Significant Accounting Policies (Policy)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2017

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Basis of Presentation

BASIS OF PRESENTATION

These consolidated financial statements have been prepared on the basis of accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”) for interim financial information and in conformity 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 GAAP for complete consolidated financial statements. In the opinion of management, these unaudited consolidated financial statements reflect all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring accruals) considered necessary for a fair presentation of the Company’s financial position and results of operations as at the end of and for the periods presented. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated from these statements.

Certain comparative information has been reclassified to conform to the current presentation. Because of the seasonality of the Company’s business, the results of operations and cash flows for any interim period will not necessarily be indicative of the results of operations and cash flows for the full fiscal year or subsequent quarters.

Use of Estimates in Financial Statements

USE OF ESTIMATES IN FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported and disclosed amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ materially from those estimates. The major estimates reflected in the Company’s consolidated financial statements include, but are not limited to, the reserve for claims and claim expenses; reinsurance recoverables, including allowances for reinsurance recoverables deemed uncollectible; estimates of written and earned premiums; fair value, including the fair value of investments, financial instruments and derivatives; impairment charges; and the Company’s deferred tax valuation allowance.

Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements and Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted

RECENTLY ADOPTED ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS

Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting

In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-09, Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting (“ASU 2016-09”). ASU 2016-09 was issued to simplify several aspects of the accounting for share-based payment transactions, including the income tax consequences, classification of awards as either equity or liabilities, and the classification of taxes paid on the statements of cash flows. ASU 2016-09 became effective for the Company in annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2016. The cumulative effect of the adoption of ASU 2016-09 was a $2.2 million increase to opening retained earnings as of January 1, 2017.

RECENTLY ISSUED ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS NOT YET ADOPTED

Revenue from Contracts with Customers

In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (“ASU 2014-09”). ASU 2014-09 provides comprehensive guidance on the recognition of revenue from customers arising from the transfer of goods and services. The core principle of the guidance is that an entity should 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. ASU 2014-09 also provides guidance on accounting for certain contract costs and will also require new disclosures. ASU 2014-09 was to be effective for public business entities in annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2016, however in July 2015, the FASB decided to defer by one year the effective dates of ASU 2014-09, and as a result, ASU 2014-09 will be effective for public business entities in annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2017. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this guidance; however, it is not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated statements of operations and financial position.

Leases

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, Leases (“ASU 2016-02”). ASU 2016-02 requires lessees to recognize lease assets and lease liabilities on the balance sheet for those leases classified as operating leases under previous guidance. ASU 2016-02 is effective for public business entities for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2018. Early application is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this guidance; however, it is not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated statements of operations and financial position.

Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities

In January 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-01, Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities (“ASU 2016-01”). ASU 2016-01 requires equity investments (except those accounted for under the equity method of accounting or those that result in the consolidation of the investee) to be measured at fair value with changes in fair value recognized in net income, simplifies the impairment assessment of equity investments without readily determinable values by requiring a qualitative assessment to identify impairment, eliminates the requirement to disclose the methods and significant assumptions used to estimate the fair value for financial instruments measured at amortized cost, requires the use of the exit price notion when measuring the fair value of financial instruments for disclosure purposes, requires separate presentation in other comprehensive income of the portion of the total change in the fair value of a liability resulting from a change in the instrument-specific credit risk when the organization has elected to measure the liabilities in accordance with the fair value option, requires the separate presentation of financial assets and financial liabilities by measurement category and form of financial asset on the balance sheet or the accompanying notes to the financial statements and clarifies that the reporting organization should evaluate the need for a valuation allowance on a deferred tax asset related to available for sale securities in combination with the organization’s other deferred tax assets. ASU 2016-01 is effective for public business entities in annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2017. Earlier adoption is generally not permitted, except for certain specific provisions of ASU 2016-01. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this guidance; however, it is not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated statements of operations and financial position.

Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-13, Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments (“ASU 2016-13”). ASU 2016-13 modifies the recognition of credit losses by replacing the incurred loss impairment methodology with a methodology that reflects expected credit losses and requires consideration of a broader range of reasonable and supportable information to inform credit loss estimates. ASU 2016-13 is applicable to financial assets such as loans, debt securities, trade receivables, off-balance sheet credit exposures, reinsurance receivables, and other financial assets that have the contractual right to receive cash. The measurement of expected credit losses is based on relevant information about past events, including historical experience, current conditions, and reasonable and supportable forecasts that affect the collectibility of the reported amount. The Company's invested assets are measured at fair value through net income, and therefore those invested assets would not be impacted by the adoption of ASU 2016-13. The Company has other financial assets, such as reinsurance recoverables, that could be impacted by the adoption of ASU 2016-13. ASU 2016-13 is effective for public business entities that are SEC filers for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2019. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this guidance; however, it is not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated statements of operations and financial position.

Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments

In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-15, Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments (“ASU 2016-15”). ASU 2016-15 clarifies the classification of receipts and payments in the statement of cash flows. ASU 2016-15 provides guidance related to (1) settlement and payment of zero coupon debt instruments, (2) contingent consideration, (3) proceeds from settlement of insurance claims, (4) proceeds from settlement of corporate and bank owned life insurance policies, (5) distributions from equity method investees, (6) cash receipts from beneficial interests obtained by a transferor, and (7) general guidelines for cash receipts and payments that have more than one aspect of classification. ASU 2016-15 is effective for public business entities for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2018, and interim periods within annual periods beginning after December 15, 2019. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this guidance; however, it is not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated statements of cash flows.

Intra-Entity Transfers of Assets Other Than Inventory

In October 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-16, Intra-Entity Transfers of Assets Other Than Inventory (“ASU 2016-16”). ASU 2016-16 requires entities to recognize the income tax consequences of intra-entity transfers of assets other than inventory when the transfers occur; this is a change from current guidance which prohibits the recognition of current and deferred income taxes until the underlying assets have been sold to outside entities. ASU 2016-16 is effective for public business entities for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2018. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this guidance; however, it is not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated statements of operations and financial position.

Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment

In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-04, Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment (“ASU 2017-04”). Among other things, ASU 2017-04 requires the following: (1) the elimination of step 2 of the goodwill impairment test; entities will no longer utilize the implied fair value of their assets and liabilities for purposes of testing goodwill for impairment, (2) the quantitative portion of the goodwill impairment test will be performed by comparing the fair value of a reporting unit with its carrying amount; an impairment charge is to be recognized for the excess of carrying amount over fair value, but only to the extent of the amount of goodwill allocated to that reporting unit, and (3) foreign currency translation adjustments are not to be allocated to a reporting unit from an entity’s accumulated other comprehensive income; the reporting unit’s carrying amount should include only the currently translated balances of the assets and liabilities assigned to the reporting unit. ASU 2017-04 is effective for public business entities that are SEC filers for annual periods, or any interim goodwill impairment tests in annual periods, beginning after December 15, 2019. Early adoption is permitted for interim or annual goodwill impairment tests performed on testing dates after January 1, 2017. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this guidance; however, it is not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated statements of operations and financial position.