Quarterlytics / Financial Services / Insurance - Property & Casualty / Horace Mann Educators Corporation

Horace Mann Educators Corporation

hmn · NYSE Financial Services
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Ticker hmn
Exchange NYSE
Sector Financial Services
Industry Insurance - Property & Casualty
Employees 1750
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FY2013 Annual Report · Horace Mann Educators Corporation
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We believe:  
Educators are taking care of  
our children’s future, and we need  
to take care of their future. 

Peace of mind should be available  
to every educator. 

In respect – we treat others  
as we would like to be treated.

We can help advise and educate the educators. 

We are here to help educators through  
a lifetime of changing needs.  

We are uniquely qualified to do all this because 
we were Founded by Educators for Educators ®.

HA-C00372 (Mar. 14)

Horace Mann Educators Corporation
2013 Annual Report and 10-K

Financial Highlights
(Dollars in millions, except per share data)

Year Ended December 31, 

                              2013 

  2012 

2011

Operations
Insurance premiums written and  
   contract deposits (A)                                  $    1,094.2 
Net income 
                                                      110.9 
Operating income (A) 
Return on equity (B) 
Property & casualty   
   combined loss and expense ratio 

                                            96.5   
                                              9.6%   

                    96.3%      

Per share 
                                $         2.66 
Net income-diluted 
Operating income (A)-diluted 
                    $          2.32  
Dividends paid                                               $          0.78 
                                             $       27.14 
Book value   
Book value excluding the fair   

     $   1,067.7        

 103.9                  
   86.3                  
      9.0% 

 $     1,078.4 
 70.5  
 46.1 
               7.5%

   98.3% 

           106.6% 

 1.70
     $         2.51                $ 
 1.11 
 $ 
     $        2.08         
 $ 
     $        0.55         
 0.46
  $        26.53
     $ 

 31.65   

   value adjustment for investments (A) 

       $       23.83  

     $      21.93        

 $       19.79 

Financial position
Total assets 
                                             $     8,826.7 
Short-term debt                                                         38.0  
Long-term debt                                                       199.9  
                          1,099.3  
Total shareholders’ equity 

     $   8,167.7        

  $    7,435.2
 38.0 
   38.0                  
 199.8                                 199.7
          1,245.8                      1,055.4

(A)  For a definition of this non-GAAP measure, see the Company’s SEC filings.

(B)  Based on 12-month net income and average quarter-end shareholders’ equity.

Forward-looking information 
It is important to note that the Company’s actual results could differ materially from those projected in  
forward-looking statements.  Additional information concerning factors that could cause actual results  
to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements is contained from time to time in the  
Company’s SEC filings.  Copies of these filings may be obtained by contacting the Company or the SEC.

The Horace Mann Value Proposition
At Horace Mann, we strive to provide lifelong financial well-being for educators and their families  
through personalized service, advice and a full range of tailored insurance and financial products.

The Company’s common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol HMN.  The following 
table sets forth the high and low sales prices and the cash dividends paid per share during the periods indicated.

                                              Market Price

Fiscal Period                           High                                      Low                                     Dividend Paid

2013
Fourth Quarter 

Third Quarter 

Second Quarter 

First Quarter 

2012
Fourth Quarter 

Third Quarter 

Second Quarter 

First Quarter 

$ 31.81 

29.00 

25.59 

22.22 

$ 19.99 

18.88 

18.36 

18.23 

Corporate Data

Corporate Office
1 Horace Mann Plaza
Springfield, IL 62715-0001
Telephone: 217-789-2500
website: horacemann.com

Annual Meeting
May 21, 2014
9:00 a.m.
Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library
112 North Sixth Street
Springfield, IL 62701

Independent Accountants
KPMG LLP
200 East Randolph Street
Chicago, IL 60601

$ 27.25 

24.20 

20.70 

19.95 

$ 17.44 

16.90 

16.16 

13.80 

$ 0.195

0.195

0.195

0.195

$ 0.160

0.130

0.130

0.130 

Common Stock
HMEC Stock is traded 
  on the NYSE (HMN)

Transfer Agent
American Stock Transfer 
  & Trust Company, LLC
59 Maiden Lane
New York, NY 10038 

Senior Notes
HMEC senior notes are traded 
in the open market (HMN 6.05 
and HMN 6.85)

