CHATTANOOGA, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Unum Group (NYSE: UNM) announced today that its board of directors has authorized the repurchase of up to $750 million of the company’s outstanding common stock through Nov. 25, 2018. This new authorization replaces the previous authorization of $750 million that was scheduled to expire on Nov. 26, 2017.

“This action reflects the board’s confidence in the consistent execution of our strategy, as well as in our ability to generate capital,” said Richard P. McKenney, president and chief executive officer. “With our strong capital position, we can continue to invest in our businesses while also deploying capital to further bolster shareholder value.”

The timing and amount of any share repurchases under the new authorization, which may be made in the open market or in privately negotiated transactions, including accelerated share repurchase transactions, will be determined by management based on market conditions and other considerations. The program can be modified, extended, or terminated by the board at any time.

ABOUT UNUM GROUP

Unum Group (www.unum.com) is a leading provider of financial protection benefits in the United States and the United Kingdom. Its primary businesses are Unum US, Colonial Life, Starmount and Unum UK. Unum’s portfolio includes disability, life, accident and critical illness, dental and vision coverage, which help protect millions of working people and their families in the event of an illness or injury. Unum also provides stop-loss coverage to help self-insured employers protect against unanticipated medical costs. The company reported revenues of $11 billion in 2016, and provided $6.9 billion in benefits.

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SAFE HARBOR STATEMENT

Certain information in this press release constitutes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are those not based on historical information, but rather relate to our outlook, future operations, strategies, financial results, or other developments and speak only as of the date made. These forward-looking statements, including statements about continued investment in our businesses and return of capital, are subject to numerous assumptions, risks, and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control. The following factors, in addition to other factors mentioned from time to time, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements: (1) sustained periods of low interest rates; (2) fluctuation in insurance reserve liabilities and claim payments due to changes in claim incidence, recovery rates, mortality and morbidity rates, and policy benefit offsets due to, among other factors, the rate of unemployment and consumer confidence, the emergence of new diseases, epidemics, or pandemics, new trends and developments in medical treatments, the effectiveness of our claims operational processes, and changes in government programs; (3) unfavorable economic or business conditions, both domestic and foreign; (4) legislative, regulatory, or tax changes, both domestic and foreign, including the effect of potential legislation and increased regulation in the current political environment; (5) investment results, including, but not limited to, changes in interest rates, defaults, changes in credit spreads, impairments, and the lack of appropriate investments in the market which can be acquired to match our liabilities; (6) a cyber attack or other security breach could result in the unauthorized acquisition of confidential data; (7) the failure of our business recovery and incident management processes to resume our business operations in the event of a natural catastrophe, cyber attack, or other event; (8) increased competition from other insurers and financial services companies due to industry consolidation, new entrants to our markets, or other factors; (9) execution risk related to our technology needs; (10) changes in our financial strength and credit ratings; (11) damage to our reputation due to, among other factors, regulatory investigations, legal proceedings, external events, and/or inadequate or failed internal controls and procedures; (12) actual experience that deviates from our assumptions used in pricing, underwriting, and reserving; (13) actual persistency and/or sales growth that is higher or lower than projected; (14) changes in demand for our products due to, among other factors, changes in societal attitudes, the rate of unemployment, consumer confidence, and/or legislative and regulatory changes, including healthcare reform; (15) effectiveness of our risk management program; (16) contingencies and the level and results of litigation; (17) availability of reinsurance in the market and the ability of our reinsurers to meet their obligations to us; (18) ineffectiveness of our derivatives hedging programs due to changes in the economic environment, counterparty risk, ratings downgrades, capital market volatility, changes in interest rates, and/or regulation; (19) changes in accounting standards, practices, or policies; (20) fluctuation in foreign currency exchange rates; (21) ability to generate sufficient internal liquidity and/or obtain external financing; (22) recoverability and/or realization of the carrying value of our intangible assets, long-lived assets, and deferred tax assets; and (23) terrorism, both within the U.S. and abroad, ongoing military actions, and heightened security measures in response to these types of threats.

For further discussion of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see Part 1, Item 1A “Risk Factors” of our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016, and, to the extent applicable, our subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. The forward-looking statements in this press release are being made as of the date of this press release, and the company expressly disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement contained herein, even if made available on our website or otherwise.

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