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National General Holdings Corp. Reports Fourth Quarter 2015 Results

NEW YORK, Feb. 09, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- National General Holdings Corp. (NASDAQ:NGHC) today reported fourth quarter 2015 operating earnings(1) of $42.3 million or $0.39 per diluted share, compared to $31.2 million or $0.33 per diluted share in the fourth quarter of 2014. Net income was $13.7 million or $0.13 per diluted share, compared to $11.2 million or $0.12 per diluted share in the fourth quarter of 2014. 

Full year 2015 operating earnings(1) were $165.5 million or $1.64 per diluted share, compared to $126.5 million or $1.35 per diluted share in 2014. Full year 2015 net income was $128.2 million or $1.27 per diluted share, compared to $100.0 million or $1.07 per diluted share in 2014.

Fourth Quarter 2015 Highlights Versus Fourth Quarter 2014*

  • Net written premium grew $211.6 million or 52.0% to $618.1 million, driven by added premiums from the National General Lender Services (formerly QBE Lender-Placed Insurance) and Assurant Health transactions which closed on October 1, 2015, underlying organic growth within our P&C business, and continued expansion of our A&H segment.
  • The combined ratio was 94.2%, in-line with 94.2% in the prior year's quarter, excluding non-cash amortization of intangible assets and impairment of goodwill, with both the P&C and A&H segments reporting an improvement in their respective combined ratios. 
  • Total revenues grew by $278.1 million or 58.6% to $752.5 million, driven by the aforementioned premium growth, service and fee income growth of $42.0 million or 73.3% (including Attorney-in-Fact management fees of $9.3 million), and net investment income growth of $4.1 million or 25.4%, partially offset by a $1.3 million decline in ceding commission income.
  • Shareholders' equity was $1.51 billion and fully diluted book value per share was $11.96 at December 31, 2015, growth of 42.9% and 14.2%, respectively, from December 31, 2014.  Annualized operating return on average equity (ROE) was 13.0% for the fourth quarter and 14.6% for the full year ended December 31, 2015.
  • Fourth quarter 2015 operating earnings exclude the following items, net of tax: $17.5 million or $0.16 per share of non-cash impairment of goodwill, $5.3 million or $0.05 per share of non-cash amortization of intangible assets, $4.4 million or $0.04 per share of other than temporary impairment losses, $0.9 million or $0.01 per share of foreign exchange losses, and $0.4 million or less than $0.01 per share of realized investment losses, and $0.1 million or less than $0.01 per share of equity in losses of unconsolidated subsidiaries (other than LSC Entities and Real Estate investments). 
  • Fourth quarter 2015 operating earnings include approximately $4.0 million or approximately $0.02 per share of losses related to the string of tornadoes that hit the Dallas, Texas area in late December 2015, and a net negative impact of $7.5 million or approximately $0.05 per share within our EuroAccident subsidiary as reserve strengthening was partially offset by a deferred purchase price adjustment. 

Michael Karfunkel, National General's Chairman and CEO, stated: "Our fourth quarter results were a solid finish to an excellent year at National General.  We continue to produce significant top line growth and strong underwriting profitability, and we enjoyed another busy year on the M&A front, completing two significant deals during the fourth quarter when we closed the National General Lender Services and Assurant Health transactions.  We expect that both of these transactions will be accretive to our personal lines franchise and our earnings power going forward.  We continue to focus on profitably growing our business both organically and through additional accretive M&A opportunities, maintaining an intense emphasis on disciplined expense management, integrating acquisitions, and delivering strong returns to our shareholders.”

*NOTE: Unless specified otherwise, discussion of our fourth quarter 2015 and 2014 results do not include financial results from the Reciprocal Exchanges, which are presented within our consolidated financial results within this release but are not included in net income available to NGHC common stockholders. Attorney-in-Fact management fees referenced within this release are eliminated in consolidated financial results.

Overview of Fourth Quarter 2015 as Compared to Fourth Quarter 2014

Gross written premium grew 46.5% to $678.2 million, net written premium grew 52.0% to $618.1 million, and net earned premium grew 58.8% to $642.3 million. Premium growth was driven by several key factors: underlying organic growth within our P&C business, continued expansion of our A&H segment, and additional premiums from the National General Lender Services (formerly QBE Lender-Placed Insurance) and Assurant Health acquisitions which closed on October 1, 2015.

Ceding commission income was a loss of $1.3 million reflecting a sliding scale adjustment related to our terminated third-party quota share. Service and fee income grew 73.3% to $99.3 million, driven by added service and fee income from recently completed acquisitions and underlying growth within both our A&H and P&C operations, with the latter including management fees of $9.3 million related to the Attorneys-in-Fact that manage the Reciprocal Exchanges.

Excluding non-cash amortization of intangible assets and impairment of goodwill, the combined ratio was 94.2% with a loss ratio of 69.3% and an expense ratio of 24.9%, versus a prior year combined ratio of 94.2% with a loss ratio of 68.2% and an expense ratio of 26.1%. Both the P&C and A&H segments reported an improvement in their respective combined ratios. 

Underwriting results detailed by each of our business segments are as follows:

