Prior-year amounts have been adjusted for the adoption of accounting guidance on January 1, 2016 related to debt issuance costs.
ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF
competitive environment and ability to anticipate and respond to market trends
significant valuation judgments in determination of amount of impairments taken on the Company's investments
catastrophic events including, but not necessarily limited to, epidemics, pandemics, tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis, war or other military action, terrorism or other acts of violence, and damage incidental to such events
Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (MD&A) is intended to inform the reader about matters affecting the financial condition and results of operations of Aflac Incorporated and its subsidiaries for the three-year period ended December 31, 2018. As a result, the following discussion should be read in conjunction with the related consolidated financial statements and notes. This MD&A is divided into the following sections:
Aflac Incorporated (the Parent Company) and its subsidiaries (collectively, the Company) primarily sell supplemental health and life insurance in the United States and Japan. The Company's insurance business is marketed and administered through American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus (Aflac) in the United States (Aflac U.S.) and, effective April 1, 2018, through Aflac Life Insurance Japan Ltd. in Japan (Aflac Japan). Prior to April 1, 2018, the Company's insurance business was marketed in Japan as a branch of Aflac. (For more information about the conversion of Aflac Japan to a legal subsidiary, see the Insurance Operations subsection of this MD&A). American Family Life Assurance Company of New York (Aflac New York) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Aflac. Most of Aflac's policies are individually underwritten and marketed through independent agents. Additionally, Aflac U.S. markets and administers group products through Continental American Insurance Company (CAIC), branded as Aflac Group Insurance. The Company's insurance operations in the United States and Japan service the two markets for the Company's insurance business.
Yen-denominated income statement accounts are translated to U.S. dollars using a weighted-average Japanese yen/U.S. dollar foreign exchange rate, while yen-denominated balance sheet accounts are translated to U.S. dollars using a spot Japanese yen/U.S. dollar foreign exchange rate(1). The spot yen/dollar exchange rate at December 31, 2018 was 111.00, or 1.8% stronger than the spot yen/dollar exchange rate of 113.00 at December 31, 2017. The weighted-average yen/dollar exchange rate for the year ended December 31, 2018 was 110.39, or 1.6% stronger than the weighted-average yen/dollar exchange rate of 112.16 for the same period in 2017.
Total revenues increased .4% to $21.8 billion in 2018, compared with $21.7 billion in 2017. Net earnings in 2018 were $2.9 billion, or $3.77 per diluted share, compared with $4.6 billion, or $5.77 per diluted share, in 2017. In 2017, net earnings and net earnings per diluted share included the impact of the estimated $1.9 billion, or $2.42 per diluted share, benefit as a result of the U.S. Tax Act. In the fourth quarter of 2018, the Company recorded an immaterial adjustment to the provisional Japan deferred tax balances and no valuation allowance adjustment related to anticipatory foreign tax credit asset, rendering final values for the Company's deferred tax liability.
In October 2018, the Parent Company issued $550 million of senior notes and 53.4 billion yen of senior notes through public debt offerings under its U.S. shelf registration statement. In November 2018, the Parent Company used the net proceeds of the $550 million senior notes to redeem the Parent Company's 2.40% senior notes due in 2020. For further information regarding these transactions, see Note 9 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements and the Capital Resources and Liquidity section of this MD&A.
On February 13, 2018, the Board of Directors of the Parent Company declared a two-for-one stock split of the Company’s common stock in the form of a 100% stock dividend payable on March 16, 2018 to shareholders of record at the close of business on March 2, 2018. The stock split was paid in the form of one additional common stock share for every share of common stock held. All equity and share-based data, including the number of shares outstanding and per share amounts, have been adjusted to reflect the stock split for all periods presented in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
The Company repurchased 28.9 million shares of its common stock in the open market for $1.3 billion under its share repurchase program in 2018, compared with the repurchase of 35.5 million shares for $1.35 billion in 2017.
The Company prepares its financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP. These principles are established primarily by the FASB. In this MD&A, references to U.S. GAAP issued by the FASB are derived from the FASB Accounting Standards CodificationTM (ASC). The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires the Company to make estimates based on currently available information when recording transactions resulting from business operations. The estimates that the Company deems to be most critical to an understanding of Aflac's results of operations and financial condition are those related to the valuation of investments and derivatives, deferred policy acquisition costs (DAC), liabilities for future policy benefits and unpaid policy claims, and income taxes. The preparation and evaluation of these critical accounting estimates involve the use of various assumptions developed from management's analyses and judgments. The application of these critical accounting estimates determines the values at which 94% of the Company's assets and 81% of its liabilities are reported as of December 31, 2018, and thus has a direct effect on net earnings and shareholders' equity. Subsequent experience or use of other assumptions could produce significantly different results.
The Company's derivative activities include foreign currency forwards and options used in hedging foreign exchange risk and interest rate swaps and options on interest rate swaps (or interest rate swaptions) used in hedging interest rate risk on U.S. dollar-denominated securities in Aflac Japan's portfolio; foreign currency forwards and options used to economically hedge certain portions of forecasted cash flows denominated in yen and hedge the Company's long term exposure to a weakening yen; foreign currency swaps associated with certain senior notes and subordinated debentures; and foreign currency and credit default swaps in variable interest entities (VIEs) that are consolidated. Inputs used to value derivatives include, but are not limited to, interest rates, credit spreads, foreign currency forward and spot rates, and interest volatility.
Insurance premiums for most of the Company's health and life policies, including cancer, accident, hospital, critical illness, dental, vision, term life, whole life, long-term care and disability, are recognized as revenue over the premium-
paying periods of the contracts when due from policyholders. When revenues are reported, the related amounts of benefits and expenses are charged against such revenues, so that profits are recognized in proportion to premium revenues during the period the policies are expected to remain in force. This association is accomplished by means of annual additions to the liability for future policy benefits and the deferral and subsequent amortization of policy acquisition costs.
Future policy benefits provide for claims that will occur in the future and are generally calculated as the present value of future expected benefits to be incurred less the present value of future expected net benefit premiums. The Company calculates future policy benefits based on assumptions of morbidity, mortality, persistency and interest. These assumptions are generally established at the time a policy is issued. The assumptions used in the calculations are closely
related to those used in developing the gross premiums for a policy. As required by U.S. GAAP, the Company also includes a provision for adverse deviation, which is intended to accommodate adverse fluctuations in actual experience.
Unpaid policy claims include those claims that have been incurred and are in the process of payment as well as an estimate of those claims that have been incurred but have not yet been reported to the Company. The Company computes unpaid policy claims on a non-discounted basis using statistical analyses of historical claims payments, adjusted for current trends and changed conditions. The Company updates the assumptions underlying the estimate of unpaid policy claims regularly and incorporates its historical experience as well as other data that provides information regarding the Company's outstanding liability.
Other policy liabilities, which accounted for 12% of total policy liabilities as of December 31, 2018, consisted primarily of annuity and unearned premium reserves, and discounted advance premiums on deposit from policyholders in conjunction with their purchase of certain Aflac Japan insurance products. These advanced premiums are deferred upon collection and recognized as premium revenue over the contractual premium payment period. Advanced premiums represented 29% and 34% of the December 31, 2018 and 2017 other policy liabilities balances, respectively. See the Aflac Japan segment subsection of this MD&A for further information.
In evaluating the ability to recover deferred tax assets, the Company's management considers all available evidence, including taxable income in open carry back years, the existence of cumulative losses in the most recent years, forecasted earnings, future taxable income exclusive of reversing temporary differences and carryforwards, future taxable temporary difference reversals, and prudent and feasible tax planning strategies. In the event the Company determines it is not more likely than not that it will be able to realize all or part of its deferred tax assets in the future, a valuation allowance would be charged to earnings in the period such determination is made. Likewise, if it is later determined that it is more likely than not that those deferred tax assets would be realized, the previously provided valuation allowance would be reversed. Future economic conditions and market volatility, including increases in interest rates or widening credit spreads, can adversely impact the Company’s tax planning strategies and in particular the Company’s ability to utilize tax benefits on previously recognized capital losses. The Company's judgments and assumptions are subject to change given the inherent uncertainty in predicting future performance and specific industry and investment market conditions.
The Tax Act was signed into law on December 22, 2017. Among other things, effective January 1, 2018 the Tax Act reduced the U.S. federal statutory corporate income tax rate from 35% to 21%, eliminated or reduced certain deductions and credits, and limited the deductibility of interest expense and executive compensation.
The Company is thoroughly evaluating the impact of adoption of ASU 2018-12 and expects that the adoption will have a significant impact on the Company’s reported financial position, results of operations, and disclosures under U.S. GAAP accounting. The Company anticipates that the requirement to update assumptions for liability for future policy benefits will have a significant impact on its results of operations, while the requirement to update the discount rate will have a significant impact on its accumulated other comprehensive income (AOCI) and equity. There are two permitted transition methods upon adoption, full retrospective and modified retrospective. Under the full retrospective method, the Company would restate all historical periods based upon actual historical experience as of contract inception and its updated view of the contractual cash flow projections at transition. A cumulative catch-up adjustment to opening retained earnings would be recognized to reflect the actual experience and updated projections. The update of the discount rate would be recognized in AOCI. The Company will be permitted to apply a full retrospective transition approach if actual historical information is available for all contracts that will be affected by the new guidance. Under the modified retrospective method, the opening reserve balance at the transition date, January 1, 2019, would generally be the same as the closing balance before transition, updated for changes in the discount rate.
As an example of the potential impact of the new guidance, and for illustrative purposes only, under the modified retrospective method and in a low interest rate environment, the Company would expect AOCI (which was $2.2 billion at December 31, 2018) to significantly decline upon adoption and to thereafter reflect larger quarterly fluctuations due to the new requirement to quarterly adjust discount rates. Conversely, in a higher interest rate environment, and again assuming adoption of the modified retrospective method for illustrative purposes, the Company would expect AOCI to decline less or even increase (depending on the specifics of the interest rate environment), as well as to reflect quarterly fluctuations. Under the full retrospective method, the Company would expect lesser declines or increases in total equity upon adoption
The Company defines adjusted earnings per share (basic or diluted) to be adjusted earnings for the period divided by the weighted average outstanding shares (basic or diluted) for the period presented. The most comparable U.S. GAAP measure is net earnings per share.
