stock on the date of grant, vest over a ten-year period, and expire
ten years after the grant date. Under this plan, we are authorized to grant
options to purchase up to 988,500 common shares, and, as of September 30, 2007,
we had no outstanding exercisable options to purchase shares.
-
17
-
21st
Century Holding Company
Notes
to Consolidated Financial Statements
In
2002,
we implemented the 2002 Option Plan. The purpose of this Plan is to advance
our
interests by providing an additional incentive to attract, retain and motivate
highly qualified and competent persons who are key to the Company, including
employees, consultants, independent contractors, and officers and directors,
upon whose efforts and judgment our success is largely dependent, by authorizing
the grant of options to purchase Common Stock to persons who are eligible to
participate hereunder, thereby encouraging stock ownership by such persons,
all
upon and subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan. Options outstanding
under the plan have been granted at prices that are above the market value
of
the stock on the date of grant, vest over a five-year period, and expire six
years after the grant date. Under this plan, the Company is authorized to grant
options to purchase up to 1,800,000 common shares, and, as of September 30,
2007
and December 31, 2006, we had outstanding exercisable options to purchase
610,658 and 637,358 shares, respectively.
Activity
in the Company’s stock option plans for the period from January 1, 2005 to
September 30, 2007, is summarized below:
1998
Plan
|
|
2001
Franchisee Plan
|
|
2002
Plan
|
|
||||||||||||||
Number of
Shares
|
|
Weighted
Average
Option
Exercise Price
|
|
Number of
Shares
|
|
Weighted
Average
Option
Exercise Price
|
|
Number of
Shares
|
|
Weighted
Average
Option
Exercise Price
|
|||||||||
Outstanding at January
1, 2005
|
198,275
|
$
|
6.67
|
15,000
|
$
|
9.17
|
906,300
|
$
|
10.80
|
||||||||||
Granted
|
-
|
$
|
-
|
-
|
$
|
-
|
451,500
|
$
|
14.39
|
||||||||||
Exercised
|
(96,875
|
)
|
$
|
6.67
|
-
|
$
|
-
|
(271,542
|
)
|
$
|
8.96
|
||||||||
Cancelled
|
(3,750
|
)
|
$
|
6.67
|
-
|
$
|
-
|
(262,650
|
)
|
$
|
14.00
|
||||||||
Outstanding
at January 1, 2006
|
97,650
|
$
|
6.67
|
15,000
|
$
|
9.17
|
823,608
|
$
|
12.35
|
||||||||||
Granted
|
25,000
|
$
|
27.79
|
-
|
$
|
-
|
86,000
|
$
|
16.44
|
||||||||||
Exercised
|
(77,900
|
)
|
$
|
6.67
|
(15,000
|
)
|
$
|
9.17
|
(212,350
|
)
|
$
|
8.98
|
|||||||
Cancelled
|
-
|
-
|
$
|
-
|
(59,900
|
)
|
$
|
14.98
|
|||||||||||
Outstanding
at January 1, 2007
|
44,750
|
$
|
18.47
|
-
|
$
|
-
|
637,358
|
$
|
13.80
|
||||||||||
Granted
|
60,000
|
$
|
12.28
|
-
|
$
|
-
|
-
|
$
|
-
|
||||||||||
Exercised
|
(2,000
|
)
|
$
|
6.67
|
-
|
$
|
-
|
(8,800
|
)
|
$
|
10.18
|
||||||||
Cancelled
|
-
|
$
|
-
|
-
|
$
|
-
|
(17,900
|
)
|
$
|
15.82
|
|||||||||
Outstanding
at September 30, 2007
|
102,750
|
$
|
15.08
|
-
|
$
|
-
|
610,658
|
$
|
13.79
|
Options
outstanding as of September 30, 2007 are exercisable as follows:
1998
Plan
|
|
2001
Franchisee Plan
|
|
2002
Plan
|
|
||||||||||||||
Options
Exercisable at:
|
|
Number of
Shares
|
|
Weighted
Average
Option
Exercise Price
|
|
Number of
Shares
|
|
Weighted
Average
Option
Exercise Price
|
|
Number of
Shares
|
|
Weighted
Average
Option
Exercise Price
|
|||||||
September
30, 2007
|
17,750
|
$
|
15.08
|
-
|
$
|
-
|
321,306
|
$
|
13.79
|
||||||||||
December
31, 2007
|
25,000
|
$
|
15.08
|
-
|
$
|
-
|
44,700
|
$
|
13.79
|
||||||||||
December
31, 2008
|
13,000
|
$
|
15.08
|
-
|
$
|
-
|
91,351
|
$
|
13.79
|
||||||||||
December
31, 2009
|
13,000
|
$
|
15.08
|
-
|
$
|
-
|
80,699
|
$
|
13.79
|
||||||||||
December
31, 2010
|
13,000
|
$
|
15.08
|
-
|
$
|
-
|
58,401
|
$
|
13.79
|
||||||||||
December
31, 2011
|
13,000
|
$
|
15.08
|
-
|
$
|
-
|
14,201
|
$
|
13.79
|
||||||||||
Thereafter
|
8,000
|
$
|
15.08
|
-
|
$
|
-
|
-
|
$
|
13.79
|
||||||||||
Total
options exercisible
|
102,750
|
-
|
610,658
|
-
18
-
21st
Century Holding Company
Notes
to Consolidated Financial Statements
At
September 30, 2007, the Company has two stock-based employee compensation plans
and one stock-based franchise compensation plan, which are described above.
Prior to January 1, 2006, we accounted for those plans under the recognition
and
measurement provisions of stock-based compensation using the intrinsic value
method prescribed by APB Opinion No. 25, Accounting
for Stock Issued to Employees, and
related Interpretations, as permitted by FASB Statement No. 123, Accounting
for Stock-Based Compensation. Under
these provisions, no stock-based employee compensation cost was recognized
in
the Statement of Operations for the years ended December 31, 2005 or 2004 as
all
options granted under those plans had an exercise price equal to or less than
the market value of the underlying common stock on the date of grant. Effective
January 1, 2006, the Company adopted the fair value recognitions provisions
of
FASB Statement No. 123R using the modified-prospective-transition method. Under
that transition method, compensation cost recognized during the nine months
ended September 30, 2007 includes compensation cost for all share-based payments
granted subsequent to January 1, 2007, based on the grant date fair-value
estimated in accordance with the provisions of SFAS No. 123R. Results for prior
periods have not been restated.
As
a
result of adopting SFAS No. 123R on January 1, 2006, the Company’s income before
provision for income taxes and net income for the nine months ended September
30, 2007, are lower by approximately $468,000 and $306,000, respectively, than
if it had continued to account for share-base compensation under ABP Opinion
No.
25.
Basic
and
diluted earnings per share for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2007
would have been $1.70 and $1.68, respectively, if the Company had not adopted
SFAS No. 123R, compared to reported basic and diluted earnings per share of
$1.66 and $1.64, respectively.
Basic
and
diluted earnings per share for the three-month period ended September 30, 2007
would have been $0.25 and $0.25, respectively, if the Company had not adopted
SFAS No. 123R, compared to reported basic and diluted earnings per share of
$0.24 and $0.24, respectively.
Because
the change in income taxes payable includes the effect of excess tax benefits,
those excess tax benefits also must be shown as a separate operating cash
outflow so that operating cash flows exclude the effect of excess tax benefits.
SFAS No. 123R requires the cash flows resulting from the tax benefits resulting
from tax deductions in excess of the compensation cost recognized for those
options (excess tax benefits) to be classified as financing cash
flows.
The
weighted average fair value for the 20,000 new options granted during the three
months ended September 30, 2007, the 35,000 new options granted during the
three
months ended June 30, 2007 and the 5,000 new options granted during the three
months ended March 31, 2007, all estimated on the dates of grant using the
Black-Scholes option-pricing model were $3.27, $2.92and $5.36 per option,
respectively. The weighted
average
fair value for the 32,500 new options granted during the three months ended
September 30, 2006 and the 48,500 new options granted during the three months
ended June 30, 2006, estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes
option-pricing model was $4.31 and $4.67 per option, respectively.
The
fair
value of options granted is estimated on the date of grant using the following
assumptions:
September 30, 2007
|
September 30, 2006
|
||||||
Dividend
yield
|
3.20% to 6.70%
|
|
2.10% to 3.70%
|
|
|||
Expected volatility
|
42.87% to 54.77%
|
|
43.06% to 44.30%
|
|
|||
Risk-free interest rate
|
4.79% to 4.86%
|
|
4.60% to 4.90%
|
|
|||
Expected life (in years)
|
2.58 to 2.63
|
2.04 to 2.86
|
Volatility
of a share price is the standard deviation of the continuously compounded rates
of return on the share over a specified period. The higher the volatility,
the
more returns on the shares can be expected to vary - up or down. The expected
volatility is a measure of the amount by which a financial variable such as
a
share price has fluctuated (historical volatility) or is expected to fluctuate
(expected volatility) during a period. Our volatility as reflected above
contemplates only historical volatility.
-
19
-
21st
Century Holding Company
Notes
to Consolidated Financial Statements
Summary
information about the Company’s stock options outstanding at September 30,
2007:
Range of
Exercise Price
|
Outstanding at
September 30, 2007
|
Contractual
Periods in Years
|
Average
Exercise Price
|
Exercisable at
September 30, 2007
|
||||||||||||
1998
Plan
|
$6.67 - $27.79
|
102,750
|
4.99
|
|
$15.08
|
17,750
|
||||||||||
2001 Franchise Plan
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|||||||||||
2002 Plan
|
$8.33 - $18.21
|
610,658
|
2.88
|
|
$13.79
|
321,306
|
(9)
Subordinated Debt
On
July
31, 2003, we completed a private placement of our 6% Senior Subordinated Notes
(the “July 2003 Notes”), which were offered and sold to accredited investors as
units consisting of one July 2003 Note with a principal amount of $1,000 and
warrants (the “2003 Warrants”) to purchase shares of our Common Stock. We sold
an aggregate of $7.5 million of July 2003 Notes in this placement, which
resulted in proceeds to us (net of placement agent fees of $450,724 and offering
expenses of $110,778) of $6,938,498.
The
July
2003 Notes paid interest at the annual rate of 6%, were subordinated to senior
debt of the Company, and matured on July 31, 2006. Quarterly payments of
principal and interest due on the July 2003 Notes were made in cash or, at
our
option, in shares of our Common Stock. When paid in shares of Common Stock,
the
number of shares issued was determined by dividing the payment due by 95% of
the
weighted-average volume price for the Common Stock on Nasdaq as reported by
Bloomberg for the 20 consecutive trading days preceding the payment
date.
The
2003
Warrants issued in this placement to the purchasers of the July 2003 Notes
and
to the placement agent in the offering, J. Giordano Securities Group (“J.
Giordano”), each entitled the holder to purchase ¾ of one share of our Common
Stock at an exercise price of $12.744 per whole share (as adjusted for the
Company’s three-for-two stock split) until July 31, 2006. The total number of
shares issuable upon exercise of 2003 Warrants issued to the purchasers of
the
July 2003 Notes and to J. Giordano totaled 612,074. GAAP required that
detachable warrants be valued separately from debt and included in paid-in
capital. Based on the terms of the purchase agreement with the investors
in the private placement, management determined that the July 2003 Warrants
had
zero value at the date of issuance.
On
July
31, 2006, we made the final principal payment of $625,000 on the July 2003
notes
and the July 2003 warrants expired. Of the 612,074 shares that could have been
issued in connection with the July 2003 warrants, 301,430 were exercised,
225,000 were reacquired in the open market by us and 85,644 were unexercised.
The unexercised warrants were cancelled as of July 31, 2006.
On
September 30, 2004, we completed a private placement of 6% Senior Subordinated
Notes due September 30, 2007 (the “September 2004 Notes”). These notes were
offered and sold to accredited investors as units consisting of one September
2004 Note with a principal amount of $1,000 and
warrants to purchase shares of our Common Stock (the “2004 Warrants”), the terms
of which are similar to our July 2003 Notes and 2003 Warrants, except as
described below.
We sold
an aggregate of $12.5 million of units in this placement, which resulted in
proceeds (net of placement agent fees of $700,000 and offering expenses of
$32,500) to us of $11,767,500.
The
September 2004 Notes paid interest at the annual rate of 6%, matured on
September 30, 2007, and ranked pari passu in terms of payment and priority
to
the July 2003 Notes. Quarterly payments of principal and interest due on the
September 2004 Notes, like the July 2003 Notes, were made in cash or, at our
option, in shares of our Common Stock. If paid in shares of Common Stock, the
number of shares issued was determined by dividing the payment due by 95% of
the
weighted-average volume price for the Common Stock on Nasdaq as reported by
Bloomberg for the 20 consecutive trading days preceding the payment
date.
The
2004
Warrants issued to the purchasers of the September 2004 Notes and to the
placement agent in the offering, J. Giordano, each entitled the holder to
purchase one share of our Common Stock at an exercise price of $12.75 per share
and was
exercisable until September 30, 2007. The
number of shares issuable upon exercise of the 2004 Warrants issued to
purchasers equaled $12.5 million divided by the exercise price of the warrants,
and totaled 980,392. The number of shares issuable upon exercise of the 2004
Warrants issued to J. Giordano equaled $500,000 divided by the exercise price
of
the warrants, and totaled 39,216. GAAP requires that detachable warrants be
valued separately from debt and included in paid-in capital. Based on the terms
of the purchase agreement with the investors in the private placement,
management determined that the September 2004 Warrants had zero value at the
date of issuance.
-
20
-
21st
Century Holding Company
Notes
to Consolidated Financial Statements
On
September 30, 2007, we made the final principal payment of $1,041,667 on the
September 2004 notes and the September 2004 warrants expired. Of the 1,019,000
shares that could have been issued in connection with the September 2004
warrants, 751,000 were exercised prior to December 31, 2006 and 156,000 were
exercised prior to September 30, 2007, none were reacquired in the open market
by us and 108,000 were unexercised. The unexercised warrants were cancelled
as
of September 30, 2007.
The
terms
of the 2004 and 2003 Warrants provided for adjustment of the exercise price
and
the number of shares issuable thereunder upon the occurrence of certain events
typical for private offerings of this type.
For
the
quarterly payment due April 30, 2006 we paid, pursuant to the terms of the
July
2003 Notes and in accordance with the contractual computations 38,420 shares
of
our Common Stock for principal and interest. Our final payment in connection
with the July 2003 Notes were paid in cash on July 31, 2006.
As
indicated on the table below, as of September 30, 2007, we paid, pursuant to
the
terms of the September 2004 Notes and in accordance with the contractual
computations, selected quarterly payments of principal and interest due in
shares of our Common Stock.
Quarterly
payment due date
|
2007
|
|
2006
|
||||
January
31,
|
54,211
|
-
|
|||||
April
30,
|
63,114
|
68,696
|
|||||
July
31,
|
-
|
-
|
|||||
September
30,
|
-
|
-
|
|||||
Total
common stock issued
|
117,325
|
68,696
|
(10)
Stockholder’s Equity
Capital
Stock
The
Company’s authorized capital consists of 1 million shares of preferred stock,
par value $0.01 per share, and 25,000,000 shares of common stock, par value
$0.01 per share. As of September 30, 2007, there were no preferred shares issued
or outstanding and there were 7,999,311 shares of common stock outstanding,
net
of 185,704 shares pending cancellation in connection with the Company’s 2007
common stock buy-back program. We do not reserve for common stock shares in
connection with the exercise of issued and unissued common stock
options.
(11)
Subsequent Event
On
October 11, 2007, FIGA’s Board certified the need to assess each member an
amount equal to two (2%) percent of the member’s Florida net direct written
premiums for the calendar year 2006. Both American Vehicle and Federated
National are considered members of FIGA. FIGA’s certification was approved by
Florida’s Insurance Commissioner on October 29, 2007. We have estimated that our
participation with this assessment will total approximately $2.8 million and
is
payable November 30, 2007. FIGA’s October 11, 2007 assessment was charged to
operations during the period ended September 30, 2007.
-
21
-
21st
Century Holding Company
General
information about 21st
Century Holding Company can be found at www.21stcenturyholding.com
however, the information that can be accessed through our web site is not part
of our report. We make our annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on
Form
10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and amendments to these reports filed or
furnished pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities and Exchange Act
of
1934 available free of charge on our web site, as soon as reasonably practicable
after they are electronically filed with the SEC.
Item
2
Management’s
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations
Forward-Looking
Statements
Statements
in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the nine months ended September 30,
2007 (“Form 10-Q”) or in documents that are incorporated by reference that are
not historical fact are forward-looking statements that are subject to certain
risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events and results to differ
materially from those discussed herein. Without limiting the generality of
the
foregoing, words such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “believe,” “anticipate,”
“intend,” “could,” “would,” “estimate,” or “continue” or the negative other
variations thereof or comparable terminology are intended to identify
forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties include, without
limitation, uncertainties related to estimates, assumptions and projections
relating to (i) unpaid losses and loss adjustment expenses and other accounting
policies, (ii) losses from the nine hurricanes that occurred in fiscal years
2005 and 2004 and in other estimates, assumptions and projections contained
in
this Form 10-Q; inflation and other changes in economic conditions (including
changes in interest rates and financial markets); the impact of new regulations
adopted in Florida which affect the property and casualty insurance market;
the
costs of reinsurance, assessments charged by various governmental agencies;
pricing competition and other initiatives by competitors; our ability to obtain
regulatory approval for requested rate changes and the timing thereof;
legislative and regulatory developments; the outcome of litigation pending
against us, including the terms of any settlements; risks related to the nature
of our business; dependence on investment income and the composition of our
investment portfolio; the adequacy of our liability for loss and loss adjustment
expense; insurance agents; claims experience; ratings by industry services;
catastrophe losses; reliance on key personnel; weather conditions (including
the
severity and frequency of storms, hurricanes, tornadoes and hail); changes
in
driving patterns and loss trends; acts of war and terrorist activities; court
decisions and trends in litigation and health care and auto repair costs; and
other matters described from time to time by us in this report, and our other
filings with the SEC.
You
are
cautioned not to place reliance on these forward-looking statements, which
are
valid only as of the date they were made. The Company undertakes no obligation
to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect new information
or
the occurrence of unanticipated events or otherwise. In addition, readers should
be aware that GAAP prescribes when a company may reserve for particular risks,
including litigation exposures. Accordingly, results for a given reporting
period could be significantly affected if and when a reserve is established
for
a major contingency. Reported results may therefore appear to be volatile in
certain accounting periods.
Overview
We
are an
insurance holding company, which, through our subsidiaries and our contractual
relationships with our independent agents and general agents, control
substantially all aspects of the insurance underwriting, distribution and claims
process. We are authorized to underwrite homeowners’ property and casualty
insurance, commercial general liability insurance, and personal automobile
insurance, in various states with various lines of authority through our wholly
owned subsidiaries, Federated National and American Vehicle. We internally
process claims made by our own and third party insureds through our wholly
owned
claims adjusting company, Superior. We also offer premium financing to our
own
and third-party insureds through our wholly owned subsidiary, Federated
Premium.
Federated
National is authorized to underwrite homeowners’ property and casualty insurance
and personal automobile insurance in Florida as an admitted carrier. American
Vehicle is authorized to underwrite personal automobile insurance and commercial
general liability coverage in Florida as an admitted carrier. In addition,
American Vehicle is authorized to underwrite commercial general liability
insurance in Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina, Virginia, Missouri, Nevada,
Maryland, Arkansas and California as a surplus lines carrier; and in Texas,
Louisiana and Alabama as an admitted carrier. American Vehicle operations in
Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Texas, South Carolina, Virginia and
Alabama are on-going. American Vehicle operations in Nevada, Maryland, Arkansas,
Missouri and California are expected to begin this year. American Vehicle has
applications pending authorization as a surplus lines carrier in the states
of
Oklahoma, Ohio and Tennessee; and an application pending authorization as an
admitted carrier to the state of Illinois.
-
22
-
21st
Century Holding Company
Management’s
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations
During
the nine months ended September 30, 2007, 75.2%, 23.3% and 1.5% of the premiums
we underwrote were for homeowners’ property and casualty insurance, commercial
general liability insurance and personal automobile insurance, respectively.
During the nine months ended September 30, 2006, 72.8%, 22.3% and 4.9% of the
premiums we underwrote were for homeowners’ property and casualty insurance,
commercial general liability insurance and personal automobile insurance,
respectively.
We
market
and distribute our own and third-party insurers’ products and our other services
primarily in Florida, through contractual relationships with a network of
approximately 1,500 independent agents and a select number of general agents.
Assurance
MGA, a wholly owned subsidiary, acts as Federated National’s and American
Vehicle’s exclusive managing general agent in the state of Florida. Assurance
MGA is not licensed to do business elsewhere. As American Vehicle continues
its
expansion into other states, we intend on retaining other general agents to
market our commercial general liability insurance product beyond the state
of
Florida. Assurance MGA currently provides underwriting policy administration,
marketing, accounting and financial services to Federated National and American
Vehicle, and participates in the negotiation of reinsurance contracts. Assurance
MGA generates revenue through a 6% commission fee from the insurance companies’
gross written premium, policy fee income of $25 per policy and other
administrative fees from the marketing of company products through the Company’s
distribution network. The 6% commission fee from Federated National and American
Vehicle was made effective January 1, 2005. Assurance MGA plans to establish
relationships with additional carriers and add additional insurance products
in
the future.
Our
business, results of operations and financial condition are subject to
fluctuations due to a variety of factors. Abnormally high severity or frequency
of claims in any period could have a material adverse effect on our business,
results of operations and financial condition. In addition, if our estimated
liabilities for unpaid losses and LAE are less than actual losses and LAE,
we
will be required to increase reserves with a corresponding reduction in our
net
income in the period in which the deficiency is identified.
We
operate in highly competitive markets and face competition from national,
regional and residual market insurance companies, many of whom are larger and
have greater financial and other resources, have better ratings and offer more
diversified insurance coverage. Our competitors include companies that market
their products through agents, as well as companies that sell insurance directly
to their customers. Large national writers may have certain competitive
advantages over agency writers, including increased name recognition, increased
loyalty of their customer base and reduced policy acquisition costs.
Additionally, during an emergency session in January 2007, the Florida
legislature passed and the Governor signed into law a bill known as “CS/HB-1A.”
This new law makes fundamental changes to the property and casualty insurance
business in Florida and undertakes a multi-pronged approach to address the
cost
of residential property insurance in Florida. First, the new law requires
insurance companies to lower their Florida premium rates for residential
property insurance. The new law also authorizes the state-owned insurance
company, Citizens, which is free of many of the restraints on private carriers
such as surplus, ratios, income taxes and reinsurance expense, to reduce its
premium rates and begin competing against private insurers in the residential
property insurance market and expands the authority of Citizens to write
commercial insurance. We may also face competition from new or temporary
entrants in our niche markets. In some cases, such entrants may, because of
inexperience, desire for new business or other reasons, price their insurance
products below ours. Although our pricing is inevitably influenced to some
degree by that of our competitors, we believe that it is generally not in our
best interest to compete solely on price. We compete on the basis of
underwriting criteria, our distribution network and superior service to our
agents and insureds.
In
Florida, more than 200 companies are authorized to underwrite homeowners’
insurance. National and regional companies that compete with us in the
homeowners’ market include Allstate Insurance Company, State Farm Insurance
Company, First Floridian Insurance Company, and Royal Palm Insurance Company.
We
also compete with several Florida domestic property and casualty companies
such
as Universal Insurance Company and Coral Insurance Company. During calendar
year
2006, the Florida OIR announced the take over of several of our major
competitors due to the poor financial condition stemming from the effects of
the
2005 catastrophic hurricanes.
