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Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies
 9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2024
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]  
Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies
Basis of Presentation

White Mountains Insurance Group, Ltd. (the “Company” or the “Registrant”) is an exempted Bermuda limited liability company whose principal businesses are conducted through its subsidiaries and other affiliates. The Company’s headquarters is located at 26 Reid Street, Hamilton, Bermuda HM 11, its principal executive office is located at 23 South Main Street, Suite 3B, Hanover, New Hampshire 03755-2053 and its registered office is located at Clarendon House, 2 Church Street, Hamilton, Bermuda HM 11. The Company’s website is www.whitemountains.com. The information contained on White Mountains’s website is not incorporated by reference into, and is not a part of, this report.
The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“GAAP”) and include the accounts of the Company, its subsidiaries (collectively with the Company, “White Mountains”) and other entities required to be consolidated under GAAP. Intercompany transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. Certain amounts in the prior period financial statements have been reclassified to conform to the current presentation.
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities as of 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.
These interim financial statements include all adjustments considered necessary by management to fairly state the financial position, results of operations and cash flows of White Mountains. These interim financial statements may not be indicative of financial results for the full year and should be read in conjunction with the Company’s 2023 Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Reportable Segments
As of September 30, 2024, White Mountains conducted its operations through four reportable segments: (1) Ark/WM Outrigger, (2) HG Global, (3) Kudu and (4) Bamboo, with its remaining operating businesses, holding companies and other assets included in Other Operations. White Mountains has made its segment determination based on consideration of the following criteria: (i) the nature of the business activities of each of the Company’s subsidiaries and affiliates; (ii) the manner in which the Company’s subsidiaries and affiliates are organized; (iii) the existence of primary managers responsible for specific subsidiaries and affiliates; and (iv) the organization of information provided to the Company’s chief operating decision makers and its Board of Directors. See Note 14 — “Segment Information.”
The Ark/WM Outrigger segment consists of Ark Insurance Holdings Limited and its subsidiaries (collectively, “Ark”) and Outrigger Re Ltd. Segregated Account 2023-1 (“WM Outrigger Re”) (collectively with Ark, “Ark/WM Outrigger”). Ark is a specialty property and casualty insurance and reinsurance company that offers a wide range of niche insurance and reinsurance products, including property, specialty, marine & energy, accident & health and casualty. Ark underwrites select coverages through Lloyd’s Syndicates 4020 and 3902 (the “Syndicates”) and its wholly-owned subsidiary Group Ark Insurance Limited (“GAIL”). White Mountains acquired a controlling ownership interest in Ark on January 1, 2021 (the “Ark Transaction”). As of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, White Mountains owned 72.0% of Ark on a basic shares outstanding basis (61.9% after taking account of management’s equity incentives). The remaining shares are owned by current and former employees of Ark. In the future, management rollover shareholders could earn additional shares in Ark if and to the extent that White Mountains achieves certain thresholds for its multiple of invested capital return. If fully earned, these additional shares would represent 12.3% of the shares outstanding as of September 30, 2024. The liability related to these additional shares is recorded as contingent consideration. During the fourth quarter of 2022, Ark sponsored the formation of Outrigger Re Ltd., a Bermuda company registered as a special purpose insurer and segregated accounts company, to provide reinsurance capacity to Ark. White Mountains consolidates the results of its segregated account, WM Outrigger Re, in its financial statements. See Note 2 — “Significant Transactions.” As of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, White Mountains owned 100.0% of WM Outrigger Re’ s preferred equity.
The HG Global segment consists of HG Global Ltd. and its wholly-owned subsidiaries (collectively, “HG Global”) and, prior to its deconsolidation on July 1, 2024, the consolidated results of Build America Mutual Assurance Company (“BAM”) (collectively with HG Global, “HG Global/BAM”). See Note 2 — “Significant Transactions.” HG Global was established to fund the startup of BAM and, through its reinsurance subsidiary, HG Re Ltd. (“HG Re”), to provide first loss protection of up to 15%-of-par outstanding for each policy assumed from BAM. HG Global, together with its subsidiaries, funded the initial capitalization of BAM through the purchase of $503.0 million of surplus notes issued by BAM (the “BAM Surplus Notes”). As of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, White Mountains owned 96.9% of HG Global’s preferred equity and 88.4% of its common equity.
White Mountains does not have an ownership interest in BAM. However, through June 30, 2024, White Mountains was required to consolidate BAM’s results in its financial statements because BAM is a variable interest entity (“VIE”) for which White Mountains was the primary beneficiary. BAM’s results were all attributed to noncontrolling interests. On July 1, 2024, HG Re and BAM amended the terms of the first loss reinsurance treaty (“FLRT”) with respect to certain governance rights held by HG Re. As a result, and in combination with other governance changes at BAM, White Mountains concluded that it no longer has the power to direct BAM’s activities that most significantly impact its economic performance and is no longer BAM’s primary beneficiary. Accordingly, as of July 1, 2024, White Mountains no longer consolidates BAM. Through June 30, 2024, BAM’s assets, liabilities and noncontrolling interests, as well as its results of operations, are presented within the HG Global segment. See Note 2 — “Significant Transactions.”
The Kudu segment consists of Kudu Investment Management, LLC and its subsidiaries (collectively “Kudu”). Kudu provides capital solutions for boutique asset and wealth managers for a variety of purposes including generational ownership transfers, management buyouts, acquisition and growth finance and legacy partner liquidity. Kudu also provides strategic assistance to investees from time to time. Kudu’s capital solutions generally are structured as minority preferred equity stakes with distribution rights, typically tied to gross revenues and designed to generate immediate cash yields. As of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, White Mountains owned 90.1% and 89.6% of Kudu’s basic units outstanding (76.8% and 76.3% on a fully-diluted, fully-converted basis).
The Bamboo segment consists of PM Holdings LLC (“Bamboo Holdings”), Bamboo Ide8 Insurance Services LLC (“Bamboo MGA”) and Ide8 Limited (“Bamboo Captive”) (collectively with Bamboo Holdings and Bamboo MGA, “Bamboo”). Bamboo is a capital-light, tech- and data-enabled insurance distribution platform providing homeowners’ insurance and related products to the residential property market in California. Bamboo operates primarily through Bamboo MGA, its full-service managing general agent (“MGA”) business, where the company manages all aspects of the placement process on behalf of its fronting and reinsurance partners, including product development, marketing, underwriting, policy issuance and claims oversight, and it earns commissions based on the volume and profitability of the insurance that it places. It offers both admitted and non-admitted products. Bamboo also operates two separate but integrated businesses: (i) a retail agency, within Bamboo MGA, offering ancillary products on behalf of third parties and (ii) Bamboo Captive, a Bermuda-domiciled captive reinsurer that participates in the underwriting risk of Bamboo’s MGA programs to align interests with reinsurance partners. On January 2, 2024, White Mountains acquired a controlling interest in Bamboo. See Note 2 — “Significant Transactions.” As of September 30, 2024, White Mountains owned 72.8% of the basic units outstanding of Bamboo (63.7% on a fully-diluted, fully-converted basis).
White Mountains’s other operations consist of the Company and its wholly-owned subsidiary, White Mountains Capital, LLC (“WM Capital”), its other intermediate holding companies, its wholly-owned investment management subsidiary, White Mountains Advisors LLC (“WM Advisors”), investment assets managed by WM Advisors, its interests in MediaAlpha, Inc. (“MediaAlpha”), DavidShield PassportCard Ltd. and its subsidiaries (collectively, “PassportCard/DavidShield”), Elementum Holdings LP (“Elementum”), certain other consolidated and unconsolidated entities (“Other Operating Businesses”) and certain other assets (collectively, “Other Operations”).
On October 25, 2023, White Mountains announced the launch of White Mountains Partners LLC (“WTM Partners”), which will acquire businesses in non-insurance, non-financial services sectors including essential services, light industrial and specialty consumer. White Mountains expects to deploy up to $500.0 million of equity capital through WTM Partners over time. WTM Partners is included within Other Operations.
In April 2024, White Mountains committed to provide up to $30.0 million to a Bermuda special purpose collateralized reinsurance vehicle that provides reinsurance capacity to Bamboo (“Bamboo CRV”). During the second quarter of 2024, White Mountains capitalized Bamboo CRV by purchasing $12.1 million of preference shares that were deposited into a collateral trust account. Bamboo CRV entered into a collateralized quota share agreement with one of Bamboo’s fronting partners to provide reinsurance protection on Bamboo’s admitted and non-admitted business written in the 2024 treaty year. Bamboo CRV is included within Other Operations.
Significant Accounting Policies

