Basis of Presentation and Accounting Policies

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2014

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

Basis of Presentation and Accounting Policies

Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies

Hartford Life Insurance Company (together with its subsidiaries, “HLIC”, “Company”, “we” or “our”) is a provider of insurance and investment products in the United States (“U.S.”) and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hartford Life, Inc., a Delaware corporation ("HLI"). The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (“The Hartford”) is the ultimate parent of the Company.

Effective March 3, 2014, The Hartford made Hartford Life and Accident Insurance Company ("HLA") the single nationwide underwriting company for its Group Benefits business by capitalizing HLA to support the Group Benefits business and separating it from the legal entities that support The Hartford's Talcott Resolution operating segment. On January 30, 2014, The Hartford received approval from the CTDOI for Hartford Life and Annuity Insurance Company ("HLAI"), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, and the Company to dividend approximately $800 of cash and invested assets to HLA and this dividend was paid on February 27, 2014.   All of the issued and outstanding equity of the Company was then distributed from HLA to Hartford Life, Inc.

On January 1, 2013, HLI completed the sale of its Retirement Plans business to Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company ("MassMutual") and on January 2, 2013 HLI completed the sale of its Individual Life insurance business to The Prudential Insurance Company of America, a subsidiary of Prudential Financial, Inc. ("Prudential"). On December 12, 2013, the Company completed the sale of the U.K variable annuity business of Hartford Life International Limited ("HLIL"), an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary. As a result of this transaction, the operations of the Company's U.K. variable annuity business meet the criteria for reporting as discontinued operations as further discussed in Note 13 - Discontinued Operations of Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements. For further discussion of these and other such transactions, see Note2 - Business Dispositions of Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

The Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) for interim financial information, which differ materially from the accounting practices prescribed by various insurance regulatory authorities. 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 2013 Form 10-K Annual Report. The results of operations for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the full year. The accompanying Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes as of March 31, 2014, and for the three months endedMarch 31, 2014 and 2013 are unaudited. These financial statements reflect all adjustments (generally consisting only of normal 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. The Company's significant accounting policies are summarized in Note 1 - Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in the Company's 2013 Form 10-K Annual Report.

Consolidation

The Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of HLIC, companies in which the Company directly or indirectly has a controlling financial interest and those variable interest entities (“VIEs”) in which the Company is required to consolidate. Entities in which HLIC has significant influence over the operating and financing decisions but are not required to consolidate are reported using the equity method. For further discussions on VIEs, see Note 4 - Investments and Derivative Instruments of Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements. All intercompany transactions and balances between HLIC and its subsidiaries have been eliminated.

Discontinued Operations

The results of operations of a component of the Company that either has been disposed of or is classified as held-for-sale are reported in discontinued operations if the operations and cash flows of the component have been or will be eliminated from the ongoing operations of the Company as a result of the disposal transaction and the Company will not have any significant continuing involvement in the operations of the component after the disposal transaction. The Company presents the operations of businesses that meet these criteria as discontinued operations in the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements. Accordingly, operating results for prior periods are retrospectively reclassified. For information on the specific businesses and related impacts, see Note 13 - Discontinued Operations of Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements, in conformity with U.S. GAAP, requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

The most significant estimates include those used in determining estimated gross profits used in the valuation and amortization of assets and liabilities associated with variable annuity and other universal life-type contracts; evaluation of other-than-temporary impairments on available-for-sale securities and valuation allowances on investments; living benefits required to be fair valued; valuation of investments and derivative instruments; valuation allowance on deferred tax assets; and contingencies relating to corporate litigation and regulatory matters. Certain of these estimates are particularly sensitive to market conditions, and deterioration and/or volatility in the worldwide debt or equity markets could have a material impact on the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

ome Taxes

A reconciliation of the tax provision at the U.S. Federal statutory rate to the provision for income taxes is as follows:

	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2014			2013
Tax expense at the U.S. federal statutory rate	$	15		$	180
Dividends received deduction	(26		)	(32		)
Foreign related investments	—			(5		)
Other	(2		)	3
Income tax expense (benefit)	$	(13	)	$	146

The separate account dividends-received deduction (“DRD”) is estimated for the current year using information from the most recent return, adjusted for current year equity market performance and other appropriate factors, including estimated levels of corporate dividend payments and level of policy owner equity account balances. The actual current year DRD can vary from estimates based on, but not limited to, changes in eligible dividends received in the mutual funds, amounts of distribution from these mutual funds, amounts of short-term capital gains at the mutual fund level and the Company’s taxable income before the DRD. The Company evaluates its DRD computations on a quarterly basis.

The Company or one or more of subsidiaries file income tax returns in the U.S. federal jurisdiction, and various states and foreign jurisdictions. The Company is no longer subject to U.S. federal, state and local, or non-U.S. income tax examinations for years prior to 2007. The audit of the years 2007-2009 commenced during 2010 and is expected to conclude in the second half of 2015. The 2010-2011 audit commenced in the fourth quarter of 2012 and is expected to conclude by the end of 2015. Management believes that adequate provision has been made in the financial statements for any potential assessments that may result from tax examinations and other tax-related matters for all open tax years. The Company records a deferred tax asset valuation allowance that is adequate to reduce the total deferred tax asset to an amount that will be more likely than not realized. There was no deferred tax asset valuation allowance as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013. In assessing the need for a valuation allowance, management considered future taxable temporary difference reversals, future taxable income exclusive of reversing temporary differences and carryforwards, taxable income in open carry back years, as well as other tax planning strategies. These tax planning strategies include holding a portion of debt securities with market value losses until recovery, altering the level of tax exempt securities, selling appreciated securities to offset capital losses, business considerations such as asset-liability matching, and the sales of certain corporate assets. Management views such tax planning strategies as prudent and feasible, and will implement them, if necessary, to realize the deferred tax asset. Future economic conditions and debt market volatility, including increases in interest rates, can adversely impact the Company's tax planning strategies and in particular the Company's ability to utilize tax benefits on previously recognized realized capital losses.

Schedule of Effective Income Tax Rate Reconciliation [Table Text Block]

	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2014			2013
Tax expense at the U.S. federal statutory rate	$	15		$	180
Dividends received deduction	(26		)	(32		)
Foreign related investments	—			(5		)
Other	(2		)	3
Income tax expense (benefit)	$	(13	)	$	146