Edgar Filing: DONEGAL GROUP INC

Form 10-K/A

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K/A

Amendment No. 1 to Form 10-K

ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2014

TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from to

Commission file number 0-15341

DONEGAL GROUP INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)


Delaware		23-2424711
(State or other jurisdiction of		(I.R.S. Employer
incorporation or organization)		Identification No.)

1195 River Road, Marietta, Pennsylvania		17547
(Address of principal executive offices)		(Zip code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code:

(888) 877-0600

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:


Title of Each Class		Name of Each Exchange on Which Registered

Class A Common Stock, $.01 par value		The NASDAQ Global Select Market

Class B Common Stock, $.01 par value		The NASDAQ Global Select Market

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None.

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act: Yes ¨. No þ.

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act. Yes ¨. No þ.

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports) and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes þ. No ¨.

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate website, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes þ. No ¨.

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements we incorporate by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. þ

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See definition of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” or “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act (check one):

Large accelerated filer ¨

Accelerated filer þ

Non-accelerated filer ¨

(Do not check if a smaller reporting company)

Smaller reporting company ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company. Yes ¨. No þ.

State the aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates computed by reference to the price at which the common equity was last sold, or the average bid and asked price of such common equity, as of the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter. $216,408,004.

Indicate the number of shares outstanding of each of the registrant’s classes of common stock, as of the latest practicable date: 21,534,176 shares of Class A common stock and 5,576,775 shares of Class B common stock outstanding on March 2, 2015.

Documents Incorporated by Reference

The registrant incorporates by reference portions of the registrant’s definitive proxy statement relating to registrant’s annual meeting of stockholders to be held April 16, 2015 into Part III of this report.

DONEGAL GROUP INC.

INDEX TO FORM 10-K/A REPORT


		Page
	Explanatory Note	ii
PART I
Item 1.	Business	1

(i)

EXPLANATORY NOTE

This Amendment No. 1 (this “Amendment”) amends our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2014 (our “Original Form 10-K”), which we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on March 12, 2015. We are filing this Amendment solely to amend the Donegal Mutual Insurance Company ownership percentage of Donegal Group Inc. in the chart that appears on page 3 of our Form 10-K to 44.3% rather than 94.3% as we reported in our Original Form 10-K. This Amendment does not reflect events occurring after the filing of our Original Form 10-K or modify or update in any way any of the disclosures contained in our Original Form 10-K except as we have noted expressly in this Amendment. Accordingly, this Amendment should be read in conjunction with our Original Form 10-K and other SEC filings.

(ii)

PART I

Item 1. Business.

Introduction

Donegal Group Inc., or DGI, is an insurance holding company whose insurance subsidiaries offer personal and commercial lines of property and casualty insurance to businesses and individuals in 21 Mid-Atlantic, Midwestern, New England and Southern states. As used herein, the terms “we,” “us” and “our” refer to Donegal Group Inc. and its subsidiaries.

Donegal Mutual Insurance Company, or Donegal Mutual, organized us as an insurance holding company on August 26, 1986. At December 31, 2014, Donegal Mutual held approximately 36% of our outstanding Class A common stock and approximately 76% of our outstanding Class B common stock. Donegal Mutual’s ownership provides Donegal Mutual with approximately 65% of the aggregate voting power of our outstanding shares of Class A common stock and our outstanding shares of Class B common stock. Our insurance subsidiaries and Donegal Mutual have interrelated operations due to our intercompany pooling agreement and other intercompany agreements and transactions we describe in Note 3 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. While maintaining the separate corporate existence of each company, our insurance subsidiaries and Donegal Mutual conduct business together as the Donegal Insurance Group. As such, Donegal Mutual and our insurance subsidiaries share the same business philosophy, the same management, the same employees and the same facilities and offer the same types of insurance products.

We have been an effective consolidator of smaller “main street” property and casualty insurance companies, and we expect to continue to acquire other insurance companies to expand our business in a given region or to commence operations in a new region. Since 1995, we have completed six acquisitions of property and casualty insurance companies or began to participate in their business through Donegal Mutual’s entry into quota-share reinsurance agreements with them.

Our insurance subsidiaries and Donegal Mutual provide their policyholders with a selection of insurance products at competitive rates, while pursuing profitability by adhering to a strict underwriting discipline. Our insurance subsidiaries derive a substantial portion of their insurance business from smaller to mid-sized regional communities. We believe this focus provides our insurance subsidiaries with competitive advantages in terms of local market knowledge, marketing, underwriting, claims servicing and policyholder service. At the same time, we believe our insurance subsidiaries have cost advantages over many smaller regional insurers that result from economies of scale our insurance subsidiaries realize through centralized accounting, administrative, data processing, investment and other services.

We believe we have a substantial opportunity, as a well-capitalized regional insurance holding company with a solid business strategy, to grow profitably and compete effectively with national property and casualty insurers. Our downstream holding company structure, with Donegal Mutual holding approximately 65% of the aggregate voting power of our common stock, has proven its effectiveness and success over the past 29 years of our existence. Over that time frame, we have grown significantly in terms of revenue and financial strength, and the Donegal Insurance Group has developed an excellent reputation as a regional group of property and casualty insurers.

We own 48.2% of Donegal Financial Services Corporation, or DFSC. DFSC is a grandfathered unitary savings and loan holding company that owns all of the outstanding capital stock of Union Community Bank, a state savings bank, or UCB. UCB has 14 banking offices, all of which are located in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Donegal Mutual owns the remaining 51.8% of DFSC. For further information regarding DFSC, we refer to “Business - Donegal Financial Services Corporation” in this Form 10-K Report.

We have four segments: our investment function, our personal lines of insurance, our commercial lines of insurance and our investment in DFSC. We set forth financial information about these segments in Note 19 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. The personal lines products of our insurance subsidiaries consist primarily of homeowners and private passenger automobile policies. The commercial lines products of our insurance subsidiaries consist primarily of commercial automobile, commercial multi-peril and workers’ compensation policies.

Available Information

You may obtain our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, including this Form 10-K Report, our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, our current reports on Form 8-K, our proxy statement and our other filings pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, or the Exchange Act, without charge by viewing our website at www.donegalgroup.com. You may also view on our website our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics and the charters of the executive committee, the audit committee, the compensation

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committee and the nominating committee of our board of directors. Upon request to our corporate secretary, we will also provide printed copies of any of these documents to you without charge. We have provided the address of our website solely for the information of investors. We do not intend the reference to our website address to be an active link or to otherwise incorporate the contents of our website into this Form 10-K Report.

History and Organizational Structure

In the mid-1980’s, Donegal Mutual, as a mutual insurance company, recognized the desirability of developing additional sources of capital and surplus so it could remain competitive and have the surplus to expand its business and ensure its long-term viability. Accordingly, Donegal Mutual determined to implement a downstream holding company structure as one of its business strategies. Thus, in 1986, Donegal Mutual formed us as a downstream holding company. Initially, Donegal Mutual owned all of our outstanding common stock. After Donegal Mutual formed us, we in turn formed Atlantic States as our wholly owned property and casualty insurance company subsidiary.

In connection with the formation of Atlantic States and the establishment of our downstream insurance holding company system, Donegal Mutual and DGI entered into a proportional reinsurance agreement, or pooling agreement, that became effective October 1, 1986. Under the pooling agreement, Donegal Mutual and Atlantic States pool substantially all of their respective premiums, losses and loss expenses to the reinsurance pool, and the reinsurance pool, acting through Donegal Mutual, then cedes a portion of the pooled business, currently 80%, to Atlantic States. Donegal Mutual and Atlantic States share the underwriting results in proportion to their respective participation in the underwriting pool.

Since we established Atlantic States in 1986, Donegal Mutual and our insurance subsidiaries have conducted business together as the Donegal Insurance Group, while retaining their separate legal and corporate existences. As the Donegal Insurance Group, Donegal Mutual and our insurance subsidiaries share a combined business plan to enhance market penetration and underwriting profitability objectives. As such, Donegal Mutual and our insurance subsidiaries share the same business philosophies, the same management, the same employees and the same facilities and offer the same types of insurance products. We believe Donegal Mutual’s majority interest in the combined voting power of our Class A common stock and of our Class B common stock fosters our ability to implement our business philosophies, enjoy management continuity, maintain superior employee relations and provide a stable environment within which we can grow our businesses.

The products Donegal Mutual and our insurance subsidiaries offer are generally complementary, which permits the Donegal Insurance Group to offer a broad range of products in a given market and to expand the Donegal Insurance Group’s ability to service an entire personal lines or commercial lines account. Distinctions within the products Donegal Mutual and our insurance subsidiaries offer generally relate to specific risk profiles within similar classes of business, such as preferred tier products versus standard tier products. Donegal Mutual and we do not allocate all of the standard risk gradients to one company. As a result, the underwriting profitability of the business the individual companies write directly will vary. However, the underwriting pool homogenizes the risk characteristics of all business Donegal Mutual and Atlantic States write directly. We receive 80% of the results of the underwriting pool because Atlantic States has an 80% participation in the pool. The business Atlantic States derives from the underwriting pool represents a significant percentage of our total consolidated revenues. However, that percentage has gradually decreased over the past few years as we have acquired a number of other property and casualty insurance companies that do not participate in the underwriting pool.

As the capital of Atlantic States and our other insurance subsidiaries has increased, the underwriting capacity of our insurance subsidiaries has increased proportionately. The size of the underwriting pool has also increased substantially. Therefore, as we originally planned in the mid-1980s, Atlantic States has successfully raised the capital necessary to support the growth of its direct business as well as to accept increases in its allocation of business from the underwriting pool. The portion of the underwriting pool allocated to Atlantic States has increased from an initial allocation of 35% in 1986 to an 80% allocation since March 1, 2008. We do not anticipate any further change in the pooling agreement between Atlantic States and Donegal Mutual in the foreseeable future, including any change in the percentage participation of Atlantic States in the underwriting pool.

In addition to Atlantic States, our insurance subsidiaries are Southern Insurance Company of Virginia, or Southern, Le Mars Insurance Company, or Le Mars, The Peninsula Insurance Company and its wholly owned subsidiary, Peninsula Indemnity Company, or collectively, Peninsula, Sheboygan Falls Insurance Company, or Sheboygan, and Michigan Insurance Company, or MICO. We also benefit from Donegal Mutual’s 100% quota-share reinsurance agreement with Southern Mutual Insurance Company, or Southern Mutual, and Donegal Mutual’s placement of its assumed business from Southern Mutual into the underwriting pool.

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The following chart depicts our organizational structure, including all of our property and casualty insurance subsidiaries, Southern Mutual and our interest in DFSC:

LOGO

(1) Because of the different relative voting power of our Class A common stock and Class B common stock, our public stockholders hold approximately 35% of the aggregate voting power of our Class A common stock and Class B common stock and Donegal Mutual holds approximately 65% of the aggregate voting power of our Class A common stock and Class B common stock.

Relationship with Donegal Mutual

Donegal Mutual provides facilities, personnel and other services to us and our insurance subsidiaries. Donegal Mutual allocates certain related expenses to Atlantic States in relation to the relative participation of Donegal Mutual and Atlantic States in the underwriting pool they maintain. Our insurance subsidiaries other than Atlantic States reimburse Donegal Mutual for their respective personnel costs and bear their proportionate share of information services costs based on their respective percentage of the total net written premiums of the Donegal Insurance Group. Charges for these services totaled $98.6 million, $94.0 million and $78.8 million for 2014, 2013 and 2012, respectively.

Our insurance subsidiaries have various reinsurance arrangements with Donegal Mutual. These agreements include:

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excess of loss reinsurance agreements with Le Mars, Peninsula, Sheboygan and Southern;

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catastrophe reinsurance agreements with Atlantic States, Le Mars and Southern; and

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quota-share reinsurance agreements with Le Mars, Peninsula and MICO.

The purpose of the excess of loss and catastrophe reinsurance agreements is to lessen the effects of a single large loss, or an accumulation of smaller losses arising from one event, to levels that are appropriate given each subsidiary’s size, underwriting profile and surplus position.

The purpose of the quota-share reinsurance agreement with Le Mars is to transfer to Le Mars 100% of the premiums and losses related to certain products Donegal Mutual offers in certain Midwest states, which provide the availability of complementary products to Le Mars’ commercial accounts.

The purpose of the quota-share reinsurance agreement with Peninsula is to transfer to Donegal Mutual 100% of the premiums and losses related to the workers’ compensation product line of Peninsula in certain states, which provides the availability of an additional workers’ compensation tier for Donegal Mutual’s commercial accounts. Donegal Mutual places its assumed business from Peninsula into the underwriting pool.

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The purpose of the quota-share reinsurance agreement with MICO is to transfer to Donegal Mutual 25% of the premiums and losses related to MICO’s business. Donegal Mutual places its assumed business from MICO into the underwriting pool.

Effective November 1, 2012, Donegal Mutual and Southern terminated their quota-share reinsurance agreement on a run-off basis. The intent of the quota-share reinsurance agreement with Southern was to transfer to Southern 100% of the premiums and losses related to certain personal lines products Donegal Mutual offered in Virginia through the use of its automated policy quoting and issuance system.

We and Donegal Mutual have maintained a coordinating committee since our formation in 1986. The coordinating committee consists of two members of our board of directors, neither of whom is a member of Donegal Mutual’s board of directors, and two members of Donegal Mutual’s board of directors, neither of whom is a member of our board of directors. The purpose of the coordinating committee is to establish and maintain a process for an annual evaluation of the transactions between Donegal Mutual, our insurance subsidiaries and us. The coordinating committee considers the fairness of each intercompany transaction to Donegal Mutual and its policyholders and to us and our stockholders.

A new agreement or any change to a previously approved agreement must receive coordinating committee approval. The approval process for a new agreement between Donegal Mutual and us or one of our insurance subsidiaries or a change in such an agreement is as follows:

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both of our members on the coordinating committee must determine that the new agreement or the change in an existing agreement is fair and equitable to us and in the best interests of our stockholders;

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both of Donegal Mutual’s members on the coordinating committee must determine that the new agreement or the change in an existing agreement is fair and equitable to Donegal Mutual and in the best interests of its policyholders;

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our board of directors must approve the new agreement or the change in an existing agreement; and

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Donegal Mutual’s board of directors must approve the new agreement or the change in an existing agreement.

The coordinating committee also meets annually to review each existing agreement between Donegal Mutual and us or our insurance subsidiaries, including all reinsurance agreements between Donegal Mutual and our insurance subsidiaries. The purpose of this annual review is to examine the results of the agreements over the past year and, in the case of reinsurance agreements, over the most recent five-year period and to determine if the results of the existing agreements remain fair and equitable to us and our stockholders and fair and equitable to Donegal Mutual and its policyholders or if Donegal Mutual and we should mutually agree to certain adjustments to the terms of the agreements. In the case of these reinsurance agreements, the annual adjustments typically relate to the reinsurance premiums, losses and reinstatement premiums. These agreements are ongoing in nature and will continue in effect throughout 2015 in the ordinary course of business.

Our members on the coordinating committee, as of the date of this Form 10-K Report, are Robert S. Bolinger and Richard D. Wampler, II. Donegal Mutual’s members on the coordinating committee as of such date are Dennis J. Bixenman and John E. Hiestand. We refer to our proxy statement for our annual meeting of stockholders on April 16, 2015 for further information about the members of the coordinating committee.

We believe our relationships with Donegal Mutual offer us and our insurance subsidiaries a number of competitive advantages, including the following:

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enabling our stable management, the consistent underwriting discipline of our insurance subsidiaries, external growth, long-term profitability and financial strength;

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creating operational and expense synergies from the combination of resources and integrated operations of Donegal Mutual and our insurance subsidiaries;

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enhancing our opportunities to expand by acquisition because of the ability of Donegal Mutual to affiliate with and acquire control of other mutual insurance companies and, thereafter, demutualize them and combine them with us;

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producing more stable and uniform underwriting results for our insurance subsidiaries over extended periods of time than we could achieve without our relationship with Donegal Mutual;

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providing opportunities for growth because of the ability of Donegal Mutual to enter into reinsurance agreements with other mutual insurance companies and place the business it assumes into the pooling agreement; and

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providing Atlantic States with a significantly larger underwriting capacity because of the underwriting pool Donegal Mutual and Atlantic States have maintained since 1986.

In the first quarter of 2015, our board of directors and the board of directors of Donegal Mutual each undertook a review of the relationships of Donegal Mutual and DGI and determined that continuing the current relationships and the current corporate structure of Donegal Mutual and DGI is in the best interests of DGI and its various constituencies.

Business Strategy

Our strategy is designed to allow our insurance subsidiaries to achieve their longstanding goal of outperforming the United States property and casualty insurance industry in terms of profitability and service, thereby providing value to the policyholders of our insurance subsidiaries and, ultimately, providing value to our stockholders. The annual net premiums earned of our insurance subsidiaries have increased from $265.8 million in 2004 to $556.5 million in 2014, a compound annual growth rate of 7.7%.

The combined ratio of our insurance subsidiaries and that of the United States property and casualty insurance industry as computed using United States generally accepted accounting principles, or GAAP, and statutory accounting principles, or SAP, for the years 2010 through 2014 are shown in the following table:


	2014			2013			2012			2011			2010
Our GAAP combined ratio ⁽¹⁾		101.7	%		98.8	%		101.6	%		110.6	%		104.7	%
Our SAP combined ratio		100.5			97.4			99.8			107.9			102.9
Industry SAP combined ratio ⁽²⁾		97.2			96.4			102.5			106.5			101.1

(1)	Our GAAP combined ratio for 2011 was adversely affected by accounting adjustments related to the acquisition of MICO.

(2)	As reported or projected by A.M. Best Company.

We and Donegal Mutual believe we can continue to expand our insurance operations over time through organic growth and acquisitions of, or affiliations with, other insurance companies. We and Donegal Mutual have enhanced the performance of companies we have acquired, while leveraging the acquired companies’ core strengths and local market knowledge to expand their operations. Our insurance subsidiaries and Donegal Mutual also seek to increase their premium base by making quality independent agency appointments, enhancing their competitive position within each agency, introducing new and enhanced insurance products and developing and maintaining automated systems to improve service, communications and efficiency.

We translate these initiatives into our book value growth in a number of ways, including the following:

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maintaining a conservative underwriting culture and pricing discipline to sustain our record of underwriting profitability;

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continuing our investment in technology to achieve operating efficiencies that lower expenses, enhance the service we provide to agencies and policyholders and increase the speed of our communications with agencies and policyholders; and

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maintaining a conservative investment approach.

A detailed review of our business strategies follows:

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Achieving underwriting profitability.

Our insurance subsidiaries focus on achieving a combined ratio of less than 100%. Our insurance subsidiaries fell modestly short of that objective in 2014 due primarily to severe weather during the first half of the year. We remain committed to achieving consistent underwriting profitability. We believe that underwriting profitability is a fundamental component of our long-term financial strength because it allows our insurance subsidiaries to generate profits without relying exclusively on their investment income. Our insurance subsidiaries seek to enhance their underwriting results by:

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carefully selecting the product lines they underwrite;

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carefully selecting the individual risks they underwrite;

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minimizing their individual exposure to catastrophe-prone areas; and

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evaluating their claims history on a regular basis to ensure the adequacy of their underwriting guidelines and product pricing.

Our insurance subsidiaries have no material exposures to asbestos and environmental liabilities. Our insurance subsidiaries seek to provide more than one policy to a given personal lines or commercial lines customer because this “account selling” strategy diversifies their risk and has historically improved their underwriting results. Our insurance subsidiaries also use reinsurance to manage their exposure and limit their maximum net loss from large single risks or risks in concentrated areas. Our insurance subsidiaries believe these practices are key factors in their ability to maintain a statutory combined ratio that has generally been more favorable than the combined ratio of the United States property and casualty insurance industry.

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Pursuing profitable growth by organic expansion within the traditional operating territories of our insurance subsidiaries through developing and maintaining quality agency representation.

We believe that continued expansion of our insurance subsidiaries within their existing markets will be a key source of their continued premium growth and that maintaining an effective and growing network of independent agencies is integral to their expansion. Our insurance subsidiaries seek to be among the top three insurers within each of the independent agencies for the lines of business our insurance subsidiaries write by providing a consistent, competitive and stable market for their products. We believe that the consistency of the product offerings of our insurance subsidiaries enables our insurance subsidiaries to compete effectively for independent agents with other insurers whose product offerings may fluctuate based on industry conditions. Our insurance subsidiaries offer a competitive compensation program to their independent agents that rewards them for producing profitable growth for our insurance subsidiaries. Our insurance subsidiaries provide their independent agents with ongoing support to enable them to better attract and service customers, including:

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fully automated underwriting and policy issuance systems for both personal, commercial and farm lines of insurance;

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training programs;

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marketing support;

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availability of a service center that provides comprehensive service for our personal lines policyholders; and

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field visitations by marketing and underwriting personnel and senior management of our insurance subsidiaries.

Our insurance subsidiaries appoint independent agencies with a strong underwriting and growth track record. We believe that our insurance subsidiaries, by carefully selecting, motivating and supporting their independent agencies, will drive continued long-term growth.

Acquiring property and casualty insurance companies to augment the organic growth of our insurance subsidiaries in existing markets and to expand into new geographic regions.

Since 1995, we have completed six acquisitions of property and casualty insurance companies or participated in their business through Donegal Mutual’s entry into quota-share reinsurance agreements with them. We intend to continue our growth by pursuing affiliations and acquisitions that meet our criteria. Our primary criteria are:

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location in regions where our insurance subsidiaries are currently conducting business or that offer an attractive opportunity to conduct profitable business;

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a mix of business similar to the mix of business of our insurance subsidiaries;

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annual premium volume up to $100.0 million; and

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fair and reasonable transaction terms.

We believe that our relationship with Donegal Mutual assists us in pursuing affiliations with, and subsequent acquisitions of, mutual insurance companies because, through Donegal Mutual, we understand the concerns and issues that mutual insurance companies face. In particular, Donegal Mutual has had success affiliating with underperforming mutual insurance companies, and we have either acquired them following their conversion to a stock company or benefited from their underwriting results as a result of Donegal Mutual’s entry into a 100% quota-share reinsurance agreement with them and placement of its assumed business into the pooling agreement. We have utilized our strengths and financial position to improve the operations of those underperforming insurance companies. We evaluate a number of areas for operational synergies when considering acquisitions, including product underwriting, expenses, the cost of reinsurance and technology.

We and Donegal Mutual have the ability to employ a number of acquisition and affiliation methods. Our prior acquisitions and affiliations have taken one of the following forms:

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purchase of all of the outstanding stock of a stock insurance company;

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purchase of a book of business;

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quota-share reinsurance transaction; or

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two-step acquisition of a mutual insurance company in which:

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as the first step, Donegal Mutual purchases a surplus note from the mutual insurance company, Donegal Mutual enters into a services agreement with the mutual insurance company and Donegal Mutual’s designees become a majority of the members of the board of directors of the mutual insurance company; and

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as the second step, the mutual insurance company enters into a quota-share reinsurance agreement with Donegal Mutual or demutualizes, or converts, into a stock insurance company. Upon the demutualization or conversion, we purchase the surplus note from Donegal Mutual and exchange it for all of the stock of the stock insurance company resulting from the demutualization or conversion.

We believe that our ability to make direct acquisitions of stock insurance companies and to make indirect acquisitions of mutual insurance companies through a sponsored conversion or a quota-share reinsurance agreement provides us with flexibility that is a competitive advantage in making acquisitions. We also believe our historic record clearly demonstrates our ability to acquire control of an underperforming insurance company, re-underwrite its book of business, reduce its cost structure and return it to sustained profitability.

While Donegal Mutual and we generally engage in preliminary discussions with potential direct or indirect acquisition candidates on an almost continuous basis and are so engaged at the date of this Form 10-K Report, neither Donegal Mutual nor we make any public disclosure regarding a proposed acquisition until Donegal Mutual or we have entered into a definitive acquisition agreement.

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The following table highlights our history of insurance company acquisitions and affiliations since 1988:


Company Name	State of Domicile	Year Control Acquired	Method of Acquisition/Affiliation
Southern Mutual Insurance Company and now Southern Insurance Company of Virginia	Virginia	1984	Surplus note investment by Donegal Mutual in 1984; demutualization in 1988; acquisition of stock by us in 1988.

Pioneer Mutual Insurance Company and then Pioneer Insurance Company⁽¹⁾⁽²⁾	Ohio	1992	Surplus note investment by Donegal Mutual in 1992; demutualization in 1993; acquisition of stock by us in 1997.

Delaware Mutual Insurance Company and then Delaware Atlantic Insurance Company⁽¹⁾⁽²⁾	Delaware	1993	Surplus note investment by Donegal Mutual in 1993; demutualization in 1994; acquisition of stock by us in 1995.

Pioneer Mutual Insurance Company and then Pioneer Insurance Company ⁽¹⁾⁽²⁾	New York	1995	Surplus note investment by Donegal Mutual in 1995; demutualization in 1998; acquisition of stock by us in 2001.

Southern Heritage Insurance Company⁽²⁾	Georgia	1998	Purchase of stock by us in 1998.

Le Mars Mutual Insurance Company of Iowa and now Le Mars Insurance Company⁽¹⁾	Iowa	2002	Surplus note investment by Donegal Mutual in 2002; demutualization in 2004; acquisition of stock by us in 2004.

Peninsula Insurance Group	Maryland	2004	Purchase of stock by us in 2004.

Sheboygan Falls Mutual Insurance Company and now Sheboygan Falls Insurance Company⁽¹⁾	Wisconsin	2007	Contribution note investment by Donegal Mutual in 2007; demutualization in 2008; acquisition of stock by us in 2008.

Southern Mutual Insurance Company⁽³⁾	Georgia	2009	Surplus note investment by Donegal Mutual and quota-share reinsurance in 2009.

Michigan Insurance Company	Michigan	2010	Purchase of stock by us and surplus note investment by Donegal Mutual in 2010.

(1)

Each of these acquisitions initially took the form of an affiliation with Donegal Mutual. Donegal Mutual provided surplus note financing to the insurance company, and, in connection with that financing, sufficient designees of Donegal Mutual were appointed so as to constitute a majority of the members of the board of directors of the insurance company. Donegal Mutual and the insurance company simultaneously entered into a services agreement whereby Donegal Mutual provided services to improve the operations of the insurance company. Once the insurance company’s results of operations improved to the satisfaction of Donegal Mutual, Donegal Mutual sponsored the demutualization of the insurance company. Upon the consummation of the demutualization, Donegal Mutual converted the surplus note to capital stock of the newly demutualized insurance company. We then purchased all of the capital stock of the insurance company from Donegal Mutual and made an additional capital contribution in cash to provide adequate surplus to support the insurance company’s planned premium growth.

(2)

To reduce administrative and compliance costs and expenses, these subsidiaries subsequently merged into one of our existing insurance subsidiaries.

(3)

Control acquired by Donegal Mutual.

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Providing responsive and friendly customer and agent service to enable our insurance subsidiaries to attract new policyholders and retain existing policyholders.

We believe that excellent policyholder service is important in attracting new policyholders and retaining existing policyholders. Our insurance subsidiaries work closely with their independent agents to provide a consistently responsive level of claims service, underwriting and customer support. Our insurance subsidiaries seek to respond expeditiously and effectively to address customer and independent agent inquiries in a number of ways, including:

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availability of a customer call center for claims reporting;

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availability of a secure website for access to policy information and documents, payment processing and other features;

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timely replies to information requests and policy submissions; and

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prompt responses to, and processing of, claims.

Our insurance subsidiaries periodically conduct policyholder surveys to evaluate the effectiveness of their service to policyholders. The management of our insurance subsidiaries meets on a regular basis with the personnel of the independent insurance agents our insurance subsidiaries appoint to seek service improvement recommendations, react to service issues and better understand local market conditions.

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Maintaining premium rate adequacy to enhance the underwriting results of our insurance subsidiaries, while maintaining their existing book of business and preserving their ability to write new business.

Our insurance subsidiaries maintain discipline in their pricing by effecting rate increases to sustain or improve their underwriting profitability without unduly affecting their customer retention. In addition to appropriate pricing, our insurance subsidiaries seek to ensure that their premium rates are adequate relative to the amount of risk they insure. Our insurance subsidiaries review loss trends on a periodic basis to identify changes in the frequency and severity of their claims and to assess the adequacy of their rates and underwriting standards. Our insurance subsidiaries also carefully monitor and audit the information they use to price their policies for the purpose of enabling them to receive an adequate level of premiums for the risk they assume. For example, our insurance subsidiaries inspect substantially all commercial lines risks and a substantial number of personal lines property risks before they commit to insure them to determine the adequacy of the insured amount to the value of the insured property, assess property conditions and identify any liability exposures. Our insurance subsidiaries audit the payroll data of their workers’ compensation customers to verify that the assumptions used to price a particular policy were accurate. By implementing appropriate rate increases and understanding the risks our insurance subsidiaries agree to insure, our insurance subsidiaries are generally able to achieve consistent underwriting profitability.

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Focusing on expense controls and utilization of technology to increase the operating efficiency of our insurance subsidiaries.

Our insurance subsidiaries maintain stringent expense controls under direct supervision of their senior management. We centralize many processing and administrative activities of our insurance subsidiaries to realize operating synergies and better expense control. Our insurance subsidiaries utilize technology to automate much of their underwriting and to facilitate agency and policyholder communications on an efficient, timely and cost-effective basis. We operate on a paperless basis. As a result of our focus on expense control, our insurance subsidiaries have reduced their expense ratio from 36.6% in 1999 to 31.4% in 2014. Our insurance subsidiaries have also increased their annual premium per employee, a measure of efficiency that our insurance subsidiaries use to evaluate their operations, from approximately $470,000 in 1999 to approximately $948,000 in 2014.

Our insurance subsidiaries maintain technology comparable to that of the largest of their competitors. “Ease of doing business” is an increasingly important component of an insurer’s value to an independent agency. Our insurance subsidiaries provide a fully automated personal lines underwriting and policy issuance system called “WritePro^®.” WritePro^® is a web-based user interface that substantially eases data entry and facilitates the quoting and issuance of policies for the independent agents of our insurance subsidiaries. Our insurance subsidiaries also provide a similar commercial business system called “WriteBiz^®.” WriteBiz^® is a web-based user interface that provides the independent agents of our insurance subsidiaries with an online ability to quote and issue commercial automobile, workers’ compensation, business owners and tradesman policies automatically. WriteFarm^® is a web-based user interface that provides the independent agents of our insurance subsidiaries with an online ability to quote and issue farm policies. As a result, applications of the independent agents for our insurance subsidiaries can result in policy issuance without further re-entry of information. These systems also interface with the policy management systems of the independent agents of our insurance subsidiaries.

•

Maintaining a conservative investment approach.

Return on invested assets is an important element of the financial results of our insurance subsidiaries. The investment strategy of our insurance subsidiaries is to generate an appropriate amount of after-tax income on invested assets while minimizing credit risk through investments in high-quality securities. As a result, our insurance subsidiaries seek to invest a high percentage of their assets in diversified, highly rated and marketable fixed-maturity instruments. The fixed-maturity portfolios of our insurance subsidiaries consist of both taxable and tax-exempt securities. Our insurance subsidiaries maintain a portion of their portfolios in short-term securities to provide liquidity for the payment of claims and operation of their

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respective businesses. Our insurance subsidiaries maintain a small percentage (3.7% at December 31, 2014) of their portfolios in equity securities.

Competition

The property and casualty insurance industry is highly competitive on the basis of both price and service. Numerous companies compete for business in the geographic areas where our insurance subsidiaries operate. Many of these other insurance companies are substantially larger and have greater financial resources than those of our insurance subsidiaries. In addition, because our insurance subsidiaries and Donegal Mutual market their respective insurance products exclusively through independent insurance agencies, most of which represent more than one insurance company, our insurance subsidiaries face competition within agencies, as well as competition to retain qualified independent agents.

Products and Underwriting

We report the results of our insurance operations in two segments: personal lines of insurance and commercial lines of insurance. The personal lines our insurance subsidiaries write consist primarily of private passenger automobile and homeowners insurance. The commercial lines our insurance subsidiaries write consist primarily of commercial automobile, commercial multi-peril and workers’ compensation insurance. We describe these lines of insurance in greater detail below:

Personal

•

Private passenger automobile — policies that provide protection against liability for bodily injury and property damage arising from automobile accidents and protection against loss from damage to automobiles owned by the insured.

•

Homeowners — policies that provide coverage for damage to residences and their contents from a broad range of perils, including fire, lightning, windstorm and theft. These policies also cover liability of the insured arising from injury to other persons or their property while on the insured’s property and under other specified conditions.

Commercial

•

Commercial automobile — policies that provide protection against liability for bodily injury and property damage arising from automobile accidents and protection against loss from damage to automobiles owned by the insured.

•

Commercial multi-peril — policies that provide protection to businesses against many perils, usually combining liability and physical damage coverages.

•

Workers’ compensation — policies employers purchase to provide benefits to employees for injuries sustained during employment. The workers’ compensation laws of each state determine the extent of the coverage we provide.

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The following table sets forth the net premiums written of our insurance subsidiaries by line of insurance for the periods indicated:


	Year Ended December 31,
	2014				2013				2012
(dollars in thousands)	Amount		%		Amount		%		Amount		%
Personal lines:
Automobile	$	204,174		35.3%	$	196,363		36.8%	$	195,132		39.3%
Homeowners		113,576		19.6		106,420		20.0		97,120		19.6
Other		16,989		2.9		15,915		3.0		16,319		3.3

Total personal lines		334,739		57.8		318,698		59.8		308,571		62.2

Commercial lines:
Automobile		65,552		11.3		58,165		10.9		51,261		10.3
Workers’ compensation		88,739		15.3		77,589		14.5		65,390		13.2
Commercial multi-peril		83,413		14.4		74,516		14.0		64,476		13.0
Other		6,758		1.2		4,463		0.8		6,749		1.3

Total commercial lines		244,462		42.2		214,733		40.2		187,876		37.8

Total business	$	579,201		100.0%	$	533,431		100.0%	$	496,447		100.0%

The personal lines and commercial lines underwriting departments of our insurance subsidiaries evaluate and select those risks that they believe will enable our insurance subsidiaries to achieve an underwriting profit. The underwriting departments have significant interaction with the independent agents regarding the underwriting philosophy and the underwriting guidelines of our insurance subsidiaries. Our underwriting personnel also assist the research and development department in the development of quality products at competitive prices to promote growth and profitability.

In order to achieve underwriting profitability on a consistent basis, our insurance subsidiaries:

•

assess and select primarily standard and preferred risks;

•

adhere to disciplined underwriting guidelines;

•

inspect substantially all commercial lines risks and a substantial number of personal lines property risks; and

•

utilize various types of risk management and loss control services.

Our insurance subsidiaries also review their existing policies and accounts to determine whether those risks continue to meet their underwriting guidelines. If a given policy or account no longer meets those underwriting guidelines, our insurance subsidiaries will take appropriate action regarding that policy or account, including raising premium rates or non-renewing the policy to the extent applicable law permits.

As part of the effort of our insurance subsidiaries to maintain acceptable underwriting results, they conduct annual reviews of agencies that have failed to meet their underwriting profitability criteria. The review process includes an analysis of the underwriting and re-underwriting practices of the agency, the completeness and accuracy of the applications the agency submits, the adequacy of the training of the agency’s staff and the agency’s record of adherence to the underwriting guidelines and service standards of our insurance subsidiaries. Based on the results of this review process, the marketing and underwriting personnel of our insurance subsidiaries develop, together with the agency, a plan to improve its underwriting profitability. Our insurance subsidiaries monitor the agency’s compliance with the plan and take other measures as required in the judgment of our insurance subsidiaries, including the termination to the extent applicable law permits of agencies that are unable to achieve acceptable underwriting profitability.

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Distribution

Our insurance subsidiaries market their products primarily in the Mid-Atlantic, Midwestern, New England and Southern regions through approximately 2,400 independent insurance agencies. At December 31, 2014, the Donegal Insurance Group actively wrote business in 21 states (Alabama, Delaware, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin). We believe the relationships of our insurance subsidiaries with their independent agents are valuable in identifying, obtaining and retaining profitable business. Our insurance subsidiaries maintain a stringent agency selection procedure that emphasizes appointing agencies with proven marketing strategies for the development of profitable business, and our insurance subsidiaries only appoint agencies with a strong underwriting history and potential growth capabilities. Our insurance subsidiaries also regularly evaluate the independent agencies that represent them based on their profitability and performance in relation to the objectives of our insurance subsidiaries. Our insurance subsidiaries seek to be among the top three insurers within each of their agencies for the lines of business our insurance subsidiaries write.

