Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2016

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

Basis of Presentation

The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with United States (“U.S.”) generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) and with the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), specifically Regulation S-X and the instructions to Form 10-K. The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect (1) the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, (2) disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements, and (3) the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Horace Mann Educators Corporation and its wholly-owned subsidiaries (“HMEC”; and together with its subsidiaries, the “Company” or “Horace Mann”). HMEC and its subsidiaries have common management, share office facilities and are parties to intercompany service agreements for management, administrative, utilization of personnel, financial, investment advisory, underwriting, claims adjusting, agency and data processing services. Under these agreements, costs have been allocated among the companies in conformity with GAAP. In addition, certain of the subsidiaries have entered into intercompany reinsurance agreements. HMEC and its subsidiaries file a consolidated federal income tax return, and there are related tax sharing agreements. All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

The subsidiaries of HMEC market and underwrite personal lines of property and casualty insurance products (primarily personal lines automobile and homeowners insurance), retirement products (primarily tax-qualified annuities) and life insurance, primarily to K-12 teachers, administrators and other employees of public schools and their families. HMEC’s principal operating subsidiaries are Horace Mann Life Insurance Company, Horace Mann Insurance Company, Teachers Insurance Company, Horace Mann Property & Casualty Insurance Company and Horace Mann Lloyds.

The Company has evaluated subsequent events through the date these consolidated financial statements were issued. There were no subsequent events requiring adjustment to the financial statements or disclosure.

Investments

Investments

The Company invests primarily in fixed maturity securities (“fixed maturities”). This category includes primarily bonds and notes, but also includes redeemable preferred stocks. These securities are classified as available for sale and carried at fair value. The adjustment for net unrealized investment gains and losses on all securities available for sale, carried at fair value, is recorded as a separate component of accumulated other comprehensive income within shareholders' equity, net of applicable deferred taxes and the related impact on deferred policy acquisition costs associated with annuity contracts and life insurance products with account values that would have occurred if the securities had been sold at their aggregate fair value and the proceeds reinvested at current yields.

Equity securities are classified as available for sale and carried at fair value. This category includes nonredeemable preferred stocks and common stocks.

Short-term and other investments are comprised of short-term fixed maturity securities, generally carried at cost which approximates fair value; derivative instruments (all call options), carried at fair value; policy loans, carried at unpaid principal balances; mortgage loans, carried at unpaid principal; certain alternative investments (primarily investments in limited partnerships) which are accounted for as equity method investments; and restricted Federal Home Loan Bank membership and activity stocks, carried at redemption value which approximates fair value.

The Company invests in fixed maturity securities and alternative investment funds that could qualify as variable interest entities, including corporate securities, mortgage-backed securities and asset-backed securities. Such securities have been reviewed and determined not to be subject to consolidation as the Company is not the primary beneficiary of these securities because the Company does not have the power to direct the activities that most significantly impact the entities’ economic performance.

Investment income is recognized as earned. Investment income reflects amortization of premiums and accrual of discounts on an effective-yield basis.

Realized gains and losses arising from the disposal (recorded on a trade date basis) or impairment of securities are determined based upon specific identification of securities. The Company evaluates all investments in its portfolio for other-than-temporary declines in value as described in the following section.

Other-than-temporary Impairment of Investments

Other-than-temporary Impairment of Investments

The Company's methodology of assessing other-than-temporary impairments is based on security-specific facts and circumstances as of the balance sheet date. Based on these facts, for fixed maturity securities if (1) the Company has the intent to sell the fixed maturity security, (2) it is more likely than not the Company will be required to sell the fixed maturity security before the anticipated recovery of the amortized cost basis, or (3) management does not expect to recover the entire cost basis of the fixed maturity security, an other-than-temporary impairment is considered to have occurred. For equity securities, if (1) the Company does not have the ability and intent to hold the security for the recovery of cost or (2) recovery of cost is not expected within a reasonable period of time, an other-than-temporary impairment is considered to have occurred. Additionally, if events become known that call into question whether the security issuer has the ability to honor its contractual commitments, such security holding will be evaluated to determine whether or not such security has suffered an other-than-temporary decline in value.

The Company reviews the fair value of all investments in its portfolio on a monthly basis to assess whether an other-than-temporary decline in value has occurred. These reviews, in conjunction with the Company's investment managers' monthly credit reports and relevant factors such as (1) the financial condition and near-term prospects of the issuer, (2) the length of time and extent to which the fair value has been less than amortized cost for fixed maturity securities or cost for equity securities, (3) for fixed maturity securities, the Company’s intent to sell a security or whether it is more likely than not the Company will be required to sell the security before the anticipated recovery in the amortized cost basis; and for equity securities, the Company’s ability and intent to hold the security for the recovery of cost or if recovery of cost is not expected within a reasonable period of time, (4) the stock price trend of the issuer, (5) the market leadership position of the issuer, (6) the debt ratings of the issuer, and (7) the cash flows and liquidity of the issuer or the underlying cash flows for asset-backed securities, are all considered in the impairment assessment. When an other-than-temporary impairment is deemed to have occurred, the investment is written-down to fair value, with a realized loss charged to income for the period for the full loss amount for all equity securities and the credit-related loss portion associated with impaired fixed maturity securities. The amount of the total other-than-temporary impairment related to non-credit factors for fixed maturity securities is recognized in other comprehensive income, net of applicable taxes, in which the Company has the intent to sell the security or if it is more likely than not the Company will be required to sell the security before the anticipated recovery of the amortized cost basis.

