Net investment income increased $1.8 million, or 34.2%, to $7.2 million during the year ended December 31, 2015, compared with $5.4 million during the year ended December 31, 2014. This increase is mainly due to a year-over-year overall growth of our investment portfolio, specifically growth in the debt securities investment offset by a decrease in our debt securities investment yields, net, which were 2.3% and 2.7% for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively.
We believe that the reserves for unpaid loss and LAE established by our insurance companies are adequate as of December 31, 2015; however, additional reserves, which could have a material impact upon our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows, may be necessary in the future.
Refer to note 2(r), “Summary of Significant Accounting Policies - Recent Accounting Pronouncements” in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements set forth in Part II, Item 8 “Financial Statements and Supplemental Data” of this Form 10-K for a discussion of recent accounting pronouncements and their effect, if any, on the Company.
We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), Federated National Holding Company and subsidiaries' internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2015, based on criteria established in Internal Control-Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (2013 framework) and our report dated March 14, 2016 expressed an unqualified opinion thereon.
The actual income tax expense differs from the “expected” income tax expense (computed by applying the combined applicable effective federal and state tax rates to income before income tax expense as follows):
Additionally, Florida Statutes require the Company’s insurance companies to maintain specified levels of statutory capital and restrict the timing and amount of dividends and other distributions that may be paid to the parent company. These standards require dividends to be paid only from statutory unassigned surplus. The maximum dividend that may be paid by the Company’s insurance companies to their parent company, without prior regulatory approval is limited to the lesser of statutory net income from operations of the preceding calendar year, not including realized capital gains, plus a 2-year carryforward or 10.0% of statutory unassigned surplus as of the preceding year end. A dividend may also be taken without prior regulatory approval if (a) the dividend is equal to or less than the greater of (i) Ten percent of the insurer’s surplus as to policyholders derived from realized net operating profits on its business and net realized capital gains; or (ii) the insurer’s entire net operating profits and realized net capital gains derived during the immediately preceding calendar year; (b) the insurer will have surplus as to policyholders equal to or exceeding 115 percent of the minimum required statutory surplus as to policyholders after the dividend or distribution is made; and (c) the insurer has filed notice with the office at least 10 business days prior to the dividend payment or distribution, or such shorter period of time as approved by the Florida OIR on a case-by-case basis. These dividends are referred to as “ordinary dividends.” However, if a dividend, together with other dividends paid within the preceding twelve months, exceeds this statutory limit or is paid from sources other than earned surplus, the entire dividend is generally considered an “extraordinary dividend” and must receive prior regulatory approval before such dividend can be paid.
The following is a summary of unaudited quarterly results of operations: