UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-K
(Mark One)
ý
ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015
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: 001-07434
Aflac Incorporated
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)
(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
Georgia
58-1167100
1932 Wynnton Road, Columbus, Georgia
(Address of principal executive offices)
31999
(ZIP Code)
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: 706.323.3431
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of each class
Common Stock, $.10 Par Value
Name of each exchange on which registered
New York Stock Exchange
Tokyo Stock Exchange
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. þ
Yes ¨
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 þ
No
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None
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. þ
Yes ¨
No
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and
posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (Section 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to
submit and post such files). þ
Yes ¨
No
Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K (Section 229.405 of this chapter) 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. ¨
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 the definitions of
“large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large accelerated filer
Non-accelerated filer
þ
¨ (Do not check if smaller reporting company
Accelerated filer
Smaller reporting company
¨
¨
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). ¨
Yes þ
No
The aggregate market value of the voting common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant as of June 30, 2015 , was $27 .
The number of shares of the registrant’s common stock outstanding at February 16, 2016 , with $.10 par value, was 420,001,378 .
Certain information contained in the Notice and Proxy Statement for the Company’s Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held on May 2, 2016 , is incorporated by reference
into Part III hereof.
Documents Incorporated By Reference
Aflac Incorporated
Annual Report on Form 10-K
For the Year Ended December 31, 2015
Table of Contents
PART I
Item 1.
Business
Item 1A.
Risk Factors
Item 1B.
Unresolved Staff Comments
Item 2.
Properties
Item 3.
Legal Proceedings
Item 4.
Mine Safety Disclosures
PART II
Item 5.
Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
Item 6.
Selected Financial Data
Item 7.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Item 7A.
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
Item 8.
Financial Statements and Supplementary Data
Item 9.
Changes in and Disagreements With Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure
Item 9A.
Controls and Procedures
Item 9B.
Other Information
PART III
Item 10.
Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance
Item 11.
Executive Compensation
Item 12.
Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters
Item 13.
Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence
Item 14.
Principal Accounting Fees and Services
PART IV
Item 15.
Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules
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ITEM 1. BUSINESS
PART I
We prepare our financial statements in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). This report includes certain
forward-looking information that is based on current expectations and is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. For details on forward-
looking information, see Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (MD&A), Part II, Item 7, of this
report.
Aflac Incorporated qualifies as a large accelerated filer within the meaning of Exchange Act Rule 12b-2. Our Internet address is aflac.com. The
information on the Company's Web site is not incorporated by reference in this annual report on Form 10-K. We make available, free of charge on
our Web site, our annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and amendments thereto as soon as
reasonably practicable after those forms have been electronically filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
General Description
Aflac Incorporated (the Parent Company) was incorporated in 1973 under the laws of the state of Georgia. Aflac Incorporated is a general
business holding company and acts as a management company, overseeing the operations of its subsidiaries by providing management services
and making capital available. Its principal business is supplemental health and life insurance, which is marketed and administered through its
subsidiary, American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus (Aflac), which operates in the United States (Aflac U.S.) and as a branch in
Japan (Aflac Japan). Most of Aflac's policies are individually underwritten and marketed through independent agents. Aflac U.S. markets and
administers group products through Continental American Insurance Company (CAIC), branded as Aflac Group Insurance. Our insurance
operations in the United States and our branch in Japan service the two markets for our insurance business.
Aflac offers voluntary insurance policies in Japan and the United States that provide a layer of financial protection against income and asset
loss. We continue to diversify our product offerings in both Japan and the United States. Aflac Japan sells voluntary supplemental insurance
products, including cancer plans, general medical indemnity plans, medical/sickness riders, care plans, living benefit life plans, ordinary life
insurance plans and annuities. Aflac U.S. sells voluntary supplemental insurance products including products designed to protect individuals from
depletion of assets (accident, cancer, critical illness/ care, hospital intensive care, hospital indemnity, fixed-benefit dental, and vision care plans) and
loss-of-income products (life and short-term disability plans).
We are authorized to conduct insurance business in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, several U.S. territories and Japan. Aflac Japan's
revenues, including realized gains and losses on its investment portfolio, accounted for 70% of the Company's total revenues in 2015 , compared
with 72% in 2014 and 74% in 2013 . The percentage of the Company's total assets attributable to Aflac Japan was 83% at December 31, 2015 ,
compared with 82% at December 31, 2014 .
For information on our results of operations and financial information by segment, see MD&A and Note 2 of the Notes to the Consolidated
Financial Statements in this report.
Results of Operations
For information regarding the effect of currency fluctuations on our business, see the Foreign Currency Translation and Market Risks of Financial
Instruments - Currency Risk subsections of MD&A and Notes 1 and 2 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in this report.
Foreign Currency Translation
1
Insurance Premiums
The growth of earned premiums is directly affected by the change in premiums in force and by the change in weighted-average yen/dollar
exchange rates. Consolidated earned premiums were $17.6 billion in 2015 , $19.1 billion in 2014 , and $20.1 billion in 2013 . For additional
information on the composition of earned premiums by segment, see Note 2 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in this report.
The following table presents the changes in annualized premiums in force for Aflac's insurance business for the years ended December 31.
(In millions)
2015
2014
2013
Annualized premiums in force, beginning of year
$
18,894
$
20,440
$
New sales, including conversions
Change in unprocessed new sales
Premiums lapsed and surrendered
Other
Foreign currency translation adjustment
2,484
(41)
(2,104)
(56)
(4)
2,513
13
(2,146)
(29)
(1,897)
Annualized premiums in force, end of year
$
19,173
$
18,894
$
22,689
2,963
66
(2,154)
17
(3,141)
20,440
Insurance - Japan
We translate Aflac Japan's annualized premiums in force into dollars at the respective end-of-period exchange rates. Changes in annualized
premiums in force are translated at weighted-average exchange rates. The following table presents the changes in annualized premiums in force for
Aflac Japan for the years ended December 31.
(In millions of dollars and billions of yen)
2015
2014
2013
2015
2014
Annualized premiums in force, beginning of year
$
13,226 $
14,870 $
17,238
1,594
1,567
In Dollars
In Yen
New sales, including conversions
Change in unprocessed new sales
Premiums lapsed and surrendered
Other
997
(41)
(578)
(187)
1,080
1,539
13
(695)
(145)
66
(717)
(115)
Foreign currency translation adjustment
(4)
(1,897)
(3,141)
121
(5)
(70)
(23)
0
115
1
(74)
(15)
0
2013
1,492
149
6
(70)
(10)
0
Annualized premiums in force, end of year
$
13,413 $
13,226 $
14,870
1,617
1,594
1,567
For further information regarding Aflac Japan's financial results and sales, see the Aflac Japan Segment subsection of MD&A in this report.
Insurance - U.S.
The following table presents the changes in annualized premiums in force for Aflac U.S. for the years ended December 31.
(In millions)
2015
2014
2013
Annualized premiums in force, beginning of year
$
5,668
$
5,570
$
New sales, including conversions
Premiums lapsed
Other
1,487
(1,526)
131
1,433
(1,451)
116
5,451
1,424
(1,437)
132
Annualized premiums in force, end of year
$
5,760
$
5,668
$
5,570
For further information regarding Aflac's U.S. financial results and sales, see the Aflac U.S. Segment subsection of MD&A in this report.
Insurance Products - Japan
Aflac Japan's insurance products are designed to help consumers pay for medical and nonmedical costs that are not reimbursed under Japan's
national health insurance system. Changes in Japan's economy and an aging population have put increasing pressure on Japan's national health
care system. As a result, more costs are being shifted to Japanese
2
consumers, who in turn have become increasingly interested in insurance products that help them manage those costs. Aflac Japan has responded
to this consumer need by enhancing existing products and developing new products.
Aflac Japan's product portfolio has expanded beyond traditional health-related products to include more life products. Some of the life products
that we offer in Japan provide death benefits and cash surrender values. These products are available as stand-alone policies and riders. Some
plans, such as our WAYS product, have features that allow policyholders to convert a portion of their life insurance to medical, nursing care, or fixed
annuity benefits at a predetermined age. Our child endowment product offers a death benefit until a child reaches age 18. It also pays a lump-sum
benefit at the time of the child's entry into high school, as well as an educational annuity for each of the four years during his or her college
education. We believe that life insurance (first sector product) provides further opportunities for us to sell our cancer and medical insurance (third
sector products) through cross-selling opportunities.
In early 2002, we introduced EVER, a stand-alone, whole-life medical product which offers a basic level of hospitalization coverage with an
affordable premium. Since its initial introduction, we have expanded our suite of EVER product offerings to appeal to specific types of Japanese
consumers and achieve greater market penetration. The most recent upgrade to our EVER product, released in June 2015, included riders to be
associated with three critical illnesses (cancer, stroke and heart attack) to better respond to consumer’s needs for coverage of serious illnesses.
These riders provide policyholders with a benefit upon the diagnosis for those three critical illnesses, waiver of premium payment thereafter and
unlimited hospital days for such critical illnesses. Gentle EVER, our non-standard medical product, is designed to meet the needs of certain
consumers who cannot qualify for our base EVER plan. An upgrade to our Gentle EVER product, released in July 2012, included expanded benefits
and an attached advanced medical care rider. We continue to believe that the entire medical category will remain an important part of our product
portfolio in Japan.
Aflac pioneered the cancer insurance market in Japan in 1974, and we remain the number one provider of cancer insurance today. Over the
years, we’ve customized our cancer product to respond to, and anticipate, the needs of our consumers and the advances in medical treatments. The
cancer insurance plans we offer in Japan provide a lump-sum benefit upon initial diagnosis of internal cancer and benefits for treatment received
due to internal cancer such as fixed daily benefits for hospitalization, outpatient services and convalescent care, and surgical and terminal care
benefits. In September 2014, Aflac Japan introduced New Cancer DAYS, a new cancer product which provides enhanced coverage, including
outpatient treatments and multiple cancer occurrence benefits. At the same time, premiums for this product have been lowered for most ages
compared to prior plans. In October 2014, Aflac Japan introduced a unique Aflac-branded cancer product for Japan Post (see the Distribution -
Japan and Regulation - Japan sections for background information). As the number one provider of cancer insurance in Japan, we believe these
products further strengthen our brand, and most importantly, provide valuable benefits to consumers who are looking for solutions to manage
cancer-related costs. We are convinced that the affordable cancer products Aflac Japan provides will continue to be an important part of our product
portfolio.
We also offer traditional fixed-income annuities and care policies. For additional information on Aflac Japan's products and composition of sales,
see the Aflac Japan Segment subsection of MD&A in this report.
Insurance Products - U.S.
We design our U.S. insurance products to provide supplemental coverage for people who already have major medical or primary insurance
coverage. Most of our U.S. policies are individually underwritten and marketed through independent agents. Additionally, we started to market and
administer group insurance products in 2009.
Our individually issued policies are portable and pay benefits regardless of other insurance. Most products' benefits are paid in cash directly to
policyholders; therefore, our customers have the opportunity to use this cash to help with expenses of their choosing. Our individually issued health
insurance plans are typically guaranteed-renewable for the lifetime of the policyholder (to age 75 for short-term disability policies). Our group
insurance policies are underwritten on a group basis and often have some element of guaranteed issue.
Aflac U.S. offers accident coverage on both an individual and group basis. These policies are designed to protect against losses resulting from
accidents. The accident portion of the policy includes lump-sum benefits for accidental death, dismemberment and specific injuries as well as fixed
benefits for hospital confinement. In 2015 , we introduced a new individual accident plan with new benefits for home modifications, improved
wellness benefits and a new benefit that provides an additional payout for injuries related to participations in an organized sporting activity.
3
Aflac U.S. offers short-term disability benefits on both an individual and group basis. In 2013, we introduced a completely redesigned group
short-term disability product with enhanced benefit options and higher income replacement amounts. In 2014, this group short-term disability product
was introduced in additional states, formally completing the active launch of the product to the U.S. market.
Aflac U.S. offers coverage for critical illnesses on both an individual and group basis. These policies are designed to protect against losses
resulting from critical illnesses such as heart attack, stroke, or cancer. On an individually underwritten basis we offer cancer plans, critical illness
plans, and critical care and recovery plans (formerly called specified health event). On a group basis we offer critical illness plans. In 2015, an
updated group critical illness plan was introduced that provides benefits for 30 additional conditions in addition to more consumer options.
Aflac U.S. offers hospital indemnity coverage on both an individual and group basis. Our hospital indemnity products provide policyholders fixed
dollar benefits triggered by hospitalization due to accident or sickness, or just sickness alone. Indemnity benefits for inpatient and outpatient
surgeries, as well as various other diagnostic events, are also available. We also offer a lump sum rider than can be added to our individual
accident, short-term disability and hospital indemnity products. This rider may not be available on all products in all states. This rider provides a lump
sum payment for a range of critical illness events including traumatic brain injury, Type 1 diabetes, advanced Alzheimer’s disease and many more.
In January 2016, a new group hospital indemnity plan was introduced that includes 11 new benefits, including telemedicine and health screening.
This plan provides flexibility, allowing our clients to personalize their plan designs to complement the underlying medical coverage that is offered to
employees.
Aflac U.S. also offers additional coverages to those listed above, including dental, vision and life policies. Aflac U.S. offers fixed-benefit dental
coverage on both an individual and group basis. Aflac U.S. offers Vision Now SM , an individually issued policy which provides benefits for serious
eye health conditions and loss of sight as well as coverage for corrective eye materials and exam benefits. Aflac U.S. also offers term and whole-life
policies on both an individual and group basis.
For additional information on Aflac's U.S. products and composition of sales, see the Aflac U.S. Segment subsection of MD&A in this report.
Distribution - Japan
The traditional channels through which we have sold our products are independent corporate agencies, individual agencies and affiliated
corporate agencies. The independent corporate agencies and individual agencies that sell our products give us better access to workers at a vast
number of small businesses in Japan. Agents' activities are primarily focused on insurance sales, with customer service support provided by the
Aflac Contact Center. Independent corporate agencies and individual agencies contributed 47.0% of new annualized premium sales in 2015 ,
compared with 46.1% in 2014 and 43.8% in 2013 . Affiliated corporate agencies are originally formed when companies establish subsidiary
businesses to sell our insurance products to their employees as part of a benefit package, and then expand to sell our products to other parties such
as suppliers and customers. These agencies help us reach employees at large worksites, and some of them are also successful in approaching
customers outside their business groups. Affiliated corporate agencies, which include Japan Post, contributed 35.4% of new annualized premium
sales in 2015 , compared with 30.0% in 2014 and 23.1% in 2013 . During 2015 , we recruited more than 300 new sales agencies. As of
December 31, 2015 , Aflac Japan was represented by approximately 13,100 sales agencies, with approximately 114,000 licensed sales associates
employed by those agencies. We believe that new agencies will continue to be attracted to Aflac Japan's competitive commissions, attractive
products, superior customer service and strong brand image.
We have sold our products to employees of banks since our entry into Japan in 1974. However, December 2007 marked the first time it was
permissible for banks to sell our type of insurance products to their customers. By the end of 2015 , we had agreements with 372 banks,
approximately 90% of the total number of banks in Japan, to sell our products. We believe we have more banks selling our supplemental health
insurance products than any of our competitors. Japanese consumers rely on banks to provide traditional bank services, and also to provide
insurance solutions and other services. We believe our long-standing and strong relationships within the Japanese banking sector, along with our
strategic preparations, have proven to be an advantage, particularly starting when this channel opened up for our products. Our partnerships
throughout the banking sector provide us with a wider demographic of potential customers than we would otherwise have been able to reach, and it
also allows banks to expand their product and service offerings to consumers. Banks contributed 14.9% of Aflac Japan new annualized premium
sales in 2015 , compared with 21.5% in 2014 and 31.3% in 2013 .
Aflac Japan and Japan Post Holdings entered into a new agreement in July 2013, further expanding a partnership
4
that was established in 2008 (see Regulation-Japan). At the end of June 2014, Japan Post Insurance (Kampo) received Financial Services Agency
(FSA) regulatory approval to enter into an agency contract with Aflac Japan to begin distributing Aflac Japan's cancer insurance products at all of
Kampo's 79 directly managed sales offices. Aflac Japan has developed a unique Aflac-branded cancer product for Japan Post and Kampo that was
introduced on October 1, 2014. In the fourth quarter of 2014, the number of postal outlets selling our cancer products expanded to approximately
10,000, and starting July 1, 2015, Japan Post expanded the number of post offices that offer Aflac's cancer products to more than 20,000 postal
outlets. We believe this alliance with Japan Post will further benefit our cancer insurance sales.
For additional information on Aflac Japan's distribution, see the Aflac Japan Segment subsection of MD&A in this report.
Distribution - U.S.
As of December 31, 2015 , our U.S. sales force was composed of sales associates and brokers who are licensed to sell accident and health
insurance. Many are also licensed to sell life insurance.
Sales associates and brokers are independent contractors and are paid commissions based on first-year and renewal premiums from their sales
of insurance products. In addition to receiving commissions on personal production, district and regional sales coordinators may also receive
override commissions and incentive bonuses.
Beginning in the third quarter and continuing into the fourth quarter of 2014, Aflac U.S. implemented tactical initiatives centered around providing
competitive compensation to our sales hierarchy and positioning us to more effectively and consistently execute on the U.S. sales strategy across all
states. These measures were designed to more effectively link sales management's success to Aflac's success. For example, we enhanced
compensation through an incentive bonus for the first level of our sales management, district sales coordinators, who are primarily responsible for
selling Aflac products and training new sales associates. Additionally, we eliminated the commission-based position of state sales coordinator. To
better manage our state operations, we introduced the new position of market director, effective October 1, 2014. Market directors are salaried with
the opportunity to earn sales-related bonuses. We believe these changes have enhanced and will continue to enhance performance management
and better align compensation with new business results.
We concentrate on marketing our insurance products at the worksite. This method offers policies to individuals through employment, trade and
other associations. Historically, our policies have been individually underwritten with premiums generally paid by the employee. Additionally, Aflac's
individual policies are portable, meaning that individuals may retain their full insurance coverage upon separation from employment or such
affiliation, generally at the same premium. We collect a major portion of premiums on such sales through payroll deduction or other forms of
centralized billing. With our brokerage sales expansion and CAIC, branded as Aflac Group Insurance, we offer group voluntary insurance products
desired by many large employers. These products are sold on a group basis and often have some element of guaranteed issue. Worksite marketing
enables sales associates and brokers to reach a greater number of prospective policyholders and lowers distribution costs, compared with
individually marketed business.
Aflac U.S. utilizes dual-channel distribution to market our insurance products to businesses of all sizes. Our career agent channel focuses on
marketing Aflac to the small business market, which consists of employers with less than 100 employees. As such, we have aligned our recruiting,
training, compensation, marketing and incentives for our career agents to encourage specific activity and sales of individual policies in this market.
Our newest channel is the broker channel, which is a sales division of Aflac Group. The broker channel focuses on selling to the mid- and large-case
market, which is comprised of employers with more than 100 employees and typically an average size of 1,000 employees or more. Since regional
and national brokers have traditionally served the mid- and large-case market, the highly trained and experienced sales professionals of the broker
channel are assigned a geographic market to strengthen relationships with the top brokers and sell Aflac products to their clients. As a result, we are
represented on more than 80 benefit administration platforms, sometimes referred to as exchanges, of various brokers.
For additional information on Aflac's U.S. distribution, see the Aflac U.S. Segment subsection of MD&A in this report.
5
Competition - Japan
In 1974, Aflac was granted an operating license to sell life insurance in Japan, making Aflac the second non-Japanese life insurance company
to gain direct access to the Japanese insurance market. Through 1981, we faced limited competition for cancer insurance policy sales. However,
Japan has experienced two periods of deregulation since we entered the market. The first came in the early 1980s, when nine mid-sized insurers,
including domestic and foreign companies, were allowed to sell cancer insurance products for the first time. The second period began in 2001 when
all life and non-life insurers were allowed to sell stand-alone cancer and medical insurance products as well as other stand-alone health insurance
products. As a result, the number of insurance companies offering stand-alone cancer and medical insurance has more than doubled since the
market was deregulated in 2001. However, based on our growth of annualized premiums in force and agencies, we do not believe that our market-
leading position has been significantly impacted by increased competition. Furthermore, we believe the continued development and maintenance of
operating efficiencies will allow us to offer affordable products that appeal to consumers. Aflac is the largest life insurer in Japan in terms of cancer
and medical policies in force. As of December 31, 2015 , we exceeded 23 million individual policies in force in Japan.
Aflac has had substantial success selling cancer policies in Japan, with more than 14 million cancer policies in force as of December 31, 2015 .
Aflac continued to be the number one seller of cancer insurance policies in Japan throughout 2015 . We believe we will remain a leading provider of
cancer insurance coverage in Japan, principally due to our experience in the market, low-cost operations, expansive marketing system (see
Distribution - Japan above) and product expertise.
We have also experienced substantial success selling medical insurance in Japan. While other companies have recognized the opportunities
that we have seen in the medical insurance market and offered new products, we endeavor to make our products stand out for their value to
consumers.
In addition to third sector products, Aflac Japan sells life insurance products such as WAYS (described in the Products section of this report).
The market for ordinary life products of this kind is highly competitive. We will continue to pursue the development and marketing of specialty
products that meet specific needs within the general life insurance market.
Competition - U.S.
Aflac competes against several voluntary supplemental insurance carriers on a national and regional basis. We believe our policies, premium
rates, and sales commissions are competitive by product type. Moreover, we believe that Aflac products are distinct from competitive offerings given
our product focus (including features, benefits, and our claims service model), distribution capabilities, and brand awareness. For many companies
with which we compete, voluntary supplemental insurance products are sold as a secondary business. A growing number of major medical and life
insurance carriers are also entering into the voluntary supplemental insurance market. For Aflac, supplemental insurance products are our primary
business and are sold via a large distribution network of independent sales associates and brokers (see Distribution - U.S. above). Aflac's
advertising campaigns have increased our name awareness and understanding by consumers and businesses of the value our products provide.
Both private and publicly-traded insurers offer major medical insurance for hospitalization and medical expenses. Much of this insurance is sold
on a group basis to accounts that are both fully and self-insured. The federal and state governments also pay substantial costs of medical treatment
through various programs. Major medical insurance generally covers a substantial portion of the medical expenses incurred by an insured. Aflac
policies are designed to provide coverage that supplements major medical insurance by paying cash directly to the policyholder to use for expenses
their major medical insurance is not designed to cover. Thus, we do not compete directly with major medical insurers except those who sell
supplemental insurance products as a secondary business. Any reduction of coverage, increase in employee participation costs, or increased
deductibles and copayments by major medical commercial or government insurance carriers could favorably affect our business opportunities. Since
the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), some employers have shifted a larger burden of the cost of care to their employees, primarily
through increases in premiums, copays, and/or deductibles. Since Aflac products provide an additional level of financial protection for policyholders,
we believe the increased financial exposure some employees may face creates a favorable opportunity for our products. Further, given the
profitability erosion some major medical carriers are facing in their core lines of business, we have seen a more competitive landscape as they seek
entry into Aflac's supplemental product segments in an effort to offset this impact.
One Day Pay SM is a claims initiative that we have introduced at Aflac U.S. to process, approve and pay eligible claims in just one day. We
believe that along with our brand and relevant products, this claims practice has helped Aflac stand out from competitors.
6
Investments and Investment Results
Net investment income was $3.1 billion in 2015 and $3.3 billion in both 2014 and 2013 . The decrease in the reported net investment income in
U.S. dollar terms for 2015 was primarily due to a weakening of the weighted-average yen/dollar exchange rate when compared to previous periods.
In addition, a reduction in investable cash flows and lower investment yields for new purchases in both Japan and the United States have hampered
the growth rate of net investment income. In 2015, we continued to address the challenge of investing in this low-interest-rate environment by
increasing our allocation to higher yielding asset classes, while still adhering to our strategic asset allocation. For further information on our
investments and investment results, see the Insurance Operations and Analysis of Financial Condition sections of MD&A and Notes 3, 4 and 5 of
the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in this report.
Regulation - Japan
The financial and business affairs of Aflac Japan are subject to examination by Japan's FSA. Aflac Japan files annual reports and financial
statements for the Japanese insurance operations based on a March 31 fiscal year end, prepared in accordance with Japanese regulatory
accounting practices prescribed or permitted by the FSA. Japanese regulatory basis earnings are determined using accounting principles that differ
materially from U.S. GAAP. For example, under Japanese regulatory accounting practices, policy acquisition costs are expensed immediately; policy
benefit and claim reserving methods and assumptions are different; premium income is recognized on a cash basis; different consolidation criteria
apply to variable interest entities (VIEs); different accounting applies to reinsurance; and investments can have a separate accounting classification
and treatment referred to as policy reserve matching bonds (PRM). Capital and surplus of Aflac Japan, based on Japanese regulatory accounting
practices, was $4.7 billion at December 31, 2015 , compared with $5.6 billion at December 31, 2014 .
The FSA maintains a solvency standard, which is used by Japanese regulators to monitor the financial strength of insurance companies. As of
December 31, 2015 , Aflac Japan's solvency margin ratio (SMR) was 828% , compared with 857% at December 31, 2014 . Aflac Japan's SMR is
sensitive to interest rate, credit spread and foreign exchange rate changes. See the Capital Resources and Liquidity Section of MD&A for a
discussion of measures we have taken to mitigate the sensitivity of Aflac Japan's SMR.
We typically repatriate a portion of Aflac Japan's accumulated earnings, as determined on a Japanese regulatory accounting basis, to Aflac U.S.
provided that Aflac Japan has adequately protected policyholders' interests as measured by its SMR. The FSA may not allow profit repatriations to
Aflac U.S. if the transfers would cause Aflac Japan to lack sufficient financial strength for the protection of Japanese policyholders. In the near term,
we do not expect these requirements to adversely affect the funds available for profit repatriations, nor do we expect these requirements to
adversely affect the funds available for payments of allocated expenses to Aflac U.S. and management fees to the Parent Company.
In 2005, legislation aimed at privatizing Japan's postal system (Japan Post) was enacted into law. The privatization laws split Japan Post into
four operating entities that began operating in October 2007. In 2007, one of these entities selected Aflac Japan as its provider of cancer insurance
to be sold through its post offices, and, in 2008, we began selling cancer insurance through these post offices. Japan Post has historically been a
popular place for consumers to purchase insurance products. Legislation to reform the postal system passed the Diet in April 2012 and resulted in
the merger of two of the postal operating entities (the one that delivers the mail and the one that runs the post offices) on October 1, 2012. In July
2013, Aflac Japan entered into a new agreement with Japan Post Holdings to further expand a partnership that was established in 2008. See the
Distribution-Japan section for further developments in 2015.
The Japanese insurance industry has a policyholder protection corporation that provides funds for the policyholders of insolvent insurers. For
additional information regarding the policyholder protection fund, see the Policyholder Protection subsection of MD&A in this report.
In June 2013, a revision to the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act established a post-funded Orderly Resolution Regime for financial
institutions to prevent a financial crisis in the event of a financial institution’s failure. This regime came into effect in March 2014 and has not had,
and is not expected to have, a material impact on the Company's operations in Japan.
As a branch of our principal insurance subsidiary, Aflac Japan is also subject to regulation and supervision in the United States (see Regulation
- U.S.). For additional information regarding Aflac Japan's operations and regulations, see
7
the Aflac Japan Segment subsection of MD&A and Notes 2 and 13 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in this report.
Regulation - U.S.
The Parent Company and its insurance subsidiaries, Aflac (a Nebraska-domiciled insurance company), American Family Life Assurance
Company of New York (Aflac New York, a New York-domiciled insurance company) and CAIC (a South Carolina-domiciled insurance company) are
subject to state regulations in the United States as an insurance holding company system. Such regulations generally provide that transactions
between companies within the holding company system must be fair and equitable. In addition, transfers of assets among such affiliated companies,
certain dividend payments from insurance subsidiaries, and material transactions between companies within the system, including management
fees, loans and advances are subject to prior notice to, or approval by, state regulatory authorities. These laws generally require, among other
things, the insurance holding company and each insurance company directly owned by the holding company to register with the insurance
departments of their respective domiciliary states and to furnish annually financial and other information about the operations of companies within
the holding company system.
Like all U.S. insurance companies, Aflac is subject to regulation and supervision in the jurisdictions in which it does business. In general, the
insurance laws of the various jurisdictions establish supervisory agencies with broad administrative powers relating to, among other things:
• granting and revoking licenses to transact business
regulating trade and claims practices
•
•
licensing of insurance agents and brokers
• approval of policy forms and premium rates
• standards of solvency and maintenance of specified policy benefit reserves and minimum loss ratio requirements
• capital requirements
•
•
• deposits of securities for the benefit of policyholders
•
limitations on dividends to shareholders
the nature of and limitations on investments
filing of financial statements prepared in accordance with statutory insurance accounting practices prescribed or permitted by regulatory
authorities
• periodic examinations of the market conduct, financial, and other affairs of insurance companies
The insurance laws of Nebraska that govern Aflac's activities provide that the acquisition or change of “control” of a domestic insurer or of any
person that controls a domestic insurer cannot be consummated without the prior approval of the Nebraska Department of Insurance. A person
seeking to acquire control, directly or indirectly, of a domestic insurance company or of any person controlling a domestic insurance company (in the
case of Aflac, the Parent Company) must generally file with the Nebraska Department of Insurance (NEDOI) an application for change of control
containing certain information required by statute and published regulations and provide a copy to Aflac. In Nebraska, control is generally presumed
to exist if any person, directly or indirectly, acquires 10% or more of an insurance company or of any other person or entity controlling the insurance
company. The 10% presumption is not conclusive and control may be found to exist at less than 10%. Similar laws apply in New York and South
Carolina, the domiciliary jurisdictions of the Parent Company's other insurance subsidiaries, Aflac New York and CAIC.
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 National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). In 2013,
the Nebraska insurance regulator, along with the New York insurance regulator, completed a coordinated risk-focused full scope financial
examination for the four-year period and three-year period, respectively, ended December 31, 2011 for Aflac and Aflac New York as part of the
normal examination process. These examinations found no material deficiencies. Also, in 2011 the South Carolina insurance regulator completed a
risk-focused full scope financial examination for the three-year period ended December 31, 2010 for CAIC as part of the normal examination
process and found no material deficiencies. In 2016, the Nebraska and New York insurance regulators will commence a routine examination of the
four-year period ended December 31, 2015, and the South Carolina insurance regulator will commence a routine examination of the five-year period
ended December 31, 2015.
8
The NAIC continually reviews regulatory matters , such as risk-based capital (RBC) modernization (Operational Risk and C-1 Investment Risk)
and principles-based reserving, and recommends changes and revisions for adoption by state legislators and insurance departments. The NAIC
uses a risk-based capital formula relating to insurance risk, business risk, asset risk and interest rate risk to facilitate identification by insurance
regulators of inadequately capitalized insurance companies based upon the types and mix of risk inherent in the insurer's operations. The formulas
for determining the amount of risk-based capital specify various weighting factors that are applied to financial balances or various levels of activity
based on the perceived degree of risk. Regulatory compliance is determined by a ratio of a company's regulatory total adjusted capital to its
authorized control level risk-based capital as defined by the NAIC. Companies below specific trigger points or ratios are classified within certain
levels, each of which requires specified corrective action. The levels are company action, regulatory action, authorized control, and mandatory
control. Aflac's NAIC risk-based capital ratio remains high and reflects a very strong capital and surplus position. As of December 31, 2015 , based
on year-end statutory accounting results, Aflac's company action level RBC ratio was 933% .
Federal legislation and administrative policies in several areas, including health care reform legislation, financial services reform legislation,
securities regulation, pension regulation, privacy, tort reform legislation and taxation, can significantly and adversely affect insurance companies.
Various forms of federal oversight and regulation of insurance have been passed by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by the president. For
example, the ACA, federal health care reform legislation, gives the U.S. federal government direct regulatory authority over the business of health
insurance. The reform includes major changes to the U.S. health care insurance marketplace. Among other changes, the reform legislation includes
an individual medical insurance coverage mandate, provides for penalties on certain employers for failing to provide adequate coverage, creates
health insurance exchanges, and addresses coverage and exclusions as well as medical loss ratios. The legislation also includes changes in
government reimbursements and tax credits for individuals and employers and alters federal and state regulation of health insurers. These changes,
directed toward major medical health insurance coverage which Aflac does not offer, will continue to be implemented over the next several years.
While the ACA was enacted in 2010, the major elements of the law became effective on January 1, 2014. We believe that the ACA, as enacted,
does not materially affect the design of our insurance products. However, indirect consequences of the legislation and regulations could present
challenges and/or opportunities that could potentially have an impact on our sales model, financial condition and results of operations.
On December 18, 2015, the president signed into law the Consolidated Appropriations Act which included a revision to delay implementation of
the Excise Tax on High Cost Plans, better known as the "Cadillac tax.” This tax was originally scheduled to begin in 2017, was previously delayed
until 2018, and is now scheduled to begin in 2020. The tax consists of 40% of the cost of employer sponsored health coverage in excess of certain
dollar thresholds. In general, only Aflac specified disease and fixed indemnity (i.e. supplemental health) products offered on a pre-tax basis are
taken into account under this tax.
The legislation also makes the tax deductible by the payer. If employers fund coverage on a pre-tax basis, Aflac, as the insurer, would be liable
for its pro-rata share of any tax on excess coverage, determined based on the cost of Aflac coverage compared to the total cost of the applicable
health coverage in which each employee is enrolled. Making the tax deductible would then reduce the economic impact of any tax that is imposed
and payable by Aflac.
Many employers are concerned about the tax and what impact it will have on benefit offerings in the future. There is confusion in the market
about how the tax is calculated and who pays the tax, presenting a risk that some employers will mistakenly conclude that all supplemental health
products are included in the calculation for the tax regardless of pre-tax funding status or whether an employer’s health coverage exceeds the
trigger for the tax. Some employers may decide simply to drop coverage of affected supplemental health products, rather than convert it to an after-
tax basis. During this extended implementation period, Aflac will be assessing the impact of this tax; educating employers about the tax; and
investigating ways to mitigate the impact of the tax. Having employees pay for the coverage on an after-tax basis would exempt affected
supplemental health products from the tax.
In 2010, the president signed into law the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, commonly known as the Dodd-Frank
Act, which, among other things, created a Financial Stability Oversight Council (the Council). In April 2012, the Council released a final rule
describing the general process it will follow in determining whether to designate a nonbank financial company for supervision by the Board of
Governors of the U.S. Federal Reserve System (the Board). The Council may designate by a two-thirds vote whether certain nonbank financial
companies, including certain insurance companies and insurance holding companies, could pose a threat to the financial stability of the United
States, in which case such nonbank financial companies would become subject to prudential regulation by the Board. On April 3, 2013, the Board
published a final rule that establishes the requirements for determining when a nonbank financial company is "predominantly engaged in financial
activities" - a prerequisite for designation by the Council. Prudential regulation by the Board includes supervision of capital requirements, leverage
limits, liquidity requirements and
9
examinations. The Board may limit such company’s ability to enter into mergers, acquisitions and other business combination transactions, restrict
its ability to offer financial products, require it to terminate one or more activities, or impose conditions on the manner in which it conducts activities.
The Council designated two insurers in 2013 and an additional insurer in 2014 as a Systemically Important Financial Institution (SIFI). On December
18, 2014, the president signed the Insurance Capital Standards Clarification Act into law. This legislation clarifies the Board’s authority to apply
insurance-based capital standards for insurance companies subject to federal supervision. Although Aflac is a nonbank financial company
predominantly engaged in financial activities as defined in the Dodd-Frank Act, we do not believe Aflac will be considered a company that poses a
threat to the financial stability of the United States.
Title VII of the Dodd-Frank Act and regulations issued thereunder may have an impact on Aflac's derivative activity, including activity on behalf
of Aflac Japan, in particular rules to require central clearing and collateral for certain types of derivatives. In 2014, the five U.S. banking regulators
and the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) re-proposed for comment their rules regarding collateral for uncleared swaps. Final
rules were issued by the five U.S. banking regulators on October 22, 2015 and by the CFTC on December 16, 2015. Such rules may result in
increased collateral requirements or affect other aspects of Aflac's derivatives activity.
The Dodd-Frank Act also established a Federal Insurance Office (FIO) under the U.S. Treasury Department to monitor all aspects of the
insurance industry and of lines of business other than certain health insurance, certain long-term care
insurance and crop insurance. Traditionally, U.S. insurance companies have been regulated primarily by state insurance departments. In December
2013, the FIO released a report entitled "How To Modernize And Improve The System Of Insurance Regulation In The United States." The report
was required by the Dodd-Frank Act, and included 18 recommended areas of near-term reform for the states, including addressing capital adequacy
and safety/soundness issues, reform of insurer resolution practices, and reform of marketplace regulation. The report also listed nine recommended
areas for direct federal involvement in insurance regulation. Some of the recommendations outlined in the FIO report released in December 2013
have been implemented. Of the nine recommended areas for direct federal involvement in insurance regulation that are applicable to Aflac, the
president has signed the National Association of Registered Agents and Brokers Reform Act into law in January 2015, which simplifies the agent
and broker licensing process across state lines. The FIO has also engaged with the supervisory colleges to monitor financial stability and identify
regulatory gaps for large national and internationally active insurers.
The process of implementing the Dodd-Frank Act is ongoing and continues to involve additional rulemaking from time to time. At the current
time, it is not possible to predict with any degree of certainty what impact, if any, the Dodd-Frank Act will have on our U.S. business, financial
condition, or results of operations.
Since September 2013, the NEDOI has chaired Aflac’s Supervisory College which was established consistent with international regulatory
standards and supervisory best practices as a forum for cooperation and communication between the Company's primary supervisors. Japan's
Financial Services Agency attends Aflac’s Supervisory College. Three Supervisory Colleges have taken place since its establishment and the
regulators have agreed to continue this process.
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. In the
United States, some states permit member insurers to recover assessments paid through full or partial premium tax offsets. The Company's policy is
to accrue assessments when the entity for which the insolvency relates has met its state of domicile's statutory definition of insolvency, the amount
of the loss is reasonably estimable and the related premium upon which the assessment is based is written. In most states, the definition is met with
a declaration of financial insolvency by a court of competent jurisdiction. For additional information regarding state insurance guaranty assessments,
see the U.S. Regulatory Environment subsection of MD&A in this report.
For further information concerning Aflac U.S. operations, regulation, change of control and dividend restrictions, see the Aflac U.S. Segment
subsection of MD&A and Notes 2 and 13 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in this report.
Other Operations
Our other operations include the Parent Company, results of reinsurance retrocession activities , and a printing subsidiary. For additional
information on our other operations, see the Other Operations subsection of MD&A and Note 8 in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial
Statements.
10
Employees
As of December 31, 2015 , Aflac Japan had 4,716 employees, Aflac U.S. had 4,895 employees, and our other operations had 304 employees.
Executive Officers of the Registrant
NAME
Daniel P. Amos
Chairman, Aflac Incorporated and Aflac, since 2001; Chief Executive Officer, Aflac Incorporated and Aflac,
since 1990
PRINCIPAL OCCUPATION (1)
Paul S. Amos II
President, Aflac, since 2007; Chief Operating Officer, U.S. Operations, Aflac, from 2006 until 2013
Koji Ariyoshi
Executive Vice President, Director of Sales and Marketing, Aflac Japan, since 2012; First Senior Vice President,
Director of Marketing and Sales, Aflac Japan, from 2010 until 2011
Kriss Cloninger III
President, Aflac Incorporated, since 2001; Chief Financial Officer, Aflac Incorporated and Aflac, from 1992 until
2015; Treasurer, Aflac Incorporated, from 2001 until 2015; Executive Vice President, Aflac, since 1993
Frederick J. Crawford
Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, Aflac Incorporated, since 2015; Executive Vice President,
Chief Financial Officer, CNO Financial Group from 2012 until 2015; Executive Vice President, Head of
Investment and Corporate Development, Lincoln Financial Group from 2010 until 2012; Executive Vice
President, Chief Financial Officer, Lincoln Financial Group from 2005 until 2010
J. Todd Daniels
June Howard
Kenneth S. Janke
Senior Vice President, Chief Actuary, Aflac, since 2015; Global Chief Risk Officer, Aflac, since 2014; Senior
Vice President, Deputy Corporate Actuary, Aflac, from 2012 until 2014; Vice President, Financial Planning and
Analysis, Aflac, from 2011 until 2012; Second Vice President, Aflac, Associate Actuary from 2008 until 2011
Chief Accounting Officer, Aflac Incorporated and Aflac, since 2010; Treasurer, Aflac, since 2011; Senior Vice
President, Financial Services, Aflac Incorporated and Aflac, since 2010; Vice President, Financial Services,
Aflac, from 2009 until 2010
Executive Vice President, Corporate Finance and Development, Treasurer, Aflac Incorporated, since 2015;
Executive Vice President, Deputy Chief Financial Officer, Aflac Incorporated, from 2010 until 2015; President,
Aflac U.S., from 2013 until 2014; Senior Vice President, Investor Relations, Aflac Incorporated, from 1993 until
2010
Eric M. Kirsch
Executive Vice President, Global Chief Investment Officer, Aflac, since 2012; First Senior Vice President, Global
Chief Investment Officer, Aflac, from 2011 until 2012; Managing Director, Global Head of Insurance Asset
Management, Goldman Sachs Asset Management, from 2007 until 2011
Charles D. Lake II
President, Aflac International, since 2014; Chairman, Aflac Japan, since 2008
Audrey B. Tillman
Executive Vice President, General Counsel, Aflac Incorporated and Aflac, since 2014; Executive Vice President,
Corporate Services, Aflac Incorporated, from 2008 until 2014
Teresa L. White
Robin Y. Wilkey
Hiroshi Yamauchi
President, Aflac U.S., since 2014; Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer, Aflac, from 2013 until
2014; Executive Vice President, Chief Service Officer, Aflac, from 2012 until 2013; Executive Vice President,
Chief Administrative Officer, Aflac, from 2008 until 2013
Senior Vice President, Investor and Rating Agency Relations, Aflac Incorporated, since 2010; Vice President,
Investor Relations, Aflac Incorporated, from 2003 until 2010
President, Chief Operating Officer, Aflac Japan, since 2015; Executive Vice President, Aflac Japan, from 2012
until 2014; First Senior Vice President, Aflac Japan, from 2002 until 2011
AGE
64
40
62
68
52
45
49
57
55
54
51
49
57
64
(1) Unless specifically noted, the respective executive officer has held the occupation(s) set forth in the table for at least the last five years. Each executive officer
is appointed annually by the board of directors and serves until his or her successor is chosen and qualified, or until his or her death, resignation or removal.
11
ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
We face a wide range of risks, and our continued success depends on our ability to identify, prioritize and appropriately manage our enterprise
risk exposures. Readers should carefully consider each of the following risks and all of the other information set forth in this Form 10-K. These risks
and other factors may affect forward-looking statements, including those in this document or made by the Company elsewhere, such as in earnings
release webcasts, investor conference presentations or press releases. The risks and uncertainties described herein may not be the only ones
facing the Company. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently believe to be immaterial may also adversely
affect our business. If any of the following risks and uncertainties develops into actual events, there could be a material impact on the Company.
Difficult conditions in global capital markets and the economy could have a material adverse effect on our investments, capital position,
revenue, profitability, and liquidity and harm our business.
Our results of operations are materially affected by conditions in the global capital markets and the global economy generally, including in our
two primary operating markets of the United States and Japan. Weak global financial markets impact the value of our existing investment portfolio,
influence opportunities for new investments, and may contribute to generally weak economic fundamentals, which can have a negative impact on
our operating activities.
In recent years, global capital markets have been severely impacted by several major events. The financial crisis that began in the latter part of
2008 saw dramatic declines in investment values and weak economic conditions as the global financial system came under extreme pressure.
Although U.S. markets began recovering in late 2009 and 2010, Europe continued to struggle under a severely weakened banking system and
investor concerns with sovereign debt levels. Following a period of unprecedented intervention by governments and central banks, including the
U.S. Federal Reserve and European Central Bank (ECB), financial conditions improved from the dire conditions of the global financial crisis, global
recession, and European debt crisis. Recently, global markets have experienced materially higher levels of market volatility due to concerns
including changes in the market’s perception of global growth, additional ECB intervention, uncertainty surrounding Japan’s continued recovery
amidst assorted policy changes, significant declines in global commodity prices including oil, divergent monetary policies in the United States versus
many other developed economies, and heightened concerns surrounding the Chinese economy.
As we hold a significant amount of fixed maturity and perpetual securities issued by borrowers located in many different parts of the world,
including a large portion issued by banks and financial institutions, sovereigns, and other corporate borrowers in the U.S. and Europe, our financial
results are directly influenced by global financial markets. A retrenchment of the recent improvements in overall capital market health could
adversely affect our financial condition, including our capital position and our overall profitability. Market volatility and recessionary pressures could
result in significant realized or unrealized losses due to severe price declines driven by increases in interest rates or credit spreads, defaults in
payment of principal or interest, or credit rating downgrades.
Following the election of Shinzo Abe as Prime Minister of Japan in December 2012, the new administration adopted a new set of financial
measures to stimulate the Japanese economy, most recently imposing negative interest rates on excess bank reserves. In a December 2014 snap-
election, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) won a landslide victory, further strengthening Mr. Abe's ability to implement economic reform and
address key policy challenges. The Japanese financial markets have reacted with even lower rates on Japanese Government bonds, large
increases in Japanese equity market values, and a weakening of the yen relative to the U.S. dollar, a situation that remains largely intact today.
Japan is the largest market for our products and we own substantial holdings in Japanese Government Bonds (JGBs). Government actions to
stimulate the economy affect the value of our existing holdings, our reinvestment rate on new investments in JGBs or other yen denominated assets,
and consumer behavior relative to our suite of products. The additional government debt from fiscal stimulus actions could contribute to a weakening
of the Japan sovereign credit profile and result in further rating downgrades at the credit rating agencies. This could lead to additional volatility in
Japanese capital and currency markets.
Our investment portfolio owns sizeable credit positions in many other geographic areas of the world including the Middle East, Latin America,
Asia, and other emerging markets. Deterioration in their underlying economies, sovereign credit worthiness, or financial market conditions could
negatively impact our financial position. We also own credit investments that result in exposure to commodity valuations, including oil, natural gas,
gold, and other metals. The recent
12
significant declines in the prices of these commodities could result in credit deterioration of our holdings and significant credit losses due to
depressed bond valuations, defaults in payment of principal or interest, or credit rating downgrades.
Most of our investment portfolio holdings are income-producing bonds that provide a fixed level of income. Many of our investments were made
at the relatively low level of interest rates prevailing the last several years. Any increase in the market yields of our holdings due to an increase in
interest rates could create substantial unrealized losses in our portfolio, as discussed further in a separate risk factor in this section of the Form 10-
K.
We need liquidity to pay our operating expenses, dividends on our common stock, interest on our debt and liabilities. For a further description of
our liquidity needs, including maturing indebtedness, see Item 7 of this Form 10-K - Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations - Capital Resources and Liquidity. In the event our current resources do not meet our needs, we may need to seek
additional financing. Our access to additional funding will depend on a variety of factors such as market conditions, the general availability of credit
to the financial services industry and our credit rating. We have a credit facility agreement as a capital contingency plan with a syndicate of financial
institutions that provides for borrowings in the amount of 55 billion yen. This agreement provides for borrowings in Japanese yen or the equivalent of
Japanese yen in U.S. dollars on a revolving basis and will expire on the earlier of September 18, 2020, or the date the commitments are terminated
pursuant to an event of default, as such term is defined in the credit agreement.
As a part of our capital contingency plan, we entered into a committed reinsurance facility agreement on December 1, 2015 in the amount of
approximately 110 billion yen. This reinsurance facility agreement is effective from December 1, 2015 until December 31, 2016. There are also
additional commitment periods of a one-year duration each which are automatically extended unless notification is received from the reinsurer within
60 days prior to the expiration. The reinsurer can withdraw from the committed facility if Aflac‘s Standard and Poor's (S&P) rating drops below BBB-.
As of December 31, 2015, we have not executed a reinsurance treaty under this committed reinsurance facility.
Should investors become concerned with any of our investment holdings, including the concentration in JGBs, our access to market sources of
funding could be negatively impacted. There is a possibility that lenders or debt investors may also become concerned if we incur large investment
losses or if the level of our business activity decreases due to a market downturn or there are further adverse economic trends in the United States
or Japan, specifically, or generally in developed markets. Similarly, our access to funds may be impaired if regulatory authorities or rating agencies
take negative actions against us. See more information on recent rating actions later in this Risk Factors section.
Broad economic factors such as consumer spending, business investment, government spending, the volatility and strength of the capital
markets, and inflation all affect the business and economic environment and, indirectly, the amount and profitability of our business. In an economic
downturn characterized by higher unemployment, lower family income, lower corporate earnings, lower business investment and lower consumer
spending, the demand for financial and insurance products could be adversely affected. This adverse effect could be particularly significant for
companies such as ours that distribute supplemental, discretionary insurance products primarily through the worksite in the event that economic
conditions result in a decrease in the number of new hires and total employees. Adverse changes in the economy could potentially lead our
customers to be less inclined to purchase supplemental insurance coverage or to decide to cancel or modify existing insurance coverage, which
could adversely affect our premium revenue, results of operations and financial condition. We are unable to predict the course of the current
recoveries in global financial markets or the recurrence, duration or severity of disruptions in such markets.
The effect that governmental actions for the purpose of stabilizing the financial markets will have on such markets generally, or on us
specifically, is difficult to determine at this time.
In response to the severity of the global financial crisis, numerous regulatory and governmental actions were taken to address weakness in the
banking system, volatility in capital market conditions, and to stimulate the global economy. In the United States, this included aggressive
expansionary monetary policy actions by the Federal Reserve, including conventional measures such as reducing the Federal Funds rate to near
zero, and less conventional measures such as multiple rounds of quantitative easing. The result of the actions of the Federal Reserve was to keep
interest rates, as measured by the U.S. Treasury curve and other relevant market rates, at very low levels for an extended period of time in an
attempt to stimulate the economy.
As the U.S. economy has continued to improve, the Federal Reserve has reduced the amount of monetary stimulus. The actions previously
taken by the Federal Reserve, and the amounts involved, are unprecedented. As such, there exist considerable risks associated with the amount of
monetary stimulus provided and its withdrawal. These risks could
13
include heightened inflation, increased volatility of interest rates, significantly higher interest rates, and overall increased volatility in the fair value of
investment securities. These factors could negatively impact our business by reducing the value of our existing portfolio, negatively impacting our
opportunities for new investments as market volatility increases, increasing the risk of depressed bond valuations or defaults in our credit portfolio,
increasing the costs to hedge certain dollar holdings into yen, and reducing the demand for our products should the broader economy be negatively
impacted by withdrawal of monetary stimulus.
The financial crisis also created new government regulation, including the Dodd-Frank Financial Regulatory Reform Bill for U.S. institutions. This
significant legislation, intended to reduce risk of another crisis, contains multiple provisions that could impact our business as rules are finalized and
implemented. This legislation could impact the value of our significant holdings in banks and other financial institutions and our ability to conduct
financial and capital market transactions, negatively impact pricing and our general ability to conduct financial and capital market transactions, and
affect the general competitiveness of the U.S. financial services industry.
As the effects of the financial crisis continue to linger, other central banks around the world have followed the actions of the Federal Reserve
and taken unprecedented actions. In the case of the ECB, multiple actions were taken to mitigate the European sovereign and banking crisis, and to
stimulate the economies throughout the Eurozone. The Bank of Japan has undertaken monetary policy actions designed to stimulate the Japanese
economy. These governmental interventions are still being deployed in the form of extremely low short-term interest rates and asset purchases, and
thus may continue to support an environment of historically low or negative interest rates in the near to medium term. There can be no assurance as
to the effect that these governmental actions, other governmental actions taken in the future, or the ceasing of these governmental actions will have
on the financial markets generally, the economies in which we operate, our competitive position, or our business and financial condition.
Defaults, downgrades, widening credit spreads or other events impairing the value of the fixed maturity securities and perpetual
securities in our investment portfolio may reduce our earnings and capital position.
We are subject to the risk that the issuers and/or guarantors of fixed maturity securities and perpetual securities we own may default on principal
or interest. A significant portion of our portfolio represents an unsecured obligation of the issuer, including some that are subordinated to other debt
in the issuer’s capital structure. In these cases, many factors can influence the overall creditworthiness of the issuer and ultimately its ability to
service and repay our holdings. This can include changes in the global economy, the company's assets, strategy, or management, shifts in the
dynamics of the industries in which they compete, their access to additional funding, and the overall health of the credit markets. Factors unique to
our securities including contractual protections such as financial covenants or relative position in the issuer's capital structure also influence the
value of our holdings.
Most of our holdings carry a rating by one or more of the Nationally Recognized Statistical Rating Organizations (NRSROs, or “rating
agencies”). Any change in the rating agencies' approach to evaluating credit and assigning an opinion could negatively impact the fair value of our
portfolio. We employ a team of credit analysts to monitor the creditworthiness of the issuers in our portfolio. Any credit-related declines in the fair
value of positions held in our portfolio we believe are not temporary in nature will negatively impact our net income and capital position through
impairment and other credit related losses, which would also affect our solvency ratios in the United States and Japan. For regulatory accounting
purposes for Aflac Japan, there are certain requirements for realizing impairments that could be triggered by credit-related losses, which may be
different from U.S. GAAP and statutory requirements, which could negatively impact Aflac Japan's earnings, and the corresponding repatriation and
capital deployment.
We are also subject to the risk that any collateral providing credit enhancement to our positions could deteriorate. These instruments may
include senior secured first lien loans, such as bank loans and middle market loans, and loan-backed securities where the underlying loan or
collateral notes may default on principal, interest, or other payments, causing an adverse change in cash flows to the positions held in our
investment portfolio.
Our portfolio includes holdings of perpetual securities. Most of these are issued by global banks and financial institutions. Following the financial
crisis, rating agencies reviewed and, in most cases, modified the rating criteria for financial institutions. This has caused multiple downgrades of
many bank and financial issuers, but perpetual securities have been more negatively impacted as their lower position in the capital structure
represents relatively more risk than other more senior obligations of the issuer. Further downgrades or default of issuers of securities we own will
have a negative impact on our portfolio and could reduce our earnings and capital.
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We are exposed to sovereign credit risk through instruments issued directly by governments and government entities as well as banks and other
institutions that rely in part on the strength of the underlying government for their credit quality. In addition to the United States and Japan, many
governments, especially in Europe, have been subject to rating downgrades due to the need for fiscal and budgetary remediation and structural
reforms, reduced economic activity, and investment needed to support banks or other systematically important entities. Additional downgrades or
default of our sovereign issuers will have a negative impact on our portfolio and could reduce our earnings and capital.
In addition to our exposure to the underlying fundamental credit strength of the issuers of our fixed maturity and perpetual securities and the
underlying risk of default, we are also exposed to the general movement in credit market spreads. A widening of credit spreads could reduce the
value of our existing portfolio, create unrealized losses on our investment portfolio, and reduce our adjusted capital position which is used in
determining the Solvency Margin Ratio (SMR) in Japan. This could, however, increase the net investment income on new credit investments.
Conversely, a tightening of credit spreads could increase the value of our existing portfolio and create unrealized gains on our investment portfolio.
This could reduce the net investment income available to us on new credit investments. Increased market volatility also makes it difficult to value
certain of our investment holdings (see the Critical Accounting Estimates section in Item 7, Management's Discussion and Analysis, of this Form 10-
K).
As a result of the large decline in oil prices, there has been heightened attention to certain investments in the various energy sectors following a
large increase in market volatility. Our portfolio includes holdings diversified across multiple sub-sectors of the oil and gas industry, spread among
multiple geographies.
As of December 31, 2015, the weighted-average rating of our total fixed maturity energy exposure was BBB, and 93% of our exposure to the oil
and gas industry was investment grade. Absent a major change in the outlook for oil prices, we expect the increase in market volatility surrounding
these issuers to continue. This could lead to increased negative ratings activity from the public rating agencies for energy credit issuers. We do not
currently expect our investments in the energy sector to have a material impact on our results of operations.
For more information regarding credit risk, see the Market Risks of Financial Instruments - Credit Risk subsection of Item 7, Management's
Discussion and Analysis, of this Form 10-K.
We are exposed to significant interest rate risk, which may adversely affect our results of operations, financial condition and liquidity.
We have substantial investment portfolios that support our policy liabilities. Low levels of interest rates on investments, especially those currently
being experienced in Japan and the United States, have reduced the level of investment income earned by the Company. Our overall level of
investment income will be negatively impacted if a low-interest-rate environment persists. While we generally seek to maintain a diversified portfolio
of fixed-income investments that reflects the cash flow and duration characteristics of the liabilities it supports, we may not be able to fully mitigate
the interest rate risk of our assets relative to our liabilities. Our exposure to interest rate risk relates primarily to the ability to invest future cash flows
to support the interest rate assumption made at the time our products were priced and the related reserving assumptions were established. A
sustained decline in interest rates could hinder our ability to earn the returns assumed in the pricing and the reserving for our products at the time
they were sold and issued. Due to low interest rates, our ability to earn the returns we expect may also influence our ability to develop and price
attractive new products and could impact our overall sales levels. Our first sector products are more interest rate sensitive than third sector
products. The recent negative interest rate imposed by the Bank of Japan on excess bank reserves could have a negative impact on the distribution
and pricing of these products.
A rise in interest rates could improve our ability to earn higher rates of return on funds that we reinvest. However, an increase in the differential
of short-term U.S. and Japan interest rates would increase the cost of hedging our U.S. dollar-denominated assets into yen.
We also have exposure to interest rates related to the value of the substantial investment portfolios that support our policy liabilities. Changes in
interest rates have a direct impact on the fair values of fixed securities in our investment portfolio; however, they do not have a direct impact on the
related valuation of the corresponding liabilities. Prolonged periods of low interest rates, as have been experienced in recent years, heighten the risk
of future increases in interest rates because of an increasing proportion of our investment portfolio includes investments that bear lower rates of
return than the embedded book yield of the investment portfolio. A rise in interest rates could increase the net unrealized loss position of our debt
and perpetual securities. Some of the insurance products that Aflac sells in the United States and Japan provide cash surrender values. A rise in
interest rates could trigger significant policy lapsation which might require
15
the Company to sell investment assets and recognize unrealized losses. This situation is commonly referred to as disintermediation risk.
Conversely, a decline in interest rates could decrease the net unrealized loss position of our debt and perpetual securities. While we generally invest
our assets to match the duration and cash flow characteristics of our policy liabilities, and therefore would not expect to realize most of these gains
or losses, our risk is that unforeseen events or economic conditions, such as changes in interest rates resulting from governmental monetary
policies, domestic and international economic and political conditions, and other factors beyond our control, reduce the effectiveness of this strategy
and either cause us to dispose of some or all of these investments prior to their maturity, or increase the risk that the issuers of these securities may
default or may require impairment, which could result in our having to recognize such gains or losses.
Rising interest rates also negatively impact the SMR since unrealized losses on the available-for-sale investment portfolio are included in the
calculation. While we closely monitor the SMR and have taken steps to reduce the sensitivity of Aflac Japan's available-for-sale portfolio to
increases in interest rates, there is no assurance that these measures will be fully effective, particularly for sharp increases in interest rates. For
regulatory accounting purposes for Aflac Japan, there are certain requirements for realizing impairments that could be triggered by rising interest
rates, negatively impacting Aflac Japan's earnings and corresponding repatriation and capital deployment.
We mitigate our exposure to interest rate risk by diversifying our portfolio to risk factors that may be expected to have negative correlation to
interest rates, particularly in periods of heightened market volatility. These include equity, credit, and currency risk factors. However, interest rate
risk is still an inherent portfolio, business and capital risk for us, and significant changes in interest rates could have a material adverse effect on our
consolidated results of operations, financial condition or cash flows through realized losses, impairments, changes in unrealized positions, and
liquidity.
For more information regarding interest rate risk, see the Interest Rate Risk subsection within the Market Risks of Financial Instruments section
of MD&A in this report.
Our concentration of business in Japan poses risks to our operations.
Our operations in Japan, including realized gains and losses on Aflac Japan's investment portfolio, accounted for 70% of our total revenues for
2015 , compared with 72% in 2014 and 74% in 2013 . The Japanese operations accounted for 83% of our total assets at December 31, 2015 ,
compared with 82% at December 31, 2014 .
Further, because of the concentration of our business in Japan and our need for long-dated yen-denominated assets, we have a substantial
concentration of JGBs in our investment portfolio. As such we have material exposure to the Japanese economy, geo-political climate, political
regime, and other factors that generally determine a country's creditworthiness. Specifically, the NRSROs have placed increased scrutiny on JGBs,
which are a significant component of the Company’s overall investment portfolio, resulting in downgrades as discussed later in this Risk Factors
section. The NAIC is also considering changes to investment risk factors. Any negative developments by the NRSROs or NAIC in these areas could
result in increased capital requirements for the Company.
We seek to match the investment currency and interest rate risk to our yen liabilities. The low level of interest rates available on yen-
denominated securities has a negative effect on our overall net investment income. A large portion of the cash available for reinvestment each year
is deployed in yen-denominated instruments and subject to the low level of yen interest rates.
Any potential deterioration in Japan ' s credit quality, market access, the overall economy of Japan, or Japanese market volatility could
adversely impact the business of Aflac in general and specifically Aflac Japan and our related results of operations and financial condition.
Lack of availability of acceptable yen-denominated investments could adversely affect our results of operations, financial position or
liquidity.
We attempt to match both the duration and currency of our assets with our liabilities. This is very difficult for Aflac Japan due to the lack of long-
dated yen-denominated fixed income instruments.
Prior to the financial crisis of 2008, the Company was focused on investing cash flows in JGBs, which had relatively low yields, and utilizing
private placement and perpetual securities to gain additional yield, extend the duration of the investment portfolio, and maintain yen exposure. The
investment in private placements and perpetual securities has led to increased risks associated with illiquidity.
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Starting in 2012, Aflac Japan augmented its investment strategy to include U.S. dollar-denominated securities which could then be hedged back
to yen. Initially this program focused on public investment-grade bonds but has evolved over time to include U.S. dollar-denominated high yield
corporate bonds, bank loans and middle market loans. As of December 31, 2015 , Aflac Japan held approximately $22.7 billion in U.S. dollar-
denominated income producing securities, at amortized cost, and approximately $14.3 billion of notional in foreign currency forwards and options to
hedge principal currency risk. We plan to continue adding other instruments denominated in U.S. dollars to improve the portfolio diversification
and/or return profile. Some of the U.S. dollar-denominated asset classes that we anticipate adding have less liquidity than investment-grade
corporate bonds. These strategies will continue to increase our exposure to U.S. interest rates, credit spreads and other risks. We have increased
foreign exchange risk exposure as the comprehensive hedging program may not always correlate to the underlying U.S. dollar-denominated assets,
thereby increasing earnings volatility. These risks can significantly impact the Company's consolidated results of operations, financial position or
liquidity.
If we fail to comply with restrictions on patient privacy and information security, including taking steps to ensure that our third-party
service providers and business associates who obtain access to sensitive patient information maintain its confidentiality, our reputation
and business operations could be materially adversely affected.
The collection, maintenance, use, protection, disclosure and disposal of individually identifiable data by our businesses are regulated at the
international, federal and state levels. These laws and rules are subject to change by legislation or administrative or judicial interpretation. Various
state laws address the use and disclosure of individually identifiable health data to the extent they are more restrictive than those contained in the
privacy and security provisions in the federal Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act of 1999 (GLBA) and in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
of 1996 (HIPAA). HIPAA also requires that we impose privacy and security requirements on our business associates (as such term is defined in the
HIPAA regulations). With regard to personal information obtained from policyholders, the insured, or others, Aflac Japan is regulated in Japan by the
Act on the Protection of Personal Information (APPI) and guidelines issued by FSA and other governmental authorities.
