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CNO Financial (CNO) Risk Analysis
Risk Overview Q2, 2026
Source: the company's latest filing for the period ended Jun 30, 2026, filed Aug 06, 2026
Risk Change Over Time
- Debt & Financing - Risk 1The elimination of the London Inter-Bank Offered Rate ("LIBOR") may affect the value of certain investments.
It is anticipated that LIBOR will be discontinued no later than June 2023 and that one or more alternative rates will be used instead. As a result, we anticipate a potential valuation risk regarding certain investment securities. Additionally, the elimination of LIBOR or changes to other reference rates or any other changes or reforms to the determination or supervision of reference rates may adversely affect the amount of interest receivable on certain of our investments. These changes may also impact the market liquidity and market value of these investments. Any changes to LIBOR or any alternative rate, or any further uncertainty in relation to the timing and manner of implementation of such changes, could have an adverse effect on the value of LIBOR-based securities, including those held in our investment portfolio. It may also adversely affect our liabilities as some of our liabilities reference LIBOR including our $250.0 million unsecured revolving credit agreement which matures on July 16, 2026 (the "Revolving Credit Agreement"). We are in the process of renegotiating the LIBOR terms in the Revolving Credit Agreement. To the extent we hold LIBOR instruments, the terms of these instruments may have fallback provisions that provide for an alternative reference rate when LIBOR ceases to exist. For securities without adequate fallback provisions already in place, federal legislation governing such securities has been enacted to provide a safe harbor for transition to the recommended alternative reference rate.
- Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 2We may be required to accelerate the amortization of deferred acquisition costs or the present value of future profits or establish premium deficiency reserves.
Deferred acquisition costs represent incremental direct costs related to the successful acquisition of new or renewal insurance contracts. The present value of future profits represents the value assigned to the right to receive future cash flows from contracts existing at the Effective Date. The balances of these accounts are amortized over the expected lives of the underlying insurance contracts. On an ongoing basis, we test these accounts recorded on our balance sheet to determine if these amounts are recoverable under current assumptions. In addition, we regularly review the estimates and assumptions underlying these accounts for those products for which we amortize deferred acquisition costs or the present value of future profits in proportion to gross profits or gross margins. If facts and circumstances change, these tests and reviews could lead to reduction in the balance of those accounts, and the establishment of a premium deficiency reserve. Such results could have an adverse effect on the results of our operations and our financial condition. See "Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Consolidated Financial Condition and Results of Operations, Critical Accounting Estimates, Present Value of Future Profits and Deferred Acquisition Costs."
Risk Highlights Q2, 2026
Risk Word Cloud
Risk Factors Full Breakdown - Total Risks 32
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 1The determination of fair value of our fixed maturity securities results in unrealized investment gains and losses and is, in some cases, highly subjective and could materially impact our operating results and financial condition.
In determining fair value, we generally utilize market transaction data for the same or similar instruments. The degree of management judgment involved in determining fair values is inversely related to the availability of market observable information. Since significant observable market inputs are not available for certain securities, it may be difficult to value them. The fair value of financial assets and financial liabilities may differ from the amount actually received to sell an asset or the amount paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. Moreover, the use of different valuation assumptions may have a material effect on the fair values of the financial assets and financial liabilities. During periods of market disruption, it may be difficult to value certain securities if trading becomes less frequent and/or market data becomes less observable. There may be certain asset classes that were in active markets with significant observable data that become illiquid due to the changing financial environment. In such cases, the valuation process may require more subjectivity and management judgment. Rapidly changing market conditions could materially impact the valuation of securities and the period-to-period changes in value could vary significantly.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 2Our operating results may suffer if policyholder surrender levels differ significantly from our assumptions.
Surrenders of our annuities and life insurance products can result in losses and decreased revenues if surrender levels differ significantly from assumed levels. At December 31, 2025, approximately $3.9 billion of our total insurance liabilities could be surrendered by the policyholder without penalty. The surrender charges that are imposed on our fixed rate annuities typically decline during a penalty period, which ranges from five to twelve years after the date the policy is issued. Surrender charges are eliminated after the penalty period. Surrenders and other policy withdrawals could require us to dispose of assets earlier than we had planned, possibly at a loss. Moreover, surrenders and other policy withdrawals require faster amortization of deferred acquisition costs associated with the original sale of a product, thus reducing our net income. We believe policyholders are generally more likely to surrender their policies if they believe the issuer is having financial difficulties, or if they are able to reinvest the policy's value at a higher rate of return in an alternative insurance or investment product.
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