UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-K
(MARK ONE)
| x | ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2008
OR
| ¨ | TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
FOR THE TRANSITION PERIOD FROM TO
COMMISSION FILE NUMBER 001-16707
Prudential Financial, Inc.
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)
| New Jersey | 22-3703799 | |
| (State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation or Organization) |
(I.R.S. Employer Identification Number) |
751 Broad Street
Newark, New Jersey 07102
(973) 802-6000
(Address and Telephone Number of Registrant’s Principal Executive Offices)
SECURITIES REGISTERED PURSUANT TO SECTION 12(b) OF THE ACT:
| Title of Each Class |
Name of Each Exchange on Which Registered | |
| Common Stock, Par Value $.01 (including Shareholder Protection Rights) |
New York Stock Exchange |
SECURITIES REGISTERED PURSUANT TO SECTION 12(g) OF THE ACT: NONE
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes x No ¨
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ¨ No x
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes x No ¨
Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. x
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):
| Large accelerated filer x | Accelerated filer ¨ | |
| Non-accelerated filer ¨ | Smaller reporting company ¨ |
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). Yes ¨ No x
As of June 30, 2008, the aggregate market value of the registrant’s Common Stock (par value $0.01) held by non-affiliates of the registrant was $25.46 billion and 426 million shares of the Common Stock were outstanding. As of January 31, 2009, 422 million shares of the registrant’s Common Stock (par value $0.01) were outstanding. As of June 30, 2008, and January 31, 2009, 2 million shares of the registrant’s Class B Stock, for which there is no established public trading market, were outstanding and held by non-affiliates of the registrant.
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
The information required to be furnished pursuant to Part III of this Form 10-K is set forth in, and is hereby incorporated by reference herein from, the Registrant’s Definitive Proxy Statement for the Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held on May 12, 2009, to be filed by the Registrant with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to Regulation 14A not later than 120 days after the year ended December 31, 2008.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Certain of the statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including but not limited to those in Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as “expects,” “believes,” “anticipates,” “includes,” “plans,” “assumes,” “estimates,” “projects,” “intends,” “should,” “will,” “shall” or variations of such words are generally part of forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are made based on management’s current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects upon Prudential Financial, Inc. and its subsidiaries. There can be no assurance that future developments affecting Prudential Financial, Inc. and its subsidiaries will be those anticipated by management. These forward-looking statements are not a guarantee of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties, and there are certain important factors that could cause actual results to differ, possibly materially, from expectations or estimates reflected in such forward-looking statements, including, among others: (1) general economic, market and political conditions, including the performance and fluctuations of fixed income, equity, real estate and other financial markets, particularly in light of ongoing severe economic conditions and the severe stress experienced by the global financial markets that began in the second half of 2007 and has continued and substantially increased since then; (2) the availability and cost of external financing for our operations, which has been affected by the stress experienced by the global financial markets; (3) interest rate fluctuations; (4) reestimates of our reserves for future policy benefits and claims; (5) differences between actual experience regarding mortality, morbidity, persistency, surrender experience, interest rates or market returns and the assumptions we use in pricing our products, establishing liabilities and reserves or for other purposes; (6) changes in our assumptions related to deferred policy acquisition costs, valuation of business acquired or goodwill; (7) changes in our claims-paying or credit ratings; (8) investment losses, defaults and counterparty non-performance; (9) competition in our product lines and for personnel; (10) changes in tax law; (11) economic, political, currency and other risks relating to our international operations; (12) fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates and foreign securities markets; (13) regulatory or legislative changes, including government actions in response to the stress experienced by the global financial markets; (14) adverse determinations in litigation or regulatory matters and our exposure to contingent liabilities, including in connection with our divestiture or winding down of businesses; (15) domestic or international military actions, natural or man-made disasters including terrorist activities or pandemic disease, or other events resulting in catastrophic loss of life; (16) ineffectiveness of risk management policies and procedures in identifying, monitoring and managing risks; (17) effects of acquisitions, divestitures and restructurings, including possible difficulties in integrating and realizing the projected results of acquisitions; (18) changes in statutory or U.S. GAAP accounting principles, practices or policies; (19) changes in assumptions for retirement expense; (20) Prudential Financial, Inc.’s primary reliance, as a holding company, on dividends or distributions from its subsidiaries to meet debt payment obligations and the ability of the subsidiaries to pay such dividends or distributions in light of our ratings objectives and/or applicable regulatory restrictions; and (21) risks due to the lack of legal separation between our Financial Services Businesses and our Closed Block Business. As noted above, the adverse market and economic conditions that began in the second half of 2007 have continued and substantially worsened since then. The foregoing risks are even more pronounced in these unprecedented market and economic conditions. Prudential Financial, Inc. does not intend, and is under no obligation, to update any particular forward-looking statement included in this document. See “Risk Factors” for discussion of certain risks relating to our businesses and investment in our securities.
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Throughout this Annual Report on Form 10-K, “Prudential Financial” and the “Registrant” refer to Prudential Financial, Inc., the ultimate holding company for all of our companies. “Prudential Insurance” refers to The Prudential Insurance Company of America, before and after its demutualization on December 18, 2001. “Prudential,” the “Company,” “we” and “our” refer to our consolidated operations before and after demutualization.
PART I
| ITEM 1. | BUSINESS |
Overview
Prudential Financial, Inc., a financial services leader with approximately $558 billion of assets under management as of December 31, 2008, has operations in the United States, Asia, Europe and Latin America. Through our subsidiaries and affiliates, we offer a wide array of financial products and services, including life insurance, annuities, retirement-related services, mutual funds, investment management, and real estate services. We offer these products and services to individual and institutional customers through one of the largest distribution networks in the financial services industry. Our principal executive offices are located in Newark, New Jersey.
The businesses of Prudential Financial are separated into the Financial Services Businesses and the Closed Block Business. The Financial Services Businesses comprises our U.S. Retirement Solutions and Investment Management division, U.S. Individual Life and Group Insurance division, and International Insurance and Investments division as well as our Corporate and Other operations. The Closed Block Business comprises the assets and related liabilities of the Closed Block described below and certain related assets and liabilities.
Prudential Financial has two classes of common stock outstanding. The Common Stock, which is publicly traded (NYSE:PRU), reflects the performance of the Financial Services Businesses, while the Class B Stock, which was issued through a private placement and does not trade on any exchange, reflects the performance of the Closed Block Business.
Demutualization and Separation of the Businesses
Demutualization
On December 18, 2001, our date of demutualization, Prudential Insurance converted from a mutual life insurance company owned by its policyholders to a stock life insurance company and became an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Prudential Financial. The demutualization was carried out under Prudential Insurance’s Plan of Reorganization, dated as of December 15, 2000, as amended, which we refer to as the Plan of Reorganization. On the date of demutualization, eligible policyholders, as defined in the Plan of Reorganization, received shares of Prudential Financial’s Common Stock or the right to receive cash or policy credits, which are increases in policy values or increases in other policy benefits, upon the extinguishment of all membership interests in Prudential Insurance.
On the date of demutualization, Prudential Financial completed an initial public offering of its Common Stock, as well as the sale of shares of Class B Stock, a separate class of common stock, through a private placement. In addition, on the date of demutualization, Prudential Holdings, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Prudential Financial that owns the capital stock of Prudential Insurance, issued $1.75 billion in senior secured notes, which we refer to as the IHC debt. A portion of the IHC debt was insured by a bond insurer. Concurrent with the demutualization, various subsidiaries of Prudential Insurance were reorganized, becoming direct or indirect subsidiaries of Prudential Financial.
The Plan of Reorganization required us to establish and operate a regulatory mechanism known as the Closed Block. The Closed Block is designed generally to provide for the reasonable expectations of holders of
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participating individual life insurance policies and annuities included in the Closed Block for future policy dividends after demutualization by allocating assets that will be used for payment of benefits, including policyholder dividends, on these policies. See Note 10 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for more information on the Closed Block. The Plan of Reorganization provided that Prudential Insurance may, with the prior consent of the New Jersey Commissioner of Banking and Insurance, enter into agreements to transfer to a third party all or any part of the risks under the Closed Block policies. In 2005, we completed the process of arranging reinsurance of the Closed Block. The Closed Block is 90% reinsured, including 17% by a wholly owned subsidiary of Prudential Financial.
Separation of the Businesses
The businesses of Prudential Financial are separated into the Financial Services Businesses and the Closed Block Business for financial statement purposes. For a discussion of the operating results of the Financial Services Businesses and the Closed Block Business, see “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” The Financial Services Businesses comprises our U.S. Retirement Solutions and Investment Management division, U.S. Individual Life and Group Insurance division, and International Insurance and Investments division as well as our Corporate and Other operations. See “—Financial Services Businesses” below for a more detailed discussion of the divisions comprising the Financial Services Businesses. The Closed Block Business comprises the assets and related liabilities of the Closed Block and certain other assets and liabilities, including the IHC debt. See “—Closed Block Business” below for a more detailed discussion of the Closed Block Business. We refer to the Financial Services Businesses and the Closed Block Business collectively as the Businesses.
The following diagram reflects the allocation of Prudential Financial’s consolidated assets and liabilities between the Financial Services Businesses and the Closed Block Business:
There is no legal separation of the two Businesses. The foregoing allocation of assets and liabilities does not require Prudential Financial, Prudential Insurance, any of their subsidiaries or the Closed Block to transfer any specific assets or liabilities to a separate legal entity. Financial results of the Closed Block Business, including debt service on the IHC debt, will affect Prudential Financial’s consolidated results of operations, financial position and borrowing costs. In addition, any net losses of the Closed Block Business, and any dividends or distributions on, or repurchases of, the Class B Stock, will reduce the assets of Prudential Financial legally available for dividends on the Common Stock. Accordingly, you should read the financial information for the Financial Services Businesses together with the consolidated financial information of Prudential Financial.
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The Common Stock reflects the performance of the Financial Services Businesses and the Class B Stock reflects the performance of the Closed Block Business. However, the market value of the Common Stock may not reflect solely the performance of the Financial Services Businesses.
In order to separately reflect the financial performance of the Financial Services Businesses and the Closed Block Business since the date of demutualization, we have allocated all our assets and liabilities and earnings between the two Businesses, and we account for them as if they were separate legal entities. All assets and liabilities of Prudential Financial and its subsidiaries not included in the Closed Block Business constitute the assets and liabilities of the Financial Services Businesses. Assets and liabilities allocated to the Closed Block Business are those that we consider appropriate to operate that Business. The Closed Block Business consists principally of:
| • | within Prudential Insurance, the Closed Block Assets, Surplus and Related Assets (see below), deferred policy acquisition costs and other assets in respect of the policies included in the Closed Block and, with respect to liabilities, the Closed Block Liabilities; |
| • | within Prudential Holdings, LLC, the principal amount of the IHC debt, related unamortized debt issuance costs and hedging activities, and a guaranteed investment contract; and |
| • | within Prudential Financial, dividends received from Prudential Holdings, LLC, and reinvestment proceeds thereof, and other liabilities of Prudential Financial, in each case attributable to the Closed Block Business. |
The Closed Block Assets consist of (1) those assets initially allocated to the Closed Block including fixed maturities, equity securities, commercial loans and other long- and short-term investments, (2) cash flows from such assets, (3) assets resulting from the reinvestment of such cash flows, (4) cash flows from the Closed Block Policies, and (5) assets resulting from the investment of cash flows from the Closed Block Policies. The Closed Block Assets include policy loans, accrued interest on any of the foregoing assets and premiums due on the Closed Block Policies. The Closed Block Liabilities are Closed Block Policies and other liabilities of the Closed Block associated with the Closed Block Assets. The Closed Block Assets and Closed Block Liabilities are supported by additional assets held outside the Closed Block by Prudential Insurance to provide additional capital with respect to the Closed Block Policies, as well as invested assets held outside the Closed Block that represent the difference between the Closed Block Assets and the sum of the Closed Block Liabilities and the interest maintenance reserve. We refer to these additional assets and invested assets outside the Closed Block collectively as the Surplus and Related Assets. The interest maintenance reserve, recorded only under statutory accounting principles, captures realized capital gains and losses resulting from changes in the general level of interest rates. These gains and losses are amortized into statutory investment income over the expected remaining life of the investments sold.
On the date of demutualization, the majority of the net proceeds from the issuances of the Class B Stock and the IHC debt was allocated to our Financial Services Businesses. Also, on the date of demutualization, Prudential Holdings, LLC distributed $1.218 billion of the net proceeds of the IHC debt to Prudential Financial to use for general corporate purposes in the Financial Services Businesses. Prudential Holdings, LLC deposited $437 million of the net proceeds of the IHC debt in a debt service coverage account maintained in the Financial Services Businesses that, together with reinvested earnings thereon, constitutes a source of payment and security for the IHC debt. The remainder of the net proceeds, $72 million, was used to purchase a guaranteed investment contract to fund a portion of the bond insurance related to the IHC debt. To the extent we use the debt service coverage account to service payments with respect to the IHC debt or to pay dividends to Prudential Financial for purposes of the Closed Block Business, a loan from the Financial Services Businesses to the Closed Block Business would be established. Such an inter-business loan would be repaid by the Closed Block Business to the Financial Services Businesses when earnings from the Closed Block Business replenish funds in the debt service coverage account to a specified level.
We believe that the proceeds from the issuances of the Class B Stock and IHC debt allocated to the Financial Services Businesses reflected capital in excess of that necessary to support the Closed Block Business and that the Closed Block Business as established has sufficient assets and cash flows to service the IHC debt. The Closed Block Business was financially leveraged through the issuance of the IHC debt, and dividends on the
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Class B Stock are subject to prior servicing of the IHC debt. It is expected that any inter-business loan referred to above will be repaid in full out of the Surplus and Related Assets, but not the Closed Block Assets. Any such loan will be subordinated to the IHC debt.
The Financial Services Businesses will bear any expenses and liabilities from litigation affecting the Closed Block Policies and, as discussed below, the consequences of certain potential adverse tax determinations. In connection with the sale of the Class B Stock and IHC debt, we agreed to indemnify the investors in those securities with respect to certain matters, and any cost of that indemnification would be borne by the Financial Services Businesses.
Within the Closed Block Business, the assets and cash flows attributable to the Closed Block accrue solely to the benefit of the Closed Block policyholders through policyholder dividends after payment of benefits, expenses and taxes. The Surplus and Related Assets accrue to the benefit of the holders of Class B Stock. The earnings on, and distribution of, the Surplus and Related Assets over time will be the source or measure of payment of the interest and principal of the IHC debt and of dividends on the Class B Stock. The earnings of the Closed Block are reported as part of the Closed Block Business, although no cash flows or assets of the Closed Block accrue to the benefit of the holders of Common Stock or Class B Stock. The Closed Block Assets are not available to service interest or principal of the IHC debt or dividends on the Class B Stock.
Inter-Business Transfers and Allocation Policies
Prudential Financial’s Board of Directors has adopted certain policies with respect to inter-business transfers and accounting and tax matters, including the allocation of earnings. Such policies are summarized below. In the future, the Board of Directors may modify, rescind or add to any of these policies. However, the decision of the Board of Directors to modify, rescind or add to any of these policies is subject to the Board of Directors’ general fiduciary duties. In addition, we have agreed with the investors in the Class B Stock and the insurer of the IHC debt that, in most instances, the Board of Directors may not change these policies without their consent.
Inter-Business Transactions and Transfers
The transactions permitted between the Financial Services Businesses and the Closed Block Business, subject to any required regulatory approvals and the contractual limitations noted above, include the following:
| • | The Closed Block Business may lend to the Financial Services Businesses, and the Financial Services Businesses may lend to the Closed Block Business, in each case on terms no less favorable to the Closed Block Business than comparable internal loans and only for cash management purposes in the ordinary course of business and on market terms pursuant to our internal short-term cash management facility. |
| • | Other transactions between the Closed Block and businesses outside of the Closed Block, including the Financial Services Businesses, are permitted if, among other things, such transactions benefit the Closed Block, are at fair market value and do not exceed, in any calendar year, a specified formula amount. |
| • | Capital contributions to Prudential Insurance may be for the benefit of either the Financial Services Businesses or the Closed Block Business and assets of the Financial Services Businesses within Prudential Insurance may be transferred to the Closed Block Business within Prudential Insurance in the form of a loan which is subordinated to all existing obligations of the Closed Block Business and on market terms. |
| • | An inter-business loan from the Financial Services Businesses to the Closed Block Business may be established to reflect usage of the net proceeds of the IHC debt initially deposited in the debt service coverage account, and any reinvested earnings thereon, to pay debt service on the IHC debt or dividends to Prudential Financial for purposes of the Closed Block Business. |
| • | In addition to the foregoing, the Financial Services Businesses may lend to the Closed Block Business, on either a subordinated or non-subordinated basis, on market terms as may be approved by Prudential Financial. |
| • | The Financial Services Businesses and the Closed Block Business may engage in such other transactions on market terms as may be approved by Prudential Financial and, if applicable, Prudential Insurance. |
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| • | The Board of Directors has discretion to transfer assets of the Financial Services Businesses to the Closed Block, or use such assets for the benefit of Closed Block policyholders, if it believes such transfer or usage is in the best interests of the Financial Services Businesses, and such transfer or usage may be made without requiring any repayment of the amounts transferred or used or the payment of any other consideration from the Closed Block Business. |
| • | Cash payments for administrative purposes from the Closed Block Business to the Financial Services Businesses are based on formulas that initially approximated the actual expenses incurred by the Financial Services Businesses to provide such services based on insurance and policies in force and statutory cash premiums. Administrative expenses recorded by the Closed Block Business, and the related income tax effect, are based upon actual expenses incurred under accounting principles generally accepted in the U.S., or U.S. GAAP, utilizing the Company’s methodology for the allocation of such expenses. Any difference in the cash amount transferred and actual expenses incurred as reported under U.S. GAAP will be recorded, on an after-tax basis at the applicable current rate, as direct adjustments to the respective equity balances of the Closed Block Business and the Financial Services Businesses, without the issuance of shares of either Business to the other Business. This direct equity adjustment modifies earnings available to each class of common stock for earnings per share purposes. Internal investment expenses recorded and paid by the Closed Block Business, and the related income tax effect, are based upon actual expenses incurred under U.S. GAAP and in accordance with internal arrangements governing recordkeeping, bank fees, accounting and reporting, asset allocation, investment policy and planning and analysis. |
Accounting Policies
Accounting policies relating to the allocation of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses between the two Businesses include:
| • | All our assets, liabilities, equity and earnings are allocated between the two Businesses and accounted for as if the Businesses were separate legal entities. Assets and liabilities allocated to the Closed Block Business are those that we consider appropriate to operate that Business. All remaining assets and liabilities of Prudential Financial and its subsidiaries constitute the assets and liabilities of the Financial Services Businesses. |
| • | For financial reporting purposes, revenues; administrative, overhead and investment expenses; taxes other than federal income taxes; and certain commissions and commission-related expenses associated with the Closed Block Business are allocated between the Closed Block Business and the Financial Services Businesses in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Interest expense and routine maintenance and administrative costs generated by the IHC debt are considered directly attributable to the Closed Block Business and are therefore allocated to the Closed Block Business, except as indicated below. |
| • | Any transfers of funds between the Closed Block Business and the Financial Services Businesses will typically be accounted for as either reimbursement of expense, investment income, return of principal or a subordinated loan, except as described under “—Inter-Business Transactions and Transfers” above. |
| • | The Financial Services Businesses will bear any expenses and liabilities from litigation affecting the Closed Block Policies and the consequences of certain potential adverse tax determinations noted below. In connection with the sale of the Class B Stock and IHC debt, we agreed to indemnify the investors with respect to certain matters, and any such indemnification would be borne by the Financial Services Businesses. |
Tax Allocation and Tax Treatment
The Closed Block Business within each legal entity is treated as if it were a consolidated subsidiary of Prudential Financial. Accordingly, if the Closed Block Business has taxable income, it recognizes its share of income tax as if it were a consolidated subsidiary of Prudential Financial. If the Closed Block Business has losses or credits, it recognizes a current income tax benefit.
If the Closed Block Business within any legal entity has taxable income, it pays its share of income tax in cash to the Financial Services Businesses. If it has losses or credits, it receives its benefit in cash from the Financial Services Businesses. If the losses or credits cannot be currently utilized in the consolidated federal
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income tax return of Prudential Financial for the year in which such losses or credits arise, the Closed Block Business will receive the full benefit in cash, and the Financial Services Businesses will subsequently recover the payment at the time the losses or credits are actually utilized in computing estimated payments or in the consolidated federal income tax return of Prudential Financial. Certain tax costs and benefits are determined under the Plan of Reorganization with respect to the Closed Block using statutory accounting rules that may give rise to tax costs or tax benefits prior to the time that those costs or benefits are actually realized for tax purposes. If at any time the Closed Block Business is allocated any such tax cost or a tax benefit under the Plan of Reorganization that is not realized at that same time under the relevant tax rules but will be realized in the future, the Closed Block Business will pay such tax cost or receive such tax benefit at that time, but it will be paid to or paid by the Financial Services Businesses. When such tax cost or tax benefit is subsequently realized under the relevant tax rules, the tax cost or tax benefit will be allocated to the Financial Services Businesses.
The foregoing principles are applied so as to prevent any item of income, deduction, gain, loss, credit, tax cost or tax benefit being taken into account more than once by the Closed Block Business or the Financial Services Businesses. For this purpose, items determined under the Plan of Reorganization with respect to any period prior to the date of demutualization were taken into account, with any such pre-demutualization tax attributes relating to the Closed Block being attributed to the Closed Block Business and all other pre-demutualization tax attributes being attributed to the Financial Services Businesses. The Closed Block Business will also pay or receive its appropriate share of tax or interest resulting from adjustments attributable to the settlement of tax controversies or the filing of amended tax returns to the extent that the tax or interest relates to controversies or amended returns arising with respect to the Closed Block Business and attributable to tax periods after the date of demutualization, except to the extent that the tax is directly attributable to the characterization of the IHC debt for tax purposes, in which case the tax will be borne by the Financial Services Businesses. In particular, if a change of tax law after the date of demutualization, including any change in the interpretation of any tax law, results in the recharacterization of all or part of the IHC debt for tax purposes or a significant reduction in the income tax benefit associated with the interest expense on all or part of the IHC debt, the Financial Services Businesses will continue to pay the foregone income tax benefit to the Closed Block Business until the IHC debt has been repaid or Prudential Holdings, LLC has been released from its obligations to the bond insurer and under the IHC debt as if such recharacterization or reduction of actual benefit had not occurred.
Internal Short-Term Cash Management Facilities
The Financial Services Businesses and Closed Block Business participate in separate internal short-term cash management facilities, pursuant to which they invest cash from securities lending and repurchase activities as well as certain trading and operating activities. The net funds invested in the facility are generally held in investments that are short-term, including mortgage- and asset-backed securities. Historically, a proportionate interest in each security held in the portfolio was allocated to the Financial Services Businesses and the Closed Block Business based upon their proportional cash contributions to a single facility. Beginning April 1, 2008, management implemented changes in order to permit each Business to hold discrete ownership of its investments in separate facilities without affecting or being affected by the level of participation of the other Business. See Note 2 to the Supplemental Combining Financial Information for additional information concerning our internal short-term cash management facilities.
Financial Services Businesses
The Financial Services Businesses is comprised of three divisions, containing seven segments, and our Corporate and Other operations. The U.S. Retirement Solutions and Investment Management division is comprised of the Individual Annuities, Retirement and Asset Management segments. The U.S. Individual Life and Group Insurance division is comprised of the Individual Life and Group Insurance segments. The International Insurance and Investments division is comprised of the International Insurance and International Investments segments.
See Note 20 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for revenues, income and loss, and total assets by segment of the Financial Services Businesses.
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U.S. Retirement Solutions and Investment Management Division
The U.S. Retirement Solutions and Investment Management division conducts its business through the Individual Annuities, Retirement and Asset Management segments.
Individual Annuities
Our Individual Annuities segment manufactures and distributes individual variable and fixed annuity products, primarily to the U.S. mass affluent market. In general, we consider households with investable assets or annual income in excess of $100,000 to be mass affluent in the U.S. market. The Individual Annuities segment competes with other providers of retirement savings and accumulation products, including other large, well-established insurance and financial services companies. We compete in the individual annuities business primarily based on the ability to offer innovative product features. Our risk management allows us to offer these features and hedge or limit our exposure to the related risks, excluding those risks we have deemed suitable to retain, utilizing a combination of product design elements, such as an automatic rebalancing element, and externally purchased hedging instruments. We also compete based on brand recognition, the breadth of our distribution platform and our customer service capabilities. Our annuity products are distributed through a diverse group of independent financial planners, wirehouses and banks, as well as through Prudential Agents. In recent years, we have completed two acquisitions that had a significant impact on our business, as discussed below. In the second half of 2006, we began distributing our annuity products through Allstate’s proprietary distribution force, as discussed further below.
American Skandia
On May 1, 2003, we acquired Skandia U.S. Inc., which included American Skandia Life Assurance Corporation, or American Skandia, one of the largest distributors of variable annuities through independent financial planners in the U.S., from Skandia Insurance Company Ltd. for a total purchase price of $1.184 billion. Our acquisition of Skandia U.S. Inc. also included a mutual fund business that was combined with our Asset Management segment. The acquisition significantly expanded and diversified our third party distribution capabilities in the U.S. and broadened our array of product offerings.
Skandia Insurance Company Ltd. agreed to indemnify us for certain losses, including certain losses resulting from litigation or regulatory matters relating to events prior to closing the transaction, subject to an aggregate cap of $1 billion. See “Legal Proceedings—Insurance and Annuities” for additional information regarding items pending under this indemnification. Under the terms of a License Agreement, we acquired the right to use the “American Skandia” name in conjunction with our own name in the U.S. in the annuity business for five years and in the mutual fund business for two years. Skandia Insurance Company Ltd. agreed not to compete with us in the U.S. in the annuity business for five years and in the mutual fund business for two years. We completed the process of changing the names of various legal entities that included “American Skandia” in the name during the second quarter of 2008. Among the name changes completed, on January 1, 2008 we changed the name of American Skandia Life Assurance Corporation to Prudential Annuities Life Assurance Corporation.
Allstate Variable Annuity Business
On June 1, 2006, we acquired the variable annuity business of The Allstate Corporation, or Allstate, through a reinsurance transaction for $635 million of total consideration. Beginning June 1, 2006, the assets acquired and liabilities assumed and the results of operations of the acquired variable annuity business have been included in our consolidated financial statements. The acquisition increased our scale and third party distribution capabilities in the U.S., including exclusive distribution through Allstate’s agency distribution force of nearly 15,000 independent contractors and financial professionals. The integration of the variable annuity business acquired from Allstate was completed during the second quarter of 2008. See Note 3 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information regarding the acquisition.
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Products
We offer variable annuities that provide our customers with tax-deferred asset accumulation together with a full suite of optional guaranteed death and living benefits. The optional benefit features contractually guarantee the contractholder a return of no less than (1) total deposits made to the contract less any partial withdrawals (“return of net deposits”), (2) total deposits made to the contract less any partial withdrawals plus a minimum return (“minimum return”), and/or (3) the highest contract value on a specified date minus any withdrawals (“contract value”). These guarantees may include benefits that are payable in the event of death, annuitization or at specified dates during the accumulation period and withdrawal and income benefits payable during specified periods. Our variable annuity investment options provide our customers with the opportunity to invest in proprietary and non-proprietary mutual fund sub-accounts, frequently under asset allocation programs, and fixed-rate options. The investments made by customers in the proprietary and non-proprietary mutual funds represent an interest in separate investment companies that provide a return linked to an underlying investment portfolio. The investments made in the fixed rate options are credited with interest at rates we determine, subject to certain minimums. We also offer fixed annuities that provide a guarantee of principal and interest credited at rates we determine, subject to certain contractual minimums.
The primary risk exposures of our variable annuity contracts relate to actual deviations from, or changes to, the assumptions used in the original pricing of these products, including equity market returns, interest rates, market volatility, timing of annuitization and withdrawals, contract lapses and contractholder mortality. As part of our risk management strategy we hedge or limit our exposure to these risks, excluding those risks we have deemed suitable to retain, through a combination of product design elements, such as an automatic rebalancing element, and externally purchased hedging instruments. The automatic rebalancing element included in the design of certain variable annuity products transfers assets between contractholder sub-accounts depending on a number of factors, including the investment performance of the sub-accounts. Negative investment performance may result in transfers to either a fixed-rate general account option or a separate account bond portfolio. In certain situations, assets may transfer back when investment performance improves. Other product design elements we utilize for certain products to manage these risks include asset allocation and minimum purchase age requirements.
Variable annuity account values with living benefit features were $33.1 billion and $37.2 billion as of December 31, 2008 and 2007, respectively. For risk management purposes we segregate our variable annuity living benefit features into four broad product groupings, described in more detail below, (1) those where we utilize both an automatic rebalancing element and capital markets hedging, (2) those where we utilize only an automatic rebalancing element, (3) those where we utilize only capital markets hedging and (4) those with risks we have deemed suitable to retain.
| (1) | We manage the equity market, interest rate and market volatility risks associated with our Highest Daily products by utilizing both an automatic rebalancing element and capital markets hedging. Our Highest Daily products guarantee, among other features, the ability to make withdrawals based on the highest daily contract value plus a minimum return, credited for a period of time. This guaranteed contract value is generally accessible through incremental withdrawals over a certain period, or for the life of the contractholder, and not as a lump-sum surrender value. For our Highest Daily products we utilize an automatic rebalancing element to limit our exposure to equity market risk and market volatility. Asset allocation and minimum purchase age requirements are also included in the design of our Highest Daily products to limit our exposure to equity market risk and market volatility. In addition to these product design elements, we actively hedge our Highest Daily products, primarily for changes in interest rates, and to a lesser extent for changes in equity markets and market volatility, through the use of interest rate derivatives and equity options. Contracts with living benefit features where we utilize both an automatic rebalancing element and capital markets hedging represented $9.7 billion or 29%, and $3.7 billion or 10% of our variable annuity account values with living benefit features as of December 31, 2008 and 2007, respectively. |
| (2) | We manage the equity market, interest rate and market volatility risks associated with our guaranteed return option, or GRO, features through an automatic rebalancing element, included in the product’s design. Our GRO features include a guaranteed minimum accumulation benefit which provides the contractholder with a guaranteed return of initial account value (adjusted for purchase payments and withdrawals) or an enhanced value, if applicable. Contracts with living benefit features where we utilize only an automatic rebalancing element represented $8.0 billion or 24%, and $10.1 billion or 27% of our variable annuity account values |
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| with living benefit features as of December 31, 2008 and 2007, respectively. These amounts exclude products that contain the HDGRO and GRO Plus 2008 riders, which are included in the previous paragraph related to our Highest Daily product guarantees. |
| (3) | We manage the risks associated with all other accumulation and withdrawal guarantees through capital markets hedging. We actively hedge these guarantees for changes in equity markets, interest rates, and market volatility through the use of equity options and interest rate derivatives. Contracts with living benefit features where we utilize only capital markets hedging represented $11.3 billion or 34%, and $16.5 billion or 44% of our variable annuity account values with living benefit features as of December 31, 2008 and 2007, respectively. As a result of the volatility and disruption in the global financial markets, we have ceased sales of certain of these products. |
| (4) | We have deemed the risks associated with our guaranteed minimum income benefits suitable to retain. Our guaranteed minimum income benefits guarantee a minimum return on the contract value or an enhanced value, if applicable, to be used for purposes of determining annuity income payments. Contracts with living benefit features and only with risks we have deemed suitable to retain represented $4.1 billion or 13%, and $6.9 billion or 19% of our variable annuity account values with living benefit features as of December 31, 2008 and 2007, respectively. |
We have also deemed the risks associated with our guaranteed minimum death benefits suitable to retain. Our guaranteed minimum death benefits guarantee a minimum return on the contract value or an enhanced value, if applicable, to be used for purposes of determining benefits payable in the event of death. All of the $33.1 billion and $37.2 billion of variable annuity account values with living benefit features as of December 31, 2008 and 2007, respectively, also contain guaranteed minimum death benefits, with $17.7 billion or 53%, and $13.8 billion or 37% benefiting from an automatic rebalancing element, as discussed above. An additional $23.3 billion and $38.0 billion of variable annuity account values as of December 31, 2008 and 2007, respectively, contain guaranteed minimum death benefits, but no living benefit features.
Marketing and Distribution
Prudential Agents
Our Prudential Agents distribute variable annuities with proprietary and non-proprietary investment options, as well as fixed annuities. For additional information regarding our Prudential Agent force, see “—Domestic Insurance Division—Individual Life.”
Third Party Distribution
Our individual annuity products are also offered through a variety of third party channels, including independent brokers, general agencies, producer groups, wirehouses, banks, and, beginning in the second half of 2006, Allstate’s proprietary distribution force. Consistent with the original terms of the acquisition discussed above, our right to offer American Skandia branded annuity products in conjunction with our own name expired on April 30, 2008. As discussed above, completion of the various American Skandia legal entity name changes occurred during the second quarter of 2008. Our third party efforts are supported by a network of 270 internal and external wholesalers, as well as 39 new business development specialists as of December 31, 2008.
Underwriting and Pricing
We earn asset management fees based upon the average assets of the proprietary mutual funds in our variable annuity products and mortality and expense fees and other fees for various insurance-related options and features, including optional guaranteed death and living benefit features, based on the average daily net assets value of the annuity separate accounts or the amount of guaranteed value. We receive administrative service fees from many of the proprietary and non-proprietary mutual funds. We price our variable annuities, including optional guaranteed death and living benefits, based on an evaluation of the risks assumed and considering applicable hedging costs. We price our fixed annuities as well as the fixed-rate options of our variable annuities based on assumptions as to investment returns, expenses and persistency. Competition also influences our pricing. We seek to maintain a spread between the return on our general account invested assets and the interest we credit on our fixed annuities and the fixed rate options of our variable annuities. For assets transferred
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to a fixed rate general account option pursuant to the automatic rebalancing element discussed above, we earn a spread for the difference between the return on our general account invested assets and the interest credited, similar to our fixed annuities. To encourage persistency, most of our variable and fixed annuities have declining surrender or withdrawal charges for a specified number of years. In addition, the living benefit features of our variable annuity products encourage persistency because the potential value of the living benefit is fully realized only if the contract persists.
Reserves
We establish and carry as liabilities actuarially determined reserves for future policy benefits that we believe will meet our future obligations for our in force annuity contracts, including the minimum death benefit and living benefit guarantee features of some of these contracts. We base these reserves on assumptions we believe to be appropriate for investment yield, persistency, withdrawal rates, mortality rates, expenses and margins for adverse deviation. Certain of the living benefit guarantee features on variable annuity contracts are accounted for as embedded derivatives and are carried at fair value. The fair values of these benefit features are calculated as the present value of future expected benefit payments to customers less the present value of assessed rider fees attributable to the embedded derivative feature. For variable and fixed annuity contracts, we establish liabilities for policyholders’ account balances that represent cumulative gross premium payments plus credited interest and/or fund performance, less withdrawals, expenses and mortality charges.
Retirement
Our Retirement segment, which we refer to in the marketplace as Prudential Retirement, provides retirement investment and income products and services to retirement plan sponsors in the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors. Our full service business provides recordkeeping, plan administration, actuarial advisory services, tailored participant education and communication services, trustee services and institutional and retail investment funds. We service both defined contribution and defined benefit plans, as well as non-qualified plans. For clients with both defined contribution and defined benefit plans, we offer integrated defined benefit/defined contribution recordkeeping services. For participants leaving our clients’ plans, we provide a broad range of retail and rollover products through our broker-dealer, Prudential Investment Management Services LLC, and our banking operation, Prudential Bank & Trust, FSB. In addition, in our institutional investment products business, we offer guaranteed investment contracts, or GICs, funding agreements, institutional and retail notes, structured settlement annuities, and group annuities for defined contribution plans, defined benefit plans, non-qualified entities, and individuals. Results of our institutional investment products business include proprietary spread lending activities where we borrow on a secured or unsecured basis to support investments on which we earn a spread between the asset yield and liability cost.
The Retirement segment competes with other large, well-established insurance companies, asset managers and diversified financial institutions. In our full service business, we compete primarily based on pricing, the breadth of our service and investment offerings, investment performance, and our ability to offer product features to meet the retirement income needs of clients. In our institutional investment products business, we compete primarily based on our pricing and structuring capabilities, which are supported by our claims-paying ability.
In recent years we have completed three acquisitions which have increased our scale, expanded our sales and distribution capabilities and broadened our array of product and service offerings in our full service business.
CIGNA Corporation’s Retirement Business
On April 1, 2004, we acquired the retirement business of CIGNA Corporation, or CIGNA, for $2.1 billion. This acquisition broadened our array of product offerings by adding integrated defined benefit/defined contribution services, actuarial advisory services and institutional separate account investment funds to our product and service mix. The process of integrating CIGNA’s retirement business with our original retirement business was completed in the first quarter of 2006.
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Union Bank of California’s Retirement Business
On December 31, 2007, we acquired a portion of the retirement business of Union Bank of California, N.A. for $103 million of cash consideration. This acquisition increased the scale of our product and service offerings and expanded our sales and distribution capabilities on the west coast of the U.S. The integration of this business was completed in the second quarter of 2008.
MullinTBG
On October 10, 2008 we acquired MullinTBG Insurance Agency Services, LLC and related entities, or MullinTBG, a provider of executive benefit solutions and financing strategies, including administration of nonqualified executive benefit plans. This acquisition broadened our array of product offerings, expanded our sales and distribution capabilities and enhanced our position as a single source servicer of both qualified and non-qualified retirement and deferred compensation plans.
Products and Services
Full Service
Our full service business offers plan sponsors and their participants a broad range of products and services to assist in the delivery and administration of defined contribution, defined benefit, and non-qualified retirement and deferred compensation plans, including recordkeeping and administrative services, comprehensive investment offerings and consulting services to assist plan sponsors in managing fiduciary obligations. We offer as part of our investment products a variety of general and separate account stable value products, as well as retail mutual funds and institutional funds advised by affiliated and non-affiliated investment managers. In addition, certain products that are designed for the benefit of participants are marketed and sold on an investment-only basis through our full service distribution channels. Revenue is generated from asset-based fees, recordkeeping and other advisory fees, and, for certain stable value products discussed below, the spread between the rate of return on investments we make and the interest rates we credit, less expenses. In connection with non-qualified retirement and deferred compensation plans, we earn recordkeeping fees and commissions on products sold to finance the sponsor’s plan liability. Prudential Financial’s asset management units earn fees from management of general account assets supporting retirement products, including stable value products as discussed below and, to the extent these units are selected to manage client assets associated with fee-based products, they also earn asset management fees related to those assets.
Our full service general account stable value products contain an obligation to pay interest at a specified rate for a specific period of time and to repay account balances or market value upon contract termination. Substantially all of these stable value general account products are either fully or partially participating, with annual or semi-annual rate resets giving effect to previous investment experience, other than a minor portion of non-participating products on which we bear the investment and asset/liability management risk. We earn administrative fees for providing recordkeeping and other administrative services for these products. In addition, we earn profits from partially participating and non-participating general account products from the spread between the rate of return on the investments we make and the interest rates we credit, less expenses.
We also offer fee-based separate account products, through which customer funds are held in either a separate account or a client-owned trust. These products generally pass all of the investment results to the customer. In certain cases, these contracts are subject to a minimum interest rate guarantee. Additionally, we offer guaranteed minimum withdrawal benefits associated with certain defined contribution accounts, and hedge certain of the related risks utilizing externally purchased hedging instruments. We earn administrative fees for these separate account products.
Our full service offerings are supported by participant communications and education programs, and a broad range of plan consulting services, including nondiscrimination testing, plan document services, signature-ready documents for required filings, and full actuarial support for defined benefit plans. Additional services include non-qualified deferred compensation plan administration, including executive benefit solutions and financing strategies, investment advisory services, and merger and acquisition support.
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In addition, we offer a broad range of brokerage and banking solutions, including rollover individual retirement accounts, or IRA’s, mutual funds, and guaranteed income products. Our rollover products and services are marketed to participants who terminate or retire from organizations that are clients of our retirement plan recordkeeping services.
Institutional Investment Products
The institutional investment products business primarily offers products to the stable value and payout annuity markets. In addition to the profits discussed below, Prudential Financial’s asset management units earn fees from management of general account assets supporting retirement products and, to the extent these units are selected to manage client assets associated with fee-based products, they also earn asset management fees related to those assets.
Stable Value Markets. Our stable value markets area manufactures general account investment-only products for use in retail and institutional capital markets and qualified plan markets. Our primary investment-only products are GICs, funding agreements, retail notes and institutional notes. This unit also manufactures general and separate account stable value products and stable value products through which customer funds are held in client-owned trusts for our full service business, the results of which are reflected in the full service business.
Our investment-only general account products offered within this market contain an obligation to pay interest at a specified rate and to repay principal at maturity or following contract termination. Because these obligations are backed by our general account, we bear the investment and asset/liability management risk associated with these contracts. Generally, profits from our general account products result from the spread between the rate of return on the investments we make and the interest rates we credit, less expenses. The credited interest rates we offer and the volume of issuance are impacted by many factors, including the financial strength ratings of our U.S. insurance companies.
We also offer investment-only, fee-based stable value products, through which customers’ funds are held in either a separate account or a client-owned trust. We pass investment results through to the customer, subject to a minimum interest rate guarantee.
Payout Annuity Markets. Our payout annuity markets area offers traditional general and separate account products designed to provide a predictable source of monthly income, generally for the life of the participant, such as structured settlements, voluntary income products and close-out annuities, which fulfill the payment guarantee needs of the personal injury lawsuit settlement market, the distribution needs of defined contribution participants and the payment obligations of defined benefit plans, respectively. With our general account products, the obligation to make annuity payments to our annuitants is backed by our general account assets, and we bear all of the investment, mortality, retirement, asset/liability management, and expense risk associated with these contracts. Our profits from structured settlements, voluntary income products and close-out annuities result from the emerging experience related to investment returns, timing of retirements, mortality, and the level of expenses being more or less favorable than assumed in the original pricing.
We also offer participating separate account annuity contracts, which are fee-based products that cover payments to retirees to be made by defined benefit plans. These contracts permit a plan sponsor to retain the risks and rewards of investment and actuarial results while receiving a general account guarantee for all annuity payments covered by the contract.
Marketing and Distribution
We distribute our products through a variety of channels. In our full service business, we market to plan sponsors through a centralized wholesaling force, as well as through field sales representatives who manage our distribution efforts in offices across the country. We sell our products and services through third-party financial advisors, brokers, and benefits consultants and, to a lesser extent, directly to plan sponsors. We market our rollover IRA products and services to plan participants through a centralized service team.
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In our stable value markets area within our institutional investment products business, we distribute GICs and funding agreements to institutional investors through our direct sales force and through intermediaries. We also have a global Funding Agreement Notes Issuance Program, or FANIP, pursuant to which a Delaware statutory trust issues medium-term notes secured by funding agreements issued to the trust by Prudential Insurance. The medium-term notes are sold to institutional investors through intermediaries under Rule 144A and Regulation S of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (“Securities Act”). In addition, a portion of Prudential Financial’s SEC-registered medium-term notes program is allocated for sales to retail investors. The proceeds from the sale of the retail notes may be used by Prudential Financial to purchase funding agreements from Prudential Insurance. Proceeds from the retail notes may also be used for general corporate purposes. In February 2009, Prudential Insurance also began issuing funding agreements directly to the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York. Sales of our guaranteed income products have been negatively impacted by unfavorable capital markets conditions, in particular during the second half of 2008 as the stress experienced by global financial markets that began in the second half of 2007 continued and substantially increased.
In our payout annuity markets area within our institutional investment products business, structured settlements are distributed through structured settlement specialists. Voluntary income products are distributed through the defined contribution portion of our full service business, directly to plan sponsors, or as part of annuity shopping services. Close-out annuities and participating separate account annuity products are typically distributed through actuarial consultants and third-party brokers.
Underwriting and Pricing
We set our rates for our stable value products within our full service and institutional investment products businesses using a pricing model that considers the investment environment and our risk, expense and profitability assumptions. In addition, for products within our payout annuity market area, our model also uses assumptions for mortality and early retirement risks. Upon sale of a product, we adjust the duration of our asset portfolio and lock in the prevailing interest rates. Management continuously monitors cash flow experience and works closely with our Asset Liability Management and Risk Management groups to review performance and ensure compliance with our investment policies.
