Note 2 - Investments

The Company’s investment portfolio includes free-standing derivative financial instruments (currently over the counter (“OTC”) index options contracts) to economically hedge risk associated with its fixed indexed annuity products’ contingent liabilities. The Company’s fixed indexed annuity product includes embedded derivative features that are discussed in “Note 1 — Basis of Presentation — Accounting Policy for Fixed Indexed Annuities”. The Company's investment portfolio includes no other free-standing derivative financial instruments (futures, forwards, swaps, option contracts or other financial instruments with similar characteristics), and there are no other embedded derivative features related to the Company’s insurance products.

Fixed Maturities and Equity Securities

The Company’s investment portfolio is comprised primarily of fixed maturity securities (“fixed maturities”) and equity securities. The amortized cost or cost, unrealized investment gains and losses, fair values and other-than-temporary impairment (“OTTI”) included in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) (“AOCI”) of all fixed maturities and equity securities in the portfolio were as follows:

	Amortized		Unrealized		Unrealized		Fair		OTTI in
	Cost/Cost		Gains		Losses		Value		AOCI (2)
September 30, 2014
Fixed maturity securities
U.S. Government and federally sponsored agency obligations (1):
Mortgage-backed securities	$	494,650	$	44,197	$	4,334	$	534,513	$	-
Other, including
U.S. Treasury securities		490,611		20,583		7,482		503,712		-
Municipal bonds		1,460,938		162,032		5,865		1,617,105		-
Foreign government bonds		52,571		6,268		60		58,779		-
Corporate bonds		2,624,428		240,948		9,608		2,855,768		-
Other mortgage-backed securities		1,199,844		29,492		5,744		1,223,592		2,880
Totals	$	6,323,042	$	503,520	$	33,093	$	6,793,469	$	2,880

Equity securities	$	97,757	$	11,882	$	2,802	$	106,837	$	-

December 31, 2013
Fixed maturity securities
U.S. Government and federally sponsored agency obligations (1):
Mortgage-backed securities	$	555,574	$	33,711	$	19,560	$	569,725	$	-
Other, including
U.S. Treasury securities		449,060		9,865		23,351		435,574		-
Municipal bonds		1,425,441		80,701		34,615		1,471,527		-
Foreign government bonds		50,641		4,700		390		54,951		-
Corporate bonds		2,457,727		188,832		32,150		2,614,409		-
Other mortgage-backed securities		845,762		26,477		8,852		863,387		2,812
Totals	$	5,784,205	$	344,286	$	118,918	$	6,009,573	$	2,812

Equity securities	$	84,754	$	10,723	$	3,619	$	91,858	$	-

(1)

Fair value includes securities issued by Federal National Mortgage Association (“FNMA”) of $319,596 and $336,193; Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“FHLMC”) of $419,913 and $427,172; and Government National Mortgage Association (“GNMA”) of $136,379 and $126,245 as of September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively.

(2)

Related to securities for which an unrealized loss was bifurcated to distinguish the credit related portion and the portion driven by other market factors. Represents the amount of other-than-temporary impairment losses in AOCI which was not included in earnings; amounts also include unrealized gains/(losses) on such impaired securities relating to changes in the fair value of those securities subsequent to the impairment measurement date.

Compared to December 31, 2013, the increase in net unrealized gains at September 30, 2014 was due to lower yields on U.S. Treasury securities and slightly narrower credit spreads across most asset classes except for below investment grade securities in 2014, the combination of which resulted in an increase in net unrealized gains for virtually all classes of the Company’s fixed maturity securities holdings.

The following table presents the fair value and gross unrealized losses of fixed maturities and equity securities in an unrealized loss position at September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively. The Company views the decrease in value of all of the securities with unrealized losses at September 30, 2014 — which was driven largely by changes in interest rates, spread widening, financial market illiquidity and/or market volatility from the date of acquisition — as temporary. For fixed maturity securities, management does not have the intent to sell the securities and it is not more likely than not the Company will be required to sell the securities before the anticipated recovery of the amortized cost bases, and the present value of future cash flows exceeds the amortized cost bases. In addition, management expects to recover the entire cost bases of the fixed maturity securities. For equity securities, the Company has the ability and intent to hold the securities for the recovery of cost and recovery of cost is expected within a reasonable period of time. Therefore, no impairment of these securities was recorded at September 30, 2014.

	12 Months or Less					More than 12 Months					Total
				Gross					Gross					Gross
	Fair Value			Unrealized Losses		Fair Value			Unrealized Losses		Fair Value			Unrealized Losses
September 30, 2014
Fixed maturity securities
U.S. Government and federally sponsored agency obligations:
Mortgage-backed securities	$	5,215		$	121	$	60,111		$	4,213	$	65,326		$	4,334
Other		39,248			195		127,454			7,287		166,702			7,482
Municipal bonds		50,593			223		75,448			5,642		126,041			5,865
Foreign government bonds		3,940			60		-			-		3,940			60
Corporate bonds		232,074			3,571		120,928			6,037		353,002			9,608
Other mortgage-backed securities		431,870			2,809		99,814			2,935		531,684			5,744
Total fixed maturity securities		762,940			6,979		483,755			26,114		1,246,695			33,093
Equity securities (1)		14,004			1,279		26,559			1,523		40,563			2,802
Combined totals	$	776,944		$	8,258	$	510,314		$	27,637	$	1,287,258		$	35,895

Number of positions with a gross unrealized loss		291					149					440
Fair value as a percentage of total fixed maturities and equity securities fair value		11.3	%				7.4	%				18.7	%

December 31, 2013
Fixed maturity securities
U.S. Government and federally sponsored agency obligations:
Mortgage-backed securities	$	150,602		$	19,145	$	1,383		$	415	$	151,985		$	19,560
Other		249,765			22,479		4,450			872		254,215			23,351
Municipal bonds		375,523			26,529		42,899			8,086		418,422			34,615
Foreign government bonds		6,738			390		-			-		6,738			390
Corporate bonds		582,849			28,634		12,948			3,516		595,797			32,150
Other mortgage-backed securities		274,983			8,300		20,008			552		294,991			8,852
Total fixed maturity securities		1,640,460			105,477		81,688			13,441		1,722,148			118,918
Equity securities (1)		32,392			3,117		1,405			502		33,797			3,619
Combined totals	$	1,672,852		$	108,594	$	83,093		$	13,943	$	1,755,945		$	122,537

Number of positions with a gross unrealized loss		534					46					580
Fair value as a percentage of total fixed maturities and equity securities fair value		27.4	%				1.4	%				28.8	%

(1)	Includes nonredeemable (perpetual) preferred stocks, common stocks and closed-end funds.

Fixed maturities and equity securities with an investment grade rating represented 87% of the gross unrealized loss as of September 30, 2014. With respect to fixed income securities involving securitized financial assets, the underlying collateral cash flows were stress tested to determine there was no adverse change in the present value of cash flows below the amortized cost basis.

Credit Losses

The following table summarizes the cumulative amounts related to the Company’s credit loss component of the other-than-temporary impairment losses on fixed maturity securities held as of September 30, 2014 and 2013 that the Company did not intend to sell as of those dates, and it was not more likely than not that the Company would be required to sell the securities before the anticipated recovery of the amortized cost bases, for which the non-credit portions of the other-than-temporary impairment losses were recognized in other comprehensive income (loss):

		Nine Months Ended
		September 30,
		2014	2013
Cumulative credit loss (1)
Beginning of period	$	4,097	$	2,877
New credit losses		280		860
Losses related to securities sold or paid down during the period		-		-
End of period	$	4,377	$	3,737

(1)	The cumulative credit loss amounts exclude other-than-temporary impairment losses on securities held as of the periods indicated that the Company intended to sell or it was more likely than not that the Company would be required to sell the security before the recovery of the amortized cost basis.

Maturities/Sales of Fixed Maturities and Equity Securities

The following table presents the distribution of the Company's fixed maturity securities portfolio by estimated expected maturity. Estimated expected maturities differ from contractual maturities, reflecting assumptions regarding borrowers’ utilization of the right to call or prepay obligations with or without call or prepayment penalties. For structured securities, including mortgage-backed securities and other asset-backed securities, estimated expected maturities consider broker-dealer survey prepayment assumptions and are verified for consistency with the interest rate and economic environments.

