Fair value measurements


(a)	Classification within the fair value hierarchy

Fair value is defined as the price to sell an asset or transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants. Under U.S. GAAP, a company must determine the appropriate level in the fair value hierarchy for each fair value measurement. The fair value hierarchy prioritizes the inputs, which refer broadly to assumptions market participants would use in pricing an asset or liability, into three levels. It gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs. The level in the fair value hierarchy within which a fair value measurement in its entirety falls is determined 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 described below:

Level 1 - Fair values are measured based on unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities that we have the ability to access.

Level 2 - Fair values are measured based on quoted prices in active markets for similar assets or liabilities, quoted prices for identical assets or liabilities in inactive markets, or for which significant inputs are observable (e.g., interest rates, yield curves, prepayment speeds, default rates, loss severities, etc.) or can be corroborated by observable market data.

Level 3 - Fair values are measured based on inputs that are unobservable and significant to the overall fair value measurement. The unobservable inputs reflect the Company’s own judgments about assumptions where there is little, if any, market activity for that asset or liability that market participants might use.

The availability of observable inputs can vary from financial instrument to financial instrument and is affected by a wide variety of factors including, for example, the type of financial instrument, whether the financial instrument is new and not yet established in the marketplace, and other characteristics particular to the instrument. To the extent that valuation is based on models or inputs that are less observable or unobservable in the market, the determination of fair value requires significantly more judgment.

Accordingly, the degree of judgment exercised by management in determining fair value is greatest for instruments categorized in Level 3. In periods of market dislocation, the observability of prices and inputs may be reduced for many instruments. This may lead the Company to change the selection of our valuation technique (for example, from market to cash flow approach) or to use multiple valuation techniques to estimate the fair value of a financial instrument. These circumstances could cause an instrument to be reclassified between levels within the fair value hierarchy.

During 2015, the Company early adopted and implemented ASU 2015-07, “Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820) - Disclosures for Investments in Certain Entities That Calculate Net Asset Value per Share (or Its Equivalent).” As such, the investments measured at fair value using the net asset value (“NAV”) per share (or its equivalent) practical expedient have not been classified in the fair value hierarchy.

At December 31, 2016, the Company’s investments were allocated between Levels 1, 2 and 3 as follows:



	Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		Fair value based on NAV practical expedient		Total
Managed investments
U.S. government and government agency	$	—	$	804,126	$	—	$	—	$	804,126
Non-U.S. government and government agency	—		240,791		—		—		240,791
U.S. states, municipalities and political subdivisions	—		271,830		—		—		271,830
Agency residential mortgage-backed securities	—		679,595		—		—		679,595
Non-agency residential mortgage-backed securities	—		15,477		—		—		15,477
U.S. corporate	—		1,534,508		—		—		1,534,508
Non-U.S. corporate	—		410,227		—		—		410,227
Bank loans	—		323,903		246,496		—		570,399
Asset-backed securities	—		502,883		23,931		—		526,814
Commercial mortgage-backed securities	—		330,932		—		—		330,932
Total fixed maturities	—		5,114,272		270,427		—		5,384,699
Short-term investments	209,651		18,735		—		—		228,386
Other investments
Fund of hedge funds	—		—		—		955		955
Hedge funds	—		—		—		17,381		17,381
Private equity investments	—		—		—		89,809		89,809
Fixed income investment funds	—		30,941		12,168		198,984		242,093
Overseas deposits	—		—		—		50,106		50,106
Mutual funds	—		5,368		—		—		5,368
Total other investments	—		36,309		12,168		357,235		405,712
Investments in investment affiliates ^(a)	—		—		—		—		100,431
Total managed investments	$	209,651	$	5,169,316	$	282,595	$	357,235	$	6,119,228
Non-managed investments
Catastrophe bonds	$	—	$	109,956	$	48,375	$	—	$	158,331
Short-term investments	2,567,784		—		—		—		2,567,784
Total non-managed investments	2,567,784		109,956		48,375		—		2,726,115
Total investments	$	2,777,435	$	5,279,272	$	330,970	$	357,235	$	8,845,343


(a)	In accordance with ASC Topic 825 “Financial Instruments,” the Company’s investments in investment affiliates have not been classified in the fair value hierarchy.

At December 31, 2015, the Company’s investments were allocated between Levels 1, 2 and 3 as follows:



	Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		Fair value based on NAV practical expedient		Total
Managed investments
U.S. government and government agency	$	—	$	937,202	$	—	$	—	$	937,202
Non-U.S. government and government agency	—		237,968		—		—		237,968
U.S. states, municipalities and political subdivisions	—		301,289		—		—		301,289
Agency residential mortgage-backed securities	—		610,582		—		—		610,582
Non-agency residential mortgage-backed securities	—		26,920		—		—		26,920
U.S. corporate	—		1,489,951		—		—		1,489,951
Non-U.S. corporate	—		446,570		—		—		446,570
Bank loans	—		343,874		232,337		—		576,211
Asset-backed securities	—		437,124		—		—		437,124
Commercial mortgage-backed securities	—		260,135		—		—		260,135
Total fixed maturities	—		5,091,615		232,337		—		5,323,952
Short-term investments	222,678		14,691		—		—		237,369
Other investments
Fund of hedge funds	—		—		—		1,417		1,417
Hedge funds	—		—		—		20,980		20,980
Private equity investments	—		—		—		63,771		63,771
Fixed income investment funds	—		20,811		—		167,910		188,721
Overseas deposits	—		—		—		54,484		54,484
Mutual funds	—		7,483		—		—		7,483
Total other investments	—		28,294		—		308,562		336,856
Investments in investment affiliates^(a)	—		—		—		—		87,673
Total managed investments	$	222,678	$	5,134,600	$	232,337	$	308,562	$	5,985,850
Non-managed investments
Catastrophe bonds	$	—	$	172,879	$	13,500	$	—	$	186,379
Short-term investments	1,704,266		—		—		—		1,704,266
Total non-managed investments	1,704,266		172,879		13,500		—		1,890,645
Total investments	$	1,926,944	$	5,307,479	$	245,837	$	308,562	$	7,876,495


(a)	In accordance with ASC Topic 825 “Financial Instruments,” the Company’s investments in investment affiliates have not been classified in the fair value hierarchy.

At December 31, 2016, managed Level 3 investments totaled $282,595 (December 31, 2015: $232,337), representing 4.6% (December 31, 2015: 3.9%) of total managed investments.


(b)	Valuation techniques

There have been no material changes in the Company’s valuation techniques during the period, or periods, represented by these Consolidated Financial Statements. The following methods and assumptions were used in estimating the fair value of each class of financial instrument recorded in the Consolidated Balance Sheets.

Fixed maturity investments

In general, valuation of the Company’s fixed maturity investment portfolio is provided by pricing services, such as index providers and pricing vendors, as well as broker quotations. The pricing vendors provide valuations for a high volume of liquid securities that are actively traded. For securities that do not trade on an exchange, the pricing services generally utilize market data and other observable inputs in matrix pricing models to determine month end prices. Prices are generally verified using third party data. Securities which are priced by an index provider are generally included in the index.

In general, broker-dealers value securities through their trading desks based on observable inputs. The methodologies include mapping securities based on trade data, bids or offers, observed spreads, and performance on newly issued securities. Broker-dealers also determine valuations by observing secondary trading of similar securities. Prices obtained from broker quotations are considered non-binding, however they are based on observable inputs and by observing secondary trading of similar securities obtained from active, non-distressed markets. The Company considers these Level 2 inputs as they are corroborated with other market observable inputs. The techniques generally used to determine the fair value of the Company’s fixed maturity investments are detailed below by asset class.

U.S. government and government agency

U.S. government and government agency securities consist primarily of debt securities issued by the U.S. Treasury and mortgage pass-through agencies such as the Federal National Mortgage Association, the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation and the Government National Mortgage Association. Fixed maturity investments included in U.S. government and government agency securities are primarily priced by pricing services. When evaluating these securities, the pricing services gather information from market sources and integrate other observations from markets and sector news. Evaluations are updated by obtaining broker dealer quotes and other market information including actual trade volumes, when available. The fair value of each security is individually computed using analytical models which incorporate option adjusted spreads and other daily interest rate data. As the significant inputs used to price these securities are observable, the fair value of these investments are classified as Level 2.

Non-U.S. government and government agency

Non-U.S. government and government agency securities consist of debt securities issued by non-U.S. governments and their agencies along with supranational organizations (also known as sovereign debt securities). Securities held in these sectors are primarily priced by pricing services who employ proprietary discounted cash flow models to value the securities. Key quantitative inputs for these models are daily observed benchmark curves for treasury, swap and high issuance credits. The pricing services then apply a credit spread for each security which is developed by in-depth and real time market analysis. For securities in which trade volume is low, the pricing services utilize data from more frequently traded securities with similar attributes. These models may also be supplemented by daily market and credit research for international markets. As the significant inputs used to price these securities are observable, the fair value of these investments are classified as Level 2.

U.S. states, municipalities and political subdivisions

The Company’s U.S. states, municipalities and political subdivisions portfolio contains debt securities issued by U.S. domiciled state and municipal entities. These securities are generally priced by independent pricing services using the techniques described for U.S. government and government agency securities described above. As the significant inputs used to price these securities are observable, the fair value of these investments are classified as Level 2.

Agency residential mortgage-backed securities

The Company’s agency residential mortgage-backed investments are primarily priced by pricing services using a mortgage pool specific model which utilizes daily inputs from the active to be announced market which is very liquid, as well as the U.S. treasury market. The model also utilizes additional information, such as the weighted average maturity, weighted average coupon and other available pool level data which is provided by the sponsoring agency. Valuations are also corroborated with daily active market quotes. As the significant inputs used to price these securities are observable, the fair value of these investments are classified as Level 2.

Non-agency residential mortgage-backed securities

The Company’s non-agency mortgage-backed investments include non-agency prime residential mortgage-backed fixed maturity investments. The Company has no fixed maturity investments classified as sub-prime held in its fixed maturity investments portfolio. Securities held in these sectors are primarily priced by pricing services using an option adjusted spread model or other relevant models, which principally utilize inputs including benchmark yields, available trade information or broker quotes, and issuer spreads. The pricing services also review collateral prepayment speeds, loss severity and delinquencies among other collateral performance indicators for the securities valuation, when applicable. As the significant inputs used to price these securities are observable, the fair value of these investments are classified as Level 2.

U.S. corporate

Corporate debt securities consist primarily of investment-grade debt of a wide variety of U.S. corporate issuers and industries. The Company’s corporate fixed maturity investments are primarily priced by pricing services. When evaluating these securities, the pricing services gather information from market sources regarding the issuer of the security and obtain credit data, as well as other observations, from markets and sector news. Evaluations are updated by obtaining broker dealer quotes and other market information including actual trade volumes, when available. The pricing services also consider the specific terms and conditions of the securities, including any specific features which may influence risk. In certain instances, securities are individually evaluated using a spread which is added to the U.S. treasury curve or a security specific swap curve as appropriate. As the significant inputs used to price these securities are observable, the fair value of these investments are classified as Level 2.

Non-U.S. corporate

Non-U.S. corporate debt securities consist primarily of investment-grade debt of a wide variety of non-U.S. corporate issuers and industries. The Company’s non-U.S. corporate fixed maturity investments are primarily priced by pricing services. When evaluating these securities, the pricing services gather information from market sources regarding the issuer of the security and obtain credit data, as well as other observations, from markets and sector news. Evaluations are updated by obtaining broker dealer quotes and other market information including actual trade volumes, when available. The pricing services also consider the specific terms and conditions of the securities, including any specific features which may influence risk. As the significant inputs used to price these securities are observable, the fair value of these investments are classified as Level 2.

Bank loans

The Company’s bank loan investments consist primarily of below-investment-grade debt of a wide variety of corporate issuers and industries. The Company’s bank loans are primarily priced by pricing services. When evaluating these securities, the pricing services gather information from market sources regarding the issuer of the security and obtain credit data, as well as other observations, from markets and sector news. Evaluations are updated by obtaining broker dealer quotes and other market information including actual trade volumes, when available. The pricing services also consider the specific terms and conditions of the securities, including any specific features which may influence risk. As the significant inputs used to price these securities are observable, the fair value of these investments are classified as Level 2.

Included in the bank loan portfolio is a collection of loan participations held through an intermediary. A third party pricing service provides monthly valuation reports for each loan and participation using a combination of quotations from loan pricing services, leveraged loan indices or market price quotes obtained directly from the intermediary. Significant unobservable inputs used to price these securities include credit spreads and default rates; therefore, the fair value of these investments are classified as Level 3.

Asset-backed securities

Asset backed securities include mostly investment-grade debt securities backed by pools of loans with a variety of underlying collateral, including automobile loan receivables, student loans, credit card receivables, and collateralized loan obligations originated by a variety of financial institutions. Securities held in these sectors are primarily priced by pricing services. The pricing services apply dealer quotes and other available trade information such as bids and offers, prepayment speeds which may be adjusted for the underlying collateral or current price data, the U.S. treasury curve and swap curve as well as cash settlement. The pricing services determine the expected cash flows for each security held in this sector using historical prepayment and default projections for the underlying collateral and current market data. In addition, a spread is applied to the relevant benchmark and used to discount the cash flows noted above to determine the fair value of the securities held in this sector. As the significant inputs used to price these securities are observable, the fair value of these investments are classified as Level 2.

Where pricing is unavailable from pricing services, we value the positions using alternative methods such as a discounted cash flow methodology. This is generally the case when there is a low volume of trading activity and/or current transactions are not orderly. Such discounted cash flow models for which significant observable inputs are unable to be corroborated with market observable information are classified as Level 3.

Commercial mortgage-backed securities

Commercial mortgage backed securities are investment-grade debt primarily priced by pricing services. The pricing services apply dealer quotes and other available trade information such as bids and offers, prepayment speeds which may be adjusted for the underlying collateral or current price data, the U.S. treasury curve and swap curve as well as cash settlement. The pricing services determine the expected cash flows for each security held in this sector using historical prepayment and default projections for the underlying collateral and current market data. In addition, a spread is applied to the relevant benchmark and used to discount the cash flows noted above to determine the fair value of the securities held in this sector. As the significant inputs used to price these securities are observable, the fair value of these investments are classified as Level 2.

Catastrophe bonds

Catastrophe bonds are priced based on broker or underwriter bid indications. As the significant inputs used to price these securities are observable, the fair value of these investments are classified as Level 2. Where the significant inputs used to price these securities are unobservable, the fair value of these investments are classified as Level 3.

Short-term investments

Short-term investments consist primarily of highly liquid securities, all with maturities of less than one year from the date of purchase. The fair value of the portfolio is generally determined using amortized cost which approximates fair value. As the highly liquid money market-type funds are actively traded, the fair value of these investments are classified as Level 1. To the extent that the remaining securities are not actively traded due to their approaching maturity, the fair value of these investments are classified as Level 2.

Other investments

Fund of hedge funds

The fund of hedge funds includes a side pocket. While a redemption request has been submitted, the timing of receipt of proceeds on the side pocket is unknown. The fund’s administrator provides a monthly reported NAV with a three month delay in its valuation. The fund manager has provided an estimate of the fund NAV at year end based on the estimated performance provided from the underlying funds. To determine the reasonableness of the estimated NAV, the Company compares the fund administrator’s NAV to the fund manager’s estimated NAV that incorporates relevant valuation sources on a timely basis. Material variances are recorded in the current reporting period while immaterial variances are recorded in the following reporting period. The fair value of these investments are measured using the NAV practical expedient and therefore have not been categorized within the fair value hierarchy.

Hedge funds

The hedge fund investment was assumed by the Company in its acquisition of Flagstone Reinsurance Holdings, S.A. (“Flagstone”) (the “Flagstone hedge fund”). The Flagstone hedge fund’s administrator provides quarterly NAVs with a three month delay in valuation. The fair value of this investment is measured using the NAV practical expedient and therefore has not been categorized within the fair value hierarchy.

Private equity investments

The private equity funds provide quarterly or semi-annual partnership capital statements with a three or six month delay which are used as a basis for valuation. These private equity investments vary in investment strategies and are not actively traded in any open markets. The fair value of these investments are measured using the NAV practical expedient and therefore have not been categorized within the fair value hierarchy.

Fixed income investment funds

The Company’s investment funds classified as Level 2 consist of a pooled investment fund. The pooled investment is invested in fixed income securities with high credit ratings and is only open to Lloyd’s Trust Fund participants. The fair value of units in the investment fund is based on the NAV of the fund and is traded on a daily basis.

Included in investment funds is a residual equity tranche of a structured credit fund valued using a dynamic yield that calculates an income accrual based on an underlying valuation model with a typical cash flow waterfall structure. Significant unobservable inputs used to price this fund include default rates and prepayment rates; therefore, the fair value of the investment fund is classified as Level 3.

The fair value of the Company’s remaining investment funds is based on the NAV of the fund as reported by the independent fund administrator. The fund’s administrators provide a monthly reported NAV with a one or three month delay in their valuation. The fair value of these investments are measured using the NAV practical expedient and therefore have not been categorized within the fair value hierarchy.

Overseas deposits

The Company’s share of a portfolio of Lloyd’s overseas deposits are managed centrally by Lloyd’s and invested according to local regulatory requirements. The composition of the portfolio varies and the deposits are made across the market. The fair value of the deposits is based on the portfolio level reporting that is provided by Lloyd’s. The fair value of these investments are measured using the NAV practical expedient and therefore have not been categorized within the fair value hierarchy.

Mutual funds

Mutual funds consist of an investment fund which invests in various quoted investments. The fair value of units in the mutual fund is based on the NAV of the fund as reported by the fund manager. The mutual fund has daily liquidity which allows us to redeem our holdings at the applicable NAV in the near term. As such, the Company has classified this investment as Level 2.


(c)	Level 3 investments

The following table presents a reconciliation of the beginning and ending balances for all investments measured at fair value on a recurring basis using Level 3 inputs during the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2015:



	Year Ended December 31, 2016
	Bank Loans			Catastrophe Bonds			Fixed Income Investment Funds		Asset Backed Securities		Total
Level 3 investments, beginning of year	$	232,337		$	13,500		$	—	$	—	$	245,837
Purchases	87,345			33,272			12,168		23,896		156,681
Sales	(2,389		)	—			—		—		(2,389		)
Settlements	(69,496		)	(125		)	—		—		(69,621		)
Change in net unrealized (losses) gains	(1,301		)	1,728			—		35		462
Level 3 investments, end of year	$	246,496		$	48,375		$	12,168	$	23,931	$	330,970



	Year Ended December 31, 2015
	Bank Loans			Catastrophe Bonds			Total
Level 3 investments, beginning of year	$	32,748		$	17,500		$	50,248
Purchases	230,070			—			230,070
Sales	(1,036		)	(3,989		)	(5,025		)
Settlements	(27,429		)	—			(27,429		)
Net realized losses	—			(11		)	(11		)
Change in net unrealized losses	(2,016		)	—			(2,016		)
Level 3 investments, end of year	$	232,337		$	13,500		$	245,837

There were no transfers into or out of Level 3 during the years ended December 31, 2016 or 2015.


(d)	Financial instruments not carried at fair value

ASC Topic 825 “Financial Instruments” is also applicable to disclosures of financial instruments not carried at fair value, except for certain financial instruments, including insurance contracts and investments in affiliates. The carrying values of cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash, accrued investment income, other assets, net payable for investments purchased and accounts payable and accrued expenses approximated their fair values at December 31, 2016, due to their respective short maturities. As these financial instruments are not actively traded, their respective fair values are classified within Level 2.