Item 1. Business

Assurant, Inc. was incorporated as a Delaware corporation in 2004.

We are a leading global provider of lifestyle and housing solutions that support, protect and connect major consumer purchases. We partner with leading brands to develop innovative products and services and to deliver an enhanced customer experience. We operate in North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia Pacific through three operating segments: Global Lifestyle, Global Housing and Global Preneed. Through our Global Lifestyle segment, we provide mobile device solutions and extended service products and related services for mobile devices, consumer electronics and appliances (referred to as “Connected Living”); vehicle protection and related services (referred to as “Global Automotive”); and credit protection and other insurance products (referred to as “Global Financial Services and Other”). Through our Global Housing segment, we provide lender-placed homeowners insurance, lender-placed manufactured housing insurance and lender-placed flood insurance (referred to as “Lender-placed Insurance”); renters insurance and related products (referred to as “Multifamily Housing”); and voluntary manufactured housing insurance, voluntary homeowners insurance and other specialty products (referred to as “Specialty and Other”). Through our Global Preneed segment, we provide pre-funded funeral insurance, final need insurance and related services. In October 2020, we announced we are exploring strategic alternatives for Global Preneed, including the possible sale of the business, to focus on opportunities within the broader Global Lifestyle and Global Housing portfolio, as discussed below. We have since then made progress toward the possible sale of the business; however, there can be no assurance we will complete a sale.

Our Competitive Strengths

Our financial strength and capabilities across our businesses create competitive advantages that we believe allow us to support our clients, deliver superior experience for their customers and drive sustainable profitable growth over the long term.

Our financial strength. We believe we have a strong balance sheet and operating cash flows. As of December 31, 2020, we had $44.65 billion in total assets and our debt to total capital was 27.5%. In addition, our Global Lifestyle, Global Housing and Global Preneed segments generate significant operating cash flows, which provides us with the flexibility to make investments to strengthen our strategic capabilities and enter into and grow partnerships with our clients.

Client and consumer insights and evolving capabilities support innovation. During our long business tenure, we have developed a comprehensive understanding of our clients and the consumer markets they serve. We seek to leverage consumer insights, together with deep market knowledge and capabilities, to anticipate and identify the specific needs of our clients and the consumers they serve. We intend to continue capitalizing on our consumer insights, as well as leveraging investments in emerging technologies and digitization, to introduce new and innovative products and services and adapt those offerings to anticipate and address emerging issues.

Value chain integration. We own or manage multiple pieces of the value chain, which enables us to create products and service offerings based on client needs and provide a seamless experience for consumers. Offering end-to-end solutions allows us to provide additional value for consumers and adapt more quickly and efficiently to their needs. Visibility across the value chain helps us leverage insights to further improve the customer experience and our offerings.

Our Strategy for Profitable Growth

Our vision is to be the premier provider of lifestyle and housing solutions globally to support the increasingly connected lifestyle of consumers. To achieve this vision, we positioned ourselves for continued long-term profitable growth by:

Growing our portfolio of market leading businesses. We leverage our competitive strengths to focus on businesses where we can maintain or reach market-leading positions, achieve attractive returns and grow. We intend on capitalizing on the attractive growth opportunities resulting from the convergence of the connected mobile device, car and home. In particular, we have identified Connected Living, Global Automotive and Multifamily Housing as key businesses targeted for growth. We intend to grow our businesses by continuing to invest in capabilities and technology, including digital, to enable us to innovate and deliver superior customer experience, as well as further expanding our offerings and diversifying our distribution channels.

Providing integrated offerings. We provide an array of services that are complementary to our risk-based products. As we adapt our business portfolio and capabilities to respond to client and consumer needs, we expect to continue to drive additional value to consumers by expanding our fee-for-service offerings and evolving our mix of business, focusing on higher growth and lower capital businesses. We expect to generate a more diversified mix of business and earnings, with decreasing exposure to catastrophe risk.

Deploying our capital and talent strategically. We deploy capital to invest in and grow our businesses, repurchase shares and pay dividends. Our approach to mergers, acquisitions and other growth opportunities reflects our strategic and disciplined approach to capital management. We target new businesses and capabilities that complement or support our strategy, which is focused on expanding capabilities and distribution in targeted growth businesses globally. We are also focused on strategically deploying our talent, as we prioritize programs and initiatives aimed at investing in our talent, with a focus on diversity, equity and inclusion.

2020 Highlights

As a global organization, we continue to actively monitor the developments of the continuously evolving situation resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Throughout this year of uncertainty, we took action to safeguard our employees, to maintain business operations and service levels for customers, and to support our local communities. Since implementing restrictions on non-essential business travel and transitioning the vast majority of our workforce to work-from-home in the beginning of the pandemic, we have approved a limited return to office within certain Asian and European locations, as well as limited essential business travel. For those employees who need to work in our offices or global facilities, we’ve maintained safety and hygiene protocols, such as social distancing, mandatory use of personal protective equipment and regular cleaning and disinfecting of our locations. To support our employees, we have implemented additional floating holidays, a one-time COVID-19 relief payment for eligible work-from-home employees and incentive bonuses for eligible on-site employees, as well as increased wellbeing and mental health support services. We offered financial support through a special COVID-19 Emergency Relief Program to eligible employees who experienced severe financial hardship caused by the pandemic. We also have been active in maintaining our support within our local communities through charitable contributions.

Beginning in March 2020 and for the remainder of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic impacted each of our operating segments and may continue to impact our businesses if similar conditions continue to persist or worsen. Overall, we believe COVID-19 had a modest negative impact on our net income in 2020, mainly due to lower investment income from lower yields, lower real estate owned (“REO”) volumes, foreign exchange rate fluctuations and higher mortality rates in our Global Preneed business. Refer to “Item 7 – Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations – Executive Summary” below for additional information on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business.

In 2020, despite the global pandemic, we continued to grow earnings and focus our resources on our market-leading lifestyle and housing businesses. We made strategic acquisitions in our Connected Living and Global Automotive businesses, in particular HYLA, Inc. (“HYLA”), a provider of smartphone software and trade-in and upgrade services, in December 2020 and American Financial & Automotive Services, Inc. (“AFAS”), a provider of finance and insurance products and services including vehicle service contracts, guaranteed asset protection insurance and other ancillary products, in May 2020.

To support long-term growth, we also continued our multi-year transformation of our information technology to realign our IT operating model and fund investments in our technology infrastructure and cloud capabilities, as well as accelerated investments in digital capabilities. Our commitment as a responsible employer, including fostering a diverse, equitable and inclusive environment, is also critical to our long-term success. Refer to “– Human Capital Resources” below for a description of our human capital resources, including initiatives launched in 2020. We will continue to focus on investing in our key capabilities and strengthening our competitive advantages, as well as our talent, as we look to deliver more value for our clients and their customers.

As part of our focus on opportunities in our lifestyle and housing businesses, we also began exploring strategic alternatives for Global Preneed, including the possible sale of the business. In May 2020, we sold our minority interests in Iké Grupo, Iké Asistencia and certain of their affiliates (collectively, “Iké”).

For additional information on these transactions, see “Item 7 – Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations – Liquidity and Capital Resources” and Notes 3 and 4 to the Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere in this Report.

Throughout the year, we also undertook capital initiatives to drive shareholder value. In 2020, we returned $454.4 million to shareholders through share repurchases and common stock dividends. We also issued $250.0 million of 5.25% subordinated notes due 2061 and used the net proceeds, together with cash on hand, to finance the acquisition of HYLA.

Segments

The composition of our reportable segments matches how we view and manage our business. For additional information on our segments, see “Item 7 – Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations – Results of Operations” and Note 6 to the Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere in this Report.

Global Lifestyle

			Years Ended December 31,
			2020						2019						2018
Net earned premiums, fees and other income by product:
Connected Living (mobile and service contracts) (1)			$	3,836.6					$	3,768.4					$	2,800.6
Global Automotive			3,113.0						2,873.6						1,909.2
Global Financial Services and Other			388.0						452.2						473.5
Total			$	7,337.6					$	7,094.2					$	5,183.3
Segment net income			$	437.2					$	409.3					$	297.7
Segment Equity (2)			$	4,517.5					$	3,948.2					$	4,073.2

(1)For the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, 53.7%, 55.9%, and 55.4%, respectively, of net earned premiums, fees and other income was from mobile products and 46.3%, 44.1%, and 44.6%, respectively, was from service contracts, including assistance services.

(2)Segment equity does not include components of accumulated other comprehensive income (“AOCI”), which is primarily comprised of net unrealized gains on securities, net of taxes. For additional information on total AOCI, see Note 22 to the Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere in this Report.

Our Products and Services

The key lines of business in Global Lifestyle are: Connected Living, which includes mobile device solutions and extended service contracts (insurance policies and warranties) (“ESCs”) for mobile devices, consumer electronics and appliances; Global Automotive; and Global Financial Services and Other. In addition to the acquisitions described above, in May 2018, we acquired TWG Holdings Limited and its subsidiaries (“TWG”), which specializes in the underwriting, administration and marketing of service contracts on a wide variety of consumer goods, including automobiles, consumer electronics and major home appliances. For additional information, see Note 3 to the Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere in this Report.

Connected Living: Through partnerships with mobile device carriers, retailers, multiple system operators (“MSOs”), original equipment manufacturers (“OEMs”) and financial and other institutions, we underwrite and provide administrative support and related services for ESCs. These contracts provide consumers with coverage on mobile devices and consumer electronics and appliances, protecting them from certain covered losses. We pay the cost of repairing or replacing these consumer goods in the event of loss, theft, accidental damage, mechanical breakdown or electronic malfunction after the manufacturer's warranty expires. Our strategy is to provide integrated service offerings to our clients that address all aspects of the insurance, ESC or warranty, including program design and marketing strategy, risk management, data analytics, customer support and claims handling, supply chain services, service delivery and repair and logistics management. For example, we seek to provide end-to-end mobile device lifecycle services in our mobile business from when the device is received and inspected, repaired or refurbished, to when it is ultimately disposed of through a sale to a third-party or used to support an insurance claim. In addition to extended protection for multiple devices, our mobile offerings include trade-in and upgrade programs, premium technical support, including device self-diagnostic tools, and device disposition. We also sell repaired or refurbished mobile and other electronic devices. We believe that with the required administrative capability, supply chain, technical support infrastructure and insurance underwriting capabilities, we maintain a differentiated position in this marketplace.

In May 2020, we sold our minority interests in Iké, which primarily provided roadside assistance, home assistance and travel, mobile and other protection products and services.

Global Automotive: We underwrite and provide administrative services for vehicle service contracts (“VSCs”) and ancillary products providing coverage for vehicles, including automobiles, trucks, recreational vehicles and motorcycles, as well as parts. For VSCs, we pay the cost of repairing a customer’s vehicle in the event of mechanical breakdown. For ancillary products, coverage varies, but, generally, we pay the cost of repairing, servicing or replacing parts or provide other financial compensation in the event of mechanical breakdown, accidental damage or theft. We provide integrated service offerings to our clients, including program design and marketing strategy, risk management, data analytics, customer support and claims handling, reinsurance facilitation, actuarial consulting, experiential and digital training and performance management.

Global Financial Services and Other: Our Global Financial Services and Other business maintains a suite of protection and assurance products that deliver a combination of features and benefits for varying customer segment needs. With major financial services clients, we provide value-added financial services in the U.S. and internationally, ranging from credit insurance to inclusive credit card benefits and travel coverages. Although traditional credit insurance has been in decline in North America, it remains a core offering in select international markets.

Distribution and Clients

Global Lifestyle operates globally, with approximately 79% of its revenue from North America (the U.S. and Canada), 8% from Latin America (Brazil, Argentina, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Chile, Colombia and Peru), 8% from Europe (the United Kingdom (the “U.K.”), France, Italy, Spain, Germany and the Netherlands) and 6% from Asia Pacific (South Korea, China, Japan, Australia, India, Singapore and New Zealand) for the year ended December 31, 2020. Global Lifestyle focuses on establishing strong, long-term relationships with clients that are leaders in their markets, including leading distributors of our products and services. In Connected Living, we partner with mobile network operators, retailers, MSOs, OEMs and financial and other institutions to market our mobile device solutions and with some of the largest OEMs, consumer electronics retailers, appliance retailers (including e-commerce retailers) and MSOs to market our ESC products and related services. In Global Automotive, we partner with auto dealers and agents, third-party administrators and manufacturers to market our vehicle protection and related services. In Global Financial Services and Other, we partner with financial institutions, insurers and retailers to market our credit insurance and embedded card offerings.

Most of our distribution agreements are exclusive. Typically, these agreements are multi-year with terms generally between three and five years and allow us to integrate our administrative systems with those of our clients.

As of December 31, 2020, no single Global Lifestyle client accounted for 10% or more of our consolidated revenue. However, Global Lifestyle is dependent on a few clients and the loss of any one or more such clients could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and cash flows. See “Item 1A – Risk Factors – Business, Strategic and Operational Risks – Our revenues and profits may decline if we are unable to maintain relationships with significant clients, distributors and other parties, or renew contracts with them on favorable terms, or if those parties face financial, reputational or regulatory issues.”

Our Addressable Markets and Market Activity

The mobile protection market is a large and growing global market, characterized by growth in the “Internet of Things” and evolving wireless standards, particularly the advent of 5G. While smartphone penetration in the U.S., Japanese and European markets is high, other markets are less mature and also present growth opportunities. The worldwide used and refurbished smartphone market is also expected to continue to grow.

In addition, consumer needs relating to mobile devices are continuing to expand in scope. We believe there are growth opportunities in bundled protection products, which support customers as they take full advantage of the features and functions of their mobile devices through their daily interaction with a connected world. Customer support, device financing, buyback and trade-in programs are some of the areas that continue to gain traction. Expanded capabilities like repair and logistics, technical support for customers and digital security allow us to create product and service offerings that customers find compelling.

Our business is subject to fluctuations in mobile device trade-in volumes based on the release of new devices and carrier promotional programs, as well as customer preferences. As a general trend, we believe the average smartphone replacement cycle is lengthening, which may increase attachment rates for mobile protection offerings, including for our large, installed customer base. However, this trend may be reversed based on new technology and innovation.

In the vehicle sales markets, we expect U.S. new vehicle sales to remain relatively flat, while the used vehicle market remains strong and continues to grow. We work closely with our partners to develop innovative offerings that reflect the rapid evolution of the large, but fragmented U.S. market. In addition, new vehicle sales outside of the U.S. continue to grow in most markets.

Consumers are becoming increasingly connected across their mobile devices, vehicles and homes, which is creating a global market for smart home devices and related services. As we enter the “Connected Decade” we believe it will create long-term opportunities for Assurant as consumers’ lifestyles will increasingly intertwine with their connected ecosystems.

In our financial services business, we anticipate continued declines in our traditional credit insurance in North America. Our focus is on expanding our partnerships with leading financial institutions to offer credit card offerings to their customers. The traditional credit and credit card products are actively sold in select international markets.

Risk Management

We earn premiums on our insurance and warranty products and fees for our other services. We write a portion of our contracts on a retrospective commission basis. This allows us to adjust commissions on the basis of claims experience. Under these commission arrangements, our clients’ compensation is based upon the actual losses incurred compared to premiums earned after a specified net allowance to us. We believe that these arrangements better align our clients’ interests with ours and help us to better manage risk exposure. For additional risks relating to our Global Lifestyle segment, please see “Item 1A – Risk Factors.”

Inventory

In our mobile business, we carry inventory to meet the delivery requirements of certain clients and we provide the guaranteed buyback of devices as part of our trade-in and upgrade offerings. These devices are ultimately disposed of through sales to third parties. Inventory levels may vary from period to period due to, among other things, differences between actual and forecasted demand, the addition of new devices and parts and strategic purchases. Payment terms with clients also vary, which may result in less inventory financed by clients and more inventory financed with our own capital.

We take various actions to manage our inventory, including monitoring our inventory levels, managing the timing of purchases and obtaining return rights for some programs and devices. However, the value of certain of our inventory (as well as devices that are subject to guaranteed buybacks) will be adversely impacted by technological changes affecting the usefulness or desirability of the devices and parts, physical problems resulting from faulty design or manufacturing, increased competition, growing industry emphasis on cost containment and adverse foreign trade relationships. No assurance can be given that we will be adequately protected against declines in inventory value. See “Item 1A – Risk Factors – Business, Strategic and Operational Risks – Our mobile business is subject to the risk of declines in the value of mobile devices in our inventory, to the risk of guaranteed buybacks, and to export compliance and other risks.”

Seasonality

We experience seasonal fluctuations that impact demand in each of our lines of business. For example, seasonality for ESCs and VSCs aligns with the seasonality of the retail and automobile markets. In addition, our mobile results, which align with the seasonality of mobile device sales and are affected by trade-in volumes, may fluctuate quarter to quarter due to the actual and anticipated timing and availability of the release of new devices and carrier promotional programs.

Global Housing

			Years Ended December 31,
			2020						2019						2018
Net earned premiums, fees and other income by product:
Lender-placed Insurance			$	1,052.5					$	1,109.2					$	1,149.7
Multifamily Housing			451.6						429.2						406.1
Specialty and Other			473.2						495.3						417.3
Mortgage Solutions (sold in August 2018)			—						—						116.1
Total			$	1,977.3					$	2,033.7					$	2,089.2
Segment net income			$	233.8					$	258.7					$	150.8
Segment equity (1)			$	1,515.1					$	1,600.6					$	1,505.3

(1)Segment equity does not include components of AOCI, which is primarily comprised of net unrealized gains on securities, net of taxes. For additional information on total AOCI, see Note 22 to the Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere in this Report.

Our Products and Services

The key lines of business in Global Housing are: Lender-placed Insurance; Multifamily Housing (which is comprised of renters insurance and related products); and Specialty and Other (which is comprised of voluntary manufactured housing insurance, voluntary homeowners insurance and other specialty products). On August 1, 2018, we sold our Mortgage Solutions business, which was comprised of property inspection and preservation, valuation and title services and other property risk management services. For additional information on this sale, see Note 4 to the Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere in this Report.

Lender-placed Insurance: We provide lender-placed homeowners, lender-placed manufactured housing and lender-placed flood insurance as described below.

Lender-placed homeowners insurance. Lender-placed homeowners insurance consists principally of fire and dwelling hazard insurance offered through our lender-placed program. The lender-placed program provides collateral protection to lenders, mortgage servicers and investors in mortgaged properties in the event that a homeowner does not maintain insurance on a mortgaged dwelling. Lender-placed homeowners insurance provides structural coverage, similar to that of a standard homeowners policy. The amount of coverage is often based on the last known insurance coverage under the prior policy for the property and provides replacement cost coverage on the property. It protects both the lender’s interest and the borrower’s interest and equity. We also provide REO insurance, consisting of insurance on foreclosed properties managed by our clients.

In the majority of cases, we use a proprietary insurance-tracking administration system linked with the administrative systems of our clients to monitor clients’ mortgage portfolios to verify the existence of insurance on each mortgaged property and identify those that are uninsured. If there is a potential lapse in insurance coverage, we begin a process of notification and outreach to both the homeowner and the last known insurance carrier or agent through phone calls and written correspondence, which generally takes up to 90 days to complete. If coverage cannot be verified at the end of this process, the mortgage servicer procures a lender-placed policy. The process of tracking voluntary coverage - including determining whether voluntary coverage is in force, the policy limits in place, the perils insured and the deductibles, and obtaining other required insurance related information - is part of our risk exposure management for our Lender-placed Insurance business. The exposure management process is needed in order to underwrite the risk we assume, to understand loss exposure and to communicate with appropriate parties, including the lender, insurance agent and homeowner. Our placement rates reflect the ratio of insurance policies placed to loans tracked. The homeowner always retains the option to obtain or renew the insurance of his or her choice.

Lender-placed manufactured housing insurance. Lender-placed manufactured housing insurance consists principally of fire and dwelling hazard insurance for manufactured housing offered through our lender-placed program. Lender-placed manufactured housing insurance is issued after an insurance tracking and exposure management process similar to that described above. In most cases, tracking is performed using a proprietary insurance-tracking administration system.

Lender-placed flood insurance. Lender-placed flood insurance consists of flood insurance offered through our lender-placed program. It provides collateral protection to lenders in mortgaged properties in the event a homeowner does not maintain required flood insurance. Lender-placed flood insurance is issued after an insurance tracking and exposure management process similar to that described above.

Multifamily Housing: We provide integrated solutions across the resident lifecycle. We offer renters insurance for a wide variety of multi-family rental properties, including vacation rentals, providing content protection for renters’ personal belongings and liability protection for the property owners against renter-caused damage. We also offer an integrated billing and tracking platform for our clients and their customers. We also provide tenant bonds as an alternative to security deposits, which allows our clients to offer a lower move-in cost option while minimizing the risk of loss from damages, and receivables management, which helps our clients to maximize the collection of amounts owed by prior tenants.

Specialty and Other: We offer voluntary manufactured housing insurance, voluntary condominium and homeowners insurance and other specialty products, including offerings related to the sharing economy. Our voluntary insurance generally provides structural coverage, contents and liability coverage. Our sharing economy insurance products include carsharing, vehicle subscription, vacation rental and on-demand delivery insurance products. We are also the second largest administrator for the U.S. government under the voluntary National Flood Insurance Program (the “NFIP”), for which we earn fees for collecting premiums and processing claims. This business is 100% reinsured to the U.S. government.

Distribution and Clients

Global Housing establishes long-term relationships with leading mortgage lenders and servicers, manufactured housing lenders, property managers and financial and other institutions. Lender-placed Insurance products are distributed primarily through mortgage lenders, mortgage servicers and financial and other institutions. The majority of our lender-placed agreements are exclusive. Typically, these agreements have terms of three to five years and allow us to integrate our systems with those of our clients. Multifamily Housing products are distributed primarily through property management companies and affinity marketing partners. We offer our Specialty and Other insurance programs primarily through manufactured housing lenders and retailers, along with independent specialty agents. Independent specialty agents and on-demand delivery and ridesharing companies also distribute flood products, sharing economy offerings and other specialty property products.

As of December 31, 2020, no single Global Housing client accounted for 10% or more of our consolidated revenue. However, Global Housing is dependent on a few clients, and the loss of any one or more such clients could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and cash flows. See “Item 1A – Risk Factors – Business, Strategic and Operational Risks – Our revenues and profits may decline if we are unable to maintain relationships with significant clients, distributors and other parties, or renew contracts with them on favorable terms, or if those parties face financial, reputational or regulatory issues.”

Our Addressable Markets and Market Activity

With respect to the lender-placed market, placement rates have declined as the housing market has improved with industry delinquency rates below averages, resulting in lower net earned premiums. Recently, placement rate declines have moderated, although the impact to 2020 results was offset by the reduction of policies in-force for a financially insolvent client and lower REO volumes as fewer homes moved into default or foreclosure due to moratoriums enacted in connection with COVID-19. We continue to monitor the state of the overall housing market and the potential impact of the current mortgage moratorium, including on REO volumes. Should the housing market deteriorate for a prolonged period, we would expect a longer-term increase in placement rates. In addition to the overall market, our lender-placed results are also impacted by the mix of loans we service.

The U.S. renters insurance market is a growing market where we believe there is opportunity to increase our market share and attachment rates with new and existing clients through our investments in digital platforms designed to deliver superior customer experience and our expanded offerings to provide end-to-end solutions.

Risk Management

We earn premiums on our insurance products and fees for our services. Our lender-placed insurance products are not underwritten on an individual policy basis. Contracts with our clients require us to issue these policies automatically when a borrower’s insurance coverage is not maintained. These products are priced to factor in the additional risk from ensuring that all client properties have continuous insurance coverage. We monitor pricing adequacy based on a variety of factors and adjust pricing as required, subject to regulatory constraints.

Because several of our business lines (such as homeowners, manufactured housing and other property policies) are exposed to catastrophe risks, we purchase reinsurance coverage to reduce our financial exposure, protect capital, and mitigate earnings and cash flow volatility. Our reinsurance program generally incorporates a provision to allow for the reinstatement of coverage, which provides protection against the risk of multiple catastrophes in a single year.

For 2020, our property catastrophe reinsurance program includes U.S. per-occurrence catastrophe coverage providing $930 million of protection in excess of $80.0 million of retention in the main reinsurance program, as well as multi-year reinsurance contracts covering nearly 50% of the U.S. program over the next two to five years, reducing volatility in future reinsurance costs. All layers of the program allow for one automatic reinstatement, except the first layer which has two reinstatements and covers the first $30.0 million of losses in excess of the $80.0 million retention. The program also maintains a cascading feature that provides multi-event protection in which most higher coverage layers drop down to $110.0 million as the lower layers and reinstatement limit are exhausted. The 2020 catastrophe reinsurance program also includes Caribbean catastrophe coverage providing $175.0 million of protection in excess of $20.0 million retention and Latin American catastrophe coverage providing $170.0 million of protection in excess of $7.0 million of retention. We placed approximately 66% of our 2021 catastrophe reinsurance program in January 2021.

We are also subject to non-catastrophe risk. Please see “Item 1A – Risk Factors – Macroeconomic, Political and Global Market Risks – Catastrophe and non-catastrophe losses, including as a result of climate change, could materially reduce our profitability and have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.”

Seasonality

We experience seasonal fluctuation in several of our lines of business, which are exposed to the risk of catastrophe and non-catastrophe losses. Catastrophe events such as hurricanes typically occur in the second half of the year, and may increase in frequency and severity due to climate change. We also experience some seasonal fluctuation as a result of non-catastrophe weather-related events that tend to occur in the second and third quarters.

Global Preneed

			Years Ended December 31,
			2020						2019						2018
Net earned premiums, fees and other income			$	209.4					$	200.9					$	189.5
Segment net income			$	48.0					$	52.2					$	57.7
Segment equity (1)			$	299.0					$	430.6					$	423.7

(1)Segment equity does not include components of AOCI, which is primarily comprised of net unrealized gains on securities, net of taxes. For additional information on total AOCI, see Note 22 to the Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere in this Report.

Our Products and Services

Global Preneed offers pre-funded funeral insurance, final need insurance and related services. Pre-funded funeral insurance provides whole life insurance or annuity death benefits to fund the costs associated with pre-arranged funerals, which are planned and paid for in advance of death. Our pre-funded funeral insurance products are typically structured as whole life insurance policies in the U.S. and offer limited pay (“Preneed”) or pay for life (“Final Need”) options. In Canada, our pre-funded funeral insurance products are typically structured as limited pay annuity contracts. Product choices are based on the health and financial situation of the customer and the distribution channel.

Consumers have the choice of making their policy payments as a single lump-sum payment, through multi-payment plans that spread payments out over a period of time or as a pay for life policy. Our insurance policy is intended to cover the cost of the prearranged funeral, and the funeral home generally becomes the irrevocable assignee of any proceeds from the insurance policy. However, the insured may name a beneficiary for excess proceeds; otherwise, any excess proceeds are paid to the insured’s estate. The funeral home agrees to provide the selected funeral at death in exchange for the policy proceeds. Because the death benefit under many of our policies is designed to grow over time, it assists the funeral home that is the assignee in managing its funeral inflation risk. We do not provide any funeral goods or services in connection with our pre-funded funeral insurance policies; pre-funded funeral life insurance and annuity policies pay death benefits in cash only.

Distribution and Clients

We distribute our pre-funded funeral insurance products through two distribution channels in the U.S. and Canada: the independent funeral home market or final expense industry through general agents representing those locations, and corporate funeral home partners. Our policies are sold by licensed insurance agents or enrollers, who in some cases may also be funeral directors.

We are the sole provider of pre-funded funeral insurance for Service Corporation International (“SCI”) in Canada and the U.S. SCI is the largest funeral provider in North America based on total revenues. Our exclusive distribution partnership with SCI runs through 2024 in the U.S. and up to mid-2021 in Canada.

As of December 31, 2020, no single Global Preneed client accounted for 10% or more of our consolidated revenue. However, Global Preneed is dependent on a few clients and the loss of any one or more such clients could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and cash flows. See “Item 1A – Risk Factors – Business, Strategic and Operational Risks – Our revenues and profits may decline if we are unable to maintain relationships with significant clients, distributors and other parties, or renew contracts with them on favorable terms, or if those parties face financial, reputational or regulatory issues.”

Our Addressable Markets and Market Activity

Growth in Global Preneed sales has been traditionally driven by distribution partners. There is a high correlation between new sales of pre-funded funeral insurance and the number of preneed counselors or enrollers marketing the product and expansion in sales and marketing capabilities. In addition, as alternative distribution channels are identified, such as targeting affinity groups and employers, we believe growth in this market could accelerate. We believe that the preneed market is characterized by an aging population combined with low penetration of the over-65 market.

Our strategy includes increasing sales by broadening our distribution relationships. Through our general agency system, we provide programs and a sales force for our funeral home clients to increase their local market share. In the U.S., we also intend to direct funerals to SCI’s funeral locations and reduce SCI’s cost to sell and manage its preneed operation through its sales counselors and third-party sellers. We integrate our processes with SCI’s insurance production to support SCI’s

management of its preneed business. We are also expanding our complementary non-insurance products and services, including our executor assist product that helps executors manage a deceased’s accounts.

Risk Management

Global Preneed generally writes whole life insurance policies with increasing death benefits and obtains the majority of its profits from interest rate spreads. Interest rate spreads refer to the difference between the death benefit growth rates on pre-funded funeral insurance policies and the investment returns generated on the assets we hold related to those policies. To manage these spreads, we monitor the movement in new money yields and evaluate our actual net new achievable yields monthly. This information is used to evaluate rates to be credited on applicable new and in force pre-funded funeral insurance policies and annuities. In addition, we review asset benchmarks and perform asset/liability matching studies to maximize yield and reduce risk.

Global Preneed utilizes underwriting to select and price insurance risks. We regularly monitor mortality assumptions, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, to determine if experience remains consistent with these assumptions and to ensure that our product pricing remains appropriate. We periodically review our underwriting, agent and policy contract provisions and pricing guidelines so that our policies remain competitive and supportive of our marketing strategies and profitability goals.

Most of our pre-funded whole-life funeral insurance policies have increasing death benefits, some of which are pegged to changes in the Consumer Price Index (the “CPI”). We have employed risk mitigation strategies, including the use of derivative instruments, to seek to minimize our exposure to a rapid increase in inflation. However, exposure can still exist due to potential differences in the amount of our liability under existing insurance policies and the amount of protection provided by our derivative instruments and other risk mitigation strategies.

Competition

Our businesses focus on lifestyle and housing products and related services within the broader insurance and other markets. Although we face global competition in each of our businesses, we believe that no single competitor competes against us in all of our business lines. Across Global Lifestyle, Global Housing and Global Preneed, we compete for business, customers, agents and other distribution relationships with many insurance companies, financial services companies, mobile device repair and logistics companies, technology and software companies and specialized competitors that focus on one market, product or service. We must respond to the threat of disruption by traditional players, such as insurers, as well as from new entrants, such as “Insurtech” start-up companies and others. Competition in each business is based on a number of factors, including, but not limited to, scope of products and services offered, ability to tailor products and services to client and consumer needs, product features and terms, pricing, technology offerings, diversity of distribution resources, brand recognition, costs, financial strength and ratings, resources, and quality of service, including speed of claims payment and the overall customer experience. The relative importance of these factors varies by product and market. To remain competitive in many of our businesses, we must also anticipate and respond effectively to changes in customer preferences, new industry standards, evolving distribution models, disruptive technology developments and alternate business models. For further information on the risks associated with competition, see “Item 1A – Risk Factors – Business, Strategic and Operational Risks – Significant competitive pressures, changes in customer preferences and disruption could adversely affect our results of operations.”

Human Capital Resources

The cornerstone of Assurant is the employees who bring our purpose, values and commitments to life each day for the millions of customers we serve worldwide. We believe in fostering a diverse, equitable and inclusive culture to drive growth and innovation. We regularly evaluate our practices and policies to support ongoing investments in competitive total rewards, wellbeing programs and learning and development opportunities, while prioritizing the safety of our employees who are critical to our long-term success.

As of December 31, 2020, Assurant had approximately 14,100 employees, including approximately 13,600 full-time employees, in 21 countries. While 82% of the workforce was in North America, our presence continues to grow in Europe, Latin America and Asia Pacific. Our employees span a wide range of roles and possess an array of skills, including both insurance and business services, in support of our strategy to enable the increasingly connected lifestyles of consumers. This is reflected in our workforce mix with 51% hourly and 49% salaried employees, as well as our global turnover rate. Including all hourly employees in our service and logistics centers, where annual turnover rates are much higher in the market, our global turnover rate was 16%; for salaried and managerial roles, our global turnover rate was 9%. The Board of Directors (the “Board”), through the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and Compensation Committee, oversee the significant human capital management programs of Assurant, which are led by Assurant’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Administrative Officer.

Fostering Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

At Assurant, we believe diversity, equity and inclusion (“DE&I”) fosters innovation and creates growth opportunities by strengthening employee engagement for the benefit of all of our stakeholders. We believe diverse teams and inclusive cultures perform better by improving our ability to respond to the changing global marketplace and social landscape.

We are committed to gender, racial and ethnic diversity at all levels of the Company. As of December 31, 2020, women comprised 63% of our global workforce, 35% at the managerial levels, 33% at the Assurant Management Committee level and 25% of our Board; and 52% of our global workforce, 37% at the managerial levels, no current representation at the Assurant Management Committee level and 25% of our Board identified as racially or ethnically diverse.

We are committed to continuing to increase representation and participation of under-represented groups within Assurant. In 2020, we established an Executive Inclusion Council, chaired by our Chief Executive Officer and comprised of our Management Committee, to provide leadership oversight, engagement and accountability throughout Assurant to foster greater DE&I. Our Chief Administrative Officer has direct oversight and responsibility for our DE&I strategy.

We recruit talent in diverse communities, through strategic and educational partnerships that bring greater visibility and expertise. We continue to strengthen our recruiting and talent practices to identify and remove inherent biases that could influence outcomes, including enterprise-wide diversity training and the implementation of diverse slate and interviewing requirements for all managerial and above job openings.

Pay Equity

Assurant is committed to pay equity. Our compensation practices and programs consider a variety of factors designed to set fair and equitable compensation levels. We take a holistic approach to evaluating and aligning roles with compensation levels based on job responsibilities, market competitiveness, geographical location, strategic importance of roles and other relevant factors. We periodically evaluate our compensation practices and in 2020, we launched a multi-step process to ensure that we are compensating equitably across employees performing similar job responsibilities. We also have identified other priorities, including ensuring we have competitive wages, particularly for our hourly employees.

Prioritizing Health, Safety and Wellbeing

We are committed to the health and safety of our employees as we believe the success of our business is directly connected to their wellbeing. In addition to providing robust compensation and benefits programs and opportunities to invest in their financial future, we also offer employees and their families access to a variety of health and wellness programs. Our Total Rewards programs help to provide protection and security concerning events that may require time away from work or that impact their financial wellbeing, such as paid time off, family leave, family care resources and flexible work schedules. Our Global Employee Assistance Plan provides additional support to help employees and their families access critical resources for their wellbeing, including financial, physical and mental health.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we provided additional support for our employees, as well as the communities in which we operate, while also complying with government regulations and health guidelines. See “ – Business – 2020 Highlights” above for additional information. We also increased communication and engagement opportunities with employees, including more frequent global town halls and leadership outreach.

Training and Development

Talent development is essential to Assurant’s success. We continually invest in our employees’ career growth and provide employees with a wide range of training and development opportunities, including face-to-face, virtual, social and self-directed learning, mentoring and external development opportunities. Strengthening employees’ leadership and professional skills through various trainings and awareness campaigns are also designed to foster a culture of strong ethics and compliance. Assurant also supports employees in the attainment of certifications and the continuing education required by certain professional organizations.

We gather the voice of employees as part of regular surveys with the last one completed in 2019. Our overall employee engagement score was 81% favorable, highlighting that employees are generally engaged and aligned with the Company’s priorities. In 2020, the Company began working with a third-party to rollout an enterprise listening program designed to offer opportunities for anonymous, real-time feedback between managers and employees and allow for predictive data analysis capabilities so that the enterprise can proactively address needs.

Please refer to our 2020 Social Responsibility Report, upcoming 2021 Social Responsibility Report and 2021 Proxy Statement available on www.assurant.com for more information. The information found on our website and in such reports is not incorporated by reference into and does not constitute a part of this Report.

Ratings

Independent rating organizations periodically review the financial strength of insurers, including many of our insurance subsidiaries. Financial strength ratings represent the opinions of rating agencies regarding the ability of an insurance company to meet its financial obligations to policyholders and contract holders. These ratings are not applicable to our common stock, preferred stock or debt securities. Ratings are an important factor in establishing the competitive position of insurance companies.

Rating agencies also use an “outlook statement” of “positive,” “stable,” “negative” or “developing” to indicate a medium- or long-term trend in credit fundamentals which, if continued, may lead to a rating change. A rating may have a stable outlook to indicate that the rating is not expected to change; however, a stable outlook does not preclude a rating agency from changing a rating at any time, without notice.

Most of our domestic and significant international operating insurance subsidiaries are rated by A.M. Best Company (“A.M. Best”). In addition, four of our domestic operating insurance subsidiaries are rated by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”) and five are rated by S&P Global Ratings, a division of S&P Global Inc. (“S&P”). The ratings issued on our operating insurance subsidiaries by these agencies are announced publicly and are available from the agencies.

For information on the risks associated with ratings downgrades, see “Item 1A – Risk Factors – Financial Risks – A decline in the financial strength ratings of our insurance subsidiaries could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.”

The following table summarizes the financial strength ratings and outlooks of our domestic and significant international operating insurance subsidiaries as of December 31, 2020:

			A.M. Best (1)						Moody’s (2)						S& P (3)
Company
American Bankers Insurance Company of Florida			A						A3						A
American Bankers Life Assurance Company of Florida			A-						Baa1						A
American Memorial Life Insurance Company			A-						N/A						A
American Security Insurance Company			A						A3						A
Assurant Life of Canada			A-						N/A						N/A
Caribbean American Life Assurance Company			A-						N/A						N/A
Caribbean American Property Insurance Company			A						N/A						N/A
Reliable Lloyds Insurance Company			A						N/A						N/A
Standard Guaranty Insurance Company			A						N/A						N/A
Union Security Insurance Company			B++						Baa1						A
Union Security Life Insurance Company of New York			B++						N/A						N/A
Virginia Surety Company, Inc.			A						N/A						N/A
Voyager Indemnity Insurance Company			A						N/A						N/A

(1)A.M. Best financial strength ratings range from “A++” (superior) to “D” (poor). Ratings of A and A- fall under the “excellent” category, which is the second highest of A.M. Best’s seven ratings categories. A rating of B++ falls under the “good” category, which is the third highest of A.M. Best’s seven ratings categories. A.M. Best has a stable outlook on all of our domestic and significant international operating insurance subsidiaries’ financial strength ratings with the exception of American Memorial Life Insurance Company, Assurant Life of Canada, Union Security Insurance Company and Union Security Life Insurance Company of New York whose ratings were placed under review with developing implications following our announcement in October 2020 that we were exploring strategic alternatives for Global Preneed, including a potential sale.

(2)Moody’s insurance financial strength ratings range from “Aaa” (highest quality) to “C” (lowest rated). A numeric modifier may be appended to ratings from “Aa” to “Caa” to indicate relative position within a category, with 1 being the highest and 3 being the lowest. A rating of A3 is considered “upper-medium-grade” and falls within the third highest of Moody’s nine ratings categories. A rating of Baa1 is considered "medium-grade" and falls within the fourth highest of Moody’s nine ratings categories. Moody's has a stable outlook on all of our domestic operating insurance subsidiaries’ insurance financial strength ratings.

(3)S&P’s insurer financial strength ratings range from “AAA” (extremely strong) to “R” (under regulatory supervision). A “+” or “-” may be appended to ratings from categories AA to CCC to indicate relative position within a category. Ratings of A (strong) are within the third highest of S&P’s ten ratings categories. S&P has a stable outlook on all of our domestic operating insurance subsidiaries’ insurer financial strength ratings with the exception American Memorial Life Insurance Company and Union Security Insurance Company whose ratings were placed on Credit Watch with developing implications following our announcement in October 2020 that we were exploring strategic alternatives for Global Preneed, including a potential sale.

Regulation

We are subject to extensive federal, state and international regulation and supervision in the jurisdictions in which we do business. Regulations vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.

The following is a summary of significant regulations that apply to our businesses, but is not intended to be a comprehensive review of every regulation to which we are subject. For information on the risks associated with regulations applicable to us, see “Item 1A – Risk Factors – Business, Strategic and Operational Risks”, “Item 1A – Risk Factors – Technology, Cybersecurity and Privacy Risks” and “Item 1A – Risk Factors – Legal and Regulatory Risks.”

Holding Company Insurance Regulations

Under applicable insurance holding company regulations, no person may acquire a controlling interest in the Company or any of our insurance company subsidiaries, unless such person has obtained prior regulatory approval for such acquisition. Under these laws, “control” is presumed when any person acquires or holds, directly or indirectly, 10% or more of our common stock or of the voting securities of any of our insurance company subsidiaries. To obtain approval, the proposed acquiror must file an application with the relevant regulator, including the regulator for the insurance subsidiaries we have established in the Netherlands. For more information on the risks associated with holding company insurance regulations, see “Item 1A – Risk Factors – Business, Strategic and Operational Risks – Applicable laws and our certificate of incorporation and by-laws may discourage takeovers and business combinations that some stockholders might consider to be in their best interests.”

U.S. Insurance Regulation

We are subject to the insurance holding company laws in the states and territories where our insurance companies are domiciled. These laws generally require insurance companies within the insurance holding company system to register with the insurance departments of their respective states and territories of domicile and furnish reports to such insurance departments regarding capital structure, ownership, financial condition, risk management, corporate governance, general business operations and intercompany transactions. These laws also require that transactions between affiliated companies be fair and equitable. In addition, certain intercompany transactions, changes of control, certain dividend payments and certain transfers of assets between the companies within the holding company system are subject to prior notice to, or approval by, regulatory authorities in such states and territories.

We are licensed to sell insurance through our insurance subsidiaries in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. Like all U.S. insurance companies, our insurance subsidiaries are subject to regulation and supervision in the jurisdictions where they do business. In general, these regulations are designed to protect the interests of policyholders, and not necessarily the interests of shareholders and other investors. To that end, the laws of the various jurisdictions establish insurance departments with broad powers with respect to such things as:

• licensing;

• capital, surplus and dividends;

• underwriting requirements and limitations (including, in some cases, minimum or target loss ratios);

• entrance into and exit from markets;

• introduction, cancellation and termination of certain coverages;

• statutory accounting and annual statement disclosure requirements;

• product types, policy forms and mandated insurance benefits;

• premium rates;

• fines, penalties and assessments;

• claims practices, including occasional regulatory requirements to pay claims on terms other than those mandated by underlying policy contracts;

• transactions between affiliates;

• the form and content of disclosures to consumers;

• the type, amounts and valuation of investments;

• annual tests of solvency and reserve adequacy;

• assessments or other surcharges for guaranty funds and the recovery of assessments through premium increases; and

• market conduct and sales practices of insurers and agents.

Dividend Payment Limitations. Assurant, Inc. is a holding company and, as such, has limited direct operations of its own. Our assets consist primarily of the capital stock of our subsidiaries. Accordingly, our future cash flows depend upon the availability of dividends and other statutorily permissible payments from our subsidiaries. Our subsidiaries’ ability to pay such dividends and make such other payments is regulated by the states and territories in which our subsidiaries are domiciled. These dividend regulations vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction and by type of insurance provided by the applicable subsidiary, but generally require our insurance subsidiaries to maintain minimum solvency requirements and limit the amount of dividends these subsidiaries can pay to us. For more information, see “Item 7 – Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations – Liquidity and Capital Resources – Regulatory Requirements” and “Item 1A – Risk Factors – Legal and Regulatory Risks – Changes in insurance regulation may reduce our profitability and limit our growth”.

Risk-Based Capital Requirements. In order to enhance the regulation of insurer solvency, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (the “NAIC”) has established certain risk-based capital (“RBC”) standards applicable to life, health and property and casualty insurers. RBC, which regulators use to assess the sufficiency of an insurer’s statutory capital, is calculated by applying factors to various asset, premium, expense, liability and reserve items. Factors are higher for items that the NAIC views as having greater underlying risk. The NAIC periodically reviews the RBC formula and changes to the formula could occur in the future. In addition, in December 2020, the NAIC adopted a group capital calculation tool using an RBC aggregation methodology for all entities within the insurance holding company system, including non-U.S. entities. The goal is to provide U.S. regulators with a method to aggregate the available capital and the minimum capital of each entity in a group in a way that applies to all groups regardless of their structure in order to identify risks that may emanate from an insurer’s holding company system. The NAIC has stated that the calculation will be a regulatory tool and will not constitute a requirement or standard. State legislatures are expected to begin adoption of the group capital calculation model regulations in 2021.

Investment Regulation. Insurance company investments must comply with applicable laws and regulations that govern the kind, quality and concentration of investments made by insurance companies. These regulations require diversification of insurance company investment portfolios and limit the amount of investments in certain asset categories.

Financial Reporting. Regulators closely monitor the financial condition of licensed insurance companies. Our insurance subsidiaries are required to file periodic financial reports with insurance regulators. Moreover, states and territories regulate the form and content of these statutory financial statements.

Products and Coverage. Insurance regulators have broad authority to regulate many aspects of our products and services. Additionally, certain non-insurance products and services we offer, such as service contracts, may be regulated by regulatory bodies other than departments of insurance and may be subject to consumer protection laws.

Pricing and Premium Rates. Nearly all states and territories have insurance laws requiring insurers to file price schedules and policy forms with the state’s or territory’s regulatory authority. In many cases, these price schedules and/or policy forms must be approved prior to use, and state and territory insurance departments have the power to disapprove increases or require decreases in the premium rates we charge.

Market Conduct Regulation. Activities of insurers are highly regulated by state and territory insurance laws and regulations, that govern the form and content of disclosure to consumers, advertising, sales practices and complaint handling. State and territory regulatory authorities enforce compliance through periodic market conduct examinations.

Guaranty Associations and Indemnity Funds. Most states and territories require insurance companies to support guaranty associations or indemnity funds, which are established to pay claims on behalf of insolvent insurance companies. These associations may levy assessments on member insurers. In some states and territories, member insurers can recover a portion of these assessments through premium tax offsets and/or policyholder surcharges.

Insurance Regulatory Initiatives. The NAIC, state and territory regulators and professional organizations have considered and are considering various proposals that may alter or increase state and territory authority to regulate insurance companies and insurance holding companies. For example, in December 2020, the NAIC Property and Casualty Committee adopted the NAIC Real Property Lender-Placed Insurance Model Act (the “LPI Model Act”), which is expected to be discussed and voted for adoption by the NAIC in the Spring of 2021. The LPI Model Act governs the insurance that a mortgage servicer obtains when a borrower fails to obtain or maintain required insurance. See “Item 1A – Risk Factors – Legal and Regulatory Risks – Changes in insurance regulation may reduce our profitability and limit our growth” for a discussion of the risks related to such initiatives.

Federal Regulation

Although our business in the United States is primarily regulated by the states, federal initiatives often have an impact on our business in a variety of ways. Impacted areas include financial services regulation, privacy, tort reform legislation and taxation. In addition, various forms of direct and indirect federal regulation of insurance have been proposed from time to time,

including proposals for the establishment of an optional federal charter for insurance companies. See “Item 1A – Risk Factors – Legal and Regulatory Risks – Our business is subject to risks related to litigation and regulatory actions.”

Employee Retirement Income Security Act. We are subject to regulation under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”). ERISA places certain requirements on how we may administer employee benefit plans covered by ERISA. Among other things, regulations under ERISA set standards for certain notice and disclosure requirements and for claim processing and appeals.

Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act. Certain of our activities are subject to the privacy requirements of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, which, along with regulations adopted thereunder, generally requires insurers to provide customers with notice regarding how their nonpublic personal financial information is used and the opportunity to “opt out” of certain disclosures, if applicable.

Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. Regulations under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”) address mortgage servicers’ obligations to correct errors asserted by mortgage loan borrowers; provide certain information requested by such borrowers; and provide protections to such borrowers in connection with Lender-placed Insurance. These requirements affect our operations because, in many instances, we administer such operations on behalf of our mortgage servicer clients. While the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (the “CFPB”) does not have direct jurisdiction over insurance products, it is possible that additional regulations promulgated by the CFPB may extend its authority more broadly to cover these products and thereby affect us or our clients.

Tax Reform. On December 22, 2017, the U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “TCJA”), which significantly amended the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, was enacted. Of particular interest to the Company was the reduction of the corporate tax rate from 35% to 21%. In addition, the TCJA eliminated the 20-year carryforward period and made it indefinite for federal net operating losses generated in tax years after December 31, 2017. The recently appointed Biden Administration is expected to revise the TCJA to increase the corporate tax rate and impose a new minimum tax on book income for certain companies. Until the revisions to the TCJA are enacted, it is difficult to assess their scope and overall impact to the Company.

International Regulation

We are subject to regulation and supervision of our international operations in various jurisdictions. These regulations, which vary depending on the jurisdiction, include, among others, anti-corruption laws; solvency and market conduct regulations; various privacy, insurance, tax, tariff and trade laws and regulations; and corporate, employment, intellectual property and investment laws and regulations. We operate in various jurisdictions, including Canada, the U.K., France, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, Peru, Colombia, Germany, India, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, Italy, Mexico, Japan, South Korea, China and Singapore, and our businesses are supervised by local regulatory authorities in these jurisdictions.

On January 31, 2020, the U.K. withdrew from the E.U. (referred to as “Brexit”) with a transition period that extended to December 31, 2020. As a result, we established insurance subsidiaries in the Netherlands and obtained regulatory approval to continue our access to the European markets with immediate effect. Existing E.U. liabilities have been transferred to the new Dutch entities. Post-transition period changes to the E.U. and U.K. legal, trade and regulatory frameworks could increase our compliance costs and subject us to operational challenges in the region.

Additionally, the International Association of Insurance Supervisors (the “IAIS”) is developing a model common framework for the supervision of Internationally Active Insurance Groups (“IAIGs”), which includes group-wide supervisory oversight across national boundaries and the establishment of ongoing supervisory colleges. We qualify for the IAIG designation; however, at present time no regulatory body has applied to supervise us in this manner. The IAIS is looking to implement the International Capital Standard over the coming years. We do not expect to be involved in the early development of the framework. At this time, we cannot predict what additional capital requirements, compliance costs or other burdens these requirements would impose on us.

Securities and Corporate Governance Regulation

As a company with publicly-traded securities, we are subject to certain legal and regulatory requirements applicable generally to public companies, including the rules and regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”) relating to public reporting and disclosure, accounting and financial reporting, corporate governance and other matters. Additionally, we and our subsidiaries are subject to the corporate governance laws of our respective jurisdictions of incorporation or formation.

During part of 2020, one of our subsidiaries was a registered investment adviser and as such was subject to the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the “Advisers Act”). The Advisers Act, together with the SEC’s regulations and interpretations thereunder, imposes substantive and material restrictions and requirements on the operations of registered investment advisers. In October 2020, we deregistered this entity and none of our subsidiaries are currently registered as an investment adviser.

