AMERIPRISE FINANCIAL INC
Item 1. Business.
Overview
Ameriprise Financial, Inc. is a holding company incorporated in Delaware primarily engaged in business through its subsidiaries. Accordingly, references below to "Ameriprise Financial," "we," "us" and "our" may refer to Ameriprise Financial, Inc. exclusively, to our entire family of companies or to one or more of our subsidiaries. Our headquarters is located at 55 Ameriprise Financial Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55474. We also maintain executive offices in New York City.
We provide financial planning, products and services that are designed to be utilized as solutions for our clients' cash and liquidity, asset accumulation, income, protection, and estate and wealth transfer needs. Our model for delivering these solutions is centered on building long-term personal relationships between our affiliated advisors and clients, and in the case of our products distributed through unaffiliated advisors, by supporting those advisors in building strong client relationships. We believe that our focus on personal relationships, together with our strengths in financial planning and product development, allow us to better address the evolving financial needs of our clients and our primary target market segment, the mass affluent and affluent, which we define as households with investable assets of more than $100,000.
Our branded affiliated advisors' financial planning and advisory process is designed to provide comprehensive advice, when appropriate, to address our clients' cash and liquidity, asset accumulation, income, protection, and estate and wealth transfer needs. This approach allows us to recommend actions and a range of product solutions consisting of investment, annuity, insurance, banking and other financial products that help clients attain over time a return or form of protection while accepting what they determine to be an appropriate range and level of risk. Our focus puts us in a strong position to capitalize on significant demographic and market trends, which we believe will continue to drive increased demand for our financial planning and other financial services. Our focus on deep client-advisor relationships has been central to the ability of our business model to succeed through the extreme market conditions of 2008 and 2009, and we believe it will help us to respond to future market cycles. We continue to establish Ameriprise Financial as a financial services leader as we focus on meeting the financial needs of the mass affluent and affluent, as evidenced by our continued leadership in financial planning, a client retention percentage rate of 93%, and, upon the anticipated closing of our acquisition of Columbia Management Group's long-term asset management business ("Columbia"), our status as a top ten ranked firm within core portions of each of our four main business segments, including our U.S. advisor force, long-term U.S. mutual funds, variable annuities and variable universal life insurance.
Our multi-platform network of affiliated financial advisors is the primary means by which we develop personal relationships with retail clients. As of December 31, 2009, we had a network of more than 12,000 financial advisors and registered representatives ("affiliated financial advisors"). We refer to the affiliated financial advisors who use our brand name as our branded advisors, and those who do not use our brand name but who are affiliated as registered representatives of ours, as our unbranded advisors. The financial product solutions we offer through our affiliated advisors include both our own products and services and the products of other companies. Our branded advisor network is the primary distribution channel through which we offer our investment and annuity products and services, as well as a range of banking and protection products. Our asset management, annuity and auto and home protection products are also distributed through unaffiliated advisors and affinity relationships. We offer our branded advisors training, tools, leadership, marketing programs and other field and centralized support to assist them in delivering advice and product solutions to clients. We support unaffiliated advisors with strong sales and service support and our solutions which they provide to clients. We believe our approach not only improves the products and services we provide to their clients, but allows us to reinvest in enhanced services for clients and increase support for financial advisors. Our integrated model of financial planning, diversified product manufacturing and proprietary and non-proprietary product distribution affords us a better understanding of our clients, which allows us to better manage the risk profile of our businesses. We believe our focus on meeting clients' needs through personal financial planning results in more satisfied clients with deeper, longer lasting relationships with our company and a higher retention of experienced financial advisors.
We believe we are well positioned to further strengthen our offerings to existing and new clients and deliver profitable long-term growth to our shareholders. Our five strategic objectives are:
>Be the leading provider of financial planning products and services to the mass affluent and affluent.
>Become the platform of choice for financial planning-focused advisors.
>Reinforce our financial planning leadership.
>Capture greater assets and protection in force by improving and expanding our product solutions and extending our distribution reach.
>Ensure an increasingly stronger and more efficient operating foundation. ANNUAL REPORT 2009 1
Our five operating segments are:
>Advice & Wealth Management;
>Asset Management;
>Annuities;
>Protection; and
>Corporate & Other. During our fiscal year ended December 31, 2009, the global financial markets and the economies in which each of our segments operate began to show signs of recovery from the unprecedented volatility and decline experienced in 2008 and early 2009. Financial markets and macroeconomic conditions have had and will continue to have a significant impact on the operating results of each of our segments. While the timing, magnitude and duration of a global economic recovery remain uncertain, we expect that a challenging business climate will persist for the foreseeable future. To succeed in this environment, we expect to continue focusing on each of our key strategic objectives. The success of these and other strategies may be affected by the factors discussed below in
Item 1A. Risk Factors.
Our operations and financial results are subject to various risks and uncertainties, including those described below, that could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations and could cause the trading price of our common stock to decline. Based on the information currently known to us, we believe that the following information identifies the material factors affecting our company. However, the risks and uncertainties our company faces are not limited to those described below. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently believe to be immaterial may also adversely affect our business.
Risks Relating to Our Business
Our financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected by market fluctuations and by economic and other factors.
Our financial condition and results of operations may be materially affected by market fluctuations and by economic and other factors. Many such factors of a global or localized nature include: political, economic and market conditions; the availability and cost of capital; the level and volatility of equity prices, commodity prices and interest rates, currency values and other market indices; technological changes and events; the availability and cost of credit; inflation; investor sentiment and confidence in the financial markets; terrorism events and armed conflicts; and natural disasters such as weather catastrophes and widespread health emergencies. Furthermore, changes in consumer economic variables, such as the number and size of personal bankruptcy filings, the rate of unemployment, decreases in property values, and the level of consumer confidence and consumer debt, may substantially affect consumer loan levels and credit quality, which, in turn, could impact the results of our banking business. These factors also may have an impact on our ability to achieve our strategic objectives.
Although U.S. and global capital markets demonstrated signs of improvement and stabilization in the second half of 2009, current market conditions remains precarious and any further declines or volatility in U.S. and global market conditions would impact our businesses. Our businesses have been and in the future may be adversely affected by U.S. and global capital market and credit crises, the repricing of credit risk, equity market volatility and decline, and stress or recession in the U.S. and global economies generally. In addition, since the second half of 2007, difficulties in the mortgage and broader capital markets in the United States and elsewhere, coupled with the repricing of credit risk, have created extremely difficult and uncertain market conditions. Each of our segments operates in these markets with exposure for ourselves and our clients in securities, loans, derivatives, alternative investments, seed capital and other commitments. It is difficult to predict how long and to what extent the aforementioned conditions will exist, which of our markets, products and businesses will be directly affected in terms of revenues, management fees and investment valuations and earnings, and to what extent our clients may seek to bring claims arising out of investment performance. As a result, these factors could materially adversely impact our results of operations. Certain of our insurance and annuity products and certain of our investment and banking products are sensitive to interest rate fluctuations, and our future costs associated with such variations may differ from our historical costs. In addition, interest rate fluctuations could result in fluctuations in the valuation of certain minimum guaranteed benefits contained in some of our variable annuity
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products. Although we typically hedge against such fluctuations, significant changes in interest rates could have a material adverse impact on our results of operations.
During periods of increasing market interest rates, we must offer higher crediting rates on interest-sensitive products, such as fixed universal life insurance, fixed annuities, face-amount certificates and certificates of deposit, and we must increase crediting rates on in force products to keep these products competitive. Because returns on invested assets may not increase as quickly as current interest rates, we may have to accept a lower spread and thus lower profitability or face a decline in sales and greater loss of existing contracts and related assets. In addition, increases in market interest rates may cause increased policy surrenders, withdrawals from life insurance policies, annuity contracts and certificates of deposit and requests for policy loans, as policyholders, contract holders and depositors seek to shift assets to products with perceived higher returns. This process may lead to an earlier than expected outflow of cash from our business. Also, increases in market interest rates may result in extension of certain cash flows from structured mortgage assets. These withdrawals and surrenders may require investment assets to be sold at a time when the prices of those assets are lower because of the increase in market interest rates, which may result in realized investment losses. Increases in crediting rates, as well as surrenders and withdrawals, could have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. An increase in surrenders and withdrawals also may require us to accelerate amortization of deferred acquisition costs or other intangibles or cause an impairment of goodwill, which would increase our expenses and reduce our net earnings.
During periods of falling interest rates or stagnancy of low interest rates, our spread may be reduced or could become negative, primarily because some of our products have guaranteed minimum crediting rates. Due to the long-term nature of the liabilities associated with certain of our businesses, such as fixed annuities and guaranteed benefits on variable annuities, sustained declines or stagnancy of low interest rates in long-term interest rates may subject us to reinvestment risks and increased hedging costs.
Interest rate fluctuations also could have an adverse effect on the results of our investment portfolio. During periods of declining market interest rates or stagnancy of low interest rates, the interest we receive on variable interest rate investments decreases. In addition, during those periods, we are forced to reinvest the cash we receive as interest or return of principal on our investments in lower-yielding high-grade instruments or in lower-credit instruments to maintain comparable returns. Issuers of certain callable fixed income securities also may decide to prepay their obligations in order to borrow at lower market rates, which increase the risk that we may have to invest the cash proceeds of these securities in lower-yielding or lower-credit instruments.
Significant downturns and volatility in equity markets have had and could continue to have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. Market downturns and volatility may cause, and have caused, potential new purchasers of our products to refrain from purchasing products, such as mutual funds, OEICs, variable annuities and variable universal life insurance, which have returns linked to the performance of the equity markets. If we are unable to offer appropriate product alternatives which encourage customers to continue purchasing in the face of actual or perceived market volatility, our sales and management fee revenues could decline. Downturns may also cause current shareholders in our mutual funds and OEICs, contract holders in our annuity products and policyholders in our protection products to withdraw cash values from those products.
Additionally, downturns and volatility in equity markets can have, and have had, an adverse effect on the revenues and returns from our asset management services, wrap accounts and variable annuity contracts. Because the profitability of these products and services depends on fees related primarily to the value of assets under management, declines in the equity markets will reduce our revenues because the value of the investment assets we manage will be reduced. In addition, some of our variable annuity products contain guaranteed minimum death benefits and guaranteed minimum withdrawal and accumulation benefits. A significant equity market decline or volatility in equity markets could result in guaranteed minimum benefits being higher than what current account values would support, thus producing a loss as we pay the benefits, having an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. Although we have hedged a portion of the guarantees for the variable annuity contracts in order to mitigate the financial loss of equity market declines or volatility, there can be no assurance that such a decline or volatility would not materially impact the profitability of certain products or product lines or our financial condition or results of operations. Further, the cost of hedging our liability for these guarantees may increase as a result of low interest rates and volatility in the equity markets. In addition, heightened volatility creates greater uncertainty for future hedging effectiveness.
We believe that investment performance is an important factor in the growth of many of our businesses. Poor investment performance could impair our revenues and earnings, as well as our prospects for growth. A significant portion of our revenue is derived from investment management agreements with the RiverSource family of mutual funds that are terminable on 60 days' notice. In addition, although some contracts governing investment management services are subject to termination for failure to meet performance benchmarks, institutional and individual clients can terminate their relationships with us or our
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financial advisors at will or on relatively short notice. Our clients can also reduce the aggregate amount of managed assets or shift their funds to other types of accounts with different rate structures, for any number of reasons, including investment performance, changes in prevailing interest rates, changes in investment preferences, changes in our (or our financial advisors') reputation in the marketplace, changes in client management or ownership, loss of key investment management personnel and financial market performance. A reduction in managed assets, and the associated decrease in revenues and earnings, could have a material adverse effect on our business. Moreover, certain money market funds we advise carry net asset protection mechanisms, which can be triggered by a decline in market value of underlying portfolio assets. This decline could cause us to contribute capital to the funds without consideration, which would result in a loss.
In addition, during periods of unfavorable or stagnating market or economic conditions, the level of individual investor participation in the global markets may also decrease, which would negatively impact the results of our retail businesses. Concerns about current market and economic conditions, declining real estate values and decreased consumer confidence have caused and in the future may cause some of our clients to reduce the amount of business that they do with us. We cannot predict whether or the extent to which improvements in market conditions and consumer confidence experienced in the second half of 2009 will continue or will extend more broadly across a wider range of financial asset classes than those which experienced improvement. Fluctuations in global market activity could impact the flow of investment capital into or from assets under management and the way customers allocate capital among money market, equity, fixed maturity or other investment alternatives, which could negatively impact our Asset Management, Advice & Wealth Management and Annuities businesses. Also, during periods of unfavorable economic conditions, unemployment rates can increase, and have increased, which can result in higher loan delinquency and default rates, and this can have a negative impact on our banking business. Uncertain economic conditions and heightened market volatility may also increase the likelihood that clients or regulators present or threaten legal claims, that regulators may increase the frequency and scope of their examinations of us or the financial services industry generally, and that lawmakers enact new requirements or taxation which have a material impact on our revenues, expenses or statutory capital requirements.
Adverse capital and credit market conditions may significantly affect our ability to meet liquidity needs, access to capital and cost of capital.
The capital and credit markets continue to experience varying degrees of volatility and disruption. In some cases, the markets have exerted downward pressure on availability of liquidity and credit capacity for certain issuers. We need liquidity to pay our operating expenses, interest expenses and dividends on our capital stock. Without sufficient liquidity, we could be required to curtail our operations, and our business would suffer.
We maintain a level of cash and securities which, combined with expected cash inflows from investments and operations, is believed adequate to meet anticipated short-term and long-term benefit and expense payment obligations. In the event current resources are insufficient to satisfy our needs, we may need to rely on financing sources such as bank debt. The availability of additional financing will depend on a variety of factors such as market conditions, the general availability of credit, the volume of trading activities, the overall availability of credit to the financial services industry, our credit ratings and credit capacity, as well as the possibility that our shareholders, customers or lenders could develop a negative perception of our long- or short-term financial prospects if we incur large investment losses or if the level of our business activity decreases due to a market downturn. Similarly, our access to funds may be impaired if regulatory authorities or rating organizations take negative actions against us.
Disruptions, uncertainty or volatility in the capital and credit markets may also limit our access to capital required to operate our business. Such market conditions may limit our ability to satisfy statutory capital requirements, generate fee income and market-related revenue to meet liquidity needs and access the capital necessary to grow our business. As such, we may be forced to delay raising capital, issue different types of capital than we would otherwise, less effectively deploy such capital, or bear an unattractive cost of capital which could decrease our profitability and significantly reduce our financial flexibility.
The impairment of other financial institutions could adversely affect us.
We have exposure to many different industries and counterparties, and we routinely execute transactions with counterparties in the financial services industry, including brokers and dealers, commercial banks, investment banks, hedge funds, insurers, reinsurers and other investment funds and other institutions. The operations of U.S. and global financial services institutions are highly interconnected and a decline in the financial condition of one or more financial services institutions may expose us to credit losses or defaults, limit our access to liquidity or otherwise disrupt the operations of our businesses.
Many transactions with and investments in the products and securities of other financial institutions expose us to credit risk in the event of default of our counterparty. With respect to secured transactions, our credit risk may be exacerbated when the collateral we hold cannot be realized upon or is liquidated at prices insufficient to recover the full amount of the loan or derivative exposure due to it. We also have exposure to financial institutions in the form of unsecured debt instruments, derivative transactions
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(including with respect to derivatives hedging our exposure on variable annuity contracts with guaranteed benefits), reinsurance and underwriting arrangements and equity investments. There can be no assurance that any such losses or impairments to the carrying value of these assets would not materially and adversely impact our business and results of operations.
Downgrades in the credit or financial strength ratings assigned to the counterparties with whom we transact could create the perception that our financial condition will be adversely impacted as a result of potential future defaults by such counterparties. Additionally, we could be adversely affected by a general, negative perception of financial institutions caused by the downgrade of other financial institutions. Accordingly, ratings downgrades for other financial institutions could affect our market capitalization and could limit access to or increase our cost of capital.
The failure of other insurers could require us to pay higher assessments to state insurance guaranty funds.
Our insurance companies are required by law to be members of the guaranty fund association in every state where they are licensed to do business. In the event of insolvency of one or more unaffiliated insurance companies, our insurance companies could be adversely affected by the requirement to pay assessments to the guaranty fund associations.
Third-party defaults, bankruptcy filings, legal actions and other events may limit the value of or restrict our access and our clients' access to cash and investments.
Capital and credit market volatility can exacerbate, and has exacerbated, the risk of third-party defaults, bankruptcy filings, foreclosures, legal actions and other events that may limit the value of or restrict our access and our clients' access to cash and investments. Although we are not required to do so, we have elected in the past, and we may elect in the future, to compensate clients for losses incurred in response to such events, provide clients with temporary credit or liquidity or other support related to products that we manage, or provide credit liquidity or other support to the financial products we manage. Any such election to provide support may arise from factors specific to our clients, our products or industry-wide factors. If we elect to provide additional support, we could incur losses from the support we provide and incur additional costs, including financing costs, in connection with the support. These losses and additional costs could be material and could adversely impact our results of operations. If we were to take such actions we may also restrict or otherwise utilize our corporate assets, limiting our flexibility to use these assets for other purposes, and may be required to raise additional capital.
Governmental initiatives intended to address capital market and general economic conditions may not be effective and may give rise to additional requirements for our business, including enhanced oversight, new capital requirements, additional fees and taxes or other regulations, that could materially impact our results of operations, financial condition and liquidity in ways that we cannot predict.
Recent economic conditions have caused the U.S. federal government, Federal Reserve and other U.S. and foreign governmental and regulatory bodies to take or to consider taking legislative and regulatory actions designed to address the financial crisis and to mitigate against the risk of similar crises going forward. In 2009, the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives passed various forms of legislation setting forth a comprehensive plan for regulatory reform in the financial industry. While such legislation has not been finalized, these plans contemplate significant structural reforms, including heightened governmental powers to regulate risk across the financial system and the creation of a new consumer financial protection agency. The legislation also calls for increased substantive regulation of the financial industry, including heightened regulation of large financial institutions whose combination of size, leverage, and interconnectedness could, upon the failure of such an institution, pose a threat to financial stability, a modified standard of care for broker-dealers, expanded regulation over credit ratings agencies and derivatives and securitization markets, effective increases in regulatory capital requirements, and various corporate governance initiatives. In addition, specific taxes targeted at larger financial institutions have been proposed that could increase our costs and reduce our earnings. There can be no assurance as to whether or when any of the parts of the proposed financial reform plans will be enacted into legislation, and if adopted, what the final provisions of such legislation will be.
This legislation or similar proposals may fail to stabilize the financial markets or the economy generally. Any new legislation or regulatory changes could require us to change certain of our business practices, impose additional costs on us, or otherwise adversely affect our business operations, regulatory reporting relationships, results of operations or financial condition. Consequences may include substantially higher compliance costs as well as material effects on interest rates and foreign exchange rates, which could materially impact our investments, results of operations and liquidity in ways that we cannot predict. In addition, prolonged government support for, and intervention in the management of, private institutions could distort customary and expected commercial behavior on the part of those institutions, adversely impacting us. In addition, we are subject to extensive laws and regulations that are administered and enforced by different governmental authorities and non-governmental self-regulatory organizations, including foreign regulators, state
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securities and insurance regulators, the SEC, the New York Stock Exchange, FINRA, The Securities Investor Protection Corporation ("SIPC"), the OTS, the U.S. Department of Justice and state attorneys general. Financial conditions may prompt, and have prompted, some of these authorities to consider additional regulatory requirements intended to prevent future crises or otherwise assure the stability of institutions under their supervision. These authorities may also seek to exercise their authority in new or more expansive ways and the U.S. government may create additional regulators or materially change the authorities of existing regulators. All of these possibilities, if they occurred, could impact the way we conduct our business and manage our capital, and may require us to satisfy increased capital requirements, which in turn could materially impact our results of operations, financial condition and liquidity.
Defaults in our fixed maturity securities portfolio or consumer credit products could adversely affect our earnings.
Issuers of the fixed maturity securities that we own may default on principal and interest payments. As of December 31, 2009, 5% of our invested assets had ratings below investment-grade. Moreover, economic downturns and corporate malfeasance can increase the number of companies, including those with investment-grade ratings, that default on their debt obligations. Default-related declines in the value of our fixed maturity securities portfolio or consumer credit products could cause our net earnings to decline and could also cause us to contribute capital to some of our regulated subsidiaries, which may require us to obtain funding during periods of unfavorable market conditions. Higher delinquency and default rates in our bank's loan portfolio could require us to contribute capital to Ameriprise Bank and may result in additional restrictions from our regulators that impact the use and access to that capital.
If the counterparties to our reinsurance arrangements or to the derivative instruments we use to hedge our business risks default, we may be exposed to risks we had sought to mitigate, which could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.
We use reinsurance to mitigate our risks in various circumstances as described in Item 1 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K - "Business - Our Segments - Protection - Reinsurance." Reinsurance does not relieve us of our direct liability to our policyholders, even when the reinsurer is liable to us. Accordingly, we bear credit and performance risk with respect to our reinsurers. A reinsurer's insolvency or its inability or unwillingness to make payments under the terms of our reinsurance agreement could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. See Notes 2 and 10 to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
In addition, we use a variety of derivative instruments (including options, forwards, and interest rate and currency swaps) with a number of counterparties to hedge business risks. The amount and breadth of exposure to derivative counterparties, as well as the cost of derivative instruments, have increased significantly in connection with our strategies to hedge guaranteed benefit obligations under our variable annuity products. If our counterparties fail to honor their obligations under the derivative instruments in a timely manner, our hedges of the related risk will be ineffective. That failure could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. This risk of failure of our hedge transactions may be increased by capital market volatility.
The determination of the amount of allowances and impairments taken on certain investments is subject to management's evaluation and judgment and could materially impact our results of operations or financial position.
The determination of the amount of allowances and impairments vary by investment type and is based upon our periodic evaluation and assessment of inherent and known risks associated with the respective asset class. Such evaluations and assessments are revised as conditions change and new information becomes available. Management updates its evaluations regularly and reflects changes in allowances and impairments in operations as such evaluations are revised. Historical trends may not be indicative of future impairments or allowances.
The assessment of whether impairments have occurred is based on management's case-by-case evaluation of the underlying reasons for the decline in fair value that considers a wide range of factors about the security issuer, and management uses its best judgment in evaluating the cause of the decline in the estimated fair value of the security and in assessing the prospects for recovery. Inherent in management's evaluation of the security are assumptions and estimates about the operations of the issuer and its future earnings potential, which assumptions and estimates are more difficult to make with certainty under current market conditions.
Our valuation of fixed maturity and equity securities may include methodologies, estimations and assumptions which are subject to differing interpretations and could result in changes to investment valuations that may materially adversely impact our results of operations or financial condition.
Fixed maturity, equity, trading securities and short-term investments, which are reported at fair value on the consolidated balance sheets, represent the majority of our total cash and invested assets. The determination of fair values by management in the absence of quoted market prices is based on: (i) valuation
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methodologies; (ii) securities we deem to be comparable; and (iii) assumptions deemed appropriate given the circumstances. The fair value estimates are made at a specific point in time, based on available market information and judgments about financial instruments, including estimates of the timing and amounts of expected future cash flows and the credit standing of the issuer or counterparty. Factors considered in estimating fair value include: coupon rate, maturity, estimated duration, call provisions, sinking fund requirements, credit rating, industry sector of the issuer, and quoted market prices of comparable securities. The use of different methodologies and assumptions may have a material effect on the estimated fair value amounts.
During periods of market disruption, including periods of significantly rising or high interest rates, rapidly widening credit spreads or illiquidity, it may be difficult to value certain of our securities. There may be certain asset classes that were in active markets with significant observable data that become illiquid due to the current financial environment. In such cases, certain securities may require additional subjectivity and management judgment. As such, valuations may include inputs and assumptions that are less observable or require greater estimation as well as valuation methods which are more sophisticated or require greater estimation, thereby resulting in values which may be less than the value at which the investments may be ultimately sold. Further, rapidly changing and unprecedented credit and equity market conditions could materially impact the valuation of securities as reported within our consolidated financial statements and the period-to-period changes in value could vary significantly. Decreases in value may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations or financial condition.
Some of our investments are relatively illiquid.
We invest a portion of our owned assets in certain privately placed fixed income securities, mortgage loans, policy loans, limited partnership interests, collateralized debt obligations and restricted investments held by securitization trusts, among others, all of which are relatively illiquid. These asset classes represented 12% of the carrying value of our investment portfolio as of December 31, 2009. If we require significant amounts of cash on short notice in excess of our normal cash requirements, we may have difficulty selling these investments in a timely manner or be forced to sell them for an amount less than we would otherwise have been able to realize, or both, which could have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
Intense competition and the economics of changes in our product revenue mix and distribution channels could negatively impact our ability to maintain or increase our market share and profitability.
Our businesses operate in intensely competitive industry segments. We compete based on a number of factors, including name recognition, service, the quality of investment advice, investment performance, product features, price, perceived financial strength, and claims-paying and credit ratings. Our competitors include broker-dealers, banks, asset managers, insurers and other financial institutions. Many of our businesses face competitors that have greater market share, offer a broader range of products, have greater financial resources, or have higher claims-paying or credit ratings than we do. Some of our competitors may possess or acquire intellectual property rights that could provide a competitive advantage to them in certain markets or for certain products, which could make it more difficult for us to introduce new products and services. Some of our competitors' proprietary products or technology could be similar to our own, and this could result in disputes that could impact our financial condition or results of operations. In addition, over time certain sectors of the financial services industry have become considerably more concentrated, as financial institutions involved in a broad range of financial services have been acquired by or merged into other firms. This convergence could result in our competitors gaining greater resources and we may experience pressures on our pricing and market share as a result of these factors and as some of our competitors seek to increase market share by reducing prices.
Historically, our branded advisor network (both franchisee advisors and those employed by AFSI) distributed annuity and protection products issued almost exclusively (in the case of annuities) or predominantly (in the case of protection products) by our RiverSource Life companies. The primary exception to this general practice is that the branded advisors who joined us in connection with the H&R Block Financial Advisors acquisition have continued to offer annuities from competitors as they did prior to the acquisition. We expect they will continue to do so until we harmonize the competitive products offered by all of our branded advisors, as described below, at which point some of these advisors will offer a more limited number of competitors' products. In 2010, we plan to begin expanding the offerings available to all of our branded advisors to include variable annuities issued by a limited number of unaffiliated insurance companies. As a result of this and further openings of our branded advisor network to the products of other companies, we could experience lower sales of our companies' products, higher surrenders, or other developments which might not be fully offset by higher distribution revenues or other benefits, possibly resulting in an adverse effect on our results of operations.
A drop in investment performance as compared to our competitors could negatively impact our ability to increase profitability.
Sales of our own mutual funds by our affiliated financial advisor network comprise a significant percentage of our total mutual fund sales. We attribute this success to performance, new
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products and marketing efforts. A decline in the level of investment performance as compared to our competitors could cause a decline in market share and a commensurate drop in profits as sales of other companies' mutual funds are less profitable than those from our own mutual funds. A decline in investment performance could also adversely affect the realization of benefits from investments in our strategy to expand alternative distribution channels for our own products, including third-party distribution of our mutual funds.
We face intense competition in attracting and retaining key talent.
We are dependent on our network of branded advisors for a significant portion of the sales of our mutual funds, annuities, face-amount certificates, banking and insurance products. In addition, our continued success depends to a substantial degree on our ability to attract and retain qualified personnel. The market for financial advisors, registered representatives, management talent, qualified legal and compliance professionals, fund managers, and investment analysts is extremely competitive. If we are unable to attract and retain qualified individuals or our recruiting and retention costs increase significantly, our financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely impacted.
Our businesses are heavily regulated, and changes in legislation or regulation may reduce our profitability, limit our growth, or impact our ability to pay dividends or achieve targeted return-on-equity levels.
We operate in highly regulated industries and are required to obtain and maintain licenses for many of the businesses we operate in addition to being subject to regulatory oversight. Securities regulators have significantly increased the level of regulation in recent years and have several outstanding proposals for additional regulation. Market conditions and recent events could result in increases or changes in current regulations and regulatory structures, including higher licensing fees and assessments. In addition, we are subject to heightened requirements and associated costs and risks relating to privacy and the protection of customer data. These requirements, costs and risks, as well as possible legislative or regulatory changes, may constrain our ability to market our products and services to our target demographic and potential customers, and could negatively impact our profitability and make it more difficult for us to pursue our growth strategy.
Our insurance companies are subject to state regulation and must comply with statutory reserve and capital requirements. State regulators are continually reviewing and updating these requirements and other requirements relating to the business operations of insurance companies, including their underwriting and sales practices. The NAIC adopted a change to require principles-based reserves for variable annuities at the end of 2009, and continues to discuss moving to a principles-based reserving system for other insurance and annuity products. The requirement for principles-based variable annuity reserves, along with a similar risk-based capital requirement adopted previously, may result in statutory reserves and risk-based capital for variable annuities being more sensitive to changes in equity prices and other market factors. It is not possible at this time to estimate the potential impact on our insurance businesses of future changes in statutory reserve and capital requirements. Further, we cannot predict the effect that proposed federal legislation, such as the option of federally chartered insurers or a mandated federal systemic risk regulator, may have on our insurance businesses or their competitors. Compliance with applicable laws and regulations is time consuming and personnel-intensive. Moreover, the evaluation of our compliance with broker-dealer, investment advisor, insurance company and banking regulation by the SEC, OTS and other regulatory organizations is an ongoing feature of our business, the outcomes of which may not be foreseeable. Changes in these laws and regulations may materially increase our direct and indirect compliance and other expenses of doing business. Our financial advisors may decide that the direct cost of compliance and the indirect cost of time spent on compliance matters outweigh the benefits of a career as a financial advisor, which could lead to financial advisor attrition. The costs of the compliance requirements we face, and the constraints they impose on our operations, could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. In addition, we may be required to reduce our fee levels, or restructure the fees we charge, as a result of regulatory initiatives or proceedings that are either industry-wide or specifically targeted at our company. Reductions or other changes in the fees that we charge for our products and services could reduce our revenues and earnings. Moreover, in the years ended December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007, we earned $1.4 billion, $1.6 billion and $1.8 billion, respectively, in distribution fees. A significant portion of these revenues was paid to us by our own RiverSource family of mutual funds in accordance with plans and agreements of distribution adopted under Rule 12b-1 promulgated under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, or Rule 12b-1. We believe that these fees are a critical element in the distribution of our own mutual funds. However, an industry-wide reduction or restructuring of Rule 12b-1 fees could have a material adverse effect on our ability to distribute our own mutual funds and the fees we receive for distributing other companies' mutual funds, which could, in turn, have a material adverse effect on our revenues and earnings.
Consumer lending activities at our bank are subject to applicable laws as well as regulation by various regulatory bodies. Changes in laws or regulation could affect our bank's ability to conduct business. These changes could include but are not limited to our bank's ability to market and sell products, fee pricing or interest
ANNUAL REPORT 2009 27
rates that can be charged on loans outstanding, changes in communication with customers that affect payments, statements and collections of loans, and changes in accounting for the consumer lending business.
The majority of our affiliated financial advisors are independent contractors. Legislative or regulatory action that redefines the criteria for determining whether a person is an employee or an independent contractor could materially impact our relationships with our advisors, and our business, resulting in an adverse effect on our results of operations.
For a further discussion of the regulatory framework in which we operate, see Item 1 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K - "Business - Regulation."
We face risks arising from acquisitions.
We have made acquisitions in the past and expect to continue to do so. We face a number of risks arising from acquisition transactions, including difficulties in the integration of acquired businesses into our operations, difficulties in assimilating and retaining employees and intermediaries, difficulties in retaining the existing customers of the acquired entities, unforeseen liabilities that arise in connection with the acquired businesses, the failure of counterparties to satisfy any obligations to indemnify us against liabilities arising from the acquired businesses, and unfavorable market conditions that could negatively impact our growth expectations for the acquired businesses. These risks may prevent us from realizing the expected benefits from acquisitions and could result in the impairment of goodwill and/or intangible assets recognized at the time of acquisition.
A failure to protect our reputation, including the proper management of conflicts of interest, could adversely affect our businesses.
Our reputation is one of our most important assets. Our ability to attract and retain customers, investors, employees and affiliated financial advisors is highly dependent upon external perceptions of our level of service, business practices and financial condition. Damage to our reputation could cause significant harm to our business and prospects and may arise from numerous sources, including litigation or regulatory actions, failing to deliver minimum standards of service and quality, compliance failures, unethical behavior and the misconduct of employees, affiliated financial advisors and counterparties. Negative perceptions or publicity regarding these matters could damage our reputation among existing and potential customers, investors, employees and affiliated financial advisors. Adverse developments with respect to our industry may also, by association, negatively impact our reputation or result in greater regulatory or legislative scrutiny or litigation against us.
Our reputation is also dependent on our continued identification of and mitigation against conflicts of interest. As we have expanded the scope of our businesses and our client base, we increasingly have to identify and address potential conflicts of interest, including those relating to our proprietary activities and those relating to our sales of non-proprietary products from manufacturers that have agreed to provide us marketing, sales and account maintenance support. For example, conflicts may arise between our position as a provider of financial planning services and as a manufacturer and/or distributor or broker of asset accumulation, income or insurance products that one of our affiliated financial advisors may recommend to a financial planning client. We have procedures and controls that are designed to identify, address and appropriately disclose conflicts of interest. However, identifying and appropriately dealing with conflicts of interest is complex, and our reputation could be damaged if we fail, or appear to fail, to deal appropriately with conflicts of interest. In addition, the SEC and other federal and state regulators have increased their scrutiny of potential conflicts of interest. It is possible that potential or perceived conflicts could give rise to litigation or enforcement actions. It is possible also that the regulatory scrutiny of, and litigation in connection with, conflicts of interest will make our clients less willing to enter into transactions in which such a conflict may occur, and will adversely affect our businesses.
Misconduct by our employees and affiliated financial advisors is difficult to detect and deter and could harm our business, results of operations or financial condition.
Misconduct by our employees and affiliated financial advisors could result in violations of law, regulatory sanctions and/or serious reputational or financial harm. Misconduct can occur in each of our businesses and could include:
>binding us to transactions that exceed authorized limits;
>hiding unauthorized or unsuccessful activities resulting in unknown and unmanaged risks or losses;
>improperly using, disclosing or otherwise compromising confidential information;
>recommending transactions that are not suitable;
>engaging in fraudulent or otherwise improper activity;
>engaging in unauthorized or excessive trading to the detriment of customers; or
>otherwise not complying with laws, regulations or our control procedures. We cannot always deter misconduct by our employees and affiliated financial advisors, and the precautions we take to prevent and detect this activity may not be effective in all cases. Preventing and detecting misconduct among our branded
28 ANNUAL REPORT 2009
franchisee advisors and our unbranded affiliated financial advisors who are not employees of our company and tend to be located in small, decentralized offices, present additional challenges. We also cannot assure that misconduct by our employees and affiliated financial advisors will not lead to a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations or financial condition.
Legal and regulatory actions are inherent in our businesses and could result in financial losses or harm our businesses.
We are, and in the future may be, subject to legal and regulatory actions in the ordinary course of our operations, both domestically and internationally. Various regulatory and governmental bodies have the authority to review our products and business practices and those of our employees and independent financial advisors and to bring regulatory or other legal actions against us if, in their view, our practices, or those of our employees or affiliated financial advisors, are improper. Pending legal and regulatory actions include proceedings relating to aspects of our businesses and operations that are specific to us and proceedings that are typical of the industries and businesses in which we operate. Some of these proceedings have been brought on behalf of various alleged classes of complainants. In certain of these matters, the plaintiffs are seeking large and/or indeterminate amounts, including punitive or exemplary damages. See Item 3 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K - "Legal Proceedings." In or as a result of turbulent times such as those we have experienced, the volume of claims and amount of damages sought in litigation and regulatory proceedings generally increase. Substantial legal liability in current or future legal or regulatory actions could have a material adverse financial effect or cause significant reputational harm, which in turn could seriously harm our business prospects.
A downgrade or a potential downgrade in our financial strength or credit ratings could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.
Financial strength ratings, which various ratings organizations publish as a measure of an insurance company's ability to meet contract holder and policyholder obligations, are important to maintain public confidence in our products, the ability to market our products and our competitive position. A downgrade in our financial strength ratings, or the announced potential for a downgrade, could have a significant adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations in many ways, including:
>reducing new sales of insurance products, annuities and investment products;
>adversely affecting our relationships with our affiliated financial advisors and third-party distributors of our products;
>materially increasing the number or amount of policy surrenders and withdrawals by contract holders and policyholders;
>requiring us to reduce prices for many of our products and services to remain competitive; and
>adversely affecting our ability to obtain reinsurance or obtain reasonable pricing on reinsurance. A downgrade in our credit ratings could also adversely impact our future cost and speed of borrowing and have an adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and liquidity.
In view of the difficulties experienced recently by many financial institutions, including our competitors in the insurance industry, the ratings organizations have heightened the level of scrutiny that they apply to such institutions and have requested additional information from the companies that they rate. They may increase the frequency and scope of their credit reviews, adjust upward the capital and other requirements employed in the ratings organizations' models for maintenance of ratings levels, or downgrade ratings applied to particular classes of securities or types of institutions. Ratings organizations may also become subject to tighter laws and regulations governing the ratings, which may in turn impact the ratings assigned to financial institutions.
We cannot predict what actions rating organizations may take, or what actions we may take in response to the actions of rating organizations, which could adversely affect our business. As with other companies in the financial services industry, our ratings could be changed at any time and without any notice by the ratings organizations.
If our reserves for future policy benefits and claims or for our bank lending portfolio are inadequate, we may be required to increase our reserve liabilities, which could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.
We establish reserves as estimates of our liabilities to provide for future obligations under our insurance policies, annuities and investment certificate contracts. We also establish reserves as estimates of the potential for loan losses in our consumer lending portfolios. Reserves do not represent an exact calculation but, rather, are estimates of contract benefits or loan losses and related expenses we expect to incur over time. The assumptions and estimates we make in establishing reserves require certain judgments about future experience and, therefore, are inherently uncertain. We cannot determine with precision the actual amounts that we will pay for contract benefits, the timing of payments, or whether the assets supporting our stated reserves will increase to the levels we estimate before payment of benefits or claims. We monitor our reserve levels continually. If we were to
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conclude that our reserves are insufficient to cover actual or expected contract benefits or loan collections, we would be required to increase our reserves and incur income statement charges for the period in which we make the determination, which could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition. For more information on how we set our reserves, see Note 2 to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Morbidity rates or mortality rates that differ significantly from our pricing expectations could negatively affect profitability.
We set prices for RiverSource life insurance and some annuity products based upon expected claim payment patterns, derived from assumptions we make about our policyholders and contract holders, the morbidity rates, or likelihood of sickness, and mortality rates, or likelihood of death. The long-term profitability of these products depends upon how our actual experience compares with our pricing assumptions. For example, if morbidity rates are higher, or mortality rates are lower, than our pricing assumptions, we could be required to make greater payments under disability income insurance policies, chronic care riders and immediate annuity contracts than we had projected. The same holds true for long term care policies we previously underwrote to the extent of the risks that we have retained. If mortality rates are higher than our pricing assumptions, we could be required to make greater payments under our life insurance policies and annuity contracts with guaranteed minimum death benefits than we have projected.
The risk that our claims experience may differ significantly from our pricing assumptions is particularly significant for our long term care insurance products notwithstanding our ability to implement future price increases with regulatory approvals. As with life insurance, long term care insurance policies provide for long-duration coverage and, therefore, our actual claims experience will emerge over many years. However, as a relatively new product in the market, long term care insurance does not have the extensive claims experience history of life insurance and, as a result, our ability to forecast future claim rates for long term care insurance is more limited than for life insurance. We have sought to moderate these uncertainties to some extent by partially reinsuring long term care policies we previously underwrote and by limiting our present long term care insurance offerings to policies underwritten fully by unaffiliated third-party insurers, and we have also implemented rate increases on certain in force policies as described in Item 1 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K - "Business - Our Segments - Protection - RiverSource Insurance Products - Long Term Care Insurance". We may be required to implement additional rate increases in the future and may or may not receive regulatory approval for the full extent and timing of any rate increases that we may seek.
We may face losses if there are significant deviations from our assumptions regarding the future persistency of our insurance policies and annuity contracts.
The prices and expected future profitability of our life insurance and deferred annuity products are based in part upon assumptions related to persistency, which is the probability that a policy or contract will remain in force from one period to the next. Given the ongoing economic and market dislocations, future consumer persistency behaviors could vary materially from the past. The effect of persistency on profitability varies for different products. For most of our life insurance and deferred annuity products, actual persistency that is lower than our persistency assumptions could have an adverse impact on profitability, especially in the early years of a policy or contract, primarily because we would be required to accelerate the amortization of expenses we deferred in connection with the acquisition of the policy or contract.
For our long term care insurance and certain universal life insurance policies, actual persistency that is higher than our persistency assumptions could have a negative impact on profitability. If these policies remain in force longer than we assumed, then we could be required to make greater benefit payments than we had anticipated when we priced or partially reinsured these products. Some of our long term care insurance policies have experienced higher persistency and poorer loss experience than we had assumed, which led us to increase premium rates on certain of these policies.
Because our assumptions regarding persistency experience are inherently uncertain, reserves for future policy benefits and claims may prove to be inadequate if actual persistency experience is different from those assumptions. Although some of our products permit us to increase premiums during the life of the policy or contract, we cannot guarantee that these increases would be sufficient to maintain profitability. Additionally, some of these pricing changes require regulatory approval, which may not be forthcoming. Moreover, many of our products do not permit us to increase premiums or limit those increases during the life of the policy or contract, while premiums on certain other products (primarily long term care insurance) may not be increased without prior regulatory approval. Significant deviations in experience from pricing expectations regarding persistency could have an adverse effect on the profitability of our products.
We may be required to accelerate the amortization of deferred acquisition costs, which would increase our expenses and reduce profitability.
Deferred acquisition costs ("DAC") represent the costs of acquiring new business, principally direct sales commissions and other distribution and underwriting costs that have been deferred on the sale of annuity, life and disability income insurance and, to a lesser extent, marketing and promotional expenses for personal
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auto and home insurance, and distribution expense for certain mutual fund products. For annuity and universal life products, DAC are amortized based on projections of estimated gross profits over amortization periods equal to the approximate life of the business. For other insurance products, DAC are generally amortized as a percentage of premiums over amortization periods equal to the premium-paying period. For certain mutual fund products, we generally amortize DAC over fixed periods on a straight-line basis.
Our projections underlying the amortization of DAC require the use of certain assumptions, including interest margins, mortality rates, persistency rates, maintenance expense levels and customer asset value growth rates for variable products. We periodically review and, where appropriate, adjust our assumptions. When we change our assumptions, we may be required to accelerate the amortization of DAC or to record a charge to increase benefit reserves.
For more information regarding DAC, see Part II, Item 7 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K under the heading "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations - Critical Accounting Policies - Deferred Acquisition Costs and Deferred Sales Inducement Costs" and " Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations - Recent Accounting Pronouncements."
We may not be able to protect our intellectual property and may be subject to infringement claims.
We rely on a combination of contractual rights and copyright, trademark, patent and trade secret laws to establish and protect our intellectual property. Although we use a broad range of measures to protect our intellectual property rights, third parties may infringe or misappropriate our intellectual property. We may have to litigate to enforce and protect our copyrights, trademarks, patents, trade secrets and know-how or to determine their scope, validity or enforceability, which represents a diversion of resources that may be significant in amount and may not prove successful. The loss of intellectual property protection or the inability to secure or enforce the protection of our intellectual property assets could have a material adverse effect on our business and our ability to compete.
We also may be subject to costly litigation in the event that another party alleges our operations or activities infringe upon such other party's intellectual property rights. Third parties may have, or may eventually be issued, patents or other protections that could be infringed by our products, methods, processes or services or could otherwise limit our ability to offer certain product features. Any party that holds such a patent could make a claim of infringement against us. We may also be subject to claims by third parties for breach of copyright, trademark, license usage rights, or misappropriation of trade secret rights. Any such claims and any resulting litigation could result in significant liability for damages. If we were found to have infringed or misappropriated a third-party patent or other intellectual property rights, we could incur substantial liability, and in some circumstances could be enjoined from providing certain products or services to our customers or utilizing and benefiting from certain methods, processes, copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets or licenses, or alternatively could be required to enter into costly licensing arrangements with third parties, all of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Breaches of security, or the perception that our technology infrastructure is not secure, could harm our business.
Our business requires the appropriate and secure utilization of client and other sensitive information. Our operations require the secure transmission of confidential information over public networks. Security breaches in connection with the delivery of our products and services, including products and services utilizing the Internet, as well as intrusions resulting from the efforts of "hackers" seeking the sensitive data we possess, and the trend toward broad consumer and general public notification of such incidents, could significantly harm our business, financial condition or results of operations. Even if we successfully protect our technology infrastructure and the confidentiality of sensitive data, we could suffer harm to our business and reputation if attempted security breaches are publicized. We cannot be certain that advances in criminal capabilities, discovery of new vulnerabilities, attempts to exploit vulnerabilities in our systems, data thefts, physical system or network break-ins or inappropriate access, or other developments will not compromise or breach the technology or other security measures protecting the networks used in connection with our products and services.
Protection from system interruptions and operating errors is important to our business. If we experience a sustained interruption to our telecommunications or data processing systems, or other failure in operational execution, it could harm our business.
System or network interruptions could delay and disrupt our ability to develop, deliver or maintain our products and services, causing harm to our business and reputation and resulting in loss of customers or revenue. Interruptions could be caused by operational failures arising from our implementation of new technology, as well from our maintenance of existing technology. Our financial, accounting, data processing or other operating systems and facilities may fail to operate properly or become disabled as a result of events that are wholly or partially beyond our control, adversely affecting our ability to process transactions or provide products and services to our customers. These interruptions can include fires, floods, earthquakes, power losses,
ANNUAL REPORT 2009 31
equipment failures, failures of internal or vendor software or systems and other events beyond our control. Further, we face the risk of operational failure, termination or capacity constraints of any of the clearing agents, exchanges, clearing houses or other financial intermediaries that we use to facilitate or are component providers to our securities transactions and other product manufacturing and distribution activities. These risks are heightened by our deployment in response to both investor interest and evolution in the financial markets of increasingly sophisticated products, such as those which incorporate automatic asset re-allocation, long/short trading strategies or multiple portfolios or funds, and business-driven hedging, compliance and other risk management strategies. Any such failure, termination or constraint could adversely impact our ability to effect transactions, service our clients and manage our exposure to risk.
Risk management policies and procedures may not be fully effective in identifying or mitigating risk exposure in all market environments or against all types of risk, including employee and financial advisor misconduct.
We have devoted significant resources to develop our risk management policies and procedures and will continue to do so. Nonetheless, our policies and procedures to identify, monitor and manage risks may not be fully effective in mitigating our risk exposure in all market environments or against all types of risk. Many of our methods of managing risk and exposures are based upon our use of observed historical market behavior or statistics based on historical models. During periods of market volatility or due to unforeseen events, the historically derived correlations upon which these methods are based may not be valid. As a result, these methods may not accurately predict future exposures, which could be significantly greater than what our models indicate. This could cause us to incur investment losses or cause our hedging and other risk management strategies to be ineffective. Other risk management methods depend upon the evaluation of information regarding markets, clients, catastrophe occurrence or other matters that are publicly available or otherwise accessible to us, which may not always be accurate, complete, up-to-date or properly evaluated.
Moreover, we are subject to the risks of errors and misconduct by our employees and affiliated financial advisors, such as fraud, non-compliance with policies, recommending transactions that are not suitable, and improperly using or disclosing confidential information. These risks are difficult to detect in advance and deter, and could harm our business, results of operations or financial condition. We are further subject to the risk of nonperformance or inadequate performance of contractual obligations by third-party vendors of products and services that are used in our businesses. Management of operational, legal and regulatory risks requires, among other things, policies and procedures to record properly and verify a large number of transactions and events, and these policies and procedures may not be fully effective in mitigating our risk exposure in all market environments or against all types of risk. Insurance and other traditional risk-shifting tools may be held by or available to us in order to manage certain exposures, but they are subject to terms such as deductibles, coinsurance, limits and policy exclusions, as well as risk of counterparty denial of coverage, default or insolvency.
As a holding company, we depend on the ability of our subsidiaries to transfer funds to us to pay dividends and to meet our obligations.
We act as a holding company for our insurance and other subsidiaries. Dividends from our subsidiaries and permitted payments to us under our intercompany arrangements with our subsidiaries are our principal sources of cash to pay shareholder dividends and to meet our other financial obligations. These obligations include our operating expenses and interest and principal on our borrowings. If the cash we receive from our subsidiaries pursuant to dividend payment and intercompany arrangements is insufficient for us to fund any of these obligations, we may be required to raise cash through the incurrence of additional debt, the issuance of additional equity or the sale of assets. If any of this happens, it could adversely impact our financial condition and results of operations.
Insurance, banking and securities laws and regulations regulate the ability of many of our subsidiaries (such as our insurance, banking and brokerage subsidiaries and our face-amount certificate company) to pay dividends or make other permitted payments. See Item 1 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K - "Regulation" as well as the information contained in Part II, Item 7 under the heading "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations - Liquidity and Capital Resources." In addition to the various regulatory restrictions that constrain our subsidiaries' ability to pay dividends or make other permitted payments to our company, the rating organizations impose various capital requirements on our company and our insurance company subsidiaries in order for us to maintain our ratings and the ratings of our insurance subsidiaries. The value of assets on the company-level balance sheets of our subsidiaries is a significant factor in determining these restrictions and capital requirements. As asset values decline, our and our subsidiaries' ability to pay dividends or make other permitted payments can be reduced. Additionally, the various asset classes held by our subsidiaries, and used in determining required capital levels, are weighted differently or are restricted as to the proportion in which they may be held depending upon their liquidity, credit risk and other factors. Volatility in relative asset values among different asset classes can alter the proportion of our subsidiaries' holdings in those classes,
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which could increase required capital and constrain our and our subsidiaries' ability to pay dividends or make other permitted payments. The regulatory capital requirements and dividend-paying ability of our subsidiaries may also be affected by a change in the mix of products sold by such subsidiaries. For example, fixed annuities typically require more capital than variable annuities, and an increase in the proportion of fixed annuities sold in relation to variable annuities could increase the regulatory capital requirements of our life insurance subsidiaries. This may reduce the dividends or other permitted payments which could be made from those subsidiaries in the near term without the rating organizations viewing this negatively. Further, the capital requirements imposed upon our subsidiaries may be impacted by heightened regulatory scrutiny and intervention, which could negatively affect our and our subsidiaries' ability to pay dividends or make other permitted payments. Additionally, in the past we have found it necessary to provide support to certain of our subsidiaries in order to maintain adequate capital for regulatory or other purposes and we may provide such support in the future. The provision of such support could adversely affect our excess capital, liquidity, and the dividends or other permitted payments received from our subsidiaries.
The operation of our business in foreign markets and our investments in non-U.S. denominated securities and investment products subjects us to exchange rate and other risks in connection with earnings and income generated overseas.
While we are a U.S.-based company, a portion of our business operations occur outside of the U.S. and some of our investments are not denominated in U.S. dollars. As a result, we are exposed to certain foreign currency exchange risks that could reduce U.S. dollar equivalent earnings as well as negatively impact our general account and other proprietary investment portfolios. Appreciation of the U.S. dollar could unfavorably affect net income from foreign operations, the value of non-U.S. dollar denominated investments and investments in foreign subsidiaries. In comparison, depreciation of the U.S. dollar could positively affect our net income from foreign operations and the value of non-U.S. dollar denominated investments, though such depreciation could also diminish investor, creditor and ratings agency perceptions of our company compared to peer companies that have a relatively greater proportion of foreign operations or investments.
We may seek to mitigate these risks by employing various hedging strategies including entering into derivative contracts. Currency fluctuations, including the effect of changes in the value of U.S. dollar denominated investments that vary from the amounts ultimately needed to hedge our exposure to changes in the U.S. dollar equivalent of earnings and equity of these operations, may adversely affect our results of operations, cash flows or financial condition.
Changes in U.S. federal income or estate tax law could make some of our products less attractive to clients.
Many of the products we issue or on which our businesses are based (including both insurance products and non-insurance products) enjoy favorable treatment under current U.S. federal income or estate tax law. Changes in U.S. federal income or estate tax law could thus make some of our products less attractive to clients.
We are subject to tax contingencies that could adversely affect our provision for income taxes.
We are subject to the income tax laws of the U.S., its states and municipalities and those of the foreign jurisdictions in which we have significant business operations. These tax laws are complex and may be subject to different interpretations. We must make judgments and interpretations about the application of these inherently complex tax laws when determining the provision for income taxes and must also make estimates about when in the future certain items affect taxable income in the various tax jurisdictions. Disputes over interpretations of the tax laws may be settled with the taxing authority upon examination or audit. In addition, changes to the Internal Revenue Code, administrative rulings or court decisions could increase our provision for income taxes.
Risks Relating to Our Common Stock
The market price of our shares may fluctuate.
The market price of our common stock may fluctuate widely, depending upon many factors, some of which may be beyond our control, including:
>changes in expectations concerning our future financial performance and the future performance of the financial services industry in general, including financial estimates and recommendations by securities analysts;
>differences between our actual financial and operating results and those expected by investors and analysts;
>our strategic moves and those of our competitors, such as acquisitions or restructurings;
>changes in the regulatory framework of the financial services industry and regulatory action; and
>changes in general economic or market conditions. Stock markets in general have experienced volatility that has often been unrelated to the operating performance of a particular company. These broad market fluctuations may adversely affect the trading price of our common stock.
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Provisions in our certificate of incorporation and bylaws and of Delaware law may prevent or delay an acquisition of our company, which could decrease the market value of our common stock.
Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws and Delaware law contain provisions intended to deter coercive takeover practices and inadequate takeover bids by making them unacceptably expensive to the raider and to encourage prospective acquirors to negotiate with our board of directors rather than to attempt a hostile takeover. These provisions include, among others:
>a board of directors that is divided into three classes with staggered terms;
>elimination of the right of our shareholders to act by written consent;
>rules regarding how shareholders may present proposals or nominate directors for election at shareholder meetings;
>the right of our board of directors to issue preferred stock without shareholder approval; and
>limitations on the right of shareholders to remove directors. Delaware law also imposes some restrictions on mergers and other business combinations between us and any holder of 15% or more of our outstanding common stock.
We believe these provisions protect our shareholders from coercive or otherwise unfair takeover tactics by requiring potential acquirors to negotiate with our board of directors and by providing our board of directors time to assess any acquisition proposal. They are not intended to make our company immune from takeovers. However, these provisions apply even if the offer may be considered beneficial by some shareholders and could delay or prevent an acquisition that our board of directors determines is not in the best interests of our company and our shareholders.
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments.
None.
Item 2. Properties.
We operate our business from two principal locations, both of which are located in Minneapolis, Minnesota: the Ameriprise Financial Center, an 897,280 square foot building that we lease, and our 903,722 square foot Client Service Center, which we own. Each of these principal locations meets high environmental standards: The Client Service Center has achieved the U.S. Green Building Council ("USGBC") LEED Gold Certification, and the Ameriprise Financial Center has achieved USGBC LEED Silver Certification. Our lease term for the Ameriprise Financial Center began in November 2000 and is for 20 years, with several options to extend the term. Our aggregate annual rent for the Ameriprise Financial Center is $15 million. Ameriprise Financial, Inc. owns the 170,815 square foot Oak Ridge Conference Center, a training facility and conference center in Chaska, Minnesota, which can also serve as a disaster recovery site, if necessary. We also lease space in an operations center located in Minneapolis, and we occupy space in a second operations center located in Phoenix, Arizona.
Our property and casualty subsidiary, IDS Property Casualty, leases approximately 142,000 square feet at its corporate headquarters in DePere, Wisconsin, a suburb of Green Bay. The lease has a ten-year term expiring in 2014 with an option to renew the lease for up to six renewal terms of five years each.
SAI leases its corporate headquarters, containing approximately 88,000 square feet, in LaVista, Nebraska, a suburb of Omaha, under a lease that runs through January 31, 2018 with renewal options. SAI also maintains data centers and disaster recovery facilities in Omaha, Nebraska and Kansas City, Missouri.
Threadneedle leases one office facility in London, England and one in Swindon, England. It is the sole tenant of its London office, a 60,410 square foot building, under a lease expiring in June 2018. Threadneedle also leases part of a building in Frankfurt, Germany and rents offices in a number of other European cities, Hong Kong, Singapore and Australia to support its global operations.
J. & W. Seligman leases offices in New York City containing approximately 100,000 square feet under a lease expiring in 2019. Seligman occupies space of 11,425 square feet in Menlo Park, California under a lease that expires in 2023. Seligman also occupies 35,000 square feet in South Portland, Maine under a lease that expires in 2015.
AFSI leases offices containing approximately 84,000 square feet in Detroit, Michigan, under a lease expiring in 2016.
Generally, we lease the premises we occupy in other locations, including the executive and bank offices that we maintain in New York City and branch offices for our employee branded advisors throughout the United States. We believe that the facilities owned or occupied by our company suit our needs and are well maintained.
Item 3. Legal Proceedings.
Owing to conditions then-prevailing in the credit markets and the isolated defaults of unaffiliated structured investment vehicles held in the portfolios of money market funds advised by its RiverSource Investments LLC subsidiary (the "2a-7 Funds"), the Company closely monitored the net asset value of the 2a-7 Funds during 2008 and 2009 and, as circumstances have warranted from time to time injected capital into one or more of the 2a-7 Funds. Management believes that the market conditions which gave rise to those circumstances have significantly diminished.
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The Company has not provided a formal capital support agreement or net asset value guarantee to any of the 2a-7 Funds.
The Company and its subsidiaries are involved in the normal course of business in legal, regulatory and arbitration proceedings, including class actions, concerning matters arising in connection with the conduct of its activities as a diversified financial services firm. These include proceedings specific to the Company as well as proceedings generally applicable to business practices in the industries in which it operates. The Company can also be subject to litigation arising out of its general business activities, such as its investments, contracts, leases and employment relationships. Uncertain economic conditions heightened volatility in the financial markets, such as those which have been experienced from the latter part of 2007 through 2009, and significant regulatory reform proposals may increase the likelihood that clients and other persons or regulators may present or threaten legal claims or that regulators increase the scope or frequency of examinations of the Company or the financial services industry generally.
As with other financial services firms, the level of regulatory activity and inquiry concerning the Company's businesses remains elevated. From time to time, the Company receives requests for information from, and/or has been subject to examination by, the SEC, FINRA, OTS, state insurance and securities regulators, state attorneys general and various other governmental and quasi-governmental authorities concerning the Company's business activities and practices, and the practices of the Company's financial advisors. Pending matters about which the Company has during recent periods received information requests include: sales and product or service features of, or disclosures pertaining to, mutual funds, annuities, equity and fixed income securities, insurance products, brokerage services, financial plans and other advice offerings; supervision of the Company's financial advisors; supervisory practices in connection with financial advisors' outside business activities; sales practices and supervision associated with the sale of fixed and variable annuities and non-exchange traded (or "private placement") securities; information security; the delivery of financial plans and the suitability of particular trading strategies, investments and product selection processes. The number of reviews and investigations has increased in recent years with regard to many firms in the financial services industry, including Ameriprise Financial. The Company has cooperated and will continue to cooperate with the applicable regulators regarding their inquiries.
These legal and regulatory proceedings and disputes are subject to uncertainties and, as such, the Company is unable to estimate the possible loss or range of loss that may result. An adverse outcome in one or more of these proceedings could result in adverse judgments, settlements, fines, penalties or other relief that could have a material adverse effect on the Company's consolidated financial condition or results of operations.
Certain legal and regulatory proceedings are described below.
In June 2004, an action captioned John E. Gallus et al. v. American Express Financial Corp. and American Express Financial Advisors Inc., was filed in the United States District Court for the District of Arizona, and was later transferred to the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota. The plaintiffs alleged that they were investors in several of the Company's mutual funds and they purported to bring the action derivatively on behalf of those funds under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the '40 Act). The plaintiffs alleged that fees allegedly paid to the defendants by the funds for investment advisory and administrative services were excessive. Plaintiffs seek an order declaring that defendants have violated the '40 Act and awarding unspecified damages including excessive fees allegedly paid plus interest and other costs. On July 6, 2007, the Court granted the Company's motion for summary judgment, dismissing all claims with prejudice. Plaintiffs appealed the Court's decision, and on April 8, 2009, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit reversed the district court's decision, and remanded the case for further proceedings. The Company filed with the United States Supreme Court a Petition for Writ of Certiorari to review the judgment of the Court of Appeals in this case, and such review is expected to occur later this year after the Supreme Court issues its opinion in a similar excessive fee case now pending before it.
Relevant to market conditions since the latter part of 2007, a large client claimed a breach of certain contractual investment guidelines. In April 2009, the client presented a formal Request for Arbitration. The parties subsequently submitted to mediation and, in the fourth quarter of 2009, executed a definitive comprehensive settlement agreement. We do not anticipate any future provision in respect of this matter, and our business relationship with the client is expected to continue for the foreseeable future because the client's investment mandate has been renewed and extended.
In July 2009, two issuers of private placement interests (Medical Capital Holdings, Inc./Medical Capital Corporation and affiliated corporations and Provident Shale Royalties, LLC and affiliated corporations) sold by our subsidiary Securities America, Inc. ("SAI") were placed into receivership, which has resulted in the filing of several putative class action lawsuits and numerous arbitrations naming both SAI and Ameriprise Financial as well as related regulatory inquiries and actions. The class actions and arbitrations generally allege violations of state and/or federal securities laws in connection with SAI's sales of these private placement interests. The actions were commenced in September 2009 and thereafter, seek unspecified damages, and are still in their earliest procedural stages.
Item 4. Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders.
None.
ANNUAL REPORT 2009 35
PART II.
Item 5. Market for Registrant's Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities.
Our common stock trades principally on The New York Stock Exchange under the trading symbol AMP. As of February 16, 2010, we had approximately 26,380 common shareholders of record. Price and dividend information concerning our common shares may be found in Note 28 to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Information comparing the cumulative total shareholder return on our common stock to the cumulative total return for certain indices is set forth under the heading "Performance Graph" provided in our 2009 Annual Report to Shareholders and is incorporated herein by reference.
We are primarily a holding company and, as a result, our ability to pay dividends in the future will depend on receiving dividends from our subsidiaries. For information regarding our ability to pay dividends, see the information set forth under the heading "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations - Liquidity and Capital Resources" contained in Part II, Item 7 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Share Repurchases
The following table presents the information with respect to purchases made by or on behalf of Ameriprise Financial, Inc. or any "affiliated purchaser" (as defined in Rule 10b-18(a)(3) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) of our common stock during the fourth quarter of 2009:
(1)On April 22, 2008, we announced that our Board of Directors authorized us to repurchase up to $1.5 billion worth of our common stock through April 22, 2010. The share repurchase program does not require the purchase of any minimum number of shares, and depending on market conditions and other factors, these purchases may be commenced or suspended at any time without prior notice. Acquisitions under the share repurchase program may be made in the open market, through block trades or other means. Since September 2008 through the date of this report, we have suspended our stock repurchase program. We may resume activity under our stock repurchase program and begin repurchasing shares in the open market or in privately negotiated transactions from time to time without notice. We reserve the right to suspend any such repurchases and to resume later repurchasing at any time, and expressly disclaim any obligation to maintain or lift any such suspension. (2)Restricted shares withheld pursuant to the terms of awards under the amended and restated Ameriprise Financial 2005 Incentive Compensation Plan (the "Plan") to offset tax withholding obligations that occur upon vesting and release of restricted shares. The Plan provides that the value of the shares withheld shall be the closing price of common stock of Ameriprise Financial, Inc. on the date the relevant transaction occurs. 36 ANNUAL REPORT 2009
Item 6. Consolidated Five-Year Summary of Selected Financial Data
The following table sets forth selected consolidated financial information from our audited Consolidated Financial Statements as of December 31, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006 and 2005 and for the five-year period ended December 31, 2009. Certain prior year amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current year's presentation. For the periods preceding our separation from American Express Company ("American Express"), we prepared our Consolidated Financial Statements as if we had been a stand-alone company. In the preparation of our Consolidated Financial Statements for those periods, we made certain allocations of expenses that our management believed to be a reasonable reflection of costs we would have otherwise incurred as a stand-alone company but were paid by American Express. Accordingly, our Consolidated Financial Statements include various adjustments to amounts in our consolidated financial statements as a subsidiary of American Express. The selected financial data presented below should be read in conjunction with our Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes included elsewhere in this report and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations."
(1)During 2007, 2006 and 2005, we recorded non-recurring separation costs as a result of our separation from American Express. During the years ended December 31, 2007, 2006 and 2005, $236 million ($154 million after-tax), $361 million ($235 million after-tax) and $293 million ($191 million after-tax), respectively, of such costs were incurred. These costs were primarily associated with establishing the Ameriprise Financial brand, separating and reestablishing our technology platforms and advisor and employee retention programs. (2)Diluted shares used in this calculation represent basic shares due to the net loss. Using actual diluted shares would result in anti-dilution. ANNUAL REPORT 2009 37
Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
The following discussion and analysis of our consolidated financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with the "Forward-Looking Statements," our Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes that follow and the "Consolidated Five-Year Summary of Selected Financial Data" and the "Risk Factors" included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K. Certain reclassifications of prior year amounts have been made to conform to the current presentation.
Overview
We provide financial planning, products and services that are designed to be utilized as solutions for our clients' cash and liquidity, asset accumulation, income, protection and estate and wealth transfer needs. Our model for delivering these solutions is centered on building long-term personal relationships between our affiliated advisors and clients, and in the case of our products distributed through unaffiliated advisors, by supporting those advisors in building strong client relationships. We believe that our focus on personal relationships, together with our strengths in financial planning and product development, allow us to better address the evolving financial needs of our clients and our primary target market segment, the mass affluent and affluent, which we define as households with investable assets of more than $100,000.
Our branded affiliated advisors' financial planning and advisory process is designed to provide comprehensive advice, when appropriate, to address our clients' cash and liquidity, asset accumulation, income, protection, and estate and wealth transfer needs. This approach allows us to recommend actions and a range of product solutions consisting of investment, annuity, insurance, banking and other financial products that help clients attain over time a return or form of protection while accepting what they determine to be an appropriate range and level of risk. Our focus puts us in a strong position to capitalize on significant demographic and market trends, which we believe will continue to drive increased demand for our financial planning and other financial services. Our focus on deep client-advisor relationships has been central to the ability of our business model to succeed through the extreme market conditions of 2008 and 2009, and we believe it will help us to respond to future market cycles.
Our multi-platform network of affiliated financial advisors is the primary means by which we develop personal relationships with retail clients. As of December 31, 2009, we had a network of more than 12,000 financial advisors and registered representatives ("affiliated financial advisors"). We refer to the affiliated financial advisors who use our brand name as our branded advisors, and those who do not use our brand name but who are affiliated as registered representatives of ours, as our unbranded advisors. The financial product solutions we offer through our affiliated advisors include both our own products and services and the products of other companies. Our branded advisor network is the primary distribution channel through which we offer our investment and annuity products and services, as well as a range of banking and protection products. Our asset management, annuity and auto and home protection products are also distributed through unaffiliated advisors and affinity relationships. We offer our branded advisors training, tools, leadership, marketing programs and other field and centralized support to assist them in delivering advice and product solutions to clients. We support unaffiliated advisors with strong sales and service support and our solutions which they provide to clients. We believe our approach not only improves the products and services we provide to their clients, but allows us to reinvest in enhanced services for clients and increase support for financial advisors. Our integrated model of financial planning, diversified product manufacturing and affiliated and non-affiliated product distribution affords us a better understanding of our clients, which allows us to better manage the risk profile of our businesses. We believe our focus on meeting clients' needs through personal financial planning results in more satisfied clients with deeper, longer lasting relationships with our company and a higher retention of experienced financial advisors.
We have four main operating segments: Advice & Wealth Management, Asset Management, Annuities and Protection, as well as our Corporate & Other segment. Our four main operating segments are aligned with the financial solutions we offer to address our clients' needs. The products and services we provide retail clients and, to a lesser extent, institutional clients, are the primary source of our revenues and net income. Revenues and net income are significantly affected by investment performance and the total value and composition of assets we manage and administer for our retail and institutional clients as well as the distribution fees we receive from other companies. These factors, in turn, are largely determined by overall investment market performance and the depth and breadth of our individual client relationships.
Equity price, credit market and interest rate fluctuations can have a significant impact on our results of operations, primarily due to the effects they have on the asset management and other asset-based fees we earn, the "spread" income generated on our annuities, banking and deposit products and universal life ("UL") insurance products, the value of deferred acquisition costs ("DAC") and deferred sales
38 ANNUAL REPORT 2009
inducement costs ("DSIC") assets associated with variable annuity and variable UL products, the values of liabilities for guaranteed benefits associated with our variable annuities and the values of derivatives held to hedge these benefits. For additional information regarding our sensitivity to equity price and interest rate risk, see Part II,
Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
Interest rate, equity price, foreign currency and credit risk are the market risks to which we have material exposure. Equity price and interest rate fluctuations can have a significant impact on our results of operations, primarily due to the effects they have on the asset management and other asset-based fees we earn, the spread income generated on our annuities, banking, and face amount certificate products and UL insurance products, the value of DAC and DSIC assets associated with variable annuity and variable UL products, the values of liabilities for guaranteed benefits associated with our variable annuities and the values of derivatives held to hedge these benefits.
The guaranteed benefits associated with our variable annuities are guaranteed minimum withdrawal benefits ("GMWB"), guaranteed minimum accumulation benefits ("GMAB"), guaranteed minimum death benefits ("GMDB") and guaranteed minimum income benefits ("GMIB") options. Each of these guaranteed benefits guarantees payouts to the annuity holder under certain specific conditions regardless of the performance of the underlying investment assets.
We continue to utilize a hedging program which attempts to match the sensitivity of the assets with the sensitivity of the liabilities. This approach works with the premise that matched sensitivities will produce a highly effective hedging result. This program can generally be described as a "Static 3-Greek" hedging program. This style of hedging focuses mainly on first order sensitivities of the assets and liabilities; Equity Market Level (Delta), Interest Rate Level (Rho) and Volatility (Vega). Additionally, various second order sensitivities are managed. We use various index options across the term structure, interest rate swaps and swaptions, total return swaps and futures to manage the risk exposures. The exposures are measured and monitored daily, and adjustments to the hedge portfolio are made as necessary.
To evaluate interest rate and equity price risk we perform sensitivity testing which measures the impact on pretax income from the sources listed below for a 12 month period following a hypothetical 100 basis point increase in interest rates or a hypothetical 10% decline in equity prices. The interest rate risk test assumes a sudden 100 basis point parallel shift in the yield curve, with rates then staying at those levels for the next 12 months. The equity price risk test assumes a sudden 10% drop in equity prices, with equity prices then staying at those levels for the next 12 months. In estimating the values of variable annuity riders, equity indexed annuities, stock market certificates and the associated hedge assets, we assumed no change in implied market volatility despite the 10% drop in equity prices.
ANNUAL REPORT 2009 83
The following table presents our estimate of the pretax impact of these hypothetical market moves, net of hedging, as of December 31, 2009:
N/A Not Applicable.
(1)Market impact on DAC and DSIC amortization resulting from lower projected profits. (2)Market impact on DAC and DSIC amortization related to variable annuity riders is modeled net of hedge impact. The above results compare to estimated negative impacts to pretax income of $312 million related to a 10% equity price decline and $48 million related to a 100 basis point increase in interest rates as of December 31, 2008. The reduced equity impact in 2009 is a result of market dislocation in 2008 and changes to our valuation models. The discount rates and credit spreads we used in 2008 to value certain of our investments were negatively impacted by the market, which led to greater pretax loss projections related to our variable annuity riders, partially offset by a lower impact to our asset based management and distribution fees, primarily as a result of lower asset values.
In evaluating equity price risk, the estimated impact on DAC and DSIC amortization resulting from lower projected profits as a result of the equity price decline is shown separately from the estimated impact on DAC and DSIC amortization resulting from changes in the values of GMWB and GMAB riders net of hedges. In estimating the impact on DAC and DSIC amortization resulting from lower projected profits, we have not changed our assumed equity asset growth rates. This is a significantly more conservative estimate than if we assumed management follows its mean reversion guideline and increased near-term rates to recover the drop in equity values over a five-year
84 ANNUAL REPORT 2009
period. See Critical Accounting Policies for additional discussion on our DAC and DSIC accounting policies. We make this same conservative assumption in estimating the impact from GMDB and GMIB riders.
Net impacts shown in the above table from GMWB and GMAB riders result largely from differences between the liability valuation basis and the hedging basis. Liabilities are valued using fair value accounting principles, with key policyholder behavior assumptions loaded to provide risk margins and with discount rates increased to reflect a current market estimate of our risk of nonperformance specific to these liabilities. Management has elected to hedge based on best estimate policyholder assumptions and explicitly does not hedge nonperformance spread risk. Net impacts shown in the above table from GMDB and GMIB reflect the fact that these guaranteed benefits are primarily retained by us and not hedged. In the third quarter of 2009, we entered into a limited number of derivative contracts to economically hedge equity exposure related to GMDB provisions on variable annuity contracts written previously in 2009.
Actual results could differ materially from those illustrated above as they are based on a number of estimates and assumptions. These include assuming that implied market volatility does not change when equity values fall by 10%, that management does not increase assumed equity asset growth rates to anticipate recovery of the drop in equity values when valuing DAC, DSIC and GMDB and GMIB liability values and that the 100 basis point increase in interest rates is a parallel shift of the yield curve. Furthermore, we have not tried to anticipate changes in client preferences for different types of assets or other changes in client behavior, nor have we tried to anticipate actions management might take to increase revenues or reduce expenses in these scenarios.
The selection of a 100 basis point interest rate increase as well as a 10% equity price decline should not be construed as a prediction of future market events. Impacts of larger or smaller changes in interest rates or equity prices may not be proportional to those shown for a 100 basis point increase in interest rates or a 10% decline in equity prices.
Asset-Based Management and Distribution Fees
We earn asset-based management fees on our owned separate account assets and certain of our managed assets. At December 31, 2009, the value of these assets was $58.1 billion and $243.2 billion, respectively. We also earn distribution fees on our managed assets. These sources of revenue are subject to both interest rate and equity price risk since the value of these assets and the fees they earn fluctuate inversely with interest rates and directly with equity prices. We do not currently hedge the interest rate or equity price risk of this exposure.
DAC and DSIC Amortization
For annuity and universal life products, DAC and DSIC are amortized on the basis of estimated gross profits. Estimated gross profits are a proxy for pretax income prior to the recognition of DAC and DSIC amortization expense. When events occur that reduce or increase current period estimated gross profits, DAC and DSIC amortization expense is typically reduced or increased as well, somewhat mitigating the impact of the event on pretax income.
Variable Annuity Riders
The total value of all variable annuity contracts has increased from $43.3 billion at December 31, 2008 to $55.1 billion at December 31, 2009. These contract values include GMWB and GMAB contracts which have increased from $12.7 billion and $2.0 billion, respectively, at December 31, 2008 to $19.2 billion and $2.9 billion at December 31, 2009, respectively. At December 31, 2009, reserves for GMWB and GMAB were $204 million and $100 million, respectively, compared to reserves of $1.5 billion and $367 million at December 31, 2008, respectively. The decrease in reserves for GMWB and GMAB reflect the changes in economic factors impacting the mark-to-market value of the guarantees. At December 31, 2009, the reserve for the other variable annuity guaranteed benefits, GMDB and GMIB, was $12 million compared to $67 million at December 31, 2008.
Equity Price Risk - Variable Annuity Riders
The variable annuity guaranteed benefits guarantee payouts to the annuity holder under certain specific conditions regardless of the performance of the investment assets. For this reason, when equity prices decline, the returns from the separate account assets coupled with guaranteed benefit fees from annuity holders may not be sufficient to fund expected payouts. In that case, reserves must be increased with a negative impact to earnings.
The core derivative instruments with which we hedge the equity price risk of our GMWB and GMAB provisions are longer dated put and call derivatives; these core instruments are supplemented with equity futures and total return swaps. In the third quarter of 2009, we entered into a limited number of derivative contracts to economically hedge equity exposure related to GMDB provisions on variable
ANNUAL REPORT 2009 85
annuity contracts written previously in 2009. See Note 20 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for further information on our derivative instruments.
Interest Rate Risk - Variable Annuity Riders
The GMAB and the non-life contingent benefits associated with the GMWB provisions create embedded derivatives which are carried at fair value separately from the underlying host variable annuity contract. Changes in the fair value of the GMWB and GMAB liabilities are recorded through earnings with fair value calculated based on projected, discounted cash flows over the life of the contract, including projected, discounted benefits and fees. Increases in interest rates reduce the fair value of the GMWB and GMAB liabilities. The GMWB and GMAB interest rate exposure is hedged with a portfolio of longer dated put and call derivatives, interest rate swaps and swaptions. These derivatives are an alternative to the more customized equity puts we previously used. We have entered into interest rate swaps according to risk exposures along maturities, thus creating both fixed rate payor and variable rate payor terms. If interest rates were to increase, we would have to pay more to the swap counterparty, and the fair value of our equity puts would decrease, resulting in a negative impact to our pretax income.
Fixed Annuities, Fixed Portion of Variable Annuities and Fixed Insurance Products
Interest rate exposures arise primarily with respect to the fixed account portion of annuity and insurance products of RiverSource Life companies and their investment portfolios. We guarantee an interest rate to the holders of these products. Premiums and deposits collected from clients are primarily invested in fixed rate securities to fund the client credited rate with the spread between the rate earned from investments and the rate credited to clients recorded as earned income. Client liabilities and investment assets generally differ as it relates to basis, repricing or maturity characteristics. Rates credited to clients' accounts generally reset at shorter intervals than the yield on the underlying investments. Therefore, in an increasing rate environment, higher interest rates are reflected in crediting rates to clients sooner than in rates earned on invested assets resulting in a reduced spread between the two rates, reduced earned income and a negative impact on pretax income. Of the $30.9 billion in future policy benefits and claims on our Consolidated Balance Sheet at December 31, 2009, $30.1 billion related to liabilities created by these products. We do not hedge this exposure.
Flexible Savings and Other Fixed Rate Savings Products
We have interest rate risk from our flexible savings and other fixed rate savings products. These products are primarily investment certificates generally ranging in amounts from $1,000 to $1 million with terms ranging from three to 36 months, as well as other savings products sold through Ameriprise Bank. We guarantee an interest rate to the holders of these products. Payments collected from clients are primarily invested in fixed rate securities to fund the client credited rate with the spread between the rate earned from investments and the rate credited to clients recorded as earned income. Client liabilities and investment assets generally differ as it relates to basis, repricing or maturity characteristics. Rates credited to clients generally reset at shorter intervals than the yield on underlying investments. This exposure is not currently hedged although we monitor our investment strategy and make modifications based on our changing liabilities and the expected rate environment. Of the $8.6 billion in customer deposits at December 31, 2009, $3.2 billion related to reserves for our fixed rate certificate products and $2.6 billion related to reserves for our banking products.
Equity Indexed Annuities
Our equity indexed annuity product is a single premium annuity issued with an initial term of seven years. The annuity guarantees the contractholder a minimum return of 3% on 90% of the initial premium or end of prior term accumulation value upon renewal plus a return that is linked to the performance of the S&P 500 Index. The equity-linked return is based on a participation rate initially set at between 50% and 90% of the S&P 500 Index, which is guaranteed for the initial seven-year term when the contract is held to full term. At December 31, 2009, we had $168 million in reserves related to equity indexed annuities. In 2007, we discontinued new sales of equity indexed annuities.
Equity Price Risk - Equity Indexed Annuities
The equity-linked return to investors creates equity price risk as the amount credited depends on changes in equity prices. To hedge this exposure, a portion of the proceeds from the sale of equity indexed annuities is used to purchase futures, calls and puts which generate returns to replicate what we must credit to client accounts. In conjunction with purchasing puts we also write puts. Pairing purchased puts with written puts allows us to better match the characteristics of the liability.
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Interest Rate Risk - Equity Indexed Annuities
Most of the proceeds from the sale of equity indexed annuities are invested in fixed income securities with the return on those investments intended to fund the 3% guarantee. We earn income from the difference between the return earned on invested assets and the 3% guarantee rate credited to customer accounts. The spread between return earned and amount credited is affected by changes in interest rates.
Stock Market Certificates
Stock market certificates are purchased for amounts generally from $1,000 to $1 million for terms of 52 weeks which can be extended to a maximum of 20 years. For each term the certificate holder can choose to participate 100% in any percentage increase in the S&P 500 Index up to a maximum return or choose partial participation in any increase in the S&P 500 Index plus a fixed rate of interest guaranteed in advance. If partial participation is selected, the total of equity-linked return and guaranteed rate of interest cannot exceed the maximum return. Reserves for our stock market certificates are included in customer deposits on our Consolidated Balance Sheets. At December 31, 2009, we had $878 million in reserves related to stock market certificates.
Equity Price Risk - Stock Market Certificates
As with the equity indexed annuities, the equity-linked return to investors creates equity price risk exposure. We seek to minimize this exposure with purchased futures and call spreads that replicate what we must credit to client accounts.
Interest Rate Risk - Stock Market Certificates
Stock market certificates have some interest rate risk as changes in interest rates affect the fair value of the payout to be made to the certificate holder. This risk continues to be fully hedged.
Foreign Currency Risk
We have foreign currency risk through our net investment in foreign subsidiaries and our operations in foreign countries. We are primarily exposed to changes in British Pounds ("GBP") related to our net investment in Threadneedle, which had 427 million GBP exposure at December 31, 2009. Our primary exposure related to operations in foreign countries is to the GBP and the Indian Rupee. We monitor the foreign exchange rates that we have exposure to and enter into foreign currency forward contracts to mitigate risk when economically prudent. At December 31, 2009, the notional value of outstanding contracts and our remaining foreign currency risk related to operations in foreign countries were not material.
Interest Rate Risk on External Debt
The stated interest rate on the $1.5 billion of our senior unsecured notes is fixed and the stated interest rate on the $322 million of junior notes is fixed until June 1, 2016. In January 2010, the Company entered into interest rate swap agreements to effectively convert the fixed interest rate on $1.0 billion of the senior unsecured notes to floating interest rates based on six-month LIBOR. As a result, we are exposed to interest rate risk on this debt.
We also have floating rate debt of $6 million related to our municipal bond inverse floater certificates and $381 million related to certain consolidated property funds, a portion of which is hedged using interest rate swaps which effectively convert the floating rates to fixed rates. The remaining interest rate risk on this debt is not material.
Credit Risk
We are exposed to credit risk within our investment portfolio, including our loan portfolio, and through our derivative and reinsurance activities. Credit risk relates to the uncertainty of an obligor's continued ability to make timely payments in accordance with the contractual terms of the financial instrument or contract. We consider our total potential credit exposure to each counterparty and its affiliates to ensure compliance with pre-established credit guidelines at the time we enter into a transaction which would potentially increase our credit risk. These guidelines and oversight of credit risk are managed through a comprehensive enterprise risk management program that includes members of senior management.
We manage the risk of credit-related losses in the event of nonperformance by counterparties by applying disciplined fundamental credit analysis and underwriting standards, prudently limiting exposures to lower-quality, higher-yielding investments, and diversifying exposures by issuer, industry, region and underlying investment type. We remain exposed to occasional adverse cyclical economic downturns during which default rates may be significantly higher than the long-term historical average used in pricing.
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We manage our credit risk related to over-the-counter derivatives by entering into transactions with creditworthy counterparties, maintaining collateral arrangements and through the use of master netting arrangements that provide for a single net payment to be made by one counterparty to another at each due date and upon termination. Generally, our current credit exposure on over-the-counter derivative contracts is limited to a derivative counterparty's net positive fair value of derivative contracts after taking into consideration the existence of netting arrangements and any collateral received. This exposure is monitored and managed to an acceptable threshold level.
Because exchange-traded futures are effected through regulated exchanges and positions are marked to market and generally cash settled on a daily basis, we have minimal exposure to credit-related losses in the event of nonperformance by counterparties to such derivative instruments.
We manage our credit risk related to reinsurance treaties by evaluating the financial condition of reinsurance counterparties prior to entering into new reinsurance treaties. In addition, we regularly evaluate their financial strength during the terms of the treaties. As of December 31, 2009, our largest reinsurance credit risk is related to a long term care coinsurance treaty with a life insurance subsidiary of Genworth Financial, Inc. See Note 10 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information on reinsurance.
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Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data
Consolidated Financial Statements:
Ameriprise Financial, Inc.
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
Consolidated Statements of Operations - Years ended December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007
Consolidated Balance Sheets - December 31, 2009 and 2008
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows - Years ended December 31, 2009, 2008 and
Consolidated Statements of Equity - Years ended December 31, 2009, 2008 and
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
ANNUAL REPORT 2009 89
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
The Board of Directors and Shareholders of Ameriprise Financial, Inc.
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Ameriprise Financial, Inc. (the Company) as of December 31, 2009 and 2008, and the related consolidated statements of operations, equity, and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2009. These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these 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 financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the consolidated financial position of Ameriprise Financial, Inc. at December 31, 2009 and 2008, and the consolidated results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2009, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.
As discussed in Note 3 to the consolidated financial statements, in 2009 the Company adopted new accounting guidance related to the recognition and presentation of other-than-temporary impairments. Also, in 2008 the Company adopted new accounting guidance related to the measurement of fair value, and in 2007 the Company adopted new guidance related to the accounting for uncertainty in income taxes, as well as new guidance related to the accounting for deferred acquisition costs in connection with modifications or exchanges insurance and annuity contracts.
We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), Ameriprise Financial, Inc.'s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2009, based on criteria established in Internal Control-Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission, and our report dated February 23, 2010, expressed an unqualified opinion thereon.
Minneapolis, Minnesota
February 23,
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Consolidated Statements of Operations
Ameriprise Financial, Inc.
(1)Diluted shares used in this calculation represent basic shares due to the net loss. Using actual diluted shares would result in anti-dilution. See Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
ANNUAL REPORT 2009 91
Consolidated Balance Sheets
Ameriprise Financial, Inc.
See Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
92 ANNUAL REPORT 2009
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
Ameriprise Financial, Inc.
See Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
ANNUAL REPORT 2009 93
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (continued)
Ameriprise Financial, Inc.
See Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
94 ANNUAL REPORT 2009
Consolidated Statements of Equity
Ameriprise Financial, Inc.
See Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
ANNUAL REPORT 2009 95
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
1. Basis of Presentation
Ameriprise Financial, Inc. is a holding company, which primarily conducts business through its subsidiaries to provide financial planning and products and services that are designed to be utilized as solutions for clients' cash and liquidity, asset accumulation, income, protection and estate and wealth transfer needs. The Company's foreign operations in the United Kingdom are conducted through its subsidiary, Threadneedle Asset Management Holdings Sàrl ("Threadneedle").
The accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of Ameriprise Financial, Inc., companies in which it directly or indirectly has a controlling financial interest, variable interest entities ("VIEs") in which it is the primary beneficiary and certain limited partnerships for which it is the general partner (collectively, the "Company"). Noncontrolling interests are the ownership interests in subsidiaries not attributable, directly or indirectly, to Ameriprise Financial, Inc. and are classified as equity within the Consolidated Balance Sheets. The Company excluding noncontrolling interests ("Ameriprise Financial") includes ownership interests in subsidiaries that are attributable, directly or indirectly, to Ameriprise Financial, Inc.
The accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements are prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP"). Certain reclassifications of prior year amounts have been made to conform to the current presentation.
The Company evaluated events or transactions that may have occurred after the balance sheet date for potential recognition or disclosure through February 23, 2010, the date the financial statements were issued.
2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Principles of Consolidation
The Company consolidates all entities in which it holds a greater than 50% voting interest, or when certain conditions are met for VIEs and limited partnerships, except for immaterial seed money investments in mutual funds, which are accounted for as trading securities. Entities in which the Company holds a greater than 20% but less than 50% voting interest are accounted for under the equity method. Additionally, other investments in which the Company holds an interest that is less than 50% are accounted for under the equity method. All other investments that are not reported at fair value as trading or Available-for-Sale securities are accounted for under the cost method where the Company owns less than a 20% voting interest and does not exercise significant influence.
Generally, a VIE is a corporation, partnership, trust or any other legal structure that either does not have equity investors with substantive voting rights or has equity investors that do not provide sufficient financial resources for the entity to support its activities. To determine whether the Company must consolidate a VIE, it analyzes the design of the VIE to identify the variable interests it holds. Then the Company quantitatively determines whether its variable interests will absorb a majority of the VIE's variability. If the Company determines it will absorb a majority of the VIE's expected variability, the Company consolidates the VIE and is referred to as the primary beneficiary. The calculation of variability is based on an analysis of projected probability-weighted cash flows based on the design of the particular VIE.
The Company consolidates certain limited partnerships that are not VIEs, for which the Company is the general partner and is determined to control the limited partnership. As a general partner, the Company is presumed to control the limited partnership unless the limited partners have the ability to dissolve the partnership or have substantive participating rights.
All material intercompany transactions and balances between or among Ameriprise Financial and its subsidiaries and affiliates have been eliminated in consolidation.
Foreign Currency Translation
Net assets of foreign subsidiaries, whose functional currency is other than the U.S. dollar, are translated into U.S. dollars based upon exchange rates prevailing at the end of each year. The resulting translation adjustment, along with any related hedge and tax effects, are included in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss). Revenues and expenses are translated at average exchange rates during the year. The total accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of tax, related to foreign currency translation adjustments was $30 million and $85 million as of December 31, 2009 and 2008, respectively. During the fourth quarter of 2008, the Company terminated the hedges of net investment in foreign operations recording a gain of $142 million in other comprehensive income (loss). For the years ended
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December 31, 2008 and 2007, the amount of gains (losses) related to the hedges included in foreign currency translation adjustments was $109 million and $(10) million, respectively, net of tax. As of December 31, 2009 and 2008, the Company did not have derivatives designated as hedges of net investment in foreign operations.
Amounts Based on Estimates and Assumptions
Accounting estimates are an integral part of the Consolidated Financial Statements. In part, they are based upon assumptions concerning future events. Among the more significant are those that relate to investment securities valuation and recognition of other-than-temporary impairments, valuation of deferred acquisition costs ("DAC") and the corresponding recognition of DAC amortization, derivative instruments and hedging activities, litigation and claims reserves and income taxes and the recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities. These accounting estimates reflect the best judgment of management and actual results could differ.
Cash and Cash Equivalents
Cash equivalents include time deposits and other highly liquid investments with original maturities of 90 days or less.
Investments
Investments consist of the following:
Available-for-Sale Securities
Available-for-Sale securities are carried at fair value with unrealized gains (losses) recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), net of income tax provision (benefit) and net of adjustments in other asset and liability balances, such as DAC, to reflect the expected impact on their carrying values had the unrealized gains (losses) been realized as of the respective balance sheet date. Gains and losses are recognized in the consolidated results of operations upon disposition of the securities.
Effective January 1, 2009, the Company early adopted an accounting standard that significantly changed the Company's accounting policy regarding the timing and amount of other-than-temporary impairments for Available-for-Sale securities as follows. When the fair value of an investment is less than its amortized cost, the Company assesses whether or not: (i) it has the intent to sell the security (made a decision to sell) or (ii) it is more likely than not that the Company will be required to sell the security before its anticipated recovery. If either of these conditions is met, an other-than-temporary impairment is considered to have occurred and the Company must recognize an other-than-temporary impairment for the difference between the investment's amortized cost basis and its fair value through earnings. For securities that do not meet the above criteria, and the Company does not expect to recover a security's amortized cost basis, the security is also considered other-than-temporarily impaired. For these securities, the Company separates the total impairment into the credit loss component and the amount of the loss related to other factors. The amount of the total other-than-temporary impairments related to credit loss is recognized in earnings. The amount of the total other-than-temporary impairments related to other factors is recognized in other comprehensive income (loss), net of impacts to DAC, deferred sales inducement costs ("DSIC"), certain benefit reserves and income taxes. For Available-for-Sale securities that have recognized an other-than-temporary impairment through earnings, if through subsequent evaluation there is a significant increase in the cash flow expected, the difference between the amortized cost basis and the cash flows expected to be collected is accreted as interest income. Subsequent increases and decreases in the fair value of Available-for-Sale securities are included in other comprehensive income (loss). The Company's Consolidated Statements of Equity present all changes in other comprehensive income (loss) associated with Available-for-Sale debt securities that have been other-than-temporarily impaired on a separate line from fair value changes recorded in other comprehensive income (loss) from all other securities.
The Company provides a supplemental disclosure on the face of its Consolidated Statements of Operations that presents: (i) total other-than-temporary impairment losses recognized during the period and (ii) the portion of other-than-temporary impairment losses recognized in other comprehensive income (loss). The sum of these amounts represents the credit-related portion of other-than-temporary impairments that were recognized in earnings during the period. The portion of other-than-temporary losses recognized in other comprehensive income (loss) includes: (i) the portion of other-than-temporary impairment losses related to factors other than credit recognized during the period and (ii) reclassifications of other-than-temporary impairment losses previously determined to be related to factors other than credit that are determined to be credit-related in the current period. The amount presented on the Consolidated Statements of Operations as the portion of other-than-temporary losses recognized in other comprehensive income (loss) excludes subsequent increases and decreases in the fair value of these securities.
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For all securities that are considered temporarily impaired, the Company does not intend to sell these securities (has not made a decision to sell) and it is not more likely than not that the Company will be required to sell the security before recovery of its amortized cost basis. The Company believes that it will collect all principal and interest due on all investments that have amortized cost in excess of fair value that are considered only temporarily impaired.
Factors the Company considers in determining whether declines in the fair value of fixed maturity securities are other-than-temporary include: (i) the extent to which the market value is below amortized cost; (ii) the duration of time in which there has been a significant decline in value; (iii) fundamental analysis of the liquidity, business prospects and overall financial condition of the issuer; and (iv) market events that could impact credit ratings, economic and business climate, litigation and government actions, and similar external business factors. In order to determine the amount of the credit loss component for corporate debt securities considered other-than-temporarily impaired, a best estimate of the present value of cash flows expected to be collected discounted at the security's effective interest rate is compared to the amortized cost basis of the security. The significant inputs to cash flow projections consider potential debt restructuring terms, projected cash flows available to pay creditors and the Company's position in the debtor's overall capital structure.
For structured investments (e.g., residential mortgage backed securities, commercial mortgage backed securities, asset backed securities and other structured investments), the Company also considers factors such as overall deal structure and its position within the structure, quality of underlying collateral, delinquencies and defaults, loss severities, recoveries, prepayments and cumulative loss projections in assessing potential other-than-temporary impairments of these investments. Based upon these factors, securities that have indicators of potential other-than-temporary impairment are subject to detailed review by management. Securities for which declines are considered temporary continue to be carefully monitored by management. For the year ended December 31, 2009, certain non-agency residential mortgage backed securities were deemed other-than- temporarily impaired. Generally, the credit loss component for the non-agency residential mortgage backed securities is determined as the amount the amortized cost basis exceeds the present value of the projected cash flows expected to be collected. Significant inputs considered in these projections are consistent with the factors considered in assessing potential other-than-temporary impairment for these investments. Current contractual interest rates considered in these cash flow projections are used to calculate the discount rate used to determine the present value of the expected cash flows.
Commercial Mortgage Loans, Net
Commercial mortgage loans, net reflect principal amounts outstanding less the allowance for loan losses. The allowance for loan losses is primarily based on the Company's past loan loss experience, known and inherent risks in the portfolio, composition of the loan portfolio, current economic conditions, and other relevant factors. Loans in this portfolio are generally smaller balance and homogeneous in nature and accordingly the Company follows accounting guidance on contingencies when establishing necessary reserves for losses inherent in the portfolio. For larger balance or restructured loans that are collateral dependent the allowance is based on the fair value of collateral. Management regularly evaluates the adequacy of the allowance for loan losses and believes it is adequate to absorb estimated losses in the portfolio.
The Company generally stops accruing interest on commercial mortgage loans for which interest payments are delinquent more than three months. Based on management's judgment as to the ultimate collectability of principal, interest payments received are either recognized as income or applied to the recorded investment in the loan.
Trading Securities
Trading securities primarily include common stocks, trading bonds and seed money investments. Trading securities are carried at fair value with unrealized and realized gains (losses) recorded within net investment income.
Policy Loans
Policy loans include life insurance policy, annuity and investment certificate loans. These loans are carried at the aggregate of the unpaid loan balances, which do not exceed the cash surrender values of underlying products, plus accrued interest.
Other Investments
Other investments reflect the Company's interests in affordable housing partnerships and syndicated loans. Affordable housing partnerships are accounted for under the equity method. Syndicated loans reflect amortized cost less allowance for losses.
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Separate Account Assets and Liabilities
Separate account assets and liabilities are primarily funds held for the exclusive benefit of variable annuity contractholders and variable life insurance policyholders. The Company receives investment management fees, mortality and expense risk fees, guarantee fees and cost of insurance charges from the related accounts.
Included in separate account liabilities are investment liabilities of Threadneedle which represent the value of the units in issue of the pooled pension funds that are offered by Threadneedle's subsidiary, Threadneedle Pensions Limited.
Restricted and Segregated Cash
Total restricted cash at December 31, 2009 and 2008 was $383 million and $99 million, respectively, which cannot be utilized for operations. The Company's restricted cash at December 31, 2009 and 2008 primarily related to certain consolidated limited partnerships and cash that is pledged to counterparties. At December 31, 2009 and 2008, amounts segregated under federal and other regulations reflect cash of $1.2 billion and resale agreements and cash of $1.8 billion, respectively, segregated in special bank accounts for the benefit of the Company's brokerage customers. The Company's policy is to take possession of securities purchased under agreements to resell. Such securities are valued daily and additional collateral is obtained when appropriate.
Land, Buildings, Equipment and Software
Land, buildings, equipment and internally developed or purchased software are carried at cost less accumulated depreciation or amortization and are reflected within other assets. The Company generally uses the straight-line method of depreciation and amortization over periods ranging from three to 30 years. At December 31, 2009 and 2008, land, buildings, equipment and software were $728 million and $824 million, respectively, net of accumulated depreciation of $1.0 billion and $860 million, respectively. Depreciation and amortization expense for the years ended December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007 was $182 million, $169 million and $146 million, respectively.
Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets
Goodwill represents the amount of an acquired company's acquisition cost in excess of the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed. The Company evaluates goodwill for impairment annually on the measurement date of July 1 and whenever events and circumstances indicate that an impairment may have occurred, such as a significant adverse change in the business climate or a decision to sell or dispose of a reporting unit. In determining whether impairment has occurred, the Company uses a combination of the market approach and the discounted cash flow method, a variation of the income approach.
Intangible assets are amortized over their estimated useful lives unless they are deemed to have indefinite useful lives. The Company evaluates the definite lived intangible assets remaining useful lives annually and tests for impairment whenever events and circumstances indicate that an impairment may have occurred, such as a significant adverse change in the business climate. For definite lived intangible assets subject to amortization, impairment to fair value is recognized if the carrying amount is not recoverable. Indefinite lived intangibles are also tested for impairment annually or whenever circumstances indicate an impairment may have occurred. Impairment is recognized by the amount carrying value exceeds fair value.
Goodwill and other intangible assets are reflected in other assets.
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities
Freestanding derivative instruments are recorded at fair value and are reflected in other assets and other liabilities. See Note 18 for information regarding the Company's fair value measurement of derivative instruments. The accounting for changes in the fair value of a derivative instrument depends on its intended use and the resulting hedge designation, if any. The Company primarily uses derivatives as economic hedges that are not designated as accounting hedges or do not qualify for hedge accounting treatment. The Company occasionally designates derivatives as (i) hedges of changes in the fair value of assets, liabilities, or firm commitments ("fair value hedges"), (ii) hedges of a forecasted transaction or of the variability of cash flows to be received or paid related to a recognized asset or liability ("cash flow hedges"), or (iii) hedges of foreign currency exposures of net investments in foreign operations ("net investment hedges in foreign operations").
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The Company's policy is to not offset fair value amounts recognized for derivatives and collateral arrangements executed with the same counterparty under the same master netting arrangement.
For derivative instruments that do not qualify for hedge accounting or are not designated as hedges, changes in fair value are recognized in current period earnings. Changes in fair value of derivatives are presented in the Consolidated Statements of Operations based on the nature and use of the instrument. Changes in derivatives used as economic hedges are presented in the Consolidated Statements of Operations with the corresponding change in the hedged asset or liability.
For derivative instruments that qualify as fair value hedges, changes in the fair value of the derivatives, as well as of the hedged risk within the corresponding hedged assets, liabilities or firm commitments, are recognized in current earnings. If a fair value hedge designation is removed or the hedge is terminated prior to maturity, previous adjustments to the carrying value of the hedged item are recognized into earnings over the remaining life of the hedged item.
For derivative instruments that qualify as cash flow hedges, the effective portions of the gain or loss on the derivative instruments are reported in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) and reclassified into earnings when the hedged item or transaction impacts earnings. The amount that is reclassified into earnings is presented in the Consolidated Statements of Operations with the hedged instrument or transaction impact. Any ineffective portion of the gain or loss is reported currently in earnings as a component of net investment income. If a hedge designation is removed or a hedge is terminated prior to maturity, the amount previously recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) is recognized into earnings over the period that the hedged item impacts earnings. For any hedge relationships that are discontinued because the forecasted transaction is not expected to occur according to the original strategy, any related amounts previously recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) are recognized in earnings immediately.
For derivative instruments that qualify as net investment hedges in foreign operations, the effective portions of the change in fair value of the derivatives are recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) as part of the foreign currency translation adjustment. Any ineffective portions of net investment hedges are recognized in net investment income during the period of change.
See Note 20 for information regarding the impact of derivatives on the Consolidated Statements of Operations.
Derivative instruments that are entered into for hedging purposes are designated as such at the time the Company enters into the contract. For all derivative instruments that are designated for hedging activities, the Company formally documents all of the hedging relationships between the hedge instruments and the hedged items at the inception of the relationships. Management also formally documents its risk management objectives and strategies for entering into the hedge transactions. The Company formally assesses, at inception and on a quarterly basis, whether derivatives designated as hedges are highly effective in offsetting the fair value or cash flows of hedged items. If it is determined that a derivative is no longer highly effective as a hedge, the Company will discontinue the application of hedge accounting.
The equity component of equity indexed annuity and stock market investment certificate obligations are considered embedded derivatives. Additionally, certain annuities contain guaranteed minimum accumulation benefit ("GMAB") and guaranteed minimum withdrawal benefit ("GMWB") provisions. The GMAB and the non-life contingent benefits associated with GMWB provisions are also considered embedded derivatives. The fair value of embedded derivatives associated with annuities is included in future policy benefits and claims, whereas the fair value of stock market investment certificate embedded derivatives is included in customer deposits. The changes in the fair value of the equity indexed annuity and investment certificate embedded derivatives are reflected in interest credited to fixed accounts and banking and deposit interest expense, respectively. The changes in the fair value of the GMAB and GMWB embedded derivatives are reflected in benefits, claims, losses and settlement expenses.
Deferred Acquisition Costs
DAC represent the costs of acquiring new business, principally direct sales commissions and other distribution and underwriting costs that have been deferred on the sale of annuity and insurance products and, to a lesser extent, certain mutual fund products. These costs are deferred to the extent they are recoverable from future profits or premiums. The DAC associated with insurance or annuity contracts that are significantly modified or internally replaced with another contract are accounted for as contract terminations. These transactions are anticipated in establishing amortization periods and other valuation assumptions.
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Direct sales commissions and other costs deferred as DAC are amortized over time. For annuity and universal life ("UL") contracts, DAC are amortized based on projections of estimated gross profits over amortization periods equal to the approximate life of the business. For other insurance products, DAC are generally amortized as a percentage of premiums over amortization periods equal to the premium-paying period. For certain mutual fund products, DAC are generally amortized over fixed periods on a straight-line basis adjusted for redemptions.
For annuity and UL insurance products, the assumptions made in projecting future results and calculating the DAC balance and DAC amortization expense are management's best estimates. Management is required to update these assumptions whenever it appears that, based on actual experience or other evidence, earlier estimates should be revised. When assumptions are changed, the percentage of estimated gross profits used to amortize DAC might also change. A change in the required amortization percentage is applied retrospectively; an increase in amortization percentage will result in a decrease in the DAC balance and an increase in DAC amortization expense, while a decrease in amortization percentage will result in an increase in the DAC balance and a decrease in DAC amortization expense. The impact on results of operations of changing assumptions can be either positive or negative in any particular period and is reflected in the period in which such changes are made.
For other life and health insurance products, the assumptions made in calculating the DAC balance and DAC amortization expense are consistent with those used in determining the liabilities and, therefore, are intended to provide for adverse deviations in experience and are revised only if management concludes experience will be so adverse that DAC is not recoverable. If management concludes that DAC is not recoverable, DAC is reduced to the amount that is recoverable based on best estimate assumptions and there is a corresponding expense recorded in the Consolidated Statements of Operations.
For annuity, life and health insurance products, key assumptions underlying those long term projections include interest rates (both earning rates on invested assets and rates credited to contractholder and policyholder accounts), equity market performance, mortality and morbidity rates and the rates at which policyholders are expected to surrender their contracts, make withdrawals from their contracts and make additional deposits to their contracts. Assumptions about earned and credited interest rates are the primary factors used to project interest margins, while assumptions about equity and bond market performance are the primary factors used to project client asset value growth rates, and assumptions about surrenders, withdrawals and deposits comprise projected persistency rates. Management must also make assumptions to project maintenance expenses associated with servicing the Company's annuity and insurance businesses during the DAC amortization period.
The client asset value growth rates are the rates at which variable annuity and variable universal life ("VUL") insurance contract values invested in separate accounts are assumed to appreciate in the future. The rates used vary by equity and fixed income investments. Management reviews and, where appropriate, adjusts its assumptions with respect to client asset value growth rates on a regular basis. The Company typically uses a five-year mean reversion process as a guideline in setting near-term equity asset growth rates based on a long-term view of financial market performance as well as recent actual performance. The suggested near-term growth rate is reviewed to ensure consistency with management's assessment of anticipated equity market performance. In 2009, management continued to follow the mean reversion process, decreasing near-term equity asset growth rates to reflect the positive market. DAC amortization expense recorded in a period when client asset value growth rates exceed management's near-term estimate will typically be less than in a period when growth rates fall short of management's near-term estimate.
The Company monitors other principal DAC amortization assumptions, such as persistency, mortality, morbidity, interest margin and maintenance expense levels each quarter and, when assessed independently, each could impact the Company's DAC balances.
The analysis of DAC balances and the corresponding amortization is a dynamic process that considers all relevant factors and assumptions described previously. Unless the Company's management identifies a significant deviation over the course of the quarterly monitoring, management reviews and updates these DAC amortization assumptions annually in the third quarter of each year.
Deferred Sales Inducement Costs
DSIC consist of bonus interest credits and premium credits added to certain annuity contract and insurance policy values. These benefits are capitalized to the extent they are incremental to amounts that would be credited on similar contracts without the applicable feature. The amounts capitalized are amortized using the same methodology and assumptions used to amortize DAC. DSIC is recorded in other assets, and amortization of DSIC is recorded in benefits, claims, losses and settlement expenses.
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Reinsurance
The Company cedes significant amounts of insurance risk to other insurers under reinsurance agreements. Reinsurance premium paid and benefits received are accounted for consistently with the basis used in accounting for the policies from which risk is reinsured and consistently with the terms of the reinsurance contracts. Traditional life, long term care, disability income and auto and home reinsurance premium, net of the change in any prepaid reinsurance asset, is reported as a reduction of premiums. Fixed and variable universal life reinsurance premium is reported as a reduction of other revenues. Reinsurance recoveries are reported as components of benefits, claims, losses and settlement expenses.
Insurance liabilities are reported before the effects of reinsurance. Future policy benefits and claims recoverable under reinsurance contracts are recorded within receivables.
The Company also assumes life insurance and fixed annuity business from other insurers in limited circumstances. Reinsurance premiums received and benefits paid are accounted for consistently with the basis used in accounting for the policies from which risk is reinsured and consistently with the terms of the reinsurance contracts. Liabilities for assumed business are recorded within future policy benefits and claims.
See Note 10 for additional information on reinsurance.
Future Policy Benefits and Claims
Fixed Annuities and Variable Annuity Guarantees
Future policy benefits and claims related to fixed annuities and variable annuity guarantees include liabilities for fixed account values on fixed and variable deferred annuities, guaranteed benefits associated with variable annuities, equity indexed annuities and fixed annuities in a payout status.
Liabilities for fixed account values on fixed and variable deferred annuities are equal to accumulation values, which are the cumulative gross deposits and credited interest less withdrawals and various charges.
The majority of the variable annuity contracts offered by the Company contain guaranteed minimum death benefit ("GMDB") provisions. When market values of the customer's accounts decline, the death benefit payable on a contract with a GMDB may exceed the contract accumulation value. The Company also offers variable annuities with death benefit provisions that gross up the amount payable by a certain percentage of contract earnings, which are referred to as gain gross-up ("GGU") benefits. In addition, the Company offers contracts containing GMWB and GMAB provisions, and until May 2007, the Company offered contracts containing guaranteed minimum income benefit ("GMIB") provisions.
In determining the liabilities for GMDB, GMIB and the life contingent benefits associated with GMWB, the Company projects these benefits and contract assessments using actuarial models to simulate various equity market scenarios. Significant assumptions made in projecting future benefits and assessments relate to customer asset value growth rates, mortality, persistency and investment margins and are consistent with those used for DAC asset valuation for the same contracts. As with DAC, management reviews and, where appropriate, adjusts its assumptions each quarter. Unless management identifies a material deviation over the course of quarterly monitoring, management reviews and updates these assumptions annually in the third quarter of each year.
The GMDB liability is determined by estimating the expected value of death benefits in excess of the projected contract accumulation value and recognizing the excess over the estimated meaningful life based on expected assessments (e.g., mortality and expense fees, contractual administrative charges and similar fees).
If elected by the contract owner and after a stipulated waiting period from contract issuance, a GMIB guarantees a minimum lifetime annuity based on a specified rate of contract accumulation value growth and predetermined annuity purchase rates. The GMIB liability is determined each period by estimating the expected value of annuitization benefits in excess of the projected contract accumulation value at the date of annuitization and recognizing the excess over the estimated meaningful life based on expected assessments.
The embedded derivatives related to GMAB and the non-life contingent benefits associated with GMWB provisions are recorded at fair value. See Note 18 for information regarding the fair value measurement of embedded derivatives. The liability for the life contingent benefits associated with GMWB provisions is determined in the same way as the GMDB liability. The changes in both the fair values of the
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GMWB and GMAB embedded derivatives and the liability for life contingent benefits are reflected in benefits, claims, losses and settlement expenses.
Liabilities for equity indexed annuities are equal to the accumulation of host contract values covering guaranteed benefits and the fair value of embedded equity options.
Liabilities for fixed annuities in a benefit or payout status are based on future estimated payments using established industry mortality tables and interest rates, ranging from 4.6% to 9.5% at December 31, 2009, depending on year of issue, with an average rate of approximately 5.7%.
Life and Health Insurance
Future policy benefits and claims related to life and health insurance include liabilities for fixed account values on fixed and variable universal life policies, liabilities for unpaid amounts on reported claims, estimates of benefits payable on claims incurred but not yet reported and estimates of benefits that will become payable on term life, whole life and health insurance policies as claims are incurred in the future.
Liabilities for fixed account values on fixed and variable universal life insurance are equal to accumulation values. Accumulation values are the cumulative gross deposits and credited interest less various contractual expense and mortality charges and less amounts withdrawn by policyholders.
Liabilities for unpaid amounts on reported life insurance claims are equal to the death benefits payable under the policies. Liabilities for unpaid amounts on reported health insurance claims include any periodic or other benefit amounts due and accrued, along with estimates of the present value of obligations for continuing benefit payments. These amounts are calculated based on claim continuance tables which estimate the likelihood an individual will continue to be eligible for benefits. Present values are calculated at interest rates established when claims are incurred. Anticipated claim continuance rates are based on established industry tables, adjusted as appropriate for the Company's experience. Interest rates used with disability income claims ranged from 3.0% to 8.0% at December 31, 2009, with an average rate of 4.7%. Interest rates used with long term care claims ranged from 4.0% to 7.0% at December 31, 2009, with an average rate of 4.1%.
Liabilities for estimated benefits payable on claims that have been incurred but not yet reported are based on periodic analysis of the actual time lag between when a claim occurs and when it is reported.
Liabilities for estimates of benefits that will become payable on future claims on term life, whole life and health insurance policies are based on the net level premium method, using anticipated premium payments, mortality and morbidity rates, policy persistency and interest rates earned on assets supporting the liability. Anticipated mortality and morbidity rates are based on established industry mortality and morbidity tables, with modifications based on the Company's experience. Anticipated premium payments and persistency rates vary by policy form, issue age, policy duration and certain other pricing factors. Anticipated interest rates for term and whole life ranged from 4.0% to 10.0% at December 31, 2009, depending on policy form, issue year and policy duration. Anticipated interest rates for disability income vary by plan and are 7.5% and 6.0% at policy issue grading to 5.0% over five years and 4.5% over 20 years, respectively. Anticipated interest rates for long term care policy reserves can vary by plan and year and ranged from 5.8% to 9.4% at December 31, 2009.
Where applicable, benefit amounts expected to be recoverable from reinsurance companies who share in the risk are separately recorded as reinsurance recoverable within receivables.
Auto and Home Reserves
Auto and home reserves include amounts determined from loss reports on individual claims, as well as amounts based on historical loss experience for losses incurred but not yet reported. Such liabilities are necessarily based on estimates and, while management believes that the reserve amounts were adequate at December 31, 2009 and 2008, the ultimate liability may be in excess of or less than the amounts provided. The Company's methods for making such estimates and for establishing the resulting liabilities are continually reviewed, and any adjustments are reflected in earnings in the period such adjustments are made.
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Share-Based Compensation
The Company measures and recognizes the cost of share-based awards granted to employees and directors based on the grant-date fair value of the award and recognizes the expense on a straight-line basis over the vesting period. The fair value of each option is estimated on the grant date using a Black-Scholes option-pricing model. The Company recognizes the cost of share-based awards granted to independent contractors on a fair value basis until the award is fully vested.
Income Taxes
The Company's provision for income taxes represents the net amount of income taxes that the Company expects to pay or to receive from various taxing jurisdictions in connection with its operations. The Company provides for income taxes based on amounts that the Company believes it will ultimately owe taking into account the recognition and measurement for uncertain tax positions. Inherent in the provision for income taxes are estimates and judgments regarding the tax treatment of certain items.
In connection with the provision for income taxes, the Consolidated Financial Statements reflect certain amounts related to deferred tax assets and liabilities, which result from temporary differences between the assets and liabilities measured for financial statement purposes versus the assets and liabilities measured for tax return purposes. Among the Company's deferred tax assets is a significant deferred tax asset relating to capital losses that have been recognized for financial statement purposes but not yet for tax return purposes. Under current U.S. federal income tax law, capital losses generally must be used against capital gain income within five years of the year in which the capital losses are recognized for tax purposes.
The Company is required to establish a valuation allowance for any portion of its deferred tax assets that management believes will not be realized. Significant judgment is required in determining if a valuation allowance should be established and the amount of such allowance if required. Factors used in making this determination include estimates relating to the performance of the business including the ability to generate capital gains. Consideration is given to, among other things in making this determination: i) future taxable income exclusive of reversing temporary differences and carryforwards; ii) future reversals of existing taxable temporary differences; iii) taxable income in prior carryback years; and iv) tax planning strategies.
Sources of Revenue
The Company generates revenue from a wide range of investment and insurance products. Principal sources of revenue include management and financial advice fees, distribution fees, net investment income and premiums.
Management and Financial Advice Fees
Management and financial advice fees relate primarily to fees earned from managing mutual funds, separate account and wrap account assets, institutional investments, including structured investments, as well as fees earned from providing financial advice and administrative services (including transfer agent, administration and custodial fees earned from providing services to retail mutual funds). Management and financial advice fees also include mortality and expense risk fees earned on separate account assets.
The Company's management fees are generally accrued daily and collected monthly. A significant portion of the Company's management fees are calculated as a percentage of the fair value of its managed assets. The substantial majority of the Company's managed assets are valued by independent pricing services vendors based upon observable market data. The selection of the Company's pricing services vendors and the reliability of their prices are subject to certain governance procedures, such as periodic comparison across pricing vendors, due diligence reviews, daily price variance analysis, subsequent sales testing, stale price review, pricing vendor challenge process, and valuation committee oversight.
Many of the Company's mutual funds have a performance incentive adjustment ("PIA"). The PIA increases or decreases the level of management fees received based on the specific fund's relative performance as measured against a designated external index. The Company may also receive performance-based incentive fees from hedge funds or other structured investments that it manages. The Company recognizes PIA revenue monthly on a 12 month rolling performance basis. The monthly PIA and annual performance fees for structured investments are recognized as revenue at the time the performance fee is finalized or no longer subject to adjustment. The PIA is finalized on a monthly basis. All other performance fees are based on a full contract year and are final at the end of the contract year. Any performance fees received are not subject to repayment or any other clawback provisions. Employee benefit plan and institutional investment management and administration services fees are negotiated and are also generally based on underlying asset values. Fees from financial planning and advice services are recognized when the financial plan is delivered.
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Distribution Fees
Distribution fees primarily include point-of-sale fees (such as mutual fund front-end sales loads) and asset-based fees (such as 12b-1 distribution and shareholder service fees) that are generally based on a contractual percentage of assets and recognized when earned. Distribution fees also include amounts received under marketing support arrangements for sales of mutual funds and other companies' products, such as through the Company's wrap accounts, as well as surrender charges on fixed and variable universal life insurance and annuities.
Net Investment Income
Net investment income primarily includes interest income on fixed maturity securities classified as Available-for-Sale, commercial mortgage loans, policy loans, consumer loans, other investments and cash and cash equivalents; the changes in fair value of trading securities, including seed money, and certain derivatives; the pro rata share of net income or loss on equity method investments; and realized gains and losses on the sale of securities and charges for other-than-temporary impairments of investments related to credit losses. Interest income is accrued as earned using the effective interest method, which makes an adjustment of the yield for security premiums and discounts on all performing fixed maturity securities classified as Available-for-Sale, excluding structured securities, and commercial mortgage loans so that the related security or loan recognizes a constant rate of return on the outstanding balance throughout its term. For beneficial interests in structured securities, the excess cash flows attributable to a beneficial interest over the initial investment are recognized as interest income over the life of the beneficial interest using the effective yield method. Realized gains and losses on securities, other than trading securities and equity method investments, are recognized using the specific identification method on a trade date basis.
Premiums
Premiums include premiums on property-casualty insurance, traditional life and health (disability income and long term care) insurance and immediate annuities with a life contingent feature. Premiums on auto and home insurance are net of reinsurance premiums and are recognized ratably over the coverage period. Premiums on traditional life and health insurance are net of reinsurance ceded and are recognized as revenue when due.
3. Recent Accounting Pronouncements
Adoption of New Accounting Standards
Accounting and Reporting for Decreases in Ownership of a Subsidiary
In January 2010, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") updated the accounting standards to clarify the accounting and disclosure requirements for changes in the ownership percentage of a subsidiary. The additional disclosures primarily relate to instances when a subsidiary is deconsolidated or a group of assets is derecognized. The additional disclosures primarily relate to fair value considerations, the parent's involvement with the deconsolidated entity and related party considerations. The standard is effective for the first interim or annual reporting period ending after December 15, 2009. The Company adopted the standard in the fourth quarter of 2009. The adoption did not have any effect on the Company's consolidated results of operations and financial condition.
Investments in Certain Entities That Calculate Net Asset Value per Share (or Its Equivalent)
In September 2009, the FASB updated the accounting standards to allow for net asset value ("NAV") to be used as a practical expedient in estimating the fair value of alternative investments without readily determinable fair values. The standard also requires additional disclosure by major category of investment related to restrictions on the investor's ability to redeem the investment as of the measurement date, unfunded commitments and the investment strategies of the investees. The disclosures are required for all investments within the scope of the standard regardless of whether the fair value of the investment is measured using the NAV or another method. The standard is effective for interim and annual periods ending after December 15, 2009, with early adoption permitted. The Company adopted the standard in the fourth quarter of 2009. The adoption did not have a material effect on the Company's consolidated results of operations and financial condition.
Measuring Liabilities at Fair Value
In August 2009, the FASB updated the accounting standards to provide additional guidance on estimating the fair value of a liability. The standard is effective for the first reporting period, including interim periods, beginning after issuance. The Company adopted the standard in the fourth quarter of 2009. The adoption did not have a material effect on the Company's consolidated results of operations and financial condition.
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Employer's Disclosures about Postretirement Benefit Plan Assets
In December 2008, the FASB updated the accounting standards to require enhanced disclosure related to postretirement benefit plan assets, including information about inputs and techniques used to determine the fair value of plan assets. The standard is effective for the first fiscal year ending after December 15, 2009, with early adoption permitted. The Company adopted this standard as of December 31, 2009. See Note 19 for the required disclosures.
The Hierarchy of GAAP
In June 2009, the FASB established the FASB Accounting Standards CodificationTM ("Codification") as the single source of authoritative accounting principles recognized by the FASB in the preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP. The Codification supersedes existing nongrandfathered, non-SEC accounting and reporting standards. The Codification did not change GAAP but rather organized it into a hierarchy where all guidance within the Codification carries an equal level of authority. The Codification became effective on July 1, 2009. The Codification did not have a material effect on the Company's consolidated results of operations and financial condition.
Subsequent Events
In May 2009, the FASB updated the accounting standards on the recognition and disclosure of subsequent events. The standard also requires the disclosure of the date through which subsequent events were evaluated. The standard is effective for interim and annual reporting periods ending after June 15, 2009, and shall be applied prospectively. The Company adopted the standard in the second quarter of 2009. The adoption did not have a material effect on the Company's consolidated results of operations and financial condition.
Fair Value
In April 2009, the FASB updated the accounting standards to provide guidance on estimating the fair value of a financial asset or liability when the trade volume and level of activity for the asset or liability have significantly decreased relative to historical levels. The standard requires entities to disclose the inputs and valuation techniques used to measure fair value and any changes in valuation inputs or techniques. In addition, debt and equity securities as defined by GAAP shall be disclosed by major category. This standard is effective for interim and annual reporting periods ending after June 15, 2009, with early adoption permitted for periods ending after March 15, 2009, and is to be applied prospectively. The Company early adopted the standard in the first quarter of 2009. The adoption did not have a material effect on the Company's consolidated results of operations and financial condition.
In September 2006, the FASB updated the accounting standards to define fair value, establish a framework for measuring fair value and expand disclosures about fair value measurements. The Company adopted the standard effective January 1, 2008 and recorded a cumulative effect reduction to the opening balance of retained earnings of $30 million, net of DAC and DSIC amortization and income taxes. This reduction to retained earnings was related to adjusting the fair value of certain derivatives the Company uses to hedge its exposure to market risk related to certain variable annuity riders. Prior to January 1, 2008, the Company recorded these derivatives in accordance with accounting guidance for derivative contracts held for trading purposes and contracts involved in energy trading and risk management activities. The new standard nullifies the previous guidance and requires these derivatives to be marked to the price the Company would receive to sell the derivatives to a market participant (an exit price). The adoption of the standard also resulted in adjustments to the fair value of the Company's embedded derivative liabilities associated with certain variable annuity riders. Since there is no market for these liabilities, the Company considered the assumptions participants in a hypothetical market would make to determine an exit price. As a result, the Company adjusted the valuation of these liabilities by updating certain policyholder assumptions, adding explicit margins to provide for profit, risk, and expenses, and adjusting the rate used to discount expected cash flows to reflect a current market estimate of the Company's risk of nonperformance specific to these liabilities. These adjustments resulted in an adoption impact of a $4 million increase in earnings, net of DAC and DSIC amortization and income taxes, at January 1, 2008. The nonperformance risk component of the adjustment is specific to the risk of RiverSource Life Insurance Company ("RiverSource Life") and RiverSource Life Insurance Co. of New York ("RiverSource Life of NY") (collectively, "RiverSource Life companies") not fulfilling these liabilities. As the Company's estimate of this credit spread widens or tightens, the liability will decrease or increase.
Recognition and Presentation of Other-Than-Temporary Impairments
In April 2009, the FASB updated the accounting standards for the recognition and presentation of other-than-temporary impairments. The standard amends existing guidance on other-than-temporary impairments for debt securities and requires that the credit portion of other-than-temporary impairments be recorded in earnings and the noncredit portion of losses be recorded in other comprehensive income (loss) when the entity does not intend to sell the security and it is more likely than not that the entity will not be required to sell the
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security prior to recovery of its cost basis. The standard requires separate presentation of both the credit and noncredit portions of other-than-temporary impairments on the financial statements and additional disclosures. This standard is effective for interim and annual reporting periods ending after June 15, 2009, with early adoption permitted for periods ending after March 15, 2009. At the date of adoption, the portion of previously recognized other-than-temporary impairments that represent the noncredit related loss component shall be recognized as a cumulative effect of adoption with an adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings with a corresponding adjustment to accumulated other comprehensive income (loss). The Company adopted the standard in the first quarter of 2009 and recorded a cumulative effect increase to the opening balance of retained earnings of $132 million, net of DAC and DSIC amortization, certain benefit reserves and income taxes, and a corresponding increase to accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of impacts to DAC and DSIC amortization, certain benefit reserves and income taxes. See Note 7 for the required disclosures.
Determining Whether Instruments Granted in Share-Based Payment Transactions are Participating Securities
In June 2008, the FASB updated the accounting standards for determining whether instruments granted in share-based payment transactions are participating securities. The standard clarifies that unvested share-based payment awards with nonforfeitable rights to dividends or dividend equivalents are considered participating securities and should be included in the calculation of earnings per share pursuant to the two-class method. The standard is effective for financial statements issued for periods beginning after December 15, 2008, with early adoption prohibited. The standard requires that all prior-period earnings per share data be adjusted retrospectively to conform with the provisions of the new standard. The Company adopted the new standard as of January 1, 2009. The adoption did not have a material effect on the Company's earnings per share.
Disclosures about Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities
In March 2008, the FASB updated the accounting standards for disclosures about derivative instruments and hedging activities. The standard intends to improve financial reporting about derivative instruments and hedging activities by requiring enhanced disclosures about their impact on an entity's financial position, financial performance, and cash flows. The standard requires disclosures regarding the objectives for using derivative instruments, the fair value of derivative instruments and their related gains and losses, and the accounting for derivatives and related hedged items. The standard is effective for fiscal years and interim periods beginning after November 15, 2008, with early adoption permitted. The Company applied the new disclosure requirements in the first quarter of 2009. See Note 20 for the required disclosures.
Noncontrolling Interests in Consolidated Financial Statements
In December 2007, the FASB updated the accounting standards for noncontrolling interests in consolidated financial statements to establish the accounting and reporting for ownership interest in subsidiaries not attributable, directly or indirectly, to a parent. The standard requires noncontrolling (minority) interests to be classified as equity (instead of as a liability) within the consolidated balance sheet, and net income (loss) attributable to both the parent and the noncontrolling interests to be disclosed on the face of the consolidated statement of operations. The standard is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2008, and interim periods within those years with early adoption prohibited. The provisions of the standard are to be applied prospectively, except for the presentation and disclosure requirements which are to be applied retrospectively to all periods presented. The Company adopted the new standard as of January 1, 2009. The adoption did not have a material effect on the Company's consolidated results of operations and financial condition.
Accounting for Defined Benefit Pension and Other Postretirement Plans
In September 2006, the FASB updated the accounting standards for defined benefit pension and other postretirement plans. As of December 31, 2006, the Company adopted the recognition provisions of the standard which requires an entity to recognize the overfunded or underfunded status of an employer's defined benefit postretirement plan as an asset or liability in its statement of financial position and to recognize changes in that funded status in the year in which the changes occur through comprehensive income. The Company's adoption of the recognition provisions of the standard did not have a material effect on the consolidated results of operations and financial condition. As of December 31, 2008, the Company adopted the measurement provisions of the standard which require the measurement of plan assets and benefit obligations to be as of the same date as the employer's fiscal year-end statement of financial position. The Company's adoption of the measurement provisions of the standard resulted in an after-tax decrease to retained earnings of $5 million.
Uncertainty in Income Taxes
In June 2006, the FASB updated the accounting standards related to uncertainty in income taxes. The standard prescribes a recognition threshold and measurement attribute for the financial statement recognition and measurement of a tax position taken or expected to be
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taken in a tax return. The standard also provides guidance on derecognition, classification, interest and penalties, accounting in interim periods, disclosure and transition. The Company adopted the standard as of January 1, 2007 and recorded a cumulative change in accounting principle resulting in an increase in the liability for unrecognized tax benefits and a decrease in beginning retained earnings of $4 million.
DAC Costs in Connection With Modifications or Exchanges of Insurance Contracts
In September 2005, the accounting standards related to DAC in connection with modifications or exchanges of insurance contracts were updated. The standard provides clarifying guidance on accounting for DAC associated with an insurance or annuity contract that is significantly modified or is internally replaced with another contract. Prior to adoption, the Company accounted for many of these transactions as contract continuations and continued amortizing existing DAC against revenue for the new or modified contract. Effective January 1, 2007, the Company adopted the standard resulting in these transactions being prospectively accounted for as contract terminations. Consistent with this, the Company now anticipates these transactions in establishing amortization periods and other valuation assumptions. As a result of adopting the standard, the Company recorded as a cumulative change in accounting principle $206 million, reducing DAC by $204 million, DSIC by $11 million and liabilities for future policy benefits by $9 million. The after-tax decrease to retained earnings for these changes was $134 million.
Future Adoption of New Accounting Standards
Fair Value
In January 2010, the FASB updated the accounting standards related to disclosure about fair value measurements. The standard expands the current disclosure requirements to include additional detail about significant transfers between Levels 1 and 2 within the fair value hierarchy and presenting activity in the rollforward of Level 3 activity on a gross basis. The standard also clarifies existing disclosure requirements related to the level of disaggregation to be used for assets and liabilities as well as disclosures about the inputs and valuation techniques used to measure fair value. The standard is effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2009, except for the disclosure requirements related to the Level 3 rollforward, which are effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2010. The Company will adopt the standard in the first quarter of 2010 except for the additional disclosures related to the Level 3 rollforward, which the Company will adopt in the first quarter of 2011. The adoption of the standard will not impact the Company's consolidated results of operations and financial condition.
Consolidation of Variable Interest Entities
In June 2009, the FASB updated the accounting standards related to the consolidation of variable interest entities. The standard amends current consolidation guidance and requires additional disclosures about an enterprise's involvement in VIEs. The standard is effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after November 15, 2009, with early adoption prohibited. The Company manages $6.4 billion collateralized debt obligation entities that may be consolidated as a result of adopting the standard. The Company is in the process of evaluating whether any of these entities will be consolidated in the first quarter of 2010. The Company is also assessing the impacts consolidation would have on the Consolidated Balance Sheets and the Consolidated Results of Operations.
4. Separation and Distribution from American Express
Ameriprise Financial was formerly a wholly owned subsidiary of American Express Company ("American Express"). On February 1, 2005, the American Express Board of Directors announced its intention to pursue the disposition of 100% of its shareholdings in Ameriprise Financial (the "Separation") through a tax-free distribution to American Express shareholders. Effective as of the close of business on September 30, 2005, American Express completed the separation of Ameriprise Financial and the distribution of the Ameriprise Financial common shares to American Express shareholders (the "Distribution").
American Express historically provided a variety of corporate and other support services for the Company, including information technology, treasury, accounting, financial reporting, tax administration, human resources, marketing, legal and other services. Following the Distribution, American Express provided the Company with many of these services pursuant to transition services agreements for transition periods of up to two years or more, if extended by mutual agreement of the Company and American Express. The Company terminated all of these service agreements and completed its separation from American Express in 2007.
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The Company incurred significant non-recurring separation costs in 2007 as a result of the Separation. These costs were primarily associated with establishing the Ameriprise Financial brand, separating and reestablishing the Company's technology platforms and advisor and employee retention programs.
5. Acquisitions and Pending Transactions
On September 30, 2009, the Company announced a definitive agreement to acquire the long-term asset management business of Columbia Management Group ("Columbia"). The total consideration to be paid will be between $900 million and $1.2 billion based on net asset flows at Columbia before closing. The acquisition is expected to be funded through the use of cash on hand and is expected to close in the spring of 2010, subject to satisfaction of closing conditions that are generally present in similar acquisitions.
In the fourth quarter of 2008, the Company completed its all-cash acquisitions of H&R Block Financial Advisors, Inc., subsequently renamed Ameriprise Advisor Services, Inc. ("AASI"), J. & W. Seligman & Co., Incorporated ("Seligman") and Brecek & Young Advisors, Inc. for $329 million, $432 million and $26 million, respectively. The cost of the acquisitions included the purchase price and transaction costs. These acquisitions further expanded the Company's retail distribution and asset management businesses. The Company recorded the assets and liabilities acquired at fair value and allocated the remaining costs to goodwill and intangible assets. See Note 2 and Note 9 for additional information on goodwill and intangible assets.
6. Variable Interest Entities
The Company consolidates a VIE for which it is considered the primary beneficiary. As of December 31, 2009 and 2008, the Company had investments of $10 million and non-recourse debt of $6 million, respectively, on the Consolidated Balance Sheet related to this entity.
The Company has variable interests for which it is not the primary beneficiary and, therefore, does not consolidate. The Company's maximum exposure to loss as a result of its investment in these entities is limited to its carrying value. The Company has no obligation to provide further financial or other support to the VIEs nor has the Company provided any additional support to the VIEs other than services it is separately compensated for through management agreements. The Company had no liabilities recorded as of December 31, 2009 and 2008 related to these entities.
The Company is a limited partner in affordable housing partnerships which qualify for government sponsored low income housing tax credit programs. Certain of these partnerships are considered to be variable interest entities; however, the Company does not consolidate these partnerships because it is not the primary beneficiary. The carrying values of the affordable housing partnerships are reflected in investments and were $28 million and $54 million as of December 31, 2009 and 2008, respectively.
For the collateralized debt obligations ("CDOs") managed by the Company, the Company has evaluated its variability in losses and returns considering its investment levels, which are less than 50% of the residual tranches, and the fees received from managing the structures and has determined that consolidation is not required. The carrying values of the CDOs are reflected in investments and were $58 million and $50 million as of December 31, 2009 and 2008, respectively. The Company manages $6.4 billion of underlying collateral consisting primarily of below investment grade syndicated bank loans within the CDOs.
7. Investments
The following is a summary of investments:
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Available-for-Sale securities distributed by type were as follows:
(1)Represents the amount of other-than-temporary impairment losses in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income, which starting January 1, 2009, were not included in earnings. Amount includes unrealized gains and losses on impaired securities subsequent to the impairment measurement date. These amounts are included in gross unrealized gains and losses as of December 31, 2009.
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At December 31, 2009 and 2008, fixed maturity securities comprised approximately 88% and 83%, respectively, of the Company's total investments. These securities were rated by Moody's Investors Service ("Moody's"), Standard & Poor's Ratings Services ("S&P") and Fitch Ratings Ltd. ("Fitch"), except for approximately $1.2 billion of securities at December 31, 2009 and 2008, which were rated by the Company's internal analysts using criteria similar to Moody's, S&P and Fitch. Ratings on fixed maturity securities are presented using the median of ratings from Moody's, S&P and Fitch. If only two of the ratings are available, the lower rating is used. A summary of fixed maturity securities by rating was as follows:
At December 31, 2009 and 2008, approximately 24% and 45%, respectively, of the securities rated AAA were GNMA, FNMA and FHLMC mortgage backed securities. No holdings of any other issuer were greater than 10% of shareholders' equity.
The following tables provide information about Available-for-Sale securities with gross unrealized losses and the length of time that individual securities have been in a continuous unrealized loss position:
As part of the Company's ongoing monitoring process, management determined that a majority of the gross unrealized losses on its Available-for-Sale securities are attributable to changes in credit spreads across sectors. The primary driver of lower unrealized losses in
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compared to 2008 was the tightening of credit spreads across sectors, partially offset by higher interest rates. In addition, a portion of the decrease in unrealized losses was offset by an increase due to the adoption of a new accounting standard effective January 1, 2009. The Company recorded a cumulative effect increase to the amortized cost of previously other-than-temporarily impaired investments that increased the gross unrealized losses on Available-for-Sale securities by $211 million. This impact is due to the impairment of Available-for-Sale securities recognized in other comprehensive income (loss) previously recognized through earnings for factors other than credit.
The following table presents a rollforward of the cumulative amounts recognized in the Consolidated Statements of Operations for other-than-temporary impairments related to credit losses on securities for which a portion of the securities' total other-than-temporary impairments was recognized in other comprehensive income (loss):
The change in net unrealized securities gains (losses) in other comprehensive income (loss) includes three components, net of tax: (i) unrealized gains (losses) that arose from changes in the market value of securities that were held during the period; (ii) (gains) losses that were previously unrealized, but have been recognized in current period net income due to sales of Available-for-Sale securities; and (iii) other items primarily consisting of adjustments in asset and liability balances, such as DAC, DSIC, benefit reserves and reinsurance recoverables, to reflect the expected impact on their carrying values had the unrealized gains (losses) been realized as of the respective balance sheet dates. As a result of the adoption of a new accounting standard effective January 1, 2009, net unrealized investment gains (losses) arising during the period also includes other-than-temporary impairment losses on Available-for-Sale securities related to factors other than credit that were recognized in other comprehensive income (loss) during the period. Additionally, reclassification of (gains) losses included in net income contains noncredit other-than-temporary impairment losses that were previously unrealized, but have been recognized in current period net income due to their reclassification as credit losses.
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The following table presents a rollforward of the net unrealized securities gains (losses) on Available-for-Sale securities included in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss):
(1)Amount represents the cumulative effect of adopting a new accounting standard on January 1, 2009, net of DAC and DSIC amortization and certain benefit reserves. See Note 3 for additional information on the adoption impact. (2)At December 31, 2009, Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income Related to Net Unrealized Investment Gains included $(84) million of noncredit related impairments on securities and net unrealized securities losses on previously impaired securities. Net realized gains and losses on Available-for-Sale securities, determined using the specific identification method, were as follows:
The $93 million of other-than-temporary impairments in 2009 primarily related to credit losses on non-agency residential mortgage backed securities, corporate debt securities primarily in the financial services and gaming industries and other structured investments. The $762 million of other-than-temporary impairments in 2008 related to credit losses on non-agency residential mortgage backed securities, corporate debt securities primarily in the financial services and gaming industries and asset backed and other securities. The $5 million of other-than-temporary impairments in 2007 related to corporate debt securities in the publishing and home building industries.
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Available-for-Sale securities by contractual maturity at December 31, 2009 were as follows:
Actual maturities may differ from contractual maturities because issuers may have the right to call or prepay obligations. Residential mortgage backed securities, commercial mortgage backed securities, asset backed securities and other structured investments are not due at a single maturity date. As such, these securities, as well as common and preferred stocks, were not included in the maturities distribution.
Commercial Mortgage Loans, Net
The following is a summary of commercial mortgage loans:
Commercial mortgage loans are first mortgages on real estate. The Company holds the mortgage documents, which gives it the right to take possession of the property if the borrower fails to perform according to the terms of the agreements.
The balances of and changes in the allowance for loan losses were as follows:
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Concentrations of credit risk of commercial mortgage loans by region were as follows:
Concentrations of credit risk of commercial mortgage loans by property type were as follows:
Commitments to fund commercial mortgages were made in the ordinary course of business. The funding commitments at December 31, 2009 and 2008 approximate fair value.
Trading Securities
Net recognized gains (losses) related to trading securities held at December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007 were $31 million, $(88) million and $3 million, respectively, for the years then ended.
8. Deferred Acquisition Costs and Deferred Sales Inducement Costs
During the third quarter of 2009, 2008 and 2007, the Company completed the annual detailed review of valuation assumptions for products of RiverSource Life companies. In addition, during the third quarter of 2008, the Company converted to a new industry standard valuation system that provides enhanced modeling capabilities.
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The total pretax impacts on the Company's assets and liabilities attributable to the review of valuation assumptions during the third quarter of 2009, 2008 and 2007 and the valuation system conversion during the third quarter of 2008 were as follows:
The total pretax impacts on the Company's revenues and expenses attributable to the review of valuation assumptions for the years ended December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007 and the valuation system conversion for the year ended December 31, 2008 were as follows:
The balances of and changes in DAC were as follows:
The balances of and changes in DSIC, included in other assets on the Consolidated Balance Sheets, were as follows:
The Company adopted a new accounting standard on the recognition and presentation of other-than-temporary impairments in the first quarter of 2009. The adoption had no net impact to DAC and DSIC.
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Effective January 1, 2008, the Company adopted a new accounting standard on fair value measurements and recorded as a cumulative change in accounting principle a pretax increase of $36 million and $9 million to DAC and DSIC, respectively. See Note 3 for additional information regarding the Company's adoption of fair value accounting standards.
Effective January 1, 2007, the Company adopted a new accounting standard related to DAC in connection with modification or exchanges of insurance contracts and recorded as a cumulative change in accounting principle a pretax reduction of $204 million and $11 million to DAC and DSIC, respectively.
9. Goodwill and Other Intangibles
Goodwill and other intangible assets deemed to have indefinite lives are not amortized but are instead subject to impairment tests. For the years ended December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007, the tests did not indicate impairment. The gross carrying amount of identifiable intangible assets with indefinite useful lives was $25 million and $19 million as of December 31, 2009 and 2008, respectively.
The changes in the carrying amount of goodwill reported in the Company's four main operating segments were as follows:
Definite-lived intangible assets consisted of the following:
In 2009, the Company recorded purchase price adjustments to definite-lived intangible assets of $2 million related to customer relationships, $2 million related to contracts and $1 million of other intangibles. In addition, the Company acquired other intangibles of $2 million during the year ended December 31, 2009 with a weighted-average amortization period of five years. The increase (decrease) to net definite-lived intangible assets due to changes in foreign currency exchange rates was $13 million, $(53) million and $3 million for the years ended December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007, respectively. The aggregate amortization expense for definite-lived intangible assets during the years ended December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007 was $32 million, $25 million and $27 million, respectively. In 2009, 2008 and 2007, the Company had impairment charges of nil, $8 million and $1 million, respectively, related to Asset Management contracts.
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Estimated intangible amortization expense as of December 31, 2009 for the next five years was as follows:
10. Reinsurance
Generally, the Company reinsures 90% of the death benefit liability related to individual fixed and variable universal life and term life insurance products. As a result, the Company typically retains and is at risk for, at most, 10% of each policy's death benefit from the first dollar of coverage for new sales of these policies, subject to the reinsurers fulfilling their obligations. The Company began reinsuring risks at this level beginning in 2001 for term life insurance and 2002 for individual fixed and variable universal life insurance. Policies issued prior to these dates are not subject to these same reinsurance levels. Generally, the maximum amount of life insurance risk retained by the Company is $1.5 million (increased from $750,000 during 2008) on a single life and $1.5 million on any flexible premium survivorship life policy. Risk on fixed and variable universal life policies is reinsured on a yearly renewable term basis. Risk on most term life policies starting in 2001 is reinsured on a coinsurance basis, a type of reinsurance in which the reinsurer participates proportionally in all material risks and premiums associated with a policy.
For existing long term care policies, RiverSource Life (and RiverSource Life of NY for 1996 and later issues) retained 50% of the risk and ceded the remaining 50% of the risk on a coinsurance basis to subsidiaries of Genworth Financial, Inc. ("Genworth").
In addition, the Company assumes life insurance and fixed annuity risk under reinsurance arrangements with unaffiliated insurance companies.
Generally, the Company retains at most $5,000 per month of risk per life on disability income policies sold on policy forms introduced in October 2007 in most states and reinsures the remainder of the risk on a coinsurance basis with unaffiliated reinsurance companies. The Company retains all risk for new claims on disability income contracts sold on other policy forms. The Company also retains all risk on accidental death benefit claims and substantially all risk associated with waiver of premium provisions.
The Company also reinsures a portion of the risks associated with its personal auto and home insurance products through two types of reinsurance agreements with unaffiliated reinsurance companies. The Company purchases reinsurance with a limit of $5 million per loss and the Company retains $750,000 per loss. The Company purchases catastrophe reinsurance and retains $10 million of loss per event with loss recovery up to $80 million per event.
The effect of reinsurance on premiums was as follows:
Cost of insurance and administrative charges on UL and VUL insurance are reflected in other revenues and were net of reinsurance ceded of $62 million, $61 million and $57 million for the years ended December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007, respectively. Reinsurance recovered from reinsurers was $174 million, $151 million and $130 million for the years ended December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007, respectively. Reinsurance contracts do not relieve the Company from its primary obligation to policyholders.
Receivables included $1.7 billion and $1.6 billion of reinsurance recoverables as of December 31, 2009 and 2008, respectively, including $1.3 billion and $1.2 billion recoverable from Genworth, respectively. Included in future policy benefits and claims were $667 million and $689 million related to assumed reinsurance arrangements as of December 31, 2009 and 2008, respectively.
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11. Future Policy Benefits and Claims and Separate Account Liabilities
Future policy benefits and claims consisted of the following:
Separate account liabilities consisted of the following:
Fixed Annuities
Fixed annuities include both deferred and payout contracts. Deferred contracts offer a guaranteed minimum rate of interest and security of the principal invested. Payout contracts guarantee a fixed income payment for life or the term of the contract. The Company generally invests the proceeds from the annuity payments in fixed rate securities. The Company may hedge the interest rate risks related to fixed annuities with derivative instruments. As of December 31, 2009 and 2008, there were no outstanding derivatives to hedge these risks.
Equity Indexed Annuities
The Index 500 Annuity, the Company's equity indexed annuity product, is a single premium deferred fixed annuity. The contract is issued with an initial term of seven years and interest earnings are linked to the S&P 500 Index. This annuity has a minimum interest rate guarantee of 3% on 90% of the initial premium, adjusted for any surrenders. The Company generally invests the proceeds from the annuity deposits in fixed rate securities and hedges the equity risk with derivative instruments. See Note 20 for additional information regarding the Company's derivative instruments. In 2007, the Company discontinued new sales of equity indexed annuities.
Variable Annuities
Purchasers of variable annuities can select from a variety of investment options and can elect to allocate a portion to a fixed account. A vast majority of the premiums received for variable annuity contracts are held in separate accounts where the assets are held for the exclusive benefit of those contractholders.
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Most of the variable annuity contracts issued by the Company contain one or more guaranteed benefits, including GMWB, GMAB, GMDB and GGU provisions. The Company previously offered contracts with GMIB provisions. See Note 2 and Note 12 for additional information regarding the Company's variable annuity guarantees. The Company does not currently hedge its risk under the GGU and GMIB provisions. In the third quarter of 2009, the Company entered into a limited number of derivative contracts to economically hedge equity exposure related to GMDB provisions on variable annuity contracts written previously in 2009. The total value of variable annuity contracts with GMWB riders increased from $12.7 billion at December 31, 2008 to $19.2 billion at December 31, 2009. The total value of variable annuity contracts with GMAB riders increased from $2.0 billion at December 31, 2008 to $2.9 billion at December 31, 2009. The total value of variable annuity contracts with GMDB riders increased from $42.2 billion at December 31, 2008 to $53.7 billion at December 31, 2009, of which $5.2 billion have corresponding hedges. See Note 20 for additional information regarding derivative instruments used to hedge risks related to GMWB, GMAB and GMDB provisions.
Insurance Liabilities
VUL/UL is the largest group of insurance policies written by the Company. Purchasers of VUL can select from a variety of investment options and can elect to allocate a portion to a fixed account. A vast majority of the premiums received for VUL contracts are held in separate accounts where the assets are held for the exclusive benefit of those policyholders. The Company also offers term and whole life insurance as well as disability products. The Company no longer offers long term care products but has in force policies from prior years. Insurance liabilities include accumulation values, unpaid reported claims, incurred but not reported claims and obligations for anticipated future claims.
Threadneedle Investment Liabilities
Threadneedle provides a range of unitized pooled pension funds, which invest in property, stocks, bonds and cash. These funds are part of the long term business fund of Threadneedle's subsidiary, Threadneedle Pensions Limited. The investments are selected by the clients and are based on the level of risk they are willing to assume. All investment performance, net of fees, is passed through to the investors. The value of the liabilities represents the value of the units in issue of the pooled pension funds.
12. Variable Annuity and Insurance Guarantees
The majority of the variable annuity contracts offered by the Company contain GMDB provisions. The Company also offers variable annuities with death benefit provisions that gross up the amount payable by a certain percentage of contract earnings, which are referred to as GGU benefits. In addition, the Company offers contracts with GMWB and GMAB provisions. The Company previously offered contracts containing GMIB provisions. See Note 2 and Note 11 for additional information regarding the liabilities related to variable annuity guarantees.
The GMDB provisions provide a specified minimum return upon death of the contractholder. The death benefit payable is the greater of (i) the contract value less any purchase payment credits subject to recapture less a pro-rata portion of any rider fees, or (ii) the GMDB provisions specified in the contract. The Company has three primary GMDB provisions:
•Return of premium - provides purchase payments minus adjusted partial surrenders. •Reset - provides that the value resets to the account value every sixth contract anniversary minus adjusted partial surrenders. This provision is often provided in combination with the return of premium provision. This provision is no longer offered. •Ratchet - provides that the value ratchets up to the maximum account value at specified anniversary intervals, plus subsequent purchase payments less adjusted partial surrenders. The variable annuity contracts with GMWB riders typically have account values that are based on an underlying portfolio of mutual funds, the values of which fluctuate based on equity market performance. At issue, the guaranteed amount is equal to the amount deposited but the guarantee may be increased annually to the account value (a "step-up") in the case of favorable market performance.
The Company has GMWB riders inforce with the following provisions:
•withdrawals at a specified rate per year until the amount withdrawn is equal to the guaranteed amount. •withdrawals at a specified rate per year for the life of the contractholder ("GMWB for life"). •withdrawals at a specified rate per year for joint contractholders while either is alive. Once withdrawals begin, the contractholder's funds are moved to one of three less aggressive asset allocation models (of the five that are available prior to withdrawal). 120 ANNUAL REPORT 2009
•withdrawals based on performance of the contract or issue age. On some contracts, credits are applied annually for the first ten years to increase the guaranteed amount as long as withdrawals have not been taken. Variable annuity contractholders age 79 or younger at contract issue can also obtain a principal-back guarantee by purchasing the optional GMAB rider for an additional charge. The GMAB rider guarantees that, regardless of market performance at the end of the 10-year waiting period, the contract value will be no less than the original investment or 80% of the highest anniversary value, adjusted for withdrawals. If the contract value is less than the guarantee at the end of the 10 year period, a lump sum will be added to the contract value to make the contract value equal to the guarantee value.
Certain UL contracts offered by the Company provide secondary guarantee benefits. The secondary guarantee ensures that, subject to specified conditions, the policy will not terminate and will continue to provide a death benefit even if there is insufficient policy value to cover the monthly deductions and charges.
The following table provides information related to variable annuity guarantees for which the Company has established additional liabilities:
(1)Individual variable annuity contracts may have more than one guarantee and therefore may be included in more than one benefit type. Variable annuity contracts for which the death benefit equals the account value are not shown in this table. (2)Represents the current guaranteed benefit amount in excess of the current contract value. GMIB, GMWB and GMAB benefits are subject to waiting periods and payment periods specified in the contract. ANNUAL REPORT 2009 121
Changes in additional liabilities were as follows:
The liabilities for guaranteed benefits are supported by general account assets.
The following table summarizes the distribution of separate account balances by asset type for variable annuity contracts providing guaranteed benefits:
No gains or losses were recognized on assets transferred to separate accounts for the periods presented.
13. Customer Deposits
Customer deposits consisted of the following:
Investment Certificates
The Company offers fixed rate investment certificates primarily in amounts ranging from $1,000 to $1 million with terms ranging from three to 36 months. Investment certificates may be purchased either with a lump sum payment or installment payments. Certificate product owners are entitled to receive, at maturity, a definite sum of money. Payments from certificate owners are credited to investment certificate reserves. Investment certificate reserves generally accumulate interest at specified percentage rates. Reserves are maintained for advance payments made by certificate owners, accrued interest thereon and for additional credits in excess of minimum guaranteed
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rates and accrued interest thereon. On certificates allowing for the deduction of a surrender charge, the cash surrender values may be less than accumulated investment certificate reserves prior to maturity dates. Cash surrender values on certificates allowing for no surrender charge are equal to certificate reserves. The Company generally invests the proceeds from investment certificates in fixed and variable rate securities. The Company may hedge the interest rate risks under these obligations with derivative instruments. As of December 31, 2009 and 2008, there were no outstanding derivatives to hedge these interest rate risks.
Certain investment certificate products have returns tied to the performance of equity markets. The Company guarantees the principal for purchasers who hold the certificate for the full 52-week term and purchasers may participate in increases in the stock market based on the S&P 500 Index, up to a maximum return. Purchasers can choose 100% participation in the market index up to the cap or 25% participation plus fixed interest with a combined total up to the cap. Current first term certificates have maximum returns of 4% or 5%. The equity component of these certificates is considered an embedded derivative and is accounted for separately. The change in fair values of the embedded derivative reserve is reflected in banking and deposit interest expense. See Note 20 for additional information about derivative instruments used to economically hedge the equity price risk related to the Company's stock market certificates.
14. Debt
Debt and the stated interest rates were as follows:
On November 23, 2005, the Company issued $1.5 billion of unsecured senior notes including $800 million of five-year senior notes which mature November 15, 2010 and $700 million of 10-year senior notes which mature November 15, 2015, and incurred debt issuance costs of $7 million. Interest payments are due semi-annually on May 15 and November 15.
In July 2009, the Company purchased $450 million aggregate principal amount of its senior notes due 2010, pursuant to a cash tender offer. The tender offer consideration per $1,000 principal amount of these notes accepted for purchase was $1,000, with an early tender payment of $30. Payments for these notes purchased pursuant to the tender offer included accrued and unpaid interest from the last interest payment date to, but not including, the settlement date. The Company also repurchased $10 million of these notes in the second quarter of 2009 in open market transactions.
On June 8, 2009, the Company issued $300 million of unsecured senior notes which mature June 28, 2019, and incurred debt issuance costs of $3 million. Interest payments are due semi-annually in arrears on June 28 and December 28.
On June 3, 2009, the Company issued $200 million of unsecured senior notes which mature June 15, 2039, and incurred debt issuance costs of $6 million. Interest payments are due quarterly in arrears on March 15, June 15, September 15 and December 15.
In June 2005, the Company entered into interest rate swap agreements totaling $1.5 billion, which qualified as cash flow hedges related to planned debt offerings. The Company terminated the swap agreements in November 2005 when the senior notes due 2010 and 2015 were issued. The related gain on the swap agreements of $71 million was recorded to accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) and is being amortized as a reduction to interest expense over the period in which the hedged cash flows are expected to occur. Considering the
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impact of the hedge credits, the effective interest rates on the senior notes due 2010, 2015, 2019 and 2039 are 4.8%, 5.2%, 7.2% and 7.5%, respectively.
On May 26, 2006, the Company issued $500 million of unsecured junior subordinated notes, which mature June 1, 2066, and incurred debt issuance costs of $6 million. For the initial 10-year period, the junior notes carry a fixed interest rate of 7.5% payable semi-annually in arrears on June 1 and December 1. From June 1, 2016 until the maturity date, interest on the junior notes will accrue at an annual rate equal to the three-month LIBOR plus a margin equal to 290.5 basis points, payable quarterly in arrears. The Company has the option to defer interest payments, subject to certain limitations. In addition, interest payments are mandatorily deferred if the Company does not meet specified capital adequacy, net income or shareholders' equity levels. As of December 31, 2009 and 2008, the Company had met the specified levels. In 2009 and 2008, the Company extinguished $135 million and $43 million, respectively, of its junior notes in open market transactions and recognized a gain of $58 million and $19 million, respectively, in other revenues.
The floating rate revolving credit borrowings due 2013 and 2014 are non-recourse debt related to certain consolidated property funds. The debt will be extinguished with the cash flows from the sale of the investments held within the partnerships.
The municipal bond inverse floater certificates mature in 2021 and are non-recourse debt obligations of a consolidated structured entity supported by a $10 million portfolio of municipal bonds.
On September 30, 2005, the Company obtained an unsecured revolving credit facility for $750 million expiring in September 2010 from various third party financial institutions. Under the terms of the credit agreement, the Company may increase the amount of this facility to $1.0 billion. As of December 31, 2009 and 2008, no borrowings were outstanding under this facility. Outstanding letters of credit issued against this facility were $2 million as of December 31, 2009 and 2008. The Company has agreed under this credit agreement not to pledge the shares of its principal subsidiaries and was in compliance with this covenant as of December 31, 2009 and 2008.
At December 31, 2009, future maturities of debt were as follows:
15. Related Party Transactions
The Company may engage in transactions in the ordinary course of business with significant shareholders or their subsidiaries, between the Company and its directors and officers or with other companies whose directors or officers may also serve as directors or officers for the Company or its subsidiaries. The Company carries out these transactions on customary terms. The transactions have not had a material impact on the Company's consolidated results of operations or financial condition.
The Company's executive officers and directors may have transactions with the Company or its subsidiaries involving financial products and insurance services. All obligations arising from these transactions are in the ordinary course of the Company's business and are on the same terms in effect for comparable transactions with the general public. Such obligations involve normal risks of collection and do not have features or terms that are unfavorable to the Company's subsidiaries.
16. Share-Based Compensation
The Company's share-based compensation plans consist of the Amended and Restated Ameriprise Financial 2005 Incentive Compensation Plan (the "2005 ICP"), the Ameriprise Financial 2008 Employment Incentive Equity Award Plan (the "2008 Plan"), the Amended Deferred Equity Program for Independent Financial Advisors ("P2 Deferral Plan"), and the Ameriprise Advisor Group Deferred Compensation Plan ("P1 Plan").
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The components of the Company's share-based compensation expense, net of forfeitures, were as follows:
For the years ended December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007, the total income tax benefit recognized by the Company related to the share-based compensation expense was $64 million, $52 million and $50 million, respectively.
As of December 31, 2009, there was $158 million of total unrecognized compensation cost related to non-vested awards under the Company's share-based compensation plans. That cost is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 2.5 years.
Amended and Restated Ameriprise Financial 2005 Incentive Compensation Plan
The 2005 ICP, which was amended and approved by shareholders on April 25, 2007, provides for the grant of cash and equity incentive awards to directors, employees and independent contractors, including stock options, restricted stock awards, restricted stock units, stock appreciation rights, performance shares and similar awards designed to comply with the applicable federal regulations and laws of jurisdiction. Under the 2005 ICP, a maximum of 37.9 million shares may be issued. Of this total, no more than 4.4 million shares may be issued after April 25, 2007 for full value awards, which are awards other than stock options and stock appreciation rights. Shares issued under the 2005 ICP may be authorized and unissued shares or treasury shares.
Deferred Compensation Plan
The Deferred Compensation Plan ("DCP") gives certain employees the choice to defer a portion of their bonus, which can be invested in investment options as provided by the DCP, including the Ameriprise Financial Stock Fund. The Company provides a match if the participant deferrals are invested in the Ameriprise Financial Stock Fund. Participant deferrals vest immediately and the Company match vests after three years. Distributions are made in shares of the Company's common stock for the portion of the deferral invested in the Ameriprise Financial Stock Fund and the related Company match, for which the Company has recorded in equity. The DCP does allow for accelerated vesting of the share-based awards in cases of death, disability and qualified retirement. Compensation expense related to the Company match is recognized on a straight-line basis over the vesting period.
Ameriprise Financial 2008 Employment Incentive Equity Award Plan
The 2008 Plan is designed to align new employees' interests with those of the shareholders of the Company and attract and retain new employees. The 2008 Plan provides for the grant of equity incentive awards to new employees who became employees in connection with a merger or acquisition, including stock options, restricted stock awards, restricted stock units, and other equity-based awards designed to comply with the applicable federal and foreign regulations and laws of jurisdiction. Under the 2008 Plan, a maximum of 6.0 million shares may be issued. Awards granted under the 2008 Plan may be settled in cash and/or shares of the Company's common stock according to the award's terms.
Stock Options
Stock options granted have an exercise price not less than 100% of the current fair market value of a share of the Company's common stock on the grant date and a maximum term of 10 years. Stock options granted generally vest ratably over three to four years. Vesting of option awards may be accelerated based on age and length of service. Stock options granted are expensed on a straight-line basis over the option vesting period based on the estimated fair value of the awards on the date of grant using a Black-Scholes option-pricing model.
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The following weighted average assumptions were used for stock option grants:
The dividend yield assumption assumes the Company's average dividend payout would continue with no changes. The expected volatility for grants in 2009, 2008 and 2007 was based on the Company's implied volatility and the Company's historical stock volatility since Distribution. The expected volatility for grants in 2008 and 2007 also considered historical volatilities experienced by a peer group of companies. The risk-free interest rate for periods within the expected option life is based on the U.S. Treasury yield curve at the grant date. The expected life of the option is based on experience while the Company was a part of American Express and subsequent experience after the Distribution.
The weighted average grant date fair value for options granted during 2009, 2008 and 2007 was $8.93, $14.00 and $13.69, respectively.
A summary of the Company's stock option activity for 2009 is presented below (shares and intrinsic value in millions):
The intrinsic value of a stock option is the amount by which the fair value of the underlying stock exceeds the exercise price of the option. The total intrinsic value of options exercised was $2 million, $5 million and $43 million during the years ended December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007, respectively.
Restricted Stock Awards
Restricted stock awards generally vest ratably over three to four years or at the end of five years. Vesting of restricted stock awards may be accelerated based on age and length of service. Compensation expense for restricted stock awards is based on the market price of Ameriprise Financial stock on the date of grant and is amortized on a straight-line basis over the vesting period. Quarterly dividends are paid on restricted stock, as declared by the Company's Board of Directors, during the vesting period and are not subject to forfeiture.
Certain advisors receive a portion of their compensation in the form of restricted stock awards which are subject to forfeiture based on future service requirements. The Company provides a match of these restricted stock awards equal to one quarter of the restricted stock awards earned for 2009, 2008 and 2007.
A summary of the Company's restricted stock award activity for 2009 is presented below (shares in millions):
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The fair value of restricted stock awards vested during the years ended December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007 was $27 million, $59 million and $75 million, respectively.
Restricted Stock Units
The 2005 ICP provides for the grant of deferred share units to non-employee directors of the Company and restricted stock units to employees. The director awards are fully vested upon issuance. The deferred share units are settled for Ameriprise Financial common stock upon the director's termination of service. The employee awards generally vest ratably over three to four years. Compensation expense for deferred share units and restricted stock units is based on the market price of Ameriprise Financial stock on the date of grant. Restricted stock units granted to employees are amortized on a straight-line basis over the vesting period or accelerated basis due to retirement eligibility. Deferred share units granted to non-employee directors are expensed immediately. Restricted stock units include units awarded under the DCP.
As of December 31, 2009, there were approximately 1.3 million units outstanding of restricted stock units, including deferred share units, of which approximately 0.9 million units were fully vested.
Amended Deferred Equity Program for Independent Financial Advisors
The P2 Deferral Plan, which was amended in April 2008, gives certain advisors the choice to defer a portion of their commissions in the form of share-based awards, which are subject to forfeiture based on future service requirements. The Company provides a match on the advisor deferrals, which participants can elect to receive in cash or shares of common stock. The P2 Deferral Plan allows for the grant of share-based awards of up to 8.5 million shares of common stock.
The number of units awarded is based on the performance measures, deferral percentage and the market value of Ameriprise Financial common stock on the deferral date as defined by the plan. As independent financial advisors are not employees of the Company, the awards are expensed based on the stock price of the Company's common stock up to the vesting date. The share-based awards generally vest ratably over four years, beginning on January 1 of the year following the plan year in which the award was made. The P2 Deferral Plan allows for accelerated vesting of the share-based awards based on age and years as an advisor. Commission expense is recognized on a straight-line basis over the vesting period. For the years ended December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007, expense related to units awarded under the P2 Deferral Plan was $60 million, $44 million, and $52 million, respectively.
As of December 31, 2009, there were approximately 5.5 million units outstanding under the P2 Deferral Plan, of which approximately 3.9 million were fully vested.
Ameriprise Advisor Group Deferred Compensation Plan
The P1 Plan, which was created in April 2009, allows for employee advisors to receive share-based bonus awards which are subject to future service requirements and forfeitures. The P1 Plan also gives qualifying employee advisors the choice to defer a portion of their cash-based compensation beginning in 2010. This deferral can be in the form of share-based awards or other investment options. Deferrals are not subject to future service requirements or forfeitures. Under the P1 Plan, a maximum of 3.0 million shares may be issued. Awards granted under the P1 Plan may be settled in cash and/or shares of the Company's common stock according to the award's terms.
As of December 31, 2009, there were approximately 0.1 million units outstanding under the P1 Plan, of which none were fully vested.
17. Regulatory Requirements
Restrictions on the transfer of funds exist under regulatory requirements applicable to certain of the Company's subsidiaries. At December 31, 2009, the aggregate amount of unrestricted net assets was approximately $1.9 billion.
The National Association of Insurance Commissioners ("NAIC") defines Risk-Based Capital ("RBC") requirements for insurance companies. The RBC requirements are used by the NAIC and state insurance regulators to identify companies that merit regulatory actions designed to protect policyholders. These requirements apply to both the Company's life and property casualty insurance companies. In addition, IDS Property Casualty is subject to the statutory surplus requirements of the State of Wisconsin. The Company's life and property casualty companies each met their respective minimum RBC requirements.
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State insurance statutes also contain limitations as to the amount of dividends and distributions that insurers may make without providing prior notification to state regulators. For RiverSource Life, dividends in excess of statutory unassigned funds require advance notice to the Minnesota Department of Commerce, RiverSource Life's primary regulator, and are subject to potential disapproval. In addition, dividends whose fair market value, together with that of other dividends or distributions made within the preceding 12 months, exceeds the greater of (i) the previous year's statutory net gain from operations or (ii) 10% of the previous year-end statutory capital and surplus are referred to as "extraordinary dividends." Extraordinary dividends also require advance notice to the Minnesota Department of Commerce, and are subject to potential disapproval. Government debt securities of $7 million and $6 million at December 31, 2009 and 2008, respectively, held by the Company's life insurance subsidiaries were on deposit with various states as required by law and satisfied legal requirements.
Ameriprise Certificate Company ("ACC") is registered as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the "1940 Act"). ACC markets and sells investment certificates to clients. ACC is subject to various capital requirements under the 1940 Act, laws of the State of Minnesota and understandings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") and the Minnesota Department of Commerce. The terms of the investment certificates issued by ACC and the provisions of the 1940 Act also require the maintenance by ACC of qualified assets. Under the provisions of its certificates and the 1940 Act, ACC was required to have qualified assets (as that term is defined in Section 28(b) of the 1940 Act) in the amount of $4.1 billion and $4.9 billion at December 31, 2009 and 2008, respectively. ACC had qualified assets of $4.6 billion and $5.1 billion at December 31, 2009 and 2008, respectively. As of December 31, 2008, ACC's capital ratio per the Minnesota Department of Commerce and SEC capital requirements had dropped to 4.61% and 4.97%, respectively. Ameriprise Financial promptly provided additional capital to ACC in January 2009 to bring capital back above the 5% requirement. Ameriprise Financial and ACC entered into a Capital Support Agreement on March 2, 2009, pursuant to which Ameriprise Financial agrees to commit such capital to ACC as is necessary to satisfy applicable minimum capital requirements, up to a maximum commitment of $115 million. As of December 31, 2009, ACC had met all applicable capital requirements.
Threadneedle's required capital is predominantly based on the requirements specified by the United Kingdom's regulator, the Financial Services Authority, under its Capital Adequacy Requirements for asset managers.
The Company has seven broker-dealer subsidiaries, American Enterprise Investment Services, Inc., Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc., Securities America, Inc. ("SAI"), RiverSource Distributors, Inc., RiverSource Fund Distributors, Inc., AASI and Brecek & Young Advisors, Inc. The broker-dealers are subject to the net capital requirements of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority ("FINRA") and the Uniform Net Capital requirements of the SEC under Rule 15c3-1 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. AASI is also subject to regulatory reporting requirements established by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission. AASI has submitted an application to the SEC and FINRA to withdraw its registration as a broker-dealer, which is pending review and approval of its regulators.
Ameriprise Trust Company is subject to capital adequacy requirements under the laws of the State of Minnesota as enforced by the Minnesota Department of Commerce.
The initial capital of Ameriprise Bank, per Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation policy, should be sufficient to provide a Tier 1 capital to assets leverage ratio of not less than 8% throughout its first three years of operation. For purposes of completing Ameriprise Bank's regulatory reporting, the Office of Thrift Supervision ("OTS") requires it to maintain a Tier 1 (core) capital requirement based upon 4% of total assets adjusted per the OTS, and total risk-based capital based upon 8% of total risk-weighted assets. The OTS also requires Ameriprise Bank to maintain minimum ratios of Tier 1 and total capital to risk-weighted assets, as well as Tier 1 capital to adjusted total assets and tangible capital to adjusted total assets. Under OTS regulations, Ameriprise Bank is required to have a leverage ratio of core capital to adjusted total assets of at least 4%, a Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of at least 4%, a total risk-based ratio of at least 8% and a tangible capital ratio of at least 1.5%. As of December 31, 2008, Ameriprise Bank's Tier 1 core capital dropped to 7.36%. Ameriprise Financial promptly provided additional capital to Ameriprise Bank in January 2009 to bring the Tier 1 core capital back above the 8% FDIC requirement. As of December 31, 2009, Ameriprise Bank had met all applicable capital requirements.
18. Fair Values of Assets and Liabilities
GAAP defines fair value as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date; that is, an exit price. The exit price assumes the asset or liability is not exchanged subject to a forced liquidation or distressed sale.
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Valuation Hierarchy
The Company categorizes its fair value measurements according to a three-level hierarchy. The hierarchy prioritizes the inputs used by the Company's valuation techniques. A level is assigned to each fair value measurement based on the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement in its entirety. The three levels of the fair value hierarchy are defined as follows:
Level 1
Unadjusted quoted prices for identical assets or liabilities in active markets that are accessible at the measurement date.
Level 2
Prices or valuations based on observable inputs other than quoted prices in active markets for identical assets and liabilities.
Level 3
Prices or valuations that require inputs that are both significant to the fair value measurement and unobservable.
Determination of Fair Value
The Company uses valuation techniques consistent with the market and income approaches to measure the fair value of its assets and liabilities. The Company's market approach uses prices and other relevant information generated by market transactions involving identical or comparable assets or liabilities. The Company's income approach uses valuation techniques to convert future projected cash flows to a single discounted present value amount. When applying either approach, the Company maximizes the use of observable inputs and minimizes the use of unobservable inputs.
The following is a description of the valuation techniques used to measure fair value and the general classification of these instruments pursuant to the fair value hierarchy.
Assets
Cash Equivalents
Cash equivalents include highly liquid investments with original maturities of 90 days or less. Actively traded money market funds are measured at their NAV and classified as Level 1. The Company's remaining cash equivalents are classified as Level 2 and measured at amortized cost, which is a reasonable estimate of fair value because of the short time between the purchase of the instrument and its expected realization.
Investments (Trading Securities and Available-for-Sale Securities)
When available, the fair value of securities is based on quoted prices in active markets. If quoted prices are not available, fair values are obtained from nationally-recognized pricing services, broker quotes, or other model-based valuation techniques such as the present value of cash flows. Level 1 securities include U.S. Treasuries and seed money in funds traded in active markets. Level 2 securities include agency mortgage backed securities, commercial mortgage backed securities, asset backed securities, municipal and corporate bonds, U.S. and foreign government and agency securities, and seed money and other investments in certain hedge funds. Level 3 securities include non-agency residential mortgage backed securities, commercial mortgage backed securities, asset backed securities, and corporate bonds.
Through the Company's own experience transacting in the marketplace and through discussions with its pricing vendors, the Company believes that the market for non-agency residential mortgage backed securities is inactive. Indicators of inactive markets include: pricing services' reliance on brokers or discounted cash flow analyses to provide prices, an increase in the disparity between prices provided by different pricing services for the same security, unreasonably large bid-offer spreads and a significant decrease in the volume of trades relative to historical levels. In certain cases, this market inactivity has resulted in the Company applying valuation techniques that rely more on an income approach (discounted cash flows using market rates) than on a market approach (prices from pricing services). The Company considers market observable yields for other asset classes it considers to be of similar risk which includes nonperformance and liquidity for individual securities to set the discount rate for applying the income approach to certain non-agency residential mortgage backed securities.
Separate Account Assets
The fair value of assets held by separate accounts is determined by the NAV of the funds in which those separate accounts are invested. The NAV represents the exit price for the separate account. Separate account assets are classified as Level 2 as they are traded in principal-to-principal markets with little publicly released pricing information.
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Derivatives
Derivatives that are measured using quoted prices in active markets, such as foreign exchange forwards, or derivatives that are exchanged-traded are classified as Level 1 measurements. The fair value of derivatives that are traded in less active over-the-counter markets are generally measured using pricing models with market observable inputs such as interest rates and equity index levels. These measurements are classified as Level 2 within the fair value hierarchy and include interest rate swaps and options. Derivatives that are valued using pricing models that have significant unobservable inputs are classified as Level 3 measurements. Structured derivatives that are used by the Company to hedge its exposure to market risk related to certain variable annuity riders are classified as Level 3. The Company settled these derivatives in the second quarter of 2009 and has not entered into any additional structured derivatives since then.
Consolidated Property Funds
The Company records the fair value of the properties held by its consolidated property funds within other assets. The fair value of these assets is determined using discounted cash flows and market comparables. Given the significance of the unobservable inputs to these measurements, the assets are classified as Level 3.
Liabilities
Embedded Derivatives
Variable Annuity Riders - GMAB and GMWB
The Company values the embedded derivative liability attributable to the provisions of certain variable annuity riders using internal valuation models. These models calculate fair value by discounting expected cash flows from benefits plus margins for profit, risk, and expenses less embedded derivative fees. The projected cash flows used by these models include observable capital market assumptions and incorporate significant unobservable inputs related to contractholder behavior assumptions and margins for risk, profit and expenses that the Company believes an exit market participant would expect. The fair value of these embedded derivatives also reflects a current estimate of the Company's nonperformance risk specific to these liabilities. Given the significant unobservable inputs to this valuation, these measurements are classified as Level 3. The embedded derivative liability attributable to these provisions is recorded in future policy benefits and claims.
Equity Indexed Annuities and Stock Market Certificates
The Company uses various Black-Scholes calculations to determine the fair value of the embedded derivative liability associated with the provisions of its equity indexed annuities and stock market certificates. The inputs to these calculations are primarily market observable. As a result, these measurements are classified as Level 2. The embedded derivative liability attributable to the provisions of the Company's equity indexed annuities and stock market certificates is recorded in future policy benefits and claims and customer deposits, respectively.
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The following tables present the balances of assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis:
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The following tables provide a summary of changes in Level 3 assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis:
(1)Included in net investment income in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. (2)Represents a $37 million loss included in benefits, claims, losses and settlement expenses and a $4 million loss included in other revenues in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. (3)Included in benefits, claims, losses and settlement expenses in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. (4)Represents securities with a fair value of $79 million that were transferred to Level 2 as the fair value of the securities are now obtained from a nationally-recognized pricing service net of a security with a fair value of $9 million that was transferred to Level 3 as the fair value of the security is now based on broker quotes. 132 ANNUAL REPORT 2009
(1)Included in net investment income in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. (2)Represents a $148 million gain included in benefits, claims, losses and settlement expenses and a $72 million loss included in other revenues in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. (3)Included in benefits, claims, losses and settlement expenses in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. (4)Represents prime non-agency residential mortgage backed securities previously classified as Level 2 for which management believes the market for these prime quality assets is now inactive. The following table presents the changes in unrealized gains (losses) included in net income related to Level 3 assets and liabilities held at December 31 for the year then ended:
During the reporting period, there were no material assets or liabilities measured at fair value on a nonrecurring basis.
The following table provides the carrying value and the estimated fair value of financial instruments that are not reported at fair value. All other financial instruments that are reported at fair value have been included above in the table with balances of assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis.
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Investments
The fair value of commercial mortgage loans, except those with significant credit deterioration, is determined by discounting contractual cash flows using discount rates that reflect current pricing for loans with similar remaining maturities and characteristics including loan-to-value ratio, occupancy rate, refinance risk, debt-service coverage, location, and property condition. For commercial mortgage loans with significant credit deterioration, fair value is determined using the same adjustments as above with an additional adjustment for the Company's estimate of the amount recoverable on the loan.
The fair value of policy loans is determined using discounted cash flows.
Receivables
The fair value of consumer banking loans is determined by discounting estimated cash flows and incorporating adjustments for prepayment, administration expenses, severity and credit loss estimates, with discount rates based on the Company's estimate of current market conditions.
Loans held for sale are measured at the lower of cost or market and fair value is based on what secondary markets are currently offering for loans with similar characteristics.
Brokerage margin loans are measured at outstanding balances, which are a reasonable estimate of fair value because of the sufficiency of the collateral and short term nature of these loans.
Restricted and segregated cash
Restricted and segregated cash is generally set aside for specific business transactions and restrictions are specific to the Company and do not transfer to third party market participants, therefore, the carrying amount is a reasonable estimate of fair value. This includes amounts segregated under federal and other regulations at December 31, 2009.
Amounts segregated under federal and other regulations at December 31, 2008 reflect resale agreements and are measured at the cost at which the securities will be sold. This measurement is a reasonable estimate of fair value because of the short time between entering into the transaction and its expected realization and the reduced risk of credit loss due to pledging U.S. government-backed securities as collateral.
Other investments and assets
Other investments and assets primarily consist of syndicated loans. The fair value of syndicated loans is obtained from a nationally-recognized pricing service.
Future policy benefits and claims
The fair value of fixed annuities, in deferral status, is determined by discounting cash flows using a risk neutral discount rate with adjustments for profit margin, expense margin, early policy surrender behavior, a provision for adverse deviation from estimated early
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policy surrender behavior, and the Company's nonperformance risk specific to these liabilities. The fair value of other liabilities including non-life contingent fixed annuities in payout status, equity indexed annuity host contracts and the fixed portion of a small number of variable annuity contracts classified as investment contracts is determined in a similar manner.
Customer deposits
The fair value of investment certificate reserves is determined by discounting cash flows using discount rates that reflect current pricing for assets with similar terms and characteristics, with adjustments for early withdrawal behavior, penalty fees, expense margin and the Company's nonperformance risk specific to these liabilities.
Banking and brokerage customer deposits are liabilities with no defined maturities and fair value is the amount payable on demand at the reporting date.
Separate account liabilities
Certain separate account liabilities are classified as investment contracts and are carried at an amount equal to the related separate account assets. Carrying value is a reasonable estimate of the fair value as it represents the exit value as evidenced by withdrawal transactions between contractholders and the Company. A nonperformance adjustment is not included as the related separate account assets act as collateral for these liabilities and minimize nonperformance risk.
Debt and other liabilities
Debt fair value is based on quoted prices in active markets, when available. If quoted prices are not available fair values are obtained from nationally-recognized pricing services, broker quotes, or other model-based valuation techniques such as present value of cash flows.
19. Retirement Plans and Profit Sharing Arrangements
Defined Benefit Plans
Pension Plans
The Company's United States employees are generally eligible for the Ameriprise Financial Retirement Plan (the "Retirement Plan"), a noncontributory defined benefit plan which is a qualified plan under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended ("ERISA"). Funding of costs for the Retirement Plan complies with the applicable minimum funding requirements specified by ERISA and is held in a trust. The Retirement Plan is a cash balance plan by which the employees' accrued benefits are based on notional account balances, which are maintained for each individual. Each pay period these balances are credited with an amount equal to a percentage (determined by an employee's age plus service of 2.5% to 10%) of eligible compensation as defined by the Retirement Plan (which includes, but is not limited to, base pay, certain incentive pay and commissions, shift differential and overtime). Employees' balances are also credited with a fixed rate of interest that is updated each January 1 and is based on the average of the daily five-year U.S. Treasury Note yields for the previous October 1 through November 30, with a minimum crediting rate of 5%. Employees have the option to receive annuity payments or a lump sum payout at vested termination, retirement, death or disability. The Retirement Plan's year-end is September 30.
Effective March 1, 2010, the Retirement Plan will be amended to exclude continued credits for employee financial advisors. It will also amend the percentage that will be credited to eligible employees' accounts to be determined on service only and will range from 2.5% to 5% of eligible compensation. Non-financial advisor employees who were eligible for the Retirement Plan will be grandfathered at their 2010 rates until or unless the new schedule becomes more favorable. These plan changes are reflected in the obligations disclosed as of December 31, 2009.
In addition, the Company sponsors the Ameriprise Financial Supplemental Retirement Plan (the "SRP"), an unfunded non-qualified deferred compensation plan subject to Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code. This plan is for certain highly compensated employees to replace the benefit that cannot be provided by the Retirement Plan due to Internal Revenue Service limits. The SRP generally parallels the Retirement Plan but offers different payment options.
Most employees outside the United States are covered by local retirement plans, some of which are funded, while other employees receive payments at the time of retirement or termination under applicable labor laws or agreements.
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The components of the net periodic pension cost for all pension plans were as follows:
The prior service costs are amortized on a straight-line basis over the average remaining service period of active participants. Actuarial gains and losses in excess of 10% of the greater of the projected benefit obligation or the market-related value of assets are amortized on a straight-line basis over the expected average remaining service period of active participants.
The following tables provide a reconciliation of the changes in the benefit obligation and fair value of assets for the pension plans:
The following table provides the amounts recognized in the Consolidated Balance Sheets, which equal the funded status of the Company's pension plans:
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The Company complies with the minimum funding requirements in all countries.
The amounts recognized in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax, as of December 31, 2009 but not recognized as components of net periodic benefit cost included an unrecognized actuarial loss of $35 million and an unrecognized prior service credit of $7 million. The estimated amounts that will be amortized from accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax, into net periodic benefit cost in 2010 include a prior service credit of $1 million. As of December 31, 2009 and 2008, the total accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of tax, related to defined benefit plans was $20 million and $39 million, respectively.
The accumulated benefit obligation for all pension plans as of December 31, 2009 and 2008 was $378 million and $331 million, respectively. The accumulated benefit obligation and fair value of plan assets for pension plans with accumulated benefit obligations that exceeded the fair value of plan assets were as follows:
The projected benefit obligation and fair value of plan assets for pension plans with projected benefit obligations that exceeded the fair value of plan assets were as follows:
The weighted average assumptions used to determine benefit obligations for pension plans were as follows:
The weighted average assumptions used to determine net periodic benefit cost for pension plans were as follows:
In developing the 2009, 2008 and 2007 expected long term rate of return on assets assumption, management evaluated input from an external consulting firm, including their projection of asset class return expectations and long term inflation assumptions. The Company also considered the historical returns on the plans' assets.
The Company's pension plans' assets are invested in an aggregate diversified portfolio to minimize the impact of any adverse or unexpected results from a security class on the entire portfolio. Diversification is interpreted to include diversification by asset type, performance and risk characteristics and number of investments. When appropriate and consistent with the objectives of the plans, derivative instruments may be used to mitigate risk or provide further diversification, subject to the investment policies of the plans. Asset classes and ranges considered appropriate for investment of the plans' assets are determined by each plan's investment committee. The target allocations are 70% equity securities, 20% debt securities and 10% all other types of investments, except for the assets in pooled pension funds which are 80% equity securities, 15% debt securities, and 5% all other types of investments. Actual allocations will generally be within 5% of these targets. At December 31, 2009, there were no holdings of any issuer greater than 10% of plan assets and the exposure to derivative instruments was not significant.
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The fair value of the Company's pension plan assets at December 31, 2009 was as follows:
Equity securities are managed to track the performance of common market indices for both U.S. and non-U.S. securities, primarily across large cap, small cap and emerging market asset classes. Debt securities are managed to track the performance of common market indices for both U.S. and non-U.S. investment grade bonds as well as a pool of U.S. high yield bonds. The private real estate investment trust consists of a single trust which is managed to track the performance of a broad population of investment grade non-agricultural income producing properties. Pooled pension funds are managed to a return of 1.5% in excess of a common index of similar pooled pension funds on a rolling three year basis. Cash equivalents consist of holdings in a money market fund that seeks to equal the return of the three month Treasury bill.
The fair value of the private real estate investment trust is based primarily on the underlying cash flows of the properties within the trust which are significant unobservable inputs and classified as Level 3. The fair value of pooled pension funds and collective trust funds is based on the fund's NAV and classified as Level 2 as they trade in principal-to-principal markets. Equity securities and mutual funds traded in active markets are classified as Level 1. For debt securities and cash equivalents, the valuation techniques and classifications are consistent with those used for the Company's own investments as described in Note 18.
The following table provides a summary of changes in Level 3 assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis:
The Company's retirement plans expect to make benefit payments to retirees as follows:
The Company expects to contribute $66 million to its pension plans in 2010.
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Other Postretirement Benefits
The Company sponsors defined benefit postretirement plans that provide health care and life insurance to retired U.S. employees. Net periodic postretirement benefit costs were $2 million, $1 million and $2 million in 2009, 2008 and 2007, respectively.
The following table provides a reconciliation of the changes in the defined postretirement benefit plan obligation:
The recognized liabilities for the Company's defined postretirement benefit plans are unfunded. At December 31, 2009 and 2008, the recognized liabilities were $22 million and $28 million, respectively. At December 31, 2009 and 2008, the funded status of the Company's postretirement benefit plans was equal to the net amount recognized in the Consolidated Balance Sheets.
The amounts recognized in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax, as of December 31, 2009 but not recognized as components of net periodic benefit cost included an unrecognized actuarial gain of $6 million and an unrecognized prior service cost of $1 million. The estimated amount that will be amortized from accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax, into net periodic benefit cost in 2010 is approximately $1 million.
The weighted average assumptions used to determine benefit obligations for other postretirement benefits were as follows:
A one percentage-point change in the assumed healthcare cost trend rates would not have a material effect on the Company's postretirement benefit obligation or net periodic postretirement benefit costs.
The defined postretirement benefit plans expect to make benefit payments to retirees as follows:
The Company expects to contribute $2 million to its defined benefit postretirement plans in 2010.
Defined Contribution Plan
In addition to the plans described previously, Company employees are generally eligible to participate in the Ameriprise Financial 401(k) Plan (the "401(k) Plan"). The 401(k) Plan allows eligible employees to make contributions through payroll deductions up to IRS limits and invest their contributions in one or more of the 401(k) Plan investment options, which include the Ameriprise Financial Stock Fund. The Company matches 100% of the first 3% of base pay an employee contributes on a pretax basis each pay period. The Company may
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also make annual discretionary variable match contributions, which are based primarily on the performance of the Company. Prior to May 2009, the Company also made contributions equal to 1% of base pay each pay period, which were automatically invested in the Ameriprise Financial Stock Fund. Effective March 1, 2010, the Company will no longer make a variable match and will modify its fixed match. The new fixed match will be 100% of the first 5% of eligible compensation an employee contributes on a pretax or Roth 401(k) basis for each annual period. The Company also expanded the definition of eligible compensation to be consistent with the Retirement Plan.
Under the 401(k) Plan, employees become eligible for contributions under the plan on the first pay period following 60 days of service. Effective March 1, 2010, employees will become eligible during the pay period they reach 60 days of service. For plan years beginning in 2007, fixed and variable match contributions and stock contributions vest on a five-year graded schedule of 20% per year of service. The Company's defined contribution plan expense was $16 million, $22 million and $33 million in 2009, 2008 and 2007, respectively.
Threadneedle Profit Sharing Arrangements
On an annual basis, Threadneedle employees are eligible for two profit sharing arrangements: (i) a profit sharing plan for all employees based on individual performance criteria, and (ii) an equity incentive plan ("EIP") for certain key personnel. Awards under the EIP were first made in April 2009; prior awards were made under the equity participation plan ("EPP").
This employee profit sharing plan provides for profit sharing of 30% based on an internally defined recurring pretax operating income measure for Threadneedle, which primarily includes pretax income related to investment management services and investment portfolio income excluding gains and losses on asset disposals, certain reorganization expenses, equity participation plan expenses and other non-recurring expenses. Compensation expense related to the employee profit sharing plan was $32 million, $49 million and $84 million in 2009, 2008 and 2007, respectively.
The EIP and EPP are cash award programs for certain key personnel who are granted awards based on a formula tied to Threadneedle's financial performance. The EIP provides for 100% vesting after three years, with required cash-out after six years. The EPP provides for 50% vesting after three years and 50% vesting after four years, with required cash-out after five years. All awards are settled in cash, based on a value as determined by an annual independent valuation of Threadneedle's fair market value. The value of the award is recognized as compensation expense evenly over the vesting periods. However, each year's EIP and EPP expense is adjusted to reflect Threadneedle's current valuation. Increases or decreases in the value of vested awards are recognized immediately. Increases or decreases in the value of unvested awards are recognized over the remaining vesting periods. Compensation expense (benefit) related to the EIP and the EPP was $(4) million, $15 million and $42 million for the years ended December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007, respectively.
20. Derivatives and Hedging Activities
Derivative instruments enable the Company to manage its exposure to various market risks. The value of such instruments is derived from an underlying variable or multiple variables, including equity, foreign exchange and interest rate indices or prices. The Company primarily enters into derivative agreements for risk management purposes related to the Company's products and operations.
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The Company uses derivatives as economic hedges and occasionally holds derivatives designated for hedge accounting. The following table presents the balance sheet location and the gross fair value of derivative instruments, including embedded derivatives, by type of derivative and product at December 31, 2009:
(1)The fair values of GMWB and GMAB embedded derivatives fluctuate primarily based on changes in equity, interest rate and credit markets. See Note 18 for additional information regarding the Company's fair value measurement of derivative instruments.
Derivatives Not Designated as Hedges
The following table presents a summary of the impact of derivatives not designated as hedging instruments on the Consolidated Statements of Operations for the year ended December 31, 2009:
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The Company holds derivative instruments that either do not qualify or are not designated for hedge accounting treatment. These derivative instruments are used as economic hedges of equity, interest rate and foreign currency exchange rate risk related to various products and transactions of the Company.
The majority of the Company's annuity contracts contain GMDB provisions, which may result in a death benefit payable that exceeds the contract accumulation value when market values of customers' accounts decline. Certain annuity contracts contain GMWB or GMAB provisions, which guarantee the right to make limited partial withdrawals each contract year regardless of the volatility inherent in the underlying investments or guarantee a minimum accumulation value of considerations received at the beginning of the contract period, after a specified holding period, respectively. The Company economically hedges the exposure related to non-life contingent GMWB and GMAB provisions using various equity futures, equity options, total return swaps, interest rate swaptions and interest rate swaps. In the third quarter of 2009, the Company entered into a limited number of derivative contracts to economically hedge equity exposure related to GMDB provisions on variable annuity contracts written previously in 2009. At December 31, 2009, the gross notional amount of these contracts was $38.7 billion and $77 million for the Company's GMWB and GMAB provisions and GMDB provisions, respectively. The premium associated with certain of the above options is paid or received semi-annually over the life of the option contract.
The following is a summary of the payments the Company is scheduled to make and receive for these options:
Actual timing and payment amounts may differ due to future contract settlements, modifications or exercises of options prior to the full premium being paid or received.
Equity indexed annuities and stock market certificate products have returns tied to the performance of equity markets. As a result of fluctuations in equity markets, the obligation incurred by the Company related to equity indexed annuities and stock market certificate products will positively or negatively impact earnings over the life of these products. As a means of economically hedging its obligations under the provisions of these products, the Company enters into index options and occasionally enters into futures contracts. The gross notional amount of these derivative contracts was $1.6 billion at December 31, 2009.
The Company enters into forward contracts, futures and total return swaps to manage its exposure to price risk arising from seed money investments made in proprietary mutual funds. The gross notional amount of these contracts was $191 million at December 31, 2009.
The Company enters into foreign currency forward contracts to hedge its exposure to certain receivables and obligations denominated in non-functional currencies. The gross notional amount of these contracts was $7 million at December 31, 2009.
Embedded Derivatives
Certain annuities contain non-life contingent GMWB and GMAB provisions, which are considered embedded derivatives. In addition, the equity component of the equity indexed annuity and stock market investment certificate product obligations are also considered embedded derivatives. As captured in the tables above, embedded derivatives are bifurcated from their host contracts and reported on the Consolidated Balance Sheets at fair value with changes in fair value reported in earnings. As noted above, the Company uses derivatives to mitigate the financial statement impact of these embedded derivatives.
Cash Flow Hedges
The Company has designated and accounts for the following as cash flow hedges: (i) interest rate swaps to hedge interest rate exposure on debt, (ii) interest rate lock agreements to hedge interest rate exposure on future debt issuances and (iii) swaptions used to hedge the risk of increasing interest rates on forecasted fixed premium product sales. The Company records amounts in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) related to gains and losses associated with the effective portion of designated cash flow hedges. The Company reclassifies these amounts into income as the forecasted transactions impact earnings.
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In November 2005, the Company terminated its swap agreements and recorded a gain in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss). The gain on the swaps is being amortized as a reduction to interest expense over the period that the forecasted cash flows are expected to occur. As of January 2007, the Company removed the hedge designation from its swaptions due to the hedge relationship no longer being highly effective. Amounts previously recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) will be reclassified into earnings as the originally forecasted transactions occur. The following table shows the impact of the effective portion of the Company's cash flow hedges on the Consolidated Statements of Operations and the Consolidated Statements of Equity for the year ended December 31, 2009:
The following is a summary of unrealized derivatives gains (losses) included in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) related to cash flow hedges:
At December 31, 2009, the Company expects to reclassify $2 million of net pretax gains on derivative instruments from accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) to earnings during the next 12 months. The $2 million net pretax gain is made up of an $8 million deferred gain related to interest rate swaps that will be recorded as a reduction to interest and debt expense, partially offset by a $6 million deferred loss related to interest rate swaptions that will be recorded in net investment income. For any hedge relationships that are discontinued because the forecasted transaction is not expected to occur according to the original strategy, any related amounts previously recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) are recognized in earnings immediately. No hedge relationships were discontinued during the years ended December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007 due to forecasted transactions no longer being expected to occur according to the original hedge strategy. For the years ended December 31, 2009 and 2008, there were no amounts recognized in earnings on derivative transactions that were ineffective. For the year ended December 31, 2007, the Company recognized $2 million in net investment income related to ineffectiveness on its swaptions.
Currently, the longest period of time over which the Company is hedging exposure to the variability in future cash flows is 26 years and relates to forecasted debt interest payments.
Credit Risk
Credit risk associated with the Company's derivatives is the risk that a derivative counterparty will not perform in accordance with the terms of the applicable derivative contract. To mitigate such risk, the Company has established guidelines and oversight of credit risk through a comprehensive enterprise risk management program that includes members of senior management. Key components of this program are to require preapproval of counterparties and the use of master netting arrangements and collateral arrangements wherever practical. As of December 31, 2009, the Company held $103 million in cash and cash equivalents and recorded a corresponding liability in other liabilities for collateral the Company is obligated to return to counterparties. As of December 31, 2009, the Company had accepted additional collateral consisting of various securities with a fair market value of $22 million, which are not reflected on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. As of December 31, 2009, the Company's maximum credit exposure related to derivative assets after considering netting arrangements with counterparties and collateral arrangements was approximately $83 million.
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Certain of the Company's derivative instruments contain provisions that adjust the level of collateral the Company is required to post based on the Company's debt rating (or based on the financial strength of the Company's life insurance subsidiaries for contracts in which those subsidiaries are the counterparty). Additionally, certain of the Company's derivative contracts contain provisions that allow the counterparty to terminate the contract if the Company's debt does not maintain a specific credit rating (generally an investment grade rating) or the Company's life insurance subsidiary does not maintain a specific financial strength rating. If these termination provisions were to be triggered, the Company's counterparty could require immediate settlement of any net liability position. At December 31, 2009, the aggregate fair value of all derivative instruments containing such credit risk features was $297 million. The aggregate fair value of assets posted as collateral for such instruments as of December 31, 2009 was $269 million. If the credit risk features of derivative contracts that were in a net liability position at December 31, 2009 were triggered, the additional fair value of assets needed to settle these derivative liabilities would have been $28 million.
21. Income Taxes
The components of income tax provision (benefit) were as follows:
The geographic sources of pretax income (loss) were as follows:
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The principal reasons that the aggregate income tax provision is different from that computed by using the U.S. statutory rate of 35% were as follows:
The Company's effective tax rate decreased to 19.9% in 2009 from 78.4% in 2008, primarily due to a pretax loss in relation to a net tax benefit for 2008 compared to pretax income for 2009. The Company's effective tax rate for 2008 included $79 million in tax benefits related to changes in the status of current audits and closed audits, tax planning initiatives, and the finalization of prior year tax returns. The Company's effective tax rate for 2007 included a $16 million tax benefit related to the finalization of certain income tax audits and a $19 million tax benefit related to the Company's plan to begin repatriating earnings of certain Threadneedle entities through dividends.
Accumulated earnings of certain foreign subsidiaries, which totaled $117 million at December 31, 2009, are intended to be permanently reinvested outside the United States. Accordingly, U.S. federal taxes, which would have aggregated $13 million, have not been provided on those earnings.
Deferred income tax assets and liabilities result from temporary differences between the assets and liabilities measured for GAAP reporting versus income tax return purposes. The significant components of the Company's deferred income tax assets and liabilities, which are included net within other assets on the Consolidated Balance Sheets, were as follows:
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The Company is required to establish a valuation allowance for any portion of the deferred tax assets that management believes will not be realized. Included in deferred tax assets is a significant deferred tax asset relating to capital losses that have been recognized for financial statement purposes but not yet for tax return purposes. Under current U.S. federal income tax law, capital losses generally must be used against capital gain income within five years of the year in which the capital losses are recognized for tax purposes. Significant judgment is required in determining if a valuation allowance should be established, and the amount of such allowance if required. Factors used in making this determination include estimates relating to the performance of the business including the ability to generate capital gains. Consideration is given to, among other things in making this determination, i) future taxable income exclusive of reversing temporary differences and carryforwards, ii) future reversals of existing taxable temporary differences, iii) taxable income in prior carryback years, and iv) tax planning strategies. Based on analysis of the Company's tax position, management believes it is more likely than not that the results of future operations and implementation of tax planning strategies will generate sufficient taxable income to enable the Company to utilize all of its deferred tax assets. Accordingly, no valuation allowance for deferred tax assets has been established as of December 31, 2009 and 2008.
Included in the Company's deferred income tax assets are tax benefits related to net operating loss carryforwards of $59 million which will expire beginning December 31, 2025 as well as tax credit carryforwards of $166 million which will expire beginning December 31, 2025.
A reconciliation of the beginning and ending amount of gross unrecognized tax benefits for 2009 is as follows:
If recognized, approximately $81 million, $62 million and $84 million, net of federal tax benefits, of the unrecognized tax benefits as of December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007, respectively, would affect the effective tax rate.
The Company recognizes interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits as a component of the income tax provision. The Company recognized $1 million in interest and penalties for the year ended December 31, 2009 and a net reduction of $25 million and $4 million in interest and penalties for the years ended December 31, 2008 and 2007, respectively. At December 31, 2009 and 2008, the Company had a receivable of $12 million and $13 million, respectively, related to accrued interest and penalties.
It is reasonably possible that the total amounts of unrecognized tax benefits will change in the next 12 months. However, there are a number of open audits and quantification of a range cannot be made at this time.
The Company or one or more of its subsidiaries files income tax returns in the U.S. federal jurisdiction, and various states and foreign jurisdictions. With few exceptions, the Company is no longer subject to U.S. federal, state and local, or non-U.S. income tax examinations by tax authorities for years before 1997. The Internal Revenue Service ("IRS"), as part of the overall examination of the American Express Company consolidated return, completed its field examination of the Company's U.S. income tax returns for 1997 through 2002 during 2008 and completed its field examination of 2003 through 2004 in the third quarter of 2009. However, for federal income tax purposes these years continue to remain open as a consequence of certain issues under appeal. In the fourth quarter of 2008, the IRS commenced an examination of the Company's U.S. income tax returns for 2005 through 2007, which is expected to be completed in 2010. The Company's or certain of its subsidiaries' state income tax returns are currently under examination by various jurisdictions for years ranging from 1998 through 2006.
On September 25, 2007, the IRS issued Revenue Ruling 2007-61 in which it announced that it intends to issue regulations with respect to certain computational aspects of the Dividends Received Deduction ("DRD") related to separate account assets held in connection with variable contracts of life insurance companies. Revenue Ruling 2007-61 suspended a revenue ruling issued in August 2007 that purported to change accepted industry and IRS interpretations of the statutes governing these computational questions. Any regulations that the
146 ANNUAL REPORT 2009
IRS ultimately proposes for issuance in this area will be subject to public notice and comment, at which time insurance companies and other members of the public will have the opportunity to raise legal and practical questions about the content, scope and application of such regulations. As a result, the ultimate timing and substance of any such regulations are unknown at this time, but they may result in the elimination of some or all of the separate account DRD tax benefit that the Company receives. Management believes that it is likely that any such regulations would apply prospectively only. Additionally, included in the Administration's 2011 Revenue Proposals is a provision to modify the DRD for life insurance companies separate accounts, which if enacted could significantly reduce the DRD tax benefits the Company receives, prospectively, beginning in 2011. For the year ended December 31, 2009, the Company recorded a benefit of approximately $62 million related to the current year's separate account DRD.
As a result of the Separation from American Express, the Company's life insurance subsidiaries will not be able to file a consolidated U.S. federal income tax return with the other members of the Company's affiliated group until 2010.
The Company's tax allocation agreement with American Express (the "Tax Allocation Agreement"), dated as of September 30, 2005, governs the allocation of consolidated U.S. federal and applicable combined or unitary state and local income tax liabilities between American Express and the Company for tax periods prior to September 30, 2005. In addition, this Tax Allocation Agreement addresses other tax-related matters.
The items comprising other comprehensive income (loss) are presented net of the following income tax provision (benefit) amounts:
22. Commitments and Contingencies
The Company is committed to pay aggregate minimum rentals under noncancelable operating leases for office facilities and equipment in future years as follows:
For the years ended December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007, operating lease expense was $103 million, $92 million and $93 million, respectively.
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The following table presents the Company's funding commitments:
The Company's life and annuity products all have minimum interest rate guarantees in their fixed accounts. As of December 31, 2009, these guarantees range up to 5%. To the extent the yield on the Company's invested asset portfolio declines below its target spread plus the minimum guarantee, the Company's profitability would be negatively affected.
See Note 5 for information on commitments related to the Company's pending acquisition of Columbia.
Owing to conditions then-prevailing in the credit markets and the isolated defaults of unaffiliated structured investment vehicles held in the portfolios of money market funds advised by its RiverSource Investments LLC subsidiary (the "2a-7 Funds"), the Company closely monitored the net asset value of the 2a-7 Funds during 2008 and 2009 and, as circumstances have warranted from time to time injected capital to one or more of the 2a-7 Funds. Management believes that the market conditions which gave rise to those circumstances have significantly diminished. The Company has not provided a formal capital support agreement or net asset value guarantee to any of the 2a-7 Funds.
The Company and its subsidiaries are involved in the normal course of business in legal, regulatory and arbitration proceedings, including class actions, concerning matters arising in connection with the conduct of its activities as a diversified financial services firm. These include proceedings specific to the Company as well as proceedings generally applicable to business practices in the industries in which it operates. The Company can also be subject to litigation arising out of its general business activities, such as its investments, contracts, leases and employment relationships. Uncertain economic conditions heightened volatility in the financial markets, such as those which have been experienced from the latter part of 2007 through 2009, and significant regulatory reform proposals may increase the likelihood that clients and other persons or regulators may present or threaten legal claims or that regulators increase the scope or frequency of examinations of the Company or the financial services industry generally.
As with other financial services firms, the level of regulatory activity and inquiry concerning the Company's businesses remains elevated. From time to time, the Company receives requests for information from, and/or has been subject to examination by, the SEC, FINRA, Office of Thrift Supervision ("OTS"), state insurance and securities regulators, state attorneys general and various other governmental and quasi-governmental authorities concerning the Company's business activities and practices, and the practices of the Company's financial advisors. Pending matters about which the Company has during recent periods received information requests include: sales and product or service features of, or disclosures pertaining to, mutual funds, annuities, equity and fixed income securities, insurance products, brokerage services, financial plans and other advice offerings; supervision of the Company's financial advisors; supervisory practices in connection with financial advisors' outside business activities; sales practices and supervision associated with the sale of fixed and variable annuities and non-exchange traded (or "private placement") securities; information security; the delivery of financial plans and the suitability of particular trading strategies, investments and product selection processes. The number of reviews and investigations has increased in recent years with regard to many firms in the financial services industry, including Ameriprise Financial. The Company has cooperated and will continue to cooperate with the applicable regulators regarding their inquiries.
These legal and regulatory proceedings and disputes are subject to uncertainties and, as such, the Company is unable to estimate the possible loss or range of loss that may result. An adverse outcome in one or more of these proceedings could result in adverse judgments, settlements, fines, penalties or other relief that could have a material adverse effect on the Company's consolidated financial condition or results of operations.
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Certain legal and regulatory proceedings are described below.
In June 2004, an action captioned John E. Gallus et al. v. American Express Financial Corp. and American Express Financial Advisors Inc., was filed in the United States District Court for the District of Arizona, and was later transferred to the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota. The plaintiffs alleged that they were investors in several of the Company's mutual funds and they purported to bring the action derivatively on behalf of those funds under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the '40 Act). The plaintiffs alleged that fees allegedly paid to the defendants by the funds for investment advisory and administrative services were excessive. Plaintiffs seek an order declaring that defendants have violated the '40 Act and awarding unspecified damages including excessive fees allegedly paid plus interest and other costs. On July 6, 2007, the Court granted the Company's motion for summary judgment, dismissing all claims with prejudice. Plaintiffs appealed the Court's decision, and on April 8, 2009, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit reversed the district court's decision, and remanded the case for further proceedings. The Company filed with the United States Supreme Court a Petition for Writ of Certiorari to review the judgment of the Court of Appeals in this case, and such review is expected to occur later this year after the Supreme Court issues its opinion in a similar excessive fee case now pending before it.
Relevant to market conditions since the latter part of 2007, a large client claimed a breach of certain contractual investment guidelines. In April 2009, the client presented a formal Request for Arbitration. The parties subsequently submitted to mediation and, in the fourth quarter of 2009, executed a definitive comprehensive settlement agreement. The Company does not anticipate any future provision in respect of this matter, and the Company's business relationship with the client is expected to continue for the foreseeable future because the client's investment mandate has been renewed and extended.
In July 2009, two issuers of private placement interests (Medical Capital Holdings, Inc./Medical Capital Corporation and affiliated corporations and Provident Shale Royalties, LLC and affiliated corporations) sold by the Company's subsidiary, SAI, were placed into receivership, which has resulted in the filing of several putative class action lawsuits and numerous arbitrations naming both SAI and Ameriprise Financial as well as related regulatory inquiries and actions. The class actions and arbitrations generally allege violations of state and/or federal securities laws in connection with SAI's sales of these private placement interests. The actions were commenced in September 2009 and thereafter, seek unspecified damages, and are still in their earliest procedural stages.
23. Guarantees
An unaffiliated third party is providing liquidity to clients of SAI registered representatives that have assets in the Reserve Primary Fund that have been blocked from redemption and frozen by the Reserve Fund since September 16, 2008. The Company has agreed to indemnify the unaffiliated third party up to $10 million until April 15, 2015, for costs incurred as a result of an arbitration or litigation initiated against the unaffiliated third party by clients of SAI registered representatives. In the event that a client defaults in the repayment of an advance, SAI has recourse to collect from the defaulting client.
ANNUAL REPORT 2009 149
Certain property fund limited partnerships that the Company consolidates have floating rate revolving credit borrowings of $381 million as of December 31, 2009. Certain Threadneedle subsidiaries guarantee the repayment of outstanding borrowings up to the value of the assets of the partnerships. The debt is secured by the assets of the partnerships and there is no recourse to Ameriprise Financial.
24. Earnings per Share Attributable to Ameriprise Financial Common Shareholders
The computations of basic and diluted earnings (loss) per share attributable to Ameriprise Financial common shareholders are as follows:
(1)Diluted shares used in this calculation represent basic shares due to the net loss. Using actual diluted shares would result in anti-dilution. Basic weighted average common shares for the years ended December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007 included 3.4 million, 2.1 million and 1.6 million, respectively, of vested, nonforfeitable restricted stock units and 4.6 million, 3.1 million and 3.5 million, respectively, of non-vested restricted stock awards and restricted stock units that are forfeitable but receive nonforfeitable dividends. Potentially dilutive securities include nonqualified stock options and other share-based awards.
25. Shareholders' Equity
The Company has a share repurchase program in place to return excess capital to shareholders. Since September 2008 through the date of this report, the Company has suspended its stock repurchase program; as a result there were no share repurchases during the year ended December 31, 2009. During the years ended December 31, 2008 and 2007, the Company repurchased a total of 12.7 million and 15.9 million shares, respectively, of its common stock at an average price of $48.26 and $59.59, respectively. As of December 31, 2009, the Company had approximately $1.3 billion remaining under a share repurchase authorization.
The Company may also reacquire shares of its common stock under its 2005 ICP and 2008 Plan related to restricted stock awards. Restricted shares that are forfeited before the vesting period has lapsed are recorded as treasury shares. In addition, the holders of restricted shares may elect to surrender a portion of their shares on the vesting date to cover their income tax obligations. These vested restricted shares reacquired by the Company and the Company's payment of the holders' income tax obligations are recorded as a treasury share purchase. The restricted shares forfeited and recorded as treasury shares under the 2005 ICP and 2008 Plan were 0.3 million shares in each of the years ended December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007. For each of the years ended December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007, the Company reacquired 0.5 million of its common stock through the surrender of restricted shares upon vesting and paid in the aggregate $11 million, $24 million and $29 million, respectively, related to the holders' income tax obligations on the vesting date.
In 2009, the Company issued and sold 36 million shares of its common stock. The proceeds of $869 million will be used for general corporate purposes, including the Company's pending acquisition of the long-term asset management business of Columbia, which is expected to close in the spring of 2010. See Note 5 for additional information on the Company's pending acquisition of Columbia. In 2008, the Company reissued 1.8 million treasury shares for restricted stock award grants and the issuance of shares vested under the P2 Deferral Plan and the Transition and Opportunity Bonus ("T&O Bonus") program. In 2005, the Company awarded bonuses to advisors
150 ANNUAL REPORT 2009
under the T&O Bonus program which were converted to 2.0 million share-based awards under the 2005 ICP. The awards had all been issued as of December 31, 2008.
26. Segment Information
The Company's five segments are Advice & Wealth Management, Asset Management, Annuities, Protection and Corporate & Other. Each segment records revenues and expenses as if they were each a stand-alone business using the Company's transfer pricing methodology. Transfer pricing uses rates that approximate market-based arm's length prices for specific services provided. The Company reviews the transfer pricing rates periodically and makes appropriate adjustments to ensure the transfer pricing rates that approximate arm's length market prices remain at current market levels. Costs related to shared services are allocated to segments based on their usage of the services provided.
The largest source of intersegment revenues and expenses is retail distribution services, where segments are charged transfer pricing rates that approximate arm's length market prices for distribution through the Advice & Wealth Management segment. The Advice & Wealth Management segment provides distribution services for affiliated and non-affiliated products and services. The Asset Management segment provides investment management services for the Company's owned assets and client assets, and accordingly charges investment and advisory management fees to the other segments.
All costs related to shared services are allocated to the segments based on a rate times volume or fixed basis.
The Advice & Wealth Management segment provides financial planning and advice, as well as full service brokerage and banking services, primarily to retail clients through the Company's financial advisors. The Company's affiliated financial advisors utilize a diversified selection of both affiliated and non-affiliated products to help clients meet their financial needs. A significant portion of revenues in this segment is fee-based, driven by the level of client assets, which is impacted by both market movements and net asset flows. The Company also earns net investment income on owned assets primarily from certificate and banking products. This segment earns revenues (distribution fees) for distributing non-affiliated products and earns intersegment revenues (distribution fees) for distributing the Company's affiliated products and services provided to its retail clients. Intersegment expenses for this segment include expenses for investment management services provided by the Asset Management segment.
The Asset Management segment provides investment advice and investment products to retail and institutional clients. RiverSource Investments predominantly provides U.S. domestic products and services and Threadneedle predominantly provides international investment products and services. U.S. domestic retail products are primarily distributed through the Advice & Wealth Management segment and also through unaffiliated advisors. International retail products are primarily distributed through third parties. Retail products include mutual funds, variable product funds underlying insurance and annuity separate accounts, separately managed accounts and collective funds. Asset Management products are also distributed directly to institutions through an institutional sales force. Institutional asset management products include traditional asset classes, separate accounts, collateralized loan obligations, hedge funds and property funds. Revenues in this segment are primarily earned as fees based on managed asset balances, which are impacted by both market movements and net asset flows. The asset management teams serving our Asset Management segment provide all intercompany asset management services for Ameriprise Financial, and the fees for all such services are reflected within the Asset Management segment results through intersegment allocations. Intersegment expenses for this segment include distribution expenses for services provided by the Advice & Wealth Management, Annuities and Protection segments.
The Annuities segment provides variable and fixed annuity products of RiverSource Life companies to retail clients primarily distributed through the Company's affiliated financial advisors and to the retail clients of unaffiliated advisors through third-party distribution. Revenues for the Company's variable annuity products are primarily earned as fees based on underlying account balances, which are impacted by both market movements and net asset flows. Revenues for the Company's fixed annuity products are primarily earned as net investment income on assets supporting fixed account balances, with profitability significantly impacted by the spread between net investment income earned and interest credited on the fixed account balances. The Company also earns net investment income on owned assets supporting reserves for immediate annuities and for certain guaranteed benefits offered with variable annuities and on capital supporting the business. Intersegment revenues for this segment reflect fees paid by the Asset Management segment for marketing support and other services provided in connection with the availability of RiverSource Variable Series Trust ("VST") Funds under the variable annuity contracts. Intersegment expenses for this segment include distribution expenses for services provided by the Advice & Wealth Management segment, as well as expenses for investment management services provided by the Asset Management segment.
ANNUAL REPORT 2009 151
The Protection segment offers a variety of protection products to address the protection and risk management needs of the Company's retail clients including life, disability income and property-casualty insurance. Life and disability income products are primarily distributed through the Company's branded advisors. The Company's property-casualty products are sold direct, primarily through affinity relationships. The Company issues insurance policies through its life insurance subsidiaries and the property casualty companies. The primary sources of revenues for this segment are premiums, fees, and charges that the Company receives to assume insurance-related risk. The Company earns net investment income on owned assets supporting insurance reserves and capital supporting the business. The Company also receives fees based on the level of assets supporting variable universal life separate account balances. This segment earns intersegment revenues from fees paid by the Asset Management segment for marketing support and other services provided in connection with the availability of RiverSource VST Funds under the variable universal life contracts. Intersegment expenses for this segment include distribution expenses for services provided by the Advice & Wealth Management segment, as well as expenses for investment management services provided by the Asset Management segment.
The Corporate & Other segment consists of net investment income on corporate level assets, including excess capital held in RiverSource Life and other unallocated equity and other revenues from various investments as well as unallocated corporate expenses. This segment also included non-recurring separation costs in 2007 associated with the Company's separation from American Express, the last of which was expensed in 2007.
The accounting policies of the segments are the same as those of the Company, except for the method of capital allocation and the accounting for gains (losses) from intercompany revenues and expenses, which are eliminated in consolidation. The Company evaluates the performance of each segment based on pretax income. The Company allocates certain non-recurring items, such as costs related to supporting RiverSource 2a-7 money market funds, expenses related to unaffiliated money market funds and restructuring charges for 2008, as well as separation costs for 2007, to the Corporate segment.
The following is a summary of assets by segment:
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The following is a summary of segment operating results:
ANNUAL REPORT 2009 153
27. Restructuring Charges
The Company announced a restructuring charge of $60 million in the fourth quarter of 2008 primarily through selective reductions in employee headcount largely in areas other than in the Company's client service operations. The liability balance was $7 million and $58 million as of December 31, 2009 and 2008, respectively.
154 ANNUAL REPORT 2009
28. Quarterly Financial Data (Unaudited)
(1)Certain prior period amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current period's presentation. (2)Diluted shares used in this calculation represent basic shares due to the net loss. Using actual diluted shares would result in anti-dilution. ANNUAL REPORT 2009 155
Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements With Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure.
None.
Item 9A. Controls and Procedures.
Disclosure Controls and Procedures.
We maintain disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act")) designed to provide reasonable assurance that the information required to be reported in the Exchange Act filings is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in and pursuant to SEC regulations, including controls and procedures designed to ensure that this information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding the required disclosure. It should be noted that, because of inherent limitations, our company's disclosure controls and procedures, however well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable, and not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the disclosure controls and procedures are met.
Our management, under the supervision and with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, evaluated the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures as of the end of the period covered by this report. Based upon that evaluation, our company's Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective at a reasonable level of assurance as of December 31, 2009.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting.
There have not been any changes in our internal control over financial reporting (as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act) during the fourth fiscal quarter of the year to which this report relates that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our company's internal control over financial reporting.
Management's Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting for the Company.
The Company's internal control over financial reporting is a process designed by, or under the supervision of, the Company's principal executive and principal financial officers and effected by the Company's Board of Directors, management and other personnel 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 in the United States of America, and 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 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 •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.
The Company's management, with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, assessed the effectiveness of the Company's internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2009. In making this assessment, the Company's management used the criteria set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission in Internal Control - Integrated Framework.
Based on management's assessment and those criteria, we believe that, as of December 31, 2009, the Company's internal control over financial reporting is effective.
Ernst & Young LLP, the Company's independent registered public accounting firm, has issued an audit report appearing on the following page on the effectiveness of the Company's internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2009.
156 ANNUAL REPORT 2009
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
The Board of Directors and Shareholders of Ameriprise Financial, Inc.
We have audited Ameriprise Financial, Inc.'s (the Company's) internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2009, based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (the COSO criteria). The Company's 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 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, testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk, and 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, Ameriprise Financial, Inc. maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2009, based on the COSO criteria.
We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), the 2009 consolidated financial statements of Ameriprise Financial, Inc., and our report dated February 23, 2010, expressed an unqualified opinion thereon.
Minneapolis, Minnesota
February 23, 2010
ANNUAL REPORT 2009 157
Item 9B. Other Information.
None.
PART III.
Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance.
The following portions of the Proxy Statement are incorporated herein by reference:
•information included under the caption "Items to be Voted on by Shareholders - Item 1 - Election of Directors"; •information included under the caption "Requirements, Including Deadlines, for Submission of Proxy Proposals, Nomination of Directors and Other Business of Shareholders"; •information under the caption "Corporate Governance - Codes of Conduct"; •information included under the caption "Corporate Governance - Membership on Board Committees"; •information under the caption "Corporate Governance - Nominating and Governance Committee - Director Nomination Process"; •information included under the caption "Corporate Governance - Audit Committee"; •information included under the caption "Corporate Governance - Audit Committee Financial Experts"; and •information under the caption "Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance."
EXECUTIVE OFFICERS OF OUR COMPANY
Set forth below is a list of our executive officers as of the date this Annual Report on Form 10-K has been filed with the SEC. None of such officers has any family relationship with any other executive officer or our principal accounting officer, and none of such officers became an officer pursuant to any arrangement or understanding with any other person. Each such officer has been elected to serve until the next annual election of officers or until his or her successor is elected and qualified. Each officer's age is indicated by the number in parentheses next to his or her name.
James M. Cracchiolo - Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Mr. Cracchiolo (51) has been our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer since the Distribution in September 2005. Prior to that time, Mr. Cracchiolo was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of AEFC since March 2001; President and Chief Executive Officer of AEFC since November 2000; and Group President, Global Financial Services of American Express since June 2000. He served as Chairman of American Express Bank Ltd. from September 2000 until April 2005 and served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Travel Related Services International from May 1998 through July 2003. He is also currently on the board of advisors of the March of Dimes.
Joseph E. Sweeney - President - Advice & Wealth Management, Products and Services
Mr. Sweeney (48) has been our President - Advice & Wealth Management, Products and Services since May 2009. Prior to that time, Mr. Sweeney served as President - Financial Planning, Products and Services. Prior to the Distribution, Mr. Sweeney served as Senior Vice President and General Manager of Banking, Brokerage and Managed Products of AEFC since April 2002. Prior thereto, he served as Senior Vice President and Head, Business Transformation, Global Financial Services of American Express from March 2001 until April 2002. Mr. Sweeney is currently on the board of directors of the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association.
William F. Truscott - President - U.S. Asset Management, Annuities and Chief Investment Officer
Mr. Truscott (49) has been our President - U.S. Asset Management, Annuities and Chief Investment Officer since February 2008. Prior to that time, Mr. Truscott had served as our President - U.S. Asset Management and Chief Investment Officer since September 2005. Prior to the Distribution, Mr. Truscott served as Senior Vice President and Chief Investment Officer of AEFC, a position he held since he joined the company in September 2001.
158 ANNUAL REPORT 2009
Walter S. Berman - Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Mr. Berman (67) has been our Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer since September 2005. Prior to the Distribution, Mr. Berman served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of AEFC, a position he held since January 2003. From April 2001 to January 2004, Mr. Berman served as Corporate Treasurer of American Express.
Kelli A. Hunter - Executive Vice President of Human Resources
Ms. Hunter (48) has been our Executive Vice President of Human Resources since September 2005. Prior to the Distribution, Ms. Hunter served as Executive Vice President of Human Resources of AEFC since joining our company in June 2005. Prior to joining AEFC, Ms. Hunter was Senior Vice President - Global Human Capital for Crown Castle International Corporation in Houston, Texas. Prior to that, she held a variety of senior level positions in human resources for Software Spectrum, Inc., Mary Kay, Inc., as well as Morgan Stanley Inc. and Bankers Trust New York Corporation.
John C. Junek - Executive Vice President and General Counsel
Mr. Junek (60) has been our Executive Vice President and General Counsel since September 2005. Prior to the Distribution, Mr. Junek served as Senior Vice President and General Counsel of AEFC since June 2000.
Glen Salow - Executive Vice President - Service Delivery and Technology
Mr. Salow (53) has been our Executive Vice President - Service Delivery and Technology since September 2005. Prior to the Distribution, Mr. Salow was Executive Vice President of Technologies and Operations of AEFC since May 2005 and was Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer of American Express from March 2000 to May 2005.
Kim M. Sharan - President - Financial Planning, Retirement & Wealth Strategies and Chief Marketing Officer
Ms. Sharan (52) has been our President - Financial Planning, Retirement & Wealth Strategies and Chief Marketing Officer since June 2009. Prior to that time, Ms. Sharan served as Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer. Prior to the Distribution, Ms. Sharan served as Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of AEFC since July 2004. Prior thereto, she served as Senior Vice President and Head of Strategic Planning of the Global Financial Services Division of American Express from October 2002 until July 2004. Prior to joining American Express, Ms. Sharan was Managing Director at Merrill Lynch in Tokyo, Japan, from February 2000 until September 2002.
Deirdre N. Davey - Executive Vice President - Corporate Communications and Community Relations
Ms. Davey (39) has been our Executive Vice President - Corporate Communications and Community Relations since February 2010. Previously, Ms. Davey served as Senior Vice President - Corporate Communications and Community Relations since February 2007 and as Vice President - Corporate Communications since May 2006. Prior thereto, Ms. Davey served as Vice President - Business Planning and Communications for our Chairman's Office, and prior to the Distribution, she served as Vice President - Business Planning and Communications for the Group President, Global Financial Services at American Express.
John R. Woerner - President - Insurance and Chief Strategy Officer
Mr. Woerner (41) has been our President - Insurance and Chief Strategy Officer since February 2008. Prior to his current role, he was Senior Vice President - Strategy and Business Development since September 2005. Prior to the Distribution, Mr. Woerner served as Senior Vice President - Strategic Planning and Business Development of AEFC since March 2005. Prior to joining us, Mr. Woerner was a Principal at McKinsey & Co., where he spent approximately ten years serving leading U.S. and European financial services firms, and co-led McKinsey's U.S. Asset Management Practice.
Donald E. Froude - President - The Personal Advisors Group
Mr. Froude (54) has been our President - The Personal Advisors Group since September 2008. Prior to joining us, Mr. Froude served as managing director and head of U.S. distribution for Legg Mason, Inc. since 2006. Prior to that, he served as President of Intermediary Distribution for Columbia Management, a division of Bank of America, from 2004 to 2006. Prior thereto, he was president and chief executive officer of Quick & Reilly.
ANNUAL REPORT 2009 159
David K. Stewart - Senior Vice President and Controller (Principal Accounting Officer)
Mr. Stewart (56) has been our Senior Vice President and Controller since September 2005. Prior to the Distribution, Mr. Stewart served as Vice President and Controller of AEFC and its subsidiaries since June 2002, when he joined American Express. Prior thereto, Mr. Stewart held various management and officer positions in accounting, financial reporting and treasury operations at Lutheran Brotherhood, now known as Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, where he was Vice President - Treasurer from 1997 until 2001.
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
We have adopted a set of Corporate Governance Principles and Categorical Standards of Director Independence which, together with the charters of the three standing committees of the Board of Directors (Audit; Compensation and Benefits; and Nominating and Governance) and our Code of Conduct (which constitutes the Company's code of ethics), provide the framework for the governance of our company. A complete copy of our Corporate Governance Principles and Categorical Standards of Director Independence, the charters of each of the Board committees, the Code of Conduct (which applies not only to our Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Controller, but also to all other employees of our company) and the Code of Business Conduct for the Members of the Board of Directors may be found by clicking the "Corporate Governance" link found on our Investor Relations website at ir.ameriprise.com. You may also access our Investor Relations website through our main website at ameriprise.com by clicking on the "Investor Relations" link, which is located at the bottom of the page. (Information from such sites is not incorporated by reference into this report.) You may also obtain free copies of these materials by writing to our Corporate Secretary at our principal executive offices.
Item 11. Executive Compensation.
The following portions of the Proxy Statement are incorporated herein by reference:
•information under the caption "Corporate Governance - Compensation and Benefits Committee - Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation"; •information included under the caption "Compensation of Executive Officers"; and •information included under the caption "Compensation of Directors."
Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters.
Equity Compensation Plan Information
(1)Includes 1,063,156 share units subject to vesting per the terms of the applicable plan which could result in the issuance of common stock. As the terms of these share based awards do not provide for an exercise price, they have been excluded from the weighted average exercise price in column B. (2)Includes 5,877,080 share units subject to vesting per the terms of the applicable plans which could result in the issuance of common stock. As the terms of these share based awards do not provide for an exercise price, they have been excluded from the weighted average exercise price in column B. For additional information on the Company's equity compensation plans see Note 16 - Share-Based Compensation to our Consolidated Financial Statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.. The non-shareholder approved plans consist of the Ameriprise Financial 2008 Employment Incentive Equity Award Plan, the Ameriprise Advisor Group Deferred Compensation Plan and the Amended Deferred Equity Program for Independent Financial Advisors. 160 ANNUAL REPORT 2009
(3)Consists of 3,165,387 shares of common stock issuable under the terms of the Ameriprise Financial 2008 Employment Incentive Equity Award Plan, 2,885,408 shares of common stock issuable under the Ameriprise Advisor Group Deferred Compensation Plan, and 2,278,246 shares of common stock issuable under the Ameriprise Financial Deferred Equity Program for Independent Financial Advisors. Information concerning the market for our common shares and our shareholders can be found in Part II, Item 5 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Price and dividend information concerning our common shares may be found in Note 28 to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The information included under the caption "Ownership of Our Common Shares" in the Proxy Statement is incorporated herein by reference.
Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence.
The information under the captions "Corporate Governance - Director Independence," "Corporate Governance - Categorical Standards of Director Independence," "Corporate Governance - Independence of Committee Members" and "Certain Transactions" in the Proxy Statement is incorporated herein by reference.
Item 14. Principal Accountant Fees and Services.
The information set forth under the heading "Items to be Voted on by Shareholders - Item 5 - Ratification of Audit Committee's Selection of Independent Registered Public Accountants - Independent Registered Public Accountant Fees"; " - Services to Associated Organizations"; and " - Policy on Pre-Approval of Services Provided by Independent Registered Public Accountants," in the Proxy Statement is incorporated herein by reference.
PART IV.
Item 15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules.
(a)1. Financial Statements:
The information required herein has been provided in Item 8, which is incorporated herein by reference.
2.Financial schedules required to be filed by Item 8 of this form, and by Item 15(b):
Schedule I - Condensed Financial Information of Registrant (Parent Company Only)
All other financial schedules are not required under the related instructions, or are inapplicable and therefore have been omitted.
3.Exhibits:
The list of exhibits required to be filed as exhibits to this report are listed on pages E-1 through E-2 hereof under "Exhibit Index," which is incorporated herein by reference.
ANNUAL REPORT 2009 161
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
AMERIPRISE FINANCIAL, INC.
(Registrant)
Date: February 23, 2010
By
/s/ Walter S. Berman
Walter S. Berman
Executive Vice President and
Chief Financial Officer
POWER OF ATTORNEY
KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS, that each of the undersigned directors and officers of Ameriprise Financial, Inc., a Delaware corporation, does hereby make, constitute and appoint James M. Cracchiolo, Walter S. Berman and John C. Junek, and each of them, the undersigned's true and lawful attorneys-in-fact, with power of substitution, for the undersigned and in the undersigned's name, place and stead, to sign and affix the undersigned's name as such director and/or officer of said corporation to an Annual Report on Form 10-K or other applicable form, and all amendments thereto, to be filed by such corporation with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Washington, D.C., under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, with all exhibits thereto and other supporting documents, with said Commission, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact, and any of them, full power and authority to do and perform any and all acts necessary or incidental to the performance and execution of the powers herein expressly granted.
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 registrant and in the capacity and on the dates indicated.
Date: February 23, 2010
By
/s/ James M. Cracchiolo
James M. Cracchiolo
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
(Principal Executive Officer and Director)
Date: February 23, 2010
By
/s/ Walter S. Berman
Walter S. Berman
Executive Vice President and
Chief Financial Officer
(Principal Financial Officer)
Date: February 23, 2010
By
/s/ David K. Stewart
David K. Stewart
Senior Vice President and Controller
(Principal Accounting Officer)
Date: February 23, 2010
By
/s/ Warren D. Knowlton
Warren D. Knowlton
Director
162 ANNUAL REPORT 2009
Date: February 23, 2010
By
/s/ W. Walker Lewis
W. Walker Lewis
Director
Date: February 23, 2010
By
/s/ Siri S. Marshall
Siri S. Marshall
Director
Date: February 23, 2010
By
/s/ Jeffrey Noddle
Jeffrey Noddle
Director
Date: February 23, 2010
By
/s/ H. Jay Sarles
H. Jay Sarles
Director
Date: February 23, 2010
By
/s/ Robert F. Sharpe, Jr.
Robert F. Sharpe, Jr.
Director
Date: February 23, 2010
By
/s/ William H. Turner
William H. Turner
Director
ANNUAL REPORT 2009 163
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
The Board of Directors and Shareholders of Ameriprise Financial, Inc.
We have audited the consolidated financial statements of Ameriprise Financial, Inc. as of December 31, 2009 and 2008, and for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2009, and have issued our report thereon dated February 23, 2010 (included elsewhere in this Registration Statement). Our audits also included the financial statement schedule listed in Item 15(a) of this Annual Report (Form 10-K). This schedule is the responsibility of the Company's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion based on our audits.
In our opinion, the financial statement schedule referred to above, when considered in relation to the basic financial statements taken as a whole, presents fairly in all material respects the information set forth therein.
Minneapolis, Minnesota
February 23, 2010
SCHEDULE I - CONDENSED FINANCIAL INFORMATION OF REGISTRANT
(Parent Company Only)
Condensed Statements of Operations
Condensed Balance Sheets
Condensed Statements of Cash Flows
Notes to Condensed Financial Information of Registrant
SCHEDULE I - CONDENSED FINANCIAL INFORMATION OF REGISTRANT
CONDENSED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(Parent Company Only)
See Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
SCHEDULE I - CONDENSED FINANCIAL INFORMATION OF REGISTRANT
CONDENSED BALANCE SHEETS
(Parent Company Only)
See Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
SCHEDULE I - CONDENSED FINANCIAL INFORMATION OF REGISTRANT
CONDENSED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(Parent Company Only)
See Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
SCHEDULE I - CONDENSED FINANCIAL INFORMATION OF REGISTRANT
NOTES TO CONDENSED FINANCIAL INFORMATION OF REGISTRANT
(Parent Company Only)
1. Basis of Presentation
The accompanying Condensed Financial Statements include the accounts of Ameriprise Financial, Inc. (the"Registrant," "Ameriprise Financial" or "Parent Company") and, on an equity basis, its subsidiaries and affiliates. The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP and all adjustments made were of a normal, recurring nature. The financial information of the Parent Company should be read in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes of Ameriprise Financial. Parent Company revenues and expenses, other than compensation and benefits and debt and interest expense, are primarily related to intercompany transactions with subsidiaries and affiliates. Certain prior year amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current year's presentation.
Ameriprise Financial was formerly a wholly owned subsidiary of American Express. On February 1, 2005, the American Express Board of Directors announced its intention to pursue the disposition of 100% of its shareholdings in Ameriprise Financial (the "Separation") through a tax-free distribution to American Express shareholders. Effective as of the close of business on September 30, 2005, American Express completed the separation of Ameriprise Financial and the distribution of the Ameriprise Financial common shares to American Express shareholders. Ameriprise Financial incurred significant non-recurring separation costs in 2007 as a result of the Separation. The separation from American Express was completed in 2007.
2. Debt
All of the consolidated debt of Ameriprise Financial are borrowings of the Parent Company, except as indicated below.
•At December 31, 2009 and 2008, the consolidated debt of Ameriprise Financial included $381 million and $64 million, respectively, of floating rate revolving credit borrowings. The floating rate revolving credit borrowings due 2013 and 2014 are non-recourse debt related to certain consolidated property funds. The debt will be extinguished with the cash flows from the sale of the investments held within the partnerships.
•At both December 31, 2009 and 2008, the consolidated debt of Ameriprise Financial included $6 million of municipal bond inverse floater certificates that are non-recourse debt obligations of a consolidated structured entity. 3. Commitments and Contingencies
The Parent Company is the guarantor for an operating lease of IDS Property Casualty Insurance Company.
All consolidated legal, regulatory and arbitration proceedings, including class actions of Ameriprise Financial, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries are potential or current obligations of the Parent Company.
The Parent Company and ACC entered into a Capital Support Agreement on March 2, 2009, pursuant to which the Parent Company agrees to commit such capital to ACC as is necessary to satisfy applicable minimum capital requirements, up to a maximum commitment of $115 million.
4. Guarantees
An unaffiliated third party is providing liquidity to clients of Securities America, Inc. ("SAI") registered representatives that have assets in the Reserve Primary Fund that have been blocked from redemption and frozen by the Reserve Fund since September 16, 2008. Ameriprise Financial has agreed to indemnify the unaffiliated third party up to $10 million until April 15, 2015, for costs incurred as a result of an arbitration or litigation initiated against the unaffiliated third party by clients of SAI registered representatives. In the event that a client defaults in the repayment of an advance, SAI has recourse to collect from the defaulting client.
Certain property fund limited partnerships that Ameriprise Financial consolidates have floating rate revolving credit borrowings of $381 million as of December 31, 2009. Certain Threadneedle Asset Management Holdings Sàrl subsidiaries guarantee the repayment of outstanding borrowings up to the value of the assets of the partnerships. The debt is secured by the assets of the partnerships and there is no recourse to Ameriprise Financial.
EXHIBIT INDEX
Pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission, we have filed certain agreements as exhibits to this Annual Report on Form 10-K. These agreements may contain representations and warranties by the parties. These representations and warranties have been made solely for the benefit of the other party or parties to such agreements and (i) may have been qualified by disclosures made to such other party or parties, (ii) were made only as of the date of such agreements or such other date(s) as may be specified in such agreements and are subject to more recent developments, which may not be fully reflected in our public disclosure, (iii) may reflect the allocation of risk among the parties to such agreements and (iv) may apply materiality standards different from what may be viewed as material to investors. Accordingly, these representations and warranties may not describe our actual state of affairs at the date hereof and should not be relied upon.
The following exhibits are filed as part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The exhibit numbers followed by an asterisk (*) indicate exhibits electronically filed herewith. All other exhibit numbers indicate exhibits previously filed and are hereby incorporated herein by reference. Exhibits numbered 10.2 through 10.18 are management contracts or compensatory plans or arrangements.
Exhibit
Description
3.1
Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Ameriprise Financial, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Current Report on Form 8-K, File No. 1-32525, filed on October 4, 2005).
3.2
Amended and Restated Bylaws of Ameriprise Financial, Inc., as amended on November 28, 2006 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 of the Annual Report on Form 10-K, file No. 1-32525, filed on February 27, 2007).
4.1
Form of Specimen Common Stock Certificate (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to Amendment No. 3 to Form 10 Registration Statement, File No. 1-32525, filed on August 19, 2005).
4.2
Indenture dated as of October 5, 2005, between Ameriprise Financial, Inc. and U.S. Bank National Association, trustee (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4(a) to the Registration Statement on Form S-3, File No. 333-128834, filed on October 5, 2005).
4.3
Indenture dated as of May 5, 2006, between Ameriprise Financial, Inc. and U.S. Bank National Association, trustee (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.A to the Registration Statement on Form S-3ASR, File No. 333-133860, filed on May 5, 2006).
4.4
Junior Subordinated Debt Indenture, dated as of May 5, 2006, between Ameriprise Financial, Inc. and U.S. Bank National Association, trustee (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.C to the Registration Statement on Form S-3ASR, File No. 333-133860, filed on May 5, 2006).
Other instruments defining the rights of holders of long-term debt securities of the registrant are omitted pursuant to Section (b)(4)(iii)(A) of Item 601 of Regulation S-K. The registrant agrees to furnish copies of these instruments to the SEC upon request.
10.1
Tax Allocation Agreement by and between American Express and Ameriprise Financial, Inc., dated as of September 30, 2005 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Current Report on Form 8-K, File No. 1-32525, filed on October 4, 2005).
10.2
Ameriprise Financial 2005 Incentive Compensation Plan, as amended and restated effective April 25, 2007 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit A to the Proxy Statement for the Annual Meeting of Shareholders held on April 25, 2007, File No. 001-32525, filed on March 9, 2007).
10.3
Ameriprise Financial Deferred Compensation Plan, as amended and restated effective January 1, 2009 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 of the Annual Report on Form 10-K, File No. 1-32525, filed on March 2, 2009).
10.4*
Ameriprise Financial Supplemental Retirement Plan, as amended and restated effective January 1, 2010.
10.5
Form of Ameriprise Financial 2005 Incentive Compensation Plan Master Agreement for Substitution Awards (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.8 to Amendment No. 2 to Form 10 Registration Statement, File No. 1-32525, filed on August 15, 2005).
10.6
Ameriprise Financial Form of Award Certificate - Non-Qualified Stock Option Award (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.4 to the Current Report on Form 8-K, File No. 1-32525, filed on October 4, 2005).
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10.7
Ameriprise Financial Form of Award Certificate - Restricted Stock Award (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.5 to the Current Report on Form 8-K, File No. 1-32525, filed on October 4, 2005).
10.8
Ameriprise Financial Form of Award Certificate - Restricted Stock Unit Award (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.6 to the Current Report on Form 8-K, File No. 1-32525, filed on October 4, 2005).
10.9
Ameriprise Financial Form of Agreement - Cash Incentive Award (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.7 to the Current Report on Form 8-K, File No. 1-32525, filed on October 4, 2005).
10.10
Ameriprise Financial Long-Term Incentive Award Program Guide (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.10 of the Annual Report on Form 10-K, File No. 1-32525, filed on March 2, 2009).
10.11
Ameriprise Financial Deferred Share Plan for Outside Directors, as amended and restated effective January 1, 2009 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.11 of the Annual Report on Form 10-K, File No. 1-32525, filed on March 2, 2009).
10.12
CEO Security and Compensation Arrangements (incorporated by reference to Item 1.01 of the Current Report on Form 8-K, File No. 1-32525, filed on October 31, 2005).
10.13*
Ameriprise Financial Senior Executive Severance Plan, as amended and restated effective December 10, 2009.
10.14
Restricted Stock Awards in lieu of Key Executive Life Insurance Program (incorporated by reference to Item 1.01 of the Current Report on Form 8-K, File No. 1-32525, filed on November 18, 2005).
10.15
Ameriprise Financial Annual Incentive Award Plan, adopted effective as of September 30, 2005 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.28 of the Annual Report on Form 10-K, File No. 1-32525. filed on March 8, 2006).
10.16
Form of Indemnification Agreement for directors, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, General Counsel and Principal Accounting Officer and any other officers designated by the Chief Executive Officer (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.29 of the Annual Report on Form 10-K, File No. 1-32525, filed on March 8, 2006).
10.17
Ameriprise Financial 2008 Employment Incentive Equity Award Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Registration Statement on Form S-8, File No. 333-156075, filed on December 11, 2008).
10.18*
Ameriprise Advisor Group Deferred Compensation Plan, as amended and restated effective January 1, 2010.
10.19*
Credit Agreement, dated as of September 30, 2005, among Ameriprise Financial, Inc., the lenders listed therein, Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, Citibank, N.A., Bank of America, N.A., HSBC Bank USA, National Association, Wachovia Bank, National Association and Citigroup Global Markets, Inc.
10.20
Capital Support Agreement by and between Ameriprise Financial, Inc. and Ameriprise Certificate Company, dated as of March 2, 2009 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.19 of the Annual Report on Form 10-K, File No. 1-32525, filed on March 2, 2009).
12*
Ratio of Earnings to Fixed Charges.
13*
Portions of the Ameriprise Financial, Inc. 2009 Annual Report to Shareholders, which, except for those sections incorporated herein by reference, are furnished solely for the information of the SEC and are not to be deemed "filed."
21*
Subsidiaries of Ameriprise Financial, Inc.
23*
Consent of Ernst & Young LLP, Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm.
Powers of attorney (included on Signature Page).
31.1*
Certification of James M. Cracchiolo pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
31.2*
Certification of Walter S. Berman pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
32*
Certification of James M. Cracchiolo and Walter S. Berman pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
101*
The following materials from Ameriprise Financial, Inc.'s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2009, formatted in XBRL: (i) Consolidated Statements of Operations for the years ended December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007; (ii) Consolidated Balance Sheets at December 31, 2009 and 2008; (iii) Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the years ended December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007; (iv) Consolidated Statements of Equity for the years ended December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007; and (v) Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements, tagged as blocks of text.
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