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Financial Guarantee Insurance Contracts
6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2014
Insurance [Abstract]  
Financial Guarantee Insurance Contracts
FINANCIAL GUARANTEE INSURANCE CONTRACTS
Amounts presented in this Note relate only to Ambac’s non-derivative insurance business for insurance policies issued to beneficiaries, including VIEs, for which we do not consolidate the VIE.
Net Premiums Earned:
Gross premiums are received either upfront (typical of public finance obligations) or in installments (typical of structured finance obligations). For premiums received upfront, an unearned premium revenue (“UPR”) liability is established, which is initially recorded as the cash amount received. For installment premium transactions, a premium receivable asset and offsetting UPR liability is initially established in an amount equal to: (i) the present value of future contractual premiums due (the “contractual” method) or (ii) if the underlying insured obligation is a homogenous pool of assets which are contractually prepayable, the present value of premiums to be collected over the expected life of the transaction (the “expected” method). An appropriate risk-free rate corresponding to the weighted average life of each policy and currency is used to discount the future premiums contractually due or expected to be collected. For example, U.S. dollar exposures are discounted using U.S. Treasury rates while exposures denominated in a foreign currency are discounted using the appropriate risk-free rate for the respective currency. The weighted average risk-free rate at June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, was 2.9% and 3.0%, respectively, and the weighted average period of future premiums used to estimate the premium receivable at June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, was 9.4 years and 9.6 years, respectively.
Insured obligations consisting of homogeneous pools for which Ambac uses expected future premiums to estimate the premium receivable and UPR include residential mortgage-backed securities. As prepayment assumptions change for homogenous pool transactions, or if there is an actual prepayment for a “contractual” method installment transaction, the related premium receivable and UPR are adjusted in equal and offsetting amounts with no immediate effect on earnings using new premium cash flows and the then current risk-free rate.
Generally, the priority for the payment of financial guarantee premiums to Ambac, as required by the bond indentures of the insured obligations, is very senior in the waterfall. Additionally, in connection with the allocation of certain liabilities to the Segregated Account, trustees are required under the Segregated Account Rehabilitation Plan and related court orders to continue to pay installment premiums, notwithstanding the Segregated Account Rehabilitation Proceedings. In evaluating the credit quality of the premium receivables, management evaluates the transaction waterfall structures and the internal ratings of the transactions underlying the premium receivables. As of June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, approximately 47% and 44% of the premium receivables related to transactions with non-investment grade internal ratings, comprised mainly of non-investment grade RMBS, student loan transactions and a certain asset-backed transaction, which comprised 6%, 7%, and 18% of the total premium receivables at June 30, 2014 and 7%, 7% and 17% of the total premium receivables at December 31, 2013, respectively. At June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, $16,297 and $15,262, respectively, of premium receivables were deemed uncollectable. Past due premiums on policies insuring non-investment grade obligations amounted to less than $500 at June 30, 2014.
Below is the gross premium receivable roll-forward (direct and assumed contracts) for the affected periods:
 
Successor Ambac
 
 
Predecessor Ambac
 
Period from January 1
through June 30, 2014
Period from May 1
through June 30, 2013
 
 
Period from January 1
through April 30, 2013
Beginning premium receivable
$
1,453,021

$
1,531,631

 
 
$
1,620,621

Premium receipts
(61,876
)
(19,352
)
 
 
(48,296
)
Adjustments for changes in expected and contractual cash flows
(70,464
)
(40,898
)
 
 
(28,237
)
Accretion of premium receivable discount
20,247

7,359

 
 
14,740

Uncollectable premiums
(1,035
)
(543
)
 
 
(634
)
Other adjustments (including foreign exchange)
16,469

(13,299
)
 
 
(26,563
)
Ending premium receivable
$
1,356,362

$
1,464,898

 
 
