The Company monitors and manages the aggregation of credit risk on a group-wide basis allowing it to consider exposure management strategies for individual companies, countries, regions, sectors and any other relevant inter-dependencies. The Company's credit exposures are aggregated based on the origin of risk. Credit risk aggregation is also managed through minimizing overlaps in underwriting, financing and investing activities. As part of its credit aggregation framework, the Company also assigns aggregate credit limits by country and by single counterparty (or parent of affiliated counterparties). These limits are based on and adjusted for a variety of factors including the prevailing economic environment and the nature of the underlying credit exposures.

The Company's credit aggregation measurement and reporting process is facilitated by its credit risk exposure database, which contains relevant information on counterparty details and credit risk exposures. The database is accessible by management throughout the Company, therefore providing transparency to allow for the implementation of active exposure management strategies. The Company also licenses third-party tools to provide credit risk assessments. The Company monitors all its credit aggregations and, where appropriate, adjusts its internal risk limits and/or takes specific actions to reduce our risk exposures.

The assets that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist principally of cash and investments, reinsurance recoverable on unpaid and paid claims, and insurance and reinsurance premiums balances receivable, as described below:

In order to mitigate concentration and operational risks related to cash and cash equivalents, the Company limits the maximum amount of cash that can be deposited with a single counterparty and limits acceptable counterparties based on current rating, outlook and other relevant factors.

The Company's fixed maturities portfolio, which represents approximately $12.6 billion or 39% of its total assets, is exposed to potential losses arising from the diminished creditworthiness of issuers of bonds. The Company's investment portfolio is managed by external investment managers in accordance with its investment guidelines. The Company limits credit risk through diversification and issuer exposure limits graded by ratings and, with respect to custodians, through contractual and other legal remedies. Excluding Government and agency securities, the Company limits its concentration of credit risk to any single corporate issuer to 1% of its investment grade fixed maturities portfolio for securities rated A- or above and 0.5% of its investment grade fixed maturities portfolio for securities rated below A-.

The Company is exposed to the credit risk associated with reinsurance recoverable on unpaid and paid losses and loss expenses to the extent that any of its reinsurers fail to meet their obligations under reinsurance contracts. To help mitigate this risk, the Company's purchase of reinsurance is subject to financial security requirements specified by its Reinsurance Security Committee. This Committee maintains a list of approved reinsurers, performs credit risk assessments for potential new reinsurers, regularly monitors approved reinsurers with consideration for events which may have a material impact on their creditworthiness, recommends counterparty tolerance levels for different types of ceded business and monitors concentrations of credit risk. This assessment considers a wide range of individual attributes, including a review of the counterparty’s financial strength, industry position and other qualitative factors. Generally, the Committee requires that reinsurers who do not meet specified requirements provide collateral.

At December 31, 2024, amounts recoverable from reinsurers included 17% that is fully collateralized, 81% that is recoverable from reinsurers rated A- or higher by A.M. Best and 2% that is recoverable from reinsurers rated lower than A- by A.M. Best (2023: 14%, 83% and 3%, respectively).

The diversity of the Company's client base limits credit risk associated with its premium balances receivable. In addition, for insurance contracts the Company has contractual rights to cancel coverage for non-payment of premiums and for reinsurance contracts the Company has contractual rights to offset premium balances receivable against corresponding payments for losses and loss expenses.

Brokers and other intermediaries collect premiums from customers on behalf of the Company. The Company has procedures in place to manage and monitor credit risk from intermediaries with a focus on day-to-day monitoring of the largest positions.

These contractual rights contribute to the mitigation of credit risk, together with the monitoring of aged premium balances receivable. In light of these mitigating factors and considering that a significant portion of premium balances receivable are not currently due based on the terms of the underlying contracts, the Company does not utilize specific credit quality indicators to monitor its premium balances receivable.

At December 31, 2024, the Company's allowance for expected credit losses to be recognized over the life of the Company’s premium balances receivable was $17 million (2023: $12 million). The following table provides a reconciliation of the beginning and ending balances of the allowance for expected credit losses related to the Company’s premiums balances receivable:

For the year ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022, three brokers accounted for 38%, 38% and 43% of gross premiums written, respectively. Aon plc accounted for 14% (2023: 15%, 2022: 17%), Marsh & McLennan Companies Inc. accounted for 14% (2023: 14%, 2022: 17%), and Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. accounted for 10% (2023: 9%, 2022: 9%).

In the normal course of business, the Company purchases reinsurance and retrocessional (collectively referred to as "reinsurance") protection for its insurance and reinsurance business. Minimum reinsurance premiums are contractually due in advance on a quarterly basis. At December 31, 2024, the Company had outstanding reinsurance purchase commitments of $nil (2023: $6 million due before June 2025). Actual payments under the reinsurance contracts will depend on the underlying subject premium and may exceed the minimum reinsurance premiums.

From time to time, the Company is subject to routine legal proceedings, including arbitrations, arising in the ordinary course of business. These legal proceedings generally relate to claims asserted by or against the Company in the ordinary course of its insurance or reinsurance operations. Estimated amounts payable related to these proceedings are included in reserve for losses and loss expenses in the Company's consolidated balance sheets. The Company is not party to any material legal proceedings arising outside the ordinary course of business.

At December 31, 2024, the Company has $526 million (2023: $502 million) of unfunded investment commitments related to its other investment portfolio, which are callable by investment managers (refer to Note 5(e) 'Investments'). At December 31, 2024, the Company has $9 million (2023: $10 million) of unfunded investment commitments to purchase commercial mortgage loans and $94 million (2023: $16 million) of unfunded investment commitments to purchase corporate debt.

The Company operates in the Lloyd’s market through its corporate members, AXIS Corporate Capital UK Limited and AXIS Corporate Capital UK II Limited. Lloyd’s sets capital requirements for corporate members annually through the application of a capital model that is based on regulatory rules pursuant to Solvency II.

At December 31, 2024, investments and cash of $883 million (2023: $893 million) were restricted to satisfy the Company's FAL requirements (refer to Note 5 'Investments' and Note 22 'Statutory Financial Information').