GLOBE LIFE INC

A discussion of health operations by distribution channel follows.

The United American Division consists of non-exclusive independent agencies who may also sell for other companies. The United American Division was Globe Life's largest health agency in terms of health premium income, with net sales up 14% from the same period in the prior year.

This Division includes three different units:

•UA General Agency, which primarily sells individual Medicare Supplement insurance through independent agents;

•Special Markets, which markets retiree health insurance to employer and union groups through brokers; and

•Globe Life Group Benefits, which offers group worksite supplemental health insurance through brokers.

The majority of the premium revenue comes from Medicare Supplement. Underwriting margin as a percent of premium for the Division was 10% for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 11% for the same period in 2023.

The Family Heritage Division primarily markets limited-benefit supplemental health insurance in non-urban areas. Most of its policies include a cash-back feature, such as a return of premium, where any excess of premiums over claims paid is returned to the policyholder at the end of a specified period stated within the insurance policy. Underwriting margin as a percent of premium was 34% for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023.

The Division experienced a 11% rise in health net sales as compared with the nine-month period a year ago, primarily due to improved agent productivity and training. The Division will continue to implement incentive and retention programs to further these increases in the number of producing agents.

Below is the average producing agent count at the end of the period for the Family Heritage Division. The average producing agent count is based on the actual count at the beginning and end of each week during the year. The average producing agent count was slightly higher than compared with the same period a year ago. The Division has recently increased efforts to grow agent count and middle management. While growth in net sales and earned premium is impacted by agent productivity, growth in the number of average producing agents is what will ultimately be the primary driver of future growth in sales, similar to our other exclusive agencies.

The Liberty National Division represented 14% of all Globe Life health premium income for the nine months ended September 30, 2024. The Liberty National Division markets limited-benefit supplemental health products, consisting primarily of cancer and critical illness insurance. Much of Liberty National's health business is generated through worksite marketing targeting small businesses. Health premium at the Liberty National Division was $143 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 up from $141 million for the same period in 2023. Liberty National's first-year collected premium rose 13% to $21 million in the nine months ended September 30, 2024 compared with $19 million for the same period in 2023. Health net sales for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 rose 1% from the comparable period in 2023. For the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, underwriting margin as a percent of premium was 56%.

While both the American Income Life Division and the Direct to Consumer Division sell life insurance, they also market health products. The American Income Life Division primarily markets accident plans. The Direct to Consumer Division primarily markets Medicare Supplements to employer or union-sponsored groups. On a combined basis, these other channels accounted for 14% of health premium for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023.

ANNUITIES

Annuities represent an insignificant part of our business. We do not currently market stand-alone fixed or deferred annuity products, favoring instead protection-oriented life and supplemental health insurance products.

INVESTMENTS

We manage our capital resources, including investments and cash flow, through the investment segment. Excess investment income represents the profit margin attributable to investment operations and is the measure that we use to evaluate the performance of the investment segment as described in Note 12—Business Segments. It is defined as net investment income less the required interest attributable to policy liabilities.

Management also views excess investment income per diluted common share as an important and useful measure to evaluate the performance of the investment segment. It is defined as excess investment income divided by the total diluted weighted average shares outstanding, representing the contribution by the investment segment to the consolidated earnings per share of the Company. As excess investment income per diluted common share incorporates all invested assets and insurance liabilities, we view excess investment income per diluted common share as a useful measure to evaluate the investment segment.

Excess Investment Income. The following table summarizes Globe Life's investment income, excess investment income, and excess investment income per diluted common share.

Analysis of Excess Investment Income

(Dollar amounts in thousands, except for per share data)

(1)Interest on policy liabilities, at original rates, is a component of total policyholder benefits, a GAAP measure.

Excess investment income increased $31.5 million, or 33%, compared with the year-ago period. Excess investment income per diluted common share was $1.38 for the nine months ended September 30, 2024, an increase of 41% over the prior-year period. Excess investment income per diluted common share generally increases at a faster pace than excess investment income because the number of diluted shares outstanding generally decreases from year to year as a result of our share repurchase program.

