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8-K - 8-K - ASPEN INSURANCE HOLDINGS LTD | u09437e8vk.htm |
EX-99.3 - EXHIBIT 99.3 - ASPEN INSURANCE HOLDINGS LTD | u09437exv99w3.htm |
EX-99.2 - EXHIBIT 99.2 - ASPEN INSURANCE HOLDINGS LTD | u09437exv99w2.htm |
Exhibit 99.1
ASPEN INSURANCE HOLDINGS REPORTS RESULTS FOR
SECOND QUARTER AND FIRST HALF OF 2010
SECOND QUARTER AND FIRST HALF OF 2010
| Diluted book value per share of $36.96, up 21.3% over the end of the second quarter of 2009 and up 6.8% from the end of the first quarter in 2010. | ||
| Operating earnings per share of $1.23 for the quarter, up from $1.14 for the second quarter of 2009. | ||
| Second quarter net income after tax of $108.9 million, down marginally from $110.4 million in the same quarter last year. | ||
| Operating income after tax of $104.9 million for the second quarter, up marginally from $103.8 million in the second quarter last year. | ||
| Annualized net income return on equity of 16.4% for the second quarter and 9.0% for the first half of 2010. | ||
| Annualized operating return on equity of 15.6% for the quarter and 7.8% for the first half of 2010. |
HAMILTON, BERMUDA, July 28, 2010 Aspen Insurance Holdings Limited (NYSE: AHL) today
reported net income after tax for the second quarter of 2010 of $108.9 million and operating
earnings of $1.23 per diluted ordinary share. This compares to net income after tax of $110.4
million and operating earnings of $1.14 per diluted share for the second quarter last year.
Book value per share on a diluted basis of $36.96 increased by 21.3% when compared to June 30, 2009
and by 6.8% since the end of March 2010 as a result of $91.5 million of retained income and a $77.9
million increase in unrealized gains, net of tax, from the fixed
income investment portfolio in the quarter.
Second Quarter 2010 Financial Highlights
($ in millions, except per share amounts and percentages)
(Unaudited)
($ in millions, except per share amounts and percentages)
(Unaudited)
Q2 2010 | Q2 2009 | Change | ||||||||||
Gross written premium |
$ | 545.4 | $ | 534.3 | 2.1 | % | ||||||
Net earned premium |
$ | 479.9 | $ | 428.6 | 12.0 | % | ||||||
Net investment income |
$ | 57.5 | $ | 72.2 | (20.4 | )% | ||||||
Net income after tax |
$ | 108.9 | $ | 110.4 | (1.4 | %) | ||||||
Operating income after tax |
$ | 104.9 | $ | 103.8 | 1.1 | % | ||||||
Diluted net income per share |
$ | 1.28 | $ | 1.22 | 4.9 | % | ||||||
Diluted operating earnings per share |
$ | 1.23 | $ | 1.14 | 7.9 | % | ||||||
Net income annualized return on equity |
16.4 | % | 17.6 | % | ||||||||
Annualized operating return on equity |
15.6 | % | 16.4 | % | ||||||||
Combined ratio |
86.9 | % | 87.7 | % | ||||||||
Book value per ordinary share |
$ | 38.46 | $ | 31.54 | 21.9 | % | ||||||
Diluted book value per ordinary share |
$ | 36.96 | $ | 30.46 | 21.3 | % |
1
First Half 2010 Financial Highlights
($ in millions, except per share amounts and percentages)
(Unaudited)
($ in millions, except per share amounts and percentages)
(Unaudited)
H1 2010 | H1 2009 | Change | ||||||||||
Gross written premium |
$ | 1,248.2 | $ | 1,171.1 | 6.6 | % | ||||||
Net earned premium |
$ | 947.5 | $ | 875.9 | 8.2 | % | ||||||
Net investment income |
$ | 116.9 | $ | 131.4 | (11.0 | %) | ||||||
Net income after tax |
$ | 127.2 | $ | 201.8 | (37.0 | %) | ||||||
Operating income after tax |
$ | 111.0 | $ | 209.5 | (47.0 | %) | ||||||
Diluted net income per share |
$ | 1.43 | $ | 2.61 | (45.2 | %) | ||||||
Diluted operating earnings per share |
$ | 1.24 | $ | 2.32 | (46.6 | %) | ||||||
Net income annualized return on equity |
9.0 | % | 16.2 | % | ||||||||
Annualized operating return on equity |
7.8 | % | 17.0 | % | ||||||||
Combined ratio |
98.4 | % | 86.0 | % |
Chris OKane, Chief Executive Officer said: I am pleased to report that our diversified portfolio
of insurance and reinsurance business generated an annualized operating return on equity of 15.6%
for the second quarter notwithstanding challenging market conditions. We do not expect rating
pressure to abate and underwriting discipline remains our watchword.
Second Quarter and First Half 2010 Operating Highlights
| Chilean earthquake losses, net of reinstatement premiums and tax, remained unchanged from the first quarter of 2010 at $100.3 million. | ||
| Reserves attributable to the Deepwater Horizon loss at $18.6 million, net of tax and reinstatement premiums, across reinsurance and insurance. | ||
| Cash flows from operating activities were $147.5 million for the quarter and $247.9 million for the six months in 2010 compared with $99.1 million and $302.3 million, respectively in 2009. | ||
| Reserve releases were $2.1 million for the quarter and $15.0 million for the six months in 2010, compared with $16.9 million and $26.8 million, respectively in 2009. | ||
| Unrealized gains in the available-for-sale fixed income portfolio increased by $77.9 million this quarter to $255.0 million, net of tax, compared with unrealized gains of $37.4 million in the second quarter of 2009. | ||
| Completed $200.0 million accelerated share repurchase entered into in the first quarter of 2010 resulting in the repurchase and cancellation of a total of 7.2 million ordinary shares during the first half of 2010. |
Operating Segment Highlights
A summary of the operating highlights for Aspens operating segments is presented below.
Insurance Segment
The insurance segment underwriting profit for the quarter, which excludes investment income, was
$6.0 million compared with an underwriting loss of $14.9 million in the second quarter of 2009.
This underwriting result reflects a combined ratio of 96.9% for the second quarter compared with
108.7% in 2009 with the improvement led by the property insurance line of business. There has been
net reserve strengthening in the insurance segment of $9.0 million for the quarter compared with
$15.2 million of strengthening in the second quarter last
2
year. The reserve strengthening in the current quarter has arisen mainly from the financial
and professional line of business. The underwriting profit for the
first half of 2010 was $8.1
million compared with an underwriting loss of $19.0 million in 2009. This reflects a combined ratio
for the first half of 2010 of 97.8% compared with 105.5% for the same period in 2009. Gross written
premium for the quarter was $262.1 million compared with $276.9 million in the second quarter of
2009. For the first half of 2010, gross written premium was $474.8 million compared with $460.9
million for the equivalent period in 2009.
Reinsurance Segment
The
reinsurance segment underwriting profit for the quarter, which
excludes investment income, was $67.4 million compared with $77.8
million last year. This underwriting result reflects a combined ratio of 76.8% compared with 69.5%
for the second quarter in 2009. Net favorable reserve development for the current quarter was
$11.1 million compared with $32.1 million for the second quarter of 2009. Reserve releases were
relatively strong in the second quarter of 2009 with the current quarter containing a combination
of reserve releases and some reserve strengthening within the segment. Gross written premiums in
the reinsurance segment for the quarter were $283.3 million compared to $257.4 million in 2009 with
the increase from both property catastrophe, where we chose to write more catastrophe business in
the beginning of the year ahead of expectations of further declining rates, and new business
written in our specialty reinsurance lines. Underwriting profit for the half year was $26.9 million
compared with $161.1 million in the equivalent period in 2009. The combined ratio for the first
half of 2010, which includes 19.8 percentage points of losses from the earthquake in Chile, was
95.4%, compared with 69.6% for the same period in 2009. Gross written premiums for the first half
of 2010 were $773.4 million compared with $710.2 million in 2009.
Investment Performance
Net investment income for the quarter of $57.5 million was down from $72.2 million in the second
quarter of 2009, with the latter including $16.2 million of gains from the investment in the funds
of hedge funds which the Company no longer holds. Net realized and unrealized gains included in
income for the quarter were $5.7 million compared with $4.8 million in the second quarter of 2009.
There were no securities selected for other-than-temporary impairment in the quarter compared with
$2.9 million for the same period in 2009.
Unrealized gains on the available-for-sale fixed income portfolio at the end of the second quarter
of 2010 were $293.3 million, pre-tax, an increase of $82.4 million from the end of the first
quarter in 2010. Total investment return for the current quarter was $145.6 million or 8.7%
annualized.
The book yield on the fixed income portfolio of 4.1% decreased from 4.2% at the end of the first
quarter of 2010. The average credit quality of the portfolio remains AA+ with an average duration
of 3.0 years.
Capital Position
As previously announced in January 2010, the Company entered into an accelerated share
repurchase program to repurchase $200 million of its ordinary shares. This transaction was
completed during the second quarter, resulting in the repurchase and cancellation of 7.2 million
ordinary shares in the first half of 2010. In February 2010, the board of directors
authorized the Company to repurchase up to $400 million of its ordinary shares over the next
two years.
Outlook for 2010
In light of the catastrophe losses associated with the earthquake in Chile, and general market
conditions, the Company anticipates the combined ratio for the full year to be in the range of
92%-98% including a catastrophe load of $110 million for the remainder of the year, assuming normal
loss experience. In light of the market outlook, the Company has reduced
its full year gross written premium estimate to
3
approximately
$2.1 billion, from approximately $2.2 billion, with
ceded premium between 8% and 10% of gross earned premium. Due to the continuing low interest rate
environment, the Company expects a book yield of between 3.75% to 4.0% on its fixed income portfolio
during 2010. The tax rate is expected to be in the range of 9% to 13%.
Earnings conference call
Aspen will hold a conference call to discuss its financial results on Thursday, July 29, 2010 at
8:30 a.m. (Eastern Time).
CONFERENCE
CALL PARTICIPATION DETAILS July 29, 2010 at 8:30 a.m. (ET)
Participant Dial-In Numbers:
|
+1 (888) 459-5609 (US Toll Free) | |||
+1 (404) 665-9920 (International) | ||||
Conference ID:
|
82798733 |
Please call to register at least 10 minutes before the conference call begins.
The conference call will be webcast live in the presentations section of the Investor Relations
page of Aspens website, which is located at www.aspen.bm. The earnings press release and a
detailed financial supplement will be posted to the website, as well as a brief slide presentation
which may be used for reference during the earnings call.
REPLAY DETAILS
A replay of the call will be available for 14 days via telephone and internet starting two hours
following the end of the live call.
Replay Access:
|
+1 (800) 642-1687 (US Toll Free) | |||
+1 (706) 645-9291 (International) | ||||
www.aspen.bm | ||||
Replay ID:
|
82798733 |
Investor Contact: |
||
Aspen Insurance Holdings Limited |
||
Noah Fields, Head of Investor Relations
|
T: +1 441-297-9382 | |
European Press Contact: |
||
Citigate Dewe Rogerson |
||
Justin Griffiths
|
T: +44 (0) 20 7282 2920 | |
North American Press Contact: |
||
Abernathy MacGregor |
||
Carina Davidson/Allyson Morris
|
T: +1 212-371-5999 |
4
Aspen Insurance Holdings Limited
Summary Consolidated Balance Sheet
($ in millions, except per share data)
(Unaudited)
Summary Consolidated Balance Sheet
($ in millions, except per share data)
(Unaudited)
(in US$ millions, except per share data) | As at June 30, | As at December 31, | ||||||
2010 | 2009 | |||||||
ASSETS |
||||||||
Total investments |
$ | 6,085.7 | $ | 5,997.0 | ||||
Cash and cash equivalents |
726.1 | 748.4 | ||||||
Reinsurance recoverables |
353.8 | 425.3 | ||||||
Premiums receivable |
981.0 | 708.3 | ||||||
Other assets |
435.2 | 378.2 | ||||||
Total assets |
8,581.8 | 8,257.2 | ||||||
LIABILITIES |
||||||||
Losses and loss adjustment expenses |
3,485.7 | 3,331.1 | ||||||
Unearned premiums |
1,061.2 | 907.6 | ||||||
Other payables |
481.4 | 463.5 | ||||||
Long-term debt |
249.6 | 249.6 | ||||||
Total liabilities |
5,277.9 | 4,951.8 | ||||||
SHAREHOLDERS EQUITY |
||||||||
Total shareholders equity |
3,303.9 | 3,305.4 | ||||||
Total liabilities and shareholders equity |
8,581.8 | 8,257.2 | ||||||
Tangible book value per share |
38.46 | 35.42 | ||||||
Diluted book value per share (treasury stock method) |
36.96 | 34.14 |
5
Aspen Insurance Holdings Limited
Summary Consolidated Statements of Income
($ in millions, except share, per share data and ratios)
(Unaudited)
Summary Consolidated Statements of Income
($ in millions, except share, per share data and ratios)
(Unaudited)
(in US$ millions except share, per share data and ratios) | Three Months Ended | Three Months Ended | ||||||
June 30, 2010 | June 30, 2009 | |||||||
UNDERWRITING REVENUES |
||||||||
Gross written premiums |
$ | 545.4 | 534.3 | |||||
Premiums ceded |
(6.6 | ) | (49.6 | ) | ||||
Net written premiums |
538.8 | 484.7 | ||||||
Change in unearned premiums |
(58.9 | ) | (56.1 | ) | ||||
Net earned premiums |
479.9 | 428.6 | ||||||
UNDERWRITING EXPENSES |
||||||||
Losses and loss expenses |
276.7 | 234.7 | ||||||
Acquisition expenses |
77.8 | 80.8 | ||||||
General and administrative expenses |
62.6 | 59.9 | ||||||
Total underwriting expenses |
417.1 | 375.4 | ||||||
Underwriting income |
62.8 | 53.2 | ||||||
OTHER OPERATING REVENUE |
||||||||
Net investment income |
57.5 | 72.2 | ||||||
Interest expense |
(4.0 | ) | (4.0 | ) | ||||
Total other operating revenue |
53.5 | 68.2 | ||||||
Other income |
1.6 | 0.7 | ||||||
OPERATING INCOME BEFORE TAX |
117.9 | 122.1 | ||||||
OTHER |
||||||||
Net realized and unrealized exchange (losses)/gains |
(2.6 | ) | 3.1 | |||||
Net realized and unrealized investment gains |
5.7 | 4.8 | ||||||
INCOME BEFORE TAX |
121.0 | 130.0 | ||||||
Income taxes expense |
(12.1 | ) | (19.6 | ) | ||||
NET INCOME AFTER TAX |
108.9 | 110.4 | ||||||
Dividends paid on ordinary shares |
(11.7 | ) | (12.3 | ) | ||||
Dividend paid on preference shares |
(5.7 | ) | (5.8 | ) | ||||
Retained income |
91.5 | 92.3 | ||||||
Components of net income (after tax) |
||||||||
Operating income |
104.9 | 103.8 | ||||||
Net realized
and unrealized exchange gains/(losses) after tax |
(1.3 | ) | 3.1 | |||||
Net realized
and unrealized investment gains/(losses) after tax |
5.3 | 3.5 | ||||||
NET INCOME AFTER TAX |
108.9 | 110.4 | ||||||
Loss ratio |
57.7 | % | 54.8 | % | ||||
Policy acquisition expense ratio |
16.2 | % | 18.9 | % | ||||
General and administrative expense ratio |
13.0 | % | 14.0 | % | ||||
Expense ratio |
29.2 | % | 32.9 | % | ||||
Combined ratio |
86.9 | % | 87.7 | % |
6
Aspen Insurance Holdings Limited
Summary Consolidated Financial Data
($ in millions, except share, per share data and ratios)
(Unaudited)
Summary Consolidated Financial Data
($ in millions, except share, per share data and ratios)
(Unaudited)
Three Months Ended | Six Months Ended | |||||||||||||||
June 30, | June 30, | June 30, | June 30, | |||||||||||||
(in US$ except for number of shares) | 2010 | 2009 | 2010 | 2009 | ||||||||||||
Basic earnings per ordinary share |
||||||||||||||||
Net income adjusted for preference share
dividend |
$ | 1.34 | $ | 1.26 | $ | 1.50 | $ | 2.68 | ||||||||
Operating income adjusted for preference
dividend |
$ | 1.29 | $ | 1.18 | $ | 1.30 | $ | 2.39 | ||||||||
Diluted earnings per ordinary share |
||||||||||||||||
Net income adjusted for
preference share dividend |
$ | 1.28 | $ | 1.22 | $ | 1.43 | $ | 2.61 | ||||||||
Operating income adjusted
for preference dividend |
$ | 1.23 | $ | 1.14 | $ | 1.24 | $ | 2.32 | ||||||||
Weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding (in
millions) |
77.289 | 82.940 | 77.342 | 82.241 | ||||||||||||
Weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding and
dilutive potential ordinary shares (in millions) |
80.727 | 85.645 | 80.706 | 84.612 | ||||||||||||
Book value per ordinary share |
$ | 38.46 | $ | 31.54 | ||||||||||||
Diluted book value (treasury stock method) |
$ | 36.96 | $ | 30.46 | ||||||||||||
Ordinary shares outstanding at end of the period (in millions) |
76.701 | 83.022 | ||||||||||||||
Ordinary shares outstanding and dilutive potential ordinary
shares at end of the period (treasury stock method) (in
millions) |
79.831 | 85.985 |
7
Aspen Insurance Holdings Limited
Summary Consolidated Segment Information
($ in millions except ratios)
(Unaudited)
Summary Consolidated Segment Information
($ in millions except ratios)
(Unaudited)
(in US$ millions except for ratios) | Three Months Ended June 30, 2010 | Three Months Ended June 30, 2009 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Reinsurance | Insurance | Total | Reinsurance | Insurance | Total | |||||||||||||||||||
Gross written premiums |
$ | 283.3 | $ | 262.1 | $ | 545.4 | $ | 257.4 | $ | 276.9 | $ | 534.3 | ||||||||||||
Net written premiums |
279.1 | 259.7 | 538.8 | 255.8 | 228.9 | 484.7 | ||||||||||||||||||
Gross earned premiums |
302.7 | 220.8 | 523.5 | 268.8 | 222.5 | 491.3 | ||||||||||||||||||
Net earned premiums |
291.2 | 188.7 | 479.9 | 255.5 | 173.1 | 428.6 | ||||||||||||||||||
Losses and loss expenses |
146.4 | 130.3 | 276.7 | 102.8 | 131.9 | 234.7 | ||||||||||||||||||
Policy acquisition expenses |
47.3 | 30.5 | 77.8 | 51.8 | 29.0 | 80.8 | ||||||||||||||||||
Operating and administrative expenses |
30.1 | 21.9 | 52.0 | 23.1 | 27.1 | 50.2 | ||||||||||||||||||
Underwriting
income/(loss) |
$ | 67.4 | $ | 6.0 | $ | 73.4 | $ | 77.8 | $ | (14.9 | ) | $ | 62.9 | |||||||||||
Net investment income |
57.5 | 72.2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Net realized gains /(losses) |
5.7 | 4.8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Corporate (expenses) |
(10.6 | ) | (9.7 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Other (expenses) |
1.6 | 0.7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Interest (expenses) |
(4.0 | ) | (4.0 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Net foreign exchange gains/(losses) |
(2.6 | ) | 3.1 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Income before income taxes |
121.0 | 130.0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Income tax expense |
(12.1 | ) | (19.6 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Net income |
$ | 108.9 | $ | 110.4 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Ratios |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Loss ratio |
50.3 | % | 69.1 | % | 57.7 | % | 40.2 | % | 76.2 | % | 54.8 | % | ||||||||||||
Policy acquisition expense ratio |
16.2 | % | 16.2 | % | 16.2 | % | 20.3 | % | 16.8 | % | 18.9 | % | ||||||||||||
Operating and administrative
expense ratio |
10.3 | % | 11.6 | % | 13.0 | % | 9.0 | % | 15.7 | % | 14.0 | % | ||||||||||||
Expense ratio |
26.5 | % | 27.8 | % | 29.2 | % | 29.3 | % | 32.5 | % | 32.9 | % | ||||||||||||
Combined ratio |
76.8 | % | 96.9 | % | 86.9 | % | 69.5 | % | 108.7 | % | 87.7 | % |
8
About Aspen Insurance Holdings Limited
Aspen provides reinsurance and insurance coverage to clients in various domestic and global markets
through wholly-owned subsidiaries and offices in Bermuda, France, Ireland, Singapore, the United
States, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland. For the three months ended June 30, 2010, Aspen
reported gross written premiums of $545.4 million, net income of $108.9 million and total assets of
$8.6 billion. Its operating subsidiaries have been assigned a rating of A (Strong) by Standard
& Poors, an A (Excellent) by A.M. Best and an A2 (Good) by Moodys Investors Service. For
more information about Aspen, please visit www.aspen.bm.
Application of the Safe Harbor of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995:
This press release contains, and Aspens earnings conference call will contain, written or oral
forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. federal securities laws. These
statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include all statements that do not relate solely to
historical or current facts, and can be identified by the use of words such as expect, intend,
plan, believe, do not believe, aim, project, anticipate, seek, will, estimate,
may, continue, guidance, and similar expressions of a future or forward-looking nature.
All forward-looking statements address matters that involve risks and uncertainties. Accordingly,
there are or will be important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from
those indicated in these statements. Aspen believes these factors include, but are not limited to:
the possibility of greater frequency or severity of claims and loss activity, including as a result
of natural or man-made (including economic and political risks) catastrophic or material loss
events, than our underwriting, reserving, reinsurance purchasing or investment practices have
anticipated; the reliability of, and changes in assumptions to, natural and man-made catastrophe
pricing, accumulation and estimated loss models; evolving issues with respect to interpretation of
coverage after major loss events and any intervening legislative or governmental action; the
effectiveness of our loss limitation methods; changes in the total industry losses, or our share of
total industry losses, resulting from past events and, with respect to such events, our reliance on
loss reports received from cedants and loss adjustors, our reliance on industry loss estimates and
those generated by modeling techniques, changes in rulings on flood damage or other exclusions as a
result of prevailing lawsuits and case law; the impact of acts of terrorism and acts of war and related legislation; decreased demand for our insurance or reinsurance products and cyclical changes in
the insurance and reinsurance sectors; any changes in our reinsurers credit quality and the amount
and timing of reinsurance recoverables; changes in the availability, cost or quality of reinsurance
or retrocessional coverage; the continuing and uncertain impact of the current lower growth economic
environment in many of the countries in which we operate; the level of inflation in repair costs
due to limited availability of labor and materials after catastrophes; changes in insurance and
reinsurance market conditions; increased competition on the basis of pricing, capacity, coverage
terms or other factors and the related demand and supply dynamics as contracts come up for renewal;
a decline in our operating subsidiaries ratings with Standard & Poors (S&P), A.M. Best or
Moodys Investor Service (Moodys); our ability to execute our business plan to enter new
markets, introduce new products and develop new distribution channels, including their integration
into our existing operations; changes in general economic conditions, including inflation, foreign
currency exchange rates, interest rates and other factors that could affect our investment
portfolio; the risk of a material decline in the value or liquidity of all or parts of our
investment portfolio; changes in our ability to exercise capital management initiatives or to
arrange banking facilities as a result of prevailing market changes or changes in our financial
position; changes in government regulations or tax laws in jurisdictions where we conduct business;
Aspen Holdings or Aspen Bermuda becoming subject to income taxes in the United States or the United
Kingdom; loss of key personnel; and increased counterparty risk due to the credit impairment of
financial institutions. For a more detailed description of these uncertainties and other
factors, please see the Risk Factors section in Aspens Annual Reports on Form 10-K as filed with
the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on February 26, 2010. Aspen undertakes no obligation
to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new
information, future events or otherwise. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these
forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the dates on which they are made.
In addition, any estimates relating to loss events involve the exercise of considerable judgment
and reflect a combination of ground-up evaluations, information available to date from brokers and
cedants, market intelligence, initial tentative loss reports and other sources. Due to the
complexity of factors contributing to the losses and the preliminary nature of the information used
to prepare these estimates, there can be no assurance that Aspens ultimate losses will remain
within the stated amount.
