Form 10-Q
Table of Contents

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q

(Mark One)

[ X ]  QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the quarterly period ended March 31, 2011

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

LOGO

Aflac Incorporated

 

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

Georgia   58-1167100
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)   (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
1932 Wynnton Road, Columbus, Georgia   31999
(Address of principal executive offices)   (ZIP Code)

706.323.3431

 

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

 

 

(Former name, former address and former fiscal year, if changed since last report)

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 (§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 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  þ    Accelerated filer   ¨
Non-accelerated filer   ¨ (Do not check if a smaller reporting company)    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

Indicate the number of shares outstanding of each of the issuer’s classes of common stock, as of the latest practicable date.

 

Class       April 28, 2011
Common Stock, $.10 Par Value     467,704,769 shares


Table of Contents

Aflac Incorporated and Subsidiaries

Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q

For the Quarter Ended March 31, 2011

Table of Contents

 

     Page  

PART I.

   FINANCIAL INFORMATION:   

Item 1.

   Financial Statements (Unaudited)      1   
   Review by Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm      1   
   Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm      2   
  

Consolidated Statements of Earnings

  Three Months Ended March 31, 2011, and 2010

     3   
  

Consolidated Balance Sheets

  March 31, 2011 and December 31, 2010

     4   
  

Consolidated Statements of Shareholders’ Equity

  Three Months Ended March 31, 2011, and 2010

     6   
  

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

  Three Months Ended March 31, 2011, and 2010

     7   
  

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss)

  Three Months Ended March 31, 2011, and 2010

     9   
   Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements      10   

Item 2.

   Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations      45   

Item 3.

   Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk      76   

Item 4.

   Controls and Procedures      76   

PART II.

   OTHER INFORMATION:   

Item 1A.

   Risk Factors      77   

Item 2.

   Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds      78   

Item 6.

   Exhibits      79   

Items other than those listed above are omitted because they are not required or are not applicable.

 

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PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Item 1. Financial Statements.

Review by Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

The March 31, 2011, and 2010, consolidated financial statements included in this filing have been reviewed by KPMG LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, in accordance with established professional standards and procedures for such a review.

The report of KPMG LLP commenting upon its review is included on the following page.

 

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Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

The Board of Directors and Shareholders

Aflac Incorporated:

We have reviewed the consolidated balance sheet of Aflac Incorporated and subsidiaries (the Company) as of March 31, 2011, and the related consolidated statements of earnings, shareholders’ equity, cash flows and comprehensive income (loss) for the three-month periods ended March 31, 2011 and 2010. These consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management.

We conducted our reviews in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). A review of interim financial information consists principally of applying analytical procedures and making inquiries of persons responsible for financial and accounting matters. It is substantially less in scope than an audit conducted in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), the objective of which is the expression of an opinion regarding the financial statements taken as a whole. Accordingly, we do not express such an opinion.

Based on our reviews, we are not aware of any material modifications that should be made to the consolidated financial statements referred to above for them to be in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.

We have previously audited, in accordance with standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), the consolidated balance sheet of Aflac Incorporated and subsidiaries as of December 31, 2010, and the related consolidated statements of earnings, shareholders’ equity, cash flows and comprehensive income (loss) for the year then ended (not presented herein); and in our report dated February 25, 2011, we expressed an unqualified opinion on those consolidated financial statements. Our report refers to a change in the method of evaluating the consolidation of variable interest entities (VIEs) and qualified special purpose entities (QSPEs) in 2010 and a change in the method of evaluating other-than-temporary impairments of debt securities in 2009. In our opinion, the information set forth in the accompanying consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2010, is fairly stated in all material respects, in relation to the consolidated balance sheet from which it has been derived.

LOGO

Atlanta, Georgia

May 6, 2011

 

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Aflac Incorporated and Subsidiaries

Consolidated Statements of Earnings

(In millions, except for share and per-share amounts - Unaudited)   

Three Months Ended

March 31,

 
   2011     2010  

Revenues:

    

Premiums, principally supplemental health insurance

   $ 4,872      $ 4,348            

Net investment income

     794        726            

Realized investment gains (losses):

    

Other-than-temporary impairment losses realized

     (405     (42)           

Sales and redemptions

     (144     (21)           

Derivative gains (losses)

     (30     17            

Total realized investment gains (losses)

     (579     (46)           

Other income

     30        37            

Total revenues

     5,117        5,065            

Benefits and expenses:

    

Benefits and claims

     3,222        2,857            

Acquisition and operating expenses:

    

Amortization of deferred policy acquisition costs

     279        280            

Insurance commissions

     422        403            

Insurance expenses

     508        481            

Interest expense

     45        33            

Other operating expenses

     41        37            

Total acquisition and operating expenses

     1,295        1,234            

Total benefits and expenses

     4,517        4,091            

Earnings before income taxes

     600        974            

Income taxes

     205        338            

Net earnings

   $ 395      $ 636            
                  

Net earnings per share:

    

Basic

   $ .84      $ 1.36            

Diluted

     .84        1.35            
                  

Weighted-average outstanding common shares used in computing earnings per share (In thousands):

    

Basic

     468,012        467,926            

Diluted

     472,104        472,450            
                  

Cash dividends per share

   $ .30      $ .28            
                  

See the accompanying Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

 

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Aflac Incorporated and Subsidiaries

Consolidated Balance Sheets

 

(In millions)    March 31,
2011
(Unaudited)
     December 31,
2010
 

Assets:

     

Investments and cash:

     

Securities available for sale, at fair value:

     

Fixed maturities (amortized cost $45,248 in 2011 and $43,133 in 2010)

   $     45,162            $     43,100               

Fixed maturities - consolidated variable interest entities (amortized cost $4,965 in 2011 and $4,969 in 2010)

     5,156              5,255               

Perpetual securities (amortized cost $5,995 in 2011 and $6,209 in 2010)

     5,847              5,974               

Perpetual securities - consolidated variable interest entities (amortized cost $1,588 in 2011 and $1,618 in 2010)

     1,521              1,538               

Equity securities (cost $22 in 2011 and $22 in 2010)

     24              23               

Securities held to maturity, at amortized cost:

     

Fixed maturities (fair value $27,656 in 2011 and $29,899 in 2010)

     27,904              29,470               

Fixed maturities - consolidated variable interest entities (fair value $558 in 2011 and $570 in 2010)

     601              614               

Other investments

     138              135               

Cash and cash equivalents

     2,088              2,121               

Total investments and cash

     88,441              88,230               

Receivables

     738              661               

Accrued investment income

     746              738               

Deferred policy acquisition costs

     9,689              9,734               

Property and equipment, at cost less accumulated depreciation

     604              620               

Other

     927 (1)            1,056(1)             

Total assets

   $     101,145            $ 101,039               
                   

 

(1) 

Includes $446 in 2011 and $564 in 2010 of derivatives from consolidated VIEs

 

See the accompanying Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

(continued)

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Aflac Incorporated and Subsidiaries

Consolidated Balance Sheets (continued)

(In millions, except for share and per-share amounts)    March 31,    
2011    
(Unaudited)   
     December 31,   
2010   
         

Liabilities and shareholders’ equity:

        

Liabilities:

        

Policy liabilities:

        

Future policy benefits

     $    71,604              $    72,103         

Unpaid policy claims

     3,735              3,719         

Unearned premiums

     1,232              1,197         

Other policyholders’ funds

     5,920              5,437               

Total policy liabilities

     82,491              82,456         

Notes payable

     3,017              3,038         

Income taxes

     1,877              1,969         

Payables for return of cash collateral on loaned securities

     244              191         

Other

     2,493(2)            2,329(2)      

Commitments and contingent liabilities (Note 10)

                          

Total liabilities

     90,122              89,983               

Shareholders’ equity:

        

Common stock of $.10 par value. In thousands: authorized 1,900,000 shares in 2011 and 2010; issued 663,330 shares in 2011 and 662,660 shares in 2010

     66              66         

Additional paid-in capital

     1,350              1,320         

Retained earnings

     14,448              14,194         

Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss):

        

Unrealized foreign currency translation gains

     862              926         

Unrealized gains (losses) on investment securities:

        

Unrealized gains (losses) on securities not other-than-temporarily impaired

     (16)             36         

Unrealized gains (losses) on other-than-temporarily impaired securities

     0              (3)        

Unrealized gains (losses) on derivatives

     (5)             31         

Pension liability adjustment

     (126)             (128)        

Treasury stock, at average cost

     (5,556)             (5,386)              

Total shareholders’ equity

     11,023              11,056               

Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity

     $  101,145              $  101,039               
                            

 

(2) 

Includes $716 in 2011 and $741 in 2010 of derivatives from consolidated VIEs

 

See the accompanying Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

 

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Aflac Incorporated and Subsidiaries

Consolidated Statements of Shareholders’ Equity

      Three Months Ended March 31,  
(In millions - Unaudited)            2011         2010      

Common stock:

    

Balance, beginning of period

   $ 66       $ 66            

Balance, end of period

     66         66            

Additional paid-in capital:

    

Balance, beginning of period

     1,320         1,228            

Exercise of stock options

     12         16            

Share-based compensation

            5            

Gain (loss) on treasury stock reissued

     10         (1)           

Balance, end of period

     1,350         1,248            

Retained earnings:

    

Balance, beginning of period

     14,194         12,410            

Cumulative effect of change in accounting principle, net of income taxes

            (25)           

Net earnings

     395         636            

Dividends to shareholders

     (141)        (131)           

Balance, end of period

     14,448         12,890            

Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss):

    

Balance, beginning of period

     862         29            

Unrealized foreign currency translation gains (losses) during period, net of income taxes:

    

Cumulative effect of change in accounting principle, net of income taxes

            (320)           

Change in unrealized foreign currency translation gains (losses) during period, net of income taxes

     (64)        (44)           

Unrealized gains (losses) on investment securities during period, net of income taxes and reclassification adjustments:

    

Cumulative effect of change in accounting principle, net of income taxes

            180            

Change in unrealized gains (losses) on investment securities not other-than-temporarily impaired, net of income taxes

     (52)        244            

Change in unrealized gains (losses) on other-than- temporarily impaired investment securities, net of income taxes

            8            

Unrealized gains (losses) on derivatives during period, net of income taxes

     (36)        (6)           

Pension liability adjustment during period, net of income taxes

            2            

Balance, end of period

     715         93            

Treasury stock:

    

Balance, beginning of period

     (5,386)        (5,316)           

Purchases of treasury stock

     (184)        (4)           

Cost of shares issued

     14         10            

Balance, end of period

     (5,556)        (5,310)           

Total shareholders’ equity

   $ 11,023       $ 8,987            
                  

See the accompanying Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

 

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Aflac Incorporated and Subsidiaries

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

      Three Months Ended March 31,  
(In millions - Unaudited)            2011         2010  

Cash flows from operating activities:

    

Net earnings

     $       395                 $       636            

Adjustments to reconcile net earnings to net cash provided by operating activities:

    

Change in receivables and advance premiums

     461                 235            

Increase in deferred policy acquisition costs

     (95)                (50)           

Increase in policy liabilities

     951                 679            

Change in income tax liabilities

     (154)                (71)           

Realized investment (gains) losses

     579                 46            

Other, net

     30                 (197)           

Net cash provided (used) by operating activities

     2,167                 1,278            

Cash flows from investing activities:

    

Proceeds from investments sold or matured:

    

Securities available for sale:

    

Fixed maturities sold

     891                 712            

Fixed maturities matured or called

     556                 150            

Perpetual securities sold

     61                 54            

Securities held to maturity:

    

Fixed maturities matured or called

     127                 1            

    Costs of investments acquired:

    

Securities available for sale:

    

Fixed maturities acquired

     (2,914)                (2,593)           

Securities held to maturity:

    

Fixed maturities acquired

     (769)                (302)           

    Cash received as collateral on loaned securities, net

     54                 7            

    Other, net

     (19)                2            

Net cash provided (used) by investing activities

     $      (2,013)                $  (1,969)           

See the accompanying Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

 

(continued)

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Aflac Incorporated and Subsidiaries

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (continued)

 

      Three Months Ended March 31,  
(In millions - Unaudited)    2011      2010        

Cash flows from financing activities:

     

Purchases of treasury stock

     $    (184)           $     (5)           

Principal payments under debt obligations

     (1)           (1)           

Dividends paid to shareholders

     (135)           (131)           

Change in investment-type contracts, net

     124            89            

Treasury stock reissued

     16            7            

Other, net

     9            18            

Net cash provided (used) by financing activities

     (171)           (23)           

Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents

     (16)           2            

Net change in cash and cash equivalents

     $      (33)           (712)           

Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period

     2,121            2,323            

Cash and cash equivalents, end of period

     $   2,088            $1,611            
                   

Supplemental disclosures of cash flow information:

     

Income taxes paid

     $      234            $   403            

Interest paid

     12            10            

Impairment losses included in realized investment losses

     405            42            

Noncash financing activities:

     

Capitalized lease obligations

     1            0            

Treasury stock issued for:

     

Shareholder dividend reinvestment

     6            0            

Share-based compensation grants

     2            2            
                   
                   

See the accompanying Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

 

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Aflac Incorporated and Subsidiaries

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss)

 

      Three Months Ended March 31,  
(In millions - Unaudited)        2011              2010      

Net earnings

     $      395            $      636        

Other comprehensive income (loss) before income taxes:

     

Unrealized foreign currency translation gains (losses) during period

     (4)           (18)       

Unrealized gains (losses) on investment securities:

     

Unrealized holding gains (losses) on investment securities during period

     (609)           323        

Reclassification adjustment for realized (gains) losses on investment securities included in net earnings

     527            63        

Unrealized gains (losses) on derivatives during period

     (55)           (10)       

Pension liability adjustment during period

     4            2        

Total other comprehensive income (loss) before income taxes

     (137)           360        

Income tax expense (benefit) related to items of other comprehensive income (loss)

     10            156        

Other comprehensive income (loss), net of income taxes

     (147)           204        

Total comprehensive income (loss)

     $      248            $      840        
                   

See the accompanying Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

 

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Aflac Incorporated and Subsidiaries

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

(Interim period data – Unaudited)

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). 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). 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 74% of the Company’s total revenues in the three-month periods ended March 31, 2011, and 2010. The percentage of the Company’s total assets attributable to Aflac Japan was 86% at March 31, 2011, and December 31, 2010.

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 GAAP issued by the FASB are derived from the FASB Accounting Standards CodificationTM (ASC). The preparation of financial statements in conformity with 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.

In the opinion of management, the accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements of the Company contain all adjustments, consisting of normal recurring accruals, which are necessary to fairly present the consolidated balance sheets as of March 31, 2011, and December 31, 2010, the consolidated statements of earnings, shareholders’ equity, cash flows and comprehensive income (loss) for the three-month periods ended March 31, 2011, and 2010. Results of operations for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of results for the entire year. As a result, these financial statements should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and notes thereto included in our annual report to shareholders for the year ended December 31, 2010.

New Accounting Pronouncements

Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements

Fair value measurements and disclosures: In January 2010, the FASB issued amended accounting guidance on fair value disclosures. This guidance requires the activity in fair value hierarchy Level 3 for purchases, sales, issuances, and settlements to be reported on a gross, rather than net, basis. We adopted this guidance as of January 1, 2011. The adoption did not have an impact on our financial position or results of operations.

Accounting for variable interest entities and transfers of financial assets: In June 2009, the FASB issued amended guidance on accounting for VIEs and transfers of financial assets. As discussed above, this guidance defines new criteria for determining the primary beneficiary of a VIE; increases the frequency of required reassessments to determine whether a company is the primary beneficiary of a VIE; eliminates the exemption for the consolidation of qualified special purpose entities (QSPEs); establishes conditions for reporting a transfer of a portion of a financial asset as a sale; modifies the financial asset derecognition criteria; and requires additional disclosures. We adopted the

 

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provisions of this guidance on January 1, 2010 as a cumulative effect of change in accounting principle. We were required to consolidate certain of the VIEs with which we are currently involved. We were not required to deconsolidate any VIEs on January 1, 2010.

Upon the initial consolidation of the VIEs on January 1, 2010, the assets, liabilities, and noncontrolling interests of the VIEs were recorded at their carrying values, which is the amounts at which the assets, liabilities, and noncontrolling interests would have been carried in the consolidated financial statements when we first met the conditions to be the primary beneficiary. For any of the VIEs that were required to be consolidated, we also considered whether any of the derivatives in these structures qualified on January 1, 2010, as a cash flow hedge of the changes in cash flows attributable to foreign currency and/or interest rate risk. Certain of the swaps did not qualify for hedge accounting since the swap had a fair value on January 1, 2010. Other swaps did not qualify for hedge accounting since they increased, rather than reduced, cash flow risk.

For additional information concerning our investments in VIEs and derivatives, see Notes 3 and 4, respectively.

Accounting Pronouncements Pending Adoption

Accounting for costs associated with acquiring or renewing insurance contracts: In October 2010, the FASB issued amended accounting guidance on accounting for costs associated with acquiring or renewing insurance contracts. Only incremental direct costs associated with the successful acquisition of a new or renewal contract may be capitalized. The amendment also prohibits capitalizing direct-response advertising costs unless they meet certain criteria.

This guidance is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2011. We are currently evaluating the impact of adopting this guidance on our financial position and results of operations.

Recent accounting guidance not discussed above is not applicable or did not have an impact on our business.

For additional information on new accounting pronouncements and recent accounting guidance and their impact, if any, on our financial position or results of operations, see Note 1 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in our annual report to shareholders for the year ended December 31, 2010.

 

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2. BUSINESS SEGMENT 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 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 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) and nonrecurring items. We then exclude income taxes related to operations to arrive at pretax operating earnings. Information regarding operations by segment follows:

 

      Three months Ended March 31,  
(In millions)            2011                      2010          

Revenues:

     

  Aflac Japan:

     

Earned premiums

   $     3,702          $     3,206        

Net investment income

     649            593        

Other income

     20            28        

  Total Aflac Japan

     4,371            3,827        

  Aflac U.S.:

     

Earned premiums

     1,169            1,142        

Net investment income

     144            132        

Other income

     3            2        

  Total Aflac U.S.

     1,316            1,276        

  Other business segments

     15            12        

  Total business segment revenues

     5,702            5,115        

  Realized investment gains (losses)

     (579)           (46)       

  Corporate

     61            52        

  Intercompany eliminations

     (67)           (56)       

  Total revenues

   $ 5,117          $ 5,065        
   
     
      Three months Ended March 31,  
(In millions)            2011                      2010          

Pretax earnings:

     

  Aflac Japan

   $ 980          $ 821        

  Aflac U.S.

     253            244        

  Other business segments

     1            (1)       

Total business segment pretax operating earnings

     1,234            1,064        

  Interest expense, noninsurance operations

     (41)           (31)       

  Corporate and eliminations

     (14)           (13)       

Pretax operating earnings

     1,179            1,020        

  Realized investment gains (losses)

     (579)           (46)       

Total earnings before income taxes

   $ 600          $ 974        
   

  Income taxes applicable to pretax operating earnings

   $ 407          $ 354        

  Effect of foreign currency translation on operating earnings

     49            22        
   

 

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Assets were as follows:

 

(In millions)    March 31,    
    2011         
    December 31,   
    2010         
 

Assets:

    

  Aflac Japan

   $ 87,106      $ 87,061   

  Aflac U.S.

     13,294        13,095   

  Other business segments

     158        155   

Total business segment assets

     100,558        100,311   

  Corporate

     13,999        14,047   

  Intercompany eliminations

     (13,412     (13,319

Total assets

   $ 101,145      $ 101,039   
   

 

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3. INVESTMENTS

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 are shown in the following tables.

 

      March 31, 2011  
(In millions)    Cost or
Amortized
Cost
     Gross
Unrealized
Gains
     Gross
Unrealized
Losses
       Fair
  Value
 

Securities available for sale,

  carried at fair value:

           

  Fixed maturities:

           

Yen-denominated:

           

Japan government and agencies

   $     16,905               $        315             $             105             $     17,115       

Mortgage- and asset-backed securities

     1,175                 21               13               1,183       

Public utilities

     2,504                 87               106               2,485       

Sovereign and supranational

     1,653                 107               24               1,736       

Banks/financial institutions

     5,559                 130               924               4,765       

Other corporate

     5,758                 142               465               5,435       

  Total yen-denominated

     33,554                 802               1,637               32,719       

Dollar-denominated:

           

U.S. government and agencies

     974                 20               1               993       

Municipalities

     1,013                 9               36               986       

Mortgage- and asset-backed securities(1)

     453                 92               1               544       

Collateralized debt obligations

     5                 0               0               5       

Public utilities

     2,784                 227               47               2,964       

Sovereign and supranational

     385                 58               4               439       

Banks/financial institutions

     3,316                 187               74               3,429       

Other corporate

     7,729                 607               97               8,239       

  Total dollar-denominated

     16,659                 1,200               260               17,599       

  Total fixed maturities

     50,213                 2,002               1,897               50,318       

  Perpetual securities:

           

Yen-denominated:

           

Banks/financial institutions

     6,878                 194               477               6,595       

Other corporate

     322                 23               0               345       

Dollar-denominated:

           

Banks/financial institutions

     383                 68               23               428       

  Total perpetual securities

     7,583                 285               500               7,368       

  Equity securities

     22                 3               1               24       

  Total securities available for sale

   $     57,818               $     2,290             $         2,398             $     57,710       
   

 

(1) 

Includes $1 of other-than-temporary non-credit-related losses

 

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      March 31, 2011  
(In millions)   

Cost or

Amortized

Cost

    

Gross

Unrealized

Gains

    

Gross

Unrealized

Losses

    

Fair  

Value  

 

Securities held to maturity,

  carried at amortized cost:

           

  Fixed maturities:

           

Yen-denominated:

           

Japan government and agencies

     $        449               $    0              $        10             $      439        

Municipalities

     522               5              9             518        

Mortgage- and asset-backed securities

     138               4              0             142        

Public utilities

     6,211               221              157             6,275        

Sovereign and supranational

     4,053               169              119             4,103        

Banks/financial institutions

     11,945               179              662             11,462        

Other corporate

     5,187               192              104             5,275        

  Total yen-denominated

     28,505               770              1,061             28,214        

  Total securities held to maturity

   $   28,505             $   770            $   1,061           $   28,214        
   

 

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      December 31, 2010  
(In millions)    Cost or
Amortized
Cost
     Gross
Unrealized
Gains
     Gross
Unrealized
Losses
    

  Fair

  Value

 

Securities available for sale,

  carried at fair value:

           

  Fixed maturities:

           

Yen-denominated:

           

Japan government and agencies

     $  16,607                 $    584               $    14               $  17,177       

Mortgage- and asset-backed securities

     1,224                 35               15               1,244       

Public utilities

     2,554                 117               80               2,591       

Sovereign and supranational

     903                 47               12               938       

Banks/financial institutions

     5,927                 152               1,177               4,902       

Other corporate

     5,733                 136               457               5,412       

  Total yen-denominated

     32,948                 1,071               1,755               32,264       

Dollar-denominated:

           

U.S. government and agencies

     32                 4               0               36       

Municipalities

     1,006                 9               42               973       

Mortgage- and asset-backed

  securities(1)

     485                 90               13               562       

Collateralized debt obligations

     5                 0               0               5       

Public utilities

     2,568                 246               36               2,778       

Sovereign and supranational

     395                 63               2               456       

Banks/financial institutions

     3,496                 143               108               3,531       

Other corporate

     7,167                 662               79               7,750       

  Total dollar-denominated

     15,154                 1,217               280               16,091       

  Total fixed maturities

     48,102                 2,288               2,035               48,355       

  Perpetual securities:

           

Yen-denominated:

           

Banks/financial institutions

     7,080                 172               533               6,719       

Other corporate

     328                 15               0               343       

Dollar-denominated:

           

Banks/financial institutions

     419                 61               30               450       

  Total perpetual securities

     7,827                 248               563               7,512       

  Equity securities

     22                 3               2               23       

  Total securities available for sale

   $   55,951               $   2,539             $   2,600             $   55,890       
                                     

(1) Includes $4 of other-than-temporary non-credit-related losses

 

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      December 31, 2010  
(In millions)   

Cost or

Amortized

Cost

    

Gross

Unrealized

Gains

    

Gross

Unrealized

Losses

    

Fair

Value

 

Securities held to maturity,

  carried at amortized cost:

           

  Fixed maturities:

           

Yen-denominated:

           

Japan government and agencies

   $       344             $       4            $          4           $       344        

Municipalities

     407               18              2             423        

Mortgage- and asset-backed securities

     146               5              0             151        

Public utilities

     6,339               326              120             6,545        

Sovereign and supranational

     4,951               305              65             5,191        

Banks/financial institutions

     12,618               216              526             12,308        

Other corporate

     5,279               274              46             5,507        

  Total yen-denominated

     30,084               1,148              763             30,469        

  Total securities held to maturity

     $  30,084               $  1,148              $  763             $  30,469        
                                     

The methods of determining the fair values of our investments in debt securities, perpetual securities and equity securities are described in Note 5.

Included in the available-for-sale fixed maturities portfolio are securities with embedded derivatives for which we have elected the fair value option. These securities were recorded at a fair value of $602 million at March 31, 2011, compared with $619 million at December 31, 2010. We recognized in earnings investment gains of $3 million during the three-month period ended March 31, 2011 and less than $1 million of losses during the three-month period ended March 31, 2010 for the changes in fair value of these securities, which excludes the effects of foreign currency translation and additional fair value option elections.

During the first three months of 2011, we reclassified eight investments from the held-to-maturity portfolio to the available-for-sale portfolio as a result of a significant decline in the issuers’ credit worthiness. At the time of the transfer, the securities had an aggregate amortized cost of $1.6 billion and an aggregate unrealized loss of $270 million. The securities transferred included our investments in the Republic of Tunisia that had an aggregate amortized cost of $769 million and four securities associated with financial institutions in Portugal and Ireland with an aggregate amortized cost of $631 million. See the Investment Concentration section below for a discussion of these financial institutions in Portugal and Ireland. During the first three months of 2010, we did not reclassify any investments from the held-to-maturity portfolio to the available-for-sale portfolio.

 

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Contractual and Economic Maturities

The contractual maturities of our investments in fixed maturities at March 31, 2011, were as follows:

 

      Aflac Japan      Aflac U.S.  

(In millions)

   Amortized
Cost
     Fair
Value
     Amortized
Cost
     Fair  
Value  
 

Available for sale:

           

Due in one year or less

   $ 1,303       $ 1,352       $ 76       $ 78     

Due after one year through five years

     3,857         4,113         257         286     

Due after five years through 10 years

     3,340         3,557         924         1,052     

Due after 10 years

     31,856         30,877         6,861         7,160     

Mortgage- and asset-backed securities

     1,320         1,420         308         307     

Total fixed maturities available for sale

   $ 41,676       $ 41,319       $     8,426       $     8,883     
                                     

Held to maturity:

           

Due in one year or less

   $ 548       $ 554       $ 0       $ 0     

Due after one year through five years

     1,233         1,310         0         0     

Due after five years through 10 years

     3,254         3,591         0         0     

Due after 10 years

     23,332         22,617         0         0     

Mortgage- and asset-backed securities

     138         142         0         0     

Total fixed maturities held to maturity

   $     28,505       $     28,214       $ 0       $ 0     
                                     

At March 31, 2011, the Parent Company had a portfolio of investment-grade available-for-sale fixed-maturity securities totaling $111 million at amortized cost and $116 million at fair value, which is 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 of 125 to more than 300 basis points above an appropriate market index, generally by the 25th year after issuance, thereby creating an economic maturity date. The economic maturities of our investments in perpetual securities, which were all reported as available for sale at March 31, 2011, were as follows:

 

      Aflac Japan      Aflac U.S.  
(In millions)    Amortized
Cost
     Fair
Value
     Amortized
Cost
     Fair  
Value  
 

Due in one year or less

   $ 632       $ 689       $ 0       $ 0     

Due after one year through five years

     1,286         1,332         5         5     

Due after five years through 10 years

     985         1,035         0         0     

Due after 10 years

     4,479         4,062         196         245     

Total perpetual securities available for sale

   $       7,382       $       7,118       $        201       $        250     
                                     

Investment Concentrations

Our investment discipline begins with a top-down approach for each investment opportunity we consider. Consistent with that approach, we first approve each country in which we invest. In our approach to sovereign analysis, we consider the political, legal and financial context of the sovereign entity in which an issuer is domiciled and operates. Next we approve the issuer’s industry sector, including such factors as the stability of results and the importance of the sector to the overall economy. Specific credit names within approved countries and industry sectors are evaluated for their market position and specific strengths and potential weaknesses. Structures in which we invest are chosen for specific portfolio management purposes, including asset/liability management, portfolio diversification and net investment income.

 

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Banks and Financial Institutions

Our largest investment industry sector concentration is 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. We achieve some degree of diversification in the bank and financial institution sector through a geographically diverse universe of credit exposures. Within this sector, the more significant concentration of our credit risk by geographic region or country of issuer at March 31, 2011, based on amortized cost, was: Europe, excluding the United Kingdom (45%); United States (20%); United Kingdom (8%); Japan (8%); and other (19%).

Our total investments in the bank and financial institution sector, including those classified as perpetual securities, were as follows:

 

      March 31, 2011     December 31, 2010  
      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
 

Debt Securities:

          

Amortized cost

     $        20,820                        24  %        $        22,041                   26  %       

Fair value

     19,656                        23             20,741                   24            

Perpetual Securities:

          

Upper Tier II:

          

Amortized cost

     $          4,799                         6  %        $          4,957                       6  %          

Fair value

     4,658                       5           4,748                    5            

Tier I:

          

Amortized cost

     2,462                        3             2,542                    3            

Fair value

     2,365                        3             2,421                    3            

Total:

          

Amortized cost

     $        28,081                         33  %        $        29,540                   35  %       

Fair value

     26,679                        31            27,910                    32             
                                    
                                    

Investments in Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain

Our investment exposure to sovereign debt and financial institutions in Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain was as follows:

 

      March 31, 2011      December 31, 2010  
(In millions)    Amortized
Cost
    Fair   
Value   
     Amortized
Cost
    Fair   
Value   
 

Sovereign and supranational:

         

Italy

       $ 301       $ 290             $ 307       $ 306     

Spain

     715         736           730         782     

Total

       $ 1,016       $ 1,026             $ 1,037       $ 1,088     
                                   

Banks and financial institutions:

         

Greece

       $   372       $ 372             $   1,152       $ 391     

Ireland

     621         451           710         659     

Italy

     180         173           184         183     

Portugal

     842         405           859         770     

Spain

     518         480           526         503     

Total

        $ 2,533   (1)     $ 1,881              $ 3,431 (1)     $ 2,506     
                                   
(1) 

Represents 9% in 2011 and 12% in 2010 of total investments in the banks and financial institutions sector, and 3% in 2011 and 4% in 2010 of total investments in debt and perpetual securities

Ireland

During the first quarter of 2011, we sold one of our impaired below-investment-grade Irish financial institution securities at a $2 million pretax gain. As of March 31, 2011, two securities included in the table above issued by Irish financial institutions with amortized costs and fair values totaling $351 million and $220 million, respectively, were rated

 

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below investment grade. We believe that these unrealized losses are primarily the result of the fiscal problems in the region rather than issuer specific credit factors. The Irish government has stated that they do not support burden-sharing for senior debt holdings such as ours. These Irish banks are current on their obligation to us, and we believe they have the ability to meet their obligations to us. In addition, as of March 31, 2011, we had the intent to hold these investments to recovery in value. As a result, we did not recognize an other-than-temporary impairment for these investments as of March 31, 2011.

Greece

During the second quarter of 2010, our investments in Greek financial institutions, Alpha Bank, EFG Eurobank Ergasias, and National Bank of Greece (NBG), all of which are Lower Tier II subordinated debt, were downgraded to below investment grade. As a result of the downgrades, we reclassified these investments from held to maturity to available for sale. We believed the downgrade of the Greek banks was largely related to the problems of the Greek government and its poor fiscal management, rather than the banks’ specific credit profiles. The three Greek bank issuers that comprised our Greek financial institution holdings had, on average, Tier 1 capital ratios higher than their peers in other troubled European sovereigns. Their capital was at a level that we felt could sustain deterioration in assets and operations that accompany economic conditions, such as those that the Greek economy was encountering in 2010 and those expected in the next few years. All three Greek banks had sufficient capital under the stress testing applied by the Committee of European Banking Supervisors (CEBS) in July 2010. However, the problems of the Greek government and related ratings downgrades have caused a decline in the confidence of depositors and capital market participants in the Greek banking system. As a result, the banks have significantly relied upon the European Central Bank (ECB) for liquidity via posting of collateral, which tends to be in the form of Greek Government Bonds (GGBs) or debt guaranteed by the sovereign. As of December 31, 2010, all of the Greek banks were current on their obligations to us. While these financial institutions have significant investments in GGBs, as of December 31, 2010, we believed that these institutions would be solvent even if there were a future restructuring of GGBs and they would have the ability to meet their obligations to us. In addition, as of December 31, 2010, we had the intent to hold these investments to recovery in value. As a result, we did not recognize an other-than-temporary impairment for these investments as of December 31, 2010.

Since December 31, 2010, Greece has remained under pressure, which has also continued to weigh on the Greek banks. Skepticism over the rigor of the capital stress tests applied by the CEBS in July 2010 has grown, especially as further problems have developed in the capital of the Irish banks. On February 18, 2011, NBG announced its proposal for a “friendly merger” with Alpha Bank, but Alpha Bank rejected this proposal. However, this proposal highlighted risks that accompany consolidation among the top three banks in Greece. While the proposal could have created a national champion in Greek banking, it also would have concentrated ownership of GGBs in the combined entity and formed a very low-rated entity among our top ten largest investment holdings. Two rating agencies downgraded the Greek banks subsequent to downgrading the sovereign during the first quarter of 2011 (on January 17, 2011, and March 9, 2011). In the latter action, the rating agency lowered the ratings indicative of the banks’ intrinsic financial strength due to the persistent pressure on liquidity, asset quality and material exposure to GGBs. In light of the above increased risks and, in particular, the March 9, 2011 downgrade, we no longer supported our previous intent to hold our Greek bank investments to recovery in value. In March 2011, we sold one of our Greek bank holdings, Alpha Bank, and recognized an investment loss of $177 million ($115 million after-tax). For the quarter ended March 31, 2011, we recognized other-than-temporary impairment losses of $397 million ($258 million after-tax) for the remaining two Greek bank holdings. In April 2011, we sold one of these holdings, our investment in EFG Eurobank Ergasias for $2 million more than its recorded impaired value.

Portugal

As of March 31, 2011, four securities issued by three Portugal financial institutions with total amortized cost of $842 million and fair value of $405 million were rated below investment grade. We believe that the below-investment-grade ratings and unrealized loss position are the result of the fiscal problems in the Eurozone region, rather than the banks’ specific credit profiles. As of March 31, 2011, these banks were current on their obligations to us, were profitable and had adequate Tier 1 capital ratios. We believe that Portugal’s financial institutions are stronger than their other Eurozone peers and have not required

 

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much state support. It is difficult to separate the difficulties of the sovereign from the bank since the bank’s sources of liquidity are limited due to the financial situation of the sovereign. We believe the government of Portugal has exercised more prudent fiscal policies and is in a better financial situation than some of its other Eurozone peers. As a result, we believe they have the ability to meet their obligations to us. In addition, as of March 31, 2011, we had the intent to hold these investments to recovery in value. As a result, we did not recognize an other-than-temporary impairment for these investments as of March 31, 2011.

With the exception of the securities discussed above, all other securities included in the table above were rated investment grade as of March 31, 2011.

Derisking

During the three-month period ended March 31, 2011, we pursued strategic investment activities to lower the risk profile of our investment portfolio. Our focus was on reducing our exposure to large concentrated investment positions, which overlapped with efforts to reduce our exposure to investments in Greece and Ireland, as discussed above, and certain financial issuers. As a result of the efforts to reduce large concentrated positions, we sold certain dollar-denominated, available-for-sale securities holdings of issuers that exceeded 10% of total adjusted capital (TAC) on a statutory accounting basis. These sales resulted in a pretax net gain of $8 million ($5 million after-tax). Other sales of securities from financial issuers and other entities resulting from our derisking strategy generated an additional pretax net gain of $6 million ($4 million after-tax).

Realized Investment Gains and Losses

Information regarding pretax realized gains and losses from investments is as follows:

 

      Three Months Ended
March 31,
 
(In millions)        2011             2010      

Realized investment gains (losses) on securities:

    

Debt securities:

    

Available for sale:

    

Gross gains from sales

   $ 26      $ 51   

Gross losses from sales

     (187     (80

Net gains (losses) from redemptions

     7        0   

Other-than-temporary impairment losses

     (404     0   

Total debt securities

     (558     (29

Perpetual securities:

    

Available for sale:

    

Gross gains from sales

     6        8   

Gross losses from sales

     (2     0   

Other-than-temporary impairment losses

     0        (41

Total perpetual securities

     4        (33

Equity securities:

    

Other-than-temporary impairment losses

     (1     (1

Total equity securities

     (1     (1

Other assets:

    

Derivative gains (losses)

     (30     17   

Other long-term assets

     6        0   

Total other assets

     (24     17   

Total realized investment gains (losses)

   $ (579   $ (46
                  

During the three-month period ended March 31, 2011, we realized pretax investment losses of $405 million ($263 million after-tax) as a result of the recognition of other-than-temporary impairment losses. We also realized pretax investment losses, net of gains, of $161 million ($105 million after-tax) from securities sold as a result of an implemented plan to reduce the risk exposure in our investment portfolio (see the Investment Concentrations section above for more information). We realized pretax investment losses, net of gains, of $30 million ($19 million after-tax) from valuing derivatives. We realized pretax investment gains of $11 million ($7 million after-tax) for sales and redemptions in the normal course of business and pretax gains of $6 million ($4 million after-tax) for other securities transactions.

 

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During the three-month period ended March 31, 2010, we realized pretax investment losses of $42 million ($27 million after-tax) as a result of the recognition of other-than-temporary impairment losses. We also realized pretax investment losses, net of gains, of $21 million ($14 million after-tax) from securities sold or redeemed in the normal course of business. We realized pretax investment gains of $17 million ($11 million after-tax) from valuing foreign currency, interest rate and credit default swaps related to certain VIEs which we consolidated.

Other-than-temporary Impairment

The fair value of our debt and perpetual security investments fluctuates based on changes in credit spreads in the global financial markets. Credit spreads are most impacted by market rates of interest, the general and specific credit environment and global market liquidity. We believe that fluctuations in the fair value of our investment securities related to changes in credit spreads have little bearing on whether our investment is ultimately recoverable. Therefore, we consider such declines in fair value to be temporary even in situations where an investment remains in an unrealized loss position for a year or more.

However, in the course of our credit review process, we may determine that it is unlikely that we will recover our investment in an issuer due to factors specific to an individual issuer, as opposed to general changes in global credit spreads. In this event, we consider such a decline in the investment’s fair value, to the extent below the investment’s cost or amortized cost, to be an other-than-temporary impairment of the investment and write the investment down to its fair value. The determination of whether an impairment is other than temporary is subjective and involves the consideration of various factors and circumstances, which includes but is not limited to the following:

 

   

issuer financial condition, including profitability and cash flows

 

   

credit status of the issuer

 

   

the issuer’s specific and general competitive environment

 

   

published reports

 

   

general economic environment

 

   

regulatory, legislative and political environment

 

   

the severity of the decline in fair value

 

   

the length of time the fair value is below cost

 

   

other factors as may become available from time to time

In addition to the usual investment risk associated with a debt instrument, our perpetual security holdings may be subject to the 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 build capital. In addition to 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 impair the fair value of the securities and increase our regulatory capital requirements. We take factors such as these into account in our credit review process.

Another factor we consider in determining whether an impairment is other than temporary is an evaluation of our intent or requirement to sell the security prior to recovery of its amortized cost. 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 matching 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 liquidating any of our investments prior to their maturity. In addition, provided that our credit review process results in a conclusion that we will collect all of our cash flows and recover our investment in an issuer and the investment is within our target investment risk exposure limits, we generally do not sell investments prior to their maturity.

The majority of our 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. Our investments in perpetual securities that are rated below investment grade 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.

 

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The following table details our pretax other-than-temporary impairment losses by investment category.

 

      Three Months Ended
March 31,
 
(In millions)    2011      2010  

Perpetual securities

   $ 0       $ 41   

Corporate bonds

     397         0   

Mortgage- and asset-backed securities

     6         0   

Municipalities

     1         0   

Equity securities

     1         1   

Total other-than-temporary impairment losses realized

   $ 405       $ 42   
   

      We apply the debt security impairment model to our perpetual securities provided there has been no evidence of deterioration in credit of the issuer, such as a downgrade of the rating of a perpetual security to below investment grade. As of March 31, 2011, the perpetual securities of eight issuers we own had been downgraded to below investment grade. As a result of these downgrades, we were required to evaluate these securities for other-than-temporary impairment using the equity security impairment model rather than the debt security impairment model. Use of the equity security model limits the forecasted recovery period that can be used in the impairment evaluation and, accordingly, affects both the recognition and measurement of other-than-temporary impairment losses. As a result of market conditions and the extent of changes in ratings on our perpetual securities, we recognized other-than-temporary impairment losses for perpetual securities from evaluation under our equity impairment model of $41 million ($27 million after-tax) during the three-month period ended March 31, 2010. We did not recognize any other-than-temporary impairment losses for perpetual securities from evaluation under our equity impairment model during the three-month period ended March 31, 2011.

Certain of our mortgage- and asset-backed securities have had other-than-temporary impairments recognized that had credit-related and non-credit-related components. The following table summarizes cumulative credit-related impairment losses on the securities still held at the end of the reporting period, for which other-than-temporary losses have been recognized and only the amount related to credit loss was recognized in earnings.

 

      Three Months Ended
March 31,
 
(In millions)        2011             2010      

Cumulative credit loss impairments, beginning of period

   $ 13      $ 24     

Securities sold during period

     (9     (1)    

Cumulative credit loss impairments, end of period

   $ 4      $ 23     
                  

Unrealized Investment Gains and Losses

Effect on Shareholders’ Equity

The net effect on shareholders’ equity of unrealized gains and losses from investment securities was as follows:

 

(In millions)    March 31,
2011
    December 31,
2010
 

Unrealized gains (losses) on securities available for sale

   $ (108   $ (61)       

Unamortized unrealized gains on securities transferred to held to maturity

     100        135        

Deferred income taxes

     (8     (41)       

Shareholders’ equity, unrealized gains (losses) on investment securities

   $ (16   $ 33        
                  

Gross Unrealized Loss Aging

The following tables show the fair value and gross unrealized losses, including the portion of other-than-temporary impairment recognized in accumulated other comprehensive income, of our available-for-sale and held-to-maturity investments, aggregated by investment category and length of time that individual securities have been in a continuous unrealized loss position.

 

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      March 31, 2011  
      Total      Less than 12 months      12 months or longer  
(In millions)    Fair
    Value    
     Unrealized
Losses
     Fair
    Value    
     Unrealized
Losses
     Fair
    Value    
     Unrealized  
Losses  
 

Fixed maturities:

                 

U.S. government and agencies:

                 

Dollar-denominated

   $ 105       $ 1       $ 105       $ 1       $ 0       $ 0     

Japan government and agencies:

                 

Yen-denominated

     7,400         115         7,400         115         0         0     

Municipalities:

                 

Dollar-denominated

     657         36         607         23         50         13     

Yen-denominated

     271         9         216         4         55         5     

Mortgage- and asset- backed securities:

                 

Dollar-denominated

     30         1         15         0         15         1     

Yen-denominated

     424         13         35         0         389         13     

Public utilities:

                 

Dollar-denominated

     913         47         855         40         58         7     

Yen-denominated

     4,460         263         2,216         48         2,244         215     

Sovereign and supranational:

                 

Dollar-denominated

     73         4         41         2         32         2     

Yen-denominated

     2,072         143         987         26         1,085         117     

Banks/financial institutions:

                 

Dollar-denominated

     1,153         74         442         20         711         54     

Yen-denominated

     10,193         1,586         2,115         62         8,078         1,524     

Other corporate:

                 

Dollar-denominated

     2,371         97         2,040         69         331         28     

Yen-denominated

     5,106         569         1,545         88         3,561         481     

Total fixed maturities

     35,228         2,958         18,619         498         16,609         2,460     

Perpetual securities:

                 

Dollar-denominated

     214         23         122         3         92         20     

Yen-denominated

     3,412         477         753         75         2,659         402     

Total perpetual securities

     3,626         500         875         78         2,751         422     

Equity securities

     7         1         7         0         0         1     

Total

   $ 38,861       $ 3,459       $ 19,501       $ 576       $ 19,360       $ 2,883     
                                                       

 

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Table of Contents
      December 31, 2010  
      Total      Less than 12 months      12 months or longer  
(In millions)    Fair
    Value    
     Unrealized
Losses
     Fair
    Value    
     Unrealized
Losses
     Fair
    Value    
     Unrealized  
Losses  
 

Fixed maturities:

                 

Japan government and agencies:

                 

Yen-denominated

   $ 1,634       $ 18       $ 1,634       $ 18       $ 0       $ 0            

Municipalities:

                 

Dollar-denominated

     682         42         632         28         50         14            

Yen-denominated

     59         2         0         0         59         2            

Mortgage- and asset- backed securities:

                 

Dollar-denominated

     78         13         20         0         58         13            

Yen-denominated

     415         15         415         15         0         0            

Public utilities:

                 

Dollar-denominated

     556         36         498         28         58         8            

Yen-denominated

     2,877         200         766         47         2,111         153            

Sovereign and supranational:

                 

Dollar-denominated

     45         2         12         0         33         2            

Yen-denominated

     1,579         77         428         1         1,151         76            

Banks/financial institutions:

                 

Dollar-denominated

     1,484         108         753         22         731         86            

Yen-denominated

     10,609         1,703         1,506         40         9,103         1,663            

Other corporate:

                 

Dollar-denominated

     1,741         79         1,456         52         285         27            

Yen-denominated

     4,503         503         507         45         3,996         458            

Total fixed maturities

     26,262         2,798         8,627         296         17,635         2,502            

Perpetual securities:

                 

Dollar-denominated

     208         30         149         19         59         11            

Yen-denominated

     4,171         533         1,793         119         2,378         414            

Total perpetual securities

     4,379         563         1,942         138         2,437         425            

Equity securities

     13         2         13         1         0         1            

Total

   $ 30,654       $ 3,363       $ 10,582       $ 435       $ 20,072       $ 2,928            
   

Analysis of Securities in Unrealized Loss Positions

The unrealized losses on our investments have been primarily related to changes in interest rates, foreign exchange rates or the widening of credit spreads rather than specific issuer credit-related events. In addition, because we do not intend to sell and do not believe it is likely that we will be required to sell these investments before a recovery of fair value to amortized cost, we do not consider any of these investments to be other-than-temporarily impaired as of and for the three-month period ended March 31, 2011. The following summarizes our evaluation of investment categories with significant unrealized losses and securities that were rated below investment grade. All other investment categories with securities in an unrealized loss position that are not specifically discussed below were comprised of investment grade fixed maturities.

 

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Municipalities and Mortgage- and Asset-Backed Securities

As of March 31, 2011, 83% of the unrealized losses on investment securities in the municipalities sector and 93% of the unrealized losses on investment securities in the mortgage- and asset-backed securities sector were related to investments that were investment grade, compared with 82% and 54%, respectively, at December 31, 2010. We have determined that the majority of the unrealized losses on the investments in these sectors were caused by widening credit spreads. However, we have determined that the ability of the issuers to service our investments has not been compromised. Unrealized gains or losses related to prevailing interest rate environments are impacted by the remaining time to maturity of an investment. Assuming no credit-related factors develop, as investments near maturity the unrealized gains or losses can be expected to diminish.

Bank and Financial Institution Investments

The following table shows the composition of our investments in an unrealized loss position in the bank and financial institution sector by fixed-maturity securities and perpetual securities. The table reflects those securities in that sector that were in an unrealized loss position as a percentage of our total investment portfolio in an unrealized loss position and their respective unrealized losses as a percentage of total unrealized losses.

 

      March 31, 2011   December 31, 2010        
      Percentage of
Total Investments in
an Unrealized Loss
Position
  Percentage of
Total
Unrealized
Losses
  Percentage of
Total Investments in
an Unrealized Loss
Position
  Percentage of
        Total        
Unrealized
        Losses        

Fixed maturities

    29  %   48  %   39  %   54  %  

Perpetual securities:

        

Upper Tier II

   5       9       9      10        

Tier I

   4       6       5      7      

Total perpetual securities

   9       15         14       17        

Total

    38  %   63  %   53 %   71   %  
                  

As of March 31, 2011, 59% of the $2.2 billion in unrealized losses on investments in the bank and financial institution sector, including perpetual securities, were related to investments that were investment grade, compared with 53% at December 31, 2010. Of the $15.0 billion in investments, at fair value, in the bank and financial institution sector in an unrealized loss position at March 31, 2011, only $1.4 billion ($.9 billion in unrealized losses) were below investment grade. Five investments comprised nearly 82% of the $.9 billion unrealized loss. The remaining investments that comprised the unrealized loss were divided among eight issuers with average unrealized losses per investment of less than $20 million. We conduct our own independent credit analysis for investments in the bank and financial sector. Our assessment includes analysis of financial information, as well as consultation with the issuers from time to time. Based on our credit analysis, we have determined that the majority of the unrealized losses on the investments in this sector were caused by widening credit spreads, the downturn in the global economic environment and, to a lesser extent, changes in foreign exchange rates. Unrealized gains or losses related to prevailing interest rate environments are impacted by the remaining time to maturity of an investment. Assuming no credit-related factors develop, as investments near maturity, the unrealized gains or losses can be expected to diminish. Based on our credit analysis, we believe that our investments in this sector have the ability to service their obligations to us.

Other Corporate Investments

As of March 31, 2011, 67% of the unrealized losses on investments in the other corporate sector were related to investments that were investment grade, compared with 51% at December 31, 2010. For any credit-related declines in market value, we perform a more focused review of the related issuer’s credit ratings, financial statements and other available financial data, timeliness of payment, competitive environment and any other significant data related to the issuer. From those reviews, we evaluate the issuers’ continued ability to service our investments. We have determined that the majority of the unrealized losses on the investments in the other corporate sector were caused by widening credit spreads. Also impacting the unrealized losses in this sector is the decline in creditworthiness of certain issuers in the other corporate sector. Based on our credit analysis, we believe that our investments in this sector have the ability to service their obligation to us.

 

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Perpetual Securities

At March 31, 2011, 84% of the unrealized losses on investments in perpetual securities were related to investments that were investment grade, compared with 83% at December 31, 2010. The majority of our investments in Upper Tier II and Tier I perpetual securities were 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. 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 were as follows:

Perpetual Securities

            March 31, 2011     December 31, 2010  
(In millions)   

Credit

Rating

   Amortized
Cost
     Fair
Value
     Unrealized
Gain (Loss)
    Amortized
Cost
     Fair
Value
     Unrealized
Gain (Loss)
 

Upper Tier II:

                   
  

AA

   $ 188       $ 201       $ 13      $ 190       $ 201       $ 11   
  

A

     3,154         3,162         8        3,279         3,250         (29
  

BBB

     1,321         1,251         (70     1,274         1,164         (110
  

BB or lower

     458         389         (69     542         476         (66

  Total Upper Tier II

          5,121         5,003         (118     5,285         5,091         (194

Tier I:

                   
  

A

     586         525         (61     632         568         (64
  

BBB

     1,491         1,420         (71     1,386         1,296         (90
  

BB or lower

     385         420         35        524         557         33   

  Total Tier I

          2,462         2,365         (97     2,542         2,421         (121

  Total

      $ 7,583       $ 7,368       $ (215   $ 7,827       $ 7,512       $ (315
                                                           

With the exception of the Icelandic bank securities that we completely impaired in 2008, our Lloyds Banking Group plc dollar-denominated Tier I perpetual securities (par value of $33 million at March 31, 2011), and our RBS Capital Trust II dollar-denominated Tier I perpetual security (par value of $38 million at March 31, 2011), all of the perpetual securities we own were current on interest and principal payments at March 31, 2011. In April 2011, we sold the RBS Capital Trust II perpetual security. Based on amortized cost as of March 31, 2011, the geographic breakdown of our perpetual securities by issuer was as follows: European countries, excluding the United Kingdom, (72%); the United Kingdom (9%); Japan (13%); and other (6%). To determine any credit-related declines in market value, we perform a more focused review of the related issuer’s credit ratings, financial statements and other available financial data, timeliness of payment, competitive environment and any other significant data related to the issuer. From those reviews, we evaluate the issuer’s continued ability to service our investment.

We have determined that the majority of our unrealized losses in the perpetual security category has been principally due to widening credit spreads, largely as the result of the contraction of liquidity in the capital markets, however there was some credit tightening in the first quarter of 2011 that improved our net unrealized loss position. Based on our reviews, we concluded that the ability of the issuers to service our investment has not been compromised by these factors. Unrealized gains or losses related to prevailing interest rate environments are impacted by the remaining time to maturity of an investment. Assuming no credit-related factors develop, as the investments near economic maturity, the unrealized gains or losses can be expected to diminish. Based on our credit analyses, we believe that our investments in this sector have the ability to service their obligation to us.

 

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Variable Interest Entities (VIEs)

As discussed in Note 1, effective January 1, 2010, we have consolidated all of the components of each former QSPE investment, including a fixed-maturity or perpetual investment and a corresponding derivative transaction. Our risk of loss over the life of each investment is limited to the amount of our original investment. In addition, new criteria for determining the primary beneficiary of a VIE that was effective January 1, 2010, resulted in the consolidation of additional VIE investments. The following table details our investments in VIEs.

Investments in Variable Interest Entities

      March 31, 2011     December 31, 2010      
(In millions)    Amortized
Cost
    Fair
Value
    Amortized
Cost
     Fair
Value  
 

VIEs:

         

Consolidated:

         

  Total VIEs consolidated

   $ 7,154      $ 7,235      $ 7,201       $ 7,363     

Not consolidated:

         

CDOs

     5        5        5         5     

Other

     13,117        13,068        13,914         13,214     

  Total VIEs not consolidated

     13,122        13,073        13,919         13,219     

  Total VIEs

   $ 20,276      $     20,308      $ 21,120       $ 20,582     
                                   

 

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. Except as relates to our review and evaluation of the structure of these VIEs in the normal course of our investment decision-making process, we have not been involved in establishing these entities. Further, we have not been nor are we required to purchase the securities issued in the future by any of 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

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 and perpetual securities and interest rate, foreign currency, and/or credit default swaps, 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. Further, 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.

The underlying collateral assets and funding of these VIEs are generally static in nature. These VIEs are limited to holding the underlying collateral and CDS contracts on specific corporate entities and utilizing the cash flows from the

 

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collateral and CDS contracts to service our investment therein. The underlying collateral and the reference corporate entities covered by the CDS contracts are all investment grade at the time of issuance. These VIEs do not rely on outside or ongoing sources of funding to support their activities beyond the underlying collateral and CDS contracts. We currently own only senior CDO tranches within these VIEs.

Consistent with our other debt and perpetual securities we own, we are exposed to credit losses within these CDOs that could result in principal losses to our investments. We have mitigated our risk of credit loss through the structure of the VIE, which contractually requires the subordinated tranches within these VIEs to absorb the majority of the expected losses from the underlying credit default swaps. Based on our statistical analysis models, each of the VIEs can sustain a reasonable number of defaults in the underlying CDS pools with no loss to our investment.

VIEs-Not Consolidated

With the exception of one CDO investment, the VIEs that we are not required to consolidate are investments that are limited to loans in the form of debt obligations from the VIEs that are irrevocably and unconditionally guaranteed by their corporate parents. These VIEs are the primary financing vehicle used by their corporate sponsors to raise financing in the international 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 are comprised of securities from 169 separate issuers which have an average credit rating of A.

Securities Lending

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. The following table presents our security loans outstanding and the corresponding collateral held:

 

(In millions)   

March 31,    

2011  

    

December 31,    

2010  

 

Security loans outstanding, fair value

   $     238               $ 186           

Cash collateral on loaned securities

     244                 191           
                   

All security lending agreements are callable by us at any time.

4.   DERIVATIVE INSTRUMENTS

We do not use derivative financial instruments for trading purposes, nor do we engage in leveraged derivative transactions. The majority of our freestanding derivatives are interest rate, foreign currency and credit default swaps that are associated with investments in special-purpose entities, including VIEs where we are the primary beneficiary. The remaining derivatives are interest rate swaps associated with our variable interest rate yen-denominated debt.

Derivative Types

Interest rate and credit default 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. Generally, no cash or principal payments are exchanged at the inception of the contract. Typically, at the time a swap is entered into, the cash flow streams exchanged by the counterparties are equal in value. 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.

Credit default swaps are used to assume credit risk related to an individual security or an index. These contracts entitle the consolidated VIE to receive a periodic fee in exchange for an obligation to compensate the derivative counterparty should the referenced security issuers experience a credit event, as defined in the contract. The consolidated VIE is also exposed to credit risk due to embedded derivatives associated with credit-linked notes.

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 a periodic exchange of payments at specified intervals based on the agreed upon rates and notional amounts. Foreign currency swaps are used primarily in

 

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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.

Credit Risk Assumed through Derivatives

Our exposure to credit risk in the event of nonperformance by counterparties to our interest rate swaps associated with our variable interest rate Uridashi notes as of March 31, 2011, was immaterial. For the interest rate, foreign currency, and credit default swaps associated with our VIE investments for which we are the primary beneficiary, we do not bear the risk of loss for counterparty default. We are not a direct counterparty to those contracts.

As a result of consolidation of certain VIE investments on January 1, 2010, we began recognizing related credit default swaps that assume credit risk from an asset pool. Those consolidated VIEs will receive periodic payments based on an agreed upon rate and notional amount and will only make a payment by delivery of associated collateral, which consists of highly rated asset-backed securities, if there is a credit event. A credit event payment will typically be equal to the notional value of the swap contract less the value of the referenced obligations. A credit event is generally defined as a default on contractually obligated interest or principal payments or bankruptcy of the referenced entity. The credit default swaps in which the consolidated VIE assumes credit risk primarily reference investment grade baskets. The diversified portfolios of corporate issuers are established within sector concentration limits.

The following tables present the maximum potential risk, fair value, weighted-average years to maturity, and underlying referenced credit obligation type for credit default swaps.

 

     March 31, 2011  
    

Less than

one year

   

One to

three years

   

Three to

five years

   

Five to

ten years

    Total  
(In millions)  

Maximum

potential

risk

    Estimated
fair value
   

Maximum

potential

risk

    Estimated
fair value
   

Maximum

potential

risk

    Estimated
fair value
   

Maximum

potential

risk

    Estimated
fair value
   

Maximum

potential

risk

    Estimated
fair value
 

Index exposure:

  

                 

Corporate bonds

  $ 0      $ 0      $ 0      $ 0      $ (340   $ (110   $ (416   $ (228   $ (756   $ (338
                                                                                 

 

     December 31, 2010  
    

Less than

one year

   

One to

three years

   

Three to

five years

   

Five to

ten years

    Total  
(In millions)  

Maximum

potential

risk

   

Estimated

fair value

   

Maximum

potential

risk

    Estimated
fair value
   

Maximum

potential

risk

    Estimated
fair value
   

Maximum

potential

risk

    Estimated
fair value
   

Maximum

potential

risk

    Estimated
fair value
 

Index exposure:

  

                 

Corporate bonds

  $ 0      $ 0      $ 0      $ 0      $ (340   $ (118   $ (416   $ (225   $ (756   $ (343
                                                                                 

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. 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.

 

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      March 31, 2011  
(In millions)            Net Derivatives              Asset
    Derivatives    
     Liability
    Derivatives    
 
Hedge Designation/
Derivative Type
   Notional
        Amount        
             Fair Value                      Fair Value                      Fair Value          

Cash flow hedges:

           

Interest rate swaps

         $ 241                 $ (1)                 $ 0                 $ (1)       

Foreign currency swaps

           575                   53                    82                   (29)       

Total cash flow hedges

           816                   52                    82                   (30)       

Non-qualifying strategies:

           

Interest rate swaps

           743                   52                    114                   (62)       

Foreign currency swaps

           3,905                   (36)                   250                   (286)       

Credit default swaps

           756                   (338)                   0                   (338)       

Total non-qualifying strategies

           5,404                   (322)                   364                   (686)       

Total cash flow hedges and non-qualifying strategies

         $ 6,220                 $ (270)                 $ 446                 $ (716)       
                                     

Balance Sheet Location

                                   

Other assets

         $ 2,264                 $ 446                  $ 446                 $ 0        

Other liabilities

           3,956                   (716)                   0                   (716)       

Total derivatives

         $ 6,220                 $ (270)                 $ 446                 $ (716)       
                                     
           
      December 31, 2010  
(In millions)            Net Derivatives              Asset
    Derivatives     
     Liability
    Derivatives     
 
Hedge Designation/
Derivative Type
  

Notional

        Amount        

             Fair Value                      Fair Value                      Fair Value          

Cash flow hedges:

           

Interest rate swaps

         $ 245                 $ (2)                 $ 0                 $ (2)       

Foreign currency swaps

           615                   170                    180                   (10)       

Total cash flow hedges

           860                   168                    180                   (12)       

Non-qualifying strategies:

           

Interest rate swaps

           743                   56                    124                   (68)       

Foreign currency swaps

           3,815                   (58)                   260                   (318)       

Credit default swaps

           756                   (343)                   0                   (343)       

Total non-qualifying strategies

           5,314                   (345)                   384                   (729)       

Total cash flow hedges and non-qualifying strategies

         $ 6,174                 $ (177)                 $ 564                 $ (741)       
                                     

Balance Sheet Location

                                   

Other assets

         $ 2,364                 $ 564                  $ 564                 $ 0        

Other liabilities

           3,810                   (741)                   0                   (741)       

Total derivatives

         $ 6,174                 $ (177)                 $ 564                 $ (741)       
                                     

Hedging

Certain of our consolidated VIEs have interest rate and/or 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 25 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”).

 

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We have interest rate swap agreements related to the 20 billion yen variable interest rate Uridashi notes (see Note 6). By entering into these contracts, we have been able to lock in the interest rate at 1.52% in yen. We have designated these interest rate swaps as a hedge of the variability in our interest cash flows associated with the variable interest rate Uridashi notes. The notional amounts and terms of the swaps match the principal amount and terms of the variable interest rate Uridashi notes. The swaps had no value at inception. Changes in the fair value of the swap contracts are recorded in other comprehensive income so long as the hedge is deemed effective. Should any portion of the hedge be deemed ineffective, that value would be reported in net earnings.

Hedge Documentation and Effectiveness Testing

To qualify for hedge accounting treatment, a derivative must be highly effective in mitigating the designated changes in cash flow of the hedged item. At hedge inception, 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. The documentation process includes linking derivatives that are designated as cash flow hedges to specific 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. We also formally assess both at the hedge’s inception and ongoing on a quarterly basis, whether the derivatives that are used in hedging transactions have been and are expected to continue to be highly effective in offsetting changes in cash flows of hedged items. Hedge effectiveness is assessed using qualitative and quantitative methods. Qualitative methods may include the comparison of critical terms of the derivative to the hedged item. Quantitative methods include regression or other statistical analysis of changes in cash flows associated with the hedge relationship. Hedge ineffectiveness of the hedge relationships 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 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 as a component of realized investment gains (losses). All components of each derivative’s gain or loss were included in the assessment of hedge effectiveness.

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 cash flows 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, including those where the derivative is sold, terminated or exercised, amounts previously deferred in other comprehensive income are reclassified into earnings when earnings are impacted by the cash flow of the hedged item.

Cash Flow Hedges

The following tables present the components of the gain or loss on derivatives that qualify as cash flow hedges:

Derivatives in Cash Flow Hedging Relationships

 

(In millions)   

Gain (Loss) Recognized in
Other Comprehensive Income

on Derivative (Effective Portion)

    Net Realized Investment Gains (Losses)
Recognized in Income
on Derivative (Ineffective Portion)
 
     

Three Months Ended

March 31, 2011

   

Three Months Ended

March 31, 2011

 

Interest rate swaps

   $                1      $            0   

Foreign currency swaps

     (56     (4

Total

   $ (55   $ (4 ) 
                  

 

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Derivatives in Cash Flow Hedging Relationships

 

(In millions)    Gain (Loss) Recognized in
Other Comprehensive  Income
on Derivative (Effective Portion)
   

Net Realized Investment Gains (Losses)
Recognized in Income

on Derivative (Ineffective Portion)

 
      Three Months Ended
March 31, 2010
   

Three Months Ended

March 31, 2010

 

Interest rate swaps

   $ 1      $ 0   

Foreign currency swaps

     (11     (3

Total

   $ (10   $ (3
   

There was no gain or loss reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income into earnings related to our cash flow hedges for the three-month periods ended March 31, 2011 and 2010. As of March 31, 2011, pretax deferred net gains on derivative instruments recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income that are expected to be reclassified to earnings during the next twelve months are immaterial.

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 as net realized investment gains (losses). The following table presents the gain or loss recognized in income on non-qualifying strategies:

Non-qualifying Strategies

Gain (Loss) Recognized within Net Realized Investment Gains (Losses)

 

(In millions)    Three Months Ended
March 31, 2011
    Three Months Ended
March 31, 2010
 

Interest rate swaps

   $ (5   $ (5

Foreign currency swaps

     (29     4   

Credit default swaps

     5        21   

Other

     3        0   

Total

   $ (26   $ 20   
   

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 income or perpetual securities associated with these swaps is recorded through other comprehensive income.

Nonderivative Hedges

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 taken the following courses of action. First, Aflac Japan maintains a portfolio of dollar-denominated securities, which serves as an economic currency hedge of a portion of our investment in Aflac Japan. The foreign exchange gains and losses related to this portfolio are taxable in Japan and the U.S. when the securities mature or are sold. Until maturity or sale, deferred tax expense or benefit associated with the foreign exchange gains or losses are recognized in other comprehensive income.

