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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 March 31, 2011

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 April 25, 2011:   85,705,659

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PROTECTIVE LIFE CORPORATION

QUARTERLY REPORT ON FORM 10-Q

FOR QUARTERLY PERIOD ENDED MARCH 31, 2011

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PROTECTIVE LIFE CORPORATION

CONSOLIDATED CONDENSED STATEMENTS OF INCOME

(Unaudited)

(1) Protective Life Corporation (“PLC”)

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 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)

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 month period ended March 31, 2011, are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending December 31, 2011. The year-end consolidated condensed balance sheet data was derived from audited financial statements, 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, 2010.

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.

Reclassifications

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.

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.

2.                                      SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Accounting Pronouncements Recently Adopted

Accounting Standard Update (“ASU” or “Update”) No. 2010-06 — Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures — Improving Disclosures about Fair Value Measurements. In January of 2010, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued ASU No. 2010-06 — Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures — Improving Disclosures about Fair Value Measurements. This Update provides amendments to Subtopic 820-10 that require the following new disclosures. 1) A reporting entity should disclose separately the amounts of significant transfers in and out of Level 1 and Level 2 fair value measurements and describe the reasons for the transfers. 2) In the reconciliation for fair value measurements using significant unobservable inputs (Level 3), a reporting entity should present separately information about purchases, sales, issuances, and settlements (that is, on a gross basis rather than as one net number).

This Update provides amendments to Subtopic 820-10 that clarify existing disclosures. 1) A reporting entity should provide fair value measurement disclosures for each class of assets and liabilities. 2) A reporting entity should provide disclosures about the valuation techniques and inputs used to measure fair value for both recurring and nonrecurring fair value measurements. Those disclosures are required for fair value measurements that fall in either Level 2 or Level 3. This Update also includes conforming amendments to the guidance on employers’ disclosures about postretirement benefit plan assets (Subtopic 715-20). The conforming amendments to Subtopic 715-20 change the terminology from major categories of assets to classes of assets and provide a cross reference to the guidance in Subtopic 820-10 on how to determine appropriate classes to present fair value disclosures. This Update is effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2009, which the Company adopted for the period ending March 31, 2010, except for the disclosures about purchases, sales,

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issuances, and settlements in the roll forward of activity in Level 3 fair value measurements. Those disclosures were adopted by the Company as of January 1, 2011. This Update did not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated condensed results of operations or financial position.

ASU No. 2010-15 — Financial Services—Insurance — How Investments Held through Separate Accounts Affect an Insurer’s Consolidation Analysis of Those Investments. The amendments in this Update clarify that an insurance entity should not consider any separate account interests held for the benefit of policy holders in an investment to be the insurer’s interests. The entity should not combine general account and separate account interests in the same investment when assessing the investment for consolidation. Additionally, the amendments do not require an insurer to consolidate an investment in which a separate account holds a controlling financial interest if the investment is not or would not be consolidated in the standalone financial statements of the separate account. The amendments in this Update also provide guidance on how an insurer should consolidate an investment fund in situations in which the insurer concludes that consolidation is required. This Update is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2010. For the Company this Update became effective January 1, 2011. This Update did not have an impact on the Company’s consolidated condensed results of operations or financial position.

ASU No. 2010-28 — Intangibles — Goodwill and Other — When to Perform Step 2 of the Goodwill Impairment Test for Reporting Units with Zero or Negative Carrying Amounts. The amendments in this Update modify Step 1 of the goodwill impairment test for reporting units with zero or negative carrying amounts. For those reporting units, an entity is required to perform Step 2 of the goodwill impairment test if it is more likely than not that a goodwill impairment exists. In determining whether it is more likely than not that a goodwill impairment exists, an entity should consider whether there are any adverse qualitative factors indicating that an impairment may exist. This Update is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2010. This Update was effective for the Company as of January 1, 2011. This Update did not have an impact on the Company’s results of operations or financial position.

Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet 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 is effective for periods beginning after December 15, 2011 and is to be applied prospectively. Early adoption and retrospective application are optional. The Company is currently evaluating the impact this Update will have on its results of operations or financial position.

ASU No. 2011-02 — Receivables — A Creditor’s Determination of Whether a Restructuring Is a Troubled Debt Restructuring. The objective of this Update is to evaluate whether a restructuring constitutes a troubled debt restructuring. In evaluating whether a restructuring constitutes a troubled debt restructuring, a creditor must separately conclude that both of the following exist: 1) the restructuring constitutes a concession and 2) the debtor is experiencing financial difficulties. This Update also clarifies the guidance on a creditor’s evaluation of whether it has granted a concession. The amendments in this Update are effective for the first interim or annual period beginning on or after June 15, 2011, and should be applied retrospectively to the beginning of the annual period of adoption. For the Company, this Update will become effective on July 1, 2011. The Company is currently evaluating the impact this Update will have on its results of operations or financial position.

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 Boards determined that these criterion should not be a determining factor of effective control. This Update is effective for the first interim or annual period beginning on or after December 15, 2011, for the Company, the Update will be applied to all repurchase agreements beginning January 1, 2012. The Company is currently evaluating the possible impact of this Update.

Significant Accounting Policies

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, 2010. There were no significant changes to the Company’s accounting policies during the three months ended March 31, 2011, except as noted above.

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3.                                      INVESTMENT OPERATIONS

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

For the three months ended March 31, 2011, gross realized gains on investments available-for-sale (fixed maturities, equity securities, and short-term investments) were $14.6 million and gross realized losses were $5.8 million, including $5.6 million of impairment losses. The $5.6 million excludes $0.1 million of impairment losses in the trading portfolio for the three months ended March 31, 2011.

The $9.1 million of gains included in equity securities primarily relates to gains of $6.9 million on securities that have recovered in value as the issuer exited bankruptcy and $1.2 million that relates to gains recognized on the sale of Federal National Mortgage Association preferreds.

For the three months ended March 31, 2011, the Company sold securities in an unrealized gain position with a fair value (proceeds) of $236.0 million. The gain realized on the sale of these securities was $14.6 million.

For the three months ended March 31, 2011, the Company sold securities in an unrealized loss position with a fair value (proceeds) of $20.0 million. The loss realized on the sale of these securities was $0.2 million.

The amortized cost and fair value of the Company’s investments classified as available-for-sale as of March 31, 2011, are as follows:

As of March 31, 2011, the Company had an additional $2.9 billion of fixed maturities, $11.4 million of equity securities, and $155.4 million of short-term investments classified as trading securities.

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The amortized cost and fair value of available-for-sale fixed maturities as of March 31, 2011, by expected maturity, are shown below. Expected maturities of securities without a single maturity date are allocated based on estimated rates of prepayment that may differ from actual rates of prepayment.

Each quarter the Company reviews investments with unrealized losses and tests for other-than-temporary impairments. The Company analyzes various factors to determine if any specific other-than-temporary asset impairments exist. These include, but are not limited to: 1) actions taken by rating agencies, 2) default by the issuer, 3) the significance of the decline, 4) an assessment of the Company’s intent to sell the security (including a more likely than not assessment of whether the Company will be required to sell the security) before recovering the security’s amortized cost, 5) the time period during which the decline has occurred, 6) an economic analysis of the issuer’s industry, and 7) the financial strength, liquidity, and recoverability of the issuer. Management performs a security by security review each quarter in evaluating the need for any other-than-temporary impairments. Although no set formula is used in this process, the investment performance, collateral position, and continued viability of the issuer are significant measures considered, and in some cases, an analysis regarding the Company’s expectations for recovery of the security’s entire amortized cost basis through the receipt of future cash flows is performed. Once a determination has been made that a specific other-than-temporary impairment exists, the security’s basis is adjusted and an other-than-temporary impairment is recognized. Equity securities that are other-than-temporarily impaired are written down to fair value with a realized loss recognized in earnings. Other-than-temporary impairments to debt securities that the Company does not intend to sell and does not expect to be required to sell before recovering the security’s amortized cost are written down to discounted expected future cash flows (“post impairment cost”) and credit losses are recorded in earnings. The difference between the securities’ discounted expected future cash flows and the fair value of the securities is recognized in other comprehensive income (loss) as a non-credit portion of the recognized other-than-temporary impairment. When calculating the post impairment cost for residential mortgage-backed securities (“RMBS”), commercial mortgage-backed securities (“CMBS”), and other asset-backed securities, the Company considers all known market data related to cash flows to estimate future cash flows. When calculating the post impairment cost for corporate debt securities, the Company considers all contractual cash flows to estimate expected future cash flows. To calculate the post impairment cost, the expected future cash flows are discounted at the original purchase yield. Debt securities that the Company intends to sell or expects to be required to sell before recovery are written down to fair value with the change recognized in earnings.

