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KINGSWAY Corp (KWY) FY 2023 MD&A

Verbatim Item 7 Management's Discussion and Analysis from KINGSWAY Corp's 10-K for fiscal year 2023. Filing date: 2024-03-05. Report date: 2023-12-31. Accession: 0001437749-24-006644.

This page reproduces the company's own Item 7 MD&A text from the linked SEC filing. It is filer text, not grepcent analysis, scoring, or investment advice.

Extracted structurally from real Item 7 body heading to real Item 7A/8 boundary. Confidence: high.

Company profile: KWY · All MD&A years: index · Previous year: FY 2022 · Next year: FY 2024

Item 7. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The following management's discussion and analysis ("MD&A") of our financial condition and results of operations should be read together with the Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this 2023 Annual Report.

OVERVIEW

Kingsway is a holding company with operating subsidiaries located in the United States. The Company owns or controls subsidiaries primarily in the extended warranty and business services industries. Kingsway conducts its business through the following two reportable segments: Extended Warranty and Kingsway Search Xcelerator.

Prior to the fourth quarter of 2022, the Company conducted its business through a third reportable segment, Leased Real Estate. Leased Real Estate included the following subsidiaries of the Company: CMC Industries, Inc. ("CMC") and VA Lafayette, LLC ("VA Lafayette").

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CMC owned, through an indirect wholly owned subsidiary (the "Property Owner"), a parcel of real property consisting of approximately 192 acres located in the State of Texas (the "Real Property"), which is subject to a long-term triple net lease agreement. The Real Property is also subject to two mortgages. On December 22, 2022, the Company announced a definitive agreement for the sale of the Real Property, for gross cash proceeds of $44.5 million and the assumption of the mortgages. On December 29, 2022, the sale was completed.
Column 1Column 2
VA Lafayette owns real property consisting of approximately 6.5 acres and a 29,224 square foot single-tenant medical office building located in the State of Louisiana (the "LA Real Property"). The LA Real Property serves as a medical and dental clinic for the Department of Veteran Affairs and is subject to a long-term lease. The LA Real Property is also subject to a mortgage (the "LA Mortgage"). During the fourth quarter of 2022, the Company began executing a plan to sell VA Lafayette, and as a result, VA Lafayette is reported as held for sale at December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2023.
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Both CMC and VA Lafayette have been classified as discontinued operations and the results of their operations are reported separately for all periods presented. See Note 5, "Disposal and Discontinued Operations," to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further discussion. All segmented information has been restated to exclude the Leased Real Estate segment for all periods presented.

Extended Warranty includes the following subsidiaries of the Company: IWS Acquisition Corporation ("IWS"), Geminus Holding Company, Inc. ("Geminus"), PWI Holdings, Inc. ("PWI"), Professional Warranty Service Corporation ("PWSC") and Trinity Warranty Solutions LLC ("Trinity"). As discussed in Note 5, "Disposal and Discontinued Operations," to the Consolidated Financial Statements, the Company disposed of PWSC on July 29, 2022.  The earnings of PWSC are included in the consolidated statements of operations and the segment disclosures through the disposal date.  Throughout this 2023 Annual Report, the term "Extended Warranty" is used to refer to this segment.

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Management's Discussion and Analysis

IWS is a licensed motor vehicle service agreement company and is a provider of after-market vehicle protection services distributed by credit unions in 24 states and the District of Columbia to their members, with customers in all 50 states.

Geminus primarily sells vehicle service agreements to used car buyers across the United States, through its subsidiaries, The Penn Warranty Corporation ("Penn") and Prime Auto Care, Inc. ("Prime"). Penn and Prime distribute these products in 47 and 40 states, respectively, via independent used car dealerships and franchised car dealerships.

PWI markets, sells and administers vehicle service agreements to used car buyers in all fifty states via independent used car and franchise network of approved automobile and motorcycle dealer partners. PWI’s business model is supported by an internal sales and operations team and partners with American Auto Shield in three states with a white label agreement.  PWI also sells and administers a guaranteed asset protection product ("GAP"), under the Penn name, in states where Penn is approved.

PWSC sold home warranty products and provided administration services to homebuilders and homeowners across the United States. PWSC distributed its products and services through an in-house sales team and through insurance brokers and insurance carriers throughout all states except Alaska and Louisiana.

Trinity sells heating, ventilation, air conditioning ("HVAC"), standby generator, commercial LED lighting and commercial refrigeration warranty products and provides equipment breakdown and maintenance support services to companies across the United States. As a seller of warranty products, Trinity markets and administers product warranty contracts for certain new and used products in the HVAC, standby generator, commercial LED lighting and commercial refrigeration industries throughout the United States. Trinity acts as an agent on behalf of the third-party insurance companies that underwrite and guaranty these warranty contracts. Trinity does not guaranty the performance underlying the warranty contracts it sells. As a provider of equipment breakdown and maintenance support services, Trinity acts as a single point of contact to its clients for both certain equipment breakdowns and scheduled maintenance of equipment. Trinity will provide such repair and breakdown services by contracting with certain HVAC providers.

Kingsway Search Xcelerator includes the Company's subsidiaries, CSuite Financial Partners, LLC ("CSuite"), Ravix Group, Inc. ("Ravix"), Secure Nursing Service LLC ("SNS"), Systems Products International, Inc. ("SPI") and Digital Diagnostics Imaging, Inc. ("DDI").  Throughout this
2023 Annual Report, the term "Kingsway Search Xcelerator" is used to refer to this segment.

CSuite is a professional services firm that provides experienced chief financial officer and other finance professionals to its clients through a variety of flexible offerings. These offerings include project and interim staffing engagements, and contingent search services for permanent placements for its clients throughout the United States.

Ravix provides outsourced financial services and human resources consulting for short or long duration engagements for customers throughout the United States.

SNS provides healthcare staffing services to acute healthcare facilities on a contract or per diem basis in the United States, primarily in California.

SPI provides software products created exclusively to serve the management needs of all types of shared-ownership properties throughout the United States, Europe, Asia, Mexico and the Caribbean,

DDI provides outsourced 24 hours a day and 7 days per week ("24/7") cardiac telemetry services for long-term acute care and inpatient rehabilitation hospitals. Outsourcing cardiac monitoring is intended to allow hospitals to eliminate personnel callouts and human resources issues, remove distractions from onsite operations, and free up facility staff to assist directly with patient care. DDI has been operating for over 10 years and currently has a presence in 42 states.

NON U.S.-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURE

Throughout this 2023 Annual Report, we present our operations in the way we believe will be most meaningful, useful and transparent to anyone using this financial information to evaluate our performance. In addition to the U.S. GAAP presentation of net income, we present segment operating income as a non-U.S. GAAP financial measure, which we believe is valuable in managing our business and drawing comparisons to our peers. Below is a definition of our non-U.S. GAAP measure and its relationship to U.S. GAAP.

Segment Operating Income

Segment operating income represents one measure of the pretax profitability of our segments and is derived by subtracting direct segment expenses from direct segment revenues. Revenues and expenses presented in the consolidated statements of operations are not subtotaled by segment; however, this information is available in total and bysegment in Note 22, "Segmented Information," to the Consolidated Financial Statements, regarding reportable segment information. The nearest comparable U.S. GAAP measure to total segment operating income is income from continuing operations before income tax (benefit) expense that, in addition to total segment operating income, includes net investment income, net realized gains, net gain (loss) on equity investments, gain (loss) on change in fair value of limited liability investments, at fair value, net change in unrealized gain on private company investments, gain on change in fair value of real estate investments, impairment losses, (loss) gain on change in fair value of derivative asset option contracts, interest expense, other revenue and expenses not allocated to segments, net, amortization of intangible assets, loss on change in fair value of debt, gain on disposal of subsidiary and gain on extinguishment of debt.  A reconciliation of total segment operating income to income from continuing operations before income tax (benefit) expense for the years ended December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022 is presented in Table 1 of the "Results of Continuing Operations" section of MD&A.

SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES AND CRITICAL ESTIMATES

The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts and classification of assets and liabilities, revenues and expenses, and the related disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities in the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could differ from these estimates. Estimates and their underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Changes in estimates are recorded in the accounting period in which they are determined.

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Management's Discussion and Analysis

The Company’s most critical accounting policies are those that are most important to the portrayal of its financial condition and results of operations, and that require the Company to make its most difficult and subjective judgments, often as a result of the need to make estimates of matters that are inherently uncertain. The Company has identified the following as its most critical accounting policies and judgments. Although management believes that its estimates and assumptions are reasonable, they are based upon information available when they are made, and therefore, actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.