Second, we have designated the Parent Company’s yen-denominated liabilities (Samurai and Uridashi notes and yen-denominated loans - see Note 6) as nonderivative hedges of the foreign currency exposure of our investment in Aflac Japan. Our net investment hedge was effective during the three-month periods ended March 31, 2011, and 2010; therefore, there was no impact on net earnings during those periods for the foreign exchange effect of the designated Parent Company yen-denominated liabilities. There was no gain or loss reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income into earnings related to our net investment hedge for the three-month periods ended March 31, 2011 and 2010.

For additional information on our financial instruments, see the accompanying Notes 1, 3 and 5 and Notes 1, 3 and 5 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in our annual report to shareholders for the year ended December 31, 2010.

 

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5.  FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS

We determine the fair values of our debt, derivative, perpetual and privately issued equity securities primarily using three pricing approaches or techniques: quoted market prices readily available from public exchange markets, a discounted cash flow (DCF) pricing model, and price quotes we obtain from outside brokers.

Our DCF pricing model incorporates an option adjusted spread and utilizes various market inputs we obtain from both active and inactive markets. The estimated fair values developed by the DCF pricing model is most sensitive to prevailing credit spreads, the level of interest rates (yields) and interest rate volatility. Prior to March 31, 2010, credit spreads were derived based on pricing data obtained from investment brokers and took into account the current yield curve, time to maturity and subordination levels for similar securities or classes of securities. Subsequent to March 31, 2010, credit spreads were derived from using a bond index to create a credit spread matrix which takes into account the current credit spread, ratings and remaining time to maturity, and subordination levels for securities that are included in the bond index. Our DCF pricing model is based on a widely used global bond index that is comprised of investments in active markets. The index provides a broad-based measure of global fixed-income bond market. This widely used bond index extensively covers bonds issued by European and American issuers, which account for the majority of bonds that we hold. We validate the reliability of the DCF pricing model periodically by using the model to price investments for which there are quoted market prices from active and inactive markets or, in the alternative, are quoted by our custodian for the same or similar securities.

The pricing data and market quotes we obtain from outside sources are reviewed internally for reasonableness. If a fair value appears unreasonable, the inputs are re-examined and the value is confirmed or revised.

In recent years, on the price quotes we obtain from outside brokers, we have noted a continued reduction in the availability of pricing data. This decline is due largely to a reduction in the overall number of sources providing pricing data. As a result, we have noted that available pricing data has become more volatile. The reduction in available pricing sources coupled with the increase in price volatility has increased the degree of management judgment required in the final determination of fair values. We assess the reasonableness of the pricing data we receive by comparing it to relevant market indices and other performance measurements.

Fair Value Hierarchy

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 valuation inputs are not observable in an active market. The vast majority of our financial instruments subject to the classification provisions of GAAP relate to our investment securities classified as securities available for sale in our investment portfolio. We determine the fair value of our securities available for sale using several sources or techniques based on the type and nature of the investment securities.

 

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The following tables present the fair value hierarchy levels of the Company’s assets and liabilities that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis.

 

      March 31, 2011  
(In millions)    Level 1      Level 2      Level 3      Total  

Assets:

           

Fixed maturities:

           

Government and agencies

   $ 17,464       $ 644       $ 0       $ 18,108     

Municipalities

     0         986         0         986     

Mortgage- and asset-backed securities

     0         1,479         248         1,727     

Public utilities

     0         5,449         0         5,449     

Collateralized debt obligations

     0         0         5         5     

Sovereign and supranational

     0         2,175         0         2,175     

Banks/financial institutions

     0         7,774         420         8,194     

Other corporate

     0         13,674         0         13,674     

Total fixed maturities

     17,464         32,181         673         50,318     

Perpetual securities:

           

Banks/financial institutions

     0         7,023         0         7,023     

Other corporate

     0         345         0         345     

Total perpetual securities

     0         7,368         0         7,368     

Equity securities

     15         5         4         24     

Other assets:

           

Interest rate swaps

     0         114         0         114     

Foreign currency swaps

     0         136         196         332     

Total other assets

     0         250         196         446     

  Total assets

   $   17,479       $   39,804       $   873       $   58,156     
   

Liabilities:

           

Interest rate swaps

   $ 0       $ 63       $ 0       $ 63     

Foreign currency swaps

     0         245         70         315     

Credit default swaps

     0         0         338         338     

  Total liabilities

   $ 0       $ 308       $ 408       $ 716     
   

 

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Table of Contents
      December 31, 2010  
(In millions)    Level 1      Level 2      Level 3      Total  

Assets:

           

Fixed maturities:

           

Government and agencies

   $   16,534       $ 679       $ 0       $ 17,213     

Municipalities

     0         973         0         973     

Mortgage- and asset-backed securities

     0         1,539         267         1,806     

Public utilities

     0         5,369         0         5,369     

Collateralized debt obligations

     0         0         5         5     

Sovereign and supranational

     0         1,394         0         1,394     

Banks/financial institutions

     0         8,047         386         8,433     

Other corporate

     0         13,162         0         13,162     

Total fixed maturities

     16,534         31,163         658         48,355     

Perpetual securities:

           

Banks/financial institutions

     0         7,169         0         7,169     

Other corporate

     0         343         0         343     

Total perpetual securities

     0         7,512         0         7,512     

Equity securities

     14         5         4         23     

Other assets:

           

Interest rate swaps

     0         124         0         124     

Foreign currency swaps

     0         151         289         440     

Total other assets

     0         275         289         564     

  Total assets

   $   16,548       $   38,955       $   951       $   56,454     
   

Liabilities:

           

Interest rate swaps

   $ 0       $ 70       $ 0       $ 70     

Foreign currency swaps

     0         280         48         328     

Credit default swaps

     0         0         343         343     

  Total liabilities

   $ 0       $ 350       $ 391       $ 741     
   

Approximately 45% of our fixed income and perpetual investments classified as Level 2 are valued by obtaining quoted market prices from our investment custodian. The custodian obtains price quotes from various pricing services that estimate fair values based on observable market transactions for similar investments in active markets, market transactions for the same investments in inactive markets or other observable market data where available.

The fair value of approximately 51% of our Level 2 fixed income and perpetual investments is determined using our DCF pricing model. The significant valuation inputs to the DCF model are obtained from, or corroborated by, observable market sources from both active and inactive markets.

For the remaining Level 2 investments that are not quoted by our custodian and cannot be priced under the DCF pricing model, we obtain specific broker quotes from up to three outside securities brokers and generally use the average of the quotes to estimate the fair value of the securities.

We use derivative instruments to manage the risk associated with certain assets. However, the derivative instrument may not be classified with the same fair value hierarchy as the associated asset. Derivative instruments are reported in Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy, except CDSs and certain foreign currency swaps which are classified as Level 3.

The interest rate and certain foreign currency derivative instruments classified as Level 2 were priced by broker quotations using inputs that are observable in the market. Inputs used to value derivatives include, but are not limited to, interest rates, foreign currency forward and spot rates, and interest volatility. For derivatives associated with any of our VIEs where we are the primary beneficiary, we are not the direct counterparty to the swap contracts. As a result, the fair value measurements provided by the broker incorporate the credit risk of the collateral associated with the VIE and counterparty credit risk.

 

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The fair value of our interest rate swap contracts associated with our variable interest rate yen-denominated debt is based on the amount we would expect to receive or pay to terminate the swaps. The prices used to determine the value of the swaps are obtained from the respective swap counterparties and take into account current interest rates, duration and credit risk.

The fixed maturities, perpetual securities and derivatives classified as Level 3 consist of securities for which there are limited or no observable valuation inputs. We estimate the fair value of these securities by obtaining 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 unobservable. The equity securities classified in Level 3 are related to investments in Japanese businesses, each of which are insignificant and in the aggregate are immaterial. Because fair values for these investments are not readily available, we carry them at their original cost. We review each of these investments periodically and, in the event we determine that any are other-than-temporarily impaired, we write them down to their estimated fair value at that time.

Historically, we have not adjusted the quotes or prices we obtain from the brokers and pricing services we use.

The following tables present the changes in our available-for-sale investments and derivatives classified as Level 3.

 

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Table of Contents

Three Months Ended

March 31, 2011

 
     Fixed Maturities     Perpetual
Securities
    Equity
Securities
    Derivatives         
(In millions)  

Mortgage-
and

Asset-

Backed

Securities

    Public
Utilities
    Collateralized
Debt
Obligations
    Sovereign
and
Supranational
    Banks/
Financial
Institutions
    Other
Corporate
    Banks/
Financial
Institutions
          Foreign
Currency
Swaps
    Credit
Default
Swaps
    Total  
                                   

Balance, beginning of period

  $ 267      $ 0      $ 5      $ 0      $ 386      $ 0      $ 0      $ 4      $ 241      $ (343   $ 560   

Realized gains or losses included in earnings

    (6     0        0        0        1        0        0        0        (64     5        (64

Unrealized gains or losses included in other comprehensive income

    (10     0        0        0        33        0        0        0        (51     0        (28

Purchases, issuances, sales and settlements:

                     

Purchases

    0        0        0        0        0        0        0        0        0        0        0   

Issuances

    0        0        0        0        0        0        0        0        0        0        0   

Sales

    0        0        0        0        0        0        0        0        0        0        0   

Settlements

    (3     0        0        0        0        0        0        0        0        0        (3

Transfers into Level 3

    0        0        0        0        0        0        0        0        0        0        0   

Transfers out of Level 3

    0        0        0        0        0        0        0        0        0        0        0   
                                   

Balance, end of period

  $ 248      $ 0      $ 5      $ 0      $ 420      $ 0      $ 0      $ 4      $ 126      $ (338   $ 465   
                                   

Change in unrealized gains (losses) still held(1)

  $ (6   $ 0      $ 0      $ 0      $ 1      $ 0      $ 0      $ 0      $ (64   $ 5      $ (64
                                   
(1) 

Represents the amount of total gains or losses for the period, included in earnings, attributable to the change in unrealized gains (losses) relating to assets classified as Level 3 that were still held at March 31, 2011

 

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Three Months Ended

March 31, 2010

 
     Fixed Maturities     Perpetual
Securities
    Equity
securities
    Derivatives         
(In millions)   Mortgage-
and
asset-
backed
securities
    Public
utilities
    Collateralized
debt
obligations
    Sovereign
and
supranational
    Banks/
financial
institutions
    Other
corporate
    Banks/
financial
institutions
          Credit default
swaps
    Total  
                                   

Balance, beginning of period

  $ 62      $ 497      $ 267      $ 293      $ 1,240      $ 1,248      $ 1,441      $ 9      $ 0      $ 5,057   

Effect of change in accounting principle(1)

    0        0        (263     0        0        0        0        0        (312     (575

Revised balance, beginning of period

    62        497        4        293        1,240        1,248        1,441        9        (312     4,482   

Realized gains or losses included in earnings

    0        0        0        0        5        0        (17     0        21        9   

Unrealized gains or losses included in other
comprehensive income

    1        (9     0        5        33        5        176        0        0        211   

Purchases, issuances,
sales and settlements:

                   

Purchases

    0        0        0        0        0        0        0        0        0        0   

Issuances

    0        0        0        0        0        0        0        0        0        0   

Sales

    0        0        0        0        (170     0        (54     0        0        (224

Settlements

    0        0        0        0        (5     0        0        0        0        (5

Transfers into Level 3

    0        0        0        0        0        0        149  (3)      0        0        149   

Transfers out of Level 3

    0        0        0        0        0        0        0        0        0        0   
                                   

Balance, end of period

  $ 63      $ 488      $ 4      $ 298      $ 1,103      $ 1,253      $ 1,695      $ 9      $ (291   $ 4,622   
                                   

Change in unrealized gains (losses)
still held(2)

  $ 0      $ 0      $ 0      $ 0      $ 0      $ 0      $ (25   $ 0      $ 21      $ (4
                                   
(1) 

Change in accounting for VIEs effective January 1, 2010. See Notes 1, 3, and 4 for additional information.

(2) 

Represents the amount of total gains or losses for the period, included in earnings, attributable to the change in unrealized gains (losses) relating to assets classified as Level 3 that were still held at March 31, 2010

(3) 

Transferred from Level 2 to Level 3 as a result of credit downgrades of the respective securities to below investment grade

The inputs we receive from pricing brokers for forward exchange rates and the credit spreads for certain issuers, including liquidity risk, have become increasingly difficult for us to observe or corroborate in the markets for our investments in callable reverse-dual currency securities (RDCs), securities rated below investment grade, and to a lesser extent less liquid sinking fund securities. This has resulted in the transfer of affected fixed maturities available for sale from the Level 2 valuation category into the Level 3 valuation category.

As discussed in Notes 1 and 3, we adopted new accounting guidance on VIEs effective January 1, 2010, and as a result have consolidated certain VIE investments. Upon consolidation, the beneficial interest was derecognized and the underlying securities and derivatives were recognized. In many cases, the fair value hierarchy level differed between the original beneficial interest asset and the underlying securities that are now being recognized. In the Level 3 rollforward, we have separately disclosed the impact of consolidating these VIE investments that were previously categorized as Level 3 and now the underlying securities are Level 2. As noted in the Level 3 rollforward above, the CDSs which are separately recognized as a result of this change in accounting are reported as Level 3 investments. In addition, approximately $1.0 billion of Level 2 investments were reclassified upon the adoption of this guidance, and their underlying securities are being reported as Level 1 as of January 1, 2010.

 

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The significant valuation inputs that are used in the valuation process for the below-investment-grade, callable RDC and private placement investments classified as Level 3 include forward exchange rates, yen swap rates, dollar swap rates, interest rate volatilities, credit spread data on specific issuers, assumed default and default recovery rates, certain probability assumptions, and call option data.

Some of these securities require the calculation of a theoretical forward exchange rate which is developed by using yen swap rates, U.S. dollar swap rates, interest rate volatilities, and spot exchange rates. The forward exchange rate is then used to convert all future dollar cash flows of the bond, where applicable, into yen cash flows. Additionally, credit spreads for the individual issuers are key valuation inputs of these securities. Finally, in pricing securities with a call option, the assumptions regarding interest rates in the U.S. and Japan are considered to be significant valuation inputs. Collectively, these valuation inputs, are included to estimate the fair values of these securities at each reporting date.

In obtaining the above valuation inputs, we have determined that certain pricing assumptions and data used by our pricing sources are becoming increasingly more 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 and consequently, causes more volatility in their estimated fair values.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

The carrying values and estimated fair values of the Company’s financial instruments were as follows:

 

      March 31, 2011      December 31, 2010  
(In millions)    Carrying
Value
     Fair
Value
     Carrying
Value
     Fair
Value
 

Assets:

           

Fixed-maturity securities

   $ 73,066       $ 72,818       $ 72,570       $ 72,999    

Fixed-maturity securities - consolidated variable interest entities

     5,757         5,714         5,869         5,825    

Perpetual securities

     5,847         5,847         5,974         5,974    

Perpetual securities - consolidated variable interest entities

     1,521         1,521         1,538         1,538    

Equity securities

     24         24         23         23    

Interest rate, foreign currency, and credit default swaps

     446         446         564         564    

Liabilities:

           

Notes payable (excluding capitalized leases)

     3,011         3,219         3,032         3,248    

Interest rate, foreign currency, and credit default swaps

     716         716         741         741    

Obligation to Japanese policyholder protection corporation

     86         86         108         108    
                                     

As mentioned previously, we determine the fair values of our debt, perpetual and privately issued equity securities and our derivatives using three basic pricing approaches or techniques: quoted market prices readily available from public exchange markets, pricing models, and price quotes we obtain from outside brokers.

The fair values of notes payable with fixed interest rates were obtained from an independent financial information service. The fair value of the obligation to the Japanese policyholder protection corporation is our estimated share of the industry’s obligation calculated on a pro rata basis by projecting our percentage of the industry’s premiums and reserves and applying that percentage to the total industry obligation payable in future years.

The carrying amounts for cash and cash equivalents, receivables, accrued investment income, accounts payable, cash collateral and payables for security transactions approximated their fair values due to the short-term nature of these instruments. Consequently, such instruments are not included in the above table. The preceding table also excludes liabilities for future policy benefits and unpaid policy claims as these liabilities are not financial instruments as defined by GAAP.

DCF Sensitivity

Our DCF pricing model utilizes various market inputs we obtain from both active and inactive markets. The estimated fair values developed by the DCF pricing models are most sensitive to prevailing credit spreads, the level of interest rates (yields) and interest rate volatility. Management believes that under normal market conditions, a movement of 50 basis points (bps) in the key assumptions used to estimate these fair values would be reasonably likely. Therefore, we selected a uniform

 

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magnitude of movement (50 bps) and provided both upward and downward movements in the assumptions. Since the changes in fair value are relatively linear, readers of these financial statements can make their own judgments as to the movement in interest rates and the change in fair value based upon this data. The following scenarios provide a view of the sensitivity of our securities priced by our DCF pricing model.

The fair values of our available-for-sale fixed-maturity and perpetual securities valued by our DCF pricing model totaled $20.2 billion at March 31, 2011. The estimated effect of potential changes in interest rates, credit spreads and interest rate volatility on these fair values as of such date is as follows:

 

Interest Rates     Credit Spreads     Interest Rate Volatility  
Factor change   

Change in

fair value

  (in millions)  

    Factor change   

Change in

fair value

  (in millions)  

    Factor change   

Change in

fair value

  (in millions)  

 

    +50 bps

   $ (1,057   +50 bps    $ (1,042   +50 bps    $ (228

    -50 bps

     1,152      -50 bps      1,119      -50 bps      26   
   

The fair values of our held-to-maturity fixed-maturity securities valued by our DCF pricing model totaled $26.2 billion at March 31, 2011. The estimated effect of potential changes in interest rates, credit spreads and interest rate volatility on these fair values as of such date is as follows:

 

Interest Rates     Credit Spreads     Interest Rate Volatility  
Factor change   

Change in

fair value

  (in millions)  

    Factor change   

Change in

fair value

  (in millions)  

    Factor change   

Change in

fair value

  (in millions)  

 

    +50 bps

   $ (1,658   +50 bps    $ (1,509   +50 bps    $ (375

    -50 bps

     1,712      -50 bps      1,534      -50 bps      378   
   

The two tables above illustrate the differences on the fair values of our investment portfolio among each of the inputs for interest rates, credit spreads and interest volatility. These differences are driven principally by the securities in our portfolio that have call features. These call features cause the fair values of the affected securities to react differently depending on the inputs used to price these securities.

For additional information on our investments and financial instruments, see the accompanying Notes 1, 3 and 4 and Notes 1, 3 and 4 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in our annual report to shareholders for the year ended December 31, 2010.

 

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6. NOTES PAYABLE

A summary of notes payable follows:

 

(In millions)    March 31,
2011
  December 31,
2010

8.50% senior notes due May 2019

     $ 850       $ 850  

6.45% senior notes due August 2040

       448   (1)       448    (1)

6.90% senior notes due December 2039

       396   (2)       396   (2)

3.45% senior notes due August 2015

       300         300  

Yen-denominated Uridashi notes:

        

1.52% notes due September 2011 (principal amount 15 billion yen)

       180         184  

2.26% notes due September 2016 (principal amount 8 billion yen)

       96         98  

Variable interest rate notes due September 2011 (.58% at March 2011, principal amount 20 billion yen)

       241         245  

Yen-denominated Samurai notes:

        

1.87% notes due June 2012 (principal amount 26.6 billion yen)

       320         327  

Yen-denominated loans:

        

3.60% loan due July 2015 (principal amount 10 billion yen)

       120         123  

3.00% loan due August 2015 (principal amount 5 billion yen)

       60         61  

Capitalized lease obligations payable through 2016

       6         6  

Total notes payable

     $ 3,017       $ 3,038  
   

(1) $450 issuance net of a $2 underwriting discount that is being amortized over the life of the notes

(2) $400 issuance net of a $4 underwriting discount that is being amortized over the life of the notes

We have no restrictive financial covenants related to our notes payable. We were in compliance with all of the covenants of our notes payable at March 31, 2011. No events of default or defaults occurred during the three-month period ended March 31, 2011.

For additional information, see Notes 4 and 8 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in our annual report to shareholders for the year ended December 31, 2010.

7. SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY

The following table is a reconciliation of the number of shares of the Company’s common stock for the three-month periods ended March 31.

 

(In thousands of shares)    2011             2010  

Common stock - issued:

       

Balance, beginning of period

     662,660           661,209   

Exercise of stock options and issuance of restricted shares

     670                 590   

Balance, end of period

     663,330                 661,799   

Treasury stock:

       

Balance, beginning of period

     192,999           192,641   

Purchases of treasury stock:

       

Open market

     3,100           0   

Other

     151           94   

Dispositions of treasury stock:

       

Shares issued to AFL Stock Plan

     (325        0   

Exercise of stock options

     (81        (270

Other

     (78              (88

Balance, end of period

     195,766                 192,377   

Shares outstanding, end of period

     467,564           469,422   
   

 

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Outstanding share-based awards are excluded from the calculation of weighted-average shares used in the computation of basic earnings per share. 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 for the three-month periods ended March 31.

 

(In thousands)    2011              2010          

Anti-dilutive share-based awards

     2,592            2,450      
                                     

Share Repurchase Program: During the first quarter of 2011, we repurchased 3.1 million shares of our common stock in the open market. During the first quarter of 2010, we did not repurchase any shares of our common stock.

As of March 31, 2011, a remaining balance of 27.3 million shares of our common stock was available for purchase under a share repurchase authorization by our board of directors in 2008.

8. SHARE-BASED COMPENSATION

The Company has 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. Options granted before the plan’s expiration date remain outstanding in accordance with their terms. The second long-term incentive 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. As of March 31, 2011, approximately 15.2 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 provides information on stock options outstanding and exercisable at March 31, 2011.

 

     

Stock

Option Shares

(in thousands)

  

  Weighted-Average  
Remaining Term

(in years)

  

Aggregate
Intrinsic
Value

  (in millions)  

  

  Weighted-Average  
Exercise Price

Per Share

Outstanding

   14,713    5.5    $        168          $    42.48  

Exercisable

   11,239    4.5        124        42.80
                     

We received cash from the exercise of stock options in the amount of $9.6 million during the first quarter of 2011, compared with $13.4 million in the first quarter of 2010. The tax benefit realized as a result of stock option exercises and restricted stock releases was $11.4 million in the first quarter of 2011, compared with $11 million in the first quarter of 2010.