Because a significant portion of the Company's business is conducted in Japan and foreign exchange rates are outside of management’s control, the Company believes it is important to understand the impact of translating Japanese yen into U.S. dollars. Adjusted earnings and adjusted earnings per diluted share excluding current period foreign currency impact are computed using the average yen/dollar exchange rate for the comparable prior year period, which eliminates fluctuations driven solely by yen-to-dollar currency rate changes.
The following table is a reconciliation of items impacting adjusted earnings and adjusted earnings per diluted share to the most directly comparable U.S. GAAP measures of net earnings and net earnings per diluted share, respectively, for the years ended December 31.
(2) Excludes amortized hedge costs of $236 in 2018, $228 in 2017 and $186 in 2016, related to hedging U.S. dollar-denominated investments held in Aflac Japan which are classified as a component of adjusted earnings to conform to current year reporting. See "Hedge Costs" discussion below for further information.
(3) Amortized hedge costs in Aflac Japan were partially offset by derivatives entered into as part of corporate activities and resulted in a benefit of $36 in 2018, which has been reclassified from realized investment gains (losses) and reported as an increase in net investment income when analyzing operations.
(4) An immaterial amount of net interest cash flows from derivatives associated with certain investment strategies in 2018 have been reclassified from realized investment gains (losses) into net investment income when analyzing operations.
(8) Amounts excluding current period foreign currency impact are computed using the average yen/dollar exchange rate for the comparable prior-year period, which eliminates dollar-based fluctuations driven solely from currency rate changes.
The Company's derivative activities include foreign currency forwards and options on certain fixed maturity securities; foreign currency forwards and options that economically hedge certain portions of forecasted cash flows denominated in yen and hedge the Company's long-term exposure to a weakening yen; foreign currency swaps associated with certain senior notes and subordinated debentures; foreign currency swaps and credit defaults swaps held in consolidated VIEs; interest rate swaps used to economically hedge interest rate fluctuations in certain variable-rate investments; and interest rate swaptions to hedge changes in the fair value associated with interest rate changes for certain dollar-denominated available-for-sale securities. Gains and losses are recognized as a result of valuing these derivatives, net of the effects of hedge accounting. The Company also excludes the accounting impacts of remeasurement associated with changes in the yen/dollar exchange rate from adjusted earnings. Certain derivative and foreign currency gains (losses) exclude amortized hedge costs related to foreign currency exposure management strategies (see Hedge Cost section below), and net interest cash flows from derivatives associated with certain investment strategies and notes payable, all of which are included in adjusted earnings.
For the Penn Treaty liquidation that was recognized by judicial authority in March 2017, the Company estimated and recognized a discounted liability for assessments of $62 million (undiscounted $94 million), offset by discounted premium tax credits of $48 million (undiscounted $74 million), for a net $14 million impact to net income in the quarter ended March 31, 2017. For additional information regarding guaranty fund assessments, see Note 15 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
In Japan, the government also requires the insurance industry to contribute to a policyholder protection corporation that provides funds for the policyholders of insolvent insurers; however, these costs are calculated and administered differently than in the United States. In Japan, these costs are not directly related to specific insolvencies or bankruptcies, but are rather a regular operational cost for an insurance company. Based on this structure, the Company does not remove the Japan policyholder protection expenses from adjusted earnings.
Effective January 1, 2017, nonrecurring items also include conversion costs related to legally converting the Company's Japan branch to a subsidiary; these costs primarily consist of expenditures for legal, accounting, consulting, integration of systems and processes and other similar services. These Japan branch conversion costs amounted to $75 million in 2018 and $42 million in 2017.
The Company considers the costs associated with the early redemption of its debt to be unrelated to the underlying fundamentals and trends in its insurance operations. Additionally, these costs are driven by changes in interest rates subsequent to the issuance of the debt, and the Company considers these interest rate changes to represent economic conditions not directly associated with its insurance operations. In November 2017, the Parent Company extinguished $500 million of its 5.50% subordinated debentures. The pretax non-operating expense due to the early redemption of these notes was $13 million. In 2016, the Parent Company completed a tender offer in which it extinguished $176 million principal of its 6.90% senior notes due 2039 and $193 million principal of its 6.45% senior notes due 2040. The pretax non-operating loss due to the early redemption of these notes was $137 million.
The Company's objectives in 2019 are to maintain strong pre-tax margins in its Aflac Japan and Aflac U.S. segments through disciplined product pricing, stable investment returns and leveraging a period of favorable benefit ratios to invest in its platform for future growth and efficiency. The Company believes that its market-leading position, powerful brand recognition and diverse distribution in Japan and the United States will provide support toward these objectives.
The Company believes that its efforts will support its prudent strategies for capital deployment in the form of dividends, share repurchases, and opportunistic investments that enhance the Company’s business with a focus on digital distribution and leveraging the Company’s brand, distribution and scale. The Company has stated that the dividend payout ratio from its Aflac Japan segment is likely to be in the range of 80% - 100% of FSA earnings. In its Aflac U.S. segment, the Company plans to continue its RBC drawdown plan to an RBC in the 500% range by the end of 2019.
The Company expects corporate segment results to benefit from net investment income driven by increased capital and liquidity held at the Parent Company, as well as the Company’s enterprise currency hedging strategy. The anticipated increase in investment income is expected to be partially offset by increased costs associated with continued investment in Aflac Corporate Ventures initiatives.
For important disclosures applicable to statements made in this 2019 Outlook, please see the Risk Factors section and the statement on “Forward-Looking Information” at the beginning of the Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
The following table illustrates the effect of translating Aflac Japan's U.S. dollar-denominated investment income and related items into yen by comparing certain segment results with those that would have been reported had dollar/yen exchange rates remained unchanged from the prior year. Amounts excluding foreign currency impact on U.S. dollar denominated investment income were determined using the average dollar/yen exchange rate for the comparable prior year period.
(2)Amounts excluding foreign currency impact on U.S. dollar-denominated investment income (a non-U.S. GAAP financial measure) were determined using the average dollar/yen exchange rate for the comparable prior year period.
At December 31, 2018, Aflac Japan had agreements to sell its products at 371 banks, approximately 90% of the total number of banks in Japan. Bank channel sales accounted for 4.6% of new annualized premium sales in 2018 for Aflac Japan, compared with 5.2% in 2017 and 8.9% in 2016.
Funds available for investment include cash flows from operations, investment income, and funds generated from maturities, redemptions, securities lending, and other securities transactions. Securities lending is also used from time to time to accelerate the availability of funds for investment. Purchases of securities from period to period are determined based on multiple objectives including appropriate portfolio diversification, the relative value of a potential investment and availability of investment opportunities, liquidity, credit and other risk factors while adhering to the Company's investment policy guidelines.
(1) Includes fixed maturity securities, loan receivables, equity securities, and excludes alternative investments in limited partnerships
The increase in the Aflac Japan new money yield in 2018 was primarily due to increased allocations to higher yielding U.S. dollar-denominated asset classes.
Aflac U.S. products provide cash benefits that can be used to help with increasing out-of-pocket medical expenses, help cover household costs, or protect against income and asset loss. Group products and relationships with insurance brokers that handle the larger-case market are helping Aflac U.S. expand its reach by selling to larger businesses. Aflac U.S. is regularly evaluating the marketplace to identify opportunities to bring the most relevant, cost-effective products to customers. The Company believes the need for its products remains very strong, and Aflac U.S. continues to work on enhancing its distribution capabilities to access employers of all sizes, including initiatives that benefit the field force and the broker community. At the same time, the Company is seeking opportunities to leverage its brand strength and attractive product portfolio in the evolving health care environment.
The Tax Act changes became effective on January 1, 2018. However, because changes to tax rates are accounted for in the period of enactment, during the period ended December 31, 2017, the Company revalued its deferred tax assets and liabilities and recorded a net deferred tax liability reduction of $1.9 billion as of that date. In the fourth quarter of 2018, the Company recorded an immaterial adjustment to the provisional Japan deferred tax balances and no valuation allowance adjustment related to anticipatory foreign tax credit asset, rendering final values for the Company's deferred tax liability. For information on the effects of the Tax Act during the period ended December 31, 2018, see Note 10 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements presented in this report. For information on the conversion of Aflac Japan from a branch to a subsidiary, see General Business under Item 1, Business, in this report.
The Dodd-Frank Act also established a Federal Insurance Office (FIO) under the U.S. Treasury Department to monitor all aspects of the insurance industry and of lines of business other than certain health insurance, certain long-term care insurance and crop insurance. Traditionally, U.S. insurance companies have been regulated primarily by state insurance departments. The FIO does not directly regulate the insurance industry, but under Dodd-Frank it has the power to preempt state insurance regulations that are inconsistent with international agreements reached by the federal government, subject to certain requirements and restrictions. The FIO and certain federal agencies must achieve consensus positions with the state insurance regulators when taking positions on insurance proposals by certain international forums. In December 2013, the FIO released a report entitled "How To Modernize And Improve The System Of Insurance Regulation In The United States." The report was required by the Dodd-Frank Act, and included 18 recommended areas of near-term reform for the states, including addressing capital adequacy and safety/soundness issues, reform of insurer resolution practices, and reform of marketplace regulation. The report also listed nine recommended areas for direct federal involvement in insurance regulation. Some of the recommendations outlined in the FIO report released in December 2013 have been implemented. The National Association of Registered Agents and Brokers Reform Act, signed into law in January 2015, simplifies the agent and broker licensing process across state lines. The FIO has also engaged with the supervisory colleges to monitor financial stability and identify regulatory gaps for large national and internationally active
Under state insurance guaranty association laws and similar laws in international jurisdictions, Aflac is subject to assessments, based on the share of business it writes in the relevant jurisdiction, for certain obligations of insolvent insurance companies to policyholders and claimants. In the United States, some states permit member insurers to recover assessments paid through full or partial premium tax offsets. The Company's policy is to accrue assessments when the entity for which the insolvency relates has met its state of domicile's statutory definition of insolvency, the amount of the loss is reasonably estimable and the related premium upon which the assessment is based is written. In most states, the definition is met with a declaration of financial insolvency by a court of competent jurisdiction.
