Background and Business Description

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2022

1. BACKGROUND AND BUSINESS DESCRIPTION

Ambac Financial Group, Inc. (“AFG”), headquartered in New York City, is a financial services holding company incorporated in the state of Delaware on April 29, 1991. References to “Ambac,” the “Company,” “we,” “our,” and “us” are to AFG and its subsidiaries, as the context requires. Ambac's business operations include:

•Legacy Financial Guarantee Insurance — Ambac's financial guarantee business includes the activities of Ambac Assurance Corporation ("AAC") and its wholly owned subsidiaries, including Ambac Assurance UK Limited (“Ambac UK”) and Ambac Financial Services LLC ("AFS"). Both AAC and Ambac UK have financial guarantee insurance portfolios that have been in runoff since 2008. AFS uses derivatives to hedge interest rate risk in AAC's insurance and investment portfolios.

•Specialty Property and Casualty Insurance — Ambac's Specialty Property and Casualty Insurance program business includes five admitted carriers and an excess and surplus lines (“E&S” or “nonadmitted”) insurer (collectively, “Everspan”). Three of the five admitted carrier were acquired in 2022. Everspan carriers have an AM Best rating of 'A-' (Excellent).

•Insurance Distribution — Ambac's specialty property and casualty ("P&C") insurance distribution business, which could include Managing General Agents and Underwriters (collectively "MGA/Us"), insurance wholesalers, and other distribution businesses, currently includes (i) Xchange Benefits, LLC (“Xchange”), a P&C MGA/U specializing in accident and health products, (ii) All Trans Risk Solutions, LLC ("All Trans"), a full service managing general underwriter specializing in commercial automobile insurance for specific "for-hire" auto classes, and (iii) Capacity Marine Corporation ("Capacity Marine"), a wholesale retail brokerage and reinsurance intermediary specializing in marine and international risk. Both All Trans and Capacity Marine Corporation were acquired in November 2022, refer to Note 4. Business Combination for further information relating to these acquisitions.

Beginning in 2022, the Company began reporting these three business operations as segments; see Note 3. Segment Information for further information.

Limitations on Voting and Transfer of Common Stock

AFG’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation limits voting and transfer rights of stockholders in significant ways. Article IV contains voting restrictions applicable to any person owning at least 10% of AFG's common stock so that such person (including any group consisting of such person and any other person with whom such person or any affiliate or associate of such person has any agreement, contract, arrangement or understanding with respect to acquiring, voting,

holding or disposing of AFG’s common stock) shall not be entitled to cast votes in excess of one vote less than 10% of the votes entitled to be cast by all common stock holders, except as otherwise approved by the OCI (as defined below). Article XII contains substantial restrictions on the ability to transfer AFG’s common stock. In order to preserve certain tax benefits, subject to limited exceptions, any attempted transfer of common stock shall be prohibited and void to the extent that, as a result of such transfer (or any series of transfers of which such transfer is a part), either (i) any person or group of persons shall become a holder of 5% or more of AFG’s common stock or (ii) the percentage stock ownership interest in AFG of any holder of 5% or more of AFG’s common stock shall be increased (a “Prohibited Transfer”). These restrictions shall not apply to an attempted transfer if the transferor or the transferee obtains the written approval of AFG’s Board of Directors to such transfer. A purported transferee of a Prohibited Transfer shall not be recognized as a stockholder of AFG for any purpose whatsoever in respect of the securities which are the subject of the Prohibited Transfer (the “Excess Securities”). Until the Excess Securities are acquired by another person in a transfer that is not a Prohibited Transfer, the purported transferee of a Prohibited Transfer shall not be entitled with respect to such Excess Securities to any rights of stockholders of AFG, including, without limitation, the right to vote such Excess Securities and to receive dividends or distributions, whether liquidating or otherwise, in respect thereof, if any. Once the Excess Securities have been acquired in a transfer that is not a Prohibited Transfer, the securities shall cease to be Excess Securities. If the Board determines that a transfer of securities constitutes a Prohibited Transfer then, upon written demand by AFG, the purported transferee shall transfer or cause to be transferred any certificate or other evidence of ownership of the Excess Securities within the purported transferee’s possession or control, together with any distributions paid by AFG with respect to such Excess Securities, to an agent designated by AFG. Such agent shall thereafter sell such Excess Securities and the proceeds of such sale shall be distributed as set forth in the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation. If the purported transferee of a Prohibited Transfer has resold the Excess Securities before receiving such demand, such person shall be deemed to have sold the Excess Securities for AFG’s agent and shall be required to transfer to such agent the proceeds of such sale, which shall be distributed as set forth in the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation.

Strategies to Enhance Shareholder Value

The Company's primary goal is to maximize long-term shareholder value through the execution of key strategies for its (i) Specialty Property and Casualty Insurance and Insurance Distribution businesses and (ii) Legacy Financial Guarantee Insurance.

