Basis of Presentation

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2017

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Basis of Presentation

Basis of Presentation

The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements of State Auto Financial Corporation and Subsidiaries (“State Auto Financial” or the “Company”) have been prepared in accordance with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) for complete financial statements. In the opinion of the Company, all adjustments (consisting of normal, recurring accruals) considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included. Operating results for the three and nine month period ended September 30, 2017, are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending December 31, 2017. The balance sheet at December 31, 2016, has been derived from the audited financial statements at that date, but does not include all of the information and footnotes required by GAAP for complete financial statements.

For further information, refer to the consolidated financial statements and footnotes thereto included in the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016, (the “2016 Form 10-K”). Capitalized terms used herein and not otherwise defined shall have the meaning ascribed to them in the 2016 Form 10-K.

Adoption of Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting

The amendments in this guidance simplify the accounting for share-based payment award transactions including: income tax consequences, classification of awards as either equity or liabilities, classification of excess tax benefits, and classification on the statement of cash flows. The guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016, including interim periods within those fiscal years. The Company adopted this guidance prospectively at January 1, 2017, and prior periods were not adjusted. For the nine months ended September 30, 2017, the Company recognized $1.3 million of income tax expense as a result of adopting this guidance.

Pending Adoption of Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Revenue from Contracts with Customers

In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (the "FASB") issued guidance that requires an entity to recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. Insurance contracts do not fall within the scope of this new guidance. The guidance is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, with early adoption permitted. The guidance has not yet been adopted. The Company completed its contract analysis during the third quarter of 2017 and noted that 0.1% of revenue, primarily affiliated investment management fee revenue, is subject to the new revenue recognition guidance. Revenue will not change under the new guidance; thus, upon adoption, the Company does not expect any impact to its' results of operations and consolidated financial position.

For information regarding other accounting pronouncements that the Company has not yet adopted, see the “Pending Adoption of Recent Accounting Pronouncements” section of Note 1 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements in the 2016 Form 10-K.