Consumer Protection Laws

Numerous federal, state and international consumer protection laws affect the Company. For example, as part of the Dodd-Frank Act, Congress established the CFPB to supervise and regulate institutions that provide certain financial products and services to consumers. Although the consumer financial services subject to the CFPB’s jurisdiction generally exclude insurance businesses, the CFPB may have authority to regulate certain non-insurance consumer services we provide.

Anti-Corruption Regulation

We are subject to certain U.S. and foreign laws applicable to businesses generally, including anti-corruption laws. The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 (the “FCPA”) regulates U.S. companies in their dealings with foreign officials and prohibits bribes and similar practices. In addition, the U.K. Anti-Bribery Act has wide applicability to certain activities that affect U.K. companies, their commercial activities in the U.K., and potentially that of their affiliates located outside of the U.K. Anti-bribery and corruption laws and regulations continue to be implemented and/or enhanced across most of the jurisdictions in which we operate.

Cybersecurity and Privacy Regulation

We are subject to a variety of laws and regulations in the U.S. and abroad regarding privacy, data protection and data security. These laws and regulations are continuously evolving and developing. For example, the E.U. General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”), which became effective in May 2018, greatly increased the jurisdictional reach of the European Commission’s laws and added a broad array of requirements for handling personal data, such as the public disclosure of significant data breaches, privacy impact assessments, data portability and the appointment of data protection officers. GDPR’s goal is to impose increased individual rights and protections for all personal data located in or originating from the E.U. GDPR is extraterritorial in that it applies to all business in the E.U. and any business outside the E.U. that processes E.U. personal data of individuals in the E.U. There are significant fines associated with non-compliance with GDPR. Since the enactment of GDPR, other countries where we conduct business have or are in the process of enacting stricter data protections laws that model GDPR, including Brazil and Japan.

At the state level, the NAIC Insurance Data Security Model Law is being enacted in a number of states, imposing an array of detailed security measures on insurance companies and requiring annual attestation of our security program. In 2020, California passed a second comprehensive privacy law that further increases California residents’ privacy rights in a manner similar to GDPR and established the California Protection Privacy Agency to regulate and enforce the new privacy law. In addition, the New York State Department of Financial Services (“NYDFS”) has issued cybersecurity regulations that impose an array of detailed security measures on covered entities. The regulation specifically provides for: (i) controls relating to the governance framework for a cybersecurity program; (ii) risk-based minimum standards for technology systems for data protection; (iii) minimum standards for cyber breach responses, including notice to NYDFS of material events; and (iv) identification and documentation of material deficiencies, remediation plans and annual certifications of regulatory compliance to the NYDFS.

Environmental Regulation

Because we own and operate real property, we are subject to federal, state and local environmental laws. Potential environmental liabilities and costs in connection with any required remediation of such properties is an inherent risk in property ownership and operation. Additionally, under the laws of several states, contamination of a property may give rise to a lien on the property to secure recovery of the costs of the cleanup, which could have priority over the lien of an existing mortgage against the property. To the extent we hold a mortgage loan on any property subject to such a lien, our ability to foreclose on that property should the related loan be in default would be impaired. Further, under certain circumstances, we may be liable for the costs of addressing releases or threatened releases of hazardous substances at properties securing mortgage loans held by us.

Other Regulation

As we continue to grow and evolve our business mix to cover other non-insurance based products and services, we have and will continue to become subject to other legal and regulatory requirements, including regulations of the CFPB and other federal, state and municipal regulatory bodies, as well as additional regulatory bodies in non-U.S. jurisdictions. Examples include U.S. and local customs and trade regulations for the movement of mobile devices across geographic borders; health, safety, labor and environmental regulations impacting our mobile supply chain operations; and antitrust and competition-related laws and regulations that may impact future transactions or business practices.

Enterprise Risk Management

We employ a risk governance structure, overseen by senior management and our Board and coordinated by the Risk Management function to provide a common framework for evaluating the risks embedded in and across our businesses and functional areas, developing risk appetites, managing these risks and identifying current and future risk challenges and opportunities.

Governance

Risk management is the responsibility of the Chief Strategy and Risk Officer, who leads the Risk Management function and reports directly to the Chief Executive Officer and regularly reports to the Finance and Risk Committee of the Board and to the Board. Our risk management framework cascades downwards into the enterprise through various management committees. Our risk governance structure is headed by the Executive Risk Committee, comprised of the Chief Executive Officer, the Chief Financial Officer, the Chief Strategy and Risk Officer and the Chief Legal Officer. The Executive Risk Committee reviews the most significant risks, the alignment to the risk appetite of the Company, and the mitigation and remediation plans that correspond to these risks.

Board of Directors and Committee Oversight

The Board, directly and through its committees as described below and in their charters, oversees our risk management policies and practices and regularly discusses risk-related issues. The Board reviews management’s assessment of the Company’s key enterprise risks annually and management’s strategy with respect to each risk. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee reviews Board and committee oversight of the key risks. The Board and its committees receive updates from management on specific risks throughout the year.

The Audit Committee reviews the Company’s policies with respect to risk assessment and risk management and coordinates with the Finance and Risk Committee with respect to Board oversight of risk management and enterprise risk management activities. The Audit Committee also focuses on risks relating to financial statements, internal control over financial reporting, and compliance with legal and regulatory requirements. The Finance and Risk Committee receives regular risk management updates and also focuses on risks relating to investments, capital management and catastrophe reinsurance. The Compensation Committee focuses on risks relating to executive retention and compensation plan design, and the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee focuses on risks relating to director and management succession and environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) issues, including diversity. The Information Technology Committee, which was formed in May 2020, is responsible for oversight of risk management with respect to information technology. This includes oversight of cybersecurity policies, controls and procedures, such as procedures to identify and assess internal and external cybersecurity risks.

Management Oversight

Risk Management coordinates our risk management activities and is headed by our Global Head of Risk, who reports to the Chief Strategy and Risk Officer. Risk Management develops risk assessment and risk management policies and facilitates identification, management, measurement and reporting of risks. Risk Management also coordinates with the compliance and other departments and internal committees overseeing risk to develop recommendations for risk limits.

Risk Appetite, Identification and Assessment, Monitoring and Reporting

Risk appetite is used to reasonably ensure that we manage the types and amount of risk we are willing to assume, consistent with our business strategy and objectives. Using metrics allows for a cohesive assessment of risk, resources and strategy, and supports management and the Board in making well-informed business decisions. The Company’s risk appetite is subject to Board oversight.

Risk Management relies on a combination of activities and processes to provide analysis and seek assurance that material risks have been identified and managed as appropriate. Risk Management facilitates an annual Risk and Control Self-Assessment, which assists in identifying the top enterprise risks for the following year. Risk owners from each of the Company’s key business and functional areas assess current and future risks within their areas and the effectiveness of controls in place. Risk Management presents results to management and action plans are agreed as necessary. This annual assessment is also used to identify potential emerging risks.

Risk Management monitors and manages internal and external risk reporting using a central risk depository as the single source for risk information. The register collects information obtained from the processes described above and other sources. Risks are classified using an enterprise-wide risk taxonomy. Key enterprise risks are reviewed with the Board as described above.

Available Information

Our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and all amendments to such reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), as well as the Statements of Beneficial Ownership of Securities on Forms 3, 4 and 5 for our directors and officers, are available free of charge through the SEC website at www.sec.gov*.* We make our periodic reports and other information filed with or furnished to the SEC available, free of charge, through the Investor Relations page of our website (www.assurant.com) as soon as reasonably practicable after they are electronically filed with or furnished to the SEC. Except as

specifically noted, the information found on our website is not incorporated by reference into, and does not constitute a part of, this Report or any other report filed with or furnished to the SEC.