Reserves
We establish reserves for future policy benefits and policyholders’ account balances to recognize our future obligations for our products. Our liabilities for accumulation products generally represent cumulative policyholder account balances and additional reserves for investment experience that will accrue to the customer but have not yet been reflected in credited rates. Our liabilities for products within our payout annuity market area represent the present value of future guaranteed benefits plus maintenance expenses and are based on our actuarial assumptions. We perform a cash flow analysis in conjunction with determining our reserves for future policy benefits.
Asset Management
The Asset Management segment provides a broad array of investment management and advisory services by means of institutional portfolio management, mutual funds, asset securitization activity and other structured products, and proprietary investments. These products and services are provided to the public and private marketplace, as well as our U.S. Individual Life and Group Insurance division, International Insurance and Investments division and Individual Annuities and Retirement segments, as well as the Closed Block business.
The Asset Management segment competes with numerous asset managers and other financial institutions. In the markets for our products, we compete based upon investment performance, investment process, investment talent and brand recognition.
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Operating Data
The following tables set forth the assets under management of the investment management and advisory services group of our Asset Management segment at fair market value by asset class and source as of the dates indicated.
| December 31, 2008 | ||||||||||||
| Equity | Fixed Income(3) |
Real Estate |
Total | |||||||||
| (in billions) | ||||||||||||
| Institutional customers(1) |
$ | 38.6 | $ | 96.8 | $ | 25.8 | $ | 161.2 | ||||
| Retail customers(2) |
38.3 | 21.5 | 1.8 | 61.6 | ||||||||
| General account |
3.2 | 168.6 | 0.8 | 172.6 | ||||||||
| Total |
$ | 80.1 | $ | 286.9 | $ | 28.4 | $ | 395.4 | ||||
| December 31, 2007 | ||||||||||||
| Equity | Fixed Income(3) |
Real Estate |
Total | |||||||||
| (in billions) | ||||||||||||
| Institutional customers(1) |
$ | 56.7 | $ | 92.0 | $ | 27.7 | $ | 176.4 | ||||
| Retail customers(2) |
65.9 | 19.5 | 1.2 | 86.6 | ||||||||
| General account |
4.5 | 170.0 | 1.0 | 175.5 | ||||||||
| Total |
$ | 127.1 | $ | 281.5 | $ | 29.9 | $ | 438.5 | ||||
| December 31, 2006 | ||||||||||||
| Equity | Fixed Income(3) |
Real Estate |
Total | |||||||||
| (in billions) | ||||||||||||
| Institutional customers(1) |
$ | 54.7 | $ | 78.7 | $ | 23.4 | $ | 156.8 | ||||
| Retail customers(2) |
58.1 | 19.4 | 1.5 | 79.0 | ||||||||
| General account |
4.0 | 162.8 | 0.8 | 167.6 | ||||||||
| Total |
$ | 116.8 | $ | 260.9 | $ | 25.7 | $ | 403.4 | ||||
| (1) | Consists of third party institutional assets and group insurance contracts. |
| (2) | Consists of individual mutual funds, defined contribution plan products and both variable annuities and variable life insurance assets in our separate accounts. Fixed annuities and the fixed rate options of both variable annuities and variable life insurance are included in our general account. |
| (3) | Includes private fixed income and commercial mortgage assets of institutional customers of $9.1 billion as of December 31, 2008, $9.7 billion as of December 31, 2007 and $8.7 billion as of December 31, 2006, and private fixed income and commercial mortgage assets in our general account of $61.7 billion, $62.4 billion and $54.7 billion, as of those dates, respectively. |
Products and Services
In our asset management areas, we offer the following products and services:
Public Fixed Income Asset Management
Our public fixed income organization manages fixed income portfolios for U.S. and international, institutional and retail clients, as well as for our general account. Our products include traditional broad market fixed income strategies and single-sector strategies. We manage traditional asset liability strategies, as well as customized asset liability strategies. We also manage hedge strategies in both the liquidity and credit sectors, as well as collateralized debt obligations. We also serve as a non-custodial securities lending agent.
Strategies are managed by seasoned portfolio managers with securities selected by our nine sector specialist teams: Corporate, High Yield, Bank Loan, Emerging Markets Debt, U.S. Liquidity (U.S. government and mortgage-backed securities), Money Market, Municipal Bonds, Global and Structured Product. A separate team is dedicated to securities lending activities. All strategies are managed using a research-based approach, supported by significant credit research, quantitative research, and risk management organizations.
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Public Equity Asset Management
Our public equity organization provides discretionary and non-discretionary asset management services to a wide range of clients. We manage a broad array of publicly-traded equity asset classes using various investment styles. The public equity organization is comprised of two wholly-owned registered investment advisors, Jennison Associates LLC and Quantitative Management Associates LLC. Jennison Associates uses fundamental, team-based research to manage portfolios for institutional and private clients through separately managed accounts and commingled vehicles, including mutual funds through subadvisory relationships. Quantitative Management Associates manages equity and asset allocation portfolios for institutional and subadvisory clients using proprietary quantitative models tailored to meet client objectives.
Private Fixed Income Asset Management
Our private fixed income organization provides asset management services by investing predominantly in private placement investment grade debt securities, as well as private placement below investment grade debt securities, and mezzanine debt financing. These investment capabilities are utilized by our general account and institutional clients through direct advisory accounts, insurance company separate accounts, or private fund structures. A majority of the private placement investments are directly originated by our investment staff.
Commercial Mortgage Origination and Servicing
Our commercial mortgage operations provide mortgage origination, asset management and servicing for our general account, institutional clients, and government sponsored entities such as Fannie Mae, the Federal Housing Administration, and Freddie Mac. We also originate shorter-term interim loans for spread lending that are collateralized by assets generally under renovation or lease up. We expect these loans to be paid off through refinancing or the sale by the borrower of the underlying collateral. All else being equal, these loans are inherently more risky than those collateralized by properties that have already stabilized. As of December 31, 2008, the principal balance of interim loans totaled $1.9 billion.
Real Estate Asset Management
Our global real estate organization provides asset management services for single-client and commingled real estate portfolios and manufactures and manages a variety of real estate investment vehicles investing in private and public real estate, primarily for institutional clients in 19 offices worldwide. Our domestic and international real estate investment vehicles range from fully diversified open-end funds to specialized closed-end funds that invest in specific types of properties or specific geographic regions or follow other specific investment strategies. Our global real estate organization has an established presence in the U.S., Europe, Asia and Latin America.
Proprietary Investments
We make proprietary investments in real estate, as well as fixed income, public equity and real estate securities, including controlling interests. Certain of these investments are made primarily for purposes of co-investment in our managed funds and structured products. Other proprietary investments are made with the intention to sell or syndicate to investors, including our general account, or for placement in funds and structured products that we offer and manage (seed investments). We also make short term loans to our managed funds that are secured by equity commitments from investors or assets of the funds.
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The following table sets forth the proprietary investments of the Asset Management segment at fair market value (including the value of derivative instruments used to mitigate equity market and currency risk) by asset class and source as of the dates indicated.
| As of December 31, | |||||||||
| 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | |||||||
| (in millions) | |||||||||
| Co-Investments: |
|||||||||
| Real Estate |
$ | 221 | $ | 192 | $ | 267 | |||
| Fixed Income(1) |
197 | 409 | 255 | ||||||
| Seed Investments: |
|||||||||
| Real Estate |
345 | 356 | 117 | ||||||
| Public Equity |
252 | 359 | 242 | ||||||
| Fixed Income |
52 | 50 | — | ||||||
| Loans Secured by Investor Equity Commitments or Fund Assets: |
|||||||||
| Real Estate secured by Investor Equity |
179 | 181 | 17 | ||||||
| Real Estate secured by Fund Assets |
283 | 212 | — | ||||||
| Total |
$ | 1,529 | $ | 1,759 | $ | 898 | |||
| (1) | Includes aggregate investments in a fixed income fund of $185 million, $324 million and $184 million at December 31, 2008, 2007 and 2006, respectively. In the fourth quarter of 2008, two entities within the Asset Management segment made a request to redeem their entire investment from this fixed income fund. The fixed income fund has suspended redemptions. Due to market conditions, the amount and timing of the payment of redemption proceeds cannot be predicted at this time. |
Mutual Funds and Other Retail Services
We manufacture, distribute and service investment management products primarily utilizing proprietary asset management expertise in the U.S. retail market. Our products are designed to be sold primarily by financial professionals including both Prudential Agents and third party advisors. We offer a family of retail investment products consisting of 42 mutual funds as of December 31, 2008. These products cover a wide array of investment styles and objectives designed to attract and retain assets of individuals with varying objectives and to accommodate investors’ changing financial needs.
We also provide services for the private label wrap-fee products of other financial services firms that provide access to mutual funds and separate account products. Wrap-fee products have higher minimum investment levels than our mutual funds and offer a choice of both proprietary and non-proprietary investment management. During 2004, we became a provider of program services for certain mutual fund wrap and separately managed account platforms of Wachovia Securities. The contractual agreement with Wachovia Securities related to managed account services, which provided for essentially a fixed fee, expired with respect to most services provided as of July 1, 2008.
Marketing and Distribution
We provide investment management services for our institutional customers through a proprietary sales force organized by asset management business. Each asset management business has an independent marketing and client service team working with clients. Institutional asset management services are also offered through the Retirement segment of the U.S. Retirement Solutions and Investment Management division.
Most of the retail customer assets under management are invested in our mutual funds and our variable annuities and variable life insurance products. These assets are gathered by the U.S. Individual Life and Group Insurance division, the International Insurance and Investments division, the Individual Annuities segment and third party networks. Additionally, we work with third party product manufacturers and distributors to include our investment options in their products and platforms.
We also provide investment management services across a broad array of asset classes for our general account, as described under “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Realized Investment Gains and Losses and General Account Investments—General Account Investments.”
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U.S. Individual Life and Group Insurance Division
The U.S. Individual Life and Group Insurance division conducts its business through the Individual Life and Group Insurance segments.
Individual Life
Our Individual Life segment manufactures and distributes individual variable life, term life and universal life insurance products, primarily to the U.S. mass middle, mass affluent and affluent markets. In general, we consider households with investable assets or annual income in excess of $100,000 to be mass affluent and households with investable assets in excess of $250,000 to be affluent in the U.S. market. Our life products are distributed through independent third party distributors and Prudential Agents.
The Individual Life segment competes with large, well-established life insurance companies. In the markets for our products, we compete primarily based upon price, service, distribution channel relationships, brand recognition and financial stability.
Certain fixed expenses are allocated between the Individual Life segment and the Closed Block Business based upon allocation methodologies consistent with U.S. GAAP reporting. However, as policies in force within the Closed Block Business continue to mature or terminate, the level of expenses to be allocated to the Closed Block Business will decrease, potentially increasing the expense allocations to the Individual Life segment.
Products
Our primary insurance products are variable life, term life and universal life and represent 49%, 43% and 7%, respectively, of our net face amount of individual life insurance in force at the end of 2008. In recent years, as term life insurance sales have increased and variable life insurance sales have decreased, we have seen term life insurance become a larger percentage of our net in force.
Variable Life Insurance
We offer a number of individual variable life insurance products that provide a return linked to an underlying investment portfolio selected by the policyholder while providing the policyholder with the flexibility to change both the death benefit and premium payments. The policyholder generally has the option of investing premiums in a fixed rate option that is part of our general account and/or investing in separate account investment options consisting of equity and fixed income funds. Funds invested in the fixed rate option will accrue interest at rates we determine that vary periodically based on our portfolio rate. In the separate accounts, the policyholder bears the fund performance risk. Each product provides for the deduction of charges and expenses from the customer’s contract fund. In the affluent market, we offer a private placement variable universal life product, which also utilizes investment options consisting of equity and fixed income funds. While variable life insurance continues to be an important product, marketplace demand continues to favor term and universal life insurance.
A significant portion of our Individual Life insurance segment’s profits are associated with our large in force block of variable policies. Profit patterns on these policies are not level and as the policies age, insureds generally begin paying reduced policy charges. This, coupled with net policy count and insurance in force runoff over time, reduces our expected future profits from this product line. Asset management fees and mortality and expense fees are a key component of variable life product profitability and vary based on the average daily net asset value.
Term Life Insurance
We offer a variety of term life insurance products that provide coverage for a specified time period. Most term products include a conversion feature that allows the policyholder to convert the policy into permanent life insurance coverage. We also offer term life insurance that provides for a return of premium if the insured is alive at the end of the level premium period. There continues to be significant demand for term life insurance protection.
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Individual Life profits from term insurance are not expected to directly correlate, from a timing perspective, with the increase in term insurance in force because of uneven product profitability patterns, as well as the costs of our ongoing capital management activities.
Universal Life Insurance
We offer universal life insurance products that feature a fixed crediting rate that varies periodically based on portfolio returns, flexible premiums and a choice of guarantees against lapse. Universal life policies provide for the deduction of charges and expenses from the policyholders’ contract fund.
Individual Life profits from universal life insurance are impacted by mortality and expense margins, interest spread on policyholder funds as well as the net interest spread on capital management activities.
Marketing and Distribution
Third Party Distribution
Our individual life products are offered through a variety of third party channels, including independent brokers, general agencies and producer groups. We focus on sales through independent intermediaries who provide life insurance solutions to protect individuals, families and businesses and support estate and wealth transfer planning. The life insurance products offered are generally the same as those available through Prudential Agents. Our third party efforts are supported by a network of internal and external wholesalers. We also offer a simplified-issue term life insurance policy available through the internet to customers of select banks and other financial institutions.
Prudential Agents
Our Prudential Agents distribute Prudential variable, term and universal life insurance, variable and fixed annuities, and investment and other protection products with proprietary and non-proprietary investment options as well as selected insurance and investment products manufactured by others. The number of Prudential Agents was 2,360, 2,425 and 2,562 at December 31, 2008, 2007 and 2006, respectively. While the number of Prudential Agents has declined over the past several years, average agent productivity, based upon average commissions on new sales of all products by Prudential Agents, has increased from $53,441 for 2006 to $57,700 for 2008.
Prudential Agents sell life insurance products primarily to customers in the U.S. mass and mass affluent markets, as well as small business owners. Other than certain training allowances or salary paid at the beginning of their employment, we pay Prudential Agents on a commission basis for the products they sell. In addition to commissions, Prudential Agents receive the employee benefits that we provide to other Prudential employees generally, including medical and disability insurance, an employee savings program and qualified retirement plans.
Prior to the sale of our property and casualty insurance operations in 2003, the Individual Life segment had been compensated for property and casualty insurance products sold through Prudential Agents. Following the sale, Prudential Agents have continued access to non-proprietary property and casualty products under distribution agreements entered into with the purchasers of these businesses, as well as other non-proprietary product providers; therefore, the Individual Life segment continues to be compensated for sales of these products.
The compensation arrangements for certain non-proprietary products provide an opportunity for additional compensation to the Individual Life segment based on multi-year profitability of the products sold. This additional compensation is not predictable since the multi-year profitability of the products is subject to substantial variability and, additionally, the compensation arrangements are periodically renegotiated which will affect the amount of additional compensation we are eligible to receive. The largest of these arrangements has been renegotiated and the profit opportunities will be significantly reduced in 2010 and beyond.
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Underwriting and Pricing
For our fully underwritten life insurance, underwriters follow detailed and uniform policies and procedures to assess and quantify the risk of our individual life insurance products. Depending on the age of the applicant and amount of insurance requested, we require the applicant to take a variety of underwriting tests, such as medical examinations, electrocardiograms, blood tests, urine tests, and gather information such as physician records and investigative reports. We base premiums and policy charges for individual life insurance on expected death benefits, surrender benefits, expenses and required reserves. We use assumptions for mortality, interest, expenses, policy persistency, and premium payment pattern in pricing policies. Some of our policies are fully guaranteed. Others have current premiums/charges and interest credits that we can change subject to contractual guarantees. We routinely update the interest crediting rates on our universal life policies and on the fixed account of our variable life policies. In resetting these rates, we consider the returns on our portfolios supporting these policies, current interest rates, the competitive environment and our profit objectives.
Our operating results are impacted by differences between actual mortality experience and the assumptions used in pricing these policies and, as a result, can fluctuate from period to period. Our Individual Life segment employs capital management activities, including financing of regulatory requirements associated with statutory reserves for certain term and universal life insurance policies, to maximize product returns and enable competitive pricing. Capital management activities are impacted by the cost of financing and our ability to access the capital markets, and insurance regulations.
Reserves
We establish and carry as liabilities actuarially determined reserves for future policy benefits that we believe will meet our future obligations for our in force life policies. We base these reserves on assumptions we believe to be appropriate for investment yield, persistency, expenses, mortality and morbidity rates, as well as margins for adverse deviation. For variable and interest-sensitive life insurance contracts, we establish liabilities for policyholders’ account balances that represent cumulative gross premium payments plus credited interest and/or fund performance, less withdrawals, expenses and mortality charges.
Reinsurance
The Individual Life segment uses reinsurance as a means of managing mortality volatility and risk capacity, which can impact product profitability based on mortality experience. Since 2000, we have reinsured a significant portion of the mortality risk we assume under our newly sold individual life insurance policies. Beginning in 2007 we increased our retention on newly-issued term and universal life policies. The maximum amount of individual life insurance we generally retain on any new policy is $30 million for a single life plan and $35 million for a second-to-die life plan. In situations where no reinsurance is available, we limit newly-issued policies on our primary term life plan to $10 million.
Group Insurance
Our Group Insurance segment manufactures and distributes a full range of group life, long-term and short-term group disability, long-term care, and group corporate- and trust-owned life insurance in the U.S. primarily to institutional clients for use in connection with employee and membership benefits plans. Group Insurance also sells accidental death and dismemberment and other ancillary coverages and provides plan administrative services in connection with its insurance coverages.
The Group life segment competes with other large, well-established life and health insurance providers in the U.S. markets, and is a top provider of both group life and disability insurance. The markets in which we compete are mature markets, hence we compete primarily based on strong brand recognition, service standards, customer relationships, financial stability and range of product offerings. Due to the large number of competitors, price competition is strong. The majority of our premiums are derived from large corporations, affinity groups or other organizations, such as those with over 10,000 insured individuals. We have a strong portfolio of products and the ability to meet complex needs of the large clients, providing opportunities for continuing stabilized premiums and growth.
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Products
Group Life Insurance
We offer group life insurance products including employer-pay (basic) and employee-pay (voluntary) coverages. This portfolio of products includes basic and supplemental term life insurance for employees, optional term life insurance for dependents of employees and universal life insurance. We also offer group variable universal life insurance, voluntary accidental death and dismemberment insurance and business travel accident insurance. Many of our employee-pay coverages include a portability feature, allowing employees to retain their coverage when they change employers or retire. We also offer a living benefits option that allows insureds that are diagnosed with a terminal illness to receive a portion of their life insurance benefit upon diagnosis, in advance of death, to use as needed. Also, the majority of claim payments are deposited into a retained asset account from which the beneficiary may withdraw the proceeds at anytime.
Group Disability Insurance
We offer short- and long-term group disability insurance, which protects against loss of wages due to illness or injury. Short-term disability generally provides coverage for three to six months, and long-term disability covers the period after short-term disability ends. We also offer absence management and integrated disability management services in conjunction with a third party.
Other
We offer individual and group long-term care insurance and group corporate- and trust-owned life insurance. Long-term care insurance protects the insured from the costs of an adult day care center, a nursing home or similar live-in care situation or a home health or a personal care aide. Group corporate- and trust-owned life insurance are group variable life insurance contracts typically used by large corporations to fund deferred compensation plans and benefit plans for retired employees.
Marketing and Distribution
Group Insurance has its own dedicated sales force that is organized around products and market segments and distributes primarily through employee benefits brokers and consultants. Group Insurance also distributes individual long-term care products through Prudential Agents as well as third party brokers and agents.
Underwriting and Pricing
We have developed standard rating systems for each product line in the Group Insurance segment based on our past experience and relevant industry experience. For our earlier generation long-term care products, experience data was very limited. As the long-term care industry is maturing, the information available, both our own and industry experience, for use in underwriting has improved. We are not obligated to accept any application for a policy or group of policies from any distributor. We follow standard underwriting practices and procedures. If the coverage amount exceeds certain prescribed age and amount limits, we may require a prospective insured to submit evidence of insurability.
We determine premiums on some of our policies on a retrospective experience rated basis, in which case the policyholder bears some of the risk or receives some of the benefit associated with claim experience fluctuations during the policy period. We base product pricing of group insurance products on the expected pay-out of benefits that we calculate using assumptions for mortality, morbidity, interest, expenses and persistency, depending upon the specific product features.
Some policies are not eligible to receive experience-based refunds. The adequacy of our pricing of these policies determines their profitability during the rate guarantee period. In addition, our profitability is subject to fluctuation period to period, based on the differences between actual mortality and morbidity experience and the assumptions used in pricing our policies, but we anticipate that over the rate guarantee period we will achieve mortality and morbidity levels more closely aligned with the assumptions used in pricing our policies. Market demand for multiple year rate guarantees for new policies increases the adverse consequences of mispricing coverage and lengthens the time it takes to improve benefits ratios.
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We routinely make pricing adjustments, when contractually permitted, that take into account the emerging experience on our group insurance products. While there can be no assurance, we expect these actions, as well as pricing discipline in writing new business, will allow us to maintain benefits ratios that are consistent with our profit objectives.
Reserves
We establish and carry as liabilities actuarially determined reserves that we believe will be adequate to meet our future policyholder benefit obligations. We base these reserves on actuarially recognized methods using morbidity and mortality tables in general use in the U.S., which we modify to reflect our actual experience when appropriate. Reserves also include claims reported but not yet paid, and claims incurred but not yet reported. We also establish a liability for policyholders’ account balances that represent cumulative deposits plus credited interest and/or fund performance, less withdrawals, expenses and cost of insurance charges as applicable.
International Insurance and Investments Division
The International Insurance and Investments division conducts its business through the International Insurance and International Investments segments.
International Insurance
Our International Insurance segment manufactures and distributes individual life insurance products to the mass affluent and affluent markets in Japan, Korea and other countries outside the U.S. through its Life Planner operations. In addition, we offer similar products to the broad middle income market across Japan through Life Advisors, who are associated with our separately-operated Gibraltar Life Insurance Company, Ltd., or Gibraltar Life, operation, which we acquired in April 2001. We commenced sales in non-U.S. markets through our Life Planner operations, as follows: Japan, 1988; Taiwan, 1990; Italy, 1990; Korea, 1991; Brazil, 1998; Argentina, 1999; Poland, 2000; and Mexico, 2006. We continue to explore opportunities for a more diverse mix of business resulting in increased focus on the international retirement market.
We continue to seek opportunities for expansion into high-growth markets in targeted countries, such as in China and India, where we have representative offices. During 2007, we entered into a joint venture in India where we have a 26% interest, the maximum currently allowed by regulation in India. The joint venture received its insurance license in June 2008 and commenced sales of life insurance products shortly thereafter. In addition, we also have an investment in China, through a consortium of investors that holds a minority interest in China Pacific Insurance (Group) Co., Ltd.
In certain countries where we operate, particularly Japan and Korea, our products are highly regulated and, as a result, premium levels may not vary significantly among competitors. Therefore, we generally compete more on service provided to the customers than on price. In our operations other than Gibraltar Life and our new joint venture in India, we compete by focusing primarily on a limited market using our Life Planner model to offer high quality service and needs-based protection products. The success of our model in some markets makes us vulnerable to imitation and targeted recruitment of our sales force; thus the loss of highly skilled and productive Life Planners to competitors is a significant competitive risk. We direct substantial efforts to recruit and retain our Life Planners by continuously evaluating and adjusting our training and compensation programs, where appropriate, to positively impact retention and satisfaction.
We manage each operation on a stand-alone basis with local management and sales teams with oversight by senior executives based in Asia and Newark, New Jersey. Each operation has its own marketing, underwriting and claims, and investment management functions. In addition, large portions of the general account investment portfolios are managed by our International Investments segment. Each operation invests primarily in local currency securities, typically bonds issued by the local government or its agencies. In our larger operations, we have more diversified portfolios that include investments in U.S. dollar securities.
On November 1, 2004, we acquired Aoba Life Insurance Company, Ltd., or Aoba Life, for $191 million of total consideration. Aoba Life was a Japanese life insurer with a run-off book of insurance contracts. We integrated and merged Aoba Life into our Life Planner operation in Japan in February 2005.
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Products
We currently offer various traditional whole life, term life, and endowment policies, which provide for payment on the earlier of death or maturity, as well as retirement income life insurance products that combine an insurance protection element similar to that of whole life policies with a retirement income feature. In some of our operations we also offer certain health products with fixed benefits, as well as annuity products, which are primarily represented by U.S. dollar denominated fixed annuities in Gibraltar Life and variable annuities in Korea. We also offer variable life products in Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Poland and interest-sensitive life products in Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Argentina. Generally, our international insurance products are non-participating and denominated in local currency, with the exception of products in Argentina, which are mostly U.S. dollar denominated, and certain policies in Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Mexico that are also U.S. dollar denominated. For these dollar denominated products, both premiums and benefits are guaranteed in U.S. dollars. We also began sales of Euro denominated products in Japan in August 2008.
Marketing and Distribution
The following table sets forth the number of Life Planners and Life Advisors for the periods indicated.
| As of December 31, | ||||||
| 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | ||||
| Life Planners: |
||||||
| Japan(1) |
3,071 | 3,068 | 2,956 | |||
| All other countries |
3,294 | 3,098 | 2,872 | |||
| Life Advisors |
6,330 | 6,264 | 5,944 | |||
| Total |
12,695 | 12,430 | 11,772 | |||
| (1) | In 2008 and 2007, 70 and 82 Life Planners, respectively, were transferred to Gibraltar primarily to support our efforts to expand our bank channel distribution. The Life Planners transferred to Gibraltar are not considered Life Advisors as they sell only through the bank channel. |
Life Planner Model
Our Life Planner model is significantly different from the way traditional industry participants offer life insurance in Japan and in most of the other countries where we do business. It also differs from the way we market through the Life Advisors of Gibraltar Life. We believe that our selection standards, training, supervision and compensation package are key to the Life Planner model and have helped our Life Planner operations achieve higher rates of agent retention, agent productivity and policy persistency than our local competitors. In general, we recruit Life Planners with:
| • | university degrees, so that the Life Planner will have the same educational background and outlook as the target customer; |
| • | a minimum of two years of sales or sales management experience; |
| • | no life insurance sales experience; and |
| • | a pattern of job stability and success. |
The Life Planner’s objective is to sell protection-oriented life insurance products on a needs basis to mass affluent and affluent customers.
The rate of increase in Life Planners in our Japanese operations was lower, from December 31, 2007 to December 31, 2008, as compared to the prior period, reflecting the impact of the transfer of 70 Life Planners to Gibraltar in 2008 primarily to support our efforts to expand our bank channel distribution, the Company’s efforts to further improve retention and the quality of Life Planners by more selective screening, and most recently due to the economic conditions. The increase in Life Planners in all other countries, from December 31, 2007 to December 31, 2008, was driven by increases of 67 and 90 in Korea and Taiwan, respectively.
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Life Advisors
Our Life Advisors are the proprietary distribution force for products offered by Gibraltar Life. Their focus is to provide individual protection products to the broad middle income market in Japan, particularly through relationships with affinity groups. Following the acquisition of Gibraltar Life in 2001, and continuing through 2003, the number of Life Advisors decreased as we instituted measures to increase the cost-effectiveness of this distribution channel, including a transition from a compensation structure that was formerly based mainly on fixed compensation to a variable compensation plan designed to improve productivity and persistency that is similar to compensation plans in our Life Planner operations. The number of Life Advisors has increased over the last few years, but the pace of growth in Life Advisors reflects the more disciplined hiring standards adopted in the latter half of 2007 to enhance retention and productivity.
During 2008, a new agency branch was created in Gibraltar Life that focuses on servicing our Japanese Life Planner policyholders that are not actively serviced by a Life Planner (i.e., orphaned policyholders) and promoting Gibraltar Life’s retirement and medical insurance products.
Bank Distribution Channel
In 2006, Gibraltar Life commenced sales, primarily of U.S. dollar denominated fixed annuity products, through banks to supplement its core Life Advisor distribution channel. As of December 31, 2008, Gibraltar Life had distribution agreements with fifteen banks. Beginning in early 2008, Gibraltar Life introduced a Yen-denominated variable annuity product in the bank channel, and began selling protection products as a result of the liberalization of banking regulations allowing for the sale of additional insurance products. We continue to explore opportunities to expand our distribution capabilities through the bank channel, as well as other alternative channels.
Underwriting and Pricing
Our International Insurance segment is subject to substantial local regulation that is generally more restrictive for product offerings, pricing and structure than U.S. insurance regulation. Each International Insurance operation has its own underwriting department that employs variations of U.S. practices in underwriting individual policy risks. In setting underwriting limits, we also consider local industry standards to prevent adverse selection and to stay abreast of industry trends. In addition, we set underwriting limits together with each operation’s reinsurers.
Pricing of individual life insurance products, particularly in Japan and Korea, is more regulated than in the U.S. Generally, premiums in each country are different for participating and non-participating products, but within each product type they are generally similar for all companies. Mortality and morbidity rates and interest rates that we use to calculate premiums are restricted by regulation on the basis of product type by country. Interest rates guaranteed under our insurance contracts may exceed the rates of return we earn on our investments, and, as a result, we may experience negative spreads between the rate we guarantee and the rate we earn on investments. Negative investment spreads had an adverse impact on the overall results of our Life Planner operations over the past five years. The profitability on our products from these operations results primarily from margins on mortality, morbidity and expense charges. In addition, the profitability of our products is impacted by differences between actual mortality experience and the assumptions used in pricing these policies and, as a result, can fluctuate from period to period. However, we anticipate over the long-term to achieve the mortality levels reflected in the assumptions used in pricing our products.
Reserves
We establish and carry as liabilities actuarially determined reserves for future policy benefits that we believe will meet our future obligations. We base fixed death benefit reserves on assumptions we believe to be appropriate for investment yield, persistency, mortality and morbidity rates, expenses and margins for adverse deviation. For variable and interest-sensitive life products, as well as annuity products, we establish liabilities for policyholders’ account balances that represent cumulative gross premiums collected plus interest or investment results credited less surrenders, and charges for cost of insurance and administration fees.
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The reserves for many of our products have long durations and, in some of these markets, it is difficult to find appropriate assets with the same long duration. Historically, we have sought to add duration exposure to our Japanese investment portfolio by employing various strategies, including investing in longer-term securities or, due to the difficulty in finding appropriate securities with the same long duration, by entering into long-duration floating-to-fixed interest rate swaps. These strategies better support the characteristics of our long-dated product liabilities, and have resulted in higher portfolio yields. Based on an evaluation of recent market conditions, beginning in the fourth quarter of 2008 and continuing into 2009, we have terminated or offset many of these interest rate swaps in consideration of, among other things, the interest rate environment. These actions will result in lower portfolio yields in our Japanese Life Planner operations in 2009. We continue to manage the interest rate risk profile of our businesses in the context of market conditions and relative opportunities, and we expect to resume implementing strategies to lengthen the duration of our Japanese investment portfolio as our assessment of market conditions changes. As we do so, the impact to our portfolio yields upon the resumption of these strategies will depend on the then current interest rate environment.
Reinsurance
International Insurance reinsures portions of its insurance risks with both selected third party reinsurers and Prudential Insurance under reinsurance agreements primarily on a yearly renewable term basis. International Insurance also buys catastrophe reinsurance that covers multiple deaths from a single occurrence in our Life Planner operations in Japan, Taiwan and Brazil. We also have coinsurance agreements with Prudential Insurance for the U.S. dollar denominated business in our Japanese Life Planner insurance operations.
International Investments
Our International Investments segment offers proprietary and non-proprietary asset management, investment advice and services to retail and institutional clients in selected international markets. These services are marketed through proprietary and third party distribution networks and encompass the businesses of our international investments operations and our global commodities group, which are described in more detail below.
Our international investments operations include manufacturing of proprietary products and distribution of both proprietary and non-proprietary products, tailored to meet client needs. In this business, we invest in asset management and distribution businesses in targeted countries to expand our mass affluent customer base outside the U.S. and to increase our global assets under management. We seek to establish long-term relationships with our clients through our proprietary distribution network and we believe this provides an advantage over some competitors who provide only asset management services. Additionally, this business manages large portions of the general account investment portfolios of our international insurance operations.
Our global commodities group provides advice, sales and trading on a global basis covering a wide variety of commodity, financial and foreign exchange futures, swap and forward contracts, including agricultural commodities, base and precious metals, major currencies, interest rate and stock indices primarily to an institutional client base. We conduct these operations through offices in the U.S., Europe and Asia, and are members of most major futures exchanges. Our global commodities group primarily serves as an intermediary between its customers and, therefore, assumes minimal market risk, except counterparty credit risk related to its customers. We conduct futures transactions on margin according to the regulations of the different futures exchanges. To the extent clients are unable to meet their commitments and margin deposits are insufficient to cover outstanding liabilities, we may be required to purchase or sell financial instruments at prevailing market prices in order to fulfill the client’s obligations.
In 2004, our international investments operations acquired an 80 percent interest in Hyundai Investment and Securities Co., Ltd., a Korean asset management firm, from an agency of the Korean government, for $301 million in cash, including $210 million used to repay assumed debt. Subsequent to the acquisition, the company was renamed Prudential Investment & Securities Co., Ltd., or PISC. On January 25, 2008, we acquired the remaining 20 percent for $90 million and PISC is now a wholly-owned operation.
On July 12, 2007, our international investments operations sold its 50% interest in the operating joint ventures Oppenheim Pramerica Fonds Trust GmbH and Oppenheim Pramerica Asset Management S.a.r.l., which
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were accounted for under the equity method, to our partner Oppenheim S.C.A. for $121 million. These businesses establish, package and distribute mutual fund products to German and other European retail investors. We recorded a pre-tax gain on the sale of $37 million in 2007.
On January 18, 2008, we made an additional investment of $154 million in our UBI Pramerica operating joint venture in Italy, which we account for under the equity method. This additional investment was necessary to maintain our ownership interest at 35% and was a result of the merger of our joint venture partner with another Italian bank, and their subsequent consolidation of their asset management companies into the UBI Pramerica joint venture.
On July 1, 2008, we acquired a 40 percent interest in GAP Asset Management of Brazil, which we account for under the equity method as an operating joint venture. GAP Asset Management of Brazil had $2.9 billion in assets under management as of June 30, 2008 and $0.9 billion in assets under management as of December 31, 2008, reflecting a decline in assets under management attributable to client outflows and foreign exchange movements.
Corporate and Other
Corporate and Other includes corporate operations that are not allocated to any of our business segments and the real estate and relocation services business, as well as divested businesses except for those that qualify for “discontinued operations” accounting treatment under U.S. GAAP.
Corporate Operations
Corporate operations consist primarily of: (1) investment returns on capital that is not deployed in any business segments; (2) returns from investments not allocated to business segments, including debt-financed investment portfolios, as well as tax credit investments and other tax enhanced investments financed by business segments; (3) capital debt that is used or will be used to meet the capital requirements of the Company and the related interest expense; (4) income and expense from qualified pension and other employee benefit plans, after allocations to business segments; (5) corporate-level income and expense, after allocations to business segments, including corporate governance, corporate advertising, philanthropic activities and deferred compensation; (6) certain retained obligations relating to policyholders whom we had previously agreed to provide insurance for reduced or no premium in accordance with contractual settlements related to prior individual life insurance sales practices remediation; (7) businesses that we have placed in wind-down status but have not divested; and (8) the impact of transactions with other segments.
The wind-down businesses included in corporate operations consist of the following:
| • | We have not actively engaged in the life reinsurance market since the early 1990s; however, we remain subject to mortality risk for certain assumed individual life insurance policies under the terms of the reinsurance treaties. |
| • | We ceased writing individual disability income policies in 1992, and a year later ceased writing hospital expense and major medical policies. Most of our individual disability income policies are non-cancelable; however, we reinsured all of these policies as of July 1999. For our hospital expense and major medical policies, the 1997 Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act guarantees renewal. Under certain circumstances, with appropriate approvals from state regulatory authorities, we are permitted to change the premiums charged for these policies if we can demonstrate the premiums have not been sufficient to pay claims and expenses. |
Residential Real Estate Brokerage Franchise and Relocation Services
Prudential Real Estate and Relocation Services is our integrated real estate brokerage franchise and relocation services business. The real estate group markets franchises primarily to existing real estate companies. Our franchise agreements grant the franchisee the right to use the Prudential name and real estate service marks in return for royalty payments on gross commissions generated by the franchisees. The franchises generally are independently owned and operated. This business also has a finance subsidiary that makes debt and equity investments in a limited number of franchisees.
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Our relocation group offers institutional clients and government agencies a variety of services in connection with the relocation of their employees. These services include: coordination of appraisal; inspection, purchase and sale of relocating employees’ homes; equity advances to relocating employees; assistance in locating homes at the relocating employee’s destination; household goods moving services; client cost-tracking and a variety of relocation policy and group move consulting services. Generally the client is responsible for carrying costs and any loss on sale with respect to a relocating employee’s home that is purchased by us. Our government clients and certain corporate clients utilize a fixed price program under which we assume the benefits and burdens of ownership, including carrying costs and any loss on sale.
Divested Businesses
The following operations are businesses that have been or will be sold or exited that did not qualify for “discontinued operations” accounting treatment under U.S. GAAP. We include the results of these divested businesses in our income from continuing operations, but we exclude these results from our adjusted operating income. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Consolidated Results of Operations” for an explanation of adjusted operating income.
Financial Advisory
In 2008, we classified our Financial Advisory business as a divested business, reflecting our intention to exit this business, as discussed in more detail below. This business consists of our investment in the Wachovia Securities joint venture described below, in addition to expenses relating to obligations and costs we retained in connection with the businesses we contributed to the joint venture, primarily for litigation and regulatory matters.
On July 1, 2003, we combined our retail securities brokerage and clearing operations with those of Wachovia Corporation, or Wachovia, and formed Wachovia Securities Financial Holdings, LLC, or Wachovia Securities, a joint venture currently headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. Wachovia Securities, one of the nation’s largest retail brokerage and clearing organizations, provides full service securities brokerage and financial advisory services to individuals and businesses. Wachovia and Wachovia Securities are distribution partners for certain of our products, including our mutual funds and individual annuities that are distributed through their financial advisors, bank channel and independent channel.
On October 1, 2007, Wachovia completed the acquisition of A.G. Edwards, Inc., or A.G. Edwards, and on January 1, 2008 contributed the retail securities brokerage business of A.G. Edwards to the joint venture. Wachovia’s contribution of this business entitled us to elect a “lookback” option (which we elected) that permits us to delay for a period of two years ending on January 1, 2010, our decision on whether or not to make payments to avoid or limit dilution of our 38% ownership interest in the joint venture. During this “lookback” period, our share in the earnings of the joint venture and one-time costs associated with the combination of the A.G. Edwards business with Wachovia Securities is based on our diluted ownership level, which is in the process of being determined. At the end of the “lookback” period, we may “put” our joint venture interests to Wachovia based on the appraised value of the joint venture, excluding the A.G. Edwards business, as of January 1, 2008, the date of the combination of the A.G. Edwards business with Wachovia Securities. Based upon the existing agreements and our estimates of the values of the A.G. Edwards business and the joint venture excluding the A.G. Edwards business, we adjusted the carrying value of our ownership interest in the joint venture effective as of January 1, 2008 to reflect the addition of the A.G. Edwards business and the dilution of our 38% ownership interest and to record the value of the above described rights under the “lookback” option.
On October 3, 2008, Wachovia and Wells Fargo & Company (“Wells Fargo”) announced that they had entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger, pursuant to which Wachovia would be merged into Wells Fargo, which would succeed to Wachovia’s rights and obligations under the joint venture arrangements. As reported by Wells Fargo, this merger was completed on December 31, 2008.
On December 4, 2008, we announced our intention, assuming completion of the merger of Wachovia into Wells Fargo, to exercise our right under the “lookback” option to put our joint venture interests to Wells Fargo. Under the terms of the joint venture agreements, closing of the put transaction would occur on or about January 1, 2010. As indicated above, the results associated with our joint venture interest have been classified as results of a divested business, reflecting our intention to exit this business.
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Commercial Mortgage Securitization Operations
In 2008, we classified our commercial mortgage securitization operations as a divested business, reflecting our decision to exit this business. These operations, which involved the origination and purchase of commercial mortgage loans that we in turn would aggregate and sell into commercial mortgage-backed securitization transactions, together with related hedging activities, were previously reported within the Asset Management segment. We retained and continue the remainder of our commercial mortgage origination, servicing and other commercial mortgage related activities, which remain a part of our Asset Management segment. As of December 31, 2008, our commercial mortgage securitization operations held loans with a principal balance of $241 million, whose fair values continue to be subject to changes in credit spreads.
Property and Casualty Insurance
In 2003, we sold our property and casualty insurance companies that operated nationally in 48 states outside of New Jersey, and the District of Columbia, to Liberty Mutual Group, or Liberty Mutual, and our New Jersey property and casualty insurance companies to Palisades Group. We have agreed not to compete with the buyers. In New Jersey, the non-compete agreement with Palisades Group expired on December 31, 2008. Outside of New Jersey, the non-compete agreement is effective until the termination of our distribution agreement with Liberty Mutual.
We have reinsured Liberty Mutual for adverse loss development on losses occurring prior to the sale that arise from insurance contracts generated through certain discontinued distribution channels; and stop-loss protection on losses occurring after the sale and arising from those same distribution channels. The reinsurance covering these losses will be settled based upon loss experience through December 31, 2008 with a provision that profits on these channels may be shared, with Liberty Mutual potentially receiving up to $20 million, which is fully reserved. We have also reinsured Liberty Mutual for adverse loss development for specific property and casualty risks either written or assumed prior to the sale that Liberty Mutual did not want to retain. This includes adverse loss development on a stop loss reinsurance agreement with Everest Re Group, Ltd., or Everest, which resulted from the sale in 2000 of Gibraltar Casualty Company, a commercial property and casualty insurer, to Everest. The payments up to the full limit of the Everest agreement were reached in 2008. We believe that we have adequately reserved for our remaining property and casualty obligations under these reinsurance contracts based on the current information available; however, we may be required to take additional charges in the future that could be material to our results of operations in a particular quarterly or annual period.
Prudential Securities Capital Markets
In 2000, we announced a restructuring of Prudential Securities’ activities to implement a fundamental shift in our business strategy. We subsequently exited the lead-managed equity underwriting business for corporate issuers and the institutional fixed income business. As of December 31, 2008 we had remaining assets amounting to $92 million related to Prudential Securities’ institutional fixed income activities.
Exchange shares previously held by Prudential Equity Group
In 2007, we exited the equity sales, trading and research operations of the Prudential Equity Group, and retained certain securities relating to trading exchange memberships of these former operations. These securities were received in 2006 in connection with the commencement of public trading of stock exchange shares.
Other
We previously marketed individual life insurance in Canada through Prudential of America Life Insurance Company, or PALIC. In 2000, we sold our interest in PALIC and indemnified the purchaser for certain liabilities with respect to claims related to sales practices or market conduct issues arising from operations prior to the sale. We also remain subject to mortality risk for certain assumed individual life insurance policies sold by PALIC under the terms of the reinsurance treaties.
During 1996 and 1997, we sold substantially all of the residential first mortgage banking and related operations of Prudential Home Mortgage Company, Inc. and its affiliates. We remain liable with respect to certain claims concerning these operations prior to sale which we believe are adequately reserved.
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Discontinued Operations
Discontinued operations reflect the results of the following businesses which qualified for “discontinued operations” accounting treatment under U.S. GAAP:
| • | We sold substantially all of the assets and liabilities of our group managed and indemnity healthcare business to Aetna Inc. in 1999. |
| • | We discontinued certain branches of our international securities operations in the fourth quarter of 2002. In the fourth quarter of 2004 we discontinued the remaining branches of our international securities operations. |
| • | We discontinued our existing consumer banking business in the third quarter of 2003 and subsequently sold these operations in 2004. |
| • | We discontinued our work-place distribution property and casualty insurance operations in the fourth quarter of 2003. We subsequently sold these operations in the first quarter of 2004. |
| • | We discontinued our Dryden Wealth Management business, which offered financial advisory, private banking and portfolio management services primarily to retail investors in Europe and Asia, in the second quarter of 2005. We subsequently sold these operations in the fourth quarter of 2005. |
| • | We discontinued our Philippine insurance operations in the second quarter of 2006 and subsequently sold these operations in the third quarter of 2006. |
| • | In the third quarter of 2006, we entered into a reinsurance transaction related to the Canadian Intermediate Weekly Premium and Individual Health operations, which resulted in these operations being accounted for as “discontinued operations.” |
| • | We discontinued the equity sales, trading and research operations of the Prudential Equity Group in the second quarter of 2007. |
In addition, direct real estate investments that are sold or held for sale may require “discontinued operations” accounting treatment under U.S. GAAP.
