The following table sets forth selected consolidated financial data including consolidated financial information of the Company for each of the last five calendar years, derived from the Company’s audited Consolidated Financial Statements. The table should be read in conjunction with Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations”, and Item 8, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data”, included herein.
The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes which appear elsewhere in this Form 10-K. It contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Please refer to “Note on Forward Looking Statements” and “Risk Factors” for more information. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including those described below and elsewhere in this Form 10-K.
The terms “we,” “us,” “our,” or “our Company” as used herein are used to mean The Navigators Group, Inc., a Delaware holding company established in 1982, and its subsidiaries, unless the context otherwise requires. The terms “Parent” or “Parent Company” are used to mean The Navigators Group, Inc. without its subsidiaries. Our Company is an international insurance company focusing on specialty products within the overall property and casualty insurance market. Our long-standing area of specialization is Marine insurance. We have also developed niches in Professional Liability insurance and Property Casualty lines of insurance, such as Primary and Excess casualty coverages offered to commercial enterprises and Assumed Reinsurance.
Net income of $95.3 million, an increase of 50.2% over prior year
The Lloyd’s Operations are primarily engaged in underwriting Marine insurance; Energy & Engineering insurance with a concentration in offshore energy products and onshore energy construction products, Assumed Reinsurance, Management Liability insurance and E&O insurance at Lloyd’s of London (“Lloyd’s”) through Lloyd’s Syndicate 1221 (“Syndicate 1221”). The Corporate segment consists of the Parent Company’s investment income, interest expense and related income tax.
For financial information by segment, refer to Note 3, Segment Information, in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, included herein.
For additional information regarding our business, refer to “Business - Overview”, included herein.
The Insurance Companies, NIC and NSIC, utilize the financial strength ratings from A.M. Best and S&P for underwriting purposes. NIC and NSIC are both rated “A” (Excellent - stable outlook) by A.M. Best and “A” (Strong - stable outlook) by S&P. Syndicate 1221 utilizes the ratings from A.M. Best and S&P for underwriting purposes, which apply to all Lloyd’s syndicates. Lloyd’s is rated “A” (Excellent - positive outlook) by A.M. Best and A+ (Strong - stable outlook) by S&P.
We prepare our financial statements in accordance with GAAP, which requires the use of estimates and assumptions. Our consolidated financial statements include amounts that, either by their nature or due to requirements of GAAP, are determined using best estimates and assumptions. Management has discussed and reviewed the development, selection, and disclosure of critical accounting estimates with our Company’s Audit Committee. While we believe that the amounts included in our consolidated financial statements reflect our best judgment, actual amounts could ultimately materially differ from those currently presented.
The reserves for losses and LAE (including losses that have occurred but were not reported to us by the financial reporting date)
Our actuaries calculate indicated incurred but not reported (“IBNR”) loss reserves for each line of business by underwriting year (“UWY”) by major product groupings using standard actuarial methodologies, which are projection or extrapolation techniques: the loss ratio method, the loss development method and the Bornheutter-Ferguson method. In general the loss ratio method is used to calculate the IBNR for only the most recent UWYs in the absence of any statistical data upon which to estimate ultimate losses while the Bornheutter-Ferguson method is used to calculate the IBNR for recent years where a statistical basis exists for that computation with the loss development method used for more mature UWYs. When appropriate such methodologies are supplemented by the frequency/severity method, which are used to analyze and better comprehend loss development patterns and trends in the data when making selections and judgments. Each of these methodologies, which are described below, are generally applicable to both long tail and short tail lines of business depending on a variety of circumstances. In utilizing these methodologies to develop our IBNR loss reserves, a key objective of management in making their final selections is to deliberate with our actuaries to identify aberrations and systemic changes occurring within historical experience and accurately adjust for them. This process requires the substantial use of informed judgment and is inherently uncertain as it can be influenced by numerous factors including:
For non-statistical claim events, i.e., where historical patterns are not available for applicable, expert judgment by claims professionals with input from underwriting and management are used. Such instances relate to the IBNR loss reserve processes for our Hurricane losses and our asbestos exposures.
The loss development method, also known as the chainladder or the link-ratio method, develops the IBNR loss reserves by multiplying the paid or reported losses by a loss development factor to estimate the ultimate losses, then subtracting the reported losses, consisting of paid losses and case loss reserves, to determine the IBNR loss reserves. The loss development factor is the reciprocal of the expected percentage of losses that have thus far been reported, which is generally calculated as an average of the percentage of losses reported for comparable reporting periods of prior UWYs.
Actuarial loss studies are conducted by our Company’s actuaries at various times throughout the year for major lines of business employing the methodologies as described above. Additionally, a review of the emergence of actual losses relative to expectations for each line of business generally derived from the quarterly and/or semi-annual in depth reserve analyses is conducted to determine whether the assumptions used in the reserving process continue to form a reasonable basis for the projection of liabilities for each product line. Such reviews may result in maintaining or revising assumptions regarding future loss development based on various quantitative and qualitative considerations. If actual loss activity differs from expectations, an upward or downward adjustment to loss reserves may occur. As time passes, estimated loss reserves for an UWY will be based more on historical loss activity and loss development patterns rather than on assumptions based on underwriters’ input, pricing assumptions or industry experience.
The period between the date of loss occurrence and the final payment date of the ensuing claim(s) is referred to as the “claim-tail.” Short-tail business generally describes Product lines for which losses are typically known and paid shortly after the loss actually occurs. For example, a personal accident where no other parties were involved tends to be a short process. The ambiguity associated with our estimate of ultimate losses for any particular accident period diminishes quickly as actual loss experience develops. Long-tail business defines lines of business for which specific losses may not be known or reported for a longer period and claims can take significant time to settle. For long-tail lines such as General Liability, the time lag for reporting claims is greater than it is in short-tail lines. Facts and information are frequently not complete at the time case reserves are established, and because there is a higher risk for additional litigation, final settlement amounts are unknown. Each business segment is analyzed individually, with development characteristics for each short-tail and long-tail line of business identified and applied accordingly.