Comparable
companies that compete with us in the commercial general liability insurance
market include Century Surety Insurance Company, Atlantic Casualty Insurance
Company, Colony Insurance Company and Burlington/First Financial Insurance
Companies.
-
23
-
21st
Century Holding Company
Management’s
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations
With
respect to automobile insurance in Florida, we compete with more than 100
companies, which underwrite personal automobile insurance. Comparable companies
that compete with us in the personal automobile insurance market include
Affirmative Insurance Holdings, Inc., which acquired our non-standard automobile
agency business in Florida in December 2004, U.S. Security Insurance Company,
United Automobile Insurance Company, Direct General Insurance Company and
Security National Insurance Company, as well as major insurers such as
Progressive Casualty Insurance Company.
Competition
could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations
and
financial condition.
Our
executive offices are located at 3661 West Oakland Park Boulevard, Suite 300,
Lauderdale Lakes, Florida and our telephone number is (954)
581-9993.
Critical
Accounting Policies
The
preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management
to make estimates and assumptions about future events that affect the amounts
reported in the financial statements and accompanying notes. Future events
and
their effects cannot be determined with absolute certainty. Therefore, the
determination of estimates requires the exercise of judgment. Actual results
inevitably will differ from those estimates, and such differences may be
material to the financial statements.
The
most
significant accounting estimates inherent in the preparation of our financial
statements include estimates associated with management’s evaluation of the
determination of liability for unpaid loss and LAE and the amount and
recoverability of amortization of deferred policy acquisition costs. In
addition, significant estimates form the basis for our reserves with respect
to
finance contracts, premiums receivable and deferred income taxes. Various
assumptions and other factors underlie the determination of these significant
estimates that are described in greater detail in Footnote 2 of the Company’s
audited financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2006 filed
with the SEC on March 16, 2007.
Except
as
described below, we believe that during the first nine months of fiscal 2007
there were no significant changes in those critical accounting policies and
estimates. Senior management has reviewed the development and selection of
our
critical accounting policies and estimates and their disclosure in this Form
10-Q with the Audit Committee of our Board of Directors.
The
process of determining significant estimates is fact specific and takes into
account factors such as historical experience, current and expected economic
conditions, and in the case of unpaid loss and LAE, an actuarial valuation.
Management regularly reevaluates these significant factors and makes adjustments
where facts and circumstances dictate. In selecting the best estimate, we
utilize various actuarial methodologies. Each of these methodologies is designed
to forecast the number of claims we will be called upon to pay and the amounts
we will pay on average to settle those claims. In arriving at our best estimate,
our actuaries consider the likely predictive value of the various loss
development methodologies employed in light of underwriting practices, premium
rate changes and claim settlement practices that may have occurred, and weight
the credibility of each methodology. Our actuarial methodologies take into
account various factors, including, but not limited to, paid losses, liability
estimates for reported losses, paid allocated LAE, salvage and other recoveries
received, reported claim counts, open claim counts and counts for claims closed
with and without payment of loss.
Accounting
for loss contingencies pursuant to SFAS No. 5 involves the existence of a
condition, situation or set of circumstances involving uncertainty as to
possible loss that will ultimately be resolved when one or more future event(s)
occur or fail to occur. Additionally, accounting for a loss contingency requires
management to assess each event as probable, reasonably possible or remote.
Probable is defined as the future event or events are likely to occur.
Reasonably possible is defined as the chance of the future event or events
occurring is more than remote but less than probable, while remote is defined
as
the chance of the future event or events occurring is slight. An estimated
loss
in connection with a loss contingency shall be recorded by a charge to current
operations if both of the following conditions are met: First, the amount can
be
reasonably estimated; and second, the information available prior to issuance
of
the financial statements indicates that it is probable that a liability has
been
incurred at the date of the financial statements. It is implicit in this
condition that it is probable that one or more future events will occur
confirming the fact of the loss or incurrence of a liability.
-
24
-
21st
Century Holding Company
Management’s
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations
We
are
required to review the contractual terms of all our reinsurance purchases to
ensure compliance with SFAS No. 113,
Accounting and Reporting for Reinsurance of Short-Duration and Long-Duration
Contracts.
The
statement establishes the conditions required for a contract with a reinsurer
to
be accounted for as reinsurance and prescribes accounting and reporting
standards for those contracts. Contracts that do not result in the reasonable
possibility that the reinsurer may realize a significant loss from the insurance
risk assumed generally do not meet the conditions for reinsurance accounting
and
must be accounted for as deposits. SFAS No. 113 also requires us to disclose
the
nature, purpose and effect of reinsurance transactions, including the premium
amounts associated with reinsurance assumed and ceded. It also requires
disclosure of concentrations of credit risk associated with reinsurance
receivables and prepaid reinsurance premiums.
New
Accounting Pronouncements
The
material set forth in Item 1, Part I, “Financial Statements - Note 2 - Summary
of Significant Accounting Policies and Practices” of this Form 10-Q is
incorporated herein by reference.
In
February 2007, the FASB issued SFAS No. 159 “The
Fair Value Option for Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities —
Including an Amendment of SFAS No. 115”
(“SFAS No. 159”), which permits an entity to measure many financial
assets and financial liabilities at fair value that are not currently required
to be measured at fair value. Entities that elect the fair value option will
report unrealized gains and losses in earnings at each subsequent reporting
date. The fair value option may be elected on an instrument-by-instrument basis,
with a few exceptions. SFAS No. 159 amends previous guidance to extend
the use of the fair value option to available-for-sale and held-to-maturity
securities. The Statement also establishes presentation and disclosure
requirements to help financial statement users understand the effect of the
election. We will adopt SFAS 159 on its effective date, January 1,
2008. We do not expect the adoption of SFAS 159 to have a material
impact, if any, on our financial position or results of operations.
In
June
2006, FASB issued FIN 48, Accounting
for Uncertainty in Income Taxes
that
clarifies the accounting for income tax reserves and contingencies recognized
in
an enterprise’s financial statements in accordance with SFAS No. 109,
Accounting
for Income Taxes.
This
Interpretation also provides guidance on derecognition, classification, interest
and penalties, accounting in interim periods, disclosure and transition. This
Interpretation is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2006.
The Company has adopted and concluded that the impact of FIN 48 will be minimal
and includes a policy of classifying interest and penalties related to income
tax as elements of income tax expense in the consolidated financial statements.
As required by FIN 48, this change was done prospectively. Previously, penalties
and interest were classified as operating and underwriting expenses.
Analysis
of Financial Condition
As
of September 30, 2007 Compared to December 31, 2006
Total
Investments
SFAS
No.
115 addresses accounting and reporting for (a) investments in equity securities
that have readily determinable fair values and (b) all investments in debt
securities. SFAS 115 requires that these securities be classified into one
of
three categories, (i) held-to-maturity, (ii) trading securities or (iii)
available-for-sale.
Investments
classified as held-to-maturity include debt securities wherein the Company’s
intent and ability are to hold the investment until maturity. The accounting
treatment for held-to-maturity investments is to carry them at amortized cost
without consideration to unrealized gains or losses. Investments classified
as
trading securities include debt and equity securities bought and held primarily
for the sale in the near term. The accounting treatment for trading securities
is to carry them at fair value with unrealized holding gains and losses included
in current period operations. Investments classified as available-for-sale
include debt and equity securities that are not classified as held-to-maturity
or as trading security investments. The accounting treatment for
available-for-sale securities is to carry them at fair value with unrealized
holding gains and losses excluded from earnings and reported as a separate
component of shareholders’ equity, namely “Other Comprehensive
Income”.
-
25
-
21st
Century Holding Company
Management’s
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations
Total
Investments increased $23.0 million, or 18.4%, to $147.9 million as of September
30, 2007, compared to $124.8 million as of December 31, 2006. The increase
is
primarily a result of our continued ability to invest proceeds from written
insurance premiums coupled with more favorable ceded reinsurance
requirements.
The
fixed
maturities and the equity securities that are available for sale and carried
at
fair value represent 86% of total investments as of September 30, 2007, compared
to 84.2% as of December 31, 2006.
We
did
not hold any non-traded investment securities during 2007 or 2006.
Below
is
a summary of net unrealized gains and (losses) at September 30, 2007 and
December 31, 2006 by category.
Unrealized
(Losses) and Gains
|
|||||||
September 30, 2007
|
December 31, 2006
|
||||||
Fixed
maturities:
|
|||||||
U.S.
government obligations and agency obligations
|
$
|
(306,118
|
)
|
$
|
(688,190
|
)
|
|
Obligations
of states and political subdivisions
|
(83,979
|
)
|
(145,505
|
)
|
|||
(390,097
|
)
|
(833,695
|
)
|
||||
Corporate
securities:
|
|||||||
Communications
|
2,011
|
6,842
|
|||||
Financial
|
(4,602
|
)
|
(18,790
|
)
|
|||
Other
|
(257,484
|
)
|
(73,983
|
)
|
|||
(260,075
|
)
|
(85,931
|
)
|
||||
Equity
securities:
|
|||||||
Common
stocks
|
(659,367
|
)
|
(631,000
|
)
|
|||
Total
unrealized (losses) and gains, net
|
$
|
(1,309,539
|
)
|
$
|
(1,550,626
|
)
|
During
December 2005, we classified $19.7 million of our bond portfolio as
held-to-maturity. The decision to classify this layer of our bond portfolio
as
held-to-maturity was predicated on our intention to establish an irrevocable
letter of credit in order to facilitate business opportunities in connection
with our commercial general liability program. During April 2006, American
Vehicle finalized the irrevocable letter of credit in conjunction with the
100%
Quota Share Reinsurance Agreement with Republic.
Pursuant
to FASB 115, the Company records the unrealized losses, net of estimated income
taxes that are associated with that part of our portfolio classified as
available for sale through the shareholders' equity account titled “Other
Comprehensive Income”. Management periodically reviews the individual
investments that comprise our portfolio in order to determine whether a decline
in fair value below our cost either is other than temporary or permanently
impaired. Factors used in such consideration include, but are not limited to,
the extent and length of time over which the market value has been less than
cost, the financial condition and near-term prospects of the issuer and our
ability and intent to keep the investment for a period sufficient to allow
for
an anticipated recovery in market value.
In
reaching a conclusion that a security is either other than temporary or
permanently impaired we consider such factors as the timeliness and completeness
of expected dividends, principal and interest payments, ratings from nationally
recognized statistical rating organizations such as Standard and Poor’s and
Moody’s as well as information released via the general media channels. During
the three months ended September 30, 2007, in connection with this process
we
have charged to operations a net realized investment loss totaling approximately
$797,000, net of an estimated provisional tax effect of approximately $481,000.
The charge relates to a short-term investment in a company whose primary
business involved the sub-prime mortgage market.
-
26
-
21st
Century Holding Company
Management’s
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations
The
investments held at September 30, 2007 and December 31, 2006 were comprised
mainly of United States government and agency bonds as well as municipal bonds
which are viewed by the Company as conservative and less risky holdings, though
sensitive to interest rate changes. There is a smaller concentration of
corporate bonds predominantly held in the financial and conglomerate industries.
At September 30, 2007, approximately 80% of the equity holdings are in mutual
funds and 20% are in equities related to the financial industry and insurance
industry.
All
of
our securities, except as noted above, are in good standing and are not impaired
as defined by FASB 115. We determined that one of our securities qualified
for
other than temporary impairment status during the three months ended September
30, 2007. Our rational for this determination and the determination that
includes, but is not limited, to Standard and Poor’s rating of no less than
BB++, no delinquent interest and dividend payments, near term maturity dates
and
our ability and intent to hold these securities for a period sufficient to
allow
for an anticipated recovery in market value.