Total revenue for corporate and other increased to $339 million in 2018, compared with $272 million in 2017 and $277 million in 2016. This increase in 2018 was primarily driven by an increase in net investment income. The increase in net investment income to $113 million in 2018, compared with $35 million in 2017, was driven by a $36 million pretax contribution from the Company’s corporate yen hedging program and increased income from over $600 million of invested assets transferred as part of the drawdown of excess capital in the U.S. segment beginning in the fourth quarter of 2017.
Pretax adjusted earnings for corporate and other were a loss of $139 million in 2018, compared with a loss of $214 million in 2017 and a loss of $239 million in 2016. The improvement in pretax adjusted earnings in 2018 was driven primarily by the increase in net investment income as previously described.
(2)Excludes investments and cash held by the Parent Company and other business segments of $3,333 in 2018 and $3,280 in 2017.
Cash and cash equivalents totaled $4.3 billion, or 3.4% of total investments and cash, as of December 31, 2018, compared with $3.5 billion, or 2.8%, at December 31, 2017. For a discussion of the factors affecting the Company's cash balance, see the Operating Activities, Investing Activities and Financing Activities subsections of this MD&A.
In 2017, Aflac U.S. became a member of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta (FHLB). As a member, Aflac U.S. can access low-cost funding and also receive dividends on FHLB membership stock. Additional FHLB stock purchases are required based on funding activity with the FHLB. Aflac U.S. will be required to post acceptable forms of collateral for any funding from the FHLB. The FHLB stock purchased by the Company is classified as a restricted investment and is included in "other investments" in the consolidated balance sheets.
As of December 31, 2018, the Company's direct and indirect exposure to securities in its investment portfolio that were guaranteed by third parties was immaterial both individually and in the aggregate.
Generally, declines in fair values can be a result of changes in interest rates, yen/dollar exchange rate, and changes in net spreads driven by a broad market move or a change in the issuer's underlying credit quality. As the Company believes these issues have the ability to continue making timely payments of principal and interest, the Company views these changes in fair value to be temporary and does not believe it is necessary to impair the carrying value of these securities. See the Unrealized Investment Gains and Losses section in Note 3 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further discussions of unrealized losses related to financial institutions and other corporate investments.
The Company uses derivative contracts to hedge foreign currency exchange rate risk and interest rate risk. Derivative hedges are designed to reduce risk on an economic basis while minimizing the impact on financial results. The Company’s derivative hedge programs vary depending on the type of risk being hedged.
The Company has deployed the following hedging strategies to mitigate exposure to foreign currency exchange rate risk:
Aflac Japan hedges U.S. dollar-denominated investments back to yen (see Aflac Japan’s U.S. Dollar-Denominated Hedge Program below).
Aflac Japan buys U.S. dollar-denominated investments, typically corporate bonds, and hedges them back to yen with foreign currency forwards and options to hedge foreign currency exchange rate risk. This economically creates yen assets that match yen liabilities during the life of the derivative and provides liquidity and capital relief. The currency risk being hedged is generally based on fair value of hedged investments. The following table summarizes the U.S. dollar-denominated investments held by Aflac Japan as of December 31.
As of December 31, 2018, Aflac Japan had $9.9 billion outstanding notional amounts of foreign currency forwards and $9.5 billion outstanding notional amounts of foreign currency options, of which none were in-the-money, hedging the U.S. dollar-denominated investments. The fair value of Aflac Japan's unhedged dollar-denominated portfolio was $14.4 billion (excluding certain U.S. dollar-denominated assets shown in the table above as a result of consolidation that have been economically converted to yen using derivatives).
Foreign exchange derivatives used for hedging are periodically settled, which results in cash receipt or payment at maturity or early termination. The Company had net cash settlements of $272 million, $(747) million and $1.3 billion for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively, associated with the currency derivatives used for hedging Aflac Japan’s U.S. dollar-denominated investments.
(5) Based on annualized amortized hedge costs divided by average FX forward notional for the period
The Company has designated certain yen-denominated liabilities and foreign currency forwards and options of the Parent Company as accounting hedges of its net investment in Aflac Japan. The Company's consolidated yen-denominated net asset position was partially hedged at $1.8 billion as of December 31, 2018, with hedging instruments comprised completely of yen-denominated debt, compared with a hedge of $1.8 billion as of December 31, 2017, with hedging instruments comprised of $1.4 billion of yen-denominated debt and $.4 billion of foreign currency forwards and options.
To mitigate the risk of investment income volatility, the Company economically hedges interest rate fluctuations for certain variable-rate investments. To manage interest rate risk associated with its U.S. dollar-denominated investments held by Aflac Japan, the Company also utilizes interest rate swaptions.
(1) Aflac Japan’s deferred policy acquisition costs increased 2.0% in yen during the year ended December 31, 2018.
See Note 6 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information on the Company's deferred policy acquisition costs.
Notes payable totaled $5.8 billion at December 31, 2018, compared with $5.3 billion at December 31, 2017.
In October 2018, the Parent Company issued $550 million of senior notes through a U.S. public debt offering. The notes bear interest at a fixed rate of 4.750% per annum, payable semi-annually, and have a 30-year maturity. These notes are redeemable at the Parent Company's option in whole at any time or in part from time to time at a redemption price equal to the greater of: (i) the aggregate principal amount of the notes to be redeemed or (ii) the amount equal to the sum of the present values of the remaining scheduled payments for principal of and interest on the notes to be redeemed, not including any portion of the payments of interest accrued as of such redemption date, discounted to such redemption date on a semiannual basis at the yield to maturity for a United States Treasury security with a maturity comparable to the remaining term of the notes, plus 25 basis points, plus in each case, accrued and unpaid interest on the principal amount of the notes to be redeemed to, but excluding, such redemption date. In November 2018, the Parent Company used the net proceeds from the October 2018 issuance of senior notes to redeem $550 million of the Parent Company's 2.40% senior notes due in 2020.
See Note 9 of the accompanying Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information on the Company's notes payable.
Aflac Japan and Aflac U.S. have various benefit plans. For additional information on the Company's Japanese and U.S. plans, see Note 14 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
Under U.S. state guaranty association laws, certain insurance companies can be assessed (up to prescribed limits) for certain obligations to the policyholders and claimants of impaired or insolvent insurance companies that write the same line or similar lines of business. The amount of the guaranty fund assessment that an insurer is assessed is based on its proportionate share of premiums in that state.
Aflac Japan and Aflac U.S. provide the primary sources of liquidity to the Parent Company through dividends and management fees. The following table presents the amounts provided for the years ended December 31.
Liquidity Provided by Aflac Japan and Aflac U.S. to Parent Company
The decline in dividends during 2018 was driven by a change in the dividend regulatory approval process subsequent to the conversion of Aflac Japan from a branch to a subsidiary on April 1, 2018. The Company resumed dividend payments from Aflac Japan in the fourth quarter of 2018. Management fees decreased during 2018 compared to prior years due to changes in the administration of intercompany expenses between legal entities subsequent to the conversion of Aflac Japan from a branch to a subsidiary on April 1, 2018.
At the end of September 2018, the Company announced a change in its internal dividend policy which allows the
The principal sources of cash for the Company's insurance operations are premiums and investment income. The primary uses of cash by the Company's insurance operations are investments, policy claims, commissions, operating expenses, income taxes and payments to the Parent Company for management fees and dividends. Both the sources and uses of cash are reasonably predictable.
When making an investment decision, the Company's first consideration is based on product needs. The Company's investment objectives provide for liquidity through the purchase of investment-grade debt securities. These objectives also take into account duration matching, and because of the long-term nature of the Company's business, the Company has adequate time to react to changing cash flow needs.
As a result of policyholder aging, claims payments are expected to gradually increase over the life of a policy. Therefore, future policy benefit reserves are accumulated in the early years of a policy and are designed to help fund future claims payments. The Company expects its future cash flows from premiums and its investment portfolio to be sufficient to meet its cash needs for benefits and expenses.
As of December 31, 2018, the Parent Company and Aflac had four lines of credit with third parties as well as two intercompany lines of credit. For additional information on the Company's lines of credit, see Note 9 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
As part of the FHLB financing arrangement as discussed previously in the Analysis of Financial Condition section of this MD&A, Aflac U.S. borrowed and repaid $86 million during 2018.
The following table presents the estimated payments by period of the Company's major contractual obligations as of December 31, 2018. The Company translated its yen-denominated obligations using the December 31, 2018, exchange rate. Actual future payments as reported in dollars will fluctuate with changes in the yen/dollar exchange rate.
The Company translates cash flows for Aflac Japan's yen-denominated items into U.S. dollars using weighted-average exchange rates. In years when the yen weakens, translating yen into dollars causes fewer dollars to be reported. When the yen strengthens, translating yen into dollars causes more dollars to be reported.
Consolidated cash flow from operations decreased 1.9% in 2018, compared with 2017. The following table summarizes operating cash flows by source for the years ended December 31.
Prudent portfolio management dictates that the Company attempts to match the duration of its assets with the duration of its liabilities. Currently, when the Company's fixed maturity securities mature, the proceeds may be reinvested at a yield below that required for the accretion of policy benefit liabilities on policies issued in earlier years. However, the long-term nature of the Company's business and its strong cash flows provide the Company with the ability to minimize the effect of mismatched durations and/or yields identified by various asset adequacy analyses. From time to time or when market opportunities arise, the Company disposes of selected fixed maturity securities that are available for sale to improve the duration matching of assets and liabilities, improve future investment yields, and/or re-balance its portfolio. As a result, dispositions before maturity can vary significantly from year to year.
As part of its overall corporate strategy, the Company announced in September 2018 that it intends to increase its original investment in the Aflac Ventures Fund from $100 million over three years to $250 million over three to four years, as opportunities emerge. These investments are included in equity securities or the other investments line in the consolidated balance sheets. The Aflac Ventures Fund is a subsidiary of Aflac Corporate Ventures which is reported in the "Corporate and other" business segment. The central mission of Aflac Corporate Ventures is to support the organic growth and business development needs of Aflac Japan and Aflac U.S. with emphasis on digital applications designed to improve the customer experience, gain efficiencies, and develop new markets in an effort to enhance and defend long-term shareholder value.
In February 2017, the Parent Company extinguished $650 million of 2.65% senior notes upon their maturity.
In December 2016, the Parent Company completed a tender offer in which it extinguished $176 million principal of its 6.90% senior notes due 2039 and $193 million principal of its 6.45% senior notes due 2040. The pretax non-operating loss due to the early redemption of these notes was $137 million ($89 million after-tax, or $.21 per diluted share).
Under share repurchase authorizations from the Company's board of directors, the Company purchased 28.9 million shares of its common stock in the open market in 2018, compared with 35.5 million shares in 2017 and 43.2 million shares in 2016. As of December 31, 2018, a remaining balance of 69.0 million shares of the Company's common stock was available for purchase under share repurchase authorizations by its board of directors. The Company currently plans to repurchase $1.3 billion to $1.7 billion of its common stock in 2019, assuming stable capital conditions and absent compelling alternatives. See Note 11 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.
Cash dividends paid to shareholders in 2018 of $1.04 per share increased 19.5% over 2017. The 2017 dividend paid of $.87 per share increased 4.8% over 2016. The following table presents the dividend activity for the years ended December 31.
below. The Nebraska Department of Insurance imposes certain limitations and restrictions on payments of dividends, management fees, loans and advances to the Parent Company. Under Nebraska insurance law, prior approval of the Nebraska Department of Insurance is required for dividend distributions that exceed the greater of the net income from operations, which excludes net realized investment gains, for the previous year determined under statutory accounting principles, or 10% of statutory capital and surplus as of the previous year-end. In addition, the Nebraska insurance department must approve service arrangements and other transactions within the affiliated group of companies. These regulatory limitations are not expected to affect the level of management fees or dividends paid to the Parent Company. (See below for discussion of restrictions imposed by Japanese insurance regulators.) A life insurance company’s statutory capital and surplus is determined according to rules prescribed by the NAIC, as modified by the insurance department in the insurance company’s state of domicile. Statutory accounting rules are different from U.S. GAAP and are intended to emphasize policyholder protection and company solvency. Similar laws apply in New York, the domiciliary jurisdiction of Aflac's New York insurance subsidiary. As of December 2016, CAIC was redomiciled from South Carolina to Nebraska.
As of December 31, 2018, Aflac's company action level RBC ratio was 560%. The 2018 RBC as filed is lower than Aflac U.S. standalone RBC due to the inclusion of Aflac Japan for the first quarter of 2018. The RBC charge reflects the business risk without any total adjusted capital (TAC). At December 31, 2017, Aflac's company action level RBC ratio was 831%, which included Aflac Japan. Aflac's RBC ratio remains high and reflects a strong capital and surplus position, even reflecting the full negative impact of the U.S. Tax Act, which was fully adopted in 2018. This reduction occurs as a result of
writing down deferred tax assets and the increase in required capital due to the reduction in tax rates. However, Aflac expects to recover from this negative impact over a period of three to five years through additional statutory income, assuming that the additional income is fully retained. As of December 31, 2018, Aflac's total adjusted capital of $2.7 billion exceeded the company action level required capital and surplus of $.5 billion by $2.2 billion.
The maximum amount of dividends that can be paid to the Parent Company by Aflac without prior approval of Nebraska's director of insurance is the greater of the net income from operations, which excludes net realized investment gains, for the previous year determined under statutory accounting principles, or 10% of statutory capital and surplus as of the previous year-end. Dividends declared by Aflac during 2019 in excess of $1.3 billion would be considered extraordinary and require such approval. Following the Japan branch conversion to a subsidiary, the Company used extraordinary dividends as needed to actively manage to appropriate RBC levels that are lower yet sufficient to maintain ratings and support prudent capital management. See Note 13 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for information regarding the impact of permitted practices by the Nebraska Department of Insurance on the Company's statutory capital and surplus.
In addition to limitations and restrictions imposed by U.S. insurance regulators, after the Japan branch conversion on April 1, 2018, the new Japan subsidiary is required to meet certain financial criteria as governed by Japanese corporate law in order to provide dividends to the Parent Company. Under these criteria, dividend capacity at the Japan subsidiary is basically defined as retained earnings excluding capital reserves, which represent equity generated by capital profits that are statutorily required in Japan, less net after-tax unrealized losses on available-for-sale securities based on the previous fiscal year-end. These dividend capacity requirements are generally aligned with the solvency margin ratio (SMR). Japan's Financial Services Agency (FSA) maintains its own solvency standard which is quantified through the SMR. Aflac Japan's SMR is sensitive to interest rate, credit spread, and foreign exchange rate changes, therefore the Company continues to evaluate alternatives for reducing this sensitivity. In the event of a rapid change in market risk conditions causing SMR to decline, the Company has two senior unsecured revolving credit facilities in the amounts of 100 billion yen and 55 billion yen, respectively, and a committed reinsurance facility in the amount of approximately 110 billion yen as a capital contingency plan. Additionally, the Company could take action to enter into derivatives on unhedged U.S. dollar-denominated investments with foreign currency options or forwards. (See Notes 8 and 9 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.)
The Company has already undertaken various measures to mitigate the sensitivity of Aflac Japan's SMR. For example, the Company employs policy reserve matching (PRM) investment strategies, which is a Japan-specific accounting treatment that reduces SMR interest rate sensitivity since PRM-designated investments are carried at amortized cost consistent with corresponding liabilities. In order for a PRM-designated asset to be held at amortized cost, there are certain criteria that must be maintained. The primary criteria relates to maintaining the duration of designated assets and liabilities within a specified tolerance range. If the duration difference is not maintained within the specified range without rebalancing, then a certain portion of the assets must be re-classified as available for sale and held at fair value with any associated unrealized gain or loss recorded in surplus. To rebalance, assets may need to be sold in order to maintain the duration with the specified range, resulting in realizing a gain or loss from the sale. For U.S. GAAP, PRM investments are categorized as available for sale. The Company also uses foreign currency derivatives to hedge a portion of its U.S. dollar-denominated investments. (See Notes 3, 4 and 8 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information on the Company's investment strategies, hedging activities, and reinsurance, respectively.)
Aflac's SMR ratio remains high and reflects a strong capital and surplus position. As of December 31, 2018, Aflac Japan's SMR was 965%, compared with 1,064% at December 31, 2017. As part of the conversion of Aflac Japan from a
branch to a subsidiary on April 1, 2018, the Company experienced an accounting-driven decline in the SMR of approximately 130 points, compared with the SMR as of December 31, 2017. The Company expects to be able to pay dividends out of certain accounts, thus restoring this accounting impact over an estimated three-year period.
The decline in dividends during 2018 was driven by a change in the dividend regulatory approval process subsequent to the conversion of Aflac Japan from a branch to a subsidiary on April 1, 2018. The Company resumed dividend payments from Aflac Japan in the fourth quarter of 2018. Management fees decreased during 2018 compared to prior years due to changes in the administration of intercompany expenses between legal entities subsequent to the conversion of Aflac Japan from a branch to a subsidiary on April 1, 2018. See the preceding Hedging Activities subsection of this MD&A for discussion of Parent Company hedging of yen profit remittances. For additional information on regulatory restrictions on dividends, profit remittances and other transfers, see Note 13 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”), the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2018, based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission, and our report dated February 25, 2019 expressed an unqualified opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.
(1) Includes perpetual securities, see Notes 1 and 3 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
(2) Includes $5,856 in 2018 and $2,341 in 2017 of loan receivables and limited partnerships from consolidated variable interest entities
(1) Operating activities excludes and financing activities includes a cash outflow of $137 in 2016 for the payments associated with the early extinguishment of debt
The Company prepares its financial statements in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (U.S. GAAP). These principles are established primarily by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB). In these Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements, references to U.S. GAAP issued by the FASB are derived from the FASB Accounting Standards CodificationTM (ASC). The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires the Company to make estimates based on currently available information when recording transactions resulting from business operations. The most significant items on the Company's balance sheet that involve a greater degree of accounting estimates and actuarial determinations subject to changes in the future are the valuation of investments and derivatives, deferred policy acquisition costs (DAC), liabilities for future policy benefits and unpaid policy claims, and income taxes. These accounting estimates and actuarial determinations are sensitive to market conditions, investment yields, mortality, morbidity, commission and other acquisition expenses, and terminations by policyholders. As additional information becomes available, or actual amounts are determinable, the recorded estimates will be revised and reflected in operating results. Although some variability is inherent in these estimates, the Company believes the amounts provided are adequate.
Foreign Currency Translation: The functional currency of Aflac Japan is the Japanese yen. The Company translates its yen-denominated financial statement accounts into U.S. dollars as follows. Assets and liabilities are translated at end-of-period exchange rates. Realized gains and losses on security transactions are translated at the exchange rate on the trade date of each transaction. Other revenues, expenses, and cash flows are translated using average exchange rates for the period. The resulting currency translation adjustments are reported in accumulated other comprehensive income. The Company includes in earnings the realized currency exchange gains and losses resulting from foreign currency transactions.
An investment in a fixed maturity security is impaired if the fair value falls below amortized cost. The Company regularly reviews its fixed maturity security investments portfolio for declines in fair value. The Company's fixed maturity security investments are evaluated for other-than-temporary impairment using its debt impairment model. The Company's debt impairment model focuses on the ultimate collection of the cash flows from its investments and whether the Company has the intent to sell or if it is more likely than not the Company would be required to sell the security prior to recovery of its amortized cost. The determination of the amount of impairments under this model is based upon the Company's periodic evaluation and assessment of known and inherent risks associated with the respective securities. Such evaluations and assessments are revised as conditions change and new information becomes available.
The Company lends fixed maturity and public equity securities to financial institutions in short-term security-lending transactions. These securities continue to be carried as investment assets on the Company's balance sheet during the terms of the loans and are not reported as sales. The Company receives cash or other securities as collateral for such loans. For loans involving unrestricted cash or securities as collateral, the collateral is reported as an asset with a corresponding liability for the return of the collateral. For loans where the Company receives as collateral securities that the Company is not permitted to sell or repledge, the collateral is not reported as an asset.
For derivative instruments that are designated and qualify as fair value hedges, the gain or loss on the hedged item and the portion of the hedging instrument included in the assessment of effectiveness are recorded in the line item of the consolidated statements of earnings in which gain or loss on the hedged item is recorded. When assessing the effectiveness of the Company's fair value hedges, the Company excludes the changes in fair value related to the difference between the spot and the forward rate on its foreign currency forwards and the time value of foreign exchange options and interest rate swaptions.
liabilities, based on enacted tax laws and statutory tax rates applicable to the periods in which the Company expects the temporary differences to reverse. The Company records deferred tax assets for tax positions taken based on its assessment of whether the tax position is more likely than not to be sustained upon examination by taxing authorities. A valuation allowance is established for deferred tax assets when it is more likely than not that an amount will not be realized.
Share-Based Compensation: The Company measures compensation cost related to its share-based payment transactions at fair value on the grant date, and the Company recognizes those costs in the financial statements over the vesting period during which the employee provides service in exchange for the award. The Company has formalized its entity-wide accounting policy election to estimate the number of awards that are expected to vest and the corresponding forfeitures.
Stock Split: On February 13, 2018, the Board of Directors of the Parent Company declared a two-for-one stock split of the Company’s common stock in the form of a 100% stock dividend payable on March 16, 2018 to shareholders of record at the close of business on March 2, 2018. The stock split was payable in the form of one additional common stock share for every share of common stock held. All equity and share-based data, including the number of shares outstanding and per share amounts, have been adjusted to reflect the stock split for all periods presented in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Accounting Standard Update (ASU) 2018-16 Derivatives and Hedging Inclusion of the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) Overnight Index Swap (OIS) Rate as a Benchmark Interest Rate for Hedge Accounting Purposes
Other Income - Gains and Losses from the Derecognition of Nonfinancial Assets: Clarifying the Scope of Asset Derecognition Guidance and Accounting for Partial Sales of Nonfinancial Assets
In November 2016, the FASB issued amendments requiring that a statement of cash flows explain the change during the period in the total of cash, cash equivalents, and amounts generally described as restricted cash or restricted cash equivalents.
In August 2016, the FASB issued amendments that provide guidance on eight specific statement of cash flow classification issues, including distributions received from equity method investees.
The Company elected nature of distribution for distributions received from equity method investees. The adoption of this guidance did not have a significant impact on the Company's financial position, statement of cash flows, results of operations, or disclosures.
As a result of applying this requirement, the Company believes that recognition of excess tax benefits will increase volatility in its statement of operations and the Company made an entity-wide accounting policy election to estimate the number of awards that are expected to vest (consistent with the Company's prior policy), but the adoption of this guidance did not have a significant impact on the Company's financial position, results of operations, statements of cash flows, or disclosures.
In March 2016, the FASB issued amendments which eliminate the requirement that when an investment
qualifies for use of the equity method as a result of an increase in the level of ownership interest or degree of influence, an investor must adjust the investment, results of operations, and retained earnings retroactively on a step-by-step basis as if the equity method had been in effect during all previous periods that the investment had been held. Per the amendments, upon qualifying for the equity method of accounting, no retroactive adjustment of the investment is required.
In September 2015, the FASB issued guidance requiring that an acquirer recognize adjustments to estimated amounts that are identified during the measurement period in the reporting period in which the adjustments are determined. In the same period’s financial statements, the acquirer is required to record income effects of the adjustments as if the accounting had been completed at the acquisition date. The acquirer is also required to present separately on the face of the income statement or disclose in the notes the portion of the amount recorded in current-period earnings by line item that would have been recorded in previous reporting periods if the adjustment to the estimated amounts had been recognized as of the acquisition date.
In May 2015, the FASB issued updated guidance that removes the requirement to categorize within the fair value hierarchy all investments for which fair value is measured using the net asset value per share practical expedient. The amendments also remove the requirement to make certain disclosures for all investments that are eligible to be measured at fair value using the net asset value per share practical expedient. Rather, those disclosures are limited to investments for which the entity has elected to measure the fair value using that practical expedient.
In April 2015, the FASB issued updated guidance to simplify presentation of debt issuance costs. The updated guidance requires that debt issuance costs related to a recognized debt liability be presented in the balance sheet as a direct deduction from the carrying amount of that debt liability, consistent with debt discounts. The recognition and measurement guidance for debt issuance costs are not affected by this amendment. In August 2015, the FASB issued updated Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Staff guidance pertaining to the presentation of debt issuance costs related to line-of-credit arrangements. The guidance states that an entity may defer and present debt issuance costs as an asset, subsequently amortizing the deferred debt issuance costs ratably over the term of the line-of-credit arrangement, regardless of whether there are any outstanding borrowings on the line-of-credit arrangement.
The retrospective adoption of this accounting standard resulted in a $40 million reduction to notes payable and other assets as of December 31, 2015, the earliest balance sheet date presented in the period of adoption, but did not have a significant impact on the Company's financial position, results of operations, or disclosures.
In February 2015, the FASB issued updated guidance that affects evaluation of whether limited partnerships and similar legal entities (limited liability corporations and securitization structures, etc.) are VIEs, evaluation of whether fees paid to a decision maker or a service provider are a variable interest, and evaluation of the effect of fee arrangements and the effect of related parties on the determination of the primary beneficiary under the VIE model for consolidation. The updated guidance eliminates the presumption that a general partner should consolidate a limited partnership. Limited partnership and similar legal entities that provide partners with either substantive kick-out rights or substantive participating rights over the general partner will now be evaluated under the voting interest model rather than the VIE model for consolidation. In situations where no single party has a controlling financial interest in a VIE, the related party relationships under common control should be considered in their entirety in determining whether that common control group has a controlling financial interest in the VIE.
The adoption of this guidance impacted the Company's footnote disclosures, but did not have a significant impact on its financial position or results of operations.
In November 2014, the FASB issued guidance to clarify how to evaluate the economic characteristics and risks of a host contract in a hybrid financial instrument that is issued in the form of a share. The guidance also clarifies that an entity should assess the substance of the relevant terms and features when considering how to weight those terms and features.
Presentation of Financial Statements - Going Concern - Disclosure of Uncertainties about an Entity’s Ability to Continue as a Going Concern
In August 2014, the FASB issued this amendment that provides U.S. GAAP guidance on management’s responsibility in evaluating whether there is substantial doubt about a company’s ability to continue as a going concern and about related footnote disclosures. For each reporting period, management will be required to evaluate whether there are conditions or events that raise substantial doubt about a company’s ability to continue as a going concern within one year from the date the financial statements are issued. The new guidance requires a formal assessment of going concern by management based on criteria prescribed in the new guidance.
The adoption of this guidance did not have a significant impact on the Company's financial position, results of operations or disclosures and no substantial doubt currently exists about the Company's ability to continue as a going concern.
In December 2018, the FASB issued narrow-scope improvements for lessors which 1) provide an accounting policy election for lessors to exclude amounts collected from customers for all sales (and other similar) taxes from the transaction price; 2) require lessors to exclude the costs from variable lease revenue and the associated expense when the amount of those costs is not readily determinable by the lessor; and 3) require lessors to allocate (rather than recognize) certain variable payments to the lease and nonlease components when the changes in facts and circumstances on which the variable payment is based occur. The amendments are effective for public business entities for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted.
The Company has made an accounting policy election to exclude amounts collected from customers for all sales (and other similar) taxes from the transaction price. The adoption of this guidance is not expected to have a significant impact on the Company's financial position, results of operations, or disclosures.
Intangibles - Goodwill and Other - Internal-Use Software, Customer’s Accounting for Implementation Costs Incurred in a Cloud Computing Arrangement That Is a Service Contract
In July 2018, the FASB issued targeted improvements to Topic 842 Leases. The amendments in the update provide entities with an optional transition method to adopt the new leases standard by recording a cumulative effect adjustment to beginning retained earnings. Additionally, the amendments provide lessors with a practical expedient to not separate nonlease components from associated lease components and instead account for those components as a single component under certain conditions. The amendments are effective for public business entities for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted.
The Company has elected the optional transition method. The adoption of this guidance is not expected to have a significant impact on the Company’s financial position, results of operations, or disclosures.
In July 2018, the FASB issued guidance which clarifies, corrects errors in, or makes minor improvements to the Codification related to ASU 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842). The amendments in this ASU affect narrow aspects of the guidance issued in the amendments to ASU 2016-02, including but not limited to, Residual Value Guarantees, Rate Implicit in the Lease, Lessee Reassessment of Lease Classification and Variable Lease Payments that Depend on an Index or a Rate. Amendments within this ASU follow the effective dates of Topic 842, which are effective for public business entities for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, and interim periods within those fiscal years.
The adoption of this guidance is not expected to have a significant impact on the Company's financial position, results of operations, or disclosures.
In January 2018, the FASB issued guidance which provides an entity with the option to elect a transition practical expedient to not evaluate, under Topic 842, land easements that exist or expired before the entity's adoption of Topic 842 and that were not previously accounted for as leases under Topic 840. The amendments clarify that new or modified land easements should be evaluated under the new leases standard once an entity has adopted the new standard. The amendments are effective for public business entities for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted.
In January 2017, the FASB issued amendments simplifying the subsequent measurement of goodwill. An entity is no longer required to perform a hypothetical purchase price allocation to measure goodwill impairment. Instead, the entity should perform its annual or interim goodwill impairment test by comparing the fair value of a reporting unit with its carrying amount. The amendments are effective for public business entities that are SEC filers for annual or any interim goodwill impairment tests in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019. Early adoption is permitted for any goodwill impairment tests performed on testing dates after January 1, 2017.
The Company has identified certain financial instruments in scope of this guidance to include certain fixed maturity securities, loans and loan receivables and reinsurance recoverables (See Notes 3 and 7 for current balances of instruments in scope). The Company is continuing its progress towards updating its credit loss projection models and accounting systems in order to comply with the required changes in measurement of credit losses. The Company currently expects loans and loan receivables and held-to-maturity fixed maturity securities to be the asset classes most significantly impacted upon adoption of the guidance. The Company continues to evaluate the impact of adoption of this guidance on its financial position, results of operations, and disclosures.
In February 2016, the FASB issued updated guidance for accounting for leases. Per the amendments, lessees will be required to recognize all leases on the balance sheet with the exception of short-term leases. A lease liability will be recorded for the obligation of a lessee to make lease payments arising from a lease. Leases will be classified as finance or operating, with classification affecting the pattern and classification of expense recognition in the income statement. The new standard is effective for the Company on January 1, 2019. A modified retrospective transition approach is required, applying the new standard to all leases existing at the date of initial application. The Company is electing to use its effective date as its date of initial application. Because the Company expects to adopt the new standard on January 1, 2019 and use the effective date as the date of initial application, financial information is not required to be updated and the disclosures required under the new standard are not required to be provided for dates and periods before January 1, 2019. The new standard provides a number of optional practical expedients. The Company has elected the "package of practical expedients," which permits the Company not to reassess under the new standard its prior conclusions about lease identification, lease classification and initial direct costs. Under the new guidance, lessor accounting is largely unchanged. The amendments are effective for public companies for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted, including adoption in an interim period.
The Company has identified certain operating leases in scope of this guidance to include office space and equipment leases (See Note 15). The leases within scope of this guidance will increase the Company's right-of-use assets and lease liabilities recorded on its statement of financial position by approximately $100 to $200 million. The Company estimates that the adoption of this guidance will not have a significant impact on its financial position, results of operations, or disclosures.
(1) Amortized hedge costs related to hedging U.S. dollar-denominated investments held in Aflac Japan were $236, $228 and $186 for 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively, and have been reclassified from realized investment gains (losses) and reported as a deduction from net investment income when analyzing segment operations.
(2) Amortized hedge costs in Aflac Japan were partially offset by derivatives entered into as part of corporate activities and resulted in a benefit of $36 for 2018, which has been reclassified from realized investment gains (losses) and reported as an increase in net investment income when analyzing operations.
(2) Amortized hedge costs in Aflac Japan were partially offset by derivatives entered into as part of corporate activities and resulted in a benefit of $36 for 2018, which has been reclassified from realized investment gains (losses) and reported as an increase in pretax adjusted earnings when analyzing operations.
(4) Excluding a gain of $67 in 2018, $77 in 2017 and $85 in 2016, related to the interest rate component of the change in fair value of foreign currency swaps on notes payable which is included in adjusted earnings when analyzing segment operations
Transfers of funds from Aflac Japan: Aflac Japan makes payments to the Parent Company for management fees, allocated expenses and remittances of earnings. Prior to the Aflac Japan branch conversion on April 1, 2018, Aflac Japan paid allocated expenses and profit remittances to Aflac U.S. Information on transfers for each of the years ended December 31 is shown below. See Note 13 for information concerning restrictions on transfers from Aflac Japan.
Receivables: Receivables consist primarily of monthly insurance premiums due from individual policyholders or their employers for payroll deduction of premiums, net of an allowance for doubtful accounts. At December 31, 2018, $334 million, or 39.2% of total receivables, were related to Aflac Japan's operations, compared with $334 million, or 40.4%, at December 31, 2017.
The amortized cost for the Company's investments in fixed maturity securities, the cost for equity securities and the fair values of these investments at December 31 are shown in the following tables.
During 2018, the Company did not reclassify any investments from the held-to-maturity category to the available-for-sale category. During 2017, the Company reclassified three investments from the held-to-maturity category to the available-for-sale category as a result of the issuers' credit rating being downgraded to below investment grade. At the time of the transfer, the securities had an aggregate amortized cost of $773 million and an aggregate unrealized gain of $47 million. During 2016, the Company did not reclassify any investments from the held-to-maturity category to the available-for-sale category.
(1) Includes perpetual securities, categorized in accordance with their respective economic maturities (the expected maturity date created by the combination of features in the financial instrument)
(2) See Note 1 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for the adoption of accounting guidance on January 1, 2018 related to financial instruments.
Information regarding changes in unrealized gains and losses from investments recorded in AOCI for the years ended December 31 follows:
(2) See Note 1 and Note 11 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for the adoption of accounting guidance and the cumulative effect of the change in accounting principle related to financial instruments effective January 1, 2018.
The following tables show the fair values and gross unrealized losses of the Company's available-for-sale and held-to-maturity investments that were in an unrealized loss position, aggregated by investment category and length of time that individual securities have been in a continuous unrealized loss position at December 31.
For any significant declines in fair value of its fixed maturity securities, the Company performs a more focused review of the related issuers' credit profile. For corporate issuers, the Company evaluates their assets, business profile including industry dynamics and competitive positioning, financial statements and other available financial data. For non-corporate issuers, the Company analyzes all sources of credit support, including issuer-specific factors. The Company utilizes information available in the public domain and, for certain private placement issuers, from consultations with the issuers directly. The Company also considers ratings from Nationally Recognized Statistical Rating Organizations (NRSROs), as well as the specific characteristics of the security it owns including seniority in the issuer's capital structure, covenant predictions, or other relevant features. From these reviews, the Company evaluates the issuers' continued ability to service the Company's investment through payment of interest and principal.
The Company classifies its TREs, CMLs, and MMLs as held-for investment and includes them in the other investments line on the consolidated balance sheets. The Company carries them on the balance sheet at amortized cost less an estimated allowance for loan losses. The Company's allowance for loan losses is established using both general and specific allowances. The general allowance is used for loans grouped by similar risk characteristics where a loan-specific or market-specific risk has not been identified, but for which the Company estimates probable incurred losses. The specific allowance is used on an individual loan basis when it is probable that a loss has been incurred. As of December 31, 2018 and 2017, the Company's allowance for loan losses was $27 million and $11 million, respectively. As of December 31, 2018 and 2017, the Company had no loans that were past due in regards to principal and/or interest payments. Additionally, the Company held no loans that were on nonaccrual status or considered impaired as of December 31, 2018 and 2017. The Company had no troubled debt restructurings during the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017.
Transitional real estate loans are commercial mortgage loans that are typically relatively short-term floating rate instruments secured by a first lien on the property. These loans provide funding for properties undergoing a change in their physical characteristics and/or economic profile. As of December 31, 2018, the Company had $605 million in outstanding commitments to fund transitional real estate loans. These commitments are contingent on the final underwriting and due diligence to be performed.
As of December 31, 2018, the Company had $25 million in outstanding commitments to fund commercial mortgage loans. These commitments are contingent on the final underwriting and due diligence to be performed.
As of December 31, 2018, the Company had commitments of approximately $521 million to fund potential future loan originations related to this investment program. These commitments are contingent upon the availability of middle market loans that meet the Company's underwriting criteria.
(2) Consists of TREs, CMLs, MMLs, and alternative investments in limited partnerships
The Company is substantively the only investor in the consolidated VIEs listed in the table above. As the sole investor in these VIEs, the Company has the power to direct the activities of a variable interest entity that most significantly impact the entity's economic performance and is therefore considered to be the primary beneficiary of the VIEs that it consolidates. The Company also participates in substantially all of the variability created by these VIEs. The activities of these VIEs are limited to holding invested assets and foreign currency swaps, as appropriate, and utilizing the cash flows from these securities to service its investment. Neither the Company nor any of its creditors are able to obtain the underlying collateral of the VIEs unless there is an event of default or other specified event. For those VIEs that contain a swap, the Company is not a direct counterparty to the swap contracts and has no control over them. The Company's loss exposure to these VIEs is limited to its original investment. The Company's consolidated VIEs do not rely on outside or ongoing sources of funding to support their activities beyond the underlying collateral and swap contracts, if applicable. With the exception of its investments in unit trust structures, the underlying collateral assets and funding of the Company's consolidated VIEs are generally static in nature.
Interest rate swaption collars are combinations of two swaption positions. Swaptions are used to mitigate the adverse impact resulting from significant changes in the fair value of U.S. dollar-denominated available-for-sale securities due to fluctuation in interest rates. In order to maximize the efficiency of the collars while minimizing cost, a collar strategy is used whereby the Company purchases a long payer swaption (the Company purchases an option that allows it to enter into a swap where the Company will pay the fixed rate and receive the floating rate of the swap) and sells a short receiver swaption (the Company sells an option that provides the counterparty with the right to enter into a swap where the Company will receive the fixed rate and pay the floating rate of the swap). The combination of purchasing the long payer swaption and selling the short receiver swaption results in no net premium being paid (i.e. a costless or zero-cost collar).
For certain variable-rate U.S. dollar-denominated available-for-sale securities held by Aflac Japan via consolidated VIEs, foreign currency swaps are used to swap the USD variable rate interest and principal payments to fixed rate JPY interest and principal payments. The Company has designated foreign currency swaps as a hedge of the variability in cash flows of a forecasted transaction or of amounts to be received or paid related to a recognized asset (“cash flow” hedge). The remaining maximum length of time for which these cash flows are hedged is seven years. The derivatives in the Company's consolidated VIEs that are not designated as accounting hedges are discussed in the "non-qualifying strategies" section of this note.
(1) Gains and losses on foreign currency forwards and options and related hedged items are reported in the consolidated statement of earnings as realized investment gains (losses). For interest rate swaptions and related hedged items, gains and losses included in the hedge assessment are reported within net investment income. For the year ended December 31, 2018, those gains and losses on interest rate swaptions and related hedged items were immaterial.
As of December 31, 2018, the total notional amount of the Company's interest rate swaptions was $500 million. The hedging adjustment related to these derivatives was immaterial.
The Company's investment in Aflac Japan is affected by changes in the yen/dollar exchange rate. To mitigate this exposure, the Parent Company's yen-denominated liabilities (see Note 9) have been designated as non-derivative hedges and, prior to April 1, 2018, foreign currency forwards and options were designated as derivative hedges of the foreign currency exposure of the Company's net investment in Aflac Japan. The Company designated net investment hedges under this strategy during the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016.
The Company uses foreign exchange forwards and options to economically mitigate the currency risk of some of its U.S. dollar- denominated loan receivables held within the Aflac Japan segment. These arrangements are not designated as accounting hedges, as the foreign currency remeasurement of the loan receivables impacts current period earnings, and generally offsets gains and losses from foreign exchange forwards within realized investment gains (losses). The Company also has certain foreign exchange forwards on U.S. dollar-denominated AFS securities where hedge accounting is not being applied.
In order to economically mitigate currency risk of future yen dividends from Aflac Japan while lowering consolidated hedge costs associated with Aflac Japan's U.S. dollar investment hedging the Parent Company entered into offsetting hedge positions using foreign exchange forwards. This activity is reported in the Corporate and other segment.
The Company is a direct counterparty to the foreign currency swaps that it has entered into in connection with certain of its senior notes and subordinated debentures; foreign currency forwards; and foreign currency options, and therefore the Company is exposed to credit risk in the event of nonperformance by the counterparties in those contracts. The risk of counterparty default for the Company's foreign currency swaps, certain foreign currency forwards, foreign currency options is mitigated by collateral posting requirements that counterparties to those transactions must meet.
The following tables present the fair value hierarchy levels of the Company's assets and liabilities that are measured and carried at fair value on a recurring basis as of December 31.
The following tables present the carrying amount and fair value categorized by fair value hierarchy level for the Company's financial instruments that are not carried at fair value as of December 31.
The Company determines the fair values of fixed maturity securities and public and privately-issued equity securities using the following approaches or techniques: price quotes and valuations from third party pricing vendors (including quoted market prices readily available from public exchange markets) and non-binding price quotes the Company obtains from outside brokers.
The fair values of the foreign currency forwards and options associated with certain investments; the foreign currency forwards and options used to hedge foreign exchange risk from the Company's net investment in Aflac Japan and economically hedge certain portions of forecasted cash flows denominated in yen; and the foreign currency swaps associated with certain senior notes are based on the amounts the Company would expect to receive or pay. The determination of the fair value of these derivatives is based on observable market inputs, therefore they are classified as Level 2.
To determine the fair value of its interest rate derivatives, the Company uses inputs that are generally observable in the market or can be derived from observable market data. Interest rate swaps are cleared trades. In a cleared swap contract the clearinghouse provides benefits to the counterparties similar to contracts listed for investment traded on an exchange since it maintains a daily margin to mitigate counterparties credit risk. These derivatives are priced using
The fair values of the Company's publicly issued notes payable are determined by utilizing available sources of observable inputs from third party pricing vendors and are classified as Level 2. The fair values of the Company's yen-denominated loans approximate their carrying values and are classified as Level 3.
(a) N/A represents securities where the Company receives unadjusted broker quotes and for which there is no transparency into the providers' valuation techniques or unobservable inputs.
The following is a discussion of the significant unobservable inputs or valuation techniques used in determining the fair value of securities and derivatives classified as Level 3.
Policy liabilities consist of future policy benefits, unpaid policy claims, unearned premiums, and other policyholders' funds, which accounted for 84%, 4%, 5% and 7% of total policy liabilities at December 31, 2018, respectively. The Company regularly reviews the adequacy of its policy liabilities in total and by component.
The weighted-average interest rates reflected in the consolidated statements of earnings for future policy benefits for Japanese policies were 3.3% in 2018, compared with 3.4% in 2017 and 3.5% in 2016; and for U.S. policies, 5.3% in 2018, compared with 5.4% in 2017 and 5.5% in 2016.
The incurred claims development related to prior years reflects favorable claims experience compared to previous estimates. The favorable claims development of $563 million for 2018 comprises approximately $419 million from Japan, which represents approximately 74% of the total. Excluding the impact of foreign exchange of a gain of approximately $14 million from December 31, 2017 to December 31, 2018, the favorable claims development in Japan would have been approximately $404 million, representing approximately 72% of the total.
debentures or (ii) on or after October 23, 2027, in whole or in part, at a redemption price equal to their principal amount plus accrued and unpaid interest to, but excluding, the date of redemption.
In September 2016, the Parent Company issued two series of senior notes totaling $700 million through a U.S. public debt offering. The first series, which totaled $300 million, bears interest at a fixed rate of 2.875% per annum, payable semi-annually and has a 10-year maturity. The second series, which totaled $400 million, bears interest at a fixed rate of 4.00% per annum, payable semi-annually, and has a 30-year maturity.
In March 2015, the Parent Company issued two series of senior notes totaling $1.0 billion through a U.S. public debt offering. The first series, which totaled $550 million, bore interest at a fixed rate of 2.40% per annum, payable semi-annually, and had a five-year maturity. The second series, which totaled $450 million, bears interest at a fixed rate of 3.25% per annum, payable semi-annually, and has a 10-year maturity. The Parent Company has entered into cross-currency swaps that convert the U.S. dollar-denominated principal and interest on the senior notes into yen-denominated obligations which results in lower nominal net interest rates on the debt. By entering into these cross-currency swaps, the Parent Company economically converted its $550 million liability into a 67.0 billion yen liability and reduced the interest rate on this debt from 2.40% in dollars to .24% in yen, and the Parent Company economically converted its $450 million liability into a 55.0 billion yen liability and reduced the interest rate on this debt from 3.25% in dollars to .82% in yen. In November 2018, the Parent Company used the net proceeds from the October 2018 issuance of its senior notes to redeem $550 million of the Parent Company's 2.40% senior notes due 2020.
In November 2014, the Parent Company issued $750 million of senior notes through a U.S. public debt offering. The notes bear interest at a fixed rate of 3.625% per annum, payable semi-annually, and have a 10-year maturity. These notes are redeemable at the Parent Company's option in whole at any time or in part from time to time at a redemption price equal to the greater of: (i) the aggregate principal amount of the notes to be redeemed or (ii) the amount equal to the sum of the present values of the remaining scheduled payments for principal of and interest on the notes to be redeemed, not including any portion of the payments of interest accrued as of such redemption date, discounted to such redemption date on a semiannual basis at the treasury rate plus 20 basis points, plus in each case, accrued and unpaid interest on the principal amount of the notes to be redeemed to, but excluding, such redemption date. The Parent Company entered into cross-currency interest rate swaps to reduce interest expense by converting the U.S. dollar-denominated principal and interest on the senior notes it issued into yen-denominated obligations. By entering into the swaps, the Parent Company economically converted its $750 million liability into an 85.3 billion yen liability and reduced the interest rate on this debt from 3.625% in dollars to 1.00% in yen.
In June 2013, the Parent Company issued $700 million of senior notes through a U.S. public debt offering. The notes bear interest at a fixed rate of 3.625% per annum, payable semi-annually, and have a 10-year maturity. These notes are redeemable at the Parent Company's option in whole at any time or in part from time to time at a redemption price equal to the greater of: (i) the aggregate principal amount of the notes to be redeemed or (ii) the amount equal to the sum of the present values of the remaining scheduled payments for principal of and interest on the notes to be redeemed, not including any portion of the payments of interest accrued as of such redemption date, discounted to such redemption date on a semiannual basis at the treasury rate plus 20 basis points, plus in each case, accrued and unpaid interest on the principal amount of the notes to be redeemed to, but excluding, such redemption date. The Parent Company had entered into cross-currency interest rate swaps to reduce interest expense by converting the U.S. dollar-denominated principal and interest on the senior notes it issued into yen-denominated obligations. By entering into these swaps, the Parent Company economically converted its $700 million liability into a 69.8 billion yen liability and reduced the interest rate on this debt from 3.625% in dollars to 1.50% in yen.
The Japan income tax rate for the fiscal year 2016 was 28.8%. The rate was reduced to 28.2% for the fiscal year 2017 and was further reduced to 28.0% for the fiscal year 2018.
For the United States, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (Tax Act) was signed into law on December 22, 2017. Effective January 1, 2018, the Tax Act imposed a broad number of changes in tax law, including the permanent reduction of the U.S. federal statutory corporate income tax rate from 35% to 21%.
In accordance with Staff Accounting Bulletin 118 (SAB 118) issued by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in December 2017, the Company recorded provisional amounts for certain items for which the income tax accounting was not complete. As of the enactment date, the Company estimated provisional amounts for its deferred taxes, including related valuation allowance, resulting in a reduction of its deferred tax assets (DTAs) by approximately $1.0 billion and its deferred tax liabilities (DTLs) by $2.9 billion, for a net DTL reduction of approximately $1.9 billion. The provisions of ASC 740-10, Income Taxes, require that the effects of changes in tax law on deferred taxes be recognized as a component of the income tax provision in the period the tax rate change was enacted. Therefore, the $1.9 billion provisional amount of net DTL reduction was recorded in the fourth quarter of 2017 as a reduction in the “Income tax expense, Deferred” line item of the Company’s consolidated statement of earnings.
