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Policyholders' Liabilities
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2015
Liability for Future Policy Benefits and Unpaid Claims and Claims Adjustment Expense [Abstract]  
Policyholders' Liabilities
POLICYHOLDERS’ LIABILITIES
 
Future Policy Benefits
 
Future policy benefits at December 31 for the years indicated are as follows:
 
 
2015
 
2014
 
(in millions)
Life insurance
$
148,100

 
$
143,842

Individual and group annuities and supplementary contracts
60,493

 
58,699

Other contract liabilities
12,872

 
12,172

Subtotal future policy benefits excluding unpaid claims and claim adjustment expenses
221,465

 
214,713

Unpaid claims and claim adjustment expenses
2,919

 
3,053

Total future policy benefits
$
224,384

 
$
217,766


 
Life insurance liabilities include reserves for death and endowment policy benefits, terminal dividends and certain health benefits. Individual and group annuities and supplementary contracts liabilities include reserves for life contingent immediate annuities and life contingent group annuities. Other contract liabilities include unearned premiums and certain other reserves for group, annuities and individual life and health products.
 
Future policy benefits for individual participating traditional life insurance are based on the net level premium method, calculated using the guaranteed mortality and nonforfeiture interest rates which range from 2.5% to 7.5%. Participating insurance represented 4% of direct individual life insurance in force for both December 31, 2015 and 2014, and 16%, 16% and 14% of direct individual life insurance premiums for 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively.
 
Future policy benefits for individual non-participating traditional life insurance policies, group and individual long-term care policies and individual health insurance policies are generally equal to the present value of future benefit payments and related expenses, less the present value of future net premiums. Assumptions as to mortality, morbidity and persistency are based on the Company’s experience, industry data, and/or other factors, when the basis of the reserve is established. Interest rates used in the determination of the present values range from 0.2% to 9.5%; less than 1% of the reserves are based on an interest rate in excess of 8%.
 
Future policy benefits for individual and group annuities and supplementary contracts with life contingencies are generally equal to the present value of expected future payments. Assumptions as to mortality are based on the Company’s experience, industry data, and/or other factors, when the basis of the reserve is established. The interest rates used in the determination of the present values range from 0.4% to 11.3%; less than 1% of the reserves are based on an interest rate in excess of 8%.
 
Future policy benefits for other contract liabilities are generally equal to the present value of expected future payments based on the Company’s experience, except for example, certain group insurance coverages for which future policy benefits are equal to gross unearned premium reserves. The interest rates used in the determination of the present values range from 0.9% to 7.3%.

The Company’s liability for future policy benefits is also inclusive of liabilities for guaranteed benefits related to certain long-duration life and annuity contracts. Liabilities for guaranteed benefits with embedded derivative features are primarily in “other contract liabilities” in the table above. The remaining liabilities for guaranteed benefits are primarily reflected with the underlying contract. See Note 11 for additional information regarding liabilities for guaranteed benefits related to certain long-duration life and annuity contracts.
 
Premium deficiency reserves included in “Future policy benefits” are established, if necessary, when the liability for future policy benefits plus the present value of expected future gross premiums are determined to be insufficient to provide for expected future policy benefits and expenses. Premium deficiency reserves have been recorded for the group single premium annuity business, which consists of limited-payment, long-duration traditional, non-participating annuities; structured settlements; single premium immediate annuities with life contingencies; long-term care; and for certain individual health policies.
 
Unpaid claims and claim adjustment expenses primarily reflect the Company’s estimate of future disability claim payments and expenses as well as estimates of claims incurred but not yet reported as of the balance sheet dates related to group disability products. Unpaid claim liabilities that are discounted use interest rates ranging from 3.0% to 6.4%.
 
Policyholders’ Account Balances
 
Policyholders’ account balances at December 31 for the years indicated are as follows:
 
 
2015
 
2014
 
(in millions)
Individual annuities
$
37,384

 
$
37,718

Group annuities
27,141

 
27,200

Guaranteed investment contracts and guaranteed interest accounts
14,122

 
14,428

Funding agreements
3,997

 
4,691

Interest-sensitive life contracts
32,502

 
30,406

Dividend accumulation and other
21,638

 
21,707

Total policyholders’ account balances
$
136,784

 
$
136,150


 
Policyholders’ account balances primarily represent an accumulation of account deposits plus credited interest less withdrawals, expense charges and mortality charges, if applicable. These policyholders’ account balances also include provisions for benefits under non-life contingent payout annuities. Included in “Funding agreements” at December 31, 2015 and 2014 are $2,957 million and $2,705 million, respectively, related to the Company’s FANIP. Under this program, which has a maximum authorized amount of $15 billion, a Delaware statutory trust issues medium-term notes to investors that are secured by funding agreements issued to the trust by Prudential Insurance. The outstanding notes have fixed or floating interest rates that range from 0.5% to 2.6% and original maturities ranging from two to ten years. Included in the amounts at December 31, 2015 and 2014 is the medium-term note liability, which is carried at amortized cost, of $2,958 million and $2,705 million, respectively. For additional details on the FANIP, see Note 5.
 
Also included in “Funding agreements” are collateralized funding agreements issued to the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York (“FHLBNY”) of $1,001 million and $1,947 million, as of December 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively. These obligations, which are carried at amortized cost, have fixed or floating interest rates that range from 0.8% to 1.7% and original maturities ranging from four to seven years. For additional details on the FHLBNY program, see Note 14.
 
Interest crediting rates range from 0% to 7.5% for interest-sensitive life contracts and from 0% to 12.5% for contracts other than interest-sensitive life. Less than 1% of policyholders’ account balances have interest crediting rates in excess of 8%.