With respect to the long-term care block in our Bankers Life segment, the aggregate liability is not deficient, but our projections of estimated future profits (losses) indicate that profits will be recognized in earlier periods, followed by losses in later periods. In this situation, we are required to recognize future loss reserves. Such reserves are calculated based on our current estimate of the amount necessary to offset the losses in future periods and are established during the period the block is profitable. We estimate the future losses based on our current best estimates of morbidity, persistency, premium rates, maintenance expense and investment yields, which estimates are generally updated annually. During 2014, we increased the future loss reserves related to our long-term care blocks of business by $22.0 million based on these calculations.
The Code limits the extent to which losses realized by a non-life entity (or entities) may offset income from a life insurance company (or companies) to the lesser of: (i) 35 percent of the income of the life insurance company; or (ii) 35
General: CNO is the top tier holding company for a group of insurance companies operating throughout the United States that develop, market and administer health insurance, annuity, individual life insurance and other insurance products. We distribute these products through our Bankers Life segment, which utilizes a career agency force, through our Washington National segment, which utilizes independent producers and through our Colonial Penn segment, which utilizes direct response marketing.
Average liabilities for insurance products, net of reinsurance ceded were $14.3 billion in 2014, up 3.5 percent from 2013 and $13.8 billion in 2013, up 3.6 percent from 2012. Such average insurance liabilities for certain long-term care products were increased by $126 million, $159 million and $145 million in 2014, 2013 and 2012, respectively, to reflect the premium deficiencies that would exist if unrealized gains on the assets backing such products had been realized and the proceeds from the sales of such assets were invested at then current yields. Such increase is reflected as a reduction of accumulated other comprehensive income. In addition, the increase in the non-interest sensitive life reserves in 2014 reflects approximately $155 million of reserves related to the recapture in July 2014 of a block of life insurance business previously ceded to Wilton Re. Excluding the impact of the aforementioned items, the increase in average liabilities for insurance products was primarily due to new sales and the amounts added to policyholder account balances on interest-sensitive products.
Washington National's Medicare supplement business primarily consists of individual policies. The insurance product liabilities we establish for our Medicare supplement business are subject to significant estimates and the ultimate claim liability we incur for a particular period is likely to be different than our initial estimate. Governmental regulations generally require us to attain and maintain a ratio of total benefits incurred to total premiums earned (excluding changes in policy benefit reserves), after three years from the original issuance of the policy and over the lifetime of the policy, of not less than 65 percent on these products, as determined in accordance with statutory accounting principles. Insurance margins (insurance policy income less insurance policy benefits) on these products were $31.9 million, $36.2 million and $41.0 million in 2014, 2013 and 2012, respectively. Such decrease reflects the run-off of this business as we discontinued new sales of Medicare supplement business in this segment in the fourth quarter of 2012.
Gain on reinsurance transaction of $3.8 million related to the recapture of a modified coinsurance agreement in the second quarter of 2014.
Premiums collected on supplemental health products (including specified disease, accident and hospital indemnity insurance products) increased 4.9 percent, to $515.4 million, in 2014 and 6.9 percent, to $491.3 million, in 2013. Such increases are due to higher new sales in each year and steady persistency.
The following table shows the distribution of our commercial mortgage loan portfolio by property type as of December 31, 2014 (dollars in millions):
Equity securities include available for sale investments in common stock and non-redeemable preferred stock. We carry these investments at estimated fair value. We record any unrealized gain or loss, net of tax and related adjustments, as a component of shareholders' equity.
not limited to: (i) changes in the investment environment; (ii) expectation that the market value could deteriorate further; (iii) desire to reduce our exposure to an asset class, an issuer or an industry; (iv) prospective or actual changes in credit quality; or (v) changes in expected cash flows.
The following table summarizes the gross unrealized losses and fair values of our investments with unrealized losses that are not deemed to be other-than-temporarily impaired, aggregated by investment category and length of time that such securities have been in a continuous unrealized loss position, at December 31, 2014 (dollars in millions):
Section 382 of the Code imposes limitations on a corporation's ability to use its NOLs when the company undergoes an ownership change. Future transactions and the timing of such transactions could cause an ownership change for Section 382 income tax purposes. Such transactions may include, but are not limited to, additional repurchases under our securities repurchase program, issuances of common stock and acquisitions or sales of shares of CNO stock by certain holders of our shares, including persons who have held, currently hold or may accumulate in the future five percent or more of our outstanding common stock for their own account. Many of these transactions are beyond our control. If an additional ownership change were to occur for purposes of Section 382, we would be required to calculate an annual restriction on the use of our NOLs to offset future taxable income. The annual restriction would be calculated based upon the value of CNO's equity at the time of such ownership change, multiplied by a federal long-term tax exempt rate (2.80 percent at December 31, 2014), and the annual restriction could limit our ability to use a substantial portion of our NOLs to offset future taxable income. We regularly monitor ownership change (as calculated for purposes of Section 382) and, as of December 31, 2014, we were below the 50 percent ownership change level that would trigger further impairment of our ability to utilize our NOLs.
In connection with the issuance of the 6.375% Notes and execution of the 6.375% Indenture, the Company and the Subsidiary Guarantors entered into a security agreement, dated as of September 28, 2012 (the "Security Agreement"), by and
On September 4, 2012, the Company entered into a Debenture Repurchase Agreement (the "Debenture Repurchase Agreement") with Paulson Credit Opportunities Master Ltd. and Paulson Recovery Master Fund Ltd. (collectively, the "Paulson Holders"), funds managed by Paulson & Co. Inc., ("Paulson") that held $200.0 million in aggregate principal amount of the Company's 7.0% Debentures. Pursuant to the Debenture Repurchase Agreement, the Company purchased from each of the Paulson Holders the 7.0% Debentures held by such Paulson Holders, for a cash purchase price of $355.1 million that provided for a 2.8% discount to the estimated fair market value of the 7.0% Debentures as defined in the Debenture Repurchase Agreement.
The Company has a long-term incentive plan which permits the grant of CNO incentive or non-qualified stock options, restricted stock awards, stock appreciation rights, performance shares or units and certain other equity-based awards to certain directors, officers and employees of the Company and certain other individuals who perform services for the Company. As of December 31, 2014, 8.6 million shares remained available for issuance under the plan. Our stock option awards are generally granted with an exercise price equal to the market price of the Company's stock on the date of grant. For options granted in 2006 and prior years, our stock option awards generally vested on a graded basis over a four year service term and expire ten years from the date of grant. Our stock option awards granted in 2007 through 2009 generally vested on a graded basis over a three year service term and expire five years from the date of grant. Our stock options granted in 2010 through 2014 generally vest on a graded basis over a three year service term and expire seven years from the date of grant. The vesting periods for our restricted stock awards range from immediate vesting to a period of three years.
Based on current conditions and assumptions as to future events on all policies inforce, the Company expects to amortize approximately 11 percent of the December 31, 2014 balance of the present value of future profits in 2015, 10 percent in 2016, 9 percent in 2017, 8 percent in 2018 and 7 percent in 2019. The discount rate used to determine the amortization of the present value of future profits averaged approximately 5 percent in the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012.