During the three months ended March 31, 2011, the Company recorded other-than-temporary impairments on investments of $16.0 million related to debt securities. Of the $16.0 million of impairments for the three months ended March 31, 2011, $5.7 million was recorded in earnings and $10.3 million was recorded in other comprehensive income (loss). For the three months ended March 31, 2011, there were no other-than-temporary impairments related to equity securities. During this period, there were no other-than-temporary impairments related to debt securities or equity securities that the Company intends to sell or expects to be required to sell, except with respect to certain debt securities that were part of the Company’s collateral in its securities lending program.

At the end of the period, the Company decided to discontinue this program. The Company believed that certain debt securities that were part of this program’s collateral, and were in an unrealized loss position, will be sold prior to their respective maturities. Therefore, the Company recorded a $1.3 million other-than-temporary impairment loss on these securities during the period.

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The following chart is a rollforward of credit losses on debt securities held by the Company for which a portion of an other-than-temporary impairment was recognized in other comprehensive income (loss):

The following table includes investments’ gross unrealized losses and fair value of the Company’s investments that are not deemed to be other-than-temporarily impaired, aggregated by investment category and length of time that individual securities have been in a continuous unrealized loss position as of March 31, 2011:

The RMBS have a gross unrealized loss greater than twelve months of $80.1 million as of March 31, 2011. These losses relate to a widening in spreads and defaults as a result of continued weakness in the residential housing market which have reduced the fair value of the RMBS holdings. Factors such as the credit enhancement within the deal structure, the average life of the securities, and the performance of the underlying collateral support the recoverability of the investments.

The other asset-backed securities have a gross unrealized loss greater than twelve months of $28.2 million as of March 31, 2011. This category predominately includes student-loan backed auction rate securities whose underlying collateral is at least 97% guaranteed by the Federal Family Education Loan Program (“FFELP”). These losses relate to the auction rate securities (“ARS”) market collapse during 2008. At this time, the Company has no reason to believe that the U.S. Department of Education would not honor the FFELP guarantee, if it were necessary. In addition, the Company has the ability and intent to hold these securities until their values recover or until maturity.

The corporate bonds category has gross unrealized losses greater than twelve months of $72.7 million as of March 31, 2011. These losses relate primarily to fluctuations in credit spreads. The aggregate decline in market value of these securities was deemed temporary due to positive factors supporting the recoverability of the respective investments. Positive factors considered include credit ratings, the financial health of the issuer, the continued access of the issuer to capital markets, and other pertinent information including the Company’s ability and intent to hold these securities to recovery.

The Company does not consider these unrealized loss positions to be other-than-temporary, based on the factors discussed and because the Company has the ability and intent to hold these investments until the fair values recover, and does not intend to sell or expect to be required to sell the securities before recovering the Company’s amortized cost basis.

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As of March 31, 2011, the Company had securities in its available-for-sale portfolio which were rated below investment grade of $2.7 billion and had an amortized cost of $2.8 billion. In addition, included in the Company’s trading portfolio, the Company held $290.5 million of securities which were rated below investment grade. Approximately $568.2 million of the below investment grade securities were not publicly traded.

