We expect to file our Form 10-Q and post it on our website on or before August 6.
Turning to slide 4, we reported operating earnings per share of $0.66, which represents 20% growth over the prior period, or 60% growth excluding significant items in both periods.
Total Life and Health NAP was up 35% over the second quarter of 2020 and up 10% relative to 2019 levels.
We ended the quarter with an RBC ratio of 409% and $336 million in cash at the holding company while also returning $105 million to shareholders through a combination of share repurchases and dividends.
Turning to slide 5 and our growth scorecard: As was the case for 6 consecutive quarters prior to the pandemic, all 5 of our scorecard metrics were up year-over-year.
Overall health sales were up almost 90% over the prior period which reflected the first full quarter of the pandemic when state home restrictions were first Instituted.
Total collected life and health premiums were up 1%.
Annuity collected premiums were up 42% year-over-year, relative to the second quarter of 2019 annuity collected premiums were up 1%.
Client assets in brokerage and advisory grew 33% year-over-year to $2.6 billion fueled by new accounts, which were up 13%, net client asset inflows and market value appreciation.
Sequentially client assets grew 8%.
Fee revenue was up 50% year-over-year to $31 million, reflecting growth in 3rd party sales, growth within our broker dealer, and registered investment advisor, and the inclusion of DirectPath results.
Life and health, sales were up 32% over the prior period, and 19% over the same period in 2019.
Life sales climbed 8% for the quarter to over $50 million reflecting the 6th consecutive quarter of year-over-year growth.
Life sales generated by our exclusive field agents were up 23% and comprised over 40% of our total life sales.
Our 3rd-party Medicare Advantage party sales were up 20% in the second quarter.
Consistent with the first quarter, roughly 50% of our Consumer Division life and health sales were completed virtually.
As I mentioned annuity collected premiums were up 42% as compared to the prior year and up 1% versus 2019.
The number of new annuity accounts grew 16% and the average annuity policy size rose 14%.
Client assets and brokerage and advisory grew 33% year-over-year and 8% sequential to $2.6 billion in the second quarter.
Combined with our annuity account values, we now manage $12.7 billion of assets for our clients.
Relative to the year-ago period, our producing agent count increased 7%.
Our securities licensed registered agent force was up 6%.
Ongoing pilots and programs to target new employer groups, offer new services, and capture new business continue to progress retention of our existing customers also remained strong with continued stable levels of employee persistency our producing agent count was up 15% year-over-year and 7% sequentially.
As a result agent count remains down nearly 40% from pre-COVID levels.
Relative to 2019 levels, our veteran agent count is up 7%.
Retention in productivity levels among our veteran agents who have been with us for more than 3 years remains very strong.
Turning to slide 8: Our robust free cash flow enabled us to return $105 million to shareholders in the second quarter, including $87 million in share buybacks.
We also raised our dividend 8% in May and 9 consecutive annual increase.
We intend to deploy 100% of our excess capital to its highest and best use over time.
Turning to the financial highlights on Slide 9: Operating earnings per share were up 20% year-over-year and up 60% excluding significant items.
Over the last 4 quarters, we have deployed $337 million of excess capital on share repurchases reducing weighted average shares outstanding by 7%.
Return on equity improved 90 basis points in the 12 months ending June 30, 2021 compared to the prior year period.
Excluding significant items increased by about $6 million sequentially driven by incentive compensation accrual adjustments related to earnings outperformance in the first half of the year.
Turning to slide 10: Insurance product margin in the second quarter was up $17 million or 8% excluding significant items.
Net COVID impacts were $21 million favorable in the quarter as compared to $6 million unfavorable in the prior year period.
Regarding our annuity margin, recall that in the second quarter of 2020, we saw a favorable mortality in our other annuities block unrelated to COVID, which translated to $10 million of positive impacts.
Investment income, not allocated to products, which is where the variable components of investment income flow through increased $40 million, reflecting a solid gain in the current period and our alternative investment portfolio and a loss on that portfolio in the prior year period.
Recall that we report our alternative investments on a 1/4 lag.
Our new money rate of 3.38% for the quarter was lower sequentially reflecting a continuation of our up in quality bias from the first quarter and continued spread tightening in general, partially offset by higher average underlying Treasury rate in the second quarter versus the first quarter.
Our new investments comprised $1.1 billion of assets, with an average rating of single A and an average duration of 16 years.
Turning to slide 12: At quarter end, our invested assets totaled $28 billion, up 8% year-over-year approximately 96% of our fixed maturity portfolio is investment grade rated with an average rating of single A. This allocation to single A rated holdings is up 200 basis points sequentially.
The BBB allocation comprised 39.4% of our fixed income maturities, down 140 basis points.
Turning to slide 13: We continue to generate strong free cash flow to the holding company in the sector with excess cash flow, $114 million or 128% of operating income for the quarter and $432 million or 119% of operating income on a trailing 12 month basis.
Turning to slide 14: At quarter end, our consolidated RBC ratio is 409%, which represents approximately $45 million of excess capital relative to the high end of our target range of 375% to 400%.
Our Holdco liquidity at quarter end was $336 million, which represents $186 million of excess capital relative to our target, minimum Holdco liquidity of $150 million.
Even after returning $105 million of capital to shareholders in the quarter, our excess capital grew by approximately $22 million from March 31 to June 30 of this year.
In our most recent forecast, we expect a continuation of the sales momentum we've seen in the past 5 quarters, we expect a modest net favorable COVID related mortality and morbidity impact on our insurance product margin for the balance of 2021 and the modest net unfavorable impact in 2022.
In general, we expect alternative investments to revert to a mean annualized return of between 7% and 8% at some point and over the long term, but the actual results will certainly be more variable with likely more upside potential than downside in the near term given the current economic outlook.

Summary:
Turning to slide 4, we reported operating earnings per share of $0.66, which represents 20% growth over the prior period, or 60% growth excluding significant items in both periods.
Total collected life and health premiums were up 1%.