Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. 10-K 2020-12-31

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020

For the transition period from to

Commission file number 1-09761

ARTHUR J. GALLAGHER & CO.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code (630) 773-3800

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

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

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

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 ☒ No ☐.

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted 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 such files). Yes ☒ No ☐.

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

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 726(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report Yes ☒ No ☐.

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

The aggregate market value of the voting common equity held by non-affiliates of the registrant, computed by reference to the last reported price at which the registrant’s common equity was sold on June 30, 2020 (the last day of the registrant’s most recently completed second quarter) was $16,249,616,000.

The number of outstanding shares of the registrant’s Common Stock, $1.00 par value, as of January 31, 2021 was 193,740,000.

Documents incorporated by reference: Portions of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s definitive 2021 Proxy Statement are incorporated by reference into this Form 10‑K in response to Part III to the extent described herein.

Information Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

This report contains certain statements related to future results, or states our intentions, beliefs and expectations or predictions for the future, which are forward-looking statements as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements relate to expectations or forecasts of future events. Such statements use words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “contemplate,” “forecast,” “project,” “intend,” “plan,” “potential,” and other similar terms, and future or conditional tense verbs like “could,” “may,” “might,” “see,” “should,” “will” and “would.” You can also identify forward-looking statements by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. For example, we may use forward-looking statements when addressing topics such as: market and industry conditions, including competitive and pricing trends; acquisition strategy including the expected size of our acquisition program; the expected impact of acquisitions and dispositions; the development and performance of our services and products; changes in the composition or level of our revenues or earnings; our cost structure and the size and outcome of cost-saving or restructuring initiatives; future capital expenditures; future debt levels and anticipated actions to be taken in connection with maturing debt; future debt to earnings ratios; the outcome of contingencies; dividend policy; pension obligations; cash flow and liquidity; capital structure and financial losses; future actions by regulators; the outcome of existing regulatory actions, investigations, reviews or litigation; the impact of changes in accounting rules; financial markets; interest rates; foreign exchange rates; matters relating to our operations; income taxes, expectations regarding our investments, including our clean energy investments; human capital management, including diversity and inclusion initiatives; environmental, social and governance matters, including climate-resilience products and services and carbon emissions; and integrating recent acquisitions. These forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from either historical or anticipated results depending on a variety of factors.

Potential factors that could impact results include:

Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. They involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including the risk factors referred to above, and are currently, or in the future could be, amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic. Our future performance and actual results may differ materially from those expressed in forward-looking statements. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of, and are based on information available to us on, the date of the applicable document. Many of the factors that will determine these results are beyond our ability to control or predict. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to us or any person acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained or referred to in this section. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date that they are made, and we do not undertake any obligation to update any such statements or release publicly any revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this report or to reflect new information, future or unexpected events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law or regulation.

A detailed discussion of the factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from our published expectations is contained under the heading “Risk Factors” in this report and any other reports we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in the future.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

Annual Report on Form 10-K

For the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2020

Index

Part I

Overview

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. and its subsidiaries, collectively referred to herein as we, our, us or Gallagher, are engaged in providing insurance brokerage, consulting, and third-party property/casualty claims settlement and administration services to businesses and organizations around the world. We believe that our major strength is our ability to deliver comprehensively structured insurance, insurance and risk management solutions, superior claim outcomes and comprehensive consulting services to our clients.

Our brokerage segment operations provide brokerage and consulting services to businesses and organizations of all types, including commercial, not-for-profit, and public entities, and, to a lesser extent, individuals, in the areas of insurance placement, risk of loss management, and management of employer sponsored benefit programs. Our risk management segment operations provide contract claim settlement, claim administration, loss control services and risk management consulting for commercial, not-for-profit, captive and public entities, and various other organizations that choose to self-insure property/casualty coverages or choose to use a third-party claims management organization rather than the claim services provided by an underwriting enterprise.

We do not assume underwriting risk on a net basis, other than with respect to de minimis amounts necessary to provide minimum or regulatory capital to organize captives, pools, specialized underwriters or risk-retention groups. Rather, capital necessary for covering events of loss is provided by “underwriting enterprises,” which we define as insurance companies, reinsurance companies and various other risk-taking entities, including intermediaries of underwriting enterprises, that we do not own or control.

Since our founding in 1927, we have grown from a one-person insurance agency to the world’s fourth largest insurance broker/risk manager based on revenues, according to Business Insurance magazine’s July/August 2020 edition, and one of the world’s largest property/casualty third party claims administrators, according to Business Insurance magazine’s May 2020 edition. We have three reportable segments: brokerage, risk management and corporate, which contributed approximately 74%, 14% and 12%, respectively, to 2020 revenues. We generate approximately 68% of our revenues from the combined brokerage and risk management segments in the United States (U.S.), with the remaining 32% generated internationally, primarily in the United Kingdom (U.K.), Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Bermuda. All of the revenues of the corporate segment are generated in the U.S.

Shares of our common stock are traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “AJG”, and we had a market capitalization at December 31, 2020 of approximately $24.0 billion. Information in this report is as of December 31, 2020 unless otherwise noted. We were reincorporated as a Delaware corporation in 1972. Our executive offices are located at 2850 Golf Road, Rolling Meadows, Illinois 60008-4050, and our telephone number is (630) 773‑3800.

Operating Segments

We report our results in three segments: brokerage, risk management and corporate. The major sources of our operating revenues are commissions, fees and supplemental and contingent revenues from our brokerage operations, and fees, including performance‑based fees, from our risk management operations. The corporate segment generates revenues from our clean energy investments.

Our business, particularly our brokerage business, is subject to seasonal fluctuations. Commissions, fees, supplemental revenues and contingent revenues, and our costs to obtain and fulfill the service obligations to our clients, can vary from quarter to quarter as a result of the timing of contract-effective dates. On the other hand, salaries and employee benefits, rent, depreciation and amortization expenses generally tend to be more uniform throughout the year. The timing of acquisitions, recognition of books of business gains and losses and the variability in the recognition of tax credits generated by our clean energy investments also impact the trends in our quarterly operating results.

Brokerage Segment

The brokerage segment accounted for 74% of our revenues in 2020. Our brokerage segment operates through a network of more than 480 sales and service offices located throughout the U.S. and more than 170 sales and service offices in 49 countries, most of which are in the U.K., Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Bermuda. Most of these offices are fully staffed with sales and service personnel. We also offer client service capabilities in more than 150 countries around the world through a network of correspondent brokers and consultants.

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Retail Insurance Brokerage Operations

Our retail insurance brokerage operations accounted for 82% of our brokerage segment revenues in 2020. Our retail brokerage operations place nearly all lines of commercial property/casualty and health and welfare insurance coverage. Significant lines of insurance coverage and consultant capabilities are as follows:

Our retail brokerage operations are organized and operate within certain key niche/practice groups, which account for approximately 64% of our retail brokerage revenues. These specialized teams target areas of business and/or industries in which we have developed a depth of expertise and a large client base. Significant niche/practice groups we serve are as follows:

Our specialized focus on these niche/practice groups allows for highly-focused marketing efforts and facilitates the development of value-added products and services specific to those industries. We believe that our detailed understanding and broad client contacts within these niche/practice groups provide us with a competitive advantage.

We anticipate that our retail brokerage operations’ greatest revenue growth over the next several years will continue to come from:

Wholesale Insurance Brokerage Operations

Our wholesale insurance brokerage operations accounted for 18% of our brokerage segment revenues in 2020. Our wholesale brokers assist our retail brokers and other non-affiliated brokers in the placement of specialized and hard-to-place insurance. These brokers operate through approximately 170 offices primarily located across the U.S., Bermuda and through our approved Lloyd’s of London brokerage operation. In certain cases we act as a brokerage wholesaler, and in other cases we act as a managing general agent or managing general underwriter distributing specialized insurance coverages for underwriting enterprises. Managing general agents and managing general underwriters are agents authorized by an underwriting enterprise to manage all or a part of its business in a specific geographic territory. Activities they perform on behalf of the underwriting enterprise may include marketing, underwriting (although we do not assume any underwriting risk), issuing policies, collecting premiums, appointing and supervising other agents, paying claims and negotiating reinsurance.

More than 79% of our wholesale brokerage revenues comes from non-affiliated brokerage clients. Based on revenues, our domestic wholesale brokerage operation ranked as the largest managing general agents/underwriting managers/Lloyds coverholders according to Business Insurance magazine’s September 2020 edition.

We anticipate growing our wholesale brokerage operations by increasing the number of broker-clients, developing new managing general agency and underwriter programs, and through mergers and acquisitions.

Risk Management Segment

Our risk management segment accounted for 14% of our revenues in 2020. Approximately 63% of our risk management segment’s revenues are from workers’ compensation-related claims, 29% are from general and commercial auto liability-related claims and 8% are from property-related claims in 2020.

Risk management services are primarily marketed directly to Fortune 1000 companies, larger middle-market companies, not for profit organizations and public entities on an independent basis from our brokerage operations. We manage our third party claims adjusting operations through a network of more than 65 offices located throughout the U.S., Australia, the U.K., New Zealand and Canada. Most of these offices are fully staffed with claims adjusters and other service personnel. Our adjusters and service personnel act solely on behalf and under the instruction of our clients.

While this segment complements our brokerage and consulting offerings, approximately 90% of our risk management segment’s revenues come from clients not affiliated with our brokerage operations, such as underwriting enterprises and clients of other insurance brokers. Based on revenues, our risk management operation ranked as one of the world’s largest property/casualty third party claims administrators according to Business Insurance magazine’s May 2020 edition.

We expect that the risk management segment’s most significant growth prospects through the next several years will come from:

Corporate Segment

The corporate segment accounted for 12% of our revenues in 2020. The corporate segment reports the financial information related to our debt, clean energy investments, external acquisition-related expenses, other corporate costs and the impact of foreign currency translation. The revenues reported by this segment result almost solely from our consolidated clean energy investments.

We own 35 commercial clean coal production facilities that are qualified to produce refined coal using Chem-Mod LLC’s proprietary technologies. These operations produce refined coal that we believe qualifies for tax credits under Internal Revenue Code (which we refer to as IRC) Section 45. The law that provides for IRC Section 45 tax credits expired as of December 31, 2019 for 14 of our plants and will expire on or before December 31, 2021 for the other 21 plants. Chem-Mod LLC (described below) is a privately-held enterprise that has commercialized multi-pollutant reduction technologies to reduce mercury, sulfur dioxide and other emissions at coal-fired power plants. We own 46.5% of Chem-Mod LLC and are its controlling managing member. We also have a 12.0% noncontrolling interest in dormant, privately-held, enterprises, C-Quest Technology LLC and C-Quest Technologies International LLC (which we refer to as together, C-Quest), which own technologies that reduce carbon dioxide emissions created by burning fossil fuels. At this time, it is unclear if C‑Quest will ever become commercially viable.

International and Other Brokerage Related Operations

We operate as a retail commercial property and casualty broker throughout 46 locations in Australia, 46 locations in Canada and 34 locations in New Zealand. In the U.K., we operate as a retail broker from approximately 116 locations. We also have specialty, wholesale, underwriting and reinsurance intermediary operations in London for clients to access Lloyd’s of London and other international underwriting enterprises, and a program operation offering customized risk management products and services to U.K. public entities.

In Bermuda, we act principally as a wholesale broker for clients looking to access Bermuda-based underwriting enterprises and we also provide management and administrative services for captive insurance entities.

We also have strategic brokerage alliances with a variety of independent brokers in countries where we do not have a local office presence. Through this global network of correspondent insurance brokers and consultants, we are able to serve our clients’ coverage and service needs in more than 150 countries around the world.

Captive underwriting enterprises - We have ownership interests in several underwriting enterprises based in the U.S., Bermuda, Gibraltar, Guernsey, Isle of Man and Malta, that primarily operate segregated account “rent-a-captive” facilities. These “rent-a-captive” facilities enable our clients to receive the benefits of participating in a captive underwriting enterprise without incurring certain disadvantages of ownership.

We also have a wholly owned underwriting enterprise subsidiary based in the U.S. that cedes all of its insurance risk of loss to reinsurers or captives under facultative and quota-share treaty reinsurance agreements. See Note 18 to our 2020 consolidated financial statements for additional financial information related to the insurance activity of our wholly owned underwriting enterprise subsidiary for 2020, 2019 and 2018.

Competition

Brokerage Segment

The insurance brokerage and consulting business is highly competitive and there are many organizations and individuals throughout the world who actively compete with us in every area of our business.

We believe that the primary factors determining our competitive position with other organizations in our industry are the quality of the services we render, the personalized attention we provide, the individual and corporate expertise providing the actual service to the client, and the overall cost to our clients. We provide sophisticated data analysis to help our clients make insurance decisions. Through our electronic platform, SmartMarket, we also provide insurance carriers with individualized preference setting and risk identification capabilities, as well as performance data and metrics. We believe these capabilities provide a growing competitive advantage with respect to many of the smaller organizations with which we compete.

