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Employee Benefit Plans
 12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2021
Retirement Benefits [Abstract]  
Defined Benefit Plan EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLANS
Certain subsidiaries of the Company are sponsors or administrators of both qualified and non-qualified defined benefit pension plans (“Pension Plans”). The largest of these plans is a non-contributory qualified defined benefit pension plan sponsored by RGA Reinsurance Company (“RGA Reinsurance”) that covers U.S. employees. The benefits under the Pension Plans are generally based on years of service and compensation levels. Effective January 1, 2020, the qualified defined benefit pension plan and some of the non-qualified defined benefit pension plans were closed to new employees.
The Company also provides select health care and life insurance benefits for certain retired employees. The health care benefits are provided through a self-insured welfare benefit plan. Employees become eligible for these benefits if they meet minimum age and service requirements. The retiree’s cost for health care benefits varies depending upon the credited years of service. Effective January 1, 2017, employees hired in the U.S. are not eligible for retiree health care benefits. The effect of the amendment was recorded in 2016 in AOCI and is being amortized through prior service cost. Virtually all retirees, or their beneficiaries, contribute a portion of the total cost of postretirement health benefits. Overfunded and underfunded plans are recognized in other assets and other liabilities, respectively.
A December 31 measurement date is used for all of the defined benefit and postretirement plans. The status of these plans as of December 31, 2021 and 2020 is summarized below (dollars in millions):
 December 31,
 Pension BenefitsOther Benefits
 2021202020212020
Change in benefit obligation:
Benefit obligation at beginning of year$254 $220 $81 $87 
Service cost18 14 3 3 
Interest cost4 6 2 2 
Participant contributions— — — — 
Amendments— — (3)— 
Actuarial (gains) losses(8)25 (6)(9)
Benefits paid(12)(12)(2)(2)
Foreign exchange translations and other adjustments— 1 — — 
Benefit obligation at end of year$256 $254 $75 $81 
 December 31,
 Pension BenefitsOther Benefits
 2021202020212020
Change in plan assets:
Fair value of plan assets at beginning of year$157 $133 $— $— 
Actual return on plan assets15 18 — — 
Employer contributions19 18 2 2 
Participant contributions— — — — 
Benefits paid and expenses(12)(12)(2)(2)
Fair value of plan assets at end of year$179 $157 $— $— 
Funded status at end of year$(77)$(97)$(75)$(81)
 December 31,
 Qualified Plans
Non-Qualified Plans(1)
Total
 202120202021202020212020
Aggregate fair value of plan assets$179 $157 $— $— $179 $157 
Aggregate projected benefit obligations166 160 90 94 256 254 
Over (under) funded$13 $(3)$(90)$(94)$(77)$(97)
(1)For non-qualified plans, there are no required funding levels.
 December 31,
 Pension BenefitsOther Benefits
 2021202020212020
Amounts recognized in accumulated other comprehensive income:
Net actuarial loss$52 $71 $20 $29 
Net prior service cost (credit)— — (9)(8)
Total$52 $71 $11 $21 
The following table presents information for qualified and non-qualified pension plans with a projected benefit obligation in excess of plan assets as of December 31, 2021 and 2020 (dollars in millions):
 20212020
Projected benefit obligation$256 $254 
Fair value of plan assets179 157 
The following table presents information for pension plans with an accumulated benefit obligation in excess of plan assets as of December 31, 2021 and 2020 (dollars in millions):
20212020
Accumulated benefit obligation$248 $243 
Fair value of plan assets179 157 
The components of net periodic benefit cost, included in other operating expenses on the consolidated statements of income, and other changes in plan assets and benefit obligations recognized in other comprehensive income were as follows (dollars in millions):
  