9
Non-GAAP Financial Measures
In presenting Aspens results, management has included and discussed certain non-GAAP financial
measures as such term is defined in Regulation G. Management believes that these non-GAAP
measures, which may be defined differently by other companies, better explain Aspens results of
operations in a manner that allows for a more complete understanding of the underlying trends in
Aspens business. However, these measures should not be viewed as a substitute for those determined
in accordance with GAAP. The reconciliation of such non-GAAP financial measures to their respective
most directly comparable GAAP financial measures in accordance with Regulation G is included in the
financial supplement, which can be obtained from the Investor Relations section of Aspens website
at www.aspen.bm.
(1) Annualized Operating Return on Average Equity (Operating ROE) is a non-GAAP financial
measure. Annualized Operating Return on Average Equity 1) is calculated using operating income, as
defined below and 2) excludes from average equity, the average after-tax unrealized appreciation or
depreciation on investments and the average after-tax unrealized foreign exchange gains or losses
and the aggregate value of the liquidation preferences of our preference shares. Unrealized
appreciation (depreciation) on investments is primarily the result of interest rate movements and
the resultant impact on fixed income securities, and unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on
foreign exchange is the result of exchange rate movements between the U.S. dollar and the British
pound. Such appreciation (depreciation) is not related to management actions or operational
performance (nor is it likely to be realized). Therefore, Aspen believes that excluding these
unrealized appreciations (depreciations) provides a more consistent and useful measurement of
operating performance, which supplements GAAP information. Average equity is calculated as the
arithmetic average on a monthly basis for the stated periods.
Aspen presents Operating ROE as a measure that is commonly recognized as a standard of performance
by investors, analysts, rating agencies and other users of its financial information.
See page 27 of Aspens financial supplement for a reconciliation of operating income to net income
and page 7 for a reconciliation of average equity.
(2) Operating income is a non-GAAP financial measure. Operating income is an internal
performance measure used by Aspen in the management of its operations and represents after-tax
operational results excluding, as applicable, after-tax net realized capital gains or losses and
after-tax net foreign exchange gains or losses.
Aspen excludes after-tax net realized capital gains or losses and after-tax net foreign exchange
gains or losses from its calculation of operating income because the amount of these gains or
losses is heavily influenced by, and fluctuates in part, according to the availability of market
opportunities. Aspen believes these amounts are largely independent of its business and
underwriting process and including them distorts the analysis of trends in its operations. In
addition to presenting net income determined in accordance with GAAP, Aspen believes that showing
operating income enables investors, analysts, rating agencies and other users of its financial
information to more easily analyze Aspens results of operations in a manner similar to how
management analyzes Aspens underlying business performance. Operating income should not be viewed
as a substitute for GAAP net income. Please see above and page 27 of Aspens financial supplement
for a reconciliation of operating income to net income. Aspens financial supplement can be
obtained from the Investor Relations section of Aspens website at www.aspen.bm.
(3) Diluted book value per ordinary share is a non-GAAP financial measure. Aspen has included
diluted book value per ordinary share because it takes into account the effect of dilutive
securities; therefore, Aspen believes it is a better measure of calculating shareholder returns
than book value per share. Please see page 25 of Aspens financial supplement for a reconciliation
of diluted book value per share to basic book value per share. Aspens financial supplement can be
obtained from the Investor Relations section of Aspens website at www.aspen.bm.
(4) Diluted Operating Earnings Per Share and Basic Operating Earnings Per Share is a non-GAAP
financial measure. Aspen believes that the presentation of diluted operating earnings per share and
basic operating earnings per share supports meaningful comparison from period to period and the
analysis of normal business operations. Diluted operating earnings per share and basic operating
earnings per share are calculated by dividing operating income by the diluted or basic weighted
average number of shares outstanding for the period. See page 27 for a reconciliation of diluted
and basic operating earnings per share to basic earnings per share. Aspens financial supplement
can be obtained from the Investor Relations section of Aspens website at www.aspen.bm.
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