Net investment income decreased 16.3% to $917 million in 2019 from $1.10 billion in 2018. The decrease was primarily due to lower performance-based investment results, mainly from limited partnerships, and lower average investment balances.
Expense ratio: the ratio of amortization of DAC, operating costs and expenses, amortization or impairment of purchased intangibles and restructuring and related charges, less other revenue to premiums earned.
We began to write a limited number of homeowners policies in select areas of California in 2016, additionally we:
Auto comprehensive damage coverage generally includes coverage for flood-related loss. We have additional catastrophe exposure, beyond the property lines, for auto customers who have purchased comprehensive damage coverage.
Homeowners insurance premiums written increased 6.2% or $446 million in 2019 compared to 2018, primarily due to higher average premiums, including rate changes and inflation in insured home valuations, and growth. PIF increased 68 thousand policies with increases in 31 states, including 6 of our largest 10 states.
Other personal lines premiums written increased 3.5% or $61 million in 2019 compared to 2018. The increase in 2019 was primarily due to increases in personal umbrella and condominium insurance premiums.
Other costs and expenses, including salaries of telephone sales personnel and other underwriting costs related to customer acquisition, were 1.7 points lower in 2019 compared to 2018 reflecting continued implementation of digital self-service capabilities and premium growth.
Underwriting losses in 2018 primarily related to our annual reserve review, which resulted in unfavorable reestimates of $76 million, including $44 million for asbestos exposures, $20 million for environmental exposures and $13 million for other exposures, partially offset by a $1 million decrease in the allowance for future uncollectible reinsurance.
We believe the net loss reserves exposures are appropriately established based on available facts, technology, laws and regulations.
The tables below show Allstate Protection net reserves representing the estimated cost of outstanding claims as they were recorded at the beginning of years 2019, 2018, and 2017, and the effect of reestimates in each year.
Reserve additions for asbestos in 2019 were primarily related to new reported information and settlement agreements, including bankruptcy proceedings. Reserve additions for asbestos in 2018 were primarily related to new reported information, changes in our projections of reported claims and settlement agreements, including bankruptcy proceedings.
Active policyholders increased by 2 in 2018, including 13 policyholders reporting asbestos
Reinsurance and indemnification recoverables include an estimate of the amount of insurance claims and claims expense reserves that are ceded under the terms of the agreements, including incurred but not reported unpaid losses. We calculate our ceded reinsurance and indemnification estimates based on the terms of each applicable agreement, including an estimate of how IBNR losses will ultimately be ceded under the agreement. We also consider other limitations and coverage exclusions under our agreements. Accordingly, our estimate of recoverables is subject to similar risks and uncertainties as our estimate of reserves claims and claims expense. We believe the recoverables are appropriately established; however, as our underlying reserves continue to develop, the amount ultimately recoverable may vary from amounts currently recorded. We regularly evaluate the reinsurers and the respective amounts of our reinsurance recoverables, and a provision for uncollectible reinsurance recoverables is recorded, if needed. The establishment of reinsurance recoverables and the related allowance for
Adjusted net income decreased 11.5% or $34 million in 2019 compared to 2018, primarily due to higher amortization of DAC related to our annual review of assumptions and higher contract benefits, partially
Amortization of DAC increased 31.1% or $41 million in 2019 compared to 2018, primarily due to higher amortization acceleration for changes in assumptions, partially offset by lower gross profits on interest-sensitive life insurance.
We retain primary liability as a direct insurer for all risks ceded to reinsurers. As of December 31, 2019, approximately 13% of our face amount of life insurance in force was reinsured.
Contract benefits increased 1.0% or $6 million in 2019 compared to 2018, primarily due to higher claim experience on critical illness and disability products, partially offset by favorable mortality experience on life products.
