FNF Reports Third Quarter 2022 Financial Results

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Nov. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Fidelity National Financial, Inc. (NYSE: FNF) (the Company), a leading provider of title insurance and transaction services to the real estate and mortgage industries and a leading provider of insurance solutions serving retail annuity and life customers and institutional clients through FNF's wholly-owned subsidiary, F&G, today reported financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2022.

Net earnings attributable to common shareholders for the third quarter of $289 million, or $1.05 per diluted share (per share), compared to $732 million, or $2.57 per share, for the third quarter of 2021.  Net earnings attributable to common shareholders for the third quarter of 2022 includes $42 million of net favorable mark-to-market effects and $48 million of other unfavorable items; all of which are excluded from adjusted net earnings attributable to common shareholders.  Net earnings attributable to common shareholders for the third quarter of 2021 included $224 million of one-time favorable adjustment from an actuarial system conversion, $130 million of net unfavorable mark-to-market effects and $25 million of other unfavorable items; all of which are excluded from adjusted net earnings attributable to common shareholders.

Adjusted net earnings attributable to common shareholders (adjusted net earnings) for the third quarter of $295 million, or $1.07 per share, compared to $663 million, or $2.33 per share, for the third quarter of 2021.  For the third quarter of 2022, the Title segment contributed $298 million, F&G contributed $12 million and the Corporate segment had an adjusted net loss of $15 million.  For the third quarter of 2021, the Title segment contributed $521 million, F&G contributed $160 million and the Corporate segment had an adjusted net loss of $18 million.  The decrease from the prior year quarter was primarily a result of Title's considerable decline in refinance volume, representing trough level activity, and moderating residential purchase volume; partially offset by higher average fee per file and healthy volume of commercial orders closed, and lower earnings from F&G driven by a new reporting presentation for alternatives investment portfolio mark-to-market. 

Effective this quarter, presentations of adjusted net earnings for F&G will no longer include the alternative investment yield adjustment to normalize alternative investment portfolio returns.  Prior periods are presented on a comparable basis to reflect the new definition of adjusted net earnings.  Please see "Segment Financial Results" for F&G for further explanation and "Non-GAAP Measures and Other Information" for a comparison of adjusted net earnings under the former and new definition.

Company Highlights

• Solid Title Revenue despite challenging environment: For the Title segment, total revenue of $2.3 billion, compared with $2.9 billion in total revenue in the third quarter of 2021. Total revenue, excluding recognized gains and losses, of $2.3 billion, compared with $3.1 billion in the third quarter of 2021
• Strong sales for F&G continue: Total gross sales of $2.9 billion for the third quarter, a 7% decrease from third quarter 2021 and second quarter 2022; reflects record retail sales, partially offset by lower institutional sales which we expect to be lumpier and more opportunistic than in our retail channels
• Partial spin-off of F&G remains on track: The previously announced transaction to distribute 15% ownership of F&G to FNF shareholders on a pro rata basis remains on track to close in the fourth quarter of 2022, subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, including that a Registration Statement on Form 10 filed by F&G with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is declared effective
• Ample deployable capital supports shareholder value: FNF has repurchased 5.3 million shares for $205 million, at an average price of $38.74 per share, in the third quarter and paid common dividends at $0.44 per share for $120 million. On September 1, 2022, FNF retired all of the $400 million aggregate principal amount of its outstanding 5.50% Senior Notes upon maturity. FNF ended the third quarter with $1.1 billion in cash and short-term liquid investments at the holding company. As announced last week, the board of directors has increased the quarterly cash dividend to $0.45 per share, payable December 30, 2022, to shareholders of record as of December 16, 2022

William P. Foley, II, commented, "Our Title results for the third quarter moderated from the prior year's record performance as higher mortgage rates pressured title volumes across the industry.  That said, our management team continued to deliver solid results having achieved total revenue of $3.2 billion while aggressively reducing expenses to protect FNF's margins in a more challenging environment.  While rising rates are pressuring the housing sector, they are proving to be a tailwind to F&G's results as assets under management grew to $42 billion at September 30, 2022.  Looking forward, we remain on track to dividend 15% of F&G to FNF shareholders over the coming weeks, which we believe will begin to unlock the significant value that Chris and his team have created over the last two years."

Mr. Foley concluded, "While the Federal Reserve continues on their aggressive interest rate tightening cycle to combat persistently high inflation, investors have become increasingly concerned that the risks of a recession are rising which has led to significant market volatility through the third quarter.  During challenging environments such as these, I have always stressed the importance of maintaining a fortress like balance sheet with ample liquidity to take advantage of market dislocations.  To that end, we paid off all of our $400 million Senior Notes which matured on September 1^st leaving FNF with a debt to capitalization ratio, excluding accumulated other comprehensive income, of 23%.  We also accelerated the pace of our share buyback having repurchased $205 million shares, as compared to $172 million in the second quarter.  Year to date, we have returned $876 million of capital to our shareholders, through $511 million of shares repurchase and $365 million of common dividends, while ending the third quarter with $1.1 billion of cash and short-term liquid investments.  We remain in a strong liquidity position and ready to capitalize on strategically aligned opportunities as they present themselves."

Summary Financial Results

Segment Financial Results

Title

This segment consists of the operations of the Company's title insurance underwriters and related businesses, which provide core title insurance and escrow and other title-related services including loan sub-servicing, valuations, default services, and home warranty products.

Third Quarter 2022 Highlights

Mike Nolan, Chief Executive Officer, said, "While mortgage rates have experienced one of the fastest increases ever, we continued to manage our business to react quickly to adjust to order volumes and have delivered adjusted pre-tax Title earnings of $400 million and an adjusted pre-tax margin of 17.1%.  Strength in the commercial market where we delivered record revenue of $381 million for a third quarter helped to buffer declines in the residential purchase and refinance markets.  Importantly, we believe refinance volumes are at or near trough levels while commercial volumes remain healthy though slowing.  We remain confident in our ability to navigate the challenges of operating in a cyclical business and our strong balance sheet allows us to not only withstand periods of dislocation but take advantage of opportunities to build our Title business for the long term."

• Total revenue of $2.3 billion, compared with $2.9 billion in total revenue in the third quarter of 2021
• Total revenue, excluding recognized gains and losses, of $2.3 billion, a 24% decrease compared with the third quarter of 2021
• Direct title premiums of $688 million, a 23% decrease from third quarter of 2021
• Agency title premiums of $1.0 billion, a 27% decrease from third quarter of 2021
• Commercial revenue of $381 million, a 4% increase from third quarter of 2021
• Purchase orders opened decreased 22% on a daily basis and purchase orders closed decreased 23% on a daily basis from the third quarter of 2021
• Refinance orders opened decreased 75% on a daily basis and refinance orders closed decreased 76% on a daily basis from third quarter of 2021
• Commercial orders opened decreased 18% and commercial orders closed decreased 12% from third quarter of 2021
• Total fee per file of $3,621 for the third quarter, a 40% increase over third quarter of 2021

Third Quarter 2022 Financial Results

• Pre-tax title margin of 14.6% and industry leading adjusted pre-tax title margin of 17.1% for the third quarter of 2022, compared to 16.6% and 21.7%, respectively, in the third quarter of 2021
• Pre-tax earnings from continuing operations in Title for the third quarter of $335 million, compared with $486 million for the third quarter of 2021
• Adjusted pre-tax earnings in Title for the third quarter of $400 million compared with $669 million for the third quarter of 2021. The decrease from the prior year quarter was primarily a result of the considerable decline in refinance volume representing trough level activity and moderating residential purchase volume; partially offset by higher average fee per file and healthy volume of commercial orders closed

F&G

This segment consists of operations of FNF's wholly-owned subsidiary F&G, a leading provider of insurance solutions serving retail annuity and life customers and funding agreement and pension risk transfer institutional clients.

Third Quarter 2022

Chris Blunt, President and Chief Executive Officer of F&G, commented, "F&G had another solid quarter.  We generated total gross sales of $2.9 billion which, in turn, drove our assets under management to $42 billion.  In the retail channels, we generated a record $2.3 billion of sales, up 45% from the prior year.  In addition to increased demand from rising interest rates, our Retail sales volume reflects expanding relationships with new and existing distribution partners in the agent, bank and broker dealer channels while maintaining a disciplined approach to pricing.  Momentum continues in our institutional channels as we placed over $0.6 billion in pension risk transfer transactions, including our first repeat transaction."

Regarding the recently announced transaction to distribute 15% ownership of F&G to FNF shareholders, Mr. Blunt said, "We are on track for a targeted closing in the fourth quarter of 2022, subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, and our board of directors has approved the initiation of a dividend program under which F&G intends to pay quarterly cash dividends on our common stock at an initial aggregate amount of approximately $100 million per year, commencing in early 2023.  Overall, we are well positioned for future growth opportunities and view the transition to being a publicly traded company as a vote of confidence for our business."

• Total gross sales of $2.9 billion for the third quarter, a decrease of 7% from the third quarter 2021 and second quarter 2022; reflects record retail sales, partially offset by lower institutional sales which we expect to be lumpier and more opportunistic than in our retail channels
• Record Retail sales of $2.3 billion for the third quarter, a 45% increase over third quarter of 2021 and 1% increase over second quarter 2022; reflects execution of diversified growth strategy
• Institutional sales of $620 million of pension risk transfer transactions, compared to $371 million of pension risk transfer transactions in the third quarter 2021. There were no funding agreement issuances in the current quarter, compared with $1.2 billion for the third quarter 2021
• Average assets under management (AAUM) of $41.1 billion for the third quarter, an increase of 26% from $32.6 billion in the third quarter 2021, driven by net new business flows. Ending assets under management were $42.0 billion as of September 30, 2022
• Net earnings attributable to common shareholders for F&G of $115 million for the third quarter, compared to $230 million for the second quarter of 2022
• Adjusted net earnings for F&G of $12 million for the third quarter, compared to $112 million for the second quarter of 2022.
• Beginning in the third quarter, presentations of adjusted net earnings for F&G will no longer include the alternative investment yield adjustment for the current period yield impact of market volatility that differs from management's expectation of long-term returns. Adjusted net earnings for F&G over the past 9 quarters have been adjusted to reflect this updated presentation. Please see "Non-GAAP Measures and Other Information" for a comparison of adjusted net earnings under the former and new definition.
• Adjusted net earnings for the third quarter of 2022 included a $10 million unrealized loss from alternative investments and $5 million of other net expense items. Alternative investments net investment income based on management's long-term expected return of approximately 10% was $83 million
• Adjusted net earnings for the second quarter of 2022 included $30 million income from actuarial assumption updates and $6 million of CLO redemption gains and other income, as well as a $38 million unrealized gain from alternative investments. Alternative investments net investment income based on management's long-term expected return of approximately 10% was $54 million

Conference Call

We will host a call with investors and analysts to discuss FNF's third quarter 2022 results on Wednesday, November 9, 2022, beginning at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time.  A live webcast of the conference call will be available on the Events and Multimedia page of the FNF Investor Relations website at fnf.com.  The conference call replay will be available via webcast through the FNF Investor Relations website at fnf.com. The telephone replay will be available from 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time on November 9, 2022, through November 16, 2022, by dialing 1-844-512-2921 (USA) or 1-412-317-6671 (International). The access code will be 13730097. An expanded quarterly financial supplement providing F&G segment results is available on the FNF Investor Relations website.

About Fidelity National Financial, Inc.

Fidelity National Financial, Inc. (NYSE: FNF) is a leading provider of title insurance and transaction services to the real estate and mortgage industries.  FNF is the nation's largest title insurance company through its title insurance underwriters - Fidelity National Title, Chicago Title, Commonwealth Land Title, Alamo Title and National Title of New York - that collectively issue more title insurance policies than any other title company in the United States.  More information about FNF can be found at fnf.com. 

About F&G

F&G is part of the FNF family of companies. F&G is committed to helping Americans turn their aspirations into reality. F&G is a leading provider of insurance solutions serving retail annuity and life customers and institutional clients and is headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa. For more information, please visit fglife.com.

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Information

Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) is the term used to refer to the standard framework of guidelines for financial accounting. GAAP includes the standards, conventions, and rules accountants follow in recording and summarizing transactions and in the preparation of financial statements. In addition to reporting financial results in accordance with GAAP, this earnings release includes non-GAAP financial measures, which the Company believes are useful to help investors better understand its financial performance, competitive position and prospects for the future. These non-GAAP measures include adjusted net earnings per share, adjusted pre-tax title earnings, adjusted pre-tax title earnings as a percentage of adjusted title revenue (adjusted pre-tax title margin), adjusted net earnings attributable to common shareholders (adjusted net earnings), assets under management (AUM), average assets under management (AAUM) and sales. 

Management believes these non-GAAP financial measures may be useful in certain instances to provide additional meaningful comparisons between current results and results in prior operating periods.  Our non-GAAP measures may not be comparable to similarly titled measures of other organizations because other organizations may not calculate such non-GAAP measures in the same manner as we do.

The presentation of this financial information is not intended to be considered in isolation of or as a substitute for, or superior to, the financial information prepared and presented in accordance with GAAP.  By disclosing these non-GAAP financial measures, FNF believes it offers investors a greater understanding of, and an enhanced level of transparency into, the means by which the Company's management operates the Company.

Any non-GAAP measures should be considered in context with the GAAP financial presentation and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for GAAP net earnings, net earnings attributable to common shareholders, net earnings per share, or any other measures derived in accordance with GAAP as measures of operating performance or liquidity. Further, FNF's non-GAAP measures may be calculated differently from similarly titled measures of other companies. Reconciliations of these non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measures are provided below.

Forward-Looking Statements and Risk Factors

This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements regarding our expectations, hopes, intentions or strategies regarding the future are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on management's beliefs, as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available to, management. Because such statements are based on expectations as to future financial and operating results and are not statements of fact, actual results may differ materially from those projected. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. The risks and uncertainties which forward-looking statements are subject to include, but are not limited to: the potential impact of the consummation of the F&G transaction on relationships, including with employees, suppliers, customers and competitors; changes in general economic, business, political and COVID-19 conditions, including changes in the financial markets; weakness or adverse changes in the level of real estate activity, which may be caused by, among other things, high or increasing interest rates, a limited supply of mortgage funding or a weak U. S. economy; our potential inability to find suitable acquisition candidates; our dependence on distributions from our title insurance underwriters as a main source of cash flow; significant competition that F&G and our operating subsidiaries face; compliance with extensive government regulation of our operating subsidiaries; and other risks detailed in the "Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information," "Risk Factors" and other sections of FNF's Form 10-K and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

FNF-E

Non-GAAP Measures and Other Information

Title

The table below reconciles pre-tax title earnings to adjusted pre-tax title earnings.