Additional Information
Additional financial data 
on HMEC and its subsidiaries 
is included in Form 10-K filed 
with the Securities and Exchange 
Commission.  Electronic copies 
of HMEC’s SEC filings are 
available at horacemann.com.  
Printed copies of SEC filings 
are available upon written 
request from:

Investor Relations
Horace Mann 
  Educators Corporation
1 Horace Mann Plaza
Springfield, IL 62715-0001

 Horace Mann Educators Corporation  •  2013 Annual Report

Horace Mann Educators Corporation  •  2013 Annual Report

 
          
        
              
 
 
 
 
                   
 
 
Letter to Shareholders

2013 results illustrate strength of  
Horace Mann business model
Horace Mann continued its consistent track 
record of creating value for shareholders 
in 2013.  The realized potential and 
profitability of the business model delivered 
sustainable growth in book value per share, 
as well as returning capital to shareholders 
through regular dividend increases and an 
opportunistic share repurchase program.  

With 2013 operating income of $2.32 per  
share setting a record for the company,  
Horace Mann outperformed across all  
business lines.  Book value per share  
excluding unrealized investment gains grew 
by 9 percent, ending the year at $23.83, and 
continuing the trend of strong book value 
growth.  The company’s strong, sustainable 
operating cash flows and solid capital  
position allow us to pay a compelling  
dividend to investors, and we were pleased  
to increase this even further.  In March 2013, 
we increased our quarterly dividend by  
22 percent to 78 cents per share on an 
annualized basis.  We believe this attractive 
dividend is an important differentiator  
to shareholders.

During 2013, the company repurchased almost 
175,000 shares of Horace Mann stock at an 
average price of $22.38 per share.  To date, 
over 1.2 million shares have been repurchased 
under the current $50 million authorization, 
and during 2014 we plan to continue to be 
opportunistic in our execution. 

Continued focus on shareholder value 
creation, along with rising equity markets, 
resulted in strong returns for shareholders 
in 2013.  Horace Mann’s stock price closed 
the year at $31.54 per share, with a total 
shareholder return of 63 percent.

Auto and property profitability improves; 
higher levels of new business
Property and casualty segment results in 
2013 reflected an emphasis on improving 
profitability in both the auto and homeowner 
business lines.  Net income in property and 
casualty was $44.4 million, 20 percent higher 
than prior year.  Written premiums in property 
and casualty grew by 4 percent, while the 
full-year combined ratio improved by 2 points.  
These positive trends in profitability were 
driven by a combination of actions, including 
underwriting initiatives, improvements in 
claims operations and rate increases, all of 
which resulted in margin expansion.  

Auto new business sales increased 5 percent.  
Policy retention remained steady at 85 percent, 
with continued emphasis on growing the 
number of auto payroll deduction programs.  
More than 50 percent of Horace Mann auto 
policyholders are using electronic billing  
and automatic payment plan options, which 
aids retention and improves efficiency.   
All of these factors helped mitigate a decrease 
in auto policies in force, and given the various 
initiatives in place, we are optimistic about 
future growth. 

Property profitability continued to improve 
despite volatile weather patterns, as 
catastrophe losses were modestly lower 
than prior year.  The underlying combined 
ratio improved almost 3 points and ended 
the year at 73 points, reflecting rate actions 
and exposure reduction programs that will 
continue into 2014.  Property sales increased  
7 percent in 2013.  Given the company’s  
strong historic cross-sale percentages,  
property growth should continue as we  
attract more auto business.  

Horace Mann Educators Corporation  •  2013 Annual Report 

 1

Consistent with Horace Mann’s historical 
reserving practices, prior year property 
and casualty reserves continued to develop 
favorably.  Reserves remained at the high  
end of an independent actuarial range, 
consistent with prior year.

Strong results in Annuity and  
Life segments
Despite a challenging interest rate 
environment, the annuity and life  
segments performed very well in 2013.  

Annuity assets under management 
surpassed $5 billion due to strong Horace 
Mann agent sales results and higher equity 
market performance.  Net interest margins 
were resilient, reflecting reinvestment rates 
that exceeded our expectations and solid 
performance in the company’s conservative 
investment portfolio.  These investment  
results, combined with the growth in assets 
under management more than offset the 
impact of spread compression during the year.  
Annuity net income was $44.7 million – an 
increase of 10 percent over prior year.  