Even though we provide for appropriate protections through our contracts and perform information security risk assessments with third-party
service providers and business associates, we still have limited control over their actions and practices. In addition, despite the security measures
we have in place to ensure compliance with applicable laws and rules, our facilities and systems, and those of our third-party providers may be
vulnerable to security breaches, acts of vandalism or theft, computer viruses, misplaced or lost data, programming and/or human errors or other
similar events. The U.S. Congress and many states are considering new privacy and security requirements that would apply to our business.
Compliance with new privacy and security laws, requirements, and new regulations may result in cost increases due to necessary systems changes,
new limitations or constraints on our business models, the development of new administrative processes, and the effects of potential noncompliance
by our business associates. They also may impose further restrictions on our collection, disclosure and use of patient identifiable data that are
housed in one or more of our administrative databases. Noncompliance with any privacy laws or any security breach involving the misappropriation,
loss, theft or other unauthorized disclosure of sensitive or confidential member information, whether by us or by one of our vendors, could have a
material adverse effect on our business, reputation and results of operations, including: material fines and penalties; compensatory, special, punitive
and statutory damages; consent orders regarding our privacy and security practices; adverse actions against our licenses to do business; and
injunctive relief.
In addition, under Japanese laws and regulations, including the APPI, if a leak or loss of personal information by Aflac Japan or its business
associates should occur, depending on factors such as the volume of personal data involved and the likelihood of other secondary damage, Aflac
Japan may be required to file reports to the FSA; issue public releases explaining such incident to the public; or become subject to an FSA business
improvement order, which could pose a risk to our reputation.
We are exposed to foreign currency fluctuations in the yen/dollar exchange rate.
Due to the size of Aflac Japan, where our functional currency is the Japanese yen, fluctuations in the yen/dollar exchange rate can have a
significant effect on our reported financial position and results of operations. Aflac Japan's premiums and approximately half of its investment
income are received in yen. Claims and expenses are paid in yen, and we purchase yen-denominated assets and U.S. dollar-denominated assets,
which may be hedged to yen to support yen-denominated policy liabilities. These and other yen-denominated financial statement items are,
however, translated into dollars for financial reporting purposes. Accordingly, fluctuations in the yen/dollar exchange rate can have a significant
17
effect on our reported financial position and results of operations. In periods when the yen weakens, translating yen into dollars causes fewer dollars
to be reported. When the yen strengthens, translating yen into dollars causes more dollars to be reported. Any unrealized foreign currency
translation adjustments are reported in accumulated other comprehensive income. As a result, yen weakening has the effect of suppressing current
year results in relation to the prior year, while yen strengthening has the effect of magnifying current year results in relation to the prior year. In
addition, the weakening of the yen relative to the dollar will generally adversely affect the value of our yen-denominated investments in dollar terms.
Foreign currency translation also impacts the computation of our risk-based capital ratio because Aflac Japan is consolidated in our U.S. statutory
filings due to its status as a branch. Our required capital, as determined by the application of risk factors to our assets and liabilities, is
proportionately more sensitive to changes in the exchange rate than our total adjusted capital. As a result, when the yen strengthens relative to the
dollar, our RBC and SMR is suppressed. We engage in certain foreign currency hedging activities for the purpose of hedging the yen exposure to
our net investment in our branch operations in Japan. These hedging activities are limited in scope and we cannot provide assurance that these
activities will be effective.
Aflac Japan is exposed to further foreign exchange risk through its investment in unhedged U.S. dollar-denominated securities. When the yen
strengthens, the unhedged U.S. dollar-denominated investments will experience unrealized foreign exchange losses, negatively impacting SMR. For
regulatory accounting purposes for Aflac Japan, there are certain requirements for realizing impairments that could be triggered by changes in the
yen/dollar exchange rate and could negatively impact Aflac Japan's earnings and the corresponding repatriation and capital deployment.
Additionally, we are exposed to economic currency risk when yen cash flows are converted into dollars, resulting in an increase or decrease in
our earnings when exchange gains or losses are realized. This primarily occurs when we repatriate funds from Aflac Japan to Aflac U.S., but it also
has an impact when yen cash is converted to U.S. dollars for investment into U.S. dollar-denominated assets (as described above). The exchange
rates prevailing at the time of repatriation may differ from the exchange rates prevailing at the time the yen profits were earned. We engage in
foreign currency hedging activities to mitigate the exposure to this foreign exchange risk.
We engage in monthly stress testing related to derivatives used to hedge profit repatriation. This stress testing assures that we have sufficient
eligible collateral to post in the event foreign exchange rates move against our current positions. The liquidity test is performed before any new
derivative positions are entered into as well as on a forward-looking basis. The test simulates a three standard deviation movement in the foreign
exchange rates over a three-month period. Given that we have a large exposure to JGBs, a similar test is not performed for the derivative positions
on our U.S. dollar hedge program in the Aflac Japan investment portfolio.
For more information regarding foreign currency risk, see the Currency Risk subsection within the Market Risks of Financial Instruments section
of MD&A in this report.
If future policy benefits, claims or expenses exceed those anticipated in establishing premiums and reserves, our financial results would
be adversely affected.
We establish and carry, as a liability, reserves based on estimates of how much will be required to pay for future benefits and claims. We
calculate these reserves using various assumptions and estimates, including premiums we will receive over the assumed life of the policy; the
timing, frequency and severity of the events covered by the insurance policy; and the investment returns on the assets we purchase with a portion of
our net cash flow from operations. These assumptions and estimates are inherently uncertain. Accordingly, we cannot determine with precision the
ultimate amounts that we will pay for, or the timing of payment of, actual benefits and claims or whether the assets supporting the policy liabilities will
grow to the level we assume prior to payment of benefits or claims. If our actual experience is different from our assumptions or estimates, our
reserves may prove inadequate. As a result, we would incur a charge to earnings in the period in which we determine such a shortfall exists, which
could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
As a holding company, the Parent Company depends on the ability of its subsidiaries to transfer funds to it to meet its debt service and
other obligations and to pay dividends on its common stock.
The Parent Company is a holding company and has no direct operations or significant assets other than the stock of its subsidiaries. Because
we conduct our operations through our operating subsidiaries, we depend on those entities for dividends and other payments to generate the funds
necessary to meet our debt service and other obligations and to pay dividends on our common stock. Aflac is domiciled in Nebraska and is subject
to insurance regulations that impose certain
18
limitations and restrictions on payments of dividends, management fees, loans and advances by Aflac to the Parent Company. The Nebraska
insurance statutes require prior approval for dividend distributions that exceed the greater of the net income from operations, which excludes net
realized investment gains, for the previous year determined under statutory accounting principles, or 10% of statutory capital and surplus as of the
previous year-end. In addition, the Nebraska insurance department must approve service arrangements and other transactions within the affiliated
group of companies. In addition, the FSA may not allow profit repatriations or other transfers from Aflac Japan if they would cause Aflac Japan to
lack sufficient financial strength for the protection of Japanese policyholders.
The ability of Aflac to pay dividends or make other payments to the Parent Company could also be constrained by our dependence on financial
strength ratings from independent rating agencies. Our ratings from these agencies depend to a large extent on Aflac's capitalization level. Any
inability of Aflac to pay dividends or make other payments to the Parent Company could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition
and results of operations. There is no assurance that the earnings from, or other available assets of, our operating subsidiaries will be sufficient to
make distributions to enable us to operate.
The success of our business depends in part on effective information technology systems and on continuing to develop and implement
improvements in technology.
Our business depends in large part on our technology systems for interacting with employers, policyholders, sales associates, and brokers,
and our business strategy involves providing customers with easy-to-use products to meet their needs and ensuring employees have the technology
in place to support those needs. Some of our information technology systems and software are older, legacy-type systems that are less efficient and
require an ongoing commitment of significant resources to maintain or upgrade to current standards (including adequate business continuity
procedures). We are in a continual state of upgrading and enhancing our business systems; however, these changes are always challenging in our
complex integrated environment. Our success is dependent in large part on maintaining or improving the effectiveness of existing systems and
continuing to develop and enhance information systems that support our business processes in a cost-efficient manner.
The concentration of our investment portfolios in any particular single-issuer or sector of the economy may have an adverse effect on our
financial position or results of operations.
Negative events or developments affecting any particular single issuer, industry, group of related industries or geographic sector may have an
adverse impact on a particular holding or set of holdings. We seek to minimize this risk by maintaining an appropriate level of diversification. To the
extent we have concentrated positions, it could have an adverse effect on our results of operations and financial position. Our global investment
guidelines establish concentration limits for our investment portfolios.
At December 31, 2015 , we held approximately $36.9 billion , or 38.4% of our total debt and perpetual securities, in JGBs. After downgrades by
two rating agencies in 2015, JGBs were rated A1/A+/A at December 31, 2015 by Moody's, S&P and Fitch, respectively. At December 31, 2015 ,
11% of our total portfolio of debt and perpetual securities was in the bank and financial institution sector. For further details on the concentrations
within our investment portfolios see the Analysis of Financial Condition section of MD&A in this report.
A decline in the creditworthiness of other financial institutions could adversely affect us.
We have exposure to and routinely execute transactions with counterparties in the financial services industry, including broker dealers,
derivative counterparties, commercial banks and other institutions.
We use derivative instruments to mitigate various risks associated with our investment portfolio, notes payable, and profit repatriation. We enter
into a variety of agreements involving assorted instruments including foreign currency forward contracts, foreign currency options, foreign currency
and interest rate swaps, and options on interest rate swaps (or interest rate swaptions). To provide additional alternatives to increase our overall
portfolio yield while managing our overall currency risk, starting in 2012, we have invested a significant portion of the investable cash flow generated
by Aflac Japan into U.S. dollar-denominated investment grade public bonds and hedged these bonds to yen through the use of currency forward
and option contracts. The derivative forward and option contracts are of a shorter maturity than the hedged bonds which creates roll-over risks within
the hedging program. Due to changes in market environments, there is a risk the hedges become ineffective and lose the corresponding hedge
accounting treatment. At December 31, 2015 , we held foreign currency forwards and options of approximately $14.3 billion notional associated with
Aflac Japan's U.S. dollar-
19
denominated investments referenced above, foreign currency swaps of $3.7 billion notional associated with our notes payable, and foreign currency
forwards and options of approximately $1.0 billion notional used to economically hedge profit repatriation. The Company ' s increased use of
derivatives has increased our financial exposure to derivative counterparties. To mitigate counterparty exposure, we have established internal limits
based on counterparties' credit ratings. Our internal limits include deposit and derivative exposure that we monitor on a daily basis. If our
counterparties fail or refuse to honor their obligations under derivative instruments, our hedges of the risks will be ineffective.
We engage in derivative transactions directly with unaffiliated third parties under International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc. (ISDA)
agreements and other documentation. Most of the ISDA agreements we enter into also include Credit Support Annexes (CSA), which generally
provide for two-way collateral postings, in certain cases at the first dollar of exposure and in other cases once various rating and exposure threshold
levels are triggered. We attempt to mitigate the risk that counterparties to transactions might be unable to fulfill their contractual obligations by
monitoring counterparty credit exposure and collateral value while generally requiring that collateral be posted at the outset of a transaction or that
collateral be posted upon the occurrence of certain events or circumstances. In addition, a significant portion of the derivative transactions have
provisions that require collateral to be posted upon a downgrade of our long-term debt ratings or give the counterparty the right to terminate the
transaction upon a downgrade of Aflac’s financial strength ratings. The actual amount of collateral required to be posted to counterparties in the
event of such downgrades, or the aggregate amount of payments that we could be required to make, depends on market conditions, the fair value of
outstanding affected transactions, and other factors prevailing at and after the time of any such downgrade. If the Company is required to post
collateral to support derivative contracts and/or pay cash to settle the contracts at maturity, the Company ' s liquidity could be strained. We have
implemented a liquidity test to determine that sufficient collateral is available when the Company is required to post collateral and/or pay cash.
Further, we have agreements with various financial institutions for the distribution of our insurance products. For example, at December 31,
2015 , we had agreements with 372 banks to market Aflac's products in Japan. Sales through these banks represented 14.9% of Aflac Japan's new
annualized premium sales in 2015 . Any material adverse effect on these or other financial institutions could also have an adverse effect on our
sales.
The Company has entered into significant reinsurance transactions with large, highly rated counterparties. Negative events or developments
affecting any one of these counterparties could have an adverse effect on our financial position or results of operations.
All of these risks related to exposure to other financial institutions could adversely impact our consolidated results of operations and financial
condition.
Sales of our products and services are dependent on our ability to attract, retain and support a network of qualified sales associates.
Our sales could be adversely affected if our sales networks deteriorate or if we do not adequately provide support, training and education for our
existing network. Competition exists for sales associates with demonstrated ability. We compete with other insurers and financial institutions
primarily on the basis of our products, compensation, support services and financial rating. An inability to attract and retain qualified sales associates
could have a material adverse effect on sales and our results of operations and financial condition. Our sales associates are independent
contractors and may sell products of our competitors. If our competitors offer products that are more attractive than ours, or pay higher commissions
than we do, these sales associates may concentrate their efforts on selling our competitors' products instead of ours. In addition to our
commissioned sales force, Aflac has expanded its sales leadership team to include a salaried sales force of over 175 market directors and broker
sales professionals. Our ability to attract and retain top talent in these salaried roles has a material impact on our sales success.
The valuation of our investments and derivatives includes methodologies, estimations and assumptions which are subject to differing
interpretations and could result in changes to investment valuations that may adversely affect our results of operations or financial
condition.
The vast majority of our financial instruments are subject to the fair value classification provisions under U.S. GAAP, which specifies a hierarchy
of valuation techniques based on observable or unobservable inputs to valuations, and relates to our investment securities classified as available for
sale in our investment portfolio, which comprised $67.8 billion ( 64% ) of our total cash and invested assets, and our entire derivatives portfolio,
comprising $676 million of derivative assets and $371 million of derivative liabilities, as of December 31, 2015 . In accordance with U.S. GAAP, we
have categorized these
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securities and derivatives into a three-level hierarchy, based on the priority of the inputs to the respective valuation technique. The fair value
hierarchy gives the highest priority to quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1). It gives the next priority to quoted
prices in markets that are not active or inputs that are observable either directly or indirectly, including quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities
and other inputs that can be derived principally from or corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term of the assets or
liabilities (Level 2). The lowest priority represents unobservable inputs supported by little or no market activity and that reflect the reporting entity's
understanding about the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability (Level 3). An asset or liability's classification
within the fair value hierarchy is based on the lowest level of significant input to its valuation.
At December 31, 2015 , approximately 28% and 72% of our total available-for-sale securities represented Level 1 and Level 2 securities,
respectively, and approximately 62% and 38% of our total derivatives exposure were classified as Level 2 and Level 3, respectively. Financial
instruments may be transferred to Level 3 from Levels 1 and 2 during periods of market disruption or illiquidity.
As such, valuations may include inputs and assumptions that are less observable or require greater estimation as well as valuation methods
which are more sophisticated, thereby resulting in values which may be greater or less than the value at which the investments may be ultimately
sold. Rapidly changing and unprecedented credit and equity market conditions could materially impact the valuation of securities as reported within
our consolidated financial statements and the period-to-period changes in value could vary significantly.
Valuations of our derivatives fluctuate with changes in underlying market variables, such as interest rates and foreign currency exchange rates.
During periods of market turbulence created by political instability, economic uncertainty, government interventions or other factors, we may
experience significant changes in the volatility of our derivative valuations. Extreme market conditions can also affect the liquidity of such
instruments creating marked differences in transaction levels and counterparty valuations. Depending on the severity and direction of the
movements in its derivative valuations, the Company will face increases in the amount of collateral required to be posted with its counterparties.
Liquidity stresses to the Company may also occur if the required collateral amounts increase significantly over a very short period of time.
Conversely, the Company may be exposed to an increase in counterparty credit risk for short periods of time while calling collateral from its
counterparties.
For further discussion on investment and derivative valuations, see Notes 1, 3, 4, and 5 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
in this report.
The determination of the amount of impairments taken on our investments is based on significant valuation judgments and could
materially impact our results of operations or financial position.
An investment in a fixed maturity, perpetual or equity security is impaired if the fair value falls below book value. We regularly review our entire
investment portfolio for declines in value. The majority of our investments are evaluated for other-than-temporary impairment using our debt
impairment model, while our investments in equities and below-investment-grade perpetual securities are evaluated using our equity impairment
model.
Our debt impairment model includes emphasis on the ultimate collection of the cash flows from our investments. The determination of the
amount of impairments under this model is based upon our periodic evaluation and assessment of known and inherent risks associated with the
respective securities. Such evaluations and assessments are revised as conditions change and new information becomes available.
For our fixed maturity and perpetual securities reported in the available-for-sale portfolio, we report the investments at fair value in the statement
of financial condition and record any unrealized gain or loss in the value of the asset in accumulated other comprehensive income. For our held-to-
maturity portfolio, we report the investments at amortized cost. The determination of whether an impairment in value is other than temporary is
based largely on our evaluation of the issuer ' s creditworthiness. We must apply considerable judgment in determining the likelihood of the security
recovering in value while we own it. Factors that may influence this include our assessment of the issuer’s ability to continue making timely
payments of interest and principal, the overall level of interest rates and credit spreads, and other factors. We also verify our intent to hold the
securities until they recover in value. If we determine it is unlikely we will recover our book value of the instrument prior to our disposal of the
security, we will reduce the carrying value of the security to its fair value and recognize any associated impairment loss in our consolidated
statement of earnings or other comprehensive income, depending on the nature of the loss.
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Our investments in perpetual securities that are rated below investment grade and equity securities are evaluated for other-than-temporary
impairment under our equity impairment model. This impairment model focuses on the severity of a security's decline in fair value coupled with the
length of time the fair value of the security has been below cost or amortized cost and the financial condition and near-term prospects of the issuer.
For equity securities, we also verify our intent to hold the securities until they recover in value.
For regulatory accounting purposes for Aflac Japan, there are certain requirements for realizing impairments that could be triggered by rising
interest rates or credit-related losses, negatively impacting Aflac Japan's earnings and corresponding repatriation and capital deployment.
Our management updates its evaluations regularly as conditions change and as new information becomes available and reflects impairment
losses in the Company's income statement when considered necessary. Furthermore, additional impairments may need to be taken in the future.
Historical trends may not be indicative of future impairments.
We are subject to certain risks as a result of our investments in perpetual securities.
As of December 31, 2015 , we held $1.8 billion of perpetual securities, at amortized cost, which represented 1.9% of our total portfolio of debt
and perpetual securities. Perpetual securities have characteristics of both debt and equity instruments. These securities do not have a stated
maturity date, but generally have a stated fixed rate coupon that was fixed at the time of issuance but then changes to a floating rate coupon at
some predetermined date. Most perpetual securities have call features including the ability of the issuer to retire the debt at par upon the change to
a floating rate security. Generally, the mechanics of the floating rate change were intended at the time of issuance to incent the borrower to call the
instrument, having the effect of creating an expected economic maturity date. We believe many of the issuers of our perpetual securities will call the
instruments upon a change in payment structure but there are no assurances the issuers will do so. While we have recently experienced calls for
certain perpetual securities upon their economic maturity dates, there can be no assurance the remaining issuers will have the ability to repay the
outstanding principal amount.
Perpetual securities may contain provisions allowing the borrower to defer paying interest for a time. In some cases, we have contractual
provisions that stipulate any deferred interest payment accumulates for our benefit and must be paid in the future. There is no assurance such
issuers will not choose to defer making payments or will be able to honor a cumulative deferral feature.
There is also a risk that the accounting for these perpetual securities could change in a manner that would have an adverse impact on the
reporting for these securities. At the date of filing this Form 10-K, the SEC does not object to the use of a debt impairment model for impairment
recognition of these securities as long as there is no significant deterioration in the credit condition of the perpetual securities. The debt impairment
model allows the holder to consider whether or not interest and principal payments will be received in accordance with contractual terms and
whether the holder has the intent to sell or if it is more likely than not would be required to sell the security prior to recovery of its amortized cost. The
equity impairment model applied to below-investment-grade perpetual securities, by contrast, emphasizes the length of time a security's fair value
has been below its cost basis and the percentage decline to determine whether an impairment should be recorded, without consideration to the
holder's intent and ability to hold the security until recovery in value. The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) recently issued new
accounting guidance on financial instruments classification and measurement and is also working on the financial instruments project which
addresses impairment and hedging. The impact of the FASB project is uncertain but could result in changes to the current accounting model for
perpetual securities. For information on new accounting pronouncements and the impact, if any, on our financial position or results of operations,
see Note 1 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in this report.
Any decrease in our financial strength or debt ratings may have an adverse effect on our competitive position and access to liquidity and
capital.
Financial strength ratings are important factors in establishing the competitive position of insurance companies and generally have an effect on
the business of insurance companies. On an ongoing basis NRSROs review the financial performance and condition of insurers and may
downgrade or change the outlook on an insurer's ratings due to, for example, a change in an insurer's statutory capital; a change in a rating
agency's determination of the amount of risk-adjusted capital required to maintain a particular rating; an increase in the perceived risk of an insurer's
investment portfolio; a reduced confidence in management; or other considerations that may or may not be under the insurer's control. In addition to
financial strength ratings, various NRSROs also publish ratings on our debt. These ratings are indicators of a debt issuer's ability to meet the terms
of debt obligations in a timely manner and are important factors in our
22
ability to access liquidity and capital from the debt markets or other available sources, such as reinsurance. Downgrades in our credit ratings could
give our derivative counterparties the right to require early termination of derivatives transactions or delivery of additional collateral, thereby
adversely affecting our liquidity.
In view of the difficulties experienced after the financial crisis by many financial institutions, including in the insurance industry, the NRSROs
have heightened the level of scrutiny that they apply to such institutions, increased the frequency and scope of their reviews, requested additional
information from the companies that they rate, including additional information regarding the valuation of investment securities held, and, in certain
cases, have increased the capital and other requirements employed in their models for maintenance of certain rating levels.
On September 16, 2015, S&P downgraded their rating of Japan’s sovereign credit risk. They also downgraded several other foreign insurers,
including Aflac. S&P has stated in the past that a downgrade of Japan's sovereign rating would lead to a downgrade of our financial strength rating.
S&P rarely rates insurance companies above the sovereign long-term rating of the country of domicile because during times of stress, the
sovereign’s regulatory and supervisory powers may restrict an insurer’s or financial system’s flexibility. Although we are a U.S.-based insurer, our
significant operations in Japan and corresponding regulation by the Japanese FSA, combined with our significant exposure to JGBs as outlined
above, resulted in S&P downgrading Aflac’s financial strength rating to A+ with a stable outlook.
A downgrade in our ratings could have a material adverse effect on agent recruiting and retention, sales, competitiveness and the marketability
of our products which could negatively impact our liquidity, operating results and financial condition. Additionally, sales through the bank channel in
Japan could be adversely affected as a result of their reliance and sensitivity to ratings levels.
We cannot predict what 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 any notice by any NRSRO.
Our risk management policies and procedures may prove to be ineffective and leave us exposed to unidentified or unanticipated risk,
which could adversely affect our businesses or result in losses.
We have developed an enterprise-wide risk management and governance framework to mitigate risk and loss to the Company. We maintain
policies, procedures and controls intended to identify, measure, monitor, report and analyze the risks to which the Company is exposed.
However, there are inherent limitations to risk management strategies because there may exist, or develop in the future, risks that we have not
appropriately anticipated or identified. If our risk management framework proves ineffective, the Company may suffer unexpected losses and could
be materially adversely affected. As our businesses change and the markets in which we operate evolve, our risk management framework may not
evolve at the same pace as those changes. As a result, there is a risk that new products or new business strategies may present risks that are not
appropriately identified, monitored or managed. In times of market stress, unanticipated market movements or unanticipated claims experience
resulting from greater than expected morbidity, mortality, longevity, or persistency, the effectiveness of our risk management strategies may be
limited, resulting in losses to the Company. In addition, under difficult or less liquid market conditions, our risk management strategies may not be
effective because other market participants may be using the same or similar strategies to manage risk under the same challenging market
conditions. In such circumstances, it may be difficult or more expensive for the Company to mitigate risk due to the activity of such other market
participants.
Many of our risk management strategies or techniques are based upon historical customer and market behavior and all such strategies and
techniques are based to some degree on management’s subjective judgment. We cannot provide assurance that our risk management framework,
including the underlying assumptions or strategies, will be accurate and effective.
Management of operational, legal and regulatory risks requires, among other things, policies, procedures and controls to record properly and
verify a large number of transactions and events, and these policies, procedures and controls may not be fully effective. Models are utilized by our
businesses and corporate areas primarily to project future cash flows associated with pricing products, calculating reserves and valuing assets, as
well as in evaluating risk and determining capital requirements, among other uses. These models may not operate properly and rely on assumptions
and projections that are inherently uncertain. As our businesses continue to grow and evolve, the number and complexity of models we
23
utilize expands, increasing our exposure to error in the design, implementation or use of models, including the associated input data and
assumptions. Given that there is risk involved with using any models, we are in the process of developing a model risk framework. Our risk
committee has approved a model risk policy, which describes the necessary governance related to our models.
Past or future misconduct by our employees or employees of our third parties (suppliers which are cost-based relationships and alliance partners
which are revenue-generating relationships) 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. Despite our published Supplier Code of Conduct,
due diligence of our alliance partners, and rigorous contracting procedures (including financial, legal, IT security, and risk reviews), there can be no
assurance that controls and procedures that we employ, which are designed to assess third party viability and prevent us from taking excessive or
inappropriate risks, will be effective. We review our supplier cost structures and alliance compensation policies and practices as part of our overall
risk management program, but it is possible that these cost structures and forms of compensation could inadvertently incentivize excessive or
inappropriate risk taking. If our third parties take excessive or inappropriate risks, those risks could harm our reputation and have a material adverse
effect on our results of operations or financial condition.
Extensive regulation and changes in legislation can impact profitability and growth.
Aflac's insurance subsidiaries are subject to complex laws and regulations that are administered and enforced by a number of governmental
authorities, including state insurance regulators, the SEC, the NAIC, the FIO, the FSA and Ministry of Finance (MOF) in Japan, the U.S. Department
of Justice, state attorneys general, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and the U.S. Treasury, including the Internal Revenue
Service, each of which exercises a degree of interpretive latitude. In addition, proposals regarding the global regulation of insurance are under
discussion. Consequently, we are subject to the risk that compliance with any particular regulator's or enforcement authority's interpretation of a
legal or regulatory issue may not result in compliance with another regulator's or enforcement authority's interpretation of the same issue,
particularly when compliance is judged in hindsight. There is also a risk that any particular regulator's or enforcement authority's interpretation of a
legal or regulatory issue may change over time to our detriment. In addition, changes in the overall legal or regulatory environment may, even
absent any particular regulator's or enforcement authority's interpretation of an issue changing, cause us to change our views regarding the actions
we need to take from a legal or regulatory risk management perspective, thus necessitating changes to our practices that may, in some cases, limit
our ability to grow or otherwise negatively impact the profitability of our business.
The primary purpose of insurance company regulatory supervision is the protection of insurance policyholders, rather than investors. The extent
of regulation varies, but generally is governed by state statutes in the United States and by the FSA and the MOF in Japan. These systems of
supervision and regulation cover, among other things:
• standards of establishing and setting premium rates and the approval thereof
• standards of minimum capital and reserve requirements and solvency margins, including risk-based capital measures
•
restrictions on, limitations on and required approval of certain transactions between our insurance subsidiaries and their affiliates, including
management fee arrangements
restrictions on the nature, quality and concentration of investments
restrictions on the types of terms and conditions that we can include in the insurance policies offered by our primary insurance operations
limitations on the amount of dividends that insurance subsidiaries can pay or foreign profits that can be repatriated
the existence and licensing status of a company under circumstances where it is not writing new or renewal business
•
•
•
•
• certain required methods of accounting
•
• assignment of residual market business and potential assessments for the provision of funds necessary for the settlement of covered claims
reserves for unearned premiums, losses and other purposes
under certain policies provided by impaired, insolvent or failed insurance companies
• administrative practices requirements
imposition of fines and other sanctions
•
24
Regulatory authorities periodically re-examine existing laws and regulations applicable to insurance companies and their products. Changes in
these laws and regulations, or in interpretations thereof, could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
Federal legislation and administrative policies in several areas, including health care reform legislation, financial services reform legislation,
securities regulation, pension regulation, privacy, tort reform legislation and taxation, can significantly and adversely affect insurance companies.
Various forms of federal oversight and regulation of insurance have been passed by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by the president. For
example, the ACA, federal health care reform legislation, gives the U.S. federal government direct regulatory authority over the business of health
insurance. The reform includes major changes to the U.S. health care insurance marketplace. Among other changes, the reform legislation includes
an individual medical insurance coverage mandate, provides for penalties on certain employers for failing to provide adequate coverage, creates
health insurance exchanges, and addresses coverage and exclusions as well as medical loss ratios. The legislation also includes changes in
government reimbursements and tax credits for individuals and employers and alters federal and state regulation of health insurers. These changes,
directed toward major medical health insurance coverage which Aflac does not offer, will continue to be implemented over the next several years.
While enacted in 2010, the major elements of the bill became effective on January 1, 2014. We believe that the ACA, as enacted, does not
materially affect the design of our insurance products. However, indirect consequences of the legislation and regulations could present challenges
and/or opportunities that could potentially have an impact on our sales model, financial condition and results of operations.
On December 18, 2015, the president signed into law the Consolidated Appropriations Act which included a revision to delay implementation of
the Excise Tax on High Cost Plans, better known as the "Cadillac tax.” This tax was originally scheduled to begin in 2017, was previously delayed
until 2018, and is now scheduled to begin in 2020. The tax consists of 40% of the cost of employer sponsored health coverage in excess of certain
dollar thresholds. In general, only Aflac specified disease and fixed indemnity (i.e. supplemental health) products offered on a pre-tax basis are
taken into account under this tax.
The legislation also makes the tax deductible by the payer. If employers fund coverage on a pre-tax basis, Aflac, as the insurer, would be liable
for its pro-rata share of any tax on excess coverage, determined based on the cost of Aflac coverage compared to the total cost of the applicable
health coverage in which each employee is enrolled. Making the tax deductible would then reduce the economic impact of any tax that is imposed
and payable by Aflac.
Many employers are concerned about the tax and what impact it will have on benefit offerings in the future. There is confusion in the market
about how the tax is calculated and who pays the tax, presenting a risk that some employers will mistakenly conclude that all supplemental health
products are included in the calculation for the tax regardless of pre-tax funding status or whether an employer’s health coverage exceeds the
trigger for the tax. Some employers may decide simply to drop coverage of affected supplemental health products, rather than convert it to an after-
tax basis. During this extended implementation period, Aflac will be assessing the impact of this tax; educating employers about the tax; and
investigating ways to mitigate the impact of the tax. Having employees pay for the coverage on an after-tax basis would exempt affected
supplemental health products from the tax.
In 2010, the president signed into law the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, commonly known as the Dodd-Frank
Act, which, among other things, created a Financial Stability Oversight Council (the Council). In April 2012, the Council released a final rule
describing the general process it will follow in determining whether to designate a nonbank financial company for supervision by the Board of
Governors of the U.S. Federal Reserve System (the Board). The Council may designate by a two-thirds vote whether certain nonbank financial
companies, including certain insurance companies and insurance holding companies, could pose a threat to the financial stability of the United
States, in which case such nonbank financial companies would become subject to prudential regulation by the Board. On April 3, 2013, the Board
published a final rule that establishes the requirements for determining when a nonbank financial company is "predominantly engaged in financial
activities" - a prerequisite for designation by the Council. Prudential regulation by the Board includes supervision of capital requirements, leverage
limits, liquidity requirements and examinations. The Board may limit such company’s ability to enter into mergers, acquisitions and other business
combination transactions, restrict its ability to offer financial products, require it to terminate one or more activities, or impose conditions on the
manner in which it conducts activities. The Council designated two insurers in 2013 and an additional insurer in 2014 for supervision by the Board.
On December 18, 2014, the president signed the Insurance Capital Standards Clarification Act into law. This legislation clarifies the Board’s
authority to apply insurance-based capital standards for insurance companies subject to federal supervision. Although Aflac is a nonbank financial
company predominantly engaged in financial activities as defined in the Dodd-Frank Act, we do not believe Aflac will be considered a company that
poses a threat to the financial stability of the United States.
25
Title VII of the Dodd-Frank Act and regulations issued thereunder may have an impact on Aflac's derivative activity, including activity on behalf
of Aflac Japan, in particular rules to require central clearing and collateral for certain types of derivatives. In 2014, the five U.S. banking regulators
and the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) re-proposed for comment their rules regarding collateral for uncleared swaps. Final
rules were issued by the five U.S. banking regulators on October 22, 2015 and by the CFTC on December 16, 2015. Such rules may result in
increased collateral requirements or affect other aspects of Aflac's derivatives activity.
The Dodd-Frank Act also established an FIO under the U.S. Treasury Department to monitor all aspects of the insurance industry and of lines of
business other than certain health insurance, certain long-term care insurance and crop insurance. Traditionally, U.S. insurance companies have
been regulated primarily by state insurance departments. In December 2013, the FIO released a report entitled "How To Modernize And Improve
The System Of Insurance Regulation In The United States." The report was required by the Dodd-Frank Act, and included 18 recommended areas
of near-term reform for the states, including addressing capital adequacy and safety/soundness issues, reform of insurer resolution practices, and
reform of marketplace regulation. The report also listed nine recommended areas for direct federal involvement in insurance regulation. Some of the
recommendations outlined in the FIO report released in December 2013 have been implemented. Of the nine recommended areas for direct federal
involvement in insurance regulation that are applicable to Aflac, the president has signed the National Association of Registered Agents and Brokers
Reform Act into law in January 2015, which simplifies the agent and broker licensing process across state lines. The FIO has also engaged with the
supervisory colleges to monitor financial stability and identify regulatory gaps for large national and internationally active insurers.
The process of implementing the Dodd-Frank Act is ongoing and continues to involve additional rulemaking from time to time. At the current
time, it is not possible to predict with any degree of certainty what impact, if any, the Dodd-Frank Act will have on our U.S. business, financial
condition, or results of operations.
Changes in domestic or foreign tax laws or interpretations of such laws could increase our corporate taxes and reduce our earnings.
Additionally, global budget deficits make it likely that governments’ need for additional revenue will result in future tax proposals that will increase our
effective tax rate. However, it remains difficult to predict the timing and effect that future tax law changes could have on our earnings both in the
United States and in foreign jurisdictions.
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 and results of operations.
Interruption in telecommunication, information technology and other operational systems, or a failure to maintain the security,
confidentiality or privacy of sensitive data residing on such systems, could harm our business.
We depend heavily on our telecommunication, information technology and other operational systems and on the integrity and timeliness of data
we use to run our businesses and service our customers. These systems may fail to operate properly or become disabled as a result of events or
circumstances wholly or partly beyond our control. Despite our implementation of a variety of security measures, our information technology and
other systems could be subject to physical or electronic break-ins, unauthorized tampering, security breaches or other cyber-attacks, resulting in a
failure to maintain the security, confidentiality or privacy of sensitive data, including personal information relating to customers, or in the
misappropriation of our intellectual property or proprietary information. Although the minor data leakage issues we have experienced to date have
not had a material effect on our business, interruption in telecommunication, information technology and other operational systems, or a failure to
maintain the security, confidentiality or privacy of sensitive data residing on such systems, whether due to actions by us or others, could delay or
disrupt our ability to do business and service our customers, harm our reputation, subject us to regulatory sanctions and other claims, lead to a loss
of customers and revenues and otherwise adversely affect our business.
Catastrophic events could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.
Our insurance operations are exposed to the risk of catastrophic events including, but not necessarily limited to, epidemics, pandemics,
tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis, and acts of terrorism. The extent of losses from a catastrophe is a function of both the total amount of
insured exposure in the area affected by the event and the severity of the event. Certain events such as earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes and
man-made catastrophes could cause substantial damage or loss of life in larger areas, especially those that are heavily populated. Claims resulting
from natural or man−made catastrophic events could cause substantial volatility in our financial results for any fiscal quarter or year
26
and could materially reduce our profitability or harm our financial condition, as well as affect our ability to write new business.
Changes in accounting standards issued by the FASB or other standard-setting bodies may adversely affect our financial statements.
Our financial statements are subject to the application of generally accepted accounting principles in both the United States and Japan, which
are periodically revised and/or expanded. Accordingly, from time to time we are required to adopt new or revised accounting standards issued by
recognized authoritative bodies, including the FASB. It is possible that future accounting standards we are required to adopt could change the
current accounting treatment that we apply to our consolidated financial statements and that such changes could have a material adverse effect on
our results of operations and financial condition. During the last three years, various accounting standard-setting bodies have been active in
soliciting comments and issuing statements, interpretations and exposure drafts. For information on new accounting pronouncements and the
impact, if any, on our financial position or results of operations, see Note 1 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in this report.
Managing key executive succession is critical to our success.
We would be adversely affected if we fail to adequately plan for succession of our senior management and other key executives. While we have
succession plans and employment arrangements with certain key executives, these plans cannot guarantee that the services of these executives
will be available to us, and our operations could be adversely affected if they are not.
We face risks related to litigation.
We are a defendant in various lawsuits considered to be in the normal course of business. Members of our senior legal and financial
management teams review litigation on a quarterly and annual basis. The final results of any litigation cannot be predicted with certainty. Although
some of this litigation is pending in states where large punitive damages, bearing little relation to the actual damages sustained by plaintiffs, have
been awarded in recent years, we believe the outcome of pending litigation will not have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of
operations, or cash flows. However, litigation could adversely affect us because of the costs of defending these cases, costs of settlement or
judgments against us or because of changes in our operations that could result from litigation.
Changes in our discount rate, expected rate of return, life expectancy, health care cost 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, life expectancy of plan participants and expected increases in compensation levels and trends in health care costs. Changes in these
assumptions, including from the impact of a sustained low interest rate environment, may result in increased expenses and reduce our profitability.
We operate in an industry that is subject to ongoing changes.
We operate in a competitive environment and in an industry that is subject to ongoing changes from market pressures brought about by
customer demands, legislative reform, marketing practices and changes to health care and health insurance delivery. These factors require us to
anticipate market trends and make changes to differentiate our products and services from those of our competitors. We also face the potential of
competition from existing or new companies in the United States and Japan that have not historically been active in the supplemental health
insurance industry. Failure to anticipate market trends and/or to differentiate our products and services can affect our ability to retain or grow
profitable lines of business.
27
Events, including those external to our operations, could damage our reputation.
Because insurance products are intangible, we rely to a large extent on consumer trust in our business. The perception of financial weakness
could create doubt regarding our ability to honor the commitments we have made to our policyholders. Maintaining our stature as a responsible
corporate citizen, which helps support the strength of our unique brand, is critical to our reputation and the failure or perceived failure to do so could
adversely affect us.
We also face other risks that could adversely affect our business, results of operations or financial condition, which include:
failure to appropriately maintain controls over models used to generate significant inputs to the Company’s financial statements
• any requirement to restate financial results in the event of inappropriate application of accounting principles
•
• a significant failure of internal controls over financial reporting
•
•
failure of our prevention and control systems related to employee compliance with internal policies and regulatory requirements
failure of corporate governance policies and procedures
ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
Not applicable.
ITEM 2. PROPERTIES
In the United States, Aflac owns land and buildings that comprise two primary campuses located in Columbus, Georgia. These campuses
include buildings that serve as our worldwide headquarters and house administrative support and information technology functions for our U.S.
operations. Aflac l eases office space in Columbia, South Carolina, which houses our CAIC subsidiary. Aflac leases office space in New York that
houses our Global Investment division. Aflac leases administrative office space in Georgia, South Carolina, New York, Nebraska, and in 39
additional states throughout the United States, as well as Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico.
In Tokyo, Japan, Aflac has three primary campuses. The first campus includes a building, owned by Aflac, for the customer call center, the
claims department, information technology departments, and training facility. It also includes a leased property, which houses our policy
administration and customer service departments. The second campus comprises leased space, which serves as our Japan branch headquarters
and houses administrative and investment support functions for the Japan branch. The third campus comprises leased space for the information
technology departments. Aflac also leases additional office space in Tokyo, along with regional offices located throughout the country.
ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
We are a defendant in various lawsuits considered to be in the normal course of business. Members of our senior legal and financial
management teams review litigation on a quarterly and annual basis. The final results of any litigation cannot be predicted with certainty. Although
some of this litigation is pending in states where large punitive damages, bearing little relation to the actual damages sustained by plaintiffs, have
been awarded in recent years, we believe the outcome of pending litigation will not have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of
operations, or cash flows.
ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES
Not applicable.
28
ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT'S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER
PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES
PART II
Market Information
Aflac Incorporated's common stock is principally traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol AFL. Our stock is also listed on the
Tokyo Stock Exchange. The quarterly high and low market prices for the Company's common stock, as reported on the New York Stock Exchange
for the two years ended December 31 were as follows:
Quarterly Common Stock Prices
2015
4th Quarter
3rd Quarter
2nd Quarter
1st Quarter
2014
4th Quarter
3rd Quarter
2nd Quarter
1st Quarter
Holders
High
$
66.53
64.99
65.10
64.62
High
$
62.46
64.20
64.47
66.69
As of February 16, 2016 , there were 87,482 holders of record of the Company's common stock.
Dividends
4th Quarter
3rd Quarter
2nd Quarter
1st Quarter
$
2015
.41
.39
.39
.39
Low
$
56.78
51.41
61.32
56.41
Low
$
54.99
57.70
60.60
60.45
$
2014
.39
.37
.37
.37
In February 2016, the board of directors declared the first quarter 2016 cash dividend of $.41 per share. The dividend is payable on March 1,
2016 to shareholders of record at the close of business on February 16, 2016 . The declaration and payment of future dividends to holders of our
common stock will be at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend upon many factors, including our financial condition, earnings,
capital requirements of our operating subsidiaries, legal requirements, regulatory constraints and other factors as the board of directors deems
relevant. There can be no assurance that we will declare and pay any additional or future dividends. For information concerning dividend
restrictions, see Regulatory Restrictions in the Capital Resources and Liquidity section of MD&A and Note 13 of the Notes to the Consolidated
Financial Statements presented in this report.
29
Stock Performance Graph
The following graph compares the five-year performance of the Company's common stock to the Standard & Poor's 500 Index (S&P 500) and
the Standard & Poor's Life and Health Insurance Index (S&P Life and Health). The Standard & Poor's Life and Health Insurance Index includes:
Aflac Incorporated, Lincoln National Corporation, MetLife Inc., Principal Financial Group Inc., Prudential Financial Inc., Torchmark Corporation and
Unum Group.
Performance Graphic Index
December 31,
Aflac Incorporated
S&P 500
S&P Life & Health Insurance
2010
100.00
100.00
100.00
2011
78.69
2012
99.43
102.11
118.45
79.29
90.86
2013
2014
128.18
156.82
148.53
120.13
178.29
151.43
2015
120.75
180.75
141.87
Copyright © 2016 Standard & Poor’s, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. All rights reserved. (www.researchdatagroup.com/S&P.htm)
30
Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
During the year ended December 31, 2015 , we repurchased shares of Aflac common stock as follows:
Period
January 1 - January 31
February 1 - February 28
March 1 - March 31
April 1 - April 30
May 1 - May 31
June 1 - June 30
July 1 - July 31
August 1 - August 31
September 1 - September 30
October 1 - October 31
November 1 - November 30
December 1 - December 31
Total
Number of
Shares
Purchased
3,326,084
2,457,596
4,205,408
325,000
1,990,000
1,398,960
110,745
2,368,500
1,410,706
1,275,200
1,210,100
1,277,395
Average
Price Paid
Per Share
$ 58.64
61.41
62.82
63.74
63.07
62.44
64.15
61.24
57.52
61.20
64.49
61.32
Total
Number
of Shares
Purchased
as Part of
Publicly
Announced
Plans or
Programs
3,325,300
2,301,000
4,201,000
325,000
1,990,000
1,391,700
110,000
2,368,500
1,408,300
1,275,200
1,210,100
1,272,466
Maximum
Number of
Shares that
May Yet Be
Purchased
Under the
Plans or
Programs
26,224,824
23,923,824
19,722,824
19,397,824
17,407,824
16,016,124
15,906,124
53,537,624
52,129,324
50,854,124
49,644,024
48,371,558
Total
48,371,558 (1)
(1) The total remaining shares available for purchase at December 31, 2015 , consisted of: (1) 8,371,558 shares related to a share repurchase authorization by
the board of directors announced in 2013 and (2) 40,000,000 shares related to a share repurchase authorization by the board of directors announced in
August 2015.
21,355,694 (2)
21,178,566
$ 61.41
(2) During the year ended December 31, 2015 , 177,128 shares were purchased in connection with income tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of
restricted-share-based awards during the period.
31
ITEM 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA
Aflac Incorporated and Subsidiaries
Years Ended December 31,
(In millions, except for share and per-share amounts)
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
Revenues:
Net premiums, principally supplemental
health insurance
Net investment income
Realized investment gains (losses)
Other income
Total revenues
Benefits and expenses:
Benefits and claims, net
Expenses
Total benefits and expenses
Pretax earnings
Income taxes
Net earnings
Share and Per-Share Amounts
Net earnings (basic)
Net earnings (diluted)
Cash dividends paid
Cash dividends declared
Weighted-average common shares used for basic
EPS (In thousands)
Weighted-average common shares used for diluted
EPS (In thousands)
Supplemental Data
Yen/dollar exchange rate at year-end (yen)
Weighted-average yen/dollar exchange rate (yen)
$
17,570 $
19,072 $
20,135 $
22,148 $
20,362
3,135
3,319
3,293
140
27
215
122
399
112
3,473
(349)
92
3,280
(1,552)
81
20,872
22,728
23,939
25,364
22,171
11,746
5,264
17,010
3,862
1,329
12,937
5,300
18,237
4,491
1,540
13,813
5,310
19,123
4,816
1,658
15,330
5,732
21,062
4,302
1,436
2,533 $
2,951 $
3,158 $
2,866 $
5.88 $
6.54 $
6.80 $
6.14 $
5.85
1.58
1.58
6.50
1.50
1.50
6.76
1.42
1.42
6.11
1.34
1.34
13,749
5,472
19,221
2,950
1,013
1,937
4.16
4.12
1.23
1.23
$
$
430,654
451,204
464,502
466,868
466,519
433,172
454,000
467,408
469,287
469,370
120.61
120.99
120.55
105.46
105.39
97.54
86.58
79.81
77.74
79.75
Amounts prior to 2012 have been adjusted for the adoption of accounting guidance on January 1, 2012 related to deferred policy acquisition costs.
32
(In millions)
Assets:
Investments and cash
Other
Total assets
Liabilities and shareholders’ equity:
Policy liabilities
Income taxes
Notes payable
Other liabilities
Shareholders’ equity
Aflac Incorporated and Subsidiaries
December 31,
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
$ 105,897 $ 107,341 $ 108,459 $ 118,219 $ 103,462
12,399
12,426
12,848
12,875
12,775
$ 118,296 $ 119,767 $ 121,307 $ 131,094 $ 116,237
$
87,631 $
83,933 $
89,402 $
97,720 $
94,239
4,340
5,011
3,606
5,293
5,282
6,912
3,718
4,897
8,670
3,858
4,352
9,186
2,308
3,285
3,459
17,708
18,347
14,620
15,978
12,946
Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity
$ 118,296 $ 119,767 $ 121,307 $ 131,094 $ 116,237
Amounts prior to 2012 have been adjusted for the adoption of accounting guidance on January 1, 2012 related to deferred policy acquisition costs.
33
ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF
OPERATIONS
FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION
The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides a “safe harbor” to encourage companies to provide prospective information, so
long as those informational statements are identified as forward-looking and are accompanied by meaningful cautionary statements identifying
important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those included in the forward-looking statements. We desire to take
advantage of these provisions. This report contains cautionary statements identifying important factors that could cause actual results to differ
materially from those projected herein, and in any other statements made by Company officials in communications with the financial community and
contained in documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Forward-looking statements are not based on historical
information and relate to future operations, strategies, financial results or other developments. Furthermore, forward-looking information is subject to
numerous assumptions, risks and uncertainties. In particular, statements containing words such as “expect,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “goal,”
“objective,” “may,” “should,” “estimate,” “intends,” “projects,” “will,” “assumes,” “potential,” “target” or similar words as well as specific projections of
future results, generally qualify as forward-looking. Aflac undertakes no obligation to update such forward-looking statements.
We caution readers that the following factors, in addition to other factors mentioned from time to time, could cause actual results to differ
materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
difficult conditions in global capital markets and the economy
governmental actions for the purpose of stabilizing the financial markets
defaults and credit downgrades of securities in our investment portfolio
exposure to significant interest rate risk
concentration of business in Japan
limited availability of acceptable yen-denominated investments
failure to comply with restrictions on patient privacy and information security
foreign currency fluctuations in the yen/dollar exchange rate
deviations in actual experience from pricing and reserving assumptions
subsidiaries' ability to pay dividends to Aflac Incorporated
ability to continue to develop and implement improvements in information technology systems
concentration of our investments in any particular single-issuer or sector
decline in creditworthiness of other financial institutions
ability to attract and retain qualified sales associates and employees
differing judgments applied to investment valuations
significant valuation judgments in determination of amount of impairments taken on our investments
credit and other risks associated with Aflac's investment in perpetual securities
decreases in our financial strength or debt ratings
inherent limitations to risk management policies and procedures
extensive regulation and changes in law or regulation by governmental authorities
interruption in telecommunication, information technology and other operational systems, or a failure to maintain the security, confidentiality
or privacy of sensitive data residing on such systems
catastrophic events including, but not necessarily limited to, epidemics, pandemics, tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis, acts of
terrorism and damage incidental to such events
changes in U.S. and/or Japanese accounting standards
ability to effectively manage key executive succession
level and outcome of litigation
increased expenses and reduced profitability resulting from changes in assumptions for pension and other postretirement benefit plans
ongoing changes in our industry
loss of consumer trust resulting from events external to our operations
failure of internal controls or corporate governance policies and procedures
34
MD&A OVERVIEW
Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (MD&A) is intended to inform the reader about matters
affecting the financial condition and results of operations of Aflac Incorporated and its subsidiaries for the three-year period ended December 31,
2015 . As a result, the following discussion should be read in conjunction with the related consolidated financial statements and notes. This MD&A is
divided into the following sections:
• Our Business
•
•
•
•
•
Performance Highlights
Critical Accounting Estimates
Results of Operations, consolidated and by segment
Analysis of Financial Condition, including discussion of market risks of financial instruments
Capital Resources and Liquidity, including discussion of availability of capital and the sources and uses of cash
OUR BUSINESS
Aflac Incorporated (the Parent Company) and its subsidiaries (collectively, the Company) primarily sell supplemental health and life insurance in
the United States and Japan. The Company's insurance business is marketed and administered through American Family Life Assurance Company
of Columbus (Aflac), which operates in the United States (Aflac U.S.) and as a branch in Japan (Aflac Japan). Most of Aflac's policies are
individually underwritten and marketed through independent agents. Aflac U.S. also markets and administers group products through Continental
American Insurance Company (CAIC), branded as Aflac Group Insurance. Our insurance operations in the United States and our branch in Japan
service the two markets for our insurance business.
PERFORMANCE HIGHLIGHTS
Yen-denominated income statement accounts are translated to U.S. dollars using a weighted-average Japanese yen/U.S. dollar foreign
exchange rate, while yen-denominated balance sheet accounts are translated to U.S. dollars using a spot Japanese yen/U.S. dollar foreign
exchange rate. The spot yen/dollar exchange rate at December 31, 2015 was 120.61 , or .05% weaker than the December 31, 2014 spot yen/dollar
exchange rate of 120.55 . The weighted-average yen/dollar exchange rate for the year ended December 31, 2015 was 120.99 , or 12.8% weaker
than the weighted-average yen/dollar exchange rate of 105.46 for the same period in 2014 .
Reflecting the weaker yen/dollar exchange rate, total revenues decreased 8.2% to $20.9 billion in 2015 , compared with $22.7 billion in 2014 .
Net earnings in 2015 were $2.5 billion , or $5.85 per diluted share, compared with $3.0 billion , or $6.50 per diluted share, in 2014 .
Results for 2015 included pretax net realized investment gains of $140 million ( $91 million after-tax), compared with net realized investment
gains of $215 million ( $140 million after-tax) in 2014 . Net investment gains in 2015 consisted of $303 million of net gains ( $197 million after-tax)
from the sale or redemption of securities; $153 million ( $100 million after-tax) of other-than-temporary impairment losses ; and $10 million of net
losses ( $7 million after-tax) from valuing derivatives.
Shareholders' equity included a net unrealized gain on investment securities and derivatives of $3.0 billion at December 31, 2015 , compared
with a net unrealized gain of $4.7 billion at December 31, 2014 .
In August 2015, we paid off $300 million of 3.45% fixed-rate senior notes upon their maturity. In August 2015, we paid off a 5.0 billion yen loan
at its maturity date (a total of approximately $41 million using the exchange rate at the maturity date). In July 2015, we paid off a 10.0 billion yen loan
at its maturity date (a total of approximately $81 million using the exchange rate at the maturity date). In March 2015, the Parent Company issued
$1.0 billion of senior notes through a U.S. public debt offering. We entered into cross-currency interest rate swaps to economically convert the U.S.
dollar denominated principal and interest on the senior notes we issued into yen-denominated obligations. In April 2015, the Parent Company used
the proceeds from the March 2015 issuance of our fixed-rate senior notes to redeem all of its $850 million 8.50% fixed-rate senior notes due May
2019 and to pay a portion of the corresponding $230 million make-whole premium due to the investors of these notes.
35
In October 2015, the Parent Company and Aflac jointly entered into a 364-day uncommitted bilateral line of credit that provides for borrowings in
the amount of $100 million. In September 2015, the Parent Company and Aflac amended a 50 billion yen revolving credit facility, resulting in jointly
entering into an unsecured revolving credit facility agreement with a syndicate of financial institutions that provides for borrowings in the amount of
55 billion yen. In February 2015, the Parent Company and Aflac jointly entered into an uncommitted bilateral line of credit with a third party that
provides for borrowings in the amount of $50 million. For further information regarding these transactions, see Note 9 of the Notes to the
Consolidated Financial Statements and the Capital Resources and Liquidity section of this MD&A.
We repurchased 21.2 million shares of our common stock in the open market for $1.3 billion under our share repurchase program in 2015 ,
compared with 19.7 million shares repurchased in 2014 .
CRITICAL ACCOUNTING ESTIMATES
We prepare our financial statements in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). These principles are established
primarily by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB). In this MD&A, references to U.S. GAAP issued by the FASB are derived from the
FASB Accounting Standards Codification TM (ASC). The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires us to make
estimates based on currently available information when recording transactions resulting from business operations. The estimates that we deem to
be most critical to an understanding of Aflac's results of operations and financial condition are those related to the valuation of investments and
derivatives, deferred policy acquisition costs (DAC), liabilities for future policy benefits and unpaid policy claims, and income taxes. The preparation
and evaluation of these critical accounting estimates involve the use of various assumptions developed from management's analyses and
judgments. The application of these critical accounting estimates determines the values at which 93% of our assets and 77% of our liabilities are
reported as of December 31, 2015 , and thus has a direct effect on net earnings and shareholders' equity. Subsequent experience or use of other
assumptions could produce significantly different results.
Investments and Derivatives
Aflac's investments, primarily consisting of debt, perpetual and equity securities, include both publicly issued and privately issued securities. For
publicly issued securities, we determine the fair values from quoted market prices readily available from public exchange markets and price quotes
and valuations from third party pricing vendors. For the majority of privately issued securities within our investment portfolio, a third party pricing
vendor has developed valuation models to determine fair values. For the remaining privately issued securities, we use non-binding price quotes from
outside brokers. We also routinely review our investments that have experienced declines in fair value to determine if the decline is other than
temporary. The identification of distressed investments, the determination of fair value if not publicly traded and the assessment of whether a decline
is other than temporary involve significant management judgment.
We must apply considerable judgment in determining the likelihood of the security recovering in value while we own it. Factors that may
influence this include our assessment of the issuer’s ability to continue making timely payments of interest and principal, the overall level of interest
rates and credit spreads, and other factors. This process requires consideration of risks which can be controlled to a certain extent, such as credit
risk, and risks which cannot be controlled, such as interest rate risk. Management updates its evaluations regularly and reflects impairment losses in
the Company's net earnings or other comprehensive income, depending on the nature of the loss, as such evaluations are revised.
Our derivative activities include foreign currency, interest rate and credit default swaps in VIEs that are consolidated; foreign currency swaps
associated with certain senior notes and our subordinated debentures; foreign currency forwards and options used in hedging foreign exchange risk
and options on interest rate swaps (or interest rate swaptions) used in hedging interest rate risk on U.S. dollar-denominated securities in Aflac
Japan's portfolio; and foreign currency forwards and options used to economically hedge certain portions of forecasted cash flows denominated in
yen. Inputs used to value derivatives include, but are not limited to, interest rates, credit spreads, foreign currency forward and spot rates, and
interest volatility. With the exception of the derivatives associated with our VIE investments, the fair values of the derivatives referenced above are
based on the amounts we would expect to receive or pay to terminate the derivatives. For derivatives associated with VIEs where we are the
primary beneficiary, we receive valuations from a third party pricing vendor.
See Notes 1, 3, 4 and 5 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.
36
Deferred Policy Acquisition Costs and Policy Liabilities
Aflac's products are generally long-duration fixed-benefit indemnity contracts. We make estimates of certain factors that affect the profitability of
our business to match expected policy benefits and deferrable acquisition costs with expected policy premiums. These factors include persistency,
morbidity, mortality, investment yields and expenses. If actual results match the assumptions used in establishing policy liabilities and the deferral
and amortization of acquisition costs, profits are expected to emerge ratably over the life of the policy. However, because actual results will vary
from the assumptions, profits as a percentage of earned premiums will vary from year to year.
We measure the adequacy of our policy reserves and recoverability of DAC annually by performing gross premium valuations on our business.
Our testing indicates that our insurance liabilities are adequate and that our DAC is recoverable.
Deferred Policy Acquisition Costs
Certain costs of acquiring new business are deferred and amortized over the policy's premium payment period in proportion to anticipated
premium income. Future amortization of DAC is based upon our estimates of persistency, interest and future premium revenue generally
established at the time of policy issuance. However, the unamortized balance of DAC reflects actual persistency. See Note 6 of the Notes to the
Consolidated Financial Statements for a detail of the DAC activity for the past two years.
Policy Liabilities
The following table provides details of policy liabilities by segment and in total as of December 31.
Policy Liabilities
(In millions)
Japan segment:
Future policy benefits
Unpaid policy claims
Other policy liabilities
Total Japan policy liabilities
U.S. segment:
Future policy benefits
Unpaid policy claims
Other policy liabilities
Total U.S. policy liabilities
Consolidated:
Future policy benefits
Unpaid policy claims
Other policy liabilities
2015
2014
$
62,244
$
57,916
$
$
$
$
2,193
14,023
78,460
8,087
1,609
119
9,815
69,687
3,802
14,142
$
$
$
$
2,120
14,539
74,575
7,728
1,511
117
9,356
65,646
3,630
14,657
Total consolidated policy liabilities
$
87,631 (1)
$
83,933
(1) The sum of the Japan and U.S. segments exceeds the total due to reinsurance and retrocession activity.
Our policy liabilities, which are determined in accordance with applicable guidelines as defined under U.S. GAAP and Actuarial Standards of
Practice, include two components that involve analysis and judgment: future policy benefits and unpaid policy claims, which accounted for 80% and
4% of total policy liabilities as of December 31, 2015 , respectively.
Future policy benefits provide for claims that will occur in the future and are generally calculated as the present value of future expected benefits
to be incurred less the present value of future expected net benefit premiums. We calculate future policy benefits based on assumptions of
morbidity, mortality, persistency and interest. These assumptions are generally established at the time a policy is issued. The assumptions used in
the calculations are closely related to those used in developing the gross premiums for a policy. As required by U.S. GAAP, we also include a
provision for adverse deviation, which is intended to accommodate adverse fluctuations in actual experience.
37
Unpaid policy claims include those claims that have been incurred and are in the process of payment as well as an estimate of those claims that
have been incurred but have not yet been reported to us. We compute unpaid policy claims on a non-discounted basis using statistical analyses of
historical claims payments, adjusted for current trends and changed conditions. We update the assumptions underlying the estimate of unpaid policy
claims regularly and incorporate our historical experience as well as other data that provides information regarding our outstanding liability.
Our insurance products provide fixed-benefit amounts per occurrence that are not subject to medical-cost inflation. Furthermore, our business is
widely dispersed in both the United States and Japan. This geographic dispersion and the nature of our benefit structure mitigate the risk of a
significant unexpected increase in claims payments due to epidemics and events of a catastrophic nature. Claims incurred under Aflac's policies are
generally reported and paid in a relatively short time frame. The unpaid claims liability is sensitive to morbidity assumptions, in particular, severity
and frequency of claims. Severity is the ultimate size of a claim, and frequency is the number of claims incurred. Our claims experience is primarily
related to the demographics of our policyholders.
As a part of our established financial reporting and accounting practices and controls, we perform detailed annual actuarial reviews of our
policyholder liabilities (gross premium valuation analysis) and reflect the results of those reviews in our results of operations and financial condition
as required by U.S. GAAP. For Aflac Japan, our annual review in 2015 indicated that we needed to strengthen the liability associated with a block of
care policies, primarily due to low investment yields. We strengthened our future policy benefits liability by $18 million in 2015 as a result of this
review. Our review in 2014 and 2013 indicated no need to strengthen liabilities associated with policies in Japan. For Aflac U.S., our annual reviews
in 2015 and 2014 indicated no need to strengthen liabilities associated with policies in the United States. Our review in 2013 indicated that we
needed to strengthen the liability associated primarily with long-term care in the United States. We strengthened our future policy benefits liability by
$ 20 million in 2013 as a result of this review .
The table below reflects the growth of the future policy benefits liability for the years ended December 31.
Future Policy Benefits
(In millions of dollars and billions of yen)
Aflac U.S.
Growth rate
Aflac Japan
Growth rate
Consolidated
Growth rate
Yen/dollar exchange rate (end of period)
Aflac Japan (in yen)
Growth rate
$
$
$
2015
8,087
4.6%
62,244
7.5%
69,687
6.2%
120.61
7,507
7.5%
$
$
$
2014
7,728
5.1 %
57,916
(6.3)%
65,646
(5.0)%
120.55
6,982
7.2 %
$
$
$
2013
7,354
6.1 %
61,780
(11.1)%
69,136
(9.6)%
105.39
6,511
8.2 %
The growth of the future policy benefits liability in yen for Aflac Japan and in dollars for Aflac U.S. has been due to the aging of our in-force block
of business and the addition of new business.
In computing the estimate of unpaid policy claims, we consider many factors, including the benefits and amounts available under the policy; the
volume and demographics of the policies exposed to claims; and internal business practices, such as incurred date assignment and current claim
administrative practices. We monitor these conditions closely and make adjustments to the liability as actual experience emerges. Claim levels are
generally stable from period to period; however, fluctuations in claim levels may occur. In calculating the unpaid policy claim liability, we do not
calculate a range of estimates. The following table shows the expected sensitivity of the unpaid policy claims liability as of December 31, 2015 , to
changes in severity and frequency of claims.