Net investment income for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 was $853 million or 9% greater than the year-ago period. Mean invested assets increased 5% during the first nine months of 2024 over the same period last year. Investment income grew in the current period primarily due to the growth in invested assets and higher interest rates compared to the prior year. The effective annual yield rate earned on the fixed maturity portfolio was 5.26% in the first nine months of 2024, compared with 5.18% a year earlier. In addition to fixed maturities, the Company has also invested in commercial mortgage loans and limited partnerships with debt-like characteristics that diversify risk and enhance risk-adjusted, capital-adjusted returns on the portfolio. The earned yield on the Company's commercial mortgage loans for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 was 8.47%. The earned yield on limited partnership investments for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 was 8.64%. See additional information in Note 4—Investments.

Globe Life's net investment income benefits from higher interest rates on new investments. While increasing interest rates have resulted in a net unrealized loss from our available for sale debt securities included in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) as of September 30, 2024, we are not concerned because we do not generally intend to sell, nor is it likely that we will be required to sell, the fixed maturities prior to their anticipated recovery.

Required interest on insurance policy liabilities reduces excess investment income, as it is the amount of net investment income considered by management necessary to “fund” required interest on insurance policy liabilities. As such, it is reclassified from the insurance segment to the investment segment. As discussed in Note 12—Business Segments, management regards this as a more meaningful analysis of the investment and insurance segments. Required interest is based on the original discount rate assumptions for our insurance policies in force.

The vast majority of our life and health insurance policies are fixed interest rate protection policies, not investment products, and are accounted for under current GAAP accounting guidance for long-duration insurance products which mandate that interest rate assumptions for a particular block of business be “locked in” for the life of that block of business. Each calendar year, we set the original discount rate to be used to calculate the benefit reserve liability for all insurance policies issued that year. The liability reported on the balance sheet is updated in subsequent periods using current discount rates as of the end of the relevant reporting period with a corresponding adjustment to Other Comprehensive Income.

The discount rate used for policies issued in the current year has no impact on the in-force policies issued in prior years as the rates of all prior issue years are also locked in for purposes of recognizing income. As such, the overall original discount rate for the entire in-force block of 5.5% is a weighted average of the discount rates being used from all issue years. Changes in the overall weighted-average discount rate over time are caused by changes in the mix of the reserves on the entire block of in force business. Business issued in the current year has little impact on the overall weighted-average original discount rate due to the size of our in-force business.

In comparison to the year-ago period, required interest on insurance policy liabilities increased $36 million, or 5%, to $727 million, consistent with the 5% growth in average interest-bearing insurance policy liabilities.

Realized Gains and Losses. Our life and health insurance companies collect premium income from policyholders for the eventual payment of policyholder benefits, sometimes paid for many years or even decades in the future. Since benefits are expected to be paid in future periods, premium receipts in excess of current expenses are invested to provide for these obligations. For this reason, we hold a significant investment portfolio as a part of our core insurance operations. This portfolio consists primarily of high-quality fixed maturities containing an adequate yield to provide for the cost of carrying these long-term insurance product obligations. As a result, fixed maturities are generally held for long periods to support these obligations. Expected yields on these investments are taken into account when setting insurance premium rates and product profitability expectations.

Despite our intent to hold fixed maturity investments for a long period of time, investments are occasionally sold, exchanged, called, or experience a credit loss event, resulting in a realized gain or loss. Gains or losses are only secondary to our core insurance operations of providing insurance coverage to policyholders. In a bond exchange offer, bondholders may consent to exchange their existing bonds for another class of debt securities. The Company also has investments in certain limited partnerships, held under the fair value option, with fair value changes recognized in Realized gains (losses) in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations.

Realized gains and losses can be significant in relation to the earnings from core insurance operations, and as a result, can have a material positive or negative impact on net income. The significant fluctuations caused by gains and losses can cause period-to-period trends of net income that are not indicative of historical core operating results or predictive of the future trends of core operations. Accordingly, they have no bearing on core insurance operations or segment results as we view operations. For these reasons, and in line with industry practice, we remove the effects of realized gains and losses when evaluating overall insurance operating results.