Consistently strong annuity sales performance 
is a clear indicator that we are offering the 
right combination of products and distribution 
to meet the needs of educator customers.  
Horace Mann agents are skilled at developing 
valued relationships with their school districts 
and their customer base through a variety of 
educator recognition and support programs, 
including state teacher retirement seminars.  

On the product side, the new Retirement 
Protector 403(b) annuity was developed to 
provide a compelling value proposition to 
larger school districts.  Retirement Protector 
compares favorably with larger competitors  
on cost while providing the personalized  
agent interaction that is the cornerstone of  
the Horace Mann experience. 

Life segment net income of $20.4 million was 
down 7 percent due to mortality levels that, 
while still favorable, were higher than the  
very favorable mortality experience in 2012.   
Re-energizing the focus on life insurance 
with a more robust training program for the 
agency force, utilization of the new electronic 
application process, re-pricing of life products 
and improvements in the life underwriting 
processes all contributed to life sales growth  
of more than 30 percent in 2013.

Key strategies for growth reaffirmed
With new leadership and enhanced talent, 
we plan to focus on three levers to drive 
performance: 

	 •		enhancing	our	product offerings;

	 •		strengthening	our	distribution; and 

	 •		solidifying	our	infrastructure.

Uniquely positioned within the K-12  
educator market, we believe Horace Mann  
is the only company capable of fully providing 
the right mix of products and services to 
protect the short-term risks and secure the 
long-term financial futures of educators and 
their families.  

In terms of product enhancements, Horace 
Mann strives to meet most, if not all, of the 
product needs of the educator market.  With 
the proper mix of Horace Mann manufactured 
insurance and financial products and third-
party vended options, the company wants to 
put agents in the position to fulfill the product 
needs of educator customers as they move 
through their lifecycle.  Retention numbers 
clearly show that when agents reach educators 
and build that relationship, Horace Mann 
tends to keep those educators.

2 

Horace Mann Educators Corporation  •  2013 Annual Report

	
	
	
The heart of the Horace Mann distribution 
strategy continues to be the exclusive agency 
model and the market access agents can 
establish in the schools they serve.  Horace 
Mann customers enjoy the convenience of 
doing business with agents who they can  
get to know and trust.  As such, the company 
brand recognition and market penetration is 
strongest in areas with a solid agency presence.  
Horace Mann enjoys an industry-leading 
cross-sale ratio of 20 percent, as well  
as property and casualty retention and life  
and annuity persistency rates above the 
national averages in large part due to the 
strength of the agent-educator relationship.  

From an infrastructure perspective, in 
order to become a larger and more dominant 
provider in the K-12 educator market, we 
need to ensure Horace Mann has the right 
talent, systems and processes to effectively 
and efficiently meet the needs of educator 
customers.  Achieving this goal is critical 
to meeting the expectations of the educator 
market and positioning the company to 
support the way those educators want to buy 
insurance and financial services products.

As evidence of the ongoing commitment to  
be an ethical and principled company,  
Horace Mann was recognized in March 2013 
by Forbes Magazine as one of “America’s 
100 Most Trustworthy Companies.”  In 
addition, Horace Mann’s partnership with 
DonorsChoose.org earned a Halo Award  
for Best Education Campaign recognizing  
the assistance the company and its agents 
provide teachers with classroom funding 
needs.  The Halo Awards are North America’s 
highest honor in the field of cause marketing.  
Horace Mann is proud of both of those honors.

Looking ahead to 2014
In 2014, the focus is on further leveraging our 
market strengths and agency force to drive 
even greater levels of growth and profitability.  
In essence, Horace Mann strives to serve our 
niche better than any other company through 
the right products, the right distribution 
channels and a highly effective infrastructure 
that provides top-tier customer service at all 
points of contact.  

On the product side, we intend to continue 
expanding our product offerings and exploring 
additional relationships with third-party 
vendors, so agents can directly address the 
needs of educator customers.  In early 2014,  
for instance, we introduced a new Horace 
Mann-manufactured fixed indexed annuity 
product, addressing a need in the Horace 
Mann annuity product suite and providing 
customers with a compelling opportunity for  
a potentially higher crediting rate compared  
to a traditional fixed annuity.

