Impairment of Investments - The Company continually monitors the investment portfolio for investments that have become impaired in value; where fair value has declined below carrying value. While the value of the investments in the Company’s portfolio continuously fluctuate due to market conditions, an other-than-temporary impairment charge is recorded only when a security has experienced a decline in fair market value which is deemed to be other than temporary. The policies and procedures the Company uses to evaluate and account for impairments of investments are disclosed in Note 1 - Summary of Significant Accounting Policies and Note 2 - Investments in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements. The Company makes every effort to appropriately assess the status and value of the securities with the information available regarding an other-than-temporary impairment. However, it is difficult to predict the future prospects of a distressed or impaired security.
On a consolidated basis, the Company had net income attributable to common shareholders of approximately $16.3 million and $12.4 million in 2019 and 2018, respectively. In 2019, income before income taxes was approximately $20.2 million compared to $16.5 million in 2018. Total revenue was approximately $44.2 million in 2019 and $41.3 million in 2018.
One-time events, primarily reflected in realized gains, comprise a substantial portion of the net income and revenue reported by the Company during 2019 and 2018. The magnitude of realized investment gains and losses in a given year is a function of the timing of trades of investments relative to the markets themselves as well as the recognition of any impairments on investments. Future earnings will be significantly negatively impacted should earnings from these one-time items not be realizable in a future period. While Management believes there remain additional investments with such one-time earnings, when or if realized remains uncertain.
Total benefits and other expenses paid in 2019 were approximately $24 million compared to $24.8 million in 2018.
Income from the mortgage loan portfolio is down approximately 61% when comparing 2019 and 2018 results. The Company's investment in mortgage loans is down approximately 9% when comparing 2019 and 2018 and is one factor contributing to the decline in earnings from the mortgage loan portfolio. During 2018, two of the higher yielding mortgage loans were paid off. Included with one of the loan payoffs was a discount payment of approximately $428,000, which further boosted 2018 earnings in the mortgage loan portfolio. Management has a renewed focus on the mortgage loan investment portfolio with the intent to substantially grow this specific investment portfolio during 2020.
Investment expenses are down approximately $1.6 million when comparing 2019 and 2018 results. The variance is due to a one-time commission of $1.5 million paid as the result of the sale of certain discounted bonds in the third quarter of 2018. Excluding this one-time event, investment expenses are comparable for the 12 months ended 2019 and 2018.
Net realized investment gains were up approximately 13% in 2019 as compared to 2018. As seen in the table above, the 2019 gains were mainly attributable to the sale of certain equity securities and real estate, which were partially offset by the recognition of an other-than-temporary impairment on a fixed maturity in 2019 and on real estate during 2018.
During 2019, the Company received an offer to purchase its investments in certain music royalties held in the form of equity investments. As a result of this event, the Company elected to change its valuation methodology from using discounted cash flow models to estimate fair value to marking the investment to the offer price to estimate the fair value. The change in methodology resulted in recording an unrealized gain on investment of approximately $2.1 million during the year ended December 31, 2019. The investments were sold during the first quarter of 2020. The Company recognized a gain of approximately $4.2 million on the sale. The 2020 net income is unaffected by the sale as the realized gain is offset by the unrealized gain reversal at the time of sale.
The Company reported total benefits and other expenses of approximately $24 million and $24.8 million for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively. Benefits, claims and settlement expenses represented approximately 63% of the Company’s total expenses for 2019 and 2018. The other major expense category of the Company is operating expenses, which represented 33% and 34% of the Company’s total expenses for 2019 and 2018, respectively.
The short-term impact of policy surrenders is negligible since a reserve for future policy benefits payable is held which is, at a minimum, equal to and generally greater than the cash surrender value of a policy. The benefit of fewer policy surrenders is primarily received over a longer time period through the retention of the Company’s asset base.
Net amortization of cost of insurance acquired decreased approximately 4% when comparing current and prior year activity. Cost of insurance acquired is established when an insurance company is acquired or when the Company acquires a block of in-force business. The Company assigns a portion of its cost to the right to receive future profits from insurance contracts existing at the date of the acquisition. Cost of insurance acquired is amortized with interest in relation to expected future profits, including direct charge-offs for any excess of the unamortized asset over the projected future profits. The interest rates may vary due to risk analysis performed at the time of acquisition on the business acquired. The Company utilizes a 12% discount rate on the remaining unamortized business. The amortization is adjusted retrospectively when estimates of current or future gross profits to be realized from a group of products are revised. Amortization of cost of insurance acquired is particularly sensitive to changes in interest rate spreads and persistency of certain blocks of insurance in-force. This expense is expected to decrease, unless the Company acquires a new block of business.