Closed Block Business
In connection with the demutualization, we ceased offering domestic participating individual life insurance products, under which policyholders are eligible to receive policyholder dividends reflecting experience. The liabilities for our individual in force participating products were segregated, together with assets that will be used exclusively for the payment of benefits and policyholder dividends, expenses and taxes with respect to these products, in the Closed Block. We selected the amount of Closed Block Assets that we expect will generate sufficient cash flow, together with anticipated revenues from the Closed Block Policies, over the life of the Closed Block to fund payments of all expenses, taxes, and policyholder benefits and to provide for the continuation of the policyholder dividend scales in effect in 2000, assuming experience underlying such scales continues. We also segregated for accounting purposes the Surplus and Related Assets that we needed to hold outside the Closed Block to meet capital requirements related to the policies included within the Closed Block at the time of demutualization. No policies sold after demutualization will be added to the Closed Block, and its in force business is expected to decline ultimately as we pay policyholder benefits in full. We also expect the proportion of our business represented by the Closed Block to decline as we grow other businesses. For a discussion of the Closed Block Business, see “—Demutualization and Separation of the Businesses—Separation of the Businesses.”
Our strategy for the Closed Block Business is to maintain the Closed Block as required by our Plan of Reorganization over the time period of its gradual diminishment as policyholder benefits are paid in full. We are permitted under the Plan of Reorganization, with the prior consent of the New Jersey Commissioner of Banking and Insurance, to enter into agreements to transfer to a third party all or any part of the risks under the Closed Block policies. In 2005, we completed the process of arranging reinsurance of the Closed Block. The Closed
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Block is 90% reinsured, including 17% by a wholly owned subsidiary of Prudential Financial. As discussed in Note 10 to the Consolidated Financial Statements, if the performance of the Closed Block is more or less favorable than we originally assumed in funding, total dividends paid to Closed Block policyholders in the future may be greater or less than the total dividends that would have been paid to these policyholders if the policyholder dividend scales in effect in 2000 had been continued. Any cash flows in excess of amounts assumed will be available for distribution over time to Closed Block policyholders as part of policyholder dividends, and it will not be available to shareholders. At the end of each year, the Board of Directors of Prudential Insurance determines the dividends payable on participating policies for the following year based on the experience of the Closed Block, including investment income, net realized and unrealized investment gains, mortality experience and other factors. See Note 20 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for revenues, income and loss, and total assets of the Closed Block Business.
Intangible and Intellectual Property
We use numerous federal, state and foreign servicemarks and trademarks. We believe that the goodwill associated with many of our servicemarks and trademarks, particularly “Prudential®,” “Prudential Financial®,” “Growing and Protecting Your Wealth®” and our “Rock” logo, are significant competitive assets in the U.S.
On April 20, 2004, we entered into a servicemark and trademark agreement with Prudential plc of the United Kingdom, with whom we have no affiliation, concerning the parties’ respective rights worldwide to use the names “Prudential” and “Pru.” The agreement is intended to avoid customer confusion in areas where both companies compete. Under the agreement, there are restrictions on our use of the “Prudential” name and mark in a number of countries outside the Americas, including Europe and most parts of Asia. Where these limitations apply, we combine our “Rock” logo with alternative word marks. We believe that these limitations do not materially affect our ability to operate or expand internationally.
Ratings
Claims-paying and credit ratings are important factors affecting public confidence in an insurer and its competitive position in marketing products. National Recognized Statistical Ratings Organizations continually review the financial performance and condition of insurers, including Prudential Insurance and our other insurance company subsidiaries. Our credit ratings are also important for our ability to raise capital through the issuance of debt and for the cost of such financing.
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Claims-paying ratings, which are sometimes referred to as “financial strength” ratings, represent the opinions of rating agencies regarding the financial ability of an insurance company to meet its obligations under an insurance policy. Credit ratings represent the opinions of rating agencies regarding an entity’s ability to repay its indebtedness. The following table summarizes the ratings for Prudential Financial, Inc. and certain of its subsidiaries as of the date of this filing.
| A.M. Best(1) |
S&P(2) | Moody’s(3) | Fitch(4) | ||||||
| Insurance Claims-Paying Ratings: |
|||||||||
| The Prudential Insurance Company of America |
A+ | AA- | Aa3 | A+ | |||||
| PRUCO Life Insurance Company |
A+ | AA- | Aa3 | A+ | |||||
| PRUCO Life Insurance Company of New Jersey |
A+ | AA- | NR | * | A+ | ||||
| Prudential Annuities Life Assurance Corporation |
A+ | AA- | NR | A+ | |||||
| Prudential Retirement Insurance and Annuity Company |
A+ | AA- | Aa3 | A+ | |||||
| The Prudential Life Insurance Company Ltd. (Prudential of Japan) |
NR | AA- | NR | NR | |||||
| Gibraltar Life Insurance Company, Ltd. |
NR | AA- | Aa3 | NR | |||||
| Credit Ratings: |
|||||||||
| Prudential Financial, Inc.: |
|||||||||
| Short-term borrowings |
AMB-1 | A-1 | P-2 | F2 | |||||
| Long-term senior debt(5) |
a- | A | A3 | BBB | |||||
| Junior subordinated long-term debt |
bbb | BBB+ | Baa1 | BBB- | |||||
| The Prudential Insurance Company of America: |
|||||||||
| Capital and surplus notes |
a | A | A2 | A- | |||||
| Prudential Funding, LLC: |
|||||||||
| Short-term debt |
AMB-1 | A-1+ | P-1 | F1 | |||||
| Long-term senior debt |
a+ | AA- | A1 | A | |||||
| PRICOA Global Funding I: |
|||||||||
| Long-term senior debt |
aa- | AA- | Aa3 | A+ | |||||
| * | “NR” indicates not rated. |
| (1) | A.M. Best Company, which we refer to as A.M. Best, claims-paying ratings for insurance companies currently range from “A++ (superior)” to “F (in liquidation).” A.M. Best’s ratings reflect its opinion of an insurance company’s financial strength, operating performance and ability to meet its obligations to policyholders. An A.M. Best long-term credit rating is an opinion of the ability of an obligor to pay interest and principal in accordance with the terms of the obligation. A.M. Best long-term credit ratings range from “aaa (exceptional)” to “d (in default),” with ratings from “aaa” to “bbb” considered as investment grade. An A.M. Best short-term credit rating reflects an opinion of the issuer’s fundamental credit quality. Ratings range from “AMB-1+,” which represents an exceptional ability to repay short-term debt obligations, to “AMB-4,” which correlates with a speculative (“bb”) long-term rating. |
| (2) | Standard & Poor’s Rating Services, which we refer to as S&P, claims-paying ratings currently range from “AAA (extremely strong)” to “R (regulatory supervision).” These ratings reflect S&P’s opinion of an operating insurance company’s financial capacity to meet the obligations of its insurance policies in accordance with their terms. A “+” or “-” indicates relative strength within a category. An S&P credit rating is a current opinion of the creditworthiness of an obligor with respect to a specific financial obligation, a specific class of financial obligations or a specific financial program. S&P’s long-term issue credit ratings range from “AAA (extremely strong)” to “D (default).” S&P short-term ratings range from “A-1 (highest category)” to “D (default).” |
| (3) | Moody’s Investors Service, Inc., which we refer to as Moody’s, insurance claims-paying ratings currently range from “Aaa (exceptional)” to “C (lowest).” Moody’s insurance ratings reflect the ability of insurance companies to repay punctually senior policyholder claims and obligations. Numeric modifiers are used to refer to the ranking within the group—with 1 being the highest and 3 being the lowest. These modifiers are used to indicate relative strength within a category. Moody’s credit ratings currently range from “Aaa (highest)” to “C (default).” Moody’s credit ratings grade debt according to its investment quality. Moody’s considers “A1,” “A2” and “A3” rated debt to be upper medium grade obligations, subject to low credit risk. Moody’s short-term ratings are opinions of the ability of issuers to honor senior financial obligations and contracts. Prime ratings range from “Prime-1 (P-1),” which represents a superior ability for repayment of senior short-term debt obligations, to “Prime-3 (P-3),” which represents an acceptable ability for repayment of such obligations. Issuers rated “Not Prime” do not fall within any of the Prime rating categories. |
| (4) | Fitch Ratings Ltd., which we refer to as Fitch, claims-paying ratings currently range from “AAA (exceptionally strong)” to “D (distressed).” Fitch’s ratings reflect its assessment of the likelihood of timely payment of policyholder and contractholder obligations. Fitch long-term credit ratings currently range from “AAA (highest credit quality),” which denotes exceptionally strong capacity for timely payment of financial commitments, to “D (default).” Investment grade ratings range between “AAA” and “BBB.” Short-term ratings range from “F1 (highest credit quality)” to “C (high default risk).” Within long-term and short-term ratings, a “+” or a “–” may be appended to a rating to denote relative status within major rating categories. |
| (5) | Includes the retail medium-term notes program. |
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The ratings set forth above with respect to Prudential Financial, Prudential Funding, LLC, Prudential Insurance and our other insurance and financing subsidiaries reflect current opinions of each rating organization with respect to claims-paying ability, financial strength, operating performance and ability to meet obligations to policyholders or debt holders, as the case may be. These ratings are of concern to policyholders, agents and intermediaries. They are not directed toward shareholders and do not in any way reflect evaluations of the safety and security of the Common Stock. These ratings are reviewed periodically and we cannot assure you that we will maintain our current ratings in the future. Each rating should be evaluated independently of any other rating.
Our claims-paying ratings are an important factor affecting public confidence in most of our products and, as a result, our competitiveness. The interest rates we pay on our borrowings are largely dependent on our credit ratings. A downgrade in our claims-paying or credit ratings could potentially, among other things, limit our ability to market products, reduce our competitiveness, increase the number or value of policy surrenders and withdrawals, increase our borrowing costs and potentially make it more difficult to borrow funds, adversely affect the availability of financial guarantees, such as letters of credit, cause additional collateral requirements or other required payments under certain agreements (see “Management’s Discussion and Analysis—Liquidity and Capital Resources”), and/or hurt our relationships with creditors or trading counterparties.
Rating agencies use an “outlook” statement for both industry sectors and individual companies. For an industry sector, a negative outlook generally implies that over the next 12-18 months, the rating agency expects more downgrades than upgrades among companies in the sector. However, such an outlook does not imply that all, or even a majority of, companies will necessarily experience ratings downgrades. For a particular company, an outlook generally indicates a medium- or long-term trend (generally six months to two years) in credit fundamentals, which if continued, may lead to a rating change. These indicators are not necessarily a precursor of a rating change nor do they preclude a rating agency from changing a rating at any time without notice.
In view of the difficulties experienced recently by many financial institutions, the rating agencies have heightened the level of scrutiny that they apply to such institutions, have increased the frequency and scope of their credit reviews, have requested additional information from the companies that they rate, and may adjust upward the capital and other requirements employed in the rating agency models for maintenance of certain ratings levels, such as the financial strength ratings currently held by our life insurance subsidiaries. In addition, actions we might take to access third party financing or to realign our capital structure may in turn cause rating agencies to reevaluate our ratings.
Provided below is a discussion of the significant changes in our ratings or rating outlooks that occurred from the beginning of 2008 through the date of this filing.
In late September and early October 2008, A.M. Best, Fitch, Moody’s, and S&P each revised their outlook for the U.S. life insurance sector to negative from stable, citing, among other things, the significant deterioration and volatility in the credit and equity markets, economic and political uncertainty, and the expected impact of realized and unrealized investment losses on life insurers’ capital levels and profitability.
On November 21, 2008, Moody’s affirmed the long-term senior debt rating of Prudential Financial at “A3” and affirmed the financial strength ratings of our life insurance subsidiaries at “Aa3.” Moody’s also revised its outlook on our ratings to negative from stable. On February 10, 2009 Moody’s placed the long-term ratings of Prudential Financial and our life insurance subsidiaries on review for possible downgrade. The short-term ratings of Prudential Financial and Prudential Funding have been affirmed with a stable outlook.
On December 2, 2008, Fitch lowered Prudential Financial’s long-term senior debt rating to “A-” from “A” and lowered the financial strength ratings of our life insurance subsidiaries to “AA-” from “AA,” with ratings outlook revised from stable to negative. On February 19, 2009, Fitch lowered Prudential Financial’s long-term senior debt rating to “BBB” from “A-” and the short-term rating to “F2” from “F1.” Fitch also downgraded the financial strength ratings of the life insurance subsidiaries to “A+” from “AA-” and the short-term rating of Prudential Funding to “F1” from “F1+.” The outlook for all ratings remains negative.
On December 11, 2008, A.M. Best affirmed the financial strength rating of “A+” for our life insurance subsidiaries and affirmed the credit rating of “a-” for Prudential Financial’s long-term senior debt. The outlook for the financial strength ratings remained stable and the outlook for the long-term senior debt credit rating was revised to stable from positive.
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On February 17, 2009, S&P lowered Prudential Financial’s long-term senior debt rating to “A” from “A+” and affirmed the “AA” ratings of our life insurance subsidiaries. The long-term ratings outlook was revised from stable to negative.
On February 26, 2009, S&P lowered the financial strength ratings of our life insurance subsidiaries to “AA-” from “AA” and affirmed Prudential Financial’s long-term senior debt ratings as “A.” The outlook for both ratings was revised from negative to stable.
See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis—Liquidity and Capital Resources” for a discussion of the impact of these rating actions.
Competition
In each of our businesses we face intense competition from U.S. and international insurance companies, asset managers and diversified financial institutions. Many of our competitors are large and well-established and some have greater market share or breadth of distribution, offer a broader range of products, services or features, assume a greater level of risk, have lower profitability expectations or have higher claims-paying or credit ratings than we do. We compete in our businesses based on a number of factors including brand recognition, reputation, quality of service, quality of investment advice, investment performance of our products, product features, scope of distribution and distribution arrangements, price, risk management capabilities, capital management capabilities, perceived financial strength, and claims-paying and credit ratings. The relative importance of these factors varies across our products and the markets we serve.
The adverse market and economic conditions that began in the second half of 2007 and that have continued and worsened since then can be expected to result in changes in the competitive landscape. For example, the financial distress experienced by certain financial services industry participants as a result of such conditions may lead to favorable acquisition opportunities, although our ability or that of our competitors to pursue such opportunities may be limited due to lower earnings, reserve increases, and a lack of access to debt capital markets and other sources of financing. Such conditions may also lead to changes by us or our competitors in product offerings, product pricing and business mix that could affect our and their relative sales volumes, market shares and profitability. It is also possible that such conditions may put U.S. companies with financial operations in non-U.S. locations at a competitive disadvantage relative to domestic companies operating in those locations and may impact sales in those locations. Additionally, the competitive landscape may be further affected by the government sponsored programs in the U.S. and similar governmental actions outside of the U.S. in response to the severe dislocations in financial markets.
Consolidations among companies in the financial services industry may occur and result in competitors with increased market shares, or the introduction of larger or financially stronger competitors through acquisitions or otherwise, in lines of business in which we compete.
We could be subject to claims by competitors that our products infringe their patents, which could adversely affect our sales, profitability and financial position.
Certain of our products compete on the basis of investment performance. A material decline in the investment performance of these products could have an adverse effect on our sales, as well as potentially increase the level of withdrawals and customer complaints. Rankings and ratings of investment performance have a significant effect on our ability to increase our assets under management.
Competition for personnel in our businesses is intense, including our captive sales personnel and our investment managers. In the ordinary course of business, we lose personnel from time to time in whom we have invested significant training. We direct substantial efforts to recruit and retain our agents and to increase their productivity. The loss of key investment managers could have a material adverse effect on our Asset Management segment.
Many of our businesses are in industries where access to multiple sales channels may be a competitive advantage. We currently sell insurance and investment products through both affiliated and non-affiliated distribution channels, including (1) our captive sales channel, (2) independent agents, brokers and financial planners, (3) broker-dealers that generally are members of the New York Stock Exchange, including “wirehouse” and regional broker-dealer firms, (4) broker-dealers affiliated with banks or that specialize in marketing to
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customers of banks, and (5) intermediaries such as retirement plan administrators. While we believe that certain insurance and investment products will continue to be sold primarily through face-to-face sales channels, customers’ desire for objective and not product-related advice will, over time, increase the amount of such insurance and investment products sold through non-affiliated distributors. In addition, we expect that certain insurance and investment products will increasingly be sold through direct marketing, including through electronic commerce.
The proliferation and growth of non-affiliated distribution channels puts pressure on our captive sales channels to remain competitive with respect to product offerings, compensation, services offered, and recruiting and retention. We continue our efforts to strengthen and broaden our sales channels, but we cannot assure that we will be successful. We run the risk that our competitors will have more distribution channels, stronger relationships with non-affiliated distribution channels, or will make a more significant or rapid shift to direct distribution alternatives than we anticipate or are able to achieve ourselves. If this happens, our market share and results of operations could be adversely affected.
Our ability to sell certain insurance products, including traditional guaranteed products depends significantly on our claims-paying ratings. A downgrade in our claims-paying ratings could adversely affect our ability to sell our insurance products and reduce our profitability. For additional information on our claims-paying ratings, see “—Ratings.”
Regulation
Overview
Our businesses are subject to comprehensive regulation and supervision. The purpose of these regulations is primarily to protect our customers and not necessarily our shareholders. Many of the laws and regulations to which we are subject are regularly re-examined, and existing or future laws and regulations may become more restrictive or otherwise adversely affect our operations. It appears likely that the financial markets dislocation will lead to extensive changes in existing laws and regulations, and regulatory frameworks, applicable to our businesses in the U.S. and internationally. U.S. law and regulation of our international business, particularly as it relates to monitoring customer activities, is likely to increase as a result of terrorist activity in the U.S. and abroad and may affect our ability to attract and retain customers. The discussion immediately below is primarily focused on applicable U.S. regulation. A separate discussion of the regulations affecting our international businesses is provided later in this section under “—Regulation of our International Businesses.”
Insurance Operations
State insurance laws regulate all aspects of our U.S. insurance businesses, and state insurance departments in the fifty states, the District of Columbia and various U.S. territories and possessions monitor our insurance operations. Prudential Insurance is domiciled in New Jersey and its principal insurance regulatory authority is the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance. Our other U.S. insurance companies are principally regulated by the insurance departments of the states in which they are domiciled. Generally, our insurance products must be approved by the insurance regulators in the state in which they are sold. Our insurance products are substantially affected by federal and state tax laws. Products in the U.S. that also constitute “securities,” such as variable life insurance and variable annuities, are also subject to federal and some state securities laws and regulations. The Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, or FINRA, and some state securities commissions regulate and supervise these products.
Investment Products and Asset Management Operations
Our investment products and services are subject to federal and state securities, fiduciary, including the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, or ERISA, and other laws and regulations. The SEC, FINRA, the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board, state securities commissions, state insurance departments and the United States Department of Labor are the principal U.S. regulators that regulate our asset management operations.
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Securities Operations
Our securities operations, principally conducted by a number of SEC-registered broker-dealers are subject to federal and state securities, commodities and related laws. The SEC, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, or the CFTC, state securities authorities, FINRA, the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board, and similar authorities are the principal regulators of our securities operations.
Regulation Affecting Prudential Financial
Prudential Financial is the holding company for all of our operations. Prudential Financial itself is not licensed as an insurer, investment advisor, broker-dealer, bank or other regulated entity. However, because it owns regulated entities, Prudential Financial is subject to regulation as an insurance holding company and, as discussed under “—Other Businesses” below, a savings and loan holding company. As a company with publicly traded securities, Prudential Financial is subject to legal and regulatory requirements applicable generally to public companies, including the rules and regulations of the SEC and the NYSE relating to public reporting and disclosure, securities trading, accounting and financial reporting, and corporate governance matters. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and rules and regulations adopted in furtherance of that Act have substantially increased the requirements in these and other areas for public companies such as Prudential Financial.
Insurance Holding Company Regulation
Prudential Financial is subject to the insurance holding company laws in the states where our insurance subsidiaries are domiciled, which currently include New Jersey, Arizona, Connecticut and Indiana, or are treated as commercially domiciled, such as New York. These laws generally require each insurance company directly or indirectly owned by the holding company to register with the insurance department in the insurance company’s state of domicile and to furnish annually financial and other information about the operations of companies within the holding company system. Generally, all transactions affecting the insurers in the holding company system must be fair and at arm’s length and, if material, require prior notice and approval or non-disapproval by the state’s insurance department.
Most states, including the states in which our U.S. insurance companies are domiciled, have insurance laws that require regulatory approval of a direct or indirect change of control of an insurer or an insurer’s holding company. Laws such as these that apply to us prevent any person from acquiring control of Prudential Financial or of our insurance subsidiaries unless that person has filed a statement with specified information with the insurance regulators and has obtained their prior approval. Under most states’ statutes, acquiring 10% or more of the voting stock of an insurance company or its parent company is presumptively considered a change of control, although such presumption may be rebutted. Accordingly, any person who acquires 10% or more of the voting securities of Prudential Financial without the prior approval of the insurance regulators of the states in which our U.S. insurance companies are domiciled will be in violation of these states’ laws and may be subject to injunctive action requiring the disposition or seizure of those securities by the relevant insurance regulator or prohibiting the voting of those securities and to other actions determined by the relevant insurance regulator.
In addition, many state insurance laws require prior notification of state insurance departments of a change in control of a non-domiciliary insurance company doing business in that state. While these prenotification statutes do not authorize the state insurance departments to disapprove the change in control, they authorize regulatory action in the affected state if particular conditions exist such as undue market concentration. Any future transactions that would constitute a change in control of Prudential Financial may require prior notification in those states that have adopted preacquisition notification laws.
These laws may discourage potential acquisition proposals and may delay, deter or prevent a change of control of Prudential Financial, including through transactions, and in particular unsolicited transactions, that some shareholders of Prudential Financial might consider desirable.
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Insurance Operations
State Insurance Regulation
State insurance authorities have broad administrative powers with respect to all aspects of the insurance business including:
| • | licensing to transact business, |
| • | licensing agents, |
| • | admittance of assets to statutory surplus, |
| • | regulating premium rates for certain insurance products, |
| • | approving policy forms, |
| • | regulating unfair trade and claims practices, |
| • | establishing reserve requirements and solvency standards, |
| • | fixing maximum interest rates on life insurance policy loans and minimum accumulation or surrender values, and |
| • | regulating the type, amounts and valuations of investments permitted and other matters. |
State insurance laws and regulations require our U.S. insurance companies to file financial statements with state insurance departments everywhere they do business, and the operations of our U.S. insurance companies and accounts are subject to examination by those departments at any time. Our U.S. insurance companies prepare statutory financial statements in accordance with accounting practices and procedures prescribed or permitted by these departments. The National Association of Insurance Commissioners, or the NAIC, has approved a series of statutory accounting principles that have been adopted, in some cases with minor modifications, by all state insurance departments.
State insurance departments conduct periodic examinations of the books and records, financial reporting, policy filings and market conduct of insurance companies domiciled in their states, generally once every three to five years. Examinations are generally carried out in cooperation with the insurance departments of other states under guidelines promulgated by the NAIC. In May 2007, the Connecticut insurance regulator completed a routine financial examination of American Skandia Life Assurance Corporation for the five year period ended December 31, 2005, and found no material deficiencies. In February 2008, the New Jersey insurance regulator, along with the insurance regulators of Arizona and Connecticut, completed a coordinated financial examination for the five year period ended December 31, 2006 for all of our U.S. life insurance companies as part of the normal five year examination cycle and found no material deficiencies. In December 2008, the Indiana insurance regulator completed a routine financial examination of Vantage Casualty Insurance Company for the five year period ended December 31, 2007 and found no material deficiencies.
Financial Regulation
Dividend Payment Limitations. The New Jersey insurance law and the insurance laws of the other states in which our insurance companies are domiciled regulate the amount of dividends that may be paid by Prudential Insurance and our other U.S. insurance companies. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Liquidity and Capital Resources” for additional information.
Risk-Based Capital. In order to enhance the regulation of insurers’ solvency, the NAIC adopted a model law to implement risk-based capital requirements for life, health and property and casualty insurance companies. All states have adopted the NAIC’s model law or a substantially similar law. The risk-based capital, or RBC, calculation, which regulators use to assess the sufficiency of an insurer’s statutory capital, measures the risk characteristics of a company’s assets, liabilities and certain off-balance sheet items. In general, RBC is calculated by applying factors to various asset, premium, claim, expense and reserve items. Within a given risk category, these factors are higher for those items with greater underlying risk and lower for items with lower underlying risk. Insurers that have less statutory capital than the RBC calculation requires are considered to have inadequate
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capital and are subject to varying degrees of regulatory action depending upon the level of capital inadequacy. The RBC ratios for each of our U.S. insurance companies currently are above the ranges that would require any regulatory or corrective action. These RBC ratios may also impact our credit and financial strength ratings, as discussed in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Liquidity and Capital Resources.”
IRIS Tests. The NAIC has developed a set of financial relationships or tests known as the Insurance Regulatory Information System, or IRIS, to assist state regulators in monitoring the financial condition of U.S. insurance companies and identifying companies that require special attention or action by insurance regulatory authorities. Insurance companies generally submit data annually to the NAIC, which in turn analyzes the data using prescribed financial data ratios, each with defined “usual ranges.” Generally, regulators will begin to investigate or monitor an insurance company if its ratios fall outside the usual ranges for four or more of the ratios. If an insurance company has insufficient capital, regulators may act to reduce the amount of insurance it can issue. None of our U.S. insurance companies is currently subject to regulatory scrutiny based on these ratios.
Insurance Reserves. State insurance laws require us to analyze the adequacy of our reserves annually. The respective appointed actuaries for each of our life insurance companies must each submit an opinion that our reserves, when considered in light of the assets we hold with respect to those reserves, make adequate provision for our contractual obligations and related expenses.
Market Conduct Regulation
State insurance laws and regulations include numerous provisions governing the marketplace activities of insurers, including provisions governing the form and content of disclosure to consumers, illustrations, advertising, sales practices and complaint handling. State regulatory authorities generally enforce these provisions through periodic market conduct examinations.
Insurance Guaranty Association Assessments
Each state has insurance guaranty association laws under which insurers doing business in the state are members and may be assessed by state insurance guaranty associations for certain obligations of insolvent insurance companies to policyholders and claimants. Typically, states assess each member insurer in an amount related to the member insurer’s proportionate share of the business written by all member insurers in the state. For the years ended December 31, 2008, 2007, and 2006, we paid approximately $1.7 million, $1.9 million and $1.1 million, respectively, in assessments pursuant to state insurance guaranty association laws. While we cannot predict the amount and timing of any future assessments on our U.S. insurance companies under these laws, we have established reserves that we believe are adequate for assessments relating to insurance companies that are currently subject to insolvency proceedings.
State Securities Regulation
Our mutual funds, and in certain states our variable life insurance and variable annuity products, are “securities” within the meaning of state securities laws. As securities, these products are subject to filing and certain other requirements. Also, sales activities with respect to these products generally are subject to state securities regulation. Such regulation may affect investment advice, sales and related activities for these products.
Federal Regulation
Our variable life insurance products, as well as our variable annuity and mutual fund products, generally are “securities” within the meaning of federal securities laws, registered under the federal securities laws and subject to regulation by the SEC and FINRA. Federal and some state securities regulation similar to that discussed below under “—Investment Products and Asset Management Operations” and “—Securities Operations” affect investment advice, sales and related activities with respect to these products. In addition, although the federal government does not comprehensively regulate the business of insurance, federal legislation and administrative
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policies in several areas, including taxation, financial services regulation and pension and welfare benefits regulation, can significantly affect the insurance industry. Congress also periodically considers and is considering laws affecting privacy of information and genetic testing that could significantly and adversely affect the insurance industry.
In view of recent events involving certain financial institutions, it is possible that the U.S. federal government will heighten its oversight of companies in the financial services industry such as us, including possibly through a federal system of insurance regulation.
Tax Legislation
Current U.S. federal income tax laws generally permit certain holders to defer taxation on the build-up of value of annuities and life insurance products until payments are actually made to the policyholder or other beneficiary and to exclude from taxation the death benefit paid under a life insurance contract. Congress from time to time considers legislation that could make our products less attractive to consumers, including legislation that would reduce or eliminate the benefit of this deferral on some annuities and insurance products, as well as other types of changes that could reduce or eliminate the attractiveness of annuities and life insurance products to consumers, such as repeal of the estate tax. In addition, legislative changes could impact the amount of taxes that we pay, thereby affecting our consolidated net income.
The Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 and the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003 generally provided for lower income tax, capital gains and dividend tax rates that had the effect of reducing the benefits of tax deferral on the build-up of value of annuities and life insurance products. The 2001 Act also included provisions that eliminate over time the estate, gift and generation skipping taxes and partially eliminates the step up in basis rules applicable to property held in a decedent’s estate. These reduced rates, which are due to sunset in 2011, may hinder our sales and result in increased surrenders of insurance and annuity products.
The U.S. Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service intend to address through regulations the methodology to be followed in determining the dividends received deduction, or DRD, related to variable life insurance and annuity contracts. The DRD reduces the amount of dividend income subject to U.S. tax and is a significant component of the difference between our actual tax expense and expected amount determined using the federal statutory tax rate of 35%. A change in the DRD, including the possible retroactive or prospective elimination of this deduction through regulations or legislation, could increase our actual tax expense and reduce our consolidated net income.
The products we sell have different tax characteristics, in some cases generating tax deductions. The level of profitability of certain of our products are significantly dependent on these characteristics and our ability to continue to generate taxable income, which are taken into consideration when pricing products and are a component of our capital management strategies. Accordingly, a change in tax law, our ability to generate taxable income, or other factors impacting the availability of the tax characteristics generated by our products, could impact product pricing and returns.
ERISA
ERISA is a comprehensive federal statute that applies to U.S. employee benefit plans sponsored by private employers and labor unions. Plans subject to ERISA include pension and profit sharing plans and welfare plans, including health, life and disability plans. ERISA provisions include reporting and disclosure rules, standards of conduct that apply to plan fiduciaries and prohibitions on transactions known as “prohibited transactions,” such as conflict-of-interest transactions and certain transactions between a benefit plan and a party in interest. ERISA also provides for a scheme of civil and criminal penalties and enforcement. Our insurance, asset management and retirement businesses provide services to employee benefit plans subject to ERISA, including services where we may act as an ERISA fiduciary. In addition to ERISA regulation of businesses providing products and services to ERISA plans, we become subject to ERISA’s prohibited transaction rules for transactions with those plans, which may affect our ability to enter transactions, or the terms on which transactions may be entered, with those plans, even in businesses unrelated to those giving rise to party in interest status.
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USA Patriot Act
The USA Patriot Act of 2001, enacted in response to the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, contains anti-money laundering and financial transparency laws and mandates the implementation of various new regulations applicable to broker-dealers and other financial services companies, including insurance companies. The Patriot Act seeks to promote cooperation among financial institutions, regulators and law enforcement entities in identifying parties that may be involved in terrorism or money laundering. Anti-money laundering laws outside of the U.S. contain provisions that may be different, conflicting or more rigorous. The increased obligations of financial institutions to identify their customers, watch for and report suspicious transactions, respond to requests for information by regulatory authorities and law enforcement agencies, and share information with other financial institutions require the implementation and maintenance of internal practices, procedures and controls.
Investment Products and Asset Management Operations
Some of the separate account, mutual fund and other pooled investment products offered by our businesses, in addition to being registered under the Securities Act, are registered as investment companies under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and the shares of certain of these entities are qualified for sale in some states and the District of Columbia. Separate account investment products are also subject to state insurance regulation as described above. We also have several subsidiaries that are registered as broker-dealers under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, and are subject to federal and state regulation, including but not limited to the SEC’s Uniform Net Capital Rule, described under “—Securities Operations” below. In addition, we have several subsidiaries that are investment advisors registered under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended. Our Prudential Agents and other employees, insofar as they sell products that are securities, are subject to the Exchange Act and to examination requirements and regulation by the SEC, FINRA and state securities commissioners. Regulation and examination requirements also extend to various Prudential entities that employ or control those individuals. The federal securities laws could also require reapproval by customers of our investment advisory contracts to manage mutual funds, including mutual funds included in annuity products, upon a change in control.
Federal and state regulators are devoting substantial attention to the mutual fund and variable annuity businesses. As a result of publicity relating to widespread perceptions of industry abuses, numerous legislative and regulatory reforms have been proposed or adopted with respect to mutual fund governance, disclosure requirements concerning mutual fund share classes, commission breakpoints, revenue sharing, advisory fees, market timing, late trading, portfolio pricing, annuity products, hedge funds, disclosures to retirement plan participants and other issues. It is difficult to predict at this time whether changes resulting from new laws and regulations will affect our investment product offerings or asset management operations and, if so, to what degree.
Congress from time to time considers pension reform legislation that could decrease or increase the attractiveness of certain of our retirement products and services to retirement plan sponsors and administrators, or have an unfavorable or favorable effect on our ability to earn revenues from these products and services. In this regard, the Pension Protection Act of 2006 (“PPA”) makes significant changes in employer pension funding obligations associated with defined benefit pension plans which are likely to increase sponsors’ costs of maintaining these plans. These changes could hinder our sales of defined benefit pension products and services and cause sponsors to discontinue existing plans for which we provide asset management, administrative, or other services, but could increase the attractiveness of certain products we offer in connection with terminating pension plans. Among other changes introduced by PPA were facilitation of automatic enrollment and escalation provisions for defined contribution plans. To the extent that these provisions result in adoption of defined contribution plan changes by plan sponsors, they may enhance growth of participant account values.
The PPA also includes qualified default investment alternatives regulation, whereby plan sponsors select approved default investment options for defined contribution plan participants who are automatically enrolled but do not make affirmative investment elections. While our full service stable value products are not among the qualified default investment options, we offer a wide variety of retirement products that are approved under this regulation. These rules do not require previously invested funds to be transferred. In addition, participants may continue to affirmatively select our stable value products.
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For a discussion of potential federal tax legislation and other federal regulation affecting our variable annuity products, see “—Insurance Operations—Federal Regulation” above.
Securities Operations
A number of our subsidiaries and Wachovia Securities, in which we have a minority ownership interest, are registered as broker-dealers with the SEC and with some or all of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. In addition, a number of our subsidiaries are also registered as investment advisors with the SEC. Our broker-dealer affiliates are members of, and are subject to regulation by, “self-regulatory organizations,” including FINRA. Self-regulatory organizations such as FINRA conduct examinations of, and have adopted rules governing, their member broker-dealers. In addition, state securities and certain other regulators have regulatory and oversight authority over our registered broker-dealers.
Broker-dealers and their sales forces in the U.S. and in certain other jurisdictions are subject to regulations that cover many aspects of the securities business, including sales methods and trading practices. The regulations cover the suitability of investments for individual customers, use and safekeeping of customers’ funds and securities, capital adequacy, recordkeeping, financial reporting and the conduct of directors, officers and employees.
The commodity futures and commodity options industry in the U.S. is subject to regulation under the Commodity Exchange Act, as amended. The CFTC is the federal agency charged with the administration of the Commodity Exchange Act and the regulations adopted under that Act. A number of our subsidiaries are registered with the CFTC as futures commission merchants, commodity pool operators or commodity trading advisors. Our futures business in our global commodities group is also regulated in the U.S. by the National Futures Association and in the United Kingdom by the Financial Services Authority, or the FSA.
The SEC and other governmental agencies and self-regulatory organizations, as well as state securities commissions in the U.S., have the power to conduct administrative proceedings that can result in censure, fine, the issuance of cease-and-desist orders or suspension, termination or limitation of the activities of a broker-dealer or an investment advisor or its employees.
As registered broker-dealers and members of various self-regulatory organizations, our U.S. registered broker-dealer subsidiaries and Wachovia Securities are subject to the SEC’s Uniform Net Capital Rule. The Uniform Net Capital Rule sets the minimum level of net capital a broker-dealer must maintain and also requires that at least a minimum part of a broker-dealer’s assets be kept in relatively liquid form. These net capital requirements are designed to measure the financial soundness and liquidity of broker-dealers. Our broker-dealers are also subject to the net capital requirements of the CFTC and the various securities and commodities exchanges of which they are members. Compliance with the net capital requirements could limit those operations that require the intensive use of capital, such as underwriting and trading activities, and may limit the ability of these subsidiaries to pay dividends to Prudential Financial.
Other Businesses
Our U.S. banking operations are subject to federal and state regulation. As a result of its ownership of Prudential Bank & Trust, FSB, Prudential Financial and Prudential IBH Holdco, Inc. are considered to be savings and loan holding companies and are subject to annual examination by the Office of Thrift Supervision of the U.S. Department of Treasury. Federal and state banking laws generally provide that no person may acquire control of Prudential Financial, and gain indirect control of either Prudential Bank & Trust, FSB or Prudential Trust Company, which is discussed below, without prior regulatory approval. Generally, beneficial ownership of 10% or more of the voting securities of Prudential Financial would be presumed to constitute control. We provide trust services through Prudential Trust Company, a state-chartered trust company incorporated under the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and offer both trust directed services and investment products through Prudential Bank & Trust, FSB.
The sale of real estate franchises by our real estate brokerage franchise operation is regulated by various state laws and the Federal Trade Commission. The federal Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act and state real estate brokerage and unfair trade practice laws regulate payments among participants in the sale or financing of residences or the provision of settlement services such as mortgages, homeowner’s insurance and title insurance.
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Privacy Regulation
Federal and state law and regulation require financial institutions and other businesses to protect the security and confidentiality of personal information, including health-related and customer information, and to notify customers and other individuals about their policies and practices relating to their collection and disclosure of health-related and customer information and their practices relating to protecting the security and confidentiality of that information. State laws regulate use and disclosure of social security numbers and require notice to affected individuals, law enforcement, regulators and others if there is a breach of the security of certain personal information, including social security numbers, and require all holders of certain personal information to protect the security of the data. Federal regulations require financial institutions and creditors to implement effective programs to detect, prevent, and mitigate identity theft. Federal and state laws and regulations regulate the ability of financial institutions to make telemarketing calls and to send unsolicited e-mail or fax messages to consumers and customers. Federal law and regulation regulate the permissible uses of certain personal information, including consumer report information. Federal and state governments and regulatory bodies may be expected to consider additional or more detailed regulation regarding these subjects and the privacy and security of personal information.
Environmental Considerations
Federal, state and local environmental laws and regulations apply to our ownership and operation of real property. Inherent in owning and operating real property are the risk of hidden environmental liabilities and the costs of any required clean-up. Under the laws of certain states, contamination of a property may give rise to a lien on the property to secure recovery of the costs of clean-up, which could adversely affect our commercial mortgage lending business. In several states, this lien has priority over the lien of an existing mortgage against such property. In addition, in some states and under the federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980, or CERCLA, we may be liable, in certain circumstances, as an “owner” or “operator,” for costs of cleaning-up releases or threatened releases of hazardous substances at a property mortgaged to us. We also risk environmental liability when we foreclose on a property mortgaged to us, although Federal legislation provides for a safe harbor from CERCLA liability for secured lenders that foreclose and sell the mortgaged real estate, provided that certain requirements are met. However, there are circumstances in which actions taken could still expose us to CERCLA liability. Application of various other federal and state environmental laws could also result in the imposition of liability on us for costs associated with environmental hazards.
We routinely conduct environmental assessments prior to taking title to real estate, whether through acquisition for investment, or through foreclosure on real estate collateralizing mortgages that we hold. Although unexpected environmental liabilities can always arise, we seek to minimize this risk by undertaking these environmental assessments and complying with our internal procedures, and as a result, we believe that any costs associated with compliance with environmental laws and regulations or any clean-up of properties would not have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.
Regulation of our International Businesses
Our international businesses are subject to comprehensive regulation and supervision. As in the U.S., the purpose of these regulations is primarily to protect our customers and not necessarily our shareholders. Many of the laws and regulations to which our international businesses are subject are regularly re-examined, in some instances resulting in comprehensive restatements of applicable laws, regulations and reorganization of supervising authorities. Existing or future laws or regulations may become more restrictive or otherwise adversely affect our operations. It is also becoming increasingly common for regulatory developments originating in the U.S., such as those discussed above, to be studied and adopted in some form in other jurisdictions in which we do business. For example, the insurance regulatory authorities in Korea have introduced Sarbanes-Oxley type financial control requirements that became effective in 2008. Changes such as these can increase compliance costs and potential regulatory exposure. In some instances, such jurisdictions may also impose different, conflicting or more rigorous laws and requirements, including regulations governing privacy, consumer protection, employee protection, corporate governance and capital adequacy.
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In addition, our international operations face political, legal, operational and other risks that we do not face in the U.S., including the risk of discriminatory regulation, labor issues in connection with workers’ associations and trade unions, nationalization or expropriation of assets, dividend limitations, price controls and currency exchange controls or other restrictions that prevent us from transferring funds from these operations out of the countries in which they operate or converting local currencies we hold into U.S. dollars or other currencies.
Our international insurance operations are principally supervised by regulatory authorities in the jurisdictions in which they operate, including the Japanese Ministry of Finance and Financial Services Agency. We operate insurance companies in Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Italy and Poland and have insurance operations in India through a joint venture in which we have a minority interest. The insurance regulatory bodies for these businesses typically oversee such issues as company licensing, the licensing of insurance sales staff, insurance product approvals, sales practices, claims payment practices, permissible investments, solvency and capital adequacy, and insurance reserves, among other items. In some jurisdictions for certain products regulators will also mandate premium rates (or components of pricing) or minimum guaranteed interest rates. Periodic examinations of insurance company books and records, financial reporting requirements, market conduct examinations and policy filing requirements are among the techniques used by these regulators to supervise our non-U.S. insurance businesses.
In order to monitor insurers’ solvency, regulatory authorities in the international jurisdictions in which we operate, generally establish some form of minimum solvency margin requirements for insurance companies, similar in concept to the RBC ratios that are employed by U.S. insurance regulators. These solvency margins are used by regulators to assess the sufficiency of an insurer’s capital and claims-paying ability and include the impact of transactions with affiliated entities. The solvency margin ratios in certain jurisdictions are required to be disclosed to the public. Insurers that have less solvency margin than the regulators require are considered to have inadequate capital and are subject to varying degrees of regulatory action depending upon the level of capital inadequacy. The solvency margin ratios for each of our international insurance operations currently are above the ranges that would require any regulatory or corrective action. These solvency margins may also impact our credit and financial strength ratings, as discussed in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Liquidity and Capital Resources.”
The insurance regulatory bodies in some of the countries where our international insurance businesses are located regulate the amount of dividends that they can pay to shareholders. The Prudential Life Insurance Company, Ltd., or Prudential of Japan, began paying dividends in 2006. Pursuant to Gibraltar Life’s reorganization, in addition to regulatory restrictions, there are certain restrictions on Gibraltar Life’s ability to pay dividends and we anticipate that it will be several years before these restrictions will allow Gibraltar Life to pay dividends. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Liquidity and Capital Resources” for additional information.
Our international investment operations are also supervised primarily by regulatory authorities in the countries in which they operate, including the Korean Ministry of Finance and Economy and the Financial Supervisory Commission, and the United Kingdom’s Financial Services Authority. We operate investment related businesses in, among other jurisdictions, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Germany and Singapore, and participate in investment related joint ventures in Brazil, Italy, Mexico and China. These businesses may provide investment-related products such as investment management products and services, mutual funds, brokerage, separately managed accounts, as well as commodities and derivatives products. The regulatory authorities for these businesses typically oversee such issues as company licensing, the licensing of investment product sales staff, sales practices, solvency and capital adequacy, mutual fund product approvals and related disclosures, securities, commodities and related laws, among other items.
In some cases, our international investment businesses are also subject to U.S. securities laws and regulations. One is regulated as a broker-dealer in the U.S. under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and others are registered investment advisers under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended. Our international insurance and investment businesses may also be subject to other U.S. laws governing businesses controlled by U.S. companies such as the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and certain regulations issued by the U.S. Office of Foreign Asset Controls. In addition, under current U.S. law and regulations we may be
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prohibited from dealing with certain individuals or entities in certain circumstances and we may be required to monitor customer activities, which may affect our ability to attract and retain customers.