The change in unrealized gains (losses), net of income tax, on fixed maturity and equity securities, classified as available-for-sale is summarized as follows:

4.                                      MORTGAGE LOANS

Mortgage Loans

The Company invests a portion of its investment portfolio in commercial mortgage loans. As of March 31, 2011, the Company’s mortgage loan holdings were approximately $4.9 billion.

As of March 31, 2011 and December 31, 2010, the Company had an allowance for mortgage loan credit losses of $4.3 million and $11.7 million, respectively. Over the past ten years, the Company’s commercial mortgage loan portfolio has experienced an average credit loss factor of approximately 0.2%. Due to such low historical losses, the Company believes that a collectively evaluated allowance would be inappropriate. The Company believes an allowance calculated through an analysis of specific loans that are believed to have a higher risk of credit impairment provides a more accurate presentation of expected losses in the portfolio and is consistent with the applicable guidance for loan impairments in Subtopic 310. Since the Company uses the specific identification method for calculating reserves, it is necessary to review the economic situation of each borrower to determine those that have higher risk of credit impairment. The Company has a team of professionals that monitor borrower conditions such as payment practices, borrower credit, operating performance, property conditions, as well as ensuring the timely payment of property taxes and insurance. Through this monitoring process, the Company assesses the risk of each borrower. When issues are identified, the severity of the issues are assessed and reviewed for possible credit impairment. If a loss is probable, an expected loss calculation is performed and an allowance is established for that borrower. A loan may be subsequently charged off at such point that the Company no longer expects to receive cash payments, the present value of future expected payments of the renegotiated loan is less than the current principal balance, or at such time that the Company is party to foreclosure or bankruptcy proceedings associated with the borrower and does not expect to recover the principal balance of the loan. A charge off is recorded by eliminating the allowance against the mortgage loan and recording the renegotiated loan or the collateral property related to the loan as investment real estate on the balance sheet, which is carried at the lower of the appraised fair value of the property or the unpaid principal balance of the loan, less estimated selling costs associated with the property.

As of March 31, 2011, delinquent mortgage loans, foreclosed properties, and restructured loans pursuant to a pooling and servicing agreement totaled $30.2 million, and were less than 0.1% of invested assets. The Company does not expect these investments to adversely affect its liquidity or ability to maintain proper matching of assets and liabilities. The Company’s mortgage loan portfolio consists of two categories of loans: 1) those not subject to a pooling and servicing agreement and 2) those previously a part of variable interest entity securitizations and thus subject to a contractual pooling and servicing agreement. The loans subject to a pooling and servicing agreement have been included on our consolidated condensed balance sheet (“balance sheet”) beginning in the first quarter of 2010 in accordance with ASU 2009-17. For loans not subject to a pooling and servicing agreement, as of March 31, 2011, $13.6 million, or 0.3%, of the mortgage loan portfolio was nonperforming. In addition, as of March 31, 2011, $16.6 million, 0.3%, of the mortgage loan portfolio that is subject to a pooling and servicing agreement was either nonperforming or has been restructured under the terms and conditions of the pooling and service agreement.

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An analysis of the change in the allowance for mortgage loan credit losses is provided in the following chart:

It is the Company’s policy to cease to carry accrued interest on loans that are over 90 days delinquent. For loans less than 90 days delinquent, interest is accrued unless it is determined that the accrued interest is not collectible. If a loan becomes over 90 days delinquent, it is the Company’s general policy to initiate foreclosure proceedings unless a workout arrangement to bring the loan current is in place. For loans subject to a pooling and servicing agreement, there are certain additional restrictions and/or requirements related to workout proceedings, and as such, these loans may have different attributes and/or circumstances affecting the status of delinquency or categorization of those in nonperforming status. An analysis of the delinquent loans is shown in the following chart as of March 31, 2011:

