Galveston, TX — American National Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: ANAT) (formerly American National Insurance Company)(1) and subsidiaries (collectively, the “Company”) announced net income for the first quarter of 2021 of $170.2 million or $6.33 per diluted share, compared to a net loss of $220.4 million or $8.20 loss per diluted share for the same period in 2020. The increase in net income for the first quarter of 2021 was primarily attributable to an increase in the value of the Company's equity security portfolio during the first quarter of 2021 which generated after-tax net gains of $75.8 million or $2.82 per diluted share, compared to a loss on equity securities of $262.7 million or $9.77 loss per diluted share for the same period in 2020. The after-tax net loss on equity securities in the first quarter of 2020 was driven by the negative impact in financial markets associated with COVID-19.
In addition, net income for the first quarter of 2021 included after-tax net realized investment earnings of $17.1 million or $0.64 per diluted share, compared to net realized investment losses of $26.5 million or $0.99 per diluted share for the same period in 2020. In the first quarter of 2020, the net realized investment losses were caused by the Company's estimated credit loss of $38.2 million or $1.42 per diluted share primarily attributable to commercial mortgage loans.
After-tax adjusted net operating income for the first quarter of 2021 was $77.3 million or $2.87 per diluted share compared to $68.8 million or $2.56 per diluted share for the same period in 2020. The increase in adjusted net operating income reflects an improvement in our annuity and health segment earnings partially offset by higher mortality in our life segment and increased catastrophe claims in our property and casualty segment.
For the first quarter of 2021, total life insurance in force increased by $2.2 billion to $130.4 billion, and book value per share increased $1.73 to $241.93.
(1) Effective July 1, 2020, American National Group, Inc. was established as the parent company of American National Insurance Company under a stockholder-approved holding company reorganization. As a result of the reorganization, American National Group, Inc. replaced American National Insurance Company as the publicly held corporation.
A reconciliation of adjusted net operating income, a non-GAAP measure, to GAAP net income is included in the following table.
American National Consolidated Financial Highlights
(Preliminary & Unaudited in millions, except per share data)