9. Derivative Instruments

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Notes to Financial Statements

Derivative Instruments

Derivative instruments

We use derivative financial instruments, including options, futures and swaps as a means of hedging exposure to interest rate, equity price change, equity volatility and foreign currency risk. This includes our surplus hedge which utilizes futures and options to hedge against declines in equity markets and the resulting statutory capital and surplus impact. We also use derivative instruments to economically hedge our exposure on living benefits offered on certain of our variable annuity products as well as index credits on our fixed indexed annuity products.

The Company seeks to enter into over-the-counter (“OTC”) derivative transactions pursuant to master agreements that provide for a netting of payments and receipts by counterparty. As of December 31, 2012 and 2011, $8.5 million and $7.5 million, respectively, of cash and cash equivalents were held as collateral by a third party related to our derivative transactions.

Our derivatives do not qualify for hedge accounting. We do not designate the purchased derivatives related to variable annuity living benefits or fixed indexed annuity index credits as hedges for accounting purposes.

Derivative Instruments:					Fair Value as of
($ in millions)					December 31, 2012
			Notional
	Maturity		Amount		Assets		Liabilities(1)
Interest rate swaps		2016-2027	$	180.0	$	15.5	$	7.7
Variance swaps		2015-2017		0.9		--		4.4
Swaptions		2024		25.0		--		--
Put options		2015-2022		391.0		69.5		--
Call options		2013-2017		1,328.4		50.6		33.6
Equity futures		2013		182.9		13.8		--
Total derivative instruments			$	2,108.2	$	149.4	$	45.7

(1) Derivative liabilities are included in other liabilities on the balance sheets.

Derivative Instruments:						Fair Value as of
($ in millions)						December 31, 2011
						As restated and amended
			Notional
	Maturity		Amount			Assets			Liabilities(1)
Interest rate swaps		2017-2026		$	101.1		$	9.3		$	3.5
Variance swaps		2015-2017			0.9			2.8			--
Swaptions		2024			25.0			0.2			--
Put options		2015-2021			200.0			47.3			--
Call options		2012-2016			700.4			28.0			19.0
Equity futures		2012			66.3			16.2			--
Total derivative instruments				$	1,093.7		$	103.8		$	22.5

(1) Derivative liabilities are included in other liabilities on the balance sheets.

Derivative Instrument Gains (Losses) Recognized in Realized Investment Losses:	Years Ended
($ in millions)	December 31,
	2012			2011			2010
				As restated			As restated
				and amended			and amended
Derivative instruments by type
Interest rate swaps	$	(1.7	)	$	6.9		$	0.5
Variance swaps		(7.9	)		3.5			(0.6	)
Swaptions		(0.2	)		(0.8	)		1.0
Put options		(20.9	)		10.6			2.7
Call options		0.9			(8.9	)		8.3
Equity futures		(19.2	)		(5.1	)		(34.7	)
Embedded derivatives		11.2			(33.2	)		12.2
Inter-company reinsurance derivatives		(3.5	)		9.0			(1.7)
Total derivative instrument losses recognized in realized investment losses	$	(41.3	)	$	(18.0	)	$	(12.3	)

Interest Rate Swaps

We maintain an overall interest rate risk management strategy that primarily incorporates the use of interest rate swaps as hedges of our exposure to changes in interest rates. Our exposure to changes in interest rates primarily results from our commitments to fund interest-sensitive insurance liabilities, as well as from our significant holdings of fixed rate financial instruments. We use interest rate swaps that effectively convert variable rate cash flows to fixed cash flows in order to hedge the interest rate risks associated with guaranteed minimum living benefit (GMAB/GMWB) rider liabilities.

Interest Rate Options

We use interest rate options, such as swaptions, to hedge against market risks to assets or liabilities from substantial changes in interest rates. An interest rate swaption gives us the right but not the obligation to enter into an underlying swap. Swaptions are options on interest rate swaps. All of our swaption contracts are receiver swaptions, which give us the right to enter into a swap where we will receive the agreed-upon fixed rate and pay the floating rate. If the market conditions are favorable and the swap is needed to continue hedging our in force liability business, we will exercise the swaption and enter into a fixed rate swap. If a swaption contract is not exercised by its option maturity date, it expires with no value.

Exchange Traded Future Contracts

We use equity index futures to hedge the market risks from changes in the value of equity indices, such as S&P 500, associated with guaranteed minimum living benefit (GMAB/GMWB) rider liabilities. Positions are short-dated, exchange-traded futures with maturities of three months.

Equity Index Options

We use equity indexed options to hedge against market risks from changes in equity markets, volatility and interest rates.

An equity index option affords us the right to make or receive payments based on a specified future level of an equity market index. We may use exchange-trade or OTC options.

Generally, we have used a combination of equity index futures, interest rate swaps, variance swaps and long-dated put options to hedge our GMAB and GMWB liabilities and equity index call options to hedge our indexed annuity option liabilities.

Contingent features

Derivative counterparty agreements may contain certain provisions that require our insurance companies’ financial strength rating to be above a certain threshold. If our financial strength ratings were to fall below a specified rating threshold, certain derivative counterparties could request immediate payment or demand immediate and ongoing full collateralization on derivative instruments in net liability positions, or trigger a termination of existing derivatives and/or future derivative transactions.

In certain derivative counterparty agreements, our financial strength ratings are below the specified threshold levels. However, the Company held no derivative instruments as of December 31, 2012 in a net aggregate liability position payable to any counterparty (i.e., such derivative instruments have fair values in a net asset position payable to the Company if such holdings were liquidated).