As of December 31, 2019, the carrying value of fixed maturity securities in default as to principal or interest was immaterial in the context of consolidated assets, shareholders’ equity or results from operations. To provide additional flexibility and liquidity, the Company has identified all fixed maturity securities as "investments available for sale". Investments available for sale are carried at market value, with changes in market value charged directly to the other comprehensive component of shareholders' equity. Changes in the market value of available for sale securities resulted in net unrealized gains (losses) of approximately $10.8 million and $(7.7) million as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively. The variance in the net unrealized gains and losses is the result of normal market fluctuations mainly related to changes in interest rates in the market place.
An additional source of liquidity to the Parent company and its subsidiaries is the line of credit facilities extended to them. As of December 31, 2019 and 2018, the Company and its subsidiaries had available $18 million in line of credit facilities. The Company did not utilize its available credit facilities during 2018 or 2019. For additional information regarding the line of credit facilities, see Note 7 - Credit Arrangements in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
During 2019 and 2018, the Company’s investing activities provided net cash of approximately $18.4 million and $2 million, respectively. The Company recognized proceeds of approximately $69.2 million and $107.7 million from investments sold and matured in 2019 and 2018, respectively. The Company used approximately $50.9 million and $105.7 million to acquire investments during 2019 and 2018, respectively. The net cash provided by investing activities is expected to vary from year to year depending on market conditions and management’s ability to find and negotiate favorable investment contracts.
Net cash used in financing activities was approximately $1.2 million and $2.2 million during 2019 and 2018, respectively. As of December 31, 2019 and 2018, the Company had no debt outstanding with third parties.
The Company had $0 debt outstanding as of December 31, 2019 and 2018.
Effective January 1, 2018, the Company adopted ASU 2016-01. As a result, equity securities are no longer classified as available-for-sale with unrealized gains and losses recognized in other comprehensive income; rather, all changes in the fair value of equity securities are now recognized in net income. The Company reclassified approximately $18.3 million of unrealized gains from equity securities from being a component of accumulated other comprehensive income to a component of retained earnings.
Mortgage Loans on Real Estate - Mortgage loans on real estate are reported at their unpaid principal balances, adjusted for amortization of premium or discount and valuation allowances. Valuation allowances are established for impaired loans when it is probable that contractual principal and interest will not be collected. Included in the mortgage loans balance is discounted mortgage loans on real estate. Discounted mortgage loans on real estate are loans that the Company purchased at a deep discount through an auction process led by the Federal Government or other intermediary. In general, the discounted loans are non-performing and there is a significant amount of uncertainty surrounding the timing and amount of cash flows to be received by the Company. Accordingly, the Company records its investment in the discounted loans at its original purchase price adjusted for any principal receipts. Management works with the borrower to reach a settlement on the loan or they foreclose on the underlying collateral which is primarily commercial real estate. For cash payments received during the work out process, the Company records these payments to interest income on a cash basis. For loan settlements reached, the Company records the amount in excess of the carrying amount of the loan as a discount accretion to investment income at the closing date. Management reviews the discount loan portfolio regularly for impairment. If an impairment is identified (after consideration of the underlying collateral), the Company records an impairment to earnings in the period the information becomes known.
Fair Value - Fair values for cash, short-term investments, short-term debt, receivables and payables approximate carrying value. Fair values for fixed maturities, equity securities and certain other assets are determined in accordance with specific accounting guidance. Fair values are based on quoted market prices, where available. Otherwise, fair values are based on quoted market prices of comparable instruments in active markets, quotes in inactive markets, or other observable criteria. Mortgage loans on real estate are estimated using discounted cash flow analyses. Discounted mortgage loans on real estate are reported at original purchase price, which Management believes approximates fair value. For more specific information regarding the Company’s measurements and procedures in valuing financial instruments, see Note 3 - Fair Value Measurements.
Cash Equivalents - Cash equivalents consist of money market accounts and investments with maturities of three months or less when purchased.
Future Policy Benefits and Expenses - The liabilities for traditional life insurance and accident and health insurance policy benefits are computed using a net level method. These liabilities include assumptions as to investment yields, mortality, withdrawals, and other assumptions based on the life insurance subsidiary’s experience adjusted to reflect anticipated trends and to include provisions for possible unfavorable deviations. The Company makes these assumptions at the time the contract is issued or, in the case of contracts acquired by purchase, at the purchase date. Future policy benefits for individual life insurance and annuity policies are computed using interest rates ranging from 2.0% to 6.0% for life insurance and 2.5% to 7.5% for annuities. Benefit reserves for traditional life insurance policies include certain deferred profits on limited-payment policies that are being recognized in income over the policy term. Policy benefit claims are charged to expense in the period that the claims are incurred. The mortality rate assumptions for policies currently issued by the Company are based on 2001 select and ultimate tables. Withdrawal rate assumptions are based upon Linton B or C, which are industry standard actuarial tables for forecasting assumed policy lapse rates.
Benefit reserves for universal life insurance and interest sensitive life insurance products are computed under a retrospective deposit method and represent policy account balances before applicable surrender charges. Policy benefits and claims that are charged to expense include benefit claims in excess of related policy account balances. Interest crediting rates for universal life and interest sensitive products range from 3.0% to 6.0% as of December 31, 2019 and 2018.
Income Taxes - Income taxes are accounted for under the asset and liability method. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax impact attributable to differences between the financial statement book values and tax bases of assets and liabilities. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. More information concerning income taxes is provided in Note 6 - Income Taxes.
In August 2018, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2018-12, Financial Services-Insurance (Topic 944): Targeted Improvements to the Accounting for Long-Duration Contracts or ASU 2018-12. ASU 2018-12 significantly changes how insurers account for long-duration insurance contracts. The new guidance will require insurers to review and update, if necessary, the assumptions used to measure insurance liabilities periodically, rather than retain assumptions used at contract inception. The updated guidance also changes the recognition and measurement of deferred acquisition costs (DAC) and created a new category of benefit features called market risk benefits (MRB) that will be measured at fair value. The guidance also significantly expands the disclosure requirements for long-duration contracts. The ASU was originally effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, for years beginning after December 15, 2020 and early adoption is permitted. The guidance on measuring the liabilities for future policy benefits and DAC will be adopted on a modified retrospective basis as of the earliest period presented in the year of adoption. The guidance on MRB will be adopted on a retrospective basis as of the earliest period presented in the year of adoption. In November of 2019, the FASB issued ASU 2019-09, which delayed the effective date of ASU 2018-12 to fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023 for smaller reporting companies. The Company is currently evaluating the impact that the adoption of this guidance will have on its consolidated financial statements.
Substantially all of the unrealized losses on fixed maturities available for sale at December 31, 2019 and 2018 are attributable to changes in market interest rates and general disruptions in the credit market subsequent to purchase. The Company does not currently intend to sell nor does it expect to be required to sell any of the securities in an unrealized loss position. Based upon the Company’s expected continuation of receipt of contractually required principal and interest payments and its intent and ability to retain the securities until price recovery, as well as the Company’s evaluation of other relevant factors, the Company deems these securities to be temporarily impaired as of December 31, 2019 and 2018.
The Company held equity investments with an aggregate cost of $10,919,247 and $12,118,617 at December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively. These equity investments were not reported at fair value because it is not practicable to estimate their fair values due to insufficient information being available. Management did not identify any events or changes in circumstances that might have a significant adverse effect on the reported value of those investments. Based on Management's evaluation of the expected cash flow of the investments, and the Company's ability and intent to hold the investments for a reasonable period of time, the Company does not deem an other-than-temporary impairment necessary at December 31, 2019.
Securities designated as trading securities are reported at fair value, with gains or losses resulting from changes in fair value recognized in net investment income on the Consolidated Statements of Operations. Trading Securities included exchange-traded equities and exchange-traded options. Trading securities carried as liabilities were securities sold short. A gain, limited to the price at which the security was sold short, or a loss, potentially unlimited in size, was recognized upon the termination of the short sale. Earnings from trading securities were classified in cash flows from operating activities. The Company did not hold any trading securities at December 31, 2019 or 2018.
