[January 09, 2018] |
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Assurant and The Warranty Group Amend Deal Structure
Assurant,
Inc. (NYSE: AIZ), a premier global provider of risk
management solutions, and The Warranty Group, a global leader of
protection plans and related programs, and a portfolio company of TPG
Capital, today jointly announced that they have amended the structure of
their $2.5 billion transaction, previously announced on October 18,
2017. Under the revised terms, Assurant, Inc. will acquire TWG Holdings
Limited and its subsidiaries, and remain a Delaware corporation. This
change follows recently enacted U.S. tax legislation and allows Assurant
to simplify the overall deal structure and optimize the transaction
financing mix. The transaction is expected to close in the second
quarter of 2018, subject to regulatory and other customary closing
conditions.
The transaction remains valued at $1.9 billion in equity value or $2.5
billion of enterprise value, including The Warranty Group's existing
debt. As before, the acquisition is expected to be modestly accretive to
2018 Assurant operating earnings per share on a run-rate basis, and
significantly more accretive excluding the amortization of
transaction-related intangible assets. Accretion is now measured against
a higher expected Assurant stand-alone earnings per share baseline,
which reflects the net benefits from enacted U.S. tax legislation.
Assurant will continue to be traded on the New York Stock Exchange under
the ticker symbol AIZ.
Changes from the new transaction structure include:
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TPG Capital and its affiliates will receive 10.4 million Assurant
shares, or approximately 19.8 percent of the current shares
outstanding. This represents a reduction from the 16.0 million shares
to have been issued previously.
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In exchange for fewer Assurant shares, TPG Capital and its affiliates
will receive increased cash consideration, totaling approximately $860
million, based on yesterday's closing price, after taking into effect
the transaction collar adjustment.
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Assurant has entered into a new commitment letter for a $1.5 billion
bridge facility (increased from $1.0 billion) to reflect the new
structure. Assurant currently expects to replace this bridge facility
with a combination of debt and equity, subject to market conditions.
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The transaction will no longer be taxable to Assurant's shareholders
in the U.S. or other jurisdictions.
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Upon closing, Assurant's board will be comprised of 14 directors,
including two from TPG Capital.
"We believe this simplified structure drives even greater value to
shareholders, clients and employees, while also providing certainty on
the benefits of tax reform to our global operations," said Assurant
President and Chief Executive Officer Alan Colberg. "Importantly, the
acquisition remains a compelling, strategic transaction that advances
our position as a leading vehicle protection provider, while building
scale across other global lifestyle markets."
The strategic rationale and other key terms previously announced are
unchangd.
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The combination of Assurant and The Warranty Group will significantly
advance Assurant's strategy in the global lifestyle market, with an
attractive product and client portfolio, diversified growth profile
and a deeper global footprint.
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By the end of 2019, Assurant expects to generate $60 million of
pre-tax operating synergies by optimizing global operations.
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Assurant's current senior management team will lead the combined
organization.
CONFERENCE CALL AND WEBCAST DETAILS
Assurant will host a conference call and webcast today at 8:30 a.m.
Eastern Time (U.S.) to discuss the transaction. The live webcast and
investor presentation will be accessible in the Investor Relations
section of assurant.com. An archived replay also will be available
shortly after the event for those unable to listen to the live broadcast.
ADVISORS
Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC is serving as financial advisor to Assurant,
with Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP serving as legal advisor.
UBS Investment Bank is serving as financial advisor to The Warranty
Group, with Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP serving as legal
advisor.
About Assurant
Assurant (NYSE:AIZ) is a global leader in risk management solutions,
helping protect where people live and the goods they buy. Millions of
consumers count on Assurant's innovative products, services and support
for major purchases like homes, cars, appliances, mobile devices and
funerals. Assurant partners with leading companies that make, sell or
finance those purchases to take great care of their customers and help
their business grow. A member of the Fortune 500, Assurant has a market
presence in 16 countries worldwide. As of September 30, 2017, the
company had $32 billion in assets and $6 billion in annualized revenue.
Learn more at assurant.com
or follow us on Twitter (News - Alert) @AssurantNews.
About The Warranty Group
With more than 50 years of industry leadership, The Warranty Group is
one of the world's premier global providers of warranty solutions and
related benefits, with operations in more than 35 countries and over
1,600 employees. The Warranty Group is a single-source solution that
provides underwriting, claims administration, and marketing expertise to
some of the world's leading manufacturers, distributors, and retailers
of consumer goods including automobiles, homes, consumer appliances,
electronics, and furniture, as well as specialty insurance products and
services for financial institutions. For more information, visit www.thewarrantygroup.com.
About TPG
TPG is a leading global alternative asset firm founded in 1992 with more
than $73 billion of assets under management and offices in Austin,
Beijing, Boston, Dallas, Fort Worth, Hong Kong, Houston, London,
Luxembourg, Melbourne, Moscow, Mumbai, New York, San Francisco, Seoul,
and Singapore. TPG's investment platforms are across a wide range of
asset classes, including private equity, growth venture, real estate,
credit, and public equity. TPG aims to build dynamic products and
options for its investors while also instituting discipline and
operational excellence across the investment strategy and performance of
its portfolio. For more information, visit www.tpg.com.
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward Looking Statements
Some of the statements included in this press release, in particular
with respect to the proposed transaction, the benefits and synergies of
the transaction, including operating synergies, future opportunities for
the combined company and any statements regarding financing plans, the
combined company's future results, financial condition and operations,
the impact of recently enacted U.S. tax reform legislation, anticipated
business levels and offerings, planned activities, anticipated growth,
market presence and opportunities, strategies, competition and other
expectation, targets and financial metrics for future periods, may
constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S.
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking
statements are based on management's best estimates, assumptions and
projections and are subject to significant uncertainties. Actual results
may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking
statements. Neither Assurant nor The Warranty Group undertakes any
obligation to update any forward-looking statements in this press
release as a result of new information or future events or developments.
For a detailed discussion of the general risk factors that could affect
Assurant's results, please refer to the risk factors identified in
Assurant's annual and periodic reports filed with the U.S. Securities
and Exchange Commission, which are available at http://www.sec.gov.

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