$
1,531,631


 
Similar to gross premiums, premiums ceded to reinsurers are paid either upfront or in installments. Premiums ceded to reinsurers reduce the amount of premiums earned by Ambac from its financial guarantee insurance policies.
When a bond issue insured by Ambac Assurance has been retired, including those retirements due to refundings or calls, any remaining UPR is recognized at that time to the extent the financial guarantee contract is legally extinguished, causing accelerated premium revenue. For installment premium paying transactions, the recognition of any remaining UPR is offset by the reduction of the related premium receivable to zero (as it will not be collected as a result of the retirement), which may cause negative accelerated premium revenue. Successor Ambac’s accelerated premium revenue for retired obligations for the three and six months ended June 30, 2014 was $7,990 and $33,104. Successor Ambac’s accelerated premium revenue for retired obligations for the two months ended June 30, 2013 was $13,049. Predecessor Ambac’s accelerated premium revenue for retired obligations for the one and four months ended April 30, 2013 were $7,073 and $36,433, respectively. Certain obligations insured by Ambac have been legally defeased whereby government securities are purchased by the issuer with the proceeds of a new bond issuance, or less frequently with other funds of the issuer, and held in escrow (a pre-refunding). The principal and interest received from the escrowed securities are then used to retire the Ambac-insured obligations at a future date either to their maturity date or a specified call date. Ambac has evaluated the provisions in certain financial guarantee insurance policies issued on legally defeased obligations and determined those insurance policies have not been legally extinguished and, therefore, premium revenue recognition has not been accelerated.
The effect of reinsurance on premiums written and earned was as follows:
 
 
Successor Ambac
 
 
Predecessor Ambac
 
Period from April 1 through June 30, 2014
 
Period from May 1 through June 30, 2013
 
 
Period from April 1 through April 30, 2013
 
Written
 
Earned
 
Written
 
Earned
 
 
Written
 
Earned
Direct
$
(45,486
)
 
$
68,025

 
$
(34,081
)
 
$
62,033

 
 
$
(10,595
)
 
$
31,388

Assumed

 
23

 

 
16

 
 

 
8

Ceded
(4,967
)
 
3,035

 
(3,038
)
 
4,010

 
 
(84
)
 
1,652

Net premiums
$
(40,519
)
 
$
65,013

 
$
(31,043
)
 
$
58,039

 
 
$
(10,511
)
 
$
29,744

 
Successor Ambac
 
 
Predecessor Ambac
 
Period from January 1 through June 30, 2014
 
Period from May 1 through June 30, 2013
 
 
Period from January 1 through April 30, 2013
 
Written
 
Earned
 
Written
 
Earned
 
 
Written
 
Earned
Direct
(51,252
)
 
$
154,209

 
$
(34,081
)
 
$
62,033

 
 
$
(14,125
)
 
$
138,468

Assumed

 
91

 

 
16

 
 

 
32

Ceded
(4,511
)
 
6,740

 
(3,038
)
 
4,010

 
 
(1,098
)
 
8,500

Net premiums
$
(46,741
)
 
$
147,560

 
$
(31,043
)
 
$
58,039

 
 
$
(13,027
)
 
$
130,000


The table below summarizes the future gross undiscounted premiums to be collected, and future premiums earned, net of reinsurance at June 30, 2014:
 
 
Future premiums
to be collected 
(1)
 
Future expected
premiums to
be earned, net of reinsurance 
(1)
 
 
Three months ended:
 
 
 
September 30, 2014
39,988

 
45,841

December 31, 2014
31,037

 
44,006

Twelve months ended:
 
 
 
December 31, 2015
123,705

 
163,207

December 31, 2016
116,974

 
148,927

December 31, 2017
110,511

 
137,708

December 31, 2018
105,182

 
128,484

Five years ended:
 
 
 
