Annual Statements Open main menu

Primerica, Inc. - Quarter Report: 2023 March (Form 10-Q)

10-Q

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q

(Mark One)

QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the quarterly period ended March 31, 2023

OR

TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from to

Commission File Number: 001-34680

img185880966_0.jpg 

Primerica, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware

27-1204330

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification No.)

1 Primerica Parkway

Duluth, Georgia

30099

(Address of principal executive offices)

(ZIP Code)

(770) 381-1000

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Not applicable.

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

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of each class

 

Trading Symbol(s)

 

Name of each exchange on which registered

Common Stock

 

PRI

 

New York Stock Exchange

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes No

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

Large accelerated filer



Accelerated filer

Non-accelerated filer



Smaller reporting company

Emerging growth company



 

 

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

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

As of April 30, 2023, the registrant had 36,226,210 shares of common stock, $0.01 par value per share, outstanding.

 

 


 

 

 


 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

 

 

 

 

 

Page

PART I – FINANCIAL INFORMATION

 

2

Item 1. Financial Statements (unaudited).

 

2

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets as of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022

 

2

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022

 

3

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss) for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022

 

4

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022

 

5

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022

 

6

Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements

 

7

Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.

 

33

Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk.

 

52

Item 4. Controls and Procedures.

 

52

 

PART II – OTHER INFORMATION

 

52

Item 1. Legal Proceedings.

 

52

Item 1A. Risk Factors.

 

52

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

 

53

Item 5. Other Information

 

53

Item 6. Exhibits.

 

53

Signatures

 

55

 

 

i


 

PART I – FINANCIAL INFORMATION

ITEM 1. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS.

PRIMERICA, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets – Unaudited

 

 

March 31, 2023

 

 

December 31, 2022

 

 

 

(In thousands)

 

Assets:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Investments:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fixed-maturity securities available-for-sale, at fair value (amortized cost: $2,822,996 in 2023
   and $
2,801,415 in 2022)

 

$

2,558,626

 

 

$

2,495,456

 

Fixed-maturity security held-to-maturity, at amortized cost (fair value: $1,388,411 in 2023 and
   $
1,340,265 in 2022)

 

 

1,460,000

 

 

 

1,444,920

 

Short-term investments available-for-sale, at fair value (amortized cost: $70,185 in 2023
   and $
69,393 in 2022)

 

 

70,187

 

 

 

69,406

 

Equity securities, at fair value (historical cost: $29,475 in 2023 and $29,430 in 2022)

 

 

33,984

 

 

 

35,404

 

Trading securities, at fair value (cost: $19,033 in 2023 and $4,229 in 2022)

 

 

18,497

 

 

 

3,698

 

Policy loans and other invested assets

 

 

50,003

 

 

 

48,713

 

Total investments

 

 

4,191,297

 

 

 

4,097,597

 

Cash and cash equivalents

 

 

515,090

 

 

 

489,240

 

Accrued investment income

 

 

22,153

 

 

 

20,885

 

Reinsurance recoverables

 

 

3,179,074

 

 

 

3,176,397

 

Deferred policy acquisition costs, net

 

 

3,256,845

 

 

 

3,194,029

 

Renewal commissions receivable

 

 

194,409

 

 

 

200,043

 

Agent balances, due premiums and other receivables

 

 

259,759

 

 

 

254,276

 

Goodwill

 

 

127,707

 

 

 

127,707

 

Intangible assets, net (accumulated amortization: $18,375 in 2023 and $15,750 in 2022)

 

 

182,900

 

 

 

185,525

 

Income taxes

 

 

106,310

 

 

 

97,972

 

Operating lease right-of-use assets

 

 

38,575

 

 

 

40,500

 

Other assets

 

 

391,605

 

 

 

428,259

 

Separate account assets

 

 

2,329,968

 

 

 

2,305,717

 

Total assets

 

$

14,795,692

 

 

$

14,618,147

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Future policy benefits

 

$

6,561,624

 

 

$

6,297,906

 

Unearned and advance premiums

 

 

16,703

 

 

 

15,422

 

Policy claims and other benefits payable

 

 

498,483

 

 

 

538,250

 

Other policyholders’ funds

 

 

481,561

 

 

 

483,769

 

Note payable

 

 

593,106

 

 

 

592,905

 

Surplus note

 

 

1,459,565

 

 

 

1,444,469

 

Income taxes

 

 

199,394

 

 

 

202,462

 

Operating lease liabilities

 

 

43,955

 

 

 

45,995

 

Other liabilities

 

 

615,780

 

 

 

580,780

 

Payable under securities lending

 

 

74,452

 

 

 

100,938

 

Separate account liabilities

 

 

2,329,968

 

 

 

2,305,717

 

Commitments and contingent liabilities (see Commitments and Contingent Liabilities note)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total liabilities

 

 

12,874,591

 

 

 

12,608,613

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Temporary Stockholders’ Equity

 

 

 

 

 

 

Redeemable noncontrolling interests in consolidated entities

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

Permanent Stockholders’ Equity

 

 

 

 

 

 

Equity attributable to Primerica, Inc.:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Common stock ($0.01 par value; authorized 500,000 shares in 2023 and 2022; issued and
   outstanding
36,407 shares in 2023 and 36,824 shares in 2022)

 

 

364

 

 

 

368

 

Paid-in capital

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

Retained earnings

 

 

2,151,771

 

 

 

2,130,935

 

Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), net of income tax:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Effect of change in discount rate assumptions on the liability for future policy benefits

 

 

(11,679

)

 

 

131,295

 

Unrealized foreign currency translation gains (losses)

 

 

(11,198

)

 

 

(12,196

)

Net unrealized investment gains (losses) on available-for-sale securities

 

 

(208,157

)

 

 

(240,868

)

Total permanent stockholders’ equity

 

 

1,921,101

 

 

 

2,009,534

 

Total liabilities and temporary and permanent stockholders’ equity

 

$

14,795,692

 

 

$

14,618,147

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Prior year amounts related to long-duration insurance contracts have been adjusted for the adoption of accounting guidance on January 1, 2023.

See accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

2


 

PRIMERICA, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income – Unaudited

 

 

Three months ended March 31,

 

 

 

 

2023

 

 

2022

 

 

 

 

(In thousands, except per-share amounts)

Revenues:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Direct premiums

 

$

817,872

 

 

$

798,666

 

 

Ceded premiums

 

 

(405,347

)

 

 

(399,885

)

 

Net premiums

 

 

412,525

 

 

 

398,781

 

 

Commissions and fees

 

 

231,547

 

 

 

251,800

 

 

Investment income net of investment expenses

 

 

47,500

 

 

 

34,420

 

 

Interest expense on surplus note

 

 

(16,435

)

 

 

(15,515

)

 

Net investment income

 

 

31,065

 

 

 

18,905

 

 

Realized investment gains (losses)

 

 

(985

)

 

 

577

 

 

Other investment gains (losses)

 

 

(3,623

)

 

 

174

 

 

Investment gains (losses)

 

 

(4,608

)

 

 

751

 

 

Other, net

 

 

19,507

 

 

 

20,989

 

 

Total revenues

 

 

690,036

 

 

 

691,226

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Benefits and expenses:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Benefits and claims

 

 

168,702

 

 

 

168,288

 

 

Future policy benefits remeasurement (gain) loss

 

 

(508

)

 

 

(1,272

)

 

Amortization of deferred policy acquisition costs

 

 

67,358

 

 

 

63,223

 

 

Sales commissions

 

 

110,874

 

 

 

133,924

 

 

Insurance expenses

 

 

61,125

 

 

 

59,509

 

 

Insurance commissions

 

 

8,138

 

 

 

7,721

 

 

Contract acquisition costs

 

 

14,984

 

 

 

20,649

 

 

Interest expense

 

 

6,690

 

 

 

6,853

 

 

Other operating expenses

 

 

89,536

 

 

 

86,435

 

 

Total benefits and expenses

 

 

526,899

 

 

 

545,330

 

 

Income before income taxes

 

 

163,137

 

 

 

145,896

 

 

Income taxes

 

 

38,031

 

 

 

33,512

 

 

Net income

 

 

125,106

 

 

 

112,384

 

 

Net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests

 

 

-

 

 

 

(2,655

)

 

Net income attributable to Primerica, Inc.

 

$

125,106

 

 

$

115,039

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Earnings per share attributable to common stockholders:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic earnings per share

 

$

3.39

 

 

$

2.92

 

 

Diluted earnings per share

 

$

3.38

 

 

$

2.91

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weighted-average shares used in computing earnings
   per share:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic

 

 

36,710

 

 

 

39,221

 

 

Diluted

 

 

36,804

 

 

 

39,332

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Prior year amounts related to long-duration insurance contracts have been adjusted for the adoption of accounting guidance on January 1, 2023.

See accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

 

3


 

 

PRIMERICA, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss) – Unaudited

 

 

Three months ended March 31,

 

 

 

2023

 

 

2022

 

 

(In thousands)

 

Net income

 

$

125,106

 

 

$

112,384

 

Other comprehensive income (loss) before income taxes:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unrealized investment gains (losses) on available-for-sale securities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Change in unrealized holding gains (losses) on available-for-sale securities

 

 

38,549

 

 

 

(164,937

)

Reclassification adjustment for investment (gains) losses included in net income

 

 

3,137

 

 

 

(658

)

Effect of change in discount rate assumptions on the liability for future policy benefits

 

 

(182,045

)

 

 

821,904

 

Foreign currency translation adjustments:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Change in unrealized foreign currency translation gains (losses)

 

 

998

 

 

 

3,289

 

Total other comprehensive income (loss) before income taxes

 

 

(139,361

)

 

 

659,598

 

Income tax expense (benefit) related to items of other comprehensive income (loss)

 

 

(30,096

)

 

 

140,384

 

Other comprehensive income (loss), net of income taxes

 

 

(109,265

)

 

 

519,214

 

Total comprehensive income (loss)

 

 

15,841

 

 

 

631,598

 

Net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests

 

 

-

 

 

 

(2,655

)

Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to Primerica, Inc.

 

$

15,841

 

 

$

634,253

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Prior year amounts related to long-duration insurance contracts have been adjusted for the adoption of accounting guidance on January 1, 2023.

See accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

4


 

PRIMERICA, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity– Unaudited

 

 

Three months ended March 31,

 

 

 

2023

 

 

2022

 

 

 

(In thousands)

 

Equity attributable to Primerica, Inc./Permanent stockholders’ equity

 

 

 

 

 

 

Common stock:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Balance, beginning of period

 

$

368

 

 

$

394

 

Repurchases of common stock

 

 

(6

)

 

 

(7

)

Net issuance of common stock

 

 

2

 

 

 

1

 

Balance, end of period

 

 

364

 

 

 

388

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Paid-in capital:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Balance, beginning of period

 

 

-

 

 

 

5,224

 

Share-based compensation

 

 

16,622

 

 

 

14,820

 

Net issuance of common stock

 

 

(2

)

 

 

(1

)

Repurchases of common stock

 

 

(16,620

)

 

 

(20,043

)

Balance, end of period

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Retained earnings:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Adjusted balance, beginning of period

 

 

2,130,935

 

 

 

2,074,111

 

Net income attributable to Primerica, Inc.

 

 

125,106

 

 

 

115,039

 

Dividends

 

 

(23,910

)

 

 

(21,645

)

Repurchases of common stock

 

 

(80,360

)

 

 

(83,813

)

Balance, end of period

 

 

2,151,771

 

 

 

2,083,692

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), net of income tax:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Adjusted balance, beginning of period

 

 

(121,769

)

 

 

(1,168,399

)

Effect of change in discount rate assumptions on the liability for future policy benefits

 

 

(142,974

)

 

 

646,141

 

Change in foreign currency translation adjustment

 

 

998

 

 

 

3,289

 

Change in net unrealized investment gains (losses) during the period

 

 

32,711

 

 

 

(130,216

)

Balance, end of period

 

 

(231,034

)

 

 

(649,185

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total permanent stockholders’ equity

 

$

1,921,101

 

 

$

1,434,895

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Redeemable noncontrolling interests in consolidated entities/Temporary stockholders’ equity

 

 

 

 

 

 

Balance, beginning of period

 

$

-

 

 

$

7,271

 

Net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests

 

 

-

 

 

 

(2,655

)

Balance, end of period

 

$

-

 

 

$

4,616

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dividends declared per share

 

$

0.65

 

 

$

0.55

 

Prior year amounts related to long-duration insurance contracts have been adjusted for the adoption of accounting guidance on January 1, 2023.

See accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

5


 

PRIMERICA, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows – Unaudited

 

 

Three months ended March 31,

 

 

 

2023

 

 

2022

 

 

 

(In thousands)

 

Cash flows from operating activities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net income

 

$

125,106

 

 

$

112,384

 

Adjustments to reconcile net income to cash provided by (used in) operating activities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Change in future policy benefits and other policy liabilities

 

 

(9,799

)

 

 

(161,385

)

Deferral of policy acquisition costs

 

 

(126,640

)

 

 

(130,881

)

Amortization of deferred policy acquisition costs

 

 

67,358

 

 

 

63,223

 

Change in income taxes

 

 

18,713

 

 

 

14,171

 

Investment (gains) losses

 

 

4,608

 

 

 

(751

)

Accretion and amortization of investments

 

 

(309

)

 

 

1,356

 

Depreciation and amortization

 

 

8,547

 

 

 

8,688

 

Change in reinsurance recoverables

 

 

47,766

 

 

 

248,511

 

Change in agent balances, due premiums and other receivables

 

 

(5,486

)

 

 

2,245

 

Change in renewal commissions receivable

 

 

5,634

 

 

 

18,576

 

Trading securities sold, matured, or called (acquired), net

 

 

(14,808

)

 

 

11,273

 

Share-based compensation

 

 

12,129

 

 

 

12,437

 

Change in other operating assets and liabilities, net

 

 

43,127

 

 

 

14,452

 

Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities

 

 

175,946

 

 

 

214,299

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash flows from investing activities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Available-for-sale investments sold, matured or called:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fixed-maturity securities — sold

 

 

5,179

 

 

 

1,227

 

Fixed-maturity securities — matured or called

 

 

80,251

 

 

 

96,336

 

Short-term investments — matured or called

 

 

-

 

 

 

41,550

 

Equity securities — sold

 

 

5

 

 

 

-

 

Equity securities — matured or called

 

 

-

 

 

 

3,000

 

Available-for-sale investments acquired:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fixed-maturity securities

 

 

(108,713

)

 

 

(250,932

)

Equity securities — acquired

 

 

(47

)

 

 

(44

)

Purchases of property and equipment and other investing activities, net

 

 

(7,861

)

 

 

(7,676

)

Cash collateral received (returned) on loaned securities, net

 

 

(26,486

)

 

 

(1,358

)

Sales (purchases) of short-term investments using securities lending collateral, net

 

 

26,486

 

 

 

1,358

 

Purchase of business, net of cash acquired

 

 

-

 

 

 

3,867

 

Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities

 

 

(31,186

)

 

 

(112,672

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash flows from financing activities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dividends paid

 

 

(23,910

)

 

 

(21,645

)

Common stock repurchased

 

 

(85,275

)

 

 

(99,010

)

Payment on note issued to seller of business

 

 

-

 

 

 

(9,000

)

Tax withholdings on share-based compensation

 

 

(9,739

)

 

 

(4,852

)

Finance leases

 

 

(68

)

 

 

(64

)

Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities

 

 

(118,992

)

 

 

(134,571

)

Effect of foreign exchange rate changes on cash

 

 

82

 

 

 

222

 

   Change in cash and cash equivalents

 

 

25,850

 

 

 

(32,722

)

Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period

 

 

489,240

 

 

 

392,501

 

Cash and cash equivalents, end of period

 

$

515,090

 

 

$

359,779

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Prior year amounts related to long-duration insurance contracts have been adjusted for the adoption of accounting guidance on January 1, 2023.

See accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

6


 

PRIMERICA, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements — Unaudited

(1) Description of Business, Basis of Presentation, and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Description of Business. Primerica, Inc. (the “Parent Company”), together with its subsidiaries (collectively, “we”, “us” or the “Company”), is a leading provider of financial products to middle-income households in the United States and Canada through a network of independent contractor sales representatives (“independent sales representatives” or “independent sales force”). We assist our clients in meeting their needs for term life insurance, which we underwrite, and mutual funds, annuities, managed investments and other financial products, which we distribute primarily on behalf of third parties. We acquired 80% of e-TeleQuote Insurance, Inc. and subsidiaries (collectively, “e-TeleQuote”) through our subsidiary, Primerica Health, Inc. (“Primerica Health”) on July 1, 2021 and the remaining 20% of e-TeleQuote on July 1, 2022. e-TeleQuote markets Medicare-related insurance products underwritten by third-party health insurance carriers to eligible Medicare participants through its licensed health insurance agents. Our other primary subsidiaries include the following entities: Primerica Financial Services, LLC, a general agency and marketing company; Primerica Life Insurance Company (“Primerica Life”), our principal life insurance company; Primerica Financial Services (Canada) Ltd., a holding company for our Canadian operations, which includes Primerica Life Insurance Company of Canada (“Primerica Life Canada”) and PFSL Investments Canada Ltd.; and PFS Investments Inc., an investment products company and broker-dealer. Primerica Life, domiciled in Tennessee, owns National Benefit Life Insurance Company, a New York insurance company. Peach Re, Inc. (“Peach Re”) and Vidalia Re, Inc. (“Vidalia Re”) are special purpose financial captive insurance companies and wholly owned subsidiaries of Primerica Life. Peach Re and Vidalia Re have each entered into separate coinsurance agreements with Primerica Life whereby Primerica Life has ceded certain level-premium term life insurance policies to Peach Re and Vidalia Re (respectively, the “Peach Re Coinsurance Agreement” and the “Vidalia Re Coinsurance Agreement”).

Basis of Presentation. We prepare our financial statements in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”). These principles are established primarily by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”).

The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements contain all adjustments, generally consisting of normal recurring accruals, which are necessary to fairly present the balance sheets as of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, the statements of income, comprehensive income, and stockholders’ equity for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, and cash flows for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022. Results of operations for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of results for the entire year or of the results to be expected in future periods.

These unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission. Certain information and note disclosures normally included in annual financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP have been condensed or omitted pursuant to those rules and regulations, although the Company believes that the disclosures made are sufficient to make the information not misleading. These unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto that are included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022 (“2022 Annual Report”).

Use of Estimates. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect financial statement balances, revenues and expenses and cash flows, as well as the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. Management considers available facts and knowledge of existing circumstances when establishing the estimates included in our financial statements. The most significant items that involve a greater degree of accounting estimates and actuarial determinations subject to change in the future are the valuation of investments, deferred policy acquisition costs (“DAC”), future policy benefit reserves and corresponding amounts recoverable from reinsurers, renewal commissions receivable, income taxes, and valuation of intangible assets and goodwill. Estimates for these and other items are subject to change and are reassessed by management in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Consolidation. The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and those entities required to be consolidated under U.S. GAAP. All material intercompany profits, transactions, and balances among the consolidated entities have been eliminated.

Reclassifications. Certain reclassifications have been made to prior-period amounts to conform to current-period reporting classifications. These reclassifications had no impact on net income or total stockholders’ equity.

New Accounting Principles. In August 2018, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2018-12, Financial Services—Insurance (Topic 944) — Targeted Improvements to the Accounting for Long-Duration Contracts (“ASU 2018-12” or “LDTI”). The amendments in this update change accounting guidance for insurance companies that issue long-duration contracts, such as term life insurance and segregated funds products. ASU 2018-12 requires companies that issue long-duration insurance contracts to update assumptions used in measuring the liability for future policy benefits (“LFPB”) and DAC, including mortality, disability, and persistency, at least annually instead of locking those assumptions at contract inception and reflecting differences in assumptions and actual performance as the experience occurs. ASU 2018-12 also changes how insurance companies that issue long-duration contracts

 

7


 

amortize DAC and determine and update the discount rate assumptions used in measuring both the LFPB and ceded reserves that are part of reinsurance recoverables while increasing the level of financial statement disclosures required.

The Company adopted ASU 2018-12 on January 1, 2023 through the modified retrospective method, which applies the provisions of the standard by pivoting off the historical December 31, 2020 liability for future policy benefits (“Pre-transition Reserve”) and DAC balances just prior to January 1, 2021 (the “Transition Date”). Upon adoption, the Company recorded the following adjustments to its consolidated balance sheet as of the Transition Date.

LDTI requires entities to use market observable rates, based on an upper-medium grade fixed income instrument yield, to measure future policy benefits reserves each period. The difference between the LFPB calculated using market observable rates and the Pre-transition Reserve was recognized as part of accumulated other comprehensive income (“AOCI”) at the Transition Date. Given how low market observable rates were at the Transition Date, we recorded a reduction to AOCI of approximately $1.5 billion, net of income tax, as of January 1, 2021. Market observable rates have increased since the Transition Date, which resulted in a cumulative decrease to AOCI of $11.7 million as of March 31, 2023.
Under LDTI, policies are grouped into cohorts and the net premium ratio for each policy cohort is used to calculate the LFPB. At the Transition Date, the “Net Premium Ratio” is defined as the present value of future benefits, which includes claim settlement expenses less the Pre-transition Reserve divided by the present value of the gross premiums. Expected future benefits and gross premiums use best estimate cash flow assumptions and the locked-in discount rate at the Transition Date is used in the calculation. Under LDTI, a cohort’s Net Premium Ratio is capped at 100%. The adjustment necessary at the Transition Date to cap the Net Premium Ratio for cohorts at 100% was approximately $23 million, which was recognized as a reduction to retained earnings as of January 1, 2021. The identified impact from capping the Net Premium Ratio at 100% was solely attributable to a limited amount of older policy year cohorts.

 

All prior period financial information included in the accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements has been restated to reflect the adoption of ASU 2018-12.

