Like many of you, we are closely monitoring the spread and impact of COVID-19 (coronavirus) around the world. This is first and foremost a health crisis, and our thoughts go out to those who have been directly affected by the virus in their communities and to the health care workers who are on the frontlines in managing it. As a global company operating in more than 80 markets, we’re also actively tracking COVID-19 and taking measures to protect our customers, employees, and business.

Over our 140 year history, we’ve had significant experience in navigating periods of volatility and uncertainty. And this time is no different. Our focus, as always, will be on helping customers protect their financial security. We’ll do this by keeping our employees safe and healthy, our business running, and staying focused on our mission.

While it's too early to know the exact impact the virus may have on our businesses or market performance, I'm confident that our robust business continuity plans will allow us to continue to operate and serve customers around the world, even in markets that are significantly impacted by COVID-19. We're actively testing these plans within the realities of COVID-19 situation to better understand the implications of the virus, and to adjust our policies and operations accordingly.

Many of those adjustments are focused on the safety of our employees and their families—altering our travel policies, assessing large group meetings and events, and reviewing the cleaning processes at our facilities. Most importantly, we’re encouraging any employee who may have been exposed to the virus or feeling ill to stay home—and we have flexible work policies in place to accommodate this.

Dan Houston, chairman, president, and global CEO