December 31, 2023
466,339

 
532,361

December 31, 2028
370,487

 
373,862

December 31, 2033
237,081

 
218,488

December 31, 2038
92,686

 
95,496

December 31, 2043
30,826

 
32,182

December 31, 2048
12,538

 
12,064

December 31, 2053
2,252

 
3,324

December 31, 2058
31

 
84

Total
$
1,739,637

 
$
1,936,034

 
(1)
Future premiums to be collected relates to the discounted premium receivable asset recorded on Ambac's balance sheet. Future premiums to be earned, net of reinsurance relate to the unearned premium liability and deferred ceded premium asset recorded on Ambac’s balance sheet. The use of contractual lives for many bond types which do not have homogeneous pools of underlying collateral is required in the calculation of the premium receivable as described above, which results in a higher premium receivable balance than if expected lives were considered. If installment paying policies are retired early, premiums reflected in the premium receivable asset and amounts reported in the above table for such policies may not be collected in the future.
Loss and Loss Expense Reserves:
A loss reserve is recorded on the balance sheet on a policy-by-policy basis for: (a) unpaid claims and (b) the excess of the present value of expected net cash flows required to be paid under an insurance contract, over the unearned premium revenue for that contract. Unpaid Claims are defined as the sum of (i) claims presented and not yet paid for policies allocated to the Segregated Account, including Deferred Amounts (as defined in Note 1) and (ii) accrued interest on Deferred Amounts (generally at an effective rate of 5.1%) as required by the amended Segregated Account Rehabilitation Plan that became effective on June 12, 2014. Refer to Note 1 for further discussion of the amended Segregated Account Rehabilitation Plan. In accordance ASC Topic 944, unpaid claims are measured based on the estimated cost of settling the claims, which is principal plus accrued interest. The present value of expected net cash flows is defined as the present value of expected future claims to be paid under an insurance contract (including the impact of potential settlement outcomes upon future installment premiums) less the present value of potential future recoveries. In accordance with the financial guarantee insurance accounting guidance of ASC Topic 944, the approaches used to estimate expected future claims and expected future recoveries considers the likelihood of all possible outcomes. These estimation approaches are further described in Note 2, Basis Of Presentation And Significant Accounting Policies, in Part II, Item 8 “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” included in Ambac’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013.
For those policies where the potential recovery is less than the sum of unpaid claims and expected future claims, the resulting net cash outflow is recorded as a "Loss and loss expense reserves" liability. For those policies where losses have been paid, but not yet fully recovered, the potential recovery may be greater than the unpaid claims and expected future claims, and the resulting net cash inflow is recorded as a "Subrogation recoverable" asset. Below are the components of the Loss and loss expense reserves liability and the Subrogation recoverable asset at June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013:
 
June 30, 2014
 
Unpaid Claims
Present Value of Expected Net Cash Flows
 
 
Balance Sheet Line Item
Claims
Accrued Interest
Claims and Loss Expenses
Recoveries
Unearned Premium Revenue
Gross Loss and Loss Expense Reserves
Loss and loss expense reserves
$
3,183,938

$
237,955

$
4,542,406

$
(1,415,979
)
$
(475,997
)
$
6,072,323

Subrogation recoverable
815,164

70,135

234,998

(1,604,449
)

(484,152
)
Totals
$
3,999,102

$
308,090

$
4,777,404

$
(3,020,428
)
$
(475,997
)
$
5,588,171


 
December 31, 2013
 
Unpaid Claims
Present Value of Expected Net Cash Flows
 
 
Balance Sheet Line Item
Claims
Accrued Interest
Claims and Loss Expenses
Recoveries
Unearned Premium Revenue
Gross Loss and Loss Expense Reserves
Loss and loss expense reserves
$
3,374,224

$

$
4,895,277

$
(1,797,805
)
$
(502,984
)
$
5,968,712

Subrogation recoverable
530,091


135,610

(1,164,179
)

(498,478
)
Totals
$
3,904,315

$

$
5,030,887

$
(2,961,984
)
$
(502,984
)
$
5,470,234

Below is the loss and loss expense reserve roll-forward, net of subrogation recoverable and reinsurance, for the affected periods:
 
Successor Ambac
 
 
Predecessor Ambac
 
Period from January 1
through June 30, 2014
Period from May 1
through June 30, 2013
 
 
Period from
January 1 through
April 30, 2013
Beginning gross loss and loss expense reserves
$
5,470,234

$
5,572,672

 
 
$
6,122,140

Less reinsurance on loss and loss expense reserves
122,357

138,155

 
 
$
147,409

Beginning balance of net loss and loss expense reserves
$
5,347,877

$
5,434,517

 
 
$
5,974,731

Changes in the loss and loss expense reserves due to:


 
 

Current year:


 
 

Establishment of new loss and loss expense reserves, gross of RMBS subrogation and net of reinsurance
209

2,416

 
 
2,748

Claim and loss expense payments, net of subrogation and reinsurance
(3
)
(37
)
 
 
(58
)
Establishment of RMBS subrogation recoveries, net of reinsurance

(320
)
 
 
(159
)
Total current year
206

2,059

 
 
2,531

Prior years:


 
 

Change in previously established loss and loss expense reserves, gross of RMBS subrogation and net of reinsurance
131,124

(128,680
)
 
 
(52,642
)
Claim and loss expense recoveries, net of subrogation and reinsurance
73,347

3,793

 
 
20,902

Change in previously established RMBS subrogation recoveries, net of reinsurance
(74,398
)
87,361

 
 
(12,596
)
Total prior years
130,073

(37,526
)
 
 
(44,336
)
Net change in loss and loss expense reserves
130,279

(35,467
)
 
 
(41,805
)
Net consolidation of certain VIEs


 
 
(498,409
)
Ending net loss and loss expense reserves
$
5,478,156

$
5,399,050

 
 
$
5,434,517

Add reinsurance on loss and loss expense reserves
110,015

142,512

 
 
138,155

Ending gross loss and loss expense reserves
$
5,588,171

$
5,541,562

 
 
$
5,572,672


The negative development in loss and loss expense reserves for Successor Ambac established in prior years for the six months ended June 30, 2014 was primarily due to the addition of accrued interest on Deferred Amounts pursuant to the amended Segregated Account Rehabilitation Plan offset by improved performance of the RMBS portfolio. The positive development in loss and loss expense reserves for Successor Ambac established in prior years for the two months ended June 30, 2013 was primarily due to improved performance of the Student Loan and Ambac UK portfolios offset by a decline in the performance of the RMBS portfolio. The positive development in loss and loss expense reserves for Predecessor Ambac established in prior years for the four months ended April 30, 2013 was primarily due to improved performance of the RMBS portfolio offset by deterioration in certain Public Finance and Ambac UK credits.
The net change in net loss and loss expense reserves are included in losses and loss expenses in the Consolidated Statement of Total Comprehensive Income. For Successor Ambac, reinsurance recoveries of losses included in losses and loss expenses in the Consolidated Statements of Total Comprehensive Income were an expense of $1,602 and $12,160 for the three and six months ended June 30, 2014, respectively. Reinsurance recoveries of losses included in losses and loss expenses in the Consolidated Statements of Total Comprehensive Income were a benefit of $5,062 for the two months ended June 30, 2013. For Predecessor Ambac, reinsurance recoveries of losses included in losses and loss expenses in the Consolidated Statements of Total Comprehensive Income were a benefit of $7 and $3,889 for the one month and four months ended April 30, 2013, respectively.
The tables below summarize information related to policies currently included in Ambac’s loss and loss expense reserves or subrogation recoverable at June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013. Net par exposures include capital appreciation bonds which are reported at the par amount at the time of issuance of the insurance policy. The weighted average risk-free rate used to discount loss reserves at June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013 was 2.7% and 3.2%, respectively.
Surveillance Categories (at June 30, 2014)
 
I/SL
 
IA
 
II
 
III
 
IV
 
V
 
Total
Number of policies
29

 
24

 
49

 
88

 
172

 
1

 
363

Remaining weighted-average contract period (in years)
12

 
13

 
16

 
19

 
12

 
6

 
15

Gross insured contractual payments outstanding:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Principal
$
815,549

 
$
479,218

 
$
3,517,374

 
$
5,849,928

 
$
10,818,754

 
$
47

 
$
21,480,870

Interest
428,964

 
222,412

 
2,298,152

 
2,873,112

 
2,427,376

 
19

 
8,250,035

Total
$
1,244,513

 
$
701,630

 
$
5,815,526

 
$
8,723,040

 
$
13,246,130

 
$
66

 
$
29,730,905

Gross undiscounted claim liability (1)
$
5,477

 
$
12,134

 
$
189,385

 
$
2,752,311

 
$
7,958,481

 
$
62

 
$
10,917,850

Discount, gross claim liability
(700
)
 
(1,091
)
 
(20,747
)
 
(964,005
)
 
(943,887
)
 
(3
)
 
(1,930,433
)
Gross claim liability before all subrogation and before reinsurance
$
4,777

 
$
11,043

 
$
168,638

 
$
1,788,306

 
$
7,014,594

 
$
59

 
$
8,987,417

Less:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Gross RMBS subrogation (2)

 

 

 
(2,154
)
 
(2,298,331
)
 

 
(2,300,485
)
Discount, RMBS subrogation

 

 

 
14

 
16,047

 

 
16,061

Discounted RMBS subrogation, before reinsurance

 

 

 
(2,140
)
 
(2,282,284
)
 

 
(2,284,424
)
Less:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Gross other subrogation (3)

 

 
(17,558
)
 
(110,818
)
 
(698,439
)
 

 
(826,815
)
Discount, other subrogation

 

 
7,045

 
29,735

 
54,031

 

 
90,811

Discounted other subrogation, before reinsurance

 

 
(10,513
)
 
(81,083
)
 
(644,408
)
 

 
(736,004
)
Gross claim liability, net of all subrogation and discounts, before reinsurance
$
4,777

 
$
11,043

 
$
158,125

 
$
1,705,083

 
$
4,087,902

 
$
59

 
$
5,966,989

Less: Unearned premium reserves
(3,198
)
 
(3,925
)
 
(90,254
)
 
(297,274
)
 
(81,346
)
 

 
(475,997
)
Plus: Loss expense reserves

 
1,824

 
(799
)
 
4,488

 
91,666

 

 
97,179

Gross loss and loss expense reserves
$
1,579

 
$
8,942

 
$
67,072

 
$
1,412,297

 
$
4,098,222

 
$
59

 
$
5,588,171

Reinsurance recoverable reported on Balance Sheet
$
55

 
$
895

 
$
1,956

 
$
115,403

 
$
(9,054
)
 
$

 
$
109,255

 
(1)
Gross undiscounted claim liability includes unpaid claims, including accrued interest on Deferred Amounts, and Ambac's estimate of expected future claims.
(2)
RMBS subrogation represents Ambac’s estimate of subrogation recoveries from RMBS transaction sponsors for representation and warranty breaches.
(3)
Other subrogation represents subrogation, including subrogation from RMBS transactions, other than subrogation as defined in (2) above.



Surveillance Categories (at December 31, 2013)
 
I/SL
 
IA
 
II
 
III
 
IV
 
V
 
Total
Number of policies
18

 
23

 
52

 
76

 
169

 
1

 
339

Remaining weighted-average contract period (in years)
13

 
19

 
17

 
19

 
11

 
6

 
14

Gross insured contractual payments outstanding:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Principal
$
834,708

 
$
1,125,284

 
$
3,464,420

 
$
5,597,387

 
$
11,184,943

 
$
47

 
$
22,206,789

Interest
506,903

 
871,751

 
2,130,271

 
2,331,222

 
2,556,968

 
18

 
8,397,133

Total
$
1,341,611

 
$
1,997,035

 
$
5,594,691

 
$
7,928,609

 
$
13,741,911

 
$
65

 
$
30,603,922

Gross undiscounted claim liability (1)
$
7,447

 
$
54,398

 
$
221,321

 
$
3,029,891

 
$
7,963,137

 
$
65

 
$
11,276,259

Discount, gross claim liability
(1,225
)
 
(6,726
)
 
(32,630
)
 
(1,299,032
)
 
(1,112,829
)
 
(6
)
 
(2,452,448
)
Gross claim liability before all subrogation and before reinsurance
$
6,222

 
$
47,672

 
$
188,691

 
$
1,730,859

 
$
6,850,308

 
$
59

 
$
8,823,811

Less:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Gross RMBS subrogation (2)

 

 

 
(4,516
)
 
(2,211,333
)
 

 
(2,215,849
)
Discount, RMBS subrogation

 

 

 
15

 
9,236

 

 
9,251

Discounted RMBS subrogation, before reinsurance

 

 

 
(4,501
)
 
(2,202,097
)
 

 
(2,206,598
)
Less:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Gross other subrogation (3)

 

 
(20,367
)
 
(116,145
)
 
(710,187
)
 

 
(846,699
)
Discount, other subrogation

 

 
9,522

 
36,125

 
45,666

 

 
91,313

Discounted other subrogation, before reinsurance

 

 
(10,845
)
 
(80,020
)
 
(664,521
)
 

 
(755,386
)
Gross claim liability, net of all subrogation and discounts, before reinsurance
$
6,222

 
$
47,672

 
$
177,846

 
$
1,646,338

 
$
3,983,690

 
$
59

 
$
5,861,827

Less: Unearned premium reserves
(4,060
)
 
(22,901
)
 
(95,550
)
 
(280,245
)
 
(100,228
)
 

 
(502,984
)
Plus: Loss expense reserves

 
11

 
2,257

 
1,658

 
107,465

 

 
111,391

Gross loss and loss expense reserves
$
2,162

 
$
24,782

 
$
84,553

 
$
1,367,751

 
$
3,990,927

 
$
59

 
$
5,470,234

Reinsurance recoverable reported on Balance Sheet
$
146

 
$
2,271

 
$
2,273

 
$
119,795

 
$
(3,236
)
 
$

 
$
121,249

(1)
Gross undiscounted claim liability includes unpaid claims, including accrued interest on Deferred Amounts, and Ambac's estimate of expected future claims.
(2)
RMBS subrogation represents Ambac’s estimate of subrogation recoveries from RMBS transaction sponsors for representation and warranty breaches.
(3)
Other subrogation represents subrogation, including subrogation from RMBS transactions, other than subrogation as defined in (2) above.

Ambac records estimated subrogation recoveries for breaches of representations and warranties (R&W) by sponsors of certain RMBS transactions. Prior to the June 30, 2014 reporting period, Ambac utilized the Adverse and Random Sample approaches to estimate R&W subrogation recoveries for certain RMBS transactions. For a discussion of these subrogation recovery approaches, see Note 2, Basis Of Presentation And Significant Accounting Policies, in Part II, Item 8 “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” included in Ambac’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013. Beginning with the June 30, 2014 reporting period, as a result of gaining further access to loan files, we utilized the Random Sample approach for all transactions which were previously evaluated using the Adverse Sample approach.
Ambac has recorded RMBS subrogation recoveries of $2,284,424 ($2,258,051 net of reinsurance) and $2,206,598 ($2,183,652 net of reinsurance) at June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively. The balance of RMBS subrogation recoveries and the related claim liabilities, by estimation approach, at June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, are as follows:
 
June 30, 2014
 
Gross loss reserves
before subrogation recoveries
(1)
 
Subrogation recoveries (2)  (3)
 
Gross loss reserves
after subrogation recoveries
Approach
 
 
Random samples (4)
$
2,736,871

 
$
(2,284,424
)
 
$
452,447

Totals
$
2,736,871

 
$
(2,284,424
)
 
$
452,447

 
 
December 31, 2013
 
Gross loss reserves
before subrogation recoveries
(1)
 
Subrogation recoveries (2) (3)
 
Gross loss reserves
after subrogation recoveries
Approach
 
 
Adverse samples
$
2,084,911

 
$
(1,252,773
)
 
$
832,138

Random samples (4)
1,078,861

 
(953,825
)
 
125,036

Totals
$
3,163,772

 
$
(2,206,598
)
 
$
957,174

 
(1)
Includes unpaid claims, including accrued interest on Deferred Amounts, on policies allocated to the Segregated Account.
(2)
The amount of recorded subrogation recoveries related to each securitization is limited to ever-to-date paid and unpaid losses plus the present value of expected cash flows for each policy. To the extent losses have been paid but not yet fully recovered, the recorded amount of RMBS subrogation recoveries may exceed the sum of the unpaid claims and the present value of expected cash flows for a given policy. The net cash inflow for these policies is recorded as a “Subrogation recoverable” asset. For those transactions where the subrogation recovery is less than the sum of unpaid claims and the present value of expected cash flows, the net cash outflow for these policies is recorded as a “Loss and loss expense reserves” liability.
(3)
The sponsor’s repurchase obligation may differ depending on the terms of the particular transaction and the status of the specific loan, such as whether it is performing or has been liquidated or charged off. The estimated subrogation recovery for these transactions is based primarily on loan level data provided through trustee reports received in the normal course of our surveillance activities or provided by the sponsor. While this data may not include all the components of the sponsor’s contractual repurchase obligation we believe it is the best information available to estimate the subrogation recovery.
(4)
From time to time R&W subrogation may include estimates of potential sponsor settlements that are currently in negotiation but have not been subject to a sampling approach. However, such estimates are not material to Ambac’s financial results and therefore are included in the Random Sample section of this table.
Below is the rollforward of RMBS subrogation, by estimation approach, for the affected periods:
 
