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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
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SCHEDULE 14D-1
(AMENDMENT NO. 5)
TENDER OFFER STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 14(D)(1)
OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
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AMERICAN BANKERS INSURANCE GROUP, INC.
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(NAME OF SUBJECT COMPANY)
SEASON ACQUISITION CORP.
CENDANT CORPORATION
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(Bidders)
COMMON STOCK, PAR VALUE $1.00 PER SHARE
(INCLUDING THE ASSOCIATED PREFERRED STOCK PURCHASE RIGHTS)
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(Title of Class of Securities)
024456 10 5
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(CUSIP Number of Class of Securities)
JAMES E. BUCKMAN, ESQ.
SENIOR EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT AND GENERAL COUNSEL
CENDANT CORPORATION
6 SYLVAN WAY
PARSIPPANY, NEW JERSEY 07054
TELEPHONE: (973) 428-9700
(Name, Address and Telephone Number of Person Authorized
to Receive Notices and Communications on Behalf of Bidders)
WITH A COPY TO:
DAVID FOX, ESQ.
ERIC J. FRIEDMAN, ESQ.
SKADDEN, ARPS, SLATE, MEAGHER & FLOM LLP
919 THIRD AVENUE
NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10022
TELEPHONE: (212) 735-3000
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This Amendment No. 5 amends the Tender Offer Statement on Schedule 14D-1
initially filed on January 27, 1998 (as amended, the "Schedule 14D-1") by
Cendant Corporation, a Delaware corporation ("Parent"), and its wholly owned
subsidiary, Season Acquisition Corp., a New Jersey corporation ("Purchaser"),
relating to Purchaser's tender offer for 23,501,260 outstanding shares of
common stock, par value $1.00 per share, of American Bankers Insurance Group,
Inc., a Florida corporation (the "Company"). Unless otherwise defined herein,
all capitalized terms used herein shall have the respective meanings given
such terms in the Schedule 14D-1.
ITEM 10. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.
The information set forth in subsection (c) of the Schedule 14D-1 is
hereby amended and supplemented by the following information:
The Competition Act (Canada) (the "Competition Act") requires that a
pre-merger notification filing be submitted to the Director of Investigation
and Research (the "Director") in respect of merger transactions which exceed
certain prescribed size thresholds. Parent believes that the acquisition of
Common Shares pursuant to the Offer exceeds the size thresholds applicable to
share acquisitions. Under the Competition Act, a transaction which requires
notification to the Director may not be completed prior to the expiration or
earlier termination of the applicable waiting period prescribed under the
Competition Act. The waiting period, depending on the information required by
the Director in connection with the pre-merger notification filing, may be
seven or 21 days following the day on which such a completed filing has been
received by the Director.
Parent has submitted to the Director a pre-merger notification filing with
respect to the Offer pursuant to Part IX of the Competition Act. The
statutory waiting period will expire on February 11, 1998, provided the
Director does not exercise his discretion to require that further information
be filed. Parent does not believe that the Director will require additional
information to be filed.
The merger provisions of the Competition Act permit the Director to apply
to the Competition Tribunal to seek relief in respect of merger transactions
(including share acquisitions) which are likely to prevent or lessen
competition substantially in any market in Canada. The Director may apply to
the Competition Tribunal for an order to require, among other things, the
disposition of the Canadian assets or shares acquired in the case of a
completed merger, or to prevent the acquisition of Canadian assets or shares
in the case of a proposed merger. Parent expects that the Director will
conclude that the Offer will not substantially prevent or lessen competition
in any relevant market.
The information set forth in subsection (e) of the Schedule 14D-1 is
hereby amended and supplemented by the following information:
On February 3, 1998, AIG moved to dismiss the claims against it in the
Florida Litigation (the "AIG Motion to Dismiss"). The AIG Motion to Dismiss
argues that AIG made all required disclosures in its Schedule 13D, and
specifically that AIG need not disclose that Mr. Greenberg is a controlling
person of AIG. The AIG Motion to Dismiss also denies the allegations against
AIG added in the amended complaint, claiming that the statements in the
January 27, 1998 press release and the Proxy Statement/Prospectus were not
misleading and that all required material disclosures were made. The AIG
Motion to Dismiss also claims that because the Federal securities allegations
against AIG should be dismissed, the Court should decline to exercise its
supplemental federal jurisdiction over the remaining state law claims against
AIG. Parent and Purchaser believe that the claims in the amended complaint
are meritorious, and will vigorously oppose the AIG Motion to Dismiss.
ITEM 11. MATERIAL TO BE FILED AS EXHIBITS.
Item 11 is hereby amended as follows:
(a)(12) Newspaper Advertisement published February 4, 1998.
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SIGNATURE
After due inquiry and to the best of its knowledge and belief, the
undersigned certifies that the information set forth in this statement is
true, complete and correct.
Dated: February 4, 1998
CENDANT CORPORATION
By: /s/ James E. Buckman
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Name: James E. Buckman
Title: Senior Executive Vice
President
and General Counsel
SEASON ACQUISITION CORP.
