Transamerica Financial Life Insurance Company

Statements of Operations – Statutory Basis

(Dollars in Millions)

 

		Year Ended December 31
		2023				2022				2021
Revenues
Premiums and annuity considerations		$	3,517			$	5,185			$	5,222
Net investment income			330				333				342
Fee revenue and other income			238				250				292
Total revenue			4,085				5,768				5,856
Benefits and expenses
Death benefits			92				84				95
Annuity benefits			180				136				176
Accident and health benefits			69				58				62
Surrender benefits			3,902				10,801				5,642
Other benefits			11				9				10
Net increase (decrease) in reserves			(360	)			(182	)			(287)
Commissions			89				87				104
Net transfers to (from) separate accounts			(365	)			(5,617	)			(387)
General insurance expenses and other			153				144				120
Total benefits and expenses			3,771				5,520				5,535
Gain (loss) from operations before federal income taxes			314				248				321
Federal income tax (benefit) expense			24				1				17
Net gain (loss) from operations			290				247				304
Net realized capital gains (losses), after tax and amounts transferred to interest maintenance reserve			(100	)			(179	)			(115)
Net income (loss)		$	190			$	68			$	189

See accompanying notes.

 

 

 

 

Transamerica Financial Life Insurance Company

Statements of Changes in Capital and Surplus – Statutory Basis

(Dollars in Millions)

 

Continued on next page.

 

 

 

 

Transamerica Financial Life Insurance Company

Statements of Changes in Capital and Surplus – Statutory Basis

(Dollars in Millions)

 

		Common Stock				Paid-in Surplus				Special Surplus Funds				Unassigned Surplus				Total Capital and Surplus
Balance at December 31, 2022		$	2			$	684			$	7			$	154			$	847
Net income (loss)			—				—				—				190				190
Change in net unrealized capital gains/losses, net of taxes			—				—				—				14				14
Change in net deferred income tax asset			—				—				—				1				1
Change in nonadmitted assets			—				—				—				6				6
Change in reserve on account of change in valuation basis			—				—				—				—				—
Change in asset valuation reserve			—				—				—				(8	)			(8)
Return of capital			—				(1	)			—				—				(1)
Dividends to stockholders			—				—				—				(170	)			(170)
Other changes - net			—				1				5				25				31
Balance at December 31, 2023		$	2			$	684			$	12			$	212			$	910

See accompanying notes.

 

 

 

 

Transamerica Financial Life Insurance Company

Notes to Financial Statements – Statutory Basis

(Dollars in Millions, Except per Share amounts)

December  31, 2023

1.  Organization and Nature of Business

Transamerica Financial Life Insurance Company (the Company) is a stock life insurance company domiciled in the State of New York and is owned by Transamerica Corporation (TA Corp). TA Corp is an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of Aegon Ltd., a holding company organized under the laws of Bermuda.

Nature of Business

The Company sells individual life insurance, including indexed universal life, whole life, term life, and final expense life. It also sells variable annuities. In addition, the Company offers supplemental health insurance, group life insurance, group annuity contracts and stable value solutions. The Company is licensed in 50 states and the District of Columbia. Sales of the Company’s products are primarily through a network of independent agents and broker-dealers, affiliated agencies, and financial institutions.

2.  Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

The accompanying financial statements have been prepared in conformity with accounting practices prescribed or permitted by the New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS), which differ from accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (GAAP).

The NYDFS recognizes only statutory accounting practices prescribed or permitted by the State of New York for determining and reporting the financial condition and results of operations of an insurance company, and for determining its solvency under the New York Insurance Law. The Commissioner of Insurance has the right to permit specific practices that deviate from prescribed practices.

The State of New York has adopted a prescribed accounting practice that differs from that found in the National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ (NAIC) Accounting Practices and Procedures Manual (NAIC SAP) related to the reported value of the assets supporting the Company’s guaranteed separate accounts. As prescribed by Section 1414 of the New York Insurance Law, the Commissioner found that the Company is entitled to value the assets of the guaranteed separate account at amortized cost, whereas the assets would be required to be reported at fair value under Statement of Statutory Accounting Principle (SSAP) No. 56, Separate Accounts, of the NAIC SAP. There is no impact to the Company’s income or surplus as a result of utilizing this prescribed practice.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements of insurance companies requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect amounts reported in the financial statements and accompanying notes. Such estimates and assumptions could change in the future as more information becomes known, which could impact the amounts reported and disclosed herein.

 

 

 

 

The effects of the following variances from GAAP on the accompanying statutory-basis financial statements have not been determined by the Company, but are presumed to be material. Significant accounting policies and variances from GAAP are as follows:

Investments

Investments in bonds, except those to which the Securities Valuation Office (SVO) of the NAIC has ascribed a NAIC designation of 6, are reported at amortized cost using the interest method. Bonds containing call provisions, except make-whole call provisions, are amortized to the call or maturity value/date which produces the lowest asset value, often referred to as yield-to-worst method. Bonds ascribed a NAIC designation of 6 are reported at the lower of amortized cost or fair value with unrealized gains and losses reported in changes in capital and surplus. Prepayment penalty or acceleration fees received in the event a bond is liquidated prior to its scheduled termination date are reported as investment income.

Hybrid securities, as defined by the NAIC, are securities designed with characteristics of both debt and equity and provide protection to the issuer’s senior note holders. These securities meet the definition of a bond, in accordance with SSAP No. 26R, Bonds, and therefore, are reported at amortized cost or fair value based upon their NAIC rating.

For GAAP, such fixed maturity investments would be designated at purchase as held-to-maturity, trading or available-for-sale. Held-to-maturity fixed investments would be reported at amortized cost, and the remaining fixed maturity investments would be reported at fair value with unrealized holding gains and losses reported in earnings for those designated as trading and as a separate component of other comprehensive income (OCI) for those designated as available-for-sale.