Random
sample
 
Adverse
sample
 
Total
Successor Ambac:
 
 
 
 
 
Rollforward:
 
 
 
 
 
Discounted RMBS subrogation (gross of reinsurance) at January 1, 2014
$
953,825

 
$
1,252,773

 
$
2,206,598

Changes recognized in 2014:
 
 
 
 
 
Additional transactions reviewed
24,510

 

 
24,510

Changes in estimation approach (1)
1,341,917

 
(1,218,681
)
 
123,236

Impact of Sponsor Actions (2)
(90,000
)
 

 
(90,000
)
All other changes (3) 
54,172

 
(34,092
)
 
20,080

Discounted RMBS subrogation (gross of reinsurance) at June 30, 2014
$
2,284,424

 
$

 
$
2,284,424


 
Random
sample
 
Adverse
sample
 
Total
Successor Ambac:
 
 
 
 
 
Rollforward:
 
 
 
 
 
Discounted RMBS subrogation (gross of reinsurance) at May 1, 2013
$
1,004,252

 
$
1,478,666

 
$
2,482,918

Changes recognized through June 30, 2013:
 
 
 
 
 
Additional transactions reviewed

 

 

Changes in estimation approach (1)

 

 

Impact of Sponsor Actions (2)
(2,489
)
 

 
(2,489
)
All other changes (3) 
(43,158
)
 
(42,338
)
 
(85,496
)
Discounted RMBS subrogation (gross of reinsurance) at June 30, 2013
$
958,605

 
$
1,436,328

 
$
2,394,933


 
Random
sample
 
Adverse
sample
 
Total
Predecessor Ambac
 
 
 
 
 
Discounted RMBS subrogation (gross of reinsurance) at January 1, 2013
$
1,080,408

 
$
1,442,817

 
$
2,523,225

Changes recognized through April 30, 2013:


 


 


Additional transactions reviewed

 

 

Changes in estimation approach (1)

 

 

Impact of sponsor actions (2)
(54,195
)
 

 
(54,195
)
All other changes (3) 
(21,961
)
 
35,849

 
13,888

Discounted RMBS subrogation (gross of reinsurance) at April 30, 2013
$
1,004,252

 
$
1,478,666

 
$
2,482,918

 
(1)
Represents estimated subrogation for those transactions previously evaluated using the Adverse Sample approach, which are evaluated using a Random Sample approach beginning June 30, 2014. The amounts shown in the Random and Adverse Sample columns are different as a result of the differences in estimation approaches.
(2)
Sponsor actions include loan repurchases, direct payments to Ambac, and other contributions from sponsors.
(3)
All other changes which may impact RMBS subrogation recoveries include changes in actual or projected collateral performance, changes in the creditworthiness of a sponsor, and/or the projected timing of recoveries. All other changes may also include estimates of potential sponsor settlements that are currently in negotiation but have not been subject to a sampling approach. However, such estimates are not material to Ambac’s financial results and therefore are included in the Random Sample column of this table.

Insurance intangible asset:
The insurance intangible amortization expense is included in insurance intangible amortization on the Consolidated Statements of Total Comprehensive Income for Successor Ambac. For the three months and six months ended June 30, 2014 the insurance intangible amortization expense was $36,256 and $67,970, respectively. For the two months ending June 30, 2013 the insurance intangible amortization expense was $24,952. As of June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, the insurance intangible asset was $1,549,384 and $1,597,965, respectively. The June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013 insurance intangible asset is net of accumulated amortization of $169,372 and $100,767, respectively.
The estimated future amortization expense for the insurance intangible asset is as follows:
2014
$
66,545

2015
121,914

2016
110,968

2017
102,293

2018
95,522

Thereafter
1,052,142