New Accounting Standards

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2022

Accounting Changes and Error Corrections [Abstract]

New Accounting Standards

Note 2—New Accounting Standards

Accounting Pronouncements Yet to be Adopted

ASU No. 2018-12 / 2019-09 / 2020-11, Financial Services - Insurance (Topic 944): Targeted Improvements to the Accounting for Long-Duration Contracts, with clarification guidance issued in November 2019 and 2020.

ASU 2018-12 is a significant change to the accounting and disclosure of long-duration life and health insurance contracts. The guidance was issued primarily to: 1) improve the timeliness of recognizing changes in the liability for future policy benefits and modify the rate used to discount future cash flows, 2) simplify and improve the accounting for certain market-based options or guarantees associated with deposit (or account balance) contracts, 3) simplify the amortization of deferred acquisition costs, and 4) improve the effectiveness of the required disclosures.

As a result of the issuance of ASU 2020-11 in November 2020, the effective date for this standard was changed to January 1, 2023. Early adoption is available; however, the Company will not early adopt the standard and has selected the modified retrospective transition method upon adoption as of the transition date (“Transition Date”) of January 1, 2021. The modified retrospective transition method requires the amended guidance be applied to contracts issued after the beginning of the earliest period presented, or the Transition Date, which will result in the restatement of the 2021 and 2022 consolidated financial statements.

In summary, the Company continues to assess the impact the adoption will have on the consolidated financial statements and has determined it will have a significant impact on the Consolidated Balance Sheets, Consolidated Statements of Operations, Consolidated Statements of Shareholders’ Equity, and the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss). On a quarterly basis, the Company’s future policy benefits will be remeasured utilizing an upper-medium grade fixed-income instrument yield and the effects of the change will be recognized in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (“AOCI”), a component of shareholders’ equity. At least annually, the Company will update its estimate of cash flows used for establishing reserves using actual historical experience and updated future cash flow assumptions, such as mortality, morbidity, and persistency. Finally, the adoption requires changes in the future treatment of our Deferred Acquisition Cost (“DAC”) asset and is expected to result in a significant reduction to DAC amortization in the near to intermediate term.

On the Transition Date, the Company expects a decrease in AOCI due to the requirement to re-measure future policy benefits using a discount rate currently lower than what is used in valuing the future policy benefits under existing guidance. The methodology for determining current discount rates consists of constructing a discount rate curve intended to be reflective of the currency and tenor of the insurance liability cash flows. Discount rates reflect upper-medium grade fixed-income instrument yields, which generally consist of single-A rated fixed income instruments. The methodology is designed to prioritize observable inputs based on market data available in the local debt markets denominated in the same currency as the policies. For the discount rates applicable to tenors for which the single-A debt market is not liquid or there is little or no observable market data, the Company will use estimation techniques consistent with the fair value guidance in ASC 820. It is important to note that the impact to AOCI is sensitive to the discount rate assumption and associated fluctuations.

On the Transition Date, using current discount rates applicable at that time, we expect the after-tax impact to AOCI to be a decrease in the range of $7.5 billion to $8.5 billion due to a $9.5 billion to $11.0 billion increase in future policy benefits. Holding all else equal but using discount rates as of September 30, 2022, the increase in future policy benefits would have been $1.2 billion to $2.0 billion. Under the new standard, the future policy benefits recorded on the Consolidated Balance Sheets are different than those used in the determination of net income. Future policy benefits recorded within the Consolidated Balance Sheets are determined using current discount rates as of the valuation date, while future policy benefits used for the determination of net income are determined using locked-in discount rates1 based on policy issue dates. On the Transition Date, two significant drivers of the increase in future policy benefits and decrease in AOCI within the Consolidated Balance Sheets are the lower level of current discount rates as compared to the locked-in discount rates used under prior guidance and the long average life of

the Company’s life insurance cash flows. Another driver of the large increase in future policy benefits is the required use of the same net premium ratio2 using locked-in discount rates and current discount rates.

The new guidance requires a more granular assessment of the net premium ratio. Any blocks of business that require increases in future policy benefits to minimum levels, or that have a net premium ratio greater than 100%, will require an adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings (decrease). At the Transition Date, we expect a $15 million to $50 million, net of tax, decrease to opening retained earnings related to these items.

Under the new standard, the annual amortization of DAC in our Consolidated Statements of Operations will be significantly lower in the near and intermediate term due to: 1) the requirement to no longer defer renewal commissions until such year as the commissions are actually incurred, 2) the requirement to no longer accrue and amortize interest on our DAC balances, and 3) the modification of the method for amortizing DAC including the updating of assumptions. For business with deferrals of renewal commissions, as is the case with our captive agency channels, the expected amortization rate, as a percentage of premium, for certain blocks of business will no longer be level but will increase over the period of time during which commissions are deferred. The decrease in amortization in the near term will primarily impact our life insurance line of business. In total, we expect the impact on net income from the decrease in amortization to be in the range of $120 million to $145 million, net of tax, related to the restatement of prior periods. As time progresses, we expect this impact to diminish as the deferral of future renewal commissions increases amortization amounts.

Policyholder benefits, as reported in our Consolidated Statement of Operations, will be restated in 2021 and 2022 under the new guidance. It is expected to be lower in 2021 and 2022, resulting in higher net income for those respective periods than under the current guidance. Going forward, fluctuations in experience and changes in assumptions will result in changes in both future policy obligations and amortization of DAC as a percent of premium.

While the requirements of the new guidance represent a change from existing GAAP, the new guidance will not impact capital and surplus or net income under statutory accounting practices, cash flows on our policies, or the underlying economics of our business.

ASU No. 2022-03, Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820): Fair Value Measurement of Equity Securities Subject to Contractual Sale Restrictions

ASU 2022-03 adds disclosure requirements specific to equity securities subject to contractual sale restrictions. The disclosures clarify the nature of the contractual sale as well as the duration of the restriction and the circumstances that could cause a lapse in the restriction.

This standard is effective for the Company on January 1, 2024, and will be implemented on a prospective basis. Early adoption is available. The Company does not expect the standard will have a material impact on the Consolidated Financial Statements.