Sep 09, 2021 / 03:40PM GMT
Ryan Joel Krueger - Keefe, Bruyette, & Woods, Inc., Research Division - MD of Equity Research
Hi, everyone. I'm Ryan Krueger from KBW and pleased to have with me today, Max Broden, who is the CFO of Aflac. So thanks for joining us again this year, Max.
Max Kristian Broden - Aflac Incorporated - Executive VP, CFO & Treasurer
Thank you.
Questions and Answers:
Ryan Joel Krueger - Keefe, Bruyette, & Woods, Inc., Research Division - MD of Equity ResearchI thought I'd kick it off -- start discussing claims experience first in the U.S. And you've seen quite favorable claims throughout most of the pandemic in the U.S. Can you give us a little color on what you've seen and also how claims have trended in more recent months.
Max Kristian Broden - Aflac Incorporated - Executive VP, CFO & Treasurer
Yes. So our claims utilization tends to have a negative correlation to infection rates overall. So every time we see spikes in infection rates, we tend to see a drop