=============================================================================== SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549 SCHEDULE 14D-1 (AMENDMENT NO. 44) TENDER OFFER STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 14(D)(1) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 AMERICAN BANKERS INSURANCE GROUP, INC. (NAME OF SUBJECT COMPANY) SEASON ACQUISITION CORP. CENDANT CORPORATION (Bidders) COMMON STOCK, PAR VALUE $1.00 PER SHARE (INCLUDING THE ASSOCIATED PREFERRED STOCK PURCHASE RIGHTS) (Title of Class of Securities) 024456 10 5 (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 =============================================================================== This Amendment No. 44 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") upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Offer to Purchase, dated January 27, 1998 (the "Offer to Purchase"), the Supplement thereto, dated March 16, 1998 (the "First Supplement"), the Second Supplement thereto, dated March 24, 1998 (the "Second Supplement"), and the revised Letters of Transmittal (which, together with any amendments or supplements thereto, constitute the "Offer"). Unless otherwise defined herein, all capitalized terms used herein shall have the respective meanings given such terms in the Offer to Purchase, the First Supplement or the Schedule 14D-1. ITEM 11. MATERIAL TO BE FILED AS EXHIBITS. Item 11 is hereby amended as follows: (g)(36) Text of Press Release issued by Parent on May 18, 1998. 1 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: May 18, 1998 CENDANT CORPORATION By: /s/ James E. Buckman Name: James E. Buckman Title: Senior Executive Vice President and General Counsel SEASON ACQUISITION CORP. By: /s/ James E. Buckman Name: James E. Buckman Title: Executive Vice President 2 EXHIBIT INDEX EXHIBIT NUMBER ------ (g)(36) Text of Press Release issued by Parent on May 18, 1998. 3
CENDANT DISMISSES ERNST & YOUNG LLP AS INDEPENDENT ACCOUNTANTS OF THE COMPANY'S FORMER CUC BUSINESS UNITS Deloitte & Touche to Continue as Cendant's Principal Independent Accountants ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stamford, CT and Parsippany, NJ, May 18, 1998 -- Cendant Corporation (NYSE: CD) today announced that it has dismissed Ernst & Young LLP (E&Y) which served as the independent accountants for the Company's CUC business units for the year ended December 31, 1997. The Company also announced that Deloitte & Touche LLP will continue to serve as Cendant's principal independent accountants, and will assume all auditing functions previously provided by E&Y for the former CUC businesses. Deloitte & Touche will also assume all auditing functions which had been conducted by E&Y in connection with the previously announced restatement of the Company's financial results. The Audit Committee of the Company's Board of Directors participated in and approved the decision to dismiss E&Y. As announced, the Company expects to issue audited financial statements in the summer of 1998, and does not anticipate any delay in this schedule due to this change. Cendant (NYSE: CD) is the world's premier provider of consumer and business services. Cendant operates in three principal segments: Alliance Marketing, Travel and Real Estate Services. In Alliance Marketing, Cendant provides access to travel, shopping, auto, dining, and other services worldwide. In Travel Services, Cendant is the leading franchisor of hotels and rental car agencies worldwide, the premier provider of vacation exchange services, a leading fleet management company through PHH, and the U.K.'s largest private car park operator through NPC. In Real Estate Services, Cendant is the world's premier franchisor of residential real estate brokerage offices, a major provider of mortgage services to consumers and a global leader in corporate employee relocation. Headquartered in Stamford, CT and Parsippany, NJ, the company has nearly 40,000 employees, operates in over 100 countries and makes more than 100 million customer contacts annually.
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