As of March 31, 2011, total compensation cost not yet recognized in our financial statements related to restricted-share-based awards was $37 million, of which $19 million (688 thousand shares) was related to restricted-share-based awards with a performance-based vesting condition. We expect to recognize these amounts over a weighted-average period of approximately 1.8 years. There are no other contractual terms covering restricted stock awards once vested.

For additional information on our long-term share-based compensation plans and the types of share-based awards, see Note 11 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in our annual report to shareholders for the year ended December 31, 2010.

 

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9. BENEFIT PLANS

Our basic employee defined-benefit pension plans cover substantially all of our full-time employees in Japan and the United States. The components of retirement expense for the Japanese and U.S. pension plans were as follows:

 

      Three Months Ended
March 31,
 
     2011      2010  
(In millions)    Japan      U.S.      Japan      U.S.  

Components of net periodic benefit cost:

           

Service cost

   $ 4            $ 4            $ 3            $ 3        

Interest cost

     1              4              1              3        

Expected return on plan assets

     (1)             (4)             (1)             (3)       

Amortization of net actuarial loss

     1              1              1              1        

Net periodic benefit cost

   $ 5            $ 5            $ 4            $ 4        
   

During the three months ended March 31, 2011, Aflac Japan contributed approximately $5 million (using the March 31, 2011, exchange rate) to the Japanese pension plan, and Aflac U.S. did not make a contribution to the U.S. pension plan.

For additional information regarding our Japanese and U.S. benefit plans, see Note 13 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in our annual report to shareholders for the year ended December 31, 2010.

10. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENT LIABILITIES

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.

 

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Item 2. 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 downgrades in certain securities in our investment portfolio

 

   

impairment of financial institutions

 

   

credit and other risks associated with Aflac’s investment in perpetual securities

 

   

differing judgments applied to investment valuations

 

   

subjective determinations of amount of impairments taken on our investments

 

   

limited availability of acceptable yen-denominated investments

 

   

concentration of our investments in any particular single-issuer or sector

 

   

concentration of business in Japan

 

   

ongoing changes in our industry

 

   

exposure to significant financial and capital markets risk

 

   

fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates

 

   

significant changes in investment yield rates

 

   

deviations in actual experience from pricing and reserving assumptions

 

   

subsidiaries’ ability to pay dividends to Aflac Incorporated

 

   

changes in law or regulation by governmental authorities

 

   

ability to attract and retain qualified sales associates and employees

 

   

decreases in our financial strength or debt ratings

 

   

ability to continue to develop and implement improvements in information technology systems

 

   

changes in U.S. and/or Japanese accounting standards

 

   

failure to comply with restrictions on patient privacy and information security

 

   

level and outcome of litigation

 

   

ability to effectively manage key executive succession

 

   

impact of the recent earthquake and tsunami natural disaster and related events at the nuclear plant in Japan and their aftermath

 

   

catastrophic events including, but not necessarily limited to, tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis, and damage incidental to such events

 

   

failure of internal controls or corporate governance policies and procedures

 

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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 period from December 31, 2010, to March 31, 2011. As a result, the following discussion should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes that are included in our annual report to shareholders for the year ended December 31, 2010. 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. markets and administers group products through Continental American Insurance Company (CAIC). Our insurance operations in the United States and our branch in Japan service the two markets for our insurance business.

PERFORMANCE HIGHLIGHTS

Results for the first quarter of 2011 benefited from the stronger yen/dollar exchange rate, however realized investment losses were higher compared with the same period a year ago due to significant investment derisking activities. Total revenues rose 1.0% to $5.12 billion, compared with $5.07 billion in the first quarter of 2010. Net earnings were $395 million, or $.84 per diluted share, compared with $636 million, or $1.35 per diluted share, in the first quarter of 2010.

We experienced pretax net realized investment losses of $579 million ($376 million after-tax) in the first quarter of 2011, which included $405 million ($263 million after-tax) of other-than-temporary impairments and $161 million of losses, net of gains, ($105 million after-tax) from securities sold as a result of an implemented plan to reduce the risk exposure in our investment portfolio. For the first quarter of 2010, we experienced pretax net realized investment losses of $46 million ($30 million after-tax), which included $42 million ($27 million after-tax) of other-than-temporary impairments. Shareholders’ equity at March 31, 2011, included a net unrealized loss on investment securities (including derivatives) of $21 million, compared with a net unrealized gain of $64 million at December 31, 2010.

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 GAAP issued by the FASB are derived from the FASB Accounting Standards CodificationTM (ASC). The preparation of financial statements in conformity with 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, 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 95% of our assets and 86% of our liabilities are reported as of March 31, 2011, and thus has a direct effect on net earnings and shareholders’ equity. Subsequent experience or use of other assumptions could produce significantly different results.

There have been no changes in the items that we have identified as critical accounting estimates during the three months ended March 31, 2011. For additional information, see the Critical Accounting Estimates section of MD&A included in our annual report to shareholders for the year ended December 31, 2010.

 

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New Accounting Pronouncements

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.

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The following table is a presentation of items impacting net earnings and net earnings per diluted share for the three-month periods ended March 31.

 

Items Impacting Net Earnings  
      In Millions             Per Diluted Share  
      2011     2010             2011     2010  

Net earnings

   $     395      $     636         $ .84      $ 1.35   

Items impacting net earnings, net of tax:

           

Realized investment gains (losses):

           

Securities transactions and impairments

     (357     (41        (.75     (.08 )  

Impact of derivative and hedging activities

     (19     11           (.04     .02   
   

Realized Investment Gains and Losses

Our investment strategy is to invest in fixed-income securities to provide a reliable stream of investment income, which is one of the drivers of the Company’s profitability. This investment strategy aligns our assets with our liability structure, which our assets support. 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 maintenance 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.

Securities Transactions and Impairments

During the three-month period ended March 31, 2011, we realized pretax investment losses of $405 million ($263 million after-tax) as a result of the recognition of other-than-temporary impairment losses. We also realized pretax investment losses, net of gains, of $161 million ($105 million after-tax) from securities sold as a result of an implemented plan to reduce the risk exposure in our investment portfolio. We realized pretax investment gains of $11 million ($7 million after-tax) for sales and redemptions in the normal course of business and $6 million ($4 million after-tax) for other securities transactions. See Note 3 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for a more detailed discussion of these activities.

During the three-month period ended March 31, 2010, we realized pretax investment losses of $42 million ($27 million after-tax) as a result of the recognition of other-than-temporary impairment losses. We realized pretax investment losses, net of gains, of $21 million ($14 million after-tax) from securities sold or redeemed in the normal course of business.

 

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The following table details our pretax impairment losses by investment category.

 

      Three Months Ended
March 31,
 
(In millions)    2011      2010      

Perpetual securities

   $ 0       $ 41       

Corporate bonds

     397         0       

Mortgage- and asset-backed securities

     6         0       

Municipalities

     1         0       

Equity securities

     1         1       

Total other-than-temporary impairment losses realized

   $     405       $       42       
   

Impact of Derivative and Hedging Activities

Our derivative activities, which are primarily passive in nature, include foreign currency, interest rate and credit default swaps in variable interest entities that are consolidated, and securities with embedded derivatives.

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.

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 primarily purchase yen-denominated assets to 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. However, it is important to distinguish between translating and converting foreign currency. Except for a limited number of transactions, we do not actually convert yen into dollars.

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 and not 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 34.2% for the three-month period ended March 31, 2011, and 34.7% for the three-month period ended March 31, 2010. The decline in the effective income tax rate during the first quarter of 2011 was due to our net realized investment losses discussed above.

Earnings Guidance

We communicate earnings guidance in this report based on the growth in net earnings per diluted share. However, certain items that cannot be predicted or that are outside of management’s control may have a significant impact on actual results. Therefore, our comparison of net earnings includes certain assumptions to reflect the limitations that are inherent in projections of net earnings. In comparing period-over-period results, we exclude the effect of realized investment gains and losses (securities transactions, impairments, and the impact of derivative and hedging activities) and nonrecurring items. We also assume no impact from foreign currency translation on the Aflac Japan segment and the Parent Company’s yen-denominated interest expense for a given period in relation to the prior period.

 

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Subject to the preceding assumptions, our objective for 2011 is to increase net earnings per diluted share by 8% to 12% over 2010. Given the continued low-interest-rate environment, especially in Japan, we will likely be at the low end of the 8% to 12% range. If the yen/dollar exchange rate averages 80 to 85 for the full year, we would expect reported net earnings to be in the range of $6.09 to $6.34 per diluted share. Using that same exchange rate assumption, we would expect second quarter 2011 reported net earnings per diluted share to be in the range of $1.51 to $1.57. Based on our stated objective for 2011, the following table shows the likely results for 2011 net earnings per diluted share, including the impact of foreign currency translation using various yen/dollar exchange rate scenarios.

 

2011 Net Earnings Per Share (EPS) Scenarios(1)

Weighted-Average

Yen/Dollar

Exchange Rate

  

Net Earnings Per

Diluted Share

  

% Growth

Over 2010

  

Yen Impact

on EPS

  80.00

   $ 6.34  -  6.56    14.6 - 18.6 %    $  .37                

  85.00

      6.09  -  6.31    10.1 - 14.1            .12                

      87.69 (2)

      5.97  -  6.19      8.0 - 11.9          0                

  90.00

      5.87  -  6.09      6.1 - 10.1          (.10)               

  95.00

      5.68  -  5.90      2.7 -   6.7          (.29)               

 

 

(1) 

Excludes realized investment gains/losses (securities transactions, impairments, and the impact of derivative and hedging activities) and nonrecurring items in 2011 and 2010

(2) 

Actual 2010 weighted-average exchange rate

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. 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 measure and evaluate our insurance segments’ financial performance using operating earnings on a pretax basis. We define segment operating earnings as the profits we derive from our operations before realized investment gains and losses (securities transactions, impairments, and the impact of derivative and hedging activities) and nonrecurring items. We believe that an analysis of segment pretax operating earnings is vitally important to an understanding of the 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.

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.

 

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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.

 

Aflac Japan Summary of Operating Results
      Three Months Ended March 31,
(In millions)    2011     2010      

Premium income

     $3,702      $3,206      

Net investment income:

    

Yen-denominated investment income

     431      401      

Dollar-denominated investment income

     218      192      
 

Net investment income

     649      593      

Other income (loss)

     20      28      
 

Total operating revenues

     4,371      3,827      
 

Benefits and claims

     2,580      2,277      

Operating expenses:

    

Amortization of deferred policy acquisition costs

     162      143      

Insurance commissions

     288      271      

Insurance and other expenses

     361      315      

Total operating expenses

     811      729      

Total benefits and expenses

     3,391      3,006      

Pretax operating earnings(1)

     $   980      $   821      
 

Weighted-average yen/dollar exchange rate

     82.29      90.49      
 
      In Dollars     In Yen  
Percentage change over previous period:    2011     2010     2011     2010  

  Premium income

     15.5     6.5     4.8 %      3.3

  Net investment income

     9.5        5.8        (.7 )      2.5   

  Total operating revenues

     14.2        6.9        3.7        3.6   

  Pretax operating earnings(1)

     19.3        20.5        8.5        16.8   
   

 

(1) 

See the Insurance Operations section of this MD&A for our definition of segment operating earnings.

The percentage increases in premium income reflect the growth of premiums in force. The increases in annualized premiums in force in yen of 5.0% in the first quarter of 2011 and 3.6% for the same period of 2010 reflect the high persistency of Aflac Japan’s business and the sales of new policies. Annualized premiums in force at March 31, 2011, were 1.27 trillion yen, compared with 1.21 trillion yen a year ago. Annualized premiums in force, translated into dollars at respective period-end exchange rates, were $15.3 billion at March 31, 2011, compared with $13.0 billion a year ago.

Aflac Japan maintains a portfolio of dollar-denominated and reverse-dual currency securities (yen-denominated debt securities with dollar coupon payments). Dollar-denominated investment income from these assets accounted for approximately 33% of Aflac Japan’s investment income in the first three months of 2011, compared with 32% a year ago. In periods when the yen strengthens in relation to the dollar, translating Aflac Japan’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 periods when the yen weakens, translating dollar-denominated investment income into yen magnifies growth rates for net investment income, total operating revenues, and pretax operating earnings in yen terms. On a constant currency basis, dollar-denominated investment income accounted for approximately 36% of Aflac Japan’s investment income during the first three months of 2011, compared with 33% a year ago. The following table illustrates the effect of translating Aflac Japan’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 comparable period in the prior year.

 

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Aflac Japan Percentage Changes Over Previous Period

(Yen Operating Results)

Three Months Ended March 31,

      Including Foreign
    Currency Changes     
     Excluding Foreign
    Currency Changes
(2 )    
 
      2011     2010      2011      2010  

Net investment income

     (.7 )  %      2.5  %             2.7  %               3.5  %   

Total operating revenues

             3.7        3.6                  4.1                    3.4        

Pretax operating earnings(1)

     8.5             16.8                9.9                    15.7        
   

 

(1) 

See the Insurance Operations section of this MD&A for our definition of segment operating earnings.

(2) 

Amounts excluding foreign currency changes on dollar-denominated items were determined using the same yen/dollar exchange rate for the current period as the comparable period in the prior year.

The following table presents a summary of operating ratios for Aflac Japan.

 

      Three Months Ended
March 31,
 
Ratios to total revenues:    2011               2010           

Benefits and claims

     59.0  %             59.5  %       

Operating expenses:

     

Amortization of deferred policy acquisition costs

     3.7                  3.7            

Insurance commissions

     6.6                  7.1            

Insurance and other expenses

     8.3                  8.3            

Total operating expenses

     18.6                  19.1            

Pretax operating earnings(1)

     22.4                  21.4            
   

 

(1) 

See the Insurance Operations section of this MD&A for our definition of segment operating earnings.

Aflac Japan’s first quarter 2011 financial results reflect a provision of 3.0 billion yen, or $37 million, for claims related to the earthquake and tsunami. These claims were offset by reserve releases and reinsurance of 2.0 billion yen, or $25 million, resulting in a net income statement impact of 1.0 billion yen, or $12 million, for benefits expense in the quarter. The financial results also reflect .7 billion yen, or $8 million, of operating expenses resulting from the earthquake and tsunami. Based on our initial claims estimates, the natural disaster and its related events have not had a material impact on our financial position or results of operations.

Overall, the benefit ratio has declined over the past several years, driven primarily by favorable claim trends in our cancer product line. We expect this downward claim trend to continue. However, this improvement is partially offset 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. Our operating ratios have also been impacted by strong sales results in our Ordinary products including Child Endowment and WAYS. These products have higher benefit ratios and lower expense ratios than our third sector products. Due to improvement in the benefit ratio and operating expense ratio, the pretax operating profit margin expanded in the three-month period ended March 31, 2011, compared with the same period a year ago. We expect the benefit and expense ratios and pretax profit margin to remain relatively stable throughout 2011.

Aflac Japan Sales

Aflac Japan generated its largest first-quarter production in its 36-year history. New annualized premium sales exceeded our expectations and rose 12.6% to 34.1 billion yen. The following table presents Aflac Japan’s new annualized premium sales for the three-month periods ended March 31.

 

      In Dollars     In Yen  
(In millions of dollars and billions of yen)      2011       2010       2011       2010    

New annualized premium sales

     $ 414        $ 334          34.1          30.3     

Increase (decrease) over comparable period in prior year

     24.0       14.1       12.6       10.0  
   

 

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The following table details the contributions to new annualized premium sales by major insurance product for the three-month periods ended March 31.

 

      2011       2010    

Medical

     28       39  

Cancer

     18          22     

Ordinary life:

    

Child endowment

     22          16     

WAYS

     18          6     

Other ordinary life

     11          13     

Other

     3          4     

Total

     100       100  
                  

The medical insurance product was the leading contributor to total sales for the first quarter of 2011. Medical insurance sales decreased 20.1% during the three-month period ended March 31, 2011, compared with the same period a year ago, reflecting a difficult comparison to prior year sales which had benefited from the favorable consumer response to our revised EVER medical product. Despite the comparative sales decrease, we maintained our position as the number one seller of medical insurance policies in Japan. With continued cost pressure on Japan’s health care system, we expect the need for medical products will continue to rise in the future, and we remain encouraged about the outlook for the medical insurance market.

Cancer insurance sales declined as expected and were down 10.4% during the first quarter of 2011, compared with the same period a year ago, as prospective policyholders and sales agents postponed cancer insurance purchases and sales in anticipation of the introduction of the new base cancer policy, DAYS, which was introduced at the end of March. The enhancements to this new base policy are a response to the changes in cancer treatment as well as our commitment to being the number one provider of cancer insurance in Japan. Sales of cancer insurance accounted for 17.5% of new annualized premium sales for the quarter. Since the introduction of DAYS occurred so late in the first quarter, its impact will not be reflected until the second quarter of 2011. We are convinced that the affordable cancer products Aflac Japan provides will continue to be an important part of our product portfolio.

The bank channel generated new annualized premium sales of 7.9 billion yen in the first quarter of 2011, an increase of 12.6% over the fourth quarter of 2010 and 154.0% over the first quarter of 2010. As the bank channel has become a larger contributor to sales, Aflac Japan has enhanced its product portfolio to better meet the needs of banks. These products include our child endowment product and WAYS, a product that we first introduced in 2006 and introduced to the bank channel in 2009. Sales of our child endowment product were 7.4 billion yen during the first quarter of 2011, an increase of 58.9% compared with the same period a year ago. The average premium for our child endowment policy is about three times the size of our health policies, making the premium a solid contributor to our sales growth. Our child endowment policy offers a discounted advance premium, and the profit margin on this product more-than-doubles when policyholders elect to pay premiums upfront using the “discounted advance premium.” About half of the consumers who purchase our child endowment policies through banks elect this discounted advance premium method of payment.

Sales of WAYS were 6.0 billion yen during the first quarter of 2011, an increase of 221.6% compared with the same period a year ago. Our profit margin on WAYS is significantly enhanced when policyholders elect to pay premiums upfront using the “discounted advance premium” option. Approximately 90% of customers at banks choose this payment option. As the banking channel becomes a greater contributor to our sales growth, we expect sales of this innovative and flexible product to grow significantly in 2011.

In the first quarter of 2011, the bank channel generated 23.1% of new annualized premium sales for Aflac Japan, compared with 10.2% during the same period a year ago. At March 31, 2011, we had agreements with 364 banks, or more than 90% of the total number of banks in Japan, to sell our products. While many banks have agreed to sell our products, it takes time to facilitate training with more than 20,000 branches representing the 364 banks. We are seeing sales steadily improving at many of these bank branches as training takes place and as many banks expand their offerings of Aflac products. We believe we have significantly more banks selling our third sector insurance products than any other insurer operating in Japan. We believe our long-standing and strong relationships within the Japanese banking sector, along with our strategic preparations, have proven to be an advantage as this channel opened up for our types of products.

We remain committed to selling through our traditional channels, which allows us to reach consumers through affiliated corporate agencies, independent corporate agencies and individual agencies. In the first quarter of 2011, we recruited more than 1,200 new sales agencies, an increase of 3.3% over the same period a year ago. At March 31, 2011, Aflac

 

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Japan was represented by approximately 19,800 sales agencies and more than 115,900 licensed sales associates employed by those agencies.

Overall, Aflac Japan performed well in the first quarter of 2011, despite the natural disaster and difficult sales comparisons to prior year. We believe that there is still a continued need for our products in Japan. Following strong sales growth in 2010, our objective for 2011 is for new annualized premium sales to be in the range of down 2% to up 3% in Japan.

Aflac Japan Investments

Growth of investment income in yen is affected by available cash flow from operations, the timing of investing the cash flow, yields on new investments, and the effect of yen/dollar exchange rates on dollar-denominated investment income. Aflac Japan has invested in privately issued securities to secure higher yields than those available on Japanese government or other public corporate bonds, while still adhering to prudent standards for credit quality. All of our privately issued securities are rated investment grade at the time of purchase. These securities are generally issued with documentation consistent with standard medium-term note programs. In addition, many of these investments have protective covenants appropriate to the specific issuer, industry and country. These covenants often require the issuer to adhere to specific financial ratios and give priority to repayment of our investment under certain circumstances.

The following table presents the results of Aflac Japan’s investment yields for the three-month periods ended March 31.

 

      2011       2010    

New money yield - yen only

     2.36       2.46  

New money yield - blended

     3.16          2.67     

Return on average invested assets, net of investment expenses

     3.31          3.55     
                  

The decrease in the Aflac Japan yen only new money yield reflects the low level of interest rates and tightening credit spreads. At March 31, 2011, the yield on Aflac Japan’s investment portfolio, including dollar-denominated investments, was 3.56%, compared with 3.75% a year ago. In order to address our challenge of investing in Japan’s low-interest-rate environment, in 2010 and continuing into the first quarter of 2011, we started increasing the amount Aflac Japan invests in higher-yielding dollar-denominated securities. 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.

Japanese Economy

The Bank of Japan’s April 2011 Monthly Report of Recent Economic and Financial Developments stated that Japan’s economy is under strong downward pressure currently, especially for production, due to the effects of the earthquake and tsunami that occurred on March 11, 2011. Consumer spending may slow down in the short-term, however it is expected to resume to normal levels as production begins to recover. Financial conditions have generally continued to ease, while weakness has been observed in the financial positions of some firms, mainly small ones, since the earthquake.

Prior to the earthquake and tsunami, Japan’s economic conditions had been showing signs of improvement due to various policy measures taken in Japan and abroad. Japan’s economy is expected to return to a moderate recovery path following the effects of the natural disaster. For additional information, see the Japanese Economy subsection of MD&A in our annual report to shareholders for the year ended December 31, 2010.

Japanese Regulatory Environment

We expect that our distribution system will continue to evolve in Japan. Regulatory changes that took effect in December 2007 enabled banks to sell our type of insurance products to their customers. Our strong brand as the leading seller of cancer and medical insurance products in Japan and our many long-term relationships within the Japan banking sector place us in a strong position to sell through this channel.

Japan’s Financial Services Agency (FSA) maintains a solvency standard, which is used by Japanese regulators to monitor the financial strength of insurance companies. The FSA will apply a revised method of calculating the solvency margin ratio for life insurance companies as of the fiscal year-end 2011 (March 31, 2012) and requires the disclosure of the ratio as reference information for fiscal year-end 2010 (March 31, 2011). The FSA has stated that the revision would generally reduce life insurance companies’ solvency margin ratios to approximately half the level of those reported under the current calculation method. We do not expect our relative position within the industry to materially change.

 

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In 2005, legislation aimed at privatizing Japan’s postal system (Japan Post) was enacted into law. The privatization laws split Japan Post into four 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 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. Currently, our products are being offered in approximately 1,000 post offices.

Japan Post reform legislation was introduced in the 2010 Japanese ordinary Diet session, but the session ended before the legislation could be passed. The legislation again failed to pass in the 2010 fall Diet session and is scheduled to be taken up in the 2011 ordinary Diet session, which opened on January 24, 2011. Given that the ruling coalition no longer controls a majority in the Diet’s upper house following its defeat in the July 2010 election, it is unclear whether the postal reform legislation will be passed in the 2011 ordinary Diet session. Regardless, we believe that the Diet debate on postal reform is unlikely to change Aflac Japan’s relationship with the post office company.

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.

Aflac U.S. Summary of Operating Results

      Three Months Ended March 31,  
(In millions)    2011     2010  

Premium income

   $ 1,169      $ 1,142   

Net investment income

     144        132   

Other income

     3        2   

Total operating revenues

     1,316        1,276   

Benefits and claims

     642        580   

Operating expenses:

    

Amortization of deferred policy acquisition costs

     116        138   

Insurance commissions

     134        132   

Insurance and other expenses

     171        182   

   Total operating expenses

     421        452   

Total benefits and expenses

     1,063        1,032   

Pretax operating earnings(1)

   $ 253      $ 244   
                  

Percentage change over previous period:

                

  Premium income

     2.5     3.5 

  Net investment income

     8.8        5.6   

  Total operating revenues

     3.1        3.7   

  Pretax operating earnings(1)

     3.7        19.4   
                  

(1) See the Insurance Operations section of this MD&A for our definition of segment operating earnings.

Annualized premiums in force increased 2.3% in the first quarter of 2011 and 2.8% for the same period of 2010. Annualized premiums in force at March 31, 2011, were $5.0 billion, compared with $4.9 billion a year ago.

 

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The following table presents a summary of operating ratios for Aflac U.S.

 

     

Three Months Ended

March 31,

 
Ratios to total revenues:    2011           2010       

Benefits and claims

     48.8  %         45.5  %   

Operating expenses:

     

  Amortization of deferred policy acquisition costs

     8.8              10.8        

  Insurance commissions

     10.1              10.3        

  Insurance and other expenses

     13.1              14.3        

Total operating expenses

     32.0              35.4        

Pretax operating earnings(1)

     19.2              19.1        
   

 

(1) 

See the Insurance Operations section of this MD&A for our definition of segment operating earnings.

The pretax operating profit margin remained relatively stable in the first quarter of 2011, compared with the same period a year ago. In 2010, we experienced the loss of a large payroll account which resulted in the release of the future policy benefit reserves and amortization of the deferred policy acquisition costs for policies associated with this account; the net result had a positive impact on the profit margin in 2010. In 2011, as expected, our benefit ratio increased, compared with first quarter of 2010, returning to a more normal level. As an offset to that increase, the expense ratio decreased in the first quarter of 2011, resulting in a pretax operating profit margin consistent with that experienced in 2010. For the remainder of 2011, we expect the benefit and operating expense ratios and the pretax operating profit margin to be in a range similar to the levels experienced in 2009 and 2008.

Aflac U.S. Sales

For the first time in nine quarters, Aflac U.S. generated positive sales growth. This sales increase reflected an increase in production from both new and veteran sales associates in the first quarter of 2011. We believe this sales improvement reflects our intense focus on supporting our sales associates with enhanced products and better resources and training that help them approach selling in the current economic environment more effectively. The following table presents Aflac’s U.S. new annualized premium sales for the three-month periods ended March 31.

 

(In millions)    2011            2010        

New annualized premium sales

   $ 336             $ 316         

Increase (decrease) over comparable period in prior year

     6.3   %         (10.0)  %   
   

The following table details the contributions to new annualized premium sales by major insurance product category for the three-month periods ended March 31.

 

      2011           2010       

Income-loss protection:

     

  Short-term disability

     17  %         18  %   

  Life

     6              6        

Asset-loss protection:

     

  Accident

     30              30        

  Critical care

     23              21        

Supplemental medical:

     

  Hospital indemnity

     17              20        

  Dental/vision

     7              5        
   

Total

     100  %         100  %   
   

New annualized premium sales for accident insurance, our leading product category, increased 6%, short-term disability sales increased 4%, critical care insurance sales (including cancer insurance) increased 17%, and hospital indemnity insurance sales decreased 9% in the first quarter of 2011, compared with the same period a year ago.

We are pursuing sales through specific product pushes called “Smart Launches,” which are modeled after Aflac Japan product launches that efficiently focus the entire sales force on selling one specific product during one specific time period. Our first “Smart Launch” was in the first quarter of 2011, and it focused our sales force on selling our dental product. The results were very positive, with our dental category generating a 37% sales increase, compared with the same period a year ago, and contributing 6.2% of new annualized premium sales for the quarter.

 

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We have seen success with a critical illness product created for our group sales platform. While this product was only introduced in mid-2010, it has provided both our traditional sales associates and brokers with a product to add to accounts that currently have our cancer product on an individual basis. This is an example of a product that helps career agents transition and expand their portfolio to include not only individual products, but also group products.

As part of our U.S. sales strategy, we continue to focus on growing and enhancing the effectiveness of our U.S. sales force. In January 2011, we launched our first recruiting campaign utilizing national television advertising, which featured a commercial with successful sales associates sharing their experiences. This campaign contributed significantly to our 13.5% increase in recruiting for the first quarter of 2011, compared with the same period a year ago. We recruited more than 6,600 new sales associates in the first quarter of 2011, resulting in approximately 72,000 licensed sales associates as of March 31, 2011.

In addition to expanding the size and capabilities of our traditional sales force, we are encouraged about the opportunities to broaden our distribution by pursuing and strengthening relationships with insurance brokers. Insurance brokers have been a historically underleveraged sales channel for Aflac, so we have been developing relationships that complement our traditional distribution system with the Aflac for BrokersSM initiative that we launched in 2009. We have a management team experienced in broker sales, and we are supporting this initiative with streamlined products, targeted broker-specific advertising campaigns, customized enrollment technology, and competitive compensation.

Our group products sold through CAIC, now branded as Aflac Group Insurance, have enhanced sales opportunities not only for brokers but also for our traditional sales force of individual associates, especially when they pursue larger payroll accounts. New annualized premium sales for Aflac U.S. in the first quarter of 2011 included sales from Aflac Group Insurance of $36 million. These sales of group insurance products represented 10.7% of total U.S. sales production.

Although we remain cautious in our short-term sales outlook for Aflac U.S., our longer-term view has not changed. We believe the need for our products we sell remains strong, and that the United States provides a vast and accessible market for our products. We are taking measures to better reach potential customers through our product and distribution strategy, which includes broadening our product portfolio to include group products in addition to our traditional individually issued products. Following the passage of health care reform in 2010, we believe employers and consumers will increasingly come to understand the need for the products we offer, just as they have in Japan. For 2011, our objective is for Aflac U.S. new annualized premium sales to be flat to up 5%, and our first quarter sales are a good start toward achieving that objective.

Aflac U.S. Investments

The following table presents the results of Aflac’s U.S. investment yields for the three-month periods ended March 31.

 

      2011       2010    

New money yield

     5.77       5.98  

Return on average invested assets, net of investment expenses

     6.42          6.49     
   

The decrease in the U.S. new money yield reflects a low level of interest rates and tightening credit spreads. At March 31, 2011, the portfolio yield on Aflac’s U.S. portfolio was 6.84%, compared with 7.06% a year ago. 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.

U.S. Economy

Operating in the U.S. economy continues to be challenging. Ongoing low confidence levels from consumers and small businesses coupled with fewer employees at the worksite continue to pose challenges to our U.S. sales growth. Most of our business continues to revolve around small business owners and accounts with fewer than 100 employees. Small businesses, in particular, have proven to be especially vulnerable to ongoing economic weakness, and both small-business owners and their workers are anxious about the future. Workers at small businesses are holding back on increasing their spending for voluntary insurance products. Although we believe that the weakened U.S. economy has been a contributing factor to slower sales growth, we also believe our products remain affordable to the average American consumer. We believe that consumers’ underlying need for our U.S. product line remains strong, and that the United States remains a sizeable and attractive market for our products.

 

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U.S. Regulatory Environment

In March 2010, President Barack Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) to give Americans of all ages and income levels access to comprehensive major medical health insurance. The primary subject of the new legislation is major medical insurance, therefore, the PPACA, as enacted, does not directly affect the design of our insurance products or our sales model. Our experience with Japan’s national healthcare environment leads us to believe that the need for our products will only increase over the coming years.

In July 2010, President Obama 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 and Oversight Council. The Council may designate by a two-thirds vote whether certain insurance companies and insurance holding companies pose a grave 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 of Governors of the U.S. Federal Reserve, including capital requirements, leverage limits, liquidity requirements and examinations. The Board may limit such company’s ability to enter into merger 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 Dodd-Frank Act also established a Federal Insurance Office 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. The Dodd-Frank Act requires extensive rule-making and other future regulatory action, which in some cases will take a period of years to implement. Despite the lack of regulations to implement this law, we believe that Aflac would not likely be considered a company that would pose a systemic risk to the financial stability of the United States. However, 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.

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 March 31, 2011, with the amounts that would have been reported had the exchange rate remained unchanged from December 31, 2010.

 

Impact of Foreign Exchange on Balance Sheet Items       
(In millions)   

  As  

Reported

    

    Exchange            

    Effect            

    

Net of        

Exchange Effect         

      

Yen/dollar exchange rate(1)

     83.15                             81.49                

Investments and cash

   $               88,441                    $            (1,408)                     $ 89,849              

Deferred policy acquisition costs

     9,689                    (141)                       9,830              

Total assets

     101,145                    (1,579)                       102,724              

Policy liabilities

     82,491                    (1,524)                       84,015              

Total liabilities

     90,122                    (1,607)                       91,729              
 

 

(1) 

The exchange rate at March 31, 2011, was 83.15 yen to one dollar, or 2.0% weaker than the December 31, 2010, exchange rate of 81.49.

Market Risks of Financial Instruments

Our investment philosophy is to maximize investment income while emphasizing liquidity, safety and quality. Our investment objective, subject to appropriate risk constraints, is to fund policyholder obligations and other liabilities in a manner that enhances shareholders’ equity. We seek to achieve this objective through a diversified portfolio of fixed-income investments that reflects the characteristics of the liabilities it supports. Aflac invests primarily within the fixed income securities markets.

 

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The following table details investment securities by segment.

 

Investment Securities by Segment  
     Aflac Japan          Aflac U.S.  
(In millions)   March 31,
2011    
    December 31,
2010        
         March 31,
2011    
    December 31,
2010        
 

Securities available for sale, at fair value:

         

Fixed maturities

    $      41,319             $      39,485               $       8,883  (1)          $       8,750  (1)     

Perpetual securities

    7,118             7,233               250             279        

Equity securities

    24             23                 0             0        

Total available for sale

    48,461             46,741                 9,133             9,029        

Securities held to maturity, at amortized cost:

         

Fixed maturities

    28,505             30,084                 0             0        

Total held to maturity

    28,505             30,084                 0             0        

Total investment securities

    $      76,966             $      76,825               $      9,133             $      9,029        
   

(1) Excludes investment-grade, available-for-sale fixed-maturity securities held by the Parent Company of $116 in 2011 and $120 in 2010.

Because we invest in fixed-income securities, our financial instruments are exposed primarily to three types of market risks: currency risk, interest rate risk and credit 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 investment income and other expenses. While we have been investing a portion of our yen cash flow in dollar-denominated securities, most of Aflac Japan’s investments, cash and liabilities are yen-denominated. When yen-denominated securities mature or are sold, the proceeds are generally reinvested in yen-denominated securities. Aflac Japan holds these yen-denominated assets to fund its yen-denominated policy obligations. In addition, Aflac Incorporated has yen-denominated debt obligations.

Although we generally do not convert yen into dollars, 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.

Aflac Japan maintains a portfolio of reverse-dual currency securities (yen-denominated debt securities with dollar coupon payments), which exposes Aflac to changes in foreign exchange rates. This foreign currency effect is accounted for as a component of unrealized gains or losses on available-for-sale securities in accumulated other comprehensive income. When the yen strengthens against the dollar, shareholders’ equity is negatively impacted and, conversely, when the yen weakens against the dollar, shareholders’ equity is positively impacted. Aflac Japan invests a portion of its assets in reverse-dual currency securities to provide a higher yield than those available on Japanese government or other public corporate bonds, while still adhering to prudent standards of credit quality. The yen/dollar exchange rate would have to strengthen to approximately 55 before the yield on these instruments would equal that of a comparable yen-denominated instrument.

On a consolidated basis, we attempt to minimize the exposure of shareholders’ equity to foreign currency translation fluctuations. We accomplish this by investing a portion of Aflac Japan’s investment portfolio in dollar-denominated securities and by the Parent Company’s issuance of yen-denominated debt (for additional information, see the discussion under Hedging Activities as follows in this section 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.

 

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Dollar Value of Yen-Denominated Assets and Liabilities  
at Selected Exchange Rates  
(In millions)    March 31, 2011     December 31, 2010  

Yen/dollar exchange rates

     68.15        83.15 (1)       98.15        66.49        81.49 (1)      96.49      

Yen-denominated financial instruments:

            

Assets:

            

  Securities available for sale:

            

Fixed maturities

   $ 36,440      $ 29,868      $ 25,302      $ 35,905      $ 29,296      $ 24,742      

Fixed maturities - consolidated variable interest entities

     3,479        2,851        2,415        3,637        2,968        2,506      

Perpetual securities

     6,754        5,535        4,690        6,911        5,638        4,762      

Perpetual securities - consolidated variable interest entities

     1,714        1,405        1,190        1,745        1,424        1,203      

Equity securities

     23        19        16        23        19        16      

  Securities held to maturity:

            

Fixed maturities

     34,045        27,904        23,639        36,119        29,470        24,889      

Fixed maturities - consolidated variable interest entities

     734        601        509        752        614        518      

  Cash and cash equivalents

     976        800        678        939        766        647      

  Other financial instruments

     157        129        109        153        125        105      

Subtotal

     84,322        69,112        58,548        86,184        70,320        59,388      

Liabilities:

            

  Notes payable

     1,249        1,023        867        1,280        1,044        882      

  Japanese policyholder protection corporation

     106        86        73        132        108        91      

Subtotal

     1,355        1,109        940        1,412        1,152        973      

Net yen-denominated financial instruments

     82,967        68,003        57,608        84,772        69,168        58,415      

Other yen-denominated assets

     10,245        8,397        7,114        10,338        8,435        7,124      

Other yen-denominated liabilities

     94,921        77,800        65,908        95,441        77,873        65,767      

Consolidated yen-denominated net assets (liabilities) subject to foreign currency fluctuation

   $ (1,709   $ (1,400   $ (1,186   $ (331   $ (270     $(228)     

 

(1) Actual period-end exchange rate

Effective January 1, 2010, we were required to consolidate certain VIEs upon the adoption of new accounting guidance. Prior to the adoption of this new accounting guidance, our beneficial interest in certain VIEs was a yen-denominated available-for-sale fixed maturity security. Upon consolidation on January 1, 2010, the original yen-denominated investment was derecognized and the underlying U.S. dollar-denominated fixed-maturity or perpetual securities and cross-currency swaps were recognized. While the combination of a U.S. dollar-denominated investment and cross-currency swap economically creates a yen-denominated investment, these investments will create foreign currency fluctuations but have no impact on our net investment hedge position. For additional information, see the Hedging Activities subsection of MD&A.

Some of the consolidated VIEs in our Aflac Japan 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.

We are exposed to economic currency risk only when yen funds are actually converted into dollars. This primarily occurs when we repatriate funds from Aflac Japan to Aflac U.S., which is generally done annually. 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 repatriation may be used to service Aflac Incorporated’s yen-denominated notes payable with the remainder converted into dollars.

 

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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 estimate that the reduction in the fair value of debt and perpetual securities we own resulting from a 100 basis point increase in market interest rates, based on our portfolios at March 31, 2011, and December 31, 2010, would be as follows:

 

      March 31,           December 31,       
(In millions)    2011           2010       

Effect on yen-denominated debt and perpetual securities

   $ (7,652 )       $ (7,833  

Effect on dollar-denominated debt and perpetual securities

     (1,698 )           (1,366    

Effect on total debt and perpetual securities

   $ (9,350        $ (9,199    

 

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. Changes in the interest rate environment 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 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. 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.

We have entered into interest rate swap agreements related to the 20 billion yen variable interest rate Uridashi notes. These agreements effectively swap the variable interest rate Uridashi notes to fixed rate notes to eliminate the volatility in our interest expense. We also have interest rate swaps related to some of our consolidated VIEs. These interest rate swaps are primarily used to convert interest receipts on floating-rate fixed-maturity securities contracts to fixed rates. For further information, see Note 4 of the accompanying Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements and Note 8 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements and the Interest Rate Risk subsection of MD&A in our annual report to shareholders for the year ended December 31, 2010.

Credit Risk

Our investment activities expose us to credit risk, which is a consequence of extending credit and/or carrying investment positions. However, we continue to adhere to prudent standards for credit quality. We accomplish this by considering our product needs and overall corporate objectives, in addition to credit risk. In evaluating the initial rating, we look at the overall senior issuer rating, the explicit rating for the actual issue or the rating for the security class, and, where applicable, the appropriate designation from the Securities Valuation Office (SVO) of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). All of our securities have ratings from either a nationally recognized statistical rating organization or the SVO of the NAIC. In addition, we perform extensive internal credit reviews to ensure that we are consistent in applying rating criteria for all of our securities.

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 distributions by credit rating of our purchases of debt securities, based on acquisition cost, were as follows:

 

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Composition of Purchases by Credit Rating

 
     Three Months Ended
March 31, 2011
          Twelve Months Ended
December 31, 2010
    

Three Months Ended
March 31, 2010

             
 

  AAA

          24.2  %                   1.0  %                1.3  %         

  AA

          41.3                   60.7                55.1           

  A

          15.3                   24.5                40.9           

  BBB

          19.2                   13.8                  2.7           
 

Total

        100.0  %               100.0  %            100.0  %         
 

Our purchases of securities from period to period are determined based on diversification objectives, relative value and availability of investment opportunities, while meeting our investment policy guidelines for liquidity, safety and quality. We did not purchase any perpetual securities during the periods presented in the table above. The increase in purchases of AAA rated securities during the first quarter of 2011 was due to an increase in purchases of U.S. Treasury securities.

The distributions of debt and perpetual securities we own, by credit rating, were as follows:

Composition of Portfolio by Credit Rating

   
     March 31, 2011      December 31, 2010         
   
         Amortized
    Cost
              Fair    
  Value    
                Amortized
    Cost
              Fair    
  Value    
        
   

 AAA

         4.3 %                  4.5 %                  3.3 %                  3.6 %        

 AA

       35.2                    35.5                    35.7                    36.5            

 A

       32.9                    33.6                    36.0                    36.6            

 BBB

       20.8                    20.6                    18.8                    18.7            

 BB or lower

         6.8                      5.8                      6.2                      4.6            

Total

     100.0 %                    100.0 %                    100.0 %                    100.0 %              
   

As of March 31, 2011, 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 March 31, 2011, and December 31, 2010. 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 (LTII) securities are debt instruments with fixed maturities. Our Upper Tier II (UTII) 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.

 

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The following table shows the subordination distribution of our debt and perpetual securities.

 

Subordination Distribution of Debt and Perpetual Securities  
      March 31, 2011      December 31, 2010    
(In millions)    Amortized
Cost
     Percentage
of Total
     Amortized
Cost
     Percentage  
of Total
 

Senior notes

       $   70,211         81.3  %           $   68,407         79.5  %     

Subordinated securities:

           

Fixed maturities (stated maturity date):

           

Lower Tier II

     7,501         8.7              8,679         10.1          

Upper Tier II

     0         .0              15         .0          

Tier I(1)

     534         .6              613         .7          

Surplus notes

     335         .4              335         .4          

Trust preferred - non-banks

     85         .1              85         .1          

Other subordinated - non-banks

     52         .1              52         .1          

Total fixed maturities

     8,507         9.9              9,779         11.4          

Perpetual securities (economic maturity date):

           

Upper Tier II

     5,121         5.9              5,285         6.1          

Tier I

     2,462         2.9              2,542         3.0          

Total perpetual securities

     7,583         8.8              7,827         9.1          

Total debt and perpetual securities

       $   86,301         100.0  %           $   86,013         100.0  %     
   
(1) 

Includes trust preferred securities

Portfolio Composition

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

As of March 31, 2011, our largest investment industry sector concentration was banks and financial institutions. Throughout 2008 and during the first half of 2009, concerns related to troubled residential mortgages in the United States, United Kingdom and Europe spread to structured investment securities. As a result, banks and financial institutions suffered significant write-downs of asset values, which pressured banks and financial institutions to seek capital and liquidity support. National governments responded with various forms of support, ranging from guarantees on new and existing debt to significant injections of capital. In the second half of 2009, asset valuations generally improved, and banks and other institutions continued to use exchanges and tender offers to enhance their core capital. However, 2010 brought new concerns about the fiscal integrity of peripheral European sovereign nations. As a result, Greece, Ireland and most recently Portugal, were forced to accept external funding aid in various forms to meet their financial obligations, as public markets were not accessible. The financial institutions of these countries have faced both liquidity and asset valuation pressures. Nationalization and/or recapitalization, along with loss-sharing among bondholders, all remain distinct risks for financial institutions in these countries and others facing similar fiscal pressures. While European politicians have become increasingly hesitant to put taxpayers at risk, with few exceptions, we believe nationalizations and burden-sharing among debt holders remain options of last resort.