Our annual comprehensive review of assumptions underlying estimated future gross profits for our interest-sensitive life contracts resulted in an acceleration of DAC amortization (decrease to income) of $2 million in 2019 compared to a deceleration of DAC amortization (increase to income) of $4 million in 2018.
embedded in the securitization trust, such as overcollateralization, excess spread and bond insurance. The underlying collateral may contain fixed interest rates, variable interest rates (such as adjustable rate mortgages), or both fixed and variable rate features.
spreads since the time of initial purchase. Similarly, gross unrealized gains reflect a decrease in market yields since the time of initial purchase.
Represents an immediate, parallel increase of 100 basis points across all asset classes, industry sectors and credit ratings based on information and assumptions used in the spread duration calculations and market interest rates as of December 31, 2019.
Parent company capital capacity At the parent holding company level, we have deployable assets totaling $2.30 billion as of December 31, 2019, comprising cash and investments that are generally saleable within one quarter. Deployable assets increased by the proceeds from the Preferred Stock, Series I issuance, which were subsequently used for the Series A redemption that occurred on January 15, 2020. The substantial earnings capacity of the operating subsidiaries is the primary source of capital generation for the Corporation.
The terms of our outstanding subordinated debentures also prohibit us from declaring or paying any dividends or distributions on our common or preferred stock or redeeming, purchasing, acquiring, or making liquidation payments on our common stock or preferred stock if we have elected to defer interest payments on the subordinated debentures, subject to certain limited exceptions. In 2019, we did not defer interest payments on the subordinated debentures.
Contractual obligations and commitments Our contractual obligations as of December 31, 2019, and the payments due by period are shown in the following table.
Management and the ERRC rely on internal and external perspectives to determine an appropriate level of target economic capital. Internal perspectives include enterprise solvency and volatility assessments, stress scenarios, model assumptions, and management judgment. External considerations include NAIC risk-based capital as well as S&P’s, Moody’s, and A.M. Best’s capital adequacy measurement. Our economic capital reflects management’s view of the aggregate level of capital necessary to satisfy stakeholder interests, manage Allstate’s risk profile and maintain financial strength. The impact of strategic initiatives on enterprise risk is evaluated through the economic capital framework.
Stochastic and probabilistic estimation of potential losses: combines portfolio risk exposures with historical or recent market volatilities and correlations to assess the potential range of future investment results.
Financial risk and return management addresses the risk of insufficient cash flows to meet corporate or policyholder needs, risk of inadequate aggregate capital or capital within any subsidiary, inability to access capital markets, credit risk that arises when an external party fails to meet a contractual obligation such as reinsurance for ceded claims, or risk associated with a business counterparty default.
How reserve estimates are established and updated We conduct an annual review in the third quarter to evaluate, establish and adjust as necessary, asbestos, environmental and other discontinued lines reserves. Changes to reserves are recorded in the reporting period in which they are determined. Using established industry and actuarial best practices and assuming no change in the regulatory or economic environment, this detailed and comprehensive methodology determines asbestos reserves based on assessments of the characteristics of exposure (i.e. claim activity, potential liability, jurisdiction, products versus non-products exposure) presented by individual policyholders, and determines environmental reserves based on assessments of the characteristics of exposure (i.e. environmental damages, respective shares of liability of potentially responsible parties, appropriateness and cost of remediation) to pollution and related clean-up costs. The number and cost of these claims are affected by advertising by trial lawyers seeking asbestos plaintiffs, and entities with asbestos exposure seeking bankruptcy protection as a result of asbestos liabilities, initially causing a delay in the reporting of claims, often followed by an acceleration and an increase in claims and claims expenses as settlements occur.
Reinsurance and indemnification recoverables are recognized as an offset to gross reserves for property and casualty insurance claims and claims expense.
The reserve for property and casualty insurance claims and claims expense is the estimate of amounts necessary to settle all reported and unreported incurred claims for the ultimate cost of insured property and casualty losses, based upon the facts of each case and the Company’s experience with similar cases. Estimated amounts of salvage and subrogation are deducted from the reserve for claims and claims expense. The establishment of appropriate reserves, including reserves for catastrophe losses, is an inherently uncertain and complex process. Reserve estimates are primarily derived using an actuarial estimation process in which historical loss patterns are applied to actual paid losses and reported losses (paid losses plus individual case reserves established by claim adjusters) for an accident or report year to create an estimate of how losses are likely to develop over time. Development factors are calculated quarterly and periodically throughout the year for data elements such as claims reported and settled, paid losses, and paid losses combined with case reserves. The
The impacts of the adjustments on the financial statements are summarized in the following tables.
