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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D. C. 20549

FORM 10-Q

x        Quarterly Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

For the quarterly period ended September 30, 2012

or

o  Transition Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

For the transition period from                          to                         

Commission File Number 001-11339

Protective Life Corporation

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

2801 Highway 280 South

Birmingham, Alabama 35223

(Address of principal executive offices and zip code)

(205) 268-1000

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.  Yes x   No o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).  Yes x   No o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, or a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See definition of “accelerated filer and large accelerated filer” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act).  Yes o   No x

Number of shares of Common Stock, $0.50 Par Value, outstanding as of October 23, 2012:   79,139,531

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PROTECTIVE LIFE CORPORATION

QUARTERLY REPORT ON FORM 10-Q

FOR QUARTERLY PERIOD ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2012

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PROTECTIVE LIFE CORPORATION

CONSOLIDATED CONDENSED STATEMENTS OF INCOME

(Unaudited)

(1) Protective Life Corporation (“PLC”)

(2) Recast from previously reported information

See Notes to Consolidated Condensed Financial Statements

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PROTECTIVE LIFE CORPORATION

CONSOLIDATED CONDENSED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

(Unaudited)

(1)Recast from previously reported information

See Notes to Consolidated Condensed Financial Statements

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PROTECTIVE LIFE CORPORATION

CONSOLIDATED CONDENSED BALANCE SHEETS

(Unaudited)

See Notes to Consolidated Condensed Financial Statements

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PROTECTIVE LIFE CORPORATION

CONSOLIDATED CONDENSED BALANCE SHEETS (Continued)

(Unaudited)

See Notes to Consolidated Condensed Financial Statements

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PROTECTIVE LIFE CORPORATION

CONSOLIDATED CONDENSED STATEMENTS OF SHAREOWNERS’ EQUITY

(Unaudited)

See Notes to Consolidated Condensed Financial Statements

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PROTECTIVE LIFE CORPORATION

CONSOLIDATED CONDENSED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(Unaudited)

(1)Recast from previously reported information

See Notes to Consolidated Condensed Financial Statements

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PROTECTIVE LIFE CORPORATION

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED CONDENSED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unaudited)

1.             BASIS OF PRESENTATION

Basis of Presentation

The accompanying unaudited consolidated condensed financial statements of Protective Life Corporation and subsidiaries (the “Company”) have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Rule 10-01 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the disclosures required by GAAP for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, the accompanying financial statements reflect all adjustments (consisting only of normal recurring items) necessary for a fair statement of the results for the interim periods presented. Operating results for the three and nine month periods ended September 30, 2012, are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending December 31, 2012. The year-end consolidated condensed financial data was derived from audited financial statements, after the retrospective application of the matter discussed in Note 5, Deferred Acquisition Costs and Value of Business Acquired, but does not include all disclosures required by GAAP. For further information, refer to the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011 and the Form 8-K filed on May 14, 2012.

The operating results of companies in the insurance industry have historically been subject to significant fluctuations due to changing competition, economic conditions, interest rates, investment performance, insurance ratings, claims, persistency, and other factors.

In January of 2012, the Company adopted Accounting Standard Update (“ASU” or “Update”) No. 2010-26 — Financial Services — Insurance - Accounting for Costs Associated with Acquiring or Renewing Insurance Contracts which changed how the Company accounts for its deferred acquisition costs.  See Note 2, Summary of Significant Policies and Note 5, Deferred Acquisition Costs and Value of Business Acquired.

Reclassifications and Accounting Changes

                Certain reclassifications have been made in the previously reported financial statements and accompanying notes to make the prior year amounts comparable to those of the current year. Such reclassifications had no effect on previously reported net income or shareowners’ equity. Current and prior period operating income results within the Annuities segment have been updated to reflect the revised definition of operating income (loss) as it relates to embedded derivatives on our variable annuity contracts and the related hedging activities. This change did not impact its comparable GAAP measure income before income tax. See Note 16, Operating Segments and Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Results of Operations for additional information.

In January of 2012, the Company adopted ASU No. 2010-26 which changed certain previously reported items within the Company’s financial statements and accompanying notes. The changes affected previously reported amounts in the financial statements, Note 3, Significant Acquisitions, Note 5, Deferred Acquisition Costs and Value of Business Acquired, Note 12, Earnings Per Share, Note 13, Income Taxes, and Note 16, Operating Segments.

Entities Included

The consolidated condensed financial statements include the accounts of Protective Life Corporation and subsidiaries and its affiliate companies in which the Company holds a majority voting or economic interest. Intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated.

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2.             SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Significant Accounting Polices

                For a full description of significant accounting policies, see Note 2 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011 and the Form 8-K filed on May 14, 2012. There were no significant changes to the Company’s accounting policies during the nine months ended September 30, 2012, except as noted below. See Note 5, Deferred Policy Acquisition Costs and Value of Business Acquired for additional information on the accounting policies.

Deferred Policy Acquisition Costs

In the first quarter of 2012, the Company adopted ASU No. 2010-26 — Financial Services — Insurance - Accounting for Costs Associated with Acquiring or Renewing Insurance Contracts. The objective of this Update is to address diversity in practice regarding the interpretation of which costs relating to the acquisition of new or renewal insurance contracts qualify for deferral. This Update prescribes that certain incremental direct costs of successful initial or renewal contract acquisitions may be deferred. It defines incremental direct costs as those costs that result directly from and are essential to the contract transaction and would not have been incurred by the insurance entity had the contract transaction not occurred. This Update also clarifies the definition of the types of incurred costs that may be capitalized and the accounting and recognition treatment of advertising, research, and other administrative costs related to the acquisition of insurance contracts.

The incremental direct costs associated with successfully acquired insurance policies, are deferred to the extent such costs are deemed recoverable from future profits. Such costs include commissions and other costs of acquiring traditional life and health insurance, credit insurance, universal life insurance, and investment products. Deferred acquisition costs (“DAC”) is subject to recoverability testing at the end of each accounting period. Traditional life and health insurance acquisition costs are amortized over the premium-payment period of the related policies in proportion to the ratio of annual premium income to the present value of the total anticipated premium income. Credit insurance acquisition costs are being amortized in proportion to earned premium. Acquisition costs for universal life and investment products are amortized over the lives of the policies in relation to the present value of estimated gross profits before amortization.

Based on the Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC” or “Codification”) Financial Services-Insurance Topic, the Company makes certain assumptions regarding the mortality, persistency, expenses, and interest rates the Company expects to experience in future periods. These assumptions are to be best estimates and are periodically updated whenever actual experience and/or expectations for the future change from that assumed. Additionally, using guidance from ASC Investments-Debt and Equity Securities Topic, these costs have been adjusted by an amount equal to the amortization that would have been recorded if unrealized gains or losses on investments associated with our universal life and investment products had been realized. Acquisition costs for stable value contracts are amortized over the term of the contracts using the effective yield method.

Accounting Pronouncements Recently Adopted

ASU No. 2010-26 — Financial Services — Insurance - Accounting for Costs Associated with Acquiring or Renewing Insurance Contracts. The objective of this Update is to address diversity in practice regarding the interpretation of which costs relating to the acquisition of new or renewal insurance contracts qualify for deferral. This Update prescribes that certain incremental direct costs of successful initial or renewal contract acquisitions may be deferred. It defines incremental direct costs as those costs that result directly from and are essential to the contract transaction and would not have been incurred by the insurance entity had the contract transaction not occurred. This Update also clarifies the definition of the types of incurred costs that may be capitalized and the accounting and recognition treatment of advertising, research, and other administrative costs related to the acquisition of insurance contracts. This Update was effective for the Company on January 1, 2012. The Company retrospectively adopted this Update, which resulted in a reduction in its deferred acquisition cost asset as well as a decrease in the amortization associated with those previously deferred costs. There was also a reduction in the level of costs the Company defers. For additional information on the effect this Update had on the Company, see Note 5, Deferred Policy Acquisition Costs and Value of Business Acquired.

