Variable Interest Entities

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2017

Variable Interest Entities [Abstract]

3. Variable Interest Entities (“VIEs”)

Consolidated VIEs

See Note 4 in our 2016 Form 10-K for a detailed discussion of our consolidated VIEs, which information is incorporated herein by reference.

As of March 2017 and December 2016, our $200 million and $400 million credit-linked notes (“CLNs”) matured, respectively, and we no longer reflect the assets and liabilities associated with these VIEs on our Consolidated Balance Sheets or recognize the results of operations of these VIEs on our Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss). We no longer have any exposure related to these VIEs.

Asset and liability information (dollars in millions) for the consolidated VIEs included on our Consolidated Balance Sheets was as follows:



		As of March 31, 2017							As of December 31, 2016
		Number							Number
		of		Notional		Carrying			of		Notional		Carrying
	Instruments			Amounts		Value		Instruments			Amounts		Value
Assets
Fixed maturity securities:
Asset-backed credit card loans (1)			N/A	$	-	$	-			N/A	$	-	$	200
Total return swap			1		527		-			1		533		-
Credit default swaps			-		-		-			1		200		-
Total assets			1	$	527	$	-			2	$	733	$	200

⁽¹⁾

Reported in variable interest entities’ fixed maturity securities on our Consolidated Balance Sheets.

As of March 31, 2017, and December 31, 2016, we did not recognize any liabilities from consolidated VIEs on our Consolidated Balance Sheets. We did hold one contingent forward instrument as of December 31, 2016; however, the instrument had a zero notional and carrying value.

For details related to the fixed maturity AFS securities underlying these VIEs, see Note 4.

As described more fully in Note 1 of our 2016 Form 10-K, we regularly review our investment holdings for OTTI. Based upon this review, we believe that the AFS fixed maturity securities were not other-than-temporarily impaired as of March 31, 2017.

The gains (losses) for the consolidated VIEs (in millions) recorded on our Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss) were as follows:



	For the Three
	Months Ended
	March 31,
	2017		2016
Non-Qualifying Hedges
Credit default swaps	$	-	$	6
Contingent forwards		-		-
Total non-qualifying hedges (1)	$	-	$	6

⁽¹⁾

Reported in realized gain (loss) on our Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss).

Unconsolidated VIEs

See Note 4 in our 2016 Form 10-K for a detailed discussion of our unconsolidated VIEs, which information is incorporated herein by reference.

Limited Partnerships and Limited Liability Companies

We invest in certain limited partnerships (“LPs”) and limited liability companies (“LLCs”), including qualified affordable housing projects, that we have concluded are VIEs. We do not hold any substantive kick-out or participation rights in the LPs and LLCs, and we do not receive any performance fees or decision maker fees from the LPs and LLCs. Based on our analysis of the LPs and LLCs, we are not the primary beneficiary of the VIEs as we do not have the power to direct the most significant activities of the LPs and LLCs.

The carrying amounts of our investments in the LPs and LLCs are recognized in other investments on our Consolidated Balance Sheets and were $1.3 billion as of March 31, 2017, and December 31, 2016. Included in these carrying amounts are our investments in qualified affordable housing projects, which were $35 million and $37 million as of March 31, 2017, and December 31, 2016, respectively. We do not have any contingent commitments to provide additional capital funding to these qualified affordable housing projects. We receive returns from these qualified affordable housing projects in the form of income tax credits and other tax benefits, which are recognized in federal income tax expense (benefit) on our Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss) and were less than $1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016.

Our exposure to loss is limited to the capital we invest in the LPs and LLCs, and there have been no indicators of impairment that would require us to recognize an impairment loss related to the LPs and LLCs as of March 31, 2017.

- Definition

Tabular disclosure of the significant judgments and assumptions made in determining whether a variable interest (as defined) held by the entity requires the variable interest entity (VIE) (as defined) to be consolidated and (or) disclose information about its involvement with the VIE, individually or in aggregate (as applicable); the nature of restrictions, if any, on the consolidated VIE's assets and on the settlement of its liabilities reported by an entity in its statement of financial position, including the carrying amounts of such assets and liabilities; the nature of, and changes in, the risks associated with involvement in the VIE; how involvement with the VIE affects the entity's financial position, financial performance, and cash flows; the lack of recourse if creditors (or beneficial interest holders) of the consolidated VIE have no recourse to the general credit of the primary beneficiary (if applicable); the terms of arrangements, giving consideration to both explicit arrangements and implicit variable interests, if any, that could require the entity to provide financial support to the VIE, including events or circumstances that could expose the entity to a loss; the methodology used by the entity for determining whether or not it is the primary beneficiary of the variable interest entity; the significant factors considered and judgments made in determining that the power to direct the activities of a VIE that most significantly impact the VIE's economic performance are shared (as defined); the carrying amounts and classification of assets and liabilities of the VIE included in the statement of financial position; the entity's maximum exposure to loss, if any, as a result of its involvement with the VIE, including how the maximum exposure is determined and significant sources of the entity's exposure to the VIE; a comparison of the carrying amounts of the assets and liabilities and the entity's maximum exposure to loss; information about any liquidity arrangements, guarantees, and (or) other commitments by third parties that may affect the fair value or risk of the entity's variable interest in the VIE; whether or not the entity has provided financial support or other support (explicitly or implicitly) to the VIE that it was not previously contractually required to provide or whether the entity intends to provide that support, including the type and amount of the support and the primary reasons for providing the support; and supplemental information the entity determines necessary to provide.

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