Goodwill and other intangible assets

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2024

Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]

Note 13. Goodwill and other intangible assets

Reconciliations of the changes in the carrying value of goodwill for the first three months of 2024 and for the year ended December 31, 2023 follow (in millions).


	March 31, 2024			December 31, 2023
Balance at the beginning of the year	$	84,626		$	78,119
Business acquisitions		1			7,347
Other, including acquisition period remeasurements and foreign currency translation		(78	)		(840	)
Balance at the end of the period*	$	84,549		$	84,626

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* Net of accumulated goodwill impairments of $11.1 billion as of March 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023.

Other intangible assets are summarized below (in millions).


	March 31, 2024						December 31, 2023
	Gross carrying amount		Accumulated amortization		Net carrying value		Gross carrying amount		Accumulated amortization		Net carrying value
Insurance and other:
Customer relationships	$	28,287	$	8,051	$	20,236	$	28,305	$	7,901	$	20,404
Trademarks and trade names		5,624		850		4,774		5,619		846		4,773
Patents and technology		5,279		4,196		1,083		5,238		4,109		1,129
Other		4,803		1,851		2,952		4,826		1,805		3,021
	$	43,993	$	14,948	$	29,045	$	43,988	$	14,661	$	29,327
Railroad, utilities and energy:
Customer relationships and contracts	$	4,092	$	855	$	3,237	$	4,092	$	791	$	3,301
Trademarks and trade names		3,592		126		3,466		3,592		98		3,494
Other		1,182		181		1,001		1,174		156		1,018
	$	8,866	$	1,162	$	7,704	$	8,858	$	1,045	$	7,813

Other intangible assets of the railroad, utilities and energy businesses are included in other assets. Intangible asset amortization expense in the first quarter was $435 million in 2024 and $429 million in 2023. Intangible assets with indefinite lives were $18.9 billion as of March 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023 and primarily related to certain customer relationships and trademarks and trade names.