-----BEGIN PRIVACY-ENHANCED MESSAGE----- Proc-Type: 2001,MIC-CLEAR Originator-Name: webmaster@www.sec.gov Originator-Key-Asymmetric: MFgwCgYEVQgBAQICAf8DSgAwRwJAW2sNKK9AVtBzYZmr6aGjlWyK3XmZv3dTINen TWSM7vrzLADbmYQaionwg5sDW3P6oaM5D3tdezXMm7z1T+B+twIDAQAB MIC-Info: RSA-MD5,RSA, JOoZKn3RBgPew0FcNBES1aAoyYxseOHKd260vbpgJjeD1ZL+K1U3JnsMuHW9xtnU mC/QDcA7huk5r6MxE05HXg== 0001047469-10-007089.txt : 20100806 0001047469-10-007089.hdr.sgml : 20100806 20100806060338 ACCESSION NUMBER: 0001047469-10-007089 CONFORMED SUBMISSION TYPE: 8-K PUBLIC DOCUMENT COUNT: 4 CONFORMED PERIOD OF REPORT: 20100806 ITEM INFORMATION: Other Events ITEM INFORMATION: Financial Statements and Exhibits FILED AS OF DATE: 20100806 DATE AS OF CHANGE: 20100806 FILER: COMPANY DATA: COMPANY CONFORMED NAME: ASSURED GUARANTY LTD CENTRAL INDEX KEY: 0001273813 STANDARD INDUSTRIAL CLASSIFICATION: SURETY INSURANCE [6351] IRS NUMBER: 000000000 STATE OF INCORPORATION: D0 FISCAL YEAR END: 1231 FILING VALUES: FORM TYPE: 8-K SEC ACT: 1934 Act SEC FILE NUMBER: 001-32141 FILM NUMBER: 10996227 BUSINESS ADDRESS: STREET 1: 30 WOOD BOURNE AVE CITY: HAMILTON BERMUDA STATE: D0 ZIP: 0000 BUSINESS PHONE: 441-279-5700 MAIL ADDRESS: STREET 1: 30 WOOD BOURNE AVE CITY: HAMILTON BERMUDA STATE: D0 ZIP: 0000 FORMER COMPANY: FORMER CONFORMED NAME: AGR LTD DATE OF NAME CHANGE: 20040122 FORMER COMPANY: FORMER CONFORMED NAME: AGC HOLDINGS LTD DATE OF NAME CHANGE: 20031218 8-K 1 a2199697z8-k.htm 8-K
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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549



FORM 8-K

Current Report
Pursuant To Section 13 or 15 (d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): August 6, 2010



ASSURED GUARANTY LTD.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)



Bermuda
(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)
  001-32141
(Commission File Number)
  98-0429991
(I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.)



Assured Guaranty Ltd.
30 Woodbourne Avenue
Hamilton HM 08 Bermuda
(Address of principal executive offices)


Registrant's telephone number, including area code: (441) 279-5700


Not applicable
(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)


Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):

o
Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

o
Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

o
Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

o
Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))


Item 8.01    Other Events

        On March 22, 2010, Assured Guaranty Ltd. ("AGL") filed a Current Report on Form 8-K, with the consolidated financial statements of Assured Guaranty Corp. ("AGC") for the year ended December 31, 2009 attached as Exhibit 99.3. On May 26, 2010, AGL filed a Current Report on Form 8-K with the unaudited consolidated financial statements of AGC for the three months ended March 31, 2010 attached as Exhibit 99.4.

        Attached as Exhibit 99.1 and 99.2 and incorporated by reference herein are amended AGC consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2009 and the three months ended March 31, 2010, respectively. These consolidated financial statements are being re-filed with minor changes to footnote disclosures that had listed AGC's current financial strength ratings. The purpose of these minor changes is to allow such consolidated financial statements to be incorporated by reference in registration statements covering the securities for which AGC provides financial guarantees. The consolidated financial statements otherwise are identical in all respects to the previously filed consolidated financial statements.

        The amendments to footnote disclosures are being made as a result of changes in Securities and Exchange Commission rules regarding the consent of rating agencies where their published ratings are included in registration statements, and market reactions to the application of such changes.

Item 9.01    Financial Statement and Exhibits

(d)
Exhibits

EXHIBIT INDEX

Exhibit No.   Description
  23.1   Accountants Consent

 

99.1

 

Assured Guaranty Corp. consolidated financial statements (amended) for the year ended December 31, 2009

 

99.2

 

Assured Guaranty Corp. consolidated financial statements (amended) for the three months ended March 31, 2010

2



SIGNATURES

        Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

    ASSURED GUARANTY LTD.

 

 

By:

 

/s/ JAMES M. MICHENER

James M. Michener
General Counsel and Secretary

Date: August 6, 2010

3



EXHIBIT INDEX

Exhibit No.   Description
  23.1   Accountants Consent

 

99.1

 

Assured Guaranty Corp. consolidated financial statements (amended) for the year ended December 31, 2009

 

99.2

 

Assured Guaranty Corp. consolidated financial statements (amended) for the three months ended March 31, 2010

4




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EX-23.1 2 a2199697zex-23_1.htm EXHIBIT 23.1
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Exhibit 23.1

CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

        We hereby consent to the incorporation by reference in the Registration Statements on Form S-3 (No. 333-152892 and No. 333-152890) and Form S-8 (No. 333-122326, No. 333-160367, No. 333-160008, No. 333-159325, No. 333-159324 and No. 333-115893) of Assured Guaranty Ltd. of our report dated March 19, 2010 relating to the financial statements of Assured Guaranty Corp., which appears in Exhibit 99.3 to Assured Guaranty Ltd.'s Current Report on Form 8-K dated March 22, 2010 and in Exhibit 99.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K.

/s/ PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
New York, New York

August 6, 2010




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EX-99.1 3 a2199697zex-99_1.htm EXHIBIT 99.1
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Exhibit 99.1
Amended August 6, 2010


Assured Guaranty Corp.

Index to Consolidated Financial Statements

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

 
  Page(s)

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

 
1

Financial Statements

   

Consolidated Balance Sheets

 
2

Consolidated Statements of Operations

 
3

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income

 
4

Consolidated Statements of Shareholder's Equity

 
5

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

 
6

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

 
7–99

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Board of Directors and Shareholder of Assured Guaranty Corp.:

        In our opinion, the accompanying consolidated balance sheets and the related consolidated statements of operations, of comprehensive income, of shareholder's equity and of cash flows present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Assured Guaranty Corp. and its subsidiary ("the Company") at December 31, 2009 and 2008 and the results of their operations and their cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2009 in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audits. We conducted our audits of these statements in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements, assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, and evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

        As discussed in Note 2 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company changed the manner in which it recognizes other than temporary impairments for debt securities classified as available-for-sale effective April 1, 2009. As discussed in Note 4 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company changed the manner in which it accounts for financial guaranty insurance contracts effective January 1, 2009.

/s/ PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
New York, New York
March 19, 2010

1



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Consolidated Balance Sheets

(dollars in thousands except per share and share amounts)

 
  December 31,  
 
  2009   2008  

ASSETS

             

Investment portfolio:

             
 

Fixed maturity securities, available-for-sale, at fair value (amortized cost of $2,002,706 and $1,521,994)

  $ 2,045,211   $ 1,511,329  
 

Short-term investments, at cost which approximates fair value

    802,567     109,986  
           
 

Total investment portfolio

    2,847,778     1,621,315  

Cash

    2,470     7,823  

Premiums receivable, net of ceding commissions payable

    351,468     12,445  

Ceded unearned premium reserve

    435,268     206,453  

Deferred acquisition costs

    45,162     78,989  

Reinsurance recoverable on unpaid losses

    50,706     13,424  

Credit derivative assets

    251,992     139,494  

Committed capital securities, at fair value

    3,987     51,062  

Deferred tax asset, net

    241,796     110,336  

Goodwill

        85,417  

Salvage and subrogation recoverable

    169,917     70,884  

Other assets

    99,266     56,828  
           
 

TOTAL ASSETS

  $ 4,499,810   $ 2,454,470  
           

LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDER'S EQUITY

             

Unearned premium reserve

  $ 1,451,576   $ 707,957  

Loss and loss adjustment expense reserve

    191,211     133,710  

Note payable to affiliate

    300,000      

Credit derivative liabilities

    1,076,726     481,040  

Reinsurance balances payable, net

    165,892     23,725  

Other liabilities

    88,188     62,012  
           
 

TOTAL LIABILITIES

    3,273,593     1,408,444  
           

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

             

Preferred stock ($1,000 liquidation preference, 200,004 shares authorized; none issued and outstanding in 2009 and 2008)

         

Common stock ($720.00 par value, 500,000 shares authorized; 20,834 shares issued and outstanding in 2009 and 2008)

    15,000     15,000  

Additional paid-in capital

    1,037,059     480,375  

Retained earnings

    153,738     561,598  

Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), net of deferred tax provision (benefit) of $10,999 and $(6,825)

    20,420     (10,947 )
           
 

TOTAL SHAREHOLDER'S EQUITY

    1,226,217     1,046,026  
           
 

TOTAL LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDER'S EQUITY

  $ 4,499,810   $ 2,454,470  
           

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

2



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Consolidated Statements of Operations

(in thousands)

 
  For the Years Ended December 31,  
 
  2009   2008   2007  

Revenues

                   

Net earned premiums

  $ 138,738   $ 91,998   $ 58,717  

Net investment income

    76,616     73,167     63,150  

Net realized investment gains (losses):

                   
 

Other-than-temporary impairment ("OTTI") losses

    (12,433 )   (14,974 )    
 

Less: portion of OTTI loss recognized in other comprehensive income

    (4,988 )        
 

Other net realized investment gains (losses)

    10,434     313     (478 )
               
   

Net realized investment gains (losses)

    2,989     (14,661 )   (478 )

Net change in fair value of credit derivatives:

                   
 

Realized gains and other settlements

    85,321     87,908     53,762  
 

Net unrealized gains (losses)

    (481,381 )   126,027     (516,357 )
               
   

Net change in fair value of credit derivatives

    (396,060 )   213,935     (462,595 )

Net change in fair value gains (loss) on committed capital securities

    (47,075 )   42,746     8,316  

Other income

    5,362     648     484  
               
 

Total Revenues

    (219,430 )   407,833     (332,406 )
               

Expenses

                   

Loss and loss adjustment expenses

    192,967     149,479     (15,375 )

Amortization of deferred acquisition costs

    6,701     18,567     14,441  

Interest expense

    542         111  

Goodwill impairment

    85,417          

Other operating expenses

    86,821     54,944     49,447  
               
 

Total Expenses

    372,448     222,990     48,624  
               

Income (loss) before income taxes

    (591,878 )   184,843     (381,030 )

Provision (benefit) for income taxes

                   
 

Current

    (27,671 )   6,787     26,036  
 

Deferred

    (157,593 )   43,228     (172,213 )
               

Total provision (benefit) for income taxes

    (185,264 )   50,015     (146,177 )
               

Net income (loss)

  $ (406,614 ) $ 134,828   $ (234,853 )
               

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

3



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income

(in thousands)

 
  For the Years Ended December 31,  
 
  2009   2008   2007  

Net income (loss)

  $ (406,614 ) $ 134,828   $ (234,853 )
 

Unrealized holding gains (losses) arising during the period on:

                   
 

Available-for-sale securities with no other-than-temporary impairment, net of deferred income tax provision (benefit) of $24,508, $(23,173) and $(842)

    45,510     (43,039 )   (1,345 )
 

Available-for-sale securities with other-than-temporary impairment, net of deferred income tax provision (benefit) of $(1,746), $0 and $0

    (3,242 )        
               
 

Unrealized holding gains (losses) during the period, net of tax

    42,268     (43,039 )   (1,345 )
 

Less: reclassification adjustment for gains (losses) included in net income (loss), net of deferred income tax provision (benefit) of $1,046, $(5,131) and $(167)

    1,943     (9,530 )   (311 )
               
 

Change in net unrealized gains on available-for-sale securities

    40,325     (33,509 )   (1,034 )
 

Change in cumulative translation adjustment

    (3,192 )   (5,982 )   186  
               

Other comprehensive income (loss)

    37,133     (39,491 )   (848 )
               

Comprehensive income (loss)

  $ (369,481 ) $ 95,337   $ (235,701 )
               

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

4



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Consolidated Statements of Shareholder's Equity

For the Years Ended December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

(in thousands)

 
  Preferred
Stock
  Common
Stock
  Additional
Paid-in
Capital
  Retained
Earnings
  Accumulated
Other
Comprehensive
Income (Loss)
  Total
Shareholder's
Equity
 

Balance, December 31, 2006

  $   $ 15,000   $ 380,176   $ 692,760   $ 29,392   $ 1,117,328  

Cumulative effect of accounting change

                (2,490 )       (2,490 )

Net loss

                (234,853 )       (234,853 )

Dividends

                (12,125 )       (12,125 )

Tax benefit for stock options exercised

            183             183  

Change in cumulative translation adjustment

                    186     186  

Unrealized loss on fixed maturity securities, net of tax of $(675)

                    (1,034 )   (1,034 )
                           

Balance, December 31, 2007

        15,000     380,359     443,292     28,544     867,195  

Net income

                134,828         134,828  

Dividends

                (16,522 )       (16,522 )

Capital contribution

            100,000             100,000  

Tax benefit for stock options exercised

            16             16  

Change in cumulative translation adjustment

                    (5,982 )   (5,982 )

Unrealized loss on fixed maturity securities, net of tax of $(18,042)

                    (33,509 )   (33,509 )
                           

Balance, December 31, 2008

        15,000     480,375     561,598     (10,947 )   1,046,026  
                           

Cumulative effect of accounting change

                9,801         9,801  
                           

Balance at the beginning of the year, adjusted

        15,000     480,375     571,399     (10,947 )   1,055,827  

Cumulative effect of accounting change

                5,766     (5,766 )    

Net loss

                (406,614 )       (406,614 )

Dividends

                (16,813 )       (16,813 )

Capital contribution

            556,700             556,700  

Tax benefit for stock options exercised

            (16 )           (16 )

Change in cumulative translation adjustment

                    (3,192 )   (3,192 )

Unrealized gain on fixed maturity securities, net of tax of $21,716

                    40,325     40,325  
                           

Balance, December 31, 2009

  $   $ 15,000   $ 1,037,059   $ 153,738   $ 20,420   $ 1,226,217  
                           

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

5



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

(dollars in thousands)

 
  For the Years Ended December 31,  
 
  2009   2008   2007  

Operating activities

                   

Net income (loss)

  $ (406,614 ) $ 134,828   $ (234,853 )

Adjustments to reconcile net income(loss) to net cash flows provided by operating activities:

                   
 

Non-cash operating expenses

    8,230     10,344     11,938  
 

Net amortization of premium on fixed maturity securities

    526     1,997     1,327  
 

Accretion of discount on net premium receivable

    (6,260 )        
 

Provision (benefit) for deferred income taxes

    (157,593 )   43,228     (172,213 )
 

Net realized investment losses (gains)

    (2,989 )   14,661     478  
 

Unrealized losses (gains) on credit derivatives

    481,381     (126,027 )   516,357  
 

Fair value loss (gain) on committed capital securities

    47,075     (42,746 )   (8,316 )
 

Goodwill impairment

    85,417          
 

Other income

    (4,320 )        
 

Change in deferred acquisition costs

    8,668     (79 )   (8,603 )
 

Change in premiums receivable, net of ceding commissions payable

    30,390     7,322     (12,095 )
 

Change in ceded unearned premium reserve

    (100,310 )   (109,142 )   (25,209 )
 

Change in unearned premium reserves

    375,606     361,201     90,046  
 

Change in reserves for losses and loss adjustment expenses, net

    (15,735 )   12,238     (8,633 )
 

Change in current income taxes

    (42,780 )   (19,500 )   (10,854 )
 

Other changes in credit derivatives assets and liabilities, net

    1,807     (1,737 )   (6,042 )
 

Other

    7,543     (8,823 )   (12,949 )
               

Net cash flows provided by (used for) operating activities

    310,042     277,765     120,379  
               

Investing activities

                   
 

Fixed maturity securities:

                   
   

Purchases

    (1,064,693 )   (495,798 )   (373,699 )
   

Sales

    594,009     207,167     256,066  
   

Maturities

    7,785         6,180  
 

(Purchases) sales of short-term investments, net

    (692,541 )   (65,845 )   3,284  
               

Net cash flows provided by (used for) investing activities

    (1,155,440 )   (354,476 )   (108,169 )
               

Financing activities

                   
 

Capital contribution

    556,700     100,000      
 

Dividends paid

    (16,813 )   (16,522 )   (12,125 )
 

Issuance of note payable to affiliate

    300,000          
 

Tax benefit for stock options exercised

    (16 )   16     183  
               

Net cash flows provided by (used for) financing activities

    839,871     83,494     (11,942 )

Effect of exchange rate changes

    174     (745 )   59  
               

Increase (decrease) in cash

    (5,353 )   6,038     327  

Cash at beginning of year

    7,823     1,785     1,458  
               

Cash at end of year

  $ 2,470   $ 7,823   $ 1,785  
               

Supplemental cash flow information

                   

Cash paid during the year for:

                   
 

Income taxes

  $ 6,759   $ 23,336   $ 36,922  
 

Interest

  $   $   $ 111  
 

Claims, net of reinsurance recoverable

  $ 205,172   $ 143,721   $ (11,767 )

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

6



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

1. Business and Organization

        Assured Guaranty Corp. ("AGC" or the "Company") is a Maryland domiciled insurance company which commenced operations in January 1988. It is licensed to conduct financial guaranty insurance business in all fifty states of the United States ("U.S."), the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. The Company's principal product is a guaranty of scheduled principal and interest payments when due on: debt securities issued by governmental entities such as U.S. state or municipal authorities; obligations issued for international infrastructure projects; and asset-backed securities ("ABS") issued by special purpose entities ("SPEs"). AGC's ultimate parent is Assured Guaranty Ltd. ("AGL" and, together with its subsidiaries, "Assured Guaranty"), a Bermuda-based insurance holding company that provides, through its operating subsidiaries, credit protection products to the public finance, infrastructure and structured finance markets in the U.S. as well as internationally. AGC owns 100% of Assured Guaranty (UK) Ltd. ("AGUK"), a company incorporated in the United Kingdom ("U.K.") as a U.K. insurance company and which is also authorized to operate in various countries throughout the European Economic Area.

        On July 1, 2009 (the "Acquisition Date"), Assured Guaranty acquired Financial Security Assurance Holdings Ltd. (in the process of being renamed Assured Guaranty Municipal Holdings Inc., which, together with its subsidiaries acquired by Assured Guaranty is referred to as "AGMH") and most of its subsidiaries, including Assured Guaranty Municipal Corp. ("AGM"), from Dexia Holdings Inc. ("Dexia Holdings") (the "AGMH Acquisition"). AGM is a New York domiciled financial guaranty insurance company and the principal operating subsidiary of AGMH. AGMH's financial guaranty insurance subsidiaries participate in the same markets and issue financial guaranty contracts similar to those issued by AGC.

Segments

        The Company's financial results include three principal business segments: financial guaranty direct, financial guaranty reinsurance and other. The financial guaranty direct segment is reported net of business ceded to reinsurers. The financial guaranty direct and financial guaranty reinsurance segments include interest and principal payment default protection provided in both insurance and credit derivative contract form. These segments are further discussed in Note 20.

Financial Guaranty Direct and Reinsurance

        Financial guaranty direct insurance provides an unconditional and irrevocable guaranty that protects the holder of a financial debt obligation against non-payment of scheduled principal and interest payments when due. Upon an obligor's default on scheduled principal or interest payments due on the debt obligation, the Company is required under the financial guaranty or credit derivative contract to pay the investor or swap counterparty the principal or interest shortfall due. Financial guaranty insurance may be issued to all of the investors of the guaranteed series or tranche of a municipal bond or structured finance security at the time of issuance of those obligations or it may be issued in the secondary market to only specific individual holders of such obligations who purchase the Company's credit protection.

        As an alternative to traditional financial guaranty insurance, credit protection relating to a particular security or obligor may also be provided through a credit derivative contract, such as a credit default swap ("CDS"). Under the terms of a credit default contract or swap, the seller of credit

7



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

1. Business and Organization (Continued)

protection agrees to make a specified payment to the buyer of credit protection if one or more specified credit events occurs with respect to a reference obligation or entity. In general, the credit events specified in the Company's credit derivative contracts are for interest and principal defaults on the reference obligation. One difference between credit derivatives and traditional primary financial guaranty insurance is that credit default protection is typically provided to a particular buyer rather than to all holders of the reference obligation. As a result, the Company's rights and remedies under a credit derivative contract may be different and more limited than on a financial guaranty of an entire issuance. Credit derivatives may be preferred by some investors, however, because they generally offer the investor ease of execution and standardized terms as well as more favorable accounting or capital treatment.

        Under a reinsurance agreement, the reinsurer receives a premium and, in exchange, agrees to indemnify the primary insurer, called the ceding company, for part or all of the liability of the ceding company under one or more financial guaranty insurance policies that the ceding company has issued. The reinsurer generally agrees to pay the ceding company a ceding commission on the ceded premium as compensation for the reinsurance agreement. The reinsurer may itself purchase reinsurance protection ("retrocessions") from other reinsurers, thereby reducing its own exposure.

Other

        AGC underwrote several lines of business that it exited in connection with the 2004 initial public offering ("IPO") of AGL which are classified in the Company's other segment. Such lines of business include equity layer credit protection, trade credit reinsurance, title reinsurance and auto residual value reinsurance. Certain of the exposure that AGC has to this segment has been ceded to ACE Limited ("ACE"), the former parent of the Company, but AGC remains primarily liable for such exposure. This segment is discussed in Note 20.

Importance of Financial Strength Ratings

        Debt obligations guaranteed by AGC and its subsidiary AGUK are generally awarded debt credit ratings that are the same rating as the financial strength rating of AGC or AGUK, as the case may be. Investors in products insured by AGC or AGUK frequently rely on rating agency ratings because they influence the trading value of securities and form the basis for many institutions' investment guidelines as well as individuals' bond purchase decisions. Therefore, AGC and AGUK manage their businesses with the goal of achieving high financial strength ratings, preferably the highest that an agency will assign. However, the models used by rating agencies differ, presenting conflicting goals that sometimes make it inefficient or impractical to reach the highest rating level. The models are not fully transparent, contain subjective data (such as assumptions about future market demand for AGC's and AGUK's products) and change frequently.

        Historically, insurance financial strength ratings are with respect to an insurer's ability to pay under its insurance policies and contracts in accordance with their terms. The opinion is not specific to any particular policy or contract. Insurance financial strength ratings do not refer to an insurer's ability to meet non-insurance obligations and are not a recommendation to purchase any policy or contract issued by an insurer or to buy, hold, or sell any security insured by an insurer. More recently, ratings also reflect qualitative factors with respect to such things as the insurer's business strategy and franchise

8



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

1. Business and Organization (Continued)


value, the anticipated future demand for its product, the composition of its portfolio, and its capital adequacy, profitability and financial flexibility.

        The rating agencies have developed and published rating guidelines for rating financial guaranty insurers. The rating criteria used by the rating agencies in establishing these ratings include consideration of the sufficiency of capital resources to meet projected growth (as well as access to such additional capital as may be necessary to continue to meet applicable capital adequacy standards), a company's overall financial strength, and demonstrated management expertise in financial guaranty and traditional reinsurance, credit analysis, systems development, marketing, capital markets and investment operations.

        Financial strength ratings reflect only the views of the respective rating agencies and are subject to continuous review and revision or withdrawal at any time. There can be no assurance that rating agencies will not take action on AGC's or AGUK's ratings, including downgrading such ratings. Each of AGC's and AGUK's business and its financial condition have been and will continue to be subject to risk of the global financial and economic conditions that could materially and negatively affect the demand for its products, the amount of losses incurred on transactions it guarantees, and its financial strength ratings.

        See Note 6 and Note 12 for more information regarding the impact of rating agency actions upon the credit derivative business and the reinsurance business of the Company.

        The Company's business and its financial condition will continue to be subject to risk of global financial and economic conditions that could materially and negatively affect the demand for its products, the amount of losses incurred on transactions it guarantees, and its financial ratings.

        The Company's estimates of ultimate losses on a policy is subject to significant uncertainty over the life of the insured transaction due to the potential for significant variability in credit performance as a result of changing economic, fiscal and financial market variability over the long duration of most contracts. The determination of expected loss is an inherently subjective process involving numerous estimates, assumptions and judgments by management. The Company's estimates of expected losses on residential mortgage-backed securities ("RMBS") transactions takes into account expected recoveries from sellers and originators, arising from breaches in the sellers' or originators' representations and warranties regarding the residential mortgage loans that underlie the RMBS transactions that AGC has insured. Refer to Note 4 for a discussion of the significant risks and uncertainties related to our loss estimates and representation and warranty recoveries.

        The Company could be required to make termination payments or post collateral under certain of its credit derivative contracts, which could impair its liquidity, results of operations and financial condition. Refer to Note 6 for a completion discussion of the potential effects of termination payments and collateral postings.

2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Basis of Presentation

        The consolidated financial statements have been prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("GAAP") and, in the opinion of management,

9



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Continued)


reflect all adjustments which are of a normal recurring nature, necessary for a fair statement of the Company's financial condition, results of operations and cash flows for the periods presented. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities as of the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

        In June 2009, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued new guidance which modifies the GAAP hierarchy by establishing only two levels of GAAP, authoritative and non-authoritative accounting literature. Effective July 2009, the FASB Accounting Standards Codification, also known collectively as the "Codification," is considered the single source of authoritative U.S. accounting and reporting standards, except for additional authoritative rules and interpretive releases issued by the U.S Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). Non-authoritative guidance and literature would include, among other things, FASB Concepts Statements, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants Issue Papers and Technical Practice Aids and accounting textbooks. The Codification was developed to organize GAAP pronouncements so that users can more easily access authoritative accounting guidance. The pronouncements are now organized by topic, subtopic, section and paragraph, each of which is identified by a numerical designation.

        Intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated. Certain prior year balances have been reclassified to conform to the current year's presentation.

        Significant accounting policies are described below. To the extent the accounting policy calls for fair value measurement, see Note 7 for a discussion of how fair value is measured for each financial instrument.

        Volatility and disruption in the global financial markets including depressed home prices and increasing foreclosures, falling equity market values, rising unemployment, declining business and consumer confidence and the risk of increased inflation, have precipitated an economic slowdown. The conditions may adversely affect the Company's future profitability, financial position, investment portfolio, cash flow, statutory capital, financial strength ratings and stock price. Additionally, future legislative, regulatory or judicial changes in the jurisdictions regulating the Company may adversely affect its ability to pursue its current mix of business, materially impacting its financial results.

Premium Revenue Recognition

        Premiums are received either upfront at date of inception or in installments over the life of the financial guaranty contract or credit derivative contract. Accounting for premiums received on a contract accounted for as financial guaranty insurance is different than for premiums on contracts accounted for as derivative form. See "—Credit Derivatives" below for accounting policies for credit derivatives.

        In the ordinary course of business, AGC assumes and cedes business from and to other insurance and reinsurance companies. These agreements enable the Company to increase its underwriting capacity, both on an aggregate-risk and a single-risk basis, meet internal, rating agency and regulatory risk limits, diversify risks, reduce the need for additional capital, and strengthen financial ratios. They

10



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Continued)


may also reduce the net potential loss from large risks. Ceded contracts do not relieve the Company of its obligations.

Since January 1, 2009

        Effective January 1, 2009, the FASB issued authoritative guidance that changed the premium revenue recognition and loss reserving methodologies for contracts written in financial guaranty insurance form. Contracts accounted for as credit derivatives are excluded from this guidance.

        For premiums received in installments, the Company recognizes a liability for unearned premium reserve at the inception of a financial guaranty insurance contract equal to the present value of the premiums due or expected to be collected over the period of the contract. If the premium is a single premium received at the inception of the financial guaranty contract, the Company measures the unearned premium reserve as the amount received.

        The term of the financial guaranty insurance contract that is used as the basis for the calculation of the present value of premiums due or expected to be collected is either (a) the contractual term or (b) the expected term. The contractual term is used unless the obligations underlying the financial guaranty contract represent homogeneous pools of assets for which prepayments are contractually prepayable, the amount of prepayments are probable, and the timing and amount of prepayments can be reasonably estimated. The Company adjusts prepayment assumptions when those assumptions change and recognizes a prospective change in premium revenues as a result. The adjustment to the unearned premium reserve is equal to the adjustment to the premium receivable with no effect on earnings at the time of the adjustment.

        The Company recognizes the premium from a financial guaranty insurance contract as revenue over the contractual period or expected period of the contract in proportion to the amount of insurance protection provided. As premium revenue is recognized, a corresponding decrease in the unearned premium reserve occurs. The amount of insurance protection provided is a function of the insured principal amount outstanding. Accordingly, the proportionate share of premium revenue recognized in a given reporting period is a constant rate calculated based on the relationship between the insured principal amount outstanding in the reporting period compared with the sum of each of the insured principal amounts outstanding for all periods. When the issuer of an insured financial obligation retires the insured financial obligation before its maturity, the financial guaranty insurance contract on the retired financial obligation is extinguished. The Company immediately recognizes any nonrefundable unearned premium reserve related to that contract as premium revenue and any associated acquisition costs previously deferred as an expense. Upon the AGMH Acquisition, the Company revised its assumptions used in calculating premium earnings to conform all entities within the consolidated group by the Company's parent.

Prior to January 1, 2009

        Prior to January 1, 2009, upfront premiums were earned in proportion to the expiration of the amount at risk. Each installment premium was earned ratably over its installment period, generally one year or less. Premium earnings under both the upfront and installment revenue recognition methods were based upon and were in proportion to the principal amount guaranteed and therefore resulted in

11



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Continued)


higher premium earnings during periods where guaranteed principal was higher. For insured bonds for which the par value outstanding was declining during the insurance period, upfront premium earnings were greater in the earlier periods, thereby matching revenue recognition with the underlying risk. The premiums were allocated in accordance with the principal amortization schedule of the related bond issuance and were earned ratably over the amortization period. When an insured issuance was retired early, was called by the issuer, or was in substance paid in advance through a refunding accomplished by placing U.S. Government securities in escrow, the remaining unearned premium reserve was earned at that time. Unearned premium reserve represented the portion of premiums written that were applicable to the unexpired amount at risk of insured bonds. On contracts where premiums were paid in installments, only the currently due installment was recorded in the financial statements.

Investments and cash

Fixed Maturity Securities

        Management determines the appropriate classification of securities as trading, available-for-sale or held-to-maturity at the time of purchase. As of December 31, 2009 and 2008, all investments in fixed maturity securities were designated as available-for-sale and carried at fair value with a corresponding adjustment to accumulated other comprehensive income ("OCI"), unless determined to be other-than-temporary-impairments ("OTTI"). When a security is deemed to be OTTI, the component of the fair value adjustment deemed to be credit impairment is recorded as realized loss in the consolidated statements of operations and the non-credit-related component of the fair value adjustment is recorded in OCI. See Note 7 for an explanation of the valuation methodology.

        The amortized cost of fixed maturity securities is adjusted for amortization of premium and accretion of discount computed using the effective interest method. That amortization or accretion is included in net investment income. For mortgage-backed securities ("MBS") and any other holdings for which there is prepayment risk, prepayment assumptions are evaluated and revised as necessary. Any necessary adjustments required due to the resulting change in effective yields and maturities are recognized in current income. The credit impairment component of the fair value adjustment for OTTI securities is also recorded as an adjustment to amortized cost.

        Realized gains and losses on sales of investments are determined using the specific identification method.

Cash and Short-term Investments

        Cash includes demand deposits.

        Short-term investments, which are those investments with a maturity of less than one year at time of purchase, are carried at fair value. Amounts deposited in money market funds and investments with a maturity at time of purchase of 12 months or less are included in short-term investments.

12



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Continued)

OTTI Methodology

        The Company has a formal review process for all securities in its investment portfolio, including a review for impairment losses. Factors considered when assessing impairment include:

    a decline in the market value of a security by 20% or more below amortized cost for a continuous period of at least six months;

    a decline in the market value of a security for a continuous period of 12 months;

    recent credit downgrades of the applicable security or the issuer by rating agencies;

    the financial condition of the applicable issuer;

    whether loss of investment principal is anticipated;

    whether scheduled interest payments are past due; and

    whether the Company has the intent to sell or more likely than not will be required to sell a security prior to its recovery in fair value.

        If the Company believes a decline in the value of a particular investment is temporary, the decline is recorded as an unrealized loss on the consolidated balance sheets in 'accumulated other comprehensive income in shareholders' equity net of tax.

        As discussed in more detail below, prior to April 1, 2009, the reviews for impairment of investments were conducted pursuant to accounting guidance in effect at that time, which required any unrealized loss identified as OTTI to be recorded directly in the consolidated statements of operations.

        Since April 1, 2009, the Company recognizes an OTTI loss in the consolidated statements of operations for a debt security in an unrealized loss position when either:

    (a)
    the Company has the intent to sell the debt security; or

    (b)
    it is more likely than not the Company will be required to sell the debt security before its anticipated recovery; or

    (c)
    the Company determines there is a credit-related impairment on debt securities the Company does not plan to sell with the non-credit-related impairment recognized in OCI.

        For all debt securities in unrealized loss positions that do not meet any of these criteria, the Company analyzes the ability to recover the amortized cost by comparing the net present value of projected future cash flows with the amortized cost of the security. If the net present value is less than the amortized cost of the investment, an OTTI loss is recorded. The net present value is calculated by discounting the Company's best estimate of projected future cash flows at the effective interest rate implicit in the debt security prior to impairment. The Company's estimates of projected future cash flows are driven by assumptions regarding probability of default and estimates regarding timing and amount of recoveries associated with a default. The Company develops these estimates using information based on historical experience, credit analysis of an investment, as mentioned above, and market observable data, such as industry analyst reports and forecasts, sector credit ratings and other data relevant to the collectability of the security. For MBS and ABS, cash flow estimates also include

13



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Continued)


prepayment assumptions and other assumptions regarding the underlying collateral including default rates, recoveries and changes in value. The determination of the assumptions used in these projections requires the use of significant management judgment.

        Prior to April 1, 2009, if the Company believed the decline was "other than temporary," the Company would write down the carrying value of the investment and record a realized loss in its consolidated statements of operations equal to the total difference between amortized cost and fair value at the impairment measurement date.

        In periods subsequent to the recognition of an OTTI loss, the impaired debt security is accounted for as if it had been purchased on the measurement date of the impairment. Accordingly, the discount (or reduced premium) based on the new cost basis is accreted into net investment income in future periods based upon the amount and timing of expected future cash flows of the security, if the recoverable value of the investment based upon those cash flows is greater than the carrying value of the investment after the impairment.

        The Company's assessment of a decline in value includes management's current assessment of the factors noted above. The Company also seeks advice from its outside investment managers. If that assessment changes in the future, the Company may ultimately record a loss after having originally concluded that the decline in value was temporary.

Deferred Acquisition Costs

        Costs that vary with and are directly related to the production of new financial guaranty insurance contract business are deferred and then amortized in relation to earned premiums. These costs include direct and indirect expenses such as ceding commissions, and the cost of underwriting and marketing personnel. Management uses its judgment in determining what types of costs should be deferred, as well as what percentage of these costs should be deferred. The Company annually conducts a study to determine which operating costs vary with, and are directly related to, the acquisition of new business and qualify for deferral. Ceding commissions received on premiums the Company cedes to other reinsurers reduce acquisition costs. Expected losses, loss adjustment expenses ("LAE") and the remaining costs of servicing the insured or reinsured business are considered in determining the recoverability of acquisition costs. Acquisition costs associated with financial guaranty contracts accounted for as credit derivatives are expensed as incurred. When an insured issue is retired early, the remaining related deferred acquisition cost ("DAC") is expensed at that time. Ceding commissions associated with future installment premiums on assumed and ceded business are calculated at their contractually defined rate and recorded in DAC beginning January 1, 2009 with a corresponding offset to premium receivable or payable.