  • Property & Casualty - Gross written premium grew by 31.6% to $579.7 million, net written premium grew by 37.7% to $529.0 million, and net earned premium grew by 45.3% to $543.5 million. P&C premium growth was driven by underlying organic growth of approximately 5.0% and the addition of $125.7 million of net written premium from the National General Lender Services acquisition, which closed on October 1, 2015. Ceding commission income was a loss of $1.5 million compared to $48 thousand of income in the prior year's quarter, reflecting a sliding scale adjustment related to our terminated third-party quota share.  Service and fee income grew 27.0% to $55.2 million, driven by increased premium volume in the quarter, the addition of service and fee income from acquisitions completed during the past year (including ARS and National General Lender Services), and $9.3 million of fees earned by the Attorneys-in-Fact that manage the Reciprocal Exchanges, compared to $8.4 million in the prior year’s quarter.  Excluding non-cash amortization of intangible assets and impairment of goodwill, the combined ratio was 92.4% with a loss ratio of 65.0% and an expense ratio of 27.3%, versus a prior year combined ratio of 92.8% with a loss ratio of 66.5% and an expense ratio of 26.3%. The improved loss ratio was driven primarily by business mix changes, most notably the addition of National General Lender Services which typically runs at lower loss ratios than our legacy business, partially offset by losses of approximately $4.0 million related to the string of tornadoes that hit the Dallas, Texas area in late December 2015.  The slight increase in the expense ratio is the result of business mix changes. 
  • Accident & Health - Gross written premium grew to $98.5 million, net written premium grew to $89.2 million, and net earned premium grew to $98.8 million, from $22.5 million, $22.4 million, and $30.5 million, respectively, in the prior year's quarter. A&H premium growth was driven by the addition of $53.1 million of net written premium from the Assurant Health acquisition, which closed on October 1, 2015, as well as continued growth from both our domestic and international businesses, with $22.2 million in net written premium at our U.S. underwriting subsidiaries compared to $9.8 million in the prior year’s quarter, and $13.9 million of premium from EuroAccident (our Swedish group life and health MGA) compared  to $12.6 million in the prior year’s quarter.  Service and fee income grew to $44.1 million from $13.8 million in the prior year’s quarter, driven by the addition of service and fee income from acquisitions completed over the past year (including HST and Assurant Health), and strong growth at VelaPoint (our call center general agency) and TABS (our domestic stop loss business).  Excluding non-cash amortization of intangible assets and impairment of goodwill, the combined ratio was 104.2% with a loss ratio of 92.7% and an expense ratio of 11.5%, versus a prior year combined ratio of 112.1% with a loss ratio of 88.8% and an expense ratio of 23.3%. Fourth quarter 2015 A&H results include the net negative impact of $7.5 million within our EuroAccident subsidiary. This included an increase to IBNR reserves to reflect a conversion to National General’s reserving philosophy from the prior carriers' reserving philosophy for business that was assumed in 2014 and is now written on National General paper, partially offset by the benefit from a corresponding adjustment made to reduce the deferred purchase price from the initial acquisition of EuroAccident.  
  • Reciprocal Exchanges - Results for the Reciprocal Exchanges are not included in net income available to NGHC common stockholders.  Gross written premium was $65.8 million, net written premium was $33.0 million, and net earned premium was $36.3 million.  Excluding non-cash amortization of intangible assets, the combined ratio was 102.1% with a loss ratio of 112.3% and an expense ratio of (10.2)%.   

Investment income grew 25.4% to $20.0 million, reflecting an increase in the size of our investment portfolio as compared to the prior year’s quarter. Fourth quarter 2015 results included $0.6 million of net realized investment losses compared with a loss of $0.1 million in the fourth quarter of 2014, as well as an other than temporary impairment loss of $6.8 million compared to a loss of $2.2 million in the fourth quarter of 2014. Total investments and cash equivalents were $2.7 billion as of December 31, 2015.  Accumulated other comprehensive income (AOCI) declined to $(19.4) million at December 31, 2015 from $2.4 million at September 30, 2015. 

Other revenue was a loss of $0.5 million in the fourth quarter of 2015 compared to a loss of $1.2 million in the prior year’s quarter, as both quarters included a foreign exchange loss from currency fluctuations within our European subsidiaries ($1.4 million in 4Q15 and $1.1 million in 4Q14), but the current year’s quarter was partially offset by a $0.8 million gain related to a grant received by Imperial. 

Interest expense was $8.2 million, up from $4.5 million in the prior year’s quarter due to an increased amount of debt on our balance sheet. Debt was $446.1 million as of December 31, 2015, up from $250.7 million at December 31, 2014 as a result of August 2015 issuance of $100 million of subordinated notes and our October 2015 issuance of $100 million of senior unsecured notes. 

Equity in earnings of unconsolidated subsidiaries (predominantly our investment in Life Settlement Entities and our Real Estate investments) was a $1.7 million gain in the fourth quarter of 2015 versus a $4.3 million gain in the prior year's quarter, reflecting fair value adjustments on life settlement contracts and income from real estate investments that were made during 2015. 

The fourth quarter 2015 provision for income taxes was $(0.5) million and the effective tax rate for the quarter was (3.0)%. Included in the fourth quarter 2015 provision for income taxes was an $18.2 million benefit attributable to a reduction of the deferred tax liability associated with the equalization reserves of our Luxembourg Reinsurance Company (LRC) subsidiaries.  Excluding this item and the non-cash impairment of goodwill, which is not tax deductible, the adjusted 2015 fourth quarter effective tax rate was 53.5%.  Excluding LRC tax benefits and the non-cash impairment of goodwill, the adjusted effective tax rate was 29.6% for the twelve months ended December 31, 2015.

National General Holding Corp.'s shareholders' equity was $1,514.0 million at December 31, 2015, growth of 42.9% from $1,059.8 million at December 31, 2014.  Fully diluted book value per share was $11.96 at December 31, 2015, growth of 14.2% from $10.47 at December 31, 2014.  Annualized operating return on average equity (ROE) was 13.0% for the fourth quarter 2015 and 14.6% for the year ended December 31, 2015.

Luxembourg Reinsurance Companies (LRC)

  • Included in the fourth quarter 2015 provision for income taxes was an $18.2 million benefit attributable to a reduction of the deferred tax liability (DTL) associated with the equalization reserves of our LRC subsidiaries.  For the full year 2015, the provision for income taxes included a benefit of $26.7 million attributable to a reduction of the DTL associated with the equalization reserves of our LRC subsidiaries.  As of December 31, 2015, the DTL associated with our LRC subsidiaries was $13.8 million.
  • Fourth quarter 2015 results include a $17.5 million expense related to a non-cash impairment of goodwill ($11.2 million attributed to the P&C segment and $6.2 million attributed to the A&H segment), compared to an expense of $15.8 million in the fourth quarter of 2014 ($9.4 million attributed to the P&C segment and $6.4 million attributed to the A&H segment). Both the 2015 and 2014 non-cash impairment of goodwill expenses relate to goodwill balances associated with our LRC subsidiaries.  The remaining goodwill balance associated with LRC subsidiaries stood at $8.4 million as of December 31, 2015.  
  • The full year 2015 net benefit related to our LRC subsidiaries was $9.2 million, including the benefit attributable to a reduction in DTL and the expense related to non-cash impairment of goodwill.

Additional Items

  • National General Lender Services Acquisition - On October 1, 2015, we closed on the acquisition of the Lender-Placed Insurance business of QBE North America, a division of QBE Insurance Group Limited (ASX:QBE.AX). The transaction included the acquisition of certain assets, including loan-tracking systems and technology, client servicing accounts, intellectual property, and vendor relationships, as well as the assumption of the related insurance liabilities in a reinsurance transaction through which National General received loss reserves, unearned premium reserves, and invested assets. The purchase price was an aggregate cash payment of $90 million (including ceding commission) subject to certain adjustments. The business has been branded National General Lender Services.
  • Assurant Health Acquisition - On October 1, 2015, we closed on the acquisition of certain business lines and assets from Assurant Health, a business segment of Assurant, Inc. (NYSE:AIZ). Included in the transaction were the small group self-funded and supplemental product lines, as well as the acquisition of North Star Marketing, a proprietary small group sales channel. The purchase price was an aggregate cash payment of $14 million.
  • Senior Unsecured Debt Issuance - On October 8, 2015, we closed on a private issuance of $100.0 million aggregate principal amount of 6.75% notes due 2024.  The Notes bear interest at 6.75% per year, payable semiannually in arrears on May 15th and November 15th of each year, beginning on November 15, 2015. The Notes will mature on May 15, 2024, unless earlier redeemed or purchased by National General.  Net proceeds of the issuance were approximately $98.85 million.
  • Century-National Insurance Company Acquisition - On January 25, 2016 we announced an agreement to acquire Century-National Insurance Company (CNIC), a California based property and casualty underwriter.  The purchase price for the transaction is currently expected to be approximately $315 million, based on September 30, 2015 results, with the actual purchase price calculated based upon financial position at closing. The estimated purchase price equates to a $50 million premium to tangible book value, and includes an upfront cash payment of approximately $140 million with the remaining balance deferred over two years.  The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2016, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals.
  • New Credit Agreement - On January 25, 2016, we entered into a $225 million revolving credit facility with a letter of credit sub-limit of $25 million and an expansion feature not to exceed $50 million. The New Credit Agreement has a maturity date of January 25, 2020, and replaces our previous $135 million credit agreement.
  • Standard Mutual Insurance Company Acquisition - On January 27, 2016 we announced that we had entered into a definitive agreement, pending regulatory and policyholder approval, to acquire Standard Mutual Insurance Company (SMIC), an Illinois based property and casualty underwriter, following the completion of the conversion of SMIC to a stock company from a mutual company. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2016, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals.

Conference Call
On Wednesday, February 10, 2016 at 11:00 AM ET, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Michael Karfunkel and Chief Financial Officer Mike Weiner will review results and discuss business conditions via a conference call that may be accessed as follows:

Toll-Free U.S. Dial-in: 888-267-2860
International Dial-in:    973-413-6102
Conference Entry Code: 956584
Webcast Registration:   http://ir.nationalgeneral.com/events.cfm
   

A replay of the conference call will be accessible from 2:00 PM ET on Wednesday, February 10, 2016 to 11:59 PM ET on Wednesday, February 24, 2016 by dialing either 800-332-6854 (toll-free) within the U.S. or 973-528-0005 outside the U.S. and entering passcode 956584. In addition, a replay of the webcast can also be retrieved at http://ir.nationalgeneral.com/events.cfm

About National General Holdings Corp.
National General Holdings Corp., headquartered in New York City, is a specialty personal lines insurance holding company. National General traces its roots to 1939, has a financial strength rating of A- (excellent) from A.M. Best, and provides personal and commercial automobile, homeowners, umbrella, recreational vehicle, motorcycle, supplemental health, and other niche insurance products.

Forward Looking Statements
This news release contains "forward-looking statements" that are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The forward-looking statements are based on the Company's current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on the Company. Forward-looking statements can generally be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology, such as "may," "will," "plan," "expect," "project," "intend," "estimate," "anticipate" and "believe" or their variations or similar terminology. There can be no assurance that actual developments will be those anticipated by the Company. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in these statements as a result of significant risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, non-receipt of expected payments from insureds or reinsurers, changes in interest rates, a downgrade in the financial strength ratings of our insurance subsidiaries, the effect of the performance of financial markets on our investment portfolio, estimates of the fair value of life settlement contracts, development of claims and the effect on loss reserves, accuracy in projecting loss reserves, the cost and availability of reinsurance coverage, the effects of emerging claim and coverage issues, changes in the demand for our products, our degree of success in integrating acquired businesses, the effect of general economic conditions, state and federal legislation, regulations and regulatory investigations into industry practices, risks associated with conducting business outside the United States, developments relating to existing agreements, disruptions to our business relationships, breaches in data security or other disruptions involving our technology, heightened competition, changes in pricing environments, and changes in asset valuations. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made only as of the date of this release. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement except as may be required by law. Additional information about these risks and uncertainties, as well as others that may cause actual results to differ materially from those projected, is contained in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Income Statement - Fourth Quarter
$ in thousands
(Unaudited)
 
    Three Months Ended December 31,  
    2015     2014  
    NGHC   Reciprocal Exchanges   Consolidated     NGHC   Reciprocal Exchanges   Consolidated  
Revenues:                            
Gross written premium   $ 678,175     $ 65,752     $ 743,927       $ 462,848     $ 60,049     $ 522,897    
Ceded premiums (related parties - $397, $0, and $397 in 2015 and $318, $687, and $1,005 in 2014)   (60,041 )   (32,714 )   (92,755 )     (56,306 )   (14,178 )   (70,484 )  
Net written premium   618,134     33,038     651,172       406,542     45,871     452,413    
Net earned premium   642,299     36,269     678,568       404,566     40,930     445,496    
                             
Ceding commission income/(loss)   (1,261 )   17,851     16,590       48     4,750     4,798    
Service and fee income   99,265     10,236     100,213   (A)   57,269     117     48,979   (F)
Net investment income   20,026     2,359     22,385       15,969     1,799     17,768    
Net realized gain/(loss) on investments   (609 )   75     (534 )     (91 )       (91 )  
Other than temporary impairment loss   (6,755 )       (6,755 )     (2,244 )       (2,244 )  
Other revenue   (461 )       (461 )     (1,153 )       (1,153 )  
Total revenues   $ 752,504     $ 66,790     $ 810,006   (B)   $ 474,364     $ 47,596     $ 513,553   (G)
                             
Expenses:                            
Loss and loss adjustment expense   $ 445,130     $ 40,737     $ 485,867       $ 275,727     $ 21,368     $ 297,095    
Acquisition costs and other underwriting expenses   103,839     7,005     110,799   (C)   76,389     5,994     82,383    
General and administrative   179,636     16,528     186,921   (D)   105,122     10,156     106,871   (H)
Interest expense   8,198     (6,422 )   1,776       4,463     5,452     9,915    
Total expenses   $ 736,803     $ 57,848     $ 785,363   (E)   $ 461,701     $ 42,970     $ 496,264   (I)
                             
Income before provision for income taxes and equity in earnings (losses) of unconsolidated subsidiaries   $ 15,701     $ 8,942     $ 24,643       $ 12,663     $ 4,626     $ 17,289    
Provision/(benefit) for income taxes   (464 )   (5,472 )   (5,936 )     4,715     1,375     6,090    
Income before equity in earnings (losses) of unconsolidated subsidiaries   16,165     14,414     30,579       7,948     3,521     11,199    
Equity in earnings (losses) of unconsolidated subsidiaries   1,743         1,743       4,278         4,278    
Net income before non-controlling interest and dividends on preferred shares   17,908     14,414     32,322       12,226     3,251     15,477    
Less: net income attributable to non-controlling interest   64     14,414     14,478       29     3,251     3,280    
Net income before dividends on preferred shares   17,844         17,844       12,197         12,197    
Less: dividends on preferred shares   4,125         4,125       1,031         1,031    
Net income available to common stockholders   $ 13,719     $     $ 13,719       $ 11,166     $     $ 11,166    

NOTE: Consolidated column includes eliminations as follows: (A) $(9,288), (B) $(9,288), (C) $(45), (D) $(9,243), (E) $(9,288), (F) $(8,407) , (G) $(8,407), (H) $(8,407), and (I) $(8,407).

Income Statement - Year to Date
$ in thousands
(Unaudited)
 
    Twelve Months Ended December 31,  
    2015     2014  
    NGHC   Reciprocal Exchanges   Consolidated     NGHC   Reciprocal Exchanges   Consolidated  
Revenues:                            
Gross written premium   $ 2,309,756     $ 283,582     $ 2,589,748   (A)   $ 2,065,065     $ 70,042     $ 2,135,107    
Ceded premiums (related parties - $1,504, $74, and $1,578 in 2015 and $44,249, $216, and $44,465 in 2014)   (249,601 )   (157,491 )   (403,502 ) (B)   (248,117 )   (16,966 )   (265,083 )  
Net written premium   2,060,155     126,091     2,186,246       1,816,948     53,076     1,870,024    
Net earned premium   1,995,101     134,709     2,129,810       1,585,598     47,622     1,633,220    
                             
Ceding commission income/(loss)   (2,510 )   46,300     43,790       7,643     4,787     12,430    
Service and fee income   300,114     13,226     273,548   (C)   178,333     139     168,571   (H)
Net investment income   66,429     8,911     75,340       50,627     1,799     52,426    
Net realized gain/(loss) on investments   4,594     346     4,940       (648 )       (648 )  
Other than temporary impairment loss   (15,247 )       (15,247 )     (2,244 )       (2,244 )  
Other revenue   (788 )       (788 )     (1,660 )       (1,660 )  
Total revenues   $ 2,347,693     $ 203,492     $ 2,511,393   (D)   $ 1,817,649     $ 54,347     $ 1,862,095   (I)
                             
Expenses:                            
Loss and loss adjustment expense   $ 1,284,080     $ 97,561     $ 1,381,641       $ 1,026,346     $ 26,719     $ 1,053,065    
Acquisition costs and other underwriting expenses   378,066     27,972     405,930   (E)   308,822     6,267     315,089    
General and administrative   504,672     65,359     530,347   (F)   346,696     11,967     348,762   (J)
Interest expense   24,229     4,656     28,885       12,012     5,724     17,736    
Total expenses   $ 2,191,047     $ 195,548     $ 2,346,803   (G)   $ 1,693,876     $ 50,677     $ 1,734,652   (K)
                             
Income before provision for income taxes and equity in earnings (losses) of unconsolidated subsidiaries   $ 156,646     $ 7,944     $ 164,590       $ 123,773     $ 3,670     $ 127,443    
Provision/(benefit) for income taxes   24,905     (5,949 )   18,956       22,712     1,164     23,876    
Income before equity in earnings (losses) of unconsolidated subsidiaries   131,741     13,893     145,634       101,061     2,506     103,567    
Equity in earnings (losses) of unconsolidated subsidiaries   10,643         10,643       1,180         1,180    
Net income before non-controlling interest and dividends on preferred shares   142,384     13,893     156,277       102,241     2,506     104,747    
Less: net income attributable to non-controlling interest   132     13,893     14,025       (2 )   2,506     2,504    
Net income before dividends on preferred shares   142,252         142,252       102,243         102,243    
Less: dividends on preferred shares   14,025         14,025       2,291         2,291    
Net income available to common stockholders   $ 128,227     $     $ 128,227       $ 99,952     $     $ 99,952    

NOTE: Consolidated column includes eliminations as follows: (A) $(3,590), (B) $(3,590), (C) $(39,792), (D) $(39,792), (E) $(108), (F) $(39,684), (G) $(39,792), (H) $(9,901), (I) $(9,901), (J) $(9,901), and (K) $(9,901).

Earnings and Per Share Data
$ in thousands, except shares and per share data
(Unaudited)
 
  Three Months Ended
December 31,
    Twelve Months Ended
December 31,
  2015   2014     2015   2014
Net income available to common stockholders $ 13,719     $ 11,166       $ 128,227     $ 99,952  
Basic net income per common share $ 0.13     $ 0.12       $ 1.31     $ 1.09  
Diluted net income per common share $ 0.13     $ 0.12       $ 1.27     $ 1.07  
                 
Operating earnings attributable to NGHC(1) $ 42,257     $ 31,181       $ 165,457     $ 126,507  
Basic operating earnings per common share(1) $ 0.40     $ 0.33       $ 1.68     $ 1.38  
Diluted operating earnings per common share(1) $ 0.39     $ 0.33       $ 1.64     $ 1.35  
                 
Dividends declared per common share $ 0.03     $ 0.02       $ 0.09     $ 0.05  
                 
Weighted average number of basic shares outstanding 105,503,021     93,411,409       98,241,904     91,499,122  
Weighted average number of diluted shares outstanding 108,161,786     95,916,749       100,723,936     93,515,417  
Shares outstanding, end of period 105,554,331     93,427,382       105,554,331     93,427,382  
Fully diluted shares outstanding, end of period 108,213,095     95,932,723       108,036,363     95,624,982  
                 
Book value per share $ 12.26     $ 10.75       $ 12.26     $ 10.75  
Fully diluted book value per share $ 11.96     $ 10.47       $ 11.98     $ 10.51  


Reconciliation of Net Income to Operating Earnings (Non-GAAP)
$ in thousands, except per share data
(Unaudited)
 
    Three Months Ended
December 31,
    Twelve Months Ended
December 31,
    2015   2014     2015   2014
                   
Net income available to common stockholders   $ 13,719     $ 11,166       $ 128,227     $ 99,952  
Add (subtract) net of tax:                  
Net realized (gain)/loss on investments   396     59       (2,986 )   421  
Other than temporary impairment losses   4,391     1,459       9,911     1,459  
Foreign exchange (gain)/loss   902     723       1,837     1,088  
Equity in (earnings)/losses of unconsolidated subsidiaries (other than LSC Entities and Real Estate investments)   67     103       216     434  
Non-cash amortization of intangible assets   5,315     1,879       10,785     7,361  
Non-cash impairment of goodwill   17,467     15,792       17,467     15,792  
Operating earnings attributable to NGHC   $ 42,257     $ 31,181       $ 165,457     $ 126,507  
                   
Operating earnings per common share:                  
Basic operating earnings per common share   $ 0.40     $ 0.33       $ 1.68     $ 1.38  
Diluted operating earnings per common share   $ 0.39     $ 0.33       $ 1.64     $ 1.35  


Balance Sheet Highlights
$ in thousands
(Unaudited)
 
    December 31, 2015     December 31, 2014
    (unaudited)     (audited)
    NGHC   Reciprocal
Exchanges
  Consolidated     NGHC   Reciprocal
Exchanges
  Consolidated
ASSETS                          
Total Investments   $ 2,425,168     $ 242,542     $ 2,667,710       $ 1,630,059     $ 236,046     $ 1,866,105  
Cash and cash equivalents   273,884     8,393     282,277       123,178     9,437     132,615  
Premiums and other receivables, net (2)   702,439     56,194     758,633       589,205     58,238     647,443  
Reinsurance recoverable on unpaid losses (3)   794,091     39,085     833,176       888,215     23,583     911,798  
Intangible assets, net   344,073     3,040     347,113       237,404     7,420     244,824  
Goodwill   112,414         112,414       70,764         70,764  
Other   459,619     100,665     560,284       413,776     33,378     447,154  
Total assets   $ 5,111,688     $ 449,919     $ 5,561,607       $ 3,952,601     $ 368,102     $ 4,320,703  
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY                          
Liabilities:                          
Unpaid loss and loss adjustment expense reserves   $ 1,623,232     $ 132,392     $ 1,755,624       $ 1,450,305     $ 111,848     $ 1,562,153  
Unearned premiums   1,046,313     146,186     1,192,499       744,438     119,998     864,436  
Accounts payable and accrued expenses (4)   265,057     18,060     283,117       189,430     13,678     203,108  
Notes payable (5)   446,061     45,476     491,537       250,708     48,374     299,082  
Other   217,004     85,186     302,190       257,940     60,534     318,474  
Total liabilities   $ 3,597,667     $ 427,300     $ 4,024,967       $ 2,892,821     $ 354,432     $ 3,247,253  
Stockholders’ equity:                          
Common stock (6)   $ 1,056     $     $ 1,056       $ 934     $     $ 934  
Preferred stock (7)   220,000         220,000       55,000         55,000  
Additional paid-in capital   900,114         900,114       690,736         690,736  
Accumulated other comprehensive income/(loss)   (19,414 )       (19,414 )     20,192         20,192  
Retained earnings   412,044         412,044       292,832         292,832  
Total National General Holdings Corp. stockholders' equity   1,513,800         1,513,800       1,059,694         1,059,694  
Non-controlling interest   221     22,619     22,840       86     13,670     13,756  
Total stockholders’ equity   $ 1,514,021     $ 22,619     $ 1,536,640       $ 1,059,780     $ 13,670     $ 1,073,450  
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity   $ 5,111,688     $ 449,919     $ 5,561,607       $ 3,952,601     $ 368,102     $ 4,320,703  


Segment Information - Fourth Quarter
$ in thousands
(Unaudited)
 
    Three Months Ended December 31,      
    2015           2014
    P&C   A&H   NGHC     Reciprocal
Exchanges
    P&C   A&H   NGHC     Reciprocal
Exchanges
Gross written premium   $ 579,662     $ 98,513     $ 678,175       $ 65,752       $ 440,332     $ 22,526     $ 462,858       $ 60,049  
Net written premium   528,964     89,170     618,134       33,038       384,153     22,389     406,542       45,871  
Net earned premium   543,547     98,752     642,299       36,269       374,034     30,532     404,566       40,930  
                                       
Ceding commission income/(loss)   (1,532 )   271     (1,261 )     17,851       48         48       4,750  
Service and fee income   55,206     44,059     99,265       10,236       43,458     13,811     57,269       117  
Total underwriting revenue   597,221     143,082     740,303       64,356       417,540     44,343     461,883       45,797  
                                       