38
(In millions)
Total Frequency
Increase by 2%
Increase by 1%
Unchanged
Decrease by 1%
Decrease by 2%
Sensitivity of Unpaid Policy Claims Liability
Decrease
by 2%
Decrease
by 1%
$
0
(21)
(43)
(64)
(85)
$
22
0
(22)
(43)
(64)
Total Severity
Unchanged
Increase
by 1%
Increase
by 2%
$
44
22
0
(22)
(43)
$
66
44
22
0
(21)
$
88
66
44
22
0
Other policy liabilities, which accounted for 16% of total policy liabilities as of December 31, 2015 , consisted primarily of discounted advance
premiums on deposit from policyholders in conjunction with their purchase of certain Aflac Japan insurance products. These advanced premiums
are deferred upon collection and recognized as premium revenue over the contractual premium payment period. Advanced premiums represented
43% and 47% of the December 31, 2015 and 2014 other policy liabilities balances, respectively. See the Aflac Japan segment subsection of this
MD&A for further information.
Income Taxes
Income tax provisions are generally based on pretax earnings reported for financial statement purposes, which differ from those amounts used
in preparing our income tax returns. Deferred income taxes are recognized for temporary differences between the financial reporting basis and
income tax basis of assets and liabilities, based on enacted tax laws and statutory tax rates applicable to the periods in which we expect the
temporary differences to reverse. The evaluation of a tax position in accordance with U.S. GAAP is a two-step process. Under the first step, the
enterprise determines whether it is more likely than not that a tax position will be sustained upon examination by taxing authorities. The second step
is measurement, whereby a tax position that meets the more-likely-than-not recognition threshold is measured to determine the amount of benefit to
recognize in the financial statements. A valuation allowance is established for deferred tax assets when it is more likely than not that an amount will
not be realized. The determination of a valuation allowance for deferred tax assets requires management to make certain judgments and
assumptions.
In evaluating the ability to recover deferred tax assets, our management considers all available evidence, including taxable income in open carry
back years, the existence of cumulative losses in the most recent years, forecasted earnings, future taxable income exclusive of reversing
temporary differences and carryforwards, future taxable temporary difference reversals, and prudent and feasible tax planning strategies. In the
event we determine it is not more likely than not that we will be able to realize all or part of our deferred tax assets in the future, a valuation
allowance would be charged to earnings in the period such determination is made. Likewise, if it is later determined that it is more likely than not that
those deferred tax assets would be realized, the previously provided valuation allowance would be reversed. Future economic conditions and market
volatility, including increases in interest rates or widening credit spreads, can adversely impact the Company’s tax planning strategies and in
particular the Company’s ability to utilize tax benefits on previously recognized capital losses. Our judgments and assumptions are subject to
change given the inherent uncertainty in predicting future performance and specific industry and investment market conditions.
Interest rates and credit spreads in both the United States and Japan are not the only factors that impact the Company’s unrealized gain/loss
position and the evaluation of a need for a valuation allowance on the Company’s deferred tax asset, but they do have a direct and significant effect
on both. Based on our methodology described above for evaluating the need for a valuation allowance, we have determined that it is more likely
than not that our deferred tax assets will be realized in the future, therefore we have not recorded a valuation allowance as of December 31, 2015 .
See Note 10 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.
New Accounting Pronouncements
During the last three years, various accounting standard-setting bodies have been active in soliciting comments and issuing statements,
interpretations and exposure drafts. For information on new accounting pronouncements and the impact, if any, on our financial position or results of
operations, see Note 1 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
39
RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
The following discussion includes references to our performance measures, operating earnings and operating earnings per diluted share , that
are not based on U.S. GAAP. Operating earnings is the measure of segment profit or loss we use to evaluate segment performance and allocate
resources. Consistent with U.S. GAAP accounting guidance for segment reporting, operating earnings is our measure of segment performance.
Aflac believes that an analysis of operating earnings is vitally important to an understanding of our underlying profitability drivers and trends of our
insurance business. Furthermore, because a significant portion of our business is conducted in Japan, we believe it is equally important to
understand the impact of translating Japanese yen into U.S. dollars.
Aflac defines operating earnings (a non-U.S. GAAP financial measure) as the profits derived from operations. Operating earnings includes
interest cash flows associated with notes payable but excludes items that cannot be predicted or that are outside of management's control, such as
realized investment gains and losses from securities transactions, impairments, and derivative and hedging activities; nonrecurring items; and other
non-operating income (loss) from net earnings. Aflac's derivative activities are primarily used to hedge foreign exchange and interest rate risk in our
investment portfolio as well as manage foreign exchange risk for certain notes payable and forecasted cash flows denominated in yen. Our
management uses operating earnings to evaluate the financial performance of Aflac’s insurance operations because realized gains and losses from
securities transactions, impairments, and derivative and hedging activities, as well as other and nonrecurring items, tend to be driven by general
economic conditions and events or related to infrequent activities not directly associated with the Company’s insurance operations, and therefore
may obscure the underlying fundamentals and trends in Aflac’s insurance operations.
The following table is a reconciliation of items impacting operating and net earnings and operating and net earnings per diluted share for the
years ended December 31.
Reconciliation of Operating Earnings to Net Earnings
Operating earnings
Items impacting net earnings, net of tax:
Realized investment gains (losses):
Securities transactions and impairments
Impact of derivative and hedging activities:
Hedge costs related to foreign currency
investments
Other derivative and hedging activities
Other and non-recurring income (loss)
Net earnings
In Millions
Per Diluted Share
2015
2014
2013
2015
2014
2013
$
2,670
$
2,797
$
2,887
$
6.16 $
6.16 $
6.18
97
119
41
.23
.26
.09
(88)
27 (1)
(173) (2)
2,533
$
(24)
16 (1)
43
(17)
229 (1)
18
(.20)
.06
(.40)
(.05)
.03
.10
(.04)
.49
.04
$
2,951
$
3,158
$
5.85 $
6.50 $
6.76
(1) Excludes a gain of $54 , $28 and $6 , after tax, in 2015 , 2014 and 2013 , respectively, related to the interest rate component of the change in fair value of
foreign currency swaps on notes payable which is classified as an operating gain when analyzing segment operations
(2) Includes a loss of $13 , after tax, in 2015 related to the change in value of yen repatriation received in advance of settlement of certain foreign currency
derivatives. This loss was offset by derivative gains included in other derivative and hedging activities.
Realized Investment Gains and Losses
Our investment strategy is to invest in fixed-maturity securities to provide a reliable stream of investment income, which is one of the drivers of
the Company’s growth and profitability. This investment strategy incorporates asset-liability matching (ALM) to align the expected cash flows of the
portfolio to the needs of the Company's liability structure. We do not purchase securities with the intent of generating capital gains or losses.
However, investment gains and losses may be realized as a result of changes in the financial markets and the creditworthiness of specific issuers,
tax planning strategies, and/or general portfolio management and rebalancing. The realization of investment gains and losses is independent of the
underwriting and administration of our insurance products, which are the principal drivers of our profitability.
40
Securities Transactions and Impairments
During 2015 , we realized pretax investment gains , net of losses , of $303 million ( $197 million after-tax) from sales and redemptions of
securities. These net gains primarily resulted from sales of Japanese Government Bonds (JGBs) as part of a portfolio repositioning exercise. We
realized pretax investment losses of $153 million ( $100 million after-tax) as a result of the recognition of other-than-temporary impairment losses on
certain securities. Investment losses were primarily related to the recognition of an other-than-temporary impairment loss on a single holding.
During 2014 , we realized pretax investment gains, net of losses, of $215 million ( $140 million after-tax) from sales and redemptions of
securities. These net gains primarily resulted from gains on sales of JGBs and our U.S. Treasury holdings, currency gains from transactions by our
externally managed portfolio of U.S. dollar-denominated bank loans, and assorted other bond sales and calls. We realized pretax investment losses
of $31 million ( $20 million after-tax) as a result of the recognition of other-than-temporary impairment losses on certain securities.
During 2013 , we realized pretax investment gains, net of losses, of $262 million ( $170 million after-tax) from sales and redemptions of
securities. These net gains primarily resulted from sales of JGBs as part of a portfolio repositioning exercise. We also realized modest gains from
bond tender offers of several of our holdings. We realized pretax investment losses of $199 million ( $129 million after-tax) as a result of the
recognition of other-than-temporary impairment losses on certain securities.
See Note 3 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for more details on these investment activities.
The following table details our pretax impairment losses by investment category for the years ended December 31.
(In millions)
Perpetual securities
Corporate bonds
Bank/financial institution bonds
Sovereign and supranational
Equity securities
2015
2014
2013
$
0
17
135
0
1
$
0
31
0
0
0
$
70
102
0
26
1
Total other-than-temporary impairment losses realized (1)
$
153
$
31
$
199
(1) Includes $131 and $45 for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2013 , respectively, for credit-related impairments; $26 for the year ended December 31,
2013 for impairments due to severity and duration of decline in fair value; and $22 , $31 and $128 for the years ended December 31, 2015 , 2014 and 2013 ,
respectively, from change in intent to sell securities
Impact of Derivative and Hedging Activities
Our derivative activities include foreign currency swaps and credit default swaps held in consolidated VIEs; foreign currency forwards and
options, interest rate swaptions and futures on certain fixed-maturity securities; foreign currency forwards and options that economically hedge
certain portions of forecasted cash flows denominated in yen; and foreign currency swaps associated with certain senior notes and our subordinated
debentures. During 2015 , we realized pretax investment losses , net of gains , of $10 million ( $7 million after-tax), compared with pretax investment
gains, net of losses, of $31 million ( $20 million after-tax) in 2014 and pretax investment gains, net of losses, of $336 million ( $218 million after-tax)
in 2013 as a result of valuing these derivatives, net of the effects of hedge accounting. For a description of other items that could be included in the
Impact of Derivative and Hedging Activities, see the Hedging Activities subsection of MD&A and Note 4 of the accompanying Notes to the
Consolidated Financial Statements.
For additional information regarding realized investment gains and losses, see Notes 3 and 4 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial
Statements.
Other and Non-recurring Items
During the second quarter of 2015, the make-whole premium paid to the investors of our 8.50% fixed-rate senior notes for the early redemption
of those notes was recorded as a $230 million pretax non-operating loss ($150 million after-tax, or $.35 per diluted share). The Company also
includes the accounting impacts of remeasurement associated with changes in the yen/dollar exchange rate as an other non-operating item.
41
Foreign Currency Translation
Aflac Japan’s premiums and most of its investment income are received in yen. Claims and expenses are paid in yen, and we have yen-
denominated assets that support yen-denominated policy liabilities. These and other yen-denominated financial statement items are translated into
dollars for financial reporting purposes. We translate Aflac Japan’s yen-denominated income statement into dollars using an average exchange rate
for the reporting period, and we translate its yen-denominated balance sheet using the exchange rate at the end of the period.
Due to the size of Aflac Japan, where our functional currency is the Japanese yen, fluctuations in the yen/dollar exchange rate can have a
significant effect on our reported results. In periods when the yen weakens, translating yen into dollars results in fewer dollars being reported. When
the yen strengthens, translating yen into dollars results in more dollars being reported. Consequently, yen weakening has the effect of suppressing
current period results in relation to the comparable prior period, while yen strengthening has the effect of magnifying current period results in relation
to the comparable prior period. As a result, we view foreign currency translation as a financial reporting issue for Aflac rather than an economic
event to our Company or shareholders. Because changes in exchange rates distort the growth rates of our operations, management evaluates
Aflac’s financial performance excluding the impact of foreign currency translation.
Income Taxes
Our combined U.S. and Japanese effective income tax rate on pretax earnings was 34.4% in 2015 , 34.3% in 2014 and 34.4% in 2013 . Total
income taxes were $1.3 billion in 2015 , compared with $1.5 billion in 2014 and $1.7 billion in 2013 . Japanese income taxes on Aflac Japan's results
account for most of our consolidated income tax expense. See Note 10 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional
information.
Earnings Guidance
Our original objective for 2015 was to increase operating earnings per diluted share by 2% to 7% over 2014 , and we revised the objective
during the year to a 4% to 7% increase, excluding the effect of foreign currency translation. In April 2015, we executed a make-whole transaction to
enhance our consolidated capital position (see the Capital Resources and Liquidity section of this MD&A for further discussion). As a result of this
transaction, we incurred a non-operating charge of $.35 to operating earnings per diluted share in the second quarter of 2015. However, operating
earnings per diluted share benefited by approximately $.07 for the full year 2015 due to a net reduction in interest expense. We reported 2015 net
earnings per diluted share of $5.85 . Adjusting that number for after-tax realized investment gains ( $.09 per diluted share), other non-operating
expense ($ .40 per diluted share), and foreign currency translation (an expense of $.46 per diluted share), we finished the year above the top of the
target range with a 7.5% increase in operating earnings per diluted share.
Stronger than expected earnings growth from 2015 will create tough comparisons in 2016. Our objective for 2016 is to produce stable operating
earnings per diluted share of $6.17 to $6.41, assuming the average exchange rate in 2015 of 120.99 yen to the dollar. With volatile financial markets
and interest rates at significantly depressed levels, it is difficult to safely invest cash flows at attractive yields. Additionally, 2016 benefit ratios in both
the U.S. and Japan anticipate continued favorable experience. If we achieve our objective for 2016, the following table shows the likely results for
operating earnings per diluted share, including the impact of foreign currency translation using various yen/dollar exchange rate scenarios.
Weighted-Average
Yen/Dollar
Exchange Rate
110
115
120.99 (2)
125
130
2016 Operating Earnings Per Diluted Share Scenarios (1)
Operating Earnings
Per Diluted Share
$6.49 - 6.73
6.34 - 6.58
6.17 - 6.41
6.07 - 6.31
5.95 - 6.19
% Growth
Over 2015
5.4
2.9
.2
(1.5)
- 9.3%
- 6.8
- 4.1
- 2.4
(3.4) -
.5
Yen Impact
$ .32
.17
.00
(.10)
(.22)
(1) Excludes realized investment gains/losses (securities transactions, impairments, and the impact of derivative and hedging activities), nonrecurring items, and
other non-operating income (loss) in 2016 and 2015
(2) Actual 2015 weighted-average exchange rate
42
INSURANCE OPERATIONS
Aflac's insurance business consists of two segments: Aflac Japan and Aflac U.S. Aflac Japan, which operates as a branch of Aflac, is the
principal contributor to consolidated earnings. U.S. GAAP financial reporting requires that a company report financial and descriptive information
about operating segments in its annual and interim period financial statements. Furthermore, we are required to report a measure of segment profit
or loss, certain revenue and expense items, and segment assets.
We evaluate our sales efforts using new annualized premium sales, an industry operating measure. New annualized premium sales, which
include both new sales and the incremental increase in premiums due to conversions, represent the premiums that we would collect over a 12-
month period, assuming the policies remain in force. For Aflac Japan, new annualized premium sales are determined by applications submitted
during the reporting period. For Aflac U.S., new annualized premium sales are determined by applications that are issued during the reporting
period. Premium income, or earned premiums, is a financial performance measure that reflects collected or due premiums that have been earned
ratably on policies in force during the reporting period.
AFLAC JAPAN SEGMENT
Aflac Japan Pretax Operating Earnings
Changes in Aflac Japan's pretax operating earnings and profit margins are primarily affected by morbidity, mortality, expenses, persistency and
investment yields. The following table presents a summary of operating results for Aflac Japan for the years ended December 31.
Aflac Japan Summary of Operating Results
(In millions)
Net premium income
Net investment income:
Yen-denominated investment income
Dollar-denominated investment income
Net investment income
Other income (loss)
Total operating revenues
Benefits and claims, net
Operating expenses:
Amortization of deferred policy acquisition costs
Insurance commissions
Insurance and other expenses
Total operating expenses
Total benefits and expenses
Pretax operating earnings (1)
Weighted-average yen/dollar exchange rate
2015
2014
2013
$ 12,046
$ 13,861
$ 14,982
1,227
1,209
2,436
31
14,513
8,705
578
719
1,336
2,633
11,338
1,429
1,233
2,662
32
16,555
10,084
649
845
1,519
3,013
13,097
1,497
1,154
2,651
55
17,688
10,924
641
944
1,551
3,136
14,060
$
3,175
$
3,458
$
3,628
120.99
105.46
97.54
Percentage change over previous period:
2015
In Dollars
2014
Net premium income
Net investment income
(13.1)%
(8.5)
(7.5)%
.4
2013
(12.7)%
(6.8)
Total operating revenues
Pretax operating earnings (1)
(1) See the Insurance Operations section of this MD&A for our definition of segment operating earnings.
(12.3)
(4.7)
(6.4)
(8.2)
(11.8)
(7.1)
2015
In Yen
2014
2013
(.4)%
.1%
6.8%
4.8
.5
5.3
8.8
1.3
3.1
13.9
7.8
13.6
The relatively small change in premium income in yen for 2015 and 2014 was influenced by the impact of weak first sector sales in 2015, 2014
and 2013 in addition to premiums ceded in reinsurance transactions during those same years. Annualized premiums in force at December 31, 2015
, were 1.62 trillion yen, compared with 1.59 trillion yen in 2014 and
43
1.57 trillion yen in 2013 . The increases in annualized premiums in force in yen of 1.5% in 2015 , 1.7% in 2014 and 5.0% in 2013 reflect the sales of
new policies combined with the high persistency of Aflac Japan's business. Annualized premiums in force, translated into dollars at respective year-
end exchange rates, were $ 13.4 billion in 2015 , $13.2 billion in 2014 , and $14.9 billion in 2013 .
Aflac Japan's investment portfolios include dollar-denominated securities and reverse-dual currency securities (yen-denominated debt securities
with dollar coupon payments). U.S. dollar-denominated investment income from these assets accounted for approximately 50% of Aflac Japan's
investment income in 2015 , compared with 46% in 2014 and 44% in 2013 . In years when the yen strengthens in relation to the dollar, translating
Aflac Japan's U.S. dollar-denominated investment income into yen lowers growth rates for net investment income, total operating revenues, and
pretax operating earnings in yen terms. In years when the yen weakens, translating U.S. dollar-denominated investment income into yen magnifies
growth rates for net investment income, total operating revenues, and pretax operating earnings in yen terms. Excluding foreign currency changes
from the respective prior year, U.S. dollar-denominated investment income accounted for approximately 46% of Aflac Japan's investment income
during 2015 , compared with 44% in 2014 and 39% in 2013 .
The following table illustrates the effect of translating Aflac Japan's U.S. dollar-denominated investment income and related items into yen by
comparing certain segment results with those that would have been reported had yen/dollar exchange rates remained unchanged from the prior
year.
Aflac Japan Percentage Changes Over Prior Year
(Yen Operating Results)
Including Foreign
Currency Changes
2015
2014
2013
2015
Excluding Foreign
Currency Changes (2)
2014
2013
Net investment income
4.8%
8.8%
13.9%
(1.9)%
4.8%
4.7%
Total operating revenues
Pretax operating earnings (1)
(1) See the Insurance Operations section of this MD&A for our definition of segment operating earnings.
(2) Amounts excluding foreign currency changes on U.S. dollar-denominated items were determined using the same yen/dollar exchange rate for the current year
13.6
(.6)
6.4
7.0
5.3
3.1
7.8
1.3
.3
.7
.5
.4
as each respective prior year.
The following table presents a summary of operating ratios in yen terms for Aflac Japan for the years ended December 31.
Ratios to total revenues:
Benefits and claims, net
Operating expenses:
Amortization of deferred policy acquisition costs
Insurance commissions
Insurance and other expenses
Total operating expenses
Pretax operating earnings (1)
2015
60.0%
2014
60.9%
2013
61.7%
4.0
5.0
9.1
18.1
21.9
3.9
5.1
9.2
18.2
20.9
3.6
5.3
8.9
17.8
20.5
(1) See the Insurance Operations section of this MD&A for our definition of segment operating earnings.
In 2015, the benefit ratio decreased compared with 2014, resulting from the impact of reinsurance; changes in foreign currency; and favorable
claims experience. The three reinsurance agreements that we entered into since the end of the third quarter of 2013 reduced the benefit ratio by
approximately 99 basis points for 2015. The benefit ratio has also been influenced by the effect of low investment yields, which impacts our profit
margin by reducing the spread between investment yields and required interest on policy reserves (see table and discussion in the Interest Rate
Risk subsection of this MD&A). In 2015, the operating expense ratio remained relatively stable, compared with 2014. In total, the pretax operating
profit margin improved in 2015, compared with 2014. For 2016, we anticipate the pretax operating profit margin to be comparable with the 2015 and
2014 levels.
44
Aflac Japan Sales
The following table presents Aflac Japan's new annualized premium sales for the years ended December 31.
(In millions of dollars and billions of yen)
2015
In Dollars
2014
2013
New annualized premium sales
$
997
$
1,080
$
1,539
2015
120.9
In Yen
2014
114.5
2013
149.3
Increase (decrease) over prior period
(7.7)%
(29.8)%
(41.7)%
5.5%
(23.3)%
(29.1)%
The following table details the contributions to new annualized premium sales by major insurance product for the years ended December 31.
Medical
Cancer
Ordinary life:
Child endowment
WAYS
Other ordinary life
Other
Total
2015
26.4%
40.4
8.2
16.7
6.2
2.1
2014
31.8%
30.3
10.2
14.0
8.3
5.4
2013
27.9%
17.0
11.7
27.5
10.3
5.6
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
The foundation of Aflac Japan's product portfolio has been, and continues to be, our third sector cancer and medical products. Sales of third
sector products increased 13.4% in 2015 , compared with the same period in 2014 , exceeding the high end of our revised sales target range of
10% to 13%. We have been focusing more on promotion of our cancer and medical products in this low-interest-rate environment. These products
are less interest-rate sensitive and more profitable compared to first sector products.
Sales of cancer insurance continued to be strong following the introduction at the end of the third quarter of 2014 of New Cancer DAYS, which
includes an exclusive policy sold through Japan Post. Cancer insurance sales were up 40.6% in 2015, compared with 2014. Aflac Japan enhanced
its medical product with new riders in June 2015. This revision provides better protection against critical diseases such as cancer, heart attack and
stroke. With continued cost pressure on Japan’s health care system, we expect the need for third sector products will continue to rise in the future,
and we remain convinced that the medical and cancer products Aflac Japan provides will continue to be an important part of our product portfolio.
Aflac Japan’s first sector product sales, which include WAYS and child endowment, were down 7.3% in 2015 , compared with 2014 . We expect
that for 2016, the sale of first sector products will continue to be down in comparison to 2015, as our focus remains on less interest-sensitive third
sector products.
We remain committed to selling through our traditional channels. These channels, consisting of affiliated corporate agencies, independent
corporate agencies and individual agencies, accounted for 85.1% of total new annualized premium sales for Aflac Japan in 2015 . In 2015 , we
recruited over 300 new sales agencies. At December 31, 2015 , Aflac Japan was represented by more than 13,100 sales agencies and
approximately 114,000 licensed sales associates employed by those agencies.
At December 31, 2015 , we had agreements to sell our products at 372 banks, approximately 90% of the total number of banks in Japan. Bank
channel sales accounted for 14.9% of new annualized premium sales in 2015 for Aflac Japan, compared with 21.5% in 2014 .
Aflac Japan and Japan Post Holdings entered into a new agreement in July 2013, further expanding a partnership that was established in 2008
(see Japanese Regulatory Environment). At the end of June 2014, Japan Post Insurance(Kampo) received Financial Services Agency (FSA)
regulatory approval to enter into an agency contract with Aflac Japan to begin distributing Aflac Japan's cancer insurance products at all of Kampo's
79 directly managed sales offices. Aflac Japan has developed a unique Aflac-branded cancer product for Japan Post and Kampo that was
introduced on October
45
1, 2014. In the fourth quarter of 2014, the number of postal outlets selling our cancer products expanded to approximately 10,000, and starting July
1, 2015, Japan Post expanded the number of post offices that offer Aflac's cancer products to more than 20,000 postal outlets. We believe this
alliance with Japan Post will further benefit our cancer insurance sales.
We believe that there is still a continued need for our products in Japan. Our sales target and focus in 2016 will continue to be centered around
the sale of Aflac Japan's third sector products, including cancer and medical. Although our traditional channels remain key to our success, we have
developed partnerships with new channels to help increase our overall sales growth. These channels include Japan Post, and we are making steady
progress with our sales through postal outlets. In 2016, we believe that third sector sales will be down mid-single digits in comparison to 2015. We
believe that the long-term compound annual growth rate will be in the range of 4% to 6%.
Japanese Regulatory Environment
In 2005, legislation aimed at privatizing Japan's postal system (Japan Post) was enacted into law. The privatization laws split Japan Post into
four operating entities that began operations in October 2007. In 2007, one of these entities selected Aflac Japan as its provider of cancer insurance
to be sold through its post offices, and, in 2008, we began selling cancer insurance through these post offices. Japan Post has historically been a
popular place for consumers to purchase insurance products. Legislation to reform the postal system passed the Diet in April 2012 and resulted in
the merger of two of the postal operating entities (the one that delivers the mail and the one that runs the post offices) on October 1, 2012. In July
2013, Aflac Japan entered into a new agreement with Japan Post Holdings to further expand a partnership that was established in 2008 (see Aflac
Japan Sales).
In June 2013, a revision to the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act established a post-funded Orderly Resolution Regime for financial
institutions to prevent a financial crisis in the event of a financial institution’s failure. This regime came into effect in March 2014, but is not expected
to have a material impact on the Company's operations in Japan.
Aflac Japan Investments
The level of investment income in yen is affected by available cash flow from operations, the timing of investing the cash flow, yields on new
investments, the effect of yen/dollar exchange rates on U.S. dollar-denominated investment income, and other factors.
Aflac Japan invests in U.S. dollar-denominated securities, including publicly-traded investment grade and below investment grade corporate
fixed-maturity securities, and has entered into foreign currency forwards and options to hedge the currency risk on the fair value of the U.S. dollar
securities. In 2015, as part of our normal portfolio management and asset allocation process, Aflac Japan increased the allocation of investments to
a U.S. dollar senior secured bank loan program by approximately $950 million and to a U.S. dollar high yield corporate bond program by
approximately $650 million , all of which had been funded as of December 31, 2015.
During the third and fourth quarters of 2015, we increased our investment in yen-denominated publicly traded equity securities, including new
investments in exchange traded funds (ETFs) holding Japan real estate investment trusts. These securities are classified as available for sale and
carried on our balance sheet at fair value. As of December 31, 2015, the fair value of our investment in yen-denominated publicly traded equity
securities was $485 million .
See the Analysis of Financial Condition section of this MD&A for further discussion of these investment programs.
Funds available for investment include cash flows from operations, investment income, and funds generated from maturities, redemptions,
securities lending, and other securities transactions. Securities lending is also used from time to time to accelerate the availability of funds for
investment. Purchases of securities from period to period are determined based on multiple objectives including appropriate portfolio diversification,
the relative value of a potential investment and availability of investment opportunities, liquidity, credit and other risk factors while adhering to our
investment policy guidelines. Aflac Japan purchased debt security investments at an aggregate acquisition cost of approximately 663.6 billion yen in
2015 (approximately $5.5 billion ), 1.0 trillion yen in 2014 (approximately $10.0 billion ) and 2.5 trillion yen in 2013 (approximately $25.4 billion ).
The following table presents the composition of debt security purchases by sector and equity security purchases for Aflac Japan, as a
percentage of acquisition cost, for the years ended December 31.
46
Debt security purchases, at cost:
Banks/financial institutions
Government and agencies
Municipalities
Public utilities
Other corporate
Equity securities
Total
Composition of Purchases by Sector
2015
2014
2013
1.1%
35.8
.7
4.2
50.5
7.7
.4%
74.1
1.0
2.6
21.9
.0
.4%
76.2
.0
3.3
20.1
.0
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
We use specific criteria to judge the credit quality of both existing and prospective investments. Furthermore, we use several methods to monitor
these criteria, including credit rating services and internal credit analysis. The ratings referenced in the two tables below are based on the ratings
designations provided by the major credit rating agencies (Moody's Investors Service (Moody's), Standard & Poor's Ratings Services (S&P), and
Fitch Ratings (Fitch)) or, if not rated, are determined based on our internal credit analysis of such securities. For investment-grade securities where
the ratings assigned by the major credit agencies are not equivalent, we use the second lowest rating that is assigned. For a description of the
ratings methodology that we use when a security is below investment grade or split-rated (one rating agency rates the security as investment grade
while another rating agency rates the same security as below investment grade), see “Market Risks of Financial Instruments - Below-Investment-
Grade and Split-Rated Securities” in the Analysis of Financial Condition section of this MD&A.
The distributions by credit rating of Aflac Japan's purchases of debt securities for the years ended December 31, based on acquisition cost,
were as follows:
AAA
AA
A
BBB
BB or Lower
Total
Composition of Purchases by Credit Rating
2015
.0%
.8
42.5
21.0
35.7
2014
7.7%
78.6
5.4
6.6
1.7
2013
.3%
77.7
10.9
9.4
1.7
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
The relatively higher AAA rated purchases in 2014 resulted from our decision to allocate part of our U.S. dollar securities allocation to U.S.
Treasuries, in addition to our purchases of investment-grade corporate bonds. We sold these U.S. Treasuries later in 2014. The relatively higher
purchases of AA rated securities in 2014 and 2013 were primarily due to the purchase of JGBs. The increase in purchases of A rated securities in
2015 was due primarily to the purchase of JBGs, which had been downgraded from AA to A in the fourth quarter of 2014. The increase in purchases
of BBB rated securities in 2015 was due primarily to the purchase of U.S. dollar-denominated corporate securities. The significant increase in
purchases of BB or lower rated securities during 2015 was due to increased investment in senior secured bank loans, most of which have below-
investment-grade ratings, and investment in high yield corporate bonds. For more information on these investments, see the Credit Risk subsection
of this MD&A.
The following table presents the results of Aflac Japan's investment yields for the years ended and as of December 31.
47
New money yield
Return on average invested assets, net of investment expenses
Portfolio book yield, including dollar-denominated investments, end of period
2015 (1)
2.92%
2.80
2.80
2014 (1)
2.16%
2.80
2.83
2013 (1)
2.48%
2.86
2.80
(1) Yields are reported before the cost of the foreign currency forwards that hedge foreign exchange risk of U.S. dollar-denominated
publicly traded corporate bonds.
The new money yield in the table above excludes certain purchases of senior secured bank loans and high yield corporate bonds funded from
the reinvestment of unplanned sales proceeds. The increase in the Aflac Japan new money yield in 2015 was primarily due to a large portion of
2015 new money being allocated to U.S. dollar-denominated investments rather than relatively low-yielding JGBs.
The following table presents the composition of total investments by sector, at cost or amortized cost, and cash for Aflac Japan ($ 85.1 billion in
2015 and 2014 ) as of December 31.
Composition of Portfolio by Sector
Debt and perpetual securities, at amortized cost:
Banks/financial institutions (1)
Government and agencies
Municipalities
Public utilities
Sovereign and supranational
Mortgage- and asset-backed securities
Other corporate (2)
Total debt and perpetual securities
Equity securities
Other investments
Cash and cash equivalents
2015
11.5%
43.8
.8
8.9
4.1
.5
28.6
98.2
.5
.2
1.1
2014
13.2%
43.9
.8
9.3
4.1
.5
26.0
97.8
.0
.2
2.0
Total investments and cash
100.0%
100.0%
(1) Includes 1.9% and 2.6% of perpetual securities at December 31, 2015 and 2014 , respectively
(2) Includes .2% of perpetual securities at December 31, 2015 and 2014
Our highest sector concentration is in government and agencies. See Note 3 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements and the
Market Risks of Financial Instruments - Credit Risk subsection of MD&A for more information regarding the sector concentrations of our
investments.
Yen-denominated debt and perpetual securities accounted for 72.8% of Aflac Japan's total debt and perpetual securities at December 31, 2015 ,
compared with 75.7% at December 31, 2014 , at amortized cost.
The distributions of debt and perpetual securities owned by Aflac Japan, by credit rating, as of December 31 were as follows:
Composition of Portfolio by Credit Rating
AAA
AA
A
BBB
BB or lower
Total
2015
2014
Amortized
Cost
1.2%
5.3
63.5
24.8
5.2
Fair
Value
1.2%
5.4
65.4
23.0
5.0
Amortized
Cost
1.3%
5.3
66.4
23.0
4.0
Fair
Value
1.2%
5.4
67.4
22.0
4.0
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
48
The overall credit quality of Aflac Japan's investments remained high. At the end of 2015 , 94.8% of Aflac Japan's debt and perpetual securities
were rated investment grade, on an amortized cost basis.
See Notes 3, 4 and 5 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements and the Analysis of Financial Condition section of this MD&A for
additional information on our investments and hedging strategies.
AFLAC U.S. SEGMENT
Aflac U.S. Pretax Operating Earnings
Changes in Aflac U.S. pretax operating earnings and profit margins are primarily affected by morbidity, mortality, expenses, persistency and
investment yields. The following table presents a summary of operating results for Aflac U.S. for the years ended December 31.
Aflac U.S. Summary of Operating Results
(In millions)
Net premium income
Net investment income
Other income
Total operating revenues
Benefits and claims
Operating expenses:
Amortization of deferred policy acquisition costs
Insurance commissions
Insurance and other expenses
Total operating expenses
Total benefits and expenses
Pretax operating earnings (1)
Percentage change over previous period:
Net premium income
Net investment income
Total operating revenues
Pretax operating earnings (1)
2015
$
5,347
2014
$
5,211
2013
$
5,153
678
8
6,033
2,873
488
585
986
2,059
4,932
645
3
5,859
2,853
459
590
884
1,933
4,786
632
6
5,791
2,889
433
583
848
1,864
4,753
$
1,101
$
1,073
$
1,038
2.6%
1.1%
5.0
3.0
2.7
2.1
1.2
3.3
3.1%
3.2
2.9
4.1
(1) See the Insurance Operations section of this MD&A for our definition of segment operating earnings.
Annualized premiums in force increased 1.6% in 2015 , 1.8% in 2014 and 2.2% in 2013 . Annualized premiums in force at December 31 were
$5.8 billion in 2015 , compared with $5.7 billion in 2014 and $5.6 billion in 2013 .
The following table presents a summary of operating ratios for Aflac U.S. for the years ended December 31.
Ratios to total revenues:
Benefits and claims
Operating expenses:
Amortization of deferred policy acquisition costs
Insurance commissions
Insurance and other expenses
Total operating expenses
Pretax operating earnings (1)
2015
47.6%
2014
48.7%
8.1
9.7
16.3
34.1
18.3
7.8
10.1
15.1
33.0
18.3
2013
49.9%
7.5
10.1
14.6
32.2
17.9
(1) See the Insurance Operations section of this MD&A for our definition of segment operating earnings.
The benefit ratio decreased in 2015, compared with 2014, due to mix of business changes and continued favorable claims experience. The
expense ratio increased in 2015, compared with 2014, primarily due to increased spending
49
associated with changes in the Aflac U.S. sales structure. In total, the pretax operating profit margin remained stable in 2015, compared with 2014.
In 2016, we expect the benefit and expense ratios to be relatively stable compared with 2015.
Aflac U.S. Sales
The following table presents Aflac's U.S. new annualized premium sales for the years ended December 31.
(In millions)
New annualized premium sales
Increase (decrease) over prior period
2015
$
1,487
3.7%
2014
$
1,433
2013
$
1,424
.7%
(4.3)%
The following table details the contributions to new annualized premium sales by major insurance product category for the years ended
December 31.
Income-loss protection:
Short-term disability
Life
Asset-loss protection:
Accident
Critical care (1)
Supplemental medical:
Hospital indemnity
Dental/vision
Other
Total
2015
2014
2013
23.2%
5.2
29.9
21.9
14.6
5.2
.0
22.4%
5.8
28.1
21.4
16.4
5.9
.0
21.2%
5.3
27.3
20.8
16.9
6.2
2.3
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
(1) Includes cancer, critical illness and hospital intensive care products
New annualized premium sales for accident insurance, our leading product category, increased 10.2% , short-term disability sales increased
7.6% , critical care insurance sales (including cancer insurance) increased 6.0% , and hospital indemnity insurance sales decreased 7.5% in 2015 ,
compared with 2014 .
In 2015 , our traditional U.S. sales forces included more than 9,200 U.S. associates who were actively producing business on a weekly basis.
We believe that the average weekly producing sales associates metric allows our sales management to actively monitor progress and needs on a
real-time basis. Beyond expanding the size and capabilities of our traditional sales force, we remain encouraged about establishing and developing
relationships with insurance brokers that typically handle the larger-case market.
The addition of group products has expanded our reach and enabled us to generate more sales opportunities with larger employers, brokers,
and our traditional sales agents. We anticipate that the appeal of our group products will continue to enhance our opportunities to connect with
larger businesses and their employees. Our portfolio of group and individual products offers businesses the opportunity to give their employees a
more valuable and comprehensive selection of benefit options.
We believe that changes we made to our career and broker management infrastructure over the last 18 months are laying the foundation for
expanded long-term growth opportunities. During 2014, Aflac U.S. implemented tactical initiatives centered around providing competitive
compensation to our career agent sales hierarchy and positioning us to more effectively and consistently execute on the U.S. sales strategy across
all states. These measures are designed to more effectively link sales management's success to Aflac's success. For example, we enhanced
compensation through an incentive bonus for the first level of our sales management, district sales coordinators, who are primarily responsible for
selling Aflac products and training new sales associates. Additionally, we eliminated the commission-based position of state sales coordinator. To
better manage our state operations, we introduced the new position of market director, effective October 1, 2014. Market directors are salaried with
the opportunity to earn sales-related bonuses. We believe these changes have enhanced and will continue to enhance performance management
and better align compensation with new business results.
50
One Day Pay SM is a claims initiative that we have focused on at Aflac U.S. to process, approve and pay eligible claims in just one day. We
believe that along with our brand and relevant products, this claims practice will help Aflac stand out from competitors.
With the evolving business market and the coverage standardization that will result from health care reform in the United States, we believe
Aflac's voluntary products will become more relevant than ever. Our products provide cash benefits that can be used to help with increasing out-of-
pocket medical expenses, help cover household costs, or protect against income and asset loss. Our group products and relationships with
insurance brokers that handle the larger-case market are helping us as we expand our reach selling to larger businesses. We are regularly
evaluating the marketplace to identify opportunities to bring the most relevant, cost-effective products to our customers. We believe the need for our
products remains very strong, and we continue to work on enhancing our distribution capabilities to access employers of all sizes, including
initiatives that benefit our field force and the broker community. At the same time, we are seeking opportunities to leverage our brand strength and
attractive product portfolio in the evolving health care environment. For 2016 , our objective is for Aflac U.S. new annualized premium sales to
increase 3% to 5% , with a long-term compound annual growth rate at or above the voluntary market growth rate of 5% .
U.S. Regulatory Environment
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) is intended to give Americans of all ages and income levels access to comprehensive major medical health
insurance. The major elements of the bill became effective on January 1, 2014. The primary subject of the legislation is major medical insurance; as
enacted, the ACA does not materially affect the design of our insurance products. However, indirect consequences of the legislation and regulations,
including uncertainty related to implementation, could present challenges and/or opportunities that could potentially have an impact on our sales
model, financial condition and results of operations. Our experience with Japan’s national health care environment leads us to believe that the need
for supplemental insurance will only increase over the coming years.
On December 18, 2015, the president signed into law the Consolidated Appropriations Act which included a revision to delay implementation of
the Excise Tax on High Cost Plans, better known as the "Cadillac tax.” This tax was originally scheduled to begin in 2017, was previously delayed
until 2018, and is now scheduled to begin in 2020. The tax consists of 40% of the cost of employer sponsored health coverage in excess of certain
dollar thresholds. In general, only Aflac specified disease and fixed indemnity (i.e. supplemental health) products offered on a pre-tax basis are
taken into account under this tax.
The legislation also makes the tax deductible by the payer. If employers fund coverage on a pre-tax basis, Aflac, as the insurer, would be liable
for its pro-rata share of any tax on excess coverage, determined based on the cost of Aflac coverage compared to the total cost of the applicable
health coverage in which each employee is enrolled. Making the tax deductible would then reduce the economic impact of any tax that is imposed
and payable by Aflac.
Many employers are concerned about the tax and what impact it will have on benefit offerings in the future. There is confusion in the market
about how the tax is calculated and who pays the tax, presenting a risk that some employers will mistakenly conclude that all supplemental health
products are included in the calculation for the tax regardless of pre-tax funding status or whether an employer’s health coverage exceeds the
trigger for the tax. Some employers may decide simply to drop coverage of affected supplemental health products, rather than convert it to an after-
tax basis. During this extended implementation period, Aflac will be assessing the impact of this tax; educating employers about the tax; and
investigating ways to mitigate the impact of the tax. Having employees pay for the coverage on an after-tax basis would exempt affected
supplemental health products from the tax.
The Dodd-Frank Act, which was signed into law in 2010, created, among other things, a Financial Stability Oversight Council (the Council). In
April 2012, the Council released a final rule describing the general process it will follow in determining whether to designate a nonbank financial
company for supervision by the Board of Governors of the U.S. Federal Reserve System (the Board). The Council may designate by a two-thirds
vote whether certain nonbank financial companies, including certain insurance companies and insurance holding companies, could pose a threat to
the financial stability of the United States, in which case such nonbank financial companies would become subject to prudential regulation by the
Board. On April 3, 2013, the Board published a final rule that establishes the requirements for determining when a nonbank financial company is
"predominantly engaged in financial activities" - a prerequisite for designation by the Council. Prudential regulation by the Board includes supervision
of capital requirements, leverage limits, liquidity requirements and examinations. The Board may limit such company’s ability to enter into mergers,
acquisitions and other business combination transactions, restrict its ability to offer financial products, require it to terminate one or more activities,
or impose conditions on the manner in which it conducts activities. The Council
51
designated two insurers in 2013 and an additional insurer in 2014 as a Systemically Important Financial Institution (SIFI). On December 18, 2014,
the president signed the Insurance Capital Standards Clarification Act into law. This legislation will clarify the Board’s authority to apply insurance-
based capital standards for insurance companies subject to federal supervision. Although Aflac is a nonbank financial company predominantly
engaged in financial activities as defined in the Dodd-Frank Act, we do not believe Aflac will be considered a company that poses a threat to the
financial stability of the United States.
Title VII of the Dodd-Frank Act and regulations issued thereunder may have an impact on Aflac's derivative activity, including activity on behalf
of Aflac Japan, in particular rules to require central clearing and collateral for certain types of derivatives. In 2014, the five U.S. banking regulators
and the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) re-proposed for comment their rules regarding collateral for uncleared swaps. Final
rules were issued by the five U.S. banking regulators on October 22, 2015 and by the CFTC on December 16, 2015. Such rules may result in
increased collateral requirements or affect other aspects of Aflac's derivatives activity.
The Dodd-Frank Act also established a FIO under the U.S. Treasury Department to monitor all aspects of the insurance industry and of lines of
business other than certain health insurance, certain long-term care insurance and crop insurance. Traditionally, U.S. insurance companies have
been regulated primarily by state insurance departments. In December 2013, the FIO released a report entitled "How To Modernize And Improve
The System Of Insurance Regulation In The United States." The report was required by the Dodd-Frank Act, and included 18 recommended areas
of near-term reform for the states, including addressing capital adequacy and safety/soundness issues, reform of insurer resolution practices, and
reform of marketplace regulation. The report also listed nine recommended areas for direct federal involvement in insurance regulation. Some of the
recommendations outlined in the FIO report released in December 2013 have been implemented. Of the nine recommended areas for direct federal
involvement in insurance regulation that are applicable to Aflac, the president signed the National Association of Registered Agents and Brokers
Reform Act into law in January 2015, which simplifies the agent and broker licensing process across state lines. The FIO has also engaged with the
supervisory colleges to monitor financial stability and identify regulatory gaps for large national and internationally active insurers.
The process of implementing the Dodd-Frank Act is ongoing and continues to involve additional rulemaking from time to time. At the current
time, it is not possible to predict with any degree of certainty what impact, if any, the Dodd-Frank Act will have on our U.S. business, financial
condition, or 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. In the
United States, some states permit member insurers to recover assessments paid through full or partial premium tax offsets. The Company's policy is
to accrue assessments when the entity for which the insolvency relates has met its state of domicile's statutory definition of insolvency, the amount
of the loss is reasonably estimable and the related premium upon which the assessment is based is written. In most states, the definition is met with
a declaration of financial insolvency by a court of competent jurisdiction.
Penn Treaty Network Company and its subsidiary American Network Insurance Company (collectively referred to as Penn Treaty) were placed
in rehabilitation on January 6, 2009, and remained in rehabilitation as of December 31, 2015. As of December 31, 2015, we were unable to estimate
when or to what extent Penn Treaty will ultimately be declared insolvent, or the amount of the insolvency. As such, we have not established any
accruals for guaranty fund assessments associated with Penn Treaty as of December 31, 2015.
Aflac U.S. Investments
The level of investment income is affected by available cash flow from operations, the timing of investing the cash flow, yields on new
investments, and other factors. Aflac U.S. has invested primarily in investment grade corporate bonds. In 2015, as part of our normal portfolio
management and asset allocation process, Aflac U.S. purchased $120 million of high yield corporate bonds and $118 million of middle market loan
receivables, of which $53 million was unfunded. As of December 31, 2015 , we had commitments of $182 million to fund potential future loan
originations related to the middle market loan investment program. These commitments are contingent upon the availability of middle market loans
that meet our underwriting criteria. During the fourth quarter of 2015, we initiated a commercial mortgage loan investment program. As of
December 31, 2015, we had $10 million in outstanding commitments to fund commercial mortgage loans, which had not yet been funded. These
commitments are contingent on the final underwriting and due diligence to be performed, and may or may not be funded. See Notes 1 and 3 of the
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for more information regarding loans and loans receivables. We are planning to invest in additional
asset classes such as
52
securitized assets and alternative asset classes, all of which we believe will improve diversification and enhance long-term returns in 2016 and
thereafter.
Funds available for investment include cash flows from operations, investment income, and funds generated from maturities, redemptions, and
other securities transactions. Purchases of securities from period to period are determined based on multiple objectives, including appropriate
portfolio diversification, the relative value of a potential investment and availability of investment opportunities, liquidity, credit and other risk factors
while adhering to our investment policy guidelines. Aflac U.S. purchased debt security investments at an aggregate acquisition cost of approximately
$900 million in 2015 , compared with $1.0 billion in 2014 and $1.2 billion in 2013 . The following table presents the composition of debt security
purchases by sector and other investment purchases for Aflac U.S., as a percentage of acquisition cost, for the years ended December 31.
Composition of Purchases by Sector
Debt security purchases, at cost:
Government and agencies
Public utilities
Other corporate
Equity securities
Loan receivables
Total
2015
2014
2013
1.4%
.0%
.2%
15.1
70.2
.0
13.3
16.5
83.0
.5
.0
13.5
86.3
.0
.0
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
We use specific criteria to judge the credit quality of both existing and prospective investments. Furthermore, we use several methods to monitor
these criteria, including credit rating services and internal credit analysis. The ratings referenced in the two tables below are based on the ratings
designations provided by the major credit rating agencies (Moody's, S&P, and Fitch) or, if not rated, are determined based on our internal credit
analysis of such securities. For investment-grade securities where the ratings assigned by the major credit agencies are not equivalent, we use the
second lowest rating that is assigned. For a description of the ratings methodology that we use when a security is below investment grade or split-
rated (one rating agency rates the security as investment grade while another rating agency rates the same security as below investment grade),
see “Market Risks of Financial Instruments - Below-Investment-Grade and Split-Rated Securities” in the Analysis of Financial Condition section of
this MD&A.
The distributions by credit rating of Aflac's U.S. purchases of debt securities for the years ended December 31, based on acquisition cost, were
as follows:
AAA
AA
A
BBB
BB or lower
Total
Composition of Purchases by Credit Rating
2015
2.2%
4.4
19.8
59.3
14.3
2014
.0%
8.0
50.8
41.2
.0
2013
.6%
5.1
46.2
48.1
.0
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
The increase in purchases of BBB rated securities in 2015 was due primarily to the purchase of U.S. dollar-denominated corporate fixed-income
publicly traded securities. The increase in purchases of BB or lower rated securities during 2015 was due to investment in high yield corporate
bonds.
The following table presents the results of Aflac's U.S. investment yields for the years ended and as of December 31.
New money yield
Return on average invested assets, net of investment expenses
Portfolio book yield, end of period
53
2015
2014
2013
4.45%
4.32%
4.06%
5.19
5.77
5.46
5.89
5.70
6.01
The increase in the Aflac U.S. new money yield in 2015 was primarily due to wider credit spreads achieved in portfolio investing activities.
The following table presents the composition of total investments by sector, at cost or amortized cost, and cash for Aflac U.S. ( $13.7 billion in
2015 and $12.7 billion in 2014 ) as of December 31.
Composition of Portfolio by Sector
Debt and perpetual securities, at amortized cost:
Banks/financial institutions (1)
Government and agencies
Municipalities
Public utilities
Sovereign and supranational
Mortgage- and asset-backed securities
Other corporate
Total debt and perpetual securities
Other investments
Cash and cash equivalents
Total investments and cash
2015
2014
10.4%
12.0%
.7
5.1
16.9
1.4
.3
52.0
86.8
1.3
(2)
11.9
100.0%
.7
5.6
17.0
1.6
.3
52.5
89.7
.1
10.2
100.0%
(1) Includes .3% and .4% of perpetual securities at December 31, 2015 and 2014 , respectively.
(2) Includes .9% of loan receivables
See Note 3 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements and the Market Risks of Financial Instruments - Credit Risk subsection of
MD&A for more information regarding the sector concentrations of our investments.
The distributions of debt and perpetual securities owned by Aflac U.S., by credit rating, as of December 31 were as follows:
Composition of Portfolio by Credit Rating
AAA
AA
A
BBB
BB or lower
Total
2015
2014
Amortized
Cost
1.1%
7.8
44.3
42.1
4.7
Fair
Value
1.0%
8.5
46.2
40.3
4.0
Amortized
Cost
1.0%
8.1
47.8
39.8
3.3
Fair
Value
.9%
8.4
48.8
38.7
3.2
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
The overall credit quality of Aflac U.S. investments remained high. At the end of 2015 , 95.3% of Aflac U.S. debt and perpetual securities were
rated investment grade, on an amortized cost basis. See Notes 3 and 5 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements and the Analysis of
Financial Condition section of this MD&A for additional information on our investments.
OTHER OPERATIONS
Corporate operating expenses consist primarily of personnel compensation, benefits, reinsurance retrocession activities, and facilities expenses.
Corporate expenses, excluding investment and retrocession income, were $90 million in 2015 , $91 million in 2014 and $79 million in 2013 .
Investment income included in reported corporate expenses was $22 million in 2015 , $13 million in 2014 and $11 million in 2013 , and net
retrocession income was $7 million in 2015 .
54
ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION
Our financial condition has remained strong in the functional currencies of our operations. The yen/dollar exchange rate at the end of each
period is used to translate yen-denominated balance sheet items to U.S. dollars for reporting purposes.
The following table demonstrates the effect of the change in the yen/dollar exchange rate by comparing select balance sheet items as reported
at December 31, 2015 , with the amounts that would have been reported had the exchange rate remained unchanged from December 31, 2014 .
Impact of Foreign Exchange on Balance Sheet Items
(In millions)
Yen/dollar exchange rate (1)
Investments and cash
Deferred policy acquisition costs
Total assets
Policy liabilities
Total liabilities
As
Reported
120.61
Exchange
Effect
Net of
Exchange Effect
$ 105,897
$
8,511
118,296
87,631
100,588
(32)
(3)
(36)
(39)
(41)
$
120.55
105,929
8,514
118,332
87,670
100,629
(1) The exchange rate at December 31, 2015 , was 120.61 yen to one dollar, or .05% weaker than the December 31, 2014 , exchange
rate of 120.55 .
Market Risks of Financial Instruments
Our investment philosophy is to fulfill our fiduciary responsibility to invest assets in a prudent manner to meet the present and future needs of
our policyholders' contractual obligations while maximizing the long-term financial return on assets consistent with the company goal of maximizing
long-term shareholder value with defined risk appetites, limits, and maintaining adequate liquidity.
The following table details investment securities by segment as of December 31.
Investment Securities by Segment
(In millions)
Securities available for sale, at fair value:
Fixed maturities
Perpetual securities
Equity securities
Total available for sale
Securities held to maturity, at amortized cost:
Fixed maturities
Total held to maturity
Total investment securities
Aflac Japan
Aflac U.S.
2015
2014
2015
2014
$
52,304
$
52,196
$
1,890
493
54,687
33,459
33,459
2,609
23
54,828
34,242
34,242
12,522 (1)
57
5
$ 12,940 (1)
60
5
12,584
13,005
0
0
0
0
$
88,146
$
89,070
$
12,584
$ 13,005
(1) Excludes available-for-sale fixed-maturity securities held by the Parent Company and other business segments of $523 in 2015 and
$437 in 2014 .
Because we invest primarily in fixed-maturity securities, our financial instruments are exposed primarily to three types of market risks: currency
risk, interest rate risk, and credit risk. In 2015, we increased our investment allocation to yen-denominated equity securities, thereby increasing our
exposure to equity risk.
Currency Risk
The functional currency of Aflac Japan's insurance operations is the Japanese yen. All of Aflac Japan's premiums, claims and commissions are
received or paid in yen, as are most of its other expenses. Most of Aflac Japan's cash and liabilities are yen-denominated. Aflac Japan's investments
consisted of yen-denominated fixed income securities of $60.8
55
billion , at amortized cost, and yen-denominated equity securities of $472 million , at cost, at December 31, 2015 . However, Aflac Japan also owns
U.S. dollar-denominated fixed income securities of $14.9 billion , at amortized cost, whose fair value is hedged against currency risk as well as $7.8
billion of fixed income securities, at cost, that are not hedged. Aflac Japan owns U.S. dollar-denominated equity securities of $4 million , at cost, as
of December 31, 2015 . Yen-denominated investment income accounted for 50% of Aflac Japan's investment income in 2015 , with the remainder
denominated in U.S. dollars. In addition, Aflac Incorporated has yen-denominated debt obligations.
We are exposed to currency risk as an economic event only when yen funds are actually converted into dollars. This occurs when we repatriate
yen-denominated funds from Aflac Japan to Aflac U.S. The exchange rates prevailing at the time of repatriation will differ from the exchange rates
prevailing at the time the yen profits were earned. A portion of the yen repatriation may be used to service Aflac Incorporated's yen-denominated
notes payable with the remainder converted into dollars. In order to economically hedge foreign exchange risk for a portion of the profit repatriation
received in yen from Aflac Japan, we had foreign exchange forwards and options as part of a hedging strategy on 30.0 billion yen, 102.5 billion yen,
25.0 billion yen, and 85.0 billion yen received in February 2015, July 2015, September 2015, and December 2015, respectively. As of December 31,
2015 , we had foreign exchange forwards and options to economically hedge foreign exchange risk on 124.1 billion yen of future profit repatriation
from Aflac Japan.
In addition to profit repatriation, certain investment activities for Aflac Japan expose us to economic currency risk when yen are converted into
dollars. As noted above, we invest a portion of our yen cash flows in U.S. dollar-denominated assets. This requires that we convert the yen cash
flows to U.S. dollars before investing. As previously discussed, for certain of our U.S. dollar-denominated securities, we enter into foreign currency
forward and option contracts to hedge the currency risk on the fair value of the securities. The dollar coupon payments received on these
investments are not hedged and are subject to foreign exchange fluctuations, which are realized in earnings. Also, Aflac Japan has invested in
reverse-dual currency securities (RDCs, or yen-denominated debt securities with dollar coupon payments), which exposes Aflac to changes in
foreign exchange rates. The foreign currency effect on the yen-denominated securities is accounted for as a component of unrealized gains or
losses on available-for-sale securities in accumulated other comprehensive income, while the foreign currency effect on the dollar coupons is
realized in earnings. The RDCs provided a higher yield at the time of purchase than those available on Japanese government or other public
corporate bonds, while still adhering to our investment standards at the time of the transaction. The yen/dollar exchange rate would have to
strengthen to approximately 29 before the yield on these instruments would equal that of a comparable JGB instrument.
Aside from the activities discussed above, we generally do not convert yen into dollars; however, we do translate financial statement amounts
from yen into dollars for financial reporting purposes. Therefore, reported amounts are affected by foreign currency fluctuations. We report
unrealized foreign currency translation gains and losses in accumulated other comprehensive income. In periods when the yen weakens against the
dollar, translating yen into dollars causes fewer dollars to be reported. When the yen strengthens, translating yen into dollars causes more dollars to
be reported. The weakening of the yen relative to the dollar will generally adversely affect the value of our yen-denominated investments in dollar
terms. We attempt to minimize the exposure of shareholders' equity to foreign currency. We accomplish this by investing a portion of Aflac Japan's
investment portfolio in U.S. dollar-denominated securities and by the Parent Company's issuance of yen-denominated debt (for additional
information, see the discussion under the Hedging Activities subsection of MD&A). As a result, the effect of currency fluctuations on our net assets is
reduced.
The following table demonstrates the effect of foreign currency fluctuations by presenting the dollar values of our yen-denominated assets and
liabilities, and our consolidated yen-denominated net asset exposure at selected exchange rates as of December 31.
56
Dollar Value of Yen-Denominated Assets and Liabilities
at Selected Exchange Rates
(In millions)
Yen/dollar exchange rates
Yen-denominated financial instruments:
Assets:
Securities available for sale:
Fixed maturities (2)
Fixed maturities - consolidated variable
interest entities (3)
Perpetual securities
Perpetual securities - consolidated
variable interest entities (3)
Equity securities
Equity securities - consolidated variable
interest entities
Securities held to maturity:
Fixed maturities
Fixed maturities - consolidated variable
interest entities (3)
Cash and cash equivalents
Derivatives
Other financial instruments
Subtotal
Liabilities:
Notes payable
Derivatives
Subtotal
2015
2014
105.61
120.61 (1)
135.61
105.55
120.55 (1)
135.55
$
31,544 $
27,621 $
24,566 $
32,178 $
28,174 $
25,056
1,016
1,883
890
1,649
792
1,466
1,273
2,458
1,114
2,153
992
1,914
214
408
187
357
167
318
390
19
341
17
304
15
149
130
116
0
0
0
38,212
33,459
29,758
39,013
34,159
30,379
0
730
2,416
179
0
640
676
156
0
569
968
139
95
370
596
159
83
324
802
139
74
288
1,266
124
76,751
65,765
58,859
76,551
67,306
60,412
234
545
779
205
371
576
183
1,901
2,084
372
992
1,364
325
2,423
2,748
290
3,881
4,171
Net yen-denominated financial instruments
75,972
65,189
56,775
75,187
64,558
56,241
Other yen-denominated assets
Other yen-denominated liabilities
8,195
7,176
6,382
8,212
7,190
6,394
94,775
82,988
73,808
92,902
81,342
72,341
Consolidated yen-denominated net assets
(liabilities) subject to foreign currency
fluctuation (2)
(1) Actual period-end exchange rate
(2) Does not include the U.S. dollar-denominated corporate bonds for which we have entered into foreign currency derivatives as discussed in the Aflac Japan
(10,608) $
(10,651) $
(10,623) $
(9,503) $
(9,594) $
(9,706)
$
Investment subsection of MD&A
(3) Does not include U.S. dollar-denominated bonds that have corresponding cross-currency swaps in consolidated VIEs
We are required to consolidate certain VIEs. Some of the consolidated VIEs in Aflac Japan's portfolio use foreign currency swaps to convert
foreign denominated cash flows to yen, the functional currency of Aflac Japan, in order to minimize cash flow fluctuations. Foreign currency swaps
exchange an initial principal amount in two currencies, agreeing to re-exchange the currencies at a future date, at an agreed upon exchange rate.
There may also be periodic exchanges of payments at specified intervals based on the agreed upon rates and notional amounts. Prior to
consolidation, our beneficial interest in these VIEs was a yen-denominated available-for-sale fixed maturity security. Upon consolidation, the original
yen-denominated investment was derecognized and the underlying fixed-maturity or perpetual securities and cross-currency swaps were
recognized. The combination of a U.S. dollar-denominated investment and cross-currency swap economically creates a yen-denominated
investment and has no impact on our net investment hedge position.
Similarly, the combination of the U.S. corporate bonds and the foreign currency forwards and options that we have entered into, as discussed in
the Aflac Japan Investment subsection of MD&A, economically creates a yen-denominated investment that qualifies for inclusion as a component of
our investment in Aflac Japan for net investment hedge purposes.
57
For additional information regarding our Aflac Japan net investment hedge, see the Hedging Activities subsection of MD&A.
Interest Rate Risk
Our primary interest rate exposure is to the impact of changes in interest rates on the fair value of our investments in debt and perpetual
securities. We monitor our investment portfolio on a quarterly basis utilizing a full valuation methodology, measuring price volatility, and sensitivity of
the fair values of our investments to interest rate changes on the debt and perpetual securities we own. For example, if the current duration of a debt
security or perpetual security is 10, then the fair value of that security will increase by approximately 10% if market interest rates decrease by 100
basis points, assuming all other factors remain constant. Likewise, the fair value of the debt security or perpetual security will decrease by
approximately 10% if market interest rates increase by 100 basis points, assuming all other factors remain constant.
The estimated effect of potential increases in interest rates on the fair values of debt and perpetual securities we own; derivatives, excluding
credit default swaps, and notes payable as of December 31 follows:
Sensitivity of Fair Values of Financial Instruments
to Interest Rate Changes
(In millions)
Assets:
Debt and perpetual securities:
Fixed-maturity securities:
Yen-denominated
Dollar-denominated
Perpetual securities:
Yen-denominated
Dollar-denominated
2015
2014
Fair
Value
+100
Basis
Points
Fair
Value
+100
Basis
Points
$
66,031
$
57,470
$
67,785
$
58,596
36,838
32,364
36,285
32,865
1,836
111
1,704
103
2,494
175
2,304
168
Total debt and perpetual securities
$ 104,816
$
91,641
$ 106,739
$
93,933
Derivatives
Liabilities:
Notes payable (1)
Derivatives
(1) Excludes capitalized lease obligations
$
675
$
675
$
802
$
692
$
5,285
$
4,934
$
5,835
$
371
200
2,423
5,450
2,101
There are various factors that affect the fair value of our investment in debt and perpetual securities. Included in those factors are changes in
the prevailing interest rate environment, which directly affect the balance of unrealized gains or losses for a given period in relation to a prior period.
Decreases in market yields generally improve the fair value of debt and perpetual securities, while increases in market yields generally have a
negative impact on the fair value of our debt and perpetual securities. However, we do not expect to realize a majority of any unrealized gains or
losses because we generally have the intent and ability to hold such securities until a recovery of value, which may be maturity. For additional
information on unrealized losses on debt and perpetual securities, see Note 3 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
We attempt to match the duration of our assets with the duration of our liabilities. The following table presents the approximate duration of Aflac
Japan's yen-denominated assets and liabilities, along with premiums, as of December 31.
(In years)
Yen-denominated debt and perpetual securities
Policy benefits and related expenses to be paid in future years
Premiums to be received in future years on policies in force
2015
14
14
10
2014
13
14
10
58
The following table presents the approximate duration of Aflac U.S. dollar-denominated assets and liabilities, along with premiums, as of
December 31.
(In years)
Dollar-denominated debt and perpetual securities
Policy benefits and related expenses to be paid in future years
Premiums to be received in future years on policies in force
2015
10
8
6
2014
11
8
6
The following table shows a comparison of average required interest rates for future policy benefits and investment yields, based on amortized
cost, for the years ended December 31.
Comparison of Interest Rates for Future Policy Benefits
and Investment Yields
(Net of Investment Expenses)
2015
2014
2013
U.S.
Japan
U.S.
Japan
U.S.