Specialty Property and Casualty Insurance and Insurance Distribution strategic priorities include:

•Growing a Specialty Property and Casualty Insurance business which generates underwriting profits and an attractive return on capital from a diversified portfolio of

commercial and personal liability risks accessed through program administrators.

•Building an Insurance Distribution business based on deep domain knowledge in specialty and niche classes of risk which generate attractive margins at scale. This will be achieved through acquisitions, new business “de-novo” formation and incubation, and product expansion supported by a centralized technology led shared services offering.

•Making opportunistic investments that are strategic to both the Specialty Property and Casualty Insurance and Insurance Distribution businesses.

Legacy Financial Guarantee Insurance strategic priorities include:

•Actively managing, de-risking and mitigating insured portfolio risk, and pursuing recovery of previously paid losses.

•Improving operating efficiency and optimizing our asset and liability profile.

•Exploring strategic options to further maximize value for AFG.

The execution of Ambac’s strategy to increase the value of its investment in AAC is subject to the restrictions set forth in the Settlement Agreement, dated as of June 7, 2010, as amended (the "Settlement Agreement"), by and among AAC, Ambac Credit Products LLC ("ACP"), AFG and certain counterparties to credit default swaps with ACP that were guaranteed by AAC, as well as the Stipulation and Order among the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance for the State of Wisconsin (“OCI”), AFG and AAC that became effective on February 12, 2018, as amended (the “Stipulation and Order”), each of which requires OCI and, under certain circumstances, holders of surplus notes, to approve certain actions taken by or in respect of AAC. In exercising its approval rights, OCI will act for the benefit of policyholders, and will not take into account the interests of AFG.

The Settlement Agreement limits certain activities of AAC and its subsidiaries, such as issuing indebtedness; engaging in mergers and similar transactions; disposing of assets; making restricted payments; creating or permitting liens; engaging in transactions with affiliates; modifying or creating tax sharing agreements; and taking certain actions with respect to surplus notes (among other restrictions and limitations). The Settlement Agreement includes certain allowances with respect to these activities and generally requires the approval of OCI and, in some cases, holders of surplus notes issued pursuant to the Settlement Agreement, for consents, waivers or amendments.

The Stipulation and Order includes affirmative covenants, as well as restrictions on certain business activities and transactions, of AFG and AAC. The Stipulation and Order has no fixed term and may be terminated or modified only with the approval of OCI. OCI reserved the right to modify or terminate the Stipulation and Order in a manner consistent with the interests of policyholders, creditors and the public generally.

The execution of Ambac’s strategy to increase the value of its investment in AAC may also be affected by a new capital framework being developed by OCI ("OCI's Runoff Capital Framework") to assist OCI with making decisions related to capital and liquidity management at AAC. OCI's Runoff Capital Framework is not yet complete and therefore we are not able to predict the results of such and what it may mean for our Legacy Financial Guarantee strategy, particularly as it relates to deleveraging AAC and distributing capital to AFG.

Opportunities for remediating losses on poorly performing insured transactions also depend on market conditions, including the perception of AAC’s creditworthiness, the structure of the underlying risk and associated policy as well as other counterparty specific factors. AAC's ability to commute policies or purchase certain investments may also be limited by available liquidity.

Surplus Note Exchanges and Repurchases

On January 19, 2021, AAC entered into a purchase agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”) with AFG and certain funds or accounts (the “Note Holders”), pursuant to which (i) the Note Holders agreed to sell to AAC all of the individual beneficial interests (the “Interests”) in the 5.1% senior notes due August 28, 2039 (the “Corolla Notes”), issued by the Corolla Trust, a Delaware statutory trust formed by AFG in 2014 (the "Corolla Trust")(see Note 12. Variable Interest Entities for a discussion of the establishment of the Corolla Trust), (ii) AFG agreed to sell to AAC the owner trust certificate for the Corolla Trust (the “Corolla Certificate”), which constituted all of the equity interests in the Corolla Trust, and (iii) AAC agreed to exchange the Interests and the Corolla Certificate for AAC’s surplus notes (collectively, the “Corolla Note Exchange”). The Note Holders held 100% of the outstanding Corolla Notes. Pursuant to the Purchase Agreement, each $1.00 principal amount of the Corolla Notes (and the associated amount of accrued and unpaid interest thereon) was exchanged for $0.9125 principal amount of surplus notes (and the associated amount of accrued and unpaid interest thereon) on the date of the consummation of the Corolla Note Exchange (the “Closing”). In addition, every $1.00 principal amount of the Corolla Certificate (and the associated amount of accrued and unpaid interest thereon) was exchanged for $0.64 principal amount of surplus notes (and the associated amount of accrued and unpaid interest thereon) on the date of Closing. The Closing occurred on January 22, 2021. At the Closing AAC issued $267 aggregate principal amount of surplus notes to consummate the Corolla Note Exchange and acquire all of the interests in the Corolla Trust. Subsequent to the closing the Corolla Trust was dissolved and the junior surplus note that had been deposited in the Corolla Trust by AFG in 2014 was canceled.