See Note 3 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for a discussion of our investment discipline, further discussion of our largest investment industry sector concentration (banks and financial institutions), and disclosure on our investment exposure to certain Eurozone countries (Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain).

 

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Our largest global investment exposures as of March 31, 2011, were as follows:

 

Largest Global Investment Positions  
     Amortized            % of        Ratings  
(In millions)    Cost         Total        Seniority      Moody’s      S&P      Fitch  

Japan National Government(1)

   $ 16,756       19.4  %      Senior         Aa2         AA-         AA-   

United States Treasury

     964       1.1           Senior         Aaa         AAA         AAA   

Israel Electric Corp.

     914       1.1           Senior         Baa2         BB+         -   

Republic of Tunisia(2)

     889       1.0           Senior         Baa3         BBB-         BBB-   

Republic of South Africa

     735       .9           Senior         A3         BBB+         BBB+   

HSBC Holdings PLC

     722       .8                 

HSBC Finance Corporation (formerly Household Finance)

     602       .7           Senior         A3         A         AA-   

HSBC Bank PLC (RAV Int’l. Ltd.)

     40       .0           UTII         A3         A         A+   

The Hongkong & Shanghai Banking Corporation Ltd.

     80       .1           UTII         Aa3         -         -   

Commerzbank AG (includes Dresdner Bank)

     637       .7                 

Commerzbank AG

     451       .5           LTII         Baa3         BBB-         A   

Dresdner Bank AG (Dresdner Funding Trust IV)

     186       .2           LTII         Baa3         BBB-         A   

UniCredit SpA

     605       .7                 

Unicredito Bank Austria

     11       .0           LTII         Aa3         AA+         -   

Hypovereinsbank (Unicredit Bank AG)

     240       .3           LTII         Baa2         BBB+         A   

Hypovereinsbank (HVB Funding Trust I, III & VI)

     354       .4           Tier I         Baa3         BBB         BBB   

Mizuho Financial Group Inc.

     564       .7                 

Mizuho Bank, Mizuho Finance Cayman & Aruba

     564       .7           UTII         A2         A-         -   

Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ Ltd.

     541       .6                 

Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ Ltd. (BTMU Curacao Holdings NV)

     541       .6           LTII         Aa3         A         A-   

Bank of America Corp. (includes Merrill Lynch)

     541       .6                 

Merrill Lynch & Co. Inc.

     301       .3           Senior         A2         A         A+   

Bank of America Corp. (includes Fleet Financial Group Inc., Nationsbank Corporation)

     240       .3           LTII         A3         A-         A   

BNP Paribas (includes Fortis)

     541       .6                 

BNP Paribas

     120       .1           Senior         Aa2         AA         AA-   

Fortis Bank SA-NV

     301       .4           UTII         A3         A         A-   

Fortis Luxembourg Finance SA

     120       .1           UTII         Baa2         A         A-   

Erste Group Bank AG

     516       .6                 

Erste Group Bank

     120       .1           LTII         A2         A-         A-   

Erste Group Bank (Erste Finance Jersey Ltd. 3 & 5)

     396       .5           Tier I         Ba1         -         BBB-   

Investcorp SA

     495       .6                 

Investcorp Capital Limited

     495       .6           Senior         Ba2         -         BB+   

National Grid PLC

     482       .6                 

National Grid Gas PLC

     241       .3           Senior         A3         A-         A   

National Grid Electricity Transmission PLC

     241       .3           Senior         A3         A-         A   

Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc.

     481       .6                 

Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation

     120       .2           LTII         Aa3         A         A-   

Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC International Finance)

     361       .4           UTII         A1         A-         -   

Telecom Italia SpA

     481       .6                 

Telecom Italia Finance SA

     481       .6           Senior         Baa2         BBB         BBB   

JP Morgan Chase & Co. (including Bear Stearns)

     475       .6                 

JP Morgan Chase & Co. (including Bear Stearns Companies Inc.)

     421       .6           Senior         Aa3         A+         AA-   

JP Morgan Chase & Co. (FNBC)

     26       .0           Senior         Aa1         AA-         -   

JP Morgan Chase & Co. (Bank One Corp.)

     17       .0           LTII         A1         A         A+   

JP Morgan Chase & Co. (NBD Bank)

     11       .0           LTII         Aa2         A+         A+   

Citigroup Inc.

     474       .5                 

Citigroup Inc. (includes Citigroup Global Markets Holdings Inc., Associates Corp.)

     473       .5           Senior         A3         A         A+   

Citigroup Inc. (Citicorp)

     1       .0           LTII         Baa1         A-         A   

Commonwealth Bank of Australia

     469       .5                 

Commonwealth Bank of Australia

     120       .1           LTII         Aa2         AA-         AA-   

Commonwealth Bank of Australia

     241       .3           UTII         -         A+         -   

Bankwest

     108       .1           UTII         Aa2         AA-         -   

Total

   $ 28,282       32.8  %                                    
   

Total debt and perpetual securities

   $ 86,301       100.0  %            
   

 

(1) 

JGBs or JGB-backed securities

(2) 

Deemed by the Company to be below investment grade

 

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As previously disclosed, we own long-dated debt instruments in support of our long-dated policyholder obligations. Included in our largest global investment holdings are legacy issues that date back many years. Additionally, the concentration of certain of our holdings of individual credit exposures has grown over time through merger and consolidation activity. Beginning in 2005, we have generally limited our investment exposures to issuers to no more than 5% of total adjusted capital (TAC) on a statutory accounting basis, with the exception of obligations of the Japanese and U.S. governments. However, existing investment exposures that exceeded 5% of TAC at the time this guidance was adopted, or exposures that may exceed this threshold from time to time through merger and consolidation activity, are not automatically reduced through sales of the issuers’ securities but rather are reduced over time consistent with our investment policy.

During the three-month period ended March 31, 2011, we pursued strategic investment activities to lower the risk profile of our investment portfolio. Our focus was on reducing our exposure to large concentrated investment positions, which overlapped with efforts to reduce our exposure to investments in Greece, Ireland and Portugal and certain financial issuers. As a result of the efforts to reduce large concentrated positions, we sold certain dollar-denominated, available-for-sale securities holdings of issuers that exceeded 10% of TAC. We reduced our exposure to Israel Electric by $66 million, Bank of America Corp. by $104 million, Commerzbank by $52 million, and HSBC by $100 million, on an amortized cost basis, resulting in a pretax net gain of $8 million ($5 million after-tax). In addition, in our effort to reduce our exposure to investments in Greece and Ireland, we sold our $368 million exposure to Alpha Bank, at amortized cost, at a pretax loss of $177 million ($115 million after-tax) and our $77 million exposure to Allied Irish Banks, at amortized cost, at a pretax gain of $2 million ($1 million after-tax). We recognized other-than-temporary impairment losses of $397 million ($258 million after-tax) for the remaining two Greek bank holdings, EFG Eurobank Ergasias and National Bank of Greece (NBG). In April 2011, we sold our investment in EFG Eurobank Ergasias for $2 million more than its recorded impaired value. Also in April 2011, subsequent to the end of first quarter 2011, we reduced our exposure in Portugal by exercising a put option on our investment in CP-Comboios de Portugal EPE at its par value of $180 million, generating no gain or loss on the transaction. Other sales of securities from financial issuers and other entities resulting from our derisking strategy generated an additional pretax net gain of $6 million ($4 million after-tax) in the first quarter of 2011. See the Investment Concentrations section of Note 3 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.

We have investments in both publicly and privately issued securities. The outstanding amount of a particular issuance, as well as the level of activity in a particular issuance and market conditions, including credit events and the interest rate environment, affect liquidity regardless of whether it is publicly or privately issued.

The following table details investment securities by type of issuance.

 

Investment Securities by Type of Issuance  
      March 31, 2011            December 31, 2010  
(In millions)    Amortized
Cost
     Fair   
Value   
           Amortized
Cost
     Fair  
Value  
 

Publicly issued securities:

              

Fixed maturities

       $   32,857             $  33,737                   $  31,098           $  32,457       

Perpetual securities

     235               267                 235             256       

Equity securities

     13               15                   13             14       

Total publicly issued

     33,105               34,019                   31,346             32,727       

Privately issued securities:

              

Fixed maturities

     45,861               44,795                 47,088             46,367       

Perpetual securities

     7,348               7,101                 7,592             7,256       

Equity securities

     9               9                   9             9       

Total privately issued

     53,218               51,905                   54,689             53,632       

Total investment securities

       $   86,323             $  85,924                     $  86,035           $  86,359       
   

 

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The following table details our privately issued investment securities.

 

Privately Issued Securities  
(Amortized cost, in millions)    March 31,
2011
    December 31,            
2010             
 

Privately issued securities as a percentage of total debt and perpetual securities

     61.7       63.6  %              

Privately issued securities held by Aflac Japan

   $         50,225        $     51,702                   

Privately issued securities held by Aflac Japan as a percentage of total debt and perpetual securities

     58.2       60.1   %              
   
Reverse-Dual Currency Securities (1)   
(Amortized cost, in millions)    March 31,
2011
   

December 31,            

2010            

 

Privately issued reverse-dual currency securities

   $         12,715        $     12,790                   

Publicly issued collateral structured as reverse-dual currency securities

     2,815          2,844                   

Total reverse-dual currency securities

   $         15,530        $     15,634                   
   

Reverse-dual currency securities as a percentage of total debt and perpetual securities

     18.0       18.2  %              
   
(1) 

Principal payments in yen and interest payments in dollars

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. 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. Most of our privately issued securities are 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 are required.

Below-Investment-Grade and Split-Rated Securities

Debt and perpetual securities classified as below investment grade at March 31, 2011 and December 31, 2010, were generally reported as available for sale and carried at fair value. Each of the below-investment-grade securities was investment grade at the time of purchase and was subsequently downgraded by credit rating agencies. Below-investment-grade debt and perpetual securities represented 6.8% of total debt and perpetual securities at March 31, 2011, compared with 6.2% of total debt and perpetual securities at December 31, 2010, at amortized cost.

The below-investment-grade securities were as follows:

 

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Below-Investment-Grade Securities  
      March 31, 2011     December 31, 2010  
(In millions)    Par
Value
     Amortized
Cost
    

Fair

Value

     Unrealized
Gain/Loss
    Par
Value
     Amortized
Cost
    

Fair

Value

     Unrealized      
Gain/Loss      
 

Republic of Tunisia

   $ 887       $ 889       $ 959       $ 70      $ *       $ *       $ *       $ *        

Investcorp Capital Limited

     495         495         341         (154     504         504         337         (167)       

Irish Life and Permanent PLC (1)

     445         110         110         0        454         112         112         0        

Lloyds Banking Group PLC (1)

     440         365         424         59        440         364         387         23        

EFG Eurobank Ergasias

     409         164         164         0        417         416         131         (285)       

UPM-Kymmene

     373         373         294         (79     380         380         290         (90)       

Ford Motor Credit Company

     361         361         370         9        368         368         374         6        

Banco Espirito Santo SA

     361         361         137         (224     *         *         *         *        

Dexia SA (Includes Dexia Bank Belgium & Dexia Overseas) (1)

     361         258         192         (66     368         264         186         (78)       

NBG (National Bank of Greece)

     361         208         208         0        368         368         146         (222)       

Banco BPI, SA (1)

     301         301         192         (109     *         *         *         *        

CSAV (Tollo Shipping Co. S.A.)

     289         289         158         (131     295         295         161         (134)       

Bank of Ireland

     241         241         110         (131     *         *         *         *        

KBL European Private Bankers S.A. (Part of KBC Group NV) (1)

     241         134         136         2        245         137         144         7        

CP-Comboios de Portugal EPE (2)

     180         180         180         0        *         *         *         *        

Caixa Geral de Depositos SA

     180         180         77         (103     *         *         *         *        

Aiful Corporation

     180         66         66         0        184         67         67         0        

BAWAG Capital Finance Jersey (1)

     168         118         114         (4     172         120         116         (4)       

IKB Deutsche Industriebank AG

     156         156         103         (53     160         160         104         (56)       

Hypo Vorarlberg Capital Finance (1)

     132         106         97         (9     135         108         97         (11)       

Finance for Danish Industry (FIH)

     120         120         100         (20     123         123         104         (19)       

Royal Bank of Scotland Group PLC (1)

     58         19         47         28        58         19         42         23        

Macy’s Inc.

     53         58         58         0        53         58         58         0        

Alpha Bank

     0         0         0         0        368         368         115         (253)       

Swedbank (1)

     *         *         *         *        356         299         314         15        

Hella KG Hueck & Co.

     *         *         *         *        270         269         224         (45)       

Allied Irish Banks PLC

     0         0         0         0        245         77         77         0        

Commerzbank AG (formerly Dresdner Bank AG) (Tier I only)

     0         0         0         0        53         55         46         (9)       

Various Other Issuers (below $50 million in par value) (3)

     368         339         322         (17     386         366         326         (40)       

Total

   $ 7,160       $ 5,891       $ 4,959       $ (932   $ 6,402       $ 5,297       $ 3,958       $ (1,339)       
                                                                        

*Investment grade at respective reporting date

(1) Perpetual security

(2) Put to issuer at par in April 2011

(3) Includes 18 different issuers in 2011 and 19 different issuers in 2010

 

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Occasionally, a debt or perpetual security will be split rated. This occurs when one rating agency rates the security as investment grade while another rating agency rates the same security as below investment grade. Our policy is to review each issue on a case-by-case basis to determine if a split-rated security should be classified as investment grade or below investment grade. Our review includes evaluating the issuer’s credit position as well as current market pricing and other factors, such as the issuer’s or security’s inclusion on a credit rating downgrade watch list. Split-rated securities totaled $3.9 billion as of March 31, 2011, and $2.4 billion as of December 31, 2010, and represented 5% and 3% of total debt and perpetual securities, at amortized cost, at each period, respectively. The 10 largest split-rated securities as of March 31, 2011, were as follows:

 

Split-Rated Securities
(In millions)    Amortized
Cost
     Investment-Grade Status

Israel Electric Corp.

   $ 914       Investment Grade    

Erste Group Bank(1)

     396       Investment Grade    

SLM Corp.

     391       Investment Grade    

Banco Espirito Santo SA

     361       Below Investment Grade    

Banco BPI, SA(1)

     301       Below Investment Grade    

Swedbank(1)

     293       Investment Grade    

Bank of Ireland

     241       Below Investment Grade    

Caixa Geral De Depositos SA

     180       Below Investment Grade    

CP-Comboios De Portugal EPE(2)

     180       Below Investment Grade    

Dexia SA (includes Dexia Bank Belgium & Dexia Overseas)(1)(3)

     180       Investment Grade    
 

(1) Perpetual security

(2) Put to issuer at par in April 2011

(3) Separate securities from those reported in the Below-Investment-Grade Securities table from the same issuer

Other-than-temporary Impairment

See Note 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 debt and perpetual securities by investment-grade status as of March 31, 2011.

 

(In millions)    Total
Amortized
Cost
     Total
Fair
Value
     Percentage
of Total Fair
Value
    Gross
Unrealized
Gains
    

Gross        

Unrealized        

Losses        

 

Available-for-sale securities:

             

Investment-grade securities

   $   51,905       $   52,727         61.4     $   2,101       $   1,279           

Below-investment-grade securities

     5,891         4,959         5.8          186         1,118           

Held-to-maturity securities:

             

Investment-grade securities

     28,505         28,214         32.8          770         1,061           

Total

   $ 86,301       $ 85,900         100.0     $ 3,057       $ 3,458           
   

 

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The following table presents an aging of debt and perpetual securities in an unrealized loss position as of March 31, 2011.

 

Aging of Unrealized Losses  
     Total      Total     

Less than Six

Months

     Six Months to Less
than 12 Months
    

12 Months

or Longer

 
(In millions)    Amortized
Cost
     Unrealized
Loss
     Amortized
Cost
     Unrealized
Loss
     Amortized
Cost
     Unrealized
Loss
     Amortized
Cost
     Unrealized    
Loss    
 

Available-for-sale securities:

                       

Investment-grade securities

   $   22,618       $   1,279       $   11,559       $   241       $   1,407       $   69       $   9,652       $     969       

Below- investment- grade securities

     3,234         1,118         462         74         90         3         2,682         1,041       

Held-to-maturity securities:

                       

Investment-grade securities

     16,460         1,061         4,910         112         1,640         77         9,910         872       

Total

   $   42,312       $   3,458       $   16,931       $   427       $   3,137       $   149       $   22,244       $   2,882       
   

The following table presents a distribution of unrealized losses on debt and perpetual securities by magnitude as of March 31, 2011.

 

Percentage Decline From Amortized Cost  
     Total      Total      Less than 20%      20% to 50%      Greater than 50%  
(In millions)    Amortized
Cost
     Unrealized
Loss
     Amortized
Cost
     Unrealized
Loss
     Amortized
Cost
     Unrealized
Loss
     Amortized
Cost
     Unrealized  
Loss  
 

Available-for-sale securities:

                       

Investment-grade securities

   $   22,618       $   1,279       $   21,968       $   1,092       $   650       $   187       $         0       $ 0     

Below- investment- grade securities

     3,234         1,118         800         71         1,442         483         992         564     

Held-to-maturity securities:

                       

Investment-grade securities

     16,460         1,061         15,858         914         602         147         0         0     

Total

   $   42,312       $   3,458       $   38,626       $   2,077       $   2,694       $   817       $   992       $ 564     
   

 

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The following table presents the 10 largest unrealized loss positions in our portfolio as of March 31, 2011.

 

(In millions)    Credit
Rating
   Amortized
Cost
   Fair
Value
   Unrealized    
Loss    
 

Banco Espirito Santo SA(1)

   BB    $ 361    $ 137      $ (224)           

Investcorp Capital Limited

   BB       495       341      (154)           

Dexia SA (includes Dexia Bank Belgium & Dexia Overseas)(2)

   BB       439       295      (144)           

CSAV (Tollo Shipping Co. S.A.)

   B       289       158      (131)           

Bank of Ireland

   BB       241       110      (131)           

Banco BPI, SA(1)(2)

   BB       301       192      (109)           

Caixa Geral De Depositos SA(1)

   BB       180         77      (103)           

SLM Corp.

   BBB       391       305      (86)           

UPM-Kymmene

   BB       373       294      (79)           

Republic of Poland

   A       241       177      (64)           
                         

(1) Represents exposure to Portuguese banks

(2) Perpetual security

Declines in fair value noted above were impacted by changes in interest rates and credit spreads, yen/dollar exchange rates, and issuer credit status. However, we believe it would be inappropriate to recognize impairment charges because we believe the changes in fair value are temporary. See the Investment Concentrations and Unrealized Investment Gains and Losses sections in Note 3 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further discussions of unrealized losses related to Portugal and Ireland, financial institutions including perpetual securities, and other corporate investments.

Investment Valuation and Cash

We estimate the fair values of our securities available for sale on a monthly basis. We monitor the estimated fair values obtained from our custodian and pricing brokers and those derived from our discounted cash flow pricing model for consistency from month to month, while considering current market conditions. We also periodically discuss with our custodian and pricing brokers 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. See Note 5 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for the fair value hierarchy classification of our securities available for sale as of March 31, 2011.

Cash and cash equivalents totaled $2.1 billion, or 2.4% of total investments and cash, as of March 31, 2011 and December 31, 2010. 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.

 

(In millions)    March 31, 2011    December 31, 2010    % Change          

Aflac Japan

   $    6,917    $    6,964        (.7) % (1)   

Aflac U.S.

         2,772          2,770        .1              

Total

   $    9,689    $    9,734   

    (.5) %    

  
                     

(1) Aflac Japan’s deferred policy acquisition costs increased 1.4% in yen during the three months ended March 31, 2011.

The decrease in Aflac Japan’s deferred policy acquisition costs was primarily driven by the weakening of the yen against the U.S. dollar.

 

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Policy Liabilities

The following table presents policy liabilities by segment.

 

(In millions)    March 31, 2011    December 31, 2010    % Change      

Aflac Japan

   $    74,819    $    74,872         (.1) % (1)

Aflac U.S.

          7,669           7,581        1.2        

Other

                3                 3            .0          

Total

   $    82,491    $    82,456           .0  %    
 

(1) Aflac Japan’s policy liabilities increased 2.0% in yen during the three months ended March 31, 2011.

The decrease in Aflac Japan’s policy liabilities was primarily the result of the weakening of the yen against the U.S. dollar.

Notes Payable

Notes payable totaled $3.0 billion at March 31, 2011 and December 31, 2010. The ratio of debt to total capitalization (debt plus shareholders’ equity, excluding the unrealized gains and losses on investment securities and derivatives) was 21.5% as of March 31, 2011, compared with 21.7% as of December 31, 2010. See Note 6 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 9 of the accompanying Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements and Note 13 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in our annual report to shareholders for the year ended December 31, 2010.

Policyholder Protection Corporation

The Japanese insurance industry has a policyholder protection system that provides funds for the policyholders of insolvent insurers. On December 12, 2008, legislation was enacted extending the framework of the Life Insurance Policyholder Protection Corporation (LIPPC), which included government fiscal measures supporting the LIPPC through March 2012.

See the Policyholder Protection Corporation subsection of MD&A in our annual report to shareholders for the year ended December 31, 2010, for additional information.

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 a portfolio of dollar-denominated securities, which serve as an economic currency hedge of a portion of our investment in Aflac Japan. The foreign exchange gains and losses related to this portfolio are taxable in Japan and the U.S. when the securities mature or are sold. Until maturity or sale, deferred tax expense or benefit associated with the foreign exchange gains or losses are recognized in other comprehensive income. Second, we have designated the Parent Company’s yen-denominated liabilities (Samurai and Uridashi notes and yen-denominated loans) as a hedge of our investment in Aflac Japan. At the beginning of each quarter, we make our net investment hedge designation. If the total of our designated yen-denominated liabilities is equal to or less than our net investment in Aflac Japan, the hedge is deemed to be effective and the related exchange effect is reported in the unrealized foreign currency component of other comprehensive income. Should these designated yen-denominated liabilities exceed our investment in Aflac Japan, the foreign exchange effect on the portion of the liabilities that exceeds our investment in Aflac Japan would be recognized in net earnings. We estimate that if our yen-denominated liabilities exceeded our 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. For hedge designation purposes, Aflac Japan yen-denominated net assets exceeded the Parent Company’s designated yen-denominated liabilities as of January 1, 2011, the date of hedge designation for the first quarter

 

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of 2011. As a result, our net investment hedge was effective during the three-month period ended March 31, 2011. Our net investment hedge was also effective during the three-month period ended March 31, 2010.