With respect to fixed maturity securities involving securitized financial assets — primarily asset-backed and commercial mortgage-backed securities in the Company’s portfolio — the securitized financial asset securities’ underlying collateral cash flows are stress tested to determine if there has been any adverse change in the expected cash flows.

A decline in fair value below amortized cost is not assumed to be other-than-temporary for fixed maturity investments with unrealized losses due to spread widening, market illiquidity or changes in interest rates where there exists a reasonable expectation based on the Company’s consideration of all objective information available that the Company will recover the entire cost basis of the security and the Company does not have the intent to sell the investment before maturity or a market recovery is realized and it is more likely than not the Company will not be required to sell the investment. An other-than-temporary impairment loss will be recognized based upon all relevant facts and circumstances for each investment, as appropriate.

Additional considerations for certain types of securities include the following:

Corporate Fixed Maturity Securities

Judgments regarding whether a corporate fixed maturity security is other-than-temporarily impaired include analyzing the issuer’s financial condition and whether there has been a decline in the issuer’s ability to service the specific security. The analysis of the security issuer is based on asset coverage, cash flow multiples or other industry standards. Several factors assessed include, but are not limited to, credit quality ratings, cash flow sustainability, liquidity, financial strength, industry and market position. Sources of information include, but are not limited to, management projections, independent consultants, external analysts’ research, peer analysis and the Company’s internal analysis.

If the Company has concerns regarding the viability of the issuer or its ability to service the specific security after this assessment, a cash flow analysis is prepared to determine if the present value of future cash flows has declined below the amortized cost of the fixed maturity security. This analysis to determine an estimate of ultimate recovery value is combined with the estimated timing to recovery and any other applicable cash flows that are expected. If a cash flow analysis estimate is not feasible, then the market’s view of cash flows implied by the period end fair value, market discount rates and effective yield are the primary factors used to estimate a recovery value.

Mortgage-Backed Securities Not Issued By the U.S. Government or Federally Sponsored Agencies

The Company uses an estimate of future cash flows expected to be collected to evaluate its mortgage-backed securities for other-than-temporary impairment. The determination of cash flow estimates is inherently subjective and methodologies may vary depending on facts and circumstances specific to the security. All reasonably available information relevant to the collectability of the security, including past events, current conditions, and reasonable and supportable assumptions and forecasts, are considered when developing the estimate of cash flows expected to be collected. Information includes, but is not limited to, debt-servicing, missed refinancing opportunities and geography. Loan level characteristics such as issuer, FICO score, payment terms, level of documentation, property or residency type, and economic outlook are also utilized in financial models, along with historical performance, to estimate or measure the loan’s propensity to default. Additionally, financial models take into account loan age, lease rollovers, rent volatilities, vacancy rates and exposure to refinancing as additional drivers of default. For transactions where loan level data is not available, financial models use a proxy based on the collateral characteristics. Loss severity is a function of multiple factors including, but not limited to, the unpaid balance, interest rate, mortgage insurance ratios, assessed property value at origination, change in property valuation and loan-to-value ratio at origination. Prepayment speeds, both actual and estimated, cost of capital rates and debt service ratios are also considered. The cash flows generated by the collateral securing these securities are then estimated with these default, loss severity and prepayment assumptions. These collateral cash flows are then utilized, along with consideration for the issue’s position in the overall structure, to estimate the cash flows associated with the residential or commercial mortgage-backed security held by the Company.

Municipal Bonds

The Company’s municipal bond portfolio consists primarily of special revenue bonds, which present unique considerations in evaluating other-than-temporary impairments, but also includes general obligation bonds. The Company evaluates special revenue bonds for other-than-temporary impairment based on guarantees associated with the repayment from revenues generated by the specified revenue-generating activity associated with the purpose of the bonds. Judgments regarding whether a municipal bond is other-than-temporarily impaired include analyzing the issuer’s financial condition and whether there has been a decline in the overall financial condition of the issuer or its ability to service the specific security. Security credit ratings are reviewed with emphasis on the economy, finances, debt and management of the municipal issuer. Certain securities may be guaranteed by the mono-line credit insurers or other forms of guarantee.

While not relied upon in the initial security purchase decision, insurance benefits are considered in the assessments for other-than-temporary impairment, including the credit-worthiness of the guarantor. Municipalities possess unique powers, along with a special legal standing and protections, that enable them to act quickly to restore budgetary balance and fiscal integrity. These powers include the sovereign power to tax, access to one-time revenue sources, capacity to issue or restructure debt, and ability to shift spending to other authorities. State governments often provide secondary support to local governments in times of financial stress and the federal government has provided assistance to state governments during recessions.

If the Company has concerns regarding the viability of the municipal issuer or its ability to service the specific security after this analysis, a cash flow analysis is prepared to determine a present value and whether it has declined below the amortized cost of the security. If a cash flow analysis is not feasible, then the market’s view of the period end fair value, market discount rates and effective yield are the primary factors used to estimate the present value.

Credit Losses

The Company estimates the amount of the credit loss component of a fixed maturity security impairment as the difference between amortized cost and the present value of the expected cash flows of the security. The present value is determined using the best estimate cash flows discounted at the effective interest rate implicit to the security at the date of purchase or the current yield to accrete an asset-backed or floating rate security. The methodology and assumptions for establishing the best estimate cash flows vary depending on the type of security. Corporate fixed maturity security and municipal bond cash flow estimates are derived from scenario-based outcomes of expected restructurings or the disposition of assets using specific facts and other circumstances, including timing, security interests and loss severity and when not reasonably estimable, such securities are impaired to fair value as management’s best estimate of the present value of future cash flows. The cash flow estimates for mortgage-backed and other structured securities are based on security specific facts and circumstances that may include collateral characteristics, expectations of delinquency and default rates, loss severity and prepayment speeds, and structural support, including subordination and guarantees.

Deferred Policy Acquisition Costs

Deferred Policy Acquisition Costs

The Company’s deferred policy acquisition costs (“DAC”) asset by segment was as follows:

	December 31,
	2016		2015

Retirement (annuity)	$	188,117	$	178,300
Life		51,859		48,191
Property and Casualty		27,604		26,685
Total	$	267,580	$	253,176

Policy acquisition costs, consisting of commissions, policy issuance and other costs which are incremental and directly related to the successful acquisition of new or renewal business, are deferred and amortized on a basis consistent with the type of insurance coverage. For all investment (annuity) contracts, deferred policy acquisition costs are amortized over 20 years in proportion to estimated gross profits. Deferred policy acquisition costs are amortized in proportion to estimated gross profits over 20 years for certain life insurance products with account values and over 30 years for indexed universal life contracts. For other individual life contracts, deferred policy acquisition costs are amortized in proportion to anticipated premiums over the terms of the insurance policies (10, 15, 20 or 30 years). For Property and Casualty policies, deferred policy acquisition costs are amortized over the terms of the insurance policies (6 or 12 months).

The Company periodically reviews the assumptions and estimates used in deferring policy acquisition costs and also periodically reviews its estimations of gross profits, a process sometimes referred to as “unlocking”. The most significant assumptions that are involved in the estimation of annuity gross profits include interest rate spreads, future financial market performance, business surrender/lapse rates, expenses and the impact of net realized investment gains and losses. For the variable deposit portion of the Retirement segment, the Company amortizes deferred policy acquisition costs utilizing a future financial market performance assumption of a 10% reversion to the mean approach with a 200 basis point corridor around the mean during the reversion period, representing a cap and a floor on the Company’s long-term assumption. The Company’s practice with regard to returns on Separate Accounts assumes that long-term appreciation in the financial market is not changed by short-term market fluctuations, but is only changed when sustained deviations are experienced. The Company monitors these fluctuations and only changes the assumption when its long-term expectation changes.

In the event actual experience differs significantly from assumptions or assumptions are significantly revised, the Company may be required to record a material charge or credit to current period amortization expense for the period in which the adjustment is made. The Company recorded the following adjustments to amortization expense as a result of evaluating actual experience and prospective assumptions, the impact of unlocking:

	Year Ended December 31,
	2016		2015		2014
Increase (decrease) to amortization:
Annuity	$	(313)	$	3,403	$	1,224
Life		(394)		(34)		(131)
Total	$	(707)	$	3,369	$	1,093

Deferred policy acquisition costs for investment contracts and life insurance products with account values are adjusted for the impact on estimated future gross profits as if net unrealized investment gains and losses had been realized at the balance sheet date. This adjustment reduced the deferred policy acquisition costs by $40,274 and $38,819 at December 31, 2016 and 2015, respectively. The after tax impact of this adjustment is included in accumulated other comprehensive income (net unrealized investment gains and losses on fixed maturities and equity securities) within shareholders' equity.

Deferred policy acquisition costs is reviewed for recoverability from future income, including investment income, and costs which are deemed unrecoverable are expensed in the period in which the determination is made. No such costs were deemed unrecoverable during the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014.

Goodwill and Value of Acquired Insurance In Force

Goodwill

When the Company was acquired in 1989, intangible assets were recorded in the application of purchase accounting to recognize goodwill. In addition, goodwill was recorded in 1994 related to the purchase of Horace Mann Property & Casualty Insurance Company.

Goodwill represents the excess of the amounts paid to acquire a business over the fair value of its net assets at the date of acquisition. Goodwill is not amortized, but is tested for impairment at the reporting unit level at least annually or more frequently if events occur or circumstances change that would more likely than not reduce the fair value of a reporting unit below its carrying amount. A reporting unit is defined as an operating segment or a business unit one level below an operating segment, if separate financial information is prepared and regularly reviewed by management at that level. The Company’s reporting units, for which goodwill has been allocated, are equivalent to the Company’s operating segments.

The allocation of goodwill by reporting unit is as follows:

Retirement	$	28,025
Life		9,911
Property and Casualty		9,460
Total	$	47,396

The goodwill impairment test, as defined in the accounting guidance, allows an entity the option to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether the existence of events or circumstances leads to a determination that it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount. If an entity determines it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, then the entity follows a two-step process. In the first step, the fair value of a reporting unit is compared to its carrying value. If the carrying value of a reporting unit exceeds its fair value, the second step of the impairment test is performed for purposes of confirming and measuring the impairment. In the second step, the fair value of the reporting unit is allocated to all of the assets and liabilities of the reporting unit to determine an implied goodwill value. If the carrying amount of the reporting unit goodwill exceeds the implied goodwill value, an impairment loss would be recognized in an amount equal to that excess. Any amount of goodwill determined to be impaired will be recorded as an expense in the period in which the impairment determination is made.

The Company completed its annual goodwill assessment for the individual reporting units as of October 1, 2016 and did not utilize the option to perform an initial assessment of qualitative factors. The first step of the Company’s analysis indicated that fair value exceeded carrying value for all reporting units. The process of evaluating goodwill for impairment required management to make multiple judgments and assumptions to determine the fair value of each reporting unit, including discounted cash flow calculations, the level of the Company’s own share price and assumptions that market participants would make in valuing each reporting unit. Fair value estimates were based primarily on an in-depth analysis of historical experience, projected future cash flows and relevant discount rates, which considered market participant inputs and the relative risk associated with the projected cash flows. Other assumptions included levels of economic capital, future business growth, earnings projections and assets under management for each reporting unit. Estimates of fair value are subject to assumptions that are sensitive to change and represent the Company’s reasonable expectation regarding future developments. The Company also considered other valuation techniques such as peer company price-to-earnings and price-to-book multiples.

As part of the Company’s October 1, 2016 goodwill analysis, the Company compared the fair value of the aggregated reporting units to the market capitalization of the Company. The difference between the aggregated fair value of the reporting units and the market capitalization of the Company was attributed to several factors, most notably market sentiment, trading volume and transaction premium. The amount of the transaction premium was determined to be reasonable based on insurance industry and Company-specific facts and circumstances. There were no other events or material changes in circumstances during 2016 that indicated that a material change in the fair value of the Company’s reporting units had occurred.

During each year from 2014 through 2016, the Company completed the required annual testing; no impairment charges were necessary as a result of such assessments. The assessment of goodwill recoverability requires significant judgment and is subject to inherent uncertainty. The use of different assumptions, within a reasonable range, could cause the fair value to be below carrying value. Subsequent goodwill assessments could result in impairment, particularly for any reporting unit with at-risk goodwill, due to the impact of a volatile financial market on earnings, discount rate assumptions, liquidity and market capitalization.

Property and Equipment

Property and Equipment

Property and equipment are carried at cost less accumulated depreciation, which is calculated on the straight-line method based on the estimated useful lives of the assets. The estimated life for real estate is identified by specific property and ranges from 20 to 45 years. The estimated useful lives of leasehold improvements and other property and equipment, including capitalized software, generally range from 2 to 10 years. The following amounts are included in Other assets in the Consolidated Balance Sheets:

	December 31,
	2016		2015

Property and equipment	$	120,712	$	107,876
Less: accumulated depreciation		88,524		82,236
Total	$	32,188	$	25,640

Separate Account (Variable Annuity) Assets and Liabilities

Separate Account (Variable Annuity) Assets and Liabilities

Separate Account assets represent variable annuity contractholder funds invested in various mutual funds. Separate Account assets are recorded at fair value primarily based on market quotations of the underlying securities. Separate Account liabilities are equal to the estimated fair value of Separate Account assets. The investment income, gains and losses of these accounts accrue directly to the contractholders and are not included in the operations of the Company. The activity of the Separate Accounts is not reflected in the Consolidated Statements of Operations except for (1) contract charges earned, (2) the activity related to contract guarantees, which are benefits on existing variable annuity contracts, and (3) the impact of financial market performance on the amortization of deferred policy acquisition costs. The Company’s contract charges earned include fees charged to the Separate Accounts, including mortality charges, risk charges, policy administration fees, investment management fees and surrender charges.

Future Policy Benefits, Interest-sensitive Life Contract Liabilities and Annuity Contract Liabilities

Investment Contract and Life Policy Reserves

This table summarizes the Company’s investment contract and life policy reserves.

	December 31,
	2016		2015

Investment contract reserves	$	4,360,456	$	4,072,102
Life policy reserves		1,087,513		1,054,740
Total	$	5,447,969	$	5,126,842

Liabilities for future benefits on life and annuity policies are established in amounts adequate to meet the estimated future obligations on policies in force.

Liabilities for future policy benefits on certain life insurance policies are computed using the net level premium method including assumptions as to investment yields, mortality, persistency, expenses and other assumptions based on the Company’s experience, including a provision for adverse deviation. These assumptions are established at the time the policy is issued and are intended to estimate the experience for the period the policy benefits are payable. If experience is less favorable than the assumptions, additional liabilities may be established, resulting in a charge to income for that period. At December 31, 2016, reserve investment yield assumptions ranged from 3.5% to 8.0%.

Liabilities for future benefits on annuity contracts and certain long-duration life insurance contracts are carried at accumulated policyholder values without reduction for potential surrender or withdrawal charges. The liability also includes provisions for the unearned portion of certain policy charges.

A guaranteed minimum death benefit (“GMDB”) generally provides an additional benefit if the contractholder dies and the variable annuity contract value is less than a contractually defined amount. The Company has estimated and recorded a GMDB reserve on variable annuity contracts in accordance with accounting guidance. Contractually defined amounts vary from contract to contract based on the date the contract was entered into as well as the GMDB feature elected by the contractholder. The Company regularly monitors the GMDB reserve considering fluctuations in the financial market. The Company has a relatively low exposure to GMDB risk as shown below.

