WEST DES MOINES, Iowa--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- FBL Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE: FFG):

Financial Highlights
(Dollars in thousands, except per share data)

FBL Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE: FFG) today reported net income attributable to FBL for the second quarter of 2012 of $20.3 million, or $0.73 per diluted common share compared to $36.2 million, or $1.16 per diluted common share, for the second quarter of 2011. Net income from continuing operations for the second quarter of 2012 was $20.3 million, or $0.73 per diluted common share compared to $24.2 million, or $0.78 per diluted common share, for the second quarter of 2011.

Operating Income⁽¹⁾. Operating income totaled $19.9 million, or $0.72 per common share, for the second quarter of 2012, compared to $23.4 million, or $0.75 per common share, for the second quarter of 2011. Second quarter 2011 operating income included the one-time benefit of $0.15 per share from refinements to actuarial estimates. Operating income differs from the GAAP measure, net income attributable to FBL Financial Group, in that it excludes the impact of realized gains and losses on investments, the change in net unrealized gains and losses on derivatives, the net impact of discontinued operations and the loss on debt redemption. For further information on this non-GAAP financial measure, please refer to Note (1) and the reconciliation provided within this release.

"I am pleased to report a solid quarter with net income of $0.73 per share and operating income of $0.72 per share. We've been addressing the challenges of the low interest rate environment from several aspects, including emphasizing life insurance sales while deliberately reducing annuity sales. Our exclusive Farm Bureau agency force is receptive to the changes this environment brings, as they have a wide portfolio of products with which to meet the needs of their customers. In addition, our balanced life and annuity product mix and in force business provides earnings stability in these challenging times," said James P. Brannen, Chief Executive Officer of FBL Financial Group, Inc. "The valuation of FBL Financial Group stock continues to be compelling, so we repurchased 0.9 million shares of FBL stock during the quarter, making additional progress in deploying excess capital. Year to date we have repurchased thirteen percent of total common shares outstanding as of the beginning of the year."

Product Revenues. Premiums and product charges for the second quarter of 2012 totaled $70.1 million compared to $68.2 million in the second quarter of 2011. Traditional life insurance premiums increased four percent while interest sensitive product charges were flat during the quarter.

Premiums collected⁽²⁾ in the second quarter of 2012 totaled $171.7 million compared to $185.4 million in the second quarter of 2011. Life insurance premiums collected increased three percent, while annuity premiums collected declined seventeen percent, reflecting the suspension of certain annuity products due to the low interest rate environment.

Investment Income. Net investment income in the second quarter of 2012 totaled $89.4 million compared to $88.1 million in the second quarter of 2011. The increase is primarily due to an increase in average invested assets, partially offset by lower investment yields. The annualized yield earned on average invested assets, with securities at cost, was 5.85 percent for the six months ended June 30, 2012, compared to 6.05 percent for the six months ended June 30, 2011. At June 30, 2012, 95 percent of the fixed maturity securities in FBL Financial Group's investment portfolio were investment grade debt securities.

Net Realized Gains/Losses on Investments. In the second quarter of 2012, FBL Financial Group recognized net realized gains on investments of $0.7 million. The net realized gain on investments of $0.7 million is attributable to gains on sales of $4.4 million and impairments of $3.7 million.

Benefits and Expenses. Benefits and expenses totaled $136.1 million in the second quarter of 2012, an increase from $125.7 million in the second quarter of 2011, primarily reflecting an increase in underwriting, acquisition and insurance expenses and an increase in traditional life insurance benefits. In the second quarter of 2011, refinements were made to actuarial estimates which decreased benefits and expenses by $7.4 million.

Capital and Book Value Increase. As of June 30, 2012, the book value per share of FBL Financial Group common stock totaled $43.20, an increase from $39.13 at December 31, 2011. This reflects continued improvement in the valuation of FBL Financial Group's investment portfolio. Book value per share, excluding accumulated other comprehensive income⁽³⁾,increased to $34.49 at June 30, 2012 from $33.33 at December 31, 2011. The June 30, 2012 company action level risk based capital ratio of Farm Bureau Life Insurance Company increased during the quarter to approximately 494 percent.

Stock Repurchases. During the quarter, FBL repurchased 905,542 shares for a cost of $23.7 million, including expenses, via open market repurchases. Year to date, FBL has repurchased 4.1 million shares for a cost of $136.5 million, via open market repurchases, a modified dutch auction and a private repurchase. The year to date repurchases represent thirteen percent of the total common shares outstanding as of December 31, 2011. FBL has approximately $49.9 million availability remaining under its stock repurchase program.

Further Financial Information. Further information on FBL Financial Group's financial results, including results by segment, may be found in FBL Financial Group's financial supplement, available on its website, www.fblfinancial.com.

Conference Call.FBL Financial Group will hold a conference call with investors tomorrow, August 3, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time. The call will be webcast over the Internet, and a replay will be available on FBL Financial Group's website, www.fblfinancial.com.

Certain statements in this release concerning FBL Financial Group's prospects for the future are forward-looking statements intended to qualify for the “safe harbor” from liability established by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act. These statements generally can be identified by their context, including terms such as “believes,” “anticipates,” “expects,” or similar words. These statements involve certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statement. These risks and uncertainties are detailed in FBL Financial Group's reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and include, but are not limited to, difficult conditions in financial markets and the economy, lack of liquidity and access to capital, investment valuations, interest rate changes, competitive factors, the ability to attract and retain sales agents and a decrease in ratings. These forward-looking statements are based on assumptions which FBL Financial Group believes to be reasonable; however, no assurance can be given that the assumptions will prove to be correct.

FBL Financial Group is a holding company whose purpose is to protect livelihoods and futures. Its primary operating subsidiary, Farm Bureau Life Insurance Company, underwrites and markets a broad range of life insurance and annuities to individuals and businesses, which are distributed by multiline exclusive Farm Bureau agents. In addition, FBL Financial Group manages all aspects of two Farm Bureau affiliated property-casualty insurance companies for a management fee. FBL Financial Group, headquartered in West Des Moines, Iowa, is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol FFG. For more information, please visit www.fblfinancial.com.

(1) Reconciliation of Net Income Attributable to FBL to Operating Income - Unaudited

In addition to net income, FBL Financial Group has consistently utilized operating income, a non-GAAP financial measure commonly used in the life insurance industry, as a primary economic measure to evaluate its financial performance. Operating income equals net income attributable to FBL adjusted to eliminate the impact of realized gains and losses on investments, the change in net unrealized gains and losses on derivatives, the impact of discontinued operations and loss on debt redemption. FBL uses operating income, in addition to net income, to measure its performance since realized gains and losses on investments and the change in net unrealized gains and losses on derivatives can fluctuate greatly from quarter to quarter. Also, the discontinued operations and loss on debt redemption are nonrecurring items. These fluctuations make it difficult to analyze core operating trends. In addition, for derivatives not designated as hedges, there is a mismatch between the valuation of the asset and liability when deriving net income attributable to FBL. This non-GAAP measure is used for goal setting, determining short-term incentive compensation and evaluating performance on a basis comparable to that used by many in the investment community. FBL believes the combined presentation and evaluation of operating income, together with net income, provides information that may enhance an investor's understanding of FBL's underlying results and profitability. A reconciliation is provided in the following table:

^(a) Net of adjustments, as applicable, to amortization of unearned revenue reserves, deferred acquisition costs, value of insurance in force acquired and income taxes attributable to these items.

(2)Premiums Collected - Net statutory premiums collected, a measure of sales production, is a non-GAAP measure and includes premiums collected from annuities and universal life-type products. For GAAP reporting, these premiums received are not reported as revenues.

(3) Reconciliation of Book Value Per Share Excluding Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income - Unaudited

Book value per share excluding accumulated other comprehensive income is a non-GAAP financial measure. Accumulated other comprehensive income totaled $233.1 million at June 30, 2012 and $177.8 million at December 31, 2011. Since accumulated other comprehensive income fluctuates from quarter to quarter due to unrealized changes in the fair value of investments caused principally by changes in market interest rates, FBL believes this non-GAAP financial measure provides useful supplemental information.

FBL Financial Group, Inc.
Kathleen Till Stange, 515-226-6780
Investor Relations Vice President
Kathleen.TillStange@FBLFinancial.com

Source: FBL Financial Group, Inc.