General

Basis of presentation

The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Allstate Life Insurance Company (“ALIC”) and its wholly owned subsidiaries (collectively referred to as the “Company”). ALIC is wholly owned by Allstate Insurance Company (“AIC”), which is wholly owned by Allstate Insurance Holdings, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Allstate Corporation (the “Corporation”). These condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”).

The condensed consolidated financial statements and notes as of September 30, 2018 and for the three month and nine month periods ended September 30, 2018 and 2017 are unaudited. The condensed consolidated financial statements reflect all adjustments (consisting only of normal recurring accruals) which are, in the opinion of management, necessary for the fair presentation of the financial position, results of operations and cash flows for the interim periods. These condensed consolidated financial statements and notes should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017. The results of operations for the interim periods should not be considered indicative of results to be expected for the full year. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated.

Reinsurance transaction

Effective January 1, 2017, ALIC entered into a coinsurance reinsurance agreement with Allstate Assurance Company to assume certain term life insurance policies. The agreement covered policies issued from January 1, 2015 through December 31, 2017. In connection with the agreement, the Company recorded cash of $20 million, deferred policy acquisition costs (“DAC”) of $45 million, other assets of $11 million, reserve for life-contingent contract benefits of $24 million and deferred tax liabilities of $18 million. The $34 million gain on the transaction was recorded as an increase to additional capital paid-in since the transaction was between entities under common control.

Dividends

The Company paid cash dividends of $100 million to AIC in third quarter 2018.

Premiums and contract charges

The following table summarizes premiums and contract charges by product.



($ in millions)	Three months ended September 30,				Nine months ended September 30,
	2018		2017		2018		2017
Premiums
Traditional life insurance	$	143	$	143	$	435	$	429
Accident and health insurance	31		29		91		82
Total premiums	174		172		526		511

Contract charges
Interest-sensitive life insurance	165		170		508		520
Fixed annuities	5		4		11		10
Total contract charges	170		174		519		530
Total premiums and contract charges	$	344	$	346	$	1,045	$	1,041

Adopted accounting standard

Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities

Effective January 1, 2018, the Company adopted new Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) guidance requiring equity investments, including equity securities and limited partnership interests not accounted for under the equity method of accounting or that do not result in consolidation to be measured at fair value with changes in fair value recognized in net income. The guidance clarifies that an entity should evaluate the realizability of deferred tax assets related to available-for-sale fixed income securities in combination with the entity’s other deferred tax assets. The Company’s adoption of the new FASB guidance included adoption of the relevant elements of Technical Corrections and Improvements to Financial Instruments, issued in February 2018.

Upon adoption of the new guidance on January 1, 2018, $308 million of pre-tax unrealized net capital gains for equity securities were reclassified from AOCI to retained income. The after-tax change in accounting for equity securities did not affect the Company’s total shareholder’s equity and the unrealized net capital gains of $238 million reclassified to retained income will never be recognized in net income.

Upon adoption of the new guidance on January 1, 2018, the carrying value of cost method limited partnership interests increased $95 million, pre-tax, to fair value. The after-tax cumulative-effect increase in retained income of $76 million increased the Company’s shareholder’s equity but will never be recognized in net income.

Changes to significant accounting policies

Investments

Changes were made to the Company’s Significant Accounting Policies upon adoption of new FASB guidance related to the recognition and measurement of financial assets. Equity securities primarily include common stocks, exchange traded and mutual funds, non-redeemable preferred stocks and real estate investment trust equity investments. Equity securities are carried at fair value. The periodic change in fair value of equity securities is recognized within realized capital gains and losses on the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income effective January 1, 2018.

Investments in limited partnership interests include interests in private equity funds, real estate funds and other funds. Where the Company’s interest is so minor that it exercises virtually no influence over operating and financial policies, investments in limited partnership interests purchased prior to January 1, 2018 are accounted for at fair value primarily utilizing the net asset value (“NAV”) as a practical expedient to determine fair value. All other investments in limited partnership interests, including those purchased subsequent to January 1, 2018, are accounted for in accordance with the equity method of accounting (“EMA”).

Investment income from limited partnership interests carried at fair value is recognized based upon the changes in fair value of the investee’s equity primarily determined using NAV. Income from EMA limited partnership interests is recognized based on the Company’s share of the partnerships’ earnings. Income from EMA limited partnership interests is generally recognized on a three month delay due to the availability of the related financial statements from investees.

Tax Reform

On December 22, 2017, Public Law 115-97, known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (“Tax Legislation”) became effective, permanently reducing the U.S. corporate income tax rate from 35% to 21% beginning January 1, 2018. As a result, the corporate tax rate is not comparable between periods.

During 2017, the Company revalued its deferred tax assets and liabilities and recorded liabilities related to the transition to the modified territorial system for international taxation. The impact of the Tax Legislation was adjusted from the Company’s preliminary estimate due to, among other things, changes in interpretations and assumptions the Company previously made, guidance that was issued and actions the Company took as a result of the Tax Legislation. During the third quarter of 2018, the Company recorded a reduction of $53 million to income tax expense related to these provisional amounts. The Company may make adjustments to these provisional amounts as additional information becomes available and future guidance is issued by the Internal Revenue Service.

Pending accounting standards

Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments

In June 2016, the FASB issued guidance which revises the credit loss recognition criteria for certain financial assets measured at amortized cost, including reinsurance recoverables. The new guidance replaces the existing incurred loss recognition model with an expected loss recognition model. The objective of the expected credit loss model is for the reporting entity to recognize its estimate of expected credit losses for affected financial assets in a valuation allowance deducted from the amortized cost basis of the related financial assets that results in presenting the net carrying value of the financial assets at the amount expected to be collected. The reporting entity must consider all relevant information available when estimating expected credit losses, including details about past events, current conditions, and reasonable and supportable forecasts over the life of an asset. Financial assets may be evaluated individually or on a pooled basis when they share similar risk characteristics. The measurement of credit losses for available-for-sale debt securities measured at fair value is not affected except that credit losses recognized are limited to the amount by which fair value is below amortized cost and the carrying value adjustment is recognized through a valuation allowance and not as a direct write-down. The guidance is effective for reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2019, and for most affected instruments must be adopted using a modified retrospective approach, with a cumulative effect adjustment recorded to beginning retained income. The Company is in the process of evaluating the impact of adoption.

Accounting for Hedging Activities

In August 2017, the FASB issued amendments intended to better align hedge accounting with an organization’s risk management activities. The amendments expand hedge accounting for nonfinancial and financial risk components and revise the measurement methodologies to better align with an organization’s risk management activities. Separate presentation of hedge ineffectiveness is eliminated to provide greater transparency of the full impact of hedging by requiring presentation of the results of the hedged item and hedging instrument in a single financial statement line item. In addition, the amendments are designed to reduce complexity by simplifying the manner in which assessments of hedge effectiveness may be performed. The guidance is effective for reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2018. The presentation and disclosure guidance is effective on a prospective basis. The impact of adoption is not expected to be material to the Company’s results of operations or financial position.

Accounting for Long-Duration Insurance Contracts

In August 2018, the FASB issued guidance revising the accounting for certain long-duration insurance contracts. The new guidance changes the measurement of the Company’s reserves for traditional life, life-contingent immediate annuities and certain voluntary accident and health insurance products. Under the new guidance, measurement assumptions, including those for mortality, morbidity and policy terminations, will be required to be reviewed and updated at least annually. The effect of updating measurement assumptions other than the discount rate are required to be determined on a retrospective basis and reported in net income. In addition, cash flows under the new guidance are required to be discounted using an upper-medium grade fixed income instrument yield that is updated through OCI at each reporting date. These changes will replace current GAAP, which utilizes assumptions set at policy issuance until such time as the assumptions result in reserves that are deficient when compared to reserves computed using current assumptions. When this occurs under current GAAP, premium deficiency reserves are recognized by unlocking reserve assumptions to eliminate a reserve deficiency.

The new guidance requires DAC and other capitalized balances currently amortized in proportion to premiums or gross profits to be amortized on a constant level basis over the expected term for all long-duration insurance contracts. DAC will not be subject to loss recognition testing but rather will be reduced when actual experience exceeds expected experience (i.e. as a result of unexpected contract terminations). The new guidance will no longer require adjustments to DAC and deferred sales inducement costs (“DSI”) related to unrealized gains and losses.

Market risk benefit product features are required to be measured at fair value with changes in fair value recorded in net income with the exception of changes in the fair value attributable to a change in the instrument’s credit risk, which are required to be recognized in OCI. Substantially all of the Company’s market risk benefits are reinsured and therefore these impacts are not expected to be material to the Company.

The guidance is to be included in the comparable financial statements issued in reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2020, thereby requiring restatement of prior periods presented. Early adoption is permitted. The new guidance will be applied to affected contracts and DAC on the basis of existing carrying amounts at the earliest period presented or the new guidance may be applied retrospectively using actual historical experience as of contract inception. The guidance for market risk benefits is required to be adopted retrospectively.

The Company is evaluating the anticipated impacts of applying the new guidance to both retained income and AOCI. While the requirements of the new guidance represent a material change from existing GAAP, the underlying economics of the business and related cash flows are unchanged. The Company has not completed an evaluation of the specific impacts of adopting the new guidance, but anticipates the financial statement impact of migrating from existing GAAP to that required by the new guidance to be material, largely attributed to the impact of transitioning from an original investment-based discount rate to one based on an upper-medium grade fixed income investment yield and updates to mortality assumptions that had previously been locked in at issuance. The Company expects the most significant impacts will occur in the run-off annuity business. The revised accounting for DAC will be applied prospectively using the new model and any DAC effects existing in AOCI as a result of applying existing GAAP will be reversed.