•We implemented the following operational and expense improvement initiatives for outside adjusters and legal counsel:
United States ("U.S.") monetary policy and global economic conditions may bring additional uncertainty related to inflationary trend. Changes in inflation affect the ultimate settlement costs for many of our lines of business, with the greatest impact in the longer-tailed lines such as general liability and workers compensation. Therefore, uncertainty about future inflation or deflation creates the potential for additional reserve variability in these lines of business.
•Delivering on our strategy for continued disciplined growth, driven by greater share of wallet in our agents’ offices, the addition of new agents, and geographic expansion over the longer term. We continue to work to achieve our longer-term Standard Commercial Lines 3% market share target in our 27 primary operating states, which represents an additional $3 billion premium opportunity. Our strategy is to appoint distribution partners representing approximately a 25% market share and seeking an average 12% share of wallet, or percentage of these partners' books of business. In addition, we anticipate re-starting our geographic expansion strategy. The five states that we opened during 2017 and 2018, including a new Southwest region, are all performing ahead of expectations. Over the next two years, we plan to open three additional states subject to regulatory approval, Idaho, Vermont, and Alabama, , and we plan to open others in subsequent years. Our long-term goal is to have national capabilities, although we will follow a measured and disciplined approach to identifying and opening new markets.
•Our $75 million estimate of audit and endorsement return premium related to lower payroll and sales exposures on the workers compensation and general liability lines of business resulting from the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- 97% of losses in excess of $225 million up to
(covers all insurance operations) There are six layers covering 100% of $88 million in excess of $2 million. Losses other than terrorism losses are subject to the following: All NBCR losses are excluded. All other losses stemming from the acts of terrorism are subject to the following:
We utilize a market approach for our Level 2 securities, using primarily matrix pricing models prepared by external pricing services. Matrix pricing models use mathematical techniques to value fixed income securities by relying on the securities' relationship to other benchmark quoted securities, and not relying exclusively on quoted prices for specific securities, as the specific securities are not always frequently traded. As a matter of policy, we consistently use one pricing service as our primary source and secondary pricing services if prices are not available from the primary pricing service. Fixed income security pricing is reviewed for reasonableness by (i) comparing our pricing to other third-party pricing services as well as benchmark indexed pricing, (ii) comparing fair value fluctuations between months for reasonableness, (iii) reviewing stale prices, and (iv) internally reviewing prices for reasonableness if a price from another third-party source is not available. If further analysis is needed, a challenge is sent to the pricing service for review and confirmation of the price.
During 2020, we did not have any write-offs or recoveries of our AFS fixed income securities and we did not purchase any assets with credit deterioration, so these items are not included in the table above.
(c) Quantitative information about unrealized losses on our AFS portfolio is provided below.
•Infrastructure: This strategy invests in the equity or debt of cash flow generating assets, diversified across a variety of industries, including transportation, energy infrastructure, renewable power, such as wind and solar, social infrastructure, power generation, water, telecom, and other regulated entities principally located in North America and Western Europe.
(g) We have pledged certain AFS fixed income securities as collateral related to our relationships with the Federal Home Loan Bank of Indianapolis ("FHLBI") and the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York ("FHLBNY"). In addition, certain securities were on deposit with various state and regulatory agencies at December 31, 2020 to comply with insurance laws. We retain all rights regarding all securities pledged as collateral.
(b) We have exposure to abuse or molestation claims within our general liability line of business through insurance policies that we issue to schools, religious institutions, daycares, and other social services. We also have exposure to abuse or molestation claims from recently enacted state laws that extend the statute of limitations or permit windows to be opened for abuse or molestation claims and lawsuits that were previously barred by statutes of limitations. The emergence of these claims is slow and highly unpredictable. There are significant uncertainties in estimating our exposure to abuse or molestation claims (for both case and IBNR reserves) resulting from (i) lack of relevant historical data, (ii) the delayed and inconsistent reporting patterns associated with these claims, (iii) the obligation of an insurer to defend a claim, (iv) the extent to which a party can prove the existence of coverage, and (v) uncertainty as to the number and identity of claimants. It is possible, as a result, that we may receive claims decades after the allegations occurred from coverages provided by us, including predecessor companies, that will require complex claims coverage determinations, potential litigation, and the need to collect from reinsurers under older reinsurance agreements. We do not discount to present value that portion of our loss and loss expense reserves expected to be paid in future periods.
•On February 18, 2020, SICA borrowed short-term funds of $85 million from the FHLBNY at an interest rate of 1.81%. This borrowing was refinanced upon its maturity on March 18, 2020, at a lower interest rate of 0.68% and was subsequently repaid on September 18, 2020.
Net deferred federal income tax decreased by $33.9 million in 2020, which was primarily driven by a decrease in interest rates resulting in a $35.8 million increase in gross deferred tax liabilities associated with unrealized gains on our fixed income securities portfolio.
After considering all evidence, both positive and negative, with respect to our federal tax loss carryback availability, expected levels of pre-tax financial statement income, and federal taxable income, we believe it is more likely than not that the existing deductible temporary differences will reverse during periods in which we generate net federal taxable income or have adequate federal carryback availability. As a result, we had no valuation allowance recognized for federal deferred tax assets at December 31, 2020 or 2019. We do not have unrecognized tax expense or benefit as of December 31, 2020.
Our latest measurement date was December 31, 2020, at which time we decreased our expected return on plan assets to 5.40%, due to lower expected returns within our longer-dated fixed income portfolio, as interest rates declined significantly year-over-year.
The weighted-average fair value of options and stock per share, including RSUs granted under the Parent's stock plans, during 2020, 2019, and 2018 was as follows:
We have various operating leases for office space, equipment, and fleet vehicles. In addition, we have various finance leases for computer hardware. Such lease agreements, which expire at various dates through 2030, are generally renewed or replaced by similar leases.
As of December 31, 2020, we do not believe we are involved in any legal action that could have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows.
Note 22. Statutory Financial Information, Capital Requirements, and Restrictions on Dividends and Transfers of Funds