The Company's restated permanent and temporary stockholders' equity from the date of adoption through December 31, 2022 is as follows:

 

 

8


 

 

 

Year ended December 31,

 

 

 

2022

 

 

2021

 

 

 

(Unaudited)

 

 

(Unaudited)

 

 

 

(In thousands)

 

Equity attributable to Primerica, Inc./Permanent stockholders’ equity

 

 

 

 

 

 

Common stock:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Balance, beginning of period

 

$

394

 

 

$

393

 

Repurchases of common stock

 

 

(28

)

 

 

(1

)

Net issuance of common stock

 

 

2

 

 

 

2

 

Balance, end of period

 

 

368

 

 

 

394

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Paid-in capital:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Balance, beginning of period

 

 

5,224

 

 

 

-

 

Share-based compensation

 

 

33,624

 

 

 

31,043

 

Net issuance of common stock

 

 

(2

)

 

 

(2

)

Repurchases of common stock

 

 

(41,079

)

 

 

(25,817

)

Redemption of noncontrolling interest in consolidated entities

 

 

2,233

 

 

 

-

 

Balance, end of period

 

 

-

 

 

 

5,224

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Retained earnings:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Balance, beginning of period

 

 

2,074,111

 

 

 

1,705,786

 

Cumulative effect of adoption of new accounting standards - ASU 2018-12, net of income tax

 

 

-

 

 

 

(22,847

)

Adjusted balance

 

 

2,074,111

 

 

 

1,682,939

 

Net income

 

 

460,939

 

 

 

465,808

 

Dividends

 

 

(83,783

)

 

 

(74,636

)

Repurchases of common stock

 

 

(320,332

)

 

 

-

 

Balance, end of period

 

 

2,130,935

 

 

 

2,074,111

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), net of income tax:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Balance, beginning of period

 

 

(1,168,399

)

 

 

129,706

 

Cumulative effect of adoption of new accounting standards - ASU 2018-12

 

 

-

 

 

 

(1,510,618

)

Adjusted balance

 

 

(1,168,399

)

 

 

(1,380,912

)

Effect of change in discount rate assumptions on the liability for future policy benefits

 

 

1,372,022

 

 

 

269,895

 

Change in foreign currency translation adjustment

 

 

(20,747

)

 

 

6,973

 

Change in net unrealized investment gains (losses) during the period:

 

 

(304,645

)

 

 

(64,355

)

Balance, end of period

 

 

(121,769

)

 

 

(1,168,399

)

Total permanent stockholders’ equity

 

$

2,009,534

 

 

$

911,330

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Redeemable noncontrolling interests in consolidated entities/Temporary stockholders’ equity

 

 

 

 

 

 

Balance, beginning of period

 

$

7,271

 

 

$

-

 

Acquisition of noncontrolling interest

 

 

-

 

 

 

8,438

 

Net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests

 

 

(5,038

)

 

 

(1,377

)

Changes in noncontrolling interests in consolidated entities, net

 

 

-

 

 

 

210

 

Redemption of noncontrolling interest in consolidated entities

 

 

(2,233

)

 

 

 

Balance, end of period

 

$

-

 

 

$

7,271

 

 

 

 

9


 

The impact on the Company's previously reported consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2022 is as follows:

Consolidated Balance Sheet

 

December 31, 2022

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As Previously Reported

 

 

Adoption Impacts (Unaudited)

 

 

As Adjusted (Unaudited)

 

 

 

(In thousands)

 

Assets:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Investments:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fixed-maturity securities available-for-sale, at fair value (amortized cost: $2,801,415)

 

$

2,495,456

 

 

$

-

 

 

$

2,495,456

 

Fixed-maturity security held-to-maturity, at amortized cost (fair value: $1,340,265)

 

 

1,444,920

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

1,444,920

 

Short-term investments available-for-sale, at fair value (amortized cost: $69,393)

 

 

69,406

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

69,406

 

Equity securities, at fair value (historical cost: $29,430)

 

 

35,404

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

35,404

 

Trading securities, at fair value (cost: $4,229)

 

 

3,698

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

3,698

 

Policy loans and other invested assets

 

 

48,713

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

48,713

 

Total investments

 

 

4,097,597

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

4,097,597

 

Cash and cash equivalents

 

 

489,240

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

489,240

 

Accrued investment income

 

 

20,885

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

20,885

 

Reinsurance recoverables

 

 

4,015,909

 

 

 

(839,512

)

 

 

3,176,397

 

Deferred policy acquisition costs, net

 

 

3,081,886

 

 

 

112,143

 

 

 

3,194,029

 

Renewal commissions receivable

 

 

200,043

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

200,043

 

Agent balances, due premiums and other receivables

 

 

254,276

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

254,276

 

Goodwill

 

 

127,707

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

127,707

 

Intangible assets

 

 

185,525

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

185,525

 

Deferred income taxes

 

 

101,333

 

 

 

(3,361

)

 

 

97,972

 

Operating lease right-of-use assets

 

 

40,500

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

40,500

 

Other assets

 

 

428,259

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

428,259

 

Separate account assets

 

 

2,305,717

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

2,305,717

 

Total assets

 

$

15,348,877

 

 

$

(730,730

)

 

$

14,618,147

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Future policy benefits

 

$

7,390,800

 

 

$

(1,092,894

)

 

$

6,297,906

 

Unearned and advance premiums

 

 

15,422

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

15,422

 

Policy claims and other benefits payable

 

 

538,250

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

538,250

 

Other policyholders’ funds

 

 

483,769

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

483,769

 

Note payable

 

 

592,905

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

592,905

 

Surplus note

 

 

1,444,469

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

1,444,469

 

Income tax payable

 

 

36,876

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

36,876

 

Deferred income taxes

 

 

91,457

 

 

 

74,129

 

 

 

165,586

 

Operating lease liabilities

 

 

45,995

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

45,995

 

Other liabilities

 

 

580,780

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

580,780

 

Payable under securities lending

 

 

100,938

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

100,938

 

Separate account liabilities

 

 

2,305,717

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

2,305,717

 

Commitments and contingent liabilities (see Commitments and Contingent Liabilities note)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total liabilities

 

 

13,627,378

 

 

 

(1,018,765

)

 

 

12,608,613

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Temporary Stockholders’ Equity

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Redeemable noncontrolling interests in consolidated entities

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

Permanent Stockholders’ Equity

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Equity attributable to Primerica, Inc.:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Common stock ($0.01 par value; authorized 500,000 shares; issued and outstanding 36,824)

 

 

368

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

368

 

Paid-in capital

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

Retained earnings

 

 

1,973,403

 

 

 

157,532

 

 

 

2,130,935

 

Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), net of income tax:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Effect of change in discount rate assumptions on the liability for future policy benefits

 

 

-

 

 

 

131,295

 

 

 

131,295

 

Unrealized foreign currency translation gains (losses)

 

 

(11,404

)

 

 

(792

)

 

 

(12,196

)

Net unrealized investment gains (losses) on available-for-sale securities

 

 

(240,868

)

 

 

-

 

 

 

(240,868

)

Total permanent stockholders’ equity

 

 

1,721,499

 

 

 

288,035

 

 

 

2,009,534

 

Total liabilities and temporary and permanent stockholders’ equity

 

$

15,348,877

 

 

$

(730,730

)

 

$

14,618,147

 

 

 

 

10


 

The impact on the Company's previously reported condensed consolidated statement of income for the three months ended March 31, 2022 is as follows:

Condensed Consolidated Statement of Income

 

Three months ended March 31, 2022

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As Previously Reported (Unaudited)

 

 

Adoption Impacts (Unaudited)

 

 

As Adjusted (Unaudited)

 

 

 

(In thousands)

 

Revenues:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Direct premiums

 

$

798,666

 

 

$

-

 

 

$

798,666

 

Ceded premiums

 

 

(399,885

)

 

 

-

 

 

 

(399,885

)

Net premiums

 

 

398,781

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

398,781

 

Commissions and fees

 

 

251,800

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

251,800

 

Investment income net of investment expenses

 

 

34,420

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

34,420

 

Interest expense on surplus note

 

 

(15,515

)

 

 

-

 

 

 

(15,515

)

Net investment income

 

 

18,905

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

18,905

 

Realized investment gains (losses)

 

 

577

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

577

 

Other investment gains (losses)

 

 

174

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

174

 

Investment gains (losses)

 

 

751

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

751

 

Other, net

 

 

20,989

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

20,989

 

Total revenues

 

 

691,226

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

691,226

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Benefits and expenses:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Benefits and claims

 

 

187,069

 

 

 

(18,781

)

 

 

168,288

 

Future policy benefits remeasurement (gain) loss

 

 

-

 

 

 

(1,272

)

 

 

(1,272

)

Amortization of deferred policy acquisition costs

 

 

86,063

 

 

 

(22,840

)

 

 

63,223

 

Sales commissions

 

 

133,924

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

133,924

 

Insurance expenses

 

 

59,509

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

59,509

 

Insurance commissions

 

 

7,721

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

7,721

 

Contract acquisition costs

 

 

20,649

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

20,649

 

Interest expense

 

 

6,853

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

6,853

 

Other operating expenses

 

 

86,435

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

86,435

 

Total benefits and expenses

 

 

588,223

 

 

 

(42,893

)

 

 

545,330

 

Income before income taxes

 

 

103,003

 

 

 

42,893

 

 

 

145,896

 

Income taxes

 

 

24,239

 

 

 

9,273

 

 

 

33,512

 

Net income

 

 

78,764

 

 

 

33,620

 

 

 

112,384

 

Net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests

 

 

(2,655

)

 

 

-

 

 

 

(2,655

)

Net income attributable to Primerica, Inc.

 

$

81,419

 

 

$

33,620

 

 

$

115,039

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Earnings per share attributable to common stockholders:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic earnings per share

 

$

2.07

 

 

$

0.85

 

 

$

2.92

 

Diluted earnings per share

 

$

2.06

 

 

$

0.85

 

 

$

2.91

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weighted-average shares used in computing earnings
   per share:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic

 

 

39,221

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

39,221

 

Diluted

 

 

39,332

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

39,332

 

 

Transition Impact on the Liability for Future Policy Benefits.


The Company adopted ASU 2018-12 using the modified retrospective transition method. As part of the transition disclosures ASU 2018-12 requires a reconciliation of the adoption impacts to the Company’s LFPB, separated between the changes in the present value of expected net premiums and the present value of expected future policy benefits as of the Transition Date. Theses balances are presented before reinsurance and income taxes for the Term Life Insurance segment, which makes up the substantial portion of the Company's long-duration insurance contract liabilities.

 

 

11


 

 

 

Transition Impact at January 1, 2021

 

 

 

(In thousands)

 

Present Value of Expected Premiums

 

Term Life

 

Balance at December 31, 2020

 

$

10,867,358

 

     Impact to retained earnings from capping Transition Date net premium ratio

 

 

(137,112

)

Balance at original discount rate

 

 

10,730,246

 

     Effect of changes in discount rate assumptions

 

 

2,774,082

 

Balance at January 1, 2021

 

$

13,504,328

 

 

 

 

 

Present Value of Expected Future Policy Benefits

 

 

 

Balance at December 31, 2020

 

$

17,445,700

 

     Effect of changes in discount rate assumptions

 

 

5,624,494

 

Balance at January 1, 2021

 

$

23,070,194

 

 

Recently-issued accounting guidance not discussed above is not applicable, is not material to our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements, or did not or is not expected to have a material impact on our business.

Changes to Accounting Policies. All significant accounting policies remain unchanged from the 2022 Annual Report except for the following:

DAC. We defer incremental direct costs of successful contract acquisitions that result from and are essential to the contract transaction(s) and that would not have been incurred had the contract transaction(s) not occurred. These deferred policy acquisition costs mainly include commissions, underwriting costs and certain other policy issuance expenses associated with successful contract acquisitions. All other acquisition-related costs, including unsuccessful acquisition and renewal efforts, are charged to expense as incurred. Also, administrative costs, rent, depreciation, occupancy, equipment, and all other general overhead costs are considered indirect costs and are charged to expense as incurred.

DAC for term life insurance policies is amortized on a constant-level basis over the expected term of the contracts using face amount as the unit of measure. Contracts are grouped by cohorts consistent with the grouping used in estimating the LFPB. The cohorts are defined by the legal entity that issued the policy and the year the policy was issued. Assumptions of face amounts used to amortize DAC for term life insurance policies, including persistency and mortality, are consistent with the assumptions used in estimating the LFPB.

DAC for Canadian segregated funds is amortized on a constant-level basis over the expected term of the contracts using policy count as the unit of measure. Contracts are grouped by cohorts based on the issue year of the policy.

Interest is not accrued on unamortized DAC balances and DAC is not subject to impairment testing.

Separate Accounts. The separate accounts are primarily comprised of contracts issued by the Company through its subsidiary, Primerica Life Canada, pursuant to the Insurance Companies Act (Canada). The Insurance Companies Act authorizes Primerica Life Canada to establish the separate accounts.

The separate accounts are represented by individual variable insurance contracts. Purchasers of variable insurance contracts issued by Primerica Life Canada have a direct claim to the benefits of the contract that entitles the holder to units in one or more investment funds (the “Funds”) maintained by Primerica Life Canada. The Funds invest in assets that are held for the benefit of the owners of the contracts. The Funds’ assets are administered by Primerica Life Canada and are held separate and apart from the general assets of the Company. The liabilities reflect the variable insurance contract holders’ interests in the Funds’ net assets based upon actual investment performance of the respective Funds.

These Funds primarily consist of a series of branded investment funds known as the Asset Builder Funds, a registered retirement fund known as the Strategic Retirement Income Fund (“SRIF”), and a money market fund known as the Cash Management Fund. The principal investment objective of the Asset Builder Funds is to achieve long-term growth while preserving capital. The principal objective of the SRIF is to provide a stream of investment income during retirement plus the opportunity for modest capital appreciation. The Asset Builder Funds and the SRIF use diversified portfolios of publicly-traded Canadian stocks, investment-grade corporate bonds, Government of Canada bonds, and foreign equity investments to achieve their objectives. The Cash Management Fund invests in government guaranteed short-term bonds and short-term commercial and bank papers, with the principal investment objective being the provision of interest income while maintaining liquidity and preserving capital.

Under these contract offerings, benefit payments to contract holders or their designated beneficiaries are only due upon death of the annuitant or upon reaching a specific maturity date. Benefit payments are based on the value of the contract holder’s units in the portfolio at the payment date, but are guaranteed to be no less than 75% of the contract holder’s contribution, adjusted for withdrawals. Account values are not guaranteed for withdrawn units if contract holders make withdrawals prior to the maturity dates.

 

12


 

Maturity dates for contracts investing in the Asset Builder Funds and Cash Management Fund vary by contract and range from 10 years from the contract issuance date to December 31, 2070. Contracts investing in the SRIF mature when the policyholder reaches age 100, which is a minimum of 20 years after issue. The SRIF is designed to provide periodic retirement income payments and as such, regular withdrawals, subject to legislated minimums, are anticipated. The cumulative effects of the periodic withdrawals are expected to substantially reduce both account and minimum guaranteed values prior to maturity.

Both the asset and the liability for the separate accounts reflect the net value of the underlying assets in the portfolio as of the reporting date. Primerica Life Canada’s exposure to losses under the guarantee at the time of account maturity is limited to contract holder accounts that have declined in value more than 25%, adjusted for withdrawals since the contribution date, prior to maturity. As maturity dates are of a long-term nature, the likelihood that guarantee payments will be required at any given point is very small. Additionally, the portfolios consist of a very large number of individual contracts, further spreading the risk related to the guarantee. The length of the contract terms provides significant opportunity for the underlying portfolios to recover any short-term losses prior to maturity or the death of the contract holder. The Company has estimated the fair value associated with the market risk benefits provided by these limited guarantees to be immaterial. Furthermore, the Funds investment allocations are aligned with the maturity risks of the related contracts and include investments in Government Strip Bonds and floating-rate notes.

Future Policy Benefits. The LFPB on traditional life insurance products is established for future policy benefits, which includes death benefits, waiver of premium benefits and claim settlement expenses. The LFPB is calculated as the present value of expected future benefits less the present value of expected future net premiums receivable under the contracts. Net premiums are defined as the portion of the gross premiums received from policyholders that are needed to pay for all benefits.

The assumptions underlying the LFPB include mortality, persistency, disability rates, and other assumptions that reflect our best estimate based on our historical experience and modified, as necessary, to reflect non-recurring and/or anticipated trends.

The LFPB is estimated by grouping insurance policies into cohorts. Policy cohorts for the Term Life Insurance segment are based on the legal entity that issued the policy and the year the policy was issued.

The cash flows and assumptions underlying the LFPB are unlocked each quarter to reflect differences between actual and expected experience. In general, assumption changes, to the extent necessary, are expected to only occur during the third quarter when we update our experience studies. However, they may occur at any time based on emerging experience.

The impact of unlocking will be partly reflected in the current period and partly spread to future periods based on the remaining duration of the impacted cohort(s). The catch-up is retroactive back to the later of the Transition Date or issue date, after reinsurance recoverables and is recognized as a remeasurement gain or loss as a separate component of benefits and claims expense in the consolidated statements of income.

The ceded reserve balances included in reinsurance recoverables are calculated in the same manner as the LFPB by cohort and apply best estimate assumptions and quarterly unlocking.

The Company uses discount rates applied by country to align with local currency cash flows. Discount rates consist of yield curves that are developed using Bloomberg’s Evaluated Pricing Product (BVAL) based on senior unsecured fixed rate bonds ratings of A+, A or A-. The discount rate assumption is updated quarterly and the impact of remeasuring the net LFPB, after reinsurance recoverables from changes in the locked-in discount rate assumption is reflected in other comprehensive income in the consolidated statements of comprehensive income.

The LFPB we establish are necessarily based on estimates, assumptions and our analysis of historical experience. Our results depend upon the extent to which our actual experience is consistent with the assumptions we use in determining the LFPB. The assumptions and estimates underlying the LFPB require significant judgment and, therefore, are inherently uncertain.

 

 

 

13


 

 

(2) Segment and Geographical Information

Segments. We have three primary operating segments — Term Life Insurance, Investment and Savings Products, and Senior Health. We also have a Corporate and Other Distributed Products segment.

Notable information included in profit or loss by segment was as follows:

 

 

 

Three months ended March 31,

 

 

 

 

2023

 

 

2022

 

 

 

 

(In thousands)

Revenues:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Term life insurance segment

 

$

421,069

 

 

$

406,983

 

 

Investment and savings products segment

 

 

210,202

 

 

 

241,039

 

 

Senior health segment

 

 

18,710

 

 

 

5,831

 

 

Corporate and other distributed products segment

 

 

40,055

 

 

 

37,373

 

 

Total revenues

 

$

690,036

 

 

$

691,226

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net investment income:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Term life insurance segment

 

$

-

 

 

$

-

 

 

Investment and savings products segment

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

Senior health segment

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

Corporate and other distributed products segment

 

 

31,065

 

 

 

18,905

 

 

Total net investment income

 

$

31,065

 

 

$

18,905

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Amortization of DAC:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Term life insurance segment

 

$

65,503

 

 

$

61,369

 

 

Investment and savings products segment

 

 

1,493

 

 

 

1,446

 

 

Senior health segment

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

Corporate and other distributed products segment

 

 

362

 

 

 

408

 

 

Total amortization of DAC

 

$

67,358

 

 

$

63,223

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Non-cash share-based compensation expense:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Term life insurance segment

 

$

1,850

 

 

$

2,125

 

 

Investment and savings products segment

 

 

993

 

 

 

1,204

 

 

Senior health segment

 

 

160

 

 

 

-

 

 

Corporate and other distributed products segment

 

 

9,071

 

 

 

9,108

 

 

Total non-cash share-based compensation expense

 

$

12,074

 

 

$

12,437

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Income (loss) before income taxes:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Term life insurance segment

 

$

126,736

 

 

$

118,576

 

 

Investment and savings products segment

 

 

56,106

 

 

 

67,039

 

 

Senior health segment

 

 

(3,762

)

 

 

(23,085

)

 

Corporate and other distributed products segment

 

 

(15,943

)

 

 

(16,634

)

 

Total income (loss) before income taxes

 

$

163,137

 

 

$

145,896

 

 

 

Total assets by segment were as follows:

 

 

March 31, 2023

 

 

December 31, 2022

 

 

 

(In thousands)

 

Assets:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Term life insurance segment

 

$

6,506,068

 

 

$

6,433,880

 

Investment and savings products segment (1)

 

 

2,454,810

 

 

 

2,424,256

 

Senior health segment

 

 

429,884

 

 

 

431,993

 

Corporate and other distributed products segment

 

 

5,404,930

 

 

 

5,328,018

 

Total assets

 

$

14,795,692

 

 

$

14,618,147

 

(1) The Investment and Savings Products segment includes assets held in separate accounts. Excluding separate accounts, the Investment and Savings Products segment assets were $124.9 million and $118.5 million as of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively.

 

14


 

Geographical Information. Results of operations by country and long-lived assets, primarily tangible assets reported in other assets in our unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheets and condensed consolidated statements of income, were as follows:

 

 

Three months ended March 31,

 

 

 

 

2023

 

 

2022

 

 

 

 

(In thousands)

Revenues by country:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

United States

 

$

603,850

 

 

$

586,153

 

 

Canada

 

 

86,186

 

 

 

105,073

 

 

Total revenues

 

$

690,036

 

 

$

691,226

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

March 31, 2023

 

 

December 31, 2022

 

 

 

(In thousands)

 

Long-lived assets by country:

 

 

 

 

 

 

United States

 

$

48,835

 

 

$

49,637

 

Canada

 

 

2,689

 

 

 

2,803

 

Other

 

 

215

 

 

 

217

 

Total long-lived assets

 

$

51,739

 

 

$

52,657

 

 

(3) Investments

Available-for-sale Securities. The period-end amortized cost, gross unrealized gains and losses, and fair value of available-for-sale securities were as follows:

 

 

March 31, 2023

 

 

 

Amortized cost

 

 

Gross unrealized gains

 

 

Gross unrealized losses

 

 

Fair value

 

 

 

(In thousands)

 

Securities available-for-sale, carried at fair value:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fixed-maturity securities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

U.S. government and agencies

 

$

9,976

 

 

$

26

 

 

$

(571

)

 

$

9,431

 

Foreign government

 

 

157,424

 

 

 

1,234

 

 

 

(9,053

)

 

 

149,605

 

States and political subdivisions

 

 

138,835

 

 

 

239

 

 

 

(15,799

)

 

 

123,275

 

Corporates

 

 

1,701,254

 

 

 

5,056

 

 

 

(148,291

)

 

 

1,558,019

 

Residential mortgage-backed securities

 

 

476,070

 

 

 

456

 

 

 

(67,980

)

 

 

408,546

 

Commercial mortgage-backed securities

 

 

142,789

 

 

 

43

 

 

 

(15,114

)

 

 

127,718

 

Other asset-backed securities

 

 

196,648

 

 

 

410

 

 

 

(15,026

)

 

 

182,032

 

Total fixed-maturity securities

 

 

2,822,996

 

 

 

7,464

 

 

 

(271,834

)

 

 

2,558,626

 

Short-term investments

 

 

70,185

 

 

 

7

 

 

 

(5

)

 

 

70,187

 

Total fixed-maturity and short-term investments

 

$

2,893,181

 

 

$

7,471

 

 

$

(271,839

)

 

$

2,628,813

 

 

 

 

December 31, 2022

 

 

 

Amortized cost

 

 

Gross unrealized gains

 

 

Gross unrealized losses

 

 

Fair value

 

 

 

(In thousands)

 

Securities available-for-sale, carried at fair value:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fixed-maturity securities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

U.S. government and agencies

 

$

31,217

 

 

$

18

 

 

$

(767

)

 

$

30,468

 

Foreign government

 

 

163,725

 

 

 

780

 

 

 

(11,590

)

 

 

152,915

 

States and political subdivisions

 

 

142,189

 

 

 

112

 

 

 

(20,056

)

 

 

122,245

 

Corporates

 

 

1,665,962

 

 

 

2,439

 

 

 

(171,552

)

 

 

1,496,849

 

Residential mortgage-backed securities

 

 

473,309

 

 

 

370

 

 

 

(71,949

)

 

 

401,730

 

Commercial mortgage-backed securities

 

 

139,306

 

 

 

3

 

 

 

(16,342

)

 

 

122,967

 

Other asset-backed securities

 

 

185,707

 

 

 

108

 

 

 

(17,533

)

 

 

168,282

 

Total fixed-maturity securities

 

 

2,801,415

 

 

 

3,830

 

 

 

(309,789

)

 

 

2,495,456

 

Short-term investments

 

 

69,393

 

 

 

20

 

 

 

(7

)

 

 

69,406

 

Total fixed-maturity and short-term investments

 

$

2,870,808

 

 

$

3,850

 

 

$

(309,796

)

 

$

2,564,862

 

 

All of our available-for-sale mortgage- and asset-backed securities represent variable interests in variable interest entities (“VIEs”). We are not the primary beneficiary of these VIEs because we do not have the power to direct the activities that most significantly impact the entities’ economic performance. The maximum exposure to loss as a result of our involvement in these VIEs equals the carrying value of the securities.

The scheduled maturity distribution of the available-for-sale (“AFS”) fixed-maturity portfolio as of March 31, 2023 was as follows:

 

 

15


 

 

 

Amortized cost

 

 

Fair value

 

 

 

(In thousands)

 

Due in one year or less

 

$

154,148

 

 

$

152,676

 

Due after one year through five years

 

 

770,897

 

 

 

733,708

 

Due after five years through 10 years

 

 

783,681

 

 

 

697,131

 

Due after 10 years

 

 

298,763

 

 

 

256,815

 

 

 

 

2,007,489

 

 

 

1,840,330

 

Mortgage- and asset-backed securities

 

 

815,507

 

 

 

718,296

 

  Total AFS fixed-maturity securities

 

$

2,822,996

 

 

$

2,558,626

 

 

Expected maturities may differ from scheduled contractual maturities because issuers of securities may have the right to call or prepay obligations with or without call or prepayment penalties.

 

 

16


 

Trading Securities. The cost and fair value of the securities classified as trading securities were as follows:

 

 

March 31, 2023

 

 

December 31, 2022

 

 

 

Cost

 

 

Fair value

 

 

Cost

 

 

Fair value

 

 

 

(In thousands)

 

Fixed-maturity securities

 

$

19,033

 

 

$

18,497

 

 

$

4,229

 

 

$

3,698

 

 

Held-to-maturity Security. Concurrent with the execution of the Vidalia Re Coinsurance Agreement, Vidalia Re entered into a Surplus Note Purchase Agreement (the “Surplus Note Purchase Agreement”) with Hannover Life Reassurance Company of America and certain of its affiliates (collectively, “Hannover Re”) and a newly formed limited liability company (the “LLC”) owned by a third- party service provider. Under the Surplus Note Purchase Agreement, Vidalia Re issued a surplus note (the “Surplus Note”) to the LLC in exchange for a credit enhanced note from the LLC with an equal principal amount (the “LLC Note”). The principal amount of both the LLC Note and the Surplus Note will fluctuate over time to coincide with the amount of reserves contractually supported under the Vidalia Re Coinsurance Agreement. Both the LLC Note and the Surplus Note mature on December 31, 2030 and bear interest at an annual interest rate of 4.50%. The LLC Note is guaranteed by Hannover Re through a credit enhancement feature in exchange for a fee, which is reflected in interest expense on our unaudited condensed consolidated statements of income.