Generally, two key assumptions are used by our actuaries in setting IBNR loss reserves for major products in this line of business. The first assumption is that our historical experience regarding paid and reported losses for each product where we have sufficient history can be relied on to predict future loss activity. The second assumption is that our underwriters’ assessments as to potential loss exposures are reliable indicators of the level of our expected loss activity. The specific loss reserves for Marine are then analyzed separately by product based on such assumptions, except where noted below, with the major products including Marine Liability, Cargo, Protection and Indemnity (“P&I”), Transport and Bluewater Hull.
The claims emergence patterns for various Marine Product lines vary substantially. Our largest Marine Product line is Marine Liability, which has one of the longer loss development patterns. Marine Liability protects an insured’s business from Liability to third parties stemming from their marine-related operations, such as terminal operations, stevedoring and marina operations. Since Marine Liability claims generally involve a dispute as to the extent and amount of legal liability that our insured has to a third party, these claims tend to take a longer time to develop and settle. Other Marine Product lines have considerably shorter periods in which losses develop and settle. Ocean Cargo insurance, for example, provides physical damage coverage to goods in the course of transit by water, air or land. By their nature, Cargo claims tend to be reported quickly as losses typically result from an obvious peril such as fire, theft or weather. Similarly, Bluewater Hull insurance provides coverage against physical damage to ocean-going vessels. Such claims for physical damage generally are discovered, reported and settled quickly. Relatively short tailed Marine lines with a third party liability component include P&I Insurance, which provides coverage for third party liability as well as injury to crew for vessel operators, and Transport insurance, which provides both property and third party liability on a primary basis to business such as port authorities, marine terminal operators and others engaged in infrastructure of international transportation. Our Company currently has extensive experience for all of these products and thus the IBNR loss reserves for all of the Marine Products are determined using the key assumptions and actuarial methodologies described above. Prior to 2007, however, as discussed below in the sensitivity analysis, our Company did not have sufficient experience in the Transport product line and instead used its Hull and Liability products loss development experience as a key assumption in setting the IBNR loss reserves for its Transport product.
The reserves for P&C are established separately for each major Product line, such as Offshore Energy, Excess Casualty, and Accident and Health (“A&H”), reinsurance. Within Primary Casualty, the reserves are established separately for construction and non-construction risks. Our actuaries generally assume that historical loss development patterns are reasonable predictors of future loss patterns and deploy a variety of traditional actuarial techniques to develop a reasonable expectation of ultimate losses. However, there are a number of products for which our Company has insufficient experience so as to generate credible actuarial projections. In those instances, we typically evaluate overall industry experience, rely on the input of underwriting, and claims executives in setting assumptions for our IBNR reserves. We also attempt to make reasonable provisions for the impact of economic, legal and competitive trends in projecting future loss development.
Primary Casualty insurance provides Primary General Liability coverage principally to corporations in the construction, real estate and manufacturing sector. Excess Casualty insurance is purchased by corporations, which seek higher limits of liability than are provided in their Primary Casualty policies.
The Professional Liability policies mainly provide coverage on a claims-made basis mostly for a one-year period. The reserves for Professional Liability are analyzed separately by product. The major products are Management Liability and Errors and Omissions (“E&O”), Insurance. For Management Liability, we evaluate and set loss reserves separately for Primary policies and Excess policies for U.S. corporations.
The losses for Management Liability business are generally very severe and infrequent, and with some cases, involving securities class actions. Management Liability claims report reasonably quickly, but take years to settle. In addition, our potential liability to pay a covered claim depends upon whether we have issued a Primary policy, in which case the cost of defense is a large component of the ultimate loss, or an excess policy at a higher attachment point, in which case our policy is not impacted until the covered claim has exceeded the coverage available in the other policies that our policy is in excess-of-loss. Our loss estimates are based on expected losses, an assessment of the characteristics of reported losses at the claim level, evaluation of loss trends, industry data, and the legal, regulatory and current risk environment. Significant judgment is involved because anticipated loss experience in this area is less predictable due to the small number of claims and/or erratic claim severity patterns. As time passes for a given UWY, we place additional weight on assumptions relating to our actual experience and claims outstanding. The expected ultimate losses may be adjusted up or down as the UWYs mature.
The Marine Liability, Offshore Energy and Cargo Products and related loss exposures are similar in nature to that described for Marine business above. Specie insurance provides property coverage for jewelry, fine art, vault and cash in transit risks. Claims tend to be from theft or damage, quick to report and, in most cases, quick to settle. Marine reinsurance is a diversified global book of reinsurance, the majority of which consists of excess-of-loss reinsurance policies for which claims activity tends to be large and infrequent with loss development somewhat longer than for such products written on a direct basis. Marine reinsurance reinsures Liability, Cargo, Hull and Offshore Energy exposures that are similar in nature to the Marine business described above.
The process for establishing the IBNR loss reserves for the Marine and Professional Liability lines of the Lloyd’s Operations, and the assumptions used as part of this process, are similar in nature to the process employed by the Insurance Companies.
(2) - Calculated using average diluted shares of 14,646,369 for the year ended December 31, 2014.
We also record the ceded portion of the estimated gross written premium and related acquisition costs. The earned gross, ceded and net premiums are calculated based on our earning methodology, which is generally over the policy period. Losses are also recorded in relation to the earned premium. The estimate for losses incurred on the estimated premium is based on an actuarial calculation consistent with the methodology used to determine incurred but not reported loss reserves for reported premiums.
We apply the asset and liability method of accounting for income taxes whereby deferred assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax basis. In assessing the realization of deferred tax assets, management considers whether it is more likely than not that the deferred tax assets will be realized. These reviews include, among other factors, the nature and amount of the taxable income and expense items, the expected timing of when assets will be used or liabilities will be required to be reported, as well as the reliability of historical profitability of businesses expected to provide future earnings. After review, if management determines that the realization of the tax asset does not meet the more likely than not criterion an offsetting valuation allowance is recorded, which reduces net earnings and the deferred tax asset in that period. Additional information regarding our deferred tax assets can be found in Note 1, Organization and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies, and Note 7, Income Taxes, in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, both included herein.