The following table sets forth the percentage of direct premiums our insurance subsidiaries write, including 80% of the direct premiums Donegal Mutual and Atlantic States write, in each of the states where they conducted a significant portion of their business in 2014:


Pennsylvania			36.9%
Michigan			16.9
Virginia			8.8
Maryland			8.5
Delaware			5.8
Georgia			5.6
Ohio			3.5
Wisconsin			3.3
Iowa			2.5
Tennessee			2.3
Nebraska			2.1
South Dakota			1.0
Other			2.8

Total			100.0%

Our insurance subsidiaries employ a number of policies and procedures that we believe enable them to attract, retain and motivate their independent agents. We believe that the consistency of the product offerings of our insurance subsidiaries enables our insurance subsidiaries to compete effectively for independent agents with other insurers whose product offerings may fluctuate based upon industry conditions. Our insurance subsidiaries have a competitive profit-sharing plan for their independent agents, consistent with applicable state laws and regulations, under which the independent agents may earn additional commissions based upon the volume of premiums produced and the profitability of the business our insurance subsidiaries receive from that agency.

Our insurance subsidiaries encourage their independent agents to focus on “account selling,” or serving all of a particular insured’s property and casualty insurance needs, which our insurance subsidiaries believe generally results in more favorable loss experience than covering a single risk for an individual insured.

Technology

Donegal Mutual owns the majority of the technology systems our insurance subsidiaries use. The technology systems consist primarily of an integrated central processing computer system, a series of server-based computer networks and various communication systems that allow the home office of our insurance subsidiaries and their branch offices to utilize the same systems for the processing of business. Donegal Mutual maintains backup facilities and systems at the office of one of our insurance subsidiaries and tests these backup facilities and systems on a regular basis. Our insurance subsidiaries bear their proportionate share of information services expenses based on their respective percentage of the total net written premiums of the Donegal Insurance Group during the preceding calendar year.

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The business strategy of our insurance subsidiaries depends on the use, development and implementation of integrated technology systems. These systems enable our insurance subsidiaries to provide a high level of service to agents and policyholders by processing business in a timely and efficient manner, communicating and sharing data with agents, providing a variety of methods for the payment of premiums and allowing for the accumulation and analysis of information for the management of our insurance subsidiaries.

We believe the availability and use of these technology systems has resulted in improved service to agents and policyholders, increased efficiencies in processing the business of our insurance subsidiaries and lower operating costs. Key components of these integrated technology systems are the agency interface system, the WritePro^®, WriteBiz^® and WriteFarm^® systems, a claims processing system and an imaging system. The agency interface system provides our insurance subsidiaries with a high level of data sharing both to and from agents’ systems and also provides agents with an integrated means of processing new business. The WritePro^®, WriteBiz^® and WriteFarm^® systems are fully automated underwriting and policy issuance systems that provide agents with the ability to generate underwritten quotes and automatically issue policies that meet the underwriting guidelines of our insurance subsidiaries with limited or no intervention by their personnel. The claims processing system allows our insurance subsidiaries to process claims efficiently and in an automated environment. The imaging system eliminates the need to handle paper files, while providing greater access to the same information by a variety of personnel. We believe our technology systems compare favorably to those of many national property and casualty insurance carriers in terms of quality and service levels.

Claims

The management of claims is a critical component of the philosophy of our insurance subsidiaries to achieve underwriting profitability on a consistent basis and is fundamental to the successful operations of our insurance subsidiaries and their dedication to excellent service. Our senior claims management oversees the claims processing units of each of our insurance subsidiaries to assure consistency in the claims settlement process. The field office staff of our insurance subsidiaries receives support from home office technical, litigation, material damage, subrogation and medical audit personnel.

The claims departments of our insurance subsidiaries rigorously manage claims to assure that they settle legitimate claims quickly and fairly and that they identify questionable claims for defense. In the majority of cases, the personnel of our insurance subsidiaries, who have significant experience in the property and casualty insurance industry and know the service philosophy of our insurance subsidiaries, adjust claims. Our insurance subsidiaries provide various means of claims reporting on a 24-hours a day, seven-days a week basis, including toll-free numbers and electronic reporting through our website and mobile applications. Our insurance subsidiaries strive to respond to notifications of claims promptly, generally within the day reported. Our insurance subsidiaries believe that, by responding promptly to claims, they provide quality customer service and minimize the ultimate cost of the claims. Our insurance subsidiaries engage independent adjusters as needed to handle claims in areas in which the volume of claims is not sufficient to justify the hiring of internal claims adjusters by our insurance subsidiaries. Our insurance subsidiaries also employ private adjusters and investigators, structural experts and various outside legal counsel to supplement their internal staff and to assist in the investigation of claims. Our insurance subsidiaries have a special investigative unit staffed by former law enforcement officers that attempts to identify and prevent fraud and abuse and to investigate questionable claims.

The management of the claims departments of our insurance subsidiaries develops and implements policies and procedures for the establishment of adequate claim reserves. Our insurance subsidiaries employ an actuarial staff that regularly reviews their reserves for incurred but not reported claims. The management and staff of the claims departments resolve policy coverage issues, manage and process reinsurance recoveries and handle salvage and subrogation matters. The litigation and personal injury sections of our insurance subsidiaries manage all claims litigation. Branch office claims above certain thresholds require home office review and settlement authorization. Our insurance subsidiaries provide their claims adjusters reserving and settlement authority based upon their experience and demonstrated abilities. Larger or more complicated claims require consultation and approval of senior claims department management.

Liabilities for Losses and Loss Expenses

Liabilities for losses and loss expenses are estimates at a given point in time of the amounts an insurer expects to pay with respect to incurred policyholder claims based on facts and circumstances then known. At the time of establishing its estimates, an insurer recognizes that its ultimate liability for losses and loss expenses will exceed or be less than such estimates. Our insurance subsidiaries base their estimates of liabilities for losses and loss expenses on assumptions as to future loss trends and expected claims severity, judicial theories of liability and other factors. However, during the loss adjustment period, our insurance subsidiaries may learn additional facts regarding individual claims, and, consequently, it often becomes necessary for our insurance subsidiaries to refine and adjust their estimates of liability. We reflect any adjustments to our insurance

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subsidiaries’ liabilities for losses and loss expenses in our operating results in the period in which our insurance subsidiaries record the changes in their estimates.

Our insurance subsidiaries maintain liabilities for the payment of losses and loss expenses with respect to both reported and unreported claims. Our insurance subsidiaries establish these liabilities for the purpose of covering the ultimate costs of settling all losses, including investigation and litigation costs. Our insurance subsidiaries base the amount of their liability for reported losses primarily upon a case-by-case evaluation of the type of risk involved, knowledge of the circumstances surrounding each claim and the insurance policy provisions relating to the type of loss their policyholder incurred. Our insurance subsidiaries determine the amount of their liability for unreported claims and loss expenses on the basis of historical information by line of insurance. Our insurance subsidiaries account for inflation in the reserving function through analysis of costs and trends and reviews of historical reserving results. Our insurance subsidiaries closely monitor their liabilities and recompute them periodically using new information on reported claims and a variety of statistical techniques. Our insurance subsidiaries do not discount their liabilities for losses.

Reserve estimates can change over time because of unexpected changes in assumptions related to our insurance subsidiaries’ external environment and, to a lesser extent, assumptions as to our insurance subsidiaries’ internal operations. For example, our insurance subsidiaries have experienced a decrease in claims frequency on workers’ compensation claims during the past several years while claims severity has gradually increased. These trend changes give rise to greater uncertainty as to the pattern of future loss settlements on workers’ compensation claims. Related uncertainties regarding future trends include the cost of medical technologies and procedures and changes in the utilization of medical procedures. Assumptions related to our insurance subsidiaries’ external environment include the absence of significant changes in tort law and legal decisions that increase liability exposure, consistency in judicial interpretations of insurance coverage and policy provisions and the rate of loss cost inflation. Internal assumptions include consistency in the recording of premium and loss statistics, consistency in the recording of claims, payment and case reserving methodology, accurate measurement of the impact of rate changes and changes in policy provisions, consistency in the quality and characteristics of business written within a given line of business and consistency in reinsurance coverage and the collectability of reinsured losses, among other items. To the extent our insurance subsidiaries determine that underlying factors impacting their assumptions have changed, our insurance subsidiaries attempt to make appropriate adjustments for such changes in their reserves. Accordingly, our insurance subsidiaries’ ultimate liability for unpaid losses and loss expenses will likely differ from the amount recorded at December 31, 2014. For every 1% change in our insurance subsidiaries’ loss and loss expense reserves, net of reinsurance recoverable, the effect on our pre-tax results of operations would be approximately $2.9 million.

The establishment of appropriate liabilities is an inherently uncertain process, and we can provide no assurance that our insurance subsidiaries’ ultimate liability will not exceed our insurance subsidiaries’ loss and loss expense reserves and have an adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition. Furthermore, we cannot predict the timing, frequency and extent of adjustments to our insurance subsidiaries’ estimated future liabilities, since the historical conditions and events that serve as a basis for our insurance subsidiaries’ estimates of ultimate claim costs may change. As is the case for substantially all property and casualty insurance companies, our insurance subsidiaries have found it necessary in the past to increase their estimated future liabilities for losses and loss expenses in certain periods, and, in other periods, their estimates of future liabilities have exceeded their actual liabilities. Changes in our insurance subsidiaries’ estimate of their liability for losses and loss expenses generally reflect actual payments and the evaluation of information received since the prior reporting date. Our insurance subsidiaries recognized an increase in their liability for losses and loss expenses of prior years of $14.5 million, $10.4 million and $7.6 million in 2014, 2013 and 2012, respectively. Our insurance subsidiaries made no significant changes in their reserving philosophy, key reserving assumptions or claims management personnel, and they have made no significant offsetting changes in estimates that increased or decreased their loss and loss expense reserves in these years. The 2014 development represented 5.4% of the December 31, 2013 net carried reserves and resulted primarily from higher-than-expected severity in the private passenger automobile liability, commercial multiple peril and commercial automobile lines of business in accident years prior to 2014. The majority of the 2014 development related to increases in the liability for losses and loss expenses of prior years for Atlantic States and Southern. The 2013 development represented 4.1% of the December 31, 2012 net carried reserves and resulted primarily from higher-than-expected severity in the private passenger automobile liability, commercial multiple peril, commercial automobile and workers’ compensation lines of business in accident years prior to 2013. The majority of the 2013 development related to increases in the liability for losses and loss expenses of prior years for Atlantic States and Southern. The 2012 development represented 3.1% of the December 31, 2011 net carried reserves and resulted primarily from higher-than-expected severity in the private passenger automobile liability and workers’ compensation lines of business in accident years prior to 2012. The majority of the 2012 development related to increases in the liability for losses and loss expenses of prior years for Atlantic States and Southern.

Excluding the impact of catastrophic weather events, our insurance subsidiaries have noted stable amounts in the number of claims incurred and slight downward trends in the number of claims outstanding at period ends relative to their premium

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base in recent years across most of their lines of business. However, the amount of the average claim outstanding has increased gradually over the past several years as the property and casualty insurance industry has experienced increased litigation trends and economic conditions that have extended the estimated length of disabilities and contributed to increased medical loss costs and a general slowing of settlement rates in litigated claims. Our insurance subsidiaries could be required to make further adjustments to their estimates in the future. However, on the basis of our insurance subsidiaries’ internal procedures which analyze, among other things, their prior assumptions, their experience with similar cases and historical trends such as reserving patterns, loss payments, pending levels of unpaid claims and product mix, as well as court decisions, economic conditions and public attitudes, we believe that our insurance subsidiaries have made adequate provision for their liability for losses and loss expenses at December 31, 2014.

Differences between liabilities reported in our financial statements prepared on a GAAP basis and our insurance subsidiaries’ financial statements prepared on a SAP basis result from anticipating salvage and subrogation recoveries for GAAP but not for SAP. These differences amounted to $14.2 million, $13.1 million and $12.0 million at December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012, respectively.

The following table sets forth a reconciliation of the beginning and ending GAAP net liability of our insurance subsidiaries for unpaid losses and loss expenses for the periods indicated:


	Year Ended December 31,
(in thousands)	2014		2013		2012
Gross liability for unpaid losses and loss expenses at beginning of year	$	495,619	$	458,827	$	442,408
Less reinsurance recoverable		230,014		207,891		199,393

Net liability for unpaid losses and loss expenses at beginning of year		265,605		250,936		243,015

Provision for net losses and loss expenses for claims incurred in the current year		373,932		332,770		325,276
Change in provision for estimated net losses and loss expenses for claims incurred in prior years		14,469		10,358		7,596

Total incurred		388,401		343,128		332,872

Net losses and loss payments for claims incurred during:
The current year		229,939		201,782		205,876
Prior years		131,766		126,677		119,074

Total paid		361,705		328,459		324,950

Net liability for unpaid losses and loss expenses at end of year		292,301		265,605		250,936
Plus reinsurance recoverable		245,957		230,014		207,891

Gross liability for unpaid losses and loss expenses at end of year	$	538,258	$	495,619	$	458,827

The following table sets forth the development of the liability for net unpaid losses and loss expenses of our insurance subsidiaries from 2004 to 2014. Loss data in the table includes business Atlantic States received from the underwriting pool.

“Net liability at end of year for unpaid losses and loss expenses” sets forth the estimated liability for net unpaid losses and loss expenses recorded at the balance sheet date for each of the indicated years. This liability represents the estimated amount of net losses and loss expenses for claims arising in the current and all prior years that are unpaid at the balance sheet date, including losses incurred but not reported.

The “Net liability re-estimated as of” portion of the table shows the re-estimated amount of the previously recorded liability based on experience for each succeeding year. The estimate increases or decreases as payments are made and more information becomes known about the severity of the remaining unpaid claims. For example, the 2005 liability has developed a redundancy after nine years because we expect the re-estimated net losses and loss expenses to be $21.4 million less than the estimated liability we initially established in 2005 of $173.0 million.

The “Cumulative (excess) deficiency” shows the cumulative excess or deficiency at December 31, 2014 of the liability estimate shown on the top line of the corresponding column. An excess in liability means that the liability established in prior years exceeded the amount of actual payments and currently re-estimated unpaid liability remaining. A deficiency in liability means that the liability established in prior years was less than the amount of actual payments and currently re-estimated remaining unpaid liability.

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The “Cumulative amount of liability paid through” portion of the table shows the cumulative net losses and loss expense payments made in succeeding years for net losses incurred prior to the balance sheet date. For example, the 2005 column indicates that at December 31, 2014 payments equal to $147.8 million of the currently re-estimated ultimate liability for net losses and loss expenses of $151.6 million had been made.

Amounts shown in the 2004 column of the table include information for Le Mars and Peninsula for all accident years prior to 2004. Amounts shown in the 2008 column of the table include information for Sheboygan for all accident years prior to 2008. Amounts shown in the 2010 column of the table include information for MICO for the month of December 2010.


	Year Ended December 31,
(in thousands)	2004		2005		2006		2007		2008		2009		2010		2011		2012		2013		2014
Net liability at end of year for unpaid losses and loss expenses	$	171,431	$	173,009	$	163,312	$	150,152	$	161,307	$	180,262	$	217,896	$	243,015	$	250,936	$	265,605	$	292,301
Net liability re-estimated as of:
One year later		162,049		159,393		153,299		152,836		171,130		177,377		217,728		250,611		261,294		280,074
Two years later		152,292		153,894		150,934		154,435		167,446		177,741		217,355		255,612		268,877
Three years later		148,612		151,792		150,078		152,315		166,756		178,403		218,449		257,349
Four years later		147,280		150,183		148,745		151,120		166,852		179,909		218,514
Five years later		145,874		150,087		148,407		151,287		166,788		179,961
Six years later		146,101		150,555		149,031		151,739		166,964
Seven years later		146,739		151,161		149,487		151,790
Eight years later		147,597		151,243		149,700
Nine years later		147,705		151,563
Ten years later		148,182
Cumulative (excess) deficiency		(23,249)		(21,446)		(13,612)		1,638		5,657		(301)		618		14,334		17,941		14,469

Cumulative amount of liability paid through:
One year later	$	67,229	$	71,718	$	72,499	$	71,950	$	79,592	$	84,565	$	96,202	$	119,074	$	126,677	$	131,766
Two years later		102,658		107,599		104,890		105,576		116,035		123,204		148,140		181,288		191,208
Three years later		123,236		125,926		121,711		124,659		136,837		147,165		178,073		217,138
Four years later		133,844		133,805		132,698		135,392		148,243		161,363		195,948
Five years later		136,377		139,935		138,878		140,280		155,331		169,452
Six years later		139,847		143,309		141,752		143,778		160,324
Seven years later		142,016		145,492		143,784		146,491
Eight years later		143,894		146,894		145,290
Nine years later		144,565		147,757
Ten years later		145,232


	Year Ended December 31,
	2006		2007		2008		2009		2010		2011		2012		2013		2014
	(in thousands)
Gross liability at end of year	$	259,022	$	226,432	$	239,809	$	263,599	$	383,317	$	442,408	$	458,827	$	495,619	$	538,258
Reinsurance recoverable		95,710		76,280		78,502		83,337		165,421		199,393		207,891		230,014		245,957
Net liability at end of year		163,312		150,152		161,307		180,262		217,896		243,015		250,936		265,605		292,301
Gross re-estimated liability		240,709		231,100		251,670		204,066		365,155		459,857		480,847		488,030
Re-estimated recoverable		91,009		79,310		84,706		24,105		146,641		202,508		211,970		207,956
Net re-estimated liability		149,700		151,790		166,964		179,961		218,514		257,349		268,877		280,074
Gross cumulative deficiency (excess)		(18,313)		4,668		11,861		(59,533)		(18,162)		17,449		22,020		(7,589)

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Third-Party Reinsurance

Our insurance subsidiaries and Donegal Mutual purchase certain third-party reinsurance on a combined basis. Le Mars, Peninsula, Sheboygan and MICO also have separate reinsurance programs that provide certain coverage that is commensurate with their relative size and exposures. Our insurance subsidiaries use several different reinsurers, all of which, consistent with the requirements of our insurance subsidiaries and Donegal Mutual, have an A.M. Best rating of A- (Excellent) or better or, with respect to foreign reinsurers, have a financial condition that, in the opinion of our management, is equivalent to a company with at least an A- (Excellent) rating from A.M. Best.

The external reinsurance our insurance subsidiaries and Donegal Mutual purchase includes:

•

“excess of loss reinsurance,” under which the losses of Donegal Mutual and our insurance subsidiaries are automatically reinsured, through a series of contracts, over a set retention (generally $1,000,000); and

•

catastrophe reinsurance, under which Donegal Mutual and our insurance subsidiaries recover, through a series of reinsurance agreements, 100% of an accumulation of many losses resulting from a single event, including natural disasters, over a set retention (generally $5.0 million) and after exceeding an annual aggregate deductible ($1.5 million in 2014, $5.0 million in 2013 and $0 in 2012) up to aggregate losses of $149.0 million per occurrence.

The amount of coverage each of these types of reinsurance provides depends upon the amount, nature, size and location of the risk being reinsured.

For property insurance, our insurance subsidiaries have excess of loss treaties that provide for coverage of $4.0 million per loss over a set retention of $1.0 million. For liability insurance, our insurance subsidiaries have excess of loss treaties that provide for coverage of $49.0 million per occurrence over a set retention of $1.0 million. For workers’ compensation insurance, our insurance subsidiaries have excess of loss treaties that provide for coverage of $9.0 million on any one life over a set retention of $1.0 million.

Our insurance subsidiaries and Donegal Mutual also purchase facultative reinsurance to cover exposures from property and casualty losses that exceed the limits provided by their respective treaty reinsurance.

For policies effective through December 31, 2014, MICO maintained a quota-share reinsurance agreement with third-party reinsurers to reduce its net exposures. Effective from December 1, 2010 to December 31, 2011, the quota-share reinsurance percentage was 50%. Effective January 1, 2012, MICO reduced the quota-share reinsurance percentage to 40%. Effective January 1, 2013, MICO reduced the quota-share reinsurance percentage to 30%. Effective January 1, 2014, MICO reduced the quota-share reinsurance percentage to 20%. Effective January 1, 2015, MICO no longer maintains a quota-share reinsurance agreement with third-party reinsurers.

Investments

At December 31, 2014, 99.7% of all debt securities our insurance subsidiaries held had an investment-grade rating. The investment portfolios of our insurance subsidiaries did not contain any mortgage loans or any non-performing assets at December 31, 2014.

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The following table shows the composition of the debt securities (at carrying value) in the investment portfolios of our insurance subsidiaries, excluding short-term investments, by rating at December 31, 2014:


(dollars in thousands)	December 31, 2014
Rating⁽¹⁾	Amount			Percent
U.S. Treasury and U.S. agency securities⁽²⁾		$	259,130		34.9%
Aaa or AAA			30,119		4.1
Aa or AA			319,674		43.1
A			87,683		11.8
BBB			43,735		5.8
BB			2,201		0.3

Total		$	742,542		100.0%

(1)

Ratings assigned by Moody’s Investors Services, Inc. or Standard & Poor’s Corporation.

(2)

Includes mortgage-backed securities of $184.3 million.

Our insurance subsidiaries invest in both taxable and tax-exempt securities as part of their strategy to maximize after-tax income. This strategy considers, among other factors, the alternative minimum tax. Tax-exempt securities made up approximately 50.2%, 59.0% and 59.8% of the fixed-maturity securities in the combined investment portfolios of our insurance subsidiaries at December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012, respectively.

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The following table shows the classification of our investments and the investments of our insurance subsidiaries at December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012 (at carrying value):


	December 31,
	2014				2013				2012
			Percent of				Percent of				Percent of
(dollars in thousands)	Amount		Total		Amount		Total		Amount		Total
Fixed maturities⁽¹⁾:
Held to maturity:
U.S. Treasury securities and obligations of U.S. government corporations and agencies	$	53,619		6.4%	$	47,946		6.1%	$	1,000		0.1%
Obligations of states and political subdivisions		110,999		13.3		108,435		13.7		40,909		5.1
Corporate securities		52,226		6.3		14,875		1.9		—		—
Mortgage-backed securities		90,548		10.9		69,114		8.7		191		—

Total held to maturity		307,392		36.9		240,370		30.4		42,100		5.2

Available for sale:
U.S. Treasury securities and obligations of U.S. government corporations and agencies		21,259		2.5		14,334		1.8		71,311		8.8
Obligations of states and political subdivisions		266,242		32.0		277,547		35.1		416,987		51.7
Corporate securities		53,945		6.5		40,672		5.1		77,356		9.6
Mortgage-backed securities		93,704		11.2		71,099		8.9		128,856		16.0

Total available for sale		435,150		52.2		403,652		50.9		694,510		86.1

Total fixed maturities		742,542		89.1		644,022		81.3		736,610		91.3
Equity securities⁽²⁾		30,822		3.7		12,423		1.6		8,757		1.1
Investments in affiliates⁽³⁾		39,284		4.7		35,685		4.5		37,236		4.6
Short-term investments⁽⁴⁾		20,293		2.5		99,678		12.6		23,826		3.0

Total investments	$	832,941		100.0%	$	791,808		100.0%	$	806,429		100.0%

(1)

We refer to Notes 1 and 4 to our Consolidated Financial Statements. We value those fixed maturities we classify as held to maturity at amortized cost; we value those fixed maturities we classify as available for sale at fair value. The total fair value of fixed maturities we classified as held to maturity was $322.2 million at December 31, 2014, $238.8 million at December 31, 2013 and $43.7 million at December 31, 2012. The amortized cost of fixed maturities we classified as available for sale was $414.2 million at December 31, 2014, $390.3 million at December 31, 2013 and $655.2 million at December 31, 2012.

(2)

We value equity securities at fair value. Total cost of equity securities was $30.0 million at December 31, 2014, $12.2 million at December 31, 2013 and $8.7 million at December 31, 2012.

(3)

We value investments in affiliates at cost, adjusted for our share of earnings and losses of our affiliates as well as changes in equity of our affiliates due to unrealized gains and losses.

(4)

We value short-term investments at cost, which approximates fair value.

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The following table sets forth the maturities (at carrying value) in the fixed maturity portfolio of our insurance subsidiaries at December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012:


	December 31,
	2014				2013				2012
			Percent of				Percent of				Percent of
(dollars in thousands)	Amount		Total		Amount		Total		Amount		Total
Due in⁽¹⁾:
One year or less	$	32,886		4.4%	$	8,257		1.3%	$	10,004		1.4%
Over one year through three years		45,967		6.2		22,424		3.5		31,176		4.2
Over three years through five years		62,417		8.4		40,234		6.2		64,839		8.8
Over five years through ten years		189,082		25.5		190,440		29.6		201,953		27.4
Over ten years through fifteen years		169,182		22.8		166,186		25.8		191,179		26.0
Over fifteen years		58,756		7.9		76,267		11.8		108,412		14.7
Mortgage-backed securities		184,252		24.8		140,214		21.8		129,047		17.5

	$	742,542		100.0%	$	644,022		100.0%	$	736,610		100.0%

(1)

Based on stated maturity dates with no prepayment assumptions. Actual maturities will differ because borrowers may have the right to call or prepay obligations with or without call or prepayment penalties.

As shown above, our insurance subsidiaries held investments in mortgage-backed securities having a carrying value of $184.3 million at December 31, 2014. The mortgage-backed securities consist primarily of investments in governmental agency balloon pools with stated maturities between one and 38 years. The stated maturities of these investments limit the exposure of our insurance subsidiaries to extension risk in the event that interest rates rise and prepayments decline. Our insurance subsidiaries perform an analysis of the underlying loans when evaluating a mortgage-backed security for purchase, and they select those securities that they believe will provide a return that properly reflects the prepayment risk associated with the underlying loans.

The following table sets forth the investment results of our insurance subsidiaries for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012:


	Year Ended December 31,
(dollars in thousands)	2014		2013		2012
Invested assets⁽¹⁾	$	812,375	$	799,119	$	795,869
Investment income⁽²⁾		18,344		18,795		20,169
Average yield		2.3%		2.4%		2.5%
Average tax-equivalent yield		3.1		3.3		3.5

(1)

Average of the aggregate invested amounts at the beginning and end of the period.

(2)

Investment income is net of investment expenses and does not include realized investment gains or losses or provision for income taxes.

A.M. Best Rating

Donegal Mutual and our insurance subsidiaries have an A.M. Best rating of A (Excellent), based upon the respective current financial condition and historical statutory results of operations of Donegal Mutual and our insurance subsidiaries. We believe that the A.M. Best rating of Donegal Mutual and our insurance subsidiaries is an important factor in their marketing of the products to their agents and customers. A.M. Best’s ratings are industry ratings based on a comparative analysis of the financial condition and operating performance of insurance companies. A.M. Best’s classifications are A++ and A+ (Superior), A and A- (Excellent), B++ and B+ (Good), B and B- (Fair), C++ and C+ (Marginal), C and C- (Weak), D (Poor) and E (Under Regulatory Supervision), F (Liquidation) and S (Suspended). A.M. Best bases its ratings upon factors relevant to the payment of claims of policyholders and are not directed toward the protection of investors in insurance companies. According to A.M. Best, the “Excellent” rating that the Donegal Insurance Group maintains is assigned to those companies that, in A.M. Best’s opinion, have an excellent ability to meet their ongoing obligations to policyholders.

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Regulation

The supervision and regulation of insurance companies consists primarily of the laws and regulations of the various states in which the insurance companies transact business, with the primary regulatory authority being the insurance regulatory authorities in the state of domicile of the insurance company. Such supervision and regulation relate to numerous aspects of an insurance company’s business and financial condition. The primary purpose of such supervision and regulation is the protection of policyholders. The authority of the state insurance departments includes the establishment of standards of solvency that insurers must meet and maintain, the licensing of insurers and insurance agents to do business, the nature of, and limitations on, investments, premium rates for property and casualty insurance, the provisions that insurers must make for current losses and future liabilities, the deposit of securities for the benefit of policyholders, the approval of policy forms, notice requirements for the cancellation of policies and the approval of certain changes in control. State insurance departments also conduct periodic examinations of the affairs of insurance companies and require the filing of annual and other reports relating to the financial condition of insurance companies.