Effective January 1, 2010, 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 on January 1, 2010, required that we derecognize our yen-denominated investment in the VIE and recognize the underlying U.S. dollar-denominated 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.

The dollar values of our yen-denominated net assets, including certain VIEs as yen-denominated investments for net investment hedging purposes as discussed above, are summarized as follows (translated at end-of-period exchange rates):

 

(In millions)    March 31,
2011
             December 31,
     2010    
 

Aflac Japan yen-denominated net assets

   $         1,993                $         3,282              

Parent Company yen-denominated net liabilities

     (1,018)                       (1,041)             

Consolidated yen-denominated net assets (liabilities) subject to foreign currency translation fluctuations

   $ 975                      $ 2,241              
                            

The decline in yen-denominated net assets subject to foreign currency fluctuation is primarily due to an increase in the amount of investment in dollar-denominated investments during the first quarter of 2011.

Cash Flow Hedges

Effective January 1, 2010, as a result of the adoption of new accounting guidance and the corresponding consolidation of additional VIEs, we have freestanding derivative instruments that are reported in the consolidated balance sheet at fair value and are reported in other assets and other liabilities. Several of these freestanding derivatives qualify for hedge accounting, including interest rate and foreign currency swaps. Interest rate and foreign currency swaps are used within VIEs to hedge the risk arising from changes in interest rates and foreign currency exchange rates, respectively. Changes in the fair value of a derivative that is designated and qualifies as a cash flow hedge are recorded in other comprehensive income. Any hedge ineffectiveness is recorded immediately in current period earnings as net realized investment gains and losses. This hedging relationship was effective during the three-month period ending March 31, 2011. While an immaterial amount of ineffectiveness was recorded during the first quarter of 2010, this hedging relationship was also effective during the three-month period ended March 31, 2010. See Note 4 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.

We have interest rate swap agreements related to the 20 billion yen variable interest rate Uridashi notes. By entering into these contracts, we have been able to lock in our interest rate at 1.52% in yen. We have designated these interest rate swaps as a hedge of the variability in our interest cash flows associated with the variable interest rate Uridashi notes. The notional amounts and terms of the swaps match the principal amount and terms of the variable interest rate Uridashi notes, and the swaps had no value at inception. GAAP requires that the change in the fair value of the swap contracts be recorded in other comprehensive income so long as the hedge is deemed effective. Any ineffectiveness is recognized in net earnings. This hedge was effective during the three-month periods ended March 31, 2011 and 2010; therefore, there was no impact on net earnings during those periods. See Note 4 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

As of March 31, 2011, we had no material letters of credit, standby letters of credit, guarantees or standby repurchase obligations. See Note 14 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in our annual report to shareholders for the year ended December 31, 2010, for information on material unconditional purchase obligations that are not recorded on our balance sheet.

 

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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 three-month periods ending March 31:

 

Liquidity Provided by Aflac to Parent Company  
(In millions)    2011                    2010            

Dividends declared or paid by Aflac

   $         141                $         0             

Management fees paid by Aflac

     57                  49             
                            

The primary uses of cash by the Parent Company are shareholder dividends, the repurchase of its common stock and interest on its outstanding indebtedness. 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. In March 2009, we filed a shelf registration statement with the SEC that allows us to issue an indefinite amount of senior and subordinated debt, in one or more series, from time to time through May 2012. As of March 31, 2011, we have issued $2.0 billion of senior notes under this registration statement. In November 2009, we filed an additional shelf registration statement with Japanese regulatory authorities that allows us to issue up to 100 billion yen of yen-denominated Samurai notes in Japan (approximately $1.2 billion, using the March 31, 2011, exchange rate) through November 2011. If issued, these 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 6 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 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.

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.

Our financial statements adequately 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 do not have any restrictive financial covenants related to our notes payable, and we were in compliance with all of the covenants of our notes payable at March 31, 2011. 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 Note 3 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements and Note 1 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in our annual report to shareholders for the year ended December 31, 2010, for more information on our securities lending activity. 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.

Consolidated Cash Flows

We translate cash flows for Aflac Japan’s yen-denominated items into U.S. dollars using weighted-average exchange rates. 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.

 

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The following table summarizes consolidated cash flows by activity for the three-month periods ended March 31.

 

(In millions)    2011              2010     

Operating activities

   $ 2,167                 $ 1,278           

Investing activities

     (2,013)                  (1,969)          

Financing activities

     (171)                  (23)          

Exchange effect on cash and cash equivalents

     (16)                  2           

Net change in cash and cash equivalents

   $         (33)                $          (712)          
                        

Operating Activities

The following table summarizes operating cash flows by source for the three-month periods ended March 31.

 

(In millions)    2011              2010          

Aflac Japan

   $         1,848          $         1,080           

Aflac U.S. and other operations

     319                  198           

Total

   $ 2,167          $ 1,278           
                            

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 three-month periods ended March 31.

 

(In millions)        2011                  2010  

Aflac Japan

   $     (1,900)                 $         (1,417)          

Aflac U.S. and other operations

     (113)                   (552)          

Total

   $     (2,013)                 $ (1,969)          
                   

Prudent portfolio management dictates that we attempt to match the duration of our assets with the duration of our liabilities. Currently, when our debt 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 market opportunities arise, we dispose of selected debt and perpetual securities that are available for sale to improve the duration matching of our assets and liabilities, improve future investment yields, and/or rebalance our portfolio. As a result, dispositions before maturity can vary significantly from year to year. Dispositions before maturity were approximately 2% of the year-to-date average investment portfolio of debt and perpetual securities available for sale during the three-month periods ended March 31, 2011, and 2010.

Financing Activities

Consolidated cash used by financing activities was $171 million in the first three months of 2011, compared with $23 million for the same period of 2010. Cash returned to shareholders through dividends and treasury stock purchases was $319 million during the three-month period ended March 31, 2011, compared with $131 million through dividends during the three-month period ended March 31, 2010.

In September 2011, 35 billion yen (approximately $421 million using the March 31, 2011, exchange rate) of our Uridashi notes will mature. We plan to use existing cash to pay off these notes.

We have no restrictive financial covenants related to our notes payable. We were in compliance with all of the covenants of our notes payable at March 31, 2011.

 

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The following tables present a summary of treasury stock activity during the three-month periods ended March 31.

 

Treasury Stock Purchased   
(In millions of dollars and thousands of shares)      2011          2010            

Treasury stock purchases

   $ 184       $ 5           
                   

Number of shares purchased:

     

Open market

     3,100         0           

Other

     151         94           
                   

Total shares purchased

     3,251         94           
                   
Treasury Stock Issued   
(In millions of dollars and thousands of shares)      2011          2010            

Stock issued from treasury

   $ 16       $ 7           
                   

Number of shares issued

     484         358           
                   

During the first three months of 2011, we purchased 3.1 million shares of our common stock in the open market. As of March 31, 2011, a remaining balance of 27.3 million shares of our common stock was available for purchase under a share repurchase authorization by our board of directors in 2008. We anticipate repurchasing a total of six to 12 million shares of our common stock in 2011.

Cash dividends paid to shareholders were $.30 per share in the first quarter of 2011, compared with $.28 per share in the first quarter of 2010. The following table presents the dividend activity for the three-month periods ended March 31.

 

(In millions)     2011          2010            

Dividends paid in cash

  $ 135       $ 131           

Dividends through issuance of treasury shares

    6         0           

Total dividends to shareholders

  $ 141       $ 131           
                  

In April 2011, the board of directors declared the second quarter cash dividend of $.30 per share. The dividend is payable on June 1, 2011, to shareholders of record at the close of business on May 18, 2011.

Regulatory Restrictions

Aflac is domiciled in Nebraska and is subject to its regulations. 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 GAAP and are intended to emphasize policyholder protection and company solvency. 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 or equity contributions by the Parent Company from funds generated through debt or equity offerings. 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 estimated to be within the range of 500% and 525% as of March 31, 2011. Aflac’s RBC ratio remains high and reflects a strong capital and surplus position.

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. As of December 31, 2010, Aflac Japan’s solvency margin ratio was 897.5%, which significantly exceeded regulatory minimums. See the Japanese Regulatory Environment subsection of this MD&A for a discussion of upcoming changes to the calculation of the solvency margin ratio.

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 details Aflac Japan remittances for the three-month periods ended March 31.

 

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Aflac Japan Remittances  
(In millions of dollars)    2011      2010      

Aflac Japan management fees paid to Parent Company

   $     5       $     9       

Expenses allocated to Aflac Japan

     12         8       
   

For additional information on regulatory restrictions on dividends, profit repatriations and other transfers, see Note 12 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements and the Regulatory Restrictions subsection of MD&A, both in our annual report to shareholders for the year ended December 31, 2010.

Other

For information regarding commitments and contingent liabilities, see Note 10 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

 

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Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk

The information required by Item 3 is incorporated by reference from the Market Risks of Financial Instruments subsection of MD&A in Part I, Item 2 of this report.

 

Item 4. 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 quarterly 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.

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 first fiscal quarter of 2011 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.

 

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PART II. OTHER INFORMATION

 

Item 1A. Risk Factors

The following should be read in conjunction with and supplements and amends the risk factors that may affect the Company’s business or operations described under “Risk Factors” in Part I, Item 1A. of our 2010 annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010.

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.

The concentration of our investment portfolios in any particular single-issuer, industry, group of related industries or geographic sector could have an adverse effect on our investment portfolios and, consequently, on our results of operations and financial position. Events or developments that have a negative impact on any particular single-issuer industry, group of related industries or geographic sector may have a greater adverse effect on the investment portfolios to the extent that the portfolios are concentrated rather than diversified. At March 31, 2011, approximately 33% of our total portfolio of debt and perpetual securities was in the bank and financial institution sector. In addition, at March 31, 2011, we had five legacy single-issuer investments that exceeded our investment risk exposure limits.

The impact of the recent earthquake and tsunami natural disaster and related events at the nuclear plant in Japan and their aftermath could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

Aflac Japan’s first quarter 2011 financial results reflect a provision of 3.0 billion yen, or $37 million, for claims related to the earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan on March 11, 2011. These claims were offset by reserve releases and reinsurance of 2.0 billion yen, or $25 million, resulting in a net income statement impact of 1.0 billion yen ($12 million) for benefits expense in the quarter. Our financial results also reflect .7 billion yen, or $8 million, of operating expenses resulting from the earthquake and tsunami. Our initial claims estimates were based on judgments that considered assumptions and projections which are subject to change to reflect future information. Although the current impact of the natural disaster and its related events has not had a material impact on our financial position or results of operations, actual claims may vary from our estimates and may further negatively impact our financial results.

Our business operations in Japan have continued to be fully functional in the aftermath of the natural disaster. However, the recent events in Japan could impair the recovery of the Japanese economy, which could have an adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition. The policy response from the Japanese government to the disaster could involve the issuance of Japanese Government Bonds (JGBs). Increased borrowing to finance reconstruction of the affected areas coupled with the fiscal challenges already facing Japan could reduce the creditworthiness of JGBs, which account for a significant portion of our investment portfolio. Mandatory electricity blackouts, resulting from problems caused by the nuclear plant which was damaged by the natural disaster, could affect our ability to conduct normal business operations, including our ability to reach new customers.

We will continue to monitor the business and economic conditions in Japan in light of the recent events and will continue to update our assessment of the natural disaster impact on our results of operations.

 

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Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds

Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

During the first quarter of 2011, we repurchased shares of Aflac common stock as follows:

 

                     Total          
                  Number      Maximum      
                  of Shares      Number of      
                  Purchased      Shares that      
                  as Part of      May Yet Be      
     Total            Publicly      Purchased      
     Number of     Average      Announced      Under the      
     Shares     Price Paid      Plans or      Plans or      
Period    Purchased     Per Share      Programs      Programs      

January 1 - January 31

     0      $ 0.00         0         30,370,254   

February 1 - February 28

     892,636        57.64         825,000         29,545,254   

March 1 - March 31

     2,278,973        56.02         2,275,000         27,270,254   

Total

     3,171,609   (2)    $ 56.48         3,100,000         27,270,254   (1)     
   
  (1) 

The total remaining shares available for purchase at March 31, 2011, consisted of 27,270,254 shares related to a 30,000,000 share repurchase authorization by the board of directors announced in January 2008.

  (2) 

During the first quarter of 2011, 71,609 shares were purchased in connection with income tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of restricted-share-based awards during the period.

 

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Item 6. Exhibits

 

(a) EXHIBIT INDEX:
3.0    -      Articles of Incorporation, as amended – incorporated by reference from Form 10-Q for June 30, 2008, Exhibit 3.0 (File No. 001-07434).
3.1    -      Bylaws of the Corporation, as amended – incorporated by reference from Form 10-Q for March 31, 2010, Exhibit 3.1 (File No. 001-07434).
4.1    -      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).
4.2    -      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 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).
4.3    -      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 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).
4.4    -      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 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).
4.5    -      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 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).
10.0*   -      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).
10.1*   -      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).
10.2*   -      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).
10.3*   -      Aflac Incorporated Executive Deferred Compensation Plan, as amended and restated, effective January 1, 2009 – incorporated by reference from 2008 Form 10-K, Exhibit 10.9 (File No. 001-07434).
10.4*   -      First Amendment to the Aflac Incorporated Executive Deferred Compensation Plan dated June 1, 2009 – incorporated by reference from Form 10-Q for June 30, 2009, Exhibit 10.4 (File No. 001-07434).
10.5*   -      Aflac Incorporated Amended and Restated 2009 Management Incentive Plan – incorporated by reference from the 2008 Shareholders’ Proxy Statement, Appendix B (File No. 001-07434).
10.6*   -      First Amendment to the Aflac Incorporated Amended and Restated 2009 Management Incentive Plan, dated December 19, 2008 – incorporated by reference from 2008 Form 10-K, Exhibit 10.11 (File No. 001-07434).
10.7*   -      Aflac Incorporated Sales Incentive Plan – incorporated by reference from 2007 Form 10-K, Exhibit 10.8 (File No. 001-07434).
10.8*   -      1999 Aflac Associate Stock Bonus Plan, as amended, dated February 11, 2003 – incorporated by reference from 2002 Form 10-K, Exhibit 99.2 (File No. 001-07434).

 

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10.9*    -      Aflac Incorporated 1997 Stock Option Plan – incorporated by reference from the 1997 Shareholders’ Proxy Statement, Appendix B (File No. 001-07434).
10.10*    -      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).
10.11*    -      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).
10.12*    -      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).
10.13*    -      2004 Aflac Incorporated Long-Term Incentive Plan, dated May 3, 2004 – incorporated by reference from the 2004 Notice and Proxy Statement, Exhibit B (File No. 001-07434).
10.14*    -      First Amendment to the 2004 Aflac Incorporated Long-Term Incentive Plan, dated May 2, 2005 – incorporated by reference from Form 10-Q for March 31, 2005, Exhibit 10.1 (File No. 001-07434).
10.15*    -      Second Amendment to the 2004 Aflac Incorporated Long-Term Incentive Plan, dated February 14, 2006 – incorporated by reference from Form 10-Q for March 31, 2006, Exhibit 10.32 (File No. 001-07434).
10.16*    -      Third Amendment to the 2004 Aflac Incorporated Long-Term Incentive Plan, dated December 19, 2008 – incorporated by reference from 2008 Form 10-K, Exhibit 10.21 (File No. 001-07434).
10.17*    -      Form of Non-Employee Director Stock Option Agreement (NQSO) under the 2004 Aflac Incorporated Long-Term Incentive Plan – incorporated by reference from Form 8-K dated January 28, 2005, Exhibit 10.1 (File No. 001-07434).
10.18*    -      Notice of grant of stock options to non-employee director under the 2004 Aflac Incorporated Long-Term Incentive Plan – incorporated by reference from Form 8-K dated January 28, 2005, Exhibit 10.2 (File No. 001-07434).
10.19*    -      Form of Non-Employee Director Restricted Stock Award Agreement under the 2004 Aflac Incorporated Long-Term Incentive Plan – incorporated by reference from Form 8-K dated January 28, 2005, Exhibit 10.3 (File No. 001-07434).
10.20*    -      Notice of restricted stock award to non-employee director under the 2004 Aflac Incorporated Long-Term Incentive Plan – incorporated by reference from Form 8-K dated January 28, 2005, Exhibit 10.4 (File No. 001-07434).
10.21*    -      Form of Officer Restricted Stock Award Agreement under the 2004 Aflac Incorporated Long-Term Incentive Plan – incorporated by reference from Form 8-K dated February 7, 2005, Exhibit 10.1 (File No. 001-07434).
10.22*    -      Notice of restricted stock award to officers under the 2004 Aflac Incorporated Long-Term Incentive Plan – incorporated by reference from Form 8-K dated February 7, 2005, Exhibit 10.2 (File No. 001-07434).
10.23*    -      Form of Officer Stock Option Agreement (Non-Qualifying Stock Option) under the 2004 Aflac Incorporated Long-Term Incentive Plan – incorporated by reference from Form 8-K dated February 7, 2005, Exhibit 10.3 (File No. 001-07434).
10.24*    -      Form of Officer Stock Option Agreement (Incentive Stock Option) under the 2004 Aflac Incorporated Long-Term Incentive Plan – incorporated by reference from Form 8-K dated February 7, 2005, Exhibit 10.4 (File No. 001-07434).
10.25*    -      Notice of grant of stock options to officers under the 2004 Aflac Incorporated Long-Term Incentive Plan – incorporated by reference from Form 8-K dated February 7, 2005, Exhibit 10.5 (File No. 001-07434).
10.26*    -      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).

 

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10.27*

   -      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).

10.28*

   -      Aflac Incorporated Employment Agreement with Daniel P. Amos, dated August 1, 1993 – incorporated by reference from 1993 Form 10-K, Exhibit 10.4 (File No. 001-07434).

10.29*

   -      Amendment to Aflac Incorporated Employment Agreement with Daniel P. Amos, dated December 8, 2008 – incorporated by reference from 2008 Form 10-K, Exhibit 10.32 (File No. 001-07434).

10.30*

   -      Aflac Incorporated Employment Agreement with Kriss Cloninger III, dated February 14, 1992, and as amended November 12, 1993 – incorporated by reference from 1993 Form 10-K, Exhibit 10.6 (File No. 001-07434).

10.31*

   -      Amendment to Aflac Incorporated Employment Agreement with Kriss Cloninger III, dated November 3, 2008 – incorporated by reference from 2008 Form 10-K, Exhibit 10.34 (File No. 001-07434).

10.32*

   -      Amendment to Aflac Incorporated Employment Agreement with Kriss Cloninger III, dated December 19, 2008 – incorporated by reference from 2008 Form 10-K, Exhibit 10.35 (File No. 001-07434).

10.33*

   -      Amendment to Aflac Incorporated Employment Agreement with Kriss Cloninger III, dated March 15, 2011.

10.34*

   -      Aflac Incorporated Employment Agreement with Paul S. Amos II, dated January 1, 2005 – incorporated by reference from Form 8-K dated February 7, 2005, Exhibit 10.2 (File No. 001-07434).

10.35*

   -      Amendment to Aflac Incorporated Employment Agreement with Paul S. Amos II, dated December 19, 2008 – incorporated by reference from 2008 Form 10-K, Exhibit 10.39 (File No. 001-07434).

10.36*

   -      Aflac Incorporated Employment Agreement with Joey Loudermilk, dated September 12, 1994 and as amended December 10, 2008 – incorporated by reference from 2008 Form 10-K, Exhibit 10.40 (File No. 001-07434).

10.37*

   -      Aflac Incorporated Employment Agreement with Tohru Tonoike, effective February 1, 2007 – incorporated by reference from 2008 Form 10-K, Exhibit 10.41 (File No. 001-07434).

10.38*

   -      Amendment to Aflac Incorporated Employment Agreement with Tohru Tonoike, dated February 9, 2010 – incorporated by reference from 2009 Form 10-K, Exhibit 10.36 (File No. 001-07434).
10.39*    -      Aflac Retirement Agreement with E. Stephen Purdom, dated February 15, 2000 – incorporated by reference from 2000 Form 10-K, Exhibit 10.13 (File No. 001-07434).
11    -      Statement regarding the computation of per-share earnings for the Registrant.
12    -      Statement regarding the computation of ratio of earnings to fixed charges for the Registrant.
15    -      Letter from KPMG LLP regarding unaudited interim financial information.
31.1    -      Certification of CEO dated May 6, 2011, required by Rule 13a-14(a) or Rule 15d-14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
31.2    -      Certification of CFO dated May 6, 2011, required by Rule 13a-14(a) or Rule 15d-14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
32    -      Certification of CEO and CFO dated May 6, 2011, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as Adopted Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

101.INS

   -      XBRL Instance Document.(1)

101.SCH

   -      XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema.

101.CAL

   -      XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase.

101.DEF

   -      XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase.

101.LAB

   -      XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase.

101.PRE

   -      XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase.

 

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(1)    Includes the following materials contained in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended March 31, 2011, formatted in XBRL (eXtensible Business Reporting Language): (i) Consolidated Statements of Earnings, (ii) Consolidated Balance Sheets, (iii) Consolidated Statements of Shareholders’ Equity, (iv) Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows, (v) Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss), (vi) Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
*    Management contract or compensatory plan or arrangement required to be filed as an exhibit pursuant to Item 6 of this report.

 

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements 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.

 

        Aflac Incorporated

  May 6, 2011

   

/s/ Kriss Cloninger III

    (Kriss Cloninger III)
   

President, Chief Financial Officer,

Treasurer and Director

  May 6, 2011

   

/s/ June Howard

    (June Howard)
    Senior Vice President, Financial Services; Chief Accounting Officer

 

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