In addition to the following, refer to the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements in the Company’s 2023 Annual Report on Form 10-K for a complete discussion regarding White Mountains’s significant accounting policies.

BAM Surplus Notes
Upon election of the fair value option, White Mountains made the accounting policy election to present the interest income from the BAM Surplus Notes separately from the change in fair value of the BAM Surplus Notes.

Revenue Recognition
Bamboo’s revenues consist primarily of commission and fee revenues for placement of insurance policies. Commission and fee revenues are measured based on the contractual rates with insurance carriers, net of any amounts expected to be uncollectible and any amounts associated with expected policy cancellations and adjustments, and are recognized when contractual performance obligations have been fulfilled. Bamboo’s primary contractual performance obligations are generally satisfied upon the issuance of an insurance policy.
Bamboo’s premiums, commissions and fees receivable consist of insurance premiums and fees receivable from customers and commissions receivable from insurance carriers, net of a provision for amounts estimated to be uncollectible and any amounts associated with expected policy cancellations and adjustments.
Deferred revenues associated with unsatisfied performance obligations are recognized within other liabilities.

Broker Commission Expenses
Bamboo’s broker commission expense consists of commissions paid to sub-agents and brokers. Broker commission expense is measured in accordance with contractual terms and recognized when incurred, which is generally at the policy issuance date.