Loss and loss adjustment expense   353,560     91,570     445,130       40,737       248,606     27,121     275,727       21,368  
Acquisition costs and other   78,116     25,723     103,839       7,005       68,771     7,618     76,389       5,994  
General and administrative   139,764     39,872     179,636       16,528       84,577     20,545     105,122       10,156  
Total underwriting expenses   571,440     157,165     728,605       64,270       401,954     55,284     457,238       37,518  
                                       
Underwriting income (loss)   25,781     (14,083 )   11,698       86       15,586     (10,941 )   4,645       8,279  
Non-cash impairment of goodwill   11,222     6,245     $ 17,467             9,419     6,373     15,792        
Non-cash amortization of intangible assets   4,516     3,661     $ 8,177       (841 )     2,026     864     2,890       2,115  
Underwriting income (loss) before amortization and impairment   $ 41,519     $ (4,177 )   $ 37,342       $ (755 )     $ 27,031     $ (3,704 )   $ 23,327       $ 10,394  
                                       
Underwriting ratios                                      
Loss and loss adjustment expense ratio (8)   65.0 %   92.7 %   69.3 %     112.3 %     66.5 %   88.8 %   68.2 %     52.2 %
Operating expense ratio (Non-GAAP) (9,10)   30.2 %   21.5 %   28.9 %     (12.6 )%     29.4 %   47.0 %   30.7 %     27.6 %
Combined ratio (Non-GAAP) (9,11)   95.3 %   114.3 %   98.2 %     99.8 %     95.8 %   135.8 %   98.9 %     79.8 %
                                       
Underwriting ratios (before amortization and impairment)                          
Loss and loss adjustment expense ratio (8)   65.0 %   92.7 %   69.3 %     112.3 %     66.5 %   88.8 %   68.2 %     52.2 %
Operating expense ratio (Non-GAAP) (9,12)   27.3 %   11.5 %   24.9 %     (10.2 )%     26.3 %   23.3 %   26.1 %     22.4 %
Combined ratio (Non-GAAP) (9,11)   92.4 %   104.2 %   94.2 %     102.1 %     92.8 %   112.1 %   94.2 %     74.6 %

NOTE: Loss and loss adjustment expense ratio and operating expense ratio may not sum to combined ratio due to rounding.

Segment Information - Year to Date
$ in thousands
(Unaudited)
 
    Twelve Months Ended December 31,      
    2015     2014
    P&C   A&H   NGHC     Reciprocal
Exchanges
    P&C   A&H   NGHC     Reciprocal
Exchanges
Gross written premium   $ 2,057,834     $ 251,922     $ 2,309,756       $ 283,582       $ 1,924,666     $ 140,399     $ 2,065,065       $ 70,042  
Net written premium   1,844,202     215,953     2,060,155       126,091       1,676,946     140,002     1,816,948       53,076  
Net earned premium   1,783,800     211,301     1,995,101       134,709       1,465,122     120,476     1,585,598       47,622  
                                       
Ceding commission income/(loss)   (3,601 )   1,091     (2,510 )     46,300       7,643         7,643       4,787  
Service and fee income   201,304     98,810     300,114       13,226       119,876     58,457     178,333       139  
Total underwriting revenue   1,981,503     311,202     2,292,705       194,235       1,592,641     178,933     1,771,574       52,548  
                                       
Loss and loss adjustment expense   1,112,758     171,322     1,284,080       97,561       940,457     85,889     1,026,346       26,719  
Acquisition costs and other   312,067     65,999     378,066       27,972       254,130     54,692     308,822       6,267  
General and administrative   422,561     82,111     504,672       65,359       290,079     56,617     346,696       11,967  
Total underwriting expenses   1,847,386     319,432     2,166,818       190,892       1,484,666     197,198     1,681,864       44,953  
                                       
Underwriting income (loss)   134,117     (8,230 )   125,887       3,343       107,975     (18,265 )   89,710       7,595  
Non-cash impairment of goodwill   11,222     6,245     17,467             9,419     6,373     15,792        
Non-cash amortization of intangible assets   9,995     6,597     16,592       4,380       5,208     6,117     11,325       2,468  
Underwriting income (loss) before amortization and impairment   $ 155,334     $ 4,612     $ 159,946       $ 7,723       $ 122,602     $ (5,775 )   $ 116,827       $ 10,063  
                                       
Underwriting ratios                                      
Loss and loss adjustment expense ratio (8)   62.4 %   81.1 %   64.4 %     72.4 %     64.2 %   71.3 %   64.7 %     56.1 %
Operating expense ratio (Non-GAAP) (9,10)   30.1 %   22.8 %   29.3 %     25.1 %     28.4 %   43.9 %   29.6 %     27.9 %
Combined ratio (Non-GAAP) (9,11)   92.5 %   103.9 %   93.7 %     97.5 %     92.6 %   115.2 %   94.3 %     84.1 %
                                       
Underwriting ratios (before amortization and impairment)                          
Loss and loss adjustment expense ratio (8)   62.4 %   81.1 %   64.4 %     72.4 %     64.2 %   71.3 %   64.7 %     56.1 %
Operating expense ratio (Non-GAAP) (9,12)   28.9 %   16.7 %   27.6 %     21.8 %     27.4 %   33.5 %   27.9 %     22.8 %
Combined ratio (Non-GAAP) (9,11)   91.3 %   97.8 %   92.0 %     94.3 %     91.6 %   104.8 %   92.6 %     78.9 %

NOTE: Loss and loss adjustment expense ratio and operating expense ratio may not sum to combined ratio due to rounding.

