On February 27, 2019, Genworth Financial, Inc. (GNW), based in Richmond, Virginia, filed its 390-page 10-K annual report for 2018 with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The report begins with an update on the status of GNW's agreement and merger with China Oceanwide; the agreement was entered into on October 21, 2016 and remains pending. The 10-K also lists the current financial strength ratings of GNW's insurance subsidiaries. In addition, after the 10-K, there was a development involving the distribution of certain GNW offerings.
China Oceanwide
In June 2018, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States completed its review of the agreement, and GNW and China Oceanwide agreed to implement a data security risk mitigation program. In October 2018, the National Development and Reform Commission in China accepted China Oceanwide's filing in connection with the agreement. In December 2018 and February 2019, GNW and China Oceanwide received the remaining approvals from U.S. state insurance regulators, subject to certain conditions. Closing remains subject to other conditions, such as regulatory approval in Canada and approval by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), although closing may occur prior to FINRA approval. The complimentary package offered at the end of this post includes GNW's full discussion of the situation.
Financial Strength Ratings
The last time I wrote about the financial strength ratings of GNW's life insurance subsidiaries was in No. 144 (February 16, 2016), and I felt it is time for an update. The recent 10-K shows financial strength ratings as of February 14, 2019. The rating firms are Standard & Poor's (S&P), Moody's Investors Service, and A. M. Best Company. Here are the current ratings of GNW's principal life insurance subsidiaries:
Genworth Life Insurance Company
S&P B– (Weak)Genworth Life and Annuity Insurance Company
Moody's B3 (Poor)
Best B– (Fair)
S&P B– (Weak)Genworth Life Insurance Company of New York
Moody's Ba3 (Questionable)
Best B+ (Good)
S&P B– (Weak)
Moody's B3 (Poor)
Best B– (Fair)
The complimentary package offered at the end of this post includes GNW's complete list of ratings and GNW's discussion of the implications of those ratings. In that discussion, "PMIERs" stands for private mortgage insurer eligibility requirements. "GSEs" stands for government-sponsored enterprises such as Federal National Home Mortgage Association ("Fannie Mae)" and Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation ("Freddie Mac").
A Recent Bulletin
On March 7, 2019, GNW issued a bulletin entitled "Suspension of All Individual Long Term Care Insurance and Income Assurance Annuity Sales Through the BGA Channel Effective March 11, 2019." I learned of the bulletin from one of my readers. I am not providing it to my readers because it is marked: "For Producer/Agent Use Only. Not to Be Reproduced or Shown to the Public." Instead, I sought comment from a GNW spokesperson, who provided this statement:
Today we announced we are temporarily suspending sales of individual long-term care (LTC) insurance and Income Assurance Annuity products through brokerage general agencies (BGAs). Instead, we will be distributing these products directly to consumers through affinity and association programs and other distribution channels. We will continue to sell group LTC insurance through our traditional channels. Our commitment to helping Americans address the financial challenges of aging remains as strong as ever, and we look forward to bringing new products and services to market that will enable people who need care as they age live their lives as they wish, and how and where they prefer to receive that care.
Available Material
I am offering a complimentary 9-page PDF consisting of GNW's discussions of the status of the China Oceanwide agreement, the financial strength ratings of GNW's life insurance subsidiaries, and the implications of those ratings. E-mail jmbelth@gmail.com and ask for the March 2019 package relating to Genworth.
===================================
Email: jmbelth@gmail.com
Blog: www.josephmbelth.com