For equity securities, our Company also considers its intent to hold securities as part of the process of evaluating whether a decline in fair value represents an other-than-temporary decline in value. For fixed maturity securities, our Company considers its intent to sell a security and whether it is more likely than not that our Company will be required to sell a security before the anticipated recovery as part of the process of evaluating whether a security’s unrealized loss represents an other-than-temporary decline. Our Company’s ability to hold such securities is supported by sufficient cash flow from its operations and from maturities within its investment portfolio in order to meet its claims payment and other disbursement obligations arising from its underwriting operations without selling such investments. With respect to securities where the decline in value is determined to be temporary and the security’s value is not written down, a subsequent decision may be made to sell that security and realize a loss. Subsequent decisions on security sales are made within the context of overall risk monitoring, changing information and market conditions.
The following is a discussion and analysis of our consolidated and segment results of operations for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012. Our financial results are presented on the basis of U.S. GAAP. However, in presenting our financial results, we discuss our performance with reference to net operating earnings, book value per share, underwriting profit or loss, and the combined ratio, all of which are non-GAAP financial measures of performance and/or underwriting profitability. Net operating earnings are calculated as net income less after-tax net realized gains (losses), after-tax net OTTI losses recognized in earnings, after-tax foreign exchange gains and losses resulting from foreign currency transactions (transactions denominated in a currency other than the entity’s functional currency) and translation adjustments (translation of foreign currency denominated assets and liabilities into the entity’s functional currency). Book value per share is calculated by dividing stockholders’ equity by the number of outstanding shares at any period end. Underwriting profit or loss is calculated from net earned premiums, less the sum of net losses and LAE, commission expenses, other operating expenses and other underwriting income (expense). The combined ratio is derived by dividing the sum of net losses and LAE, commission expenses, other operating expenses and other underwriting income (expense) by net earned premiums. A combined ratio of less than 100% indicates an underwriting profit and greater than 100% indicates an underwriting loss. We consider such measures, which may be defined differently by other companies, to be important in the understanding of our overall results of operations by highlighting the underlying profitability of our insurance business.
favorable loss emergence from prior accident years, the prior year effect of the non-recurring call premium expense on the 5.75% Senior Notes and the current year effect of the change in functional currency of the Lloyd’s Operations. These positive effects were offset by additional tax expense and interest expense over prior year.
Net income for the year ended December 31, 2013 was $63.5 million or $4.42 per diluted share compared to $63.8 million or $4.45 per diluted share for the year ended December 31, 2012.
The following table presents our net operating earnings for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012:
Net operating earnings for the year ended December 31, 2014 were $80.5 million or $5.49 per diluted share compared to $61.7 million or $4.30 per diluted share for the comparable period in 2013. The increase was largely attributable to stronger underwriting results from both our Insurance Companies and Lloyd’s Operations, inclusive of net favorable prior period reserve releases.
Our book value per share as of December 31, 2014 was $71.93, increasing 13.2% from $63.54 as of December 31, 2013. The growth in our book value per share is primarily driven by $95.3 million of net income for the year ended December 31, 2014, and to a lesser extent, a $23.2 million after tax-increase in unrealized gains on our investment portfolio in connection with our investment in longer dated fixed income securities. Our consolidated stockholders’ equity increased 13.9% to $1.03 billion as of December 31, 2014 compared to $902.2 million as of December 31, 2013.
For the year ended December 31, 2014, our Insurance Companies reported an underwriting profit of $49.1 million, primarily driven by our Marine business, which reported $30.8 million of underwriting profit due to favorable loss emergence from prior accident years across all core product lines. In addition, our Property Casualty business reported an underwriting profit of $16.1 million, which includes $13.5 million of underwriting profit from our Excess Casualty division due in part to strong production attributable to the expansion of those underwriting teams and the continued dislocation of certain competitors, as well as $13.0 million of underwriting profit from our Assumed Reinsurance division mostly driven by growth and a lack of current accident year catastrophe activity from our LatAm P&C Products, and to a lesser extent, growth from our A&H product lines as we are starting to experience favorable loss trends from both those product lines. Partially offsetting the aforementioned underwriting profits is an $11.4 million underwriting loss from our Primary Casualty division in connection with net prior year reserve strengthening specific to Construction Liability issued to contractors operating in California and other western states. Our Professional Liability business reported an underwriting profit of $2.2 million primarily due in part to a recovery of prior period losses coming from a cash settlement of a contract dispute with a former third part administrator, partially offset by unfavorable loss emergence from our small lawyers product line, which is now in runoff.
For the year ended December 31, 2014, our Lloyd’s Operations reported an underwriting profit of $19.8 million which includes an underwriting profit of $9.6 million from our Lloyd’s Operations Property Casualty business driven by our Energy & Engineering division due to favorable current accident year loss trends, and to a lesser extent, prior year reserve releases from our Onshore Energy Product line. In addition, our Lloyd’s Operations Marine business reported an underwriting profit of $6.3 million driven by prior year reserve releases, which were offset by an $8.9 million Marine Liability loss, net of reinsurance and RRPs of $3.9 million, which involved the sinking of a vessel in South Korean waters. Our Lloyd’s Operations also includes an underwriting profit of $4.0 million from Professional Liability driven by favorable loss emergence.
Our pre-tax underwriting profit for 2013 was driven by the mix of business and favorable loss trends of our Insurance Companies and our Lloyd’s Operations. Our Insurance Companies reported an underwriting profit of $25.6 million inclusive of $13.6 million and $16.3 million of underwriting profit from our Energy & Engineering and Marine divisions, respectively, in connection with favorable loss emergence from UWYs 2011 and prior. In addition, our Excess Casualty division produced an underwriting profit of $6.1 million as a result of continued strong production attributable to the expansion of those underwriting teams and the continued dislocation of certain competitors, partially offset by an underwriting loss of $5.8 million from our Management Liability division due to net reserve strengthening from UWYs 2010 and prior, and an underwriting loss of $3.4 million from businesses in run-off. Our Lloyd’s Operations reported an underwriting profit of $18.2 million due to continued favorable loss emergence from all businesses from UWYs 2011 and prior, partially offset by large current accident year losses from our Lloyd’s Operations Marine and Lloyd’s Operations Energy & Engineering divisions.
The following table sets forth our gross written premiums, net written premiums and net earned premiums by segment and line of business for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013, and 2012:
Average premium renewal rates decreased 0.1% for the year ended December 31, 2014 driven by a 1.9% decrease for our Lloyd’s Operations, primarily due to 5.9% and 4.2% decreases in Lloyd’s Operations Energy & Engineering and Lloyd’s Operations Professional Liability, respectively, partially offset by a 1.7% increase in our Lloyd’s Operations Marine division. The aforementioned decreases were partially offset by a 0.6% increase from our Insurance Companies driven by Insurance Company Marine, which reported an increase of 1.9%, and Property Casualty, which realized a net increase of 0.8% consisting of a 3.3% increase from our Excess Casualty division, partially offset by a 7.3% decrease from our Insurance Company Energy & Engineering. The Insurance Companies Professional Liability realized a decrease of 2.0%, consisting of 4.0% and 0.5% decreases for the Management Liability and E&O divisions, respectively.
Our Insurance Companies’ decrease in ceded written premium is driven by the Property Casualty line, due to a change in the reinsurance program supporting certain Casualty risks. Effective in the first quarter 2014, our Company entered into a treaty that combined a reduced level of proportional reinsurance with an additional excess-of-loss cover. Additionally, we decreased the Energy & Engineering Offshore Energy quota share program from 62% to 55%. The increase in the percentage ceded for our Insurance Companies Professional Liability business is due to additional contracts for proportional reinsurance, signed in the fourth quarter of 2013 and 2014. The treaty signed in the fourth quarter of 2013 allowed us to cede 100% of our small lawyers’ Professional Liability E&O business to the carrier that has assumed the renewal rights, indicative of our decision to exit this business. This treaty expired on March 31, 2014. In the fourth quarter of 2014, in addition to our Professional Liability excess-of-loss treaty, a new treaty was signed that allows us to ceded a 60% quota share and additional excess-of-loss on various Professional Liability lines of business.
The decrease in the percentage of total ceded written premium for our Lloyd’s Operations is driven by changes in the mix of business as well as changes to our quota share reinsurance programs. The decrease in the Lloyd’s Operations Property Casualty line is due to growth in the Assumed Reinsurance division, which includes new business from our LatAm and Property Treaty product lines, which is not ceded. The decrease in the Lloyd’s Operations Professional Liability business is driven by increased growth from our Lloyd’s Operations E&O division, which is not attached to any proportional reinsurance, as well a reduction in the use of proportional reinsurance for Lloyd’s Operations D&O division. In Lloyd’s Operations Marine, the ceded premium ratio has decreased against prior year due to a reduction in the use of proportional reinsurance for certain product lines.
Net written premiums increased 12.6% for the year ended December 31, 2014 compared to the same period in 2013. The increase is due to mix of business, inclusive of certain changes in our reinsurance program that have increased our retention as well as growth in gross written premiums primarily driven by our Insurance Companies Property Casualty business, as described above. Together these changes have resulted in growth in net written premium, which outpaces the growth in gross written premium.
Net written premiums increased 6.5% for the year ended December 31, 2013 compared to the same period in 2012. The increase is due to the mix of our Insurance Companies Property Casualty business and is specifically driven by the continued growth of our Excess Casualty and Primary Casualty divisions and more RRPs recorded in 2012 in connection with several losses from our Marine businesses. The aforementioned increases are partially offset by a decrease in our Marine business in connection with the re-underwriting of our Inland Marine division.
Net OTTI losses for the year ended December 31, 2012 primarily consists of $0.8 million for three equity securities, which were previously impaired.
Net realized gains and losses are generated as part of the normal ongoing management of our investment portfolio. Net realized gains of $12.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2014 are primarily due to the sale of corporate bonds and equity securities. Net realized gains of $22.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2013 are primarily due to the sale of equities. Net realized gains of $41.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2012 are primarily due to the sale of municipal bonds and equity securities in anticipation of continued market uncertainty, the proceeds of which were reinvested in U.S. Government Treasury bonds and equities.
Other Income or other expense is comprised of unrealized and realized foreign exchange gains and losses, commission income, and inspection fees. Total Other Income for the year ended December 31, 2014 was $10.7 million compared to total other expense of $1.2 million and total Other Income of $1.5 million for the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively. The increase in Other Income for the year ended December 31, 2014 is primarily driven by a $10.0 million foreign currency transaction gain recorded in the first quarter in connection with a change in the functional currency of our Lloyd’s Operations. Refer to Footnote 1, Organization & Summary of Significant Accounting Policies, included herein, for further details on foreign currency remeasurement and translation.
The net loss and LAE ratio for the year ended December 31, 2014 decreased 3.3 percentage points to 58.3% from 61.6% for the year ended December 31, 2013. The decrease in the loss ratio reflects an increase in prior year reserve releases as a result of favorable loss emergence from both our Insurance Companies and Lloyd’s Operations, partially offset by an increase in the current accident year driven by mix of business in medium and long-tail lines, current accident year losses and loss trends. The increase in current accident year loss activity from our Marine business is driven by several losses from our Craft and Marine Liability product lines, inclusive of a $5.0 million net loss involving the sinking of a vessel in South Korean waters, partially offset by a reduction in current accident year loss activity from our Property Casualty business.
The changes in the net loss and LAE ratios by reportable segment and line of business, as presented above, are primarily driven by prior year reserve strengthening or releases, as discussed below, and to a lesser extent changes in our mix of business and loss trends.
The segment and line of business breakdown of the net loss and LAE ratios for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012 are as follows:
The following is a discussion of relevant factors related to the $55.8 million prior period net reserve releases recorded for the year ended December 31, 2014:
The Insurance Companies’ Marine reserve releases were partially offset by $14.6 million of net reserve strengthening from our Property Casualty business which is driven by $23.2 million of prior year reserve strengthening from our Primary Casualty division resulting entirely from unfavorable activity on pre-2010 California construction defect Liability claims, partially offset by $6.1 million of reserve releases due to favorable loss emergence from our Excess Casualty division.