Single class and multi-class mortgage-backed/asset-backed securities are valued at amortized cost using the interest method, including anticipated prepayments, except for those with an initial NAIC designation of 6, which are valued at the lower of amortized cost or fair value. These securities are adjusted for the effects of changes in prepayment assumptions on the related accretion of discount or amortization of premium using either the retrospective or prospective methods. Prepayment assumptions are obtained from dealer surveys or internal estimates and are based on the current interest rate and economic environment. For statutory reporting, the retrospective adjustment method is used to value all such securities, except principal-only and interest-only securities, which are valued using the prospective method.

For GAAP, all securities purchased or retained that represent beneficial interests in securitized assets, other than high credit quality securities, are adjusted using the prospective method when there is a change in estimated future cash flows. If high credit quality securities are adjusted, the retrospective method is used.

The Company closely monitors below investment grade holdings and investment grade issuers where the Company has concerns to determine if an other-than-temporary impairment (OTTI) has occurred. The Company also regularly monitors industry sectors. The Company considers relevant facts and circumstances in evaluating whether the impairment is other-than-temporary

 

 

 

 

including: (1) the probability of the Company collecting all amounts due according to the contractual terms of the security in effect at the date of acquisition; (2) the Company’s decision to sell a security prior to its maturity at an amount below its carrying amount; and (3) the Company’s ability to hold a structured security for a period of time to allow for recovery of the value to its carrying amount. Additionally, financial condition, near term prospects of the issuer and nationally recognized credit rating changes are monitored. Non-structured securities in unrealized loss positions that are considered other-than-temporary are written down to fair value. The Company will record a charge to the Statements of Operations for the amount of the impairment.

For structured securities, cash flow trends and underlying levels of collateral are monitored. An OTTI is considered to have occurred if the fair value of the structured security is less than its amortized cost basis and the entity intends to sell the security or the entity does not have the intent and ability to hold the security for a period of time sufficient to recover the amortized cost basis. An OTTI is also considered to have occurred if the discounted estimated future cash flows are less than the amortized cost basis of the security and the security is in an unrealized loss position. Structured securities considered other-than-temporarily impaired are written down to discounted estimated cash flows if the impairment is the result of cash flow analysis. If the Company has an intent to sell or lack of ability to hold a structured security, it is written down to fair value. The Company will record a charge to the Statements of Operations for the amount of the impairments.

For GAAP, if it is determined that a decline in fair value is other-than-temporary and the entity intends to sell the security or more likely than not will be required to sell the security before recovery of its amortized cost basis less any current period credit loss, the OTTI is recognized in earnings equal to the entire difference between the amortized cost basis and its fair value at the impairment date. If the entity does not intend to sell the security or the entity will likely not be required to sell the security before recovery, the OTTI should be separated into a) the amount representing the credit loss, which is recognized in earnings, and b) the amount related to all other factors, which is recognized in OCI, net of applicable taxes.

Investments in both affiliated and unaffiliated redeemable preferred stocks in good standing (those with NAIC designations 1 to 3), are reported at cost or amortized cost, depending on the characteristics of the securities. Investments in both affiliated and unaffiliated redeemable preferred stocks not in good standing (those with NAIC designations 4 to 6), are reported at the lower of cost, amortized cost, or fair value, depending on the characteristics of the securities. Investment in perpetual preferred stocks are reported at fair value, not to exceed any currently effective call price. Investment in mandatory convertible preferred stocks (regardless if the preferred stock is redeemable or perpetual) are reported at fair value, not to exceed any currently effective call price, in the periods prior to conversion. For preferred stocks reported at fair value, the related net unrealized capital gains and losses for all NAIC designations are reported in accordance with SSAP No. 7, Asset Valuation Reserve and Interest Maintenance Reserve.

Common stocks of affiliated noninsurance subsidiaries are reported based on underlying audited GAAP equity. The net change in the subsidiaries’ equity is included in net unrealized capital gains or losses and are reported in changes in capital and surplus.

 

 

 

 

The Company owns stock issued by the Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB), which is only redeemable at par, and its fair value is presumed to be par, unless other-than-temporarily impaired.

If the Company determines that a decline in the fair value of a common stock or a preferred stock is other-than-temporary, the Company writes it down to fair value as the new cost basis and the amount of the write down is accounted for as a realized loss in the Statements of Operations. The Company considers the following factors in determining whether a decline in value is other-than-temporary: (a) the financial condition and prospects of the issuer; (b) whether or not the Company has made a decision to sell the investment; and (c) the length of time and extent to which the value has been below cost.

Mortgage loans are reported at unpaid principal balances, less an allowance for impairment. A mortgage loan is considered to be impaired when it is probable that the Company will be unable to collect all principal and interest amounts due according to the contractual terms of the mortgage agreement. When management determines the impairment is other-than-temporary, the mortgage loan is written down to realizable value and a realized loss is recognized. Prepayment penalty or acceleration fees received in the event a loan is liquidated prior to its scheduled termination date are reported as investment income.

Valuation allowances are established for mortgage loans, if necessary, based on the difference between the net value of the collateral, determined as the fair value of the collateral less estimated costs to obtain and sell, and the recorded investment in the mortgage loan. Under GAAP, an allowance for credit loss is recognized in earnings at time of purchase or origination based on an expected lifetime credit loss, which is an amount that represents the portion of the amortized cost basis of the mortgage loans that the Company does not expect to collect.

The initial valuation allowance and subsequent changes in the allowance for mortgage loans are charged or credited directly to unassigned surplus as part of the change in asset valuation reserve (AVR), rather than being included as a component of earnings as would be required under GAAP.

The Company has interests in joint ventures and limited partnerships. The Company carries these investments based on its interest in the underlying audited GAAP equity of the investee.

For a decline in the fair value of an investment in a joint venture or limited partnership which is determined to be other-than-temporary, the Company writes it down to fair value as the new cost basis and the amount of the write down is accounted for as a realized loss in the Statements of Operations. The Company considers an impairment to have occurred if it is probable that the Company will be unable to recover the carrying amount of the investment or if there is evidence indicating inability of the investee to sustain earnings which would justify the carrying amount of the investment.

