Brown & Brown 10-K 2011-12-31

10-K 1 d233092d10k.htm FORM10K

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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011

OR

For the transition period from to

Commission file number 001-13619

BROWN & BROWN, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Florida				59-0864469
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)			(I.R.S. Employer Identification Number)
220 South Ridgewood Avenue, Daytona Beach, FL			32114
(Address of principal executive offices)			(Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (386) 252-9601

Registrant’s Website: www.bbinsurance.com

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

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

None

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes x 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 x

NOTE: Checking the box above will not relieve any registrant required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act from their obligations under those Sections.

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 x No ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Website, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes x No ¨

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K (§ 232.405 of this chapter) is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of the registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. ¨

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

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

The aggregate market value of the voting common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant, computed by reference to the price at which the stock was last sold on June 30, 2011 (the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter) was $2,989,330,854.

The number of outstanding shares of the registrant’s Common Stock, $0.10 par value, as of February 20, 2012 was 143,352,216

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of Brown & Brown, Inc.’s Proxy Statement for the 2012 Annual Meeting of Shareholders are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Report.

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BROWN & BROWN, INC.

ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-K

FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2011

INDEX

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Disclosure Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Brown & Brown, Inc., together with its subsidiaries (collectively, “we,” “Brown & Brown” or the “Company”), make “forward-looking statements” within the “safe harbor” provision of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended, throughout this report and in the documents we incorporate by reference into this report. You can identify these statements by forward-looking words such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “intend,” “estimate,” “plan” and “continue” or similar words. We have based these statements on our current expectations about future events. Although we believe the expectations expressed in the forward-looking statements included in this Form 10-K and the reports, statements, information and announcements incorporated by reference into this report are based on reasonable assumptions within the bounds of our knowledge of our business, a number of factors could cause actual results to differ

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Not applicable.

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PART II

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Our common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) under the symbol “BRO.” The table below sets forth, for the quarterly periods indicated, the intra-day high and low sales prices for our common stock as reported on the NYSE Composite Tape, and the cash dividends declared on our common stock.

On February 22, 2012, there were 143,352,216 shares of our common stock outstanding, held by approximately 1,270 shareholders of record.

We intend to continue to pay quarterly dividends, subject to continued capital availability and determination by our Board of Directors that cash dividends continue to be in the best interests of our stockholders. Our dividend policy may be affected by, among other items, our views on potential future capital requirements, including those relating to the creation and expansion of sales distribution channels and investments and acquisitions, legal risks, stock repurchase programs and challenges to our business model.

On October 19, 2011, our Board of Directors approved a common stock repurchase plan to authorize the repurchase of up to $100.0 million worth of shares of the Company’s common stock during the subsequent twelve months. We did not repurchase any shares of our common stock under the repurchase plan during the fourth quarter of 2011. We are under no commitment or obligation to repurchase any particular amount of our common stock under the plan, and we may suspend the repurchase plan at any time at our discretion.

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Equity Compensation Plan Information

The following table sets forth information as of December 31, 2011, with respect to compensation plans under which the Company’s equity securities are authorized for issuance:

Sales of Unregistered Securities

We did not sell any unregistered securities during 2011.

Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

The following table presents information with respect to our purchases of our common stock during the three months ended December 31, 2011.

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PERFORMANCE GRAPH

The following graph is a comparison of five-year cumulative total stockholder returns for our common stock as compared with the cumulative total stockholder return for the NYSE Composite Index, and a group of peer insurance broker and agency companies (Aon Corporation, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co, Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc., and Willis Group Holdings, Ltd.). The returns of each company have been weighted according to such companies’ respective stock market capitalizations as of December 31, 2006 for the purposes of arriving at a peer group average. The total return calculations are based upon an assumed $100 investment on December 31, 2006, with all dividends reinvested.

We caution that the stock price performance shown in the graph should not be considered indicative of potential future stock price performance.

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The following selected Consolidated Financial Data for each of the five fiscal years in the period ended December 31, 2011 have been derived from our Consolidated Financial Statements. Such data should be read in conjunction with Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations in Item 7 of Part II of this Annual Report and with our Consolidated Financial Statements and related Notes thereto in Item 8 of Part II of this Annual Report.

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General

The following discussion should be read in conjunction with our Consolidated Financial Statements and the related Notes to those Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report.

We are a diversified insurance agency, wholesale brokerage, insurance programs and services organization headquartered in Daytona Beach and Tampa, Florida. As an insurance intermediary, our principal sources of revenues are commissions paid by insurance companies and, to a lesser extent, fees paid directly by customers. Commission revenues generally represent a percentage of the premium paid by an insured and are materially affected by fluctuations in both premium rate levels charged by insurance companies and the insureds’ underlying “insurable exposure units,” which are units that insurance companies use to measure or express insurance exposed to risk (such as property values, sales and payroll levels) to determine what premium to charge the insured. Insurance companies establish these premium rates based upon many factors, including reinsurance rates paid by such insurance companies, none of which we control.

The volume of business from new and existing customers, fluctuations in insurable exposure units and changes in general economic and competitive conditions all affect our revenues. For example, level rates of inflation or a continuing general decline in economic activity could limit increases in the values of insurable exposure units. Conversely, the increasing costs of litigation settlements and awards have caused some customers to seek higher levels of insurance coverage. Historically, our revenues have typically grown as a result of an intense focus on net new business growth and acquisitions.

We foster a strong, decentralized sales culture with a goal of consistent, sustained growth over the long term. As of January 2012, our senior leadership group included eight executive officers with regional responsibility for oversight of designated operations within the Company and four regional vice presidents in our Retail Division that report directly to one of our executive officers. In February 2011, Anthony M. Grippa, Thomas Keith Huval and Richard A. Knudson, Jr. were promoted to be Regional Vice Presidents. In April 2011, Nick Dereszynski was also promoted to be a Regional Vice President. Additionally, in January, 2012, Anthony Strianese was promoted to be a Regional President, and Chris L. Walker was promoted to be a Regional Executive Vice President.

We increased revenues every year from 1993 to 2008. In 2009, our revenues dropped to $967.9 million, then increased 0.6% to $973.5 million and 4.1% to $1.014 billion in 2010 and 2011, respectively. Our revenues grew from $95.6 million in 1993 to $1.014 billion in 2011, reflecting a compound annual growth rate of 14.0%. In the same period, we increased net income from $8.0 million to $164.0 million in 2011, a compound annual growth rate of 18.3%.

The past five years have posed significant challenges for us and for our industry in the form of a prevailing decline in insurance premium rates, commonly referred to as a “soft market;” increased significant governmental involvement in the Florida insurance marketplace since 2007, resulting in a substantial loss of revenues for us; and, beginning in the second half of 2008 and throughout 2011, increased pressure on the values of insurable exposure units as the consequence of the general weakening of the economy in the United States.

From the first quarter of 2007 through the fourth quarter of 2011 we experienced negative internal revenue growth each quarter. This was due primarily to the “soft market,” and, beginning in the second half of 2008 and throughout 2011, the decline in insurable exposure units, which further reduced our commissions and fees revenue. Part of the decline in 2007 was the result of the increased governmental involvement in the Florida insurance marketplace, as described below in “The Florida Insurance Overview.” One industry segment that was hit especially hard during these years was the home-building industry in southern California and, to a lesser extent in Nevada, Arizona and Florida. We had a wholesale brokerage operation that focused on placing property and casualty insurance products for that home-building segment. The revenues from this operation were significantly adversely impacted during 2007 through 2009 by these national economic trends, and by 2010 these revenues were insignificant.

While insurance premium rates continued to decline for most lines of coverage during 2011, the rate of decline slowed, and in some cases increased for certain lines of coverages such as coastal property. For the first time in the last five years, we are observing some upward pressure on general insurance premium rates. For 2012, we believe that there may be a modest and gradual increase in many insurance premium rates.

In 2010 and 2011, continued declining exposure units had a greater negative impact on our commissions and fees revenues than declining insurance premium rates. Although we do not anticipate any significant increases in exposure units during 2012, we believe that the 2012 decline will be less than recent years and this lack of decline may enable us to begin to experience positive internal growth of our commissions and fees revenue at some point in 2012. Even though our negative internal growth of our commissions and fees revenue improved over each sequential quarter for the third and fourth quarters of 2011, we do not believe that trend will necessarily continue in the first half of 2012 due to persisting inconsistencies in the insurance premium rate environment.

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We also earn “profit-sharing contingent commissions,” which are profit-sharing commissions based primarily on underwriting results, but may also reflect considerations for volume, growth and/or retention. These commissions are primarily received in the first and second quarters of each year, based on the aforementioned considerations for the prior year(s). Over the last three years, profit-sharing contingent commissions have averaged approximately 5.0% of the previous year’s total commissions and fees revenue. Profit-sharing contingent commissions are typically included in our total commissions and fees in the Consolidated Statements of Income in the year received. The term “core commissions and fees” excludes profit-sharing contingent commissions and therefore represents the revenues earned directly from specific insurance policies sold, and specific fee-based services rendered. In contrast, the term “core organic commissions and fees” is our core commissions and fees less (i) the core commissions and fees earned for the first twelve months by a newly acquired operations and (ii) divested business (core commissions and fees generated from offices, books of business or niches sold or terminated during the comparable period). Core organic commissions and fees attempts to express the current year’s core commissions and fees on a comparable basis with the prior year’s core commissions and fees. The resulting net change reflects the aggregate changes from (i) net new and lost accounts, (ii) net changes in our clients’ exposure units, and (iii) net changes in insurance premium rates. The net changes in each of these three components can be determined for each of our customers. However, because our agency management accounting systems do not aggregate such data, it is not reportable. Core organic commissions and fees can reflect either “positive” growth with a net increase in revenues, or “negative” with a net decrease in revenues.

In recent years, five national insurance companies have replaced the loss-ratio based profit-sharing contingent commission calculation with a guaranteed fixed-base methodology, referred to as “Guaranteed Supplemental Commissions” (“GSCs”). Since these GSCs are not subje

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Market risk is the potential loss arising from adverse changes in market rates and prices, such as interest rates and equity prices. We are exposed to market risk through our investments, revolving credit line and term loan agreements.

Our invested assets are held as cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash and investments, available-for-sale equity securities, equity securities and certificates of deposit. These investments are subject to interest rate risk and equity price risk. The fair values of our cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash and investments, and certificates of deposit at December 31, 2011 and 2010 approximated their respective carrying values due to their short-term duration and, therefore, such market risk is not considered to be material.

We do not actively invest or trade in equity securities. In addition, we generally dispose of any significant equity securities received in conjunction with an acquisition shortly after the acquisition date.

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Index to Consolidated Financial Statements

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BROWN & BROWN, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF

INCOME

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

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BROWN & BROWN, INC.

CONSOLIDATED

BALANCE SHEETS

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There were no changes in or disagreements with accountants on accounting and financial disclosure in 2011.

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Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

We carried out an evaluation required by Rules 13a-15 and 15d-15 under the Exchange Act (the “Evaluation”), under the supervision and with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) and Chief Financial Officer (“CFO”), of the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as defined in Rule 13a-15 and 15d-15 under the Exchange Act (“Disclosure Controls”) as of December 31, 2011. Based on the Evaluation, our CEO and CFO concluded that the design and operation of our Disclosure Controls were effective to ensure that information required to be disclosed by us in reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is (i) recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in SEC rules and forms and (ii) accumulated and communicated to our senior management, including our CEO and CFO, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

In conducting Brown & Brown’s evaluation of the effectiveness of its internal controls over financial reporting, Brown & Brown has excluded the following acquisitions completed by Brown & Brown during 2011: Balcos Insurance, Inc., United Benefit Services Insurance Agency LLC et al., Fitzharris Agency, Inc. et al, Public Employee Benefits Solution, LLC, Sitzmann, Morris & Lavis Insurance Agency, Inc. et al., Snapper Shuler Kenner, Inc. et al, Industry Consulting Group, Inc. and Colonial Claims Corporation et al (collectively the “2011 Excluded Acquisitions”), which were acquired during 2011 and whose financial statements constitute 6.7% and 5.5% of net and total assets, respectively, 1.8% of revenues, and 2.7% of net income of the consolidated financial statement amounts as of and for the year ended December 31, 2011. Refer to Note 2 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further discussion of these acquisitions and their impact on Brown & Brown’s Consolidated Financial Statements.

Changes in Internal Controls

There has not been any change in our internal control over financial reporting identified in connection with the Evaluation that occurred during the quarter ended December 31, 2011 that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, those controls.

Inherent Limitations of Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

Our management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, does not expect that our Disclosure Controls and internal controls will prevent all error and all fraud. A control system, no matter how well conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the control system are met. Further, the design of a control system must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints, and the benefits of controls must be considered relative to their costs. Because of the inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, within the company have been detected. These inherent limitations include the realities that judgments in decision-making can be faulty, and that breakdowns can occur because of simple error or mistake. Additionally, controls can be circumvented by the individual acts of some persons, by collusion of two or more people, or by management override of the control.

The design of any system of controls also is based in part upon certain assumptions about the likelihood of future events, and there can be no assurance that any design will succeed in achieving its stated goals under all potential future conditions; over time, a control may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate. Because of the inherent limitations in a cost-effective control system, misstatements due to error or fraud may occur and not be detected.

CEO and CFO Certifications

Exhibits 31.1 and 31.2 are the Certifications of the acting CEO and the CFO, respectively. The Certifications are required in accordance with Section 302 of Sarbanes-Oxley (the “Section 302 Certifications”). This Item 9A is the information concerning the Evaluation referred to in the Section 302 Certifications and this information should be read in conjunction with the Section 302 Certifications for a more complete understanding of the topics presented.

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None

PART III

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The information required by this item regarding directors and executive officers is incorporated herein by reference to our definitive Proxy Statement to be filed with the SEC in connection with the Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held in 2012 (the “2012 Proxy Statement”) under the headings “Management” and “Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting.” We have adopted a code of ethics that applies to our principal executive officer, principal financial officer, and controller. A copy of our Code of Ethics for our Chief Executive Officer and our Senior Financial Officers and a copy of our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics applicable to all employees are posted on our Internet website, at www.bbinsurance.com, and are also available upon written request directed to Corporate Secretary, Brown & Brown, Inc., 3101 West Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Suite 400, Tampa, Florida 33607, or by telephone request to (813) 222-4277. Any amendments to, or waiver from, any provision of the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics will be posted on our website at the above address.

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The information required by this item is incorporated herein by reference to the 2012 Proxy Statement under the heading “Executive Compensation.”

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The information required by this item is incorporated herein by reference to the 2012 Proxy Statement under the heading “Security Ownership of Management and Certain Beneficial Owners.”

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The information required by this item is incorporated herein by reference to the 2012 Proxy Statement under the heading “Management — Certain Relationships and Related Transactions.”

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The information required by this item is incorporated herein by reference to the 2012 Proxy Statement under the heading “Fees Paid to Deloitte & Touche LLP.”

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PART IV

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The following documents are filed as part of this Report:

1. (a) Financial statements

Reference is made to the information set forth in Part II, Item 8 of this Report, which information is incorporated by reference.

2. Consolidated Financial Statement Schedules.

All required Financial Statement Schedules are included in the Consolidated Financial Statements or the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

3. Exhibits

The following exhibits are filed as a part of this Report:

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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.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the date indicated.