Lincoln 8-K
UNITED STATES
 
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
 
Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K
 
CURRENT REPORT
 
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

                 September 22, 2006                 
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported)

                  Lincoln National Corporation              
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
     
Indiana
1-6028
35 -1140070
(State or other jurisdiction
(Commission
(IRS Employer
of incorporation)
File Number)
Identification No.)

1500 Market Street, West Tower, Suite 3900, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19102-2112
(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

(215) 448-1400
(Registrant’s telephone number)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

[ ]
Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

[ ]
Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

[ ]
Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

[ ]
Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))


 
Item 7.01. Regulation FD Disclosure

Beginning September 25, 2006 and for the remainder of the week, LNC officials expect to attend meetings and participate in telephone calls with investors and analysts during which they expect to reconfirm our run-rate merger savings estimates and share repurchase guidance as set forth below and in our earnings release, dated August 8, 2006, relating to our second quarter results. We expect to update these as well as other components of our 2006 outlook during our investor call in connection with our third quarter earnings release.
 
1.  
The merger integration remains on track with realized pre-tax savings in the quarter of $18 million, yielding an annualized run-rate savings of approximately $75 million and on course for achieving the $90 million run-rate savings target in the first year after closing the merger. LNC maintains its three-year, annualized run-rate merger savings estimate of $180 million.

2.  
During the remainder of 2006, Lincoln intends to repurchase up to $150 million of shares of our common stock. This reflects the previously announced execution of a $350 million accelerated stock buyback program, which is described in our Form 8-K filed with the SEC on August 14, 2006.

    In addition to the above, management would expect to indicate that the merger integration remains on track and to reiterate its goal of achieving a 13% ROE by year-end 2007. 
 
Forward-Looking Statements—Cautionary Language
 
Certain statements made in this report and in other written or oral statements made by LNC or on LNC’s behalf are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (“PSLRA”). A forward-looking statement is a statement that is not a historical fact and, without limitation, includes any statement that may predict, forecast, indicate or imply future results, performance or achievements, and may contain words like: “believe”, “anticipate”, “expect”, “estimate”, “project”, “will”, “shall” and other words or phrases with similar meaning in connection with a discussion of future operating or financial performance. In particular, these include statements relating to future actions, prospective services or products, future performance or results of current and anticipated services or products, sales efforts, expenses, the outcome of contingencies such as legal proceedings, operations, trends or financial results. LNC claims the protection afforded by the safe harbor for forward-looking statements provided by the PSLRA.
 
Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from the results contained in the forward-looking statements. Risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to vary materially, some of which are described within the forward-looking statements include, among others:

 
·
Problems arising with the ability to successfully integrate our and Jefferson-Pilot’s businesses, which may affect our ability to operate as effectively and efficiently as expected or to achieve the expected synergies from the merger or to achieve such synergies within our expected timeframe, and the application of purchase price accounting on results of operations;
 
 
·
Legislative, regulatory or tax changes, both domestic and foreign, that affect the cost of, or demand for, LNC’s products, the required amount of reserves and/or surplus, or otherwise affect our ability to conduct business, including changes to statutory reserves and/or risk-based capital requirements related to secondary guarantees under universal life and variable annuity products such as Actuarial Guideline 38; restrictions on revenue sharing and 12b-1 payments; and the potential for U.S. Federal tax reform;
 
 

 
 
·
The initiation of legal or regulatory proceedings against LNC or its subsidiaries and the outcome of any legal or regulatory proceedings, such as: (a) adverse actions related to present or past business practices common in businesses in which LNC and its subsidiaries compete; (b) adverse decisions in significant actions including, but not limited to, actions brought by federal and state authorities, and extra-contractual and class action damage cases; (c) new decisions that result in changes in law; and (d) unexpected trial court rulings; 
 
 
 
 
·
Changes in interest rates causing a reduction of investment income, the margins of LNC’s fixed annuity and life insurance businesses and demand for LNC’s products;
 
 
·
A decline in the equity markets causing a reduction in the sales of LNC’s products, a reduction of asset fees that LNC charges on various investment and insurance products, an acceleration of amortization of deferred acquisition costs, the value of business acquired, deferred sales inducements and deferred front-end loads and an increase in liabilities related to guaranteed benefit features of LNC’s variable annuity products;
 
 
·
Ineffectiveness of LNC’s various hedging strategies used to offset the impact of declines in and volatility of the equity markets;
 
 
·
A deviation in actual experience regarding future persistency, mortality, morbidity, interest rates or equity market returns from LNC’s assumptions used in pricing its products, in establishing related insurance reserves, and in the amortization of intangibles that may result in an increase in reserves and a decrease in net income;
 
 
·
Changes in accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”) that may result in unanticipated changes to LNC’s net income;
 
 
·
Lowering of one or more of LNC’s debt ratings issued by nationally recognized statistical rating organizations, and the adverse impact such action may have on LNC’s ability to raise capital and on its liquidity and financial condition;
 
 
·
Lowering of one or more of the insurer financial strength ratings of LNC’s insurance subsidiaries, and the adverse impact such action may have on the premium writings, policy retention, and profitability of its insurance subsidiaries;
 
 
·
Significant credit, accounting, fraud or corporate governance issues that may adversely affect the value of certain investments in the portfolios of LNC’s companies requiring that LNC realize losses on such investments;
 
 
·
The impact of acquisitions and divestitures, restructurings, product withdrawals and other unusual items, including LNC’s ability to integrate acquisitions and to obtain the anticipated results and synergies from acquisitions;
 
 
·
The adequacy and collectibility of reinsurance that LNC has purchased;
 
 
·
Acts of terrorism or war that may adversely affect LNC’s businesses and the cost and availability of reinsurance;
 
 

 
 
·
Competitive conditions, including pricing pressures, new product offerings and the emergence of new competitors, that may affect the level of premiums and fees that LNC can charge for its products;
 
 
·
The unknown impact on LNC’s business resulting from changes in the demographics of LNC’s client base, as aging baby-boomers move from the asset-accumulation stage to the asset-distribution stage of life;
 
 
·
Loss of key management, portfolio managers in the Investment Management segment, financial planners or wholesalers; and
 
 
·
Changes in general economic or business conditions, both domestic and foreign, that may be less favorable than expected and may affect foreign exchange rates, premium levels, claims experience, the level of pension benefit costs and funding, and investment results.
 
The risks included here are not exhaustive. LNC’s annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and other documents filed with the SEC include additional factors which could impact LNC’s business and financial performance. Moreover, LNC operates in a rapidly changing and competitive environment. New risk factors emerge from time to time and it is not possible for management to predict all such risk factors.
 
Further, it is not possible to assess the impact of all risk factors on LNC’s business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. Given these risks and uncertainties, investors should not place undo reliance on forward-looking statements as a prediction of actual results. In addition, LNC disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that occur after the date of this report.
 


 
SIGNATURES
 
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
 


 
Lincoln National Corporation
   
   
 
By: /s/ Frederick J. Crawford
 
Frederick J. Crawford
 
Senior Vice President and
 
Chief Financial Officer

 
 
Date: September 22, 2006