The Insurance Companies’ Professional Liability business recorded $3.5 million of net prior year reserve releases primarily driven by $4.5 million of favorable loss emergence from our Management Liability division due to a cash settlement of a contract dispute with a former third party administrator, partially offset by unfavorable loss emergence from our E&O division due to our small lawyers’ product lines, which are in runoff.
The Insurance Companies recorded $13.4 million of net strengthening primarily driven by our Property Casualty and Professional Liability businesses. Within the Property Casualty business, we reported net prior period reserve strengthening of $18.5 million, which includes $13.2 million of net strengthening from our Assumed Reinsurance division mostly attributable to our excess-of-loss A&H treaty lines in connection with UWYs 2012 and 2011, $10.4 million of strengthening from our Primary Casualty division related to our general liability coverage for general and artisan contractors, and a total of $2.1 million of strengthening for business in run-off. The aforementioned net prior period reserve strengthening was partially offset by $8.0 million of net prior period reserve releases from our Energy & Engineering division in connection with favorable emergence on our Offshore Energy lines written by our UK Branch.
Our Lloyd’s Operations recorded $14.7 million of net reserve releases driven by our Property Casualty and Marine businesses partially offset by strengthening in our Professional Liability business. Within our Property Casualty business we reported net prior period reserve releases of $14.6 million primarily from our Energy & Engineering division. Within our Marine business we reported prior period reserve releases of $3.0 million driven by our Marine Liability business. Within our Professional Liability business we reported strengthening of $2.9 million, inclusive of $6.1 million of strengthening in our E&O division partially offset by $3.2 million of favorable emergence from our Lloyd’s Management Liability division.
An IBNR adjustment of $4.0 million to reflect the actual emergence of claims for UWY 2010, which was more favorable than the expected emergence.
Case reserve releases of $3.4 million due to the favorable settlement of several large losses; and
The Marine reserve releases were partially offset by net strengthening of $7.6 million from the small lawyer and accountants lines within our Professional Liability business. This strengthening was primarily driven by several large losses that caused the actual claims emergence for these lines to exceed the expected losses. We also incurred net reserve strengthening of $4.3 million within our Property Casualty segment, which were primarily attributable to two large hemophiliac claims from UWY 2011 arising from our A&H product lines.
Our Lloyd’s Operations recorded $47.2 million of net prior period reserve releases across all businesses and divisions. In connection with our Company’s implementation of the Solvency II technical provisions in its Lloyd’s Operations, our Company’s actuaries undertook a comprehensive review during 2012 of the historical claims emergence patterns for all lines of business underwritten through Syndicate 1221. As a result of this review, our Company updated the loss emergence patterns used to project ultimate losses for all such lines of business, aligning these loss emergence factors with the historical median. This caused a reduction in ultimate loss estimates for all Lloyd’s Operations segments other than certain lines of business in Property Casualty segment, which increased. The Lloyd’s Operation also experienced significant reserve redundancies in several large claims. The amount of reserve redundancies attributable to these settlements was $5.0 million, consisting of $4.1 million from the Marine business and $0.9 million from Professional Liability business. A summary of the resulting prior period redundancies for each business within our Lloyd’s Operations by prior UWY is set forth below:
During 2012, we recorded gross and net loss estimates of $66.7 million and $12.1 million, respectively, exclusive of $8.3 million for the cost of excess-of-loss reinstatement premiums related to the fourth quarter 2012 Superstorm Sandy. Our Superstorm Sandy pre-tax net loss, inclusive of RRPs, was approximately $20.4 million, which increased our combined ratio by 2.6 points.
The following table sets forth our gross and net loss and LAE reserves, incurred loss and LAE, and payments for Superstorm Sandy for the periods indicated:
The decrease in incurred losses and LAE, net of reinsurance, for the year ended December 31, 2014 was primarily driven by a required reallocation of Superstorm Sandy losses for UWYs 2011 and 2012. Due to different reinsurance programs for the respective UWYs, this resulted in a benefit to the 2012 UWY, recognized in 2014 calendar year.
The decrease in incurred losses and LAE, net of reinsurance, for the year ended December 31, 2014 was primarily driven by a required reallocation of Hurricane Ike losses for UWYs 2007 and 2008. Due to different reinsurance programs for the respective UWYs, this resulted in a benefit due to the 2008 UWY, recognized in the 2014 calendar year.
Commission expenses paid to brokers and agents are generally based on a percentage of gross written premiums and are partially offset by ceding commissions we may receive on ceded written premiums. Commissions are generally deferred and earned in line with premium earned. The percentage of commission expenses to net earned premiums (“commission expense ratio”) for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012 was 13.4%, 13.5% and 15.5%, respectively. The slight decrease in commission ratio for the year ended December 31, 2014 compared to the same period in 2013 is attributed to the changes in the mix of business. The decrease in commission expense for the year ended December 31, 2013 compared to the same period in 2012 is attributed to the changes in the mix of business, mostly driven by an increase in the ceding commission on the quota share program for our Offshore Energy product lines, and to a lesser extent RRPs recorded in 2012 in connection with loss events from our Marine business, which reduce net earned premium without any commission expense relief.
We recorded income tax expense of $45.2 million, $28.8 million and $28.0 million for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012 respectively. The effective tax rates were 32.2%, 31.2% and 30.5% for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012, respectively. The increase in the effective tax rate from 2013 to 2014 is due to the decrease in percentage of tax-exempt interest to pre-tax income. While tax-exempt interest increased from 2013 of $3.8 million to $4.8 million in 2014, the related percentage of pre-tax income in 2013 was 4.2% whereas in 2014 it was only 3.4%. The increase in effective tax rate from 2012 to 2013 is due to a smaller percentage of tax-exempt interest earned during 2013. The effective tax rate on net investment income was 27.4%, 27.8% and 26.8% for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012 respectively.
