SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 6-K

Report of Foreign Private Issuer

Pursuant to Rule 13a-16 or 15d-16

of the Securities Exchange Act of

1934

 

For the month of November 2015

  Commission File Number: 001-15014

SUN LIFE FINANCIAL INC.

(the “Company”)

 

 

(Translation of registrant’s name into English)

150 King Street West, Toronto, Ontario, M5H 1J9

 

 

(Address of principal executive offices)

[Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual reports under cover Form 20-F or Form 40-F.]

 

Form 20-F

     Form 40-F            X

[Indicate be check mark whether the registrant by furnishing the information contained in this Form is also thereby furnishing the information to the Commission pursuant to Rule 12g3-2(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.]

 

Yes

     No             X

If “Yes” is marked, indicate below the file number assigned to the registrant in connection with Rule 12g3-2(b): 82-

N/A

 

 

 

 

Exhibit             
99.1    Shareholders’ Report
99.2    Certificates of the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Canadian Multilateral Instrument 52-109 – Certification of Issuers’ Annual and Interim Filings
99.3    Earnings Coverage Ratio pursuant to Canadian National Instrument 44-102- Shelf Offerings


SIGNATURE

Pursuant to the requirement 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.

 

    Sun Life Financial Inc.
      (Registrant)
Date: November 5, 2015     By   /s/ “Eric Weinheimer
      Eric Weinheimer,
      Vice-President and
      Associate General Counsel


Exhibit 99.1

 

 

   Q3    
     2015  

 

SHAREHOLDERS’ REPORT

SUN LIFE FINANCIAL INC.

For the period ended

September 30, 2015

sunlife.com

 

LOGO

 



CANADIAN RESIDENTS PARTICIPATING IN THE SHARE ACCOUNT

Shareholders holding shares in the Canadian Share Account can sell their shares for $15 plus 5 cents per share.

Complete Form A on the front of your Share Ownership Statement, tear it off and return it by mail to Canadian Stock Transfer Company Inc.

For more information call Canadian Stock Transfer Company Inc. at 1 877 224-1760.




Sun Life Financial Reports Third Quarter 2015 Results

 

 

TORONTO – (November 4, 2015) – Sun Life Financial Inc. (TSX: SLF) (NYSE: SLF)

The information contained in this document concerning the third quarter of 2015 is based on the unaudited interim financial results of Sun Life Financial Inc. for the period ended September 30, 2015. Sun Life Financial Inc., and its subsidiaries and joint ventures, are collectively referred to as “the Company”, “Sun Life Financial”, “we”, “our”, and “us”. Unless otherwise noted, all amounts are in Canadian dollars.

Third Quarter 2015 Financial Highlights

 

 

Operating net income(1) of $478 million or $0.78 per share(1)(2), compared to $467 million or $0.76 per share in the third quarter of 2014. Reported net income of $482 million or $0.79 per share, compared to $435 million or $0.71 per share in the same period last year

   

Underlying net income(1) of $528 million or $0.86 per share(1)(2) in the third quarter of 2015, compared to $517 million or $0.84 per share in the third quarter of 2014

 

Operating return on equity(1) (“ROE”) of 10.5% and underlying ROE(1) of 11.6% in the third quarter of 2015, compared to operating ROE of 11.9% and underlying ROE of 13.1% in the same period last year

 

Quarterly dividend declared of $0.39 per share

 

Minimum Continuing Capital and Surplus Requirements ratio for Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada of 229%

 

Global assets under management (“AUM”) of $846 billion

“We reported underlying net income of $528 million in the third quarter of 2015, up slightly from the prior year in a volatile market environment. Notwithstanding the impact of capital markets on our results, we benefited from our balanced and diversified business model, coupled with strong execution on our four-pillar strategy.” said Dean Connor, President and Chief Executive Officer, Sun Life Financial. “We announced a dividend increase of one cent per share, bringing our quarterly common share dividend to $0.39 per share. This, together with the increase announced in the first quarter, represents a total increase of 8% in the quarterly dividend in the year.”

“We continued to deploy capital in accordance with our four-pillar business strategy through the agreement to acquire the U.S. Employee Benefits business of Assurant, Inc.,” Connor said. “Completion of the acquisition will enhance our market position in U.S. Group Benefits with a significant boost in scale and new distribution and product capabilities.”

“During the quarter, we also completed the acquisitions of Prime Advisors and Bentall Kennedy to broaden our asset management pillar,” Connor said. “While assets under management at MFS were impacted by volatile markets and net outflows, MFS continues to deliver strong performance for clients and achieved solid margins of 40%.”

“SLF Canada delivered strong sales growth across all lines of business. During the quarter, we announced the creation of the Digital Benefits Assistant which uses big data and advanced analytical tools to help plan members use their benefit plans wisely.”

“SLF Asia reported strong underlying earnings, led by contributions from the Philippines and Hong Kong,” Connor said. “Sales were strong in SLF Asia, with continuing momentum in the wealth businesses.”

Reported net income was $482 million in the third quarter of 2015, compared to reported net income of $435 million in the same period last year. The following table sets out our operating net income and underlying net income for the third quarter of 2015 and 2014.

 

($ millions, after-tax)    Q3’15      Q3’14  

Operating net income

     478         467   

Market related impacts

     (82      (54

Assumption changes and management actions

     32         4   

Underlying net income

     528         517   

The Board of Directors of Sun Life Financial Inc. today declared a quarterly shareholder dividend of $0.39 per common share.

 

(1) 

Operating net income (loss) and financial information based on operating net income (loss), such as operating earnings (loss) per share, operating ROE, underlying net income (loss), underlying earnings (loss) per share and underlying ROE, are not based on International Financial Reporting Standards. See Use of Non-IFRS Financial Measures and Reconciliation of Non-IFRS Financial Measures.

(2)  All earnings per share (“EPS”) measures refer to fully diluted EPS, unless otherwise stated.

 

    Sun Life Financial Inc.   Third Quarter 2015   1


Operational Highlights

Our strategy is focused on four key pillars of growth. We detail our continued progress against these pillars below.

Leader in financial protection and wealth solutions in our Canadian home market

Individual wealth sales increased by 16% to $1.2 billion, driven primarily by growth in mutual funds sales. Sun Life Global Investments (Canada) Inc. (“SLGI”) had strong sales growth with a 45% increase in retail mutual fund sales over the third quarter of 2014 to $288 million. Total segregated fund sales of $152 million in the third quarter of 2015 increased by 54% from the third quarter of 2014, and included sales of $111 million of Sun Life Guaranteed Investment Funds, our new segregated fund product launched in the second quarter of 2015.

Individual insurance sales in Canada increased by 31% to $98 million from the third quarter of 2014, driven by growth in all distribution channels, and included a number of large participating whole life insurance sales.

Group Benefits (“GB”) sales increased to $139 million from $81 million in the third quarter of 2014, including a number of large client wins. Group Retirement Services (“GRS”) sales increased by 71% compared to the third quarter of the prior year, achieving $2.2 billion, driven by strong defined contribution plan sales. GRS assets under administration were $77 billion at the end of the third quarter of 2015.

SLF Canada achieved Platinum certification from Excellence Canada, which recognizes Canada’s best run corporations across six categories: leadership, strategy, customer experience, people engagement, process management and partners.

Premier global asset manager, anchored by MFS

In the third quarter of 2015, we completed the acquisitions of Prime Advisors, Inc. (“Prime Advisors”) and the Bentall Kennedy group of companies (“Bentall Kennedy”). These acquisitions, along with the acquisition of Ryan Labs Asset Management Inc. (“Ryan Labs”) in the second quarter of 2015, build on our strategy to expand our capabilities in customized fixed income solutions and alternative asset classes in our asset management pillar. Sun Life Investment Management (“SLIM”), which consists of Bentall Kennedy, Prime Advisors, Ryan Labs, and Sun Life Investment Management Inc., had combined total third-party AUM of $56 billion as at September 30, 2015 and gross sales for the third quarter of 2015 of $1.2 billion.

MFS’s AUM of US$404 billion at the end of September 30, 2015 declined compared to the second quarter of 2015 with market depreciation of $28 billion and net outflows of US$9 billion in the quarter. Lower sales and higher levels of redemptions by institutional clients were the largest drivers of the outflows in the third quarter of 2015.

MFS’s long-term retail fund performance remains strong with 74%, 86%, and 97% of MFS’s mutual fund assets ranked in the top half of their Lipper categories based on three-, five-, and ten-year performance, respectively, as of the third quarter of 2015.

Bentall Kennedy was named the top North American firm and a top firm globally in the 2015 Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark rankings. This is the fifth year that the team at Bentall Kennedy has received this recognition.

Leader in U.S. group benefits and International high net worth solutions

On September 9, 2015, we announced an agreement to acquire the Employee Benefits business of Assurant, Inc. (“Assurant”). The transaction will expand our capabilities in our U.S. group benefits business, with an array of employee benefits products that include leading capabilities in the Group Life and Disability, Dental and Vision, Stop-Loss and Voluntary businesses.

This acquisition, in concert with the management of our current U.S. group business, allows us to accelerate growth in our U.S. strategic pillar, bringing value to our clients, partners, distributors, employees and the communities we serve.

We also continued our expense, claims management and pricing actions in the group life and disability business, driving improvement in Group Benefits operating net income. In addition, we continue to expand our offerings on private exchanges, a growing distribution platform in the U.S. market. In September 2015, we announced a partnership with Maxwell Health, our fourth private exchange partnership agreement signed in 2015, bringing us to a total of eight private exchange platforms.

The U.S. stop-loss business continued to achieve strong results. Sales increased 63% to US$60 million compared to the third quarter of 2014, along with a 14% growth in stop-loss business in-force over the same quarter in the prior year.

Growing Asia through distribution excellence in higher growth markets

Wealth sales in SLF Asia grew compared to the third quarter of 2014, with strong mutual fund sales in India and higher managed funds sales in Hong Kong.

Individual insurance sales in SLF Asia of $114 million reflected sales growth in the Philippines, Vietnam and Malaysia, which were more than offset by decreases in Hong Kong, Indonesia, India and China.

Sun Life of Canada (Philippines), Inc. received the prestigious ‘Employer of the Year’ award by the People Management Association of the Philippines. The annual award is based on leadership, business results and contributions to the community.

 

2   Sun Life Financial Inc.    Third Quarter 2015  


About Sun Life Financial

Celebrating 150 years in 2015, Sun Life Financial is a leading international financial services organization providing a diverse range of protection and wealth products and services to individuals and corporate customers. Sun Life Financial and its partners have operations in a number of markets worldwide, including Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, India, China, Australia, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia and Bermuda. As of September 30, 2015, the Sun Life Financial group of companies had total assets under management of $846 billion. For more information please visit www.sunlife.com.

Sun Life Financial Inc. trades on the Toronto (TSX), New York (NYSE) and Philippine (PSE) stock exchanges under the ticker symbol SLF.

 

    Sun Life Financial Inc.   Third Quarter 2015   3


Management’s Discussion and Analysis

For the period ended September 30, 2015

Dated November 4, 2015

How We Report Our Results

 

 

Sun Life Financial Inc. (“SLF Inc.”), and its subsidiaries and joint ventures, are collectively referred to as “the Company”, “Sun Life Financial”, “we”, “our”, and “us”. We manage our operations and report our financial results in five business segments: Sun Life Financial Canada (“SLF Canada”), Sun Life Financial United States (“SLF U.S.”), Sun Life Financial Asset Management (“SLF Asset Management”), Sun Life Financial Asia (“SLF Asia”), and Corporate. SLF Asset Management consists of the operations of MFS Investment Management (“MFS”) and Sun Life Investment Management (“SLIM”). SLIM consists of the Bentall Kennedy group of companies (“Bentall Kennedy”), Prime Advisors, Inc. (“Prime Advisors”), Ryan Labs Asset Management Inc. (“Ryan Labs”), and Sun Life Investment Management Inc. (“SLIM Inc.”). Our Corporate segment includes the operations of our United Kingdom business unit (“SLF U.K.”) and Corporate Support operations. Our Corporate Support operations includes our Run-off reinsurance business and investment income, expenses, capital and other items not allocated to other business segments. Information concerning these segments is included in our annual and interim consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes (“Annual Consolidated Financial Statements” and “Interim Consolidated Financial Statements”, respectively). We prepare our unaudited Interim Consolidated Financial Statements using International Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRS”), and in accordance with the International Accounting Standard (“IAS”) 34 Interim Financial Reporting. The information contained in this document is in Canadian dollars unless otherwise noted.

SLF Asset Management

In the third quarter of 2015, we renamed our MFS segment to SLF Asset Management to reflect our acquisitions closed in 2015. This segment includes the operations of MFS, our premier global asset management firm, previously reported as the MFS segment, and the operations of SLIM, our third-party institutional investment management business, have been added to this segment. SLIM consists of: (i) Bentall Kennedy, a real estate investment manager operating in Canada and the U.S.; (ii) Prime Advisors, Inc., a U.S.-based investment management firm specializing in customized fixed income portfolios primarily for U.S. insurance companies; (iii) Ryan Labs Asset Management Inc. (previously Ryan Labs, Inc.), a New York-based asset manager specializing in fixed income and liability-driven investing; and (iv) SLIM Inc., our institutional asset manager which provides investment expertise in alternative asset classes and liability-driven investing to pension funds and other institutional investors in Canada.

Use of Non-IFRS Financial Measures

We report certain financial information using non-IFRS financial measures, as we believe that these measures provide information that is useful to investors in understanding our performance and facilitate a comparison of our quarterly and full year results from period to period. These non-IFRS financial measures do not have any standardized meaning and may not be comparable with similar measures used by other companies. For certain non-IFRS financial measures, there are no directly comparable amounts under IFRS. These non-IFRS financial measures should not be viewed as alternatives to measures of financial performance determined in accordance with IFRS. Additional information concerning these non-IFRS financial measures and reconciliations to the closest IFRS measures are included in our annual and interim management’s discussion and analysis (“MD&A”) and the Supplementary Financial Information packages that are available on www.sunlife.com under Investors – Financial results & reports. Reconciliations to IFRS measures are also available in this document under the heading Reconciliation of Non-IFRS Financial Measures.

Operating net income (loss) and financial measures based on operating net income (loss), consisting of operating earnings per share (“EPS”) or operating loss per share, and operating return on equity (“ROE”), are non-IFRS financial measures. Operating net income (loss) excludes from reported net income the impact of the following amounts that are not operational or ongoing in nature to assist investors in understanding our business performance: (i) certain hedges in SLF Canada that do not qualify for hedge accounting; (ii) fair value adjustments on share-based payment awards at MFS; (iii) the loss on the sale of our U.S. Annuity Business(1); (iv) the impact of assumption changes and management actions related to the sale of our U.S. Annuity Business(1); (v) acquisition, integration and restructuring costs (including impacts related to the sale of our U.S. Annuity Business(1) and impacts related to acquiring and integrating acquisitions, previously reported as restructuring and other related costs); (vi) goodwill and intangible asset impairment charges; and (vii) other items that are not operational or ongoing in nature. Operating EPS also excludes the dilutive impact of convertible instruments.

Underlying net income (loss) and financial measures based on underlying net income (loss), consisting of underlying EPS or underlying loss per share, and underlying ROE, are non-IFRS financial measures. Underlying net income (loss) removes from operating net income (loss) the impact of the following items that create volatility in our results under IFRS and when removed assist

 

(1)  Effective August 1, 2013, we completed the sale of our U.S. annuities business and certain of our U.S. life insurance businesses (collectively, our “U.S. Annuity Business”). For information on our discontinued operations, refer to our 2014 Annual Consolidated Financial Statements and 2013 annual MD&A.

 

4   Sun Life Financial Inc.    Third Quarter 2015   MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS


in explaining our results from period to period: (a) market related impacts; (b) assumption changes and management actions; and (c) other items that have not been treated as adjustments to operating net income and when removed assist in explaining our results from period to period. Market related impacts include: (i) the impact of changes in interest rates that differ from our best estimate assumptions in the reporting period on investment returns and the value of derivative instruments used in our hedging programs, including changes in credit and swap spreads, and any changes to the assumed fixed income reinvestment rates in determining the actuarial liabilities; (ii) the impact of changes in equity markets, net of hedging, above or below our best estimate assumptions of approximately 2% growth per quarter in the reporting period and of basis risk inherent in our hedging program for products that provide benefit guarantees; and (iii) the impact of changes in the fair value of real estate properties in the reporting period. Additional information regarding these adjustments is available in the footnotes to the table included under the heading Q3 2015 vs. Q3 2014 in the Financial Summary section in this document. Assumption changes reflect the impact of revisions to the assumptions used in determining our liabilities for insurance contracts and investment contracts. The impact on our liabilities for insurance contracts and investment contracts of actions taken by management in the current reporting period, referred to as management actions include, for example, changes in the prices of in-force products, new or revised reinsurance on in-force business, or material changes to investment policies for asset segments supporting our liabilities. Underlying EPS also excludes the dilutive impact of convertible instruments.

Other non-IFRS financial measures that we use include adjusted revenue, administrative services only (“ASO”), premium and deposit equivalents, mutual fund assets and sales, managed fund assets and sales, premiums and deposits, adjusted premiums and deposits, assets under management (“AUM”) and assets under administration, and effective income tax rate on an operating net income basis.

Unless indicated otherwise, all factors discussed in this document that impact our results are applicable to reported net income (loss), operating net income (loss), and underlying net income (loss). Reported net income (loss) refers to Common shareholders’ net income (loss) determined in accordance with IFRS. Reported net income (loss), operating net income (loss) including adjustments, underlying net income (loss) including adjustments, and net income and other comprehensive income (“OCI”) sensitivities are expressed on an after-tax basis unless otherwise noted.

All EPS measures in this document refer to fully diluted EPS, unless otherwise stated.

Additional Information

Additional information about SLF Inc. can be found in our Annual and Interim Consolidated Financial Statements, annual and interim MD&A and Annual Information Form (“AIF”). These documents are filed with securities regulators in Canada and are available at www.sedar.com. SLF Inc.’s Annual Consolidated Financial Statements, annual MD&A and AIF are filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) in SLF Inc.’s annual report on Form 40-F and SLF Inc.’s interim MD&As and Interim Consolidated Financial Statements are furnished to the SEC on Form 6-Ks and are available at www.sec.gov.

 

MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS   Sun Life Financial Inc.   Third Quarter 2015   5


Financial Summary

 

 

 

    Quarterly results     Year-to-date  
($ millions, unless otherwise noted)   Q3’15     Q2’15     Q1’15     Q4’14     Q3’14     2015     2014  

Net income (loss)

             

Operating net income (loss)(1)

    478        731        446        511        467        1,655        1,409   

Reported net income (loss)

    482        726        441        502        435        1,649        1,260   

Underlying net income (loss)(1)

    528        615        516        360        517        1,659        1,456   

Diluted EPS ($)

             

Operating EPS (diluted)(1)

    0.78        1.19        0.73        0.83        0.76        2.70        2.30   

Reported EPS (diluted)

    0.79        1.18        0.72        0.81        0.71        2.68        2.05   

Underlying EPS (diluted)(1)

    0.86        1.00        0.84        0.59        0.84        2.71        2.38   

Reported basic EPS ($)

    0.79        1.19        0.72        0.82        0.71        2.69        2.06   

Avg. common shares outstanding (millions)

    611        612        613        613        612        612        611   

Closing common shares outstanding (millions)

    611.2        610.6        611.2        613.1        612.7        611.2        612.7   

Dividends per common share ($)

    0.38        0.38        0.36        0.36        0.36        1.12        1.08   

MCCSR ratio(2)

    229%        223%        216%        217%        218%        229%        218%   

Return on equity (%)

             

Operating ROE(1)

    10.5%        16.5%        10.4%        12.6%        11.9%        12.5%        12.2%   

Underlying ROE(1)

    11.6%        13.9%        12.1%        8.8%        13.1%        12.5%        12.6%   

Premiums and deposits

             

Net premium revenue

    2,114        2,523        2,207        2,701        2,695        6,844        7,295   

Segregated fund deposits

    2,626        4,487        2,411        2,155        1,907        9,524        7,094   

Mutual fund sales(1)

    16,902        19,927        22,124        17,071        14,714        58,953        49,548   

Managed fund sales(1)

    7,507        7,002        8,243        7,988        8,170        22,752        21,880   

ASO premium and deposit equivalents(1)

    1,758        1,781        1,769        1,855        1,638        5,308        4,893   

Total premiums and deposits(1)

    30,907        35,720        36,754        31,770        29,124        103,381        90,710   

Assets under management

             

General fund assets

    151,654        145,472        148,725        139,419        133,623        151,654        133,623   

Segregated funds

    88,248        90,500        89,667        83,938        82,058        88,248        82,058   

Mutual funds, managed funds and other AUM(1)

    606,256        572,110        574,166        511,085        482,499        606,256        482,499   

Total AUM(1)

    846,158        808,082        812,558        734,442        698,180        846,158        698,180   

Capital

             

Subordinated debt and innovative capital instruments(3)

    3,389        2,879        2,881        2,865        2,857        3,389        2,857   

Participating policyholders’ equity

    164        139        142        141        133        164        133   

Total shareholders’ equity

    20,609        19,997        19,761        18,731        18,156        20,609        18,156   

Total capital

    24,162        23,015        22,784        21,737        21,146        24,162        21,146   

 

(1) 

Represents a non-IFRS financial measure. See Use of Non-IFRS Financial Measures and Reconciliation of Non-IFRS Financial Measures.

(2)

Minimum Continuing Capital and Surplus Requirements (“MCCSR”) ratio of Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada (“Sun Life Assurance”).

(3) 

Innovative capital instruments consist of Sun Life ExchangEable Capital Securities and qualify as capital for Canadian regulatory purposes. However, under IFRS they are reported as Senior debentures in our Annual and Interim Consolidated Financial Statements. For additional information see Capital and Liquidity Management – Capital in our 2014 annual MD&A.

Unless indicated otherwise, all factors discussed in this document that impact our results are applicable to reported net income (loss), operating net income (loss), and underlying net income (loss).

Q3 2015 vs. Q3 2014

Our reported net income was $482 million in the third quarter of 2015, compared to $435 million in the third quarter of 2014. Operating net income was $478 million for the quarter ended September 30, 2015, compared to $467 million for the same period last year. Underlying net income was $528 million, compared to $517 million in the third quarter of 2014.

Operating ROE and underlying ROE in the third quarter of 2015 were 10.5% and 11.6%, respectively. Operating and underlying ROE in the third quarter of 2014 were 11.9% and 13.1%, respectively.

 

6   Sun Life Financial Inc.    Third Quarter 2015   MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS


The following table reconciles our net income measures and sets out the impact that other notable items had on our net income in the third quarter of 2015 and 2014.

 

     Quarterly results  
($ millions, after-tax)    Q3’15      Q3’14  

Reported net income

     482         435   

Certain hedges that do not qualify for hedge accounting in SLF Canada

     (10      2   

Fair value adjustments on share-based payment awards at MFS

     28         (31

Acquisition, integration and restructuring costs(1)

     (14      (3

Operating net income(2)

     478         467   

Equity market impact

     

Impact from equity market changes

     (116      1   

Basis risk impact

     (6      (4

Equity market impact(3)

     (122      (3

Interest rate impact

     

Impact from interest rate changes

     (13      (56

Impact of credit spread movements

     26         6   

Impact of swap spread movements

     31           

Interest rate impact(4)

     44         (50

Increases (decreases) from changes in the fair value of real estate

     (4      (1

Market related impacts

     (82      (54

Assumption changes and management actions

     32         4   

Underlying net income(2)

     528         517   

Impact of other notable items on our net income:

     

Experience related items(5)

     

Impact of investment activity on insurance contract liabilities

     33         22   

Mortality

     (18      (4

Morbidity

     (26      (10

Credit

     20         9   

Lapse and other policyholder behaviour

     10         (8

Expenses

     (7      (17

Other

     (16      9   

Other items(6)

             29   

 

(1)

In 2015, acquisition and integration costs primarily related to our acquisitions and integrations of Bentall Kennedy, Prime Advisors and Ryan Labs and our proposed acquisition of Assurant, Inc.’s U.S. Employee Benefits business. In 2014, restructuring costs consisted of transition costs related to the sale of our U.S. Annuity Business.

(2)

Represents a non-IFRS financial measure. See Use of Non-IFRS Financial Measures and Reconciliation of Non-IFRS Financial Measures.

(3) 

Equity market impact consists primarily of the effect of changes in equity markets during the quarter, net of hedging, that differ from the best estimate assumptions used in the determination of our insurance contract liabilities of approximately 2% growth per quarter in equity markets. Equity market impact also includes the income impact of the basis risk inherent in our hedging program, which is the difference between the return on underlying funds of products that provide benefit guarantees and the return on the derivative assets used to hedge those benefit guarantees.

(4) 

Interest rate impact includes the effect of interest rate changes on investment returns that differ from best estimate assumptions, and on the value of derivative instruments used in our hedging programs. Our exposure to interest rates varies by product type, line of business, and geography. Given the long-term nature of our business, we have a higher degree of sensitivity in respect of interest rates at long durations. Interest rate impact also includes the income impact of changes in assumed fixed income reinvestment rates and of credit and swap spread movements.

(5) 

Experience related items reflect the difference between actual experience during the reporting period and best estimate assumptions used in the determination of our insurance contract liabilities.

(6) 

In 2014, Other items consists of non-recurring tax benefits pertaining to SLF U.K. and MFS.

Our reported net income for the third quarter of 2015 and 2014 included items that are not operational or ongoing in nature and are, therefore, excluded in our calculation of operating net income. Operating net income for the third quarter of 2015 and 2014 excluded the net impact of certain hedges that do not qualify for hedge accounting in SLF Canada, fair value adjustments on share-based payment awards at MFS, and acquisition, integration and restructuring costs. The net impact of these items increased reported net income by $4 million in the third quarter of 2015 compared to a reduction of $32 million in the third quarter of 2014. In addition, our operating net income in the third quarter of 2015 increased by $58 million as a result of movements in currency rates relative to the average exchange rates in the third quarter of 2014.

Our underlying net income for the third quarter of 2015 and 2014 excludes market related impacts and assumption changes and management actions. The net impact of market related impacts and assumption changes and management actions reduced operating net income by $50 million in the third quarter of 2015, compared to a decrease of $50 million in the third quarter of 2014.

 

MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS   Sun Life Financial Inc.   Third Quarter 2015   7


Net income in the third quarter of 2015 also reflected the favourable impact of investment activity on insurance contract liabilities, positive credit experience and policyholder behaviour, partially offset by unfavourable morbidity and mortality experience, expense experience, and other experience items.

Net income in the third quarter of 2014 also reflected gains from investment activity on insurance contract liabilities, positive credit experience, tax benefits and business growth. These items were partially offset by unfavourable mortality and morbidity and expense experience.

Q3 2015 vs. Q3 2014 (year-to-date)

Our reported net income was $1,649 million for the first nine months of 2015, compared to $1,260 million in the first nine months of 2014. Operating net income was $1,655 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2015, compared to $1,409 million for the same period last year. Underlying net income was $1,659 million, compared to $1,456 million for the first nine months of 2014.

Operating ROE and underlying ROE for the first nine months of 2015 were both 12.5%. Operating ROE and underlying ROE for the first nine months of 2014 were 12.2% and 12.6%, respectively.

The following table reconciles our net income measures and sets out the impact that other notable items had on our net income for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014.

 

     Year-to-date  
($ millions, after-tax)    2015      2014  

Reported net income

     1,649         1,260   

Certain hedges that do not qualify for hedge accounting in SLF Canada

     11         (1

Fair value adjustments on share-based payment awards at MFS

     (3      (126

Acquisition, integration and restructuring costs(1)

     (14      (22

Operating net income(2)

     1,655         1,409   

Net equity market impact(3)

     (124      53   

Net interest rate impact(4)

     100         (158

Net increases (decreases) from changes in the fair value of real estate

     17         3   

Market related impacts

     (7      (102

Assumption changes and management actions

     3         55   

Underlying net income(2)

     1,659         1,456   

Impact of other notable items on our net income:

     

Experience related items(5)

     

Impact of investment activity on insurance contract liabilities

     91         90   

Mortality

     22         (16

Morbidity

     (12      (38

Credit

     54         43   

Lapse and other policyholder behaviour

     (10      (25

Expenses

     (42      (42

Other

     (21      22   

Other items(6)

             29   

 

(1)

In 2015, acquisition and integration costs primarily related to our acquisitions and integrations of Bentall Kennedy, Prime Advisors and Ryan Labs and our proposed acquisition of Assurant, Inc.’s U.S. Employee Benefits business. In 2014, restructuring costs consisted of transition costs related to the sale of our U.S. Annuity Business.

(2)

Represents a non-IFRS financial measure. See Use of Non-IFRS Financial Measures and Reconciliation of Non-IFRS Financial Measures.

(3)

Equity market impact consists primarily of the effect of changes in equity markets during the period, net of hedging, that differ from the best estimate assumptions used in the determination of our insurance contract liabilities of approximately 2% growth per quarter in equity markets. Equity market impact also includes the income impact of the basis risk inherent in our hedging program, which is the difference between the return on underlying funds of products that provide benefit guarantees and the return on the derivative assets used to hedge those benefit guarantees.

(4) 

Interest rate impact includes the effect of interest rate changes on investment returns that differ from best estimate assumptions, and on the value of derivative instruments used in our hedging programs. Our exposure to interest rates varies by product type, line of business and geography. Given the long-term nature of our business, we have a higher degree of sensitivity in respect of interest rates at long durations. Interest rate impact also includes the income impact of changes in assumed fixed income reinvestment rates and of credit and swap spread movements.

(5)

Experience related items reflect the difference between actual experience during the reporting period and best estimate assumptions used in the determination of our insurance contract liabilities.

(6) 

In 2014, Other items consists of non-recurring tax benefits pertaining to SLF U.K. and MFS.

Our reported net income for the first nine months of 2015 and 2014 included items that are not operational or ongoing in nature and are, therefore, excluded in our calculation of operating net income. Operating net income for the first nine months of 2015 and 2014 excluded the net impact of certain hedges that do not qualify for hedge accounting in SLF Canada, fair value adjustments on share-based payment awards at MFS, and acquisition, integration and restructuring costs. The net impact of these items reduced reported net income by $6 million in the first nine months of 2015 compared to a reduction of $149 million in the same period of 2014. In addition, our operating net income in the first nine months of 2015 increased by $137 million as a result of movements in currency rates in the first nine months of 2015 relative to the average exchange rates in the first nine months of 2014.

 

8   Sun Life Financial Inc.    Third Quarter 2015   MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS


Our underlying net income for the first nine months of 2015 and 2014 excludes market related impacts and assumption changes and management actions. The net impact of market related impacts and assumption changes and management actions reduced operating net income by $4 million in the first nine months of 2015, compared to a decrease of $47 million in the first nine months of 2014.

Net income for the first nine months of 2015 also reflected the favourable impact from investment activity on insurance contract liabilities, positive credit and mortality experience, partially offset by unfavourable expense experience including investment in growing our businesses, morbidity, lapse and other policyholder behaviour, and other experience items.

Net income for the first nine months of 2014 also reflected gains from investment activity on insurance contract liabilities, positive credit experience, business growth and tax benefits, partially offset by unfavourable mortality and morbidity, expense, and lapse and other policyholder behaviour experience.

Assumption Changes and Management Actions

Due to the long-term nature of our business, we make certain judgments involving assumptions and estimates to value our obligations to policyholders. The valuation of these obligations are recorded in our financial statements as insurance contract liabilities and investment contract liabilities and requires us to make assumptions about equity market performance, interest rates, asset default, mortality and morbidity rates, lapse and other policyholder behaviour, expenses and inflation and other factors over the life of our products. We review assumptions each year, generally in the third quarter, and revise these assumptions if appropriate.

During the third quarter of 2015 the net impact of assumption changes and management actions resulted in an increase of $32 million to reported and operating net income compared to an increase of $4 million in the third quarter of 2014.

Assumption changes and management actions by type

The following table sets out the impact of assumption changes and management actions on our net income in the third quarter of 2015.

 

Q3’15    Quarterly
($ millions, after-tax)   

Impact on

net income

    Comments

Mortality/morbidity

     179      Updates to reflect mortality/morbidity experience in all jurisdictions and changes to future mortality improvement assumptions in the International insurance business in SLF U.S.

Lapse and other policyholder behaviour

     (555   Updates to reflect experience as discussed below.

Expenses

     (85   Updates to reflect expense studies primarily in our International wealth business in SLF U.S. and in the individual wealth business in SLF Canada.

Investment returns

     237      Updates to various investment related assumptions. The largest items are a change to the provision for investment risk in the SLF Canada participating account and the reflection of investment strategy changes in the SLF Canada non-participating insurance business.

Model enhancements and other

     256      Other changes, the largest of which are changes in reinsurance agreements and tax assumptions in the SLF U.S. insurance business.

Total impact on net income(1)

     32       

 

(1) 

Assumption changes and management actions is presented as an adjustment to arrive at underlying net income described in the Q3 2015 vs. Q3 2014 heading of this section.

Changes in lapse and policyholder behaviour assumptions are primarily in the individual insurance businesses in SLF Canada and SLF U.S. The largest items, which all had negative impacts, were the increase in lapse rates at renewal for term insurance in SLF Canada to reflect a stronger link between lapse rates and the size of the renewal premium increase; the reduction in lapse rates at longer policy durations for Universal Life policies in SLF Canada to reflect emerging experience; the reduction in assumed premium payments for flexible premium insurance policies in SLF U.S. to reflect the increasing tendency of policyholders to stop paying premiums when their policy becomes fully funded; and the reduction in lapse rates on International insurance policies, especially for no-lapse-guarantee policies.

Goodwill Impairment Testing

In the fourth quarter of 2015, we will perform our annual goodwill impairment testing. Testing is conducted by comparing a cash generating unit’s (“CGU’s”) carrying value to its recoverable amount. We determine the recoverable amount by reference to an appraisal value that is impacted by the economic and regulatory environment, which includes changes in interest rates, market volatility, capital requirements and other factors, and is based on estimates of future sales, income, expenses, and the level and cost of capital over the lifetime of the business.

 

MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS   Sun Life Financial Inc.   Third Quarter 2015   9


A listing of our CGUs as at December 31, 2014 and the goodwill allocated to them is included in Note 10 of our 2014 Annual Consolidated Financial Statements.

Goodwill is not recognized as an asset for MCCSR purposes and is deducted from available capital. Therefore, impairment charges against goodwill do not have any impact on the MCCSR ratio.

Acquisitions

On July 31, 2015, we completed the acquisition of Prime Advisors, a U.S.-based investment management firm specializing in customized fixed income portfolios primarily for U.S. insurance companies.

On September 1, 2015, we completed the acquisition of Bentall Kennedy, a real estate investment manager operating in Canada and the U.S.

On September 9, 2015, we entered into an agreement with Assurant, Inc. (“Assurant”) to acquire Assurant’s U.S. Employee Benefits business. The acquisition will be financed using a combination of cash and subordinated debt issued by SLF Inc. The transaction is expected to close by the end of the first quarter of 2016 and is subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions.

Additional information concerning the acquisitions is provided in Note 3 of our Interim Consolidated Financial Statements.

Impact of Foreign Exchange Rates

We have operations in many markets worldwide, including Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, India, China, Australia, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Bermuda, and generate revenues and incur expenses in local currencies in these jurisdictions, which are translated to Canadian dollars.

Items impacting our Consolidated Statements of Operations, such as Revenue, Benefits and expenses, and income, are translated to Canadian dollars using average exchange rates for the respective period. For items impacting our Consolidated Statements of Financial Position, such as Assets and Liabilities, period end rates are used for currency translation purposes. The following table provides the most relevant foreign exchange rates over the past five quarters and two years.

 

     Quarterly      Year-to-date  
Exchange Rate    Q3’15      Q2’15      Q1’15      Q4’14      Q3’14      2015      2014  

Average

                    

U.S. Dollar

     1.307         1.229         1.240         1.136         1.088         1.259         1.094   

U.K. Pounds

     2.025         1.882         1.878         1.797         1.817         1.929         1.825   

Period end

                    

U.S. Dollar

     1.331         1.249         1.269         1.162         1.120         1.331         1.120   

U.K. Pounds

     2.014         1.962         1.880         1.809         1.815         2.014         1.815   

In general, our net income benefits from a weakening Canadian dollar and is adversely affected by a strengthening Canadian dollar as net income from the Company’s international operations is translated back to Canadian dollars. However, in a period of losses, the weakening of the Canadian dollar has the effect of increasing the losses. The relative impact of foreign exchange in any given period is driven by the movement of currency rates as well as the proportion of earnings generated in our foreign operations. We generally express the impact of foreign exchange on net income on a year-over-year basis. During the third quarter of 2015, our operating net income increased by $58 million as a result of movements in currency rates in the third quarter of 2015 relative to the average exchange rates in the third quarter of 2014. In addition, during the first nine months of 2015, our operating net income increased by $137 million as a result of movements in currency rates in the first nine months of 2015 relative to the average exchange rates in the first nine months of 2014.

 

10   Sun Life Financial Inc.    Third Quarter 2015   MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS


Performance by Business Group

 

 

SLF Canada

 

 

SLF Canada is the Canadian market leader in a number of its businesses, providing products and services to over six million Canadians. Our distribution breadth, strong service culture, technology leadership, and brand recognition provide an excellent platform for growth. SLF Canada has three main business units – Individual Insurance & Wealth, Group Benefits (“GB”), and Group Retirement Services (“GRS”) – which offer a full range of protection, wealth accumulation, and income products and services to individuals in their communities and their workplaces.

 

     Quarterly results      Year-to-date  
($ millions)    Q3’15      Q2’15      Q1’15      Q4’14      Q3’14      2015      2014  

Underlying net income (loss)(1)

     174         250         201         181         237         625         642   

Market related impacts

     (51      70         (69      (54      (33      (50      (23

Assumption changes and management actions

     14         11         3         (4      35         28         55   

Operating net income (loss)(1)

     137         331         135         123         239         603         674   

Hedges that do not qualify for hedge accounting

     (10      6         15         (6      2         11         (1

Reported net income (loss)

     127         337         150         117         241         614         673   

Underlying ROE (%)(1)

     9.0         12.8         10.6         9.7         12.8         10.8         11.6   

Operating ROE (%)(1)

     7.0         17.0         7.1         6.6         12.9         10.4         12.2   

Operating net income (loss) by business unit(1)

                    

Individual Insurance & Wealth(1)

     42         178         38         80         68         258         304   

Group Benefits(1)

     71         107         54         55         124         232         235   

Group Retirement Services(1)

     24         46         43         (12      47         113         135   

Total operating net income (loss)(1)

     137         331         135         123         239         603         674   

 

(1) 

Represents a non-IFRS financial measure. See Use of Non-IFRS Financial Measures and Reconciliation of Non-IFRS Financial Measures.

Q3 2015 vs. Q3 2014

SLF Canada’s reported net income was $127 million in the third quarter of 2015, compared to $241 million in the third quarter of 2014. Operating net income was $137 million, compared to $239 million in the third quarter of 2014. Operating net income for both periods in SLF Canada excludes the impact of certain hedges that do not qualify for hedge accounting, which are set out in the table above.

Underlying net income in the third quarter of 2015 was $174 million, compared to $237 million in the third quarter of 2014. Underlying net income in SLF Canada excludes from operating net income market related impacts and assumption changes and management actions, which are set out in the table above. The unfavourable effect of market related impacts in the third quarter of 2015 was primarily driven by equity markets partially offset by swap spreads and credit spreads, compared to the unfavourable effect in the third quarter of 2014 primarily driven by interest rates and equity markets.

Net income in the third quarter of 2015 also reflected lower gains from new business in GRS, unfavourable mortality experience in the individual wealth business in Individual Insurance & Wealth and GRS, and expense experience including investment in growing our individual wealth business. In our GB line of business, the unfavourable, though improved, impacts of high cost drug claims were offset by positive disability experience.

Net income in the third quarter of 2014 also reflected net realized gains on available-for-sale (“AFS”) assets, the favourable impact of gains from new business in GRS and the insurance business in Individual Insurance & Wealth, as well as gains from investing activity on insurance contract liabilities.

In the third quarter of 2015, individual life and health insurance product sales increased 31% compared to the same period last year, and included a number of large participating whole life insurance sales. Sales of Individual wealth products increased 16% over the third quarter of 2014 due to strong mutual fund sales and segregated fund sales including sales of Sun Life Guaranteed Investment Funds. Sun Life Global Investments (Canada) Inc. (“SLGI”) retail mutual funds continued their positive momentum from 2014, with sales up 45% over the same period in 2014.

GB sales increased 72% compared to the third quarter of 2014 primarily driven by activity in the large case market segment. GRS sales increased 71% compared to the prior year due to strong defined contribution sales and the successful retention of large case business. Pension rollover sales were $543 million, an increase of 39% from the third quarter of 2014.

Q3 2015 vs. Q3 2014 (year-to-date)

Reported net income was $614 million for the first nine months of 2015, compared to $673 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2014. Operating net income for the first nine months of 2015 was $603 million, compared to $674 million in the same

 

MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS   Sun Life Financial Inc.   Third Quarter 2015   11


period of 2014. Operating net income for both periods in SLF Canada excludes the impact of certain hedges that do not qualify for hedge accounting, which are set out in the table above.

Underlying net income was $625 million in the nine months ended September 30, 2015, compared to $642 million in the same period last year. Underlying net income in SLF Canada excludes from operating net income market related impacts and assumption changes and management actions, which are set out in the table above. The unfavourable effect of market related impacts in the first nine months of 2015 was primarily driven by equity markets partially offset by the positive impacts of swap spreads and credit spreads, compared to the unfavourable effect in the first nine months of 2014 primarily driven by interest rates partially offset by equity markets.

Net income for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 also reflected gains from investment activity on insurance contract liabilities offset by unfavourable policyholder behaviour, lower gains on new business, and expense experience including investment in growing our individual wealth business.

Net income for the nine months ended September 30, 2014 also reflected net realized gains on AFS assets, gains from new business in GRS and the insurance business in Individual Insurance & Wealth, as well as gains from investing activity on insurance contract liabilities. These positive impacts were partially offset by unfavourable morbidity experience in GB.

SLF U.S.

 

 

SLF U.S. has three business units: Group Benefits, International, and In-force Management. Group Benefits provides protection solutions to employers and employees including group life, disability, medical stop-loss, and dental insurance products, as well as a suite of voluntary benefits products. International offers individual life insurance and investment wealth products to high net worth clients in international markets. In-force Management includes certain closed individual life insurance products, primarily universal life and participating whole life insurance.

 

     Quarterly results      Year-to-date  
(US$ millions)    Q3’15      Q2’15      Q1’15      Q4’14      Q3’14      2015      2014  

Underlying net income (loss)(1)

     73         85         65         9         45         223         231   

Market related impacts

     (16      23         8         16         (6      15         (53

Assumption changes and management actions

     (8              (54      121         (42      (62      (19

Operating net income (loss)(1)

     49         108         19         146         (3      176         159   

Reported net income (loss)

     49         108         19         146         (3      176         159   

Underlying ROE (%)(1)

     11.2         12.7         9.7         1.3         6.8         11.2         11.3   

Operating ROE (%)(1)

     7.5         16.2         2.8         22.0         (0.4      8.9         7.8   

Operating net income (loss) by business unit(1)

                    

Group Benefits(1)

     16         22         38         (64      (11      76         9   

International(1)

     67         (1      2         78         33         68         83   

In-force Management(1)

     (34      87         (21      132         (25      32         67   

Total operating net income (loss)(1)

     49         108         19         146         (3      176         159   

(C$ millions)

                                                              

Underlying net income (loss)(1)

     97         105         81         13         48         283         253   

Operating net income (loss)(1)

     64         134         35         168         (4      233         173   

Reported net income (loss)

     64         134         35         168         (4      233         173   

 

(1)

Represents a non-IFRS financial measure. See Use of Non-IFRS Financial Measures and Reconciliation of Non-IFRS Financial Measures.

Q3 2015 vs. Q3 2014

SLF U.S.’s reported net income and operating net income was C$64 million in the third quarter of 2015, compared to reported net loss and operating net loss of C$4 million in the third quarter of 2014. There were no operating net income adjustments in SLF U.S. in 2015 or 2014. Underlying net income was C$97 million, compared to C$48 million in the third quarter of 2014. The weakening of the Canadian dollar in the third quarter of 2015 relative to average exchange rates in the third quarter of 2014 increased operating net income by $11 million.

In U.S. dollars, SLF U.S.’s reported net income and operating net income was US$49 million in the third quarter of 2015, compared to reported net loss and operating net loss of US$3 million in the third quarter of 2014. Underlying net income was US$73 million in the third quarter of 2015, compared to US$45 million in the third quarter of 2014. Underlying net income excludes from operating net income market related impacts and assumption changes and management actions, which are set out in the table above. The unfavourable effect of market related impacts in the third quarter of 2015 was primarily driven by the impact of interest rate and equity market changes partially offset by changes in credit spreads and swap spreads, compared to the unfavourable effect in the third quarter of 2014 primarily driven by the impact of interest rate changes partially offset by changes in credit spreads. Assumption

 

12   Sun Life Financial Inc.    Third Quarter 2015   MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS


changes and management actions in the third quarter of 2015 had an unfavourable impact in In-force Management mostly offset by favourable impacts in International and Group Benefits.

Net income in the third quarter of 2015 also reflected net realized gains on the sale of AFS assets, favourable tax adjustments related to prior years, and the impact of price increases and expense management in Group Benefits. These items were partially offset by unfavourable morbidity and mortality experience in Group Benefits.

Net income in the third quarter of 2014 also reflected unfavourable underwriting experience in Group Benefits, primarily in the disability line of business, unfavourable mortality experience in Group Benefits and In-force Management and non-recurring expense experience.

Group Benefits sales in the third quarter of 2015 increased 10% compared to the same period last year driven by a 63% increase in stop-loss sales.

International sales reflect the ongoing repositioning of our product offerings in our chosen life and wealth markets, and showed a decrease of 66% compared to the same period last year.

Q3 2015 vs. Q3 2014 (year-to-date)

SLF U.S.’s reported net income and operating net income was C$233 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2015, compared to reported net income and operating net income of C$173 million for the same period last year. There were no operating net income adjustments in SLF U.S. in 2015 or 2014. Underlying net income was C$283 million in the first nine months of 2015, compared to C$253 million in the same period of 2014. The weakening of the Canadian dollar in the first nine months of 2015 relative to average exchange rates in the first nine months of 2014 increased operating net income by $31 million.

In U.S. dollars, SLF U.S.’s reported net income and operating net income was US$176 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2015, compared to reported net income and operating net income of US$159 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2014. Underlying net income was US$223 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2015, compared to US$231 million in the same period last year. Underlying net income excludes from operating net income market related impacts and assumption changes and management actions, which are set out in the table above. The favourable effect of market related impacts in the first nine months of 2015 was primarily driven by changes in credit spreads partially offset by equity market changes, compared to the unfavourable effect in the first nine months of 2014 primarily driven by interest rates.

Net income for the first nine months of 2015 also reflected positive credit experience, net realized gains on the sale of AFS assets, favourable tax adjustments related to prior years, the impact of price increases and expense management in Group Benefits, and favourable mortality experience in International. These items were partially offset by unfavourable claims experience in Group Benefits and unfavourable mortality and policyholder behaviour experience in In-force Management.

Net income for the first nine months of 2014 also reflected net realized gains on the sale of AFS assets and favourable credit experience, partially offset by unfavourable mortality experience in group life and In-force Management and unfavourable underwriting experience in our group disability line of business.

SLF Asset Management

 

 

SLF Asset Management is our asset management segment composed of MFS and SLIM.

MFS is a premier global asset management firm which offers a comprehensive selection of products and services. Drawing on an investment heritage that emphasizes collaboration and integrity, MFS actively manages assets for retail and institutional investors around the world through mutual and commingled funds, separately managed accounts, institutional products, and retirement strategies.

SLIM delivers customized fixed income solutions including liability-driven investing, and a suite of alternative, yield-oriented asset classes, including private fixed income, real estate and commercial mortgages. SLIM consists of the businesses of Bentall Kennedy, Prime Advisors, Ryan Labs, and SLIM Inc. that offer a comprehensive set of capabilities to institutional investors.

 

MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS   Sun Life Financial Inc.   Third Quarter 2015   13


      Quarterly results      Year-to-date  

SLF Asset Management (C$ millions)

     Q3’15         Q2’15         Q1’15         Q4’14         Q3’14         2015         2014   

Operating net income and underlying net income(1)

     176         173         168         156         168         517         460   

Fair value adjustments on share-based payment awards

     28         (11      (20      1         (31      (3      (126

Reported net income

     204         162         148         157         137         514         334   

Assets under management (C$ billions)(2)

     593.0         558.3         559.9         500.7         475.6         593.0         475.6   

Gross sales (C$ billions)(2)

     22.7         25.3         28.2         23.3         21.9         76.2         67.8   

Net sales (C$ billions)(2)

     (11.2      (1.8      (0.2      (2.2      (2.2      (13.2      3.4   

MFS (C$ millions)

                                                              

Operating net income(1)

     173         173         168         156         168         514         460   

Fair value adjustments on share-based payment awards

     28         (11      (20      1         (31      (3      (126

Reported net income

     201         162         148         157         137         511         334   

Assets under management (C$ billions)(2)

     537.4         550.2         559.9         500.7         475.6         537.4         475.6   

Gross sales (C$ billions)(2)

     21.5         24.7         28.2         23.3         21.9         74.4         67.8   

Net sales (C$ billions)(2)

     (11.8      (2.2      (0.2      (2.2      (2.2      (14.2      3.4   

(US$ millions)

                                                              

Operating net income(1)

     133         141         135         137         154         409         420   

Fair value adjustments on share-based payment awards

     21         (9      (16              (28      (4      (114

Reported net income

     154         132         119         137         126         405         306   

Pre-tax operating profit margin ratio(2)

     40%         40%         40%         39%         43%         40%         42%   

Average net assets (US$ billions)(2)

     429.5         450.3         436.4         427.3         434.7         438.7         425.0   

Assets under management (US$ billions)(2)(3)

     403.7         440.5         441.4         431.0         424.8         403.7         424.8   

Gross sales (US$ billions)(2)

     16.5         20.1         22.8         20.5         20.1         59.4         62.0   

Net sales (US$ billions)(2)

     (9.0      (1.8      (0.2      (1.9      (2.0      (11.0      3.1   

Asset appreciation (depreciation) (US$ billions)

     (27.8      0.9         10.6         8.1         (11.8      (16.3      8.9   

S&P 500 Index (daily average)

     2,027         2,102         2,064         2,012         1,977         2,064         1,897   

MSCI EAFE Index (daily average)

     1,785         1,906         1,817         1,795         1,924         1,835         1,920   

SLIM (C$ millions)

                                                              

Operating net income(1)

     3                     3      

Reported net income

     3                                             3            

Assets under management (C$ billions)(2)(4)

     55.6         8.1                  55.6      

Gross sales (C$ billions)(2)(4)

     1.2         0.6                  1.8      

Net sales (C$ billions)(2)(4)

     0.6         0.4                                    1.0            

 

(1)

Represents a non-IFRS financial measure that excludes fair value adjustments on share-based payment awards at MFS. For SLF Asset Management, operating net income is generally expected to be equal to underlying net income. See Use of Non-IFRS Financial Measures and Reconciliation of Non-IFRS Financial Measures.

(2) 

Pre-tax operating profit margin ratio, AUM, average net assets, and sales are non-IFRS financial measures. See Reconciliation of Non-IFRS Financial Measures.

(3) 

Monthly Information on AUM is provided by MFS in its Corporate Fact Sheet, which can be found in the “About MFS” section of its website at www.mfs.com/CorpFact.

(4) 

Beginning in the third quarter of 2015, we are reporting SLIM’s AUM, gross sales and net sales in the SLF Asset Management segment as described under the heading How we report our results. In the second quarter of 2015, the AUM, gross sales and net sales were previously included in the Corporate segment.

Q3 2015 vs. Q3 2014

SLF Asset Management’s reported net income was C$204 million in the third quarter of 2015, compared to C$137 million in the third quarter of 2014. SLF Asset Management had operating net income and underlying net income of C$176 million in the third quarter of 2015, compared to C$168 million in the third quarter of 2014. Operating net income and underlying net income in SLF Asset Management excludes the impact of fair value adjustments on share-based payment awards at MFS, which is set out in the table above. The weakening of the Canadian dollar in the third quarter of 2015 relative to average exchange rates in the third quarter of 2014 increased operating net income by $29 million.

 

14   Sun Life Financial Inc.    Third Quarter 2015   MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS


SLF Asset Management’s net income increased in the third quarter of 2015 compared to the same period in 2014 primarily due to the favourable impact of currency, partially offset by the results of MFS.

In U.S. dollars, MFS’s reported net income was US$154 million in the third quarter of 2015, compared to US$126 million in the third quarter of 2014. MFS’s operating net income was US$133 million in the third quarter of 2015, compared to US$154 million in the third quarter of 2014. Operating net income in MFS excludes the impact of fair value adjustments on share-based payment awards, which is set out in the table above. MFS’s operating net income in U.S. dollars decreased in the third quarter of 2015 compared to the same period in 2014, primarily due to compensation costs and continued investment in technological infrastructure, lower average net assets and tax benefits in the third quarter of 2014. MFS’s pre-tax operating profit margin ratio was 40% in the third quarter of 2015, down from 43% in the third quarter of 2014.

SLIM’s reported net income and operating net income was C$3 million in the third quarter of 2015. SLIM’s net income in the third quarter of 2015 reflected the acquisition of Bentall Kennedy and Prime Advisors during the quarter.

SLF Asset Management’s AUM was C$593.0 billion as at September 30, 2015, compared to C$500.7 billion as at December 31, 2014. The increase in SLF Asset Management’s AUM was primarily due to the acquisitions in SLIM in the third quarter of 2015. MFS’s AUM was US$403.7 billion as at September 30, 2015, compared to US$431.0 billion as at December 31, 2014. The decrease of US$27.3 billion was primarily driven by gross sales of US$59.4 billion, more than offset by redemptions of US$70.4 billion and asset depreciation of US$16.3 billion. Market volatility during the third quarter of 2015 contributed to a decrease in gross sales across our retail and institutional product lines. In addition, some large institutional clients rebalanced their investments leading to redemptions that were larger than usual. These factors were the major drivers to our net outflows this quarter. 74%, 86%, and 97% of MFS’s retail fund assets ranked in the top half of their Lipper categories based on three-, five-, and ten-year performance, respectively at September 30, 2015. SLIM’s AUM was C$55.6 billion as at September 30, 2015.

Q3 2015 vs. Q3 2014 (year-to-date)

SLF Asset Management’s reported net income was C$514 million in the first nine months of 2015, compared to C$334 million in the first nine months of 2014. SLF Asset Management had operating net income and underlying net income of C$517 million in the first nine months of 2015, compared to C$460 million in the first nine months of 2014. The weakening of the Canadian dollar in the first nine months of 2015 relative to average exchange rates in the first nine months of 2014 increased operating net income by $67 million.

MFS’s reported net income for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 was US$405 million, compared to US$306 million for the same period last year. MFS’s operating net income was US$409 million for the first nine months of 2015, compared to US$420 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2014. MFS’s operating net income in U.S. dollars for the first nine months of 2015 decreased compared to the same period last year, primarily due to compensation costs and continued investment in technological infrastructure, partially offset by higher average net assets.

SLIM’s reported net income and operating net income for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 was C$3 million.

SLF Asia

 

 

SLF Asia operates through subsidiaries in the Philippines, Hong Kong, and Indonesia, as well as through joint ventures with local partners in the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, China, and India. We offer individual life insurance products in all seven markets, and group benefits and/or pension and retirement products in the Philippines, China, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia, and Vietnam. We have also established asset management companies either directly or through joint ventures in the Philippines, China, and India. We distribute these protection and wealth products to middle- and upper-income individuals, groups, and affinity clients through multiple distribution channels.

 

     Quarterly results      Year-to-date  
($ millions)    Q3’15      Q2’15      Q1’15      Q4’14      Q3’14      2015      2014  

Underlying net income (loss)(1)

     67         71         62         50         48         200         124   

Market related impacts

     (17      19         10         (8      3         12         (4

Assumption changes and management actions

     27         3         (4      20                 26           

Operating net income (loss)(1)

     77         93         68         62         51         238         120   

Reported net income (loss)

     77         93         68         62         51         238         120   

Underlying ROE (%)(1)

     7.8         8.4         7.7         6.8         7.1         8.0         6.4   

Operating ROE (%)(1)

     9.1         11.0         8.6         8.4         7.5         9.6         6.2   

 

(1) 

Represents a non-IFRS financial measure. See Use of Non-IFRS Financial Measures and Reconciliation of Non-IFRS Financial Measures.

Q3 2015 vs. Q3 2014

SLF Asia’s reported net income and operating net income was $77 million in the third quarter of 2015, compared to reported net income and operating net income of $51 million in the third quarter of 2014. There were no operating net income adjustments in SLF Asia in 2015 or 2014. The weakening of the Canadian dollar in the third quarter of 2015 relative to average exchange rates in the third quarter of 2014 increased operating net income by $10 million.

 

 

MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS   Sun Life Financial Inc.   Third Quarter 2015   15


Underlying net income was $67 million, compared to $48 million in the third quarter of 2014. Underlying net income excludes from operating net income market related impacts and assumption changes and management actions, which are set out in the table above. The unfavourable effect of market related impacts in the third quarter of 2015 was primarily driven by equity markets and interest rates, compared to the favourable effect in the third quarter of 2014 primarily driven by equity markets.

Net income in the third quarter of 2015 also reflected business growth relative to the third quarter of 2014.

Total individual insurance sales of $114 million increased 8% compared to the third quarter of 2014. Excluding currency impact, individual insurance sales decreased by 5%. Sales increases in the Philippines, Vietnam and Malaysia of 17%, 142% and 23%, respectively, in local currency, were driven by growth in the agency distribution in the Philippines and Vietnam and bancassurance distribution in Malaysia. These increases were more than offset by decreases in Hong Kong, Indonesia, India and China. Wealth sales grew compared to the third quarter of 2014, with strong mutual fund sales in India and higher Mandatory Provident Fund sales in Hong Kong.

Q3 2015 vs. Q3 2014 (year-to-date)

Reported net income and operating net income was $238 million for the first nine months of 2015, compared to reported net income and operating net income of $120 million for the same period last year. There were no operating net income adjustments in SLF Asia in 2015 or 2014. The weakening of the Canadian dollar in the first nine months of 2015 relative to average exchange rates in the first nine months of 2014 increased operating net income by $28 million.

Underlying net income for the first nine months of 2015 was $200 million, compared to $124 million in the same period last year. Underlying net income excludes from operating net income market related impacts and assumption changes and management actions, which are set out in the table above. The favourable impact of market related effect in the first nine months of 2015 was primarily driven by equity markets and interest rates, compared to the unfavourable effect in the first nine months of 2014 primarily driven by interest rates and partially offset by equity markets.

Net income for the first nine months of 2015 also reflected favourable impacts from business growth and net gains on AFS securities relative to the first nine months of 2014. Net income for the first nine months of 2014 reflected net losses on AFS securities driven by an impairment in Hong Kong.

Total individual life sales of $341 million in the first nine months of 2015 increased by 18% compared to the first nine months of 2014, or an increase of 6% excluding currency impact. Sales increased across the region except in China, India and Hong Kong. Sales in the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia increased 37%, 111%, 25% and 4%, respectively, measured in local currency. Wealth sales increased compared to the first nine months of 2014 driven by China, India and Hong Kong.

Corporate

 

 

Corporate includes the results of SLF U.K. and Corporate Support. Corporate Support includes our Run-off reinsurance business as well as investment income, expenses, capital, and other items that have not been allocated to our other business segments. SLF U.K. has a run-off block of business which has been closed to new business and focuses on supporting existing customers.

 

     Quarterly results      Year-to-date  
($ millions)    Q3’15      Q2’15      Q1’15      Q4’14      Q3’14      2015      2014  

Underlying net income (loss)(1)

     14         16         4         (40      16         34         (23

Market related impacts

     9         (21      28         23         (18      16         (17

Assumption changes and management actions

     1         5         8         19         15         14         22   

Operating net income (loss)(1)

     24                 40         2         13         64         (18

Acquisition, integration and restructuring costs(2)

     (14                      (4      (3      (14      (22

Reported net income (loss)

     10                 40         (2      10         50         (40

Operating net income (loss) by business unit(1)

                    

SLF U.K.(1)

     70         37         71         65         44         178         109   

Corporate Support(1)

     (46      (37      (31      (63      (31      (114      (127

Total operating net income (loss)(1)

     24                 40         2         13         64         (18

 

(1) 

Represents a non-IFRS financial measure. See Use of Non-IFRS Financial Measures and Reconciliation of Non-IFRS Financial Measures.

(2) 

In 2015, acquisition and integration costs primarily related to our acquisitions and integrations of Bentall Kennedy, Prime Advisors and Ryan Labs and our proposed acquisition of Assurant, Inc.’s U.S. Employee Benefits business. In 2014, restructuring costs consisted of transition costs related to the sale of our U.S. Annuity Business.

Q3 2015 vs. Q3 2014

Corporate had a reported net income of $10 million in the third quarter of 2015, compared to a reported net income of $10 million in the third quarter of 2014. Operating net income was $24 million for the third quarter of 2015, compared to an operating net income of $13 million in the same period last year. Operating net income (loss) excludes acquisition, integration and restructuring costs, which are set out in the table above. The weakening of the Canadian dollar in the third quarter of 2015 relative to average exchange rates in the third quarter of 2014 increased operating net income by $8 million.

 

 

16   Sun Life Financial Inc.    Third Quarter 2015   MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS


Underlying net income was $14 million, compared to underlying net income of $16 million in the third quarter of 2014. Underlying net income excludes from operating net income market related impacts and assumption changes and management actions, which are set out in the table above. The favourable effect of market related impacts in the third quarter of 2015 was primarily driven by interest rates and equity markets, compared to the unfavourable effect in the third quarter of 2014 primarily driven by interest rates.

SLF U.K.’s operating net income was $70 million in the third quarter of 2015, compared to $44 million in the third quarter of 2014. SLF U.K.’s net income in the third quarter of 2015 reflected the favourable effect of interest rates and equity markets, policyholder behaviour, and investment activity on insurance contract liabilities, partially offset by assumption changes and management actions. Net income in the third quarter of 2014 reflected the unfavourable impact of interest rates, partially offset by positive mortality experience and a non-recurring tax-related benefit.

Corporate Support had an operating net loss of $46 million in the third quarter of 2015, compared to an operating net loss of $31 million in the third quarter of 2014. The increase in loss was largely as a result of foreign exchange losses in the third quarter of 2015.

Q3 2015 vs. Q3 2014 (year-to-date)

The reported net income was $50 million in the Corporate segment for the nine months ended September 30, 2015, compared to a reported net loss of $40 million in the same period one year ago. Operating net income was $64 million for the first nine months of 2015, compared to an operating net loss of $18 million in the same period last year. Operating net income (loss) excludes acquisition, integration and restructuring costs, which are set out in the table above. The weakening of the Canadian dollar in the first nine months of 2015 relative to average exchange rates in the first nine months of 2014 increased operating net income by $11 million.

Underlying net income was $34 million in the nine months ended September 30, 2015, compared to an underlying net loss of $23 million in the nine months ended September 30, 2014. Underlying net income excludes from operating net income market related impacts and assumption changes and management actions, which are set out in the table above. The favourable effect of market related impacts in the first nine months of 2015 was primarily driven by interest rates partially offset by equity markets, compared to the unfavourable effect in the first nine months of 2014 primarily driven by interest rates and equity markets.

SLF U.K.’s operating net income for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 was $178 million, compared to $109 million for the first nine months ended September 30, 2014. Net income in the first nine months of 2015 reflected the favourable effect of interest rates, policyholder behaviour and mortality experience, and assumption changes and management actions, partially offset by equity markets. Net income in the first nine months of 2014 reflected positive impacts from assumption changes and management actions, partially offset by the unfavourable impact of interest rates and equity markets.

In Corporate Support, the operating net loss for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 was $114 million, compared to an operating loss of $127 million for the same period one year ago. The decrease in loss was due to lower preferred share dividends and tax benefits, partially offset by higher level of project expenses.

Additional Financial Disclosure

 

 

Revenue

 

     Quarterly results      Year-to-date  
($ millions)    Q3’15      Q2’15      Q1’15      Q4’14      Q3’14      2015      2014  

Premiums

                    

Gross

     3,835         4,103         3,723         4,023         4,080         11,661         11,476   

Ceded

     (1,721      (1,580      (1,516      (1,322      (1,385      (4,817      (4,181

Net premium revenue

     2,114         2,523         2,207         2,701         2,695         6,844         7,295   

Net investment income

                    

Interest and other investment income

     1,362         1,320         1,279         1,258         1,265         3,961         3,683   

Fair value and foreign currency changes on assets and liabilities

     (168      (3,500      2,495         2,196         495         (1,173      3,976   

Net gains (losses) on available-for-sale assets

     47         46         96         49         48         189         153   

Fee income

     1,338         1,293         1,255         1,171         1,111         3,886         3,282   

Total revenue

     4,693         1,682         7,332         7,375         5,614         13,707         18,389   

Adjusted revenue(1)

     5,573         6,011         5,685         6,229         6,249         17,297         17,824   

 

(1) 

Represents a non-IFRS financial measure that excludes from revenue the impact of Constant Currency Adjustment, FV Adjustment, and Reinsurance in SLF Canada’s GB Operations Adjustment as described in Use of Non-IFRS Financial Measures and Reconciliation of Non-IFRS Financial Measures.

Revenue in the third quarter of 2015 was $4.7 billion, compared to $5.6 billion in the third quarter of 2014. The decrease is mainly attributable to net losses from changes in fair value of fair value through profit or loss (“FVTPL”) assets and liabilities and lower net

 

MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS   Sun Life Financial Inc.   Third Quarter 2015   17


premium revenue in SLF Canada, SLF U.S. and Corporate Support, partially offset by favourable currency impact from the weakening Canadian dollar and higher fee income in SLF Canada, SLF Asset Management and SLF Asia. The weakening of the Canadian dollar relative to average exchange rates in the third quarter of 2014 increased revenue by $532 million. Adjusted revenue was $5.6 billion in the third quarter of 2015, $0.6 billion lower compared to the third quarter of 2014. The decrease was primarily driven by lower net premium revenue in SLF Canada, SLF U.S. and Corporate Support, partially offset by higher fee income in SLF Canada, SLF Asset Management and SLF Asia.

Revenue was $13.7 billion for the nine months ended September 30, 2015, down $4.7 billion from the comparable period last year. The decrease was mainly attributable to net losses in changes in fair value of FVTPL assets and liabilities and lower net premium revenue in SLF Canada, SLF U.S. and Corporate Support, partially offset by favourable currency impact from the weakening Canadian dollar and higher fee income from SLF Asset Management, SLF Canada and SLF Asia. Adjusted revenue of $17.3 billion for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 was $0.5 billion lower compared to the same period last year, primarily due to lower net premium revenue in SLF Canada, SLF U.S. and Corporate Support, partially offset by higher fee income in SLF Asset Management, SLF Canada and SLF Asia.

Premiums and Deposits

 

     Quarterly results      Year-to-date  
($ millions)    Q3’15      Q2’15      Q1’15      Q4’14      Q3’14      2015      2014  

Net premium revenue

     2,114         2,523         2,207         2,701         2,695         6,844         7,295   

Segregated fund deposits

     2,626         4,487         2,411         2,155         1,907         9,524         7,094   

Mutual fund sales(1)

     16,902         19,927         22,124         17,071         14,714         58,953         49,548   

Managed fund sales(1)

     7,507         7,002         8,243         7,988         8,170         22,752         21,880   

ASO premium and deposit equivalents(1)

     1,758         1,781         1,769         1,855         1,638         5,308         4,893   

Total premiums and deposits(1)

     30,907         35,720         36,754         31,770         29,124         103,381         90,710   

Total adjusted premiums and deposits(1)(2)

     27,938         33,663         34,099         31,842         30,254         95,854         94,121   

 

(1)

Represents a non-IFRS financial measure. See Use of Non-IFRS Financial Measures and Reconciliation of Non-IFRS Financial Measures.

(2)

Represents a non-IFRS financial measure that excludes from premiums and deposits the impact of Constant Currency Adjustment and Reinsurance in SLF Canada’s GB Operations Adjustment as described in Use of Non-IFRS Financial Measures and Reconciliation of Non-IFRS Financial Measures.

Premiums and deposits were $30.9 billion in the third quarter of 2015, compared to $29.1 billion in the third quarter of 2014, primarily due to favourable currency impact, higher segregated fund deposits in SLF Canada, partially offset by lower fund sales in SLF Asset Management and decreased net premium revenue in SLF Canada, SLF U.S. and Corporate Support. The weakening of the Canadian dollar relative to average exchange rates in the third quarter of 2014 increased total premiums and deposits by approximately $4.1 billion. Adjusted premiums and deposits of $27.9 billion in the third quarter of 2015 decreased $2.4 billion from the third quarter of 2014. The decrease was mainly the result of lower fund sales in SLF Asset Management and decreased net premium revenue in SLF Canada, SLF U.S. and Corporate Support, partially offset by higher fund sales in SLF Asia.

Premiums and deposits were $103.4 billion for the nine months ended September 30, 2015, compared to $90.7 billion for the nine months ended September 30, 2014. The increase was primarily attributable to favourable currency impact from the weakening of the Canadian dollar, higher segregated fund deposits and ASO premium and deposit equivalents in SLF Canada, increased fund sales in SLF Asia, partially offset by lower fund sales in SLF Asset Management, lower net premium revenue in SLF Canada, SLF U.S. and Corporate Support. Adjusted premiums and deposits of $95.9 billion for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 increased by $1.8 billion over the same period last year. The increase was mainly due to higher segregated fund deposits and ASO premium and deposit equivalents in SLF Canada, increased fund sales in SLF Asia, partially offset by lower fund sales in SLF Asset Management, lower net premium revenue in SLF Canada, SLF U.S. and Corporate Support.

Net premium revenue, which reflects gross premiums less amounts ceded to reinsurers, was $2.1 billion in the third quarter of 2015, compared to $2.7 billion in the third quarter of 2014. Net premium revenue was $6.8 billion in the first nine months in 2015, compared to $7.3 billion in the same period last year. In both cases, the decrease was mainly attributable to decreased defined benefit solution sales in GRS in SLF Canada, lower sales in International in SLF U.S. and the impact of a reinsurance agreement in Run-off Reinsurance we entered into during the quarter, partially offset by favourable currency impact and higher net premium revenue in SLF Asia.

Segregated fund deposits were $2.6 billion in the third quarter of 2015, compared to $1.9 billion in the third quarter of 2014. Segregated fund deposits were $9.5 billion in the first nine months in 2015, compared to $7.1 billion in the same period last year. In both cases, the increase was largely attributable to increases in GRS in SLF Canada.

Sales of mutual funds was $16.9 billion in the third quarter of 2015, up $2.2 billion compared to the third quarter of 2014. Sales of mutual funds was $59.0 billion in the first nine months in 2015, compared to $49.5 billion in the same period last year. In both cases, the increase was driven by favourable currency impact and higher sales in India and SLF Canada. Sales of managed funds was $7.5 billion in the third quarter of 2015, compared to $8.2 billion in the third quarter of 2014. The decrease was largely due to lower sales in MFS in SLF Asset Management, partially offset by favourable currency impact from the weakening of the Canadian dollar and SLF Asset Management sales from SLIM, including the 2015 acquisitions and SLIM Inc. Sales of managed funds was $22.8 billion in the first nine months in 2015, compared to $21.9 billion in the same period last year. The increase was primarily

 

18   Sun Life Financial Inc.    Third Quarter 2015   MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS


driven by favourable currency impact from the weakening Canadian dollar and higher sales in SLF Asset Management from SLIM partially offset by lower sales in MFS.

ASO premium and deposit equivalents were $1.8 billion in the third quarter of 2015, compared to $1.6 billion in the third quarter of 2014. ASO premium and deposit equivalents for the nine months of 2015 were up $0.4 billion compared to the same period last year. In both cases, the increase was driven by increases in SLF Canada.

Sales

In SLF Canada, life and health sales consist of sales of individual insurance and group benefits products; wealth sales consist of sales of individual wealth products and sales in GRS. In SLF U.S., life and health sales consist of sales by Group Benefits and individual life sales by International; wealth sales consist of investment product sales in International. In SLF Asia, life and health sales consist of the individual and group life and health sales from wholly owned subsidiaries and joint ventures based on our proportionate equity interest in the Philippines, Hong Kong, Indonesia, India, China, Malaysia, and Vietnam; wealth sales consist of Hong Kong wealth sales, Philippines mutual fund sales, wealth sales from the India and China insurance companies, and Birla Sun Life Asset Management Company’s equity and fixed income mutual fund sales based on our proportionate equity interest. SLF Asset Management sales consist of gross sales (inflows) for retail and institutional clients.

 

($ millions)    Q3’15      Q3’14  

Life and health sales(1)

     

SLF Canada

     237         156   

SLF U.S.

     169         155   

SLF Asia

     124         111   

Total life and health sales

     530         422   

Wealth sales(1)

     

SLF Canada(2)

     3,421         2,375   

SLF U.S.

     119         294   

SLF Asia

     1,571         1,146   

Total wealth sales excluding SLF Asset Management

     5,111         3,815   

SLF Asset Management sales(1)

     22,748         21,873   

Total wealth sales

     27,859         25,688   

 

(1)

Represents a non-IFRS financial measure. See Use of Non-IFRS Financial Measures.

(2)

In the third quarter of 2014, SLF Canada wealth sales included sales from SLIM Inc. of $25 million.

Total Company life and health sales were $530 million in the third quarter of 2015, compared to $422 million in the same period last year.

 

 

SLF Canada life and health sales were $237 million in the third quarter of 2015, up $81 million compared to the third quarter of 2014 due to higher sales in Individual insurance business and GB

 

SLF U.S. life and health sales were $169 million in the third quarter of 2015, compared to $155 million in the third quarter of 2014, primarily driven by favourable currency impact and higher sales in Group Benefits, partially offset by lower sales in individual insurance in International

 

SLF Asia life and health sales were $124 million in the third quarter of 2015, compared to $111 million in the third quarter of 2014, driven by growth in the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and a favourable currency impact of $15 million

Total Company wealth sales were $27.9 billion in the third quarter of 2015, compared to $25.7 billion in the third quarter of 2014.

 

 

SLF Canada wealth sales were $3.4 billion in the third quarter of 2015, compared to $2.4 billion in the third quarter of 2014, mainly attributable to higher sales in individual wealth business and GRS

 

SLF U.S. wealth sales were $119 million in the third quarter of 2015, compared to $294 million in the third quarter of 2014, due to lower investment product sales in International, partially offset by favourable currency impact

 

SLF Asia wealth sales were $1.6 billion in the third quarter of 2015, compared to $1.1 billion in the third quarter of 2014, primarily driven by higher fund sales in India and favourable currency impact, partially offset by lower fund sales in China and the Philippines

 

SLF Asset Management gross sales were $22.7 billion in the third quarter of 2015, compared to $21.9 billion in the third quarter of 2014, largely reflecting favourable currency impact and the addition of Ryan Labs, Prime Advisors and Bentall Kennedy, partially offset by lower fund sales from MFS

Assets Under Management

AUM consist of general funds, segregated funds, and other AUM. Other AUM includes mutual funds and managed funds, which include institutional and other third-party assets managed by the Company.

 

MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS   Sun Life Financial Inc.   Third Quarter 2015   19


AUM were $846.2 billion as at September 30, 2015, compared to AUM of $734.4 billion as at December 31, 2014. The increase in AUM of $111.8 billion between December 31, 2014 and September 30, 2015 resulted primarily from:

 

(i)   an increase of $84.6 billion from the weakening of the Canadian dollar against foreign currencies compared to the prior period exchange rates;
(ii)   $52.3 billion increase from the acquisition of Ryan Labs, Prime Advisors and Bentall Kennedy; and
(iii)   other business growth of $5.9 billion; partially offset by
(iv)   unfavourable market movements on the value of mutual funds, managed funds, and segregated funds of $22.2 billion;
(v)   net outflow of mutual, managed, and segregated funds of $7.8 billion; and
(vi)   a decrease of $1.2 billion from the change in value of FVTPL assets and liabilities.

Changes in the Statements of Financial Position and in Shareholders’ Equity

Total general fund assets were $151.7 billion as at September 30, 2015, compared to $139.4 billion as at December 31, 2014. The increase in general fund assets from December 31, 2014 was primarily a result of $8.1 billion from the weakening of the Canadian dollar relative to foreign currencies and business growth of $5.3 billion, partially offset by a $1.2 billion decrease from the change in value of FVTPL assets and liabilities.

Insurance contract liabilities (excluding other policy liabilities and assets) of $101.4 billion as at September 30, 2015 increased by $6.2 billion compared to December 31, 2014, mainly due to currency movements, and balances arising from new policies, partially offset by changes in balances on in-force policies (which includes fair value changes on FVTPL assets supporting insurance contract liabilities).

Shareholders’ equity, including preferred share capital, was $20.6 billion as at September 30, 2015, compared to $18.7 billion as at December 31, 2014. The increase in shareholders’ equity was primarily due to:

 

(i)   shareholders’ net income of $1,725 million in 2015, before preferred share dividends of $76 million;
(ii)   an increase of $1,203 million from the weakening of the Canadian dollar relative to foreign currencies;
(iii)   proceeds of $65 million from the issuance of common shares through the Canadian dividend reinvestment and share purchase plan, $34 million issued as consideration for business acquisition, $28 million from stock options exercised and $3 million from stock-based compensation;
(iv)   changes in liabilities for defined benefit plans of $33 million; and partially offset by
(v)   common share dividend payments of $685 million;
(vi)   common share repurchases of $212 million; and
(vii)   net unrealized losses on AFS assets in OCI of $239 million.

As at October 23, 2015, Sun Life Financial Inc. had 611.2 million common shares and 92.2 million preferred shares outstanding.

Cash Flows

 

     Quarterly results  
($ millions)    Q3’15      Q3’14  

Net cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period

     4,206         2,891   

Cash flows provided by (used in):

     

Operating activities

     1,265         958   

Investing activities

     (615      (39

Financing activities

     242         (279

Changes due to fluctuations in exchange rates

     185         74   

Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents

     1,077         714   

Net cash and cash equivalents, end of period

     5,283         3,605   

Short-term securities, end of period

     2,629         2,561   

Net cash, cash equivalents and short-term securities, end of period

     7,912         6,166   

Net cash, cash equivalents and short-term securities were $7.9 billion at the end of the third quarter of 2015, compared to $6.2 billion at the end of the third quarter of 2014.

The operating activities of the Company generate cash flows which include net premium revenue, net investment income, fee income, and the sale of investments. They are the principal source of funds to pay for policyholder claims and benefits, commissions, operating expenses, and the purchase of investments. Cash flows used in investing activities primarily include transactions related to associates, joint ventures and acquisitions. Cash flows used in financing activities largely reflect capital transactions including dividends, the issuance and repurchase of shares, as well as the issuance and retirement of debt instruments and preferred shares.

The higher cash flow used in investing activities in the third quarter of 2015 compared to the third quarter of 2014 was primarily due to the acquisitions closed in the third quarter of 2015. The higher cash flow provided by financing activities in the third quarter of 2015 compared to the third quarter of 2014 was largely due to the issuance of subordinated debentures.

 

 

20   Sun Life Financial Inc.    Third Quarter 2015   MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS


Income Taxes

In the third quarter of 2015, our effective tax rates on reported net income and operating net income were 13.0% and 12.8%, respectively. In the first nine months of 2015, our effective tax rates on reported net income and operating net income were 19.4% and 19.8%, respectively. The provincial corporate tax rate increased in Alberta, Canada effective the second quarter of 2015, and as a result, our statutory tax rate increased from 26.5% to 26.75% for 2015 and future years. Normally, our effective tax rate is reduced below the statutory rate of 26.75%, mainly due to tax exempt investment income that is generally expected to decrease the effective tax rate to a range of 18% to 22%.

Our effective tax rate in the third quarter of 2015 was below the expected range of 18% to 22% mainly as a result of higher earnings in lower-tax jurisdictions and adjustments primarily related to prior years in Canada and the U.S.

The effective tax rate calculated on an operating basis excludes amounts attributable to participating policyholders and non-operating items.

Quarterly Financial Results

The following table provides a summary of our results for the eight most recently completed quarters. A more complete discussion of our historical quarterly results can be found in our interim and annual MD&As for the relevant periods.

 

    Quarterly results  
($ millions, unless otherwise noted)   Q3’15     Q2’15     Q1’15     Q4’14     Q3’14     Q2’14     Q1’14     Q4’13  

Net income (loss)

               

Operating(1)

    478        731        446        511        467        488        454        642   

Reported

    482        726        441        502        435        425        400        571   

Underlying(1)

    528        615        516        360        517        499        440        375   

Diluted EPS ($)

               

Operating(1)

    0.78        1.19        0.73        0.83        0.76        0.80        0.74        1.05   

Reported

    0.79        1.18        0.72        0.81        0.71        0.69        0.65        0.93   

Underlying(1)

    0.86        1.00        0.84        0.59        0.84        0.81        0.72        0.61   

Basic Reported EPS ($)

               

Reported

    0.79        1.19        0.72        0.82        0.71        0.70        0.66        0.94   

Operating net income (loss) by segment(1)

               

SLF Canada(1)

    137        331        135        123        239        197        238        137   

SLF U.S.(1)

    64        134        35        168        (4     100        77        341   

SLF Asset Management(1)

    176        173        168        156        168        145        147        156   

SLF Asia(1)

    77        93        68        62        51        37        32        42   

Corporate(1)

    24               40        2        13        9        (40     (34

Total operating net income (loss)(1)

    478        731        446        511        467        488        454        642   

 

(1) 

Represents a non-IFRS financial measure. See Use of Non-IFRS Financial Measures.

Second Quarter 2015

Operating net income of $731 million in the second quarter of 2015 reflected positive interest rate impact, investment activity on insurance contract liabilities, mortality, positive credit, morbidity experience, and business growth. These items were partially offset by unfavourable expense experience including investment in growing our businesses.

First Quarter 2015

Operating net income of $446 million in the first quarter of 2015 reflected gains from investment activity on insurance contract liabilities and positive mortality experience, offset by unfavourable impacts from assumption changes and management actions, net interest rate changes, lapse and other policyholder behaviour, and expense experience.

Fourth Quarter 2014

Operating net income of $511 million in the fourth quarter of 2014 reflected favourable impact from assumption changes and management actions and gains from investing activity on insurance contract liabilities. These items were partially offset by unfavourable impacts from interest rate changes, mortality and morbidity, lapse and other policyholder behaviour, and expense experience, which mainly consists of compensation-related and other seasonal costs.

Third Quarter 2014

Operating net income of $467 million in the third quarter of 2014 reflected favourable impact from gains from investing activity on insurance contract liabilities, positive credit experience, tax benefits and business growth. These items were partially offset by unfavourable impacts from interest rate changes, mortality and morbidity and expense experience.

 

MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS   Sun Life Financial Inc.   Third Quarter 2015   21


Second Quarter 2014

Operating net income of $488 million in the second quarter of 2014 reflected favourable impact from equity markets, gains from investment activity on insurance contract liabilities, positive credit experience and business growth, offset by unfavourable impacts from net interest rates, morbidity experience, and expense experience.

First Quarter 2014

Operating net income of $454 million in the first quarter of 2014 reflected favourable impact from equity markets, gains from investment activity on insurance contract liabilities and positive credit experience, offset by unfavourable impacts from net interest rates, mortality and morbidity experience, lapse and other policyholder behaviour and expense experience.

Fourth Quarter 2013

Operating net income of $642 million in the fourth quarter of 2013 reflected $290 million of income from a management action related to the restructuring of an internal reinsurance arrangement. Net income also reflected favourable impacts from equity markets, interest rates and swap spread movements, and positive fair value movements of real estate. These were partially offset by unfavourable basis risk and credit spread movements. Investment activity on insurance contract liabilities and credit experience were more than offset by unfavourable experience from expenses, comprised mostly of seasonal costs, lapse and other policyholder behaviour, and mortality and morbidity.

Investments

 

 

We had total general fund invested assets of $134.5 billion as at September 30, 2015, compared to $125.2 billion as at December 31, 2014. The increase in general fund invested assets of $9.3 billion was primarily due to favourable foreign currency movements and turnover partially offset by a decrease from changes in fair value. Our general fund is primarily invested in fixed income instruments, including debt securities and mortgages and loans, with 85.2% of the general fund invested assets invested in cash and fixed income investments. Equity securities and investment properties represented 3.9% and 4.8% of the portfolio, respectively, and the remaining 6.1% of the portfolio consisted of policy loans, derivative assets, and other invested assets. Our general fund invested assets are well diversified across investment types, geographies, and sectors.

The following table sets out the composition of our invested assets.(1)

 

     September 30, 2015      December 31, 2014  
($ millions)    Carrying
value
     % of total
carrying value
    

Carrying

value

     % of total
carrying value
 

Cash, cash equivalents and short-term securities

     8,052         6.0%         6,818         5.4%   

Debt securities – FVTPL

     55,201         41.0%         53,127         42.4%   

Debt securities – AFS

     13,185         9.8%         13,087         10.5%   

Equity securities – FVTPL

     4,376         3.3%         4,357         3.5%   

Equity securities – AFS

     856         0.6%         866         0.7%   

Mortgages and loans

     38,274         28.4%         33,679         26.9%   

Derivative assets

     2,238         1.7%         1,839         1.5%   

Other invested assets

     2,764         2.1%         2,375         1.9%   

Policy loans

     3,087         2.3%         2,895         2.3%   

Investment properties

     6,505         4.8%         6,108         4.9%   

Total invested assets

     134,538         100%         125,151         100%   

 

(1) 

The invested asset values and ratios presented are based on the carrying value of the respective asset categories. The carrying values for FVTPL and AFS invested assets are generally equal to their fair values. For invested assets supporting insurance contracts, in the event of default, if the amounts recovered are insufficient to satisfy the related insurance contract liability cash flows that the assets are intended to support, credit exposure may be greater than the carrying value of the assets.

Energy Sector Exposure

As at September 30, 2015, our exposure to the energy sector for debt securities and corporate loans was $5.8 billion, of which 92.6% was rated investment grade. Approximately 45% of our energy sector exposure was invested in pipeline, storage, and transportation entities, approximately 15% was invested in integrated oil and gas entities, and the remaining exposure was invested in companies involved in exploration and production, refining, and drilling and servicing, which included approximately 6% in drilling and oil field services. Our mortgage and real estate portfolio includes office, industrial, retail, and multi-family buildings occupied by tenants in diversified industries. Our most significant property exposure to the oil and gas sector was located in Alberta, which represented less than 20% of the Canadian mortgage portfolio and less than 30% of the Canadian real estate portfolio. There was no significant change in exposure to energy sector tenants and there were no material indications of stress in our Alberta portfolio during the period. However, as the period of weak energy prices continues, market fundamentals within the province are deteriorating, with rising vacancy levels and lower rental rates, particularly in the office sector. We continue to closely monitor the impact of these market changes in the energy sector on the real estate and mortgage portfolios.

 

22   Sun Life Financial Inc.    Third Quarter 2015   MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS


Debt Securities

 

 

Our debt securities portfolio is actively managed through a regular program of purchases and sales aimed at optimizing yield, quality, and liquidity, while ensuring that it remains well diversified and duration-matched to insurance contract liabilities. As at September 30, 2015, we held $68.4 billion of debt securities, representing 50.8% of our total invested assets compared to $66.2 billion representing 52.9% as at December 31, 2014. Debt securities with a credit rating of “A” or higher represented 67.0% of the total debt securities as at September 30, 2015, compared to 67.9% as at December 31, 2014. Debt securities with a credit rating of “BBB” or higher represented 96.8% of total debt securities as at September 30, 2015, compared to 97.3% as at December 31, 2014.

Corporate debt securities not issued or guaranteed by sovereign, regional, and municipal governments represented 67.4% of our total debt securities as at September 30, 2015, compared to 66.7% as at December 31, 2014. Total government issued or guaranteed debt securities as at September 30, 2015 were $22.3 billion, compared to $22.1 billion as at December 31, 2014. With the exception of certain countries where we have business operations, including Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and the Philippines, our exposure to debt securities from any single country did not exceed 1% of total invested assets on our Consolidated Statements of Financial Position as at September 30, 2015.

The carrying value of debt securities of governments and financial institutions by geographic location is presented in the following table.

Debt Securities of Governments and Financial Institutions by Geography

 

     September 30, 2015      December 31, 2014  
($ millions)    Government issued
or guaranteed
     Financials      Government issued
or guaranteed
     Financials  

Canada

     14,088         1,860         14,650         2,391   

United States

     1,558         6,079         1,590         5,992   

United Kingdom

     2,616         2,047         2,484         1,992   

Philippines

     2,781         41         2,575         17   

Eurozone(1)

     238         838         171         762   

Other

     1,040         1,496         611         1,390   

Total

     22,321         12,361         22,081         12,544   

 

(1)

We had an immaterial amount of direct exposure to Eurozone sovereign credits as at September 30, 2015. Our investments in Eurozone countries primarily included Germany, Netherlands, Spain, France, and Belgium. We did not have any direct exposure to Greece. Of our exposure to Eurozone countries, 99.4% was rated investment grade and 78.6% had a credit rating of “A” or higher.

Our gross unrealized losses as at September 30, 2015 for FVTPL and AFS debt securities were $0.79 billion and $0.17 billion, respectively, compared with $0.22 billion and $0.04 billion, respectively, as at December 31, 2014.

Our debt securities as at September 30, 2015 included $12.4 billion invested in the financial sector, representing approximately 18.1% of our total debt securities, or 9.2% of our total invested assets. This compares to $12.5 billion, representing 18.9% of the debt security portfolio, or 10.0% of our total invested assets as at December 31, 2014.

Our debt securities as at September 30, 2015 included $4.7 billion of asset-backed securities reported at fair value, representing 6.9% of our total debt securities, or 3.5% of our total invested assets. This compares to $4.4 billion representing 6.7% of total debt securities or 3.6% of our total invested assets as at December 31, 2014.

Mortgages and Loans

 

 

Mortgages and loans disclosures in this section are presented at their carrying value on our Consolidated Statements of Financial Position. As at September 30, 2015, we had $38.3 billion in mortgages and loans, representing 28.4% of our total invested assets, compared to $33.7 billion representing 26.9% as at December 31, 2014. Our mortgage portfolio consisted almost entirely of first mortgages, and our corporate loan portfolio consisted of private placement assets.

 

MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS   Sun Life Financial Inc.   Third Quarter 2015   23


The carrying value of mortgages and loans by geographic location is presented in the following table.(1)

Mortgages and Loans by Geography

 

     September 30, 2015      December 31, 2014  
($ millions)    Mortgages      Loans      Total      Mortgages     Loans      Total  

Canada

     8,037         13,155         21,192         7,847        12,308         20,155   

United States

     6,614         6,925         13,539         5,563        5,196         10,759   

United Kingdom

             869         869         1        776         777   

Other

             2,674         2,674                1,988         1,988   

Total

     14,651         23,623         38,274         13,411        20,268         33,679   

 

(1) 

The geographic location for mortgages is based on the location of the property and for loans it is based on the country of the creditor’s parent.

As at September 30, 2015, we held $14.7 billion of mortgages, compared to $13.4 billion as at December 31, 2014. Our mortgage portfolio consisted mainly of commercial mortgages, spread across approximately 2,300 loans. Commercial mortgages include retail, office, multi-family, industrial, and land properties. Our commercial portfolio had a weighted average loan-to-value ratio of approximately 55% and an estimated weighted average debt service coverage of 1.73 times. Of the loans in the Canadian commercial mortgage portfolio, 27.8% were insured by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.

As at September 30, 2015, we held $23.6 billion of corporate loans, compared to $20.3 billion as at December 31, 2014. In the current low interest rate environment, our strategy is to continue to focus our efforts on the origination of new private placement assets. Private placement assets provide diversification by type of loan, industry segment, and borrower credit quality. The loan portfolio consists of senior secured and unsecured loans to large and mid-market sized corporate borrowers, securitized lease/loan obligations secured by a variety of assets, and project finance loans in sectors such as power and infrastructure.

The carrying value and allowance for mortgages and loans past due or impaired is presented in the following table.

Mortgages and Loans Past Due or Impaired

 

      September 30, 2015  
     Gross carrying value      Allowance for losses  
($ millions)    Mortgages      Loans      Total      Mortgages      Loans      Total  

Not past due

     14,555         23,623         38,178                           

Past due:

                 

Past due less than 90 days

     3                 3                           

Past due 90 to 179 days

                                               

Past due 180 days or more

                                               

Impaired

     132         5         137         39 (1)       5         44   

Total

     14,690         23,628         38,318         39         5         44   
      December 31, 2014  
     Gross carrying value      Allowance for losses  
($ millions)    Mortgages      Loans      Total      Mortgages      Loans      Total  

Not past due

     13,316         20,248         33,564                           

Past due:

                 

Past due less than 90 days

     14                 14                           

Past due 90 to 179 days

                                               

Past due 180 days or more

                                               

Impaired

     118         36         154         37 (1)       16         53   

Total

     13,448         20,284         33,732         37         16         53   

 

(1) 

Includes $20 million of sectoral provisions as at September 30, 2015 and $18 million of sectoral provisions as at December 31, 2014.

Our impaired mortgages and loans, net of allowance for losses, amounted to $93 million as at September 30, 2015, compared to $101 million as at December 31, 2014.

Asset Default Provision

 

 

We make provisions for possible future credit events in the determination of our insurance contract liabilities. The amount of the provision for asset default included in insurance contract liabilities is based on possible reductions in future investment yields that vary by factors such as type of asset, asset credit quality (rating), duration, and country of origin. To the extent that an asset is written off, or disposed of, any amounts that were set aside in our insurance contract liabilities for possible future asset defaults in respect of that asset are released.

 

 

24   Sun Life Financial Inc.    Third Quarter 2015   MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS


Our asset default provision reflects the provision relating to future credit events for fixed income assets currently held by the Company that support our insurance contract liabilities. Our asset default provision as at September 30, 2015 was $2,020 million compared to $1,916 million as at December 31, 2014. The increase of $104 million was primarily due to the weakening of the Canadian dollar and increases in the provision for assets purchased net of dispositions, partially offset by the release of provisions on fixed income assets supporting our insurance contract liabilities.

Derivative Financial Instruments

 

 

The values associated with our derivative instruments are presented in the following table. Notional amounts serve as the basis for payments calculated under derivatives contracts and are not exchanged.

Derivative Instruments

 

($ millions)    September 30, 2015      December 31, 2014  

Net fair value

     (1,046      236   

Total notional amount

     57,605         48,211   

Credit equivalent amount

     626         738   

Risk-weighted credit equivalent amount

     6         7   

The total notional amount of our derivatives increased to $57.6 billion as at September 30, 2015, from $48.2 billion as at December 31, 2014. The increase in the total notional amount was primarily due to increases in interest rate contracts in light of volatile financial markets and updates to projected liability cash flows. As well, the notional amount of derivatives increased due to the conversion of foreign currency notional balances into Canadian dollars. The net fair value of derivatives was a net liability of $1,046 million as at September 30, 2015, compared to a net asset of $236 million as at December 31, 2014. The decrease in net fair value was due primarily to the impact of the weakening of the Canadian dollar against the U.S. dollar on foreign exchange contracts partially offset by the effect of the decrease in interest rates on interest rate contracts.

Capital Management

 

 

Our total capital consists of subordinated debt and other capital, participating policyholders’ equity, and total shareholders’ equity which includes common shareholders’ equity and preferred shareholders’ equity. As at September 30, 2015, our total capital was $24.2 billion, up from $21.7 billion as at December 31, 2014. The increase in total capital was primarily the result of common shareholders’ net income of $1,649 million and other comprehensive income of $1,005 million, partially offset by the $212 million of common share purchases under our normal course issuer bid and $620 million of common shareholders’ dividends paid (net of the Canadian dividend reinvestment and share purchase plan).

The legal entity, SLF Inc. (the ultimate parent company), and its wholly owned holding companies had $1,747 million in cash and other liquid assets as at September 30, 2015 ($1,827 million as at December 31, 2014). The decrease in liquid assets in these holding companies in the first nine months of 2015 was primarily attributable to common share repurchases in the first half of 2015 and approximately $560 million in cash to acquire Bentall Kennedy paid in the third quarter of 2015, partially offset by the debt issuance of $500 million noted below. Liquid assets as noted above include cash and cash equivalents, short-term investments, and publicly traded securities, and exclude cash from short-term loans.

On June 30, 2015, 6.0 million Class A Non-Cumulative 5-Year Rate Reset Preferred Shares Series 8R (“Series 8R Shares”) were converted into Class A Non-Cumulative Floating Rate Preferred Shares Series 9QR (“Series 9QR Shares”) through a holder option, on a one-for-one basis. Effective June 30, 2015, 5.2 million Series 8R Shares and 6.0 million Series 9QR Shares were outstanding. For additional information, refer to Note 10 of our Interim Consolidated Financial Statements.

On September 25, 2015, SLF Inc. issued $500 million principal amount of Series 2015-1 Subordinated Unsecured 2.60% Fixed/Floating Debentures due 2025. The net proceeds will be used to partially fund the acquisition of the U.S. Employee Benefit business of Assurant and may also be used for general corporate purposes.

On October 8, 2015, SLF Inc. announced its intention to redeem all of the outstanding $600 million principal amount of Series A Senior Unsecured 4.80% Fixed/Floating debentures due 2035 (“the Debentures”) in accordance with the redemption terms attached to the Debentures. The Debentures are redeemable at SLF Inc.’s option on November 23, 2015. The redemption will have no impact on the Company’s capital positions as these senior debentures are not accounted for as qualifying capital securities.

Sun Life Assurance’s MCCSR ratio was 229% as at September 30, 2015, compared to 217% as at December 31, 2014. The increase to the MCCSR ratio over the period primarily resulted from earnings net of dividends to SLF Inc.

 

MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS   Sun Life Financial Inc.   Third Quarter 2015   25


Normal Course Issuer Bid

On November 10, 2014, SLF Inc. launched a normal course issuer bid under which it is authorized to purchase up to 9 million common shares between November 10, 2014 and November 9, 2015. During the third quarter of 2015, SLF Inc. did not make any purchases under the normal course issuer bid. During the first nine months of 2015, SLF Inc. purchased and cancelled 5.3 million common shares at a total cost of $212 million.

Risk Management

 

 

 

The shaded text and tables in the following section of this document represent our disclosure on market risks in accordance with IFRS 7 Financial Instruments: Disclosures and is an integral part of our unaudited Interim Consolidated Financial Statements for the quarter ended September 30, 2015. The shading in this section does not imply that these disclosures are of any greater importance than non-shaded tables and text, and the Risk Management disclosure should be read in its entirety.

We use an enterprise Risk Management Framework to assist in categorizing, monitoring, and managing the risks to which we are exposed. The major categories of risk are credit risk, market risk, insurance risk, operational risk, liquidity risk, and business risk. Operational risk is a broad category that includes legal and regulatory risks, people risks, and systems and processing risks.

Through our ongoing enterprise risk management procedures, we review the various risk factors identified in the Framework and report to senior management and to the Risk Review Committee of the Board at least quarterly. Our enterprise risk management procedures and risk factors are described in our annual MD&A and AIF.

 

When referring to segregated funds in this section, it is inclusive of segregated fund guarantees, variable annuities and investment products and includes Run-off reinsurance in our Corporate business segment.

Market Risk Sensitivities

 

Our earnings are affected by the determination of policyholder obligations under our annuity and insurance contracts. These amounts are determined using internal valuation models and are recorded in our Consolidated Financial Statements, primarily as Insurance contract liabilities. The determination of these obligations requires management to make assumptions about the future level of equity market performance, interest rates, credit and swap spreads, and other factors over the life of our products. Differences between our actual experience and our best estimate assumptions are reflected in our Consolidated Financial Statements.

The market value of our investments in fixed income and equity securities fluctuates based on movements in interest rates and equity markets. The market value of fixed income assets designated as AFS that are held primarily in our surplus segment increases (decreases) with declining (rising) interest rates. The market value of equities designated as AFS and held primarily in our surplus segment increases (decreases) with rising (declining) equity markets. Changes in the market value of AFS assets flow through OCI and are only recognized in net income when realized upon sale, or when considered impaired. The amount of realized gains (losses) recorded in net income in any period is equal to the unrealized gains (losses) or OCI position at the start of the period plus the change in market value during the current period up to the point of sale for those securities that were sold during the period. The sale or impairment of AFS assets held in surplus can therefore have the effect of modifying our net income sensitivity.

We realized $47 million (pre-tax) in net gains on the sale of AFS assets during the third quarter of 2015 ($48 million pre-tax in the third quarter of 2014). The net unrealized gains or OCI position on AFS fixed income and equity assets were $136 million and $173 million, respectively, after-tax as at September 30, 2015 ($340 million and $208 million, respectively, after-tax as at December 31, 2014).

 

26   Sun Life Financial Inc.    Third Quarter 2015   MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS


The following table sets out the estimated immediate impact on or sensitivity of our net income, our OCI, and Sun Life Assurance’s MCCSR ratio to certain instantaneous changes in interest rates and equity market prices as at September 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014.

 

Interest Rate and Equity Market Sensitivities

 

As at September 30, 2015(1)

($ millions, unless otherwise noted)

                 
Interest rate sensitivity(2)(6)    100 basis point
decrease
     50 basis point
decrease
     50 basis point
increase
     100 basis point
increase
 

Potential impact on net income(3)(6)

   $     (300    $     (100    $ 50       $ 100   

Potential impact on OCI

   $ 500       $ 250       $     (250    $     (500

Potential impact on MCCSR(4)

    
 
10% points
decrease
  
  
    
 
4% points
decrease
  
  
    
 
5% points
increase
  
  
    
 
8% points
increase
  
  

Equity markets sensitivity(5)

     25% decrease         10% decrease         10% increase         25% increase   

Potential impact on net income(3)

   $ (300    $ (100    $ 100       $ 250   

Potential impact on OCI

   $ (150    $ (50    $ 50       $ 150   

Potential impact on MCCSR(4)

    
 
4% points
decrease
  
  
    
 
1% points
decrease
  
  
    
 
1% points
increase
  
  
    
 
4% points
increase
  
  

As at December 31, 2014(1)

($ millions, unless otherwise noted)

                                   
Interest rate sensitivity(2)(6)    100 basis point
decrease
     50 basis point
decrease
     50 basis point
increase
     100 basis point
increase
 

Potential impact on net income(3)(6)

   $ (400    $ (100    $ 50       $ 100   

Potential impact on OCI

   $ 500       $ 250       $ (250    $ (500
Potential impact on MCCSR(4)    12% points
decrease
     5% points
decrease
     4% points
increase
     8% points
increase
 

Equity markets sensitivity(5)

     25% decrease         10% decrease         10% increase         25% increase   

Potential impact on net income(3)

   $ (250    $ (50    $ 50       $ 150   

Potential impact on OCI

   $ (150    $ (50    $ 50       $ 150   
Potential impact on MCCSR(4)    5% points
decrease
     1% points
decrease
     1% points
increase
     1% points
increase
 

 

(1) 

Net income and OCI sensitivities have been rounded to the nearest $50 million. The sensitivities exclude the market impacts on the income from our joint ventures and associate investments, which we account for on an equity basis.

(2) 

Interest rate sensitivities assume a parallel shift in assumed interest rates across the entire yield curve as at September 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014. Variations in realized yields based on factors such as different terms to maturity and geographies may result in realized sensitivities being significantly different from those illustrated above. Sensitivities include the impact of re-balancing interest rate hedges for dynamic hedging programs at 10 basis point intervals (for 50 basis point changes in interest rates) and at 20 basis point intervals (for 100 basis point changes in interest rates).

(3) 

The market risk sensitivities include the estimated mitigation impact of our hedging programs in effect as at September 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014, and include new business added and product changes implemented prior to such dates.

(4) 

The MCCSR sensitivities illustrate the impact on Sun Life Assurance as at September 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014. This excludes the impact on assets and liabilities that are in SLF Inc. but not included in Sun Life Assurance. MCCSR sensitivities as at December 31, 2014 reflect the impact of IAS 19 Employee Benefits and its phase-in impact on available capital.

 

(5) 

Represents the respective change across all equity markets as at September 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014. Assumes that actual equity exposures consistently and precisely track the broader equity markets. Since in actual practice equity-related exposures generally differ from broad market indices (due to the impact of active management, basis risk, and other factors), realized sensitivities may differ significantly from those illustrated above. Sensitivities include the impact of re-balancing equity hedges for dynamic hedging programs at 2% intervals (for 10% changes in equity markets) and at 5% intervals (for 25% changes in equity markets).

(6) 

The majority of interest rate sensitivity, after hedging, is attributed to individual insurance products. We also have interest rate sensitivity, after hedging, from our fixed annuity and segregated funds products.

 

Our net income sensitivities to interest rates and equity markets have changed since December 31, 2014. This is primarily as a result of changes in measurement of sensitivities related to assumption changes and management actions.

 

MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS   Sun Life Financial Inc.   Third Quarter 2015   27


Credit Spread and Swap Spread Sensitivities

We have estimated the immediate impact or sensitivity of our reported net income attributable to certain instantaneous changes in credit and swap spreads. The credit spread sensitivities reflect the impact of changes in credit spreads on our asset and liability valuations (including non-sovereign fixed income assets, provincial governments, corporate bonds, and other fixed income assets). The swap spread sensitivities reflect the impact of changes in swap spreads on swap-based derivative positions and liability valuations.

Credit Spread Sensitivities ($ millions, after-tax)

 

Net income sensitivity(1)(2)    50 basis point
decrease
     50 basis point
increase
 

September 30, 2015

     (125      100   

December 31, 2014

     (100      125   

 

(1) 

Sensitivities have been rounded to the nearest $25 million.

(2) 

In most instances, credit spreads are assumed to revert to long-term insurance contract liability assumptions generally over a five-year period.

Swap Spread Sensitivities ($ millions, after-tax)

 

Net income sensitivity(1)        20 basis point
decrease
     20 basis point
increase
 

September 30, 2015

        25         (50

December 31, 2014

     75         (75

 

(1) 

Sensitivities have been rounded to the nearest $25 million.

The credit and swap spread sensitivities assume a parallel shift in the indicated spreads (i.e., equal shift across the entire spread term structure). Variations in realized spread changes based on different terms to maturity, geographies, asset class/derivative types, underlying interest rate movements, and ratings may result in realized sensitivities being significantly different from those provided above. The credit spread sensitivity estimates exclude any credit spread impact that may arise in connection with asset positions held in segregated funds. Spread sensitivities are provided for the consolidated entity and may not be proportional across all reporting segments. Refer to the section Additional Cautionary Language and Key Assumptions Related to Sensitivities for important additional information regarding these estimates.

General Account Insurance and Annuity Products

Most of our expected sensitivity to interest rate risk is derived from our general account insurance and annuity products. We have implemented market risk management strategies to mitigate a portion of the market risk related to our general account insurance and annuity products.

Individual insurance products include universal life and other long-term life and health insurance products. Major sources of market risk exposure for individual insurance products include the reinvestment risk related to future premiums on regular premium policies, asset reinvestment risk on both regular premium and single premium policies, and the guaranteed cost of insurance. Interest rate risk for individual insurance products is typically managed on a duration basis, within tolerance ranges set out in the applicable investment policy or guidelines. Targets and limits are established so that the level of residual exposure is commensurate with our risk appetite. Exposures are monitored frequently, and assets are re-balanced as necessary to maintain compliance within policy limits using a combination of assets and derivative instruments. A portion of the longer-term cash flows are backed with equities and real estate.

For participating insurance products and other insurance products with adjustability features, the investment strategy objective is to provide a total rate of return given a constant risk profile over the long term.

Fixed annuity products generally provide the policyholder with a guaranteed investment return or crediting rate. Interest rate risk for these products is typically managed on a duration basis, within tolerance ranges set out in the applicable investment guidelines. Targets and limits are established such that the level of residual exposure is commensurate with our risk appetite. Exposures are monitored frequently, and are re-balanced as necessary to maintain compliance within prescribed tolerances using a combination of fixed income assets and derivative instruments.

Certain insurance and annuity products contain minimum interest rate guarantees. Market risk management strategies are implemented to limit potential financial loss due to reductions in asset earned rates relative to contract guarantees. These typically involve the use of hedging strategies utilizing interest rate derivatives such as interest rate floors, swaps, and swaptions.

Certain insurance and annuity products contain features which allow the policyholders to surrender their policy at book value. Market risk management strategies are implemented to limit the potential financial loss due to changes in interest rate levels and policyholder behaviour. These typically involve the use of hedging strategies such as dynamic option replication and the purchase of interest rate swaptions.

Certain products have guaranteed minimum annuitization rates. Market risk management strategies are implemented to limit the potential financial loss and typically involve the use of fixed income asset, interest rate swaps, and swaptions.

 

28   Sun Life Financial Inc.    Third Quarter 2015   MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS


Segregated Fund Guarantees

Approximately one half of our expected sensitivity to equity market risk and a small amount of interest rate risk sensitivity is derived from segregated fund products. These products provide benefit guarantees, which are linked to underlying fund performance and may be triggered upon death, maturity, withdrawal, or annuitization. The cost of providing for the guarantees in respect of our segregated fund contracts is uncertain and will depend upon a number of factors including general capital market conditions, our hedging strategies, policyholder behaviour, and mortality experience, each of which may result in negative impacts on net income and capital.

The following table provides information with respect to the guarantees provided in our segregated fund businesses.

 

As at September 30, 2015  
($ millions)    Fund value      Amount at  risk(1)      Value  of
guarantees(2)
     Insurance  contract
liabilities(3)
 

SLF Canada

     12,319         351         11,044         602   

SLF U.S.

     5,226         560         5,672         253   

Run-off reinsurance(4)

     2,811         621         2,171         636   

Total

     20,356         1,532         18,887         1,491   
As at December 31, 2014                                
($ millions)    Fund value      Amount at Risk(1)      Value  of
guarantees(2)
     Insurance  contract
liabilities(3)
 

SLF Canada

     13,039         217         11,202         273   

SLF U.S.

     5,194         259         5,236         96   

Run-off reinsurance(4)

     2,800         501         1,999         526   

Total

     21,033         977         18,437         895   

 

(1) 

The Amount at Risk represents the excess of the value of the guarantees over fund values on all policies where the value of the guarantees exceeds the fund value. The Amount at Risk is not currently payable as the guarantees are only payable upon death, maturity, withdrawal, or annuitization if fund values remain below guaranteed values.

(2) 

For guaranteed lifetime withdrawal benefits, the value of guarantees is calculated as the present value of the maximum future withdrawals assuming market conditions remain unchanged from current levels. For all other benefits, the value of guarantees is determined assuming 100% of the claims are made at the valuation date.

(3) 

The insurance contract liabilities represent management’s provision for future costs associated with these guarantees and include a provision for adverse deviation in accordance with Canadian actuarial standards of practice.

(4) 

The Run-off reinsurance business includes risks assumed through reinsurance of variable annuity products issued by various North American insurance companies between 1997 and 2001. This line of business is part of a closed block of reinsurance, which is included in the Corporate segment.

The movement of the items in the table above from December 31, 2014 to September 30, 2015 was primarily as a result of the following factors:

 

(i)   the total fund values decreased due to the natural run-off of the block net of new sales, unfavourable equity market movements, partially offset by the weakening of the Canadian dollar against the U.S. dollar;
(ii)   the total Amount at Risk increased primarily due to unfavourable equity market movements and the weakening of the Canadian dollar;
(iii)   the total value of guarantees increased due to the weakening of the Canadian dollar, partially offset by the natural run-off of the block net of new sales; and
(iv)   the total insurance contract liabilities increased due to lower interest rates, unfavourable equity market movements, and the weakening of the Canadian dollar.

Segregated Fund Hedging

We have implemented hedging programs, involving the use of derivative instruments, to mitigate a portion of the cost of interest rate and equity market-related volatility in providing for segregated fund guarantees. As at September 30, 2015, over 90% of our segregated fund contracts, as measured by associated fund values, were included in a hedging program. While a large percentage of contracts are included in the hedging program, not all of our equity exposure related to these contracts is hedged. For those segregated fund contracts included in the hedging program, we generally hedge the value of expected future net claims costs and associated margins as we are primarily focused on hedging the expected economic costs associated with providing these guarantees.

 

MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS   Sun Life Financial Inc.   Third Quarter 2015   29


The following table illustrates the impact of our hedging program related to our sensitivity to a 50 basis point and 100 basis point decrease in interest rates and 10% and 25% decrease in equity markets for segregated fund contracts as at September 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014.

Impact of Segregated Fund Hedging

 

September 30, 2015  
($ millions)      Changes in interest  rates(3)         Changes in equity  markets(4)   

Net income sensitivity(1)(2)

    
 
50 basis point
decrease
  
  
    
 
100 basis point
decrease
  
  
     10% decrease         25% decrease   

Before hedging

     (200      (450      (200      (550

Hedging impact

     200         500         150         450   

Net of hedging

             50         (50      (100
December 31, 2014                                
($ millions)    Changes in interest rates(3)      Changes in equity markets(4)  
Net income sensitivity(1)(2)     
 
50 basis point
decrease
  
  
    
 
100 basis point
decrease
  
  
     10% decrease         25% decrease   

Before hedging

     (200      (400      (150      (500

Hedging impact

     200         400         150         400   

Net of hedging

                             (100

 

(1) 

Net income sensitivities have been rounded to the nearest $50 million.

(2) 

Since the fair value of benefits being hedged will generally differ from the financial statement value (due to different valuation methods and the inclusion of valuation margins in respect of financial statement values), this will result in residual volatility to interest rate and equity market shocks in reported income and capital. The general availability and cost of these hedging instruments may be adversely impacted by a number of factors, including volatile and declining equity and interest rate market conditions.

(3) 

Represents a parallel shift in assumed interest rates across the entire yield curve as at September 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014. Variations in realized yields based on factors such as different terms to maturity and geographies may result in realized sensitivities being significantly different from those illustrated above. Sensitivities include the impact of re-balancing interest rate hedges for dynamic hedging programs at 10 basis point intervals (for 50 basis point changes in interest rates) and at 20 basis point intervals (for 100 basis point changes in interest rates).

(4)

Represents the change across all equity markets as at September 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014. Assumes that actual equity exposures consistently and precisely track the broader equity markets. Since in actual practice equity-related exposures generally differ from broad market indices (due to the impact of active management, basis risk, and other factors), realized sensitivities may differ significantly from those illustrated above. Sensitivities include the impact of re-balancing equity hedges for dynamic hedging programs at 2% intervals (for 10% changes in equity markets) and at 5% intervals (for 25% changes in equity markets).

Real Estate Risk

We are exposed to real estate risk arising from fluctuations in the value of, or future cash flows on, real estate classified as investment properties. We may experience financial losses resulting from the direct ownership of real estate investments or indirectly through fixed income investments secured by real estate property, leasehold interests, ground rents, and purchase and leaseback transactions. Real estate price risk may arise from external market conditions, inadequate property analysis, inadequate insurance coverage, inappropriate real estate appraisals, or from environmental risk exposures. We hold direct real estate investments that support general account liabilities and surplus, and fluctuations in value will impact our profitability and financial position. An instantaneous 10% decrease in the value of our direct real estate investments as at September 30, 2015 would decrease net income by approximately $175 million ($150 million decrease as at December 31, 2014). Conversely, an instantaneous 10% increase in the value of our direct real estate investments as at September 30, 2015 would increase net income by approximately $175 million ($150 million increase as at December 31, 2014).

Additional Cautionary Language and Key Assumptions Related to Sensitivities

 

Our market risk sensitivities are measures of our estimated change in net income and OCI for changes in interest rates and equity market price levels described above, based on interest rates, equity market prices, and business mix in place as at the respective calculation dates. These sensitivities are calculated independently for each risk factor, generally assuming that all other risk variables stay constant. The sensitivities do not take into account indirect effects such as potential impacts on goodwill impairment or valuation allowances on deferred tax assets. The sensitivities are provided for the consolidated entity and may not be proportional across all reporting segments. Actual results can differ materially from these estimates for a variety of reasons, including differences in the pattern or distribution of the market shocks, the interaction between these risk factors, model error, or changes in other assumptions such as business mix, effective tax rates, policyholder behaviour, currency exchange rates, and other market variables relative to those underlying the calculation of these sensitivities. The potential extent to which actual results may differ from the indicative ranges will generally increase with larger capital market movements. Our sensitivities as at December 31, 2014 have been included for comparative purposes only.

 

 

30   Sun Life Financial Inc.    Third Quarter 2015   MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS


We have also provided measures of our net income sensitivity to instantaneous changes in credit spreads, swap spreads, real estate price levels, and capital sensitivities to changes in interest rates and equity price levels. The real estate sensitivities are non-IFRS financial measures. For additional information, see Use of Non-IFRS Financial Measures. The cautionary language which appears in this section is also applicable to the credit spread, swap spread, real estate, and MCCSR ratio sensitivities. In particular, these sensitivities are based on interest rates, credit and swap spreads, equity market, and real estate price levels as at the respective calculation dates and assume that all other risk variables remain constant. Changes in interest rates, credit and swap spreads, equity market, and real estate prices in excess of the ranges illustrated may result in other-than-proportionate impacts.

As these market risk sensitivities reflect an instantaneous impact on net income, OCI, and Sun Life Assurance’s MCCSR ratio, they do not include impacts over time such as the effect on fee income in our asset management businesses.

 

The sensitivities reflect the composition of our assets and liabilities as at September 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014. Changes in these positions due to new sales or maturities, asset purchases/sales, or other management actions could result in material changes to these reported sensitivities. In particular, these sensitivities reflect the expected impact of hedging activities based on the hedge programs in place as at the September 30 and December 31 calculation dates. The actual impact of these hedging activities can differ materially from that assumed in the determination of these indicative sensitivities due to ongoing hedge re-balancing activities, changes in the scale or scope of hedging activities, changes in the cost or general availability of hedging instruments, basis risk (i.e., the risk that hedges do not exactly replicate the underlying portfolio experience), model risk, and other operational risks in the ongoing management of the hedge programs or the potential failure of hedge counterparties to perform in accordance with expectations.

The sensitivities are based on methods and assumptions in effect as at September 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014, as applicable. Changes in the regulatory environment, accounting or actuarial valuation methods, models, or assumptions after this date could result in material changes to these reported sensitivities. Changes in interest rates and equity market prices in excess of the ranges illustrated may result in other than proportionate impacts.

 

Our hedging programs may themselves expose us to other risks, including basis risk (i.e., the risk that hedges do not exactly replicate the underlying portfolio experience), derivative counterparty credit risk, and increased levels of liquidity risk, model risk, and other operational risks. These factors may adversely impact the net effectiveness, costs, and financial viability of maintaining these hedging programs and therefore adversely impact our profitability and financial position. While our hedging programs include various elements aimed at mitigating these effects (e.g., hedge counterparty credit risk is managed by maintaining broad diversification, dealing primarily with highly rated counterparties, and transacting through International Swaps and Derivatives Association agreements that generally include applicable credit support annexes), residual risk and potential reported earnings and capital volatility remain.

For the reasons outlined above, these sensitivities should only be viewed as directional estimates of the underlying sensitivities of each factor under these specialized assumptions, and should not be viewed as predictors of our future net income, OCI, and capital sensitivities. Given the nature of these calculations, we cannot provide assurance that actual impact will be consistent with the estimates provided.

Information related to market risk sensitivities and guarantees related to segregated fund products should be read in conjunction with the information contained in the Outlook, Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates, and Risk Management sections in our annual MD&A and in the Risk Factors and Regulatory Matters sections in our AIF.

Legal and Regulatory Matters

 

 

Information concerning legal and regulatory matters is provided in our Annual Consolidated Financial Statements, annual MD&A, and AIF, for the year ended December 31, 2014.

Changes in Accounting Policies

 

 

We have not adopted any new and amended IFRS in the current period ended September 30, 2015. For additional information, refer to Note 2 in our Interim Consolidated Financial Statements.

Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

 

 

Management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of the Company’s financial reporting and the preparation of its financial statements in accordance with IFRS.

There were no changes in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting during the period which began on July 1, 2015 and ended on September 30, 2015 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.

 

MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS   Sun Life Financial Inc.   Third Quarter 2015   31


Reconciliation of Non-IFRS Financial Measures

 

 

Additional information on the use of non-IFRS measures, including the definition of operating net income (loss) and underlying net income (loss), is available in this document under the heading Use of Non-IFRS Financial Measures.

The following table sets out the amounts that were excluded from our operating net income (loss), underlying net income (loss), operating EPS, and underlying EPS, and provides a reconciliation to our reported net income (loss) and EPS based on IFRS.

Reconciliations of Select Net Income Measures

 

     Quarterly results  
($ millions, unless otherwise noted)    Q3’15      Q2’15      Q1’15      Q4’14      Q3’14  

Reported net income

     482         726         441         502         435   

Impact of certain hedges in SLF Canada that do not qualify for hedge accounting

     (10      6         15         (6      2   

Fair value adjustments on share-based payment awards at MFS

     28         (11      (20      1         (31

Acquisition, integration and restructuring costs

     (14                      (4      (3

Operating net income (loss)

     478         731         446         511         467   

Market related impacts

     (82      97         (22      (21      (54

Assumption changes and management actions

     32         19         (48      172         4   

Underlying net income (loss)

     528         615         516         360         517   

Reported EPS (diluted) ($)

     0.79         1.18         0.72         0.81         0.71   

Impact of certain hedges in SLF Canada that do not qualify for hedge accounting ($)

     (0.02      0.01         0.02         (0.01        

Fair value adjustments on share-based payment awards at MFS ($)

     0.05         (0.02      (0.03              (0.05

Acquisition, integration and restructuring costs ($)

     (0.02                      (0.01        

Impact of convertible securities on diluted EPS ($)

                                       

Operating EPS (diluted) ($)

     0.78         1.19         0.73         0.83         0.76   

Market related impacts ($)

     (0.13      0.16         (0.03      (0.04      (0.09

Assumption changes and management actions ($)

     0.05         0.03         (0.08      0.28         0.01   

Underlying EPS (diluted) ($)

     0.86         1.00         0.84         0.59         0.84   

Management also uses the following non-IFRS financial measures:

Return on equity. IFRS does not prescribe the calculation of ROE and therefore a comparable measure under IFRS is not available. To determine operating ROE and underlying ROE, operating net income (loss) and underlying net income (loss) are divided by the total weighted average common shareholders’ equity for the period, respectively.

Adjusted revenue. This measure excludes from revenue the impact of: (i) exchange rate fluctuations, from the translation of functional currencies to the Canadian dollar, for comparisons (“Constant Currency Adjustment”); (ii) Fair value and foreign currency changes on assets and liabilities (“FV Adjustment”); and (iii) reinsurance for the insured business in SLF Canada’s GB operations (“Reinsurance in SLF Canada’s GB Operations Adjustment”). Adjusted revenue is an alternative measure of revenue that provides greater comparability across reporting periods.

 

     Quarterly results  
($ millions)    Q3’15      Q2’15      Q1’15      Q4’14      Q3’14  

Revenues

     4,693         1,682         7,332         7,375         5,614   

Constant Currency Adjustment

     467         320         337         104           

FV Adjustment

     (168      (3,500      2,495         2,196         495   

Reinsurance in SLF Canada’s GB Operations Adjustment

     (1,179      (1,149      (1,185      (1,154      (1,130

Adjusted revenue

     5,573         6,011         5,685         6,229         6,249   

 

32   Sun Life Financial Inc.    Third Quarter 2015   MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS


Adjusted premiums and deposits. This measure adjusts premiums and deposits for the impact of (i) the Constant Currency Adjustment and (ii) the Reinsurance in SLF Canada’s GB Operations Adjustment. Adjusted premiums and deposits is an alternative measure of premiums and deposits that provides greater comparability across reporting periods.

 

     Quarterly results  
($ millions)    Q3’15      Q2’15      Q1’15      Q4’14      Q3’14  

Premiums and deposits

     30,907         35,720         36,754         31,770         29,124   

Constant Currency Adjustment

     4,148         3,206         3,840         1,082           

Reinsurance in SLF Canada’s GB Operations Adjustment

     (1,179      (1,149      (1,185      (1,154      (1,130

Adjusted premiums and deposits

     27,938         33,663         34,099         31,842         30,254   

Pre-tax operating profit margin ratio for MFS. This ratio is a measure of the underlying profitability of MFS, which excludes certain investment income and commission expenses that are offsetting. These amounts are excluded in order to neutralize the impact these items have on the pre-tax operating profit margin ratio, as they are offsetting in nature and have no impact on the underlying profitability of MFS.

Impact of foreign exchange. Several IFRS financial measures are presented on a constant currency adjusted basis to exclude the impact of foreign exchange rate fluctuations. These measures are calculated using the average or period end foreign exchange rates, as appropriate, in effect at the date of the comparative period.

Real estate market sensitivities. Real estate market sensitivities are non-IFRS financial measures for which there are no directly comparable measures under IFRS so it is not possible to provide a reconciliation of these amounts to the most directly comparable IFRS measures.

Other. Management also uses the following non-IFRS financial measures for which there are no comparable financial measures in IFRS: (i) ASO premium and deposit equivalents, mutual fund sales, managed fund sales, life and health sales, and total premiums and deposits; (ii) AUM, mutual fund assets, managed fund assets, other AUM, and assets under administration; (iii) the value of new business, which is used to measure the estimated lifetime profitability of new sales and is based on actuarial calculations; and (iv) assumption changes and management actions, which is a component of our sources of earnings disclosure. Sources of earnings is an alternative presentation of our Consolidated Statements of Operations that identifies and quantifies various sources of income. The Company is required to disclose its sources of earnings by its principal regulator, the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions.

 

MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS   Sun Life Financial Inc.   Third Quarter 2015   33


Forward-looking Statements

 

 

From time to time, the Company makes written or oral forward-looking statements within the meaning of certain securities laws, including the “safe harbour” provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements contained in this document include (i) statements relating to the anticipated source of funding for the acquisition of Assurant’s U.S. Employee Benefits Business and the timing of receipt of regulatory approvals and closing for that transaction, (ii) statements relating to our strategies, (iii) statements that are predictive in nature or that depend upon or refer to future events or conditions, and (iv) statements that include words such as “aim”, “anticipate”, “assumption”, “believe”, “could”, “estimate”, “expect”, “goal”, “initiatives”, “intend”, “may”, “objective”, “outlook”, “plan”, “project”, “seek”, “should”, “strategy”, “strive”, “target”, “will”, and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements include the information concerning our possible or assumed future results of operations. These statements represent our current expectations, estimates, and projections regarding future events and are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements are not a guarantee of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict. Future results and shareholder value may differ materially from those expressed in these forward-looking statements due to, among other factors, the matters set out in this document under the headings Capital Management and Risk Management and in SLF Inc.’s 2014 AIF under the headings Risk Factors and the factors detailed in SLF Inc.’s other filings with Canadian and U.S. securities regulators, which are available for review at www.sedar.com and www.sec.gov, respectively.

The following are transactional risk factors related to our proposed acquisition of Assurant’s U.S. Employee Benefits business that could have a material adverse effect on our forward-looking statements: (i) the ability of the parties to the transaction to execute the transaction as planned, including the separation and integration of the transferred assets, (ii) failure of the parties to obtain necessary consents and approvals as required under the definitive agreement or to otherwise satisfy the conditions to the completion of the transaction in a timely manner, or at all, (iii) our ability to realize the financial and strategic benefits of the transaction, (iv) failure to effectively or efficiently restructure and reorganize our U.S. employee benefits business after the transaction has closed, and (v) the impact of the announcement of the transaction and the dedication of our resources to the completion of the transaction and the effect of the transaction on our continuing operations in the U.S. These risks all could have an impact on our business relationships (including with future and prospective employees, customers, distributors and partners) and could have a material adverse effect on the current and future operations, financial conditions and prospects of Sun Life Financial.

Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations include, but are not limited to: business risks – economic and geo-political risks; risks in implementing business strategies; changes in legislation and regulations, including capital requirements and tax laws; the inability to maintain strong distribution channels and risks relating to market conduct by intermediaries and agents; risks relating to operations in Asia, including the Company’s joint ventures; the impact of competition; the performance of the Company’s investments and investment portfolios managed for clients such as segregated and mutual funds; market conditions that affect the Company’s capital position or its ability to raise capital; downgrades in financial strength or credit ratings; risks relating to estimates and judgments used in calculating taxes; the impact of mergers, acquisitions and divestitures including our proposed acquisition of Assurant’s U.S. Employee Benefits business; the ineffectiveness of risk management policies and procedures; risks relating to the closed block of business; market, credit, and liquidity risks – the performance of equity markets; credit risks related to issuers of securities held in our investment portfolio, debtors, structured securities, reinsurers, derivative counterparties, other financial institutions, and other entities; changes or volatility in interest rates or credit spreads or swap spreads; fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; risks relating to real estate investments; risks relating to market liquidity; insurance risks – risks relating to the rate of mortality improvement; risks relating to policyholder behaviour; risks relating to product design and pricing; risks relating to mortality and morbidity, including the occurrence of natural or man-made disasters, pandemic diseases, and acts of terrorism; the impact of higher-than-expected future expenses; the availability, cost, and effectiveness of reinsurance; operational risks – breaches or failure of information system security and privacy, including cyber terrorism; risks relating to our information technology infrastructure; failure of information systems and Internet-enabled technology; the ability to attract and retain employees; legal and regulatory proceedings, including inquiries and investigations; risks relating to financial modelling errors; business continuity risks; dependence on third-party relationships, including outsourcing arrangements; and risks relating to the environment, environmental laws and regulations, and third-party policies.

The Company does not undertake any obligation to update or revise its forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this document or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by law.

 

34   Sun Life Financial Inc.    Third Quarter 2015   MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS


CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

 

 

 

             For the three months ended     For the nine months ended  

(unaudited, in millions of Canadian dollars except for

per share amounts)

    September 30,
2015
    September 30,
2014
    September 30,
2015
    September 30,
2014
 

Revenue

  

       

Premiums

  

       

Gross

  

  $     3,835      $     4,080      $     11,661      $     11,476   

Less: Ceded

  

    1,721        1,385        4,817        4,181   

Net premiums

  

    2,114        2,695        6,844        7,295   

Net investment income (loss):

  

       

Interest and other investment income

  

    1,362        1,265        3,961        3,683   

Fair value and foreign currency changes on assets and liabilities (Note 5)

   

    (168     495        (1,173     3,976   

Net gains (losses) on available-for-sale assets

  

    47        48        189        153   

Net investment income (loss)

  

    1,241        1,808        2,977        7,812   

Fee income

  

    1,338        1,111        3,886        3,282   

Total revenue

  

    4,693        5,614        13,707        18,389   

Benefits and expenses

  

       

Gross claims and benefits paid (Note 7)

  

    3,516        3,080        10,407        9,419   

Increase (decrease) in insurance contract liabilities (Note 7)

  

    419        1,663        592        6,260   

Decrease (increase) in reinsurance assets (Note 7)

  

    (66     (68     (380     (180

Increase (decrease) in investment contract liabilities (Note 7)

  

    (32     3        (39     59   

Reinsurance expenses (recoveries) (Note 8)

  

    (1,662     (1,357     (4,638     (4,033

Commissions

  

    534        484        1,534        1,389   

Net transfer to (from) segregated funds (Note 11)

  

    (27     (5     (40     (11

Operating expenses

  

    1,245        1,099        3,654        3,346   

Premium taxes

  

    74        62        217        183   

Interest expense

  

    86        77        242        242   

Total benefits and expenses

  

    4,087        5,038        11,549        16,674   

Income (loss) before income taxes

  

    606        576        2,158        1,715   

Less: Income tax expense (benefit) (Note 9)

  

    79        116        419        367   

Total net income (loss)

  

    527        460        1,739        1,348   

Less: Net income (loss) attributable to participating policyholders

   

    21        (1     14        3   

Shareholders’ net income (loss)

  

    506        461        1,725        1,345   

Less: Preferred shareholders’ dividends

  

    24        26        76        85   

Common shareholders’ net income (loss)

  

  $ 482      $ 435      $ 1,649      $ 1,260   

Average exchange rates during the reporting periods:

  

       
     U.S. dollars        1.31        1.09        1.26        1.09   
     U.K. pounds        2.03        1.82        1.93        1.83   

Earnings (loss) per share (Note 13)

  

       

Basic

  

  $ 0.79      $ 0.71      $ 2.69      $ 2.06   

Diluted

  

  $ 0.79      $ 0.71      $ 2.68      $ 2.05   

Dividends per common share

  

  $ 0.38      $ 0.36      $ 1.12      $ 1.08   

The attached notes form part of these Interim Consolidated Financial Statements.

 

INTERIM CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED)   Sun Life Financial Inc.   Third Quarter 2015   35


CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS)

 

 

 

     For the three months ended     For the nine months ended  
(unaudited, in millions of Canadian dollars)   September 30,
2015
    September 30,
2014
    September 30,
2015
    September 30,
2014
 

Total net income (loss)

  $ 527      $ 460      $ 1,739      $ 1,348   

Other comprehensive income (loss), net of taxes:

       

Items that may be reclassified subsequently to income:

       

Change in unrealized foreign currency translation gains (losses):

       

Unrealized gains (losses) before net investment hedges

    561        316        1,234        413   

Unrealized gains (losses) on net investment hedges

    (11     (7     (22     (8

Change in unrealized gains (losses) on available-for-sale assets:

       

Unrealized gains (losses)

    (182     (10     (136     254   

Reclassifications to net income (loss)

    (26     (35     (103     (105

Change in unrealized gains (losses) on cash flow hedges:

       

Unrealized gains (losses)

    3        4        3        10   

Reclassifications to net income (loss)

    (3     (5     (4     (15

Total items that may be reclassified subsequently to income

    342        263        972        549   

Items that will not be reclassified subsequently to income:

       

Remeasurement of defined benefit plans

    (2     (16     33        (93

Total items that will not be reclassified subsequently to income

    (2     (16     33        (93

Total other comprehensive income (loss)

    340        247        1,005        456   

Total comprehensive income (loss)

    867        707        2,744        1,804   

Less: Participating policyholders’ comprehensive income (loss)

    25        2        23        6   

Shareholders’ comprehensive income (loss)

  $       842      $       705      $     2,721      $     1,798   

 

INCOME TAXES INCLUDED IN OTHER COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS)

 

  

                                 
     For the three months ended     For the nine months ended  
(unaudited, in millions of Canadian dollars)   September 30,
2015
    September 30,
2014
    September 30,
2015
    September 30,
2014
 

Income tax benefit (expense):

       

Items that may be reclassified subsequently to income:

       

Unrealized foreign currency translation gains / losses, including net investment hedges

  $ (3   $ 1      $ (13   $ 1   

Unrealized gains / losses on available-for-sale assets

    52        3        55        (70

Reclassifications to net income for available-for-sale assets

    11        7        42        27   

Unrealized gains / losses on cash flow hedges

    (1     (2     (1     (4

Reclassifications to net income for cash flow hedges

    1        2        1        5   

Total items that may be reclassified subsequently to income

    60        11        84        (41

Items that will not be reclassified subsequently to income:

       

Remeasurement of defined benefit plans

    2        8        (13     38   

Total items that will not be reclassified subsequently to income

    2        8        (13                38   

Total income tax benefit (expense) included in other comprehensive income (loss)

  $          62      $          19      $          71      $ (3)   

The attached notes form part of these Interim Consolidated Financial Statements.

 

36   Sun Life Financial Inc.    Third Quarter 2015   INTERIM CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED)


CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF FINANCIAL POSITION

 

 

 

              As at  
(unaudited, in millions of Canadian dollars)            September 30,
2015
     December 31,
2014
 

Assets

        

Cash, cash equivalents and short-term securities (Note 5)

      $ 8,052       $ 6,818   

Debt securities (Note 5)

        68,386         66,214   

Equity securities (Note 5)

        5,232         5,223   

Mortgages and loans

        38,274         33,679   

Derivative assets

        2,238         1,839   

Other invested assets (Note 5)

        2,764         2,375   

Policy loans

        3,087         2,895   

Investment properties

              6,505         6,108   

Invested assets

        134,538         125,151   

Other assets

        4,086         3,429   

Reinsurance assets (Note 7)

        5,110         4,042   

Deferred tax assets

        1,280         1,230   

Property and equipment

        603         555   

Intangible assets

        1,455         895   

Goodwill

              4,582         4,117   

Total general fund assets

        151,654         139,419   

Investments for account of segregated fund holders (Note 11)

  

     88,248         83,938   

Total assets

            $ 239,902       $ 223,357   

Liabilities and equity

        

Liabilities

        

Insurance contract liabilities (Note 7)

      $ 107,827       $ 101,228   

Investment contract liabilities (Note 7)

        2,880         2,819   

Derivative liabilities

        3,284         1,603   

Deferred tax liabilities

        340         155   

Other liabilities

        11,010         9,725   

Senior debentures

        2,848         2,849   

Subordinated debt

              2,692         2,168   

Total general fund liabilities

        130,881         120,547   

Insurance contracts for account of segregated fund holders (Note 11)

  

     80,751         76,736   

Investment contracts for account of segregated fund holders (Note 11)

  

     7,497         7,202   

Total liabilities

            $     219,129       $     204,485   

Equity

        

Issued share capital and contributed surplus

      $ 10,861       $ 10,805   

Retained earnings and accumulated other comprehensive income

  

     9,912         8,067   

Total equity

            $ 20,773       $ 18,872   

Total liabilities and equity

            $ 239,902       $ 223,357   

Exchange rates at the end of the reporting periods:

        
     U.S. dollars         1.33         1.16   
     U.K. pounds         2.01         1.81   

The attached notes form part of these Interim Consolidated Financial Statements.

Approved on behalf of the Board of Directors on November 4, 2015.

 

LOGO

   LOGO

Dean A. Connor

  

William D. Anderson

President and Chief Executive Officer

  

Director

 

INTERIM CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED)   Sun Life Financial Inc.   Third Quarter 2015   37


CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN EQUITY

 

 

 

      For the nine months ended  
(unaudited, in millions of Canadian dollars)    September 30,
2015
     September 30,
2014
 

Shareholders:

     

Preferred shares

     

Balance, beginning of period

   $ 2,257       $ 2,503   

Redemption of preferred shares

             (246

Balance, end of period

     2,257         2,257   

Common shares (Note 10)

     

Balance, beginning of period

     8,465         8,304   

Stock options exercised

     35         52   

Common shares purchased for cancellation

     (74        

Issued under dividend reinvestment and share purchase plan

     65         69   

Issued as consideration for business acquisition (Note 3)

     34           

Balance, end of period

     8,525         8,425   

Contributed surplus

     

Balance, beginning of period

     83         95   

Share-based payments

     3         3   

Stock options exercised

     (7      (10

Balance, end of period

     79         88   

Retained earnings

     

Balance, beginning of period

     6,762         5,899   

Net income (loss)

     1,725         1,345   

Redemption of preferred shares

             (4

Dividends on common shares

     (685      (648

Dividends on preferred shares

     (76      (85

Common shares purchased for cancellation (Note 10)

     (138        

Balance, end of period

     7,588         6,507   

Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), net of taxes

     

Unrealized gains (losses) on available-for-sale assets

     548         329   

Unrealized cumulative translation differences, net of hedging activities

     773         110   

Unrealized gains (losses) on transfers to investment properties

     6         6   

Unrealized gains (losses) on derivatives designated as cash flow hedges

     6         13   

Cumulative changes in liabilities for defined benefit plans

     (169      (32

Balance, beginning of period

     1,164         426   

Total other comprehensive income (loss) for the period

     996         453   

Balance, end of period

     2,160         879   

Total shareholders’ equity, end of period

   $ 20,609       $ 18,156   

Participating policyholders:

     

Retained earnings

     

Balance, beginning of period

   $ 135       $ 126   

Net income (loss)

     14         3   

Balance, end of period

     149         129   

Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), net of taxes

     

Unrealized cumulative translation differences, net of hedging activities

     6         1   

Balance, beginning of period

     6         1   

Total other comprehensive income (loss) for the period

     9         3   

Balance, end of period

     15         4   

Total participating policyholders’ equity, end of period

   $ 164       $ 133   

Total equity

   $     20,773       $     18,289   

The attached notes form part of these Interim Consolidated Financial Statements.

 

38   Sun Life Financial Inc.    Third Quarter 2015   INTERIM CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED)


CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

 

 

 

     For the three months ended     For the nine months ended  
(unaudited, in millions of Canadian dollars)   September 30,
2015
    September 30,
2014
    September 30,
2015
    September 30,
2014
 

Cash flows provided by (used in) operating activities

       

Total income (loss) before income taxes

  $ 606      $ 576      $ 2,158      $ 1,715   

Add: Interest expense related to financing activities

    75        75        223        235   

Operating items not affecting cash:

       

Increase (decrease) in contract liabilities

    484        1,717        565        6,624   

(Increase) decrease in reinsurance assets

    (182     (50     (504     (313

Unrealized (gains) losses on invested assets

    834        (2     2,785        (2,961

Other non-cash items

    (162     (624     (1,477     (592

Operating cash items:

       

Deferred acquisition costs

    (14     (12     (45     (33

Realized (gains) losses on assets

    (233     (227     (755     (750

Sales, maturities and repayments of invested assets

    9,855        12,968        34,242        52,524   

Purchases of invested assets

    (10,086     (13,595     (34,232     (54,846

Change in policy loans

    (23            (47     14   

Income taxes received (paid)

    (151     (31     (365     (185

Mortgage securitization (Note 5)

    65               164        213   

Other cash items

    197        163        13        223   

Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities

    1,265        958        2,725        1,868   

Cash flows provided by (used in) investing activities

       

Net (purchase) sale of property and equipment

    (26     (27     (65     (58

Investment in and transactions with joint ventures and associates

           7        (3     (80

Dividends received from associates and joint ventures

      5        32        5   

Cash received on sale of discontinued operation

                         72   

Acquisitions, net of cash and cash equivalents acquired (Note 3)

    (573            (578       

Other investing activities

    (16     (24     (50     (43

Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities

    (615     (39     (664     (104

Cash flows provided by (used in) financing activities

       

Increase in (repayment of) borrowed funds

    24        (23     55        (251

Issuance of subordinated debt, net of issuance costs (Note 10)

    497               497        249   

Redemption of subordinated debt

                         (500

Redemption of preferred shares

                         (250

Issuance of common shares on exercise of stock options

    1        22        28        42   

Common shares purchased for cancellation (Note 10)

                  (212       

Dividends paid on common and preferred shares

    (228     (221     (685     (665

Interest expense paid

    (52     (57     (200     (223

Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities

    242        (279     (517     (1,598

Changes due to fluctuations in exchange rates

    185        74        375        115   

Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents

    1,077        714        1,919        281   

Net cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period

    4,206        2,891        3,364        3,324   

Net cash and cash equivalents, end of period

    5,283        3,605        5,283        3,605   

Short-term securities, end of period

    2,629        2,561        2,629        2,561   

Net cash and cash equivalents and short-term securities, end of period (Note 5)

  $     7,912      $     6,166      $     7,912      $     6,166   

The attached notes form part of these Interim Consolidated Financial Statements.

 

INTERIM CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED)   Sun Life Financial Inc.   Third Quarter 2015   39


Condensed Notes to the Interim Consolidated Financial Statements

 

 

(Unaudited, in millions of Canadian dollars except for per share amounts and where otherwise stated)

1.     Significant Accounting Policies

 

 

Description of Business

Sun Life Financial Inc. (“SLF Inc.”) is a publicly traded company domiciled in Canada and is the holding company of Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada (“Sun Life Assurance”). SLF Inc. and its subsidiaries are collectively referred to as “us”, “our”, “ours”, “we”, or “the Company”.

Our Interim Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with International Accounting Standard (“IAS”) 34 Interim Financial Reporting as issued and adopted by the International Accounting Standards Board (“IASB”). We have used accounting policies which are consistent with our accounting policies in our 2014 Annual Consolidated Financial Statements. Our Interim Consolidated Financial Statements should be read in conjunction with our 2014 Annual Consolidated Financial Statements, as interim financial statements do not include all the information incorporated in annual consolidated financial statements prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRS”).

2.     Change in Accounting Policy

 

 

Amended International Financial Reporting Standard Issued in 2015

In September 2015, the IASB deferred the effective date of IFRS 15 Revenue from Contracts with Customers (“IFRS 15”) from January 1, 2017 to January 1, 2018. IFRS 15 was issued in May 2014 and we are currently assessing the impact the adoption of this standard will have on our Consolidated Financial Statements.

3.     Acquisitions

 

 

Completed in 2015

On September 1, 2015, we completed the acquisition of the Bentall Kennedy group of companies (“Bentall Kennedy”) for cash consideration of $557. Bentall Kennedy is a real estate investment manager operating in Canada and the U.S. and provides specialized real estate investment management and real estate services, including property management and leasing. The acquired business complements our expertise in asset-liability management, fixed income and alternative asset classes by extending our real estate and mortgage investment capabilities. The fair value of the net identifiable assets acquired was $392, which includes intangible assets of $475 and a net deferred tax liability of $83. The acquired intangible assets include finite life intangible assets of $125 and indefinite life intangible assets of $350. The finite life intangible assets relate to client relationships which are subject to amortization on a straight-line basis over their projected economic lives of 20 years. The indefinite life intangible assets relate to fund management contracts and will not be amortized. We recognized goodwill of $165 as a result of this transaction. Although the valuation and purchase price accounting have largely been completed, the amounts recognized may change due to the recent closing of this acquisition.

On July 31, 2015, we completed the acquisition of all of the shares of Prime Advisors, Inc. (“Prime Advisors”) for cash consideration of $76. The acquired business increased our capacity for liability-driven investing as Prime Advisors specializes in customized fixed income portfolios, primarily for U.S. insurance companies. The fair value of the net identifiable assets acquired in the transaction was $23, which includes a client relationship intangible asset of $16 that is subject to amortization on a straight-line basis over its projected economic life of 15 years. We recognized goodwill of $53 as a result of this transaction. Although the valuation and purchase price accounting have largely been completed, the amounts recognized may change due to the recent closing of this acquisition.

On April 2, 2015, we completed the acquisition of all the shares of Ryan Labs Asset Management Inc., previously Ryan Labs, Inc., (“Ryan Labs”), a New York-based asset manager for $46. The acquired business increased our capacity for liability-driven investing and total return fixed income strategies in the United States. The purchase price consisted of SLF Inc. common shares valued at $34, cash of $5, and estimated contingent consideration of $7 to be paid in SLF Inc. common shares if certain future performance targets are achieved. The fair value of the net identifiable assets acquired in the transaction was $9, which includes an intangible asset of $11 and a related deferred tax liability of $5. The acquired intangible asset consists of client relationships which are subject to amortization on a straight-line basis over its projected economic life of 15 years. We recognized goodwill of $37 as a result of this transaction.

Goodwill arising from these transactions includes the benefit of synergies, future business and other economic benefits.

 

40   Sun Life Financial Inc.    Third Quarter 2015   CONDENSED NOTES TO THE INTERIM CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED)


The Sun Life Financial Asset Management (“SLF Asset Management”) reportable segment in Note 4 includes the results of the entities acquired. The net assets acquired, including intangible assets and goodwill, are also included in that reportable segment. As a result of these acquisitions, total general fund assets increased by $882 and total general fund liabilities increased by $203 in the SLF Asset Management segment, calculated as at the dates of the acquisitions. The increase in total general fund assets included an increase of $60 due to cash and cash equivalents acquired.

The Total revenue and Total net income (loss) from these acquisitions included in our Interim Consolidated Statements of Operations from the dates of acquisition to September 30, 2015 were $29 and $5, respectively. Had these acquisitions been completed as at January 1, 2015, Total revenue and Total net income (loss) in our Interim Consolidated Statements of Operations for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 would have been $13,856 and $1,757, respectively. For the nine months ended September 30, 2015, we incurred acquisition costs of $12 that were included in Operating expenses.

Pending Acquisition

On September 9, 2015, we entered into an agreement with Assurant, Inc. (“Assurant”) to acquire Assurant’s U.S. Employee Benefits business for a cash consideration of US$940 which consists of a ceding commission and a payment for the acquisition of direct subsidiaries. The transaction will add new capabilities and increase the size and scale of our Sun Life Financial United States (“SLF U.S.”) business segment. The acquisition will be financed using a combination of cash and subordinated debt issued by SLF Inc. The transaction is expected to close by the end of the first quarter of 2016 and is subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions.

4.     Segmented Information

 

 

In the third quarter of 2015, we renamed our MFS segment to SLF Asset Management to reflect our acquisitions that were completed in 2015. This segment includes the operations of MFS Investment Management, previously reported as the MFS segment. The operations of Sun Life Investment Management (“SLIM”) have been added to this segment. SLIM consists of the results of acquisitions completed in 2015 as described in Note 3, and our third-party business in Sun Life Investment Management Inc.

We have five reportable segments: Sun Life Financial Canada (“SLF Canada”), SLF U.S., SLF Asset Management, Sun Life Financial Asia (“SLF Asia”), and Corporate.

These reportable segments operate in the financial services industry and reflect our management structure and internal financial reporting. Corporate includes the results of our United Kingdom (“U.K.”) business unit and our Corporate Support operations, which include run-off reinsurance operations as well as investment income, expenses, capital, and other items not allocated to our other business groups.

Revenues from our reportable segments are derived principally from life and health insurance, investment management and annuities, and mutual funds. Revenues not attributed to the strategic business units are derived primarily from Corporate investments and earnings on capital. Transactions between segments are executed and priced on an arm’s-length basis in a manner similar to transactions with third parties.

The expenses in each business segment may include costs or services directly incurred or provided on their behalf at the enterprise level. For other costs not directly attributable to one of our business segments, we use a management reporting framework that uses assumptions, judgments and methodologies for allocating overhead costs, and indirect expenses to our business segments.

Intersegment transactions consist primarily of internal financing agreements which are measured at fair values prevailing when the arrangements are negotiated. Intersegment investment income consists primarily of interest paid by SLF U.S. to Corporate. Intersegment fee income is primarily asset management fees paid by SLF Canada and Corporate to SLF Asset Management, and by SLF Asset Management to SLF U.S. Intersegment transactions are presented in the Consolidation adjustments column in the following tables.

Management considers its external clients to be individuals and corporations. We are not reliant on any individual client as none are individually significant to our operations.

 

CONDENSED NOTES TO THE INTERIM CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED)   Sun Life Financial Inc.   Third Quarter 2015   41


Results by segment for the three months ended September 30 are as follows:

 

     SLF
Canada
   

SLF

U.S.

    SLF Asset
Management
    SLF
Asia
    Corporate     Consolidation
adjustments
    Total  

2015

             

Gross premiums:

             

Annuities

  $ 345      $ 25      $      $      $ 4      $      $ 374   

Life insurance

    956        560               274        28               1,818   

Health insurance

    1,039        596               4        4               1,643   

Total gross premiums

    2,340        1,181               278        36               3,835   

Less: ceded premiums

    1,391        153               11        166               1,721   

Net investment income (loss)

    202        814               (20     260        (15     1,241   

Fee income

    238        51        950        77        41        (19     1,338   

Total revenue

    1,389        1,893        950        324        171        (34     4,693   

Less:

             

Total benefits and expenses

    1,183        1,881        637        233        187        (34     4,087   

Income tax expense (benefit)

    58        (52     109        14        (50            79   

Total net income (loss)

  $ 148      $ 64      $ 204      $ 77      $ 34      $      $ 527   

2014

             

Gross premiums:

             

Annuities

  $ 664      $ 144      $      $      $ 10      $      $ 818   

Life insurance

    878        683               201        30               1,792   

Health insurance

    979        483               5        3               1,470   

Total gross premiums

        2,521            1,310               206        43                     4,080   

Less: ceded premiums

    1,242        130               8        5                –        1,385   

Net investment income (loss)

    967        395        (13     99        375        (15     1,808   

Fee income

    224        46            770        59        26        (14     1,111   

Total revenue

    2,470        1,621        757            356            439        (29     5,614   

Less:

             

Total benefits and expenses

    2,175        1,640        540        294        418        (29     5,038   

Income tax expense (benefit)

    55        (15     80        11        (15            116   

Total net income (loss)

  $ 240      $ (4   $ 137      $ 51      $ 36      $      $ 460   

 

42   Sun Life Financial Inc.    Third Quarter 2015   CONDENSED NOTES TO THE INTERIM CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED)


Results by segment for the nine months ended September 30 are as follows:

 

      SLF
Canada
   

SLF

U.S.

    SLF Asset
Management
   

SLF

Asia

    Corporate     Consolidation
adjustments
    Total  

2015

              

Gross premiums:

              

Annuities

   $ 1,427      $ 119      $      $      $ 17      $      $ 1,563   

Life insurance

     2,778        1,664               759        81               5,282   

Health insurance

     3,073        1,717               12        14               4,816   

Total gross premiums

     7,278        3,500               771        112               11,661   

Less: ceded premiums

     4,166        450               29        172               4,817   

Net investment income (loss)

     1,887        818        1        73        244        (46     2,977   

Fee income

     722        152        2,720        225        121        (54     3,886   

Total revenue

     5,721        4,020        2,721        1,040        305      $ (100     13,707   

Less:

              

Total benefits and expenses

     4,945        3,747        1,893        765        299        (100     11,549   

Income tax expense (benefit)

     148        40        314        37        (120            419   

Total net income (loss)

   $ 628      $ 233      $ 514      $ 238      $ 126      $      $ 1,739   

2014

              

Gross premiums:

              

Annuities

   $ 1,548      $ 282      $      $      $ 22      $      $ 1,852   

Life insurance

     2,628        1,951               570        82               5,231   

Health insurance

     2,938        1,435               12        8               4,393   

Total gross premiums

     7,114        3,668               582        112               11,476   

Less: ceded premiums

     3,760        379               24        18               4,181   

Net investment income (loss)

         4,312            2,156        (12     541        858        (43     7,812   

Fee income

     661        134            2,254        166        112        (45     3,282   

Total revenue

     8,327        5,579        2,242            1,265            1,064        (88         18,389   

Less:

              

Total benefits and expenses

     7,545        5,351        1,664        1,113        1,089        (88     16,674   

Income tax expense (benefit)

     109        52        244        32        (70             –        367   

Total net income (loss)

   $ 673      $ 176      $ 334      $ 120      $ 45      $      $ 1,348   

5.     Total Invested Assets and Related Net Investment Income

 

 

5.A Asset Classification

The carrying values of our debt securities, equity securities, and other invested assets presented in our Interim Consolidated Statements of Financial Position consist of the following:

 

As at    Fair value
through profit
or loss
    

Available-

for-sale

     Other(1)      Total  

September 30, 2015

           

Debt securities

   $     55,201       $     13,185       $       $     68,386   

Equity securities

   $ 4,376       $ 856       $       $ 5,232   

Other invested assets

   $ 1,673       $ 176       $     915       $ 2,764   

December 31, 2014

           

Debt securities

   $ 53,127       $ 13,087       $       $ 66,214   

Equity securities

   $ 4,357       $ 866       $       $ 5,223   

Other invested assets

   $ 1,347       $ 136       $ 892       $ 2,375   

 

(1)

Other consists primarily of investments accounted for using the equity method of accounting.

 

CONDENSED NOTES TO THE INTERIM CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED)   Sun Life Financial Inc.   Third Quarter 2015   43


5.B Fair Value and Foreign Currency Changes on Assets and Liabilities

Fair value and foreign currency changes on assets and liabilities recorded to net income consist of the following:

 

     For the three months ended      For the nine months ended  
      September 30,
2015
     September 30,
2014
     September 30,
2015
     September 30,
2014
 

Fair value change:

           

Cash, cash equivalents and short-term securities

   $ 26       $ 3       $ 43       $ 7   

Debt securities

     (30      495         (753      2,913   

Equity securities

     (302      14         (250      344   

Derivative investments

     (406      (344      (1,469      210   

Other invested assets

     11         (4      49         27   

Total change in fair value through profit or loss assets and liabilities

     (701      164         (2,380      3,501   

Fair value changes on investment properties

     47         31         163         128   

Foreign exchange gains (losses)(1)(2)

     486         300               1,044         347   

Fair value and foreign currency changes on assets and liabilities

   $     (168    $         495       $ (1,173    $     3,976   

 

(1)

Primarily arises from the translation of foreign currency denominated available-for-sale assets and mortgages and loans. Any offsetting amounts arising from foreign currency derivatives are included in the fair value change on derivative investments.

(2)

Foreign exchange gains (losses) for 2014 have been reclassified from Interest and other investment income to be consistent with current year presentation.

5.C Impairment of Available-For-Sale Assets

We recognized impairment losses on available-for-sale assets of $5 and $7 for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2015, respectively ($nil and $15 for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014).

5.D Cash, Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Securities

Cash, cash equivalents and short-term securities presented in our Interim Consolidated Statements of Financial Position and Net cash, cash equivalents and short-term securities presented in our Interim Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows consist of the following:

 

As at          September 30,
2015
     December 31,
2014
     September 30,
2014
 

Cash

      $ 1,647       $ 1,283       $     1,329   

Cash equivalents

        3,776         2,085         2,307   

Short-term securities

          2,629         3,450         2,561   

Cash, cash equivalents and short-term securities

        8,052         6,818         6,197   

Less: Bank overdraft, recorded in Other liabilities

          140         4         31   

Net cash, cash equivalents and short-term securities

        $     7,912       $       6,814       $ 6,166   

5.E Mortgage Securitization

We securitize certain insured fixed rate commercial mortgages through the creation of mortgage-backed securities under the National Housing Act Mortgage-Backed Securities (“NHA MBS”) Program sponsored by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (“CMHC”). The NHA MBS are then sold to Canada Housing Trust, a government-sponsored security trust that issues securities to third-party investors under the Canadian Mortgage Bond (“CMB”) program. The securitization of these assets does not qualify for derecognition as we have not transferred substantially all of the risks and rewards of ownership. Specifically, we continue to be exposed to prepayment and interest rate risk associated with these assets. There are no expected credit losses on the securitized mortgages as the mortgages were already insured by the CMHC prior to securitization. These assets continue to be recognized as Mortgages and loans in our Interim Consolidated Statements of Financial Position. Proceeds from securitization transactions are recognized as secured borrowings and included in Other liabilities in our Interim Consolidated Statements of Financial Position.

Receipts of principal on the securitized mortgages are deposited into a principal reinvestment account (“PRA”) to meet our repayment obligation upon maturity under the CMB program. The assets in the PRA are typically comprised of cash and cash equivalents and certain asset-backed securities. We are exposed to reinvestment risk due to the amortizing nature of the securitized mortgages relative to our repayment obligation for the full principal amount due at maturity. We mitigate the reinvestment risk using interest rate swaps.

 

44   Sun Life Financial Inc.    Third Quarter 2015   CONDENSED NOTES TO THE INTERIM CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED)


The carrying value and fair value of the securitized mortgages as at September 30, 2015 are $457 and $474, respectively ($299 and $311 as at December 31, 2014). The carrying value and fair value of the associated liabilities as at September 30, 2015 are $467 and $485, respectively ($303 and $313 as at December 31, 2014). The carrying value of asset-backed securities in the PRA as at September 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014 are $13 and $6, respectively. There are no cash and cash equivalents in the PRA as at September 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014.

The fair value of the secured borrowings from mortgage securitization is based on the methodologies and assumptions for asset-backed securities described in Note 5 of our 2014 Annual Consolidated Financial Statements. The fair value of these liabilities is categorized in Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy as at September 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014.

5.F Fair Value Measurement

The fair value methodologies and assumptions for assets and liabilities carried at fair value as well as disclosures on unobservable inputs, sensitivities, and valuation processes for Level 3 assets can be found in Note 5 of our 2014 Annual Consolidated Financial Statements.

5.F.i Fair Value Hierarchy

We categorize our assets and liabilities carried at fair value, based on the priority of the inputs to the valuation techniques used to measure fair value, into a three-level fair value hierarchy as follows:

Level 1: Fair value is based on the unadjusted quoted prices for identical assets or liabilities in an active market. The types of assets and liabilities classified as Level 1 generally include cash and cash equivalents, certain U.S. government and agency securities, exchange-traded equity securities, and certain segregated and mutual fund units held for account of segregated fund holders.

Level 2: Fair value is based on quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities traded in active markets, or prices from valuation techniques that use significant observable inputs, or inputs that are derived principally from or corroborated with observable market data through correlation or other means. The types of assets and liabilities classified as Level 2 generally include Canadian federal, provincial and municipal government, other foreign government and corporate debt securities, certain asset-backed securities, over-the-counter derivatives, and certain segregated and mutual fund units held for account of segregated fund holders.

Level 3: Fair value is based on valuation techniques that require one or more significant inputs that are not based on observable market inputs. These unobservable inputs reflect our expectations about the assumptions market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability. The types of assets and liabilities classified as Level 3 generally include certain corporate bonds, certain other invested assets, and investment properties.

Our assets and liabilities that are carried at fair value on a recurring basis by hierarchy level are as follows:

 

As at September 30, 2015    Level 1      Level 2      Level 3      Total  

Assets

           

Cash, cash equivalents and short-term securities

   $ 7,323       $ 729       $       $ 8,052   

Debt securities – fair value through profit or loss

     1,174         53,380         647         55,201   

Debt securities – available-for-sale

     317         12,486         382         13,185   

Equity securities – fair value through profit or loss

     2,549         1,652         175         4,376   

Equity securities – available-for-sale

     686         170                 856   

Derivative assets

     19         2,219                 2,238   

Other invested assets

     711         80         1,058         1,849   

Investment properties

                     6,505         6,505   

Total invested assets measured at fair value

   $     12,779       $ 70,716       $ 8,767       $ 92,262   

Investments for account of segregated fund holders

   $ 27,118       $ 60,403       $ 727       $ 88,248   

Total assets measured at fair value

   $ 39,897       $     131,119       $     9,494       $     180,510   

Liabilities

           

Investment contract liabilities

   $       $       $ 5       $ 5   

Derivative liabilities

     45         3,239                 3,284   

Total liabilities measured at fair value

   $ 45       $ 3,239       $ 5       $ 3,289   

 

CONDENSED NOTES TO THE INTERIM CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED)   Sun Life Financial Inc.   Third Quarter 2015   45


Debt securities – fair value through profit or loss consist of the following:

 

As at September 30, 2015   Level 1     Level 2     Level 3     Total  

Canadian federal government

  $      $ 1,664      $ 40      $ 1,704   

Canadian provincial and municipal government

           9,959        38        9,997   

U.S. government and agency

    1,174        59        8        1,241   

Other foreign government

           5,910        27        5,937   

Corporate

           33,036        380        33,416   

Asset-backed securities:

       

Commercial mortgage-backed securities

           1,388        13        1,401   

Residential mortgage-backed securities

           998        7        1,005   

Collateralized debt obligations

           33        70        103   

Other

           333        64        397   

Total debt securities – fair value through profit or loss

  $       1,174      $       53,380      $       647      $       55,201   

Debt securities – available-for-sale consist of the following:

 

As at September 30, 2015   Level 1     Level 2     Level 3     Total  

Canadian federal government

  $      $ 1,578      $      $ 1,578   

Canadian provincial and municipal government

           809               809   

U.S. government and agency

    317                      317   

Other foreign government

           735        3        738   

Corporate

           7,829        89        7,918   

Asset-backed securities:

       

Commercial mortgage-backed securities

           949        18        967   

Residential mortgage-backed securities

           208               208   

Collateralized debt obligations

                  213        213   

Other

           378        59        437   

Total debt securities – available-for-sale

  $          317      $       12,486      $        382      $       13,185   

Our assets and liabilities that are carried at fair value on a recurring basis by hierarchy level are as follows:

 

As at December 31, 2014   Level 1     Level 2     Level 3     Total  

Assets

       

Cash, cash equivalents and short-term securities

  $ 5,596      $ 1,222      $      $ 6,818   

Debt securities – fair value through profit or loss

    1,125        51,111        891        53,127   

Debt securities – available-for-sale

    345        12,462        280        13,087   

Equity securities – fair value through profit or loss

    2,626        1,606        125        4,357   

Equity securities – available-for-sale

    722        144               866   

Derivative assets

    21        1,818               1,839   

Other invested assets

    625        70        788        1,483   

Investment properties

                  6,108        6,108   

Total invested assets measured at fair value

  $     11,060      $ 68,433      $ 8,192      $ 87,685   

Investments for account of segregated fund holders

  $ 27,510      $ 55,898      $ 530      $ 83,938   

Total assets measured at fair value

  $ 38,570      $     124,331      $     8,722      $     171,623   

Liabilities

       

Investment contract liabilities

  $      $ 11      $ 5      $ 16   

Derivative liabilities

    13        1,590               1,603   

Total liabilities measured at fair value

  $ 13      $ 1,601      $ 5      $ 1,619   

 

46   Sun Life Financial Inc.    Third Quarter 2015   CONDENSED NOTES TO THE INTERIM CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED)


Debt securities – fair value through profit or loss consist of the following:

 

As at December 31, 2014   Level 1     Level 2     Level 3     Total  

Canadian federal government

  $      $ 1,814      $ 17      $ 1,831   

Canadian provincial and municipal government

           10,314        21        10,335   

U.S. government and agency

    1,125        50        8        1,183   

Other foreign government

           5,234        71        5,305   

Corporate

           31,050        611        31,661   

Asset-backed securities:

       

Commercial mortgage-backed securities

           1,388        28        1,416   

Residential mortgage-backed securities

           742        31        773   

Collateralized debt obligations

           28        71        99   

Other

           491        33        524   

Total debt securities – fair value through profit or loss

  $     1,125      $     51,111      $          891      $     53,127   

Debt securities – available-for-sale consist of the following:

 

As at December 31, 2014   Level 1     Level 2     Level 3     Total  

Canadian federal government

  $      $ 1,717      $      $ 1,717   

Canadian provincial and municipal government

           768               768   

U.S. government and agency

    345        61               406   

Other foreign government

           535        1        536   

Corporate

           7,929        99        8,028   

Asset-backed securities:

       

Commercial mortgage-backed securities

           939        3        942   

Residential mortgage-backed securities

           215               215   

Collateralized debt obligations

                  136        136   

Other

           298        41        339   

Total debt securities – available-for-sale

  $        345      $     12,462      $          280      $     13,087   

There were no significant transfers between Level 1 and Level 2 for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2015 and September 30, 2014.

 

CONDENSED NOTES TO THE INTERIM CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED)   Sun Life Financial Inc.   Third Quarter 2015   47


The following table provides a reconciliation of the beginning and ending balances for assets and liabilities that are categorized in Level 3 for the three months ended September 30, 2015:

 

     Beginning
balance
    Included
in  net
income(1)(3)
    Included
in OCI(3)
    Purchases     Sales     Settlements    

Transfers
into

Level 3(2)

    Transfers
(out) of
Level 3(2)
    Foreign
currency
translation(4)
    Ending
balance
    Gains
(losses)
included in
earnings
relating to
instruments
still held at
the reporting
date(1)
 

Assets

                     

Debt securities – fair value through profit or loss

  $ 771      $ 2      $      $ 75      $      $ (7   $ 25      $ (237   $ 18      $ 647      $ (2

Debt securities – available-for-sale

    342        4        1        57               (2            (34     14        382        1   

Equity securities – fair value through profit or loss

    165        2               1                                    7        175        2   

Other invested assets

    923        46        1        119        (35                          4        1,058        46   

Investment properties

    6,372        28               105        (121                          121        6,505        56   

Total invested assets measured at fair value

  $ 8,573      $ 82      $ 2      $ 357      $ (156   $ (9   $ 25      $ (271   $ 164      $ 8,767      $ 103   

Investments for account of segregated fund holders

  $ 721      $ 21      $      $ 95      $ (117   $      $      $ (10   $ 17      $ 727      $ 24   

Total assets measured at fair value

  $   9,294      $   103      $     2      $   452      $ (273   $ (9   $   25      $ (281   $   181      $   9,494      $   127   

Liabilities(5)

                     

Investment contract liabilities

  $ 5      $      $      $      $       –      $       –      $      $       –      $      $ 5      $   

Total liabilities measured at fair value

  $ 5      $      $      $      $      $      $      $      $      $ 5      $   

 

(1) 

Included in Net investment income (loss) for Total invested assets measured at fair value in our Interim Consolidated Statements of Operations.

(2) 

Transfers into Level 3 occur when the inputs used to price the assets and liabilities lack observable market data, and as a result, no longer meet the Level 1 or 2 definitions at the reporting date. Transfers out of Level 3 occur when the pricing inputs become more transparent and satisfy the Level 1 or 2 criteria and are primarily the result of observable market data being available at the reporting date, thus removing the requirement to rely on inputs that lack observability.

(3) 

Total gains and losses in net income (loss) and Other Comprehensive Income (“OCI”) are calculated assuming transfers into or out of Level 3 occur at the beginning of the period. For an asset or liability that transfers into Level 3 during the reporting period, the entire change in fair value for the period is included in the table above. For transfers out of Level 3 during the reporting period, the change in fair value for the period is excluded from the table above.

(4) 

Foreign currency translation relates to the foreign exchange impact of translating Level 3 assets and liabilities of foreign subsidiaries from their functional currencies to Canadian dollars.

(5) 

For liabilities, gains are indicated by negative numbers.

 

48   Sun Life Financial Inc.    Third Quarter 2015   CONDENSED NOTES TO THE INTERIM CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED)


The following table provides a reconciliation of the beginning and ending balances for assets and liabilities that are categorized in Level 3 for the nine months ended September 30, 2015:

 

     Beginning
balance
    Included
in  net
income(1)(3)
    Included
in OCI(3)
    Purchases     Sales     Settlements    

Transfers
into

Level 3(2)

    Transfers
(out) of
Level 3(2)
    Foreign
currency
translation(4)
    Ending
balance
    Gains
(losses)
included in
earnings
relating to
instruments
still held at
the reporting
date(1)
 

Assets

                     

Debt securities – fair value through profit or loss

  $ 891      $ 12      $      $ 247      $ (7   $ (61   $ 107      $ (594   $ 52      $ 647      $ (8

Debt securities – available-for-sale

    280        7        1        262        (3     (12     8        (186     25        382        1   

Equity securities – fair value through profit or loss

    125        11               28        (2                          13        175        8   

Other invested assets

    788        75        (5     259        (67                          8        1,058        76   

Investment properties

    6,108        124               261        (236                          248        6,505        179   

Total invested assets measured at fair value

  $ 8,192      $ 229      $ (4   $ 1,057      $ (315   $ (73   $ 115      $ (780   $ 346      $ 8,767      $ 256   

Investments for account of segregated fund holders

  $ 530      $ 48      $     –      $ 214      $ (126   $ (1   $ 16      $ (15   $ 61      $ 727      $ 57   

Total assets measured at fair value

  $   8,722      $   277      $ (4   $   1,271      $ (441   $ (74   $ 131      $ (795   $   407      $   9,494      $   313   

Liabilities(5)

                     

Investment contract liabilities

  $ 5      $      $      $      $       –      $       –      $       –      $       –      $      $ 5      $   

Total liabilities measured at fair value

  $ 5      $      $      $      $      $      $      $      $      $ 5      $   

 

(1) 

Included in Net investment income (loss) for Total invested assets measured at fair value in our Interim Consolidated Statements of Operations.

(2) 

Transfers into Level 3 occur when the inputs used to price the assets and liabilities lack observable market data, and as a result, no longer meet the Level 1 or 2 definitions at the reporting date. Transfers out of Level 3 occur when the pricing inputs become more transparent and satisfy the Level 1 or 2 criteria and are primarily the result of observable market data being available at the reporting date, thus removing the requirement to rely on inputs that lack observability.

(3) 

Total gains and losses in net income (loss) and OCI are calculated assuming transfers into or out of Level 3 occur at the beginning of the period. For an asset or liability that transfers into Level 3 during the reporting period, the entire change in fair value for the period is included in the table above. For transfers out of Level 3 during the reporting period, the change in fair value for the period is excluded from the table above.

(4) 

Foreign currency translation relates to the foreign exchange impact of translating Level 3 assets and liabilities of foreign subsidiaries from their functional currencies to Canadian dollars.

(5) 

For liabilities, gains are indicated by negative numbers.

 

CONDENSED NOTES TO THE INTERIM CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED)   Sun Life Financial Inc.   Third Quarter 2015   49


The following table provides a reconciliation of the beginning and ending balances for assets and liabilities that are categorized in Level 3 for the three months ended September 30, 2014:

 

     Beginning
balance
    Included
in  net
income(1)(3)
    Included
in OCI(3)
    Purchases     Sales     Settlements    

Transfers
into

Level 3(2)

    Transfers
(out) of
Level 3(2)
    Foreign
currency
translation(4)
    Ending
balance
    Gains
(losses)
included in
earnings
relating to
instruments
still held at
the reporting
date(1)
 

Assets

                     

Debt securities – fair value through profit or loss

  $ 750      $ 3      $      $ 141      $      $ (3   $ 54      $ (159   $ 18      $ 804      $ 3   

Debt securities – available-for-sale

    197        2        (1     114               (2            (11     9        308        (1

Equity securities – fair value through profit or loss

    123        (4            7        (3                          3        126        (4

Other invested assets

    690        6        (6     56        (18                          3        731        7   

Investment properties

    6,054        19               49        (33                          74        6,163        39   

Total invested assets measured at fair value

  $ 7,814      $ 26      $ (7   $ 367      $ (54   $ (5   $ 54      $ (170   $ 107      $ 8,132      $ 44   

Investments for account of segregated fund holders

  $ 543      $ 15      $      $ 20      $ (96   $     –      $ 5      $      $ (1   $ 486      $ 5   

Total assets measured at fair value

  $   8,357      $   41      $ (7   $   387      $ (150   $ (5   $   59      $ (170   $   106      $   8,618      $   49   

Liabilities(5)

                     

Investment contract liabilities

  $ 7      $ (1   $     –      $      $       –      $ (1   $      $       –      $      $ 5      $   

Total liabilities measured at fair value

  $ 7      $ (1   $      $      $      $ (1   $      $      $      $ 5      $   

 

(1) 

Included in Net investment income (loss) for Total invested assets measured at fair value in our Interim Consolidated Statements of Operations.

(2) 

Transfers into Level 3 occur when the inputs used to price the assets and liabilities lack observable market data, and as a result, no longer meet the Level 1 or 2 definitions at the reporting date. Transfers out of Level 3 occur when the pricing inputs become more transparent and satisfy the Level 1 or 2 criteria and are primarily the result of observable market data being available at the reporting date, thus removing the requirement to rely on inputs that lack observability.

(3) 

Total gains and losses in net income (loss) and OCI are calculated assuming transfers into or out of Level 3 occur at the beginning of the period. For an asset or liability that transfers into Level 3 during the reporting period, the entire change in fair value for the period is included in the table above. For transfers out of Level 3 during the reporting period, the change in fair value for the period is excluded from the table above.

(4) 

Foreign currency translation relates to the foreign exchange impact of translating Level 3 assets and liabilities of foreign subsidiaries from their functional currencies to Canadian dollars.

(5) 

For liabilities, gains are indicated by negative numbers.

 

50   Sun Life Financial Inc.    Third Quarter 2015   CONDENSED NOTES TO THE INTERIM CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED)


The following table provides a reconciliation of the beginning and ending balances for assets and liabilities that are categorized in Level 3 for the nine months ended September 30, 2014:

 

     Beginning
balance
    Included
in net
income(1)(3)
    Included
in OCI(3)
    Purchases     Sales     Settlements     Transfers
into
Level  3(2)
    Transfers
(out) of
Level 3(2)
    Foreign
currency
translation(4)
    Ending
balance
    Gains
(losses)
included in
earnings
relating to
instruments
still held at
the reporting
date(1)
 

Assets

                     

Debt securities – fair value through profit or loss

  $ 1,017      $ 4      $ 2      $ 436      $ (30   $ (29   $ 80      $ (699   $ 23      $ 804      $ (1

Debt securities – available-for-sale

    307        1        4        266        (99     (27            (152     8        308        3   

Equity securities – fair value through profit or loss

    115        4               7        (3                          3        126        3   

Other invested assets

    618        20        1        146        (57                         –        3        731        22   

Investment properties

    6,092        87               138        (240           –                      86        6,163        131   

Total invested assets measured at fair value

  $   8,149      $   116      $   7      $ 993      $ (429   $ (56   $   80      $ (851   $   123      $   8,132      $   158   

Investments for account of segregated fund holders

  $ 482      $ 32      $      $ 74      $ (113   $ (1   $      $ (2   $ 14      $ 486      $ 27   

Total assets measured at fair value

  $ 8,631      $ 148      $ 7      $   1,067      $ (542   $ (57   $ 80      $ (853   $ 137      $ 8,618      $ 185   

Liabilities(5)

                     

Investment contract liabilities

  $ 7      $ (1   $      $      $       –      $ (1   $      $      $      $ 5      $   

Total liabilities measured at fair value

  $ 7      $ (1   $      $      $      $ (1   $      $      $      $ 5      $   

 

(1) 

Included in Net investment income (loss) for Total invested assets measured at fair value in our Interim Consolidated Statements of Operations.

(2) 

Transfers into Level 3 occur when the inputs used to price the assets and liabilities lack observable market data, and as a result, no longer meet the Level 1 or 2 definitions at the reporting date. Transfers out of Level 3 occur when the pricing inputs become more transparent and satisfy the Level 1 or 2 criteria and are primarily the result of observable market data being available at the reporting date, thus removing the requirement to rely on inputs that lack observability.

(3) 

Total gains and losses in net income (loss) and OCI are calculated assuming transfers into or out of Level 3 occur at the beginning of the period. For an asset or liability that transfers into Level 3 during the reporting period, the entire change in fair value for the period is included in the table above. For transfers out of Level 3 during the reporting period, the change in fair value for the period is excluded from the table above.

(4) 

Foreign currency translation relates to the foreign exchange impact of translating Level 3 assets and liabilities of foreign subsidiaries from their functional currencies to Canadian dollars.

(5) 

For liabilities, gains are indicated by negative numbers.

6.     Financial Instrument and Insurance Risk Management

 

 

Our risk management policies and procedures for managing risks related to financial instruments and insurance contracts can be found in Notes 6 and 7, respectively, of our 2014 Annual Consolidated Financial Statements.

Our financial instrument market risk sensitivities are included in our Management’s Discussion and Analysis (“MD&A”) for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2015. The shaded text and tables in the Risk Management section of the MD&A represent our disclosures on market risk sensitivities in accordance with IFRS 7 Financial Instruments: Disclosures and include discussions on how we measure our risk and our objectives, policies, and methodologies for managing this risk. Therefore, the shaded text and tables in the MD&A represent an integral part of these Interim Consolidated Financial Statements.

 

CONDENSED NOTES TO THE INTERIM CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED)   Sun Life Financial Inc.   Third Quarter 2015   51


7.     Insurance Contract Liabilities and Investment Contract Liabilities

 

 

7.A Insurance Contract Liabilities

7.A.i Changes in Insurance Contract Liabilities and Reinsurance Assets

Changes in Insurance contract liabilities and Reinsurance assets are as follows:

 

    For the three months ended
September 30, 2015
    For the nine months ended
September 30, 2015
 
     Insurance
contract
liabilities
    Reinsurance
Assets
    Net     Insurance
contract
liabilities
    Reinsurance
assets
    Net  

Balances before Other policy liabilities and assets, beginning of period

  $ 98,568      $ 4,234      $ 94,334      $ 95,243      $ 3,671      $ 91,572   

Change in balances on in-force policies

    (24     98        (122     (1,400     135        (1,535

Balances arising from new policies

    301        26        275        1,715        241        1,474   

Method and assumption changes

    142        (58     200        277        4        273   

Increase (decrease) in Insurance contract liabilities and Reinsurance assets

    419        66        353        592        380        212   

Foreign exchange rate movements

    2,459        233        2,226        5,611        482        5,129   

Balances before Other policy liabilities and assets, end of period

    101,446        4,533        96,913        101,446        4,533        96,913   

Other policy liabilities and assets

    6,381        577        5,804        6,381        577        5,804   

Balances, end of period

  $   107,827      $       5,110      $   102,717      $   107,827      $       5,110      $   102,717   
    For the three months ended
September 30, 2014
    For the nine months ended
September 30, 2014
 
     Insurance
contract
liabilities
    Reinsurance
assets
    Net     Insurance
contract
liabilities
    Reinsurance
assets
    Net  

Balances before Other policy liabilities and assets, beginning of period

  $ 88,391      $ 3,535      $ 84,856      $ 83,426      $ 3,414      $ 80,012   

Change in balances on in-force policies

    792        (136     928        4,424        (72     4,496   

Balances arising from new policies

    677        20        657        1,699        67        1,632   

Method and assumption changes

    194        184        10        137        185        (48

Increase (decrease) in Insurance contract liabilities and Reinsurance assets

    1,663        68        1,595        6,260        180        6,080   

Foreign exchange rate movements

    1,354        144        1,210        1,722        153        1,569   

Balances before Other policy liabilities and assets, end of period

    91,408        3,747        87,661        91,408        3,747        87,661   

Other policy liabilities and assets

    5,827        380        5,447        5,827        380        5,447   

Balances, end of period

  $ 97,235      $ 4,127      $ 93,108      $ 97,235      $ 4,127      $ 93,108   

 

52   Sun Life Financial Inc.    Third Quarter 2015   CONDENSED NOTES TO THE INTERIM CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED)


7.A.ii Impact of Method and Assumption Changes

Impacts of method and assumptions changes on insurance contract liabilities net of reinsurance assets are as follows:

 

    

For the three

months ended
September 30, 2015

    

For the nine

months ended
September 30, 2015

    Description

Mortality / Morbidity

  $ (214    $ (204   Updates to reflect mortality/morbidity experience in all jurisdictions and changes to future mortality improvement assumptions in the International insurance business in SLF U.S.

Lapse and other policyholder behaviour

    760         755      Updates to reflect experience as discussed below.

Expense

    89         87      Updates to reflect expense studies primarily in our International wealth business in SLF U.S. and the individual wealth business in SLF Canada.

Investment returns

    (173      (170   Updates to various investment related assumptions. The largest item is a change to the provision for investment risk in the SLF Canada participating account.

Model enhancements and other

    (262      (195   Other changes, the largest of which is a change in the tax assumptions in the SLF U.S. insurance business.

Total impact

  $    200       $    273       

Changes in lapse and policyholder behaviour assumptions are primarily in the individual insurance businesses in SLF Canada and SLF U.S. The largest items, which all had negative impacts, were the increase in lapse rates at renewal for term insurance in SLF Canada to reflect a stronger link between lapse rates and the size of the renewal premium increase; the reduction in lapse rates at medium policy durations for Universal Life policies in SLF Canada to reflect emerging experience; the reduction in assumed premium payments for flexible premium insurance policies in SLF U.S. to reflect the increasing tendency of policyholders to stop paying premiums when their policy becomes fully funded; and the reduction in lapse rates on International insurance policies, especially for no-lapse-guarantee policies.

 

    

For the three

months ended
September 30, 2014

    

For the nine

months ended
September 30, 2014

    Description

Mortality / Morbidity

  $ 38       $ 37      Updates to reflect recent experience.

Lapse and other policyholder behaviour

       238            235      Updates to reflect recent lapse and premium persistency experience across product lines and jurisdictions.

Expense

    (8      (2   Updates to reflect lower than previously assumed maintenance expenses.

Investment returns

    (132      (136   Primarily updates to credit spread assumptions, asset default assumptions, and provisions for investment risks in the participating accounts.

Model enhancements

    (126      (182   Reflects various modelling enhancements, with the largest impact in SLF Canada Group Benefits.

Total impact

  $ 10       $ (48    

 

CONDENSED NOTES TO THE INTERIM CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED)   Sun Life Financial Inc.   Third Quarter 2015   53


7.B Investment Contract Liabilities

7.B.i Changes in Investment Contract Liabilities

Changes in investment contract liabilities without discretionary participation features (“DPF”) are as follows:

 

     For the three months ended
September 30, 2015
     For the nine months ended
September 30, 2015
 
      Measured at
fair value
     Measured at
amortized cost
     Measured at
fair value
     Measured at
amortized cost
 

Balances, beginning of period

   $           10       $      2,149       $          16       $       2,142   

Deposits

             86                 265   

Interest

             12                 33   

Withdrawals

     (6      (50      (12      (249

Fees

             (1              (3

Change in fair value

                               

Other

             6         (1      11   

Foreign exchange rate movements

     1         (5      2         (2

Balances, end of period

   $ 5       $ 2,197       $ 5       $ 2,197   
     For the three months ended
September 30, 2014
     For the nine months ended
September 30, 2014
 
      Measured at
fair value
     Measured at
amortized cost
     Measured at
fair value
     Measured at
amortized cost
 

Balances, beginning of period

   $ 19       $ 2,088       $ 18       $ 2,000   

Deposits

             122                 386   

Interest

             13                 34   

Withdrawals

     (1      (109      (1      (317

Fees

                             (2

Change in fair value

     (2              (1        

Other

             4         1         16   

Foreign exchange rate movements

     1         1                 2   

Balances, end of period

   $ 17       $ 2,119       $ 17       $ 2,119   

Changes in investment contract liabilities with DPF are as follows:

 

     For the three months ended      For the nine months ended  
      September 30,
2015
     September 30,
2014
     September 30,
2015
     September 30,
2014
 

Balances, beginning of period

   $ 683       $ 622       $ 661       $ 584   

Change in liabilities on in-force policies

     (48      (10      (79      3   

Liabilities arising from new policies

     4         2         7         23   

Increase (decrease) in liabilities

     (44      (8      (72      26   

Foreign exchange rate movements

     39         26         89         30   

Balances, end of period

   $         678       $         640       $        678       $          640   

7.C Gross Claims and Benefits Paid

Gross claims and benefits paid consist of the following:

 

     For the three months ended      For the nine months ended  
      September 30,
2015
     September 30,
2014
     September 30,
2015
     September 30,
2014
 

Maturities and surrenders

   $ 732       $ 687       $ 2,174       $ 2,175   

Annuity payments

     443         322         1,309         954   

Death and disability benefits

     909         792         2,660         2,401   

Health benefits

     1,158         1,047         3,446         3,102   

Policyholder dividends and interest on claims and deposits

     274         232         818         787   

Total gross claims and benefits paid

   $      3,516       $      3,080       $   10,407       $       9,419   

 

54   Sun Life Financial Inc.    Third Quarter 2015   CONDENSED NOTES TO THE INTERIM CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED)


8.     Reinsurance

 

 

8.A Reinsurance (Expenses) Recoveries

Reinsurance (expenses) recoveries consist of the following:

 

     For the three months ended      For the nine months ended  
      September 30,
2015
     September 30,
2014
     September 30,
2015
     September 30,
2014
 

Recovered claims and benefits

   $     1,419       $     1,122       $     4,029       $     3,440   

Commissions

     24         14         52         40   

Reserve adjustments

     86         95         161         172   

Operating expenses and other

     133         126         396         381   

Reinsurance (expenses) recoveries

   $ 1,662       $ 1,357       $ 4,638       $ 4,033   

8.B Reinsurance Gains or Losses

During the quarter, we entered into a reinsurance arrangement that resulted in a profit on inception of $13 after tax for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2015 ($nil for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014).

9.     Income Taxes

 

 

Our effective income tax rate differs from the combined Canadian federal and provincial statutory income tax rate as follows:

 

     For the three months ended      For the nine months ended  
      September 30,
2015
     September 30,
2014
     September 30,
2015
     September 30,
2014
 
             %             %             %             %  

Total net income (loss)

   $     527         $     460         $     1,739         $     1,348     

Add: Income tax expense (benefit)

     79                 116                 419                 367           

Total net income (loss) before income taxes

   $ 606               $ 576               $ 2,158               $ 1,715           

Taxes at the combined Canadian federal and provincial statutory income tax rate

   $ 162        26.8       $ 152        26.5       $ 577        26.8       $ 454        26.5   

Increase (decrease) in rate resulting from:

                   

Higher (lower) effective rates on income subject to taxation in foreign jurisdictions

     (52     (8.6      4        0.6         (28     (1.3      44        2.6   

Tax (benefit) cost of unrecognized tax losses and tax credits

     1        0.2         (10     (1.7      22        1.0         (8     (0.5

Tax exempt investment income

     (14     (2.3      (28     (4.9      (90     (4.3      (105     (6.1

Tax rate and other legislative changes

                                   (5     (0.2               

Adjustments in respect of prior periods, including resolution of tax disputes

     (30     (5.1      (2     (0.4      (65     (3.0      (19     (1.1

Other

     12        2.0                        8        0.4         1          

Total tax expense (benefit) and effective income tax rate

   $ 79        13.0       $ 116        20.1       $ 419        19.4       $ 367        21.4   

In the second quarter of 2015, a provincial corporate tax rate increase from 10% to 12% was enacted in Alberta, Canada. As a result, our statutory tax rate increased from 26.5% in 2014 to 26.75% (rounded to 26.8% in the table above) in 2015 and future years.

Statutory income tax rates in other jurisdictions in which we conduct business range from 0% to 35%, which creates a tax rate differential and corresponding tax provision difference compared to the Canadian federal and provincial statutory rate when applied to foreign income not subject to tax in Canada. Generally, higher earnings in jurisdictions with higher statutory tax rates, such as the U.S., result in an increase of our tax expense, while earnings arising in tax jurisdictions with statutory rates lower than 26.75% reduce our tax expense. These differences are reported in Higher (lower) effective rates on income subject to taxation in foreign jurisdictions.

Tax (benefit) cost of unrecognized tax losses and tax credits for the three months ended September 30, 2015 mainly includes unrecognized losses in the U.K. The amount for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 includes unrecognized losses arising on the finalization of 2014 Canadian tax filings. The tax benefit for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014 mainly reflected recognition of foreign tax credits.

 

CONDENSED NOTES TO THE INTERIM CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED)   Sun Life Financial Inc.   Third Quarter 2015   55


Tax exempt investment income includes tax rate differences related to various types of investment income that is taxed at rates lower than our statutory income tax rate, such as dividend income, capital gains arising in Canada, and various others. Fluctuations in foreign exchange rates, changes in market values of real estate properties and other investments have an impact on the amount of these tax rate differences.

Adjustments in respect of prior periods, including the resolution of tax disputes for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2015 relates primarily to audit adjustments and the finalization of 2014 tax filings in Canada and the U.S. In 2014, the adjustments mainly related to the finalization of tax filings in various jurisdictions.

10.     Capital Management

 

 

10.A Capital

Our capital base is structured to exceed minimum regulatory and internal capital targets, and maintain strong credit and financial strength ratings while maintaining a capital efficient structure. We strive to achieve an optimal capital structure by balancing the use of debt and equity financing. Capital is managed both on a consolidated basis under principles that consider all the risks associated with the business as well as at the business group level under the principles appropriate to the jurisdiction in which each operates. We manage the capital for all of our international subsidiaries on a local statutory basis in a manner commensurate with their individual risk profiles. Further details on our capital, and how it is managed, are included in Note 22 of our 2014 Annual Consolidated Financial Statements.

Sun Life Assurance is subject to the Minimum Continuing Capital and Surplus Requirements (“MCCSR”) of the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions, Canada (“OSFI”). Sun Life Assurance’s MCCSR ratio as at September 30, 2015 was above the minimum levels that would require any regulatory or corrective action. In the U.S., Sun Life Assurance operates through a branch which is subject to U.S. regulatory supervision and it exceeded the levels under which regulatory action would be required as at September 30, 2015. In addition, other subsidiaries of SLF Inc. that must comply with local capital or solvency requirements in the jurisdiction in which they operate maintained capital levels above minimum local requirements as at September 30, 2015.

Our capital base consists mainly of common shareholders’ equity, participating policyholders’ equity, preferred shareholders’ equity, and certain other capital securities that qualify as regulatory capital.

10.B Significant Capital Transactions

10.B.i Common Shares

Changes in common shares issued and outstanding are as follows:

 

For the nine months ended September 30,    2015      2014  
Common shares (in millions of shares)    Number of
shares
    Amount      Number of
shares
    Amount  

Balance, beginning of period

     613.1      $ 8,465         609.4      $ 8,304   

Stock options exercised

     1.0        35         1.5        52   

Common shares purchased for cancellation(1)

     (5.3     (74               

Shares issued under the dividend reinvestment and share purchase plan(2)

     1.5        65         1.8        69   

Shares issued as consideration for business acquisition (Note 3)

     0.9        34                  

Balance, end of period

     611.2      $   8,525         612.7      $   8,425   

 

(1) 

On November 10, 2014, SLF Inc. launched a normal course issuer bid under which it is authorized to purchase and cancel up to 9 million common shares between November 10, 2014 and November 9, 2015, through the facilities of the Toronto Stock Exchange and alternative Canadian trading platforms, at prevailing market rates. The common shares purchased and cancelled under this program during the first three quarters of 2015 were purchased at an average price per share of $39.97 for a total price of $212. The total amount paid to purchase the shares is allocated to Common shares and Retained earnings in our Interim Consolidated Statements of Changes in Equity. The amount allocated to Common shares is based on the average cost per common share and amounts paid above the average cost are allocated to Retained earnings.

(2) 

Common shares issued under the SLF Inc.’s Dividend Reinvestment and Share Purchase Plan for dividend reinvestments in the first three quarters of 2015 and 2014 were issued from treasury at no discount. SLF Inc. also issued an insignificant number of common shares from treasury at no discount for optional cash purchases.

10.B.ii Preferred Shares

On May 13, 2015, SLF Inc. announced that it did not intend to exercise its right to redeem its Class A Non-Cumulative Rate Reset Preferred Shares Series 8R (the “Series 8R Shares”) on June 30, 2015 and therefore, holders of these shares had a right to convert all or part of their Series 8R Shares on a one-for-one basis into Class A Non-Cumulative Floating Rate Preferred Shares Series 9QR (the “Series 9QR Shares”) on June 30, 2015. On June 30, 2015, 6.0 million of the 11.2 million Series 8R Shares were converted into Series 9QR Shares. As a result, 5.2 million Series 8R Shares and 6.0 million of the Series 9QR Shares were outstanding as at June 30, 2015. On June 30, 2015, the quarterly dividend rate on the Series 8R Shares was reset for the period commencing on June 30, 2015 to but excluding June 30, 2020 to 2.275% per annum. Holders of the Series 9QR Shares will receive a floating non-cumulative quarterly dividend at an annual rate equal to the then 3-month Government of Canada treasury bill yield

 

56   Sun Life Financial Inc.    Third Quarter 2015   CONDENSED NOTES TO THE INTERIM CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED)


plus 1.41%. The dividend rate on the Series 9QR Shares for the period commencing on September 30, 2015 to but excluding December 31, 2015, is 1.786% per annum. Subject to regulatory approval, SLF Inc. may redeem the Series 8R Shares and the Series 9QR Shares in whole or in part, at par, on June 30, 2020 and on June 30 every five years thereafter and may redeem the Series 9QR Shares on any other date at $25.50 per share.

10.B.iii Subordinated Debt

On September 25, 2015, SLF Inc. issued $500 principal amount of Series 2015-1 Subordinated Unsecured 2.60% Fixed/Floating Debentures due 2025 (the “Debentures”). The net proceeds of $497 will be used to partially fund the acquisition of the U.S. Employee Benefits business of Assurant and may also be used for general corporate purposes. The Debentures bear interest at a fixed rate of 2.60% per annum payable in equal semi-annual instalments to, but excluding September 25, 2020, and, from September 25, 2020 to but excluding the maturity date, September 25, 2025, at a variable rate equal to the Canadian dollar offered rate for three-months bankers’ acceptances (“CDOR”) plus 1.43% per annum payable in quarterly instalments. At SLF Inc.’s option, and subject to prior approval of Superintendent of Financial Institutions, SLF Inc. may redeem the Debentures, in whole or in part, on or after September 25, 2020 at a redemption price equal to par, together with accrued and unpaid interest to, but excluding, the date fixed for redemption. The Debentures are direct, unsecured subordinated obligations of SLF Inc. and rank equally and rateably with all other subordinated unsecured indebtedness of SLF Inc. The Debentures qualify as capital for Canadian regulatory purposes.

11.     Segregated Funds

 

 

11.A Investments for Account of Segregated Fund Holders

The carrying value of investments held for segregated fund holders are as follows:

 

As at   September 30,
2015
    December 31,
2014
 

Segregated and mutual fund units

  $ 73,207      $ 69,402   

Equity securities

    10,720        10,600   

Debt securities

    3,246        3,050   

Cash, cash equivalents and short-term securities

    819        686   

Investment properties

    465        391   

Mortgages

    35        30   

Other assets

    97        99   

Total assets

  $     88,589      $     84,258   

Less: Liabilities arising from investing activities

  $ 341      $ 320   

Total investments for account of segregated fund holders

  $ 88,248      $ 83,938   

11.B Changes in Insurance Contracts and Investment Contracts for Account of Segregated Fund Holders

Changes in insurance contracts and investment contracts for account of segregated fund holders are as follows:

 

    Insurance contracts     Investment contracts  
For the three months ended   September 30,
2015
    September 30,
2014
    September 30,
2015
    September 30,
2014
 

Balances, beginning of period

  $ 82,713      $ 75,332      $ 7,787      $ 7,129   

Additions to segregated funds:

       

Deposits

    2,608        1,876        18        31   

Net transfer (to) from general funds

    (27     (5              

Net realized and unrealized gains (losses)

    (3,003     198        (452     35   

Other investment income

    398        437        56        48   

Total additions

  $ (24   $ 2,506      $ (378   $ 114   

Deductions from segregated funds:

       

Payments to policyholders and their beneficiaries

    2,064        2,762        143        116   

Management fees

    204        185        17        20   

Taxes and other expenses

    39        29        (2     3   

Foreign exchange rate movements

    (369     (93     (246     1   

Total deductions

  $ 1,938      $ 2,883      $ (88   $ 140   

Net additions (deductions)

  $ (1,962   $ (377   $ (290   $ (26

Balances, end of period

  $     80,751      $     74,955      $       7,497      $       7,103   

 

CONDENSED NOTES TO THE INTERIM CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED)   Sun Life Financial Inc.   Third Quarter 2015   57


    Insurance contracts     Investment contracts  
For the nine months ended   September 30,
2015
    September 30,
2014
    September 30,
2015
    September 30,
2014
 

Balances, beginning of period

  $ 76,736      $ 69,088      $ 7,202      $ 7,053   

Additions to segregated funds:

       

Deposits

    9,434        6,999        90        95   

Net transfer (to) from general funds

    (40     (11              

Net realized and unrealized gains (losses)

    (441     4,761        (224     (22

Other investment income

    1,048        856        166        160   

Total additions

  $ 10,001      $ 12,605      $ 32      $ 233   

Deductions from segregated funds:

       

Payments to policyholders and their beneficiaries

    6,418        6,435        516        353   

Management fees

    600        555        61        64   

Taxes and other expenses

    116        90        5        7   

Foreign exchange rate movements

    (1,148     (342     (845     (241

Total deductions

  $ 5,986      $ 6,738      $ (263   $ 183   

Net additions (deductions)

  $ 4,015      $ 5,867      $ 295      $ 50   

Balances, end of period

  $     80,751      $     74,955      $       7,497      $       7,103   

12.     Commitments, Guarantees and Contingencies

 

 

Guarantees of Sun Life Assurance Preferred Shares and Subordinated Debentures

SLF Inc. has provided a guarantee on the $150 of 6.30% subordinated debentures due 2028 issued by Sun Life Assurance. Claims under this guarantee will rank equally with all other subordinated indebtedness of SLF Inc. SLF Inc. has also provided a subordinated guarantee of the preferred shares issued by Sun Life Assurance from time to time, other than such preferred shares which are held by SLF Inc. and its affiliates. Sun Life Assurance has no outstanding preferred shares subject to the guarantee. As a result of these guarantees, Sun Life Assurance is entitled to rely on exemptive relief from most continuous disclosure and the certification requirements of Canadian securities laws.

The following tables set forth certain consolidating summary financial information for SLF Inc. and Sun Life Assurance (Consolidated):

 

Results for the three months ended   SLF Inc.
(unconsolidated)
    Sun Life
Assurance
(consolidated)
   

Other

subsidiaries

of SLF Inc.
(combined)

    Consolidation
adjustment
    SLF Inc.
(consolidated)
 

September 30, 2015

         

Revenue

  $ 94      $ 3,686      $ 1,422      $ (509   $ 4,693   

Shareholders’ net income (loss)

  $ 506      $ 490      $ (25   $ (465   $ 506   

September 30, 2014

         

Revenue

  $ (30   $ 4,808      $ 1,079      $         (243   $ 5,614   

Shareholders’ net income (loss)

  $ 447      $ 390      $ 169      $ (545   $ 461   
Results for the nine months ended   SLF Inc.
(unconsolidated)
    Sun Life
Assurance
(consolidated)
    Other
subsidiaries of
SLF Inc.
(combined)
    Consolidation
adjustment
    SLF Inc.
(consolidated)
 

September 30, 2015

         

Revenue

  $ 283      $ 10,820      $ 3,386      $ (782   $ 13,707   

Shareholders’ net income (loss)

  $ 1,725      $ 1,371      $ 226      $ (1,597   $ 1,725   

September 30, 2014

         

Revenue

  $ 130      $     15,960      $       3,617      $     (1,318   $     18,389   

Shareholders’ net income (loss)

  $       1,331      $ 1,109      $ 323      $ (1,418   $ 1,345   

 

58   Sun Life Financial Inc.    Third Quarter 2015   CONDENSED NOTES TO THE INTERIM CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED)


Assets and liabilities as at   SLF Inc.
(unconsolidated)
    Sun Life
Assurance
(consolidated)
    Other
subsidiaries of
SLF Inc.
(combined)
    Consolidation
adjustment
    SLF Inc.
(consolidated)
 

September 30, 2015

         

Invested assets

  $     21,541      $     127,034      $ 6,349      $ (20,386   $     134,538   

Total other general fund assets

  $ 9,682      $ 20,302      $     22,354      $ (35,222   $ 17,116   

Investments for account of segregated fund holders

  $      $ 88,200      $ 48      $               –      $ 88,248   

Insurance contract liabilities

  $      $ 108,116      $ 6,886      $ (7,175   $ 107,827   

Investment contract liabilities

  $      $ 2,880      $      $      $ 2,880   

Total other general fund liabilities

  $ 10,614      $ 20,445      $ 20,072      $ (30,957   $ 20,174   

December 31, 2014

         

Invested assets

  $ 19,211      $ 118,450      $ 5,412      $ (17,922   $ 125,151   

Total other general fund assets

  $ 9,354      $ 17,074      $ 19,124      $ (31,284   $ 14,268   

Investments for account of segregated fund holders

  $      $ 83,891      $ 47      $      $ 83,938   

Insurance contract liabilities

  $      $ 101,440      $ 5,700      $ (5,912   $ 101,228   

Investment contract liabilities

  $      $ 2,819      $      $      $ 2,819   

Total other general fund liabilities

  $ 9,834      $ 17,112      $ 17,925      $ (28,371   $ 16,500   

13.     Earnings (Loss) Per Share

 

 

Details of the calculation of the net income (loss) and the weighted average number of shares used in the earnings per share computations are as follows:

 

    For the three months ended     For the nine months ended  
     September 30,
2015
    September 30,
2014
    September 30,
2015
    September 30,
2014
 

Common shareholders’ net income (loss) for basic earnings per share

  $ 482      $ 435      $ 1,649      $ 1,260   

Add: increase in income due to convertible instruments(1)

    3        3        8        8   

Common shareholders’ net income (loss) on a diluted basis

  $ 485      $ 438      $ 1,657      $ 1,268   

Weighted average number of common shares outstanding for basic earnings per share (in millions)

    611        612        612        611   

Add: dilutive impact of stock options(2) (in millions)

    1        2        1        1   

Add: dilutive impact of convertible securities(1) (in millions)

    5        5        5        6   

Weighted average number of common shares outstanding on a diluted basis (in millions)

    617        619        618        618   

Basic earnings (loss) per share

  $ 0.79      $ 0.71      $ 2.69      $ 2.06   

Diluted earnings (loss) per share

  $            0.79      $         0.71      $         2.68      $           2.05   

 

(1) 

The convertible instruments are the Sun Life ExchangEable Capital Securities (“SLEECS”) – Series B issued by Sun Life Capital Trust.

(2) 

Excludes the impact of 2 million stock options for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2015 (3 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014) because these stock options were antidilutive for the period.

14.     Subsequent Event

 

 

On October 8, 2015, SLF Inc. announced its intention to redeem all of the outstanding $600 principal amount of Series A Senior Unsecured 4.80% Fixed/Floating debentures due 2035 which are redeemable at SLF Inc.’s option on November 23, 2015 at a redemption price equal to the principal amount together with accrued and unpaid interest to that date.

 

CONDENSED NOTES TO THE INTERIM CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED)   Sun Life Financial Inc.   Third Quarter 2015   59


Major Offices

 

The following is contact information for Sun Life Financial’s major offices and affiliates around the world. For inquiries and customer service, please contact the appropriate office in your area.

Sun Life Financial Inc.

Corporate Headquarters

150 King Street West

Toronto, Ontario

Canada M5H 1J9

Tel: 416-979-9966

Website: sunlife.com

Sun Life Financial Canada

Canadian Headquarters

227 King Street South

Waterloo, Ontario

Canada N2J 4C5

Tel: 519-888-2290

Call centre: 1-877-SUN-LIFE /

1-877-786-5433

Website: sunlife.ca

Montreal Office

1155 Metcalfe Street

Montreal, Quebec

Canada H3B 2V9

Tel: 514-866-6411

Website: sunlife.ca

Sun Life Financial U.S.

One Sun Life Executive Park

Wellesley Hills, Massachusetts

USA 02481

Call Centre: 1-800-SUN-LIFE /

1-800-786-5433

Website: sunlife.com/us

Sun Life Financial International

Victoria Hall

11 Victoria Street, 2nd floor

P.O. Box HM 3070

Hamilton HM NX, Bermuda

Tel: 1-800-368-9428 / 441-294-6050

Website: sunlife.com/international

Sun Life Financial U.K.

Matrix House

Basing View, Basingstoke

Hampshire

United Kingdom RG21 4DZ

Call Centre: +44 1256 841 414

Website: sloc.co.uk

Sun Life Financial Asia

Sun Life Financial Asia Regional Office

Level 14, Citiplaza 3

14 Taikoo Wan Road

Taikoo Shing, Hong Kong

Tel: (852) 2918-3888

Fax: (852) 2918-3800

China

Sun Life Everbright Life Insurance Company Limited

37/F Tianjin International Building

75 Nanjing Road

Tianjin, China 300050

Tel: (8622) 2339-1188

Fax: (8622) 2339-9929

Website: sunlife-everbright.com

Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada

Beijing Representative Office

Suite A01, 10th Floor, AB Tower,

Office Park, No. 10 Jintong West Road

Chaoyang District

Beijing, China 100020

Tel: (8610) 8590-6500

Fax: (8610) 8590-6501

Hong Kong

Sun Life Hong Kong Limited

10/F, Sun Life Tower

The Gateway

15 Canton Road

Kowloon, Hong Kong

Tel: (852) 2103-8888

Call Centre: (852) 2103-8928

Website: sunlife.com.hk

India

Birla Sun Life Insurance

Company Limited

One India Bulls Centre, Tower 1, 16th Floor

Jupiter Mill Compound

841, Senapati Bapat Marg, Elphinstone Road

Mumbai, India 400 013

Tel: 1-800-270-7000 /

91-22-6723-9100

Website: birlasunlife.com

Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada

India Representative Office

One India Bulls Centre, Tower 1,  14th Floor,

Jupiter Mill Compound

841, Senapati Bapat Marg,

Elphinstone Road

Mumbai, India 400 013

Tel: 91-22-4356-9121

Indonesia

PT Sun Life Financial Indonesia

Menara Sun Life Lantai 11

Jl Dr Ide Anak Agung Gde Agung Blok 6.3

Kawasan Mega Kuningan

Jakarta, Selatan 12950

Indonesia

Tel: (6221) 5289-0000

Customer Service Centre (Indonesia only): (6221) 1-500-786

Fax: (6221) 5289-0019

Website: sunlife.co.id

PT CIMB Sun Life

Menara Sun Life, 9th Floor

Jl. Dr. Ide Anak Agung Gde Agung, Blok 6.3

Kawasan Mega Kuningan

Jakarta, Selatan 12950

Indonesia

Tel: (6221) 2994-2888

Customer Service Centre (Indonesia only):

(6221) 500-089

Fax: (6221) 2994-2800

Website: cimbsunlife.co.id

Malaysia

Sun Life Malaysia Assurance Berhad

Level 11, 338 Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman,

50100 Kuala Lumpur,

Malaysia

Tel: (603) 2612-3600

Fax: (603) 2612-3738

Website: sunlifemalaysia.com

Sun Life Malaysia Takaful Berhad

Level 11, 338 Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman,

50100 Kuala Lumpur,

Malaysia

Tel: (603) 2612-3600

Fax: (603) 2612-3738

Website: sunlifemalaysia.com

Philippines

Sun Life Financial Philippines

Sun Life Centre

5th Avenue cor. Rizal Drive

Bonifacio Global City

Taguig, Metro Manila

Philippines

Call Centre: (632) 555-8888

Website: sunlife.com.ph

Sun Life Grepa Financial, Inc.

6/F Grepalife Building

#221 Sen. Gil J. Puyat Avenue

Makati City - 1200

Philippines

Tel: (632) 844-1174

Website: sunlifegrepa.com

Vietnam

PVI Sun Life Insurance Co. Ltd.

20-22 Pham Ngoc Thach Street

Ward 6, District 3

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Tel: (848) 6298-5888

Website: pvisunlife.com.vn

MFS Investment Management

Head Office

111 Huntington Avenue

Boston, Massachusetts

USA 02199-7632

Tel: 617-954-5000

Toll-Free: (Canada and U.S. only)

1-800-343-2829

Website: mfs.com

Sun Life Global Investments (Canada) Inc.

Corporate Office

225 King Street West

Toronto, Ontario

Canada M5V 3C5

Tel: 1-877-344-1434

Website: sunlifeglobalinvestments.com

Sun Life Investment Management

150 King Street West

Toronto, Ontario

Canada M5H 1J9

Tel: 416-204-3831/1-855-807-7546

Website: sunlifeinvestmentmanagement.com

Sun Life Asset Management Company Inc.

Head Office

8/F Sun Life Centre

5th Avenue cor. Rizal Drive

Bonifacio Global City

Taguig, Metro Manila

Philippines

Call Centre: (632) 555-8888

Website: sunlife.com.ph

Birla Sun Life Asset Management Company Limited

Head Office

One India Bulls Centre, Tower 1, 17th Floor

Jupiter Mill Compound

841, Senapati Bapat Marg, Elphinstone Road

Mumbai, India 400 013

Tel: 91-22-4356-8000

Website: birlasunlife.com

 

 

60   Sun Life Financial Inc.    Third Quarter 2015   MAJOR OFFICES


Corporate and Shareholder Information

 

For information about the Sun Life Financial group of companies, corporate news and financial results, please visit sunlife.com.

Corporate Office

Sun Life Financial Inc.

150 King Street West

Toronto, Ontario

Canada M5H 1J9

Tel: 416-979-9966

Website: www.sunlife.com

Investor Relations

For financial analysts, portfolio managers and institutional investors requiring information, please contact:

Investor Relations

Fax: 416-979-4080

E-mail: investor.relations@sunlife.com Please note that financial information can also be obtained from www.sunlife.com.

Transfer Agent

For information about your shareholdings, dividends, change in share registration or address, estate transfers, lost certificates, or to advise of duplicate mailings, please contact the Transfer Agent in the country where you reside. If you do not live in any of the countries listed, please contact the Canadian Transfer Agent.

Canada

CST Trust Company

P.O. Box 700

Station B

Montreal, Quebec

Canada H3B 3K3

Within North America:

Tel: 1-877-224-1760

Outside of North America:

Tel: 416-682-3865

Fax: 1-888-249-6189

E-mail: inquiries@canstockta.com

Website: www.canstockta.com

Shareholders can view their account

details using CST Trust Company’s

Internet service, Answerline.®

Register at www.canstockta.com/investor.

United States

American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC

6201 15th Ave.

Brooklyn, NY 11219

Tel: 1-877-224-1760

E-mail: inquiries@canstockta.com

United Kingdom

Capita Registrars

The Registry

34 Beckenham Road

Beckenham, Kent

United Kingdom BR3 4TU

Tel: +44 (0) 345-602-1587

E-mail: shareholderenquiries@capita.co.uk

Philippines

Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC)

RCBC Stock Transfer Processing Section

Ground Floor, West Wing,

GPL (Grepalife) Building,

221 Senator Gil Puyat Avenue

Makati City, Philippines

From Metro Manila:  632-318-8567

From the Provinces: 1-800-1-888-2422

E-mail: rcbcstocktransfer@rcbc.com

Hong Kong

Computershare Hong Kong Investor

Services Limited

17M Floor, Hopewell Centre

183 Queen’s Road East

Wanchai, Hong Kong

Tel: 852-2862-8555

E-mail: hkinfo@computershare.com.hk

Shareholder Services

For shareholder account inquiries, please contact the Transfer Agent in the country where you reside, or Shareholder Services:

Fax: 416-598-3121

English E-mail:

shareholderservices@sunlife.com

French E-mail:

servicesauxactionnaires@sunlife.com

Dividends

2015 Dividend dates

Common shares

 

Record Dates   Payment Dates  

February 25, 2015

    March 31, 2015   

May 27, 2015

    June 30, 2015   

August 26, 2015

    September 30, 2015   

November 25, 2015

    December 31, 2015   
         

Direct deposit of dividends

Common shareholders residing in Canada or the U.S. may have their dividend payments deposited directly into their bank account.

The Request for Electronic Payment of Dividends Form is available for downloading from the CST Trust Company website, www.canstockta.com, or you can contact CST Trust Company to have a form sent to you.

Canadian Dividend Reinvestment

and Share Purchase Plan

Canadian-resident common shareholders can enroll in the Dividend Reinvestment and Share Purchase Plan. For details visit our website at sunlife.com or contact the Plan Agent, CST Trust Company at inquiries@canstockta.com.

Stock Exchange Listings

Sun Life Financial Inc. Class A Preferred Shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX).

Ticker Symbols:

  Series 1 – SLF.PR.A
  Series 2 – SLF.PR.B
  Series 3 – SLF.PR.C
  Series 4 – SLF.PR.D
  Series 5 – SLF.PR.E
  Series 8R – SLF.PR.G
  Series 9QR – SLF.PR.J
  Series 10R – SLF.PR.H
 

Series 12R – SLF.PR.I

Sun Life Financial Inc. common shares are listed on the Toronto (TSX), New York (NYSE) and Philippine (PSE) stock exchanges. Ticker Symbol: SLF

Normal Course Issuer Bid

A copy of the Notice of Intention to commence the normal course issuer bid is available without charge by contacting the Corporate Secretary’s Department at shareholderservices@sunlife.com.

 

 

CORPORATE AND SHAREHOLDER INFORMATION   Sun Life Financial Inc.   Third Quarter 2015   61


Life’s brighter under the sun

SUN LIFE FINANCIAL INC.

150 King Street West

Toronto, Ontario

Canada M5H 1J9

 

 

sunlife.com

  LOGO

 




Exhibit 99.2

FORM 52-109F2

CERTIFICATION OF INTERIM FILINGS

FULL CERTIFICATE

I, Dean A. Connor, President and Chief Executive Officer, Sun Life Financial Inc., certify the following:

 

1. Review: I have reviewed the interim financial report and interim MD&A (together, the “interim filings”) of Sun Life Financial Inc. (the “issuer”) for the interim period ended September 30, 2015.

 

2. No misrepresentations: Based on my knowledge, having exercised reasonable diligence, the interim filings do not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated or that is necessary to make a statement not misleading in light of the circumstances under which it was made, with respect to the period covered by the interim filings.

 

3. Fair presentation: Based on my knowledge, having exercised reasonable diligence, the interim financial report together with the other financial information included in the interim filings fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, financial performance and cash flows of the issuer, as of the date of and for the periods presented in the interim filings.

 

4. Responsibility: The issuer’s other certifying officer(s) and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (DC&P) and internal control over financial reporting (ICFR), as those terms are defined in the National Instrument 52-109 Certification of Disclosure in Issuers’ Annual and Interim Filings, for the issuer.

 

5. Design: Subject to the limitations, if any, described in paragraphs 5.2 and 5.3, the issuer’s other certifying officer(s) and I have, as at the end of the period covered by the interim filings

 

  (a) designed DC&P, or caused it to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance that

 

  (i) material information relating to the issuer is made known to us by others, particularly during the period in which the interim filings are being prepared; and

 

  (ii) information required to be disclosed by the issuer in its annual filings, interim filings or other reports filed or submitted by it under securities legislation is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in securities legislation; and

 

  (b) designed ICFR, or caused it to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with the issuer’s GAAP.

 

5.1. Control framework: The control framework the issuer’s other certifying officer(s) and I used to design the issuer’s ICFR is Internal Control – Integrated Framework (2013), issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission.

 

5.2. ICFR – material weakness relating to design: N/A

 

5.3. Limitation on scope of design: N/A


 

2

 

6. Reporting changes in ICFR: The issuer has disclosed in its interim MD&A any change in the issuer’s ICFR that occurred during the period beginning on July 1, 2015 and ended on September 30, 2015 that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the issuer’s ICFR.

Date: November 5, 2015.

 

/s/ “Dean A. Connor”
Dean A. Connor
President and Chief Executive Officer


FORM 52-109F2

CERTIFICATION OF INTERIM FILINGS

FULL CERTIFICATE

I, Colm J. Freyne, Executive Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer, Sun Life Financial Inc., certify the following:

 

1. Review: I have reviewed the interim financial report and interim MD&A (together, the “interim filings”) of Sun Life Financial Inc. (the “issuer”) for the interim period ended September 30, 2015.

 

2. No misrepresentations: Based on my knowledge, having exercised reasonable diligence, the interim filings do not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated or that is necessary to make a statement not misleading in light of the circumstances under which it was made, with respect to the period covered by the interim filings.

 

3. Fair presentation: Based on my knowledge, having exercised reasonable diligence, the interim financial report together with the other financial information included in the interim filings fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, financial performance and cash flows of the issuer, as of the date of and for the periods presented in the interim filings.

 

4. Responsibility: The issuer’s other certifying officer(s) and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (DC&P) and internal control over financial reporting (ICFR), as those terms are defined in the National Instrument 52-109 Certification of Disclosure in Issuers’ Annual and Interim Filings, for the issuer.

 

5. Design: Subject to the limitations, if any, described in paragraphs 5.2 and 5.3, the issuer’s other certifying officer(s) and I have, as at the end of the period covered by the interim filings

 

  (a) designed DC&P, or caused it to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance that

 

  (i) material information relating to the issuer is made known to us by others, particularly during the period in which the interim filings are being prepared; and

 

  (ii) information required to be disclosed by the issuer in its annual filings, interim filings or other reports filed or submitted by it under securities legislation is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in securities legislation; and

 

  (b) designed ICFR, or caused it to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with the issuer’s GAAP.

 

5.1. Control framework: The control framework the issuer’s other certifying officer(s) and I used to design the issuer’s ICFR is Internal Control – Integrated Framework (2013), issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission.

 

5.2. ICFR – material weakness relating to design: N/A

 

5.3. Limitation on scope of design: N/A


 

2

 

6. Reporting changes in ICFR: The issuer has disclosed in its interim MD&A any change in the issuer’s ICFR that occurred during the period beginning on July 1, 2015 and ended on September 30, 2015 that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the issuer’s ICFR.

Date: November 5, 2015.

 

/s/ “Colm J. Freyne”
Colm J. Freyne
Executive Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer


Exhibit 99.3

Sun Life Financial Inc.

Earnings Coverage Ratio

For the 12 months ended September 30, 2015

This updated calculation of the earnings coverage ratio of Sun Life Financial Inc. (the “Company”) is filed pursuant to Section 8.4 of National Instrument No. 44-102 as an exhibit to the Company’s interim consolidated financial statements for the period ended September 30, 2015, in connection with the medium-term note program established by the Company under its prospectus supplement dated April 8, 2015 to a short form base shelf prospectus dated April 8, 2015.

Based on the result of the Company’s operations for the 12 month ended September 30, 2015, the pro forma interest requirement on the Company’s outstanding indebtedness was $325,100,000 and the Company’s income before interest and income tax was $3,128,300,000, which is, 9.6 times the Company’s pro-forma interest requirements for that year.

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