In addition to the foregoing, non-U.S. regulatory and legislative bodies may enact or adopt laws and regulations that can affect Prudential Financial as the ultimate holding company of our international businesses. For example, the European Union has adopted a directive, to be enacted by its member states, that subjects financial groups operating within the European Union, including their operations outside the European Union, to broad capital adequacy and other regulatory requirements. The application of this directive to Prudential Financial, in particular whether it will result in new solvency oversight, appears to be unlikely given the Company’s business mix. Similar regulatory actions may be taken in other jurisdictions with potentially significant implications, and the European Union directive discussed above may be applicable to Prudential Financial at a later time because of changes in our business or how the directive is interpreted.
Certain of our international insurance operations, including those in Japan, may be subject to assessments, generally based on their proportionate share of business written in the relevant jurisdiction, for certain obligations of insolvent insurance companies to policyholders and claimants. As we cannot predict the timing of future assessments, they may materially affect the results of operations of our international insurance operations in particular quarterly or annual periods. In addition, in some jurisdictions, some of our insurance products are considered “securities” under local law. In those instances, we may also be subject to local securities regulations and oversight by local securities regulators.
Under the Japanese insurance guaranty law, substantially similar to such laws in the U.S., all licensed life insurers in Japan are required to be members and are assessed, on a pre-funded basis, by the Japan Policyholders Protection Corporation, or PPC. These assessments fund a collective fund which is used to satisfy certain obligations of insolvent insurance companies to policyholders and claimants. The PPC assesses each member in an amount related to the member insurer’s proportionate share of the business written by all member insurers. For the years ended December 31, 2008, 2007, and 2006, we paid approximately $15 million, $22 million and $20 million, respectively, in assessments pursuant to Japanese insurance guaranty association laws. While we cannot predict the amount and timing of any future assessments on our insurance companies doing business in Japan, we have established reserves that we believe are adequate for assessments relating to insolvent Japanese insurance companies.
Our international businesses are subject to the tax laws and regulations of the countries in which they are organized and in which they operate. Foreign governments from time to time consider legislation that could impact the amount of taxes that we pay or impact the sales of our products. For example, during 2007, Mexico enacted an alternative flat tax that became effective in 2008, while China, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom reduced corporate tax rates for 2008. In March 2007, the Japanese National Tax Authority, or NTA, indicated that it would change the tax treatment of certain term life products sold to corporations, which resulted in a significant decrease in the sale of Increasing Term Life insurance to corporations in Japan. On December 26, 2007, the NTA confirmed in an official announcement its intention to revise the corporate tax deductibility of insurance premiums paid with respect to certain Increasing Term insurance products. The NTA then released a revised tax circular that reduced, but did not eliminate, the corporate tax deductibility of insurance premiums paid with respect to Increasing Term insurance products sold after February 28, 2008. In 2008, Korea enacted a corporate income tax rate reduction from 27.5% to 24.2% for fiscal years beginning on or after January 1, 2009 and to 22% for fiscal years beginning on or after January 1, 2010.
Our international operations are regulated in the jurisdictions in which they are located or operate. These regulations may apply heightened scrutiny to non-domestic companies, which can reduce our flexibility as to intercompany transactions, investments and other aspects of business operations and adversely affect our liquidity and profitability.
Employees
As of December 31, 2008, we had 41,844 employees, including 21,272 located outside of the U.S. We believe our relations with our employees are satisfactory.
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Available Information
Prudential Financial files periodic reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. Such reports, proxy statements and other information may be obtained by visiting the Public Reference Room of the SEC at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington D.C. 20549 or by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. In addition, the SEC maintains an internet website (www.sec.gov) that contains reports, proxy statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC, including Prudential Financial.
You may also access our press releases, financial information and reports filed with the SEC (for example, our Annual Report on Form 10-K, our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, our Current Reports on Form 8-K and any amendments to those Forms) online at www.investor.prudential.com. Copies of any documents on our website are available without charge, and reports filed with or furnished to the SEC will be available as soon as reasonably practicable after they are filed with or furnished to the SEC. The information found on our website is not part of this or any other report filed with or furnished to the SEC.
| ITEM 1A. | RISK FACTORS |
You should carefully consider the following risks. These risks could materially affect our business, results of operations or financial condition, cause the trading price of our Common Stock to decline materially or cause our actual results to differ materially from those expected or those expressed in any forward looking statements made by or on behalf of the Company. These risks are not exclusive, and additional risks to which we are subject include, but are not limited to, the factors mentioned under “Forward-Looking Statements” above and the risks of our businesses described elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Some of our businesses and our results of operations have been materially adversely affected by the adverse conditions in the global financial markets and economic conditions generally. Our businesses, results of operations and financial condition may be further adversely affected, possibly materially, if these conditions persist or deteriorate. We cannot predict the effect of governmental actions in response to the current financial crisis.
Our results of operations have been materially adversely affected by conditions in the global financial markets and the economy generally, both in the U.S. and elsewhere around the world. The stress experienced by global financial markets that began in the second half of 2007 has continued and substantially increased since then. The volatility and disruption in the global financial markets have reached unprecedented levels. The availability and cost of credit has been materially affected. These factors, combined with economic conditions in the U.S. including depressed home prices and increasing foreclosures, falling equity market values, declining business and consumer confidence and rising unemployment, have precipitated a severe economic recession and fears of even more severe and prolonged adverse economic conditions.
The global fixed-income markets are experiencing a period of both extreme volatility and limited market liquidity conditions, which has affected a broad range of asset classes and sectors. As a result, the market for fixed income instruments has experienced decreased liquidity, increased price volatility, credit downgrade events, and increased probability of default. Global equity markets have also been experiencing heightened volatility. These events and the continuing market upheavals have had and may continue to have an adverse effect on us. Our revenues are likely to decline in such circumstances, the cost of meeting our obligations to our customers may increase, and our profit margins would likely erode. In addition, in the event of a prolonged or severe economic downturn, we could incur significant losses in our investment portfolio.
The demand for our products could be adversely affected in an economic downturn characterized by higher unemployment, lower family income, lower consumer spending, lower corporate earnings and lower business investment. We also may experience a higher incidence of claims and lapses or surrenders of policies. Our policyholders may choose to defer or stop paying insurance premiums. We cannot predict definitively whether or when such actions, which could impact our business, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition, may occur.
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In response to the market dislocation affecting the banking system and financial markets, on October 3, 2008, President Bush signed the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, or EESA, into law. Pursuant to the EESA, the U.S. Treasury has the authority to, among other things, purchase up to $700 billion of mortgage-backed and other securities from financial institutions for the purpose of stabilizing the financial markets. On October 14, 2008, the U.S. Treasury announced that it would use EESA authority to invest an aggregate of $250 billion (of the first $350 billion released under EESA) in capital issued by qualifying U.S. financial institutions under the U.S. Treasury’s Capital Purchase Program, which is part of the Troubled Asset Relief Program, or TARP. The TARP Capital Purchase Program involves the issuance by qualifying institutions of preferred stock and warrants to purchase common stock to the U.S. Treasury. Concurrently, in coordination with the U.S. Treasury, the FDIC announced the Temporary Liquidity Guarantee Program, through which it guarantees certain newly issued senior unsecured debt issued by FDIC insured institutions and their qualifying holding companies, as well as funds over $250,000 in non-interest-bearing transaction deposit accounts. In addition, since March 2008, the Federal Reserve has created several lending facilities to stabilize financial markets. Most recently, on November 25, 2008, the Federal Reserve announced the Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility, or TALF. The TALF has not yet been implemented but is designed to provide secured financing for newly issued asset-backed securities backed by certain types of consumer and small business loans.
On February 10, 2009, the U.S. Treasury announced a Financial Stability Plan to build upon existing programs and earmark the second $350 billion of funds that were authorized under the EESA and released in January 2009. The elements of the Financial Stability Plan, as described by the U.S. Treasury, are a Capital Assistance Program and Financial Stability Trust to make capital available to financial institutions through additional purchases of preferred stock, a Public-Private Investment Fund to buy legacy loans and assets from financial institutions, a Consumer and Business Lending Initiative to restart securitization markets for loans to consumers and businesses by expanding upon TALF, and a comprehensive housing program to, among other things, help reduce mortgage payments and interest rates. The U.S. Treasury has stated that the Financial Stability Plan will require high levels of transparency and accountability standards and dividend, acquisition and executive compensation restrictions for financial institutions that receive government assistance going forward.
We have applied to participate in the Capital Purchase Program, although no determination with respect to our participation has been made. We also continue to evaluate other government sponsored programs for which we may be eligible.
The U.S. federal government has taken or is considering taking other actions to address the financial crisis that could further impact our business. We cannot predict with any certainty whether these actions will be effective or the effect they may have on the financial markets or on our business, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition.
Markets in the United States and elsewhere have experienced extreme and unprecedented volatility and disruption, with adverse consequences to our liquidity, access to capital and cost of capital. A continuation or deterioration in these conditions may significantly affect our ability to meet liquidity needs, our access to capital and our cost of capital, including capital that may be required by our subsidiaries.
Adverse capital market conditions have affected and may continue to affect the availability and cost of borrowed funds and could impact our ability to refinance existing borrowings, thereby ultimately impacting our profitability and ability to support or grow our businesses. We need liquidity to pay our operating expenses, interest on our debt and dividends on our capital stock and replace certain maturing debt obligations. Without sufficient liquidity, we could be forced to curtail certain of our operations, and our business could suffer. The principal sources of our liquidity are insurance premiums, annuity considerations, deposit funds and cash flow from our investment portfolio and assets, consisting mainly of cash or assets that are readily convertible into cash. Sources of liquidity in normal markets also include a variety of short- and long-term instruments, including securities lending and repurchase agreements, commercial paper, medium and long-term debt and capital securities.
Disruptions, uncertainty or volatility in the financial markets have limited and may be expected to continue to limit our access to capital required to operate our business, most significantly our insurance operations. These market conditions may limit our ability to replace, in a timely manner, maturing debt obligations and access the
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capital necessary to grow our business, replace capital withdrawn by customers or raise new capital required by our subsidiaries as a result of volatility in the markets. As a result, we may be forced to delay raising capital, issue shorter tenor securities than would be optimal, bear an unattractive cost of capital or be unable to raise capital at any price, which could decrease our profitability and significantly reduce our financial flexibility. Given the disruptions in the credit and capital markets, we have been unable to issue debt at an affordable cost recently and it is uncertain at this time whether we can issue debt under our medium term note program at all, or at least at a cost that is not prohibitive. Actions we might take to access financing may in turn cause rating agencies to reevaluate our ratings.
In the event current resources do not satisfy our needs, we may have to seek additional financing. The availability of additional financing will depend on a variety of factors such as market conditions, the general availability of credit, the overall availability of credit to the financial services industry, and our credit ratings and credit capacity. Our internal sources of liquidity may prove to be insufficient, and in such case, we may not be able to successfully obtain additional financing on favorable terms, or at all.
The Risk Based Capital, or RBC, ratio is the primary measure by which we evaluate the capital adequacy of Prudential Insurance, which includes businesses in both the Financial Services Businesses and the Closed Block Business. We manage Prudential Insurance’s RBC ratio to a level consistent with a “AA” ratings objective; however, rating agencies take into account a variety of factors in assigning ratings to our insurance subsidiaries in addition to RBC levels. RBC is determined by statutory rules that consider risks related to the type and quality of the invested assets, insurance-related risks associated with Prudential Insurance’s products, interest rate risks and general business risks. The RBC ratio calculations are intended to assist insurance regulators in measuring the adequacy of Prudential Insurance’s statutory capitalization. As of December 31, 2008, we estimate that the total capital of our domestic life insurance subsidiaries met the RBC levels required to meet their ratings objectives. Subsequent to September 30, 2008 market conditions negatively impacted the level of capital in our domestic life insurance subsidiaries and caused us to take capital management actions to maintain capital consistent with these ratings objectives, which included redeployment of financial resources from internal sources, including the contribution of the subsidiary that holds our minority interest in the Wachovia Securities retail brokerage joint to Prudential Insurance.
A continuation or worsening of the disruptions in the credit and capital markets could adversely affect Prudential Financial and its subsidiaries’ ability to access sources of liquidity, as well as threaten to reduce our capital below a level that is consistent with our existing ratings objectives. Therefore, we may need to take additional actions, which may include but are not limited to: (1) additional capital management activities; (2) further access to our alternative sources of liquidity; (3) accelerating or restructuring loans extended to affiliates; (4) access to external sources of capital, including the debt or equity markets; (5) limiting or curtailing sales of certain products and/or restructuring existing products; (6) undertaking asset sales; and (7) seeking temporary or permanent changes to regulatory rules. Certain of these actions could require regulatory approval.
Our asset management operations include real estate held in Prudential Insurance separate accounts, for the benefit of clients, which enter into forward commitments which typically are funded from separate account assets and cash flows and related funding sources. Owing to the adverse credit and capital market conditions, these separate accounts may have difficulty funding in the normal course commitments due in 2009. In that case, Prudential Insurance might be called upon or required to provide interim funding solutions, which could affect the availability of liquidity for other purposes.
Market fluctuations and general economic, market and political conditions may adversely affect our business and profitability.
Even under relatively more favorable market conditions (such as those prevailing before the second half of 2007), our insurance products and certain of our investment products, as well as our investment returns and our access to and cost of financing, are sensitive to fixed income, equity, real estate and other market fluctuations and general economic, market and political conditions. These fluctuations and conditions could adversely affect our results of operations, financial position and liquidity, including in the following respects:
| • | The profitability of many of our insurance products depends in part on the value of the separate accounts supporting these products, which fluctuate substantially depending on the foregoing conditions. |
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| • | Market conditions resulting in reductions in the value of assets we manage have an adverse effect on the revenues and profitability of our asset management services, which depend on fees related primarily to the value of assets under management, and could further decrease the value of our proprietary investments. |
| • | A change in market conditions, including prolonged periods of high inflation, could cause a change in consumer sentiment adversely affecting sales and persistency of our long-term savings and protection products. Similarly, changing economic conditions can influence customer behavior including but not limited to increasing claims in certain product lines. |
| • | Sales of our investment-based and asset management products and services may decline and lapses and surrenders of variable life and annuity products and withdrawals of assets from other investment products may increase if a market downturn, increased market volatility or other market conditions result in customers becoming dissatisfied with their investments or products. |
| • | A market decline could further result in guaranteed minimum benefits contained in many of our variable annuity products being higher than current account values or our pricing assumptions would support, requiring us to materially increase reserves for such products and may cause customers to retain contracts in force in order to benefit from the guarantees, thereby increasing their cost to us. |
| • | Market conditions determine the availability and cost of the reinsurance protection we purchase. Accordingly, we may be forced to incur additional expenses for reinsurance or may not be able to obtain sufficient reinsurance on acceptable terms which could adversely affect the profitability of future business or our willingness to write future business. |
| • | Hedging instruments we hold to manage foreign exchange, product, and other risks might not perform as intended or expected resulting in higher realized losses and unforeseen cash needs. Market conditions can also further increase the cost of executing product related hedges and such costs may not be recovered in the pricing of the underlying products being hedged. Our hedging strategies rely on the performance of counterparties to such hedges. These counterparties may fail to perform for various reasons resulting in hedge ineffectiveness and higher losses. |
| • | We have significant investment and derivative portfolios, including but not limited to corporate and asset-backed securities, equities and commercial real estate. Economic conditions as well as adverse capital market conditions, including but not limited to a lack of buyers in the marketplace, volatility, credit spread changes, and benchmark interest rate changes, will impact the liquidity and value of our investments and derivatives, potentially resulting in higher realized or unrealized losses. For example, a widening of credit spreads, such as the market has experienced recently, increases the net unrealized loss position of our investment portfolio and may ultimately result in increased realized losses. Values of our investments and derivatives can also be impacted by reductions in price transparency, changes in assumptions or inputs we use in estimating fair value and changes in investor confidence and preferences, potentially resulting in higher realized or unrealized losses. Volatility can make it difficult to value certain of our securities if trading becomes less frequent. As such, valuations may include assumptions or estimates that may have significant period to period changes which could have a material adverse effect on our consolidated results of operations or financial condition. |
| • | Regardless of market conditions, certain investments we hold, including private bonds and commercial mortgages, are relatively illiquid. If we needed to sell these investments, we may have difficulty doing so in a timely manner at a price that we could otherwise realize. |
As described above, the adverse market and economic conditions that began in the second half of 2007 have continued and substantially worsened. The foregoing risks are even more pronounced in these unprecedented market and economic conditions.
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Interest rate fluctuations could adversely affect our businesses and profitability.
Our insurance products and certain of our investment products, and our investment returns, are sensitive to interest rate fluctuations, and changes in interest rates could adversely affect our investment returns and results of operations, including in the following respects:
| • | Some of our products expose us to the risk that changes in interest rates will reduce the spread between the amounts that we are required to pay under the contracts and the rate of return we are able to earn on our general account investments supporting the contracts. When interest rates decline, we have to reinvest the cash income from our investments in lower yielding instruments. Since many of our policies and contracts have guaranteed minimum interest or crediting rates or limit the resetting of interest rates, the spreads could decrease and potentially become negative. When interest rates rise, we may not be able to replace the assets in our general account with the higher yielding assets needed to fund the higher crediting rates necessary to keep these products and contracts competitive. This risk is heightened in the current market and economic environment, in which many desired securities are unavailable. |
| • | Changes in interest rates may reduce net investment income and thus our spread income which is a substantial portion of our profitability. Changes in interest rates can also result in potential losses in our investment activities in which we borrow funds and purchase investments to earn additional spread income on the borrowed funds. A decline in market interest rates could also reduce our returns from investment of equity. |
| • | When interest rates rise, policy loans and surrenders and withdrawals of life insurance policies and annuity contracts may increase as policyholders seek to buy products with perceived higher returns, requiring us to sell investment assets potentially resulting in realized investment losses, or requiring us to accelerate the amortization of DAC or VOBA (both defined below). |
| • | A decline in interest rates accompanied by unexpected prepayments of certain investments could result in reduced investments and a decline in our profitability. An increase in interest rates accompanied by unexpected extensions of certain lower yielding investments could result in a decline in our profitability. |
| • | Changes in the relationship between long-term and short-term interest rates could adversely affect the profitability of some of our products. |
| • | Changes in interest rates could increase our costs of financing. |
| • | Our mitigation efforts with respect to interest rate risk are primarily focused on maintaining an investment portfolio with diversified maturities that has a weighted average duration that is approximately equal to the duration of our estimated liability cash flow profile. However, there are practical and capital market limitations on our ability to accomplish this and our estimate of the liability cash flow profile may be inaccurate. Due to these and other factors we may need to liquidate investments prior to maturity at a loss in order to satisfy liabilities or be forced to reinvest funds in a lower rate environment. Although we take measures to manage the economic risks of investing in a changing interest rate environment, we may not be able to effectively mitigate, and may choose based on factors, including economic considerations, not to fully mitigate, the interest rate risk of our assets relative to our liabilities. |
If our reserves for future policyholder benefits and claims are inadequate, we may be required to increase our reserves, which would adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.
We establish and carry reserves to pay future policyholder benefits and claims. Our reserves do not represent an exact calculation of liability, but rather are actuarial or statistical estimates based on models that include many assumptions and projections which are inherently uncertain and involve the exercise of significant judgment, including as to the levels of and/or timing of receipt or payment of premiums, benefits, claims, expenses, interest credits, investment results (including equity market returns), retirement, mortality, morbidity and persistency. We cannot determine with precision the ultimate amounts that we will pay for, or the timing of payment of, actual benefits, claims and expenses or whether the assets supporting our policy liabilities, together with future premiums, will be sufficient for payment of benefits and claims. If we conclude that our reserves, together with future premiums, are insufficient to cover future policy benefits and claims, we would be required to increase our reserves and incur income statement charges for the period in which we make the determination, which would adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.
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For certain of our products, market performance impacts the level of statutory reserves and statutory capital we are required to hold, and may have an adverse effect on returns on capital associated with these products. For example, equity market declines in the fourth quarter of 2008 caused a significant increase in the level of statutory reserves and statutory capital we are required to hold in relation to our Individual Annuities business. Capacity for reserve funding structures available in the marketplace is currently limited as a result of market conditions generally. Our ability to efficiently manage capital and economic reserve levels may be impacted, thereby impacting profitability and return on capital.
Our profitability may decline if mortality rates, morbidity rates or persistency rates differ significantly from our pricing expectations.
We set prices for many of our insurance and annuity products based upon expected claims and payment patterns, using assumptions for mortality rates, or likelihood of death, and morbidity rates, or likelihood of sickness, of our policyholders. In addition to the potential effect of natural or man-made disasters, significant changes in mortality or morbidity could emerge gradually over time, due to changes in the natural environment, the health habits of the insured population, treatment patterns for disease or disability, the economic environment, or other factors. Pricing of our insurance and deferred annuity products are also based in part upon expected persistency of these products, which is the probability that a policy or contract will remain in force from one period to the next. Persistency within our Individual Annuities business may be significantly impacted by the value of guaranteed minimum benefits contained in many of our variable annuity products being higher than current account values in light of equity market declines. Results may also vary based on differences between actual and expected premium deposits and withdrawals for these products. The development of a secondary market for life insurance, including life settlements or “viaticals” and investor owned life insurance, could adversely affect the profitability of existing business and our pricing assumptions for new business. Significant deviations in actual experience from our pricing assumptions could have an adverse effect on the profitability of our products. Although some of our products permit us to increase premiums or adjust other charges and credits during the life of the policy or contract, the adjustments permitted under the terms of the policies or contracts may not be sufficient to maintain profitability. Many of our products do not permit us to increase premiums or adjust other charges and credits or limit those adjustments during the life of the policy or contract.
We may be required to accelerate the amortization of deferred policy acquisition costs, or DAC, or valuation of business acquired, or VOBA, or recognize impairment in the value of our goodwill or certain investments, which could adversely affect our results of operations or financial condition.
Deferred policy acquisition costs, or DAC, represent the costs that vary with and are related primarily to the acquisition of new and renewal insurance and annuity contracts, and we amortize these costs over the expected lives of the contracts. Valuation of business acquired, or VOBA, represents the present value of future profits embedded in acquired insurance, annuity and investment-type contracts and is amortized over the expected effective lives of the acquired contracts. Management, on an ongoing basis, tests the DAC and VOBA recorded on our balance sheet to determine if these amounts are recoverable under current assumptions. In addition, we regularly review the estimates and assumptions underlying DAC and VOBA for those products for which we amortize DAC and VOBA in proportion to gross profits or gross margins. Given changes in facts and circumstances, these tests and reviews could lead to further reductions in DAC and/or VOBA that could have an adverse effect on the results of our operations and our financial condition. Significant or sustained equity market declines as well as investment losses has resulted and could result in further acceleration of amortization of the DAC and VOBA related to variable annuity and variable universal life contracts, resulting in a charge to income.
Goodwill represents the excess of the amounts we paid to acquire subsidiaries and other businesses over the fair value of their net assets at the date of acquisition. Goodwill is assessed annually for potential impairment, or more frequently if conditions warrant, by comparing the carrying value (equity attributed to a business to support its risk) of a business to its estimated fair value at that date. In the fourth quarter of 2008, the significant equity, real estate and other market declines resulted in declines in the fair value, or increases in the level of equity required to support, certain of our businesses. As a result, in the fourth quarter of 2008 we recognized an impairment of goodwill of $337 million of which $97 million related to our Individual Annuities business, $123
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million related to our International Investments business, and $117 million related to our Real Estate and Relocation business, which amounts reflected the entire balance of goodwill associated with these businesses. As of December 31, 2008, we had a remaining goodwill balance of $702 million, including $444 million related to our Retirement business and $241 million related to our Asset Management business. Further market declines or other events impacting the fair value of these businesses, or increases in the level of equity required to support these businesses, could result in additional goodwill impairments, resulting in a charge to income.
In the fourth quarter of 2008, declines in financial markets impacted the fair value of certain equity method investments, particularly in our International Investments business, which resulted in a charge to income for an impairment of these investments of $316 million. Further declines in the fair value of these investments, which have a remaining carrying value of approximately $300 million as of December 31, 2008, may require that we review the remaining carrying value of these investments for potential impairment, and such review could result in additional impairments and charges to income.
Our valuation of fixed maturity, equity and trading securities may include methodologies, estimations and assumptions that are subject to differing interpretations and could result in changes to investment valuations that may materially adversely affect our results of operations or financial condition.
During periods of market disruption, such as the unprecedented current market conditions, it may be difficult to value certain of our securities, such as sub-prime mortgage backed securities, if trading becomes less frequent and/or market data becomes less observable. There are and may continue to be certain asset classes that were in active markets with significant observable data that have or may become illiquid due to the current financial environment or market conditions. As a result, valuations may include inputs and assumptions that are less observable or require greater estimation and judgment as well as valuation methods which are more complex. These values may not be ultimately realizable in a market transaction, and such values may change very rapidly as market conditions change and valuation assumptions are modified. Decreases in value may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations or financial condition.
The decision on whether to record an other-than-temporary impairment or write-down is determined in part by management’s assessment of the financial condition and prospects of a particular issuer, projections of future cash flows and recoverability of the particular security as well as an evaluation of the Company’s ability and intent to hold the securities to recovery. Given current market conditions and liquidity concerns, beginning in the third quarter of 2008, our determinations of whether a decline in value is other-than-temporary have placed greater emphasis on our analysis of the underlying credit and our ability and intent to hold the investment for a period of time to allow for a recovery of value, versus the extent and duration of a decline in value. Management’s conclusions on such assessments may ultimately prove to be incorrect as facts and circumstances change.
For a discussion of certain fixed maturity securities where the estimated fair value has declined and remained below amortized cost by more than 15% but less than 20% and by more than 20%, respectively, see “Realized Investment Gains and Losses and General Account Investments – Unrealized Losses from Fixed Maturity Securities.”
We have experienced and may experience additional downgrades in our claims paying or credit ratings. A downgrade or potential downgrade in our claims-paying or credit ratings could limit our ability to market products, increase the number or value of policies being surrendered, increase our borrowing costs and/or hurt our relationships with creditors or trading counterparties.
Claims-paying ratings, which are sometimes referred to as “financial strength” ratings, represent the opinions of rating agencies regarding the financial ability of an insurance company to meet its obligations under an insurance policy, and are important factors affecting public confidence in an insurer and its competitive position in marketing products, including Prudential Insurance and our other insurance company subsidiaries. Credit ratings represent the opinions of rating agencies regarding an entity’s ability to repay its indebtedness, and Prudential Financial’s credit ratings are important to our ability to raise capital through the issuance of debt and to the cost of such financing. A downgrade in our claims-paying or credit ratings could limit our ability to market products, reduce our competitiveness, increase the number or value of policies being surrendered, increase our borrowing costs, adversely affect the availability of financial guarantees, such as letters of credit, cause
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additional collateral requirements under certain agreements (including our securities lending agreements), and/or hurt our relationships with creditors or trading counterparties. In addition, actions we might take to access third party financing or to realign our capital structure may in turn cause rating agencies to reevaluate our ratings.
In view of the difficulties experienced recently by many financial institutions, the rating agencies have heightened the level of scrutiny that they apply to such institutions, have increased the frequency and scope of their credit reviews, have requested additional information from the companies that they rate, and may adjust upward the capital and other requirements employed in the rating agency models for maintenance of certain ratings levels, such as the financial strength ratings currently held by our life insurance subsidiaries. The outcome of such reviews may have adverse ratings consequences, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operation and financial condition.
In late September and early October, 2008, A.M. Best Company, Inc., Fitch Ratings Ltd., Moody’s Investors Service, and Standard & Poor’s, respectively, each revised its outlook for the U.S. life insurance sector to negative from stable, citing, among other things, the significant deterioration and volatility in the credit and equity markets, economic and political uncertainty, and the expected impact of realized and unrealized investment losses on life insurers’ capital levels and profitability.
On November 21, 2008, Moody’s affirmed the long-term senior debt rating of Prudential Financial at “A3” and affirmed the financial strength ratings of our life insurance subsidiaries at “Aa3.” Moody’s also revised its outlook on our ratings to negative from stable. On February 10, 2009 Moody’s placed the long-term ratings of Prudential Financial and our life insurance subsidiaries on review for possible downgrade. The short-term ratings of Prudential Financial and Prudential Funding were affirmed with a stable outlook.
On December 2, 2008, Fitch lowered Prudential Financial’s long-term senior debt rating to “A-” from “A” and lowered the financial strength ratings of our life insurance subsidiaries to “AA-” from “AA,” with ratings outlook revised from stable to negative. On February 19, 2009, Fitch lowered Prudential Financial’s long-term senior debt rating to “BBB” from “A-” and the short-term rating to “F2” from “F1.” Fitch also downgraded the financial strength ratings of our life insurance subsidiaries to “A+” from “AA-” and the short-term rating of Prudential Funding, LLC to “F1” from “F1+.” The outlook for all ratings remains negative.
On December 11, 2008, A.M. Best affirmed the financial strength rating of “A+” for our life insurance subsidiaries and affirmed the credit rating of “a-” for Prudential Financial’s long-term senior debt. The outlook for the financial strength ratings remained stable and the outlook for the long-term senior debt credit rating was revised to stable from positive.
On February 17, 2009, S&P lowered Prudential Financial’s long-term senior debt rating to “A” from “A+” and affirmed the “AA” ratings of our life insurance subsidiaries. The long-term ratings outlook was revised from stable to negative.
On February 26, 2009, S&P lowered the financial strength ratings of our life insurance subsidiaries to “AA-” from “AA” and affirmed Prudential Financial’s long-term senior debt ratings as “A.” The outlook for both ratings was revised from negative to stable.
As a result of the ratings action taken by Fitch on February 19, 2009, Prudential Financial is no longer eligible to participate in the Commercial Paper Funding Facility sponsored by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, although Prudential Funding, LLC continues to be eligible.
We cannot predict what additional actions rating agencies may take, or what actions we may take in response to the actions of rating agencies, which could adversely affect our business. As with other companies in the financial services industry, our ratings could be downgraded at any time and without notice by any rating agency.
Ratings downgrades and changes in credit spreads may require us to post collateral, thereby affecting our liquidity, and we may be unable to effectively implement certain capital management activities as a result, or for other reasons.
A downgrade in the credit or financial strength ratings of Prudential Financial or its rated subsidiaries could result in additional collateral requirements or other required payments under certain agreements, which are eligible to be satisfied in cash or by posting securities held by the subsidiaries subject to the agreements. A
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ratings downgrade of three ratings levels from the ratings levels at December 31, 2008 would result in estimated collateral posting requirements or payments under such agreements of approximately $200 million. In addition, a ratings downgrade by A.M. Best to A- for our domestic life insurance companies would require Prudential Insurance to post a letter of credit in the amount of $1.6 billion that we estimate would result in annual cash outflows of approximately $130 million, or collateral posting in the form of cash or securities to be held in a trust.
In addition, agreements in connection with capital management activities for our universal life insurance products would require us to post cash collateral based on tests that consider the level of 10-year credit default swap spreads on Prudential Financial’s senior debt. As of December 31, 2008, when estimates of Prudential Financial’s 10-year credit default swap spreads were 575 basis points, we posted $125 million of collateral under this agreement. We estimate that the collateral posting requirements could be $400 million at an effective 10-year credit default swap spread of 2,000 basis points, based on indications of forward LIBOR rates as of December 31, 2008.
The NAIC has adopted a Model Regulation entitled “Valuation of Life Insurance Policies,” commonly known as “Regulation XXX,” and a supporting Guideline entitled “The Application of the Valuation of Life Insurance Policies,” commonly known as “Guideline AXXX.” The Regulation and supporting Guideline require insurers to establish statutory reserves for term and universal life insurance policies with long-term premium guarantees that are consistent with the statutory reserves required for other individual life insurance policies with similar guarantees. Many market participants believe that this level of reserves is excessive, and we have implemented reinsurance and capital management actions to mitigate the impact of Regulation XXX and Guideline AXXX on our term and universal life insurance business. However, we may not be able to implement actions to mitigate the impact of Regulation XXX or Guideline AXXX on future sales of term or universal life insurance products, thereby potentially resulting in an adverse impact on returns on capital associated with these products, and possibly requiring us to reduce our sales of these products or implement measures that may be disruptive to our business. As we continue to underwrite term and universal life business, we expect to have borrowing needs in 2009 to finance statutory reserves required under Regulation XXX and Guideline AXXX. However, based on current market conditions, we may not be able to finance these needs. We are currently reviewing both internal and external sources of funding to address these needs.
Losses due to defaults by others, including issuers of investment securities or reinsurance, bond insurers and derivative instrument counterparties, downgrades in the ratings of securities we hold or of bond insurers, and insolvencies of insurers in jurisdictions where we write business, could adversely affect the value of our investments, the realization of amounts contractually owed to us, result in assessments or additional statutory capital requirements or reduce our profitability.
Issuers and borrowers whose securities or loans we hold, customers, trading counterparties, counterparties under swaps and other derivative contracts, reinsurers, clearing agents, exchanges, clearing houses and other financial intermediaries and guarantors, including bond insurers, may default on their obligations to us due to bankruptcy, insolvency, lack of liquidity, adverse economic conditions, operational failure, fraud or other reasons. Such defaults, instances of which have occurred in recent months, could have an adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition. A downgrade in the ratings of bond insurers could also result in declines in the value of our fixed maturity investments supported by guarantees from bond insurers.
In addition, we use derivative instruments to hedge various risks, including certain guaranteed minimum benefits contained in many of our variable annuity products. We enter into a variety of derivative instruments, including options, forwards, interest rate, credit default and currency swaps with a number of counterparties. Our obligations under our variable annuity products are not changed by our hedging activities and we are liable for our obligations even if our derivative counterparties do not pay us. This is a more pronounced risk to us in view of the recent stresses suffered by financial institutions. Such defaults could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
Under state insurance guaranty association laws and similar laws in international jurisdictions, we are subject to assessments, based on the share of business we write in the relevant jurisdiction, for certain obligations of insolvent insurance companies to policyholders and claimants.
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Amounts that we expect to collect under current and future contracts, including proceeds we expect to realize from the intended put of our Wachovia Securities joint venture interests to Wells Fargo, are subject to counterparty risk.
Intense competition could adversely affect our ability to maintain or increase our market share or profitability.
In each of our businesses we face intense competition from domestic and foreign insurance companies, asset managers and diversified financial institutions, both for the ultimate customers for our products and, in many businesses, for distribution through non-affiliated distribution channels. We compete based on a number of factors including brand recognition, reputation, quality of service, quality of investment advice, investment performance of our products, product features, scope of distribution and distribution arrangements, price, perceived financial strength and claims-paying and credit ratings. A decline in our competitive position as to one or more of these factors could adversely affect our profitability and assets under management. Many of our competitors are large and well established and some have greater market share or breadth of distribution, offer a broader range of products, services or features, assume a greater level of risk, have lower profitability expectations or have higher claims-paying or credit ratings than we do. We could be subject to claims by competitors that our products infringe their patents, which could adversely affect our sales, profitability and financial position. The proliferation and growth of non-affiliated distribution channels puts pressure on our captive sales channels to increase their productivity and reduce their costs in order to remain competitive, and we run the risk that the marketplace will make a more significant or rapid shift to non-affiliated or direct distribution alternatives than we anticipate or are able to achieve ourselves, potentially adversely affecting our market share and results of operations. Competition for personnel in all of our businesses is intense, including for Prudential Agents, Life Planners and Life Advisors, other face-to-face sales personnel, desirable non-affiliated distribution channels and our investment managers. The loss of personnel could have an adverse effect on our business and profitability.
The adverse market and economic conditions that began in the second half of 2007 and that have continued and worsened since then can be expected to result in changes in the competitive landscape. For example, the financial distress experienced by certain financial services industry participants as a result of such conditions may lead to favorable acquisition opportunities, although our ability or that of our competitors to pursue such opportunities may be limited due to lower earnings, reserve increases, and a lack of access to debt capital markets and other sources of financing. Such conditions may also lead to changes by us or our competitors in product offerings, product pricing and business mix that could affect our and their relative sales volumes, market shares and profitability. It is also possible that such conditions may put U.S. companies like us with financial operations in non-U.S. locations at a competitive disadvantage relative to domestic companies operating in those locations and may impact sales in those locations. Additionally, the competitive landscape in which we operate may be further affected by the government sponsored programs in the U.S. and similar governmental actions outside of the U.S. in response to the severe dislocations in financial markets.
Changes in U.S. federal income tax law or in the income tax laws of other jurisdictions in which we operate could make some of our products less attractive to consumers and increase our tax costs.
Current U.S. federal income tax laws generally permit certain holders to defer taxation on the build-up of value of annuities and life insurance products until payments are actually made to the policyholder or other beneficiary and to exclude from taxation the death benefit paid under a life insurance contract. Congress from time to time considers legislation that could make our products less attractive to consumers, including legislation that would reduce or eliminate the benefit of this deferral on some annuities and insurance products, as well as other types of changes that could reduce or eliminate the attractiveness of annuities and life insurance products to consumers, such as repeal of the estate tax.
For example, the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 and the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003 generally provided for lower income tax, capital gains and dividend tax
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rates that had the effect of reducing the benefits of tax deferral on the build-up of value of annuities and life insurance products. Continuation of these reduced rates, which are due to sunset in 2011, may hinder our sales and result in the increased surrender of insurance and annuity products.
Congress, as well as state and local governments, also considers from time to time legislation that could increase the amount of corporate taxes we pay. For example, changes in the law relating to tax reserving methodologies for term life or universal life insurance policies with secondary guarantees could result in higher corporate taxes. If such legislation is adopted our consolidated net income could decline.
The U.S. Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service intend to address through regulations the methodology to be followed in determining the dividends received deduction, or DRD, related to variable life insurance and annuity contracts. The DRD reduces the amount of dividend income subject to tax and is a significant component of the difference between our actual tax expense and expected amount determined using the federal statutory tax rate of 35%. A change in the DRD, including the possible retroactive or prospective elimination of this deduction through regulations or legislation, could increase our actual tax expense and reduce our consolidated net income.
The products we sell have different tax characteristics, in some cases generating tax deductions. The level of profitability of certain of our products are significantly dependent on these characteristics and our ability to continue to generate taxable income, which are taken into consideration when pricing products and are a component of our capital management strategies. Accordingly, a change in tax law, our ability to generate taxable income, or other factors impacting the availability of the tax characteristics generated by our products, could impact product pricing and returns.
We have substantial international operations and our international operations face political, legal, operational and other risks that could adversely affect those operations or our profitability.
A substantial portion of our revenues and income from continuing operations is derived from our operations in foreign countries, primarily Japan and Korea. These operations are subject to restrictions on transferring funds out of the countries in which these operations are located. Some of our foreign insurance and investment management operations are, and are likely to continue to be, in emerging markets where this risk as well as risks of discriminatory regulation, labor issues in connection with workers’ associations and trade unions, price controls, currency exchange controls, nationalization or expropriation of assets, are heightened. If our business model is not successful in a particular country, we may lose all or most of our investment in building and training our sales force in that country.
Many of our insurance products sold in international markets provide for the buildup of cash values for the policyholder at contractually fixed guaranteed interest rates, including in Japan. Actual returns on the underlying investments do not necessarily match the guaranteed interest rates and there may be times when the spread between the actual investment returns and these guaranteed rates of return to the policyholder is negative and in which this negative spread may not be offset by the mortality, morbidity and expense charges we earn on the products.
Our international businesses are subject to the tax laws and regulations of the countries in which they are organized and in which they operate. Foreign governments from time to time consider legislation that could increase the amount of taxes that we pay or impact the sales of our products. For example, during 2007, Mexico enacted an alternative flat tax that became effective in 2008, while China, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom reduced corporate tax rates for 2008. In March 2007, the Japanese National Tax Authority, or NTA, indicated that it would change the tax treatment of certain term life products sold to corporations, which resulted in a significant decrease in the sale of Increasing Term Life insurance to corporations in Japan. On December 26, 2007, the NTA confirmed in an official announcement its intention to revise the corporate tax deductibility of insurance premiums paid with respect to certain Increasing Term insurance products. The NTA then released a revised tax circular that reduced, but did not eliminate, the corporate tax deductibility of insurance premiums paid with respect to Increasing Term insurance products sold after February 28, 2008. In 2008, Korea enacted a corporate income tax rate reduction from 27.5% to 24.2% for fiscal years beginning on or after January 1, 2009 and to 22% for fiscal years beginning on or after January 1, 2010.
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Our international operations are regulated in the jurisdictions in which they are located or operate. These regulations may apply heightened scrutiny to non-domestic companies, which can reduce our flexibility as to intercompany transactions, investments and other aspects of business operations and adversely affect our liquidity and profitability.
Fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates could adversely affect our profitability and cash flow.
We are exposed to foreign currency exchange risks in our general account investment portfolios, other proprietary investment portfolios and through our operations in foreign countries and our hedging programs. Currency fluctuations may adversely affect our results of operations, cash flows or financial condition.
Our businesses are heavily regulated and changes in regulation may reduce our profitability.
Our businesses are subject to comprehensive regulation and supervision. The purpose of this regulation is primarily to protect our customers and not necessarily our shareholders. Many of the laws and regulations to which we are subject, including those to which our international businesses are subject, are regularly re-examined, and existing or future laws and regulations may become more restrictive or otherwise adversely affect our operations. This is particularly the case under current market conditions. It appears likely that the continuing financial markets dislocation will lead to extensive changes in existing laws and regulations, and regulatory frameworks, applicable to our businesses in the U.S. and internationally.
Prudential Financial is subject to the rules and regulations of the SEC and the NYSE relating to public reporting and disclosure, securities trading, accounting and financial reporting, and corporate governance matters. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and rules and regulations adopted in furtherance of that Act have substantially increased the requirements in these and other areas for public companies such as Prudential Financial.
Many insurance regulatory and other governmental or self-regulatory bodies have the authority to review our products and business practices and those of our agents and employees and to bring regulatory or other legal actions against us if, in their view, our practices, or those of our agents or employees, are improper. These actions can result in substantial fines, penalties or prohibitions or restrictions on our business activities and could adversely affect our business, reputation, results of operations or financial condition. For a discussion of material pending litigation and regulatory matters, see “Legal Proceedings.” Congress from time to time considers pension reform legislation that could decrease the attractiveness of certain of our retirement products and services to retirement plan sponsors and administrators, or have an unfavorable effect on our ability to earn revenues from these products and services. In this regard, the Pension Protection Act of 2006 (“PPA”) makes significant changes in employer pension funding obligations associated with defined benefit pension plans which are likely to increase sponsors’ costs of maintaining these plans. These changes could hinder our sales of defined benefit pension products and services and cause sponsors to discontinue existing plans for which we provide asset management, administrative, or other services, but could increase the attractiveness of certain group annuity products we offer in connection with terminating pension plans. The Bush Administration also had proposed several tax-favored savings initiatives. These initiatives could hinder sales and persistency of our products and services that support employment based retirement plans.
Insurance regulators, as well as industry participants, have also begun to consider potentially significant changes in the way in which statutory reserves and statutory capital are determined, particularly for products with embedded options and guarantees. New regulatory capital requirements have already gone into effect for variable annuity products. The timing of, and extent of, such changes to the statutory reporting framework are uncertain; however, the result could be increases to statutory reserves and capital, and an adverse effect on our products, sales and operating costs.
In view of recent events involving certain financial institutions, it is likely that the U.S. federal government will heighten its oversight of companies in the financial services industry such as us, including possibly through a federal system of insurance regulation. We cannot predict whether this or other proposals will be adopted, or what impact, if any, such proposals or, if enacted, such laws, could have on our business, financial condition or results of operations.
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Compliance with applicable laws and regulations is time consuming and personnel-intensive, and changes in these laws and regulations may materially increase our direct and indirect compliance and other expenses of doing business, thus having a material adverse effect on our financial condition or results of operations.
See “Business—Regulation” for further discussion of the impact of regulations on our businesses.
Legal and regulatory actions are inherent in our businesses and could adversely affect our results of operations or financial position or harm our businesses or reputation.
We are, and in the future may be, subject to legal and regulatory actions in the ordinary course of our businesses, including in businesses that we have divested or placed in wind-down status. Some of these proceedings have been brought on behalf of various alleged classes of complainants. In certain of these matters, the plaintiffs are seeking large and/or indeterminate amounts, including punitive or exemplary damages. Substantial legal liability in these or future legal or regulatory actions could have an adverse affect on us or cause us reputational harm, which in turn could harm our business prospects.
Material pending litigation and regulatory matters affecting us, and certain risks to our businesses presented by such matters, are discussed under “Legal Proceedings.” Our litigation and regulatory matters are subject to many uncertainties, and given their complexity and scope, their outcome cannot be predicted. Our reserves for litigation and regulatory matters may prove to be inadequate. It is possible that our results of operations or cash flow in a particular quarterly or annual period could be materially affected by an ultimate unfavorable resolution of pending litigation and regulatory matters depending, in part, upon the results of operations or cash flow for such period. In light of the unpredictability of the Company’s litigation and regulatory matters, it is also possible that in certain cases an ultimate unfavorable resolution of one or more pending litigation or regulatory matters could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial position.
The occurrence of natural or man-made disasters could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.
The occurrence of natural disasters, including hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, fires, explosions, pandemic disease and man-made disasters, including acts of terrorism and military actions, could adversely affect our results of operations or financial condition, including in the following respects:
| • | Catastrophic loss of life due to natural or man-made disasters could cause us to pay benefits at higher levels and/or materially earlier than anticipated and could lead to unexpected changes in persistency rates. |
| • | A natural or man-made disaster could result in losses in our investment portfolio or the failure of our counterparties to perform, or cause significant volatility in global financial markets. |
| • | A terrorist attack affecting financial institutions in the United States or elsewhere could negatively impact the financial services industry in general and our business operations, investment portfolio and profitability in particular. As previously reported, in August 2004, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security identified our Newark, New Jersey facilities, along with those of several other financial institutions in New York and Washington, D.C., as possible targets of a terrorist attack. |
| • | Pandemic disease, caused by a virus such as H5N1 (the “Avian flu” virus), could have a severe adverse effect on Prudential Financial’s business. The potential impact of such a pandemic on Prudential Financial’s results of operations and financial position is highly speculative, and would depend on numerous factors, including: the probability of the virus mutating to a form that can be passed from human to human; the rate of contagion if and when that occurs; the regions of the world most affected; the effectiveness of treatment for the infected population; the rates of mortality and morbidity among various segments of the insured versus the uninsured population; the collectability of reinsurance; the possible macroeconomic effects of a pandemic on the Company’s asset portfolio; the effect on lapses and surrenders of existing policies, as well as sales of new policies; and many other variables. |
There can be no assurance that our business continuation plans and insurance coverages would be effective in mitigating any negative effects on our operations or profitability in the event of a terrorist attack or other disaster.
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Our risk management policies and procedures and our minority investments in joint ventures may leave us exposed to unidentified or unanticipated risk, which could adversely affect our businesses or result in losses.
Our policies and procedures to monitor and manage risks, including hedging programs that utilize derivative financial instruments, may not be fully effective and may leave us exposed to unidentified and unanticipated risks. The Company uses models in its hedging programs and many other aspects of its operations, including but not limited to the estimation of actuarial reserves, the amortization of deferred acquisition costs and the value of business acquired, and the valuation of certain other assets and liabilities. These models rely on assumptions and projections that are inherently uncertain. Management of operational, legal and regulatory risks requires, among other things, policies and procedures to record properly and verify a large number of transactions and events, and these policies and procedures may not be fully effective. Past or future misconduct by our employees or employees of our vendors could result in violations of law by us, regulatory sanctions and/or serious reputational or financial harm and the precautions we take to prevent and detect this activity may not be effective in all cases. A failure of our computer systems or a compromise of their security could also subject us to regulatory sanctions or other claims, harm our reputation, interrupt our operations and adversely affect our business, results of operations or financial condition.
In our investments in which we hold a minority interest, including our Wachovia Securities joint venture, we lack management and operational control over its operations, which may prevent us from taking or causing to be taken actions to protect or increase the value of those investments.
We face risks arising from acquisitions, divestitures and restructurings, including client losses, surrenders and withdrawals, difficulties in integrating and realizing the projected results of acquisitions and contingent liabilities with respect to dispositions.
We face a number of risks arising from acquisition transactions, including the risk that, following the acquisition or reorganization of a business, we could experience client losses, surrenders or withdrawals or other results materially different from those we anticipate, as well as difficulties in integrating and realizing the projected results of acquisitions and restructurings and managing the litigation and regulatory matters to which acquired entities are party. We have retained insurance or reinsurance obligations and other contingent liabilities in connection with our divestiture or winding down of various businesses, including with respect to the retail securities brokerage and securities clearing operations that we contributed to the joint venture with Wachovia Corporation, and our reserves for these obligations and liabilities may prove to be inadequate. These risks may adversely affect our results of operations or financial condition.
Changes in our discount rate, expected rate of return and expected compensation increase assumptions for our pension and other postretirement benefit plans may result in increased expenses and reduce our profitability.
We determine our pension and other postretirement benefit plan costs based on assumed discount rates, expected rates of return on plan assets and expected increases in compensation levels and trends in health care costs. Changes in these assumptions may result in increased expenses and reduce our profitability.
Our ability to pay shareholder dividends, to engage in share repurchases and to meet obligations may be adversely affected by limitations imposed on inter-affiliate distributions and transfers by Prudential Insurance and our other subsidiaries.
Prudential Financial is the holding company for all our operations, and dividends, returns of capital and interest income from its subsidiaries are the principal source of funds available to Prudential Financial to pay shareholder dividends, to make share repurchases and to meet its other obligations. These sources of funds are complemented by Prudential Financial’s access to the financial markets and bank facilities. As described under “Business—Regulation” and in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Liquidity and Capital Resources,” our domestic and foreign insurance and various other subsidiary companies, including Prudential Insurance, are subject to regulatory limitations on the payment of dividends and
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on other transfers of funds to Prudential Financial. In addition to these regulatory limitations, the terms of the IHC debt contain restrictions potentially limiting dividends by Prudential Insurance applicable to the Financial Services Businesses in the event the Closed Block Business is in financial distress and under other circumstances. These restrictions on Prudential Financial’s subsidiaries may limit such subsidiaries from making dividend payments to Prudential Financial in an amount sufficient to fund Prudential Financial’s cash requirements and shareholder dividends. From time to time, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, or NAIC, and various state and foreign insurance regulators have considered, and may in the future consider, proposals to further limit dividend payments that an insurance company may make without regulatory approval.
Difficult market conditions also affect our ability to pay shareholder dividends and to engage in share repurchases. We announced on October 9, 2008, that, in light of recent market volatility and extraordinary events and developments affecting financial markets generally, we were suspending purchases of Common Stock under 2008 existing share repurchase program, effective October 10, 2008. We do not anticipate reinstituting a share repurchase program in 2009.
Regulatory requirements, provisions of our certificate of incorporation and by-laws and our shareholder rights plan could delay, deter or prevent a takeover attempt that shareholders might consider in their best interests.
Various states in which our insurance companies are domiciled, including New Jersey, must approve any direct or indirect change of control of insurance companies organized in those states. Under most states’ statutes, an entity is presumed to have control of an insurance company if it owns, directly or indirectly, 10% or more of the voting stock of that insurance company or its parent company. Federal, and in some cases, state, banking authorities would also have to approve the indirect change of control of our banking operations. The federal securities laws could also require reapproval by customers of our investment advisory contracts to manage mutual funds, including mutual funds included in annuity products, upon a change in control. In addition, the New Jersey Business Corporation Act prohibits certain business combinations with interested shareholders. These regulatory and other restrictions may delay a potential merger or sale of Prudential Financial, even if the Board of Directors decides that it is in the best interests of shareholders to merge or be sold.
Prudential Financial’s certificate of incorporation and by-laws also contain provisions that may delay, deter or prevent a takeover attempt that shareholders might consider in their best interests. These provisions may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our Common Stock and include: a restriction on the filling of vacancies on the Board of Directors by shareholders; restrictions on the calling of special meetings by shareholders; a requirement that shareholders may take action without a meeting only by unanimous written consent; advance notice procedures for the nomination of candidates to the Board of Directors and shareholder proposals to be considered at shareholder meetings; and supermajority voting requirements for the amendment of certain provisions of the certificate of incorporation and by-laws. Prudential Financial’s shareholders rights plan also creates obstacles that may delay, deter or prevent a takeover attempt that shareholders might consider in their best interests.
Holders of our Common Stock are subject to risks due to the issuance of our Class B Stock, a second class of common stock.
The businesses of Prudential Financial are separated into the Financial Services Businesses and the Closed Block Business, and our Common Stock reflects the performance of the Financial Services Businesses and the Class B Stock reflects the performance of the Closed Block Business. There are a number of risks to holders of our Common Stock by virtue of this dual common stock structure, including:
| • | Even though we allocate all our consolidated assets, liabilities, revenue, expenses and cash flow between the Financial Services Businesses and the Closed Block Business for financial statement purposes, there is no legal separation between the Financial Services Businesses and the Closed Block Business. Holders of Common Stock have no interest in a separate legal entity representing the Financial Services Businesses; holders of the Class B Stock have no interest in a separate legal entity representing the Closed Block Business; and therefore holders of each class of common stock are subject to all of the risks associated with an investment in the Company. |
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| • | The financial results of the Closed Block Business, including debt service on the IHC debt, will affect Prudential Financial’s consolidated results of operations, financial position and borrowing costs. |
| • | The market value of our Common Stock may not reflect solely the performance of the Financial Services Businesses. |
| • | We cannot pay cash dividends on our Common Stock for any period if we choose not to pay dividends on the Class B Stock in an aggregate amount at least equal to the lesser of the CB Distributable Cash Flow or the Target Dividend Amount on the Class B Stock for that period. See “Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities—Convertibility” for the definition of these terms. Any net losses of the Closed Block Business, and any dividends or distributions on, or repurchases of the Class B Stock, would reduce the assets of Prudential Financial legally available for dividends on the Common Stock. |
| • | Net income for the Financial Services Businesses and the Closed Block Business includes general and administrative expenses charged to each of the respective Businesses based on the Company’s methodology for the allocation of such expenses. Cash flows to the Financial Services Businesses from the Closed Block Business related to administrative expenses are determined by a policy servicing fee arrangement that is based upon insurance and policies in force and statutory cash premiums. The difference between the administrative expenses allocated to the Closed Block Business and these cash flow amounts are recorded, on an after tax basis, as direct equity adjustments to the equity balances of the businesses and included in the determination of earnings per share for each Business. A change in cash flow amounts between the Businesses that is inconsistent with changes in general and administrative expenses we incur will affect the earnings per share of the Common Stock and Class B Stock. |
| • | Holders of Common Stock and Class B Stock vote together as a single class of common stock under New Jersey law, except as otherwise required by law and except that the holders of the Class B Stock have class voting or consent rights with respect to specified matters directly affecting the Class B Stock. |
| • | Shares of Class B Stock are entitled to a higher proportionate amount upon any liquidation, dissolution or winding-up of Prudential Financial, than shares of Common Stock. |
| • | We may exchange the Class B Stock for shares of Common Stock at any time, and the Class B Stock is mandatorily exchangeable in the event of a sale of all or substantially all of the Closed Block Business or a “change of control” of Prudential Financial. Under these circumstances, shares of Class B Stock would be exchanged for shares of Common Stock with an aggregate average market value equal to 120% of the then appraised “Fair Market Value” of the Class B Stock. For a description of “change of control” and “Fair Market Value,” see “Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities—Convertibility.” Holders of Class B Stock may at their discretion, beginning in 2016, and at any time in the event of specified regulatory events, convert their shares of Class B Stock into shares of Common Stock with an aggregate average market value equal to 100% of the then appraised Fair Market Value of the Class B Stock. Any exchange or conversion could occur at a time when either or both of the Common Stock and Class B Stock may be considered overvalued or undervalued. Accordingly, any such exchange or conversion may be disadvantageous to holders of Common Stock. |
| • | Our Board of Directors has adopted certain policies regarding inter-business transfers and accounting and tax matters, including the allocation of earnings, with respect to the Financial Services Businesses and Closed Block Business. Although the Board of Directors may change any of these policies, any such decision is subject to the Board of Directors’ general fiduciary duties, and we have agreed with investors in the Class B Stock and the insurer of the IHC debt that, in most cases, the Board of Directors may not change these policies without their consent. |
| ITEM 1B. | UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS |
None.
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| ITEM 1C. | EXECUTIVE OFFICERS OF THE REGISTRANT |
The names of the executive officers of Prudential Financial and their respective ages and positions, as of February 26, 2009, were as follows:
| Name |
Age |
Title |
Other Directorships | |||
| John R. Strangfeld, Jr. |
55 | Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President |
None | |||
| Mark B. Grier |
56 | Vice Chairman |
None | |||
| Edward P. Baird |
60 | Executive Vice President, International Businesses |
None | |||
| Richard J. Carbone |
61 | Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer |
None | |||
| Robert C. Golden |
62 | Executive Vice President, Operations and Systems |
None | |||
| Bernard B. Winograd |
58 | Executive Vice President, U.S. Businesses |
None | |||
| Susan L. Blount |
51 | Senior Vice President and General Counsel |
None | |||
| Helen M. Galt |
61 | Senior Vice President, Company Actuary and Chief Risk Officer |
None | |||
| Sharon C. Taylor |
54 | Senior Vice President, Human Resources |
None |
Biographical information about Prudential Financial executive officers is as follows:
John R. Strangfeld, Jr. was elected Chairman of Prudential Financial in May 2008 and has served as Chief Executive Officer, President and Director since January 2008. He is a member of the Office of the Chairman and served as Vice Chairman of Prudential Financial from August 2002 to December 2007. He was Executive Vice President of Prudential Financial from February 2001 to August 2002. He served as Chief Executive Officer, Prudential Investment Management of Prudential Insurance from October 1998 until April 2002 and Chairman of the Board and CEO of Prudential Securities (renamed Prudential Equity Group, LLC) from December 2000 to April 2008. He is a member of the Board of Managers of Wachovia Securities Financial Holdings, LLC, a joint venture formed in July 2003 as part of the combination of the retail brokerage and securities clearing businesses of Prudential and Wachovia. He has been with Prudential since July 1977, serving in various management positions, including Senior Managing Director, The Private Asset Management Group from 1995 to 1998; and Chairman, PRICOA Capital Group (London) Europe from 1989 to 1995.
Mark B. Grier was elected Director of Prudential Financial in January 2008 and has served as Vice Chairman since August 2002. He served as a director of Prudential Financial from December 1999 to January 2001, Executive Vice President from December 2000 to August 2002 and as Vice President of Prudential Financial from January 2000 to December 2000. He served as Chief Financial Officer of Prudential Insurance from May 1995 to June 1997. Since May 1995 he has variously served as Executive Vice President, Corporate Governance; Executive Vice President, Financial Management; Vice Chairman, Financial Management; and Vice Chairman, International. Prior to joining Prudential, Mr. Grier was an executive with Chase Manhattan Corporation.
Edward P. Baird was elected Executive Vice President of Prudential Financial and Prudential Insurance in January 2008. He served as Senior Vice President of Prudential Insurance from January 2002 to January 2008. Mr. Baird joined Prudential in 1979 and has served in various executive roles, including President of Pruco Life Insurance Company from January 1990 to December 1990; Senior Vice President for Agencies, Individual Life from January 1991 to June 1996; Senior Vice President, Prudential Healthcare from July 1996 to July 1999; Country Manager (Tokyo, Japan), International Investments Group from August 1999 to August 2002; and President of Group Insurance from August 2002 to January 2008.
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Richard J. Carbone was elected Executive Vice President of Prudential Financial and Prudential Insurance in January 2008. He has served as Chief Financial Officer of Prudential Financial since December 2000 and of Prudential Insurance since July 1997. He has also served as Senior Vice President of Prudential Financial from November 2001 to January 2008 and Senior Vice President of Prudential Insurance from July 1997 to January 2008. Prior to that, Mr. Carbone was the Global Controller and a Managing Director of Salomon, Inc. from July 1995 to June 1997; and Controller of Bankers Trust New York Corporation and a Managing Director and Controller of Bankers Trust Company from April 1988 to March 1993; and Managing Director and Chief Administrative Officer of the Private Client Group at Bankers Trust Company from March 1993 to June 1995.
Robert C. Golden was elected Executive Vice President of Prudential Financial in February 2001 and was elected Executive Vice President, Operations and Systems of Prudential Insurance in June 1997. Previously, he served as Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer for Prudential Securities.
Bernard B. Winograd was elected Executive Vice President of Prudential Financial and Prudential Insurance in January 2008. He served as Chief Executive Officer and President of Prudential Investment Management, Inc. from February 2002 to January 2008; Senior Managing Director of Prudential Private Investments from April 2000 to February 2002; and Chief Executive Officer of Prudential Real Estate Investors from December 1996 to April 2000. Prior to joining Prudential, Mr. Winograd served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Taubman Centers from 1992 to 1996; President of Taubman Investment Company from 1983 to 1992; Treasurer of Bendix Corporation from 1979 to 1983; Director of Public Affairs of Bendix from 1977 to 1979; and Executive Assistant to the Secretary of the U.S. Treasury in 1977.
Susan L. Blount was elected Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Prudential Financial and Prudential Insurance in May 2005. Ms. Blount has been with Prudential since 1985. She has served in various supervisory positions since 2002, including Vice President and Chief Investment Counsel and Vice President and Enterprise Finance Counsel. She served as Vice President, Secretary and Associate General Counsel from 2000 to 2002 and Vice President and Secretary from 1995 to 2000.
Helen M. Galt was elected Senior Vice President and Company Actuary of Prudential Financial in October 2005. She was named to the role of Chief Risk Officer in June 2007. Ms. Galt has been with Prudential since 1972, serving in various actuarial management positions with Prudential Insurance including Vice President and Company Actuary from 1993 to 2005 and Senior Vice President and Company Actuary, a position she currently holds.
Sharon C. Taylor was elected Senior Vice President, Human Resources for Prudential Financial in June 2002. She also serves as Senior Vice President, Human Resources for Prudential Insurance and the Chair of The Prudential Foundation. Ms. Taylor has been with Prudential since 1976, serving in various human resources and general management positions, including Vice President of Human Resources Communities of Practice, from 2000 to 2002; Vice President, Human Resources & Ethics Officer, Individual Financial Services, from 1998 to 2000; Vice President, Staffing and Employee Relations from 1996 to 1998; Management Internal Control Officer from 1994 to 1996; and Vice President, Human Resources and Administration from 1993 to 1994.
| ITEM 2. | PROPERTIES |
We own our headquarters building located at 751 Broad Street, Newark, New Jersey, which comprises approximately 0.6 million square feet. Excluding our headquarters building and properties used by the International Insurance and Investments division and Asset Management segment, which are discussed below, we own eight and lease 14 other principal properties throughout the U.S., some of which are used for home office functions. Our domestic operations also lease approximately 240 other locations throughout the U.S.
For our International Insurance segment, we own three home offices located in Korea, Taiwan, and Brazil and lease eight home offices located in Argentina, China, Italy, Japan, Mexico, India and Poland. We also own approximately 150 and lease approximately 430 other properties, primarily field offices, located throughout these same countries. For our International Investments segment, we own two head offices and lease approximately 110 other branch offices throughout Korea, Mexico, Taiwan, Japan, Hong Kong, Germany and the United Kingdom. For our Asset Management segment, we lease eight international principal properties located in Brazil, Mexico, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Germany and the United Kingdom, in addition to approximately 10 other branch offices throughout Europe.
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We believe our properties are adequate and suitable for our business as currently conducted and are adequately maintained. The above properties do not include properties we own for investment only.
| ITEM 3. | LEGAL PROCEEDINGS |
We are subject to legal and regulatory actions in the ordinary course of our businesses, including class action lawsuits. Our pending legal and regulatory actions include proceedings specific to us and proceedings generally applicable to business practices in the industries in which we operate, including in both cases businesses that have either been divested or placed in wind-down status. In our insurance operations, we are subject to class action lawsuits and individual lawsuits involving a variety of issues, including sales practices, underwriting practices, claims payment and procedures, additional premium charges for premiums paid on a periodic basis, denial or delay of benefits, return of premiums or excessive premium charges and breaching fiduciary duties to customers. In our investment-related operations, we are subject to litigation involving commercial disputes with counterparties or partners and class action lawsuits and other litigation alleging, among other things, that we made improper or inadequate disclosures in connection with the sale of assets and annuity and investment products or charged excessive or impermissible fees on these products, recommended unsuitable products to customers, mishandled customer accounts or breached fiduciary duties to customers. In our securities operations, we are subject to class action lawsuits, arbitrations and other actions arising out of our former retail securities brokerage, account management, underwriting, former investment banking and other activities, including claims of improper or inadequate disclosure regarding investments or charges, recommending investments or products that were unsuitable for tax advantaged accounts, assessing impermissible fees or charges, engaging in excessive or unauthorized trading, making improper underwriting allocations, breaching alleged duties to non-customer third parties and breaching fiduciary duties to customers. We may be a defendant in, or be contractually responsible to third parties for, class action lawsuits and individual litigation arising from our other operations, including claims for breach of contract. We are also subject to litigation arising out of our general business activities, such as our investments, contracts, leases and labor and employment relationships, including claims of discrimination and harassment and could be exposed to claims or litigation concerning certain business or process patents. Regulatory authorities from time to time make inquiries and conduct investigations and examinations relating particularly to us and our businesses and products. In addition, we, along with other participants in the businesses in which we engage, may be subject from time to time to investigations, examinations and inquiries, in some cases industry-wide, concerning issues or matters upon which such regulators have determined to focus. In some of our pending legal and regulatory actions, parties are seeking large and/or indeterminate amounts, including punitive or exemplary damages. The outcome of a litigation or regulatory matter, and the amount or range of potential loss at any particular time, is often inherently uncertain. The following is a summary of certain pending proceedings.
Insurance and Annuities
In November 2008, a purported nationwide class action, Garcia v. Prudential Insurance Company of America, was filed in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. The complaint, which is brought on behalf of beneficiaries of Prudential policies whose death benefits were placed in retained asset accounts, alleges that by investing the death benefits in these accounts, Prudential wrongfully delayed payment and improperly retained undisclosed profits. It alleges claims of breach of the contract of insurance, breach of contract with regard to the retained asset accounts, breach of fiduciary duty and unjust enrichment, and seeks an accounting, disgorgement, injunctive relief, attorneys’ fees, and prejudgment and post-judgment interest.
From November 2002 to March 2005, eleven separate complaints were filed against the Company and the law firm of Leeds Morelli & Brown in New Jersey state court. The cases were consolidated for pre-trial proceedings in New Jersey Superior Court, Essex County and captioned Lederman v. Prudential Financial, Inc., et al. The complaints allege that an alternative dispute resolution agreement entered into among Prudential Insurance, over 350 claimants who are current and former Prudential Insurance employees, and Leeds Morelli & Brown (the law firm representing the claimants) was illegal and that Prudential Insurance conspired with Leeds Morelli & Brown to commit fraud, malpractice, breach of contract, and violate racketeering laws by advancing legal fees to the law firm with the purpose of limiting Prudential’s liability to the claimants. In 2004, the Superior Court sealed these lawsuits and compelled them to arbitration. In May 2006, the Appellate Division reversed the trial court’s decisions, held that the cases were improperly sealed, and should be heard in court rather than
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arbitrated. In March 2007, the court granted plaintiffs’ motion to amend the complaint to add over 200 additional plaintiffs and a claim under the New Jersey discrimination law but denied without prejudice plaintiffs’ motion for a joint trial on liability issues. In June 2007, Prudential Financial and Prudential Insurance moved to dismiss the complaint. In November 2007, the court granted the motion, in part, and dismissed the commercial bribery and conspiracy to commit malpractice claims, and denied the motion with respect to other claims. In January 2008, plaintiffs filed a demand pursuant to New Jersey law stating that they were seeking damages in the amount of $6.5 billion.
The Company, along with a number of other insurance companies, received formal requests for information from the State of New York Attorney General’s Office (“NYAG”), the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), the Connecticut Attorney General’s Office, the Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General, the Department of Labor, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of California, the District Attorney of the County of San Diego, and various state insurance departments relating to payments to insurance intermediaries and certain other practices that may be viewed as anti-competitive. In December 2006, Prudential Insurance reached a resolution of the NYAG investigation. Under the terms of the settlement, Prudential Insurance paid a $2.5 million penalty and established a $16.5 million fund for policyholders, adopted business reforms and agreed, among other things, to continue to cooperate with the NYAG in any litigation, ongoing investigations or other proceedings. Prudential Insurance also settled the litigation brought by the California Department of Insurance and agreed to business reforms and disclosures as to group insurance contracts insuring customers or residents in California and to pay certain costs of investigation. In April 2008, Prudential Insurance reached a settlement of proceedings relating to payments to insurance intermediaries and certain other practices with the District Attorneys of San Diego, Los Angeles and Alameda counties. Pursuant to this settlement, Prudential Insurance paid $350,000 in penalties and costs. These matters are also the subject of litigation brought by private plaintiffs, including purported class actions that have been consolidated in the multidistrict litigation in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, In re Employee Benefit Insurance Brokerage Antitrust Litigation. In August and September 2007, the court dismissed the anti-trust and RICO claims. In January and February 2008, the court dismissed the ERISA claims with prejudice and the state law claims without prejudice. Plaintiffs have appealed to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals.
In April 2005, the Company voluntarily commenced a review of the accounting for its reinsurance arrangements to confirm that it complied with applicable accounting rules. This review included an inventory and examination of current and past arrangements, including those relating to the Company’s wind down and divested businesses and discontinued operations. Subsequent to commencing this voluntary review, the Company received a formal request from the Connecticut Attorney General for information regarding its participation in reinsurance transactions generally and a formal request from the SEC for information regarding certain reinsurance contracts entered into with a single counterparty since 1997 as well as specific contracts entered into with that counterparty in the years 1997 through 2002 relating to the Company’s property and casualty insurance operations that were sold in 2003. In August 2008, the Company reached a resolution of this matter. The SEC’s complaint, filed on August 6, 2008 in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, alleges, among other things, that the Company improperly accounted for the reinsurance contracts, resulting in overstatements of the Company’s consolidated results for the years 2000, 2001 and 2002 in certain of the Company’s reports filed with the SEC under the Exchange Act, in violation of the financial reporting, books-and-records and internal control provisions of the Exchange Act and related rules and regulations of the SEC thereunder. In connection with the settlement, the Company has consented to entry of a final judgment enjoining it from future violations of specified provisions of the Exchange Act and related rules and regulations of the SEC thereunder. The settlement, in which the Company neither admits nor denies the allegations in the complaint, resolves the SEC’s investigations into these matters without the imposition of any monetary fine or penalty. The settlement documents include allegations that may result in litigation, adverse publicity and other potentially adverse impacts to the Company’s businesses.
The Company’s subsidiary, American Skandia Life Assurance Corporation, has substantially completed a remediation program to correct errors in the administration of approximately 11,000 annuity contracts issued by that company. The owners of these contracts did not receive notification that the contracts were approaching or past their designated annuitization date or default annuitization date (both dates referred to as the “contractual annuity date”) and the contracts were not annuitized at their contractual annuity dates. Some of these contracts also were affected by data integrity errors resulting in incorrect contractual annuity dates. The lack of notice and
62
data integrity errors, as reflected on the annuities administrative system, all occurred before the acquisition of the American Skandia entities by the Company. The remediation and administrative costs of the remediation program are subject to the indemnification provisions of the acquisition agreement pursuant to which the Company purchased the American Skandia entities in May 2003 from Skandia.
Securities
Prudential Securities has been named as a defendant in a number of industry-wide purported class actions in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York relating to its former securities underwriting business. Plaintiffs in one consolidated proceeding, captioned In re: Initial Public Offering Securities Litigation, allege, among other things, that the underwriters engaged in a scheme involving tying agreements, undisclosed compensation arrangements and research analyst conflicts to manipulate and inflate the prices of shares sold in initial public offerings in violation of the federal securities laws. Certain issuers of these securities and their current and former officers and directors have also been named as defendants. In October 2004, the district court granted plaintiffs’ motion for class certification in six “focus cases.” In December 2006, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit vacated that decision and remanded the case to the district court for further proceeding. In August 2000, Prudential Securities was named as a defendant, along with other underwriters, in a purported class action, captioned CHS Electronics Inc. v. Credit Suisse First Boston Corp. et al., which alleges on behalf of issuers of securities in initial public offerings that the defendants conspired to fix at 7% the discount that underwriting syndicates receive from issuers in violation of federal antitrust laws. Plaintiffs moved for class certification in September 2004 and for partial summary judgment in November 2005. In April 2006, the district court denied class certification. In September 2007, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the district court’s decision denying class certification and remanded the cases to the district court for further proceedings. In a related action, captioned Gillet v. Goldman Sachs et al., plaintiffs allege substantially the same antitrust claims on behalf of investors, though only injunctive relief is currently being sought. In June 2008, CHS Electronics Inc. and Gillet were settled by all defendants. Prudential Securities’ share of the settlement amount was not material.
Other Matters
Mutual Fund Market Timing Practices
In August 2006, Prudential Equity Group, LLC (“PEG”), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, reached a resolution of the previously disclosed regulatory and criminal investigations into deceptive market related activities involving PEG’s former Prudential Securities operations. The settlements relate to conduct that generally occurred between 1999 and 2003 involving certain former Prudential Securities brokers in Boston and certain other branch offices in the U.S., their supervisors, and other members of the Prudential Securities control structure with responsibilities that related to the market timing activities, including certain former members of Prudential Securities senior management. The Prudential Securities operations were contributed to a joint venture with Wachovia Corporation in July 2003, but PEG retained liability for the market timing related activities. In connection with the resolution of the investigations, PEG entered into separate settlements with each of the United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts (“USAO”), the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Securities Division, SEC, the National Association of Securities Dealers, the New York Stock Exchange, the New Jersey Bureau of Securities and the New York Attorney General’s Office. These settlements resolve the investigations by the above named authorities into these matters as to all Prudential entities without further regulatory proceedings or filing of charges so long as the terms of the settlement are followed and provided, in the case of the settlement agreement reached with the USAO, that the USAO has reserved the right to prosecute PEG if there is a material breach by PEG of that agreement during its five year term and in certain other specified events. Under the terms of the settlements, PEG paid $270 million into a Fair Fund administered by the SEC to compensate those harmed by the market timing activities. In addition, $330 million was paid in fines and penalties. Pursuant to the settlements, PEG retained, at PEG’s ongoing cost and expense, the services of an Independent Distribution Consultant acceptable to certain of the authorities to develop a proposed distribution plan for the distribution of Fair Fund amounts according to a methodology developed in consultation with and acceptable to certain of the authorities. In addition, as part of the settlements, PEG has agreed, among other
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things, to continue to cooperate with the above named authorities in any litigation, ongoing investigations or other proceedings relating to or arising from their investigations into these matters. In connection with the settlements, the Company has agreed with the USAO, among other things, to cooperate with the USAO and to maintain and periodically report on the effectiveness of its compliance procedures. The settlement documents include findings and admissions that may adversely affect existing litigation or cause additional litigation and result in adverse publicity and other potentially adverse impacts to the Company’s businesses.
In addition to the regulatory proceedings described above that were settled in 2006, in October 2004, the Company and Prudential Securities were named as defendants in several class actions brought on behalf of purchasers and holders of shares in a number of mutual fund complexes. The actions are consolidated as part of a multi-district proceeding, In re: Mutual Fund Investment Litigation, pending in the United States District Court for the District of Maryland. The complaints allege that the purchasers and holders were harmed by dilution of the funds’ values and excessive fees, caused by market timing and late trading, and seek unspecified damages. In August 2005, the Company was dismissed from several of the actions, without prejudice to repleading the state claims, but remains a defendant in other actions in the consolidated proceeding. In July 2006, in one of the consolidated mutual fund actions, Saunders v. Putnam American Government Income Fund, et al., the United States District Court for the District of Maryland granted plaintiffs leave to refile their federal securities law claims against Prudential Securities. In August 2006, the second amended complaint was filed alleging federal securities law claims on behalf of a purported nationwide class of mutual fund investors seeking compensatory and punitive damages in unspecified amounts. In June 2008, the Company was dismissed with prejudice from the remaining actions consolidated in In re: Mutual Fund Investment Litigation other than Saunders v. Putnam American Government Income Fund, et al. In July 2008, the Company moved for summary judgment and plaintiffs moved for class certification in Saunders.
Commencing in 2003, the Company received formal requests for information from the SEC and NYAG relating to market timing in variable annuities by certain American Skandia entities. In connection with these investigations, with the approval of Skandia Insurance Company Ltd. (publ) (“Skandia”), an offer was made by American Skandia to the authorities investigating its companies, the SEC and NYAG, to settle these matters by paying restitution and a civil penalty of $95 million in the aggregate. While not assured, the Company believes these discussions are likely to lead to settlements with these authorities. Any regulatory settlement involving an American Skandia entity would be subject to the indemnification provisions of the acquisition agreement pursuant to which the Company purchased the American Skandia entities in May 2003 from Skandia. If achieved, settlement of the matters relating to American Skandia also could involve continuing monitoring, changes to and/or supervision of business practices, findings that may adversely affect existing or cause additional litigation, adverse publicity and other adverse impacts to the Company’s businesses.
Other
In October 2007, Prudential Retirement Insurance and Annuity Co. (“PRIAC”) filed an action in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, Prudential Retirement Insurance & Annuity Co. v. State Street Global Advisors, in PRIAC’s fiduciary capacity and on behalf of certain defined benefit and defined contribution plan clients of PRIAC, against an unaffiliated asset manager, State Street Global Advisors (“SSgA”) and SSgA’s affiliate, State Street Bank and Trust Company (“State Street”). This action seeks, among other relief, restitution of certain losses attributable to certain investment funds sold by SSgA as to which PRIAC believes SSgA employed investment strategies and practices that were misrepresented by SSgA and failed to exercise the standard of care of a prudent investment manager. PRIAC also intends to vigorously pursue any other available remedies against SSgA and State Street in respect of this matter. Given the unusual circumstances surrounding the management of these SSgA funds and in order to protect the interests of the affected plans and their participants while PRIAC pursues these remedies, PRIAC implemented a process under which affected plan clients that authorized PRIAC to proceed on their behalf have received payments from funds provided by PRIAC for the losses referred to above. The Company’s consolidated financial statements, and the results of the Retirement segment included in the Company’s Investment Division, for the year ended December 31, 2007 include a pre-tax charge of $82 million, reflecting these payments to plan clients and certain related costs. In September 2008, the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York denied the State Street
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defendants’ motion to dismiss claims for damages and other relief under Section 502(a)(2) of ERISA, but dismissed the claims for equitable relief under Section 502(a)(3) of ERISA. In October 2008, defendants answered the complaint and asserted counterclaims for contribution and indemnification, defamation and violations of Massachusetts’ unfair and deceptive trade practices law.
In September and October 2005, five purported class action lawsuits were filed against the Company, PSI and PEG claiming that stockbrokers were improperly classified as exempt employees under state and federal wage and hour laws, were improperly denied overtime pay and that improper deductions were made from the stockbrokers’ wages. Two of the stockbrokers’ complaints, Janowsky v. Wachovia Securities, LLC and Prudential Securities Incorporated and Goldstein v. Prudential Financial, Inc., were filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. The Goldstein complaint purports to have been filed on behalf of a nationwide class. The Janowsky complaint alleges a class of New York brokers. Motions to dismiss and compel arbitration were filed in the Janowsky and Goldstein matters, which have been consolidated for pre-trial purposes. The three stockbrokers complaints filed in California Superior Court, Dewane v. Prudential Equity Group, Prudential Securities Incorporated, and Wachovia Securities LLC; DiLustro v. Prudential Securities Incorporated, Prudential Equity Group Inc. and Wachovia Securities; and Carayanis v. Prudential Equity Group LLC and Prudential Securities Inc., purport to have been brought on behalf of classes of California brokers. The Carayanis complaint was subsequently withdrawn without prejudice in May 2006. In June 2006, a purported New York state class action complaint was filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, Panesenko v. Wachovia Securities, et al., alleging that the Company failed to pay overtime to stockbrokers in violation of state and federal law and that improper deductions were made from the stockbrokers’ wages in violation of state law. In September 2006, Prudential Securities was sued in Badain v. Wachovia Securities, et al., a purported nationwide class action filed in the United States District Court for the Western District of New York. The complaint alleges that Prudential Securities failed to pay overtime to stockbrokers in violation of state and federal law and that improper deductions were made from the stockbrokers’ wages in violation of state law. In December 2006, these cases were transferred to the United States District Court for the Central District of California by the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation for coordinated or consolidated pre-trial proceedings. In October 2006, a class action lawsuit, Bouder v. Prudential Financial, Inc. and Prudential Insurance Company of America, was filed in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, claiming that the Company failed to pay overtime to insurance agents who were registered representatives in violation of federal and Pennsylvania law, and that improper deductions were made from these agents’ wages in violation of state law. The complaint seeks back overtime pay and statutory damages, recovery of improper deductions, interest, and attorneys’ fees. In March 2008, the court conditionally certified a nationwide class. In March 2008, a purported nationwide class action lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of California, Wang v. Prudential Financial, Inc. and Prudential Insurance, on behalf of agents who sold the Company’s financial products. The complaint alleges claims that the Company failed to pay overtime and provide other benefits in violation of California and federal law and seeks compensatory and punitive damages in unspecified amounts. In September 2008, Wang was transferred to the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey and consolidated with the Bouder matter. In January 2009, an amended complaint was filed in the consolidated matter which adds wage claims based on the laws of thirteen additional states.
Summary
Our litigation and regulatory matters are subject to many uncertainties, and given their complexity and scope, their outcome cannot be predicted. It is possible that our results of operations or cash flow in a particular quarterly or annual period could be materially affected by an ultimate unfavorable resolution of pending litigation or regulatory matters depending, in part, upon the results of operations or cash flow for such period. In light of the unpredictability of the Company’s litigation and regulatory matters, it is also possible that in certain cases an ultimate unfavorable resolution of one or more pending litigation or regulatory matters could have a material adverse effect on our financial position. Management believes, however, that, based on information currently known to it, the ultimate outcome of all pending litigation and regulatory matters, after consideration of applicable reserves and rights to indemnification, is not likely to have a material adverse effect on our financial position.
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| ITEM 4. | SUBMISSION OF MATTERS TO A VOTE OF SECURITY HOLDERS |
No matter was submitted to a vote of security holders of Prudential Financial during the fourth quarter of 2008.
PART II
| ITEM 5. | MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES |
General
Prudential Financial’s Common Stock was issued to eligible policyholders in Prudential Insurance’s demutualization and sold to investors in Prudential Financial’s initial public offering. The Common Stock began trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “PRU” on December 13, 2001. The following table presents the high and low closing prices for the Common Stock on the New York Stock Exchange during the periods indicated and the dividends declared per share during such periods:
| High | Low | Dividends | |||||||
| 2008: |
|||||||||
| Fourth Quarter |
$ | 64.80 | $ | 13.73 | $ | 0.58 | |||
| Third Quarter |
86.25 | 56.07 | — | ||||||
| Second Quarter |
82.21 | 59.74 | — | ||||||
| First Quarter |
91.36 | 67.36 | — | ||||||
| 2007: |
|||||||||
| Fourth Quarter |
$ | 101.09 | $ | 89.46 | $ | 1.15 | |||
| Third Quarter |
98.71 | 84.28 | — | ||||||
| Second Quarter |
103.17 | 90.21 | — | ||||||
| First Quarter |
93.10 | 85.69 | — | ||||||
On January 31, 2009, there were 2,437,049 registered holders of record for the Common Stock and 422 million shares outstanding.
The Class B Stock was issued to institutional investors (two subsidiaries of American International Group, Inc. and Pacific Life Corp.) in a private placement pursuant to Section 4(2) of the Securities Act of 1933 on the date of demutualization. There is no established public trading market for the Class B Stock. During the fourth quarter of 2008 and 2007, Prudential Financial paid an annual dividend of $9.625 per share of Class B Stock. On January 31, 2009, there were three holders of record for the Class B Stock and 2 million shares outstanding.
Prudential Financial’s Board of Directors currently intends to continue to declare and pay annual dividends on the Common Stock and Class B Stock. Future dividend decisions will be based on, and affected by, a number of factors including the financial performance of the Financial Services Businesses and Closed Block Business; our overall financial condition, results of operations, cash requirements and future prospects; regulatory restrictions on the payment of dividends by Prudential Financial’s subsidiaries; and such other factors as the Board of Directors may deem relevant. Dividends payable by Prudential Financial are limited to the amount that would be legally available for payment under New Jersey corporate law. For additional information on dividends and related regulatory restrictions, see “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Liquidity and Capital Resources” and Note 13 to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
In November 2005, Prudential Financial issued in a private placement $2.0 billion of floating rate convertible senior notes, convertible by the holders at any time after issuance into cash and shares of the Company’s Common Stock. The Company used substantially all of the offering proceeds to purchase an investment grade fixed income investment portfolio as well as to repurchase, under the Company’s 2005 share repurchase authorization, shares of its Common Stock. In April 2007, Prudential Financial announced its intention to call all such outstanding floating rate convertible senior notes for redemption on May 21, 2007. Prior
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to the redemption, substantially all holders elected to convert their senior notes as provided under their terms. The senior notes required net settlement in shares; therefore, upon conversion, the holders received cash equal to the par amount of the senior notes surrendered for conversion plus accrued interest and shares of Prudential Financial Common Stock for the portion of the settlement amount in excess of the par amount. The settlement amount in excess of the par amount was based upon the excess of the closing market price of Prudential Financial Common Stock for a 10-day period defined under the terms of the senior notes, or $100.80 per share, over the initial conversion price of $90 per share. Accordingly, at conversion the Company issued 2,367,887 shares of Common Stock from treasury. The conversion had no impact on the Company’s results of operations and resulted in a net increase to shareholders’ equity of $44 million, reflecting the tax benefit associated with the conversion of the senior notes. The payment of principal and accrued interest was funded primarily through the liquidation of the investment grade fixed income investment portfolio purchased with the proceeds from the original issuance of these notes.
In December 2006, Prudential Financial issued in a private placement $2.0 billion of floating rate convertible senior notes, convertible by the holders at any time after issuance into cash and shares of the Company’s Common Stock. The Company used the majority of the offering proceeds initially to invest in an investment grade fixed income investment portfolio, while the remainder of the proceeds were used for general corporate purposes and to repurchase shares of its Common Stock under the 2006 share repurchase authorization. On December 12, 2007, $117 million of senior notes were repurchased by Prudential Financial at the request of the holders and prior to this event we liquidated the investment portfolio. On December 12, 2008, $1.879 billion of senior notes were repurchased by Prudential Financial at the request of the holders. As of December 31, 2008, $4 million of these notes remain outstanding.
In December 2007, Prudential Financial issued in a private placement $3.0 billion of floating rate convertible senior notes, convertible by the holders at any time after issuance into cash and shares of the Company’s Common Stock. The Company initially used the majority of the offering proceeds to fund operating needs of our subsidiaries, to purchase short-term investment grade fixed income investments and for general corporate purposes, as well as to repurchase shares of its Common Stock under the 2007 share repurchase authorization. During the fourth quarter of 2008, the Company repurchased, in individually negotiated transactions, $853 million of these notes which were offered to the Company by certain holders. As of December 31, 2008, $2.147 billion of these notes remain outstanding. At December 31, 2008, $1.8 billion of the proceeds were held in cash and short-term investments. The remainder was used to fund operating loans to affiliates.
For additional information about our convertible senior notes see Note 12 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
See Item 12 for information about our equity compensation plans.
Common Stock and Class B Stock
The Common Stock and the Class B Stock are separate classes of common stock under New Jersey corporate law.
Holders of Common Stock and Class B Stock will be entitled to dividends if and when declared by Prudential Financial’s Board of Directors out of funds legally available to pay those dividends. To the extent dividends are paid on the Class B Stock, shares of Class B Stock are repurchased or the Closed Block Business has net losses, the amount legally available for dividends on the Common Stock will be reduced. In addition, payment of dividends will be subject to the following additional conditions:
| • | Common Stock will be entitled to receive dividends, if and when declared by Prudential Financial’s Board of Directors, only out of assets of the Financial Services Businesses legally available for the payment of dividends under the New Jersey Business Corporation Act as if the Financial Services Businesses were a separate New Jersey corporation; and |
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| • | Class B Stock will be entitled to receive dividends, if and when declared by Prudential Financial’s Board of Directors, only out of assets of the Closed Block Business legally available for the payment of dividends under the New Jersey Business Corporation Act, as if the Closed Block Business were a separate New Jersey corporation. |
Dividends declared and paid on the Common Stock will depend upon the financial performance of the Financial Services Businesses. Dividends declared and paid on the Class B Stock will depend upon the financial performance of the Closed Block Business and, as the Closed Block matures, the holders of the Class B Stock will receive the surplus of the Closed Block Business no longer required to support the Closed Block for regulatory purposes. Dividends on the Class B Stock will be payable in an aggregate amount per year at least equal to the lesser of (1) a “Target Dividend Amount” of $19.25 million or (2) the “CB Distributable Cash Flow,” as defined below in “—Convertibility,” for such year, which is a measure of the net cash flows of the Closed Block Business. Notwithstanding this formula, as with any common stock, we will retain the flexibility to suspend dividends on the Class B Stock; however, if CB Distributable Cash Flow exists for any period and Prudential Financial chooses not to pay dividends on the Class B Stock in an aggregate amount at least equal to the lesser of the CB Distributable Cash Flow or the Target Dividend Amount for that period, then cash dividends cannot be paid on the Common Stock with respect to such period. The principal component of “CB Distributable Cash Flow” will be the amount by which Surplus and Related Assets, determined according to statutory accounting principles, exceed surplus that would be required for the Closed Block Business considered as a separate insurer; provided, however, that “CB Distributable Cash Flow” counts such excess only to the extent distributable as a dividend by Prudential Insurance under specified, but not all, provisions of New Jersey insurance law. Subject to the discretion of the Board of Directors of Prudential Financial, we currently anticipate paying dividends on the Class B Stock at the Target Dividend Amount for the foreseeable future.
The shares of Common Stock will vote together with the shares of Class B Stock on all matters (one share, one vote) except as otherwise required by law and except that holders of the Class B Stock will have class voting or consent rights with respect to specified matters directly affecting the Class B Stock.
If shares of Class B Stock are outstanding at the time of a liquidation, dissolution or winding-up of Prudential Financial, each share of Common Stock and Class B Stock will be entitled to a share of net liquidation proceeds in proportion to the respective liquidation units of such class. Each share of Common Stock will have one liquidation unit, and each share of Class B Stock will have 2.83215 liquidation units.
On December 18, 2001, Prudential Financial’s shareholder rights agreement became effective. Under the shareholder rights agreement, one shareholder protection right is attached to each share of Common Stock but not to any share of Class B Stock. Each right initially entitles the holder to purchase one one-thousandth of a share of a series of Prudential Financial preferred stock upon payment of the exercise price. At the time of the demutualization, the Board of Directors of Prudential Financial determined that the initial exercise price per right is $110, subject to adjustment from time to time as provided in the shareholder rights agreement. The shareholders rights agreement will expire by its terms on December 18, 2011.
Convertibility
The Common Stock is not convertible.
Prudential Financial may, at its option, at any time, exchange all outstanding shares of Class B Stock into such number of shares of Common Stock as have an aggregate average market value (discussed below) equal to 120% of the appraised “Fair Market Value” (discussed below) of the outstanding shares of Class B Stock.
In addition, if (1) Prudential Financial sells or otherwise disposes of all or substantially all of the Closed Block Business or (2) a “change of control” of Prudential Financial occurs, Prudential Financial must exchange all outstanding shares of Class B Stock into such number of shares of Common Stock as have an aggregate average market value of 120% of the appraised Fair Market Value of such shares of Class B Stock. For this purpose, “change of control” means the occurrence of any of the following events (whether or not approved by the Board of Directors of Prudential Financial): (a)(i) any person(s) (as defined) (excluding Prudential Financial
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and specified related entities) is or becomes the beneficial owner (as defined), directly or indirectly, of more than 50% of the total voting power of the then outstanding equity securities of Prudential Financial; or (ii) Prudential Financial merges with, or consolidates with, another person or disposes of all or substantially all of its assets to any person, other than, in the case of either clause (i) or (ii), any transaction where immediately after such transaction the persons that beneficially owned immediately prior to the transaction the then outstanding voting equity securities of Prudential Financial beneficially own more than 50% of the total voting power of the then outstanding voting securities of the surviving person; or (b) during any year or any period of two consecutive years, individuals who at the beginning of such period constituted the Board of Directors of Prudential Financial (together with any new directors whose election by such Board of Directors or whose nomination for election by the shareholders of Prudential Financial was approved by a vote of a majority of the directors of Prudential Financial then still in office who were either directors at the beginning of such period or whose election or nomination for election was previously so approved) cease for any reason, other than pursuant to (x) a proposal or request that the Board of Directors be changed as to which the holder of the Class B Stock seeking the conversion has participated or assisted or is participating or assisting or (y) retirements in the ordinary course (as defined), to constitute a majority of the Board of Directors then in office.
Holders of Class B Stock will be permitted to convert their shares of Class B Stock into such number of shares of Common Stock as have an aggregate average market value equal to 100% of the appraised Fair Market Value of the outstanding shares of Class B Stock (1) in the holder’s sole discretion, in the year 2016 or at any time thereafter, and (2) at any time in the event that (a) the Class B Stock will no longer be treated as equity of Prudential Financial for federal income tax purposes or (b) the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance amends, alters, changes or modifies the regulation of the Closed Block, the Closed Block Business, the Class B Stock or the IHC debt in a manner that materially adversely affects the CB Distributable Cash Flow (as defined below); provided, however, that in no event may a holder of Class B Stock convert shares of Class B Stock to the extent such holder immediately upon such conversion, together with its affiliates, would be the “beneficial owner,” as defined under the Exchange Act, of in excess of 9.9% of the total outstanding voting power of Prudential Financial’s voting securities. In the event a holder of shares of Class B Stock requests to convert shares pursuant to clause (2)(a) in the preceding sentence, Prudential Financial may elect, instead of effecting such conversion, to increase the Target Dividend Amount to $12.6875 per share per annum retroactively from the time of issuance of the Class B Stock.
“CB Distributable Cash Flow” means, for any quarterly or annual period, the sum of (i) the excess of (a) the Surplus and Related Assets over (b) the “Required Surplus” applicable to the Closed Block Business within Prudential Insurance, to the extent that Prudential Insurance is able to distribute such excess as a dividend to Prudential Holdings, LLC (“PHLLC”) under New Jersey law without giving effect, directly or indirectly, to the “earned surplus” requirement of Section 17:27A-4c.(3) of the New Jersey Insurance Holding Company Systems Law, plus (ii) any amount held by PHLLC allocated to the Closed Block Business in excess of remaining debt service payments on the IHC debt. For purposes of the foregoing, “Required Surplus” means the amount of surplus applicable to the Closed Block Business within Prudential Insurance that would be required to maintain a quotient (expressed as a percentage) of (i) the “Total Adjusted Capital” applicable to the Closed Block Business within Prudential Insurance (including any applicable dividend reserves) divided by (ii) the “Company Action Level RBC” applicable to the Closed Block Business within Prudential Insurance, equal to 100%, where “Total Adjusted Capital” and “Company Action Level RBC” are as defined in the regulations promulgated under the New Jersey Dynamic Capital and Surplus Act of 1993. These amounts are determined according to statutory accounting principles.
In the event of any reclassification, recapitalization or exchange of, or any tender offer or exchange offer for, the outstanding shares of Common Stock, including by merger, consolidation or other business combination, as a result of which shares of Common Stock are exchanged for or converted into another security which is both registered under the Exchange Act and publicly traded, then the Class B Stock will remain outstanding (unless exchanged by virtue of a “change of control” occurring or otherwise, or otherwise converted) and, in the event 50% or more of the outstanding shares of Common Stock are so exchanged or converted, holders of outstanding Class B Stock will be entitled to receive, in the event of any subsequent exchange or conversion, the securities into which the Common Stock has been exchanged or converted by virtue of such reclassification, recapitalization, merger, consolidation, tender offer, exchange offer or other business combination. If, in the event of any reclassification, recapitalization or exchange, or any tender or exchange offer for, the outstanding shares of Common Stock, including by merger, consolidation or other business combination, as a result of which
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a majority of the outstanding shares of Common Stock are converted into or exchanged or purchased for either cash or securities which are not public securities, or a combination thereof, the Class B Stock will be entitled to receive cash and/or securities of the type and in the proportion that such holders of Class B Stock would have received if an exchange or conversion of the Class B Stock had occurred immediately prior to the conversion, exchange or purchase of a majority of the outstanding shares of Common Stock and the holders of Class B Stock had participated as holders of Common Stock in such conversion, exchange or purchase. The amount of cash and/or securities payable upon such exchange or conversion will be calculated based upon the Fair Market Value of the Class B Stock as of the date on which the Common Stock was exchanged, converted or purchased and will be multiplied by 120%.
For purposes of all exchanges and conversions, the “average market value” of the Common Stock will be determined during a specified 20 trading day period preceding the time of the exchange or conversion. “Fair Market Value” of the Class B Stock means the fair market value of all of the outstanding shares of Class B Stock as determined by appraisal by a nationally recognized actuarial or other competent firm independent of and selected by the Board of Directors of Prudential Financial and approved by the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of Class B Stock. Fair Market Value will be the present value of expected future cash flows to holders of the Class B Stock, reduced by any payables to the Financial Services Businesses. Future cash flows will be projected consistent with the policy, as described in the Plan of Reorganization, for the Board of Directors of Prudential Insurance to declare policyholder dividends based on actual experience in the Closed Block. Following the repayment in full of the IHC debt, these cash flows shall be the excess of statutory surplus applicable to the Closed Block Business over Required Surplus (as defined in the definition of “CB Distributable Cash Flow”) for each period that would be distributable as a dividend under New Jersey law if the Closed Block Business were a separate insurer. These cash flows will be discounted at an equity rate of return, to be estimated as a risk-free rate plus an equity risk premium. The risk-free rate will be an appropriate ten-year U.S. Treasury rate reported by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. The equity risk premium will be eight and one quarter percent initially, declining evenly to four percent over the following 21 years and remaining constant thereafter. Fair Market Value will be determined by appraisal as of a specified date preceding the time of the exchange or conversion.
Any exchange or conversion of Class B Stock into Common Stock could occur at a time when either or both of the Common Stock and Class B Stock may be considered to be overvalued or undervalued. In the future, if the Class B Stock is exchanged for or converted into Common Stock, the number of shares of Common Stock then obtainable by the Class B Stockholders might constitute a higher proportion of the total shares of Common Stock then outstanding than the proportion represented by (x) the number of shares of Class B Stock initially issued divided by (y) the total number of shares of Common Stock outstanding upon completion of the demutualization. The degree of any such proportionate increase would depend principally on: the performance of the Closed Block Business over time and the valuation of the Closed Block Business at the time of exchange or conversion; whether the exchange or conversion implemented involves a premium; the number of any new shares of Common Stock we issue after the demutualization for financing, acquisition or other purposes or any repurchases of Common Stock that we may make; and the market value of our Common Stock at the time of exchange or conversion.
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Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
The following table provides information about purchases by the Company during the three months ended December 31, 2008 of its Common Stock.
| Period |
Total Number of Shares Purchased(1)(2) |
Average Price Paid per Share |
Total Number of Shares Purchased as Part of Publicly Announced Program(1) |
Approximate Dollar Value of Shares that May Yet be Purchased under the Program(3) | ||||||
| October 1, 2008 through October 31, 2008 |
718,260 | $ | 52.27 | 693,000 | ||||||
| November 1, 2008 through November 30, 2008 |
507 | $ | 27.75 | — | ||||||
| December 1, 2008 through December 31, 2008 |
1,252 | $ | 24.09 | — | ||||||
| Total |
720,019 | $ | 52.21 | 693,000 | $ | — | ||||
| (1) | In November 2007, Prudential Financial’s Board of Directors authorized a stock repurchase program under which Prudential Financial was authorized to repurchase up to $3.5 billion of its outstanding Common Stock in 2008. In light of market volatility and extraordinary events and developments affecting financial markets generally, including market conditions for issuance of certain capital instruments such as hybrid securities, the Company suspended all purchases of its Common Stock under the 2008 stock repurchase program effective October 10, 2008. |
| (2) | Includes shares of Common Stock withheld from participants for income tax withholding purposes whose shares of restricted stock and restricted stock units vested during the period. Restricted stock and restricted stock units were issued to participants pursuant to the Prudential Financial, Inc. Omnibus Incentive Plan that was adopted by the Company’s Board of Directors in March 2003 (as subsequently amended and restated). |
| (3) | The stock repurchase program authorized in 2007 expired on December 31, 2008 and, therefore, the Company can no longer purchase any additional shares of Common Stock under this authorization. |
| ITEM 6. | SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA |
We derived the selected consolidated income statement data for the years ended December 31, 2008, 2007 and 2006 and the selected consolidated balance sheet data as of December 31, 2008 and 2007 from our Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere herein. We derived the selected consolidated income statement data for the years ended December 31, 2005 and 2004 and the selected consolidated balance sheet data as of December 31, 2006, 2005 and 2004 from consolidated financial statements not included herein.
On June 1, 2006, we acquired the variable annuity business of The Allstate Corporation through a reinsurance transaction. Results presented below include the results of this business from the date of acquisition.
The 2005 income tax provision includes a benefit of $720 million from reduction of tax liabilities in connection with the Internal Revenue Service examination of our tax returns for the years 1997 through 2001.
On April 1, 2004, we acquired the retirement business of CIGNA Corporation. Results presented below include the results of this business from the date of acquisition.
Our Gibraltar Life operations use a November 30 fiscal year end. Consolidated balance sheet data as of December 31, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005 and 2004 includes Gibraltar Life assets and liabilities as of November 30. Consolidated income statement data for 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005 and 2004 includes Gibraltar Life results for the twelve months ended November 30, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005 and 2004, respectively.
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This selected consolidated financial information should be read in conjunction with “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and the Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere herein.
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | ||||||||||||||
| (in millions, except per share and ratio information) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Income Statement Data: |
||||||||||||||||||
| Revenues: |
||||||||||||||||||
| Premiums |
$ | 15,468 | $ | 14,351 | $ | 13,908 | $ | 13,756 | $ | 12,521 | ||||||||
| Policy charges and fee income |
3,138 | 3,131 | 2,653 | 2,520 | 2,342 | |||||||||||||
| Net investment income |
11,883 | 12,017 | 11,320 | 10,595 | 9,454 | |||||||||||||
| Realized investment gains (losses), net |
(2,375 | ) | 613 | 774 | 1,378 | 778 | ||||||||||||
| Asset management fees and other income |
1,161 | 4,289 | 3,613 | 3,098 | 2,718 | |||||||||||||
| Total revenues |
29,275 | 34,401 | 32,268 | 31,347 | 27,813 | |||||||||||||
| Benefits and expenses: |
||||||||||||||||||
| Policyholders’ benefits |
16,531 | 14,749 | 14,283 | 13,883 | 12,863 | |||||||||||||
| Interest credited to policyholders’ account balances |
2,335 | 3,222 | 2,917 | 2,699 | 2,359 | |||||||||||||
| Dividends to policyholders |
2,218 | 2,903 | 2,622 | 2,850 | 2,481 | |||||||||||||
| General and administrative expenses |
9,309 | 8,841 | 8,052 | 7,641 | 6,844 | |||||||||||||
| Total benefits and expenses |
30,393 | 29,715 | 27,874 | 27,073 | 24,547 | |||||||||||||
| Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes, equity in earnings of operating joint ventures, extraordinary gain on acquisition and cumulative effect of accounting change |
(1,118 | ) | 4,686 | 4,394 | 4,274 | 3,266 | ||||||||||||
| Income tax expense (benefit) |
(461 | ) | 1,245 | 1,245 | 803 | 931 | ||||||||||||
| Income (loss) from continuing operations before equity in earnings of operating joint ventures, extraordinary gain on acquisition and cumulative effect of accounting change |
(657 | ) | 3,441 | 3,149 | 3,471 | 2,335 | ||||||||||||
| Equity in earnings of operating joint ventures, net of taxes |
(447 | ) | 246 | 208 | 142 | 55 | ||||||||||||
| Income (loss) from continuing operations before extraordinary gain on acquisition and cumulative effect of accounting change |
(1,104 | ) | 3,687 | 3,357 | 3,613 | 2,390 | ||||||||||||
| Income (loss) from discontinued operations, net of taxes |
31 | 17 | 71 | (73 | ) | (76 | ) | |||||||||||
| Extraordinary gain on acquisition, net of taxes |
— | — | — | — | 21 | |||||||||||||
| Cumulative effect of accounting change, net of taxes |
— | — | — | — | (79 | ) | ||||||||||||
| Net income (loss) |
$ | (1,073 | ) | $ | 3,704 | $ | 3,428 | $ | 3,540 | $ | 2,256 | |||||||
| Basic income (loss) from continuing operations before extraordinary gain on acquisition and cumulative effect of accounting change per share—Common Stock |
$ | (2.49 | ) | $ | 7.72 | $ | 6.49 | $ | 6.59 | $ | 3.63 | |||||||
| Diluted income (loss) from continuing operations before extraordinary gain on acquisition and cumulative effect of accounting change per share—Common Stock |
$ | (2.49 | ) | $ | 7.58 | $ | 6.36 | $ | 6.48 | $ | 3.56 | |||||||
| Basic net income (loss) per share—Common Stock |
$ | (2.42 | ) | $ | 7.75 | $ | 6.63 | $ | 6.45 | $ | 3.38 | |||||||
| Diluted net income (loss) per share—Common Stock |
$ | (2.42 | ) | $ | 7.61 | $ | 6.50 | $ | 6.34 | $ | 3.31 | |||||||
| Basic and diluted income (loss) from continuing operations per share—Class B Stock |
$ | (16.00 | ) | $ | 68.50 | $ | 108.00 | $ | 119.50 | $ | 249.00 | |||||||
| Basic and diluted net income (loss) per share—Class B Stock |
$ | (16.00 | ) | $ | 69.50 | $ | 108.00 | $ | 119.50 | $ | 249.00 | |||||||
| Dividends declared per share—Common Stock |
$ | 0.58 | $ | 1.15 | $ | 0.95 | $ | 0.78 | $ | 0.625 | ||||||||
| Dividends declared per share—Class B Stock |
$ | 9.625 | $ | 9.625 | $ | 9.625 | $ | 9.625 | $ | 9.625 | ||||||||
| Ratio of earnings to fixed charges(1) |
— | 2.05 | 2.12 | 2.19 | 2.10 | |||||||||||||
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| As of December 31, | |||||||||||||||
| 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | |||||||||||
| (in millions) | |||||||||||||||
| Balance Sheet Data: |
|||||||||||||||
| Total investments excluding policy loans |
$ | 232,322 | $ | 234,220 | $ | 226,737 | $ | 213,031 | $ | 209,383 | |||||
| Separate account assets |
147,095 | 195,583 | 177,463 | 153,159 | 115,568 | ||||||||||
| Total assets |
445,011 | 485,814 | 454,266 | 413,374 | 400,828 | ||||||||||
| Future policy benefits and policyholders’ account balances |
221,564 | 195,731 | 187,652 | 177,572 | 177,560 | ||||||||||
| Separate account liabilities |
147,095 | 195,583 | 177,463 | 153,159 | 115,568 | ||||||||||
| Short-term debt |
10,555 | 15,657 | 12,536 | 11,114 | 4,044 | ||||||||||
| Long-term debt |
20,290 | 14,101 | 11,423 | 8,270 | 7,627 | ||||||||||
| Total liabilities |
431,589 | 462,357 | 431,374 | 390,611 | 378,484 | ||||||||||
| Stockholders’ equity(2) |
$ | 13,422 | $ | 23,457 | $ | 22,892 | $ | 22,763 | $ | 22,344 | |||||
| (1) | For purposes of this computation, earnings are defined as income from continuing operations before income taxes, extraordinary gain on acquisition and cumulative effect of accounting change excluding undistributed income from equity method investments, fixed charges and interest capitalized. Fixed charges are the sum of gross interest expense, interest credited to policyholders’ account balances and an estimated interest component of rent expense. Due to the Company’s loss for the year ended December 31, 2008, the ratio coverage was less than 1:1 and is therefore not presented. Additional earnings of $715 million would have been required for the year ended December 31, 2008 to achieve a ratio of 1:1. |
| (2) | The Company adopted Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 158, “Employers’ Accounting for Defined Benefit Pension and Other Postretirement Plans” effective December 31, 2006, which resulted in a reduction of stockholders’ equity of $556 million upon adoption. |
| ITEM 7. | MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS |
You should read the following analysis of our consolidated financial condition and results of operations in conjunction with the Forward-Looking Statements included below the Table of Contents, “Risk Factors,” “Selected Financial Data” and the Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Overview
Prudential Financial has two classes of common stock outstanding. The Common Stock, which is publicly traded (NYSE:PRU), reflects the performance of the Financial Services Businesses, while the Class B Stock, which was issued through a private placement and does not trade on any exchange, reflects the performance of the Closed Block Business. The Financial Services Businesses and the Closed Block Business are discussed below.
Financial Services Businesses
Our Financial Services Businesses consist of three operating divisions, which together encompass seven segments, and our Corporate and Other operations. The U.S. Retirement Solutions and Investment Management division consists of our Individual Annuities, Retirement and Asset Management segments. The U.S. Individual Life and Group Insurance division consists of our Individual Life and Group Insurance segments. The International Insurance and Investments division consists of our International Insurance and International Investments segments. Our Corporate and Other operations include our real estate and relocation services business, as well as corporate items and initiatives that are not allocated to business segments. Corporate and Other operations also include businesses that have been or will be divested, including our investment in the retail brokerage joint venture with Wachovia Securities, and businesses that we have placed in wind-down status.
We attribute financing costs to each segment based on the amount of financing used by each segment, excluding financing costs associated with corporate debt which costs are reflected in Corporate and Other operations. The net investment income of each segment includes earnings on the amount of capital that management believes is necessary to support the risks of that segment.
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We seek growth internally and through acquisitions, joint ventures or other forms of business combinations or investments. Our principal acquisition focus is in our current business lines, both domestic and international.
Closed Block Business
In connection with the demutualization, we ceased offering domestic participating products. The liabilities for our traditional domestic in force participating products were segregated, together with assets, in a regulatory mechanism referred to as the “Closed Block.” The Closed Block is designed generally to provide for the reasonable expectations for future policy dividends after demutualization of holders of participating individual life insurance policies and annuities included in the Closed Block by allocating assets that will be used exclusively for payment of benefits, including policyholder dividends, expenses and taxes with respect to these products. See Note 10 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for more information on the Closed Block. At the time of demutualization, we determined the amount of Closed Block assets so that the Closed Block assets initially had a lower book value than the Closed Block liabilities. We expect that the Closed Block assets will generate sufficient cash flow, together with anticipated revenues from the Closed Block policies, over the life of the Closed Block to fund payments of all expenses, taxes, and policyholder benefits to be paid to, and the reasonable dividend expectations of, holders of the Closed Block policies. We also segregated for accounting purposes the assets that we need to hold outside the Closed Block to meet capital requirements related to the Closed Block policies. No policies sold after demutualization will be added to the Closed Block, and its in force business is expected to ultimately decline as we pay policyholder benefits in full. We also expect the proportion of our business represented by the Closed Block to decline as we grow other businesses.
Concurrently with our demutualization, Prudential Holdings, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Prudential Financial that owns the capital stock of Prudential Insurance, issued $1.75 billion in senior secured notes, which we refer to as the IHC debt. The net proceeds from the issuances of the Class B Stock and IHC debt, except for $72 million used to purchase a guaranteed investment contract to fund a portion of the bond insurance cost associated with that debt, were allocated to the Financial Services Businesses. However, we expect that the IHC debt will be serviced by the net cash flows of the Closed Block Business over time, and we include interest expenses associated with the IHC debt when we report results of the Closed Block Business.
The Closed Block Business consists principally of the Closed Block, assets that we must hold outside the Closed Block to meet capital requirements related to the Closed Block policies, invested assets held outside the Closed Block that represent the difference between the Closed Block assets and Closed Block liabilities and the interest maintenance reserve, deferred policy acquisition costs related to Closed Block policies, the principal amount of the IHC debt and related hedging activities, and certain other related assets and liabilities.
The Closed Block Business is not a separate legal entity from the Financial Services Businesses; however, they are operated as separate entities and are separated for financial reporting purposes. The Financial Services Businesses are not obligated to pay dividends on Closed Block policies. Dividends on Closed Block policies reflect the experience of the Closed Block over time and are subject to adjustment by Prudential Insurance’s Board of Directors. Further, our plan of demutualization provides that we are not required to pay dividends on policies within the Closed Block from assets that are not within the Closed Block and that the establishment of the Closed Block does not represent a guarantee that any certain level of dividends will be maintained.
Revenues and Expenses
We earn our revenues principally from insurance premiums; mortality, expense, and asset management and administrative fees from insurance and investment products; and investment of general account and other funds. We earn premiums primarily from the sale of individual life insurance and group life and disability insurance. We earn mortality, expense, and asset management fees from the sale and servicing of separate account products including variable life insurance and variable annuities. We also earn asset management and administrative fees from the distribution, servicing and management of mutual funds, retirement products and other asset management products and services. Our operating expenses principally consist of insurance benefits provided, general business expenses, dividends to policyholders, commissions and other costs of selling and servicing the various products we sell and interest credited on general account liabilities.
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Profitability
Our profitability depends principally on our ability to price and manage risk on insurance products, our ability to attract and retain customer assets and our ability to manage expenses. Specific drivers of our profitability include:
| • | our ability to manufacture and distribute products and services and to introduce new products that gain market acceptance on a timely basis; |
| • | our ability to price our insurance products at a level that enables us to earn a margin over the cost of providing benefits and the expense of acquiring customers and administering those products; |
| • | our mortality and morbidity experience on individual and group life insurance, annuity and group disability insurance products, which can fluctuate significantly from period to period; |
| • | our persistency experience, which affects our ability to recover the cost of acquiring new business over the lives of the contracts; |
| • | our cost of administering insurance contracts and providing asset management products and services; |
| • | our returns on invested assets, including the impact of credit impairments, net of the amounts we credit to policyholders’ accounts; |
| • | the amount of our assets under management and changes in their fair value, which affect the amount of asset management fees we receive; |
| • | our ability to generate favorable investment results through asset/liability management and strategic and tactical asset allocation; |
| • | our credit and financial strength ratings; |
| • | our ability to effectively utilize our tax capacity; |
| • | our returns on proprietary investments we make; and |
| • | our ability to manage risk and exposures, including the degree to which, and the effectiveness of, hedging these risks and exposures. |
In addition, factors such as general economic conditions, securities, credit and real estate market conditions, regulation, competition, interest rates, taxes and foreign exchange rates affect our profitability. In some of our product lines, particularly those in the Closed Block Business, we share experience on mortality, morbidity, persistency and investment results with our customers, which can offset the impact of these factors on our profitability from those products.
Historically, the participating products included in the Closed Block have yielded lower returns on capital invested than many of our other businesses. As we have ceased offering domestic participating products, we expect that the proportion of the traditional participating products in our in force business will gradually diminish as these older policies age, and we grow other businesses. However, the relatively lower returns to us on this existing block of business will continue to affect our consolidated results of operations for many years. Our Common Stock reflects the performance of our Financial Services Businesses, but there can be no assurance that the market value of the Common Stock will reflect solely the performance of these businesses.
See “Risk Factors” for a discussion of risks that have affected and may continue to affect our business, results of operations or financial condition, cause the trading price of our Common Stock to decline materially or cause our actual results to differ materially from those expected or those expressed in any forward looking statements made by or on behalf of the Company.
Executive Summary
Prudential Financial, a financial services leader with approximately $558 billion of assets under management as of December 31, 2008, has operations in the United States, Asia, Europe and Latin America.
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Through our subsidiaries and affiliates, we offer a wide array of financial products and services, including life insurance, annuities, retirement-related services, mutual funds, investment management, and real estate services. We offer these products and services to individual and institutional customers through one of the largest distribution networks in the financial services industry.
Current Developments
Financial Markets. The stress experienced by global financial markets, that began in the second half of 2007, continued and substantially increased since then. The volatility and disruption in the global financial markets have reached unprecedented levels. The availability and cost of credit has been materially affected. These factors, combined with economic conditions in the U.S., including depressed home prices and increasing foreclosures, falling equity market values, declining business and consumer confidence, and rising unemployment, have precipitated a severe economic recession and fears of even more severe and prolonged adverse economic conditions.
The global fixed-income markets are experiencing a period of both extreme volatility and limited market liquidity conditions, which has affected a broad range of asset classes and sectors. As a result, the market for fixed income instruments has experienced decreased liquidity, increased price volatility, credit downgrade events, and increased probability of default. These events in the credit markets as well as volatility in equity and real estate markets have had and may continue to have an adverse effect on us.
In response to the market dislocation affecting the banking system and financial markets, on October 3, 2008, President Bush signed the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, or EESA, into law. Pursuant to the EESA, the U.S. Treasury has the authority to, among other things, purchase up to $700 billion of mortgage-backed and other securities from financial institutions for the purpose of stabilizing the financial markets. On October 14, 2008, the U.S. Treasury announced that it would use EESA authority to invest an aggregate of $250 billion (of the first $350 billion released under EESA) in capital issued by qualifying U.S. financial institutions under the U.S. Treasury’s Capital Purchase Program, which is part of the Troubled Asset Relief Program, or TARP. The TARP Capital Purchase Program involves the issuance by qualifying institutions of preferred stock and warrants to purchase common stock to the U.S. Treasury. Concurrently, in coordination with the U.S. Treasury, the FDIC announced the Temporary Liquidity Guarantee Program, through which it guarantees certain newly issued senior unsecured debt issued by FDIC insured institutions and their qualifying holding companies, as well as funds over $250,000 in non-interest-bearing transaction deposit accounts. In addition, since March 2008, the Federal Reserve has created several lending facilities to stabilize financial markets. Most recently on November 25, 2008, the Federal Reserve announced the Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility, or TALF. The TALF has not yet been finalized but is designed to provide secured financing for newly issued asset-backed securities backed by certain types of consumer and small business loans.
On February 10, 2009, the U.S. Treasury announced a Financial Stability Plan to build upon existing programs and earmark the second $350 billion of funds that were authorized under the EESA and released in January 2009. The elements of the Financial Stability Plan, as described by the U.S. Treasury, are a Capital Assistance Program and Financial Stability Trust to make capital available to financial institutions through additional purchases of preferred stock, a Public-Private Investment Fund to buy legacy loans and assets from financial institutions, a Consumer and Business Lending Initiative to restart securitization markets for loans to consumers and businesses by expanding upon TALF, and a comprehensive housing program to, among other things, help reduce mortgage payments and interest rates. The U.S. Treasury has stated that the Financial Stability Plan will require high levels of transparency and accountability standards and dividend, acquisition and executive compensation restrictions for financial institutions that receive government assistance going forward.
As a result of the volatility and disruption in the global financial markets, we took certain actions during the fourth quarter of 2008 and into 2009, including the following:
| • | Suspended all repurchases of our Common Stock under our 2008 share repurchase program, effective October 10, 2008. We do not anticipate reinstituting a share repurchase program in 2009. |
| • | Reduced the annual Common Stock dividend by 50%, to $0.58 per share. |
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| • | Redeployed certain assets to our domestic insurance subsidiaries from our non-insurance subsidiaries, including contributing our Wachovia Securities joint venture interest to Prudential Insurance, to maintain the Risk Based Capital level necessary to meet our ratings objectives for our domestic insurance subsidiaries. |
| • | Announced our intention to exercise our right under the “lookback” option to put our Wachovia Securities joint venture interest to Wells Fargo, which acquired Wachovia on December 31, 2008. Under the terms of the joint venture agreements, closing of the put transaction would occur in January 2010. |
| • | Applied for participation in the U.S. Treasury’s Capital Purchase Program, although no determination has been made with regard to our participation. |
| • | Drew $3.0 billion of collateralized borrowings from the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York, or FHLBNY, with approximately $3.5 billion of total estimated borrowing capacity remaining at December 31, 2008, as discussed in more detail in “—Liquidity and Capital Resources—Prudential Financial—Alternative Sources of Liquidity—Federal Home Loan Bank of New York.” In February 2009, Prudential Insurance issued collateralized funding agreements in the amount of $1.0 billion to the FHLBNY. |
| • | Both Prudential Financial and Prudential Funding, LLC participated in the Commercial Paper Funding Facility, or CPFF, sponsored by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. As a consequence of the commercial paper credit rating of Prudential Financial being downgraded by Fitch, as described further in “Business—Ratings,” Prudential Financial will no longer be eligible to issue commercial paper under the CPFF. |
| • | Reduced the level of proprietary investing in our Asset Management segment, to limit our exposure to public equity and real estate markets, and utilized the cash proceeds for capital and liquidity needs. |
| • | Ceased sales of certain annuity products. |
| • | Streamlined and enhanced data collection, analysis and decision making related to risk management. |
We continue to monitor the liquidity and capital needs of Prudential Financial and its subsidiaries. If the disruption in the credit and capital markets continues or worsens, we will need to take additional capital management actions to maintain capital consistent with our rating objectives, which may include additional internal actions or, if internal resources are insufficient or market conditions continue to deteriorate, access to external sources of capital if available. Certain of these capital management activities may require regulatory approval. In addition, in light of the significant impact the dramatic decline in equity markets had on our 2008 results and potential for continued significant volatility, we are assessing the appropriate level of equity risk for our businesses.
During the fourth quarter of 2008 and the first quarter of 2009, rating agencies took certain steps with respect to Prudential Financial and its subsidiaries. Refer to “Business—Ratings” for more details.
Our financial condition and results of operations reflect the following:
| • | Our Financial Services Businesses had a net loss of $1.096 billion in 2008, as unfavorable financial market conditions had a substantial negative effect on our investment portfolio, resulting in net realized investment losses, and on reported results of our domestic businesses. Our Individual Annuities segment reported a loss of $1.077 billion in 2008, based on pre-tax adjusted operating income, primarily reflecting increases in reserves and amortization of deferred policy acquisition and other costs largely reflecting the impact of current market conditions. For a definition of adjusted operating income and a discussion of its use as a measure of segment operating performance, see “—Consolidated Results of Operations.” |
| • | Pre-tax net realized investment losses and related adjustments of the Financial Services Businesses were $2.267 billion in 2008, primarily reflecting other-than-temporary impairments of fixed maturity and equity securities of $2.494 billion. |
| • | Net unrealized gains (losses) on general account fixed maturity investments of the Financial Services Businesses amounted to an unrealized loss of $6.567 billion as of December 31, 2008, compared to an unrealized gain of $1.332 billion as of December 31, 2007. Gross unrealized gains increased from $3.302 billion as of December 31, 2007 to $4.684 billion as of December 31, 2008 and gross unrealized losses increased from $1.970 billion to $11.251 billion for the same periods. The increase in gross unrealized |
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| losses was primarily due to credit spread widening in the credit markets and an increase in the liquidity premium demanded in the marketplace. Net unrealized gains (losses) on general account fixed maturity investments of the Closed Block Business amounted to an unrealized loss of $4.035 billion as of December 31, 2008, compared to an unrealized gain of $682 million as of December 31, 2007. |
| • | Charges for impairments of goodwill and operating joint ventures had a negative pre-tax impact of $653 million on results of the Financial Services Businesses in 2008. These charges related to writeoffs of goodwill within our Individual Annuities and International Investments segments and our Real Estate and Relocation business within Corporate and Other operations, as well as impairments of the carrying value of investments in certain operating joint ventures within our International Investments segment. |
| • | As of December 31, 2008, Prudential Financial, the parent holding company, had cash and short-term investments of $4.434 billion; however, adverse capital market conditions have affected and may continue to affect the availability and cost of borrowed funds and could impact our ability to refinance existing borrowings. |
| • | For 2008 our International Insurance and Group Insurance businesses had record levels of adjusted operating income. |
| • | During the quarter ended December 31, 2008, we continued to have positive net flows in our domestic annuity, retirement and asset management businesses, as well as solid sales in our domestic insurance businesses and sales growth in our International Insurance segment. |
Outlook
The global and U.S. economic conditions are expected to further weaken in 2009. Credit and capital markets are expected to remain under severe stress and U.S. housing prices may continue to decline. Such conditions have and could continue to materially and adversely affect our business volumes, profit margins and credit costs.
As we manage through this challenging economic environment, we continue to focus on long-term strategic positioning and growth opportunities, including the following:
| • | U.S. Retirement and Investment Management Market. We look to capitalize on the growing need of baby boomers for products that provide guaranteed income for longer retirement periods. In addition, we continue to focus on our clients’ increasing needs for retirement income security given the volatility in the financial markets. |
| • | U.S. Insurance Market. Our focus remains on solid sales in our U.S. insurance businesses which we expect to continue to benefit from expansion of our distribution channels and deepening our relationships with third-party distributors. |
| • | International Markets. We continue to concentrate on expanding our operations in a limited number of attractive countries and on deepening our presence in the markets in which we currently operate. We look to capitalize on opportunities arising in international markets as changing demographics and public policy have resulted in a growing demand for retirement income products similar to those offered in the U.S. |
Results of Operations
We analyze performance of the segments and Corporate and Other operations of the Financial Services Businesses using a measure called adjusted operating income. See “—Consolidated Results of Operations” for a definition of adjusted operating income and a discussion of its use as a measure of segment operating performance.
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Shown below are the contributions of each segment and Corporate and Other operations to our adjusted operating income for the years ended December 31, 2008, 2007 and 2006 and a reconciliation of adjusted operating income of our segments and Corporate and Other operations to income from continuing operations before income taxes and equity in earnings of operating joint ventures.
| Year ended December 31, | ||||||||||||
| 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | ||||||||||
| (in millions) | ||||||||||||
| Adjusted operating income before income taxes for segments of the Financial Services Businesses: |
||||||||||||
| Individual Annuities |
$ | (1,077 | ) | $ | 722 | $ | 586 | |||||
| Retirement |
531 | 482 | 510 | |||||||||
| Asset Management |
232 | 701 | 550 | |||||||||
| Individual Life |
446 | 622 | 545 | |||||||||
| Group Insurance |
340 | 286 | 229 | |||||||||
| International Insurance |
1,747 | 1,598 | 1,428 | |||||||||
| International Investments |
(345 | ) | 259 | 143 | ||||||||
| Corporate and Other |
(327 | ) | (65 | ) | 42 | |||||||
| Reconciling Items: |
||||||||||||
| Realized investment gains (losses), net, and related adjustments |
(2,267 | ) | (41 | ) | 66 | |||||||
| Charges related to realized investment gains (losses), net |
45 | (55 | ) | 17 | ||||||||
| Investment gains (losses) on trading account assets supporting insurance liabilities, net |
(1,734 | ) | — | 35 | ||||||||
| Change in experience-rated contractholder liabilities due to asset value changes |
1,163 | 13 | 11 | |||||||||
| Divested businesses |
(506 | ) | 274 | 151 | ||||||||
| Equity in earnings of operating joint ventures |
618 | (400 | ) | (322 | ) | |||||||
| Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes and equity in earnings of operating joint ventures for Financial Services Businesses |
(1,134 | ) | 4,396 | 3,991 | ||||||||
| Income from continuing operations before income taxes for Closed Block Business |
16 | 290 | 403 | |||||||||
| Consolidated income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes and equity in earnings of operating joint ventures |
$ | (1,118 | ) | $ | 4,686 | $ | 4,394 | |||||
Results for 2008 presented above reflect the following:
| • | Individual Annuities segment results for 2008 declined in comparison to 2007, primarily reflecting the impact of our annual reviews of, and market performance adjustments to, the reserves for the guaranteed minimum death and income benefit features of our variable annuity products and the estimate of total gross profits used as a basis for amortizing deferred policy acquisition and other costs. Results for 2008 included $1.160 billion of charges from these items, largely reflecting the impact of current market conditions, compared to $30 million of benefits in 2007. Also contributing to the decline was a $481 million unfavorable variance in the mark-to-market of embedded derivatives and related hedge positions associated with our living benefit features, and a decrease in fee income, driven by lower average variable annuity asset balances invested in separate accounts. |
| • | Retirement segment results for 2007 included an $82 million charge related to payments made to plan clients associated with a legal action filed against an unaffiliated asset manager. Absent the impact of this item, results for 2008 decreased in comparison to 2007, primarily reflecting higher general and administrative expenses, driven by expenses incurred to expand our full service product and service capabilities and to support several large client sales in 2008, and a decrease in asset management fees, driven by a decrease in average full service fee-based retirement account values, primarily resulting from equity market depreciation. An increased benefit from reserve refinements of $50 million, primarily reflecting updates of client census data on our group annuity blocks of business, partially offset these decreases. |
| • | Asset Management segment results declined in 2008 largely due to unfavorable results from the segment’s proprietary investing business primarily related to investment results in fixed income and equity investments, as well as a decrease in performance based incentive fees, primarily related to institutional real estate funds. These items were partially offset by higher asset management fees and higher income related to securities lending activity. |
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| • | Individual Life segment results for 2008 declined from 2007 primarily due to a net increase in amortization of deferred policy acquisition costs, net of related amortization of unearned revenue reserves, due to the impact of unfavorable equity markets on separate account fund performance, including the impact of equity market future rate of return assumptions. Adjusted operating income in both the current year and prior year periods benefited from the annual reviews of the assumptions underlying the estimate of total gross profits used as a basis for amortizing deferred policy acquisition costs and unearned revenue reserves, which benefited the current year period $79 million and the prior year period $78 million. |
| • | Group Insurance segment results for 2008 improved from 2007 reflecting higher earnings in our group life business from more favorable claims experience and the benefit from a premium adjustment for updated data on a large case, as well as growth in our group disability business. |
| • | The International Insurance segment is comprised of its Life Planner and Gibraltar Life operations. Results from the segment’s Life Planner operations improved in 2008 primarily reflecting continued growth of our Japanese Life Planner operations and, to a lesser extent, improved investment income margins. Results from the segment’s Gibraltar Life operation benefited in 2008 from improved investment income margins, the continued growth of our U.S. dollar denominated annuity product, and more favorable mortality experience. |
| • | International Investments segment results declined primarily reflecting impairment charges of $439 million recorded during the fourth quarter 2008 related to operating joint ventures and goodwill. |
| • | Corporate and Other results for 2008 declined from 2007 primarily due to losses in our real estate and relocation services business, including a charge for goodwill impairment of $117 million. |
| • | Realized investment gains (losses), net, and related adjustments for the Financial Services Businesses in 2008 amounted to a loss of $2.267 billion, primarily reflecting other-than-temporary impairments of fixed maturity and equity securities of $2.494 billion. |
| • | Income from continuing operations before income taxes in the Closed Block Business decreased $274 million in 2008 compared to 2007, primarily reflecting a decrease in net realized gains and net investment income, which was partially offset by the resulting decrease in the cumulative earnings policyholder dividend obligation expense. |
Accounting Policies & Pronouncements
Application of Critical Accounting Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, or U.S. GAAP, requires the application of accounting policies that often involve a significant degree of judgment. Management, on an ongoing basis, reviews estimates and assumptions used in the preparation of financial statements. If management determines that modifications in assumptions and estimates are appropriate given current facts and circumstances, results of operations and financial position as reported in the Consolidated Financial Statements could change significantly.
The following sections discuss the accounting policies applied in preparing our financial statements that management believes are most dependent on the application of estimates and assumptions.
Valuation of Investments, Including the Recognition of Other-than-Temporary Impairments
As prescribed by U.S. GAAP, we present our investments classified as available for sale, including fixed maturity and equity securities, and our investments classified as trading, such as our trading account assets supporting insurance liabilities, at fair value in the statements of financial position. The fair values for our public fixed maturity securities and our public equity securities are generally based on quoted market prices or prices obtained from independent pricing services, which we validate for reasonability. However, for our investments in private securities such as private placement fixed maturity securities, which comprise 14% of our investments as of December 31, 2008, this information generally is not available. For these private fixed maturities, fair value is
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determined typically by using a discounted cash flow model, which utilizes a discount rate based upon the average of spread surveys collected from private market intermediaries who are active in both primary and secondary transactions and takes into account, among other factors, the credit quality and industry sector of the issuer and the reduced liquidity associated with private placements. In determining the fair value of certain securities, the discounted cash flow model may use unobservable inputs, which reflect our own assumptions about the inputs market participants would use in pricing the asset. See “—Realized Investment Gains and Losses and General Account Investments—General Account Investments—Fixed Maturity Securities—Private Fixed Maturities—Credit Quality” and “—Realized Investment Gains and Losses and General Account Investments—General Account Investments—Trading Account Assets Supporting Insurance Liabilities” for information regarding the credit quality of the private fixed maturity securities included in our general account. For additional information regarding the key estimates and assumptions surrounding the determination of fair value of fixed maturity and equity securities, as well as derivative instruments and other investments, see “—Valuation of Assets and Liabilities—Fair Value of Assets and Liabilities.”
For our investments classified as available for sale, the impact of changes in fair value is recorded as an unrealized gain or loss in “Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), net,” a separate component of equity. For our investments classified as trading, the impact of changes in fair value is recorded within “Asset management fees and other income.” In addition, investments classified as available for sale, as well as those classified as held to maturity, are subject to impairment reviews to identify when a decline in value is other-than-temporary. In evaluating whether a decline in value is other-than-temporary, we consistently consider several factors including, but not limited to, the following: the extent and duration of the decline; the reasons for the decline in value (credit event, currency or interest rate related, including credit spread widening); our ability and intent to hold the investment for a period of time to allow for a recovery of value; and the financial condition and near-term prospects of the issuer. When we determine that there is an other-than-temporary impairment, we write down the value of the security to its fair value, with a corresponding charge to earnings. In addition, for our impairment review of asset-backed fixed maturity securities with a credit rating below AA, we forecast our best estimate of the prospective future cash flows of the security to determine if the present value of those cash flows, discounted using the effective yield of the most recent interest accrual rate, has decreased from the previous reporting period. When a decrease from the prior reporting period has occurred and the security’s fair value is less than its carrying value, an other-than-temporary impairment is recognized by writing the security down to its fair value, with a corresponding charge to earnings. In both cases, this corresponding charge to earnings is referred to as an impairment. Impairments are reflected in “Realized investment gains (losses), net” in the statements of operations and are excluded from adjusted operating income. The new cost basis of an impaired security is not adjusted for subsequent increases in estimated fair value. In periods subsequent to the recognition of an other-than-temporary impairment, the impaired security is accounted for as if it had been purchased on the measurement date of the impairment. Accordingly, the discount (or reduced premium) based on the new cost basis is accreted into net investment income, and included in adjusted operating income in future periods based upon the amount and timing of the expected future cash flows of the security, if the recoverable value of the investment based upon cash flows we can reasonably estimate, is greater than the carrying value of the investment after the impairment. The level of impairment losses can be expected to increase when economic conditions worsen and decrease when economic conditions improve. See “—Realized Investment Gains and Losses and General Account Investments—Realized Investment Gains and Losses” for a discussion of the effects of impairments on our operating results for the years ended December 31, 2008, 2007 and 2006.
Given recent market conditions and liquidity concerns, beginning in the third quarter of 2008, our determinations of whether a decline in value of fixed maturity securities is other-than-temporary have placed greater emphasis on our internal analysis of the underlying credit and our ability and intent to hold the investment for a period of time to allow for a recovery of value, versus the extent and duration of a decline in fair value. For a further discussion of our policies regarding other-than-temporary declines in investment value and the related methodology for recording fixed maturity and equity securities other-than-temporary impairments, see “—Realized Investment Gains and Losses and General Account Investments—General Account Investments—Fixed Maturity Securities—Other-than-Temporary Impairments of Fixed Maturity Securities” and “—Realized Investment Gains and Losses and General Account Investments—General Account Investments—Equity Securities—Other-than-Temporary Impairments of Equity Securities.”
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Commercial mortgage and other loans, which comprise 14% of our investments as of December 31, 2008, are carried primarily at unpaid principal balances, net of unamortized premiums or discounts and a valuation allowance for losses. The valuation allowance provides for the risk of credit losses inherent in the lending process and includes a loan specific reserve for each non-performing loan that has a specifically identified loss and a portfolio reserve for probable incurred but not specifically identified losses. Non-performing loans include those loans for which it is probable that amounts due according to the contractual terms of the loan agreement will not be collected. The loan specific portion is based on our assessment as to ultimate collectability of loan principal and interest. Valuation allowances for non-performing loans are recorded based on the present value of expected future cash flows discounted at the loan’s effective interest rate or based on the fair value of the collateral if the loan is collateral dependent. The portfolio reserve for incurred but not specifically identified losses considers our past loan experience, the current credit composition of the portfolio, historical credit migration, property type diversification, default and loss severity statistics and other relevant factors. We record subsequent increases or decreases to our valuation allowances when appropriate. Adjustments to the allowance are reflected in “Realized investment gains (losses), net,” in our statements of operations. Similar to impairment losses discussed above, the allowance for losses can be expected to increase when economic conditions worsen and decrease when economic conditions improve. See “—Realized Investment Gains and Losses and General Account Investments—General Account Investments—Commercial Mortgage and Other Loans—Commercial Mortgage and Other Loan Quality” for a discussion of the effects of the valuation allowance on our operating results for the years ended December 31, 2008 and 2007.
See “—Realized Investment Gains and Losses and General Account Investments—General Account Investments” for a discussion of our investment portfolio, including the gross unrealized gains and losses as of December 31, 2008, related to the fixed maturity and equity securities of our general account, our policies and procedures regarding the identification of other-than-temporary declines in investment value, and the carrying value, credit quality, and allowance for losses related to the commercial mortgage and other loans of our general account.
Policyholder Liabilities
Future Policy Benefit Reserves, other than Unpaid Claims and Claim Adjustment Expenses
We establish reserves for future policy benefits to or on behalf of policyholders in the same period in which the policy is issued. These reserves relate primarily to the traditional participating whole life policies of our Closed Block Business and the non-participating whole life, term life, and life contingent structured settlement and group annuity products of our Financial Services Businesses.
The future policy benefit reserves for the traditional participating life insurance products of our Closed Block Business, which as of December 31, 2008, represented 43% of our total future policy benefit reserves are determined using the net level premium method as prescribed by U.S. GAAP. Under this method, the future policy benefit reserves are accrued as a level proportion of the premium paid by the policyholder. In applying this method, we use mortality assumptions to determine our expected future benefits and expected future premiums, and apply an interest rate to determine the present value of both the expected future benefit payments and the expected future premiums. The mortality assumptions used are based on data from the standard industry mortality tables that were used to determine the cash surrender value of the policies, and the interest rates used are the contractually guaranteed interest rates used to calculate the cash surrender value of the policy. Gains or losses in our results of operations resulting from deviations in actual experience compared to the experience assumed in establishing our reserves for this business are recognized in the determination of our annual dividends to these policyholders. Since the Closed Block has recognized a cumulative policyholder dividend obligation expense for the excess of actual cumulative earnings over expected cumulative earnings as determined at the time of demutualization, these gains or losses generally do not create significant volatility in our results of operations. However, if actual cumulative earnings fall below expected cumulative earnings in future periods, thereby eliminating the cumulative policyholder dividend obligation expense, these gains or losses could result in greater volatility in our results of operations. As of December 31, 2008, the excess of actual cumulative earnings over the expected cumulative earnings was $433 million.
The future policy benefit reserves for our International Insurance segment and Individual Life segment, which as of December 31, 2008, represented 39% of our total future policy benefit reserves combined, relate
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primarily to non-participating whole life and term life products and are determined in accordance with U.S. GAAP as the present value of expected future benefits to or on behalf of policyholders plus the present value of future maintenance expenses less the present value of future net premiums. The expected future benefits and expenses are determined using assumptions as to mortality, lapse, and maintenance expense. Reserve assumptions are based on best estimate assumptions as of the date the policy is issued with provisions for the risk of adverse deviation. After our reserves are initially established, we perform premium deficiency tests using best estimate assumptions as of the testing date without provisions for adverse deviation. If reserves determined based on these best estimate assumptions are greater than the net U.S. GAAP liabilities (i.e., reserves net of any DAC asset), the existing net U.S. GAAP liabilities are adjusted to the greater amount. Our best estimate assumptions are determined by product group. Mortality assumptions are generally based on the Company’s historical experience or standard industry tables, as applicable; our expense assumptions are based on current levels of maintenance costs, adjusted for the effects of inflation; and our interest rate assumptions are based on current and expected net investment returns. We review our mortality assumptions annually. Generally, we do not expect our mortality trends to change significantly in the short-term and to the extent these trends may change we expect such changes to be gradual over the long-term.
The reserves for future policy benefits of our Retirement segment, which as of December 31, 2008 represented 11% of our total future policy benefit reserves, relate to our non-participating life contingent group annuity and structured settlement products. These reserves are generally determined as the present value of expected future benefits and expenses based on assumptions as to mortality, retirement, maintenance expense, and interest rates. Reserves are based on best estimate assumptions as of the date the contract is issued with provisions for the risk of adverse deviation. After our reserves are initially established, we perform premium deficiency testing by product group using best estimate assumptions as of the testing date without provisions for adverse deviation. If reserves determined based on these assumptions are greater than the existing reserves, the existing reserves are adjusted to the greater amount. Our best estimate assumptions are determined by product group. Our mortality and retirement assumptions are based on Company or industry experience; our expense assumptions are based on current levels of maintenance costs, adjusted for the effects of inflation; and our interest rate assumptions are based on current and expected net investment returns. We generally review our mortality and retirement assumptions annually. Generally, we do not expect our actual mortality or retirement trends to change significantly in the short-term and to the extent these trends may change we expect such changes to be gradual over the long-term.
The remaining 7% of the reserves for future policy benefits as of December 31, 2008 represented reserves for the guaranteed minimum death and optional living benefit features of the variable annuity products in our Individual Annuities segment and group life and disability, and long-term care benefits in our Group Insurance segment. Certain of the optional living benefits are accounted for as embedded derivatives, with fair values calculated as the present value of future expected benefit payments to customers less the present value of assessed rider fees attributable to the embedded derivative feature. For additional information regarding the valuation of these optional living benefit features, see “—Valuation of Assets and Liabilities—Fair Value of Assets and Liabilities—Valuation of Variable Annuity Optional Living Benefit Features.”
Unpaid claims and claim adjustment expenses
Our liability for unpaid claims and claim adjustment expenses of $2.2 billion as of December 31, 2008 is reported as a component of “Future policy benefits” and relates primarily to the group long-term disability products of our Group Insurance segment. This liability represents our estimate of future disability claim payments and expenses as well as estimates of claims that we believe have been incurred, but have not yet been reported as of the balance sheet date. We do not establish loss liabilities until a loss has occurred. As prescribed by U.S. GAAP, our liability is determined as the present value of expected future claim payments and expenses. Expected future claims payments are estimated using assumed mortality and claim termination factors and an assumed interest rate. The mortality and claim termination factors are based on standard industry tables and the Company’s historical experience. Our interest rate assumptions are based on factors such as market conditions and expected investment returns. Of these assumptions, our claim termination assumptions have historically had the most significant effects on our level of liability. We review our claim termination assumptions compared to actual terminations annually. These studies review actual claim termination experience over a number of years
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with more weight placed on the actual experience in the more recent years. If actual experience results in a materially different assumption, we adjust our liability for unpaid claims and claims adjustment expenses accordingly with a charge or credit to current period earnings.
Deferred Policy Acquisition Costs
We capitalize costs that vary with and are related primarily to the acquisition of new and renewal insurance and annuity contracts. These costs primarily include commissions, costs of policy issuance and underwriting, and variable field office expenses. We amortize these deferred policy acquisition costs, or DAC, over the expected lives of the contracts, based on the level and timing of gross margins, gross profits, or gross premiums, depending on the type of contract. As of December 31, 2008, DAC in our Financial Services Businesses was $13.1 billion and DAC in our Closed Block Business was $2.0 billion.
DAC associated with the traditional participating products of our Closed Block Business is amortized over the expected lives of those contracts in proportion to gross margins. Gross margins consider premiums, investment returns, benefit claims, costs for policy administration, changes in reserves, and dividends to policyholders. We evaluate our estimates of future gross margins and adjust the related DAC balance with a corresponding charge or credit to current period earnings for the effects of actual gross margins and changes in our expected future gross margins. We also ensure the recoverability of the DAC balance at the end of each reporting period. Many of the factors that affect gross margins are included in the determination of our dividends to these policyholders. Since the Closed Block has recognized a cumulative policyholder dividend obligation expense for the excess of actual cumulative earnings over expected cumulative earnings as determined at the time of demutualization, DAC adjustments generally have not created significant volatility in our results of operations. However, if actual cumulative earnings fall below expected cumulative earnings in future periods, thereby eliminating the cumulative policyholder dividend obligation expense, changes in gross margins and DAC amortization could result in greater volatility in our results of operations. As of December 31, 2008, the excess of actual cumulative earnings over the expected cumulative earnings was $443 million.
DAC associated with the non-participating whole life and term life policies of our Individual Life segment and the non-participating whole life, term life, endowment and health policies of our International Insurance segment is amortized in proportion to gross premiums. We evaluate the recoverability of our DAC related to these policies as part of our premium deficiency testing. If a premium deficiency exists, we reduce DAC by the amount of the deficiency or to zero through a charge to current period earnings. If the deficiency is more than the DAC balance, we then increase the reserve for future policy benefits by the excess, by means of a charge to current period earnings. Generally, we do not expect significant deterioration in future experience, and therefore do not expect significant writedowns to the related DAC.
DAC associated with the variable and universal life policies of our Individual Life and International Insurance segments and the variable and fixed annuity contracts of our Individual Annuities and International Insurance segments is amortized over the expected life of these policies in proportion to gross profits. In calculating gross profits, we consider mortality, persistency, and other elements as well as rates of return on investments associated with these contracts and the cost of contract minimum guarantees net of, where applicable, the impact of any capital markets hedging activities related to these guarantees. We regularly evaluate and adjust the related DAC balance with a corresponding charge or credit to current period earnings for the effects of our actual gross profits and changes in our assumptions regarding estimated future gross profits. Adjustments to the DAC balance include our quarterly adjustments for current period experience and market performance related adjustments, as discussed below, and the impact of the annual reviews of our estimate of total gross profits. We also perform recoverability testing at the end of each reporting period to ensure the DAC balance does not exceed the present value of total estimated gross profits.
The quarterly adjustments for current period experience referred to above reflect the cumulative impact of differences between actual gross profits for a given period and the previously estimated expected gross profits for that period. Total estimated gross profits include both actual experience and estimates of gross profits for future periods. To the extent each period’s actual experience differs from the previous estimate for that period, the assumed level of total gross profits may change. In these cases, we recognize a cumulative adjustment to all previous periods’ costs, referred to as an adjustment for current period experience.
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For the variable and universal life policies of our Individual Life segment, a significant portion of our gross profits is derived from mortality margins. As a result, our estimates of future gross profits are significantly influenced by our mortality assumptions. Our mortality assumptions represent our expected claims experience over the life of these policies and are developed based on Company experience. We review and update our mortality assumptions annually. Updates to our mortality assumptions in future periods could have a significant adverse or favorable effect on the results of our operations in the Individual Life segment. For the variable and universal life policies in our International Insurance segment, mortality assumptions impact to a lesser extent our estimates of future gross profits due to differences in policyholder demographics, the overall age of this block of business, the amount of mortality margins and our actual mortality experience.
The DAC balance associated with the variable and universal life policies of our Individual Life segment as of December 31, 2008 was $3.1 billion. The following table provides a demonstration of the sensitivity of that DAC balance relative to our future mortality assumptions by quantifying the adjustments that would be required, assuming both an increase and decrease in our future mortality rate by 1%. While the information below is for illustrative purposes only and does not reflect our expectations regarding future mortality assumptions, it is a near-term, reasonably likely hypothetical change that illustrates the potential impact of such a change. This information considers only the effect of changes in our mortality assumptions and not changes in any other assumptions such as persistency, future rate of return, or expenses included in our evaluation of DAC, and does not reflect changes in reserves, such as the unearned revenue reserve, which would partially offset the adjustments to the DAC balance reflected below.
| December 31, 2008 | ||||
| Increase/(Reduction) in DAC |
||||
| (in millions) | ||||
| Decrease in future mortality by 1% |
$ | 39 | ||
| Increase in future mortality by 1% |
$ | (39 | ) | |
For a discussion of DAC adjustments related to our Individual Life segment for the years ended December 31, 2008, 2007 and 2006, see “—Results of Operations for Financial Services Businesses by Segment—U.S. Individual Life and Group Insurance Division—Individual Life.”
For variable annuity contracts, DAC is more sensitive to the effects of changes in our estimates of gross profits due primarily to the significant portion of our gross profits that is dependent upon the total rate of return on assets held in separate account investment options, and the shorter average life of the contracts. This rate of return influences the fees we earn, costs we incur associated with minimum death benefit and other contractual guarantees specific to our variable annuity contracts, as well as other sources of profit. This is also true, to a lesser degree, for our variable life policies.
The future rate of return assumptions used in evaluating DAC for our domestic variable annuity and variable life insurance products are derived using a reversion to the mean approach, a common industry practice. Under this approach, we consider actual returns over a period of time and initially adjust future projected returns over a four year period so that the assets grow at the long-term expected rate of return for the entire period. If the projected future rate of return over the four year period is greater than our maximum future rate of return, we use our maximum future rate of return. In light of 2008 market conditions, we have determined that adjustments to our estimate of total gross profits to reflect actual fund performance and any corresponding changes to the projected future rate of return assumptions for our variable annuity contracts should no longer be dependent on a comparison to a statistically generated range of estimated gross profits. Instead, beginning in the fourth quarter of 2008, the projected future rate of return and our estimate of total gross profits are updated each quarter to reflect the result of the reversion to the mean approach. These market performance related adjustments to our estimate of total gross profits result in cumulative adjustments to prior amortization, reflecting the application of the new required rate of amortization to all prior periods’ gross profits. The new required rate of amortization is also applied prospectively to future gross profits in calculating amortization in future periods. For variable annuities products and variable life policies, as of December 31, 2008, our expected rate of return for the next four years across all asset types is 10.5% and 10.9% per annum, respectively, which are our current maximum future rates of return under the reversion to the mean approach. Included in these composite four year rates are assumptions for returns on various asset classes, including limits on implied returns on equity investments that range from
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12.8% to 15.0%. Our long-term expected rate of return across all asset types for variable annuities products and variable life policies range from 8.0% to 8.2%, depending on the specific block of business, and reflect, among other assumptions, an expected rate of return of 9.5% per annum for equity investments.
The DAC balance associated with our domestic variable annuity contracts was $2.2 billion as of December 31, 2008. The following table provides a demonstration of the sensitivity of that DAC balance relative to our future rate of return assumptions by quantifying the adjustments that we would be required assuming both an increase and decrease in our future rate of return by 100 basis points. While the information below is for illustrative purposes only and does not reflect our expectations regarding future rate of return assumptions, it is a near-term, reasonably likely hypothetical change that illustrates the potential impact of such a change. This information considers only the direct effect of changes in our future rate of return on the DAC balance and not changes in any other assumptions such as persistency, mortality, or expenses included in our evaluation of DAC. Further, this information does not reflect changes in reserves, such as the reserves for the guaranteed minimum death and optional living benefit features of our variable annuity products, or the impact that changes in such reserves may have on the DAC balance.
| December 31, 2008 | ||||
| Increase/(Reduction) in DAC |
||||
| (in millions) | ||||
| Increase in future rate of return by 100 basis points |
$ | 37 | ||
| Decrease in future rate of return by 100 basis points |
$ | (39 | ) | |
For a discussion of DAC adjustments related to our Individual Annuities segment for the years ended December 31, 2008, 2007 and 2006, see “—Results of Operations for Financial Services Businesses by Segment—U.S. Retirement Solutions and Investment Management Division—Individual Annuities.”
In addition to DAC, we also recognize assets for deferred sales inducements and valuation of business acquired, or VOBA. The deferred sales inducements are recognized in our Individual Annuities segment and are amortized over the anticipated life of the policy using the same methodology and assumptions used to amortize deferred policy acquisition costs. For additional information about our deferred sales inducements, see Note 9 to the Consolidated Financial Statements. VOBA represents the present value of future profits embedded in acquired businesses, and is determined by estimating the net present value of future cash flows from the contracts in force at the date of acquisition. We have established a VOBA asset primarily for our acquired traditional life, deferred annuity, defined contribution and defined benefit businesses. VOBA is amortized over the effective life of the acquired contracts. For additional information about VOBA including details on items included in our estimates of future cash flows for the various acquired businesses and its bases for amortization, see Note 2 to the Consolidated Financial Statements. Deferred sales inducements and VOBA are also subject to recoverability testing at the end of each reporting period to ensure that the capitalized amounts do not exceed the present value of total anticipated gross profits.
Goodwill
We test goodwill for impairment on an annual basis as of December 31 of each year and more frequently if events occur or circumstances change that would indicate the potential for impairment is more likely than not. The test is performed at the reporting unit level which is equal to or one level below our operating segments. Reporting units that have goodwill subject to testing were the Asset Management segment, the International Insurance segment’s Life Planners business, the Retirement segment’s full service business, the Individual Annuities segment, the International Investments segment (excluding the global commodities group), and the Prudential Real Estate and Relocation (PRERS) business which is included within Corporate and Other Operations.
As required by accounting guidance, the impairment testing process consists of two steps. Step 1 requires that the fair value of the reporting unit be calculated and compared to the reporting unit’s carrying value. If the fair value is greater than the carrying value, it is concluded there is no impairment and the analysis is complete. If the fair value is less than the carrying value, Step 2 of the process is completed to determine the amount of impairment, if any.
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Step 2 utilizes business combination purchase accounting guidance and requires the fair value calculation of all individual assets and liabilities of the reporting unit (excluding goodwill, but including any unrecognized intangible assets). The net fair value of assets less liabilities is then compared to the reporting unit’s total fair value as calculated in Step 1. The excess of fair value over the net asset value equals the implied fair value of goodwill. The implied fair value of goodwill is then compared to the carrying value of goodwill to determine the reporting unit’s goodwill impairment loss, if any.
The fair value of reporting units calculated in Step 1 was determined using either an earnings multiple or discounted cash flow approach. The earnings multiple approach was the primary approach for the Asset Management and International Insurance reporting units, the discounted cash flow approach was primarily utilized by the Individual Annuities, PRERS, and Retirement reporting units, and a weighted average of both methods was utilized by the International Investments reporting unit. Earnings multiples used ranged from 7.3 to 13.7 times earnings while discount rates ranged from 12% to 20%. The range of multiples and discount rates reflect the diversity of our various businesses and the range of risks inherent in their cash flows.
The earnings multiple approach indicates the value of a business based on comparison to publicly-traded comparable companies in similar lines of business. Each comparable company is analyzed based on various factors, including, but not limited to, financial risk, size, geographic diversification, profitability, adequate financial data, and an actively traded stock price. A multiple of price to earnings is developed for the comparable companies using independent analyst’s consensus estimates for each company’s 2009 forecasted earnings. The multiple is then applied to the 2009 forecasted earnings of the reporting unit to develop a value. A control premium is then added to determine a total estimated fair value for the reporting unit.
The discounted cash flow approach calculates the value of a business by applying a discount rate reflecting the market expected weighted average rate of return to the projected future cash flows of the reporting unit. The weighted average rate of return, or WARR, represents the required rate of return on total capitalization. It is comprised of a required rate of return on equity of a company and the current tax-affected cost of debt, which are then weighted by the relative percentages of equity and debt in the capital structure. To estimate the return on equity, we applied the Capital Asset Pricing Model, or CAPM. The CAPM is a generally accepted method for estimating an equity investor’s return requirement, and hence a company’s cost of equity capital. CAPM is determined by beginning with the long-term risk free rate of return then applying adjustments that consider the equity risk premium required for large company common stock investments as well as company specific adjustments to address volatility, small company premiums and other risks particular to a specific company.
After completion of Step 1 of the analysis, it was determined that three of our reporting units, International Investments (excluding the global commodities group), PRERS, and Individual Annuities, had a fair value less than its carrying value. Accordingly, Step 2 was applied and it was determined that 100% of the goodwill within these units was impaired, resulting in charges of $123 million in International Investments, $117 million in PRERS and $97 million in Individual Annuities. As such, during 2008 we recorded a total impairment charge for goodwill of $337 million, which is included in “General and administrative expenses.” In applying Step 2, the fair value of individual assets and liabilities was determined either through use of quoted prices in active markets for the same or similar items or through internally generated calculations generally using discounted cash flow analyses with discount rates that reflected the risk inherent in the specific assets and liabilities.
These impairments reflect the continued deterioration of financial conditions and the impact of this deterioration on expected future earnings of these businesses, including: (1) for our Individual Annuities reporting unit equity market declines and resulting additional market depreciation within separate account assets and corresponding decreases in our anticipated future fee income; (2) for our International Investments reporting unit significant market deterioration resulting in both a reduction in value and an outflow of assets under management which contributed to lower asset management fees earned in the fourth quarter and expected in future periods and (3) for our PRERS reporting unit further deterioration of the U.S. housing market, including the number of transactions and the national average home sale price which both declined in the fourth quarter, and the impact of this decline on future anticipated revenues of this business.
Of the reporting units that passed Step 1, the Asset Management and International Insurance Life Planner businesses had estimated fair values that exceeded their December 31, 2008 carrying values by 241% and 77%,
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respectively. The fair value of the Retirement Full Service business, which was calculated based upon application of the discounted cash flow approach utilizing a discount rate of 12%, exceeded the carrying value by 9%. A decline in forecasted cashflows of 9%, or an increase in the discount rate above 12.8%, could result in the Retirement business failing Step 1 and requiring a Step 2 assessment. As of December 31, 2008, we had a remaining goodwill balance of $702 million, including $444 million related to our Retirement reporting unit and $241 million related to our Asset Management reporting unit. Further market declines or other events impacting the fair value of these businesses, or increases in the level of equity required to support these businesses, could result in additional goodwill impairments, resulting in a charge to income.
As indicated above, the earnings multiple approach indicates the value of a business based on comparison to publicly-traded comparable companies in similar lines of business. However, given the absence of pure-play comparable companies and the difficulty in identifying businesses which share similar risk characteristics of our reporting unit’s operations, it was determined that in most cases, using the discounted cash flows approach would yield the best estimate of fair value of our reporting units. In order to confirm the reasonableness of all the fair values calculated, a reconciliation of the individual reporting unit’s fair values to the market capitalization of the Company was performed. The total calculated fair value of all reporting units and other operations was compared to the market capitalization as indicated by the Company stock price and number of shares outstanding at December 31, 2008. The difference reflected a control premium which we believe is within a range of reasonableness.
Pension and Other Postretirement Benefits
We sponsor pension and other postretirement benefit plans covering employees who meet specific eligibility requirements. Our net periodic costs for these plans consider an assumed discount (interest) rate, an expected rate of return on plan assets and expected increases in compensation levels and trends in health care costs. Of these assumptions, our expected rate of return assumptions, and to a lesser extent our discount rate assumptions, have historically had the most significant effect on our net period costs associated with these plans.
We determine our expected rate of return on plan assets based upon asset classes and a building block approach that includes inflation, real return, a term premium, an equity risk premium, as applicable, a credit spread, as applicable, and capital appreciation, as well as active management, expenses and the effect of rebalancing. See Note 16 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for our actual asset allocations by asset category and the asset allocation ranges prescribed by our investment policy guidelines for both our pension and other postretirement benefit plans. Our assumed long-term rate of return for 2008 was 7.75% for our pension plans and 8.00% for our other postretirement benefit plans. Given the amount of plan assets as of September 30, 2007, the beginning of the measurement year, if we had assumed an expected rate of return for both our pension and other postretirement benefit plans that was 100 basis points higher or 100 basis points lower than the rates we assumed, the change in our net periodic costs would have been as shown in the table below. The information provided in the table below considers only changes in our assumed long-term rate of return given the level and mix of invested assets at the beginning of the measurement year, without consideration of possible changes in any of the other assumptions described above that could ultimately accompany any changes in our assumed long-term rate of return.
| For the year ended December 31, 2008 | ||||||||
| Increase/(Decrease) in Net Periodic Pension Cost |
Increase/(Decrease) in Net Periodic Other Postretirement Cost |
|||||||
| (in millions) | ||||||||
| Increase in expected rate of return by 100 basis points |
$ | (91 | ) | $ | (20 | ) | ||
| Decrease in expected rate of return by 100 basis points |
$ | 91 | $ | 20 | ||||
We determine our discount rate, used to value the pension and postretirement benefit obligations, based upon rates commensurate with current yields on high quality corporate bonds. See Note 16 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for information regarding the methodology we employ to determine our discount rate. Our assumed discount rate for 2008 was 6.25% for our pension plans and 6.00% for our other postretirement benefit plans. Given the amount of pensions and postretirement obligation as of September 30, 2007, the beginning of the measurement year, if we had assumed a discount rate for both our pension and other postretirement benefit plans that was 100 basis points higher or 100 basis points lower than the rates we assumed, the change in our net periodic costs would have been as shown in the table below. The information provided in the table below considers only changes in our assumed discount rate without consideration of possible changes in any of the other assumptions described above that could ultimately accompany any changes in our assumed discount rate.
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| For the year ended December 31, 2008 | ||||||||
| Increase/(Decrease) in Net Periodic Pension Cost |
Increase/(Decrease) in Net Periodic Other Postretirement Cost |
|||||||
| (in millions) | ||||||||
| Increase in discount rate by 100 basis points |
$ | (9 | ) | $ | (4 | ) | ||
| Decrease in discount rate by 100 basis points |
$ | 14 | $ | 9 | ||||
Given the application of Statement of Financial Accounting Standards, or SFAS, No. 87, “Employers’ Accounting for Pensions,” and the deferral and amortization of actuarial gains and losses arising from changes in our assumed discount rate, the change in net periodic pension cost arising from an increase in the assumed discount rate by 100 basis points would not be expected to equal the change in net periodic pension cost arising from a decrease in the assumed discount rate by 100 basis points.
For a discussion of our expected rate of return on plan assets and discount rate for our qualified pension plan in 2009 see “—Results of Operations for Financial Services Businesses by Segment—Corporate and Other.”
In addition to the effect of changes in our assumptions, the net periodic cost or benefit from our pension and other postretirement benefit plans may change due to factors such as actual experience being different from our assumptions, special benefits to terminated employees, or changes in benefits provided under the plans.
Taxes on Income
Our effective tax rate is based on income, non-taxable and non-deductible items, statutory tax rates and tax planning opportunities available in the various jurisdictions in which we operate. Inherent in determining our annual tax rate are judgments regarding business plans, planning opportunities and expectations about future outcomes.
Tax regulations require items to be included in the tax return at different times from the items reflected in the financial statements. As a result, the effective tax rate reflected in the financial statements is different than the actual rate applied on the tax return. Some of these differences are permanent such as expenses that are not deductible in our tax return, and some differences are temporary, reversing over time, such as valuation of insurance reserves. Temporary differences create deferred tax assets and liabilities. Deferred tax assets generally represent items that can be used as a tax deduction or credit in future years for which we have already recorded the tax benefit in our income statement. Deferred tax liabilities generally represent tax expense recognized in our financial statements for which payment has been deferred, or expenditures for which we have already taken a deduction in our tax return but have not yet recognized in our financial statements.
The application of U.S. GAAP requires us to evaluate the recoverability of our deferred tax assets and establish a valuation allowance if necessary to reduce our deferred tax asset to an amount that is more likely than not to be realized. Considerable judgment is required in determining whether a valuation allowance is necessary, and if so, the amount of such valuation allowance. In evaluating the need for a valuation allowance we consider many factors, including: (1) the nature of the deferred tax assets and liabilities; (2) whether they are ordinary or capital; (3) in which tax jurisdictions they were generated and the timing of their reversal; (4) taxable income in prior carryback years as well as projected taxable earnings exclusive of reversing temporary differences and carryforwards; (5) the length of time that carryovers can be utilized in the various taxing jurisdictions; (6) any unique tax rules that would impact the utilization of the deferred tax assets; and (7) any tax planning strategies that we would employ to avoid a tax benefit from expiring unused. Although realization is not assured, management believes it is more likely than not that the deferred tax assets, net of valuation allowances, will be realized.
Our accounting represents management’s best estimate of future events that can be appropriately reflected in the accounting estimates. Certain changes or future events, such as changes in tax legislation, geographic mix of earnings and completion of tax audits could have an impact on our estimates and effective tax rate. For example, the dividends received deduction, or DRD, reduces the amount of dividend income subject to tax and is a significant component of the difference between our actual tax expense and the expected amount determined
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using the federal statutory tax rate of 35%. The U.S. Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service, or IRS, intend to address through regulations the methodology to be followed in determining the DRD related to variable life insurance and annuity contracts. A change in the DRD, including the possible retroactive or prospective elimination of this deduction through regulations or legislation, could increase our actual tax expense and reduce our consolidated net income.
On January 1, 2007, we adopted FIN No. 48, “Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes,” an Interpretation of FASB Statement No. 109. This interpretation prescribes a comprehensive model for how a company should recognize, measure, present, and disclose in its financial statements uncertain tax positions that a company has taken or expects to take on a tax return. FIN No. 48 is a two-step process, the first step being recognition. We determine whether it is more likely than not, based on the technical merits, that the tax position will be sustained upon examination. If a tax position does not meet the more likely than not recognition threshold, the benefit of that position is not recognized in the financial statements. The second step is measurement. We measure the tax position as the largest amount of benefit that is greater than 50 percent likely of being realized upon ultimate resolution with a taxing authority that has full knowledge of all relevant information. This measurement considers the amounts and probabilities of the outcomes that could be realized upon ultimate settlement using the facts, circumstances, and information available at the reporting date.
An increase or decrease in our effective tax rate by one percent of income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes and equity in earnings of operating joint ventures, would have resulted in an increase or decrease in our consolidated loss from continuing operations before equity in earnings of operating joint ventures in 2008 of $11 million.
Our liability for income taxes includes the liability for unrecognized tax benefits, interest and penalties which relate to tax years still subject to review by the IRS or other taxing authorities. Audit periods remain open for review until the statute of limitations has passed. Generally, for tax years which produce net operating losses, capital losses or tax credit carryforwards, or tax attributes, the statute of limitations does not close, to the extent of these tax attributes, until the expiration of the statute of limitations for the tax year in which they are fully utilized. The completion of review or the expiration of the statute of limitations for a given audit period could result in an adjustment to our liability for income taxes. The statute of limitations for the 2002 and 2003 U.S. Federal tax years is set to expire in 2009. It is reasonably possible that the total net amount of unrecognized tax benefits will increase anywhere from $0 to $70 million within the next 12 months due to the expiration of the statute of limitations as well as cash receipts on settlement of the IRS examination. U.S. Federal tax years 2004 through 2008 are still open for IRS examination.
On January 26, 2006, the IRS officially closed the audit of our consolidated federal income tax returns for the 1997 to 2001 periods. The statute of limitations has closed for these tax years; however, there were tax attributes which were utilized in subsequent tax years for which the statute of limitations remains open.
In August 2007, the IRS issued Revenue Ruling 2007-54, which included, among other items, guidance on the methodology to be followed in calculating the DRD related to variable life insurance and annuity contracts. In September 2007, the IRS released Revenue Ruling 2007-61. Revenue Ruling 2007-61 suspends Revenue Ruling 2007-54 and informs taxpayers that the U.S. Treasury Department and the IRS intend to address through new regulations the issues considered in Revenue Ruling 2007-54, including the methodology to be followed in determining the DRD related to variable life insurance and annuity contracts.
In December 2006, the IRS completed all fieldwork with regards to its examination of the consolidated U.S. federal income tax returns for tax years 2002 and 2003. The final report was initially submitted to the Joint Committee on Taxation for their review in April 2007. The final report was resubmitted in March 2008 and again in April 2008. The Joint Committee returned the report to the IRS for additional review of an industry issue regarding the methodology for calculating the DRD related to variable life insurance and annuity contracts. The IRS completed its review of the issue and proposed an adjustment with respect to the calculation of the DRD. In order to expedite receipt of an income tax refund related to the 2002 and 2003 years, we have agreed to such adjustment. Nevertheless, we believe that our return position is technically correct. Therefore, we intend to file a protective refund claim to recover the taxes associated with the agreed upon adjustment and to pursue such other actions as appropriate. The report, with the adjustment, was submitted to the Joint Committee on Taxation in
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October 2008. We were advised on January 2, 2009 that the Joint Committee completed its consideration of the report and has taken no exception to the conclusions reached by the IRS. Accordingly, the final report was processed and a refund was received. The statute of limitations for these years will close on December 31, 2009.
In January 2007, the IRS began an examination of the consolidated U.S. federal income tax years 2004 through 2006. For the consolidated U.S. federal income tax years 2007 and 2008, we participated in the IRS’s Compliance Assurance Program, or CAP. Under CAP, the IRS assigns an examination team to review completed transactions contemporaneously during the 2007 and 2008 tax years in order to reach agreement with us on how they should be reported in the tax return. If disagreements arise, accelerated resolutions programs are available to resolve the disagreements in a timely manner before the tax return is filed. It is management’s expectation this program will shorten the time period between the filing of our federal income tax return and the IRS’s completion of its examination of the return.
Our affiliates in Japan file separate tax returns and are subject to audits by the local taxing authority. The general statute of limitations is 5 years from when the return is filed. During 2007, the Tokyo Regional Taxation Bureau concluded a routine tax audit of the tax returns of Gibraltar Life Insurance Company, Ltd. for the three years ended March 31, 2005 through 2007, as well as a tax audit of the Prudential Financial Inc. Japan Representative office for the tax years ending in 2005 through 2007. The Tokyo Regional Taxation Bureau is currently conducting a routine tax audit of the tax returns of Prudential Life Insurance Company Ltd. for its tax years ending March 31, 2004 to March 31, 2008.
Our affiliates in Korea file separate tax returns and are subject to audits by the local taxing authority. The general statute of limitations is five years from when the return is filed. A local district office in the Korean tax authority has concluded a routine tax audit of the local taxes for tax years ending March 31, 2004 through March 31, 2007 of Prudential Life Insurance Company of Korea, Ltd.
Reserves for Contingencies
A contingency is an existing condition that involves a degree of uncertainty that will ultimately be resolved upon the occurrence of future events. Under U.S. GAAP, reserves for contingencies are required to be established when the future event is probable and its impact can be reasonably estimated. An example is the establishment of a reserve for losses in connection with an unresolved legal matter. The initial reserve reflects management’s best estimate of the probable cost of ultimate resolution of the matter and is revised accordingly as facts and circumstances change and, ultimately, when the matter is brought to closure.
Accounting Pronouncements Adopted
See Note 2 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for a discussion of recently adopted accounting pronouncements, including the adoption of SFAS No. 157, “Fair Value Measurements.”
Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements
See Note 2 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for a discussion of recently issued accounting pronouncements.
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Consolidated Results of Operations
The following table summarizes net income for the Financial Services Businesses and the Closed Block Business for the periods presented.
| Year ended December 31, | |||||||||||
| 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | |||||||||
| (in millions) | |||||||||||
| Financial Services Businesses by segment: |
|||||||||||
| Individual Annuities |
$ | (1,218 | ) | $ | 672 | $ | 539 | ||||
| Retirement |
(1,109 | ) | 364 | 425 | |||||||
| Asset Management |
272 | 720 | 546 | ||||||||
| Total U.S. Retirement Solutions and Investment Management Division |
(2,055 | ) | 1,756 | 1,510 | |||||||
| Individual Life |
(173 | ) | 548 | 482 | |||||||
| Group Insurance |
138 | 247 | 211 | ||||||||
| Total U.S. Individual Life and Group Insurance Division |
(35 | ) | 795 | 693 | |||||||
| International Insurance |
1,920 | 1,903 | 1,607 | ||||||||
| International Investments |
(53 | ) | 227 | 176 | |||||||
| Total International Insurance and Investments Division |
1,867 | 2,130 | 1,783 | ||||||||
| Corporate and Other |
(911 | ) | (285 | ) | 5 | ||||||
| Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes and equity in earnings of operating joint ventures for Financial Services Businesses |
(1,134 | ) | 4,396 | 3,991 | |||||||
| Income tax expense (benefit) |
(454 | ) | 1,145 | 1,126 | |||||||
| Income (loss) from continuing operations before equity in earnings of operating joint ventures for Financial Services Businesses |
(680 | ) | 3,251 | 2,865 | |||||||
| Equity in earnings of operating joint ventures, net of taxes |
(447 | ) | 246 | 208 | |||||||
| Income (loss) from continuing operations for Financial Services Businesses |
(1,127 | ) | 3,497 | 3,073 | |||||||
| Income from discontinued operations, net of taxes |
31 | 15 | 71 | ||||||||
| Net income (loss)—Financial Services Businesses |
$ | (1,096 | ) | $ | 3,512 | $ | 3,144 | ||||
| Basic income (loss) from continuing operations per share—Common Stock |
$ | (2.49 | ) | $ | 7.72 | $ | 6.49 | ||||
| Diluted income (loss) from continuing operations per share—Common Stock |
$ | (2.49 | ) | $ | 7.58 | $ | 6.36 | ||||
| Basic net income (loss) per share—Common Stock |
$ | (2.42 | ) | $ | 7.75 | $ | 6.63 | ||||
| Diluted net income (loss) per share—Common Stock |
$ | (2.42 | ) | $ | 7.61 | $ | 6.50 | ||||
| Closed Block Business: |
|||||||||||
| Income from operations before income taxes for Closed Block Business |
$ | 16 | $ | 290 | $ | 403 | |||||
| Income tax expense (benefit) |
(7 | ) | 100 | 119 | |||||||
| Income from continuing operations for Closed Block Business |
23 | 190 | 284 | ||||||||
| Income from discontinued operations, net of taxes |
— | 2 | — | ||||||||
| Net income—Closed Block Business |
$ | 23 | $ | 192 | $ | 284 | |||||
| Basic and diluted income (loss) from continuing operations per share—Class B Stock |
$ | (16.00 | ) | $ | 68.50 | $ | 108.00 | ||||
| Basic and diluted net income (loss) per share—Class B Stock |
$ | (16.00 | ) | $ | 69.50 | $ | 108.00 | ||||
| Consolidated: |
|||||||||||
| Net income (loss) |
$ | (1,073 | ) | $ | 3,704 | $ | 3,428 | ||||
Results of Operations—Financial Services Businesses
2008 to 2007 Annual Comparison. Income (loss) from continuing operations attributable to the Financial Services Businesses decreased $4.624 billion, from income of $3.497 billion in 2007 to a loss of $1.127 billion in 2008, reflecting the impact of unfavorable market conditions on the results of our segments and investment portfolio. The decrease reflects pre-tax net investment losses in 2008, within both our general account and proprietary investments, and impairments in 2008 related to goodwill and declines in value of investments in certain operating joint ventures. In addition, the decrease reflects reserve increases for the guaranteed minimum death and income benefit features of our variable annuity products and increased amortization of deferred policy
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acquisition and other costs reflecting an update of actuarial assumptions primarily due to the impact of market conditions. Results for 2008 include our share of costs associated with a settlement relating to auction rate securities of the retail brokerage joint venture with Wachovia. Partially offsetting these items were improved results from continued growth in our international insurance operations. On a diluted per share basis, income (loss) from continuing operations attributable to the Financial Services Businesses for the year ended December 31, 2008 was $(2.49) per share of Common Stock compared to $7.58 per share of Common Stock for the year ended December 31, 2007. We analyze the operating performance of the segments included in the Financial Services Businesses using “adjusted operating income” as described in “—Segment Measures,” below. For a discussion of our segment results on this basis, see “—Results of Operations for Financial Services Businesses by Segment,” below. In addition, for a discussion of the realized investment gains (losses), net, attributable to the Financial Services Businesses, see “—Realized Investment Gains and Losses and General Account Investments—Realized Investment Gains and Losses,” below. For additional information regarding investment income, excluding realized investment gains (losses) see “—Realized Investment Gains and Losses and General Account Investments—General Account Investments,” below.
The direct equity adjustment increased income from continuing operations available to holders of the Common Stock for earnings per share purposes by $55 million for the year ended December 31, 2008, compared to $53 million for the year ended December 31, 2007. As described more fully in Note 14 to the Consolidated Financial Statements, the direct equity adjustment modifies earnings available to holders of the Common Stock and the Class B Stock for earnings per share purposes. The holders of the Common Stock will benefit from the direct equity adjustment as long as reported administrative expenses of the Closed Block Business are less than the cash flows for administrative expenses determined by the policy servicing fee arrangement that is based upon insurance and policies in force and statutory cash premiums. Generally, as statutory cash premiums and policies in force in the Closed Block Business decline, we expect the benefit to the Common Stock holders from the direct equity adjustment to decline accordingly. If the reported administrative expenses of the Closed Block Business exceed the cash flows for administrative expenses determined by the policy servicing fee arrangement, the direct equity adjustment will reduce income available to holders of the Common Stock for earnings per share purposes.
2007 to 2006 Annual Comparison. Income from continuing operations attributable to the Financial Services Businesses increased $424 million, from $3.073 billion in 2006 to $3.497 billion in 2007. The increase reflects improved investment results, continued growth in our international operations, the benefit of higher asset based fees, a greater contribution from the variable annuity business acquired from The Allstate Corporation, for which the prior year period includes results from only the June 1, 2006 date of acquisition, as well as increased earnings from our retail brokerage joint venture with Wachovia, including the benefit of lower retained expenses in 2007. Partially offsetting these items were increased general and administrative expenses, consistent with the growth in the business, and a lower level of net realized investment gains. On a diluted per share basis, income from continuing operations attributable to the Financial Services Businesses for the year ended December 31, 2007 of $7.58 per share of Common Stock increased from $6.36 per share of Common Stock for the year ended December 31, 2006. This increase reflects the increase in earnings discussed above and the benefit of a lower number of shares of Common Stock outstanding due to our share repurchase program. We analyze the operating performance of the segments included in the Financial Services Businesses using “adjusted operating income” as described in “—Segment Measures,” below. For a discussion of our segment results on this basis see “—Results of Operations for Financial Services Businesses by Segment,” below. In addition, for a discussion of the realized investment gains (losses), net, attributable to the Financial Services Businesses, see “—Realized Investment Gains and General Account Investments—Realized Investment Gains,” below.
The direct equity adjustment increased income from continuing operations available to holders of the Common Stock for earnings per share purposes by $53 million for the year ended December 31, 2007, compared to $68 million for the year ended December 31, 2006. As described more fully in Note 14 to the Consolidated Financial Statements, the direct equity adjustment modifies earnings available to holders of the Common Stock and the Class B Stock for earnings per share purposes. The holders of the Common Stock will benefit from the direct equity adjustment as long as reported administrative expenses of the Closed Block Business are less than the cash flows for administrative expenses determined by the policy servicing fee arrangement that is based upon insurance and policies in force and statutory cash premiums. Generally, as statutory cash premiums and policies in force in the Closed Block Business decline, we expect the benefit to the Common Stock holders from the
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direct equity adjustment to decline accordingly. If the reported administrative expenses of the Closed Block Business exceed the cash flows for administrative expenses determined by the policy servicing fee arrangement, the direct equity adjustment will reduce income available to holders of the Common Stock for earnings per share purposes.
Results of Operations—Closed Block Business
2008 to 2007 Annual Comparison. Income from continuing operations attributable to the Closed Block Business for the year ended December 31, 2008, was $23 million, or $(16.00) per share of Class B stock, compared to $190 million, or $68.50 per share of Class B Stock, for the year ended December 31, 2007. The direct equity adjustment decreased income from continuing operations available to the Class B Stock holders for earnings per share purposes by $55 million for the year ended December 31, 2008, compared to $53 million for the year ended December 31, 2007. For a discussion of the results of operations for the Closed Block Business, see “—Results of Operations of Closed Block Business,” below.
2007 to 2006 Annual Comparison. Income from continuing operations attributable to the Closed Block Business for the year ended December 31, 2007, was $190 million, or $68.50 per share of Class B stock, compared to $284 million, or $108.00 per share of Class B Stock, for the year ended December 31, 2006. The direct equity adjustment decreased income from continuing operations available to the Class B Stock holders for earnings per share purposes by $53 million for the year ended December 31, 2007, compared to $68 million for the year ended December 31, 2006. For a discussion of the results of operations for the Closed Block Business, see “—Results of Operations of Closed Block Business,” below.
Segment Measures
In managing our business, we analyze operating performance separately for our Financial Services Businesses and our Closed Block Business. For the Financial Services Businesses, we analyze our segments’ operating performance using “adjusted operating income.” Results of the Closed Block Business for all periods are evaluated and presented only in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Adjusted operating income does not equate to “income from continuing operations before income taxes and equity in earnings of operating joint ventures” or “net income” as determined in accordance with U.S. GAAP but is the measure of segment profit or loss we use to evaluate segment performance and allocate resources, and consistent with SFAS No. 131, “Disclosures about Segments of an Enterprise and Related Information,” is our measure of segment performance.
Adjusted operating income is calculated for the segments of the Financial Services Businesses by adjusting each segment’s “income from continuing operations before income taxes and equity in earnings of operating joint ventures” for the following items:
| • | realized investment gains (losses), net, except as indicated below, and related charges and adjustments; |
| • | net investment gains and losses on trading account assets supporting insurance liabilities and changes in experience-rated contractholder liabilities due to asset value changes; |
| • | the contribution to income/loss of divested businesses that have been or will be sold or exited that do not qualify for “discontinued operations” accounting treatment under U.S. GAAP; and |
| • | equity in earnings of operating joint ventures. |
The items above are important to an understanding of our overall results of operations. Adjusted operating income is not a substitute for income determined in accordance with U.S. GAAP, and our definition of adjusted operating income may differ from that used by other companies. However, we believe that the presentation of adjusted operating income as we measure it for management purposes enhances understanding of our results of operations by highlighting the results from ongoing operations and the underlying profitability of the Financial Services Businesses.
Adjusted operating income excludes “Realized investment gains (losses), net,” except as indicated below, and related charges and adjustments. A significant element of realized investment gains and losses are impairments and credit-related and interest rate-related gains and losses from sales of securities. Impairments and losses from sales of credit-impaired securities, the timing of which depends largely on market credit cycles, can
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vary considerably across periods. The timing of other sales that would result in gains or losses, such as interest rate-related gains or losses, is largely subject to our discretion and influenced by market opportunities, as well as our tax profile. Trends in the underlying profitability of our businesses can be more clearly identified without the fluctuating effects of these transactions. Similarly, adjusted operating income excludes investment gains and losses on trading account assets supporting insurance liabilities and changes in experience-rated contractholder liabilities due to asset value changes, because these recorded changes in asset and liability values are expected to ultimately accrue to the contractholders. Adjusted operating income excludes the results of divested businesses because they are not relevant to understanding our ongoing operating results. The contributions to income/loss of wind-down businesses that we have not divested remain in adjusted operating income. See Note 20 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further information on the presentation of segment results.
As noted above, certain “Realized investment gains (losses), net,” are included in adjusted operating income. We include in adjusted operating income the portion of our realized investment gains and losses on derivatives that arise from the termination of contracts used to hedge our foreign currency earnings in the same period that the expected earnings emerge. Similarly, we include in adjusted operating income the portion of our realized investment gains and losses on derivatives that represent current period yield adjustments. The realized investment gains or losses from products that are free standing derivatives, or contain embedded derivatives, along with the realized investment gains or losses from associated derivative portfolios that are part of an economic hedging program related to the risk of these products, are included in adjusted operating income. Adjusted operating income also includes those realized investment gains and losses that represent profit or loss of certain of our businesses which primarily originate investments for sale or syndication to unrelated investors.
Results of Operations for Financial Services Businesses by Segment
U.S. Retirement Solutions and Investment Management Division
Individual Annuities
Operating Results
The following table sets forth the Individual Annuities segment’s operating results for the periods indicated.
| Year ended December 31, | ||||||||||||
| 2008 | 2007 |
2006 | ||||||||||
| (in millions) | ||||||||||||
| Operating results: |
||||||||||||
| Revenues |
$ | 1,999 | $ | 2,503 | $ | 2,101 | ||||||
| Benefits and expenses |
3,076 | 1,781 | 1,515 | |||||||||
| Adjusted operating income |
(1,077 | ) | 722 | 586 | ||||||||
| Realized investment gains (losses), net, and related adjustments(1) |
(153 | ) | (62 | ) | (72 | ) | ||||||
| Related charges(1)(2) |
12 | 12 | 25 | |||||||||
| Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes and equity in earnings of operating joint ventures acquisition and cumulative effect of accounting change |
$ | (1,218 | ) | $ | 672 | $ | 539 | |||||
| (1) | Revenues exclude Realized investment gains (losses), net, and related charges and adjustments. The related charges represent payments related to the market value adjustment features of certain of our annuity products. See “—Realized Investment Gains and Losses and General Account Investments—Realized Investment Gains and Losses.” |
| (2) | Benefits and expenses exclude related charges which represent the unfavorable (favorable) impact of Realized investment gains (losses), net, on change in reserves and the amortization of deferred policy acquisition costs, deferred sales inducements and value of business acquired. |
On June 1, 2006, we acquired the variable annuity business of The Allstate Corporation, or Allstate, through a reinsurance transaction for $635 million of total consideration, consisting primarily of a $628 million ceding commission. Our initial investment in the business was approximately $600 million, consisting of the total consideration, offset by the related tax benefits and an additional contribution of $94 million to meet regulatory capital requirements. See Note 3 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further discussion of this acquisition.
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Adjusted Operating Income
2008 to 2007 Annual Comparison. Adjusted operating income decreased $1.799 billion, from $722 million in 2007 to a loss of $1.077 billion in 2008. Adjusted operating income for 2008 included charges of $1.160 billion, reflecting the impact of the annual reviews of, and market performance adjustment to, the reserves for the guaranteed minimum death and income benefit features of our variable annuity products and our estimate of total gross profits used as a basis for amortizing deferred policy acquisition and other costs. The total charge of $1.160 billion in 2008 included $380 million of charges from the annual reviews, which were completed in the third quarter of 2008, and $780 million of charges relating to additional market performance adjustments in the fourth quarter of 2008. Adjusted operating income for 2007 included $30 million of benefits from the annual reviews.
The charges from the annual reviews of $380 million in 2008 included $265 million relating to reserve increases for the guaranteed minimum death and income benefit features of our variable annuity products and $115 million related to increased amortization of deferred policy acquisition and other costs. The charge relating to increased amortization of deferred policy acquisition and other costs primarily reflects the impact on gross profits of market value decreases in the underlying assets associated with our variable annuity products. The reserve increases for the guaranteed minimum death and income benefit features of our variable annuity products also reflects this impact, as well as increased cost of expected income and death benefit claims due to lower expected lapse rates for policies where the current policyholder account value is below the guaranteed minimum death benefit. Adjusted operating income for 2007 included $30 million of benefits from the annual reviews, reflecting market value increases in the underlying assets associated with our variable annuity products, and decreased cost of actual and expected death claims, partially offset by the impact of model refinements and higher expected lapse rates for the variable annuity business acquired from Allstate.
As discussed above, results for 2008 also include $780 million of charges associated with market performance related adjustments to our estimate of total gross profits to reflect actual fund performance in the fourth quarter of 2008. In light of recent market conditions, beginning in the fourth quarter of 2008 we determined that adjustments to our estimate of total gross profits to reflect actual fund performance and any corresponding changes to the future rate of return assumptions should no longer be dependent on a comparison to a statistically generated range of estimated gross profits. Instead, for purposes of evaluating deferred policy acquisition and other costs and the reserves for the guaranteed minimum death and income benefit features of our variable annuity products, total estimated gross profits are updated for these items each quarter. Market value declines in the fourth quarter of 2008 decreased our estimates of total gross profits by establishing a new, lower starting point for the variable annuity account values used in estimating gross profits for future periods. The decrease in our estimate of total gross profits results in a higher required rate of amortization, which is applied to all prior periods’ gross profits. The resulting cumulative adjustment to prior amortization is recognized in the current period. In addition, the higher rate of amortization will also be applied to future gross profits in calculating amortization in future periods which, all else being equal, will result in lower net profits in future periods.
We continue to derive our future rate of return assumptions using a reversion to the mean approach, a common industry practice. Under this approach, we consider actual returns over a period of time and initially adjust future projected returns over a four year period so that the assets grow at the long-term expected rate of return for the entire period. However, beginning in the second half of 2008, the projected future rate of return calculated using the reversion to the mean approach for most contract groups was greater than 10.5%, our current maximum future rate of return assumption across all asset types for this business. In those cases we utilized the maximum future rate of return over the four year period, thereby limiting the impact of the reversion to the mean, and further decreasing our estimate of total gross profits. Further or continued market declines could result in additional market depreciation within our separate account assets and corresponding decreases in our gross profits, as well as additional adjustments to the amortization of deferred policy acquisition and other costs, and the costs relating to the reserves for the guaranteed minimum death and income benefit features of our variable annuity products. Given that the estimates of future gross profits for most contract groups are already based upon our maximum future rate of return assumption as discussed above, all else being equal, further market movements could have a greater impact on the amortization of deferred policy acquisition and other costs, and the costs relating to the reserves for the guaranteed minimum death and income benefit features of our variable annuity products, in comparison to prior periods.
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The above adjustment for market performance included $443 million relating to increased amortization of deferred policy acquisition and other costs and $337 million relating to reserve increases for the guaranteed minimum death and income benefit features of our variable annuity products. Included within the $443 million of increased amortization of deferred policy acquisition and other costs is a $234 million loss recognition charge to further reduce the balance of valuation of business acquired, or VOBA, related to the variable annuity contracts acquired from Allstate. The additional charge was required as the VOBA balance for those contracts otherwise would have been in excess of the present value of estimated future gross profits. Since the VOBA balance for the Allstate contracts now equals the present value of estimated future gross profits, we expect gross profits for these contracts in future periods will be essentially offset by the related VOBA amortization.
Absent the effect of the annual reviews and market performance adjustments discussed above, adjusted operating income for 2008 decreased $609 million from 2007. Contributing to this decrease is a $481 million unfavorable variance in the mark-to-market of embedded derivatives and related hedge positions associated with our living benefit features. The primary risk exposures of these benefit features relate to actual deviations from, or changes to, the assumptions used in their original pricing, including equity market returns, interest rates, market volatility, timing of annuitization and withdrawals, contract lapses and contractholder mortality. Together with certain product design elements, our capital markets hedging program is designed to limit our exposure to the equity market, interest rate, and market volatility risk inherent in these products, as part of our overall risk management strategy. The unfavorable variance in our hedging results reflects a charge of $438 million in 2008 compared to a benefit of $43 million in 2007, and was largely due to unfavorable basis risk, primarily reflecting the underperformance of the underlying separate account funds relative to the performance of the market indices we utilized as a basis for developing our hedging strategy, driven by financial market conditions in 2008. The charge in 2008 includes an $86 million benefit for an update of the assumptions used in the valuation of the embedded derivatives, primarily relating to an update of implied volatility ratios to better match the actual equity indices referenced. Given the sensitivity of the fair value of both the embedded derivatives and related hedge positions to financial market conditions, the variance related to the mark-to-market of these items for a given period will be largely dependent on the financial market conditions throughout the period. For additional information regarding the methodology used in determining the fair value of the embedded derivatives associated with our living benefit features, see “—Valuation of Assets and Liabilities—Fair Value of Assets and Liabilities—Valuation of Variable Annuity Optional Living Benefit Features.”
Also contributing to the decrease in adjusted operating income in 2008 was a decrease in fee income, driven by lower average variable annuity asset balances invested in separate accounts. The declines in separate account assets were due to market depreciation and transfers of balances to a fixed rate general account option. The transfer of balances to our general account relates to an automatic rebalancing element in some of our living benefit features, which, as part of the overall product design, transferred approximately $10 billion of investments in 2008, out of the separate accounts and into our general account due to equity market declines. Higher average annuity account values invested in our general account resulting from these transfers also led to improved investment results, which partially offset the decrease in fee income. Also serving as a partial offset to the decrease in adjusted operating income in 2008 was a decrease in the amortization of deferred policy acquisition costs and other costs, absent the effect of the annual reviews and market performance adjustments discussed above. The decrease primarily reflects the impact on gross profits of the unfavorable variance in the mark-to-market of embedded derivatives and related hedge positions associated with our living benefit features and the decrease in fee income, partially offset by the quarterly adjustments for current period experience, as explained below.
The quarterly adjustments for current period experience referred to above reflect the cumulative impact of differences between actual gross profits for the period and the previously estimated expected gross profits for the period, as well as an update for current and future expected claims costs associated with the guaranteed minimum death and income benefit features of our variable annuity products. Total estimated gross profits, including actual experience and estimates for future periods, are used as the basis for amortizing deferred policy acquisition and other costs. In addition, total estimated revenues and guaranteed benefit claims, which are components of total gross profits, are used for establishing the reserves for the guaranteed minimum death and income benefit features of our variable annuity products. To the extent each period’s actual experience differs from the previous estimate for that period, the assumed level of total gross profits may change, and a cumulative adjustment to previous periods’ costs, referred to as an adjustment for current period experience, may be required. Adjusted operating income for 2008 includes charges of $174 million relating to these quarterly adjustments, due to less
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favorable than expected experience, while 2007 includes benefits of $53 million due to better than expected experience. The adjustments for deferred policy acquisition and other costs totaled $81 million in 2008 and resulted from less favorable than expected gross profits, due primarily to lower than expected fee income and the unfavorable variance in the mark-to-market of embedded derivatives and related hedge positions associated with our living benefit features. In addition to these drivers, the adjustments for the reserves for the guaranteed minimum death and income benefit features of our variable annuity products in 2008, which totaled $93 million, also reflected higher actual contract guarantee claims costs in 2008, primarily driven by financial market conditions.
During the fourth quarter of 2008, we impaired the entire $97 million of goodwill related to our acquisition of the variable annuity business of Allstate. This impairment is reflective of continued deterioration of financial market conditions, which resulted in additional market depreciation within our separate account assets and corresponding decreases in our fee income and overall expected future earnings for our individual annuities business. See “Accounting Policies & Pronouncements—Application of Critical Accounting Estimates—Goodwill” for further discussion of the assumptions and methodologies used to determine the goodwill impairment.
2007 to 2006 Annual Comparison. Adjusted operating income increased $136 million, from $586 million in 2006 to $722 million in 2007. Results for both periods include the impact of annual reviews of our estimate of total gross profits used as a basis for amortizing deferred policy acquisition and other costs and the reserve for the guaranteed minimum death and income benefit features of our variable annuity products. Adjusted operating income for 2007 included a $30 million benefit from this annual review, reflecting market value increases in the underlying assets associated with our variable annuity products, and decreased cost of actual and expected death claims, partially offset by the impact of model refinements and higher expected lapse rates for the variable annuity business acquired from Allstate. Adjusted operating income for 2006 included a $37 million benefit from the annual review, primarily reflecting improved net interest spread from increased investment yields.
Absent the effect of the annual reviews discussed above, adjusted operating income for 2007 increased $143 million from 2006. Adjusted operating income from the variable annuity business acquired from Allstate, excluding the impact of the annual review discussed above, increased $27 million, reflecting a $81 million contribution for 2007, compared to $54 million for 2006, which reflects results only for the initial seven months of operations from the date of acquisition. The remainder of the increase came primarily from higher fee income driven by higher average asset balances from market appreciation and positive net asset flows in our variable annuity account values. Also contributing to the increase was a $17 million favorable variance in the mark-to-market of embedded derivatives and related hedge positions associated with our living benefit features, net of amortization of deferred policy acquisition and other costs. Partially offsetting these items was an increase in amortization of deferred policy acquisition and other costs reflecting increased gross profits in 2007, and an increase in general and administrative expenses, net of capitalization, reflecting higher distribution and asset management costs associated with growth in variable annuity account values, as well as growth of the business. In addition, interest expense increased driven by higher borrowings related to growth of the business, and net investment income, net of interest credited to policyholders’ account balances, decreased primarily as a result of declining annuity account values invested in our general account, reflecting our emphasis on sales of variable annuities together with asset allocation requirements associated with the living benefit features we offer in our variable annuity products.
The contribution of the acquired Allstate business to adjusted operating income for 2007, excluding the impact of the annual review discussed above, consists of revenues of $383 million and benefits and expenses of $302 million. Revenues from the acquired business consisted primarily of policy charges and fees of $254 million, net investment income of $70 million and asset management fees and other income of $54 million. Benefits and expenses from this business, excluding the impact of the annual review discussed above, consisted primarily of general and administrative expenses, net of capitalization, of $204 million and policyholders’ benefits, including interest credited to policyholders’ account balances, of $93 million.
Revenues
2008 to 2007 Annual Comparison Revenues, as shown in the table above under “—Operating Results,” decreased $504 million, from $2.503 billion in 2007 to $1.999 billion in 2008. Policy charges and fees and asset management fees and other income decreased $718 million, including a $481 million unfavorable variance in the
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mark-to-market of embedded derivatives and related hedge positions associated with our living benefit features, as discussed above. Also contributing to the decrease in policy charges and fees and asset management fees and other income is a decrease in fee income driven by lower average variable annuity asset balances invested in separate accounts due to market depreciation and the transfer of balances to our general account relating to an automatic rebalancing element in some of our living benefit features, as discussed above. Partially offsetting this decrease, net investment income increased $220 million reflecting higher average annuity account values invested in our general account, also resulting from these transfers.
2007 to 2006 Annual Comparison. Revenues increased $402 million, from $2.101 billion in 2006 to $2.503 billion in 2007, including increased revenues of $162 million related to the variable annuity business acquired from Allstate. The remainder of the increase in revenues came primarily from a $314 million increase in policy charges and fees and asset management fees and other income reflecting an increase in variable annuity account values driven by changes in average market value and positive net flows. Included in the increase in asset management fees and other income is a $37 million favorable variance in the mark-to-market of embedded derivatives and related hedge positions associated with our living benefit features. Partially offsetting these items was a $62 million decrease in net investment income, excluding the impact from the business acquired from Allstate, primarily as a result of declining annuity account values invested in our general account, as discussed above.
Benefits and Expenses
2008 to 2007 Annual Comparison Benefits and expenses, as shown in the table above under “—Operating Results,” increased $1.295 billion, from $1.781 billion in 2007 to $3.076 billion in 2008. Absent the impact of the annual reviews and the market performance adjustments discussed above, which account for $1.190 billion of the increase, benefits and expenses increased $105 million. On this basis, policyholders’ benefits, including changes in reserves, increased $110 million primarily reflecting the impact of the quarterly adjustments for current period experience relating to the reserves for the guaranteed minimum death and income benefit features of our variable annuity products, as discussed above. Also on this basis, interest credited to policyholders’ account balances increased $100 million primarily reflecting higher average annuity account values invested in our general account resulting from transfers relating to an automatic rebalancing element in some of our living benefit features. In addition, general and administrative expenses, net of capitalization, for 2008 includes the $97 million goodwill impairment. Partially offsetting these increases was a decrease in the amortization of deferred policy acquisition and other costs, absent the effect of the annual reviews and market performance adjustments discussed above, primarily reflecting the impact on gross profits of the unfavorable variance in the mark-to-market of embedded derivatives and related hedge positions associated with some of our living benefit features and the decrease in fee income, partially offset by the quarterly adjustments for current period experience relating to the amortization of deferred policy acquisition and other costs.
2007 to 2006 Annual Comparison. Benefits and expenses increased $266 million, from $1.515 billion in 2006 to $1.781 billion in 2007. Excluding the impact of the annual reviews discussed above and increased benefits and expenses of $135 million related to the variable annuity business acquired from Allstate, benefits and expenses increased $124 million from 2006 to 2007. Contributing to this increase is a $88 million increase in general and administrative expenses, net of capitalization, due to higher distribution and asset management costs associated with growth in variable annuity account values, and growth of the business. Also contributing to this increase was a $58 million increase in amortization of deferred policy acquisition costs reflecting increased gross profits in the current period. In addition, interest expense increased $9 million, driven by higher borrowings related to growth of the business. Partially offsetting these items was an $31 million reduction in policyholders’ benefits, including interest credited to policyholders’ account balances, primarily reflecting a decrease in interest credited to policyholders resulting from declining annuity account values invested in our general account, as discussed above.
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Account Values
The following table sets forth changes in account values for the individual annuity business, for the periods indicated. For our individual annuity business, assets are reported at account value, and net sales (redemptions) are gross sales minus redemptions or surrenders and withdrawals, as applicable.
| Year ended December 31, | ||||||||||||
| 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | ||||||||||
| (in millions) | ||||||||||||
| Variable Annuities(1): |
||||||||||||
| Beginning total account value |
$ | 80,330 | $ | 74,555 | $ | 50,778 | ||||||
| Sales |
10,208 | 11,678 | 9,593 | |||||||||
| Surrenders and withdrawals |
(8,000 | ) | (9,568 | ) | (7,722 | ) | ||||||
| Net sales |
2,208 | 2,110 | 1,871 | |||||||||
| Benefit payments |
(1,057 | ) | (1,131 | ) | (918 | ) | ||||||
| Net flows |
1,151 | 979 | 953 | |||||||||
| Change in market value, interest credited and other activity |
(20,353 | ) | 6,076 | 7,448 | ||||||||
| Policy charges |
(1,121 | ) | (1,280 | ) | (936 | ) | ||||||
| Acquisition |
— | — | 16,312 | |||||||||
| Ending total account value(2) |
$ | 60,007 | $ | 80,330 | $ | 74,555 | ||||||
| Fixed Annuities: |
||||||||||||
| Beginning total account value |
$ | 3,488 | $ | 3,748 | $ | 3,991 | ||||||
| Sales |
121 | 73 | 119 | |||||||||
| Surrenders and withdrawals |
(276 | ) | (286 | ) | (313 | ) | ||||||
| Net redemptions |
(155 | ) | (213 | ) | (194 | ) | ||||||
| Benefit payments |
(160 | ) | (167 | ) | (176 | ) | ||||||
| Net flows |
(315 | ) | (380 | ) | (370 | ) | ||||||
| Interest credited and other activity |
127 | 124 | 131 | |||||||||
| Policy charges |
(5 | ) | (4 | ) | (4 | ) | ||||||
| Ending total account value |
$ | 3,295 | $ | 3,488 | $ | 3,748 | ||||||
| (1) | Variable annuities include only those sold as retail investment products. Investments through defined contribution plan products are included with such products within the Retirement segment. |
| (2) | As of December 31, 2008, variable annuity account values are invested in equity funds ($18 billion or 30%), market value adjusted or fixed rate options ($14 billion or 24%), balanced funds ($13 billion or 21%), bond funds ($9 billion or 15%), and other ($6 billion or 10%). Variable annuity account values with living benefit features were $33.1 billion, $37.2 billion, and $28.4 billion as of December 31, 2008, 2007, and 2006, respectively. See Note 9 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information regarding the net amount at risk related to our variable annuity benefit features. |
2008 to 2007 Annual Comparison Total account values for fixed and variable annuities amounted to $63.3 billion as of December 31, 2008, a decrease of $20.5 billion from December 31, 2007. The decrease came primarily from decreases in the market value of customers’ variable annuities due to significant equity market declines. Individual variable annuity gross sales decreased by $1.5 billion, from $11.7 billion in 2007 to $10.2 billion in 2008 and individual variable annuity surrenders and withdrawals decreased by $1.6 billion, from $9.6 billion in 2007 to $8.0 billion in 2008, reflecting the decrease in both inflows and outflows which generally occurs during periods of market volatility and equity market decline. The decrease in individual variable annuity surrenders and withdrawals also reflects lower lapses for policies where the current policyholder account value is below the guaranteed minimum death benefit.
2007 to 2006 Annual Comparison. Total account values for fixed and variable annuities amounted to $83.8 billion as of December 31, 2007, an increase of $5.5 billion from December 31, 2006. The increase came primarily from increases in the market value of customers’ variable annuities and positive variable annuity net flows. Individual variable annuity gross sales increased by $2.1 billion, from $9.6 billion in 2006 to $11.7 billion in 2007, reflecting increased sales of $838 million related to the business acquired from Allstate, increased sales from our optional living benefit product features, and growth of our distribution relationships. Individual variable
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annuity surrenders and withdrawals increased by $1.9 billion, from $7.7 billion in 2006 to $9.6 billion in 2007, including increased surrenders and withdrawals of $1.1 billion related to the business acquired from Allstate, as well as the impact of higher average account values due to market appreciation.
Retirement
Operating Results
The following table sets forth the Retirement segment’s operating results for the periods indicated.
| Year ended December 31, | ||||||||||||
| 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | ||||||||||
| (in millions) | ||||||||||||
| Operating results: |
||||||||||||
| Revenues |
$ | 4,844 | $ | 4,708 | $ | 4,379 | ||||||
| Benefits and expenses |
4,313 | 4,226 | 3,869 | |||||||||
| Adjusted operating income |
531 | 482 | 510 | |||||||||
| Realized investment gains (losses), net, and related adjustments(1) |
(1,076 | ) | (128 | ) | (138 | ) | ||||||
| Related charges(2) |
7 | (1 | ) | 5 | ||||||||
| Investment gains (losses) on trading account assets supporting insurance liabilities, net(3) |
(1,364 | ) | 97 | 9 | ||||||||
| Change in experience-rated contractholder liabilities due to asset value changes(4) |
793 | (86 | ) | 39 | ||||||||
| Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes and equity in earnings of operating joint ventures |
$ | (1,109 | ) | $ | 364 | $ | 425 | |||||
| (1) | Revenues exclude Realized investment gains (losses), net, and related adjustments. See “—Realized Investment Gains and Losses and General Account Investments—Realized Investment Gains and Losses.” |
| (2) | Benefits and expenses exclude related charges which represent the unfavorable (favorable) impact of Realized investment gains (losses), net, on change in reserves and the amortization of deferred policy acquisition costs. |
| (3) | Revenues exclude net investment gains and losses on trading account assets supporting insurance liabilities. See “—Investment Gains and Losses on Trading Account Assets Supporting Insurance Liabilities and Changes in Experience-Rated Contractholder Liabilities Due to Asset Value Changes.” |
| (4) | Benefits and expenses exclude changes in contractholder liabilities due to asset value changes in the pool of investments supporting these experience-rated contracts. See “—Investment Gains and Losses on Trading Account Assets Supporting Insurance Liabilities and Changes in Experience-Rated Contractholder Liabilities Due to Asset Value Changes.” |
On April 1, 2004, we acquired the retirement business of CIGNA Corporation for cash consideration of $2.1 billion. Beginning April 1, 2004, the results of the former CIGNA retirement business have been included in our consolidated results. The majority of these results are reflected within our Retirement segment, as discussed below, and the remaining portion is reflected in our Asset Management segment. In addition, as a result of a change in the reinsurance arrangement governing the purchase of the guaranteed cost business from CIGNA, the results of this business that were previously presented on a net basis in “Asset management fees and other income” are, beginning on April 1, 2006, presented on a gross basis in our results of operations. See Note 3 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further discussion of this acquisition, including a discussion of the change in the reinsurance arrangement associated with the guaranteed cost business.
On December 31, 2007 we acquired a portion of Union Bank of California, N.A.’s, or UBOC’s, retirement business, including $7.3 billion in full service retirement account values, for $103 million of cash consideration. The retirement account values related to this acquisition primarily consist of mutual funds and other client assets we administer, and are not reported on our balance sheet. The integration of this business was completed in the second quarter of 2008.
On October 10, 2008, we acquired MullinTBG Insurance Agency Services, LLC and related entities, or MullinTBG, a provider of executive benefit solutions and financing strategies, including nonqualified executive deferred compensation plans. The acquisition included $8.9 billion of nonqualified full service retirement account values that we administer, which are not reported on our balance sheet.
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Adjusted Operating Income
2008 to 2007 Annual Comparison. Adjusted operating income for the Retirement segment increased $49 million, from $482 million in 2007 to $531 million in 2008. Included within adjusted operating income in 2007 is an $82 million charge reflecting payments made to plan clients related to a legal action filed against an unaffiliated asset manager, State Street Global Advisors, Inc., or SSgA. This action seeks, among other relief, restitution of certain losses experienced by plan clients attributable to certain investment funds managed by SSgA as to which we believe SSgA employed investment strategies and practices that were misrepresented by SSgA and failed to exercise the standard of care of a prudent investment manager. In order to protect the interests of the affected plans and their participants while we pursue these remedies, we have made payments to affected plan clients that authorize us to proceed on their behalf. In addition, adjusted operating income for 2008 includes a $29 million benefit from a reduction in the amortization of valuation of business acquired due to a cumulative adjustment relating to the calculation of actual and expected gross profits.
Excluding the items discussed above, adjusted operating income for 2008 decreased $62 million compared to 2007, reflecting lower adjusted operating income in our full service business, partially offset by improved results for our institutional investment products business. The decrease relating to the full service business was primarily attributable to higher general and administrative expenses, driven by expenses incurred to expand our product and service capabilities and to support several large client sales in 2008, and lower asset management fees, driven by a decrease in average full service fee-based retirement account values primarily resulting from equity market depreciation. Also contributing to the decrease in the full service business was a $15 million unfavorable variance in the mark-to-market of embedded derivatives and related hedge positions associated with guaranteed minimum withdrawal benefits associated with certain defined contribution accounts. This unfavorable variance includes the impact of 2008 equity markets on these benefit features, prior to the implementation of our hedging of this equity market risk during the fourth quarter of 2008. In addition, adjusted operating income for 2008 includes an $8 million loss relating to the acquired retirement business of UBOC. Results from this acquisition include costs related to an interim service agreement with UBOC, which covered the integration period, as well as $6 million of transition costs. Improved results in our institutional investment products business were driven by a greater benefit from reserve refinements of $50 million, primarily reflecting updates of client census data on our group annuity blocks of business, as well as more favorable case experience related to our group annuity blocks of business. Partially offsetting these increases was an unfavorable variance in the mark-to-market of equity investments required in certain of our separate account products.
2007 to 2006 Annual Comparison. Adjusted operating income for the Retirement segment decreased $28 million, from $510 million in 2006 to $482 million in 2007. Included within adjusted operating income in 2007 is an $82 million charge related to payments made to plan clients associated with a legal action filed against an unaffiliated asset manager, as discussed above. Excluding this charge, adjusted operating income for 2007 increased $54 million compared to 2006, reflecting improved results from both our full service and institutional investment products businesses. The full service business benefited primarily from higher fees, driven by increases in full service retirement account values related primarily to market appreciation. Contributing to the increase to a lesser extent was the lack of transition expenses in 2007, as 2006 included $6 million of transition expenses related to the completion of the integration of the retirement business acquired from CIGNA. Partially offsetting these items within the full service business was an increase in general and administrative expenses driven by expenses incurred to expand our product and service capabilities. In addition, adjusted operating income for 2006 included a benefit from the disposition of real estate within an investment joint venture. In our institutional investment products business, a greater contribution from investment results, primarily due to a larger base of invested assets and higher portfolio yields, and improved case experience were partially offset by a decrease in the level of mortgage prepayment income and a lower benefit from reserve refinements reflecting updates of client census data on a group annuity block of business. Contributing to the higher portfolio yields in 2007 is the benefit from the sale of lower yielding bonds and reinvestment of proceeds at higher available interest rates, which primarily occurred in the first half of 2006. The realized investment losses generated from these sales are excluded from adjusted operating income. For a discussion of realized investment gains and losses, including those related to changes in interest rates, see “—Realized Investment Gains and Losses and General Account Investments—Realized Investment Gains and Losses.”
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Revenues
2008 to 2007 Annual Comparison. Revenues, as shown in the table above under “—Operating Results,” increased $136 million, from $4.708 billion in 2007 to $4.844 billion in 2008. Premiums increased $261 million, driven by higher life-contingent structured settlement and single premium group annuity sales, and resulted in a corresponding increase in policyholders’ benefits, including the change in policy reserves, as discussed below. Partially offsetting this increase, net investment income decreased $112 million, primarily reflecting lower portfolio yields, including lower interest rates on floating rate investments due to rate resets, lower balances of investments supported by borrowings, negative earnings in 2008 relating to a single equity method investment in a fixed income fund and an unfavorable variance in the mark-to-market of equity investments required in certain of our separate account products. These items, resulting in a decrease to net investment income, were partially offset by a larger base of invested assets, driven by sales of guaranteed investment and structured settlement products in the institutional and retail markets and full service participant transfers from our equity based separate account products to our general account stable value products, and the accretion into net investment income in 2008 of $23 million relating to fixed maturity other-than-temporary impairments recognized in previous periods. For a further discussion of our policies regarding other-than-temporary declines in investment value, the related methodology for recording fixed maturity other-than-temporary impairments and the subsequent accretion into net investment income, see “—Realized Investment Gains and Losses and General Account Investments—Realized Investment Gains and Losses” below.
In addition, policy charges and fee income and asset management fees and other income decreased $13 million, primarily due to a decline in asset management fees, driven by a decrease in average full service fee-based retirement account values primarily resulting from equity market depreciation, as well as full service participant transfers from our equity based separate account products to our general account stable value products. Also contributing to the decline was an unfavorable variance in the mark-to-market of embedded derivatives and related hedge positions associated with the guaranteed minimum withdrawal benefits associated with certain defined contribution accounts, driven by financial market conditions in 2008. Partially offsetting these decreases in policy charges and fee income and asset management fees and other income was $22 million of revenues associated with the acquired retirement business of UBOC and $12 million of revenues associated with the acquired operations of MullinTBG, as well as increased net settlements on interest rate swaps used to manage the duration of the investment portfolio.
2007 to 2006 Annual Comparison. Revenues increased $329 million, from $4.379 billion in 2006 to $4.708 billion in 2007. Net investment income increased $251 million, primarily due to a larger base of invested assets due to sales of guaranteed investment products in the institutional and retail markets and higher portfolio yields, partially offset by a benefit in 2006 from the disposition of real estate within an investment joint venture and decreases in the level of mortgage prepayment income. Also contributing to the increase in net investment income is $24 million relating to the change in the reinsurance arrangement with respect to the guaranteed cost business acquired from CIGNA. Due to this change, the results of this business, which were previously presented on a net basis in “Asset management fees and other income” are, beginning on April 1, 2006, presented on a gross basis in our results of operations. In addition, asset management fees and other income increased $50 million reflecting growth in fees due to higher full service retirement account values primarily resulting from market appreciation. Premiums increased $35 million, driven by higher single premium group annuity and life-contingent structured settlement sales, and resulted in a corresponding increase in policyholders’ benefits, including the change in policy reserves, as discussed below.
Benefits and Expenses
2008 to 2007 Annual Comparison. Benefits and expenses, as shown in the table above under “—Operating Results,” increased $87 million, from $4.226 billion in 2007 to $4.313 billion in 2008. Policyholders’ benefits, including the change in policy reserves, increased $176 million primarily reflecting the increase in premiums on higher life-contingent structured settlement and single premium group annuity sales discussed above, partially offset by an increased benefit from reserve refinements primarily reflecting updates of client census data on our group annuity blocks of business, more favorable case experience related to our group annuity blocks of business and lower interest on general account reserves. In addition, interest credited to policyholders’ account balances increased $71 million, primarily reflecting a greater base of guaranteed investment products sold in the institutional and retail markets and higher full service general account stable value product account values from participant transfers from equity based separate account products, partially offset by lower crediting rates on
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floating rate guaranteed investment product liabilities due to rate resets. Partially offsetting these increases was a $123 million decrease in interest expense, primarily reflecting lower borrowings used to support investments and lower interest rates on these borrowings. Also serving as a partial offset, general and administrative expenses, net of capitalization, decreased $43 million, including the impact of the $82 million charge in 2007 related to payments made to plan clients associated with a legal action filed against an unaffiliated asset manager and the $29 million benefit in 2008 from a cumulative adjustment relating to valuation of business acquired discussed above. Excluding these items, general and administrative expenses, net of capitalization increased $68 million, driven by expenses incurred to expand our full service product and service capabilities, including costs associated with the acquired retirement business of UBOC and acquired operations of MullinTBG, expenses incurred to support several large client sales in 2008 and a $12 million charge in 2008 for one-time costs associated with certain cost reduction programs. General and administrative expenses, net of capitalization, includes $30 million of costs in 2008 associated with the acquired retirement business of UBOC, including costs related to an interim services agreement with UBOC, which covered the integration period, as well as $6 million of transition costs, and $13 million of costs related to the operations of MullinTGB.
2007 to 2006 Annual Comparison. Benefits and expenses increased $357 million, from $3.869 billion in 2006 to $4.226 billion in 2007. Interest credited to policyholders’ account balances increased $220 million, primarily reflecting higher interest credited on a greater base of guaranteed investment products sold in the institutional and retail markets and higher crediting rates on general account liabilities. General and administrative expenses, net of capitalization, increased $88 million primarily reflecting payments made to plan clients related to a legal action filed against an unaffiliated asset manager, as discussed above, and increased expenses incurred to expand our full service product and service capabilities. In addition, policyholders’ benefits, including the change in policy reserves, increased $41 million primarily reflecting the increase in premiums on higher single premium group annuity and life-contingent structured settlement sales discussed above, as well as a lower benefit from reserve refinements relating to updates of client census data on a group annuity block of business. Also contributing to the increase in policyholders’ benefits is a $21 million increase due to the change in the reinsurance arrangement with respect to the guaranteed cost business acquired from CIGNA discussed above. These increases in policyholders’ benefits were partially offset by improved case experience in 2007.
Sales Results and Account Values
The following table shows the changes in the account values and net additions (withdrawals) of Retirement segment products for the periods indicated. Net additions (withdrawals) are deposits and sales or additions, as applicable, minus withdrawals and benefits. These concepts do not correspond to revenues under U.S. GAAP, but are used as a relevant measure of business activity.
| Year ended December 31, | ||||||||||||
| 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | ||||||||||
| (in millions) | ||||||||||||
| Full Service(1): |
||||||||||||
| Beginning total account value |
$ | 112,192 | $ | 97,430 | $ | 88,385 | ||||||
| Deposits and sales |
18,941 | 14,692 | 16,156 | |||||||||
| Withdrawals and benefits |
(15,051 | ) | (13,749 | ) | (15,989 | ) | ||||||
| Change in market value, interest credited and interest income(2) |
(25,259 | ) | 6,563 | 8,878 | ||||||||
| Acquisition(3) |
8,915 | 7,256 | — | |||||||||
| Ending total account value |
$ | 99,738 | $ | 112,192 | $ | 97,430 | ||||||
| Net additions (withdrawals) |
$ | 3,890 | $ | 943 | $ | 167 | ||||||
| Institutional Investment Products(4): |
||||||||||||
| Beginning total account value |
$ | 51,591 | $ | 50,269 | $ | 48,080 | ||||||
| Additions(5) |
5,738 | 4,973 | 5,993 | |||||||||
| Withdrawals and benefits |
(7,392 | ) | (5,866 | ) | (4,881 | ) | ||||||
| Change in market value, interest credited and interest income |
2,198 | 2,765 | 2,247 | |||||||||
| Other(6) |
(1,644 | ) | (550 | ) | (1,170 | ) | ||||||
| Ending total account value |
$ | 50,491 | $ | 51,591 | $ | 50,269 | ||||||
| Net additions (withdrawals) |
$ | (1,654 | ) | $ | (893 | ) | $ | 1,112 | ||||
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| (1) | Ending total account value for the full service business includes assets of Prudential’s retirement plan of $4.6 billion, $5.7 billion and $5.6 billion as of December 31, 2008, 2007 and 2006, respectively. |
| (2) | Change in market value, interest credited and interest income includes $511 million for 2007 representing a transfer from Institutional Investment Products to Full Service as a result of one client’s change in contract form. |
| (3) | On December 31, 2007 we acquired a portion of UBOC’s retirement business, as discussed above. On October 10, 2008 we acquired MullinTBG, as discussed above. |
| (4) | Ending total account value for the institutional investment products business includes assets of Prudential’s retirement plan of $5.3 billion, $5.5 billion and $5.3 billion as of December 31, 2008, 2007 and 2006, respectively. |
| (5) | Additions includes $700 million for 2008 representing transfers of externally managed client balances to accounts we manage. This addition is offset within Other, as there is no net impact on ending account values for this transfer. |
| (6) | Other includes transfers from (to) the Asset Management segment of $432 million, $185 million and $(1,475) million for 2008, 2007, and 2006 respectively. Other also includes $(511) million for 2007 representing a transfer from Institutional Investment Products to Full Service as a result of one client’s change in contract form. Other also includes $(700) million in 2008 representing transfers of externally managed client balances to accounts we manage. The $(700) million transfer is offset within Additions, as there is no net impact on ending account values for this transfer. Remaining amounts for all periods presented primarily represent changes in asset balances for externally managed accounts. |
2008 to 2007 Annual Comparison. Account values in our full service business amounted to $99.7 billion as of December 31, 2008, a decrease of $12.5 billion from December 31, 2007. The decrease in account values was driven primarily by a decrease in the market value of customer funds due to declines in the equity markets, partially offset by $8.9 billion of account values related to the acquisition of MullinTBG and net additions of $3.9 billion. Net additions increased $2.947 billion, from $943 million in 2007 to $3.890 billion in 2008, reflecting higher new plan sales and participant contributions, partially offset by higher plan lapses. New plan sales in 2008 included ten large client sales totaling $4.5 billion, with each client sale therein totaling more than $100 million. Plan lapses in 2008 included $1.1 billion of lapses relating to account values acquired from UBOC. These lapses primarily occurred during the final stages of the conversion of acquired account values to our systems platform, which was completed in the second quarter of 2008.
Account value