We had net state and local deferred tax assets amounting to potential future tax benefits of $0.8 million and $0.6 million as of December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively. Included in the deferred tax assets are state and local net operating loss carry-forwards of $0.0 million as of December 31, 2014 and $0.1 million for December 31, 2013. A valuation allowance was established for the full amount of these potential future tax benefits due to uncertainty associated with their realization. Our state and local tax carry-forwards as of December 31, 2014 expire from 2024 to 2032. Refer to Footnote 7, Income Taxes, included herein, for further detail on the temporary differences that give rise to federal, foreign, state and local deferred tax assets or liabilities.
Our Company evaluates the performance of each underwriting segment based on their underwriting and GAAP results. Underwriting results are measured based on underwriting profit or loss and the related combined ratio, which are both non-GAAP measures of underwriting profitability. Underwriting profit or loss is calculated from net earned premiums, less the sum of net losses and LAE, commission expenses, other operating expenses and other income (expense). The combined ratio is derived by dividing the sum of net losses and LAE, commission expenses, other operating expenses and other underwriting income (expense) by net earned premiums. A combined ratio of less than 100% indicates an underwriting profit and greater than 100% indicates an underwriting loss. Each segment maintains its own investments on which it earns income and realizes capital gains or losses. Our underwriting performance is evaluated separately from the performance of its investment portfolios.
The Insurance Companies consist of NIC, including its U.K. Branch, and its wholly-owned subsidiary, NSIC. They are primarily engaged in underwriting Marine insurance and related lines of business, specialty insurance lines of business, including Contractors’ General Liability insurance, Commercial Umbrella and Primary and Excess Casualty businesses, Specialty Assumed reinsurance business, and Professional Liability insurance. NSIC underwrites Specialty and Professional Liability insurance on an excess and surplus lines basis. NSIC is 100% reinsured by NIC.
The following tables reflect the net underwriting result by major line of business in the calendar years ended December 2014, 2013, and 2012:
Our Insurance Companies combined ratio for the year ended December 31, 2014 was 93.0% compared to 96.0% for the same period in 2013. Our Insurance Companies pre-tax underwriting results increased by $23.5 million to an underwriting profit of $49.1 million compared to an underwriting profit of $25.6 million for the same period in 2013.
Our Insurance Companies reported an underwriting profit of $49.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2014, mostly driven by our Marine business due to favorable loss emergence from prior accident years across all core product lines. In addition, our Property Casualty division includes $13.5 million of underwriting profit from our Excess Casualty division due in part to strong production attributable to the expansion of those underwriting teams and the continued dislocation of certain competitors, as well as $13.0 million of underwriting profit from our Assumed Reinsurance division mostly driven by growth and a lack of current accident year catastrophe activity from our LatAm Property & Casualty products, and to a lesser extent, profit from our A&H product lines as we are starting to experience favorable loss trends from those products lines. Also included within our Property Casualty results is $2.4 million of underwriting profit from our Energy & Engineering division due to favorable loss emergence from prior accident years, partially offset by an $11.4 million underwriting loss from our Primary Casualty division, mostly driven by reserve strengthening specific to Construction Liability policies issued to contractors operating in California and other western states. Our Professional Liability business reported an underwriting profit of $2.2 million due in part to a recovery of prior period losses coming from a cash settlement of a contract dispute with a former third part administrator, partially offset by unfavorable loss emergence from our small lawyers product line, which is now in runoff.
Our Insurance Companies combined ratio for the year ended December 31, 2013 was 96.0% compared to 106.4% for the same period in 2012. For the year ended December 31, 2013, our Insurance Companies reported an underwriting profit of $25.6 million inclusive of $13.6 million and $16.3 million of underwriting profit from our Energy & Engineering and Marine businesses, respectively, in connection with favorable loss emergence from UWY’s 2011 and prior. In addition, our Excess Casualty division produced an underwriting profit of $6.1 million as a result of continued strong production attributable to the expansion of those underwriting teams and the continued dislocation of certain competitors, partially offset by an underwriting loss of $5.8 million from our Management Liability division due to net prior period reserve strengthening from UWYs 2010 and prior, and an underwriting loss of $3.4 million from businesses in run-off.
2012 accident year loss emergence of $14.5 million from our Agriculture product line that was driven by significant drought related crop losses across the U.S.
Net loss of $12.8 million, inclusive of $6.3 million in RRPs, related to Superstorm Sandy. Gross of reinsurance the Insurance Companies’ loss related to Superstorm Sandy was approximately $45.2 million.
Marine Premiums. The gross written premiums for our Marine business for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012 consisted of the following:
Insurance Companies Marine gross written premiums for the year ended December 31, 2014 increased $5.5 million, or 3.2% compared to the same period in 2013 primarily due to new business growth in our Craft/Fishing Vessels and Marine Liability product lines, partially offset by decreases in Inland Marine due to a reduction in renewal premium driven by competitive pricing as well as certain policy cancellations in the P&I product line.
The Insurance Companies Marine business experienced a 1.9% increase in renewal rates for the year ended December 31, 2014.
The Insurance Companies Marine gross written premiums for the year ended December 31, 2013 decreased 14.1% compared to the same period in 2012 primarily due to the re-underwriting of our Inland Marine product line, as well as a reduction in the Bluewater Hull product line due to less business written due to pricing on certain accounts and vessel types that do not meet our underwriting standard. In addition, the decrease in Cargo was related to non-renewed business that did not meet the current underwriting criteria. The aforementioned decreases were slightly offset by growth in Craft and Fishing Vessels products due to strong new business production.
The Insurance Companies Professional Liability gross written premiums for the year ended December 31, 2014 decreased $17.3 million, or 13.3% compared to the same period in 2013, primarily driven by a reduction in our E&O division due to our decision to exit the small lawyers professional liability product line in the fourth quarter of 2013, as well as a decrease in our real estate agents and accountants liability product lines as a result of certain program terminations, partially offset by an increase from our Management Liability division due to an increase in subject premium on renewals.
The Insurance Companies Professional Liability gross written premiums for the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2012 are consistent at approximately $130 million. In the fourth quarter of 2013, we made the decision to exit the small lawyers product line that had contributed gross written premiums of $16.3 million and $19.1 million, in 2013 and 2012, respectively.
Insurance Companies Commission Expenses. The commission expense ratio for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012 was 12.1%, 12.7%, and 14.2%, respectively. The changes in the commission expense ratio are primarily driven by mix of business; however, the net commission expense for 2014 includes a $0.8 million estimated profit commission related to our proportional reinsurance program on Offshore Energy product lines. The net commission expense ratio for 2012 is impacted by RRPs, as previously discussed.
Our Lloyd’s Operations are primarily engaged in underwriting Marine and related lines of business along with Offshore Energy, construction coverages for Onshore Energy business and Professional Liability insurance at Lloyd’s through Syndicate 1221. Our Lloyd’s Operations segment includes NUAL, a Lloyd’s underwriting agency, which manages Syndicate 1221.
The following tables reflect the net underwriting result by major line of business for the calendar years ended December 2014, 2013, and 2012.
Our Lloyd’s Operations combined ratio for the year ended December 31, 2014 was 91.4% compared to 91.0% for the same period in 2013. Our Lloyd’s Operations underwriting results increased by $1.6 million to $19.8 million underwriting profit for the year ended December 31, 2014 compared to $18.2 million in 2013. Our Lloyd’s Operations underwriting profit for the twelve months ended December 31, 2014 includes an underwriting profit of $9.6 million from our Property Casualty division driven by favorable current accident year loss trends, and to a lesser extent, prior year reserve releases from our Onshore Energy product line. Our Lloyd’s Operations also includes an underwriting profit of $4.0 million from our Professional Liability division driven by favorable loss emergence. In addition, our Marine division reported an underwriting profit of $6.3 million driven by prior year reserve releases of $21.3 million, which were offset by current year reserve strengthening of $18.2 million, inclusive of a $5.0 million net loss and related RRPs of $3.9 million resulting from the sinking of a vessel in South Korean waters.
Our Lloyd’s Operations combined ratio for the year ended December 31, 2013 was 91.0% compared to 79.9% for the same period in 2012. Our Lloyd’s Operations underwriting results decreased by $24.1 million to $18.2 million underwriting profit for the year ended December 31, 2013 compared to $42.3 million in 2012. Our Lloyd’s Operations pre-tax underwriting profit for the twelve months ended December 31, 2013 includes $14.7 million of net prior period reserve releases in connection with continued favorable emergence from our Property Casualty division, specifically Energy & Engineering and Marine divisions as well as a $1.6 million foreign exchange loss on the re-measurement of certain deposits required by Lloyd’s.
Our Lloyd’s Operations underwriting profit for the year ended December 31, 2013 included $14.1 million of net prior period reserve releases in connection with continued favorable emergence from our D&O, Energy & Engineering and Marine divisions, partially offset by large current accident year losses from our Marine and Energy & Engineering divisions, as well as a $1.1 million foreign exchange loss on the remeasurement of certain deposits required by Lloyd’s.
Net reserve releases of $47.2 million across all businesses and all divisions, most notably Lloyd’s Operations Marine.
We have controlled 100% of Syndicate 1221’s stamp capacity since 2006. Stamp capacity is a measure of the amount of premium a Lloyd’s syndicate is authorized to write based on a business plan approved by the Council of Lloyd’s. Syndicate 1221’s stamp capacity was £215 million ($336.9 million) in 2014, £195 million ($323.7 million) in 2013, £184 million ($300 million) in 2012.
Our Lloyd’s Operations Marine gross written premiums for the year ended December 31, 2013 decreased 6.9% compared to the same period in 2012. The decrease is driven by reduction in renewals across the division, particularly on Cargo. The Lloyd’s Operations Marine business experienced average renewal rate increases of 3.4% for the year ended December 31, 2013.
Our Lloyd’s Operations Property Casualty gross written premiums for the year ended December 31, 2014 decreased 2.7% compared to the same period in 2013. Tough market conditions and an unfavorable rating environment have led to reduced premium in our Offshore Energy, Onshore Energy and Engineering and Construction lines for the year ended December 31, 2014. This has been offset by an increase in new business growth, specifically from our Assumed Reinsurance product lines, which have increased from $2.3 million in 2013 after commencing writing business in Syndicate 1221 in the fourth quarter of 2013 to $13.8 million in 2014 following a full year of writing. Other Property Casualty includes our Life Science product line, which during 2014 has largely consisted of a renewal book of business.
Lloyd’s Operations Commission Expenses. The commission expenses ratios for the year ended December 31, 2014 was 18.4%, compared to 17.1% for the same period in 2013. The increase in the commission expense ratio for the year ended December 31, 2014 is driven by a reduction in our proportional reinsurance premiums, which generate ceding commission.
We have no material off-balance sheet transactions with the exception of our letter of credit facilities. For a discussion of our letter of credit facilities, refer to “Capital Resources”.
The following table sets forth the best estimate of our known contractual obligations with respect to the items indicated as of December 31, 2014:
The State of Connecticut awarded our Company up to $11.5 million ($8.0 million in loans and $3.5 million in grants) as an incentive to move its corporate headquarters to Stamford Connecticut. The loan is non-interest bearing, has a term of 10 years and is subject to forgiveness under conditions of the agreement with the State. The amount of the assistance to be received is dependent on our Company reaching certain milestones for creation of new jobs over a five-year period, and the funds are to be used to offset certain equipment purchases, facility costs, training of employees and other eligible project-related costs. Our Company completed the move to Stamford in September 2013 and received $7.5 million for reaching the first job milestone. Earning of the grant and forgiveness of the loan is subject to certain conditions, including maintaining the required jobs for an extended period of time. As of December 31, 2014, the length of time commitment has not been met, however, our Company expects to meet all the conditions to keep the amount of assistance received to date, therefore this contractual obligation has been excluded from the table above. Accordingly, our Company is recognizing the assistance received over the period in which our Company recognizes the expenses for which the assistance is intended to compensate, and is recognized as a reduction of such expenses. During the year ended December 31, 2014, our Company recognized $1.1 million of the assistance and has deferred revenue of $6.1 million, which is included in other liabilities.
Our capital resources consist of funds deployed or available to be deployed to support our business operations. As of December 31, 2014 and 2013, our capital resources were as follows:
Share Repurchase. As part of our capital management program, we may seek to raise additional capital or may seek to return capital to our stockholders through share repurchases, cash dividends or other methods (or a combination of such methods). Any such determination will be at the discretion of the Parent Company’s Board of Directors and will be dependent upon our profits, financial requirements and other factors, including legal restrictions, rating agency requirements, credit facility limitations and such other factors as our Board of Directors deems relevant.
This credit facility contains customary covenants for facilities of this type, including restrictions on indebtedness and liens, limitations on mergers, dividends and the sale of assets, and requirements as to maintaining certain consolidated tangible net worth, statutory surplus and other financial ratios. The credit facility also provides for customary events of default, including failure to pay principal, interest or fees when due, failure to comply with covenants, any representation or warranty made by our Company being false in any material respect, default under certain other indebtedness, certain insolvency or receivership events affecting our Company and its subsidiaries, the occurrence of certain material judgments, or a change in control of our Company. The letter of credit facility is secured by a pledge of the stock of certain insurance subsidiaries of our Company. To the extent, the aggregate face amount issued under the credit facility exceeds the commitment amount; we are required to post collateral with the lead bank of the consortium. We were in compliance with all covenants under the credit facility as of December 31, 2014.
The applicable fee rate payable under the credit facility is based on a tiered schedule that is based on our Company’s then-current financial strength ratings issued by S&P and A.M. Best, and the amount of our Company’s own collateral utilized to fund its participation in Syndicate 1221.
Reinsurance. Time lags do occur in the normal course of business between the time gross loss reserves are paid by our Company and the time such gross paid losses are billed and collected from reinsurers. Reinsurance recoverable amounts related to gross loss reserves as of December 31, 2014 are anticipated to be billed and collected over the next several years as the gross loss reserves are paid by our Company.
Generally, for excess-of-loss reinsurers we pay quarterly deposit premiums based on the estimated subject premiums over the contract period (usually one year) that are subsequently adjusted based on actual premiums determined after the expiration of the applicable reinsurance treaty. Paid losses subject to excess-of-loss recoveries are generally billed as they occur and are usually settled by reinsurers within 30 calendar days for the Insurance Companies and 30 business days for the Lloyd’s Operations.
Net cash used in investing activities was $219.5 million and $229.9 million for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively, as compared to net cash used in investing activities of $179.8 million for the same period in 2012. Fluctuations in cash provided by, or used in, investing activities is primarily due to changes in operating cash flows and the associated ongoing management of our investment portfolio.
As of December 31, 2014, the weighted average rating of our fixed maturities was “AA” by S&P and “Aa” by Moody’s. The entire fixed maturity investment portfolio, except for investments with a fair value of $15.3 million, consists of investment grade bonds. As of December 31, 2014, our portfolio had a duration of 3.8 years. Management periodically projects cash flow of the investment portfolio and other sources in order to maintain the appropriate levels of liquidity in an effort to ensure our ability to satisfy claims. As of December 31, 2014 and 2013, all fixed maturities and equity securities held by us were classified as available-for-sale.
The following tables set forth our Company’s cash and investments as of December 31, 2014 and 2013. The tables below include OTTI securities recognized within AOCI.
The fair value of our investment portfolio may fluctuate significantly in response to various factors such as changes in interest rates, investment quality ratings, equity prices, foreign exchange rates and credit spreads. We do not have the intent to sell nor is it more likely than not that we will have to sell fixed maturities in unrealized loss positions that are not other-than-temporarily impaired before recovery. For structured securities, default probability and severity assumptions differ based on property type, vintage and the stress of the collateral. We do not intend to sell any of these securities and it is more likely than not that, we will not be required to sell these securities before the recovery of the amortized cost basis. For equity securities, our Company also considers its intent to hold securities as part of the process of evaluating whether a decline in fair value represents an other-than-temporary decline in value. We may realize investment losses to the extent our liquidity needs require the disposition of fixed maturity securities in unfavorable interest rate, liquidity or credit spread environments. Significant changes in the factors we consider when evaluating investments for impairment losses could result in a significant change in impairment losses reported in the consolidated financial statements.
The contractual maturity dates for fixed maturity securities categorized by the number of years until maturity as of December 31, 2014 are shown in the following table:
Expected maturities may differ from contractual maturities because issuers may have the right to call or prepay obligations with or without call or prepayment penalties. Due to the periodic repayment of principal, the aggregate amount of mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities is estimated to have an effective maturity of approximately 4.4 years.
The following table sets forth our U.S. Treasury bonds, agency bonds, and foreign government bonds as of December 31, 2014 and 2013:
We analyze our mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities by credit quality of the underlying collateral distinguishing between the securities issued by the Federal National Mortgage Association (“FNMA”), the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“FHLMC”) and the Government National Mortgage Association (“GNMA”) which are Federal government sponsored entities, and the non-FNMA and non-FHLMC securities broken out by prime, Alternative A-paper (“Alt-A”) and subprime collateral. The securities issued by FNMA and FHLMC are the obligations of each respective entity. The U.S. Department of the Treasury has agreed to provide support to FNMA and FHLMC under the Preferred Stock Purchase Agreement by committing to make quarterly payments to these enterprises, if needed, to maintain a zero net worth.
The following table sets forth the composition of the investments categorized as RMBS in our portfolio by generally equivalent S&P and Moody’s ratings (not all securities in our portfolio are rated by both S&P and Moody’s) as of December 31, 2014:
The following table sets forth the composition of the investments categorized as commercial mortgage-backed securities in our portfolio by generally equivalent S&P and Moody’s ratings (not all securities in our portfolio are rated by both S&P and Moody’s) as of December 31, 2014:
As of December 31, 2014 and 2013, the largest unrealized loss by a non-government backed issuer in the investment portfolio was $0.5 million and $1.1 million, respectively.
The following table sets forth the composition of the investments categorized as fixed maturities securities in our investment portfolio with gross unrealized losses by generally equivalent S&P and Moody’s ratings (not all of the securities are rated by S&P and Moody’s) as of December 31, 2014:
The following table below summarizes our activity related to OTTI losses for the periods indicated: