As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 18, 1998 Registration No. 333-_______________ ================================================================================ SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, D.C. 20549 ------------------------- FORM S-8 REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933 ------------------------- ARM Financial Group, Inc. (Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter) Delaware 61--1244251 (State or other jurisdiction of (I.R.S. Employer incorporation or organization) Identification Number) 515 West Market Street Louisville, Kentucky 40202 (Address of Principal Executive Offices) ARM Financial Group, Inc. Savings Plan (Full title of the plans) ------------------------- John R. McGeeney ARM Financial Group, Inc. 515 West Market Street Louisville, Kentucky 40202 (Name and address of agent for service) (502) 582-7900 (Telephone number, including area code, of agent for service) ------------------------- CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE =========================================================================================================================== Title of Amount Proposed Maximum Proposed Maximum Amount of Securities to be to be Offering Price Per Aggregate Registration Registered Registered Share Offering Price Fee - --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Class A Convertible Common Stock 200,000 (1) $ 19.25 (2) $ 3,850,000 (2) $ 1135.75 par value $.01 per share =========================================================================================================================== <FN> (1) In addition, pursuant to Rule 416(c) under the Securities Act of 1933 (the "Securities Act"), as amended, this Registration Statement covers an indeterminate amount of interests to be offered or sold pursuant to the ARM Financial Group, Inc. Savings Plan. (2) The price shown is the average of the high and low prices of the Class A Convertible Common Stock on the New York Stock Exchange consolidated reporting system on August 11, 1998, in accordance with Rule 457(c), and is being utilized solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee. </FN> Part I INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE SECTION 10(a) PROSPECTUS Item 1. Plan Information.* Item 2. Registrant Information and Employee Plan Annual Information.* - -------------------- * Information required by Part I to be contained in the Section 10(a) prospectus is omitted from this Registration Statement in accordance with Rule 428 under the Securities Act, and the "Note" to Part I of Form S-8. 2 Part II INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT Item 3. Incorporation of Documents by Reference. The following documents, filed by ARM Financial Group, Inc. (the "Registrant"), are incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement: (a) the Registrant's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 1997; (b) the Registrant's Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 1998 and June 30, 1998; and (c) the description of the Registrant's Class A Convertible Common Stock, par value $.01 per share (the "Common Stock"), contained in the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form 8-A (File No. 001-12294) for registration of such Common Stock under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"). All documents subsequently filed by the Registrant pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Exchange Act, prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment which indicates that all securities offered have been sold or which deregisters all securities then remaining unsold, shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement and to be part hereof from the date of filing of such documents. Item 4. Description of Securities. Not applicable. Item 5. Interests of Named Experts and Counsel. Not applicable. 3 Item 6. Indemnification of Directors and Officers. Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law provides, in summary, that directors and officers of Delaware corporations are entitled, under certain circumstances, to be indemnified against all expenses and liabilities (including attorneys' fees) incurred by them as a result of suits brought against them in their capacity as a director or officer, if they acted in good faith and in a manner they reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, if they had no reasonable cause to believe their conduct was unlawful; provided that no indemnification may be made against expenses in respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which they shall have been adjudged to be liable to the corporation, unless and only to the extent that the court in which such action or suit was brought shall determine upon application that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all the circumstances of the case, they are fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses which the court shall deem proper. Any such indemnification may be made by the corporation only as authorized in each specific case upon a determination by the stockholders or disinterested directors that indemnification is proper because the indemnity has met the applicable standard of conduct. The Certificate of Incorporation of the Registrant (the "Certificate of Incorporation") provides that no director of the Registrant shall be personally liable to the Registrant or its stockholders for monetary damages for any breach of fiduciary duty as a director, except for liability: (i) for any breach of the director's duty of loyalty to the Registrant or its stockholders; (ii) for acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law; (iii) in respect of certain unlawful dividend payments or stock redemptions or purchases or (iv) for any transaction from which the director derived an improper personal benefit. The Certificate of Incorporation and the By-laws of the Registrant provide for indemnification of its directors and officers to the fullest extent permitted by Delaware law, as the same may be amended from time to time. In addition, Morgan Stanley Dean Witter & Co. ("MSDW") indemnifies those directors of the Registrant who are also employees of Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated. In addition, the Registrant and MSDW maintain directors' and officers' liability insurance for their respective directors and officers. Item 7. Exemption from Registration Claimed. Not applicable. 4 Item 8. Exhibits. The following exhibits are filed as part of this Registration Statement: 4.1 Form of Restated Certificate of Incorporation of ARM Financial Group, Inc. (incorporated by reference to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-14693)). 4.2 Form of Second Amended and Restated By-laws of ARM Financial Group, Inc. (incorporated by reference to the Form 10-Q filed by the Registrant on May 15, 1998). 23 Consent of Ernst & Young LLP. 24 Powers of Attorney (included on signature page). In addition, the Registrant undertakes that it will submit the ARM Financial Group, Inc. Savings Plan and any amendments thereto to the Internal Revenue Service (the "IRS") in a timely manner and will make all changes required by the IRS in order to qualify such plan under Section 401 of the Internal Revenue Code. Item 9. Undertakings. (a) The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes: (1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement to include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in this Registration Statement or any material change to such information in this Registration Statement; (2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof; and (3) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering. (b) The undersigned Registrant hereby further undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each filing of the Registrant's annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act (and each filing of an employee 5 benefit plan's annual report pursuant to section 15(d) of the Exchange Act) that is incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. (c) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission, such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the Registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue. 6 SIGNATURES Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Louisville, Commonwealth of Kentucky on the 18th day of August, 1998. ARM FINANCIAL GROUP, INC. By: /s/ Martin H. Ruby ----------------------------------------- Name: Martin H. Ruby Title: Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer) POWER OF ATTORNEY Each of the undersigned whose signature appears below hereby constitutes and appoints Martin H. Ruby and Robert H. Scott his true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agent, with full power of substitution and resubstitution, for him and in his name, place and stead, in any and all capacities to sign any and all amendments (including post-effective amendments) and supplements to this Registration Statement and any and all related registration statements necessary to register additional securities, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorney-in-fact and agent full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in and about the premises, as fully to all intents and purposes as he might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorney-in-fact and agent, or his substitute or substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof. 7 Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the indicated capacities on August 18, 1998. Signature Title --------- ----- /s/ Martin H. Ruby Chairman of the Board of - ---------------------------------- Directors and Chief Executive Martin H. Ruby Officer (Principal Executive Officer) /s/ Edward L. Zeman Executive Vice President-- - ---------------------------------- Chief Financial Officer Edward L. Zeman (Principal Financial Officer) /s/ Barry G. Ward Controller (Principal Accounting - ---------------------------------- Officer) Barry G. Ward /s/ Dudley J. Godfrey, Jr. Director - ---------------------------------- Dudley J. Godfrey, Jr. /s/ Edward D. Powers Director - ---------------------------------- Edward D. Powers /s/ Colin F. Raymond Director - ---------------------------------- Colin F. Raymond /s/ John R. Lindholm Director - ---------------------------------- John R. Lindholm /s/ Irwin T. Vanderhoof Director - ---------------------------------- Irwin T. Vanderhoof 8 ARM FINANCIAL GROUP, INC. SAVINGS PLAN. Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the trustee (or other persons who administer the employee benefit plan) has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized, in the City of the Commonwealth of Louisville, Kentucky, on the 18th day of August, 1998. ARM FINANCIAL GROUP INC. SAVINGS PLAN BY: /s/ Allen D. Purnell Jr. ------------------------------- Name: Allen D. Purnell Jr. Title: Human Resources Officer 9 Exhibit Index Exhibit No. Description of Document 4.1 Form of Restated Certificate of Incorporation of ARM Financial Group, Inc. (incorporated by reference to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-14693)). 4.2 Form of Second Amended and Restated By-laws of ARM Financial Group, Inc. (incorporated by reference to the Form 10-Q filed by the Registrant on May 15, 1998). 23 Consent of Ernst & Young LLP. 24 Powers of Attorney (included on signature page). 10