Managed Investment Entities

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2012

Managed Investment Entities [Abstract]

Managed Investment Entities

G. Managed Investment Entities

AFG is the investment manager and has investments ranging from 7.5% to 51.2% of the most subordinate debt tranche of eight collateralized loan obligation entities or “CLOs,” which are considered variable interest entities. Upon formation between 2004 and 2012, these entities issued securities in various senior and subordinate classes and invested the proceeds primarily in secured bank loans, which serve as collateral for the debt securities issued by each particular CLO. None of the collateral was purchased from AFG. AFG’s investments in the subordinate debt tranches of these entities receive residual income from the CLOs only after the CLOs pay operating expenses (including management fees to AFG), interest on and returns of capital to senior levels of debt securities. There are no contractual requirements for AFG to provide additional funding for these entities. AFG has not provided and does not intend to provide any financial support to these entities.

AFG’s maximum ultimate exposure to economic loss on its CLOs is limited to its investment in the CLOs, which had an aggregate fair value of $135 million at March 31, 2012, and $98 million at December 31, 2011.

In February 2012, one of the AFG CLOs was substantially liquidated at the instruction of the holder of the majority of the most subordinate debt tranche, as permitted by the CLO indentures. In March 2012, AFG formed a new CLO, which issued $410 million face amount of liabilities (including $39 million face amount purchased by subsidiaries of AFG).

The revenues and expenses of the CLOs are separately identified in AFG’s Statement of Earnings, after the elimination of management fees and earnings attributable to shareholders of AFG as measured by the change in the fair value of AFG’s investments in the CLOs. Selected financial information related to the CLOs is shown below (in millions):

	Three months ended March  31,
	2012			2011
Gains (losses) on change in fair value of assets/liabilities (a):
Assets	$	55		$	29
Liabilities		(84	)		(62	)
Management fees paid to AFG		4			3
CLO earnings (losses) attributable to:
AFG shareholders (b)		5			6
Noncontrolling interests (b)		(28	)		(35	)

(a) Included in AFG’s “Revenues.”

(b) Included in AFG’s “Operating earnings before income taxes.”

The aggregate unpaid principal balance of the CLOs’ fixed maturity investments exceeded the fair value of the investments by $65 million and $120 million at March 31, 2012 and December 31, 2011. The aggregate unpaid principal balance of the CLOs’ debt exceeded its fair value by $227 million and $306 million at those dates. The CLO assets include $6 million and $2 million in loans (aggregate unpaid principal balance of $17 million and $7 million, respectively) at March 31, 2012 and December 31, 2011, for which the CLOs are not accruing interest because the loans are in default.