	December 31,
	2016			2015

GMDB reserve	$	225		$	358
Aggregate in-the-money death benefits under the GMDB provision		32,106			35,563
Variable annuity contract value distribution based on GMDB feature:
No guarantee		32	%		32	%
Return of premium guarantee		62	%		62	%
Guarantee of premium roll-up at an annual rate of 3% or 5%		6	%		6	%
Total		100	%		100	%

Policy Liabilities for Fixed Indexed Annuities and Indexed Universal Life Policies

Reserves for Fixed Indexed Annuities and Indexed Universal Life Policies

In 2014, the Company began offering fixed indexed annuity (“FIA”) products with interest crediting strategies linked to the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index and the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The Company purchases call options on the applicable indices as an investment to provide the income needed to fund the annual index credits on the indexed products. These products are deferred fixed annuities with a guaranteed minimum interest rate plus a contingent return based on equity market performance and are considered hybrid financial instruments under the Financial Accounting Standards Board’s (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 815 “Derivatives and Hedging”.

The Company elected to not use hedge accounting for derivative transactions related to the FIA products. As a result, the Company records the purchased call options and the embedded derivative related to the provision of a contingent return at fair value, with changes in fair value reported in Net Realized Investment Gains and Losses in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. The embedded derivative is bifurcated from the host contract and included in Other Policyholder Funds in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. The host contract is accounted for as a debt instrument in accordance with ASC Topic 944 “Financial Services -- Insurance” and is included in Investment Contract and Life Policy Reserves in the Consolidated Balance Sheets with any discount to the minimum account value being accreted using the effective yield method. In the Consolidated Statements of Operations, accreted interest for FIA products and benefit claims on these products incurred during the reporting period are included in Benefits, Claims and Settlement Expenses.

In October 2015, the Company began offering indexed universal life (“IUL”) products as part of its product portfolio with interest crediting strategies linked to the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index and the Dow Jones Industrial Average as well as a fixed option. The Company purchases call options monthly to hedge the potential liabilities arising in IUL accounts. The Company elected to not use hedge accounting for derivative transactions related to the IUL products. As a result, the Company records the purchased call options and the embedded derivative related to the provision of a contingent return at fair value, with changes in fair value reported in Net Realized Investment Gains and Losses in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. IUL policies with a balance in one or more indexed accounts are considered to have an embedded derivative. The benefit reserve for the host contract is measured using the retrospective deposit method, which for Horace Mann’s IUL product is equal to the account balance. The embedded derivative is bifurcated from the host contract, carried at fair value and included in Investment Contract and Life Policy Reserves in the Consolidated Balance Sheets.

More information regarding the determination of fair value of the FIA and IUL embedded derivatives and purchased call options, the only derivative instruments utilized by the Company, is included in “Note 3 -- Fair Value of Financial Instruments”.

Unpaid Claims and Claim Expenses

Unpaid Claims and Claim Expenses

Liabilities for Property and Casualty unpaid claims and claim expenses include provisions for payments to be made on reported claims, claims incurred but not yet reported and associated settlement expenses. All of the Company's reserves for Property and Casualty unpaid claims and claim expenses are carried at the full value of estimated liabilities and are not discounted for interest expected to be earned on reserves. Estimated amounts of salvage and subrogation on unpaid Property and Casualty claims are deducted from the liability for unpaid claims. Due to the nature of the Company's personal lines business, the Company has no exposure to losses related to claims for toxic waste cleanup, other environmental remediation or asbestos-related illnesses other than claims under homeowners insurance policies for environmentally related items such as mold.

Other Policyholder Funds

Other Policyholder Funds

Other policyholder funds includes supplementary contracts without life contingencies and dividend accumulations, as well as balances outstanding under the funding agreements with the Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago (“FHLB”) and embedded derivatives related to fixed indexed annuities. Except for embedded derivatives, each of these components is carried at cost. Embedded derivatives are carried at fair value. Amounts received and repaid under the FHLB funding agreements are classified in the financing activities section of the Company’s Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows combined with annuity contract deposits and disbursements, respectively.

Federal Home Loan Bank Funding Agreements

In 2013, one of the Company's subsidiaries, Horace Mann Life Insurance Company (“HMLIC”), became a member of the FHLB, which provides HMLIC with access to collateralized borrowings and other FHLB products. As membership requires the ownership of member stock, in June 2013, HMLIC purchased common stock to meet the membership requirement. Any borrowing from the FHLB requires the purchase of FHLB activity-based common stock in an amount equal to 5.0% of the borrowing, or a lower percentage — such as 2.0% based on the Reduced Capitalization Advance Program. For FHLB advances and funding agreements combined, HMEC's Board of Directors has authorized a maximum amount equal to 10% of HMLIC’s admitted assets using prescribed statutory accounting principles. On both September 18, 2014 and December 27, 2013, the Company received $250,000 under funding agreements and on December 28, 2015, an additional $75,000 was received under a funding agreement. For the total $575,000 received, $250,000 matures on September 13, 2019, $125,000 matures on December 15, 2023 and $200,000 matures on January 16, 2026. Interest on the funding agreements accrues at an annual weighted average rate of 0.52% as of December 31, 2016. FHLB borrowings of $575,000 are included in Other policyholder funds in the Consolidated Balance Sheet.

Insurance Premiums and Contract Charges Earned

Insurance Premiums and Contract Charges Earned

Property and Casualty insurance premiums are recognized as revenue ratably over the related contract periods in proportion to the risks insured. The unexpired portions of these Property and Casualty premiums are recorded as unearned premiums, using the monthly pro rata method.

Premiums and contract charges for life insurance contracts with account values and investment (annuity) contracts consist of charges for the cost of insurance, policy administration and withdrawals. Premiums for long-term traditional life policies are recognized as revenues when due over the premium-paying period. Contract deposits to investment contracts and life insurance contracts with account values represent funds deposited by policyholders and are not included in the Company's premiums or contract charges earned.