Pension BenefitsOther Benefits
 202120202019202120202019
Net periodic benefit cost:
Service cost$18 $14 $13 $3 $3 $3 
Interest cost4 6 7 2 2 3 
Expected return on plan assets(10)(9)(7)— — — 
Amortization of net actuarial losses6 5 4 2 2 1 
Amortization of prior service cost (credit)— — — (1)(1)(1)
Settlements— — — — — — 
Net periodic benefit cost18 16 17 6 6 6 
Other changes in plan assets and benefit obligations recognized in other comprehensive income:
Net actuarial (gains) losses(13)17 14 (6)(8)14 
Amortization of net actuarial (losses)(6)(5)(4)(2)(2)(1)
Amortization of prior service (cost) credit— — — 1 1 1 
Settlements— — — — — — 
Prior service cost (credit)— — — (3)— — 
Foreign exchange translations and other adjustments— — — — — — 
Total recognized in other comprehensive income(19)12 10 (10)(9)14 
Total recognized in net periodic benefit cost and other comprehensive income$(1)$28 $27 $(4)$(3)$20 
During 2022, the Company expects to contribute $22 million and $2 million to the pension plans and other benefit plans, respectively.
The following benefit payments, which reflect expected future service as appropriate, are expected to be paid (dollars in millions):
Pension Benefits    Other Benefits    
2022$12 $2 
202315 2 
202416 2 
202518 2 
202617 3 
2027 – 2031
97 17 
Assumptions
The weighted average assumptions used to determine the benefit obligation and net periodic benefit cost were as follows:
 Pension BenefitsOther Benefits
 202120202019202120202019
Benefit obligation
Discount rate2.64 %2.22 %3.05 %2.76 %2.41 %3.17 %
Rate of compensation increase4.74 %4.69 %4.61 %n/an/an/a
Net periodic benefit cost
Discount rate2.21 %3.03 %4.03 %2.41 %3.17 %4.17 %
Expected long-term rate of return on plan assets6.50 %7.00 %7.00 %n/an/an/a
Rate of compensation increase4.71 %4.60 %4.16 %n/an/an/a
The expected rate of return on plan assets is based on anticipated performance of the various asset sectors in which the plan invests, weighted by target allocation percentages. Anticipated future performance is based on long-term historical returns of the plan assets by sector, adjusted for the long-term expectations on the performance of the markets. While the precise expected return derived using this approach may fluctuate from year to year, the policy is to hold this long-term assumption constant as long as it remains within reasonable tolerance from the derived rate. This process is consistent for all plan assets as all the assets are invested in mutual funds.
The assumed health care cost trend rates used in measuring the accumulated non-pension post-retirement benefit obligation were as follows:
 As of December 31,
 20212020
Health care cost trend rates assumed for next year6.50 %7.00 %
Ultimate cost trend rate4.50 %4.50 %
Year ultimate trend is reached20262026
Plan Assets
Target allocations of U.S. qualified pension plan assets are determined with the objective of maximizing returns and minimizing volatility of net assets through adequate asset diversification and partial liability immunization. Adjustments are made to target allocations based on the Company’s assessment of the effect of economic factors and market conditions. The target allocations for plan assets are 60% equity securities and 40% debt securities as of December 31, 2021 and 2020. The Company’s plan assets are invested in mutual funds. The mutual funds include holdings of S&P 500 securities, large-cap securities, mid-cap securities, small-cap securities, international securities, corporate debt securities, U.S. and other government securities, mortgage-related securities and cash.
Equity and debt securities are exposed to various risks, such as interest rate risk, credit risk and overall market volatility. Due to the level of risk associated with certain investment securities, changes in the values of investment securities will occur and any change would affect the amounts reported in the financial statements.
The fair values of the Company’s qualified pension plan assets as of December 31, 2021 and 2020 are summarized below (dollars in millions):
  
December 31, 2021
  Fair Value Measurement Using:
 TotalLevel 1Level 2Level 3
Mutual Funds(1)
$179 $179 $— $— 
Cash— — — — 
Total$179 $179 $— $— 
(1)Mutual funds were invested 27% in U.S. equity funds, 38% in U.S. fixed income funds, 18% in non-U.S. equity funds and 17% in other.
  
December 31, 2020
  Fair Value Measurement Using:
 TotalLevel 1Level 2Level 3
Mutual Funds(2)
$157 $157 $— $— 
Cash— — — — 
Total$157 $157 $— $— 
(2)Mutual funds were invested 27% in U.S. equity funds, 39% in U.S. fixed income funds, 18% in non-U.S. equity funds and 16% in other.
As of December 31, 2021 and 2020, the Company classified all of its qualified pension plan assets in the Level 1 category as quoted prices in active markets are available for these assets. See Note 6 – “Fair Value of Asset and Liabilities” for additional detail on the fair value hierarchy.
Savings and Investment Plans
Certain subsidiaries of RGA also sponsor savings and investment plans under which a portion of employee contributions are matched. Subsidiary contributions to these plans were $21 million, $19 million and $16 million in 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively.