Jun. 23, 2011 (PR Newswire) --
COLUMBUS, Ga., June 23, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Aflac Incorporated announced today that it has filed an amended shelf registration with the Japanese authorities to issue debt securities up to 100 billion yen. The original shelf registration was filed in November 2009.
As part of the filing, the company provided an update on its investment portfolio derisking. During the second quarter of 2011, Aflac will recognize a pretax loss of $165 million on the sale of investments associated with banks and other financial institutions of Greece and Ireland, $72 million of which was previously disclosed. The company estimates it will recognize $445 million of pretax impairment losses on investments in Portugal banks.
Aflac Chairman and CEO Daniel P. Amos commented: "As we communicated at our Financial Analysts Briefing in May, we are executing on our plan to proactively derisk our investment portfolio. We have made substantial progress with this derisking program this quarter and anticipate concluding this initiative by the end of 2011. The strength of our capital base allows us to pursue our derisking strategy to further strengthen our balance sheet and enhance shareholder value for the long term."
ABOUT AFLAC
When a policyholder gets sick or hurt, Aflac pays cash benefits fast. For more than 55 years, Aflac insurance policies have given policyholders the opportunity to focus on recovery, not financial stress. In the United States, Aflac is the number one provider of guaranteed-renewable insurance. In Japan, Aflac is the number one life insurance company in terms of individual policies in force. Aflac insurance products provide protection to more than 50 million people worldwide. For five consecutive years, Aflac has been recognized by Ethisphere magazine as one of the World's Most Ethical Companies and by Forbes magazine as one of America's Best-Managed Companies in the Insurance category. In 2011, Fortune magazine recognized Aflac as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in America for the thirteenth consecutive year.