Hillenbrand Receives $151 Million from Forethought Financial Group in Payoff of Note Receivable

BATESVILLE, Ind., April 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- On April 20, 2011, Hillenbrand, Inc. (NYSE: HI) received $151 million from Forethought Financial Group, Inc., representing full and final payment of principal and interest on a note receivable that was contractually due in 2014. The early payoff was at par and, therefore, no gain or loss resulted from the transaction. The collection in full of this material asset significantly provides substantial capital for strategic growth initiatives, further strengthens Hillenbrand's credit profile and eliminates collection risk associated with this note.

Although Hillenbrand presently earns approximately $12 million annually in pre-tax interest income on the note, the impact of this repayment on the company's future income will depend on the timing of the reinvestment of the proceeds in strategic growth initiatives.

Hillenbrand will discuss the full impact of the early payoff of the Forethought note on capital structure, earnings and 2011 guidance, along with results for the second quarter of fiscal 2011, during its regular quarterly conference call scheduled for May 5, 2011.

About Hillenbrand, Inc.

Hillenbrand (www.HillenbrandInc.com) is a diversified enterprise with multiple subsidiaries focused around two separate operating businesses. Batesville Casket (www.batesville.com) is a leader in the North American death care industry through the sale of funeral services products, including burial caskets, cremation caskets, containers and urns, selection room display fixturing, and other personalization and memorialization products. K-Tron International (www.ktroninternational.com) is a recognized leader in the design, production, marketing and servicing of bulk solids material handling equipment and systems. The company serves many different industrial markets through two product lines. The Process Group focuses primarily on feeding and pneumatic conveying equipment, doing business under two main brands: K-Tron Feeders and K-Tron Premier. The Size Reduction Group concentrates on size reduction equipment, conveying systems and screening equipment, operating under three brands: Pennsylvania Crusher, Gundlach and Jeffrey Rader. HI-INC-E

Disclosure Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Throughout this release, we make a number of forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. As the words imply, forward-looking statements are statements about the future, as contrasted with historical information. Our forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and current expectations of future events that we believe are reasonable, but by their very nature they are subject to a wide range of risks. If our assumptions prove inaccurate or unknown risks and uncertainties materialize, actual results could vary materially from Hillenbrand's expectations and projections.

Words that could indicate we're making forward-looking statements include the following:

This isn't an exhaustive list, but is simply intended to give you an idea of how we try to identify forward-looking statements. The absence of any of these words, however, does not mean that the statement is not forward-looking.

Here's the key point: Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, and our actual results could differ materially from those set forth in any forward-looking statements. Any number of factors -- many of which are beyond our control -- could cause our performance to differ significantly from what is described in the forward-looking statements. These factors include, but are not limited to: recent global market and economic conditions, including those related to the credit markets; volatility of our investment portfolio; adverse foreign currency fluctuations; ongoing involvement in claims, lawsuits and governmental proceedings related to operations; labor disruptions; our ability to continue the successful integration of K-Tron International; the dependence of our business units on relationships with several large national providers; increased costs or unavailability of raw materials; continued fluctuations in mortality rates and increased cremations; competition from nontraditional sources in the funeral services business; our ongoing antitrust litigation; cyclical demand for industrial capital goods; and certain tax-related matters. For a more in-depth discussion of these and other factors that could cause actual results to differ from those contained in forward-looking statements, see the discussions under the heading "Risk Factors" in item 1A of Hillenbrand's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 30, 2010, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) November 23, 2010. The company assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information.

SOURCE Hillenbrand, Inc.