Variable Interest Entities

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2023

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

Variable Interest Entities

Variable Interest Entities

BAM

BAM is owned by and operated for the benefit of its members, the municipalities that purchase BAM’s insurance for their debt issuances. However, the equity at risk funded by BAM’s members is not sufficient to fund its operations without the additional financial support provided by the BAM Surplus Notes and, accordingly, White Mountains has determined that BAM is a VIE.

Pursuant to the FLRT, BAM’s underwriting guidelines may only be amended with the consent of HG Re. In addition, HG Holdings Ltd, a subsidiary of HG Global, has the right to designate two directors for election to BAM’s Board of Directors. As a result, we have determined that White Mountains is the primary beneficiary and is required to consolidate BAM’s results in its financial statements. Since BAM is owned by its members, its equity and results of operations are included in noncontrolling interests.

HG Re’s obligations under the FLRT are subject to an aggregate limit equal to the assets in the Collateral Trusts at any point in time.

WM Outrigger Re

White Mountains has determined that Outrigger Re Ltd. and WM Outrigger Re are VIEs. White Mountains is not the primary beneficiary of Outrigger Re Ltd. or the other segregated accounts. White Mountains is the primary beneficiary of WM Outrigger Re, as it has both the power to direct the activities that most significantly impact WM Outrigger Re’s economic performance and the obligation to absorb losses, or the right to receive returns, that could potentially be significant to WM Outrigger Re. As a result, White Mountains consolidates WM Outrigger Re’s results in its financial statements. The assets of WM Outrigger Re can only be used to settle the liabilities of WM Outrigger Re, and there is no recourse to the Company for any creditors of WM Outrigger Re.

PassportCard/DavidShield

As of September 30, 2023, White Mountains’s ownership interest in PassportCard/DavidShield was 53.8%. White Mountains has determined that both PassportCard and DavidShield are VIEs but that White Mountains is not the primary beneficiary and therefore does not consolidate either PassportCard or DavidShield. The governance structures for both PassportCard and DavidShield were designed to give White Mountains and its co-investor equal power to make the decisions that most significantly impact operations. White Mountains does not have the unilateral power to direct the operations of PassportCard or DavidShield and does not hold a controlling financial interest. White Mountains’s ownership interest gives White Mountains the ability to exert significant influence over the significant financial and operating activities of PassportCard/DavidShield. Accordingly, White Mountains’s investment in PassportCard/DavidShield meets the criteria to be accounted for under the equity method. White Mountains has taken the fair value option for its investment in PassportCard/DavidShield. Changes in the fair value of PassportCard/DavidShield are recorded in net realized and unrealized investment gains (losses). As of September 30, 2023, White Mountains’s maximum exposure to loss on its equity investment in PassportCard/DavidShield and the non-interest-bearing loan to its partner is the total carrying value of $159.4 million.

Elementum

As of September 30, 2023, White Mountains’s ownership interest in Elementum was 26.6%. White Mountains has determined that Elementum is a VIE but that White Mountains is not the primary beneficiary and therefore does not consolidate Elementum. White Mountains’s ownership interest gives White Mountains the ability to exert significant influence over the significant financial and operating activities of Elementum. Accordingly, Elementum meets the criteria to be accounted for under the equity method. White Mountains has taken the fair value option for its investment in Elementum. Changes in the fair value of Elementum are recorded in net realized and unrealized investment gains (losses). As of September 30, 2023, White Mountains’s maximum exposure to loss on its limited partnership interest in Elementum is the carrying value of $35.0 million.

Limited Partnerships

White Mountains’s investments in limited partnerships are generally considered VIEs because the limited partnership interests do not have substantive kick-out rights or participating rights. White Mountains does not have the unilateral power to direct the operations of these limited partnerships, and therefore White Mountains is not the primary beneficiary and does not consolidate the limited partnerships. White Mountains has taken the fair value option for its investments in limited partnerships, which are generally measured at NAV as a practical expedient. As of September 30, 2023, White Mountains’s maximum exposure to loss on its investments in limited partnerships is the carrying value of $239.2 million.