Good morning, welcome to the 2026 annual meeting for Assurant Inc. I would now like to turn the conference over to Elaine Rosen. You may begin.
Good morning. I'm Elaine Rosen, Chair of the Board of Directors of Assurant, Inc. Thank you for joining us today. We're glad to host our annual meeting of stockholders. We ask that you please refer to the rules of procedure, which are available on the web portal. We will conduct the business portion of our meeting first and answer questions at the end of the meeting. Although we may not be able to answer every question, we will do our best to provide a response to as many as possible. It is now shortly after 8:00 A.M. Eastern Time on May 21st, 2026, and this meeting is formally called to order. The polls are now open. Let me begin by introducing two of the other speakers today. Joining me on the line are Keith Demmings, President and Chief Executive Officer and Director, and Mariana Wisk , Corporate Secretary of the company.
The other directors with us on the line today are Rajiv Basu, Lynn Blake, Braxton Carter, Harriet Edelman, Sari Granat, Ogi Redzic, Paul Reilly, and Kevin Warren. The management committee is also on the line today. I would also like to introduce Mike Sullivan of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, the company's independent registered public accounting firm, and Christopher Woods of American Election Services, LLC, who will serve as the inspector of elections. Our order of business this morning will be to present the motions to be considered, collect the votes, and receive a report from the inspector of elections about the results. Immediately following the adjournment of the business portion of the meeting, Keith Demmings and I will make a few closing comments and welcome any questions you have submitted in the web portal. This brings us to the determination of a quorum.
The Corporate Secretary has received proof by affidavit that the notice of the annual meeting and proxy statement has been delivered to holders of record of common stock of the company as of the close of business on March 26th, 2026. The bylaws provide that the presence in person or by proxy of stockholders entitled to vote a majority of the shares of common stock outstanding on the record date constitutes a quorum. The inspector of elections is in charge of determining the proxies and stockholders present. Mr. Woods, do we have a quorum?
Yes, we do. A majority of the votes entitled to be cast as of the record date, March 26th, 2026, is represented at this meeting.
Thank you, Mr. Woods. I'll now ask Ms. Wisk to read the agenda for the meeting.
Thank you, Ms. Rosen. There are five motions to be voted on by stockholders. The first motion is for the election of the director nominees named in the proxy statement to serve on the board of directors until the 2027 annual meeting. The second motion is for the ratification of the audit committee's appointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as the company's independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2026. The third motion is for a non-binding advisory vote regarding fiscal year 2025 compensation of the company's named executive officers. The fourth motion is for the approval of an amendment to the Assurant, Inc. Long Term Equity Incentive Plan. The board recommends that you vote for motions one through four. The fifth and final motion is a stockholder proposal regarding action by written consent.
I understand that the Stockholder Proponent, Mr. John Chevedden, is on the line today to present the proposal. The proponent will have up to three minutes to present the proposal as provided in the rules of procedure. Operator, please open the line.
Mr. Chevedden is on the line to present the stockholder proposal. Mr. Chevedden, please begin.
Hello, this is John Chevedden. Proposal five, shareholder right to act by written consent. Shareholders request the board of directors take the necessary steps to permit written consent by the shareholders entitled to cast the minimum number of votes that would be necessary to authorize an action at a meeting at which all shareholders entitled to vote thereon were present and voting without any unnecessary restriction based on length of stock ownership or the method by which shareholders hold their shares. This includes shareholder ability to initiate any appropriate topic for written consent. Shareholders acting by written consent and calling for a special shareholder meeting are two means that shareholders of a company can use to put forth their proposal on a timely basis without waiting for the annual shareholder meeting.
The main reason for Assurant to be able to act by written consent is that Assurant shareholders do not have an attainable right to call for a special shareholder meeting. The so-called Assurant right to call for a special shareholder meeting has two factors, each of which acting alone makes a shareholder right to call for a special shareholder meeting unattainable. First, a requirement for 25% of shares outstanding to call for a special shareholder meeting instead of the 10% allowed by state law. Number two is 2,000 words of dense legalese that govern the calling for a special shareholder meeting when such a right could be governed by 100 words. Shareholders at more than 100 companies have voted on proposals regarding shareholders calling for a special shareholder meeting.
Not one of these 100 companies have ever cited a single example of a special shareholder meeting ever actually taking place in any company, anywhere, that had just one of these two factors governing the right to call for a special shareholder meeting. Please vote for Proposal five for a shareholder right to act by written consent because Assurant shareholders do not have an attainable right to call for a special shareholder meeting.
Thank you. The board of directors recommends that stockholders vote against this proposal for the reasons set forth in the proxy statement. These five motions have been properly brought before the meeting. Under the bylaws, no one else can be nominated as a director, and no other proposal can be made.
Thank you, Ms. Wisk. The polls have been open, any stockholder who hasn't yet voted or wishes to change their vote may do so by clicking on the voting button on the web portal and following the instructions. Stockholders who have sent in proxies or voted via telephone or internet and do not want to change their vote do not need to take any further action. I will pause for a moment before I declare the polls closed. I declare the polls closed. I'll now ask the Inspector of Elections to report on the vote.
Ms. Rosen, Proposals one, two, three, and four have been approved. The stockholder Proposal five has not been approved.
Thank you, Mr. Woods. That completes our formal business today. The 2026 annual meeting of stockholders is now adjourned. Keith Demmings will give some closing comments in a moment, but I wanted to first make a few remarks. 2025 marked Assurant's ninth consecutive year of profitable growth, demonstrating the strength of its strategy, diversified portfolio, and disciplined execution. Assurant's success is powered by its talent and its culture. The board and management committee work in partnership to drive company performance and to ensure Assurant continues to operate with uncompromised integrity and sound governance. At the leadership level in 2025, we made a series of strategic appointments that leveraged the strength of our executive bench and positioned us for continued long-term success.
These changes demonstrate the company's continued commitment to accelerate our technology roadmap, leverage our global scale and capabilities across all product lines, and enter the next phase of growth and innovation. At the board level, I want to take a moment to welcome Lynn Blake, who joined earlier this year, bringing deep expertise in investment strategies, risk management, corporate governance, and sustainability to Assurant. I also want to thank Debra Perry, who retires from our board effective today, for her years of dedication, insight, outstanding service, and contributions to Assurant. As always, we remain focused on creating long-term shareholder value while navigating this transformative time in partnership with our stakeholders. The board continues to be very proud of the accomplishments of this organization, its strategy, and its leadership. With that, I will turn the meeting over to Keith Demmings for closing comments before taking questions.
Thank you for attending our meeting today.
Thank you, Elaine, and good morning, everyone. Looking back on 2025, we delivered our third consecutive year of double-digit earnings and EPS growth. Last year's results build on a multi-year track record of strong, resilient performance. Our business model continues to outperform, supported by disciplined investment in innovation across our lifestyle and housing businesses. These investments are delivering simpler, faster, and more consistent outcomes for clients and are reinforcing our strong foundation for long-term value creation. Our people are what truly differentiate our performance. Around the world, our employees show up every day with a relentless commitment to clients and customers. Their dedication continues to elevate our market leadership positions. As I move into remarks about our 2025 results, I wanted to note that some of the statements are forward-looking and will refer to non-GAAP financial measures.
For more details, please refer to our earnings release and financial supplement on our website. As Elaine mentioned, 2025 was our ninth consecutive year of profitable growth as we drove shareholder value by delivering outperformance with a strong capital position and generating significant momentum across our business. Looking at our primary performance metrics, in 2025, we grew adjusted earnings per share by 12% and adjusted EBITDA by 11%, both excluding reportable catastrophes. In our Global Housing business, we demonstrated the differentiated profile of our specialized housing business. Adjusted EBITDA, excluding catastrophes, grew double digits with earnings surpassing $1 billion, more than doubling since 2022. Our lender-placed business unit continued to serve a critical role in the U.S. mortgage market. As the voluntary homeowners market has hardened, more homeowners rely on Lender-Placed Insurance to protect their homes, driving an increase in in-force policies year-over-year.
During the year, we renewed four major lender-placed partnerships representing more than 4 million loans tracked. In renters, our technology-enabled services continue to differentiate Assurant in the marketplace. We delivered meaningful top-line growth and increased renters policies by 15%, supported by onboarding a new portfolio that expanded our footprint and unlocked future growth potential. In Global Lifestyle, we delivered mid-single-digit adjusted EBITDA growth, reflecting increased momentum in Connected Living and Global Automotive. We position the business for additional growth by investing in innovation to expand programs and product capabilities for clients and end consumers. In Connected Living, over the last two years, we prioritized investments that are delivering earnings growth and supporting expansion across client programs. Within mobile, we added nearly 2 million protected devices during the year through new programs and strategic wins. As of year-end, we protect over 66 million devices globally.
In retail extended service contracts, we continue to build momentum across appliances and consumer electronics, including the expansion of a key partnership. For our Global Automotive business, 2025 was a significant year. We expanded our presence with national dealer groups, third-party administrators, and Original Equipment Manufacturers, now protecting 57 million vehicles, nearly 2 million more than 2024. We had several key wins throughout 2025, including the launch of a new partnership with a top 25 dealer group in the U.S. and the renewal of a key national dealer partnership. We've also accelerated progress in heavy equipment and our lease and finance business. Lifestyle and Housing together generated $925 million in segment dividends. This enabled us to return $468 million to shareholders, including $300 million in share buybacks. In November, we increased our common stock dividend by 10%, representing the 21st consecutive year we've raised our dividend.
Throughout 2025, we executed against our priorities that remain central to our strategy. We expanded offerings and attachment rates with existing partners, won new clients globally, and continue to invest in core markets where we see long-term value creation. We are leading with insight. We're challenging convention and delivering with discipline to help us and our clients win and redefine the boundaries of protection in the market. Before moving to questions, I'd like to thank all of our employees for their efforts in delivering an outstanding year for Assurant. Their dedication to excellence is what enables us to outperform. At this time, I'm happy to take any questions.
What are the impacts to Assurant of increased frequency of climate and environmental disasters as it pertains to reinsurance costs, claims, and operating margins?
Yeah, it's a great question. I would say certainly, the environment reinforces the value of our product and our overall proposition, helping customers truly protect their most valuable asset. We've got an incredibly strong panel of reinsurers, approximately 40 partners that we've worked with for many, many years. Our reinsurance costs this year are actually favorable as we look at 2026 versus 2025. We expect to spend $180 million on reinsurance costs, where we spent $200 million last year due to a relatively benign season in 2025. We've also seen a slight decline in policies in force in Florida and more growth across the rest of the country, giving us a better spread of risk, and we feel really good about delivering low to mid-80 combined ratio for 2025. Sorry, for 2026.
The other thing I would just say is that our rates over time reflect our loss experience, and we feel very well positioned with how we manage the business.
What is the potential impact to Assurant of original equipment manufacturers like Apple or Samsung expanding their own direct-to-consumer protection plans?
Yeah. I mean, first thing I would say is we've seen tremendous growth in our mobile protection business over the last decade. This past year has been incredibly strong. We've grown 4.3 million subs year-over-year as of the end of the first quarter. Our product continues to be relevant. It's in demand by consumers. We've got incredible partnerships across mobile operators, cable providers, retailers. We're incredibly well positioned to continue to grow. Our relationships continue to deepen with our clients. We've got a wide and broad value chain of services. Ultimately, there's opportunities to partner with OEMs as well over time in the future. I think we're really well positioned from a mobile perspective.
At this time, there are no more questions. Thank you, everyone.
Thank you for attending today's presentation. You may now disconnect your lines and have a pleasant day.