Cincinnati Financial Corporation owns Gilmore Pointe, located on the northwest corner of our headquarters property. This four-story building contains approximately 103,000 square feet of usable space. The property is recorded in the financial statements at $5 million at December 31, 2020, and is classified as investment property in Other Invested Assets, net. At December 31, 2020, unaffiliated tenants occupied 86%, Cincinnati Financial affiliates occupied 14%.
Our property casualty insurance operations generated an underwriting profit for each of the three years ending in 2020. The $222 million decrease in 2020, compared with 2019, included a $370 million increase in losses from catastrophe events and $121 million less benefit from net favorable reserve development on prior accident years before catastrophe losses. The $155 million improvement in 2019, compared with 2018, included a $25 million decrease in losses from natural catastrophe events and $69 million more benefit from net favorable reserve development on prior accident years before catastrophe losses.
•For events designated as natural catastrophes resulting in losses incurred related to premiums written on a direct basis by The Cincinnati Insurance Companies, we calculate IBNR reserves directly as a result of an estimated IBNR claim count and an estimated average claim amount for each event. Once case reserves are established for a catastrophe event, we reduce the IBNR reserves. Our claims department management coordinates the assessment of these events and prepares the related IBNR reserve estimates. Such an assessment involves a comprehensive analysis of the nature of the event, of policyholder exposures within the affected geographic area and of available claims intelligence. Depending on the nature of the event, available claims intelligence could include surveys of field claims associates within the affected geographic area, feedback from a catastrophe claims team sent into the area, as well as data on claims reported as of the financial statement date.
Other written premiums also include premiums ceded to reinsurers as part of our ceded reinsurance program. An increase in ceded premiums, other than Cincinnati Re and Cincinnati Global premiums, reduced net written premium growth by $1 million in 2020.
Pricing precision and other initiatives to improve commercial lines underwriting profitability complement our business practices that continue to leverage the local presence of our field associates. Field marketing representatives meet with local agencies to assess each risk, determine limits of insurance and establish appropriate terms and conditions. They underwrite new business, with collaboration and expertise from headquarters associates as needed, while field loss control, machinery and equipment and claims representatives conduct on-site inspections. Field claims representatives also assist underwriters by preparing full reports on their first-hand observations of risk quality.
We are building commercial lines for an even larger percentage of our agencies total portfolio, whether it’s through expansion of our local field presence, enhanced expertise or flexibility in processes and service. Our goal is to be the first and last solution when our agencies are considering business placement.
Loss experience for our insurance operations is influenced by many factors. During the last three quarters of 2020, loss experience for our personal auto line of business improved, largely due to a reduction in personal auto reported claims resulting from reduced driving during the pandemic. Because of factors that reduce exposure to certain insurance losses, there could be a reduction in future losses that generally corresponds to reduced premiums. However, there could be losses or legal expenses that occur independent of changes in miles driven for autos we insure.
Personal lines insurance is a strategic component of our overall relationship with most of our agencies and is an important component of our agencies’ relationships with their clients. We believe agents recommend our personal insurance products to their clients who seek to balance quality and price and who are attracted by our superior claims service and the benefits of our package approach. We also believe our continuing efforts to improve pricing precision are helping us attract and retain more of our agencies’ preferred business, while also obtaining higher rates for more thinly priced business.
Loss experience for our insurance operations is influenced by many factors. We have not determined any material effect on our loss experience for 2020 as a result of the pandemic. Because of factors that reduce exposure to certain insurance losses, such as reduced sales revenue for businesses, there could be a reduction in future losses that generally corresponds to reduced premiums. However, there could be losses or legal expenses that occur independent of changes in sales for businesses we insure.
Write-downs of impaired securities or OTTI charges from the investment portfolio by industry are summarized as follows:
At December 31, 2020, we had $900 million in cash and cash equivalents. During 2021, our lead insurance subsidiary may pay $583 million in dividends to our parent company without regulatory approval. That strong liquidity and our consistent cash flows give us the flexibility to meet current obligations and commitments while building value by prudently investing where we see potential for both current income and long-term return. Our cash and cash equivalents provide adequate financial cushion when short-term operating results do not meet our objectives.
We have identified our population of contracts that contain a LIBOR reference and determined our exposure to be minimal. Our identification is primarily related to our line of credit, an unsecured letter of credit agreement to provide a portion of the capital needed to support obligations at Lloyd's, investments in floating rate securities and late fee provisions. We will continue to work with counterparties to determine alternative rates for each contract identified.
We regularly review our life insurance business to ensure that any deferred acquisition cost associated with the business is recoverable and that our actuarial liabilities (life insurance segment reserves) make sufficient provision for future benefits and related expenses.
•Delays, inadequate data developed internally or from third parties, or performance inadequacies from ongoing development and implementation of underwriting and pricing methods, including telematics and other usage-based insurance methods, or technology projects and enhancements expected to increase our pricing accuracy, underwriting profit and competitiveness
•We compared the Company’s prior year estimates of expected incurred losses to actual experience during the current year to identify potential bias in the determination of loss and loss expense reserves.
The company adopted these ASU's on January 1, 2020, and applied them on a modified retrospective basis. As a result of this adoption, an after-tax cumulative effect decrease of $2 million was made to retained earnings representing an increase to the overall valuation allowances for financial instruments measured at amortized cost. These ASU's were applied to available for sale fixed-maturity securities prospectively with no adjustments to the amortized cost basis of securities for which an other-than-temporary impairment had been previously recognized. The company has elected not to measure expected credit losses for accrued interest receivables related to its finance receivables and fixed-maturity securities.
•Level 2 - Financial assets and liabilities for which values are based on quoted prices in markets that are not active or for which values are based on similar assets and liabilities that are actively traded. This also includes pricing models for which the inputs are corroborated by market data.
The following table provides a reconciliation of the property casualty incurred losses and allocated loss adjustment expenses (ALAE) development and paid losses and ALAE development information at December 31, 2020.
The provision for federal income taxes is based upon the filing of a consolidated income tax return for the company and its domestic subsidiaries within the United States. As of December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, we have no operating loss carryforwards in the United States. For the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, we have no capital loss carryforwards in the United States. As more fully discussed below, Cincinnati Global, has operating loss carryforwards in the United Kingdom.
Service costs and non-service costs (benefit) are allocated in the same proportion primarily to underwriting, acquisition and insurance expenses line item with the remainder allocated to the insurance losses and contract holders' benefits line item on the consolidated statements of income for 2020, 2019 and 2018.
•Risk-free rates are the implied yield currently available on zero-coupon U.S. Treasury issues with a remaining term approximating the expected term.
The following weighted average assumptions were used in determining fair value for option grants issued:
The sum of the quarterly reported per share amounts may not equal the full year as each is computed independently. Revenues including investment gains and losses, which are integral to our financial results over the long term, may cause this value to fluctuate substantially because we have substantial discretion in the timing of investment sales. Also, applicable accounting standards require us to recognize gains and losses from certain changes in fair values of securities without actual realization of those gains and losses.