The LLC is a VIE as its owner does not have an equity investment at risk that is sufficient to permit the LLC to finance its activities without Vidalia Re or Hannover Re. The Parent Company, Primerica Life, and Vidalia Re share the power to direct the activities of the LLC with Hannover Re, but do not have the obligation to absorb losses or the right to receive any residual returns related to the LLC’s primary risks or sources of variability. Through the credit enhancement feature, Hannover Re is the ultimate risk taker in this transaction and bears the obligation to absorb the LLC’s losses in the event of a Surplus Note default in exchange for the fee. Accordingly, the Company is not the primary beneficiary of the LLC and does not consolidate the LLC within its unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements. See Note 5 (Reinsurance) for Hannover Re’s financial strength rating.

The LLC Note is classified as a fixed-maturity held-to-maturity security in the Company’s invested asset portfolio as we have the positive intent and ability to hold the security until maturity. As of March 31, 2023, the LLC Note had an estimated unrealized holding loss of $71.6 million based on its amortized cost and estimated fair value. The estimated fair value of the LLC Note is expected to be at least equal to the estimated fair value of the offsetting Surplus Note. See Note 15 (Debt) for more information on the Surplus Note.

As of March 31, 2023, no credit losses have been recognized on the LLC Note.

Investments on Deposit with Governmental Authorities. As required by law, we have investments on deposit with governmental authorities and banks for the protection of policyholders. The fair values of investments on deposit were $7.1 million and $7.1 million as of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively.

Securities Lending Transactions. We participate in securities lending transactions with broker-dealers and other financial institutions to increase investment income with minimal risk. We require minimum collateral on securities loaned equal to 102% of the fair value of the loaned securities. We accept collateral in the form of securities, which we are not able to sell or encumber, and to the extent the collateral declines in value below 100%, we require additional collateral from the borrower. Any securities collateral received is not reflected on our unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheets. We also accept collateral in the form of cash, all of which we reinvest. For loans involving unrestricted cash collateral, the collateral is reported as an asset with a corresponding liability representing our obligation to return the collateral. We continue to carry the loaned securities as invested assets on our unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheets during the terms of the loans, and we do not report them as sales. Cash collateral received and reinvested was $74.5 million and $100.9 million as of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively.

Investment Income. The components of net investment income were as follows:

 

 

Three months ended March 31,

 

 

 

2023

 

 

2022

 

 

 

(In thousands)

 

Fixed-maturity securities (available-for-sale)

 

$

25,806

 

 

$

20,889

 

Fixed-maturity security (held-to-maturity)

 

 

16,435

 

 

 

15,515

 

Equity securities

 

 

380

 

 

 

387

 

Policy loans and other invested assets

 

 

(71

)

 

 

102

 

Cash and cash equivalents

 

 

5,128

 

 

 

125

 

Total return on deposit asset underlying 10% coinsurance agreement(1)

 

 

2,049

 

 

 

(1,510

)

  Gross investment income

 

 

49,727

 

 

 

35,508

 

Investment expenses

 

 

(2,227

)

 

 

(1,088

)

   Investment income net of investment expenses

 

 

47,500

 

 

 

34,420

 

Interest expense on surplus note

 

 

(16,435

)

 

 

(15,515

)

    Net investment income

 

$

31,065

 

 

$

18,905

 

 

 

17


 

(1)
Includes ($0.3) million and $(2.1) million of net gains (losses) recognized for the change in fair value of the deposit asset underlying the 10% coinsurance agreement for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.

The components of investment gains (losses), as well as details on gross realized investment gains (losses) and other investment gains (losses) were as follows:

 

 

Three months ended March 31,

 

 

 

2023

 

 

2022

 

 

 

(In thousands)

 

Realized investment gains (losses):

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gross gains from sales of available-for-sale securities fixed maturity securities

 

$

49

 

 

$

602

 

Gross losses from sales of available-for-sale fixed maturity securities

 

 

(1,034

)

 

 

(25

)

Net realized investment gains (losses):

 

 

(985

)

 

 

577

 

Other investment gains (losses):

 

 

 

 

 

 

Credit losses impairment of available-for-sale securities

 

 

(2,160

)

 

 

81

 

Market gains (losses) recognized in net income during the period on equity securities

 

 

(1,475

)

 

 

115

 

Gains (losses) from bifurcated options

 

 

8

 

 

 

-

 

Gains (losses) on trading securities

 

 

4

 

 

 

(22

)

Other investment gains (losses):

 

 

(3,623

)

 

 

174

 

Investment gains (losses)

 

$

(4,608

)

 

$

751

 

 

 

The proceeds from sales or other redemptions of available-for-sale securities were as follows:

 

 

Three months ended March 31,

 

 

 

2023

 

 

2022

 

 

 

(In thousands)

 

Proceeds from sales or other redemptions

 

$

85,430

 

 

$

139,113

 

 

Accrued Interest. Accrued interest is recorded in accordance with the original interest schedule of the underlying security. In the event of default, the Company’s policy is to no longer accrue interest on these securities and any remaining accrued interest will be written off. As a result, the Company has made the policy election to not record an allowance for credit losses on accrued interest.

Credit Losses for Available-for-sale Securities. The following table summarizes all available-for-sale securities in an unrealized loss position for which an allowance for credit losses has not been recorded as of March 31, 2023, aggregated by major security type and length of time such securities have continuously been in an unrealized loss position:

 

 

March 31, 2023

 

 

 

Less than 12 months

 

 

12 months or longer

 

 

 

Fair value

 

 

Unrealized losses

 

 

Fair value

 

 

Unrealized losses

 

 

 

(Dollars in thousands)

 

Fixed-maturity securities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

U.S. government and agencies

 

$

3,920

 

 

$

(99

)

 

$

5,173

 

 

$

(472

)

Foreign government

 

 

30,377

 

 

 

(399

)

 

 

91,887

 

 

 

(8,654

)

States and political subdivisions

 

 

10,178

 

 

 

(277

)

 

 

102,623

 

 

 

(15,522

)

Corporates

 

 

457,448

 

 

 

(12,678

)

 

 

926,057

 

 

 

(135,613

)

Residential mortgage-backed securities

 

 

40,398

 

 

 

(3,342

)

 

 

348,490

 

 

 

(64,638

)

Commercial mortgage-backed securities

 

 

27,240

 

 

 

(884

)

 

 

95,244

 

 

 

(14,230

)

Other asset-backed securities

 

 

29,901

 

 

 

(1,243

)

 

 

117,076

 

 

 

(13,783

)

 Total fixed-maturity securities

 

 

599,462

 

 

 

(18,922

)

 

 

1,686,550

 

 

 

(252,912

)

Short-term investments:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

U.S. government and agencies

 

 

15,835

 

 

 

(4

)

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

Foreign government

 

 

1,756

 

 

 

(1

)

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

Total short-term investments

 

 

17,591

 

 

 

(5

)

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

Total fixed-maturity securities and short-term investments

 

$

617,053

 

 

$

(18,927

)

 

$

1,686,550

 

 

$

(252,912

)

 

 

18


 

 

 

December 31, 2022

 

 

 

Less than 12 months

 

 

12 months or longer

 

 

 

Fair value

 

 

Unrealized losses

 

 

Fair value

 

 

Unrealized losses

 

 

 

(Dollars in thousands)

 

Fixed-maturity securities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

U.S. government and agencies

 

$

4,927

 

 

$

(204

)

 

$

25,209

 

 

$

(563

)

Foreign government

 

 

97,094

 

 

 

(4,430

)

 

 

38,085

 

 

 

(7,160

)

States and political subdivisions

 

 

71,131

 

 

 

(10,666

)

 

 

44,324

 

 

 

(9,390

)

Corporates

 

 

974,931

 

 

 

(69,726

)

 

 

452,541

 

 

 

(101,826

)

Residential mortgage-backed securities

 

 

187,158

 

 

 

(22,171

)

 

 

201,595

 

 

 

(49,778

)

Commercial mortgage-backed securities

 

 

65,165

 

 

 

(5,069

)

 

 

56,799

 

 

 

(11,273

)

Other asset-backed securities

 

 

81,907

 

 

 

(5,807

)

 

 

72,977

 

 

 

(11,726

)

Total fixed-maturity securities

 

 

1,482,313

 

 

 

(118,073

)

 

 

891,530

 

 

 

(191,716

)

Short-term investments:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

U.S. government and agencies

 

 

28,379

 

 

 

(5

)

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

Foreign government

 

 

1,744

 

 

 

(2

)

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

Total short-term investments

 

 

30,123

 

 

 

(7

)

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

Total fixed-maturity securities and short-term investments

 

$

1,512,436

 

 

$

(118,080

)

 

$

891,530

 

 

$

(191,716

)

The amortized cost of available-for-sale fixed-maturity securities with a cost basis in excess of their fair values were $2,575.4 million and $2,713.8 million as of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively.

As of March 31, 2023, we did not recognize credit losses in the unaudited condensed consolidated statements of income on available-for-sale securities with unrealized losses that were due to interest rate sensitivity and changes in credit spreads. We believe that fluctuations caused by movement in interest rates and credit spreads generally have little bearing on the recoverability of our investments. We recognized credit losses in the unaudited condensed consolidated statements of income on available-for-sale securities that are in an unrealized loss position that we have the intent to sell. For those that remain in an unrealized loss position we have the ability to hold these investments until maturity or a market price recovery, and we have no present intention to dispose them. The sharp increase in interest rates over the last 12 months was the primary driver of the increase in unrealized losses on available-for-sale securities.

 

For the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, we recognized $2.2 million and $(0.1) million, respectively, for credit (gains) losses on available-for-sale securities in the unaudited condensed consolidated statements of income. We recognized credit losses on securities due to: (i) our intent to sell them; (ii) adverse credit events indicating that we will not receive the security’s contractual cash flows when contractually due, such as news of an impending filing for bankruptcy; (iii) analyses of the issuer’s most recent financial statements or other information indicating that significant liquidity deficiencies, significant losses and large declines in capitalization exist; and (iv) analyses of rating agency information for issuances with severe ratings downgrades indicating a significant increase in the possibility of default.

 

The rollforward of the allowance for credit losses on available-for-sale securities was as follows:

 

 

Three months ended March 31,

 

 

 

2023

 

 

2022

 

 

 

(In thousands)

 

Allowance for credit losses, beginning of period

 

$

-

 

 

$

816

 

Additions to the allowance for credit losses on securities for which credit losses were not previously recorded

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

Additional increases or (decreases) to the allowance for credit losses on securities that had an allowance recorded in a previous period

 

 

-

 

 

 

(81

)

Write-offs charged against the allowance, if any

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

Allowance for credit losses, end of period

 

$

-

 

 

$

735

 

Derivatives. We carry a deferred loss related to closed forward contracts, which were settled several years ago, that were used to mitigate our exposure to foreign currency exchange rates that resulted from the net investment in our Canadian operations. The amount of deferred loss included in accumulated other comprehensive income was $26.4 million as of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022. These deferred losses will not be recognized until such time as we sell or substantially liquidate our Canadian operations. We have no such intention.

(4) Fair Value of Financial Instruments

Fair value is the price that would be received upon the sale of an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. Invested assets recorded at fair value are measured and classified in accordance with a

 

19


 

three-tier fair value hierarchy based on observable and unobservable inputs. Observable inputs reflect market data obtained from independent sources, while unobservable inputs reflect our view of market assumptions in the absence of observable market information. We classify and disclose all invested assets carried at fair value in one of the following three levels:

Level 1. Quoted prices for identical instruments in active markets. Level 1 consists of financial instruments whose value is based on quoted market prices in active markets, such as cash, cash equivalents in money market funds, exchange-traded common stocks and actively traded mutual fund investments;
Level 2. Quoted prices for similar instruments in active markets; quoted prices for identical or similar instruments in markets that are not active; and model-derived valuations in which all significant inputs are observable in active markets. Level 2 includes those financial instruments that are valued using industry-standard pricing methodologies, models or other valuation methodologies. Various inputs are considered in deriving the fair value of the underlying financial instrument, including interest rate and yield curves, credit spread, and foreign exchange rates. All significant inputs are observable, or derived from observable information in the marketplace or are supported by observable levels at which transactions are executed in the marketplace. Financial instruments in this category primarily include: cash equivalents and short-term investments in U.S. treasury securities, certain public and private corporate fixed-maturity and equity securities; government or agency securities; and certain mortgage- and asset-backed securities; and
Level 3. Valuations derived from valuation techniques in which one or more significant inputs are unobservable. Level 3 consists of financial instruments whose fair value is estimated based on industry-standard pricing methodologies and models using significant inputs not based on, nor corroborated by, readily available market information. Valuations for this category primarily consist of non-binding broker quotes. Financial instruments in this category primarily include less liquid mortgage- and asset-backed securities and equity securities.

As of each reporting period, all assets and liabilities recorded at fair value are classified in their entirety based on the lowest level of input (Level 3 being the lowest in the hierarchy) that is significant to the fair value measurement. Significant levels of estimation and judgment are required to determine the fair value of certain of our investments. The factors influencing these estimations and judgments are subject to change in subsequent reporting periods.

The estimated fair value and hierarchy classifications for assets and liabilities that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis were as follows:

 

 

March 31, 2023

 

 

 

Level 1

 

 

Level 2

 

 

Level 3

 

 

Total

 

 

 

(In thousands)

 

Fair value assets:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Available-for-sale fixed-maturity securities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

U.S. government and agencies

 

$

-

 

 

$

9,431

 

 

$

-

 

 

$

9,431

 

Foreign government

 

 

-

 

 

 

149,605

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

149,605

 

States and political subdivisions

 

 

-

 

 

 

123,275

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

123,275

 

Corporates

 

 

3,960

 

 

 

1,554,059

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

1,558,019

 

Mortgage- and asset-backed securities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Residential mortgage-backed securities

 

 

-

 

 

 

408,546

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

408,546

 

Commercial mortgage-backed securities

 

 

-

 

 

 

127,718

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

127,718

 

Other asset-backed securities

 

 

-

 

 

 

179,716

 

 

 

2,316

 

 

 

182,032

 

Total available-for-sale fixed-maturity securities

 

 

3,960

 

 

 

2,552,350

 

 

 

2,316

 

 

 

2,558,626

 

Short-term investments

 

 

-

 

 

 

70,187

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

70,187

 

Total available-for-sale securities

 

 

3,960

 

 

 

2,622,537

 

 

 

2,316

 

 

 

2,628,813

 

Equity securities

 

 

31,305

 

 

 

986

 

 

 

1,693

 

 

 

33,984

 

Trading securities

 

 

-

 

 

 

18,497

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

18,497

 

Cash and cash equivalents

 

 

494,093

 

 

 

20,997

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

515,090

 

Separate accounts

 

 

-

 

 

 

2,329,968

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

2,329,968

 

Total fair value assets

 

$

529,358

 

 

$

4,992,985

 

 

$

4,009

 

 

$

5,526,352

 

Fair value liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Separate accounts

 

$

-

 

 

$

2,329,968

 

 

$

-

 

 

$

2,329,968

 

Total fair value liabilities

 

$

-

 

 

$

2,329,968

 

 

$

-

 

 

$

2,329,968

 

 

 

20


 

 

 

 

December 31, 2022

 

 

 

Level 1

 

 

Level 2

 

 

Level 3

 

 

Total

 

 

 

(In thousands)

 

Fair value assets:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Available-for-sale fixed-maturity securities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

U.S. government and agencies

 

$

-

 

 

$

30,468

 

 

$

-

 

 

$

30,468

 

Foreign government

 

 

-

 

 

 

152,915

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

152,915

 

States and political subdivisions

 

 

-

 

 

 

122,245

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

122,245

 

Corporates

 

 

3,586

 

 

 

1,493,263

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

1,496,849

 

Mortgage-and asset-backed securities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Residential mortgage-backed securities

 

 

-

 

 

 

401,730

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

401,730

 

Commercial mortgage-backed securities

 

 

-

 

 

 

122,967

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

122,967

 

Other asset-backed securities

 

 

-

 

 

 

168,282

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

168,282

 

Total available-for-sale fixed-maturity securities

 

 

3,586

 

 

 

2,491,870

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

2,495,456

 

Short-term investments

 

 

-

 

 

 

69,406

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

69,406

 

Total available-for-sale securities

 

 

3,586

 

 

 

2,561,276

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

2,564,862

 

Equity securities

 

 

32,727

 

 

 

967

 

 

 

1,710

 

 

 

35,404

 

Trading securities

 

 

-

 

 

 

3,698

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

3,698

 

Cash and cash equivalents

 

 

489,240

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

489,240

 

Separate accounts

 

 

-

 

 

 

2,305,717

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

2,305,717

 

Total fair value assets

 

$

525,553

 

 

$

4,871,658

 

 

$

1,710

 

 

$

5,398,921

 

Fair value liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Separate accounts

 

$

-

 

 

$

2,305,717

 

 

$

-

 

 

$

2,305,717

 

Total fair value liabilities

 

$

-

 

 

$

2,305,717

 

 

$

-

 

 

$

2,305,717

 

 

In estimating fair value of our investments, we use a third-party pricing service for approximately all of our securities that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis. The remaining securities are primarily thinly-traded securities, such as private placements, and are valued using models based on observable inputs on public corporate spreads having similar characteristics (e.g., sector, average life and quality rating), liquidity and yield based on quality rating, average life and U.S. Treasury yields. All observable data inputs are corroborated by independent third-party data. We also corroborate pricing information provided by our third-party pricing service by performing a review of selected securities. Our review activities include: obtaining detailed information about the assumptions, inputs and methodologies used in pricing the security; documenting this information; and corroborating it by comparison to independently obtained prices and/or independently developed pricing methodologies.

Furthermore, we perform internal reasonableness assessments on fair value determinations within our portfolio throughout the year and as of year-end, including pricing variance analyses and comparisons to alternative pricing sources and benchmark returns. If a fair value appears unusual relative to these assessments, we will re-examine the inputs and may challenge a fair value assessment made by the pricing service. If there is a known pricing error, we will request a reassessment by the pricing service. If the pricing service is unable to perform the reassessment on a timely basis, we will determine the appropriate price by requesting a reassessment from an alternative pricing service or other qualified source as necessary. We do not adjust quotes or prices except in a rare circumstance to resolve a known error.

Because many fixed-maturity securities do not trade on a daily basis, third-party pricing services generally determine fair value using industry-standard methodologies, which vary by asset class. For corporates, governments, and agency securities, these methodologies include developing prices by incorporating available market information such as U.S. Treasury curves, benchmarking of similar securities including new issues, sector groupings, quotes from market participants and matrix pricing. Observable information is compiled and integrates relevant credit information, perceived market movements and sector news. Additionally, security prices are periodically back-tested to validate and/or refine models as conditions warrant. Market indicators and industry and economic events are also monitored as triggers to obtain additional data. For certain structured securities (such as mortgage- and asset-backed securities) with limited trading activity, third-party pricing services generally use industry-standard pricing methodologies that incorporate market information, such as index prices or discounting expected future cash flows based on underlying collateral, and quotes from market participants, to estimate fair value. If one or more of these input measures are not deemed observable for a particular security, the security will be classified as Level 3 in the fair value hierarchy.

Where specific market information is unavailable for certain securities, pricing models produce estimates of fair value primarily using Level 2 inputs along with certain Level 3 inputs. These models include matrix pricing. The pricing matrix uses current U.S. Treasury rates and credit spreads received from third-party sources to estimate fair value. The credit spreads incorporate the issuer’s industry- or issuer-specific credit characteristics and the security’s time to maturity, if warranted. Remaining unpriced securities are valued using an estimate of fair value based on indicative market prices that include significant unobservable inputs not based on, nor corroborated by, market information, including the utilization of non-binding broker quotes.

 

21


 

The roll-forward of the Level 3 assets measured at fair value on a recurring basis was as follows:

 

 

 

Three months ended March 31,

 

 

 

 

2023

 

 

2022

 

 

 

 

(In thousands)

Level 3 assets, beginning of period

 

$

1,710

 

 

$

3,596

 

 

Net unrealized gains (losses) included in other comprehensive income

 

 

-

 

 

 

(2

)

 

Realized gains (losses) and accretion (amortization) recognized in earnings

 

 

(17

)

 

 

(207

)

 

Purchases

 

 

2,316

 

 

 

5,903

 

 

Sales

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

Settlements

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

Transfers into Level 3

 

 

-

 

 

 

1,399

 

 

Transfers out of Level 3

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

Level 3 assets, end of period

 

$

4,009

 

 

$

10,689

 

 

 

We obtain independent pricing quotes based on observable inputs as of the end of the reporting period for all securities in Level 2. Those inputs include benchmark yields, reported trades, broker/dealer quotes, issuer spreads, two-sided markets, benchmark securities, market bids/offers, quoted prices for similar instruments in markets that are not active, and other relevant data. We monitor these inputs for market indicators, industry and economic events. There were no material transfers between Level 1 and Level 3 during the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022.

The carrying values and estimated fair values of our financial instruments were as follows:

 

 

 

March 31, 2023

 

 

December 31, 2022

 

 

 

Carrying value

 

 

Estimated fair value

 

 

Carrying value

 

 

Estimated fair value

 

 

 

(In thousands)

 

Assets:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fixed-maturity securities (available-for-sale)

 

$

2,558,626

 

 

$

2,558,626

 

 

$

2,495,456

 

$

2,495,456

 

Fixed-maturity security (held-to-maturity) (3)

 

 

1,460,000

 

 

 

1,388,411

 

 

 

1,444,920

 

 

1,340,265

 

Short-term investments (available-for-sale)

 

 

70,187

 

 

 

70,187

 

 

 

69,406

 

 

69,406

 

Equity securities

 

 

33,984

 

 

 

33,984

 

 

 

35,404

 

 

35,404

 

Trading securities

 

 

18,497

 

 

 

18,497

 

 

 

3,698

 

 

 

3,698

 

Policy loans (3)

 

 

37,554

 

 

 

37,554

 

 

 

35,940

 

 

35,940

 

Deposit asset underlying 10% coinsurance agreement (3)

 

 

215,871

 

 

 

215,871

 

 

 

224,371

 

 

224,371

 

Separate accounts

 

 

2,329,968

 

 

 

2,329,968

 

 

 

2,305,717

 

 

2,305,717

 

Liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Notes payable (1) (2)

 

$

593,106

 

 

$

496,098

 

 

$

592,905

 

$

491,753

 

Surplus note (1) (3)

 

 

1,459,565

 

 

 

1,380,029

 

 

 

1,444,469

 

 

1,333,047

 

Separate accounts

 

 

2,329,968

 

 

 

2,329,968

 

 

 

2,305,717

 

 

2,305,717

 

(1)
Carrying value amounts shown are net of issuance costs.
(2)
Classified as a Level 2 fair value measurement.
(3)
Classified as a Level 3 fair value measurement.

 

The fair values of financial instruments presented above are estimates of the fair values at a specific point in time using various sources and methods, including market quotations and a complex matrix system that takes into account issuer sector, quality, and spreads in the current marketplace.

 

Financial Instruments Recognized at Fair Value in the Balance Sheets. Estimated fair values of investments in AFS securities are principally a function of current spreads and interest rates that are corroborated by independent third-party data. Therefore, the fair values presented are indicative of amounts we could realize or settle at the respective balance sheet date. We do not necessarily intend to dispose of or liquidate such instruments prior to maturity. Trading securities and equity securities, including common and nonredeemable preferred stocks, are carried at fair value. Segregated funds in separate accounts are carried at the underlying value of the variable insurance contracts, which is fair value.

 

The carrying amounts for cash and cash equivalents, trade receivables, accrued investment income, accounts payable, notes payable – short term, cash collateral and payables for security transactions approximate their fair values due to the short-term nature of these instruments. Consequently, such financial instruments are not included in the above table.

 

(5) Reinsurance

We use reinsurance extensively, which has a significant effect on our results of operations. Reinsurance arrangements do not relieve us of our primary obligation to the policyholder.

