Item 1. BUSINESS
The Travelers Companies, Inc. (together with its consolidated subsidiaries, the Company) is a holding company principally engaged, through its subsidiaries, in providing a wide range of commercial and personal property and casualty insurance products and services to businesses, government units, associations and individuals. The Company is incorporated as a general business corporation under the laws of the state of Minnesota and is one of the oldest insurance organizations in the United States, dating back to 1853. The principal executive offices of the Company are located at 485 Lexington Avenue, New York, New York 10017, and its telephone number is (917) 778-6000. The Company also maintains executive offices in Hartford, Connecticut, and St. Paul, Minnesota. The term "TRV" in this document refers to The Travelers Companies, Inc., the parent holding company excluding subsidiaries.
For a summary of the Company's revenues, operating income and total assets by reportable business segments, see note 2 of notes to the Company's consolidated financial statements.
PROPERTY AND CASUALTY INSURANCE OPERATIONS
The property and casualty insurance industry is highly competitive in the areas of price, service, product offerings, agent relationships and method of distribution. Distribution methods include the use of independent agents, exclusive agents, direct marketing (including use of toll-free numbers and the internet) and/or salaried employees. According to A.M. Best, there are approximately 981 property and casualty groups in the United States, comprising approximately 2,400 property and casualty companies. Of those groups, the top 150 accounted for approximately 92% of the consolidated industry's total net written premiums in 2009. The Company competes with both foreign and domestic insurers. In addition, several property and casualty insurers writing commercial lines of business, including the Company, offer products for alternative forms of risk protection in addition to traditional insurance products. These products include large deductible programs, and various forms of self-insurance, some of which utilize captive insurance companies and risk retention groups. The Company's competitive position in the marketplace is based on many factors, including the following:
•premiums charged;
•contract terms and conditions;
•products and services offered;
•claim service;
•agent, broker and client relationships;
•local presence;
•geographic scope of business;
•overall financial strength;
•ratings assigned by independent rating agencies;
•experience and qualifications of employees; and
•technology and information systems.
In addition, the marketplace is affected by available capacity of the insurance industry, as measured by policyholders' surplus, and the availability of reinsurance. Industry capacity as measured by surplus expands and contracts primarily in conjunction with profit levels generated by the industry, less amounts returned to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases. Capital raised by debt and equity offerings may also increase a company's surplus.
Pricing and Underwriting
Pricing of the Company's property and casualty insurance products is generally developed based upon an estimation of expected losses, the expenses of producing, issuing and servicing business and managing claims, the time value of money associated with such loss and expense cash flows, and a reasonable allowance for profit. The Company has a disciplined approach to underwriting and risk management that emphasizes profitable growth rather than premium volume or market share. The Company's insurance subsidiaries are subject to each state's laws and regulations regarding rate and policy form approvals. The applicable state laws and regulations establish standards in certain lines of business to ensure that rates are not excessive, inadequate, unfairly discriminatory, or used to engage in unfair price competition. The Company's ability to increase rates and the relative timing of the process are dependent upon each respective state's requirements, as well as the competitive market environment.
Geographic Distribution
The following table shows the geographic distribution of the Company's consolidated direct written premiums for the year ended December 31, 2010:
(1)No other single state accounted for 3.0% or more of the total direct written premiums written in 2010 by the Company's domestic operations.
Catastrophe Exposure
The wide geographic distribution of the Company's property and casualty insurance operations exposes it to claims arising out of catastrophes. The Company uses various analyses and methods, including sophisticated computer modeling techniques, to continually monitor and analyze underwriting risks of business in natural catastrophe-prone areas and target risk areas for conventional terrorism, which excludes nuclear, biological, chemical or radiological events. The Company relies, in part, upon this analysis to make underwriting decisions designed to manage its exposure on catastrophe-exposed business. The Company limits the writing of new property and homeowners business, and each of the Company's reportable business segments have selectively taken underwriting action on existing business in some markets. In addition, in recent years, each segment has also tightened underwriting standards, implemented price increases in some catastrophe-prone areas and put in place deductibles specific to hurricane-, wind- and hail-prone areas. See "Item 7 - Management's Discussion and Analysis of
Financial Condition and Results of Operations-Catastrophe Modeling" and "-Changing Climate Conditions." The Company also utilizes reinsurance to manage its aggregate exposures to catastrophes. See "-Reinsurance."
The Company is organized into three reportable business segments: Business Insurance; Financial, Professional & International Insurance; and Personal Insurance.
BUSINESS INSURANCE
The Business Insurance segment offers a broad array of property and casualty insurance and insurance-related services to its clients primarily in the United States. Business Insurance is organized into the following six groups, which collectively comprise Business Insurance Core operations:
•Select Accounts provides small businesses with property and casualty products, including commercial multi-peril, property, general liability, commercial auto and workers' compensation insurance.
•Commercial Accounts provides mid-sized businesses with property and casualty products, including property, general liability, commercial multi-peril, commercial auto and workers' compensation insurance.
•National Accounts provides large companies with casualty products and services, including workers' compensation, general liability and automobile liability, generally utilizing loss-sensitive products. Within National Accounts, Discover Re provides those same casualty products, as well as property coverages, on an unbundled basis. In addition, National Accounts includes the Company's commercial residual market business, which primarily offers workers' compensation products and services to the involuntary market.
•Industry-Focused Underwriting. The following units provide targeted industries with differentiated combinations of insurance coverage, risk management, claims handling and other services:
•Construction serves a broad range of construction businesses, offering guaranteed cost products for small to mid-sized policyholders and loss-sensitive programs for larger accounts. For the larger accounts, the customer and the Company work together in actively managing and controlling exposure and claims, and they share risk through policy features such as deductibles or retrospective rating. Products offered include workers' compensation, general liability, umbrella and commercial auto coverages, and other risk management solutions.
•Technology serves small to large companies involved in telecommunications, information technology, medical technology and electronics manufacturing, offering a comprehensive portfolio of products and services. These products include property, commercial auto, general liability, workers' compensation, umbrella, internet liability, technology errors and omissions coverages and global companion products.
•Public Sector Services provides insurance products and services to public entities including municipalities, counties, Indian Nation gaming organizations and selected special government districts such as water and sewer utilities. The policies written by this unit typically cover property, commercial auto, general liability and errors and omissions exposures.
•Oil & Gas provides specialized property and liability products and services for customers involved in the exploration and production of oil and natural gas, including operators and drilling contractors, as well as various service and supply companies and manufacturers that support upstream operations. The policies written by this business group cover risks including physical damage, liability and business interruption.
•Agribusiness serves small to medium-sized agricultural businesses, including farms, ranches, wineries and related operations, offering property and liability coverages other than workers' compensation.
•Target Risk Underwriting. The following units serve commercial businesses requiring specialized product underwriting, claims handling and risk management services:
•National Property provides traditional and customized property insurance programs to large and mid-sized customers, including office building owners, manufacturers, municipalities and schools, retailers and service businesses. These insurance programs cover losses on buildings, business personal property and business interruption exposures.
•Inland Marine provides insurance for goods in transit and movable objects for customers such as jewelers, museums, contractors and the transportation industry. Builders' risk insurance is also offered to customers during the construction, renovation or repair of buildings and other structures.
•Ocean Marine serves the marine transportation industry and related services, as well as other businesses involved in international trade. The Company's product offerings in this unit fall under six main coverage categories: marine liability, cargo, hull and machinery, protection and indemnity, pleasure craft, and marine property and liability.
•Excess Casualty serves small to mid-sized commercial businesses, offering mono-line umbrella and excess coverage where the Company typically does not write the primary casualty coverage, or where other business units within the Company prefer to access the underwriting expertise and/or limit capacity of the Excess Casualty business unit.
•Boiler & Machinery serves small to large companies, offering comprehensive breakdown coverages for equipment, including property and business interruption coverages. Through the BoilerRe unit, Boiler & Machinery also serves other property and casualty carriers that do not have in-house expertise with reinsurance, underwriting, engineering, claim handling and risk management services for this type of coverage.
•Global Accounts provides insurance to U.S. companies with foreign property and liability exposures (home-foreign) and foreign organizations with property and liability exposures located in the United States (reverse-flow), as part of a global program.
•Specialized Distribution. The following units market and underwrite their products to customers predominantly through licensed wholesale, general and program agents that manage customers' unique insurance requirements:
•Northland provides insurance coverage for the commercial transportation industry, as well as commercial liability and package policies for small, difficult to place specialty classes of commercial business on an admitted or excess and surplus lines basis.
•National Programs offers tailored property and casualty programs on an admitted basis for customers with common risk characteristics or coverage requirements. Programs available include those for entertainment, architects and engineers, equipment rental, golf services and owners of franchised businesses.
Business Insurance also includes the Special Liability Group (which manages the Company's asbestos and environmental liabilities) and the assumed reinsurance and certain international and other runoff operations, which are collectively referred to as Business Insurance Other. In December 2008, the Company completed the sale of Unionamerica Holdings Limited (Unionamerica), which comprised its United Kingdom-based runoff insurance and reinsurance businesses. The sale was not material to the Company's results of operations or financial position.
Selected Market and Product Information
The following table sets forth Business Insurance net written premiums by market and product line for the periods indicated. For a description of the markets and product lines referred to in the table, see "-Principal Markets and Methods of Distribution" and "-Product Lines," respectively.
Principal Markets and Methods of Distribution
Business Insurance distributes its products through approximately 10,500 independent agencies and brokers located throughout the United States that are serviced by approximately 120 field offices and three customer service centers. Business Insurance continues to make significant investments in enhanced technology utilizing internet-based applications to provide real-time interface capabilities with independent agencies and brokers. Business Insurance builds relationships with well-established, independent insurance agencies and brokers. In selecting new independent agencies and brokers to distribute its products, Business Insurance considers, among other attributes, each agency's or broker's profitability, financial strength, staff experience and strategic fit with the Company's operating and marketing plans. Once an agency or broker is appointed, Business Insurance carefully monitors its performance. The majority of products offered by the Select Accounts, Commercial Accounts, Industry-Focused Underwriting and Target-Risk Underwriting groups are distributed through a common base of independent agents and brokers, many of whom also sell the Company's Personal Insurance products. Additionally, the Industry-Focused Underwriting and Target Risk Underwriting groups may underwrite business with agents that specialize in servicing the needs of certain of the industries served by these groups.
Select Accounts is a leading provider of property and casualty insurance products to small businesses, generally with fewer than 50 employees. Products offered by Select Accounts are guaranteed-cost policies, including packaged products covering property and liability exposures. Each small business risk is independently evaluated via an automated underwriting platform which in turn enables agents to quote, bind and issue a substantial amount of small business risks at their desktop. Risks with more complex characteristics are underwritten with the assistance of Company personnel.
The automated underwriting platform has significantly streamlined the agent desktop underwriting process, and as a result, it has allowed the Company to expand the number of distributors affiliated with Select Accounts.
Commercial Accounts sells a broad range of property and casualty insurance products through a large network of independent agents and brokers, primarily targeting mid-sized businesses with 50 to 1,000 employees. The Company offers a full line of products to its Commercial Accounts customers with an emphasis on guaranteed cost programs. Each account is underwritten based on the unique risk characteristics, loss history and coverage needs of the account. The ability to underwrite at this detailed level allows Commercial Accounts to have a broad risk appetite and a diversified customer base.
National Accounts sells a variety of casualty products and services to large companies through a network of national and regional brokers, primarily utilizing loss-sensitive products in connection with a large deductible or self-insured program and, to a lesser extent, a retrospectively rated or a guaranteed cost insurance policy. Discover Re provides property and casualty products and services through retail brokers on an unbundled basis, using third-party administrators for insureds who utilize programs such as collateralized deductibles, captive reinsurers and self-insurance. National Accounts provides insurance-related services, such as risk management services, claims administration, loss control and risk management information services, either in addition to, or in lieu of, pure risk coverage and generated $182 million of fee income in 2010, excluding commercial residual market business. The commercial residual market business of National Accounts sells claims and policy management services to workers' compensation pools throughout the United States, and generated $65 million in fee income in 2010.
Workers' compensation accounted for approximately 76% of sales to National Accounts customers during 2010, based on direct written premiums and fees.
Industry-Focused Underwriting markets property and casualty insurance products and services through a large network of agents and brokers. These products and services are tailored to targeted industry segments of significant size and complexity that require unique underwriting, claim, risk management or other insurance-related products and services.
Target Risk Underwriting markets property and casualty insurance products and services through a large network of agents and brokers to a wide customer base having specialized property and casualty coverage requirements.
Specialized Distribution distributes admitted and excess and surplus lines property and casualty products predominantly through selected wholesale agents, both on a brokerage and managing general underwriting basis, and through selected program agents. Brokers, general agents and program agents operate in certain markets that are not typically served by the Company's appointed retail agents, or they maintain certain affinity arrangements in specialized market segments. The wholesale excess and surplus lines market, which is characterized by the absence of rate and form regulation, allows for more flexibility to write certain classes of business. In working with wholesale or program agents on a brokerage basis, Specialized Distribution underwrites the business and sets the premium level. In working with wholesale or program agents on a managing general underwriting or program manager basis, the agents produce and underwrite business subject to underwriting guidelines that have been specifically designed for each facility or program.
Pricing and Underwriting
Business Insurance has developed an underwriting and pricing methodology that incorporates underwriting, claims, engineering, actuarial and product development disciplines for particular industries. This approach is designed to maintain high-quality underwriting and pricing discipline. It utilizes proprietary data gathered and analyzed with respect to its Business Insurance business over many years. The underwriters and engineers use this information to assess and evaluate risks prior to quotation. This information provides specialized knowledge about specific industry segments. This
methodology enables Business Insurance to streamline its risk selection process and develop pricing parameters.
For smaller businesses meeting pre-determined exposure characteristics and thresholds, Select Accounts utilizes an automated underwriting system that enables agents to issue a significant number of policies at their desktop.
A portion of business in this segment, particularly in National Accounts and Construction, is written with large deductible insurance policies. Under workers' compensation insurance contracts with deductible features, the Company is obligated to pay the claimant the full amount of the claim. The Company is subsequently reimbursed by the contractholder for the deductible amount and is subject to credit risk until such reimbursement is made. At December 31, 2010, contractholder payables on unpaid losses within the deductible layer of large deductible policies and the associated receivables were each approximately $5.34 billion. Retrospectively rated policies are also used for workers' compensation coverage. Although the retrospectively rated feature of the policy substantially reduces insurance risk for the Company, it introduces additional credit risk to the Company. Premium receivables from holders of retrospectively rated policies totaled approximately $198 million at December 31, 2010. Significant collateral, primarily letters of credit and, to a lesser extent, cash collateral or trusts, is generally requested for large deductible plans and/or retrospectively rated policies that provide for deferred collection of deductible recoveries and/or ultimate premiums. The amount of collateral requested is predicated upon the creditworthiness of the customer and the nature of the insured risks. Business Insurance continually monitors the credit exposure on individual accounts and the adequacy of collateral.
Product Lines
Workers' Compensation provides coverage for employers for specified benefits payable under state or federal law for workplace injuries to employees. There are typically four types of benefits payable under workers' compensation policies: medical benefits, disability benefits, death benefits and vocational rehabilitation benefits. The Company emphasizes managed care cost containment strategies, which involve employers, employees and care providers in a cooperative effort that focuses on the injured employee's early return to work and cost-effective quality care. The Company offers the following types of workers' compensation products:
•guaranteed-cost insurance products, in which policy premium charges are fixed for the period of coverage and do not vary as a result of the insured's loss experience;
•loss-sensitive insurance products, including large deductible and retrospectively rated policies, in which fees or premiums are adjusted based on actual loss experience of the insured during the policy period; and
•service programs, which are generally sold to the Company's National Accounts customers, where the Company receives fees rather than premiums for providing loss prevention, risk management, and claim and benefit administration services to organizations under service agreements.
The Company also participates in state assigned risk pools as a servicing carrier and pool participant.
Commercial Automobile provides coverage for businesses against losses incurred from personal bodily injury, bodily injury to third parties, property damage to an insured's vehicle and property damage to other vehicles and other property resulting from the ownership, maintenance or use of automobiles and trucks in a business.
Property provides coverage for loss of or damage to buildings, inventory and equipment from a variety of events, including, among others, hurricanes and other windstorms, earthquakes, hail,
wildfires, severe winter weather, floods, volcanic eruptions, theft, vandalism, fires, explosions, terrorism and financial loss due to business interruption resulting from covered property damage. For additional information on terrorism coverages, see "Reinsurance-Catastrophe Reinsurance-Terrorism Risk Insurance Acts." Property also includes specialized equipment insurance, which provides coverage for loss or damage resulting from the mechanical breakdown of boilers and machinery, and ocean and inland marine insurance, which provides coverage for goods in transit and unique, one-of-a-kind exposures.
General Liability coverage insures businesses against third-party claims arising from accidents occurring on their premises or arising out of their operations, including as a result of injuries sustained from products sold. Specialized liability policies may also include coverage for directors' and officers' liability arising in their official capacities, employment practices liability insurance, fiduciary liability for trustees and sponsors of pension, health and welfare, and other employee benefit plans, errors and omissions insurance for employees, agents, professionals and others arising from acts or failures to act under specified circumstances, as well as umbrella and excess insurance.
Commercial Multi-Peril provides a combination of the property and liability coverages described in the foregoing product line descriptions.
Net Retention Policy
The following discussion reflects the Company's retention policy with respect to the Business Insurance segment as of January 1, 2011. For third-party liability, Business Insurance generally limits its net retention, through the use of reinsurance, to a maximum of $18.8 million per insured, per occurrence after the Company retains an aggregate layer of expected losses. The net retained amount per risk for property exposures is generally limited to $17.0 million, after reinsurance. The Company generally retains its workers' compensation exposures. Reinsurance treaties often have aggregate limits or caps which may result in larger net per-risk retentions if the aggregate limits or caps are reached. The Company utilizes facultative reinsurance to provide additional limits capacity or to reduce retentions on an individual risk basis. The Company may also retain amounts greater than those described herein based upon the individual characteristics of the risk.
Geographic Distribution
The following table shows the geographic distribution of Business Insurance's direct written premiums for the states that accounted for the majority of premium volume for the year ended December 31, 2010:
(1)No other single state accounted for 3.0% or more of the total direct written premiums written in 2010 by the Business Insurance segment.
Competition
The insurance industry is represented in the commercial marketplace by many insurance companies of varying size as well as other entities offering risk alternatives such as self-insured retentions or captive programs. Market competition works within the insurance regulatory framework to set the price charged for insurance products and the levels of coverage and service provided. A company's success in the competitive commercial insurance landscape is largely measured by its ability to provide insurance and services, including claims handling and risk control services, at a price and on terms that are reasonable and acceptable to the customer, as well as its ability to retain existing customers and to attract new customers.
Select Accounts business is typically written through independent agents and, to a lesser extent, regional brokers and direct writers. Both national and regional property and casualty insurance companies compete in the Select Accounts market which generally comprises lower-hazard, "Main Street" business customers. Risks are underwritten and priced using standard industry practices and a combination of proprietary and standard industry product offerings. Competition in this market is primarily based on product offerings, service levels, ease of doing business and price. Select Accounts has established a strong marketing relationship with its distribution network and has provided this network with defined underwriting policies, a broad array of products, competitive prices and a highly efficient, automated platform that significantly reduces the time period between quoting a price on a policy and issuing that policy. In addition, the Company has established centralized service centers to help agents perform many service functions, in return for a fee.
In recent years, many independent personal insurance agents have begun to utilize price comparison rating technology, sometimes referred to as "comparative raters," as a cost-efficient means of obtaining quotes from multiple companies. Comparative raters also tend to put additional focus on price over other competitive criteria. The Company believes that there is the potential for similar technology to be used to access comparative rates for small commercial business.
Commercial Accounts business has historically been principally written through independent agents and brokers. Competitors in this market are primarily national property and casualty insurance companies that write most classes of business using traditional products and pricing, and regional insurance companies. Companies compete based on product offerings, service levels, price and claim and loss prevention services. Efficiency through automation and rapid response time to customer needs is one key to success in this market.
In the National Accounts market, competition is based on price, product offerings, claim and loss prevention services, managed care cost containment, risk management information systems and collateral requirements. National Accounts competes with national property and casualty insurance companies. In addition, Discover Re competes with those same insurance companies, as well as with other underwriters of property and casualty insurance in the alternative risk transfer market, such as risk retention groups, self-insurance plans, captives managed by others, and a variety of other risk-financing vehicles and mechanisms. The residual market group competes for state contracts to provide claims and policy management services. National Accounts services approximately 31% of the total workers' compensation assigned risk market, making the Company one of the largest servicing carriers in the industry.
There are several other business groups in Business Insurance that compete in focused target markets. Each of these markets is different and requires unique combinations of industry knowledge, customized coverage, specialized risk control and loss handling services, and partnerships with agents and brokers that also focus on these markets. Some of these business groups compete with national carriers with similarly dedicated underwriting and marketing groups, whereas others compete with smaller regional companies. Each of these business groups has regional structures that allow them to deliver personalized service and local knowledge to their customer base. Specialized agents and
brokers, including managing general agents and wholesale agents, supplement this strategy. In all of these business groups, the competitive strategy typically is market leadership attained through focused industry knowledge applied to insurance and risk needs.
FINANCIAL, PROFESSIONAL & INTERNATIONAL INSURANCE
The Financial, Professional & International Insurance segment includes surety and financial liability coverages, which primarily use credit-based underwriting processes, as well as property and casualty products that are primarily marketed on a domestic basis in the United Kingdom, Canada and the Republic of Ireland, and on an international basis as a corporate member of Lloyd's. The segment includes the following groups:
•Bond & Financial Products provides a wide range of customers with bond and insurance products and risk management services. The range of coverages includes performance, payment and commercial surety and fidelity bonds for construction and general commercial enterprises; management liability coverages for losses caused by the actual or alleged negligence or misconduct of directors and officers or employee dishonesty; employment practices liability coverages and fiduciary coverages for public corporations, private companies and not-for-profit organizations; professional liability coverage for actual or alleged errors and omissions committed in the course of professional conduct or practice for a variety of professionals including, among others, lawyers, design professionals and real estate agents; and professional and management liability, property, auto and general liability and fidelity insurance for financial institutions.
•International, through its operations in the United Kingdom, Canada and the Republic of Ireland, offers specialized insurance and risk management services to several customer groups, including, among others, those in the technology, public services, and financial and professional services industry sectors. In addition, in the Republic of Ireland, the Company writes personal automobile coverage. International, through its Lloyd's syndicate (Syndicate 5000), for which the Company provides 100% of the capital, underwrites through five principal business units-marine, global property, accident & special risks, power & utilities and aviation.
On November 3, 2010, an indirect subsidiary of the Company entered into a definitive agreement to commence a joint venture with J. Malucelli Participações em Seguros e Resseguros S.A, a Brazilian company ("J. Malucelli"), through the acquisition of approximately 43% of J. Malucelli's common stock. J. Malucelli is currently the market leader in surety in Brazil based on market share, and the acquisition provides a platform for potentially expanding its business into the Brazilian property and casualty market. The purchase price for this acquisition will be R$625 million Brazilian Reais (the U.S. dollar equivalent of which will depend on the exchange rate at closing) plus an amount based on a Brazilian inter-bank lending rate (CDI) from January 1, 2011 through the closing date of the transaction. At December 31, 2010, R$625 million Brazilian Reais was equivalent to approximately $377 million in U.S. dollars. The Company also has an option to increase its interest up to 49.9% of the common stock of J. Malucelli within 18 months. The purchase price is expected to be paid in cash from internal sources. The joint venture transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to be finalized in the first half of 2011.
Selected Market and Product Information
The following table sets forth Financial, Professional & International Insurance net written premiums by market and product line for the periods indicated. For a description of the markets and
product lines referred to in the table, see "-Principal Markets and Methods of Distribution" and "-Product Lines," respectively.
Principal Markets and Methods of Distribution
Within the Financial, Professional & International Insurance segment, Bond & Financial Products distributes the vast majority of its products in the United States through approximately 6,100 of the same independent agencies and brokers that distribute the Business Insurance segment's products. These brokers and independent agencies are located throughout the United States. Bond & Financial Products, in conjunction with the Business Insurance segment, continues to make investments in enhanced technology utilizing internet-based applications to provide real-time interface capabilities with its independent agencies and brokers. Bond & Financial Products builds relationships with well-established, independent insurance agencies and brokers. In selecting new independent agencies and brokers to distribute its products, Bond & Financial Products considers, among other attributes, each agency's or broker's profitability, financial stability, staff experience and strategic fit with its operating and marketing plans. Once an agency or broker is appointed, its ongoing performance is closely monitored. In addition, Bond & Financial Products sells its surety products through independent brokers in the United Kingdom.
The International market distributes its products principally through brokers in the domestic markets of each of the countries in which it operates. It also writes business at Lloyd's, where its products are distributed through Lloyd's wholesale and retail brokers. By virtue of Lloyd's worldwide licenses, Financial, Professional & International Insurance has access to international markets across the world. In late 2008, the Company commenced an exclusive relationship with a broker in the Republic of Ireland that significantly increased the 2009 volume of personal automobile coverage written and also resulted in the Company writing personal household coverages. The Company ceased writing business through this relationship in the fourth quarter of 2010.
Pricing and Underwriting
Financial, Professional & International Insurance has developed underwriting and pricing methodologies that incorporate dedicated underwriting, claims, engineering, actuarial and product development disciplines. This approach is designed to maintain high quality underwriting and pricing discipline, based on an in-depth knowledge of the specific account, industry or country. Underwriters use industry and proprietary data gathered and analyzed over many years to assess and evaluate risks prior to quotation, and then use proprietary forms (for non-Lloyd's and non-surety markets) to tailor
insurance coverage to insureds within target markets. This methodology enables Financial, Professional & International Insurance to streamline its risk selection process and develop pricing parameters.
Product Lines
Fidelity and Surety provides fidelity insurance coverage, which protects an insured for loss due to embezzlement or misappropriation of funds by an employee, and surety, which is a three-party agreement whereby the insurer agrees to pay a third party or make complete an obligation in response to the default, acts or omissions of an insured. Surety is generally provided for construction performance, legal matters such as appeals, trustees in bankruptcy and probate and other performance bonds.
General Liability provides coverage for specialized liability exposures as described above in more detail in the "Business Insurance" section of this report.
International provides coverage for employers' liability (similar to workers' compensation coverage in the United States), public and product liability (the equivalent of general liability), professional indemnity (similar to professional liability coverage), motor (similar to automobile coverage in the United States), property, surety, marine, aviation, personal accident and kidnap & ransom. Marine provides coverage for ship hulls, cargoes carried, private yachts, marine-related liability, offshore energy, ports and terminals, fine art and terrorism. Aviation provides coverage for worldwide aviation risks including physical damage and liabilities for airline, aerospace, general aviation, aviation war and space risks. Personal accident provides financial protection in the event of death or disablement due to accidental bodily injury, while kidnap & ransom provides financial protection against kidnap, hijack, illegal detention and extortion. While the covered hazards may be similar to those in the U.S. market, the different legal environments can make the product risks and coverage terms potentially very different from those the Company faces in the United States.
Other coverages include Property, Workers' Compensation, Commercial Automobile and Commercial Multi-Peril, which are described above in more detail in the "Business Insurance" section of this report. Other coverages also include personal automobile and household coverages.
Net Retention Policy
The following discussion reflects the Company's retention policy with respect to the Financial, Professional & International Insurance segment as of January 1, 2011. In the U.S. operations for third party liability, including but not limited to umbrella liability, professional liability, directors' and officers' liability, and employment practices liability, Financial, Professional & International Insurance generally limits net retentions, through the use of reinsurance, to up to $16.2 million per policy after the Company retains an aggregate layer of expected losses. For surety protection, where insured limits are often significant, the Company generally retains up to $55.0 million probable maximum loss (PML) per principal but may retain higher amounts based on the type of obligation, credit quality and other credit risk factors. In the International operations, per-risk retentions are usually limited to $16.0 million, after reinsurance. Reinsurance treaties often have aggregate limits or caps which may result in larger net per risk retentions if the aggregate limits or caps are reached. The Company utilizes facultative reinsurance to provide additional limits capacity or to reduce retentions on an individual risk basis. The Company may also retain amounts greater than those described herein based upon the individual characteristics of the risk.
Geographic Distribution
The following table shows the geographic distribution of Financial, Professional & International's direct written premiums for the states that accounted for the majority of premium volume for the year ended December 31, 2010:
(1)No other single state within the United States accounted for 3.0% or more of the total direct written premiums written in 2010 by the domestic operations of the Financial, Professional & International Insurance segment.
Competition
The competitive landscape in which Bond & Financial Products operates is affected by many of the same factors described previously for the Business Insurance segment. Competitors in this market are primarily national property and casualty insurance companies that write most classes of business using traditional products and pricing and, to a lesser extent, regional insurance companies and companies that have developed niche programs for specific industry segments.
Bond & Financial Products underwrites and markets its products to national, mid-sized and small businesses and organizations, as well as individuals, and distributes them through both national and wholesale brokers, regional brokers and retail agents. Its reputation for timely and consistent decision making, a nationwide network of local underwriting, claims and industry experts and strong producer and customer relationships, as well as its ability to offer its customers a full range of products, provides Bond & Financial Products an advantage over many of its competitors and enables it to compete effectively in a complex, dynamic marketplace. The ability of Bond & Financial Products to cross-sell its products to customers of the Business Insurance and Personal Insurance segments provides additional competitive advantages for the Company.
International competes with numerous international and domestic insurers in the United Kingdom, Canada and the Republic of Ireland. Companies compete on the basis of price, product offerings and the level of claim and risk management services provided. The Company has developed expertise in various markets in these countries similar to those served in the United States and provides both property and casualty coverage for these markets. Products are generally distributed through a relatively small agent and broker base whose customer groups align with the Company's targeted markets.
At Lloyd's, International competes with other syndicates operating in the Lloyd's market as well as international and domestic insurers in the various markets where the Lloyd's operation writes business worldwide. Competition is again based on price, product and service. The Company focuses on lines it believes it can underwrite effectively and profitably with an emphasis on short-tail insurance lines.
PERSONAL INSURANCE
Personal Insurance writes a broad range of property and casualty insurance covering personal risks. The primary coverages in Personal Insurance are automobile and homeowners insurance sold to individuals. These products are distributed through independent agents, sponsoring organizations such as employee and affinity groups, joint marketing arrangements with other insurers, and direct marketing.
Selected Product and Distribution Channel Information
The following table sets forth net written premiums for the Personal Insurance segment's business by product line for the periods indicated. For a description of the product lines referred to in the following table, see "-Product Lines." In addition, see "-Principal Markets and Methods of Distribution" for a discussion of distribution channels for Personal Insurance's product lines.
Principal Markets and Methods of Distribution
Personal Insurance products are distributed primarily through approximately 12,400 independent agents located throughout the United States, supported by personnel in 16 marketing regions and seven service centers. In selecting new independent agencies to distribute its products, Personal Insurance considers, among other attributes, each agency's profitability, financial stability, staff experience and strategic fit with Personal Insurance's operating and marketing plans. Once an agency is appointed, Personal Insurance carefully monitors its performance. While the principal markets for Personal Insurance's insurance products continue to be in states along the East Coast, California and Texas, Personal Insurance continues to expand its geographic presence across the United States.
Personal Insurance uses a consistent operating model that provides technological alternatives to independent agents to maximize their ease of doing business. Personal Insurance independent agents quote and issue nearly all of Personal Insurance's new business policies directly from their agencies by leveraging either their own agency management system or using Personal Insurance's proprietary quote and issuance systems which allow agents to rate, quote and issue policies on line. All of these quote and issue platforms interface with Personal Insurance's underwriting and rating systems, which monitor transactions for compliance with Personal Insurance's underwriting and pricing programs. Business processed by agents on these platforms is subject to consultative review by Personal Insurance's in-house underwriters.
Personal Insurance continues to develop functionality to provide its agents with online service capabilities packaged together in an agency service portal, including customer service, marketing and claim functionality. Agencies can also choose to shift the ongoing service responsibility for Personal Insurance's customers to one of the Company's four Customer Care Centers, where the Company provides, on behalf of an agency, a comprehensive array of direct customer service needs, including response to billing and coverage inquiries, and policy changes. Approximately 1,950 agents take advantage of this service alternative.
Personal Insurance also markets through additional distribution channels, including sponsoring organizations such as employers and consumer associations, and direct marketing. Personal Insurance
handles the sales and service for these programs either through a sponsoring independent agent or through two of the Company's call center locations. A number of well-known corporations make the Company's product offerings available to their employees primarily through a payroll deduction payment process. The Company has significant relationships with the majority of the American Automobile Association (AAA) clubs in the United States and other affinity groups that make available Personal Insurance's product offerings to their members. In addition, since 1995, the Company has had a marketing agreement with GEICO to underwrite homeowners business for their auto customers. This agreement has added profitable business and helped to geographically diversify the homeowners line of business. In 2009, the Company announced that it had launched a new distribution channel marketing insurance directly to consumers. The investment in the direct to consumer initiative generated modest growth in premium volume for Personal Insurance in 2009 and 2010, which was consistent with the Company's expectations. In addition, the direct to consumer initiative, while intended to enhance the Company's long-term ability to compete successfully in a consumer-driven marketplace, is expected to remain unprofitable for a number of years as this business grows and matures.
Pricing and Underwriting
Personal Insurance has developed a product management methodology that integrates the disciplines of underwriting, claim, actuarial and product development. This approach is designed to maintain high quality underwriting discipline and pricing segmentation. Proprietary data accumulated over many years is analyzed with respect to Personal Insurance's business. Personal Insurance uses a variety of proprietary and vendor produced risk differentiation models to facilitate its pricing segmentation. Personal Insurance's product managers establish underwriting guidelines integrated with its filed pricing and rating plans, which enable Personal Insurance to execute its risk selection and pricing processes.
Pricing for personal automobile insurance is driven in large part by changes in the frequency of claims and by inflation in the cost of automobile repairs, medical care and litigation of liability claims. As a result, the profitability of the business is largely dependent on promptly identifying and responding to disparities between premium levels and projected claim costs, and obtaining approval from state regulatory authorities when necessary for filed rate changes.
Pricing in the homeowners business is also driven in large part by changes in the frequency of claims and by inflation in the cost of building supplies, labor and household possessions. In addition to the normal risks associated with any multiple peril coverage, the profitability and pricing of homeowners insurance is affected by the incidence of natural disasters, particularly those related to weather and earthquakes. Changes to methods of marketing and underwriting in some jurisdictions are subject to state-imposed restrictions, which can make it more difficult for an insurer to significantly manage catastrophe exposures.
Insurers writing personal lines property and casualty policies may be unable to increase prices until some time after the costs associated with coverage have increased, primarily because of state insurance rate regulation. The pace at which an insurer can change rates in response to increased costs depends, in part, on whether the applicable state law requires prior approval of rate increases or notification to the regulator either before or after a rate change is imposed. In states with prior approval laws, rates must be approved by the regulator before being used by the insurer. In states having "file-and-use" laws, the insurer must file rate changes with the regulator, but does not need to wait for approval before using the new rates. A "use-and-file" law requires an insurer to file rates within a period of time after the insurer begins using the new rate. Approximately one-half of the states require prior approval of most rate changes. The Company's ability or willingness to raise prices, modify underwriting terms or reduce exposure to certain geographies may be limited due to considerations of public policy, the evolving political environment, changes in the general economic climate and/or social responsibilities.
The Company also may choose to write business it might not otherwise write for strategic purposes, such as improving access to other underwriting opportunities.
Independent agents either utilize one of the Company's automated quote and issue systems or they submit applications to the Company's service centers for underwriting review, quote, and issuance. Automated transactions are edited by the Company's systems and issued if they conform to established guidelines. Exceptions are reviewed by underwriters in the Company's business centers. Audits are conducted by an internal peer review team across all of the Company's independent agency generated business on a systematic sampling basis. Each agent is assigned to a specific employee or team of employees responsible for working with the agent on business plan development, marketing, and overall growth and profitability. The Company uses agency level management information to analyze and understand results and to identify issues and opportunities.
The Personal Insurance products sold through additional marketing channels utilize the same issuance systems discussed previously, and any exceptions are also underwritten by the Company's employees. Business derived through these channels is marketed by external personnel, who work with Company management on business plan development, marketing and overall growth and profitability. Channel-specific production and claim information is used to analyze results and identify problems and opportunities.
Product Lines
The primary coverages in Personal Insurance are personal automobile and homeowners insurance sold to individuals. Personal Insurance had approximately 7.7 million active policies (e.g., policies-in-force) at December 31, 2010.
Personal Automobile provides coverage for liability to others for both bodily injury and property damage and for physical damage to an insured's own vehicle from collision and various other perils. In addition, many states require policies to provide first-party personal injury protection, frequently referred to as no-fault coverage.
Homeowners and Other provides protection against losses to dwellings and contents from a wide variety of perils (excluding flooding) as well as coverage for personal liability. The Company writes homeowners insurance for dwellings, condominiums and rental property contents. The Company also writes coverage for boats and yachts, personal articles such as jewelry, and umbrella liability protection.
Net Retention Policy
The following discussion reflects the Company's retention policy with respect to the Personal Insurance segment as of January 1, 2011. The Company generally retains its primary personal auto exposures in their entirety. For personal property insurance, there is a $7.0 million maximum retention per risk. Personal Insurance retains the first $10.0 million of umbrella policies and purchases facultative reinsurance for limits over $10.0 million. The Company utilizes facultative reinsurance to provide additional limits capacity or to reduce retentions on an individual risk basis. The Company may also retain amounts greater than those described herein based upon the individual characteristics of the risk.
Geographic Distribution
The following table shows the geographic distribution of Personal Insurance's direct written premiums for the states that accounted for the majority of premium volume for the year ended December 31, 2010:
(1)The percentage for Texas includes business written by the Company through a fronting agreement with another insurer.
(2)No other single state accounted for 3.0% or more of the total direct written premiums written in 2010 by the Personal Insurance segment.
Competition
Personal lines insurance is written by hundreds of insurance companies of varying sizes. Although national companies write the majority of the business, Personal Insurance also faces competition from local and regional companies. Personal Insurance primarily competes based on service, ease of doing business, price, stability of the insurer and name recognition. Personal Insurance competes for business within each independent agency since these agencies also offer policies of competing companies. At the agency level, competition is primarily based on the level of service, including claims handling, the level of automation and the development of long-term relationships with individual agents, as well as on price. In recent years, many independent personal insurance agents have begun to utilize price comparison rating technology, sometimes referred to as "comparative raters," as a cost-efficient means of obtaining quotes from multiple companies. Comparative raters also tend to put additional focus on price over other competitive criteria. Personal Insurance also competes with insurance companies that use exclusive agents or salaried employees to sell their products, as well as those that employ direct marketing strategies, including the use of toll-free numbers and the internet. In addition to its traditional independent agency distribution, Personal Insurance has broadened its distribution of products by marketing to sponsoring organizations, including employee and affinity groups, through joint marketing arrangements with other insurers, and direct marketing. Personal Insurance believes that its continued focus on underwriting and pricing segmentation, claim settlement effectiveness strategies and expense management practices enable Personal Insurance to price its products competitively in all of its distribution channels.
CLAIMS MANAGEMENT
The Company's claim functions are managed through its Claims Services operation, with locations in the United States and in the countries where it does business. With more than 14,000 employees, Claims Services employs a diverse group of professionals, including claim adjusters, appraisers, attorneys, investigators, engineers, accountants, system specialists and training, management and support personnel. Approved external service providers, such as independent adjusters and appraisers, investigators and attorneys, are available for use as appropriate.
U.S. field claim management teams located in 26 claim centers and 55 satellite and specialty-only offices in 46 states are organized to maintain focus on the specific claim characteristics unique to the businesses within the Company's business segments. Claim teams with specialized skills, resources, and workflows are matched to the unique exposures of those businesses, with local claims management dedicated to achieving optimal results within each segment. The Company's home office operations provide additional support in the form of workflow design, quality management, information technology, advanced management information and data analysis, training, financial reporting and control, and human resources strategy. This structure permits the Company to maintain the economies of scale of a large, established company while retaining the agility to respond promptly to the needs of customers, brokers, agents and underwriters. Claims management for International is generally provided locally by staff in the respective international locations due to local knowledge of applicable laws and regulations, although it is also managed by the Company's U.S. Claims Services organization to leverage that knowledge base and to share best practices.
An integral part of the Company's strategy to benefit customers and shareholders is its continuing industry leadership in the fight against insurance fraud through its Investigative Services unit. The Company has a nationwide staff of experts that investigate a wide array of insurance fraud schemes using in-house forensic resources and other technological tools. This staff also has specialized expertise in fire scene examinations, medical provider fraud schemes and data mining. The Company also dedicates investigative resources to ensure that violations of law are reported to and prosecuted by law enforcement agencies.
Claims Services uses advanced technology, management information, and data analysis to assist the Company in reviewing its claim practices and results to evaluate and improve its claims management performance. The Company's claims management strategy is focused on segmentation of claims and appropriate technical specialization to drive effective claim resolution. The Company continually monitors its investment in claim resources to maintain an effective focus on claim outcomes and a disciplined approach to continual improvement. The Company operates a state-of-the-art claims training facility, offering hands-on experiential learning to help ensure that its claim professionals are properly trained. In recent years, the Company has invested significant additional resources in many of its claim handling operations and routinely monitors the effect of those investments to ensure a consistent optimization among outcomes, cost and service.
In recent years, Claims Services refined its catastrophe response strategy to increase the Company's ability to respond to a significant catastrophic event using its own personnel, enabling it to minimize reliance on independent adjustors and appraisers. The Company has developed a large dedicated catastrophe response team and trained a large Enterprise Response Team of existing employees who can be deployed on short notice in the event of a catastrophe that generates claim volume exceeding the capacity of the dedicated catastrophe response team. In recent years, these internal resources were successfully deployed to respond to a record number of catastrophe claims, including those resulting from Hurricanes Ike, Gustav and Dolly in 2008.
The Company continues to develop effective claim solutions that provide superior customer service. One example of this is the Company's auto claim service that features three Company-owned auto repair facilities and selected independently-owned auto repair facilities with Company appraisers
on site to complete an estimate, handle all rental arrangements and monitor the repair process from start to finish. By managing the claims in this way, the Company can help ensure prompt, quality results and create a differentiated, superior claim experience for customers.
Another strategic advantage is TravCompSM, a workers' compensation claim resolution and medical management program that assists adjusters in the prompt investigation and effective management of workers' compensation claims. Innovative medical and claims management technologies permit nurse, medical and claims professionals to share appropriate vital information that supports prompt investigation, effective return to work and claim resolution strategies. These technologies, together with effective matching of professional skills and authority to specific claim issues, have resulted in more efficient management of workers' compensation claims.
REINSURANCE
The Company reinsures a portion of the risks it underwrites in order to control its exposure to losses. The Company cedes to reinsurers a portion of these risks and pays premiums based upon the risk and exposure of the policies subject to such reinsurance. Ceded reinsurance involves credit risk, except with regard to mandatory pools, and is generally subject to aggregate loss limits. Although the reinsurer is liable to the Company to the extent of the reinsurance ceded, the Company remains liable as the direct insurer on all risks reinsured. Reinsurance recoverables are reported after reductions for known insolvencies and after allowances for uncollectible amounts. The Company also holds collateral, including trust agreements, escrow funds and letters of credit, under certain reinsurance agreements. The Company monitors the financial condition of reinsurers on an ongoing basis and reviews its reinsurance arrangements periodically. Reinsurers are selected based on their financial condition, business practices, the price of their product offerings and the value of collateral provided. After reinsurance is purchased, the Company has limited ability to manage the credit risk to a reinsurer. In addition, in a number of jurisdictions, particularly the European Union and the United Kingdom, a reinsurer is permitted to transfer a reinsurance arrangement to another reinsurer, which may be less creditworthy, without a counterparty's consent, provided that the transfer has been approved by the applicable regulatory and/or court authority. For additional information concerning reinsurance, see note 5 of notes to the Company's consolidated financial statements and "Item 1A
Item 1A. RISK FACTORS
You should carefully consider the following risks and all of the other information set forth in this report, including our consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto.
Catastrophe losses could materially and adversely affect our results of operations, our financial position and/or liquidity, and could adversely impact our ratings, our ability to raise capital and the availability and cost of reinsurance. Our property and casualty insurance operations expose us to claims arising out of catastrophes. Catastrophes can be caused by various natural events, including, among others, hurricanes and other windstorms, earthquakes, hail, wildfires, severe winter weather, floods and volcanic eruptions. Catastrophes can also be man-made, such as a terrorist attack (including those involving nuclear, biological, chemical or radiological events), explosions, infrastructure failures or a consequence of political instability. The geographic distribution of our business subjects us to catastrophe exposures in the United States, which include, but are not limited to: hurricanes from Maine through Texas; tornadoes throughout the Central and Southeast United States; earthquakes in California, the New Madrid region and the Pacific Northwest region of the United States; wildfires, particularly in the Southwest; and terrorism in major cities in the United States. In addition, our international operations subject us to catastrophe exposures in the United Kingdom, Canada and the Republic of Ireland, as well as to a variety of world-wide catastrophe exposures through our Lloyd's operations.
The incidence and severity of catastrophes are inherently unpredictable, and it is possible that both the frequency and severity of natural and man-made catastrophic events could increase. Some scientists believe that in recent years changing climate conditions have added to the unpredictability and frequency of natural disasters (including, but not limited to, hurricanes, tornadoes, other storms and fires) in certain parts of the world and created additional uncertainty as to future trends and exposures. For example, in recent years hurricane activity has impacted areas further inland than previously experienced, thus expanding our overall hurricane exposure. The catastrophe modeling tools that we use, or that we rely on from outside parties, to help manage certain of our catastrophe exposures are based on assumptions and judgments that are subject to error and mis-estimation and may produce estimates that are materially different than actual results. In addition, our increased presence in certain geographic areas, such as in the Midwest and Western regions of the United States, and any changes in climate conditions could cause our data to be more limited and our catastrophe models to be even less predictive, thus limiting our ability to effectively evaluate and manage such exposures. See "Item 7 - Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations-Catastrophe Modeling" and "-Changing Climate Conditions."
The extent of losses from a catastrophe is a function of both the total amount of insured exposure in the area affected by the event and the severity of the event. Increases in the value and geographic concentration of insured property and the effects of inflation could increase the severity of claims from catastrophic events in the future. In addition, states have from time to time passed legislation, and regulators have taken action, that has the effect of limiting the ability of insurers to manage catastrophe risk, such as legislation prohibiting insurers from reducing exposures or withdrawing from catastrophe-prone areas or mandating that insurers participate in residual markets. Participation in residual market mechanisms has resulted in, and may continue to result in, significant losses or assessments to insurers, including us, and, in certain states, those losses or assessments may not be commensurate with our direct catastrophe exposure in those states. If our competitors leave those states having residual market mechanisms, remaining insurers, including us, may be subject to significant increases in losses or assessments following a catastrophe. In addition, following catastrophes, there are sometimes legislative initiatives and court decisions which seek to expand insurance coverage for catastrophe claims beyond the original intent of the policies. Also, our ability to increase pricing to the extent necessary to offset rising costs of catastrophes, particularly in the Personal Insurance segment, requires approval of regulatory authorities of certain states. Our ability or our
willingness to manage our catastrophe exposure by raising prices, modifying underwriting terms or reducing exposure to certain geographies may be limited due to considerations of public policy, the evolving political environment, changes in the general economic climate and/or social responsibilities. We also may choose to write business in catastrophe-prone areas that we might not otherwise write for strategic purposes, such as improving our access to other underwriting activities.
There are also risks that impact the estimation of ultimate costs for catastrophes. For example, the estimation of reserves related to hurricanes can be affected by the inability to access portions of the impacted areas, the complexity of factors contributing to the losses, the legal and regulatory uncertainties and the nature of the information available to establish the reserves. Complex factors include, but are not limited to: determining whether damage was caused by flooding versus wind; evaluating general liability and pollution exposures; estimating additional living expenses; the impact of demand surge; infrastructure disruption; fraud; the effect of mold damage; business interruption costs; and reinsurance collectability. The timing of a catastrophe's occurrence, such as at or near the end of a reporting period, can also affect the information available to us in estimating reserves for that reporting period. The estimates related to catastrophes are adjusted as actual claims emerge and additional information becomes available.
Exposure to catastrophe losses or actual losses following a catastrophe could adversely affect our financial strength and claims-paying ratings and could impair our ability to raise capital on acceptable terms or at all. Also, as a result of our exposure to catastrophe losses or actual losses following a catastrophe, rating agencies may further increase capital requirements, which may require us to raise capital to maintain our ratings or adversely affect our ratings. A ratings downgrade could hurt our ability to compete effectively or attract new business. In addition, catastrophic events could cause us to exhaust our available reinsurance limits and could adversely impact the cost and availability of reinsurance. Such events can also impact the credit of our reinsurers. For a discussion of our catastrophe reinsurance coverage, see "Item 1 - Business-Reinsurance-Catastrophe Reinsurance." Catastrophic events could also adversely impact the credit of the issuers of securities, such as states or municipalities, in whom we have invested.
In addition, coverage in our reinsurance program for terrorism is limited. Although the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2007 (the Act) provides benefits in the event of certain acts of terrorism, those benefits are subject to a deductible and other limitations. Under this law, once our losses exceed 20% of our commercial property and casualty insurance premium for the preceding calendar year, the federal government will reimburse us for 85% of our losses attributable to certain acts of terrorism which exceed this deductible up to a total industry program cap of $100 billion. Our estimated deductible under the program is $2.08 billion for 2011. In addition, because the interpretation of this law is untested, there is substantial uncertainty as to how it will be applied to specific circumstances. It is also possible that future legislative action could change the Act.
Because of the risks set forth above, catastrophes such as those caused by various natural events or man-made events such as a terrorist attack, including "unconventional" acts of terrorism involving nuclear, biological, chemical or radiological events, could materially and adversely affect our results of operations, financial position and/or liquidity. Further, while we seek to manage our exposure to man-made catastrophic events involving conventional means, there can be no assurance that we would have sufficient resources to respond to claims arising out of one or more man-made catastrophic events involving so-called weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear, biological, chemical or radiological means.
During or following a period of financial market disruption or economic downturn, our business could be materially and adversely affected. Over the past three years, worldwide financial markets have experienced significant disruptions and the United States and many other economies experienced a prolonged economic downturn, resulting in heightened credit risk, reduced valuation of investments
and decreased economic activity. While economic conditions have recently improved, there is continued uncertainty regarding the timing and strength of any economic recovery. The trend may not continue. Even if growth continues, it may be at a slow rate for an extended period of time and other economic conditions, such as the residential and commercial real estate environment and employment rates, may continue to be weak. In addition, some economists believe that steps taken by the federal government to stabilize financial markets and improve economic conditions could lead to an inflationary environment. Furthermore, financial markets may again experience significant disruption.
If economic conditions remain weak or deteriorate, or if financial markets experience significant disruption, it could materially adversely affect our results of operations, financial position and/or liquidity. Several of the risk factors that follow identify risks that result from, or are exacerbated by, an economic slowdown or financial disruption. These include risks discussed below related to our investment portfolio, reinsurance arrangements, other credit exposures, our estimates of claims and claim adjustment expense reserves, emerging claim and coverage issues, the competitive environment, regulatory developments and the impact of rating agency actions. You should also refer to "Item 7 - Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operation", particularly the "Outlook" section.
Many of these risks could materialize, and our financial results could be negatively impacted, even after the end of an economic downturn or financial disruption. During or following an economic downturn, lower levels of economic activity could reduce (and historically have reduced) exposure changes at renewal. They also could adversely impact (and historically have adversely impacted) audit premium adjustments, policy endorsements and mid-term cancellations after policies are written, particularly in our business units within Business Insurance, which could adversely impact our written premiums. In addition, because earned premiums lag written premiums, our results can be adversely affected after general economic conditions have improved. An inflationary environment (which may follow government efforts to stabilize the economy) may also, as we discuss below, adversely impact our loss costs and could adversely impact the valuation of our investment portfolio. Finally, as a result of the financial market disruptions over the past three years, we may, as discussed below, face increased regulation.
If actual claims exceed our loss reserves, or if changes in the estimated level of loss reserves are necessary, our financial results could be materially and adversely affected. Claims and claim adjustment expense reserves (loss reserves) represent management's estimate of ultimate unpaid costs of losses and loss adjustment expenses for claims that have been reported and claims that have been incurred but not yet reported. Loss reserves do not represent an exact calculation of liability, but instead represent management estimates, generally utilizing actuarial expertise and projection techniques, at a given accounting date. These loss reserve estimates are expectations of what the ultimate settlement and administration of claims will cost upon final resolution in the future, based on our assessment of facts and circumstances then known, reviews of historical settlement patterns, estimates of trends in claims severity and frequency, expected interpretations of legal theories of liability and other factors. In establishing reserves, we also take into account estimated recoveries from reinsurance, salvage and subrogation.
The process of estimating loss reserves involves a high degree of judgment and is subject to a number of variables. These variables can be affected by both internal and external events, such as: changes in claims handling procedures; adverse changes in loss cost trends, including inflationary pressures on medical costs and auto and home repair costs; economic conditions including general inflation; legal trends and legislative changes; and varying judgments and viewpoints of the individuals involved in the estimation process, among others. The impact of many of these items on ultimate costs for claims and claim adjustment expenses is difficult to estimate. Loss reserve estimation difficulties also differ significantly by product line due to differences in claim complexity, the volume of claims, the potential severity of individual claims, the determination of occurrence date for a claim and reporting
lags (the time between the occurrence of the policyholder event and when it is actually reported to the insurer). As discussed above, some economists believe that steps taken by the federal government to stabilize the economy could lead to an inflationary environment, which could in turn, lead to an increase in our loss costs. The impact of inflation on loss costs could be more pronounced for those lines of business that are considered "long tail", such as general liability, as they require a relatively long period of time to finalize and settle claims for a given accident year. Changes in the level of inflation also result in an increased level of uncertainty in our estimation of loss reserves, particularly for long tail lines of business. In addition, inflationary pressures in medical costs may be increased by the recent healthcare reform legislation. The estimation of loss reserves may also be more difficult during times of adverse economic conditions due to unexpected changes in behavior of claimants and policyholders, including an increase in fraudulent reporting of exposures and/or losses, reduced maintenance of insured properties or increased frequency of small claims.
We continually refine our loss reserve estimates in a regular, ongoing process as historical loss experience develops, additional claims are reported and settled and the legal, regulatory and economic environment evolves. Business judgment is applied throughout the process, including the application of various individual experiences and expertise to multiple sets of data and analyses. Different experts may choose different assumptions when faced with material uncertainty, based on their individual backgrounds, professional experiences and areas of focus. Hence, such experts may at times produce estimates materially different from each other. This risk may be exacerbated in the context of an acquisition. Experts providing input to the various estimates and underlying assumptions include actuaries, underwriters, claim personnel and lawyers, as well as other members of management. Therefore, management may have to consider varying individual viewpoints as part of its estimation of loss reserves.
We attempt to consider all significant facts and circumstances known at the time loss reserves are established or reviewed. Due to the inherent uncertainty underlying loss reserve estimates, the final resolution of the estimated liability for claims and claim adjustment expenses will likely be higher or lower than the related loss reserves at the reporting date. Therefore, actual paid losses in the future may yield a materially different amount than is currently reserved.
Because of the uncertainties set forth above, additional liabilities resulting from one insured event, or an accumulation of insured events, may exceed the current related reserves. In addition, our estimate of claims and claim adjustment expenses may change. These additional liabilities or increases in estimates, or a range of either, cannot now be reasonably estimated and could materially and adversely affect our results of operations and/or our financial position.
For a discussion of claims and claim adjustment expense reserves by product line, including examples of common factors that can affect required reserves, see "Item 7 - Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations-Critical Accounting Estimates-Claims and Claim Adjustment Expense Reserves."
Our investment portfolio may suffer reduced returns or material realized or unrealized losses. Investment returns are an important part of our overall profitability. Fixed maturity and short-term investments comprised approximately 94% of the carrying value of our investment portfolio as of December 31, 2010. Changes in interest rates caused by inflation or other factors (inclusive of credit spreads) affect the carrying value of our fixed maturity investments and returns on our fixed maturity and short-term investments. A decline in interest rates reduces the returns available on short-term investments and new fixed maturity investments, thereby negatively impacting our net investment income, while rising interest rates reduce the market value of existing fixed maturity investments. After a period of historically low interest rates, long-term interest rates have recently risen somewhat. However, interest rates may remain at levels below historical averages, possibly for a prolonged period. During an economic downturn, fixed maturity and short-term investments could be subject to higher
risk of default. The value of our fixed maturity and short-term investments is subject to the risk that certain investments may default or become impaired due to a deterioration in the financial condition of one or more issuers of the securities held in our portfolio, or due to a deterioration in the financial condition of an insurer that guarantees an issuer's payments of such investments. Such defaults and impairments could reduce our net investment income and result in realized investment losses.
We invest a portion of our assets in equity securities, private equity limited partnerships, hedge funds, and real estate partnerships, all of which are subject to greater volatility in their investment returns than fixed maturity investments. General economic conditions, changes in applicable tax laws and many other factors beyond our control can adversely affect the value of our non-fixed maturity investments and the realization of net investment income, and/or result in realized investment losses. As a result of these factors, we may realize reduced returns on these investments, we may incur losses on sales of these investments and we may be required to write down the value of these investments, which could reduce our net investment income and result in realized investment losses.
