PRUDENTIAL FINANCIAL INC
For the period ended Dec 31, 2024. Filed Feb 13, 2025.
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FY2024 · Filed Feb 13, 2025
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Impact of Changes in the Interest Rate Environment
As a global financial services company, market interest rates are a key driver of our liquidity and capital positions, cash flows, results of operations and financial position. Changes in interest rates can affect these in several ways, including favorable or adverse impacts to:
investment-related activity, including: investment income returns, net investment spread results, new money rates, mortgage loan prepayments and bond redemptions;
the valuation of fixed income investments and derivative instruments;
collateral posting requirements, hedging costs and other risk mitigation activities;
customer account values and assets under management, including their impacts on fee-related income;
insurance reserve levels, including market risk benefits (“MRBs”), and market experience true-ups;
policyholder behavior, including surrender or withdrawal activity;
product offerings, design features, crediting rates and sales mix; and
the fair value of, and possible impairments on, intangible assets such as goodwill.
For additional information regarding interest rate risks, see “Risk Factors—Market Risk.”
See below for a discussion of the current interest rate environment and its impact to net investment spread in our U.S. and Japanese operations along with the composition of their insurance liabilities and policyholder account balances.
U.S. Operations excluding the Closed Block Division
While interest rates in the U.S. have experienced a sustained period of historically low levels, rates increased throughout 2022 and have continued to sustain higher levels throughout 2024, and our average reinvestment yield is generally now exceeding our current average portfolio yield.
In order to manage the impacts that changes in interest rates have on our net investment spread, we employ a proactive asset/liability management program, which includes strategic asset allocation and hedging strategies within a disciplined risk management framework. These strategies seek to match the liability characteristics of our products, and to closely approximate the interest rate sensitivity of the assets with the estimated interest rate sensitivity of the product liabilities. Our asset/liability management program also helps manage duration gaps, currency and other risks between assets and liabilities through the use of derivatives. We adjust this dynamic process as products change, as customer behavior changes and as changes in the market environment occur. As a result, our asset/liability management process has permitted us to manage the interest rate risk associated with our products through several market cycles. Our interest rate exposure is also mitigated by our business mix, which includes lines of business for which fee-based and insurance underwriting earnings play a more prominent role in product profitability. We also regularly examine our product offerings and their profitability. As a result, we may reprice certain products and discontinue sales of other products that do not meet our profit expectations.
The portion of the general account supporting our U.S. Businesses and our Corporate and Other operations has approximately $205 billion offixed maturity securities and commercial mortgage loans (based on net carrying value) as of December 31, 2024, with an average portfolio yield of approximately 4.9%. For this portion of the general account attributable to these operations, we estimate annual principal payments and prepayments that we would be required to reinvest to be approximately 7.4%of the fixed maturity security and commercial mortgage loan portfolios through 2026.
Included in the $205 billion of fixed maturity securities and commercial mortgage loans are approximately $170 billion that are subject to call or redemption features at the issuer’s option and have a weighted average interest rate of approximately 5%. Of this $170 billion, approximately 55% contain provisions for prepayment premiums. Future operating results will be impacted by (i) the reinvestment of scheduled payments or prepayments (not subject to a prepayment fee) at different rates compared to the current portfolio yield, including in some cases at rates below those guaranteed under our insurance contracts, and (ii) our utilization of other asset/liability management strategies, as described above, in order to maintain favorable net investment spread.
The following table sets forth the insurance liabilities and policyholder account balances of our U.S. operations excluding the Closed Block Division, by type, for the date indicated:
| As of December 31, 2024 | |
|---|---|
| (in billions) | |
| Long-duration insurance products with fixed and guaranteed terms | $194 |
| Contracts with adjustable crediting rates subject to guaranteed minimums | 37 |
| Participating contracts where investment income risk ultimately accrues to contractholders | 1 |
| Total | $232 |
The $194 billion above relates to long-duration products such as group annuities, structured settlements and other insurance products that have fixed and guaranteed terms. We seek to manage the impact of changes in interest rates on these contracts through asset/liability management, as discussed above.
The $37 billion above relates to contracts with crediting rates that may be adjusted over the life of the contract, subject to guaranteed minimums. Although we may have the ability to lower crediting rates for those contracts above guaranteed minimums, our willingness to do so may be limited by competitive pressures. For additional information regarding contracts with adjustable crediting rates subject to guaranteed minimums, see Note 13 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
The remaining $1 billion of insurance liabilities and policyholder account balances in these operations relates to participating contracts for which the investment income risk is expected to ultimately accrue to contractholders. The crediting rates for these contracts are periodically adjusted based on the return earned on the related assets.
Substantially all of the $47 billion of general account assets in the Closed Block division support obligations and liabilities relating to the Closed Block policies only. See Note 16 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information regarding the Closed Block.
Japanese Operations
Japan has experienced a low interest rate environment for many years, during which the Bank of Japan’s monetary policy has resulted in even lower and, at times, negative yields for certain tenors of government bonds; however, recent actions by the Bank of Japan have resulted in an increase in interest rates in 2024.
In order to manage, to the extent possible, the impact that the current interest rate environment has on our net investment spread, our Japanese operations employ a proactive asset/liability management program. We continue to purchase long-term bonds with tenors of 10 years or greater. We also regularly examine our product offerings and their profitability. As a result, we may reprice certain products, adjust commissions for certain products and discontinue sales of other products that do not meet our profit expectations. Additionally, our diverse product portfolio in terms of currency mix and premium payment structure allows us to further manage any impacts from changes in the interest rate environment. For additional information regarding sales within these operations, see “—International Businesses—Sales Results,” below.
The portion of the general account supporting our Japanese operations has approximately $142 billionof fixed maturity securities and commercial mortgage loans (based on net carrying value) as of December 31, 2024, with an average portfolio yield of approximately 3.0%. Our Japanese operations have continued to invest in U.S. dollar (“USD”)-denominated assets supporting our USD-denominated product portfolio, which has now driven average reinvestment rates to exceed current average portfolio rates. For this portion of the general account attributable to these operations, we estimate annual principal payments and prepayments that we would be required to reinvest to be approxim ately 6.1% of the fixed maturity security and commercial mortgage loan portfolios through 2026.
Included in the$142 billion of fixed maturity securities and commercial mortgage loans are approximately $12 billion that are subject to call or redem ption features at the issuer’s option and have a weighted average interest rate of approximately 4%. Of this$12 billion, approximately 7% contain provisions for prepayment premiums. Future operating results will be impacted by (i) the reinvestment of scheduled payments or prepayments (not subject to a prepayment fee) at different rates compared to the current portfolio yield, including in some cases at rates below those guaranteed under our insurance contracts, and (ii) our utilization of other asset/liability management strategies, as described above, in order to maintain favorable net investment spread.
The following table sets forth the insurance liabilities and policyholder account balances of our Japanese operations, by type, for the date indicated:
| As of December 31, 2024 | |
|---|---|
| (in billions) | |
| Insurance products with fixed and guaranteed terms | $108 |
| Contracts with a market value adjustment if canceled before maturity | 36 |
| Contracts with adjustable crediting rates subject to guaranteed minimums | 8 |
| Total | $152 |
The$108 billion primarily consists of long-duration insurance products that have fixed and guaranteed terms, for which underlying assets may have to be reinvested at interest rates that are lower than current portfolio yields. The remaining insurance liabilities and policyholder account balances include $36 billion related to contracts that impose a market value adjustment if the contracts are canceled before maturity and $8 billion related to contracts with crediting rates that may be adjusted over the life of the contract, subject to guaranteed minimums. Most of the current crediting rates on these contracts, however, are at or near contractual minimums. Although we have the ability in some cases to lower crediting rates for those contracts that are above guaranteed minimum crediting rates, the majority of this business has interest crediting rates that are determined by formula. See Note 13 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information regarding crediting rates on policyholder account balances.
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