The accounting policies of the reportable segments are the same as those described in Note 2. The effects of intersegment transactions are eliminated in the consolidated results. For segment results, services provided by Service Businesses to Allstate Protection are not eliminated as management considers those transactions in assessing the results of the respective segments.
Fixed income securities with unrealized loss position less than 20% of amortized cost (1) (2)
As of December 31, 2019, the Company is not exposed to any credit concentration risk of a single issuer and its affiliates greater than 10% of the Company’s shareholders’ equity, other than the U.S. government and its agencies.
U.S. government and agencies, municipal, corporate - public and foreign government: The primary inputs to the valuation include quoted prices for identical or similar assets in markets that are not active, contractual cash flows, benchmark yields and credit spreads.
The Company has not incurred any losses on derivative financial instruments due to counterparty nonperformance. Other derivatives, including futures and certain option contracts, are traded on organized exchanges which require margin deposits and guarantee the execution of trades, thereby mitigating any potential credit risk.
Certain of the Company’s derivative instruments contain credit-risk-contingent termination events, cross-default provisions and credit support annex agreements. Credit-risk-contingent termination events
In the preceding table, the contractual amounts represent the amount at risk if the contract is fully drawn upon, the counterparty defaults and the value of any underlying security becomes worthless. Unless noted otherwise, the Company does not require
Other reinsurance programs - reinsurance protection for asbestos, environmental and other liability exposures as well as commercial lines, including shared economy.
Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association The MCCA is a statutory indemnification mechanism for
Seven-Year Term Contract, which is placed in the traditional reinsurance market contains comparable contract terms and conditions as layer six. The contract provides a $446 million limit and is 29.37% placed, and expires May 31, 2022. The contract contains a variable reset option which allows for the annual adjustment of the attachment and exhaustion level within specified limits. The variable reset option requires a premium adjustment. The contract contains one reinstatement of limits over its seven-year term with premium required. Reinsurance premiums for all contracts are subject to redetermination for exposure changes on an annual basis.
Layer 8 - Per Occurrence Excess Agreement - Gap Fill Excess Catastrophe Reinsurance Contract provides a $219 million limit in excess of a $2.75 billion retention, is 100% placed in the traditional market, and expires May 31, 2020. The contract provides additional gap coverage as the layer shifts down to the $2.75 billion retention level as lower layers are exhausted. A retention co-participation of 5% for a layer of $1.61 billion in excess of $2.75 billion is deemed in place and inures to the benefit of this contract. Recoveries from contracts in layers six and seven inure to the benefit of this contract, as this multiple peril contract provides coverage for perils and subject business not reinsured in portions of layers seven. While all inuring contracts are fully in place, this contract would begin to cover an occurrence subject loss in excess of $4.13 billion. This contract does not include a reinstatement of limits.
Excess contract reinsures personal lines property excess catastrophe losses caused by multiple perils in Florida. The contract is a two-year term contract effective June 1, 2018 to May 31, 2020 and provides $249 million of reinsurance limits each contract year. For the June 1, 2019 to May 31, 2020 term, the contract provides one limit of $249 million in excess of a $20 million retention and is 100% placed. Recoveries from the Below FHCF contract and Mandatory FHCF contracts inure to the benefit of this contract. The contract provides reinsurance limits above the Mandatory FHCF Contracts, for CKIC’s and CKI’s 10% co-participation in the Mandatory FHCF Contracts, and for loss occurrences not subject to reimbursement under the Mandatory FHCF Contracts which only reinsure losses arising out of hurricanes. The contract does not include a reinstatement of limits. Reinsurance premium is subject to redetermination for exposure changes.