	Percent of Total Fair Value					September 30, 2014
	September 30,		December 31,			Fair		Amortized
	2014		2013			Value		Cost
Estimated expected maturity:
Due in 1 year or less	4.2	%	4.1	%	$	288,311	$	268,346
Due after 1 year through 5 years	23.9		20.9			1,626,049		1,513,450
Due after 5 years through 10 years	40.1		38.4			2,718,736		2,530,472
Due after 10 years through 20 years	19.0		20.8			1,291,192		1,201,781
Due after 20 years	12.8		15.8			869,181		808,993
Total	100.0	%	100.0	%	$	6,793,469	$	6,323,042

Average option-adjusted duration, in years	5.9		6.3

Proceeds received from sales of fixed maturities and equity securities, each determined using the specific identification method, and gross gains and gross losses realized as a result of those sales for each period were:

		Three Months Ended				Nine Months Ended
		September 30,				September 30,
		2014	2013			2014	2013
Fixed maturity securities
Proceeds received	$	98,942	$	56,343	$	198,191	$	270,329
Gross gains realized		5,871		1,807		9,998		16,197
Gross losses realized		(4,421)		(4,117)		(5,399)		(4,598)

Equity securities
Proceeds received	$	3,489	$	3,742	$	11,980	$	14,875
Gross gains realized		722		531		2,196		3,875
Gross losses realized		(86)		(103)		(267)		(490)

Unrealized Gains and Losses on Fixed Maturities and Equity Securities

Net unrealized gains and losses are computed as the difference between fair value and amortized cost for fixed maturities or cost for equity securities. The following table reconciles the net unrealized investment gains and losses, net of tax, included in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), before the impact on deferred policy acquisition costs:

		Three Months Ended				Nine Months Ended
		September 30,				September 30,
		2014	2013			2014	2013
Net unrealized investment gains (losses) on fixed maturity securities, net of tax
Beginning of period	$	317,791	$	220,668	$	146,489	$	423,004
Change in unrealized investment gains and losses		(10,189)		(41,288)		163,613		(231,116)
Reclassification of net realized investment (gains) losses to net income		(1,824)		1,193		(4,324)		(11,315)
End of period	$	305,778	$	180,573	$	305,778	$	180,573

Net unrealized investment gains (losses) on equity securities, net of tax
Beginning of period	$	7,955	$	3,266	$	4,618	$	720
Change in unrealized investment gains and losses		(1,594)		(679)		2,584		3,840
Reclassification of net realized investment (gains) losses to net income		(459)		(278)		(1,300)		(2,251)
End of period	$	5,902	$	2,309	$	5,902	$	2,309

Repurchase Agreements

The Company entered into repurchase agreements to earn incremental spread income. A repurchase agreement is a transaction in which one party (transferor) agrees to sell securities to another party (transferee) in return for cash (or securities), with a simultaneous agreement to repurchase the same securities at a specified price at a later date. These transactions are generally short-term in nature, and therefore, the carrying amounts of these instruments approximate fair value.

As part of repurchase agreements, the Company transfers primarily U.S. Government, government agency and corporate securities and receives cash. For the repurchase agreements, the Company receives cash in an amount equal to at least 95% of the fair value of the securities transferred, and the agreements with third parties contain contractual provisions to allow for additional collateral to be obtained when necessary. The cash received from the repurchase program is typically invested in high quality floating rate fixed maturity securities. The Company accounts for the repurchase agreements as collateralized borrowings. The securities transferred under repurchase agreements are included in fixed maturity, available-for-sale securities with the obligation to repurchase those securities recorded in Other Liabilities on the Company's Consolidated Balance Sheets. The fair value of the securities transferred was $0 and $24,791 as of September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively. The obligation for securities sold under agreement to repurchase was $0 and $25,864, including accrued interest, as of September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively.

Offsetting of Assets and Liabilities

The Company’s derivative instruments (call options) are subject to enforceable master netting arrangements. Collateral support agreements associated with each master netting arrangement provide that the Company will receive or pledge financial collateral in the event minimum thresholds have been reached. The Company’s repurchase agreements and the embedded derivatives related to the Company’s fixed indexed annuity product are not subject to master netting arrangements and there was no offsetting in their presentation in the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheets.

The following table presents the instruments that were subject to a master netting arrangement for the Company. No instruments were subject to master netting arrangements as of December 31, 2013.

Net Amounts

of Assets/

Gross

Liabilities

Gross Amounts Not Offset

Amounts

Presented

in the Consolidated

Offset in the

in the

Balance Sheet

Consolidated

Cash

Gross

Balance

Financial

Collateral

Net

Amounts

Sheet

Instruments

Received

Amount

September 30, 2014

Asset derivatives:

Free-standing derivatives

1,276

1,145

131

Deposits

At September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, securities with a fair value of $18,338 and $17,967, respectively, were on deposit with governmental agencies as required by law in various states in which the insurance subsidiaries of HMEC conduct business. In addition, at September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, securities with a fair value of $551,451 and $274,437, respectively, were on deposit with the Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago (“FHLB”) as collateral for amounts subject to funding agreements which were equal to $500,000 and $250,000, respectively. The deposited securities are included in fixed maturities on the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheets.