First Quarter 2015 Results
In the first quarter of 2015, we paid to our customers claims payments, cash surrender values, annuity payments and other benefits worth over $6 billion, and our customers and shareholders now entrust us with more than $821 billion to manage on their behalf.
We also welcomed approximately 1.4 million new customers and 2,000 employees as a result of the successful completion of our acquisition of the Canadian-based operations of Standard Life. Then, after the quarter ended, we welcomed 10,000 additional new customers, served by 450 new employees, as a result of John Hancock’s acquisition of New York Life’s Retirement Plan Services business. We also signed a 15-year exclusive bancassurance agreement with DBS Bank for Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia and mainland China.
We introduced new services, technologies and products to improve the customer experience. Following the close of the quarter, we launched John Hancock Vitality in the United States. Vitality totally revolutionizes the notion of life insurance, and is a real example of innovation and customer-centricity in action. In the old days, we would take an application, underwrite a policy, and then some day, pay a death claim.
With Vitality, we play an active role in helping our customers live a long, healthy, happy and fulfilled life. We are there every step of the way, engaging with them, encouraging them to stay fit and active, and keeping abreast of their needs and aspirations, and those of their families. Yes, it will probably help us sell a lot more insurance, but far more importantly, it provides the opportunity for us to play a bigger part in the customers’ lives, and truly help them attain their most important needs and desires.
We are also working with Vitality to assess the feasibility of bringing the concept to the Canadian market.
As a pilot, we have launched a wellness initiative in Indonesia. If successful, this would pave the way for rollout in other parts of Asia.
We feel that our greatest contribution to society is the products and advice that we provide, which offer customers peace of mind, a means to attaining personal goals and aspirations, a comfortable retirement, or more generally, help when individuals or families need it most.
Our efforts continue to generate recognition. In Canada, Manulife’s Voluntary Retirement Savings Plan website VRSP.com received the 2014 Outstanding Achievement Award from the Interactive Media Council. In the United States, John Hancock received 16 Stevie Awards and was recognized as the highest-rated financial services company. In Asia, Manulife Indonesia received for the third time the Excellent Service Experience Award as the best company in the Life and Health Insurance category by delivering a positive customer experience.
We are using social media more to ensure we communicate with our customers through the media channels most relevant to their modern lives. Showcasing a successful collaboration between two markets, John Hancock’s award-winning "Life Comes Next" campaign was adapted for the Canadian market. The Canadian "Are You Ready?" campaign drove a 700 per cent increase in website traffic versus prior campaigns.
As a result of these activities, and all the fine efforts of our employees, we had a good quarter. Full details are provided in our quarterly news release but in summary: we delivered robust growth in both insurance and wealth sales, especially in Asia; produced a double-digit growth rate in core earnings, despite unfavourable investment-related experience; and achieved our 26th consecutive quarter of record assets under management. Our net income attributed to shareholders was $723 million. Our core earnings were $797 million, and our capital ratio remained strong at 245 per cent.
After reflecting on our strong performance and outlook, I am pleased to announce that the Board of Directors approved an increase to the dividend of 10 per cent, our second dividend increase in less than a year, with a total increase of 31 per cent over the same time last year.
Our success could not have occurred without the dedicated efforts of our more than 30,000 employees, almost 58,000 agents, and thousands of other distribution partners around the world.
I want to personally thank all of you for your contributions, and I look forward to reporting back to you on our progress next quarter.