Subchapter S Corporation Status. Prior to the completion of the private placement in 2014, we elected for our parent company to be taxed for federal income tax purposes as a “Subchapter S corporation” under the Internal Revenue Code and our subsidiaries (other than our insurance subsidiaries and intermediate holding company) to be pass-through entities for federal income tax purposes. As a result, prior to the completion of the private placement, the income for our parent company and pass-through subsidiaries was not subject to, and we did not pay, U.S. federal income taxes, and no
Minimum ceding fees. Minimum ceding fees are fees we receive pursuant to contractual minimum premium requirements for certain of our programs where either significant premium capacity is reserved for that program or where the expected premium volume is not reasonably assured. For those programs where a minimum applies, the ceding fees are considered as two distinct pieces (1) “premium related fees,” which are earned as the associated gross written premium is earned, typically pro rata on an annual basis; and (2) “capacity fees,” which are determined based on the shortfall, if any, between the program’s contractual annual premium minimum and the amount of premium that we estimate will be written in the contract year, which fees are earned over the contract year.
Program gross expense ratio. The program gross expense ratio is a measure of our ability to earn increasing amounts of ceding fees with only minimal incremental expense in our Program Services business. Expressed as a percentage, this is the ratio of general and administrative expense incurred to gross written premium. Our GAs and capacity providers are responsible for providing all underwriting, policy administration, claims handling and other traditional insurance company services. As a result, we are able to produce significant premium volume with only minimal operating expenses. In addition, our fixed costs are a large component of the operating expenses while the incremental costs are small and are dependent upon the size and complexity of the programs being supported. For the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013, our ratio of operating expenses to gross premiums written, or program gross expense ratio, was 1.1%, 1.2% and 1.6%, respectively. Our objective is to produce a gross expense ratio in a range of 1.0% to 1.5%.
Fair value of financial instruments. ASC 820, “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures”, provides a definition of fair value, establishes a framework for measuring fair value, and requires expanded disclosures about fair value measurements. The standard applies when GAAP requires or allows assets or liabilities to be measured at fair value; therefore, it does not expand the use of fair value in any new circumstance. Investments measured at fair value on a recurring basis at December 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014 are all considered level 2 investments.
We are organized as a holding company with three domestic insurance company subsidiaries, as well as a wholly-owned subsidiary that operates in an agency capacity. Our principal sources of operating funds are premiums, ceding fees, investment income and proceeds from sales and maturities of investments. Our primary uses of operating funds include payments of claims and operating expenses. We pay claims using cash flow from operations and invest our excess cash primarily in fixed-income securities. We expect that projected cash flows from operations will provide us with sufficient liquidity to fund our anticipated growth and to pay claims, operating expenses, interest on debt facilities and other holding company expenses for the foreseeable future. However, if our growth attributable to potential acquisitions, internally generated growth, or a combination of these factors, exceeds our expectations, we may have to raise additional capital in the near term. If we cannot obtain adequate capital on favorable terms or at all, we may be unable to support future growth or operating requirements and, as a result, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected. We may generate liquidity through the issuance of debt or equity securities or financing through borrowings under credit facilities, or a combination thereof.