Contingent Liabilities

Litigation and arbitration

The Company is regularly involved in litigation and arbitration, both as a defendant and as a plaintiff. The litigation and arbitration naming the Company as a defendant ordinarily involves our activities as an insurer, employer, investor, investment advisor or taxpayer.

It is not feasible to predict or determine the ultimate outcome of all legal or arbitration proceedings or to provide reasonable ranges of potential losses. Management of the Company believes that the outcome of our litigation and arbitration matters described below are not likely, either individually or in the aggregate, to have a material adverse effect on the financial condition of the Company. However, given the large or indeterminate amounts sought in certain of these matters and the inherent unpredictability of litigation and arbitration, it is possible that an adverse outcome in certain matters could, from time to time, have a material adverse effect on the results of operations or cash flows in particular quarterly or annual periods.

SEC Cease-and-Desist Order

On February 12, 2014, PNX and the Company submitted an Offer of Settlement with the SEC pursuant to which PNX and the Company consented to the issuance of the form of an Order Instituting Cease-and-Desist Proceedings Pursuant to Section 21C of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, Making Findings, and Imposing a Cease-and-Desist Order (the “March 2014 Order”). The March 2014 Order was approved by the SEC on March 21, 2014. Pursuant to the March 2014 Order, PNX and the Company have been directed to cease and desist from committing or causing any violations and any future violations of Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act and Rules 13a-1 and 13a-13 thereunder and Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act and Rules 15d-1 and 15d-13 thereunder. PNX and the Company each paid a civil monetary penalty in the amount of $375,000 to the U.S. Treasury following the entry of the March 2014 Order.

PNX filed the 2012 Form 10-K a day after the date required by the March 2014 Order, filed its third quarter 2012 Form 10-Q eight days after the date required by the March 2014 Order, and announced on June 3, 2014 that it would not file its 2013 Annual Report on Form 10-K by the date required by the March 2014 Order. PHL Variable filed its 2012 Form 10-K ten days after the date required by the March 2014 Order and announced on June 3, 2014 that it would not file its 2013 Annual Report on Form 10- K by the date required by the March 2014 Order. PHL Variable filed its third quarter 2012 Form 10-Q in compliance with the March 2014 Order.


16.	Contingent Liabilities (continued)

On July 16, 2014, PNX and the Company submitted an Amended Offer of Settlement with the SEC (the “Amended Offer”) pursuant to which PNX and the Company consented to the issuance of the form of an Order Amending Order Instituting Cease-and-Desist Proceedings Pursuant to Section 21C of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, Making Findings, and Imposing a Cease-and-Desist Order (the “Amended Order”). Except as amended by the Amended Order, which was approved by the SEC on August 1, 2014, the March 2014 Order remains in effect. PNX and the Company each paid a civil monetary penalty in the amount of $100,000 to the U.S. Treasury following the entry of the Amended Order, and will be required to pay the following additional monetary penalties with respect to a future late filing of any Company and/or PNX periodic report covered by the Amended Order: $20,000 per filing for the first week in which a filing is delinquent, plus, for each week or partial week thereafter an additional amount equal to the sum of a) $20,000 and b) $5,000 multiplied by the number of complete weeks that the filing has been delinquent before the week in which the late filing is made. PNX filed its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013 with the SEC on August 6, 2014 in compliance with the Amended Order.

The following table sets forth the deadlines in the Amended Order for Phoenix’s SEC periodic reports:



Phoenix Timetable of SEC Periodic Reports
Form	Period	Amended Deadline
10-K	Year ended December 31, 2013	August 6, 2014
10-Q	Quarterly Period ended March 31, 2013	September 10, 2014
10-Q	Quarterly Period ended June 30, 2013	September 10, 2014
10-Q	Quarterly Period ended September 30, 2013	September 10, 2014
10-Q	Quarterly Period ended March 31, 2014	October 17, 2014
10-Q	Quarterly Period ended June 30, 2014	October 24, 2014
10-Q	Quarterly Period ended September 30, 2014	December 5, 2014

As of the date of filing of this Form 10-K, Phoenix believes it will become a timely filer with the filing of its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ending December 31, 2014.

The following table sets forth the deadlines in the Amended Order for the Company’s SEC periodic reports:



PHL Variable Timetable of SEC Periodic Reports
Form	Period	Amended Deadline
10-K	Year ended December 31, 2013	August 22, 2014
10-Q	Quarterly Period ended March 31, 2013	September 12, 2014
10-Q	Quarterly Period ended June 30, 2013	September 12, 2014
10-Q	Quarterly Period ended September 30, 2013	September 12, 2014
10-Q	Quarterly Period ended March 31, 2014	October 21, 2014
10-Q	Quarterly Period ended June 30, 2014	October 28, 2014
10-Q	Quarterly Period ended September 30, 2014	December 12, 2014

As of the date of filing of this Form 10-K, the Company believes it will become a timely filer with the filing of its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ending December 31, 2014. This Form 10-K was filed in compliance with the Amended Order.


16.	Contingent Liabilities (continued)

Cases Brought by Policy Investors

On June 5, 2012, Wilmington Savings Fund Society, FSB, as successor in interest to Christiana Bank & Trust Company and as trustee of 60 unnamed trusts, filed a complaint against PNX, Phoenix Life and the Company in the United States District Court for the Central District of California; this case was later transferred to the District of Delaware (C.A. No. 13-499-RGA) by order dated March 28, 2013. After the plaintiffs twice amended their complaint, and dropped PNX as a defendant and dropped one of the plaintiff Trusts, the court issued an order on April 9, 2014 dismissing seven of the ten counts, and partially dismissing two more, with prejudice. The court dismissed claims alleged that Phoenix Life and the Company committed RICO violations and fraud by continuing to collect premiums while concealing an intent to later deny death claims. The claims that remain in the case seek a declaration that the policies at issue are valid, and damages relating to cost of insurance increases. We believe we have meritorious defenses against this lawsuit and we intend to vigorously defend against these claims. The outcome of this litigation and any potential losses are uncertain.

On August 2, 2012, Lima LS PLC filed a complaint against PNX, Phoenix Life, the Company, James D. Wehr, Philip K. Polkinghorn, Edward W. Cassidy, Dona D. Young and other unnamed defendants in the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut (Case No. CV12-01122). On July 1, 2013, the defendants’ motion to dismiss the complaint was granted in part and denied in part. Thereafter, on July 31, 2013, the plaintiff served an amended complaint against the same defendants, with the exception that Mr. Cassidy was dropped as a defendant. The plaintiffs allege that Phoenix promoted certain policy sales knowing that the policies would ultimately be owned by investors and then challenging the validity of these policies or denying claims submitted on these policies. Plaintiffs are seeking damages, including punitive and treble damages, attorneys’ fees and a declaratory judgment. We believe we have meritorious defenses against this lawsuit and we intend to vigorously defend against these claims. The outcome of this litigation and any potential losses are uncertain.

Cost of Insurance Cases

By order dated July 12, 2013, two separate classes were certified in an action pending in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (C.A. No. 1:11-cv-08405-CM-JCF (U.S. Dist. Ct; S.D.N.Y.)) brought by Martin Fleisher and another plaintiff (the “Fleisher Litigation”), on behalf of themselves and others similarly situated, against Phoenix Life. By subsequent order dated August 26, 2013, the court decertified one of the classes. The complaint in the Fleisher Litigation, filed on November 18, 2011, challenges COI rate adjustments implemented by Phoenix Life, which Phoenix Life maintains were based on policy language permitting such adjustments. The complaint seeks damages for breach of contract. The class certified in the court’s July 12, 2013 order, as limited by the court’s August 26, 2013 order, is limited to holders of Phoenix Life policies issued in New York and subject to New York law. By order dated April 29, 2014, the court denied Martin Fleisher’s motion for summary judgment in the Fleisher Litigation in its entirety, while granting in part and denying in part Phoenix Life’s motion for summary judgment.

The Company, a subsidiary of Phoenix Life, has been named as a defendant in four actions challenging its COI rate adjustments implemented concurrently with the Phoenix Life adjustments. These four cases, which are not styled as class actions, have been brought against the Company by (1) Tiger Capital LLC (C.A. No. 1:12-cv- 02939-CM-JCF; U.S. Dist. Ct; S.D.N.Y., complaint filed on March 14, 2012; the “Tiger Capital Litigation”) and (2-4) U.S. Bank National Association, as securities intermediary for Lima Acquisition LP ((2: C.A. No. 1:12-cv-06811-CM-JCF; U.S. Dist. Ct; S.D.N.Y., complaint filed on November 16, 2011; 3: C.A. No. 1:13-cv-01580-CM-JCF; U.S. Dist. Ct; S.D.N.Y., complaint filed on March 8, 2013; collectively, the “U.S. Bank N.Y. Litigations”)); and 4: C.A. No. 1:13-cv-00368-GMS; U.S. Dist. Ct; D. Del., complaint filed on March 6, 2013; the “Delaware Litigation”). The Tiger Capital Litigation and the two U.S. Bank N.Y. Litigations have been assigned to the same judge as the Fleisher Litigation, and discovery in these four actions, which was coordinated by the court, has concluded. By orders in both U.S. Bank N.Y. Litigations dated May 23, 2014 the court denied U.S. Bank’s motions for summary judgment in their entirety, while granting in part and denying in part the Company’s motions for summary judgment. U.S. Bank moved for reconsideration of the court’s summary judgment decisions in the U.S. Bank N.Y. Litigation, which the court denied by orders dated June 4, 2014. By order in the Tiger Capital Litigation dated July 23, 2014, the court denied Tiger Capital’s motion for summary judgment in its entirety, while granting in part and denying in part PHL Variable’s motion for summary judgment. The Delaware Litigation is proceeding separately and by order dated April 22, 2014 was transferred to the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut and assigned a new docket number (C.A. No. 3:14-cv-0555-WWE). The plaintiffs seek damages and attorneys’ fees for breach of contract and other common law and statutory claims.


16.	Contingent Liabilities (continued)

Complaints to state insurance departments regarding the Company’s COI rate adjustments have also prompted regulatory inquiries or investigations in several states, with two of such states (California and Wisconsin) issuing letters directing the Company to take remedial action in response to complaints by a single policyholder. The Company disagrees with both states’ positions and, on April 30, 2013, Wisconsin commenced an administrative hearing to obtain a formal ruling on its position, which is pending. (OCI Case No. 13-C35362).

The Company and Phoenix Life believe that they have meritorious defenses against all of these lawsuits and regulatory directives and intend to vigorously defend against them. The outcome of these matters is uncertain and any potential losses cannot be reasonably estimated.

Shareholder Action

On April 17, 2013, Robert Strougo, et al. filed a complaint against the Company, James D. Wehr and Peter A. Hofmann in the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut (Case No. 13-CV-547-RNC) (the “Strougo Litigation”). On November 1, 2013, the plaintiffs filed an amended complaint joining Michael E. Hanrahan as an additional individual defendant. The plaintiffs seek to recover on behalf of themselves and a class defined as all persons (other than the defendants) who purchased or otherwise acquired PNX’s securities between May 5, 2009 and August 14, 2013 for claims arising out of PNX’s announced intent to restate previously filed financial statements. The plaintiffs allege that, throughout the class period, PNX made materially false and misleading statements regarding PNX’s business, operational and compliance policies. The plaintiffs seek damages, attorneys’ fees and other litigation costs. On June 2, 2014, prior to moving to certify a class, the plaintiffs voluntarily dismissed the action with prejudice as to the named plaintiffs.

Regulatory matters

State regulatory bodies, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”), the IRS and other regulatory bodies regularly make inquiries of us and, from time to time, conduct examinations or investigations concerning our compliance with laws and regulations related to, among other things, our insurance and broker-dealer subsidiaries, securities offerings and registered products. We endeavor to respond to such inquiries in an appropriate way and to take corrective action if warranted. Further, PNX is providing to the SEC certain information and documentation regarding the Restatement and the staff of the SEC has indicated to PNX that the matter remains subject to further investigation and potential further regulatory action. We cannot predict the outcome of any of such investigations or actions related to these or other matters.

Regulatory actions may be difficult to assess or quantify. The nature and magnitude of their outcomes may remain unknown for substantial periods of time. It is not feasible to predict or determine the ultimate outcome of all pending inquiries, investigations, legal proceedings and other regulatory actions, or to provide reasonable ranges of potential losses. Based on current information, we believe that the outcomes of our regulatory matters are not likely, either individually or in the aggregate, to have a material adverse effect on our financial condition. However, given the inherent unpredictability of regulatory matters, it is possible that an adverse outcome in certain matters could, from time to time, have a material adverse effect on our financial statements in particular quarterly or annual periods.

State Insurance Department Examinations

During 2012 and 2013, the Connecticut Insurance Department conducted its routine financial examination of the Company and two other Connecticut-domiciled insurance affiliates. A report from the Connecticut Insurance Department was issued on May 28, 2014. We expect to receive final market conduct examination reports in 2014.

In 2013, the Connecticut Insurance Department commenced a market conduct examination of the Company and two other Connecticut-domiciled insurance affiliates. The report from this examination will also be available in 2014.


16.	Contingent Liabilities (continued)

Unclaimed Property Inquiries

In late 2012, PNX and the Company and their affiliates received separate notices from Unclaimed Property Clearing House (“UPCH”) and Kelmar Associates, LLC (“Kelmar”) that UPCH and Kelmar had been authorized by the unclaimed property administrators in certain states to conduct unclaimed property audits. The audits began in 2013 and are being conducted on the PNX enterprise with a focus on death benefit payments; however, all amounts owed by any aspect of the PNX enterprise are also a focus. This includes any payments to vendors, brokers, former employees and shareholders. UPCH represents 33 states and the District of Columbia and Kelmar represents six states.