Many of Horace Mann’s property and casualty 
initiatives for 2014 are dedicated to improving 
our pricing segmentation and ensuring 
appropriate rates are in place.  A number of 
territories and strategic customer segments 
have been identified to focus marketing 
efforts to grow the business.  In addition, 
the company plans to take further rate and 
underwriting actions to improve profitability 
where necessary.  And the claims organization 
will continue to build on the successes of 
2013 initiatives to assure a top-tier customer 
experience at that ever important moment  
of truth.

Horace Mann Educators Corporation  •  2013 Annual Report 

3

With this long-term business strategy in 
place, Horace Mann will continue to operate 
in a fiscally conservative and responsible 
manner with an eye toward creating greater 
shareholder value.  The company remains 
focused on growing book value per share  
while paying a compelling dividend to 
investors.  In March 2014, we increased the 
quarterly dividend once again for the sixth 
consecutive year.  This 18 percent increase 
resulted in an annual dividend of 92 cents 
per share.  We are confident we are on the 
right path to rewarding our shareholders 
and customers alike by achieving our goal of 
positioning Horace Mann as the dominant 
insurance and financial services provider 
focusing on the educator market.

Marita Zuraitis 
President & Chief Executive Officer

In terms of distribution, the company plans  
to strengthen the exclusive agency force 
through enhanced field training and 
institutional support, along with equipping 
agents with the skills they need to confidently 
sell an entire suite of products.  Agents will 
also have access to a number of programs, 
including financial literacy seminars focused 
on younger educators and an expanded social 
media marketing presence, in support of the 
goal to find educators earlier in the lifecycle 
and keep them longer.  And finally, we will 
continue to identify best practices among our 
top producers and share those practices  
across the entire agency force to integrate  
into their own businesses.

Regarding infrastructure, we have started 
the process of implementing a new policy 
administration system for our life and annuity 
operations, which allows more nimble product 
design while significantly reducing processing 
and cycle times.  In addition, improving 
customer experience remains critical as the 
company strives to provide consistency of 
that experience across all product lines and 
through all points of contact.  We have also 
successfully attracted talent from larger, 
industry-leading organizations to Horace 
Mann in key leadership positions across  
the company. 

We see the Horace Mann business model as 
being unique and scalable, with significant 
growth potential.  In 2014, we anticipate 
further improvements in underlying property 
and casualty profitability and look for 
continued growth in our annuity and life 
business.  And, we firmly believe we have the 
right multi-year process in place to achieve 
these goals.  

4 

Horace Mann Educators Corporation  •  2013 Annual Report

Directors 

Gabriel L. Shaheen
Chairman of the Board of Directors
Horace Mann Educators Corporation
President and Chief Executive Officer (retired)
Lincoln National Life Insurance Company

Marita Zuraitis
President & Chief Executive Officer
Horace Mann Educators Corporation

Dr. Mary H. Futrell
Co-Director, Center for Curriculum,
   Standards and Technology
Professor, Department of Education Leadership
The George Washington University

Stephen J. Hasenmiller*
Senior Vice President (retired) 
The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc.

Ronald J. Helow
Managing Director 
New Course Advisors

Beverley J. McClure*
Senior Vice President, Enterprise Operations (retired)
United Services Automobile Association (USAA) 

Roger J. Steinbecker*
Managing Partner (retired)
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

Robert Stricker*
Senior Vice President and Principal (retired)
Shenkman Capital Management, Inc.

Charles R. Wright
Senior Executive Vice President and 
   Chief Agency and Marketing Officer (retired)
State Farm Insurance

*  Member of the Audit Committee, each an independent director.

Officers 

Marita Zuraitis
President & Chief Executive Officer

Dwayne D. Hallman
Executive Vice President 
Chief Financial Officer

Stephen P. Cardinal
Executive Vice President
Property & Casualty

Matthew P. Sharpe
Executive Vice President
Annuity & Life

Paul D. Andrews
Senior Vice President
Human Resources &
   Administrative Services

William J. Caldwell
Senior Vice President
Property & Casualty

Bret A. Conklin
Senior Vice President 
Controller

Ann M. Caparrós
General Counsel & Chief
   Compliance Officer
Corporate Secretary

Angela S. Christian
Vice President & Treasurer

 Horace Mann Educators Corporation  •  2013 Annual Report

Financial Highlights
(Dollars in millions, except per share data)