The application of U.S. GAAP requires the Company to evaluate the recoverability of deferred tax assets and establish a valuation allowance if necessary to reduce the deferred tax asset to an amount that is more likely than not expected to be realized. As noted above, the Company has determined a $577 million valuation allowance against its anticipatory foreign tax credit is necessary. The anticipatory foreign tax credit represents the foreign tax credit the Company will generate from the reversal of Japan deferred tax liabilities in the future. The Company has also determined a $161 million valuation allowance against its deferred foreign tax credits is necessary. Deferred foreign tax credits are foreign tax credits generated in the current tax year by the Japanese life company, but are unable to be utilized until 2019
The Company files federal income tax returns in the United States and Japan as well as state or prefecture income tax returns in various jurisdictions in the two countries. The Company is currently under audit by the State of Georgia for tax years 2014-2016. There are currently no other open Federal, State, or local U.S. income tax audits. U.S. federal income tax returns for years before 2015 are no longer subject to examination. Japan corporate income tax returns for years before 2017 are no longer subject to examination. Management believes it has established adequate tax liabilities and final resolution of all open audits is not expected to have a material impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements.
Included in the balance of the liability for unrecognized tax benefits at December 31, 2018, are $14 million of tax positions for which the ultimate deductibility is highly certain, but for which there is uncertainty about the timing of such deductibility, compared with $13 million at December 31, 2017. Because of the impact of deferred tax accounting, other than interest and penalties, the disallowance of the shorter deductibility period would not affect the annual effective tax rate, but would accelerate the payment of cash to the taxing authority to an earlier period. The Company has accrued approximately $1 million as of December 31, 2018, for permanent uncertainties, which if reversed would not have a material effect on the annual effective rate.
The Company recognizes accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits in income tax expense. The Company recognized approximately $1 million in interest and penalties in 2018, compared with $1 million in 2017 and $13 million in 2016. The Company has accrued approximately $2 million for the payment of interest and penalties as of December 31, 2018, compared with $2 million a year ago.
As of December 31, 2018, there were no material uncertain tax positions for which the total amounts of unrecognized tax benefits will significantly increase or decrease within the next 12 months.
The tables below summarize the amounts reclassified from each component of accumulated other comprehensive income based on source for the years ended December 31.
The aggregate intrinsic value in the following table represents the total pretax intrinsic value, and is based on the difference between the exercise price of the stock options and the quoted closing common stock price of $45.56 as of December 31, 2018, for those awards that have an exercise price currently below the closing price. As of December 31, 2018, the aggregate intrinsic value of stock options outstanding was $91 million, with a weighted-average remaining term of 5.0 years. The total number of in-the-money stock options exercisable as of December 31, 2018, was 3.9 million. The aggregate intrinsic value of stock options exercisable at that same date was $72 million, with a weighted-average remaining term of 4.1 years.
As of December 31, 2018, total compensation cost not yet recognized in the Company's financial statements related to restricted stock awards and restricted stock units was $36 million, of which $15 million (799 thousand shares) was related to restricted stock awards with a performance-based vesting condition. The Company expects to recognize these amounts over a weighted-average period of approximately 1.0 year. There are no other contractual terms covering restricted stock awards once vested.
The Company's insurance subsidiaries are required to report their results of operations and financial position to insurance regulatory authorities on the basis of statutory accounting practices prescribed or permitted by such authorities. Statutory accounting practices primarily differ from U.S. GAAP by charging policy acquisition costs to expense as incurred, establishing future policy benefit liabilities using different actuarial assumptions as well as valuing investments and certain assets and accounting for deferred taxes on a different basis.
Aflac reports statutory financial statements that are prepared on the basis of accounting practices prescribed or permitted by the Nebraska Department of Insurance (NDOI). The NDOI recognizes statutory accounting principles and practices prescribed or permitted by the state of Nebraska for determining and reporting the financial condition and results of operations of an insurance company, and for determining a company's solvency under Nebraska insurance law. The National Association of Insurance Commissioners' (NAIC) Accounting Practices and Procedures Manual (SAP) has been adopted by the state of Nebraska as a component of those prescribed or permitted practices. Additionally, the Director of the NDOI has the right to permit other specific practices which deviate from prescribed practices. Prior to the Japan branch conversion on April 1, 2018, Aflac had been given explicit permission by the Director of the NDOI for two such permitted practices. These permitted practices, which did not impact the calculation of net income on a statutory basis or prevent the triggering of a regulatory event in the Company's RBC calculation, were as follows:
On April 1, 2018, the Company entered into a series of transactions in order to complete the conversion of the Japan branch into a Japanese insurance corporation. As a result of the conversion, the permitted practices were no longer necessary, therefore they were canceled by the NDOI effective April 2, 2018. A reconciliation of Aflac's capital and surplus between SAP and practices permitted by the state of Nebraska is shown below for the years ended December 31:
Aflac Japan must report its results of operations and financial position to the Japanese Financial Services Agency (FSA) on a Japanese regulatory accounting basis as prescribed by the FSA. Capital and surplus of Aflac Japan, based on Japanese regulatory accounting practices, was $6.4 billion at December 31, 2018, compared with $6.7 billion at December 31, 2017. Japanese regulatory accounting practices differ in many respects from U.S. GAAP. Under Japanese regulatory accounting practices, policy acquisition costs are expensed immediately; policy benefit and claim reserving methods and assumptions are different; premium income is recognized on a cash basis; different consolidation criteria apply to VIEs; reinsurance is recognized on a different basis; and investments can have a separate accounting classification and treatment referred to as policy reserve matching bonds (PRM).
The Parent Company depends on its subsidiaries for cash flow, primarily in the form of dividends and management fees. Consolidated retained earnings in the accompanying financial statements largely represent the undistributed earnings of the Company's insurance subsidiary. Amounts available for dividends, management fees and other payments
to the Parent Company by its insurance subsidiaries may fluctuate due to different accounting methods required by regulatory authorities. These payments are also subject to various regulatory restrictions and approvals related to safeguarding the interests of insurance policyholders. Aflac must maintain adequate RBC for U.S. regulatory authorities, and Aflac Japan must maintain adequate solvency margins for Japanese regulatory authorities.
The Company bases its assumption for the long-term rate of return on assets on historical trends (10-year or longer historical rates of return for the Japanese plan assets and 15-year historical rates of return for the U.S. plan assets), expected future market movement, as well as the portfolio mix of securities in the asset portfolio including, but not limited to, style, class and equity and fixed income allocations. In addition, the Company's consulting actuaries evaluate its assumptions for long-term rates of return under Actuarial Standards of Practice (ASOP). Under the ASOP, the actual portfolio type, mix and class is modeled to determine a best estimate of the long-term rate of return. The Company in turn use those results to further validate its own assumptions.
The Company plans to make contributions of $33 million to the Japanese funded defined benefit plan and $10 million to the U.S. funded defined benefit plan in 2019. The funding policy for the Company's non-qualified supplemental defined benefit pension plans and other postretirement benefits plan is to contribute the amount of the benefit payments made during the year.
The U.S. Pension Plan had $39 million in cash at December 31, 2018. The plan fiduciaries authorized investing a contribution made to the Plan in 2018 on a graduated basis over a period of time.
The following table presents the fair value of Aflac Japan's pension plan assets that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of December 31. All of these assets are classified as Level 2 in the fair value hierarchy.
The Company sponsors a 401(k) plan in which it matches a portion of U.S. employees' contributions. The plan provides for salary reduction contributions by employees and provides for matching contributions which, starting January 1, 2018, the Company increased to 100% of each employee's contributions which were not in excess of 4% of the employee's annual cash compensation as a result of tax reform. In 2017 and 2016, the plan provided for matching contributions by the Company of 50% of each employee's contributions which were not in excess of 6% of the employee's annual compensation. Also, as a result of U.S. tax reform legislation enacted in December 2017, the Company announced it would made a one-time contribution of $500 to the 401(k) plan to all employees active on December 31, 2017. This contribution was made by January 31, 2018. The Company also provides a nonelective contribution to the 401(k) plan of 2% of annual cash compensation for employees who opted out of the future benefits of the U. S. defined benefit plan and for new U. S. employees.
The 401(k) contributions by the Company, included in acquisition and operating expenses in the consolidated statements of earnings, were $18 million in 2018, $15 million in 2017 and $11 million in 2016. The plan trustee held approximately 2.7 million shares of the Company's common stock for plan participants at December 31, 2018.
Aflac U.S. maintains a stock bonus plan for eligible U.S. sales associates. Plan participants receive shares of Aflac Incorporated common stock based on their new annualized premium sales and their first-year persistency of substantially all new insurance policies. The cost of this plan, which was capitalized as deferred policy acquisition costs, amounted to $31 million in 2018, 2017 and 2016.
The Company has two outsourcing agreements with a technology and consulting corporation. The first agreement provides mainframe computer operations, distributed mid-range server computer operations, and related support for Aflac Japan. It has a remaining term of four years and an aggregate remaining cost of 36.1 billion yen ($326 million using the December 31, 2018, exchange rate). The second agreement provides application maintenance and development services for Aflac Japan. It has a remaining term of five years and an aggregate remaining cost of 8.6 billion yen ($77 million using the December 31, 2018, exchange rate).
The Company has two outsourcing agreements with information technology and data services companies to provide application maintenance and development services for its Japanese operation. The first agreement has a remaining term of one year with an aggregate remaining cost of .6 billion yen ($5 million using the December 31, 2018, exchange rate). The second agreement has a remaining term of four years with an aggregate remaining cost of 5.8 billion yen ($52 million using the December 31, 2018, exchange rate).