Cash
and Short Term Investments
Cash
and
short-term investments, which include cash, certificates of deposits, and money
market accounts decreased $3.8 million, or 21.0%, to $14.2 million as of
September 30, 2007, compared to $17.9 million as of December 31, 2006. These
balances are held primarily in money market accounts at amounts deemed
sufficient to meet short-term cash requirements. Our excess cash and cash
equivalents are invested in accordance with our long-term liquidity
requirements.
Receivable
for Investments Sold
Receivable
for investments sold increased to $0.5 million as of September 30, 2007,
compared to nothing as of December 31, 2006. The increase is a result of
investment trading activity that occurred in late September and did not settle
until early October 2007.
Finance
Contracts Receivable, Net of Allowance for Credit Losses
Finance
contracts receivable, net of allowance for credit losses, decreased $1.0
million, or 54.7%, to $0.8 million as of September 30, 2007, compared to $1.8
million as of December 31, 2006. The decrease is primarily due to our sale
in
December 2004 of our assets related to our non-standard automobile insurance
agency business in Florida and the associated financed contracts. We anticipate
a continued decline in the financed contracts receivable, net over the future
short term and its related conversion to cash, cash equivalents and
investments.
Prepaid
Reinsurance Premiums
Prepaid
reinsurance premiums increased $5.0 million, or 3.2%, to $14.9 million as of
September 30, 2007, compared to $14.5 million as of December 31, 2006. The
increase is primarily due to the decreased cost of property reinsurance for
the
2007 - 2008 hurricane season compared to the 2005 - 2006 hurricane season.
Premiums
Receivable, Net of Allowance for Credit Losses
Premiums
receivable, net of allowance for credit losses, decreased $4.1 million, or
56.5%, to $3.1 million as of September 30, 2007, compared to $7.2 million as
of
December 31, 2006.
Our
homeowners’ insurance premiums receivable decreased $3.9 million, or 91.9%, to
$0.3 million as of September 30, 2007, compared to $4.2 million as of December
31, 2006. The decrease can be attributed to the seasonality of the purchasing
patterns of our policyholders and our insurance policy marketing efforts where
we purposely restrict our homeowner written premiums during hurricane season.
Our
commercial general liability insurance premiums receivable increased $0.7
million, or 25.6%, to $3.4 million as of September 30, 2007, compared to $2.7
million as of December 31, 2006.
Premiums
receivable in connection with our automobile line of business decreased $0.6
million, or 54.8%, to $0.5 million as of September 30, 2007, compared to $1.2
million as of December 31, 2006.
-
27
-
21st
Century Holding Company
Management’s
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations
Reinsurance
Recoverable, net
Reinsurance
Recoverable, net, decreased $3.4 million, or 17.0%, to $16.8 million as of
September 30, 2007, compared to $20.2 million as of December 31, 2006. The
decrease is due to payment patterns by our reinsurers. All amounts are current
and deemed collectable. We have not recorded a valuation allowance in connection
with our reinsurance recoverable, net.
Deferred
Policy Acquisition Costs
Deferred
policy acquisition costs decreased $0.7 million, or 6.1%, to $10.5 million
as of
September 30, 2007, compared to $11.2 million as of December 31, 2006. The
recent decreased production volume for both the homeowners’ and commercial
general liability product lines is the reason for the decrease in this
asset.
Deferred
Income Taxes, net
Deferred
income taxes, net, increased $1.2 million, or 33.3%, to $4.8 million as of
September 30, 2007, compared to $3.6 million as of December 31, 2006. Deferred
income taxes, net is comprised of approximately $8.6 million and $7.7 million
of
deferred tax assets, net of approximately $3.8 million and $4.1 million of
deferred tax liabilities as of September 30, 2007 and December 31, 2006 ,
respectively.
Income
Taxes Receivable
Income
taxes receivable increased $0.4 million, or 52.4%, to $1.2 million as of
September 30, 2007, compared to $0.8 million as of December 31, 2006. The change
is due to tax payment patterns in connection with our tax liabilities. The
2004,
2003 and 2002 consolidated Federal Income Tax Returns filed by the Company
have
been examined by the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) during 2006 and 2005. We
have concurred with certain IRS conclusions and have appealed other conclusions.
Irrespective of the ongoing appellate process, we do not believe that a material
adjustment will occur. Income taxes receivable are net of $160,000 reserve
established in conjunction with this process.
Property,
Plant and Equipment, net
Property,
plant and equipment, net, decreased $0.2 million, or 14.3%, to $1.1 million
as
of September 30, 2007, compared to $1.3 million as of December 31, 2006. The
decrease is primarily due to depreciation and amortization of our existing
property, plant and equipment.
Other
Assets
Other
assets decreased $2.0 million, or 43.6%, to $2.6 million as of September 30,
2007, compared to $4.6 million as of December 31, 2006. Major components of
other assets are as follows:
September 30, 2007
|
|
December 31, 2006
|
|||||
Accrued
interest income
|
$
|
1,078,388
|
$
|
1,515,584
|
|||
Commissions
and revenue sharing receivable
|
214,164
|
979,677
|
|||||
Notes
receivable
|
797,588
|
1,027,958
|
|||||
Unamortized
loan costs
|
-
|
61,572
|
|||||
Compensating
cash balances
|
9,911
|
9,911
|
|||||
Due
from sale of discontinued operations, net
|
-
|
320,000
|
|||||
Prepaid
expenses
|
386,359
|
531,008
|
|||||
Other
|
83,263
|
110,641
|
|||||
$
|
2,569,673
|
$
|
4,556,351
|
-
28
-
21st
Century Holding Company
Management’s
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations
Unpaid
Losses and LAE
Unpaid
losses and LAE increased $10.7 million, or 27.0%, to $50.3 million as of
September 30, 2007, compared to $39.6 million as of December 31, 2006. The
increase in unpaid losses and LAE relates primarily to our loss reserve
strengthening relative to the commercial general liability and property lines
of
business. The composition of unpaid loss and LAE by product line is as follows:
September 30, 2007
|
December 31, 2006
|
||||||
Homeowners'
|
$
|
23,529,009
|
$
|
21,788,126
|
|||
Commercial
General Liability
|
19,137,989
|
11,100,116
|
|||||
Automobile
|
7,652,566
|
6,727,236
|
|||||
$
|
50,319,564
|
$
|
39,615,478
|
Factors
that affect unpaid losses and LAE include the estimates made on a claim-by-claim
basis known as “case reserves” coupled with bulk estimates known as incurred but
not yet reported (“IBNR”). Periodic estimates by management of the ultimate
costs required to settle all claim files are based on the Company’s analysis of
historical data and estimations of the impact of numerous factors such as (i)
per claim information; (ii) company and industry historical loss experience;
(iii) legislative enactments, judicial decisions, legal developments in the
awarding of damages, and changes in political attitudes; and (iv) trends in
general economic conditions, including the effects of inflation. Management
revises its estimates based on the results of its analysis. This process assumes
that past experience, adjusted for the effects of current developments and
anticipated trends, is an appropriate basis for estimating the ultimate
settlement of all claims. There is no precise method for subsequently evaluating
the impact of any specific factor on the adequacy of the reserves, because
the
eventual redundancy or deficiency is affected by multiple factors. As a result
of our process, reserves were increased by approximately $6.7 million during
the
quarter ended September 30, 2007.
Unearned
Premium
Unearned
premiums decreased $9.7 million, or 12.5%, to $68.1 million as of September
30,
2007, compared to $77.8 million as of December 31, 2006. The decrease was due
to
a $9.2 million decrease in unearned homeowners’ insurance premiums, a $0.8
million increase in unearned commercial general liability premiums, and a $1.2
million decrease in unearned automobile premiums. Generally, as is in this
case,
a decrease in unearned premium directly relates to a decreased in written
premium on a rolling twelve-month basis. Conversely, in periods of increased
written premium on a rolling twelve-month basis, unearned premium generally
would be expected to rise.
Premium
Deposits and Customer Credit Balances
Premium
deposits and customer credit balances decreased $1.7 million, or 46.0%, to
$2.0
million as of September 30, 2007, compared to $3.8 million as of December 31,
2006. Premium deposits are monies received on policies not yet in force as
of
September 30, 2007.
Revolving
Credit Outstanding
Revolving
credit outstanding remained unchanged at nearly nothing as of September 30,
2007, compared to December 31, 2006. The balance is due to our cash management
efforts, our requested credit reduction, and sale in December 2004 of our assets
related to our non-standard automobile insurance agency business in Florida
and
the derived finance contracts receivable.
Bank
Overdraft
Bank
overdraft increased $1.8 million, or 21.9%, to $9.9 million as of September
30,
2007, compared to $8.1 million as of December 31, 2006. The bank overdraft
relates primarily to loss and LAE disbursements paid but not yet presented
for
payment by the policyholder or vendor. The increase relates to our payment
patterns in relationship to the rate at which those cash disbursements are
presented to the bank for payment.
Subordinated
Debt
Subordinated
debt decreased to nothing as of September 30, 2007, compared to $4.2 million
as
of December 31, 2006. The decrease is due to our final principal and interest
payment on the September 2004 Notes on September 30, 2007.
-
29
-
21st
Century Holding Company
Management’s
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations
Deferred
Gain from Sale of Property
Deferred
gain from sale of property decreased $0.4 million, or 14.3%, to $2.1 million
as
of September 30, 2007, compared to $2.5 million as of December 31, 2006. In
accordance with the provisions of FASB No. 13, we are amortizing the deferred
gain over the term of the leaseback, which is scheduled to end in December
2011.
Accounts
Payable and Accrued Expenses
Accounts
payable and accrued expenses increased $1.0 million, or 17.0%, to $6.7 million
as of September 30, 2007, compared to $5.7 million as of December 31, 2006.
This
increase is due to our cash management efforts and timing of payments with
our
trade vendors.
Results
of Operations
Three
Months Ended September 30, 2007 Compared to Three Months Ended September 30,
2006
Gross
Premiums Written
Gross
premiums written decreased $8.6 million, or 34.9%, to $16.1 million for the
three months ended September 30, 2007, compared to $24.7 million for the three
months ended September 30, 2006. The following table denotes gross premiums
written by major product line:
Three
months ended September 30,
|
|||||||||||||
2007
|
2006
|
||||||||||||
Amount
|
Percentage
|
Amount
|
Percentage
|
||||||||||
Homeowners'
|
$
|
8,512,741
|
53.0
|
%
|
$
|
15,907,467
|
64.5
|
%
|
|||||
Commercial
General Liability
|
7,376,856
|
45.9
|
%
|
8,292,591
|
33.6
|
%
|
|||||||
Automobile
|
174,036
|
1.1
|
%
|
469,445
|
1.9
|
%
|
|||||||
Gross
premiums written
|
$
|
16,063,633
|
100.0
|
%
|
$
|
24,669,503
|
100.0
|
%
|
The
Company’s sale of homeowners’ policies decreased $7.4 million, or 46.5% to $8.5
million for the three months ended September 30, 2007, compared to $15.9 million
for the three months ended September 30, 2006. The decrease is primarily due
to
the soft market conditions prevailing in the State of Florida. The soft market
conditions are lead by Citizens, the state run insurance company. We believe
that the competition in this market is based primarily on pricing insurance
products at rates that do not reflect current economic conditions. We do not
intend to compete with others solely on the basis of pricing mechanisms. Where
our rates are competitive (and there are territories in Florida that so exist)
we will continue to market our property insurance product. We expect additional
challenges in the near term in connection with our rating agency, Demotech,
Inc.’s recent decision to remove our property insurer’s financial stability
rating “A” “Exceptional”. We intend to discuss with Demotech, Inc.
representatives corrective actions necessary to restore our rating.
The
following table sets forth the amounts and percentages of our gross premiums
written in connection with our commercial general liability program by state:
Three
months ended September 30,
|
|||||||||||||
2007
|
2006
|
||||||||||||
(Dollars
in thousands)
|
|||||||||||||
Amount
|
Percentage
|
Amount
|
Percentage
|
||||||||||
Florida
|
$
|
4,563
|
62.0
|
%
|
$
|
5,428
|
65.5
|
%
|
|||||
Georgia
|
208
|
2.8
|
%
|
660
|
8.0
|
%
|
|||||||
Louisiana
|
1,365
|
18.5
|
%
|
1,380
|
16.6
|
%
|
|||||||
South
Carolina
|
47
|
0.6
|
%
|
-
|
0.0
|
%
|
|||||||
Texas
|
1,194
|
16.2
|
%
|
825
|
9.9
|
%
|
|||||||
Gross
premiums written
|
$
|
7,377
|
100.0
|
%
|
$
|
8,293
|
100.0
|
%
|
-
30
-
21st
Century Holding Company
Management’s
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations
The
Company’s sale of auto insurance policies decreased by $0.3 million, or 62.9%,
to $0.2 million for the three months ended September 30, 2007, compared to
$0.5
million for the three months ended September 30, 2006.
Gross
Premiums Ceded
Gross
premiums ceded decreased $26.6 million, or 46.4%, to $30.7 million for the
three
months ended September 30, 2007, compared to $57.4 million for the three months
ended September 30, 2006.
Increase
in Prepaid Reinsurance Premiums
The
increase in prepaid reinsurance premiums was $19.3 million for the three months
ended September 30, 2007, compared to $42.1 million for the three months ended
September 30, 2006. The decreased charge to written premium is primarily
associated with the timing of our reinsurance payments measured against the
term
of the underlying reinsurance policies.
Decrease
in Unearned Premiums
The
decrease in unearned premiums was $22.5 million for the three months ended
September 30, 2007, compared to $12.4 million for the three months ended
September 30, 2006. The change was due to a ($21.2) million decrease in unearned
homeowners’ insurance premiums, a ($0.8) million decrease in unearned commercial
general liability premiums and a $0.5 million decrease in unearned automobile
premiums. These changes are a result of our decreased premium volume during
this
period. See Gross Premiums Written.
Net
Premiums Earned
Net
premiums earned increased $5.5 million, or 25.2%, to $27.2 million for the
three
months ended September 30, 2007, compared to $21.7 million for the three months
ended September 30, 2006. The following table denotes net premiums earned by
product line:
Three
months ended September 30,
|
|||||||||||||
2007
|
|
2006
|
|
||||||||||
|
|
Amount
|
|
Percentage
|
|
Amount
|
Percentage
|
||||||
Homeowners'
|
$
|
18,325,279
|
67.41
|
%
|
$
|
11,040,823
|
50.87
|
%
|
|||||
Commercial
General Liability
|
8,166,608
|
30.05
|
%
|
7,743,852
|
35.67
|
%
|
|||||||
Automobile
|
689,365
|
2.54
|
%
|
2,922,730
|
13.46
|
%
|
|||||||
Net
premiums earned
|
$
|
27,181,252
|
100.00
|
%
|
$
|
21,707,405
|
100.00
|
%
|
As
noted
above, the Company’s efforts to expand commercial general liability lines of
insurance products are coming to fruition, as reflected by increased net
premiums earned of $0.4 million, or 5.5 % to $8.2 million for the three months
ended September 30, 2007, compared to $7.7 million for the three months ended
September 30, 2006.
Commission
Income
Commission
income increased less than $0.1 million, to $0.4 million for the three months
ended September 30, 2007, compared to $0.5 million for the three months ended
September 30, 2006. The primary component of our commission income is from
our
participation in a Citizens take out program in May through July 2004, wherein
the commissions were earned upon the successful retention of the policyholders
for thirty-six months.
Finance
Revenue
Finance
revenue decreased $0.2 million, or 65.3%, to $0.1 million for the three months
ended September 30, 2007, compared to $0.3 million for the three months ended
September 30, 2006. The change is primarily due to the Company’s decreased
emphasis on automobile insurance and the finance revenue derived there-from.
-
31
-
21st
Century Holding Company
Management’s
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations
Managing
General Agent Fees
Managing
general agent fees decreased $0.4 million, or 70.4% to $0.2 million for the
three months ended September 30, 2007, compared to $0.6 million for the three
months ended September 30, 2006. The decrease is primarily in connection with
acquiring new and renewal policies where we have noted approximately 350,000
fewer policies sold compared to the same period last year. The most notable,
and
expected decline was in connection with the homeowners policies where
approximately 341,000 policies were sold during the three months ended September
30, 2007 compared to approximately 636,000 policies were sold in the same three
month period last year.
Net
Investment Income
Net
investment income increased $0.8 million, or 48.1%, to $2.3 million for the
three months ended September 30, 2007, compared to $1.6 million for the three
months ended September 30, 2006. The increase in investment income is primarily
a result of the additional amounts of invested assets. Also affecting our net
investment income was an increase in the overall yield to 6.13 % for the three
months ended September 30, 2007 compared to a yield of 4.77% for the three
months ended September 30, 2006.
Net
Realized Investment Gains (Losses)
Net
realized investment losses of $1.4 million were recognized during the three
months ended September 30, 2007, compared to net realized investment gains
of
$0.3 million during the three months ended September 30, 2006. The table below
depicts gains (losses) by investment category. During the quarter ended
September 30, 2007, we marked an equity investment to market value. The pretax
charge to operations was approximately $1.3 million in connection with the
devaluation of the investment.
Net
Realized (Losses) Gains
|
|
||||||
|
|
Three
Months Ended September 30,
|
|
||||
|
|
2007
|
|
2006
|
|||
Fixed
maturities:
|
|||||||
U.S.
government obligations and agencies
|
$
|
17,588
|
$
|
-
|
|||
Obligations
of states and political subdivisions
|
(437,184
|
)
|
-
|
||||
Equity
securities:
|
|||||||
Common
stocks
|
(1,021,586 | ) | 263,072 | ||||
Total
net realized (losses) gains
|
$ | (1,441,182 | ) | $ | 263,072 |
Other
Income
Other
income increased $0.9 million, or 558.1%, to $0.8 million for the three months
ended September 30, 2007, compared to ($0.2) million for the three months ended
September 30, 2006. Major components of other income for the three months ended
September 30, 2007 included approximately $0.6 million in connection with FIGA
recoupment, $0.1 million in partial recognition of our gain on the sale of
our
Lauderdale Lakes property and less than $0.1 million in connection with rental
income, interest income and miscellaneous income. We anticipate future
collections, in the form of surcharges as approved by the OIR, in connection
with the 2006 FIGA assessments to total approximately $2.5 million over the
next
twelve months. We anticipate that collections in connection with FIGA’s October
2007 assessment will begin during the first quarter of 2008.
We
anticipate future collections, in the form of surcharges as approved by the
OIR,
in connection with the 2006 Citizens assessments to total approximately $0.7
million.
Loss
and LAE
Loss
and
LAE, our most significant expense, represent actual payments made and changes
in
estimated future payments to be made to or on behalf of our policyholders,
including expenses required to settle claims and losses. We revise our estimates
based on the results of analysis of estimated future payments to be made. This
process assumes that past experience, adjusted for the effects of current
developments and anticipated trends, is an appropriate basis for predicting
future events.
-
32
-
21st
Century Holding Company
Management’s
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations
Loss
and
LAE increased by $4.6 million, or 44.6%, to $14.8 million for the three months
ended September 30, 2007, compared to $10.3 million for the three months ended
September 30, 2006. The overall increase reflects a decrease of $1.7 million
in
our homeowners’ loss and LAE program, an increase of $6.4 million in our
commercial general liability loss and LAE program netted against $0.1 million
decrease in loss and LAE in connection with our automobile program.
We
continue to revise our estimates of the ultimate financial impact of past
storms. The revisions to our estimates are based on our analysis of subsequent
information that we receive regarding various factors, including: (i) per claim
information; (ii) company and industry historical loss experience; (iii)
legislative enactments, judicial decisions, legal developments in the awarding
of damages, and (iv) trends in general economic conditions, including the
effects of inflation. Management revises its estimates based on the results
of
its analysis. This process assumes that past experience, adjusted for the
effects of current developments and anticipated trends, is an appropriate basis
for estimating the ultimate settlement of all claims. There is no precise method
for subsequently evaluating the impact of any specific factor on the adequacy
of
the reserves, because the eventual redundancy or deficiency is affected by
multiple factors. As a result of our process, reserves were increased by
approximately $6.7 million during the quarter ended September 30,
2007.
The
table
below reflects no charge to operations during the three months ended September
30, 2007 from the four hurricanes that occurred in July, August, September
and
October of 2005.
Claim
|
Gross
|
Reinsurance
|
Net
|
||||||||||
2005
Hurricanes
|
Count
|
Losses
|
Recoveries
|
Losses
|
|||||||||
(Dollars
in millions)
|
|||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
Dennis
(July 10)
|
-
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
-
|
||||||
Katrina
(August 25)
|
3
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|||||||||
Rita
(September 20)
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|||||||||
Wilma
(October 24)
|
37
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|||||||||
Total
Loss Estimate
|
40
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
-
|
The
table
below reflects no charge to operations during the three months ended September
30, 2007 from the four hurricanes that occurred in July, August and September
2004.
Claim
|
Gross
|
Reinsurance
|
Net
|
||||||||||
2004
Hurricanes
|
Count
|
Losses
|
Recoveries
|
Losses
|
|||||||||
(Dollars
in millions)
|
|||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
Charley
(August 13)
|
-
|
$
|
1.0
|
$
|
1.0
|
$
|
-
|
||||||
Frances
(September 3)
|
-
|
0.8
|
0.8
|
-
|
|||||||||
Ivan
(September 14)
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|||||||||
Jeanne
(September 25)
|
1
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|||||||||
Total
Loss Estimate
|
1
|
$
|
1.8
|
$
|
1.8
|
$
|
-
|
In
accordance with GAAP, our loss ratio is computed as loss and LAE divided by
net
premiums earned. A lower loss ratio generally results in higher operating
income. Our loss ratio for the three month period ended September 30, 2007
was
54.6% compared with 47.3% for the same period in 2006. The table below reflects
the loss ratios by product line.
-
33
-
21st
Century Holding Company
Management’s
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations
Three Months Ended September 30,
|
|
||||||
|
|
2007
|
|
2006
|
|||
Homeowners'
|
28.78
|
%
|
63.40
|
%
|
|||
Commercial
General Liability
|
95.30
|
%
|
18.01
|
%
|
|||
Automobile
|
260.11
|
%
|
64.18
|
%
|
|||
All
lines
|
54.63
|
%
|
47.32
|
%
|
Operating
and Underwriting Expenses
Operating
and underwriting expenses increased $0.1 million, or 2.7%, to $3.9 million
for
the three months ended September 30, 2007, compared to $3.8 million for the
three months ended September 30, 2006.
Salaries
and Wages
Salaries
and wages increased less than $0.1 million, or 4.5%, to $1.8 million for the
three months ended September 30, 2007, compared to $1.7 million for the three
months ended September 30, 2006.
Interest
Expense
Interest
expense decreased $0.1 million, or 79.4%, to nearly nothing for the three months
ended September 30, 2007, compared to $0.1 million for the three months ended
September 30, 2006. The decrease is in correlation to our decreased subordinated
debt.
Policy
Acquisition Costs, Net of Amortization
Policy
acquisition costs, net of amortization, increased $0.4 million, or 7.6%, to
$5.4
million for the three months ended September 30, 2007, compared to $5.0 million
for the three months ended September 30, 2006. Policy acquisition costs, net
of
amortization, consists of the actual policy acquisition costs, including
commissions, payroll and premium taxes, less commissions earned on reinsurance
ceded and policy fees earned.
Provision
for Income Tax Expense
The
provision for income tax expense increased $0.9 million, or 108.4%, to $1.8
million for the three months ended September 30, 2007, compared to $0.9 million
for the three months ended September 30, 2006. The effective rate for income
tax
expense was 48.9% for the three months ended September 30, 2007, compared to
14.7% for the same three-month period in 2006.
