Commitments and Contingencies

The Company and its subsidiaries lease office space and equipment under operating lease arrangements. Certain facility leases contain escalation clauses based on increases in the lessors’ operating expenses. At December 31, 2015, the aggregate future minimum lease payments under these operating lease agreements that have initial or non-cancelable terms in excess of one year are:



2016	$	24,590
2017	20,069
2018	16,457
2019	11,407
2020	8,171
Thereafter	14,944
Total minimum future lease payments (a)	$	95,638

(a) Minimum future lease payments exclude $14,031 of sublease rental income.

Rent expense was $31,784, $30,260 and $27,271 for 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively. Sublease income was $2,380 in 2015.

In the normal course of business, letters of credit are issued primarily to support reinsurance arrangements in which the Company is the reinsurer. These letters of credit are supported by commitments under which the Company is required to indemnify the financial institution issuing the letter of credit if the letter of credit is drawn. The Company had $19,809 and $17,871 of letters of credit outstanding as of December 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively.

On January 16, 2015, at the request of the Indiana Department of Insurance, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (the "NAIC") authorized a multistate targeted market conduct examination regarding the Company's lender placed insurance products. Various underwriting companies, including American Security Insurance Company, are subject to the examination. At present, 43 jurisdictions are participating. During the course of 2015, the Company has cooperated in responding to requests for information and documents and has engaged in various communications with the examiners. The examination continues and no final report has been issued.

In addition, as previously disclosed, the Company is involved in a variety of litigation relating to its current and past business operations and, from time to time, it may become involved in other such actions. In particular, the Company is a defendant in class actions in a number of jurisdictions regarding its lender-placed insurance programs. These cases assert a variety of claims under a number of legal theories. The plaintiffs seek premium refunds and other relief. The Company continues to defend itself vigorously in these class actions. We have participated and may participate in settlements on terms that we consider reasonable given the strength of our defenses and other factors.

In July 2007 an Assurant subsidiary acquired Swansure Group, a privately held U.K. company, which owned D&D Homecare Limited (“D&D”). D&D was a packager of mortgages and certain insurance products, including Payment Protection Insurance (“PPI”) policies that, for a period of time, were underwritten by an Assurant subsidiary and sold by various alleged agents, including Carrington Carr Home Finance Limited (“CCHFL”), which is now in administration. In early 2014, as a result of consumer complaints alleging that CCHFL missold certain D&D-packaged PPI policies between August 8, 2003 and November 1, 2004, the U.K. Financial Ombudsman Service (“FOS”) requested that an Assurant subsidiary, Assurant Intermediary Limited (“AIL”), review complaints relating to CCHFL’s sale of such PPI policies. In late 2015, the FOS issued a provisional decision in favor of AIL’s challenge to the FOS’s jurisdiction on the CCHF population of cases. The provisional decision also provided the parties with the opportunity to provide further submissions before a final decision would be confirmed. In February 2016, the FOS confirmed the provisional decision in favor of AIL.

The Company has established an accrued liability for the legal and regulatory proceedings discussed above. However, the possible loss or range of loss resulting from such litigation and regulatory proceedings, if any, in excess of the amounts accrued is inherently unpredictable and uncertain. Consequently, no estimate can be made of any possible loss or range of loss in excess of the accrual. Although the Company cannot predict the outcome of any pending legal or regulatory action, or the potential losses, fines, penalties or equitable relief, if any, that may result, it is possible that such outcome could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s consolidated results of operations or cash flows for an individual reporting period. However, based on currently available information, management does not believe that the pending matters are likely to have a material adverse effect, individually or in the aggregate, on the Company’s financial condition.