SEC Filings
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| 10-K | |
| HRG GROUP, INC. filed this Form 10-K on 11/23/2016 | |
| Entire Document | |
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maturity, thus increasing the need for a re-investment of assets at yields that are below the amounts required to support guarantee features of FGL’s and Front Street’s contracts. Both rising and declining interest rates can negatively affect FGL’s and Front Street’s interest earnings and spread income (the difference between the returns FGL and Front Street earn on their investments and the amounts they must credit to policyholders and contractholders). While FGL and Front Street develop and maintain asset liability management (“ALM”) programs and procedures designed to mitigate the effect on interest earnings and spread income in rising or falling interest rate environments, no assurance can be given that changes in interest rates will not materially adversely affect FGL’s or Front Street’s businesses, financial conditions and results of operations. FGL’s expectation for future interest earnings and spread income is an important component in amortization of DAC and VOBA and significantly lower interest earnings or spreads may cause FGL to accelerate amortization, thereby reducing net income in the affected reporting period. An extended period of declining interest rates or a prolonged period of low interest rates may also cause FGL or Front Street to change their long-term view of the interest rates that they can earn on their investments. Such a change in FGL’s or Front Street’s view would cause them to change the long-term interest rate that they assume in their calculation of insurance assets and liabilities under U.S. GAAP. This revision would result in increased reserves and other unfavorable consequences. In addition, while the amount of statutory reserves is not directly affected by changes in interest rates, additional statutory reserves may be required as the result of an asset adequacy analysis, which is altered by rising or falling interest rates and widening credit spreads. Additionally, FGL’s and Front Street’s ALM programs and procedures incorporate assumptions about the relationship between short-term and long-term interest rates and relationships between risk-adjusted and risk-free interest rates, market liquidity and other factors. The effectiveness of FGL’s and Front Street’s ALM programs and procedures may be negatively affected whenever actual results differ from these assumptions. Changes in interest rates may also affect the attractiveness of certain of FGL’s products. For example, lower interest rates may result in decreased sales of certain of FGL’s insurance and investment products. However, during periods of declining interest rates, certain life insurance and annuity products may be relatively more attractive investments to consumers, resulting in increased premium payments on products with flexible premium features, repayment of policy loans and increased persistency or a higher percentage of insurance policies remaining in force from year to year during a period when FGL’s investments carry lower returns. As a result, FGL could become unable to earn its desired level of spread income. During periods of increasing market interest rates, FGL may offer higher crediting rates on interest-sensitive products, such as universal life insurance and fixed annuities, and FGL may increase crediting rates on in-force products to keep these products competitive. Increases in crediting rates, as well as surrenders and withdrawals, could have a material adverse effect on FGL’s business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, if long-term interest rates rise dramatically within a six- to twelve-month time period, certain of FGL’s products may be exposed to disintermediation risk. Higher interest rates may increase the cost of debt and other obligations having floating rate or rate reset provisions and may result in lower sales of other products. A rise in interest rates, in the absence of other countervailing changes, will increase the gross unrealized loss position of FGL’s investment portfolio which will decrease FGL’s accumulated other comprehensive income and shareholders’ equity. FGL’s gross unrealized loss on FGL’s available for sale (“AFS”) portfolio was $268.2 million as of September 30, 2016 compared to $498.4 million as of September 30, 2015. FGL’s and Front Street’s investments are subject to market and credit risks. These risks could be heightened during periods of extreme volatility or disruption in financial and credit markets. FGL’s and Front Street’s invested assets and derivative financial instruments are subject to risks of credit defaults and changes in market values. Periods of extreme volatility or disruption in the financial and credit markets could increase these risks. Underlying factors relating to volatility affecting the financial and credit markets could have a material adverse impact on FGL’s and Front Street’s results of operations or financial condition. The value of FGL’s and Front Street’s mortgage-backed investments depends in part on the financial condition of the borrowers and tenants for the properties underlying those investments, as well as general and specific economic trends affecting the overall default rate. FGL and Front Street are also subject to the risk that cash flows resulting from the payments on pools of mortgages that serve as collateral underlying the mortgage-backed securities FGL and Front Street own may differ from their expectations in timing or size. Cash flow variability arising from an unexpected acceleration in mortgage prepayment behavior can be significant, and could cause a decline in the estimated fair value of certain “interest-only” securities within FGL’s and Front Street’s mortgage-backed securities portfolio. Any event reducing the estimated fair value of these securities, other than on a temporary basis, could have an adverse effect on FGL’s and Front Street’s business, results of operations and financial condition. Significant continued financial and credit market volatility, changes in interest rates, credit spreads, credit defaults, real estate values, market illiquidity, declines in equity prices, acts of corporate malfeasance, ratings downgrades of the issuers or guarantors of these investments and declines in general economic conditions, either alone or in combination, could have a material adverse impact on FGL’s or Front Street’s results of operations, financial condition or cash flows through realized losses, OTTI, changes in unrealized loss positions and increased demands on capital. As of September 30, 2016 and 2015, FGL had gross unrealized losses on its AFS portfolio of $268.2 million and $498.4 million, respectively. In addition, FGL’s investment portfolio is concentrated in certain industries. As of September 30, 2016 and 2015, FGL’s most significant investment in one industry was 64 | |
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