COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

12. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Litigation and Legal Proceedings

In the ordinary course of business, the Company is involved in various legal proceedings, specifically claims litigation. The Company’s insurance subsidiaries participate in most of these proceedings by either defending third-party claims brought against insureds or litigating first-party coverage claims. The Company accounts for such activity through the establishment of loss and LAE reserves. The Company’s management believes that the ultimate liability, if any, with respect to such ordinary-course claims litigation, after consideration of provisions made for potential losses and costs of defense, is immaterial to the Company’s consolidated financial statements. The Company is also occasionally involved in other legal and regulatory proceedings, some of which may assert claims for substantial amounts, making the Company party to individual actions in which extra contractual damages, punitive damages or penalties, such as claims alleging bad faith in the handling of insurance claims, are sought.

The Company reviews the outstanding matters, if any, on a quarterly basis. The Company accrues for estimated losses and contingent obligations in the consolidated financial statements if and when the obligation or potential loss from any litigation, legal proceeding or claim is considered probable and the amount of the potential exposure is reasonably estimable. The Company records such probable and estimable losses, through the establishment of legal expense reserves. As events evolve, facts concerning litigation and contingencies become known and as additional information becomes available, the Company’s management reassesses its potential

liabilities related to pending claims and litigation and may revise its previous estimates and make appropriate adjustment to the financial statements. Estimates that require judgment are subject to change and are based on management’s assessment, including the advice of legal counsel, the expected outcome of litigation and legal proceedings or other dispute resolution proceedings or the expected resolution of contingencies. The Company’s management believes that the Company’s accruals for probable and estimable losses are reasonable and that the amounts accrued do not have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

Regarding the matter involving the Co-Existence Agreement effective as of August 30, 2013 with Federated Mutual Insurance Company ("Mutual") and the related arbitration (please see Note 9 of our 2018 Form 10-K for more information), the Company and Mutual have exchanged releases and all remaining pending proceedings have been resolved by an agreed order entered by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on November 22, 2019.    

Assessment Related Activity

The Company operates in a regulatory environment where certain entities and organizations have the authority to require us to participate in assessments. Currently these entities and organizations include: Florida Insurance Guaranty Association (“FIGA”), Citizens Property Insurance Corporation (“Citizens”), FHCF, Georgia Insurers Insolvency Pool (“GIIP”), Special Insurance Fraud Fund (“SIIF”), Fair Access to Insurance Requirements Plan (“FAIRP”), Property Insurance Association of Louisiana (“PIAL”), South Carolina Property & Casualty Insurance Guaranty Association (“SCPCIGA”), Texas Property and Casualty Insurance Guaranty Association (“TPCIGA”), Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (“TWIA”), Alabama Insurance Guaranty Association (“AIGA”), and Alabama Insurance Underwriters Association (“AIUA”). As a direct premium writer, we are required to participate in certain insurer solvency associations under the applicable laws in the states which we do business. One form of assessment requires us to collect the assessment from our policyholders and then remit the collected amounts to the assessing entity, which does not have any impact on our financial results. We are also subject to assessments that require us to pay the full amount of the assessment to the assessing entity and then we are permitted to make rate filings to allow us to recoup the amount of the assessment from our policyholders over time.

In connection with its automobile line of business, which is currently winding down, FNIC is also required to participate in an insurance apportionment plan under Florida law, which is referred to as a JUA Plan. The JUA Plan provides for the equitable apportionment of any profits realized, or losses and expenses incurred, among participating automobile insurers. In the event of an underwriting deficit incurred by the JUA Plan, which is not recovered through the policyholders in the JUA Plan, such deficit shall be recovered from the companies participating in the JUA Plan in the proportion that the net direct written premiums of each such member during the preceding calendar year bear to the aggregate net direct premiums written in this state by all members of the JUA Plan. There were no material assessments by the JUA Plan as of December 31, 2020. Future assessments by the JUA and the JUA Plan are indeterminable at this time.

Leases

The Company is committed under various operating lease agreements for office space. FNHC and its subsidiaries lease certain facilities, furniture and equipment under long-term lease agreements. Rental expense for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018 was $1.1 million, $1.0 million and $0.7 million, respectively.

Future minimum lease payments under these agreements are as follows:

	Aggregate
	Minimum
Year Ended December 31,	Lease Payments
	(In thousands)
2021	$	1,066
2022	1,098
2023	1,131
2024	1,164
2025	1,115
Thereafter	3,318
Total	$	8,892

The right-of-use asset is reflected in other assets and the lease liability is reflected in other liabilities on our consolidated balance sheets. Lease expense, net of sublease income is reflected in general and administrative expenses on our consolidated statements of operations.

Additional information related to our operating lease agreement for office space consisted of the following:

	December 31,
	2020			2019
	(In thousands)
Right-of-use asset	$	7,430		$	8,096
Accrued rent	(259)			(317)
Right-of-use asset, net	$	7,171		$	7,779
Lease liability	$	7,430		$	8,096
Weighted average discount rate	4.70		%	4.70		%
Weighted average remaining years of lease term	7.7			8.7

	Year Ended December 31,
	2020		2019
	(In thousands)
Lease expense	$	1,118	$	1,046
Sublease income	(466)		(229)
Lease expense, net	$	652	$	817
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities	$	(555)	$	(573)

The interest rates implicit in our leases were not known, therefore the weighted-average discount rate above was determined by what FedNat would have had to pay to borrow the lease payments in a similar economic environment that existed at inception of our leases while considering our general credit and the theoretical collateral of the office space. In the event of a change to lease term, the Company would re-evaluate all inputs and assumptions, including the discount rate.

Refer to Note 2 above for additional information regarding the implementation of new lease accounting rules on January 1, 2019.