Company: BRK-A
Filing Date: 2025-02-24
Form Type: 10-K
Source: 0000950170-25-025210
Chunk: 112

Company: BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY INC
Filing Date: 2025-02-24
Form: 10-K
Item: Item 1B
Chunk 112
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 quarterly or annual period, reporting practices can vary by jurisdiction. To the extent that reinsurers assume and cede underlying risks from other reinsurers, further delays in claims reporting may occur. The relative impact of reporting delays depends on the type of coverage, contractual reporting terms, or the magnitude of the claim relative to the attachment point of the reinsurance coverage. 

The premium and loss data BHRG receives is at least one level removed from the underlying claimant, so there is a risk that the loss data reported is incomplete, inaccurate or the claim is outside the coverage terms. We maintain internal procedures to determine that the information is complete and in compliance with the contract terms. Generally, our reinsurance contracts permit us to audit the ceding company’s records with respect to the subject business for compliance with the terms of the policy. Disputes occasionally arise concerning whether claims are covered by our reinsurance policies, which are normally resolved through negotiation. If disputes cannot be resolved, our contracts generally provide arbitration or alternative dispute resolution processes. We believe there are no coverage disputes at this time for which an adverse resolution would likely have a material impact on our consolidated results of operations or financial condition. 

Establishing claim liability estimates for reinsurance requires evaluation of loss information received from our clients. While we generally rely on the ceding companies’ reported case loss estimates, we may perform our own evaluations certain reported case losses and if deemed appropriate, use our own case liability estimate. As of December 31, 2024, our case loss estimates exceeded ceding company estimates by approximately $1.7 billion. We also periodically conduct detailed reviews of individual client claims, which may cause us to adjust our case estimates. 

Although liabilities for losses are initially determined based on pricing and underwriting analysis, we use a variety of actuarial methodologies that place reliance on the extrapolation of historical data, loss development patterns, industry data and other benchmarks. The estimate of the IBNR liabilities also requires judgment by actuaries and management to reflect the impact of additional factors like change in business mix, volume, claim reporting and handling practices, inflation, social and legal environment and the terms and conditions of the contracts. The methodologies generally fall into or are hybrids of one or more of the following categories:

Paid and incurred loss development methods consider the expected case loss emergence and development patterns, together with expected loss ratios by year. Factors affecting loss development analysis include, but are not limited to, changes in the following: client claims reporting and settlement practices, the frequency of client company claim reviews,