Unum Group

The Closed Block segment consists of group and individual long-term care and other insurance products no longer actively marketed. We discontinued offering individual long-term care in 2009 and group long-term care in 2012. Other insurance products include individual disability, group pension, individual life and corporate-owned life insurance, reinsurance pools and management operations, and other miscellaneous product lines.

Shown below are financial results and key performance indicators for the Closed Block segment.

Premium income for long-term care was generally consistent with 2022. Premium income for our "All Other" product line continues to decline as expected due to policyholder lapses.

Net investment income was generally consistent relative to 2022 due to lower miscellaneous investment income, primarily related to smaller increases in the NAV on our private equity partnerships, and a decline in the yield on invested assets, mostly offset by an increase in the level of invested assets.

Other income primarily includes the underlying results and associated net investment income of certain assumed blocks of business.

The net premium ratio for long-term care increased to 93.5 percent at December 31, 2023 from 85.1 percent at December 31, 2022 due primarily to the impacts of the reserve assumption updates in the third quarter of 2023 and higher claim incidence. The interest adjusted loss ratio for long-term care, excluding the reserve assumption updates, was unfavorable compared to 2022 driven primarily by higher claim incidence as well as impacts from the change in the net premium ratio resulting from the reserve assumption updates in the third quarter of 2023.

The other expense ratio, excluding the amortization of the cost of reinsurance related to the Closed Block individual disability reinsurance transaction, was higher than 2022 due primarily to a decline in the expense allowance related to the ceded block of individual disability business and an increase in employee-related costs.

Premium income for long-term care decreased compared to 2021 due to policy terminations, partially offset by rate increases. Premium income for our "All Other" product line continues to decline as expected due to policyholder lapses.

Net investment income was lower relative to 2021 primarily due to lower miscellaneous investment income, partially related to smaller increases in the NAV on our private equity partnerships, and a decline in the yield on invested assets, partially offset by an increase in the level of invested assets.

The net premium ratios for long-term care at December 31, 2022 and 2021 were generally consistent. The interest adjusted loss ratio for long-term care, excluding the reserve assumption updates, was less favorable compared to 2021 driven primarily by higher claim incidence.

The other expense ratio, excluding certain transaction costs incurred and the amortization of the cost of reinsurance related to the Closed Block individual disability reinsurance transaction, was higher than 2021 due primarily to a decline in expense allowances related to the ceded block of individual disability business.

Individual Disability Reinsurance Transaction

As shown in the chart above, we exclude from income before income tax and net investment gains and losses, the amortization of the cost of reinsurance and the impact of non-contemporaneous reinsurance related to the Closed Block individual disability reinsurance transaction, where we ceded a significant portion of this business. As a result of the execution of the second phase of the reinsurance transaction occurring after January 1, 2021, the transition date of ASU 2018-12, in accordance with the provisions of the ASU related to non-contemporaneous reinsurance, we were required to establish the ceded reserves using an upper-medium grade fixed-income instrument as of the reinsurance transaction date in March 2021 which resulted in higher ceded reserves compared to that which was reported historically. However, the direct reserves for the block reinsured in the second phase were calculated using the original discount rate utilized as of the transition date. Both the direct and ceded reserves are then remeasured at each reporting period using a current discount rate reflective of an upper-medium grade fixed-income instrument, with the changes recognized in OCI. While the total equity impact is neutral, the different original discount rates utilized for direct and ceded reserves result in disproportionate earnings impacts. The impact of non-contemporaneous reinsurance will fluctuate depending on the magnitude of reserve changes during the period. The increase in the effects of non-contemporaneous reinsurance treatment in 2023 compared to 2022 is due to favorable experience in this block which resulted in a larger net change in reserves in 2023 compared to the same periods of 2022. The increase in the effects of non-contemporaneous reinsurance treatment in 2022 compared to 2021 is due primarily to the timing of the second phase of the reinsurance transaction, which drove a larger net change in reserves in 2022 as 2021 only had three quarters that included non-contemporaneous reinsurance earnings impacts.

Due to the increase in ceded reserves for the second phase of the reinsurance transaction as part of our adoption of ASU 2018-12, the cost of reinsurance decreased which results in a decrease in the amortization of the cost of reinsurance. The cost of reinsurance continues to be amortized over a period of approximately 22 years, on a declining trajectory generally consistent with the expected run-off pattern of the ceded reserves.

We will continue to execute on our well-defined strategy of implementing long-term care premium rate increases, efficient capital management, improved financial analysis, and operational effectiveness. We will continue to explore structural options to enhance financial flexibility. We continue to file requests with various state insurance departments for premium rate increases on certain of our individual and group long-term care policies which reflect assumptions as of the date of filings. In states for which a rate increase is submitted and approved, we routinely provide customers options for coverage changes or other approaches that might fit their current financial and insurance needs. Despite continued anticipated premium rate increases in our long-term care business, we expect overall premium income and adjusted operating revenue to decline over the long term as these closed blocks of business wind down. We will likely experience volatility in net investment income due to fluctuations of miscellaneous investment income, driven by the allocation towards alternative assets, primarily private equity partnership investments, in the long-term care product line portfolio. We record changes in our share of the NAV of the partnerships in net investment income. We receive financial information related to our investments in partnerships and generally record investment income on a one-quarter lag in accordance with our accounting policy. As these net asset values are volatile and can fluctuate materially with changes in market economic conditions, there may possibly be significant movements up or down in future periods as conditions change. We continuously monitor key indicators to assess our risks and adjust our business plans, including utilization of derivative financial instruments to manage interest rate risk.

Profitability of our long-tailed products is affected by claims experience related to mortality and morbidity, resolutions, investment returns, premium rate increases, and persistency. The net premium ratio represents the ratio of future expected benefits and related expenses to future expected gross premiums using the original discount rate. The long-term care benefits experience may continue to have quarterly volatility, particularly in the near term as our claim block matures and as we continue the implementation of premium rate increases. Claim resolution rates which reflect the probability that a disability or long-term care claim will close due to recovery or death of the insureds, are very sensitive to operational and external factors and can be volatile. Our claim resolution rate assumption used in determining reserves is our expectation of the resolution rate we will experience over the life of the block of business and will vary from actual experience in any one period. It is possible that variability in any of our reserve assumptions, including, but not limited to, mortality, morbidity, resolutions, premium rate increases, benefit change elections, and persistency, could result in a material impact to our reserves.

As a result of the execution of the reinsurance transaction related to our Closed Block individual disability line of business, we have fully ceded a significant portion of this business. We expect that earnings will continue to be impacted by the amortization of the cost of reinsurance and the impacts from non-contemporaneous reinsurance, but we anticipate these impacts will decline over time with the run-off pattern of the reserves.