Japan
Policies issued during year:
Required interest on policy reserves
New money yield on investments
3.68%
4.37
1.81% (1)
2.82
3.65%
4.16
1.87% (1)
2.09
3.65%
3.93
2.00% (1)
2.40
Policies in force at year-end:
Required interest on policy reserves
Portfolio book yield, end of period
5.60
5.69
(1)
3.61
2.70
5.69
5.73
(1)
3.76
2.76
5.84
5.88
(1)
3.91
2.72
(1) Represents investments for Aflac Japan that support policy obligations and therefore excludes Aflac Japan’s annuity products
We continue to monitor the spread between our new money yield and the required interest assumption for newly issued products in both the
United States and Japan and will re-evaluate those assumptions as necessary. Over the next two years, we have yen-denominated securities that
will mature with yields in excess of Aflac Japan's current net investment yield of 2.82% . These securities total $723 million at amortized cost and
have a weighted average yield of 4.23% . Currently, when debt and perpetual securities we own mature, the proceeds may be reinvested at a yield
below that of the interest required for the accretion of policy benefit liabilities on policies issued in earlier years. However, adding riders to our older
policies has helped offset negative investment spreads on these policies. Overall, adequate profit margins exist in Aflac Japan's aggregate block of
business because of changes in the mix of business and favorable experience from mortality, morbidity and expenses.
Periodically, depending on general economic conditions, we may enter into derivative transactions to hedge interest rate risk.
For further information on interest rate derivatives, see Note 4 of the accompanying Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
Credit Risk
A significant portion of our investment portfolio consists of debt securities or perpetual securities that expose us to the credit risk of the
underlying issuer. We carefully evaluate this risk on every new investment and closely monitor the credit risk of our existing investment portfolio. We
incorporate the needs of our products and liabilities, the overall requirements of the business, and other factors in addition to our underwriting of the
credit risk for each investment in the portfolio.
Evaluating the underlying risks in our credit portfolio involves a multitude of factors including but not limited to our assessment of the issuers
business activities, assets, products, market position, financial condition, and future prospects. We also must incorporate the assessment of the
NRSROs in assigning credit ratings to our specific portfolio holdings. We perform extensive internal assessments of the credit risks for all our
portfolio holdings and potential new investments.
The ratings of our securities referenced in the two tables below are based on the ratings designations provided by major NRSROs (Moody's,
S&P and Fitch) or, if not rated, are determined based on our internal analysis of such securities. For investment-grade securities where the ratings
assigned by the major credit agencies are not equivalent, we use the second lowest rating that is assigned. For a description of the ratings
methodology that we use when a security is below
59
investment grade or split-rated, see "Market Risks of Financial Instruments - Below-Investment-Grade and Split-Rated Securities" in the Analysis of
Financial Condition section of this MD&A.
The distributions by credit rating of our purchases of debt securities for the years ended December 31, based on acquisition cost, were as
follows:
AAA
AA
A
BBB
BB or lower
Total
Composition of Purchases by Credit Rating
2015
1.4%
1.6
39.3
25.7
32.0
2014
7.6%
74.5
8.0
8.3
1.6
2013
.6%
74.2
12.6
11.0
1.6
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
Purchases of securities from period to period are determined based on multiple objectives including appropriate portfolio diversification, the
relative value of a potential investment and availability of investment opportunities, liquidity, credit and other risk factors while adhering to our
investment policy guidelines. We did not purchase any perpetual securities during the periods presented in the table above. Total purchases
comprise new money investments as well as the reinvestment of proceeds from investment disposals. The relatively higher purchases of AA rated
securities in 2014 and 2013 were primarily due to the purchase of JGBs. The increase in purchases of A rated and BBB rated securities in 2015 was
due primarily to the purchase of U.S. dollar-denominated corporate fixed-income publicly traded securities for the Aflac Japan portfolio. The
significant increase in purchases of BB or lower rated securities in 2015 was due to increased investment in senior secured bank loans, most of
which have below-investment-grade ratings, and investment in high yield corporate bonds. The bank loan investment program is managed
externally by third party firms specializing in this asset class. This mandate requires a minimum average credit quality of BB-/Ba3, prohibits loan
purchases rated below B/B2, and restricts exposure to any individual credit to less than 2% of the program’s assets. The objectives of this program
include enhancing the yield on invested assets, achieving further diversification of credit risk, and mitigating the risk of rising interest rates through
the acquisition of floating rate assets. The objective of the high yield corporate bond investments is to enhance yield on invested assets and further
diversify our credit risk. All investments must have a minimum rating of low BB using our above described rating methodology and are managed by
our internal credit portfolio management team.
The distributions of debt and perpetual securities we own, by credit rating, as of December 31 were as follows:
Composition of Portfolio by Credit Rating
AAA
AA
A
BBB
BB or lower
Total
2015
Amortized
Cost
Fair
Value
2014
Amortized
Cost
Fair
Value
1.3%
1.3%
1.3%
1.3%
5.7
61.0
26.9
5.1
5.7
63.0
25.1
4.9
5.7
64.1
25.0
3.9
5.8
65.1
23.9
3.9
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
As of December 31, 2015 , our direct and indirect exposure to securities in our investment portfolio that were guaranteed by third parties was
immaterial both individually and in the aggregate.
Subordination Distribution
The majority of our total investments in debt and perpetual securities was senior debt at December 31, 2015 and 2014 . We also maintained
investments in subordinated financial instruments that primarily consisted of Lower Tier II, Upper Tier II, and Tier I securities, listed in order of
seniority. The Lower Tier II securities are debt instruments with fixed maturities. Our Upper Tier II and Tier I investments consisted of debt
instruments with fixed maturities and perpetual securities, which have an economic maturity as opposed to a stated maturity.
60
The following table shows the subordination distribution of our debt and perpetual securities as of December 31.
Subordination Distribution of Debt and Perpetual Securities
(In millions)
Senior notes
Subordinated securities:
Fixed maturities (stated maturity date):
Lower Tier II
Tier I (1)
Surplus notes
Trust preferred - non-banks
Other subordinated - non-banks
Total fixed maturities
Perpetual securities (economic maturity date):
Upper Tier II
Tier I
Other subordinated - non-banks
Total perpetual securities
Total debt and perpetual securities
(1) Includes trust preferred securities
Portfolio Composition
2015
2014
Amortized
Cost
Percentage
of Total
Amortized
Cost
Percentage
of Total
$
91,090
94.9%
$
89,308
93.9%
2,470
105
301
84
51
3,011
1,217
441
183
1,841
2.6
.1
.3
.1
.1
3.2
1.3
.4
.2
1.9
2,751
131
301
85
51
3,319
1,554
703
183
2,440
2.9
.1
.3
.1
.1
3.5
1.6
.8
.2
2.6
$
95,942
100.0%
$
95,067
100.0%
For information regarding the amortized cost for our investments in debt and perpetual securities, the cost for equity securities and the fair
values of these investments, refer to Note 3 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
Investment Concentrations
One of our largest sector concentrations as of December 31, 2015 , was banks and financial institutions. Approximately 11% and 14% of our
total portfolio of debt and perpetual securities, on an amortized cost basis, was in the bank and financial institution sector at December 31, 2015 and
2014 , respectively. Within the countries we approve for investment opportunities, we primarily invest in financial institutions that are strategically
crucial to each approved country's economy. The bank and financial institution sector is a highly regulated industry and plays a strategic role in the
global economy. Within this sector, our credit risk by geographic region or country of issuer at December 31, 2015 , based on amortized cost, was:
Europe, excluding the United Kingdom ( 28% ); United States ( 26% ); Australia ( 8% ); Japan ( 8% ); United Kingdom ( 9% ); and other ( 21% ).
61
Our 15 largest global investment exposures as of December 31, 2015 , were as follows:
Largest Global Investment Positions
Amortized
% of
Ratings
(In millions)
Japan National Government (1)
Republic of South Africa
Bank of America NA
Bank of America Corp.
Bank of America Corp.
Bank of America NA
Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ Ltd.
BTMU Curacao Holdings NV
Investcorp SA
Investcorp Capital Limited
JP Morgan Chase & Co.
JPMorgan Chase & Co. (including Bear Stearns Companies Inc.)
JPMorgan Chase & Co. (Bank One Corp.)
JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NBD Bank)
JPMorgan Chase & Co. (FNBC)
Banobras
Sultanate of Oman
Koninklijke Ahold NV
Koninklijke Ahold NV
Ahold USA Lease
Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex)
Pemex Proj FDG Master TR
Pemex Finance Ltd.
Nordea Bank AB
Nordea Bank AB
Nordea Bank Finland
Nordea Bank AB
AXA
AXA-UAP
AXA
Deutsche Telekom AG
Deutsche Telekom AG
Deutsche Telekom International Finance
CFE
Barclays Bank PLC
Barclays Bank PLC
Barclays Bank PLC
Barclays Bank PLC
Subtotal
Total debt and perpetual securities
(1) JGBs or JGB-backed securities
Cost
36,859
497
375
207
166
2
373
373
357
357
333
295
17
11
10
307
290
288
273
15
287
249
38
280
213
66
1
275
224
51
270
249
21
265
263
115
102
46
41,319
95,942
$
$
$
Seniority
Total
38.42% Senior
Senior
.52
Moody’s S&P
Fitch
A1
Baa2
A+
BBB-
A
BBB-
.39
.22
.17
.00
.39
.39
.37
.37
.35
.31
.02
.01
.01
.32
.30
.30
.28
.02
.30
.26
.04
.29
.22
.07
.00
.29
.24
.05
.28
.26
.02
.28
.27
.12
.11
Senior
Lower Tier II
Senior
Baa1
Baa3
A1
BBB+
BBB
A
A
A-
A+
Lower Tier II
A2
—
A-
Senior
Ba2
—
BB
Senior
Lower Tier II
Lower Tier II
Senior
Senior
Senior
Senior
Senior
Senior
Senior
Tier I
Upper Tier II
Senior
A3
Baa1
A-
BBB+
A1
Aa1
A3
A1
A-
A+
BBB+
BBB+
A+
A
A
—
BBB+
—
Baa2
Baa2
BBB
BBB
BBB
—
Baa1
Baa1
Baa3
Baa2
Aa3
BBB+
BBB+
A
A+
BBB
—
AA-
—
—
AA-
Upper Tier II
CC FNB
A3
A3
BBB
BBB
BBB
BBB+
Senior
Senior
Senior
Baa1
Baa1
Baa1
BBB+
BBB+
BBB+
BBB+
BBB+
BBB+
Lower Tier II
Upper Tier II
Tier 1
Baa3
BBB-
Ba1
Ba2
BB
BB
A-
BBB
BB+
.04
43.07%
100.00%
As previously disclosed, we own long-dated debt instruments in support of our long-dated policyholder obligations. Some of our largest global
investment holdings are positions that were purchased many years ago and increased in size due to merger and consolidation activity among the
issuing entities. In addition, many of our largest holdings are yen-denominated, therefore strengthening of the yen can increase our position in
dollars, and weakening of the yen can decrease our position in dollars. Our global investment guidelines establish concentration limits for our
investment portfolios.
Geographical Exposure
The following table indicates the geographic exposure of our investment portfolio as of December 31.
62
(In millions)
Japan
United States and Canada (1)
United Kingdom
Germany
France
Peripheral Eurozone
Portugal
Italy
Ireland
Spain
Nordic Region
Sweden
Norway
Denmark
Finland
Other Europe
Netherlands
Switzerland
Czech Republic
Austria
Belgium
Poland
Luxembourg
Asia excluding Japan
Africa and Middle East
Latin America
Australia
All Others
2015
Amortized
Cost
$
39,593
31,622
% of
Total
41.3%
33.0
2014
Amortized
Cost
$
39,804
28,884
% of
Total
41.9%
30.4
2,697
2,558
1,755
2,762
200
1,514
364
684
1,906
682
512
332
380
2,502
1,367
246
415
115
182
166
11
3,325
2,478
2,172
2,135
437
2.8
2.7
1.8
2.9
.2
1.6
.4
.7
1.9
.7
.5
.3
.4
2.6
1.4
.3
.4
.1
.2
.2
.0
3.5
2.6
2.3
2.2
.4
3,121
2,657
1,747
2,925
200
1,674
332
719
2,198
973
513
332
380
2,711
1,497
225
415
184
224
166
0
3,575
2,121
2,622
2,262
440
3.3
2.8
1.8
3.1
.2
1.8
.3
.8
2.2
1.0
.5
.3
.4
2.8
1.6
.2
.4
.2
.2
.2
.0
3.8
2.2
2.8
2.4
.5
Total debt and perpetual securities
$
95,942
100.0%
$
95,067
100.0%
(1) Includes total exposure to Puerto Rico of $1 million of required deposits, of which 72% has insurance of principal and interest.
European sovereign debt crisis
Since 2008, many countries in Europe, and specifically Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, and Spain (collectively the "peripheral Eurozone"
countries), have experienced a debt crisis. Collective action by multiple parties including the European Central Bank (ECB), International Monetary
Fund (IMF), European Council, and individual member states' governments had largely improved market perception of the situation across Europe.
In exchange for this support, affected countries generally agreed to implement a series of measures to improve their fiscal situation in exchange for
loans and other aid. Most countries continue to implement the prescribed austerity measures and have seen improvement in their economies, which
in turn has seen their creditworthiness improve or stabilize.
The resolve to maintain the European Monetary Union (EMU) was tested in 2015 following the election of a new government in Greece, who
rejected the requirements imposed in exchange for their previous support packages. After a period of tense negotiations which threatened Greece’s
ability to remain in the EMU, agreements were made which provided Greece additional aid in exchange for an updated set of requirements. These
actions have stabilized the situation currently.
63
Although recent economic indicators show improvement from the depths of the crisis across most of the Eurozone, overall economic activity
remains subdued throughout the region. To support the return to sustainable economic growth, the ECB has launched a quantitative easing (QE)
stimulus program.
Since the crisis first began, we have taken steps to improve the risk profile of our portfolio by selling certain holdings throughout Europe,
including the peripheral Eurozone countries.
The primary factor considered when determining the domicile of investment exposure is the legal country risk location of the issuer. However,
other factors such as the location of the parent guarantor, the location of the company's headquarters or major business operations (including
location of major assets), location of primary market (including location of revenue generation) and specific country risk publicly recognized by rating
agencies can influence the assignment of the country (or geographic) risk location. When the issuer is a special financing vehicle or a branch or
subsidiary of a global company, then we consider any guarantees and/or legal, regulatory and corporate relationships of the issuer relative to its
ultimate parent in determining the proper assignment of country risk.
Investments in Certain European Countries - monitoring and mitigating exposure
Our internal team of experienced credit professionals has continued to monitor the impact of the European sovereign crisis on our individual
investment holdings' overall credit quality. Our analysis includes factors beyond a baseline assessment of a company's assets, operations, financial
statements, and credit metrics that may provide support for the instruments we own. Specifically, for our investments in European banks and
financial institutions, we monitor the importance of the issuer to its local financial system, the likelihood of government support, and our investment's
position in the capital structure of the issuer. For our investments in European utilities, we monitor the role of the issuer in its local economy as a
provider of necessary infrastructure, and we monitor the value of the underlying assets owned by the issuer. For our investment in European
corporates, industrials, and other commercial entities, we monitor the general credit quality of the issuer, the geographical mix of the issuer's
customers (i.e. domestic vs. foreign), the geographical breakdown of the issuer's assets (i.e. domestic versus foreign), the value of the underlying
assets owned by the issuer, capitalization of the issuer, and overall profitability and cash generation ability of the issuer. We monitor NRSRO actions
and the likely actions for our investment exposures, as well as overall market conditions. By performing these analyses, we make a determination on
the probability of timely payment of principal and interest of the issuers of our investments.
Some of our peripheral Eurozone fixed-maturity investments contain covenants that we believe mitigate our risk to the issuer. These covenants
could include put options that allow us to return our holdings to the issuer at a predetermined price, usually par, should the issuer be downgraded to
below investment grade by a rating agency. Additionally, these covenants may include restrictions on the ability of the issuer to incur additional debt,
sell assets, or provide collateral for indebtedness. As of December 31, 2015 , all of the issuers of our holdings from peripheral Eurozone countries
were current on their obligations to us, and we believe they have the ability to meet their obligations to us.
As of December 31, 2015 , our investments in peripheral Eurozone countries totaled $2.8 billion , or 2.9% of our total debt and perpetual
securities, at amortized cost. We have no direct exposure to Greece. Apart from our direct investments in peripheral Eurozone sovereign debt
totaling $262 million , our other exposures as of December 31, 2015 to the European sovereign debt crisis were investments in peripheral Eurozone
banks and financial institutions of $488 million , peripheral Eurozone non-banks (excluding sovereigns) of $2.0 billion , core Eurozone 1 banks and
financial institutions of $1.7 billion , core Eurozone non-banks (excluding sovereigns) of $4.2 billion , core Eurozone sovereigns of $486 million , and
non-Eurozone 2 holdings throughout the balance of Europe of $5.0 billion , all at amortized cost. Other investment risks stemming from the European
sovereign debt crisis that are not possible to measure and include the impact of slower economic activity throughout Europe and its impact on global
economic growth and market disruption including illiquidity and impaired valuations due to heightened concerns and lack of investor confidence.
Although the situation had largely stabilized across Europe, the crisis in Greece that re-emerged in mid-2015 demonstrates certain risks remain
as the area continues working to improve its economic footing. We continue to monitor the situation closely including the heightened
interrelationship between political, monetary, fiscal, and economic forces; the pace of underlying structural reforms; the possibility of continued
contagion to additional sovereigns and other entities; further stress on the banking systems throughout the region; and the impact on the underlying
economic fundamentals throughout the Eurozone.
1 Core Eurozone includes Germany, France, Netherlands, Austria, Belgium, Finland and Luxembourg.
2 Non-Eurozone Europe includes the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Czech Republic and Poland.
64
Oil and Gas Exposure
As a result of the large decline in oil prices, there has been heightened attention to certain investments in the various energy sub-sectors related
to oil and gas following a large increase in market volatility. Our portfolio includes holdings diversified across multiple sub-sectors of the oil and gas
industry, spread among multiple geographies. The following table shows the breakout of our exposure to the oil and gas industry as of December
31.
(In millions)
Securities available for sale,
carried at fair value:
Fixed maturities:
2015
Cost or
Amortized
Cost
Gross
Unrealized
Gains
Gross
Unrealized
Losses
Fair
Value
Independent exploration and production
$
1,270
$
Integrated energy
Midstream
Oil field services
Refiners
Government owned - energy related
Natural gas utilities
Total fixed maturities
Equity securities
Total securities available for sale
Securities held to maturity,
carried at amortized cost:
Fixed maturities:
Integrated energy
Government owned - energy related
Natural gas utilities
Total fixed maturities
Total securities held to maturity
Total securities available for sale
and held to maturity
575
1,246
1,155
460
887
344
5,937
3
5,940
242
249
207
698
698
73
55
76
27
6
182
53
472
0
472
9
5
18
32
32
$
139
$
1,204
27
144
228
30
25
1
594
0
594
0
0
0
0
0
603
1,178
954
436
1,044
396
5,815
3
5,818
251
254
225
730
730
$
6,638
$
504
$
594
$
6,548
As of December 31, 2015, the weighted-average rating of our total fixed maturity oil and gas exposure is BBB, and 93% of this exposure is
investment grade. Absent a major change in the outlook for oil prices, we expect the increase in market volatility surrounding these issuers to
continue. This could lead to increased negative ratings activity from the public rating agencies for energy-related credit issuers. We do not currently
expect our investments in these sub-sectors related to oil and gas to have a material impact on our results of operations.
Securities by Type of Issuance
We have investments in both publicly and privately issued securities. Our ability to sell either type of security is a function of overall market
liquidity which is impacted by, among other things, the amount of outstanding securities of a particular issuer or issuance, trading history of the issue
or issuer, overall market conditions, and idiosyncratic events affecting the specific issue or issuer.
The following table details investment securities by type of issuance as of December 31.
65
(In millions)
Publicly issued securities:
Fixed maturities
Perpetual securities
Equity securities
Total publicly issued
Privately issued securities: (1)
Fixed maturities
Perpetual securities
Equity securities
Total privately issued
Total investment securities
(1) Includes Rule 144A securities
Investment Securities by Type of Issuance
2015
2014
Amortized
Cost
Fair
Value
Amortized
Cost
Fair
Value
$
68,528
$
74,933
$
65,830
$
74,190
77
473
69,078
25,573
1,764
7
27,344
111
489
75,533
27,936
1,836
9
29,781
107
12
65,949
26,797
2,333
7
29,137
154
19
74,363
29,880
2,515
9
32,404
$
96,422
$ 105,314
$
95,086
$ 106,767
The following table details our privately issued investment securities as of December 31.
Privately Issued Securities
(Amortized cost, in millions)
Privately issued securities as a percentage of total investment securities
Privately issued securities held by Aflac Japan
Privately issued securities held by Aflac Japan as a percentage of total
investment securities
Reverse-Dual Currency Securities (1)
(Amortized cost, in millions)
Privately issued reverse-dual currency securities
Publicly issued collateral structured as reverse-dual currency securities
Total reverse-dual currency securities
Reverse-dual currency securities as a percentage of total investment
securities
(1) Principal payments in yen and interest payments in dollars
2015
28.4%
2014
30.6%
$
24,602
$
26,468
25.5%
27.8%
2015
5,372
1,303
6,675
$
$
2014
6,196
1,470
7,666
$
$
6.9%
8.1%
Aflac Japan has invested in privately issued securities to better match liability characteristics and secure higher yields than those available on
Japanese government or other public corporate bonds. All of the yen-denominated privately issued securities we have purchased were rated
investment grade at the time of purchase . Aflac Japan’s investments in yen-denominated privately issued securities consist primarily of non-
Japanese issuers and have longer maturities, thereby allowing us to improve our asset/liability matching and our overall investment returns. These
securities were generally either privately negotiated arrangements or were issued under medium-term note programs and have standard
documentation commensurate with credit ratings of the issuer, except when internal credit analysis indicates that additional protective and/or event-
risk covenants were required. Many of these investments have protective covenants appropriate to the specific investment. These may include a
prohibition of certain activities by the borrower, maintenance of certain financial measures, and specific conditions impacting the payment of our
notes.
Below-Investment-Grade and Split-Rated Securities
We use specific criteria to judge the credit quality of both existing and prospective investments. The ratings referenced in the tables below are
based on the ratings designations provided by the major credit rating agencies (Moody's, S&P, and Fitch) or, if not rated, are determined based on
our internal credit analysis of such securities. When the ratings issued by the rating agencies differ, we utilize the second lowest rating, regardless of
how many of the three rating agencies actually rated the instrument. Split-rated securities are those where the ratings are not equivalent and one
66
or more of the ratings is investment grade and one or more is below investment grade. For these split-rated securities, if there are only two ratings
assigned by the credit rating agencies, we take the lower below-investment-grade rating. If there are three ratings assigned, and two of the three are
below investment grade, we consider it a below-investment-grade security. If there are three ratings and two are investment grade, we consider it an
investment grade security unless our evaluation and assessment shows a below-investment-grade rating is warranted despite two of the three rating
agencies rating it investment grade.
Our portfolio of below-investment-grade securities includes debt securities purchased while the issuer was rated investment grade plus other
loans and bonds purchased as part of an allocation to that segment of the market. The following is our below-investment-grade exposure in
accordance with the above described rating methodology as of December 31.
67
Below-Investment-Grade Securities
2015
2014
Par
Value
Amortized
Cost
Fair
Value
Unrealized
Gain
(Loss)
Par
Value
Amortized
Cost
Fair
Value
Unrealized
Gain(Loss)
$
357 $
357 $
324
$
(33)
$
357
$
357
$
332
$
(25)
332
307
279
257
249
230
199
166
166
149
108
100
94
91
83
70
68
50
25
*
*
213
185
148
257
183
148
199
166
166
321
243
155
252
205
228
175
166
214
108
58
7
(5)
22
80
(24)
0
48
332
307
278
257
249
228
(1)
378
*
332
213
185
278
257
183
148
(1)
332
*
327
219
178
251
231
225
(1)
354
*
332
352
55
126
71
149
55
129
46
77
92
88
61
69
71
79
81
70
64
73
32
38
50
43
16
18
*
*
*
*
33
4
(22)
(24)
12
(37)
(33)
(7)
2
*
*
108
76
*
*
46
77
*
*
70
102
*
*
83
61
67
*
*
*
108
166
118
*
*
*
*
*
*
84
166
88
125
116
124
308
3,688
290
259
(31)
361
378
394
2,937
3,166
229
3,887
3,268
3,568
1,400
1,327
1,362
35
562
475
549
609
621
581
(40)
0
0
0
114
34
(100)
(6)
48
77
(1)
22
*
20
74
24
25
*
*
6
*
*
*
4
(41)
8
16
300
74
0
374
(In millions)
Investcorp Capital
Limited
Commerzbank AG
(includes
Dresdner Bank)
Republic of Tunisia
Navient Corp
UPM-Kymmene
KLM Royal Dutch
Airlines (1)
Barclays Bank PLC (1)
Deutsche Bank AG (2)
DEPFA Bank PLC
Telecom Italia SpA
Generalitat de
Catalunya
IKB Deutsche
Industriebank AG
Alcoa, Inc.
Weatherford Bermuda
Petrobras International
Finance Company
Societe Generale (1)
Teck Resources Ltd.
Transocean Inc.
Eskom Holdings
Limited
Kommunalkredit
Austria
Bank of Ireland
Energias de Portugal
SA (EDP)
Other Issuers (below
$50 million in par
value) (3)
Subtotal (4)
Senior secured bank
loans (5)
High yield corporate
bonds (6)
Grand Total
$ 5,697 $
4,885 $ 5,109
$
224
$ 4,449
$
3,743
$ 4,117
$
* Investment grade at respective reporting date
(1) Includes perpetual security
(2) 2014 includes notes issued by Deutsche Bank Capital Trust and Deutsche Postbank AG; 2015 includes only notes issued by Deutsche Postbank AG
(3) Includes 15 issuers in 2015 and 18 issuers in 2014
(4) Securities initially purchased as investment grade, but have subsequently been downgraded to below investment grade
(5) Includes 201 issuers in 2015 and 196 in 2014 ; all issuers below $25 million in par value
(6) Includes 57 issuers in 2015 ; all issuers below $25 million in par value
We invest in senior secured bank loans primarily to U.S. corporate borrowers, most of which have below-investment-grade ratings. The program
is managed externally by third party firms specializing in this asset class. This mandate requires a minimum average credit quality of BB-/Ba3,
prohibits loan purchases rated below B/B2, and prohibits exposure to any individual credit greater than 2% of the program’s assets. The objectives
of this program include enhancing the
68
yield on invested assets, achieving further diversification of credit risk, and mitigating the risk of rising interest rates through the acquisition of
floating rate assets. Our investments in this program totaled $1.4 billion at December 31, 2015 , compared with $501 million at December 31, 2014 ,
on an amortized cost basis.
In 2015, as part of our normal portfolio management and asset allocation process, we increased our allocation to higher yielding corporate
bonds by approximately $644 million within the Aflac Japan portfolio and $120 million within the Aflac U.S. portfolio. Most of these securities were
rated below-investment-grade at the time of purchase, but we also purchased several that are currently rated investment grade which, because of
market pricing, offer yields commensurate with below-investment-grade risk profiles. The objective of this allocation is to enhance our yield on
invested assets and further diversify our credit risk. All investments must have a minimum rating of low BB using our above described rating
methodology and are managed by our internal credit portfolio management team.
Excluding the senior secured bank loans and certain high yield corporate bonds discussed above that were rated below investment grade when
initially purchased, below-investment-grade debt and perpetual securities represented 3.1% of total debt and perpetual securities at December 31,
2015 , compared with 3.4% at December 31, 2014 , on an amortized cost basis. Debt and perpetual securities classified as below investment grade
at December 31, 2015 and 2014 were generally reported as available for sale and carried at fair value.
The following table shows the 10 largest holdings with a split rating, and includes the determination between investment grade and below
investment grade based on the above methodology as of December 31, 2015 .
Split-Rated Securities
(In millions)
Commerzbank AG (includes Dresdner Bank)
DEPFA Bank PLC
Telecom Italia SpA
Energias de Portugal SA (EDP)
Goldman Sachs Capital I
Barclays Bank PLC (1)
Weatherford Bermuda
Alcoa, Inc.
Chicago, Illinois
Eskom Holdings Limited
(1) Includes perpetual security
Amortized
Cost
$
213
166
166
117
105
102
92
77
53
50
Investment-Grade
Status
Below Investment Grade
Below Investment Grade
Below Investment Grade
Investment Grade
Investment Grade
Below Investment Grade
Below Investment Grade
Below Investment Grade
Investment Grade
Below Investment Grade
Split-rated securities, excluding the senior secured bank loan investments and high yield corporate bonds discussed above, totaled $1.3 billion
and represented 1.3% of total debt and perpetual securities, at amortized cost, at December 31, 2015 , compared with $2.2 billion and 2.3%,
respectively, at December 31, 2014 .
For the foreign currency and credit default swaps associated with our VIE investments for which we are the primary beneficiary, we bear the risk
of foreign exchange and/or credit loss due to counterparty default even though we are not a direct counterparty to those contracts. We are a direct
counterparty to the foreign currency swaps that we have on certain of our senior notes and subordinated debentures; foreign currency forwards;
foreign currency options; and interest rate swaptions, therefore we are exposed to credit risk in the event of nonperformance by the counterparties in
those contracts. The risk of counterparty default for our VIE and senior note and subordinated debenture swaps, foreign currency forwards and
options, and swaptions is mitigated by collateral posting requirements the counterparty must meet. If collateral posting agreements are not in place,
the counterparty risk associated with foreign currency forwards and foreign currency options is the risk that at expiry of the contract, the counterparty
is unable to deliver the agreed upon amount of yen at the agreed upon price or delivery date, thus exposing the company to additional unhedged
exposure to U.S. dollars in the Aflac Japan investment portfolio. See Note 4 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for more
information.
69
Equity Risk
Market prices for equity securities are subject to fluctuation and consequently the amount realized in the subsequent sale of an investment may
significantly differ from the reported market value. Fluctuation in the market price of a security may result from the relative price of alternative
investments and general market conditions. These fluctuations could impact the Company’s consolidated results of operations or financial condition.
Other-than-temporary Impairment
See Notes 1 and 3 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for a discussion of our impairment policy.
Unrealized Investment Gains and Losses
The following table provides details on amortized cost, fair value and unrealized gains and losses for our investments in fixed maturities,
perpetual securities, and equity securities by investment-grade status as of December 31, 2015 .
(In millions)
Available-for-sale fixed maturities and
perpetual securities:
Total
Amortized
Cost
Total
Fair
Value
Percentage
of Total
Fair Value
Gross
Unrealized
Gains
Gross
Unrealized
Losses
Investment-grade securities
$
57,764
$
62,353
59.2%
$
6,091
$
1,502
Below-investment-grade securities
4,719
4,943
Held-to-maturity fixed maturities:
Investment-grade securities
33,293
37,354
Below-investment-grade securities
Equity securities
Total
166
480
166
498
4.6
35.5
.2
.5
514
4,278
0
22
290
217
0
4
$
96,422
$ 105,314
100.0%
$ 10,905
$
2,013
The following table presents an aging of fixed maturities, perpetual securities, and equity securities in an unrealized loss position as of
December 31, 2015 .
Aging of Unrealized Losses
Total
Amortized
Cost
Total
Unrealized
Loss
Less than Six Months
Six Months to Less
than 12 Months
12 Months
or Longer
Amortized
Cost
Unrealized
Loss
Amortized
Cost
Unrealized
Loss
Amortized
Cost
Unrealized
Loss
(In millions)
Available-for-sale
fixed
maturities and
perpetual
securities:
Investment-grade
securities
Below-
investment-grade
securities
Held-to-maturity
fixed maturities:
Investment-grade
securities
Equity securities
Total
$
$
17,746 $
1,502 $
3,801 $
141 $
9,753 $
719 $
4,192 $
2,190
290
809
33
443
53
938
4,295
195
24,426 $
217
4
2,013 $
1,102
195
5,907 $
27
4
205 $
1,468
0
11,664 $
63
0
835 $
1,725
0
6,855 $
642
204
127
0
973
The following table presents a distribution of unrealized losses on fixed maturities, perpetual securities, and equity securities by magnitude as of
December 31, 2015 .
70
Percentage Decline From Amortized Cost
Total
Amortized
Cost
Total
Unrealized
Loss
Less than 20%
20% to 50%
Greater than 50%
Amortized
Cost
Unrealized
Loss
Amortized
Cost
Unrealized
Loss
Amortized
Cost
Unrealized
Loss
(In millions)
Available-for-sale
fixed
maturities and
perpetual
securities:
Investment-
grade
securities
Below-
investment-
grade
securities
Held-to-maturity
fixed maturities:
Investment-
grade
securities
Equity securities
0
41
0
0
41
$
17,746 $
1,502 $
16,466 $
1,129 $
1,280 $
373 $
0 $
2,190
290
1,737
125
377
124
76
4,295
195
24,426 $
217
4
2,013 $
4,295
195
22,693 $
217
4
1,475 $
0
0
1,657 $
0
0
497 $
0
0
76 $
Total
$
The following table presents the 10 largest unrealized loss positions in our portfolio as of December 31, 2015 .
(In millions)
Diamond Offshore Drilling Inc.
Barrick Gold Corp.
Noble Holding International Ltd.
Teck Resources Ltd.
Bank of America Corp.
Transocean Inc.
Investcorp Capital Limited
Devon Energy Corp.
Kinder Morgan Energy Partners LP
CFE
Credit
Rating
Amortized
Cost
Fair
Value
Unrealized
Loss
BBB
BBB
BBB
BB
BBB
BB
BB
BBB
BBB
BBB
$
144
173
104
69
375
71
357
137
185
265
$
88
132
66
32
340
38
324
104
155
235
$
(56)
(41)
(38)
(37)
(35)
(33)
(33)
(33)
(30)
(30)
Generally, declines in fair values can be a result of changes in interest rates, yen/dollar exchange rate, and changes in net spreads driven by a
broad market move or a change in the issuer's underlying credit quality. In the fourth quarter of 2015, market volatility increased markedly, especially
in the energy and commodity-related sectors. Most of the declines noted above are related to issuers in those sectors. As we believe these issuers
have the ability to continue making timely payments of principal and interest, we view these changes in fair value to be temporary and do not believe
it is necessary to impair the carrying value of these securities. See the Unrealized Investment Gains and Losses section in Note 3 of the Notes to
the Consolidated Financial Statements for further discussions of unrealized losses related to financial institutions, including perpetual securities, and
other corporate investments.
Investment Valuation and Cash
We estimate the fair values of our securities on a monthly basis. We monitor the estimated fair values obtained from our custodian, pricing
vendors and brokers for consistency from month to month, while considering current market conditions. We also periodically discuss with our
custodian and pricing brokers and vendors the pricing techniques they use to monitor the consistency of their approach and periodically assess the
appropriateness of the valuation level assigned to the values obtained from them. If a fair value appears unreasonable, we will re-examine the inputs
and assess the reasonableness of the pricing data with the vendor. Additionally, we may compare the inputs to relevant market indices and other
performance measurements. The output of this analysis is presented to the Company's Valuation and Classifications Subcommittee, or VCS. Based
on the analysis provided to the VCS, the valuation is confirmed or may be revised if there is evidence of a more appropriate estimate of fair value
based on available market data. We have performed verification of the inputs and calculations in any valuation models to confirm that the valuations
represent reasonable estimates of fair value.
For those investments accounted for as loan receivables, we record those investments at amortized cost on the acquisition date and carry at
adjusted amortized cost. The adjusted amortized cost of the loan receivables reflects
71
allowances for expected incurred losses estimated based on past events and current economic conditions as of each reporting date. See the Loans
and Loan Receivables section in Note 3 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further discussion of these investments.
Cash and cash equivalents totaled $4.4 billion , or 4.1% of total investments and cash, as of December 31, 2015 , compared with $4.7 billion , or
4.3% , at December 31, 2014 . For a discussion of the factors affecting our cash balance, see the Operating Activities, Investing Activities and
Financing Activities subsections of this MD&A.
For additional information concerning our investments, see Notes 3, 4, and 5 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
Deferred Policy Acquisition Costs
The following table presents deferred policy acquisition costs by segment for the years ended December 31.
(In millions)
Aflac Japan
Aflac U.S.
Total
2015
$
$
5,370
3,141
8,511
2014
% Change
$
$
5,211
3,062
8,273
3.1% (1)
2.6
2.9%
(1) Aflac Japan’s deferred policy acquisition costs increased 3.1% in yen during the year ended December 31, 2015 .
See Note 6 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information on our deferred policy acquisition costs.
Policy Liabilities
The following table presents policy liabilities by segment for the years ended December 31.
(In millions)
Aflac Japan
Aflac U.S.
Other
Intercompany eliminations (2)
Total
2015
2014
% Change
$
78,460
$
74,575
9,815
43
(687)
9,356
2
0
5.2 % (1)
4.9
100.0
(100.0)
$
87,631
$
83,933
4.4 %
(1) Aflac Japan’s policy liabilities increased 5.3% in yen during the year ended December 31, 2015 .
(2) Elimination entry necessary due to recapture of a portion of policy liabilities ceded externally, as a result of the reinsurance retrocession transaction as
described in Note 8 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
See Note 7 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information on our policy liabilities.
Notes Payable
Notes payable totaled $5.0 billion at December 31, 2015 , compared with $5.3 billion at December 31, 2014 .
In August 2015, we paid off $300 million of 3.45% fixed-rate senior notes upon their maturity and paid off a 5.0 billion yen loan at its maturity
date (a total of approximately $41 million using the exchange rate at the specific maturity date). In July 2015, we paid off a 10.0 billion yen loan at its
maturity date (a total of approximately $81 million using the exchange rate at the specific maturity date).
In March 2015, the Parent Company issued two series of senior notes totaling $1.0 billion through a U.S. public debt offering. The first series,
which totaled $550 million, bears interest at a fixed rate of 2.40% per annum, payable semi-annually, and has a five-year maturity. The second
series, which totaled $450 million, bears interest at a fixed rate of 3.25% per annum, payable semi-annually, and has a ten-year maturity. We have
entered into cross-currency swaps that convert the U.S. dollar-denominated principal and interest on the senior notes into yen-denominated
obligations which results in lower nominal net interest rates on the debt. By entering into these cross-currency swaps, we economically converted
our $550 million liability into a 67.0 billion yen liability and reduced the interest rate on this debt from 2.40% in dollars to .24% in yen, and we
economically converted our $450 million liability into a 55.0 billion yen liability and reduced the interest rate on this debt from 3.25% in dollars to
.82% in yen. In April 2015, the Parent Company used the proceeds from the March 2015 issuance of its fixed-rate senior notes to redeem all of our
$850 million 8.50% fixed-rate senior notes
72
due May 2019 and to pay a portion of the corresponding $230 million make-whole premium due to the investors of these notes.
See Note 9 of the accompanying Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information on our notes payable.
Benefit Plans
Aflac Japan and Aflac U.S. have various benefit plans. For additional information on our Japanese and U.S. plans, see Note 14 of the Notes to
the Consolidated Financial Statements.
Policyholder Protection
The Japanese insurance industry has a policyholder protection system that provides funds for the policyholders of insolvent insurers. Legislation
enacted regarding the framework of the Life Insurance Policyholder Protection Corporation (LIPPC) included government fiscal measures supporting
the LIPPC. On December 27, 2011, Japan's FSA announced the plans to enhance the stability of the LIPPC by extending the government's fiscal
support of the LIPPC through March 2017. Accordingly, the FSA submitted legislation to the Diet on January 27, 2012 to extend the government's
fiscal support framework, and the legislation was approved on March 30, 2012. Effective April 2014, the annual LIPPC contribution amount for the
total life industry was lowered from 40 billion yen to 33 billion yen. Aflac Japan paid 2.2 billion yen in both 2015 and 2014 and 2.3 billion yen in 2013
for the policyholder protection fund.
Hedging Activities
Net Investment Hedge
Our primary exposure to be hedged is our investment in Aflac Japan, which is affected by changes in the yen/dollar exchange rate. To mitigate
this exposure, we have taken the following courses of action. First, Aflac Japan maintains certain unhedged U.S. dollar-denominated securities,
which serve as an economic currency hedge of a portion of our investment in Aflac Japan. Second, we have designated the majority of the Parent
Company’s yen-denominated liabilities (Samurai and Uridashi notes) as non-derivative hedging instruments and certain foreign currency forwards
and options as derivative hedges of our net investment in Aflac Japan. We make our net investment hedge designation at the beginning of each
quarter. If the total of the designated Parent Company non-derivative and derivatives notional is equal to or less than our net investment in Aflac
Japan, the hedge is deemed to be effective, and the exchange effect on the yen-denominated liabilities and the change in estimated fair value of the
derivatives are reported in the unrealized foreign currency component of other comprehensive income. We estimate that if the designated net
investment hedge positions exceeded our net investment in Aflac Japan by 10 billion yen, we would report a foreign exchange gain/loss of
approximately $1 million for every 1% yen weakening/strengthening in the end-of-period yen/dollar exchange rate. Our net investment hedge was
effective during the years ended December 31, 2015 , 2014 and 2013 .
The yen net asset figure calculated for hedging purposes differs from the yen-denominated net asset position as discussed in the Currency Risk
subsection of MD&A. As disclosed in that subsection, the consolidation of the underlying assets in certain VIEs requires that we derecognize our
yen-denominated investment in the VIE and recognize the underlying fixed-maturity or perpetual securities and cross-currency swaps. While these
U.S. dollar investments will create foreign currency fluctuations, the combination of the U.S. dollar-denominated investment and the cross-currency
swap economically creates a yen-denominated investment that qualifies for inclusion as a component of our investment in Aflac Japan. Similarly, the
combination of the U.S. corporate bonds and the foreign currency forwards and options that we have entered into, as discussed in the Aflac Japan
Investment subsection of MD&A, economically creates a yen-denominated investment that qualifies for inclusion as a component of our investment
in Aflac Japan.
The dollar values of our yen-denominated net assets, including economic yen-denominated investments for net investment hedging purposes
as discussed above, are summarized as follows (translated at end-of-period exchange rates) for the years ended December 31:
(In millions)
Aflac Japan net assets
Aflac Japan unhedged dollar-denominated net assets
Consolidated yen-denominated net assets (liabilities)
2015
2014
$
13,558
$
14,665
(8,111)
5,447
$
(8,672)
5,993
$
73
For the hedge of our net investment in Aflac Japan, we have designated certain of the Parent Company's yen-denominated liabilities, certain
unhedged U.S. dollar investments and foreign currency forwards and options as a hedge of our net investment in Aflac Japan. Our consolidated
yen-denominated net asset position was partially hedged at $1.2 billion as of December 31, 2015 , compared with $1.6 billion as of December 31,
2014 .
Cash Flow Hedges
We had freestanding derivative instruments related to our consolidated VIE investments that are reported in the consolidated balance sheet at
fair value within other assets and other liabilities. As of December 31, 2015 , two of the freestanding swaps that are used within VIEs to hedge the
risk arising from changes in foreign currency exchange rates qualified for hedge accounting.
Fair Value Hedges
We have entered into foreign currency forwards and options to mitigate the foreign exchange risk associated with new investments in U.S.
dollar-denominated fixed-maturities that support yen-denominated liabilities within our Aflac Japan segment.
At times we have entered into interest rate swaptions to mitigate the interest rate risk associated with our U.S. dollar-denominated fixed-
maturities that support yen-denominated liabilities within our Aflac Japan segment.
See Note 4 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information on our hedging activities.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
As of December 31, 2015 , we had no material letters of credit, standby letters of credit, guarantees or standby repurchase obligations. See
Note 15 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for information on material unconditional purchase obligations that are not recorded
on our balance sheet.
CAPITAL RESOURCES AND LIQUIDITY
Aflac provides the primary sources of liquidity to the Parent Company through dividends and management fees. The following table presents the
amounts provided for the years ended December 31.
Liquidity Provided by Aflac to Parent Company
(In millions)
Dividends declared or paid by Aflac
Management fees paid by Aflac
2015
$ 2,393
255
2014
$ 1,473
267
2013
$ 962
292
The primary uses of cash by the Parent Company are shareholder dividends, the repurchase of its common stock, interest on its outstanding
indebtedness and operating expenses. The Parent Company's sources and uses of cash are reasonably predictable and are not expected to
change materially in the future. For additional information, see the Financing Activities subsection of this MD&A.
The Parent Company also accesses debt security markets to provide additional sources of capital. We filed a shelf registration statement with
the SEC in May 2015 that allows us to issue an indefinite amount of senior and subordinated debt, in one or more series, from time to time until May
2018. In March 2014, we filed a shelf registration statement with Japanese regulatory authorities that allows us to issue up to 100 billion yen of yen-
denominated Samurai notes in Japan through March 2016. If issued, these yen-denominated Samurai notes would not be available to U.S. persons.
We believe outside sources for additional debt and equity capital, if needed, will continue to be available. For additional information, see Note 9 of
the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
The principal sources of cash for our insurance operations are premiums and investment income. The primary uses of cash by our insurance
operations are investments, policy claims, commissions, operating expenses, income taxes and payments to the Parent Company for management
fees and dividends. Both the sources and uses of cash are reasonably predictable.
74
When making an investment decision, our first consideration is based on product needs. Our investment objectives provide for liquidity through
the purchase of investment-grade debt securities. These objectives also take into account duration matching, and because of the long-term nature
of our business, we have adequate time to react to changing cash flow needs.
As a result of policyholder aging, claims payments are expected to gradually increase over the life of a policy. Therefore, future policy benefit
reserves are accumulated in the early years of a policy and are designed to help fund future claims payments. We expect our future cash flows from
premiums and our investment portfolio to be sufficient to meet our cash needs for benefits and expenses.
In October 2015, the Parent Company and Aflac jointly entered into a 364-day uncommitted bilateral line of credit that provides for borrowings in
the amount of $100 million . Borrowings will bear interest at the rate quoted by the bank and agreed upon at the time of making such loan and will
have a three-month maturity period. There are no related facility fees, upfront expenses or financial covenant requirements. Borrowings under this
credit agreement may be used for general corporate purposes. Borrowings under the financing agreement will mature no later than three months
after the last drawdown date of October 15, 2016. As of December 31, 2015 , we did not have any borrowings outstanding under our $100 million
credit agreement.
In September 2015, we amended and restated our 50.0 billion yen senior unsecured revolving credit facility agreement, due to expire in March
2018, pursuant to which the Parent Company and Aflac jointly entered into a new five-year senior unsecured revolving credit facility agreement with
a syndicate of financial institutions that provides for borrowings of up to 55.0 billion yen or the equivalent of yen in U.S. dollars on a revolving basis.
Borrowings bear interest at a rate per annum equal to, at our option, either (a) a eurocurrency rate determined by reference to the London Interbank
Offered Rate (LIBOR) for the interest period relevant to such borrowing adjusted for certain additional costs or (b) a base rate determined by
reference to the highest of (1) the federal funds effective rate plus ½ of 1%, (2) the rate of interest for such day announced by Mizuho Bank, Ltd. as
its prime rate and (3) the eurocurrency rate for an interest period of one month plus 1.00%, in each case plus an applicable margin. The applicable
margin ranges between .79% and 1.275% for eurocurrency rate borrowings and .0% and .275% for base rate borrowings, depending on the Parent
Company’s debt ratings as of the date of determination. In addition, the Parent Company and Aflac are required to pay a facility fee on the
commitments ranging between .085% and .225%, also based on the Parent Company’s debt ratings as of the date of determination. Borrowings
under the amended and restated credit facility may be used for general corporate purposes, including a capital contingency plan for the operations
of the Parent Company and Aflac. The amended and restated credit facility requires compliance with certain financial covenants on a quarterly basis
and will expire on the earlier of (a) September 18, 2020, or (b) the date the commitments are terminated pursuant to an event of default, as such
term is defined in the credit agreement. As of December 31, 2015, we did not have any borrowings outstanding under our 55.0 billion yen revolving
credit agreement.
In February 2015, the Parent Company and Aflac jointly entered into an uncommitted bilateral line of credit with a third party that provides for
borrowings in the amount of $50 million. Borrowings will bear interest at the rate quoted by the bank and agreed upon at the time of making such
loan and will have a three-month maturity period. There are no related facility fees, upfront expenses or financial covenant requirements. Borrowings
under this credit agreement may be used for general corporate purposes. As of December 31, 2015, we did not have any borrowings outstanding
under our $50 million credit agreement.
Our financial statements convey our financing arrangements during the periods presented. We have not engaged in material intra-period short-
term financings during the periods presented that are not otherwise reported in our balance sheet. We were in compliance with all of the covenants
of our notes payable and lines of credit at December 31, 2015 . We have not entered into transactions involving the transfer of financial assets with
an obligation to repurchase financial assets that have been accounted for as a sale under applicable accounting standards, including securities
lending transactions. See Notes 1, 3, and 4 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for more information on our securities lending and
derivative activities. With the exception of disclosed activities in those referenced footnotes, we do not have a known trend, demand, commitment,
event or uncertainty that would reasonably result in our liquidity increasing or decreasing by a material amount. Our cash and cash equivalents
include unrestricted cash on hand, money market instruments, and other debt instruments with a maturity of 90 days or less when purchased, all of
which has minimal market, settlement or other risk exposure.
The following table presents the estimated payments by period of our major contractual obligations as of December 31, 2015 . We translated our
yen-denominated obligations using the December 31, 2015 , exchange rate. Actual future payments as reported in dollars will fluctuate with changes
in the yen/dollar exchange rate.
75
(In millions)
Future policy benefits liability (Note 7) (2)
Unpaid policy claims liability (Note 7) (3)
Other policyholders' funds (Note 7) (3)
Long-term debt – principal (Note 9)
Long-term debt – interest (Note 9)
Cash collateral on loaned securities (Note 3)
Operating service agreements (Note 15)
Operating lease obligations (Note 15)
Capitalized lease obligations (Note 9)
Distribution of Payments by Period
Total
Liability (1)
Total
Payments
Less
Than
One Year
One to
Three Years
Four to
Five Years
After
Five Years
$
69,687
$
234,854
$
7,813
$
15,497
$
15,475
$
196,069
3,802
6,285
4,991
39
941
N/A (4)
N/A (4)
20
3,802
9,977
4,997
3,115
941
362
172
20
2,504
329
197
198
941
114
59
6
693
387
650
360
0
130
75
9
303
426
550
347
0
118
18
4
302
8,835
3,600
2,210
0
0
20
1
Total contractual obligations
$
85,765
$
258,240
$
12,161
$
17,801
$
17,241
$
211,037
Liabilities for unrecognized tax benefits in the amount of $15 have been excluded from the tabular disclosure above because the timing of cash payment is not
reasonably estimable.
(1) Liability amounts are those reported on the consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2015 .
(2) The estimated payments due by period reflect future estimated cash payments to be made to policyholders and others for future policy benefits. These
projected cash outflows are based on assumptions for future policy persistency, mortality, morbidity, and other assumptions comparable with our experience,
consider future premium receipts on current policies in force, and assume market growth and interest crediting consistent with assumptions used in amortizing
deferred acquisition costs. These cash outflows are undiscounted with respect to interest and, as a result, the sum of the cash outflows shown for all years in
the table of $234,854 exceeds the corresponding liability amount of $69,687 . We have made significant assumptions to determine the future estimated cash
outflows related to the underlying policies and contracts. Due to the significance of the assumptions used, actual cash outflow amounts and timing will differ,
possibly materially, from these estimates.
(3) Includes assumptions as to the timing of policyholders reporting claims for prior periods and the amount of those claims. Actual amounts and timing of unpaid
policy claims payments may differ significantly from the estimates above.
(4) Not applicable
For more information on our major contractual obligations, see the applicable Note in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements as
indicated in the line items in the table above.
Consolidated Cash Flows
We translate cash flows for Aflac Japan's yen-denominated items into U.S. dollars using weighted-average exchange rates. In years when the
yen weakens, translating yen into dollars causes fewer dollars to be reported. When the yen strengthens, translating yen into dollars causes more
dollars to be reported.
The following table summarizes consolidated cash flows by activity for the years ended December 31.
(In millions)
Operating activities
Investing activities
Financing activities
Exchange effect on cash and cash equivalents
2015
2014
2013
$
6,776
$
6,550
$
10,547
(4,897)
(2,187)
0
(4,241)
(147)
(47)
(11,091)
1,136
(90)
502
Net change in cash and cash equivalents
$
(308)
$
2,115
$
Operating Activities
Consolidated cash flow from operations increased 3.5% in 2015 , compared with 2014 . The following table summarizes operating cash flows by
source for the years ended December 31.
(In millions)
Aflac Japan
Aflac U.S. and other operations
Total
2015
$
$
5,285
1,491
6,776
2014
$
$
5,711
839
6,550
2013
$
$
9,410
1,137
10,547
76
The decrease in Aflac Japan operating cash flows during 2015 and 2014 was largely due to a decline in the sales of the WAYS product which
resulted in a reduced amount of cash received from discounted advance premiums.
Investing Activities
Operating cash flow is primarily used to purchase debt securities to meet future policy obligations. The following table summarizes investing
cash flows by source for the years ended December 31.
(In millions)
Aflac Japan
Aflac U.S. and other operations
Total
2015
$
$
(4,147)
(750)
(4,897)
2014
$
$
(4,129)
(112)
(4,241)
2013
$
$
(10,293)
(798)
(11,091)
Prudent portfolio management dictates that we attempt to match the duration of our assets with the duration of our liabilities. Currently, when our
fixed-maturity securities and perpetual securities mature, the proceeds may be reinvested at a yield below that required for the accretion of policy
benefit liabilities on policies issued in earlier years. However, the long-term nature of our business and our strong cash flows provide us with the
ability to minimize the effect of mismatched durations and/or yields identified by various asset adequacy analyses. When needed or when market
opportunities arise, we dispose of selected fixed-maturity and perpetual securities that are available for sale to improve the duration matching of our
assets and liabilities, improve future investment yields, and/or re-balance our portfolio. As a result, dispositions before maturity can vary significantly
from year to year. Dispositions before maturity were approximately 5% of the annual average investment portfolio of fixed maturities and perpetual
securities available for sale during the year ended December 31, 2015 , compared with 6% in 2014 and 16% in 2013 .
Financing Activities
Consolidated cash used by financing activities was $2.2 billion in 2015 and $147 million in 2014 , compared with cash provided by financing
activities of $1.1 billion in 2013 .
In August 2015, we paid off $300 million of 3.45% fixed-rate senior notes upon their maturity. In August 2015, we paid off a 5.0 billion yen loan
at its maturity date (a total of approximately $41 million using the exchange rate at the maturity date). In July 2015, we paid off a 10.0 billion yen loan
at its maturity date (a total of approximately $81 million using the exchange rate at the maturity date).
In March 2015, the Parent Company issued two series of senior notes totaling $1.0 billion through a U.S. public debt offering. The first series,
which totaled $550 million, bears interest at a fixed rate of 2.40% per annum, payable semi-annually, and has a five-year maturity. The second
series, which totaled $450 million, bears interest at a fixed rate of 3.25% per annum, payable semi-annually, and has a ten-year maturity. We have
entered into cross-currency swaps that convert the U.S. dollar-denominated principal and interest on the senior notes into yen-denominated
obligations which results in lower nominal net interest rates on the debt. By entering into these cross-currency swaps, we economically converted
our $550 million liability into a 67.0 billion yen liability and reduced the interest rate on this debt from 2.40% in dollars to .24% in yen, and we
economically converted our $450 million liability into a 55.0 billion yen liability and reduced the interest rate on this debt from 3.25% in dollars to
.82% in yen. In April 2015, the Parent Company used $1.0 billion of fixed-rate senior notes that were issued in March 2015 to redeem all of our $850
million 8.50% fixed-rate senior notes due May 2019 and to pay a portion of the corresponding $230 million make-whole premium due to the
investors of these notes. We consider the make-whole payment a non-recurring transaction and therefore excluded this charge from operating
earnings.
In November 2014, the Parent Company issued $750 million of senior notes through a U.S. public debt offering. The net proceeds were used for
general corporate purposes. In July 2014, we redeemed 28.7 billion yen of our fixed rate Samauri notes and 5.5 billion yen of our variable rate
Samurai notes upon their maturity (a total of approximately $335 million using the exchange rate on the date of redemption).
In June 2013, the Parent Company issued $700 million of senior notes through a U.S. public debt offering. We used part of these net proceeds
for the debt redemptions in 2014. The balance of the net proceeds were used to repay or redeem, in whole or in part, the Parent Company’s $300
million senior notes that were due August 2015 and for general corporate purposes.
77
See Note 9 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further information on the debt issuances discussed above.
Cash returned to shareholders through dividends and treasury stock purchases was $2.0 billion in 2015 , compared with $1.9 billion in 2014 and
$1.4 billion in 2013 .
See our preceding discussion in this Capital Resources and Liquidity section of MD&A regarding the 364-day uncommitted bilateral line of credit
entered into by the Parent Company and Aflac in October 2015 in the amount of $100 million; the five-year senior unsecured revolving credit facility
agreement entered into by the Parent Company and Aflac in September 2015 in the amount of 55 billion yen; and the $50 million uncommitted
bilateral line of credit entered into by the Parent Company and Aflac in February 2015. As of December 31, 2015 , no borrowings were outstanding
under these lines of credit.
We were in compliance with all of the covenants of our notes payable and lines of credit at December 31, 2015 .
The following tables present a summary of treasury stock activity during the years ended December 31.
Treasury Stock Purchased
(In millions of dollars and thousands of shares)
2015
2014
2013
Treasury stock purchases
Number of shares purchased:
Open market
Other
Total shares purchased
$
1,315
$
1,210
$
813
21,179
247
21,426
19,660
157
19,817
13,212
222
13,434
(In millions of dollars and thousands of shares)
2015
2014
2013
Treasury Stock Issued
Stock issued from treasury:
Cash financing
Noncash financing
Total stock issued from treasury
Number of shares issued
$
36
64
$ 100
1,770
$
$
33
65
98
1,763
$
88
65
$ 153
3,254
Under share repurchase authorizations from our board of directors, we purchased 21.2 million shares of our common stock in the open market
in 2015 , compared with 19.7 million shares in 2014 and 13.2 million shares in 2013 . In August 2015, Aflac's board of directors authorized the
purchase of an additional 40 million shares of its common stock. As of December 31, 2015 , a remaining balance of 48.4 million shares of our
common stock was available for purchase under share repurchase authorizations by our board of directors. We currently plan to purchase $1.4
billion of our common stock in 2016 , largely front-end loaded in the first half of the year. See Note 11 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial
Statements for additional information.
Cash dividends paid to shareholders in 2015 of $1.58 per share increased 5.3% over 2014 . The 2014 dividend paid of $1.50 per share
increased 5.6% over 2013 . The following table presents the dividend activity for the years ended December 31.
(In millions)
Dividends paid in cash
Dividends through issuance of treasury shares
Total dividends to shareholders
2015
$ 656
26
$ 682
2014
$ 654
26
$ 680
2013
$ 635
25
$ 660
In February 2016, the board of directors declared the first quarter 2016 cash dividend of $.41 per share. The dividend is payable on March 1,
2016 , to shareholders of record at the close of business on February 16, 2016 .
78
Regulatory Restrictions
Aflac is domiciled in Nebraska and is subject to its regulations. The Nebraska Department of Insurance imposes certain limitations and
restrictions on payments of dividends, management fees, loans and advances by Aflac to the Parent Company. Under Nebraska insurance law,
prior approval of the Nebraska Department of Insurance is required for dividend distributions that exceed the greater of the net income from
operations, which excludes net realized investment gains, for the previous year determined under statutory accounting principles, or 10% of
statutory capital and surplus as of the previous year-end. In addition, the Nebraska insurance department must approve service arrangements and
other transactions within the affiliated group of companies. These regulatory limitations are not expected to affect the level of management fees or
dividends paid by Aflac to the Parent Company. A life insurance company’s statutory capital and surplus is determined according to rules prescribed
by the NAIC, as modified by the insurance department in the insurance company’s state of domicile. Statutory accounting rules are different from
U.S. GAAP and are intended to emphasize policyholder protection and company solvency. Similar laws apply in New York and South Carolina, the
domiciliary jurisdictions of the Parent Company's other insurance subsidiaries, Aflac New York and CAIC.
The continued long-term growth of our business may require increases in the statutory capital and surplus of our insurance operations. Aflac’s
insurance operations may secure additional statutory capital through various sources, such as internally generated statutory earnings, equity
contributions by the Parent Company from funds generated through debt or equity offerings, or reinsurance transactions. The NAIC’s risk-based
capital (RBC) formula is used by insurance regulators to help identify inadequately capitalized insurance companies. The RBC formula quantifies
insurance risk, business risk, asset risk and interest rate risk by weighing the types and mixtures of risks inherent in the insurer’s operations. Aflac's
company action level RBC ratio was 933% as of December 31, 2015 , compared with 945% at December 31, 2014. Aflac's RBC ratio remains high
and reflects a strong capital and surplus position. As of December 31, 2015 , Aflac's total adjusted capital of $11.7 billion exceeded the company
action level required capital and surplus of $1.3 billion by $10.4 billion . The maximum amount of dividends that can be paid to the Parent Company
by Aflac without prior approval of Nebraska's director of insurance is the greater of the net income from operations, which excludes net realized
investment gains, for the previous year determined under statutory accounting principles, or 10% of statutory capital and surplus as of the previous
year-end. Dividends declared by Aflac during 2016 in excess of $2.3 billion would require such approval. See Note 13 of the Notes to the
Consolidated Financial Statements for information regarding the impact of permitted practices by the Nebraska Department of Insurance on our
statutory capital and surplus. The NAIC considers its Solvency Modernization Initiative (SMI) process relating to updating the U.S. insurance
solvency regulation framework to be ongoing. The SMI has focused on key issues such as capital requirements, governance and risk management,
group supervision, reinsurance, statutory accounting and financial reporting matters. Many of these key issues have been finalized and/or are near
completion; however, the NAIC still has some ongoing initiatives related to SMI, such as monitoring the international efforts on group capital
requirements and group supervision as well as risk-based capital.
In addition to limitations and restrictions imposed by U.S. insurance regulators, Japan’s FSA may not allow profit repatriations from Aflac Japan if
the transfers would cause Aflac Japan to lack sufficient financial strength for the protection of policyholders. The FSA maintains its own solvency
standard which is quantified through the solvency margin ratio (SMR). Aflac Japan's SMR is sensitive to interest rate, credit spread and foreign
exchange rate changes, therefore we continue to evaluate alternatives for reducing this sensitivity. In the event of a rapid change in market factors
(such as interest rates), we have a senior unsecured revolving credit facility in the amount of 55 billion yen and a committed reinsurance facility in
the amount of approximately 110 billion yen as capital contingency plans (see Notes 8 and 9 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
for additional information). We have already undertaken measures to mitigate the sensitivity of Aflac Japan's SMR. For example, we employ policy
reserve matching (PRM), which is a Japan-specific accounting treatment that reduces SMR interest rate sensitivity since PRM-designated
investments are carried at amortized cost consistent with corresponding liabilities. For U.S. GAAP, PRM investments are categorized as available
for sale. In the first quarter of 2015, Aflac Japan entered into a quota share arrangement to cede a portion of hospital benefits of one of our closed
products. Under this coinsurance indemnity type of reinsurance, Aflac Japan released approximately 130 billion yen of FSA reserves. (See Notes 3,
4 and 8 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information on our investment strategies, hedging activities, and
reinsurance, respectively.) As of December 31, 2015 , Aflac Japan's SMR was 828% , compared with 857% at December 31, 2014 .
