v3.25.2
Guarantees and Contingent Liabilities
6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2025
Guarantees and Contingent Liabilities  
Guarantees and Contingent Liabilities
Note 12Guarantees and Contingent Liabilities
Shared markets and state facility assessments
The Company is required to participate in assigned risk plans, reinsurance facilities and joint underwriting associations in various states that provide insurance coverage to individuals or entities that otherwise are unable to purchase such coverage from private insurers.
The Company routinely reviews its exposure to assessments from these plans, facilities and government programs. Underwriting results related to these arrangements, which tend to be adverse, have been immaterial to the Company’s results of operations in the last two years. Because of the Company’s participation, it may be exposed to losses that surpass the capitalization of these facilities or assessments from these facilities.
California FAIR Plan Association On February 11, 2025, the FAIR Plan received regulatory approval to assess member insurers $1.00 billion. The Company’s personal lines and commercial lines average market share used for the assessment was 4.6% and 2.0%, respectively, net of credits. Members are allowed to request the state insurance commission’s approval to collect temporary supplemental fees from policyholders in the state in order to recoup amounts assessed. Insurers can request recoupment for 50% of their portion of assessments up to $1.00 billion and 100% thereafter for each residential property and commercial property insurance. The Company paid $45 million in FAIR Plan assessments in the first quarter of 2025, and has applied for recoupment of amounts paid. At June 30, 2025, we have accrued for the Company’s share of future estimated assessments based on the wildfire event that began on January 7, 2025. Several of the Company’s traditional markets per occurrence reinsurance agreements also provide for the inclusion of non-recoupable assessments as part of the definition of loss.
Guarantees
In the normal course of business, the Company provides standard indemnifications to contractual counterparties in connection with numerous transactions, including acquisitions and divestitures. The types of indemnifications typically provided include indemnifications for breaches of representations and warranties, taxes and certain other liabilities, such as third-party lawsuits. The indemnification clauses are often standard contractual terms and are entered into in the normal course of
business based on an assessment of the risk of loss. The terms of the indemnifications vary in duration and nature. In many cases, the maximum obligation is not explicitly stated and the contingencies triggering the obligation to indemnify have not occurred and are not expected to occur. Consequently, the maximum amount of the obligation under such indemnifications is not determinable. Historically, the Company has not made any material payments pursuant to these obligations.
In connection with the sales of Allstate Life Insurance Company of New York to Wilton Reassurance Company (“Wilton”) and Allstate Life Insurance Company and Allstate Assurance Company to Everlake US Holdings Company (“Everlake”) in 2021, AIC agreed to indemnify Wilton and AIC and Allstate Financial Insurance Holdings Corporation (collectively, the “Sellers”) agreed to indemnify Everlake. The indemnification is in connection with certain representations, warranties and covenants of the Sellers, and certain liabilities specifically excluded from the transactions, subject to specific contractual limitations regarding the Sellers’ maximum obligations. Management does not believe these indemnifications will have a material effect on results of operations, cash flows or financial position of the Company.
The aggregate liability balance related to all guarantees was immaterial as of June 30, 2025.
Regulation and compliance
The Company is subject to extensive laws, regulations, administrative directives, and regulatory actions. From time to time, regulatory authorities or legislative bodies seek to influence and restrict premium rates, require premium refunds to policyholders, require reinstatement of terminated policies, prescribe rules or guidelines on how affiliates compete in the marketplace, restrict the ability of insurers to cancel or non-renew policies, require insurers to continue to write new policies or limit their ability to write new policies, limit insurers’ ability to change coverage terms or to impose underwriting standards, impose additional regulations regarding agency and broker compensation, regulate the nature of and amount of investments, impose fines and penalties for unintended errors or mistakes, impose additional regulations regarding cybersecurity and privacy, and otherwise expand overall regulation of insurance products and the insurance industry. In addition, the Company is subject to laws and
regulations administered and enforced by federal agencies, international agencies, and other organizations, including but not limited to the SEC, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the U.S. Department of Justice. The Company has established procedures and policies to facilitate compliance with laws and regulations, to foster prudent business operations, and to support financial reporting. The Company routinely reviews its practices to validate compliance with laws and regulations and with internal procedures and policies. As a result of these reviews, from time to time the Company may decide to modify some of its procedures and policies. Such modifications, and the reviews that led to them, may be accompanied by payments being made and costs being incurred. The ultimate changes and eventual effects of these actions on the Company’s business, if any, are uncertain.
Legal and regulatory proceedings and inquiries
The Company and certain subsidiaries are involved in a number of lawsuits, regulatory inquiries, and other legal proceedings arising out of various aspects of its business.
Background These matters raise difficult and complicated factual and legal issues and are subject to many uncertainties and complexities, including the underlying facts of each matter; novel legal issues; variations between jurisdictions in which matters are being litigated, heard, or investigated; changes in assigned judges; differences or developments in applicable laws and judicial interpretations; judges reconsidering prior rulings; the length of time before many of these matters might be resolved by settlement, through litigation, or otherwise; adjustments with respect to anticipated trial schedules and other proceedings; developments in similar actions against other companies; the fact that some of the lawsuits are putative class actions in which a class has not been certified and in which the purported class may not be clearly defined; the fact that some of the lawsuits involve multi-state class actions in which the applicable law(s) for the claims at issue is in dispute and therefore unclear; and the challenging legal environment faced by corporations and insurance companies.
The outcome of these matters may be affected by decisions, verdicts, and settlements, and the timing of such decisions, verdicts, and settlements, in other individual and class action lawsuits that involve the Company, other insurers, or other entities and by other legal, governmental, and regulatory actions that involve the Company, other insurers, or other entities. The outcome may also be affected by future state or federal legislation, the timing or substance of which cannot be predicted.
In the lawsuits, plaintiffs seek a variety of remedies which may include equitable relief in the form of injunctive and other remedies and monetary relief in the form of contractual and extra-contractual damages. In some cases, the monetary damages sought may include punitive or treble damages. Often
specific information about the relief sought, such as the amount of damages, is not available because plaintiffs have not requested specific relief in their pleadings. When specific monetary demands are made, they are often set just below a state court jurisdictional limit in order to seek the maximum amount available in state court, regardless of the specifics of the case, while still avoiding the risk of removal to federal court. In Allstate’s experience, monetary demands in pleadings bear little relation to the ultimate loss, if any, to the Company.
In connection with regulatory examinations and proceedings, government authorities may seek various forms of relief, including penalties, restitution, and changes in business practices. The Company may not be advised of the nature and extent of relief sought until the final stages of the examination or proceeding.
Accrual and disclosure policy The Company reviews its lawsuits, regulatory inquiries, and other legal proceedings on an ongoing basis and follows appropriate accounting guidance when making accrual and disclosure decisions. The Company establishes accruals for such matters at management’s best estimate when the Company assesses that it is probable that a loss has been incurred and the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated. The Company does not establish accruals for such matters when the Company does not believe both that it is probable that a loss has been incurred and the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated. The Company’s assessment of whether a loss is reasonably possible or probable is based on its assessment of the ultimate outcome of the matter following all appeals. The Company does not include potential recoveries in its estimates of reasonably possible or probable losses. Legal fees are expensed as incurred.
The Company continues to monitor its lawsuits, regulatory inquiries, and other legal proceedings for further developments that would make the loss contingency both probable and estimable, and accordingly accruable, or that could affect the amount of accruals that have been previously established. There may continue to be exposure to loss in excess of any amount accrued. Disclosure of the nature and amount of an accrual is made when there have been sufficient legal and factual developments such that the Company’s ability to resolve the matter would not be impaired by the disclosure of the amount of accrual.
When the Company assesses it is reasonably possible or probable that a loss has been incurred, it discloses the matter. When it is possible to estimate the reasonably possible loss or range of loss above the amount accrued, if any, for the matters disclosed, that estimate is aggregated and disclosed. Disclosure is not required when an estimate of the reasonably possible loss or range of loss cannot be made.
For certain of the matters described below in the “Claims related proceedings” and “Other proceedings” subsections, the Company is able to estimate the reasonably possible loss or range of loss above the amount accrued, if any. In determining whether it is possible to estimate the reasonably possible loss or
range of loss, the Company reviews and evaluates the disclosed matters, in conjunction with counsel, in light of potentially relevant factual and legal developments.
These developments may include information learned through the discovery process, rulings on dispositive motions, settlement discussions, information obtained from other sources, experience from managing these and other matters, and other rulings by courts, arbitrators or others. When the Company possesses sufficient appropriate information to develop an estimate of the reasonably possible loss or range of loss above the amount accrued, if any, that estimate is aggregated and disclosed below. There may be other disclosed matters for which a loss is probable or reasonably possible, but such an estimate is not possible. Disclosure of the estimate of the reasonably possible loss or range of loss above the amount accrued, if any, for any individual matter would only be considered when there have been sufficient legal and factual developments such that the Company’s ability to resolve the matter would not be impaired by the disclosure of the individual estimate.
The Company currently estimates that the aggregate range of reasonably possible loss in excess of the amount accrued, if any, for the disclosed matters where such an estimate is possible is zero to $72 million, pre-tax. This disclosure is not an indication of expected loss, if any. Under accounting guidance, an event is “reasonably possible” if “the chance of the future event or events occurring is more than remote but less than likely” and an event is “remote” if “the chance of the future event or events occurring is slight.” This estimate is based upon currently available information and is subject to significant judgment and a variety of assumptions and known and unknown uncertainties. The matters underlying the estimate will change from time to time, and actual results may vary significantly from the current estimate. The estimate does not include matters or losses for which an estimate is not possible. Therefore, this estimate represents an estimate of possible loss only for certain matters meeting these criteria. It does not represent the Company’s maximum possible loss exposure. Information is provided below regarding the nature of all of the disclosed matters and, where specified, the amount, if any, of plaintiff claims associated with these loss contingencies.
Due to the complexity and scope of the matters disclosed in the “Claims related proceedings” and “Other proceedings” subsections below and the many uncertainties that exist, the ultimate outcome of these matters cannot be predicted and in the Company’s judgment, a loss, in excess of amounts accrued, if any, is not probable. In the event of an unfavorable outcome in one or more of these matters, the ultimate liability may be in excess of amounts currently accrued, if any, and may be material to the Company’s operating results or cash flows for a particular quarterly or annual period. However, based on information currently known to it, management believes that the ultimate outcome of all matters described below, as they are resolved over time, is not likely to have a material effect on the financial position of the Company.
Claims related proceedings The Company is defending putative class actions in various courts that raise challenges to the Company’s depreciation practices in homeowner property claims. In these lawsuits, plaintiffs generally allege that, when calculating actual cash value, the costs of “non-materials” such as labor, general contractor’s overhead and profit, and sales tax should not be subject to depreciation. The Company is currently defending the following lawsuits on this issue: Sims, et al. v. Allstate Fire and Casualty Insurance Company, et al. (W.D. Tex. filed June 2022); Thompson, et al. v. Allstate Insurance Company (Circuit Court of Cole Co., Mo. filed June 2022); Hill v. Allstate Vehicle and Property Insurance Company (Circuit Court of Cole Co., Mo. filed October 2022); and Hernandez v. Allstate Vehicle and Property Insurance Company (D. Ariz. filed April 2023). No classes have been certified in any of these matters.
The Company is defending putative class actions pending in multiple states alleging that the Company underpays total loss vehicle physical damage claims on auto policies. The alleged systematic underpayments result from the following theories: (a) the third-party valuation tool used by the Company as part of a comprehensive adjustment process is allegedly flawed, biased, or contrary to applicable law; and/or (b) the Company allegedly does not pay sales tax, title fees, registration fees, and/or other specified fees that are allegedly mandatory under policy language or state legal authority. The Company is currently defending the following lawsuits: Golla v. Allstate Insurance Company (N.D. Ohio filed June 2023); Bibbs v. Allstate Insurance Company and Allstate Fire and Casualty Insurance Company (N.D. Ohio filed August 2023); Katz v. Esurance Property and Casualty Insurance Company and National General Insurance Company (E.D.N.Y. filed February 2024); Jarrett-Kelly v. Direct General Insurance Agency, Inc. (Circuit Court of Pulaski Co., Ark. filed May 2024); and Schott v. Allstate Insurance Company and Allstate Property and Casualty Insurance Company (M.D. Ga. filed October 2024). No classes have been certified in any of these matters. A settlement has been reached in Bass v. Imperial Fire and Casualty Insurance Company (W.D. La. filed February 2022).
The Company is defending a class action in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona that alleges underpayment of uninsured/underinsured motorist claims, Dorazio v. Allstate Fire and Casualty Insurance Company, filed December 2022. The plaintiffs allege that uninsured/underinsured motorist coverages must be stacked, which is combining separate uninsured/underinsured coverage limits of multiple vehicles into one higher coverage limit, where the defendants allegedly did not include specified policy language and did not provide specified notice to policyholders. A settlement in principle has been reached in Loughran v. MIC General Insurance Corporation, a second putative class action alleging the same claims. In July 2023, the Arizona Supreme Court issued a ruling in Franklin v. CSAA General Insurance, a matter involving another insurer. The Franklin decision held, under the factual circumstances of that case, that stacking of uninsured/underinsured
motorist coverages was required because the insurer did not include specified policy language and did not issue specified notice.
The Company is currently defending its insured in a bodily injury lawsuit arising from an automobile accident, Simon v. Holguin (Pierce County Superior Court, Wash. filed September 8, 2020). On October 21, 2022, a jury returned a verdict against the insured. The Company, on behalf of its insured, appealed the verdict to the Washington Court of Appeals, Division II, which affirmed the judgment on June 16, 2025. The Company continues to defend the litigation and oppose plaintiff’s allegations.
Other proceedings The Company is defending two putative class actions in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California, Holland Hewitt v. Allstate Life Insurance Company filed May 2020 and Farley v. Lincoln Benefit Life Company (“LBL”) filed December 2020, following the sale of ALIC. On April 19, 2023, the district court certified a class in Farley. LBL is appealing the district court’s order in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. On March 27, 2024, the Magistrate Judge issued his Findings and Recommendations denying class certification in Hewitt. Plaintiffs filed their objection to the Magistrate’s recommendation. In these cases, plaintiffs generally allege that the defendants failed to comply with certain California statutes which address contractual grace periods and lapse notice requirements for certain life insurance policies. Plaintiffs claim that these statutes apply to life insurance policies that existed before the statutes’ effective date. The plaintiffs seek damages and injunctive relief. Similar litigation is pending against other insurance carriers. In August 2021, the California Supreme Court in McHugh v. Protective Life, a matter involving another insurer, determined that the statutory notice requirements apply to life insurance policies issued before the statutes’ effective date. The Company asserts various defenses to plaintiffs’ claims and to class certification.
The Company prevailed in a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California,
Chavez v. Allstate Northbrook Indemnity Company, filed February 2022, where plaintiffs generally alleged that Allstate’s Shelter-in-Place Payback program provided insufficient premium relief in response to the reduction in driving in California during the state’s COVID-19 stay-at-home restrictions in 2020 and 2021. Plaintiffs sought damages that included additional premium refunds and punitive damages. On June 25, 2024, the court issued an order granting plaintiffs’ motion for class certification. On June 25, 2025, the court granted summary judgment to Allstate on the merits. Plaintiffs did not appeal.
On July 24, 2024, the Department of Justice filed a civil suit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania against National General Holdings Corp., National General Insurance Company, National General Lender Services, Inc. and Newport Management Corp. The suit alleges that certain services that National General provided as a vendor to a large national bank for its collateral protection insurance program violated the Financial Institutions, Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989 (the “Act”), and it seeks civil monetary penalties available under the Act.
The Company is subject to lawsuits related to the collection and use of driving behavior data, including a civil lawsuit filed by the Texas Attorney General in Montgomery County, Texas District Court and putative class actions filed in federal court. The lawsuits allege privacy and consumer protection claims and seek actual, statutory and punitive damages, restitution, injunctive relief and attorneys’ fees.
The Company is defending a class action lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, Canchola, et al v. Allstate Insurance Company, filed March 2023. Plaintiffs generally allege that Allstate owes them business expenses incurred in their operation of Allstate Exclusive Agencies under the California Labor Code because they were misclassified as independent contractors. The Company continues to defend the litigation and oppose plaintiffs’ allegations.