Risk Management Segment

Our risk management operation currently ranks as one of the world’s largest property/casualty third party claims administrators based on revenues, according to Business Insurance magazine’s May 2020 edition. We believe that the primary factors determining our competitive position are our ability to deliver better claim outcomes, reputation for outstanding service, cost-efficient service and financial strength.

Business Combinations

We completed and integrated 583 acquisitions from January 1, 2002 through December 31, 2020, most of which were within our brokerage segment. The majority of these acquisitions have been smaller regional or local brokerages, agencies, or employee benefit consulting operations with a middle or small client focus and/or significant expertise in one of our niche/practice groups. The total purchase price for individual acquisitions has typically ranged from $1.0 million to $100.0 million.

Through acquisitions, we seek to expand our talent pool, enhance our geographic presence and service capabilities, and/or broaden and further diversify our business mix. We also focus on identifying:

See Note 3 to our 2020 consolidated financial statements for a summary of our 2020 acquisitions, the amount and form of the consideration paid and the dates of acquisitions.

Clients

Our client base is highly diversified and includes commercial, industrial, public entity, religious and not-for-profit entities. In 2020, our largest single client represented approximately 1.0% and our ten largest clients together represented approximately 3.0% of our combined brokerage and risk management segment revenues.

Human Capital

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on our human capital management. Of our nearly 1,000 office locations, nearly 400 are open, but most of those at reduced capacity. Accordingly, the vast majority of our employees continue to work remotely for some or all of their work week. We have instituted safety protocols and procedures for employees when they are in an office and have not had any office-wide outbreaks of COVID-19.

As of December 31, 2020, we had 32,401 employees, with approximately 50% in the U.S. and 50% outside of the U.S. Approximately 76% of our employees work in our brokerage segment and 20% in our risk management segment. Our remaining employees work in our corporate segment, primarily in our home office and financial services division, as well as in our service centers in India and elsewhere around the world. In 2020, our total compensation expense was $2,882.5 million for the brokerage segment and $517.5 million for the risk management segment, representing 55.8% and 63.0%, respectively, of brokerage and risk management segment revenues. Additional information regarding compensation expense, both on a reported and an adjusted basis, can be found elsewhere in this report under Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.

While many of our new employees come to us through mergers and acquisitions and traditional hiring, “growing our own” has long been a key part of our human capital strategy. Our summer internship program began more than fifty years ago with a single intern. Since then, our program has grown globally and we employed more than 400 interns each summer in 2018 and 2019 (we had fewer interns in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic). We provide our interns with professional development and on-the-job sales training that gives them the opportunity to cultivate expertise and accelerate their full-time sales career growth.

As of December 31, 2020, approximately 59.8% of our employees were women, including 47.3% of managers and 40.2% of producers. In the U.S., approximately 23.6% of our employees were racially/ethnically diverse, including 14.4% of managers and 18.9% of producers.

Regulation

Many of our activities throughout the world are subject to regulatory supervision and regulations promulgated by bodies such as the SEC, the Department of Justice (DOJ), the IRS, the Office of Foreign Assets Control and the Federal Trade Commission in the U.S., the Financial Conduct Authority in the U.K., the Australian Securities and Investments Commission in Australia and insurance regulators in nearly every jurisdiction in which we operate. Our retirement-related consulting and investment services are subject to pension law and financial regulation in many countries. Our activities are also subject to a variety of other laws, rules and regulations addressing licensing, data privacy, wage-and-hour standards, employment and labor relations, anti-competition, anti-corruption, currency, reserves and the amount of local investment with respect to our operations in certain countries.

The global nature of our operations increases the complexity and cost of compliance with laws and regulations, including increased staffing needs, the development of new policies, procedures and internal controls and providing training to employees in multiple locations, adding to our cost of doing business. Many of these laws and regulations may have differing or conflicting legal standards across jurisdictions, increasing further the complexity and cost of compliance. In emerging markets and other jurisdictions with less developed legal systems, local laws and regulations may not be established with sufficiently clear and reliable guidance to provide us with adequate assurance that we are aware of all necessary licenses to operate our business, that we are operating our business in a compliant manner, or that our rights are otherwise protected. In addition, major political and legal developments in jurisdictions in which we do business may lead to new regulatory costs and challenges.

Regulations promulgated by the U.S. Treasury Department pursuant to FATCA require us to take various measures relating to non-U.S. funds, transactions and accounts.

Available Information

Our executive offices are located at 2850 Golf Road, Rolling Meadows, Illinois 60008-4050, and our telephone number is (630) 773‑3800. Our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10‑Q, current reports on Form 8‑K, and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, are available free of charge on our website at http://investor.ajg.com/sec-filings as soon as reasonably practicable after electronically filing or furnishing such material to the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Securities and Exchange Commission also maintains a website (www.sec.gov) that includes our reports, proxy statements and other information. Unless expressly noted, the information on our website, including our investor relations website, or any other website is not incorporated by reference in this Form 10-K and should not be considered part of this Form 10-K or any other filing we make with the SEC.

Please carefully consider the following discussion of significant factors, events, and uncertainties that make an investment in our securities risky. The events and consequences discussed in these risk factors could, in circumstances we may not be able to accurately predict, recognize, or control, have a material adverse effect on our business, growth, reputation, prospects, financial condition, operating results (including components of our financial results such as revenues and net earnings), cash flows, liquidity, and stock price. These risk factors do not identify all risks that we face; our operations could also be affected by factors, events, or uncertainties that are not presently known to us or that we currently do not consider to present significant risks to our operations. In addition, the global economic climate amplifies many of these risks.

Risks Relating to our Business Generally

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has and could continue to adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

The global spread of COVID-19 (including potentially more contagious strains of COVID-19 such as those recently detected in the U.K., South Africa and Brazil) has created significant volatility and uncertainty and economic disruption. The extent to which the pandemic impacts our business, operations and financial results will depend on numerous evolving factors, many of which are not within our control and which we may not be able to accurately predict, including: its duration and scope; the ultimate availability, administration and effectiveness of vaccines, and our employees’ and the general population’s willingness to receive them; governmental, business and individuals’ actions that have been and continue to be taken in response to the pandemic; the impact of the pandemic on economic activity and actions taken in response; the effect on our clients and client demand for our services; our ability to sell and provide our services, including limitations on travel and difficulties of our clients and employees working from home; the ability of our clients to pay their insurance premiums which could impact our commission and fee revenues for our services; the nature and extent of claims impacting the ability of underwriting enterprises to pay supplemental and contingent commissions; the decrease in new arising workers’ compensation and general liability claims; the long-term impact of closing our offices and our employees working from home, including increased technology costs; the impact of lost revenue on our employees’ variable and base compensation levels; the impact of uncertainty related to salary raises and future compensation levels; the impact of reduced investments and postponements related to business modernization projects; the impact of furloughed or terminated employees; and the impact of reduced advertising and sponsorship investments.

COVID-19 and the volatile regional and global economic conditions stemming from the pandemic, as well as reactions to future pandemics or new strains or resurgences of COVID-19, could also precipitate or aggravate the other risk factors that we identify in this report, which in turn could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations (including revenues and profitability) and/or stock price. Further

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Not applicable.

The executive offices of our corporate segment and certain subsidiary and branch facilities of our brokerage and risk management segments are located at 2850 Golf Road, Rolling Meadows, Illinois, where we own approximately 360,000 square feet of space, and can accommodate 2,000 employees at peak capacity.

Elsewhere, we generally operate in leased premises related to the facilities of our brokerage and risk management operations. We prefer to lease office space rather than own real estate related to the branch facilities of our brokerage and risk management segments. Certain of our office space leases have options permitting renewals for additional periods. In addition to minimum fixed rentals, a number of our leases contain annual escalation clauses generally related to increases in an inflation index. See Notes 15 and 17 to our 2020 consolidated financial statements for information with respect to our lease commitments as of December 31, 2020.

Please see the information set forth in Note 17 to our consolidated financial statements, included herein, under “Litigation, Regulatory and Taxation Matters.”

Not applicable.

Information About Our Executive Officers

Set forth below are the names, ages, positions and business backgrounds of our executive officers as of the date hereof:

With the exception of Mr. Mead, we have employed each such person principally in management capacities for more than the past five years. All executive officers are appointed annually and serve at the pleasure of our board of directors.

Part II

Our common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, trading under the symbol “AJG.”

As of January 31, 2021, there were approximately 1,000 holders of record of our common stock.

The following table shows the purchases of our common stock made by or on behalf of us or any “affiliated purchaser” (as such term is defined in Rule 10b-18(a)(3) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) of us for each fiscal month in the three-month period ended December 31, 2020:

The following selected consolidated financial data for each of the five years in the period ended December 31, 2020 have been derived from our consolidated financial statements. Such data should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and notes thereto in Item 8 of this annual report.