Net
Income
As
a
result of the foregoing, the Company’s net income for the three months ended
September 30, 2007, was $1.9 million, compared to net income of $3.0 million
for
the three months ended September 30, 2006.
-
34
-
21st
Century Holding Company
Management’s
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations
Results
of Operations
Nine
Months Ended September 30, 2007 Compared to Nine Months Ended September 30,
2006
Gross
Premiums Written
Gross
premiums written decreased $1.3 million, or 1.2%, to $109.7 million for the
nine
months ended September 30, 2007, compared to $111.0 million for
the
nine months ended September 30, 2006.
The
following table denotes gross premiums written by major product
line:
Nine
months ended September 30,
|
|
||||||||||||
|
|
2007
|
|
2006
|
|
||||||||
|
|
Amount
|
|
Percentage
|
|
Amount
|
|
Percentage
|
|||||
Homeowners'
|
$
|
82,471,900
|
75.2
|
%
|
$
|
80,865,442
|
72.8
|
%
|
|||||
Commercial
General Liability
|
25,601,473
|
23.3
|
%
|
24,749,710
|
22.3
|
%
|
|||||||
Automobile
|
1,642,493
|
1.5
|
%
|
5,416,096
|
4.9
|
%
|
|||||||
Gross
premiums written
|
$
|
109,715,866
|
100.0
|
%
|
$
|
111,031,248
|
100.0
|
%
|
The
following table sets forth the amounts and percentages of our gross premiums
written in connection with our commercial general liability program by state:
Nine
months ended September 30,
|
|
||||||||||||
|
|
2007
|
|
2006
|
|
||||||||
|
|
|
|
(Dollars
in thousands)
|
|
|
|
||||||
|
|
Amount
|
|
Percentage
|
|
Amount
|
|
Percentage
|
|||||
Florida
|
$
|
17,067
|
66.8
|
%
|
$
|
18,169
|
73.5
|
%
|
|||||
Georgia
|
800
|
3.1
|
%
|
1,230
|
5.0
|
%
|
|||||||
Kentucky
|
5
|
0.0
|
%
|
-
|
0.0
|
%
|
|||||||
Louisiana
|
4,047
|
15.8
|
%
|
4,234
|
17.0
|
%
|
|||||||
South
Carolina
|
134
|
0.5
|
%
|
-
|
0.0
|
%
|
|||||||
Texas
|
3,516
|
13.7
|
%
|
1,117
|
4.5
|
%
|
|||||||
Virginia
|
32
|
0.1
|
%
|
-
|
0.0
|
%
|
|||||||
Gross
premiums written
|
$
|
25,601
|
100.0
|
%
|
$
|
24,750
|
100.0
|
%
|
The
Company’s sale of homeowners’ policies increased $1.6 million, or 2.0% to $82.5
million for the nine months ended September 30, 2007, compared to $80.9 million
for the nine months ended September 30, 2006. The modest increase is primarily
due to the increased rates in effect on our homeowners’ policies. We believe
that the competition in this market is based primarily on pricing insurance
products at rates that do not reflect current economic conditions. We do not
intend to compete with others solely on the basis of pricing mechanisms. Where
our rates are competitive (and there are territories in Florida that so exist)
we will continue to market our property insurance product. We expect additional
challenges in the near term in connection with our rating agency, Demotech,
Inc.’s recent decision to remove our property insurer’s financial stability
rating “A” “Exceptional”. We intend to discuss with Demotech, Inc.
representatives corrective actions necessary to restore our rating.
The
Company’s sale of auto insurance policies decreased by $3.8 million, or 69.7%,
to $1.6 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2007, compared to $5.4
million for the nine months ended September 30, 2006.
Gross
Premiums Ceded
Gross
premiums ceded decreased $14.2 million, or 23.4%, to $46.5 million for the
nine
months ended September 30, 2007, compared to $60.8 million for the nine months
ended September 30, 2006.
Increase
in Prepaid Reinsurance Premiums
The
increase in prepaid reinsurance premiums was $1.5 million for the nine months
ended September 30, 2007, compared to $32.8 million for the nine months ended
September 30, 2006. The decreased charge to written premium is primarily
associated with the timing of our reinsurance payments measured against the
term
of the underlying reinsurance policies.
Decrease
(Increase) in Unearned Premiums
The
decrease (increase) in unearned premiums was $9.7 million for the nine months
ended September 30, 2007, compared to ($10.8) million for the nine months ended
September 30, 2006. The change was due to a $9.2 million decrease in unearned
homeowners’ insurance premiums, an ($0.8) million increase in unearned
commercial general liability premiums and a $0.3 million decrease in unearned
automobile premiums. The decreases reflect the soft market conditions that
exist
in connection with our homeowners’ and auto line of business.
-
35
-
21st
Century Holding Company
Management’s
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations
Net
Premiums Earned
Net
premiums earned increased $2.1 million, or 2.9%, to $74.4 million for the nine
months ended September 30, 2007, compared to $72.3 million for the nine months
ended September 30, 2006. The following table denotes net premiums earned by
product line:
Nine
months ended September 30,
|
|
||||||||||||
|
|
2007
|
|
2006
|
|
||||||||
|
|
Amount
|
|
Percentage
|
|
Amount
|
|
Percentage
|
|||||
Homeowners'
|
$
|
46,677,097
|
62.76
|
%
|
$
|
40,720,936
|
56.36
|
%
|
|||||
Commercial
General Liability
|
24,835,348
|
33.40
|
%
|
20,126,319
|
27.85
|
%
|
|||||||
Automobile
|
2,855,538
|
3.84
|
%
|
11,408,230
|
15.79
|
%
|
|||||||
Net
premiums earned
|
$
|
74,367,983
|
100.00
|
%
|
$
|
72,255,485
|
100.00
|
%
|
As
noted
above, the Company’s efforts to expand commercial general liability lines of
insurance products are coming to fruition, as reflected by increased net
premiums earned of $4.7 million, or 23.4 %, to $24.8 million for the nine months
ended September 30, 2007, compared to $20.1 million for the nine months ended
September 30, 2006.
Commissions
Income
Commission
income increased $6.3 million, to $6.9 million for the nine months ended
September 30, 2007, compared to $0.6 million for the nine months ended September
30, 2006. The primary components of our commission income are non-reoccurring
operating events stemming from two separate events. First and pursuant to
provisions contained in our three-year reinsurance treaties, we were afforded
the right to cancel the remaining two years and be entitled to receive a no
loss
experience commission. In connection with this treaty, we have reported
approximately $2.8 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2007.
The
second non-reoccurring operating event was in connection with commission income
totaling approximately $2.8 million in connection with our participation in
a
Citizens take out program in 2004, wherein the commission was earned by us
upon
the successful retention of the policyholder for thirty-six months.
Finance
Revenue
Finance
revenue decreased $1.0 million, or 68.4%, to $0.5 million for the nine months
ended September 30, 2007, compared to $1.5 million for the nine months ended
September 30, 2006. The change is primarily due to the Company’s decreased
emphasis on automobile insurance and the finance revenue derived there-from.
Managing
General Agent Fees
Managing
general agent fees decreased $0.4 million, or 19.3%, to $1.6 million for the
nine months ended September 30, 2007, compared to $2.0 million for the nine
months ended September 30, 2006.
Net
Investment Income
Net
investment income increased $1.6 million, or 37.6%, to $6.0 million for the
nine
months ended September 30, 2007, compared to $4.4 million for the nine months
ended September 30, 2006. The increase in investment income is primarily a
result of the additional amounts of invested assets. Also affecting our net
investment income was an increase in overall yield to 4.42 % for the nine months
ended September 30, 2007 compared to a yield of 3.82 % for the nine months
ended
September 30, 2006.
Net
Realized Investment (Losses) Gains
Net
realized investment (losses) gains were ($1.5) million for the nine months
ended
September 30, 2007, compared to $0.7 for the nine months ended September 30,
2006. The table below depicts (losses) gains by investment category. During
the
quarter ended September 30, 2007, we marked an equity investment to market
value. The pretax charge to operations was approximately $1.3 million in
connection with the devaluation of the investment.
-
36
-
21st
Century Holding Company
Management’s
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations
Net
Realized (Losses) Gains
|
|||||||
|
Nine
Months Ended September 30,
|
||||||
|
2007
|
2006
|
|||||
Fixed
maturities:
|
|||||||
U.S.
government obligations and agencies
|
$
|
17,589
|
$
|
(32,516
|
)
|
||
Obligations
of states and political subdivisions
|
(437,247
|
)
|
76
|
||||
(419,658
|
)
|
(32,440
|
)
|
||||
Corporate
securities:
|
|||||||
Other
|
-
|
(33,816
|
)
|
||||
Equity
securities:
|
|||||||
Common
stocks
|
(1,069,569 | ) | 808,880 | ||||
Total net realized (losses) gains | $ | (1,489,227 | ) | $ | 742,624 |
Other
Income
Other
income increased $1.0 million, or 125.4%, to $1.8 million for the nine months
ended September 30, 2007, compared to $0.8 million for the nine months ended
September 30, 2006. Major components of other income for the nine months ended
September 30, 2007 included approximately $1.3 million in connection with FIGA
recoupment, $0.4 million in partial recognition of our gain on the sale of
our
Lauderdale Lakes property and $0.1 million of rental income, interest income
and
miscellaneous income. We anticipate future collections, in the form of
surcharges as approved by the OIR, in connection with the 2006 FIGA assessments
to total approximately $2.5 million. We anticipate that collections in
connection with FIGA’s October 2007 assessment will begin during the first
quarter of 2008.
We
anticipate future collections, in the form of surcharges as approved by the
OIR,
in connection with the 2006 FIGA assessments to total approximately $2.5 million
over the next twelve months. We anticipate that collections in connection with
FIGA’s October 2007 assessment will begin during the first quarter of
2008.
We
anticipate future collections, in the form of surcharges as approved by the
OIR,
in connection with the 2006 Citizens assessments to total approximately $0.7
million.
Loss
and LAE
Loss
and
LAE, our most significant expense, represent actual payments made and changes
in
estimated future payments to be made to or on behalf of our policyholders,
including expenses required to settle claims and losses. We revise our estimates
based on the results of analysis of estimated future payments to be made. This
process assumes that past experience, adjusted for the effects of current
developments and anticipated trends, is an appropriate basis for predicting
future events.
Loss
and
LAE increased by $11.4 million, or 42.0%, to $38.6 million for the nine months
ended September 30, 2007, compared to $27.2 million for the nine months ended
September 30, 2006. The overall increase reflects an increase of $5.4 million
in
our homeowners’ loss and LAE program (including $1.0 million charge for adverse
development in connection with the 2004 hurricane season), an increase of $10.2
million in our commercial general liability loss and LAE program netted against
$4.2 million decrease in loss and LAE in connection with our automobile
program.
We
continue to revise our estimates of the ultimate financial impact of past
storms. The revisions to our estimates are based on our analysis of subsequent
information that we receive regarding various factors, including: (i) per claim
information; (ii) company and industry historical loss experience; (iii)
legislative enactments, judicial decisions, legal developments in the awarding
of damages, and (iv) trends in general economic conditions, including the
effects of inflation. Management revises its estimates based on the results
of
its analysis. This process assumes that past experience, adjusted for the
effects of current developments and anticipated trends, is an appropriate basis
for estimating the ultimate settlement of all claims. There is no precise method
for subsequently evaluating the impact of any specific factor on the adequacy
of
the reserves, because the eventual redundancy or deficiency is affected by
multiple factors. As a result of our process, reserves were increased by
approximately $6.7 million during the quarter ended September 30,
2007.
-
37
-
21st
Century Holding Company
Management’s
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations
The
table
below reflects no charge to operations during the nine months ended September
30, 2007 from the four hurricanes that occurred in July, August, September
and
October of 2005.