The following table summarizes our tax-effected realized gains (losses) by component.

Analysis of Realized Gains (Losses), Net of Tax

(Dollar amounts in thousands, except for per share data)

(1)During the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, the Company recorded $82.2 million and $39.0 million, respectively, of exchanges of fixed maturity securities (noncash transactions) that resulted in no realized gains (losses), net of tax in either period.

(2)Other realized gains (losses) are primarily a result of changes in the fair value for assets held in rabbi trust.

Investment Acquisitions. Globe Life's investment policy calls for investing primarily in investment grade fixed maturities that meet our quality and yield objectives. We generally invest in securities with longer-term maturities because they more closely match the long-term nature of our life and health policy liabilities. We believe this strategy is appropriate since our expected future cash flows are generally stable and predictable and the likelihood that we will need to sell invested assets to raise cash is low.

The following table summarizes selected information for fixed maturity investments. The effective annual yield shown is based on the acquisition price and call features, if any, of the securities. For non-callable bonds, the yield is calculated to maturity date. For callable bonds acquired at a premium, the yield is calculated to the earliest known call date and call price after acquisition ("first call date"). For all other callable bonds, the yield is calculated to maturity date.

Fixed Maturity Acquisitions Selected Information

(1)Fixed maturity acquisitions included unsettled trades of $4 million in 2024 and $20 million in 2023.

(2)Tax-equivalent basis, where the yield on tax-exempt securities is adjusted to produce a yield equivalent to the pretax yield on taxable securities.

For investments in callable bonds, the actual life of the investment will depend on whether the issuer calls the investment prior to the maturity date. Given our investments in callable bonds, the actual average life of our investments cannot be known at the time of the investment. Absent sales and "make-whole calls," however, the average life will not be less than the average life to next call and will not exceed the average life to maturity. Data for both of these average life measures is provided in the above chart.

Acquisitions in 2023 and 2024 consisted primarily of corporate and municipal bonds with securities spanning a diversified range of issuers, industry sectors, and geographical regions. In the first nine months of 2024, we invested primarily in the industrial, financial, and utility sectors. For the entire portfolio, the taxable equivalent effective yield earned was 5.26%, up approximately 8 basis points from the yield in the first nine months of 2023. The increase in taxable equivalent effective yield was primarily due to new purchases at yields exceeding the yield on dispositions and the average portfolio yield. Our investment in fixed maturity securities was lower this quarter as we also invested in other investment opportunities. For the remainder of 2024, the Company will continue to execute on its existing strategy by seeking to invest in assets that satisfy our quality and other objectives, while maximizing the highest risk-adjusted, capital-adjusted return.

During the current quarter ended September 30, 2024, the Company acquired a COLI policy in the amount of $200 million.

Since fixed maturities represent such a significant portion of our investment portfolio, the remainder of the discussion of portfolio composition will focus on fixed maturities. See a breakdown of the Company's Other long-term investments in Note 4—Investments.

Selected information concerning the fixed maturity portfolio is as follows:

Fixed Maturity Portfolio Selected Information

(1)Tax-equivalent basis. The yield on tax-exempt securities is adjusted to produce a yield equivalent to the pretax yield on taxable securities.

(2)Globe Life calculates the average life and duration of the fixed maturity portfolio two ways:

(a) based on the next call date which is the next call date for callable bonds and the maturity date for noncallable bonds, and

(b) based on the maturity date of all bonds, whether callable or not.

(3)Effective duration is a measure of the price sensitivity of a fixed-income security to a 1% change in interest rates.

Credit Risk Sensitivity. The following tables summarize certain information about the major corporate sectors and security types held in our fixed maturity portfolio at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023.

Fixed Maturities by Sector

September 30, 2024

Fixed Maturities by Sector

December 31, 2023

Corporate securities, which consist of bonds and redeemable preferred stocks, were the largest component of the fixed maturity portfolio as of September 30, 2024, representing 80% of amortized cost, net, and 81% of fair value. The remainder of the portfolio is invested primarily in securities issued by the U.S. government and U.S. municipalities. The Company holds insignificant amounts in foreign government bonds, collateralized debt obligations, asset-backed securities, and mortgage-backed securities. Corporate securities are diversified over a variety of industry sectors and issuers. At September 30, 2024, the total fixed maturity portfolio consisted of 975 issuers.

