Operator
Operator
Good morning. My name is Bonnie and I will be your conference operator today. At this time, I would like to welcome everyone to the American Financial Group 2011 First Quarter Earnings Conference Call. All lines have been placed on mute to prevent any background noise. After the speakers’ remarks, there will be a question-and-answer session. (Operator Instructions) Thank you. I would now like to turn the call over to Mr. Keith Jensen, Senior Vice President. Please go ahead sir. Keith Jensen – Senior Vice President: Thank you very much. Good morning and welcome to American Financial Group’s 2011 first quarter earnings results conference call. I’m joined this morning by Carl Lindner III and Craig Lindner Co-CEOs of American Financial Group. If you’re viewing the webcast from our website, you can follow along with the slide presentation, if you’d like. Certain statements made during this call are not historical facts and may be considered forward-looking statements and are based on estimates, assumptions, and projections, which management believes are reasonable, but by their nature, subject to risks and uncertainties. The factors that could cause actual results and/or financial condition to differ materially from those suggested by the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to those discussed or identified from time-to-time in AFG’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Annual Report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. We do not promise to update such forward-looking statements to reflect annual results or actual results or changes in assumptions or other factors that could affect these statements. Core net operating earnings is a non-GAAP financial measure, which sets aside significant items that are generally not considered to be part of ongoing operations. These include net realized gains or losses on investments, the effects of accountings changes, discontinued operations, significant asbestos and environmental charges, and certain other non-recurring items. AFG believes that this non-GAAP measure to be a useful tool for analysts and investors as they analyze ongoing operating trends and these will be discussed for various periods during the call. A reconciliation of net earnings attributable to shareholders to core net operating earnings is included in our earnings release. Now, I’m pleased to turn the call over to Carl Lindner III to discuss our results. Carl Lindner III – Co-Chief Executive Officer: Good morning and thank you for joining us. Yesterday afternoon, we released our 2011 first quarter results. Although our core net operating earnings per share were down approximately 11% from the comparable 2010 period, we’re pleased to report solid operating results that we’re consistent with our overall expectations. We’re especially pleased with our continued strong property and casualty operating results in a challenging property and casualty marketplace and the record operating results posted by our Annuity and Supplemental Group. We believe that our specialization strategy and the strong alignment of interest we’ve created with the leaders of each of our specialty business units have contributed to these results. I am assuming that the participants on today’s call have reviewed our earnings release and the supplemental materials posted on our website. I’ll review a few highlights and focus today’s discussion on few key issues. I’ll also briefly discuss our outlook for the remainder of 2011. Let’s start by looking at our first quarter results summarized on slides three and four of the webcast. Net earnings per share were $0.79 for the quarter, 15% lower than the comparable 2010 period. 2011 results included realized losses of $0.02 per share and reflect the impact of share repurchases during the last two years. Our core net operating earnings were $86 million or $0.81 per share compared to the prior year’s results of $103 million or $0.91 per share. Record operating earnings in our Annuity and Supplemental Insurance Group were more than offset by lower underwriting profit in our specialty, property, and casualty insurance operations and lower property and casualty investment income. Annualized core operating return on equity was approximately 9%. One of our important strategic objectives is to deploy our excess capital in a way that enhances shareholder value. To that end, we continued our share repurchases and purchased 2.5 million shares of our common stock at an average price of $34.04 per share during the first quarter of 2011. The average purchase price was approximately 89% of the book value per share as of March 31, 2011. We feel this remains an effective means of increasing shareholder value. There are approximately 10.2 million shares remaining under our current repurchase authorization, which our board extended in February this year. Share repurchases are one of several alternatives for deployment of excess capital. In addition, we continue to strive for healthy profitable organic growth and look for opportunities to expand our specialty niche businesses through start-ups or acquisitions where it makes sense to do so. As you’ll see on slide four, AFG’s book value per share, excluding appropriated retained earnings and unrealized gains and losses on fixed maturities increased 2% during the quarter to $38.33. Tangible book value on a comparable basis was $36.02 at March 31, 2011 up 2% from year end 2010. Our capital adequacy, financial condition, and liquidity remained strong at our key areas of focus for us. We’ve maintained capital on our insurance businesses at levels that support our operations and are in excess of amounts required for our rating levels. At the end of the first quarter, our excess capital was $890 million, which included cash at the parent company of approximately $330 million. On slide five, you will see summary results for our specialty, property and casualty operations. Property and casualty, specialty insurance operations generated an underwriting profit that was lower than the first quarter of 2010. The reduced profit is primarily the result of a $24 million decrease in favorable reserve development when compared to 2010 first quarter results. The combined ratio was 92, five points higher than the first quarter 2010. The recent tornados in the United States as well as catastrophic natural disasters in Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and the unrest in North America and the Middle East have all been silvering. We pray for god’s blessing upon the many people that have been so heavily affected. Our catastrophe losses of $8 million in the 2011 first quarter were comparable to the amounts reported in the prior year. We’re in the early stages of assessing our loss results for the most recent tornados and severe storms in the U.S. Our losses in Japan, Australia and New Zealand are minimal. These events reinforced the wisdom in our taking an active approach to managing catastrophic risks, specifically quake and hurricane. Giving consideration to the changes recently introduced by RMS 11 are 1 and 250-year wind and quake exposures are less than 2% of shareholders’ equity. We have received preliminary notice of some potential claims