By: /s/ James E. Buckman
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Name: James E. Buckman
Title: Executive Vice President
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EXHIBIT INDEX
EXHIBIT NO.
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(a)(12) Newspaper Advertisement published February 4, 1998.
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[Newspaper Advertisement]
TO THE EMPLOYEES OF
AMERICAN BANKERS INSURANCE GROUP
[Graphic: Letter]
[Cendant Logo] CENDANT
707 Summer Street, Stamford, Connecticut 06901-2049
6 Sylvan Way, P.O. Box 656, Parsippany, New Jersey 07054-0656
Dear American Bankers employees:
We understand how unsettling it can be when a large corporation makes an offer
to buy the company you work for.
That's why we want to tell you about us and about our plans for American
Bankers.
Above all, WE WANT YOU. Not just your company, but YOU - the people who work
for American Bankers.
WE RECOGNIZE THE REMARKABLE BUSINESS THAT YOU AND YOUR COMPANY HAVE BUILT, AND
WE ARE COMMITTED TO GROWING IT EVEN FURTHER. WE WILL KEEP YOUR COMPANY'S
HEADQUARTERS IN MIAMI, MAINTAIN ALL YOUR MAJOR FACILITIES, AND CONTINUE TO
EMPLOY AMERICAN BANKERS' EMPLOYEES.
That's good for you and it's good for Florida.
That doesn't mean there wouldn't be some changes. But they'd be changes for the
better. By adding our tremendous direct marketing capabilities, our exceptional
product range and the more than 100 million customer contacts we make each
year, we'll give you a lot more opportunity to expand the products you offer
and to grow your business.
THAT TRANSLATES INTO MORE WAYS FOR YOU TO GROW PERSONALLY, PROFESSIONALLY AND
FINANCIALLY - PROVIDING AN EVEN BRIGHTER OUTLOOK FOR YOUR FUTURE.
Our approach is in contrast to that of AIG, which has made no commitment to
keep American Bankers' employees or maintain its operations in Florida. In
fact, AIG has emphasized the importance of expense savings to its decision to
acquire your
company.(1) Apparently, they have found those expense savings - and that
usually means cutting people. We have no such plans. In fact, we'll add jobs.
So who are we, anyway? Many of you may never have heard of us. But surely,
you recognize our many well-known brands and products - such as the
Avis(Registered Trademark), Days Inn(Registered Trademark), Howard
Johnson(Registered Trademark), Ramada(Registered Trademark), CENTURY 21
(Registered Trademark), and Coldwell Banker(Registered Trademark) brands
and the Welcome Wagon (Registered Trademark) service, as well as the Shopper's
Advantage(Registered Trademark), Travelers Advantage (Registered Trademark)
and AutoVantage (Registered Trademark) services, which are featured on AOL,
to name but a few. In fact:
o One of every four cars rented in the U.S. is through our Avis brand...
o One of every six hotel rooms occupied is in one of our lodging brands...
o One of four U.S. homes is sold through our affiliated real estate offices...
o We're a leader in electronic commerce, with about 700,000 members of our
interactive services...
We're the number one corporate relocation company, the world's largest
timeshare exchange company, a leading provider of mortgage services, and the
second-largest vehicle management company in the world.
We're a $30 billion company, in terms of market capitalization - one of the 100
largest in the United States. We're one of the few companies with over $20
billion in market capitalization and growing over 20% a year. We've got plenty
of financial strength and stability - and 35,000 employees to keep you company.
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LIKE YOU, WE'RE WORLD CLASS MARKETERS. We sell insurance among our many
offerings, but our best known strength is that we're the most successful direct
marketer in America.
We're Cendant. And we would be proud to have you join our family of dedicated
employees and successful companies.
/s/ Walter A. Forbes /s/ Henry R. Silverman
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Walter A. Forbes Henry R. Silverman
Chairman President and CEO
[End of letter graphic]
If you would like to learn more about Cendant,
please visit our website at WWW.CENDANT.COM
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(1) In June of 1997, "Mr. Greenberg [AIG's Chairman and CEO] expressed
skepticism concerning a possible ... business combination with American Bankers
because AIG... would realize an insufficient rate of return on its
investment... Soon thereafter, however, Mr. Greenberg requested...study [of]
possible synergies and expense savings..." AIG prospectus filed 1-30-98, p. 22.
"On July 10, 1997...possible synergies and expense savings were discussed and
Mr. Smith [Howard I. Smith, executive vice president, CFO and Comptroller at
AIG] requested more detailed expense information on American Bankers'
operations." "On July 29, 1997, management of American Bankers presented Mr.
Smith with a written analysis regarding possible synergies and expense savings."
p. 22. "In August 1997, AIG requested that management of American Bankers
allow...AIG...to review American Bankers' business and to consider
possible...expense savings" p.22. "Throughout August 1997, American Bankers
continued to work on refining its analysis of possible...expense savings"
p. 23.
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