This section reviews our results of operations for the two years ended December 31, 2006. This discussion should be read in conjunction with our financial statements in this Form 10-K.
Each year, we develop future EGPs for the products sold during that year. The EGPs for products sold in a particular year are aggregated into cohorts. Future EGPs are projected for the estimated lives of the contracts. The amortization of deferred policy acquisition costs requires the use of various assumptions, estimates and judgments about the future. The assumptions, in the aggregate, are considered important in the projections of EGPs. The assumptions developed as part of our annual process are based on our current best estimates of future events, which are likely to be different for each year’s cohort. Assumptions considered to be significant in the development of EGPs include separate account fund performance, surrender and lapse rates, interest margin, mortality, premium persistency and expenses. These assumptions are reviewed on a regular basis and are based on our past experience, industry studies, regulatory requirements and estimates about the future.
The separate account fund performance assumption is critical to the development of the EGPs related to our variable annuity and variable life insurance businesses. As equity markets do not move in a systematic manner, we use a mean reversion method (reversion to the mean assumption), a common industry practice to determine the future equity market growth rate assumption used for the amortization of deferred policy acquisition costs. This practice assumes that the expectation for long-term appreciation is not changed by minor short-term market fluctuations. The average long-term rate of assumed separate account fund performance used in estimating gross profits was 6.0% (after fund fees and mortality and expense charges) for the variable annuity business and 6.9% (after fund fees and mortality and expense charges) for the variable life business at both December 31, 2006 and 2005.
In our current year unlocking, we concluded that a revision had to be made to our assumed mortality assumption. If, at December 31, 2006, we had increased our assumed mortality by 5%, the decrease to net income would have been $5,000 thousand after tax. If instead, at December 31, 2006, we had decreased our assumed mortality by 5%, the after-tax increase to net income would have been $4,236 thousand.
At our most recent unlocking of separate account performance, we concluded that a revision of 100 basis points to previously projected account returns and related EGPs was required. If at December 31, 2006 we had used a 100 basis points lower separate account return assumption (after fund fees and mortality and expense charges) for both the variable annuity and the variable life businesses and used our current best estimate assumptions for all other assumptions to project account values forward from the current value to reproject EGPs, the estimated increase to amortization and decrease to net income would be approximately $2,041 thousand, after-tax, for the year ended December 31, 2006.
If instead we had used a 100 basis points higher separate account return assumption (after fund fees and mortality and expense charges) for both the variable annuity and variable life businesses and used our current best estimate assumptions for all other assumptions to project account values forward from the current value to reproject EGPs, the estimated decrease to amortization and increase to net income would be approximately $2,238 thousand, after-tax, for the year ended December 31, 2006.
Investments whose value, in our judgment, is considered to be other-than-temporarily impaired are written down to fair value as a charge to realized losses included in our earnings. The assessment of whether impairments have occurred is based on management’s case-by-case evaluation of the underlying reasons for the decline in fair value. Management considers a wide range of factors about the security issuer and uses its best judgment in evaluating the cause of the decline in the estimated fair value of the security and in assessing the prospects for near term recovery. Inherent in management’s evaluation of the security are assumptions and estimates about the operations of the issuer and its future earnings potential. Consideration used by the Company in the impairment evaluation process include, but are not limited to:
We account for income taxes in accordance with Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 109, “Accounting for Income Taxes”, or SFAS 109. The deferred tax assets and/or liabilities are determined by multiplying the differences between the financial reporting and tax reporting bases for assets and liabilities by the enacted tax rates expected to be in effect when such differences are recovered or settled. The effect on deferred taxes of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date. Valuation allowances on deferred tax assets are estimated based on our assessment of the realizability of such amounts.
We have elected to file a consolidated federal income tax return for 2006 and prior years. Within the consolidated tax return, we are required by regulations of the Internal Revenue Service, or the IRS, to segregate our companies into two groups: life insurance companies and non-life insurance companies. We are limited as to the amount of any operating losses from one group that can be offset against taxable income of the other group. These limitations affect the amount of any operating loss carryforwards that we have recorded in our deferred tax assets now or in the future.
Our general account debt and equity securities are classified as available-for-sale and are reported at fair value with unrealized gains or losses included in equity. Accordingly, the carrying value of such securities reflects their fair value at the balance sheet date. Fair value is based on quoted market price, where available. When quoted market prices are not available, we estimate fair value for debt securities by discounting projected cash flows based on market interest rates currently being offered on similar terms to borrowers of similar credit quality, by quoted market prices of comparable instruments and by independent pricing sources or internally developed pricing models. Investments whose value, in our judgment, is considered to be other-than-temporarily impaired are written down to fair value as a charge to realized losses included in our earnings. The cost basis of these written-down investments is adjusted to fair value at the date the determination of impairment is made. The new cost basis is not changed for subsequent recoveries in value.
We manage credit risk through industry and issuer diversification. Maximum exposure to an issuer is defined by quality ratings, with higher quality issuers having larger exposure limits. Our investment approach has been to create a high level of industry diversification. The top five industry holdings as of December 31, 2006 in our debt securities portfolio are diversified financial services (6.8%), banking (5.6%), insurance (3.0%), REITs (2.6%),and electric utilities (2.6%).
declared that it will default at a future point outside the current reporting period;
For debt securities with gross unrealized losses, 85.7% of the unrealized losses after offsets pertain to investment grade securities and 14.3% of the unrealized losses after offsets pertain to below investment grade securities at December 31, 2006.
Individual life insurance policies, other than term life insurance policies, increase in cash values over their lives. Policyholders have the right to borrow an amount up to a certain percentage of the cash value of their policies at any time. As of December 31, 2006, we had approximately $321.3 million in cash values with respect to which policyholders had rights to take policy loans. The majority of cash values eligible for policy loans are at variable interest rates that are reset annually on the policy anniversary. Policy loans at December 31, 2006 were $14.4 million.
As of December 31, 2006, we did not have any significant off-balance sheet arrangements as defined by Item
We maintain life reinsurance programs designed to protect against large or unusual losses in our life insurance business. Based on our review of their financial statements, reputations in the reinsurance marketplace and other relevant information, we believe that these third-party reinsurers are financially sound and, therefore, that we have no material exposure to uncollectible life reinsurance.
Mandatory Control Level - results when Total Adjusted Capital falls below 80% of Authorized Control Level where insurance regulators are required to place the company under regulatory control.
Insurance and investment product fees increased 65% in 2006 due to both higher sales and growth of in force contracts for universal life products in 2006, partially offset by an adjustment or “unlocking” of assumptions, which reduced fee revenues by $1.3 million. In addition, fees increased modestly for variable universal life and annuity products.
Investment income decreased 16% in 2006 due primarily to lower interest earned on annuities, offset by higher investment earnings for life insurance products, particularly universal life insurance. Interest earned on annuities decreased mainly as a result of lower funds on deposit in the general account, primarily related to discontinued products and a $206.6 million scheduled maturity of an institutionally-placed contract.
Net realized investment losses decreased 77% in 2006 due to lower transaction related losses and a decline in impairments in 2006 compared to 2005.
Other operating expenses increased 29% in 2006 as a result of higher non-deferred expenses, including maintenance expenses, indirect expenses and premium taxes driven primarily by the growth of universal life insurance.