Claim
|
|
Gross
|
|
Reinsurance
|
|
Net
|
|
||||||
2005
Hurricanes
|
|
Count
|
|
Losses
|
|
Recoveries
|
|
Losses
|
|
||||
|
|
|
|
(Dollars
in millions)
|
|||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
Dennis
(July 10)
|
-
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
-
|
||||||
Katrina
(August 25)
|
2
|
0.1
|
0.1
|
-
|
|||||||||
Rita
(September 20)
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|||||||||
Wilma
(October 24)
|
177
|
10.5
|
10.5
|
-
|
|||||||||
Total
Loss Estimate
|
179
|
$
|
10.6
|
$
|
10.6
|
$
|
-
|
The
table
below reflects a $1.0 million charge to operations during the nine months ended
September 30, 2007 from the four hurricanes that occurred in July, August and
September 2004.
Claim
|
Gross
|
Reinsurance
|
Net
|
||||||||||
2004
Hurricanes
|
Count
|
Losses
|
Recoveries
|
Losses
|
|||||||||
(Dollars
in millions)
|
|||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
Charley
(August 13)
|
1
|
$
|
2.3
|
$
|
2.3
|
$
|
-
|
||||||
Frances
(September 3)
|
-
|
0.8
|
0.8
|
-
|
|||||||||
Ivan
(September 14)
|
-
|
1.0
|
-
|
1.0
|
|||||||||
Jeanne
(September 25)
|
1
|
0.0
|
-
|
-
|
|||||||||
Total
Loss Estimate
|
2
|
$
|
4.1
|
$
|
3.1
|
$
|
1.0
|
In
accordance with GAAP, our loss ratio is computed as loss and LAE divided by
net
premiums earned. A lower loss ratio generally results in higher operating
income. Our loss ratio for the nine month period ended September 30, 2007 was
51.9% compared with 37.6% for the same period in 2006. The table below reflects
the loss ratios by product line.
Nine
Months Ended September 30,
|
|
||||||
|
|
2007
|
|
2006
|
|||
Homeowners'
|
43.03
|
%
|
36.00
|
%
|
|||
Commercial
General Liability
|
55.54
|
%
|
17.76
|
%
|
|||
Automobile
|
165.72
|
%
|
78.43
|
%
|
|||
All
lines
|
51.92
|
%
|
37.62
|
%
|
Operating
and Underwriting Expenses
Operating
and underwriting expenses increased $2.6 million, or 30.5%, to $10.9 million
for
the nine months ended September 30, 2007, compared to $8.4 million for the
nine
months ended September 30, 2006. As a direct premium writer in the State of
Florida, we are required to participate in certain insurer solvency associations
under Florida Statutes 631.57(3) (a). On October 11, 2007, FIGA’s Board
certified the need to assess each member an amount equal to two (2%) percent
of
the member’s Florida net direct written premiums for the calendar year 2006. We
have estimated that our participation with this assessment will total
approximately $2.8 million and is payable November 30, 2007. FIGA’s October 2007
assessment was charged to operations during the period ended September 30,
2007.
-
38
-
21st
Century Holding Company
Management’s
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations
Salaries
and Wages
Salaries
and wages decreased $0.2 million, or 4.6%, to $5.1 million for the nine months
ended September 30, 2007, compared to $5.3 million for the nine months ended
September 30, 2006.
Interest
Expense
Interest
expense decreased $0.4 million, or 68.3%, to $0.2 million for the nine months
ended September 30, 2007, compared to $0.5 million for the nine months ended
September 30, 2006. The decrease is in correlation to our decreased subordinated
debt.
Policy
Acquisition Costs, Net of Amortization
Policy
acquisition costs, net of amortization, increased $1.9 million, or 14.2%, to
$14.9 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2007, compared to $13.0
million for the nine months ended September 30, 2006. Policy acquisition costs,
net of amortization, consists of the actual policy acquisition costs, including
commissions, payroll and premium taxes, less commissions earned on reinsurance
ceded and policy fees earned.
Provision
for Income Tax Expense
The
provision for income tax expense decreased $3.0 million, or 31.0%, to $6.8
million for the nine months ended September 30, 2007, compared to $9.8 million
for the nine months ended September 30, 2006. The effective rate for income
tax
expense was 33.9% for the nine months ended September 30, 2007, compared to
32.9% the same nine month period in 2006.
Net
Income
As
a
result of the foregoing, the Company’s net income for the nine months ended
September 30, 2007 was $13.2 million, compared to net income of $17.9 million
for the nine months ended September 30, 2006.
Liquidity
and Capital Resources
For
the
nine months ended September 30, 2007, our primary sources of capital were
revenues generated from operations, including increased unpaid losses and LAE,
decreased premiums receivable, decreased reinsurance recoverable, net, increased
bank overdraft, decreased other assets, decreased finance contracts receivable,
increased accounts payable and accrued expenses and decreased policy acquisition
costs, net of amortization. Also contributing to our liquidity were an increase
in the provision for uncollectible premiums receivable, non-cash compensation,
depreciation and amortization, the issuance of common stock for interest on
notes, proceeds from the sale of investment securities, exercised warrants,
exercised employee stock options and a tax benefit related to non-cash
compensation. Because we are a holding company, we are largely dependent upon
fees and commissions from our subsidiaries for cash flow.
For
the
nine months ended September 30, 2007, operations provided net operating cash
flow of $24.0 million, compared to $24.3 million for the nine months ended
September 30, 2006.
For
the
nine months ended September 30, 2007, operations generated $38.2 million of
gross cash flow due to a $10.7 million increase in unpaid losses and LAE, a
$3.8
million decrease in premiums receivable, a $3.4 million decrease in reinsurance
recoverable, net, a $1.8 million increase in bank overdraft, a $1.6 million
decrease in other assets, a $1.0 million decrease in finance contracts
receivable and a $1.0 million increase in accounts payable and accrued expenses.
To a much less significant extent, operations generated additional sources
of
cash via a $0.7 million decrease in policy acquisition costs, net of
amortization, a $0.3 million increase in the provision for uncollectible
premiums receivable, $0.3 million in non-cash compensation, $0.2 million in
depreciation and amortization and $0.1 million in the issuance of common stock
for interest on notes, all in conjunction with net income of $13.2 million.
For
the
nine months ended September 30, 2007, operations used $14.2 million of gross
cash flow primarily due to a $9.7 million decrease in unearned premiums, a
$1.7
million decrease in premium deposits and customer credit balances, a $1.2
million increase in deferred income tax expense, a $0.5 million increase in
prepaid reinsurance premiums, a $0.4 million increase in income taxes
recoverable, $0.4 million in net realized investment losses, $0.3 million in
amortization of investment discount, net, and less than a $0.1 million increase
in the provision for credit losses, net.
-
39
-
21st
Century Holding Company
Management’s
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations
Subject
to catastrophic occurrences, net operating cash flow is currently expected
to be
positive in both the short-term and the reasonably near future.
For
the
nine months ended September 30, 2007, net investing activities used $21.7
million, compared to $23.7 million for the nine months ended September 30,
2006.
Our available for sale investment portfolio is highly liquid as it consists
entirely of readily marketable securities.
For
the
nine months ended September 30, 2007, investing activities generated $159.6
million and used $181.2 million from the maturity several times over of our
very
short municipal portfolio.
For
the
nine months ended September 30, 2007, net financing activities used $6.1
million, compared to providing $1.2 million for the nine months ended September
30, 2006. For the nine months ended September 30, 2007, the sources of cash
in
connection with financing activities included $2.0 million from the exercise
of
warrants, $0.1 million from the exercise of stock options and $0.2 million
from
the tax benefit related to non-cash compensation. The uses of cash in connection
with financing activities included $4.3 million in dividends paid, $2.1 million
in connection with subordinated debt and $2.0 million for the purchase of
treasury stock.
Federated
Premium’s operations were partially funded by the revolving loan agreement with
FlatIron. Outstanding borrowings under the revolving loan agreement were
approximately $10,000 as of both September 30, 2007 and December 31, 2006.
The
effective interest rate on this line of credit, based on our average outstanding
borrowings under the revolving loan agreement, was 19.88% and 9.78% for the
nine
months ended September 30, 2007 and 2006, respectively. Interest expense
including minimum fees on this revolving credit line totaled approximately
$1,500 and $7,600 for the nine months ended September 30, 2007 and 2006,
respectively. This credit facility was schedule to terminate, at our request,
on
September 30, 2007 and we are currently in the process of settling all aspects
of this relationship.
As
an
alternative to premium finance, we offer direct billing in connection with
our
automobile and homeowner programs, where the insurance company accepts from
the
insured, as a receivable, a promise to pay the premium, as opposed to requiring
the full amount of the policy at policy inception, either directly from the
insured or from a premium finance company. The advantage of direct billing
a
policyholder by the insurance company is that we are not reliant on our credit
facility, but remain able to charge and collect interest from the policyholder.
We
believe that our current capital resources, together with cash flow from
operations, will be sufficient to meet currently anticipated working capital
requirements. There can be no assurances, however, that such will be the case.
As
of
September 30, 2007, we did not have any relationships with unconsolidated
entities or financial partnerships, such as entities often referred to as
“structured finance” or “special purpose” entities, which were established for
the purpose of facilitating off-balance-sheet arrangements or other
contractually narrow or limited purposes. As such, management believes that
we
currently are not exposed to any financing, liquidity, market or credit risks
that could arise if we had engaged in transactions of that type requiring
disclosure herein.
Impact
of Inflation and Changing Prices
The
consolidated financial statements and related data presented herein have been
prepared in accordance with GAAP, which requires the measurement of financial
position and operating results in terms of historical dollars without
considering changes in the relative purchasing power of money over time due
to
inflation. Our primary assets and liabilities are monetary in nature. As a
result, interest rates have a more significant impact on performance than the
effects of general levels of inflation. Interest rates do not necessarily move
in the same direction or with the same magnitude as the inflationary effect
on
the cost of paying losses and LAE.
Insurance
premiums are established before we know the amount of loss and LAE and the
extent to which inflation may affect such expenses. Consequently, we attempt
to
anticipate the future impact of inflation when establishing rate levels. While
we attempt to charge adequate premiums, we may be limited in raising premium
levels for competitive and regulatory reasons. Inflation also affects the market
value of our investment portfolio and the investment rate of return. Any future
economic changes that result in prolonged and increasing levels of inflation
could cause increases in the dollar amount of incurred loss and LAE and thereby
materially adversely affect future liability requirements.
-
40
-
21st
Century Holding Company
Item
3
Quantitative
and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk
Information
related to quantitative and qualitative disclosures about market risk was
included under Item 7a, “Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market
Risk”, in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2006.
No material changes have occurred in market risk since this information was
disclosed except as discussed below.