Share-Based Compensation

Share-Based Compensation

The Company grants stock options and both service-based and performance-based restricted common stock units (“RSUs”) to executive officers, other employees and Directors in an effort to attract and retain individuals while also aligning compensation with the interests of the Company’s shareholders. Additional information regarding the Company's share-based compensation plans is contained in “Note 9 — Shareholders' Equity and Common Stock Equivalents”.

Stock options are accounted for under the fair value method of accounting using a Black-Scholes valuation model to measure stock option expense at the date of grant. The fair value of RSUs is measured at the market price of the Company’s common stock on the date of grant, with the exception of market-based performance awards, for which the Company uses a Monte Carlo simulation model to determine fair value for purposes of measuring RSU expense. For the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014, the Company recognized $1,207, $1,285 and $1,270, respectively, in stock option expense as a result of the vesting of stock options during the respective periods. For the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014, the Company recognized $6,929, $892 and $6,132, respectively, in RSU expense as a result of the earning and/or vesting of RSUs during the respective periods.

In 2016, 2015 and 2014, the Company granted stock options as quantified in the table below, which also provides the weighted average grant date fair value for stock options granted in each year. The fair value of stock options granted was estimated on the respective dates of grant using the Black-Scholes option pricing model with the weighted average assumptions shown in the following table.

	Year Ended December 31,
	2016			2015			2014

Number of stock options granted		307,176			142,908			175,632
Weighted average grant date fair value of stock options granted	$	5.01		$	11.18		$	9.01
Weighted average assumptions:
Risk-free interest rate		1.3	%		1.7	%		1.9	%
Expected dividend yield		3.2	%		2.6	%		2.5	%
Expected life, in years		4.9			7.2			5.7
Expected volatility (based on historical volatility)		25.6	%		42.8	%		40.3	%

The weighted average fair value of nonvested stock options outstanding on December 31, 2016 was $6.82. Total unrecognized compensation expense relating to the nonvested stock options outstanding as of December 31, 2016 was approximately $2,299. This amount will be recognized as expense over the remainder of the vesting period, which is scheduled to be 2017 through 2020. Expense is reflected on a straight-line basis over the vesting period for the entire award.

Total unrecognized compensation expense relating to RSUs outstanding as of December 31, 2016 was approximately $9,517. This amount will be recognized as expense over the remainder of the earning and vesting period, which is scheduled to be 2017 through 2020. Expense is reflected on a straight-line basis from the date of grant through the end of the vesting period for the entire award.

Income Taxes

Income Taxes

The Company uses the asset and liability method for calculating deferred federal income taxes. Income tax provisions are generally based on income reported for financial statement purposes. The provisions for federal income taxes for the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014 included amounts currently payable and deferred income taxes resulting from the cumulative differences in the Company's assets and liabilities, determined on a tax return versus financial statement basis.

Deferred tax assets and liabilities include provisions for unrealized investment gains and losses as well as the net funded status of pension and other postretirement benefit obligations with the changes for each period included in the respective components of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) within shareholders' equity.

Earnings Per Share

Earnings Per Share

Basic earnings per share is computed based on the weighted average number of common shares outstanding plus the weighted average number of fully vested restricted stock units and common stock units payable as shares of HMEC common stock. Diluted earnings per share is computed based on the weighted average number of common shares and common stock equivalents outstanding, to the extent dilutive. The Company’s common stock equivalents relate to outstanding common stock options, deferred compensation common stock units and incentive compensation restricted common stock units, which are described in “Note 9 — Shareholders’ Equity and Common Stock Equivalents”.

The computations of net income per share on both basic and diluted bases, including reconciliations of the numerators and denominators, were as follows:

	Year Ended December 31,
	2016		2015		2014
Basic:
Net income for the period	$	83,765	$	93,482	$	104,243
Weighted average number of common shares during the period (in thousands)		41,158		41,915		41,646
Net income per share - basic	$	2.04	$	2.23	$	2.50

Diluted:
Net income for the period	$	83,765	$	93,482	$	104,243
Weighted average number of common shares during the period (in thousands)		41,158		41,915		41,646
Weighted average number of common equivalent shares to reflect the dilutive effect of common
stock equivalent securities (in thousands):
Stock options		100		158		137
Common stock units related to deferred compensation for employees		52		55		70
Restricted common stock units related to incentive compensation		166		297		378
Total common and common equivalent shares adjusted to calculate diluted earnings per share (in thousands)		41,476		42,425		42,231
Net income per share - diluted	$	2.02	$	2.20	$	2.47

Options to purchase 413,406 shares of common stock at $31.01 to $36.04 per share were granted in 2015 through 2016 but were not included in the computation of 2016 diluted earnings per share because of their anti-dilutive effect as a result of the effect of unrecognized compensation cost. The options, which expire in 2025 through 2026, were still outstanding at December 31, 2016.

Comprehensive Income (Loss) and Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)

Comprehensive Income (Loss) and Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)

Comprehensive income (loss) represents the change in shareholders’ equity during a reporting period from transactions and other events and circumstances from non-shareholder sources. For the Company, comprehensive income (loss) is equal to net income plus or minus the after tax change in net unrealized gains and losses on fixed maturities and equity securities and the after tax change in net funded status of benefit plans for the period as shown in the Consolidated Statements of Changes in Shareholders' Equity. Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) represents the accumulated change in shareholders’ equity from these transactions and other events and circumstances from non-shareholder sources as shown in the Consolidated Balance Sheets.

