Sun Life Warns on Insurer Capital Requirements

Sun Life Financial stated in its 2Q10 Earnings Release:

The regulatory environment is evolving as governments and regulators develop enhanced requirements for capital, liquidity and risk management practices. In Canada, the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions Canada (OSFI) is considering a number of changes to the insurance company capital rules, including new guidelines that would establish stand-alone capital adequacy requirements for operating life insurance companies, such as Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada (Sun Life Assurance), and that would update OSFI’s regulatory guidance for non-operating insurance companies acting as holding companies, such as Sun Life Financial Inc. In addition, it is expected that OSFI will change the definition of available regulatory capital for determining regulatory capital to align insurance definitions with any changed definitions that emerge for banks under the proposed new Basel Capital Accord.

OSFI is considering more sophisticated risk-based modeling approaches to Minimum Continuing Capital and Surplus Requirements (MCCSR), which could apply to segregated funds and other life insurance products. In particular, OSFI is considering how advanced modeling techniques can produce more robust and risk-sensitive capital requirements for Canadian life insurers, including internal models for segregated fund guarantee exposures. OSFI expects to issue a draft advisory in the fall of 2010 for public comment which will change the existing capital requirements in respect of new, rather than in-force, segregated fund business (e.g. post 2010 contracts). OSFI is also reviewing internal models for in-force segregated fund guarantee exposures, a review process that is ongoing. OSFI is considering a range of alternatives for in-force business, including a more market-consistent approach and potentially credit for hedging. Although it is difficult to predict how long the process for reviewing in-force segregated fund guarantee exposures will take, OSFI expects the review to continue for several years, likely into 2013. It is premature to draw conclusions about the cumulative impact this process will have on capital requirements for Canadian life insurance companies.

The outcome of these initiatives is uncertain and could have a material adverse impact on the Company or on its position relative to that of other Canadian and international financial institutions with which it competes for business and capital. In particular, the draft advisory on changes to existing capital requirements in respect of new segregated fund business to be issued by OSFI in the fall of 2010 may result in an increase in the capital requirements for variable annuity and segregated fund policies currently sold by the Company in the United States and Canada on and after the date the new rules come into effect. The Company competes with providers of variable annuity and segregated fund products that operate under different accounting and regulatory reporting bases in different countries, which may create differences in capital requirements, profitability and reported earnings on these products that may cause the Company to be at a disadvantage compared to some of its competitors in certain of its businesses. In addition, the final changes implemented as a result of OSFI’s review of internal models for in-force segregated fund guarantee exposures may materially change the capital required to support the Company’s in-force variable annuity and segregated fund guarantee business. Please see the Market Risk Sensitivity and Capital Management and Liquidity sections of this document.

They also provided more information regarding the effect of a market crash on their earnings. Whereas a 10% drop in equity prices from 2010-6-30 levels would cost $175-225-million, a 25% crash would cost $550-650-million. I was most impressed to see disclosure of the effect of their hedging programmes, which reduced the impact of these market moves by more than 50%. Now all we have to worry about is whether their hedges will, in fact, prove effective if needed!

They are not updating their guidance regarding underlying earnings:

Based on the assumptions and factors described below, in the third quarter of 2009, the Company estimated that its adjusted earnings from operations for the year ending December 31, 2010 would be in the range of $1.4 billion to $1.7 billion. The Company cautioned that its earnings in 2010 would reflect the lower asset levels and account values that were expected in 2010, as well as higher risk management costs, potential volatility and uncertainty in capital markets, the expected higher levels of capital required by regulators, lower leverage, currency fluctuations and the potential for higher tax costs as governments around the world look to address higher deficits.

Updates to the Company’s best estimate assumptions as well as changes in key internal and external indicators during the first half of 2010 did not impact the range of its estimated 2010 adjusted earnings from operations that was previously disclosed in the third quarter of 2009.

They’re also warning of a goodwill impairment charge under IFRS:

The Company anticipates that it will record a net goodwill impairment charge of approximately $1.7 billion, to be recognized in opening retained earnings upon transition to IFRS. This impairment relates to a portion of the goodwill recorded on the acquisitions of Keyport Life Insurance Company in the United States in 2001 and Clarica Life Insurance Company in Canada in 2002. This impairment charge reflects the application of IFRS standards as well as the continuing impact of the economic environment.

The impairment of goodwill is a non-cash item and will not impact the level of regulatory capital for the Company as existing goodwill is already deducted from available capital for regulatory purposes in the calculation of the MCCSR for Sun Life Assurance.

And there will be a small dilution adjustment:

Under IFRS, all financial instruments that contain a conversion feature to common shares must be included in the calculation of diluted earnings per share, irrespective of the likelihood of conversion. Certain innovative Tier 1 instruments issued by the Company (SLEECS Series A and SLEECS Series B) contain features which enable the holder to convert their securities into common shares under certain circumstances. The impact of including these financial instruments in the calculation of the Company’s diluted EPS will be a reduction in EPS of approximately $0.03 per quarter. If the SLEECs Series A are redeemed at their par call date in 2011, the ongoing reduction on diluted EPS is expected to be reduced to $0.01 per quarter.

And, of more potential interest, they note that they are highly interested in the IFRS exposure draft on Insurance Contracts, which has been previously discussed:

On July 30, 2010 the International Accounting Standards Board issued an exposure draft for comment, which sets out measurement changes on insurance contracts. The Company is in the process of reviewing the exposure draft, however it is expected that measurement changes on insurance contracts, if implemented as drafted, will result in fundamental differences from current provisions in Canadian GAAP, which will in turn have a significant impact on the Company’s business activities and volatility of its reported results. Changes from this exposure draft are expected to be finalized and applicable no earlier than 2013.

2 Responses to “Sun Life Warns on Insurer Capital Requirements”

  1. […] have to wait for commentary in the coming batch of quarterly reports. It will be noted that GWO, SLF and MFC have all warned about the potential for adverse […]

  2. […] It is also disappointing to see that their commentary on potential regulatory changes is so similar to their commentary in the 2Q10 report. […]

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