Note 16. Retroactive reinsurance contracts

Retroactive reinsurance policies provide indemnification of losses and loss adjustment expenses of short-duration insurance contracts with respect to underlying loss events that occurred prior to the contract inception date. Claims payments may commence immediately after the contract date or, if applicable, once a contractual retention amount has been reached. Reconciliations of the changes in estimated liabilities for retroactive reinsurance unpaid losses and loss adjustment expenses (“claim liabilities”) and related deferred charge reinsurance assumed assets for each of the three months ending March 31, 2018 and 2017 follows (in millions).


	2018				2017
	Unpaid losses and loss adjustment expenses		Deferred charges reinsurance assumed		Unpaid losses and loss adjustment expenses		Deferred charges reinsurance assumed
Balances – beginning of year:	$	42,937	$	(15,278)	$	24,972	$	(8,047)

Incurred losses and loss adjustment expenses
Current year contracts		—		—		16,448		(6,192)
Prior years’ contracts		(30)		271		(398)		409

Total		(30)		271		16,050		(5,783)


Paid losses and loss adjustment expenses		(563)		—		(435)		—


Balances – March 31:	$	42,344	$	(15,007)	$	40,587	$	(13,830)

Incurred losses and loss adjustment expenses, net of deferred charges	$	241			$	10,267

In the preceding table, classifications of incurred losses and loss adjustment expenses are based on the inception dates of the contracts. We do not believe that analysis of losses incurred and paid by accident year of the underlying event is relevant or meaningful given that our exposure to losses incepts when the contract incepts. Further, we believe the classifications of reported claims and case development liabilities has little or no practical analytical value.

In the first quarter of 2017, we entered into an agreement through a Berkshire subsidiary, National Indemnity Company (“NICO”), with various subsidiaries of American International Group, Inc. (collectively, “AIG”), which became effective on February 2, 2017. Under this agreement, NICO agreed to indemnify AIG for 80% of up to $25 billion of losses and allocated loss adjustment expenses in excess of $25 billion retained by AIG, with respect to certain commercial insurance loss events occurring prior to 2016. As of the effective date, we recorded premiums earned of $10.2 billion, a liability for unpaid losses and loss adjustment expenses of $16.4 billion and a deferred charge reinsurance assumed asset of $6.2 billion. Berkshire agreed to guarantee the timely payment of all amounts due to AIG under the agreement. Our estimated ultimate claim liabilities with respect to the AIG contract at March 31, 2018 and at December 31, 2017 were $18.2 billion. Deferred charge assets were approximately $7.4 billion at March 31, 2018 and $7.5 billion at December 31, 2017, which reflected an increase in estimated ultimate liabilities recorded in the fourth quarter of 2017 of $1.8 billion.

Incurred losses and loss adjustment expenses related to contracts written in prior years were $241 million in the first quarter of 2018 and $11 million in the first quarter of 2017. Such losses included recurring amortization of deferred charge assets and net gains from contract commutations in 2018 and 2017.