UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

Commission file number 001-12117

FIRST ACCEPTANCE CORPORATION

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)		75-1328153 (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

3813 Green Hills Village Drive, Nashville, Tennessee (Address of principal executive offices)		37215 (Zip Code)

(615) 844-2800
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of Each Class		Name of exchange on which registered
Common Stock, $.01 par value per share		New York Stock Exchange

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

          Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes o No þ

          Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Act. Yes o No þ

          Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes þ No o

          Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate website, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes o No o

          Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. o

          Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

Large accelerated filer o		Accelerated filero		Non-accelerated filer o (Do not check if a smaller reporting company)		Smaller reporting company þ

          Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). Yes o No þ

          The aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant, based on the closing price of these shares on the New York Stock Exchange on December 31, 2010, was $30,202,145. For the purposes of this disclosure only, the registrant has assumed that its directors, executive officers and beneficial owners of 5% or more of the registrant’s common stock are affiliates of the registrant.

          As of August 31, 2011, there were 48,458,178 shares of the registrant’s common stock outstanding.

     All of the information called for by Part III of this report is incorporated by reference to the Definitive Proxy Statement for our 2011 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, which will be held on November 15, 2011.

 

 

FIRST ACCEPTANCE CORPORATION 10-K

Index to Annual Report on Form 10-K

		Page
PART I
Item 1. Business			1
Item 1A. Risk Factors			12
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments			20
Item 2. Properties			20
Item 3. Legal Proceedings			20
Item 4. (Removed and Reserved)			20
PART II
Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities			21
Item 6. Selected Financial Data			23
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations			24
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data			42
Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements With Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure			74
Item 9A. Controls and Procedures			74
Item 9B. Other Information			74
PART III
Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance			75
Item 11. Executive Compensation			75
Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters			75
Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence			75
Item 14. Principal Accountant Fees and Services			75
PART IV
Item 15. Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules			76
SIGNATURES			80
EX-10.8
EX-21
EX-23.1
EX-31.1
EX-31.2
EX-32.1
EX-32.2

FIRST ACCEPTANCE CORPORATION 10-K

PART I

Item 1. Business

General

          First Acceptance Corporation (the “Company,” “we” or “us”) is a retailer, servicer and underwriter of non-standard personal automobile insurance based in Nashville, Tennessee. We currently write non-standard personal automobile insurance in 12 states and are licensed as an insurer in 13 additional states. We own and operate three insurance company subsidiaries: First Acceptance Insurance Company, Inc. (“FAIC”), First Acceptance Insurance Company of Georgia, Inc. (“FAIC-GA”) and First Acceptance Insurance Company of Tennessee, Inc. (“FAIC-TN”). Non-standard personal automobile insurance is made available to individuals who are categorized as “non-standard” because of their inability or unwillingness to obtain standard insurance coverage due to various factors, including payment history, payment preference, failure in the past to maintain continuous insurance coverage, driving record and/or vehicle type, and in most instances who are required by law to buy a minimum amount of automobile insurance. At August 31, 2011, we leased and operated 384 retail locations, staffed with employee-agents. Our employee-agents primarily sell non-standard personal automobile insurance products underwritten by us, as well as certain commissionable ancillary products and other insurance products. In select markets, we also sell our products through 13 retail locations operated by independent agents.

Personal Automobile Insurance Market

          Personal automobile insurance is the largest line of property and casualty insurance in the United States with, according to SNL Financial, an estimated market size of $166 billion in premiums earned for the year ended December 31, 2010. Personal automobile insurance provides drivers with coverage for liability to others for bodily injury and property damage and for physical damage to the driver’s vehicle from collision and other perils.

          The market for personal automobile insurance is generally divided into three product segments: non-standard, standard and preferred insurance. We believe that the premiums earned in the non-standard automobile insurance market segment in the United States represent between 15% and 25% of the total personal automobile insurance market.

Competition

          The non-standard personal automobile insurance business is highly competitive. We believe that our primary competition comes not only from national companies or their subsidiaries, but also from non-standard insurers and independent agents that operate only in specific regions or states. We compete against other vertically integrated insurance companies and independent agents that market insurance on behalf of a number of insurers. We compete with these other insurers on factors such as initial down payment, availability of monthly payment plans, price, customer service and claims service. We believe that our significant competitors are the Affirmative, Berkshire Hathaway (which includes GEICO), Bristol West, Direct General, Infinity, Permanent General, Progressive and Safe Auto insurance groups.

Our Business

          We are a vertically integrated business that acts as the agency, servicer and underwriter of non-standard personal automobile insurance. We believe our business model allows us to identify and satisfy the needs of our target customers and eliminates many of the inefficiencies associated with a non-integrated automobile insurance model. Our retail locations are staffed with employee-agents who primarily sell non-standard personal automobile insurance products underwritten by us, as well as certain commissionable ancillary products. Our vertical integration, combined with our conveniently located retail locations, enables us to control the point of sale and to retain significant revenue that would otherwise be lost in a non-integrated insurance business model.

     We offer customers automobile insurance with low down payments, competitive monthly payments, convenient locations and a high level of personal service. This strategy makes it easier for our customers to obtain automobile insurance, which is legally mandated in the states in

FIRST ACCEPTANCE CORPORATION 10-K

which we currently operate. Currently, our policy renewal rate (the percentage of policies that are renewed after completion of the full uninterrupted policy term) is approximately 38%, which, due to the payment patterns of our customers, is lower than the average renewal rate of standard personal automobile insurance providers. However, we accept customers seeking insurance who have previously terminated coverage provided by us without imposing any additional requirements on such customers. Our business model and systems allow us to issue policies efficiently and, when necessary, cancel them to minimize the potential for credit loss while adhering to regulatory cancellation notice requirements.

          In addition to a low down payment and competitive monthly rates, we offer customers valuable face-to-face contact and speed of service as many of our customers prefer not to purchase a new automobile insurance policy over the phone or through the internet. Substantially all of our customers make their payments at our retail locations. For our customers, our employee-agents are not only the face of the Company, but also the preferred interface for buying insurance. Our policies are issued at the point of sale, and applications are processed in two business days, as opposed to the much longer period that is often typical in the automobile insurance industry.

          In the future, we may explore growth opportunities by introducing additional insurance products and expanding into new geographic markets through opening new retail locations and pursuing selective acquisitions, including acquisitions of local agencies who write non-standard automobile insurance for other insurance companies. We recognize a growing consumer demand to purchase personal automobile insurance over the phone and through the internet. We are focused on improving our ability to meet consumer expectations in these distribution channels.

Our Products

          Our core business involves issuing automobile insurance policies to individuals who are categorized as “non-standard,” based primarily on their inability or unwillingness to obtain insurance coverage from standard carriers due to various factors, including their payment history or need for monthly payment plans, failure to maintain continuous insurance coverage or driving record. We believe that a majority of our customers seek non-standard insurance due to their failure to maintain continuous coverage or their need for affordable monthly payments, rather than as a result of poor driving records. The majority of our customers purchase the minimum amount of coverage required by law.

          In addition to non-standard personal automobile insurance, we also offer our customers optional products that provide ancillary reimbursements and benefits in the event of an automobile accident. Those products generally provide reimbursements for medical expenses and hospital stays as a result of injuries sustained in an automobile accident, automobile towing and rental, bail bond premiums and ambulance services. We also offer and underwrite a tenant homeowner policy that provides contents and liability coverage to those of our customers who are renters.

Marketing

          Our marketing strategy is based on promoting brand recognition of our products and encouraging prospective customers to visit one of our retail locations. Our primary advertising strategy combines local print media advertising with low-cost television and radio advertising. We market our business under the name “Acceptance Insurance” in all areas except in the Chicago-area, where we currently use the names “Yale Insurance” and “Insurance Plus.”

Distribution

          We primarily distribute our products through our retail locations. We believe the local office concept is attractive to most of our customers, as they desire the face-to-face assistance they cannot receive via the internet or over the telephone. Our advertisements promote local phone numbers that are answered at either the local retail office or one of our regional customer service centers, which are located in Nashville, Tennessee and Chicago, Illinois. The entire sales process can be completed at the local retail office where the down payment is collected and a policy is issued. Future payments can be made either at the local office, by telephone, over the internet, or mailed to our Nashville customer service center.

FIRST ACCEPTANCE CORPORATION 10-K

          We recognize the growing consumer preferences to purchase personal automobile insurance over the phone and through the internet. We are focused on improving our ability to meet customer expectations in these distribution channels. Within the next twelve months we expect to be able to quote and bind policies over the phone and through the internet. As a part of these initiatives, we will add electronic signature capability to our current process. In most cases, this will eliminate the requirement for customers to visit our local offices to bind a policy.

Underwriting and Pricing

          Our underwriting and pricing systems are fully automated. We believe that these systems provide a competitive advantage to us because they give us the ability to capture relevant pricing information, improve efficiencies, increase the accuracy and consistency of underwriting decisions and reduce training costs.

          Pricing is generally based on the specific type of vehicle and the driver’s age, gender, marital status, driving experience and location. We also review loss trends in each of the states in which we operate to assess the adequacy of our rates and underwriting standards. We adjust rates periodically, as necessary, and as permitted by applicable regulatory authorities, to maintain or improve underwriting results in each market.

          During fiscal year 2010 we began the process of implementing a new pricing program that is based on multivariate analysis of our historical results and uses insurance scoring as a variable. We believe that this new pricing program provides us with greater pricing segmentation and improves our pricing relative to the risk we are insuring. Currently, approximately 32% of our policies in force (“PIF”) have been underwritten using this new pricing program, which has now been implemented in nine of the twelve states in which we operate. We plan to implement the new pricing program in the three remaining states in which we operate by December 2011.

Claims Handling

          Non-standard personal automobile insurance customers generally have a higher frequency of claims than preferred and standard personal automobile insurance customers. We focus on controlling the claims process and costs, thereby limiting losses, by internally managing the entire claims process. We strive to promptly assess claims, manage against fraud, and identify loss trends and capture information that is useful in establishing loss reserves and determining premium rates. Our claims process is designed to promote expedient, fair and consistent claims handling, while controlling loss adjustment expenses.

          Our claims operation includes adjusters, appraisers, re-inspectors, special investigators and claims administrative personnel. We conduct our claims operations out of our Nashville office and through regional claims offices in Tampa, Florida and Chicago, Illinois. Our employees generally handle all claims from the initial report of the claim until the final settlement. We believe that directly employing claims personnel, rather than using independent contractors, results in improved customer service, lower loss payments and lower loss adjustment expenses. In territories where we do not believe a staff appraiser would be cost-effective, we utilize the services of independent appraisers to inspect physical damage to automobiles. The work of independent appraisers is supervised by regional staff appraisal managers.

          While we are strongly committed to settling promptly and fairly the meritorious claims of our customers and claimants, we are equally committed to defending against non-meritorious claims. Litigated claims and lawsuits are primarily managed by one of our specially trained litigation adjusters. Suspicious claims are referred to a special investigation unit. When a dispute arises, we seek to minimize our claims litigation defense costs by attempting to negotiate flat-fee representation with local outside counsel specializing in automobile insurance claim defense. We believe that our efforts to obtain high quality claims defense litigation services at a fixed or carefully controlled cost have helped us control claims losses and expenses.

FIRST ACCEPTANCE CORPORATION 10-K

Loss and Loss Adjustment Expense Reserves

          Automobile accidents generally result in insurance companies making payments (referred to as “losses”) to individuals or companies to compensate for physical damage to an automobile or other property and/or an injury to a person. Months and sometimes years may elapse between the occurrence of an accident, report of the accident to the insurer and payment of the claim. Insurers record a liability for estimates of losses that will be paid for accidents reported to them, which are referred to as case reserves. As accidents are not always reported promptly, insurers estimate incurred but not reported, or “IBNR,” reserves to cover expected losses for accidents that have occurred, but have not been reported to the insurer. Insurers also incur expenses in connection with the handling and settling of claims that are referred to as “loss adjustment expenses” and record a liability for the estimated costs to settle their expected unpaid losses.

          We are directly liable for loss and loss adjustment expenses under the terms of the insurance policies underwritten by our insurance company subsidiaries. Each of our insurance company subsidiaries establishes a reserve for all of its unpaid losses, including case reserves and IBNR reserves, and estimates for the cost to settle the claims. We estimate our IBNR reserves by estimating our ultimate liability for loss and loss adjustment expense reserves first, and then reducing that amount by the amount of the cumulative paid claims and by the amount of our case reserves. We rely primarily on historical loss experience in determining reserve levels on the assumption that historical loss experience provides a good indication of future loss experience. We also consider other factors, such as inflation, claims settlement patterns, legislative activity and litigation trends. We review our loss and loss adjustment expense reserve estimates on a quarterly basis and adjust those reserves each quarter to reflect any favorable or unfavorable development as historical loss experience develops or new information becomes known.

          We periodically review our methods of establishing case and IBNR reserves and update them if necessary. Our actuarial staff reviews our reserves and loss trends on a quarterly basis. We believe that the liabilities that we have recorded for unpaid losses and loss adjustment expenses at June 30, 2011 are adequate to cover the final net cost of losses and loss adjustment expenses incurred through that date.

          The following table sets forth the year-end reserves since we began operations as an insurance company in 2004 and the subsequent development of these reserves through June 30, 2011. The purpose of the table is to show a “cumulative deficiency or redundancy” for each year which represents the aggregate amount by which original estimates of reserves at that year-end have changed in subsequent years. The top line of the table presents the net reserves at the balance sheet date for each of the years indicated. This represents the estimated amounts of losses and loss adjustment expenses for claims arising in all years that were unpaid at the balance sheet date, including the IBNR reserve, at the end of each successive year. The next portion of the table presents the re-estimated amount of the previously recorded reserves based on experience at the end of each succeeding year, including cumulative payments since the end of the respective year. As more information becomes known about the payments and the frequency and severity of claims for individual years, the estimate changes accordingly. Favorable loss development, shown as a cumulative redundancy in the table, exists when the original reserve estimate is greater than the re-estimated reserves. Adverse loss development, which would be shown as a cumulative deficiency in the table, exists when the original reserve estimate is less than the re-estimated reserves. Information with respect to the cumulative development of gross reserves, without adjustment for the effect of reinsurance, also appears at the bottom portion of the table.

FIRST ACCEPTANCE CORPORATION 10-K

          In evaluating the information in the table below, you should note that each amount entered incorporates the cumulative effect of all changes in amounts entered for prior periods. Conditions and trends that have affected the development of liability in the past may not necessarily recur in the future.

At June 30 (in thousands)		2004				2005				2006				2007				2008				2009				2010				2011
Net liability for loss and loss adjustment expense reserves, originally estimated		$	18,137			$	39,289			$	61,521			$	91,137			$	101,148			$	83,895			$	73,152			$	68,291
Cumulative amounts paid at:
One year later			13,103				28,024				51,420				68,196				62,964				50,641				49,292
Two years later			16,579				34,754				61,627				84,095				78,232				64,644
Three years later			17,795				37,025				64,986				88,888				84,178
Four years later			18,472				37,802				66,721				91,129
Five years later			18,743				38,068				67,725
Six years later			18,894				38,393
Seven years later			18,979
Liability re-estimated at:
One year later			17,781				37,741				65,386				89,738				89,766				72,672				71,431
Two years later			17,244				38,226				68,491				92,860				86,726				73,593
Three years later			16,973				37,484				67,100				91,864				88,555
Four years later			17,978				38,289				67,599				93,422
Five years later			18,900				38,411				68,783
Six years later			18,975				38,583
Seven years later			19,084
Net cumulative redundancy (deficiency)			(947	)			706				(7,262	)			(2,285	)			12,593				10,302				1,721
Gross liability — end of year		$	30,434			$	42,897			$	62,822			$	91,446			$	101,407			$	83,973			$	73,198			$	68,424
Reinsurance receivables			12,297				3,608				1,301				309				259				78				46				133
Net liability — end of year		$	18,137			$	39,289			$	61,521			$	91,137			$	101,148			$	83,895			$	73,152			$	68,291
Gross re-estimated liability — latest		$	31,393			$	41,933			$	69,908			$	93,783			$	88,722			$	73,710			$	71,509
Re-estimated reinsurance receivables — latest			12,309				3,350				1,125				361				167				117				78
Net re-estimated — latest		$	19,084			$	38,583			$	68,783			$	93,422			$	88,555			$	73,593			$	71,431
Gross cumulative redundancy (deficiency)		$	(959	)		$	964			$	(7,086	)		$	(2,337	)		$	12,685			$	10,263			$	1,690

          At June 30, 2011, we had $68.4 million of loss and loss adjustment expense reserves, which included $42.0 million in IBNR reserves and $26.4 million in case reserves. Reinsurance receivables of $0.1 million offset gross reserves of $68.4 million at June 30, 2011 in the above table. For a reconciliation of net loss and loss adjustment expense reserves from the beginning to the end of the year for the last three fiscal years, see Note 8 to our consolidated financial statements.