 

22


 

Details on in-force life insurance were as follows:

 

 

 

March 31, 2023

 

 

December 31, 2022

 

 

 

(Dollars in thousands)

 

Direct life insurance in-force

 

$

925,084,773

 

 

$

919,081,738

 

Amounts ceded to other companies

 

 

(792,325,968

)

 

 

(787,907,229

)

Net life insurance in-force

 

$

132,758,805

 

 

$

131,174,509

 

Percentage of reinsured life insurance in-force

 

 

86

%

 

 

86

%

Benefits and claims ceded to reinsurers during the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022 were $338.9 million and $288.4 million, respectively.

Reinsurance recoverables as of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022 include ceded reserve balances, ceded claim liabilities, and ceded claims paid. Reinsurance recoverables and financial strength ratings by reinsurer were as follows:

 

 

 

March 31, 2023

 

December 31, 2022

 

 

Reinsurance recoverables

 

 

A.M. Best rating

 

Reinsurance recoverables

 

 

A.M. Best rating

 

 

(In thousands)

Swiss Re Life and Health America, Inc. (Novated from Pecan Re Inc.) (1)

 

$

2,432,148

 

 

A+

 

$

2,403,180

 

 

A+

Munich Re of Malta (1) (2)

 

 

249,328

 

 

NR

 

$

245,521

 

 

NR

American Health and Life Insurance Company (1)

 

 

150,874

 

 

B++

 

$

148,573

 

 

B++

SCOR Global Life Reinsurance Companies (3)

 

 

126,485

 

 

A+

 

 

121,408

 

 

A+

Swiss Re Life & Health America Inc. (4)

 

 

44,624

 

 

A+

 

 

57,439

 

 

A+

RGA Reinsurance Company

 

 

41,213

 

 

A+

 

 

47,110

 

 

A+

Korean Reinsurance Company

 

 

35,602

 

 

A

 

 

42,169

 

 

A

Munich American Reassurance Company

 

 

34,942

 

 

A+

 

 

41,450

 

 

A+

Hannover Life Reassurance Company

 

 

20,297

 

 

A+

 

 

18,504

 

 

A+

TOA Reinsurance Company

 

 

16,938

 

 

A

 

 

18,043

 

 

A

All other reinsurers

 

 

30,186

 

 

-

 

 

35,936

 

 

-

Allowance for credit losses

 

 

(3,563

)

 

 

 

 

(2,936

)

 

 

Reinsurance recoverables

 

$

3,179,074

 

 

 

 

$

3,176,397

 

 

 

 

NR – not rated

(1)
Reinsurance recoverables includes balances ceded under coinsurance transactions of term life insurance policies that were in-force as of December 31, 2009. Amounts shown are net of their share of the reinsurance recoverables from other reinsurers. Arrangements with these reinsurers include collateral trust agreements held in support of reinsurance recoverables.
(2)
Entity is rated AA- by S&P.
(3)
Includes amounts ceded to Transamerica Reinsurance Companies and fully retroceded to SCOR Global Life Reinsurance Companies.
(4)
Includes amounts ceded to Lincoln National Life Insurance and fully retroceded to Swiss Re Life & Health America Inc.

 

We estimate and recognize lifetime expected credit losses for reinsurance recoverables. In estimating the allowance for expected credit losses for reinsurance recoverables, we factor in the underlying collateral for reinsurance agreements where available. Specifically, for reinsurers with underlying trust assets, we compare the reinsurance recoverables balance to the underlying trust assets that mitigate the potential exposure to credit losses. We also analyze the financial condition of the reinsurers, as determined by third-party rating agencies, to determine the probability of default for the reinsurers. We then utilize a third-party credit default study to calculate an expected credit loss given default rate or recovery rate. The probability of default and loss given default rates are then applied to the reinsurers’ recoverable balance, while also factoring in any third-party letters of credit that support the reinsurance agreement, in order to calculate our current expected credit loss allowance.

The rollforward of the allowance for credit losses on reinsurance recoverables were as follows:

 

 

 

Three months ended March 31,

 

 

 

2023

 

 

2022

 

 

 

(In thousands)

 

Balance, beginning of period

 

$

2,936

 

 

$

2,942

 

Current period provision for expected credit losses

 

 

627

 

 

 

141

 

   Balance, at the end of period

 

$

3,563

 

 

$

3,083

 

 

(6) Deferred Policy Acquisition Costs

 

The balances and activity in DAC were as follows:

 

23


 

 

 

Three months ended

 

 

Year ended

 

 

 

March 31, 2023

 

 

December 31, 2022

 

 

 

(In thousands)

 

 

 

Term Life

 

 

Segregated Funds (Canada)

 

 

Term Life

 

 

Segregated Funds (Canada)

 

Balance, beginning of period

 

$

3,111,675

 

 

$

62,341

 

 

$

2,872,816

 

 

$

65,411

 

Capitalization

 

 

127,293

 

 

 

1,834

 

 

 

507,834

 

 

 

7,003

 

Amortization

 

 

(65,503

)

 

 

(1,493

)

 

 

(252,352

)

 

 

(5,581

)

Foreign exchange translation and other

 

 

830

 

 

 

181

 

 

 

(16,623

)

 

 

(4,492

)

Balance, at the end of period

 

$

3,174,295

 

 

$

62,863

 

 

$

3,111,675

 

 

$

62,341

 

 

Reconciliation of DAC by product was as follows:

 

 

March 31, 2023

 

 

December 31, 2022

 

 

 

(In thousands)

 

Term Life

 

$

3,174,295

 

 

$

3,111,675

 

Segregated Funds (Canada)

 

 

62,863

 

 

 

62,341

 

Other

 

 

19,687

 

 

 

20,013

 

Total DAC, net

 

$

3,256,845

 

 

$

3,194,029

 

 

There were no changes to the judgments, assumptions and methods used to amortize DAC during the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022.

 

(7) Separate Accounts

The following table represents the fair value of assets supporting separate accounts assets by major investment category:

 

 

 

March 31, 2023

 

 

December 31, 2022

 

 

 

(In thousands)

 

Fixed-income securities

 

$

850,880

 

 

$

796,384

 

Equity securities

 

 

1,358,331

 

 

 

1,340,541

 

Cash and cash equivalents

 

 

130,713

 

 

 

181,162

 

Due to/from funds

 

 

(9,983

)

 

 

(12,399

)

Other

 

 

27

 

 

 

29

 

Total separate accounts assets

 

$

2,329,968

 

 

$

2,305,717

 

 

The following table represents the balances of and changes in separate account liabilities:

 

 

Three months ended

 

 

Year ended

 

 

 

March 31, 2023

 

 

December 31, 2022

 

 

 

(In thousands)

 

Separate account liabilities balance, beginning of period

 

$

2,305,717

 

 

$

2,799,992

 

Premiums and deposits

 

 

77,897

 

 

 

253,982

 

Surrenders and withdrawals

 

 

(108,494

)

 

 

(293,278

)

Investment performance

 

 

67,262

 

 

 

(202,997

)

Management fees and other charges

 

 

(15,140

)

 

 

(62,281

)

Foreign exchange translation

 

 

2,726

 

 

 

(189,701

)

Separate accounts liabilities balance, end of period

 

$

2,329,968

 

 

$

2,305,717

 

Cash surrender value

 

$

2,293,074

 

 

$

2,268,436

 

 

The cash surrender value represents the amount of the contract holders account balance distributable at the balance sheet date less the Company’s estimate of the deferred sales charges that would be assessed if the policyholders redeemed their contracts at the balance sheet date. This estimate requires the Company to make certain assumptions regarding the underlying account balances by contribution year and application of the contractually defined deferred sales charges that would be applicable to each contribution year.

 

(8) Policy Claims and Other Benefits Payable

 

Changes in policy claims incurred and other benefits payable were as follows:

 

24


 

 

 

Three months ended March 31,

 

 

 

2023

 

 

2022

 

 

 

(In thousands)

 

Policy claims and other benefits payable, beginning of period

 

$

538,250

 

 

$

585,382

 

Less reinsured policy claims and other benefits payable

 

 

542,613

 

 

 

638,007

 

Net balance, beginning of period

 

 

(4,363

)

 

 

(52,625

)

Incurred related to current year

 

 

65,820

 

 

 

77,232

 

Incurred related to prior years (1)

 

 

(2,732

)

 

 

(4,547

)

Total incurred

 

 

63,088

 

 

 

72,685

 

Claims paid related to current year, net of reinsured policy claims received

 

 

(141,557

)

 

 

(161,818

)

Reinsured policy claims received related to prior years, net of claims paid

 

 

8,422

 

 

 

64,532

 

Total paid

 

 

(133,135

)

 

 

(97,286

)

Foreign currency translation

 

 

38

 

 

 

(12

)

Net balance, end of period

 

 

(74,372

)

 

 

(77,238

)

Add reinsured policy claims and other benefits payable

 

 

572,855

 

 

 

652,088

 

Balance, end of period

 

$

498,483

 

 

$

574,850

 

(1)
Includes the difference between our estimate of claims incurred but not yet reported as of period-end and the actual incurred claims reported after period-end.

 

The liability for policy claims and other benefits payable on traditional life insurance products includes estimated unpaid claims that have been reported to us and claims incurred but not yet reported. We estimate claims incurred but not yet reported based on our historical claims activity, adjusted for any current new trends and conditions, and reported lag time experience.

 

(9) Future Policy Benefits

 

The following tables summarize balances and changes in the present value of expected net premiums and the present value of expected future policy benefits underlying the LFPB:

 

 

Three months ended

 

 

Year ended

 

 

 

March 31, 2023

 

 

December 31, 2022

 

 

 

(In thousands)

 

Present Value of Expected Net Premiums

 

Term Life

 

Balance at current discount rate, beginning of period

 

$

13,053,386

 

 

$

14,988,852

 

Balance at original discount rate, beginning of period

 

 

13,521,221

 

 

 

12,800,441

 

     Effect of changes in cash flow assumptions

 

 

-

 

 

 

26,090

 

     Effect of actual variances from expected experience

 

 

(66,059

)

 

 

8,653

 

Adjusted balance, beginning of period

 

 

13,455,162

 

 

 

12,835,184

 

     Issuances

 

 

465,861

 

 

 

1,892,716

 

     Interest accrual at original discount rate

 

 

130,130

 

 

 

486,436

 

     Net premiums collected

 

 

(414,681

)

 

 

(1,623,000

)

     Foreign currency translation

 

 

1,326

 

 

 

(70,115

)

Expected net premiums at original discount rate, end of period

 

 

13,637,798

 

 

 

13,521,221

 

     Effect of changes in discount rate assumptions

 

 

(117,304

)

 

 

(467,835

)

Expected net premiums at current discount rate, end of period

 

$

13,520,494

 

 

$

13,053,386

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Present Value of Expected Future Policy Benefits

 

 

 

Balance at current discount rate, beginning of period

 

$

19,143,253

 

 

$

23,309,576

 

Balance at original discount rate, beginning of period

 

 

19,706,818

 

 

 

18,991,175

 

     Effect of changes in cash flow assumptions

 

 

-

 

 

 

29,915

 

     Effect of actual variances from expected experience

 

 

(58,593

)

 

 

21,101

 

Adjusted balance, beginning of period

 

 

19,648,225

 

 

 

19,042,191

 

     Issuances

 

 

465,885

 

 

 

1,892,730

 

     Interest Accrual at original discount rate

 

 

206,814

 

 

 

796,017

 

     Benefit payments

 

 

(467,008

)

 

 

(1,915,518

)

     Foreign currency translation

 

 

2,016

 

 

 

(108,602

)

Expected future policy benefits at original discount rate, end of period

 

 

19,855,932

 

 

 

19,706,818

 

     Effect of changes in discount rate assumptions

 

 

13,498

 

 

 

(563,565

)

Expected future policy benefits at current discount rate, end of period

 

$

19,869,430

 

 

$

19,143,253

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LFPB

 

$

6,348,936

 

 

$

6,089,867

 

Less: reinsurance recoverables

 

 

3,154,789

 

 

 

3,153,121

 

Net LFPB, after reinsurance recoverables

 

$

3,194,147

 

 

$

2,936,746

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weighted-average duration of net LFPB

 

 

7.8

 

 

 

7.8

 

 

 

25


 

During the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, experience variances resulted in remeasurement gains of $0.5 million and $1.3 million, respectively. The impact of experience variances in persistency and mortality during each period was largely offset by reinsurance. There were no changes to the inputs, judgments, assumptions, and methods used in measuring the LFPB during the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022.

 

For the full year 2022, the remeasurement gain recognized by the Company was $0.5 million. During 2022, a small assumption change was made relating to moving mortality improvement forward one calendar year when the Company reviewed assumptions during the third quarter. The impact of this change in assumption, together with experience variances during 2022, were largely offset by reinsurance.

 

Losses recognized as a result of capping the net premium ratio at 100% were immaterial during the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022.

The following table reconciles the LFPB to the condensed consolidated balance sheets:

 

 

March 31, 2023

 

 

December 31, 2022

 

 

 

(In thousands)

 

Term Life

 

$

6,348,936

 

 

$

6,089,867

 

Other

 

 

212,688

 

 

 

208,039

 

Total

 

$

6,561,624

 

 

$

6,297,906

 

 

The following table reconciles the reinsurance recoverables to the condensed consolidated balance sheets:

 

 

March 31, 2023

 

 

December 31, 2022

 

 

 

(In thousands)

 

Term Life

 

$

3,154,789

 

 

$

3,153,121

 

Other

 

 

24,285

 

 

 

23,276

 

Total

 

$

3,179,074

 

 

$

3,176,397

 

 

The amount of discounted (using the original discount rate) and undiscounted expected gross premiums and expected future benefit payments were as follows:

 

March 31, 2023

 

 

December 31, 2022

 

 

(In thousands)

 

Term Life

 

 

 

Undiscounted

 

 

Discounted

 

 

Undiscounted

 

 

Discounted

 

Expected future benefit payments

$

32,216,059

 

 

$

19,869,430

 

 

$

31,904,059

 

 

$

19,143,253

 

Expected future gross premiums

$

37,480,296

 

 

$

25,902,466

 

 

$

37,135,605

 

 

$

25,070,802

 

 

The amount of revenue and interest recognized in our unaudited condensed consolidated statements of income were as follows:

 

Three months ended March 31,

 

 

2023

 

 

2022

 

 

(In thousands)

 

Term Life

 

 

Gross premiums

$

812,880

 

 

$

793,254

 

Interest accretion (expense)

$

(76,684

)

 

$

(76,496

)

 

The weighted-average rates were as follows:

 

March 31, 2023

 

 

December 31, 2022

 

 

(In thousands)

 

Term Life

 

 

Original discount rate

 

4.95

%

 

 

5.00

%

Current discount rate

 

4.91

%

 

 

5.28

%

 

There were no changes to the methods used to determine the discount rates during the three months ended March 31, 2023 and the twelve months ended December 31, 2022.

 

26


 

(10) Stockholders’ Equity

A reconciliation of the number of shares of our outstanding common stock follows:

 

 

Three months ended March 31,

 

 

 

2023

 

 

2022

 

 

 

(In thousands)

 

Common stock, beginning of period

 

$

36,824

 

 

$

39,368

 

Shares issued for stock options exercised

 

 

43

 

 

 

-

 

Shares of common stock issued upon lapse of sales restrictions on
   restricted stock units (“RSUs”)

 

 

129

 

 

 

132

 

Common stock retired

 

 

(589

)

 

 

(748

)

Common stock, end of period

 

$

36,407

 

 

$

38,752

 

 

The above reconciliation excludes RSUs and performance-based stock units (“PSUs”), which do not have voting rights. As sales restrictions on RSUs lapse and PSUs are earned, we issue common shares with voting rights. As of March 31, 2023, we had a total of 266,601 RSUs and 65,459 PSUs outstanding. The PSU outstanding balance is based on the number of PSUs granted pursuant to the award agreement; however, the actual number of common shares earned could be higher or lower based on actual versus targeted performance. See Note 12 (Share-Based Transactions) for discussion of the PSU award structure.

On November 17, 2022, our Board of Directors authorized a share repurchase program for up to $375.0 million of our outstanding common stock for purchases from January 1, 2023 through December 31, 2023 (the “Share Repurchase Program”). Under the Share Repurchase Program, we repurchased 530,723 shares of our common stock in the open market for an aggregate purchase price of $85.3 million through March 31, 2023. Approximately $289.7 million remains available for repurchases of our outstanding common stock under the Share Repurchase Program as of March 31, 2023.

(11) Earnings Per Share

The Company has outstanding common stock and equity awards that consist of RSUs, PSUs and stock options. The RSUs maintain non-forfeitable dividend rights that result in dividend payment obligations on a one-to-one ratio with common shares for any future dividend declarations.

Unvested RSUs are deemed participating securities for purposes of calculating earnings per share (“EPS”) as they maintain dividend rights. We calculate EPS using the two-class method. Under the two-class method, we allocate earnings to common shares and vested RSUs outstanding for the period. Earnings attributable to unvested participating securities, along with the corresponding share counts, are excluded from EPS as reflected in our unaudited condensed consolidated statements of income.

In calculating basic EPS, we deduct from net income any dividends and undistributed earnings allocated to unvested RSUs and then divide the result by the weighted-average number of common shares and vested RSUs outstanding for the period.

We determine the potential dilutive effect of PSUs and stock options outstanding (“contingently-issuable shares”) on EPS using the treasury-stock method. Under this method, we determine the proceeds that would be received from the issuance of the contingently-issuable shares if the end of the reporting period were the end of the contingency period. The proceeds from the contingently-issuable shares include the remaining unrecognized compensation expense of the awards and the cash received for the exercise price on stock options. We then use the average market price of our common shares during the period the contingently-issuable shares were outstanding to determine how many shares we could repurchase with the proceeds raised from the issuance of the contingently-issuable shares. The net incremental share count issued represents the potential dilutive securities. We then reallocate earnings to common shares and vested RSUs by incorporating the increased fully-diluted share count to determine diluted EPS.

 

27


 

The calculation of basic and diluted EPS was as follows:

 

 

Three months ended March 31,

 

 

 

 

2023

 

 

2022

 

 

 

 

(In thousands, except per-share amounts)

Basic EPS:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Numerator:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net income attributable to Primerica, Inc.

 

$

125,106

 

 

$

115,039

 

 

Income attributable to unvested participating securities

 

 

(565

)

 

 

(476

)

 

Net income used in calculating basic EPS

 

$

124,541

 

 

$

114,563

 

 

Denominator:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weighted-average vested shares

 

 

36,710

 

 

 

39,221

 

 

Basic EPS

 

$

3.39

 

 

$

2.92

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Diluted EPS:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Numerator:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net income attributable to Primerica, Inc.

 

$

125,106

 

 

$

115,039

 

 

Income attributable to unvested participating securities

 

 

(564

)

 

 

(475

)

 

Net income used in calculating diluted EPS

 

$

124,542

 

 

$

114,564

 

 

Denominator:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weighted-average vested shares

 

 

36,710

 

 

 

39,221

 

 

Dilutive effect of incremental shares to be issued for
   contingently-issuable shares

 

 

94

 

 

 

111

 

 

Weighted-average shares used in calculating diluted EPS

 

 

36,804

 

 

 

39,332

 

 

Diluted EPS

 

$

3.38

 

 

$

2.91

 

 

 

(12) Share-Based Transactions

The Company has outstanding equity awards under the Primerica, Inc. Second Amended and Restated 2010 Omnibus Incentive Plan (“2010 OIP”), which expired in 2020 in accordance with its terms and under which no future awards will be made, and the Primerica, Inc. 2020 Omnibus Incentive Plan (the “2020 OIP”, and together with the 2010 OIP, the “OIP”), which was approved by the Company’s stockholders on May 13, 2020. The OIP provides for the issuance of equity awards, including stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock, deferred stock, RSUs, PSUs, and stock payment awards, as well as cash-based awards. In addition to time-based vesting requirements, awards granted under the OIP may also be subject to specified performance criteria. Under the OIP, the Company issues equity awards to our management (officers and other key employees), non-employees who serve on our Board of Directors, and sales force leaders. For more information on equity awards granted under the OIP, see Note 14 (Share-Based Transactions) to our consolidated financial statements within our 2022 Annual Report.

In connection with our granting of equity awards to management and members of the Board of Directors, we recognize expense over the requisite service period of the equity award. We defer and amortize the fair value of equity awards granted to the sales force in the same manner as other deferred policy acquisition costs for those awards that are an incremental direct cost of successful acquisitions of life insurance policies that result directly from and are essential to the policy acquisition(s) and would not have been incurred had the policy acquisition(s) not occurred. All equity awards granted to the sales force that are not directly related to the successful acquisition of life insurance policies are recognized as expense as incurred, which is in the quarter granted and earned.

The impact of equity awards granted under the OIP are as follows:

 

 

Three months ended March 31,

 

 

 

2023

 

 

2022

 

 

 

(In thousands)

 

Equity awards expense recognized

 

$

12,125

 

 

$

12,181

 

Equity awards expense deferred

 

 

2,523

 

 

 

2,377

 

 

On February 28, 2023, the Compensation Committee of our Board of Directors granted the following equity awards to employees as part of the annual approval of management incentive compensation:

55,137 RSUs awarded to management with a measurement-date fair value of $185.24 per unit that have time-based vesting requirements with equal and annual graded vesting over approximately three years subsequent to the grant date.
17,139 PSUs awarded to our four top executives with a measurement-date fair value of $185.24 per unit. The PSUs will be earned on March 1, 2026 contingent upon the Company achieving a targeted annual average three-year return on adjusted equity (“ROAE”) and average EPS growth for the period from January 1, 2023 through December 31, 2025. The actual number of common shares that will be earned will vary based on the actual ROAE and average EPS growth relative to the targeted ROAE and average EPS growth and can range from zero to 25,708 shares.

 

 

28


 

All awards granted to employees on February 28, 2023 vest upon voluntary termination of employment by any employee who is “retirement eligible” as of his or her termination date. In order to be retirement eligible, an employee must be at least 55 years old and his or her age plus years of service with the Company must equal at least 75. The number of PSUs that will ultimately be earned for a retirement eligible employee is equal to the amount calculated using the Company’s actual cumulative three-year ROAE and average EPS growth for the performance period ending on December 31, 2025, even if that employee retires prior to the completion of the three-year performance period.

 

(13) Commitments and Contingent Liabilities

Letter of Credit (“LOC”). Peach Re maintains a credit facility agreement with Deutsche Bank (the “Credit Facility Agreement”) to support certain obligations for a portion of the Regulation XXX reserves related to the Peach Re Coinsurance Agreement. Under the Credit Facility Agreement, Deutsche Bank issued a letter of credit for the benefit of Primerica Life with a term expiring on December 31, 2025. As of March 31, 2023, the amount of the LOC outstanding was $80.4 million. This amount will decline over the remaining term of the LOC to correspond with declines in the Regulation XXX reserves. As of March 31, 2023, the Company was in compliance with all financial covenants under the Credit Facility Agreement.

Further discussion on the Company’s LOC is included in Note 16 (Commitments and Contingent Liabilities) to our consolidated financial statements within our 2022 Annual Report.

Contingent Liabilities. The Company is involved from time to time in legal disputes, regulatory inquiries and arbitration proceedings in the normal course of business. These disputes are subject to uncertainties, including the large and/or indeterminate amounts sought in certain of these matters and the inherent unpredictability of litigation. As such, the Company is unable to estimate the possible loss or range of loss that may result from these matters unless otherwise indicated.

(14) Other Comprehensive Income

 

The components of other comprehensive income (“OCI”), including the income tax expense or benefit allocated to each component, were as follows:

 

 

Three months ended March 31,

 

 

 

 

2023

 

 

2022

 

 

 

 

(In thousands)

Foreign currency translation adjustments:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Change in unrealized foreign currency translation gains (losses)
   before income taxes

 

$

998

 

 

$

3,289

 

 

Income tax expense (benefit) on unrealized foreign currency
   translation gains (losses)

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

Change in unrealized foreign currency translation gains
   (losses), net of income taxes

 

$

998

 

 

$

3,289

 

 

Unrealized gain (losses) on available-for-sale securities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Change in unrealized holding gains (losses) arising during period
   before income taxes

 

$

38,549

 

 

$

(164,937

)

 

Income tax expense (benefit) on unrealized holding gains
   (losses) arising during period

 

 

8,316

 

 

 

(35,241

)

 

Change in unrealized holding gains (losses) on available-for-sale
   securities arising during period, net of income taxes

 

 

30,233

 

 

 

(129,696

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reclassification from accumulated OCI to net income for (gains)
   losses realized on available-for-sale securities

 

 

3,137

 

 

 

(658

)

 

Income tax (expense) benefit on (gains) losses reclassified
   from accumulated OCI to net income

 

 

659

 

 

 

(138

)

 

Reclassification from accumulated OCI to net income for (gains)
   losses realized on available-for-sale securities, net of income taxes

 

 

2,478

 

 

 

(520

)

 

Change in unrealized gains (losses) on available-for-sale
   securities, net of income taxes and reclassification adjustment

 

$

32,711

 

 

$

(130,216

)

 

Effect of change in discount rate assumptions on the LFPB:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Change in effect in discount rate assumptions on the LFPB before income taxes

 

$

(182,045

)

 

$

821,904

 

 

Income tax (expense) benefit on the effect of change in discount rate assumptions on the LFPB from accumulated OCI to net income

 

 

(39,071

)

 

 

175,763

 

 

Change in effect in discount rate assumptions on the LFPB, net of income taxes

 

$

(142,974

)

 

$

646,141

 

 

(15) Debt

Notes Payable. As of March 31, 2023, the Company had outstanding $600.0 million of publicly-traded, senior unsecured notes (the “Senior Notes”), with an annual interest rate of 2.80% that are scheduled to mature on November 19, 2031. As of March 31, 2023, we

 

29


 

were in compliance with the covenants of the Senior Notes. No events of default occurred on the Senior Notes during the three months ended March 31, 2023.

Further discussion on the Company’s Senior Notes is included in Note 10 (Debt) to our consolidated financial statements within our 2022 Annual Report.

Surplus Note. As of March 31, 2023, the principal amount outstanding on the Surplus Note issued by Vidalia Re was $1.46 billion, which is equal to the principal amount of the LLC Note. The principal amount of both the Surplus Note and the LLC Note will fluctuate over time to coincide with the amount of policy reserves being contractually supported under the Vidalia Re Coinsurance Agreement. Both the LLC Note and the Surplus Note mature on December 31, 2030 and bear interest at an annual interest rate of 4.50%. Based on the estimated reserves for policies issued in 2011 through 2017 that have been ceded under the Vidalia Re Coinsurance Agreement, the principal amounts of the Surplus Note and the LLC Note are expected to reach $1.5 billion each. This financing arrangement is non-recourse to the Parent Company and Primerica Life, meaning that neither of these companies has guaranteed the Surplus Note or is otherwise liable for reimbursement for any payments triggered by the LLC Note’s credit enhancement feature. The Parent Company has agreed to support Vidalia Re’s obligation to pay the credit enhancement fee incurred on the LLC Note.

Further discussion on the Company’s LLC Note is included in Note 3 (Investments).

Revolving Credit Facility. We maintain an unsecured $200.0 million revolving credit facility (“Revolving Credit Facility”) with a syndicate of commercial banks. The Revolving Credit Facility has a scheduled termination date of June 22, 2026. Amounts outstanding under the Revolving Credit Facility are borrowed, at our discretion, on the basis of either a Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”) rate loan, or a base rate loan. SOFR rate loans bear interest at a periodic rate equal to one-, three-, or six-month Adjusted Term SOFR, plus an applicable margin. Base rate loans bear interest at the highest of (a) the Prime Rate, (b) the Federal Funds Rate plus 0.50% and (c) one-month Adjusted Term SOFR plus 1.00%, plus an applicable margin. The Revolving Credit Facility also permits the issuance of letters of credit. The applicable margins are based on our debt rating with such margins for SOFR rate loans and letters of credit ranging from 1.00% to 1.625% per annum and for base rate loans ranging from 0.00% to 0.625% per annum. Under the Revolving Credit Facility, we incur a commitment fee that is payable quarterly in arrears and is determined by our debt rating. This commitment fee ranges from 0.10% to 0.225% per annum of the aggregate amount of the $200.0 million commitment of the lenders under the Revolving Credit Facility that remains undrawn. During the three months ended March 31, 2023, no amounts were outstanding under the Revolving Credit Facility and we were in compliance with its covenants. Furthermore, no events of default occurred under the Revolving Credit Facility during the three months ended March 31, 2023.

(16) Revenue from Contracts with Customers

Our revenues from contracts with customers primarily include:

Commissions and fees earned for the marketing and distribution of investment and savings products underwritten by mutual fund companies and annuity providers. For purposes of revenue recognition, mutual fund companies and annuity providers are considered the customers in marketing and distribution arrangements;
Fees earned for investment advisory and administrative services within our managed investments program and shareholder services fees earned in Canada for mutual funds for which we serve as principal distributor;
Account-based fees for transfer agent recordkeeping functions and non-bank custodial services;
Commissions and fees earned from the distribution of Medicare-related insurance products on behalf of health insurance carriers, including tail revenue adjustments;
Marketing development revenues earned for selling Medicare-related insurance products on behalf of health insurance carriers, which is recorded in Other, net revenue;
Fees associated with mortgage distribution and the distribution of other third-party financial products; and
Other revenue from the sale of miscellaneous products and services including monthly subscription fees from the sales representatives for access to Primerica Online, our primary sales force support tool.

Premiums from insurance contracts we underwrite, fees received from segregated funds insurance contracts, and income earned on our invested assets are excluded from the definition of revenues from contracts with customers in accordance with U.S. GAAP.

Further discussion on the Company’s revenues from contracts with customers and revenue recognition policies are included in Note 18 (Revenue from Contracts with Customers) to our consolidated financial statements within our 2022 Annual Report.

 

 

30


 

The disaggregation of our revenues from contracts with customers were as follows:

 

 

 

Three months ended March 31,

 

 

 

 

2023

 

 

2022

 

 

 

 

(In thousands)

Term Life Insurance segment revenues:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Other, net

 

$

12,233

 

 

$

12,175

 

 

    Total segment revenues from contracts with customers

 

 

12,233

 

 

 

12,175

 

 

  Revenues from sources other than contracts with customers

 

 

408,836

 

 

 

394,808

 

 

      Total Term Life Insurance segment revenues

 

$

421,069

 

 

$

406,983

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Investment and Savings Products segment revenues:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Commissions and fees

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    Sales-based revenues

 

$

72,388

 

 

$

103,242

 

 

    Asset-based revenues

 

 

98,104

 

 

 

97,355

 

 

    Account-based revenues

 

 

22,790

 

 

 

21,541

 

 

  Other, net

 

 

3,120

 

 

 

3,144

 

 

      Total segment revenues from contracts with customers

 

 

196,402

 

 

 

225,282

 

 

  Revenues from sources other than contracts
    with customers (segregated funds)

 

 

13,800

 

 

 

15,757

 

 

        Total Investment and Savings Products segment revenues

 

$

210,202

 

 

$

241,039

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Senior Health segment revenues:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Commissions and fees

 

$

15,755

 

 

$

1,278

 

 

  Other, net

 

 

2,955

 

 

 

4,553

 

 

      Total Senior Health segment revenues

 

$

18,710

 

 

$

5,831

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Corporate and Other Distributed Products segment revenues:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Commissions and fees

 

$

8,710

 

 

$

12,627

 

 

  Other, net

 

 

1,199

 

 

 

1,117

 

 

    Total segment revenues from contracts with customers

 

 

9,909

 

 

 

13,744

 

 

  Revenues from sources other than contracts with customers

 

 

30,146

 

 

 

23,629

 

 

      Total Corporate and Other Distributed Products segment revenues

 

$

40,055

 

 

$

37,373

 

 

 

Renewal Commissions Receivable. For revenue associated with ongoing renewal commissions in the Senior Health and Corporate and Other Distributed Products segments, we record a renewal commission receivable asset for the amount of ongoing renewal commissions we anticipate collecting in reporting periods subsequent to the satisfaction of the performance obligation, less amounts that are constrained in the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheets. We update our estimate of variable consideration each period and new facts or circumstances that were not available at the time of the initial estimate will indicate that the expected renewal commissions are higher or lower than our renewal commissions receivable. As such, the expected renewal commissions receivable will be written down or up to its revised expected value by adjustments to revenue, which we refer to as tail revenue adjustments. During the three months ended March 31, 2023, no tail revenue adjustments were recognized based on our current estimates.

Activity in the Renewal commissions receivable account was as follows:

 

 

Three months ended March 31,

 

 

 

 

2023

 

 

2022

 

 

 

 

(In thousands)

Senior Health segment:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Balance, beginning of period

 

$

139,399

 

 

$

172,308

 

 

Commissions revenue

 

 

9,062

 

 

 

12,849

 

 

Less: collections

 

 

(14,262

)

 

 

(12,314

)

 

Tail revenue adjustments from change in estimate

 

 

-

 

 

 

(19,060

)

 

Balance, at the end of period

 

$

134,199

 

 

$

153,783

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Corporate and Other Distributed Products segments:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Balance, beginning of period

 

$

60,644

 

 

$

59,443

 

 

Commissions revenue

 

 

5,370

 

 

 

5,643

 

 

Less: collections

 

 

(5,804

)

 

 

(5,694

)

 

Balance, at the end of period

 

$

60,210

 

 

$

59,392

 

 

 

 

31


 

Incremental costs to obtain or fulfill contracts, most notably sales commissions to the sales representatives, are not incurred prior to the recognition of the related revenue. Therefore, we have no assets recognized for incremental costs to obtain or fulfill contracts.

 

(17) Goodwill

 

Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price over the estimated acquired values of identifiable assets and liabilities acquired in a business combination. In accordance with U.S. GAAP, goodwill is not amortized. The Company tests goodwill for impairment annually on July 1 and whenever events occur or circumstances change that would indicate the carrying value of goodwill may be impaired. All of the Company’s goodwill was obtained from the acquisition of the e-TeleQuote business, which has been designated as a separate operating segment called Senior Health. Therefore, goodwill has been allocated solely to the Senior Health segment and is evaluated for impairment at the Senior Health segment level, which is also defined as the reporting unit.

 

At March 31, 2023, the Company recognized goodwill of $127.7 million in its Senior Health reporting unit after accumulated

goodwill impairment charges of $136.0 million. There was no change in the goodwill balance during the three months ended March 31, 2023.

 

32


 

ITEM 2. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS.

Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (“MD&A”) is intended to inform the reader about matters affecting the financial condition and results of operations of Primerica, Inc. (the “Parent Company”) and its subsidiaries (collectively, “we”, “us” or the “Company”) for the period from December 31, 2022 to March 31, 2023. As a result, the following discussion should be read in conjunction with MD&A and the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto that are included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022 (“2022 Annual Report”). This discussion contains forward-looking statements that constitute our plans, estimates and beliefs. These forward-looking statements involve numerous risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, those discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” in the 2022 Annual Report and in Item 1A of this Report. Actual results may differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements.

This MD&A is divided into the following sections:

Business Overview
Business Trends and Conditions
Factors Affecting Our Results
Critical Accounting Estimates
Results of Operations
Financial Condition
Liquidity and Capital Resources

Business Overview

We are a leading provider of financial products to middle-income households in the United States and Canada primarily through a network of independent contractor sales representatives (“independent sales representatives” or “independent sales force”). We assist our clients in meeting their needs for term life insurance, which we underwrite, and mutual funds, annuities, managed investments, Medicare-related insurance products and other financial products, which we distribute primarily on behalf of third parties. We have three primary operating segments, Term Life Insurance, Investment and Savings Products, and Senior Health, and a fourth segment, Corporate and Other Distributed Products.

The Company adopted Accounting Standards Update No. 2018-12, Financial Services—Insurance (Topic 944) — Targeted Improvements to the Accounting for Long-Duration Contracts (“LDTI”) on January 1, 2023. The amendments in LDTI change accounting guidance for insurance companies that issue long-duration contracts, such as term life insurance and segregated funds products. All prior period financial information has been restated as of January 1, 2021 (the “Transition Date”). See Note 1 (Description of Business, Basis of Presentation, and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies) to our condensed consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this report for more information about the adoption of LDTI.

Term Life Insurance. We distribute the term life insurance products that we underwrite through our three issuing life insurance company subsidiaries: Primerica Life Insurance Company (“Primerica Life”), National Benefit Life Insurance Company (“NBLIC”), and Primerica Life Insurance Company of Canada (“Primerica Life Canada”). Policies remain in-force until the expiration of the coverage period or until the policyholder ceases to make premium payments. Our in-force term life insurance policies have level premiums for the stated term period. As such, the policyholder pays the same amount each year. Initial policy term periods are between 10 and 35 years. While premiums typically remain level during the initial term period, our claim obligations generally increase as our policyholders age. In addition, we incur significant upfront costs in acquiring new insurance business.

Investment and Savings Products. In the United States, we distribute mutual funds, managed investments, variable annuity, and fixed annuity products of several third-party companies. We provide investment advisory and administrative services for client assets invested in our managed investments program. We also perform distinct transfer agent recordkeeping services and non-bank custodial services for investors purchasing certain mutual funds we distribute. In Canada, we offer mutual funds of other companies and segregated funds, which are underwritten by Primerica Life Canada.

Senior Health. In the United States, we distribute Medicare-related insurance products nationwide to eligible Medicare participants and enroll them in coverage utilizing licensed health insurance agents through our e-TeleQuote, Inc. subsidiary ("e-TeleQuote"). The health insurance products we distribute are underwritten and administered by third-party health insurance carriers and primarily consist of Medicare Advantage enrollments. Contract acquisition costs are incurred upfront when policy applications are approved and include costs associated with generating or acquiring leads as well as fees paid to Primerica Senior Health certified independent sales representatives and compensation, licensing, and training costs incurred for e-TeleQuote’s workforce of licensed health insurance agents. e-TeleQuote's licensed health insurance agents are employees of the Company. We receive compensation from the health insurance carriers in the form of initial commissions when eligible Medicare participants are enrolled and renewal commissions, upon the anniversary of the effective date, for as long as policies remain in-force.

 

33


 

Corporate and Other Distributed Products. The Corporate and Other Distributed Products segment consists primarily of revenues and expenses related to other distributed products, including closed blocks of various insurance products underwritten by NBLIC, prepaid legal services, mortgage originations, and other financial products. These products, except for closed blocks of various insurance products underwritten by NBLIC, are distributed pursuant to distribution arrangements with third-party companies through the independent sales force. Net investment income earned on our invested asset portfolio is recorded in the Corporate and Other Distributed Products segment. Interest expense incurred by the Company is attributed solely to the Corporate and Other Distributed Products segment.

Business Trends and Conditions

The relative strength and stability of financial markets and economies in the United States and Canada affect our growth and profitability. Our business is, and we expect will continue to be, influenced by a number of industry-wide and product-specific trends and conditions. Economic conditions, including unemployment levels and consumer confidence, influence investment and spending decisions by middle-income consumers, who are generally our primary clients. These conditions and factors also impact prospective recruits’ perceptions of the business opportunity that becoming an independent sales representative offers, which can drive or dampen recruiting. Consumer spending and borrowing levels affect how consumers evaluate their savings and debt management plans. In addition, interest rates and equity market returns impact consumer demand for the savings and investment products we distribute. Our customers’ perception of the strength of the capital markets may also influence their decisions to invest in the investment and savings products we distribute.

The financial and distribution results of our operations in Canada, as reported in U.S. dollars, are affected by changes in the currency exchange rate. As a result, changes in the Canadian dollar exchange rate may significantly affect the result of our business for all amounts translated and reported in U.S. dollars.

Significant volatility in capital markets in recent periods has continued to impact our business. Declines in the capital markets during 2022 continued to adversely impact revenue generated by the Investments and Savings Products segment in the first quarter of 2023. In addition, the sharp rise in market interest rates during 2022 has driven unrealized losses in our investment portfolio. We have not recognized losses caused by interest rate volatility in the income statement as we have the ability to hold these investments until maturity or a market price recovery, and we have no present intention to dispose of them. Increased interest rates have also led to increases in net investment income as we are able to earn higher returns on our new debt securities purchases and cash balances.

Inflation remained elevated from historical levels during the first quarter of 2023, which led to an increased cost of living for middle-income families. Continued elevated inflation could impact demand for our products.

Certain year-over-year comparisons are impacted by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic (“COVID-19”). Results during the first quarter of 2022 reflect the continued effects of COVID-19, namely strong policyholder persistency and elevated claims activity in our Term Life Insurance segment. Subsequent to the first quarter of 2022, persistency and claims trends have returned to pre-COVID-19 levels.

The effects of these trends and conditions on our quarterly results are discussed below in the Results of Operations and Financial Condition sections.

Size of the Independent Sales Force.

Our ability to increase the size of the independent sales force (“independent sales representatives” or “independent sales force”) is largely based on the success of the sales force’s recruiting efforts as well as training and motivating recruits to get licensed to sell life insurance. We believe that recruitment and licensing levels are important to independent sales force trends, and growth in recruiting and licensing is usually indicative of future growth in the overall size of the independent sales force. Recruiting changes do not always result in commensurate changes in the size of the licensed independent sales force because new recruits may obtain the requisite licenses at rates above or below historical levels.

Details on recruiting and life-licensed independent sales representative activity were as follows:

 

 

Three months ended March 31,

 

 

 

 

2023

 

 

2022

 

 

New recruits

 

 

93,540

 

 

 

84,707

 

 

New life-licensed independent sales representatives

 

 

11,118

 

 

 

9,983

 

 

Life-licensed independent sales representatives, at period end

 

 

136,430

 

 

 

130,206

 

 

 

The number of new recruits increased during the three months ended March 31, 2023 compared to the same period in 2022 primarily due to strong recruiting efforts during 2023 as the Company continues to see a high degree of interest from people who are attracted to the flexibility of its business opportunity.

 

 

34


 

New life-licensed sales representatives increased during the three months ended March 31, 2023 compared to the same period in 2022 primarily as the Company and field leaders remained focused on licensing rates and continued to see the benefits of improvements to the licensing process. These improvements included new licensing progress-tracking tools and additional in-person licensing classes.

 

The number of life-licensed independent sales representatives grew to 136,430 as of March 31, 2023 and reflects recent improvements to the licensing process and higher recruiting volume as discussed above.

Term Life Insurance Product Sales and Face Amount In-Force.

The average number of life-licensed independent sales representatives and the number of term life insurance policies issued, as well as the average monthly rate of new policies issued per life-licensed independent sales representative (historically (1) between 0.20 and 0.24), were as follows:

 

 

Three months ended March 31,

 

 

 

 

2023

 

 

2022

 

 

Adjusted 2022

 

 

Average number of life-licensed independent sales representatives

 

 

135,366

 

 

 

129,494

 

 

 

129,494

 

 

Number of new policies issued (1)

 

 

84,561

 

 

 

71,324

 

 

 

83,050

 

 

Average monthly rate of new policies issued per life-licensed (1)
   independent sales representative

 

 

0.21

 

 

 

0.18

 

 

 

0.21

 

 

(1) The previously reported number of new policies issued and average monthly rate of new policies issued per life-licensed independent sales representatives has been adjusted for the three months ended March 31, 2022 for comparability purposes as a result of our new generation of life insurance products introduced in October 2022, which modified how policies are structured in relation to individual lives. Historically, two adult lives could be covered under a single policy by adding a spouse rider. To better align risk and pricing in our new life insurance products, we eliminated this rider and now sell a separate policy for each insured life. Results for the three months ended March 31, 2023 reflect additional policies issued to reflect the spouse rider with a separate policy in the new life insurance products. To make year-over year comparisons more consistent, we have provided an estimate for the three months ended March 31, 2022.

Average number of life-licensed independent sales representatives increased for the three months ended March 31, 2023 from the same period in 2022 as a result of continued improvements made to the licensing process and elevated recruiting volume discussed above.

New policies issued during the three months ended March 31, 2023 increased slightly compared to the same period in 2022 as a result of continued growth in the sales force and the launch of our new life insurance products, which occurred in late 2022.

Productivity in the three months ended March 31, 2023, measured by the average monthly rate of new policies issued per life-licensed independent sales representative, remained within our historical range.

The changes in the face amount of our in-force book of term life insurance policies were as follows:

 

 

Three months ended March 31,

 

 

 

 

2023

 

 

% of beginning balance

 

 

2022

 

 

% of beginning balance

 

 

 

 

(Dollars in millions)

Face amount in force, beginning of period

 

$

916,808

 

 

 

 

 

$

903,404

 

 

 

 

 

Net change in face amount:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Issued face amount

 

 

28,124

 

 

 

3

%

 

 

24,773

 

 

 

3

%

 

Terminations

 

 

(22,211

)

 

 

(2

)%

 

 

(19,787

)

 

 

(2

)%

 

Foreign currency

 

 

124

 

 

*

 

 

 

1,242

 

 

*

 

 

Net change in face amount

 

 

6,037

 

 

*

 

 

 

6,228

 

 

 

1

%

 

Face amount in force, end of period

 

$

922,845

 

 

 

 

 

$

909,632

 

 

 

 

 

* Less than 1%.

The face amount of term life policies in-force increased for the three months ended March 31, 2023 as the level of face amount issued continued to exceed the face amount terminated. Issued face amount during the three months ended March 31, 2023 increased due to an increase in both the number of new policies issued and higher average face amounts per policy. Policy terminations were higher during the three months ended March 31, 2023 as persistency returned to pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels. In addition, higher cost of living on middle income families may have contributed to higher terminations.

Investment and Savings Product Sales, Asset Values and Accounts/Positions.

Investment and savings product sales and average client asset values were as follows:

 

35


 

 

 

Three months ended March 31,

 

 

Change

 

 

 

 

2023

 

 

2022

 

 

$

 

 

%

 

 

 

 

(Dollars in millions)

Product sales:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

U.S. Retail mutual funds

 

$

972

 

 

$

1,298

 

 

$

(326

)

 

 

(25

)%

 

Canada retail mutual funds - with upfront sales commissions

 

 

150

 

 

 

438

 

 

 

(288

)

 

 

(66

)%

 

Annuities and other

 

 

637

 

 

 

726

 

 

 

(89

)

 

 

(12

)%

 

Total sales-based revenue generating product sales

 

 

1,759

 

 

 

2,462

 

 

 

(703

)

 

 

(29

)%

 

Managed investments

 

 

306

 

 

 

454

 

 

 

(148

)

 

 

(33

)%

 

Canada retail mutual funds - no upfront sales commissions

 

 

183

 

 

 

82

 

 

 

101

 

 

 

124

%

 

Segregated funds

 

 

52

 

 

 

68

 

 

 

(16

)

 

 

(24

)%

 

Total product sales

 

$

2,300

 

 

$

3,066

 

 

$

(766

)

 

 

(25

)%

 

Average client asset values:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Retail mutual funds

 

$

53,442

 

 

$

58,548

 

 

$

(5,106

)

 

 

(9

)%

 

Annuities and other

 

 

23,473

 

 

 

25,868

 

 

 

(2,395

)

 

 

(9

)%

 

Managed investments

 

 

7,338

 

 

 

7,077

 

 

 

261

 

 

 

4

%

 

Segregated funds

 

 

2,329

 

 

 

2,710

 

 

 

(381

)

 

 

(14

)%

 

Total average client asset values

 

$

86,582

 

 

$

94,203

 

 

$

(7,621

)

 

 

(8

)%

 

 

 

The rollforward of asset values in client accounts was as follows:

 

 

Three months ended March 31,

 

 

2023

 

 

% of beginning balance

 

2022

 

 

% of beginning balance

 

 

(Dollars in millions)

Asset values, beginning of period

 

$

83,949

 

 

 

 

 

 

$

97,312

 

 

 

 

 

Net change in asset values:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Inflows

 

 

2,300

 

 

 

3

%

 

 

 

3,066

 

 

 

3

%

 

Redemptions

 

 

(1,658

)

 

 

(2

)%

 

 

 

(1,900

)

 

 

(2

)%

 

Net flows

 

 

642

 

 

*

 

 

 

 

1,166

 

 

 

1

%

 

Change in fair value, net

 

 

3,014

 

 

 

4

%

 

 

 

(4,941

)

 

 

(5

)%

 

Foreign currency, net

 

 

16

 

 

*

 

 

 

 

171

 

 

*

 

 

Net change in asset values

 

 

3,672

 

 

 

4

%

 

 

 

(3,604

)

 

 

(4

)%

 

Asset values, end of period

 

$

87,621

 

 

 

 

 

 

$

93,708

 

 

 

 

 

* Less than 1%.

Average number of fee-generating positions was as follows:

 

 

Three months ended March 31,

 

 

Change

 

 

 

 

2023

 

 

2022

 

 

Positions

 

 

%

 

 

 

 

(Positions in thousands)

Average number of fee-generating positions (1):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Recordkeeping and custodial

 

 

2,316

 

 

 

2,243

 

 

 

73

 

 

 

3

%

 

Recordkeeping only

 

 

829

 

 

 

797

 

 

 

32

 

 

 

4

%

 

Total average number of fee-generating positions

 

 

3,145

 

 

 

3,040

 

 

 

105

 

 

 

3

%

 

(1)
We receive transfer agent recordkeeping fees by mutual fund positions. An individual client account may include multiple mutual fund positions. We may also receive fees, which are earned on a per account basis, for custodial services that we provide to clients with retirement plan accounts that hold positions in these mutual funds.

Changes in Investment and Savings Product Sales, Asset Values and Accounts/Positions During the Three Months Ended March 31, 2023

Product sales. Investment and savings product sales decreased during the three months ended March 31, 2023 compared to the three months ended March 31, 2022 led by lower sales of investment and savings products as investor demand deteriorated due to the lingering effects of equity market volatility during 2022. By comparison, product sales during the three months ended March 31, 2022 reflected strong demand that followed positive equity market returns during 2021.

Average client asset values. Average client asset values decreased for the three months ended March 31, 2023 compared to the three months ended March 31, 2022 primarily due to negative equity market conditions leading into 2023, which yielded a lower average asset base. Net flows remained positive for the first quarter of 2023.

Rollforward of client asset values. Ending client asset values decreased during the three months ended March 31, 2023 compared to the three months ended March 31, 2022 primarily due to negative equity market performance leading into 2023, which led to lower beginning asset values. During the three months ended March 31, 2023, equity markets performance appreciated slightly. Net flows remained positive for the first quarter of 2023.

 

36


 

Average number of fee-generating positions. The average number of fee-generating positions increased during the three months ended March 31, 2023 compared to the three months ended March 31, 2022 primarily due to the cumulative effect of retail mutual fund sales in recent periods that led to an increase in the number of retail mutual fund positions serviced on our transfer agent recordkeeping platform.

Senior Health Key Performance Indicators.

Submitted Policies and Approved Policies and Policies Sourced by Primerica Independent Sales Representatives

Submitted policies. Submitted policies represent the number of completed applications that, with respect to each application, the applicant has authorized e-TeleQuote to submit to the health insurance carrier. The applicant may need to take additional action, including providing subsequent information, before the application is reviewed by the health insurance carrier.

Approved policies. Approved policies represent an estimate of submitted policies approved by the health insurance carriers for the identified product during the indicated period. Not all approved policies will go in force. In general, the relationship between submitted policies and approved policies has been seasonally consistent. Therefore, factors impacting the number of submitted policies generally impact the number of approved policies.

Policies sourced by Primerica Independent Sales Representatives. Primerica independent sales representatives are eligible to refer Medicare participants to e-TeleQuote licensed agents for potential enrollment in policies distributed by e-TeleQuote after completion of a brief certification course offered by Primerica.

The number of submitted policies by e-TeleQuote sourced from Primerica independent sales representatives measures the number of Senior Health policies submitted by e-TeleQuote to its third-party health insurance carriers that originated through the Primerica independent sales force.

The number of Senior Health submitted policies and approved policies were as follows:

 

 

Three months ended March 31,

 

 

 

2023

 

 

2022

 

Number of Senior Health submitted policies

 

 

19,826

 

 

 

26,231

 

Number of Senior Health approved policies

 

 

18,413

 

 

 

23,594

 

Submitted policies sourced by Primerica independent sales representatives

 

 

2,073

 

 

 

988

 

 

The Senior Health segment experiences notable seasonality with the strongest demand occurring in the fourth quarter due to the Medicare Annual Election Period (“AEP”) from October 15th to December 7th. We also experience seasonally higher demand in the first quarter due to the Medicare Open Enrollment Period from January 1st to March 31st, which allows individuals to switch Medicare Advantage plans. Meanwhile, the second and third quarters experience seasonally lower demand as the focus for submitted policies is limited to participants that are dual eligible (Medicare and Medicaid), qualify for a special enrollment period, recently aged into Medicare or are enrolling off of an employer-sponsored plan, and other less common situations.

During the three months ended March 31, 2023, the volume of submitted and approved policies reflects the Company’s efforts to control growth in favor of developing more efficient lead procurement and conversion. Approved policies as a percentage of submitted policies increased during the three months ended March 31, 2023 due to a higher conversion rate of policies submitted in 2023. The increase in the conversion rate of submitted policies is largely due to a higher mix of policies submitted by Primerica independent sales representatives as well as having a greater concentration of more tenured agents in e-TeleQuote's employee agent population.

 

For the three months ended March 31, 2023, the number of submitted policies sourced by Primerica Senior Health certified independent sales representatives increased compared to the same period in 2022 primarily due to the increasing maturity of the Primerica referral program that has achieved greater participation by Primerica independent sales representatives.

 

Lifetime Value of Commissions and Contract Acquisition Costs

Lifetime value of commissions (“LTV”). LTV represents the cumulative total of commissions and administrative fees estimated to be collected over the expected life of a policy for policies approved during the period. For more information on LTV, refer to Note 18 (Revenue from Contracts with Customers) of our consolidated financial statements within our 2022 Annual Report and the Factors Affecting our Results – Senior Health Segment section of MD&A included elsewhere in this report.

Contract acquisition costs (“CAC”). CAC represents the total direct costs incurred to acquire approved policies. CAC are primarily comprised of the costs associated with acquiring leads, including fees paid to Primerica Senior Health certified independent sales representatives as well as compensation, licensing, and training costs associated with our team of e-TeleQuote licensed health insurance agents. The number of e-TeleQuote licensed health insurance agents, agent tenure, attrition rate and productivity all impact

 

37


 

CAC. Other than costs incurred to assist beneficiaries who are switching plans with the same carrier, we incur the entire cost of approved policies prior to enrollment and prior to receiving our first commission-related payment.

Per policy metrics for LTV and CAC measure our ability to profitably distribute Senior Health insurance products.

The LTV per approved policy, CAC per approved policy, and ratio of LTV to CAC per approved policy were as follows:

 

 

Three months ended March 31,

 

 

 

2023

 

 

2022

 

LTV per approved policy during the period

 

$

856

 

 

 

862

 

CAC per approved policy during the period

 

$

814

 

 

 

875

 

LTV/CAC per approved policy

 

 

1.05

 

 

 

0.98

 

LTV per approved policy reflects current estimates for renewal rates, policy retention and chargeback activity taking into consideration the most recent experience through March 31, 2023. LTV per approved policy remained relatively consistent during the three months ended March 31, 2023 compared to the three months ended March 31, 2022.

The reduction in CAC per approved policy during the three months ended March 31, 2023 compared to the three months ended March 31, 2022 was primarily driven by lower agent counts with a higher concentration of tenured agents, which resulted in lower per unit labor costs and greater lead conversion efficiency.

Regulatory Changes.

Worker classification standards. There has been a trend toward administrative and legislative activity around worker classification. For example, in January 2021, the Department of Labor (“DOL”) under the prior presidential administration issued a rulemaking interpreting the “economic realities” worker classification standard applicable to the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”). In October 2022, the DOL under the current presidential administration proposed a new rule that would rescind the 2021 rule and replace it with its own interpretation of the “economic realities” standard under the FLSA. Other federal and state legislative and regulatory proposals regarding worker classification have also come under consideration. It is difficult to predict what the outcome of worker classification activity may be. Changes to worker classification laws could impact our business as sales representatives (other than those hired by e-TeleQuote) are independent contractors.

 

Restrictions on compensation models in Canada. During 2022, in response to regulatory changes in Canada, we developed a set of mutual fund products with two third-party mutual fund companies that are sold exclusively by our independent sales representatives (the “Principal Distributor funds”). The revenue we receive is primarily in the form of asset-based distribution fees from the mutual fund companies and asset-based service fees that are charged to investors. In turn, the primary compensation we offer independent sales representatives is the option of an upfront sales commission or higher asset-based commissions over time. Although we received the requisite approval, the organization of provincial and territorial securities commissions throughout Canada (collectively referred to as the “Canadian Securities Administrators” or “CSA”) has indicated that it intends to closely examine the model, including potentially through a public consultation on sales practices, and may require undertakings or consider future amendments that would require modifications to the model, including with respect to its upfront commission features. At this time, we cannot quantify the financial impact, if any, of future changes to our business that may be necessary if our Principal Distributor funds model is required to be modified or discontinued. During the three months ended March 31, 2023, Canadian mutual funds represented approximately 14% of our total investment and savings product sales and approximately 13% of our average client asset values.

Insurance regulators in Canada have indicated that a cessation of deferred sales charges on segregated fund contracts entered into after May 31, 2023 will go into effect as previously announced. We currently expect that deferred sales charges will continue to be allowed on subsequent deposits of existing segregated funds contracts for a period of time, however, insurance regulators will be further evaluating whether to allow this continued use. Currently, our Canadian segregated funds products are primarily sold on a deferred sales charge basis and we pay upfront commissions to the independent sales representatives for the sale of these products. At this time, without further clarity from regulators on allowable segregated funds compensation practices, we expect a decline in segregated funds product sales beginning in June 2023. We earn revenue from Canadian segregated funds products based on a percentage of client assets under management. During the three months ended March 31, 2023, Canadian segregated funds represented approximately 2% of our total investment and savings product sales and approximately 3% of our average client asset values.

Factors Affecting Our Results

Term Life Insurance Segment. The Term Life Insurance segment results are primarily driven by sales volumes, how closely actual experience matches our actuarial assumptions, terms and use of reinsurance, and expenses.

Sales and policies in-force. Sales of term policies and the size and characteristics of our in-force book of policies are vital to our results over the long term. Premium revenue is recognized as it is earned over the term of the policy. However, because we incur significant cash outflows at or about the time policies are issued, including the payment of sales commissions and underwriting costs, changes in life insurance sales volume in a period will have a more immediate impact on our cash flows than on revenue.

 

38


 

Historically, we have found that while sales volume of term life insurance products between fiscal periods may vary based on a variety of factors, the productivity of sales representatives generally remains within a range (i.e., an average monthly rate of new policies issued per life-licensed independent sales representative between 0.20 and 0.24). The volume of term life insurance products sales will fluctuate in the short term, but over the longer term, our sales volume generally correlates to the size of the independent sales force.

Actuarial assumptions. The actuarial assumptions that underlie our reserves are based upon our best estimates of mortality, persistency, and disability. Our results will be affected to the extent there is a variance between our actuarial assumptions and actual experience. These variances will be reflected in our financial results by unlocking assumptions and cash flows underlying the liability for future policy benefits (“LFPB”) and ceded reserves that are part of the reinsurance recoverables. See Note 9 (Future Policy Benefits) for more information on LFPB. The variances are also reflected in the projection of future face amount that is the basis for amortizing DAC.

Persistency. Persistency is a measure of how long our insurance policies stay in-force. As a general matter, persistency that is lower than our actuarial assumptions adversely affects our results over the long term because we lose the recurring revenue stream associated with the policies that lapse. In general, persistency differences have a minimal impact on our financial results from period to period since deferred policy acquisition costs (“DAC”) is generally amortized on a straight-line basis and the unlocking of the LFPB adjusts both expected net premiums and expected future policy benefits and spreads any variances over the remaining contract period.
Mortality. Our profitability will fluctuate to the extent actual mortality rates differ from actuarial assumptions. We mitigate a significant portion of our mortality exposure through reinsurance. Long term mortality variances that result in an assumption change may have a significant impact on our financial results.
Disability. Our profitability will fluctuate to the extent actual disability rates underlying our waiver benefits, including recovery rates for individuals currently disabled, differ from actuarial assumptions. The waiver benefit is secondary to the death benefit coverage provided. However, the waiver benefit is not reinsured on a yearly renewable term (“YRT”) basis and material changes in assumptions compared to expectations can have a disproportionate impact on our financial results.
Interest Rates. We use a locked-in assumption for future interest rates for reserves underlying our segment results. Policies issued prior to the Transition Date use an interest rate that reflects the portfolio’s current reinvestment rate while policies issued on or after the Transition Date use an upper-medium grade fixed income instrument yield during the period of issue.

Reinsurance. We use reinsurance extensively, which has a significant effect on our results of operations. We have generally reinsured between 80% and 90% of the mortality risk on term life insurance (excluding coverage under certain riders) on a quota share YRT basis. To the extent actual mortality experience is more or less favorable than the contractual rate, the reinsurer will earn incremental profits or bear the incremental cost, as applicable. In contrast to coinsurance, which is intended to eliminate all risks (other than counterparty risk of the reinsurer) and rewards associated with a specified percentage of the block of policies subject to the reinsurance arrangement, the YRT reinsurance arrangements we enter into are intended only to reduce volatility associated with variances between estimated and actual mortality rates.

In 2010, as part of our corporate reorganization and the initial public offering of our common stock, we entered into significant coinsurance transactions (the “IPO coinsurance transactions”) with entities then affiliated with Citigroup, Inc. (collectively, the “IPO coinsurers”) and ceded between 80% and 90% of the risks and rewards of term life insurance policies that were in-force at year-end 2009. We administer all such policies subject to these coinsurance agreements. Policies reaching the end of their initial level term period are no longer ceded under the IPO coinsurance transactions.

The effect of our reinsurance arrangements on ceded premiums and benefits and expenses on our statements of income follows:

Ceded premiums. Ceded premiums are the premiums we pay to reinsurers. These amounts are deducted from the direct premiums we earn to calculate our net premium revenues. Similar to direct premium revenues, ceded coinsurance premiums remain level over the initial term of the insurance policy. Ceded YRT premiums increase over the period that the policy has been in-force. Accordingly, ceded YRT premiums generally constitute an increasing percentage of direct premiums over the policy term.
Benefits and claims. Benefits and claims include incurred claim amounts and changes in future policy benefit reserves. Reinsurance reduces incurred claims in direct proportion to the percentage ceded and reinsurance cash flows are reflected in the ceded reserves underlying reinsurance recoverables that are an offset to the LFPB.
Insurance expenses. Insurance expenses are reduced by the allowances received from coinsurance. There is no impact on insurance expenses associated with our YRT contracts.

We may alter our reinsurance practices at any time due to the unavailability of YRT reinsurance at attractive rates or the availability of alternatives to reduce our risk exposure. We presently intend to continue ceding approximately 90% of our U.S. and Canadian mortality risk on new business.

Expenses. Results are also affected by variances in client acquisition, maintenance and administration expense levels.

 

39


 

Investment and Savings Products Segment. The Investment and Savings Products segment results are primarily driven by sales, the value of assets in client accounts for which we earn ongoing management, marketing and support, and distribution fees, and the number of transfer agent recordkeeping positions and non-bank custodial fee-generating accounts we administer.

Sales. We earn commissions and fees, such as dealer re-allowances and marketing and distribution fees, based on sales of mutual fund products and annuities in the United States and sales of certain mutual fund products in Canada. Sales of investment and savings products are influenced by the overall demand for investment products in the United States and Canada, as well as by the size and productivity of the independent sales force. We generally experience seasonality in the Investment and Savings Products segment results due to our high concentration of sales of retirement account products. These accounts are typically funded in February through April, coincident with our clients’ tax return preparation season. While we believe the size of the independent sales force is a factor in driving sales volume in this segment, there are a number of other variables, such as economic and market conditions, which may have a significantly greater effect on sales volume in any given fiscal period.

Asset values in client accounts. We earn marketing and distribution fees (trail commissions or, with respect to U.S. mutual funds, 12b-1 fees) on mutual fund and annuity assets in the United States and Canada. In the United States, we also earn investment advisory and administrative fees on assets in managed investments. In Canada, we earn marketing, distribution, and shareholder services fees on mutual fund assets for which we serve as the principal distributor and management fees on the segregated funds for which we serve as investment manager. Asset values are influenced by new product sales, ongoing contributions to existing accounts, redemptions and the change in market values in existing accounts. While we offer a wide variety of asset classes and investment styles, our clients’ accounts are primarily invested in equity funds. Volatility in equity markets will impact the value of assets in client accounts and, as a result, the revenue we earn on those assets.

Positions. We earn transfer agent recordkeeping fees for administrative functions we perform on behalf of several of our mutual fund providers. An individual client account may include multiple fund positions for which we earn transfer agent recordkeeping fees. We may also receive fees earned for non-bank custodial services that we provide to clients with retirement plan accounts.

Sales mix. While our investment and savings products all provide similar long-term economic returns to the Company, our results in a given fiscal period will be affected by changes in the overall mix of products within these categories. Examples of changes in the sales mix that influence our results include the following:

sales of annuity products in the United States will generate higher revenues in the period such sales occur than sales of other investment products that either generate lower upfront revenues or, in the case of managed investments and segregated funds, no upfront revenues;
sales of a higher proportion of managed investments, Canadian mutual funds, and segregated funds products will spread the revenues generated over time because we earn higher revenues based on assets under management for these accounts each period as opposed to earning upfront revenues based on product sales; and
sales of a higher proportion of mutual fund products sold will impact the timing and amount of revenue we earn given the distinct transfer agent recordkeeping and non-bank custodial services we provide for certain mutual fund products we distribute.

Senior Health Segment. The Senior Health segment results are primarily driven by approved policies, LTV per approved policy and tail revenue adjustments, CAC per approved policy, and other revenue.

Approved policies. Approved policies represent submitted policies approved by health insurance carriers for the identified product during the indicated period. Not all approved policies will go in force. In general, the relationship between submitted policies and approved policies has been seasonally consistent. Therefore, factors impacting the number of submitted policies generally impact the number of approved policies. Revenue is primarily generated from approved policies and LTVs are recorded when the enrollment is approved by the applicable health insurance carrier. Medicare Advantage plans make up the substantial portion of the approved policies we distribute. The number of approved policies are influenced by the following:

the size and growth of the population of senior citizens in the United States;
the appeal of government-funded Medicare Advantage plans that provide privately administered healthcare coverage with enhanced benefits relative to original Medicare;
our ability to generate and obtain leads for our team of e-TeleQuote licensed health insurance agents;
our ability to staff and train our team of e-TeleQuote licensed health insurance agents to manage leads and help eligible Medicare participants through the enrollment process; and
our health insurance carrier relationships that allow us to offer plans that most appropriately meet eligible Medicare participants’ needs.

 

LTV per approved policy and tail revenue adjustments. When a policy is approved by the health insurance carrier, commission revenue is recognized based on an estimated LTV per approved policy. LTV per approved policy is the cumulative total of commissions estimated to be collected over the expected life of a policy, subject to constraints applied in accordance with our revenue

 

40


 

recognition policy. Specifically, LTV per approved policy is equal to the sum of the initial commissions, less an estimate of chargebacks for paid policies that are disenrolled in the first policy year, plus forecasted renewal commissions. This estimate is driven by a number of factors including, but not limited to, contracted commission rates from carriers, expected policy turnover, emerging chargeback activity and applied constraints. These factors may result in varying values from period to period.

 

We recognize adjustments to revenue outside of LTV for approved policies from prior periods when our cash collections are, or are expected to be, different from the estimated constrained LTVs, which we refer to as tail revenue adjustments. The recognition of tail revenue adjustments results from a change in the estimate of expected cash collections when actual cash collections or communicated rate increases have indicated a trend that is different from the estimated constrained LTV. Tail revenue adjustments can be positive or negative and we recognize positive adjustments to revenue when we do not believe it is probable that a significant reversal of cumulative revenue will occur.

 

CAC per approved policy. Results are also driven by the costs of acquisition, which is defined as the total direct costs incurred per approved policy. Our costs of acquisition are primarily comprised of the cost to generate and acquire leads, including fees paid to Primerica Senior Health certified independent sales representatives, and the labor, benefits, bonus compensation, licensing and training costs associated with our team of e-TeleQuote licensed health insurance agents. Other than costs incurred to assist beneficiaries with switching plans within the same carrier, we incur our entire cost of approved policies prior to enrollment and prior to receiving our first commission related payment. Factors that impact our costs of acquisition per approved policy include:

the market price of externally-generated leads;
our ability to efficiently procure internally-generated leads; and
the productivity of our e-TeleQuote licensed health insurance agents in converting procured leads into approved policies.

 

Other revenue. Other revenue recognized in the Senior Health segment includes marketing development revenues received for providing marketing services to certain health insurance carriers. Marketing development revenue provides additional revenue to deliver approved policies and are based on meeting agreed-upon objectives with certain health insurance carriers. Marketing development revenue serves to offset contract acquisition costs associated with distribution of approved policies. Agreements for marketing development revenue are generally short-term in nature and can vary from period to period.

 

Corporate and Other Distributed Products Segment. We earn revenues and pay commissions and referral fees within the Corporate and Other Distributed Products segment for mortgage loan originations, prepaid legal services, auto and homeowners’ insurance referrals, and other financial products, all of which are originated by third parties. The Corporate and Other Distributed Products segment also includes in-force policies from several discontinued lines of insurance underwritten by NBLIC.

Corporate and Other Distributed Products segment includes net investment income recognized by the Company. Net investment income is impacted by the size and performance of our invested asset portfolio, which can be influenced by interest rates, credit spreads, and the mix of invested assets.

The Corporate and Other Distributed Products segment also includes corporate income and expenses not allocated to our other segments, general and administrative expenses (other than expenses that are allocated to the Term Life Insurance or Investment and Savings Products segments), interest expense on notes payable, redundant reserve financing transactions and our revolving credit facility (“Revolving Credit Facility”), as well as realized gains and losses on our invested asset portfolio.

Capital Structure. Our financial results are affected by our capital structure, which includes our senior unsecured notes (the “Senior Notes”), redundant reserve financing transactions, our Revolving Credit Facility, and our common stock. See Note 10 (Stockholders’ Equity), Note 13 (Commitments and Contingent Liabilities), and Note 15 (Debt) to our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this report for more information on changes in our capital structure.

Foreign Currency. The Canadian dollar is the functional currency for our Canadian subsidiaries and our consolidated financial results, reported in U.S. dollars, are affected by changes in the currency exchange rate. As such, the translated amount of revenues, expenses, assets and liabilities attributable to our Canadian subsidiaries will be higher or lower in periods where the Canadian dollar appreciates or weakens relative to the U.S. dollar, respectively. See Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk – Canadian Currency Risk included in our 2022 Annual Report and Note 2 (Segment and Geographical Information) to our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this report for more information on our Canadian subsidiaries and the impact of foreign currency on our financial results.

Critical Accounting Estimates

We prepare our financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP. These principles are established primarily by the Financial Accounting Standards Board. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires us to make estimates and assumptions based on currently available information when recording transactions resulting from business operations. Our significant accounting policies are described in Note 1 (Description of Business, Basis of Presentation, and Summary of Significant

 

41


 

Accounting Policies) to our consolidated financial statements included in our 2022 Annual Report. The most significant items on our unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheets are based on fair value determinations, accounting estimates and actuarial determinations, which are susceptible to changes in future periods and could affect our results of operations and financial position.

The estimates that we deem to be most critical to an understanding of our results of operations and financial position are those related to DAC, future policy benefit reserves and corresponding amounts recoverable from reinsurers, income taxes, renewal commissions receivable, goodwill and the valuation of investments. The preparation and evaluation of these critical accounting estimates involve the use of various assumptions developed from management’s analyses and judgments. Subsequent experience or use of other assumptions could produce significantly different results.

 

Accounting Policy Changes.

 

During the three months ended March 31, 2023, there were changes in accounting methodology for Deferred Policy Acquisition Costs and Future Policy Benefit Reserves and Reinsurance that we have identified as critical accounting estimates. These changes were necessitated by the adoption of LDTI. See Note 1 (Description of Business, Basis of Presentation, and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies), Note 6 (Deferred Policy Acquisition Costs), and Note 9 (Future Policy Benefits) to our condensed consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this report. For additional information regarding our other critical accounting estimates, see the Critical Accounting Estimates section of MD&A included in our 2022 Annual Report.

