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Employee Benefits
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2014
Compensation and Retirement Disclosure [Abstract]  
Employee Benefits

(10)  Employee Benefits

(a)  The Corporation has several non-contributory defined benefit pension plans covering substantially all employees. Prior to 2001, benefits were generally based on an employee’s years of service and average compensation during the last five years of employment. Effective January 1, 2001, the Corporation changed the formula for providing pension benefits from the final average pay formula to a cash balance formula. Under the cash balance formula, a notional account is established for each employee, which is credited semi-annually with an amount equal to a percentage of eligible compensation based on age and years of service plus interest based on the account balance. Employees hired prior to 2001 will generally be eligible to receive vested benefits based on the higher of the final average pay or cash balance formulas.

The Corporation’s funding policy is to contribute amounts that meet regulatory requirements plus additional amounts determined by management based on actuarial valuations, market conditions and other factors. This may result in no contribution being made in a particular year.

The Corporation also provides certain other postretirement benefits, principally health care and life insurance, to retired employees and their beneficiaries and covered dependents. Substantially all employees hired before January 1, 1999 may become eligible for these benefits upon retirement if they meet minimum age and years of service requirements. Health care coverage is contributory. Retiree contributions vary based upon a retiree’s age, type of coverage and years of service with the Corporation. Life insurance coverage is non-contributory.

The Corporation funds a portion of the health care benefits obligation where such funding can be accomplished on a tax effective basis. Benefits are paid as covered expenses are incurred.

The funded status of the pension and other postretirement benefit plans at December 31, 2014 and 2013 was as follows:

 

     Pension
Benefits
     Other
Postretirement
Benefits
 
     2014      2013      2014      2013  
     (in millions)  

Benefit obligation, beginning of year

   $ 2,777       $ 2,894       $ 394       $ 470   

Service cost

     86         95         10         13   

Interest cost

     140         125         19         19   

Actuarial loss (gain)

     536         (261      74         (97

Benefits paid

     (85      (75      (10      (11

Foreign currency translation effect

     (19      (1      (2        
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Benefit obligation, end of year

     3,435         2,777         485         394   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Plan assets at fair value, beginning of year

     2,717         2,305         130         96   

Actual return on plan assets

     240         409         12         27   

Employer contributions

     92         82         11         18   

Benefits paid

     (85      (75      (10      (11

Foreign currency translation effect

     (18      (4                
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Plan assets at fair value, end of year

     2,946         2,717         143         130   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Funded status at end of year, included in other liabilities

  

$

489

  

   $ 60       $ 342       $ 264   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net actuarial loss (gain) and prior service cost included in accumulated other comprehensive income that were not yet recognized as components of net benefit costs at December 31, 2014 and 2013 were as follows:

 

     Pension
Benefits
       Other
Postretirement
Benefits
 
     2014        2013        2014        2013  
     (in millions)  

Net actuarial loss (gain)

   $ 842         $ 396         $ 58         $ (13

Prior service cost

     14           16           1           1   
  

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

 
   $ 856         $ 412         $ 59         $ (12
  

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

      

 

 

 

 

The accumulated benefit obligation for the pension plans was $2,923 million and $2,381 million at December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively. The accumulated benefit obligation is the present value of pension benefits earned as of the measurement date based on employee service and compensation prior to that date. It differs from the pension benefit obligation in the table on the previous page in that the accumulated benefit obligation includes no assumptions regarding future compensation levels.

The weighted average assumptions used to determine the benefit obligations were as follows:

 

     Pension Benefits      Other
Postretirement
Benefits
 
     2014      2013      2014      2013  

Discount rate

     4.3      5.2      4.3      5.2

Rate of compensation increase

     4.5         4.5                   

The components of net pension and other postretirement benefit costs reflected in net income and other changes in plan assets and benefit obligations recognized in other comprehensive income for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012 were as follows:

 

     Pension Benefits      Other
Postretirement Benefits
 
     2014      2013      2012      2014      2013      2012  
     (in millions)  

Costs reflected in net income

                 

Service cost

   $ 86       $ 95       $ 88       $ 10       $ 13       $ 12   

Interest cost

     140         125         124         19         19         20   

Expected return on plan assets

     (186      (165      (155      (9      (7      (6

Amortization of net actuarial loss and prior service cost and other

     35         90         80                 3         3   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 
   $ 75       $ 145       $ 137       $ 20       $ 28       $ 29   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Changes in plan assets and benefit obligations recognized in other comprehensive income

                 

Net actuarial loss (gain)

   $ 479       $ (505    $ 139       $ 71       $ (117    $ (11

Amortization of net actuarial loss and prior service cost and other

     (35      (90      (80              (3      (3
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 
   $ 444       $ (595    $ 59       $ 71       $ (120    $ (14
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

The estimated aggregate net actuarial loss and prior service cost that will be amortized from accumulated other comprehensive income into net benefit costs during 2015 for the pension and other postretirement benefit plans is $65 million.

The weighted average assumptions used to determine net pension and other postretirement benefit costs were as follows:

 

     Pension Benefits      Other
Postretirement Benefits
 
     2014      2013      2012      2014      2013      2012  

Discount rate

     5.2%         4.4%         5.0%         5.2%         4.4%         5.0%   

Rate of compensation increase

     4.5            4.5            4.5            —            —            —      

Expected long term rate of return on plan assets

     7.5            7.5            7.75          7.5            7.5            7.75    

 

The weighted average health care cost trend rate assumptions used to measure the expected cost of medical benefits were as follows:

 

     December 31  
     2014      2013  

Health care cost trend rate for next year

     7.3      7.6

Rate to which the cost trend rate is assumed to decline (the ultimate trend rate)

     4.5         4.5   

Year that the rate reaches the ultimate trend rate

     2028         2028   

The health care cost trend rate assumption has a significant effect on the amount of the accumulated other postretirement benefit obligation and the net other postretirement benefit cost reported. To illustrate, a one percent increase in the trend rate for each year would increase the accumulated other postretirement benefit obligation at December 31, 2014 by approximately $92 million and the aggregate of the service and interest cost components of net other postretirement benefit cost for the year ended December 31, 2014 by approximately $5 million. A one percent decrease in the trend rate for each year would decrease the accumulated other postretirement benefit obligation at December 31, 2014 by approximately $73 million and the aggregate of the service and interest cost components of net other postretirement benefit cost for the year ended December 31, 2014 by approximately $4 million.

The long term objective of the pension plan is to provide sufficient funding to cover expected benefit obligations, while assuming a prudent level of portfolio risk. The assets of the pension plan are invested, either directly or through pooled funds, in a diversified portfolio of predominately U.S. equity securities and fixed maturities. The Corporation seeks to obtain a rate of return that over time equals or exceeds the returns of the broad markets in which the plan assets are invested. The target allocation of plan assets is 55% to 65% invested in equity securities, with the remainder primarily invested in fixed maturities. The Corporation rebalances its pension assets to the target allocation as market conditions permit. The Corporation determined the expected long term rate of return assumption for each asset class based on an analysis of the historical returns and the expectations for future returns. The expected long term rate of return for the portfolio is a weighted aggregation of the expected returns for each asset class.

The fair values of the pension plan assets were as follows:

 

     December 31  
     2014        2013  
     (in millions)  

Short term investments

   $ 48         $ 37   
  

 

 

      

 

 

 

Fixed maturities

       

U.S. government and government agency and authority obligations

     209           224   

Corporate bonds

     419           371   

Foreign government and government agency obligations

     137           104   

Mortgage-backed securities

     228           217   
  

 

 

      

 

 

 

Total fixed maturities

     993           916   
  

 

 

      

 

 

 

Equity securities

     1,850           1,718   
  

 

 

      

 

 

 

Other assets

     55           46   
  

 

 

      

 

 

 
   $ 2,946         $ 2,717   
  

 

 

      

 

 

 

At December 31, 2014 and 2013, pension plan assets invested in pooled funds had a fair value of $1,556 million and $1,425 million, respectively.

At December 31, 2014 and 2013, other postretirement benefit plan assets were invested in pooled funds and had a fair value of $143 million and $130 million, respectively.

 

The estimated benefits expected to be paid in each of the next five years and in the aggregate for the following five years are as follows:

 

Years Ending December 31

   Pension
Benefits
       Other
Postretirement
Benefits
 
     (in millions)  

2015

   $ 105         $ 12   

2016

     115           14   

2017

     151           15   

2018

     132           17   

2019

     143           18   

2020-2024

     868           117   

(b)  The Corporation has a defined contribution benefit plan, the Capital Accumulation Plan, in which substantially all employees are eligible to participate. Under this plan, the employer makes matching contributions equal to 100% of each eligible employee’s pre-tax elective contributions, up to 4% of the employee’s eligible compensation. Contributions are invested at the election of the employee in Chubb’s common stock or in various other investment funds. The expense recognized with respect to the plan was $30 million, $29 million and $26 million in 2014, 2013 and 2012, respectively.