In the Consolidated Balance Sheets, the Company recognizes the funded status of benefit plans as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax.

Comprehensive Income (Loss)

The components of comprehensive income (loss) were as follows:

	Year Ended December 31,
	2016		2015		2014

Net income	$	83,765	$	93,482	$	104,243
Other comprehensive income (loss):
Change in net unrealized investment gains and losses on fixed maturities and equity securities:
Net unrealized investment gains and losses on fixed maturities and equity securities arising during the period		6,144		(178,035)		264,136
Less: reclassification adjustment for net gains included in income before income tax		5,176		11,667		10,943
Total, before tax		968		(189,702)		253,193
Income tax expense (benefit)		397		(67,315)		89,629
Total, net of tax		571		(122,387)		163,564
Change in net funded status of benefit plan obligations:
Before tax		(37)		1,815		(1,810)
Income tax expense (benefit)		(14)		656		(633)
Total, net of tax		(23)		1,159		(1,177)
Total comprehensive income (loss)	$	84,313	$	(27,746)	$	266,630

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)

The following table reconciles the components of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) for the periods indicated.

	Unrealized
	Gains and
	Losses on
	Fixed Maturities
	and Equity		Defined
	Securities (1)(2)		Benefit Plans (1)		Total (1)

Beginning balance, January 1, 2016	$	175,167	$	(11,794)	$	163,373
Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications		3,935		(23)		3,912
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)		(3,364)		-		(3,364)
Net current period other comprehensive income (loss)		571		(23)		548
Ending balance, December 31, 2016	$	175,738	$	(11,817)	$	163,921

Beginning balance, January 1, 2015	$	297,554	$	(12,953)	$	284,601
Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications		(114,803)		1,159		(113,644)
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)		(7,584)		-		(7,584)
Net current period other comprehensive income (loss)		(122,387)		1,159		(121,228)
Ending balance, December 31, 2015	$	175,167	$	(11,794)	$	163,373

Beginning balance, January 1, 2014	$	133,990	$	(11,776)	$	122,214
Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications		170,677		(1,177)		169,500
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)		(7,113)		-		(7,113)
Net current period other comprehensive income (loss)		163,564		(1,177)		162,387
Ending balance, December 31, 2014	$	297,554	$	(12,953)	$	284,601

(1)	All amounts are net of tax.
(2)	The pretax amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income, $5,176, $11,667 and $10,943, are included in net realized investment gains and losses and the related tax expenses, $1,812, $4,083 and $3,830, are included in income tax expense in the Consolidated Statements of Operations for the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014, respectively.

Comparative information for elements that are not required to be reclassified in their entirety to net income in the same reporting period is located in “Note 2 — Investments — Unrealized Gains and Losses on Fixed Maturities and Equity Securities”.

Statements of Cash Flows

Statements of Cash Flows

For purposes of the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows, cash constitutes cash on deposit at banks.

Adopted Accounting Standards Policy

Reclassification and Retrospective Adoption

The Company has reclassified the presentation of certain prior period information to conform to the current year’s presentation.

Adopted Accounting Standards

Disclosures About Short-Duration Insurance Contracts

Effective December 31, 2016, the Company adopted accounting guidance which requires expanded disclosure regarding claims on short-duration insurance contracts, which applies primarily to the contracts in the Company’s Property and Casualty segment.

Presentation of Debt Issuance Costs

Effective January 1, 2016, the Company adopted accounting guidance which was issued to simplify the presentation of costs incurred to issue debt securities. The guidance requires debt issuance costs associated with specific debt securities to be presented in the balance sheet as a direct deduction from the carrying value of the associated debt liability, consistent with the presentation of a debt discount. Costs incurred related to line of credit arrangements continue to be presented as an asset in the Consolidated Balance Sheet. Also, the guidance does not affect the recognition and measurement of debt issuance costs. The guidance required retrospective application. As a result of this adoption, the following items in the Company’s December 31, 2015 Consolidated Balance Sheet were each reduced by $2,371: Other assets, Total assets, Long-term debt, Total liabilities and Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity. Net income per share (basic and diluted) did not change as a result of the adopted accounting change.

Reclassification

Pending Accounting Standards

Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment

In January 2017, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued guidance to simplify the accounting for goodwill impairment. The guidance removes Step 2 of the goodwill impairment test, which requires a hypothetical purchase price allocation. A goodwill impairment will now be the amount by which a reporting unit’s carrying value exceeds its fair value, not to exceed the carrying amount of goodwill. All other goodwill impairment guidance will remain largely unchanged. Entities will continue to have the option to perform a qualitative assessment to determine if a quantitative impairment test is necessary. The same one-step impairment test will be applied to goodwill at all reporting units, even those with zero or negative carrying amounts. Entities will be required to disclose the amount of goodwill for reporting units with zero or negative carrying amounts. Public business entities should adopt the guidance prospectively for its annual or any interim goodwill impairment tests in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019. Early application is permitted. Management believes the adoption of this accounting guidance will not have a material effect on how it tests goodwill for impairment.

Statement of Cash Flows — Classification

In August 2016, the FASB issued guidance to reduce diversity in practice in the statement of cash flows between operating, investing and financing activities related to the classification of cash receipts and cash payments for eight specific issues. The FASB acknowledged that current GAAP either is unclear or does not include specific guidance on these eight cash flow classification issues: (1) debt prepayment or extinguishment costs; (2) settlement of zero-coupon bonds (pertains to issuers); (3) contingent consideration payments made after a business combination; (4) proceeds from the settlement of insurance claims (pertains to claimants); (5) proceeds from the settlement of corporate-owned life insurance policies; (6) distributions received from equity method investees; (7) beneficial interests in securitization transactions (pertains to transferors) and (8) separately identifiable cash flows and application of the predominance principle. For public business entities, the guidance is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within those years, using a retrospective approach. The guidance allows prospective adoption for individual issues if it is impracticable to apply the amendments retrospectively for those issues. Early application is permitted. Management believes the adoption of this accounting guidance will not have a material effect on the classifications in the Company’s consolidated statement of cash flows. The adoption of this accounting guidance will not have any effect on the results of operations or financial position of the Company.

Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments

In June 2016, the FASB issued guidance to improve financial reporting by requiring timelier recording of credit losses on loans and other financial instruments, including reinsurance receivables, held by companies. The new guidance replaces the incurred loss impairment methodology and requires an organization to measure and recognize all current expected credit losses (“CECL”) for financial assets held at the reporting date based on historical experience, current conditions, and reasonable and supportable forecasts. Companies will need to utilize forward-looking information to better inform their credit loss estimates. Companies will continue to use judgment to determine which loss estimation method is appropriate for their circumstances. Credit losses related to available for sale debt securities — which represent over 90% of Horace Mann’s total investment portfolio — will be recorded through an allowance for credit losses with this allowance having a limit equal to the amount by which fair value is below amortized cost. The guidance also requires enhanced qualitative and quantitative disclosures to provide additional information about the amounts recorded in the financial statements. For public business entities that are SEC filers, the guidance is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2019, including interim periods within those years, using a modified-retrospective approach. Early application is permitted for annual reporting periods, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2018. Management is evaluating the impact this guidance will have on the results of operations and financial position of the Company.

Employee Share-based Payment Accounting

In March 2016, the FASB issued guidance to simplify and improve the accounting for employee share-based payment transactions. Under the new guidance, several aspects of the accounting for share-based payment transactions are changed including: (1) the entire tax impact of the difference between a company’s share-based payment deduction for tax purposes and the compensation cost recognized in the financial statements (“excess tax benefits”) will be recorded in the income statement (the additional paid-in capital pool is eliminated) and classified with other income tax cash flows as an operating activity in the statement of cash flows; (2) election of an accounting policy regarding forfeitures, either retaining the current GAAP approach of estimating forfeitures or accounting for forfeitures when they occur; (3) companies may withhold up to the maximum individual statutory tax rate without triggering classification of the award as a liability; (4) cash paid to satisfy the statutory income tax withholding obligation is to be classified as a financing activity in the statement of cash flows; and (5) certain additional aspects which apply only to nonpublic entities. There are different approaches specified for transition to the new guidance encompassing prospective, retrospective and modified retrospective (cumulative-effect adjustment) approaches. The guidance is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016, including interim periods within those years. Early application is permitted; however, all components of the guidance must be implemented at the same time. Management is evaluating the impact this guidance will have on the results of operations and financial position of the Company.

Accounting for Leases

In February 2016, the FASB issued accounting and disclosure guidance to improve financial reporting and comparability among organizations about leasing transactions. Under the new guidance, for leases with lease terms of more than 12 months, a lessee will be required to recognize assets and liabilities on the balance sheet for the rights and obligations created by those leases. Consistent with current accounting guidance, the recognition, measurement and presentation of expenses and cash flows arising from a lease by a lessee primarily will depend on its classification as a finance or an operating lease. However, while current guidance requires only capital leases to be recognized on the balance sheet, the new guidance will require both operating and capital leases to be recognized on the balance sheet. In transition to the new guidance, companies are required to recognize and measure leases at the beginning of the earliest period presented using a modified retrospective approach. The guidance is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those years. Early application is permitted. Management is evaluating the impact this guidance will have on the results of operations and financial position of the Company.

Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Liabilities

In January 2016, the FASB issued accounting guidance to improve certain aspects of the recognition, measurement, presentation and disclosure of financial instruments. Among other things, this guidance requires public entities to measure equity investments (except those accounted for under the equity method of accounting or those that result in consolidation of the investee) at fair value with changes in fair value recognized in net income and to perform a qualitative assessment to identify impairment for equity investments without readily determinable fair values. Companies are required to apply this guidance by means of a cumulative-effect adjustment to the balance sheet as of the beginning of the year of adoption and, for the guidance related to equity securities without readily determinable fair values, companies are required to apply a prospective approach to equity investments that exist as of the date of adoption. The guidance is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within those years. Early application is permitted. The guidance will not have an impact on the Company’s financial position and management is evaluating the impact that this guidance will have on the Company’s results of operations.

Revenue Recognition

In May 2014, the FASB issued accounting guidance to provide a single comprehensive model in accounting for revenue arising from contracts with customers. The guidance applies to all contracts with customers; however, insurance contracts are specifically excluded from this updated guidance. The guidance is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within those years. Early adoption is permitted only for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016. The Company plans to adopt the guidance as of January 1, 2018. Management believes the adoption of this accounting guidance will not have a material effect on the results of operations or financial position, and related disclosures, of the Company.