          As reflected in the table above, on reserves at June 30, 2010, we have experienced a favorable net reserve development of $1.7 million, which decreased our loss and loss adjustment expense reserves for prior accident years and increased our income before income taxes for the 2011 fiscal year. We believe that the favorable development for the year ended June 30, 2011 was primarily due to lower than anticipated severity of accidents occurring during the fiscal 2009 and 2010 accident years, specifically in bodily injury coverage in Texas, Tennessee and South Carolina and physical damage coverages in Georgia, partially offset by higher loss adjustment expenses specific to bodily injury and Florida no-fault coverages. The favorable development for the year ended June 30, 2010 was due to lower than anticipated severity of accidents occurring during the fiscal 2007 and 2008 accident years, primarily in bodily injury coverage in Georgia and South Carolina, an improvement in our claim handling practices and a shift in policy mix toward renewal policies, which have lower loss ratios than new policies.

          Loss and loss adjustment expense reserve estimates were reviewed on a quarterly basis and adjusted each quarter to reflect any favorable or adverse development. Development assumptions were based upon historical accident quarters. We analyzed our reserves for each type of coverage, by state and for loss and loss adjustment expense separately to determine our loss and loss adjustment expense reserves. To determine the best estimate, we reviewed the results of four estimation methods, including the reported development method, the paid development method, the reported Bornhuetter-Ferguson method and the paid Bornhuetter-Ferguson method for each set of data. In each quarterly review, we develop a point estimate for a subset of our business. We did not prepare separate point estimates for our entire business using each of the estimation methods. In determining our loss and loss adjustment expense reserves, we selected different estimation methods as appropriate for the various subsets of our business. The methods selected varied by coverage and by state, and considerations included the number and value of the case reserves for open claims, incurred and paid loss relativities, and suspected strengths and weaknesses for each of the procedures.

FIRST ACCEPTANCE CORPORATION 10-K

Other factors considered in establishing reserves include assumptions regarding loss frequency and loss severity. We believe assumptions regarding loss frequency are reliable because injured parties generally report their claims in a reasonably short period of time after an accident. Loss severity is more difficult to estimate because severity is affected by changes in underlying costs, including medical costs, settlements or judgments, and regulatory changes.

          Based upon the foregoing, we calculated a single point estimate of our net loss and loss adjustment expense reserves at June 30, 2011. We believe that estimate is our best estimate of our loss and loss adjustment expense reserves at June 30, 2011. The loss and loss adjustment expense reserves in our consolidated financial statements for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2011 are equal to the estimate determined by our actuarial staff.

          We believe that our estimate regarding changes in loss severity is the most significant factor that can potentially impact our IBNR reserve estimate. We believe that there is a reasonable possibility of increases or decreases in our estimated claim severities, with the largest potential changes occurring in the most recent accident years. An increase in loss severity of unpaid losses, ranging from 0.5% to 3.0% dependent upon the accident year, would result in adverse development of net loss and loss adjustment expense reserve levels at June 30, 2011 and a decrease in income before income taxes of approximately $5.9 million. Conversely, a comparable decrease in loss severity would result in favorable development of net loss and loss adjustment expense reserve levels at June 30, 2011 and an increase in income before income taxes of approximately $5.9 million.

Reinsurance

          Reinsurance is an arrangement in which a company called a reinsurer agrees in a contract to assume specified risks written by an insurance company, known as a ceding company, by paying the insurance company all or a portion of the insurance company’s losses arising under specified classes of insurance policies, in return for a reinsurance premium. Through August 31, 2004, our insurance companies ceded approximately 50% of their non-standard personal automobile insurance premiums and losses on a quota-share basis to unaffiliated reinsurers. Commencing August 1, 2010, our insurance companies began utilizing excess-of-loss reinsurance with an unaffiliated reinsurer to limit our exposure to losses under liability coverage’s for automobile insurance policies issued with limits greater than the minimum statutory requirements. Historically, the amount of such policies written by our insurance companies has not been material.

          Although FAIC is licensed in Texas, the majority of our business there is currently written by a managing general agency subsidiary through a program with a county mutual insurance company and is assumed by us through 100% quota-share reinsurance.

Ratings

          In December 2010, A.M. Best, which rates insurance companies based on factors of concern to policyholders, reaffirmed the ratings of our insurance company subsidiaries at “B (Fair)” with a Rating Outlook of “positive.” Publications of A.M. Best indicate that the “B (Fair)” rating, which is the seventh highest rating amongst a scale of 15 ratings, is assigned to those companies that in A.M. Best’s opinion have a fair ability to meet their ongoing obligations to policyholders, but are financially vulnerable to adverse changes in underwriting and economic conditions. A Rating Outlook is assigned to a rating to indicate its potential direction over an intermediate term, generally defined as 12 to 36 months. A positive outlook indicates a possible rating upgrade due to favorable financial/market trends relative to the current rating level.

          In evaluating a company’s financial and operating performance, A.M. Best reviews the company’s profitability, leverage and liquidity, as well as its book of business, the adequacy and soundness of its reinsurance (if any), the quality and estimated market value of its assets, the adequacy of its loss reserves, the adequacy of its surplus, its capital structure, the experience and competence of its management and its market presence. A.M. Best’s ratings reflect its opinion of an insurance company’s financial strength, operating performance and ability to meet its obligations to policyholders, and are not recommendations to potential or current investors to buy, sell or hold our common stock.

          Financial institutions and reinsurance companies sometimes use the A.M. Best ratings to help assess the financial strength and quality of insurance companies. The current ratings of our insurance company subsidiaries or their failure to maintain such ratings may dissuade a financial institution or reinsurance company from conducting business with us or increase our potential interest or reinsurance costs, respectively. We do not believe that the majority of our customers are motivated to purchase our products and services based on our A.M. Best rating.

FIRST ACCEPTANCE CORPORATION 10-K

Regulatory Environment

          Insurance Company Regulation. We and our insurance company subsidiaries are regulated by governmental agencies in the states in which we conduct business and by various federal statutes and regulations. These state regulations vary by jurisdiction but, among other matters, usually involve:

	•		regulating premium rates and forms;
	•		setting minimum solvency standards;
	•		setting capital and surplus requirements;
	•		licensing companies, agents and, in some states, adjusters;
	•		setting requirements for and limiting the types and amounts of investments;
	•		establishing requirements for the filing of annual statements and other financial reports;
	•		conducting periodic statutory examinations of the affairs of insurance companies;
	•		requiring prior approval of changes in control and of certain transactions with affiliates;
	•		limiting the amount of dividends that may be paid without prior regulatory approval; and
	•		setting standards for advertising and other market conduct activities.

          Required Licensing. We operate under licenses issued by various state insurance authorities. Such licenses may be of perpetual duration or periodically renewable, provided we continue to meet applicable regulatory requirements. The licenses govern, among other things, the types of insurance coverage’s and products that may be offered in the licensing state. Such licenses are typically issued only after an appropriate application is filed and prescribed criteria are met. All of our licenses are in good standing. Currently, we hold property and casualty insurance licenses in the following 25 states:

Alabama Arizona Arkansas Colorado Florida Georgia Illinois Indiana Iowa		Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Mississippi Missouri Nevada New Mexico Ohio Oklahoma		Pennsylvania South Carolina Tennessee Texas Utah Virginia West Virginia

          As required by our current operations, we hold managing general agency licenses in Texas and Florida and motor club licenses in Mississippi and Tennessee. To expand into a new state or offer a new line of insurance or other new product, we must apply for and obtain the appropriate licenses.

          Insurance Holding Company Regulation. We operate as an insurance holding company system and are subject to regulation in the jurisdictions in which our insurance company subsidiaries conduct business. These regulations require that each insurance company in the holding company system register with the insurance department of its state of domicile and furnish information concerning the operations of companies in the holding company system which may materially affect the operations, management or financial condition of the insurers in the holding company domiciled in that state. We have insurance company subsidiaries that are organized and domiciled under the insurance statutes of Texas, Georgia and Tennessee. The insurance laws in each of these states similarly provide that all transactions among members of a holding company system be done at arm’s length and be shown to be fair and reasonable to the regulated insurer. Transactions between insurance company subsidiaries and their parents and affiliates typically must be disclosed to the state regulators, and any material or extraordinary transaction requires prior approval of the applicable state insurance regulator. A change of control of a domestic insurer or of any controlling person requires the prior approval of the state insurance regulator. In general, any person who acquires 10% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the insurer or its parent company is presumed to have acquired control of the domestic insurer. To the best of our knowledge, we are in compliance with the regulations discussed above.

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          Restrictions on Paying Dividends. We may at times rely on dividends from our insurance company subsidiaries to meet corporate cash requirements. State insurance regulatory authorities require insurance companies to maintain specified levels of statutory capital and surplus. The amount of an insurer’s capital and surplus following payment of any dividends must be reasonable in relation to the insurer’s outstanding liabilities and adequate to meet its financial needs. Prior approval from state insurance regulatory authorities is generally required in order for an insurance company to declare and pay extraordinary dividends. The payment of ordinary dividends is limited by the amount of capital and surplus available to the insurer, as determined in accordance with state statutory accounting practices and other applicable limitations. State insurance regulatory authorities that have jurisdiction over the payment of dividends by our insurance company subsidiaries may in the future adopt statutory provisions more restrictive than those currently in effect. See Note 18 to our consolidated financial statements for a discussion of the ability of our insurance company subsidiaries to pay dividends.

          Regulation of Rates and Policy Forms. Most states in which our insurance company subsidiaries operate have insurance laws that require insurance companies to file premium rate schedules and policy or coverage forms for review and approval. In many cases, such rates and policy forms must be approved prior to use. State insurance regulators have broad discretion in judging whether an insurer’s rates are adequate, not excessive and not unfairly discriminatory. Generally, property and casualty insurers are unable to implement rate increases until they show that the costs associated with providing such coverage have increased. The speed at which an insurer can change rates in response to competition or increasing costs depends, in part, on the method by which the applicable state’s rating laws are administered. There are three basic rate administration systems: (i) the insurer must file and obtain regulatory approval of the new rate before using it; (ii) the insurer may begin using the new rate and immediately file it for regulatory review; or (iii) the insurer may begin using the new rate and file it in a specified period of time for regulatory review. Under all three rating systems, the state insurance regulators have the authority to disapprove the rate subsequent to its filing. Thus, insurers who begin using new rates before the rates are approved may be required to issue premium refunds or credits to policyholders if the new rates are ultimately deemed excessive and disapproved by the applicable state insurance authorities. In some states there has historically been pressure to reduce premium rates for automobile and other personal insurance or to limit how often an insurer may request increases for such rates. To the best of our knowledge, we are in compliance with all such applicable rate regulations.

          Guaranty Funds. Under state insurance guaranty fund laws, insurers doing business in a state can be assessed for certain obligations of insolvent insurance companies to policyholders and claimants. Maximum contributions required by law in any one year vary between 1% and 2% of annual premiums written in that state. In most states, guaranty fund assessments are recoverable either through future policy surcharges or offsets to state premium tax liabilities. To date, we have not received any material unrecoverable assessments.

          Investment Regulation. Our insurance company subsidiaries are subject to state laws and regulations that require diversification of their investment portfolios and limitations on the amount of investments in certain categories. Failure to comply with these laws and regulations would cause non-conforming investments to be treated as non-admitted assets for purposes of measuring statutory surplus and, in some instances, would require divestiture. If a non-conforming asset is treated as a non-admitted asset, it would lower the affected subsidiary’s surplus and thus, its ability to write additional premiums and pay dividends. To the best of our knowledge, our insurance company subsidiaries are in compliance with all such investment regulations.

          Restrictions on Cancellation, Non-Renewal or Withdrawal. Many states have laws and regulations that limit an insurer’s ability to exit a market. For example, certain states limit an automobile insurer’s ability to cancel or not renew policies. Some states prohibit an insurer from withdrawing one or more lines of business from the state, except pursuant to a plan approved by the state insurance department. The state insurance department may disapprove a plan that may lead to market disruption. Laws and regulations that limit cancellations and non-renewals and that subject business withdrawals to prior approval requirements may restrict an insurer’s ability to exit unprofitable markets. To the best of our knowledge, we are in compliance with all such laws and regulations.

FIRST ACCEPTANCE CORPORATION 10-K

          Privacy Regulations. In 1999, the United States Congress enacted the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, which protects consumers from the unauthorized dissemination of certain nonpublic personal information. Subsequently, the majority of states have implemented additional regulations to address privacy issues. These laws and regulations apply to all financial institutions, including insurance companies, and require us to maintain appropriate procedures for managing and protecting certain nonpublic personal information of our customers and to fully disclose our privacy practices to our customers. We may also be exposed to future privacy laws and regulations, which could impose additional costs and impact our results of operations or financial condition. To the best of our knowledge, we are in compliance with all applicable privacy laws and regulations.

          Licensing of Our Employee-Agents and Adjusters. All of our employees who sell, solicit or negotiate insurance are licensed, as required, by the state in which they work, for the applicable line or lines of insurance they offer. Our employee-agents generally must renew their licenses annually and adhere to minimum annual continuing education requirements. In certain states in which we operate, our insurance claims adjusters are also required to be licensed and are subject to annual continuing education requirements.

          Unfair Claims Practices. Generally, insurance companies, adjusting companies and individual claims adjusters are prohibited by state statutes from engaging in unfair claims practices which could indicate a general business practice. Unfair claims practices include, but are not limited to:

	•		misrepresenting pertinent facts or insurance policy provisions relating to coverage’s at issue;
	•		failing to acknowledge and act reasonably promptly upon communications regarding claims arising under insurance policies;
	•		failing to affirm or deny coverage of claims in a reasonable time after proof of loss statements have been completed;
	•		attempting to settle claims for less than the amount to which a reasonable person would have believed such person was entitled;
	•		attempting to settle claims on the basis of an application that was altered without notice to, knowledge or consent of the insured;
	•		making known to insured’s or claimants a policy of appealing from arbitration awards in favor of insured’s or claimants for the purpose of compelling them to accept settlements or compromises less than the amount awarded in arbitration;
	•		delaying the investigation or payment of claims by requiring an insured, claimant or the physician of either to submit a preliminary claim report and then requiring the subsequent submission of formal proof of loss forms, both of which submissions contain substantially the same information;
	•		failing to settle claims promptly, where liability has become reasonably clear, under one portion of the insurance policy coverage in order to influence settlements under other portions of the insurance policy coverage; and
	•		not attempting in good faith to effectuate prompt, fair and equitable settlements of claims in which liability has become reasonably clear.

          We set business conduct policies and conduct regular training to ensure that our employee-adjusters and other claims personnel are aware of these prohibitions, and we require them to conduct their activities in compliance with these statutes. To the best of our knowledge, we have not engaged in any unfair claims practices.

