Contingencies and Guarantees

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2013

Contingencies and Guarantees

Contingencies and Guarantees

15. Contingencies and Guarantees

Insurance companies have been the subject of increasing regulatory, legislative and judicial scrutiny.  Numerous state and federal regulatory agencies have commenced examinations and other inquiries of insurance companies regarding sales and marketing practices (including sales to older consumers and disclosure practices), claims handling, and unclaimed property and escheatment practices and procedures. With regard to an industry-wide investigation of unclaimed property and escheatment practices and procedures, the Company is responding to regulatory audits, market conduct examinations and other inquires (including inquiries from the States of Minnesota and New York and a multistate insurance department examination).  The Company has cooperated and will continue to cooperate with the applicable regulators regarding their inquiries.

The Company is involved in the normal course of business in a number of other legal and arbitration proceedings concerning matters arising in connection with the conduct of its business activities.  The Company believes that it is not a party to, nor are any of its properties the subject of, any pending legal, arbitration or regulatory investigation or proceeding that is likely to have a material adverse effect on its consolidated financial condition, results of operations or liquidity.  Notwithstanding the foregoing, it is possible that the outcome of any current or future legal, arbitration or regulatory proceeding could have a material impact on results of operations in any particular reporting period as the proceedings are resolved.

The Company is required by law to be a member of the guaranty fund association in every state where it is licensed to do business.  In the event of insolvency of one or more unaffiliated insurance companies, the Company could be adversely affected by the requirement to pay assessments to the guaranty fund associations.  Uncertainty and volatility in the U.S. economy and financial markets in recent years have weakened the financial condition of numerous insurers, including insurers currently in receiverships, increasing the risk of triggering guaranty fund assessments.

The Company projects its cost of future guaranty fund assessments based on estimates of insurance company insolvencies provided by the National Organization of Life and Health Insurance Guaranty Associations (“NOLHGA”) and the amount of its premiums written relative to the industry-wide premium in each state.  The Company accrues the estimated cost of future guaranty fund assessments when it is considered probable that an assessment will be imposed, the event obligating the Company to pay the assessment has occurred  and the amount of the assessment can be reasonably estimated.

Executive Life Insurance Company of New York (“ELNY”) was placed into rehabilitation by a New York state court in 1991. On April 16, 2012, the court issued an order converting the rehabilitation into a liquidation proceeding under a plan submitted by the New York insurance regulator with support from NOLHGA and the industry.

During the second quarter of 2012, the Company established a liability for estimated guaranty fund assessments and a related premium tax asset, primarily associated with ELNY.  At both March 31, 2013 and December 31, 2012, the estimated liability was $26 million and the related premium tax asset was $19 million. The expected period over which the assessments will be made and the related tax credits recovered is not known.

Uncertain economic conditions, heightened and sustained volatility in the financial markets and significant financial reform legislation may increase the likelihood that clients and other persons or regulators may present or threaten legal claims or that regulators increase the scope or frequency of examinations of the Company or the insurance industry generally.