A mortgage loan reserve is established and adjusted based on Management's quarterly analysis of the portfolio and any deterioration in value of the underlying property which would reduce the net realizable value of the property below its current carrying value. The mortgage loan reserve was $0 at December 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018.
Notes receivable represent collateral loans and promissory notes issued by the Company and are reported at their unpaid principal balances, adjusted for valuation allowances. Valuation allowances are established for impaired loans when it is probable that contractual principal and interest will not be collected. The valuation allowance as of December 31, 2019 and 2018 was $0. Interest accruals are analyzed based on the likelihood of repayment. The Company does not utilize a specified number of days delinquent to cause an automatic non-accrual status. During 2019 and 2018, the Company acquired $16,031,605 and $11,496,998 of notes receivable, respectively.
The Company’s investments in fixed maturity securities available for sale, equity securities and trading securities assets and liabilities are carried at fair value. The following are the Company’s methodologies and valuation techniques for assets and liabilities measured at fair value.
Equity securities consist of common and preferred stocks mainly in private equity investments, financial institutions and publicly traded corporations. Equity securities for which there is sufficient market data are categorized as Level 1 or 2 in the fair value hierarchy. For the equity securities in which quoted market prices are not available, the Company uses industry standard pricing methodologies, including discounted cash flow models that may incorporate various inputs such as payment expectations, risk of the investment, market data, and health of the underlying company. The inputs are based upon Management's assumptions and available market information. When evidence is believed to support a change to the carrying value from the transaction price, adjustments are made to reflect the expected cash flows, material events and market data. These investments are included in Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy.
Change in fair value of equity securities included in net income (loss) relating to assets held
Short-term investments are stated at amortized costs, which approximates fair value.
The carrying amount of cash and cash equivalents in the Consolidated Balance Sheets approximates fair value given the highly liquid nature of the instruments. The inputs used to measure the fair value of our cash and cash equivalents are classified as Level 1 within the fair value hierarchy.
The Company does not have any short-duration reinsurance contracts. The effect of the Company's long-duration reinsurance contracts on premiums earned in 2019 and 2018 were as follows:
The expense for income taxes differed from the amounts computed by applying the applicable United States statutory rate of 21% and 21% as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively, before income taxes as a result of the following differences:
The Company also has a deferred tax asset of $0 and $43,717 relating to an AMT tax carryforward as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively. As a result of the changes to the Alternative Minimum Tax and corresponding credits resulting from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act ("TCJA"), Management has determined that an allowance against this asset is no longer required.
The Company’s Federal income tax returns are periodically audited by the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”). There are currently no examinations in process, nor is Management aware of any pending examination by the IRS. The Company follows the accounting guidance for uncertainty in income taxes using the provisions of Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) ASC 740, Income Taxes. Using that guidance, tax positions initially need to be recognized in the financial statements when it is more-likely-than-not the position will be sustained upon examination by the tax authorities. Such tax positions initially and subsequently need to be measured as the largest amount of tax benefit that has a greater than 50% likelihood of being realized upon ultimate settlement with the tax authority assuming full knowledge of the position and relevant facts. The Company has evaluated its tax positions, expiring statutes of limitations, changes in tax law and new authoritative rulings and believes that no disclosure relative to a provision of income taxes is necessary, at this time, to cover any uncertain tax positions. Tax years that remain subject to examination are the years ended December 31, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019.
The UTG line of credit carries interest at a fixed rate of 4.040% and is payable monthly. As collateral, UTG has pledged 100% of the common voting stock of its wholly owned subsidiary, Universal Guaranty Life Insurance Company ("UG").
During May of 2019, the Federal Home Loan Bank approved UG’s Cash Management Advance Application (“CMA”). The CMA gives the Company the option of selecting a variable rate of interest for up to 90 days or a fixed rate for a maximum of 30 days. The variable rate CMA is prepayable at any time without a fee, while the fixed CMA is not prepayable prior to maturity.
Stock Repurchase Program - The Board of Directors of UTG has authorized the repurchase in the open market or in privately negotiated transactions of UTG's common stock. At a meeting of the Board of Directors in June of 2019, the Board of Directors of UTG authorized the repurchase of up to an additional $2.5 million of UTG's common stock, for a total repurchase of $18.5 million of UTG's common stock in the open market or in privately negotiated transactions. Company Management has broad authority to operate the program, including the discretion of whether to purchase shares and the ability to suspend or terminate the program. Open market purchases are made based on the last available market price but may be limited. During 2019, the Company repurchased 29,252 shares through the stock repurchase program for $909,368. Through December 31, 2019, UTG has spent $14,773,097 in the acquisition of 1,169,358 shares under this program.
In December of 2019, the Company issued 3,024 shares of its common stock as compensation to the Directors. The shares were valued at $35.50 per share, the market value at the date of issue. During 2019, the Company recorded $107,352 in operating expense related to the stock issuance. In December of 2018, the Company issued 2,994 shares of its common stock as compensation to the Directors. The shares were valued at $32.50 per share, the market value at the date of issue. During 2018, the Company recorded $97,305 in operating expense related to the stock issuance.
UG is domiciled in the state of Ohio. Ohio requires notification within 5 business days to the insurance commissioner following the declaration of any ordinary dividend and at least ten days calendar days prior to payment of such dividend. Ordinary dividends are defined as the greater of: a) prior year statutory net income or b) 10% of statutory capital and surplus. Extraordinary dividends (amounts in excess of ordinary dividend limitations) require prior approval of the insurance commissioner and are not restricted to a specific calculation. UG paid ordinary dividends of $6 million and $5 million to UTG in 2019 and 2018, respectively. No extraordinary dividends were paid during the two years year period. UTG used the dividends received during 2019 and 2018 to purchase outstanding shares of UTG stock and for general operations of the Company.
UTG has a 30.10% ownership interest in an aircraft that is jointly owned with First Southern National Bank and Bandyco, LLC. Bandyco, LLC is affiliated with the Estate of Ward F. Correll. Mr. Correll is the father of Jesse Correll and a former director of the Company. The aircraft is used for business related travel by various officers and employees of the Company. For years 2019 and 2018, UTG paid $354,404 and $391,851 for costs associated with the aircraft, respectively.
Effective January 1, 2007, UTG entered into administrative services and cost sharing agreements with its subsidiary. Under this arrangement, the subsidiary pays its proportionate share of expenses, based on an allocation formula. During 2019 and 2018, UG paid $7,397,953 and $7,093,227, respectively, in expenses. The Ohio Department of Insurance has approved the cost sharing agreement and it is Management’s opinion that where applicable, costs have been allocated fairly and such allocations are based upon accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Effective January 1, 2017, UTG entered into a shared services contract with FSNB. Pursuant to the terms of the agreement, UTG and FSNB will utilize the services of the other’s staff in certain instances for the betterment of both entities. Personnel within departments, such as accounting, human resources, and information technology, are shared between the entities. Costs of these resources are then reimbursed between the companies. The shared services arrangement provides benefits to both parties such as access to a greater pool of knowledgeable staff, efficiencies from elimination of redundancies and more streamlined operations.
The Company reimbursed expenses incurred by employees of FSNB relating to salaries, travel and other costs incurred on behalf of or relating to the Company and received reimbursements from FSNB. The Company paid $519,857 and $571,648 in 2019 and 2018, respectively to FSNB in net reimbursement of such costs. In addition, the Company reimburses FSNB a portion of salaries and pension costs for Mr. Correll and Mr. Ditto. The reimbursement was approved by the UTG Board of Directors and totaled $322,188 and $307,645 in 2019 and 2018, respectively, which included salaries and other benefits.
The Company rents approximately 8,000 square feet of office space, located in Stanford, Kentucky, from FSNB and pays $2,000 per month in rent. The Company paid rent of $24,000 to FSNB during 2019 and 2018.
As previously disclosed in the Notes Receivable section of Note 2 - Investments, several of the Company’s notes have participation agreements in place with third parties. Certain participation agreements are with FSF, a related party. The participation agreements are sold without recourse and assigned to the participant based on their pro-rata share of the principal, interest and collateral as specified in the participation agreements. The undivided participations in the notes receivable range from 20% - 50%. The total amount of loans participated to FSF was $250,000 as of December 31, 2019 and 2018.
The Company reinsures that portion of insurance risk which is in excess of its retention limits. Retention limits range up to $125,000 per life. Life insurance ceded represented 20% of total life insurance in force at December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively. Insurance ceded represented 33% and 35% of premium income for 2019 and 2018, respectively. The Company would be liable for the reinsured risks ceded to other companies to the extent that such reinsuring companies are unable to meet their obligations.