Introduction

The following discussion and analysis should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and the related notes included in Item 8 of this annual report. In addition, please see “Information Regarding Non-GAAP Measures and Other” beginning on page 34 for a reconciliation of the non-GAAP measures for adjusted total revenues, organic commission, fee and supplemental revenues and adjusted EBITDAC to the comparable GAAP measures, as well as other important information regarding these measures.

We are engaged in providing insurance brokerage and consulting services, and third-party property/casualty claims settlement and administration services to entities in the U.S. and abroad. We believe that one of our major strengths is our ability to deliver comprehensively structured insurance and risk management services to our clients. Our brokers, agents and administrators act as intermediaries between underwriting enterprises and our clients and we do not assume net underwriting risks. We are headquartered in Rolling Meadows, Illinois, have operations in 49 countries and offer client-service capabilities in more than 150 countries globally through a network of correspondent brokers and consultants. In 2020, we expanded, and expect to continue to expand, our international operations through both acquisitions and organic growth. We generate approximately 68% of our revenues for the combined brokerage and risk management segments domestically, with the remaining 32% generated internationally, primarily in the U.K., Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Bermuda (based on 2020 revenues). We expect that our international revenue as a percentage of our total revenues in 2021 will be comparable to 2020. We have three reportable segments: brokerage, risk management and corporate, which contributed approximately 74%, 14% and 12%, respectively, to 2020 revenues. Our major sources of operating revenues are commissions, fees and supplemental and contingent revenues from brokerage operations and fees from risk management operations. Investment income is generated from invested cash and fiduciary funds, clean energy investments, and interest income from premium financing.

This Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations contains certain statements relating to future results which are forward-looking statements as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Please see “Information Concerning Forward-Looking Statements” at the beginning of this annual report, for certain cautionary information regarding forward-looking statements and a list of factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those predicted in the forward-looking statements.

Prior Year Discussion of Results and Comparisons

For information on fiscal 2018 results and similar comparisons, see "Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" of our Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019.

Summary of Financial Results - Year Ended December 31,

See the reconciliations of non-GAAP measures on page 30.

In our corporate segment, net after tax earnings from our clean energy investments was $69.8 million and $88.5 million in 2020 and 2019, respectively. Our current estimate of the 2021 annual net after tax earnings, including IRC Section 45 tax credits, which will be produced from all of our clean energy investments in 2021, is $60.0 million to $75.0 million. We expect to use the additional cash flow generated by these earnings to continue our mergers and acquisition strategy in our core brokerage and risk management operations.

The following provides information that management believes is helpful when comparing revenues before reimbursements, net earnings, EBITDAC and diluted net earnings per share for 2020 and 2019. In addition, these tables provide reconciliations to the most comparable GAAP measures for adjusted revenues, adjusted EBITDAC and adjusted diluted net earnings per share. Reconciliations of EBITDAC for the brokerage and risk management segments are provided on pages 37 and 42 of this filing.

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We are exposed to various market risks in our day to day operations. Market risk is the potential loss arising from adverse changes in market rates and prices, such as interest and foreign currency exchange rates and equity prices. The following analyses present the hypothetical loss in fair value of the financial instruments held by us at December 31, 2020 that are sensitive to changes in interest rates. The range of changes in interest rates used in the analyses reflects our view of changes that are reasonably possible over a one-year period. This discussion of market risks related to our consolidated balance sheet includes estimates of future economic environments caused by changes in market risks. The effect of actual changes in these market risk factors may differ materially from our estimates. In the ordinary course of business, we also face risks that are either nonfinancial or unquantifiable, including credit risk and legal risk. These risks are not included in the following analyses.

Our invested assets are primarily held as cash and cash equivalents, which are subject to various market risk exposures such as interest rate risk. The fair value of our portfolio of cash and cash equivalents as of December 31, 2020 approximated its carrying value due to its short-term duration. We estimated market risk as the potential decrease in fair value resulting from a hypothetical one-percentage point increase in interest rates for the instruments contained in the cash and cash equivalents investment portfolio. The resulting fair values were not materially different from their carrying values at December 31, 2020.