Results of Operations

 

Primerica, Inc. and Subsidiaries Results. Our results of operations were as follows:

 

 

Three months ended March 31,

 

 

Change

 

 

 

2023

 

 

2022

 

 

$

 

 

%

 

 

 

(Dollars in thousands)

 

Revenues:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Direct premiums

 

$

817,872

 

 

$

798,666

 

 

$

19,206

 

 

 

2

%

Ceded premiums

 

 

(405,347

)

 

 

(399,885

)

 

 

5,462

 

 

 

1

%

Net premiums

 

 

412,525

 

 

 

398,781

 

 

 

13,744

 

 

 

3

%

Commissions and fees

 

 

231,547

 

 

 

251,800

 

 

 

(20,253

)

 

 

(8

)%

Investment income net of investment expenses

 

 

47,500

 

 

 

34,420

 

 

 

13,080

 

 

 

38

%

Interest expense on surplus note

 

 

(16,435

)

 

 

(15,515

)

 

 

920

 

 

 

6

%

Net investment income

 

 

31,065

 

 

 

18,905

 

 

 

12,160

 

 

 

64

%

Realized investment gains (losses)

 

 

(985

)

 

 

577

 

 

 

(1,562

)

 

*

 

Other investment gains (losses)

 

 

(3,623

)

 

 

174

 

 

 

(3,797

)

 

*

 

Investment gains (losses)

 

 

(4,608

)

 

 

751

 

 

 

(5,359

)

 

*

 

Other, net

 

 

19,507

 

 

 

20,989

 

 

 

(1,482

)

 

 

(7

)%

Total revenues

 

 

690,036

 

 

 

691,226

 

 

 

(1,190

)

 

*

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Benefits and expenses:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Benefits and claims

 

 

168,702

 

 

 

168,288

 

 

 

414

 

 

*

 

Future policy benefits remeasurement (gain) loss

 

 

(508

)

 

 

(1,272

)

 

 

764

 

 

 

60

%

Amortization of DAC

 

 

67,358

 

 

 

63,223

 

 

 

4,135

 

 

 

7

%

Sales commissions

 

 

110,874

 

 

 

133,924

 

 

 

(23,050

)

 

 

(17

)%

Insurance expenses

 

 

61,125

 

 

 

59,509

 

 

 

1,616

 

 

 

3

%

Insurance commissions

 

 

8,138

 

 

 

7,721

 

 

 

417

 

 

 

5

%

Contract acquisition costs

 

 

14,984

 

 

 

20,649

 

 

 

(5,665

)

 

 

(27

)%

Interest expense

 

 

6,690

 

 

 

6,853

 

 

 

(163

)

 

 

(2

)%

Other operating expenses

 

 

89,536

 

 

 

86,435

 

 

 

3,101

 

 

 

4

%

Total benefits and expenses

 

 

526,899

 

 

 

545,330

 

 

 

(18,431

)

 

 

(3

)%

Income before income taxes

 

 

163,137

 

 

 

145,896

 

 

 

17,241

 

 

 

12

%

Income taxes

 

 

38,031

 

 

 

33,512

 

 

 

4,519

 

 

 

13

%

Net income

 

 

125,106

 

 

 

112,384

 

 

 

12,722

 

 

 

11

%

Net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests

 

 

-

 

 

 

(2,655

)

 

 

2,655

 

 

*

 

Net income attributable to Primerica, Inc.

 

$

125,106

 

 

$

115,039

 

 

$

10,067

 

 

 

9

%

 

* Less than 1% or not meaningful.

Results for the Three Months Ended March 31, 2023

Total revenues. Total revenues were generally flat during the three months ended March 31, 2023 compared to the same period in 2022 as the increases in net premiums earned in our Term Life Insurance segment and net investment income earned in our Corporate and Other Distributed Products segment were offset by lower commissions and fees earned in our Investment and Savings Products segment. These movements are further discussed in detail in the Segment Results section below.

 

42


 

Other, net revenues declined during the three months ended March 31, 2023 compared to the three months ended March 31, 2022 primarily due to a decline in marketing development revenue in our Senior Health segment.

Total benefits and expenses. Total benefits and expenses decreased during the three months ended March 31, 2023 compared to the three months ended March 31, 2022 largely due to lower commission expenses in our Investment and Savings Products segment as a result of the decrease in sales and client asset values. Also contributing to the decrease were lower CAC in our Senior Health segment as a result of lower sales volumes and lower per unit CAC. Insurance and other operating expenses were higher during 2023 due to higher investments in technology and growth related costs. These movements are discussed in further detail in the Segment Results section below.

Income taxes. Our effective income tax rate for the three months ended March 31, 2023 was 23.3%, which was relatively consistent compared with 23.0% for the three months ended March 31, 2022.

For additional information, see the Segment Results discussions below.

Segment Results

Term Life Insurance Segment Results. Our results for the Term Life Insurance segment were as follows:

 

 

Three months ended March 31,

 

 

Change

 

 

 

2023

 

 

2022

 

 

$

 

 

%

 

 

 

(Dollars in thousands)

 

Revenues:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Direct premiums

 

$

812,880

 

 

$

793,254

 

 

$

19,626

 

 

 

2

%

Ceded premiums

 

 

(404,044

)

 

 

(398,446

)

 

 

5,598

 

 

 

1

%

Net premiums

 

 

408,836

 

 

 

394,808

 

 

 

14,028

 

 

 

4

%

Other, net

 

 

12,233

 

 

 

12,175

 

 

 

58

 

 

*

 

Total revenues

 

 

421,069

 

 

 

406,983

 

 

 

14,086

 

 

 

3

%

Benefits and expenses:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Benefits and claims

 

 

164,375

 

 

 

166,407

 

 

 

(2,032

)

 

 

(1

)%

Future policy benefits remeasurement (gain) loss

 

 

(31

)

 

 

(1,434

)

 

 

1,403

 

 

*

 

Amortization of DAC

 

 

65,503

 

 

 

61,369

 

 

 

4,134

 

 

 

7

%

Insurance expenses

 

 

59,896

 

 

 

58,272

 

 

 

1,624

 

 

 

3

%

Insurance commissions

 

 

4,590

 

 

 

3,793

 

 

 

797

 

 

 

21

%

Total benefits and expenses

 

 

294,333

 

 

 

288,407

 

 

 

5,926

 

 

 

2

%

Income before income taxes

 

$

126,736

 

 

$

118,576

 

 

$

8,160

 

 

 

7

%

 

* Less than 1% or not meaningful.

Results for the Three Months Ended March 31, 2023

Net premiums. Direct premiums increased during the three months ended March 31, 2023 compared to the three months ended March 31, 2022 largely due to the layering effect of new policy sales that contributed to growth in the in-force book of business. This was partially offset by an increase in ceded premiums, which includes $16.4 million in higher non-level YRT reinsurance ceded premiums as business not subject to the IPO coinsurance transactions ages, reduced by $10.8 million in lower coinsurance ceded premiums due to the run-off of business subject to the IPO coinsurance transactions.

Benefits and claims. Benefits and claims decreased slightly during the three months ended March 31, 2023 compared to the three months ended March 31, 2022. Under LDTI, benefits and claims expenses are expected to have low volatility, especially near the Transition Date in the absence of changes to future assumptions, due to the spreading of claims experience variances realized during current periods to future periods by adjusting the net premium ratio used to recognize benefits and claims expenses.

Future policy benefits remeasurement (gain) loss. Future policy benefits remeasurement gain decreased during the three months ended March 31, 2023 compared to the three months ended March 31, 2022 due to smaller experience variances that occurred during the three months ended March 31, 2023.

Amortization of DAC. The amortization of DAC increased slightly during the three months ended March 31, 2023 compared to the three months ended March 31, 2022 primarily due to continued growth in the in-force book of business.

Insurance expenses. Insurance expenses increased during the three months ended March 31, 2023 compared to the three months ended March 31, 2022 due to higher investments in technology and growth related costs. These increases were largely offset by lower costs associated with sales force leadership events in the first quarter of 2023.

Insurance commissions. Insurance commissions increased during the three months ended March 31, 2023 compared to the three months ended March 31, 2022 as a result of higher non-deferrable sales force promotional activities that drive growth in the business.

Investment and Savings Products Segment Results. Investment and Savings Products segment results were as follows:

 

43


 

 

 

Three months ended March 31,

 

 

Change

 

 

 

2023

 

 

2022

 

 

$

 

 

%

 

 

 

(Dollars in thousands)

 

Revenues:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Commissions and fees:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sales-based revenues

 

$

72,388

 

 

$

103,242

 

 

$

(30,854

)

 

 

(30

)%

Asset-based revenues

 

 

111,904

 

 

 

113,112

 

 

 

(1,208

)

 

 

(1

)%

Account-based revenues

 

 

22,790

 

 

 

21,541

 

 

 

1,249

 

 

 

6

%

Other, net

 

 

3,120

 

 

 

3,144

 

 

 

(24

)

 

*

 

Total revenues

 

 

210,202

 

 

 

241,039

 

 

 

(30,837

)

 

 

(13

)%

Expenses:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Amortization of DAC

 

 

1,493

 

 

 

1,446

 

 

 

47

 

 

 

3

%

Insurance commissions

 

 

3,308

 

 

 

3,646

 

 

 

(338

)

 

 

(9

)%

Sales commissions:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sales-based

 

 

52,452

 

 

 

74,606

 

 

 

(22,154

)

 

 

(30

)%

Asset-based

 

 

54,276

 

 

 

53,366

 

 

 

910

 

 

 

2

%

Other operating expenses

 

 

42,567

 

 

 

40,936

 

 

 

1,631

 

 

 

4

%

Total expenses

 

 

154,096

 

 

 

174,000

 

 

 

(19,904

)

 

 

(11

)%

Income before income taxes

 

$

56,106

 

 

$

67,039

 

 

$

(10,933

)

 

 

(16

)%

 

* Less than 1% or not meaningful.

Results for the Three Months Ended March 31, 2023

Commissions and fees. Commissions and fees decreased during the three months ended March 31, 2023 compared to the three months ended March 31, 2022 driven by lower sales-based revenues as investor demand for investment and savings products weakened year-over-year. Also contributing to the decrease were lower asset-based revenues which was driven by negative equity market performance. Asset-based revenue declined less in the first quarter of 2023 than average client asset values due to a positive mix shift to asset-based products that earn higher fees including managed accounts and Canadian mutual funds under the new principal distributor model.

Sales commissions. The decrease in sales-based commissions for the three months ended March 31, 2023 compared to the three months ended March 31, 2022 was generally in-line with the decrease in sales-based revenue. Asset-based commissions were up slightly for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and were consistent with the movement in asset-based revenues, excluding Canadian segregated funds revenue. Asset-based expenses for our Canadian segregated funds are reflected within insurance commissions and amortization of DAC.

Other operating expenses. Other operating expenses for the three months ended March 31, 2023 were higher compared to the three months ended March 31, 2022 primarily due to higher investments in technology and growth in managed account expenses. These increases were partially offset by lower costs associated with sales force leadership events in the first quarter of 2023.

Senior Health Segment Results. Senior Health segment results were as follows:

 

 

Three months ended March 31,

 

 

Change

 

 

 

 

2023

 

 

2022

 

 

$

 

 

%

 

 

 

 

(Dollars in thousands)

Revenues:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Commissions and fees (1)

 

$

15,755

 

 

$

1,278

 

 

$

14,477

 

 

*

 

 

Other, net

 

 

2,955

 

 

 

4,553

 

 

 

(1,598

)

 

 

(35

)%

 

Total revenues

 

 

18,710

 

 

 

5,831

 

 

 

12,879

 

 

 

221

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Benefits and expenses:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Contract acquisition costs

 

 

14,984

 

 

 

20,649

 

 

 

(5,665

)

 

 

(27

)%

 

Other operating expenses

 

 

7,488

 

 

 

8,267

 

 

 

(779

)

 

 

(9

)%

 

Total benefits and expenses

 

 

22,472

 

 

 

28,916

 

 

 

(6,444

)

 

 

(22

)%

 

Loss before income taxes

 

$

(3,762

)

 

$

(23,085

)

 

$

19,323

 

 

 

84

%

 

 

(1)
Includes no tail adjustment for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and a negative tail adjustment of ($19.1) million for the three months ended March 31, 2022.

* Less than 1% or not meaningful.

Results for the Three Months Ended March 31, 2023

Commissions and fees. Excluding the impact of tail revenue adjustments, commissions and fees decreased during the three months ended March 31, 2023 compared to the three months ended March 31, 2022 primarily due to the Company's efforts to control growth in favor of developing more efficient lead procurement and conversion. There was no tail revenue adjustment recorded during the three months ended March 31, 2023 as annual renewals were largely in line with expectations. In comparison, a negative tail

 

44


 

adjustment of $19.1 million was recognized during the three months ended March 31, 2022 as a result of lower than expected renewals for policies approved in prior periods.

Other, net. Other, net decreased during the three months ended March 31, 2023 compared to the three months ended March 31, 2022 primarily due to lower marketing development revenue earned, which was affected by lower approved policy volumes.

Contract acquisition costs. CAC decreased during the three months ended March 31, 2023 compared to the three months ended March 31, 2022 as a result of lower sales volumes and lower per unit costs due to the Company's efforts to control growth in favor of developing more efficient lead procurement and conversion. In addition, a decline in the average number of e-TeleQuote employee agents in the first quarter of 2023 versus the first quarter 2022 contributed to the year-over-year reduction in CAC.

Other operating expenses. Other operating expenses during the three months ended March 31, 2023 did not change significantly as compared to the three months ended March 31, 2022.

Corporate and Other Distributed Products Segment Results. Corporate and Other Distributed Products segment results were as follows:

 

 

Three months ended March 31,

 

 

Change

 

 

 

2023

 

 

2022

 

 

$

 

 

%

 

 

 

(Dollars in thousands)

 

Revenues:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Direct premiums

 

$

4,992

 

 

$

5,412

 

 

$

(420

)

 

 

(8

)%

Ceded premiums

 

 

(1,303

)

 

 

(1,439

)

 

 

(136

)

 

 

(9

)%

Net premiums

 

 

3,689

 

 

 

3,973

 

 

 

(284

)

 

 

(7

)%

Commissions and fees

 

 

8,710

 

 

 

12,627

 

 

 

(3,917

)

 

 

(31

)%

Investment income net of investment expenses

 

 

47,500

 

 

 

34,420

 

 

 

13,080

 

 

 

38

%

Interest expense on surplus note

 

 

(16,435

)

 

 

(15,515

)

 

 

920

 

 

 

6

%

Net investment income

 

 

31,065

 

 

 

18,905

 

 

 

12,160

 

 

 

64

%

Realized investment gains (losses)

 

 

(985

)

 

 

577

 

 

 

(1,562

)

 

*

 

Other investment gains (losses)

 

 

(3,623

)

 

 

174

 

 

 

(3,797

)

 

*

 

Investment gains (losses)

 

 

(4,608

)

 

 

751

 

 

 

(5,359

)

 

*

 

Other, net

 

 

1,199

 

 

 

1,117

 

 

 

82

 

 

 

7

%

Total revenues

 

 

40,055

 

 

 

37,373

 

 

 

2,682

 

 

 

7

%

Benefits and expenses:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Benefits and claims

 

 

4,327

 

 

 

1,881

 

 

 

2,446

 

 

 

130

%

Future policy benefits remeasurement (gain) loss

 

 

(477

)

 

 

162

 

 

 

(639

)

 

*

 

Amortization of DAC

 

 

362

 

 

 

408

 

 

 

(46

)

 

 

(11

)%

Insurance expenses

 

 

1,229

 

 

 

1,237

 

 

 

(8

)

 

*

 

Insurance commissions

 

 

240

 

 

 

282

 

 

 

(42

)

 

 

(15

)%

Sales commissions

 

 

4,146

 

 

 

5,952

 

 

 

(1,806

)

 

 

(30

)%

Interest expense

 

 

6,690

 

 

 

6,853

 

 

 

(163

)

 

 

(2

)%

Other operating expenses

 

 

39,481

 

 

 

37,232

 

 

 

2,249

 

 

 

6

%

Total benefits and expenses

 

 

55,998

 

 

 

54,007

 

 

 

1,991

 

 

 

4

%

Loss before income taxes

 

$

(15,943

)

 

$

(16,634

)

 

$

(691

)

 

 

(4

)%

* Less than 1% or not meaningful.

Results for the Three Months Ended March 31, 2023

Total revenues. Total revenues increased during the three months ended March 31, 2023 compared to the three months ended March 31, 2022 primarily due to higher net investment income. Net investment income increased $6.3 million from higher yields in the invested asset portfolio, a $3.6 million higher return on the deposit asset backing our 10% coinsurance agreement and $2.0 million from a larger invested asset portfolio compared to the same period in the prior year. Investment income net of investment expenses includes interest earned on our held-to-maturity asset, which is offset by interest expense on the surplus note (“Surplus Note”), thereby eliminating any impact on net investment income. Amounts recognized for each line item will remain offsetting and will fluctuate from period to period along with the principal amounts of the held-to-maturity asset and the Surplus Note based on the balance of reserves being contractually supported under a redundant reserve financing transaction used by Vidalia Re, Inc. (“Vidalia Re”). For more information on the Surplus Note, see Note 3 (Investments) and Note 15 (Debt) to our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this report.

Investment gains (losses) decreased to a loss during the three months ended March 31, 2023 compared to a gain during the three months ended March 31, 2022 primarily due to a $2.2 million credit loss recognized for debt securities associated with a specific issuer that we have designated our intent to sell as well as a $1.5 million negative mark-to-market adjustment on equity securities held within our investment portfolio during the three months ended March 31, 2023.

 

45


 

Commissions and fees earned from our mortgage distribution business were lower during the three months ended March 31, 2023 compared to the three months ended March 31, 2022 as higher mortgage interest rates reduced demand for mortgage products.

Total benefits and expenses. Total benefits and expenses increased during the three months ended March 31, 2023 compared to the three months ended March 31, 2022 due primarily to volatility in direct claims and ceded claim reimbursements on closed blocks of business in our New York life insurance subsidiary. Partially offsetting this increase were lower sales commissions for our mortgage distribution business as a result of lower volumes.

Financial Condition

Investments. Our insurance business is primarily focused on selling term life insurance, which does not include an investment component for the policyholder. The invested asset portfolio funded by premiums from our term life insurance business does not involve the substantial asset accumulations and spread requirements that exist with other non-term life insurance products. As a result, the profitability of our term life insurance business is not as sensitive to the impact that interest rates have on our invested asset portfolio and investment income as the profitability of other companies that distribute non-term life insurance products.

We follow a conservative investment strategy designed to emphasize the preservation of our invested assets and provide adequate liquidity for the prompt payment of claims. To meet business needs and mitigate risks, our investment guidelines provide restrictions on our portfolio’s composition, including limits on asset type, per issuer limits, credit quality limits, portfolio duration, limits on the amount of investments in approved countries and permissible security types. We also manage and monitor our allocation of investments to limit the accumulation of any disproportionate concentrations of risk among industry sectors or issuer countries outside of the U.S. and Canada. In addition, as of March 31, 2023, we did not hold any country of issuer concentrations outside of the U.S. or Canada that represented more than 5% of the fair value of our available-for-sale invested asset portfolio or any industry concentrations of corporate bonds that represented more than 10% of the fair value of our available-for-sale invested asset portfolio.

We invest a portion of our portfolio in assets denominated in Canadian dollars to support our Canadian operations. Additionally, to ensure adequate liquidity for payment of claims, we take into account the maturity and duration of our invested asset portfolio and our general liability profile.

We also hold within our invested asset portfolio a credit enhanced note (“LLC Note”) issued by a limited liability company owned by a third-party service provider which is classified as a held-to-maturity security. The LLC Note, which is scheduled to mature on December 31, 2030, was obtained in exchange for the Surplus Note of equal principal amount issued by Vidalia Re, a special purpose financial captive insurance company and wholly owned subsidiary of Primerica Life. For more information on the LLC Note, see Note 3 (Investments) to our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this report.

We have an investment committee composed of members of our senior management team that is responsible for establishing and maintaining our investment guidelines and supervising our investment activity. Our investment committee regularly monitors our overall investment results and our compliance with our investment objectives and guidelines. We use a third-party investment advisor to assist us in the management of our investing activities. Our investment advisor reports to our investment committee.

Our invested asset portfolio is subject to a variety of risks, including risks related to general economic conditions, market volatility, interest rate fluctuations, liquidity risk and credit and default risk. Investment guideline restrictions have been established to minimize the effect of these risks but may not always be effective due to factors beyond our control. Interest rates and credit spreads are highly sensitive to many factors, including governmental monetary policies, domestic and international economic and political conditions and other factors beyond our control. A significant increase in interest rates or credit spreads could result in significant losses in the value of our invested asset portfolio. We believe that fluctuations caused by movement in interest rates and credit spreads generally have little bearing on the recoverability of our investments as we have the ability to hold these investments until maturity or a market price recovery and we have no present intention to dispose of them.

Details on asset mix (excluding our held-to-maturity security) were as follows:

 

 

March 31, 2023

 

December 31, 2022

Average rating of our fixed-maturity portfolio

 

A

 

A

Average duration of our fixed-maturity portfolio

 

4.8 years

 

                  4.7 years

Average book yield of our fixed-maturity portfolio

 

3.57%

 

3.44%

The distribution of fixed-maturity securities in our investment portfolio (excluding our held-to-maturity security and short-term investments) by rating, including those classified as trading securities, were as follows:

 

46


 

 

 

March 31, 2023

 

 

December 31, 2022

 

 

 

Amortized cost (1)

 

 

%

 

 

Amortized cost (1)

 

 

%

 

 

 

(Dollars in thousands)

 

AAA

 

$

591,882

 

 

 

21

%

 

$

606,982

 

 

 

22

%

AA

 

 

319,979

 

 

 

11

%

 

 

321,450

 

 

 

11

%

A

 

 

709,522

 

 

 

25

%

 

 

688,936

 

 

 

25

%

BBB

 

 

1,151,885

 

 

 

41

%

 

 

1,120,096

 

 

 

40

%

Below investment grade

 

 

63,351

 

 

 

2

%

 

 

67,450

 

 

 

2

%

Not rated

 

 

4,874

 

 

*

 

 

 

199

 

 

*

 

Total

 

$

2,841,493

 

 

 

100

%

 

$

2,805,113

 

 

 

100

%

(1)
Includes trading securities at fair value and available-for-sale securities (excluding short-term investments) at amortized cost.

* Less than 1%.

The ten largest holdings within our fixed-maturity securities invested asset portfolio (excluding our held-to-maturity security and short-term investments) were as follows:

 

 

March 31, 2023

Issuer

 

Fair value

 

 

Amortized cost (1)

 

 

Unrealized gain (loss)

 

 

Credit rating

 

 

(Dollars in thousands)

Government of Canada

 

$

20,934

 

 

$

22,148

 

 

$

(1,214

)

 

AAA

Province of Ontario Canada

 

 

15,066

 

 

 

15,343

 

 

 

(277

)

 

A+

Province of Quebec Canada

 

 

14,644

 

 

 

14,922

 

 

 

(278

)

 

AA-

Bank of America Corp

 

 

12,985

 

 

 

13,177

 

 

 

(192

)

 

A-

Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan

 

 

12,832

 

 

 

14,333

 

 

 

(1,501

)

 

AA+

Province of Alberta Canada

 

 

12,068

 

 

 

12,831

 

 

 

(763

)

 

A+

Morgan Stanley

 

 

11,485

 

 

 

11,807

 

 

 

(322

)

 

BBB+

Wells Fargo & Co

 

 

11,043

 

 

 

11,291

 

 

 

(248

)

 

BBB+

Manulife Financial Corp

 

 

10,775

 

 

 

11,600

 

 

 

(825

)

 

A

TC Energy Corp

 

 

10,342

 

 

 

11,644

 

 

 

(1,302

)

 

BBB+

Total – ten largest holdings

 

$

132,174

 

 

$

139,096

 

 

$

(6,922

)

 

 

Total – fixed-maturity securities

 

$

2,577,123

 

 

$

2,841,493

 

 

 

 

 

 

Percent of total fixed-maturity securities

 

 

5

%

 

 

5

%

 

 

 

 

 

(1)
Includes trading securities at carrying value and available-for-sale securities (excluding short-term investments) at amortized cost.

For additional information on our invested asset portfolio, see Note 3 (Investments) to our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this report.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Dividends and other payments to the Parent Company from its subsidiaries are our principal sources of cash. The amount of dividends paid by the subsidiaries is dependent on their capital needs to fund future growth and applicable regulatory restrictions. The primary uses of funds by the Parent Company include the payments of stockholder dividends, interest on notes payable, general operating expenses, and income taxes, as well as repurchases of shares of our common stock outstanding. As of March 31, 2023, the Parent Company had cash and invested assets of $329.7 million.

The Parent Company’s subsidiaries generate operating cash flows primarily from term life insurance premiums (net of premiums ceded to reinsurers), income from invested assets, commissions and fees collected from the distribution of investment and savings products, Medicare-related insurance plans as well as other financial products. The subsidiaries’ principal operating cash outflows include the payment of insurance claims and benefits (net of ceded claims recovered from reinsurers), commissions to the sales force, contract acquisition costs, insurance and other operating expenses, interest expense for future policy benefit reserves financing transactions, and income taxes.