Our
investment portfolio is available for sale and carried at fair value, except
for
that portion deemed as held to maturity. Gains that represent securities with
a
fair value in excess of amortized cost, and losses (amortized cost is in excess
of fair value) that are deemed temporary by management are recorded in
shareholders’ equity in accumulated other comprehensive income. Losses deemed
other than temporary by management are recorded as net realized losses in the
consolidated statement of operations. A summary of the investment portfolio
as
of September 30, 2007 follows:
Book Value
|
|
Fair / Amortized Value
|
|
Unrealized
Gain (Loss)
|
||||||||||||
Fixed
maturities:
|
||||||||||||||||
U.S.
government obligations and agencies available for sale
|
$
|
72,049,375
|
48.30
|
%
|
$
|
71,743,256
|
48.52
|
%
|
$
|
(306,119
|
)
|
|||||
U.S.
government obligations and agencies held to maturity
|
19,365,007
|
12.98
|
%
|
19,365,005
|
13.10
|
%
|
(2
|
)
|
||||||||
Obligations
of states and political subdivisions available for sale
|
26,079,064
|
17.48
|
%
|
25,995,085
|
17.58
|
%
|
(83,979
|
)
|
||||||||
Obligations
of states and political subdivisions held to maturity
|
501,295
|
0.34
|
%
|
501,295
|
0.34
|
%
|
-
|
|||||||||
117,994,741
|
79.10
|
%
|
117,604,641
|
79.54
|
%
|
(390,100
|
)
|
|||||||||
Corporate
securities:
|
||||||||||||||||
Communications
available for sale
|
994,127
|
0.67
|
%
|
1,000,058
|
0.67
|
%
|
5,931
|
|||||||||
Financial
available for sale
|
4,121,492
|
2.76
|
%
|
4,112,972
|
2.78
|
%
|
(8,520
|
)
|
||||||||
Other
available for sale
|
16,490,292
|
11.05
|
%
|
16,232,807
|
10.98
|
%
|
(257,485
|
)
|
||||||||
Other
held to maturity
|
500,000
|
0.34
|
%
|
500,000
|
0.34
|
%
|
-
|
|||||||||
22,105,911
|
14.82
|
%
|
21,845,837
|
14.77
|
%
|
(260,074
|
)
|
|||||||||
Equity
securities:
|
||||||||||||||||
Common
stocks available for sale
|
9,067,950
|
6.08
|
%
|
8,408,585
|
5.69
|
%
|
(659,365
|
)
|
||||||||
Total
fixed, corporate and equity securities
|
$
|
149,168,602
|
100.00
|
%
|
$
|
147,859,063
|
100.00
|
%
|
$
|
(1,309,539
|
)
|
For
our
held to maturity portfolio as of September 30, 2007, the unrealized loss totaled
approximately $106,000 and was almost entirely in connection with our U.S.
government obligations and agencies.
As
of
September 30, 2007, there were no concentrations greater than 5% of total
investments in any single investment other than United States government and
agency obligations and obligations of states and political
subdivisions.
Item
4
Controls
and Procedures
We
maintain disclosure controls and procedures that are designed to ensure that
information required to be disclosed in the reports that the Company files
or
submits under the Securities and Exchange Act is recorded, processed,
summarized, and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules
and forms, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to the
Company’s management, including its Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial
Officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required
disclosures.
-
41
-
21st
Century Holding Company
Our
management, with the participation of its Chief Executive Officer and Chief
Financial Officer, has evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls
and procedures as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) under the Securities Exchange
Act
of 1934, as of September 30, 2007. Based upon their evaluation, the Chief
Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that the Company’s
disclosure controls and procedures, as of September 30, 2007, were effective
to
provide reasonable assurance that information required to be disclosed by the
Company in the reports filed or submitted by it under the Exchange Act is
recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified
in the SEC’s rules and forms, and to provide reasonable assurance that
information required to be disclosed by the Company in such reports is
accumulated and communicated to our management, including its Chief Executive
Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions
regarding required disclosure.
Our
Company assesses the adequacy of its internal control over financial reporting
quarterly and strives to enhance its controls in response to internal control
assessments and external audit recommendations. No control enhancements during
the quarter ended September 30, 2007 or through the date of this Form 10-Q
have
materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the
Company’s internal control over financial reporting except as stated below.
In
our
Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2006, the Company had two
“material weaknesses” in our internal control over financial reporting with
respect to (i) the recognition and accounting of unrecorded premium transactions
and (ii) an income tax issue relating to computing our income tax liability
where we failed to consider a prior year tax refund applied to our fiscal year
ended December 31, 2006. We continue our efforts to remediate these material
weaknesses through ongoing process improvements and the implementation of
enhanced policies and controls over the timely recognition of unreported premium
transactions and tax accounting in fiscal 2007, and such remediation will
continue during the remaining part of fiscal 2007. Accordingly, these material
weaknesses have yet to be fully remediated and tested.
To
compensate for these material weaknesses, the Company performed additional
analysis and other procedures in order to prepare the unaudited quarterly
consolidated financial statements in accordance with generally accepted
accounting principles in the United States of America. Accordingly, management
believes that the unaudited consolidated financial statements included in this
Form 10-Q fairly present, in all material respects, our financial condition,
results of operations and cash flows for the periods presented.
Except
for our ongoing remediation efforts, there were no changes during the quarter
that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect,
our internal control over financial reporting.
-
42
-
21st
Century Holding Company
Part
II: OTHER INFORMATION
Item
1
Legal
Proceedings
We
are
involved in various claims and legal actions arising in the ordinary course
of
business. In
the
opinion of management, the ultimate disposition of these matters will not have
a
material adverse effect on our consolidated financial position, results of
operations, or liquidity.
From
July
27, 2007 to August 7, 2007, several securities class action lawsuits were filed
against the Company and certain of its executive officers in the United States
District Court for the Southern District of Florida on behalf of all persons
and
entities who purchased the Company's securities during the various class periods
specified in the complaints. While the specific factual allegations vary
slightly in each case, the complaints allege that the defendants made false
and
misleading statements and failed to accurately project the Company's business
and financial performance during the putative class period. The complaints
seek
an unspecified amount of damages and claim violations of Sections 10(b) and
20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5. The Company expects
that these two actions will be consolidated into one case in the United States
District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
The
Company believes the allegations are without merit, and intends to vigorously
defend this class action lawsuit. There can be no assurance regarding the
ultimate outcome of this matter, or the significance, if any, to the Company’s
business, consolidated results of operations or financial position.
Item
1A
Risk
Factors
In
addition to the other information set forth in this report, you should carefully
consider the factors discussed in Part I, “Item 1A. Risk Factors” in our Annual
Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2006 and the risk factors
set forth below, which could materially affect our business, financial condition
or future results. The risks described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K and
this Form 10-Q are not the only risks facing our Company. Additional risks
and
uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently deem to be
immaterial also may materially adversely affect our business, financial
condition and/or operating results. The most significant of these risks include
weather related conditions.
We
are named as a defendant in two securities class action lawsuits and it may
have
an adverse impact on our business
From
July
27, 2007 to August 7, 2007, several securities class action lawsuits were filed
against the Company and certain of its executive officers in the United States
District Court for the Southern District of Florida on behalf of all persons
and
entities who purchased the Company's securities during the various class periods
specified in the complaints. While the specific factual allegations vary
slightly in each case, the complaints allege that the defendants made false
and
misleading statements and failed to accurately project the Company's business
and financial performance during the putative class period. The complaints
seek
an unspecified amount of damages and claim violations of Sections 10(b) and
20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5. The Company expects
that these two actions will be consolidated into one case in the United States
District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
While
the
Company believes that the allegations in the complaint are without merit, an
unfavorable resolution of pending litigation could have a material adverse
effect on our financial condition. Litigation may result in substantial costs
and expenses and significantly divert the attention of the Company's management
regardless of the outcome. There can be no assurance that the Company will
be
able to achieve a favorable settlement of pending litigation or obtain a
favorable resolution of this litigation if it is not settled. In addition,
current litigation could lead to increased costs or interruptions of normal
business operations of the Company.
Adverse
ratings by insurance rating agencies may adversely impact our ability to write
new policies, renew desirable policies or obtain adequate insurance, which
could
limit or halt our growth and harm our business.
-
43
-
21st
Century Holding Company
Third-party
rating agencies assess and rate the ability of insurers to pay their claims.
These financial strength ratings are used by the insurance industry to assess
the financial strength and quality of insurers. These ratings are based on
criteria established by the rating agencies and reflect evaluations of each
insurer's profitability, debt and cash levels, customer base, adequacy and
soundness of reinsurance, quality and estimated market value of assets, adequacy
of reserves, and management. Ratings are based upon factors of concern to
agents, reinsurers and policyholders and are not directed toward the protection
of investors, such as purchasers of our common stock.
There
are
a number of companies that currently rate insurance companies. American Vehicle
is currently rated by Demotech with a rating of “A” “Exceptional”.
In July
2007, we were advised by Demotech that it was unwilling to assign a preliminary
financial stability rating at the “A” “Exceptional”
level to
Federated National.
We
were
rated by A.M. Best until August 2004, but we requested that it stop rating
Federated National and American Vehicle when these entities were placed under
review with negative implications. We expect that this may negatively impact
our
ability to compete in the property and casualty market in Florida.
Item
2
(a)
Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds
During
the three months ended September 30, 2007, certain non-executive employees
exercised options to acquire an aggregate of 1,500 shares of the Company's
common stock with proceeds to the Company aggregating to approximately $7,500.
All of the option holders paid cash for these shares. The shares underlying
the
options were registered on registration statements on Form S-8 and the shares
issued to these persons do not contain any restrictive legends.
During
May, June, August and September 2007, we have issued an aggregate 60,000 options
to employees, an officer and a director of the Company under our 1998 stock
option plan. The options have an exercise price between $11.11 and $20.44 per
share, vest over five years at 20% per year and expire six years from the grant
date.
(b)
None
(c)
Market for the Company’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer
Purchases of Equity Securities
On
May
14, 2007, the Company’s Board of Directors authorized, pursuant to Section 12 of
the Securities Exchange Act, the repurchase of up to $5.0 million of its common
stock. Acting upon the Board’s authorization, the Company repurchased, for
approximately $2.0 million, 47,433 shares for an average price of $10.14 between
July 12, 2007 and July 18, 2007and 138,261 shares for an average price of $10.99
between May 16, 2007 and May 21, 2007. The table below provides, in tabular
format, information about our purchase of equity securities that are registered
by the Company.
Period
|
Total Number
of Shares
Purchased
|
Average
Price Paid
per Share
|
Total Number of Shares
Purchased as Part of
Publicly Announced Plans
or Programs
|
Approximate Dollar
Value of Shares that
May Yet Be Purchased
Under the Plan
|
|||||||||
April-07
|
None
|
|
|
None
|
|
|
None
|
|
|
None
|
|||
May-07
|
138,261
|
|
|
$ 10.99
|
|
|
138,261
|
|
|
$
3.5 million
|
|||
June-07
|
None
|
|
|
None
|
|
|
None
|
|
|
$
3.5 million
|
|||
July-07
|
47,433
|
|
|
$
10.14
|
|
|
47,433
|
|
|
$
3.0 million
|
Item
3
Defaults
upon Senior Securities
None
-
44
-
21st
Century Holding Company
Item
4
Submission
of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders
None
Item
5
Other
Information
None
Item
6
Exhibits
10.1
Excess Catastrophe Reinsurance Contract, Effective July 1, 2007 issued to
Federated National Insurance Company.*
10.2
Reinstatement Premium Protection Reinsurance Contract, Effective July 1, 2007
issued to Federated National Insurance Company.*
10.3
Additional Layer Excess Catastrophe Reinsurance Contract, Effective August
17,
2007
issued
to Federated National Insurance Company.
*
31.1
|
Certification
of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley
Act. *
|
31.2
|
Certification
of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley
Act. *
|
32.1
|
Certification
of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley
Act. *
|
32.2
|
Certification
of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley
Act. *
|
*
filed herewith
|
-
45
-
21st
Century Holding Company
Signatures
Pursuant
to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant
has
duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto
duly authorized.
By:
|
/s/
Edward J. Lawson
|
Edward J. Lawson, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of
the Board
|
|
/s/
Peter J. Prygelski, III
|
|
Peter J. Prygelski, III, Chief Financial Officer
|
Date:
November 09, 2007
-
46
-
21st
Century Holding Company
EXHIBIT
INDEX
Excess
Catastrophe Reinsurance Contract, Effective July 1, 2007 issued
to
Federated National Insurance Company.*
|
|
10.2
|
Reinstatement
Premium Protection Reinsurance Contract, Effective July 1, 2007
issued to
Federated National Insurance Company.*
|
10.3
|
Additional
Layer Excess Catastrophe Reinsurance Contract, Effective August
17, 2007
issued to Federated National Insurance Company. *
|
31.1
|
Certification
of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley
Act. *
|
31.3
|
Certification
of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley
Act. *
|
32.2
|
Certification
of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley
Act. *
|
32.2
|
Certification
of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley
Act. *
|
* filed
herewith
|
-
47
-