Commitments and Contingencies

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2023

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Commitments and Contingencies

Commitments and Contingencies

Contingencies Relating to Corporate Litigation and Regulatory Matters

Management evaluates each contingent matter separately. A loss is recorded if probable and reasonably estimable. Management establishes reserves for these contingencies at its “best estimate,” or, if no one number within the range of possible losses is more probable than any other, the Company records an estimated liability at the low end of the range of losses.

Litigation

The Company is involved in claims litigation arising in the ordinary course of business with respect to life and annuity contracts. The Company accounts for such activity through the establishment of reserves for future policy benefits. Management expects that the ultimate liability, if any, with respect to such ordinary-course claims litigation, after consideration of provisions made for potential losses and costs of defense, will not be material to the consolidated financial condition, results of operations or cash flows of the Company.

On August 15, 2023, Talcott Resolution Life Insurance Company and Talcott Resolution Life and Annuity Insurance Company (collectively “Talcott Resolution”) were named as defendants in two putative class action lawsuits in the United States District Courts for the District of Connecticut and the District of Massachusetts. These cases are captioned as follows: Casey v. Talcott Resolution Life Insurance Company and Talcott Resolution Life and Annuity Insurance Company, et al. (CT) and Guitang v. Talcott Resolution Life Insurance Company (MA). The lawsuits relate to data security events involving the MOVEit file transfer system (“MOVEit Cybersecurity Incident”). The MOVEit file transfer system is software used by a broad range of companies to move sensitive electronic data. PBI Research Services (“PBI”), a third-party service provider for Talcott Resolution, uses the MOVEit file transfer system in the performance of its services. PBI has used the software on behalf of Talcott Resolution to, among other things, search various databases to identify the deaths of insured persons and annuitants under life insurance policies and annuity contracts, respectively, as required by applicable law. Plaintiffs seek to represent various classes and subclasses of Talcott Resolution insurance policy and annuity contract holders whose data allegedly was accessed or potentially accessed in connection with the MOVEit Cybersecurity Incident. Plaintiffs allege that Talcott Resolution breached a purported duty to safeguard their sensitive data from unauthorized access. The complaints assert claims for, among other things, negligence, negligence per se, breach of contract, unjust enrichment, and violations of various consumer protection statutes, and the Plaintiffs seek declaratory and injunctive relief, compensatory and punitive damages, restitution, attorneys’ fees and costs, and other relief. On October 4, 2023, the Joint Panel on Multidistrict Litigation issued an order consolidating all actions relating to the MOVEit Cybersecurity Incident before a single federal judge in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts. We intend to vigorously defend these actions.

The Company is also involved in other kinds of legal actions, some of which assert claims for substantial amounts. Such actions have alleged, for example, bad faith in the handling of insurance claims and improper sales practices in connection with the sale of insurance and investment products. Some of these actions also seek punitive damages. Management expects that the ultimate liability, if any, with respect to such lawsuits, after consideration of provisions made for estimated losses, will not be material to the consolidated financial condition of the Company. Nonetheless, given the large or indeterminate amounts sought in certain of these actions, and the inherent unpredictability of litigation, it is possible that an adverse outcome in certain matters could, from time to time, have a material adverse effect on the Company’s consolidated financial condition, results of operations or cash flows in particular quarterly or annual periods.

Unfunded Commitments

As of December 31, 2023, the Company had outstanding commitments totaling $1,055, of which $559 was committed to investment funds, which may be called by the partnership during the commitment period to fund the purchase of new investments and partnership expenses. Additionally, $380 of the outstanding commitments are primarily related to various funding obligations associated with private debt. The remaining outstanding commitments of $116 are related to mortgage loans.

Guaranty Fund and Other Insurance-Related Assessments

In all states, insurers licensed to transact certain classes of insurance are required to become members of a guaranty fund. In most states, in the event of the insolvency of an insurer writing any such class of insurance in the state, members of the funds are assessed to pay certain claims of the insolvent insurer. A particular state’s fund assesses its members based on their respective written premiums in the state for the classes of insurance in which the insolvent insurer was engaged. Assessments are generally limited for any year to one or two percent of premiums written per year depending on the state.

Liabilities for guaranty funds and other insurance-related assessments are accrued when an assessment is probable, when it can be reasonably estimated, and when the event obligating the Company to pay an imposed or probable assessment has occurred. Liabilities for guaranty funds and other insurance-related assessments are not discounted and are included as part of other liabilities on the consolidated balance sheets. As of December 31, 2023 and 2022 (Successor Company), the liability balance was $4 and $4, respectively. As of December 31, 2023 and 2022 (Successor Company) amounts related to premium tax offsets of $1 and $1, respectively, were included in other assets on the consolidated balance sheets.

Derivative Commitments

Certain of the Company’s derivative agreements contain provisions that are tied to the financial strength ratings, as set by nationally recognized statistical agencies or risked-based capital ("RBC") tests, of the individual legal entity that entered into the derivative agreement. If the legal entity’s financial strength were to fall below certain ratings, the counterparties to the derivative agreements could demand immediate and ongoing full collateralization and in certain instances enable the counterparties to terminate the agreements and demand immediate settlement of all outstanding derivative positions traded under each impacted bilateral agreement. The settlement amount is determined by netting the derivative positions transacted under each agreement. If the termination rights were to be exercised by the counterparties, it could impact the legal entity’s ability to conduct hedging activities by increasing the associated costs and decreasing the willingness of counterparties to transact with the legal entity. The aggregate fair value of all derivative instruments with credit-risk-related contingent features that were in a net liability position as of December 31, 2023 (Successor Company) was $294. Of this $294, the legal entities have posted collateral of $461 in the normal course of business. This could change as derivative market values change, as a result of changes in our hedging activities or to the extent changes in contractual terms are negotiated. The nature of the collateral that is posted, when required, would be primarily in the form of U.S. Treasury bills, U.S. Treasury notes and government agency securities.