          Quarterly and Annual Financial Reporting. We are required to file quarterly and annual financial reports with states utilizing statutory accounting practices that are different from U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, which generally reflect our insurance company subsidiaries on a going concern basis. The statutory accounting practices used by state regulators, in keeping with the intent to assure policyholder protection, are generally based on a liquidation concept. For statutory financial information on our insurance company subsidiaries, see Note 18 to our consolidated financial statements included in this report.

          Periodic Financial and Market Conduct Examinations. The state insurance departments that have jurisdiction over our insurance company subsidiaries conduct on-site visits and examinations of the insurers’ affairs, especially as to their financial condition, ability to fulfill their obligations to policyholders, market conduct, claims practices and compliance with other laws and applicable regulations. Generally, these examinations are conducted every three to five years. If circumstances dictate, regulators are authorized to conduct special or target

FIRST ACCEPTANCE CORPORATION 10-K

examinations of insurers, insurance agencies and insurance adjusting companies to address particular concerns or issues. The results of these examinations can give rise to regulatory orders requiring remedial, injunctive or other corrective action on the part of the company that is the subject of the examination. FAIC has been examined by the Texas Department of Insurance for financial condition through December 31, 2007. FAIC-GA has been examined by the Georgia Department of Insurance for financial condition through December 31, 2007. FAIC-TN received an organizational examination by the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance at December 4, 2006. Examinations of financial condition through December 31, 2010 for all three insurance companies are currently in process. During the fiscal year ended June 30, 2010, FAIC was examined for market conduct by the states of Illinois and Pennsylvania. None of our insurance company subsidiaries have ever been the subject of a target examination.

          Risk-Based Capital. In order to enhance the regulation of insurer solvency, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, or “NAIC,” has adopted a formula and model law to implement risk-based capital, or “RBC,” requirements designed to assess the minimum amount of statutory capital that an insurance company needs to support its overall business operations and to ensure that it has an acceptably low expectation of becoming financially impaired. RBC is used to set capital requirements based on the size and degree of risk taken by the insurer and taking into account various risk factors such as asset risk, credit risk, underwriting risk, interest rate risk and other relevant business risks. The NAIC model law provides for increasing levels of regulatory intervention as the ratio of an insurer’s total adjusted capital decreases relative to its RBC, culminating with mandatory control of the operations of the insurer by the domiciliary insurance department at the so-called mandatory control level. This calculation is performed on a calendar year basis, and at December 31, 2010, each of our insurance companies all maintained an RBC level that was in excess of an amount that would require any corrective actions on their part.

          RBC is a comprehensive financial analysis system affecting nearly all types of licensed insurers, including our insurance company subsidiaries. It is designed to evaluate the relative financial condition of the insurer by application of a weighting formula to the company’s assets and its policyholder obligations. The key RBC calculation is to recast total surplus, after application of the RBC formula, in terms of an authorized control level RBC. The authorized control level RBC is a number determined under the RBC formula in accordance with certain RBC instructions. Once the authorized control level RBC is determined, it is contrasted against the company’s total adjusted capital. A high multiple generally indicates stronger capitalization and financial strength, while a lower multiple reflects lesser capitalization and strength. Each state’s statutes also create certain RBC multiples at which either the company or the regulator must take action. For example, there are four defined RBC levels that trigger different regulatory events. The minimum RBC level is called the company action level RBC and is generally defined as the product of 2.0 and the company’s authorized control level RBC. Next is a regulatory action level RBC, which is defined as the product of 1.5 and the company’s authorized control level RBC. Below the regulatory action level RBC is the authorized control level RBC. Finally, there is a mandatory control level RBC, which means the product of 0.70 and the company’s authorized control level RBC.

          As long as the company’s total adjusted capital stays above the company action level RBC (i.e., at greater than 2.0 times the authorized control level RBC), regulators generally will not take any corrective action. However, if an insurance company’s total adjusted capital falls below the company action level RBC, but remains above the regulatory action level RBC, the company is required to submit an RBC plan to the applicable state regulator(s) that identifies the conditions that contributed to the substandard RBC level and identifies a remediation plan to increase the company’s total adjusted capital above 2.0 times its authorized control level RBC. If a company’s total adjusted capital falls below its regulatory action level RBC but remains above its authorized control level RBC, then the regulator may require the insurer to submit an RBC plan, perform a financial examination or analysis on the company’s assets and liabilities, and may issue an order specifying corrective action for the company to take to improve its RBC number. In the event an insurance company’s total adjusted capital falls below its authorized control level RBC, the state regulator may require the insurer to submit an RBC plan or may place the insurer under regulatory supervision. If an insurance company’s total adjusted capital were to fall below its mandatory control level RBC, the regulator is obligated to place the insurer under regulatory control, which could ultimately include, among other actions, administrative supervision, rehabilitation or liquidation.

          At December 31, 2010, FAIC’s total adjusted capital was 6.2 times its authorized control level RBC, requiring no corrective action on FAIC’s part. Likewise, at December 31, 2010, FAIC-GA and FAIC-TN had total adjusted capital of 3.9 and 4.5, respectively, times their authorized control level RBC.

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          IRIS Ratios. The NAIC Insurance Regulatory Information System, or “IRIS,” is part of a collection of analytical tools designed to provide state insurance regulators with an integrated approach to screening and analyzing the financial condition of insurance companies operating in their respective states. IRIS is intended to assist state insurance regulators in targeting resources to those insurers in greatest need of regulatory attention. IRIS consists of two phases: statistical and analytical. In the statistical phase, the NAIC database generates key financial ratio results based on financial information obtained from insurers’ annual statutory statements. The analytical phase is a review of the annual statements, financial ratios and other automated solvency tools. The primary goal of the analytical phase is to identify companies that appear to require immediate regulatory attention. A ratio result falling outside the defined range of IRIS ratios is not considered a failing result; rather, unusual values are viewed as part of the regulatory early monitoring system. Furthermore, in some years, it may not be unusual for financially sound insurance companies to have several ratios with results outside the defined ranges.

          At December 31, 2010, our insurance company subsidiaries did not have any IRIS ratios outside the defined ranges.

Employees

          At June 30, 2011, we had approximately 1,045 employees. Our employees are not covered by any collective bargaining agreements.

Available Information

          We file reports with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), including Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and other reports from time to time. The public may read and copy any materials filed with the SEC at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington D.C. 20549. The public may obtain information about the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. We are an electronic filer, and the SEC maintains an internet site at www.sec.gov that contains our reports, proxy and information statements, and other information filed electronically. The SEC website address is provided as an inactive textual reference only, and the information provided on the SEC website is not part of this report and is therefore not incorporated by reference unless such information is otherwise specifically referenced elsewhere in this report.

Internet Website

          We maintain an internet website at the following address: www.firstacceptancecorp.com. The information on the Company’s website is not incorporated by reference in this report. We make available on or through our website certain reports and amendments to those reports that we file with, or furnish to, the SEC in accordance with the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These include our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, our current reports on Form 8-K, and any amendments to these reports. We make this information available on our website free of charge as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file the information with, or furnish it to, the SEC.

FIRST ACCEPTANCE CORPORATION 10-K

Item 1A. Risk Factors

          Investing in the Company involves risk. You should carefully consider the following risk factors, any of which could have a significant or material adverse effect on the Company. This information should be considered together with the other information contained in this report and in the other reports and materials filed by us with the SEC, as well as news releases and other information publicly disseminated by us from time to time.

Our business may be adversely affected by adverse economic conditions and other negative developments in the non-standard personal automobile insurance industry.

          Substantially all of our gross premiums written are generated from sales of non-standard personal automobile insurance policies. As a result of our concentration in this line of business, negative developments in the economic, competitive or regulatory conditions affecting the non-standard personal automobile insurance industry and our customers could reduce our revenues, increase our expenses or otherwise have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition. Continued weak economic conditions in the United States have resulted, and could continue to result, in fewer customers purchasing and maintaining non-standard personal automobile insurance policies and certain customers reducing their insurance coverage, which adversely impacts our revenues and profitability. Developments affecting the non-standard personal automobile insurance industry and our customers could have a greater effect on us compared with more diversified insurers that also sell other types of automobile insurance products or write other additional lines of insurance.

Our results may fluctuate as a result of cyclical changes in the non-standard personal automobile insurance industry.

          The non-standard personal automobile insurance industry is cyclical in nature. Likewise, adverse economic conditions impact our customers and many will choose to reduce their coverage or go uninsured during a weak economy. Employment rates, sales of used vehicles, consumer confidence and other factors affect our customers’ purchasing habits. In the past, the industry has also been characterized by periods of price competition and excess capacity followed by periods of high premium rates and shortages of underwriting capacity. If new competitors enter the market, existing competitors may attempt to increase market share by lowering rates. Such conditions could lead to reduced prices, which would negatively impact our revenues and profitability. Given the cyclical nature of the industry and the economy, these conditions may negatively impact our revenues and profitability.

Due to our largely fixed cost structure, our profitability may decline if our sales volume declines significantly.

          Our reliance on leased retail locations staffed by employee-agents results in a cost structure that has a high proportion of fixed costs as compared with other more traditional insurers. In times of increasing sales volume, our acquisition cost per policy decreases, improving our expense ratio, which we believe is one of the significant advantages of our business model. However, in times of declining sales volume, the opposite occurs. Decreases in our sales volume, without corresponding decreases in our costs, would adversely impact our results of operations and profitability.

Our loss and loss adjustment expenses may exceed our reserves, which would adversely impact our results of operations and financial condition.

          We establish reserves for the estimated amount of claims under the terms of the insurance policies underwritten by our insurance company subsidiaries. The amount of the reserves is determined based on historical claims information, industry statistics and other factors. The establishment of appropriate reserves is an inherently uncertain process due to a number of factors, including the difficulty in predicting the frequency and severity of claims, the rate of inflation, changes in trends, ongoing interpretation of insurance policy provisions by courts, inconsistent decisions in lawsuits regarding coverage and broader theories of liability. Any changes in claims settlement practices can also lead to changes in loss payment patterns, which are used to estimate reserve levels. Our ability to accurately estimate our loss and loss adjustment expense reserves may be made more difficult by changes in our business, including entry into new markets, changes in sales practices, or changes in our customers’ purchasing habits. If our reserves prove to be inadequate, we will be required to increase our loss reserves and the amount of any such increase would reduce our income in the period that the deficiency is recognized. The historic development of reserves for loss and loss adjustment expenses may not necessarily reflect future trends in the development of these amounts. Consequently, our actual losses could materially exceed our loss reserves, which would have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.

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Our investment portfolio may suffer reduced returns or other-than-temporary impairment losses, which could reduce our profitability.

          Our results of operations depend, in part, on the performance of our investment portfolio. At June 30, 2011, substantially all of our investment portfolio was invested either directly or indirectly in debt securities, primarily in marketable, investment-grade, U.S. government securities, municipal bonds, corporate bonds and collateralized mortgage obligations. Fluctuations in interest rates and economic declines affect our returns on, and the fair value of, debt securities. Unrealized gains and losses on debt securities are recognized in other comprehensive income (loss) and increase or decrease our stockholders’ equity. At June 30, 2011, the fair value of our investment portfolio exceeded the amortized cost by $9.5 million. An increase in interest rates could reduce the fair value of our investments in debt securities. At June 30, 2011, the impact of an immediate 100 basis point increase in market interest rates on our fixed maturities and cash equivalents portfolio would have resulted in an estimated decrease in fair value of 3.4%, or approximately $6.1 million. Defaults by third parties who fail to pay or perform obligations could reduce our investment income and could also result in investment losses to our portfolio. See “Critical Accounting Estimates — Investments” in Item 7 of this report and Note 2 to our consolidated financial statements regarding determination of other-than-temporary impairment losses on investment securities.

Our business may be adversely affected by negative developments in the states in which we operate.

          We currently operate in 12 states located primarily in the Southeastern and Midwestern United States. For the year ended June 30, 2011, approximately 69% of our premiums earned were generated from insurance policies written in five states. Our revenues and profitability are affected by prevailing economic, demographic, regulatory, competitive and other conditions in the states in which we operate. Changes in any of these conditions could make it more costly or difficult for us to conduct business. Adverse regulatory developments, which could include reductions in the maximum rates permitted to be charged, restrictions on rate increases, fundamental changes to the design or implementation of the automobile insurance regulatory framework, or economic conditions that result in fewer customers purchasing or maintaining insurance (or purchasing or maintaining reduced coverage’s), could reduce our revenues, increase our expenses or otherwise have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition. These developments could have a greater effect on us, as compared with more diversified insurers that also sell other types of automobile insurance products, write other additional lines of insurance coverage’s or whose premiums are not concentrated in a single line of insurance.

Our business is highly competitive, which may make it difficult for us to market our core products effectively and profitably.

          The non-standard personal automobile insurance business is highly competitive. We believe that our primary insurance company competition comes not only from national insurance companies or their subsidiaries, but also from non-standard insurers and independent agents that operate in a specific region or single state in which we also operate. We believe that our significant competitors are the Affirmative, Berkshire Hathaway (which includes GEICO), Bristol West, Direct General, Infinity, Permanent General, Progressive and Safe Auto insurance groups. Some of our competitors have substantially greater financial and other resources than us, and they may offer a broader range of products or competing products at lower prices, and may offer products through multiple distribution channels. Our revenues, profitability and financial condition could be materially adversely affected if we are required to decrease or are unable to increase prices to stay competitive, or if we do not successfully retain our current customers and attract new customers.

          In addition, innovation by competitors or other market participants may increase the level of competition in the industry. This can include product, pricing, or marketing innovations, new or improved services, technology advances, or new modes of doing business that enhance the customer’s ability to shop and compare prices from multiple companies, among other initiatives. Our ability to react to such advances and navigate the new competitive environment is important to our success.

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Our ability to attract, develop, and retain talented employees, managers, and executives, and to maintain appropriate staffing levels, is critical to our success.

          Our success depends on our ability to attract, develop, and retain talented employees, including executives, other key managers and employee-agents. Our loss of certain key employees, or the failure to attract and develop talented new executives and managers, could have a materially adverse effect on our business. In addition, we must forecast volume and other factors in changing business environments with reasonable accuracy and adjust our hiring and training programs and employment levels accordingly. Our failure to recognize the need for such adjustments, or our failure or inability to react appropriately on a timely basis, could lead either to over-staffing (which would adversely affect our cost structure) or under-staffing (impairing our ability to service our business) in one or more locations. In either such event, our financial results, customer relationships, and brand could be materially adversely affected.

Pricing, claim and coverage issues and class action litigation are continually emerging in the automobile insurance industry, and these issues could adversely impact our revenues, profitability, or our methods of doing business.

          As automobile insurance industry practices and regulatory, judicial and consumer conditions change, litigation and unexpected and unintended issues related to claims, coverage’s and business practices may emerge. These issues can have an adverse effect on our business by subjecting us to liability, changing the way we price and market our products, extending coverage beyond our underwriting intent, requiring us to obtain additional licenses or increasing the size of claims. Examples of some issues include:

	•		concerns over the use of an applicant’s credit score or zip code as a factor in making risk selections and pricing decisions;
	•		plaintiffs targeting automobile insurers in purported class action litigation relating to sales and marketing practices and claims-handling practices, such as total loss evaluation methodology, the use of aftermarket (non-original equipment manufacturer) parts and the alleged diminution in value to insured’s’ vehicles involved in accidents; and
	•		consumer groups lobbying state legislatures to regulate and require separate licenses for individuals and companies engaged in the sale of ancillary products or services.

          The effects of these and other unforeseen emerging issues could subject us to liability or negatively affect our revenues, profitability, or our methods of doing business.

We may have difficulties successfully implementing and maintaining our new pricing program.

          We are currently implementing a new pricing program that is based on multivariate analysis of our historical results and will use insurance scoring as a variable. The new pricing program has been implemented in nine of the states in which we operate, and implementation in our remaining states is continuing. The success of our new pricing program will depend on our ability to properly design and accurately set rates in each of the states in which we currently operate. There are no assurances that this new pricing program will be approved by all of the insurance departments in these states. In addition, our success is also dependent upon our ability to develop and maintain information systems to effectively support the administration of this program. Our failure to properly design and price this new program could cause us to under price risks, which would negatively affect our loss ratio, or we could overprice risks, which could make our rates uncompetitive and reduce our number of policies in force. The inability to successfully implement this new program could adversely affect our operating results and financial condition.

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Our business may be adversely affected if we do not underwrite risks accurately and charge adequate rates to policyholders.

          Our financial condition, cash flows, and results of operations depend on our ability to underwrite and set rates accurately for a full spectrum of risks. The role of the pricing function is to ensure that rates are adequate to generate sufficient premium to pay losses, loss adjustment expenses, and underwriting expenses, and to earn a profit. Pricing involves the acquisition and analysis of historical accident and loss data, and the projection of future accident trends, loss costs and expenses, and inflation trends, among other factors, for each of our products and in many different markets. As a result, our ability to price accurately is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation:

	•		the availability of sufficient reliable data;
	•		uncertainties inherent in estimates and assumptions, generally;
	•		our ability to conduct a complete and accurate analysis of available data;
	•		our ability to timely recognize changes in trends and to predict both the severity and frequency of future losses with reasonable accuracy;
	•		our ability to predict changes in certain operating expenses with reasonable accuracy;
	•		the development, selection, and application of appropriate rating formulae or other pricing methodologies;
	•		our ability to innovate with new pricing strategies, and the success of those innovations;
	•		our ability to implement rate changes and obtain any required regulatory approvals on a timely basis;
	•		our ability to predict policyholder retention accurately;
	•		unanticipated court decisions, legislation, or regulatory action;
	•		the occurrence and severity of catastrophic events, such as hurricanes, hail storms, other severe weather, and terrorist events;
	•		our understanding of the impact of ongoing changes in our claim settlement practices; and
	•		changing driving patterns.

          The realization of one or more of such risks may result in our pricing being based on inadequate or inaccurate data or inappropriate analyses, assumptions, or methodologies, and may cause us to estimate incorrectly future changes in the frequency or severity of claims. As a result, we could under price risks, which would negatively affect our underwriting profit margins, or we could overprice risks, which could reduce our volume and competitiveness. In either event, our operating results, financial condition, and cash flows could be materially adversely affected. In addition, under pricing insurance policies over time could erode the surplus of one or more of our insurance subsidiaries, constraining our ability to write new business.

Our results are dependent on our ability to adjust claims accurately.

          We must accurately evaluate and pay claims that are made under our insurance policies. Many factors can affect our ability to pay claims accurately, including the training, experience, and skill of our claims representatives, the extent of and our ability to recognize fraudulent or inflated claims, the effectiveness of our management, and our ability to develop or select and implement appropriate procedures, technologies, and systems to support our claims functions. Our failure to pay claims fairly, accurately, and in a timely manner, or to deploy claims resources appropriately, could result in unanticipated costs to us, lead to material litigation, undermine customer goodwill and our reputation in the marketplace, and impair our brand image and, as a result, materially adversely affect our competitiveness, financial results, prospects, and liquidity.

We may write-off intangible assets, such as goodwill.

          As a result of purchase accounting for our business combination transactions, our consolidated balance sheet at June 30, 2011 contained intangible assets designated as goodwill and other identifiable intangible assets totaling $25.9 million. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate whether facts and circumstances indicate any impairment of value of intangible assets. As circumstances change, we cannot assure you that the value of these intangible assets will be realized by us. If we determine that a material impairment has occurred, we will be required to write-off the impaired portion of intangible assets, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations in the period in which the write-off occurs.

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Our insurance company subsidiaries are subject to regulatory restrictions on paying dividends to our holding company.

          Our holding company may rely, in part, on receiving dividends from the insurance company subsidiaries to pay its obligations. State insurance laws limit the ability of our insurance company subsidiaries to pay dividends and require our insurance company subsidiaries to maintain specified minimum levels of statutory capital and surplus. These restrictions affect the ability of our insurance company subsidiaries to pay dividends to our holding company and may require our subsidiaries to obtain the prior approval of regulatory authorities, which could slow the timing of such payments or reduce the amount that can be paid. The limits on the amount of dividends that can be paid by our insurance company subsidiaries may affect the ability of our holding company to pay its obligations. The dividend-paying ability of the insurance company subsidiaries is discussed in Note 18 to our consolidated financial statements.

Our ability to use net operating loss carry forwards to reduce tax payments may be limited by applicable law.

          Based on our calculations and in accordance with the rules stated in the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), we do not believe that any “ownership change,” as described in the following paragraph and as defined in Section 382 of the Code, has occurred with respect to our net operating losses (“NOLs”) and accordingly we believe that there was no annual limitation under Section 382 of the Code on our ability to use NOLs to reduce our past taxable income. We did not obtain, and do not plan to obtain, an Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) ruling or opinion of counsel regarding either of these conclusions. All NOLs that were subject to Section 382 as a result of the April 2004 acquisition of USAuto Holdings, Inc. (“US Auto”) have now expired. However, related NOLs of $18.4 million were utilized in years still subject to examination by federal tax authorities.

          Generally, an ownership change occurs if certain persons or groups increase their aggregate ownership of our total capital stock by more than 50 percentage points in any three-year period. If an ownership change occurs, our ability to use our NOLs to reduce income taxes is limited to an annual amount (the “Section 382 limitation”) equal to the fair market value of our stock immediately prior to the ownership change multiplied by the long term tax-exempt interest rate, which is published monthly by the IRS. In the event of an ownership change, NOLs that exceed the Section 382 limitation in any year will continue to be allowed as carry forwards for the remainder of the carry forward period and such excess NOLs can be used to offset taxable income for years in the carry forward period subject to the Section 382 limitation in each year. Regardless of whether an ownership change occurs, the carry forward period for NOLs is 20 years from the year in which the losses giving rise to the NOLs were incurred. The most recent losses that gave rise to our current NOLs were incurred in 2011 and will expire in 2031. If the carry forward period for any NOL were to expire before that NOL had been fully utilized, the use of the unutilized portion of that NOL would be permanently prohibited. Our use of new NOLs arising after the date of an ownership change would not be affected by the Section 382 limitation, unless there were another ownership change after those new NOLs arose.

          It is impossible for us to state that an ownership change will not occur in the future. Limitations imposed by Code Section 382 and the restrictions contained in our certificate of incorporation may limit our ability to issue additional stock to raise capital or acquire businesses. To the extent not prohibited by our certificate of incorporation, we may decide in the future that it is necessary or in our interest to take certain actions that could result in an ownership change.

          Code Section 269 permits the IRS to disallow any deduction, credit or allowance, including the utilization of NOLs, that otherwise would not be available but for the acquisition of control of a corporation, including acquisition by merger, for the principal purpose of avoiding federal income taxes, including avoidance through the use of NOLs. If the IRS were to assert that the principal purpose of the April 2004 acquisition of USAuto was the avoidance of federal income tax, we would have the burden of proving that this was not the principal purpose. The determination of the principal purpose of a transaction is purely a question of fact and requires an analysis of all the facts and circumstances surrounding the transaction. Courts generally have been reluctant to apply Code Section 269 where a reasonable business purpose existed for the timing and form of the transaction, even if the availability of tax benefits was also an acknowledged consideration in the transaction. We think that Code Section 269 should not apply to the acquisition of USAuto because we can show that genuine business purposes existed for the USAuto acquisition and that tax avoidance was not the principal purpose for the merger. Our primary objective of the merger was to seek long-term growth for our stockholders through an acquisition. To that end, we redeployed a significant amount of our existing capital and offered our existing stockholders the right to make a substantial additional investment in the Company to facilitate the acquisition of USAuto. If, nevertheless, the IRS were to assert that Code Section 269 applied and if such assertion were sustained, the utilization of our past NOLs would be severely limited or extinguished. Due to the fact that the application of Code Section 269 is ultimately a question of fact, there can be no assurance that the IRS would not prevail if it were to assert the application of Code Section 269.

FIRST ACCEPTANCE CORPORATION 10-K

Our insurance company subsidiaries are subject to statutory capital and surplus requirements and other standards, and their failure to meet these requirements or standards could subject them to regulatory actions.

          Our insurance company subsidiaries are subject to RBC standards and other minimum statutory capital and surplus requirements imposed under the laws of their respective states of domicile. The RBC standards, which are based upon the RBC Model Act adopted by the NAIC, require our insurance company subsidiaries to annually report their results of RBC calculations to the state departments of insurance and the NAIC.

          Failure to meet applicable RBC requirements or minimum statutory capital and surplus requirements could subject our insurance company subsidiaries to further examination or corrective action imposed by state regulators, including limitations on their writing of additional business, state supervision or even liquidation. Any changes in existing RBC standards or minimum statutory capital and surplus requirements may require our insurance company subsidiaries to increase their statutory capital and surplus levels, which they may be unable to do. This calculation is performed on a calendar year basis, and at December 31, 2010, our insurance company subsidiaries maintained RBC levels in excess of an amount that would require any corrective actions on their part.

          State regulators also screen and analyze the financial condition of insurance companies using the NAIC IRIS system. As part of IRIS, the NAIC database generates key financial ratio results obtained from an insurer’s annual statutory statements. A ratio result falling outside the defined range of IRIS ratios may result in further examination by a state regulator to determine if corrective action is necessary. At December 31, 2010, our insurance company subsidiaries had no IRIS ratios outside the defined ranges. We cannot assure you however that regulatory authorities will not conduct any such examination of the financial condition of our insurance company subsidiaries, or of the outcome of any such investigation. See “Item 1. Business — Regulatory Environment.”

We rely on our information technology and communication systems, and the failure of these systems could materially adversely affect our business.

          Our business is highly dependent on the proprietary integrated technology systems that enable timely and efficient communication and data sharing among the various segments of our integrated operations. These systems are used in all our operations, including quotation, policy issuance, customer service, underwriting, claims, accounting, and communications. We have a technical staff that develops, maintains and supports all elements of our technology infrastructure. However, disruption of power systems or communication systems or any failure of our systems could result in deterioration in our ability to respond to customers’ requests, write and service new business, and process claims in a timely manner. We believe we have appropriate types and levels of insurance to protect our real property, systems, and other assets. However, insurance does not provide full reimbursement for all losses, both direct and indirect, that may result from an event affecting our information technology and communication systems.

Severe weather conditions and other catastrophes may result in an increase in the number and amount of claims filed against us.

          Our business is exposed to the risk of severe weather conditions and other catastrophes. Catastrophes can be caused by various events, including natural events, such as severe winter weather, hurricanes, tornados, windstorms, earthquakes, hailstorms, thunderstorms and fires, and other events, such as explosions, terrorist attacks and riots. The incidence and severity of catastrophes and severe weather conditions are inherently unpredictable. Severe weather conditions generally result in more automobile accidents and damage, leading to an increase in the number of claims filed and/or the amount of compensation sought by claimants.

We may have difficulties in managing any expansion into new markets.

          Our future growth plans may include expanding into new states by opening new retail locations, acquiring the business and assets of other companies, or introducing additional insurance products or distribution methods. In order to grow our business successfully, we must apply for and maintain necessary licenses, properly design and price our products and identify, hire and train new employees. Our expansion would also place significant demands on our existing management, operations, systems, accounting, internal controls and financial resources. Any failure by us to manage growth and to respond to changes in our business could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

FIRST ACCEPTANCE CORPORATION 10-K

A few of our stockholders have significant control over us, and their interests may differ from yours.

          Three of our stockholders, Gerald J. Ford, our Chairman of the Board; Stephen J. Harrison, our Chief Executive Officer and a current director; and Thomas M. Harrison, Jr., a current director, in the aggregate, control approximately 62% of our outstanding common stock. If these stockholders acted or voted together, they would have the power to control the election and removal of our directors. They would also have significant control over other matters requiring stockholder approval, including the approval of major corporate transactions and proposed amendments to our certificate of incorporation. This concentration of ownership may delay or prevent a change in control of the Company, as well as frustrate attempts to replace or remove current management, even when a change may be in the best interests of our other stockholders. Furthermore, the interests of these stockholders may not always coincide with the interests of the Company or other stockholders.

We may not be successful in identifying acquisition candidates or integrating their operations, which could harm our financial results.

          Our growth strategy may include acquiring other companies and businesses. In order to grow our business by acquisition, we must identify acquisition candidates and successfully integrate the acquired operations. We could face increased costs if we are unable to successfully integrate the operations of any acquired business into our operations, and we could experience disruption of our business and distraction of our management, which may not be offset by corresponding increases in revenues. The integration of operations after an acquisition is subject to risks, including, among others, loss of key personnel of the acquired company, difficulty associated with assimilating the personnel, information systems and operations of the acquired company, potential disruption of ongoing business, maintenance of uniform standards, controls, procedures and policies and impairment of the acquired company’s reputation and relationships with its employees and clients. It is also possible that we may not realize, either at all or in a timely manner, any or all benefits from acquisitions and may incur significant costs in connection with any acquisitions. Failure to successfully integrate any acquisitions could materially adversely affect the results of our operations.

We and our subsidiaries are subject to comprehensive regulation and supervision that may restrict our ability to earn profits.

          We and our subsidiaries are subject to comprehensive regulation and supervision by the insurance departments in the states where our subsidiaries are domiciled and where our subsidiaries sell insurance and ancillary products, issue policies and handle claims. Certain regulatory restrictions and prior approval requirements may affect our subsidiaries’ ability to operate, change their operations or obtain necessary rate adjustments in a timely manner or may increase our costs and reduce profitability.

          Among other things, regulation and supervision of us and our subsidiaries extends to:

          Required Licensing. We and our subsidiaries operate under licenses issued by various state insurance authorities. These licenses govern, among other things, the types of insurance coverages, agency and claims services and motor club products that we and our subsidiaries may offer consumers in the particular state. If a regulatory authority denies or delays granting any such license, our ability to enter new markets or offer new products could be substantially impaired.

          Transactions Between Insurance Companies and Their Affiliates. Our insurance company subsidiaries are organized and domiciled under the insurance statutes of Texas, Georgia and Tennessee. The insurance laws in these states provide that all transactions among members of an insurance holding company system must be done at arm’s length and shown to be fair and reasonable to the regulated insurer. Transactions between our insurance company subsidiaries and other subsidiaries generally must be disclosed to the state regulators, and prior approval of the applicable regulator generally is required before any material or extraordinary transaction may be consummated. State regulators may refuse to approve or delay approval of such a transaction, which may impact our ability to innovate or operate efficiently.

          Regulation of Rates and Policy Forms. The insurance laws of most states in which our insurance company subsidiaries operate require insurance companies to file premium rate schedules and policy forms for review and approval. State insurance regulators have broad discretion in judging whether our rates are adequate, not excessive and not unfairly discriminatory. The speed at which we can change our rates in

FIRST ACCEPTANCE CORPORATION 10-K

response to market conditions or increasing costs depends, in part, on the method by which the applicable state’s rating laws are administered. Generally, state insurance regulators have the authority to disapprove our requested rates. If as permitted in some states, we begin using new rates before they are approved, we may be required to issue premium refunds or credits to our policyholders if the new rates are ultimately disapproved by the applicable state regulator. In some states, there has been pressure in past years to reduce premium rates for automobile and other personal insurance or to limit how often an insurer may request increases for such rates. In states where such pressure is applied, our ability to respond to market developments or increased costs in that state may be adversely affected.

          Investment Restrictions. Our insurance company subsidiaries are subject to state laws and regulations that require diversification of their investment portfolios and that limit the amount of investments in certain categories. Failure to comply with these laws and regulations would cause non-conforming investments to be treated as non-admitted assets for purposes of measuring statutory surplus and, in some instances, would require divestiture. If a non-conforming asset is treated as a non-admitted asset, it would lower the affected subsidiary’s surplus and thus, its ability to write additional premiums and pay dividends.