Investments in Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) properties are valued at amortized cost. Tax credits are recognized in operations in the tax reporting year in which the tax credit is utilized by the Company. The carrying value is amortized over the life of the investment. Amortization is calculated as a ratio of the current year tax credits and tax benefits compared to the total expected tax credits and tax benefits over the life of the investment.

 

 

 

 

Cash equivalents are short-term highly liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less (principally stated at amortized cost) or money market mutual funds which are reported at fair value.

Short-term investments include investments with remaining maturities of one year or less at the time of acquisition and are principally stated at amortized cost.

Other invested assets include surplus notes which are valued at either amortized cost (those that have an NAIC designation of 1 or 2) or the lesser of amortized cost or fair value (those that have an NAIC designation of 3 through 6).

Policy loans are reported at unpaid principal balances.

Realized capital gains and losses are determined using the specific identification method and are recorded net of related federal income taxes. Changes in admitted asset carrying amounts of bonds, mortgage loans, common and preferred stocks are credited or charged directly to unassigned surplus.

Interest income is recognized on an accrual basis. The Company does not accrue income on bonds in default, mortgage loans on real estate in default and/or foreclosure or which are delinquent more than twelve months, or real estate where rent is in arrears for more than three months. Income is also not accrued when collection is uncertain. Due and accrued amounts determined to be uncollectible are written off through the Statements of Operations.

Valuation Reserves

Under a formula prescribed by the NAIC, the Company defers the portion of realized capital gains and losses on sales of fixed income investments, primarily bonds and mortgage loans, attributable to changes in the general level of interest rates and amortizes those deferrals into net investment income over the remaining period to maturity of the bond or mortgage loan based on groupings of individual securities sold in five year bands. The net deferral is reported as the interest maintenance reserve (IMR) in the accompanying Balance Sheets. Realized capital gains and losses are reported in income net of federal income tax and transfers to the IMR. Under GAAP, realized capital gains and losses are reported in the Statements of Operations on a pre-tax basis in the period that the assets giving rise to the gains or losses are sold.

The AVR provides a valuation allowance for invested assets. The AVR is determined by an NAIC prescribed formula with changes reflected directly in unassigned surplus; AVR is not recognized for GAAP.

Derivative Instruments

Overview: The Company may use various derivative instruments (swaps and futures) to manage risks related to its ongoing business operations. On the transaction date of the derivative instrument, the Company designates the derivative as either (A) hedging (fair value, foreign currency fair value, cash flow, foreign currency cash flow, forecasted transactions, or net

 

 

 

 

investment in a foreign operation), (B) replication, (C) income generation, or (D) held for other investment/risk management activities, which do not qualify for hedge accounting under SSAP No. 86, Derivatives.

 

(A)

Derivative instruments used in hedging transactions that meet the criteria of an effective hedge are valued and reported in a manner that is consistent with the hedged asset or liability (amortized cost or fair value). Embedded derivatives are not accounted for separately from the host contract. Derivative instruments used in hedging transactions that do not meet or no longer meet the criteria of an effective hedge are accounted for at fair value, and the changes in the fair value are recorded in unassigned surplus as unrealized gains and losses. Under GAAP, the effective and ineffective portions of a single hedge are accounted for separately, and the change in fair value for cash flow hedges is credited or charged directly to a separate component of OCI rather than to income as required for fair value hedges, and an embedded derivative within a contract that is not clearly and closely related to the economic characteristics and the risk of the host contract is accounted for separately from the host contract and valued and reported at fair value.

 

(B)

Derivative instruments are also used in replication (synthetic asset) transactions (RSAT). A replication transaction is a derivative transaction entered into in conjunction with a cash instrument to reproduce the investment characteristics of an otherwise permissible investment. In these transactions, the derivative is accounted for in a manner consistent with the cash instrument and replicated asset. For GAAP, the derivative is reported at fair value, with the changes in fair value reported in income.

 

(C)

Derivative instruments used in income generation relationships are accounted for on a basis that is consistent with the associated covered asset or underlying interest to which the derivative relates (amortized cost or fair value).

 

(D)

Derivative instruments held for other investment/risk management activities are measured at fair value with value adjustments recorded in unassigned surplus.

Derivative instruments are subject to market risk, which is the possibility that future changes in market prices may make the instruments less valuable. The Company uses derivatives as hedges, consequently, when the value of the hedged asset or liability changes, the value of the hedging derivative is expected to move in the opposite direction. Market risk is a consideration when changes in the value of the derivative and the hedged item do not completely offset (correlation or basis risk) which is mitigated by active measuring and monitoring.

The Company is exposed to credit-related losses in the event of non-performance by counterparties to derivative instruments, but it does not expect any counterparties to fail to meet their obligations given their high credit rating of ‘BBB’ or better. The credit exposure of interest rate swaps and currency swaps is represented by the fair value of contracts, aggregated at a counterparty level, with a positive fair value at the reporting date. The Company has entered into collateral agreements with certain counterparties wherein the counterparty is required to post assets on the Company’s behalf. The posted amount is equal to the difference between the net positive fair value of the contracts and an agreed upon threshold that is based on the credit rating

 

 

 

 

of the counterparty. Inversely, if the net fair value of all contracts with this counterparty is negative, then the Company is required to post assets instead.

Instruments:

Interest rate swaps are used in the overall asset/liability management process to modify the interest rate characteristics of the underlying asset or liability. These interest rate swaps generally provide for the exchange of the difference between fixed and floating rate amounts based on an underlying notional amount. Typically, no cash is exchanged at the outset of the swap contract and a single net payment is exchanged each due date. Swaps that meet hedge accounting rules are carried in a manner consistent with the hedged item, generally at amortized cost, in the financial statements. If the swap is terminated prior to maturity, proceeds are exchanged equal to the fair value of the contract. These gains and losses may be included in IMR or AVR if the underlying instrument receives that treatment. Swaps not meeting hedge accounting rules are carried at fair value with fair value adjustments recorded in unassigned surplus.

Cross currency swaps are utilized to mitigate risks when the Company holds foreign denominated assets or liabilities; therefore, converting the asset or liability to a U.S. dollar denominated security. These cross currency swap agreements involve the exchange of two principal amounts in two different currencies at the prevailing currency rate at contract inception. During the life of the swap, the counterparties exchange fixed or floating rate interest payments in the swapped currencies. At maturity, the principal amounts are again swapped at a pre-determined rate of exchange. Each asset or liability is hedged individually where the terms of the swap must meet the terms of the hedged instrument. For swaps qualifying for hedge accounting, the premium or discount is amortized into income over the life of the contract and the foreign currency translation adjustment is recorded as unrealized gain/loss in capital and surplus. Swaps not meeting hedge accounting rules are carried at fair value with fair value adjustments recorded in capital and surplus. If a swap is terminated prior to maturity, proceeds are exchanged equal to the fair value of the contract. These gains and losses may be included in IMR or AVR if the hedged instrument receives that treatment.

Total return swaps are used in the asset/liability management process to mitigate the market risk on minimum guarantee insurance contracts linked to an index. These total return swaps generally provide for the exchange of the difference between fixed leg (tied to the Standard & Poor’s (S&P) or other global market financial index) and floating leg (tied to the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR)) amounts based on an underlying notional amount (also tied to the underlying index). Typically, no cash is exchanged at the outset of the swap contract and a single net payment is exchanged each due date. Swaps that meet hedge accounting rules are carried in a manner consistent with the hedged item, generally at amortized cost, in the financial statements. If the swap is terminated prior to maturity, proceeds are exchanged equal to the fair value of the contract. These gains and losses may be included in IMR or AVR if the underlying instrument receives that treatment. Swaps not meeting hedge accounting rules are carried at fair value with fair value adjustments recorded in capital and surplus.

Futures contracts are used to hedge the liability risk when the Company issues products providing the customer a return based on various global market indices. Futures are marked to market on a

 

 

 

 

daily basis whereby a cash payment is made or received by the Company. These payments are recognized as realized gains or losses in the financial statements.

The Company replicates investment grade corporate bonds or sovereign debt by combining a highly rated security as a cash component with a written credit default swap which, in effect, converts the high quality asset into an investment grade corporate asset or a sovereign debt. The benefits of using the swap market to replicate credit include possible enhanced relative values as well as ease of executing larger transactions in a shortened time frame. Generally, a premium is received by the Company on a periodic basis and recognized in investment income. In the event the representative issuer defaults on its debt obligation referenced in the contract, a payment equal to the notional amount of the contract will be made by the Company and recognized as a capital loss.

Securities Lending Assets and Liabilities

The Company loans securities to third parties under agent-managed securities lending programs accounted for as secured borrowings. Cash collateral received which may be sold or repledged by the Company is reflected as a one-line entry on the Balance Sheets (Securities lending reinvested collateral assets) and a corresponding liability is established to record the obligation to return the cash collateral. Non-cash collateral received which may not be sold or repledged is not recorded on the Company’s Balance Sheets. Under GAAP, the reinvested collateral is included within invested assets and is not reported as a single line item.

Repurchase Agreements

For dollar repurchase agreements accounted for as secured borrowings, the Company receives cash collateral in an amount at least equal to the fair value of the securities transferred by the Company in the transaction as of the transaction date. The securities transferred are not removed from the Balance Sheets, and the cash received as collateral is invested as needed or used for general corporate purposes of the Company. A liability is established to record the obligation to return the cash collateral and included in borrowed money on the Balance Sheets.

Other Assets and Other Liabilities

Other assets consist primarily of reinsurance receivable and accounts receivable. Other “admitted assets” are valued principally at cost, as required or permitted by New York Insurance Laws.

Other liabilities consist primarily of amounts withheld by the Company, accrued expenses, unearned investment income, current federal and foreign income taxes, and other policyholders’ funds.

Separate Accounts

The majority of separate accounts held by the Company represent funds which are administered for pension plans. The assets in the managed separate accounts consist of common stock, long-term bonds, real estate and short-term investments. The non-managed separate accounts are invested by the Company in a corresponding portfolio of Diversified Investors Portfolios. The

 

 

 

 

portfolios are registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, as open-ended, diversified, management investment companies.

Except for some guaranteed separate accounts, which are carried at amortized cost, the assets are carried at fair value, and the investment risks associated with fair value changes are borne entirely by the policyholder. Some of the guaranteed separate accounts provide a guarantee of principal and some include an interest guarantee of 4% or less, so long as the contract is in effect. Separate account asset performance less than guaranteed requirements is transferred from the general account and reported in the Statements of Operations.

Assets held in trust for purchases of separate account contracts and the Company’s corresponding obligation to the contract owners are shown separately in the Balance Sheets. Income and gains and losses with respect to these assets accrue to the benefit of the contract owners and, accordingly, the operations of the separate accounts are not included in the accompanying financial statements.

The investment risks associated with fair value changes of the separate account are borne entirely by the contract owners except in cases where minimum guarantees exist. Income and gains and losses with respect to the assets in the separate accounts supporting modified guaranteed annuity contracts are included in the Company’s Statements of Operations as a component of net transfers from separate accounts.

Separate account assets and liabilities reported in the accompanying financial statements consist of two types: non-indexed guaranteed and nonguaranteed. Non-indexed guaranteed separate accounts represent funds invested by the Company for the benefit of contract holders who are guaranteed certain returns as specified in the contracts. Separate account asset performance different than the guaranteed requirements is either transferred to or received from the general account and reported in the Statements of Operations. Non-indexed guaranteed separate account assets and liabilities are carried at amortized cost.

The non-guaranteed separate account assets and liabilities represent group annuity funds segregated by the Company for the benefit of contract owners. The assets and liabilities of the nonguaranteed separate accounts are carried at fair value.

Aggregate Reserves for Policies and Contracts

Life, annuity and accident and health benefit reserves are calculated by actuarial methods and are determined based on published tables using statutorily specified interest rates and valuation methods that will provide, in the aggregate, reserves that are greater than or equal to the minimum or guaranteed cash value, or the amount required by law.

Surrender values are not promised in excess of the legally computed reserves. For annual premium variable life insurance there is an extra premium charged to the policyholder before the premium is transferred to the Separate Accounts. An additional reserve for this policy is held in the General Account that is a multiple of the reserve that would otherwise be held.

 

 

 

 

In accordance with SSAP No. 51R, Life Contracts, and No. 54R, Individual and Group Accident and Health Contracts, the Company reports the amount of insurance, if any, for which the gross premiums are less than the net premiums according to the valuation standards and any related premium deficiency reserve established. Anticipated investment income is not included as a factor in the health contract premium deficiency calculation.

For GAAP, policy reserves are calculated based on estimated expected experience or actual account balances.

Policy and Contract Claim Reserves

Claim reserves represent the estimated accrued liability for claims reported to the Company and claims incurred but not yet reported through the Balance Sheets date. These reserves are estimated using either individual case-basis valuations or statistical analysis techniques. These estimates are subject to the effects of trends in claim severity and frequency. The estimates are continually reviewed and adjusted as necessary as experience develops or new information becomes available.

Deposit-Type Contracts

Deposit-type contracts do not incorporate risk from the death or disability of policyholders. These types of contracts may include guaranteed investment contracts (GICs), funding agreements and other annuity contracts. Deposits and withdrawals on these contracts are recorded as a direct increase or decrease, respectively, to the liability balance and are not reported as premiums, benefits or changes in reserves in the Statements of Operations. Interest on these policies is reflected in other benefits.

Premiums and Annuity Considerations

Revenues for life and annuity policies with mortality or morbidity risk (including annuities with purchase rate guarantees) consist of the entire premium received. Benefits incurred represent surrenders and death benefits paid and the change in policy reserves. Under GAAP, for universal life policies, premiums received in excess of policy charges would not be recognized as premium revenue and benefits would represent interest credited to the account values and the excess of benefits paid over the policy account value. Under GAAP, for all annuity policies without significant mortality risk, premiums received and benefits paid would be recorded directly to the reserve liability using deposit accounting.

Policyholder Dividends

Policyholder dividends are recognized when declared rather than over the term of the related policies as would be required under GAAP.

Reinsurance

Coinsurance premiums, commissions, expense reimbursements and reserves related to reinsured business are accounted for on bases consistent with those used in accounting for the original

 

 

 

 

policies and the terms of the reinsurance contracts. Gains associated with reinsurance of in force blocks of business are included in unassigned surplus and amortized into income as earnings emerge on the reinsured block of business. Premiums ceded and recoverable losses have been reported as a reduction of premium income and benefits, respectively. Policy liabilities and accruals are reported in the accompanying financial statements net of reinsurance ceded.

Any reinsurance amounts deemed to be uncollectible have been written off through a charge to operations. In addition, a liability for reinsurance balances would be established for unsecured policy reserves ceded to reinsurers not authorized to assume such business. Changes to the liability are credited or charged directly to unassigned surplus. Under GAAP, an allowance for amounts deemed uncollectible would be established through a charge to earnings.

Losses associated with an indemnity reinsurance transaction are reported within income when incurred rather than being deferred and amortized over the remaining life of the underlying reinsured contracts as would be required under GAAP.

Policy and contract liabilities ceded to reinsurers have been reported as reductions of the related reserves rather than as assets as would be required under GAAP.

Commissions allowed by reinsurers on business ceded are reported as income when incurred rather than being deferred and amortized with deferred policy acquisition costs as required under GAAP.

Under GAAP, for certain reinsurance agreements whereby assets are retained by the ceding insurer (such as funds withheld or modified coinsurance) and a return is paid based on the performance of underlying investments, the assets and liabilities for these reinsurance arrangements must be adjusted to reflect the fair value of the invested assets. The NAIC SAP does not contain a similar requirement.

Deferred Income Taxes

The Company computes deferred income taxes in accordance with SSAP No. 101, Income Taxes. Unlike GAAP, SSAP No. 101 does not consider state income taxes in the measurement of deferred taxes. SSAP No. 101 also requires additional testing to measure gross deferred tax assets. The additional testing limits gross deferred tax asset admission to 1) the amount of federal income taxes paid in prior years recoverable through hypothetical loss carrybacks of existing temporary differences expected to reverse during a timeframe corresponding with the Internal Revenue Service tax loss carryback provisions, not to exceed three years, plus 2) the amount of remaining gross deferred tax assets expected to be realized within three years limited to an amount that is no greater than 15% of current period’s adjusted statutory capital and surplus, plus 3) the amount of remaining gross deferred tax assets that can be offset against existing gross deferred tax liabilities after considering character (i.e. ordinary versus capital) and reversal patterns. The Company’s reported deferred tax asset or liability is the sum of gross deferred tax assets admitted through this three-part test plus the sum of all deferred tax liabilities.

 

 

 

 

Policy Acquisition Costs

The costs of acquiring and renewing business are expensed when incurred. Under GAAP, incremental costs directly related to the successful acquisition of insurance and investment contracts are deferred. For traditional life insurance and certain long-duration accident and health insurance, to the extent recoverable from future policy revenues, acquisition costs are deferred and amortized over the premium-paying period of the related policies using assumptions consistent with those used in computing policy benefit reserves. For universal life insurance and investment products, to the extent recoverable from future gross profits, deferred policy acquisition costs are amortized generally in proportion to the present value of expected gross profits from surrender charges and investment, mortality and expense margins.

Value of Business Acquired

Under GAAP, value of business acquired (VOBA) is an intangible asset resulting from a business combination that represents the excess of book value over the estimated fair value of acquired insurance, annuity, and investment-type contracts in-force at the acquisition date. The estimated fair value of the acquired liabilities is based on projections, by each block of business, of future contracts and contract changes, premiums, mortality and morbidity, separate account performance, surrenders, operation expenses, investment returns, nonperformance risk adjustment and other factors. VOBA is not recognized under the NAIC SAP.

Subsidiaries and Affiliated Companies

Investments in subsidiaries, controlled and affiliated companies (SCA) are stated in accordance with the Purposes and Procedures Manual of the NAIC SVO, as well as SSAP No. 97, Investments in Subsidiary, Controlled and Affiliated Entities.

The accounts and operations of the Company’s subsidiaries are not consolidated with the accounts and operations of the Company as would be required under GAAP. Dividends or distributions received from an investee are recognized in investment income when declared to the extent that they are not in excess of the undistributed accumulated earnings attributable to an investee. Changes in investments in SCA’s are recorded as a change to the carrying value of the investment with a corresponding amount recorded directly to unrealized gain/loss (capital and surplus).

Nonadmitted Assets

Certain assets designated as “nonadmitted”, primarily net deferred tax assets and other assets not specifically identified as an admitted asset within the NAIC SAP, are excluded from the accompanying Balance Sheets and are charged directly to unassigned surplus. Under GAAP, such assets are included in the Balance Sheets to the extent that they are not impaired.

Statements of Cash Flow

Cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments in the Statements of Cash Flow represent cash balances and investments with initial maturities of one year or less and money market mutual

 

 

 

 

funds. Under GAAP, the corresponding caption of cash and cash equivalents includes cash balances and investments with initial maturities of three months or less.

3.  Accounting Changes and Correction of Errors

The Company’s policy is to disclose recently adopted accounting pronouncements with a current year effective date, that have been classified by the NAIC as a new statutory accounting principle (SAP) concept change, as well as items classified by the NAIC as SAP clarification changes that have been adopted and have had a material impact on the financial position or results of operations of the Company.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

On August 13, 2023, the Statutory Accounting Principles Working Group (SAPWG) adopted INT 23-01, Net Negative (Disallowed) Interest Maintenance Reserve, effective immediately. INT 23-01 provides optional, limited-time guidance, which allows the admittance of net negative (disallowed) IMR if certain conditions are met, up to 10% of adjusted general account capital and surplus. Refer to Note 5 for further detail.

On August 13, 2023, the SAPWG adopted revisions to SSAP No. 26R and SSAP No. 43R, Loan-Backed and Structured Securities, for the principles-based bond definition, the accounting for bonds (issuer credit obligations and asset-backed securities), as well as revisions to various SSAPs, that have been updated to reflect the revised definition and/or SSAP references. Additional revisions were adopted on December 1, 2023 to SSAP No. 2R, Cash, Cash Equivalents, Drafts and Short-Term Investments, in relation to the bond project, with all revisions effective January 1, 2025. The Company has been monitoring the progress of the project, and will continue to do so, but the specific impact to the Company’s financials is indeterminable at this time.

Change in Valuation Basis

During 2022, the Company converted its Actuarial Guideline 36 reserve calculation for the Indexed Universal Life block of business to a new actuarial valuation system. At the same time, as a result of increased functionality to allow for more precision and to ensure consistency, the Company refined its statutory valuation rate for specific states to utilize the maximum standard valuation interest rate. This resulted in a reserve decrease of $51 as of January 1, 2022, which has been reported in the Statement of Changes in Capital and Surplus.

Correction of Errors

During 2023, management identified and corrected an error in the Company’s prior year cash. The error resulted in an understatement of premiums and annuity considerations in the amount of $19, net of tax, which was corrected in accordance with SSAP No. 3, Accounting Changes and Corrections of Errors. This is reflected as a correction of an error in Other Changes - net in the Statements of Changes in Capital and Surplus.

 

 

 

 

During 2022, management identified and corrected an error in the Company’s prior year statutory reserves. The error resulted in an understatement of aggregate reserves for life contracts of $16, net of tax, which was corrected in accordance with SSAP No. 3. This is reflected as a correction of an error in the Statements of Changes in Capital and Surplus.

There were additional errors identified in prior year financial statements that have been corrected in the current year financial statements in accordance with SSAP No. 3. These errors do not have a material impact on the financial statements, individually or in aggregate, and therefore have not been separately disclosed.

Reclassifications

Certain amounts in prior year financial statement balances and footnote disclosures have been reclassified to conform to the current year presentation.

4.  Fair Values of Financial Instruments

The fair value of a financial instrument is the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date.

Determination of Fair Value

The fair values of financial instruments are determined by management after taking into consideration several sources of data. When available, the Company uses quoted market prices in active markets to determine the fair value of its investments. The Company’s valuation policy utilizes a pricing hierarchy which dictates that publicly available prices are initially sought from indices and third-party pricing services. In the event that pricing is not available from these sources, those securities are submitted to brokers to obtain quotes. Lastly, securities are priced using internal cash flow modeling techniques. These valuation methodologies commonly use reported trades, bids, offers, issuer spreads, benchmark yields, estimated prepayment speeds, and/or estimated cash flows.

To understand the valuation methodologies used by third-party pricing services, the Company reviews and monitors their applicable methodology documents. Any changes to their methodologies are noted and reviewed for reasonableness. In addition, the Company performs in-depth reviews of prices received from third-party pricing services on a sample basis. The objective for such reviews is to demonstrate the Company can corroborate detailed information such as assumptions, inputs and methodologies used in pricing individual securities against documented pricing methodologies. Only third-party pricing services and brokers with a substantial presence in the market and with appropriate experience and expertise are used.

Each month, the Company performs an analysis of the information obtained from indices, third-party services, and brokers to ensure the information is reasonable and produces a reasonable estimate of fair value. The Company considers both qualitative and quantitative factors as part of this analysis, including but not limited to, recent transactional activity for similar securities, review of pricing statistics and trends, and consideration of recent relevant market events. Other controls and procedures over pricing received from indices, third-party pricing services, or

 

 

 

 

brokers include validation checks such as exception reports which highlight significant price changes, stale prices or un-priced securities.

Fair Value Hierarchy

The Company’s financial assets and liabilities carried at fair value are classified, for disclosure purposes, based on a hierarchy defined by SSAP No. 100R, Fair Value. The hierarchy gives the highest ranking to fair values determined using unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets and liabilities (Level 1), and the lowest ranking to fair values determined using methodologies and models with unobservable inputs (Level 3). An asset’s or a liability’s classification is based on the lowest level input that is significant to its measurement. For example, a Level 3 fair value measurement may include inputs that are both observable (Levels 1 and 2) and unobservable (Level 3). The levels of the fair value hierarchy are as follows:

 

The following methods and assumptions were used by the Company in estimating its fair value disclosures for financial instruments:

Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments: The carrying amounts reported in the accompanying Balance Sheets for these financial instruments is either reported at fair value or amortized cost (which approximates fair value). Cash is not included in the below tables.

Short-Term Notes Receivable from Affiliates: The carrying amounts reported in the accompanying Balance Sheets for these financial instruments approximate their fair value.

 

 

 

 

Bonds and Stocks: The NAIC allows insurance companies to report the fair value determined by the SVO or to determine the fair value by using a permitted valuation method. The fair values of bonds and stocks are reported or determined using the following pricing sources: indices, third-party pricing services, brokers, external fund managers and internal models.

Fair values for fixed maturity securities (including redeemable preferred stock) actively traded are determined from third-party pricing services, which are determined as discussed above in the description of Level 1 and Level 2 values within the fair value hierarchy. For fixed maturity securities (including redeemable preferred stock) not actively traded, fair values are estimated using values obtained from third-party pricing services, or are based on non-binding broker quotes or internal models. In the case of private placements, fair values are estimated by discounting the expected future cash flows using current market rates applicable to the coupon rate, credit and maturity of the investments.

Mortgage Loans on Real Estate: The fair values for mortgage loans on real estate are estimated utilizing discounted cash flow analyses, using interest rates reflective of current market conditions and the risk characteristics of the loans.

Other Invested Assets: The fair values for other invested assets, which include investments in surplus notes issued by other insurance companies and fixed or variable rate investments with underlying characteristics of bonds, are determined primarily by using indices, third-party pricing services and internal models.

Derivative Financial Instruments: The fair value of futures and forwards are based upon the latest quoted market price and spot rates at the Balance Sheets date. The estimated fair values of equity and interest rate options (calls, puts, caps) are based upon the latest quoted market price at the Balance Sheets date. The estimated fair values of swaps, including interest rate and currency swaps, are based on pricing models or formulas using current assumptions. The estimated fair values of credit default swaps are based upon active market data, including interest rate quotes, credit spreads, and recovery rates, which are then used to calculate probabilities of default for the fair value calculation. The Company accounts for derivatives that receive and pass hedge accounting in the same manner as the underlying hedged instrument. If that instrument is held at amortized cost, then the derivative is also held at amortized cost.

Policy Loans: The book value of policy loans is considered to approximate the fair value of the loan, which is stated at unpaid principal balance.

Securities Lending Reinvested Collateral: The cash collateral from securities lending is reinvested in various short-term and long-term debt instruments. The fair values of these investments are determined using the methods described above under Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments and Bonds and Stocks.

Separate Account Assets and Annuity Liabilities: The fair value of separate account assets are based on quoted market prices when available. When not available, they are primarily valued either using third-party pricing services or are valued in the same manner as the general account assets as further described in this note. However, some separate account assets are valued using non-binding broker quotes, which cannot be corroborated by other market observable data, or

 

 

 

 

internal modeling which utilizes input that are not market observable. The fair value of separate account annuity liabilities is based on the account value for separate accounts business without guarantees. For separate accounts with guarantees, fair value is based on discounted cash flows.

Investment Contract Liabilities: Fair value for the Company’s liabilities under investment contracts, which include deferred annuities and GICs, are estimated using discounted cash flow calculations. For those liabilities that are short in duration, carrying amount approximates fair value. For investment contracts with no defined maturity, fair value is estimated to be the present surrender value.

Deposit-Type Contracts: The carrying amounts of deposit-type contracts reported in the accompanying Balance Sheets approximate their fair values. These are included in the investment contract liabilities.

Fair values for the Company’s insurance contracts other than investment-type contracts (including separate account universal life liabilities) are not required to be disclosed. However, the fair values of liabilities under all insurance contracts are taken into consideration in the Company’s overall management of interest rate risk, such that the Company’s exposure to changing interest rates is minimized through the matching of investment maturities with amounts due under insurance contracts.

The Company accounts for its investments in affiliated common stock in accordance with SSAP No. 97, as such, they are not included in the following disclosures.

 

 

 

 

The following tables set forth a comparison of the estimated fair values and carrying amounts of the Company’s financial instruments, including those not measured at fair value in the Balance Sheets, as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively:

 

		December 31, 2023
		Aggregate  Fair Value				Admitted  Value				(Level 1)				(Level 2)				(Level 3)
Admitted assets
Cash equivalents and short-term investments, other than affiliates		$	1,189			$	1,189			$	1,189			$	—			$	—
Bonds			4,395				4,953				337				4,051				7
Preferred stocks, other than affiliates			4				4				—				4				—
Common stocks, other than affiliates			3				3				—				—				3
Mortgage loans on real estate			1,632				1,841				—				—				1,632
Other invested assets			22				23				—				22				—
Derivative assets:
Interest rate swaps			26				26				—				26				—
Currency swaps			9				7				—				9				—
Credit default swaps			10				6				—				10				—
Derivative assets total			45				39				—				45				—
Policy loans			151				151				—				151				—
Securities lending reinvested collateral			269				269				269				—				—
Separate account assets			18,401				18,410				17,733				668				—
Liabilities
Investment contract liabilities			3,844				3,864				—				1				3,843
Derivative liabilities:
Options			1				1				—				1				—
Interest rate swaps			27				32				—				27				—
Currency swaps			1				1				—				1				—
Credit default swaps			1				1				—				1				—
Equity swaps			23				23				—				23				—
Interest rate futures			1				1				1				—				—
Derivative liabilities total			54				59				1				53				—
Dollar repurchase agreements			20				20				—				20				—
Payable for securities lending			321				321				—				321				—
Payable for derivative cash collateral			38				38				—				38				—
Separate account liabilities			18,102				18,102				—				17,729				373

 

 

 

 

		December 31, 2022
		Aggregate  Fair Value				Admitted  Value				(Level 1)				(Level 2)				(Level 3)
Admitted assets
Cash equivalents and short-term investments, other than affiliates		$	157			$	157			$	84			$	73			$	—
Bonds			4,536				5,243				378				4,158				—
Preferred stocks, other than affiliates			4				4				—				4				—
Common stocks, other than affiliates			6				6				—				3				3
Mortgage loans on real estate			1,637				1,853				—				—				1,637
Other invested assets			22				24				—				22				—
Derivative assets:
Interest rate swaps			181				181				—				181				—
Currency swaps			20				12				—				20				—
Credit default swaps			4				5				—				4				—
Equity swaps			5				5				—				5				—
Equity futures			1				1				1				—				—
Derivative assets total			211				204				1				210				—
Policy loans			143				143				—				143				—
Securities lending reinvested collateral			309				309				183				126				—
Separate account assets			16,371				16,399				15,518				853				—
Liabilities
Investment contract liabilities			4,236				4,245				—				1				4,235
Derivative liabilities:
Interest rate swaps			212				216				—				212				—
Currency swaps			1				—				—				1				—
Equity swaps			7				7				—				7				—
Equity futures			1				1				1				—				—
Derivative liabilities total			221				224				1				220				—
Dollar repurchase agreements			20				20				—				20				—
Payable for securities lending			412				412				—				412				—
Payable for derivative cash collateral			51				51				—				51				—
Separate account liabilities			16,107				16,107				—				15,636				471

 

 

 

 

The following tables provide information about the Company’s financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value as of December 31, 2023 and 2022:

 

		2023
		Level 1				Level 2				Level 3				Total
Assets:
Bonds
Industrial and miscellaneous		$	—			$	4			$	—			$	4
Total bonds			—				4				—				4
Preferred stock
Industrial and miscellaneous			—				4				—				4
Total preferred stock			—				4				—				4
Common stock
Industrial and miscellaneous			—				—				3				3
Total common stock			—				—				3				3
Cash equivalents and short-term investments
Money market mutual funds			1,163				—				—				1,163
Total cash equivalents and short-term investments			1,163				—				—				1,163
Derivative assets			—				24				—				24
Other long term			—				3				—				3
Separate account assets			17,728				313				—				18,041
Total assets		$	18,891			$	348			$	3			$	19,242
Liabilities:
Derivative liabilities		$	1			$	25			$	—			$	26
Total liabilities		$	1			$	25			$	—			$	26

 

		2022
		Level 1				Level 2				Level 3				Total
Assets:
Bonds
Industrial and miscellaneous		$	—			$	3			$	—			$	3
Total bonds			—				3				—				3
Preferred stock
Industrial and miscellaneous			—				4				—				4
Total preferred stock			—				4				—				4
Common stock
Industrial and miscellaneous			—				3				3				6
Total common stock			—				3				3				6
Cash equivalents and short-term investments
Money market mutual funds			84				62				—				146
Total cash equivalents and short-term investments			84				62				—				146
Derivative assets			1				187				—				188
Other long term			—				4				—				4
Separate account assets			15,518				403				—				15,921
Total assets		$	15,603			$	666			$	3			$	16,272
Liabilities:
Derivative liabilities		$	1			$	187			$	—			$	188
Total liabilities		$	1			$	187			$	—			$	188

 

 

 

 

Bonds classified as Level 2 are valued using inputs from third party pricing services or broker quotes. Bonds classified as Level 3 are primarily those valued using non-binding broker quotes, which cannot be corroborated by other market observable data, or internal modeling which utilize significant inputs that are not market observable.

Preferred stock classified as Level 2 are valued using inputs from third party pricing services or broker quotes.

Common stock classified as Level 2 are valued using inputs from third party pricing services or broker quotes. Common stock classified as Level 3 are comprised primarily of shares in the FHLB of New York, which are valued at par as a proxy for fair value as a result of restrictions that allow redemptions only by FHLB.

Money market mutual funds and other cash or cash equivalents classified as Level 2 are valued using inputs from third party pricing services.

Derivatives classified as Level 2 represent over-the-counter (OTC) contracts valued using pricing models based on the net present value of estimated future cash flows, directly observed prices from exchange-traded derivatives, other OTC trades, or external pricing services.

Other long-term classified as Level 2 are comprised of surplus debentures, which are valued using inputs from third party pricing services or broker quotes.

Separate account assets and liabilities are valued and classified in the same way as general account assets and liabilities (described above).

The following tables summarize the changes in assets classified as Level 3 for 2023 and 2022:

 

		Beginning Balance at  January 1, 2023				Transfers in (Level 3)				Transfers out (Level 3)				Total Gains (Losses) Included in Net income (a)				Total Gains (Losses) Included  in Surplus (b)
Bonds
Other		$	—			$	—			$	—			$	(1	)		$	1
Common stock		$	3			$	—			$	—			$	—			$	—
Total		$	3			$	—			$	—			$	(1	)		$	1
		Purchases				Issuances				Sales				Settlements				Ending Balance at  December 31, 2023
Bonds
Other		$	—			$	—			$	—			$	—			$	—
Common stock		$	—			$	—			$	—			$	—			$	3
Total		$	—			$	—			$	—			$	—			$	3

 

(a)	Recorded as a component of Net Realized Capital Gains (Losses) on Investments in the Statements of Operations

(b)	Recorded as a component of Change in Net Unrealized Capital Gains (Losses) in the Statements of Changes in Capital and Surplus