Note 16. Unpaid losses and loss adjustment expenses

The liabilities for unpaid losses and loss adjustment expenses (also referred to as “claim liabilities”) under our short duration property and casualty insurance and reinsurance contracts are based upon estimates of the ultimate claim costs associated with claim occurrences as of the balance sheet date and include estimates for incurred-but-not-reported (“IBNR”) claims. Reconciliations of the changes in claim liabilities for the nine months ending September 30, 2017 and 2016 follows (in millions).


	2017			2016
Unpaid losses and loss adjustment expenses—beginning of year:
Gross liabilities	$	76,918		$	73,144
Reinsurance recoverable and deferred charges		(11,385	)		(10,994	)

Net balance		65,533			62,150

Incurred losses and loss adjustment expenses with respect to:
Current accident year events		28,632			22,737
Prior accident years’ events		(510	)		(1,453	)
Retroactive reinsurance and discount accretion		11,328			1,041

Total incurred losses and loss adjustment expenses		39,450			22,325

Paid losses and loss adjustment expenses with respect to:
Current accident year events		(11,539	)		(10,202	)
Prior accident years’ events		(9,973	)		(8,761	)
Retroactive reinsurance		(762	)		(857	)

Total payments		(22,274	)		(19,820	)

Foreign currency translation adjustment		603			(158	)

Unpaid losses and loss adjustment expenses—September 30:
Net balance		83,312			64,497
Reinsurance recoverable and deferred charges		16,826			10,972

Gross liabilities	$	100,138		$	75,469

Incurred losses and loss adjustment expenses in the preceding table reflect the losses and loss adjustment expenses recorded in earnings in each period related to insured events occurring in the current year and in prior years. We present incurred and paid losses under retroactive reinsurance contracts and discount accretion separately. Such amounts relate to prior accident years. Incurred losses with respect to current accident year events in 2017 included approximately $3 billion from hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria and an earthquake in Mexico that occurred in the third quarter.

Incurred losses and loss adjustment expenses in the first nine months of 2017 and 2016 included decreases of $510 million and $1,453 million, respectively, in the estimated ultimate liabilities for prior accident years’ events. In the first nine months of 2017, we decreased prior accident years’ losses and loss adjustment expenses by $569 million with respect to primary insurance operations (primarily healthcare malpractice and workers’ compensation coverages), which was partly offset by a slight overall increase attributable to reinsurance operations. In the first nine months of 2016, we reduced estimated ultimate liabilities for prior accident years’ events for reinsurance operations ($697 million) and primary insurance ($756 million). The reductions related to reinsurance operations were primarily attributable to lower than expected reported losses, while the reductions for primary insurance primarily related to private passenger automobile, healthcare malpractice and workers’ compensation coverages.

In January 2017, a Berkshire subsidiary, National Indemnity Company (“NICO”), entered into a retroactive reinsurance agreement with various subsidiaries of American International Group, Inc. (collectively, “AIG”). NICO received cash consideration of $10.2 billion and agreed to indemnify AIG for 80% of up to $25 billion, excess of $25 billion retained by AIG, of losses and allocated loss adjustment expenses with respect to certain commercial insurance loss events occurring in years prior to 2016. The transaction became effective on February 2, 2017. Berkshire agreed to guarantee the timely payment of all amounts due to AIG under the agreement.

We accounted for the AIG agreement as retroactive reinsurance of short-duration insurance contracts. As of the effective date, we recorded premiums earned and losses and loss adjustment expenses incurred of $10.2 billion. We also recorded a liability for unpaid losses and loss adjustment expenses of $16.4 billion, representing the estimated ultimate liabilities assumed, and a deferred charge reinsurance assumed asset of $6.2 billion, representing the excess of the liability over the premiums earned. This deferred charge asset will be amortized over the estimated claims settlement period using the interest method based on the estimated timing and amount of future loss payments. Amortization charges are included in losses and loss adjustment expenses in the Consolidated Statements of Earnings.