Year Ended December 31, 

                              2013 

  2012 

2011

Operations
Insurance premiums written and  
   contract deposits (A)                                  $    1,094.2 
Net income 
                                                      110.9 
Operating income (A) 
Return on equity (B) 
Property & casualty   
   combined loss and expense ratio 

                                            96.5   
                                              9.6%   

                    96.3%      

Per share 
                                $         2.66 
Net income-diluted 
Operating income (A)-diluted 
                    $          2.32  
Dividends paid                                               $          0.78 
                                             $       27.14 
Book value   
Book value excluding the fair   

     $   1,067.7        

 103.9                  
   86.3                  
      9.0% 

 $     1,078.4 
 70.5  
 46.1 
               7.5%

   98.3% 

           106.6% 

 1.70
     $         2.51                $ 
 1.11 
 $ 
     $        2.08         
 $ 
     $        0.55         
 0.46
  $        26.53
     $ 

 31.65   

   value adjustment for investments (A) 

       $       23.83  

     $      21.93        

 $       19.79 

Financial position
Total assets 
                                             $     8,826.7 
Short-term debt                                                         38.0  
Long-term debt                                                       199.9  
                          1,099.3  
Total shareholders’ equity 

     $   8,167.7        

  $    7,435.2
 38.0 
   38.0                  
 199.8                                 199.7
          1,245.8                      1,055.4

(A)  For a definition of this non-GAAP measure, see the Company’s SEC filings.

(B)  Based on 12-month net income and average quarter-end shareholders’ equity.

Forward-looking information 
It is important to note that the Company’s actual results could differ materially from those projected in  
forward-looking statements.  Additional information concerning factors that could cause actual results  
to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements is contained from time to time in the  
Company’s SEC filings.  Copies of these filings may be obtained by contacting the Company or the SEC.

The Horace Mann Value Proposition
At Horace Mann, we strive to provide lifelong financial well-being for educators and their families  
through personalized service, advice and a full range of tailored insurance and financial products.

The Company’s common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol HMN.  The following 
table sets forth the high and low sales prices and the cash dividends paid per share during the periods indicated.

                                              Market Price

Fiscal Period                           High                                      Low                                     Dividend Paid

2013
Fourth Quarter 

Third Quarter 

Second Quarter 

First Quarter 

2012
Fourth Quarter 

Third Quarter 

Second Quarter 

First Quarter 

$ 31.81 

29.00 

25.59 

22.22 

$ 19.99 

18.88 

18.36 

18.23 

Corporate Data

Corporate Office
1 Horace Mann Plaza
Springfield, IL 62715-0001
Telephone: 217-789-2500
website: horacemann.com

Annual Meeting
May 21, 2014
9:00 a.m.
Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library
112 North Sixth Street
Springfield, IL 62701

Independent Accountants
KPMG LLP
200 East Randolph Street
Chicago, IL 60601

$ 27.25 

24.20 

20.70 

19.95 

$ 17.44 

16.90 

16.16 

13.80 

$ 0.195

0.195

0.195

0.195

$ 0.160

0.130

0.130

0.130 

Common Stock
HMEC Stock is traded 
  on the NYSE (HMN)

Transfer Agent
American Stock Transfer 
  & Trust Company, LLC
59 Maiden Lane
New York, NY 10038 

Senior Notes
HMEC senior notes are traded 
in the open market (HMN 6.05 
and HMN 6.85)

Additional Information
Additional financial data 
on HMEC and its subsidiaries 
is included in Form 10-K filed 
with the Securities and Exchange 
Commission.  Electronic copies 
of HMEC’s SEC filings are 
available at horacemann.com.  
Printed copies of SEC filings 
are available upon written 
request from:

Investor Relations
Horace Mann 
  Educators Corporation
1 Horace Mann Plaza
Springfield, IL 62715-0001

 Horace Mann Educators Corporation  •  2013 Annual Report

Horace Mann Educators Corporation  •  2013 Annual Report

 
          
        
              
 
 
 
 
                   
 
 
We believe:  
Educators are taking care of  
our children’s future, and we need  
to take care of their future. 

Peace of mind should be available  
to every educator. 

In respect – we treat others  
as we would like to be treated.

We can help advise and educate the educators. 

We are here to help educators through  
a lifetime of changing needs.  

We are uniquely qualified to do all this because 
we were Founded by Educators for Educators ®.

HA-C00372 (Mar. 14)

Horace Mann Educators Corporation
2013 Annual Report and 10-K