Our investment portfolio is also subject to increased valuation uncertainties when investment markets are illiquid. The valuation of investments is more subjective when markets are illiquid, thereby increasing the risk that the estimated fair value (i.e., the carrying amount) of the portion of the investment portfolio that is carried at fair value as reflected in our financial statements is not reflective of prices at which actual transactions could occur.
Our fixed maturity investment portfolio is invested, in substantial part, in obligations of states, municipalities and political subdivisions (collectively referred to as the municipal bond portfolio). Notwithstanding the relatively low historical rates of default on many of these obligations and notwithstanding that we typically seek to invest in high-credit-quality securities (including those with structural protections such as being secured by dedicated or pledged sources of revenue), during or following an economic downturn, our municipal bond portfolio could be subject to a higher risk of default or impairment due to declining municipal tax bases and revenue. The prolonged economic downturn that began in 2008 has resulted in many states and local governments operating under deficits or projected deficits. The severity and duration of these deficits could have an adverse impact on the collectability and valuation of our municipal bond portfolio. In addition, some issuers may be unwilling to increase tax rates, or to reduce spending, to fund interest or principal payments on their municipal bonds, or may be unable to access the municipal bond market to fund such payments. The risk of widespread defaults may increase if some issuers voluntarily choose to default, instead of implementing difficult fiscal measures, and the actual or perceived consequences (such as reduced access to capital markets) are less severe than expected. The risk may also increase if there are changes in legislation that permit states, or additional municipalities and political subdivisions, to file for bankruptcy protection or if there are judicial interpretations that, in a bankruptcy or other proceeding, lessen the value of structural protections. Our portfolio has also benefited from tax exemptions and certain other tax laws, including, but not limited to, those governing dividends-received deductions and tax credits (such as foreign tax credits). Federal and/or state tax legislation could be enacted in connection with deficit reduction or various types of fundamental tax reform that would lessen or eliminate some or all of the tax advantages currently benefiting us and could adversely affect the value of our investment portfolio.
Our investment portfolio includes residential mortgage-backed securities, collateralized mortgage obligations, pass-through securities, and asset-backed securities collateralized by sub-prime mortgages; commercial mortgage-backed securities; and wholly-owned real estate, real estate partnerships and mortgage loans, all of which could be adversely impacted by further declines in real estate valuations and/or financial market disruption. In addition, the potential for protracted disruption and/or suspension of foreclosure practices could also impact the returns on certain of these portfolios.
Because of the risks set forth above, the value of our investment portfolio could decrease, we could experience reduced net investment income and we could experience realized and/or unrealized investment losses, which could materially and adversely affect our results of operations, financial position and/or liquidity.
Our business could be harmed because of our potential exposure to asbestos and environmental claims and related litigation.
Asbestos Claims. We believe that the property and casualty insurance industry has suffered from court decisions and other trends that have attempted to expand insurance coverage for asbestos claims far beyond the intent of insurers and policyholders. While we have experienced a decrease in new asbestos claims over the past several years, we continue to receive a significant number of asbestos claims from our policyholders (which includes others seeking coverage under a policy), including claims against our policyholders by individuals who do not appear to be impaired by asbestos exposure. Factors underlying these claim filings include intensive advertising by lawyers seeking asbestos claimants and the focus by plaintiffs on previously peripheral defendants. The focus on these defendants is primarily the result of the number of traditional asbestos defendants who have sought bankruptcy protection in previous years. In addition to contributing to the overall number of claims, bankruptcy proceedings may increase the volatility of asbestos-related losses by initially delaying the reporting of claims and later by significantly accelerating and increasing loss payments by insurers, including us. The bankruptcy of many traditional defendants has also caused increased settlement demands against those policyholders who are not in bankruptcy but remain in the tort system. Currently, in many jurisdictions, those who allege very serious injury and can present credible medical evidence of their injuries are receiving priority trial settings in the courts, while those who have not shown any credible disease manifestation are having their hearing dates delayed or placed on an inactive docket. This trend of prioritizing claims involving credible evidence of injuries, along with the focus on previously peripheral defendants, contributes to the claims and claim adjustment expense payments we have experienced. Our asbestos-related claims and claim adjustment expense experience also has been impacted by the unavailability of other insurance sources potentially available to policyholders, whether through exhaustion of policy limits or through the insolvency of other participating insurers.
We continue to be involved in coverage litigation concerning a number of policyholders, some of whom have filed for bankruptcy, who in some instances have asserted that all or a portion of their asbestos-related claims are not subject to aggregate limits on coverage. In these instances, policyholders also may assert that each individual bodily injury claim should be treated as a separate occurrence under the policy. It is difficult to predict whether these policyholders will be successful on both issues. To the extent both issues are resolved in a policyholder's favor and our other defenses are not successful, our coverage obligations under the policies at issue would be materially increased and bounded only by the applicable per-occurrence limits and the number of asbestos bodily injury claims against the policyholders. Accordingly, although we have seen a moderation in the overall risk associated with these lawsuits, it remains difficult to predict the ultimate cost of these claims.
Many coverage disputes with policyholders are only resolved through settlement agreements. Because many policyholders make exaggerated demands, it is difficult to predict the outcome of settlement negotiations. Settlements involving bankrupt policyholders may include extensive releases which are favorable to us but which could result in settlements for larger amounts than originally anticipated. There also may be instances where a court may not approve a proposed settlement, which may result in additional litigation and potentially less beneficial outcomes for us. As in the past, we will continue to pursue settlement opportunities.
In addition to claims against policyholders, proceedings have been launched directly against insurers, including us, by individuals challenging insurers' conduct with respect to the handling of past asbestos claims and by individuals seeking damages arising from alleged asbestos-related bodily injuries.
We anticipate the filing of other direct actions against insurers, including us, in the future. It is difficult to predict the outcome of these proceedings, including whether the plaintiffs will be able to sustain these actions against insurers based on novel legal theories of liability. We believe we have meritorious defenses to these claims and have received favorable rulings in certain jurisdictions.
Environmental Claims. We continue to receive claims from policyholders who allege that they are liable for injury or damage arising out of their alleged disposition of toxic substances. Mostly, these claims are due to various legislative as well as regulatory efforts aimed at environmental remediation. For instance, the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA), enacted in 1980 and later modified, enables private parties as well as federal and state governments to take action with respect to releases and threatened releases of hazardous substances. This federal statute permits the recovery of response costs from some liable parties and may require liable parties to undertake their own remedial action. Liability under CERCLA may be joint and several with other responsible parties.
We have been, and continue to be, involved in litigation involving insurance coverage issues pertaining to environmental claims. We believe that some court decisions have interpreted the insurance coverage to be broader than the original intent of the insurers and policyholders. These decisions often pertain to insurance policies that were issued by us prior to the mid-1980s. These decisions continue to be inconsistent and vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Environmental claims when submitted rarely indicate the monetary amount being sought by the claimant from the policyholder, and we do not keep track of the monetary amount being sought in those few claims which indicate a monetary amount.
Asbestos and Environmental Claims. Uncertainties surrounding the final resolution of these claims continue, and it is difficult to determine the ultimate exposure for asbestos and environmental claims and related litigation. As a result, these reserves are subject to revision as new information becomes available and as claims develop. The continuing uncertainties include, without limitation, the risks and lack of predictability inherent in complex litigation, any impact from the bankruptcy protection sought by various asbestos producers and other asbestos defendants, a further increase in the cost to resolve, and/or the number of, asbestos and environmental claims beyond that which is anticipated, the role of any umbrella or excess policies we have issued, the resolution or adjudication of disputes pertaining to the amount of available coverage for asbestos and environmental claims in a manner inconsistent with our previous assessment of these claims, the number and outcome of direct actions against us, future developments pertaining to our ability to recover reinsurance for asbestos and environmental claims and the unavailability of other insurance sources potentially available to policyholders, whether through exhaustion of policy limits or through the insolvency of other participating insurers. In addition, uncertainties arise from the insolvency or bankruptcy of policyholders and other defendants. It is also not possible to predict changes in the legal, regulatory and legislative environment and their impact on the future development of asbestos and environmental claims. This environment could be affected by changes in applicable legislation and future court and regulatory decisions and interpretations, including the outcome of legal challenges to legislative and/or judicial reforms establishing medical criteria for the pursuit of asbestos claims. It is also difficult to predict the ultimate outcome of complex coverage disputes until settlement negotiations near completion and significant legal questions are resolved or, failing settlement, until the dispute is adjudicated. This is particularly the case with policyholders in bankruptcy where negotiations often involve a large number of claimants and other parties and require court approval to be effective.
While the ongoing evaluation of asbestos and environmental claims and associated liabilities considers the inconsistencies of court decisions as to coverage, plaintiffs' expanded theories of liability and the risks inherent in complex litigation and other uncertainties it is possible that the outcome of the continued uncertainties regarding these claims could result in liability in future periods that differs from current reserves by an amount that could materially and adversely affect our results of operations.
See the "Asbestos Claims and Litigation" and "Environmental Claims and Litigation" sections of "Item 7 - Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations." Also see "Item 3 - Legal Proceedings."
We are exposed to, and may face adverse developments involving, mass tort claims such as those relating to exposure to potentially harmful products or substances. In addition to asbestos and environmental claims, we face exposure to other types of mass tort claims, including claims related to exposure to potentially harmful products or substances, including lead paint, silica and welding rod fumes. Establishing claims and claim adjustment expense reserves for mass tort claims is subject to uncertainties because of many factors, including expanded theories of liability, disputes concerning medical causation with respect to certain diseases, geographical concentration of the lawsuits asserting the claims and the potential for a large rise in the total number of claims without underlying epidemiological developments suggesting an increase in disease rates. Moreover, evolving judicial interpretations regarding the application of various tort theories and defenses, including application of various theories of joint and several liabilities, as well as the application of insurance coverage to these claims, make it difficult to estimate our ultimate liability for such claims.
Because of the uncertainties set forth above, additional liabilities may arise for amounts in excess of the current related reserves. In addition, our estimate of claims and claim adjustment expenses may change, and such change could be material. These additional liabilities or increases in estimates, or a range of either, cannot now be reasonably estimated and could materially and adversely affect our results of operations.
The effects of emerging claim and coverage issues on our business are uncertain. As industry practices and legal, judicial, social and other environmental conditions change, unexpected and unintended issues related to claim and coverage may emerge. These issues may adversely affect our business by either extending coverage beyond our underwriting intent or by increasing the number or size of claims. Examples of emerging claims and coverage issues include, but are not limited to:
•judicial expansion of policy coverage and the impact of new theories of liability;
•plaintiffs targeting property and casualty insurers, including us, in purported class action litigation relating to claims-handling and other practices;
•claims relating to construction defects, which often present complex coverage and damage valuation questions;
•claims under directors' & officers' insurance policies relating to: losses from involvement in financial market activities, such as mortgage or financial product origination, distribution, structuring or servicing and foreclosure procedures; fraud, including those related to investment management businesses; possible accounting irregularities; and corporate governance issues;
•the assertion of "public nuisance" or similar theories of liability, pursuant to which plaintiffs seek to recover monies spent to administer public health care programs; abate hazards to public health and safety and/or recover damages purportedly attributable to a "public nuisance";
•medical developments that link health issues to particular causes, resulting in liability claims;
•claims relating to unanticipated consequences of current or new technologies; and
•claims relating to potentially changing climate conditions.
In some instances, these emerging issues may not become apparent for some time after we have issued the affected insurance policies. As a result, the full extent of liability under our insurance policies may not be known for many years after the policies are issued.
In addition, the potential passage of new legislation designed to expand the right to sue, to remove limitations on recovery, to extend the statutes of limitations or otherwise to repeal or weaken tort reforms could have an adverse impact on our business.
The effects of these and other unforeseen emerging claim and coverage issues are extremely hard to predict and could harm our business and materially and adversely affect our results of operations.
The intense competition that we face could harm our ability to maintain or increase our business volumes and our profitability. The property and casualty insurance industry is highly competitive, and we believe that it will remain highly competitive for the foreseeable future. We compete with both domestic and foreign insurers, a number of which have experienced financial difficulties in recent periods. Competitors that are experiencing financial difficulties may offer products at prices and on terms that are not consistent with our economic standards in an effort to maintain or increase their business. The property and casualty insurance industry has historically been cyclical, with periods characterized by intense price competition and less restrictive underwriting standards followed by periods of higher premium rates and more selective underwriting standards. The competitive environment in which we operate could also be impacted by current general economic conditions, which could reduce the volume of business available to us as well as to our competitors. In addition, the competitive environment could be impacted by changes in customer preferences, including customer demand for direct distribution channels. See "Item 7 - Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operation-Outlook."
In recent years, many independent personal insurance agents have begun to utilize price comparison rating technology, sometimes referred to as "comparative raters," as a cost-efficient means of obtaining quotes from multiple companies. Comparative raters also tend to put additional focus on price over other competitive criteria. Additionally, there is potential for similar technology to be used to access comparative rates for small commercial business. Agents and brokers may also create alternate distribution channels for commercial business, such as insurance exchanges, that may adversely impact product differentiation and pricing.
Our competitive position is based on many factors, including but not limited to our:
•ability to retain existing customers, to obtain new business and to profitably price our business;
•agent, broker and client relationships;
•speed of claims payment;
•premiums charged, contract terms and conditions, products and services offered (including the ability to design customized programs);
•ability to provide our products and services in a cost effective manner;
•perceived overall financial strength and corresponding ratings assigned by independent rating agencies;
•reputation, experience and qualifications of employees;
•geographic scope of business;
•local presence; and
•ability to keep pace relative to our competitors with changes in technology and information systems.
We may have difficulty in continuing to compete successfully on any of these bases in the future. If competition limits our ability to retain existing business or write new business at adequate rates, our results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. See "Competition" sections of the discussion on business segments in "Item 1 - Business."
We may not be able to collect all amounts due to us from reinsurers and reinsurance coverage may not be available to us in the future at commercially reasonable rates or at all. Although the reinsurer is liable to us to the extent of the ceded reinsurance, we remain liable as the direct insurer on all risks reinsured. As a result, ceded reinsurance arrangements do not eliminate our obligation to pay claims. Accordingly, we are subject to credit risk with respect to our ability to recover amounts due from reinsurers.
In the past, certain reinsurers have ceased writing business and entered into runoff. Some of our reinsurance claims may be disputed by the reinsurers and we may ultimately receive partial or no payment. This is a particular risk in the case of claims that relate to insurance policies written many years ago, including those relating to asbestos and environmental claims. In addition, in a number of jurisdictions, particularly the European Union and the United Kingdom, a reinsurer is permitted to transfer a reinsurance arrangement to another reinsurer, which may be less creditworthy, without a counterparty's consent, provided that the transfer has been approved by the applicable regulatory and/or court authority. The ability of reinsurers to transfer their risks to other, less creditworthy reinsurers may adversely impact our ability to collect amounts due to us.
Included in reinsurance recoverables are certain amounts related to structured settlements. Structured settlements comprise annuities purchased from various life insurance companies to settle certain personal physical injury claims, of which workers' compensation claims comprise a significant portion. In cases where we did not receive a release from the claimant, the structured settlement is included in reinsurance recoverables as we retain the contingent liability to the claimant. In the event that the life insurance company fails to make the required annuity payments, we would be required to make such payments.
Many reinsurance companies and life insurance companies were negatively impacted by the financial markets disruption and the economic downturn over the past three years. A number of these companies, including certain of those with which we conduct business, were downgraded by various rating agencies during this time period. For a discussion of our top reinsurance groups by reinsurance recoverable and the top five groups by amount of structured settlements provided, see "Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations-Reinsurance Recoverables."
The availability and cost of reinsurance are subject to prevailing market conditions, both in terms of price and available capacity. The availability of reinsurance capacity can be impacted by general economic conditions and conditions in the reinsurance market, such as the occurrence of significant reinsured events. The availability and cost of reinsurance could affect our business volume and profitability.
Because of the risks set forth above, we may not be able to collect all amounts due to us from reinsurers, and reinsurance coverage may not be available to us in the future at commercially reasonable rates or at all, and/or life insurance companies may fail to make required annuity payments, and thus our results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.
We are exposed to credit risk in certain of our business operations. In addition to exposure to credit risk related to our investment portfolio and reinsurance recoverables (discussed above), we are exposed to credit risk in several other areas of our business operations, including credit risk relating to policyholders, independent agents and brokers.
We are exposed to credit risk in our surety insurance operations, where we guarantee to a third party that our customer will satisfy certain performance obligations (e.g., a construction contract) or certain financial obligations. If our customer defaults, we may suffer losses and not be reimbursed by our customer. In addition, it is customary practice in the surety business for multiple insurers to participate as co-sureties on large surety bonds. Under these arrangements, the co-surety obligations
are typically joint and several, in which case we are also exposed to credit risk with respect to our co-sureties.
In addition, a portion of our business is written with large deductible insurance policies. Under workers' compensation insurance contracts with deductible features, we are obligated to pay the claimant the full amount of the claim. We are subsequently reimbursed by the contractholder for the deductible amount and, as a result, we are exposed to credit risk to the policyholder. Moreover, certain policyholders purchase retrospectively rated workers' compensation policies (i.e., policies in which premiums are adjusted after the policy period based on the actual loss experience of the policyholder during the policy period). Retrospectively rated policies expose us to additional credit risk to the extent that the adjusted premium is greater than the original premium.
Our efforts to mitigate the credit risk that we have to our insureds may not be successful. To reduce such credit risk, we require certain insureds to post collateral for some or all of these obligations, often in the form of pledged securities, such as money market funds, or letters of credit provided by banks. In cases where we receive pledged securities and the insureds are unable to honor their obligations, we may be exposed to credit risk on the securities pledged and/or the risk that our access to that collateral may be stayed during an insured's bankruptcy. In cases where we receive letters of credit from banks and the insureds are unable to honor their obligations, we are exposed to the credit risk of the banks that issued the letters of credit.
In accordance with industry practice, when policyholders purchase insurance policies from us through independent agents and brokers, the premiums relating to those policies are often paid to the agents and brokers for payment to us. In most jurisdictions, the premiums will be deemed to have been paid to us whether or not they are actually received by us. Consequently, we assume a degree of credit risk associated with amounts due from independent agents and brokers.
To a large degree, the credit risk we face is a function of the economy; accordingly, we face a greater risk in an economic downturn. While we attempt to manage the risks discussed above through underwriting and investment guidelines, collateral requirements and other oversight mechanisms, our efforts may not be successful. For example, collateral obtained may subsequently have little or no value. As a result, our exposure to the above credit risks could materially and adversely affect our results of operations.
Our businesses are heavily regulated and changes in regulation may reduce our profitability and limit our growth. We are extensively regulated and supervised in the jurisdictions in which we conduct business, including licensing and supervision by governmental regulatory agencies in such jurisdictions.
These regulatory systems are generally designed to protect the interests of policyholders, and not necessarily the interests of insurers, their shareholders and other investors. For example, to protect policyholders whose insurance company becomes financially insolvent, guaranty funds have been established in all fifty states to pay the covered claims of policyholders in the event of an insolvency of an insurer, subject to applicable state limits. The funding of guaranty funds is provided through assessments levied against remaining insurers in the marketplace. As a result, the insolvency of one or more insurance companies could result in additional assessments levied against us.
These regulatory systems also address authorization for lines of business, capital and surplus requirements, limitations on the types and amounts of certain investments, underwriting limitations, transactions with affiliates, dividend limitations, changes in control, premium rates and a variety of other financial and non-financial components of an insurer's business.
In recent years, the state insurance regulatory framework has come under increased scrutiny, and some state legislatures have considered or enacted laws that may alter or increase state authority to regulate insurance companies and insurance holding companies. Further, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) and state insurance regulators continually reexamine existing laws
and regulations, specifically focusing on modifications to holding company regulations, interpretations of existing laws and the development of new laws and regulations. In a time of financial uncertainty or a prolonged economic downturn or otherwise, regulators may choose to adopt more restrictive insurance laws and regulations. For example, insurance regulators may choose to restrict the ability of insurance subsidiaries to make payments to their parent companies or reject rate increases due to the economic environment. The state insurance regulators may also increase the statutory capital requirements for our insurance subsidiaries.
Although the U.S. federal government has not historically regulated the insurance business, there have been proposals from time to time, including after the financial crisis in 2008 and 2009, to impose federal regulation on the insurance industry. On July 21, 2010, the President signed into law the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the Dodd-Frank Act). Among other things, the Dodd-Frank Act establishes a Federal Insurance Office within the U.S. Department of the Treasury. The Federal Insurance Office initially has limited regulatory authority and is empowered to gather data and information regarding the insurance industry and insurers, including conducting a study for submission to the U.S. Congress on how to modernize and improve insurance regulation in the U.S. Further, the Dodd-Frank Act gives the Federal Reserve supervisory authority over a number of financial services companies, including insurance companies, if they are designated by a two-thirds vote of a Financial Stability Oversight Council (the Council) as "systemically important." While we do not believe that we are "systemically important," as defined in the Dodd-Frank Act, it is possible that the Council may conclude that we are. If we were designated as "systemically important," the Federal Reserve's supervisory authority could include the ability to impose heightened financial regulation and could impact requirements regarding our capital, liquidity and leverage as well as our business and investment conduct. As a result of the foregoing, the Dodd-Frank Act, or other additional federal regulation that is adopted in the future, could impose significant burdens on us, including impacting the ways in which we conduct our business, increasing compliance costs and duplicating state regulation, and could result in a competitive disadvantage, particularly relative to smaller insurers who may not be subject to the same level of regulation.
Even if we are not subject to additional regulation by the federal government, significant financial sector regulatory reform, including the Dodd-Frank Act, could have a significant impact on us. For example, regulatory reform could have an unexpected impact on our rights as a creditor or on our competitive position. In particular, the Dodd-Frank Act authorizes assessments to pay for the resolution of systemically important financial institutions that have become insolvent. We (as a financial company with more than $50 billion in assets) could be assessed, and, although any such assessment is required to be risk weighted (i.e., riskier firms pay more), such costs could be material to us and are currently difficult for us to estimate.
Other potential changes in U.S. federal legislation, regulation and/or administrative policies, including the potential repeal of the McCarran-Ferguson Act and potential changes in federal taxation, could also significantly harm the insurance industry, including us. In addition, state tax laws that specifically impact the insurance industry, such as premium taxes or other taxes, may be enacted or changed by states to raise revenues.
As a U.S.-based SEC reporting company, we are currently required to prepare our financial statements in accordance with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), as promulgated by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB). The SEC is currently examining whether to require the use of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), as promulgated by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB), for companies such as us. The FASB and the IASB have also embarked on a long-term project to converge GAAP and IFRS. Additionally, the IASB and the FASB are in the process of developing a global insurance standard that may involve methodologies for valuing insurance contract liabilities that may be significantly different from the methodologies required by current GAAP. We are not able to predict whether we will choose to, or be required to,
adopt IFRS or how the adoption of IFRS (or the convergence of GAAP and IFRS, including the project for valuing insurance contract liabilities) may impact our financial statements in the future. Changes in accounting standards, particularly those that specifically apply to insurance company operations, may impact the content and presentation of our reported financial results and could have adverse consequences to our reported financial results, including lower reported results of operations and shareholders' equity and increased volatility and decreased comparability of our reported results with other insurers.
The European Union's executive body, the European Commission, is implementing new capital adequacy and risk management regulations called Solvency II that would apply to our businesses across the European Union beginning as soon as the fourth quarter of 2012. Under Solvency II, it is possible that the U.S. parent of a European Union subsidiary could be subject to certain Solvency II requirements if the regulator determines that the subsidiary's capital position is dependent on the parent company and the U.S. company is not already subject to regulations deemed "equivalent" to Solvency II. In addition, regulators in countries where we have operations are working with the International Association of Insurance Supervisors (and in the U.S., with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners) to consider changes to insurance company supervision, including solvency requirements and group supervision. While it is not yet known how these actions will impact us, such regulation could result in a need for additional capital, increased costs of compliance, increased disclosure and less flexibility in our capital management.
U.S. or non-U.S. insurance laws or regulations that are adopted or amended may be more restrictive than current laws or regulations and may result in lower revenues and/or higher costs of compliance and thus could materially and adversely affect our results of operations and limit our growth.
A downgrade in our claims-paying and financial strength ratings could adversely impact our business volumes, adversely impact our ability to access the capital markets and increase our borrowing costs. Claims-paying and financial strength ratings are important to an insurer's competitive position. Rating agencies review insurers' ratings periodically, and change their ratings criteria periodically, and therefore our current ratings may not be maintained in the future. A downgrade in one or more of our ratings could negatively impact our business volumes because demand for certain of our products may be reduced, particularly because many customers may require that we maintain minimum ratings to enter into or renew business with us. Additionally, we may find it more difficult to access the capital markets and we may incur higher borrowing costs. If significant losses, including, but not limited to, those resulting from one or more major catastrophes, or significant reserve additions or significant investment losses were to cause our capital position to deteriorate significantly, or if one or more rating agencies substantially increase their capital requirements, we may need to raise equity capital in the future (which we may not be able to do at a reasonable cost or at all) in order to maintain our ratings or limit the extent of a downgrade. A continued trend of more frequent and severe weather-related catastrophes or a prolonged economic downturn may lead rating agencies to substantially increase their capital requirements. For further discussion about our ratings, see, "Item 1 - Business-Ratings."
The inability of our insurance subsidiaries to pay dividends to our holding company in sufficient amounts would harm our ability to meet our obligations, pay future shareholder dividends or make future share repurchases. Our holding company relies on dividends from our insurance subsidiaries to meet our obligations for payment of interest and principal on outstanding debt, to pay dividends to shareholders, to make contributions to our pension plan, to pay other corporate expenses and to make share repurchases. The ability of our insurance subsidiaries to pay dividends to our holding company in the future will depend on their statutory surplus, earnings and regulatory restrictions.
We are subject to regulation by some states as an insurance holding company system. Our insurance subsidiaries are subject to various regulatory restrictions that limit the maximum amount of dividends available to be paid to their parent without prior approval of insurance regulatory authorities. In a time of prolonged economic downturn or otherwise, regulators may choose to further restrict the ability of insurance subsidiaries to make payments to their parent companies. The ability of our insurance subsidiaries to pay dividends to our holding company is also restricted by regulations that set standards of solvency that must be met and maintained. The inability of our insurance subsidiaries to pay dividends to our holding company in an amount sufficient to meet our debt service obligations and other cash requirements could harm our ability to meet our obligations, to pay future shareholder dividends and to make share repurchases.
Disruptions to our relationships with our independent agents and brokers could adversely affect us. We market our insurance products primarily through independent agents and brokers. An important part of our business is written through less than a dozen such intermediaries. Loss of all or a substantial portion of the business provided through such agents and brokers could materially and adversely affect our future business volume and results of operations. We may also seek to develop new product distribution channels, including our current efforts to establish a direct-to-consumer platform in the Personal Insurance segment. In addition, agents and brokers may create alternate distribution channels for commercial business, such as insurance exchanges, that may adversely impact product differentiation and pricing. Our or their efforts with respect to alternate distribution channels could adversely impact our business relationship with independent agents and brokers who currently market our products, resulting in a lower volume of business generated from these sources.
We rely on internet applications for the marketing and sale of certain of our products, and we may increasingly rely on internet applications and toll-free numbers for distribution. In some instances, our agents and brokers are required to access separate business platforms to execute the sale of our personal insurance or commercial insurance products. Should internet disruptions occur, or frustration with our business platforms or distribution initiatives develop among our independent agents and brokers, the resulting loss of business could materially and adversely affect our future business volume and results of operations.
Our efforts to develop new products or expand in targeted markets may not be successful and may create enhanced risks. A number of our recent and planned business initiatives involve developing new products or expanding existing products in targeted markets. This includes the following efforts, from time to time, to protect or grow market share:
•We may develop products that insure risks we have not previously insured or contain new coverage or coverage terms.
•We may refine our underwriting processes. For example, in certain of our businesses in recent years, we have substantially increased the volume of business that flows through our automated underwriting and pricing systems.
•We may seek to expand distribution channels, such as our efforts to develop a direct-to-consumer platform in Personal Insurance.
•We may focus on geographic markets within or outside of the United States where we have had relatively little or no market share.
We may not be successful in introducing new products or expanding in targeted markets and, even if we are successful, these efforts may create enhanced risks. Among other risks:
•Demand for new products or in new markets may not meet our expectations.
•To the extent we are able to market new products or expand in new markets, our risk exposures may change, and the data and models we use to manage such exposures may not be as
sophisticated as those we use in existing markets or with existing products. This, in turn, could lead to losses in excess of our expectations.
•Models underlying automated underwriting and pricing decisions may not be effective.
•Efforts to develop new products or markets have the potential to create or increase distribution channel conflict, such as described above under "-Disruptions to our relationships with our independent agents and brokers could adversely affect us."
•In connection with the conversion of existing policyholders to a new product, some policyholders' pricing may increase, while the pricing for other policyholders may decrease, the net impact of which could negatively impact retention and margins.
•To develop new products or markets, we may need to make substantial capital and operating expenditures, which may also negatively impact results in the near term.
If our efforts to develop new products or expand in targeted markets are not successful, our results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.
Our net deferred tax assets could be adversely affected by a reduction in the U.S. Federal corporate income tax rate. Federal tax legislation could be enacted to reduce the existing statutory U.S. Federal corporate income tax rate from 35%, which would, accordingly, reduce our net deferred tax asset. The amount of our net deferred tax assets is volatile and significantly impacted by changes in unrealized investment gains and losses in our investment portfolio. The effect of a reduction in a tax rate on net deferred tax assets is required to be recognized, in full, as a reduction of income from continuing operations in the period when enacted and, therefore, could materially and adversely affect our results of operations.
We may be adversely affected if our pricing and capital models are inaccurate. The profitability of our property and casualty business substantially depends on the extent to which our actual claims experience is consistent with the assumptions we use in pricing our policies. We utilize models to help us price business in a manner that is intended to be consistent, over time, with actual results and return objectives. We also use various methods, including predictive modeling, forecasting and sophisticated simulation modeling techniques, to analyze loss trends and the risks associated with our assets and liabilities. We also use these analyses and methods in making underwriting, pricing and reinsurance decisions as part of managing our exposure to catastrophes and other extreme adverse events. These models incorporate numerous assumptions and forecasts about the future level and variability of: interest rates, inflation, capital requirements, and frequency and severity of losses, among others, that are difficult to make and may be materially wrong. Future experience may be materially different from past and current experience incorporated in a model's forecasts or simulations. This includes the likelihood of events occurring or continuing or the correlation among events. If we fail to appropriately price the risks we insure, or fail to change our pricing model to appropriately reflect our current experience, or if our claims experience is more frequent or severe than our underlying risk assumptions, our profit margins may be negatively affected. If we underestimate the frequency and/or severity of extreme adverse events occurring, our financial condition may be adversely affected. If we overestimate the risks we are exposed to, we may overprice our products, and new business growth and retention of our existing business may be adversely affected. Further, as we expand into different markets and geographies, we will write more policies in markets and geographical areas where we have less data specific to these new markets and geographies, and, accordingly, we may be more susceptible to error in our models and strategy.
We are subject to a number of risks associated with our business outside the United States. We conduct business outside the United States primarily in the United Kingdom, Canada and the Republic of Ireland. In addition, we entered into an agreement to commence a joint venture in Brazil and may
also explore opportunities in other countries, including other emerging markets such as India and China.
While our business outside of the United States currently constitutes a relatively small portion of our revenues, in conducting such business we are subject to a number of significant risks, particularly in emerging economies. These risks include restrictions such as price controls, capital controls, currency exchange limits, ownership limits and other restrictive or anti-competitive governmental actions, which could have an adverse effect on our business and our reputation. Our investments outside the United States may also subject us to currency risk, and, in some markets, it may be difficult to effectively hedge that risk. In addition, in some markets, we may invest as part of a joint venture with a local counterparty. Because our governance rights may be limited, we may not have control over the ability of the joint venture to make certain decisions and/or mitigate risks it faces, and significant disagreements with a joint venture counterparty may adversely impact our investment. Investments outside the United States also subject us to additional domestic and foreign laws and regulations, including the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and similar laws in other countries that prohibit the making of improper payments to foreign officials. Although we have policies and controls in place that are designed to ensure compliance with these laws, if those controls are ineffective and an employee or intermediary fails to comply with applicable laws and regulations, we could suffer civil and criminal penalties and our business and our reputation could be adversely affected. Some countries, particularly emerging economies, have laws and regulations that lack clarity and, even with local expertise and effective controls, it can be difficult to determine the exact requirements of, and potential liability under, the local laws. For example, in some jurisdictions, including Brazil, parties to a joint venture may, in some circumstances, have liability for some obligations of the venture and that liability may extend beyond the capital invested. Failure to comply with local laws in a particular market may result in substantial liability and could have a significant and negative effect not only on our business in that market but also on our reputation generally.
Our business success and profitability depend, in part, on effective information technology systems and on continuing to develop and implement improvements in technology. We depend in large part on our technology systems for conducting business and processing claims, and thus our business success is dependent on maintaining the effectiveness of existing technology systems and on continuing to develop and enhance technology systems that support our business processes and strategic initiatives in a cost and resource efficient manner. Some system development projects are long-term in nature, may negatively impact our expense ratios as we invest in the projects and may cost more than we expect to complete. In addition, system development projects may not deliver the benefits we expect once they are complete, or may be replaced or become obsolete more quickly than expected, which could result in accelerated recognition of expenses. If we do not effectively and efficiently manage and upgrade our technology portfolio, or if the costs of doing so are higher than we expect, our ability to provide competitive services to new and existing customers in a cost effective manner and our ability to implement our strategic initiatives could be adversely impacted.
If we experience difficulties with technology, data security and/or outsourcing relationships our ability to conduct our business could be negatively impacted. While technology can streamline many business processes and ultimately reduce the cost of operations, technology initiatives present significant risks. Our business is highly dependent upon our employees' ability to perform, in an efficient and uninterrupted fashion, necessary business functions. A shut-down of, or inability to access, one or more of our facilities; a power outage; or a failure of one or more of our information technology, telecommunications or other systems could significantly impair our ability to perform such functions on a timely basis. In the event of a disaster such as a natural catastrophe, terrorist attack or industrial accident, or due to a computer virus, our systems could be inaccessible for an extended period of time. In addition, because our information technology and telecommunications systems interface with and depend on third-party systems, we could experience service denials or failures of controls if demand for
our service exceeds capacity or a third-party system fails or experiences an interruption. If our business continuity plans did not sufficiently address such a business interruption, system failure or service denial, this could result in a deterioration of our ability to write and process new and renewal business, provide customer service, pay claims in a timely manner or perform other necessary business functions.
Our operations rely on the secure processing, storage and transmission of confidential and other information in our computer systems and networks. Computer viruses, hackers, employee misconduct and other external hazards could expose our data systems to security breaches. In addition, we routinely transmit and receive personal, confidential and proprietary information by email and other electronic means. While we attempt to develop secure transmission capabilities with third-party vendors and others with whom we do business, we may be unable to put in place secure capabilities with all of such vendors and third parties and, in addition, these third parties may not have appropriate controls in place to protect the confidentiality of the information.
These increased risks, and expanding regulatory requirements regarding data security, could expose us to data loss, monetary and reputational damages and significant increases in compliance costs. As a result, our ability to conduct our business might be adversely affected.
We outsource certain technology and business process functions to third parties and may do so increasingly in the future. If we do not effectively develop, implement and monitor our outsourcing relationships, third party providers do not perform as anticipated or we experience technological or other problems with a transition, we may not realize productivity improvements or cost efficiencies and may experience operational difficulties, increased costs and a loss of business. Our outsourcing of certain technology and business process functions to third parties may expose us to enhanced risk related to data security, which could result in monetary and reputational damages. In addition, our ability to receive services from third party providers outside of the United States might be impacted by cultural differences, political instability, unanticipated regulatory requirements or policies inside or outside of the United States. As a result, our ability to conduct our business might be adversely affected.
Acquisitions and integration of acquired businesses may result in operating difficulties and other unintended consequences. From time to time we may investigate and pursue acquisition opportunities if we believe that such opportunities are consistent with our long-term objectives and that the potential rewards of an acquisition exceed the risks. The process of integrating an acquired company or business can be complex and costly, however, and may create unforeseen operating difficulties and expenditures. For example, acquisitions may present significant risks, including:
•the potential disruption of our ongoing business;
•the ineffective integration of underwriting, claims handling and actuarial practices;
•the uncertainty of an acquiree's reserve estimates;
•the diversion of management time and resources to acquisition integration challenges;
•the loss of key employees;
•the cultural challenges associated with integrating employees; and
•the impact of an acquisition on our financial position and/or credit ratings.
The acquired business may not perform as projected, and any cost savings and other synergies anticipated from the acquisition may not materialize. There is no guarantee that any businesses acquired in the future will be successfully integrated, and the ineffective integration of our businesses and processes may result in substantial costs or delays and adversely affect our ability to compete.
We could be adversely affected if our controls to ensure compliance with guidelines, policies and legal and regulatory standards are not effective. Our business is highly dependent on our ability to engage on a daily basis in a large number of insurance underwriting, claim processing and investment activities, many of which are highly complex. These activities often are subject to internal guidelines and policies, as well as legal and regulatory standards. A control system, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance that the control system's objectives will be met. If our controls are not effective, it could lead to financial loss, unanticipated risk exposure (including underwriting, credit and investment risk) or damage to our reputation.
Our businesses may be adversely affected if we are unable to hire and retain qualified employees. There is significant competition from within the property and casualty insurance industry and from businesses outside the industry for qualified employees, especially in key positions. Our performance is largely dependent on the talents, efforts and proper conduct of highly-skilled individuals; therefore, our continued ability to compete effectively in our businesses and to expand into new business areas depends on our ability to attract new employees and to retain and motivate our existing employees. If we are not able to successfully attract, retain and motivate our employees, our business, financial results and reputation could be materially and adversely affected.
Loss of or significant restriction on the use of credit scoring in the pricing and underwriting of Personal Insurance products could reduce our future profitability. In Personal Insurance, we use credit scoring as a factor in pricing decisions where allowed by state law. Some consumer groups and regulators have questioned whether the use of credit scoring unfairly discriminates against people with low incomes, minority groups and the elderly and are calling for the prohibition or restriction on the use of credit scoring in underwriting and pricing. Laws or regulations that significantly curtail the use of credit scoring, if enacted in a large number of states, could adversely affect our future profitability.
Item 1B.
Item 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
NONE.
Item 2.
Item 2. PROPERTIES
The Company leases its principal executive offices in New York, New York, as well as 210 field and claim offices totaling approximately 5.5 million square feet throughout the United States under leases or subleases with third parties. The Company also leases offices in the United Kingdom, Canada and the Republic of Ireland that house operations (primarily for the Financial, Professional & International Insurance segment) in those locations. The Company owns six buildings in Hartford, Connecticut, consisting of approximately 1.8 million square feet of office space. The Company also owns office buildings located at 385 Washington Street and 130 West Sixth Street, St. Paul, Minnesota. These buildings are adjacent to one another and consist of approximately 1.1 million square feet of gross floor space. The Company also owns other real property, including office buildings in Denver, Colorado and Fall River, Massachusetts, as well as a data center located in Norcross, Georgia.
The Company owns a building in London, England, which houses a portion of its Financial, Professional & International Insurance segment's operations in the United Kingdom.
The Company, through its subsidiaries, owns an investment portfolio of income-producing properties and real estate funds. Included in this portfolio are four office buildings in which the Company holds a 50% ownership interest located in New York, New York, which collectively accounted for approximately 12% of the carrying value of the property portfolio at December 31, 2010.
In the opinion of the Company's management, the Company's properties are adequate and suitable for its business as presently conducted and are adequately maintained.
Item 3.
Item 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
The information required with respect to this item can be found under "Contingencies" in note 15 of notes to the Company's consolidated financial statements in this annual report and is incorporated by reference into this Item 3.
Item 4.
Item 4. (REMOVED AND RESERVED)
EXECUTIVE OFFICERS OF THE REGISTRANT
Information about the Company's executive officers is incorporated by reference from Part III, Item 10 of this annual report.
PART II
Item 5.
Item 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT'S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED SHAREHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES
The Company's common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "TRV." The number of holders of record, including individual owners, of the Company's common stock was 72,924 as of February 10, 2011. This is not the actual number of beneficial owners of the Company's common stock, as shares are held in "street name" by brokers and others on behalf of individual owners. The following table sets forth the high and low closing sales prices of the Company's common stock for each quarter during the last two fiscal years and the amount of cash dividends declared per share.
The Company paid cash dividends per share of $1.41 in 2010 and $1.23 in 2009. Future dividend decisions will be based on, and affected by, a number of factors, including the operating results and financial requirements of the Company and the impact of dividend restrictions. For information on dividends, as well as restrictions on the ability of certain of the Company's subsidiaries to transfer funds to the Company in the form of cash dividends or otherwise, see "Item 7 - Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations-Liquidity and Capital Resources." Dividends will be paid by the Company only if declared by its board of directors out of funds legally available, and subject to any other restrictions that may be applicable to the Company.
SHAREHOLDER RETURN PERFORMANCE GRAPH
The following graph shows a five-year comparison of the cumulative total return to shareholders for the Company's common stock and the common stock of companies included in the S&P 500 Index and the S&P Property & Casualty Insurance Index, which the Company believes is the most appropriate comparative index.
COMPARISON OF CUMULATIVE FIVE YEAR TOTAL RETURN TO SHAREHOLDERS(1)
(1)The cumulative return to shareholders is a concept used to compare the performance of a company's stock over time and is the ratio of the net stock price change plus the cumulative amount of dividends over the specified time period (assuming dividend reinvestment), to the stock price at the beginning of the time period.
(2)Assumes $100 invested in common shares of The Travelers Companies, Inc. on December 31, 2005.
(3)Companies in the S&P Property-Casualty Index as of December 31, 2010 were the following: The Travelers Companies, Inc., The Chubb Corporation, Cincinnati Financial Corporation, Progressive Corporation, Allstate Corporation, XL Group, plc., ACE Ltd. and Berkshire Hathaway, Inc.
Returns of each of the companies included in this index have been weighted according to their respective market capitalizations.
ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES
The table below sets forth information regarding repurchases by the Company of its common stock during the periods indicated.
The Company's board of directors has approved common share repurchase authorizations under which repurchases may be made from time to time in the open market, pursuant to pre-set trading plans meeting the requirements of Rule 10b5-1 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, in private transactions or otherwise. The authorizations do not have a stated expiration date. The timing and actual number of shares to be repurchased in the future will depend on a variety of factors, including the Company's financial position, earnings, catastrophe losses, capital requirements of the Company's operating subsidiaries, legal requirements, regulatory constraints, other investment opportunities (including mergers and acquisitions), market conditions and other factors. In January 2011, the board of directors approved a share repurchase authorization that added an additional $5 billion of repurchase capacity to the $1.51 billion of capacity remaining at December 31, 2010.
The Company repurchased 214,272 shares during the three months ended December 31, 2010 that were not part of the publicly announced share repurchase authorization. These shares were repurchased to cover payroll withholding taxes in connection with the vesting of restricted stock awards and exercises of stock options, and shares used by employees to cover the exercise price of certain stock options that were exercised.
Information relating to compensation plans under which the Company's equity securities are authorized for issuance is set forth in Part III-Item 12 of this Report.
Item 6.
Item 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA
(1)On January 1, 2009, the Company adopted the FASB's updated accounting guidance related to earnings per share. The impact of the adoption of this guidance was a reduction of previously reported basic earnings per share by $0.03, $0.04 and $0.05 per share for the years ended December 31, 2008, 2007 and 2006, respectively, and a reduction of previously reported diluted earnings per share by $0.01, $0.01 and $0.02 per share for the years ended December 31, 2008, 2007 and 2006, respectively.
Item 7.
Item 7. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
The following is a discussion and analysis of the financial condition and results of operations of The Travelers Companies, Inc. (together with its subsidiaries, the Company).
2010 FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
2010 Consolidated Results of Operations
•Net income of $3.22 billion, or $6.69 per share basic and $6.62 diluted
•Net earned premiums of $21.43 billion
•Pretax catastrophe losses of $1.11 billion ($729 million after-tax)
•Pretax net favorable prior year reserve development of $1.25 billion ($818 million after-tax)
•GAAP combined ratio of 93.2%
•Pretax net investment income of $3.06 billion ($2.47 billion after-tax)
•Pretax net realized investment gains of $264 million ($173 million after-tax)
2010 Consolidated Financial Condition
•Total investments of $72.72 billion; fixed maturities and short-term securities comprise 94% of total investments
•Total assets of $105.18 billion
•Total debt of $6.61 billion, resulting in a debt-to-total capital ratio of 20.6% (21.9% excluding net unrealized investment gains (losses), net of tax)
•Repurchased 95.7 million common shares for total cost of $5.00 billion under share repurchase authorization
•Shareholders' equity of $25.48 billion; book value per common share of $58.47
•Holding company liquidity of $3.61 billion
CONSOLIDATED OVERVIEW
Consolidated Results of Operations
The following discussions of the Company's net income and segment operating income are presented on an after-tax basis. Discussions of the components of net income and segment operating income are presented on a pretax basis, unless otherwise noted. Discussions of earnings per common share are presented on a diluted basis.
Overview
Diluted net income per share of $6.62 in 2010 increased by 5% over diluted net income per share of $6.33 in 2009, despite a decrease in reported net income, due to the favorable impact of common share repurchases over the previous twelve months. Net income of $3.22 billion in 2010 was $406 million lower than in 2009, primarily reflecting a significant increase in catastrophe losses, a modest decline in net favorable prior year reserve development and reduced underwriting margins related to pricing and loss cost trends, partially offset by increases in net investment income and net realized investment gains. The cost of catastrophes in 2010 and 2009 totaled $1.11 billion and $457 million, respectively. Net favorable prior year reserve development in 2010 and 2009 totaled $1.25 billion and $1.33 billion, respectively. In addition, net income in 2009 reflected a reduction in income tax expense of $89 million resulting from the favorable resolution of various prior year tax
matters and an $87 million reduction in the estimate of property windpool assessments related to Hurricane Ike that had been recorded in general and administrative expenses in 2008.
Diluted net income per share of $6.33 in 2009 increased by 32% over diluted net income per share of $4.81 in 2008. Net income of $3.62 billion in 2009 was 24% higher than 2008 net income of $2.92 billion. The higher rate of growth in per share income compared with growth in income reflected the favorable impact of the Company's common share repurchases over the previous twelve months. The increase in net income in 2009 was primarily driven by a significant decline in catastrophe losses. In addition, the increase reflected net realized investment gains (versus net realized investment losses in 2008), lower non-catastrophe weather-related losses and fewer large property losses, partially offset by reductions in underwriting margins related to pricing and loss cost trends, a decline in net favorable prior year reserve development and lower fee income. Catastrophe losses in 2009 totaled $457 million, compared with $1.41 billion in 2008. The 2008 total was principally comprised of $1.26 billion of claims and claim adjustment expenses and $141 million of property windpool assessments that were included in general and administrative expenses. Net favorable prior year reserve development totaled $1.33 billion in 2009, compared with $1.54 billion in 2008. Net income in 2009 included a net benefit of $89 million due to the favorable resolution of various prior year tax matters and an $87 million benefit from a reduction in the estimate of property windpool assessments related to Hurricane Ike. These assessments had been classified as a component of the cost of catastrophes in 2008 and are discussed in more detail in the "general and administrative expenses" section that follows). Net income in 2008 reflected an $89 million tax benefit related to the sale of a subsidiary.
Revenues
Earned Premiums
Earned premiums in 2010 totaled $21.43 billion, $14 million, or less than 1%, higher than in 2009. In the Business Insurance segment, earned premiums in 2010 declined 2% from 2009. In the Financial, Professional & International Insurance segment, earned premiums in 2010 decreased by less than 1% from 2009. In the Personal Insurance segment, earned premiums in 2010 increased 3% over 2009.
In 2009, earned premiums totaled $21.42 billion, a decrease of $161 million, or 1%, from 2008. In the Business Insurance segment, earned premiums in 2009 declined 2% from 2008. In the Financial, Professional & International Insurance segment, earned premiums in 2009 declined 3% from 2008. In the Personal Insurance segment, earned premiums increased 2% over 2008.
Factors contributing to the changes in earned premiums in each segment in 2010 and 2009 compared with the respective prior year are discussed in more detail in the segment discussions that follow.
Net Investment Income
The following table sets forth information regarding the Company's investments.
(a)Excludes net unrealized investment gains and losses, net of tax, and reflects cash, receivables for investment sales, payables on investment purchases and accrued investment income.
(b)Excludes net realized investment gains and losses and net unrealized investment gains and losses.
Net investment income of $3.06 billion in 2010 was $283 million, or 10%, higher than in 2009. Non-fixed maturity investments generated net investment income of $370 million in 2010, compared with negative net investment income of $40 million in 2009. The increase in net investment income from non-fixed maturity investments in 2010 reflected improved investment market conditions. Investment income from fixed maturity investments in 2010 declined $112 million compared with 2009, primarily resulting from lower long-term reinvestment yields available in the market, as well as a lower average level of long-term fixed income invested assets that reflected the impact of the Company's common share repurchases. The average pretax yield on the total investment portfolio was 4.3% in 2010, compared with 3.8% in 2009, reflecting the improvement in non-fixed maturity investment income.
Net investment income of $2.78 billion in 2009 was $16 million, or less than 1%, lower than in 2008, primarily resulting from a significant decline in short-term interest rates, a lower average level of long-term fixed maturity invested assets and the unfavorable impact of foreign currency exchange rates. Those factors were largely offset by improved returns from non-fixed maturity investments, which generated negative net investment income of $40 million in 2009, compared with negative net investment income of $222 million in 2008. The improved performance from non-fixed income investments in 2009 reflected improving investment market conditions in the second half of the year. The average pretax yield on the total investment portfolio was 3.8% in both 2009 and 2008.
Fee Income
The National Accounts market in the Business Insurance segment is the primary source of the Company's fee-based business. The declines in fee income in 2010 and 2009 compared with the respective prior years are described in the Business Insurance segment discussion that follows.
Net Realized Investment Gains (Losses)
The following table sets forth information regarding the Company's net realized investment gains (losses).
In the second quarter of 2009, the Company adopted updated accounting guidance that changed the reporting of other-than-temporary impairments. See notes 1 and 3 of notes to the Company's consolidated financial statements for a discussion of the impact of the adoption.
Other-Than-Temporary Impairment Losses on Investments-In 2010, impairments included in net income totaled $26 million. Impairments in the fixed maturity portfolio in 2010 totaled $13 million, which included $5 million related to various issuers' deteriorated financial position, $4 million of impairments related to structured mortgage securities and $4 million related to fixed maturity investments that the Company had the intent to sell. Impairments in 2010 also included $10 million related to other investments and equity impairments of $3 million.
In 2009, impairments included in net income totaled $258 million. Impairments in the fixed maturity portfolio in 2009 were $169 million and included $81 million of impairments related to structured mortgage securities, $70 million related to various issuers' deteriorated financial position and $18 million with respect to securities that the Company either had the intent to sell or did not have the ability to assert an intention to hold until recovery in fair value. Equity impairments in 2009 were $79 million, the majority of which were related to issuers in the financial services industry. Impairments in 2009 also included $10 million related to other investments.
In 2008, impairments included $186 million related to the deteriorated financial position of various issuers (including $70 million related to securities issued by Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. and its subsidiaries), $113 million related to externally managed securities with respect to which the Company did not have the ability to assert an intention to hold until recovery in fair value, $64 million related to structured mortgage securities and $57 million related to securities the Company had identified for potential sale prior to a recovery in fair value.
Further information regarding the nature of impairment charges in each year is included in the "Investment Portfolio" section later in this discussion.
Other Net Realized Investment Gains-Other net realized investment gains in 2010 totaled $290 million, compared with $275 million in 2009. In September 2010, the Company sold substantially all of its remaining common stock holdings in Verisk Analytics, Inc. (Verisk) for total proceeds of approximately $230 million as part of a secondary public offering of Verisk. The Company recorded a pretax realized investment gain of $205 million on this sale in 2010. The 2010 total also included $96 million of net realized investment gains related to fixed maturity investments and $25 million of net realized investment gains related to equity securities. These gains were partially offset by $30 million of net realized investment losses related to U.S. Treasury futures contracts, which require a daily mark-to-market settlement and are used to shorten the duration of the Company's fixed maturity investment portfolio.
Other net realized investment gains in 2009 were $275 million, compared with $5 million in 2008. In October 2009, the Company sold a portion of its common stock holdings in Verisk for total proceeds of approximately $184 million as part of the initial public offering (IPO) of Verisk. The Company recorded a pretax realized investment gain of $159 million on this sale in 2009. Other net realized investment gains in 2009 also included $100 million of net realized investment gains related to fixed maturity investments, $23 million of net realized investment gains associated with the U.S. Treasury futures contracts and $23 million of net realized investment losses related to foreign exchange.
Other net realized investment gains in 2008 included $50 million related to foreign currency exchange gains, $39 million from the sale of subsidiaries, $29 million from the sale of fixed maturity securities and $17 million of net realized investment gains from the sale of venture capital investments. Partially offsetting these realized investment gains in 2008 were net realized losses of $77 million related to convertible bonds wherein the embedded option price is marked to market through realized gains or losses and $53 million of losses related to U.S. Treasury futures contracts.
Other Revenues
Other revenues primarily consist of premium installment charges. In 2010, this category also included $60 million of expenses related to the Company's purchase and retirement of $885 million of its $1.0 billion 6.25% fixed-to-floating rate junior subordinated debentures.
Claims and Expenses
Claims and Claim Adjustment Expenses
Claims and claim adjustment expenses totaled $13.21 billion in 2010, $802 million, or 6%, higher than the 2009 total of $12.41 billion, primarily reflecting the significant increase in catastrophe losses, the modest decline in net favorable prior year reserve development and the impact of loss cost trends. Catastrophe losses in 2010 and 2009 totaled $1.11 billion and $457 million, respectively. Net favorable prior year reserve development in 2010 and 2009 totaled $1.25 billion and $1.33 billion, respectively. Catastrophe losses in 2010 primarily resulted from several severe wind and hail storms, as well as severe winter storms. Catastrophe losses in 2009 primarily resulted from several wind and hail storms, as well as flooding.
Claims and claim adjustment expenses totaled $12.41 billion in 2009, $585 million, or 5%, lower than the 2008 total of $12.99 billion, primarily reflecting the significant decline in catastrophe losses, lower non-catastrophe weather-related losses and fewer large property losses, mostly offset by the modest decline in net favorable prior year reserve development and the impact of loss cost trends. Total claims and claim adjustment expenses in 2009 included $457 million for the cost of catastrophes and $1.33 billion of net favorable prior year reserve development, whereas the comparable 2008 total included $1.26 billion for the cost of catastrophes and $1.54 billion of net favorable prior year reserve development. Catastrophe losses in 2008 primarily resulted from Hurricanes Ike, Gustav and Dolly.
The Company's three business segments each experienced net favorable prior year reserve development in 2010, 2009 and 2008. In the Business Insurance segment, net favorable prior year reserve development totaled $901 million, $1.03 billion and $1.12 billion in 2010, 2009 and 2008, respectively. In the Financial, Professional & International Insurance segment, net favorable prior year reserve development in 2010, 2009 and 2008 totaled $259 million, $168 million and $274 million, respectively. In the Personal Insurance segment, net favorable prior year reserve development totaled $87 million, $135 million and $143 million, respectively. Factors contributing to net favorable prior year reserve development are discussed in more detail in the segment discussions that follow.
Amortization of Deferred Acquisition Costs
The amortization of deferred acquisition costs in 2010 totaled $3.80 billion, virtually level with the 2009 total. In 2009, the amortization of deferred acquisition costs totaled $3.81 billion, 2% lower than the total of $3.88 billion in 2008. Changes in the amortization of deferred acquisition costs in both 2010 and 2009 were consistent with the changes in earned premiums in each year as compared to the preceding year.
General and Administrative Expenses
In 2010, general and administrative expenses totaled $3.41 billion, an increase of $40 million, or 1%, over the 2009 total of $3.37 billion. The 2009 total included a reduction of $87 million in the estimate of property windpool assessments related to Hurricane Ike due to a decline in estimated insurance industry losses related to Hurricane Ike. Excluding that adjustment in 2009, general and administrative expenses in 2010 were $47 million, or 1%, lower than in 2009. The decline was concentrated in the Business Insurance segment, and was largely offset by higher expenses in the Personal Insurance segment resulting from the Company's direct to consumer initiative and in the Financial, Professional & International Insurance segment due to employee- and technology-related costs to enhance operations and support future business growth.
General and administrative expenses totaled $3.37 billion in 2009, a decrease of $152 million, or 4%, from the comparable 2008 total of $3.52 billion. The decrease reflected changes in the estimates of windpool assessments related to Hurricane Ike. During 2008, the Company recorded $141 million of
hurricane-related assessments in general and administrative expenses. The Company subsequently recorded an $87 million reduction in these estimated assessments in 2009 due to a decline in estimated insurance industry losses related to Hurricane Ike. Adjusting for the impact of windpool assessments in both 2009 and 2008, general and administrative expenses in 2009 increased 2% over 2008. The increase reflected the impact of continued investments to support business growth and product development, including the Company's direct to consumer initiative in the Personal Insurance segment, partially offset by the favorable impact of changes in foreign currency exchange rates on expenses in the Financial, Professional & International Insurance segment.
Hurricane-related property windpool assessments are levied on insurers periodically by state-created insurance and windstorm insurance entities such as Citizens Property Insurance Corporation in Florida, Louisiana Citizens Property Insurance Corporation and the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association. These assessments are levied on the insurers writing business in those states to fund the operating deficits of such entities during periods of significant storm activity. Hurricane-related assessments are reported as a component of "General and Administrative Expenses" as the amounts paid to such entities are not insured losses of the Company.
Interest Expense
Interest expense in 2010, 2009 and 2008 totaled $388 million, $382 million and $370 million, respectively. The increases in 2010 and 2009 over the respective prior year primarily reflected higher average levels of debt outstanding.
Effective Tax Rate
The Company's effective tax rate was 25%, 23% and 21% in 2010, 2009 and 2008, respectively. The effective tax rate in 2009 benefited from the favorable resolution of prior year tax matters. Excluding that benefit in 2009, the effective tax rates in 2010 and 2009 were virtually level. The increase in the effective rate in 2009 compared to 2008 primarily resulted from the change in income before taxes between years and the proportion of tax-exempt investment income in each year.
GAAP Combined Ratios
The consolidated GAAP combined ratio of 93.2% in 2010 was 4.0 points higher than the consolidated GAAP combined ratio of 89.2% in 2009.
The consolidated loss and loss adjustment expense ratio of 61.0% in 2010 was 3.7 points higher than the loss and loss adjustment expense ratio of 57.3% in 2009. Catastrophe losses accounted for 5.2 points and 2.1 points of the 2010 and 2009 loss and loss adjustment expense ratios, respectively. The 2010 and 2009 consolidated loss and loss adjustment expense ratios included 5.8 point and 6.2 point benefits from net favorable prior year reserve development, respectively. The consolidated loss and loss adjustment expense ratios excluding catastrophe losses and prior year reserve development in 2010 was 0.2 points higher than the 2009 ratio on the same basis, primarily reflecting the impact of reduced underwriting margins related to pricing and loss cost trends in the Business Insurance segment, largely offset by earned rate increases modestly outpacing loss cost trends in the Personal Insurance segment.
The consolidated underwriting expense ratio of 32.2% in 2010 was 0.3 points higher than the 2009 consolidated underwriting expense ratio of 31.9%. The 2009 ratio reflected a 0.4 point benefit resulting from the reduction in the estimate of property windpool assessments related to Hurricane Ike. Excluding that factor in 2009, the consolidated underwriting expense ratio in 2010 was 0.1 points lower than in 2009, primarily reflecting lower expenses in the Business Insurance segment, largely offset by higher expenses in the Personal Insurance segment resulting from the Company's direct to consumer initiative and in the Financial, Professional & International Insurance segment due to employee- and technology-related costs to enhance operations and support future business growth.
The consolidated GAAP combined ratio of 89.2% in 2009 was 2.7 points lower than the consolidated GAAP combined ratio of 91.9% in 2008.
The consolidated loss and loss adjustment expense ratio of 57.3% in 2009 was 2.1 points lower than the loss and loss adjustment expense ratio of 59.4% in 2008. Catastrophe losses accounted for 2.1 points and 5.8 points of the 2009 and 2008 loss and loss adjustment expense ratios, respectively. The 2009 and 2008 loss and loss adjustment expense ratios included 6.2 point and 7.1 point benefits from net favorable prior year reserve development, respectively. The consolidated loss and loss adjustment expense ratio adjusted for catastrophe losses and prior year reserve development in 2009 was 0.7 points higher than the 2008 ratio on the same basis, primarily reflecting the impact of loss cost trends in the Business Insurance and Personal Insurance segments, partially offset by lower non-catastrophe weather-related losses across the Company's segments, and fewer large property losses in the Financial, Professional & International Insurance segment.
In 2009, the consolidated underwriting expense ratio of 31.9% was 0.6 points lower than the consolidated underwriting expense ratio of 32.5% in 2008. The underwriting expense ratio in 2009 included a 0.4 point benefit from the reduction in the estimate of windpool assessments described above, whereas the underwriting expense ratio in 2008 included a 0.7 point increase due to the impact of the windpool assessments. Adjusting for these factors in both years, the underwriting expense ratio for 2009 was 0.5 points higher than the respective 2008 underwriting expense ratio, primarily reflecting the impact of continued investments to support business growth and product development, including the Company's direct to consumer initiative in the Personal Insurance segment, as well as salary increases in the normal course of business.
Written Premiums
Consolidated gross and net written premiums were as follows:
Gross written premiums increased by less than 1% in 2010, while net written premiums increased by 1%. New business volume in the Business Insurance and Personal Insurance segments in 2010 increased compared with 2009, but declined in the Financial, Professional & International Insurance segment. Retention rates remained strong across all business segments. The impact of renewal rate changes on premiums remained positive in the Personal Insurance and Financial, Professional & International Insurance segments but was slightly negative in the Business Insurance segment.
Gross and net written premiums in 2009 both decreased 2% from 2008. Overall, business retention remained at high levels in 2009. Renewal premium changes remained stable as improving rate trends offset the impact of lower coverage demands from existing policyholders due to general economic
conditions. New business volume declined slightly from 2008, as modest growth in the Business Insurance segment was offset by lower new business volume in the Financial, Professional & International Insurance and Personal Insurance segments.
RESULTS OF OPERATIONS BY SEGMENT
Business Insurance
Results of the Company's Business Insurance segment were as follows:
Overview
Operating income of $2.30 billion in 2010 was $289 million, or 11%, lower than 2009 operating income of $2.59 billion, primarily reflecting the significant increase in catastrophe losses, the modest decline in net favorable prior year reserve development, reduced underwriting margins related to pricing and loss cost trends and a higher number of large losses, partially offset by an increase in net investment income and a decline in general and administrative expenses. In addition, operating income in 2009 included benefits of $42 million from the favorable resolution of various prior year tax matters and a $38 million reduction in the estimate of property windpool assessments related to Hurricane Ike. Catastrophe losses in 2010 totaled $437 million, compared with $176 million in 2009. Net favorable prior year reserve development totaled $901 million in 2010, compared with $1.03 billion in 2009.
In 2009, operating income of $2.59 billion was $252 million, or 11%, higher than 2008 operating income of $2.34 billion, primarily reflecting the significant decline in catastrophe losses, which was partially offset by reduced underwriting margins and fee income. Catastrophe losses in 2009 and 2008 totaled $176 million and $706 million, respectively. The 2008 total was principally comprised of $642 million of claims and claim adjustment expenses and $62 million of property windpool assessments that were included in general and administrative expenses. Net favorable prior year reserve development totaled $1.03 billion and $1.12 billion in 2009 and 2008, respectively. Operating income in 2009 also included the favorable resolution of various prior year tax matters and reduction in the estimate of property windpool assessments benefits described above.
Earned Premiums
Earned premiums of $10.77 billon in 2010 decreased $202 million, or 2%, from 2009. In 2009, earned premiums of $10.97 billion decreased $212 million, or 2%, from 2008. The declines in both years were primarily attributable to reduced insured exposures due to lower levels of economic activity.
Net Investment Income
Refer to the "Net Investment Income" section of "Consolidated Results of Operations" herein for a discussion of the changes in the Company's net investment income in 2010 and 2009 as compared with the prior year.
Fee Income
National Accounts is the primary source of fee income due to its service businesses, which include claim and loss prevention services to large companies that choose to self-insure a portion of their insurance risks, as well as claims and policy management services to workers' compensation residual market pools. The $21 million and $84 million declines, respectively, in fee income in 2010 and 2009 compared with the preceding year primarily reflected lower new business volume due to lower levels of economic activity and lower serviced premium and claim volume due to the de-population of workers' compensation residual market pools. The declines in both years also reflected the impact of both lower claim volume and lower loss costs (as fees are based either on the number of claims serviced or as a percentage of losses) driven by workers' compensation reforms, as well as overall lower claim frequency and increased competition.
Claims and Expenses
Claims and claim adjustment expenses in 2010 totaled $6.50 billion, an increase of $467 million, or 8%, over 2009, primarily reflecting the significant increase in catastrophe losses, the modest decline in net favorable prior year reserve development, a higher number of large losses and the impact of loss cost trends. Catastrophe losses in 2010 and 2009 totaled $437 million and $176 million, respectively. Catastrophe losses in 2010 primarily resulted from several severe wind and hail storms as well as severe winter storms. Net favorable prior year reserve development in 2010 and 2009 totaled $901 million and $1.03 billion, respectively. Net favorable prior year reserve development in 2010 was driven by better than expected loss development in the property, general liability and workers' compensation product lines for multiple accident years, as well as in assumed reinsurance, which is in runoff. The property product line improvement primarily occurred in the 2008 and 2009 accident years as a result of better than expected loss development in Industry-Focused Underwriting and Target Risk Underwriting. The general liability product line improvement was concentrated in excess coverages for accident years 2006 and prior and reflected what the Company believes are favorable legal and judicial environments. Net favorable prior year reserve development in the workers' compensation product line was concentrated in accident years 2007 and prior and resulted from better than expected loss development. The improvement in assumed reinsurance resulted primarily from favorable resolutions of claims and disputes from accident years 2002 and prior. In addition, better than expected loss development in the Business Insurance segment in recent years resulted in a favorable re-estimation of reserves for unallocated loss adjustment expenses in 2010. The net favorable prior year reserve development in these product lines in 2010 was partially offset by $140 million and $35 million increases to asbestos and environmental reserves, respectively, which are discussed in further detail in the "Asbestos Claims and Litigation" and "Environmental Claims and Litigation" sections herein.
Claims and claim adjustment expenses in 2009 totaled $6.04 billion, a decrease of $571 million, or 9%, compared with 2008. The decrease in 2009 primarily reflected the significant decline in catastrophe losses, partially offset by the impact of loss cost trends and the modest decline in net favorable prior year reserve development. Catastrophe losses included in claims and claim adjustment expenses in 2009 totaled $176 million, compared with $642 million in 2008. Catastrophe losses in 2009 primarily resulted from several wind and hail storms, as well as flooding. In 2008, Hurricanes Ike, Gustav and Dolly, and other wind, rain and hail storms in several regions of the United States accounted for the majority of catastrophe losses. Net favorable prior year reserve development in 2009 and 2008 totaled $1.03 billion and $1.12 billion, respectively. The 2009 total was driven by better than expected loss development
primarily concentrated in the general liability, commercial multi-peril, commercial automobile and commercial property product lines for recent accident years, reflecting greater reductions in frequency than the Company expected based upon long-term frequency trends that have been declining. The general liability and commercial multi-peril product lines experienced better than anticipated loss development that was attributable to several factors, including what the Company believes to be improved legal and judicial environments, as well as enhanced risk control, underwriting and claim process initiatives. The commercial automobile line of business experienced better than expected loss development that was attributable to what the Company believes to be more favorable legal and judicial environments, claim handling initiatives and improvements in auto safety technology. The commercial property product line improvement primarily occurred in the 2007 and 2008 accident years as a result of better than expected loss development for certain large national property and inland marine exposures. In addition, the commercial property product line's 2005 accident year experience improved due to the litigation environment relating to, and ongoing claim settlements for, Hurricane Katrina. The net favorable prior year reserve development in these product lines in 2009 was partially offset by $185 million and $70 million increases to asbestos reserves and environmental reserves, respectively (discussed in more detail in the "Asbestos Claims and Litigation" and "Environmental Claims and Litigation" sections herein).
Net favorable prior year development in 2008 was driven by better than expected loss development primarily concentrated in the general liability and commercial multi-peril product lines, an increase in anticipated ceded reinsurance recoveries for older accident years in the general liability product line and better than anticipated loss development in the commercial property and commercial automobile product lines. The net favorable prior year reserve development in the general liability and commercial multi-peril lines was attributable to several factors, including improved legal and judicial environments, as well as enhanced risk control, underwriting and claim process initiatives. The commercial property product line improvement occurred primarily in the 2007 accident year as a result of better than expected loss development for certain large national property, national programs, and ocean marine claim exposures and lower than expected weather-related losses during the last half of 2007, as well as favorable loss development in certain large inland marine claim exposures and in ceded reinsurance recoveries for commercial property large claims. In addition, the commercial multi-peril and property product lines' 2005 accident year results experienced improvement due to the litigation environment relating to, and ongoing claim settlements for, Hurricane Katrina. The commercial automobile product line improvement was attributable to several factors, including improved legal and judicial environments, as well as enhanced risk control, underwriting and claim process initiatives. The net favorable prior year reserve development in the foregoing product lines in 2008 was partially offset by net unfavorable prior year reserve development in the workers' compensation product line, primarily driven by higher than anticipated medical costs related to 2004 and prior accident years, and by $70 million and $85 million increases to asbestos and environmental reserves, respectively (discussed in more detail in the "Asbestos Claims and Litigation" and "Environmental Claims and Litigation" sections herein).
The amortization of deferred acquisition costs totaled $1.75 billion in 2010, $26 million lower than the comparable total of $1.78 billion in 2009. In 2009, the total of $1.78 billion was $43 million lower than the 2008 total of $1.82 billion. The declines in both years were consistent with the declines in earned premiums.
General and administrative expenses in 2010 totaled $1.90 billion, $62 million, or 3%, lower than in 2009. The 2009 total included a $38 million reduction in the estimate of property windpool assessments related to Hurricane Ike. Adjusting for that reduction in 2009, general and administrative expenses in 2010 were $100 million, or 5%, lower than in 2009, driven by a decline in loss-based assessments that reflected the impact of favorable prior year reserve development and favorable rate changes, as well as a decline in employee-related expenses and a reduction in the amount of the
Company's corporate advertising expense allocated to this segment resulting from a change in focus to the Personal Insurance segment's direct to consumer initiative in 2010.
General and administrative expenses in 2009 totaled $1.97 billion, $113 million lower than the comparable 2008 total of $2.08 billion. The majority of the decrease reflected the impact of estimates of windpool assessments related to Hurricane Ike in each year. During 2008, the Company recorded $62 million of hurricane-related assessments in general and administrative expenses. Subsequently, during the first half of 2009, the Company recorded a $38 million reduction in these assessments due to a decline in estimated insurance industry losses related to Hurricane Ike.
GAAP Combined Ratio
The GAAP combined ratio of 91.3% in 2010 was 5.2 points higher than the GAAP combined ratio of 86.1% in 2009.
In 2010, the loss and loss adjustment expense ratio of 59.1% was 5.2 points higher than the 2009 ratio of 53.9%. Catastrophe losses in 2010 and 2009 accounted for 4.1 points and 1.6 points of the loss and loss adjustment expense ratio, respectively. Net favorable prior year reserve development provided 8.4 point and 9.3 point benefits to the loss and loss adjustment expense ratio in 2010 and 2009, respectively. The loss and loss adjustment expense ratio in 2010 excluding catastrophe losses and prior year reserve development was 1.8 points higher than the 2009 ratio on the same basis, reflecting the impact of reduced underwriting margins related to pricing and loss cost trends and a higher number of large losses.
The underwriting expense ratio of 32.2% in 2010 was level with the 2009 underwriting expense ratio. The underwriting expense ratio in 2009 included a 0.3 point benefit from the reduction in the estimate of windpool assessments described above. Adjusting for that factor in 2009, the underwriting expense ratio for 2010 was 0.3 points lower than the 2009 underwriting expense ratio. The improvement in the 2010 adjusted expense ratio reflected the decline in expenses described above.
The GAAP combined ratio of 86.1% in 2009 was 4.1 points lower than the GAAP combined ratio of 90.2% in 2008.
In 2009, the loss and loss adjustment expense ratio of 53.9% was 3.8 points lower than the comparable 2008 ratio of 57.7%. The cost of catastrophes in 2009 and 2008 accounted for 1.6 points and 5.7 points of the loss and loss adjustment expense ratio, respectively. Net favorable prior year reserve development provided 9.3 point and 10.0 point benefits to the loss and loss adjustment expense ratio in 2009 and 2008, respectively. The loss and loss adjustment expense ratio in 2009 adjusted for the cost of catastrophes and prior year reserve development was 0.4 points lower than the 2008 ratio on the same basis, due to lower non-catastrophe weather-related losses and fewer large property losses, partially offset by reduced underwriting margins related to pricing and loss cost trends.
The underwriting expense ratio of 32.2% in 2009 was 0.3 points lower than the underwriting expense ratio of 32.5% in 2008. The 2009 underwriting expense ratio included a 0.3 point benefit from the reduction in the estimate of windpool assessments described above, whereas the underwriting expense ratio in 2008 included a 0.6 point increase due to the impact from the windpool assessments and reinstatement premiums. Adjusting for these factors in both years, the underwriting expense ratio for 2009 was 0.6 points higher than the 2008 underwriting expense ratio, primarily reflecting the unfavorable impact of the decline in fee income compared with 2008. A portion of fee income is accounted for as a reduction of expenses for purposes of calculating the expense ratio.
Written Premiums
The Business Insurance segment's gross and net written premiums by market were as follows:
In Business Insurance Core, gross and net written premiums decreased by 2% and less than 1%, respectively, from 2009. In 2009, Business Insurance Core gross and net written premiums decreased by 4% and 3% from 2008, respectively. The difference in rates of decline between gross and net written premiums in 2010 and 2009 was concentrated in National Accounts. A significant portion of gross written premiums for products offered by both Discover Re and Residual Markets is ceded to other insurers and residual market pools. As a result, the decline in gross written premiums did not have a proportional impact on net written premiums. The decline in gross and net written premiums in 2010 and 2009 was driven in large part by lower levels of economic activity that impacted exposure changes at renewal, audit premium adjustments, policy endorsements and mid-term cancellations.
Select Accounts. Net written premiums of $2.72 billion in 2010 decreased 1% from 2009. Business retention rates in 2010 remained strong but were slightly lower than in 2009. Renewal premium changes remained positive in 2010 and increased over 2009, reflecting positive renewal rate changes and modest exposure growth. New business volume in 2010 declined compared with 2009, driven by lower business volumes from larger accounts where marketplace competition remained high.
Net written premiums of $2.76 billion in 2009 were level with 2008. Business retention rates remained strong, but declined slightly from the prior year. Renewal premium changes were positive in 2009 and increased over 2008. New business volume in 2009 increased slightly over 2008, driven by the continued success of the Company's quote-to-issue agency platform and multivariate pricing program for smaller businesses, partially offset by lower business volumes in larger, more complex accounts served by this market.
Commercial Accounts. Net written premiums of $2.58 billion in 2010 were 3% higher than in 2009. Business retention rates in 2010 remained strong and increased slightly over 2009. Renewal premium changes in 2010 were slightly positive, as positive renewal rate changes were largely offset by a modest decline in exposures that reflected the impact of general economic conditions. New business levels also increased over 2009.
In 2009, net written premiums of $2.49 billion were 1% lower than in 2008. Business retention rates in 2009 remained strong but declined slightly from the prior year. Renewal premium changes were slightly negative in 2009 but were improved over 2008, as the impact of a continued improving rate trend was partially offset by the impact of general economic conditions. New business levels increased when compared with 2008 due to various product and customer initiatives.
National Accounts. Net written premiums of $806 million in 2010 were 11% lower than in 2009, reflecting reduced insurance exposures driven by lower levels of economic activity, less prior year retrospective premium adjustments and the loss of a large account. Despite the loss of that account, business retention rates remained high in 2010.
In 2009, net written premiums of $902 million were 9% lower than in 2008, driven by the loss of a large account, negative renewal premium changes that reflected the impact of general economic conditions, and lower premium volume from property and workers' compensation involuntary residual markets. Despite the impact of the loss of a large account, business retention rates remained high in 2009.
Industry-Focused Underwriting. Net written premiums of $2.30 billion in 2010 increased 1% over 2009. Premium growth in 2010 was concentrated in the Technology, Agribusiness and Oil & Gas business units. In the Technology business unit, the 3% growth in net written premiums over 2009 reflected continued strong business retention rates and new business levels. In the Agribusiness business unit, the 5% growth in net written premiums was primarily driven by an increase in renewal premium changes and strong business retention rates. In the Oil & Gas business unit, net written premiums increased by 3% over 2009, primarily reflecting a decline in ceded premiums.
In 2009, net written premiums of $2.28 billion declined 5% from 2008. Premium declines were concentrated in the Construction and Oil & Gas business units, reflecting the impact of general economic conditions in these industries. In addition, premium volume in the Technology and Public Sector business units declined, reflecting the impact of general economic conditions and competitive market pressures. These declines were partially offset by premium growth in the Agribusiness business unit in 2009.
Target Risk Underwriting. Net written premiums of $1.57 billion in 2010 were slightly higher than in 2009. Premium growth in the Boiler & Machinery and Inland Marine business units was driven by increases in new business volume coupled with increases in business retention rates. Growth in these business units was largely offset by a decline in National Property premium volume, driven by reductions in renewal premium changes and new business levels.
In 2009, net written premiums of $1.57 billion were 2% lower than in 2008, primarily due to the Inland Marine and Ocean Marine business units, reflecting the impact of general economic conditions and a decline in new business volume. Partially offsetting the declines in these business units was strong growth in National Property premium volume in 2009 due to significant increases in renewal premium changes. Excess Casualty written premiums also increased over 2008, due to a change in the terms of certain reinsurance treaties that resulted in a higher level of business retained.
Specialized Distribution. Net written premiums of $872 million in 2010 were 2% lower than in 2009, primarily driven by negative renewal premium changes in both the Northland and National Programs business units. Business retention rates in both business units increased over 2009.
In 2009, net written premiums of $889 million were 5% lower than in 2008. The decline was attributable to both the National Programs and Northland business units, which experienced continued negative renewal premium changes that reflected competitive market conditions and the impact of general economic conditions, primarily on the commercial trucking, entertainment and leisure industries.
Financial, Professional & International Insurance
Results of the Company's Financial, Professional & International Insurance segment were as follows:
Overview
Operating income of $620 million in 2010 was $22 million, or 3%, lower than in 2009, primarily driven by increases in catastrophe losses, non-catastrophe weather-related losses, and general and administrative expenses, as well as lower business volumes, which were partially offset by an increase in net favorable prior year reserve development. Net favorable prior year reserve development in 2010 and 2009 totaled $259 million and $168 million, respectively. Catastrophe losses in 2010 and 2009 totaled $82 million and $3 million, respectively.
In 2009, operating income of $642 million was $7 million, or 1%, lower than in 2008. A reduction in net favorable prior year reserve development was largely offset by a decline in the cost of catastrophes and lower large losses in International. Net favorable prior year reserve development totaled $168 million and $274 million in 2009 and 2008, respectively. The cost of catastrophes totaled $3 million and $84 million in 2009 and 2008, respectively.
Earned Premiums
Earned premiums of $3.32 billion in 2010 were slightly lower than in 2009, primarily reflecting the impact of intentional underwriting actions taken and competitive market conditions in the Professional Liability business unit and in the Company's operation at Lloyd's. These factors were largely offset by lower reinsurance costs, the impact of changes in the structure of the Company's reinsurance during the first quarter of 2010 that modestly increased retentions to directionally align retentions in the Company's International business with its U.S. practices, and the favorable impact of foreign currency exchange rates. Earned premiums of $3.33 billion in 2009 declined $96 million, or 3%, from the 2008 total due to the unfavorable impact of foreign currency exchange rates. Adjusting for the impact of
exchange rates, earned premiums in this segment in 2009 were slightly higher than in 2008, primarily reflecting growth in International.
Net Investment Income
Net investment income in 2010 decreased by $13 million compared with 2009. Included in the Financial, Professional & International Insurance segment are certain legal entities whose invested assets and related net investment income are reported exclusively in this segment and not allocated among all business segments. As a result, reported net investment income in the Financial, Professional & International Insurance segment reflects a significantly smaller proportion of allocated net investment income, including that from the Company's non-fixed maturity investments that experienced a substantial increase in investment income in 2010. Refer to the "Net Investment Income" section of "Consolidated Results of Operations" herein for a discussion of the change in the Company's consolidated net investment income in 2010 and 2009 as compared with the respective prior years. In addition, refer to note 2 of notes to the Company's consolidated financial statements for a discussion of the Company's net investment income allocation methodology. In 2009, the slight decline in net investment income compared with 2008 was primarily driven by the unfavorable impact of foreign currency exchange rates, which reduced reported net investment income by approximately $18 million in 2009.
Claims and Expenses
Claims and claim adjustment expenses in 2010 totaled $1.70 billion, a decrease of $47 million, or 3%, from 2009, primarily reflecting an increase in net favorable prior year reserve development offset by increases in catastrophe losses and non-catastrophe weather-related losses. In addition, the 2009 total included an increase in reserves for a non-renewed professional liability program in Ireland. Net favorable prior year reserve development totaled $259 million and $168 million in 2010 and 2009, respectively In Bond & Financial Products, net favorable prior year reserve development in 2010 was driven by better than expected loss development in the surety and management liability lines of business due to lower than expected claim activity and loss severity in the 2008 and prior accident years. In International, the majority of net favorable prior year reserve development in 2010 occurred at the Company's operation at Lloyd's, in Canada and in the United Kingdom. Catastrophe losses in 2010 and 2009 totaled $82 million and $3 million, respectively. An earthquake in Chile accounted for substantially all catastrophe losses incurred in 2010.
Claims and claim adjustment expenses in 2009 totaled $1.75 billion, a decrease of $22 million, or 1%, from 2008. The decrease in 2009 was driven by a $73 million favorable impact of foreign currency exchange rates. A decrease in net favorable prior year reserve development was largely offset by declines in catastrophe losses and large losses in International. Net favorable prior year reserve development totaled $168 million and $274 million in 2009 and 2008, respectively. Net favorable prior year reserve development in 2009 was driven by better than expected loss development in International, particularly in the United Kingdom and Canada. In addition, the Aviation and Property lines of business at Lloyd's experienced net favorable prior year reserve development in 2009. In Bond & Financial Products, better than expected loss development for the contract surety business within the fidelity and surety product line for recent accident years also resulted in net favorable prior year reserve development in 2009. The catastrophe losses included in claims and claim adjustment expenses in 2009 totaled $3 million, compared with $73 million in 2008.
Net favorable prior year reserve development totaled $274 million in 2008, primarily driven by better than expected loss development in International. The improvements in longer-tail lines of business were attributable to several factors, including enhanced risk control and underwriting strategies throughout International. In the property line of business, the improvement primarily resulted from better than anticipated loss development in the United Kingdom, in part due to favorable claim activity
relating to 2007 flood losses. In Bond & Financial Products, better than expected loss development for the contract surety business within the fidelity and surety product line, resulting from favorable settlements on large claims (primarily from accident years prior to 2005), resulted in net favorable prior year reserve development in 2008.
The amortization of deferred acquisition costs totaled $612 million in 2010, $10 million, or 2%, lower than the comparable 2009 total of $622 million, consistent with the decline in earned premiums. In 2009, the amortization of deferred acquisition costs totaled $622 million, $30 million, or 5%, lower than the comparable 2008 total of $652 million, driven by the favorable impact of foreign currency exchange rates and changes in the mix of business.
General and administrative expenses in 2010 totaled $608 million, $29 million, or 5%, higher than the 2009 total of $579 million. The increase in 2010 primarily reflected increases in employee- and technology-related costs to enhance operations and support future business growth. In 2009, general and administrative expenses of $579 million were slightly lower than the 2008 total of $581 million, primarily reflecting the favorable impact of foreign currency exchange rates, which was largely offset by an increase in employee-related expenses associated with growth initiatives.
GAAP Combined Ratio
The GAAP combined ratio of 87.7% in 2010 was 0.4 points lower than the GAAP combined ratio of 88.1% in 2009.
The loss and loss adjustment expense ratio of 50.9% in 2010 was 1.2 points lower than the 2009 ratio of 52.1%. Catastrophe losses in 2010 and 2009 accounted for 2.4 and 0.1 points of the loss and loss adjustment expense ratio, respectively. The loss and loss adjustment expense ratios in 2010 and 2009 included 7.8 point and 5.1 point benefits, respectively, from net favorable prior year reserve development. The loss and loss adjustment expense ratio in 2010 excluding catastrophe losses and prior year reserve development was 0.8 points lower than the 2009 ratio on the same basis, reflecting lower reinsurance costs, partially offset by an increase in non-catastrophe weather-related losses. In addition, the 2009 ratio reflected a reserve increase for a non-renewed professional liability program in Ireland.
The underwriting expense ratio of 36.8% in 2010 was 0.8 points higher than the underwriting expense ratio of 36.0% in 2009. The increase primarily reflected the impact of increases in employee- and technology-related costs to enhance operations and support future business growth.
The GAAP combined ratio of 88.1% in 2009 was 0.9 points higher than the GAAP combined ratio of 87.2% in 2008.
In 2009, the loss and loss adjustment expense ratio of 52.1% was 0.9 points higher than the 2008 ratio of 51.2%. Catastrophe losses in 2009 and 2008 accounted for 0.1 and 2.3 points of the loss and loss adjustment expense ratio, respectively. The loss and loss adjustment expense ratios in 2009 and 2008 included 5.1 point and 8.0 point benefits, respectively, from net favorable prior year reserve development. The loss and loss adjustment expense ratio in 2009 adjusted for catastrophe losses and prior year reserve development was 0.2 points higher than the 2008 ratio on the same basis, as the impact of loss cost trends was partially offset by the favorable impact of lower large losses in International.
In 2009, the underwriting expense ratio of 36.0% was level with the underwriting expense ratio in 2008. The 2008 expense ratio included a 0.2 point impact from hurricane-related assessments. Adjusting for that factor in 2008, the 2009 underwriting expense ratio was 0.2 points higher than the 2008 ratio.
Written Premiums
Financial, Professional & International Insurance gross and net written premiums by market were as follows:
Gross and net written premiums in 2010 decreased 5% and 2%, respectively, compared with 2009. Net written premiums for Bond & Financial Products in 2010 declined 3% from 2009, primarily reflecting the impact of underwriting actions taken and competitive market conditions in the Professional Liability and Public Company Liability business units. In addition, construction and commercial surety gross and net written premium volume declined in 2010 compared with 2009, reflecting the impact of the economic downturn. These factors were partially offset on a net basis by a reduction in reinsurance costs. In International, the 1% decline in net written premiums in 2010 compared with 2009 primarily reflected the impact of intentional underwriting actions and competitive market conditions. Those factors were largely offset by changes in the structure of the Company's reinsurance that modestly increased retentions to directionally align retentions in the Company's International business with its U.S. practices, as well as the favorable impact of foreign currency exchange rates. In late 2008, the Company commenced an exclusive relationship with a broker in the Republic of Ireland that significantly increased the 2009 volume of personal automobile coverage written and also resulted in the Company writing personal household coverages. The Company ceased writing business through this relationship in the fourth quarter of 2010.
Gross written premiums of $3.71 billion in 2009 decreased 6% from 2008, and net written premiums of $3.29 billion in 2009 decreased 5% from 2008. The decline in gross and net written premiums was primarily attributable to the unfavorable impact of foreign currency exchange rates in International. The remainder of the decline was driven by the impact of the economic downturn on construction and commercial surety business volume, underwriting actions taken and competitive market conditions in the Professional Liability and Public Company Liability components of Bond & Financial Products' management liability business, partially offset by growth in Ireland.
In Bond & Financial Products (excluding the surety line of business, for which the following are not relevant measures), business retention rates in 2010 were strong and slightly higher than in 2009. Renewal premium changes in 2010 were negative, reflecting both a decline in renewal rate changes and reduced insured exposures due to intentional underwriting actions taken and lower levels of economic activity. New business volume in 2010 declined from 2009, which reflected increasingly competitive market conditions in 2010. For International (also excluding the surety line of business), business retention rates in 2010 declined from 2009. New business volume in International also declined in 2010, primarily due to intentional underwriting actions and the termination of a broker relationship in Ireland. Renewal premium changes were slightly positive in 2010, driven by positive renewal rate changes, partially offset by reduced insured exposures.
In 2009 in Bond & Financial Products, business retention rates remained strong but decreased from 2008, primarily in professional liability. Renewal premium changes in 2009 increased slightly over 2008, as the impact of slight positive renewal rate changes on written premiums was largely offset by reduced insured exposures due to underwriting actions and lower levels of economic activity. New business levels in 2009 were lower than in 2008. In International, business retention rates in 2009 declined from 2008, primarily due to underwriting actions taken in the United Kingdom, Ireland and at the Company's operations at Lloyd's. Renewal premium changes improved over 2008 and new business levels declined when compared with 2008.
Personal Insurance
Results of the Company's Personal Insurance segment were as follows:
Overview
In 2010, operating income of $440 million was $161 million, or 27%, lower than in 2009. The decline primarily reflected the significant increase in catastrophe losses, a decline in net favorable prior year reserve development and an increase in expenses related to the Company's direct to consumer initiative. These factors were partially offset by increases in net investment income and business volume, the favorable impact of earned rate increases outpacing loss cost trends and a reduction in non-catastrophe weather-related losses. In addition, operating income in 2009 included a $48 million reduction in the estimate of property windpool assessments related to Hurricane Ike that had been recorded in general and administrative expenses in 2008. Catastrophe losses in 2010 and 2009 totaled $594 million and $278 million, respectively. Net favorable prior year reserve development in 2010 and 2009 totaled $87 million and $135 million, respectively.
In 2009, operating income of $601 million was $136 million, or 29%, higher than in 2008, driven by the significant decline in catastrophe losses and a reduction in the estimate of property windpool assessments, partially offset by investments in the direct to consumer initiative and loss cost trends. Catastrophe losses in 2009 and 2008 totaled $278 million and $618 million, respectively. The 2008 total was comprised of $541 million of claims and claim adjustment expenses and $77 million of property windpool assessments that were included in general and administrative expenses. Net favorable prior year reserve development in 2009 and 2008 totaled $135 million and $143 million, respectively.
Earned Premiums
Earned premiums of $7.35 billion in 2010 were $232 million, or 3%, higher than in 2009. In 2009, earned premiums of $7.12 billion were $147 million, or 2%, higher than in 2008. The increases in both years reflected continued strong business retention rates and renewal premium increases, and growth in new business volume during the preceding twelve months.
Net Investment Income
Refer to the "Net Investment Income" section of "Consolidated Results of Operations" herein for a discussion of the change in the Company's net investment income in 2010 and 2009 as compared with the prior year.
Claims and Expenses
Claims and claim adjustment expenses in 2010 totaled $5.01 billion, an increase of $382 million, or 8%, over 2009. The total in 2010 reflected the significant increase in catastrophe losses, the reduction in net favorable prior year reserve development and increased business volume, partially offset by a decline in non-catastrophe weather-related losses and improved loss cost trends. Catastrophe losses in 2010 and 2009 totaled $594 million and $278 million, respectively. Catastrophe losses in 2010 resulted from several severe wind and hail storms. Net favorable prior year reserve development in 2010 and 2009 totaled $87 million and $135 million, respectively. Net favorable prior year reserve development in 2010 was concentrated in the Homeowners and Other product line, primarily driven by favorable loss development in the 2008 and prior accident years, primarily for the umbrella line of business, partially offset by unfavorable loss development in the 2009 accident year for the homeowners line of business that was driven by higher than anticipated late-reported claims related to storms in 2009.
In 2009, claims and claim adjustment expenses of $4.62 billion were slightly higher than in 2008, as the impacts of loss cost trends and increased business volume were largely offset by the significant decline in catastrophe losses. Catastrophe losses included in claims and claim adjustment expenses in 2009 totaled $278 million, compared with $541 million in 2008. Catastrophe losses in 2009 primarily resulted from several wind and hail storms, as well as flooding. Catastrophe losses in 2008 primarily resulted from Hurricanes Ike and Gustav, as well as tornado, wind and hail storms in various regions of the United States throughout the year. Net favorable prior year reserve development in 2009 totaled $135 million, compared with $143 million in 2008. Net favorable prior year reserve development in 2009 primarily reflected favorable loss development related to Hurricanes Ike and Katrina, as well as the 2007 California wildfires.
Net favorable prior year reserve development in 2008 was primarily driven by favorable loss development related to Hurricane Katrina and better than expected loss development from recent accident years for the Homeowners and Other product line. This improvement was driven in part by claim initiatives as well as better than expected outcomes on 2007 catastrophe-related claims. In addition, the Homeowners and Other product line experienced improvement in older accident years for the umbrella line as well as favorable experience from accident year 2007 for allied coverages due to less than expected claim activity.
The amortization of deferred acquisition costs totaled $1.44 billion in 2010, compared with $1.42 billion in 2009 and $1.41 billion in 2008. The increases in 2010 and 2009 over the preceding year were consistent with earned premium increases in both years.
General and administrative expenses of $867 million in 2010 were $83 million higher than in 2009. The total in 2009 reflected a $48 million reduction in the estimate of property windpool assessments related to Hurricane Ike. Adjusting for the impact of the reduction in windpool assessments in 2009, general and administrative expenses in 2010 increased $35 million, or 4%, over 2009, primarily
reflecting growth in business volume and continued costs supporting business growth and product development, including the Company's direct to consumer initiative.
In 2009, general and administrative expenses of $784 million were $45 million lower than the comparable 2008 total of $829 million. The decrease resulted from revised estimates of windpool assessments related to Hurricane Ike. During 2008, the Company recorded $77 million of estimated property windpool assessments in the Personal Insurance segment in general and administrative expenses. Subsequently, during the first half of 2009, the Company recorded a $48 million reduction in these estimated assessments due to a decline in estimated insurance industry losses related to Hurricane Ike. Adjusting for the impact of windpool assessments in both 2009 and 2008, general and administrative expenses in 2009 increased 11%, over 2008, primarily reflecting growth in business volume and continued investments to support business growth and product development, including the Company's direct to consumer initiative.
GAAP Combined Ratio
The GAAP combined ratio of 98.3% in 2010 was 3.7 points higher than the GAAP combined ratio of 94.6% in 2009.
The loss and loss adjustment expense ratio of 68.1% in 2010 was 3.1 points higher than the 2009 ratio of 65.0%. Catastrophe losses accounted for 8.1 and 3.9 points of the loss and loss adjustment expense ratio in 2010 and 2009, respectively. The loss and loss adjustment expense ratios for 2010 and 2009 included 1.2 point and 1.9 point benefits, respectively, from net favorable prior year reserve development. The loss and loss adjustment expense ratio excluding catastrophe losses and prior year reserve development in 2010 was 1.8 points lower than the 2009 ratio on the same basis, reflecting the favorable impact of earned rate increases outpacing loss cost trends and a reduction in non-catastrophe weather-related losses.
The underwriting expense ratio of 30.2% in 2010 was 0.6 points higher than the underwriting expense ratio of 29.6% in 2009. The 2009 underwriting expense ratio included a 0.7 point benefit from the reduction in the estimate of windpool assessments described above.
The GAAP combined ratio of 94.6% in 2009 was 2.4 points lower than the GAAP combined ratio of 97.0% in 2008.
In 2009, the loss and loss adjustment expense ratio of 65.0% was 1.2 points lower than the comparable 2008 ratio of 66.2%. Catastrophe losses accounted for 3.9 points and 7.8 points of the 2009 and 2008 loss and loss adjustment expense ratios, respectively. The loss and loss adjustment expense ratios for 2009 and 2008 included 1.9 point and 2.1 point benefits, respectively, from net favorable prior year reserve development. The loss and loss adjustment expense ratios adjusted for catastrophe losses and prior year reserve development for 2009 was 2.5 points higher than the 2008 ratio on the same basis, primarily reflecting the impact of loss cost trends.
In 2009, the underwriting expense ratio of 29.6% was 1.2 points lower than the underwriting expense ratio of 30.8% in 2008. The 2009 underwriting expense ratio included a 0.7 point benefit from the reduction in the estimate of windpool assessments described above, whereas the 2008 underwriting expense ratio included a 1.1 point increase due to the impact related to the windpool assessments. Adjusting for these factors in both years, the underwriting expense ratio for 2009 was 0.6 points higher than the 2008 underwriting expense ratio, primarily reflecting expenses resulting from the Company's direct to consumer initiative.
Agency Written Premiums
Gross and net written premiums by product line were as follows for the Personal Insurance segment's Agency business, which comprises business written through agents, brokers and other intermediaries and represents almost all of the segment's gross and net written premiums:
Gross and net Agency written premiums in 2010 both increased 5% over the respective totals in 2009. In 2009, gross and net Agency written premiums both increased by 2% over the respective 2008 totals.
In 2010, net written premiums in the Agency Automobile line of business increased 3% over 2009, primarily reflecting the impact of the introduction of twelve-month policy terms in certain markets in 2010. Excluding the impact of the change in policy terms in 2010, Agency Automobile net written premiums were virtually level with 2009. Business retention rates remained strong and new business levels increased over 2009. Renewal premium changes were positive in 2010 but declined slightly from 2009.
In 2010, net written premiums in the Agency Homeowners and Other line of business increased 8% over 2009, primarily driven by increases in renewal premium changes, business retention rates and new business levels.
In 2009, net written premiums in the Agency Automobile line of business decreased 2% from 2008. The impact of increasing renewal premium changes was more than offset by declines in new business volume and business retention rates compared with 2008.
In 2009, net written premiums in the Agency Homeowners and Other line of business grew 5% over 2008, driven by increases in renewal premium changes. New business volume was consistent with 2008 and business retention rates remained strong and consistent with 2008.
For its Agency business, the Personal Insurance segment had approximately 7.6 million and 7.4 million active policies at December 31, 2010 and 2009, respectively. In the Agency Automobile line of business, active policies at December 31, 2010 increased 2% over the same date in 2009. Active policies in the Agency Homeowners and Other line of business at December 31, 2010 grew by 3% over the same date in 2009.
Interest Expense and Other
The $85 million increase in operating loss for Interest Expense and Other in 2010 compared with 2009 primarily reflected $39 million of expenses related to the Company's purchase and retirement of a significant portion of its 6.25% fixed-to-floating rate junior subordinated debentures. The operating loss in 2010 also included a $12 million increase in tax expense associated with recent federal health care legislation and an increase in interest expense. In addition, the operating loss in 2009 included a benefit of $28 million from the favorable resolution of various prior year tax matters. After-tax interest expense in 2010 totaled $252 million, compared with $248 million in 2009.
The $24 million decline in operating loss for Interest Expense and Other in 2009 compared with 2008 primarily reflected the benefit of $28 million in 2009 from the favorable resolution of various prior year tax matters. After-tax interest expense in 2009 totaled $248 million, compared with $239 million in 2008.
ASBESTOS CLAIMS AND LITIGATION
The Company believes that the property and casualty insurance industry has suffered from court decisions and other trends that have attempted to expand insurance coverage for asbestos claims far beyond the intent of insurers and policyholders. While the Company has experienced a decrease in new asbestos claims over the past several years, the Company continues to receive a significant number of asbestos claims from the Company's policyholders (which includes others seeking coverage under a policy), including claims against the Company's policyholders by individuals who do not appear to be impaired by asbestos exposure. Factors underlying these claim filings include intensive advertising by lawyers seeking asbestos claimants and the focus by plaintiffs on previously peripheral defendants. The focus on these defendants is primarily the result of the number of traditional asbestos defendants who have sought bankruptcy protection in previous years. In addition to contributing to the overall number of claims, bankruptcy proceedings may increase the volatility of asbestos-related losses by initially delaying the reporting of claims and later by significantly accelerating and increasing loss payments by insurers, including the Company. The bankruptcy of many traditional defendants has also caused increased settlement demands against those policyholders who are not in bankruptcy but that remain in the tort system. Currently, in many jurisdictions, those who allege very serious injury and who can present credible medical evidence of their injuries are receiving priority trial settings in the courts, while those who have not shown any credible disease manifestation are having their hearing dates delayed or placed on an inactive docket. This trend of prioritizing claims involving credible evidence of injuries, along with the focus on previously peripheral defendants, contributes to the claims and claim adjustment expense payments experienced by the Company. The Company's asbestos-related claims and claim adjustment expense experience also has been impacted by the unavailability of other insurance sources potentially available to policyholders, whether through exhaustion of policy limits or through the insolvency of other participating insurers.
The Company continues to be involved in coverage litigation concerning a number of policyholders, some of whom have filed for bankruptcy, who in some instances have asserted that all or a portion of their asbestos-related claims are not subject to aggregate limits on coverage. In these instances, policyholders also may assert that each individual bodily injury claim should be treated as a separate occurrence under the policy. It is difficult to predict whether these policyholders will be successful on both issues. To the extent both issues are resolved in a policyholder's favor and other Company defenses are not successful, the Company's coverage obligations under the policies at issue would be materially increased and bounded only by the applicable per-occurrence limits and the number of asbestos bodily injury claims against the policyholders. Accordingly, although the Company has seen a moderation in the overall risk associated with these lawsuits, it remains difficult to predict the ultimate cost of these claims.
Many coverage disputes with policyholders are only resolved through settlement agreements. Because many policyholders make exaggerated demands, it is difficult to predict the outcome of
settlement negotiations. Settlements involving bankrupt policyholders may include extensive releases which are favorable to the Company but which could result in settlements for larger amounts than originally anticipated. There also may be instances where a court may not approve a proposed settlement, which may result in additional litigation and potentially less beneficial outcomes for the Company. As in the past, the Company will continue to pursue settlement opportunities.
In addition to claims against policyholders, proceedings have been launched directly against insurers, including the Company, by individuals challenging insurers' conduct with respect to the handling of past asbestos claims and by individuals seeking damages arising from alleged asbestos-related bodily injuries. The Company anticipates the filing of other direct actions against insurers, including the Company, in the future. It is difficult to predict the outcome of these proceedings, including whether the plaintiffs will be able to sustain these actions against insurers based on novel legal theories of liability. The Company believes it has meritorious defenses to these claims and has received favorable rulings in certain jurisdictions.
Travelers Property Casualty Corp. (TPC), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, had entered into settlement agreements, which are subject to a number of contingencies, in connection with a number of these direct action claims. These settlement agreements had been approved by the court in connection with proceedings initiated by TPC in the Johns Manville bankruptcy court. On March 29, 2006, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York substantially affirmed the bankruptcy court's orders, while vacating that portion of the bankruptcy court's orders which required all future direct actions against TPC to first be approved by the bankruptcy court before proceeding in state or federal court. Various parties appealed the district court's ruling to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. On February 15, 2008, the Second Circuit issued an opinion vacating on jurisdictional grounds the district court's approval of the bankruptcy court's order that barred the filing of certain direct action claims against TPC in the future. TPC and certain other parties filed Petitions for Writ of Certiorari in the United States Supreme Court seeking review of the Second Circuit's decision. Those petitions were granted and on June 18, 2009, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Company, reversing the Second Circuit's decision. However, since the Second Circuit had not ruled on several additional issues principally related to procedural matters and the adequacy of notice provided to certain parties, the Supreme Court remanded the case to the Second Circuit for further proceedings on those specific issues. On March 22, 2010, the Second Circuit issued an opinion in which it found that the notice of the 1986 Orders provided to the remaining objector was insufficient to bar contribution claims by that objector against TPC. On April 5, 2010, TPC filed a Petition for Rehearing and Rehearing En Banc with the Second Circuit, requesting further review of its March 22, 2010 opinion, which was denied on May 25, 2010. On August 18, 2010, TPC filed a Petition for Writ of Certiorari in the United States Supreme Court seeking review of the Second Circuit's March 22, 2010 opinion, and a Petition for a Writ of Mandamus seeking an order from the Supreme Court requiring the Second Circuit to comply with the Supreme Court's June 18, 2009 ruling in TPC's favor. The Supreme Court denied the Petitions on November 29, 2010. The plaintiffs in the Statutory and Hawaii actions and the Common Law Claims actions (as defined in note 15 to the consolidated financial statements) filed Motions to Compel with the bankruptcy court on September 2, 2010 and September 3, 2010, respectively, arguing that all conditions precedent to the settlements have been met and seeking to require TPC to pay the settlement amounts. On September 30, 2010, TPC filed an Opposition to the plaintiffs' Motions to Compel on the grounds that the conditions precedent to the settlements, principally the requirement that all contribution claims be barred, have not been met in light of the Second Circuit's March 22, 2010 opinion. On December 16, 2010, the bankruptcy court granted the plaintiffs' motions and ruled that TPC was required to fund the settlements. On January 20, 2011, the bankruptcy court entered judgment in accordance with its December 16, 2010 ruling and ordered TPC to pay the settlement amounts plus prejudgment interest. On January 21, 2011, TPC filed an appeal with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York from the
bankruptcy court's January 20, 2011 judgment. (For a description of these matters, see note 15 of notes to the consolidated financial statements).
Because each policyholder presents different liability and coverage issues, the Company generally reviews the exposure presented by each policyholder at least annually. Among the factors which the Company may consider in the course of this review are: available insurance coverage, including the role of any umbrella or excess insurance the Company has issued to the policyholder; limits and deductibles; an analysis of the policyholder's potential liability; the jurisdictions involved; past and anticipated future claim activity and loss development on pending claims; past settlement values of similar claims; allocated claim adjustment expense; potential role of other insurance; the role, if any, of non-asbestos claims or potential non-asbestos claims in any resolution process; and applicable coverage defenses or determinations, if any, including the determination as to whether or not an asbestos claim is a products/completed operation claim subject to an aggregate limit and the available coverage, if any, for that claim.
In the third quarter of 2010, the Company completed its annual in-depth asbestos claim review and noted the continuation of recent trends, which include:
•continued high level of litigation activity involving individuals alleging serious asbestos-related illness;
•stable payment patterns for a large proportion of policyholders;
•a decrease in the number of large asbestos exposures confronting the Company due to additional settlement activity;
•continued moderate level of asbestos-related bankruptcy activity; and
•the absence of new theories of liability or new classes of defendants.
While the Company believes that these trends indicate a reduction in the volatility associated with the Company's overall asbestos exposure, there nonetheless remains a high degree of uncertainty with respect to future exposure from asbestos claims.
The Company's quarterly asbestos reserve review includes an analysis of exposure and claim payment patterns by policyholder category, as well as recent settlements, policyholder bankruptcies, judicial rulings and legislative actions. The Company also analyzes developing payment patterns among policyholders in the Home Office, Field Office and Assumed Reinsurance and Other categories as well as projected reinsurance billings and recoveries. In addition, the Company reviews its historical gross and net loss and expense paid experience, year-by-year, to assess any emerging trends, fluctuations, or characteristics suggested by the aggregate paid activity. Conventional actuarial methods are not utilized to establish asbestos reserves nor have the Company's evaluations resulted in any way of determining a meaningful average asbestos defense or indemnity payment.
As in prior years, the annual claim review considered active policyholders and litigation cases for potential product and "non-product" liability. Compared with the prior year period, the Home Office and Field Office categories, which account for the vast majority of policyholders with active asbestos-related claims, experienced an overall reduction in the number of policyholders who, for the first time, were tendering asbestos claims. However, gross defense and indemnity payment patterns in these categories remained consistent with what the Company has experienced in recent years due to the high level of litigation activity in a limited number of jurisdictions where individuals alleging serious asbestos-related injury continue to target previously peripheral defendants.
The completion of these reviews and analyses in the third quarter resulted in a net $140 million increase in the Company's asbestos reserves, driven by increases in the Company's estimate of 1) projected settlement and defense costs related to a broad number of policyholders; 2) costs of litigating asbestos-related coverage matters; and 3) projected payments on assumed reinsurance
accounts. This increase included a $70 million benefit from the reduction in the allowance for uncollectible reinsurance resulting from a recent favorable ruling related to a reinsurance dispute and an increase in estimated reinsurance recoverables. In 2009, the Company recorded a $185 million increase in asbestos reserves, primarily driven by a slight increase in the Company's assumption for projected defense costs related to many policyholders. The Company recorded a $70 million increase to asbestos reserves in 2008, which was driven by a change in the estimated costs associated with litigating asbestos coverage matters and a change in estimated losses for certain individual policyholders. Overall, the company's assessment of the underlying asbestos environment did not change significantly from recent periods.
Net asbestos losses paid in 2010, 2009 and 2008 were $350 million, $341 million and $658 million, respectively. (Asbestos payments in 2008 included the Company's one-time net payment of $365 million associated with the settlement of the ACandS, Inc. matter). Approximately 32%, 41% and 59% of total net paid losses in 2010, 2009 and 2008, respectively, related to policyholders with whom the Company had entered into settlement agreements limiting the Company's liability.
The Company categorizes its asbestos reserves as follows:
The "policyholders with settlement agreements" category includes structured settlements, coverage in place arrangements and, with respect to TPC, Wellington accounts. Reserves are based on the expected payout for each policyholder under the applicable agreement. Structured settlements are arrangements under which policyholders and/or plaintiffs agree to fixed financial amounts to be paid at scheduled times. Included in this category are TPC's reserves for the settlements of the Statutory and Hawaii Actions and the Common Law Claims. (For a description of these matters, see note 15 of notes to the consolidated financial statements). Coverage in place arrangements represent agreements with policyholders on specified amounts of coverage to be provided. Payment obligations may be subject to annual maximums and are only made when valid claims are presented. Wellington accounts refer to the 35 defendants that are parties to a 1985 agreement settling certain disputes concerning insurance coverage for their asbestos claims. Many of the aspects of the Wellington agreement are similar to those of coverage in place arrangements in which the parties have agreed on specific amounts of coverage and the terms under which the coverage can be accessed.
The "home office and field office" category relates to all other policyholders and also includes unallocated IBNR reserves and reserves for the costs of defending asbestos-related coverage litigation. Policyholders are identified for the annual home office review based upon, among other factors: a combination of past payments and current case reserves in excess of a specified threshold (currently $100,000), perceived level of exposure, number of reported claims, products/completed operations and potential "non-product" exposures, size of policyholder and geographic distribution of products or services sold by the policyholder. In addition to IBNR amounts contained in the reserves for "home office and field office" policyholders and the costs of litigating asbestos coverage matters, the Company has established a reserve for further adverse development related to existing policyholders, new claims from policyholders reporting claims for the first time and policyholders for which there is, or may be, litigation and direct actions against the Company. The "assumed reinsurance and other" category primarily consists of reinsurance of excess coverage, including various pool participations.
On January 29, 2009, the Company and PPG Industries, Inc ("PPG"), along with approximately 30 other insurers of PPG, agreed in principle to an agreement to settle asbestos-related coverage litigation under insurance policies issued to PPG. The tentative settlement agreement has been incorporated into the Modified Third Amended Plan of Reorganization ("Amended Plan") proposed as part of the Pittsburgh Corning Corp. ("PCC", which is 50% owned by PPG) bankruptcy proceeding. Pursuant to the proposed Amended Plan, which was filed on January 30, 2009, PCC, along with enumerated other companies (including PPG as well as the Company as a participating insurer), are to receive protections afforded by Section 524(g) of the Bankruptcy Code from certain asbestos-related bodily injury claims. Under the agreement in principle, the Company has the option to make a series of payments over the next 20 years totaling approximately $620 million to the Trust to be created under the Amended Plan, or it may elect to make a one-time discounted payment, which, as of March 31, 2011, would total approximately $454 million (approximately $425 million after reinsurance). The agreement in principle with PPG is subject to numerous contingencies, including final court approval of the Amended Plan, and the Company has no obligation to make the settlement payment until all contingencies are satisfied. The Company's obligations under this agreement in principle are included in the "home office and field office" category in the preceding table.
In December 2008, the Company completed the sale of Unionamerica, which comprised its United Kingdom-based runoff insurance and reinsurance businesses. Included in the claims and claim adjustment expense reserves transferred to the purchaser were gross and net asbestos reserves of $330 million and $232 million, respectively.
The following table displays activity for asbestos losses and loss expenses and reserves:
See "-Uncertainty Regarding Adequacy of Asbestos and Environmental Reserves."
ENVIRONMENTAL CLAIMS AND LITIGATION
The Company continues to receive claims from policyholders who allege that they are liable for injury or damage arising out of their alleged disposition of toxic substances. Mostly, these claims are due to various legislative as well as regulatory efforts aimed at environmental remediation. For instance, the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA), enacted in 1980 and later modified, enables private parties as well as federal and state governments to take action with respect to releases and threatened releases of hazardous substances. This federal statute permits the recovery of response costs from some liable parties and may require liable parties to undertake their own remedial action. Liability under CERCLA may be joint and several with other responsible parties.
The Company has been, and continues to be, involved in litigation involving insurance coverage issues pertaining to environmental claims. The Company believes that some court decisions have interpreted the insurance coverage to be broader than the original intent of the insurers and policyholders. These decisions often pertain to insurance policies that were issued by the Company prior to the mid-1980s. These decisions continue to be inconsistent and vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Environmental claims when submitted rarely indicate the monetary amount being sought by the claimant from the policyholder, and the Company does not keep track of the monetary amount being sought in those few claims which indicate a monetary amount.
The resolution of environmental exposures by the Company generally occurs by settlement on a policyholder-by-policyholder basis as opposed to a claim-by-claim basis. Generally, the Company strives to extinguish any obligations it may have under any policy issued to the policyholder for past, present and future environmental liabilities and extinguish any pending coverage litigation dispute with the policyholder. This form of settlement is commonly referred to as a "buy-back" of policies for future environmental liability. In addition, many of the agreements have also extinguished any insurance obligation which the Company may have for other claims, including but not limited to asbestos and other cumulative injury claims. The Company and its policyholders may also agree to settlements which extinguish any liability arising from known specified sites or claims. Where appropriate, these agreements also include indemnities and hold harmless provisions to protect the Company. The Company's general purpose in executing these agreements is to reduce the Company's potential environmental exposure and eliminate the risks presented by coverage litigation with the policyholder and related costs.
In establishing environmental reserves, the Company evaluates the exposure presented by each policyholder and the anticipated cost of resolution, if any. In the course of this analysis, the Company generally considers the probable liability, available coverage, relevant judicial interpretations and historical value of similar exposures. In addition, the Company considers the many variables presented, such as the nature of the alleged activities of the policyholder at each site; the allegations of environmental harm at each site; the number of sites; the total number of potentially responsible parties at each site; the nature of environmental harm and the corresponding remedy at each site; the nature of government enforcement activities at each site; the ownership and general use of each site; the overall nature of the insurance relationship between the Company and the policyholder, including the role of any umbrella or excess insurance the Company has issued to the policyholder; the involvement of other insurers; the potential for other available coverage, including the number of years of coverage; the role, if any, of non-environmental claims or potential non-environmental claims in any resolution process; and the applicable law in each jurisdiction. Conventional actuarial techniques are not used to estimate these reserves.
In its review of environmental reserves, the Company considers: past settlement payments; changing judicial and legislative trends; its reserves for the costs of litigating environmental coverage matters; the potential for policyholders with smaller exposures to be named in new clean-up actions for
both on- and off-site waste disposal activities; the potential for adverse development; the potential for additional new claims beyond previous expectations; and the potential higher costs for new settlements.
The duration of the Company's investigation and review of these claims and the extent of time necessary to determine an appropriate estimate, if any, of the value of the claim to the Company vary significantly and are dependent upon a number of factors. These factors include, but are not limited to, the cooperation of the policyholder in providing claim information, the pace of underlying litigation or claim processes, the pace of coverage litigation between the policyholder and the Company and the willingness of the policyholder and the Company to negotiate, if appropriate, a resolution of any dispute pertaining to these claims. Because these factors vary from claim-to-claim and policyholder-by-policyholder, the Company cannot provide a meaningful average of the duration of an environmental claim. However, based upon the Company's experience in resolving these claims, the duration may vary from months to several years.
Although the Company continues to receive notices from policyholders tendering claims for the first time, the number of new policyholders submitting those notices declined from 2009. These policyholders continue to present smaller exposures, have fewer sites and are lower tier defendants. Further, in many instances clean-up costs have been reduced because regulatory agencies are willing to accept risk-based site analyses and more efficient clean-up technologies. However, the Company has experienced modest upward development in the expected defense and settlement costs for certain of its pending policyholders. As a result, the Company increased its net environmental reserves by $35 million in 2010. During 2009, the Company experienced an increase in the number of policyholders tendering claims for the first time and in the number of pending environmental-related coverage actions. In addition, the Company experienced upward development in the expected defense and settlement costs for certain of its pending policyholders. As a result, the Company increased its net environmental reserves by $70 million in 2009. In 2008, the Company increased its environmental reserves by $85 million as a result of upward development in the anticipated defense and settlement costs for certain of its pending policyholders.
In December 2008, the Company completed the sale of Unionamerica, which comprised its United Kingdom-based runoff insurance and reinsurance businesses. Included in the claims and claim adjustment expense reserves transferred to the purchaser were gross and net environmental reserves of $40 million and $33 million, respectively.
Net environmental losses paid in 2010, 2009 and 2008 were $77 million, $91 million and $128 million, respectively. At December 31, 2010, approximately 93% of the net environmental reserve (approximately $327 million) was carried in a bulk reserve and included unresolved environmental claims, incurred but not reported environmental claims and the anticipated cost of coverage litigation disputes relating to these claims. The bulk reserve the Company carries is established and adjusted based upon the aggregate volume of in-process environmental claims and the Company's experience in resolving those claims. The balance, approximately 7% of the net environmental reserve (approximately $24 million), consists of case reserves.
The following table displays activity for environmental losses and loss expenses and reserves:
UNCERTAINTY REGARDING ADEQUACY OF ASBESTOS AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESERVES
As a result of the processes and procedures described above, management believes that the reserves carried for asbestos and environmental claims at December 31, 2010 are appropriately established based upon known facts, current law and management's judgment. However, the uncertainties surrounding the final resolution of these claims continue, and it is difficult to determine the ultimate exposure for asbestos and environmental claims and related litigation. As a result, these reserves are subject to revision as new information becomes available and as claims develop. The continuing uncertainties include, without limitation, the risks and lack of predictability inherent in complex litigation, any impact from the bankruptcy protection sought by various asbestos producers and other asbestos defendants, a further increase or decrease in the cost to resolve, and/or the number of, asbestos and environmental claims beyond that which is anticipated, the role of any umbrella or excess policies the Company has issued, the resolution or adjudication of disputes pertaining to the amount of available coverage for asbestos and environmental claims in a manner inconsistent with the Company's previous assessment of these claims, the number and outcome of direct actions against the Company, future developments pertaining to the Company's ability to recover reinsurance for asbestos and environmental claims and the unavailability of other insurance sources potentially available to policyholders, whether through exhaustion of policy limits or through the insolvency of other participating insurers. In addition, uncertainties arise from the insolvency or bankruptcy of policyholders and other defendants. It is also not possible to predict changes in the legal, regulatory and legislative environment and their impact on the future development of asbestos and environmental claims. This development will be affected by future court and regulatory decisions and interpretations, including the outcome of legal challenges to legislative and/or judicial reforms establishing medical criteria for the pursuit of asbestos claims, as well as changes in applicable legislation. It is also difficult
to predict the ultimate outcome of complex coverage disputes until settlement negotiations near completion and significant legal questions are resolved or, failing settlement, until the dispute is adjudicated. This is particularly the case with policyholders in bankruptcy where negotiations often involve a large number of claimants and other parties and require court approval to be effective. As part of its continuing analysis of asbestos and environmental reserves, the Company continues to study the implications of these and other developments. (Also see note 15 to the consolidated financial statements).
Because of the uncertainties set forth above, additional liabilities may arise for amounts in excess of the current related reserves. In addition, the Company's estimate of claims and claim adjustment expenses may change. These additional liabilities or increases in estimates, or a range of either, cannot now be reasonably estimated and could result in income statement charges that could be material to the Company's operating results in future periods.
INVESTMENT PORTFOLIO
The Company's invested assets at December 31, 2010 totaled $72.72 billion, of which 94% was invested in fixed maturity and short-term investments, 1% in equity securities, 1% in real estate and 4% in other investments. Because the primary purpose of the investment portfolio is to fund future claims payments, the Company employs a conservative investment philosophy. A significant majority of funds available for investment are deployed in a widely diversified portfolio of high quality, liquid taxable U.S. government, tax-exempt U.S. municipal and taxable corporate and U.S. agency mortgage-backed bonds.
The carrying value of the Company's fixed maturity portfolio at December 31, 2010 totaled $62.82 billion. The Company closely monitors the duration of its fixed maturity investments, and investment purchases and sales are executed with the objective of having adequate funds available to satisfy the Company's insurance and debt obligations. The weighted average credit quality of the Company's fixed maturity portfolio, both including and excluding U.S. Treasury securities, was "Aa2" at both December 31, 2010 and 2009. Below investment grade securities represented 3.0% and 2.7% of the total fixed maturity investment portfolio at December 31, 2010 and 2009, respectively. The average effective duration of fixed maturities and short-term securities was 3.6 (3.9 excluding short-term securities) at December 31, 2010 and 3.9 (4.2 excluding short-term securities) at December 31, 2009. The decline in duration primarily resulted from the impact of declining market yields and tightening investment spreads on existing holdings of mortgage-backed securities (which impact the assumptions related to optional pre-payments), an increase in pre-refunded municipal bonds and general portfolio management decisions.
The carrying values of investments in fixed maturities classified as available for sale at December 31, 2010 and 2009 were as follows:
(1)Rated using external rating agencies or by the Company when a public rating does not exist.
(2)Sovereign corporate securities include corporate securities that are backed by a government and include sovereign banks and securities issued under the Temporary Liquidity Guaranty and the Federal Ship Financing Programs.
(3)Included in commercial mortgage-backed securities and project loans are $146 million of securities guaranteed by the U.S. government and $9 million by government sponsored enterprises.
(1)Rated using external rating agencies or by the Company when a public rating does not exist.
(2)Sovereign corporate securities include corporate securities that are backed by a government and include sovereign banks and securities issued under the Temporary Liquidity Guaranty and the Federal Ship Financing Programs.
(3)Included in commercial mortgage-backed securities and project loans are $200 million of securities guaranteed by the U.S. government and $36 million by government sponsored enterprises.
The following table sets forth the Company's fixed maturity investment portfolio rated using external ratings agencies or by the Company when a public rating does not exist:
Obligations of States, Municipalities and Political Subdivisions
The Company's fixed maturity investment portfolio at December 31, 2010 and 2009 included $39.54 billion and $41.33 billion, respectively, of securities which are obligations of states, municipalities and political subdivisions (collectively referred to as the municipal bond portfolio). The municipal bond portfolio is diversified across the United States, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico and includes general obligation and revenue bonds issued by states, cities, counties, school districts and similar issuers. Included in the municipal bond portfolio at December 31, 2010 and 2009 were $7.29 billion and $6.06 billion, respectively, of advance refunded or escrowed-to-maturity bonds (collectively referred to as pre-refunded bonds), which are bonds for which an irrevocable trust has been established to fund the remaining payments of principal and interest. Such escrow accounts are verified as to their sufficiency by an external auditor and are almost exclusively comprised of U.S. Treasury securities. Moody's Investors Service has assigned a negative outlook to municipal securities issued by local governments within the United States.
The following table shows the geographic distribution of the $32.24 billion of municipal bonds at December 31, 2010 that were not pre-refunded.
(1)Rated using external rating agencies or by the Company when a public rating does not exist. Ratings shown are the higher of the rating of the underlying issuer or the insurer in the case of securities enhanced by third-party insurance for the payment of principal and interest in the event of issuer default.
(2)No other single state accounted for 2.5% or more of the total pre-refunded municipal bonds.
The Company bases its investment decision on the credit characteristics of the municipal security; however, its municipal bond portfolio includes a number of securities that were enhanced by third-party insurance for the payment of principal and interest in the event of an issuer default. The downgrade during 2009 and 2008 of credit ratings of insurers of these securities resulted in a corresponding downgrade in the ratings of the securities to the underlying rating of the respective security. Of the insured municipal securities in the Company's investment portfolio at December 31, 2010, approximately 99% were rated at A3 or above, and approximately 90% were rated at Aa3 or above, without the benefit of insurance. The Company believes that a loss of the benefit of insurance would not result in a material adverse impact on the Company's results of operations, financial position or liquidity, due to the underlying credit strength of the issuers of the securities, as well as the Company's ability and intent to hold the securities. The average credit rating of the underlying issuers of these securities was "Aa2" at December 31, 2010. The average credit rating of the entire municipal bond portfolio was "Aa1" at December 31, 2010 with and without the third-party insurance.
Debt Securities Issued by Foreign Governments
The following table shows the geographic distribution of the Company's investments in debt securities issued by foreign governments at December 31, 2010.
(1)Rated using external rating agencies or by the Company when a public rating does not exist.
Mortgage-Backed Securities, Collateralized Mortgage Obligations and Pass-Through Securities
The Company's fixed maturity investment portfolio at December 31, 2010 and 2009 included $4.16 billion and $5.21 billion, respectively, of residential mortgage-backed securities including pass-through-securities and collateralized mortgage obligations (CMO), all of which are subject to prepayment risk (either shortening or lengthening of duration). While prepayment risk for both guaranteed and non-guaranteed securities and its effect on income cannot be fully controlled, particularly when interest rates move dramatically, the Company's investment strategy generally favors securities that control this risk within expected interest rate ranges. Included in the totals at December 31, 2010 and 2009 were $2.09 billion and $2.63 billion, respectively, of GNMA, FNMA and FHLMC (excluding FHA project loans) guaranteed residential mortgage-backed pass-through securities classified as available for sale. Also included in those totals were residential CMOs classified as available for sale with a fair value of $2.07 billion and $2.58 billion, respectively. Approximately 38% and 37% of the Company's CMO holdings were guaranteed by or fully collateralized by securities issued by GNMA, FNMA or FHLMC at December 31, 2010 and 2009, respectively. The average credit rating of all of the above securities was "Aa1" at both December 31, 2010 and 2009.
The Company makes investments in residential CMOs that are either guaranteed by GNMA, FNMA or FHLMC, or if not guaranteed, are senior or super-senior positions within their respective securitizations. Both guaranteed and non-guaranteed residential CMOs allocate the distribution of payments from the underlying mortgages among different classes of bondholders. In addition, non-guaranteed residential CMOs provide structures that allocate the impact of credit losses to different classes of bondholders. Senior and super-senior CMOs are protected, to varying degrees, from credit losses as those losses are initially allocated to subordinated bondholders. The Company's investment strategy is to purchase CMO tranches that are expected to offer the most favorable return given the Company's assessment of associated risks. The Company does not purchase residual interests in CMOs.
Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities and Project Loans
At December 31, 2010 and 2009, the Company held commercial mortgage-backed securities (including FHA project loans) of $549 million and $714 million, respectively. The Company does not believe this portfolio exposes it to a material adverse impact on its results of operations, financial
position or liquidity, due to the portfolio's relatively small size and the underlying credit strength of these securities.
Alternative Documentation Mortgages and Sub-Prime Mortgages
At December 31, 2010 and 2009, the "mortgage-backed securities, collateralized mortgage obligations and pass-through securities" and "asset-backed and other" categories in the foregoing table included collateralized mortgage obligations backed by alternative documentation mortgages and asset-backed securities collateralized by sub-prime mortgages with a collective fair value of $297 million and $270 million, respectively (comprising approximately 0.5% and 0.4% of the Company's total fixed maturity investments at December 31, 2010 and 2009, respectively). The disruption in secondary investment markets for mortgage-backed securities provided the Company with the opportunity to selectively acquire additional such securities at discounted prices. The Company purchased $31 million and $74 million of such securities in the years ended December 31, 2010 and 2009, respectively. The Company defines sub-prime mortgage-backed securities as investments in which the underlying loans primarily exhibit one or more of the following characteristics: low FICO scores, above-prime interest rates, high loan-to-value ratios or high debt-to-income ratios. Alternative documentation securitizations are those in which the underlying loans primarily meet the government-sponsored entities' requirements for credit score but do not meet the government-sponsored entities' guidelines for documentation, property type, debt and loan-to-value ratios. The average credit rating on these securities and obligations held by the Company was "Baa2" and "A3" at December 31, 2010 and 2009, respectively.
Equity Securities Available for Sale, Real Estate and Short-Term Securities
See note 1 of notes to the Company's consolidated financial statements for further information about these invested asset classes.
Other Investments
At December 31, 2010 and 2009, the carrying value of the Company's other investments was $2.93 billion and $2.95 billion, respectively. The Company's other investments are primarily comprised of private equity limited partnerships, hedge funds, real estate partnerships, joint ventures, mortgage loans, venture capital (through direct ownership and limited partnerships) and trading securities, which are subject to more volatility than the Company's fixed maturity investments. These asset classes have historically provided a higher return than fixed maturities but are subject to more volatility. Net investment income provided by these asset classes totaled $304 million in 2010, compared with negative net investment income of $106 million and $292 million in 2009 and 2008, respectively. The negative net investment income in 2009 and 2008 reflected market conditions.
Securities Lending
The Company has engaged in securities lending activities from which it generates net investment income by lending certain of its investments to other institutions for short periods of time. The Company has not incurred any investment losses in its securities lending program for the years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008.
Net Unrealized Investment Gains (Losses)
The net unrealized investment gains (losses) that were included as a separate component of accumulated other changes in equity from nonowner sources were as follows:
Net pretax unrealized investment gains totaled $2.83 billion at both December 31, 2010 and 2009, compared with net pretax unrealized losses of $253 million at December 31, 2008. The Company's fixed maturities and equity securities portfolios at December 31, 2010 experienced increases in valuations compared with the prior year-end, which were offset by a decrease in net unrealized appreciation on other investments that primarily resulted from the Company's sale of substantially all of its remaining common stock holdings in Verisk Analytics, Inc. That sale generated a pretax realized investment gain of $205 million in 2010. The improvement in the Company's net unrealized gain position at December 31, 2009 over the prior year end is primarily attributable to the Company's fixed maturity investments. In 2009, yields on municipal fixed maturity securities declined, which increased the market value of the Company's portfolio of such securities. In addition, in 2009 credit spreads narrowed on other non-municipal fixed maturity securities which also resulted in an increase in the market value of those securities.
The following table summarizes, for all fixed maturities and equity securities reported at fair value for which fair value is less than 80% of amortized cost at December 31, 2010, the gross unrealized investment loss by length of time those securities have continuously been in an unrealized loss position of greater than 20% of amortized cost:
These unrealized investment losses at December 31, 2010 represent less than 1% of the combined fixed maturity and equity security portfolios on a pretax basis and less than 1% of shareholders' equity on an after-tax basis.
For fixed maturity investments where fair value is less than the carrying value and the Company did not reach a decision to impair, the Company continues to have the intent and ability to hold such investments to a projected recovery in value, which may not be until maturity.
At December 31, 2010, below investment grade securities comprised 3.0% of the Company's fixed maturity investment portfolio. Included in below investment grade securities at December 31, 2010 were securities in an unrealized loss position that, in the aggregate, had an amortized cost of $605 million and a fair value of $564 million, resulting in a net pretax unrealized investment loss of $41 million. These securities in an unrealized loss position represented approximately 1% of both the total amortized cost and the fair value of the fixed maturity portfolio at December 31, 2010 and accounted for 17% of the total gross pretax unrealized investment loss in the fixed maturity portfolio at December 31, 2010.
Impairment Charges
Impairment charges included in net realized investment gains (losses) in the consolidated statement of income were as follows:
For the year ended December 31, 2010, the Company recognized the following other-than-temporary impairments:
•$13 million in the fixed maturities portfolio, consisting of $5 million related to the deteriorated financial position of various issuers, $4 million related to structured mortgage securities and $4 million related to securities that the Company had the intent to sell;
•$3 million in the equity portfolio related to securities with respect to which it was determined that the cost basis of those securities would not be recovered over the expected holding period; and
•$10 million in other investments related to the decline in the financial condition of various issuers.
In 2008 and 2009, worldwide financial markets experienced significant disruptions, and the United States and many other countries experienced a prolonged economic downturn, resulting in heightened credit risks, reduced valuations of investments and decreased economic activity. Those factors resulted in the higher level of other-than-temporary investment impairments recognized by the Company in 2008 and 2009.
Following are the pretax realized losses on investments sold during the year ended December 31, 2010:
Purchases and sales of investments are based on cash requirements, the characteristics of the insurance liabilities and current market conditions. The Company identifies investments to be sold to achieve its primary investment goals of assuring the Company's ability to meet policyholder obligations as well as to optimize investment returns, given these obligations.
CATASTROPHE MODELING
The Company uses various analyses and methods, including computer modeling techniques, to analyze catastrophic events and the risks associated with them. The Company uses these analyses and methods to make underwriting and reinsurance decisions designed to manage its exposure to catastrophic events.
In making underwriting and reinsurance decisions for hurricane and earthquake exposures, the Company uses third-party proprietary computer modeling in an attempt to estimate the likelihood that the loss from a single event occurring in a one-year timeframe will equal or exceed a particular amount. The tables below set forth the estimated probabilities that losses from a single event occurring in a one-year timeframe will equal or exceed the indicated loss amounts (expressed in dollars and as a percentage of the Company's common equity). For example, on the basis described below the tables, the Company estimates that there is a one percent chance that the Company's loss from a single U.S. hurricane occurring in a one-year timeframe would equal or exceed $1.1 billion, or 5% of the Company's common equity at December 31, 2010.
(1)An event that has, for example, a 2% likelihood of exceedance is sometimes described as a "1-in-50 year event." As noted above, however, the probabilities in the table represent the likelihood of losses from a single event equaling or exceeding the indicated threshold
loss amount in a one-year timeframe, not over a multi-year timeframe. Also, because the probabilities relate to a single event, the probabilities do not address the likelihood of more than one event occurring in a particular period, and, therefore, the amounts do not address potential aggregate catastrophe losses occurring in a one-year timeframe.
(2)The percentage of common equity is calculated by dividing (a) indicated loss amounts in dollars by (b) total common equity excluding net unrealized investment gains and losses, net of taxes. Net unrealized investment gains and losses can be significantly impacted by both discretionary and other economic factors and are not necessarily indicative of operating trends. Accordingly, in the opinion of the Company's management, the percentage of common equity calculated on this basis provides a useful metric for investors to understand the potential impact of a single hurricane or single earthquake on the Company's financial position.
The threshold loss amounts in the tables above are net of reinsurance, after-tax and exclude most loss adjustment expenses, which historically have been less than 10% of loss estimates. The amounts for hurricanes reflect U.S. exposures and include property exposures, property residual market exposures and an adjustment for certain non-property exposures. The amounts for earthquakes reflect U.S. and Canadian exposures and include property exposures and workers' compensation exposures. The Company does not believe that the inclusion of hurricane or earthquake losses arising from other geographical areas or other exposures would materially change the estimated threshold loss amounts. This information in the tables is based on the Company's in-force portfolio and catastrophic reinsurance program as of December 31, 2010.
Catastrophe modeling relies upon inputs based on experience, science, engineering and history. These inputs reflect a significant amount of judgment and are subject to changes which may result in volatility in the modeled output. Catastrophe modeling output may also fail to account for risks that are outside the range of normal probability or are otherwise unforeseeable. Catastrophe modeling assumptions include, among others, the portion of purchased reinsurance that is collectible after a catastrophic event, which may prove to be materially incorrect. Consequently, catastrophe modeling estimates are subject to significant uncertainty. In the tables above, the uncertainty associated with the estimated threshold loss amounts increases significantly as the likelihood of exceedance decreases. In other words, in the case of a relatively more remote event (e.g., 1-in-1,000), the estimated threshold loss amount is relatively less reliable. Actual losses from an event could materially exceed the indicated threshold loss amount. In addition, more than one such event could occur in any period.
Moreover, the Company is exposed to the risk of material losses from other than property and workers' compensation coverages arising out of hurricanes and earthquakes, and it is exposed to catastrophe losses from perils other than hurricanes and earthquakes, such as windstorms, hail, wildfires, severe winter weather, floods, volcanic eruptions and acts of terrorism.
There are no industry-standard methodologies or assumptions for projecting catastrophe exposure. Accordingly, catastrophe estimates provided by different insurers may not be comparable.
For more information about the Company's exposure to catastrophe losses, see "Item 1A - Risk Factors-Catastrophe losses could materially and adversely affect our results of operations, our financial position and/or liquidity, and could adversely impact our ratings, our ability to raise capital and the availability and cost of reinsurance."
CHANGING CLIMATE CONDITIONS
Severe weather events over the last several years have underscored the unpredictability of future climate trends and created uncertainty regarding insurers' exposures to financial loss as a result of catastrophe and other weather-related events. Some scientists believe that, in recent years, changing
climate conditions have added to the unpredictability, frequency and severity of natural disasters. Accordingly, if climate conditions change in the future, the Company's catastrophe models may be less reliable.
The Company discusses how potentially changing climate conditions may present other issues for its business under "Risk Factors" in Item 1A of this report and under "-Outlook" herein. For example, among other things:
•Increasingly unpredictable and severe weather conditions could result in increased frequency and severity of claims under policies issued by the Company. See "Risk Factors-Catastrophe losses could materially and adversely affect our results of operations, our financial position and/or liquidity, and could adversely impact our ratings, our ability to raise capital and the availability and cost of reinsurance" and "-Outlook-Underwriting Profitability."
•Such changing climate conditions could also impact the creditworthiness of issuers of securities in which the Company invests. For example, water supply adequacy could impact the creditworthiness of bond issuers in the Southwestern United States, and more frequent and/or severe hurricanes could impact the creditworthiness of issuers in the Southeastern United States., among other areas. See "Risk Factors-Our investment portfolio may suffer reduced returns or material losses."
•Increased regulation adopted in response to potential changes in climate conditions may impact the Company and its customers. For example, state insurance regulation could impact the Company's ability to manage property exposures in areas vulnerable to significant climate driven losses. If the Company is unable to implement risk based pricing, modify policy terms or reduce exposures to the extent necessary to address rising losses related to catastrophes and smaller scale weather events (should those increased losses occur), its business may be adversely affected. See "Risk Factors-Catastrophe losses could materially and adversely affect our results of operations, our financial position and/or liquidity, and could adversely impact our ratings, our ability to raise capital and the availability and cost of reinsurance."
•The full range of potential liability exposures related to climate change continues to evolve. Through the Company's Emerging Issues Committee and its Committee on Climate, Energy and the Environment, the Company works with its business units and corporate groups as appropriate to identify and try to assess climate change-related liability issues, which are continually evolving and often hard to fully evaluate. See "Risk Factors-The effects of emerging claim and coverage issues on our business are uncertain."
Climate change regulation also could increase the Company's customers' costs of doing business. For example, insureds faced with carbon management regulatory requirements may have less available capital for investment in loss prevention and safety features which may, over time, increase loss exposures. Also, increased regulation may result in reduced economic activity, which would decrease the amount of insurable assets and businesses.
The Company regularly reviews emerging issues, such as changing climate conditions, to consider potential changes to its modeling and the use of such modeling, as well as to help determine the need for new underwriting strategies, coverage modifications or new products.
REINSURANCE RECOVERABLES
Ceded reinsurance involves credit risk, except with regard to mandatory pools for which liability is mostly joint and several, and is generally subject to aggregate loss limits. Although the reinsurer is liable to the Company to the extent of the reinsurance ceded, the Company remains liable as the direct insurer on all risks reinsured. Reinsurance recoverables are reported after reductions for known insolvencies and after allowances for uncollectible amounts. The Company also holds collateral,
including trust agreements, escrow funds and letters of credit, under certain reinsurance agreements. The Company monitors the financial condition of reinsurers on an ongoing basis and reviews its reinsurance arrangements periodically. Reinsurers are selected based on their financial condition, business practices and the price of their product offerings. After reinsurance is purchased, the Company has limited ability to manage the credit risk to a reinsurer. In addition, in a number of jurisdictions, particularly the European Union and the United Kingdom, a reinsurer is permitted to transfer a reinsurance arrangement to another reinsurer, which may be less creditworthy, without a counterparty's consent, provided that the transfer has been approved by the applicable regulatory and/or court authority.
The Company's reinsurance recoverables totaled $11.52 billion at December 31, 2010, a decline of $1.30 billion from year-end 2009, primarily reflecting cash collections and the impact of net favorable prior year reserve development, partially offset by a reduction in the allowance for uncollectible reinsurance resulting from a recent favorable ruling relating to a reinsurance dispute.
The Company has also entered into Master Security Agreements with certain reinsurers. These agreements define conditions that require the reinsurer to provide collateral. The specific conditions and the amounts and form of collateral to be provided by these agreements vary based on a number of factors including, but not limited to, the reinsurers' legal structure and trading history with the Company.
The following table presents the Company's top five reinsurer groups by reinsurance recoverable at December 31, 2010 (in millions). Also included is the A.M. Best rating of each reinsurer group at February 17, 2011:
At December 31, 2010, the Company held $2.1 billion of collateral in the form of letters of credit, trust agreements and funds held to fully or partially collateralize certain reinsurance recoverables.
Included in reinsurance recoverables are certain amounts related to structured settlements. Structured settlements comprise annuities purchased from various life insurance companies to settle certain personal physical injury claims, of which workers' compensation claims comprise a significant portion. In cases where the Company did not receive a release from the claimant, the structured settlement is included in reinsurance recoverables as the Company retains the contingent liability to the claimant. In the event that the life insurance company fails to make the required annuity payments, the Company would be required to make such payments. In the third quarter of 2010, Old Mutual plc, the parent of a U.S. life insurance company that is one of the largest issuers of structured settlements included in the Company's reinsurance recoverables, agreed to sell its U.S. life insurance business to a hedge fund buyer, pending regulatory approval. The Company currently cannot predict the impact of the transaction, if approved, on the long-term creditworthiness of the annuity issuer. The following table presents the Company's top five groups by structured settlements at December 31, 2010 (in
millions). Also included is the A.M. Best rating of the Company's predominant insurer from each insurer group at February 17, 2011:
Many reinsurance companies and life insurance companies were negatively impacted by turbulent economic conditions during 2009 and 2008. A number of such companies were subjected to downgrades and/or negative outlook changes by various ratings agencies, including those with which the Company conducts business. The Company considers these factors in assessing the adequacy of its allowance for uncollectible amounts.
OUTLOOK
The following discussion provides outlook information for certain key drivers of the Company's results of operations and capital position.
Premiums. The Company's earned premiums are a function of net written premium volume. Net written premiums comprise both renewal business and new business and are recognized as earned premium over the life of the underlying policies. When business renews, the amount of net written premiums associated with that business may increase or decrease (renewal premium change) as a result of increases or decreases in rate and/or insured exposures, which the Company considers as a measure of units of exposure. Net written premiums from both renewal and new business, and therefore earned premiums, are impacted by competitive market conditions as well as general economic conditions, which, particularly in the case of the Business Insurance segment, affect audit premium adjustments, policy endorsements and mid-term cancellations. Net written premiums are also impacted by the structure of reinsurance programs and related costs.
The Company expects retention levels (the amount of expiring premium that renews, before the impact of renewal premium changes) will remain strong, generally consistent with recent periods. In the Business Insurance segment, the Company expects a slightly improving trend in renewal premium changes, including the components of rate changes and insured exposures, during 2011 compared with 2010. In the Financial, Professional & International Insurance segment, the Company expects that renewal premium changes, including the components of rate changes and insured exposures, will not meaningfully change during 2011 compared with 2010. In the Personal Insurance segment, the Company expects that Agency Automobile renewal premium changes, while positive, will decrease slightly in 2011 from levels in 2010. For its Agency Homeowners' and Other business, the Company expects renewal premium changes in 2011 will remain generally consistent with 2010.
The pricing environment for new business generally has less of an impact on underwriting profitability than renewal rate changes, given the volume of new business relative to renewal business. While property and casualty insurance market conditions are expected to remain competitive in 2011 for new business, the Company believes it is well-positioned to capitalize on new business opportunities as agents, brokers and customers seek to place business with high-quality carriers. In addition, the Company launched a new distribution channel in 2009 that markets personal insurance products directly to consumers, which is expected to generate modest growth in premium volume for Personal Insurance in 2011.
While economic conditions have recently improved, there is continued uncertainty regarding the timing and strength of any economic recovery. The trend may not continue. Further, if growth continues, it may be at a slow rate for an extended period of time. In addition, other economic conditions, such as the commercial and residential real estate environment and employment rates, may continue to be weak. If weak economic conditions persist or deteriorate, low levels of economic activity could impact exposure changes at renewal and our ability to write business at acceptable rates. Additionally, such low levels of economic activity could adversely impact audit premium adjustments, policy endorsements and mid-term cancellations after policies are written. All of the foregoing, in turn, could adversely impact net written premiums in 2011. Since earned premiums lag net written premiums, earned premiums could be adversely impacted in 2011 and into 2012.
Underwriting Gain/Loss. In Business Insurance, the anticipated impact of competitive market conditions and general economic conditions on the Company's earned premiums, as discussed above, coupled with an expected modest increase in loss costs, will likely result in modestly reduced underwriting profitability during 2011, as compared with 2010. In Financial, Professional & International Insurance, the anticipated impact of a decline in earned premiums resulting from lower levels of written premiums in 2010, combined with higher employee- and technology-related costs to enhance operations and support future business growth, will likely result in modestly reduced underwriting profitability during 2011 as compared with 2010. In Personal Insurance, the anticipated impact of continued positive renewal premium changes on the Company's earned premiums, as discussed above, combined with an expected modest increase in loss costs, will likely result in modestly increased underwriting profitability during 2011, as compared with 2010. In Personal Insurance, the Company's direct to consumer initiative, discussed above, while intended to enhance the Company's long-term ability to compete successfully in a consumer-driven marketplace, is expected to remain unprofitable for a number of years as this book of business grows and matures.
In recent periods, the Company has experienced net favorable prior year reserve development, driven by better than expected loss experience in all of the Company's segments, primarily in accident years 2001 through 2007. Better than expected loss experience and other favorable circumstances may continue at higher, lower or the same levels as compared to recent periods, may not continue or may reverse, causing the Company to recognize higher, lower or the same levels of favorable prior year reserve development, no favorable prior year reserve development or unfavorable prior year reserve development in future periods. In addition, the ongoing review of prior year claim and claim adjustment expense reserves, or other changes in current period circumstances, may result in the Company revising current year loss estimates upward or downward in future periods.
Catastrophe losses are inherently unpredictable from year to year, and the Company's results of operations would be adversely impacted by significant catastrophe losses in 2011.
Investment Portfolio. The Company expects to continue to focus its investment strategy on maintaining a high-quality investment portfolio and a relatively low average effective duration.
Net investment income is a material contributor to the Company's results of operations. While interest rates have recently risen above the historic lows experienced in the second half of 2010, the Company expects investment returns for its fixed maturity investment portfolio to be slightly lower in 2011 than in recent periods due to lower reinvestment yields available for maturing long-term fixed maturity investments. Short-term interest rates are expected to remain at or near historically low levels. The Company expects investment income in its non-fixed maturity investment portfolio in 2011 to be generally consistent with 2010. However, if general economic conditions and/or investment market conditions deteriorate in 2011, the Company could also experience a reduction in net investment income and/or significant realized investment losses, including impairments. The Company expects its fixed income assets, including its municipal portfolio, to provide adequate risk-adjusted returns and support its insurance operations over the long-term. For further discussion of the Company's municipal
bond portfolio, see "Item 7 - Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations-Investment Portfolio" in this report.
Capital Position. The Company believes it has a strong capital position and expects to continue its common share repurchase program in 2011 as part of its continuing efforts to maximize shareholder value. The Company expects the total dollar amount of share repurchases in 2011 will exceed its operating income for the year, as it did in 2010, but the total dollar amount of share repurchases is expected to be lower than in 2010. The actual amount of share repurchases will depend on a variety of factors, including the Company's earnings, corporate and regulatory requirements, share price, catastrophe losses, strategic initiatives and other market conditions. There is no assurance that the Company will be able to continue to repurchase shares in excess of its operating income in future years.
The Company had a net after-tax unrealized investment gain of $1.74 billion in its fixed maturity investment portfolio at December 31, 2010. While the Company does not attempt to predict future interest rate movements, a rising interest rate environment would reduce the market value of fixed maturity investments and, therefore, reduce shareholders' equity, and a declining interest rate environment would have the opposite effects.
Many of the statements in this "Outlook" section are forward-looking statements, which are subject to risks and uncertainties that are often difficult to predict and beyond the Company's control. Actual results could differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Further, such forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this report and the Company undertakes no obligation to update them. See "-Forward Looking Statements." For a discussion of potential risks and uncertainties that could impact the Company's results of operations or financial position, see "Item 1A - Risk Factors" and "Item 7 - Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations-Critical Accounting Estimates" in this report.
LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES
Liquidity is a measure of a company's ability to generate sufficient cash flows to meet the short- and long-term cash requirements of its business operations. The liquidity requirements of the Company's business have been met primarily by funds generated from operations, asset maturities and income received on investments. Cash provided from these sources is used primarily for claims and claim adjustment expense payments and operating expenses, and in recent years, for common share repurchases. The timing and amount of catastrophe claims are inherently unpredictable. Such claims increase liquidity requirements. The timing and amount of reinsurance recoveries may be affected by reinsurer solvency and reinsurance coverage disputes. Additionally, the variability of asbestos-related claim payments, as well as the volatility of potential judgments and settlements arising out of litigation, may also result in increased liquidity requirements. It is the opinion of the Company's management that the Company's future liquidity needs will be adequately met from all of the above sources.
At December 31, 2010, total cash and short-term invested assets aggregating $3.61 billion and having a weighted average maturity of 58 days were held at the holding company. The assets held at the holding company are sufficient to meet the holding company's current liquidity requirements and are more than three times the Company's target level. These liquidity requirements primarily include shareholder dividends and debt service. The Company has a shelf registration with the Securities and Exchange Commission which permits it to issue securities from time to time. The Company also has a $1.0 billion line of credit facility with a syndicate of financial institutions that expires in 2013. This line of credit also supports the Company's $800 million commercial paper program, of which $100 million was outstanding at December 31, 2010. The Company is not reliant on its commercial paper program to meet its operating cash flow needs.
The Company currently utilizes uncollateralized letters of credit issued by major banks with an aggregate limit of approximately $537 million to provide much of the capital needed to support its obligations at Lloyd's. If uncollateralized letters of credit are not available at a reasonable price or at all in the future, the Company can collateralize these letters of credit or may have to seek alternative means of supporting its obligations at Lloyd's, which could include utilizing holding company funds on hand.
Operating Activities
Net cash flows provided by operating activities totaled $3.05 billion, $4.23 billion and $3.14 billion in 2010, 2009 and 2008, respectively. Cash flows in 2010 reflected a higher level of claims and claim adjustment expense payments due to the impact of loss cost trends and a higher level of catastrophe loss payments, as well as a lower level of reinsurance recoveries, partially offset by declines in the amount of contributions to the Company's pension plan and lower claims and claim adjustment expense payments related to operations in runoff as compared with 2009. Cash flows in 2009 reflected a decline in catastrophe loss payments, a higher level of reinsurance recoveries, a reduction in the amount of contributions to the Company's pension plan and lower claims and claim adjustment expense payments related to operations in runoff as compared with 2008. Those runoff payments in 2008 included the Company's one-time net payment of $365 million associated with the final settlement of asbestos claims related to ACandS, Inc. In the years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008, the Company contributed $35 million, $260 million and $450 million, respectively, to its pension plan.
Investing Activities
Net cash flows provided by investing activities totaled $2.11 billion in 2010, compared with net cash flows used in investing activities of $899 million and $162 million in 2009 and 2008, respectively. The Company's consolidated total investments at December 31, 2010 decreased by $2.24 billion from year-end 2009, driven by the net sales and maturities of fixed maturity investments. The proceeds from those sales and maturities, along with operating cash flows of $3.05 billion in 2010, were the primary sources of funding for the Company's $5.04 billion of common share repurchases in 2010. Net pretax unrealized appreciation of investments at December 31, 2010 was virtually unchanged from the same date in 2009. The Company's consolidated total investments at December 31, 2009 increased by $4.23 billion from year-end 2008, primarily reflecting a $3.08 billion pretax increase in the unrealized appreciation of investments since year-end 2008 and investment purchases resulting from strong cash flows from operations, partially offset by $3.29 billion of common share repurchases made during 2009. The improvement in the Company's net unrealized investment gain position at December 31, 2009 over the prior year is primarily attributable to the Company's fixed maturity investments. The improved valuations on these holdings reflect the changing market conditions in 2009 which included a significant narrowing of credit spreads.
In the first half of 2011, the Company expects to fund its investment in J. Malucelli with cash from internal sources. See "Part I-Item 1 - Financial, Professional & International Insurance" in this report for further information regarding this investment.
The primary goals of the Company's asset-liability management process are to satisfy the insurance liabilities and maintain sufficient liquidity to cover fluctuations in projected liability cash flows. Generally, the expected principal and interest payments produced by the Company's fixed maturity portfolio adequately fund the estimated runoff of the Company's insurance reserves. Although this is not an exact cash flow match in each period, the substantial degree by which the market value of the fixed maturity portfolio exceeds the expected present value of the net insurance liabilities, as well as the positive cash flow from newly sold policies and the large amount of high quality liquid bonds, contributes to the Company's ability to fund claim payments without having to sell illiquid assets or access credit facilities.
Financing Activities
Net cash flows used in financing activities totaled $5.22 billion, $3.44 billion and $2.87 billion in 2010, 2009 and 2008, respectively. The totals in each year reflected common share repurchases, dividends to shareholders and the repayment of debt, partially offset by the proceeds from employee stock option exercises and the issuance of debt.
Debt Transactions.
2010. On November 1, 2010, the Company issued $500 million aggregate principal amount 3.90% senior notes that will mature on November 1, 2020, and $750 million aggregate principal amount 5.35% senior notes that will mature on November 1, 2040. The net proceeds of these issuances, after original issuance discount and the deduction of underwriting expenses and commissions and other expenses, totaled approximately $496 million and $738 million, respectively. Interest on the senior notes is payable semi-annually in arrears on November 1 and May 1 of each year. The senior notes are redeemable in whole at any time or in part from time to time, at the Company's option, at a redemption price equal to the greater of (a) 100% of the principal amount of senior notes to be redeemed or (b) the sum of the present values of the remaining scheduled payments of principal and interest on the senior notes to be redeemed (exclusive of interest accrued to the date of redemption) discounted to the date of redemption on a semi-annual basis (assuming a 360-day year consisting of twelve 30-day months) at the then current Treasury rate (as defined) plus 15 basis points for the 2020 senior notes and 20 basis points for the 2040 notes.
Prior to November 2010, the Company was subject to a replacement capital covenant that it had granted to the holders of its 6.75% senior notes due June 20, 2036 (the senior notes). The replacement capital covenant restricted the Company's ability to repurchase its $1.00 billion in outstanding 6.25% fixed-to-floating rate junior subordinated debentures due March 15, 2067 (the debentures). In November 2010, the Company paid approximately $4 million to holders of the senior notes to terminate the replacement capital covenant. Following the termination, the Company purchased approximately $885 million aggregate principal amount of the debentures. A $60 million pretax loss was recognized in 2010 related to these transactions.
On September 16, 2010, the Company repaid the remaining $4 million principal balance on its 7.81% private placement senior notes. On August 23, 2010, the Company's $21 million, 7.415% medium-term notes matured and were fully paid. On April 15, 2010, the Company's $250 million, 8.125% senior notes matured and were fully paid. All of these debt payments were made from internally-generated funds.
2009. On June 2, 2009, the Company issued $500 million aggregate principal amount of 5.90% senior notes that will mature on June 2, 2019. The net proceeds of the issuance, after original issuance discount and the deduction of underwriting expenses and commissions and other expenses, totaled approximately $494 million. Interest on the senior notes is payable semi-annually in arrears on June 2 and December 2 of each year. The senior notes are redeemable in whole at any time or in part from time to time, at the Company's option, at a redemption price equal to the greater of (a) 100% of the principal amount of senior notes to be redeemed or (b) the sum of the present values of the remaining scheduled payments of principal and interest on the senior notes to be redeemed (exclusive of interest accrued to the date of redemption) discounted to the date of redemption on a semi-annual basis (assuming a 360-day year consisting of twelve 30-day months) at the then current Treasury rate (as defined) plus 35 basis points for the senior notes.
On March 3, 2009, the Company's zero coupon convertible notes with an effective yield of 4.17% and a remaining principal balance of $141 million matured and were fully paid.
2008. On March 15, 2008, the Company's $400 million, 3.75% senior notes matured and were fully paid. On May 13, 2008, the Company issued $500 million aggregate principal amount of 5.80% senior notes that will mature on May 15, 2018. The net proceeds of the issuance, after original issuance discount and the deduction of underwriting expenses and commissions and other expenses, totaled approximately $496 million. Interest on the senior notes is payable semi-annually on May 15 and November 15. The senior notes are redeemable in whole at any time or in part from time to time, at the Company's option, at a redemption price equal to the greater of (a) 100% of the principal amount of senior notes to be redeemed or (b) the sum of the present values of the remaining scheduled payments of principal and interest on the senior notes to be redeemed (exclusive of interest accrued to the date of redemption) discounted to the date of redemption on a semi-annual basis (assuming a 360-day year consisting of twelve 30-day months) at the then current Treasury rate plus 30 basis points for the senior notes.
On December 15, 2008, two medium-term notes with a cumulative par value of $149 million, each bearing an interest rate of 6.38%, matured and were fully paid.
The amounts of debt obligations, other than commercial paper, that becomes due in 2011, 2012 and 2013 are $9 million, $250 million and $500 million, respectively.
Dividends. Dividends paid to shareholders totaled $673 million, $693 million and $715 million in 2010, 2009 and 2008, respectively. On February 2, 2011, the Company's board of directors declared a quarterly dividend of $0.36 per share, payable March 31, 2011 to shareholders of record on March 10, 2011. The declaration and payment of future dividends to holders of the Company's common stock will be at the discretion of the Company's board of directors and will depend upon many factors, including the Company's financial position, earnings, capital requirements of the Company's operating subsidiaries, legal requirements, regulatory constraints and other factors as the board of directors deems relevant. Dividends would be paid by the Company only if declared by its board of directors out of funds legally available, subject to any other restrictions that may be applicable to the Company.
Share Repurchases. The Company's board of directors has approved common share repurchase authorizations under which repurchases may be made from time to time in the open market, pursuant to pre-set trading plans meeting the requirements of Rule 10b5-1 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, in private transactions or otherwise. The authorizations do not have a stated expiration date. The timing and actual number of shares to be repurchased in the future will depend on a variety of factors, including the Company's financial position, earnings, catastrophe losses, capital requirements of the Company's operating subsidiaries, legal requirements, regulatory constraints, other investment opportunities (including mergers and acquisitions), market conditions and other factors. The following table summarizes repurchase activity in 2010 and remaining repurchase capacity at December 31, 2010.
In January 2011, the board of directors approved a share repurchase authorization that added an additional $5 billion of repurchase capacity to the $1.51 billion of capacity remaining at December 31, 2010.
From the inception of the first authorization in May 2006 through December 31, 2010, the Company repurchased a cumulative total of 288.9 million shares for a total cost of $14.49 billion, or $50.15 per share.
In 2010, 2009 and 2008, the Company acquired 1.3 million, 1.5 million and 0.8 million shares, respectively, of common stock from employees as treasury stock primarily to cover payroll withholding taxes related to the vesting of restricted stock awards and exercises of stock options.
Capital Resources
Capital resources reflect the overall financial strength of the Company and its ability to borrow funds at competitive rates and raise new capital to meet its needs. The following table summarizes the components of the Company's capital structure at December 31, 2010 and 2009.
The $1.86 billion decrease in total capitalization from December 31, 2009 primarily reflected the impact of common share repurchases and dividends to shareholders, partially offset by net income in 2010.
The following table provides a reconciliation of total capitalization excluding net unrealized gains on investments to total capitalization presented in the foregoing table.
The debt-to-total capital ratio excluding net unrealized gains on investments is calculated by dividing (a) debt by (b) total capitalization excluding net unrealized gains and losses on investments, net of taxes. Net unrealized gains and losses on investments can be significantly impacted by both discretionary and other economic factors and are not necessarily indicative of operating trends. Accordingly, in the opinion of the Company's management, the debt-to-total capital ratio calculated on this basis provides another useful metric for investors to understand the Company's financial leverage position. The Company's debt-to-total capital ratio of 21.9% at December 31, 2010 calculated on this basis was within the Company's target range.
Line of Credit Agreement. On June 10, 2010, the Company entered into a three-year, $1.0 billion revolving credit agreement with a syndicate of financial institutions, replacing its five-year, $1.0 billion credit agreement that expired on that date. Pursuant to the credit agreement covenants, the Company must maintain a minimum consolidated net worth (generally defined as shareholders' equity plus certain trust preferred and mandatorily convertible securities, reduced for goodwill and other intangible assets) of $14.35 billion. The Company must also maintain a ratio of total debt to the sum of total debt plus consolidated net worth of not greater than 0.40 to 1.00. In addition, the credit agreement contains other customary restrictive covenants as well as certain customary events of default, including with respect to a change in control, which is defined to include the acquisition of 35% or more of the Company's voting stock and certain changes in the composition of the Company's board of directors. At December 31, 2010, the Company was in compliance with these covenants. Generally, the cost of borrowing under this agreement will range from LIBOR plus 100 basis points to LIBOR plus 175 basis points depending on the Company's credit ratings. At December 31, 2010, that cost would have been LIBOR plus 125 basis points had there been any amounts outstanding under the credit agreement. This line of credit also supports the Company's commercial paper program.
Shelf Registration. In December 2008, the Company filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission a universal shelf registration statement for the potential offering and sale of securities. The Company may offer these securities from time to time at prices and on other terms to be determined at the time of offering. During 2010 and 2009, the Company issued securities with a principal amount of $1.25 billion and $500 million, respectively, under the shelf registration statement.
Share Repurchase Authorization. At December 31, 2010, the Company had $1.51 billion of capacity remaining under its share repurchase authorization approved by the board of directors. In January 2011, the board of directors approved a share repurchase authorization that added an additional $5 billion of repurchase capacity to the $1.51 billion of capacity that remained at December 31, 2010.
Contractual Obligations
The following table summarizes, as of December 31, 2010, the Company's future payments under contractual obligations and estimated claims and claim-related payments. The table excludes short-term obligations and includes only liabilities at December 31, 2010 that are expected to be settled in cash.
The table below includes the amount and estimated future timing of claims and claim related payments. The amounts do not represent the exact liability, but instead represent estimates, generally utilizing actuarial projections techniques, at a given accounting date. These estimates include expectations of what the ultimate settlement and administration of claims will cost based on the Company's assessment of facts and circumstances then known, review of historical settlement patterns, estimates of trends in claims severity, frequency, legal theories of liability and other factors. Variables in the reserve estimation process can be affected by both internal and external events, such as changes in claims handling procedures, economic inflation or deflation, legal trends and legislative changes. Many of these items are not directly quantifiable, particularly on a prospective basis. Additionally, there may be significant reporting lags between the occurrence of the policyholder event and the time it is actually reported to the insurer. The future cash flows related to the items contained in the table below required estimation of both amount (including severity considerations) and timing. Amount and timing are frequently estimated separately. An estimation of both amount and timing of future cash flows related to claims and claim related payments is generally reliable only in the aggregate with some unavoidable estimation uncertainty.
The contractual obligations related to debt, operating leases, purchase obligations, long-term unfunded investment commitments, estimated claims and claim-related payments (gross of the
estimated reinsurance recoveries) and liabilities related to unrecognized tax benefits, at December 31, 2010 were as follows:
(1)See note 8 of notes to the Company's consolidated financial statements for a further discussion of outstanding indebtedness. Because the amounts reported in the foregoing table include principal and interest, the total long-term debt obligations will not agree with the amounts reported in note 8.
(2)Represents agreements entered into in the ordinary course of business to lease office space, equipment and furniture.
(3)Includes agreements with vendors to purchase system software administration and maintenance services.
(4)In connection with the sale of its insurance brokerage operations, the Company committed to acquire brokerage services from the buyer through May 16, 2012. See note 15 of notes to the Company's consolidated financial statements.
(5)Includes commitments to vendors entered into in the ordinary course of business for goods and services including office supplies, archival services, etc.
(6)Represents estimated timing for fulfilling unfunded commitments for private equity limited partnerships and real estate partnerships.
(7)The amounts in "Claims and claim adjustment expenses" in the table above represent the estimated timing of future payments for both reported and unreported claims incurred and related claim adjustment expenses, gross of reinsurance recoverables, excluding structured settlements expected to be paid by annuity companies.
The Company has entered into reinsurance agreements to protect itself from potential losses in excess of the amount it is prepared to accept as described in note 5 of notes to the Company's consolidated financial statements.
In order to qualify for reinsurance accounting, a reinsurance agreement must indemnify the insurer from insurance risk, i.e., the agreement must transfer amount and timing risk. Since the timing and amount of cash inflows from such reinsurance agreements are directly related to the underlying payment of claims and claim adjustment expenses by the insurer, reinsurance recoverables are recognized in a manner consistent with the liabilities (the estimated liability for claims and claim adjustment expenses) relating to the underlying reinsured contracts. The presence of any feature that can delay timely reimbursement of claims by a reinsurer results in the reinsurance contract being accounted for as a deposit rather than reinsurance (see below). The assumptions used in estimating the amount and timing of the reinsurance recoverables are consistent with those used in estimating the amount and timing of the related liabilities.
Reinsurance agreements that do not transfer both amount and timing risk are accounted for as deposits and included in "Reinsurance contracts accounted for as deposits" in the table above.
The estimated future cash inflows from the Company's reinsurance contracts that qualify for reinsurance accounting are as follows:
The Company manages its business and evaluates its liabilities for claims and claim adjustment expense on a net of reinsurance basis. The estimated cash flows on a net of reinsurance basis are as follows:
For business underwritten by non-U.S. operations, future cash flows related to reported and unreported claims incurred and related claim adjustment expenses were translated at the spot rate on December 31, 2010.
The amounts reported in the table above and in the table of reinsurance recoverables above are presented on a nominal basis and have not been adjusted to reflect the time value of money. Accordingly, the amounts above will differ from the Company's balance sheet to the extent that the liability for claims and claim adjustment expenses and the related reinsurance recoverables have been discounted in the balance sheet. (See note 1 of notes to the Company's consolidated financial statements.)
(8)Workers' compensation large deductible policies provide third party coverage in which the Company typically is responsible for paying the entire loss under such policies and then seeks reimbursement from the insured for the deductible amount. "Claims from large deductible policies" represent the estimated future payment for claims and claim related expenses below the
deductible amount, net of the estimated recovery of the deductible. The liability and the related deductible receivable for unpaid claims are presented in the consolidated balance sheet as "contractholder payables" and "contractholder receivables," respectively. Most deductibles for such policies are paid directly from the policyholder's escrow which is periodically replenished by the policyholder. The payment of the loss amounts above the deductible are reported within "Claims and claim adjustment expenses" in the above table. Because the timing of the collection of the deductible (contractholder receivables) occurs shortly after the payment of the deductible to a claimant (contractholder payables), these cash flows offset each other in the table.
The estimated timing of the payment of the contractholder payables and the collection of contractholder receivables for workers' compensation policies is presented below:
(9)The amounts in "Loss-based assessments" relate to estimated future payments of second-injury fund assessments which would result from payment of current claim liabilities. Second injury funds cover the cost of any additional benefits for aggravation of a pre-existing condition. For loss-based assessments, the cost is shared by the insurance industry and self-insureds, funded through assessments to insurance companies and self-insureds based on losses. Amounts relating to second-injury fund assessments are included in "other liabilities" in the consolidated balance sheet.
(10)The amounts in "Reinsurance contracts accounted for as deposits" represent estimated future nominal payments for reinsurance agreements that are accounted for as deposits. Amounts payable under deposit agreements are included in "other liabilities" in the consolidated balance sheet. The amounts reported in the table are presented on a nominal basis and have not been adjusted to reflect the time value of money. Accordingly, the amounts above will differ from the Company's balance sheet to the extent that deposit values in the balance sheet have been discounted using deposit accounting.
(11)The amounts in "Payout from ceded funds withheld" represent estimated payments for losses and return of funds held related to certain reinsurance arrangements whereby the Company holds a portion of the premium due to the reinsurer and is allowed to pay claims from the amounts held.
(12)The Company's current liabilities related to unrecognized tax benefits from uncertain tax positions are $1.12 billion. Offsetting these liabilities are deferred tax assets of $1.01 billion associated with the temporary differences that would exist if these positions become realized. The above table does not include an analysis of liabilities reported for structured settlements for which the Company has purchased annuities and remains contingently liable in the event of default by the company issuing the annuity. The Company is not reasonably likely to incur material future payment obligations under such agreements. In addition, the Company does not have a best estimate of contributions expected to be paid to its qualified pension plan. Accordingly, any future contributions are not included in the foregoing table.
This table does not include the Company's obligations related to its agreement to commence a joint venture with J. Malucelli Participações em Seguros e Resseguros S.A, a Brazilian company ("J. Malucelli"), a transaction that is described in more detail in note 15 of notes to the Company's consolidated financial statements. The purchase price for this acquisition will be R$625 million Brazilian Reais (the U.S. dollar equivalent of which will depend on the exchange rate at closing) plus an amount based on a Brazilian inter-bank lending rate (CDI) from January 1, 2011 through the closing date of the transaction. At December 31, 2010, R$625 million Brazilian Reais was equivalent to approximately $377 million in U.S. dollars. The purchase price is expected to be paid in cash from internal sources in the first half of 2011. In order to reduce its exposure to a significant strengthening
of the Brazilian Reais prior to the closing of the transaction, the Company entered into a foreign currency option contract on February 7, 2011 in the notional amount of R$635 million which expires on March 31, 2011. The joint venture transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to be finalized in the first half of 2011.
Dividend Availability
The Company's principal insurance subsidiaries are domiciled in the state of Connecticut. The insurance holding company laws of Connecticut applicable to the Company's subsidiaries requires notice to, and approval by, the state insurance commissioner for the declaration or payment of any dividend that, together with other distributions made within the preceding twelve months, exceeds the greater of 10% of the insurer's capital and surplus as of the preceding December 31, or the insurer's net income for the twelve-month period ending the preceding December 31, in each case determined in accordance with statutory accounting practices and by state regulation. This declaration or payment is further limited by adjusted unassigned surplus, as determined in accordance with statutory accounting practices.
The insurance holding company laws of other states in which the Company's subsidiaries are domiciled generally contain similar, although in some instances somewhat more restrictive, limitations on the payment of dividends. A maximum of $3.61 billion is available by the end of 2011 for such dividends without prior approval of the Connecticut Insurance Department. The Company may choose to accelerate the timing within 2011 and/or increase the amount of dividends from its insurance subsidiaries in 2011, which could result in certain dividends being subject to approval by the Connecticut Insurance Department. The holding company received $6.59 billion of dividends from its domestic insurance subsidiaries in 2010, including $5.26 billion of dividends that were subject to regulatory approval, primarily due to the Company's request for the accelerated timing of payment.
Risk-Based Capital
The NAIC adopted RBC requirements for property casualty companies to be used as minimum capital requirements by the NAIC and states to identify companies that merit further regulatory action. The formulas have not been designed to differentiate among adequately capitalized companies that operate with levels of capital higher than RBC requirements. Therefore, it is inappropriate and ineffective to use the formulas to rate or to rank these companies. At December 31, 2010, all of the Company's insurance subsidiaries had adjusted capital in excess of amounts requiring any company or regulatory action.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
The Company has entered into certain contingent obligations for guarantees related to letters of credit, issuance of debt securities, certain investments, third-party loans related to certain investments and various indemnifications, including those related to the sale of business entities. See note 15 of notes to the Company's consolidated financial statements. The Company does not expect these arrangements to have a material effect on the Company's financial position, changes in financial position, revenues and expenses, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures or capital resources.
CRITICAL ACCOUNTING ESTIMATES
The Company considers its most significant accounting estimates to be those applied to claims and claim adjustment expense reserves and related reinsurance recoverables, investment valuation and impairments, and goodwill impairments.
Claims and Claim Adjustment Expense Reserves
Claims and claim adjustment expense reserves (loss reserves) represent management's estimate of ultimate unpaid costs of losses and loss adjustment expenses for claims that have been reported and claims that have been incurred but not yet reported. Loss reserves do not represent an exact calculation of liability, but instead represent management estimates, generally utilizing actuarial expertise and projection techniques, at a given accounting date. These loss reserve estimates are expectations of what the ultimate settlement and administration of claims will cost upon final resolution in the future, based on the Company's assessment of facts and circumstances then known, review of historical settlement patterns, estimates of trends in claims severity and frequency, expected interpretations of legal theories of liability and other factors. In establishing loss reserves, the Company also takes into account estimated recoveries from reinsurance, salvage and subrogation. The loss reserves are reviewed regularly by qualified actuaries employed by the Company.
The process of estimating loss reserves involves a high degree of judgment and is subject to a number of variables. These variables can be affected by both internal and external events, such as changes in claims handling procedures, changes in individuals involved in the reserve estimation process, economic inflation, legal trends and legislative changes, among others. The impact of many of these items on ultimate costs for claims and claim adjustment expenses is difficult to estimate. Loss reserve estimation difficulties also differ significantly by product line due to differences in claim complexity, the volume of claims, the potential severity of individual claims, the determination of occurrence date for a claim and reporting lags (the time between the occurrence of the policyholder event and when it is actually reported to the insurer). Informed judgment is applied throughout the process, including the application of various individual experiences and expertise to multiple sets of data and analyses. The Company continually refines its loss reserve estimates in a regular ongoing process as historical loss experience develops and additional claims are reported and settled. The Company rigorously attempts to consider all significant facts and circumstances known at the time loss reserves are established. Due to the inherent uncertainty underlying loss reserve estimates including, but not limited to, the future settlement environment, final resolution of the estimated liability for claims and claim adjustment expenses may be higher or lower than the related loss reserves at the reporting date. Therefore, actual paid losses, as claims are settled in the future, may be materially different in amount than current loss reserves-favorable or unfavorable.
Because establishment of loss reserves is an inherently uncertain process involving estimates, currently established loss reserves may change. The Company reflects adjustments to loss reserves in the results of operations in the period the estimates are changed.
There are also additional risks which impact the estimation of ultimate costs for catastrophes. For example, the estimation of reserves related to hurricanes and other catastrophic events can be affected by the inability of the Company and its insureds to access portions of the impacted areas, the complexity of factors contributing to the losses, the legal and regulatory uncertainties and the nature of the information available to establish the reserves. Complex factors include, but are not limited to: determining whether damage was caused by flooding versus wind; evaluating general liability and pollution exposures; estimating additional living expenses; estimating the impact of demand surge, infrastructure disruption, fraud, the effect of mold damage and business interruption costs; and reinsurance collectibility. The timing of a catastrophe, such as at or near the end of a reporting period, can also affect the information available to the Company in estimating reserves for that reporting period. The estimates related to catastrophes are adjusted as actual claims emerge.
A portion of the Company's gross claims and claim adjustment expense reserves (totaling $3.30 billion at December 31, 2010) are for asbestos and environmental claims and related litigation. While the ongoing review of asbestos and environmental claims and associated liabilities considers the inconsistencies of court decisions as to coverage, plaintiffs' expanded theories of liability and the risks
inherent in complex litigation and other uncertainties, in the opinion of the Company's management, it is possible that the outcome of the continued uncertainties regarding these claims could result in liability in future periods that differs from current reserves by an amount that could be material to the Company's future operating results. See the preceding discussion of "Asbestos Claims and Litigation" and "Environmental Claims and Litigation."
Gross claims and claim adjustment expense reserves by product line were as follows:
The $2.00 billion decline in gross claims and claim adjustment expense reserves since December 31, 2009 primarily reflected the impact of net favorable prior year reserve development and payments related to asbestos and environmental claims as well as operations in runoff.
Asbestos and environmental reserves are included in the General liability, Commercial multi-peril and International and other lines in the foregoing summary table. Asbestos and environmental reserves are discussed separately; see "Asbestos Claims and Litigation", "Environmental Claims and Litigation" and "Uncertainty Regarding Adequacy of Asbestos and Environmental Reserves."
General Discussion
The process for estimating the liabilities for claims and claim adjustment expenses begins with the collection and analysis of claim data. Data on individual reported claims, both current and historical, including paid amounts and individual claim adjuster estimates, are grouped by common characteristics (components) and evaluated by actuaries in their analyses of ultimate claim liabilities by product line. Such data is occasionally supplemented with external data as available and when appropriate. The process of analyzing reserves for a component is undertaken on a regular basis, generally quarterly, in light of continually updated information.
Multiple estimation methods are available for the analysis of ultimate claim liabilities. Each estimation method has its own set of assumption variables and its own advantages and disadvantages, with no single estimation method being better than the others in all situations and no one set of assumption variables being meaningful for all product line components. The relative strengths and weaknesses of the particular estimation methods when applied to a particular group of claims can also change over time. Therefore, the actual choice of estimation method(s) can change with each evaluation. The estimation method(s) chosen are those that are believed to produce the most reliable indication at that particular evaluation date for the claim liabilities being evaluated.
In most cases, multiple estimation methods will be valid for the particular facts and circumstances of the claim liabilities being evaluated. This will result in a range of reasonable estimates for any particular claim liability. The Company uses such range analyses to back test whether previously established estimates for reserves at the reporting segments are reasonable, given subsequent information. Reported values found to be closer to the endpoints of a range of reasonable estimates are subject to further detailed reviews. These reviews may substantiate the validity of management's recorded estimate or lead to a change in the reported estimate.
The exact boundary points of these ranges are more qualitative than quantitative in nature, as no clear line of demarcation exists to determine when the set of underlying assumptions for an estimation method switches from being reasonable to unreasonable. As a result, the Company does not believe that the endpoints of these ranges are or would be comparable across companies. In addition, potential interactions among the different estimation assumptions for different product lines make the aggregation of individual ranges a highly judgmental and inexact process.
Property-casualty insurance policies are either written on a claims-made or on an occurrence basis. Claims-made policies generally cover, subject to requirements in individual policies, claims reported during the policy period. Policies that are written on an occurrence basis require that the insured demonstrate that a loss occurred in the policy period, even if the insured reports the loss many years later.
Most general liability policies are written on an occurrence basis. These policies are subject to substantial loss development over time as facts and circumstances change in the years following the policy issuance. The occurrence form, which accounts for much of the reserve development in asbestos and environmental exposures, is also used to provide coverage for construction general liability, including construction defect. Occurrence-based forms of insurance for general liability exposures require substantial projection of various trends, including future inflation and judicial interpretations and societal litigation dynamics, among others.
A basic premise in most actuarial analyses is that past patterns demonstrated in the data will repeat themselves in the future, absent a material change in the associated risk factors discussed below. To the extent a material change affecting the ultimate claim liability is known, such change is quantified to the extent possible through an analysis of internal company data and, if available and when appropriate, external data. Such a measurement is specific to the facts and circumstances of the particular claim portfolio and the known change being evaluated. Significant structural changes to the available data, product mix or organization can materially impact the reserve estimation process.
Informed judgment is applied throughout the reserving process. This includes the application of various individual experiences and expertise to multiple sets of data and analyses. In addition to actuaries, experts involved with the reserving process also include underwriting and claims personnel and lawyers, as well as other company management. Therefore, management may have to consider varying individual viewpoints as part of its estimation of loss reserves. It is also likely that during periods of significant change, such as a merger, consistent application of informed judgment becomes even more complicated and difficult.
The variables discussed above in this general discussion have different impacts on reserve estimation uncertainty for a given product line, depending on the length of the claim tail, the reporting lag, the impact of individual claims and the complexity of the claim process for a given product line.
Product lines are generally classifiable as either long tail or short tail, based on the average length of time between the event triggering claims under a policy and the final resolution of those claims. Short tail claims are reported and settled quickly, resulting in less estimation variability. The longer the time before final claim resolution, the greater the exposure to estimation risks and hence the greater the estimation uncertainty.
A major component of the claim tail is the reporting lag. The reporting lag, which is the time between the event triggering a claim and the reporting of the claim to the insurer, makes estimating IBNR inherently more uncertain. In addition, the greater the reporting lag, the greater the proportion of IBNR to the total claim liability for the product line. Writing new products with material reporting lags can result in adding several years worth of IBNR claim exposure before the reporting lag exposure becomes clearly observable, thereby increasing the risk associated with pricing and reserving such products. The most extreme example of claim liabilities with long reporting lags are asbestos claims.
For some lines, the impact of large individual claims can be material to the analysis. These lines are generally referred to as being "low frequency/high severity," while lines without this "large claim" sensitivity are referred to as "high frequency/low severity." Estimates of claim liabilities for low frequency/high severity lines can be sensitive to the impact of a small number of potentially large claims. As a result, the role of judgment is much greater for these reserve estimates. In contrast, for high frequency/low severity lines the impact of individual claims is relatively minor and the range of reasonable reserve estimates is narrower and more stable.
Claim complexity can also greatly affect the estimation process by impacting the number of assumptions needed to produce the estimate, the potential stability of the underlying data and claim process, and the ability to gain an understanding of the data. Product lines with greater claim complexity, such as for certain surety and construction exposures, have inherently greater estimation uncertainty.
Actuaries have to exercise a considerable degree of judgment in the evaluation of all these factors in their analysis of reserves. The human element in the application of actuarial judgment is unavoidable when faced with material uncertainty. Different actuaries may choose different assumptions when faced with such uncertainty, based on their individual backgrounds, professional experiences and areas of focus. Hence, the estimates selected by the various actuaries may differ materially from each other.
Lastly, significant structural changes to the available data, product mix or organization can also materially impact the reserve estimation process. Events such as mergers increase the inherent uncertainty of reserve estimates for a period of time, until stable trends re-establish themselves within the new organization.
Risk factors
The major causes of material uncertainty ("risk factors") generally will vary for each product line, as well as for each separately analyzed component of the product line. In a few cases, such risk factors are explicit assumptions of the estimation method, but in most cases, they are implicit. For example, a method may explicitly assume that a certain percentage of claims will close each year, but will implicitly assume that the legal interpretation of existing contract language will remain unchanged. Actual results will likely vary from expectations for each of these assumptions, causing actual paid losses, as claims are settled in the future, to be different in amount than the reserves being estimated currently.
Some risk factors will affect more than one product line. Examples include changes in claim department practices, changes in settlement patterns, regulatory and legislative actions, court actions, timeliness of claim reporting, state mix of claimants and degree of claimant fraud. The extent of the impact of a risk factor will also vary by components within a product line. Individual risk factors are also subject to interactions with other risk factors within product line components.
The effect of a particular risk factor on estimates of claim liabilities cannot be isolated in most cases. For example, estimates of potential claim settlements may be impacted by the risk associated with potential court rulings, but the final settlement agreement typically does not delineate how much of the settled amount is due to this and other factors.
The evaluation of data is also subject to distortion from extreme events or structural shifts, sometimes in unanticipated ways. For example, the timing of claims payments in one geographic region will be impacted if claim adjusters are temporarily reassigned from that region to help settle catastrophe claims in another region.
While some changes in the claim environment are sudden in nature (such as a new court ruling affecting the interpretation of all contracts in that jurisdiction), others are more evolutionary. Evolutionary changes can occur when multiple factors affect final claim values, with the uncertainty surrounding each factor being resolved separately, in stepwise fashion. The final impact is not known until all steps have occurred.
Sudden changes generally cause a one-time shift in claim liability estimates, although there may be some lag in reliable quantification of their impact. Evolutionary changes generally cause a series of shifts in claim liability estimates, as each component of the evolutionary change becomes evident and estimable.
Actuarial methods for analyzing and estimating claims and claim adjustment expense reserves
The principal estimation and analysis methods utilized by the Company's actuaries are the paid development method, the case incurred development method, the Bornhuetter-Ferguson (BF) method, and average value analysis combined with the reported claim development method. The BF method is usually utilized for more recent accident periods, with a transition to other methods as the underlying claim data becomes more voluminous and therefore more credible. These are typically referred to as traditional actuarial methods. (See Glossary for an explanation of these methods).
While these are the principal methods utilized throughout the Company, actuaries evaluating a particular component for a product line have available to them the full range of methods developed within the casualty actuarial profession. The Company's actuaries are also continually monitoring developments within the profession for advances in existing techniques or the creation of new techniques that might improve current and future estimates.
Some components of product line reserves are susceptible to relatively infrequent large claims that can materially impact the total estimate for that component. In such cases, the Company's actuarial analysis generally isolates and analyzes separately such large claims. The reserves excluding such large claims are generally analyzed using the traditional methods described above. The reserves associated with large claims are then analyzed utilizing various methods, such as:
•Estimating the number of large claims and their average values based on historical trends from prior accident periods, adjusted for the current environment and supplemented with actual data for the accident year analyzed to the extent available.
•Utilizing individual claim adjuster estimates of the large claims, combined with continual monitoring of the aggregate accuracy of such claim adjuster estimates. (This monitoring may lead to supplemental adjustments to the aggregate of such claim estimates.)
•Utilizing historic longer-term average ratios of large claims to small claims, and applying such ratios to the estimated ultimate small claims from traditional analysis.
•Ground-up analysis of the underlying exposure (typically used for asbestos and environmental).
The results of such methodologies are subjected to various reasonability and diagnostic tests, including paid-to-incurred loss ratios, implied incurred-loss-to-earned-premium ratios and non-zero claim severity trends. An actual versus expected analysis is also performed comparing actual loss development to expected development based on the prior review. Additional analyses may be performed based on the results of these diagnostics, including the investigation of other actuarial methods.
The methods described above are generally utilized to evaluate management's existing estimate for prior accident periods. For the initial estimate of the current accident year, the available claim data is typically insufficient to produce a reliable indication. Hence, the initial estimate for an accident year is generally based on a loss ratio projection method, which uses the earned premium for the current year multiplied by a projected loss ratio. The projected loss ratio is determined through an analysis of prior periods' experience, using loss trend, rate level differences, mix of business changes and other known or observed factors influencing the current accident year relative to prior accident years. The exact number of prior accident years utilized varies by product line component, based on the volume of business for that component and the reliability of an individual accident year estimate.
Management's estimates
At least once per quarter, certain Company management meets with its actuaries to review the latest claims and claim adjustment expense reserve analyses. Based on these analyses, management determines whether its ultimate claim liability estimates should be changed. In doing so, it must evaluate whether the new data provided represents credible actionable information or an anomaly that will have no effect on estimated ultimate claim liability. For example, as described above, payments may have decreased in one geographic region due to fewer claim adjusters being available to process claims. The resulting claim payment patterns would be analyzed to determine whether or not the change in payment pattern represents a change in ultimate claim liability.
Such an assessment requires considerable judgment. It is frequently not possible to determine whether a change in the data is an anomaly until sometime after the event. Even if a change is determined to be permanent, it is not always possible to reliably determine the extent of the change until sometime later. The overall detailed analyses supporting such an effort can take several months to perform. This is because the underlying causes of the trends observed need to be evaluated, which may require the gathering or assembling of data not previously available. It may also include interviews with experts involved with the underlying processes. As a result, there can be a time lag between the emergence of a change and a determination that the change should be reflected in the Company's estimated claim liabilities. The final estimate selected by management in a reporting period is based on these various detailed analyses of past data, adjusted to reflect any new actionable information.
The Audit Committee of the Board of Directors is responsible for providing oversight of reserving propriety, and annually reviews the process by which the Company establishes reserves.
Discussion of Product Lines
The following section details reserving considerations and common risk factors by product line. There are many additional risk factors that may impact ultimate claim costs. Each risk factor presented will have a different impact on required reserves. Also, risk factors can have offsetting or compounding effects on required reserves. For example, in workers' compensation, the use of expensive medical procedures that result in medical cost inflation may enable workers to return to work faster, thereby lowering indemnity costs. Thus, in almost all cases, it is impossible to discretely measure the effect of a single risk factor and construct a meaningful sensitivity expectation.
In order to provide information on reasonably possible reserving changes by product line, the historical changes in year-end loss reserves over a one-year period are provided for the U.S. product lines. This information is provided for both the Company and the industry for the nine most recent years, and is based on the most recent publicly available data for the reported line(s) that most closely match the individual product line being discussed. These changes were calculated, net of reinsurance, from statutory annual statement data found in Schedule P of those statements, and represent the reported reserve development on the beginning-of-the-year claim liabilities divided by the beginning claim liabilities, all accident years combined, excluding non-defense related claim adjustment expense.
Data presented for the Company includes history for the entire Travelers group (U.S. companies only), whether or not the individual subsidiaries were originally part of SPC or TPC. This treatment is required by the statutory reporting instructions promulgated by state regulatory authorities for Schedule P. Comparable data for non-U.S. companies is not available.
General Liability
General liability is generally considered a long tail line, as it takes a relatively long period of time to finalize and settle claims from a given accident year. The speed of claim reporting and claim settlement is a function of the specific coverage provided, the jurisdiction and specific policy provisions such as self-insured retentions. There are numerous components underlying the general liability product line. Some of these have relatively moderate payment patterns (with most of the claims for a given accident year closed within 5 to 7 years), while others can have extreme lags in both reporting and payment of claims (e.g., a reporting lag of a decade or more for "construction defect" claims).
While the majority of general liability coverages are written on an "occurrence" basis, certain general liability coverages (such as those covering directors and officers or professional liability) are typically insured on a "claims-made" basis.
General liability reserves are generally analyzed as two components: primary and excess/umbrella, with the primary component generally analyzed separately for bodily injury and property damage. Bodily injury liability payments reimburse the claimant for damages pertaining to physical injury as a result of the policyholder's legal obligation arising from non-intentional acts such as negligence, subject to the insurance policy provisions. In some cases the damages can include future wage loss (which is a function of future earnings power and wage inflation) and future medical treatment costs. Property damage liability payments result from damages to the claimant's private property arising from the policyholder's legal obligation for non-intentional acts. In most cases, property damage losses are a function of costs as of the loss date, or soon thereafter. In addition, sizable or unique exposures are reviewed separately. These exposures include asbestos, environmental, other mass torts, construction defect, medical malpractice and large unique accounts that would otherwise distort the analysis. These unique categories often require a very high degree of judgment and require reserve analyses that do not rely on traditional actuarial methods.
Defense costs are also a part of the insured costs covered by liability policies and can be significant, sometimes greater than the cost of the actual paid claims. For some products this risk is mitigated by policy language such that the insured portion of defense costs erodes the amount of policy limit available to pay the claim. Such "defense within the limits" policies are most common for "claims-made" products. When defense costs are outside of the limits, amounts paid for defense costs do not erode the policy limits.
This line is typically the largest source of reserve estimate uncertainty in the United States (excluding assumed reinsurance contracts covering the same risk). Major contributors to this reserve estimate uncertainty include the reporting lag (i.e., the length of time between the event triggering coverage and the actual reporting of the claim), the number of parties involved in the underlying tort action, whether the "event" triggering coverage is confined to only one time period or is spread over multiple time periods, the potential dollars involved (in the individual claim actions), whether such claims were reasonably foreseeable and intended to be covered at the time the contracts were written (i.e., coverage dispute potential), and the potential for mass claim actions. Claims with longer reporting lags result in greater inherent risk. This is especially true for alleged claims with a latency feature, particularly where courts have ruled that coverage is spread over multiple policy years, hence involving multiple defendants (and their insurers and reinsurers) and multiple policies (thereby increasing the potential dollars involved and the underlying settlement complexity). Claims with long latencies also
increase the potential recognition lag (i.e., the lag between writing a type of policy in a certain market and the recognition that such policies have potential mass tort and/or latent claim exposure).
The amount of reserve estimate uncertainty also varies significantly by component for the general liability product line. The components in this product line with the longest latency, longest reporting lags, largest potential dollars involved and greatest claim settlement complexity are asbestos and environmental. Components that include latency, reporting lag and/or complexity issues, but to a materially lesser extent than asbestos and environmental, include construction defect, medical malpractice and other mass tort actions. Many components of general liability are not subject to material latency or claim complexity risks and hence have materially less uncertainty than the previously mentioned components. In general, policies providing coverage with shorter reporting lags, fewer parties involved in settlement negotiations, only one policy potentially triggered per claim, fewer potential settlement dollars, reasonably foreseeable (and stable) potential hazards/claims and no mass tort potential result in much less reserve estimate uncertainty than policies without those characteristics.
In addition to the traditional actuarial methods mentioned in the general discussion section, the company utilizes various report year development and S-curve methods for the construction defect components of this product line. The Construction Defect report year development analysis is supplemented with projected claim counts and average values for IBNR claim counts. For components with greater lags in claim reporting, such as excess and umbrella components of this product line, the company relies more heavily on the BF method than on the paid and case incurred development methods.
Examples of common risk factors, or perceptions thereof, that could change and, thus, affect the required general liability reserves (beyond those included in the general discussion section) include:
General liability risk factors
Changes in claim handling philosophies
Changes in policy provisions or court interpretation of such provisions
New theories of liability
Trends in jury awards
Changes in the propensity to sue, in general with specificity to particular issues
Changes in statutes of limitations
Changes in the underlying court system
Distortions from losses resulting from large single accounts or single issues
Changes in tort law
Shifts in law suit mix between federal and state courts
Changes in claim adjuster office structure (causing distortions in the data)
Changes in settlement patterns (e.g., medical malpractice)
General liability book of business risk factors
Changes in policy provisions (e.g., deductibles, policy limits, endorsements)
Changes in underwriting standards
Product mix (e.g., size of account, industries insured, jurisdiction mix)
Unanticipated changes in risk factors can affect reserves. As an indicator of the causal effect that a change in one or more risk factors could have on reserves for general liability (excluding asbestos and environmental), a 1% increase (decrease) in incremental paid loss development for each future calendar year could result in a 1.5% increase (decrease) in loss reserves.
Historically, the one-year change in the reserve estimate for this product line, excluding estimated asbestos and environmental amounts, over the last nine years has varied from -5% to 14% (averaging 2%) for the Company and from -5% to 7% (averaging 1%) for the industry overall. The Company's year-to-year changes are driven by, and are based on, observed events during the year. Because the
high end of the Company's range of historical adverse development comes from certain businesses that the Company has since exited, the Company believes that the industry's range of historical outcomes is illustrative of reasonably possible one-year changes in reserve estimates for this product line. General liability reserves (excluding asbestos and environmental) represent approximately 26% of the Company's total loss reserves.
The Company's change in reserve estimate for this product line, excluding estimated asbestos and environmental amounts, was -5% for 2010, -5% for 2009 and -5% for 2008. The 2010 change was primarily concentrated in excess coverages for accident years 2006 and prior and reflected what the Company believes are favorable legal and judicial environments. The 2009 and 2008 changes were driven by several factors, including improved legal and judicial environments, as well as enhanced risk control, underwriting and claim process initiatives.
Property
Property is generally considered a short tail line with a simpler and faster claim reporting and adjustment process than liability coverages, and less uncertainty in the reserve setting process (except for more complex business interruption claims). It is generally viewed as a moderate frequency, low to moderate severity line, except for catastrophes and coverage related to large properties. The claim reporting and settlement process for property coverage claim reserves is generally restricted to the insured and the insurer. Overall, the claim liabilities for this line create a low estimation risk, except possibly for catastrophes and business interruption claims.
Property reserves are typically analyzed in two components, one for catastrophic or other large single events, and another for all other events. Examples of common risk factors, or perceptions thereof, that could change and, thus, affect the required property reserves (beyond those included in the general discussion section) include:
Property risk factors
Physical concentration of policyholders
Availability and cost of local contractors
For the more severe catastrophic events, "demand surge" inflation, which refers to significant short-term increases in building material and labor costs due to a sharp increase in demand for those materials and services
Local building codes
Amount of time to return property to full usage (for business interruption claims)
Court interpretation of policy provisions (such as occurrence definition, or wind versus flooding)
Lags in reporting claims (e.g., winter damage to summer homes, hidden damage after an earthquake)
Court or legislative changes to the statute of limitations
Property book of business risk factors
Policy provisions mix (e.g., deductibles, policy limits, endorsements)
Changes in underwriting standards
Unanticipated changes in risk factors can affect reserves. As an indicator of the causal effect that a change in one or more risk factors could have on reserves for property, a 1% increase (decrease) in incremental paid loss development for each future calendar year could result in a 1.1% increase (decrease) in loss reserves.
Historically, the one-year change in the reserve estimate for this product line over the last nine years has varied from -34% to 26% (averaging -10%) for the Company, and from -14% to 7% (averaging -5%) for the industry overall. The Company's year-to-year changes are driven by, and are based on, observed events during the year. Because the high end of the Company's range of historical adverse development comes from certain businesses that the Company has since exited, the Company
believes that the industry's range of historical outcomes is illustrative of reasonably possible one-year changes in reserve estimates for this product line. Property reserves represent approximately 3% of the Company's total loss reserves.
Since property is considered a short tail coverage, the one year change for property can be more volatile than that for the longer tail product lines. This is due to the fact that the majority of the reserve for property relates to the most recent accident year, which is subject to the most uncertainty for all product lines. This recent accident year uncertainty is relevant to property because of weather related events which, notwithstanding 2010 experience, tend to be concentrated in the second half of the year, and generally are not completely resolved until the following year. Reserve estimates associated with major catastrophes may take even longer to resolve. The reserve estimates for this product line are also potentially subject to material changes due to uncertainty in measuring ultimate losses for unprecedented significant catastrophes such as the events of September 11, 2001 and Hurricane Katrina.
The Company's change in reserve estimate for this product line was -25% for 2010, -9% for 2009 and -22% for 2008. The 2010 change primarily occurred in the 2008 and 2009 accident years as a result of better than expected loss development in Industry-Focused Underwriting and Target Risk Underwriting. The 2009 change was primarily driven by better than expected loss development in the 2007 and 2008 accident years for certain large national property and inland marine exposures. In addition, the 2005 accident year experience improved due to the litigation environment relating to, and ongoing claim settlements for, Hurricane Katrina. The 2008 change was primarily driven by favorable loss development in the 2007 accident year for certain large property, national programs and ocean marine claim exposures, and improvements in the litigation environment relating to, and ongoing claim settlements for, Hurricane Katrina.
Commercial Multi-Peril
Commercial multi-peril provides a combination of property and liability coverage typically for small businesses and, therefore, includes both short and long tail coverages. For property coverage, it generally takes a relatively short period of time to close claims, while for the other coverages, generally for the liability coverages, it takes a longer period of time to close claims.
The reserving risk for this line is dominated by the liability coverage portion of this product, except occasionally in the event of catastrophic or large single losses. The reserving risk for this line differs from that of the general liability product line and the property product line due to the nature of the customer. Commercial multi-peril is generally sold to smaller-sized accounts, while the customer profile for general liability and property includes larger customers.
See "Property risk factors" and "General liability risk factors," discussed above, with regard to reserving risk for commercial multi-peril.
Unanticipated changes in risk factors can affect reserves. As an indicator of the causal effect that a change in one or more risk factors could have on reserves for commercial multi-peril (excluding asbestos and environmental), a 1% increase (decrease) in incremental paid loss development for each future calendar year could result in a 1.2% increase (decrease) in loss reserves.
Historically, the one-year change in the reserve estimate for this product line over the last nine years has varied from -16% to 2% (averaging -5%) for the Company, and from -5% to 6% (averaging 1%) for the industry overall. The Company's year-to-year changes are driven by, and are based on, observed events during the year. The Company believes that its range of historical outcomes is illustrative of reasonably possible one-year changes in reserve estimates for this product line. Commercial multi-peril reserves (excluding asbestos and environmental reserves) represent approximately 7% of the Company's total loss reserves.
As discussed above, this line combines general liability and property coverages and it has been impacted in the past by many of the same events as those two lines.
The Company's change in reserve estimate for this product line was 0% for 2010, -8% for 2009 and -16% for 2008. The 2009 and 2008 changes were attributable to several factors, including improved legal and judicial environments, and enhanced risk control, underwriting and claim process initiatives. Also contributing to the change was improvement in the litigation environment relating to, and ongoing claim settlements for, Hurricane Katrina.
Commercial Automobile
The commercial automobile product line is a mix of property and liability coverages and, therefore, includes both short and long tail coverages. The payments that are made quickly typically pertain to auto physical damage (property) claims and property damage (liability) claims. The payments that take longer to finalize and are more difficult to estimate relate to bodily injury claims. In general, claim reporting lags are minor, claim complexity is not a major issue, and the line is viewed as high frequency, low to moderate severity. Overall, the claim liabilities for this line create a moderate estimation risk.
Commercial automobile reserves are typically analyzed in four components: bodily injury liability; property damage liability; collision claims; and comprehensive claims. These last two components have minimum reserve risk and fast payouts and, accordingly, separate risk factors are not presented.
The Company utilizes the traditional actuarial methods mentioned in the general discussion above in estimating claim liabilities for this line. This is supplemented with detailed custom analyses where needed.
Examples of common risk factors, or perceptions thereof, that could change and, thus, affect the required commercial automobile reserves (beyond those included in the general discussion section) include:
Bodily injury and property damage liability risk factors
Trends in jury awards
Changes in the underlying court system
Changes in case law
Litigation trends
Frequency of claims with payment capped by policy limits
Change in average severity of accidents, or proportion of severe accidents
Changes in auto safety technology
Subrogation opportunities
Changes in claim handling philosophies
Frequency of visits to health providers
Number of medical procedures given during visits to health providers
Types of health providers used
Types of medical treatments received
Changes in cost of medical treatments
Degree of patient responsiveness to treatment
Commercial automobile book of business risk factors
Changes in policy provisions (e.g., deductibles, policy limits, endorsements, etc.)
Changes in mix of insured vehicles (e.g., long haul trucks versus local and smaller vehicles, fleet risks versus non-fleets)
Changes in underwriting standards
Unanticipated changes in risk factors can affect reserves. As an indicator of the causal effect that a change in one or more risk factors could have on reserves for commercial automobile, a 1% increase (decrease) in incremental paid loss development for each future calendar year could result in a 1.2% increase (decrease) in loss reserves.
Historically, the one-year change in the reserve estimate for this product line over the last nine years has varied from -10% to 9% (averaging -3%) for the Company, and from -3% to 9% (averaging 1%) for the industry overall. The Company's year-to-year changes are driven by, and are based on, observed events during the year. The Company believes that its range of historical outcomes is illustrative of reasonably possible one-year changes in reserve estimates for this product line. Commercial automobile reserves represent approximately 7% of the Company's total loss reserves.
The Company's change in reserve estimate for this product line was -1% for 2010, -6% for 2009 and -7% for 2008. The 2009 and 2008 changes were a result of better than expected loss development, primarily for recent accident years, which was attributable to several factors, including improved legal and judicial environments, and enhanced risk control, underwriting and claim process initiatives.
Workers' Compensation
Workers' compensation is generally considered a long tail coverage, as it takes a relatively long period of time to finalize claims from a given accident year. While certain payments such as initial medical treatment or temporary wage replacement for the injured worker are made quickly, some other payments are made over the course of several years, such as awards for permanent partial injuries. In addition, some payments can run as long as the injured worker's life, such as permanent disability benefits and on-going medical care. Despite the possibility of long payment tails, the reporting lags are generally short, settlements are generally not complex, and most of the liability can be considered high frequency with moderate severity. The largest reserve risk generally comes from the low frequency, high severity claims providing lifetime coverage for medical expense arising from a worker's injury. Overall, the claim liabilities for this line create a somewhat greater than moderate estimation risk.
Workers' compensation reserves are typically analyzed in three components: indemnity losses, medical losses and claim adjustment expenses.
Examples of common risk factors, or perceptions thereof, that could change and, thus, affect the required workers' compensation reserves (beyond those included in the general discussion section) include:
Indemnity risk factors
Time required to recover from the injury
Degree of available transitional jobs
Degree of legal involvement
Changes in the interpretations and processes of the workers' compensation commissions' oversight of claims(1)
Future wage inflation for states that index benefits
Changes in the administrative policies of second injury funds
Medical risk factors
Changes in the cost of medical treatments (including prescription drugs) and underlying fee schedules ("inflation")
Frequency of visits to health providers
(1)These are administrative bodies that evaluate whether or not a given claim for workers' compensation benefits is valid. Their duties include the determination of whether a given injury arose out of the scope of employment or the determination of the degree of injury where disputes exist.
Number of medical procedures given during visits to health providers
Types of health providers used
Type of medical treatments received
Use of preferred provider networks and other medical cost containment practices
Availability of new medical processes and equipment
Changes in the use of pharmaceutical drugs
Degree of patient responsiveness to treatment
General workers' compensation risk factors
Frequency of claim reopenings on claims previously closed
Mortality trends of injured workers with lifetime benefits and medical treatment
Degree of cost shifting between workers' compensation and health insurance
Workers' compensation book of business risk factors
Product mix
Injury type mix
Changes in underwriting standards
Unanticipated changes in risk factors can affect reserves. As an indicator of the causal effect that a change in one or more risk factors could have on reserves for workers' compensation, a 1% increase (decrease) in incremental paid loss development for each future calendar year could result in a 1.2% increase (decrease) in loss reserves.
Historically, the one-year change in the reserve estimate for this product line over the last nine years has varied from -1% to 2% (averaging 0%) for the Company, and from -1% to 4% (averaging 1%) for the industry overall. The Company's year-to-year changes are driven by, and are based on, observed events during the year. The Company believes that its range of historical outcomes is illustrative of reasonably possible one-year changes in reserve estimates for this product line. Workers' compensation reserves represent approximately 32% of the Company's total loss reserves.
The Company's change in reserve estimate for this product line was -1% in 2010, -1% in 2009 and 1% for 2008.
Fidelity and Surety
Fidelity is generally considered a short tail coverage. It takes a relatively short period of time to finalize and settle fidelity claims. The volatility of fidelity reserves is generally related to the type of business of the insured, the size and complexity of the insured's business operations, amount of policy limit and attachment point of coverage. The uncertainty surrounding reserves for small, commercial insureds is typically less than the uncertainty for large commercial or financial institutions. The high frequency, low severity nature of small commercial fidelity losses provides for stability in loss estimates whereas, the low frequency, high severity nature of losses for large insureds results in a wider range of ultimate loss outcomes. Actuarial techniques that rely on a stable pattern of loss development are generally not applicable to low frequency, high severity policies.
Surety has certain components that are generally considered short tail coverages with short reporting lags, although large individual construction and commercial surety contracts can result in a long settlement tail, based on the length and complexity of the construction project or commercial transaction being insured. (Large construction projects can take many years to complete.) The frequency of losses in surety correlates with economic cycles as the primary cause of surety loss is the inability of the Company's insureds to perform financially. The volatility of surety losses is generally related to the type of business performed by the insured, the type of bonded obligation, the amount of limit exposed to loss and the amount of assets available to the insurer to mitigate losses, such as unbilled contract funds, collateral, first and third party indemnity, and other security positions of an
insured's assets. Certain classes of surety claims are very high severity, low frequency in nature. These can include large construction contractors involved with one or multiple large, complex projects as well as certain large commercial surety exposures. Other claim factors affecting reserve variability of surety include litigation related to amounts owed by and due the insured (e.g., salvage and subrogation efforts) and the results of financial restructuring of an insured.
Examples of common risk factors, or perceptions thereof, that could change and, thus, affect the required fidelity and surety reserves (beyond those included in the general discussion section) include:
Fidelity risk factors
Type of business of insured
Policy limit and attachment points
Third-party claims
Coverage litigation
Complexity of claims
Growth in insureds' operations
Surety risk factors
Economic trends, including the general level of construction activity
Concentration of reserves in a relatively few large claims
Type of business insured
Type of obligation insured
Cumulative limits of liability for insured
Assets available to mitigate loss
Defective workmanship/latent defects
Financial strategy of insured
Changes in statutory obligations
Geographic spread of business
Fidelity and Surety book of business risk factors
Changes in policy provisions (e.g., deductibles, limits, endorsements)
Changes in underwriting standards
Unanticipated changes in risk factors can affect reserves. As an indicator of the causal effect that a change in one or more risk factors could have on reserves for fidelity and surety, a 1% increase (decrease) in incremental paid loss development for each future calendar year could result in a 1.3% increase (decrease) in loss reserves.
Historically, the one-year change in the reserve estimate for this product line over the last nine years has varied from -10% to 138% (averaging 19%) for the Company, and from -13% to 24% (averaging 6%) for the industry overall. The Company's year-to-year changes are driven by, and are based on, observed events during the year. Because the high end of the Company's range was due to acquired business in 2004, the Company believes that the industry's range of historical outcomes is illustrative of reasonably possible one-year changes in reserve estimates for this product line. Fidelity and surety reserves represent approximately 3% of the Company's total loss reserves.
In general, developments on single large claims (both adverse and favorable) are a primary source of changes in reserve estimates for this product line.
The Company's change in reserve estimate for this product line was -6% for 2010, -7% for 2009 and -10% for 2008. The 2010 change was driven by better than expected loss development due to lower than expected claim activity and loss severity, primarily for the contract surety business in this product line for the 2008 and prior accident years. The 2009 and 2008 changes were a result of better than expected loss development for the contract surety business within this product line, primarily driven by favorable settlements on large claims from older accident years.
Personal Automobile
Personal automobile includes both short and long tail coverages. The payments that are made quickly typically pertain to auto physical damage (property) claims and property damage (liability) claims. The payments that take longer to finalize and are more difficult to estimate relate to bodily injury claims. Reporting lags are relatively short and the claim settlement process for personal automobile liability generally is the least complex of the liability products. It is generally viewed as a high frequency, low to moderate severity product line. Overall, the claim liabilities for this line create a moderate estimation risk.
Personal automobile reserves are typically analyzed in five components: bodily injury liability, property damage liability, no-fault losses, collision claims and comprehensive claims. These last two components have minimum reserve risk and fast payouts and, accordingly, separate factors are not presented.
Examples of common risk factors, or perceptions thereof, that could change and, thus, affect the required personal automobile reserves (beyond those included in the general reserve discussion section) include:
Bodily injury and property damage liability risk factors
Trends in jury awards
Changes in the underlying court system and its philosophy
Changes in case law
Litigation trends
Frequency of claims with payment capped by policy limits
Change in average severity of accidents, or proportion of severe accidents
Subrogation opportunities
Degree of patient responsiveness to treatment
Changes in claim handling philosophies
No-fault risk factors (for selected states and time periods)
Effectiveness of no-fault laws
Frequency of visits to health providers
Number of medical procedures given during visits to health providers
Types of health providers used
Types of medical treatments received
Changes in cost of medical treatments
Degree of patient responsiveness to treatment
Personal automobile book of business risk factors
Changes in policy provisions (e.g., deductibles, policy limits, endorsements, etc.)
Changes in underwriting standards
Changes in the use of credit data for rating and underwriting
Unanticipated changes in risk factors can affect reserves. As an indicator of the causal effect that a change in one or more risk factors could have on reserves for personal automobile, a 1% increase (decrease) in incremental paid loss development for each future calendar year could result in a 1.1% increase (decrease) in loss reserves.
Historically, the one-year change in the reserve estimate for this product line over the last nine years has varied from -9% to 0% (averaging -3%) for the Company, and from -4% to 0% (averaging -2%) for the industry overall. The Company's year-to-year changes are driven by, and are based on, observed events during the year. The Company believes that its range of historical outcomes is illustrative of reasonably possible one-year changes in reserve estimates for this product line. Personal automobile reserves represent approximately 5% of the Company's total loss reserves.
The Company's change in reserve estimate for this product line was 0% for 2010, 0% for 2009 and -1% for 2008. The decrease in 2008 was primarily due to better than expected results from changes in claim handling practices as well as initiatives to fight fraud.
Homeowners and Personal Lines Other
Homeowners is generally considered a short tail coverage. Most payments are related to the property portion of the policy, where the claim reporting and settlement process is generally restricted to the insured and the insurer. Claims on property coverage are typically reported soon after the actual damage occurs, although delays of several months are not unusual. The claim is settled when the two parties agree on the amount due in accordance with the policy contract language and the appropriate payment is made (or alternatively, the property replacement/repair is performed by the insurer). The resulting settlement process is typically fairly short term, although exceptions do exist.
The liability portion of the homeowners policy generates claims which take longer to pay due to the involvement of litigation and negotiation, but with generally small reporting lags. In addition, reserves related to umbrella coverages have greater uncertainty since umbrella liability payments are often made far into the future.
Overall, the line is generally high frequency, low to moderate severity (except for catastrophes), with simple to moderate claim complexity.
Homeowners reserves are typically analyzed in two components: non-catastrophe related losses and catastrophe loss payments.
Examples of common risk factors, or perceptions thereof, that could change and, thus, affect the required homeowners reserves (beyond those included in the general discussion section) include:
Non-catastrophe risk factors
Salvage opportunities
Amount of time to return property to residential use
Changes in weather patterns
Local building codes
Litigation trends
Trends in jury awards
Catastrophe risk factors
Physical concentration of policyholders
Availability and cost of local contractors
Local building codes
Quality of construction of damaged homes
Amount of time to return property to residential use
For the more severe catastrophic events, "demand surge" inflation, which refers to significant short-term increases in building material and labor costs due to a sharp increase in demand for those materials and services
Homeowners book of business risk factors
Policy provisions mix (e.g., deductibles, policy limits, endorsements, etc.)
Degree of concentration of policyholders
Changes in underwriting standards
Changes in the use of credit data for rating and underwriting
Unanticipated changes in risk factors can affect reserves. As an indicator of the causal effect that a change in one or more risk factors could have on reserves for homeowners and personal lines other, a
1% increase (decrease) in incremental paid loss development for each future calendar year could result in a 1.1% increase (decrease) in loss reserves.
Historically, the one-year change in the reserve estimate for this product line (excluding the umbrella line of business, which for statutory reporting purposes is included with the general liability line of business) over the last nine years has varied from -31% to 3% (averaging -12%) for the Company, and from -8% to 11% (averaging -2%) for the industry overall. The Company's year-to-year changes are driven by, and are based on, observed events during the year. The Company believes that its range of historical outcomes is illustrative of reasonably possible one-year changes in reserve estimates for this product line. Homeowners and personal lines other reserves represent approximately 3% of the Company's total loss reserves.
This line combines both liability and property coverages; however, the majority of the reserves relate to property. While property is considered a short tail coverage, the one year change for property can be more volatile than that for the longer tail product lines. This is due to the fact that the majority of the reserve for property relates to the most recent accident year, which is subject to the most uncertainty for all product lines. This recent accident year uncertainty is relevant to property because of weather related events which tend to be concentrated in the second half of the year, and generally are not completely resolved until the following year. Reserve estimates associated with major catastrophes may take even longer to resolve.
The Company's change in reserve estimate for this product line (excluding the umbrella line of business) was 2% for 2010, -14% for 2009 and -13% for 2008. The Company's change in reserve estimate for this product line including the umbrella line of business was -4% for 2010, -12% for 2009 and -12% for 2008. The 2010 change reflected favorable loss development in the 2008 and prior accident years, primarily for the umbrella line of business, partially offset by unfavorable loss development in the 2009 accident year for the homeowners line of business that was driven by higher than anticipated late-reported claims related to storms in 2009. The 2009 change primarily reflected favorable loss development related to Hurricanes Ike and Katrina, as well as the 2007 California wildfires. The 2008 change was primarily driven by favorable loss development related to Hurricane Katrina, by claim initiatives, by better than expected outcomes on 2007 catastrophe-related claims and by improvements in older accident years for the umbrella line.
International and other
International and other includes products written by International and other products not discussed above. The principal component of "other" claim reserves is assumed reinsurance written on an excess-of-loss basis, which may include reinsurance of non-U.S. exposures, and is runoff business.
International and other claim liabilities result from a mix of coverages, currencies and jurisdictions/countries. The common characteristic is the need to customize the analysis to the individual component, and the inability to rely on data characterizations and reporting requirements in the U.S. statutory reporting framework.
Due to changes in the business mix for this line over time, the recently incurred claim liabilities are relatively short term (due to both the products and the jurisdictions involved, e.g., the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom), while the older liabilities include some from runoff operations that are extremely long tail (e.g., U.S. excess liabilities reinsured through the London market, and several underwriting pools in runoff). The speed of claim reporting and claim settlement is a function of the specific coverage provided, the jurisdiction, the distribution system (e.g., underwriting pool versus direct) and the proximity of the insurance sale to the insured hazard (e.g., insured and insurer located in different countries). In particular, liabilities arising from the underwriting pools in runoff may result in significant reporting lags, settlement lags and claim complexity, due to the need to coordinate with other pool members or co-insurers through a broker or lead-insurer for claim settlement purposes.
International and other reserves are generally analyzed by program/pool, country and general coverage category (e.g., U.S. Liability-excess of loss reinsurance, or General Liability-Municipalities-by country). The business is also generally split by direct versus assumed reinsurance for a given coverage/jurisdiction. Where the underlying insured hazard is outside the United States, the underlying coverages are generally similar to those described under the General Liability and Automobile discussion above, but under a different legal system. Where the underlying hazard is within the U.S., the coverage involved is typically that of General Liability, but on an excess or excess-of-loss reinsurance basis. Excess exposure requires the insured to "prove" not only claims under the policy, but also the prior payment of claims reaching up to the excess policy's attachment point.
Examples of common risk factors, or perceptions thereof, that could change and, thus, affect the required International and other reserves (beyond those included in the general discussion section) include:
International and other risk factors
Changes in claim handling procedures, including those of the primary carriers
Changes in policy provisions or court interpretation of such provision
New theories of liability
Trends in jury awards
Changes in the propensity to sue
Changes in statutes of limitations
Changes in the underlying court system
Distortions from losses resulting from large single accounts or single issues
Changes in tort law
Changes in claim adjuster office structure (causing distortions in the data)
International and other book of business risk factors
Changes in policy provisions (e.g., deductibles, policy limits, endorsements, "claims-made" language)
Changes in underwriting standards
Product mix (e.g., size of account, industries insured, jurisdiction mix)
Unanticipated changes in risk factors can affect reserves. As an indicator of the causal effect that a change in one or more risk factors could have on reserves for International and other (excluding asbestos and environmental), a 1% increase (decrease) in incremental paid loss development for each future calendar year could result in a 1.3% increase (decrease) in loss reserves. International and other reserves (excluding asbestos and environmental) represent approximately 8% of the Company's total loss reserves.
International and other represents a combination of different product lines, some of which are in runoff. Comparative historical information is not available for international product lines as insurers domiciled outside of the U.S. do not file U.S. statutory reports. Comparative historical information on runoff business is not indicative of reasonably possible one-year changes in the reserve estimate for this mix of runoff business. Accordingly, the Company has not included comparative analyses for International and other.
Reinsurance Recoverables
Amounts recoverable from reinsurers are estimated in a manner consistent with the associated claim liability. The Company evaluates and monitors the financial condition of its reinsurers under voluntary reinsurance arrangements to minimize its exposure to significant losses from reinsurer insolvencies. In addition, in the ordinary course of business, the Company becomes involved in coverage disputes with its reinsurers. Some of these disputes could result in lawsuits and arbitrations brought by or against the reinsurers to determine the Company's rights and obligations under the
various reinsurance agreements. The Company employs dedicated specialists and aggressive strategies to manage reinsurance collections and disputes.
The reinsurance agreements that the Company entered into as part of its catastrophe bond programs are dual trigger contracts and meet the requirements to be accounted for as reinsurance in accordance with guidance for accounting for reinsurance contracts. The Company's catastrophe bond programs are described in more detail in the "Catastrophe Reinsurance Coverage" section herein.
The Company reports its reinsurance recoverables net of an allowance for estimated uncollectible reinsurance recoverables. The allowance is based upon the Company's ongoing review of amounts outstanding, length of collection periods, changes in reinsurer credit standing, disputes, applicable coverage defenses and other relevant factors. Accordingly, the establishment of reinsurance recoverables and the related allowance for uncollectible reinsurance recoverables is also an inherently uncertain process involving estimates. From time to time, as a result of the long-tailed nature of the underlying liabilities, coverage complexities and potential for disputes, the Company considers the commutation of reinsurance contracts. Changes in estimated reinsurance recoverables and commutation activity could result in additional income statement charges.
Recoverables attributable to structured settlements relate primarily to personal injury claims, of which workers' compensation claims comprise a significant portion, for which the Company has purchased annuities and remains contingently liable in the event of a default by the companies issuing the annuities. Recoverables attributable to mandatory pools and associations relate primarily to workers' compensation service business. These recoverables are supported by the participating insurance companies' obligation to pay a pro rata share based on each company's voluntary market share of written premium in each state in which it is a pool participant. In the event a member of a mandatory pool or association defaults on its share of the pool's or association's obligations, the other members' share of such obligation increases proportionally.
On August 20, 2010, in a reinsurance dispute in New York state court captioned United States Fidelity & Guaranty Company v. American Re-Insurance Company, et al., the trial court granted summary judgment for the Company, and on October 25, 2010, entered judgment awarding the Company $251 million plus pre-judgment interest in the amount of $169 million. The judgment, including the award of interest, has been appealed. See note 15 of notes to the Company's consolidated financial statements for further discussion of this reinsurance dispute.
The following table summarizes the composition of the Company's reinsurance recoverable assets:
The $1.04 billion decline in net reinsurance recoverables since December 31, 2009 reflected cash collections and the impact of net favorable prior year reserve development, partially offset by a reduction in the allowance for uncollectible reinsurance that included the impact of a $70 million benefit resulting from the summary judgment in the reinsurance dispute referenced above. As a result, at December 31, 2010, reinsurance recoverables included the full $251 million owed to the Company under the terms of the related reinsurance agreement.
Investment Valuation and Impairments
Fair Value Measurements
The Company's estimates of fair value for financial assets and financial liabilities are based on the framework established in the fair value accounting guidance. The framework is based on the inputs used in valuation, gives the highest priority to quoted prices in active markets, and requires that observable inputs be used in the valuations when available. The disclosure of fair value estimates in the fair value accounting guidance hierarchy is based on whether the significant inputs into the valuation are observable. In determining the level of the hierarchy in which the estimate is disclosed, the highest priority is given to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs that reflect the Company's significant market assumptions. The three levels of the hierarchy are as follows:
-Level 1-Unadjusted quoted market prices for identical assets or liabilities in active markets that the Company has the ability to access.
-Level 2-Quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets; quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in inactive markets; or valuations based on models where the significant inputs are observable (e.g., interest rates, yield curves, prepayment speeds, default rates, loss severities, etc.) or can be corroborated by observable market data.
-Level 3-Valuations based on models where significant inputs are not observable. The unobservable inputs reflect the Company's own assumptions about the inputs that market participants would use.
Valuation of Investments Reported at Fair Value in Financial Statements
The fair value of a financial instrument is the estimated amount at which the instrument could be exchanged in an orderly transaction between knowledgeable, unrelated, willing parties, i.e., not in a forced transaction. The estimated fair value of a financial instrument may differ from the amount that could be realized if the security was sold in an immediate sale, e.g., a forced transaction. Additionally, the valuation of fixed maturity investments is more subjective when markets are less liquid due to the lack of market based inputs, which may increase the potential that the estimated fair value of an investment is not reflective of the price at which an actual transaction would occur.
For investments that have quoted market prices in active markets, the Company uses the quoted market prices as fair value and includes these prices in the amounts disclosed in Level 1 of the hierarchy. The Company receives the quoted market prices from a third party, nationally recognized pricing service (pricing service). When quoted market prices are unavailable, the Company utilizes a pricing service to determine an estimate of fair value, which is mainly used for its fixed maturity investments. The fair value estimates provided from this pricing service are included in the amount disclosed in Level 2 of the hierarchy. If quoted market prices and an estimate from a pricing service are unavailable, the Company produces an estimate of fair value based on internally developed valuation techniques, which, depending on the level of observable market inputs, will render the fair value estimate as Level 2 or Level 3. The Company bases all of its estimates of fair value for assets on the bid price as it represents what a third-party market participant would be willing to pay in an arm's length transaction.
Fixed Maturities
The Company utilizes a pricing service to estimate fair value measurements for approximately 99% of its fixed maturities. The pricing service utilizes market quotations for fixed maturity securities that have quoted prices in active markets. Since fixed maturities other than U.S. Treasury securities generally do not trade on a daily basis, the pricing service prepares estimates of fair value
measurements for these securities using its proprietary pricing applications, which include available relevant market information, benchmark curves, benchmarking of like securities, sector groupings and matrix pricing. Additionally, the pricing service uses an Option Adjusted Spread model to develop prepayment and interest rate scenarios.
The pricing service evaluates each asset class based on relevant market information, relevant credit information, perceived market movements and sector news. The market inputs utilized in the pricing evaluation, listed in the approximate order of priority, include: benchmark yields, reported trades, broker/dealer quotes, issuer spreads, two-sided markets, benchmark securities, bids, offers, reference data, and industry and economic events. The extent of the use of each market input depends on the asset class and the market conditions. Depending on the security, the priority of the use of inputs may change or some market inputs may not be relevant. For some securities, additional inputs may be necessary.
The pricing service utilized by the Company has indicated that they will only produce an estimate of fair value if there is objectively verifiable information to produce a valuation. If the pricing service discontinues pricing an investment, the Company would be required to produce an estimate of fair value using some of the same methodologies as the pricing service but would have to make assumptions for market-based inputs that are unavailable due to market conditions.
The fair value estimates of most fixed maturity investments are based on observable market information rather than market quotes. Accordingly, the estimates of fair value for such fixed maturities, other than U.S. Treasury securities, provided by the pricing service are included in the amount disclosed in Level 2 of the hierarchy. The estimated fair value of U.S. Treasury securities is included in the amount disclosed in Level 1 as the estimates are based on unadjusted market prices.
The Company reviews the estimates of fair value provided by the pricing service and compares the estimates to the Company's knowledge of the market to determine if the estimates obtained are representative of the prices in the market. The Company produces a report monthly that lists all price changes from the previous month in excess of 10%. The Company reviews the report and will challenge any prices deemed not to be representative of fair value. In addition, the Company has implemented various other processes including randomly selecting purchased or sold securities and comparing execution prices to the estimates from the pricing service as well as reviewing reports that contain securities whose valuation did not change from their previous valuation (stale price review). The Company also uses an additional independent pricing service to further test the primary pricing service's valuation of the Company's fixed maturity portfolio. These processes have not highlighted any significant issues with the fair value estimates received from the pricing service.
The Company holds privately placed corporate bonds and estimates the fair value of these bonds using an internal matrix that is based on market information regarding interest rates, credit spreads and liquidity. The underlying source data for calculating the matrix of credit spreads relative to the U.S. Treasury curve are the BofA Merrill Lynch U.S. Corporate Index and the BofA Merrill Lynch High Yield BB Rated Index. The Company includes the fair value estimates of these corporate bonds in Level 2, since all significant inputs are market observable. As many of these securities are issued by public companies, the Company compares the estimates of fair value to the fair values of these companies' publicly traded debt to test the validity of the internal pricing matrix.
While the vast majority of the Company's municipal bonds are included in Level 2, the Company holds a small number of municipal bonds which are not valued by the pricing service and estimates the fair value of these bonds using an internal pricing matrix with some unobservable inputs that are significant to the valuation. Due to the limited amount of observable market information, the Company includes the fair value estimates for these particular bonds in Level 3. Additionally, the Company holds a small amount of fixed maturities that have characteristics that make them unsuitable for matrix pricing. For these fixed maturities, the Company obtains a quote from a broker (typically a market
maker). Due to the disclaimers on the quotes that indicate that the price is indicative only, the Company includes these fair value estimates in Level 3.
See note 4 of notes to the Company's consolidated financial statements for a discussion of the determination of fair value of non-fixed maturities and valuation of investments not reported at fair value in the financial statements.
Investment Impairments
The Company conducts a periodic review to identify and evaluate invested assets having other-than-temporary impairments. Some of the factors considered in identifying other-than-temporary impairments include: (1) for fixed maturity investments, whether the Company intends to sell the investment or whether it is more likely than not that the Company will be required to sell the investment prior to an anticipated recovery in value; (2) for non-fixed maturity investments, the Company's ability and intent to retain the investment for a reasonable period of time sufficient to allow for an anticipated recovery in value; (3) the likelihood of the recoverability of principal and interest for fixed maturity securities (i.e., whether there is a credit loss), or cost for equity securities; (4) the length of time and extent to which the fair value has been less than amortized cost for fixed maturity securities or cost for equity securities; and (5) the financial condition, near-term and long-term prospects for the issuer, including the relevant industry conditions and trends, and implications of rating agency actions and offering prices.
Reporting of Other-Than-Temporary Impairments
For fixed maturity investments that the Company does not intend to sell or for which it is more likely than not that the Company would not be required to sell before an anticipated recovery in value, the Company separates the credit loss component of the impairment from the amount related to all other factors and reports the credit loss component in net realized investment gains (losses). The impairment related to all other factors is reported in accumulated other changes in equity from nonowner sources.
For non-fixed maturity investments and for fixed maturity investments the Company intends to sell or for which it is more likely than not that the Company will be required to sell before an anticipated recovery in value, the full amount of the impairment is included in net realized investment gains (losses).
Upon recognizing an other-than-temporary impairment, the new cost basis of the investment is the previous amortized cost basis less the other-than-temporary impairment recognized in net realized investment gains (losses). The new cost basis is not adjusted for any subsequent recoveries in fair value; however, for fixed maturity investments, the difference between the new cost basis and the expected cash flows is accreted on a quarterly basis to net investment income over the remaining expected life of the investment.
Due to the subjective nature of the Company's analysis and estimates of future cash flows, along with the judgment that must be applied in the analysis, it is possible that the Company could reach a different conclusion whether or not to impair a security if it had access to additional information about the issuer. Additionally, it is possible that the issuer's actual ability to meet contractual obligations may be different than what the Company determined during its analysis, which may lead to a different impairment conclusion in future periods.
See note 1 of notes to the Company's consolidated financial statements for a further discussion of investment impairments.
Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets Impairments
See note 1 of notes to the Company's consolidated financial statements for a discussion of impairments of goodwill and other intangible assets.
OTHER UNCERTAINTIES
For a discussion of other risks and uncertainties that could impact the Company's results of operations or financial position, see note 15 of notes to the Company's consolidated financial statements and "Item 1A - Risk Factors."
FUTURE APPLICATION OF ACCOUNTING STANDARDS
See note 1 of notes to the Company's consolidated financial statements for a discussion of recently issued accounting standards updates.
The Company is currently required to prepare its financial statements in accordance with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), as promulgated by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB). During 2008, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued a proposed Roadmap for comment for the potential use in filings with the SEC of financial statements for U.S. issuers prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), as promulgated by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB), instead of in accordance with GAAP. The Roadmap contains milestones that, if achieved, may lead the SEC to decide in 2011 to require the use of IFRS for large accelerated filers, including the Company. In March 2010, the SEC reaffirmed its support for a single set of high quality, global standards and acknowledged that IFRS may be best positioned to accomplish this goal. Additionally, the SEC established a Work Plan for its staff to evaluate whether, when and how IFRS should be incorporated into the U.S. financial reporting system. Under the Work Plan, the SEC staff will evaluate several key issues related to a possible convergence to IFRS. The SEC is expected to re-deliberate the proposed Roadmap during 2011 taking into consideration the comments received from constituents as well as the result of the staff's Work Plan. The IASB and the FASB are in the process of developing a global insurance standard that involves methodologies for valuing insurance contract liabilities that may be significantly different from the methodologies required by current GAAP. The FASB and the IASB have also embarked on a long-term project to converge GAAP and IFRS. The Company is not able to predict whether it will choose to, or be required to, adopt IFRS or how the adoption of IFRS (or the convergence of GAAP and IFRS, including the project for valuing insurance contract liabilities) may impact the Company's financial statements in the future.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This report contains, and management may make, certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, may be forward-looking statements. Words such as "may," "will," "should," "likely," "anticipates," "expects," "intends," "plans," "projects," "believes," "estimates" and similar expressions are used to identify these forward-looking statements. Specifically, statements about the Company's share repurchase plans and statements about the potential impact of investment markets and other economic conditions on the Company's investment portfolio and underwriting results, among others, are forward looking, and the Company may also make forward-looking statements about, among other things:
•its results of operations and financial condition (including, among other things, premium volume, premium rates, net and operating income, investment income and performance, return on equity, and expected current returns and combined ratios);
•the sufficiency of the Company's asbestos and other reserves (including, among other things, asbestos claim payment patterns);
•the impact of emerging claims issues;
•the cost and availability of reinsurance coverage;
•catastrophe losses;
•the impact of investment, economic and underwriting market conditions;
•strategic initiatives; and
•the Company's proposed joint venture with J. Malucelli Participações em Seguros e Resseguros S.A.
The Company cautions investors that such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict and generally beyond the Company's control, that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied or projected by, the forward-looking information and statements.
For a discussion of some of the factors that could cause actual results to differ, see "Item 1A - Risk Factors" and "Item 7 - Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations-Critical Accounting Estimates."
The Company's forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this report or as of the date they are made, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update its forward-looking statements.
Item 7A.
Item 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
MARKET RISK
Market risk is the risk of loss arising from adverse changes in market rates and prices, such as interest rates (inclusive of credit spreads), foreign currency exchange rates and other relevant market rate or price changes. Market risk is directly influenced by the volatility and liquidity in the markets in which the related underlying assets are traded. The following is a discussion of the Company's primary market risk exposures and how those exposures are managed as of December 31, 2010. The Company's market risk sensitive instruments, including derivatives, are primarily entered into for purposes other than trading.
The carrying value of the Company's investment portfolio at December 31, 2010 and 2009 was $72.72 billion and $74.97 billion, respectively, of which 86% and 88% was invested in fixed maturity securities, respectively. At December 31, 2010 and 2009, approximately 6.0% and 5.8%, respectively, of the Company's invested assets were denominated in foreign currencies. The Company's exposure to equity price risk is not significant. The Company has no direct commodity risk and is not a party to any credit default swaps.
The primary market risks to the investment portfolio are interest rate risk and credit risk associated with investments in fixed maturity securities. The portfolio duration relative to the liabilities' duration is primarily managed through cash market transactions and treasury futures transactions.
At December 31, 2010 and 2009, the Company's fixed maturity investment portfolio included collateralized mortgage obligations backed by alternative documentation mortgages and asset-backed securities collateralized by sub-prime mortgages with a collective fair value of $297 million and $270 million, respectively (comprising approximately 0.5% and 0.4% of the Company's total fixed maturity investments, respectively). The disruption in secondary investment markets for mortgage-backed securities provided the Company with the opportunity to selectively acquire additional
asset-backed securities collateralized by sub-prime mortgages at discounted prices. The Company purchased $31 million and $74 million of such securities in 2010 and 2009, respectively. The Company defines sub-prime mortgage-backed securities as investments in which the underlying loans primarily exhibit one or more of the following characteristics: low FICO scores, above-prime interest rates, high loan-to-value ratios or high debt-to-income ratios. Alternative documentation securitizations are those in which the underlying loans primarily meet the government-sponsored entities' requirements for credit score but do not meet the government-sponsored entities' guidelines for documentation, property type, debt and loan-to-value ratios. The average credit rating on these securities and obligations held by the Company was "Baa2" and "A3" at December 31, 2010 and 2009, respectively.
The Company's fixed maturity investment portfolio at December 31, 2010 included securities issued by numerous states, municipalities and political subdivisions (collectively referred to as the municipal bond portfolio), a number of which were enhanced by third-party insurance for the payment of principal and interest in the event of an issuer default. The downgrade of credit ratings of insurers of these securities in recent years has resulted in a corresponding downgrade in the ratings of the securities to the underlying rating of the respective security. Of the insured municipal securities in the Company's investment portfolio at December 31, 2010, approximately 99% were rated at A3 or above, and approximately 90% were rated at Aa3 or above, without the benefit of insurance. The Company believes that a loss of the benefit of insurance would not result in a material adverse impact on the Company's results of operations, financial position or liquidity, due to the underlying credit strength of the issuers of the securities, as well as the Company's ability and intent to hold the securities. The average credit rating of the underlying issuers of these securities was "Aa2" at December 31, 2010. The average credit rating of the entire municipal bond portfolio was "Aa1" at December 31, 2010 with and without the third-party insurance.
On April 2, 2009, municipal securities issued by local governments within the United States were assigned a negative outlook by Moody's Investors Service. Notwithstanding the relatively low historical rates of default on many of these obligations and notwithstanding that the Company typically seeks to invest in high-credit-quality securities (including those with structural protections such as being secured by dedicated or pledged sources of revenue), during or following an economic downturn, the Company's municipal bond portfolio could be subject to a higher risk of default or impairment due to declining municipal tax bases and revenue. The severity and duration of state and local government budget deficits could have an adverse impact on the collectability and valuation of the Company's municipal bond portfolio. In addition, some issuers may be unwilling to increase tax rates, or to reduce spending, to fund interest or principal payments on their municipal bonds, or may be unable to access the municipal bond market to fund such payments. The risk of widespread defaults may increase if some issuers voluntarily choose to default, instead of implementing difficult fiscal measures, and the actual or perceived consequences (such as reduced access to capital markets) are less severe than expected. The risk may also increase if there are changes in legislation that permit states, or additional municipalities and political subdivisions, to file for bankruptcy protection or if there are judicial interpretations that, in a bankruptcy or other proceeding, lessen the value of structural protections.
The Company's tax-exempt fixed maturity investment portfolio totaled $39.03 billion and $40.84 billion at December 31, 2010 and 2009, respectively. Federal and/or state tax legislation could be enacted that would lessen or improve some or all of the tax advantages currently benefiting the Company and result in an adverse or favorable impact on the value of these holdings.
The primary market risk for all of the Company's debt is interest rate risk at the time of refinancing. The Company monitors the interest rate environment and evaluates refinancing opportunities as maturity dates approach. For additional information regarding the Company's debt see note 8 of notes to the Company's consolidated financial statements as well as the "Liquidity and Capital Resources" section of "Item 7 - Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations."
The Company's foreign exchange market risk exposure is concentrated in the Company's invested assets and insurance reserves denominated in foreign currencies. Cash flows from the Company's foreign operations are the primary source of funds for the purchase of investments denominated in foreign currencies. The Company purchases these investments primarily to fund insurance reserves and other liabilities denominated in the same currency, effectively reducing its foreign currency exchange rate exposure. Invested assets denominated in the British Pound Sterling comprised approximately 2.5% of the total invested assets at both December 31, 2010 and 2009. Invested assets denominated in the Canadian dollar comprised approximately 2.3% and 2.1% of the total invested assets at December 31, 2010 and 2009, respectively. Invested assets denominated in other currencies at December 31, 2010 and 2009 were not material.
There were no other significant changes in the Company's primary market risk exposures or in how those exposures were managed for the year ended December 31, 2010 compared to the year ended December 31, 2009. The Company does not currently anticipate significant changes in its primary market risk exposures or in how those exposures are managed in future reporting periods based upon what is known or expected to be in effect in future reporting periods.
SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS
Sensitivity analysis is defined as the measurement of potential loss in future earnings, fair values or cash flows of market sensitive instruments resulting from one or more selected hypothetical changes in interest rates and other market rates or prices over a selected period of time. In the Company's sensitivity analysis model, a hypothetical change in market rates is selected that is expected to reflect reasonably possible near-term changes in those rates. "Near-term" means a period of time going forward up to one year from the date of the consolidated financial statements. Actual results may differ from the hypothetical change in market rates assumed in this disclosure, especially since this sensitivity analysis does not reflect the results of any actions that would be taken by the Company to mitigate such hypothetical losses in fair value.
Interest Rate Risk
In this sensitivity analysis model, the Company uses fair values to measure its potential loss. The sensitivity analysis model includes the following financial instruments entered into for purposes other than trading: fixed maturities, non-redeemable preferred stocks, mortgage loans, short-term securities, debt and derivative financial instruments. The primary market risk to the Company's market sensitive instruments is interest rate risk (inclusive of credit spreads). The sensitivity analysis model uses a 100 basis point change in interest rates to measure the hypothetical change in fair value of financial instruments included in the model.
For invested assets with primary exposure to interest rate risk, estimates of portfolio duration and convexity are used to model the loss of fair value that would be expected to result from a parallel increase in interest rates. Durations on invested assets are adjusted for call, put and interest rate reset features. Durations on tax-exempt securities are adjusted for the fact that the yields on such securities do not normally move in lockstep with changes in the U.S. Treasury curve. Fixed maturity portfolio durations are calculated on a market value weighted basis, including accrued interest, using holdings as of December 31, 2010 and 2009.
For debt, the change in fair value is determined by calculating hypothetical December 31, 2010 and 2009 ending prices based on yields adjusted to reflect a 100 basis point change, comparing such hypothetical ending prices to actual ending prices, and multiplying the difference by the par or securities outstanding.
The sensitivity analysis model used by the Company produces a loss in fair value of market sensitive instruments of approximately $2.00 billion and $2.34 billion based on a 100 basis point increase in interest rates at December 31, 2010 and 2009, respectively.
The loss estimates do not take into account the impact of possible interventions that the Company might reasonably undertake in order to mitigate or avoid losses that would result from emerging interest rate trends. In addition, the loss value only reflects the impact of an interest rate increase on the fair value of the Company's financial instruments.
Foreign Currency Exchange Rate Risk
The Company uses fair values of investment securities to measure its potential loss from foreign denominated investments. A hypothetical 10% reduction in value of foreign denominated investments is used to estimate the impact on the market value of the foreign denominated holdings. The Company's analysis indicates that a hypothetical 10% reduction in the value of foreign denominated investments would be expected to produce a loss in fair value of approximately $434 million and $431 million at December 31, 2010 and 2009, respectively.
At December 31, 2010, The Company had a definitive agreement to commence a joint venture with J. Malucelli, through the acquisition of approximately 43% of J. Malucelli's common stock. The purchase price for this acquisition will be R$625 million Brazilian Reais (the U.S. dollar equivalent of which will depend on the exchange rate at closing) plus an amount based on a Brazilian inter-bank lending rate (CDI) from January 1, 2011 through the closing date of the transaction. In order to reduce its exposure to a significant strengthening of the Brazilian Reais prior to the closing of the transaction, the Company entered into a foreign currency option contract on February 7, 2011 in the notional amount of R$635 million which expires on March 31, 2011.
ITEM 8.
ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Page
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
Consolidated Statement of Income for the years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008
Consolidated Balance Sheet at December 31, 2010 and 2009
Consolidated Statement of Changes in Shareholders' Equity for the years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008
Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows for the years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Report Of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
The Board of Directors and Stockholders
The Travelers Companies, Inc.:
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheet of The Travelers Companies, Inc. and subsidiaries as of December 31, 2010 and 2009, and the related consolidated statements of income, changes in shareholders' equity, and cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2010. These consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of the Company's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these consolidated financial statements based on our audits.
We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of The Travelers Companies, Inc. and subsidiaries as of December 31, 2010 and 2009, and the results of their operations and their cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2010, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.
As discussed in Note 1 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company changed its method of accounting for other-than-temporary impairments of debt securities as of April 1, 2009 due to the adoption of new FASB guidance.
We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), The Travelers Companies, Inc. and subsidiaries internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2010, based on criteria established in Internal Control-Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO), and our report dated February 17, 2011 expressed an unqualified opinion on the effectiveness of the Company's internal control over financial reporting.
/s/ KPMG LLP
KPMG LLP
New York, New York
February 17, 2011
THE TRAVELERS COMPANIES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF INCOME
(in millions, except per share amounts)
See notes to consolidated financial statements.
THE TRAVELERS COMPANIES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEET
(in millions)
See notes to consolidated financial statements.
THE TRAVELERS COMPANIES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY
(in millions)
See notes to consolidated financial statements.
THE TRAVELERS COMPANIES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS
(in millions)
See notes to consolidated financial statements.
THE TRAVELERS COMPANIES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
1. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Basis of Presentation
The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of The Travelers Companies, Inc. (together with its subsidiaries, the Company). The preparation of the consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and claims and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Certain reclassifications have been made to the 2009 and 2008 financial statements to conform to the 2010 presentation. All material intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated.
Adoption of Accounting Standards Updates
Participating Securities Granted in Share-Based Payment Transactions
In June 2008, the FASB issued updated guidance that addressed whether instruments granted in share-based payment transactions are participating securities prior to vesting and, therefore, should be included in the earnings allocation in computing earnings per share (EPS) under the "two-class method." Under the guidance, participating securities are re-defined to include unvested share-based payment awards that contain non-forfeitable dividends or dividend equivalents as participating securities to be included in the computation of EPS using the "two-class method." Outstanding unvested restricted stock and deferred stock units issued under employee compensation programs containing such dividend participation features are considered participating securities subject to the "two-class method" in computing EPS rather than the "treasury stock method."
The guidance was effective for financial statements issued for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2008 and for interim periods within those years. In accordance with the provisions of the guidance, all prior-period basic and diluted EPS data presented were restated to reflect the retrospective application of its computational guidance. The adoption of the guidance on January 1, 2009 did not have a material effect on the Company's basic or diluted EPS.
Other-Than-Temporary Impairments
In April 2009, the FASB issued updated guidance, which provides clarification that an other-than-temporary impairment is recognized when an entity has the intent to sell a debt security or when it is more likely than not that an entity will be required to sell the debt security before its anticipated recovery in value.
Additionally, the guidance changes the presentation and amount of other-than-temporary impairment losses recognized in the income statement for instances in which the Company does not intend to sell a debt security, or it is more likely than not that the Company will not be required to sell a debt security prior to the anticipated recovery of its remaining cost basis. The Company separates the credit loss component of the impairment from the amount related to all other factors and reports the credit loss component in net realized investment gains (losses). The impairment related to all other factors is reported in "accumulated other changes in equity from nonowner sources."
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In addition to the changes in measurement and presentation, the disclosures related to other-than-temporary impairments relating to debt securities are expanded, and all such disclosures are required to be included in both interim and annual periods.
The guidance was effective for interim periods ending after June 15, 2009. The adoption of the guidance on April 1, 2009 resulted in an increase in retained earnings of $71 million, which was offset by a corresponding decrease in "accumulated other changes in equity from nonowner sources" of the same amount.
As a result of adopting the guidance, the amounts of net investment income, net realized investment losses from impairment charges and net income reported for the twelve months ended December 31, 2009 were different than the amounts that would have been reported under the previous accounting guidance. The guidance resulted in less net realized investment losses from impairments, and accordingly, an increase in net income of approximately $65 million after-tax ($100 million pretax) or $0.11 per share (basic and diluted) in 2009. That increase was partially offset by a slight decrease in net investment income and, accordingly, net income, of less than $0.01 per share (basic and diluted) due to a decrease in the accretion of the non-credit loss component of impaired securities to the Company's projection of expected value for the twelve months ended December 31, 2009.
Amendments to Accounting for Variable Interest Entities
In June 2009, the FASB issued updated guidance on the accounting for variable interest entities that eliminates the concept of a qualifying special-purpose entity and the quantitative-based risks and rewards calculation for determining which company, if any, has a controlling financial interest in a variable interest entity. The updated guidance requires an analysis of whether a company has: (1) the power to direct the activities of a variable interest entity that most significantly impact the entity's economic performance and (2) the obligation to absorb the losses that could potentially be significant to the entity or the right to receive benefits from the entity that could potentially be significant to the entity. An entity is required to be re-evaluated as a variable interest entity when the holders of the equity investment at risk, as a group, lose the power from voting rights or similar rights to direct the activities that most significantly impact the entity's economic performance. Additional disclosures are required about a company's involvement in variable interest entities and an ongoing assessment of whether a company is the primary beneficiary.
The updated guidance is effective for all variable interest entities owned on or formed after January 1, 2010. The adoption of this guidance did not have any effect on the Company's results of operations, financial position or liquidity.
Accounting Standards Not Yet Adopted
Accounting for Costs Associated with Acquiring or Renewing Insurance Contracts
In October 2010, the FASB issued updated guidance to address the diversity in practice for the accounting for costs associated with acquiring or renewing insurance contracts. This guidance modifies the definition of acquisition costs to specify that a cost must be directly related to the successful acquisition of a new or renewal insurance contract in order to be deferred. If application of this guidance would result in the capitalization of acquisition costs that had not previously been capitalized by a reporting entity, the entity may elect not to capitalize those costs.
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The updated guidance is effective for periods ending after December 15, 2011. The adoption of this guidance is not expected to have any impact on the Company's results of operations, financial position or liquidity.
Intangibles-Goodwill and Other
In December 2010, the FASB issued updated guidance that modifies the goodwill impairment test. Under the updated guidance, goodwill is tested for impairment using a two-step process. The first step is to identify potential impairments by comparing the estimated fair value of a reporting unit to its carrying value, including goodwill. If the carrying value of a reporting unit exceeds the estimated fair value, a second step is performed to measure the amount of impairment, if any. The second step is to determine the implied fair value of the reporting unit's goodwill, measured in the same manner as goodwill is recognized in a business combination, and compare that amount with the carrying amount of the goodwill. If the carrying value of the reporting unit goodwill exceeds the implied fair value of that goodwill, an impairment loss is recognized in an amount equal to that excess.
The updated guidance requires that if the carrying amount of a reporting unit becomes zero or negative, the second step of the impairment test must be performed when it is more likely than not that a goodwill impairment loss exists. In considering whether it is more likely than not that an impairment loss exists a company is required to evaluate qualitative factors, including the factors presented in existing guidance that trigger an interim impairment test of goodwill (e.g. a significant adverse change in business climate or an anticipated sale of a reporting unit). For public entities, the provisions of the guidance are effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2010. The Company does not expect that the provisions of the guidance will have a material effect on its results of operations, financial position or liquidity.
Accounting Policies
Investments
Fixed Maturity and Equity Securities
Fixed maturities include bonds, notes and redeemable preferred stocks. Fixed maturities, including instruments subject to securities lending agreements, are classified as available for sale and are reported at fair value, with unrealized investment gains and losses, net of income taxes, credited or charged directly to accumulated other changes in equity from nonowner sources. Equity securities, which include public common and non-redeemable preferred stocks, are classified as available for sale with changes in fair value, net of income tax, charged or credited directly to accumulated other changes in equity from nonowner sources.
Real Estate
The Company's real estate investments include warehouses, office buildings and other commercial land and properties that are directly owned. Real estate is recorded on the purchase date at the purchase price, which generally represents fair value, and is supported by internal analysis or external appraisals, using discounted cash flow analyses and other acceptable valuation techniques. Real estate held for investment purposes is subsequently carried at cost less accumulated depreciation. Buildings
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are depreciated on a straight-line basis over the shorter of the expected useful life of the building or 39 years. Real estate held for sale is carried at lower of cost or fair value, less estimated cost to sell.
Short-term Securities
Short-term securities have an original maturity of less than one year and are carried at amortized cost, which approximates fair value.
Other Investments
Investments in Private Equity Limited Partnerships, Hedge Funds and Real Estate Partnerships
The Company uses the equity method of accounting for private equity limited partnerships, hedge funds and real estate partnerships. The partnerships and the hedge funds generally report investments on their balance sheet at fair value. The financial statements prepared by the investee are received by the Company on a lag basis, with the lag period generally dependent upon the type of underlying investments. The private equity and real estate partnerships provide financial information quarterly which is generally available to investors, including the Company, within three to six months following the date of the reporting period. The hedge funds provide financial information monthly, which is generally available to investors within one month following the date of the reporting period. The Company regularly requests financial information from the partnerships prior to the receipt of the partnerships' financial statements, and records any material information obtained from these requests in its financial statements.
Common Stock with Transfer Restrictions and Other
Included in other are investments in common stock with transfer restrictions, non-public common and preferred equities, mortgage loans, trading securities and derivatives. Common stock with transfer restrictions and non-public common and preferred equities are reported at fair value with changes in fair value, net of income tax, charged or credited to accumulated other changes in equity from non-owner sources. Mortgage loans are carried at amortized cost. Trading securities are marked to market with the change in fair value recognized in net investment income during the current period. The Company's derivative financial instruments are carried at fair value, with the changes in fair value reflected in the consolidated statement of income in net realized investment gains (losses). For a further discussion of the derivatives used by the Company, see note 3.
Net Investment Income
Investment income from fixed maturities and mortgage loans is recognized based on the constant effective yield method which includes an adjustment for estimated principal repayments, if any. The effective yield used to determine amortization for fixed maturities subject to prepayment risk (e.g., asset-backed, loan-backed and structured securities) is recalculated and adjusted periodically based upon actual historical and/or projected future cash flows, which are obtained from a widely-accepted securities data provider. The adjustments to the yield for highly rated prepayable fixed maturities are accounted for using the retrospective method. The adjustments to the yield for non-highly rated prepayable fixed maturities are accounted for using the prospective method. Dividends on equity securities (including those with transfer restrictions) and venture capital investments are recognized in income when declared. Rental income on real estate is recognized on a straight-line basis
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over the lease term. See note 3 for further discussion. Investments in private equity limited partnerships, hedge funds, real estate partnerships and joint ventures are accounted for using the equity method of accounting, whereby the Company's share of the investee's earnings or losses in the fund is reported in net investment income. Trading securities are marked to market with the change in fair value recognized in net investment income during the current period.
Accrual of income is suspended on non-securitized fixed maturities or mortgage loans that are in default, or on which it is likely that future payments will not be made as scheduled. Interest income on investments in default is recognized only when payments are received. Investments included in the consolidated balance sheet that were not income-producing for the preceding 12 months were not material.
For fixed maturities where the Company records an other-than-temporary impairment, a determination is made as to the cause of the impairment and whether the Company expects a recovery in the value. For fixed maturities where the Company expects a recovery in value, not necessarily to par, the constant effective yield method is utilized and the investment is amortized to the expected recovery amount.
Investment Gains and Losses
Net realized investment gains and losses are included as a component of pretax revenues based upon specific identification of the investments sold on the trade date. Included in net realized investment gains (losses) are other-than-temporary impairment losses on invested assets other than those investments accounted for using the equity method of accounting as described in the "Investment Impairments" section that follows.
Investment Impairments
The Company conducts a periodic review to identify and evaluate invested assets having other-than-temporary impairments. Some of the factors considered in identifying other-than-temporary impairments include: (1) for fixed maturity investments, whether the Company intends to sell the investment or whether it is more likely than not that the Company will be required to sell the investment prior to an anticipated recovery in value; (2) for non-fixed maturity investments, the Company's ability and intent to retain the investment for a reasonable period of time sufficient to allow for an anticipated recovery in value; (3) the likelihood of the recoverability of principal and interest for fixed maturity securities (i.e., whether there is a credit loss) or cost for equity securities; (4) the length of time and extent to which the fair value has been less than amortized cost for fixed maturity securities or cost for equity securities; and (5) the financial condition, near-term and long-term prospects for the issuer, including the relevant industry conditions and trends, and implications of rating agency actions and offering prices.
Reporting of Other-Than-Temporary Impairments
For fixed maturity investments that the Company does not intend to sell or for which it is more likely than not that the Company would not be required to sell before an anticipated recovery in value, the Company separates the credit loss component of the impairment from the amount related to all other factors and reports the credit loss component in net realized investment gains (losses). The
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impairment related to all other factors is reported in accumulated other changes in equity from nonowner sources.
For non-fixed maturity investments and for fixed maturity investments the Company intends to sell or for which it is more likely than not that the Company will be required to sell before an anticipated recovery in value, the full amount of the impairment is included in net realized investment gains (losses).
Upon recognizing an other-than-temporary impairment, the new cost basis of the investment is the previous amortized cost basis less the other-than-temporary impairment recognized in net realized investment gains (losses). The new cost basis is not adjusted for any subsequent recoveries in fair value; however, for fixed maturity investments the difference between the new cost basis and the expected cash flows is accreted on a quarterly basis to net investment income over the remaining expected life of the investment.
Determination of Credit Loss
The Company determines the credit loss component of fixed maturity investments by utilizing discounted cash flow modeling to determine the present value of the security and comparing the present value with the amortized cost of the security. If the amortized cost is greater than the present value of the expected cash flows, the difference is considered a credit loss and recognized in net realized investment gains (losses).
For non-structured fixed maturities (U.S. Treasury securities, obligations of U.S. Government and government agencies and authorities, obligations of states, municipalities and political subdivisions, debt securities issued by foreign governments, and certain corporate debt), the estimate of expected cash flows is determined by projecting a recovery value and a recovery time frame and assessing whether further principal and interest will be received. The determination of recovery value incorporates an issuer valuation assumption utilizing one or a combination of valuation methods as deemed appropriate by the Company. The Company determines the undiscounted recovery value by allocating the estimated value of the issuer to the Company's assessment of the priority of claims. The present value of the cash flows is determined by applying the effective yield of the security at the date of acquisition (or the most recent implied rate used to accrete the security if the implied rate has changed as a result of a previous impairment) and an estimated recovery time frame. Generally, that time frame for securities for which the issuer is in bankruptcy is 12 months. For securities for which the issuer is financially troubled but not in bankruptcy, that time frame is generally 24 months. Included in the present value calculation are expected principal and interest payments; however, for securities for which the issuer is classified as bankrupt or in default, the present value calculation assumes no interest payments and a single recovery amount.
In estimating the recovery value, significant judgment is involved in the development of assumptions relating to a myriad of factors related to the issuer including, but not limited to, revenue, margin and earnings projections, the likely market or liquidation values of assets, potential additional debt to be incurred pre- or post-bankruptcy/restructuring, the ability to shift existing or new debt to different priority layers, the amount of restructuring/bankruptcy expenses, the size and priority of unfunded pension obligations, litigation or other contingent claims, the treatment of intercompany claims and the likely outcome with respect to inter-creditor conflicts.
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For structured fixed maturity securities (primarily residential and commercial mortgage-backed securities, collateralized mortgage obligations and pass-through securities), the Company estimates the present value of the security by projecting future cash flows of the assets underlying the securitization, allocating the flows to the various tranches based on the structure of the securitization, and determining the present value of the cash flows using the effective yield of the security at the date of acquisition (or the most recent implied rate used to accrete the security if the implied rate has changed as a result of a previous impairment or changes in expected cash flows). The Company incorporates levels of delinquencies, defaults and severities as well as credit attributes of the remaining assets in the securitization, along with other economic data, to arrive at its best estimate of the parameters applied to the assets underlying the securitization. In order to project cash flows, the following assumptions are applied to the assets underlying the securitization: (1) voluntary prepayment rates, (2) default rates and (3) loss severity. The key assumptions made for the Prime, Alt-A and Sub-Prime mortgage-backed securities at December 31, 2010 were as follows:
Changes in Intent to Sell Temporarily Impaired Assets
The Company may, from time to time, sell invested assets subsequent to the balance sheet date that it did not intend to sell at the balance sheet date. Conversely, the Company may not sell invested assets that it asserted that it intended to sell at the balance sheet date. Such changes in intent are generally due to events occurring subsequent to the balance sheet date. The types of events that may result in a change in intent include, but are not limited to, significant changes in the economic facts and circumstances related to the invested asset (e.g., a downgrade or upgrade from a rating agency), significant unforeseen changes in liquidity needs, or changes in tax laws or the regulatory environment.
Real Estate Investments
On at least an annual basis, the Company obtains independent appraisals for substantially all of its real estate investments. In addition, the carrying value of all real estate investments is reviewed for impairment on a quarterly basis or when events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount may not be recoverable. The review for impairment considers the valuation from the independent appraisal, when applicable, and incorporates an estimate of the undiscounted cash flows expected to result from the use and eventual disposition of the real estate property. An impairment loss is recognized if the expected future undiscounted cash flows are less than the carrying value of the real estate property. The impairment loss is the amount by which the carrying amount exceeds fair value.
Other Investments
Investments in Private Equity Limited Partnerships, Hedge Funds and Real Estate Partnerships
Included in other investments are private equity limited partnerships, hedge funds and real estate partnerships that generally report investments on their balance sheet at fair value and are accounted for by the Company using the equity method of accounting. The Company reviews these investments
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for impairment no less frequently than quarterly and monitors the performance throughout the year through discussions with the managers/general partners. If the Company becomes aware of an impairment of a partnership's investments at the balance sheet date prior to receiving the partnership's financial statements, it will recognize an impairment by recording a reduction in the carrying value of the partnership with a corresponding charge to net investment income.
Mortgage Loans
A mortgage loan is considered impaired when it is probable that the Company will be unable to collect principal and interest amounts due. For mortgage loans that are determined to be impaired, a reserve is established for the difference between the amortized cost and the fair market value of the underlying collateral. In estimating fair value, the Company uses interest rates reflecting the current real estate financing market returns.
Securities Lending
The Company has engaged in securities lending activities from which it generates net investment income by lending certain of its investments to other institutions for short periods of time. Borrowers of these securities provide collateral equal to at least 102% of the market value of the loaned securities plus accrued interest. This collateral is held by a third-party custodian, and the Company has the right to access the collateral only in the event that the institution borrowing the Company's securities is in default under the lending agreement. Therefore, the Company does not recognize the receipt of the collateral held by the third-party custodian or the obligation to return the collateral. The loaned securities remain a recorded asset of the Company. The Company accepts only cash as collateral for securities on loan and restricts the manner in which that cash is invested.
Reinsurance Recoverables
Amounts recoverable from reinsurers are estimated in a manner consistent with the associated claim liability. The Company reports its reinsurance recoverables net of an allowance for estimated uncollectible reinsurance recoverables. The allowance is based upon the Company's ongoing review of amounts outstanding, length of collection periods, changes in reinsurer credit standing, disputes, applicable coverage defenses and other relevant factors. Amounts deemed to be uncollectible, including amounts due from known insolvent reinsurers, are written off against the allowance for estimated uncollectible reinsurance recoverables. Any subsequent collections of amounts previously written off are reported as part of claims and claim adjustment expenses. The Company evaluates and monitors the financial condition of its reinsurers under voluntary reinsurance arrangements to minimize its exposure to significant losses from reinsurer insolvencies.
Deferred Acquisition Costs
Amounts which vary with and are primarily related to the production of new insurance contracts, consisting of commissions and premium-related taxes, are deferred and amortized pro rata over the contract periods in which the related premiums are earned. Deferred acquisition costs are reviewed to determine if they are recoverable from future income and, if not, are charged to expense. Future investment income attributable to related premiums is taken into account in measuring the recoverability of the carrying value of this asset. All other acquisition expenses are charged to operations as incurred.
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Contractholder Receivables and Payables
Under certain workers' compensation insurance contracts with deductible features, the Company is obligated to pay the claimant for the full amount of the claim. The Company is subsequently reimbursed by the policyholder for the deductible amount. These amounts are included on a gross basis in the consolidated balance sheet in contractholder payables and contractholder receivables, respectively.
Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets
The Company performs a review, on at least an annual basis, of goodwill held by the reporting units which are the Company's three operating and reportable segments: Business Insurance; Financial, Professional & International Insurance; and Personal Insurance. The Company estimates the fair value of its reporting units and compares it to their carrying value, including goodwill. If the carrying values of the reporting units exceed their fair value, the amount of the impairment is calculated and goodwill is adjusted accordingly.
The Company uses a discounted cash flow model to estimate the fair value of its reporting units. The discounted cash flow model is an income approach to valuation that is based on a detailed cash flow analysis for deriving a current fair value of reporting units and is representative of the Company's reporting units' current and expected future financial performance. Other indefinite-lived intangible assets held by the Company are also reviewed for impairment on at least an annual basis. The classification of the asset as indefinite-lived is reassessed, and an impairment is recognized if the carrying amount of the asset exceeds its fair value.
Intangible assets that are deemed to have a finite useful life are amortized over their useful lives. The carrying amount of intangible assets with a finite useful life is regularly reviewed for indicators of impairment in value. Impairment is recognized only if the carrying amount of the intangible asset is not recoverable from its undiscounted cash flows and is measured as the difference between the carrying amount and the fair value of the asset.
The Company's review did not result in an impairment of its goodwill, other indefinite-lived intangibles or finite-lived intangible assets and none of the Company's reporting units were at risk for failing the initial impairment test for the years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008.
Claims and Claim Adjustment Expense Reserves
Claims and claim adjustment expense reserves represent estimates for unpaid reported and unreported claims incurred and related expenses. The reserves are adjusted regularly based upon experience. Included in the claims and claim adjustment expense reserves in the consolidated balance sheet are certain reserves discounted to the present value of estimated future payments. The liabilities for losses for most long-term disability and annuity claim payments, primarily arising from workers' compensation insurance and workers' compensation excess insurance policies, were discounted using a rate of 5% at both December 31, 2010 and 2009. These discounted reserves totaled $2.09 billion and $2.16 billion at December 31, 2010 and 2009, respectively.
The Company performs a continuing review of its claims and claim adjustment expense reserves, including its reserving techniques and its reinsurance. The reserves are also reviewed regularly by qualified actuaries employed by the Company. These reserves represent the estimated ultimate cost of
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all unpaid claims and claim adjustment expenses. Since the reserves are based on estimates, the ultimate liability may be more or less than such reserves. The effects of changes in such estimated reserves are included in the results of operations in the period in which the estimates are changed. Such changes in estimates could occur in a future period and may be material to the Company's results of operations and financial position in such period.
Other Liabilities
Included in other liabilities in the consolidated balance sheet is the Company's estimate of its liability for guaranty fund and other insurance-related assessments. The liability for expected state guaranty fund and other premium-based assessments is recognized as the Company writes or becomes obligated to write or renew the premiums on which the assessments are expected to be based. The liability for loss-based assessments is recognized as the related losses are incurred. At December 31, 2010 and 2009, the Company had a liability of $235 million and $293 million, respectively, for guaranty fund and other insurance-related assessments and related recoverables of $6 million at both dates. The liability for such assessments and the related recoverables are not discounted for the time value of money. The loss-based assessments are expected to be paid over a period ranging from one year to the life expectancy of certain workers' compensation claimants and the recoveries are expected to occur over the same period of time.
Also included in other liabilities is an accrual for policyholder dividends. Certain insurance contracts, primarily workers' compensation, are participating whereby dividends are paid to policyholders in accordance with contract provisions. Net written premiums for participating dividend policies were approximately 1% of total Company net written premiums for each of the years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008. Policyholder dividends are accrued against earnings using best available estimates of amounts to be paid. The liability accrued for policyholder dividends totaled $45 million and $46 million at December 31, 2010 and 2009, respectively.
Treasury Stock
Treasury stock represents the cost of common stock repurchased by the Company, which stock represents authorized and unissued shares of the Company under the Minnesota Business Corporation Act.
Statutory Accounting Practices
The Company's insurance subsidiaries, domiciled principally in the state of Connecticut, prepare statutory financial statements in accordance with the accounting practices prescribed or permitted by the insurance departments of the states of domicile. Prescribed statutory accounting practices are those practices that are incorporated directly or by reference in state laws, regulations, and general administrative rules applicable to all insurance enterprises domiciled in a particular state. Permitted statutory accounting practices include practices not prescribed by the domiciliary state, but allowed by the domiciliary state regulatory authority. The impact of any permitted accounting practices on statutory surplus of the Company is not material.
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Premiums and Unearned Premium Reserves
Premiums are recognized as revenues pro rata over the policy period. Unearned premium reserves represent the unexpired portion of policy premiums. Accrued retrospective premiums are included in premium balances receivable. Premium balances receivable are reported net of an allowance for estimated uncollectible premium amounts.
Ceded premiums are charged to income over the applicable term of the various reinsurance contracts with third party reinsurers. Prepaid reinsurance premiums represent the unexpired portion of premiums ceded to reinsurers and are reported as part of other assets.
Reinsurance to Close
Under the accounting conventions used by Lloyd's members, each underwriting account is normally kept open for three years and the underwriting results determined at the end of the third year when the account is closed, although a longer period may be required in order to determine reserves at the required degree of accuracy/confidence for exposures having significant uncertainty. When a year of account is closed, a reinsurance contract (the "reinsurance to close" or RITC) is entered into with a subsequent year of account (normally the following year of account) in consideration for which all subsequent underwriting transactions resulting from the closing year and all previous years reinsured therein are brought forward to (accepted by) the subsequent year of account.
The amount of the assets received in an RITC is equal to the accepted claims including incurred but not reported (IBNR) claims and is undiscounted for the time value of money. Accordingly, there is no gain or loss at the time the assets and liabilities are acquired and recognized by the subsequent year of account. In addition, there is no impact on reported premiums and losses as a result of an RITC transaction.
Fee Income
Fee income includes servicing fees from carriers and revenues from large deductible policies and service contracts and is recognized pro rata over the contract or policy periods.
Other Revenues
Other revenues include revenues from premium installment charges, which are recognized as collected, revenues of noninsurance subsidiaries other than fee income and gains and losses on dispositions of assets and redemption of debt, and other miscellaneous revenues.
Income Taxes
The Company recognizes deferred income tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax effects attributable to temporary differences between the financial statement and tax return bases of assets and liabilities, based on enacted tax rates and other provisions of the tax law. The effect of a change in tax laws or rates on deferred tax assets and liabilities is recognized in income in the period in which such change is enacted. Deferred tax assets are reduced by a valuation allowance if it is more likely than not that all or some portion of the deferred tax assets will not be realized.
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Foreign Currency Translation
The Company assigns functional currencies to its foreign operations, which are generally the currencies of the local operating environment. Foreign currency amounts are remeasured to the functional currency, and the resulting foreign exchange gains or losses are reflected in earnings. Functional currency amounts are then translated into U.S. dollars. The change in unrealized foreign currency translation gain or loss during the year, net of tax, is a component of accumulated other changes in equity from nonowner sources. The foreign currency remeasurement and translation are calculated using current exchange rates for items reported in the balance sheets and average exchange rates for items recorded in earnings.
Share-Based Compensation
The Company has an employee stock incentive compensation plan that permits grants of nonqualified stock options, incentive stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock, deferred stock, stock units, performance awards and other stock-based or stock-denominated awards with respect to the Company's common stock.
Compensation cost is measured based on the grant-date fair value of an award, utilizing the assumptions discussed in note 12. Compensation cost is recognized for financial reporting purposes over the period in which the employee is required to provide service in exchange for the award (generally the vesting period). In connection with certain share-based awards, participants are entitled to receive dividends during the vesting period, either in cash or dividend equivalent shares, commensurate with the dividends paid to common shareholders. Dividends and dividend equivalent shares on awards that are expected to vest are recorded in retained earnings. Dividends paid in cash are presented in the "Dividends" caption of retained earnings while dividend equivalent shares are presented in the "Other" caption of retained earnings. Dividends on awards that are not expected to vest are not subject to forfeiture and are, therefore, recorded as compensation expense.
Nature of Operations
The Company is organized into three reportable business segments: Business Insurance; Financial, Professional & International Insurance; and Personal Insurance. These segments reflect the manner in which the Company's businesses are currently managed and represent an aggregation of products and services based on type of customer, how the business is marketed and the manner in which risks are underwritten.
The specific business segments are as follows:
Business Insurance
The Business Insurance segment offers a broad array of property and casualty insurance and insurance-related services to its clients primarily in the United States. Business Insurance is organized into the following six groups, which collectively comprise Business Insurance Core operations:
•Select Accounts provides small businesses with property and casualty products, including commercial multi-peril, property, general liability, commercial auto and workers' compensation insurance.
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•Commercial Accounts provides mid-sized businesses with property and casualty products, including property, general liability, commercial multi-peril, commercial auto and workers' compensation insurance.
•National Accounts provides large companies with casualty products and services, including workers' compensation, general liability and automobile liability, generally utilizing loss-sensitive products. Within National Accounts, Discover Re provides those same casualty products, as well as property coverages, on an unbundled basis. In addition, National Accounts includes the commercial residual market business, which primarily offers workers' compensation products and services to the involuntary market.
•Industry-Focused Underwriting. The following units provide targeted industries with differentiated combinations of insurance coverage, risk management, claims handling and other services:
•Construction serves a broad range of construction businesses, offering guaranteed cost products for small to mid-sized policyholders and loss sensitive programs for larger accounts. For the larger accounts, the customer and the Company work together in actively managing and controlling exposure and claims and they share risk through policy features such as deductibles or retrospective rating. Products offered include workers' compensation, general liability, umbrella and commercial auto coverages, and other risk management solutions.
•Technology serves small to large companies involved in telecommunications, information technology, medical technology and electronics manufacturing, offering a comprehensive portfolio of products and services. These products include property, commercial auto, general liability, workers' compensation, umbrella, internet liability, technology errors and omissions coverages and global companion products.
•Public Sector Services provides insurance products and services to public entities including municipalities, counties, Indian Nation gaming organizations and selected special government districts such as water and sewer utilities. The policies written by this unit typically cover property, commercial auto, general liability and errors and omissions exposures.
•Oil & Gas provides specialized property and liability products and services for customers involved in the exploration and production of oil and natural gas, including operators and drilling contractors, as well as various service and supply companies and manufacturers that support upstream operations. The policies written by this business group cover risks including physical damage, liability and business interruption.
•Agribusiness serves small to medium-sized agricultural businesses, including farms, ranches, wineries and related operations, offering property and liability coverages other than workers' compensation.
•Target Risk Underwriting. The following units serve commercial businesses requiring specialized product underwriting, claims handling and risk management services:
•National Property provides traditional and customized property insurance programs to large and mid-sized customers, including office building owners, manufacturers, municipalities and
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schools, retailers, and service businesses. These insurance programs cover losses on buildings, business personal property and business interruption exposures.
•Inland Marine provides insurance for goods in transit and movable objects for customers such as jewelers, museums, contractors and the transportation industry. Builders' risk insurance is also offered to customers during the construction, renovation or repair of buildings and other structures.
•Ocean Marine serves the marine transportation industry and related services, as well as other businesses involved in international trade. The Company's product offerings in this unit fall under six main coverage categories: marine liability, cargo, hull and machinery, protection and indemnity, pleasure craft, and marine property and liability.
•Excess Casualty serves small to mid-sized commercial businesses, offering mono-line umbrella and excess coverage where the Company typically does not write the primary casualty coverage, or where other business units within the Company prefer to access the underwriting expertise and/or limit capacity of the Excess Casualty business unit.
•Boiler & Machinery serves small to large companies, offering comprehensive breakdown coverages for equipment, including property and business interruption coverages. Through the BoilerRe unit, Boiler & Machinery also serves other property and casualty carriers that do not have in-house expertise with reinsurance, underwriting, engineering, claim handling and risk management services for this type of coverage.
•Global Accounts provides insurance to U.S. companies with foreign property and liability exposures (home-foreign), and foreign organizations with property and liability exposures located in the United States (reverse-flow), as part of a global program.
•Specialized Distribution. The following units market and underwrite their products to customers predominantly through licensed wholesale, general and program agents that manage customers' unique insurance requirements.
•Northland provides insurance coverage for the commercial transportation industry, as well as commercial liability and package policies for small, difficult to place specialty classes of commercial business on an admitted or excess and surplus lines basis.
•National Programs offers tailored property and casualty programs on an admitted basis for customers with common risk characteristics or coverage requirements. Programs available include those for entertainment, architects and engineers, equipment rental, golf services and owners of franchised businesses.
Business Insurance also includes the Special Liability Group (which manages the Company's asbestos and environmental liabilities) and the assumed reinsurance and certain international and other runoff operations, which collectively are referred to as Business Insurance Other. In December 2008, the Company completed the sale of Unionamerica Holdings Limited (Unionamerica), which comprised its United Kingdom-based runoff insurance and reinsurance businesses. The sale was not material to the Company's results of operations or financial position.
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Financial, Professional & International Insurance
The Financial, Professional & International Insurance segment includes surety and financial liability coverages, which primarily use credit-based underwriting processes, as well as property and casualty products that are primarily marketed on a domestic basis in the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Canada, and on an international basis through Lloyd's. The segment includes the following groups:
•Bond & Financial Products provides a wide range of customers with bond and insurance products and risk management services. The range of coverages includes performance, payment and commercial surety and fidelity bonds for construction and general commercial enterprises; management liability coverages for losses caused by the actual or alleged negligence or misconduct of directors and officers or employee dishonesty; employment practices liability coverages and fiduciary coverages for public corporations, private companies and not-for-profit organizations; professional liability coverage for actual or alleged errors and omissions committed in the course of professional conduct or practice for a variety of professionals including, among others, lawyers, design professionals and real estate agents; and professional and management liability, property, auto and general liability and fidelity insurance for financial institutions.
•International, through its operations in the United Kingdom, Canada and the Republic of Ireland, offers specialized insurance and risk management services to several customer groups, including, among others, those in the technology, public services, and financial and professional services industry sectors. In addition, in the Republic of Ireland, the Company writes personal automobile coverage. International, through its Lloyd's syndicate (Syndicate 5000), for which the Company provides 100% of the capital, underwrites through five principal business units-marine, global property, accident & special risks, power & utilities and aviation.
On November 3, 2010, an indirect subsidiary of the Company entered into a definitive agreement to commence a joint venture with J. Malucelli Participações em Seguros e Resseguros S.A, a Brazilian company ("J. Malucelli"), through the acquisition of approximately 43% of J. Malucelli's common stock. J. Malucelli is currently the market leader in surety in Brazil based on market share. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to be finalized in the first half of 2011.
Personal Insurance
The Personal Insurance segment writes virtually all types of property and casualty insurance covering personal risks. The primary coverages in Personal Insurance are automobile and homeowners insurance sold to individuals. These products are distributed through independent agents, sponsoring organizations such as employee and affinity groups, joint marketing arrangements with other insurers and direct marketing.
Automobile policies provide coverage for liability to others for both bodily injury and property damage, and for physical damage to an insured's own vehicle from collision and various other perils. In addition, many states require policies to provide first-party personal injury protection, frequently referred to as no-fault coverage.
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Homeowners policies are available for dwellings, condominiums, mobile homes and rental property contents. Protection against losses to dwellings and contents from a wide variety of perils (excluding flooding) is included in these policies, as well as coverage for liability arising from ownership or occupancy.
2. SEGMENT INFORMATION
The Company is organized into three reportable business segments: Business Insurance; Financial, Professional & International Insurance; and Personal Insurance. The accounting policies used to generate the following segment data are the same as those described in the Summary of Significant Accounting Policies in note 1.
Except as described below for certain legal entities, the Company allocates its invested assets and the related net investment income to its reportable business segments. Pretax net investment income is allocated based upon an investable funds concept, which takes into account liabilities (net of non-invested assets) and appropriate capital considerations for each segment. For investable funds, a benchmark investment yield is developed that reflects the estimated duration of the loss reserves' future cash flows, the interest rate environment at the time the losses were incurred and A+ rated corporate debt instrument yields. For capital, a benchmark investment yield is developed that reflects the average yield on the total investment portfolio. The benchmark investment yields are applied to each segment's investable funds and capital, respectively, to produce a total notional investment income by segment. The Company's actual net investment income is allocated to each segment in proportion to the respective segment's notional investment income to total notional investment income. There are certain legal entities within the Company that are dedicated to specific reportable business segments. The invested assets and related net investment income from these legal entities are reported in the applicable business segment and are not allocated among the other business segments.
The cost of the Company's catastrophe treaty program is included in the Company's ceded premiums and is allocated among reportable business segments based on an estimate of actual market reinsurance pricing using expected losses calculated by the Company's catastrophe model, adjusted for any experience adjustments.
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The following tables summarize the components of the Company's revenues, operating income and total assets by reportable business segments:
(1)Operating revenues for reportable business segments exclude net realized investment gains (losses). Operating income for reportable business segments equals net income excluding the after-tax impact of net realized investment gains (losses).
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Net written premiums by market were as follows:
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Business Segment Reconciliations
(1)The primary component of Interest Expense and Other is after-tax interest expense of $252 million, $248 million and $239 million in 2010, 2009 and 2008, respectively. The operating
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loss in 2010 included $39 million of after-tax expenses related to the Company's purchase and retirement of a significant portion of its 6.25% fixed-to-floating rate junior subordinated debentures. The operating loss in 2009 included a benefit of $28 million from the favorable resolution of various prior year tax matters.
(1)The major components of other assets at December 31, 2010 and 2009 were other intangible assets and deferred taxes.
Enterprise-Wide Disclosures
Revenues from internal customers for the years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008 were not material. Foreign assets at December 31, 2010 and 2009 also were not material. The Company does not have revenue from transactions with a single customer amounting to 10 percent or more of its revenues.
The following table presents revenues of the Company's operations based on location:
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3. INVESTMENTS
Fixed Maturities
The amortized cost and fair value of investments in fixed maturities classified as available for sale were as follows:
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The amortized cost and fair value of fixed maturities by contractual maturity follow. Actual maturities will differ from contractual maturities because borrowers may have the right to call or prepay obligations with or without call or prepayment penalties.
Pre-refunded bonds of $7.29 billion and $6.06 billion at December 31, 2010 and 2009, respectively, were bonds for which an irrevocable trust has been established to fund the remaining payments of principal and interest.
The Company's fixed maturity investment portfolio at December 31, 2010 and 2009 included $4.16 billion and $5.21 billion, respectively, of residential mortgage-backed securities, which include pass-through-securities and collateralized mortgage obligations (CMO). Included in the totals at December 31, 2010 and 2009 were $2.09 billion and $2.63 billion, respectively, of GNMA, FNMA and FHLMC (excluding FHA project loans) guaranteed residential mortgage-backed pass-through securities classified as available for sale. Also included in those totals were residential CMOs classified as available for sale with a fair value of $2.07 billion and $2.58 billion, respectively. Approximately 38% and 37% of the Company's CMO holdings were guaranteed by or fully collateralized by securities issued by GNMA, FNMA or FHLMC at December 31, 2010 and 2009, respectively. The average credit rating of all of the above securities was 'Aa1' at both December 31, 2010 and 2009.
At December 31, 2010 and 2009, the Company held commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS, including FHA project loans) of $549 million and $714 million, respectively, which are included in "All other corporate bonds" in the tables above. At December 31, 2010 and 2009, approximately $155 million and $236 million of these securities, respectively, or the loans backing such securities, contained guarantees by the U.S. government or a government-sponsored enterprise, and $20 million at both dates were comprised of Canadian non-guaranteed securities. The average credit rating of the $394 million of non-guaranteed securities at December 31, 2010 was "Aaa," and 90% of those securities were issued in 2004 and prior years. The CMBS portfolio is supported by loans that are diversified across economic sectors and geographical areas.
At December 31, 2010 and 2009, the Company had $186 million and $90 million, respectively, of securities on loan as part of a tri-party lending agreement.
Proceeds from sales of fixed maturities classified as available for sale were $3.71 billion, $2.81 billion and $6.93 billion in 2010, 2009 and 2008, respectively. Gross gains of $106 million, $119 million and $121 million and gross losses of $11 million, $19 million and $168 million were realized on sales in 2010, 2009 and 2008, respectively.
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At December 31, 2010 and 2009, the Company's insurance subsidiaries had $4.51 billion and $4.46 billion, respectively, of securities on deposit at financial institutions in certain states pursuant to the respective states' insurance regulatory requirements. Funds deposited with third parties to be used as collateral to secure various liabilities on behalf of insureds, cedants and other creditors had a fair value of $86 million and $103 million at December 31, 2010 and 2009, respectively. Other investments pledged as collateral securing outstanding letters of credit had a fair value of $88 million and $98 million at December 31, 2010 and 2009, respectively.
Equity Securities
The cost and fair value of investments in equity securities were as follows:
Proceeds from sales of equity securities were $201 million, $65 million and $53 million in 2010, 2009 and 2008, respectively. Gross gains of $128 million, $13 million and $6 million and gross realized losses of less than $1 million, $2 million and $4 million were realized on those sales in 2010, 2009 and 2008, respectively. In 2010, proceeds from the sales of equity securities and gross gains realized on those sales included $115 million and $102 million, respectively, from the sale of substantially all of the Company's remaining common stock holdings in Verisk Analytics, Inc. (Verisk), a portion of which was classified as an equity security at the time of sale.
In 2010 and 2009, the Company also sold portions of its investment in Verisk that were classified as an "other investment" at the time of sale due to transfer restrictions that were scheduled to expire after one year. Proceeds from those sales of Verisk shares in 2010 and 2009 totaled $115 million and $184 million, respectively. Gross gains realized on those sales were $103 million and $159 million, respectively.
Real Estate
The Company's real estate investments include warehouses, office buildings and other commercial land and properties that are directly owned. The Company negotiates commercial leases with individual tenants through unrelated, licensed real estate brokers. Negotiated terms and conditions include, among
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others, rental rates, length of lease period and improvements to the premises to be provided by the landlord.
Proceeds from the sale of real estate investments totaled $10 million in 2010. Gross gains of $3 million were realized on those sales and there were no gross losses. In 2009, there were no sales of real estate investments. Proceeds from the sale of real estate investments totaled $25 million in 2008. Gross gains of $2 million were realized on those sales and there were no gross losses. The Company had no real estate held for sale at December 31, 2010 and 2009. Accumulated depreciation on real estate held for investment purposes was $200 million and $170 million at December 31, 2010 and 2009, respectively.
Future minimum rental income expected on operating leases relating to the Company's real estate properties is $104 million, $84 million, $67 million, $55 million, $41 million for 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015, respectively, and $49 million for 2016 and thereafter.
Short-term Securities
The Company's short-term securities consist of Aaa-rated registered money market funds, U.S. Treasury securities and high-quality commercial paper (primarily A1/P1) with a combined average of 59 days to maturity at December 31, 2010. The amortized cost of these securities, which totaled $5.62 billion and $4.85 billion at December 31, 2010 and 2009, respectively, approximated their fair value.
Variable Interest Entities
Entities which do not have sufficient equity at risk to allow the entity to finance its activities without additional financial support or in which the equity investors, as a group, do not have the characteristic of a controlling financial interest are referred to as variable interest entities (VIE). A VIE is consolidated by the variable interest holder that is determined to have the controlling financial interest (primary beneficiary) as a result of having both the power to direct the activities of a VIE that most significantly impact the VIE's economic performance and the obligation to absorb losses or right to receive benefits from the VIE that could potentially be significant to the VIE. The Company determines whether it is the primary beneficiary of an entity subject to consolidation based on a qualitative assessment of the VIE's capital structure, contractual terms, nature of the VIE's operations and purpose and the Company's relative exposure to the related risks of the VIE on the date it becomes initially involved in the VIE. The Company reassesses its VIE determination with respect to an entity on an ongoing basis.
The Company is involved in the normal course of business with VIEs primarily as a passive investor in limited partner equity interests issued by third party VIEs. These include certain of the Company's investments in private equity limited partnerships, hedge funds and real estate partnerships where the Company is not related to the general partner. These investments are generally accounted for under the equity method and reported in the Company's consolidated balance sheet as other investments unless the Company is deemed the primary beneficiary. These equity interests generally cannot be redeemed. Distributions from these investments are received by the Company as a result of liquidation of the underlying investments of the funds and/or as income distribution. The Company's maximum exposure to loss with respect to these investments is limited to the investment carrying
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amounts reported in the Company's consolidated balance sheet and any unfunded commitment. Neither the carrying amounts nor the unfunded commitments related to these VIEs are material.
Unrealized Investment Losses
The following tables summarize, for all investments in an unrealized loss position at December 31, 2010 and 2009, the aggregate fair value and gross unrealized loss by length of time those securities have been continuously in an unrealized loss position. The fair value amounts reported in the tables are estimates that are prepared using the process described in note 4. The Company also relies upon estimates of several factors in its review and evaluation of individual investments, using the process described in note 1, in determining whether such investments are other-than-temporarily impaired.
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(1)Included in the fair value and gross unrealized losses are $37 million and $1 million, respectively, related to fixed maturity investments having a credit loss recognized in net realized investment gains (losses) as a result of applying the updated other-than-temporary impairment guidance effective April 1, 2009. See note 1.
(2)Included in the fair value and gross unrealized losses are $521 million and $62 million, respectively, related to fixed maturity investments having a credit loss recognized in net realized investment gains (losses) as a result of applying the updated other-than-temporary impairment guidance effective April 1, 2009. See note 1. The following table summarizes, for all fixed maturities and equity securities reported at fair value for which fair value is less than 80% of amortized cost at December 31, 2010, the gross unrealized
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investment loss by length of time those securities have continuously been in an unrealized loss position of greater than 20% of amortized cost:
These unrealized losses at December 31, 2010 represented less than 1% of the combined fixed maturity and equity security portfolios on a pretax basis and less than 1% of shareholders' equity on an after-tax basis.
Impairment Charges
Impairment charges included in net realized investment gains (losses) in the consolidated statement of income were as follows:
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In the second quarter of 2009, the Company adopted updated accounting guidance that changed the reporting of other-than-temporary impairments (OTTI). As a result, the credit component of OTTI on fixed maturities was reported separately effective April 1, 2009, the date of adoption.
The following tables present a roll-forward of the credit component of OTTI on fixed maturities recognized in the consolidated statement of income for which a portion of the OTTI was recognized in accumulated other changes in equity from nonowner sources for the year ended December 31, 2010 and the period April 1, 2009 through December 31, 2009:
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Concentrations and Credit Quality
Concentrations of credit risk arise from exposure to counterparties that are engaged in similar activities and have similar economic characteristics that could cause their ability to meet contractual obligations to be similarly affected by changes in economic or other conditions. The Company seeks to mitigate credit risk by actively monitoring the creditworthiness of counterparties, obtaining collateral as deemed appropriate, and applying controls that include credit approvals, limits of credit exposure, and other monitoring procedures.
At December 31, 2010 and 2009, other than U.S. Treasury securities and obligations of U.S. Government and government agencies and authorities, the Company was not exposed to any concentration of credit risk of a single issuer greater than 5% of shareholders' equity of the Company.
Included in fixed maturities are below investment grade assets totaling $1.88 billion and $1.80 billion at December 31, 2010 and 2009, respectively. The Company defines its below investment grade assets as those securities rated below investment grade by external rating agencies, or the equivalent by the Company when a public rating does not exist. Such assets include publicly traded below investment grade bonds and certain other privately issued bonds that are classified as below investment grade loans.
Net Investment Income
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Changes in net unrealized gains (losses) on investment securities that are included as a separate component of accumulated other changes in equity from nonowner sources were as follows:
Derivative Financial Instruments
The Company uses U.S. Treasury note futures transactions to modify the effective duration of specific assets within the investment portfolio and enters into 90-day futures contracts on 2-year, 5-year, 10-year and 30-year U.S. Treasury notes which require a daily mark-to-market and settlement with the broker. The notional value of the open U.S. Treasury futures contracts was $400 million and $350 million at December 31, 2010 and 2009, respectively. Net realized investment gains (losses) in 2010, 2009 and 2008 included net losses of $30 million, net gains of $23 million and net losses of $53 million, respectively, related to U.S. Treasury futures contracts.
In 2010, 2009 and 2008, the Company recorded net realized investment gains of $5 million, $7 million and $10 million, respectively, related to its holdings of six million stock purchase warrants of Platinum Underwriters Holdings, Ltd., a publicly-held company. These warrants were not designated and did not qualify for hedge accounting, and, as such, the mark-to-market changes in fair value were reflected in net realized investment gains (losses). In October 2010, the Company sold these stock purchase warrants for proceeds that approximated their carrying value at the date of sale.
The Company purchases investments that have embedded derivatives, primarily convertible debt securities. These embedded derivatives are carried at fair value with changes in value reflected in net realized investment gains (losses). Derivatives embedded in convertible debt securities are reported on a combined basis with their host instrument and are classified as fixed maturity securities. The Company recorded a net realized investment loss of $1 million in 2010, a net realized investment gain of $1 million in 2009 and a net realized investment loss of $77 million in 2008 related to these embedded derivatives. The Company divested substantially all of its holdings in convertible debt securities in 2008.
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4. FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS
The Company's estimates of fair value for financial assets and financial liabilities are based on the framework established in the fair value accounting guidance. The framework is based on the inputs used in valuation, gives the highest priority to quoted prices in active markets, and requires that observable inputs be used in the valuations when available. The disclosure of fair value estimates in the fair value accounting guidance hierarchy is based on whether the significant inputs into the valuation are observable. In determining the level of the hierarchy in which the estimate is disclosed, the highest priority is given to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs that reflect the Company's significant market assumptions. The three levels of the hierarchy are as follows:
•Level 1-Unadjusted quoted market prices for identical assets or liabilities in active markets that the Company has the ability to access.
•Level 2-Quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets; quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in inactive markets; or valuations based on models where the significant inputs are observable (e.g., interest rates, yield curves, prepayment speeds, default rates, loss severities, etc.) or can be corroborated by observable market data.
•Level 3-Valuations based on models where significant inputs are not observable. The unobservable inputs reflect the Company's own assumptions about the inputs that market participants would use.
Valuation of Investments Reported at Fair Value in Financial Statements
The fair value of a financial instrument is the estimated amount at which the instrument could be exchanged in an orderly transaction between knowledgeable, unrelated, willing parties, i.e., not in a forced transaction. The estimated fair value of a financial instrument may differ from the amount that could be realized if the security was sold in an immediate sale, e.g., a forced transaction. Additionally, the valuation of fixed maturity investments is more subjective when markets are less liquid due to the lack of market based inputs, which may increase the potential that the estimated fair value of an investment is not reflective of the price at which an actual transaction would occur.
For investments that have quoted market prices in active markets, the Company uses the quoted market prices as fair value and includes these prices in the amounts disclosed in Level 1 of the hierarchy. The Company receives the quoted market prices from a third party, nationally recognized pricing service (pricing service). When quoted market prices are unavailable, the Company utilizes a pricing service to determine an estimate of fair value, which is mainly used for its fixed maturity investments. The fair value estimates provided from this pricing service are included in the amount disclosed in Level 2 of the hierarchy. If quoted market prices and an estimate from a pricing service are unavailable, the Company produces an estimate of fair value based on internally developed valuation techniques, which, depending on the level of observable market inputs, will render the fair value estimate as Level 2 or Level 3. The Company bases all of its estimates of fair value for assets on the bid price as it represents what a third-party market participant would be willing to pay in an arm's length transaction.
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Fixed Maturities
The Company utilizes a pricing service to estimate fair value measurements for approximately 99% of its fixed maturities. The pricing service utilizes market quotations for fixed maturity securities that have quoted prices in active markets. Since fixed maturities other than U.S. Treasury securities generally do not trade on a daily basis, the pricing service prepares estimates of fair value measurements for these securities using its proprietary pricing applications, which include available relevant market information, benchmark curves, benchmarking of like securities, sector groupings and matrix pricing. Additionally, the pricing service uses an Option Adjusted Spread model to develop prepayment and interest rate scenarios.
The pricing service evaluates each asset class based on relevant market information, relevant credit information, perceived market movements and sector news. The market inputs utilized in the pricing evaluation, listed in the approximate order of priority, include: benchmark yields, reported trades, broker/dealer quotes, issuer spreads, two-sided markets, benchmark securities, bids, offers, reference data, and industry and economic events. The extent of the use of each market input depends on the asset class and the market conditions. Depending on the security, the priority of the use of inputs may change or some market inputs may not be relevant. For some securities, additional inputs may be necessary.
The pricing service utilized by the Company has indicated that they will only produce an estimate of fair value if there is objectively verifiable information to produce a valuation. If the pricing service discontinues pricing an investment, the Company would be required to produce an estimate of fair value using some of the same methodologies as the pricing service but would have to make assumptions for market-based inputs that are unavailable due to market conditions.
The fair value estimates of most fixed maturity investments are based on observable market information rather than market quotes. Accordingly, the estimates of fair value for such fixed maturities, other than U.S. Treasury securities, provided by the pricing service are included in the amount disclosed in Level 2 of the hierarchy. The estimated fair value of U.S. Treasury securities is included in the amount disclosed in Level 1 as the estimates are based on unadjusted market prices.
The Company holds privately placed corporate bonds and estimates the fair value of these bonds using an internal matrix that is based on market information regarding interest rates, credit spreads and liquidity. The underlying source data for calculating the matrix of credit spreads relative to the U.S. Treasury curve are the BofA Merrill Lynch U.S. Corporate Index and the BofA Merrill Lynch High Yield BB Rated Index. The Company includes the fair value estimates of these corporate bonds in Level 2, since all significant inputs are market observable. As many of these securities are issued by public companies, the Company compares the estimates of fair value to the fair values of these companies' publicly traded debt to test the validity of the internal pricing matrix.
While the vast majority of the Company's municipal bonds are included in Level 2, the Company holds a small number of municipal bonds which are not valued by the pricing service and estimates the fair value of these bonds using an internal pricing matrix with some unobservable inputs that are significant to the valuation. Due to the limited amount of observable market information, the Company includes the fair value estimates for these particular bonds in Level 3. Additionally, the Company holds a small amount of fixed maturities that have characteristics that make them unsuitable for matrix pricing. For these fixed maturities, the Company obtains a quote from a broker (typically a market
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maker). Due to the disclaimers on the quotes that indicate that the price is indicative only, the Company includes these fair value estimates in Level 3.
Equities-Public Common and Preferred
For public common and preferred stocks, the Company receives prices from a nationally recognized pricing service that are based on observable market transactions and includes these estimates in the amount disclosed in Level 1. The estimated fair value of stocks having transfer restrictions that expire within one year was determined by adjusting the observed market price of the securities for a liquidity discount which takes into consideration the restrictions that existed at December 31, 2010 and 2009 and is based on market observable inputs. As a result of adjusting the market price to reflect the impact of the transfer restrictions on estimated fair value, the Company discloses these holdings in Level 2. Infrequently, current market quotes in active markets are unavailable for certain non-redeemable preferred stocks held by the Company. In these instances, the Company receives an estimate of fair value from the pricing service that provides fair value estimates for the Company's fixed maturities. The service utilizes some of the same methodologies to price the non-redeemable preferred stocks as it does for the fixed maturities. The Company includes the fair value estimate for these non-redeemable preferred stocks in the amount disclosed in Level 2.
Other Investments
Common Stock with Transfer Restrictions and Other
At December 31, 2009, the Company held common stocks with transfer restrictions that were scheduled to expire after one year. The Company estimated the fair value of these stocks at December 31, 2009 using the same methodology described above for common stock restrictions that expire within a year, and disclosed the fair value in Level 2. In 2010, the Company sold substantially all of these shares.
At December 31, 2010 and 2009, the Company held investments in non-public common and preferred equity securities, with fair value estimates of $57 million and $60 million, respectively, reported in other investments, where the fair value estimate is determined either internally or by an external fund manager based on recent filings, operating results, balance sheet stability, growth and other business and market sector fundamentals. Due to the significant unobservable inputs in these valuations, the Company includes the total fair value estimate for all of these investments at December 31, 2010 and 2009 in the amount disclosed in Level 3. The Company holds investments in various publicly-traded securities which are reported in other investments. The $42 million and $46 million fair value of these investments at December 31, 2010 and 2009, respectively, is disclosed in Level 1. These investments include securities in the Company's trading portfolio, mutual funds and other small holdings.
Derivatives
At December 31, 2010 and 2009, the Company held $37 million and $39 million, respectively, of convertible bonds containing embedded conversion options that are valued separately from the host bond contract in the amount disclosed in Level 2-fixed maturities. At December 31, 2009, the Company held non-public stock warrants in a public company for which it estimated fair value using an
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4. FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS (Continued)
option pricing model with observable market inputs. Since these warrants were not market traded and information concerning market participants was not available, the Company included their fair value estimate of $94 million in Level 3-other investments. The Company sold these warrants in the fourth quarter of 2010.
Fair Value Hierarchy
The following tables present the level within the fair value hierarchy at which the Company's financial assets and financial liabilities are measured on a recurring basis at December 31, 2010 and 2009.
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(1)The amount in Level 3 includes $94 million of non-public stock purchase warrants of a publicly-held company.
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The following tables present the changes in the Level 3 fair value category for the years ended December 31, 2010 and 2009.
(1)Includes impairments on investments held at the end of the period as well as amortization on fixed maturities.
(1)Includes impairments on investments held at the end of the period as well as amortization on fixed maturities.
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Transfers out of Level 3 during 2009 included a $230 million transfer resulting from a private common stock holding undergoing an initial public offering. The new public security has transfer restrictions and is reported in Level 2.
The Company had no financial assets or financial liabilities that were measured at fair value on a non-recurring basis during the years ended December 31, 2010 and 2009.
Financial Instruments Disclosed, But Not Carried, At Fair Value
The Company uses various financial instruments in the normal course of its business. The Company's insurance contracts are excluded from fair value of financial instruments accounting guidance and, therefore, are not included in the amounts discussed below.
The carrying values of cash, short-term securities and investment income accrued approximated their fair values.
The carrying values of $647 million and $629 million of financial instruments classified as other assets approximated their fair values at December 31, 2010 and 2009, respectively. The carrying values of $3.75 billion and $3.89 billion of financial instruments classified as other liabilities at December 31, 2010 and 2009, respectively, also approximated their fair values. Fair value is determined using various methods including discounted cash flows, as appropriate for the various financial instruments.
The carrying value and fair value of the Company's debt at December 31, 2010 was $6.61 billion and $7.20 billion, respectively. The respective totals at December 31, 2009 were $6.53 billion and $6.82 billion. The Company utilized a pricing service to estimate fair value measurements for approximately 94% and 96% of its debt, other than commercial paper, at December 31, 2010 and 2009, respectively. The pricing service utilizes market quotations for debt that have quoted prices in active markets. For the small amount of the Company's debt securities for which a pricing service is not used, the Company utilizes pricing estimates from a nationally recognized broker/dealer to estimate fair value. If estimates of fair value are unavailable from the pricing service or the broker/dealer, the Company produces an estimate of fair value based on internally developed valuation techniques which are based on a discounted cash flow methodology and incorporates all available relevant observable market inputs.
The fair value of commercial paper included in debt outstanding at December 31, 2010 and 2009 approximated its book value because of its short-term nature.
5. REINSURANCE
The Company's consolidated financial statements reflect the effects of assumed and ceded reinsurance transactions. Assumed reinsurance refers to the acceptance of certain insurance risks that other insurance companies have underwritten. Ceded reinsurance involves transferring certain insurance risks (along with the related written and earned premiums) the Company has underwritten to other insurance companies who agree to share these risks. The primary purpose of ceded reinsurance is to protect the Company, at a cost, from volatility in excess of the amount it is prepared to accept. Reinsurance is placed on both a quota-share and excess of loss basis. Ceded reinsurance arrangements do not discharge the Company as the primary insurer, except for instances where the primary policy or policies have been novated.
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5. REINSURANCE (Continued)
Included in reinsurance recoverables are certain amounts related to structured settlements. Structured settlements comprise annuities purchased from various life insurance companies to settle certain personal physical injury claims, of which workers' compensation claims comprise a significant portion. In cases where the Company did not receive a release from the claimant, the structured settlement is included in reinsurance recoverables as the Company retains the contingent liability to the claimant. In the event that the life insurance company fails to make the required annuity payments, the Company would be required to make such payments.
The Company evaluates and monitors the financial condition of its reinsurers under voluntary reinsurance arrangements to minimize its exposure to significant losses from reinsurer insolvencies. In addition, in the ordinary course of business, the Company may become involved in coverage disputes with its reinsurers. Some of these disputes could result in lawsuits and arbitrations brought by or against the reinsurers to determine the Company's rights and obligations under the various reinsurance agreements. The Company employs dedicated specialists and strategies to manage reinsurance collections and disputes.
The Company is also required to participate in various involuntary reinsurance arrangements through assumed reinsurance, principally with regard to residual market mechanisms in workers' compensation and automobile insurance, as well as homeowners' insurance in certain coastal areas. In addition, the Company provides services for several of these involuntary arrangements ("mandatory pools and associations") under which it writes such residual market business directly, then cedes 100% of this business to the mandatory pool. Such servicing arrangements are arranged to mitigate credit risk to the Company, as any ceded balances are jointly backed by all the pool members.
The Company utilizes a general catastrophe reinsurance treaty with unaffiliated reinsurers to manage its exposure to losses resulting from catastrophes. In addition to the coverage provided under this treaty, the Company also utilizes a catastrophe bond program and a Northeast catastrophe reinsurance treaty to protect against losses resulting from catastrophes in the Northeastern United States. The Company also utilizes an excess-of-loss treaty in its National Property business unit of the Business Insurance segment to protect against earthquake losses up to a certain threshold.
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5. REINSURANCE (Continued)
The following is a summary of reinsurance financial data reflected in the consolidated statement of income:
Ceded premiums included the premiums paid to Longpoint Re Ltd. and Longpoint Re Ltd. II for coverage under the Company's catastrophe bond programs.
Reinsurance recoverables include amounts recoverable on both paid and unpaid claims and were as follows:
Terrorism Risk Insurance Program
The Terrorism Risk Insurance Program (the Program) is a Federal program administered by the Department of the Treasury that provides for a system of shared public and private compensation for certain insured losses resulting from acts of terrorism or war committed by or on behalf of a foreign interest. The Program has been authorized through 2014.
In order for a loss to be covered under the Program (subject losses), the loss must meet certain aggregate industry loss minimums and must be the result of an event that is certified as an act of terrorism by the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, in concurrence with the Secretary of State and the Attorney General of the United States. The annual aggregate industry loss minimum is $100 million
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5. REINSURANCE (Continued)
through 2014. The Program excludes from participation the following types of insurance: Federal crop insurance, private mortgage insurance, financial guaranty insurance, medical malpractice insurance, health or life insurance, flood insurance, and reinsurance, commercial automobile, professional liability (other than directors and officers'), surety, burglary and theft, and farm-owners multi-peril. In the case of a war declared by Congress, only workers' compensation losses are covered by the Program. All commercial property and casualty insurers licensed in the United States are generally required to participate in the Program. Under the Program, a participating insurer is entitled to be reimbursed by the Federal Government for 85% of subject losses, after an insurer deductible, subject to an annual cap.
The deductible for any calendar year is equal to 20% of the insurer's direct earned premiums for covered lines for the preceding calendar year. The Company's estimated deductible under the Program is $2.08 billion for 2011. The annual cap limits the amount of aggregate subject losses for all participating insurers to $100 billion. Once subject losses have reached the $100 billion aggregate during a program year, participating insurers will not be liable under the Program for additional covered terrorism losses for that program year. The Company has had no terrorism-related losses since the Program was established. Since the interpretation of this law is untested, there is substantial uncertainty as to how they will be applied to specific circumstances. It is also possible that future legislative action could change the Acts. Further, given the unpredictable frequency and severity of terrorism losses, as well as the limited terrorism coverage in the Company's own reinsurance program, future losses from acts of terrorism, particularly "unconventional" acts of terrorism involving nuclear, biological, chemical or radiological events, could be material to the Company's operating results, financial position and/or liquidity in future periods. While the Company seeks to manage its exposure to man-made catastrophic events involving conventional means, there can be no assurance that the Company would have sufficient resources to respond to claims arising out of one or more man-made catastrophic events involving so-called weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear, biological, chemical or radiological means.
6. GOODWILL AND OTHER INTANGIBLE ASSETS
Goodwill
The following table presents the carrying amount of the Company's goodwill by segment at December 31, 2010 and 2009:
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6. GOODWILL AND OTHER INTANGIBLE ASSETS (Continued)
Other Intangible Assets
The following presents a summary of the Company's other intangible assets by major asset class at December 31, 2010 and 2009:
(1)The fair value adjustment of $191 million was recorded in connection with the merger of The St. Paul Companies, Inc. and Travelers Property Casualty Corp. in 2004 and was based on management's estimate of nominal claims and claim adjustment expense reserves and reinsurance recoverables (after adjusting for conformity with the acquirer's accounting policy on discounting of workers' compensation reserves), expected payment patterns, the April 1, 2004 U.S. Treasury spot rate yield curve, a leverage ratio assumption (reserves to statutory surplus), and a cost of capital expressed as a spread over risk-free rates. The method used calculates a risk adjustment to a risk-free discounted reserve that will, if reserves run off as expected, produce results that yield the assumed cost-of-capital on the capital supporting the loss reserves. The fair value adjustment is reported as an other intangible asset on the consolidated balance sheet, and the amounts measured in accordance with the acquirer's accounting policies for insurance contracts are reported as part of the claims and claim adjustment expense reserves and reinsurance recoverables. The intangible asset will be recognized into income over the expected payment pattern. Because the time value of money and the risk adjustment (cost of capital) components of the intangible asset run off at different rates, the amount recognized in income may be a net benefit in some periods and a net expense in other periods.
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6. GOODWILL AND OTHER INTANGIBLE ASSETS (Continued)
The following presents a summary of the Company's amortization expense for other intangible assets by major asset class:
Intangible asset amortization expense is estimated to be $69 million in 2011, $52 million in 2012, $45 million in 2013, $43 million in 2014 and $23 million in 2015.
7. INSURANCE CLAIM RESERVES
Claims and claim adjustment expense reserves were as follows:
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7. INSURANCE CLAIM RESERVES (Continued)
The table below is a reconciliation of beginning and ending property casualty reserve balances for claims and claim adjustment expenses.
(1)In December 2008, the Company sold its United Kingdom based subsidiary, Unionamerica Holdings, Ltd., which was in runoff.
Gross claims and claim adjustment expense reserves at December 31, 2010 and 2009 decreased by $1.99 billion and $1.59 billion from the respective prior year-end, primarily reflecting ongoing claims and claim adjustment expense activity, including losses incurred and payments made, as well as favorable prior year reserve development and payments related to operations in runoff. The decline at December 31, 2010 compared with the prior year-end was partially offset by the impact of the high level of catastrophe losses incurred in 2010.
The $1.31 billion decline in reinsurance recoverables since December 31, 2009 reflected cash collections and the impact of net favorable prior year reserve development, partially offset by a reduction in the allowance for uncollectible reinsurance. The $1.22 billion decline in reinsurance recoverables at December 31, 2009 compared with the prior year end primarily reflected various commutation agreements and collections on reinsurance recoverables, including those related to prior years' hurricane losses.
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Prior Year Reserve Development
The following disclosures regarding reserve development are on a "net of reinsurance" basis.
2010.
In 2010, estimated claims and claim adjustment expenses incurred included $1.42 billion of net favorable development for claims arising in prior years, including $1.25 billion of net favorable prior year reserve development impacting the Company's results of operations, which excludes $45 million of accretion of discount.
Business Insurance. Net favorable prior year reserve development in 2010 totaled $901 million, driven by better than expected loss development in the property, general liability and workers' compensation product lines for multiple accident years, as well as in assumed reinsurance, which is in runoff. The property product line improvement primarily occurred in the 2008 and 2009 accident years as a result of better than expected loss development in Industry-Focused Underwriting and Target Risk Underwriting. The general liability product line improvement was concentrated in excess coverages for accident years 2006 and prior and reflected what the Company believes are favorable legal and judicial environments. Net favorable prior year reserve development in the workers' compensation product line was concentrated in accident years 2007 and prior and resulted from better than expected loss development. The improvement in assumed reinsurance resulted primarily from favorable resolutions of claims and disputes from accident years 2002 and prior. In addition, better than expected loss development in the Business Insurance segment in recent years resulted in a favorable re-estimation of reserves for unallocated loss adjustment expenses in 2010. The net favorable prior year reserve development in these product lines in 2010 was partially offset by $140 million and $35 million increases to asbestos and environmental reserves, respectively.
Financial, Professional & International Insurance. Net favorable prior year reserve development totaled $259 million in 2010. In Bond & Financial Products, net favorable prior year reserve development in 2010 was driven by better than expected loss development in the surety and management liability lines of business due to lower than expected claim activity and loss severity in the 2008 and prior accident years. In International, the majority of net favorable prior year reserve development in 2010 occurred at the Company's operation at Lloyd's, in Canada and in the United Kingdom.
Personal Insurance. Net favorable prior year reserve development of $87 million in 2010 was concentrated in the Homeowners and Other product line, primarily driven by favorable loss development in the 2008 and prior accident years, primarily for the umbrella line of business, partially offset by unfavorable loss development in the 2009 accident year for the homeowners line of business that was driven by higher than anticipated late-reported claims related to storms in 2009.
2009.
In 2009, estimated claims and claim adjustment expenses incurred included $1.45 billion of net favorable development for claims arising in prior years, including $1.33 billion of net favorable prior year reserve development impacting the Company's results of operations, which excludes $54 million of accretion of discount.
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Business Insurance. Net favorable prior year reserve development totaled $1.03 billion in 2009, driven by better than expected loss development primarily concentrated in the general liability, commercial multi-peril, commercial automobile and commercial property product lines for recent accident years. The general liability and commercial multi-peril product lines experienced better than anticipated loss development that was attributable to several factors, including what the Company believes is improved legal and judicial environments, as well as enhanced risk control, underwriting and claim process initiatives. The commercial automobile line of business experienced better than expected loss development that was attributable to what the Company believes is more favorable legal and judicial environments, claim handling initiatives and improvements in auto safety technology. The commercial property product line improvement primarily occurred in the 2007 and 2008 accident years as a result of better than expected loss development for certain large national property and inland marine exposures. In addition, the commercial property product line's 2005 accident year experience improved due to the litigation environment relating to, and ongoing claim settlements for, Hurricane Katrina. The net favorable prior year reserve development in these product lines in 2009 was partially offset by a $185 million increase to asbestos reserves and a $70 million increase to environmental reserves.
Financial, Professional & International Insurance. Net favorable prior year reserve development totaled $168 million in 2009, driven by better than expected loss development in International, particularly in the United Kingdom and Canada. In addition, the Aviation and Property lines of business at Lloyd's experienced net favorable prior year loss development in 2009. In Bond & Financial Products, better than expected loss development for the contract surety business within the fidelity and surety product line for recent accident years also resulted in net favorable prior year reserve development in 2009.
Personal Insurance. Net favorable prior year reserve development totaled $135 million in 2009, driven by favorable loss development related to Hurricanes Ike and Katrina, as well as the 2007 California wildfires.
2008.
In 2008, estimated claims and claim adjustment expenses incurred included $1.73 billion of net favorable development for claims arising in prior years, including $1.54 billion of net favorable prior year reserve development impacting the Company's results of operations, which excludes $60 million of accretion of discount.
Business Insurance. Net favorable prior year reserve development totaled $1.12 billion in 2008, driven by better than expected loss development primarily concentrated in the general liability and commercial multi-peril product lines, an increase in anticipated ceded recoveries for older accident years in the general liability product line and better than anticipated loss development in the commercial property and commercial automobile product lines. The net favorable prior year reserve development in the general liability and commercial multi-peril lines was attributable to several factors, including what the Company believes is improved legal and judicial environments, as well as enhanced risk control, underwriting and claim process initiatives. The commercial property product line improvement occurred primarily in the 2007 accident year as a result of better than expected loss development for certain large national property, national programs, and ocean marine claim exposures and lower than expected weather-related losses during the last half of 2007, as well as favorable loss
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development in certain large inland marine claim exposures and in ceded recoveries for commercial property large claims. In addition, the commercial multi-peril and property product lines' 2005 accident year results experienced improvement due to the litigation environment relating to, and ongoing claim settlements for, Hurricane Katrina. The commercial automobile product line improvement was attributable to several factors, including what the Company believes is improved legal and judicial environments, as well as enhanced risk control, underwriting and claim process initiatives. The net favorable prior year reserve development in the foregoing product lines in 2008 was partially offset by net unfavorable prior year reserve development in the workers' compensation product line, primarily driven by higher than anticipated medical costs related to 2004 and prior accident years, and by a $70 million and $85 million increase to asbestos and environmental reserves, respectively.
Financial, Professional & International Insurance. Net favorable prior year reserve development totaled $274 million in 2008, primarily driven by better than expected loss development in International. The improvements in longer-tail lines of business were attributable to several factors, including enhanced risk control and underwriting strategies throughout International. In the property line of business, the improvement primarily resulted from better than anticipated loss development in the United Kingdom, in part due to favorable claim activity relating to 2007 flood losses. In Bond & Financial Products, better than expected loss development for the contract surety business within the fidelity and surety product line, resulting from favorable settlements on large claims (primarily from accident years prior to 2005), resulted in net favorable prior year reserve development in 2008.
Personal Insurance. Net favorable prior year reserve development in 2008 totaled $143 million, primarily driven by favorable loss development related to Hurricane Katrina, and better than expected loss development from recent accident years for the Homeowners and Other product line. This improvement was driven in part by claim initiatives as well as better than expected outcomes on 2007 catastrophe-related claims. In addition, the Homeowners and Other product line experienced improvement in older accident years for the umbrella line as well as favorable experience from accident year 2007 for allied coverages due to less than expected claim activity.
Asbestos and Environmental Reserves
At December 31, 2010 and 2009, the Company's claims and claim adjustment expense reserves included $2.90 billion and $3.15 billion, respectively, for asbestos and environmental-related claims, net of reinsurance.
It is difficult to estimate the reserves for asbestos and environmental-related claims due to the vagaries of court coverage decisions, plaintiffs' expanded theories of liability, the risks inherent in complex litigation and other uncertainties, including without limitation, those which are set forth below.
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Asbestos Reserves. Because each policyholder presents different liability and coverage issues, the Company generally reviews the exposure presented by each policyholder at least annually. Among the factors which the Company may consider in the course of this review are: available insurance coverage, including the role of any umbrella or excess insurance the Company has issued to the policyholder; limits and deductibles; an analysis of the policyholder's potential liability; the jurisdictions involved; past and anticipated future claim activity and loss development on pending claims; past settlement values of similar claims; allocated claim adjustment expense; potential role of other insurance; the role, if any, of non-asbestos claims or potential non-asbestos claims in any resolution process; and applicable coverage defenses or determinations, if any, including the determination as to whether or not an asbestos claim is a products/completed operation claim subject to an aggregate limit and the available coverage, if any, for that claim.
In the third quarter of 2010, the Company completed its annual in-depth asbestos claim review and noted the continuation of recent trends, which include:
•continued high level of litigation activity involving individuals alleging serious asbestos-related illness;
•stable payment patterns for a large proportion of policyholders;
•a decrease in the number of large asbestos exposures confronting the Company due to additional settlement activity;
•continued moderate level of asbestos-related bankruptcy activity; and
•the absence of new theories of liability or new classes of defendants.
While the Company believes that these trends indicate a reduction in the volatility associated with the Company's overall asbestos exposure, there nonetheless remains a high degree of uncertainty with respect to future exposure from asbestos claims.
The Company's quarterly asbestos reserve review includes an analysis of exposure and claim payment patterns by policyholder category, as well as recent settlements, policyholder bankruptcies, judicial rulings and legislative actions. The Company also analyzes developing payment patterns among policyholders in the Home Office, Field Office and Assumed Reinsurance and Other categories as well as projected reinsurance billings and recoveries. In addition, the Company reviews its historical gross and net loss and expense paid experience, year-by-year, to assess any emerging trends, fluctuations, or characteristics suggested by the aggregate paid activity. Conventional actuarial methods are not utilized to establish asbestos reserves nor have the Company's evaluations resulted in any way of determining a meaningful average asbestos defense or indemnity payment.
As in prior years, the annual claim review considered active policyholders and litigation cases for potential product and "non-product" liability. Compared with the prior year period, the Home Office and Field Office categories, which account for the vast majority of policyholders with active asbestos-related claims, experienced an overall reduction in the number of policyholders who, for the first time, were tendering asbestos claims. However, gross defense and indemnity costs in these categories remained at similar levels to what the Company has experienced in recent years due to the high level of litigation activity in a limited number of jurisdictions where individuals alleging serious asbestos-related injury continue to target previously peripheral defendants.
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Net asbestos losses paid in 2010, 2009 and 2008 were $350 million, $341 million and $658 million, respectively. (Asbestos payments in 2008 included the Company's one-time net payment of $365 million associated with the settlement of the ACandS, Inc. matter). Approximately 32%, 41% and 59% of total net paid losses in 2010, 2009 and 2008, respectively, related to policyholders with whom the Company had entered into settlement agreements limiting the Company's liability.
The Company recorded a net $140 million increase in the Company's asbestos reserves in 2010, driven by increases in the Company's estimate of 1) projected settlement and defense costs related to a broad number of policyholders; 2) costs of litigating asbestos-related coverage matters; and 3) projected payments on assumed reinsurance accounts. This increase included a $70 million benefit from the reduction in the allowance for uncollectible reinsurance resulting from a recent favorable ruling related to a reinsurance dispute, and an increase in estimated reinsurance recoverables. In 2009, the Company recorded a $185 million increase in asbestos reserves, primarily driven by a slight increase in the Company's assumption for projected defense costs related to many policyholders. The Company recorded a $70 million increase to asbestos reserves in 2008, which was driven by a change in the estimated costs associated with litigating asbestos coverage matters and a change in estimated losses for certain individual policyholders. Overall, the company's assessment of the underlying asbestos environment did not change significantly from recent periods.
Environmental Reserves. In establishing environmental reserves, the Company evaluates the exposure presented by each policyholder and the anticipated cost of resolution, if any. In the course of this analysis, the Company generally considers the probable liability, available coverage, relevant judicial interpretations and historical value of similar exposures. In addition, the Company considers the many variables presented, such as the nature of the alleged activities of the policyholder at each site; the allegations of environmental harm at each site; the number of sites; the total number of potentially responsible parties at each site; the nature of environmental harm and the corresponding remedy at each site; the nature of government enforcement activities at each site; the ownership and general use of each site; the overall nature of the insurance relationship between the Company and the policyholder, including the role of any umbrella or excess insurance the Company has issued to the policyholder; the involvement of other insurers; the potential for other available coverage, including the number of years of coverage; the role, if any, of non-environmental claims or potential non-environmental claims in any resolution process; and the applicable law in each jurisdiction. Conventional actuarial techniques are not used to estimate these reserves.
Although the Company continues to receive notices from policyholders tendering claims for the first time, the number of new policyholders submitting those notices declined from 2009. These policyholders continue to present smaller exposures, have fewer sites and are lower tier defendants. Further, in many instances clean-up costs have been reduced because regulatory agencies are willing to accept risk-based site analyses and more efficient clean-up technologies. However, the Company has experienced modest upward development in the expected defense and settlement costs for certain of its pending policyholders. As a result, the Company increased its net environmental reserves by $35 million in 2010. The Company increased its net environmental reserves by $70 million in 2009, due to a slight increase in the number of policyholders tendering claims for the first time and upward development in the expected defense and settlement costs for certain of its pending policyholders. In 2008, the Company increased its environmental reserves by $85 million as a result of upward development in the anticipated defense and settlement costs for certain of its pending policyholders.
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Asbestos and Environmental Reserves. As a result of the processes and procedures described above, management believes that the reserves carried for asbestos and environmental claims at December 31, 2010 are appropriately established based upon known facts, current law and management's judgment. However, the uncertainties surrounding the final resolution of these claims continue, and it is difficult to determine the ultimate exposure for asbestos and environmental claims and related litigation. As a result, these reserves are subject to revision as new information becomes available and as claims develop. The continuing uncertainties include, without limitation, the risks and lack of predictability inherent in complex litigation, any impact from the bankruptcy protection sought by various asbestos producers and other asbestos defendants, a further increase or decrease in the cost to resolve and/or the number of asbestos and environmental claims beyond that which is anticipated, the role of any umbrella or excess policies the Company has issued, the resolution or adjudication of disputes pertaining to the amount of available coverage for asbestos and environmental claims in a manner inconsistent with the Company's previous assessment of these claims, the number and outcome of direct actions against the Company, future developments pertaining to the Company's ability to recover reinsurance for asbestos and environmental claims and the unavailability of other insurance sources potentially available to policyholders, whether through exhaustion of policy limits or through the insolvency of other participating insurers. In addition, uncertainties arise from the insolvency or bankruptcy of policyholders and other defendants. It is also not possible to predict changes in the legal, regulatory and legislative environment and their impact on the future development of asbestos and environmental claims. This development will be affected by future court and regulatory decisions and interpretations, including the outcome of legal challenges to legislative and/or judicial reforms establishing medical criteria for the pursuit of asbestos claims, as well as changes in applicable legislation. It is also difficult to predict the ultimate outcome of complex coverage disputes until settlement negotiations near completion and significant legal questions are resolved or, failing settlement, until the dispute is adjudicated. This is particularly the case with policyholders in bankruptcy where negotiations often involve a large number of claimants and other parties and require court approval to be effective. As part of its continuing analysis of asbestos and environmental reserves, the Company continues to study the implications of these and other developments.
Because of the uncertainties set forth above, additional liabilities may arise for amounts in excess of the current related reserves. In addition, the Company's estimate of claims and claim adjustment expenses may change. These additional liabilities or increases in estimates, or a range of either, cannot now be reasonably estimated and could result in income statement charges that could be material to the Company's operating results in future periods.
Catastrophe Exposure
The Company has geographic exposure to catastrophe losses, which can be caused by a variety of events, including, among others, hurricanes, earthquakes, windstorms, hail, wildfires, severe winter weather, floods and volcanic eruptions. Catastrophes can also result from a terrorist attack (including those involving nuclear, biological, chemical or radiological events) or as a consequence of political instability. The incidence and severity of catastrophes are inherently unpredictable. The extent of losses from a catastrophe is a function of both the total amount of insured exposure in the area affected by the event and the severity of the event. Most catastrophes are restricted to small geographic areas; however, hurricanes and earthquakes may produce significant damage in larger areas, especially those
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7. INSURANCE CLAIM RESERVES (Continued)
that are heavily populated. The Company generally seeks to mitigate its exposure to catastrophes through individual risk selection and the purchase of catastrophe reinsurance.
There are also risks which impact the estimation of ultimate costs for catastrophes. For example, the estimation of reserves related to hurricanes can be affected by the inability of the Company and its insureds to access portions of the impacted areas, the complexity of factors contributing to the losses, the legal and regulatory uncertainties and the nature of the information available to establish the reserves. Complex factors include, but are not limited to: determining whether damage was caused by flooding versus wind; evaluating general liability and pollution exposures; estimating additional living expenses; the impact of demand surge; infrastructure disruption; fraud; the effect of mold damage and business income interruption costs; and reinsurance collectibility. The timing of a catastrophe's occurrence, such as at or near the end of a reporting period, can also affect the information available to us in estimating reserves for that reporting period. The estimates related to catastrophes are adjusted as actual claims emerge.
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8. DEBT
Debt outstanding was as follows:
2010 Debt Issuance-On November 1, 2010, the Company issued $500 million aggregate principal amount 3.90% senior notes that will mature on November 1, 2020, and $750 million aggregate principal amount 5.35% senior notes that will mature on November 1, 2040. The net proceeds of these issuances, after original issuance discount and the deduction of underwriting expenses and commissions and other expenses, totaled approximately $496 million and $738 million, respectively. Interest on the senior notes is payable semi-annually in arrears on November 1 and May 1 of each year. The senior notes are redeemable in whole at any time or in part from time to time, at the Company's option, at a redemption price equal to the greater of (a) 100% of the principal amount of senior notes to be redeemed or (b) the sum of the present values of the remaining scheduled payments of principal and interest on the senior notes to be redeemed (exclusive of interest accrued to the date of redemption)
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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
8. DEBT (Continued)
discounted to the date of redemption on a semi-annual basis (assuming a 360-day year consisting of twelve 30-day months) at the then current Treasury rate (as defined) plus 15 basis points for the 2020 senior notes and 20 basis points for the 2040 notes.
2010 Debt Payments and Maturities-Prior to November 2010, the Company was subject to a replacement capital covenant that it had granted to the holders of its 6.75% senior notes due June 20, 2036 (the senior notes). The replacement capital covenant restricted the Company's ability to repurchase its $1.00 billion in outstanding 6.25% fixed-to-floating rate junior subordinated debentures due March 15, 2067 (the debentures). In November 2010, the Company paid approximately $4 million to holders of the senior notes to terminate the replacement capital covenant. Following the termination, the Company purchased approximately $885 million aggregate principal amount of the debentures. A $60 million pretax loss was recognized in 2010 related to these transactions.
On September 16, 2010, the Company repaid the remaining $4 million principal balance on its 7.81% private placement senior notes. On August 23, 2010, the Company's $21 million, 7.415% medium-term notes matured and were fully paid. On April 15, 2010, the Company's $250 million, 8.125% senior notes matured and were fully paid. All of these debt payments were made from internally generated funds.
2009 Debt Issuance-On June 2, 2009, the Company issued $500 million aggregate principal amount of 5.90% senior notes that will mature on June 2, 2019. The net proceeds of the issuance, after original issuance discount and the deduction of underwriting expenses and commissions and other expenses, totaled approximately $494 million. Interest on the senior notes is payable semi-annually in arrears on June 2 and December 2 of each year. The senior notes are redeemable in whole at any time or in part from time to time, at the Company's option, at a redemption price equal to the greater of (a) 100% of the principal amount of senior notes to be redeemed or (b) the sum of the present values of the remaining scheduled payments of principal and interest on the senior notes to be redeemed (exclusive of interest accrued to the date of redemption) discounted to the date of redemption on a semi-annual basis (assuming a 360-day year consisting of twelve 30-day months) at the then current Treasury rate (as defined) plus 35 basis points for the senior notes.
2009 Debt Maturity-On March 3, 2009, the Company's zero coupon convertible notes with an effective yield of 4.17% and a remaining principal balance of $141 million matured and were fully paid.
Description of Debt
Commercial Paper-The Company maintains an $800 million commercial paper program with $1 billion of back-up liquidity, consisting entirely of a bank credit agreement that expires on June 10, 2013. (See "Line of Credit Agreement" discussion that follows). Interest rates on commercial paper issued in 2010 ranged from 0.2% to 0.3%, and in 2009 ranged from 0.2% to 0.7%.
Senior Notes-The Company's various senior debt issues are unsecured obligations that rank equally with one another. Interest payments are made semi-annually. The Company generally may redeem some or all of the notes prior to maturity in accordance with terms unique to each debt instrument.
Junior Subordinated Debentures-The Company's $115 million remaining aggregate principal amount of 6.25% fixed-to-floating rate debentures bear interest at an annual rate of 6.25% from the date of issuance to, but excluding, March 15, 2017, payable semi-annually in arrears on March 15 and
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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
8. DEBT (Continued)
September 15. From and including March 15, 2017, the debentures will bear interest at an annual rate equal to three-month LIBOR plus 2.215%, payable quarterly on March 15, June 15, September 15 and December 15 of each year. The Company can redeem the debentures at its option, in whole or in part, at any time on or after March 15, 2017 at a redemption price of 100% of the principal amount being redeemed plus accrued but unpaid interest. The Company can redeem the debentures at its option prior to March 15, 2017 (a) in whole at any time or in part from time to time or (b) in whole, but not in part, in the event of certain tax or rating agency events relating to the debentures, at a redemption price equal to the greater of 100% of the principal amount being redeemed and the applicable make-whole amount, in each case plus any accrued and unpaid interest.
The Company has the right, on one or more occasions, to defer the payment of interest on the debentures. The Company will not be required to settle deferred interest until it has deferred interest for five consecutive years or, if earlier, made a payment of current interest during a deferral period. The Company may defer interest for up to ten consecutive years without giving rise to an event of default. Deferred interest will accumulate additional interest at an annual rate equal to the annual interest rate then applicable to the debentures.
The debentures have a final maturity date of March 15, 2067 and a scheduled maturity date of March 15, 2037. The Company can redeem the debentures at its option any time (as described above) using any source of funds, including cash. If the Company chooses not to redeem the debentures, then during the 180-day period ending not more than 15 and not less than ten business days prior to the scheduled maturity date, the Company will be required to use commercially reasonable efforts to sell enough qualifying capital securities to permit repayment of the debentures at the scheduled maturity date. If any debentures remain outstanding after the scheduled maturity date, unless and until the Company redeems the debentures (as described above) using any source of funds, including cash, the Company shall be required to use its commercially reasonable efforts on a quarterly basis to raise sufficient proceeds from the sale of qualifying capital securities to permit the repayment in full of the debentures. If there are remaining debentures at the final maturity date, the Company is required to redeem the debentures using any source of funds. Qualifying capital securities are securities (other than common stock, qualifying warrants, mandatorily convertible preferred stock, debt exchangeable for common equity, and debt exchangeable for preferred equity) which generally are treated by the ratings agencies as having similar equity content to the debentures.
The Company's three other junior subordinated debenture instruments are all similar in nature to each other. Three separate business trusts issued preferred securities to investors and used the proceeds to purchase the Company's subordinated debentures. Interest on each of the instruments is paid semi-annually.
The Company's consolidated balance sheet includes the debt instruments acquired in the merger, which were recorded at fair value as of the acquisition date. The resulting fair value adjustment is being amortized over the remaining life of the respective debt instruments using the effective-interest method. The amortization of the fair value adjustment reduced interest expense by $4 million and $11 million for the years ended December 31, 2010 and 2009, respectively.
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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
8. DEBT (Continued)
The following table presents merger-related unamortized fair value adjustments and the related effective interest rate:
On April 1, 2004, The Travelers Companies, Inc. fully and unconditionally guaranteed the payment of all principal, premiums, if any, and interest on certain debt obligations of its subsidiaries TPC and Travelers Insurance Group Holdings Inc. (TIGHI). The guarantees pertain to the $500 million 5.00% notes due 2013, the $200 million 7.75% notes due 2026 and the $500 million 6.375% notes due 2033.
Maturities-The amount of debt obligations, other than commercial paper, that become due in each of the next five years is as follows: 2011, $9 million; 2012, $250 million; 2013, $500 million; 2014, none; and 2015, $400 million.
Line of Credit Agreement
On June 10, 2010, the Company entered into a three-year, $1.0 billion revolving credit agreement with a syndicate of financial institutions, replacing its five-year, $1.0 billion credit agreement that expired on that date. Pursuant to the credit agreement covenants, the Company must maintain a minimum consolidated net worth (generally defined as shareholders' equity plus certain trust preferred and mandatorily convertible securities, reduced for goodwill and other intangible assets) of $14.35 billion. The Company must also maintain a ratio of total debt to the sum of total debt plus consolidated net worth of not greater than 0.40 to 1.00. In addition, the credit agreement contains other customary restrictive covenants as well as certain customary events of default, including with respect to a change in control, which is defined to include the acquisition of 35% or more of the Company's voting stock and certain changes in the composition of the Company's board of directors. At December 31, 2010, the Company was in compliance with these covenants. Generally, the cost of borrowing under this agreement will range from LIBOR plus 100 basis points to LIBOR plus 175 basis points depending on the Company's credit ratings. At December 31, 2010, that cost would have been LIBOR plus 125 basis points had there been any amounts outstanding under the credit agreement. This line of credit also supports the Company's commercial paper program.
Shelf Registration
In December 2008, the Company filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission a universal shelf registration statement for the potential offering and sale of securities. The Company may offer these securities from time to time at prices and on other terms to be determined at the time of offering. During 2010 and 2009, the Company issued securities with a principal amount of $1.25 billion and $500 million, respectively, under the shelf registration statement.
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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
9. SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY AND DIVIDEND AVAILABILITY
Preferred Stock
The Company's preferred shareholders' equity represents the par value of preferred shares outstanding related to a legacy Stock Ownership Plan (SOP) Trust which was subsequently merged into The Travelers 401(k) Savings Plan (the Savings Plan). The SOP Trust may at any time convert any or all of the preferred shares into shares of the Company's common stock at a rate of eight shares of common stock for each preferred share. The board of directors has reserved a sufficient number of authorized common shares to satisfy the conversion of all preferred shares issued to the SOP Trust and the redemption of preferred shares to meet employee distribution requirements. Upon the redemption of preferred shares, the Company will issue shares of common stock to the trust to fulfill the redemption obligations. Holders of the preferred stock have a preference upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Company of $100 per share.
Common Stock
The Company is governed by the Minnesota Business Corporation Act. All authorized shares of voting common stock have no par value. Shares of common stock reacquired are considered authorized and unissued shares. The number of authorized shares of the company is 1.75 billion, consisting of 1.745 billion shares of voting common stock and five million undesignated shares. The Company's articles of incorporation allow the board of directors to establish, from the undesignated shares, one or more classes and series of shares, and to further designate the type of shares and terms thereof. In 1990, the board designated 1.45 million shares as Series B Convertible Preferred Stock in connection with its Savings Plan.
Treasury Stock
The Company's board of directors has approved common share repurchase authorizations under which repurchases may be made from time to time in the open market, pursuant to pre-set trading plans meeting the requirements of Rule 10b5-1 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, in private transactions or otherwise. The authorizations do not have a stated expiration date. The timing and actual number of shares to be repurchased in the future will depend on a variety of factors, including the Company's financial position, earnings, catastrophe losses, capital requirements of the Company's operating subsidiaries, legal requirements, regulatory constraints, other investment opportunities (including mergers and acquisitions), market conditions and other factors. The following table summarizes repurchase activity in 2010 and remaining repurchase capacity at December 31, 2010.
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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
9. SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY AND DIVIDEND AVAILABILITY (Continued)
In January 2011, the board of directors approved a share repurchase authorization that added an additional $5 billion of repurchase capacity to the $1.51 billion of capacity remaining at December 31, 2010.
The Company's Amended and Restated 2004 Stock Incentive Plan provides settlement alternatives to employees in which the Company repurchases shares to cover tax withholding costs and exercise costs. During the years ended December 31, 2010 and 2009, the Company purchased $66 million and $65 million, respectively, of its common stock under these plans.
Common shares acquired are reported as treasury stock in the consolidated balance sheet.
Dividend Availability
The Company's insurance subsidiaries are subject to various regulatory restrictions that limit the maximum amount of dividends available to be paid to their parent without prior approval of insurance regulatory authorities. A maximum of $3.61 billion is available by the end of 2011 for such dividends without prior approval of the Connecticut Insurance Department. The Company may choose to accelerate the timing within 2011 and/or increase the amount of dividends from its insurance subsidiaries in 2011, which could result in certain dividends being subject to approval by the Connecticut Insurance Department. The holding company received $6.59 billion of dividends from its domestic insurance subsidiaries in 2010, including $5.26 billion of dividends that were subject to regulatory approval, primarily due to the Company's request for the accelerated timing of payment.
Statutory Net Income and Surplus
Statutory net income of the Company's domestic and international insurance subsidiaries was $3.69 billion, $3.90 billion and $4.10 billion for the years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008, respectively. Statutory capital and surplus of the Company's domestic and international insurance subsidiaries was $20.07 billion and $23.20 billion at December 31, 2010 and 2009, respectively.
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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
9. SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY AND DIVIDEND AVAILABILITY (Continued)
Accumulated Other Changes in Equity from Nonowner Sources, Net of Tax
Changes in each component of Accumulated Other Changes in Equity from Nonowner Sources were as follows:
(1)Activity in all years primarily represented foreign currency translation adjustments.
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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
10. EARNINGS PER SHARE
Basic earnings per share was computed by dividing income available to common shareholders by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period. The computation of diluted earnings per share reflected the effect of potentially dilutive securities.
On January 1, 2009, the Company adopted the updated guidance related to earnings per share as described in note 1. The impact of the adoption of this guidance was a reduction of previously reported basic and diluted earnings per share by $0.03 per share and $0.01 per share, respectively, for the year ended December 31, 2008.
The following is a reconciliation of the income and share data used in the basic and diluted earnings per share computations:
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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
11. INCOME TAXES
The current income tax payable was $265 million and $150 million at December 31, 2010 and 2009, respectively, and is included in other liabilities in the consolidated balance sheet.
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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
11. INCOME TAXES (Continued)
The net deferred tax asset comprises the tax effects of temporary differences related to the following assets and liabilities:
If the Company determines that any of its deferred tax assets will not result in future tax benefits, a valuation allowance must be established for the portion of these assets that are not expected to be realized. Based upon a review of the Company's anticipated future taxable income, and also including all other available evidence, both positive and negative, the Company's management concluded that it is more likely than not that the gross deferred tax assets will be realized.
For tax return purposes, as of December 31, 2010, the Company had net operating loss (NOL) carryforwards on a regular tax basis and an alternative minimum tax (AMT) basis of approximately $59 million and $25 million, respectively. These NOL carryforwards expire, if unused, in 2018. The amount and timing of realizing the benefit of NOL carryforwards depends on future taxable income and limitations imposed by tax laws. The benefit of the NOL carryforward has been recognized in the consolidated financial statements.
U.S. income taxes have not been provided on $503 million of the Company's foreign operations' undistributed earnings as of December 31, 2010, as such earnings are intended to be permanently reinvested in those operations. Furthermore, any taxes paid to foreign governments on these earnings may be used as credits against the U.S. tax on any dividend distributions from such earnings.
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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
11. INCOME TAXES (Continued)
The following is a reconciliation of the beginning and ending amount of unrecognized tax benefits for the years ended December 31, 2010 and 2009:
Included in the balances at December 31, 2010 and 2009 were $3 million and $7 million, respectively, of unrecognized tax benefits that, if recognized, would affect the annual effective tax rate. Also included in the balances at those dates were $100 million and $93 million, respectively, of tax positions for which the ultimate deductibility is certain, but for which there is uncertainty about the timing of deductibility. The timing of such deductibility would not affect the annual effective tax rate.
The Company recognizes accrued interest and penalties, if any, related to unrecognized tax benefits in income taxes. During the years ended December 31, 2010 and 2009, the Company recognized approximately $79 million and $(28) million in interest, respectively. The Company had approximately $170 million and $91 million accrued for the payment of interest at December 31, 2010 and 2009, respectively.
The IRS is conducting an examination of the Company's U.S. income tax returns for 2007 and 2008. The Company does not expect any significant changes to its liability for unrecognized tax benefits during the next twelve months.
12. SHARE-BASED INCENTIVE COMPENSATION
The Company has a share-based incentive compensation plan, The Travelers Companies, Inc. Amended and Restated 2004 Stock Incentive Plan (the 2004 Incentive Plan), which replaced prior share-based incentive compensation plans (legacy plans). The purposes of the 2004 Incentive Plan are to align the interests of the Company's non-employee directors, executive officers and other employees with those of the Company's shareholders, and to attract and retain personnel by providing incentives in the form of stock-based awards. The 2004 Incentive Plan permits grants of nonqualified stock options, incentive stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock, restricted stock units, deferred stock, deferred stock units, performance awards and other stock-based or stock-denominated awards with respect to the Company's common stock. The number of shares of the Company's common stock authorized for grant under the 2004 Incentive Plan is 35 million shares, subject to additional shares that may be available for awards as described below. The Company has a policy of issuing new shares to settle the exercise of stock option awards and the vesting of other equity awards.
In connection with the adoption of the 2004 Incentive Plan, legacy share-based incentive compensation plans were terminated. Outstanding grants were not affected by the termination of these legacy plans, including the grant of reload options related to prior option grants under the legacy plans. All outstanding options with a reload feature expire in 2013.
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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
12. SHARE-BASED INCENTIVE COMPENSATION (Continued)
The 2004 Incentive Plan is the only plan pursuant to which future stock-based awards may be granted. In addition to the 35 million shares initially authorized for issuance under the 2004 Incentive Plan, the following will not be counted towards the 35 million shares available and will be available for future grants under the 2004 Incentive Plan: (i) shares of common stock subject to an award that expires unexercised, that is forfeited, terminated or canceled, that is settled in cash or other forms of property, or otherwise does not result in the issuance of shares of common stock, in whole or in part; (ii) shares that are used to pay the exercise price of stock options and shares used to pay withholding taxes on awards generally; and (iii) shares purchased by the Company on the open market using cash option exercise proceeds; provided, however, that the increase in the number of shares of common stock available for grant pursuant to such market purchases shall not be greater than the number that could be repurchased at fair market value on the date of exercise of the stock option giving rise to such option proceeds. These provisions also apply to awards granted under the legacy share-based incentive compensation plans that were outstanding on the effective date of the 2004 Incentive Plan.
The Company also has a compensation program for non-employee directors (the Director Compensation Program). Under the Director Compensation Program, non-employee directors' compensation consists of an annual retainer, a deferred stock award, committee chair fees and a lead director fee. Each non-employee director may choose to receive all or a portion of his or her annual retainer in the form of cash or deferred stock units which vest upon grant. The annual deferred stock awards vest in full on the date of the one-year anniversary of the annual meeting of shareholders of the Company occurring in the year of the award, subject to continued service. Any of the deferred stock awards may accumulate, including reinvestment dividends, until distribution either in a lump sum six months after termination of service as a director or, if the director so elects, in annual installments beginning at least six months following termination of service as a director. The shares of deferred stock units issued under the Director Compensation Program are awarded under the 2004 Incentive Plan.
Stock Option Awards
Stock option awards granted to eligible officers and key employees have a ten-year term. Prior to January 1, 2007, stock options were granted with an exercise price equal to the fair market value of the Company's common stock on the day preceding the date of grant. Beginning January 1, 2007, all stock options are granted with an exercise price equal to the closing price of the Company's common stock on the date of grant. The stock options granted generally vest upon meeting certain years of service criteria. Except as the Compensation Committee of the Board may allow in the future, stock options cannot be sold or transferred by the participant. The stock options granted under the 2004 Incentive Plan vest at the end of three years (cliff vest).
In addition to the stock option awards described above, certain stock option awards that were granted under legacy plans permit an employee exercising an option to be granted a new option (a reload option) at an exercise price equal to the closing price of the Company's common stock on the date on which the original option is exercised. The reload option is permitted on certain stock option awards granted prior to January 2003 at an amount equal to the number of shares of the common stock used to satisfy both the exercise price and withholding taxes due upon exercise of an option and vest either six months or one year after the grant date and are exercisable for the remaining term of the related original option.
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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
12. SHARE-BASED INCENTIVE COMPENSATION (Continued)
The fair value of each option award is estimated on the date of grant by application of a variation of the Black-Scholes option pricing model using the assumptions noted in the following table. The expected term of newly granted stock options is the time to vest plus half the remaining time to expiration. This considers the vesting restriction and represents an even pattern of exercise behavior over the remaining term. Reload options are exercisable for the remaining term of the original option and therefore would generally have a shorter expected term. Beginning in April 2010, due to the Company having attained sufficient history with respect to changes in its stock prices over time, the expected volatility assumption is based on the historical volatility of the Company's common stock for the same period as the estimated option term based on the mid-month of the option grant. Prior to April 2010, the expected volatility was based on the average historical volatility of the common stock of an industry peer group of entities due to the limited Company stock history. The expected dividend is based upon the Company's current quarter dividend annualized and assumed to be constant over the expected option term. The risk-free interest rate for each option is the interpolated market yield for the mid-month of the option grant on a U.S. Treasury bill with a term comparable to the expected option term of the granted stock option. Shares received through option exercises under the reload program are subject to either a one-year or two-year restriction on sale. A discount, as measured by the estimated cost of protecting against changes in market value, 5% for one year sales restrictions and 10% for two year sales restrictions, has been applied to the fair value of reload options granted to reflect these sales restrictions. The following assumptions were used in estimating the fair value of options on grant date for the years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008:
THE TRAVELERS COMPANIES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
12. SHARE-BASED INCENTIVE COMPENSATION (Continued)
A summary of stock option activity under the Company's 2004 Incentive Plan and legacy share-based incentive compensation plans as of and for the year ended December 31, 2010 is as follows:
(1)Represents awards for which the requisite service has been rendered, including those that are retirement eligible. The following table presents additional information regarding original and reload grants for the years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008.
On February 1, 2011, the Company, under the 2004 Stock Incentive Plan, granted 2,346,767 stock option awards with an exercise price of $56.81 per share. The fair value attributable to the stock option awards on the date of grant was $12.94 per share.
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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
12. SHARE-BASED INCENTIVE COMPENSATION (Continued)
Restricted Stock, Restricted Stock Units, Deferred Stock and Performance Share Award Programs
The Company, commencing with equity grants on or after January 1, 2007, issues restricted stock unit awards to eligible officers and key employees under the Equity Awards program established pursuant to the 2004 Incentive Plan. A restricted stock unit represents the right to receive a share of common stock. These restricted stock unit awards are granted at market price, generally vest three years from the date of grant, do not have voting rights and the underlying shares of common stock are not issued until the vesting criteria is satisfied.
The Company also has a Performance Share Awards Program pursuant to the 2004 Incentive Plan which became effective beginning in 2006. Under the program, the Company may issue performance share awards to certain employees of the Company who hold positions of Vice President (or its equivalent) or above. The performance awards provide the recipient the right to earn shares of the Company's common stock based upon the Company's attainment of certain performance goals. The performance goals for performance awards are based on the Company's adjusted return on equity over a three-year performance period. Vesting of any performance shares is contingent upon the Company attaining the relevant performance period minimum threshold return on equity. If the performance period return on equity is below the minimum threshold, none of the shares will vest. If performance meets or exceeds the minimum performance threshold, a range of performance shares will vest (50%-160% for awards granted prior to and including February 2009; 50%-150% for awards granted in February 2010; and 50%-130% for awards granted in February 2011), depending on the actual return on equity attained.
The fair value of restricted stock units, deferred stock and performance shares is measured at the market price of the Company stock at date of grant.
The total fair value of shares that vested during the years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008 was $113 million, $78 million and $82 million, respectively.
A summary of restricted stock units, deferred stock awards and performance share activity under the Company's 2004 Incentive Plan and legacy plans as of and for the year ended December 31, 2010 is as follows:
(1)Represents awards for which the requisite service has been rendered.
(2)Reflects the number of performance shares attributable to the performance goals attained over the completed performance period (3 years) and for which service conditions have been met.
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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
12. SHARE-BASED INCENTIVE COMPENSATION (Continued)
(3)Represents the current year change in estimated performance shares to reflect the attainment of performance goals for the awards that were granted in each of the years 2006 through 2010. On February 1, 2011, the Company, under the 2004 Stock Incentive Plan, granted 1,662,334 common stock awards in the form of restricted stock units, deferred stock and performance share awards to participating officers, non-employee directors and other key employees. The restricted stock units and deferred stock awards totaled 929,157 shares while the performance share awards totaled 733,177 shares. The fair value per share attributable to the common stock awards on the date of grant was $56.81.
Share-Based Compensation Cost Recognition
The amount of compensation cost for awards subject to a service condition is based on the number of shares expected to be issued and is recognized over the time period for which service is to be provided (requisite service period). Awards granted to retiree-eligible employees or to employees who become retiree-eligible before an award's vesting date are considered to have met the requisite service condition. The compensation cost for awards subject to a performance condition is based upon the probable outcome of the performance condition, which on the grant date reflects an estimate of attaining 100% of the performance shares granted. The compensation cost reflects an estimated annual forfeiture rate from 3.5% to 5% over the requisite service period of the awards. That estimate is revised if subsequent information indicates that the actual number of instruments expected to vest is likely to differ from previous estimates. Compensation costs for awards are recognized on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period. For awards that have a graded vesting schedule, the compensation cost is recognized on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period for each separate vesting portion of the award as if the award was, in substance, multiple awards. The total compensation cost for all share-based incentive compensation awards recognized in earnings for the years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008 was $128 million, $127 million and $123 million, respectively. Included in these amounts are compensation cost adjustments of $10 million, $11 million and $6 million, for the years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008, respectively, that reflected the cost associated with the updated estimate of performance shares due to attaining certain performance levels from the date of the initial grant of the performance awards. The related tax benefits recognized in earnings were $44 million, $44 million and $42 million for the years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008, respectively.
At December 31, 2010, there was $112 million of total unrecognized compensation cost related to all nonvested share-based incentive compensation awards. This includes stock options, restricted stock, restricted stock units, deferred stock and performance shares granted under the Company's 2004 Incentive Plan. The unrecognized compensation cost is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 1.7 years.
Cash received from the exercise of employee stock options under share-based compensation plans totaled $408 million and $180 million in 2010 and 2009, respectively. The tax benefit realized for tax deductions from employee stock options exercised during 2010 and 2009 totaled $28 million and $17 million, respectively.
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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
13. PENSION PLANS, RETIREMENT BENEFITS AND SAVINGS PLANS
The Company sponsors a qualified non-contributory defined benefit pension plan, which covers substantially all employees and provides benefits under a cash balance formula, except that employees satisfying certain age and service requirements remain covered by a prior final average pay formula. In addition, the Company sponsors a nonqualified defined benefit pension plan which covers certain highly-compensated employees and also sponsors a postretirement health and life insurance benefit plan for employees satisfying certain age and service requirements and for certain retirees.
Obligations and Funded Status
The following tables summarize the funded status, obligations and amounts recognized in the consolidated balance sheet for the Company's benefit plans. The Company uses a December 31 measurement date for its pension and postretirement benefit plans.
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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
13. PENSION PLANS, RETIREMENT BENEFITS AND SAVINGS PLANS (Continued)
The total accumulated benefit obligation for the Company's defined benefit pension plans was $2.54 billion and $2.36 billion at December 31, 2010 and 2009, respectively. The Qualified Domestic Plan accounted for $2.37 billion and $2.19 billion of the total accumulated benefit obligation at December 31, 2010 and 2009, respectively, whereas the Nonqualified and Foreign Plans accounted for $0.17 billion of the total accumulated benefit obligation at both December 31, 2010 and 2009.
For pension plans with an accumulated benefit obligation in excess of plan assets, the aggregate projected benefit obligation was $2.56 billion and the aggregate accumulated benefit obligation was $2.53 billion at December 31, 2010. The fair value of plan assets for the above plans was $2.42 billion and $2.25 billion at December 31, 2010 and 2009, respectively.
The Company has discretion regarding whether to provide additional funding and when to provide such funding to its qualified pension plan. During 2010 and 2009, the Company voluntarily made contributions totaling $35 million and $260 million, respectively, to the qualified pension plan. The Company has not determined whether or not additional funding will be made during 2011. There is no required contribution to the qualified pension plan during 2011.
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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
13. PENSION PLANS, RETIREMENT BENEFITS AND SAVINGS PLANS (Continued)
The following table summarizes the components of net periodic benefit cost and other amounts recognized in accumulated other changes in equity from nonowner sources related to the benefit plans for the years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008.
For the defined benefit pension plans, the estimated net actuarial loss that will be amortized from other changes in equity from nonowner sources into net periodic benefit cost over the next fiscal year is $77 million, and the estimated prior service benefit to be amortized over the next fiscal year is less than $1 million. For the postretirement benefit plans, the estimated net actuarial gain that will be amortized from other changes in equity from nonowner sources into net periodic benefit cost over the next fiscal year is less than $1 million, and there is no estimated prior service benefit or cost to be amortized over the next fiscal year.
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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
13. PENSION PLANS, RETIREMENT BENEFITS AND SAVINGS PLANS (Continued)
Assumptions and Health Care Cost Trend Rate Sensitivity
The discount rate assumption used to determine the benefit obligation for 2010 and 2009 was based on a yield-curve approach. Under this approach, a weighted average yield is determined from a hypothetical portfolio of high quality fixed maturity corporate bonds (rated Aa or higher) available at the year-end valuation date for which the timing and amount of cash outflows correspond with the timing and amount of the estimated benefit payouts of the Company's benefit plan.
In choosing the expected long-term rate of return on plan assets, the Company's Pension Plan Investment Committee considered the historical returns of equity and fixed maturity markets in conjunction with today's economic and financial market conditions.
As an indicator of sensitivity, increasing the assumed health care cost trend rate by 1% would have increased the accumulated postretirement benefit obligation by $25 million at December 31, 2010, and the aggregate of the service and interest cost components of net postretirement benefit expense by $2 million for the year ended December 31, 2010. Decreasing the assumed health care cost trend rate by 1% would have decreased the accumulated postretirement benefit obligation at December 31, 2010 by $21 million and the aggregate of the service and interest cost components of net postretirement benefit expense by $1 million for the year ended December 31, 2010.
Plan Assets
Pension plan assets are invested for the exclusive benefit of the plan participants and beneficiaries and are intended, over time, to satisfy the benefit obligations under the plan. Risk tolerance is established through consideration of plan liabilities, plan funded status, and corporate financial position. The asset mix guidelines have been established and are reviewed quarterly. These guidelines are intended to serve as tools to facilitate the investment of plan assets to maximize long-term total return and the ongoing oversight of the plan's investment performance. Investment risk is measured and monitored on an ongoing basis through daily and monthly investment portfolio reviews, annual liability measurements, and periodic asset/liability studies.
The Company's overall investment strategy is to achieve a mix of approximately 85% to 90% of investments for long-term growth and 10% to 15% for near-term benefit payments with a wide
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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
13. PENSION PLANS, RETIREMENT BENEFITS AND SAVINGS PLANS (Continued)
diversification of asset types, fund strategies and fund managers. The current target allocations for plan assets are 55% to 65% equity securities and 20% to 40% fixed income securities. Equity securities primarily include investments in large, medium and small-cap companies primarily located in the United States. Fixed income securities include corporate bonds of companies from diversified industries, mortgage-backed securities, U.S. Treasury securities and debt securities issued by foreign governments. Other investments include a hedge fund and two private equity funds that follow several different strategies.
Equity securities included 797,600 shares of the Company's common stock with a market value of $44 million at December 31, 2010. On January 28, 2011, the Company purchased these shares from the pension plan under the Company's share repurchase authorization for a total cost of approximately $45 million, the market value on that date.
Fair Value Measurement-Pension Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Assets
For a discussion of the methods employed by the Company to measure the fair value of invested assets, see note 4. The following discussion of fair value measurements applies exclusively to the Company's pension plans and other postretirement benefit assets.
For the equity and bond mutual funds, the Plan receives prices from an external pricing service that are based on observable market transactions, and includes these estimates in Level 1.
Short-term securities are carried at fair value which approximates cost plus accrued interest or amortized discount. The fair value or market value of these is periodically compared to this amortized cost and is based on significant observable inputs as determined by an external pricing service. Accordingly, the estimates of fair value for such short-term securities, other than U.S. Treasury securities and money market mutual funds, provided by an external pricing service are included in the amount disclosed in Level 2 of the hierarchy. The estimated fair value of U.S. Treasury securities and money market mutual funds is included in the amount disclosed in Level 1 as the estimates are based on unadjusted market prices.
The Plan holds investments in a hedge fund and two private equity funds, with their fair value estimates determined by an external fund manager based on recent filings, operating results, balance sheet stability, growth and other business and market sector fundamentals. Due to the significant unobservable inputs in these valuations, the Plan includes the total fair value estimate for the partnerships in the amount disclosed in Level 3.
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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
13. PENSION PLANS, RETIREMENT BENEFITS AND SAVINGS PLANS (Continued)
Fair Value Hierarchy-Pension Plans
The following tables present the level within the fair value hierarchy at which the financial assets of the Company's pension plans are measured on a recurring basis at December 31, 2010 and 2009.
(1)Other investments include a hedge fund and two private equity funds. The hedge fund is a "fund of funds" that is multi-strategy. One private equity fund is focused on financial companies, and the other is focused on real estate-related investments.
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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
13. PENSION PLANS, RETIREMENT BENEFITS AND SAVINGS PLANS (Continued)
(1)Other investments include a hedge fund and two private equity funds. The hedge fund is a "fund of funds" that is multi-strategy. One private equity fund is focused on financial companies, and the other is focused on real estate-related investments.
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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
13. PENSION PLANS, RETIREMENT BENEFITS AND SAVINGS PLANS (Continued)
The following tables present the changes in the Level 3 fair value category for the years ended December 31, 2010 and 2009.
Other Postretirement Benefit Plan
The Company's overall investment strategy is to achieve a mix of approximately 35% to 65% of investments for long-term growth and 35% to 60% for near-term insurance payments with a wide diversification of asset types, fund strategies and fund managers. The current target allocations for plan assets are 0% to 10% equity securities and 20% to 60% fixed income securities, with the remainder allocated to short-term securities. Equity securities include an investment in a small-mid growth fund investing in companies primarily located in the United States. Fixed income securities include corporate bonds of companies from diversified industries, mortgage-backed securities and U.S. Treasuries.
Fair Value-Other Postretirement Benefit Plan
The Company's other postretirement benefit plan had financial assets of $20 million at December 31, 2010 and 2009, which are measured at fair value on a recurring basis. The assets are
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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
13. PENSION PLANS, RETIREMENT BENEFITS AND SAVINGS PLANS (Continued)
primarily short-term securities and corporate bonds, and categorized as level 2 in the fair value hierarchy.
Estimated Future Benefit Payments
The following table presents the estimated benefits expected to be paid by the Company's pension and postretirement benefit plans for the next ten years (reflecting estimated future employee service), as well as the amounts of other postretirement benefits the Company expects to receive under the Medicare Part D drug subsidy over that time period:
Savings Plan
The Company has a savings plan, The Travelers 401(k) Savings Plan (the Savings Plan), in which substantially all Company employees are eligible to participate. Under the Savings Plan, the Company matches employee contributions up to 5% of eligible pay, with a maximum annual match of $5,000 which becomes 100% vested after three years of service. The Company's matching contribution is made in cash and invested according to the employee's current investment elections. The Company's matching contribution can be reinvested at any time into any other investment option. In 2009, in addition to the annual matching contribution, the Company made a special contribution to each employee having a base salary of $60,000 or less as of December 31, 2008, in the amount of 1% of base salary up to a maximum of $500 regardless of the employee having contributed to the Savings Plan. The total expense related to the Savings Plan was $93 million and $98 million for the years ended December 31, 2010 and 2009, respectively.
Included in the Savings Plan are a legacy Savings Plus Plan (SPP) and a Stock Ownership Plan (SOP) in which substantially all employees who were hired by legacy SPC before April 1, 2004 were eligible to participate. In 2004 under the SPP, the Company matched 100% of employees' contributions up to a maximum of 6% of their salary. The match was in the form of preferred shares, to the extent available in the SOP, or in the Company's common shares. Also allocated to participants were preferred shares equal to the value of dividends on previously allocated shares. Each share of preferred stock pays a dividend of $11.72 annually and is currently convertible into eight shares of the Company's common stock. The SOP has no preferred shares available for future allocations.
All common shares and the common stock equivalent of all preferred shares held by the Savings Plan are considered outstanding for diluted EPS computations and dividends paid on all shares are charged to retained earnings.
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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
14. LEASES
Rent expense was $206 million, $211 million and $220 million in 2010, 2009 and 2008, respectively.
Future minimum annual rental payments under noncancellable operating leases for 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 are $159 million, $136 million, $100 million, $79 million, $64 million, respectively, and $75 million for 2016 and thereafter. Future sublease rental income aggregating approximately $6 million will partially offset these commitments.
15. CONTINGENCIES, COMMITMENTS AND GUARANTEES
Contingencies
This section describes the major pending legal proceedings, other than ordinary routine litigation incidental to the business, to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or to which any of the Company's properties is subject.
Asbestos- and Environmental-Related Proceedings
In the ordinary course of its insurance business, the Company receives claims for insurance arising under policies issued by the Company asserting alleged injuries and damages from asbestos- and environmental-related exposures that are the subject of related coverage litigation, including, among others, the litigation described below. The Company continues to be subject to aggressive asbestos-related litigation. The Company is defending asbestos- and environmental-related litigation vigorously and believes that it has meritorious defenses; however, the outcomes of these disputes are uncertain. In this regard, the Company employs dedicated specialists and aggressive resolution strategies to manage asbestos and environmental loss exposure, including settling litigation under appropriate circumstances.
Asbestos Direct Action Litigation-In October 2001 and April 2002, two purported class action suits (Wise v. Travelers and Meninger v. Travelers) were filed against Travelers Property Casualty Corp. (TPC) and other insurers (not including The St. Paul Companies, Inc. (SPC)) in state court in West Virginia. These and other cases subsequently filed in West Virginia were consolidated into a single proceeding in the Circuit Court of Kanawha County, West Virginia. The plaintiffs allege that the insurer defendants engaged in unfair trade practices in violation of state statutes by inappropriately handling and settling asbestos claims. The plaintiffs seek to reopen large numbers of settled asbestos claims and to impose liability for damages, including punitive damages, directly on insurers. Similar lawsuits alleging inappropriate handling and settling of asbestos claims were filed in Massachusetts and Hawaii state courts. These suits are collectively referred to as the Statutory and Hawaii Actions.
In March 2002, the plaintiffs in consolidated asbestos actions pending before a mass tort panel of judges in West Virginia state court amended their complaint to include TPC as a defendant, alleging that TPC and other insurers breached alleged duties to certain users of asbestos products. The plaintiffs seek damages, including punitive damages. Lawsuits seeking similar relief and raising similar allegations, primarily violations of purported common law duties to third parties, have also been asserted in various state courts against TPC and SPC. The claims asserted in these suits are collectively referred to as the Common Law Claims.
The federal bankruptcy court that had presided over the bankruptcy of TPC's former policyholder Johns-Manville Corporation issued a temporary injunction prohibiting the prosecution of the Statutory Actions (but not the Hawaii Actions), the Common Law Claims and an additional set of cases filed in
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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
15. CONTINGENCIES, COMMITMENTS AND GUARANTEES (Continued)
various state courts in Texas and Ohio, and enjoining certain attorneys from filing any further lawsuits against TPC based on similar allegations. Notwithstanding the injunction, additional common law claims were filed against TPC.
In November 2003, the parties reached a settlement of the Statutory and Hawaii Actions. This settlement includes a lump-sum payment of up to $412 million by TPC, subject to a number of significant contingencies. In May 2004, the parties reached a settlement resolving substantially all pending and similar future Common Law Claims against TPC. This settlement requires a payment of up to $90 million by TPC, subject to a number of significant contingencies. Among the contingencies for each of these settlements is a final order of the bankruptcy court clarifying that all of these claims, and similar future asbestos-related claims against TPC, are barred by prior orders entered by the bankruptcy court ("the 1986 Orders").
On August 17, 2004, the bankruptcy court entered an order approving the settlements and clarifying that the 1986 Orders barred the pending Statutory and Hawaii Actions and substantially all Common Law Claims pending against TPC ("the Clarifying Order"). The Clarifying Order also applies to similar direct action claims that may be filed in the future.
On March 29, 2006, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York substantially affirmed the Clarifying Order while vacating that portion of the order that required all future direct actions against TPC to first be approved by the bankruptcy court before proceeding in state or federal court.
Various parties appealed the district court's March 29, 2006 ruling to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. On February 15, 2008, the Second Circuit issued an opinion vacating on jurisdictional grounds the District Court's approval of the Clarifying Order. On February 29, 2008, TPC and certain other parties to the appeals filed petitions for rehearing and/or rehearing en banc, requesting reinstatement of the district court's judgment, which were denied. TPC and certain other parties filed Petitions for Writ of Certiorari in the United States Supreme Court seeking review of the Second Circuit's decision, and on December 12, 2008, the Petitions were granted.
On June 18, 2009, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of TPC, reversing the Second Circuit's February 15, 2008 decision, finding, among other things, that the 1986 Orders are final and generally bar the Statutory and Hawaii actions and substantially all Common Law Claims against TPC. Further, the Supreme Court ruled that the bankruptcy court had jurisdiction to issue the Clarifying Order. However, since the Second Circuit had not ruled on certain additional issues, principally related to procedural matters and the adequacy of notice provided to certain parties, the Supreme Court remanded the case to the Second Circuit for further proceedings on those specific issues. On October 21, 2009, all but one of the objectors to the Clarifying Order requested that the Second Circuit dismiss their appeal of the order approving the settlement, and that request was granted.
On March 22, 2010, the Second Circuit issued an opinion in which it found that the notice of the 1986 Orders provided to the remaining objector was insufficient to bar contribution claims by that objector against TPC. On April 5, 2010, TPC filed a Petition for Rehearing and Rehearing En Banc with the Second Circuit, requesting further review of its March 22, 2010 opinion, which was denied on May 25, 2010. On August 18, 2010, TPC filed a Petition for Writ of Certiorari in the United States Supreme Court seeking review of the Second Circuit's March 22, 2010 opinion, and a Petition for a Writ of Mandamus seeking an order from the Supreme Court requiring the Second Circuit to comply
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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
15. CONTINGENCIES, COMMITMENTS AND GUARANTEES (Continued)
with the Supreme Court's June 18, 2009 ruling in TPC's favor. The Supreme Court denied the Petitions on November 29, 2010.
The plaintiffs in the Statutory and Hawaii actions and the Common Law Claims actions filed Motions to Compel with the bankruptcy court on September 2, 2010 and September 3, 2010, respectively, arguing that all conditions precedent to the settlements have been met and seeking to require TPC to pay the settlement amounts. On September 30, 2010, TPC filed an Opposition to the plaintiffs' Motions to Compel on the grounds that the conditions precedent to the settlements, principally the requirement that all contribution claims be barred, have not been met in light of the Second Circuit's March 22, 2010 opinion. On December 16, 2010, the bankruptcy court granted the plaintiffs' motions and ruled that TPC was required to fund the settlements. On January 20, 2011, the bankruptcy court entered judgment in accordance with its December 16, 2010 ruling and ordered TPC to pay the settlement amounts plus prejudgment interest. On January 21, 2011, TPC filed an appeal with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York from the bankruptcy court's January 20, 2011 judgment.
SPC, which is not covered by the Manville bankruptcy court rulings or the settlements described above, is a party to pending direct action cases in Texas state court asserting common law claims. All such cases that are still pending and in which SPC has been served are currently on the inactive docket in Texas state court. If any of those cases becomes active, SPC intends to litigate those cases vigorously. SPC was previously a defendant in similar direct actions in Ohio state court. Those actions have all been dismissed following favorable rulings by Ohio trial and appellate courts. From time to time, SPC and/or its subsidiaries have been named in individual direct actions in other jurisdictions.
Outcome and Impact of Asbestos and Environmental Claims and Litigation. Currently, it is not possible to predict legal outcomes and their impact on the future development of claims and litigation relating to asbestos and environmental claims. Any such development will be affected by future court decisions and interpretations, as well as changes in applicable legislation. Because of these uncertainties, additional liabilities may arise for amounts in excess of the current related reserves. In addition, the Company's estimate of ultimate claims and claim adjustment expenses may change. These additional liabilities or increases in estimates, or a range of either, cannot now be reasonably estimated and could result in income statement charges that could be material to the Company's results of operations in future periods.
Other Proceedings
Broker Anti-Trust Litigation-In 2005, four putative class action lawsuits were brought against a number of insurance brokers and insurers, including the Company, by plaintiffs who allegedly purchased insurance products through one or more of the defendant brokers. The plaintiffs alleged that various insurance brokers conspired with each other and with various insurers, including the Company, to artificially inflate premiums, allocate brokerage customers and rig bids for insurance products offered to those customers. To the extent they were not originally filed there, the federal class actions were transferred to the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey and were consolidated for pre-trial proceedings with other class actions under the caption In re Insurance Brokerage Antitrust Litigation. On August 1, 2005, various plaintiffs, including the four named plaintiffs in the above-referenced class actions, filed an amended consolidated class action complaint naming various brokers and insurers, including the Company, on behalf of a putative nationwide class of policyholders. The
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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
15. CONTINGENCIES, COMMITMENTS AND GUARANTEES (Continued)
complaint included causes of action under the Sherman Act, the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), state common law and the laws of the various states prohibiting antitrust violations. The complaint sought monetary damages, including punitive damages and trebled damages, permanent injunctive relief, restitution, including disgorgement of profits, interest and costs, including attorneys' fees. All defendants moved to dismiss the complaint for failure to state a claim. After giving plaintiffs multiple opportunities to replead, the court dismissed the Sherman Act claims on August 31, 2007 and the RICO claims on September 28, 2007, both with prejudice, and declined to exercise supplemental jurisdiction over the state law claims. The plaintiffs appealed the district court's decisions to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. On August 16, 2010, the Third Circuit affirmed the district court's dismissal of all Sherman Act and RICO claims against certain defendants, including the Company, except for Sherman Act and RICO claims involving the sale of excess casualty insurance through one defendant broker, as well as all state law claims, which they remanded to the district court for further proceedings. On October 1, 2010, defendants, including the Company, filed renewed motions to dismiss the remanded claims. The Company continues to believe that these claims are without merit and intends to defend them vigorously.
Additional individual actions have been brought in state and federal courts against the Company involving allegations similar to those in In re Insurance Brokerage Antitrust Litigation, and further actions may be brought. The Company believes that all of these lawsuits have no merit and intends to defend vigorously.
Other-In addition to those described above, the Company is involved in numerous lawsuits, not involving asbestos and environmental claims, arising mostly in the ordinary course of business operations, either as a liability insurer defending third-party claims brought against policyholders or as an insurer defending claims brought against it relating to coverage or the Company's business practices. In addition, from time to time, the Company is involved in proceedings addressing disputes with its reinsurers regarding the collection of amounts due under the Company's reinsurance agreements. While the ultimate resolution of these legal proceedings could be material to the Company's results of operations in a future period, in the opinion of the Company's management, none would likely have a material adverse effect on the Company's financial position or liquidity.
Gain Contingency
On August 20, 2010, in a reinsurance dispute in New York state court captioned United States Fidelity & Guaranty Company v. American Re-Insurance Company, et al., the trial court granted summary judgment for the Company, and on October 25, 2010, entered judgment awarding the Company $251 million plus pre-judgment interest in the amount of $169 million. United States Fidelity and Guaranty Company is a subsidiary of the Company. The $251 million awarded by the court represents the amount owed to the Company under the terms of the reinsurance agreements and is reported as part of reinsurance recoverables in the Company's consolidated balance sheet. The interest awarded by the Court is treated for accounting purposes as a gain contingency in accordance with FASB Topic 450, Contingencies, and accordingly has not been recognized in the Company's consolidated financial statements. Post-judgment interest continues to accrue at the rate of 9 percent (without compounding) on the total judgment of $420 million. The judgment, including the award of interest, has been appealed. The Company intends to vigorously pursue collection of the judgment.
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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
15. CONTINGENCIES, COMMITMENTS AND GUARANTEES (Continued)
Other Commitments and Guarantees
Commitments
Investment Commitments-The Company has unfunded commitments to private equity limited partnerships and real estate partnerships in which it invests. These commitments totaled $1.26 billion and $1.32 billion at December 31, 2010 and 2009, respectively. Additionally, in November 2010, an indirect subsidiary of the Company entered into a definitive agreement to commence a joint venture with J. Malucelli Participações em Seguros e Resseguros S.A, a Brazilian company ("J. Malucelli"), through the acquisition of approximately 43% of J. Malucelli's common stock. J. Malucelli is currently the market leader in surety in Brazil based on market share. The purchase price for this acquisition will be R$625 million Brazilian Reais (the U.S. dollar equivalent of which will depend on the exchange rate at closing) plus an amount based on a Brazilian inter-bank lending rate (CDI) from January 1, 2011 through the closing date of the transaction. At December 31, 2010, R$625 million Brazilian Reais was equivalent to approximately $377 million in U.S. dollars. In order to reduce its exposure to a significant strengthening of the Brazilian Reais prior to the closing of the transaction, the Company entered into a foreign currency option contract on February 7, 2011 in the notional amount of R$635 million which expires on March 31, 2011. The joint venture transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to be finalized in the first half of 2011.
Guarantees
The Company has contingent obligations for guarantees related to letters of credit, issuance of debt securities, certain investments, third-party loans related to certain investments and various indemnifications, including those related to the sale of business entities. The Company also provides standard indemnifications to service providers in the normal course of business. The indemnification clauses are often standard contractual terms. Certain of these guarantees and indemnifications have no stated or notional amounts or limitation to the maximum potential future payments, and, accordingly, the Company is unable to develop an estimate of the maximum potential payments for such arrangements. At December 31, 2010, the maximum amount of the Company's obligation for guarantees of certain investments and third-party loans related to certain investments that are quantifiable was $84 million, approximately $40 million of which would be recoverable from a third party.
In the ordinary course of selling business entities to third parties, the Company has agreed to indemnify purchasers for losses arising out of breaches of representations and warranties with respect to the business entities being sold, covenants and obligations of the Company and/or its subsidiaries following the closing, and in certain cases obligations arising from undisclosed liabilities, adverse reserve development, imposition of additional taxes due to either a change in the tax law or an adverse interpretation of the tax law, or certain named litigation. Such indemnification provisions generally survive for periods ranging from two years following the applicable closing date to the expiration of the relevant statutes of limitations, although, in some cases, there may be other agreed upon term limitations or no term limitations. Certain of these contingent obligations are subject to deductibles which have to be incurred by the obligee before the Company is obligated to make payments. The maximum amount of the Company's contingent obligation for indemnifications related to the sale of business entities that are quantifiable was $1.34 billion at December 31, 2010, of which $12 million was recognized on the balance sheet at that date.
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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
16. NONCASH INVESTING AND FINANCING ACTIVITIES
There were no significant noncash financing or investing activities during the years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008.
17. CONSOLIDATING FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF THE TRAVELERS COMPANIES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
The following consolidating financial statements of the Company have been prepared pursuant to Rule 3-10 of Regulation S-X. These consolidating financial statements have been prepared from the Company's financial information on the same basis of accounting as the consolidated financial statements. The Travelers Companies, Inc. has fully and unconditionally guaranteed certain debt obligations of TPC, its wholly-owned subsidiary, which totaled $1.20 billion at December 31, 2010.
Prior to the merger of TPC and SPC in 2004, TPC fully and unconditionally guaranteed the payment of all principal, premiums, if any, and interest on certain debt obligations of its wholly-owned subsidiary TIGHI. The Travelers Companies, Inc. has fully and unconditionally guaranteed such guarantee obligations of TPC. TPC is deemed to have no assets or operations independent of TIGHI. Consolidating financial information for TIGHI has not been presented herein because such financial information would be substantially the same as the financial information provided for TPC.
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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
17. CONSOLIDATING FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF THE TRAVELERS COMPANIES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES (Continued)
CONSOLIDATING STATEMENT OF INCOME (Unaudited)
For the year ended December 31, 2010
(1)The Travelers Companies, Inc., excluding its subsidiaries.
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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
17. CONSOLIDATING FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF THE TRAVELERS COMPANIES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES (Continued)
CONSOLIDATING STATEMENT OF INCOME (Unaudited)
For the year ended December 31, 2009
(1)The Travelers Companies, Inc., excluding its subsidiaries.
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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
17. CONSOLIDATING FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF THE TRAVELERS COMPANIES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES (Continued)
CONSOLIDATING STATEMENT OF INCOME (Unaudited)
For the year ended December 31, 2008
(1)The Travelers Companies, Inc., excluding its subsidiaries.
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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
17. CONSOLIDATING FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF THE TRAVELERS COMPANIES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES (Continued)
CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEET (Unaudited)
At December 31, 2010
(1)The Travelers Companies, Inc., excluding its subsidiaries.
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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
17. CONSOLIDATING FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF THE TRAVELERS COMPANIES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES (Continued)
CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEET (Unaudited)
At December 31, 2009
(1)The Travelers Companies, Inc., excluding its subsidiaries.
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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
17. CONSOLIDATING FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF THE TRAVELERS COMPANIES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES (Continued)
CONSOLIDATING STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS (Unaudited)
For the twelve months ended December 31, 2010
(1)The Travelers Companies, Inc., excluding its subsidiaries.
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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
17. CONSOLIDATING FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF THE TRAVELERS COMPANIES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES (Continued)
CONSOLIDATING STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS (Unaudited)
For the twelve months ended December 31, 2009
(1)The Travelers Companies, Inc., excluding its subsidiaries.
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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
17. CONSOLIDATING FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF THE TRAVELERS COMPANIES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES (Continued)
CONSOLIDATING STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS (Unaudited)
For the twelve months ended December 31, 2008
(1)The Travelers Companies, Inc., excluding its subsidiaries.
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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
18. SELECTED QUARTERLY FINANCIAL DATA (Unaudited)
(1)Due to the averaging of shares, quarterly earnings per share may not add to the total for the full year.
Item 9.
Item 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE
Not Applicable.
Item 9A.
Item 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
The Company maintains disclosure controls and procedures (as that term is defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (Exchange Act)) that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in the Company's reports under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the Securities and Exchange Commission's rules and forms, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to the Company's management, including its Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosures. Any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving the desired control objectives. The Company's management, with the participation of the Company's Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, has evaluated the effectiveness of the design and operation of the Company's disclosure controls and procedures as of December 31, 2010. Based upon that evaluation and subject to the foregoing, the Company's Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that, as of December 31, 2010, the design and operation of the Company's disclosure controls and procedures were effective to accomplish their objectives at the reasonable assurance level.
In addition, there was no change in the Company's internal control over financial reporting (as that term is defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act) that occurred during the quarter ended December 31, 2010 that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company's internal control over financial reporting.
Management's Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
Management of the Company is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting. The Company's internal control over financial reporting is designed to provide reasonable assurances regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of the consolidated financial statements of the Company in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. The Company's accounting policies and internal controls over financial reporting, established and maintained by management, are under the general oversight of the Company's Audit Committee.
The Company's internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that:
•pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the Company;
•provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures are being made only in accordance with authorizations of the Company's management and directors; and
•provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree or compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
Management has assessed the Company's internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2010. The standard measures adopted by management in making its evaluation are the measures in the Internal-Control Integrated Framework published by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission.
Based upon its assessment, management has concluded that the Company's internal control over financial reporting was effective at December 31, 2010, and that there were no material weaknesses in the Company's internal control over financial reporting as of that date.
KPMG LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, which has audited and reported on the consolidated financial statements contained in this Form 10-K, has issued its report on the effectiveness of the Company's internal control over financial reporting which follows this report.
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
The Board of Directors and Stockholders
The Travelers Companies, Inc.:
We have audited The Travelers Companies, Inc. and subsidiaries internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2010, based on criteria established in Internal Control-Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). The Travelers Companies, Inc. and subsidiaries management is responsible for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, included in the accompanying Management's Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company's internal control over financial reporting based on our audit.
We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects. Our audit included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, and testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk. Our audit also included performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.
A company's internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company's internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company's assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
In our opinion, The Travelers Companies, Inc. and subsidiaries maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2010, based on criteria established in Internal Control-Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission.
We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), the consolidated balance sheet of The Travelers Companies, Inc. and subsidiaries as of December 31, 2010 and 2009, and the related consolidated statements of income, changes in shareholders' equity, and cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2010, and our report dated February 17, 2011 expressed an unqualified opinion on those consolidated financial statements.
/s/ KPMG LLP
KPMG LLP
New York, New York
February 17, 2011
Item 9B.
Item 9B. OTHER INFORMATION
All of the Company's executive officers hold equity in the Company in excess of the required level under the Company's executive stock ownership policy. For a summary of this policy as currently in effect, see "Stock Ownership Guidelines" under "Executive Compensation-Compensation Discussion and Analysis" in the Company's proxy statement filed with the SEC on March 17, 2010. From time to time, some of the Company's executives may determine that it is advisable to diversify their investments for personal financial planning reasons, or may seek liquidity for other reasons, and may sell shares of common stock of the Company in the open market, in private transactions or to the Company. To effect such sales, some of the Company's executives have entered into, and may in the future enter into, trading plans designed to comply with the Company's Securities Trading Policy and the provisions of Rule 10b5-1 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The trading plans will not reduce any of the executives' ownership of the Company's shares below the applicable executive stock ownership guidelines. The Company does not undertake any obligation to report Rule 10b5-1 plans that may be adopted by any employee or director of the Company in the future, or to report any modifications or termination of any publicly announced plan.
As of the date of this report, Jay S. Benet, Vice Chairman and Chief Financial Officer, was the only "named executive officer" (i.e., an executive officer named in the compensation disclosures in the Company's proxy statement) that has entered into Rule 10b5-1 trading plans that remain in effect. The trading plans extend up to approximately one year from the date of this report. Under the Company's stock ownership guidelines, Mr. Benet has a target ownership level established as the lesser of 30,000 shares or the equivalent value of 300% of base salary (as such amounts are calculated for purposes of the stock ownership guidelines). See "Executive Compensation-Compensation Discussion and Analysis-Stock Ownership Guidelines" in the Company's proxy statement filed with the SEC on March 17, 2010.
PART III
Item 10.
Item 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
Executive Officers of the Company
Set forth below is information concerning the Company's executive officers as of February 17, 2011.
Jay S. Fishman, 58, has been Chairman since September 2005 and Chief Executive Officer of the Company since joining SPC in October 2001. He held the additional title of President from October 2001 until June 2008 and Chairman of SPC from October 2001 until the Merger. Mr. Fishman held
several key executive posts at Citigroup Inc. from 1998 to October 2001, including Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of the Travelers insurance businesses. Starting in 1989, Mr. Fishman worked as an executive for Primerica, which became part of Citigroup.
Jay S. Benet, 58, has been Vice Chairman and Chief Financial Officer since August 2005, and before that, he was Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of the Company since the Merger, and from February 2002 until the Merger, he held those same offices at TPC. From March 2001 until January 2002, Mr. Benet was the worldwide head of financial planning, analysis and reporting at Citigroup and Chief Financial Officer for Citigroup's Global Consumer Europe, Middle East and Africa unit between April 2000 and March 2001. Before that, Mr. Benet spent 10 years in various executive positions with Travelers Life & Annuity, including Chief Financial Officer of Travelers Life & Annuity and Executive Vice President, Group Annuity from December 1998 to April 2000, and Senior Vice President Group Annuity from December 1996 to December 1998. Prior to joining Travelers Life & Annuity, Mr. Benet was a partner of Coopers & Lybrand (now PricewaterhouseCoopers).
Charles J. "Chuck" Clarke, 75, has been Vice Chairman of the Company since the Merger at which time he was serving in the roles of President, Vice Chairman and Director of TPC. Mr. Clarke joined Travelers in 1958 as an assistant underwriter. During his tenure at Travelers, Mr. Clarke progressed through positions of increasing responsibility. Of note, he was appointed Senior Vice President for the National Accounts Group's property-casualty business in 1985 and subsequently assumed the responsibility of Chairman of Commercial Lines in 1990.
William H. Heyman, 62, has been Chief Investment Officer of the Company since the Merger and Vice Chairman since May 2005. Prior to May 2005, he was Executive Vice President and Chief Investment Officer of the Company since the Merger. Prior to the Merger, he held those same offices with SPC since he joined SPC in May 2002. Mr. Heyman held various executive positions with Citigroup from 1995 through 2002, including the position of chairman of Citigroup Investments from 2000 to 2002. Prior to joining Citigroup in 1995, Mr. Heyman was, successively: a managing director of Salomon Brothers; Director of the Division of Market Regulation of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission; and a managing director of Smith Barney.
Alan D. Schnitzer, 45, has been Vice Chairman and Chief Legal Officer since joining the Company in April 2007 and Executive Vice President-Financial, Professional and International Insurance since May 2008. Prior to that time, he was a partner at the law firm of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, where he advised corporate clients on a variety of transactions and general corporate law matters. Mr. Schnitzer joined Simpson Thacher in 1991.
Brian W. MacLean, 57, has been Chief Operating Officer since May 2005 and President since June 2008. Prior to that, he had been Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer since May 2005. Prior to that, he had been Co-Chief Operating Officer of the Company since February 1, 2005. Before that, he was Executive Vice President, Claim Services for the Company, and prior thereto, for TPC. Prior to that, Mr. MacLean served as President of Select Accounts for TIGHI from July 1999 to January 2002. He also served as Chief Financial Officer of Claim Services from March 1993 to June 1996. From June 1996 to July 1999, Mr. MacLean was Chief Financial Officer for Commercial Lines. He joined TIGHI in 1988.
Andy F. Bessette, 57, has been Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer of the Company since the Merger, and prior to that, he held the same offices with SPC since joining SPC in January 2002. Before that, he was Vice President of Corporate Real Estate and Services for TPC. From 1980 to December 2001, Mr. Bessette held a number of management positions at TIGHI.
Kenneth F. Spence, III, 55, has been Executive Vice President and General Counsel of the Company since January 2005. From August 2004 to January 2005, he was Senior Vice President and
General Counsel. Prior to that, Mr. Spence served in several leadership positions in the Company's Legal Services group, and from April 1998 until the Merger, in SPC's Legal Services Group. Mr. Spence joined SPC in April 1998, upon SPC's merger with USF&G Corporation, where he had served as legal counsel.
Doreen Spadorcia, 53, has been Chief Executive Officer-Personal Insurance and Executive Vice President-Claim Services, since July 15, 2009. From March 2, 2005 to July 15, 2009, she was Executive Vice President-Claim Services. Prior to that, she was President and Chief Executive Officer of Bond operations for the Company since the Merger and, before that, for TPC since June 2002. From 1994 to May 2002, she managed the TPC Bond claim operation and served as General Counsel of that business unit. She joined TIGHI in 1986 as a claim attorney.
Maria Olivo, 46, has been Executive Vice President-Treasurer since June 2009 and head of Strategic Development since July 2010. Prior to that, she was Executive Vice President-Market Development since October 2007. Since joining the company in 2002, Ms. Olivo has held a number of executive positions, including leading Corporate Development, Investor Relations and Corporate Communications. Prior to joining Travelers in 2002, Ms. Olivo was deputy head of Strategic Investments at Swiss Re Capital Partners from April 2000 to June 2002. Prior to that, she was a director in Salomon Smith Barney's Investment Bank.
William E. Cunningham, Jr., 45, has been Executive Vice President-Business Insurance since March 1, 2010. Prior to that, he served as Senior Vice President-Business Insurance where he was responsible for Commercial Accounts, Construction, Technology, Public Sector Services, Global Accounts, Excess Casualty and Oil & Gas since September 2007. In July 2006, he was named President and CEO of Commercial Accounts. He had been promoted to President of National Accounts in 2005 and President of Travelers Construction in April 2001. Prior to that, Mr. Cunningham served as Regional Vice President for the Northeast Region of National Accounts since July 1997, after serving as Managing Director of the Northeastern territory for National Accounts since 1996. He began his career with Travelers in 1987 as an account executive in the Commercial Accounts marketing department in Albany, New York.
John P. Clifford, Jr., 55, has been Executive Vice President-Human Resources since May 2007, and before that he was Senior Vice President-Human Resources of the Company since the Merger, and from February 2002 until the Merger, he held that same office at SPC. From January 1994 through February 2002 he managed compensation and benefits for SPC and was named Vice President in 1999. He joined SPC in 1984 as a compensation analyst.
Code of Ethics
The Company has adopted a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics (Code of Ethics) that applies to all employees, including executive officers, and to directors. The Code of Ethics is available on the Corporate Governance page of the Company's internet website at www.travelers.com. If the Company ever were to amend or waive any provision of its Code of Ethics that applies to the Company's principal executive officer, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer or any person performing similar functions, the Company intends to satisfy its disclosure obligations with respect to any such waiver or amendment by posting such information on its internet website set forth above rather than by filing a Form 8-K.
The following sections of the Company's Proxy Statement relating to its Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held May 26, 2011 are incorporated herein by reference: "Item 1 - Election of Directors-Nominees for Election as Directors," "Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance" and "Board of Directors Information."
Item 11.
Item 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
The following sections of the Company's Proxy Statement relating to its Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held May 26, 2011 are incorporated herein by reference: "Executive Compensation," "Tabular Executive Compensation Disclosure" and "Non-Employee Director Compensation."
Item 12.
Item 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED SHAREHOLDER MATTERS
The "Share Ownership Information" section of the Company's Proxy Statement relating to its Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held May 26, 2011 is incorporated herein by reference.
EQUITY COMPENSATION PLAN INFORMATION
The following table sets forth information as of December 31, 2010 regarding the Company's equity compensation plans. The only plan pursuant to which the Company may currently make additional equity grants is The Travelers Companies, Inc. Amended and Restated 2004 Stock Incentive Plan (the 2004 Incentive Plan) which replaced prior share-based incentive plans (legacy plans). In connection with the adoption of the 2004 Incentive Plan, legacy share-based compensation plans were terminated. Outstanding grants were not affected by the termination of these legacy plans, including the reload method of option exercise related to prior option grants under the legacy plans, and these option holders may continue to use the reload exercise method.
(1)In addition to the 2004 Incentive Plan, these numbers also include the St. Paul Global Stock Option Plan and certain plans for St. Paul's employees in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Shares of deferred stock or phantom stock units that may be settled in shares of common stock are included in column (a) of the table, but are not included in column (b) for purposes of the weighted average exercise price of stock options.
(2)Represents options granted under The St. Paul Holdings 1996 Stock Option Plan which was established to grant options to certain eligible employees of TRV's United Kingdom operations. The options granted under the plan were priced at the market price of the Company's common stock on the date of grant and were eligible for exercise at any time from three to ten years after the date of grant. No additional options may be granted under the plan.
(3)These shares are available for grant as of December 31, 2010 under the 2004 Incentive Plan pursuant to which the Compensation Committee of the board of directors may make various stock-based awards including nonqualified stock options, incentive stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock, restricted stock units, deferred stock, deferred stock units, performance awards and other stock-based or stock-denominated awards with respect to the Company's common stock. The 2004 Incentive Plan had 35 million shares initially authorized for issuance. In addition to these 35 million shares, the following shares will become available for grant under the 2004 Incentive Plan, and, to the extent such shares became available as of December 31, 2010, they are included in the table as available for grant: (i) shares covered by outstanding awards under the 2004 Incentive Plan and legacy plans that are forfeited or otherwise terminated or settled in cash or other property rather than settled through the issuance of shares; (ii) shares that are used to pay the exercise price of stock options and shares used to pay withholding taxes on equity awards generally; and (iii) shares purchased by the Company on the open market using cash from option exercises, as limited by the 2004 Incentive Plan.
The provisions of the preceding paragraph that result in shares becoming available for future grants under the 2004 Incentive Plan also apply to any awards granted under legacy share-based incentive compensation plans that were outstanding on the effective date of the 2004 Incentive Plan except for certain shares delivered to or retained in legacy plans in connection with the withholding of taxes applicable to the exercise of outstanding options that have reload features.
Item 13.
Item 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE
The "Governance of Your Company-Significant Governance Practices" section of the Company's Proxy Statement relating to its Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held May 26, 2011 is incorporated herein by reference.
Item 14.
Item 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES
The "Item 2 - Ratification of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm-Audit and Non-Audit Fees" section of the Company's Proxy Statement relating to its Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held May 26, 2011 is incorporated herein by reference.
PART IV
Item 15.
Item 15. EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES
Documents filed as a part of the report:
(1)Financial Statements. See Index to Consolidated Financial Statements on page 152 hereof.
(2)Financial Statement Schedules. See Index to Consolidated Financial Statements and Schedules on page 259 hereof.
(3)Exhibits:
See Exhibit Index on pages 268-271 hereof.
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, The Travelers Companies, Inc. has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
THE TRAVELERS COMPANIES, INC.
(Registrant)
Date: February 17, 2011
By
/s/ MATTHEW S. FURMAN
Matthew S. Furman
Senior Vice President
(Authorized Signatory)
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of The Travelers Companies, Inc. and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SCHEDULES
Page
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
Consolidated Statement of Income for the years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008
Consolidated Balance Sheet at December 31, 2010 and 2009
Consolidated Statement of Changes in Shareholders' Equity for the years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and
Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows for the years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Schedules:
Schedule II-Condensed Financial Information of Registrant (Parent Company Only)
Schedule III-Supplementary Insurance Information
Schedule V-Valuation and Qualifying Accounts
Schedule VI-Supplementary Information Concerning Property-Casualty Insurance Operations
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
The Board of Directors and Stockholders
The Travelers Companies, Inc.:
Under date of February 17, 2011, we reported on the consolidated balance sheet of The Travelers Companies, Inc. and subsidiaries as of December 31, 2010 and 2009, and the related consolidated statements of income, changes in shareholders' equity, and cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2010, which are included in this Form 10-K. In connection with our audits of the aforementioned consolidated financial statements, we also audited the related financial statement schedules as listed in the accompanying index. These financial statement schedules are the responsibility of the Company's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statement schedules based on our audits.
In our opinion, such financial statement schedules, when considered in relation to the basic consolidated financial statements taken as a whole, present fairly, in all material respects, the information set forth therein.
As discussed in Note 1 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company changed its method of accounting for other-than-temporary impairments of debt securities as of April 1, 2009 due to the adoption of new FASB guidance.
/s/ KPMG LLP
KPMG LLP
New York, New York
February 17, 2011
SCHEDULE II
THE TRAVELERS COMPANIES, INC.
(Parent Company Only)
CONDENSED FINANCIAL INFORMATION OF REGISTRANT
(in millions)
CONDENSED STATEMENT OF INCOME
The condensed financial statements should be read in conjunction with the
notes to the condensed financial information of the registrant, as well as the
consolidated financial statements and notes thereto.
SCHEDULE II
THE TRAVELERS COMPANIES, INC.
(Parent Company Only)
CONDENSED FINANCIAL INFORMATION OF REGISTRANT
(in millions)
CONDENSED BALANCE SHEET
The condensed financial statements should be read in conjunction with the notes
to the condensed financial information of the registrant, as well as the
consolidated financial statements and notes thereto.
SCHEDULE II
THE TRAVELERS COMPANIES, INC.
(Parent Company Only)
CONDENSED FINANCIAL INFORMATION OF REGISTRANT
(in millions)
CONDENSED STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS
The condensed financial statements should be read in conjunction with the notes
to the condensed financial information of the registrant, as well as the
consolidated financial statements and notes thereto.
THE TRAVELERS COMPANIES, INC.
(Parent Company Only)
NOTES TO THE CONDENSED FINANCIAL INFORMATION OF REGISTRANT
1. OTHER REVENUES
In 2010, other revenues included $60 million of expenses related to the Company's purchase and retirement of $885 million of its $1.0 billion 6.25% fixed-to-floating rate junior subordinated debentures.
2. GUARANTEES
The Travelers Companies, Inc. (TRV) is the named guarantor for various guarantees. These guarantees include contingent obligations for guarantees related to letters of credit, subsidiary debt obligations, issuance of debt securities, certain investments, and various indemnifications, including those related to the sale of business entities. TRV also provides standard indemnifications to service providers in the normal course of business. The indemnification clauses are often standard contractual terms. Certain of these guarantees and indemnifications have no stated or notional amounts or limitation to the maximum potential future payments, and, accordingly, TRV is unable to develop an estimate of the maximum potential payments for such arrangements.
In the ordinary course of selling business entities to third parties, TRV has agreed to indemnify purchasers for losses arising out of breaches of representations and warranties with respect to the business entities being sold, covenants and obligations of TRV and/or its subsidiaries following the closing, and in certain cases obligations arising from undisclosed liabilities, adverse reserve development, imposition of additional taxes due to either a change in the tax law or an adverse interpretation of the tax law, or certain named litigation. Such indemnification provisions generally survive for periods ranging from 2 years following the applicable closing date to the expiration of the relevant statutes of limitations, although, in some cases, there may be other agreed upon term limitations or no term limitations. Certain of these contingent obligations are subject to deductibles which have to be incurred by the obligee before TRV is obligated to make payments. The maximum amount of TRV's contingent obligation was $208 million at December 31, 2010, of which $9 million was recognized on the balance sheet at that date.
TRV has fully and unconditionally guaranteed certain debt obligations of TPC, its wholly-owned subsidiary, which totaled $1.20 billion at December 31, 2010. Prior to the merger of TPC and SPC in 2004, TPC fully and unconditionally guaranteed the payment of all principal, premiums, if any, and interest on certain debt obligations of its wholly-owned subsidiary TIGHI. TRV has fully and unconditionally guaranteed such guarantee obligations of TPC. See note 17 to the Company's consolidated financial statements.
On November 3, 2010, an indirect subsidiary of TRV entered into a definitive agreement to commence a joint venture with J. Malucelli Participações em Seguros e Resseguros S.A, a Brazilian company ("J. Malucelli"), through the acquisition of approximately 43% of J. Malucelli's common stock. TRV unconditionally guaranteed to J. Malucelli the full and complete payment by the indirect subsidiary on or prior to the closing date. The maximum amount of TRV's contingent obligation is R$63 million Brazilian Reais, which was equivalent to $38 million in U.S. dollars at December 31, 2010. See note 15 to the Company's consolidated financial statements for further information regarding this transaction.
SCHEDULE III
THE TRAVELERS COMPANIES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
Supplementary Insurance Information
2008-2010
(in millions)
(a)See note 2 to the consolidated financial statements for discussion of the method used to allocate net investment income and invested assets to the identified segments.
(b)Expense allocations are determined in accordance with prescribed statutory accounting practices. These practices make a reasonable allocation of all expenses to those product lines with which they are associated.
SCHEDULE V
THE TRAVELERS COMPANIES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
Valuation and Qualifying Accounts
(in millions)
(1)Charged to claims and claim adjustment expenses in the consolidated statement of income.
(2)Credited to the related asset account.
SCHEDULE VI
THE TRAVELERS COMPANIES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
Supplementary Information Concerning Property-Casualty Insurance Operations(1)
2008-2010
(in millions)
(1)Excludes accident and health insurance business.
(2)Consolidated property-casualty insurance operations.
EXHIBIT INDEX
The total amount of securities authorized pursuant to any instrument defining rights of holders of long-term debt of the Company does not exceed 10% of the total assets of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries. Therefore, the Company is not filing any instruments evidencing long-term debt. However, the Company will furnish copies of any such instrument to the Securities and Exchange Commission upon request.
Copies of any of the exhibits referred to above will be furnished to security holders who make written request therefor to The Travelers Companies, Inc., 385 Washington Street, Saint Paul, MN, 55102, Attention: Corporate Secretary.
Filed herewith.
*Management contract or compensatory plan in which directors and/or executive officers are eligible to participate.