arising primarily from market forms political risk business in Africa and the Middle East. Typically, there is a 180-day period associated with political risk insurance during which the result of the unrest is assessed. We are in that period and have commenced the early stages of investigation. AFG share of any potential loss will be after the application of available reinsurance, potential segregation recovery, and will be substantially limited to our proportional share of market form. We don’t believe that the impact of notices received today will be material to AFG. However, it’s a volatile environment, we’re continuing to monitor and in which additional notices are possible. Our range continue in much of the Midwest prompting some questions about excess moisture for crop insurers. For the most part, there isn’t any meaningful loss to potential corn yields in much of the Midwest unless planting is delayed until the late May. Soybean planting would need to be delayed until late June before any meaningful loss of yield potential would occur. We continue to monitor the situation closely although it’s a little early to get overly concerned about excess moisture and preventive planting circumstances. Gross and net written premiums were up modestly in 2011 first quarter compared to the same quarter a year ago. Additional premiums from National Interstate’s third quarter 2010 acquisition of Vanliner were offset somewhat by lower premium volume in our targeted markets operations and the decision to exit our excess workers’ comp business. Overall, average renewal rates for the first quarter of 2011 were flat when compared to the prior year period. While the business environment continues to be competitive, we are achieving price increases in more of our businesses. Gross investment income related to our property and casualty operations was down approximately 20% during the first quarter of 2011 when compared to the first quarter of the prior year. This is primarily due to decreased holdings and higher yielding investments and generates lower reinvestment rates as we discussed during the last quarter’s call. Now, I’d like to discuss a few highlights from each of our specialty business groups on slide six. Property and transportation group reported first quarter 2011 underwriting profits of $33 million, about 4% higher than in the prior year period. Improved results in our agricultural operations were offset by lower underwriting profits in our transportation businesses, particularly those that serve independent owner operators. Catastrophe losses in this group were $5 million compared to $8 million in the prior year periods. Almost all of our property and transportation businesses reported strong underwriting profits during the first quarter of 2011. Our average renewal rates for this group during 2011 so far were flat compared to the prior year period. Our specialty casualty group reported a first quarter 2011 underwriting profit of $2 million compared to an underwriting profit of $18 million in the first quarter of 2010. Lower underwriting profits were due primarily to a $19 million decrease in favorable reserve development. Lower underwriting profits and a book of program business contributed in large measure to these results. Improved profitability in our general liability operations primarily that those that serve the homebuilders industry as well as in our executive liability in excess of surplus lines businesses partially offset these results. Average renewal rates for this group during the first quarter of 2011 were up 1% compared to the prior year period. Specialty Financial group reported underwriting profits of $10 million in first quarter 2011 compared to $21 million in the first quarter 2010. Lower favorable reserve, favorable development resulting from a reserve increase in a runoff book of collateral mortgage protection insurance and the absence of favorable development related to our runoff automobile residual value insurance operations more than offset higher underwriting profits in our financial institutions business. Average renewal rates for this group during the first quarter were down 1% compared to the prior year period. Now, let’s move on to review of our Annuity and Supplemental Insurance Group on slide seven. The Annuity and Supplemental Insurance Group generated record core net operating earnings before income tax of $52 million for the 2011 first quarter, 18% higher than the same period a year earlier. These results reflect higher earnings in our fixed annuity operations, especially our bank distribution channel as well as the impact of expense savings. Record statutory premiums of $779 million in the first quarter were 57% higher than the first quarter of 2010 primarily as a result of higher sales of annuities in the bank market. We continue to experience strong persistency in our annuity businesses and remain committed to product designs that reward policyholders and agents for long-term persistency. Now, please turn to slide eight for a few highlights regarding our investment portfolio. During the first quarter 2011 AFG recorded after-tax, after DAC realized losses of $3 million compared to net realized gains of $3 million in the prior year period. The after-tax, after DAC unrealized gains on fixed maturities were $334 million an increase of $8 million since December 31, 2010. The vast majority of our investment portfolios held on fixed maturities approximately 91% of our fixed maturity portfolio rated investment grade and 96% with a designation of NAIC 1 or 2. As we discussed last quarter, they continue to runoff and disposition of securities in our non-agency RMDS portfolio as well as generate lower reinvestment rates has resulted in continued pressure on investment income. We have provided additional detailed information on the various segments of our investment portfolio in the investment supplement on our website. Now, I'd like to review our outlook for 2011. Our 2011 core net operating earnings guidance remains in the range of $3.30 to $3.70 per share. We expect results in our property and casualty and annuity and supplemental businesses to be consistent with the guidance provided in our call last quarter with a few minor adjustments. We now expect net written premiums in our specialty property and casualty operations to be 9% to 13% higher than 2010 levels. And we expect that Property and Transportation group’s net written premiums to increase by approximately 14% to 18% primarily as a result of projected higher spring commodity prices and National Interstate's acquisition of Vanliner. Additionally, we now estimate that 2011 investment income and AFG’s Property and Casualty segment will be down approximately 12% for the full year. A summary of our 2011 guidance is outlined on slide nine for your convenience. These 2011 expected results exclude the potential for significant catastrophe and crop losses, significant losses from political unrest, significant adjustments to asbestos and environmental reserves, large gains or losses from asset sales or impairments and unlocking adjustments related to the annuity deferred acquisition costs. Now, we'd like to open the lines for any questions. Thank you. Ms. Bonnie?