The Company’s commercial mortgage loan portfolio consists of mortgage loans that are collateralized by real estate. Due to the collateralized nature of the loans, any assessment of impairment and ultimate loss given a default on the loans is based upon a consideration of the estimated fair value of the real estate. The Company limits accrued interest income on impaired loans to ninety days of interest. Once accrued interest on the impaired loan is received, interest income is recognized on a cash basis. For information regarding impaired loans, please refer to the following chart as of March 31, 2011:

5.                                      GOODWILL

During the three months ended March 31, 2011, the Company decreased its goodwill balance by approximately $0.8 million. The decrease was due to adjustments in the Acquisitions segment related to tax benefits realized during 2011 on the portion of tax goodwill in excess of GAAP basis goodwill. As of March 31, 2011, the Company had an aggregate goodwill balance of $114.0 million.

Accounting for goodwill requires an estimate of the future profitability of the associated lines of business to assess the recoverability of the capitalized acquisition goodwill. The Company evaluates the carrying value of goodwill at the segment (or reporting unit) level at least annually and between annual evaluations if events occur or circumstances change that would more likely than not reduce the fair value of the reporting unit below its carrying amount. Such circumstances could include, but are not limited to: 1) a significant adverse change in legal factors or in business climate, 2) unanticipated competition, or 3) an adverse action or assessment by a regulator. When evaluating whether goodwill is impaired, the Company compared its estimate of the fair value of the reporting unit to which the goodwill is assigned to the reporting unit’s carrying amount, including goodwill. The Company utilizes a fair value measurement (which includes a discounted cash flows analysis) to assess the carrying value of the reporting units in consideration of the recoverability of the goodwill balance assigned to each reporting unit as of the

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measurement date. The Company’s material goodwill balances are attributable to certain of its operating segments (which are each considered to be reporting units). The cash flows used to determine the fair value of the Company’s reporting units are dependent on a number of significant assumptions. The Company’s estimates, which consider a market participant view of fair value, are subject to change given the inherent uncertainty in predicting future results and cash flows, which are impacted by such things as policyholder behavior, competitor pricing, capital limitations, new product introductions, and specific industry and market conditions. Additionally, the discount rate used is based on the Company’s judgment of the appropriate rate for each reporting unit based on the relative risk associated with the projected cash flows. As of December 31, 2010, the Company performed its annual evaluation of goodwill and determined that no adjustment to impair goodwill was necessary.

The Company also considers its market capitalization in assessing the reasonableness of the fair values estimated for its reporting units in connection with its goodwill impairment testing. In considering the Company’s March 31, 2011 common equity price, which was lower than its book value per share, the Company noted there are several factors that would result in its market capitalization being lower than the fair value of its reporting units that are tested for goodwill impairment. Such factors that would not be reflected in the valuation of the Company’s reporting units with goodwill include, but are not limited to: a potential concern about future earnings growth, negative market sentiment, different valuation methodologies that resulted in low valuation, and increased risk premium for holding investments in mortgage-backed securities and commercial mortgage loans. Deterioration of or adverse market conditions for certain businesses may have a significant impact on the fair value of the Company’s reporting units. In the Company’s view, market capitalization being below book value does not invalidate the Company’s fair value assessment related to the recoverability of goodwill in its reporting units, and did not result in a triggering or impairment event.

6.                                      DEBT AND OTHER OBLIGATIONS

Non-recourse funding obligations outstanding as of March 31, 2011, on a consolidated basis, are shown in the following table:

Golden Gate II Captive Insurance Company (“Golden Gate II”), a special purpose financial captive insurance company wholly owned by Protective Life Insurance Company (“PLICO”), had $575 million of outstanding non-recourse funding obligations as of March 31, 2011. These outstanding non-recourse funding obligations were issued to special purpose trusts, which in turn issued securities to third parties. Certain of the Company’s affiliates purchased a portion of these securities during 2010 and 2011. As a result of these purchases, as of March 31, 2011, securities related to $496.7 million of the outstanding balance of the non-recourse funding obligations were held by external parties and securities related to $78.3 million of the non-recourse funding obligations were held by affiliates.