Revenue Recognition

Service fee and commission revenue represents vehicle service agreement fees, guaranteed asset protection products ("GAP") commissions, maintenance support service fees, warranty product commissions, homebuilder warranty service fees, homebuilder warranty commissions, business services consulting revenue, healthcare services revenue and software license and support revenue based on terms of various agreements with credit unions, consumers, businesses and homebuilders. Customers either pay in full at the inception of a warranty contract or commission product sale, or when consulting, healthcare and software license and support services are billed, or on terms subject to the Company’s customary credit reviews.

The Company’s revenue recognition policy follows guidance from ASC 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, which utilizes a five-step revenue recognition framework.  The Company identifies the contract with its customers and then identifies the performance obligations in the contracts. The transaction price is determined based on the amount we expect to be entitled to in exchange for providing the promised services to the customer. The transaction price is allocated to each distinct performance obligation on a relative standalone selling price basis. Revenue is recognized when performance obligations are satisfied.

Certain of the Company’s contracts with customers include obligations to provide multiple services to a customer. Determining whether services are considered distinct performance obligations that should be accounted for separately from one another requires judgment. Revenue from GAP commissions, homebuilder warranty service fees and software license and support contain multiple distinct performance obligations that are accounted for separately.

Judgment is required to determine the standalone selling price ("SASP") for each distinct performance obligation. Revenue is allocated to each performance obligation based on the relative SASP.  SASP are not directly observable in the GAP, homebuilder warranty and software license and support contracts for the separate performance obligations.

For the GAP and homebuilder warranty contracts, the Company has applied the expected cost plus a margin approach to develop models to estimate the SASP for each of its performance obligations in order to allocate the transaction price to the two separate performance obligations identified.  In these models, the Company makes judgments about which of its actual costs are associated with each of the performance obligations.  The relative percentage of expected costs plus a margin associated with these performance obligations is applied to the transaction price to determine the estimated SASP of the performance obligations, which the Company recognizes as earned as services are performed over the term of the contract period.

For software license and support contracts, the Company's software licenses are sold as term licenses, and the contracts include software support services, which are accounted for as separate performance obligations. Revenue is recognized upfront at the point in time when control is transferred, which is defined as the point in time when the customer can use and benefit from the license. The Company recognizes the portion of the transaction price allocated to the software license on a residual basis. The residual basis is used to allocate revenue when the contract arrangement includes a software license and has at least one performance obligation for which the SASP is observable, such as the software support services.  The residual method is used as the selling price for software licenses in circumstances when the transaction price is highly variable and the SASP is not discernable from past transactions or other observable evidence.  The Company evaluates the residual approach estimate compared to all available observable data in order to conclude the estimate is representative of its SASP.  Software support revenue is recognized ratably over the contract period as services are rendered. The SASP of software support is consistent with the stand-alone pricing of subsequent software support renewals.

In certain jurisdictions the Company is required to refund to a customer a pro-rata share of the vehicle service agreement fees if a customer cancels the agreement prior to the end of the term. Depending on the jurisdiction, the Company may be entitled to deduct from the refund a cancellation fee and/or amounts for claims incurred prior to cancellation. While refunds vary depending on the term and type of product offered, historically refunds have averaged5.75% to 14% of the original amount of the vehicle service agreement fee. Revenues recorded by the Company are net of variable consideration related to refunds and the associated refund liability is included in accrued expenses and other liabilities. The Company estimates refunds based on the actual historical refund rates by warranty type taking into consideration current observable refund trends in estimating the expected amount of future customer refunds to be paid at each reporting period.

Refer to Note 2, "Summary of Significant Accounting Policies," to the Consolidated Financial Statements for information about our revenue recognition accounting policies.

Valuation of Fixed Maturities and Equity Investments

Our equity investments are recorded at fair value with changes in fair value recognized in net income. Fair value for our equity investments are determined using quoted market values based on latest bid prices, where active markets exist, or models based on significant market observable inputs, where no active markets exist.

For fixed maturities, we use observable inputs such as quoted prices for similar assets in active markets; quoted prices for identical or similar assets in markets that are inactive; or valuations based on models where the significant inputs are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data. We do not have any fixed maturities in our portfolio that require us to use unobservable inputs. The Company engages a third-party vendor who utilizes third-party pricing sources and primarily employs a market approach to determine the fair values of our fixed maturities. The market approach includes primarily obtaining prices from independent third-party pricing services as well as, to a lesser extent, quotes from broker-dealers. Our third-party vendor also monitors market indicators, as well as industry and economic events, to ensure pricing is appropriate. All classes of our fixed maturities are valued using this technique. We have obtained an understanding of our third-party vendor’s valuation methodologies and inputs. Fair values obtained from our third-party vendor are not adjusted by the Company.

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Management's Discussion and Analysis

Gains and losses realized on the disposition of investments are determined on the first-in first-out basis and credited or charged to the consolidated statements of operations. Premium and discount on investments are amortized using the interest method and charged or credited to net investment income.

Fixed maturities and equity investments are exposed to various risks, such as interest rate risk, credit risk and overall market volatility risk. Accordingly, it is reasonably possible that changes in the fair values of the Company’s investments reported at fair value will occur in the near term and such changes could materially affect the amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements.

Impairment Assessment of Investments

The establishment of an impairment loss on an investment requires a number of judgments and estimates.  A consistent and systematic process is followed for determining and recording an impairment loss, including the evaluation of securities in an unrealized loss position and securities with an allowance for credit losses.

We perform a quarterly analysis of our investments classified as available-for-sale fixed maturity investments and other investments to determine if an impairment loss has occurred.

Effective January 1, 2023, as a result of the adoption of ASU 2016-13, Financial Instruments—Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments ("ASU 2016-13"), if the decline in fair value is due to credit factors and the Company does not expect to receive cash flows sufficient to support the entire amortized cost basis, the credit loss is reported in the consolidated statements of operations in the period that the declines are evaluated.  Significant judgment is required in the determination of whether a credit loss has occurred for a security.  The Company considers all available evidence when determining whether a security requires a credit allowance to be recorded, including the following:

the extent to which the fair value has been less than amortized cost;
the financial condition and expected near-term and long term prospects of the issuer;
whether the issuer is current with interest and principal payments;
credit ratings on the security or changes in ratings over time;
general market conditions, industry, sector or other specific factors; and
whether the Company expects to receive cash flows sufficient to recover the entire amortized cost basis of the security.

As a result of the analysis performed, the Company recorded an impairment loss related to other investments for the year ended December 31, 2023.  There were no impairment losses recorded related to available-for-sale fixed maturity investments during the year ended December 31, 2023.  See "Investments" section below and Note 7, "Investments," to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further information.

We perform a quarterly analysis of our limited liability investments and investments in private companies. The analysis includes some or all of the following procedures, as applicable:

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the opinions of external investment and portfolio managers;
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the financial condition and prospects of the investee;
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recent operating trends and forecasted performance of the investee;
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current market conditions in the geographic area or industry in which the investee operates;
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changes in credit ratings; and
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changes in the regulatory environment.

As a result of the analysis performed, the Company recorded impairment losses related to limited liability investments and limited liability investments, at fair value. See "Investments" section below and Note 7, "Investments," to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further information.

Valuation of Limited Liability Investments, at Fair Value

Limited liability investments, at fair value represent the underlying investments of the Company’s consolidated entities Net Lease Investment Grade Portfolio LLC ("Net Lease") and Argo Holdings Fund I, LLC ("Argo Holdings"). The Company accounts for these investments at fair value with changes in fair value reported in the consolidated statements of operations.

At December 31, 2022, Net Lease owned investments in limited liability companies that held investment properties. Net Lease sold its final investment property during its first quarter of 2023, and as a result, the Net Lease's investment in its underlying investments is zero at December 31, 2023. The fair value of Net Lease's investments was based upon the net asset values of the underlying investments companies as a practical expedient to estimate fair value.

Argo Holdings makes investments in limited liability companies and limited partnerships that hold investments in search funds and private operating companies. The fair value of Argo Holdings' limited liability investments that hold investments in search funds is based on the initial investment in the search funds. The fair value of Argo Holdings' limited liability investments that hold investments in private operating companies is valued using a market approach.

Refer to Note 23, "Fair Value of Financial Instruments," to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further information.

Valuation of Deferred Income Taxes

The provision for income taxes is calculated based on the expected tax treatment of transactions recorded in our consolidated financial statements. In determining our provision for income taxes, we interpret tax legislation in a variety of jurisdictions and make assumptions about the expected timing of the reversal of deferred income tax assets and liabilities and the valuation of deferred income taxes.

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Management's Discussion and Analysis

The ultimate realization of the deferred income tax asset balance is dependent upon the generation of future taxable income during the periods in which the Company's temporary differences reverse and become deductible. A valuation allowance is established when it is more likely than not that all or a portion of the deferred income tax asset balance will not be realized. In determining whether a valuation allowance is needed, management considers all available positive and negative evidence affecting specific deferred income tax asset balances, including the Company's historical and anticipated future performance, the reversal of deferred income tax liabilities, and the availability of tax planning strategies.

Objective positive evidence is necessary to support a conclusion that a valuation allowance is not needed for all or a portion of a company's deferred income tax asset balances when significant negative evidence exists. Cumulative losses are the most compelling form of negative evidence considered by management in this determination. To the extent a valuation allowance is established in a period, an expense must be recorded within the income tax provision in the consolidated statements of operations. As of December 31, 2023, the Company maintains a valuation allowance of $129.4 million, all of which relates to its U.S. deferred income taxes. The largest component of the U.S. deferred income tax asset balance relates to tax loss carryforwards that have arisen as a result of losses generated from the Company's U.S. operations. Uncertainty over the Company's ability to utilize these losses over the short-term has led the Company to record a valuation allowance.

Future events may result in the valuation allowance being adjusted, which could materially affect our financial position and results of operations. If sufficient positive evidence were to arise in the future indicating that all or a portion of the deferred income tax assets would meet the more likely than not standard, all or a portion of the valuation allowance would be reversed in the period that such a conclusion was reached, which would beneficially impact our results of operations.

Accounting for Business Combinations

The Company evaluates acquisitions in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification 805, Business Combinations ("ASC 805"), to determine if a transaction represents an acquisition of a business or an acquisition of assets.

An acquisition of a business represents a business combination.  The acquisition method of accounting is used to account for a business combination by assigning the purchase price to tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed.  Assets acquired and liabilities assumed are recorded at their fair values and the excess of the purchase price over the amounts assigned is recorded as goodwill. We determine the fair value of such assets and liabilities, often in consultation with third-party valuation advisors.  Determining the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed requires significant judgment and estimates, including the selection of valuation methodologies, estimates of future revenue, costs and cash flows, discount rates, royalty rates, and selection of comparable companies.  The resulting fair values and useful lives assigned to acquisition-related intangible assets impact the amount and timing of future amortization expense.  Acquired intangible assets with finite lives are amortized over their estimated useful lives. Adjustments to fair value assessments are recorded to goodwill over the measurement period, which is not to exceed one year but is considered complete once all necessary information is available to management to estimate fair value.  Acquisition costs related to a business combination are expensed as incurred.

Contingent Consideration

The consideration for certain of the Company's acquisitions include future payments to the former owners that are contingent upon the achievement of certain targets over future reporting periods. Liabilities for contingent consideration are measured and reported at fair value at the date of acquisition with subsequent changes in fair value reported in the consolidated statements of operations
as non-operating other expense.

Determining the fair value of contingent consideration liabilities requires management to make assumptions and judgments. The fair value of Company’s contingent consideration liabilities is estimated by applying the Monte Carlo simulation method to forecast achievement of gross profit or gross revenue. These fair value measurements are based on significant inputs not observable in the market.  Key inputs in the valuations include forecasted gross profit or revenue, gross profit or revenue volatility, discount rate and discount term. Management must use judgment in determining the appropriateness of these assumptions as of the acquisition date and for each subsequent period. Changes in assumptions could have a material impact on the amount of contingent consideration benefit or expense reported in the consolidated statements of operations and have an impact on the payout of contingent consideration liabilities. Contingent consideration liabilities are revalued each reporting period. Changes in the fair value of contingent consideration liabilities can result from changes to one or multiple inputs, including adjustments to the key inputs or changes in the assumed achievement or timing of any targets. Any changes in fair value are reported in the consolidated statements of operations as non-operating other expense.  Additional information regarding our contingent consideration liabilities is included in
Note 23
, "
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
," to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

Valuation and Impairment Assessment of Intangible Assets

Intangible assets are recorded at their estimated fair values at the date of acquisition. Intangible assets with definite useful lives consist of developed technology and customer relationships. Intangible assets with definite useful lives are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset or asset group may not be recoverable. If circumstances require that a definite-lived intangible asset be tested for possible impairment, we first compare the undiscounted cash flows expected to be generated by that definite-lived intangible asset to its carrying amount. If the carrying amount of the definite-lived intangible asset is not recoverable on an undiscounted cash flow basis, an impairment is recognized to the extent that the carrying amount exceeds its fair value.

Indefinite-lived intangible assets consist of trade names, which are assessed for impairment annually as of November 30, or more frequently if events or circumstances indicate that the carrying value may not be recoverable.  The Company may perform its impairment test for any indefinite-lived intangible asset through a qualitative assessment or elect to proceed directly to a quantitative impairment test, however, the Company may resume a qualitative assessment in any subsequent period if facts and circumstances permit.

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Management's Discussion and Analysis

Under the qualitative approach, the impairment test consists of an assessment of whether it is more likely than not that an indefinite-lived intangible asset is impaired.  If the Company elects to bypass the qualitative assessment for any indefinite-lived intangible asset, or if a qualitative assessment indicates it is more likely than not that the estimated carrying amount of such asset exceeds its fair value, the Company performs a quantitative test.  Factors that could trigger a quantitative impairment review include, but are not limited to, significant under performance relative to historical or projected future operating results and significant negative industry or economic trends.

As of November 30, 2023, the Company conducted its annual qualitative assessment.  As a result, the Company determined that certain trade names should be further examined under a quantitative approach.  Based on the results of the quantitative approach, the Company did not record any impairment.  However, the Company notes that certain of its indefinite-lived intangible assets are sensitive to changes in interest rates, as well as the performance of the underlying business.  Changes in interest rates and/or if the business underlying the intangible asset performs below the assumptions used in the original purchase accounting could cause certain intangible assets to become impaired.

No impairment charges were recorded against intangible assets in 2023 or 2022. Additional information regarding our intangible assets is included in Note 9, "Intangible Assets," to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

Goodwill Recoverability

Goodwill is assessed for impairment annually as of November 30, or more frequently if events or circumstances indicate that the carrying value may not be recoverable. In evaluating the recoverability of goodwill, the Company estimates the fair value of its reporting units and compares it to the carrying value. If the carrying value of the reporting unit exceeds its fair value, an impairment loss is recognized in an amount equal to such excess.

For Extended Warranty, the Company estimates the fair value using a valuation technique based on observed market capitalization multiples of earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization ("EBITDA") for a group of publicly traded insurance services and insurance brokerage companies, an approach that the Company views as a technique consistent with the objective of measuring fair value consistent with prior years’ assessments performed.

For Kingsway Search Xcelerator, the Company estimates the fair value using a valuation technique based on observed market capitalization multiples of EBITDA from its recent acquisitions of similar businesses.

Estimating the fair value of reporting units requires the use of significant judgments that are based on a number of factors including actual operating results, internal forecasts, market observable pricing multiples of similar businesses and comparable transactions and determining the appropriate discount rate and long-term growth rate assumptions. There are inherent uncertainties related to these factors and management’s judgment in applying them to the analysis of goodwill impairment. It is reasonably possible that the judgments and estimates described above could change in future periods.

Although the Company believes its estimates of fair value are reasonable, actual financial results could differ from those estimates due to the inherent uncertainty involved in making such estimates. Changes in assumptions concerning future financial results or other underlying assumptions could have a significant impact on either the fair value of the reporting units, the amount of the goodwill impairment charge, or both.

No impairment charges were recorded against goodwill in 2023 or 2022, as the estimated fair values of the reporting units exceeded their respective carrying values. Additional information regarding our goodwill is included in Note 8, "Goodwill," to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

Deferred Contract Costs

Deferred contract costs represent the deferral of incremental costs to obtain or fulfill a contract with a customer.  Incremental costs to obtain a contract with a customer primarily include sales commissions.  The Company capitalizes costs incurred to fulfill a contract if the costs are identifiable, generate or enhance resources used to satisfy future performance obligations and are expected to be recovered.  Costs to fulfill a contract include labor costs for set-up activities directly related to the acquisition of vehicle service agreements.  Contract costs are deferred and amortized over the expected customer relationship period consistent with the pattern in which the related revenues are earned.  Amortization of incremental costs to obtain a contract and costs to fulfill a contract with a customer are recorded in commissions and general and administrative expenses, respectively, in the consolidated statements of operations.  No impairment charges related to deferred contract costs were recorded in 2023 or 2022.

Fair Value Assumptions for Subordinated Debt Obligations

Our subordinated debt is measured and reported at fair value. The fair value of the subordinated debt is calculated using a model based on significant market observable inputs and inputs developed by a third-party. These inputs include credit spread assumptions developed by a third-party and market observable swap rates.  The following summarizes the impacts:

Impact of Rate Change on Fair Value2023 Result2022 Result
Libor/SOFR:
increase causes fair value to increase; decrease causes fair value to decreaseIncrease to fair valueIncrease to fair value
Risk free rate:
increase causes fair value to decrease; decrease causes fair value to increaseIncrease to fair valueDecrease to fair value

The other primary variable affecting the fair value of debt calculation is the passage of time, which will always have the effect of increasing the fair value of debt.

Therefore, changes in the underlying interest rates used would cause the fair value to be impacted, but only impacts the income statement (or comprehensive income/loss for the portion related to credit risk) and does not impact cash flows.

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Management's Discussion and Analysis

Fair Value Assumptions for Subsidiary Stock-Based Compensation Awards

Certain of the Company's subsidiaries have made grants of restricted stock awards or restricted unit awards (together "Subsidiary Restricted Awards"). The Subsidiary Restricted Awards are measured at fair value on the date of grant and recognized as compensation expense on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period during which awards are expected to vest, with a corresponding increase to either additional paid-in capital for equity-classified awards or to a liability for liability-classified awards.  Certain of the Subsidiary Restricted Awards are classified as a liability because the awards are expected to settle in cash. Liability-classified awards, included in accrued expenses and other liabilities in the consolidated balance sheets, are measured and reported at fair value on the date of grant and are remeasured each reporting period. The Subsidiary Restricted Awards contain performance vesting and/or market vesting conditions.  Performance vesting conditions are reviewed quarterly to assess the probability of achievement of the performance condition.  Compensation expense is adjusted when a change in the assessment of achievement of the specific performance condition is determined to be probable. Compensation expense is recognized on a straight-line basis for awards subject to market conditions regardless of whether the market condition is satisfied, provided that the requisite service has been provided.  Forfeitures are recognized in the period that Subsidiary Restricted Awards are forfeited.

The determination of fair value of the Subsidiary Restricted Awards is subjective and involves significant estimates and assumptions of whether the awards will achieve performance thresholds.  The fair value of the Subsidiary Restricted Awards is estimated using either the Black-Scholes option pricing model and/or the Monte Carlo simulation model to derive certain inputs. The determination of the grant date fair value using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model is affected by subjective assumptions, including the expected term of the awards, expected volatility over the expected term of the awards, expected dividend yield, and risk-free interest rates. The determination of the grant date fair value using the Monte Carlo simulation model is affected by subjective assumptions, including the expected term of the awards, expected volatility over the expected term of the awards and risk-free interest rates. The assumptions used in the Company’s Black-Scholes option-pricing and Monte Carlo simulation models requires significant judgment and represents management’s best estimates.

Derivative Financial Instruments

Derivative financial instruments include interest rate swap contract and the trust preferred debt repurchase options (through the March 2023 exercise date).  The Company measures derivative financial instruments at fair value. The fair value of derivative financial instruments is required to be revalued each reporting period, with corresponding changes in fair value recorded in the consolidated statements of operations. Realized gains or losses are recognized upon settlement of the contracts.  See Note 11, "Derivatives" and Note 23, "Fair Value of Financial Instruments" to the Consolidated Financial Statements, for further discussion.

RESULTS OF CONTINUING OPERATIONS

A reconciliation of total segment operating income to net income for the years ended December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022 is presented in Table 1 below:

Table 1 Segment Operating Income for the Years Ended December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022

For the years ended December 31 (in thousands of dollars)

20232022Change
Segment operating income
Extended Warranty6,9839,879(2,896)
Kingsway Search Xcelerator5,2523,5481,704
Total segment operating income12,23513,427(1,192)
Net investment income1,8042,305(501)
Net realized gains7611,209(448)
Net gain (loss) on equity investments3,397(26)3,423
Gain (loss) on change in fair value of limited liability investments, at fair value78(1,754)1,832
Net change in unrealized gain on private company investments6363
Gain on change in fair value of real estate investments1,488(1,488)
Impairment losses(229)(229)
(Loss) gain on change in fair value of derivative asset option contracts(1,366)16,730(18,096)
Interest expense(6,250)(8,092)1,842
Other revenue and expenses not allocated to segments, net(12,823)(17,206)4,383
Amortization of intangible assets(5,909)(6,133)224
Loss on change in fair value of debt(68)(4,908)4,840
Gain on disposal of subsidiary34237,917(37,575)
Gain on extinguishment of debt31,61631,616
Income from continuing operations before income tax (benefit) expense23,65134,957(11,306)
Income tax (benefit) expense(1,899)4,825(6,724)
Income from continuing operations25,55030,132(4,582)
Income (loss) from discontinued operations, net of taxes450(12,805)13,255
Loss on disposal of discontinued operations, net of taxes(1,988)(2,262)274
Net income24,01215,0658,947

Segment Operating Income, Income from Continuing Operations and Net Income

For the year ended December 31, 2023, we reported segment operating income of $12.2 million compared to $13.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2022.  The decrease is primarily due to the following items:

The disposal of PWSC as of July 29, 2022, which had segment operating income of $1.0 million prior year to date; and
Decreased operating income at the other Extended Warranty subsidiaries (see further discussion below); which was partially offset by
Increased operating income from Kingsway Search Xcelerator, primarily due to including SNS for twelve months in 2023 (acquired in November 2022), as well as the October 2023 acquisition of DDI. SNS and DDI had combined operating income of $1.9 million for 2023, respectively.

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KINGSWAY FINANCIAL SERVICES INC.

Management's Discussion and Analysis

For the year ended December 31, 2023, we reported income from continuing operations of $25.6 million compared to $30.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2022.  The income from continuing operations for 2023 is primarily due to:

A gain on extinguishment debt of $31.6 million, related to the repurchase of the trust preferred debt; and
Gain on equity investments, which includes a gain of $3.3 million related to the Company's investment in Limbach Holdings, Inc. ("Limbach"); which was partially offset by
Other revenue and expenses not allocated to segments, net, which includes a management fee expense of $1.8 million paid to the managers of Flower Portfolio 001, LLC ("Flower") and Net Lease Investment Grade Portfolio LLC ("Net Lease").

See Note 12, " Debt," and Note 11, "Derivatives," to the Consolidated Financial Statements, for further discussion of the repurchase of the trust preferred debt and trust preferred debt repurchase options.

The income from continuing operations for the year ended  December 31, 2022, is primarily due to:

A gain on disposal of subsidiary of $37.9 million, related to the sale of PWSC, a gain on change in fair value of derivative asset option contracts of $16.7 million, related to the trust preferred debt repurchase options, and a gain on change in fair value of real estate investments of $1.5 million; all of which were partially offset by
An increase in interest expense related to rising interest rates, other revenue and expenses not allocated to segments, net, which includes $6.1 million of expense related to previously-granted awards to PWSC employees that are accounted for on a fair value basis and $1.5 million of expense due to the increase in fair value of the Ravix contingent consideration; and
Loss on change in fair value of debt, loss on change in fair value of limited liability investments, at fair value and income tax expense which is primarily due to the state tax expense associated with the sale of PWSC on July 29, 2022, and the related increase in valuation allowance from the accelerated utilization of indefinite life interest expense carryforwards as a result of such sale.

For the year ended December 31, 2023, we reported net income of $24.0 million compared to $15.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2022.  In addition to the items described above impacting income from continuing operations, the net income includes:

Column 1Column 2Column 3
Income from discontinued operations, net of taxes of $0.5 million and loss from discontinued operations, net of taxes of $12.8 million for the years ended December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively; and
Column 1Column 2Column 3
A loss on disposal of discontinued operations, net of taxes of $2.0 million and $2.3 million for the years ended December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively.

For the year ended December 31, 2023, the income from discontinued operations is related to the operations of VA Lafayette.  For the year ended December 31, 2022, the loss from discontinued operations is related to the operations of CMC and VA Lafayette and is primarily due to a final management fee of $16.4 million resulting from the sale of the CMC railyard.

For the year ended December 31, 2023, the loss on disposal of discontinued operations is the result of adjusting the net carrying value of VA Lafayette to be equal to the estimated selling price.  As discussed in Note 5 "Disposal and Discontinued Operations," to the Consolidated Financial Statements, during the fourth quarter of 2022, the Company committed to a plan sell VA Lafayette. During the first quarter of 2024, the Company entered into a letter of intent for the sale of VA Lafayette.  As part of recognizing the business as held for sale, the Company is required to measure VA Lafayette at the lower of its carrying amount or fair value less cost to sell. As a result of this analysis, during 2023, the Company recognized an estimated non-cash, loss on disposal of $2.0 million, which is included in loss on disposal of discontinued operations, net of taxes in the consolidated statements of operations. The loss was determined by comparing the expected cash consideration received for the sale of VA Lafayette with the net assets of VA Lafayette.

For the year ended December 31, 2022, the loss on disposal of discontinued operations includes the gain on disposal of CMC of $0.2 million and a loss of $2.5 million related to a liability recorded during 2022 regarding the Company's obligation to indemnify a former subsidiary for open claims (the maximum liability under the indemnity is $2.5 million).  See Note 5 "Disposal and Discontinued Operations," to the Consolidated Financial Statements, for further discussion.

Extended Warranty

The Extended Warranty service fee and commission revenue decreased 7.8% (or $5.8 million) to $68.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared with $74.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2022.  Service fee and commission revenue was impacted by the following in 2023:

Column 1Column 2Column 3
A $4.9 million decrease at PWSC, due to the sale of PWSC on July 29, 2022 (the financial results for PWSC are only included through the disposal date);
A $2.1 million decrease at Trinity, primarily driven by decreases in its equipment breakdown and maintenance support services due to mild weather conditions, which results in fewer service calls, as well as a decrease in the sales of its warranty products due to long lead times on product availability and installations;
A $0.3 million decrease at Geminus;
Column 1Column 2Column 3
A $0.9 million increase at PWI; PWI sold slightly more contracts sold in 2023 than 2022, but average cash sales per contract was down slightly. In the second half of 2022, there was a restructuring of leadership at PWI that has resulted in a higher focus on salesforce production; and
Column 1Column 2Column 3
A $0.6 million increase at IWS. IWS sells a substantial amount of VSAs for new automobiles but, more importantly, its products are distributed through credit unions at the point of vehicle financing, which has been less impacted by the current macro-economic conditions. However, in 2023 IWS has been impacted by the loss of two customers (one due to acquisition, one due to change in management), which was partially offset by growth at new and existing customers, the latter usually due to credit unions getting competitive on interest rates. During the first quarter of 2022, there was a change in estimate of IWS’ deferred revenue associated with vehicle service contract fees, which resulted in a reduction to IWS revenue of $1.2 million.

The Extended Warranty operating income was $7.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared with $9.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2022.  We saw an increase in claims paid at our auto Extended Warranty companies – both sequentially and year over year – primarily due to inflationary pressures on the cost of parts and labor.

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KINGSWAY FINANCIAL SERVICES INC.

Management's Discussion and Analysis

Operating income was primarily impacted by the following:

A $0.9 million decrease at PWSC, due to the sale of PWSC on July 29, 2022;
A $0.7 million decrease at Geminus to $0.5 million, due to an increase in commission expense and claims authorized on vehicle service agreements, partially offset by lower general and administrative expenses compared to 2022;
A $0.7 million decrease at IWS to $3.3 million, primarily due to increased claims authorized on vehicle service agreements. General and administrative expenses and commissions were essentially flat compared to 2022. During 2022, there was a change in estimate of IWS' deferred revenue and deferred contract costs associated with vehicle service contract fees, which resulted in a reduction to IWS operating income of $0.9 million in 2022;
Column 1Column 2Column 3
A $0.6 million decrease at Trinity to $1.1 million, primarily due to a decrease in revenue that was partially offset by a decrease in cost of services sold (higher percent of warranty product sales in 2023 than 2022); and
Column 1Column 2Column 3
A less than $0.1 million decrease at PWI to $2.0 million.

Kingsway Search Xcelerator

The Kingsway Search Xcelerator revenue increased to $35.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared with $19.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2022.  Kingsway Search Xcelerator operating income was $5.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared with $3.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2022.  The increase in revenue and operating income is primarily due to:

Increased segment operating income at Ravix. While revenue was down $1.2 million compared to 2022; gross margin and operating income increased $0.4 million compared to the prior year due to lower cost of sales and lower general and administrative expenses;
The inclusion of CSuite and SNS for twelve months during 2023 following their acquisitions effective November 1, 2022 and November 18, 2022, respectively. For 2023, CSuite and SNS had combined revenue and operating income of $19.1 million and $1.6 million, respectively; and
The revenue and operating income derived from SPI and DDI, which were acquired September 7, 2023 and October 26, 2023, respectively. SPI and DDI had combined revenue and operating income of $1.7 million and $0.2 million, respectively from their dates of acquisition through December 31, 2023.

Net Investment Income

Net investment income was $1.8 million in 2023 compared to $2.3 million in 2022. The decrease in 2023 primarily relates to the decrease in investment income from real estate investments and limited liability investments as a majority of those assets have been sold in recent years, partially offset by higher investment income from cash equivalents and fixed maturities due to the generally higher interest rate environment.

Net Realized Gains

The Company recorded net realized gains of $0.8 million in 2023 compared to $1.2 million in 2022.  The net realized gains for 2023 and 2022 primarily relate to:

Column 1Column 2Column 3
Net realized gains on sales of limited liability investments;
Column 1Column 2Column 3
Realized gains recognized by Argo Holdings Fund I, LLC ("Argo Holdings"); and
Column 1Column 2Column 3
Distributions received from one of the Company’s investments in private companies in which its carrying value previously had been written down to zero as a result of prior distributions.

Net Gain (Loss) on Equity Investments

Net gain on equity investments was $3.4 million in 2023 compared to a net loss of less than $0.1 million in 2022.  The net gain for 2023 primarily relates to the Company's investment in Limbach.  Prior to the second quarter of 2023, the Company held warrants in Limbach.  During the first quarter of 2023, the underlying common stock price of Limbach increased, resulting in an increase in the fair value of the warrants held at March 31, 2023.  During the second quarter of 2023, the Company completed a cashless exercise of its Limbach warrants.  During the third quarter of 2023, the Company sold all of its shares of Limbach common stock.

Gain (Loss) on Change in Fair Value of Limited Liability Investments, at Fair Value

Gain on change in fair value of limited liability investments, at fair value was $0.1 million in 2023 compared to a loss of $1.8 million in 2022. The gain for the year ended December 31, 2023 represents an increase in fair value of $0.7 million related to Argo Holdings, partially offset by a decrease in fair value of $0.6 million related to Net Lease Investment Grade Portfolio LLC ("Net Lease").  The loss for the year ended December 31, 2022 includes decreases in fair value of $0.9 million related to Net Lease and $0.8 million related to Argo Holdings.  The final Net Lease property was sold in February 2023 and, as such, as of  December 31, 2023 Argo Holdings was the only asset group left in this category.

Gain on Change in Fair Value of Real Estate Investments

Gain on change in fair value of real estate investments was $1.5 million in 2022.  Real estate investments represented investment real estate properties held by the Company’s consolidated subsidiary, Flower Portfolio 001, LLC ("Flower").  The increase in fair value was attributable to the sale of the real estate investment properties for $12.2 million, which closed on September 29, 2022.  As of December 31, 2023, there were no remaining investments in this category.

(Loss) Gain on Change in Fair Value of Derivative Asset Option Contracts

Loss on change in fair value of derivative asset option contracts was $1.4 million in 2023 compared to a gain of $16.7 million in 2022.  The derivative contract relates to three trust preferred debt repurchase option agreements the Company entered into during the third quarter of 2022.  The Company exercised the repurchase options during the first quarter of 2023.  The gain for the year ended December 31, 2022 relates to the $11.4 million difference between the fair value of the option at date of inception ($13.7 million) and the cash consideration paid ($2.3 million), as well as the subsequent change in fair value of $5.3 million as of December 31, 2022.

Refer to Note 11, "Derivatives," to the Consolidated Financial Statements, for further information on the option agreements.

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KINGSWAY FINANCIAL SERVICES INC.

Management's Discussion and Analysis

Interest Expense

Interest expense for 2023 was $6.3 million compared to $8.1 million in 2022. The decrease in 2023 is primarily attributable to:

A decrease of $3.3 million on the Company’s subordinated debt. During the first quarter of 2023, the Company repurchased TruPs debt having a principal amount of $75.5 million, resulting in 2023 year to date interest expense including only the one remaining TruPs debt instrument outstanding during the last three quarters of 2023, partially offset by generally higher London interbank offered interest rates ("LIBOR") for three-month U.S. dollar deposits and CME Term SOFR during 2023 compared to 2022. The Company's subordinated debt bore interest at the rate of LIBOR, plus spreads ranging from 3.85% to 4.20%. Effective July 3, 2023, the index used for determining the interest rate for the remaining trust preferred debt instrument converted from LIBOR to CME Term SOFR;
A decrease of $0.3 million related to notes payable held by the Company’s consolidated subsidiary, Flower. The Flower debt was repaid in the third quarter of 2022;
A decrease of $0.2 million related to the 2021 Ravix Loan, which was effective October 1, 2021, and has an annual interest rate equal to the greater of the Prime Rate plus 0.5%, or 3.75% (current rate of 9.00%)
An increase of $0.8 million related to the $6.0 million 2022 Ravix Loan, which was effective November 16, 2022 and has an annual interest rate equal to the Prime Rate plus 0.75% (current rate of 9.25%);
An increase of $0.6 million related to the 2020 KWH Loan, as a result of a decrease in fair value of the interest rate swap related to the 2020 KWH bank loan;
An increase of $0.5 million related to the $6.5 million SNS Loan, which was effective November 18, 2022 and has an annual interest rate equal to the greater of the Prime Rate plus 0.5%, or 5.00% (current rate of 9.00%); and
An increase of $0.1 million related to the new $6.0 million DDI Loan, which was effective October 26, 2023 and has an annual interest rate equal to the Prime Rate plus 0.5%, or 5.00% (current rate of 9.00%).

See Note 12, "Debt," to the Consolidated Financial Statements, for further details.

Other Revenue and Expenses not Allocated to Segments, Net

Other revenue and expenses not allocated to segments was a net expense of $12.8 million in 2023 compared to $17.2 million in 2022.  Included are revenue and expenses associated with our various other investments that are accounted for on a consolidated basis, our former insurance company that has been in run-off since 2012, and expenses associated with our corporate holding company.

The decrease in net expense for 2023 is primarily attributable to decreases in stock-based compensation expense of $6.1 million related to previously-granted awards to PWSC employees and expense related to the Ravix contingent consideration liability, partially offset by increases due to management fees paid to the managers of Flower and Net Lease, acquisition related expenses during 2023 compared to 2022, and an increase in the number of searchers in our Kingsway Search Xcelerator segment.

Loss on Change in Fair Value of Debt

The loss on change in fair value of debt amounted to $0.1 million in 2023 compared to $4.9 million in 2022.  During the first quarter of 2023, the Company repurchased TruPs debt having a principal amount of $75.5 million.  The change in fair value related to the repurchased TruPs debt was a gain of $0.3 million and the change in fair value related to the remaining TruPs debt instrument was a loss of $0.3 million during the year ended December 31, 2023.

The loss for 2023 and 2022 reflects changes in the fair value of the subordinated debt resulting primarily from changes in interest rates used (not related to instrument-specific credit risk).  See "Debt" section below for further information.

Gain on Disposal of Subsidiary

On July 29, 2022, the Company sold its 80% majority-owned subsidiary, PWSC.  As a result of the sale, the Company recognized a net gain on disposal of $37.9 million during 2022.  During 2023, the Company recorded an additional gain on disposal of PWSC of $0.3 million related to the working capital true-up and release of indemnity funds that were held in escrow.  The sale of PWSC did not represent a strategic shift that would have a major effect on the Company's operations or financial results; therefore, PWSC is not presented as a discontinued operation.

See Note 5, "Disposal and Discontinued Operations," to the Consolidated Financial Statements, for further discussion of the PWSC disposal.

Gain on Extinguishment of Debt

During 2023, gain on extinguishment of debt consists of a $31.6 million gain related to the repurchase of TruPs debt having a principal amount of $75.5 million. The gain on extinguishment of debt results from removing the fair value of the debt, trust preferred debt repurchase options, deferred interest payable and accumulated other comprehensive income related to the repurchased TruPs from the Company's consolidated balance sheet at the repurchase date.

See Note 12, "Debt," to the Consolidated Financial Statements, for further discussion.

Income Tax (Benefit) Expense

Income tax benefit for 2023 was $1.9 million compared to income tax expense of $4.8 million in 2022. The 2023 and 2022 income tax (benefit) expense is primarily related to:

Column 1Column 2Column 3
An income tax benefit of zero and an expense of $1.0 million in 2023 and 2022, respectively, for the partial release of the Company’s deferred income tax valuation allowance associated with business interest expense with an indefinite life;
Column 1Column 2Column 3
An income tax benefit of $2.1 million and $0.2 million in 2023 and 2022, respectively, for the partial release of the Company’s deferred tax valuation allowance related to acquired deferred tax liabilities and change in future income assumptions, respectively;
Column 1Column 2Column 3
An income tax expense of $0.2 million and $0.1 million in 2023 and 2022, respectively, relating to a change in indefinite life deferred income tax liabilities; and
Column 1Column 2Column 3
An income tax benefit of less than $0.1 million and an expense of $3.9 million in 2023 and 2022, respectively, for state income taxes.

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KINGSWAY FINANCIAL SERVICES INC.

Management's Discussion and Analysis

See Note 15, "Income Taxes," to the Consolidated Financial Statements, for additional detail of the income tax (benefit) expense recorded for the years ended December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively.

INVESTMENTS

Portfolio Composition

The following is an overview of how we account for our various investments:

Column 1Column 2Column 3
Investments in fixed maturities are classified as available-for-sale and are reported at fair value.
Column 1Column 2Column 3
Equity investments are reported at fair value.
Column 1Column 2Column 3
Limited liability investments are accounted for under the equity method of accounting. The most recently available financial statements of the limited liability investments are used in applying the equity method. The difference between the end of the reporting period of the limited liability investments and that of the Company is no more than three months.
Column 1Column 2Column 3
Limited liability investments, at fair value represent the underlying investments of the Company’s consolidated entities Net Lease (December 31, 2022 only) and Argo Holdings. The difference between the end of the reporting period of the limited liability investments, at fair value and that of the Company is no more than three months.
Column 1Column 2Column 3
Investments in private companies consist of: convertible preferred stocks and notes in privately owned companies; and investments in limited liability companies in which the Company’s interests are deemed minor. These investments do not have readily determinable fair values and, therefore, are reported at cost, adjusted for observable price changes and impairments.
Column 1Column 2Column 3
Other investments include collateral loans and are reported at their unpaid principal balance, net of an allowance for credit losses.
Column 1Column 2Column 3
Short-term investments, which consist of investments with original maturities between three months and one year, are reported at cost, which approximates fair value.

At December 31, 2023, we held cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash and investments with a carrying value of $59.4 million.  Our U.S. operations typically invest in U.S. dollar-denominated instruments to mitigate their exposure to currency rate fluctuations.

Table 2 below summarizes the carrying value of investments, including cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash, at the dates indicated.

TABLE 2 Carrying value of investments, including cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash

As of December 31 (in thousands of dollars, except for percentages)

Type of investment2023% of Total2022% of Total
Fixed maturities:
U.S. government, government agencies and authorities12,99721.9%15,08011.2%
States, municipalities and political subdivisions2,7834.7%2,2321.7%
Mortgage-backed9,25315.6%8,4126.3%
Asset-backed1,2102.0%1,6101.2%
Corporate10,23017.2%10,2577.6%
Total fixed maturities36,47361.4%37,59128.0%
Equity investments790.1%1530.1%
Limited liability investments8121.4%9830.7%
Limited liability investments, at fair value3,4965.9%17,05912.7%
Investments in private companies8541.4%7900.6%
Other investments60.0%2010.2%
Short-term investments1610.3%1570.1%
Total investments41,88170.5%56,93442.4%
Cash and cash equivalents9,09815.4%64,16847.9%
Restricted cash8,40014.1%13,0649.7%
Total59,379100.0%134,166100.0%

Investment Impairment

The Company performs a quarterly analysis of its investments to determine if declines in fair value may result in the recognition of impairment losses in net income.  Further information regarding our detailed analysis and factors considered in establishing an impairment loss on an investment is discussed within the "Significant Accounting Policies and Critical Estimates" section of MD&A.

The Company's fixed maturities are subject to declines in fair value below amortized cost that may result in the recognition of impairment losses.  Effective January 1, 2023, as a result of the adoption of ASU 2016-13, if the decline in fair value is due to credit factors and the Company does not expect to receive cash flows sufficient to support the entire amortized cost basis, the credit loss is reported in the consolidated statements of operations in the period that the declines are evaluated.  As a result of the analysis performed, the Company recorded an impairment loss related to other investments of $0.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2023.  There were no impairment losses recorded related to available-for-sale fixed maturity investments during the year ended December 31, 2023.

Prior to the adoption of ASU 2016-13, the Company performed a quarterly analysis of its available-for-sale fixed maturity investments and other investments to determine if declines in market value were other-than-temporary.  As a result of the analysis performed, there were no write downs for other-than-temporary impairment related to fixed maturity investments and other investments for the year ended December 31, 2022.

The Company recorded impairment write-downs related to limited liability investments of $0.1 million and zero for the years ended December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively, which are included in impairment losses in the consolidated statements of operations.

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KINGSWAY FINANCIAL SERVICES INC.

Management's Discussion and Analysis

The Company recorded impairment losses related to limited liability investments, at fair value of $0.1 million and less than $0.1 million for the years ended December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively, which are included in gain (loss) on change in fair value of limited liability investments, at fair value in the consolidated statements of operations.

There were no write-downs recorded for impairments related to investments in private companies for the years ended December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022.

At December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, the gross unrealized losses for fixed maturities amounted to $1.7 million and $2.5 million, and there were no unrealized losses attributable to non-investment grade fixed maturities.

DEBT

The principal and carrying value of the Company’s debt instruments at December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022 are as follows:

(in thousands)December 31, 2023December 31, 2022
PrincipalCarrying ValuePrincipalCarrying Value
Bank loans:
2021 Ravix Loan$4,650$4,650$5,300$5,300
2022 Ravix Loan4,9254,7695,9505,754
SNS Loan5,1425,0636,8506,755
DDI Loan5,6005,534
2020 KWH Loan10,97910,80616,70816,472
Total bank loans31,29630,82234,80834,281
Subordinated debt15,00013,59490,50067,811
Total$46,296$44,416$125,308$102,092

See Note 12, " Debt," to the Consolidated Financial Statements for a detailed discussion of the Company’s debt instruments.   Changes related to the Company’s debt during 2023 are further described below.

Bank Loans

As part of the acquisition of DDI on October 26, 2023, DDI became a wholly owned subsidiary of DDI Acquisition, LLC ("DDI LLC"), and together they borrowed from a bank a principal amount of $5.6 million in the form of a term loan, and established a $0.4 million revolver to finance the acquisition of DDI (together, the "DDI Loan").  The DDI Loan has an annual interest rate equal to the greater of the Prime Rate plus 0.5%, or 5.00% (current rate of 9.00%). Monthly principal payments on the term loan begin on December 15, 2024.  The revolver matures on September 1, 2024 and the term loan matures on October 26, 2029.

During
2023, the Company made additional principal payments with respect to the SNS Loan ($1.3 million), KWH Loan ($1.1 million) and 2022 Ravix Loan ($0.4 million).

During the first quarter of 2024, the Company borrowed $3.5 million under the KWH DDTL and $0.5 million under the KWH Loan revolver.

Subordinated Debt

During 2022, the Company entered into repurchase agreements with certain holders of its subordinated trust preferred debt instruments ("TruPs") that gave the Company the option to repurchase up to 100% of the holder’s principal and deferred interest for a purchase price defined in the contract ("the TruPs Options").   The Company paid $2.3 million to the holder’s for the TruPs Options. See Note 11, "Derivatives," to the Consolidated Financial Statements for a detailed discussion of the TruPS Options.

On March 22, 2023, the Company completed the repurchases using currently available funds from working capital to fund the repurchases. The total amount paid was $56.5 million, which included a credit for the $2.3 million that the Company previously paid at the time of entering into the repurchase agreements.  As a result, the Company repurchased $75.5 million of principal and $23.0 million of deferred interest payable.  The Company recognized a gain of $31.6 million, which is included in gain on extinguishment of debt in the consolidated statement of operations for the year ended December 31, 2023.

During the third quarter of 2018, the Company gave notice to its Trust Preferred trustees of its intention to exercise its voluntary right to defer interest payments for up to 20 quarters, pursuant to the contractual terms of its outstanding Trust Preferred indentures, which permit interest deferral. This action does not constitute a default under the Company's Trust Preferred indentures or any of its other debt indentures.  In order to execute the repurchases described above, on March 13, 2023, the Company paid $5.0 million to the remaining Trust Preferred trustee to be used by the trustee to pay the interest which the Company had been deferring since the third quarter of 2018.  At December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, deferred interest payable of zero and $25.5 million, respectively, is included in accrued expenses and other liabilities in the consolidated balance sheet.

The Company's subordinated debt is measured and reported at fair value. At December 31, 2023, the carrying value of the subordinated debt is $13.6 million. The fair value of the subordinated debt is calculated using a model based on significant market observable inputs and inputs developed by a third-party. For a description of the market observable inputs and inputs developed by a third-party used in determining fair value of debt, see Note 23, "Fair Value of Financial Instruments," to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

Though changes in the market observable swap rates will continue to introduce some volatility each quarter to the Company’s reported gain or loss on change in fair value of debt, changes in the credit spread assumption developed by the third party does not introduce volatility to the Company’s consolidated statements of operations. The fair value of the Company’s subordinated debt will eventually equal the principal value totaling $15.0 million of the subordinated debt by the time of the stated redemption date of the remaining trust, which matures on May 22, 2033.

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KINGSWAY FINANCIAL SERVICES INC.

Management's Discussion and Analysis

The $54.2 million decrease in the Company’s subordinated debt between December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2023, is attributed to the following:

Column 1Column 2Column 3
A decrease of $56.1 million as a result of the repurchase of trust preferred debt during the first quarter of 2023;
Column 1Column 2Column 3
A decrease of $0.3 million related to the change in fair value of the repurchased trust preferred debt instruments between December 31, 2022 and the repurchase dates; and
Column 1Column 2Column 3
An increase of $2.2 million related to the change in fair value of the remaining trust preferred debt instrument between December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2023.

Of the $1.9 million increase in fair value of the Company’s subordinated debt between
December 31, 2022 and
December 31, 2023,
$1.8
million is reported as an
increase in fair value of debt attributable to instrument-specific credit risk in the Company's consolidated statements of
comprehensive (loss) income and
$0.1
million is reported as loss on change in fair value of debt in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations.

The  consolidated statements of comprehensive (loss) income for the year ended December 31, 2023 also includes an increase of $27.2 million as a result of removing the accumulated other comprehensive income related to the repurchased TruPs from the Company's consolidated balance sheet at the repurchase date.

LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES

The purpose of liquidity management is to ensure there is sufficient cash to meet all financial commitments and obligations as they fall due. The liquidity requirements of the Company and its subsidiaries have historically been met primarily by funds generated from operations, capital raising, disposal of subsidiaries, investment maturities and investment income, and other returns received on investments and from the sale of investments.

A significant portion of the cash provided by our Extended Warranty companies is required to be placed into restricted trust accounts, as determined by the insurers who back-up our service contracts, in order to fund future expected claims.  On a periodic basis (quarterly or annually), we may be required to contribute more into the restricted accounts or we may be permitted to draw additional funds from the restricted accounts, dependent upon actuarial analyses performed by the insurers regarding sufficiency of funds to cover future expected claims.  A substantial portion of the restricted trust accounts are invested in fixed maturities and other instruments that have durations similar to the expected future claim projections.

Cash provided from these sources is used primarily for warranty expenses, business service expenses, debt servicing, acquisitions and operating expenses of the holding company.

The Company's Extended Warranty and Kingsway Search Xcelerator subsidiaries fund their obligations primarily through service fee and commission revenue.

On October 18, 2018, the Company completed the previously announced sale of its non-standard automobile insurance companies Mendota Insurance Company, Mendakota Insurance Company and Mendakota Casualty Company (collectively "Mendota").  As part of the transaction, the Company will indemnify the buyer for any loss and loss adjustment expenses with respect to open claims in excess of Mendota's carried unpaid loss and loss adjustment expenses at June 30, 2018 related to the open claims. The maximum obligation to the Company with respect to the open claims was $2.5 million.

During the third quarter of 2022, the buyer provided to the Company an analysis of the claims development that indicated that the Company's potential exposure with respect to the open claims was at the maximum obligation amount.  Previous communications from the buyer noted no such development.  As a result of the newly provided information, the Company recorded a liability of $2.5 million, which is included in accrued expenses and other liabilities in the consolidated balance sheet at December 31, 2022 and loss on disposal of discontinued operations in the consolidated statement of operations for the year ended December 31, 2022.  During the first quarter of 2023, the $2.0 million that had been previously deposited into an escrow account was released and remitted to the buyer to satisfy the Company's payment with respect to the open claims.

Cash Flows from Continuing Operations

During 2023, the Company reported $26.8 million of net cash used in operating activities from continuing operations, primarily due to:

Payment of deferred interest on the trust preferred debt instruments that were repurchased during the year ($16.1 million) and payment of deferred interest on the remaining trust preferred debt instrument ($5.0 million);
Outflows related to the payment of management fees to the managers of Net Lease and Flowers ($1.8 million); and
An indemnity payment to the buyer of Mendota related to loss and loss adjustment expenses ($2.0 million); all of which were partially offset by:
Gain on equity investments; and
Operating income from the Extended Warranty and Kingsway Search Xcelerator segments.

During 2022, the Company reported $2.6 million of net cash used in operating activities from continuing operations, primarily due to:

The sale of PWSC, which generated cash flows of $1.8 million through the date of the sale in 2022;
A reduction in cash flows from the remaining Extended Warranty companies;
Outflows at the holding company related to the TruPs repurchase option ($2.3 million); all of which were partially offset by;
Continued cost containment initiatives at the holding company regarding ongoing expenses; and
Increases in cash flows from the KSX companies, due to the inclusion of Ravix for the full twelve months in 2022 and the acquisitions of CSuite and SNS.

During 2023, the net cash provided by investing activities from continuing operations was $6.5 million. This source of cash was primarily attributed to:

Distributions received by Net Lease from one of its limited liability investment companies of $13.3 million;
Proceeds from sales and maturities of fixed maturities and sales of equity securities in excess of purchases of fixed maturities; and
Column 1Column 2Column 3
The acquisitions of SPI and DDI in 2023, which totaled $13.6 million, net of cash acquired.

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KINGSWAY FINANCIAL SERVICES INC.

Management's Discussion and Analysis

During 2022, the net cash provided by investing activities from continuing operations was $58.1 million. This source of cash was primarily attributed to:

Column 1Column 2Column 3
Net cash proceeds received, net of cash disposed of from the sale of PWSC, of $35.2 million;
Net cash proceeds received from the sale of the CMC Real Property of $26.4 million;
Cash proceeds received from the sale of real estate investments of $12.2 million;
Column 1Column 2Column 3
The acquisitions of CSuite and SNS in 2022, which totaled $13.7 million, net of cash acquired; and
Column 1Column 2Column 3
Purchases of fixed maturities in excess of proceeds from limited liability investments and from sales and maturities of fixed maturities.

During 2023, the net cash used in financing activities from continuing operations was $39.4 million, primarily attributed to:

The repurchase of five of the TruPs for 40.3 million;
Principal repayments on bank loans of $9.1 million;
Distributions to noncontrolling interest holders of $4.0 million; and
Cash paid for repurchase of warrants of $4.0 million and common stock of $3.2 milion, partially offset by
Column 1Column 2Column 3
Proceeds from the exercise of warrants (reducing the use of cash) of $16.7 million and net proceeds from bank loans of $5.5 million related to the DDI Loan.

During 2022, the net cash used in financing activities from continuing operations was $5.6 million, primarily attributed to:

Column 1Column 2Column 3
Principal repayments: on bank loans of $5.2 million, notes payable of $6.4 million, which relates to the repayment of the Flower Note;
Column 1Column 2Column 3
Distributions to noncontrolling interest holders of $6.0 million; and
Column 1Column 2Column 3
Net proceeds (reducing the use of cash) from bank loans of $12.7 million related to the 2022 Ravix Loan the SNS Loan, and proceeds from the exercise of warrants of $0.5 million.

Holding Company Liquidity

The liquidity of the holding company is managed separately from its subsidiaries. The obligations of the holding company primarily consist of holding company operating expenses; transaction-related expenses; investments; stock repurchases; and any other extraordinary demands on the holding company.

Pursuant to satisfying the covenants under the 2020 KWH Loan, distributions to the holding company in an aggregate amount not to exceed $1.5 million in any 12-month period are permitted.  Also, beginning in 2022, the holding company is permitted to receive a portion of the excess cash flow (as defined in the 2020 KWH Loan document) generated by the KWH subsidiaries in the previous year.  In 2022, the Company was entitled to 50% of the excess cash flow with the other 50% used to pay down the 2020 KWH Loan.  During 2022, the Company received $1.7 million and in March 2022 paid down the KWH 2020 Loan by $1.7 million.  In 2023, the Company was entitled to 75% of the 2022 excess cash flow, or $3.3 million. During the first quarter of 2023, the Company paid down the KWH 2020 Loan by $1.1 million.

The amount of excess cash flow which the Company is entitled to retain is dependent upon the leverage ratio (as defined in the 2020 KWH Loan document):

Percent of excess cash flow
If leverage ratio isretained by the Company
Greater than 1.75:1.0050%
Less than 1.75:1.00 but greater than 0.75:1.0075%
Less than 0.75:1.0100%

The holding company’s liquidity, defined as the amount of cash in the bank accounts of Kingsway Financial Services Inc. and Kingsway America Inc., was $4.3 million and $48.9 million at December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively, which excludes future actions available to the holding company that could be taken to generate liquidity. Such future actions include, but are not limited to, distributions from the Extended Warranty and Kingsway Search Xcelerator operating companies subject to certain loan covenants that may be in place at each operating company.

The holding company cash amounts are reflected in the cash and cash equivalents of $9.1 million and $64.2 million reported at December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively, on the Company’s consolidated balance sheets.  The significant decrease between December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2023 is primarily due to the repurchase of the trust preferred debt during the first quarter of 2023, as well as the acquisitions of SPI and DDI in September 2023 and October 2023, respectively.

The Company also notes that, as of the filing date, it has an additional $6.5 million available from the second amendment to the 2020 KWH Loan (see
Note 12
, "
Debt
,"
to the Consolidated Financial Statements), that is available to be drawn.

Based on the Company’s current business plan and revenue prospects, existing cash, cash equivalents, investment balances and anticipated cash flows from operations are expected to be sufficient to meet the Company’s working capital and operating expenditure requirements, for the next twelve months. However, the Company’s assessment could also be affected by various risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, the developing macro-economic environment.

Regulatory Capital

Kingsway Reinsurance Corporation ("Kingsway Re"), our reinsurance subsidiary domiciled in Barbados, is required by the regulator in Barbados to maintain minimum statutory capital of $125,000. Kingsway Re is currently operating with statutory capital near the regulatory minimum, requiring us to periodically contribute capital to fund operating expenses. Kingsway Re incurs operating expenses of approximately $0.1 million per year. As of December 31, 2023, the capital maintained by Kingsway Re was in excess of the regulatory capital requirements in Barbados.

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KINGSWAY FINANCIAL SERVICES INC.

Management's Discussion and Analysis

CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS

Table 3 summarizes cash disbursements related to the Company's contractual obligations projected by period, including debt maturities, interest payments on outstanding debt and future minimum payments under operating leases. Interest payments on outstanding debt in Table 3 related to the subordinated debt, the 2020 KWH Loan, the 2021 Ravix Loan, the 2022 Ravix Loan, the SNS Loan and the DDI Loan assume the variable rates remain constant throughout the projection period. Future minimum lease payments in Table 3 include payments on leases for office space that are included in total lease liabilities in Note 13," Leases," to the Consolidated Financial Statements, as well as payments for short-term leases, equipment leases and a lease with an effective date of January 1 2024.

TABLE 3 Cash payments related to contractual obligations projected by period

As of December 31, 2023 (in thousands of dollars)

20242025202620272028ThereafterTotal
Bank loans6,67311,8194,8704,8372,0701,02731,296
Subordinated debt15,00015,000
Interest payments on outstanding debt4,0653,3882,3802,0381,7216,82120,413
Future minimum lease payments647449340257172471,912
Total11,38515,6567,5907,1323,96322,89568,621

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