In February 2021, AAC entered into a purchase agreement pursuant to which the holder of $15 principal amount of 5.1% junior surplus notes issued by AAC agreed to sell such notes to AAC in exchange for surplus notes (the "JSN Exchange"). Pursuant to the purchase agreement, each $1.00 principal amount of the junior surplus notes (and the associated amount of accrued and unpaid interest thereon) was exchanged for $0.8581 principal amount of surplus notes (and the associated amount of

accrued and unpaid interest thereon). The closing of the JSN Exchange occurred on February 11, 2021, when AAC issued approximately $13 aggregate principal amount of surplus notes. Subsequent to the closing of the JSN Exchange the junior surplus notes were canceled. As a result of the Corolla Note Exchange and the JSN Exchange, AAC no longer has any junior surplus notes outstanding.

The surplus notes exchanged pursuant to the Corolla Note Exchange and the JSN Exchange are part of the same series as, and rank equally with, the surplus notes previously issued by AAC. The Company recorded a gain of $33 for the year ended December 31, 2021, arising from AAC's purchases of junior surplus notes below their carrying values which is reported within Net realized gains (losses) on extinguishment of debt in the Consolidated Statements of Total Comprehensive Income (Loss). In addition, the Company recorded a gain of $4 for the year ended December 31, 2021, from the exchange of the Corolla Certificate held by AFG above its carrying value, which is reported within Net realized investment gains (losses) in the Consolidated Statements of Total Comprehensive Income (Loss).

During 2022, AAC repurchased $266 current par of surplus notes from third party holders below the carrying value of the surplus notes including accrued interest, resulting in a gain of $134 which is reported within Net realized gains (losses) on extinguishment of debt in the Consolidated Statements of Total Comprehensive Income (Loss) for the year ended December 31, 2022. In addition, in November 2022, AAC purchased all of the remaining surplus notes received by AFG following execution of the Corolla Trust Purchase Agreement described above. AAC's repurchase of surplus notes from AFG had no impact on the consolidated financial statements of the Company.

Puerto Rico

Our financial guarantee insured exposure to Puerto Rico (the "Commonwealth") consisted of several different issuing entities (all below investment grade and whereby AAC has paid substantial claims since 2016) that have been part of the debt restructuring process under the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act (“PROMESA”), a U.S. federal law enacted in 2016 that, among other things, established a financial oversight board (the “FOMB”) and provided for a process for restructuring debt that roughly follows U.S. Bankruptcy laws. As of December 6, 2022, all AAC-insured Puerto Rico obligations have been restructured under PROMESA via court-approved plans of adjustment or qualifying modifications.

Secured Note Refinancing

On July 6, 2021, a newly formed variable interest entity and wholly-owned subsidiary of AFG, Sitka Holdings, LLC (“Sitka”), issued $1,175 par amount of LIBOR plus 4.5% senior secured notes due 2026 (the “Sitka Senior Secured Notes”). In connection with the issuance and sale of the Sitka Senior Secured Notes, AAC issued a secured note to Sitka in the same amount and with the same interest rate and maturity date as the Sitka Senior Secured Notes (the "Sitka AAC Note"). The proceeds from this offering of $1,163 were used to fund a

portion of the full redemption of the Ambac LSNI Secured Notes due 2023 (the “LSNI Secured Notes”) and the secured note issued by AAC concurrently with the issuance of the LSNI Secured Notes (the "LSNI Ambac Note"). The remaining balance of the LSNI Secured Notes were redeemed utilizing other available temporary sources of liquidity. Ambac did not consolidate Sitka since it does not have a variable interest in the trust. Accordingly, the Sitka AAC Note was reported within Long-term debt on the Consolidated Balance Sheet. The Sitka AAC Note and the Sitka Senior Secured Notes were fully redeemed with the proceeds (net of reinsurance) of the BOA Settlement Payment from the BOA Parties (as such terms are defined below).

Settlement of RMBS Litigations and Redemption of Secured Notes:

Settlement of RMBS Litigations:

In October 2022, AAC entered into a Settlement Agreement and Release (the “BOA Settlement Agreement”) with Bank of America Corporation and certain affiliates thereof (together, the “BOA Parties”) pursuant to which the BOA Parties paid AAC the sum of $1,840 (the “BOA Settlement Payment”) following the dismissal of AAC’s lawsuits against the BOA Parties concerning certain residential mortgage-backed securities (“RMBS”) trusts, and the withdrawal by AAC of its objections, including any pending appeals, concerning the settlements that were the subject of certain trust instructional proceedings. The BOA Settlement Payment received in October 2022 significantly reduced the subrogation recoverable asset on the Consolidated Balance Sheet. In exchange for the BOA Settlement Payment, AAC, on its own behalf and on behalf of its affiliates, agreed to release the BOA Parties and related parties (the “Released Parties”) from claims asserted or which could have been asserted in AAC’s pending litigations against the BOA Parties as well as claims that AAC and its affiliates ever had, may currently have or may have in the future against the Released Parties, subject to certain limited exceptions. The BOA Settlement Agreement also requires AAC to dismiss other pending claims against the Released Parties, and to generally refrain from, and in certain situations hold the Released Parties harmless with respect to, certain actions taken by AAC with respect to RMBS trusts created prior to the date of the BOA Settlement Agreement involving the Released Parties. The BOA Settlement Payment included recoveries from litigations for alleged breaches of contractual obligations and fraud by the BOA Parties. Management allocated the BOA Settlement Payment to each of the litigations based on previously developed valuations of each individual litigation. The portion of the BOA Settlement Payment allocated to fraud litigation recoveries has been recorded as a litigation recovery in the Statement of Comprehensive Income (Loss).

On December 29, 2022, AAC entered into a Settlement Agreement and Release (the “Nomura Settlement Agreement”) with Nomura Credit & Capital, Inc. (“Nomura”) to settle its litigation against Nomura concerning certain RMBS trusts (the “Trusts”). Pursuant to the Nomura Settlement Agreement, Nomura made a cash payment to AAC of $140 (the "Nomura Settlement Payment"), and AAC and Nomura agreed to release

each other and their respective affiliates and related persons from any claims relating to the Trusts, the financial guaranty policies issued by AAC in connection with Trusts (other than AAC’s obligations to pay insurance claims under such policies), the securities related to the Trusts, and the mortgage loans related to the Trusts. The Nomura Settlement Payment received in January 2023 will further reduce the subrogation recoverable asset on the Consolidated Balance Sheet.

Redemption of Notes:

During 2022 and 2023, AAC wholly redeemed its secured debt, in accordance with the terms of such debt, utilizing the BOA Settlement Payment, the Nomura Settlement Payment and other resources as follows:

•Effective October 29, 2022, AAC wholly redeemed the Sitka AAC Note from the BOA Settlement Payment, for $1,218 (a price equal to 103% of the principal amount plus accrued and unpaid interest) and Sitka wholly redeemed the Sitka Senior Secured Notes for the same amount. Ambac recorded a loss of $53 reported in Net realized gains (losses) on extinguishment of debt in the Consolidated Statements of Total Comprehensive Income (Loss) for difference between the carrying value of the Sitka AAC Note and the redemption amount paid, excluding accrued interest.

•Effective October 29, 2022, AAC applied Net Proceeds (as defined below) of approximately $213 from the BOA Settlement Payment to partially redeem Tier 2 Notes plus accrued and unpaid interest as of the date of redemption. The Tier 2 Notes were secured by proceeds from RMBS litigations net of reinsurance (“Net Proceeds”) in excess of $1,600 and were subject to mandatory redemption from Net Proceeds in excess of $1,600.

•Effective January 15, 2023, AAC applied the Net Proceeds of $140 from the Nomura Settlement Payment plus approximately $6 from other sources to fully redeem the remaining Tier 2 Notes plus accrued and unpaid interest in the amount of approximately $146 as of the date of redemption.

See Note 13. Long-term Debt in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, for a description of Sitka, the Sitka AAC Note, the Sitka Senior Secured Notes and the Tier 2 Notes.

AAC also invested a portion of its assets in the Sitka Senior Secured Notes, reported as Fixed maturity securities - available-for-sale on the Consolidated Balance Sheet and recorded a realized investment gain of $5 in the Consolidated Statements of Total Comprehensive Income (Loss) on the redemption date.

Impact to the Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income (Loss):

The total gain recognized in net income attributable to common stockholders related to entering into the BOA Settlement Agreement and the Nomura Settlement Agreement, including the redemption of the Sitka AAC Note following the BOA Settlement, was as follows:


	Third Quarter		Fourth Quarter		Full Year 2022
Losses and loss benefit (1)	$	319	$	43	$	362

Litigation recoveries	—		126		126
Net realized gains (losses) on extinguishment of debt	—		(53)		(53)
Net investment gains (losses), including impairments	—		5		5
Impact to net income attributable to common stockholders	$	319	$	121	$	440

(1) Full year 2022 losses and loss benefit relating to R&W recoveries were $123.

Settlement of RMBS Litigation and Redemption of Secured Notes