Variable interest entities

The Company consolidates all VOEs in which it has a controlling financial interest and all VIEs in which it is considered to be the primary beneficiary. The Company’s VIEs primarily include entities related to the AlphaCat segment.


(a)	Consolidated VIEs

AlphaCat sidecars

Beginning on May 25, 2011, the Company joined with other investors in capitalizing a series of sidecars for the purpose of investing in collateralized reinsurance and retrocessional contracts. Certain of these sidecars deployed their capital through transactions entered into by AlphaCat Reinsurance Ltd. (“AlphaCat Re”). Each of these entities return capital once the risk period expires and all losses have been paid out. The AlphaCat sidecars are VIEs and are consolidated by the Company as the primary beneficiary. The Company’s maximum exposure to any of the sidecars is the amount of capital invested at any given time.

AlphaCat ILS funds

The AlphaCat ILS funds received third party subscriptions beginning on December 17, 2012. The Company and third party investors invest in the AlphaCat ILS funds for the purpose of investing in instruments with returns linked to property catastrophe reinsurance, retrocession and ILS contracts. The AlphaCat ILS funds have varying risk profiles and are categorized by the expected loss of the fund. Expected loss represents the average annual loss over the set of simulation scenarios divided by the total limit. Lower risk ILS funds are defined as having a maximum permitted portfolio expected loss of less than 7%, whereas higher risk ILS funds have a maximum permitted portfolio expected loss of greater than 7%. The AlphaCat ILS funds primarily deploy their capital through transactions entered into by AlphaCat Re and AlphaCat Master Fund Ltd. (“AlphaCat Master Fund”). The AlphaCat ILS funds are VIEs and are consolidated by the Company as the primary beneficiary. The Company’s maximum exposure to any of the funds is the amount of capital invested at any given time and any remaining capital commitments. Refer to Note 23, “Commitments and contingencies,” for further details.

AlphaCat Re and AlphaCat Master Fund

The Company utilizes AlphaCat Re and AlphaCat Master Fund (collectively the “master funds”), both market facing entities, for the purpose of writing collateralized reinsurance and investing in capital markets products, respectively, on behalf of certain entities within the AlphaCat segment and direct third party investors. AlphaCat Re enters into transactions on behalf of the AlphaCat sidecars and ILS funds (collectively the “feeder funds”) and direct third party investors, whereas AlphaCat Master Fund only enters into transactions on behalf of certain AlphaCat ILS funds. All of the risks and rewards of the underlying transactions are allocated to the feeder funds and direct third party investors using variable funding notes. The master funds are VIEs and are consolidated by the Company as the primary beneficiary.

Notes Payable to AlphaCat Investors

The master funds issue variable funding notes to the feeder funds, and direct to third party investors, in order to write collateralized reinsurance and invest in capital markets products on their behalf. The Company’s investments in the feeder funds, together with investments made by third parties in the feeder funds and on a direct basis, are provided as consideration for the notes to the master funds. The duration of the underlying collateralized reinsurance contracts and capital market products is typically twelve months; however, the variable funding notes do not have a stated maturity date or principal amount since repayment is dependent on the settlement and income or loss of the underlying transactions. Therefore, the notes are subsequently redeemed as the underlying transactions are settled. The income or loss generated by the underlying transactions is then transferred to the feeder funds and direct third party investors via the variable funding notes.

As both the master and feeder funds are consolidated by the Company, any notes issued by the master funds to the feeder funds are eliminated on consolidation and only variable funding notes issued by AlphaCat Re to direct third party investors remain on the Consolidated Balance Sheets as notes payable to AlphaCat investors with the related income or loss included in the Consolidated Statements of Income and Comprehensive Income as (income) attributable to AlphaCat investors. To the extent that the (income) loss has not been returned to the investors, it is included in accounts payable and accrued expenses in the Consolidated Balance Sheets.

During 2016, one of the AlphaCat ILS funds (“the Fund”) issued both common shares and structured notes to the Company and other third party investors in order to capitalize the fund. The Fund deploys its capital through AlphaCat Re; therefore, the structured notes do not have a stated maturity date or principal amount since repayment is dependent on the settlement and income or loss of the variable funding notes with AlphaCat Re. The structured notes rank senior to the common shares and earn an interest rate of 8.0% per annum, payable on a cumulative basis in arrears.

As the Fund is consolidated by the Company, the structured notes issued to the Company are eliminated on consolidation and only the structured notes issued to third party investors remain on the Consolidated Balance Sheets as notes payable to AlphaCat investors with any related interest included in the Consolidated Statements of Income and Comprehensive Income as (income) loss attributable to AlphaCat investors. To the extent that the accrued interest on the structured notes has not been returned to the investors, it is included in accounts payable and accrued expenses in the Consolidated Balance Sheets.

The following tables present a reconciliation of the beginning and ending notes payable to AlphaCat investors as at December 31, 2016 and 2015:



	Year Ended December 31, 2016
	Variable Funding Notes			Structured Notes			Total
Notes payable to AlphaCat investors, beginning of year	$	75,493		$	—		$	75,493
Issuance of notes payable to AlphaCat investors	311,711			94,326			406,037
Redemption of notes payable to AlphaCat investors	(109,712		)	(94,326		)	(204,038		)
Foreign exchange gains	710			—			710
Notes payable to AlphaCat investors, end of year	$	278,202		$	—		$	278,202

	Year Ended December 31, 2015
	Variable Funding Notes			Structured Notes			Total
Notes payable to AlphaCat investors, beginning of year	$	—		$	—		$	—
Issuance of notes payable to AlphaCat investors	75,770			—			75,770
Foreign exchange losses	(277		)	—			(277		)
Notes payable to AlphaCat investors, end of year	$	75,493		$	—		$	75,493

As at December 31, 2016, $1,000 of the structured notes redeemed during the year ended December 31, 2016 were payable to AlphaCat investors and included in accounts payable and accrued expenses.

The income attributable to AlphaCat investors for the year ended December 31, 2016 was $23,358 (2015: $2,412), of which $17,068 was included in accounts payable and accrued expenses as at December 31, 2016 (December 31, 2015: $2,412).

BetaCat ILS funds

The BetaCat ILS funds invest exclusively in catastrophe bonds (principal-at-risk variable rate notes and other event-linked securities, being referred to collectively as “Cat Bonds”) focused on property and casualty risk and issued under Rule 144A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, following a passive buy-and-hold investment strategy. One of the funds is a VIE and is consolidated by the Company as the primary beneficiary. The remaining funds are VOEs and are consolidated by the Company as it owns all of the voting equity interests. The Company’s maximum exposure to any of the funds is the amount of capital invested at any given time.

The following table presents the total assets and total liabilities of the Company’s consolidated VIEs, excluding intercompany eliminations, as at December 31, 2016 and 2015:



	December 31, 2016				December 31, 2015
	Total Assets		Total Liabilities		Total Assets		Total Liabilities
AlphaCat sidecars	$	40,041	$	3,206	$	206,581	$	14,804
AlphaCat ILS funds - Lower Risk	$	1,498,276	$	42,457	$	1,268,070	$	143,371
AlphaCat ILS funds - Higher Risk	$	972,633	$	381,332	$	522,867	$	300,122
AlphaCat Re and AlphaCat Master Fund	$	2,510,415	$	2,510,245	$	1,615,779	$	1,615,609
BetaCat ILS funds	$	82,471	$	30,663	$	64,221	$	2,472

Assets of consolidated VIEs can only be used to settle obligations and liabilities of the consolidated VIEs and do not have recourse to the general credit of the Company. Investments of these entities are presented separately in Note 7, “Investments,” as non-managed investments.


(b)	Non-Consolidated VIEs

The Company invests in private equity and other investment vehicles as part of the Company’s investment portfolio. The activities of these VIEs are generally limited to holding investments and the Company’s involvement in these entities is passive in nature. The Company’s maximum exposure to the VIEs is the amount of capital invested at any given time and any remaining capital commitments. The Company does not have the power to direct the activities which most significantly impact the VIEs economic performance and therefore, the Company is not the primary beneficiary of these VIEs.