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ASU No. 2011-03 — Transfers and Servicing - Reconsideration of Effective Control for Repurchase Agreements. This Update amends the assessment of effective control for repurchase agreements to remove 1) the criterion requiring the transferor to have the ability to repurchase or redeem the financial assets on substantially the agreed terms, even in the event of default by the transferee, and 2) the collateral maintenance implementation guidance related to the criterion. The Board determined that these criterion should not be a determining factor of effective control. This Update was effective for the first interim or annual period beginning on or after December 15, 2011. For the Company, the Update was applied to all repurchase agreements beginning January 1, 2012. The Company has modified its policies and procedures to ensure compliance with the updated guidance. There was no impact to the Company’s results of operations or financial position as a result of this adoption.

ASU No. 2011-04 — Fair Value Measurement - Amendments to Achieve Common Fair Value Measurement and Disclosure Requirements in U.S. GAAP and IFRSs. The amendments in this Update result in common fair value measurement and disclosure requirements in GAAP and International Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRSs”). The intent of this Update was not to change the application of the requirements in Topic 820. Some of the amendments clarify the intent regarding the application of existing fair value measurement requirements. The Update expanded requirements for disclosing information about fair value measurements. These changes were effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2011. The Company has included the required additional disclosures in Note 14, Fair Value of Financial Instruments, and has modified its policies and processes to ensure compliance with the updated guidance.

ASU No. 2011-05 — Comprehensive Income — Presentation of Comprehensive Income. In this Update, a company has the option to present the total of comprehensive income, the components of net income, and the components of other comprehensive income either in 1) a single continuous statement of comprehensive income, or 2) in two separate but consecutive statements. In both choices, a company is required to present each component of net income along with total net income, each component of other comprehensive income along with a total for other comprehensive income, and a total amount for comprehensive income. The Company has implemented the two-statement report format outlined in ASU No. 2011-05 beginning in the first quarter of 2012. The amendments in this Update do not change the items that must be reported in other comprehensive income, or the timing of its subsequent reclassification to net income. This Update was effective January 1, 2012.

Commensurate with the effective date of ASU No. 2011-05, the requirement to present reclassifications from other comprehensive income on the face of the income statement, was deferred indefinitely by ASU No. 2011-12 — Comprehensive Income — Deferral of the Effective for Amendments to the Presentation of Reclassifications of Items out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income in Accounting Standards Update No. 2011-05.

ASU No. 2012-04 — Technical Corrections and Improvements. This Update contains changes intended to clarify the Codification or to correct unintended application of guidance, and which are not expected to have a significant effect on current accounting practice. In addition, this Update includes more substantive, limited-scope improvements to the Codification. These are items that represent narrow and incremental improvements to U.S. GAAP and are not purely technical corrections.  This Update was effective upon issuance on October 1, 2012, and will not have an impact on the Company’s results of operations or financial position.

Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted

                ASU No. 2011-11 — Balance Sheet — Disclosures about Offsetting Assets and Liabilities. This Update contains new disclosure requirements regarding the nature of an entity’s rights of offset and related arrangements associated with its financial and derivative instruments. The new disclosures are designed to make financial statements that are prepared under GAAP more comparable to those prepared under IFRSs. Generally, it is more difficult to qualify for offsetting under IFRSs than it is under GAAP. As a result, entities with significant financial instrument and derivative portfolios that report under IFRSs typically present positions on their balance sheets that are significantly larger than those of entities with similarly sized portfolios whose financial statements are prepared in accordance with GAAP. To facilitate comparison between financial statements prepared under GAAP and IFRSs, the new disclosures will give financial statement users information about both gross and net exposures. This Update is effective January 1, 2013. This Update will not have an impact on the Company’s results of operations or financial position.

ASU No. 2012-02 — Intangibles-Goodwill and Other — Testing Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets for Impairment. This Update is intended to reduce the complexity and cost of performing an impairment test for indefinite-lived intangible assets by allowing an entity the option to make a qualitative evaluation about the likelihood of impairment prior to the quantitative calculation required by current guidance. Under the amendments to Topic 350, an entity has the option to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is more likely than not that an indefinite-lived intangible asset is impaired as a basis for determining whether it is necessary to perform the quantitative impairment test. If an entity determines it is not more likely than not that impairment exists, quantitative impairment testing is not required. However, if an entity concludes otherwise, the impairment test outlined in current guidance is required to be completed. The Update does not change the current requirement that indefinite-lived intangible assets be reviewed for impairment at least annually.

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This Update is effective January 1, 2013. The Update will not have an impact on the Company’s results of operations or financial position.

3.             SIGNIFICANT ACQUISITIONS

                On April 29, 2011, Protective Life Insurance Company (“PLICO”) closed a previously announced reinsurance transaction with Liberty Life Insurance Company (“Liberty Life”) under the terms of which PLICO reinsured substantially all of the life and health business of Liberty Life. The transaction closed in conjunction with Athene Holding Ltd’s acquisition of Liberty Life from an affiliate of Royal Bank of Canada. The capital invested by PLICO in the transaction at closing was $321 million, including a $225 million ceding commission. In conjunction with the closing, PLICO invested $40 million in a surplus note issued by Athene Life Re. The Company accounted for this transaction under the ASC Financial Services-Insurance topic in a manner similar to the acquisition method of accounting as required by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) guidance under ASC Business Combinations topic.

                The following (unaudited) pro forma condensed consolidated results of operations assumes that the aforementioned transaction with Liberty Life was completed as of January 1, 2010:

4.             INVESTMENT OPERATIONS

                Net realized investment gains (losses) for all other investments are summarized as follows:

For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2012, gross realized gains on investments available-for-sale (fixed maturities, equity securities, and short-term investments) were $23.6 million and $63.0 million and gross realized losses, including impairments were $9.3 million and $44.8 million, respectively.

For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2011, gross realized gains on investments available-for-sale (fixed maturities, equity securities, and short-term investments) were $23.2 million and $69.7 million and gross realized losses, including impairments, were $12.4 million and $29.0 million, respectively.

                For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2012, the Company sold securities in an unrealized gain position with a fair value (proceeds) of $424.6 million and $1.3 billion, respectively. The gain realized on the sale of these securities was $23.6 million and $63.0 million, respectively. For the three and nine months ended

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September 30, 2011, the Company sold securities in an unrealized gain position with a fair value (proceeds) of $350.7 million and $1.8 billion, respectively. The gain realized on the sale of these securities was $23.2 million and $69.7 million, respectively.

                For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2012, the Company sold securities in an unrealized loss position with a fair value (proceeds) of $14.3 million and $31.7 million, respectively. The losses realized on the sale of these securities were $0.9 million and $4.1 million, respectively. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2011, the Company sold securities in an unrealized loss position with a fair value (proceeds) of $48.5 million and $211.5 million, respectively. The losses realized on the sale of these securities were $2.5 million and $4.3 million, respectively.

Certain European countries have experienced varying degrees of financial stress. Risks from the continued debt crisis in Europe could continue to disrupt the financial markets which could have a detrimental impact on global economic conditions and on sovereign and non-sovereign obligations. There remains considerable uncertainty as to future developments in the European debt crisis and the impact on financial markets.

The chart shown below includes the Company’s non-sovereign fair value exposures in these countries as of September 30, 2012. As of September 30, 2012, the Company had no unfunded exposure and had no direct sovereign fair value exposure.