As of December 31, 2020, we had $4,348.0 million of borrowings outstanding under our various note purchase agreements. The aggregate estimated fair value of these borrowings at December 31, 2020 was $5,018.9 million due to the long-term duration and fixed interest rates associated with these debt obligations. No active or observable market exists for our private placement long‑term debt. Therefore, the estimated fair value of this debt is based on the income valuation approach, which is a valuation technique that converts future amounts (for example, cash flows or income and expenses) to a single current (that is, discounted) amount. The fair value measurement is determined on the basis of the value indicated by current market expectations about those future amounts. Because our debt issuances generate a measurable income stream for each lender, the income approach was deemed to be an appropriate methodology for valuing the private placement long-term debt. The methodology used calculated the original deal spread at the time of each debt issuance, which was equal to the difference between the yield of each issuance (the coupon rate) and the equivalent benchmark treasury yield at that time. The market spread as of the valuation date was calculated, which is equal to the difference between an index for investment grade insurers and the equivalent benchmark treasury yield today. An implied premium or discount to the par value of each debt issuance based on the difference between the origination deal spread and market as of the valuation date was then calculated. The index we relied on to represent investment graded insurers was the Bloomberg Valuation Services (BVAL) U.S. Insurers BBB index. This index is comprised primarily of insurance brokerage firms and was representative of the industry in which we operate. For the purpose of our analysis, the average BBB rate was assumed to be the appropriate borrowing rate for us.

We estimated market risk as the potential impact on the value of the debt recorded in our consolidated balance sheet based on a hypothetical one-percentage point change in our weighted average borrowing rate as of December 31, 2020. A one-percentage point decrease would result in an estimated fair value of $5,345.9 million, or $997.9 million more than their current carrying value. A one-percentage point increase would result in an estimated fair value of $4,720.0 million, or $372.0 million more than their current carrying value.

As of December 31, 2020, we had no borrowings outstanding under our Credit Agreement and $203.6 million of borrowings outstanding under our Premium Financing Debt Facility. Market risk is estimated as the potential increase in fair value resulting from a hypothetical one-percentage point decrease in our weighted average short-term borrowing rate at December 31, 2020. Because these are short-term borrowings with variable interest rates, the estimated fair values of these borrowings approximate their carrying value.

We are subject to foreign currency exchange rate risk primarily from one of our larger U.K. based brokerage subsidiaries that incurs expenses denominated primarily in British pounds while receiving a substantial portion of its revenues in U.S. dollars. Please see Item 1A, “Risk Factors,” for additional information regarding potential foreign exchange rate risks arising from Brexit. In addition, we are subject to foreign currency exchange rate risk from our Australian, Canadian, Indian, Jamaican, New Zealand, Norwegian, Singaporean and various Caribbean and Latin American operations because we transact business in their local denominated currencies. Foreign currency gains (losses) related to this market risk are recorded in earnings before income taxes as transactions occur. Assuming a hypothetical adverse change of 10% in the average foreign currency exchange rate for 2020 (a weakening of the U.S. dollar), earnings before income taxes would have increased by approximately $25.1 million. Assuming a hypothetical favorable change of 10% in the average foreign currency exchange rate for 2020 (a strengthening of the U.S. dollar), earnings before income taxes would have decreased by approximately $19.8 million. We are also subject to foreign currency exchange rate risk associated with the translation of local currencies of our foreign subsidiaries into U.S. dollars. We manage the balance sheets of our foreign subsidiaries, where practical, such that foreign liabilities are matched with equal foreign assets, maintaining a “balanced book” which minimizes the effects of currency fluctuations. However, our consolidated financial position is exposed to foreign currency exchange risk related to intra-entity loans between our U.S. based subsidiaries and our non-U.S. based subsidiaries that are denominated in the respective local foreign currency. A transaction that is in a foreign currency is first remeasured at the entity’s functional (local) currency, where applicable, (which is an adjustment to consolidated earnings) and then translated to the reporting (U.S. dollar) currency (which is an adjustment to consolidated stockholders’ equity) for consolidated reporting purposes. If the transaction is already denominated in the foreign entity’s functional currency, only the translation to U.S. dollar reporting is necessary. The remeasurement process required by U.S. GAAP for such foreign currency loan transactions will give rise to a consolidated unrealized foreign exchange gain or loss, which could be material, that is recorded in accumulated other comprehensive earnings (loss).

