Markel Corporation's CEO Discusses Q2 2012 Results - Earnings Call Transcript

We’ve also told you about our expanded investment activities through Markel Ventures which now owns controlling interests in about a dozen profitable manufacturing and service businesses. We’ve told you about how Markel has more ways and more flexibility to create value for our shareholders than ever before and it is now delightful to begin to show you the fruits of these efforts, rather than just telling you about them.

As is our custom, our Chief Financial Officer, Anne Waleski, will lay out the overall numbers from the first half. Then, my Co-Presidents, Mike Crowley and Richie Whitt, will discuss our domestic and international insurance activity. I will then cover our investment in Markel Ventures operations, and then we will open the floor for your questions.

Before getting started with today’s lineup, though, the rules say we need to repeat the safe harbor statement so here it goes. During our call today, we may make forward-looking statements. Additional information about factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as described under the captions Risk Factors and Safe Harbor and Cautionary Statements and our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and quarterly report on Form 10-Q.

We may also discuss certain non-GAAP financial measures in the call today. You may find a reconciliation to GAAP of these measures on our website at www.markelcorp.com in the ‘Investor Information’ section under ‘Non-GAAP Reconciliation’ and our quarterly report on Form 10-Q.

With that, Anne?

Anne Waleski

Thank you, Tom, and good morning, everyone. Before I get to a discussion of our financial results, I will point out a couple of accounting items new to the quarter and the year. First, I’m sure you have all noticed some changes in our statements this quarter.

Redeemable non-controlling interest is a new line item on the balance sheet this quarter. For all periods presented, we have reclassified amounts previously included in the non-controlling interest balances for relevant Markel Ventures affiliates to this new line item. This is required because some of the Markel Ventures’ minority shareholders have the option to sell their shares to us in the future generally at a fixed multiple of EBITDA.

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