Home Service Life premiums decreased approximately 2.3% during the first three months of 2006 compared to the same period in 2005 due to higher lapse rates. New sales began to decline in the fourth quarter of 2005 and have continued to decline in 2006 as a result of producer response to the Company’s introduction of a variable first year commission program designed to improve persistency in this segment. The Company also lost our regional representative for the Florida and Georgia region, as well as several producers in that region early in 2005. The Company continues its efforts to attract successful, experienced Home Service agents. In the fourth quarter of 2004, the Company began to geographically expand the Home Service market, hiring two new regional representatives to recruit new agents in Ohio and Pennsylvania. Company management considers it a challenge to increase new sales even modestly, while providing incentive to keep business in force for longer periods than we have historically experienced (i.e. improve our persistency rate) in this segment.
Broker Life premiums increased 17.9% in the first three months of 2006 compared to the same period of 2005 primarily because the Company has been aggressively developing relationships with new Managing General Agents to market the new final expense product introduced in 2005.
Pre-need Life premiums continued to decrease during the first three months of 2006 compared to the same period in 2005 as the result of the Company’s earlier modification of certain policy benefits and commissions (which resulted in a loss in the number of producers) and an intentional refocusing of marketing efforts toward segments that the Company believes offer more positive potential in the current environment.
Dental premiums decreased 5.7% during the first three months of 2006 compared to the first three months of 2005 because the competition in this market continues to intensify and the Company has strengthened renewal underwriting standards in an effort to improve the loss ratio for this product. The Dental loss ratio for the first three months of 2006 was 62.2% compared to 65.7% for the same period in 2005.
Other Health premiums declined modestly because these products are not being actively marketed as the Company continues to redirect the focus of its marketing efforts to the Home Service Life, Broker Life and Dental segments in an effort to improve profitability in those segments.
Net benefits decreased $448,000, or 8.4% during the first three months of 2006 compared to the first three months of 2005 due primarily to an improved mortality rate in the Pre-need Life segment. The decrease in net benefit reserves decreased $220,000 during the first three months of 2006 compared to the same period in 2005 primarily due to the decrease in Pre-need policies issued and in force during the period. Commissions increased $42,000 or 3.7% for the first three months of 2006 compared to the same period of 2005 due to the increased premiums collected for the period and a higher first year commission rate paid on the new final expense premiums written. As discussed above, General expenses increased $114,000, or 6.9% during the first three months of 2006 compared to the same period of 2005 principally due to the costs of employing a marketing executive for life insurance products in the second quarter of 2005 and two marketing executives for the group dental product in the
fall of 2005. We also placed in service, and therefore began to depreciate, the new group administration system in January 2006.
The deferral of policy acquisition costs increased $45,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2006 compared to the same period in 2005 principally due to the costs associated with issuing the new final expense product. Amortization of deferred policy acquisition costs and the value of insurance acquired decreased $82,000 in the first quarter of 2006 compared to the first quarter of 2005, primarily due to the decreasing amount of Pre-need and acquired Home Service insurance in force.
Pretax income increased approximately $353,000 to $413,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2006 compared to a pretax income of $59,000 for the same period in 2005. Net investment income decreased $70,000, or 4% for the first three months of 2006 compared to the same period of 2005, due to a 3.2% decline in invested assets and cash and cash equivalents, the disposal of high interest bonds, and less dividends received from equity investments.
Net realized investment gains increased to $446,000 for the first three months of 2006 from net investment gains of $55,000 for the same period in 2005 because the Company took advantage of opportunities to realize gains in 2006, while restructuring its portfolio to reduce investment in long duration fixed maturities.
Pretax Segment profit (excluding realized investment gains and interest expense) for the first three months of 2006 was approximately $77,000 compared to $90,000 for the first three months of 2005. This is attributable to the factors described above.
Following are the approximate, annualized pretax investment income and “total return” yields (defined as yields including net investment income, net realized investment gains or losses and net change in the excess or deficit of market values over book values of the investment portfolios or unrealized gains (losses)) for the three months ended March 31, 2006 and 2005. Pretax unrealized gains (losses) totaled $374,000 and $(3,372,000) on equities and fixed maturity securities, respectively for the three-month period ended March 31, 2006 and $(668,000) and $(2,019,000) on equities and fixed maturity securities, respectively for the three-month period ended March 31, 2005.
![](https://capedge.com/proxy/10-QA/0000887136-06-000017/img2.gif)
FINANCIAL POSITION. Shareholders’ equity totaled approximately $15,154,000 and $17,437,000 at March 31, 2006 and December 31, 2005, respectively. These balances reflect an approximate 13.09% decrease for the three months ended March 31, 2006. Comprehensive loss totaled approximately $(2,235,000) and $(1,605,000) for the three months ended March 31, 2006 and 2005, respectively. A significant portion of the comprehensive loss is attributable to changes in the fair value of the Company’s fixed maturity and equity portfolios. Equity securities comprised approximately 5.6% of the Company’s total assets as of both March 31, 2006 and December 31, 2005. Accordingly, movements in the equities markets can significantly affect the Company’s financial position. Equity portfolio positions decreased $583,000 on a cost basis (including $218,000 in other than temporary impairment write downs) and $186,000 on a market value basis, during the first three months of 2006. Fixed maturity portfolio positions decreased $10,456,000 on an amortized cost basis and $13,828,000 on a market value basis during the same period. These decreases result from the disposal of equity securities and high-yield, long duration fixed maturity securities in an effort to increase the risk adjusted capital levels of the Company’s insurance subsidiaries. Cash and cash equivalent positions increased, pending investment, approximately $9,809,000 during the three months ended March 31, 2006.
16
The fixed maturities markets continue to be highly volatile and were unfavorable in the first quarter of 2006. Interest yields on fixed maturity investments held in our portfolio are continuing to slowly increase. Low short-term rates continue to adversely impact the Company’s investment portfolio yield and operating earnings. The 2006 environment continues to generate a relatively high level of qualitative investment risk. However, measures of quantitative risk per unit of investment are not believed to have changed significantly from those previously disclosed in the Company’s 2005 Form 10-K.
OFF-BALANCE SHEET ARRANGEMENTS
The Company does not participate in any off-balance sheet arrangements.
CASH FLOWS AND LIQUIDITY
Cash used in operations totaled $(1,087,000) for the three months ended March 31, 2006 compared to $1,000 for the same period in the prior year. The increase in the negative cash flow is primarily attributable to the decrease in premiums collected in the period. The $11,112,000 of cash provided by investing activities for the three months ended March 31, 2006 resulted from the net decrease in the investment portfolio on a cost basis. The $216,000 of cash used in financing activities during the first three months of 2006 is attributable to bank loan principal repayments, repurchases of Company common stock, and net annuity and Universal Life account withdrawals, offset by proceeds from additional borrowings from a related party. Regarding the currently scheduled bank debt repayments, the Company believes its available resources will be adequate to service 2006 debt obligations. The Company’s Chairman has expressed potential willingness to loan the Company an additional $640,000 if necessary, to service bank debt obligations through 2007.
A summary of all known commitments of the Company as of March 31, 2006, including the aforementioned borrowings, and an estimate (based on reasonable assumptions and anticipated trends) of payments to be made for future policy benefits and contract claims, is as follows:
![](https://capedge.com/proxy/10-QA/0000887136-06-000017/img15.gif)
(a) | anticipated cash benefit payments not including any future earnings or additional premiums. |
Management is not aware of any other commitments or unusual events that could materially affect the Company’s capital resources.
FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION.
All statements, trend analyses and other information contained in this report relative to markets for the Company’s products and trends in the Company’s operations or financial results, as well as other statements including words such as “anticipate”, “believe”, “plan”, “estimate”, “expect”, “intend”, and other similar expressions, constitute forward-looking statements under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause actual results to be materially different from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among other things:
• | the market value of the Company’s investments, including stock market performance and prevailing interest rate levels; |
• | customer and agent response to new products, distribution channels and marketing initiatives, including exposure to unrecoverable advanced commissions; |
17
• | mortality, morbidity, lapse rates, and other factors which may affect the profitability of the Company’s insurance products; |
• | regulatory changes or actions, including those relating to regulation of insurance products and insurance companies; |
• | ratings assigned to the Company’s insurance subsidiaries by independent rating organizations which the Company believes are important to the sale of its products; |
• | general economic conditions and increasing competition which may affect the Company’s ability to sell its products; |
• | the Company’s ability to achieve anticipated levels of operating efficiencies and meet cash requirements based upon projected liquidity sources; |
| • | unanticipated adverse litigation outcomes; and | |
• | changes in the Federal income tax laws and regulations that may affect the relative tax advantages of some of the Company’s products. |
| | | | |
There can be no assurance that other factors not currently anticipated by management will not also materially and adversely affect the Company’s results of operations.
Part I; Item 3 - Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk
Quantitative and Qualitative Risk. The primary changes in quantitative market risks during the three months ended March 31, 2006 are discussed in Part I, Item 2 above.
Part I; Item 4 – Controls and Procedures
EVALUATION OF DISCLOSURE CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES. Within the past 90 days, the Company conducted an evaluation of its disclosure controls and procedures, with the supervision and participation of its Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer. The Company does not expect that its disclosure controls and procedures will prevent all errors and fraud. Such a control system, no matter how well conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the control system are met. Further, the design of a control system must balance the constraint of prudent resource expenditure with a judgmental evaluation of risks and benefits. Based on this evaluation of disclosure controls and procedures, including controls and procedures related to the new group administration system, the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have concluded that such controls and procedures provide reasonable assurance that material information required to be included in the Company’s periodic SEC reports is made known on a timely basis to the Company’s principal executive and financial officers.
CHANGES IN INTERNAL CONTROLS. There have been no significant changes in the Company’s internal controls or changes in other factors that could significantly affect these controls subsequent to their evaluation, nor has the Company implemented any corrective actions regarding significant deficiencies or material weaknesses in internal controls.
18
Part II – Other Information
Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds.
Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
| | | | |
Period | Total Number of Shares Purchased | Average Price Paid per Share (a ) | Total Number of Shares Purchased as part of Publicly Announced Plans or Programs ( b ) | Approximate Dollar Value of Shares that May Yet be Purchased Under the Plans or Programs ( b ) |
January 1, 2006 through January 31, 2006 | 0 | $0.00 | 0 | $147,109 |
February 1, 2006 through February 28, 2006 | 0 | 0 | 0 | $147,109 |
March 1, 2006 through March 31, 2006 | 7,157 | $6.62 | 7,157 | $99,733 |
Total | 7,157 | $6.62 | 7,157 | |
(a) | The average price paid per share of stock repurchased under the stock repurchase program includes any commissions paid to the brokers. |
(b) | Repurchased pursuant to the stock repurchase program publicly announced on August 12, 1998 under which our Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of up to an aggregate of $1,200,000 of our common stock and amended November 12, 2002 to authorize the repurchase of an additional $250,000. Under the repurchase program, we may repurchase outstanding shares of our common stock from time to time in the open market and through privately negotiated transactions. Unless terminated earlier by resolution of our Board of Directors, the repurchase program will expire when we have repurchased all shares authorized for repurchase under the repurchase program. |
Item 6. Exhibits.
a). | Exhibit 11 | Statement re: computation of per share earnings. | |
| Exhibit 31.1 | Rule 13a-14(a)/15d-14(a) Certification --Principal Executive Officer |
| Exhibit 31.2 | Rule 13a-14(a)/15d-14(a) Certification --Principal Financial Officer | |
| Exhibit 32.1 | Section 1350 Certification --Principal Executive Officer | |
| Exhibit 32.2 | Section 1350 Certification --Principal Financial Office | |
| | | | | | | | |
19
SIGNATURES
In accordance with the requirements of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
![](https://capedge.com/proxy/10-QA/0000887136-06-000017/img14.gif)
Date: July 12, 2006
20