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Statutory Information
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2015
Insurance [Abstract]  
STATUTORY INFORMATION
STATUTORY INFORMATION
The Company prepares financial statements on the basis of statutory accounting principles (“SAP”) prescribed or permitted by the New York State Department of Financial Services. Prescribed SAP includes the Accounting Practices and Procedures Manual of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (“NAIC”) as well as state laws, regulations and administrative rules.
The principal differences between SAP and GAAP are: 1) policy acquisition costs are expensed as incurred under SAP, but are deferred and amortized under GAAP; 2) the value of business acquired is not capitalized under SAP but is under GAAP; 3) amounts collected from holders of universal life-type and annuity products are recognized as premiums when collected under SAP, but are initially recorded as contract deposits under GAAP, with cost of insurance recognized as revenue when assessed and other contract charges recognized over the periods for which services are provided; 4) the classification and carrying amounts of investments in certain securities are different under SAP than under GAAP; 5) the criteria for providing asset valuation allowances, and the methodologies used to determine the amounts thereof, are different under SAP than under GAAP; 6) the timing of establishing certain reserves, and the methodologies used to determine the amounts thereof, are different under SAP than under GAAP; 7) certain assets are not admitted for purposes of determining surplus under SAP; 8) methodologies used to determine the amounts of deferred taxes and goodwill are different under SAP than under GAAP; and 9) the criteria for obtaining reinsurance accounting treatment is different under SAP than under GAAP.
Reconciliations of net income and stockholder’s equity on the basis of statutory accounting to the related amounts presented in the accompanying statements were as follows:
 
 
Net Income
 
Shareholder's Equity
 
 
2015
 
2014
 
2013
 
2015
 
2014
Based on statutory accounting principles
 
$
3,302

 
$
5,590

 
$
5,441

 
$
39,534

 
$
42,756

Deferred acquisition costs
 
117

 
(97
)
 
(113
)
 
121

 
4

Deferred and uncollected premiums
 
(40
)
 
(40
)
 
6

 
(40
)
 

Policy and claim reserves
 
(108
)
 
(850
)
 
(1,067
)
 
4,787

 
4,895

Investment valuation difference
 
315

 
(62
)
 
175

 
9,040

 
12,127

Commissions and fees
 

 
1

 
6

 

 

Deferred taxes
 
342

 
(1,474
)
 
(673
)
 
(4,210
)
 
(5,180
)
Deferred gain on disposal of businesses
 
113

 
4

 
135

 
(2,158
)
 
(2,489
)
Goodwill and intangibles
 

 

 

 
324

 
324

Pension
 

 
2,032

 
(353
)
 
(252
)
 
(253
)
Reinsurance in unauthorized companies
 

 

 

 

 
2

Interest maintenance reserve, deferral and amortization
 
137

 
66

 
16

 
763

 
626

Asset valuation reserve
 

 

 

 
650

 
768

Non-admitted assets and other
 

 

 

 
956

 
2,135

Current income taxes
 

 

 

 
93

 

Based on generally accepted accounting principles
 
$
4,178

 
$
5,170

 
$
3,573

 
$
49,608

 
$
55,715


Dividend distributions to the Parent are restricted as to the amount by state regulatory requirements. The Company declared and paid ordinary dividends of $4,075 and extraordinary dividends of $4,000 during the year ended December 31, 2015. (For GAAP purposes, the $2,617 of the extraordinary dividend was classified as a return of capital.) The Company declared and paid ordinary dividends of $3,890 during the year ended December 31, 2014. No extraordinary dividends were declared and paid in 2014. The Company declared and paid dividends of $10,992, of which $4,492 was ordinary and $6,500 was extraordinary during the year ended December 31, 2013. (For GAAP purposes, the $959 of the extraordinary dividend was classified as a return of capital.) A dividend is considered extraordinary when combined with all other dividends and distributions made within the preceding 12 months exceeds the lesser of 10% of the insurer’s surplus as regards to policyholders on December 31 of the next year, or the net gain from operations. The Company has the ability, under state regulatory requirements, to dividend up to approximately $3,405 to the Parent in 2016 without permission from New York regulators. No assurance can be given that there will not be further regulatory actions restricting the ability of the Company to pay dividends.
State regulators require insurance companies to meet minimum capitalization standards designed to ensure that they can fulfill obligations to policyholders. Minimum capital requirements are expressed as a ratio of a company’s total adjusted capital (“TAC”) to its RBC (the “RBC Ratio”). TAC is equal to statutory surplus adjusted to exclude certain statutory liabilities. RBC is calculated by applying specified factors to various asset, premium, expense, liability, and reserve items.
Generally, if a company's RBC Ratio is below 100% (the "Authorized Control Level"), the insurance commissioner of the company's state of domicile is authorized to take control of the company, to protect the interests of policyholders. If the RBC Ratio is greater than 100% but less than 200% (the “Company Action Level”), the company must submit a RBC plan to the commissioner of the state of domicile. Corrective actions may also be required if the RBC Ratio is greater than the Company Action Level but the company fails certain trend tests.
As of December 31, 2015, the TAC of the Company exceeded the Company Action Level and no trend tests that would require regulatory action were violated. As of December 31, 2015, the TAC of the Company subject to RBC requirements was $40,184, and the corresponding Authorized Control Level was $4,043.
RESERVES
The following table provides reserve information of the Company's major product lines at the dates shown:
 
 
December 31, 2015
 
December 31, 2014
 
 
 
 
 
 
Claims and
Benefits Payable
 
 
 
 
 
Claims and
Benefits Payable
 
 
Future
Policy
Benefits and
Expenses
 
Unearned
Premiums
 
Case
Reserves
 
Incurred
But Not
Reported
Reserves
 
Future
Policy
Benefits and
Expenses
 
Unearned
Premiums
 
Case
Reserves
 
Incurred
But Not
Reported
Reserves
Long Duration Contracts:
Universal life and other products no longer offered
 
$
667

 
$
1

 
$
616

 
$
1

 
$
672

 
$
2

 
$
633

 
$
1

FFG, LTC and other disposed businesses
 
213,124

 
3,741

 
33,611

 
3,164

 
207,348

 
3,854

 
29,099

 
3,003

Other
 
2,811

 
6

 
104

 
27

 
2,958

 
12

 
131

 
38

Short Duration Contracts:
Group term life
 

 
36

 
6,749

 
443

 

 
51

 
7,176

 
503

Group disability
 

 
70

 
58,339

 
2,466

 

 
134

 
63,087

 
3,007

Medical
 

 
2

 
643

 
25

 

 
2

 
672

 
23

Dental
 

 
103

 
30

 
332

 

 
175

 
34

 
368

Credit life and disability
 

 
44

 
62

 
458

 

 
48

 
148

 
499

Other
 

 
1

 

 
5

 

 
3

 

 
4

Total
 
$
216,602

 
$
4,004

 
$
100,154

 
$
6,921

 
$
210,978

 
$
4,281

 
$
100,980

 
$
7,446


































The following table provides a roll forward of the Company’s product lines with the most significant short duration claims and benefits payable balances: group term life and group disability lines of business. Claims and benefits payable is comprised of case and IBNR reserves.
 
 
Group
Term
Life
 
Group
Disability
Balance as of December 31, 2012, gross of reinsurance
 
$
9,031

 
$
79,661

Less: Reinsurance ceded and other (1)
 
(173
)
 
(4,670
)
Balance as of January 1, 2013, net of reinsurance
 
8,858

 
74,991

Incurred losses related to:
Current year
 
1,976

 
8,438

Prior year's interest
 
385

 
3,450

Prior year(s)
 
(621
)
 
20

Total incurred losses
 
1,740

 
11,908

Paid losses related to:
Current year
 
1,133

 
1,467

Prior year(s)
 
1,190

 
16,344

Total paid losses
 
2,323

 
17,811

Balance as of December 31, 2013, net of reinsurance
 
8,275

 
69,088

Plus: Reinsurance ceded and other (1)
 
150

 
4,347

Balance as of December 31, 2013, gross of reinsurance
 
$
8,425

 
$
73,435

Less: Reinsurance ceded and other (1)
 
(150
)
 
(4,347
)
Balance as of January 1, 2014, net of reinsurance
 
8,275

 
69,088

Incurred losses related to:
Current year
 
1,977

 
7,014

Prior year's interest
 
361

 
3,047

Prior year(s)
 
(323
)
 
(1,765
)
Total incurred losses
 
2,015

 
8,296

Paid losses related to:
Current year
 
1,484

 
1,761

Prior year(s)
 
1,258

 
13,857

Total paid losses
 
2,742

 
15,618

Balance as of December 31, 2014, net of reinsurance
 
7,548

 
61,766

Plus: Reinsurance ceded and other (1)
 
131

 
4,328

Balance as of December 31, 2014, gross of reinsurance
 
$
7,679

 
$
66,094

Less: Reinsurance ceded and other (1)
 
(131
)
 
(4,328
)
Balance as of January 1, 2015, net of reinsurance
 
7,548

 
61,766

Incurred losses related to:
Current year
 
1,228

 
6,000

Prior year's interest
 
324

 
2,809

Prior year(s)
 
(723
)
 
1,070

Total incurred losses
 
829

 
9,879

Paid losses related to:
Current year
 
717

 
2,139

Prior year(s)
 
569

 
12,784

Total paid losses
 
1,286

 
14,923

Balance as of December 31, 2015, net of reinsurance
 
7,091

 
56,722

Plus: Reinsurance ceded and other (1)
 
101

 
4,083

Balance as of December 31, 2015, gross of reinsurance
 
$
7,192

 
$
60,805

(1)  Reinsurance ceded and other includes claims and benefits payable balances that have either been (a) reinsured to third parties, (b) established for claims related expenses whose subsequent payment is not recorded as a paid claim, or (c) reserves established for obligations that would persist even if contracts were cancelled (such as extension of benefits), which cannot be analyzed appropriately under a roll-forward approach.


Short Duration Contracts
The Company’s short duration contracts are comprised of group term life, group disability, medical, dental, and credit life and disability. The principal products and services included in these categories are described in the summary of significant accounting policies. See Note 2 for further information.
Case and IBNR reserves are developed using actuarial principles and assumptions that consider, among other things, contractual requirements, historical utilization trends and payment patterns, benefit changes, medical inflation, seasonality, membership, product mix, legislative and regulatory environment, economic factors, disabled life mortality and claim termination rates and other relevant factors. The Company consistently applies the principles and assumptions listed above from year to year, while also giving due consideration to the potential variability of these factors.
Since case and IBNR reserves include estimates developed from various actuarial methods, the Company’s actual losses incurred may be more or less than the Company’s previously developed estimates. As shown in the table above, if the amounts listed on the line labeled “Incurred losses related to: Prior years” are negative (redundant) this means that the Company’s actual losses incurred related to prior years for these lines were less than the estimates previously made by the Company. If the line labeled “Incurred losses related to: Prior years” are positive (deficient) this means that the Company’s actual losses incurred related to prior years for these lines were greater than the estimates previously made by the Company.
Group term life case and IBNR reserve redundancies in all years are due to actual mortality rates running below those assumed in prior year reserves, and actual recovery rates running higher than those assumed in prior year reserves.
Group disability case and IBNR reserves show redundancies in 2015 and 2014 due to actual claim recovery rates exceeding those assumed in prior year reserves. However, case and IBNR reserves show a small deficiency in 2013 due to actual claim recovery rates being less than those assumed in prior year reserves. The relatively small size of the block can lead to volatile results year over year.
The Company’s group disability products include short and long-term disability coverage. Case and IBNR reserves for long-term disability claims have been discounted at 5.25% for claims incurred in 2010 and prior years, and between 4.25% and 4.75% for claims incurred after 2010. The amount of discounts deducted from outstanding reserves as of December 31, 2015 and 2014 are $16,479 and $18,195, respectively.
Long Duration Contracts
The Company’s long duration contracts are primarily comprised of life insurance policies (no longer offered), and FFG and LTC disposed businesses. The principal products and services included in these categories are described in the summary of significant accounting policies. See Note 2 for further information.
FFG and LTC
Reserves for business previously disposed of by FFG and LTC are included in the Company’s reserves in accordance with the insurance guidance. The Company maintains an offsetting reinsurance recoverable related to these reserves. See Note 10 for further information.