Fixed maturities had a fair value of $18.3 billion at September 30, 2024, compared with $17.9 billion at December 31, 2023. The net unrealized loss position in the fixed-maturity portfolio decreased from $1.0 billion at December 31, 2023 to $743 million at September 30, 2024 due to an increase in market rates during the period.

For more information about our fixed maturity portfolio by component at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, including a discussion of allowance for credit losses, an analysis of unrealized investment losses, and a schedule of maturities, see Note 4—Investments.

An analysis of the fixed maturity portfolio by composite quality rating at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, is shown in the following tables. The composite rating for each security, other than private-placement securities managed by third parties, is the average of the security’s available ratings as assigned by Moody’s Investor Service, Standard & Poor’s, Fitch Ratings, and Dominion Bond Rating Service, LTD. The ratings assigned by these four nationally recognized statistical rating organizations are evenly weighted when calculating the average. The composite quality rating is created utilizing a methodology developed by Globe Life using ratings from the various rating agencies noted above. The composite quality rating is not a Standard & Poor's credit rating. Standard & Poor's does not sponsor, endorse, or promote the composite quality rating and shall not be liable for any use of the composite quality rating. Included in the following chart are private placement fixed maturity holdings at amortized cost, net of allowance for credit losses, of $409 million ($377 million at fair value) for which the ratings were assigned by the third-party managers.

Fixed Maturities by Rating

At September 30, 2024

Fixed Maturities by Rating

At December 31, 2023

The overall quality rating of the portfolio is A-, the same as of year-end 2023. Fixed maturities rated BBB are 46% of the total portfolio at September 30, 2024, down from 48% at December 31, 2023. While this ratio is high relative to our peers, it is at its lowest level since 2007 and we have limited exposure to higher-risk assets such as derivatives, equities, and asset-backed securities. Additionally, the Company does not participate in securities lending and has no off-balance sheet investments as of September 30, 2024. Of our fixed maturity purchases, BBB securities generally provide the Company with the best risk-adjusted, capital-adjusted returns largely due to our ability to hold securities to maturity regardless of fluctuations in interest rates or equity markets.

An analysis of changes in our portfolio of below-investment grade fixed maturities at amortized cost, net of allowance for credit losses is as follows:

Below-Investment Grade Fixed Maturities

Our investment policy calls for investing primarily in fixed maturities that are investment grade and meet our quality and yield objectives. Thus, the balance of below-investment grade issues is primarily the result of ratings downgrades of existing holdings. Below-investment grade bonds at amortized cost, net of allowance for credit losses, were 8% of our shareholders’ equity excluding accumulated other comprehensive income as of September 30, 2024. Globe Life invests long term and as such, one of our key criterion in our investment process is to select issuers that are anticipated to weather multiple financial cycles.

OPERATING EXPENSES

Operating expenses are included in the "Corporate and Other" segment and are classified into two categories: insurance administrative expenses and expenses of the Parent Company. Insurance administrative expenses generally include expenses incurred after a policy has been issued. As these expenses relate to premium for a given period, management measures the expenses as a percentage of premium income. The Company also views stock-based compensation expense as a Parent Company expense. Expenses associated with the issuance of our insurance policies are reflected as acquisition expenses and included in the determination of underwriting margin.

An analysis of operating expenses is shown below.

Operating Expenses Selected Information

Total operating expenses for September 30, 2024 increased in comparison with the prior year primarily due to increases in insurance administrative expenses as well as stock compensation and legal costs and proceedings. Insurance administrative expenses increased $27.1 million primarily due to higher information technology costs, legal costs and employee costs, which includes salaries and other. Insurance administrative expenses as a percent of premium were 7.2% for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 compared to 6.7% for the same period in 2023.

SHARE REPURCHASES

Globe Life has an ongoing share repurchase program that began in 1986. The share repurchase program is reviewed with the Board of Directors by management quarterly, and continues indefinitely unless and until the Board of Directors decides to suspend, terminate or modify the program. Management generally determines the amount of repurchases based on the amount of the excess cash flows and other available sources after the payment of dividends to the Parent Company shareholders, general market conditions, and other alternative uses. Since implementing our share repurchase program in 1986, we have used $10.3 billion to repurchase Globe Life Inc. common shares after determining that the repurchases provide a greater risk-adjusted after-tax return than other investment alternatives.

Excess cash flow at the Parent Company is primarily comprised of dividends received from the insurance subsidiaries less interest expense paid on its debt and other limited operating activities. Additionally, when stock options are exercised, proceeds from these exercises and the resulting tax benefit are used to repurchase additional shares on the open market to minimize dilution as a result of the option exercises.

The following chart summarizes share repurchases for the nine month periods ended September 30, 2024 and 2023.

Analysis of Share Repurchases

(Amounts in thousands, except per share data)

(1)Excludes excise tax on the repurchase of treasury stock of $9.0 million and $2.9 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively.

The amount of share repurchases in the third quarter were higher as we accelerated repurchases given favorable market conditions and the use of additional capital raised during the quarter. Refer to Note 11—Debt for further details. Throughout the remainder of this discussion, share repurchases will only refer to those made from excess cash flow at the Parent Company.

FINANCIAL CONDITION

Liquidity. Liquidity provides Globe Life with the ability to meet on demand the cash commitments required to support our business operations and meet our financial obligations. Our liquidity is primarily derived from multiple sources: positive cash flow from operations, a portfolio of marketable securities, a revolving credit facility, commercial paper, and advances from the Federal Home Loan Bank.

Insurance Subsidiary Liquidity. The operations of our insurance subsidiaries have historically generated substantial cash inflows in excess of immediate cash needs. Cash inflows for the insurance subsidiaries primarily include premium and investment income. In addition to investment income, maturities and scheduled repayments in the investment portfolio are cash inflows. Cash outflows from operations include policy benefit payments, commissions, administrative expenses, and taxes. A portion of the excess cash inflows in the current year will provide for the payment of future policy benefits and are invested primarily in long-term fixed maturities as they better match the long-term nature of these obligations. Excess cash available from the insurance subsidiaries’ operations is generally distributed as a dividend to the Parent Company, subject to regulatory restrictions. The dividends are generally paid in amounts equal to the subsidiaries’ prior year statutory net income excluding realized capital gains. While the leading source of the excess cash is investment income, a significant portion of the excess cash also comes from underwriting income due to our high underwriting margins and effective expense control.

While the insurance subsidiaries annually generate more operating cash inflows than cash outflows, the companies also have the entire available-for-sale fixed maturity investment portfolio available to create additional cash flows if required.

Four of our insurance subsidiaries are members of the FHLB of Dallas. FHLB membership provides the insurance subsidiaries with access to various low-cost collateralized borrowings and funding agreements. While not the only source of liquidity, the FHLB could provide the insurance subsidiaries with an additional source of liquidity, if needed. Refer to Note 11—Debt for further details.

Parent Company Liquidity. An important source of Parent Company liquidity is the dividends from its insurance subsidiaries. These dividends are received throughout the year and are used by the Parent Company to pay dividends on common and preferred stock, interest and principal repayment requirements on Parent Company debt, and operating expenses of the Parent Company.

(1)Excess cash flows are reported gross of shareholder dividends. For the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, shareholder dividends were $65 million and $63 million, respectively. For the twelve months ended December 31, 2024, we project approximately $86 million in shareholder dividends, compared to the $84 million paid in 2023.

Dividends from subsidiaries and excess cash flows are projected to be higher in 2024 than in 2023 primarily due to lower life obligations and the growth in our underwriting margins in 2023, both of which resulted in higher statutory earnings generated by the affiliates. Additional sources of liquidity for the Parent Company are cash, intercompany receivables, intercompany borrowings, debt markets, term loans, and a revolving credit facility.

Short-Term Borrowings. An additional source of Parent Company liquidity is a credit facility with a group of lenders. The facility was amended on March 29, 2024, resulting in an increased capacity of $250 million. The facility allows for unsecured borrowings and stand-by letters of credit up to $1 billion, which could be increased up to $1.25 billion. While the Parent Company may request the increase, it is not guaranteed. The updated five-year credit agreement will mature on March 29, 2029. Up to $250 million in letters of credit can be issued against the facility. The facility serves as a back-up line of credit for a commercial paper program under which commercial paper may be issued at any time, with total commercial paper outstanding not to exceed the facility maximum, less any letters of credit issued. Interest charged on the commercial paper program resembles variable rate debt due to its short term nature. As of September 30, 2024, we had available $458 million of additional borrowing capacity under this facility, compared to $384 million a year earlier. As of September 30, 2024, the Parent Company was in full compliance with all covenants related to the aforementioned debt.

As a part of the credit facility, Globe Life has stand-by letters of credits. These letters of credit are issued on behalf of our insurance subsidiaries.

The following tables present certain information about our commercial paper borrowings.

Credit Facility—Commercial Paper

Credit Facility—Commercial Paper Activity

The Company increased the commercial paper borrowings by $108 million since year-end. The Company was able to issue commercial paper as needed under this facility during the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023.

Globe Life expects to have readily available funds for 2024 and the foreseeable future to conduct its operations and to maintain target capital ratios in the insurance subsidiaries through liquid assets currently available, internally-generated cash flow and the credit facility. In the event that more liquidity is needed, the Parent Company could generate additional funds through multiple sources including, but not limited to, the issuance of debt, an additional short-term credit facility or term loan, and intercompany borrowing.

Consolidated Liquidity. Consolidated net cash inflows from operations were $1.07 billion in the first nine months of 2024, compared with $1.09 billion in the same period of 2023. The decrease is primarily attributable to fluctuations in the settlement of certain amounts included in other liabilities. In addition to cash inflows from operations, our insurance companies received proceeds from dispositions of fixed maturities available for sale, mortgage loans, and other long-term investments in the amount of $895 million during the first nine months of 2024. The Company sold shorter term securities and reinvested in longer term securities, extending duration and taking advantage of higher current interest rates during the nine months ended September 30, 2024. As previously noted under the caption Short-Term Borrowings, the Parent Company has in place a revolving credit facility. The insurance companies have no additional outstanding credit facilities.

Cash and short-term investments were $235 million at September 30, 2024, compared with $185 million at December 31, 2023. In addition to these liquid assets, $18.3 billion (fair value at September 30, 2024) of fixed income securities are available for sale in the event of an unexpected need. Approximately $1.4 billion, at fair value, are pledged for outstanding FHLB advances and reinsurance. Further, approximately 97% of our fixed income securities are publicly traded, freely tradable under SEC Rule 144, or qualified for resale under SEC Rule 144A. While our fixed income securities are classified as available for sale, we have the ability and general intent to hold any securities to recovery or maturity. Our strong cash flows from operations, on-going investment maturities, and available liquidity under our credit facility make any need to sell securities for liquidity highly unlikely.

Capital Resources. The Parent Company's capital structure consists of short-term debt (the commercial paper facility and current maturities of long-term debt), long-term debt, and shareholders’ equity. It does not include short-term FHLB borrowings, which are obligations of the insurance subsidiaries and typically repaid over the course of the year.

Long-Term Borrowings. The outstanding long-term debt at book value was $2.3 billion at September 30, 2024 and $1.6 billion at December 31, 2023.

Selected Information about Debt Issues

As of September 30, 2024

(1)An additional $150 million par value and book value is held by insurance subsidiaries that eliminates in consolidation.

(2)Interest calculated quarterly using Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) plus 135 basis points. The term loan was amended on August 15, 2024 extending the maturity date from November 11, 2024 to August 15, 2027 and increasing the principal amount from $170 million to $250 million.

On August 23, 2024, Globe Life completed the issuance of $450 million principal amount of 5.85% Senior notes due September 15, 2034. Total proceeds received by the Parent from the issuance, net of the underwriters’ discount, were $445 million. The proceeds were used for general corporate purposes, which included open market purchases of shares of its common stock under its share repurchase program.

Financing costs for the corporate and other segment consist primarily of interest on our various debt instruments. The table below presents the components of financing costs and reconciles interest expense per the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations.

Analysis of Financing Costs

During the first nine months of 2024, financing costs increased 19% compared with the prior year. The increase in financing costs is primarily due to higher average balances in the current year compared to the prior year. We increased the durations on commercial paper issuances during the quarter ended September 30, 2024 due to market considerations. More information on our debt transactions is disclosed in the Financial Condition section of this report.

Subsidiary Capital: The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) has established a risk-based factor approach for determining threshold risk-based capital levels for all insurance companies. This approach was designed to assist the regulatory bodies in identifying companies that may require regulatory attention. A Risk-Based Capital (RBC) ratio is typically determined by dividing adjusted total statutory capital by the amount of risk-based capital determined using the NAIC’s factors. If a company’s RBC ratio approaches two times the RBC amount, the company must file a plan with the NAIC for improving its capital levels (this level is commonly referred to as “Company Action Level” RBC). Companies typically hold a multiple of the Company Action Level RBC depending on their particular business needs and risk profile.

Our goal is to maintain statutory capital within our insurance subsidiaries at levels necessary to support our current ratings. For 2024, Globe Life has targeted a consolidated Company Action Level RBC ratio of 300% to 320%. The Company has concluded that this capital level is more than adequate and sufficient to support its current ratings, given the nature of its business and its risk profile. The Parent Company is committed to maintaining the targeted consolidated RBC ratio at its insurance subsidiaries and has sufficient liquidity available to provide additional capital if necessary.

Shareholders' Equity: Shareholders’ equity was $4.6 billion at September 30, 2024. This compares with $4.5 billion at December 31, 2023 and $4.6 billion at September 30, 2023. During the nine months since December 31, 2023, shareholders’ equity increased as a result of net income of $816 million during the first nine months of 2024, but was offset by share repurchases of $910 million and an additional $31 million in share repurchases to offset the dilution from stock option exercises. Additionally, the balance of AOCI increased $288 million primarily due to increased interest rates and discount rates over the period.

On August 8, 2024, the Parent Company announced that it had declared a quarterly dividend of $0.24 per share. This dividend was paid on November 1, 2024.

We plan to use excess cash available at the Parent Company as efficiently as possible in the future. Possible uses of excess cash flow include, but are not limited to, share repurchases, acquisitions, shareholder dividend payments, investments in securities, or repayment of short-term debt. We will determine the best use of excess cash after ensuring that targeted capital levels are maintained in our insurance subsidiaries. If market conditions are favorable, we currently expect that share repurchases will continue to be a primary use of those funds.

Future policy benefits are computed using current discount rates with the impact of changes in discount rates included in accumulated other comprehensive income. Additionally, the liability for future policy benefits is calculated using net premiums rather than gross premiums. Given that gross premiums are considerably higher than net premiums for our business, as seen in Note 6—Policy Liabilities, the measurement of the liability is higher than what it would be had it been computed using gross premiums. This is an important consideration when analyzing shareholders' equity.

Globe Life is required under GAAP to revalue its available for sale fixed maturity portfolio to fair market value at the end of each accounting period. These changes, net of their associated impact on income tax, are reflected directly in shareholders’ equity. Fluctuations in interest rates cause undue volatility in the period-to-period presentation of our shareholders’ equity, capital structure, and financial ratios. Due to the long-term nature of our fixed maturity investments and policy liabilities and the strong cash flows consistently generated by our insurance subsidiaries, we have the ability to hold our securities to maturity. As such, we do not expect to incur losses due to fluctuations in market value of fixed maturities caused by market rate changes and temporarily illiquid markets. Accordingly, our management, credit rating agencies, lenders, many industry analysts, and certain other financial statement users prefer to remove the effect of this accounting rule when analyzing our balance sheet, capital structure, and financial ratios.