          Restrictions on Cancellation, Non-Renewal or Withdrawal. Many states have laws and regulations that limit an insurer’s ability to exit a market. For example, certain states limit an automobile insurer’s ability to cancel or not renew policies. Some states prohibit an insurer from withdrawing from one or more lines of business in the state, except pursuant to a plan approved by the state insurance department. The state insurance department may disapprove a plan that may lead to market disruption. These laws and regulations that limit cancellations and non-renewals and that subject business withdrawals to prior approval restrictions could limit our ability to exit unprofitable markets or discontinue unprofitable products in the future.

Our success depends partly on our ability to efficiently manage complexity.

          The fast pace of change and innovation in our business, combined with ongoing technological, regulatory, and other developments, results in significant levels of complexity in our products and in the systems and processes we use to run our business. The complexity may create a barrier to implementing certain new ideas, and may lead to the increased possibility of error in executing our business strategies, as well as difficult management decisions regarding the allocation of available resources (such as information technology resources) for multiple potential initiatives or projects. Our inability to manage this complexity effectively, to bring new ideas to market, to allocate and prioritize appropriately our resources, or to prevent errors could result in substantially increased costs, liability to third parties, regulatory investigations and sanctions, poor customer experiences, and damage to our brand.

Provisions in our certificate of incorporation and bylaws may prevent a takeover or a change in management that you may deem favorable.

          Our certificate of incorporation contains prohibitions on the transfer of our common stock to avoid limitations on the use of the NOL carryforwards and other federal income tax attributes. These restrictions could prevent or inhibit a third party from acquiring us. Our certificate of incorporation generally prohibits, without the prior approval of our board of directors, any transfer of common stock, any subsequent issue of voting stock or stock that participates in our earnings or growth, and certain options with respect to such stock, if the transfer of such stock or options would (i) cause any group or person to own 4.9% or more, by aggregate value, of the outstanding shares of our common stock, (ii) increase the ownership position of any person or group that already owns 4.9% or more, by aggregate value, of the outstanding shares of our common stock, or (iii) cause any person or group to be treated like the owner of 4.9% or more, by aggregate value, of our outstanding shares of common stock for tax purposes.

          Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws also contain the following provisions that could prevent or inhibit a third party from acquiring us:

	•		the requirement that only stockholders owning at least one-third of the outstanding shares of our common stock may call a special stockholders’ meeting; and
	•		the requirement that stockholders owning at least two-thirds of the outstanding shares of our common stock must approve any amendment to our certificate of incorporation provisions concerning the transfer restrictions and the ability to call special stockholders’ meetings.

FIRST ACCEPTANCE CORPORATION 10-K

          Under our certificate of incorporation, we may issue shares of preferred stock on terms that are unfavorable to the holders of our common stock. The issuance of shares of preferred stock could also prevent or inhibit a third party from acquiring us. The existence of these provisions could depress the price of our common stock, could delay or prevent a takeover attempt or could prevent attempts to replace or remove incumbent management.

Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments

          None.

Item 2. Properties

          We lease office space in Nashville, Tennessee for our corporate offices, claims, customer service and data center (approximately 53,000 square feet). We also lease office space for our regional claims offices in Chicago, Illinois and Tampa, Florida and for our regional customer service center in Chicago, Illinois. Our retail locations are all leased and typically are located in storefronts in retail shopping centers, and each location typically contains less than 1,000 square feet of space. See Note 7 to our consolidated financial statements for further information about our leases.

Item 3. Legal Proceedings

          We and our subsidiaries are named from time to time as defendants in various legal actions that are incidental to our business, including those which arise out of or are related to the handling of claims made in connection with our insurance policies and claims handling. The plaintiffs in some of these lawsuits have alleged bad faith or extracontractual damages, and some have sought punitive damages or class action status. We believe that the resolution of these legal actions will not have a material adverse effect on our financial condition or results of operations. However, the ultimate outcome of these matters is uncertain.

FIRST ACCEPTANCE CORPORATION 10-K

PART II

Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

Market Information

          Our common stock is currently quoted on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “FAC.” The following table sets forth quarterly high and low sales prices for our common stock for the periods indicated. All price quotations represent prices between dealers, without accounting for retail mark-ups, mark-downs or commissions, and may not represent actual transactions.

		Price Range
		High				Low
Year Ended June 30, 2010
First Quarter		$	3.12			$	1.92
Second Quarter			2.80				1.68
Third Quarter			2.63				1.78
Fourth Quarter			2.28				1.55
Year Ended June 30, 2011
First Quarter		$	1.87			$	1.57
Second Quarter			1.95				1.60
Third Quarter			2.00				1.63
Fourth Quarter			2.05				1.62

          The closing price of our common stock on August 30, 2011 was $1.46.

Holders

          According to the records of our transfer agent, there were approximately 450 holders of record of our common stock on August 30, 2011, including record holders such as banks and brokerage firms who hold shares for beneficial holders, and 48,458,178 shares of our common stock were outstanding.

Dividends

          We paid no dividends during the two most recent fiscal years. We do not anticipate paying cash dividends in the future. Any future determination to pay dividends will be at the discretion of our Board of Directors and will depend upon, among other factors, our results of operations, financial condition, capital requirements and contractual restrictions.

Stock Transfer Restrictions

          Our certificate of incorporation (the “Charter”) contains prohibitions on the transfer of our common stock to avoid limitations on the use of our NOL carryforwards and other federal income tax attributes. The Charter generally prohibits, without the prior approval of our Board of Directors, any transfer of common stock, any subsequent issue of voting stock or stock that participates in our earnings or growth, and certain options with respect to such stock, if the transfer of such stock would cause any group or person to own 4.9% or more (by aggregate value) of our outstanding shares or cause any person to be treated like the owner of 4.9% or more (by aggregate value) of our outstanding shares for tax purposes. Transfers in violation of this prohibition will be void, unless our Board of Directors consents to the transfer. If void, upon our demand, the purported transferee must return the shares to our agent to be sold, or if already sold, the purported transferee must forfeit some, or possibly all, of the sale proceeds. In connection with certain changes in the ownership of the holders of our shares, we may require the holder to dispose of some or all of such shares. For this purpose, “person” is defined broadly to mean any individual, corporation, estate, debtor, association, company, partnership, joint venture, or similar organization.

FIRST ACCEPTANCE CORPORATION 10-K

Performance Graph

          The following graph compares the total cumulative shareholder return for $100 invested in our common shares against the cumulative total return of the Russell 3000 Index and the S&P Property & Casualty Insurance Index on June 30, 2006 to the end of the most recently completed fiscal year.

		June 30,
		2006				2007				2008				2009				2010				2011
First Acceptance Corporation			100.00				86.25				27.16				18.08				14.52				15.70
Russell 3000			100.00				120.07				104.84				76.99				89.09				117.93
S&P Property & Casualty Insurance			100.00				114.39				80.09				62.31				78.97				84.72

Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds

          The following table provides information regarding repurchases by us of our common stock during the periods indicated. We repurchased 3,350 shares from employees during the three months ended June 30, 2011 to cover payroll withholding taxes in connection with the vesting of restricted common stock.

Approximate

Total Number of

Dollar Value of

Total

Average

Shares Purchased

Shares that May

Number

Price

as Part of Publicly

Yet Be Purchased

Period

Period

of Shares

Paid per

Announced Plans

Under the Plans or

Beginning

Ending

Purchased

Share

or Programs

Programs

April 1, 2011

April 30, 2011

3,350

$

1.84

—

—

May 1, 2011

May 31, 2011

—

—

—

—

June 1, 2011

June 30, 2011

—

—

—

—

Total

3,350

$

1.84

—

—

FIRST ACCEPTANCE CORPORATION 10-K

Item 6. Selected Financial Data

          The following tables provide selected historical consolidated financial and operating data of the Company at the dates and for the periods indicated. In conjunction with the data provided in the following tables and in order to more fully understand our historical consolidated financial and operating data, you should also read our “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and our consolidated financial statements and the accompanying notes included in this report. We derived our selected historical consolidated financial data at June 30, 2011 and 2010 and for the years ended June 30, 2011, 2010 and 2009 from our consolidated financial statements included in this report. We derived our selected historical consolidated financial data at June 30, 2009, 2008 and 2007 and for the years ended June 30, 2008 and 2007 from our consolidated financial statements which are not included in this report. The results for past periods are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for any future period.

		Year Ended June 30,
		2011				2010				2009				2008				2007
		(in thousands, except per share data)
Statement of Operations Data:
Revenues:
Premiums earned		$	173,041			$	187,046			$	224,113			$	285,914			$	300,661
Commission and fee income			29,483				28,852				31,759				36,479				37,324
Investment income			8,395				7,958				9,504				11,250				8,863
Net realized gains (losses) on investments, available-for-sale			(185	)			(683	)			89				(1,244	)			(61	)
Other			—				—				—				—				850
			210,734				223,173				265,465				332,399				347,637
Costs and expenses:
Losses and loss adjustment expenses			129,167				126,995				149,277				219,943				241,908
Insurance operating expenses			77,822				79,833				87,124				98,433				97,629
Other operating expenses			1,369				2,233				1,307				2,415				2,623
Litigation settlement			(9	)			(361	)			1,570				7,468				—
Stock-based compensation			998				1,048				2,053				1,507				1,063
Depreciation and amortization			1,605				2,013				1,910				1,679				1,624
Interest expense			3,930				3,931				4,138				4,977				1,874
Goodwill and intangible assets impairment(1)			52,434				—				67,990				—				—
			267,316				215,692				315,369				336,422				346,721
Income (loss) before income taxes			(56,582	)			7,481				(49,904	)			(4,023	)			916
Provision for income taxes(1)			198				441				18,396				13,822				17,586
Net income (loss)		$	(56,780	)		$	7,040			$	(68,300	)		$	(17,845	)		$	(16,670	)
Per Share Data:
Net income (loss) per share:
Basic		$	(1.18	)		$	0.15			$	(1.43	)		$	(0.37	)		$	(0.35	)
Diluted		$	(1.18	)		$	0.15			$	(1.43	)		$	(0.37	)		$	(0.35	)
Number of shares used to calculate net income (loss) per share:
Basic			48,171				47,961				47,664				47,628				47,584
Diluted			48,171				48,418				47,664				47,628				47,584

FIRST ACCEPTANCE CORPORATION 10-K

		June 30,
		2011				2010				2009				2008				2007
		(in thousands, except per share data)
Balance Sheet Data:
Cash, cash equivalents and total investments		$	216,120			$	222,734			$	217,512			$	228,216			$	210,716
Total assets			296,294				356,342				358,956				473,230				498,892
Loss and loss adjustment expense reserves			68,424				73,198				83,973				101,407				91,446
Notes and debentures payable			41,240				41,240				41,240				45,153				64,300
Total liabilities			174,066				179,152				199,100				247,771				259,408
Total stockholders’ equity			122,228				177,190				159,856				225,459				239,484
Book value per common share		$	2.52			$	3.65			$	3.31			$	4.69			$	5.03

Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

          The following discussion should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes included in this report. This discussion contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including those discussed below and elsewhere in this report, particularly under the caption “Item 1A. Risk Factors.”

Forward-Looking Statements

          This report contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements made in this report, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements. You can identify these statements from our use of the words “may,” “should,” “could,” “potential,” “continue,” “plan,” “forecast,” “estimate,” “project,” “believe,” “intent,” “anticipate,” “expect,” “target,” “is likely,” “will,” or the negative of these terms and similar expressions. These statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements may include, among other things statements and assumptions relating to:

	•		our future growth, income, income per share and other financial performance measures;
	•		the anticipated effects on our results of operations or financial condition from recent and expected developments or events;
	•		the financial condition of, and other issues relating to the strength of and liquidity available to, issuers of securities held in our investment portfolio;
	•		the accuracy and adequacy of our loss reserving methodologies; and
	•		our business and growth strategies.

          We believe that our expectations are based on reasonable assumptions. However, these forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that could cause our actual results, performance or achievements, or industry results to differ materially from our expectations of future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. In addition, our past results of operations do not necessarily indicate our future results. We discuss these and other uncertainties in “Item 1A. Risk Factors”, as well as other sections, of this report.

          You should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. These statements speak only as of the date of this report. Except as otherwise required by applicable laws, we undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements or the risk factors described in this report, whether as a result of new information, future events, changed circumstances or any other reason after the date of this report.

FIRST ACCEPTANCE CORPORATION 10-K

General

          We are principally a retailer, servicer and underwriter of non-standard personal automobile insurance. We also own two tracts of land in San Antonio, Texas that are held for sale. Non-standard personal automobile insurance is made available to individuals who are categorized as “non-standard” because of their inability or unwillingness to obtain standard insurance coverage due to various factors, including payment history, payment preference, failure in the past to maintain continuous insurance coverage, driving record and/or vehicle type. Generally, our customers are required by law to buy a minimum amount of automobile insurance.

          At August 31, 2011, we leased and operated 384 retail locations (or “stores”) staffed by employee-agents who primarily sell non-standard personal automobile insurance products underwritten by us as well as certain commissionable ancillary products. In most states, our employee-agents also sell a complementary tenant homeowner insurance product underwritten by us. At August 31, 2011, we wrote non-standard personal automobile insurance in 12 states and were licensed in 13 additional states.

          The following table shows the number of our retail locations. Retail location counts are based upon the date that a location commenced or ceased writing business.

		Year Ended June 30,
		2011				2010
Retail locations — beginning of period			394				418
Opened			1				1
Closed			(10	)			(25	)
Retail locations — end of period			385				394

          The following table shows the number of our retail locations by state.

		June 30,
		2011				2010				2009
Alabama			24				25				25
Florida			31				31				39
Georgia			60				60				61
Illinois			68				74				78
Indiana			17				17				18
Mississippi			8				8				8
Missouri			12				12				12
Ohio			27				27				27
Pennsylvania			16				16				17
South Carolina			26				26				27
Tennessee			20				19				20
Texas			76				79				86
Total			385				394				418

Developments during the Year

          On March 1, 2011, we announced the resignation of Edward L. Pierce as our President and Kevin P. Cohn as our Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. In light of these resignations, the Board of Directors of the Company elected Mark A. Kelly and Michael J. Bodayle as interim President and interim Chief Financial Officer, respectively. On May 17, 2011, the Board of Directors appointed John R. Barnett as Senior Vice President of Finance, in which capacity Mr. Barnett will serve as the Company’s principal financial and accounting officer. For a more detailed description of these management changes, see our Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on March 2, 2011, April 1, 2011 and May 23, 2011.

FIRST ACCEPTANCE CORPORATION 10-K

Consolidated Results of Operations

          Overview

          Our primary focus is the selling, servicing and underwriting of non-standard personal automobile insurance. Our real estate and corporate segment consists of activities related to the disposition of real estate held for sale, interest expense associated with debt, and other general corporate overhead expenses.

          The following table presents selected financial data for our insurance operations and real estate and corporate segments (in thousands).

		Year Ended June 30,
		2011				2010				2009
Revenues:
Insurance		$	210,618			$	223,054			$	265,341
Real estate and corporate			116				119				124
Consolidated total		$	210,734			$	223,173			$	265,465
Income (loss) before income taxes:
Insurance		$	(50,407	)		$	14,568			$	(42,536	)
Real estate and corporate			(6,175	)			(7,087	)			(7,368	)
Consolidated total		$	(56,582	)		$	7,481			$	(49,904	)

          Our insurance operations generate revenues primarily from selling, servicing and underwriting non-standard personal automobile insurance policies and related products in 12 states. We conduct our underwriting operations through three insurance company subsidiaries: First Acceptance Insurance Company, Inc., First Acceptance Insurance Company of Georgia, Inc. and First Acceptance Insurance Company of Tennessee, Inc. Our insurance revenues are primarily generated from:

	•		premiums earned, including policy and renewal fees, from sales of policies written and assumed by our insurance company subsidiaries;
	•		commission and fee income, including installment billing fees on policies written, agency fees and commissions and fees for other ancillary products and services; and
	•		investment income earned on the invested assets of the insurance company subsidiaries.

          The following table presents gross premiums earned by state (in thousands). Effective August 1, 2010, our insurance company subsidiaries began utilizing excess-of-loss reinsurance with an unaffiliated reinsurer to limit our exposure to losses under liability coverages for automobile insurance policies issued with limits greater than the minimum statutory requirements.

		Year Ended June 30,
		2011				2010				2009
Gross premiums earned:
Georgia		$	37,666			$	40,712			$	49,762
Texas			23,262				24,243				25,971
Illinois			22,916				24,550				27,583
Florida			19,361				20,808				26,113
Alabama			16,871				19,338				23,948
Ohio			13,518				12,452				12,914
Tennessee			10,627				11,764				15,269
South Carolina			9,803				11,424				17,887
Pennsylvania			9,186				10,566				11,437
Indiana			4,547				4,962				5,537
Missouri			2,825				3,261				3,907
Mississippi			2,630				2,966				3,785
Total gross premiums earned			173,212				187,046				224,113
Premiums ceded			(171	)			—				—
Total net premiums earned		$	173,041			$	187,046			$	224,113

FIRST ACCEPTANCE CORPORATION 10-K

          The following table presents the change in the total number of policies in force (“PIF”) for the insurance operations. PIF increase as a result of new policies issued and decrease as a result of policies that are canceled or expire and are not renewed.

		Year Ended June 30,
		2011				2010				2009
Policies in force — beginning of period			154,655				158,222				194,079
Net decrease during period			(10,245	)			(3,567	)			(35,857	)
Policies in force — end of period			144,410				154,655				158,222

          The following tables present total PIF for the insurance operations segregated by policies that were sold through our open and closed retail locations as well as our independent agents. For our retail locations, PIF are further segregated by (i) new and renewal and (ii) liability-only or full coverage. New policies are defined as those policies issued to both first-time customers and customers who have reinstated a lapsed or cancelled policy. Renewal policies are those policies which renewed after completing their full uninterrupted policy term. Liability-only policies are defined as those policies including only bodily injury (or no-fault) and property damage coverages, which are the required coverages in most states. For comparative purposes, the PIF data with respect to closed retail locations for each of the periods presented below includes all retail locations closed at June 30, 2011.

		June 30,
		2011				2010
Retail locations:
Open retail locations:
New			63,957				69,746
Renewal			76,215				77,193
			140,172				146,939
Closed retail locations:
New			177				1,763
Renewal			2,133				3,769
			2,310				5,532
Independent agents			1,928				2,184
Total policies in force			144,410				154,655

		June 30,
		2011				2010
Retail locations:
Open retail locations:
Liability-only			85,439				89,096
Full coverage			54,733				57,843
			140,172				146,939
Closed retail locations:
Liability-only			1,354				3,472
Full coverage			956				2,060
			2,310				5,532
Independent agents			1,928				2,184
Total policies in force			144,410				154,655

          Insurance companies present a combined ratio as a measure of their overall underwriting profitability. The components of the combined ratio are as follows.

          Loss Ratio — Loss ratio is the ratio (expressed as a percentage) of losses and loss adjustment expenses incurred to premiums earned and is a basic element of underwriting profitability. We calculate this ratio based on all direct and assumed premiums earned, net of ceded reinsurance.

FIRST ACCEPTANCE CORPORATION 10-K

          Expense Ratio — Expense ratio is the ratio (expressed as a percentage) of insurance operating expenses to net premiums earned. Insurance operating expenses are reduced by commission and fee income from insureds. This is a measurement that illustrates relative management efficiency in administering our operations.

          Combined Ratio — Combined ratio is the sum of the loss ratio and the expense ratio. If the combined ratio is at or above 100%, an insurance company cannot be profitable without sufficient investment income.

          The following table presents the loss, expense and combined ratios for our insurance operations.

		Year Ended June 30,
		2011				2010				2009
Loss and loss adjustment expense			74.7	%			67.9	%			66.6	%
Expense			27.9	%			27.3	%			24.7	%
Combined			102.6	%			95.2	%			91.3	%

          Excluding the severance and related benefits charges incurred in connection with the separation of certain executive officers of $1.3 million during March 2011, the expense and combined ratios for the year ended June 30, 2011 were 27.2% and 101.8%, respectively.

Investments

          We use the services of an independent investment manager to manage our investment portfolio. The investment manager conducts, in accordance with our investment policy, all of the investment purchases and sales for our insurance company subsidiaries. Our investment policy has been established by the Investment Committee of our Board of Directors and specifically addresses overall investment goals and objectives, authorized investments, prohibited securities, restrictions on sales by the investment manager and guidelines as to asset allocation, duration and credit quality. Management and the Investment Committee meet regularly with our investment manager to review the performance of the portfolio and compliance with our investment guidelines.

          The invested assets of the insurance company subsidiaries consist substantially of marketable, investment grade, U.S. government securities, municipal bonds, corporate bonds and collateralized mortgage obligations (“CMOs”). Investment income is comprised primarily of interest earned on these securities, net of related investment expenses. Realized gains and losses may occur from time to time as changes are made to our holdings based upon changes in interest rates or the credit quality of specific securities.

          The value of our consolidated investment portfolio was $186.8 million at June 30, 2011 and consisted of fixed maturity securities and an investment in a mutual fund, all carried at fair value with unrealized gains and losses reported as a separate component of stockholders’ equity. At June 30, 2011, we had gross unrealized gains of $10.1 million and gross unrealized losses of $0.6 million in our consolidated investment portfolio.

          At June 30, 2011, 95.5% of the fair value of our fixed maturity portfolio was rated “investment grade” (a credit rating of AAA to BBB-) by nationally recognized rating organizations. The average credit rating of our fixed maturity portfolio was AA- at June 30, 2011. Investment grade securities generally bear lower yields and have lower degrees of risk than those that are unrated or non-investment grade. We believe that a high quality investment portfolio is more likely to generate a stable and predictable investment return.

          Investments in CMOs had a fair value of $33.6 million at June 30, 2011 and represented 19% of our fixed maturity portfolio. At June 30, 2011, 84% of our CMOs were considered investment grade by nationally recognized rating agencies. In addition, 76% of our CMOs were rated AAA and 62% of our CMOs were backed by agencies of the United States government. Of the non-agency backed CMOs, 36% were rated AAA.

FIRST ACCEPTANCE CORPORATION 10-K

          The following table summarizes our investment securities at June 30, 2011 (in thousands).

		Amortized				Gross Unrealized				Gross Unrealized				Fair
		Cost				Gains				Losses				Value
U.S. government and agencies		$	24,897			$	1,250			$	—			$	26,147
State			7,396				280				—				7,676
Political subdivisions			1,798				20				(1	)			1,817
Revenue and assessment			25,819				1,123				(171	)			26,771
Corporate bonds			78,199				4,686				(240	)			82,645
Collateralized mortgage obligations:
Agency backed			19,541				1,440				—				20,981
Non-agency backed — residential			5,758				243				(173	)			5,828
Non-agency backed — commercial			6,215				556				(11	)			6,760
Redeemable preferred stock			176				—				(3	)			173
Total fixed maturities, available-for-sale			169,799				9,598				(599	)			178,798
Investment in mutual fund, available-for-sale			7,501				516				—				8,017
		$	177,300			$	10,114			$	(599	)		$	186,815

          The following table sets forth the scheduled maturities of our fixed maturity securities at June 30, 2011 based on their fair values (in thousands). Actual maturities may differ from contractual maturities because certain securities may be called or prepaid by the issuers.

										Securities with No				All
		Securities with				Securities with				Unrealized Gains or				Fixed Maturity
		Unrealized Gains				Unrealized Losses				Losses				Securities
One year or less		$	14,120			$	80			$	1,500			$	15,700
After one through five years			75,186				26				—				75,212
After five through ten years			37,510				—				—				37,510
After ten years			8,980				7,827				—				16,807
No single maturity date			31,450				2,119				—				33,569
		$	167,246			$	10,052			$	1,500			$	178,798

Other-Than-Temporary Impairment

          In accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 320-10-65, Recognition and Presentation of Other-Than-Temporary Impairments, we separate other-than-temporary impairment (“OTTI”) into the following two components: (i) the amount related to credit losses, which is recognized in the consolidated statement of operations and (ii) the amount related to all other factors, which is recorded in other comprehensive income (loss). The credit-related portion of an OTTI is measured by comparing a security’s amortized cost to the present value of its current expected cash flows discounted at its effective yield prior to the impairment charge.

          The determination of whether unrealized losses are “other-than-temporary” requires judgment based on subjective as well as objective factors. We routinely monitor our investment portfolio for changes in fair value that might indicate potential impairments and perform detailed reviews on such securities. Changes in fair value are evaluated to determine the extent to which such changes are attributable to (i) fundamental factors specific to the issuer or (ii) market-related factors such as interest rates or sector declines.

          Securities with declines attributable to issuer-specific fundamentals are reviewed to identify all available evidence to estimate the potential for impairment. Resources used include historical financial data included in filings with the SEC for corporate bonds and performance data regarding the underlying loans for CMOs. Securities with declines attributable solely to market or sector declines where we do not intend to sell the security and it is more likely than not that we will not be required to sell the security before the full recovery of its amortized cost basis are not deemed to be other-than-temporarily impaired.

FIRST ACCEPTANCE CORPORATION 10-K

          The issuer-specific factors considered in reaching the conclusion that securities with declines are not other-than-temporary include (i) the extent and duration of the decline in fair value, including the duration of any significant decline in value, (ii) whether the security is current as to payments of principal and interest, (iii) a valuation of any underlying collateral, (iv) current and future conditions and trends for both the business and its industry, (v) changes in cash flow assumptions for CMOs and (vi) rating agency actions. Based on these factors, we make a determination as to the probability of recovering principal and interest on the security.

          On a quarterly basis, we review cash flow estimates for certain non-agency backed CMOs of lesser credit quality following the guidance of FASB ASC 325-40-65, Amendments to the Impairment Guidance of EITF Issue No. 99-20 (“FASB ASC 325-40-65”). Accordingly, when changes in estimated cash flows from the cash flows previously estimated occur due to actual or estimated prepayment or credit loss experience, and the present value of the revised cash flows is less than the present value previously estimated, OTTI is deemed to have occurred. For non-agency backed CMOs not subject to FASB ASC 325-40-65, we review quarterly projected cash flow analyses and recognize OTTI when it is determined that a loss is probable. We have recognized OTTI related to certain non-agency backed CMOs as the underlying cash flows have been adversely impacted due to a reduction in prepayments from mortgage refinancing and an increase in actual and projected delinquencies in the underlying mortgages.

          Our review of non-agency backed CMOs included an analysis of available information such as collateral quality, anticipated cash flows, credit enhancements, default rates, loss severities, the securities’ relative position in their respective capital structures and credit ratings from statistical rating agencies. We review quarterly projected cash flow analyses for each security utilizing current assumptions regarding (i) actual and anticipated delinquencies, (ii) delinquency transition-to-default rates and (iii) loss severities. Based on our quarterly reviews, we determined that there had not been an adverse change in projected cash flows, except in the case of those securities discussed in Note 2 to our consolidated financial statements, which incurred OTTI charges recognized in the consolidated statement of operations of $0.4 million and $1.0 million for the years ended June 30, 2011 and 2010. We believe that the unrealized losses on the remaining non-agency backed CMOs for which OTTI charges have not been recorded are not necessarily predictive of the ultimate performance of the underlying collateral. We do not intend to sell these securities and it is more likely than not that we will not be required to sell these securities before the recovery of their amortized cost basis.

          We believe that the remaining securities having unrealized losses at June 30, 2011 were not other-than-temporarily impaired. We also do not intend to sell any of these securities and it is more likely than not that we will not be required to sell any of these securities before the recovery of their amortized cost basis.

Year Ended June 30, 2011 Compared with the Year Ended June 30, 2010

          Consolidated Results

          Revenues for the year ended June 30, 2011 decreased 6% to $210.7 million from $223.2 million in the prior year. Loss before income taxes for the year ended June 30, 2011 was $56.6 million, compared with income before income taxes of $7.5 million for the year ended June 30, 2010. The loss before income taxes for the year ended June 30, 2011 included a goodwill and intangible assets impairment charge of $52.4 million, or $1.09 per share on a diluted basis, favorable development of $1.7 million for losses occurring in prior fiscal years, charges of $1.7 million incurred in connection with the separation of certain executive officers during March 2011 (comprised of $1.3 million in accrued severance and benefits and a $0.4 million non-cash charge related to the vesting of certain stock awards) and $0.4 million of other-than-temporary impairment charges on investments. Net loss for the year ended June 30, 2011 was $56.8 million, compared with net income of $7.0 million for the year ended June 30, 2010. Basic and diluted net loss per share were $1.18 for the year ended June 30, 2011, compared with basic and diluted net income per share of $0.15 for the year ended June 30, 2010.

          Insurance Operations

          Revenues from insurance operations were $210.6 million for the year ended June 30, 2011, compared with $223.1 million for the year ended June 30, 2010. Loss before income taxes from insurance operations for the year ended June 30, 2011 was $50.4 million, compared with income before income taxes from insurance operations of $14.6 million for the year ended June 30, 2010.

FIRST ACCEPTANCE CORPORATION 10-K

          Premiums Earned

          Premiums earned decreased by $14.0 million, or 7%, to $173.0 million for the year ended June 30, 2011, from $187.0 million for the year ended June 30, 2010. The decrease in premiums earned was primarily due to a decline in the number of PIF from 154,655 at June 30, 2010 to 144,410 at June 30, 2011, which was impacted by the closure of underperforming stores. At June 30, 2011, we operated 385 stores, compared with 394 stores at June 30, 2010. Premiums earned were also negatively impacted by an increase in the percentage of PIF with liability-only coverage. Although the number of PIF sold through our open stores decreased from 146,939 at June 30, 2010 to 140,172 at June 30, 2011, for those policies quoted, we have experienced a higher close ratio for the year ended June 30, 2011 compared with the prior year.

          Commission and Fee Income

          Commission and fee income increased 2% to $29.5 million for the year ended June 30, 2011, from $28.9 million for the year ended June 30, 2010. This increase in commission and fee income was a result of higher fee income related to commissionable ancillary products sold through our retail locations offset by the decrease in the number of PIF.

          Investment Income

          Investment income increased to $8.4 million during the year ended June 30, 2011 from $8.0 million during the year ended June 30, 2010. This increase in investment income was primarily a result of the higher yield obtained on the mutual fund investment made in June 2010. At June 30, 2011 and 2010, the tax-equivalent book yields for our fixed maturities portfolio were 4.9% and 4.3%, respectively, with effective durations of 3.38 and 3.16 years, respectively.

          Net Realized Losses on Investments, Available-for-Sale

          Net realized losses on investments, available-for-sale during the year ended June 30, 2011 included $0.2 million in net realized gains on sales and redemptions and $0.4 million of charges related to OTTI on certain non-agency backed CMOs. Net realized losses on investments, available-for-sale during the year ended June 30, 2010 included $0.3 million in net realized gains on sales and redemptions and $1.0 million of charges related to OTTI on certain non-agency backed CMOs. For additional information with respect to the determination of OTTI losses on investment securities, see “Critical Accounting Estimates — Investments” below and Note 2 to our consolidated financial statements.

          Loss and Loss Adjustment Expenses

          The loss and loss adjustment expense ratio was 74.7% for the year ended June 30, 2011, compared with 67.9% for the year ended June 30, 2010. We experienced favorable development related to prior fiscal years of $1.7 million for the year ended June 30, 2011, compared with $11.2 million for the year ended June 30, 2010. The favorable development for the year ended June 30, 2011 was primarily due to lower than anticipated severity of accidents occurring during the fiscal 2009 and 2010 accident years, specifically in bodily injury coverage in Texas, Tennessee and South Carolina and physical damage coverages in Georgia, partially offset by higher loss adjustment expenses specific to bodily injury and Florida no-fault coverages.

          Excluding the development related to prior fiscal years, the loss and loss adjustment expense ratios for the years ended June 30, 2011 and 2010 were 75.6% and 74.0%, respectively. The year-over-year increase in the loss and loss adjustment expense ratio was primarily due to (i) the increase in the percentage of liability-only policies which generally have a higher expected loss and loss adjustment expense ratio than full-coverage policies, (ii) higher loss adjustment expense due to anti-fraud and litigation-avoidance initiatives and (iii) the impact of Spring 2011 storm-related losses.

          We have substantially completed the process of implementing a new multivariate pricing program. We believe this new pricing program provides us with greater pricing segmentation and improves our pricing relative to the risk we are insuring. Currently, approximately 32% of our PIF have been underwritten using this new pricing program, which has now been implemented in nine of the twelve states in which we operate. We plan to implement the new pricing program in the three remaining states in which we operate by December 2011.

FIRST ACCEPTANCE CORPORATION 10-K

          Operating Expenses

          Insurance operating expenses decreased 3% to $77.8 million for the year ended June 30, 2011 from $79.8 million for the year ended June 30, 2010. The decrease was primarily a result of the reduction in costs (such as employee-agent commissions and premium taxes) that varied along with the decrease in premiums earned as well as savings realized from the closure of underperforming stores, offset by severance and related benefits charges of $1.3 million incurred in connection with the separation of certain executive officers during March 2011.

          The expense ratio was 27.9% for the year ended June 30, 2011, compared with 27.3% for the year ended June 30, 2010. Excluding the severance and related benefits charges noted above, the expense ratio for the year ended June 30, 2011 was 27.2%, compared to 27.3% in the prior fiscal year.

          Overall, the combined ratio increased to 102.6% for the year ended June 30, 2011 from 95.2% for the year ended June 30, 2010. Excluding the severance and related benefits charges noted above, the combined ratio for the year ended June 30, 2011 was 101.8%.

          Goodwill and Intangible Assets Impairment

          We recorded a non-cash, pre-tax goodwill and intangible assets impairment charge in fiscal year 2011 of $52.4 million. We are required to perform periodic impairment tests of our goodwill and intangible assets. The goodwill impairment test is a two-step process that requires us to make judgments in determining what assumptions to use in the calculation. The first step of the process consists of estimating the fair value of each reporting unit based on valuation techniques, including a discounted cash flow model using revenue and profit forecasts and recent industry transaction and trading multiples of our peers, and comparing those estimated fair values with the carrying values of the assets and liabilities of the reporting unit, which includes the allocated goodwill. If the estimated fair value is less than the carrying value, a second step is performed to compute the amount of the impairment, if any, by determining an “implied fair value” of goodwill. The determination of the “implied fair value” of goodwill of a reporting unit requires us to allocate the estimated fair value of the reporting unit to the assets and liabilities of the reporting unit. Any unallocated fair value represents the “implied fair value” of goodwill, which is compared to its corresponding carrying value.

          The fair value of our reporting unit, from a market participant’s perspective, was estimated utilizing both (i) a cash flow projection derived from our long-range strategic plan using a discount rate of 14.5%, which was based on an estimated weighted average cost of capital adjusted for the risks associated with our operations and (ii) recent industry transaction and trading trends in price to tangible book multiples and related returns on tangible equity. As a result of recent trends in industry transaction and trading multiples, we recognized a non-cash, pre-tax goodwill impairment charge of $50.9 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2011, which included a $1.9 million addition to deferred tax liabilities.

          A variance in the discount rate could have had a significant effect on the amount of the goodwill impairment charge recognized. A one percent (1%) increase or decrease in the discount rate would have caused an increase or decrease in the goodwill impairment charge of approximately $15 million.

          Indefinite-lived intangible assets primarily consist of acquired trademarks and trade names. In measuring the fair value for these intangible assets, we utilize the relief-from-royalty method. This method assumes that trademarks and trade names have value to the extent that their owner is relieved of the obligation to pay royalties for the benefits received from them. This method requires us to estimate the future revenue for the related brands, the appropriate royalty rate and the weighted average cost of capital. As a result of decisions made by management during the most recent quarter regarding entity-wide branding initiatives, we recognized a non-cash, pre-tax impairment charge of $1.6 million related to trade name intangible assets.

          We do not believe that these non-cash impairment charges will have a materially adverse impact on the continuing operations, liquidity, or statutory surplus of the Company.

FIRST ACCEPTANCE CORPORATION 10-K

          Our evaluation includes multiple assumptions that may change over time. If future discounted cash flows become less than those projected by us or unfavorable industry transaction multiples and trading trends continue, further impairment charges may become necessary that could have a materially adverse impact on our results of operations in the period in which the write-off occurs. As quoted market prices in active stock markets are relevant evidence of fair value, a significant decline in our common stock trading price may indicate an impairment of goodwill.

          Provision for Income Taxes

          The provision for income taxes for the year ended June 30, 2011 was $0.2 million, compared with $0.4 million for fiscal year 2010. The provision for income taxes relates to current state income taxes for certain subsidiaries with taxable income. The current fiscal year includes an adjustment that reduced certain accrued state income taxes. At June 30, 2011 and 2010, we established a valuation allowance to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount that is more likely than not to be realized. In assessing our ability to support the realizability of our deferred tax assets, we considered both positive and negative evidence. We placed greater weight on historical results than on our outlook for future profitability. The deferred tax valuation allowance may be adjusted in future periods if we determine that it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will be realized. In the event the deferred tax valuation allowance is adjusted, we would record an income tax benefit for the adjustment.

          Real Estate and Corporate

          Loss before income taxes from real estate and corporate operations for the year ended June 30, 2011 was $6.2 million, compared with a loss from real estate and corporate operations before income taxes of $7.1 million for the year ended June 30, 2010. Segment losses consist of other operating expenses not directly related to our insurance operations, interest expense and stock-based compensation offset by investment income on corporate invested assets. We incurred $3.9 million of interest expense during both the years ended June 30, 2011 and 2010 related to the debentures issued in June 2007.

Year Ended June 30, 2010 Compared with the Year Ended June 30, 2009

          Consolidated Results

          Revenues for the year ended June 30, 2010 decreased 16% to $223.2 million from $265.5 million in the prior year. Income before income taxes for the year ended June 30, 2010 was $7.5 million, compared with a loss before income taxes of $49.9 million for the year ended June 30, 2009. The loss before income taxes for the year ended June 30, 2009 included a goodwill impairment charge of $68.0 million. Net income for the year ended June 30, 2010 was $7.0 million, compared with a net loss of $68.3 million for the year ended June 30, 2009. The net loss for the year ended June 30, 2009 included the goodwill impairment charge and an additional net charge of $10.2 million resulting from the $15.3 million tax effect of the goodwill impairment charge and the establishment of a full valuation allowance on the remaining deferred tax assets offset by a tax benefit of $5.1 million related to the utilization of federal NOL carryforwards that were to expire on June 30, 2009 that had been previously reserved for through a valuation allowance. Basic and diluted net income per share was $0.15 for the year ended June 30, 2010, compared with basic and diluted net loss per share of $1.43 for the year ended June 30, 2009.

          Insurance Operations

          Revenues from insurance operations were $223.1 million for the year ended June 30, 2010, compared with $265.3 million for the year ended June 30, 2009. Income before income taxes from insurance operations for the year ended June 30, 2010 was $14.6 million, compared with loss before income taxes from insurance operations of $42.5 million for the year ended June 30, 2009.

FIRST ACCEPTANCE CORPORATION 10-K

          Premiums Earned

          Premiums earned decreased by $37.1 million, or 16.5%, to $187.0 million for the year ended June 30, 2010, from $224.1 million for the year ended June 30, 2009. The decrease in premiums earned was due to weak economic conditions, which caused both a decline in the number of policies written, as well as an increase in the percentage of our customers purchasing liability-only coverage. The closure of underperforming stores also contributed toward the decrease in premiums earned. The number of policies in force at June 30, 2010 decreased 2.3% over the same date in 2009 from 158,222 to 154,655, due to the factors noted above. At June 30, 2010, we operated 394 stores, compared with 418 stores at June 30, 2009.

          Commission and Fee Income

          Commission and fee income decreased 9% to $28.9 million for the year ended June 30, 2010, from $31.8 million for the year ended June 30, 2009. The decrease in commission and fee income was a result of the decrease in the number of policies in force, partially offset by higher fee income related to commissionable ancillary products sold through our retail locations.

          Investment Income

          Investment income decreased to $8.0 million during the year ended June 30, 2010 from $9.5 million during the year ended June 30, 2009. The decrease in investment income was primarily a result of the sale of fixed maturity investments in fiscal year 2009 to generate taxable income to utilize expiring NOLs and the reduced yields obtained on reinvestment. At June 30, 2010 and 2009, the tax-equivalent book yield for our fixed maturities portfolio was 4.3% and 3.5%, respectively, with effective durations of 3.16 and 2.26 years, respectively.

          Net Realized Gains (Losses) on Investments, Available-for-Sale

          Net realized losses on investments, available-for-sale during the year ended June 30, 2010 included $0.3 million in net realized gains on sales and redemptions and $1.0 million of charges related to OTTI on certain non-agency backed CMOs. Net realized gains on investments, available-for-sale during the year ended June 30, 2009 included $2.5 million in net realized gains on sales and redemptions and $2.4 million of charges related to OTTI on investments, which was comprised of $1.5 million related to certain non-agency backed CMOs and $0.9 million related to three corporate bonds. For additional information with respect to the determination of OTTI losses on investment securities, see “Critical Accounting Estimates — Investments” below and Note 2 to our consolidated financial statements.

          Loss and Loss Adjustment Expenses

          The loss and loss adjustment expense ratio was 67.9% for the year ended June 30, 2010, compared with 66.6% for the year ended June 30, 2009. We experienced favorable development related to prior periods of $11.2 million for the year ended June 30, 2010, compared with $11.4 million for the year ended June 30, 2009. The favorable development for the year ended June 30, 2010 was due to lower than anticipated severity of accidents occurring during the fiscal 2007 and 2008 accident years, primarily in bodily injury coverage in Georgia and South Carolina, an improvement in our claim handling practices and a shift in business mix toward renewal policies, which have lower loss ratios than new policies. The favorable development for the year ended June 30, 2009 was primarily due to both lower than anticipated severity and frequency of accidents, most notably in our property and physical damage coverages.

          Excluding the favorable development related to prior periods, the loss and loss adjustment expense ratios for the years ended June 30, 2010 and 2009 were 74.0% and 71.7%, respectively. The year-over-year increase in the loss and loss adjustment expense ratio was due to higher frequency of accidents experienced during the first half of calendar year 2010.

FIRST ACCEPTANCE CORPORATION 10-K

          Operating Expenses

          Insurance operating expenses decreased 8% to $79.8 million for the year ended June 30, 2010 from $87.1 million for the year ended June 30, 2009. The decrease was primarily a result of a reduction in costs (such as employee-agent commissions and premium taxes) that varied along with the decrease in premiums earned as well as savings realized from the closure of underperforming stores.

          The expense ratio increased from 24.7% for the year ended June 30, 2009 to 27.3% for fiscal year 2010. The year-over-year increase in the expense ratio was due to the decrease in premiums earned, which resulted in a higher percentage of fixed expenses in our retail operations (such as rent and base salary).

          Overall, the combined ratio increased to 95.2% for the year ended June 30, 2010 from 91.3% for the year ended June 30, 2009.

          Litigation Settlement

          Litigation settlement costs for the year ended June 30, 2010 were $(0.4) million, compared with $1.6 million for fiscal year 2009. The reduction in expense during the year ended June 30, 2010 related primarily to the forfeiture of premium credits by Georgia and Alabama class members. The year ended June 30, 2009 included costs incurred in connection with our settlement and defense of the litigation as described further in Note 15 to our consolidated financial statements, a $2.95 million insurance recovery from our insurance carrier regarding coverage for the costs and expenses we incurred relating to the settlement, and reductions in expense related to the forfeiture of premium credits by Georgia and Alabama class members.

          Goodwill Impairment

          We recorded a non-cash, pre-tax goodwill impairment charge in fiscal year 2009 of $68.0 million as a result of the adverse impact of difficult economic conditions on our customers and business and the resulting decline in its share price during the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2009. The fair value of our reporting unit, from a market participant’s perspective, was estimated utilizing both (i) a cash flow projection derived from our long-range strategic plan using a discount rate of 14.5%, which was based on an estimated weighted average cost of capital adjusted for the risks associated with our operations and (ii) recent industry transaction and trading trends in price to tangible book multiples and related returns on tangible equity. This non-cash goodwill impairment charge did not have a materially adverse impact on the continuing operations, liquidity, or statutory surplus of the Company.

          Provision for Income Taxes

          The provision for income taxes for the year ended June 30, 2010 was $0.4 million, compared with $18.4 million for fiscal year 2009. The provision for income taxes for the year ended June 30, 2010 related to current state income taxes for certain subsidiaries with taxable income. At June 30, 2010 and 2009, we established a full valuation allowance against all net deferred tax assets. In assessing our ability to support the realizability of our deferred tax assets, we considered both positive and negative evidence. We placed greater weight on historical results than on our outlook for future profitability. The deferred tax valuation allowance may be adjusted in future periods if we determine that it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will be realized. In the event the deferred tax valuation allowance is adjusted, we would record an income tax benefit for the adjustment.

          The provision for income taxes for the year ended June 30, 2009 included the establishment of a full valuation allowance against our net deferred tax assets which, in combination with the tax effect of the goodwill impairment charge, resulted in a net increase in the tax provision of $15.3 million during the three months ended June 30, 2009. This charge was partially offset by a $5.1 million tax benefit related to the utilization of tax NOL carryforwards expiring in 2009 that had been previously reserved for through a valuation allowance resulting in a net increase in the tax provision for the year of $10.2 million.

FIRST ACCEPTANCE CORPORATION 10-K

          Real Estate and Corporate

          Loss before income taxes from real estate and corporate operations for the year ended June 30, 2010 was $7.1 million, compared with a loss from real estate and corporate operations before income taxes of $7.4 million for the year ended June 30, 2009. Segment losses consist of other operating expenses not directly related to our insurance operations, interest expense and stock-based compensation offset by investment income on corporate invested assets.

          We incurred $3.9 million of interest expense during both the years ended June 30, 2010 and 2009 related to the debentures issued in June 2007. During the year ended June 30, 2009, we incurred $0.1 million of interest expense in connection with borrowings under our former credit facility. The credit facility was repaid in full and terminated on October 31, 2008.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

          Our primary sources of funds are premiums, fees and investment income from our insurance company subsidiaries and commissions and fee income from our non-insurance company subsidiaries. Our primary uses of funds are the payment of claims and operating expenses. Net cash used in operating activities for the year ended June 30, 2011 and 2010 was $6.2 million and $1.1 million, respectively. Net cash used in operating activities for both periods was primarily the result of a decrease in cash collected from premiums written. Net cash provided by investing activities for the year ended June 30, 2011 was $9.3 million compared with net cash used in investing activities of $49.9 million for the prior fiscal year. The year ended June 30, 2011 included net reductions in our investment portfolio of $9.9 million, while the prior fiscal year included net additions to our investment portfolio of $48.3 million. The net reductions in the current fiscal year were primarily a result of maturities and redemptions. The net additions in the prior fiscal year were primarily the result of the reinvestment of the proceeds from sales in the prior fiscal year of investments to generate taxable income to utilize expiring tax net operating loss carryforwards.

          Our holding company requires cash for general corporate overhead expenses and for debt service related to our debentures payable. The holding company’s primary source of unrestricted cash to meet its obligations is the sale of ancillary products to our insureds and, if necessary, the holding company may receive dividends from our insurance company subsidiaries. The holding company also receives cash from operating activities as a result of investment income. Through an intercompany tax allocation arrangement, taxable losses of the holding company provide cash to the holding company to the extent that taxable income is generated by the insurance company subsidiaries. At June 30, 2011, we had $12.0 million available in unrestricted cash and investments outside of the insurance company subsidiaries. These funds and the additional unrestricted cash from the sources noted above will be used to pay our future cash requirements outside of the insurance company subsidiaries.

          The holding company has debt service requirements related to the debentures payable. The debentures are interest-only and mature in full in July 2037. Interest is fixed annually through July 2012 at $3.9 million. The debentures pay a fixed rate of 9.277% until July 30, 2012, after which time the rate becomes variable (LIBOR plus 375 basis points). Based on current LIBOR interest rates, our interest expense related to the debentures would decrease beginning in August 2012.

          State insurance laws limit the amount of dividends that may be paid from our insurance company subsidiaries. Based on our earned surplus, we believe that we have total dividend capacity for the next twelve months of $15.3 million, of which $3.4 million would be deemed extraordinary and subject to regulatory approval.

          The National Association of Insurance Commissioners Model Act for risk-based capital provides formulas to determine each December 31 on an annual basis the amount of statutory capital and surplus that an insurance company needs to ensure that it has an acceptable expectation of not becoming financially impaired. There are also statutory guidelines that suggest that on an annual calendar year basis an insurance company should not exceed a ratio of net premiums written to statutory capital and surplus of 3-to-1. On a combined basis, the ratios for our insurance company subsidiaries of net premiums written for the last twelve months to statutory capital and surplus were 1.49-to-1 at June 30, 2011. Based on our current forecast on a combined basis, we anticipate that our risk-based capital levels will be adequate and that our ratio of net premiums written to statutory capital and surplus will not exceed the 3-to-1 statutory guideline for the reasonably foreseeable future. We therefore believe that our insurance company subsidiaries have sufficient statutory capital and surplus available to support their net premium writings in this time frame.

FIRST ACCEPTANCE CORPORATION 10-K

          We believe that existing cash and investment balances, when combined with anticipated cash flows as noted above, will be adequate to meet our expected liquidity needs, for both the holding company and our insurance company subsidiaries, in both the short-term and the reasonably foreseeable future. Any future growth strategy may require external financing, and we may from time to time seek to obtain external financing. We cannot assure that additional sources of financing will be available to us on favorable terms, or at all, or that any such financing would not negatively impact our results of operations.

Contractual Obligations

          The following table summarizes all of our contractual obligations by period at June 30, 2011 (in thousands).

		Payments Due By Period
		Total				Less than 1 year				1-3 Years				3-5 Years				More than 5 years
Loss and loss adjustment expense reserves (1)		$	68,424			$	25,522			$	29,833			$	8,553			$	4,516
Debentures payable (2)			86,581				3,826				3,477				3,296				75,982
Capitalized lease obligations			75				63				12				—				—
Operating leases (3)			18,505				7,389				7,673				2,514				929
Severance obligations			996				996				—				—				—
Other			127				127				—				—				—
Total contractual cash obligations		$	174,708			$	37,923			$	40,995			$	14,363			$	81,427

Trust Preferred Securities

          On June 15, 2007, First Acceptance Statutory Trust I (“FAST I”), our wholly-owned unconsolidated subsidiary trust entity, completed a private placement whereby FAST I issued 40,000 shares of preferred securities at $1,000 per share to outside investors and 1,240 shares of common securities to us, also at $1,000 per share. FAST I used the proceeds from the sale of the preferred securities to purchase $41.2 million of junior subordinated debentures from us. The debentures will mature on July 30, 2037 and are redeemable by the Company in whole or in part beginning on July 30, 2012, at which time the preferred securities are callable. The debentures pay a fixed rate of 9.277% until July 30, 2012, after which the rate becomes variable (LIBOR plus 375 basis points). The obligations of the Company under the junior subordinated debentures represent full and unconditional guarantees by the Company of FAST I’s obligations for the preferred securities. Dividends on the preferred securities are cumulative, payable quarterly in arrears and are deferrable at the Company’s option for up to five years. The dividends on these securities, which have not been deferred, are the same as the interest on the debentures. The Company cannot pay dividends on its common stock during any such deferments. FAST I does not meet the requirements for consolidation of FASB ASC 810-10, Variable Interest Entities.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

          We use off-balance sheet arrangements (e.g., operating leases) where the economics and sound business principles warrant their use. For additional information with respect to our operating leases, see “Contractual Obligations” above and Note 7 to our consolidated financial statements.

FIRST ACCEPTANCE CORPORATION 10-K

Critical Accounting Estimates

          The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements. As more information becomes known, these estimates and assumptions could change, thus having an impact on the amounts reported in the future. The following are considered to be our critical accounting estimates.

Valuation of Deferred Tax Asset

          We maintain income taxes in accordance with FASB ASC 740-10, Income Taxes, whereby deferred income tax assets and liabilities result from temporary differences. Temporary differences are differences between the tax basis of assets and liabilities and operating loss and tax credit carryforwards and their reported amounts in the consolidated financial statements that will result in taxable or deductible amounts in future years. Valuation of the deferred tax asset is considered a critical accounting estimate because the determination of our ability to utilize the asset involves a number of management assumptions relating to future operations that could materially affect the determination of the ultimate value and, therefore, the carrying amount of our deferred tax asset.

Goodwill and Identifiable Intangible Assets

          Goodwill and other identifiable intangible assets are attributable to our insurance operations and were initially recorded at their estimated fair values at the date of acquisition. Goodwill and other intangible assets having an indefinite useful life are not amortized for financial statement purposes. We are required to perform annual impairment tests of our goodwill and intangible assets. We perform our annual impairment tests as of the last day of the fourth quarter of each fiscal year. In the event that facts and circumstances indicate that the goodwill and other identifiable intangible assets may be impaired, an interim impairment test would be required. Intangible assets with finite lives have been fully amortized over their useful lives.

          The goodwill impairment test is a two-step process that requires us to make judgments in determining what assumptions to use in the calculation. The first step of the process consists of estimating the fair value of each reporting unit based on valuation techniques, including a discounted cash flow model using revenue and profit forecasts and recent industry transaction and trading multiples of our peers, and comparing those estimated fair values with the carrying values of the assets and liabilities of the reporting unit, which includes the allocated goodwill. If the estimated fair value is less than the carrying value, a second step is performed to compute the amount of the impairment, if any, by determining an “implied fair value” of goodwill. The determination of the “implied fair value” of goodwill of a reporting unit requires us to allocate the estimated fair value of the reporting unit to the assets and liabilities of the reporting unit. Any unallocated fair value represents the “implied fair value” of goodwill, which is compared to its corresponding carrying value.

          Our evaluation includes multiple assumptions that may change over time. If future discounted cash flows become less than those projected by us, further impairment charges may become necessary that could have a materially adverse impact on our results of operations and financial condition. As quoted market prices in active stock markets are relevant evidence of fair value, a significant decline in our common stock trading price may indicate an impairment of goodwill.

Investments

          Our investments are recorded at fair value, which is typically based on publicly available quoted prices. From time to time, the carrying value of our investments may be temporarily impaired because of the inherent volatility of publicly-traded investments. Management reviews investments for impairment on a quarterly basis. A decline in the fair value of any available-for-sale security below cost that is deemed to be other-than-temporary would result in a charge against income for the credit-related portion of any such impairment.

FIRST ACCEPTANCE CORPORATION 10-K

          The determination of whether unrealized losses are “other-than-temporary” requires judgment based on subjective as well as objective factors. We routinely monitor our investment portfolio for changes in fair value that might indicate potential impairments and perform detailed reviews on such securities. Changes in fair value are evaluated to determine the extent to which such changes are attributable to (i) fundamental factors specific to the issuer or (ii) market-related factors such as interest rates or sector declines.

          Securities with declines attributable to issuer-specific fundamentals are reviewed to identify all available evidence to estimate the potential for impairment. Resources used include historical financial data included in SEC filings for corporate bonds and performance data regarding the underlying loans for CMOs. Securities with declines attributable solely to market or sector declines where we do not intend to sell the security and it is more likely than not that we will not be required to sell the security before the recovery of its amortized cost basis are not deemed to be other-than-temporarily impaired.

Losses and Loss Adjustment Expense Reserves

          Loss and loss adjustment expense reserves represent our best estimate of our ultimate liability for losses and loss adjustment expenses relating to events that occurred prior to the end of any given accounting period but have not been paid. Months and potentially years may elapse between the occurrence of an automobile accident covered by one of our insurance policies, the reporting of the accident and the payment of the claim. We record a liability for estimates of losses that will be paid for accidents that have been reported, which is referred to as case reserves. As accidents are not always reported when they occur, we estimate liabilities for accidents that have occurred but have not been reported (“IBNR”).

          We are directly liable for loss and loss adjustment expenses under the terms of the insurance policies underwritten by our insurance company subsidiaries. Each of our insurance company subsidiaries establishes a reserve for all of its unpaid losses, including case reserves and IBNR reserves, and estimates for the cost to settle the claims. We estimate our IBNR reserves by estimating our ultimate liability for loss and loss adjustment expense reserves first, and then reducing that amount by the amount of cumulative paid claims and by the amount of our case reserves. We rely primarily on historical loss experience in determining reserve levels, on the assumption that historical loss experience provides a good indication of future loss experience. We also consider various other factors, such as inflation, claims settlement patterns, legislative activity and litigation trends. Our actuarial staff continually monitors these estimates on a state and coverage level. We utilize our actuarial staff to determine appropriate reserve levels. As experience develops or new information becomes known, we increase or decrease the level of our reserves in the period in which changes to the estimates are determined. Accordingly, the actual losses and loss adjustment expenses may differ materially from the estimates we have recorded. See “Item 1. Business — Loss and Loss Adjustment Expense Reserves” in this report for additional information.

Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

          Market risk represents the potential economic loss arising from adverse changes in the fair value of financial instruments. Our exposures to market risk relate primarily to our investment portfolio, which is exposed primarily to interest rate risk and credit risk. The fair value of our investment portfolio is directly impacted by changes in market interest rates; generally, the fair value of fixed-income investments moves inversely with movements in market interest rates. Our fixed maturity portfolio is comprised of substantially all fixed rate investments with primarily short-term and intermediate-term maturities. Likewise, the underlying investments of our current mutual fund investment are also fixed-income investments. This portfolio composition allows flexibility in reacting to fluctuations of interest rates. The portfolios of our insurance company subsidiaries are managed to achieve an adequate risk-adjusted return while maintaining sufficient liquidity to meet policyholder obligations.

FIRST ACCEPTANCE CORPORATION 10-K

Interest Rate Risk

          The fair values of our fixed maturity investments fluctuate in response to changes in market interest rates. Increases and decreases in prevailing interest rates generally translate into decreases and increases, respectively, in the fair values of those instruments. Additionally, the fair values of interest rate sensitive instruments may be affected by the creditworthiness of the issuer, prepayment options, relative values of alternative investments, the liquidity of the instrument and other general market conditions.

          The following table summarizes the estimated effects of hypothetical increases and decreases in interest rates resulting from parallel shifts in market yield curves on our fixed maturity portfolio (in thousands). It is assumed that the effects are realized immediately upon the change in interest rates. The hypothetical changes in market interest rates do not reflect what could be deemed best or worst case scenarios. Variations in market interest rates could produce significant changes in the timing of repayments due to prepayment options available. For these and other reasons, actual results might differ from those reflected in the table.

		Sensitivity to Instantaneous Interest Rate Changes (basis points)
		(100)				(50)				0				50				100				200
Fair value of fixed maturity portfolio		$	185,252			$	181,989			$	178,798			$	175,696			$	172,682			$	166,916

          The following table provides information about our fixed maturity investments at June 30, 2011 which are sensitive to interest rate risk. The table shows expected principal cash flows (at par value, which differs from amortized cost as a result of premiums or discounts at the time of purchase and OTTI) by expected maturity date for each of the five fiscal years and collectively for all fiscal years thereafter (in thousands). Callable bonds and notes are included based on call date or maturity date depending upon which date produces the most conservative yield. CMOs and sinking fund issues are included based on maturity year adjusted for expected payment patterns. Actual cash flows may differ from those expected.

										Securities with No				All
		Securities with				Securities with				Unrealized Gains or				Fixed Maturity
Year Ended June 30,		Unrealized Gains				Unrealized Losses				Losses				Securities
2012		$	14,630			$	80			$	1,500			$	16,210
2013			24,185				25				—				24,210
2014			19,365				—				—				19,365
2015			19,378				—				—				19,378
2016			12,662				—				—				12,662
Thereafter			67,348				9,805				—				77,153
Total		$	157,568			$	9,910			$	1,500			$	168,978
Fair value		$	167,246			$	10,052			$	1,500			$	178,798

          On June 15, 2007, our wholly-owned unconsolidated trust entity, FAST I, used the proceeds from its sale of trust preferred securities to purchase $41.2 million of junior subordinated debentures. The debentures pay a fixed rate of 9.277% until July 30, 2012, after which the rate becomes variable (LIBOR plus 375 basis points).

Credit Risk

          Credit risk is managed by diversifying our investment portfolio to avoid concentrations in any single industry group or issuer and by limiting investments in securities with lower credit ratings. Our largest investment in any one investment, excluding U.S. government and agency securities, is our investment in a single mutual fund with a fair value of $8.0 million, or 4% of our investment portfolio. Our five largest individual investments make up 16% of our investment portfolio. The average credit quality rating for our fixed maturity portfolio was AA- at June 30, 2011.

FIRST ACCEPTANCE CORPORATION 10-K

          The following table presents the underlying ratings of our fixed maturity portfolio by nationally recognized securities rating organizations at June 30, 2011 (in thousands).

		Amortized				% of				Fair				% of
Comparable Rating		Cost				Amortized Cost				Value				Fair Value
AAA		$	62,898				37.0	%		$	66,435				37.2	%
AA+, AA, AA-			35,255				20.8	%			37,339				20.9	%
A+, A, A-			52,040				30.7	%			54,559				30.5	%
BBB+, BBB, BBB-			12,086				7.1	%			12,445				6.9	%
Total investment grade			162,279				95.6	%			170,778				95.5	%
Not rated			3,642				2.1	%			3,691				2.1	%
BB+, BB, BB-			3,038				1.8	%			3,304				1.9	%
B+, B, B-			169				0.1	%			251				0.1	%
CCC+, CCC, CCC-			657				0.4	%			666				0.4	%
CC+, CC, CC-			14				0.0	%			76				0.0	%
C+, C, C-			—				0.0	%			32				0.0	%
Total non-investment grade			3,878				2.3	%			4,329				2.4	%
Total		$	169,799				100.0	%		$	178,798				100.0	%

          The mortgage industry has experienced a significant number of delinquencies and foreclosures, particularly among lower quality exposures (“sub-prime” and “Alt-A”). As a result of these delinquencies and foreclosures, many CMOs with underlying sub-prime and Alt-A mortgages as collateral experienced significant declines in fair value. At June 30, 2011, our fixed maturity portfolio included three CMOs having sub-prime exposure with a fair value of $0.9 million and no exposure to Alt-A investments.

          Our investment portfolio consists of $36.3 million of municipal bonds, of which $22.3 million are insured. Of the insured bonds, 69% are insured with MBIA, 14% with AMBAC and 17% with XL Capital. Currently, these securities are paying their principal and periodic interest timely.

          The following table presents the underlying ratings at June 30, 2011, represented by the lower of either Standard and Poor’s, Fitch’s, or Moody’s ratings, of the municipal bond portfolio (in thousands).

		Insured								Uninsured								Total
		Fair				% of				Fair				% of				Fair				% of
		Value				Fair Value				Value				Fair Value				Value				Fair Value
AAA			—				0	%			4,643				33	%			4,643				13	%
AA+, AA, AA-			10,494				47	%			5,366				39	%			15,860				43	%
A+, A, A-			10,201				46	%			3,908				28	%			14,109				39	%
BBB+, BBB, BBB-			1,644				7	%			—				0	%			1,644				5	%
Not rated			8				0	%			—				0	%			8				0	%
Total			22,347				100	%			13,917				100	%			36,264				100	%