Reconciliation of Operating Expense Ratio (Non-GAAP)
$ in thousands
(Unaudited)
 
    Three Months Ended December 31,
    2015     2014
    P&C   A&H   NGHC     Reciprocal Exchanges     P&C   A&H   NGHC     Reciprocal Exchanges
Total underwriting expenses   $ 571,440     $ 157,165     $ 728,605       $ 64,270       $ 401,954     $ 55,284     $ 457,238       $ 37,518  
Less: Loss and loss adjustment expense   353,560     91,570     445,130       40,737       248,606     27,121     275,727       21,368  
Less: Ceding commission income/(loss)   (1,532 )   271     (1,261 )     17,851       48         48       4,750  
Less: Service and fee income   55,206     44,059     99,265       10,236       43,458     13,811     57,269       117  
Operating expense   164,206     21,265     185,471       (4,554 )     109,842     14,352     124,194       11,283  
Net earned premium   $ 543,547     $ 98,752     $ 642,299       $ 36,269       $ 374,034     $ 30,532     $ 404,566       $ 40,930  
Operating expense ratio (Non-GAAP)   30.2 %   21.5 %   28.9 %     (12.6 )%     29.4 %   47.0 %   30.7 %     27.6 %
                                       
Total underwriting expenses   $ 571,440     $ 157,165     $ 728,605       $ 64,270       $ 401,954     $ 55,284     $ 457,238       $ 37,518  
Less: Loss and loss adjustment expense   353,560     91,570     445,130       40,737       248,606     27,121     275,727       21,368  
Less: Ceding commission income/(loss)   (1,532 )   271     (1,261 )     17,851       48         48       4,750  
Less: Service and fee income   55,206     44,059     99,265       10,236       43,458     13,811     57,269       117  
Less: Non-cash impairment of goodwill   11,222     6,245     17,467             9,419     6,373     15,792        
Less: Non-cash amortization of intangible assets   4,516     3,661     8,177       (841 )     2,026     864     2,890       2,115  
Operating expense before amortization and impairment   148,468     11,359     159,827       (3,713 )     98,397     7,115     105,512       9,168  
Net earned premium   $ 543,547     $ 98,752     642,299       36,269       $ 374,034     $ 30,532     $ 404,566       $ 40,930  
Operating expense ratio before amortization and impairment (Non-GAAP)   27.3 %   11.5 %   24.9 %     (10.2 )%     26.3 %   23.3 %   26.1 %     22.4 %


    Twelve Months Ended December 31,
    2015     2014
    P&C   A&H   NGHC     Reciprocal Exchanges     P&C   A&H   NGHC     Reciprocal Exchanges
Total underwriting expenses   $ 1,847,386     $ 319,432     $ 2,166,818       $ 190,892       $ 1,484,666     $ 197,198     $ 1,681,864       $ 44,953  
Less: Loss and loss adjustment expense   1,112,758     171,322     1,284,080       97,561       940,457     85,889     1,026,346       26,719  
Less: Ceding commission income/(loss)   (3,601 )   1,091     (2,510 )     46,300       7,643         7,643       4,787  
Less: Service and fee income   201,304     98,810     300,114       13,226       119,876     58,457     178,333       139  
Operating expense   536,925     48,209     585,134       33,805       416,690     52,852     469,542       13,308  
Net earned premium   $ 1,783,800     $ 211,301     $ 1,995,101       $ 134,709       $ 1,465,122     $ 120,476     $ 1,585,598       $ 47,622  
Operating expense ratio (Non-GAAP)   30.1 %   22.8 %   29.3 %     25.1 %     28.4 %   43.9 %   29.6 %     27.9 %
                                       
Total underwriting expenses   $ 1,847,386     $ 319,432     $ 2,166,818       $ 190,892       $ 1,484,666     $ 197,198     $ 1,681,864       $ 44,953  
Less: Loss and loss adjustment expense   1,112,758     171,322     1,284,080       97,561       940,457     85,889     1,026,346       26,719  
Less: Ceding commission income/(loss)   (3,601 )   1,091     (2,510 )     46,300       7,643         7,643       4,787  
Less: Service and fee income   201,304     98,810     300,114       13,226       119,876     58,457     178,333       139  
Less: Non-cash impairment of goodwill   11,222     6,245     17,467             9,419     6,373     15,792        
Less: Non-cash amortization of intangible assets   9,995     6,597     16,592       4,380       5,208     6,117     11,325       2,468  
Operating expense before amortization and impairment   515,708     35,367     551,075       29,425       402,063     40,362     442,425       10,840  
Net earned premium   $ 1,783,800     $ 211,301     $ 1,995,101       $ 134,709       $ 1,465,122     $ 120,476     $ 1,585,598       $ 47,622  
Operating expense ratio before amortization and impairment (Non-GAAP)   28.9 %   16.7 %   27.6 %     21.8 %     27.4 %   33.5 %   27.9 %     22.8 %


Premiums by Business Line
$ in thousands
(Unaudited)
 
    Three Months Ended December 31,
    Gross Written Premium     Net Written Premium     Net Earned Premium
      2015       2014     Change       2015       2014     Change       2015       2014     Change
Property & Casualty                                        
Personal Auto   $ 304,885     $ 288,565       5.7 %     $ 265,771     $ 252,284       5.3 %     $ 268,132     $ 259,599       3.3 %
Homeowners   63,755     76,330       (16.5 )%     58,901     60,396       (2.5 )%     67,287     38,778       73.5 %
RV/Packaged   33,836     33,370       1.4 %     33,720     33,193       1.6 %     38,249     37,841       1.1 %
Commercial Auto   47,806     38,951       22.7 %     42,967     35,993       19.4 %     43,074     33,918       27.0 %
Lender-Placed Insurance   126,570           NA       125,693           NA       123,274           NA  
Other   2,810     3,106       (9.5 )%     1,912     2,287       (16.4 )%     3,531     3,898       (9.4 )%
Property & Casualty Total   579,662     440,322       31.6 %     528,964     384,153       37.7 %     543,547     374,034       45.3 %
                                         
Accident & Health   98,513     22,526       337.3 %     89,170     22,389       298.3 %     98,752     30,532       223.4 %
                                         
Total National General   678,175     462,848       46.5 %     618,134     406,542       52.0 %     642,299     404,566       58.8 %
                                         
Reciprocal Exchanges                                        
Personal Auto   20,853       28,106       (25.8 )%     12,067     28,012       (56.9 )%     13,512     24,362       (44.5 )%
Homeowners   39,064       28,015       39.4 %     17,933     14,491       23.8 %     18,363     13,558       35.4 %
Other   5,835       3,928       48.5 %     3,038     3,368       (9.8 )%     4,394     3,010       46.0 %
Reciprocal Exchanges Total   65,752       60,049       9.5 %     33,038     45,871       (28.0 )%     36,269     40,930       (11.4 )%
Consolidated Total   $ 743,927     $ 522,897       42.3 %     $ 651,172     $ 452,413       43.9 %     $ 678,568     $ 445,496       52.3 %
                                         
    Twelve Months Ended December 31,
    Gross Written Premium     Net Written Premium     Net Earned Premium
      2015       2014     Change       2015       2014     Change       2015       2014     Change
Property & Casualty                                        
Personal Auto   $ 1,241,282     $ 1,241,575       %     $ 1,070,852     $ 1,047,795       2.2 %     $ 1,054,529     $ 979,082       7.7 %
Homeowners   329,440     366,997       (10.2 )%     309,775     333,586       (7.1 )%     286,920     204,285       40.5 %
RV/Packaged   154,929     153,553       0.9 %     153,501     148,456       3.4 %     150,290     147,587       1.8 %
Commercial Auto   187,686     146,124       28.4 %     170,720     132,002       29.3 %     154,565     118,759       30.2 %
Lender-Placed Insurance   126,570           NA       125,693           NA       123,274           NA  
Other   17,927     16,417       9.2 %     13,661     15,107       (9.6 )%     14,222     15,409       (7.7 )%
Property & Casualty Total   2,057,834     1,924,666       6.9 %     1,844,202     1,676,946       10.0 %     1,783,800     1,465,122       21.8 %
                                         
Accident & Health   251,922     140,399       79.4 %     215,953     140,002       54.2 %     211,301     120,476       75.4 %
                                         
Total National General   2,309,756     2,065,065       11.8 %     2,060,155     1,816,948       13.4 %     1,995,101     1,585,598       25.8 %
                                         
Reciprocal Exchanges                                        
Personal Auto   88,494     32,436     NA     50,686     32,075     NA     74,477     28,405     NA
Homeowners   168,015     33,028     NA     58,012     17,127     NA     45,354     15,779     NA
Other   27,073     4,578     NA     17,393     3,874     NA     14,878     3,438     NA
Reciprocal Exchanges Total   283,582     70,042     NA     126,091     53,076     NA     134,709     47,622     NA
Consolidated Total   $ 2,589,748     $ 2,135,107       21.3 %     $ 2,186,246     $ 1,870,024       16.9 %     $ 2,129,810     $ 1,633,220       30.4 %

NOTE: Consolidated Total includes elimination of $(3,590) within Gross Written Premium for Twelve Months Ended December 31, 2015.

Additional Disclosures

(1) References to operating earnings and basic and diluted operating EPS are Non-GAAP financial measures defined by the Company as net income and basic earnings per share excluding after-tax net realized investment gain or loss on securities, other than temporary impairment losses, foreign exchange gain or loss, equity in earnings or losses of unconsolidated subsidiaries (other than LSC Entities and Real Estate investment gains or losses), non-cash amortization of intangible assets, and non-cash impairment of goodwill. The Company believes operating earnings and basic and diluted operating EPS are more relevant measures of the Company’s profitability because operating earnings and basic and diluted operating EPS contain the components of net income upon which the Company’s management has the most influence and excludes factors outside management’s direct control and non-recurring items.  Other companies may calculate these measures differently, and therefore, their measures may not be comparable to those used by National General. Please see the Non-GAAP Financial Measures table within this release for the reconciliation of these Non-GAAP measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measure.

(2) Premiums and other receivables, net (NGHC) includes $62,306 and $168,134 from related parties at December 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively.

(3) Reinsurance recoverable on unpaid losses (NGHC) includes $42,774 and $88,970 from related parties at December 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively.

(4) Accounts payable and accrued expenses (NGHC) includes $51,755 and $68,096 to related parties at December 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively.

(5) Notes payable (Reciprocal Exchanges) includes $56,443 and $48,374 owed to related party at December 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively.

(6) Common stock: $0.01 par value - authorized 150,000,000 shares, issued and outstanding 105,554,331 shares - December 31, 2015; authorized 150,000,000 shares, issued and outstanding 93,427,382 shares - December 31, 2014.

(7) Preferred stock: $0.01 par value, authorized 10,000,000 shares, issued and outstanding 2,365,000 shares and 2,200,000 shares at December 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively.

(8) Loss and loss adjustment expense ratio is calculated by dividing loss and loss adjustment expenses by net earned premium.

(9) Operating expense ratio and combined ratio are considered non-GAAP financial measures under applicable SEC rules because a component of those ratios, operating expense, is calculated by offsetting acquisition and other underwriting costs and general and administrative expense by ceding commission income and service and fee income.  Management uses operating expense ratio (non-GAAP) and combined ratio (non-GAAP) to evaluate financial performance against historical results and establish targets on a consolidated basis.  The Company believes this presentation enhances the understanding of our results by eliminating what we believe are volatile and unusual events and presenting the ratios with what we believe are the underlying run rates of the business. Other companies may calculate these measures differently, and, therefore, their measures may not be comparable to those used by National General.  Please see the Non-GAAP Financial Measures table within this release for the reconciliation of these Non-GAAP measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measure.

(10) Operating expense ratio (non-GAAP) is calculated by dividing operating expense by net earned premium.  Operating expense consists of the sum of acquisition and other underwriting costs and general and administrative expense less ceding commission income and service and fee income.

(11) Combined ratio (non-GAAP) is calculated by adding the loss and loss adjustment expense ratio and the operating expense ratio (non-GAAP) together.

(12) Operating expense ratio (non-GAAP) before amortization and impairment is calculated by dividing the operating expense before amortization and impairment by net earned premium.  Operating expense before amortization and impairment consists of the sum of acquisition and other underwriting costs and general and administrative expense less ceding commission income and service and fee income less non-cash amortization of intangible assets and non-cash impairment of goodwill.

Investor Contact
Dean Evans
Director of Investor Relations
Phone: 212-380-9462
Email: Dean.Evans@NGIC.com

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