Historically, we have not entered into derivatives or other similar financial instruments for trading or speculative purposes. However, with respect to managing foreign currency exchange rate risk in India, Norway and the U.K., we have periodically purchased financial instruments to minimize our exposure to this risk. During 2020, 2019 and 2018, we had several monthly put/call options in place with an external financial institution that were designed to hedge a significant portion of our future U.K. currency revenues through various future payment dates. In addition, during 2020, 2019 and 2018, we had several monthly put/call options in place with an external financial institution that were designed to hedge a significant portion of our Indian currency disbursements through various future payment dates. Although these hedging strategies were designed to protect us against significant U.K. and Indian currency exchange rate movements, we are still exposed to some foreign currency exchange rate risk for the portion of the payments and currency exchange rate that are unhedged. All of these hedges are accounted for in accordance with ASC Topic 815, “Derivatives and Hedging”, and periodically are tested for effectiveness in accordance with such guidance. In the scenario where such hedge does not pass the effectiveness test, the hedge will be re-measured at the stated point and the appropriate loss, if applicable, would be recognized. For the year ended December 31, 2020 there has been no such effect on our consolidated financial presentation. The impact of these hedging strategies was not material to our consolidated financial statements for 2020, 2019 and 2018. See Note 21 to our 2020 consolidated financial statements for the changes in fair value of these derivative instruments reflected in comprehensive earnings in 2020, 2019 and 2018.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

Consolidated Statement of Earnings

(In millions, except per share data)

See notes to consolidated financial statements.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Earnings

(In millions)

See notes to consolidated financial statements

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

Consolidated Balance Sheet

(In millions)

See notes to consolidated financial statements.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows

(In millions)

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There were no changes in or disagreements with our accountants on matters related to accounting and financial disclosure.

Conclusion Regarding the Effectiveness of Disclosure Controls and Procedures.

We carried out an evaluation required by the Exchange Act, under the supervision and with the participation of our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures, as defined in Rule 13a-15(e) of the 1934 Act, as of the end of the period covered by this report. Based on this evaluation, our principal executive officer and principal financial officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective to provide reasonable assurance that information required to be disclosed by us in the reports that we file or submit under the 1934 Act is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms and to provide reasonable assurance that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

Design and Evaluation of Internal Control Over Financial Reporting.

Our disclosure controls and procedures are designed to provide reasonable assurance of achieving their objectives as specified above. Management does not expect, however, that our disclosure controls and procedures will prevent or detect all error and fraud. Any control system, no matter how well designed and operated, is based upon certain assumptions and can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that its objectives will be met. Further, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that misstatements due to error or fraud will not occur or that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, within the Company have been detected. Pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, we included a report of management’s assessment of the design and effectiveness of our internal controls as part of this annual report for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020. Our independent registered public accounting firm also attested to, and reported on, the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting. Management’s report and the independent registered public accounting firm’s attestation report are included in Item 8, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data,” under the captions entitled “Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting” and “Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting.”

Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting.

During the most recent fiscal quarter, there has not occurred any change in our internal control over financial reporting that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

None.

Part III

Our 2021 Proxy Statement will include the information required by this item under the headings “Election of Directors,” “Other Board Matters,” “Board Committees” and, if necessary, “Delinquent Section 16(a) Reports,” which we incorporate herein by reference.

Our 2021 Proxy Statement will include the information required by this item under the headings “Compensation Committee Report” and “Compensation Discussion and Analysis,” which we incorporate herein by reference.

Our 2021 Proxy Statement will include the information required by this item under the headings “Security Ownership by Certain Beneficial Owners and Management” and “Equity Compensation Plan Information,” which we incorporate herein by reference.

Our 2021 Proxy Statement will include the information required by this item under the headings “Certain Relationships and Related Transactions” and “Other Board Matters,” which we incorporate herein by reference.

Our 2021 Proxy Statement will include the information required by this item under the heading “Ratification of Appointment of Independent Auditor - Principal Accountant Fees and Services,” which we incorporate herein by reference.

Part IV

The following documents are filed as a part of this report:

All other schedules are omitted because they are not applicable, or not required, or because the required information is included in our consolidated financial statements or the notes thereto. Exhibits:

All other exhibits are omitted because they are not applicable, or not required, or because the required information is included in our consolidated financial statements or the notes thereto. The registrant agrees to furnish to the Securities and Exchange Commission upon request a copy of any long-term debt instruments that have been omitted pursuant to Item 601(b)(4)(iii)(A) of Regulation S-K.

None.

Signatures

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized on the 5th day of February, 2021.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below on the 5th day of February, 2021 by the following persons on behalf of the Registrant in the capacities indicated.

Schedule II

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

Valuation and Qualifying Accounts