Aflac is subject to the NAIC’s Own Risk and Solvency Assessment (ORSA), effective January 1, 2015. Through the ORSA requirements, Aflac
is expected to regularly, no less than annually, conduct an ORSA to assess the adequacy of its risk management framework, and its current and
estimated projected future solvency position; internally document the process and results of the assessment; and provide a confidential high-level
ORSA Summary Report annually to the lead state commissioner if the insurer is a member of an insurance group. Aflac filed its ORSA report on
November 20, 2015 with the Nebraska Department of Insurance.
79
Payments are made from Aflac Japan to the Parent Company for management fees and to Aflac U.S. for allocated expenses and remittances of
earnings. The following table details Aflac Japan remittances for the years ended December 31.
Aflac Japan Remittances
(In millions of dollars and billions of yen)
Aflac Japan management fees paid to Parent Company
Expenses allocated to Aflac Japan (in dollars)
Aflac Japan profit remittances to Aflac U.S. (in dollars)
Aflac Japan profit remittances to Aflac U.S. (in yen)
2015
$
53
101
2,139
259.0
$
2014
39
71
1,704
181.4
$
2013
37
74
771
76.8
In the fourth quarter of 2014, we began to increase the frequency of capital transfers from Japan to the United States to better manage cash
flow. This capital repatriation is reflected in Aflac Japan's SMR as of December 31, 2015 and 2014.
We entered into foreign exchange forwards and options as part of an economic hedge on foreign exchange risk on 242.5 billion yen of profit
repatriation received in 2015, resulting in $71 million of additional funds received when the yen were exchanged into dollars.
For additional information on regulatory restrictions on dividends, profit repatriations and other transfers, see Note 13 of the Notes to the
Consolidated Financial Statements.
Other
For information regarding commitments and contingent liabilities, see Note 15 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
The information required by Item 7A is incorporated by reference from the Market Risks of Financial Instruments section of MD&A in Part II,
Item 7, of this report.
ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
Management's Annual Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
Management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, as such term is defined in
Exchange Act Rule 13a-15(f) promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Under the supervision and with the participation of our
management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, we conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our internal
control over financial reporting based on the framework in Internal Control - Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring
Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO) in 2013. Based on our evaluation under this framework, management has concluded that our
internal control over financial reporting was effective as of December 31, 2015 .
KPMG LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, has issued an attestation report on the effectiveness of internal control over
financial reporting as of December 31, 2015 , which is included herein.
80
The Board of Directors and Shareholders
Aflac Incorporated:
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
We have audited Aflac Incorporated's (the Company) internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2015 , based on criteria
established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission
(COSO). Aflac Incorporated's management is responsible for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and for its assessment of
the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, included in the accompanying Management's Annual Report on Internal Control over
Financial Reporting. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company's internal control over financial reporting based on our audit.
We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards
require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether effective internal control over financial reporting was
maintained in all material respects. Our audit included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that
a material weakness exists, and testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk. Our
audit also included performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audit provides a
reasonable basis for our opinion.
A company's internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial
reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A
company's internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in
reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that
transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles,
and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the
company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the
company's assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any
evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that
the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
In our opinion, Aflac Incorporated maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2015
, based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the
Treadway Commission (COSO).
We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), the consolidated
balance sheets of Aflac Incorporated and subsidiaries as of December 31, 2015 and 2014 , and the related consolidated statements of earnings,
comprehensive income (loss), shareholders' equity, and cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2015 , and
our report dated February 25, 2016 expressed an unqualified opinion on those consolidated financial statements.
/s/ KPMG LLP
Atlanta, Georgia
February 25, 2016
81
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
The Board of Directors and Shareholders
Aflac Incorporated:
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Aflac Incorporated and subsidiaries (the Company) as of December 31,
2015 and 2014 , and the related consolidated statements of earnings, comprehensive income (loss), shareholders' equity, and cash flows for each
of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2015 . These consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of the Company's
management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these consolidated financial statements based on our audits.
We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those
standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material
misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. An audit
also includes assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial
statement presentation. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Aflac
Incorporated and subsidiaries as of December 31, 2015 and 2014 , and the results of their operations and their cash flows for each of the years in
the three-year period ended December 31, 2015 , in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.
We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), Aflac
Incorporated's internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2015 , based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated
Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO), and our report dated February 25,
2016 , expressed an unqualified opinion on the effectiveness of the Company's internal control over financial reporting.
/s/ KPMG LLP
Atlanta, Georgia
February 25, 2016
82
Aflac Incorporated and Subsidiaries
Consolidated Statements of Earnings
Years Ended December 31,
(In millions, except for share and per-share amounts)
2015
2014
2013
Revenues:
Net premiums, principally supplemental health insurance
$
17,570
$
19,072
$
20,135
Net investment income
Realized investment gains (losses):
Other-than-temporary impairment losses realized
Sales and redemptions
Derivative and other gains (losses)
Total realized investment gains (losses)
Other income (loss)
Total revenues
Benefits and expenses:
Benefits and claims, net
Acquisition and operating expenses:
Amortization of deferred policy acquisition costs
Insurance commissions
Insurance expenses
Interest expense
Other expenses
Total acquisition and operating expenses
Total benefits and expenses
Earnings before income taxes
Income tax expense:
Current
Deferred
Income taxes
Net earnings
Net earnings per share:
Basic
Diluted
Weighted-average outstanding common shares used in
computing earnings per share (In thousands):
Basic
Diluted
3,135
3,319
3,293
(153)
303
(10)
140
27
(31)
215
31
215
122
(199)
262
336
399
112
20,872
22,728
23,939
11,746
12,937
13,813
1,066
1,303
2,214
289
392 (1)
5,264
17,010
3,862
1,288
41
1,329
2,533
5.88
5.85
$
$
1,108
1,436
2,261
317
178
5,300
18,237
4,491
1,079
461
1,540
2,951
6.54
6.50
$
$
1,074
1,528
2,222
293
193
5,310
19,123
4,816
1,236
422
1,658
3,158
6.80
6.76
$
$
430,654
433,172
451,204
454,000
464,502
467,408
(1) Includes expense of $230 for the make-whole payment associated with the early extinguishment of debt
See the accompanying Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
83
Aflac Incorporated and Subsidiaries
Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss)
Years Ended December 31,
(In millions)
Net earnings
Other comprehensive income (loss) before income taxes:
Unrealized foreign currency translation gains (losses) during
period
Unrealized gains (losses) on investment securities:
Unrealized holding gains (losses) on investment securities during
period
Reclassification adjustment for realized (gains) losses on
investment securities included in net earnings
Unrealized gains (losses) on derivatives during period
Pension liability adjustment during period
2015
2014
2013
$
2,533
$
2,951
$
3,158
360
(1,455)
(1,588)
(2,534)
5,947
(2,362)
(61)
0
(20)
(54)
(17)
(76)
(56)
(10)
157
Total other comprehensive income (loss) before income taxes
(2,255)
4,345
(3,859)
Income tax expense (benefit) related to items of other comprehensive
income (loss)
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of income taxes
(901)
(1,354)
1,803
2,542
(581)
(3,278)
Total comprehensive income (loss)
$
1,179
$
5,493
$
(120)
See the accompanying Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
84
Aflac Incorporated and Subsidiaries
Consolidated Balance Sheets
December 31,
2015
2014
(In millions)
Assets:
Investments and cash:
Securities available for sale, at fair value:
Fixed maturities (amortized cost $56,903 in 2015 and $55,365 in 2014)
$
60,795
$
61,407
Fixed maturities - consolidated variable interest entities (amortized
cost $3,739 in 2015 and $3,020 in 2014)
Perpetual securities (amortized cost $1,586 in 2015 and $2,035 in 2014)
Perpetual securities - consolidated variable interest entities
(amortized cost $255 in 2015 and $405 in 2014)
Equity securities (cost $117 in 2015 and $19 in 2014)
Equity securities - consolidated variable interest entities
(cost $363 in 2015 and $0 in 2014)
Securities held to maturity, at amortized cost:
Fixed maturities (fair value $37,520 in 2015 and $38,413 in 2014)
Fixed maturities - consolidated variable interest entities (fair value
$0 in 2015 and $84 in 2014)
Other investments
Cash and cash equivalents
Total investments and cash
Receivables
Accrued investment income
Deferred policy acquisition costs
Property and equipment, at cost less accumulated depreciation
Other (1)
Total assets
(1) Includes $102 in 2015 and $106 in 2014 of derivatives from consolidated variable interest entities
See the accompanying Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
4,554
1,719
228
135
363
4,166
2,240
429
28
0
33,459
34,159
0
294
4,350
83
171
4,658
105,897
107,341
705
768
8,511
427
1,988
842
762
8,273
429
2,120
$
118,296
$
119,767
85
(continued)
Aflac Incorporated and Subsidiaries
Consolidated Balance Sheets (continued)
December 31,
(In millions, except for share and per-share amounts)
Liabilities and shareholders’ equity:
Liabilities:
Policy liabilities:
Future policy benefits
Unpaid policy claims
Unearned premiums
Other policyholders’ funds
Total policy liabilities
Income taxes
Payables for return of cash collateral on loaned securities
Notes payable
Other (2)
Total liabilities
Commitments and contingent liabilities (Note 15)
Shareholders’ equity:
Common stock of $.10 par value. In thousands: authorized 1,900,000
shares in 2015 and 2014; issued 669,723 shares in 2015 and 668,132
shares in 2014
Additional paid-in capital
Retained earnings
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss):
Unrealized foreign currency translation gains (losses)
Unrealized gains (losses) on investment securities
Unrealized gains (losses) on derivatives
Pension liability adjustment
Treasury stock, at average cost
Total shareholders’ equity
2015
2014
$
69,687
$
65,646
3,802
7,857
6,285
3,630
8,626
6,031
87,631
83,933
4,340
941
5,011
2,665
5,293
2,193
5,282
4,719
100,588
101,420
67
1,828
24,007
(2,196)
2,986
(26)
(139)
(8,819)
17,708
67
1,711
22,156
(2,541)
4,672
(26)
(126)
(7,566)
18,347
Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity
$
118,296
$
119,767
(2) Includes $293 in 2015 and $ 318 in 2014 of derivatives from consolidated variable interest entities
See the accompanying Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
86
Aflac Incorporated and Subsidiaries
Consolidated Statements of Shareholders’ Equity
Years Ended December 31,
(In millions, except for per-share amounts)
2015
2014
2013
Common stock:
Balance, beginning of period
Balance, end of period
Additional paid-in capital:
Balance, beginning of period
Exercise of stock options
Share-based compensation
Gain (loss) on treasury stock reissued
Balance, end of period
Retained earnings:
Balance, beginning of period
Net earnings
Dividends to shareholders ($1.58 per share in 2015, $1.50 per share in 2014 and
$1.42 per share in 2013)
Balance, end of period
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss):
Balance, beginning of period
Unrealized foreign currency translation gains (losses) during
period, net of income taxes
Unrealized gains (losses) on investment securities during period,
net of income taxes and reclassification adjustments
Unrealized gains (losses) on derivatives during period, net of
income taxes
Pension liability adjustment during period, net of income taxes
Balance, end of period
Treasury stock:
Balance, beginning of period
Purchases of treasury stock
Cost of shares issued
Balance, end of period
Total shareholders’ equity
See the accompanying Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
87
$
67 $
67
67 $
67
67
67
1,711
1,644
1,505
43
36
38
29
(3)
41
50
32
57
1,828
1,711
1,644
22,156
2,533
19,885
2,951
17,387
3,158
(682)
(680)
(660)
24,007
22,156
19,885
1,979
(563)
2,715
345
(1,036)
(1,838)
(1,686)
3,637
(1,535)
0
(13)
625
(7,566)
(1,315)
62
(14)
(45)
1,979
(6,413)
(1,210)
57
(7)
102
(563)
(5,696)
(813)
96
(8,819)
(7,566)
(6,413)
$
17,708 $
18,347 $
14,620
Aflac Incorporated and Subsidiaries
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
Years Ended December 31,
(In millions)
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net earnings
Adjustments to reconcile net earnings to net cash provided by operating activities:
Change in receivables and advance premiums
Increase in deferred policy acquisition costs
Increase in policy liabilities
Change in income tax liabilities
Realized investment (gains) losses
Other, net
Net cash provided (used) by operating activities
Cash flows from investing activities:
Proceeds from investments sold or matured:
Securities available for sale:
Fixed maturities sold
Fixed maturities matured or called
Perpetual securities sold
Perpetual securities matured or called
Equity securities sold
Securities held to maturity:
Fixed maturities matured or called
Costs of investments acquired:
Available-for-sale fixed maturities acquired
Available-for-sale equity securities acquired
Held-to-maturity fixed maturities acquired
Other investments, net
Purchase of subsidiary
Settlement of derivatives, net
Cash received (pledged or returned) as collateral, net
Other, net
Net cash provided (used) by investing activities
Cash flows from financing activities:
Purchases of treasury stock
Proceeds from borrowings
Principal payments under debt obligations
Dividends paid to shareholders
Change in investment-type contracts, net
Treasury stock reissued
Other, net
Net cash provided (used) by financing activities
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents
Net change in cash and cash equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period
Cash and cash equivalents, end of period
Supplemental disclosures of cash flow information:
Income taxes paid
Interest paid
Noncash interest
Impairment losses included in realized investment losses
Noncash financing activities:
Capital lease obligations
2015
2014
2013
$
2,533
$
2,951
$
3,158
147
(241)
3,524
(36)
(140)
(1)
989
6,776
3,224
1,132
0
647
1
(7)
(225)
3,614
123
(215)
309
6,550
4,178
1,001
0
203
0
(8)
(404)
6,806
993
(399)
401
10,547
9,631
2,907
264
256
0
766
8,475
6,515
(6,507)
(454)
0
(70)
(40)
(2,119)
(1,391)
(86)
(4,897)
(1,315)
998
(1,272)
(656)
256
36
(1)
(234)
(2,187)
0
(308)
4,658
4,350
996
236
53
153
6
$
$
(10,978)
(5)
(3,564)
272
0
(636)
(3,217)
30
(4,241)
(1,210)
750
(335)
(654)
1,253
33
16
(147)
(47)
2,115
2,543
4,658
1,416
241
76
31
9
$
$
(22,967)
0
(6,756)
(319)
0
(1,624)
1,037
(35)
(11,091)
(813)
700
0
(635)
1,790
88
6
1,136
(90)
502
2,041
2,543
754
210
82
199
0
$
$
Treasury stock issued for:
Associate stock bonus
Shareholder dividend reinvestment
Share-based compensation grants
35
26
3
35
26
4
36
25
4
(1) Operating activities excludes and financing activities includes a cash outflow of $230 for the make-whole payment associated with the early extinguishment of debt
See the accompanying Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
88
Aflac Incorporated and Subsidiaries
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
1. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Description of Business
Aflac Incorporated (the Parent Company) and its subsidiaries (collectively, the Company) primarily sell supplemental health and life insurance in
the United States and Japan. The Company's insurance business is marketed and administered through American Family Life Assurance Company
of Columbus (Aflac), which operates in the United States (Aflac U.S.) and as a branch in Japan (Aflac Japan). American Family Life Assurance
Company of New York (Aflac New York) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Aflac. Most of Aflac's policies are individually underwritten and marketed
through independent agents. Additionally, Aflac U.S. markets and administers group products through Continental American Insurance Company
(CAIC), branded as Aflac Group Insurance. Our insurance operations in the United States and our branch in Japan service the two markets for our
insurance business. Aflac Japan's revenues, including realized gains and losses on its investment portfolio, accounted for 70% of the Company's
total revenues in 2015 , compared with 72% in 2014 and 74% in 2013 . The percentage of the Company's total assets attributable to Aflac Japan
was 83% at December 31, 2015 , compared with 82% at December 31, 2014 .
Basis of Presentation
We prepare our financial statements in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). These principles are established
primarily by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB). In these Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements, references to U.S. GAAP
issued by the FASB are derived from the FASB Accounting Standards Codification TM (ASC). The preparation of financial statements in conformity
with U.S. GAAP requires us to make estimates when recording transactions resulting from business operations based on currently available
information. The most significant items on our balance sheet that involve a greater degree of accounting estimates and actuarial determinations
subject to changes in the future are the valuation of investments, deferred policy acquisition costs, liabilities for future policy benefits and unpaid
policy claims, and income taxes. These accounting estimates and actuarial determinations are sensitive to market conditions, investment yields,
mortality, morbidity, commission and other acquisition expenses, and terminations by policyholders. As additional information becomes available, or
actual amounts are determinable, the recorded estimates will be revised and reflected in operating results. Although some variability is inherent in
these estimates, we believe the amounts provided are adequate.
The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Parent Company, its subsidiaries and those entities required to be
consolidated under applicable accounting standards. All material intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated.
Significant Accounting Policies
Translation of Foreign Currencies: The functional currency of Aflac Japan's insurance operations is the Japanese yen. We translate our yen-
denominated financial statement accounts into U.S. dollars as follows. Assets and liabilities are translated at end-of-period exchange rates. Realized
gains and losses on security transactions are translated at the exchange rate on the trade date of each transaction. Other revenues, expenses and
cash flows are translated using average exchange rates for the period. The resulting currency translation adjustments are reported in accumulated
other comprehensive income. We include in earnings the realized currency exchange gains and losses resulting from foreign currency transactions.
Prior to October 1, 2013, Aflac Japan maintained an investment portfolio of U.S. dollar-denominated securities on behalf of Aflac U.S., which
served as an economic currency hedge of a portion of our investment in Aflac Japan. The functional currency for these investments was the U.S.
dollar. The related investment income and realized/unrealized investment gains and losses were denominated in U.S. dollars. Since the functional
currency of this portfolio was the U.S. dollar, there was no translation adjustment to record in other comprehensive income for these investments
when the yen/dollar exchange rate changed. The foreign exchange gains and losses related to this portfolio continue to be taxable in Japan and the
U.S. when the securities matured or were sold. Until maturity or sale, deferred tax expense or benefit associated with the foreign exchange gains or
losses is recognized in income tax expense on other comprehensive income. As of October 1, 2013, these investments were transferred into the
Aflac Japan investment portfolio. These investments began to have remeasurement and translation effects recorded in other comprehensive income
in the fourth quarter of 2013.
89
We have designated a majority of the Parent Company's yen-denominated liabilities (Samurai and Uridashi notes and yen-denominated loans)
as non-derivative hedges and designated foreign currency forwards and options as derivative hedges of the foreign currency exposure of our
investment in Aflac Japan. Outstanding principal and related accrued interest on these Parent Company liabilities and the fair value of these
derivatives are translated into U.S. dollars at end-of-period exchange rates. Currency translation adjustments and changes in the fair value of these
derivatives are recorded as unrealized foreign currency translation gains (losses) in other comprehensive income and are included in accumulated
other comprehensive income.
Insurance Revenue and Expense Recognition: The supplemental health and life insurance policies we issue are classified as long-duration
contracts. The contract provisions generally cannot be changed or canceled during the contract period; however, we may adjust premiums for
supplemental health policies issued in the United States within prescribed guidelines and with the approval of state insurance regulatory authorities.
Insurance premiums for most of the Company's health and life policies are recognized ratably as earned income over the premium payment
periods of the policies. When revenues are reported, the related amounts of benefits and expenses are charged against such revenues, so that
profits are recognized in proportion to premium revenues during the period the policies are expected to remain in force. This association is
accomplished by means of annual additions to the liability for future policy benefits and the deferral and subsequent amortization of policy
acquisition costs.
Premiums from the Company's products with limited-pay features are collected over a significantly shorter period than the period over which
benefits are provided. Premiums for these products are recognized ratably over the scheduled premium payment period. At the policyholder's
option, customers can also pay discounted advanced premiums for certain of these products. Advanced premiums are deferred and recognized
ratably over the regularly scheduled premium payment period. For the Company's limited-pay products, any gross premium in excess of the net
premium is deferred during the scheduled premium payment period and recognized into benefits in a constant relationship with insurance in force.
Benefits are recorded as an expense when they are incurred. A liability for future policy benefits is recorded when premiums are recognized using
the net premium method.
The calculation of deferred policy acquisition costs (DAC) and the liability for future policy benefits requires the use of estimates based on sound
actuarial valuation techniques. For new policy issues, we review our actuarial assumptions and deferrable acquisition costs each year and revise
them when necessary to more closely reflect recent experience and studies of actual acquisition costs. For policies in force, we evaluate DAC by
major product groupings to determine that they are recoverable from future revenues, and any amounts determined not to be recoverable are
charged against net earnings. We have not had any material charges to earnings for DAC that was determined not to be recoverable in any of the
years presented in this Form 10-K.
Advertising expense is reported as incurred in insurance expenses in the consolidated statements of earnings.
Cash and Cash Equivalents: Cash and cash equivalents include cash on hand, money market instruments and other debt instruments with a
maturity of 90 days or less when purchased.
Investments: Our debt securities consist of fixed-maturity securities, which are classified as either held to maturity or available for sale.
Securities classified as held to maturity are securities that we have the ability and intent to hold to maturity or redemption and are carried at
amortized cost. All other fixed-maturity debt securities, our perpetual securities and our equity securities are classified as available for sale and are
carried at fair value. If the fair value is higher than the amortized cost for debt and perpetual securities, or the purchase cost for equity securities, the
excess is an unrealized gain, and if lower than cost, the difference is an unrealized loss. The net unrealized gains and losses on securities available
for sale, plus the unamortized unrealized gains and losses on debt securities transferred to the held-to-maturity portfolio, less related deferred
income taxes, are recorded through other comprehensive income and included in accumulated other comprehensive income.
Amortized cost of debt and perpetual securities is based on our purchase price adjusted for accrual of discount, or amortization of premium, and
recognition of impairment charges, if any. The amortized cost of debt and perpetual securities we purchase at a discount or premium will equal the
face or par value at maturity or the call date, if applicable. Interest is reported as income when earned and is adjusted for amortization of any
premium or discount.
We have investments in variable interest entities (VIEs). Criteria for evaluating VIEs for consolidation focuses on identifying which enterprise
has the power to direct the activities of a variable interest entity that most significantly impact the entity's economic performance and (1) the
obligation to absorb losses of the entity or (2) the right to receive benefits from the entity. We are the primary beneficiary of certain VIEs. While the
VIEs generally operate within a defined set of
90
documents, there are certain powers that are retained by us that are considered significant in our conclusion that we are the primary beneficiary.
These powers vary by structure but generally include the initial selection of the underlying collateral or, for collateralized debt obligations (CDOs),
the reference credits to include in the structure; the ability to obtain the underlying collateral in the event of default; and the ability to appoint or
dismiss key parties in the structure. In particular, our powers surrounding the underlying collateral were the most significant powers since those most
significantly impact the economics of the VIE. We have no obligation to provide any continuing financial support to any of the entities in which we are
the primary beneficiary. Our maximum loss is limited to our original investment. Neither we nor any of our creditors have the ability to obtain the
underlying collateral, nor do we have control over the instruments in the VIEs, unless there is an event of default. For those entities where we are
the primary beneficiary, the assets consolidated are fixed-maturity securities, perpetual securities, equity securities, and derivative instruments;
collateral is reported separately under the captions fixed maturities- and perpetual securities- consolidated variable interest entities on our balance
sheet.
For the mortgage- and asset-backed securities held in our fixed maturities portfolio, we recognize income using a constant effective yield, which
is based on anticipated prepayments and the estimated economic life of the securities. When estimates of prepayments change, the effective yield
is recalculated to reflect actual payments to date and anticipated future payments. The net investment in mortgage- and asset-backed securities is
adjusted to the amount that would have existed had the new effective yield been applied at the time of acquisition. This adjustment is reflected in net
investment income.
We use the specific identification method to determine the gain or loss from securities transactions and report the realized gain or loss in the
consolidated statements of earnings. Securities transactions are accounted for based on values as of the trade date of the transaction.
An investment in a fixed maturity, perpetual security or equity security is impaired if the fair value falls below book value. We regularly review our
entire investment portfolio for declines in value. Our fixed maturities and investment-grade perpetual securities investments are evaluated for other-
than-temporary impairment using our debt impairment model. Our debt impairment model focuses on the ultimate collection of the cash flows from
our investments. The determination of the amount of impairments under this model is based upon our periodic evaluation and assessment of known
and inherent risks associated with the respective securities. Such evaluations and assessments are revised as conditions change and new
information becomes available.
The determination of whether an impairment in value of our debt securities is other than temporary is based largely on our evaluation of the
issuer ' s creditworthiness. We must apply considerable judgment in determining the likelihood of the security recovering in value while we own it.
Factors that may influence this include the overall level of interest rates, credit spreads, the credit quality of the underlying issuer, and other factors.
This process requires consideration of risks which can be controlled to a certain extent, such as credit risk, and risks which cannot be controlled,
such as interest rate risk.
If, after monitoring and analyses, management believes that fair value will not recover to amortized cost prior to the disposal of the security, we
recognize an other-than-temporary impairment of the security. Once a security is considered to be other-than-temporarily impaired, the impairment
loss is separated into two separate components: the portion of the impairment related to credit and the portion of the impairment related to factors
other than credit. We recognize a charge to earnings for the credit-related portion of other-than-temporary impairments. Impairments related to
factors other than credit are charged to earnings in the event we intend to sell the security prior to the recovery of its amortized cost or if it is more
likely than not that we would be required to dispose of the security prior to recovery of its amortized cost; otherwise, non-credit-related other-than-
temporary impairments are charged to other comprehensive income.
Our investments in perpetual securities that are rated below investment grade and equity securities are evaluated for other-than-temporary
impairment under our equity impairment model. Our equity impairment model focuses on the severity of a security's decline in fair value coupled with
the length of time the fair value of the security has been below amortized cost and the financial condition and near-term prospects of the issuer. For
equity securities that have declines in value that are deemed to be temporary, we make an assertion as to our ability and intent to retain the security
until recovery. Once identified, these equity securities are restricted from trading unless authorized based upon events that could not have been
foreseen at the time we asserted our ability and intent to retain the security until recovery.
If management believes that the equity security will not recover prior to the disposal of the security, we recognize an other-than-temporary
impairment of the security. Once an equity security is considered to be other-than-temporarily impaired, its fair value on that date becomes the new
cost basis and the impairment loss is recognized in earnings.
91
We lend fixed-maturity securities to financial institutions in short-term security lending transactions. These securities continue to be carried as
investment assets on our balance sheet during the terms of the loans and are not reported as sales. We receive cash or other securities as
collateral for such loans. For loans involving unrestricted cash or securities as collateral, the collateral is reported as an asset with a corresponding
liability for the return of the collateral.
Other investments include policy loans, middle market loans, and other short-term investments with maturities of one year or less, but greater
than 90 days, at the time of purchase and are stated at amortized cost, which approximates estimated fair value. We invest in middle market loans
through participation rights that are accounted for as loan receivables and recorded at amortized cost on the acquisition date. Since we have the
intent and ability to hold these loan receivables for the foreseeable future or until they mature, they are considered held for investment and are
carried at adjusted amortized cost in the other investments line on our consolidated balance sheets. The adjusted amortized cost of the loan
receivables reflects allowances for expected incurred losses estimated based on past events and current economic conditions as of each reporting
date.
Derivatives and Hedging: Freestanding derivative instruments are reported in the consolidated balance sheet at fair value and are reported in
other assets and other liabilities, with changes in value reported in earnings and/or other comprehensive income. These freestanding derivatives are
interest rate swaps, foreign currency swaps, credit default swaps (CDSs), foreign currency forwards, foreign currency options, and options on
interest rate swaps (or interest rate swaptions). Interest rate and foreign currency swaps are used within VIEs to hedge the risk arising from interest
rate and currency exchange risk, while the CDSs are used to increase the yield and improve the diversification of the portfolio. Foreign currency
forwards and options are used in hedging foreign exchange risk on U.S. dollar-denominated securities in Aflac Japan's portfolio. Foreign currency
forwards and options are used to hedge certain portions of forecasted cash flows denominated in yen. Interest rate swaps are used to hedge the
variability of interest cash flows associated with our variable interest rate notes. Cross-currency interest rate swaps, also referred to as foreign
currency swaps, are used to economically convert certain U.S. dollar-denominated note obligations into yen-denominated principal and interest
obligations. Interest rate swaptions have been used to hedge interest rate risk for certain U.S. dollar-denominated available-for-sale securities. We
do not use derivatives for trading purposes, nor do we engage in leveraged derivative transactions.
From time to time, we purchase certain investments that contain an embedded derivative. We assess whether this embedded derivative is
clearly and closely related to the asset that serves as its host contract. If we deem that the embedded derivative's terms are not clearly and closely
related to the host contract, and a separate instrument with the same terms would qualify as a derivative instrument, the derivative is separated from
that contract, held at fair value and reported with the host instrument in the consolidated balance sheet, with changes in fair value reported in
earnings. If we have elected the fair value option, the embedded derivative is not bifurcated, and the entire investment is held at fair value with
changes in fair value reported in earnings.
For those relationships where we seek hedge accounting, we formally document all relationships between hedging instruments and hedged
items, as well as our risk-management objectives and strategies for undertaking various hedge transactions. This process includes linking
derivatives and non-derivative financial instruments that are designated as hedges to specific assets or liabilities on the balance sheet. We also
assess, both at inception and on an ongoing basis, whether the derivatives and non-derivative financial instruments used in hedging activities are
highly effective in offsetting changes in fair values or cash flows of the hedged items. The assessment of hedge effectiveness determines the
accounting treatment of noncash changes in fair value.
Changes in the fair value of any of our derivatives that are designated and qualify as cash flow hedges are recorded in other comprehensive
income as long as they are deemed effective. Any hedge ineffectiveness is recorded immediately in current period earnings within derivative and
other gains (losses). Periodic derivative net coupon settlements are recorded in the line item of the consolidated statements of earnings in which the
cash flows of the hedged item are recorded.
Changes in the estimated fair value of derivative instruments that are designated and qualify as fair value hedges, including amounts measured
as ineffectiveness, and changes in the estimated fair value of the hedged item related to the designated risk being hedged, are reported in current
earnings within derivative and other gains (losses).
We have designated the majority of the Parent Company's yen-denominated liabilities (Samurai and Uridashi notes and yen-denominated loans)
as non-derivative hedges and designated certain derivatives as hedges of the foreign currency exposure to our investment in Aflac Japan. At the
beginning of each quarter, we make our net investment hedge designation. If the total of the designated Parent Company non-derivative and
derivatives notional is equal to or less than our net investment in Aflac Japan, the hedge is deemed to be effective, and the exchange effect on the
yen-denominated
92
liabilities and the change in estimated fair value of the derivatives are reported in the unrealized foreign currency component of other comprehensive
income. Should these designated net investment hedge positions exceed our net investment in Aflac Japan, the foreign exchange effect on the
portion that exceeds our investment in Aflac Japan would be recognized in current earnings within derivative and other gains (losses).
Derivatives that are not designated as hedges are carried at fair value with all changes in fair value recorded in current period earnings within
derivative and other gains (losses). We include the fair value of all freestanding derivatives in either other assets or other liabilities on the balance
sheet.
We receive and pledge cash or other securities as collateral on open derivative positions. Cash received as collateral is reported as an asset
with a corresponding liability for the return of the collateral. Cash pledged as collateral is recorded as a reduction to cash, and a corresponding
receivable is recognized for the return of the cash collateral. We generally can repledge or resell collateral obtained by us, although we do not
typically exercise such rights. Securities received as collateral are not recognized unless we were to exercise our right to sell that collateral or
exercise remedies on that collateral upon a counterparty default. Securities that we have pledged as collateral continue to be carried as investment
assets on our balance sheet.
Deferred Policy Acquisition Costs: Certain direct and incremental costs of acquiring new business are deferred and amortized with interest
over the premium payment periods in proportion to the ratio of annual premium income to total anticipated premium income. Anticipated premium
income is estimated by using the same mortality, persistency and interest assumptions used in computing liabilities for future policy benefits. In this
manner, the related acquisition expenses are matched with revenues. Deferred costs include the excess of current-year commissions over ultimate
renewal-year commissions and certain incremental direct policy issue, underwriting and sales expenses. All of these incremental costs are directly
related to successful policy acquisition.
For some products, policyholders can elect to modify product benefits, features, rights or coverages by exchanging a contract for a new contract
or by amendment, endorsement, or rider to a contract, or by the election of a feature or coverage within a contract. These transactions are known as
internal replacements. For internal replacement transactions where the resulting contract is substantially unchanged, the policy is accounted for as a
continuation of the replaced contract. Unamortized deferred acquisition costs from the original policy continue to be amortized over the expected life
of the new policy, and the costs of replacing the policy are accounted for as policy maintenance costs and expensed as incurred. Internal
replacement transactions that result in a policy that is not substantially unchanged are accounted for as an extinguishment of the original policy and
the issuance of a new policy. Unamortized deferred acquisition costs on the original policy that was replaced are immediately expensed, and the
costs of acquiring the new policy are capitalized and amortized in accordance with our accounting policies for deferred acquisition costs.
We measure the recoverability of DAC and the adequacy of our policy reserves annually by performing gross premium valuations on our
business. Our testing indicates that our DAC is recoverable and our policy liabilities are adequate. (See the following discussion for further
information regarding policy liabilities.)
Policy Liabilities: Future policy benefits represent claims that are expected to occur in the future and are computed by a net level premium
method using estimated future investment yields, persistency and recognized morbidity and mortality tables modified to reflect our experience,
including a provision for adverse deviation. These assumptions are generally established at the time a policy is issued.
Unpaid policy claims are estimates computed on an undiscounted basis using statistical analyses of historical claims experience adjusted for
current trends and changed conditions. The ultimate liability may vary significantly from such estimates. We regularly adjust these estimates as new
claims experience emerges and reflect the changes in operating results in the year such adjustments are made.
Other policy liabilities consist primarily of discounted advance premiums on deposit from policyholders in conjunction with their purchase of
certain Aflac Japan limited-pay insurance products. These advanced premiums are deferred upon collection and recognized as premium revenue
over the contractual premium payment period.
For internal replacements that are determined to not be substantially unchanged, policy liabilities related to the original policy that was replaced
are immediately released, and policy liabilities are established for the new insurance contract.
93
Reinsurance: We enter into reinsurance agreements with other companies in the normal course of business. For each of our reinsurance
agreements, we determine if the agreement provides indemnification against loss or liability relating to insurance risk in accordance with applicable
accounting standards. Reinsurance premiums and benefits paid or provided are accounted for on bases consistent with those used in accounting for
the original policies issued and the terms of the reinsurance contracts. Premiums, benefits and DAC are reported net of insurance ceded. See Note
8 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.
Income Taxes: Income tax provisions are generally based on pretax earnings reported for financial statement purposes, which differ from those
amounts used in preparing our income tax returns. Deferred income taxes are recognized for temporary differences between the financial reporting
basis and income tax basis of assets and liabilities, based on enacted tax laws and statutory tax rates applicable to the periods in which we expect
the temporary differences to reverse. We record deferred tax assets for tax positions taken based on our assessment of whether the tax position is
more likely than not to be sustained upon examination by taxing authorities. A valuation allowance is established for deferred tax assets when it is
more likely than not that an amount will not be realized.
As discussed in the Translation of Foreign Currencies section above, Aflac Japan maintains certain dollar-denominated investments that, prior
to October 1, 2013, did not have any foreign currency translation adjustments recognized in other comprehensive income. However, the deferred tax
expense or benefit associated with foreign exchange gains or losses on these investments is recognized in other comprehensive income (loss) until
the securities mature or are sold. Total income tax expense (benefit) related to items of other comprehensive income (loss) included a deferred tax
expense of $614 million in 2013 for these U.S. dollar-denominated investments. Excluding these amounts from total taxes on other comprehensive
income would result in an effective income tax rate on pretax other comprehensive income (loss) of 31% in 2013.
Policyholder Protection Corporation and State Guaranty Association Assessments: In Japan, the government has required the insurance
industry to contribute to a policyholder protection corporation. We recognize a charge for our estimated share of the industry's obligation once it is
determinable. We review the estimated liability for policyholder protection corporation contributions on an annual basis and report any adjustments
in Aflac Japan's expenses.
In the United States, each state has a guaranty association that supports insolvent insurers operating in those states. To date, our state
guaranty association assessments have not been material.
Treasury Stock: Treasury stock is reflected as a reduction of shareholders' equity at cost. We use the weighted-average purchase cost to
determine the cost of treasury stock that is reissued. We include any gains and losses in additional paid-in capital when treasury stock is reissued.
Share-Based Compensation: We measure compensation cost related to our share-based payment transactions at fair value on the grant date,
and we recognize those costs in the financial statements over the vesting period during which the employee provides service in exchange for the
award.
Earnings Per Share: We compute basic earnings per share (EPS) by dividing net earnings by the weighted-average number of unrestricted
shares outstanding for the period. Diluted EPS is computed by dividing net earnings by the weighted-average number of shares outstanding for the
period plus the shares representing the dilutive effect of share-based awards.
Reclassifications: Certain reclassifications have been made to prior-year amounts to conform to current-year reporting classifications. These
reclassifications had no impact on net earnings or total shareholders' equity.
New Accounting Pronouncements
Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements
Income Statement - Extraordinary and Unusual Items - Simplifying income statement presentation by eliminating the concept of
extraordinary items: In January 2015, the FASB issued updated guidance that eliminates from U.S. GAAP the concept of extraordinary items.
Presentation and disclosure guidance for items that are unusual in nature or occur infrequently will be retained. The amendments in this updated
guidance are effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2015. Early adoption is permitted
provided that the guidance is applied from the beginning of the fiscal year of adoption. We adopted this guidance as of January 1, 2015. The
adoption of this guidance did not have a significant impact on our financial position, results of operations, or disclosures.
94
Receivables - Troubled debt restructurings by creditors - classification of certain government-guaranteed mortgage loans upon
foreclosure: In August 2014, the FASB issued updated guidance for troubled debt restructurings affecting creditors that hold government
guaranteed mortgage loans. The guidance requires that a mortgage loan be derecognized and a separate other receivable be recognized upon
foreclosure if certain conditions are met. We adopted the guidance as of January 1, 2015. The adoption of this guidance did not have a significant
impact on our financial position or results of operations.
Transfers and Servicing, Repurchase-to-Maturity Transactions, Repurchase Financings, and Disclosures: In June 2014, the FASB
issued updated guidance for repurchase agreement and security lending transactions to change the accounting for repurchase-to-maturity
transactions and linked repurchase financings to be accounted for as secured borrowings, consistent with the accounting for other repurchase
agreements. The amendments also require new disclosures to increase transparency about the types of collateral pledged in repurchase
agreements and similar transactions accounted for as secured borrowings. We adopted accounting changes for the new guidance as of January 1,
2015, and adopted the required disclosures as of April 1, 2015. The adoption of this guidance did not have a significant impact on our financial
position or results of operations.
Receivables - Troubled debt restructurings by creditors - Reclassification of residential real estate collateralized consumer mortgage
loans upon foreclosure: In January 2014, the FASB issued updated guidance for troubled debt restructurings clarifying when an in substance
repossession or foreclosure occurs, and when a creditor is considered to have received physical possession of residential real estate property
collateralizing a consumer mortgage loan. We adopted the guidance as of January 1, 2015. The adoption of this guidance did not have a significant
impact on our financial position or results of operations.
Presentation of an unrecognized tax benefit when a net operating loss carryforward, a similar tax loss, or a tax credit carryforward
exists: In July 2013, the FASB issued guidance to amend the financial statement presentation of an unrecognized tax benefit when a net operating
loss carryforward, a similar tax loss, or a tax credit carryforward exists. The new guidance states that an unrecognized tax benefit, or a portion of an
unrecognized tax benefit, should be presented in the financial statements as a reduction to a deferred tax asset for a net operating loss
carryforward, a similar tax loss, or a tax credit carryforward. However, to the extent a net operating loss carryforward, a similar tax loss, or a tax
credit carryforward is not available at the reporting date, the unrecognized tax benefit should be presented in the financial statements as a liability
and should not be combined with deferred tax assets. We adopted this guidance as of January 1, 2014. The adoption of this guidance did not have
a significant impact on our financial position or results of operations.
Derivatives and hedging: In July 2013, the FASB issued an update which allows entities to use the Federal Funds Effective Swap Rate, also
referred to as the Overnight Index Swap Rate (OIS), as a benchmark interest rate for hedge accounting purposes. This update reflects the evolution
of market hedging practices and is intended to provide more flexibility for hedge accounting purposes. We adopted this guidance in the third quarter
of 2013 on a prospective basis for qualifying new or redesignated hedging relationships entered into on or after the effective date of July 17, 2013.
The adoption of the guidance had no impact on our financial position or results of operations.
Reporting of amounts reclassified out of accumulated other comprehensive income: In February 2013, the FASB issued guidance that
requires reclassification adjustments for items that are reclassified out of accumulated other comprehensive income to net income to be presented in
statements where the components of net income and the components of other comprehensive income are presented or in the footnotes to the
financial statements. Additionally, the amendment requires cross-referencing to other disclosures currently required for other reclassification items.
We adopted this guidance as of January 1, 2013. The adoption of this guidance impacted our financial statement disclosures, but it did not have an
impact on our financial position or results of operations.
Disclosures about offsetting assets and liabilities: In December 2011, the FASB issued guidance to amend the disclosure requirements
about offsetting assets and liabilities. The new guidance clarifies the FASB's intent concerning the application of existing offsetting disclosure
requirements. Entities are required to disclose gross and net information about both instruments and transactions eligible for offset in the statement
of financial position and instruments and transactions when those activities are subject to an agreement similar to a master netting arrangement.
The scope of this guidance was clarified and revised in January 2013 to apply to derivatives, repurchase agreements, reverse repurchase
agreements, securities borrowing and securities lending arrangements. We adopted this guidance as of January 1, 2013. The adoption of this
guidance impacted our financial statement disclosures, but it did not have an impact on our financial position or results of operations.
95
Fees paid to the federal government by health insurers: In July 2011, the FASB issued guidance on the accounting for fees owed by health
insurers as mandated by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act, which
imposes an annual fee on health insurers for each calendar year beginning on or after January 1, 2014. A health insurer's portion of the annual fee
is payable by September 30 of the applicable calendar year once the entity provides health insurance for any U.S. health risk in that year. The
accounting guidance specifies that the liability for the fee should be estimated and recorded in full in the applicable calendar year in which the fee is
payable. We adopted this guidance as of January 1, 2014. The adoption of this guidance did not have a significant impact on our financial position
or results of operations.
Accounting Pronouncements Pending Adoption
Financial Instruments - Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities: In January 2016, the FASB issued
guidance to address certain aspects of recognition, measurement, presentation, and disclosure of financial instruments. The main provisions require
that equity investments be measured at fair value with changes recognized in net income; that changes in instrument-specific credit risk for financial
liabilities that are measured under the fair value option be recognized in other comprehensive income; and that entities would make the assessment
of the ability to realize a deferred tax asset (DTA) related to an available-for-sale (AFS) debt security in combination with the entity's other DTAs.
The amendments are effective for public companies for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within those fiscal
years. Early adoption is not permitted, with the exception of the own credit provision if an entity has elected to measure a liability at fair value. We
are evaluating whether the adoption of this guidance will have a significant impact on our financial position, results of operations or disclosures.
Business Combinations - Simplifying the Accounting for Measurement-Period Adjustments: In September 2015, the FASB issued
guidance requiring that an acquirer recognize adjustments to estimated amounts that are identified during the measurement period in the reporting
period in which the adjustments are determined. In the same period’s financial statements, the acquirer is required to record income effects of the
adjustments as if the accounting had been completed at the acquisition date. The acquirer is also required to present separately on the face of the
income statement or disclose in the notes the portion of the amount recorded in current-period earnings by line item that would have been recorded
in previous reporting periods if the adjustment to the estimated amounts had been recognized as of the acquisition date. The amendment is effective
for public business entities for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2015, and interim periods within annual periods beginning after
December 15, 2015. The adoption of this guidance will not have a significant impact on our financial position or results of operations.
Fair Value Measurement - Disclosures for investments in certain entities that calculate net asset value per share (or its equivalent): In
May 2015, the FASB issued updated guidance that removes the requirement to categorize within the fair value hierarchy all investments for which
fair value is measured using the net asset value per share practical expedient. The amendments also remove the requirement to make certain
disclosures for all investments that are eligible to be measured at fair value using the net asset value per share practical expedient. Rather, those
disclosures are limited to investments for which the entity has elected to measure the fair value using that practical expedient. The amendments are
effective for public business entities for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2015, and interim periods within those fiscal years. The
amendments should be applied retrospectively to all periods presented whereby an investment for which fair value is measured using the net asset
value per share practical expedient be removed from the fair value hierarchy in all periods presented in an entity’s financial statements. Earlier
application is permitted. The adoption of this guidance will not have a significant impact on our financial position, results of operations, or
disclosures.
Financial Services - Insurance - Disclosures about Short-Duration Contracts: In May 2015, the FASB issued updated guidance requiring
enhanced disclosures by all insurance entities that issue short-duration contracts. The amendments require insurance entities to disclose for annual
reporting periods information about the liability for unpaid claims and claim adjustment expenses. The amendments also require insurance entities to
disclose information about significant changes in methodologies and assumptions used to calculate the liability for unpaid claims and claim
adjustment expenses. In addition, the amendments require insurance entities to disclose for annual and interim reporting periods a roll-forward of
the liability for unpaid claims and claim adjustment expenses. For health insurance claims, the amendments require the disclosure of the total of
incurred-but-not-reported liabilities and expected development on reported claims included in the liability for unpaid claims and claim adjustment
expenses. The amendments are effective for public business entities for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2015, and interim periods
within annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016. Early application of the amendments is permitted. The adoption of this guidance will not
have a significant impact on our financial position or results of operations.
96
Interest - Imputation of Interest - Simplifying the presentation of debt issuance costs: In April 2015, the FASB issued updated guidance to
simplify presentation of debt issuance costs. The updated guidance requires that debt issuance costs related to a recognized debt liability be
presented in the balance sheet as a direct deduction from the carrying amount of that debt liability, consistent with debt discounts. The recognition
and measurement guidance for debt issuance costs are not affected by this amendment. In August 2015, the FASB issued updated SEC Staff
guidance pertaining to the presentation of debt issuance costs related to line-of-credit arrangements. The guidance states that an entity may defer
and present debt issuance costs as an asset, subsequently amortizing the deferred debt issuance costs ratably over the term of the line-of-credit
arrangement, regardless of whether there are any outstanding borrowings on the line-of-credit arrangement. The amendment is effective for annual
periods and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2015. Early adoption is permitted. The adoption of this guidance will not have a significant
impact on our financial position or results of operations.
Consolidation - Amendments to the consolidation analysis: In February 2015, the FASB issued updated guidance that affects evaluation of
whether limited partnerships and similar legal entities (limited liability corporations and securitization structures, etc.) are VIEs, evaluation of whether
fees paid to a decision maker or a service provider are a variable interest, and evaluation of the effect of fee arrangements and the effect of related
parties on the determination of the primary beneficiary under the VIE model for consolidation. The updated guidance eliminates the presumption that
a general partner should consolidate a limited partnership. Limited partnership and similar legal entities that provide partners with either substantive
kick-out rights or substantive participating rights over the general partner will now be evaluated under the voting interest model rather than the VIE
model for consolidation. In situations where no single party has a controlling financial interest in a VIE, the related party relationships under common
control should be considered in their entirety in determining whether that common control group has a controlling financial interest in the VIE. The
amendments in the updated guidance are effective for fiscal years, and for interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15,
2015. Early application is permitted, including adoption in an interim period. The adoption of this guidance will result in a reduction to the number of
our investments that meet the definition of a VIE and will also reduce the number of VIEs required to be disclosed within our financial statements.
The adoption of this guidance will impact our footnote disclosures, but will not have a significant impact on our financial position or results of
operations.
Derivatives and Hedging - Determining whether the host contract in a hybrid financial instrument issued in the form of a share is more
akin to debt or equity: In November 2014, the FASB issued guidance to clarify how to evaluate the economic characteristics and risks of a host
contract in a hybrid financial instrument that is issued in the form of a share. The guidance also clarifies that an entity should assess the substance
of the relevant terms and features when considering how to weight those terms and features. The guidance is effective for annual periods and
interim periods beginning after December 15, 2015. The adoption of this guidance will not have a significant impact on our financial position or
results of operations.
Presentation of Financial Statements - Going Concern - Disclosure of uncertainties about an entity’s ability to continue as a going
concern: In August 2014, the FASB issued this amendment that provides U.S. GAAP guidance on management’s responsibility in evaluating
whether there is substantial doubt about a company’s ability to continue as a going concern and about related footnote disclosures. For each
reporting period, management will be required to evaluate whether there are conditions or events that raise substantial doubt about a company’s
ability to continue as a going concern within one year from the date the financial statements are issued. The amendment is effective for annual
periods ending after December 15, 2016, and interim periods within annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016. Early application is
permitted for annual or interim reporting periods for which the financial statements have not previously been issued. The adoption of this guidance
will not have a significant impact on our financial position or results of operations.
Compensation - Stock Compensation - Accounting for share-based payments when the terms of an award provide that a performance
target could be achieved after the requisite service period: In June 2014, the FASB issued this amendment that provides guidance on certain
share-based payment awards that require a specific performance target that affects vesting and that could be achieved after the requisite service
period be treated as a performance condition. A reporting entity should apply existing guidance to awards with performance conditions that affect
vesting to account for such awards. Compensation cost should be recognized in the period in which it becomes probable that the performance target
will be achieved and should represent the compensation cost attributable to the period(s) for which the requisite service has already been rendered.
The total amount of compensation cost recognized during and after the requisite service period should reflect the number of awards that are
expected to vest and should be adjusted to reflect those awards that ultimately vest. The guidance is effective for annual periods and interim periods
within those annual periods beginning after December 15, 2015. Early adoption is permitted. The adoption of this guidance will not have a significant
impact on our financial position or results of operations.
97
Revenue from contracts with customers: In May 2014, the FASB issued updated guidance that affects any entity that either enters into
contracts with customers to transfer goods or services or enters into contracts for the transfer of nonfinancial assets unless those contracts are
within the scope of other standards (e.g., insurance contracts or lease contracts). The core principle of the guidance is that an entity should
recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity
expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. In August 2015, the FASB deferred the effective date for this standard to annual
reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within that reporting period. Early application is not permitted. The
adoption of this guidance will not have a significant impact on our financial position or results of operations.
Recent accounting guidance not discussed above is not applicable, did not have, or is not expected to have a material impact to our business.
2. BUSINESS SEGMENT AND FOREIGN INFORMATION
The Company consists of two reportable insurance business segments: Aflac Japan and Aflac U.S., both of which sell supplemental health and
life insurance. Operating business segments that are not individually reportable and business activities, including reinsurance retrocession activities,
not included in Aflac Japan or Aflac U.S. are included in the "Other business segments" category.
We do not allocate corporate overhead expenses to business segments. We evaluate and manage our business segments using a financial
performance measure called pretax operating earnings. Our definition of operating earnings includes interest cash flows associated with notes
payable and excludes the following items from net earnings on an after-tax basis: realized investment gains/losses (securities transactions,
impairments, and the impact of derivative and hedging activities), nonrecurring items and other non-operating income (loss). We then exclude
income taxes related to operations to arrive at pretax operating earnings. Information regarding operations by segment for the years ended
December 31 follows:
98
(In millions)
Revenues:
Aflac Japan:
Net earned premiums:
Cancer
Medical and other health
Life insurance
Net investment income
Other income
Total Aflac Japan
Aflac U.S.:
Net earned premiums:
Accident/disability
Cancer
Other health
Life insurance
Net investment income
Other income
Total Aflac U.S.
Other business segments
Total business segment revenues
Realized investment gains (losses) (1)
Corporate
Intercompany eliminations
Other non-operating income (loss)
Total revenues
2015
2014
2013
$
4,933
3,092
4,021
2,436
31
$
5,596
3,770
4,495
2,662
32
$
6,123
4,282
4,577
2,651
55
14,513
16,555
17,688
2,391
1,293
1,395
268
678
8
6,033
225
20,771
55
282
(201)
(35) (2)
2,303
1,279
1,371
258
645
3
5,859
43
22,457
171
281
(248)
67
2,284
1,283
1,334
252
632
6
5,791
49
23,528
389
302
(308)
28
$
20,872
$
22,728
$
23,939
(1) Excluding a gain of $85 in 2015, $44 in 2014 and $10 in 2013 related to the interest rate component of the change in fair value of foreign currency swaps on
notes payable which is classified as an operating gain when analyzing segment operations
(2) Includes a loss of $20 related to the change in value of yen repatriation received in advance of settlement of certain foreign currency derivatives. The loss was
offset by derivative gains included in realized investment gains (losses).
99
(In millions)
Pretax earnings:
Aflac Japan
Aflac U.S.
Other business segments
Total business segment pretax operating earnings
Interest expense, noninsurance operations
Corporate and eliminations
Pretax operating earnings
Realized investment gains (losses) (1)
Other non-operating income (loss)
Total earnings before income taxes
Income taxes applicable to pretax operating earnings
Effect of foreign currency translation on operating earnings
2015
2014
2013
$
$
$
3,175
1,101
14
4,290
(146)
(71)
4,073
55
(266) (2),(3)
3,862
1,403
(198)
$
$
$
3,458
1,073
(2)
4,529
(198)
(78)
4,253
171
67
4,491
1,456
(117)
$
$
$
3,628
1,038
(1)
4,665
(198)
(68)
4,399
389
28
4,816
1,512
(357)
(1) Excluding a gain of $85 in 2015, $44 in 2014 and $10 in 2013 related to the interest rate component of the change in fair value of foreign currency swaps on
notes payable which is classified as an operating gain when analyzing segment operations
(2) Includes a loss of $20 related to the change in value of yen repatriation received in advance of settlement of certain foreign currency derivatives. This loss was
offset by derivative gains included in realized investment gains (losses).
(3) Includes expense of $230 for the make-whole payment associated with the early extinguishment of debt
Assets as of December 31 were as follows:
(In millions)
Assets:
Aflac Japan
Aflac U.S.
Other business segments
Total business segment assets
Corporate
Intercompany eliminations
Total assets
2015
2014
2013
$
97,646
$
98,525
$ 102,973
18,537
188
116,371
23,415
(21,490)
18,383
128
117,036
24,636
(21,905)
16,112
155
119,240
19,909
(17,842)
$
118,296
$ 119,767
$ 121,307
Yen-Translation Effects: The following table shows the yen/dollar exchange rates used for or during the periods ended December 31 .
Exchange effects were calculated using the same yen/dollar exchange rate for the current year as for each respective prior year.
Statements of Earnings:
Weighted-average yen/dollar exchange rate
Yen percent strengthening (weakening)
2015
2014
2013
120.99
(12.8)%
105.46
(7.5)%
97.54
(18.2)%
Exchange effect on pretax operating earnings (in millions)
$
(288)
$
(180)
$
(534)
Balance Sheets:
Yen/dollar exchange rate at December 31
Yen percent strengthening (weakening)
Exchange effect on total assets (in millions)
Exchange effect on total liabilities (in millions)
2015
2014
120.61
(.05)%
(36)
(41)
$
120.55
(12.6)%
$
(10,706)
(12,025)
Transfers of funds from Aflac Japan: Aflac Japan makes payments to the Parent Company for management fees and to Aflac U.S. for
allocated expenses and profit repatriations. Information on transfers for each of the years ended December 31 is shown below. See Note 13 for
information concerning restrictions on transfers from Aflac Japan.
100
(In millions)
Management fees
Allocated expenses
Profit repatriation
Total transfers from Aflac Japan
$
2015
53
101
2,139
2014
$
39
71
1,704
2013
$
37
74
771
$
2,293
$ 1,814
$
882
Property and Equipment: The costs of buildings, furniture and equipment are depreciated principally on a straight-line basis over their
estimated useful lives (maximum of 50 years for buildings and 20 years for furniture and equipment). Expenditures for maintenance and repairs are
expensed as incurred; expenditures for betterments are capitalized and depreciated. Classes of property and equipment as of December 31 were as
follows:
(In millions)
Property and equipment:
Land
Buildings
Equipment and furniture
Total property and equipment
Less accumulated depreciation
Net property and equipment
2015
$ 166
400
329
895
468
$ 427
2014
$ 168
393
305
866
437
$ 429
Receivables: Receivables consist primarily of monthly insurance premiums due from individual policyholders or their employers for payroll
deduction of premiums, net of an allowance for doubtful accounts. At December 31, 2015 , $257 million , or 36.4% of total receivables, were related
to Aflac Japan's operations, compared with $386 million , or 45.8% , at December 31, 2014 .
3. INVESTMENTS
Net Investment Income
The components of net investment income for the years ended December 31 were as follows:
(In millions)
Fixed-maturity securities
Perpetual securities
Equity securities and other
Short-term investments and cash equivalents
Gross investment income
Less investment expenses
Net investment income
2015
2014
2013
$ 3,094
$ 3,249
$ 3,210
114
18
4
3,230
95
141
7
2
3,399
80
153
7
1
3,371
78
$ 3,135
$ 3,319
$ 3,293
101
Investment Holdings
The amortized cost for our investments in debt and perpetual securities, the cost for equity securities and the fair values of these investments at
December 31 are shown in the following tables.
(In millions)
Securities available for sale, carried at fair value:
Fixed maturities:
Yen-denominated:
2015
Cost or
Amortized
Cost
Gross
Unrealized
Gains
Gross
Unrealized
Losses
Fair
Value
Japan government and agencies
$
17,293
$ 1,862
$
Municipalities
Mortgage- and asset-backed securities
Public utilities
Sovereign and supranational
Banks/financial institutions
Other corporate
Total yen-denominated
Dollar-denominated:
U.S. government and agencies
Municipalities
Mortgage- and asset-backed securities
Public utilities
Sovereign and supranational
Banks/financial institutions
Other corporate
Total dollar-denominated
Total fixed maturities
Perpetual securities:
Yen-denominated:
Banks/financial institutions
Other corporate
Dollar-denominated:
Banks/financial institutions
Total perpetual securities
Equity securities:
Yen-denominated
Dollar-denominated
Total equity securities
128
322
1,400
791
2,321
3,337
9
33
210
180
325
448
25,592
3,067
110
926
200
5,464
331
2,865
25,154
35,050
60,642
1,581
183
77
1,841
472
8
480
11
151
27
636
105
634
1,774
3,338
6,405
143
22
35
200
19
3
22
0
0
0
10
0
105
33
148
0
6
0
221
0
21
1,302
1,550
1,698
93
0
1
94
4
0
4
$ 19,155
137
355
1,600
971
2,541
3,752
28,511
121
1,071
227
5,879
436
3,478
25,626
36,838
65,349
1,631
205
111
1,947
487
11
498
Total securities available for sale
$
62,963
$ 6,627
$ 1,796
$ 67,794
102
(In millions)
Securities held to maturity, carried at amortized cost:
Fixed maturities:
Yen-denominated:
2015
Cost or
Amortized
Cost
Gross
Unrealized
Gains
Gross
Unrealized
Losses
Fair
Value
Japan government and agencies
$ 20,004
$ 3,387
$
Municipalities
Mortgage- and asset-backed securities
Public utilities
Sovereign and supranational
Banks/financial institutions
Other corporate
Total yen-denominated
341
36
3,092
2,555
4,431
3,000
74
2
205
182
168
260
0
0
0
94
26
53
44
$ 23,391
415
38
3,203
2,711
4,546
3,216
Total securities held to maturity
$ 33,459
$ 4,278
$
217
$ 37,520
103
33,459
4,278
217
37,520
(In millions)
Securities available for sale, carried at fair value:
Fixed maturities:
Yen-denominated:
2014
Cost or
Amortized
Cost
Gross
Unrealized
Gains
Gross
Unrealized
Losses
Fair
Value
Japan government and agencies
$ 17,341
$ 1,740
$
Municipalities
Mortgage- and asset-backed securities
Public utilities
Sovereign and supranational
Banks/financial institutions
Other corporate
Total yen-denominated
Dollar-denominated:
U.S. government and agencies
Municipalities
Mortgage- and asset-backed securities
Public utilities
Sovereign and supranational
Banks/financial institutions
Other corporate
Total dollar-denominated
Total fixed maturities
Perpetual securities:
Yen-denominated:
Banks/financial institutions
Other corporate
Dollar-denominated:
Banks/financial institutions
Total perpetual securities
Equity securities:
Yen-denominated
Dollar-denominated
Total equity securities
88
351
1,691
799
2,752
3,479
9
35
226
163
325
531
26,501
3,029
100
961
185
5,061
343
2,943
22,291
31,884
58,385
2,132
183
125
2,440
10
9
19
17
201
31
960
111
775
2,682
4,777
7,806
223
48
50
321
7
2
9
0
0
0
5
0
189
48
242
0
2
0
36
0
8
330
376
618
92
0
0
92
0
0
0
$ 19,081
97
386
1,912
962
2,888
3,962
29,288
117
1,160
216
5,985
454
3,710
24,643
36,285
65,573
2,263
231
175
2,669
17
11
28
Total securities available for sale
$ 60,844
$ 8,136
$
710
$ 68,270
104
(In millions)
Securities held to maturity, carried at amortized cost:
Fixed maturities:
Yen-denominated:
2014
Cost or
Amortized
Cost
Gross
Unrealized
Gains
Gross
Unrealized
Losses
Fair
Value
Japan government and agencies
$ 20,023
$ 3,195
$
Municipalities
Mortgage- and asset-backed securities
Public utilities
Sovereign and supranational
Banks/financial institutions
Other corporate
Total yen-denominated
346
43
3,342
2,556
4,932
3,000
71
3
281
272
231
326
34,242
4,379
Total securities held to maturity
$ 34,242
$ 4,379
$
0
0
0
20
14
78
12
124
124
$ 23,218
417
46
3,603
2,814
5,085
3,314
38,497
$ 38,497
The methods of determining the fair values of our investments in fixed-maturity securities, perpetual securities and equity securities are
described in Note 5.
During the third and fourth quarters of 2015, we increased our investment in yen-denominated publicly traded equity securities, including new
investments in exchange traded funds (ETFs) holding Japan real estate investment trusts. These securities are classified as available for sale and
carried on our balance sheet at fair value. As of December 31, 2015, the fair value of our investment in yen-denominated publicly traded equity
securities was $485 million .
During 2015, we did not reclassify any investments from the held-to-maturity category to the available-for-sale category. During 2014, we
reclassified three investments from the held-to-maturity category to the available-for-sale category as a result of the issuers being downgraded to
below investment grade. At the time of the transfer, the securities had an aggregate amortized cost of $424 million and an aggregate unrealized loss
of $54 million . During 2013, we reclassified two investments from the held-to-maturity category to the available-for-sale category as a result of the
issuer being downgraded to below investment grade. At the time of the transfer, the securities had an aggregate amortized cost of $492 million and
an aggregate unrealized loss of $153 million .
Contractual and Economic Maturities
The contractual maturities of our investments in fixed maturities at December 31, 2015 , were as follows:
(In millions)
Available for sale:
Due in one year or less
Due after one year through five years
Due after five years through 10 years
Due after 10 years
Mortgage- and asset-backed securities
Aflac Japan
Aflac U.S.
Amortized
Cost
Fair
Value
Amortized
Cost
Fair
Value
$
130
$
142
$
2,617
11,543
33,608
372
2,984
11,642
37,112
424
23
648
2,105
9,049
35
$
24
709
2,177
9,569
43
Total fixed maturities available for sale
$ 48,270
$ 52,304
$ 11,860
$ 12,522
Held to maturity:
Due in one year or less
Due after one year through five years
Due after five years through 10 years
Due after 10 years
Mortgage- and asset-backed securities
316
1,692
1,613
29,802
36
320
1,775
1,732
33,655
38
Total fixed maturities held to maturity
$ 33,459
$ 37,520
$
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
$
105
At December 31, 2015 , the Parent Company and other business segments had portfolios of available-for-sale fixed-maturity securities totaling
$512 million at amortized cost and $523 million at fair value, which are not included in the table above.
Expected maturities may differ from contractual maturities because some issuers have the right to call or prepay obligations with or without call
or prepayment penalties.
The majority of our perpetual securities are subordinated to other debt obligations of the issuer, but rank higher than the issuer's equity
securities. Perpetual securities have characteristics of both debt and equity investments, along with unique features that create economic maturity
dates for the securities. Although perpetual securities have no contractual maturity date, they have stated interest coupons that were fixed at their
issuance and subsequently change to a floating short-term interest rate after some period of time. The instruments are generally callable by the
issuer at the time of changing from a fixed coupon rate to a new variable rate of interest, which is determined by the combination of some market
index plus a fixed amount of basis points. The net effect is to create an expected maturity date for the instrument. The economic maturities of our
investments in perpetual securities, which were all reported as available for sale at December 31, 2015 , were as follows:
Aflac Japan
Aflac U.S.
(In millions)
Due in one year or less
Due after one year through five years
Due after 10 years
Amortized
Cost
$
301
292
1,209
Fair
Value
Amortized
Cost
$
282
$
315
1,293
0
0
39
39
Fair
Value
$
0
0
57
$ 57
Total perpetual securities available for sale
$ 1,802
$ 1,890
$
Investment Concentrations
Our process for credit-related investments begins with an independent approach to underwriting each issuer's fundamental credit quality. We
evaluate independently those factors which we believe could influence an issuer's ability to make payments under the contractual terms of our
instruments. This includes a thorough analysis of a variety of items including the issuer's country of domicile (including political, legal, and financial
considerations); the industry in which the issuer competes (with an analysis of industry structure, end-market dynamics, and regulation); company
specific issues (such as management, assets, earnings, cash generation, and capital needs); and contractual provisions of the instrument (such as
financial covenants and position in the capital structure). We further evaluate the investment considering broad business and portfolio management
objectives, including asset/liability needs, portfolio diversification, and expected income.
Investment exposures that individually exceeded 10% of shareholders' equity as of December 31 were as follows:
(In millions)
Japan National Government (1)
(1) JGBs or JGB-backed securities
Banks and Financial Institutions
Credit
Rating
A
2015
Amortized
Cost
$36,859
Fair
Value
$42,025
Credit
Rating
A
2014
Amortized
Cost
$37,021
Fair
Value
$41,878
One of our largest investment sector concentrations as of December 31, 2015 , was banks and financial institutions. Within the countries we
approve for investment opportunities, we primarily invest in financial institutions that are strategically crucial to each approved country's economy.
The bank and financial institution sector is a highly regulated industry and plays a strategic role in the global economy.
Our total investments in the bank and financial institution sector as of December 31 , including those classified as perpetual securities, were as
follows:
106
2015
2014
Total Investments in
Banks and Financial
Institutions Sector
(in millions)
Percentage of
Total Investment
Portfolio
Total Investments in
Banks and Financial
Institutions Sector
(in millions)
Percentage of
Total Investment
Portfolio
$
$
$
9,617
10,565
1,217
1,265
441
477
11,275
12,307
10%
10
1%
1
0
0
11%
11
$
$
$
10,627
11,683
1,554
1,645
703
793
12,884
14,121
11%
11
2%
1
1
1
14%
13
Fixed maturities:
Amortized cost
Fair value
Perpetual securities:
Upper Tier II:
Amortized cost
Fair value
Tier I:
Amortized cost
Fair value
Total:
Amortized cost
Fair value
Realized Investment Gains and Losses
Information regarding pretax realized gains and losses from investments for the years ended December 31 follows:
2015
2014
2013
(In millions)
Realized investment gains (losses) on securities:
Fixed maturities:
Available for sale:
Gross gains from sales
Gross losses from sales
Net gains (losses) from redemptions
Other-than-temporary impairment losses
Held to maturity:
Net gains (losses) from redemptions
Total fixed maturities
Perpetual securities:
Available for sale:
Gross losses from sales
Net gains (losses) from redemptions
Other-than-temporary impairment losses
Total perpetual securities
Equity securities:
Other-than-temporary impairment losses
Total equity securities
Derivatives and other:
Derivative gains (losses)
Other
Total derivatives and other
$ 224
$
192
$
(8)
52
(152)
0
116
0
35
0
35
(1)
(1)
(10)
0
(10)
(12)
34
(31)
1
184
0
0
0
0
0
0
31
0
31
316
(87)
34
(128)
0
135
(1)
0
(70)
(71)
(1)
(1)
326
10
336
399
Total realized investment gains (losses)
$ 140
$
215
$
107
Other-than-temporary Impairment
The majority of our fixed maturity and perpetual security investments are evaluated for other-than-temporary impairment using our debt
impairment model. Our debt impairment model focuses on the ultimate collection of the cash flows from our investments and whether we have the
intent to sell or if it is more likely than not we would be required to sell the security prior to recovery of its amortized cost. The fair values of our fixed
maturity and perpetual security investments fluctuate based on changes in interest rates, foreign exchange, and credit spreads in the global financial
markets. Fair values can also be heavily influenced by the values of the assets of the issuer and expected ultimate recovery values upon a default,
bankruptcy or other financial restructuring. Credit spreads are most impacted by the general credit environment and global market liquidity. Interest
rates are driven by numerous factors including, but not limited to, supply and demand, governmental monetary actions, expectations of inflation and
economic growth. We believe that fluctuations in the fair values of our investment securities related to general changes in the level of credit spreads
or interest rates have little bearing on underlying credit quality of the issuer, and whether our investment is ultimately recoverable. Generally, we
consider such declines in fair values to be temporary even in situations where an investment remains in an unrealized loss position for an extended
period of time.
In the course of our review process, we may determine that it is unlikely that our fixed maturity or perpetual security investment will recover in
value within an acceptable time frame. Factors which may influence this determination include the severity of the price decline, the length of time the
price has been impaired, if the price decline was driven by issuer credit deterioration, and our view of the likelihood of the security defaulting or
otherwise being subject to an unfavorable restructuring. In those cases where we believe the security will not recover in price within an acceptable
period of time, we consider such a decline in the investment's fair value, to the extent it is below the investment's cost or amortized cost, to be an
other-than-temporary impairment of the investment and reduce the book value of the investment to its fair value.
The perpetual securities we hold were largely issued by banks that are integral to the financial markets of the sovereign country of the issuer. As
a result of the issuer's position within the economy of the sovereign country, our perpetual securities may be subject to a higher risk of
nationalization of their issuers in connection with capital injections from an issuer's sovereign government. We cannot be assured that such capital
support will extend to all levels of an issuer's capital structure. In addition, certain governments or regulators may consider imposing interest and
principal payment restrictions on issuers of hybrid securities to preserve cash and preserve the issuer's capital. Beyond the cash flow impact that
additional deferrals would have on our portfolio, such deferrals could result in ratings downgrades of the affected securities, which in turn could
result in a reduction of fair value of the securities and increase our regulatory capital requirements. We consider these factors in our credit review
process.
When determining our intention to sell a security prior to recovery of its fair value to amortized cost, we evaluate facts and circumstances such
as, but not limited to, future cash flow needs, decisions to reposition our security portfolio, and risk profile of individual investment holdings. We
perform ongoing analyses of our liquidity needs, which includes cash flow testing of our policy liabilities, debt maturities, projected dividend
payments and other cash flow and liquidity needs. Our cash flow testing includes extensive duration analysis of our investment portfolio and policy
liabilities. Based on our analyses, we have concluded that we have sufficient excess cash flows to meet our liquidity needs without selling any of our
investments prior to their maturity.
Our investments in perpetual securities that are rated below investment grade and equity securities are evaluated for other-than-temporary
impairment under our equity impairment model. Our equity impairment model focuses on the severity of a security’s decline in fair value coupled
with the length of time the fair value of the security has been below cost or amortized cost and the financial condition and near-term prospects of the
issuer. For equity securities, we also verify our intent to hold the securities until they recover in value. The fair value of our investments in equity
securities may decline for various reasons, such as general market conditions which reflect prospects for the economy as a whole, or due to specific
information pertaining to an industry or an individual company. For those equity securities evaluated for impairment under the equity impairment
model that are in an unrealized loss position, if we believe the security will not recover in price within an acceptable period of time, or we do not have
the intent to hold until recovery, we will record an other-than-temporary impairment of the investment and reduce the cost of the investment to its fair
value on that date.
The following table details our pretax other-than-temporary impairment losses by investment category that resulted from our impairment
evaluation process for the years ended December 31 .
108
(In millions)
Perpetual securities
Corporate bonds
Bank/financial institution bonds
Sovereign and supranational
Equity securities
2015
2014
2013
$
0
17
135
0
1
$
0
31
0
0
0
$
70
102
0
26
1
Total other-than-temporary impairment losses realized (1)
$
153
$
31
$
199
(1) Includes $131 and $45 for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2013 , respectively, for credit-related impairments; $26 for the year ended December 31,
2013 for impairments due to severity and duration of decline in fair value; and $22 , $31 and $128 for the years ended December 31, 2015 , 2014 and 2013 ,
respectively, from change in intent to sell securities
Unrealized Investment Gains and Losses
Information regarding changes in unrealized gains and losses from investments for the years ended December 31 follows:
(In millions)
Changes in unrealized gains (losses):
Fixed maturities:
Available for sale
Transferred to held to maturity
Perpetual securities:
Available for sale
Equity securities
2015
2014
2013
$
(2,481)
$
5,629
$
(2,281)
0
(123)
9
(10)
269
5
(9)
(129)
1
Total change in unrealized gains (losses)
$
(2,595)
$
5,893
$
(2,418)
Effect on Shareholders' Equity
The net effect on shareholders' equity of unrealized gains and losses from investment securities at December 31 was as follows:
(In millions)
Unrealized gains (losses) on securities available for sale
Deferred income taxes
Shareholders’ equity, unrealized gains (losses) on investment securities
Gross Unrealized Loss Aging
2015
2014
$ 4,831
$ 7,426
(1,845)
(2,754)
$ 2,986
$ 4,672
The following tables show the fair values and gross unrealized losses of our available-for-sale and held-to-maturity investments that were in an
unrealized loss position, aggregated by investment category and length of time that individual securities have been in a continuous unrealized loss
position at December 31 .
109
Total
Less than 12 months
12 months or longer
Fair
Value
Unrealized
Losses
Fair
Value
Unrealized
Losses
Fair
Value
Unrealized
Losses
2015
(In millions)
Fixed Maturities:
Municipalities:
Dollar-denominated
$
80
$
6
$
80
$
6
$
0
$
0
Public utilities:
Dollar-denominated
Yen-denominated
Sovereign and supranational:
Yen-denominated
Banks/financial institutions:
Dollar-denominated
Yen-denominated
Other corporate:
Dollar-denominated
Yen-denominated
Total fixed maturities
Perpetual securities:
Dollar-denominated
Yen-denominated
Total perpetual securities
Equity securities:
Yen-denominated
Total equity securities
2,127
1,487
221
104
1,689
1,062
580
26
385
132
73
13
11
14
770
5
348
1,147
11,068
343
16,122
1,024
0
216
216
191
191
0
12
12
4
4
438
425
195
18
1,203
2,362
808
5,449
6
429
435
0
0
89
31
13
10
144
532
72
891
1
81
82
0
0
366
2,350
13,430
1,151
21,571
6
645
651
191
191
21
158
1,302
77
1,915
1
93
94
4
4
Total
$ 22,413
$ 2,013
$ 16,529
$ 1,040
$
5,884
$
973
110
Total
Less than 12 months
12 months or longer
Fair
Value
Unrealized
Losses
Fair
Value
Unrealized
Losses
Fair
Value
Unrealized
Losses
2014
(In millions)
Fixed Maturities:
Municipalities:
Dollar-denominated
$
75 $
2
$
53
$
1
$
22
$
1
Public utilities:
Dollar-denominated
Yen-denominated
Sovereign and supranational:
1,001
805
36
25
164
98
Yen-denominated
359
14
0
Banks/financial institutions:
Dollar-denominated
Yen-denominated
Other corporate:
Dollar-denominated
Yen-denominated
Total fixed maturities
Perpetual securities:
Yen-denominated
Total perpetual securities
205
1,828
8,072
1,151
13,496
783
783
8
267
330
60
742
92
92
53
166
1,901
122
2,557
194
194
7
1
0
5
0
62
2
78
5
5
837
707
359
152
1,662
6,171
1,029
10,939
589
589
29
24
14
3
267
268
58
664
87
87
Total
$ 14,279 $
834
$
2,751
$
83
$ 11,528
$
751
Analysis of Securities in Unrealized Loss Positions
The unrealized losses on our fixed income or perpetual securities investments have been primarily related to general market changes in interest
rates, foreign exchange rates, and/or the levels of credit spreads rather than specific concerns with the issuer's ability to pay interest and repay
principal. The unrealized losses on our investments in equity securities are primarily related to general market conditions which reflect prospects for
the economy as a whole or due to specific information pertaining to an industry or an individual company.
For any significant declines in fair value of our fixed income or perpetual securities, we perform a more focused review of the related issuers'
credit profile. For corporate issuers, we evaluate their assets, business profile including industry dynamics and competitive positioning, financial
statements and other available financial data. For non-corporate issuers, we analyze all sources of credit support, including issuer-specific factors.
We utilize information available in the public domain and, for certain private placement issuers, from consultations with the issuers directly. We also
consider ratings from Nationally Recognized Statistical Rating Organizations (NRSROs), as well as the specific characteristics of the security we
own including seniority in the issuer's capital structure, covenant predictions, or other relevant features. From these reviews, we evaluate the
issuers' continued ability to service our investment through payment of interest and principal.
For any significant declines in fair value of our equity securities, we review the severity of the security’s decline in fair value coupled with the
length of time the fair value of the security has been below cost. We also perform a more focused review of the financial condition and near-term
prospects of the issuer, and determine whether we have the intent to hold the securities until they recover in value.
111
The following table provides more information on our unrealized loss position on fixed maturities and perpetual securities as of December 31.
Investments
in an Unrealized
Loss Position
2015
Gross
Unrealized
Losses
Gross
Unrealized
Losses that are
Investment Grade
Investments
in an Unrealized
Loss Position
2014
Gross
Unrealized
Losses
Gross
Unrealized
Losses that are
Investment Grade
16%
16%
93%
13%
7%
100%
3
12
66
97%
3
100%
1
9
69
95%
5
100%
100
59
86
100
3
14
65
95%
5
100%
2
33
47
89%
11
100%
100
31
88
100
(In millions)
Fixed Maturities:
Public utilities
Sovereign and
supranational
Banks/financial
institutions
Other
corporate
Total fixed
maturities
Perpetual
securities
Total
Assuming no credit-related factors, unrealized gains and losses are expected to diminish as investments near maturity. Based on our credit
analysis, we believe that the issuers of our investments in the sectors shown in the table above have the ability to service their obligations to us.
Perpetual Securities
The majority of our investments in Upper Tier II and Tier I perpetual securities are in highly-rated global financial institutions. Upper Tier II
securities have more debt-like characteristics than Tier I securities and are senior to Tier I securities, preferred stock, and common equity of the
issuer. Conversely, Tier I securities have more equity-like characteristics, but are senior to the common equity of the issuer, and they may also be
senior to certain preferred shares; depending on the individual security; the issuer's capital structure and the regulatory jurisdiction of the issuer.
Details of our holdings of perpetual securities as of December 31 were as follows:
Perpetual Securities
Credit
Rating
Amortized
Cost
2015
Fair
Value
Unrealized
Gain (Loss)
Amortized
Cost
2014
Fair
Value
Unrealized
Gain (Loss)
(In millions)
Upper Tier II:
Total Upper Tier II
Tier I:
Total Tier I
Other subordinated
- non-banks:
A
BBB
BB or lower
BBB
BB or lower
$
31
$
41
$
1,023
163
1,217
395
46
441
993
231
1,265
408
69
477
BB or lower
183
205
Total
$ 1,841
$ 1,947
$
10
(30)
68
48
13
23
36
22
106
$
61
$
87
$
1,330
1,333
163
225
1,554
1,645
519
184
703
556
237
793
26
3
62
91
37
53
90
183
231
48
$ 2,440
$ 2,669
$
229
Assuming no credit-related factors develop, as investments near maturity, the unrealized gains or losses are expected to diminish. Based on our
credit analysis, we believe that the issuers of our investments in these sectors have the ability to service their obligations to us. Perpetual securities
that had an amortized cost of $599 million and fair value of $630 million at December 31, 2014 matured or were called during 2015.
112
Variable Interest Entities (VIEs)
As a condition to our involvement or investment in a VIE, we enter into certain protective rights and covenants that preclude changes in the
structure of the VIE that would alter the creditworthiness of our investment or our beneficial interest in the VIE.
Our involvement with all of the VIEs in which we have an interest is passive in nature, and we are not the arranger of these entities. We have
not been involved in establishing these entities, except as it relates to our review and evaluation of the structure of these VIEs in the normal course
of our investment decision-making process. Further, we are not, nor have we been, required to purchase any securities issued in the future by these
VIEs.
Our ownership interest in the VIEs is limited to holding the obligations issued by them. All of the VIEs in which we invest are static with respect
to funding and have no ongoing forms of funding after the initial funding date. We have no direct or contingent obligations to fund the limited
activities of these VIEs, nor do we have any direct or indirect financial guarantees related to the limited activities of these VIEs. We have not
provided any assistance or any other type of financing support to any of the VIEs we invest in, nor do we have any intention to do so in the future.
The weighted-average lives of our notes are very similar to the underlying collateral held by these VIEs where applicable.
Our risk of loss related to our interests in any of our VIEs is limited to our investment in the debt securities issued by them.
VIEs - Consolidated
The following table presents the cost or amortized cost, fair value and balance sheet caption in which the assets and liabilities of consolidated
VIEs are reported as of December 31.
Investments in Consolidated Variable Interest Entities
(In millions)
Assets:
Fixed maturities, available for sale
Perpetual securities, available for sale
Fixed maturities, held to maturity
Equity securities
Other assets
2015
2014
Cost or
Amortized
Cost
Fair
Value
Cost or
Amortized
Cost
Fair
Value
$ 3,739
$ 4,554
$ 3,020
$ 4,166
255
0
363
102
228
0
363
102
405
83
0
106
429
84
0
106
Total assets of consolidated VIEs
$ 4,459
$ 5,247
$ 3,614
$ 4,785
Liabilities:
Other liabilities
Total liabilities of consolidated VIEs
$
$
293
293
$
$
293
293
$
$
318
318
$
$
318
318
We are substantively the only investor in the consolidated VIEs listed in the table above. As the sole investor in these VIEs, we have the power
to direct the activities of a variable interest entity that most significantly impact the entity's economic performance and are therefore considered to be
the primary beneficiary of the VIEs that we consolidate. We also participate in substantially all of the variability created by these VIEs. The activities
of these VIEs are limited to holding debt, equity, and perpetual securities and foreign currency, and/or CDSs, as appropriate, and utilizing the cash
flows from these securities to service our investment. Neither we nor any of our creditors are able to obtain the underlying collateral of the VIEs
unless there is an event of default or other specified event. For those VIEs that contain a swap, we are not a direct counterparty to the swap
contracts and have no control over them. Our loss exposure to these VIEs is limited to our original investment. Our consolidated VIEs do not rely on
outside or ongoing sources of funding to support their activities beyond the underlying collateral and swap contracts, if applicable. With the
exception of our investment in senior secured bank loans (bank loans) and certain equity securities through unit trust structures, the underlying
collateral assets and funding of our consolidated VIEs are generally static in nature and the underlying collateral and the reference corporate entities
covered by any CDS contracts were all investment grade at the time of issuance.
113
We invest in bank loans through unit trust structures in which we are the only investor, requiring us to consolidate these trusts. These bank
loans are classified as available-for-sale fixed-maturity securities in the financial statements. As of December 31, 2015, the amortized cost and fair
value of our bank loan investments was $1.4 billion . As of December 31, 2014, the amortized cost and fair value of our bank loan investments was
$501 million and $579 million , respectively. During the fourth quarter of 2015, we invested in yen-denominated public equities through a unit trust
structure in which we are the only investor, requiring us to consolidate the trust under U.S. GAAP. These equities are classified as available-for-sale
in the financial statements. As of December 31, 2015, the amortized cost and fair value of these equities was $363 million .
We are exposed to credit losses within our CDO that could result in principal losses to our investment. However, we have mitigated the risk of
credit loss through the structure of the VIE, which contractually requires the subordinated tranches within the VIE to absorb the majority of the
expected losses from the underlying credit default swaps. We currently own only senior mezzanine CDO tranches. Based on our statistical analysis
models and the current subordination levels in our CDO, the VIE can sustain a reasonable number of defaults in the underlying reference entities in
the CDS with no loss to our investment.
VIEs - Not Consolidated
The table below reflects the amortized cost, fair value and balance sheet caption in which our investment in VIEs not consolidated are reported
as of December 31.
(In millions)
Assets:
Investments in Variable Interest Entities Not Consolidated
2015
2014
Amortized
Cost
Fair
Value
Amortized
Cost
Fair
Value
Fixed maturities, available for sale
Perpetual securities, available for sale
Fixed maturities, held to maturity
$
5,536
$
6,027
$
6,104
$
6,937
249
2,477
253
2,636
324
2,564
330
2,829
Total investments in VIEs not consolidated
$
8,262
$
8,916
$
8,992
$ 10,096
The VIEs that we are not required to consolidate are investments that are in the form of debt obligations from the VIEs that are irrevocably and
unconditionally guaranteed by their corporate parents or sponsors. These VIEs are the primary financing vehicles used by their corporate sponsors
to raise financing in the capital markets. The variable interests created by these VIEs are principally or solely a result of the debt instruments issued
by them. We do not have the power to direct the activities that most significantly impact the entity's economic performance, nor do we have (1) the
obligation to absorb losses of the entity or (2) the right to receive benefits from the entity. As such, we are not the primary beneficiary of these VIEs
and are therefore not required to consolidate them. These VIE investments comprise securities from 169 separate issuers with an average credit
rating of BBB .
Loans and Loan Receivables
Middle Market Loans
As of December 31, 2015 , our investment in middle market loan receivables was $118 million , of which $53 million was unfunded, while the
associated allowance for expected losses was immaterial. As of December 31, 2015 , we had commitments of $182 million to fund potential future
loan originations related to this investment program. These commitments are contingent upon the availability of middle market loans that meet our
underwriting criteria.
Commercial Mortgage Loans
During the fourth quarter of 2015, we initiated our commercial mortgage loan investment program. As of December 31, 2015 , we had not yet
funded any commercial mortgage loans. Once funded, we intend to classify our commercial mortgage loans as held-for-investment, and we will
carry them on the balance sheet at amortized cost less an estimated allowance for loan losses. Our commercial mortgage loan allowance for losses
will be established using both specific and general allowances. The specific allowance will be used on an individual loan basis for those impaired
loans where we expect to incur a loss. The general allowance will be used for loans grouped by similar risk characteristics where a property-specific
114
or market-specific risk has not been identified, but for which we expect to incur a loss. As of December 31, 2015 , we had $10 million in outstanding
commitments to fund commercial mortgage loans. These commitments are contingent on the final underwriting and due diligence to be performed,
and may or may not be funded.
Securities Lending and Pledged Securities
We lend fixed-maturity securities to financial institutions in short-term security-lending transactions. These short-term security-lending
arrangements increase investment income with minimal risk. Our security lending policy requires that the fair value of the securities and/or
unrestricted cash received as collateral be 102% or more of the fair value of the loaned securities. These securities continue to be carried as
investment assets on our balance sheet during the terms of the loans and are not reported as sales. We receive cash or other securities as
collateral for such loans. For loans involving unrestricted cash or securities as collateral, the collateral is reported as an asset with a corresponding
liability for the return of the collateral.
Details of our securities lending activities as of December 31 were as follows:
Securities Lending Transactions Accounted for as Secured Borrowings
Remaining Contractual Maturity of the Agreements
2015
(In millions)
Securities lending transactions:
Japan government and agencies
Public utilities
Banks/financial institutions
Other corporate
Total borrowings
Gross amount of recognized liabilities for securities lending transactions
Amounts related to agreements not included in offsetting disclosure in Note 4
Overnight
and
Continuous (1)
Up to 30
days
Total
$
$
0 $
499 $
108
13
321
0
0
0
442 $
499 $
$
$
499
108
13
321
941
941
0
(1) These securities are pledged as collateral under our U.S. securities lending program and can be called at our discretion; therefore, they are classified as
Overnight and Continuous.
Securities Lending Transactions Accounted for as Secured Borrowings
Remaining Contractual Maturity of the Agreements
2014
(In millions)
Securities lending transactions:
Japan government and agencies
Public utilities
Sovereign and supranational
Banks/financial institutions
Other corporate
Total borrowings
Gross amount of recognized liabilities for securities lending transactions
Amounts related to agreements not included in offsetting disclosure in Note 4
Overnight
and
Continuous (1)
Up to 30
days
Total
$
$
0 $
1,720 $
1,720
80
1
64
328
473 $
0
0
0
0
1,720 $
$
$
80
1
64
328
2,193
2,193
0
(1) These securities are pledged as collateral under our U.S. securities lending program and can be called at our discretion; therefore, they are classified as
Overnight and Continuous.
We did not have any repurchase agreements or repurchase-to-maturity transactions outstanding as of December 31, 2015 and 2014,
respectively.
115
Certain fixed-maturity securities have been pledged as collateral as part of derivative transactions. For additional information regarding pledged
securities related to derivative transactions, see Note 4.
At December 31, 2015 , debt securities with a fair value of $15 million were on deposit with regulatory authorities in
the United States (including U.S. territories) and Japan. We retain ownership of all securities on deposit and receive the related investment income.
For general information regarding our investment accounting policies, see Note 1.
4. DERIVATIVE INSTRUMENTS
Our freestanding derivative financial instruments consist of: (1) foreign currency swaps and credit default swaps that are associated with
investments in special-purpose entities, including VIEs where we are the primary beneficiary; (2) foreign currency forwards and options used in
hedging foreign exchange risk on U.S. dollar-denominated securities in Aflac Japan's portfolio; (3) foreign currency forwards and options used to
hedge foreign exchange risk from our net investment in Aflac Japan and economically hedge certain portions of forecasted cash flows denominated
in yen; (4) swaps associated with our notes payable, consisting of cross-currency interest rate swaps, also referred to as foreign currency swaps,
associated with certain senior notes and our subordinated debentures; and (5) options on interest rate swaps (or interest rate swaptions) and futures
used to hedge interest rate risk for certain available-for-sale securities. We do not use derivative financial instruments for trading purposes, nor do
we engage in leveraged derivative transactions. Some of our derivatives are designated as cash flow hedges, fair value hedges or net investment
hedges; however, other derivatives do not qualify for hedge accounting or we elect not to designate them as an accounting hedge. We utilize a net
investment hedge to mitigate foreign exchange exposure resulting from our net investment in Aflac Japan. In addition to designating derivatives as
hedging instruments, we have designated our yen-denominated Samurai and Uridashi notes and yen-denominated loans as non-derivative hedging
instruments for this net investment hedge.
Derivative Types
We enter into foreign currency swaps pursuant to which we exchange an initial principal amount in one currency for an initial principal amount of
another currency, with an agreement to re-exchange the currencies at a future date at an agreed upon exchange rate. There may also be periodic
exchanges of payments at specified intervals based on the agreed upon rates and notional amounts. Foreign currency swaps are used primarily in
the consolidated VIEs in our Aflac Japan portfolio to convert foreign-denominated cash flows to yen, the functional currency of Aflac Japan, in order
to minimize cash flow fluctuations. We also use foreign currency swaps to economically convert certain of our dollar-denominated senior note and
subordinated debenture principal and interest obligations into yen-denominated obligations.
Foreign currency forwards and options with short-term maturities are executed for the Aflac Japan segment in order to hedge the currency risk
on the fair value of certain fixed-maturity U.S. dollar-denominated securities. In forward transactions, Aflac Japan agrees with another party to buy a
fixed amount of yen and sell a corresponding amount of U.S. dollars at a specified future date. Aflac Japan also executes foreign currency option
transactions in a collar strategy, where Aflac Japan agrees with another party to simultaneously purchase a fixed amount of U.S. dollar put options
and sell U.S. dollar call options. The combination of these two actions results in no net premium being paid (i.e. a costless or zero-cost collar). The
foreign currency forwards and options are used in fair value hedging relationships to mitigate the foreign exchange risk associated with U.S. dollar-
denominated investments supporting yen-denominated liabilities.
Foreign currency forwards and options are also used to hedge the currency risk associated with the net investment in Aflac Japan. In these
forward transactions, Aflac agrees with another party to buy a fixed amount of U.S. dollars and sell a corresponding amount of yen at a specified
future date. In the option transactions, we use a combination of foreign currency options to protect expected future cash flows by simultaneously
purchasing yen put options (options that protect against a weakening yen) and selling yen call options (options that limit participation in a
strengthening yen). The combination of these two actions results in no net premium being paid (i.e. a costless or zero-cost collar).
The only CDS that we currently hold relates to components of an investment in a VIE and is used to assume credit risk related to an individual
security. This CDS contract entitles the consolidated VIE to receive periodic fees in exchange for an obligation to compensate the derivative
counterparties should the referenced security issuer experience a credit event, as defined in the contract.
Interest rate swaps involve the periodic exchange of cash flows with other parties, at specified intervals, calculated using agreed upon rates or
other financial variables and notional principal amounts. Typically, at the time a swap is
116
entered into, the cash flow streams exchanged by the counterparties are equal in value. No cash or principal payments are exchanged at the
inception of the contract. Interest rate swaps are primarily used to convert interest receipts on floating-rate fixed-maturity securities contracts to fixed
rates. These derivatives are predominantly used to better match cash receipts from assets with cash disbursements required to fund liabilities.
Interest rate swaptions are options on interest rate swaps. Interest rate collars are combinations of two swaption positions and are executed in
order to hedge certain U.S. dollar-denominated available-for-sale securities that are held in the Aflac Japan segment. We use collars to protect
against significant changes in the fair value associated with interest rate changes of our U.S. dollar-denominated available-for-sale securities. In
order to maximize the efficiency of the collars while minimizing cost, we set the strike price on each collar so that the premium paid for the ‘payer
leg’ is offset by the premium received for having sold the ‘receiver leg’.
Periodically, depending on general economic conditions, we may enter into other derivative transactions.
Credit Risk Assumed through Derivatives
For the foreign currency and credit default swaps associated with our VIE investments for which we are the primary beneficiary, we bear the risk
of foreign exchange loss due to counterparty default even though we are not a direct counterparty to those contracts. We are a direct counterparty to
the foreign currency swaps that we have entered into in connection with certain of our senior notes, subordinated debentures, and Samurai notes;
foreign currency forwards; foreign currency options; and interest rate swaptions, and therefore we are exposed to credit risk in the event of
nonperformance by the counterparties in those contracts. The risk of counterparty default for our VIE swaps, foreign currency swaps, certain foreign
currency forwards, foreign currency options and interest rate swaptions is mitigated by collateral posting requirements that counterparties to those
transactions must meet. As of December 31, 2015 , there were 15 counterparties to our derivative agreements, with five comprising 63% of the
aggregate notional amount. The counterparties to these derivatives are financial institutions with the following credit ratings as of December 31:
2015
2014
Notional Amount
of Derivatives
Asset Derivatives
Fair Value
Liability
Derivatives
Fair Value
Notional Amount
of Derivatives
Asset Derivatives
Fair Value
Liability
Derivatives
Fair Value
(In millions)
Counterparties' credit rating:
AA
A
$
2,187
$
166
$
(35)
$
1,098
$
39
$
(36)
19,940
510
(336)
22,564
763
(2,387)
Total
$
22,127
$
676
$
(371)
$
23,662
$
802
$
(2,423)
We engage in derivative transactions directly with unaffiliated third parties under International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc. (ISDA)
agreements and other documentation. Most of the ISDA agreements also include Credit Support Annex (CSA) provisions, which generally provide
for two-way collateral postings, in certain cases at the first dollar of exposure and in other cases once various rating and exposure threshold levels
are triggered. We mitigate the risk that counterparties to transactions might be unable to fulfill their contractual obligations by monitoring
counterparty credit exposure and collateral value while generally requiring that collateral be posted at the outset of the transaction or that additional
collateral be posted upon the occurrence of certain events or circumstances. In addition, a significant portion of the derivative transactions have
provisions that require collateral to be posted upon a downgrade of our long-term debt ratings or give the counterparty the right to terminate the
transaction upon a downgrade of Aflac’s financial strength rating. The actual amount of collateral required to be posted to counterparties in the event
of such downgrades, or the aggregate amount of payments that we could be required to make, depends on market conditions, the fair value of
outstanding affected transactions, and other factors prevailing at and after the time of the downgrade.
The fair value of the collateral posted by us to third parties for derivative transactions was $20 million at December 31, 2015 , which consisted of
$17 million of pledged securities and $3 million of cash, compared with $1.6 billion at December 31, 2014 , which consisted entirely of pledged
securities. This collateral can generally be repledged or resold by the counterparties. The aggregate fair value of all derivative instruments with
credit-risk-related contingent features that were in a net liability position by counterparty was approximately $26 million and $2.1 billion as of
December 31, 2015 and 2014 , respectively. If the credit-risk-related contingent features underlying these agreements had been triggered on
December 31, 2015 , we estimate that we would be required to post a maximum of $6 million of additional collateral to these derivative
counterparties. Collateral obtained by us from third parties for derivative transactions was $412 million
117
and $619 million at December 31, 2015 and 2014 , respectively. We are generally allowed to sell or repledge collateral obtained from our derivative
counterparties, although we do not typically exercise such rights.
Accounting for Derivative Financial Instruments
Freestanding derivatives are carried at estimated fair value in our consolidated balance sheets either as other assets or as other liabilities. See
Note 5 for a discussion on how we determine the fair value of our derivatives. Accruals on derivatives are recorded in accrued investment income or
within other liabilities in the consolidated balance sheets.
If a derivative is not designated as an accounting hedge or its use in managing risk does not qualify for hedge accounting, changes in the
estimated fair value of the derivative are generally reported within derivative and other gains(losses), which is a component of realized investment
gains (losses). The fluctuations in estimated fair value of derivatives that have not been designated for hedge accounting can result in volatility in net
earnings.
Hedge Documentation and Effectiveness Testing
To qualify for hedge accounting treatment, a derivative must be highly effective in mitigating the designated risk of the hedged item. At the
inception of the hedging relationship for hedges we elect to designate for hedge accounting treatment, we formally document all relationships
between hedging instruments and hedged items, as well as our risk-management objective and strategy for undertaking each hedge transaction.
We document the designation of each hedge as either (i) a hedge of the variability of cash flows to be received or paid related to a recognized asset
or liability or the hedge of a forecasted transaction ("cash flow hedge"); (ii) a hedge of the estimated fair value of a recognized asset or liability ("fair
value hedge"); or (iii) a hedge of a net investment in a foreign operation. The documentation process includes linking derivatives and nonderivatives
that are designated as hedges to specific assets or groups of assets or liabilities on the statement of financial position or to specific forecasted
transactions and defining the effectiveness and ineffectiveness testing methods to be used. At the hedge's inception and on an ongoing quarterly
basis, we also formally assess whether the derivatives that are used in hedging transactions have been, and are expected to continue to be, highly
effective in offsetting their designated risk. Hedge effectiveness is assessed using qualitative and quantitative methods.
For assessing hedge effectiveness of cash flow hedges, qualitative methods may include the comparison of critical terms of the derivative to the
hedged item, and quantitative methods may include regression or other statistical analysis of changes in cash flows associated with the hedge
relationship. Hedge ineffectiveness of the hedge relationships on our VIE cash flow hedges is measured each reporting period using the
“Hypothetical Derivative Method.” For derivative instruments that are designated and qualify as cash flow hedges, the effective portion of the gain or
loss on the derivative is reported as a component of other comprehensive income (loss) and reclassified into earnings in the same period or periods
during which the hedged transaction affects earnings. Gains and losses on the derivative representing hedge ineffectiveness are recognized in
current earnings within derivative and other gains (losses). All components of each derivative's gain or loss are included in the assessment of hedge
effectiveness.
For assessing hedge effectiveness of fair value hedges, qualitative methods may include the comparison of critical terms of the derivative to the
hedged item, and quantitative methods may include regression or other statistical analysis of changes in fair value associated with the hedge
relationship. Hedge ineffectiveness of the hedge relationships is measured each reporting period using the dollar offset method. For derivative
instruments that are designated and qualify as fair value hedges, changes in the estimated fair value of the derivative, including amounts measured
as ineffectiveness, and changes in the estimated fair value of the hedged item related to the designated risk being hedged, are reported in current
earnings within derivative and other gains (losses). When assessing the effectiveness of our fair value hedges, we exclude the changes in fair value
related to the difference between the spot and the forward rate on our foreign currency forwards and the time value of options.
For the hedge of our net investment in Aflac Japan, we have designated Parent Company yen-denominated liabilities as non-derivative hedging
instruments and have designated certain foreign currency forwards and options as derivative hedging instruments. We make our net investment
hedge designation at the beginning of each quarter. For assessing hedge effectiveness of net investment hedges, if the total of the designated
Parent Company non-derivative and derivatives notional is equal to or less than our net investment in Aflac Japan, the hedge is deemed to be
effective. If the hedge is effective, the related exchange effect on the yen-denominated liabilities is reported in the unrealized foreign currency
component of other comprehensive income. For derivatives designated as net investment hedges, Aflac follows the forward-rate method. According
to that method, all changes in fair value, including changes related to the forward-rate component of foreign currency forward contracts and the time
value of foreign currency options, are reported in the unrealized foreign currency component of other comprehensive income. Should these
designated net investment hedge
118
positions exceed our net investment in Aflac Japan, the foreign exchange effect on the portion that exceeds our investment in Aflac Japan would be
recognized in current earnings within derivative and other gains (losses).
Discontinuance of Hedge Accounting
We discontinue hedge accounting prospectively when (1) it is determined that the derivative is no longer highly effective in offsetting changes in
the estimated cash flows or fair value of a hedged item; (2) the derivative is de-designated as a hedging instrument; or (3) the derivative expires or is
sold, terminated or exercised.
When hedge accounting is discontinued on a cash flow hedge or fair value hedge, the derivative is carried in the consolidated balance sheets at
its estimated fair value, with changes in estimated fair value recognized in current period earnings. For discontinued cash flow hedges, including
those where the derivative is sold, terminated or exercised, amounts previously deferred in other comprehensive income (loss) are reclassified into
earnings when earnings are impacted by the cash flow of the hedged item.
Derivative Balance Sheet Classification
The tables below summarize the balance sheet classification of our derivative fair value amounts, as well as the gross asset and liability fair
value amounts, at December 31. The fair value amounts presented do not include income accruals. The notional amount of derivative contracts
represents the basis upon which pay or receive amounts are calculated. Notional amounts are not reflective of credit risk.
(In millions)
Net Derivatives
2015
Asset
Derivatives
Liability
Derivatives
Hedge Designation/ Derivative Type
Cash flow hedges:
Foreign currency swaps
Total cash flow hedges
Fair value hedges:
Foreign currency forwards
Foreign currency options
Total fair value hedges
Net investment hedge:
Foreign currency forwards
Foreign currency options
Total net investment hedge
Non-qualifying strategies:
Foreign currency swaps
Foreign currency forwards
Credit default swaps
Total non-qualifying strategies
Total derivatives
Balance Sheet Location
Other assets
Other liabilities
Total derivatives
Notional
Amount
$
75
75
13,080
1,250
14,330
763
266
1,029
6,599
11
83
6,693
$ 22,127
$ 11,413
10,714
$ 22,127
119
45
0
45
13
(3)
10
264
0
1
265
305
676
(371)
305
$
$
$
Fair Value
Fair Value
Fair Value
$
(15)
(15)
$
0
0
88
0
88
19
5
24
563
0
1
564
$
676
$
$
676
0
676
$
$
$
$
(15)
(15)
(43)
0
(43)
(6)
(8)
(14)
(299)
0
0
(299)
(371)
0
(371)
(371)
(In millions)
Net Derivatives
Hedge Designation/ Derivative Type
Cash flow hedges:
Foreign currency swaps
Total cash flow hedges
Fair value hedges:
Foreign currency forwards
Foreign currency options
Interest rate swaptions
Total fair value hedges
Net investment hedge:
Foreign currency forwards
Total net investment hedge
Non-qualifying strategies:
Foreign currency swaps
Foreign currency forwards
Foreign currency options
Credit default swaps
Interest rate swaptions
Total non-qualifying strategies
Total derivatives
Balance Sheet Location
Other assets
Other liabilities
Total derivatives
Cash Flow Hedges
Notional
Amount
$
75
75
12,388
697
2,502
15,587
1,307
1,307
5,765
784
53
83
8
6,693
$ 23,662
$
6,531
17,131
$ 23,662
(1,791)
(32)
(159)
(1,982)
54
54
443
(119)
(1)
0
(1)
322
$
(1,621)
$
802
(2,423)
$
(1,621)
2014
Asset
Derivatives
Liability
Derivatives
Fair Value
Fair Value
Fair Value
$
(15)
(15)
$
0
0
0
0
0
0
56
56
746
0
0
0
0
746
$
802
$
$
802
0
802
$
(15)
(15)
(1,791)
(32)
(159)
(1,982)
(2)
(2)
(303)
(119)
(1)
0
(1)
(424)
$
(2,423)
$
0
(2,423)
$
(2,423)
Certain of our consolidated VIEs have foreign currency swaps that qualify for hedge accounting treatment. For those that have qualified, we
have designated the derivative as a hedge of the variability in cash flows of a forecasted transaction or of amounts to be received or paid related to
a recognized asset (“cash flow” hedge). We expect to continue this hedging activity for a weighted-average period of approximately 10 years. The
remaining derivatives in our consolidated VIEs that have not qualified for hedge accounting have been designated as held for other investment
purposes (“non-qualifying strategies”).
Fair Value Hedges
We designate and account for certain foreign currency forwards and options as fair value hedges when they meet the requirements for hedge
accounting. These foreign currency forwards and options hedge the foreign currency exposure of certain U.S. dollar-denominated fixed maturity
securities within the investment portfolio of our Aflac Japan segment. We recognize gains and losses on these derivatives and the related hedged
items in current earnings within derivative and other gains (losses). The change in the fair value of the foreign currency forwards related to the
changes in the difference between the spot rate and the forward price is excluded from the assessment of hedge effectiveness. The change in fair
value of the foreign currency option related to the time value of the option is excluded from the assessment of hedge effectiveness.
We designate and account for interest rate swaptions as fair value hedges when they meet the requirements for hedge accounting. These
interest rate swaptions hedge the interest rate exposure of certain U.S. dollar-denominated fixed maturity securities within the investment portfolio of
our Aflac Japan segment. We recognize gains and losses on these derivatives and the related hedged items in current earnings within derivative
and other gains (losses). The change
120
in the fair value of the interest rate swaptions related to the time value of the option is excluded from the assessment of hedge effectiveness.
The following table presents the gains and losses on derivatives and the related hedged items in fair value hedges for the years ended
December 31.
Fair Value Hedging Relationships
(In millions)
Hedging Derivatives
Total
Gains
(Losses)
Gains (Losses)
Excluded from
Effectiveness
Testing
Gains (Losses)
Included in
Effectiveness
Testing
Hedged Items
Hedged
Items
Gains
(Losses)
Ineffectiveness
Recognized for Fair
Value Hedge
Hedging
Derivatives
2015:
Foreign currency
forwards
Foreign currency
options
Interest rate
swaptions
2014:
Foreign currency
forwards
Foreign currency
options
Interest rate
swaptions
2013:
Fixed-maturity
securities
Fixed-maturity
securities
Fixed-maturity
securities
Fixed-maturity
securities
Fixed-maturity
securities
Fixed-maturity
securities
$
(133) $
(136)
$
3 $
(5) $
(4)
(95)
3
19
(7)
(114)
7
99
$
(1,835) $
(38)
$
(1,797)
$
1,819 $
(41)
(318)
(4)
(36)
(37)
(282)
38
316
Foreign currency
forwards
Interest rate
swaptions
Fixed-maturity
securities
Fixed-maturity
securities
Net Investment Hedge
$
(1,735) $
(25)
$
(1,710)
$
1,700 $
17
17
0
0
Our primary exposure to be hedged is our net investment in Aflac Japan, which is affected by changes in the yen/dollar exchange rate. To
mitigate this exposure, we have designated the Parent Company's yen-denominated liabilities (Samurai and Uridashi notes - see Note 9) as non-
derivative hedges and designated foreign currency forwards and options as derivative hedges of the foreign currency exposure of our net
investment in Aflac Japan.
We used foreign exchange forwards and options to hedge foreign exchange risk on 30.0 billion yen, 102.5 billion yen, 25.0 billion yen, and 85.0
billion yen of profit repatriation received from Aflac Japan in February 2015, July 2015, September 2015, and December 2015, respectively. As of
December 31, 2015 , we had entered into foreign exchange forwards and options as part of a hedge on 124.1 billion yen of future profit repatriation.
Our net investment hedge was effective for the years ended December 31, 2015 , 2014 and 2013 .
Non-qualifying Strategies
For our derivative instruments in consolidated VIEs that do not qualify for hedge accounting treatment, all changes in their fair value are
reported in current period earnings within derivative and other gains (losses). The amount of gain or loss recognized in earnings for our VIEs is
attributable to the derivatives in those investment structures. While the change in value of the swaps is recorded through current period earnings,
the change in value of the available-for-sale fixed maturity or perpetual securities associated with these swaps is recorded through other
comprehensive income.
We have cross-currency interest rate swap agreements related to our $400 million senior notes due February 2017, $550 million senior notes
due March 2020, $350 million senior notes due February 2022, $700 million senior notes due June
121
(2)
0
(15)
22
1
34
(10)
0
2023, $750 million senior notes due November 2024, $450 million senior notes due March 2025, and $500 million subordinated debentures due
September 2052. Changes in the values of these swaps are recorded through current period earnings. For additional information regarding these
swaps, see Note 9.
Impact of Derivatives and Hedging Instruments
The following table summarizes the impact to realized investment gains (losses) and other comprehensive income (loss) from all derivatives and
hedging instruments for the years ended December 31.
2015
2014
2013
Realized
Investment
Gains (Losses)
Other
Comprehensive
Income (Loss) (1)
Realized Investment
Gains (Losses)
Other
Comprehensive
Income (Loss) (1)
Realized
Investment
Gains (Losses)
Other
Comprehensive
Income (Loss) (1)
(In millions)
Qualifying hedges:
Cash flow hedges:
$
(2)
(2)
$
(17)
(17)
$
(2)
(2)
$
(10)
(10)
Foreign currency swaps
$
Total cash flow hedges
Fair value hedges:
Foreign currency forwards
(2)
Foreign currency options ( 2)
Interest rate swaptions (2)
Total fair value hedges
Net investment hedge:
Non-derivative hedging
instruments
Foreign currency swaps
Foreign currency forwards
Foreign currency options
Total net investment hedge
Non-qualifying strategies:
Foreign currency swaps
Foreign currency forwards
Foreign currency options
Credit default swaps
Interest rate swaps
Interest rate swaptions
Futures
Total non- qualifying
strategies
0
0
(138)
3
4
(131)
0
0
0
0
0
16
100
0
1
5
0
(1)
$
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
0
4
0
7
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
(16)
(3)
(2)
(21)
0
0
0
0
0
151
(11)
0
3
(1)
1
(89)
0
0
0
0
39
0
89
(3)
125
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
(35)
0
17
(18)
0
0
0
0
0
346
0
11
31
(8)
(29)
(5)
0
0
0
0
155
(104)
24
4
79
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
121
(10)
0
7
54
31
0
108
346
326
Total
(1) Cash flow hedge items are recorded as unrealized gains (losses) on derivatives and net investment hedge items are recorded in the unrealized foreign currency translation
69
$
$
$
$
$
$
gains (losses) line in the consolidated statement of comprehensive income (loss).
(2) Impact shown net of effect of hedged items (see Fair Value Hedges section of this Note 4 for further detail)
There was no gain or loss reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) into earnings related to our designated cash flow
hedges and net investment hedge for the years ended December 31, 2015 , 2014 and 2013 . As of December 31, 2015 , deferred gains and losses
on derivative instruments recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income that are expected to be reclassified to earnings during the next
twelve months were immaterial.
Offsetting of Financial Instruments and Derivatives
Some of the Company's derivative instruments are subject to enforceable master netting arrangements that provide for the net settlement of all
derivative contracts between the Parent Company or Aflac and its respective counterparty in the event of default or upon the occurrence of certain
termination events. Collateral support agreements with certain of the master netting arrangements provide that the Company will receive or pledge
financial collateral in the event either minimum thresholds, or in certain cases ratings levels, have been reached.
We have securities lending agreements with unaffiliated financial institutions that post collateral to us in return for the use of our fixed maturity
securities (see Note 3). When we have entered into securities lending agreements with the same counterparty, the agreements generally provide for
net settlement in the event of default by the counterparty. This right of
122
set-off would allow us to keep and apply collateral received if the counterparty failed to return the securities borrowed from us as contractually
agreed. For additional information on the Company's accounting policy for securities lending, see
Note 1.
The tables below summarize our derivatives and securities lending transactions as of December 31, and as reflected in the tables, in
accordance with U.S. GAAP, our policy is to not offset these financial instruments in the Consolidated Balance Sheets.
Offsetting of Financial Assets and Derivative Assets
2015
Gross Amounts Not Offset
in Balance Sheet
Gross Amount
of Recognized
Assets
Gross Amount
Offset in
Balance Sheet
Net Amount of
Assets Presented
in Balance Sheet
Carrying Value of
Financial
Instruments
Collateral
Received
Net Amount
(In millions)
Derivative assets:
Foreign currency swaps
$
Foreign currency forwards
Foreign currency options
Credit default swaps
Total derivative assets,
subject to a master
netting arrangement
or offsetting
arrangement
Securities lending and
similar arrangements
Total
$
563
107
5
1
676
921
$
1,597
$
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
$
$
563
107
5
1
676
921
$ 1,597
$
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
$
(313)
(96)
(3)
0
$
250
11
2
1
(412) (1)
264
(921)
0
$
(1,333)
$
264
(1) Consists of $86 of pledged securities and $326 of cash.
2014
Gross Amounts Not Offset
in Balance Sheet
Gross Amount
of Recognized
Assets
Gross Amount
Offset in Balance
Sheet
Net Amount of
Assets Presented
in Balance Sheet
Carrying Value of
Financial
Instruments
Collateral
Received
Net Amount
(In millions)
Derivative assets:
Foreign currency swaps
Foreign currency forwards
$
746
56
$
0
0
$
746
$
56
0
0
$
(568)
(51)
$
178
5
Total derivative assets,
subject to a master
netting arrangement
or offsetting
arrangement
Securities lending and
similar arrangements
Total
802
2,149
$
2,951
$
0
0
0
802
2,149
$ 2,951
$
0
0
0
(619) (1)
183
(2,149)
0
$
(2,768)
$
183
(1) Consists of $153 of pledged securities and $466 of cash.
123
Total
$ (1,312)
$
(1) Consists of $17 of pledged securities and $3 of cash.
Offsetting of Financial Liabilities and Derivative Liabilities
2015
Gross Amounts Not Offset
in Balance Sheet
Gross Amount
of Recognized
Liabilities
Gross Amount
Offset in Balance
Sheet
Net Amount of
Liabilities
Presented in
Balance Sheet
Carrying Value
of Financial
Instruments
$
(314)
$
(49)
(8)
(371)
(941)
0
0
0
0
0
0
$
(314)
$
(49)
(8)
(371)
(941)
$ (1,312)
$
2014
0
0
0
0
921
921
$
$
Collateral
Pledged
Net Amount
1
18
1
$ (313)
(31)
(7)
20 (1)
(351)
0
20
(20)
$ (371)
Gross Amount of
Recognized
Liabilities
Gross Amount
Offset in Balance
Sheet
Net Amount of
Liabilities
Presented in
Balance Sheet
Carrying Value
of Financial
Instruments
Collateral
Pledged
Net Amount
Gross Amounts Not Offset
in Balance Sheet
$
(318)
$
(1,912)
(33)
(160)
(2,423)
(2,193)
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
$
(318)
$
(1,912)
(33)
(160)
0
0
0
0
$
0
$
(318)
1,439
24
158
(473)
(9)
(2)
(2,423)
0
1,621 (1)
(802)
(2,193)
2,149
0
(44)
$ (4,616)
$
2,149
$
1,621
$
(846)
(In millions)
Derivative liabilities:
Foreign currency swaps
Foreign currency forwards
Foreign currency options
Total derivative liabilities,
subject to a master
netting arrangement
or offsetting
arrangement
Securities lending and
similar arrangements
(In millions)
Derivative liabilities:
Foreign currency swaps
Foreign currency forwards
Foreign currency options
Interest rate swaptions
Total derivative liabilities,
subject to a master
netting arrangement
or offsetting
arrangement
Securities lending and
similar arrangements
Total
$ (4,616)
$
(1) Consists entirely of pledged securities.
For additional information on our financial instruments, see the accompanying Notes 1, 3 and 5.
5. FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS
Fair Value Hierarchy
U.S. GAAP specifies a hierarchy of valuation techniques based on whether the inputs to those valuation techniques are observable or
unobservable. These two types of inputs create three valuation hierarchy levels. Level 1 valuations reflect quoted market prices for identical assets
or liabilities in active markets. Level 2 valuations reflect quoted market prices for similar assets or liabilities in an active market, quoted market prices
for identical or similar assets or liabilities in non-active markets or model-derived valuations in which all significant valuation inputs are observable in
active markets. Level 3 valuations reflect valuations in which one or more of the significant inputs are not observable in an active market.
The following tables present the fair value hierarchy levels of the Company's assets and liabilities that are measured and carried at fair value on
a recurring basis as of December 31.
124
(In millions)
Assets:
Securities available for sale, carried at
fair value:
Fixed maturities:
Government and agencies
Municipalities
Mortgage- and asset-backed securities
Public utilities
Sovereign and supranational
Banks/financial institutions
Other corporate
Total fixed maturities
Perpetual securities:
Banks/financial institutions
Other corporate
Total perpetual securities
Equity securities
Other assets:
Foreign currency swaps
Foreign currency forwards
Foreign currency options
Credit default swaps
Total other assets
Other investments
Cash and cash equivalents
Total assets
Liabilities:
Foreign currency swaps
Foreign currency forwards
Foreign currency options
Total liabilities
2015
Quoted Prices in
Active Markets
for Identical
Assets
(Level 1)
Significant
Observable
Inputs
(Level 2)
Significant
Unobservable
Inputs
(Level 3)
Total
Fair
Value
$
18,669
$
607
$
1,208
362
7,479
1,407
5,993
29,378
46,434
1,742
205
1,947
6
462
107
5
0
574
0
0
0
0
220
0
0
26
0
246
0
0
0
3
101
0
0
1
102
0
0
$ 19,276
1,208
582
7,479
1,407
6,019
29,378
65,349
1,742
205
1,947
498
563
107
5
1
676
176
4,350
$ 48,961
$
$
21
49
8
78
$
$
$
351
$ 72,996
293
0
0
293
$
$
314
49
8
371
0
0
0
0
0
0
18,669
0
0
0
489
0
0
0
0
0
176
4,350
23,684
0
0
0
0
125
$
$
$
(In millions)
Assets:
Securities available for sale, carried at
fair value:
Fixed maturities:
Government and agencies
Municipalities
Mortgage- and asset-backed securities
Public utilities
Sovereign and supranational
Banks/financial institutions
Other corporate
Total fixed maturities
Perpetual securities:
Banks/financial institutions
Other corporate
Total perpetual securities
Equity securities
Other assets:
Foreign currency swaps
Foreign currency forwards
Total other assets
Other investments
Cash and cash equivalents
Total assets
Liabilities:
Foreign currency swaps
Foreign currency forwards
Foreign currency options
Interest rate swaptions
Total liabilities
2014
Quoted Prices in
Active Markets
for Identical
Assets
(Level 1)
Significant
Observable
Inputs
(Level 2)
Significant
Unobservable
Inputs
(Level 3)
Total
Fair
Value
$ 18,683
$
515
$
0
0
0
0
0
0
18,683
0
0
0
19
0
0
0
171
4,658
1,257
379
7,897
1,416
6,572
28,605
46,641
2,289
231
2,520
6
640
56
696
0
0
$ 23,531
$ 49,863
0
0
223
0
0
26
0
249
149
0
149
3
106
0
106
0
0
$ 19,198
1,257
602
7,897
1,416
6,598
28,605
65,573
2,438
231
2,669
28
746
56
802
171
4,658
$
$
507
$ 73,901
318
$
318
0
0
0
1,912
33
160
$
0
1,912
33
160
$
2,105
$
318
$
2,423
$
$
0
0
0
0
0
126
The following tables present the carrying amount and fair value categorized by fair value hierarchy level for the Company's financial instruments
that are not carried at fair value as of December 31.
Quoted Prices in
Active Markets
for Identical
Assets
(Level 1)
Carrying
Value
2015
Significant
Observable
Inputs
(Level 2)
Significant
Unobservable
Inputs
(Level 3)
Total
Fair
Value
(In millions)
Assets:
Securities held to maturity,
carried at amortized cost:
Fixed maturities:
Government and agencies
$
20,004
$
23,391
$
0
$
Municipalities
Mortgage and asset-backed
securities
Public utilities
Sovereign and
supranational
Banks/financial institutions
Other corporate
Other investments
Total assets
Liabilities:
341
36
3,092
2,555
4,431
3,000
118
$
33,577
Other policyholders’ funds
$
6,285
Notes payable
(excluding capital leases)
4,991
$
$
Total liabilities
$
11,276
$
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
23,391
0
0
0
127
415
12
3,203
2,711
4,546
3,216
0
0
0
26
0
0
0
0
118
$
23,391
415
38
3,203
2,711
4,546
3,216
118
$
$
$
14,103
$
144
$
37,638
0
$
6,160
$
6,160
0
0
5,285
5,285
$
11,445
$
11,445
Quoted Prices in
Active Markets
for Identical
Assets
(Level 1)
Carrying
Value
Significant
Observable
Inputs
(Level 2)
Significant
Unobservable
Inputs
(Level 3)
Total
Fair
Value
2014
(In millions)
Assets:
Securities held to maturity,
carried at amortized cost:
Fixed maturities:
Government and agencies
$
20,023
$ 23,218
$
Municipalities
Mortgage and asset-backed
securities
Public utilities
Sovereign and
supranational
Banks/financial institutions
Other corporate
Total assets
Liabilities:
Other policyholders’ funds
Notes payable
(excluding capital leases)
$
$
346
43
3,342
2,556
4,932
3,000
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
417
15
3,603
2,814
5,085
3,314
34,242
$ 23,218
$ 15,248
6,031
5,268
$
$
0
0
0
$
$
0
0
0
$
$
$
0
0
31
0
0
0
0
$ 23,218
417
46
3,603
2,814
5,085
3,314
31
$ 38,497
5,905
$
5,905
5,835
5,835
$ 11,740
$ 11,740
Total liabilities
$
11,299
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
U.S. GAAP requires disclosure of the fair value of certain financial instruments including those that are not carried at fair value. The carrying
amounts for cash and cash equivalents, other investments, receivables, accrued investment income, accounts payable, cash collateral and
payables for security transactions approximated their fair values due to the nature of these instruments. Liabilities for future policy benefits and
unpaid policy claims are not financial instruments as defined by U.S. GAAP.
Fixed maturities, perpetual securities, and equity securities
We determine the fair values of our fixed maturity securities, perpetual securities, and public and privately issued equity securities using the
following approaches or techniques: price quotes and valuations from third party pricing vendors (including quoted market prices readily available
from public exchange markets) and non-binding price quotes we obtain from outside brokers.
A third party pricing vendor has developed valuation models to determine fair values of privately issued securities to reflect the impact of the
persistent economic environment and the changing regulatory framework. These models are discounted cash flow (DCF) valuation models, but also
use information from related markets, specifically the CDS market to estimate expected cash flows. These models take into consideration any
unique characteristics of the securities and make various adjustments to arrive at an appropriate issuer-specific loss adjusted credit curve. This
credit curve is then used with the relevant recovery rates to estimate expected cash flows and modeling of additional features, including illiquidity
adjustments, if necessary, to price the security by discounting those loss adjusted cash flows. In cases where a credit curve cannot be developed
from the specific security features, the valuation methodology takes into consideration other market observable inputs, including: 1) the most
appropriate comparable security(ies) of the issuer; 2) issuer-specific CDS spreads; 3) bonds or CDS spreads of comparable issuers with similar
characteristics such as rating, geography, or sector; or 4) bond indices that are comparative in rating, industry, maturity and region.
The pricing data and market quotes we obtain from outside sources, including third party pricing services, are reviewed internally for
reasonableness. If a fair value appears unreasonable, we will re-examine the inputs and assess the reasonableness of the pricing data with the
vendor. Additionally, we may compare the inputs to relevant market indices
128
and other performance measurements. The output of this analysis is presented to the Company's Valuation and Classifications Subcommittee, or
VCS. Based on the analysis provided to the VCS, the valuation is confirmed or may be revised if there is evidence of a more appropriate estimate of
fair value based on available market data. We have performed verification of the inputs and calculations in any valuation models to confirm that the
valuations represent reasonable estimates of fair value.
The fixed maturities classified as Level 3 consist of securities for which there are limited or no observable valuation inputs. For Level 3 securities
that are investment grade, we estimate the fair value of these securities by obtaining non-binding broker quotes from a limited number of brokers.
These brokers base their quotes on a combination of their knowledge of the current pricing environment and market conditions. We consider these
inputs to be unobservable. For Level 3 investments that are below-investment-grade securities, we consider a variety of significant valuation inputs
in the valuation process, including forward exchange rates, yen swap rates, dollar swap rates, interest rate volatilities, credit spread data on specific
issuers, assumed default and default recovery rates, and certain probability assumptions. In obtaining these valuation inputs, we have determined
that certain pricing assumptions and data used by our pricing sources are difficult to validate or corroborate by the market and/or appear to be
internally developed rather than observed in or corroborated by the market. The use of these unobservable valuation inputs causes more subjectivity
in the valuation process for these securities.
For the periods presented, we have not adjusted the quotes or prices we obtain from the pricing services and brokers we use.
The following tables present the pricing sources for the fair values of our fixed maturities, perpetual securities, and equity securities as of
December 31.
129
(In millions)
Securities available for sale, carried at fair value:
Fixed maturities:
Government and agencies:
Third party pricing vendor
Total government and agencies
Municipalities:
Third party pricing vendor
Total municipalities
Mortgage- and asset-backed securities:
Third party pricing vendor
Broker/other
Total mortgage- and asset-backed securities
Public utilities:
Third party pricing vendor
Total public utilities
Sovereign and supranational:
Third party pricing vendor
Total sovereign and supranational
Banks/financial institutions:
Third party pricing vendor
Broker/other
Total banks/financial institutions
Other corporate:
Third party pricing vendor
Total other corporate
Total fixed maturities
Perpetual securities:
Banks/financial institutions:
Third party pricing vendor
Total banks/financial institutions
Other corporate:
Third party pricing vendor
Total other corporate
Total perpetual securities
Equity securities:
Third party pricing vendor
Broker/other
Total equity securities
Total securities available for sale
$
Quoted Prices in
Active Markets for
Identical Assets
(Level 1)
Significant
Observable Inputs
(Level 2)
Significant
Unobservable Inputs
(Level 3)
Total
Fair
Value
2015
$
18,669
18,669
$
607
607
$
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
18,669
0
0
0
0
0
489
0
489
19,158
1,208
1,208
362
0
362
7,479
7,479
1,407
1,407
5,993
0
5,993
29,378
29,378
46,434
1,742
1,742
205
205
1,947
6
0
6
48,387
$
$
130
0
0
0
0
0
220
220
0
0
0
0
0
26
26
0
0
246
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
3
249
$
19,276
19,276
1,208
1,208
362
220
582
7,479
7,479
1,407
1,407
5,993
26
6,019
29,378
29,378
65,349
1,742
1,742
205
205
1,947
495
3
498
67,794
$
Quoted Prices in
Active Markets for
Identical Assets
(Level 1)
Significant
Observable Inputs
(Level 2)
Significant
Unobservable Inputs
(Level 3)
Total
Fair
Value
2015
(In millions)
Securities held to maturity, carried at amortized cost:
Fixed maturities:
Government and agencies:
Third party pricing vendor
Total government and agencies
Municipalities:
Third party pricing vendor
Total municipalities
Mortgage- and asset-backed securities:
Third party pricing vendor
Broker/other
Total mortgage- and asset-backed securities
Public utilities:
Third party pricing vendor
Total public utilities
Sovereign and supranational:
Third party pricing vendor
Total sovereign and supranational
Banks/financial institutions:
Third party pricing vendor
Total banks/financial institutions
Other corporate:
Third party pricing vendor
Broker/other
Total other corporate
Total securities held to maturity
$
$
23,391
23,391
$
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
415
415
12
0
12
3,203
3,203
2,711
2,711
4,546
4,546
0
0
0
23,391
131
3,189
27
3,216
14,103
$
$
$
0
0
0
0
0
26
26
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
26
$
23,391
23,391
415
415
12
26
38
3,203
3,203
2,711
2,711
4,546
4,546
3,189
27
3,216
37,520
$
(In millions)
Securities available for sale, carried at fair value:
Fixed maturities:
Government and agencies:
Third party pricing vendor
Total government and agencies
Municipalities:
Third party pricing vendor
Total municipalities
Mortgage- and asset-backed securities:
Third party pricing vendor
Broker/other
Total mortgage- and asset-backed securities
Public utilities:
Third party pricing vendor
Total public utilities
Sovereign and supranational:
Third party pricing vendor
Total sovereign and supranational
Banks/financial institutions:
Third party pricing vendor
Broker/other
Total banks/financial institutions
Other corporate:
Third party pricing vendor
Total other corporate
Total fixed maturities
Perpetual securities:
Banks/financial institutions:
Third party pricing vendor
Broker/other
Total banks/financial institutions
Other corporate:
Third party pricing vendor
Total other corporate
Total perpetual securities
Equity securities:
Third party pricing vendor
Broker/other
Total equity securities
Total securities available for sale
$
Quoted Prices in
Active Markets
for Identical Assets
(Level 1)
Significant Observable
Inputs
(Level 2)
Significant
Unobservable Inputs
(Level 3)
Total
Fair
Value
2014
$
18,683
18,683
$
515
515
$
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
18,683
0
0
0
0
0
0
19
0
19
18,702
132
1,257
1,257
379
0
379
7,897
7,897
1,416
1,416
6,514
58
6,572
28,605
28,605
46,641
2,289
0
2,289
231
231
2,520
6
0
6
49,167
$
$
0
0
0
0
0
223
223
0
0
0
0
0
26
26
0
0
249
0
149
149
0
0
149
0
3
3
401
$
19,198
19,198
1,257
1,257
379
223
602
7,897
7,897
1,416
1,416
6,514
84
6,598
28,605
28,605
65,573
2,289
149
2,438
231
231
2,669
25
3
28
68,270
$
Quoted Prices in
Active Markets
for Identical Assets
(Level 1)
Significant Observable
Inputs
(Level 2)
Significant
Unobservable Inputs
(Level 3)
Total
Fair
Value
2014
(In millions)
Securities held to maturity, carried at amortized cost:
Fixed maturities:
Government and agencies:
Third party pricing vendor
Total government and agencies
Municipalities:
Third party pricing vendor
Total municipalities
Mortgage- and asset-backed securities:
Third party pricing vendor
Broker/other
Total mortgage- and asset-backed securities
Public utilities:
Third party pricing vendor
Total public utilities
Sovereign and supranational:
Third party pricing vendor
Total sovereign and supranational
Banks/financial institutions:
Third party pricing vendor
Total banks/financial institutions
Other corporate:
Third party pricing vendor
Broker/other
Total other corporate
Total securities held to maturity
$
$
23,218
23,218
$
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
417
417
15
0
15
3,603
3,603
2,814
2,814
5,085
5,085
0
0
0
23,218
133
3,287
27
3,314
15,248
$
$
$
0
0
0
0
0
31
31
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
31
$
23,218
23,218
417
417
15
31
46
3,603
3,603
2,814
2,814
5,085
5,085
3,287
27
3,314
38,497
$
The following is a discussion of the determination of fair value of our remaining financial instruments.
Derivatives
We use derivative instruments to manage the risk associated with certain assets. However, the derivative instrument may not be classified in the
same fair value hierarchy level as the associated asset. Inputs used to value derivatives include, but are not limited to, interest rates, credit spreads,
foreign currency forward and spot rates, and interest volatility.
The fair values of the foreign currency forwards, options, and interest rate swaptions associated with certain fixed-maturity securities; the foreign
currency forwards and options used to hedge foreign exchange risk from our net investment in Aflac Japan and economically hedge certain portions
of forecasted cash flows denominated in yen; and the foreign currency swaps associated with certain senior notes and our subordinated debentures
are based on the amounts we would expect to receive or pay. The determination of the fair value of these derivatives is based on observable market
inputs, therefore they are classified as Level 2.
For derivatives associated with VIEs where we are the primary beneficiary, we are not the direct counterparty to the swap contracts. As a result,
the fair value measurements incorporate the credit risk of the collateral associated with the VIE. We receive valuations from a third party pricing
vendor for these derivatives. Based on an analysis of these derivatives and a review of the methodology employed by the pricing vendor, we
determined that due to the long duration of these swaps and the need to extrapolate from short-term observable data to derive and measure long-
term inputs, certain inputs, assumptions and judgments are required to value future cash flows that cannot be corroborated by current inputs or
current observable market data. As a result, the derivatives associated with our consolidated VIEs are classified as Level 3 of the fair value
hierarchy.
Other policyholders' funds
The largest component of the other policyholders' funds liability is our annuity line of business in Aflac Japan. Our annuities have fixed benefits
and premiums. For this product, we estimated the fair value to be equal to the cash surrender value. This is analogous to the value paid to
policyholders on the valuation date if they were to surrender their policy. We periodically check the cash value against discounted cash flow
projections for reasonableness. We consider our inputs for this valuation to be unobservable and have accordingly classified this valuation as Level
3.
Notes payable
The fair values of our publicly issued notes payable classified as Level 3 were obtained from a limited number of independent brokers. These
brokers base their quotes on a combination of their knowledge of the current pricing environment and market conditions. We consider these inputs
to be unobservable. The fair values of our yen-denominated loans approximate their carrying values.
134
Transfers between Hierarchy Levels and Level 3 Rollfoward
There were no transfers between Level 1 and 2 for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014 , respectively.
The following tables present the changes in fair value of our available-for-sale investments and derivatives classified as Level 3 as of December
31.
Fixed Maturities
Perpetual
Securities
Equity
Securities
Derivatives (1)
2015
Mortgage-
and
Asset-
Backed
Securities
Public
Utilities
Sovereign
and
Supranational
Banks/
Financial
Institutions
Other
Corporate
Banks/
Financial
Institutions
Interest
Rate
Swaps
Foreign
Currency
Swaps
Credit
Default
Swaps Total
$
223 $
0 $
0 $
26 $
0 $
149
$
3 $
0 $
(212) $
0 $ 189
0
0
(1)
0
0
0
0
(2)
0
0
220 $
0
0
0
0
0
0
0 $
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0 $
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
26 $
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0 $
0
(2)
0
0
(147)
0
0
0
0
0
0
(15)
1
(14)
0
0
(1)
0
(4)
0
0
0
0
0
0
$
3 $
0
0
0
0
0
0
0 $
0
0
0
36
0
0
(192) $
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
(147)
34
0
0
1 $ 58
0 $
0 $
0 $
0 $
0 $
0
$
0 $
0 $
(15) $
1 $ (14)
(In millions)
Balance, beginning of
period
Realized investment
gains (losses) included
in earnings
Unrealized gains (losses)
included in other
comprehensive income
(loss)
Purchases, issuances,
sales and settlements:
Purchases
Issuances
Sales
Settlements
Transfers into Level 3
Transfers out of Level 3
Balance, end of period
$
Changes in unrealized
gains (losses) relating
to Level 3 assets and
liabilities still held at
the end of the period
included in realized
investment gains (losses) $
(1) Derivative assets and liabilities are presented net
135
Fixed Maturities
Perpetual
Securities
Equity
Securities
Derivatives (1)
2014
Mortgage-
and
Asset-
Backed
Securities
Public
Utilities
Sovereign
and
Supranational
Banks/
Financial
Institutions
Other
Corporate
Banks/
Financial
Institutions
Interest
Rate
Swaps
Foreign
Currency
Swaps
Credit
Default
Swaps Total
$
369 $
0 $
0 $
23 $
0 $
52
$
3 $
1
$
(99) $
(3)
$ 346
0
0
(134)
0
0
0
0
(12)
0
0
223 $
0
0
0
0
0
0
0 $
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0 $
0
3
0
0
0
0
0
0
26 $
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
8
0
0
(60)
0
149
0
0
(1)
(191)
3
(189)
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
(17)
0
(140)
0
0
0
95
0
0
(212) $
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
(60)
83
149
0
0 $ 189
$
0 $
149
$
3 $
0 $
0 $
0 $
0 $
0 $
0
$
0 $
(1)
$
(191) $
3 $ (189)
(In millions)
Balance, beginning of
period
Realized investment
gains (losses) included
in earnings
Unrealized gains (losses)
included in other
comprehensive income
(loss)
Purchases, issuances,
sales and settlements:
Purchases
Issuances
Sales
Settlements
Transfers into Level 3 (2)
Transfers out of Level 3
Balance, end of period
$
Changes in unrealized
gains (losses) relating
to Level 3 assets and
liabilities still held at
the end of the period
included in realized
investment gains (losses) $
(1) Derivative assets and liabilities are presented net
(2) Due to use of estimated redemption price
136
Fair Value Sensitivity
Level 3 Significant Unobservable Input Sensitivity
The following tables summarize the significant unobservable inputs used in the valuation of our Level 3 available-for-sale investments and
derivatives as of December 31. Included in the tables are the inputs or range of possible inputs that have an effect on the overall valuation of the
financial instruments.
2015
Fair Value
Valuation
Technique(s)
Unobservable Input
(In millions)
Assets:
Securities available for sale, carried at fair value:
Fixed maturities:
Mortgage- and asset-backed securities
$ 220
Consensus pricing
Offered quotes
Range
(Weighted
Average)
N/A
N/A
Banks/financial institutions
Equity securities
Other assets:
26
3
Consensus pricing
Offered quotes
Net asset value
Offered quotes
$1 - $677 ($7)
Foreign currency swaps
7
Discounted cash flow
Interest rates (USD)
2.20% - 2.62%
Interest rates (JPY)
.42% - 1.22%
CDS spreads
32 - 147 bps
Foreign exchange
rates
20.05%
94
Discounted cash flow
Interest rates (USD)
2.20% - 2.62%
Interest rates (JPY)
.42% - 1.22%
Foreign exchange
rates
20.05%
Credit default swaps
1
Discounted cash flow
Base correlation
53.26% - 58.40%
CDS spreads
Recovery rate
123 bps
36.87%
Total assets
$ 351
(a) Inputs derived from U.S. long-term rates to accommodate long maturity nature of our swaps
(b) Inputs derived from Japan long-term rates to accommodate long maturity nature of our swaps
(c) Based on 10 year volatility of JPY/USD exchange rate
(d) N/A represents securities where we receive unadjusted broker quotes and for which there is no transparency into the providers' valuation techniques or unobservable
inputs.
(e) Range of base correlation for our bespoke tranche for attachment and detachment points corresponding to market indices
137
(d)
(d)
(a)
(b)
(c)
(a)
(b)
(c)
(e)
(In millions)
Liabilities:
2015
Fair Value
Valuation
Technique(s)
Unobservable Input
Range
(Weighted
Average)
Foreign currency swaps
$ 158
Discounted cash flow
Interest rates (USD)
2.20% - 2.62%
Interest rates (JPY)
.42% - 1.22%
CDS spreads
32 - 147 bps
Foreign exchange
rates
20.05%
120
Discounted cash flow
Interest rates (USD)
2.20% - 2.62%
15
Discounted cash flow
Interest rates (USD)
2.20% - 2.62%
Interest rates (JPY)
.42% - 1.22%
CDS spreads
35 - 213 bps
Interest rates (JPY)
.42% - 1.22%
Foreign exchange
rates
20.05%
(a)
(b)
(c)
(a)
(b)
(a)
(b)
(c)
Total liabilities
$ 293
(a) Inputs derived from U.S. long-term rates to accommodate long maturity nature of our swaps
(b) Inputs derived from Japan long-term rates to accommodate long maturity nature of our swaps
(c) Based on 10 year volatility of JPY/USD exchange rate
138
2014
Fair Value
Valuation
Technique(s)
Unobservable Input
Range
(Weighted
Average)
(In millions)
Assets:
Securities available for sale, carried at fair value:
Fixed maturities:
Mortgage- and asset-backed securities
$ 223
Consensus pricing
Offered quotes
26
Consensus pricing
Offered quotes
Banks/financial institutions
Perpetual securities:
Banks/financial institutions
Equity securities
Other assets:
149
3
Consensus pricing
Offered quotes
Net asset value
Offered quotes
$1-$677 ($6)
Foreign currency swaps
8
Discounted cash flow
Interest rates (USD)
2.28% - 2.70%
Interest rates (JPY)
.53% - 1.34%
CDS spreads
16 - 105 bps
Foreign exchange
rates
20.50%
98
Discounted cash flow
Interest rates (USD)
2.28% - 2.70%
Interest rates (JPY)
.53% - 1.34%
Foreign exchange
rates
20.50%
Total assets
$ 507
(a) Inputs derived from U.S. long-term rates to accommodate long maturity nature of our swaps
(b) Inputs derived from Japan long-term rates to accommodate long maturity nature of our swaps
(c) Based on 10 year volatility of JPY/USD exchange rate
(d) N/A represents securities where we receive unadjusted broker quotes and for which there is no transparency into the providers' valuation techniques or unobservable
inputs.
139
N/A
N/A
N/A
(d)
(d)
(d)
(a)
(b)
(c)
(a)
(b)
(c)
(In millions)
Liabilities:
2014
Fair Value
Valuation
Technique(s)
Unobservable Input
Range
(Weighted
Average)
Foreign currency swaps
$ 176
Discounted cash flow
Interest rates (USD)
2.28% - 2.70%
Interest rates (JPY)
.53% - 1.34%
CDS spreads
16 - 105 bps
Foreign exchange
rates
20.50%
111
Discounted cash flow
Interest rates (USD)
2.28% - 2.70%
31
Discounted cash flow
Interest rates (USD)
2.28% - 2.70%
Interest rates (JPY)
.53% - 1.34%
CDS spreads
13 - 145 bps
Interest rates (JPY)
.53% - 1.34%
Foreign exchange
rates
20.50%
(a)
(b)
(c)
(a)
(b)
(a)
(b)
(c)
Total liabilities
$ 318
(a) Inputs derived from U.S. long-term rates to accommodate long maturity nature of our swaps
(b) Inputs derived from Japan long-term rates to accommodate long maturity nature of our swaps
(c) Based on 10 year volatility of JPY/USD exchange rate
140
The following is a discussion of the significant unobservable inputs or valuation technique used in determining the fair value of securities and
derivatives classified as Level 3.
Net Asset Value
We hold certain unlisted equity securities whose fair value is derived based on the financial statements published by the investee. These
securities do not trade on an active market and the valuations derived are dependent on the availability of timely financial reporting of the investee.
Net asset value is an unobservable input in the determination of fair value of equity securities.
Offered Quotes
In circumstances where our valuation model price is overridden because it implies a value that is not consistent with current market conditions,
we will solicit bids from a limited number of brokers. We also receive unadjusted prices from brokers for our mortgage and asset-backed securities.
These quotes are non-binding but are reflective of valuation best estimates at that particular point in time. Offered quotes are an unobservable input
in the determination of fair value of mortgage- and asset-backed securities, certain banks/financial institutions, certain other corporate, and equity
securities investments.
Interest Rates, CDS Spreads, Foreign Exchange Rates
The significant drivers of the valuation of the interest and foreign exchange swaps are interest rates, foreign exchange rates and CDS spreads.
Our swaps have long maturities that increase the sensitivity of the swaps to interest rate fluctuations. Since most of our yen-denominated cross
currency swaps are in a net liability position, an increase in interest rates will decrease the liabilities and increase the value of the swap.
Foreign exchange swaps also have a lump-sum final settlement of foreign exchange principal receivables at the termination of the swap. An
increase in yen interest rates will decrease the value of the final settlement foreign exchange receivables and decrease the value of the swap, and
an increase in U.S. dollar interest rates increase the swap value.
A similar sensitivity pattern is observed for the foreign exchange rates. When the spot U.S. dollar/Japanese yen (USD/JPY) foreign exchange
rate decreases and the swap is receiving a final exchange payment in JPY, the swap value will increase due to the appreciation of the JPY. Most of
our swaps are designed to receive payments in JPY at the termination and will thus be impacted by the USD/JPY foreign exchange rate in this way.
In cases where there is no final foreign exchange receivable in JPY and we are paying JPY as interest payments and receiving USD, a decrease in
the foreign exchange rate will lead to a decrease in the swap value.
The extinguisher feature in most of our swaps results in a cessation of cash flows and no further payments between the parties to the swap in
the event of a default on the referenced or underlying collateral. To price this feature, we apply the survival probability of the referenced entity to the
projected cash flows. The survival probability uses the CDS spreads and recovery rates to adjust the present value of the cash flows. For
extinguisher swaps with positive values, an increase in CDS spreads decreases the likelihood of receiving the final exchange payments and reduces
the value of the swap.
Due to the long duration of these swaps and the need to extrapolate from short-term observable data to derive and measure long-term inputs,
certain inputs, assumptions and judgments are required to value future cash flows that cannot be corroborated by current inputs or current
observable market data.
Interest rates, CDS spreads, and foreign exchange rates are unobservable inputs in the determination of fair value of foreign currency swaps.
Base Correlations, CDS Spreads, Recovery Rates
Our remaining CDO is a tranche on a basket of single-name credit default swaps. The risk in this synthetic CDO comes from the single-name
CDS risk and the correlations between the single names. The valuation of synthetic CDOs is dependent on the calibration of market prices for
interest rates, single name CDS default probabilities and base correlation using financial modeling tools. Since there is limited or no observable data
available for this tranche, the base correlations must be obtained from commonly traded market tranches such as the CDX and iTraxx indices. From
the historical prices of these indices, base correlations can be obtained to develop a pricing curve of CDOs with different seniorities. Since the
reference entities of the market indices do not match those in the portfolio underlying the synthetic CDO to be valued, several processing steps are
taken to map the CDO in our portfolio to the indices. With the base
141
correlation determined and the appropriate spreads selected, a valuation is calculated. An increase in the CDS spreads in the underlying portfolio
leads to a decrease in the value due to higher probability of defaults and losses. The impact on the valuation due to base correlation depends on a
number of factors, including the riskiness between market tranches and the modeled tranche based on our portfolio and the equivalence between
detachment points in these tranches. Generally speaking, an increase in base correlation will decrease the value of the senior tranches while
increasing the value of junior tranches. This may result in a positive or negative value change.
The CDO tranche in our portfolio is a senior mezzanine tranche and, due to the low level of credit support for this type of tranche, exhibits
equity-like behavior. As a result, an increase in recovery rates tends to cause its value to decrease.
Base correlations, CDS spreads, and recovery rates are unobservable inputs in the determination of fair value of credit default swaps.
For additional information on our investments and financial instruments, see the accompanying Notes 1, 3 and 4.
6. DEFERRED POLICY ACQUISITION COSTS AND INSURANCE EXPENSES
Consolidated policy acquisition costs deferred were $1.3 billion in 2015 and 2014 , compared with $1.4 billion in 2013 . The following table
presents a rollforward of deferred policy acquisition costs by segment for the years ended December 31.
(In millions)
Deferred policy acquisition costs:
Balance, beginning of year
Capitalization
Amortization
Foreign currency translation and other
Balance, end of year
2015
2014
Japan
U.S.
Japan
U.S.
$ 5,211
$ 3,062
$ 5,819
$ 2,979
738
(578)
(1)
578
(488)
(11)
790
(649)
(749)
548
(459)
(6)
$ 5,370
$ 3,141
$ 5,211
$ 3,062
Commissions deferred as a percentage of total acquisition costs deferred were 74% in 2015 , compared with 77% in 2014 and 81% in 2013 .
Personnel, compensation and benefit expenses as a percentage of insurance expenses were 52% in 2015 and 2014, compared with 51% in
2013 . Advertising expense, which is included in insurance expenses in the consolidated statements of earnings, was as follows for the years ended
December 31:
(In millions)
Advertising expense:
Aflac Japan
Aflac U.S.
Total advertising expense
2015
2014
2013
$
82
$ 103
$ 112
129
126
128
$ 211
$ 229
$ 240
Depreciation and other amortization expenses, which are included in insurance expenses in the consolidated statements of earnings, were as
follows for the years ended December 31:
(In millions)
Depreciation expense
Other amortization expense
Total depreciation and other amortization expense
2015
2014
$
44
$
47
6
8
$
50
$
55
2013
$
$
56
13
69
142
Lease and rental expense, which are included in insurance expenses in the consolidated statements of earnings, were as follows for the years
ended December 31:
(In millions)
Lease and rental expense:
Aflac Japan
Aflac U.S.
Other
Total lease and rental expense
7. POLICY LIABILITIES
2015
2014
2013
$
46
18
1
$
52
15
1
$
55
10
1
$
65
$
68
$
66
Policy liabilities consist of future policy benefits, unpaid policy claims, unearned premiums, and other policyholders' funds, which accounted for
80% , 4% , 9% and 7% of total policy liabilities at December 31, 2015 , respectively. We regularly review the adequacy of our policy liabilities in total
and by component.
The liability for future policy benefits as of December 31 consisted of the following:
143
(In millions)
Health insurance:
Japan:
U.S.:
Policy
Issue Year
2015
2014
Year of
Issue
In 20
Years
Liability Amounts
Interest Rates
1992 - 2015
1974 - 2013
1998 - 2014
1997 - 1999
1994 - 1996
1987 - 1994
1985 - 1991
1978 - 1984
2013 - 2015
2012 - 2015
2011
2005 - 2010
1988 - 2004
1986 - 2004
1981 - 1986
1998 - 2004
Other
$
7,633
$
1,078
11,008
2,435
2,998
14,161
1,868
2,163
57
794
300
2,986
687
1,276
174
1,279
21
3,900
3,449
10,641
2,461
3,023
14,394
1,923
2,260
42
546
276
2,951
706
1,293
183
1,260
21
1.25 - 2.5 %
1.25 - 2.5 %
2.7 - 2.75
2.25 - 2.75
3.0
3.5
4.0 - 4.5
5.5
5.25 - 6.75
6.5
3.0
3.5
4.0 - 4.5
5.5
5.25 - 5.5
5.5
3.0 - 3.5
3.0 - 3.5
3.75
4.75
5.5
8.0
6.0
6.5 - 7.0
7.0
3.75
4.75
5.5
6.0
6.0
5.5 - 6.5
7.0
Intercompany eliminations:
2015
(646) (1)
0
2.0
2.0
Life insurance:
Japan:
2001 - 2015
2011 - 2015
2009 - 2011
1992 - 2006
2005 - 2011
1985 - 2006
2007 - 2011
1999 - 2011
1996 - 2009
1994 - 1996
5,441
3,226
2,332
5
1,330
1,962
1,105
1,988
635
877
3,986
2,298
1,890
0
1,214
2,006
1,010
1,944
633
884
1.5 - 1.85
1.5 - 1.85
2.0
2.25
2.35
2.5
2.7
2.75
3.0
3.5
2.0
2.25
1.77
2.5
2.25
2.75
3.0
3.5
4.0 - 4.5
4.0 - 4.5
U.S.:
Total
1956 - 2015
514
452
3.5 - 6.0
3.5 - 6.0
$ 69,687
$
65,646
(1) Elimination entry necessary due to recapture of a portion of policy liabilities ceded externally, as a result of the reinsurance retrocession transaction as
described in Note 8 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
The weighted-average interest rates reflected in the consolidated statements of earnings for future policy benefits for Japanese policies were
3.6% in 2015 , compared with 3.8% in 2014 and 3.9% in 2013 ; and for U.S. policies, 5.6% in 2015 , compared with 5.7% in 2014 and 5.8% in 2013 .
144
Changes in the liability for unpaid policy claims were as follows for the years ended December 31:
(In millions)
2015
2014
2013
Unpaid supplemental health claims, beginning of year
$ 3,412
$ 3,537
$ 3,781
Less reinsurance recoverables
Net balance, beginning of year
Add claims incurred during the year related to:
Current year
Prior years
Total incurred
Less claims paid during the year on claims incurred during:
Current year
Prior years
Total paid
Effect of foreign exchange rate changes on unpaid claims
Net balance, end of year
Add reinsurance recoverables
Unpaid supplemental health claims, end of year
Unpaid life claims, end of year
Total liability for unpaid policy claims
7
3,405
6,416
(353)
6,063
4,227
1,718
5,945
(1)
3,522
26
3,548
254
9
3,528
6,866
(301)
6,565
4,532
1,873
6,405
(283)
3,405
7
3,412
218
10
3,771
7,215
(236)
6,979
4,834
1,931
6,765
(457)
3,528
9
3,537
226
$ 3,802
$ 3,630
$ 3,763
The incurred claims development related to prior years reflects favorable claims experience compared to previous estimates, primarily in our
lines of business in Japan.
As of December 31, 2015 and 2014 , unearned premiums consisted primarily of discounted advance premiums on deposit. Discounted advance
premiums are premiums on deposit from policyholders in conjunction with their purchase of certain Aflac Japan limited-pay insurance products.
These advanced premiums are deferred upon collection and recognized as premium revenue over the contractual premium payment period. These
advanced premiums represented 77% of the December 31, 2015 and 80% of the December 31, 2014 unearned premiums balances.
As of December 31, 2015 and 2014 , the largest component of the other policyholders' funds liability is our annuity line of business in Aflac
Japan. Our annuities have fixed benefits and premiums. These annuities represented 98% of the December 31, 2015 and 2014 other policyholders'
funds liability.
145
8. REINSURANCE
We enter into fixed quota-share coinsurance agreements with other companies in the normal course of business. For each of our reinsurance
agreements, we determine whether the agreement provides indemnification against loss or liability relating to insurance risk in accordance with
applicable accounting standards. Reinsurance premiums and benefits paid or provided are accounted for on bases consistent with those used in
accounting for the original policies issued and the terms of the reinsurance contracts. Premiums and benefits are reported net of insurance ceded.
Effective March 31, 2015, we entered into a coinsurance transaction whereby we ceded 30.0% of the sickness hospital benefit of one of Aflac
Japan’s closed in-force blocks of business. In December 2015, we entered into an agreement for an $80 million letter of credit as collateral for this
reinsurance transaction (see Note 13 for additional information). Effective April 1, 2015, we entered into a retrocession coinsurance transaction
whereby we assumed 27.0% of the sickness hospital benefit of one of Aflac Japan’s closed in-force blocks of business through our subsidiary CAIC.
Effective October 1, 2014 and September 30, 2013, we entered into coinsurance reinsurance transactions whereby we ceded 16.7% and 33.3%
, respectively, of the hospital benefit of one of Aflac Japan’s closed medical in-force blocks of business. Effective December 31, 2014, we entered
into a retrocession coinsurance reinsurance transaction whereby we assumed 8.35% of the reinsured hospital benefit of one of Aflac Japan’s closed
medical in-force blocks of business through our subsidiary CAIC.
For our reinsurance transactions to date, we have recorded a deferred profit liability related to the reinsurance transactions. The remaining
deferred profit liability of $786 million , as of December 31, 2015 , included in future policy benefits in the consolidated balance sheet, is being
amortized into income over the expected lives of the policies. We also have recorded a reinsurance recoverable for reinsurance transactions, which
is included in other assets in the consolidated balance sheet and had a remaining balance of $805 million as of December 31, 2015 .
The following table reconciles direct premium income and direct benefits and claims to net amounts after the effect of reinsurance for the years
ended December 31.
(In millions)
Direct premium income
Ceded to other companies:
Ceded Aflac Japan closed blocks
Other
Assumed from other companies:
Retrocession activities
Other
Net premium income
Direct benefits and claims
Ceded benefits and change in reserves for future benefits:
Ceded Aflac Japan closed blocks
Other
Assumed from other companies:
Retrocession activities
Other
Benefits and claims, net
2015
2014
$
17,904
$
19,412
$
$
(481)
(39)
178
8
17,570
12,041
(437)
16
167
(41)
$
$
(311)
(39)
0
10
19,072
13,235
(276)
(27)
0
5
$
11,746
$
12,937
These reinsurance transactions are indemnity reinsurance that do not relieve us from our obligations to policyholders. In the event that the
reinsurer is unable to meet their obligations, we remain liable for the reinsured claims.
As a part of our capital contingency plan, we entered into a committed reinsurance facility agreement on December 1, 2015 in the amount of
approximately 110 billion yen. This reinsurance facility agreement is effective from December 1, 2015 until December 31, 2016. There are also
additional commitment periods of a one-year duration each which are automatically extended unless notification is received from the reinsurer within
60 days prior to the expiration. The
146
reinsurer can withdraw from the committed facility if Aflac‘s Standard and Poor's (S&P) rating drops below BBB-. As of December 31, 2015, we have
not executed a reinsurance treaty under this committed reinsurance facility.
9. NOTES PAYABLE
A summary of notes payable as of December 31 follows:
(In millions)
3.45% senior notes paid August 2015
2.65% senior notes due February 2017
8.50% senior notes due May 2019
2.40% senior notes due March 2020
4.00% senior notes due February 2022
3.625% senior notes due June 2023
3.625% senior notes due November 2024
3.25% senior notes due March 2025
6.90% senior notes due December 2039
6.45% senior notes due August 2040
5.50% subordinated debentures due September 2052
Yen-denominated Uridashi notes:
2.26% notes due September 2016 (principal amount 8 billion yen)
Yen-denominated Samurai notes:
1.84% notes due July 2016 (principal amount 15.8 billion yen)
Yen-denominated loans:
3.60% loan paid July 2015 (principal amount 10 billion yen)
3.00% loan paid August 2015 (principal amount 5 billion yen)
Capitalized lease obligations payable through 2022
Total notes payable
(1) Principal amount plus an issuance premium that is being amortized over the life of the notes
(2) Redeemed in April 2015
(3) Principal amount net of an issuance discount that is being amortized over the life of the notes
2015
2014
$
0
652 (1)
0 (2)
550
350
700
749 (3)
448 (3)
397 (3)
448 (3)
500
66
131
0
0
20
$
300
653 (1)
850
0
350
700
749 (3)
0
397 (3)
448 (3)
500
66
131
83
41
14
$ 5,011
$ 5,282
In March 2015, the Parent Company issued two series of senior notes totaling $1.0 billion through a U.S. public debt offering. The first series,
which totaled $550 million , bears interest at a fixed rate of 2.40% per annum, payable semi-annually, and has a five -year maturity. The second
series, which totaled $450 million , bears interest at a fixed rate of 3.25% per annum, payable semi-annually, and has a ten -year maturity. We have
entered into cross-currency swaps that convert the U.S. dollar-denominated principal and interest on the senior notes into yen-denominated
obligations which results in lower nominal net interest rates on the debt. By entering into these cross-currency swaps, we economically converted
our $550 million liability into a 67.0 billion yen liability and reduced the interest rate on this debt from 2.40% in dollars to .24% in yen, and we
economically converted our $450 million liability into a 55.0 billion yen liability and reduced the interest rate on this debt from 3.25% in dollars to
.82% in yen. In April 2015, the Parent Company used the proceeds from the March 2015 issuance of its fixed-rate senior notes to redeem $850
million of our 8.50% fixed-rate senior notes due May 2019 and to pay a portion of the corresponding $230 million make-whole premium due to the
investors of these notes.
In November 2014, the Parent Company issued $750 million of senior notes through a U.S. public debt offering. The notes bear interest at a
fixed rate of 3.625% per annum, payable semi-annually, and have a ten -year maturity. These notes are redeemable at our option in whole at any
time or in part from time to time at a redemption price equal to the greater of: (i) the aggregate principal amount of the notes to be redeemed or (ii)
the amount equal to the sum of the present values of the remaining scheduled payments for principal of and interest on the notes to be redeemed,
not including any portion of the payments of interest accrued as of such redemption date, discounted to such redemption date on a semiannual
basis at the treasury rate plus 20 basis points, plus in each case, accrued and unpaid interest on the principal amount of the notes to be redeemed
to, but excluding, such redemption date. We entered into cross-currency interest rate swaps to reduce interest expense by converting the U.S.
dollar-denominated principal and interest on the
147
senior notes we issued into yen-denominated obligations. By entering into the swaps, we economically converted our $750 million liability into an
85.3 billion yen liability and reduced the interest rate on this debt from 3.625% in dollars to 1.00% in yen.
In June 2013, the Parent Company issued $700 million of senior notes through a U.S. public debt offering. The notes bear interest at a fixed rate
of 3.625% per annum, payable semi-annually, and have a ten -year maturity. These notes are redeemable at our option in whole at any time or in
part from time to time at a redemption price equal to the greater of: (i) the aggregate principal amount of the notes to be redeemed or (ii) the amount
equal to the sum of the present values of the remaining scheduled payments for principal of and interest on the notes to be redeemed, not including
any portion of the payments of interest accrued as of such redemption date, discounted to such redemption date on a semiannual basis at the
treasury rate plus 20 basis points, plus in each case, accrued and unpaid interest on the principal amount of the notes to be redeemed to, but
excluding, such redemption date. We entered into cross-currency interest rate swaps to reduce interest expense by converting the U.S. dollar-
denominated principal and interest on the senior notes we issued into yen-denominated obligations. By entering into these swaps, we economically
converted our $700 million liability into a 69.8 billion yen liability and reduced the interest rate on this debt from 3.625% in dollars to 1.50% in yen.
In September 2012, the Parent Company issued $450 million of subordinated debentures through a U.S. public debt offering. The debentures
bear interest at a fixed rate of 5.50% per annum, payable quarterly, and have a 40 -year maturity. In five years, on or after September 26, 2017 , we
may redeem the debentures, in whole or in part, at their principal amount plus accrued and unpaid interest to, but excluding, the date of redemption;
provided that if the debentures are not redeemed in whole, at least $25 million aggregate principal amount of the debentures must remain
outstanding after giving effect to such redemption. The debentures may only be redeemed prior to September 26, 2017 , in whole but not in part,
upon the occurrence of certain tax events or certain rating agency events, as specified in the indenture governing the terms of the debentures. We
entered into cross-currency interest rate swaps to convert the U.S. dollar-denominated principal and interest on the subordinated debentures we
issued into yen-denominated obligations. By entering into these swaps, we economically converted our $450 million liability into a 35.3 billion yen
liability and reduced the interest rate on this debt from 5.50% in dollars to 4.41% in yen. The swaps will expire after the initial five -year non-callable
period for the debentures. In October 2012 , the underwriters exercised their option, pursuant to the underwriting agreement, to purchase an
additional $50 million principal amount of the debentures discussed above. We entered into a cross-currency interest rate swap to economically
convert this $50 million liability into a 3.9 billion yen liability and reduce the interest rate from 5.50% in dollars to 4.42% in yen. The swap will expire
after the initial five -year non-callable period for the debentures.
In February 2012, the Parent Company issued two series of senior notes totaling $750 million through a U.S. public debt offering. The first
series, which totaled $400 million , bears interest at a fixed rate of 2.65% per annum, payable semiannually, and has a five -year maturity. The
second series, which totaled $350 million , bears interest at a fixed rate of 4.00% per annum, payable semiannually, and has a ten -year maturity.
These notes are redeemable at our option in whole at any time or in part from time to time at a redemption price equal to the greater of: (i) the
principal amount of the notes or (ii) the present value of the remaining scheduled payments of principal and interest to be redeemed, discounted to
the redemption date, plus accrued and unpaid interest. We entered into cross-currency interest rate swaps to reduce interest expense by converting
the U.S. dollar-denominated principal and interest on the senior notes we issued into yen-denominated obligations. By entering into these swaps, we
economically converted our $400 million liability into a 30.9 billion yen liability and reduced the interest rate on this debt from 2.65% in dollars to
1.22% in yen. We also economically converted our $350 million liability into a 27.0 billion yen liability and reduced the interest rate on this debt from
4.00% in dollars to 2.07% in yen. In July 2012, the Parent Company issued $250 million of senior notes that are an addition to the original first series
of senior notes issued in February 2012. These notes have a five -year maturity and a fixed rate of 2.65% per annum, payable semiannually.
In July 2011, the Parent Company issued three series of Samurai notes totaling 50.0 billion yen through a public debt offering. The first series,
which totaled 28.7 billion yen, and the third series, which totaled 5.5 billion yen, were redeemed in July 2014. The second series, which totaled 15.8
billion yen, bears interest at a fixed rate of 1.84% per annum, payable semiannually, and has a five -year maturity. These Samurai notes are not
available to U.S. persons.
In 2010 and 2009, we issued senior notes through U.S. public debt offerings; the details of these notes are as follows. In August 2010, we
issued $450 million and $300 million of senior notes that have 30 -year and five -year maturities, respectively. In August 2015, we paid off the $300
million senior notes upon their maturity. In December 2009, we issued $400 million of senior notes that have a 30 -year maturity. In May 2009, we
issued $850 million of senior notes that had a ten -year maturity, and subsequently redeemed these notes in April 2015 using proceeds from the
March 2015 issuance of fixed-rate senior notes. These senior notes pay interest semiannually and are redeemable at our option in whole at any time
or in part from time to time at a redemption price equal to the greater of: (i) the principal amount of the notes or (ii)
148
the present value of the remaining scheduled payments of principal and interest to be redeemed, discounted to the redemption date, plus accrued
and unpaid interest.
In September 2006, the Parent Company issued a tranche of Uridashi notes totaling 10 billion yen with a ten -year maturity. These Uridashi
notes pay interest semiannually, may only be redeemed prior to maturity upon the occurrence of a tax event as specified in the respective bond
agreement and are not available to U.S. persons. During 2009, we extinguished 2.0 billion yen (par value) of these Uridashi notes by buying the
notes on the open market at a cost of 1.4 billion yen, yielding a gain of .6 billion yen.
In August 2015, we paid off a 5.0 billion yen loan at its maturity date (a total of approximately $41 million using the exchange rate at the maturity
date). In July 2015, we paid off a 10.0 billion yen loan at its maturity date (a total of approximately $81 million using the exchange rate at the maturity
date).
For our yen-denominated notes and loans, the principal amount as stated in dollar terms will fluctuate from period to period due to changes in
the yen/dollar exchange rate. We have designated the majority of our yen-denominated notes payable as a nonderivative hedge of the foreign
currency exposure of our investment in Aflac Japan.
The aggregate contractual maturities of notes payable during each of the years after December 31, 2015 , are as follows:
(In millions)
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
Thereafter
Total
Long-term
Debt
$
197
650
0
0
550
3,600
$ 4,997
Capitalized
Lease
Obligations
$
6
5
4
3
1
1
$
20
Total
Notes
Payable
$
203
655
4
3
551
3,601
$ 5,017
In October 2015, the Parent Company and Aflac jointly entered into a 364 days uncommitted bilateral line of credit that provides for borrowings
in the amount of $100 million . Borrowings will bear interest at the rate quoted by the bank and agreed upon at the time of making such loan and will
have a three-month maturity period. There are no related facility fees, upfront expenses or financial covenant requirements. Borrowings under this
credit agreement may be used for general corporate purposes. Borrowings under the financing agreement will mature no later than three months
after the last drawdown date of October 15, 2016. As of December 31, 2015 , we did not have any borrowings outstanding under our $100 million
credit agreement.
In September 2015, we amended and restated our 50.0 billion yen senior unsecured revolving credit facility agreement, due to expire in March
2018, pursuant to which the Parent Company and Aflac jointly entered into a new five -year senior unsecured revolving credit facility agreement with
a syndicate of financial institutions that provides for borrowings of up to 55.0 billion yen or the equivalent of yen in U.S. dollars on a revolving basis.
This credit agreement provides for borrowings in Japanese yen or the equivalent of Japanese yen in U.S. dollars on a revolving basis. Borrowings
bear interest at a rate per annum equal to, at our option, either (a) a eurocurrency rate determined by reference to the London Interbank Offered
Rate (LIBOR) for the interest period relevant to such borrowing adjusted for certain additional costs or (b) a base rate determined by reference to the
highest of (1) the federal funds effective rate plus ½ of 1%, (2) the rate of interest for such day announced by Mizuho Bank, Ltd. as its prime rate
and (3) the eurocurrency rate for an interest period of one month plus 1.00%, in each case plus an applicable margin. The applicable margin ranges
between .79% and 1.275% for eurocurrency rate borrowings and 0.0% and .275% for base rate borrowings, depending on the Parent Company’s
debt ratings as of the date of determination. In addition, the Parent Company and Aflac are required to pay a facility fee on the commitments ranging
between .085% and .225% , also based on the Parent Company’s debt ratings as of the date of determination. Borrowings under the amended and
restated credit facility may be used for general corporate purposes, including a capital contingency plan for the operations of the Parent Company
and Aflac. The amended and restated credit facility requires compliance with certain financial covenants on a quarterly basis and will expire on the
earlier of (a) September 18, 2020, or (b) the date the commitments are terminated pursuant to an event of default, as such term is defined in the
credit agreement. As of December 31, 2015 , we did not have any borrowings outstanding under our 55.0 billion yen revolving credit agreement.
149
In February 2015, the Parent Company and Aflac jointly entered into an uncommitted bilateral line of credit with a third party that provides for
borrowings in the amount of $50 million . Borrowings will bear interest at the rate quoted by the bank and agreed upon at the time of making such
loan and will have a three-month maturity period. There are no related facility fees, upfront expenses or financial covenant requirements. Borrowings
under this credit agreement may be used for general corporate purposes. As of December 31, 2015 , we did not have any borrowings outstanding
under our $50 million credit agreement.
We were in compliance with all of the covenants of our notes payable and lines of credit at December 31, 2015 . No events of default or defaults
occurred during 2015 and 2014 .
10. INCOME TAXES
The components of income tax expense (benefit) applicable to pretax earnings for the years ended December 31 were as follows:
(In millions)
Current
Deferred
Total income tax expense
2014:
Current
Deferred
Total income tax expense
2013:
Current
Deferred
Total income tax expense
Foreign
U.S.
Total
2015:
$ 1,063
$
225
$ 1,288
42
(1)
41
$ 1,105
$
224
$ 1,329
$
995
125
$
84
$ 1,079
336
461
$ 1,120
$
420
$ 1,540
$
934
299
$
302
$ 1,236
123
422
$ 1,233
$
425
$ 1,658
Japan enacted an income tax rate reduction effective for fiscal years beginning after March 31, 2012. The rate was reduced to 33.3% effective
April 1, 2012, and an additional reduction to 30.8% became effective January 1, 2015.
Income tax expense in the accompanying statements of earnings varies from the amount computed by applying the expected U.S. tax rate of
35% to pretax earnings. The principal reasons for the differences and the related tax effects for the years ended December 31 were as follows:
(In millions)
Income taxes based on U.S. statutory rates
Utilization of foreign tax credit
Nondeductible expenses
Other, net
Income tax expense
2015
2014
2013
$ 1,352
$ 1,572
$ 1,685
(27)
3
1
(32)
5
(5)
(37)
6
4
$ 1,329
$ 1,540
$ 1,658
Total income tax expense for the years ended December 31 was allocated as follows:
150
(In millions)
Statements of earnings
Other comprehensive income (loss):
2015
2014
2013
$ 1,329
$ 1,540
$ 1,658
Unrealized foreign currency translation gains (losses) during period
16
(419)
253
Unrealized gains (losses) on investment securities:
Unrealized holding gains (losses) on investment
securities during period
Reclassification adjustment for realized (gains) losses
on investment securities included in net earnings
Unrealized gains (losses) on derivatives during period
Pension liability adjustment during period
Total income tax expense (benefit) related to items of
other comprehensive income (loss)
Additional paid-in capital (exercise of stock options)
(931)
2,237
(904)
21
0
(7)
(901)
4
19
(3)
(31)
1,803
(7)
19
(4)
55
(581)
(8)
Total income taxes
$
432
$ 3,336
$ 1,069
The tax effect on other comprehensive income (loss) shown in the table above included a deferred income tax expense of $614 million in 2013,
related to certain U.S. dollar-denominated investments that Aflac Japan maintained on behalf of Aflac U.S. As discussed in Note 1, prior to October
1, 2013, there was no translation adjustment to record in pretax other comprehensive income for the portfolio when the yen/dollar exchange rate
changed, however deferred tax expense or benefit associated with the foreign exchange translation gains or losses on these U.S. dollar-
denominated investments is recognized in total income tax expense on other comprehensive income until the securities mature or are sold.
Excluding the tax amounts for these U.S. dollar-denominated investments from total taxes on other comprehensive income would result in an
effective income tax rate on pretax other comprehensive income (loss) of 31% in 2013.
The income tax effects of the temporary differences that gave rise to deferred income tax assets and liabilities as of December 31 were as
follows:
(In millions)
Deferred income tax liabilities:
Deferred policy acquisition costs
Unrealized gains on investment securities
Premiums receivable
Policy benefit reserves
Depreciation
Other
Total deferred income tax liabilities
Deferred income tax assets:
Other basis differences in investment securities
Unfunded retirement benefits
Other accrued expenses
Policy and contract claims
Foreign currency loss on Japan branch
Deferred compensation
Capital loss carryforwards
Other
Total deferred income tax assets
Net deferred income tax liability
Current income tax liability
Total income tax liability
151
2015
2014
$ 2,282
$ 2,209
1,684
139
1,313
61
0
5,479
2,584
139
1,376
51
20
6,379
1,422
1,331
15
7
113
208
181
0
95
2,041
3,438
902
16
4
99
327
226
26
0
2,029
4,350
943
$ 4,340
$ 5,293
Under U.S. income tax rules, only 35% of non-life operating losses can be offset against life insurance taxable income each year . For current
U.S. income tax purposes, there were non-life operating loss carryforwards of $1 million expiring in 2035, and no tax credit carryforwards available
at December 31, 2015 . The Company did not have any capital loss carryforwards available to offset capital gains at December 31, 2015 .
We file federal income tax returns in the United States and Japan as well as state or prefecture income tax returns in various jurisdictions in the
two countries. U.S. federal income tax returns for years before 2011 are no longer subject to examination. In Japan, the National Tax Agency (NTA)
has completed exams through tax year 2012.
A reconciliation of the beginning and ending amount of unrecognized tax benefits is as follows for the years ended December 31:
(In millions)
Balance, beginning of year
Additions for tax positions of prior years
Reductions for tax positions of prior years
Balance, end of year
2015
$ 309
0
(45)
2014
$ 328
2
(21)
$ 264
$ 309
Included in the balance of the liability for unrecognized tax benefits at December 31, 2015 , are $261 million of tax positions for which the
ultimate deductibility is highly certain, but for which there is uncertainty about the timing of such deductibility, compared with $307 million at
December 31, 2014 . Because of the impact of deferred tax accounting, other than interest and penalties, the disallowance of the shorter
deductibility period would not affect the annual effective tax rate, but would accelerate the payment of cash to the taxing authority to an earlier
period. The Company has accrued approximately $3 million as of December 31, 2015 , for permanent uncertainties, which if reversed would not
have a material effect on the annual effective rate.
The Company recognizes accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits in income tax expense. We recognized
approximately $11 million in interest and penalties in 2015 , 2014 and 2013 . The Company has accrued approximately $22 million for the payment
of interest and penalties as of December 31, 2015 , compared with $30 million a year ago.
As of December 31, 2015 , there were no material uncertain tax positions for which the total amounts of unrecognized tax benefits will
significantly increase or decrease within the next 12 months.
11. SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY
The following table is a reconciliation of the number of shares of the Company's common stock for the years ended December 31.
(In thousands of shares)
Common stock - issued:
Balance, beginning of period
Exercise of stock options and issuance of restricted shares
Balance, end of period
Treasury stock:
Balance, beginning of period
Purchases of treasury stock:
Open market
Other
Dispositions of treasury stock:
Shares issued to AFL Stock Plan
Exercise of stock options
Other
Balance, end of period
Shares outstanding, end of period
152
2015
2014
2013
668,132
1,591
669,723
667,046
1,086
668,132
665,239
1,807
667,046
225,687
207,633
197,453
21,179
247
(1,209)
(465)
(96)
245,343
424,380
19,660
157
(1,251)
(391)
(121)
225,687
442,445
13,212
222
(1,365)
(1,734)
(155)
207,633
459,413
Outstanding share-based awards are excluded from the calculation of weighted-average shares used in the computation of basic EPS. The
following table presents the approximate number of share-based awards to purchase shares, on a weighted-average basis, that were considered to
be anti-dilutive and were excluded from the calculation of diluted earnings per share at December 31:
(In thousands)
Anti-dilutive share-based awards
2015
2014
2013
1,862
1,215
2,198
The weighted-average shares used in calculating earnings per share for the years ended December 31 were as follows:
(In thousands of shares)
Weighted-average outstanding shares used for calculating basic EPS
Dilutive effect of share-based awards
Weighted-average outstanding shares used for calculating diluted EPS
2015
430,654
2,518
433,172
2014
451,204
2,796
454,000
2013
464,502
2,906
467,408
Share Repurchase Program: During 2015 , we purchased 21.2 million shares of our common stock in the open market, compared with 19.7
million shares in 2014 and 13.2 million shares in 2013 . In August 2015, our board of directors authorized the purchase of an additional 40.0 million
shares of our common stock. As of December 31, 2015 , a remaining balance of 48.4 million shares of our common stock was available for
purchase under share repurchase authorizations by our board of directors.
Voting Rights: In accordance with the Parent Company's articles of incorporation, shares of common stock are generally entitled to one vote
per share until they have been held by the same beneficial owner for a continuous period of 48 months , at which time they become entitled to 10
votes per share.
Reclassifications from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income
The table below is a reconciliation of accumulated other comprehensive income by component for the years ended December 31.
Changes in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income
Unrealized
Foreign
Currency
Translation
Gains (Losses)
2015
Unrealized
Gains (Losses)
on Investment
Securities
Unrealized
Gains (Losses)
on Derivatives
Pension
Liability
Adjustment
Total
(In millions)
Balance, beginning of period
$
(2,541)
$
4,672
$
(26)
$
(126)
$
1,979
Other comprehensive
income (loss) before
reclassification
Amounts reclassified from
accumulated other
comprehensive income
(loss)
Net current-period other
comprehensive
income (loss)
345
(1,646)
0
(40)
345
(1,686)
Balance, end of period
$
(2,196)
$
2,986
$
All amounts in the table above are net of tax.
153
0
0
(13)
(1,314)
0
(40)
0
(26)
(13)
(1,354)
$
(139)
$
625
Unrealized
Foreign
Currency
Translation
Gains (Losses)
2014
Unrealized
Gains (Losses)
on Investment
Securities
Unrealized
Gains (Losses)
on Derivatives
Pension Liability
Adjustment
Total
(In millions)
Balance, beginning of period
$
(1,505)
$
1,035
$
(12)
$
(81)
$
(563)
(1,036)
3,672
(14)
(44)
2,578
0
(35)
0
(1)
(36)
Balance, end of period
$
(2,541)
$
4,672
$
All amounts in the table above are net of tax.
(1,036)
3,637
(14)
(26)
(45)
2,542
$
(126)
$
1,979
Unrealized
Foreign
Currency
Translation
Gains (Losses)
2013
Unrealized
Gains (Losses)
on Investment
Securities
Unrealized
Gains (Losses)
on Derivatives
Pension Liability
Adjustment
Total
(In millions)
Balance, beginning of period
$
333
$
2,570
$
(5)
$
(183)
$
2,715
(1,833)
(1,499)
(7)
92
(3,247)
(5)
(36)
0
10
(31)
Other comprehensive
income (loss) before
reclassification
Amounts reclassified from
accumulated other
comprehensive income
(loss)
Net current-period other
comprehensive
income (loss)
Other comprehensive
income (loss) before
reclassification
Amounts reclassified from
accumulated other
comprehensive income
(loss)
Net current-period other
comprehensive
income (loss)
Balance, end of period
$
(1,505)
$
1,035
$
All amounts in the table above are net of tax.
(1,838)
(1,535)
(7)
(12)
102
(81)
$
(3,278)
$
(563)
The table below summarizes the amounts reclassified from each component of accumulated other comprehensive income based on source for
the years ended December 31.
154
Reclassifications Out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income
(In millions)
Details about Accumulated Other Comprehensive
Income Components
Unrealized gains (losses) on available-for-sale
securities
2015
Amount Reclassified from
Accumulated Other
Comprehensive Income
Affected Line Item in the
Statements of Earnings
$
214
Sales and redemptions
Amortization of defined benefit pension items:
Actuarial gains (losses)
Prior service (cost) credit
Total reclassifications for the period
(153)
61
(21)
40
(17)
17
0
0
40
$
$
$
$
Other-than-temporary impairment
losses realized
Total before tax
Tax (expense) or benefit (1)
Net of tax
Acquisition and operating expenses (2)
Acquisition and operating expenses (2)
Tax (expense) or benefit (1)
Net of tax
Net of tax
(1) Based on 35% tax rate
(2) These accumulated other comprehensive income components are included in the computation of net periodic pension cost (see
Note 14 for additional details).
(In millions)
Details about Accumulated Other Comprehensive
Income Components
Unrealized gains (losses) on available-for-sale
securities
2014
Amount Reclassified from
Accumulated Other
Comprehensive Income
Affected Line Item in the
Statements of Earnings
$
57
Sales and redemptions
Amortization of defined benefit pension items:
Actuarial gains (losses)
Prior service (cost) credit
Total reclassifications for the period
(3)
54
(19)
35
(15)
17
(1)
1
36
$
$
$
$
Other-than-temporary impairment
losses realized
Total before tax
Tax (expense) or benefit (1)
Net of tax
Acquisition and operating expenses (2)
Acquisition and operating expenses (2)
Tax (expense) or benefit (1)
Net of tax
Net of tax
(1) Based on 35% tax rate
(2) These accumulated other comprehensive income components are included in the computation of net periodic pension cost (see Note 14 for additional
details).
155
(In millions)
Details about Accumulated Other Comprehensive
Income Components
Unrealized foreign currency translation gains
(losses)
Unrealized gains (losses) on available-for-sale
securities
Amortization of defined benefit pension items:
Actuarial gains (losses)
Prior service (cost) credit
Total reclassifications for the period
2013
Amount Reclassified from
Accumulated Other
Comprehensive Income
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
7
(2)
5
255
(199)
56
(20)
36
(19)
4
5
(10)
31
Affected Line Item in the
Statements of Earnings
Sales and redemptions
Tax (expense) or benefit (1)
Net of tax
Sales and redemptions
Other-than-temporary impairment
losses realized
Total before tax
Tax (expense) or benefit (1)
Net of tax
Acquisition and operating expenses (2)
Acquisition and operating expenses (2)
Tax (expense) or benefit (1)
Net of tax
Net of tax
(1) Based on 35% tax rate
(2) These accumulated other comprehensive income components are included in the computation of net periodic pension cost (see Note 14 for additional
details).
12. SHARE-BASED COMPENSATION
As of December 31, 2015 , the Company has outstanding share-based awards under two long-term incentive compensation plans.
The first plan, which expired in February 2007, is a stock option plan which allowed grants for incentive stock options (ISOs) to employees and
non-qualifying stock options (NQSOs) to employees and non-employee directors. The options have a term of 10 years. The exercise price of options
granted under this plan is equal to the fair market value of a share of the Company's common stock at the date of grant. Options granted before the
plan's expiration date remain outstanding in accordance with their terms.
The second long-term incentive compensation plan allows awards to Company employees for ISOs, NQSOs, restricted stock, restricted stock
units, and stock appreciation rights. Non-employee directors are eligible for grants of NQSOs, restricted stock, and stock appreciation rights. The
ISOs and NQSOs have a term of 10 years, and the share-based awards generally vest upon time-based conditions or time- and performance-based
conditions. Time-based vesting generally occurs after three years. Performance-based vesting conditions generally include the attainment of goals
related to Company financial performance. As of December 31, 2015 , approximately 10.1 million shares were available for future grants under this
plan, and the only performance-based awards issued and outstanding were restricted stock awards.
Share-based awards granted to U.S.-based grantees are settled with authorized but unissued Company stock, while those issued to Japan-
based grantees are settled with treasury shares.
The following table presents the impact of the expense recognized in connection with share-based awards for the periods ended December 31.
156
(In millions, except for per-share amounts)
Impact on earnings from continuing operations
Impact on earnings before income taxes
Impact on net earnings
Impact on net earnings per share:
Basic
Diluted
2015
2014
2013
$
39
39
27
$
.06
.06
$
41
41
28
$
.06
.06
$
37
37
25
$
.05
.05
We estimate the fair value of each stock option granted using the Black-Scholes-Merton multiple option approach. Expected volatility is based
on historical periods generally commensurate with the estimated terms of the options. We use historical data to estimate option exercise and
termination patterns within the model. Separate groups of employees that have similar historical exercise patterns are stratified and considered
separately for valuation purposes. The expected term of options granted is derived from the output of our option model and represents the weighted-
average period of time that options granted are expected to be outstanding. We base the risk-free interest rate on the Treasury note rate with a term
comparable to that of the estimated term of the options. The weighted-average fair value of options at their grant date was $9.46 per share for 2015
, compared with $16.24 for 2014 and $14.25 in 2013 . The following table presents the assumptions used in valuing options granted during the years
ended December 31.
Expected term (years)
Expected volatility
Annual forfeiture rate
Risk-free interest rate
Dividend yield
The following table summarizes stock option activity.
2015
6.3
2014
6.3
20.0 %
30.0 %
2.8
2.0
2.7
2.7
2.8
2.3
2013
6.6
34.0 %
1.6
1.8
2.6
(In thousands of shares)
Outstanding at December 31, 2012
Granted in 2013
Canceled in 2013
Exercised in 2013
Outstanding at December 31, 2013
Granted in 2014
Canceled in 2014
Exercised in 2014
Outstanding at December 31, 2014
Granted in 2015
Canceled in 2015
Exercised in 2015
Outstanding at December 31, 2015
(In thousands of shares)
Shares exercisable, end of year
Stock
Option
Shares
12,737
703
(179)
(3,281)
9,980
678
(115)
(1,236)
9,307
855
(231)
(2,013)
7,918
Weighted-Average
Exercise Price
Per Share
$ 45.00
52.86
44.79
40.52
47.03
61.81
52.01
41.04
48.84
61.47
55.70
45.15
$ 50.94
2015
6,085
2014
7,497
2013
8,042
157
The following table summarizes information about stock options outstanding and exercisable at December 31, 2015 .
(In thousands of shares)
Options Outstanding
Options Exercisable
Range of
Exercise Prices
Per Share
Stock Option
Shares
Outstanding
$
14.99 - $
43.07
43.28 -
49.50 -
58.08 -
61.84 -
48.56
57.90
61.81
67.67
$
14.99 - $
67.67
1,651
1,727
2,066
1,628
846
7,918
Wgtd.-Avg.
Remaining
Contractual
Life (Yrs.)
3.1
3.2
4.9
5.1
7.8
4.5
Wgtd.-Avg.
Exercise
Price
Per Share
$
34.41
47.05
54.18
61.50
62.96
$
50.94
Stock Option
Shares
Exercisable
1,651
1,723
1,608
956
147
6,085
Wgtd.-Avg.
Exercise
Price
Per Share
$
34.41
47.05
55.01
61.79
63.96
$
48.45
The aggregate intrinsic value represents the difference between the exercise price of the stock options and the quoted closing common stock
price of $59.90 as of December 31, 2015 , for those awards that have an exercise price currently below the closing price. As of December 31, 2015 ,
the aggregate intrinsic value of stock options outstanding was $76 million , with a weighted-average remaining term of 4.5 years. The aggregate
intrinsic value of stock options exercisable at that same date was $72 million , with a weighted-average remaining term of 3.3 years.
The following table summarizes stock option activity during the years ended December 31.
(In millions)
Total intrinsic value of options exercised
Cash received from options exercised
Tax benefit realized as a result of options exercised and
restricted stock releases
2015
2014
$
36
68
25
$
25
39
17
2013
$
66
113
30
The value of restricted stock awards is based on the fair market value of our common stock at the date of grant. The following table summarizes
restricted stock activity during the years ended December 31.
(In thousands of shares)
Restricted stock at December 31, 2012
Granted in 2013
Canceled in 2013
Vested in 2013
Restricted stock at December 31, 2013
Granted in 2014
Canceled in 2014
Vested in 2014
Restricted stock at December 31, 2014
Granted in 2015
Canceled in 2015
Vested in 2015
Restricted stock at December 31, 2015
Shares
1,363
782
(56)
(418)
1,671
584
(27)
(348)
1,880
638
(145)
(558)
1,815
Weighted-Average
Grant-Date
Fair Value
Per Share
$ 50.19
52.77
48.63
47.49
52.12
62.12
52.66
56.95
54.33
61.51
57.52
48.41
$ 58.42
As of December 31, 2015 , total compensation cost not yet recognized in our financial statements related to restricted stock awards was $44
million , of which $20 million ( 849 thousand shares) was related to restricted stock awards with a performance-based vesting condition. We expect
to recognize these amounts over a weighted-average period of approximately 1.1 years. There are no other contractual terms covering restricted
stock awards once vested.
158
13. STATUTORY ACCOUNTING AND DIVIDEND RESTRICTIONS
Our insurance subsidiaries are required to report their results of operations and financial position to state insurance regulatory authorities on the
basis of statutory accounting practices prescribed or permitted by such authorities. Statutory accounting practices primarily differ from U.S. GAAP by
charging policy acquisition costs to expense as incurred, establishing future policy benefit liabilities using different actuarial assumptions as well as
valuing investments and certain assets and accounting for deferred taxes on a different basis.
Aflac, the Company's most significant insurance subsidiary, reports statutory financial statements that are prepared on the basis of accounting
practices prescribed or permitted by the Nebraska Department of Insurance (NEDOI). The NEDOI recognizes statutory accounting principles and
practices prescribed or permitted by the state of Nebraska for determining and reporting the financial condition and results of operations of an
insurance company, and for determining a company's solvency under Nebraska insurance law. The National Association of Insurance
Commissioners' (NAIC) Accounting Practices and Procedures Manual (SAP) has been adopted by the state of Nebraska as a component of those
prescribed or permitted practices. Additionally, the Director of the NEDOI has the right to permit other specific practices which deviate from
prescribed practices. Aflac has been given explicit permission by the Director of the NEDOI for two such permitted practices. These permitted
practices, which do not impact the calculation of net income on a statutory basis or prevent the triggering of a regulatory event in the Company's
risk-based capital calculation, are as follows:
•
•
Aflac has reported as admitted assets the refundable lease deposits on the leases of commercial office space which house Aflac Japan's
sales operations. These lease deposits are unique and part of the ordinary course of doing business in the country of Japan; these assets
would be non-admitted under SAP.