The distribution and underwriting of term life insurance requires upfront cash outlays at the time the policy is issued as we pay a substantial majority of the sales commission during the first year following the sale of a policy and incur costs for underwriting activities at the inception of a policy’s term. During the early years of a policy’s term, we generally receive level term premiums in excess of claims paid. We invest the excess cash generated during earlier policy years in fixed-maturity and equity securities held in support of future policy benefit reserves. In later policy years, cash received from the maturity or sale of invested assets is used to pay claims in excess of level term premiums received.

e-TeleQuote is a senior health insurance distributor of Medicare-related insurance plans. e-TeleQuote collects cash receipts over a number of years after selling a plan, while the cash outflow for commission expense and other acquisition costs to sell the plans are generally recognized at the time of enrollment. Therefore, in periods of growth, net cash flows at e-TeleQuote are expected to be negative, which may require the Parent Company to provide working capital to e-TeleQuote. During the three months ended March

 

47


 

31, 2023, the Parent Company did not provide funding to e-TeleQuote as e-TeleQuote generated sufficient cash to fund its operations from the receipt of initial commissions payments for policies approved during AEP period.

Historically, cash flows generated by our businesses, primarily from our existing block of term life policies and our investment and savings products, have provided us with sufficient liquidity to meet our operating requirements. We anticipate that cash flows from our businesses will continue to provide sufficient operating liquidity over the next 12 months.

If necessary, we could seek to enhance our liquidity position or capital structure through sales of our available-for-sale investment portfolio, changes in the timing or amount of share repurchases, borrowings against our Revolving Credit Facility, or some combination of these sources. Additionally, we believe that cash flows from our businesses and potential sources of funding will sufficiently support our long-term liquidity needs.

Cash Flows. The components of the changes in cash and cash equivalents were as follows:

 

 

Three months ended March 31,

 

 

Change

 

 

 

2023

 

 

2022

 

 

$

 

 

 

(In thousands)

 

Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities

 

$

175,946

 

 

$

214,299

 

 

$

(38,353

)

Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities

 

 

(31,186

)

 

 

(112,672

)

 

 

81,486

 

Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities

 

 

(118,992

)

 

 

(134,571

)

 

 

15,579

 

Effect of foreign exchange rate changes on cash

 

 

82

 

 

 

222

 

 

 

(140

)

Change in cash and cash equivalents

 

$

25,850

 

 

$

(32,722

)

 

$

58,572

 

Operating Activities. The largest factor driving the decrease in cash provided by operating activities during the three months ended March 31, 2023 compared to the three months ended March 31, 2022 was timing differences of purchases and maturities of trading securities. Also contributing to the year-over-year decrease in cash provided by operating activities were differences in the timing of cash payments for direct claims and receipts of ceded claims from reinsurers.

Investing Activities. Cash used in investing activities during the three months ended March 31, 2023 decreased compared to the three months ended March 31, 2022 primarily due to fluctuations in the timing of maturities and reinvestments of debt securities held in our available-for-sale investment portfolio.

Financing Activities. Cash flows used in financing activities decreased during the three months ended March 31, 2023 compared to the three months ended March 31, 2022. In 2022, the Company paid amounts due on a note issued to the sellers of e-TeleQuote, which was the largest driver of the year-over-year decrease in cash used in financing activities.

Risk-Based Capital (“RBC”). The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (“NAIC”) has established RBC standards for U.S. life insurers, as well as a risk-based capital model act (the “RBC Model Act”) that has been adopted by the insurance regulatory authorities. The RBC Model Act requires that life insurers annually submit a report to state regulators regarding their RBC based upon four categories of risk: asset risk; insurance risk; interest rate risk and business risk. The capital requirement for each is determined by applying factors that vary based upon the degree of risk to various asset, premiums and policy benefit reserve items. The formula is an early warning tool to identify possible weakly capitalized companies for purposes of initiating further regulatory action.

As of March 31, 2023, our U.S. life insurance subsidiaries maintained statutory capital and surplus substantially in excess of the applicable regulatory requirements and remain well positioned to support existing operations and fund future growth.

In Canada, an insurer’s minimum capital requirement is overseen by the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (“OSFI”) and determined as the sum of the capital requirements for six categories of risk: asset default risk; mortality/morbidity/lapse/expense risks; changes in interest rate environment risk; operational risk; segregated funds risk; and foreign exchange risk. As of March 31, 2023, Primerica Life Canada was in compliance with Canada's minimum capital requirements as determined by OSFI.

Redundant Reserve Financings. The Model Regulation entitled Valuation of Life Insurance Policies, commonly known as Regulation XXX, requires insurers to carry statutory policy benefit reserves for term life insurance policies with long-term premium guarantees which are often significantly in excess of the future policy benefit reserves that insurers deem necessary to satisfy claim obligations (“redundant policy benefit reserves”). Accordingly, many insurance companies have sought ways to reduce their capital needs by financing redundant policy benefit reserves through bank financing, reinsurance arrangements and other financing transactions.

We have established Peach Re, Inc. (“Peach Re”) and Vidalia Re as special purpose financial captive insurance companies and wholly owned subsidiaries of Primerica Life. Primerica Life has ceded certain term life policies issued prior to 2011 to Peach Re as part of a Regulation XXX redundant reserve financing transaction and has ceded certain term life policies issued in 2011 through 2017 to Vidalia Re as part of a Regulation XXX redundant reserve financing transaction (the “Vidalia Re Redundant Reserve Financing Transaction”). These redundant reserve financing transactions allow us to more efficiently manage and deploy our capital.

 

48


 

The NAIC has adopted a model regulation for determining reserves using a principle-based approach (“principle-based reserves” or “PBR”), which is designed to reflect each insurer’s own experience in calculating reserves and move away from a single prescriptive reserving formula. Primerica Life adopted PBR as of January 1, 2018 and NBLIC adopted the New York amended version of PBR effective January 1, 2021. PBR significantly reduced the redundant statutory policy benefit reserve requirements while still ensuring adequate liabilities are held. The regulation only applies for business issued after the effective date. See Note 4 (Investments), Note 10 (Debt) and Note 16 (Commitments and Contingent Liabilities) to our consolidated financial statements within our 2022 Annual Report for more information on these redundant reserve financing transactions.

Notes Payable. The Company has $600.0 million of publicly-traded Senior Notes outstanding issued at a price of 99.550% with an annual interest rate of 2.80%, payable semi-annually in arrears on May 19 and November 19. The Senior Notes are scheduled to mature on November 19, 2031. We were in compliance with the covenants of the Senior Notes as of March 31, 2023. No events of default occurred during the three months ended March 31, 2023.

Rating Agencies. There have been no changes to Primerica, Inc.’s Senior Notes ratings or Primerica Life’s financial strength ratings since December 31, 2022.

Surplus Note. Vidalia Re issued a Surplus Note in exchange for the LLC Note as a part of the Vidalia Re Redundant Reserve Financing Transaction. The Surplus Note has a principal amount equal to the LLC Note and is scheduled to mature on December 31, 2030. For more information on the Surplus Note, see Note 15 (Debt) to our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this report.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements. We have no transactions, agreements or other contractual arrangements to which an entity unconsolidated with the Company is a party, under which the Company maintains any off-balance sheet obligations or guarantees as of March 31, 2023.

Credit Facility Agreement. We maintain an unsecured $200.0 million Revolving Credit Facility with a syndicate of commercial banks that has a scheduled termination date of June 22, 2026. Amounts outstanding under the Revolving Credit Facility bear interest at a periodic rate equal to the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”) rate loan ,or the base rate, plus in either case an applicable margin. The Revolving Credit Facility contains language that allows for the Company and the lenders to agree on a comparable or successor reference rate in the event SOFR is no longer available. The Revolving Credit Facility also permits the issuance of letters of credit. The applicable margins are based on our debt rating with such margins for SOFR rate loans and letters of credit ranging from 1.000% to 1.625% per annum and for base rate loans ranging from 0.000% to 0.625% per annum. Under the Revolving Credit Facility, we incur a commitment fee that is payable quarterly in arrears and is determined by our debt rating. This commitment fee ranges from 0.100% to 0.225% per annum of the aggregate $200.0 million commitment of the lenders under the Revolving Credit Facility that remains undrawn. During the three months ended March 31, 2023, no amounts were outstanding under the Revolving Credit Facility and we were in compliance with its covenants. Furthermore, no events of default occurred under the Revolving Credit Facility during the three months ended March 31, 2023.

Contractual Obligations Update. There have been no material changes in contractual obligations from those disclosed in the 2022 Annual Report.

 

49


 

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT CONCERNING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Investors are cautioned that certain statements contained in this report as well as some statements in periodic press releases and some oral statements made by our officials during our presentations are “forward-looking” statements. Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, any statement that may project, indicate or imply future results, events, performance or achievements, and may contain the words “expect”, “intend”, “plan”, “anticipate”, “estimate”, “believe”, “will be”, “will continue”, “will likely result”, and similar expressions, or future conditional verbs such as “may”, “will”, “should”, “would”, and “could”. In addition, any statement concerning future financial performance (including future revenues, earnings or growth rates), ongoing business strategies or prospects, and possible actions taken by us or our subsidiaries are also forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve external risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, those described under the section entitled “Risk Factors” included herein.

Forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and projections about future events and are inherently subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the control of our management team. All forward-looking statements in this report and subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to us, or to persons acting on our behalf, are expressly qualified in their entirety by these risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties include, among others:

Risks Related to Our Distribution Structure

Our failure to continue to attract new recruits, retain independent sales representatives or license or maintain the licensing of independent sales representatives would materially adversely affect our business.
Certain laws and regulations could apply to our independent contractor distribution model, which could require us to modify our distribution structure.
There may be adverse consequences if the classification of our independent contractor sales representatives is changed.
Violation of, or non-compliance with, laws and regulations and related claims and proceedings could expose us to material liabilities.

Risks Related to Our Insurance Business and Reinsurance

Our life insurance business may face significant losses if our actual experience differs from our expectations regarding mortality or persistency.
Our life insurance business is highly regulated, and statutory and regulatory changes may materially adversely affect our business.
A decline in the regulatory capital ratios of our insurance subsidiaries could result in increased scrutiny by insurance regulators and ratings agencies and have a material adverse effect on our business.
A significant ratings downgrade by a ratings organization could materially adversely affect our business.
The failure by any of our reinsurers or reserve financing counterparties to perform its obligations to us could have a material adverse effect on our business.

Risks Related to Our Investments and Savings Products Business

Our Investment and Savings Products segment is heavily dependent on a limited platform of mutual fund and annuity products offered by a relatively small number of companies and managers. If these products fail to remain competitive with other investment options, our business could be materially adversely affected.
If our relationship with one or more of our funds, annuities or managers is significantly altered or terminated or there is a shift in
the business mix, our business could be materially adversely affected.
Violations of, or non-compliance with, laws and regulations of the securities business could expose us to material liabilities.
If heightened standards of conduct or more stringent licensing requirements (such as those adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission) and the Department of Labor, state legislatures or regulators or Canadian securities regulators, are imposed on us or the independent sales representatives, or selling compensation is reduced as a result of new legislation or regulations, it could have a material adverse effect on our business.
If our suitability policies and procedures, or our policies and procedures for compliance with federal, state or provincial regulations governing standards of care, were deemed inadequate, it could have a material adverse effect on our business.
Non-compliance with applicable regulations could lead to revocation of our subsidiary's status as a non-bank custodian, which could have a material adverse affect on our business.

Risks Related to e-TeleQuote’s Senior Health Insurance Distribution Business

Due to our limited history with e-TeleQuote Insurance, Inc. (“e-TeleQuote”), we may not be able to execute an effective business strategy, which could adversely affect our business.
e-TeleQuote is highly regulated and subject to compliance requirements of the U.S. government’s Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and those of its carrier partners. Non-compliance with, or violations of, such requirements may harm its business, which could have a material adverse effect on our business.
e-TeleQuote generates leads that are internally sourced from marketing initiatives and receives referrals from Primerica
independent sales representatives. It also receives leads externally acquired from third-party vendors. e-TeleQuote’s business may
 

 

50


 

be harmed if it cannot continue to acquire or generate leads on commercially viable terms, if it is unable to convert leads to sales
at acceptable rates, if Primerica independent sales representatives do not introduce consumers to e-TeleQuote, or if policyholder
retention is lower than assumed, any of which could adversely impact our business.
If e-TeleQuote’s ability to enroll individuals during the Medicare annual election period is impeded, its business may be harmed,
which could adversely impact our business.
e-TeleQuote’s business is dependent on key carrier partners. The loss of a key carrier partner, or the modification of commission
rates or underwriting practices with a key carrier partner, could harm its business which could adversely impact our business.

Risks Related to Our Mortgage Distribution Business

Licensing requirements will impact the size of the mortgage loan sales force, which could adversely affect our mortgage
distribution business.
Our mortgage distribution business is highly regulated and subject to various laws and regulations in the U.S. and Canada. Changes in, non-compliance with, or violations of, such laws and regulations could affect the cost or our ability to distribute our products and could adversely affect our business.
In the U.S., we distribute mortgage loans based on contractual agreements with a very limited number of mortgage lenders. A
significant change to or disruption in the mortgage lenders’ mortgage businesses or an inability of the mortgage lenders to satisfy
their contractual obligations to us could adversely affect our business.

Risks Related to Economic Downcycles, Public Health Crises or Catastrophes, and Disaster

The effects of economic down cycles, issues affecting the national and/or global economy or global geopolitical event(s) could materially adversely affect our business.
Major public health pandemics, epidemics or outbreaks (such as the COVID-19 pandemic) or other catastrophic events, have
impacted and could again materially adversely impact our business.
In the event of a disaster, our business continuity plan may not be sufficient, which could have a material adverse effect on our business.

Risks Related to Information Technology and Cybersecurity

If one of our, or a third-party partner’s, significant information technology systems fails, if its security is compromised, or if the Internet becomes disabled or unavailable, our business may be materially adversely affected.
The current legislative and regulatory climate with regard to privacy and cybersecurity could adversely affect our business.
Any failure to protect the confidentiality of client information could adversely affect our reputation and have a material adverse
effect on our business.
e-TeleQuote’s security measures are designed to protect against breaches of security and other interference with its systems and
networks operate independently from Primerica’s systems. If e-TeleQuote is subject to cyber-attacks or security breaches or is
otherwise unable to safeguard the security and privacy of confidential data e-TeleQuote’s business may be harmed, which could
have a material adverse effect on our business.

Financial Risks Affecting Our Business

Credit deterioration in, and the effects of interest rate fluctuations on our invested asset portfolio and other assets that are subject to changes in credit quality and interest rates could materially adversely affect our business.
Valuation of our investments and the determination of expected credit losses when the fair value of our available-for-sale invested assets is below amortized cost are both based on estimates that may prove to be incorrect, which could adversely affect our
financial condition.
Changes in accounting standards can be difficult to predict and could adversely impact how we record and report our financial condition and results of operations.
The inability of our subsidiaries to pay dividends or make distributions or other payments to us in sufficient amounts would impede our ability to meet our obligations and return capital to our stockholders.

Risks Related to Legislative and Regulatory Changes

We are subject to various federal, state and provincial laws and regulations in the U.S. and Canada, changes in which may require
us to alter our business practices and could materially adversely affect our business.
The current legislative and regulatory climate with regard to financial services could adversely affect our business.
Medicare Advantage is a product legislated and regulated by the U.S. government. If the enabling legislation and regulation or
implementing guidance issued by CMS changes, e-TeleQuote’s business may be harmed, which could have a material adverse
effect on our business.
The current regulatory climate with regard to climate change may adversely affect our business.

General Risk Factors

Litigation and regulatory investigations and actions may result in financial losses and harm our reputation.

 

51


 

A significant change in the competitive environment in which we operate could negatively affect our ability to maintain or
increase our market share and profitability.
Our continued success requires a high-performing and stable team of employees across all levels, and the loss of key employees
could negatively affect our financial results and impair our ability to implement our business strategy.
We regularly undertake business initiatives to enhance our technology, products, and services. The efficiency and success of these
initiatives may vary significantly and may cause unanticipated costs, errors, or disruptions which could have a material adverse
effect on our business.
We may be materially adversely affected by currency fluctuations.
Any acquisition of or investment in businesses that we may undertake that does not perform as we expect or that is difficult for us
to integrate could materially adversely impact our business.
The market price of our common stock may fluctuate.

 

Developments in any of these areas could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated or projected or cause a significant reduction in the market price of our common stock.

The foregoing list of risks and uncertainties may not contain all of the risks and uncertainties that could affect us. In addition, in light of these risks and uncertainties, the matters referred to in the forward-looking statements contained in this report may not in fact occur. Accordingly, undue reliance should not be placed on these statements. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as otherwise required by law.

ITEM 3. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK.

There have been no material changes in our exposures to market risk since December 31, 2022. For details on the Company’s interest rate, foreign currency exchange, and credit risks, see “Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Information About Market Risks” in our 2022 Annual Report.

ITEM 4. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES.

Disclosure Controls and Procedures

The Company’s management, with the participation of the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, has evaluated the effectiveness of the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures (as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)) as of the end of the period covered by this report (the “Evaluation Date”). Based on such evaluation, the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have concluded that, as of the Evaluation Date, the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures are effective.

Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

During the quarter ended March 31, 2023, the Company implemented a new general ledger and financial reporting application. This change was made to utilize advanced technology available in the industry and was not undertaken in response to any actual or perceived deficiencies or to remedy any gaps or weaknesses in the Company's internal control over financial reporting. In addition, the Company established controls over its adoption of Accounting Standards Update 2018-12 Targeted improvements to the Accounting for Long-Duration Insurance Contracts. Otherwise, there have not been any changes in the Company's internal control over financial reporting (as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act) during the quarter ended March 31, 2023 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.

 

PART II – OTHER INFORMATION

We are involved from time to time in legal disputes, regulatory inquiries and arbitration proceedings in the normal course of business. Additional information regarding certain legal proceedings to which we are a party is described under “Contingent Liabilities” in Note 13 (Commitments and Contingent Liabilities) to our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this report, and such information is incorporated herein by reference. As of the date of this report, we do not believe any pending legal proceeding to which Primerica or any of its subsidiaries is a party is required to be disclosed pursuant to this item.

 

 

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS.

The Risk Factors contained in our 2022 Annual Report are incorporated herein by reference.

 

52


 

 

ITEM 2. UNREGISTERED SALES OF EQUITY SECURITIES AND USE OF PROCEEDS.

During the quarter ended March 31, 2023, we repurchased shares of our common stock as follows:

 

Period

 

Total number of shares purchased (1)

 

 

Average price paid per share (1)

 

 

Total number of shares purchased as part of publicly announced plans or programs (2)

 

 

Approximate dollar value of shares that may yet be purchased under the plans or programs (2)

 

January 1 - 31, 2023

 

 

210,653

 

 

$

149.53

 

 

 

210,653

 

 

$

343,501,568

 

February 1 - 28, 2023

 

 

142,748

 

 

 

166.38

 

 

 

142,748

 

 

 

319,750,822

 

March 1 - 31, 2023

 

 

235,617

 

 

 

174.18

 

 

 

177,322

 

 

 

289,752,859

 

     Total

 

 

589,018

 

 

$

163.47

 

 

 

530,723

 

 

$

289,752,859

 

 

(1)
Consists of repurchases of (a) 58,295 shares at an average price of $189.42 arising from share-based compensation tax withholdings and (b) open market repurchases of share under the share repurchase program approved by our Board of Directors.
(2)
On November 17, 2022, our Board of Directors authorized a share repurchase program for purchases of up to $375.0 million of our outstanding common stock from January 1, 2023 through December 31, 2023.

For information regarding year-to-date share repurchases, refer to Note 10 (Stockholders’ Equity) to our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this report.

ITEM 5. OTHER INFORMATION.

 

Procedures for Stockholders to Recommend Director Nominees

Pursuant to the Company’s Second Amended and Restated By-Laws, only persons who are nominated in accordance with the procedures set forth in Section 6 of Article II thereof (“Section 6”) and, if applicable, the “proxy access” provisions set forth in Section 7 of Article II thereof (“Section 7”), shall be eligible for election as directors of the Company.

In connection with the adoption of Rule 14a-19 under the Exchange Act (“Rule 14a-19”), the Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board”) approved and adopted the Company’s Third Amended and Restated By-Laws (the “Third Amended and Restated By-Laws”), effective March 1, 2023.

The Third Amended and Restated By-Laws amend Section 6 to:

clarify that any stockholder nominating a person for election to the Board comply with Rule 14a-19;
require that any nominating stockholder make a representation whether such stockholder intends to solicit proxies in support of any director nominees other than the Company’s nominees in accordance with Rule 14a-19;
provide that, if any stockholder provides notice pursuant to Rule 14a-19(b) with respect to any proposed nominee for election to the Board and subsequently (a) fails to comply with the requirements of Rule 14a-19(a)(2) or Rule 14a-19(a)(3) or (b) fails to provide reasonable evidence to the Company, no later than five business days prior to the applicable stockholder meeting, that such stockholder has met the requirements of Rule 14a-19(a)(3), then the nomination of each such proposed nominee will be disregarded;
require that, if any stockholder provides notice pursuant to Rule 14a-19(b), such person shall deliver to the Company, no later than five business days prior to the applicable meeting of stockholders, reasonable evidence that such person has met the requirements of Rule 14a-19(a)(3); and
require that the notice provided by the nominating stockholder be accompanied by a written consent of each proposed nominee to being named as a nominee, to be included in the proxy materials relating to the applicable meeting of stockholders and to serve as a director if elected.

The Third Amended and Restated By-Laws also amend Section 7 to clarify that, except for a nomination made in compliance with Section 6 and Rule 14a-19, the proxy access provisions set forth in Section 7 shall be the exclusive method for stockholders to include nominees for election to the Board in the Company’s proxy materials.

 

ITEM 6. EXHIBITS.

The agreements included as exhibits to this report are included to provide you with information regarding the terms of these agreements and are not intended to provide any other factual or disclosure information about the Company or its subsidiaries, our business or the other parties to these agreements. These agreements may contain representations and warranties by each of the parties

 

53


 

to the applicable agreement. These representations and warranties have been made solely for the benefit of the other parties to the applicable agreement and:

should not in all instances be treated as categorical statements of fact, but rather as a way of allocating the risk to one of the parties if those statements prove to be inaccurate;
have been qualified by disclosures that were made to the other party in connection with the negotiation of the applicable agreement, which disclosures are not necessarily reflected in the agreement;
may apply standards of materiality in a way that is different from what may be viewed as material to our investors; and
were made only as of the date of the applicable agreement or such other date or dates as may be specified in the agreement and are subject to more recent developments.

Accordingly, these representations and warranties may not describe the actual state of affairs as of the date they were made or at any other time, and should not be relied upon by investors.

 

Exhibit Number

Description

Reference

10.1

Third Amended and Restated By-laws of Primerica, Inc., effective March 1, 2023

Filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission as part of this Quarterly Report.

10.2

 

First Amendment to Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated as of April 5, 2023 between the Registrant, the Lenders referred to therein, and Wells Fargo Bank, National Association

 

Filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission as part of this Quarterly Report.

31.1

Rule 13a-14(a)/15d-14(a) Certification, executed by Glenn J. Williams, Chief Executive Officer.

Filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission as part of this Quarterly Report.



31.2

 

Rule 13a-14(a)/15d-14(a) Certification, executed by Alison S. Rand, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.

 

Filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission as part of this Quarterly Report.



32.1

Certifications required by Rule 13a-14(b) or Rule 15d-14(b) and Section 1350 of Chapter 63 of Title 18 of the United States Code (18 U.S.C. 1350), executed by Glenn J. Williams, Chief Executive Officer, and Alison S. Rand, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.

Filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission as part of this Quarterly Report.



101.INS

 

Inline XBRL Instance Document.

 

The instance document does not appear in the Interactive Data File because its XBRL tags are embedded within the Inline XBRL document.

101.SCH

Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema.

101.CAL

 

Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase.

 

 

101.DEF

Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase.

101.LAB

 

Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase.

 

 

101.PRE

Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase.

104

 

Cover Page Interactive Data File (formatted as inline XBRL with applicable taxonomy extension information contained in Exhibits 101).

 

 

 

 

 

54


 

SIGNATURES

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

 

Primerica, Inc.

 

 

May 9, 2023

/s/ Alison S. Rand

 

Alison S. Rand

 

Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

(Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)

 

 

55