The net decrease in the 2016 effective tax rate was due, in part, to the 2016 asset impairments in the U. S.  and to the current year benefit related to a restructuring of one of our Brazilian businesses that increases tax basis in long-term assets.
Further, the 2015 rate was impacted by the items described below.
See Note 20—Asset Impairment Expense for additional information regarding the 2016 U. S.  asset impairments.
Income tax expense increased $101 million, or 27%, to $472 million in 2015.
The Company's effective tax rates were 41% and 26% for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively.
The net increase in the 2015 effective tax rate was due, in part, to the nondeductible 2015 impairment of goodwill at our U. S.  utility, DP&L and Chilean withholding taxes offset by the release of valuation allowance at certain of our businesses in Brazil, Vietnam and the U. S.  Further, the 2014 rate was impacted by the sale of approximately 45% of the Company’s interest in Masin AES Pte Ltd. , which owns the Company’s business interests in the Philippines and the 2014 sale of the Company’s interests in four U. K.  wind operating projects.
Neither of these transactions gave rise to income tax expense.
See Note 15—Equity for additional information regarding the sale of approximately 45% of the Company’s interest in Masin-AES Pte Ltd.  See Note 23—Dispositions for additional information regarding the sale of the Company’s interests in four U. K.  wind operating projects.
Our effective tax rate reflects the tax effect of significant operations outside the U. S. , which are generally taxed at rates lower than the U. S.  statutory rate of 35%.
A future proportionate change in the composition of income before income taxes from foreign and domestic tax jurisdictions could impact our periodic effective tax rate.
The Company also benefits from reduced tax rates in certain countries as a result of satisfying specific commitments regarding employment and capital investment.
See Note 21—Income Taxes for additional information regarding these reduced rates.
Foreign currency transaction gains (losses) Foreign currency transaction gains (losses) in millions were as follows:
## Table 0 ##
_____________________________ (1) Includes gains of $17 million, $247 million and $172 million on foreign currency derivative contracts for the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014, respectively.
The Company recognized a net foreign currency transaction loss of $15 million for the year ended December 31, 2016 primarily due to losses of $50 million at The AES Corporation mainly due to remeasurement losses on intercompany notes, and losses on swaps and options.
This loss was partially offset by gains of $37 million in Argentina, mainly due to the favorable impact of foreign currency derivatives related to government receivables.
The Company recognized a net foreign currency transaction gain of $107 million for the year ended December 31, 2015 primarily due to gains of: ?
$124 million in Argentina, due to the favorable impact from foreign currency derivatives related to government receivables, partially offset by losses from the devaluation of the Argentine Peso associated with U. S.  Dollar denominated debt, and losses at Termoandes (a U. S.  Dollar functional currency subsidiary) primarily associated with cash and accounts receivable balances in local currency, ?
$29 million in Colombia, mainly due to the depreciation of the Colombian Peso, positively impacting Chivor (a U. S.  Dollar functional currency subsidiary) due to liabilities denominated in Colombian Pesos, ?
$11 million in the United Kingdom, mainly due to the depreciation of the Pound Sterling, resulting in gains at Ballylumford Holdings (a U. S.  Dollar functional currency subsidiary) associated with intercompany notes payable denominated in Pound Sterling, and
23.
Commitments, Guarantees and Contingencies Commitments The Company is committed to pay aggregate minimum rentals under noncancelable operating leases for office facilities and equipment in future years as follows:
## Table 1 ##
For the years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008, operating lease expense was $103 million, $103 million and $92 million, respectively.
The following table presents the Company’s funding commitments:
## Table 2 ##
The Company’s life and annuity products all have minimum interest rate guarantees in their fixed accounts.
As of December 31, 2010, these guarantees range up to 5%.
To the extent the yield on the Company’s invested asset portfolio declines below its target spread plus the minimum guarantee, the Company’s profitability would be negatively affected.
Guarantees Owing to conditions then-prevailing in the credit markets and the isolated defaults of unaffiliated structured investment vehicles held in the portfolios of money market funds advised by its Columbia Management Investment Advisers, LLC subsidiary (the ‘‘2a-7 Funds’’), the Company closely monitored the net asset value of the 2a-7 Funds during 2008 and through the date of this report and, as circumstances warranted from time to time, injected capital into one or more of the 2a-7 Funds.
Management believes that the market conditions which gave rise to those circumstances have significantly diminished.
The Company has not provided a formal capital support agreement or net asset value guarantee to any of the 2a-7 Funds.
Contingencies The Company and its subsidiaries are involved in the normal course of business in legal, regulatory and arbitration proceedings, including class actions, concerning matters arising in connection with the conduct of its activities as a diversified financial services firm.
These include proceedings specific to the Company as well as proceedings generally applicable to business practices in the industries in which it operates.
The Company can also be subject to litigation arising out of its general business activities, such as its investments, contracts, leases and employment relationships.
Uncertain economic conditions, heightened volatility in the financial markets, such as those which have been experienced from the latter part of 2007 through 2009, and significant recently enacted financial reform legislation may increase the likelihood that clients and other persons or regulators may present or threaten legal claims or that regulators increase the scope or frequency of examinations of the Company or the financial services industry generally.
As with other financial services firms, the level of regulatory activity and inquiry concerning the Company’s businesses remains elevated.
From time to time, the Company receives requests for information from, and/or has been subject to examination or claims by, the SEC, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, the Office of Thrift Supervision, state insurance and securities regulators, state attorneys general and various other governmental and quasi-governmental authorities on behalf of themselves or clients concerning the Company’s business activities and practices, and the practices of the Company’s financial advisors.
During recent periods, the Company has received information requests or inquiries regarding certain pending matters, including: sales and product or service features of, or disclosures pertaining to, mutual funds, annuities, equity and fixed income securities, insurance products, brokerage services, financial plans and other advice offerings; trading practices within the Company’s asset management business, supervision of the Company’s
The following table presents the components of the adjustments in the table above:
## Table 3 ##
(1) Other adjustments include net realized gains or losses and integration and restructuring charges.
Our Corporate & Other segment pretax loss attributable to Ameriprise Financial was $265 million for the year ended December 31, 2009 compared to $364 million in the prior year.
Our Corporate & Other segment pretax operating loss attributable to Ameriprise Financial, which excludes revenues and expenses of the CIEs, net realized gains or losses and integration and restructuring charges, was $261 million for the year ended December 31, 2009 compared to $299 million in the prior year.
Net revenues were $26 million for the year ended December 31, 2009 compared to a negative $48 million for the prior year.
Operating net revenues, which exclude net realized gains or losses and revenues of the CIEs, remained constant at $2 million for the year ended December 31, 2009.
Net investment loss for the year ended December 31, 2009 reflects the transfer priced interest income allocated to the Annuities and Protection segments for maintaining excess liquidity and the period-over-period decline in short-term interest rates.
Other revenues were $90 million for the year ended December 31, 2009 compared to a negative $20 million for the prior year reflecting the impact of the CIEs.
Operating other revenues, which exclude the impact of the CIEs, increased $36 million to $62 million for the year ended December 31, 2009 due to a $58 million gain on the repurchase of $135 million of our junior notes in 2009 compared to a $19 million gain on the repurchase of $43 million of our junior notes in 2008.
Total expenses decreased $94 million, or 25%, to $276 million for the year ended December 31, 2009.
Operating expenses, which exclude expenses of the CIEs and integration and restructuring charges, decreased $38 million, or 13%, to $263 million for the year ended December 31, 2009.
Interest and debt expense for the year ended December 31, 2009 included a $13 million expense related to the early retirement of $450 million of our senior notes due 2010.
General and administrative expense decreased $114 million, or 44%, to $146 million for the year ended December 31, 2009.
Integration and restructuring charges in 2009 were $4 million compared to $62 million in 2008.
Operating general and administrative expense, which excludes expenses of the CIEs and integration and restructuring charges, decreased $58 million, or 30%, to $133 million for the year ended December 31, 2009 due to money market support costs incurred in 2008, including $77 million related to the mark-to-market of Lehman Brothers securities that we purchased from various 2a-7 money market mutual funds managed by our subsidiary, RiverSource Investments, LLC and $36 million for the cost of guaranteeing specific client holdings in an unaffiliated money market mutual fund, partially offset by higher performance compensation accruals and legal expenses in 2009.
Fair Value Measurements We report certain assets and liabilities at fair value; specifically, separate account assets, derivatives, embedded derivatives, properties held by our consolidated property funds, and most investments and cash equivalents.
Fair value assumes the exchange of assets or liabilities occurs in orderly transactions.
Companies are not permitted to use market prices that are the result of a forced liquidation or distressed sale.
We include actual market prices, or observable inputs, in our fair value measurements to the extent available.
Broker quotes are obtained when quotes from pricing services are not available.
We validate prices obtained from third parties through a variety of means such as: price variance analysis, subsequent sales testing, stale price review, price comparison across pricing vendors and due diligence reviews of vendors.

<table><tr><td>Years Ended December 31,</td><td>2016</td><td>2015</td><td>2014</td></tr><tr><td>AES Corporation</td><td>$-50</td><td>$-31</td><td>$-34</td></tr><tr><td>Chile</td><td>-9</td><td>-18</td><td>-30</td></tr><tr><td>Colombia</td><td>-8</td><td>29</td><td>17</td></tr><tr><td>Mexico</td><td>-8</td><td>-6</td><td>-14</td></tr><tr><td>Philippines</td><td>12</td><td>8</td><td>11</td></tr><tr><td>United Kingdom</td><td>13</td><td>11</td><td>12</td></tr><tr><td>Argentina</td><td>37</td><td>124</td><td>66</td></tr><tr><td>Other</td><td>-2</td><td>-10</td><td>-17</td></tr><tr><td>Total<sup>-1</sup></td><td>$-15</td><td>$107</td><td>$11</td></tr></table>
<table><tr><td></td><td>(in millions)</td></tr><tr><td>2011</td><td>$96</td></tr><tr><td>2012</td><td>90</td></tr><tr><td>2013</td><td>81</td></tr><tr><td>2014</td><td>76</td></tr><tr><td>2015</td><td>68</td></tr><tr><td>Thereafter</td><td>259</td></tr><tr><td>Total</td><td>$670</td></tr></table>
<table><tr><td></td><td colspan="2">December 31,</td></tr><tr><td></td><td>2010</td><td>2009</td></tr><tr><td></td><td colspan="2">(in millions)</td></tr><tr><td>Commercial mortgage loan commitments</td><td>$22</td><td>$50</td></tr><tr><td>Consumer mortgage loan commitments</td><td>525</td><td>387</td></tr><tr><td>Consumer lines of credit</td><td>1,533</td><td>1,389</td></tr><tr><td>Affordable housing partnerships</td><td>188</td><td>—</td></tr><tr><td>Total funding commitments</td><td>$2,268</td><td>$1,826</td></tr></table>
<table><tr><td> </td><td colspan="6">Years Ended December 31,</td></tr><tr><td> </td><td colspan="3">2009</td><td colspan="3">2008</td></tr><tr><td> </td><td>CIEs </td><td>Other Adjustments -1</td><td>Total Adjustments</td><td>CIEs</td><td>Other Adjustments -1</td><td>Total Adjustments</td></tr><tr><td> </td><td colspan="6">(in millions)</td></tr><tr><td> Revenues</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Net investment income (loss)</td><td>$2</td><td>$—</td><td>$2</td><td>$—</td><td>$-3</td><td>$-3</td></tr><tr><td>Other revenues</td><td>28</td><td>—</td><td>28</td><td>-46</td><td>—</td><td>-46</td></tr><tr><td>Total revenues</td><td>30</td><td>—</td><td>30</td><td>-46</td><td>-3</td><td>-49</td></tr><tr><td>Banking and deposit interest expense</td><td>6</td><td>—</td><td>6</td><td>1</td><td>—</td><td>1</td></tr><tr><td>Total net revenues</td><td>24</td><td>—</td><td>24</td><td>-47</td><td>-3</td><td>-50</td></tr><tr><td> Expenses</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Distribution expenses</td><td>—</td><td>—</td><td>—</td><td>—</td><td>—</td><td>—</td></tr><tr><td>Interest and debt expense</td><td>—</td><td>—</td><td>—</td><td>—</td><td>—</td><td>—</td></tr><tr><td>General and administrative expense</td><td>9</td><td>4</td><td>13</td><td>7</td><td>62</td><td>69</td></tr><tr><td>Total expenses</td><td>9</td><td>4</td><td>13</td><td>7</td><td>62</td><td>69</td></tr><tr><td>Pretax income (loss)</td><td>15</td><td>-4</td><td>11</td><td>-54</td><td>-65</td><td>-119</td></tr><tr><td>Less: Net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests</td><td>15</td><td>—</td><td>15</td><td>-54</td><td>—</td><td>-54</td></tr><tr><td>Pretax loss attributable to Ameriprise Financial</td><td>$—</td><td>$-4</td><td>$-4</td><td>$—</td><td>$-65</td><td>$-65</td></tr></table>

Question: what was the average effective tax rate for december 31 , 2015 and 2014?