Aflac entered into a reinsurance agreement effective March 31, 2015 with a then unauthorized reinsurer. The effective date of this
agreement predated the effective date of Nebraska's Amended Credit for Reinsurance statute (44-416) allowing certified reinsurers and also
predated the subsequent approval of the agreement's assuming reinsurer as a Certified Reinsurer, which occurred on August 30, 2015 and
December 24, 2015, respectively. Aflac has obtained a permitted practice to recognize this treaty and counterparty as Certified Reinsurer
for the purpose of determining the collateral required to receive reinsurance reserve credit.
A reconciliation of Aflac's capital and surplus between SAP and practices permitted by the state of Nebraska is shown below:
(In millions)
Capital and surplus, Nebraska state basis
State Permitted Practice:
Refundable lease deposits – Japan
Reinsurance - Japan
Capital and surplus, NAIC basis
2015
$ 11,298
2014
$ 10,839
(38)
(707)
(36)
0
$ 10,553
$ 10,803
As of December 31, 2015 , Aflac's capital and surplus significantly exceeded the required company action level capital and surplus of $1.3 billion
. As determined on a U.S. statutory accounting basis, Aflac's net income was $2.3 billion in 2015 and $2.4 billion in 2014 and 2013 .
Aflac Japan must report its results of operations and financial position to the Japanese Financial Services Agency (FSA) on a Japanese
regulatory accounting basis as prescribed by the FSA. Capital and surplus of the Japan branch, based on Japanese regulatory accounting practices,
was $4.7 billion at December 31, 2015 , compared with $5.6 billion at December 31, 2014 . Japanese regulatory accounting practices differ in many
respects from U.S. GAAP. Under Japanese regulatory accounting practices, policy acquisition costs are expensed immediately; policy benefit and
claim reserving methods and assumptions are different; premium income is recognized on a cash basis; different consolidation criteria apply to
VIEs; reinsurance is recognized on a different basis; and investments can have a separate accounting classification and treatment referred to as
policy reserve matching bonds (PRM).
The Parent Company depends on its subsidiaries for cash flow, primarily in the form of dividends and management fees. Consolidated retained
earnings in the accompanying financial statements largely represent the undistributed earnings of our insurance subsidiary. Amounts available for
dividends, management fees and other payments to the Parent Company by its insurance subsidiary may fluctuate due to different accounting
methods required by regulatory authorities. These payments are also subject to various regulatory restrictions and approvals related to safeguarding
the
159
interests of insurance policyholders. Our insurance subsidiary must maintain adequate risk-based capital for U.S. regulatory authorities and our
Japan branch must maintain adequate solvency margins for Japanese regulatory authorities. Additionally, the maximum amount of dividends that
can be paid to the Parent Company by Aflac without prior approval of Nebraska's director of insurance is the greater of the net income from
operations, which excludes net realized investment gains, for the previous year determined under statutory accounting principles, or 10% of
statutory capital and surplus as of the previous year-end. Dividends declared by Aflac during 2016 in excess of $2.3 billion would require such
approval. Aflac declared dividends of $2.4 billion during 2015 .
A portion of Aflac Japan earnings, as determined on a Japanese regulatory accounting basis, can be repatriated each year to Aflac U.S. after
complying with solvency margin provisions and satisfying various conditions imposed by Japanese regulatory authorities for protecting policyholders.
Profit repatriations to the United States can fluctuate due to changes in the amounts of Japanese regulatory earnings. Among other items, factors
affecting regulatory earnings include Japanese regulatory accounting practices and fluctuations in currency translation of Aflac Japan's U.S. dollar-
denominated investments and related investment income into yen. Profits repatriated by Aflac Japan to Aflac U.S. were as follows for the years
ended December 31:
(In millions of dollars and billions of yen)
2015
In Dollars
2014
2013
Profit repatriation
$ 2,139 $
1,704
$ 771
In Yen
2015
259.0
2014
181.4
2013
76.8
We entered into foreign exchange forwards and options as part of an economic hedge on foreign exchange risk on 242.5 billion yen of profit
repatriation received in 2015, resulting in $71 million of additional funds received when the yen were exchanged into dollars. As of December 31,
2015 , we had foreign exchange forwards and options as part of a hedging strategy on 124.1 billion yen of future profit repatriation.
14. BENEFIT PLANS
Pension and Other Postretirement Plans
We have funded defined benefit plans in Japan and the United States, which cover substantially all of our full-time employees. Additionally, we
maintain non-qualified, unfunded supplemental retirement plans that provide defined pension benefits in excess of limits imposed by federal tax law
for certain Japanese, U.S. and former employees. Effective October 1, 2013, the U.S. tax-qualified defined benefit plan was frozen to new
employees hired on or after October 1, 2013 and to employees rehired on or after October 1, 2013. U.S. employees who are not participants in the
defined benefit plan receive a nonelective 401(k) employer contribution. Additionally, effective January 1, 2015, the U.S. non-qualified supplemental
retirement plan was frozen to new participants.
We provide certain health care benefits for eligible U.S. retired employees, their beneficiaries and covered dependents ("other postretirement
benefits"). The health care plan is contributory and unfunded. On October 1, 2013, a change was made to postretirement medical benefits to limit
the eligibility for the benefits beginning January 1, 2014 to include the following: (1) active employees whose age plus service, in years, equals or
exceeds 80 (rule of 80 ); (2) active employees who are age 55 or older and have met the 15 years of service requirement; (3) active employees who
will meet the rule of 80 in the next five years ; (4) active employees who are age 55 or older and who will meet the 15 years of service requirement
within the next five years ; and (5) current retirees. Effective October 1, 2013, this change was accounted for as a negative plan amendment and
resulted in a reduction to the postretirement benefit obligation of approximately $51 million , with an offset to accumulated other comprehensive
income (AOCI). Starting in the fourth quarter of 2013, this reduction is being amortized as a reduction to net periodic benefit cost over three years .
The postretirement plan obligation was remeasured using a discount rate of 4.75% as of October 1, 2013. For certain employees and former
employees, additional coverage is provided for all medical expenses for life.
Information with respect to our benefit plans' assets and obligations as of December 31 was as follows:
160
(In millions)
Projected benefit obligation:
Pension Benefits
Other
Japan
U.S.
Postretirement Benefits
2015
2014
2015
2014
2015
2014
Benefit obligation, beginning of year
$ 267
$ 270
$ 717
$ 601
$ 44
$ 46
Service cost
Interest cost
Actuarial (gain) loss
Benefits and expenses paid
Effect of foreign exchange
rate changes
Benefit obligation, end of year
Plan assets:
Fair value of plan assets,
beginning of year
Actual return on plan assets
Employer contributions
Benefits and expenses paid
Effect of foreign exchange
rate changes
Fair value of plan assets, end of year
15
1
0
(7)
0
276
183
1
21
(7)
0
198
15
9
21
(9)
(39)
267
182
12
24
(9)
(26)
183
23
18
(6)
(17)
0
735
341
(6)
18
(17)
0
336
20
38
74
(16)
0
717
313
26
18
(16)
0
341
1
2
(5)
(2)
0
40
0
0
2
(2)
0
0
1
2
(3)
(2)
0
44
0
0
2
(2)
0
0
Funded status of the plans (1)
$
(78)
$
(84)
$ (399)
$ (376)
$ (40)
$ (44)
Amounts recognized in accumulated other
comprehensive income:
Net actuarial (gain) loss
Prior service (credit) cost
Total included in accumulated
other comprehensive income
$
42
$
40
$ 175
$ 167
$ 12
(2)
(2)
(4)
(4)
(11)
$ 19
(28)
$
40
$
38
$ 171
$ 163
$
1
$ (9)
Accumulated benefit obligation
$ 244
$ 235
$ 621
$ 611
N/A (2)
N/A (2)
(1) Recognized in other liabilities in the consolidated balance sheets
(2) Not applicable
2015
Japan
2014
Pension Benefits
2013
2015
U.S.
2014
Other
Postretirement Benefits
2013
2015
2014
2013
Weighted-average
actuarial
assumptions:
Discount rate - net
periodic benefit cost
Discount rate - benefit
obligations
Expected long-term
return on plan assets
Rate of compensation
increase
Health care cost trend
rates
1.75%
2.25%
2.25%
4.50%
4.75%
4.25%
4.50%
4.75%
4.25%
1.75
2.00
1.75
2.00
2.25
2.00
4.50
7.25
N/A
(1)
N/A
(1)
N/A
(1)
4.00
4.50
7.50
4.00
4.75
7.50
4.00
4.50
4.50
4.75
N/A
(1)
N/A
(1)
N/A
(1)
N/A
(1)
N/A
(1)
N/A
(1)
N/A
(1)
N/A
(1)
N/A
(1)
N/A
(1)
N/A
(1)
N/A
(1)
5.30
(2)
5.70
(2)
6.40
(2)
(1) Not applicable
(2) For the years 2015 , 2014 and 2013 , the health care cost trend rates are expected to trend down to 4.5% in 78 years , 4.6% in 78 years , and 4.6% in 78
years , respectively.
We determine our discount rate assumption for our pension retirement obligations based on indices for AA corporate bonds with an average
duration of approximately 20 years for the Japan pension plans and 17 years for the U.S. pension plans, and determination of the U.S. pension
plans discount rate utilizes the 85 -year extrapolated yield curve. In Japan,
161
participant salary and future salary increases are not factors in determining pension benefit cost or the related pension benefit obligation.
We base our assumption for the long-term rate of return on assets on historical trends ( 10 -year or longer historical rates of return for the
Japanese plan assets and 15 -year historical rates of return for the U.S. plan assets), expected future market movement, as well as the portfolio mix
of securities in the asset portfolio including, but not limited to, style, class and equity and fixed income allocations. In addition, our consulting
actuaries evaluate our assumptions for long-term rates of return under Actuarial Standards of Practice (ASOP). Under the ASOP, the actual portfolio
type, mix and class is modeled to determine a best estimate of the long-term rate of return. We in turn use those results to further validate our own
assumptions.
Assumed health care cost trend rates have a significant effect on the amounts reported for the health care plan. A one-percentage point
increase and decrease in assumed health care cost trend rates would have the following effects as of December 31, 2015 :
(In millions)
One percentage point increase:
Increase in total service and interest costs
Increase in postretirement benefit obligation
One percentage point decrease:
Decrease in total service and interest costs
Decrease in postretirement benefit obligation
Components of Net Periodic Benefit Cost
$
$
0
2
0
2
Pension and other postretirement benefit expenses, included in acquisition and operating expenses in the consolidated statements of earnings
for the years ended December 31, included the following components:
(In millions)
Service cost
Interest cost
Expected return on plan
assets
Amortization of net actuarial
loss
Amortization of prior service
cost (credit)
Net periodic (benefit) cost
Pension Benefits
Other
Japan
U.S.
Postretirement Benefits
2015
2014 2013 2015 2014
2013
2015
2014
2013
$ 15 $ 15 $ 16 $ 23 $ 20 $ 22 $
1 $
1 $ 5
1
9
10
18
38
23
2
2
3
(4)
(4)
(3)
(22)
(20)
(17)
0
0
0
1
1
2
14
11
15
2
3
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
(17)
(17)
(4)
$ 13 $ 21 $ 25 $ 33 $ 49 $ 43 $ (12) $ (11) $ 6
Changes in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income
The following table summarizes the amounts recognized in other comprehensive loss (income) for the years ended December 31:
162
(In millions)
2015
Japan
2014
Pension Benefits
2013
2015
U.S.
2014
Other
Postretirement Benefits
2013
2015
2014
2013
Net actuarial loss (gain)
$
3 $ 12 $ (14) $ 22 $ 67 $ (59) $ (5) $ (3) $ (7)
Amortization of net actuarial loss
Prior service cost (credit)
Amortization of prior
service cost
Total
(1)
0
(1)
(2)
(14)
(11)
(15)
0
0
0
0
(4)
(2)
0
(3)
(2)
0
(51)
0
0
0
0
0
0
17
17
4
$
2 $ 11 $ (16) $
8 $ 56 $ (78) $ 10 $ 11 $ (56)
Prior service credits of $51 million were incurred in 2013 for the plan amendment related to the change in eligibility for postretirement medical
benefits mentioned above. No transition obligations arose during 2015 , and the transition obligations amortized to expense were immaterial for the
years ended December 31, 2015 , 2014 and 2013 . Amortization of actuarial losses to expense in 2016 is estimated to be $1 million for the
Japanese plans, $13 million for the U.S. plans and $1 million for the other postretirement benefits plan. Amortization of prior service credits in 2016
is estimated to be $10 million for the other postretirement benefits plan due to the negative plan amendment in 2013. The amortization of prior
service costs and credits for other plans and transition obligations for all plans is expected to be negligible in 2016 .
Benefit Payments
The following table provides expected benefit payments, which reflect expected future service, as appropriate.
(In millions)
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021-2025
Funding
Japan
$ 12
7
7
9
10
66
Pension Benefits
Other
U.S.
Postretirement Benefits
$
21
22
23
24
25
170
$
2
3
3
3
4
19
We plan to make contributions of $20 million to the Japanese funded defined benefit plan and $10 million to the U.S. funded defined benefit plan
in 2016 . The funding policy for our non-qualified supplemental defined benefit pension plans and other postretirement benefits plan is to contribute
the amount of the benefit payments made during the year.
Plan Assets
The investment objective of our Japanese and U.S. funded defined benefit plans is to preserve the purchasing power of the plan's assets and
earn a reasonable inflation-adjusted rate of return over the long term. Furthermore, we seek to accomplish these objectives in a manner that allows
for the adequate funding of plan benefits and expenses. In order to achieve these objectives, our goal is to maintain a conservative, well-diversified
and balanced portfolio of high-quality equity, fixed-income and money market securities. As a part of our strategy, we have established strict policies
covering quality, type and concentration of investment securities. For our Japanese plan, these policies include limitations on investments in
derivatives including futures, options and swaps, and low-liquidity investments such as real estate, venture capital investments, and privately issued
securities. For our U.S. plan, these policies prohibit investments in precious metals, limited partnerships, venture capital, and direct investments in
real estate. We are also prohibited from trading on margin.
The plan fiduciaries for our funded defined benefit plans have developed guidelines for asset allocations reflecting a percentage of total assets
by asset class, which are reviewed on an annual basis. Asset allocation targets as of December 31, 2015 were as follows:
163
Domestic equities
International equities
Fixed income securities
Other
Total
Japan Pension
U.S. Pension
11%
15
59
15
100%
43%
22
35
0
100%
The following table presents the fair value of Aflac Japan's pension plan assets that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of
December 31. All of these assets are classified as Level 2 in the fair value hierarchy, except cash and cash equivalents which are classified as Level
1.
(In millions)
Japan pension plan assets:
Equities:
Japanese equity securities
International equity securities
Fixed income securities:
Japanese bonds
International bonds
Insurance contracts
Cash and cash equivalents
Total
2015
2014
$
22
33
71
48
23
1
$
0
34
72
44
22
11
$ 198
$ 183
The following table presents the fair value of Aflac U.S.'s pension plan assets that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of
December 31. All of these assets are classified as Level 1 in the fair value hierarchy.
(In millions)
U.S. pension plan assets:
Mutual funds:
Large cap equity funds
Mid cap equity funds
Real estate equity funds
International equity funds
Fixed income bond funds
Aflac Incorporated common stock
Cash and cash equivalents
Total
2015
2014
$
94
16
10
77
134
4
1
$ 116
14
10
61
136
4
0
$ 336
$ 341
The fair values of our pension plan investments categorized as Level 1, consisting of mutual funds and common stock, are based on quoted
market prices for identical securities traded in active markets that are readily and regularly available to us. The fair values of our pension plan
investments classified as Level 2 are based on quoted prices for similar assets in markets that are not active, other inputs that are observable, such
as interest rates, yield curves, volatilities, prepayment speeds, loss severities, credit risks, and default rates, or other market-corroborated inputs.
401(k) Plan
The Company sponsors a 401(k) plan in which we match a portion of U.S. employees' contributions. The plan provides for salary reduction
contributions by employees and, in 2015 , 2014 , and 2013 , provided matching contributions by the Company of 50% of each employee's
contributions which were not in excess of 6% of the employee's annual cash compensation.
164
On January 1, 2014, the Company began providing a nonelective contribution to the 401(k) plan of 2% of annual cash compensation for
employees who elected to opt out of the future benefits of the U.S. defined benefit plan during the election period provided during the fourth quarter
of 2013 and for new U.S. employees who started working for the Company after September 30, 2013.
The 401(k) contributions by the Company, included in acquisition and operating expenses in the consolidated statements of earnings, were $9
million in 2015 , $7 million in 2014 and $5 million in 2013 . The plan trustee held approximately one million shares of our common stock for plan
participants at December 31, 2015 .
Stock Bonus Plan
Aflac U.S. maintains a stock bonus plan for eligible U.S. sales associates. Plan participants receive shares of Aflac Incorporated common stock
based on their new annualized premium sales and their first-year persistency of substantially all new insurance policies. The cost of this plan, which
was capitalized as deferred policy acquisition costs, amounted to $34 million in 2015 , compared with $36 million in 2014 and $38 million in 2013 .
15. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENT LIABILITIES
We have two outsourcing agreements with a technology and consulting corporation. The first agreement provides mainframe computer
operations, distributed mid-range server computer operations, and related support for Aflac Japan. It has a remaining term of five years and an
aggregate remaining cost of 36.0 billion yen ( $298 million using the December 31, 2015 , exchange rate). The second agreement provides
application maintenance and development services for Aflac Japan. It has a remaining term of two years and an aggregate remaining cost of 2.4
billion yen ( $20 million using the December 31, 2015 , exchange rate).
We have an outsourcing agreement with a management consulting and technology services company to provide application maintenance and
development services for our Japanese operation. The agreement has a remaining term of two years with an aggregate remaining cost of 3.1 billion
yen ( $26 million using the December 31, 2015 , exchange rate).
We have two outsourcing agreements with information technology and data services companies to provide application maintenance and
development services for our Japanese operation. The first agreement has a remaining term of one year with an aggregate remaining cost of 637
million yen ( $5 million using the December 31, 2015 , exchange rate). The second agreement has a remaining term of two years with an aggregate
remaining cost of 1.6 billion yen ( $13 million using the December 31, 2015 , exchange rate).
As of December 31, 2015 , we have commitments of $182 million to fund potential future loan originations related to our investment in middle
market loans. These commitments are contingent upon the availability of middle market loans that meet our underwriting criteria. See Note 3 of the
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for more details on this investment program.
We lease office space and equipment under agreements that expire in various years through 2026 . Future minimum lease payments due under
non-cancelable operating leases at December 31, 2015 , were as follows:
(In millions)
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
Thereafter
Total future minimum lease payments
$ 59
44
31
10
8
20
$ 172
We are a defendant in various lawsuits considered to be in the normal course of business. Members of our senior legal and financial
management teams review litigation on a quarterly and annual basis. The final results of any litigation cannot be predicted with certainty. Although
some of this litigation is pending in states where large punitive damages,
165
bearing little relation to the actual damages sustained by plaintiffs, have been awarded in recent years, we believe the outcome of pending litigation
will not have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations, or cash flows.
16. UNAUDITED CONSOLIDATED QUARTERLY FINANCIAL DATA
In management's opinion, the following quarterly financial information fairly presents the results of operations for such periods and is prepared
on a basis consistent with our annual audited financial statements.
(In millions, except for per-share amounts)
Net premium income
Net investment income
Realized investment gains (losses)
Other income (loss)
Total revenues
Total benefits and expenses
Earnings before income taxes
Total income tax
Net earnings
Net earnings per basic share
Net earnings per diluted share
March 31,
2015
$ 4,432
782
13
(1)
5,226
4,213
1,013
350
663
1.52
1.51
$
$
June 30,
2015
$ 4,364
777
127
19
5,287
4,413
874
301
573
1.33
1.32
$
$
Quarterly amounts may not agree in total to the corresponding annual amounts due to rounding.
(In millions, except for per-share amounts)
Net premium income
Net investment income
Realized investment gains (losses)
Other income
Total revenues
Total benefits and expenses
Earnings before income taxes
Total income tax
Net earnings
Net earnings per basic share
Net earnings per diluted share
March 31,
2014
$ 4,854
827
(46)
5
5,640
4,536
1,104
372
732
1.61
1.60
$
$
June 30,
2014
$ 4,888
843
102
5
5,838
4,600
1,238
428
810
1.79
1.78
$
$
Quarterly amounts may not agree in total to the corresponding annual amounts due to rounding.
166
September 30,
2015
$
4,380
December 31,
2015
$
4,394
784
(114)
(10)
5,040
4,176
864
297
567
1.32
1.32
$
$
792
114
19
5,319
4,209
1,110
380
730
1.72
1.71
$
$
September 30,
2014
$
4,841
December 31,
2014
$
4,489
841
16
38
5,736
4,662
1,074
368
706
1.56
1.56
$
$
808
143
74
5,514
4,439
1,075
372
703
1.57
1.57
$
$
ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL
DISCLOSURE
There have been no changes in, or disagreements with, accountants on accounting and financial disclosure matters during the years ended
December 31, 2015 and 2014 .
ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
Disclosure Controls and Procedures
The Company's management, with the participation of the Company's Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, has evaluated the
effectiveness of the Company's disclosure controls and procedures (as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)) as of the end of the period covered by this annual report (the “Evaluation Date”). Based
on such evaluation, the Company's Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have concluded that, as of the Evaluation Date, the
Company's disclosure controls and procedures are effective.
Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
(a) Management's Annual Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
Management's Annual Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting is incorporated herein by reference from Part II, Item 8 of this report.
(b) Attestation Report of the Registered Public Accounting Firm
The Attestation Report of the Registered Public Accounting Firm on the Company's internal control over financial reporting is incorporated
herein by reference from Part II, Item 8 of this report.
(c) Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
There have not been any changes in the Company's internal control over financial reporting (as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-
15(f) under the Exchange Act) during the last fiscal quarter of 2015 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the
Company's internal control over financial reporting.
ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION
Not applicable.
167
Pursuant to General Instruction G to Form 10-K, Items 10 through 14 are incorporated by reference from the Company's definitive Notice and
Proxy Statement relating to the Company's 2016 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, which will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission
on or about March 17, 2016, pursuant to Regulation 14A under the Exchange Act. The Audit Committee Report and Compensation Committee
Report to be included in such proxy statement shall be deemed to be furnished in this report and shall not be incorporated by reference into any
filing under the Securities Act of 1933 as a result of such furnishing in Items 10 and 11, respectively.
PART III
ITEM 10.
DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE
GOVERNANCE
Executive Officers -
see Part I, Item 1 herein
ITEM 11.
EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
Refer to the Information Contained in the Proxy
Statement under Captions (filed electronically)
1. Election of Directors; Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting
Compliance; The Audit and Risk Committee; Audit and Risk
Committee Report; Director Nominating Process; and Code of
Business Conduct and Ethics
Director Compensation; The Compensation Committee;
Compensation Committee Report; Compensation Discussion and
Analysis; 2015 Summary Compensation Table; 2015 Grants of Plan-
Based Awards; 2015 Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End;
2015 Option Exercises and Stock Vested; Pension Benefits;
Nonqualified Deferred Compensation; Potential Payments Upon
Termination or Change-In-Control; and Compensation Committee
Interlocks and Insider Participation
ITEM 12.
SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF
CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS
AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER
MATTERS
Principal Shareholders; Election of Directors (Proposal 1); Security
Ownership of Management; and Equity Compensation Plan
Information
ITEM 13.
CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED
TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE
Related Person Transactions; and Director Independence
ITEM 14.
PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES
Ratification of Appointment of Independent Registered Public
Accounting Firm (Proposal 3); and The Audit and Risk Committee
168
ITEM 15. EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES
PART IV
(a)
1. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Page(s)
Included in Part II, Item 8, of this report:
Aflac Incorporated and Subsidiaries:
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
Consolidated Statements of Earnings for each of the years in the three-
year period ended December 31, 2015
Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income for each of the
years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2015
Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2015 and 2014
Consolidated Statements of Shareholders' Equity for each of the years
in the three-year period ended December 31, 2015
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for each of the years in the
three-year period ended December 31, 2015
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
Unaudited Consolidated Quarterly Financial Data
2. FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES
Included in Part IV of this report:
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm on Financial Statement Schedules
Schedule II -
Schedule III -
Condensed Financial Information of Registrant as of December 31, 2015 and 2014,
and for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2015
Supplementary Insurance Information as of December 31, 2015 and 2014, and for each
of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2015
Schedule IV -
Reinsurance for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2015
3. EXHIBIT INDEX
An “Exhibit Index” has been filed as part of this Report beginning on the following page and is incorporated herein by
this reference.
81
83
84
85
87
88
89
166
174
175
181
182
Schedules other than those listed above are omitted because they are not required, are not material, are not applicable, or the required
information is shown in the financial statements or notes thereto.
In reviewing the agreements included as exhibits to this annual report, please remember they are included to provide you with information
regarding their terms and are not intended to provide any other factual or disclosure information about the Company or the other parties to the
agreements. The agreements contain representations and warranties by each of the parties to the applicable agreement. These representations and
warranties have been made solely for the benefit of the other parties to the applicable agreement and:
•
•
should not in all instances be treated as categorical statements of fact, but rather as a way of allocating the risk to one of the parties if those
statements prove to be inaccurate;
have been qualified by disclosures that were made to the other party in connection with the negotiation of the applicable agreement, which
disclosures are not necessarily reflected in the agreement;
• may apply standards of materiality in a way that is different from what may be viewed as material to you or other investors; and
•
were made only as of the date of the applicable agreement or such other date or dates as may be specified in the agreement and are
subject to more recent developments.
Accordingly, these representations and warranties may not describe the actual state of affairs as of the date they were made or at any other
time.
169
(b) EXHIBIT INDEX (1)
3.0
3.1
4.0
4.1
4.2
4.3
4.4
4.5
4.6
4.7
4.8
4.9
4.10
4.11
4.12
4.13
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Articles of Incorporation, as amended – incorporated by reference from Form 10-Q for June 30, 2008, Exhibit 3.0 (File
No. 001-07434).
Bylaws of the Corporation, as amended and restated- incorporated by reference from Form 8-K dated November 10,
2015, Exhibit 3.1 ( File No. 001-07434)
There are no instruments with respect to long-term debt not being registered in which the total amount of securities
authorized exceeds 10% of the total assets of Aflac Incorporated and its subsidiaries on a consolidated basis. We agree
to furnish a copy of any long-term debt instrument to the Securities and Exchange Commission upon request.
Indenture, dated as of May 21, 2009, between Aflac Incorporated and The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company,
N.A., as trustee – incorporated by reference from Form 8-K dated May 21, 2009, Exhibit 4.1 (File No. 001-07434).
First Supplemental Indenture, dated as of May 21, 2009, between Aflac Incorporated and The Bank of New York Mellon
Trust Company, N.A., as trustee (including the form of 8.500% Senior Note due 2019) – incorporated by reference from
Form 8-K dated May 21, 2009, Exhibit 4.2 (File No. 001-07434).
Second Supplemental Indenture, dated as of December 17, 2009, between Aflac Incorporated and The Bank of New York
Mellon Trust Company, N.A., as trustee (including the form of 6.900% Senior Note due 2039) – incorporated by reference
from Form 8-K dated December 14, 2009, Exhibit 4.1 (File No. 001-07434).
Third Supplemental Indenture, dated as of August 9, 2010, between Aflac Incorporated and The Bank of New York Mellon
Trust Company, N.A., as trustee (including the form of 6.45% Senior Note due 2040) - incorporated by reference from
Form 8-K dated August 4, 2010, Exhibit 4.1 (File No. 001-07434).
Fourth Supplemental Indenture, dated as of August 9, 2010, between Aflac Incorporated and The Bank of New York and
Mellon Trust Company, N.A., as trustee (including the form of 3.45% Senior Note due 2015) – incorporated by reference
from Form 8-K dated August 4, 2010, Exhibit 4.2 (File No. 001-07434).
Fifth Supplemental Indenture, dated as of February 10, 2012, between Aflac Incorporated and The Bank of New York
Mellon Trust Company, N.A., as trustee (including the form of 2.65% Senior Note due 2017) - incorporated by reference
from Form 8-K dated February 8, 2012, Exhibit 4.1 (File No. 001-07434).
Sixth Supplemental Indenture, dated as of February 10, 2012, between Aflac Incorporated and The Bank of New York
Mellon Trust Company, N.A., as trustee (including the form of 4.00% Senior Note due 2022) - incorporated by reference
from Form 8-K dated February 8, 2012, Exhibit 4.2 (File No. 001-07434).
Seventh Supplemental Indenture, dated as of July 31, 2012, between Aflac Incorporated and The Bank of New York
Mellon Trust Company, N.A., as trustee (including the form of 2.65% Senior Note due 2017) - incorporated by reference
from Form 8-K dated July 27, 2012, Exhibit 4.1 (File No. 001-07434).
Eighth Supplemental Indenture, dated as of June 10, 2013, between Aflac Incorporated and The Bank of New York
Mellon Trust Company, N.A., as trustee (including the form of 3.625% Senior Note due 2023) - incorporated by reference
from Form 8-K dated June 10, 2013, Exhibit 4.1 (File No. 001-07434).
Ninth Supplemental Indenture, dated as of November 7, 2014, between Aflac Incorporated and The Bank of New York
Mellon Trust Company, N.A., as trustee (including the form of 3.625% Senior Note due 2024) - incorporated by reference
from Form 8-K dated November 4, 2014, Exhibit 4.1 (File No. 001-07434).
Tenth Supplemental Indenture, dated as of March 12, 2015, between Aflac Incorporated and The Bank of New York
Mellon Trust Company, N.A., as trustee (including the form of 2.40% Senior Note due 2020) - incorporated by reference
from Form 8-K dated March 9, 2015, Exhibit 4.1 (File No. 001-07434).
Eleventh Supplemental Indenture, dated as of March 12, 2015, between Aflac Incorporated and The Bank of New York
Mellon Trust Company, N.A., as trustee (including the form of 3.25% Senior Note due 2025) - incorporated by reference
from Form 8-K dated March 9, 2015, Exhibit 4.2 (File No. 001-07434).
Subordinated Indenture, dated as of September 26, 2012, between Aflac Incorporated and The Bank of New York Mellon
Trust Company, N.A., as trustee - incorporated by reference from Form 8-K dated September 26, 2012, Exhibit 4.1 (File
No. 001-07434).
170
4.14
10.0*
10.1*
10.2*
10.3*
10.4*
10.5*
10.6*
10.7*
10.8*
10.9*
10.10*
10.11*
10.12*
10.13*
10.14*
10.15*
10.16*
10.17*
10.18*
10.19*
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
First Supplemental Indenture, dated as of September 26, 2012, between Aflac Incorporated and The Bank of New York
Mellon Trust Company, N.A., as trustee (including the form of 5.50% Subordinated Debenture due 2052) - incorporated
by reference from Form 8-K dated September 26, 2012, Exhibit 4.2 (File No. 001-07434).
American Family Corporation Retirement Plan for Senior Officers, as amended and restated October 1, 1989 –
incorporated by reference from 1993 Form 10-K, Exhibit 10.2 (File No. 001-07434).
Amendment to American Family Corporation Retirement Plan for Senior Officers, dated December 8, 2008 – incorporated
by reference from 2008 Form 10-K, Exhibit 10.1 (File No. 001-07434).
Aflac Incorporated Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan, as amended and restated January 1, 2009 – incorporated
by reference from 2008 Form 10-K, Exhibit 10.5 (File No. 001-07434).
First Amendment to the Aflac Incorporated Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan, as amended and restated January
1, 2009 – incorporated by reference from 2012 Form 10-K, Exhibit 10.3 (File No. 001-07434).
Second Amendment to the Aflac Incorporated Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan, as amended and restated
January 1, 2009 – incorporated by reference from 2014 Form 10-K, Exhibit 10.4 (File No. 001-07434).
Aflac Incorporated Executive Deferred Compensation Plan, as amended and restated, effective September 1, 2015 –
incorporated by reference from Form 10-Q for September 30, 2015, Exhibit 10.5 (File No. 001-07434).
Aflac Incorporated 2013 Management Incentive Plan - incorporated by reference from the 2012 Proxy Statement,
Appendix B (File No. 001-07434).
1999 Aflac Associate Stock Bonus Plan, amended and restated as of January 1, 2013 - incorporated by reference from
Form 10-Q for March 31, 2013, Exhibit 10.10 (File No. 001-07434).
Aflac Incorporated 1997 Stock Option Plan – incorporated by reference from the 1997 Shareholders’ Proxy Statement,
Appendix B (File No. 001-07434).
Form of Officer Stock Option Agreement (Non-Qualifying Stock Option) under the Aflac Incorporated 1997 Stock Option
Plan – incorporated by reference from Form 8-K dated January 28, 2005, Exhibit 10.5 (File No. 001-07434).
Form of Officer Stock Option Agreement (Incentive Stock Option) under the Aflac Incorporated 1997 Stock Option Plan –
incorporated by reference from Form 8-K dated January 28, 2005, Exhibit 10.6 (File No. 001-07434).
Notice of grant of stock options and stock option agreement to officers under the Aflac Incorporated 1997 Stock Option
Plan – incorporated by reference from Form 8-K dated January 28, 2005, Exhibit 10.7 (File No. 001-07434).
2004 Aflac Incorporated Long-Term Incentive Plan, as amended and restated March 14, 2012 – incorporated by
reference from the 2012 Proxy Statement, Appendix A (File No. 001-07434).
Form of Non-Employee Director Stock Option Agreement (NQSO) under the 2004 Aflac Incorporated Long-Term
Incentive Plan, as amended and restated March 14, 2012 – incorporated by reference from Form 10-Q for June 30, 2013,
Exhibit 10.16 (File No. 001-07434).
Notice of grant of stock options to non-employee director under the 2004 Aflac Incorporated Long-Term Incentive Plan, as
amended and restated March 14, 2012 – incorporated by reference from Form 10-Q for June 30, 2013, Exhibit 10.17 (File
No. 001-07434).
Form of Non-Employee Director Restricted Stock Award Agreement under the 2004 Aflac Incorporated Long-Term
Incentive Plan, as amended and restated March 14, 2012 – incorporated by reference from Form 10-Q for June 30, 2013,
Exhibit 10.18 (File No. 001-07434).
Notice of restricted stock award to non-employee director under the 2004 Aflac Incorporated Long-Term Incentive Plan,
as amended and restated March 14, 2012 – incorporated by reference from Form 10-Q for June 30, 2013, Exhibit 10.19
(File No. 001-07434).
U.S. Form of Officer Restricted Stock Award Agreement under the 2004 Aflac Incorporated Long-Term Incentive Plan, as
amended and restated March 14, 2012 – incorporated by reference from Form 10-Q for June 30, 2013, Exhibit 10.20 (File
No. 001-07434).
Japan Form of Officer Restricted Stock Award Agreement under the 2004 Aflac Incorporated Long-Term Incentive Plan,
as amended and restated March 14, 2012 – incorporated by reference from Form 10-Q for June 30, 2013, Exhibit 10.21
(File No. 001-07434).
Notice of time based restricted stock award to officers under the 2004 Aflac Incorporated Long-Term Incentive Plan, as
amended and restated March 14, 2012 – incorporated by reference from Form 10-Q for June 30, 2013, Exhibit 10.22 (File
No. 001-07434).
171
10.20*
10.21*
10.22*
10.23*
10.24*
10.25*
10.26*
10.27*
10.28*
10.29*
10.30*
10.31*
10.32*
10.33*
11
12
21
23
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Notice of performance based restricted stock award to officers under the 2004 Aflac Incorporated Long-Term Incentive
Plan, as amended and restated March 14, 2012 – incorporated by reference from Form 10-Q for June 30, 2013, Exhibit
10.23 (File No. 001-07434).
U.S. Form of Officer Stock Option Agreement (Non-Qualifying Stock Option) under the 2004 Aflac Incorporated Long-
Term Incentive Plan, as amended and restated March 14, 2012 – incorporated by reference from Form 10-Q for June 30,
2013, Exhibit 10.24 (File No. 001-07434).
Japan Form of Officer Stock Option Agreement (Non-Qualifying Stock Option) under the 2004 Aflac Incorporated Long-
Term Incentive Plan, as amended and restated March 14, 2012 – incorporated by reference from Form 10-Q for June 30,
2013, Exhibit 10.25 (File No. 001-07434).
U.S. Form of Officer Stock Option Agreement (Incentive Stock Option) under the 2004 Aflac Incorporated Long-Term
Incentive Plan, as amended and restated March 14, 2012 – incorporated by reference from Form 10-Q for June 30, 2013,
Exhibit 10.26 (File No. 001-07434).
Japan Form of Officer Stock Option Agreement (Incentive Stock Option) under the 2004 Aflac Incorporated Long-Term
Incentive Plan, as amended and restated March 14, 2012 – incorporated by reference from Form 10-Q for June 30, 2013,
Exhibit 10.27 (File No. 001-07434).
U.S. Notice of grant of stock options to officers under the 2004 Aflac Incorporated Long-Term Incentive Plan, as amended
and restated March 14, 2012 – incorporated by reference from Form 10-Q for June 30, 2013, Exhibit 10.28 (File No. 001-
07434).
Japan Notice of grant of stock options to officers under the 2004 Aflac Incorporated Long-Term Incentive Plan, as
amended and restated March 14, 2012 – incorporated by reference from Form 10-Q for June 30, 2013, Exhibit 10.29 (File
No. 001-07434).
Aflac Incorporated Retirement Plan for Directors Emeritus, as amended and restated, dated February 9, 2010 –
incorporated by reference from 2009 Form 10-K, Exhibit 10.26 (File No. 001-07434).
Amendment to Aflac Incorporated Retirement Plan for Directors Emeritus, as amended and restated, dated August 10,
2010 – incorporated by reference from Form 10-Q for September 30, 2010, Exhibit 10.27 (File No. 001-07434).
Aflac Incorporated Employment Agreement with Daniel P. Amos, as amended and restated, dated August 20, 2015 -
incorporated by reference from Form 10-Q for September 30, 2015, Exhibit 10.29 (File No. 001-07434).
Aflac Incorporated Employment Agreement with Kriss Cloninger III, as amended and restated, dated August 20, 2015 -
incorporated by reference from Form 10-Q for September 30, 2015, Exhibit 10.30 (File No. 001-07434).
Aflac Employment Agreement with Paul S. Amos II, as amended and restated, dated August 19, 2015 - incorporated by
reference from Form 10-Q for September 30, 2015, Exhibit 10.31 (File No. 001-07434).
Aflac Employment Agreement with Eric M. Kirsch, as amended and restated, dated December 1, 2015 - incorporated by
reference from Form 8-K dated December 1, 2015, Exhibit 10.1 (File No. 001-07434).
Aflac Incorporated Employment Agreement with Frederick J. Crawford, effective June 30, 2015 – incorporated by
reference from Form 8-K dated June 24, 2015, Exhibit 10.1 (File No. 001-07434).
- Statement regarding the computation of per-share earnings for the Registrant.
- Statement regarding the computation of ratio of earnings to fixed charges for the Registrant.
- Subsidiaries.
-
-
-
-
-
-
Consent of independent registered public accounting firm, KPMG LLP, to Form S-8 Registration Statement No. 333-
158969 with respect to the Aflac Incorporated 401(k) Savings and Profit Sharing Plan.
Consent of independent registered public accounting firm KPMG LLP, to Form S-8 Registration Statement No. 333-27883
with respect to the Aflac Incorporated 1997 Stock Option Plan.
Consent of independent registered public accounting firm, KPMG LLP, to Form S-8 Registration Statement Nos. 333-
135327, 333-161269, and 333-202781 with respect to the Aflac Incorporated Executive Deferred Compensation Plan.
Consent of independent registered public accounting firm, KPMG LLP, to Form S-8 Registration Statement No. 333-
200570 with respect to the Aflac Incorporated Market Director Deferred Compensation Plan.
Consent of independent registered public accounting firm, KPMG LLP, to Form S-8 Registration Statement No. 333-
115105 with respect to the 2004 Aflac Incorporated Long-Term Incentive Plan.
Consent of independent registered public accounting firm, KPMG LLP, to Form S-3 Registration Statement No. 333-
197984 with respect to the AFL Stock Plan.
172
-
-
-
-
Consent of independent registered public accounting firm, KPMG LLP, to Form S-3 Registration Statement No. 333-
203839 with respect to the Aflac Incorporated shelf registration statement.
Certification of CEO dated February 25, 2016, required by Rule 13a-14(a) or Rule 15d-14(a) of the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934.
Certification of CFO dated February 25, 2016, required by Rule 13a-14(a) or Rule 15d-14(a) of the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934.
Certification of CEO and CFO dated February 25, 2016, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as Adopted Pursuant to
Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
- XBRL Instance Document. (2)
- XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema.
- XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase.
- XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase.
- XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase.
- XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase.
31.1
31.2
32
101.INS
101.SCH
101.CAL
101.DEF
101.LAB
101.PRE
(1) Copies of any exhibit are available upon request by calling our Investor Relations Department at 800.235.2667 - option 3
(2)
Includes the following materials contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015, formatted in XBRL (eXtensible
Business Reporting Language): (i) Consolidated Statements of Earnings, (ii) Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss), (iii)
Consolidated Balance Sheets, (iv) Consolidated Statements of Shareholders' Equity, (v) Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows, (vi) Notes to
Consolidated Financial Statements, (vii) Financial Statement Schedules.
* Management contract or compensatory plan or arrangement required to be filed as an exhibit pursuant to Item 15(b) of this report.
173
(c) FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
The Board of Directors and Shareholders
Aflac Incorporated:
Under date of February 25, 2016 , we reported on the consolidated balance sheets of Aflac Incorporated and subsidiaries (the Company) as of
December 31, 2015 and 2014 , and the related consolidated statements of earnings, comprehensive income (loss), shareholders' equity, and cash
flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2015 , which are included herein. In connection with our audits of the
aforementioned consolidated financial statements, we also audited the related consolidated financial statement schedules as listed in Item 15.
These financial statement schedules are the responsibility of the Company's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these
financial statement schedules based on our audits.
In our opinion, such financial statement schedules, when considered in relation to the basic consolidated financial statements taken as a whole,
present fairly, in all material respects, the information set forth therein.
/s/ KPMG LLP
Atlanta, Georgia
February 25, 2016
174
SCHEDULE II
CONDENSED FINANCIAL INFORMATION OF REGISTRANT
Aflac Incorporated (Parent Only)
Condensed Statements of Earnings
(In millions)
Revenues:
Dividends from subsidiaries (1)
Management and service fees from subsidiaries (1)
Net investment income
Interest from subsidiaries (1)
Realized investment gains (losses)
Change in fair value of the cross-currency interest rate swaps
Other income (loss)
Total revenues
Operating expenses:
Interest expense
Other operating expenses
Total operating expenses
Earnings before income taxes and equity in undistributed earnings of
subsidiaries
Income tax expense (benefit):
Current
Deferred
Total income taxes
Earnings before equity in undistributed earnings of subsidiaries
Equity in undistributed earnings of subsidiaries (1)
Net earnings
Years ended December 31,
2015
2014
2013
$ 2,393
$ 1,483
$
260
22
6
86
(53)
0
272
13
6
45
314
(11)
962
292
11
7
10
274
1
2,714
2,122
1,557
231
321 (2)
552
243
88
331
208
79
287
2,162
1,791
1,270
2
(82)
(80)
2,242
291
1
120
121
1,670
1,281
0
98
98
1,172
1,986
$ 2,533
$ 2,951
$ 3,158
(1) Eliminated in consolidation
(2) Includes expense of $230 for the make-whole payment associated with the early extinguishment of debt
See the accompanying Notes to Condensed Financial Statements.
See the accompanying Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm.
175
SCHEDULE II
CONDENSED FINANCIAL INFORMATION OF REGISTRANT
Aflac Incorporated (Parent Only)
Condensed Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss)
(In millions)
Net earnings
Other comprehensive income (loss) before income taxes:
Foreign currency translation adjustments:
Unrealized foreign currency translation gains (losses)
during period - parent only
Equity in unrealized foreign currency translation gains (losses) of
subsidiaries during period
Unrealized gains (losses) on investment securities:
Unrealized holding gains (losses) on investment securities
during period - parent only
Equity in unrealized holding gains (losses) on investment securities
held by subsidiaries during period
Equity in reclassification adjustment for realized (gains) losses of
subsidiaries included in net earnings
Unrealized gains (losses) on derivatives during period
Pension liability adjustment during period
Total other comprehensive income (loss) before
income taxes
Income tax expense (benefit) related to items of other comprehensive
income (loss)
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of income taxes
Total comprehensive income (loss)
See the accompanying Notes to Condensed Financial Statements.
See the accompanying Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm.
176
Years ended December 31,
2015
2014
2013
$ 2,533
$ 2,951
$ 3,158
3
39
48
357
(1,494)
(1,636)
(8)
9
(12)
(2,526)
5,938
(2,350)
(61)
0
(20)
(54)
(17)
(76)
(56)
(10)
157
(2,255)
4,345
(3,859)
(901)
(1,354)
1,803
2,542
(581)
(3,278)
$ 1,179
$ 5,493
$
(120)
SCHEDULE II
CONDENSED FINANCIAL INFORMATION OF REGISTRANT
Aflac Incorporated (Parent Only)
Condensed Balance Sheets
(In millions, except for share and per-share amounts)
Assets:
Investments and cash:
Fixed maturity securities available for sale, at fair value
(amortized cost $481 in 2015 and $419 in 2014)
Investments in subsidiaries (1)
Other investments
Cash and cash equivalents
Total investments and cash
Due from subsidiaries (1)
Other assets
Total assets
Liabilities and shareholders' equity:
Liabilities:
Income taxes
Employee benefit plans
Notes payable
Other liabilities
Total liabilities
Shareholders' equity:
Common stock of $.10 par value. In thousands: authorized 1,900,000 shares in
2015 and 2014; issued 669,723 shares in 2015 and 668,132 shares in 2014
Additional paid-in capital
Retained earnings
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss):
Unrealized foreign currency translation gains
Unrealized gains (losses) on investment securities
Unrealized gains (losses) on derivatives
Pension liability adjustment
Treasury stock, at average cost
Total shareholders' equity
December 31,
2015
2014
$
493
$
437
20,500
9
1,721
22,723
113
582
21,430
24
1,638
23,529
116
766
$ 23,418
$ 24,411
$
8
274
5,008
420
5,710
$
6
282
5,285
491
6,064
67
1,828
24,007
(2,196)
2,986
(26)
(139)
(8,819)
17,708
67
1,711
22,156
(2,541)
4,672
(26)
(126)
(7,566)
18,347
Total liabilities and shareholders' equity
$ 23,418
$ 24,411
(1) Eliminated in consolidation
See the accompanying Notes to Condensed Financial Statements.
See the accompanying Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm.
177
SCHEDULE II
CONDENSED FINANCIAL INFORMATION OF REGISTRANT
Aflac Incorporated (Parent Only)
Condensed Statements of Cash Flows
(In millions)
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net earnings
Adjustments to reconcile net earnings to net cash provided from
operating activities:
Equity in undistributed earnings of subsidiaries (1)
Change in income tax liabilities
Other, net
Net cash provided (used) by operating activities
Cash flows from investing activities:
Fixed maturity securities sold
Fixed maturity securities purchased
Other investments sold (purchased)
Settlement of derivatives
Additional capitalization of subsidiaries (1)
Net cash provided (used) by investing activities
Cash flows from financing activities:
Purchases of treasury stock
Proceeds from borrowings
Principal payments under debt obligations
Dividends paid to shareholders
Treasury stock reissued
Proceeds from exercise of stock options
Net change in amount due to/from subsidiaries (1)
Other, net
Net cash provided (used) by financing activities
Net change in cash and cash equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period
Cash and cash equivalents, end of period
Years ended December 31,
2015
2014
2013
$ 2,533
$ 2,951
$ 3,158
(291)
6
)
(2
149
2,397
121
(202)
14
147
(43)
37
(1,315)
998
(1,272)
(656)
36
47
43
)
(2
(232)
(2,351)
83
1,638
(1,281)
115
(72)
1,713
38
(105)
291
(1)
0
223
(1,210)
750
(335)
(654)
33
23
14
0
(1,379)
557
1,081
(1,986)
155
11
1,338
8
(206)
(298)
0
0
(496)
(813)
700
0
(635)
88
41
28
0
(591)
251
830
$ 1,721
$ 1,638
$ 1,081
(1) Eliminated in consolidation
(2) Operating activities excludes and financing activities includes a cash outflow of $230 for the make-whole payment associated with the early extinguishment of
debt
See the accompanying Notes to Condensed Financial Statements.
See the accompanying Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm.
178
SCHEDULE II
CONDENSED FINANCIAL INFORMATION OF REGISTRANT
Aflac Incorporated (Parent Only)
Notes to Condensed Financial Statements
The accompanying condensed financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto
of Aflac Incorporated and Subsidiaries included in Part II, Item 8 of this report.
(A) Notes Payable
A summary of notes payable as of December 31 follows:
(In millions)
3.45% senior notes paid August 2015
2.65% senior notes due February 2017
8.50% senior notes due May 2019
2.40% senior notes due March 2020
4.00% senior notes due February 2022
3.625% senior notes due June 2023
3.625% senior notes due November 2024
3.25% senior notes due March 2025
6.90% senior notes due December 2039
6.45% senior notes due August 2040
5.50% subordinated debentures due September 2052
Yen-denominated Uridashi notes:
2.26% notes due September 2016 (principal amount 10 billion yen)
Yen-denominated Samurai notes:
1.84% notes due July 2016 (principal amount 15.8 billion yen)
Yen-denominated loans:
3.60% loan paid July 2015 (principal amount 10 billion yen)
3.00% loan paid August 2015 (principal amount 5 billion yen)
2015
2014
$
0
652 (1)
0 (2)
550
350
700
749 (3)
448 (3)
397 (3)
448 (3)
500
83
131
0
0
$
300
653 (1)
850
0
350
700
749 (3)
0
397 (3)
448 (3)
500
83
131
83
41
Total notes payable
$ 5,008
$ 5,285
(1) Principal amount plus an issuance premium that is being amortized over the life of the notes
(2) Redeemed in April 2015
(3) Principal amount net of an issuance discount that is being amortized over the life of the notes
During 2009 , Aflac Japan bought on the open market 2.0 billion yen of yen-denominated Uridashi notes issued by the Parent Company which
are outstanding as of December 31, 2015 . In consolidation, those notes have been extinguished; however, they remain an outstanding liability for
the Parent Company until their maturity date.
The aggregate contractual maturities of notes payable during each of the years after December 31, 2015 , are as follows:
(In millions)
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
Thereafter
Total
$
214
650
0
0
550
3,600
$ 5,014
For further information regarding notes payable, see Note 9 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
179
(B) Derivatives
At December 31, 2015 , the Parent Company's outstanding freestanding derivative contracts were swaps associated with our notes payable,
consisting of cross-currency interest rate swaps, also referred to as foreign currency swaps, associated with our senior notes due in February 2017,
March 2020, February 2022, June 2023, November 2024 and March 2025, and subordinated debentures due in September 2052. We do not use
derivative financial instruments for trading purposes, nor do we engage in leveraged derivative transactions. For further information regarding these
derivatives, see Notes 1, 4 and 9 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
(C) Income Taxes
The Parent Company and its eligible U.S. subsidiaries file a consolidated U.S. federal income tax return. Income tax liabilities or benefits are
recorded by each principal subsidiary based upon separate return calculations, and any difference between the consolidated provision and the
aggregate amounts recorded by the subsidiaries is reflected in the Parent Company financial statements. For further information on income taxes,
see Note 10 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
(D) Dividend Restrictions
See Note 13 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for information regarding dividend restrictions.
(E) Supplemental Disclosures of Cash Flow Information
(In millions)
Interest paid
Noncash financing activities:
2015
2014
2013
$
235
$
241
$
205
Treasury stock issued for shareholder dividend reinvestment
26
26
25
180
SCHEDULE III
SUPPLEMENTARY INSURANCE INFORMATION
Aflac Incorporated and Subsidiaries
Years ended December 31,
(In millions)
2015:
Aflac Japan
Aflac U.S.
All other
Intercompany eliminations
Total
2014:
Aflac Japan
Aflac U.S.
All other
Total
Deferred Policy
Acquisition
Costs
Future Policy
Benefits & Unpaid
Policy Claims
Unearned
Premiums
Other
Policyholders'
Funds
$
$
$
$
5,370
3,141
0
0
8,511
5,211
3,062
0
8,273
$
64,437
$
7,739
$
6,285
9,696
43
(687)
73,489
60,036
9,239
1
69,276
$
$
$
118
0
0
7,857
8,509
117
0
8,626
$
$
$
0
0
0
6,285
6,030
0
1
6,031
$
$
$
Segment amounts may not agree in total to the corresponding consolidated amounts due to rounding.
Years Ended December 31,
(In millions)
2015:
Net
Premium
Revenue
Net
Investment
Income
Benefits and
Claims, net
Amortization of
Deferred Policy
Acquisition Costs
Other
Operating
Expenses
Premiums
Written
Aflac Japan
$
12,046 $
2,436
$
Aflac U.S.
All other
Total
2014:
Aflac Japan
Aflac U.S.
All other
Total
2013:
Aflac Japan
Aflac U.S.
All other
Total
5,347
177
678
21
8,705
2,873
168
$
$
$
$
17,570 $
3,135
$
11,746
13,861 $
2,662
$
10,084
5,211
0
645
12
2,853
0
19,072 $
3,319
$
12,937
14,982 $
2,651
$
10,924
5,153
0
632
10
2,889
0
$
20,135 $
3,293
$
13,813
$
$
$
$
$
$
578
488
0
$
2,055 $
1,570
573
11,740
5,343
0
1,066
$
4,198 $
17,083
649
459
0
$
2,364 $
1,474
354
13,352
5,198
0
1,108
$
4,192 $
18,550
641
433
0
$
2,495 $
1,431
310
15,960
5,144
0
1,074
$
4,236 $
21,104
Segment amounts may not agree in total to the corresponding consolidated amounts due to rounding.
See the accompanying Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm.
181
SCHEDULE IV
REINSURANCE
Aflac Incorporated and Subsidiaries
Years Ended December 31,
Gross
Amount
Ceded to
Other
Companies
Assumed
from Other
companies
Net
Amount
Percentage
of Amount
Assumed
to Net
146,610
$
3,547
$
0
$
143,063
0%
13,604
$
509
$
186
$
13,281
4,300
11
0
4,289
17,904
$
520
$
186
$
17,570
1%
0
1%
144,374
$
3,298
$
0
$
141,076
0%
14,648
$
339
$
10
$
14,319
4,764
11
0
4,753
19,412
$
350
$
10
$
19,072
0%
0
0%
157,022
$
3,245
$
0
$
153,777
0%
15,393
$
98
$
12
$
15,307
4,840
12
0
4,828
20,233
$
110
$
12
$
20,135
0%
0
0%
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
(In millions)
2015:
Life insurance in force
Premiums:
Health insurance
Life insurance
Total earned premiums
2014:
Life insurance in force
Premiums:
Health insurance
Life insurance
Total earned premiums
2013:
Life insurance in force
Premiums:
Health insurance
Life insurance
Total earned premiums
Premiums by type may not agree in total to the corresponding consolidated amounts due to rounding.
See the accompanying Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm.
182
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be
signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
SIGNATURES
Aflac Incorporated
By:
/s/ Daniel P. Amos
(Daniel P. Amos)
Chief Executive Officer,
Chairman of the Board of Directors
February 25, 2016
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of
the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
/s/ Daniel P. Amos
(Daniel P. Amos)
/s/ Frederick J. Crawford
(Frederick J. Crawford)
/s/ June Howard
(June Howard)
Chief Executive Officer,
Chairman of the Board of Directors
Executive Vice President,
Chief Financial Officer
February 25, 2016
February 25, 2016
Senior Vice President, Financial Services;
February 25, 2016
Chief Accounting Officer
183
/s/ Paul S. Amos II
(Paul S. Amos II)
/s/ W. Paul Bowers
(W. Paul Bowers)
/s/ Kriss Cloninger III
(Kriss Cloninger III)
/s/ Elizabeth J. Hudson
(Elizabeth J. Hudson)
/s/ Douglas W. Johnson
(Douglas W. Johnson)
/s/ Robert B. Johnson
(Robert B. Johnson)
/s/ Thomas J. Kenny
(Thomas J. Kenny)
/s/ Charles B. Knapp
(Charles B. Knapp)
/s/ Joseph L. Moskowitz
(Joseph L. Moskowitz)
/s/ Barbara K. Rimer
(Barbara K. Rimer)
/s/ Melvin T. Stith
(Melvin T. Stith)
/s/ Takuro Yoshida
(Takuro Yoshida)
Director
Director
Director
Director
Director
Director
Director
Director
Director
Director
Director
Director
184
February 25, 2016
February 25, 2016
February 25, 2016
February 25, 2016
February 25, 2016
February 25, 2016
February 25, 2016
February 25, 2016
February 25, 2016
February 25, 2016
February 25, 2016
February 25, 2016
Aflac Incorporated 2015 Form 10-K
EXHIBIT 11
Aflac Incorporated and Subsidiaries
Computation of Earnings Per Share
Numerator (In millions):
Basic and diluted: net earnings applicable to common stock
$
2,533 $
2,951 $
3,158 $
2,866 $
1,937
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
Denominator (In thousands):
Weighted-average outstanding shares used in the
computation of earnings per share - basic
Dilutive effect of share-based awards
Weighted-average outstanding shares used in the
computation of earnings per share - diluted
Earnings per share:
Basic
Diluted
430,654
451,204
464,502
466,868
466,519
2,518
2,796
2,906
2,419
2,851
433,172
454,000
467,408
469,287
469,370
$
5.88 $
6.54 $
6.80 $
6.14 $
5.85
6.50
6.76
6.11
4.16
4.12
Amounts prior to 2012 have been adjusted for the adoption of accounting guidance on January 1, 2012 related to deferred policy
acquisition costs.
Aflac Incorporated 2015 Form 10-K
EXHIBIT 12
Aflac Incorporated and Subsidiaries
Ratio of Earnings to Fixed Charges
(In thousands)
Fixed charges:
Interest expense (1)
Interest on investment-type contracts
Rental expense deemed interest
Total fixed charges
Earnings before income tax (1)
Add back:
Total fixed charges
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
$
$
$
289,070 $
317,428 $
292,637 $
261,405 $
195,536
56,721
531
57,363
629
54,839
693
57,679
892
50,075
1,028
346,322 $
375,420 $
348,169 $
319,976 $
246,639
3,862,313 $
4,490,604 $
4,815,619 $
4,302,108 $
2,950,452
346,322
375,420
348,169
319,976
246,639
Total earnings before income tax and fixed charges $
4,208,635 $
4,866,024 $
5,163,788 $
4,622,084 $
3,197,091
Ratio of earnings to fixed charges
12.2x
13.0x
14.8x
14.4x
13.0x
(1) Excludes interest expense on income tax liabilities
Amounts prior to 2012 have been adjusted for the adoption of accounting guidance on January 1, 2012 related to deferred policy acquisition costs.
Aflac Incorporated 2015 Form 10-K
EXHIBIT 21
Aflac Incorporated
SUBSIDIARIES
The following list sets forth the subsidiaries of Aflac Incorporated:
Company
American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus (Aflac)
American Family Life Assurance Company of New York (1)
Octagon Delaware Trust (1)
Apollo AF Loan Trust (1)
Global Investment Fund I, GIVI Japan Equity Portfolio (1)
Communicorp, Inc.
Aflac Information Technology, Inc.
Aflac International, Inc.
Aflac Insurance Services Co., Ltd. (2)
Aflac Payment Services Co., Ltd. (2)
Aflac Technology Services Co., Ltd. (2)
Aflac Heartful Services Co., Ltd. (3)
Continental American Insurance Company
Continental American Group, LLC (4)
Aflac Benefits Advisors, Inc.
Empoweredbenefits, LLC (5)
(1) Subsidiary of Aflac
(2) Subsidiary of Aflac International, Inc.
(3) 70% owned by Aflac International, Inc.
10% owned by American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus
10% owned by Aflac Insurance Services Co., Ltd., and
10% owned by Aflac Payment Services Co., Ltd.
(4) Subsidiary of Continental American Insurance Company
(5) Subsidiary of Aflac Benefit Advisors, Inc.
Jurisdiction
Nebraska
New York
Delaware
Delaware
Delaware
Georgia
Georgia
Georgia
Japan
Japan
Japan
Japan
South Carolina
Georgia
Georgia
North Carolina
Aflac Incorporated 2015 Form 10-K
EXHIBIT 23
The Board of Directors
Aflac Incorporated:
Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
We consent to incorporation by reference in registration statement Nos. 333-203839 and 333-197984 on Form S-3, and Nos. 333-161269, 333-
202781, 333-135327, 333-158969, 333-27883, 333-200570, and 333-115105 on Form S-8 of Aflac Incorporated of our reports dated February 25,
2016, with respect to the consolidated balance sheets of Aflac Incorporated and subsidiaries (the Company) as of December 31, 2015 and 2014 ,
and the related consolidated statements of earnings, comprehensive income (loss), shareholders’ equity, and cash flows for each of the years in the
three-year period ended December 31, 2015 , and all related financial statement schedules, and the effectiveness of internal control over financial
reporting as of December 31, 2015 , which reports appear in the December 31, 2015 annual report on Form 10-K of Aflac Incorporated.
/s/ KPMG LLP
Atlanta, Georgia
February 25, 2016
Aflac Incorporated 2015 Form 10-K
EXHIBIT 31.1
I, Daniel P. Amos, certify that:
Certification of Chief Executive Officer
1.
2.
3.
4.
I have reviewed this annual report on Form 10-K of Aflac Incorporated;
Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to
make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period
covered by this report;
Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material
respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;
The registrant’s other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined
in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f)
and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have:
a)
Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our
supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to
us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;
b)
c)
d)
Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under
our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial
statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;
Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions
about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such
evaluation; and
Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s
most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is
reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and
5.
The registrant’s other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting,
to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):
a)
b)
All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are
reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and
Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s
internal control over financial reporting.
Date:
February 25, 2016
/s/ Daniel P. Amos
Daniel P. Amos
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Aflac Incorporated 2015 Form 10-K
EXHIBIT 31.2
I, Frederick J. Crawford, certify that:
Certification of Chief Financial Officer
1.
I have reviewed this annual report on Form 10-K of Aflac Incorporated;
2. Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make
the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered
by this report;
3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects
the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;
4. The registrant’s other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in
Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and
15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have:
a)
b)
c)
d)
Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our
supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to
us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;
Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under
our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial
statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;
Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions
about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such
evaluation; and
Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s
most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is
reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and
5. The registrant’s other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to
the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):
a)
b)
All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are
reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and
Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s
internal control over financial reporting.
Date:
February 25, 2016
/s/ Frederick J. Crawford
Frederick J. Crawford
Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer
Aflac Incorporated 2015 Form 10-K
EXHIBIT 32
Certification of CEO and CFO Pursuant to
18 U.S.C. Section 1350,
as Adopted Pursuant to
Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
In connection with the Annual Report on Form 10-K of Aflac Incorporated (the “Company”) for the annual period ended December 31, 2015 , as
filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on the date hereof (the “Report”), Daniel P. Amos, as Chief Executive Officer of the Company,
and Frederick J. Crawford, as Chief Financial Officer of the Company, each hereby certifies, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted
pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, that, to the best of his knowledge:
(1) The Report fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; and
(2) The information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of the
Company.
/s/ Daniel P. Amos
Name:
Title:
Date:
Daniel P. Amos
Chief Executive Officer
February 25, 2016
/s/ Frederick J. Crawford
Name:
Title:
Date:
Frederick J. Crawford
Chief Financial Officer
February 25, 2016