In addition to state-imposed insurance laws and regulations, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, or the NAIC, maintains a risk-based capital system, or RBC, for assessing the adequacy of statutory capital and surplus that augments the states’ current fixed dollar minimum capital requirements for insurance companies. At December 31, 2014, our insurance subsidiaries and Donegal Mutual each exceeded by a substantial margin the minimum levels of statutory capital the RBC rules require.

Generally, every state has guaranty fund laws under which insurers licensed to do business in that state can be assessed on the basis of premiums written by the insurer in that state in order to fund policyholder liabilities of insolvent insurance companies. Under these laws in general, an insurer is subject to assessment, depending upon its market share of a given line of business, to assist in the payment of policyholder claims against insolvent insurers. Our insurance subsidiaries and Donegal Mutual have made accruals for their portion of assessments related to such insolvencies based upon the most current information furnished by the guaranty associations.

We are part of an insurance holding company system of which Donegal Mutual is the ultimate controlling person. All of the states in which our insurance companies and Donegal Mutual maintain a domicile have legislation that regulates insurance holding company systems. Each insurance company in the insurance holding company system must register with the insurance supervisory agency of its state of domicile and furnish information concerning the operations of companies within the insurance holding company system that may materially affect the operations, management or financial condition of the insurers within the system. Pursuant to these laws, the respective insurance departments in which our subsidiaries and Donegal Mutual maintain a domicile may examine our insurance subsidiaries or Donegal Mutual at any time, require disclosure of material transactions by the holding company with another member of the insurance holding company system and require prior notice or prior approval of certain transactions, such as “extraordinary dividends” from the insurance subsidiaries to the holding company. We have insurance subsidiaries domiciled in Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin.

The Pennsylvania Insurance Holding Companies Act, which generally applies to Donegal Mutual, us and our insurance subsidiaries, requires that all transactions within an insurance holding company system to which an insurer is a party must be fair and reasonable and that any charges or fees for services performed must be reasonable. Any management agreement, service agreement, cost sharing arrangement and material reinsurance agreement must be filed with the Pennsylvania Insurance Department, or the Department, and is subject to the Department’s review. We have filed the pooling agreement between Donegal Mutual and Atlantic States that established the underwriting pool and all material agreements between Donegal Mutual and our insurance subsidiaries with the Department.

Approval of the applicable insurance commissioner is also required prior to consummation of transactions affecting the control of an insurer. In virtually all states, including Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin, where our insurance subsidiaries are domiciled, the acquisition of 10% or more of the outstanding capital stock of an insurer or its holding company or the intent to acquire such an interest creates a rebuttable presumption of a change in control. Pursuant to an order issued in April 2003, the Department approved Donegal Mutual’s ownership of up to 70% of our outstanding Class A common stock and up to 100% of our outstanding Class B common stock.

Our insurance subsidiaries have the legal obligation under state insurance laws to participate in involuntary insurance programs for automobile insurance, as well as other property and casualty insurance lines, in the states in which they conduct business. These programs include joint underwriting associations, assigned risk plans, fair access to insurance requirements plans, reinsurance facilities, windstorm plans and tornado plans. Legislation establishing these programs requires all companies that write lines covered by these programs to provide coverage, either directly or through reinsurance, for insureds who are unable to obtain insurance in the voluntary market. The legislation creating these programs usually allocates a pro rata portion

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of risks attributable to such insureds to each company on the basis of the direct premiums it has written in that state or the number of automobiles it insures in that state. Generally, state law requires participation in these programs as a condition to obtaining a certificate of authority. Our loss ratio on insurance we write under these involuntary programs has traditionally been significantly greater than our loss ratio on insurance we voluntarily write in those states.

Regulatory requirements, including RBC requirements, may impact our insurance subsidiaries’ ability to pay dividends. The amount of statutory capital and surplus necessary for our insurance subsidiaries to satisfy regulatory requirements, including RBC requirements, was not significant in relation to our insurance subsidiaries’ statutory capital and surplus at December 31, 2014. Generally, the maximum amount that one of our insurance subsidiaries may pay to us as ordinary dividends during any year after notice to, but without prior approval of, the insurance commissioner of its domiciliary state is limited to a stated percentage of that subsidiary’s statutory capital and surplus at December 31 of the preceding fiscal year or the net income of that subsidiary for its preceding fiscal year. Our insurance subsidiaries paid dividends to us of $11.5 million, $12.5 million and $7.0 million in 2014, 2013 and 2012, respectively. At December 31, 2014, the amount of dividends our insurance subsidiaries could pay to us during 2015, without the prior approval of their respective domiciliary insurance commissioners, is shown in the following table.


Name of Insurance Subsidiary	Ordinary Dividend Amount

Atlantic States	$	19,119,531
Southern		987,335
Le Mars		2,725,125
Peninsula		4,206,515
Sheboygan		—
MICO		4,198,999

Total	$	31,237,505

Donegal Mutual Insurance Company

Donegal Mutual organized as a mutual fire insurance company in Pennsylvania in 1889. At December 31, 2014, Donegal Mutual had admitted assets of $393.7 million and policyholders’ surplus of $204.4 million. At December 31, 2014, Donegal Mutual had total liabilities of $189.4 million, including reserves for net losses and loss expenses of $53.8 million and unearned premiums of $47.6 million. Donegal Mutual’s investment portfolio of $230.9 million at December 31, 2014 consisted primarily of investment-grade bonds of $25.3 million, its investment in DFSC’s common stock and its investment in our Class A common stock and our Class B common stock. At December 31, 2014, Donegal Mutual owned 7,755,953 shares, or approximately 36%, of our Class A common stock, which Donegal Mutual carried on its books at $101.6 million, and 4,247,038 shares, or approximately 76%, of our Class B common stock, which Donegal Mutual carried on its books at $55.6 million. We present Donegal Mutual’s financial information in accordance with SAP as the NAIC Accounting Practices and Procedures Manual requires. Donegal Mutual does not, nor is it required to, prepare financial statements in accordance with GAAP.

Donegal Financial Services Corporation

In 2000, we and Donegal Mutual formed DFSC as a unitary thrift holding company and its wholly owned subsidiary, Province Bank FSB, as a federal savings bank. In May 2011, DFSC merged with Union National Financial Corporation, or UNNF, with DFSC as the surviving company in the merger. Under the merger agreement, Province Bank FSB and Union National Community Bank, which UNNF owned, also merged to form UCB. UCB is a state savings bank with 14 branch offices in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and approximately $506.4 million in assets at December 31, 2014.

Because Donegal Mutual and we together own all of the outstanding capital stock of DFSC, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, or the FRB, regulates Donegal Mutual, DFSC and us as grandfathered savings and loan holding companies. As a result, Donegal Mutual, DFSC and we are subject to regulation by the FRB under the holding company provisions of the federal Home Owners’ Loan Act, or HOLA. However, if any of Donegal Mutual, DFSC or we were to lose this grandfathered status, they or we would become a bank holding company regulated by the FRB under the Bank Holding Company Act. UCB, as a state-chartered stock savings bank, is subject to regulation and supervision by the Pennsylvania Department of Banking and by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. The primary purpose of the statutory and regulatory supervision of financial institutions is to protect depositors, the financial institutions and the financial system as a whole rather

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than the stockholders of financial institutions or their holding companies. UCB converted from a federally-chartered stock savings bank to a Pennsylvania-chartered stock savings bank during 2013.

Sections 23A and 23B of the Federal Reserve Act impose quantitative and qualitative restrictions on transactions between a savings association and its “affiliates.” Affiliates of a savings association include, among other entities, the savings association’s holding company and non-banking companies under common control with the savings association such as Donegal Mutual and us. These restrictions on transactions with affiliates apply to transactions between DFSC and UCB, on the one hand, and Donegal Mutual and us and our insurance subsidiaries, on the other hand. These restrictions also apply to transactions among DFSC, UCB and Donegal Mutual. Because DFSC directly controls UCB and Donegal Mutual and we indirectly control UCB, DFSC, Donegal Mutual and we are subject to the Change in Bank Control Act.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This Form 10-K Report and the documents we incorporate by reference in this Form 10-K Report contain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements include certain discussions relating to underwriting, premium and investment income volumes, business strategies, reserves, profitability and business relationships and our other business activities during 2014 and beyond. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “could,” “would,” “expect,” “plan,” “intend,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “objective,” “project,” “predict,” “potential,” “goal” and similar expressions. These forward-looking statements reflect our current views about future events, our current assumptions and are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause our results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those we anticipate or imply by our forward-looking statements. We cannot control or predict many of the factors that could determine our future financial condition or results of operations. Such factors may include those we describe under “Risk Factors.” The forward-looking statements contained in this Form 10-K Report reflect our views and assumptions only as of the date of this Form 10-K Report. Except as required by law, we do not intend to update, and we assume no responsibility for updating, any forward-looking statements we have made. We qualify all of our forward-looking statements by these cautionary statements.

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.


DONEGAL GROUP INC.

By:		/s/ Jeffrey D. Miller
		Jeffrey D. Miller, Executive Vice President
		and Chief Financial Officer

Date: March 16, 2015

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