In connection with the issuance of the Debentures, the Company entered into a replacement capital
Texas Fair Plan Association The Company participates as a member of the Texas Fair Plan Association (“FAIR Plan”), which provides residential property insurance to inland areas designated as
North Carolina Joint Underwriters Association The North Carolina Joint Underwriters Association (“NCJUA”) was created to provide property insurance for properties (other than the state’s beach and coastal areas) that insurers are not otherwise willing to insure. All insurers licensed to write property insurance in North Carolina are members of the NCJUA. Premiums, losses and expenses of the NCJUA are shared by the member companies in proportion to their respective North Carolina property insurance writings. Member companies participate in plan deficits or surpluses based on their participation ratios, which are determined annually. The Company had a $5 million receivable from the NCJUA at December 31, 2019 representing our participation in the NCJUA’s deficit of $29 million for all open years.
brand auto insurance between October 2014 and August 3, 2015. The factual allegations are substantially similar to those at issue in In re The Allstate Corp. Securities Litigation. The plaintiffs further allege that a senior officer and several outside directors engaged in stock option exercises allegedly while in possession of material nonpublic information. The plaintiffs seek, on behalf of the Company, an unspecified amount of damages and various forms of equitable relief. Defendants moved to dismiss the consolidated complaint on September 24, 2018 for failure to make a demand on the Allstate Board. On May 14, 2019, the court granted the defendants’ motion to dismiss the complaint, but allowed the plaintiffs leave to file a second consolidated amended complaint by June 11, 2019. On June 3, 2019, the plaintiffs filed a motion to stay the action, or in the alternative defer the filing of the second consolidated amended complaint, to allow the plaintiffs to conduct an inspection of the Company’s books and records. The parties reached a compromise by which the Company produced certain board materials and the deadline for the plaintiffs to file the second consolidated amended complaint was extended. On September 17, 2019, the plaintiffs filed a second consolidated amended complaint. Defendants moved to dismiss the complaint on November 1, 2019 for failure to make a demand on the Allstate Board.
The Company records compensation expense related to awards under these plans over the shorter of the period in which the requisite service is rendered or retirement eligibility is attained. Compensation expense for performance share awards is based on the probable number of awards expected to vest using the performance level most likely to be achieved at the end of the performance period. As of December 31, 2019, total unrecognized compensation cost related to all nonvested awards was $79 million, of which $29 million related to nonqualified stock options which is expected to be recognized over the weighted average vesting period of 1.68 years, $21 million related to restricted stock units which is expected to be recognized over the weighted average vesting period of 1.69 years and $29 million related to performance stock awards which is expected to be recognized over the weighted average vesting period of 1.55 years.
Performance stock awards vest into shares of stock on the day prior to the third anniversary of the grant date. Vesting of the number of performance stock awards earned based on the attainment of performance goals for each of the performance periods is subject to continued service, except for employees who are retirement eligible and in certain other limited circumstances. Performance stock awards subsequently convert into shares of stock in full the day of the third anniversary of the grant date.
The change in performance stock awards comprises those initially granted in 2019 and the adjustment to previously granted performance stock awards for performance achievement. The fair value of performance stock awards is based on the market value of the Company’s stock as of the date of the grant. The market value in part reflects the payment of future dividends expected. The weighted average grant date fair value of performance stock awards granted was $92.49, $92.88 and $78.47 during 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively. The total fair value of performance stock awards vested was $65 million, $15 million and $17 million during 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively.
In our opinion, the financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2019, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. Also, in our opinion, the Company maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2019, based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the COSO.
The Company also reviews these policies for circumstances where projected profits would be recognized in early years followed by projected losses in later years through a profits followed by losses (“PFBL”) analysis. If this circumstance exists, the Company will accrue a liability, during the period of profits, to offset the losses at such time as the future losses are expected to commence using a method updated prospectively over time. As of December 31, 2019, the Company’s PFBL analysis did not indicate periods of profits followed by periods of losses and therefore, the Company has not established a PFBL reserve.