We own eight properties, including five buildings whose locations serve as headquarters for our operating segments, two buildings that serve as operation centers for Assurant Solutions and Assurant Specialty Property and one building that serves as a claims training center for Assurant Specialty Property. Assurant Solutions and Assurant Specialty Property share headquarters buildings located in Miami, Florida and Atlanta, Georgia. Assurant Specialty Property has operations centers located in Florence, South Carolina and Springfield, Ohio. Assurant Solutions’ preneed business also has a headquarters building in Rapid City, South Dakota. Assurant Employee Benefits has a headquarters building in Kansas City, Missouri. Assurant Health has a headquarters building in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. We lease office space for various offices and service centers located throughout the U.S. and internationally, including our New York, New York corporate office and our data center in Woodbury, Minnesota. Our leases have terms ranging from month-to-month to twenty-five years. We believe that our owned and leased properties are adequate for our current business operations.
(1) Included in net realized gains (losses) are other-than-temporary impairments of $11,167, $38,660, $340,153 and $48,184 for 2010, 2009, 2008 and 2007, respectively. During 2006, we recorded an investment gain of $98,342 related to the sale of our equity interest in PHCS.
(2) During 2008, we incurred losses of $132,615 associated with hurricanes Gustav and Ike.
(7) Total stockholders’ equity divided by the basic shares of common stock outstanding. At December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008 there were 103,227,238, 117,591,250, and 117,640,936 shares, respectively, of common stock outstanding. At December 31, 2007 and 2006 there were 118,012,036 and 122,772,350 shares of common stock outstanding.
The following discussion covers the twelve months ended December 31, 2010 (“Twelve Months 2010”), twelve months ended December 31, 2009 (“Twelve Months 2009”) and twelve months ended December 31, 2008 (“Twelve Months 2008”). Please see the discussion that follows, for each of these segments, for a more detailed analysis of the fluctuations.
Assurant Employee Benefits net income increased to $63,538 for Twelve Months 2010 compared with $42,156 for Twelve Months 2009 driven by favorable claims experience and expense management. Assurant Employee Benefits continues to emphasize worksite and voluntary products, which provide affordable solutions
that meet the needs of employers and employees. However, until employment rates increase and payrolls expand, revenue growth will be challenged. We expect our dental business results to continue to improve due to pricing actions taken, but we expect life and disability loss experience to revert to more traditional levels. We plan to lower our discount rate for new long-term disability claims in 2011, as interest rates remain at low levels. This low interest rate environment will also continue to pressure our investment income.
The fair market value of the fixed maturity securities in our portfolio and the investment income from these securities fluctuate depending on general economic and market conditions. The fair market value generally increases or decreases in an inverse relationship with fluctuations in interest rates, while net investment income realized by us from future investments in fixed maturity securities will generally increase or decrease with interest rates. We also have investments that carry pre-payment risk, such as mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities. Interest rate fluctuations may cause actual net investment income and/or cash flows from such investments to differ from estimates made at the time of investment. In periods of declining interest rates,
mortgage prepayments generally increase and mortgage-backed securities, commercial mortgage obligations and bonds are more likely to be prepaid or redeemed as borrowers seek to borrow at lower interest rates. Therefore, in these circumstances we may be required to reinvest those funds in lower-interest investments.
Many of the factors affecting reserve adequacy are not directly quantifiable and not all future events can be anticipated when reserves are established. Reserve estimates are refined as experience develops. Adjustments to reserves, both positive and negative, are reflected in the statement of operations in the period in which such estimates are updated.
Historically, premium deficiency testing has not resulted in a material adjustment to deferred acquisition costs or reserves. Such adjustments could occur however, if economic or mortality conditions significantly deteriorated.
Case or claim reserves are set for active individual claims on group long term disability policies and for waiver of premium benefits on group term life policies. Reserve factors used to calculate these reserves reflect assumptions regarding disabled life mortality and claim recovery rates, claim management practices, awards for social security and other benefit offsets and yield rates earned on assets supporting the reserves. Group long term disability and group term life waiver of premium reserves are discounted because the payment pattern and ultimate cost are fixed and determinable on an individual claim basis. Our reserves discount rate for claims incurred prior to 2011 is 5.25%. Though our final determination has not yet been made, our current estimate is that claims incurred after 2011 will be 50 to 100 basis points lower, which will ultimately increase policyholder benefits.
the extent of data segmentation-data should be homogeneous yet credible enough for loss development methods to apply; and
If the actual level of loss frequency and severity are higher or lower than expected, the ultimate reserves required will be different than management’s estimate. The effect of higher and lower levels of loss frequency and severity levels on our ultimate costs for claims occurring in 2010 would be as follows:
Our property and warranty line of business includes exposure to asbestos, environmental and other general liability claims arising from our participation in various reinsurance pools from 1971 through 1985. This exposure arose from a short duration contract that we discontinued writing many years ago. We carry case reserves, as recommended by the various pool managers, and IBNR reserves totaling $35,668 (before reinsurance) and $25,461 (net of reinsurance) at December 31, 2010. We believe the balance of case and IBNR reserves for these liabilities are adequate. However, any estimation of these liabilities is subject to greater than normal variation and uncertainty due to the general lack of sufficiently detailed data, reporting delays and absence of a generally accepted actuarial methodology for those exposures. There are significant unresolved industry legal issues, including such items as whether coverage exists and what constitutes a claim. In addition, the determination of ultimate damages and the final allocation of losses to financially responsible parties are highly uncertain. However, based on information currently available, and after consideration of the reserves reflected in the consolidated financial statements, we do not believe that changes in reserve estimates for these claims are likely to be material.
Many of the companies involved in these programs, including ARIC, are currently involved in negotiations, arbitrations and/or litigation, in an effort to resolve these disputes. The disputes involving ARIC and an affiliate, Assurant General Insurance Limited (formerly Bankers Insurance Company Limited (“AGIL”)), for the 1995 and 1996 program years are subject to working group settlements negotiated with other market participants. Negotiations, arbitrations and litigation are still ongoing or will be scheduled for the remaining disputes.
Acquisition costs for preneed life insurance policies issued prior to January 1, 2009 and certain discontinued life insurance policies have been deferred and amortized in proportion to anticipated premiums over the premium-paying period. These acquisition costs consist primarily of first year commissions paid to agents and sales and policy issue costs.
For preneed investment-type annuities, preneed life insurance policies with discretionary death benefit growth issued after January 1, 2009, universal life insurance policies and investment-type annuity contracts that
Acquisition costs relating to group worksite products, which typically have high front-end costs and are expected to remain in force for an extended period of time, consist primarily of first year commissions to brokers and one time policy transfer fees and costs of issuing new certificates. These acquisition costs are front-end loaded, thus they are deferred and amortized over the estimated terms of the underlying contracts.