Company: APO
Filing Date: 2025-02-24
Form Type: 10-K
Source: 0001858681-25-000034
Chunk: 90

Company: Apollo Global Management, Inc.
Filing Date: 2025-02-24
Form: 10-K
Item: Item 7
Chunk 90
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 contract inception, Athene assesses the fees and assessments that are collectible from the policyholder, which include explicit rider fees and other contract fees, and allocates them to the extent they are attributable to the market risk benefit. These attributed fees are used in the valuation of the market risk benefits and are never negative or exceed total explicit fees collectible from the policyholder. Athene is also required to project the expected benefits that will be required for the riders in excess of the projected account balance. Determining the projected benefits in excess of the projected account balance requires judgment for economic and actuarial assumptions, both of which are used in determining future policyholder account growth that will drive the amount of benefits required.

Economic assumptions include interest rates and implied equity volatilities throughout the duration of the liability. For riders on indexed annuities, this also includes assumptions about projected equity returns, which impact expected index credits on the next policy anniversary date and future equity option costs. When economic assumptions lead to an increase in expected future policy growth from higher interest and index crediting during the accumulation period, the higher projected account balance at the time of rider utilization decreases the inherent value of the rider as less payments for benefits are required in excess of the account balance. All else constant, the increase in the projected account balance will, therefore, result in a decrease to the market risk benefit liability, or an increase if the market risk benefit is in an asset position, with remeasurement gains recorded in the consolidated statements of operations.

Policyholder behavior assumptions are established using accepted actuarial valuation methods to estimate decrements to policies with riders including lapses, full and partial withdrawals (surrender rate) and mortality and the utilization of the benefit riders. Base lapse rates consider the level of surrender charges and are dynamically adjusted based on the level of current interest rates relative to the guaranteed rates and the amount by which any rider guarantees are in a net positive position. Rider utilization assumptions consider the number and timing of policyholders electing the riders. Athene tracks and updates this assumption as experience emerges. Mortality assumptions are set at the product level and are generally based on standard industry tables with adjustments for historical experience and a provision for mortality improvement. While economic assumptions impact the projected account value and the benefits paid in excess of the account value, policyholder behavior assumptions, such as surrenders, impact the expected number of policies that will elect to utilize the rider. An expected increase in decrements and decrease in rider utilization, all else constant, will result in a decrease