Loss and Loss Adjustment Expense Reserves

        On January 1, 2009, the FASB issued authoritative guidance that changed the premium revenue recognition and loss reserving methodologies for financial guaranty insurance contracts. Contracts written in credit derivative form that are considered derivatives are excluded from this guidance.

14



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Continued)

Since January 1, 2009

        The Company recognizes a reserve for loss and LAE when expected loss exceeds the deferred premium revenue for that contract based on the present value of expected net cash outflows to be paid under the insurance contract. The unearned premium reserve represents the insurance enterprise's stand-ready obligation at initial recognition.

        The expected loss is equal to the present value of expected net cash outflows to be paid under the contract, discounted using a current risk-free rate. That current risk-free rate is based on the remaining period of the contract (the contract or expected period, as applicable). Expected net cash outflows (cash outflows, net of potential recoveries, expected to be paid to the holder of the insured financial obligation, excluding reinsurance) are probability-weighted cash flows that reflect the likelihood of possible outcomes. The Company estimates the expected net cash outflows using management's assumptions about the likelihood of possible outcomes based on all information available to it. Those assumptions consider the relevant facts and circumstances and are consistent with the information tracked and monitored through the Company's risk-management activities.

        The Company updates the discount rate each reporting period and revises expected net cash outflows when increases (or decreases) in the likelihood of a default (insured event) and potential recoveries occur. Revisions to a reserve for loss and LAE, in periods after initial recognition, are recognized as incurred loss and LAE (recoveries) in the period of the change.

Prior to January 1, 2009

        Prior to January 1, 2009, reserves for losses for the Company's financial guaranty insurance contracts included case reserves and portfolio reserves. Case reserves were established when there was significant credit deterioration on specific insured obligations and the obligations were in default or default was probable, not necessarily upon non-payment of principal or interest by an insured. Case reserves represented the present value of expected future loss payments and LAE, net of estimated recoveries, but before considering ceded reinsurance. This reserving method was different from case reserves established by traditional property and casualty insurance companies, which establish case reserves upon notification of a claim and establish incurred but not reported ("IBNR") reserves for the difference between actuarially estimated ultimate losses and recorded case reserves. Financial guaranty insurance and assumed case reserves and related salvage and subrogation, if any, were discounted at 6% during 2008.

        The Company recorded portfolio reserves in its financial guaranty business. Portfolio reserves were established with respect to the portion of the Company's business for which case reserves were not established.

        Portfolio reserves were not established based on a specific event. Instead, they were calculated by aggregating the portfolio reserve calculated for each individual transaction. Individual transaction reserves were calculated on a quarterly basis by multiplying the par in-force by the product of the ultimate loss and earning factors without regard to discounting. The ultimate loss factor was defined as the frequency of loss multiplied by the severity of loss, where the frequency was defined as the probability of default for each individual issue. The earning factor was inception to date earned premium divided by the estimated ultimate written premium for each transaction. The probability of

15



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Continued)


default was estimated from rating agency data and was based on the transaction's credit rating, industry sector and time until maturity. The severity was defined as the complement of recovery/salvage rates gathered by the rating agencies of defaulting issues and was based on the industry sector.

        Portfolio reserves were recorded gross of reinsurance. The Company did not cede any of these amounts under these reinsurance contracts, as the Company's recorded portfolio reserves did not exceed the Company's contractual retentions, required by said contracts.

        The Company recorded an incurred loss that was reflected in the consolidated statements of operations upon the establishment of portfolio reserves. When the Company initially recorded a case reserve, the Company reclassified the corresponding portfolio reserve already recorded for that credit within the consolidated balance sheets. The difference between the initially recorded case reserve and the reclassified portfolio reserve was recorded as a charge in the Company's consolidated statements of operations. Any subsequent change in portfolio reserves or the initial case reserves was recorded quarterly as a charge or credit in the Company's consolidated statements of operations in the period such estimates changed.

Other Segment

        The Company also records IBNR reserves for its other segment. IBNR is an estimate of losses for which the insured event has occurred but the claim has not yet been reported to the Company. In establishing IBNR, the Company uses traditional actuarial methods to estimate the reporting lag of such claims based on historical experience, claim reviews and information reported by ceding companies. The Company records IBNR for trade credit reinsurance within its other segment, which is 100% reinsured. The other segment represents lines of business that the Company exited or sold as part of AGL's IPO.

Salvage and Subrogation Recoverable

        When the Company becomes entitled to the underlying collateral (generally a future stream of cash flows or pool assets) of an insured credit under salvage and subrogation rights as a result of a claim payment or estimated recoveries from disputed claim payments on contractual grounds, it reduces the corresponding loss reserve for a particular financial guaranty insurance policy for the estimated salvage and subrogation. If the expected salvage and subrogation exceeds the estimated expected loss for a policy, such amounts are recorded as a salvage and subrogation recoverable asset in the Company's balances sheets.

16



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Continued)

Credit Derivatives

        The Company also has a portfolio of financial guaranty contracts written in credit derivative form (primarily CDS) that meet the definition of a derivative under existing GAAP guidance. It considers these agreements to be a normal part of its financial guaranty business, although they are considered derivatives for accounting purposes. These agreements are recorded at fair value. Changes in fair value are recorded in "net change in fair value of credit derivatives." See Note 6.

Income Taxes

        AGC and its U.K. subsidiary AGUK are subject to U.S. and U.K. income tax. The provision for income taxes consists of an amount for taxes currently payable and an amount for deferred taxes. Deferred income taxes are provided for the temporary differences between the financial statement carrying amounts and tax bases of assets and liabilities, using enacted rates in effect for the year in which the differences are expected to reverse. Such temporary differences relate principally to DAC, reserves for losses and LAE, unearned premium reserves, unrealized gains and losses on investments, unrealized gains and losses on credit derivatives and statutory contingency reserves. A valuation allowance is recorded to reduce the deferred tax asset to that amount that is more likely than not to be realized. Deferred taxes are also provided for purchase accounting adjustments.

        Non-interest-bearing tax and loss bonds are purchased to prepay the tax benefit that results from deducting contingency reserves as provided under Internal Revenue Code Section 832(e). The Company records the purchase of tax and loss bonds in other assets.

        The Company recognizes tax benefits only if a tax position is "more likely than not" to prevail.

Share-Based Compensation

        Compensation expense includes: (a) compensation expense for all share-based payments granted prior to, but not yet vested as of January 1, 2006, based on the grant date fair value estimated in accordance with accounting guidance in effect at that time, and (b) compensation expense for all share-based payments granted on or after January 1, 2006, based on the grant date fair value estimated in accordance with accounting guidance adopted January 1, 2006. See Note 18 for further discussion regarding the methodology utilized in recognizing share-based compensation expense.

Variable Interest Entities and Special Purpose Entities

Variable Interest Entities

        The Company provides financial guaranties with respect to debt obligations of SPEs, including variable interest entities ("VIEs"). The transaction structure generally provides certain financial protections to the Company. This financial protection can take several forms, the most common of which are over-collateralization, first loss protection (or subordination) and excess spread. In the case of over-collateralization (i.e., the principal amount of the securitized assets exceeds the principal amount of the structured finance obligations guaranteed by the Company), the structure allows defaults of the securitized assets before a default is experienced on the structured finance obligation guaranteed by the Company. In the case of first loss, the financial guaranty insurance policy only covers a senior

17



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Continued)


layer of losses of multiple obligations issued by SPEs, including VIEs. The first loss exposure with respect to the assets is either retained by the seller or sold off in the form of equity or mezzanine debt to other investors. In the case of excess spread, the financial assets contributed to SPEs, including VIEs, generate interest cash flows that are in excess of the interest payments on the debt issued by the SPE. Such excess spread is typically distributed through the transaction's cash flow waterfall and may be used to create additional credit enhancement, applied to redeem debt issued by the SPE (thereby, creating additional over-collateralization), or distributed to equity or other investors in the transaction.

        There are two different accounting frameworks applicable to SPEs; the qualifying SPE ("QSPE") framework and the VIE framework. The applicable framework depends on the nature of the entity and the Company's relation to that entity.

        The QSPE framework is applicable when an entity transfers or sells financial assets to an SPE meeting certain criteria prescribed under GAAP. These criteria are designed to ensure that the activities of the entity are essentially predetermined in their entirety at the inception of the vehicle; decision making is limited and restricted to certain events, and that the transferor of the financial assets cannot exercise control over the entity and the assets therein. Entities meeting these criteria are not consolidated by the transferor or other counterparty, as long as the entity does not have the unilateral ability to liquidate or to cause it to no longer meet the QSPE criteria. SPEs meeting all the criteria for a QSPE are not within the scope of the VIE framework's authoritative GAAP guidance and, as a result do not need to be assessed for consolidation.

        When the SPE does not meet the QSPE criteria, consolidation is assessed. A VIE

    (a)
    lacks enough equity investment at risk to permit the entity to finance its activities without additional subordinated financial support from other parties,

    (b)
    has equity owners that lack the right to make significant decisions affecting the entity's operations, and

    (c)
    has equity owners that do not have an obligation to absorb or the right to receive the entity's losses or returns. GAAP requires a variable interest holder (e.g., an investor in the entity or a financial guarantor) to consolidate that VIE if that holder will absorb a majority of the expected losses of the VIE, receive a majority of the residual returns of the VIE, or both.

        The Company determines whether it is the primary beneficiary (i.e., the variable interest holder required to consolidate the VIE) of a VIE by first performing a qualitative analysis of the VIE that includes, among other factors, its capital structure, contractual terms, which variable interests create or absorb variability, related party relationships and the design of the VIE. The Company performs a quantitative analysis when qualitative analysis is not conclusive.

Qualifying Special Purpose Entities

        The Company has issued financial guaranties on financial assets that were transferred into SPEs for which the business purpose of those SPEs was to provide financial guaranty clients with funding for their debt obligations. These entities met the characteristics of a QSPE. QSPEs are not consolidated in the Company's financial statements. The Company's QSPEs are legal entities that are demonstrably distinct from the Company, and neither the Company, nor its affiliates or its agents, can unilaterally

18



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Continued)


dissolve the QSPE. The permitted activities of these QSPEs are contractually limited to purchasing assets, issuing notes to fund such purchases and related administrative services. Pursuant to the terms of the Company's policies, insurance premiums are paid to the Company by the QSPEs and are earned in a manner consistent with other insurance policies (i.e., over the risk period). Any losses incurred would be included in the Company's consolidated statements of operations. See Note 3 for an explanation of changes in accounting for QSPEs.

3. Recent Accounting Pronouncements under Evaluation

        In June 2009, the FASB issued new guidance that changes how a company determines when an entity that is insufficiently capitalized or is not controlled through voting (or similar rights) should be consolidated. This new guidance will require a company to provide additional disclosures about its involvement with VIEs and any significant changes in risk exposure due to that involvement and will become effective for the Company's fiscal year beginning January 1, 2010. The Company is currently evaluating the effect the adoption of this new guidance will have on its consolidated financial statements. Management believes that it is reasonably likely that the adoption of this new guidance will increase the amount of VIE assets and liabilities consolidated in the Company's financial statements but that there will be no effect on the Company's liquidity.

4. Financial Guaranty Contracts Accounted for as Insurance Contracts

Since January 1, 2009

        Effective January 1, 2009, the Company adopted FASB's new guidance on accounting for financial guaranty contracts which clarifies the methodology to be used for financial guaranty premium revenue recognition and claim liability measurement, and expands the disclosures about the insurance enterprise's risk management activities. The guidance has been applied to all existing financial guaranty insurance and reinsurance contracts written by the Company except for financial guaranty contracts considered derivatives under other authoritative accounting literature. The accounting changes prescribed by the statement were recognized by the Company as a cumulative effect adjustment to retained earnings as of January 1, 2009.

19



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

4. Financial Guaranty Contracts Accounted for as Insurance Contracts (Continued)

        The impact of adopting the new guidance on the Company's consolidated balance sheet was as follows:

 
  December 31,
2008
As reported
  Transition
Adjustment
  January 1,
2009
 
 
  (in thousands)
 

ASSETS:

                   

Deferred acquisition costs

  $ 78,989   $ (25,159 ) $ 53,830  

Ceded unearned premium reserve

    206,453     128,505     334,958  

Reinsurance recoverable on ceded paid and unpaid losses

    22,014     10,020     32,034  

Premiums receivable, net of ceding commissions payable

    12,445     360,483     372,928  

Deferred tax asset, net

    110,336     (5,277 )   105,059  

Salvage recoverable

    70,884     5,812     76,696  

Total assets

    2,454,470     474,384     2,928,854  

LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDER'S EQUITY:

                   

Unearned premium reserves

  $ 707,957   $ 368,013   $ 1,075,970  

Loss and loss adjustment expense reserves

    133,710     4,205     137,915  

Reinsurance balances payable, net

    23,725     92,365     116,090  

Total liabilities

    1,408,444     464,583     1,873,027  

Retained earnings

    561,598     9,801     571,399  

Total shareholder's equity

    1,046,026     9,801     1,055,827  

Total liabilities and shareholder's equity

    2,454,470     474,384     2,928,854  

        A summary of the effects on the consolidated balance sheet amounts above is as follows:

    DAC is decreased to reflect commissions on future installment premiums related to ceded reinsurance policies.

    Premium receivable, net of ceding commissions payable increased to reflect the recording of the net present value of future installment premiums discounted at a risk-free rate. Reinsurance balances payable increased correspondingly for those amounts ceded to reinsurers.

    Unearned premium reserve increased to reflect the recording of the net present value of future installment premiums discounted at a risk-free rate and the change in the premium earnings methodology to the effective yield method proscribed by the new guidance. Ceded unearned premium reserve increased correspondingly for those amounts ceded to reinsurers.

    Loss and LAE reserve increased to reflect the release of the Company's portfolio reserves on fundamentally sound credits which was offset by an increase in case reserves calculated based on probability weighted cash flows discounted at a risk free rate instead of based on a single case best estimate reserve discounted at 6%. Reinsurance recoverable on ceded losses increased correspondingly. Salvage recoverable primarily increased to reflect the change in discount rates.

    Deferred tax asset decreased to reflect the deferred tax effect of the above items.

    Retained earnings as of January 1, 2009 increased to reflect the net effect of the above adjustments.

20



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

4. Financial Guaranty Contracts Accounted for as Insurance Contracts (Continued)

2009 Information

        The following tables provide information for contracts accounted for as financial guaranty insurance contracts:

Expected Collections of Gross Premiums Receivable, Net of Ceding Commissions(1)

 
  (in thousands)  

2010 (January 1–March 31)

  $ 22,829  

2010 (April 1–June 30)

    12,594  

2010 (July 1–September 30)

    10,792  

2010 (October 1–December 31)

    11,004  

2011

    39,610  

2012

    33,814  

2013

    30,981  

2014

    26,592  

2015–2019

    105,967  

2020–2024

    68,448  

2025–2029

    42,474  

After 2029

    42,061  
       
 

Total expected collections

  $ 447,166  
       

(1)
Represents undiscounted value.

21



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

4. Financial Guaranty Contracts Accounted for as Insurance Contracts (Continued)

        The following table provides a reconciliation of the beginning and ending balances of gross premium receivable net of ceding commission payable:

Gross Premium Receivable, Net of Ceding Commissions Roll Forward(1)

 
  (in thousands)  

Premium receivable, net at January 1

  $ 372,928  

Premiums written, net

    594,031  

Premium payments received, net

    (601,485 )

Adjustments to the premium receivable:

       
 

Changes in the expected term of financial guaranty insurance contracts

    (29,387 )
 

Accretion of the premium receivable discount

    9,347  
 

Foreign exchange rate changes

    6,818  
 

Other adjustments

    (784 )
       

Premium receivable, net at December 31

  $ 351,468  
       

(1)
The "accretion of premium receivable discount" is included in earned premium in the Company's consolidated statements of operations. The above amounts are presented net of applicable ceding commissions on assumed business.

Selected Information for Policies Paid in Installments

 
  December 31,2009  
 
  (dollars in thousands)
 

Premiums receivable, net of ceding commission payable

  $ 351,468  

Unearned premium reserve

    344,433  

Accretion of discount on premium receivable, net of accretion on ceding company payable

    9,347  

Weighted-average risk-free rate to discount premiums

    3.1 %

Weighted-average period of premiums receivable (in years)

    9.1  

        The following table presents the components of net premiums earned.

22



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

4. Financial Guaranty Contracts Accounted for as Insurance Contracts (Continued)

Net Earned Premiums and Accretion

 
  For the year ended December 31,  
 
  2009   2008   2007  
 
  (in thousands)
 

Net earned premiums

  $ 78,718   $ 77,638   $ 48,940  

Acceleration of premium earnings(1)

    53,760     14,360     9,777  

Accretion of discount on premium receivable

    6,260          
               

Total net earned premium

  $ 138,738   $ 91,998   $ 58,717  
               

(1)
Reflects the unscheduled pre-payment or refundings of underlying insured obligations

        In the Company's assumed businesses, the Company estimates the ultimate written and earned premiums to be received from a ceding company at the end of each quarter and the end of each year. A portion of the premiums must be estimated because some of the Company's ceding companies report premium data between 30 and 90 days after the end of the reporting period. Earned premium reported in the Company's consolidated statements of operations are based upon reports received from ceding companies supplemented by the Company's own estimates of premium for which ceding company reports have not yet been received. Differences between such estimates and actual amounts are recorded in the period in which the actual amounts are determined.

        Acquisition costs deferred and the related amortization charged to expense are as follows:

Rollforward of Deferred Acquisition Costs

 
  Year Ended December 31,  
 
  2009   2008   2007  
 
  (in thousands)
 

Balance, beginning of period

  $ 78,989   $ 78,910   $ 70,307  

Change in accounting

    (25,159 )        

Costs deferred during the period:

                   
 

Ceded and assumed commissions

    (31,273 )   (37,679 )   (9,203 )
 

Premium taxes

    14,242     14,036     4,023  
 

Compensation and other acquisition costs

    25,694     31,827     28,425  
               
   

Total

    8,663     8,184     23,245  

Costs amortized during the period

    (6,701 )   (18,567 )   (14,441 )

Foreign exchange translation

    (10,440 )   9,594     (266 )

Other

    (190 )   868     65  
               
     

Balance, end of period

  $ 45,162   $ 78,989   $ 78,910  
               

23



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

4. Financial Guaranty Contracts Accounted for as Insurance Contracts (Continued)

        The following table provides a schedule of how the Company's financial guaranty net unearned premiums and expected losses expense are expected to run off in the consolidated statements of operations:

Expected Financial Guaranty Net Present Value Earned Premium and
Present Value Net Loss to be Expensed

 
  As of December 31, 2009  
 
  Expected PV Net
Earned Premium
  Expected PV Net Loss
to be Expensed(1)
  Net  
 
  (in thousands)
 

2010 (January 1–March 31)

  $ 19,335   $ 667   $ 18,668  

2010 (April 1–June 30)

    20,949     666     20,283  

2010 (July 1–September 30)

    20,369     609     19,760  

2010 (October 1–December 31)

    17,747     566     17,181  

2011

    74,717     2,084     72,633  

2012

    68,612     1,825     66,787  

2013

    64,341     1,626     62,715  

2014

    60,206     1,269     58,937  

2015–2019

    249,439     4,355     245,084  

2020–2024

    176,941     1,636     175,305  

2025–2029

    118,031     944     117,087  

After 2029

    125,621     1,244     124,377  
               
 

Total

  $ 1,016,308   $ 17,491   $ 998,817  
               

(1)
Represents the amount of expected loss in unearned premium reserve

24



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

4. Financial Guaranty Contracts Accounted for as Insurance Contracts (Continued)

        The following table presents a rollforward of the expected loss and LAE since January 1, 2009.

Financial Guaranty Insurance Net Expected Loss and Loss Adjustment Expense Rollforward by Sector(1)

 
  Loss and
LAE Reserve
as of
December 31,
2008
  Change in
Accounting(2)
  Expected
loss at
January 1,
2009
  Change in
Expected
Losses
  Less:
Paid
Losses
  Expected
Losses as of
December 31,
2009
 
 
  (in thousands)
 

First Lien

                                     
 

Prime First lien

  $ 1,313   $ (1,313 ) $   $ 1   $ (1 ) $  
 

Alt-A First lien

    3,123     5,092     8,215     13,276     (877 )   20,614  
 

Alt-A Options ARM

    2,203     7,129     9,332     8,140     (73 )   17,399  
 

Subprime

    12,921     (5,706 )   7,215     10,712     (1,013 )   16,914  
                           
   

Total First Lien

    19,560     5,202     24,762     32,129     (1,964 )   54,927  

Second Lien

                                     
 

Closed end second lien

    32,077         32,077     38,382     (53,069 )   17,390  
 

Home Equity Lines of Credit ("HELOCs")

    (36,710 )   (9,142 )   (45,852 )   70,035     (131,676 )   (107,493 )
                           
   

Total Second Lien

    (4,633 )   (9,142 )   (13,775 )   108,417     (184,745 )   (90,103 )
                           

Total US RMBS

    14,927     (3,940 )   10,987     140,546     (186,709 )   (35,176 )

Other structured finance

    15,558     280     15,838     6,450     (2,612 )   19,676  

Public Finance

    18,931     2,917     21,848     49,801     (15,851 )   55,798  
                           

Total

  $ 49,416   $ (743 ) $ 48,673   $ 196,797   $ (205,172 ) $ 40,298  
                           

(1)
Net of present value of future expected recoveries.

(2)
Change in accounting for financial guaranty contracts related to the adoption of a new financial guaranty insurance accounting standard effective January 1, 2009.

        Loss and LAE reserve and expected loss to be paid in the table above represents the present value of losses to be paid net of expected salvage and subrogation and reinsurance cessions.

Significant Risk Management Activities

        The Risk Oversight Committee and the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors of AGL oversee Assured Guaranty's risk management policies and procedures. With input from the board committees, specific risk policies and limits are set by the Portfolio Risk Management Committee, which includes members of senior management and senior Credit and Surveillance officers. As part of its risk management strategy, the Company may seek to obtain third party reinsurance or retrocessions and may also periodically enter into other arrangements to alleviate all or a portion of certain risks.

        Risk Management and Surveillance personnel are responsible for monitoring and reporting on all transactions in the insured portfolio, including exposures in both the financial guaranty direct and

25



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

4. Financial Guaranty Contracts Accounted for as Insurance Contracts (Continued)


financial guaranty reinsurance segments. The primary objective of the surveillance process is to monitor trends and changes in transaction credit quality, detect any deterioration in credit quality, and recommend to management such remedial actions as may be necessary or appropriate. All transactions in the insured portfolio are assigned internal credit ratings, and Surveillance personnel are responsible for recommending adjustments to those ratings to reflect changes in transaction credit quality.

        The Workout Committee receives reports from Risk Management and Surveillance personnel on transactions that might benefit from active loss mitigation and develops and approves loss mitigation strategies for those transactions. The Company's Workout personnel work together with the Company's Surveillance personnel to develop and implement loss mitigation strategies. For RMBS transactions, this may include enforcing its right to require that sellers or originators repurchase loans from RMBS transactions if the seller or originator has breached its representations and warranties regarding that loan; negotiating settlements; making open market purchases of securities that it has insured; overseeing servicers of RMBS transactions and working with them to enhance their performance; and pursuing litigation.

        The Company segregates its insured portfolio of investment grade ("IG") and below investment grade ("BIG") risks into surveillance categories to facilitate the appropriate allocation of resources to monitoring and loss mitigation efforts and to aid in establishing the appropriate cycle for periodic review for each exposure. BIG credits include all credits internally rated lower than BBB-. The Company's internal credit ratings are based on the Company's internal assessment of the likelihood of default. The Company's internal credit ratings are expressed on a ratings scale similar to that used by the rating agencies and are generally reflective of an approach similar to that employed by the rating agencies.

        The Company monitors its IG credits to determine whether any new credits need to be internally downgraded to BIG. Quarterly procedures include qualitative and quantitative analysis of the Company's insured portfolio to identify potential new BIG credits. The Company refreshes its internal credit ratings on individual credits in cycles based on the Company's view of the credit's quality, loss potential, volatility and sector. Ratings on credits and in sectors identified as under the most stress or with the most potential volatility are reviewed every quarter. Credits identified through this process as BIG are subjected to further review by Surveillance personnel to determine the various probabilities of a loss. Surveillance personnel present analysis related to potential loss scenarios to the reserve committee. The reserve committee is composed of the President and Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operating Officer, Chief Financial Officer, General Counsel, Chief Accounting Officer and Chief Surveillance Officer of AGL and the Chief Actuary of the Company. The reserve committee establishes reserves for Assured Guaranty, taking into consideration the information provided by surveillance personnel.

Below Investment Grade Surveillance Categories

        Within the BIG category, the Company assigns each credit to one of three surveillance categories:

    BIG Category 1: BIG transactions showing sufficient deterioration to make material losses possible, but for which expected losses do not exceed deferred premium revenue.

26



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

4. Financial Guaranty Contracts Accounted for as Insurance Contracts (Continued)

      Non-investment grade transactions on which liquidity claims have been paid are in this category. Intense monitoring and intervention is employed, with internal credit ratings reviewed quarterly.

    BIG Category 2: BIG transactions for which expected losses have been established but for which no unreimbursed claims have yet been paid. Intense monitoring and intervention is employed, with internal credit ratings reviewed quarterly.

    BIG Category 3: BIG transactions for which expected losses have been established and on which unreimbursed claims have been paid. Transactions remain in this category when claims have been paid and only a recoverable remains. Intense monitoring and intervention is employed, with internal credit ratings reviewed quarterly.

        The following table provides information on financial guaranty insurance and reinsurance contracts for contracts in a net loss position categorized BIG as of December 31, 2009:

Financial Guaranty BIG Transaction Loss Summary
December 31, 2009

 
  BIG Categories  
 
  BIG 1   BIG 2   BIG 3   Total  
 
  (dollars in millions)
 

Number of risks

    31     88     10     129  

Remaining weighted-average contract period (in years)

    11.1     4.5     12.9     9.5  

Insured contractual payments outstanding:

                         
 

Principal

  $ 639   $ 1,070   $ 1,328   $ 3,037  
 

Interest

    259     188     389     836  
                   
   

Total

  $ 898   $ 1,258   $ 1,717   $ 3,873  
                   

Gross expected cash outflows for loss and LAE

  $   $ 177.3   $ 700.3   $ 877.6  

Less:

                         
 

Gross potential recoveries(1)

    0.1     33.5     592.9     626.5  
 

Discount, net

        68.3     136.2     204.5  
                   

Present value of expected cash flows for loss and LAE

    (0.1 )   75.5     (28.8 )   46.6  
                   

Deferred premium revenue

  $ 2.6   $ 5.1   $ 26.7   $ 34.4  
                   

Gross reserves (salvage) for loss and LAE reported in the balance sheet

  $ (0.3 ) $ 69.7   $ (50.3 ) $ 19.1  
                   

Reinsurance recoverable (payable)

  $   $ 10.6   $ (10.7 ) $ (0.1 )
                   

(1)
Includes estimated future recoveries for breaches of representations and warranties.

        The Company used weighted-average risk free rate ranging from 0.07% to 5.21% to discount reserves for loss and LAE as of December 31, 2009.

        The following table provides information on financial guaranty insurance and reinsurance contracts recorded as an asset on the consolidated balance sheets.

27



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

4. Financial Guaranty Contracts Accounted for as Insurance Contracts (Continued)

Summary of Recoverables Recorded as Salvage and Subrogation

 
  As of December 31,  
 
  2009   2008  
 
  (in thousands)
 

Second Lien:

             
 

Closed end second lien

  $ 91   $  
 

HELOC

    168,359     61,550  
           
   

Total Second Lien

    168,450     61,550  
           

Total US RMBS(1)

    168,450     61,550  

Other structured finance

    993     1,587  

Public Finance

    474     7,747  
           
   

Total

    169,917     70,884  

Less: Ceded salvage and subrogation(2)

    55,384     2,557  
           
   

Net recoverable

  $ 114,533   $ 68,327  
           

(1)
The salvage and subrogation recoverable for first lien transactions was $0 at both December 31, 2009 and 2008.

(2)
Recorded in "reinsurance balances payable, net" on the consolidated balance sheets.

        The increase in the salvage and subrogation recoverable is due primarily to the increase in estimated representation and warranty recoveries expected as loan reviews are completed and more information is gathered with respect to loans underlying insured HELOCs.

        The Company's gross LAE reserves for mitigating claim liabilities were $4.2 million and $0.8 million as of December 31, 2009 and 2008, respectively.

        Since the onset of the credit crisis in the fall of 2007 and the ensuing sharp recession, the Company has been intensely involved in risk management activities. Its most significant activities have centered on the residential mortgage sector, where the crisis began, but it is also active in other areas experiencing stress. Residential mortgage loans are loans secured by mortgages on one to four family homes. RMBS may be broadly divided into two categories: (1) first lien transactions, which are generally comprised of loans with mortgages that are senior to any other mortgages on the same property, and (2) second lien transactions, which are comprised of loans with mortgages that are often not senior to other mortgages, but rather are second in priority. Both first lien RMBS and second lien RMBS sometimes include a portion of loan collateral with a different priority than the majority of the collateral.

28



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

4. Financial Guaranty Contracts Accounted for as Insurance Contracts (Continued)

Loss and Loss Adjustment Expenses (Recoveries)
By Type

 
  Year Ended December 31,  
 
  2009   2008   2007  
 
  (in thousands)
 

Financial Guaranty:

                   
 

First Lien:

                   
   

Prime First lien

  $ 1   $ 2   $ (1 )
   

Alt-A First lien

    13,171     5,074     252  
   

Alt-A Options ARM

    7,862          
   

Subprime

    10,417     7,707     2,090  
               
     

Total First Lien

    31,451     12,783     2,341  
 

Second Lien:

                   
   

Closed end second lien

    38,511     45,771     106  
   

HELOC

    70,097     72,265     9,682  
               
     

Total Second Lien

    108,608     118,036     9,788  
               
 

Total U.S. RMBS

    140,059     130,819     12,129  
 

Other structured finance

    5,271     4,905     (16,426 )
 

Public Finance

    47,637     13,755     (11,078 )
               

Total Financial Guaranty

    192,967     149,479     (15,375 )

Other

             
               
 

Total loss and LAE

  $ 192,967   $ 149,479   $ (15,375 )
               

29



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

4. Financial Guaranty Contracts Accounted for as Insurance Contracts (Continued)

Net Losses Paid(1)

 
  Year Ended December 31,  
 
  2009   2008   2007  
 
  (in thousands)
 

First Lien:

                   
 

Prime First lien

  $ 1   $   $  
 

Alt-A First lien

    877          
 

Alt-A Options ARM

    73          
 

Subprime

    1,013     1,469     711  
               
   

Total First Lien

    1,964     1,469     711  

Second Lien:

                   
 

Closed end second lien

    53,069     13,799      
 

HELOC

    131,676     119,642     145  
               
   

Total Second Lien

    184,745     133,441     145  
               

Total US RMBS

    186,709     134,910     856  

Other structured finance

    2,612     (3,609 )   (8,324 )

Public Finance

    15,851     12,420     (4,299 )
               
   

Total Financial Guaranty Direct and Reinsurance

  $ 205,172   $ 143,721   $ (11,767 )
               

(1)
There were no losses paid in other segments for the years ended December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007.

Financial Guaranty Insurance Exposure on U.S. RMBS Below Investment Grade Policies

 
  December 31, 2009  
 
   
  BIG Net Par Outstanding  
 
  Total Net Par
Outstanding
 
 
  BIG 1   BIG 2   BIG 3   Total  
 
  (in millions)
 

First Lien RMBS:

                               
 

Prime First Lien

  $ 176   $   $ 25   $   $ 25  
 

Alt-A First lien

    685     42     194     96     332  
 

Alt-A Options ARM

    299     113     185         298  
 

Subprime

    552         332         332  

Second Lien RMBS:

                               
 

Closed end second lien

    273     102     39     95     236  
 

HELOC

    645             621     621  
                       
   

Total

  $ 2,630   $ 257   $ 775   $ 812   $ 1,844  
                       

30



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

4. Financial Guaranty Contracts Accounted for as Insurance Contracts (Continued)

U.S. Second Lien RMBS: HELOCs and CES

        The Company insures two types of second lien RMBS, those secured by HELOCs and those secured by closed-end second ("CES") mortgages. HELOCs are revolving lines of credit generally secured by a second lien on a one to four family home. A mortgage for a fixed amount secured by a second lien on a one-to-four family home is generally referred to as a CES. The Company has material exposure to second lien mortgage loans originated and serviced by a number of parties, but the Company's most significant second lien exposure is to HELOCs originated and serviced by Countrywide.

        The performance of the Company's HELOC and CES exposures deteriorated beginning 2007 and throughout 2008 and 2009 and transactions, particularly those originated in the period from 2005 through 2007, continue to perform below the Company's original underwriting expectations. In accordance with the Company's standard practices the Company evaluated the most current available information as part of its loss reserving process, including trends in delinquencies and charge-offs on the underlying loans and its experience in requiring providers of representations and warranties to purchase ineligible loans out of these transactions.

        The following table shows the Company's key assumptions used in its calculation of estimated expected losses for these types of policies as of December 31, 2009 and December 31, 2008:

Key Assumptions in Base Case Expected Loss Estimates
Second Lien RMBS

HELOC Key Variables
  December 31,
2009
  December 31,
2008

Plateau Conditional Default Rate (CDR)

  14.8–32.3%   19.0–21.0%

Final CDR trended down to

  0.5–2.2%   1.0%

Expected Period until Final CDR(1)

  21 months   15 months

Initial Conditional Prepayment Rate (CPR)

  4.8–14.9%   7.0–8.0%

Final CPR

  10.0%   7.0–8.0%

Loss Severity

  95%   100%

Future Repurchase of Ineligible Loans

  $193.4 million   $49 million

Initial Draw Rate

  0.4–0.7%   1.0–2.0%

 

Closed-End Second Liens Key Variables
  December 31,
2009
  December 31,
2008

Plateau CDR

  34.0–36.0%   34.0–36.0%

Final CDR Rate trended down to

  3.5–8.1%   3.4–3.6%

Expected Period until Final CDR achieved

  21 months   24 months

Initial CPR

  0.8–2.4%   7.0%

Final CPR

  10.0%   7.0%

Loss Severity

  95%   100%

Future Repurchase of Ineligible Loans

  $64.2 million  

(1)
Represents assumptions for most heavily weighted scenario.

31



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

4. Financial Guaranty Contracts Accounted for as Insurance Contracts (Continued)

        The primary driver of the adverse development the Company has experienced related to its HELOC and CES exposure is the result of much higher total pool delinquencies than had been experienced historically. In order to project future defaults in each pool, a conditional default rate ("CDR") is applied each reporting period to various delinquency categories to calculate the projected losses to the pool. During the year ended December 31, 2009, the Company modified its calculation methodology for HELOC transactions from an approach that used an average of the prior six months' CDR to an approach that projects future CDR based on currently delinquent loans. This change was made due to the continued volatility in mortgage backed transactions. Management believes that this refinement in approach should prove to be more responsive to changes in CDR rates than the prior methodology. Under this methodology, current representative roll rates are used to estimate losses in the first five months from loans that are currently delinquent and then the CDR of the fifth month is held constant for a period of time. Taken together, the first five months of losses plus the period of time for which the CDR is held constant represent the stress period. Once the stress period has elapsed, the CDR is assumed to gradually trend down to its final CDR. In the base case as of December 31, 2009, the total time between the current period's CDR and the long-term assumed CDR used to project losses was 21 months. At the end of this period, the long-term steady CDRs modeled were between 0.5% and 2.2% for HELOC transactions and between 3.5% and 8.1% for CES transactions. The Company continued to assume an extended stress period based on transaction performance and the continued weakened overall economic environment.

        The assumption for the Conditional Prepayment Rate ("CPR"), which represents voluntary prepayments, follows a similar pattern to that of the CDR. The current CPR is assumed to continue for the stress period before gradually increasing to the final CPR, which is assumed to be 10% for both HELOC and CES transactions. This level is much higher than current rates but lower than the historical average, which reflects the Company's continued uncertainty about performance of the borrowers in these transactions. For HELOC transactions, the draw rate is assumed to decline from the current level to the final draw rate over a period of 4 months. The final draw rates were assumed to be between 0.3% and 0.5%.

        In 2009, the Company modeled and probability weighted three potential time periods over which an elevated CDR may potentially occur, one of which assumed a three month shorter period of elevated CDR and another of which assumed a three month longer period of elevated CDR than the most heavily weighted scenario described in the table above. Given that draw rates have been reduced to levels below the historical average and that loss severities in these products have been higher than anticipated at inception, the Company believes that the level of the elevated CDR and the length of time it will persist is the primary driver behind the likely amount of losses the collateral will suffer (before considering the effects of repurchases of ineligible loans). The Company continues to evaluate all of the assumptions affecting its modeling results.

        Performance of the collateral underlying certain securitizations has substantially differed from the Company's original expectations. Employing several loan file diligence firms and law firms as well as internal resources, as of December 31, 2009 the Company had performed a detailed review of over 6,265 files, representing nearly $504 million in outstanding par of defaulted second lien loans underlying insured transactions, and identified a material number of defaulted loans that breach representations and warranties regarding the characteristics of the loans. The Company continues to

32



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

4. Financial Guaranty Contracts Accounted for as Insurance Contracts (Continued)


review new files as new loans default and as new loan files are made available to it. Following negotiation with the sellers and originators of the breaching loans, as of mid-October 2009 the Company had reached agreement to have $47.0 million of the second lien loans repurchased. The Company has included in its loss estimates for second liens as of December 31, 2009 an estimated benefit from repurchases of $257.6 million. The amount the Company ultimately recovers related to contractual representations and warranties is uncertain and subject to a number of factors including the counterparty's ability to pay, the number and amount of loans determined to have breached representations and warranties and, potentially, negotiated settlements or litigation. As such, the Company's estimate of recoveries is uncertain and actual amounts realized may differ significantly from these estimates. In arriving at the expected recovery from breaches of representations and warranties the Company considered: the credit worthiness of the provider of representations and warranties, the number of breaches found on defaulted loans, the success rate resolving these breaches with the provider of the representations and warranty and the potential amount of time until the recovery is realized. This calculation involved a variety of scenarios which ranged from the Company recovering substantially all of the losses it incurred due to violations of representations and warranties to the Company realizing very limited recoveries. These scenarios were probability weighted in order to determine the recovery incorporated into the Company's reserve estimate. This approach was used for both loans that had already defaulted and those assumed to default in the future. In all cases recoveries were limited to amounts paid or expected to be paid out by the Company.

        The ultimate performance of the Company's HELOC and CES transactions will depend on many factors, such as the level and timing of loan defaults, interest proceeds generated by the securitized loans, prepayment speeds and changes in home prices, as well as the levels of credit support built into each transaction. The ability and willingness of providers of representations and warranties to repurchase ineligible loans from the transactions will also have a material effect on the Company's ultimate loss on these transactions. Finally, other factors also may have a material impact upon the ultimate performance of each transaction, including the ability of the seller and servicer to fulfill all of their contractual obligations including any obligation to fund future draws on lines of credit. The variables affecting transaction performance are interrelated, difficult to predict and subject to considerable volatility. If actual results differ materially from any of the Company's assumptions, the losses incurred could be materially different from the estimate. The Company continues to update its evaluation of these exposures as new information becomes available.

        The primary drivers of the Company's approach to modeling potential loss outcomes for transactions backed by second lien collateral are to assume a stressed CDR for a selected period of time and a constant 95% severity rate for the duration of the transaction. Sensitivities around the results of these transactions were modeled by varying the length of the stressed CDR, which corresponds to how long the Company assumes the second lien sector remains stressed before a recovery begins and it returns to the long term equilibrium that was modeled when the deal was underwritten. For HELOC and CES, extending the expected period until the CDR begins returning to its long term equilibrium by three months would result in an increase to expected loss of approximately $18.5 million for HELOC transactions and $5.1 million for CES transactions. Conversely shortening the time until the CDR begins to return to its long term equilibrium by three months decreases expected loss by approximately $17.4 million for HELOC transactions and $7.3 million for CES transactions.

33



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

4. Financial Guaranty Contracts Accounted for as Insurance Contracts (Continued)

U.S. First Lien RMBS: Subprime, Alt-A, Option ARM and Prime

        First lien RMBS are generally categorized in accordance with the characteristics of the first lien mortgage loans on one to four family homes supporting the transactions. The collateral supporting "Subprime RMBS" transactions is comprised of first-lien residential mortgage loans made to subprime borrowers. A "subprime borrower" is one considered to be a higher risk credit based on credit scores or other risk characteristics. Another type of RMBS transaction is generally referred to as "Alt-A RMBS." The collateral supporting such transactions is comprised of first-lien residential mortgage loans made to "prime" quality borrowers that lack certain ancillary characteristics that would make them prime. When more than 66% of the loans originally included in the pool are mortgage loans with an option to make a minimum payment that has the potential to negatively amortize the loan (i.e., increase the amount of principal owed), the transaction is referred to as an "Option ARMs." Finally, transactions may include loans made to prime borrowers.

        The problems affecting the subprime mortgage market have been widely reported, with rising delinquencies, defaults and foreclosures negatively impacting the performance of Subprime RMBS transactions. Those concerns relate primarily to Subprime RMBS issued in the period from 2005 through 2007. As of December 31, 2009, the Company had insured $551.9 million in net par of Subprime RMBS transactions, of which $508.2 million was in the financial guaranty direct segment. These transactions benefit from various structural protections, including credit enhancement that in the direct portfolio for the vintages 2005 through 2008 currently averages approximately 39.5% of the remaining insured balance. Of the total Subprime RMBS, $332.4 million was rated BIG by the Company as of December 31, 2009, with $332.2 million in net par rated BIG 2 or BIG 3.

        As has been reported, the problems affecting the subprime mortgage market are affecting Option ARM RMBS transactions, with rising delinquencies, defaults and foreclosures negatively impacting their performance. Those concerns relate primarily to Option ARM RMBS issued in the period from 2005 through 2007. As of December 31, 2009, the Company had insured $298.8 million in net par of Option ARM RMBS transactions, of which $297.7 million was in the financial guaranty direct segment. These transactions benefit from various structural protections, including credit enhancement that in the direct portfolio for the vintages 2005 through 2007 currently averages approximately 11.3% of the remaining insured balance. Of the Company's $298.8 million total Option ARM RMBS net insured par, $297.7 million was rated BIG by the Company as of December 31, 2009, with $184.6 million in net par rated BIG 2 or BIG 3. As of December 31, 2009 the Company had gross expected loss, prior to reinsurance or netting of unearned premium, in this sector of $20.8 million, and net reserves of $16.6 million.

        The factors affecting the subprime mortgage market are now affecting Alt-A RMBS transactions, with rising delinquencies, defaults and foreclosures negatively impacting their performance. Those concerns relate primarily to Alt-A RMBS issued in the period from 2005 through 2007. As of December 31, 2009, the Company had insured $685.2 million in net par of Alt-A RMBS transactions, of which $675.9 million was in the financial guaranty direct segment. These transactions benefit from various structural protections, including credit enhancement that in the direct portfolio for the vintages 2005 through 2007 currently averages approximately 6.3% of the remaining insured balance. Of the total Alt-A RMBS, $332.3 million was rated BIG by the Company as of December 31, 2009, with $290.2 million in net par rated BIG 2 or BIG 3. As of December 31, 2009 the Company had gross

34



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

4. Financial Guaranty Contracts Accounted for as Insurance Contracts (Continued)


expected loss, prior to reinsurance or netting of unearned premium, in this sector of $24.6 million, and net reserves of $19.7 million.

        The performance of the Company's first lien RMBS exposures deteriorated during 2007 and 2008 and the year ended December 31, 2009 and transactions, particularly those originated in the period from 2005 through 2007, continue to perform below the Company's original underwriting expectations. Most of the projected losses in the first lien RMBS transactions are expected to come from mortgage loans that are currently delinquent, so an increase in delinquent loans beyond those expected last quarter is one of the primary drivers of loss development in this portfolio. Like many market participants, the Company applies a liquidation rate assumption to loans in various delinquency categories to determine what proportion of loans in those categories will eventually default.

        The following table shows the Company's liquidation assumptions for various delinquency categories as of December 31, 2009 and 2008. The liquidation rate is a standard industry measure that is used to estimate the number of loans in a given aging category that will default within a specified time period. The Company projects these liquidations over two years:

 
  December 31,
2009
  December 31,
2008
 

Current

             
 

Alt-A

    N/A     12 %
 

Option ARM

    N/A     18  
 

Subprime

    N/A     25  

30–59 Days Delinquent

             
 

Alt-A

    50 %   40  
 

Option ARM

    50     45  
 

Subprime

    45     40  

60–89 Days Delinquent

             
 

Alt-A

    65     65  
 

Option ARM

    65     70  
 

Subprime

    65     70  

90 days—Bankruptcy

             
 

Alt-A

    75     75–90  
 

Option ARM

    75     90  
 

Subprime

    70     90  

Foreclosure

             
 

Alt-A

    85     100  
 

Option ARM

    85     100  
 

Subprime

    85     100  

Real estate owned

             
 

Alt-A

    100     100  
 

Option ARM

    100     100  
 

Subprime

    100     100  

N/A = not applicable

35



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

4. Financial Guaranty Contracts Accounted for as Insurance Contracts (Continued)

        Another important driver of loss projections in this area is loss severities, i.e. the amount of loss the transaction incurs on a loan after the application of net proceeds from the disposal of the underlying property. Loss severities experienced in first lien transactions have reached historical highs, and the Company has been revising its assumptions to match experience. The Company is assuming that loss severities begin returning to more normal levels beginning in October 2010, reducing over two or four years to either 40% or 20 points (i.e. from 60% to 40%) below their initial levels, depending on the scenario.

        The following table shows the Company's initial loss severity assumptions as of December 31, 2009 and December 31, 2008:

 
  December 31,
2009
  December 31,
2008
 

Alt-A

    60 %   50 %

Option ARM

    60 %   55 %

Subprime

    70 %   60 %

        The primary driver of the adverse development related to first lien exposure, as was the case with the Company's second lien transactions, is the continued increase in delinquent mortgages. During the Third Quarter 2009, the Company modified its method of predicting losses from one where losses for both current and delinquent loans were projected using liquidation rates to a method where only the loss related to delinquent loans is calculated using liquidation rates, while losses from current loans are determined by applying a CDR trend. The Company made this change so that its methodology would be more responsive in reacting to the volatility in delinquency data. For delinquent loans, a liquidation rate is applied to loans in various stages of delinquency to determine the portion of loans in each delinquency category that will eventually default. Then, for each transaction, management calculates the constant CDR that, over the next 24 months, would be sufficient to produce the amount of losses that were calculated to emerge from the various delinquency categories. That CDR plateau is extended another three months, for a total of 27 months, in some scenarios. Each transaction's CDR is calculated to improve over 12 months to an intermediate CDR based upon its CDR plateau, then trail off to its final CDR. The intermediate CDRs modeled were between 0.3% and 3.6% for Alt-A first lien transactions, between 1.3% to 3.8% for Option ARM transactions and between 1.3% and 4.4% for Subprime transactions. The defaults resulting from the CDR after the 24 months represent the defaults that can be attributed to borrowers that are currently performing.

        The assumption for the CPR follows a similar pattern to that of the CDR. The current level of voluntary prepayments is assumed to continue for the stress period before gradually increasing over 12 months to the final CPR, which is assumed to be either 10% or 15% depending on the scenario run. In 2009, the Company modeled and probability weighted four different scenarios with differing CDR curve shapes, loss severity development assumptions and voluntary prepayment assumptions.

        The performance of the collateral underlying certain of these securitizations has substantially differed from the Company's original expectations. The Company has included in its loss estimates for first lien an estimated benefit from repurchases of $25.1 million. The amount the Company ultimately recovers related to contractual representations and warranties is uncertain and subject to a number of factors including the counterparty's ability to pay, the number and amount of loans determined to have

36



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

4. Financial Guaranty Contracts Accounted for as Insurance Contracts (Continued)


breached representations and warranties and, potentially, negotiated settlements or litigation. As such, the Company's estimate of recoveries is uncertain and actual amounts realized may differ significantly from these estimates. In arriving at the expected recovery from breaches of representations and warranties the Company considered: the credit worthiness of the provider of representations and warranties, the number of breaches found on defaulted loans, the success rate resolving these breaches with the provider of the representations and warranty and the potential amount of time until the recovery is realized. This calculation involved a variety of scenarios which ranged from the Company recovering substantially all of the losses it incurred due to violations of representations and warranties to the Company realizing very limited recoveries. These scenarios were probability weighted in order to determine the recovery incorporated into the Company's reserve estimate. This approach was used for both loans that had already defaulted and those assumed to default in the future. In all recoveries were limited to amounts paid or expected to be paid out by the Company.

        The Company also insures one direct prime RMBS transaction rated BIG with a net outstanding par at December 31, 2009 of $25.2 million, which it models as an Alt-A transaction and on which it had gross expected loss, prior to reinsurance or netting of unearned premium, of $0.3 million, and net reserves of $0.1 million.

        The ultimate performance of the Company's First Lien RMBS transactions remains highly uncertain and may be subject to considerable volatility due to the influence of many factors, including the level and timing of loan defaults, changes in housing prices and other variables. The Company will continue to monitor the performance of its RMBS exposures and will adjust the risk ratings of those transactions based on actual performance and management's estimates of future performance.

        The Company modeled sensitivities for first lien transactions by varying its assumptions of how fast an economic recovery was expected to occur. The primary variables that were varied when modeling sensitivities were the amount of time until the CDR returned to its modeled equilibrium, which was defined as 5% of the current CDR, and how quickly the stressed loss severity returned to its long term equilibrium, which was approximately a 20 point reduction in the current severity rate. In a stressed economic environment assuming a slow recovery rate in the performance of the CDR, where the CDR rate steps down in five increments over 11.3 years, and a 4 year period before severity rates return to their normalized rate, the reserves increase by $4.0 million for Alt-A transactions, $10.5 million for Option ARM transactions and $4.8 million for subprime transactions. Conversely, assuming a recovery in the performance of the CDR, whereby the CDR rates step down in two increments over 8.1 years, and a 3 year period before loss severity rates have returned to their normalized rates results in a reserve decrease of approximately $3.7 million for Alt-A transactions, $6.9 million for Option ARM transactions and $3.7 million for subprime transactions.

"XXX" Life Insurance Transactions

        The Company has insured $428.2 million of net par in "XXX" life insurance reserve securitization transactions based on discrete blocks of individual life insurance business. In these transactions the monies raised by the sale of the bonds insured by the Company are used to capitalize a special purpose vehicle that provides reinsurance to a life insurer or reinsurer. The monies are invested at inception in accounts managed by third-party investment managers. In order for the Company to incur an ultimate net loss on these transactions, adverse experience on the underlying block of life insurance policies and/or credit losses in the investment portfolio would need to exceed the level of credit enhancement built into the transaction structures.

37



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

4. Financial Guaranty Contracts Accounted for as Insurance Contracts (Continued)

        The Company's $428.2 million in net par of XXX Life Insurance transactions is entirely in the financial guaranty direct segment. Of the total, $248.2 million was rated BIG by the Company as of December 31, 2009, and corresponded to two transactions, classified as BIG 2 and BIG 3. These two XXX transactions had material amounts of their assets invested in U.S. RMBS transactions.

        Based on its analysis of the information currently available, including estimates of future investment performance provided by the current investment manager, projected credit impairments on the invested assets and performance of the blocks of life insurance business at December 31, 2009, the Company's gross expected loss, prior to reinsurance or netting of unearned premium, for its two BIG XXX insurance transactions was $60.4 million and its net reserve was $11.3 million.

        On December 19, 2008, the Company sued J.P. Morgan Investment Management Inc. ("JPMIM"), the investment manager in one of the transactions, which relates to Orkney Re II p.l.c. ("Orkney Re II") in New York Supreme Court ("Court") alleging that JPMIM engaged in breaches of fiduciary duty, gross negligence and breaches of contract based upon its handling of the investments of Orkney Re II. On January 28, 2010 the Court ruled against the Company on a motion to dismiss filed by JPMIM. The Company is preparing an appeal.

Public Finance Transactions

        Public finance net par outstanding represents 56% of total net par outstanding. Within the public finance category, $719 million was rated BIG. The largest BIG exposure is to a public finance transaction for sewer service in Jefferson County, Alabama. The Company's total exposure to this transaction is approximately $262.2 million of net par, of which $0 million is in the financial guaranty direct segment. The Company has made debt service payments during the year and expects to make additional payments in the near term. The Company is continuing its risk remediation efforts for this exposure.

Other Sectors and Transactions

        The Company continues to closely monitor other sectors and individual transactions it feels warrant the additional attention, including, as of December 31, 2009, its commercial mortgage exposure of $282.1 million of net par, of which $229.2 million was in the financial guaranty direct segment; its trust preferred securities collateralized debt obligations exposure of $735.2 million, of which $733.1 million was in the financial guaranty direct segment; and its U.S. health care exposure of $5.5 billion of net par, of which $4.6 billion was in the financial guaranty direct segment.

Prior to January 1, 2009

        The following table provides a reconciliation of the beginning and ending balances of reserves for losses and LAE for 2008 and 2007. In 2009, the majority of expected losses are embedded in unearned

38



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

4. Financial Guaranty Contracts Accounted for as Insurance Contracts (Continued)


premium reserve. See expected loss roll forward above for a roll forward of all financial guaranty contracts under the accounting guidance that became effective on January 1, 2009.

Loss and Loss Adjustment Expense Reserve

 
  Years Ended December 31,(1)  
 
  2008   2007  
 
  (in thousands)
 

Balance as of December 31

  $ 70,411   $ 62,980  

Less reinsurance recoverable

    (20,478 )   (8,615 )
           

Net balance as of December 31

    49,933     54,365  

Transfers to case reserves from portfolio reserves

    37,777     1,531  

Incurred losses and LAE pertaining to case and IBNR reserves:

             
 

Current year

    74,573     639  
 

Prior years

    73,250     (15,109 )
           
   

Total

    147,823     (14,470 )

Transfers to case reserves from portfolio reserves

    (37,777 )   (1,531 )

Incurred losses and LAE pertaining to portfolio reserves

    1,656     (905 )
           

Total losses and loss adjustment expenses (recoveries)

    149,479     (15,375 )

Loss and loss adjustment expenses (paid) and recovered pertaining to:

             
 

Current year

    (29,766 )   (194 )
 

Prior years

    (119,822 )   12,172  
           

Total loss and loss adjustment expenses (paid) recovered

    (149,588 )   11,978  

Change in salvage recoverable, net

    62,084     (1,001 )

Foreign exchange (gain) loss on reserves

    (212 )   (34 )
           

Net balance as of December 31

    111,696     49,933  

Plus reinsurance recoverable

    22,014     20,478  
           

Balance as of December 31

  $ 133,710   $ 70,411  
           

(1)
2008 and 2007 amounts include non financial guaranty loss reserves of $2.9 million and $5.6 million, respectively.

        The difference between the portfolio reserve transferred to case reserves and the ultimate case reserve recorded is included in 2008 and 2007 incurred amounts.

        The financial guaranty case basis reserves have been discounted using a rate of 6% in 2008 and 2007, resulting in a discount of $(19.1) million and $0.6 million, respectively.

        The unfavorable prior year development in 2008 of $73.3 million is primarily due to incurred losses related to our U.S. RMBS exposures as well as other real estate related exposures. Additionally, during 2008, case reserves were established for two public finance transactions.

39



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

4. Financial Guaranty Contracts Accounted for as Insurance Contracts (Continued)

        The favorable prior year development in 2007 of $15.1 million is primarily due to $17.7 million of loss recoveries and increase in salvage reserves for aircraft-related transactions, reported to the Company by the Company's cedant. This was offset by unfavorable prior year development related to two subprime residential mortgage-backed and home equity transactions.

        The following table provides financial guaranty net par outstanding by credit monitoring category:

Closely Monitored Credit Categories
December 31, 2008

 
  Category 1   Category 2   Category 3   Category 4   Total  
 
  (dollars in millions)
 

Number of policies

    27     16     42     3     88  

Remaining weighted-average contract period (in years)

    5.9     10.8     10.7     7.4     9.7  

Insured contractual payments outstanding:

                               
 

Principal

  $ 465.0   $ 332.2   $ 1,465.1   $ 9.2   $ 2,271.5  
 

Interest

    85.2     103.2     508.8     4.0     701.2  
                       
   

Total

  $ 550.2   $ 435.4   $ 1,973.9   $ 13.2   $ 2,972.7  
                       

Gross reserves for loss and LAE

  $ 0.2   $   $ 111.7   $ 9.4   $ 121.3  

Less:

                               
 

Gross potential recoveries

                     
 

Discount, net

            30.5     0.4     30.9  
                       

Net reserves for loss and LAE

  $ 0.2   $   $ 81.2   $ 9.0   $ 90.4  
                       

Reinsurance recoverable

  $   $   $   $   $  
                       

Closely Monitored Credits

        Prior to January 1, 2009 the Company's surveillance department is responsible for monitoring our portfolio of credits and maintains a list of closely monitored credits ("CMC"). The closely monitored credits are divided into four categories:

    Category 1 (low priority; fundamentally sound, greater than normal risk);

    Category 2 (medium priority; weakening credit profile, may result in loss);

    Category 3 (high priority; claim/default probable, case reserve established);

    Category 4 (claim paid, case reserve established for future payments).

        The CMCs include all BIG exposures where there is a material amount of exposure (generally greater than $10.0 million) or a material risk of the Company incurring a loss greater than $0.5 million. The CMCs also included IG risks where credit quality is deteriorating and where, in the view of the Company, there is significant potential that the risk quality will fall BIG. As of December 31, 2008, the CMCs include approximately 99% of our BIG exposure, and the remaining BIG exposure of

40



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

4. Financial Guaranty Contracts Accounted for as Insurance Contracts (Continued)


$44.1 million is distributed across 50 different credits. Other than those excluded BIG credits, credits that are not included in the closely monitored credit list are categorized as fundamentally sound risks.

5. Goodwill

        In accordance with GAAP, the Company does not amortize goodwill, but instead is required to perform an impairment test annually or more frequently should circumstances warrant. The impairment test evaluates goodwill for recoverability by comparing the fair value of the Company's direct and reinsurance lines of business to their carrying value. If fair value is greater than carrying value then goodwill is deemed to be recoverable and there is no impairment. If fair value is less than carrying value then goodwill is deemed to be impaired and written down to an amount such that the fair value of the reporting unit is equal to the carrying value, but not less than $0. As part of the impairment test of goodwill, there are inherent assumptions and estimates used by management in developing discounted future cash flows related to the Company's direct and reinsurance lines of business that are subject to change based on future events.

        The Company reassessed the recoverability of goodwill in the third quarter of 2009 subsequent to the AGMH Acquisition by its parent, which provided the largest assumed book of business for AGC and its affiliates prior to the acquisition. As a result of the continued credit crisis, which has adversely affected the fair value of the Company's in-force policies, management determined that the full carrying value of $85.4 million of goodwill on its books prior to the AGMH Acquisition should be written off in the Third Quarter 2009. This charge does not have any adverse effect on the Company's debt agreements or its overall compliance with the covenants of its debt agreements.

6. Credit Derivatives

        Certain financial guaranty contracts written in credit derivative form, principally in the form of insured CDS contracts, have been deemed to meet the definition of a derivative under GAAP, which requires that an entity recognize all derivatives as either assets or liabilities in the consolidated balance sheet and measure those instruments at fair value. GAAP requires companies to recognize freestanding or embedded derivatives relating to beneficial interests in securitized financial instruments. None of the Company's credit derivatives in the financial guaranty direct and reinsurance segments are in qualifying fair-value, cash flow or foreign currency hedging relationships and therefore all changes in fair value are recorded in the consolidated statements of operations.

        In general, the Company structures credit derivative transactions such that the circumstances giving rise to the Company's obligation to make loss payments is similar to that for financial guaranty contracts written in insurance form and only occurs as losses are realized on the underlying reference obligation. Nonetheless, credit derivative transactions are governed by International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc. ("ISDA") documentation and operate differently from financial guaranty contracts written in insurance form. For example, the Company's control rights with respect to a reference obligation under a credit derivative may be more limited than when the Company issues a financial guaranty contracts written in insurance form on a direct primary basis. In addition, while the Company's exposure under credit derivatives, like the Company's exposure under financial guaranty contracts written in insurance form, has been generally for as long as the reference obligation remains outstanding, unlike those contracts, a credit derivative may be terminated for a breach of the ISDA

41



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

6. Credit Derivatives (Continued)


documentation or other specific events. If events of default or termination events specified in the credit derivative documentation were to occur, the non-defaulting or the non-affected party, which may be either the Company or the counterparty, depending upon the circumstances, may decide to terminate a credit derivative prior to maturity. The Company may be required to make a termination payment to its swap counterparty upon such termination.

        Some of the Company's CDS have rating triggers that allow certain CDS counterparties to terminate in the case of downgrades. If certain of its credit derivative contracts were terminated the Company could be required to make a termination payment as determined under the relevant documentation, although under certain documents, the Company may have the right to cure the termination event by posting collateral, assigning its rights and obligations in respect of the transactions to a third party or seeking a third party guaranty of the obligations of the Company. As of the date of this filing, if AGC's ratings were downgraded to levels between BBB or Baa2 and BB+ or Ba1, certain CDS counterparties could terminate certain CDS contracts covering approximately $6.0 billion par insured, compared to approximately $17.0 billion as of December 31, 2008. The Company does not believe that it can accurately estimate the termination payments it could be required to make if, as a result of any such downgrade, a CDS counterparty terminated its CDS contracts with the Company. These payments could have a material adverse effect on the Company's liquidity and financial condition.

        Under a limited number of other CDS contracts, the Company may be required to post eligible securities as collateral—generally cash or U.S. government or agency securities. For certain of such contracts, this requirement is based on a mark-to-market valuation, as determined under the relevant documentation, in excess of contractual thresholds that decline if the Company's ratings decline. Under other contracts, the Company has negotiated caps such that the posting requirement cannot exceed a certain amount. As of December 31, 2009, without giving effect to thresholds that apply under current ratings, the amount of par that is subject to collateral posting is approximately $19.8 billion. Counterparties have agreed that for approximately $18.4 billion of that $19.8 billion, the maximum amount that the Company could be required to post at current ratings is $425 million; if AGC were downgraded to A- by S&P or A3 by Moody's, that maximum amount would be $475 million. As of December 31, 2009, the Company had posted approximately $648.7 million of collateral in respect of approximately $19.8 billion of par insured. The Company may be required to post additional collateral from time to time, depending on its ratings and on the market values of the transactions subject to collateral posting.

        Realized gains and other settlements on credit derivatives include credit derivative premiums received and receivable for credit protection the Company has sold under its insured CDS contracts, premiums paid and payable for credit protection the Company has purchased as well as any contractual claim losses paid and payable and received and receivable related to insured credit events under these contracts, ceding commissions (expense) income and realized gains or losses related to their early termination.

42



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

6. Credit Derivatives (Continued)

        The following table disaggregates realized gains and other settlements on credit derivatives into its component parts for the years ended December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007:

Realized Gains and Other Settlements on Credit Derivatives

 
  Year Ended December 31,  
 
  2009   2008   2007  
 
  (in thousands)
 

Net credit derivative premiums received and receivable

  $ 80,694   $ 79,294   $ 49,643  

Net credit derivative losses (paid and payable) recovered and recoverable

    (3,620 )   6     (6 )

Ceding commissions received and receivable (paid and payable), net

    8,247     8,608     4,125  
               
 

Total realized gains and other settlements on credit derivatives

  $ 85,321   $ 87,908   $ 53,762  
               

        Changes in unrealized gains and losses on credit derivatives are reflected in the consolidated statements of operations in "net unrealized gains (losses) on credit derivatives." Cumulative unrealized losses, determined on a contract by contract basis, are reflected as either net assets or net liabilities in the Company's consolidated balance sheets. Unrealized gains and losses resulting from changes in the fair value of credit derivatives occur because of changes in interest rates, credit spreads, the credit ratings of the referenced entities and the issuing company's own credit rating and other market factors. Except for estimated credit impairments, the unrealized gains and losses on credit derivatives will reduce to zero as the exposure approaches its maturity date.

        The Company determines the fair value of its credit derivative contracts primarily through modeling that uses various inputs to derive an estimate of the value of the Company's contracts in principal markets. See Note 7. Inputs include expected contractual life and credit spreads, based on observable market indices and on recent pricing for similar contracts. Credit spreads capture the impact of recovery rates and performance of underlying assets, among other factors, on these contracts. The Company's pricing model takes into account not only how credit spreads on risks that it assumes affect pricing, but also how the Company's own credit spread affects the pricing of its deals. If credit spreads of the underlying obligations change, the fair value of the related credit derivative changes. Market liquidity could also impact valuations of the underlying obligations.

        The impact of changes in credit spreads will vary based upon the volume, tenor, interest rates, and other market conditions at the time these fair values are determined. In addition, since each transaction has unique collateral and structure terms, the underlying change in fair value of each transaction may vary considerably. The fair value of credit derivative contracts also reflects the change in the Company's own credit cost based on the price to purchase credit protection on AGC. As of December 31, 2009 the net credit liability included a reduction in the liability of $1.8 billion representing AGC's credit value adjustment. The Company determines its own credit risk based on quoted CDS prices traded on the Company at each balance sheet date. Historically, the price of CDS traded on AGC moves directionally the same as general market spreads. Generally, a widening of the CDS prices traded on AGC has an effect of offsetting unrealized losses that result from widening

43



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

6. Credit Derivatives (Continued)


general market credit spreads, while a narrowing of the CDS prices traded on AGC has an effect of offsetting unrealized gains that result from narrowing general market credit spreads. An overall narrowing of spreads generally results in an unrealized gain on credit derivatives for the Company and an overall widening of spreads generally results in an unrealized loss for the Company.

Effect of Company's Credit Spread on Credit Derivatives Fair Value

 
  As of December 31,  
 
  2009   2008  
 
  (dollars in millions)
 

Quoted price of CDS contract (in basis points)

    634     1,775  

Fair value of CDS contracts:

             
 

Before considering implication of the Company's credit spreads

  $ (2,630.2 ) $ (3,579.3 )
 

After considering implication of the Company's credit spreads

  $ (824.7 ) $ (341.5 )

        In 2009, AGC's credit spread narrowed, however it remained relatively wide compared to pre-2007 levels. Offsetting the benefit attributable to AGC's credit spread were declines in fixed income security market prices primarily attributable to widening spreads in certain markets as a result of the continued deterioration in credit markets and some credit rating downgrades. The higher credit spreads in the fixed income security market were primarily due to continuing market concerns over the most recent vintages of Subprime RMBS and trust-preferred securities.

        The 2008 gain included $3.2 billion associated with the change in AGC's credit spread, which widened substantially from 180 basis points at December 31, 2007 to 1,775 basis points at December 31, 2008. Management believed that the widening of AGC's credit spread was due to the correlation between AGC's risk profile and that experienced currently by the broader financial markets and increased demand for credit protection against AGC as the result of its increased business volume. Offsetting the gain attributable to the significant increase in AGC's credit spread were declines in fixed income security market prices primarily attributable to widening spreads in certain markets as a result of the continued deterioration in credit markets and some credit rating downgrades, rather than from delinquencies or defaults on securities guaranteed by the Company. The higher credit spreads in the fixed income security market were due to the recent lack of liquidity in the high yield collateralized debt obligation ("CDOs") and collateralized loan obligation ("CLO") markets as well as continuing market concerns over the most recent vintages of subprime RMBS and commercial mortgage backed securities ("CMBS").

        The estimated remaining weighted average life of credit derivative exposure outstanding subject to derivative accounting rules was 8.0 years at December 31, 2009 and 6.8 years at December 31, 2008.

44



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

6. Credit Derivatives (Continued)

        The components of the Company's net par outstanding and unrealized gain (loss) on credit derivatives as of and for the year ended December 31, 2009 are:

Net Par Outstanding on Credit Derivatives

 
  As of December 31,
 
  2009   2008
Asset Type
  Original
Subordination(1)
  Current
Subordination(1)
  Net Par
Outstanding
  Weighted
Average
Credit
Rating(2)
  Net Par
Outstanding
  Weighted
Average
Credit
Rating(2)
 
  (dollars in millions)

Pooled corporate obligations:

                               
 

CLOs/CBOs

    35.4 %   30.2 % $ 17,312   AAA   $ 17,919   AAA
 

Synthetic investment grade pooled corporate

    30.0     29.4     1,647   AAA     1,825   AAA
 

Trust preferred securities

    46.5     36.9     4,566   BB+     4,826   AA+
 

Market value CDOs of corporate obligations

    38.8     39.0     3,002   AAA     3,012   AAA
 

Commercial Real Estate

                  651   AAA
 

CDO of CDOs (corporate)

                  55   AAA
                         

Total pooled corporate obligations

    37.4     32.3     26,527   AA+     28,288   AAA

U.S. RMBS:

                               
 

Alt-A Option ARMs and Alt-A First Lien

    20.3     22.0     4,320   BB     4,458   A+
 

Subprime First lien

    27.6     52.4     3,782   A+     4,541   A-
 

Prime first lien

    10.9     11.1     467   BB     560   AAA
 

CES and HELOCs

    0.0     19.2     13   AA     17   AA
                         

Total U.S. RMBS

    22.9     34.6     8,582   BBB     9,576   AA

Commercial mortgage-backed securities

    28.5     30.9     5,844   AAA     4,590   AAA

Other

            7,255   AA     11,960   AA
                             

Total

              $ 48,208   AA   $ 54,414   AA+
                             

(1)
Represents the sum of subordinate tranches and over-collateralization and does not include any benefit from excess interest collections that may be used to absorb losses.

(2)
Represents the Company's internal rating, which is based on a rating scale similar to that used by the nationally recognized rating agencies.

45



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

6. Credit Derivatives (Continued)

Change in Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Credit Derivatives

 
  Year Ended December 31,  
Asset Type
  2009   2008   2007  
 
  (in millions)
 

Pooled corporate obligations:

                   
 

CLOs/CBOs

  $ (58.5 ) $ 211.5   $ (159.9 )
 

Synthetic investment grade pooled corporate

    3.0     2.4     (7.1 )
 

Trust preferred securities

    (35.0 )   7.0     (32.3 )
 

Market value CDOs of corporate obligations

    (5.1 )   39.8     (30.4 )
 

Commercial Real Estate

        6.5     (5.2 )
 

CDO of CDOs (corporate)

    4.9     (2.6 )   (3.1 )
               

Total pooled corporate obligations

    (90.7 )   264.6     (238.0 )

U.S. RMBS:

                   
 

Alt-A Option ARMs and Alt-A First Lien

    (333.8 )   (143.0 )   (7.5 )
 

Subprime First lien

    3.8     158.4     (184.8 )
 

Prime first lien

    (72.5 )   4.8     (2.4 )
 

CES and HELOCs

            (0.2 )
               

Total U.S. RMBS

    (402.5 )   20.2     (194.9 )

Commercial mortgage-backed securities

    (34.2 )   63.0     (70.1 )

Other

    46.0     (221.8 )   (13.4 )
               

Total

  $ (481.4 ) $ 126.0   $ (516.4 )
               

        Corporate CLOs, synthetic pooled corporate obligations, market value CDOs, and trust preferred securities ("TruPS"), which comprise the Company's pooled corporate exposures, include all U.S. structured finance pooled corporate obligations and international pooled corporate obligations. U.S. RMBS are comprised of prime and subprime U.S. mortgage-backed and home equity securities. CMBS are comprised of commercial U.S. structured finance and commercial international mortgage backed securities. "Other" includes all other U.S. and international asset classes, such as commercial receivables, international infrastructure, international RMBS and home equity securities, and pooled infrastructure securities.

        The Company's exposure to pooled corporate obligations is highly diversified in terms of obligors and, except in the case of TruPS, industries. Most pooled corporate transactions are structured to limit exposure to any given obligor and industry. The majority of the Company's pooled corporate exposure in the financial guaranty direct segment consists of CLOs or synthetic pooled corporate obligations. Most of these direct CLOs have an average obligor size of less than 1% and typically restrict the maximum exposure to any one industry to approximately 10%. The Company's exposure also benefits from embedded credit enhancement in the transactions which allows a transaction to sustain a certain level of losses in the underlying collateral, further insulating the Company from industry specific concentrations of credit risk on these deals.

        The Company's TruPS CDO asset pools are generally less diversified by obligors and especially industries than the typical CLO asset pool. Also, the underlying collateral in TruPS CDOs consists primarily of subordinated debt instruments such as trust preferred securities issued by banks, real estate

46



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

6. Credit Derivatives (Continued)


investment trusts ("REITs") and insurance companies, while CLOs typically contain primarily senior secured obligations. Finally, TruPS CDOs typically contain interest rate hedges that may complicate the cash flows. However, to mitigate these risks TruPS CDOs were typically structured with higher levels of embedded credit enhancement than typical CLOs.

        The Company's exposure to "Other" CDS contracts is also highly diversified. It includes $2.5 billion of exposure to four pooled infrastructure transactions comprised of diversified pools of international infrastructure project transactions and loans to regulated utilities. These pools were all structured with underlying credit enhancement sufficient for the Company to attach at super senior AAA levels. The remaining $4.8 billion of exposure in "Other" CDS contracts is comprised of numerous deals typically structured with significant underlying credit enhancement and spread across various asset classes, such as commercial receivables, international RMBS and home equity securities, infrastructure, regulated utilities and consumer receivables. Substantially all of this of exposure is rated IG and the weighted average credit rating is AA.

        The unrealized gain for the year ended December 31, 2009 on "Other" CDS contracts is primarily attributable to implied spreads narrowing during 2009 on a U.S. infrastructure transaction, a XXX life insurance securitization and a film securitization transaction.

        With considerable volatility continuing in the market, unrealized gains (losses) on credit derivatives may fluctuate significantly in future periods.

        The Company's exposure to the mortgage industry is discussed in Note 4.

        The following tables present additional details about the Company's unrealized gain or loss on credit derivatives associated with RMBS by vintage and asset type as of and for the year ended December 31, 2009:

U.S. Residential Mortgage-Backed Securities

Vintage
  Original
Subordination(1)
  Current
Subordination(1)
  Net Par
Outstanding
(dollars in
millions)
  Weighted
Average
Credit
Rating(2)
  Full Year 2009
Unrealized
Gain (Loss)
(dollars in millions)
 

2004 and Prior

    6.1 %   19.3 % $ 144   A+   $ 2.1  

2005

    26.9     56.8     2,780   AA-     (1.2 )

2006

    28.6     38.2     1,387   BBB     (7.4 )

2007

    19.2     20.0     4,271   BB-     (396.0 )

2008

                   

2009

                   
                           

Total

    22.9 %   34.6 % $ 8,582   BBB   $ (402.5 )
                           

(1)
Represents the sum of subordinate tranches and over-collateralization and does not include any benefit from excess interest collections that may be used to absorb losses.

(2)
Represents the Company's internal rating, which is based on a rating scale similar to that used by the nationally recognized rating agencies.

47



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

6. Credit Derivatives (Continued)

        The following table presents additional details about the Company's unrealized gain or loss on credit derivatives associated with commercial mortgage-backed securities by vintage as of and for the year ended December 31, 2009:

Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities

Vintage
  Original
Subordination(1)
  Current
Subordination(1)
  Net Par
Outstanding
(dollars in
millions)
  Weighted
Average
Credit
Rating(2)
  Full Year 2009
Unrealized
Gain (Loss)
(dollars in millions)
 

2004 and Prior

    28.1 %   42.1 % $ 810   AAA   $ (1.6 )

2005

    17.5     23.2     2,741   AAA     0.3  

2006

    26.2     27.1     1,705   AAA     (22.7 )

2007

    41.1     41.5     588   AAA     (10.2 )

2008

                   

2009

                   
                           

Total

    28.5 %   34.6 % $ 5,844   AAA   $ (34.2 )
                           

(1)
Represents the sum of subordinate tranches and over-collateralization and does not include any benefit from excess interest collections that may be used to absorb losses.

(2)
Represents the Company's internal rating, which is based on a rating scale similar to that used by the nationally recognized rating agencies.

        The following table summarizes the estimated change in fair values on the net balance of the Company's credit derivative positions assuming immediate parallel shifts in credit spreads on AGC and on the risks that it assumes:

 
  As of December 31, 2009  
Credit Spreads
  Estimated Net
Fair Value (Pre-Tax)
  Estimated Pre-Tax
Change in Gain /(Loss)
 
 
  (in millions)
 

100% widening in spreads

  $ (2,024.3 ) $ (1,199.6 )

50% widening in spreads

    (1,424.5 )   (599.8 )

25% widening in spreads

    (1,124.6 )   (299.9 )

10% widening in spreads

    (944.7 )   (120.0 )

Base Scenario

    (824.7 )    

10% narrowing in spreads

    (734.9 )   89.8  

25% narrowing in spreads

    (601.3 )   223.4  

50% narrowing in spreads

    (383.2 )   441.5  

(1)
Includes the effects of spreads on both the underlying asset classes and the Company's own credit spread.

48



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

7. Fair Value of Financial Instruments

        The carrying amount and estimated fair value of financial instruments are presented in the following table:

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

 
  As of December 31,
2009
  As of December 31,
2008
 
 
  Carrying
Amount
  Estimated
Fair Value
  Carrying
Amount
  Estimated
Fair Value
 
 
  (in thousands)
 

Assets:

                         
 

Fixed maturity securities

  $ 2,045,211   $ 2,045,211   $ 1,511,329   $ 1,511,329  
 

Short-term investments

    802,567     802,567     109,986     109,986  
 

Credit derivative assets

    251,992     251,992     139,494     139,494  
 

Committed capital securities, at fair value

    3,987     3,987     51,062     51,062  

Liabilities:

                         
 

Financial guaranty insurance contracts(1)

    801,320     1,061,330     707,957     739,117  
 

Note payable to affiliate

    300,000     300,000          
 

Credit derivative liabilities

    1,076,726     1,076,726     481,040     481,040  

Off-Balance Sheet Instruments:

                         
 

Financial guaranty contracts future installment premiums

                190,970  

(1)
Includes the balance sheet amounts related to financial guaranty insurance contract premiums and losses, net of reinsurance.

Background

        Effective January 1, 2008, GAAP established a fair value framework for measuring fair value and expanded disclosures about fair value measurements. The framework applies to other accounting pronouncements that require or permit fair value measurements, but does not require any new fair value measurements.

        The fair value framework defines fair value as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability (an exit price) in an orderly transaction between market participants on the measurement date. The price represents the price available in the principal market for the asset or liability. If there is no principal market, then the price is based on the market that maximizes the value received for an asset or minimizes the amount paid for a liability (i.e. the most advantageous market).

        A fair value hierarchy was also established based on whether the inputs to valuation techniques used to measure fair value are observable or unobservable. Observable inputs reflect market data obtained from independent sources, while unobservable inputs reflect Company estimates of market assumptions. In accordance with GAAP, the fair value hierarchy prioritizes model inputs into three broad levels as follows:

        Level 1—Quoted prices for identical instruments in active markets.

        Level 2—Quoted prices for similar instruments in active markets; quoted prices for identical or similar instruments in markets that are not active; and observable inputs other than quoted prices, such as interest rates or yield curves and other inputs derived from or corroborated by observable market inputs.

49



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

7. Fair Value of Financial Instruments (Continued)

        Level 3—Model derived valuations in which one or more significant inputs or significant value drivers are unobservable. This hierarchy requires the use of observable market data when available. Financial instruments are considered Level 3 when their values are determined using pricing models, discounted cash flow methodologies or similar techniques and at least one significant model assumption or input is unobservable. Level 3 financial instruments also include those for which the determination of fair value requires significant management judgment or estimation.

        An asset or liability's categorization within the fair value hierarchy is based on the lowest level of significant input to its valuation.

Financial Instruments Carried at Fair Value on a Recurring Basis

        The measurement provision of the fair value framework applies to both amounts recorded in the Company's financial statements and to disclosures. Amounts recorded at fair value in the Company's financial statements on a recurring basis are included in the tables below.

Fair Value Hierarchy of Financial Instruments
Recurring Basis
As of December 31, 2009

 
   
  Fair Value Measurements Using  
 
  Fair Value   Quoted Prices in
Active Markets
for Identical Assets
(Level 1)
  Significant Other
Observable
Inputs
(Level 2)
  Significant
Unobservable
Inputs
(Level 3)
 
 
  (in millions)
 

Assets:

                         

Investment portfolio, available-for-sale:

                         
 

Fixed maturity securities:

                         
   

U.S. government and agencies

  $ 451.5   $   $ 451.5   $  
   

Obligations of state and political subdivisions

    1,059.1         1,059.1      
   

Corporate securities

    183.3         183.3      
   

Mortgage-backed securities:

                         
     

Residential mortgage-backed securities

    190.6         190.6      
     

Commercial mortgage-backed securities

    64.3         64.3      
   

Asset-backed securities

    16.7         16.7      
   

Foreign government securities

    79.7         79.7      
 

Short-term investments

    802.6     43.2     759.4      
 

Credit derivative assets

    252.0             252.0  
 

Committed capital securities, at fair value

    4.0         4.0      
                   
   

Total assets

  $ 3,103.8   $ 43.2   $ 2,808.6   $ 252.0  
                   

Liabilities:

                         
 

Credit derivative liabilities

  $ 1,076.7   $   $   $ 1,076.7  
                   
   

Total liabilities

  $ 1,076.7   $   $   $ 1,076.7  
                   

50



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

7. Fair Value of Financial Instruments (Continued)

Fair Value Hierarchy of Financial Instruments
Recurring Basis
As of December 31, 2008(1)

 
   
  Fair Value Measurements Using  
 
  Fair Value   Quoted Prices in
Active Markets
for Identical Assets
(Level 1)
  Significant Other
Observable
Inputs
(Level 2)
  Significant
Unobservable
Inputs
(Level 3)
 
 
  (in millions)
 

Assets:

                         

Investment portfolio, available-for-sale:

                         
 

Fixed maturity securities:

                         
   

U.S. government and agencies

  $ 73.3   $   $ 73.3   $  
   

Obligations of state and political subdivisions

    1,114.4         1,114.4      
   

Corporate securities

    87.5         87.5      
   

Mortgage-backed securities:

                         
     

Residential mortgage-backed securities

    85.9         85.9      
     

Commercial mortgage-backed securities

    68.1         68.1      
   

Asset-backed securities

    22.5         22.5      
   

Foreign government securities

    54.3         54.3      
   

Preferred stock

    5.3         5.3      
 

Short-term investments

    110.0     23.8     86.2      
 

Credit derivative assets

    139.5             139.5  
 

Committed capital securities, at fair value

    51.1         51.1      
                   
   

Total assets

  $ 1,811.9   $ 23.8   $ 1,648.6   $ 139.5  
                   

Liabilities:

                         
 

Credit derivative liabilities

  $ 481.0   $   $   $ 481.0  
                   
   

Total liabilities

  $ 481.0   $   $   $ 481.0  
                   

(1)
Reclassified to conform to the current period's presentation.

Fixed Maturity Securities and Short-term Investments

        The fair value of fixed maturity securities and short-term investments is determined using one of three different pricing services: pricing vendors, index providers or broker-dealer quotations. Pricing services for each sector of the market are determined based upon the provider's expertise.

        The Company's third-party accounting provider obtains prices from pricing services, index providers or broker-dealers. From time to time a pricing source may be updated to improve consistency of coverage and/or accuracy of prices. A pricing service is also used to obtain prices independent of the

51



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

7. Fair Value of Financial Instruments (Continued)


third party accounting provider. The price provided by the accounting provider is used to price any security priced by both the accounting provider and the pricing service.

        Generally one price is obtained for each security. Where multiple prices are obtained, the accounting provider maintains a hierarchy by asset class to prioritize the pricing source to be used. The accounting provider performs daily and monthly controls to ensure completeness and accuracy of security prices, such as reviewing missing price or stale price data and day-over-day variance reports by asset class. The accounting provider maintains a valuation oversight committee that is required to approve all changes in pricing practices and policies.

        Fixed maturity securities are valued by broker-dealers, pricing services or index providers using standard market conventions. The market conventions utilize market quotations, market transactions in comparable instruments, and various relationships between instruments such as yield to maturity, dollar prices and spread prices in determining value. Generally, all of the Company's fixed maturity securities are priced using matrix pricing.

        Broker-dealer quotations obtained to price securities are generally considered to be indicative and are nonactionable (i.e. non-binding).

        The Company is provided with a pricing chart, which for each asset class provides the pricing source, pricing methodology and recommended fair value level in accordance with the fair value framework. The Company reviews the pricing source of each security each reporting period to determine the method of pricing and appropriateness of fair value level. The Company considers securities prices from pricing services, index providers or broker dealers to be Level 2 in the fair value hierarchy. Prices determined based upon model processes are considered to be Level 3 in the fair value hierarchy. No investments were classified as Level 3 as of or for the three- and year ended December 31, 2009.

        The Company did not make any internal adjustments to prices provided by its third party pricing service.

Committed Capital Securities

        The fair value of committed capital securities (the " CCS Securities") represents the difference between present value of remaining expected put option premium payments under AGC's CCS agreements and the value of such estimated payments based upon the quoted price for such premium payments as of the reporting dates (see Note 17). Changes in fair value of this financial instrument are included in the consolidated statements of operations. The significant market inputs used are observable, therefore, the Company classified this fair value measurement as Level 2.

Financial Guaranty Credit Derivatives Accounted for as Derivatives

        The Company's credit derivatives consist primarily of insured CDS contracts (see Note 6) most of which fall under derivative accounting guidance requiring fair value accounting through the consolidated statements of operations. The Company does not typically exit its credit derivative contracts, and there are no quoted prices for its instruments or for similar instruments. Observable inputs other than quoted market prices exist; however, these inputs reflect contracts that do not contain

52



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

7. Fair Value of Financial Instruments (Continued)


terms and conditions similar to the credit derivative contracts issued by the Company. Therefore, the valuation of credit derivative contracts requires the use of models that contain significant, unobservable inputs. The Company accordingly believes the credit derivative valuations are in Level 3 in the fair value hierarchy discussed above.

        The fair value of the Company's credit derivative contracts represents the difference between the present value of remaining expected net premiums the Company receives for the credit protection and the estimated present value of premiums that a comparable credit-worthy financial guarantor would hypothetically charge the Company for the same protection at the balance sheet date. The fair value of the Company's credit derivatives depends on a number of factors, including notional amount of the contract, expected term, credit spreads, changes in interest rates, the credit ratings of referenced entities, the Company's own credit risk and remaining contractual cash flows.

        Market conditions at December 31, 2009 were such that market prices of the Company's CDS contracts were not generally available. Where market prices were not available, the Company used proprietary valuation models that used both unobservable and observable market data inputs such as various market indices, credit spreads, the Company's own credit spread, and estimated contractual payments to estimate the portion of the fair value of its credit derivatives. These models are primarily developed internally based on market conventions for similar transactions.

        Management considers the non-standard terms of its credit derivative contracts in determining the fair value of these contracts. These terms differ from more standardized credit derivative contracts sold by companies outside the financial guaranty industry. The non-standard terms include the absence of collateral support agreements or immediate settlement provisions. In addition, the Company employs relatively high attachment points and does not exit derivatives it sells for credit protection purposes, except under specific circumstances such as novations upon exiting a line of business. Because of these terms and conditions, the fair value of the Company's credit derivatives may not reflect the same prices observed in an actively traded market of credit derivatives that do not contain terms and conditions similar to those observed in the financial guaranty market. The Company's models and the related assumptions are continuously reevaluated by management and enhanced, as appropriate, based upon improvements in modeling techniques and availability of more timely and relevant market information.

        Remaining contractual cash flows are the most readily observable variables since they are based on the CDS contractual terms. These variables include (i) net premiums received and receivable on written credit derivative contracts, (ii) net premiums paid and payable on purchased contracts, (iii) losses paid and payable to credit derivative contract counterparties and (iv) losses recovered and recoverable on purchased contracts.

        Valuation models include management estimates and current market information. Management is also required to make assumptions on how the fair value of credit derivative instruments is affected by current market conditions. Management considers factors such as current prices charged for similar agreements, performance of underlying assets, life of the instrument, and credit derivative exposure ceded under reinsurance agreements, and the nature and extent of activity in the financial guaranty credit derivative marketplace. The assumptions that management uses to determine its fair value may change in the future due to market conditions. Due to the inherent uncertainties of the assumptions used in the valuation models to determine the fair value of these credit derivative products, actual

53



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

7. Fair Value of Financial Instruments (Continued)


experience may differ from the estimates reflected in the Company's consolidated financial statements and the differences may be material.

Assumptions and Inputs

        Listed below are various inputs and assumptions that are key to the establishment of the Company's fair value for CDS contracts.

        The key assumptions of the Company's internally developed model include the following:

    Gross spread is the difference between the yield of a security paid by an issuer on an insured versus uninsured basis or, in the case of a CDS transaction, the difference between the yield and an index such as the London Interbank Offered Rate ("LIBOR"). Such pricing is well established by historical financial guaranty fees relative to capital market spreads as observed and executed in competitive markets, including in financial guaranty reinsurance and secondary market transactions.

    Gross spread on a financial guaranty written in CDS form is allocated among:

    1.
    the profit the originator, usually an investment bank, realizes for putting the deal together and funding the transaction ("bank profit");

    2.
    premiums paid to the Company for the Company's credit protection provided ("net spread"); and

    3.
    the cost of CDS protection purchased on the Company by the originator to hedge their counterparty credit risk exposure to the Company ("hedge cost").

        The premium the Company receives is referred to as the "net spread." The Company's own credit risk is factored into the determination of net spread based on the impact of changes in the quoted market price for credit protection bought on the Company, as reflected by quoted market prices on CDS referencing AGC. The cost to acquire CDS protection referencing AGC affects the amount of spread on CDS deals that the Company retains and, hence, their fair value. As the cost to acquire CDS protection referencing AGC increases, the amount of premium the Company retains on a deal generally decreases. As the cost to acquire CDS protection referencing AGC decreases, the amount of premium the Company retains on a deal generally increases. In the Company's valuation model, the premium the Company captures is not permitted to go below the minimum rate that the Company would currently charge to assume similar risks. This assumption can have the effect of mitigating the amount of unrealized gains that are recognized on certain CDS contracts.

        The Company determines the fair value of its CDS contracts by applying the net spread for the remaining duration of each contract to the notional value of its CDS contracts. To the extent available actual transactions executed in the accounting period are used to validate the model results and to explain the correlation between various market indices and indicative CDS market prices.

        The Company's fair value model inputs are gross spread, credit spreads on risks assumed and credit spreads on the Company's name.

54



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

7. Fair Value of Financial Instruments (Continued)

        Gross spread is an input into the Company's fair value model that is used to ultimately determine the net spread a comparable financial guarantor would charge the Company to transfer risk at the reporting date. The Company's estimate of the fair value adjustment represents the difference between the estimated present value of premiums that a comparable financial guarantor would accept to assume the risk from the Company on the current reporting date, on terms identical to the original contracts written by the Company and at the contractual premium for each individual credit derivative contract. This is an observable input that the Company obtains for deals it has closed or bid on in the market place.

        The Company obtains credit spreads on risks assumed from market data sources published by third parties (e.g. dealer spread tables for the collateral similar to assets within the Company's transactions) as well as collateral-specific spreads provided by trustees or obtained from market sources. If observable market credit spreads are not available or reliable for the underlying reference obligations, then market indices are used that most closely resembles the underlying reference obligations, considering asset class, credit quality rating and maturity of the underlying reference obligations. As discussed previously, these indices are adjusted to reflect the non-standard terms of the Company's CDS contracts. As of December 31, 2009, the Company obtained approximately 19% of its credit spread data, based on notional par outstanding, from sources published by third parties, while 81% was obtained from market sources or similar market indices. Market sources determine credit spreads by reviewing new issuance pricing for specific asset classes and receiving price quotes from their trading desks for the specific asset in question. Management validates these quotes by cross-referencing quotes received from one market source against quotes received from another market source to ensure reasonableness. In addition, the Company compares the relative change in price quotes received from one quarter to another, with the relative change experienced by published market indices for a specific asset class. Collateral specific spreads obtained from third-party, independent market sources are un-published spread quotes from market participants and or market traders whom are not trustees. Management obtains this information as the result of direct communication with these sources as part of the valuation process.

        For credit spreads on the Company's name the Company obtains the quoted price of CDS contracts traded on AGC from market data sources published by third parties.

Example

        The following is an example of how changes in gross spreads, the Company's own credit spread and the cost to buy protection on the Company affect the amount of premium the Company can

55



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

7. Fair Value of Financial Instruments (Continued)


demand for its credit protection. Scenario 1 represents the market conditions in effect on the transaction date and Scenario 2 represents market conditions at a subsequent reporting date.

 
  Scenario 1   Scenario 2  
 
  bps   % of Total   bps   % of Total  

Original gross spread/cash bond price (in bps)

    185           500        

Bank profit (in bps)

    115     62 %   50     10 %

Hedge cost (in bps)

    30     16     440     88  

The Company premium received per annum (in bps)

    40     22     10     2  

        In Scenario 1, the gross spread is 185 basis points. The bank or deal originator captures 115 basis points of the original gross spread and hedges 10% of its exposure to AGC, when the CDS spread on AGC was 300 basis points (300 basis points × 10% = 30 basis points). Under this scenario the Company received premium of 40 basis points, or 22% of the gross spread.

        In Scenario 2, the gross spread is 500 basis points. The bank or deal originator captures 50 basis points of the original gross spread and hedges 25% of its exposure to AGC, when the CDS spread on AGC was 1,760 basis points (1,760 basis points × 25% = 440 basis points). Under this scenario the Company would receive premium of 10 basis points, or 2% of the gross spread.

        In this example, the contractual cash flows (the Company premium received per annum above) exceed the amount a market participant would require the Company to pay in today's market to accept its obligations under the CDS contract, thus resulting in an asset. This credit derivative asset is equal to the difference in premium rate discounted at the corresponding LIBOR over the weighted average remaining life of the contract. The expected future cash flows for the Company's credit derivatives were discounted at rates ranging from 1.0% to 4.5% at December 31, 2009. The expected future cash flows for the Company's credit derivatives were discounted at rates ranging from 1.0% to 17.0% at December 31, 2008.

        The Company corroborates the assumptions in its fair value model, including the amount of exposure to AGC hedged by its counterparties, with independent third parties each reporting period. The current level of AGC's own credit spread has resulted in the bank or deal originator hedging a significant portion of its exposure to AGC. This reduces the amount of contractual cash flows AGC can capture for selling its protection.

        The amount of premium a financial guaranty insurance market participant can demand is inversely related to the cost of credit protection on the insurance company as measured by market credit spreads. This is because the buyers of credit protection typically hedge a portion of their risk to the financial guarantor, due to the fact that contractual terms of financial guaranty insurance contracts typically do not require the posting of collateral by the guarantor. The widening of a financial guarantor's own credit spread increases the cost to buy credit protection on the guarantor, thereby reducing the amount of premium the guarantor can capture out of the gross spread on the deal. The extent of the hedge depends on the types of instruments insured and the current market conditions.

        A credit derivative asset is the result of contractual cash flows on in-force deals in excess of what a hypothetical financial guarantor could receive if it sold protection on the same risk as of the current

56



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

7. Fair Value of Financial Instruments (Continued)


reporting date. If the Company were able to freely exchange these contracts (i.e., assuming its contracts did not contain proscriptions on transfer and there was a viable exchange market), it would be able to realize an asset representing the difference between the higher contractual premiums to which it is entitled and the current market premiums for a similar contract.

        To clarify, management does not believe there is an established market where financial guaranty insured credit derivatives are actively traded. The terms of the protection under an insured financial guaranty credit derivative do not, except for certain rare circumstances, allow the Company to exit its contracts. Management has determined that the exit market for the Company's credit derivatives is a hypothetical one based on its entry market. Management has tracked the historical pricing of the Company's deals to establish historical price points in the hypothetical market that are used in the fair value calculation.

        The following spread hierarchy is utilized in determining which source of spread to use, with the rule being to use CDS spreads where available. If not available, the Company either interpolates or extrapolates CDS spreads based on similar transactions or market indices.

    Actual collateral specific credit spreads (if up-to-date and reliable market-based spreads are available, they are used).

    Credit spreads are interpolated based upon market indices or deals priced or closed during a specific quarter within a specific asset class and specific rating.

    Credit spreads provided by the counterparty of the CDS.

    Credit spreads are extrapolated based upon transactions of similar asset classes, similar ratings, and similar time to maturity.

        Over time the data inputs can change as new sources become available or existing sources are discontinued or are no longer considered to be the most appropriate. It is the Company's objective to move to higher levels on the hierarchy whenever possible, but it is sometimes necessary to move to lower priority inputs because of discontinued data sources or management's assessment that the higher priority inputs are no longer considered to be representative of market spreads for a given type of collateral. This can happen, for example, if transaction volume changes such that a previously used spread index is no longer viewed as being reflective of current market levels.

Information by Credit Spread Type

 
  As of December 31,  
 
  2009   2008  

Based on actual collateral specific spreads

    9 %   8 %

Based on market indices

    81 %   78 %

Provided by the CDS counterparty

    10 %   14 %
           

Total

    100 %   100 %
           

        The Company interpolates a curve based on the historical relationship between premium the Company receives when a financial guaranty contract written in CDS form is closed to the daily closing

57



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

7. Fair Value of Financial Instruments (Continued)


price of the market index related to the specific asset class and rating of the deal. This curve indicates expected credit spreads at each indicative level on the related market index. For specific transactions where no price quotes are available and credit spreads need to be extrapolated, an alternative transaction for which the Company has received a spread quote from one of the first three sources within the Company's spread hierarchy is chosen. This alternative transaction will be within the same asset class, have similar underlying assets, similar credit ratings, and similar time to maturity. The Company then calculates the percentage of relative spread change quarter over quarter for the alternative transaction. This percentage change is then applied to the historical credit spread of the transaction for which no price quote was received in order to calculate the transactions current spread. Counterparties determine credit spreads by reviewing new issuance pricing for specific asset classes and receiving price quotes from their trading desks for the specific asset in question. These quotes are validated by cross-referencing quotes received from one market source with those quotes received from another market source to ensure reasonableness. In addition, management compares the relative change experienced on published market indices for a specific asset class for reasonableness and accuracy.

Strengths and Weaknesses of Model

        The Company's credit derivative valuation model, like any financial model, has certain strengths and weaknesses.

        The primary strengths of the Company's CDS modeling techniques are:

    The model takes account of transaction structure and the key drivers of market value. The transaction structure includes par insured, weighted average life, level of subordination and composition of collateral.

    The model maximizes the use of market-driven inputs whenever they are available. The key inputs to the model are market-based spreads for the collateral, and the credit rating of referenced entities. These are viewed by the Company to be the key parameters that affect fair value of the transaction.

    The Company is able to use actual transactions to validate its model results and to explain the correlation between various market indices and indicative CDS market prices. Management first attempts to compare modeled values to premiums on deals the Company received on new deals written within the reporting period. If no new transactions were written for a particular asset type in the period or if the number of transactions is not reflective of a representative sample, management compares modeled results to premium bids offered by the Company to provide credit protection on new transactions within the reporting period, the premium the Company has received on historical transactions to provide credit protection in net tight and wide credit environments and/or the premium on transactions closed by other financial guaranty insurance companies during the reporting period.

    The model is a well-documented, consistent approach to valuing positions that minimizes subjectivity. The Company has developed a hierarchy for market-based spread inputs that helps mitigate the degree of subjectivity during periods of high illiquidity.

58



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

7. Fair Value of Financial Instruments (Continued)

        The primary weaknesses of the Company's CDS modeling techniques are:

    There is no exit market or actual exit transactions. Therefore the Company's exit market is a hypothetical one based on the Company's entry market.

    There is a very limited market in which to verify the fair values developed by the Company's model.

    At December 31, 2009 and 2008, the markets for the inputs to the model were highly illiquid, which impacts their reliability. However, the Company employs various procedures to corroborate the reasonableness of quotes received and calculated by the Company's internal valuation model, including comparing to other quotes received on similarly structured transactions, observed spreads on structured products with comparable underlying assets and, on a selective basis when possible, through second independent quotes on the same reference obligation.

    Due to the non-standard terms under which the Company enters into derivative contracts, the fair value of its credit derivatives may not reflect the same prices observed in an actively traded market of credit derivatives that do not contain terms and conditions similar to those observed in the financial guaranty market.

        Financial assets and liabilities are classified in their entirety based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement. As of December 31, 2009 and 2008, these contracts are classified as Level 3 in the fair value hierarchy since there is reliance on at least one unobservable input deemed significant to the valuation model, most significantly the Company's estimate of the value of the non-standard terms and conditions of its credit derivative contracts and of the Company's current credit standing.

Financial Instruments Carried at Fair Value on a Non-recurring Basis

Level 3 Instruments

        The table below presents a rollforward of the Company's credit derivatives whose fair value included significant unobservable inputs (Level 3) during the years ended December 31, 2009 and 2008.

59



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

7. Fair Value of Financial Instruments (Continued)

Fair Value Level 3 Rollforward
Credit Derivative Asset (Liability), net

 
  Year Ended December 31,  
 
  2009   2008  
 
  (in thousands)
 

Beginning Balance, December 31, 2008

  $ (341,546 ) $ (469,310 )
 

Total gains or losses realized and unrealized

             
   

Unrealized gains (losses) on credit derivatives

    (481,381 )   126,027  
   

Realized gains and other settlements on credit derivatives

    85,321     87,908  
   

Current period net effect of purchases, settlements and other activity included in unrealized portion of beginning balance

    (87,128 )   (86,171 )
           

Ending Balance, December 31, 2009

  $ (824,734 ) $ (341,546 )
           
 

Change in unrealized gains (losses) on credit derivatives still held at the reporting date

  $ (490,427 ) $ 141,949  
           

Unearned Premium Reserve

        The fair value of the Company's unearned premium reserve was based on management's estimate of what a similarly rated financial guaranty insurance company would demand to acquire the Company's in-force book of financial guaranty insurance business. This amount was based on the pricing assumptions management has observed in recent portfolio transfers that have occurred in the financial guaranty market and included adjustments to the carrying value of unearned premium reserve for stressed losses and ceding commissions. The significant inputs for stressed losses and ceding commissions were not readily observable inputs. The Company accordingly classified this fair value measurement as Level 3.

Note Payable to Affiliate

        The fair value of the Company's note payable to affiliate approximates its carrying value as of December 31, 2009. The Company classified this fair value measurement as Level 3.

Future Installment Premiums

        As described in Note 4, effective January 1, 2009, future installment premiums are included in the unearned premium reserves for contracts written in financial guaranty form. See "Unearned Premium Reserve" section above for additional information.

        Prior to January 1, 2009, future installment premiums were not recorded in the Company's financial statements. The fair value of the Company's installment premiums was derived by calculating the present value of the estimated future cash flow stream for financial guaranty installment premiums discounted at 6.0%. The significant inputs used to fair value this item were observable. The Company accordingly classified this fair value measurement as Level 2.

60



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

8. Investment Portfolio

        The following table summarizes the Company's aggregate investment portfolio:

Investment Portfolio by Security Type

 
  As of December 31, 2009
Investments Category
  Percent of
Total(1)
  Amortized
Cost
  Gross
Unrealized
Gains
  Gross
Unrealized
Losses
  Estimated
Fair Value
  OTTI in
OCI
  Weighted
Average of
Credit
Quality
 
   
  (dollars in thousands)
   

Fixed maturity securities

                                       
 

U.S. government and agencies

    16 % $ 445,714   $ 6,590   $ (776 ) $ 451,528       AAA
 

Obligations of state and political subdivisions

    36     1,018,185     44,738     (3,868 )   1,059,055       AA
 

Corporate securities

    6     182,153     3,004     (1,869 )   183,288       A+
 

Mortgage-backed securities(3):

                                       
   

Residential mortgage-backed securities

    7     197,558         (6,993 )   190,565     539   AA-
   

Commercial mortgage-backed securities

    2     65,173     771     (1,602 )   64,342     1,183   AA+
 

Asset-backed securities

    1     16,827         (75 )   16,752       AAA
 

Foreign government securities

    3     77,096     2,851     (266 )   79,681       AAA
 

Preferred stock

                         
                             
   

Total fixed maturity securities

    71     2,002,706     57,954     (15,449 )   2,045,211     1,722   AA

Short-term investments

    29     802,567             802,567       AAA
                             
   

Total investments

    100 % $ 2,805,273   $ 57,954   $ (15,449 ) $ 2,847,778   $ 1,722   AA+
                             

61



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

8. Investment Portfolio (Continued)

 

 
  As of December 31, 2008(2)
Investments Category
  Percent of
Total(1)
  Amortized
Cost
  Gross
Unrealized
Gains
  Gross
Unrealized
Losses
  Estimated
Fair Value
  Weighted
Average of
Credit
Quality
 
   
  (dollars in thousands)
   

Fixed maturity securities

                                 
 

U.S. government and agencies

    4 % $ 63,788   $ 9,518   $   $ 73,306   AAA
 

Obligations of state and political subdivisions

    69     1,126,770     31,306     (43,639 )   1,114,437   AA-
 

Corporate securities

    5     89,209     2,129     (3,874 )   87,464   A+
 

Mortgage-backed securities(3):

                                 
   

Residential mortgage-backed securities

    5     83,919     2,566     (565 )   85,920   AAA
   

Commercial mortgage-backed securities

    5     78,443         (10,286 )   68,157   AAA
 

Asset-backed securities

    2     24,308         (1,826 )   22,482   AAA
 

Foreign government securities

    3     50,182     4,116         54,298   AAA
 

Preferred stock

    0     5,375         (110 )   5,265   A-
                         
   

Total fixed maturity securities

    93     1,521,994     49,635     (60,300 )   1,511,329   AA

Short-term investments

    7     109,986             109,986   AAA
                         
   

Total investments

    100 % $ 1,631,980   $ 49,635   $ (60,300 ) $ 1,621,315   AA
                         

(1)
Based on amortized cost.

(2)
Reclassified to conform to the current period's presentation.

(3)
As of December 31, 2009 and December 31, 2008, respectively, approximately 61% and 51% of the Company's total mortgage backed securities were government agency obligations.

        Ratings in the table above represent the lower of the Moody's and S&P classifications. The Company's portfolio is comprised primarily of high-quality, liquid instruments. The Company continues to receive sufficient information to value its investments and has not had to modify its valuation approach due to the current market conditions.

        The amortized cost and estimated fair value of available-for-sale fixed maturity securities as of December 31, 2009 are shown below, by contractual maturity. Expected maturities will differ from contractual maturities because borrowers may have the right to call or prepay obligations with or without call or prepayment penalties.

62



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

8. Investment Portfolio (Continued)

Distribution of Fixed-Income Securities in the Investment Portfolio
by Contractual Maturity

 
  As of December 31, 2009  
 
  Amortized
Cost
  Estimated
Fair Value
 
 
  (in thousands)
 

Due within one year

  $ 8,320   $ 8,539  

Due after one year through five years

    635,033     640,869  

Due after five years through ten years

    279,057     293,635  

Due after ten years

    817,565     847,261  

Mortgage-backed securities:

             
 

Residential mortgage-backed securities

    197,558     190,565  
 

Commercial mortgage-backed securities

    65,173     64,342  
           

Total

  $ 2,002,706   $ 2,045,211  
           

        Proceeds from the sale of available-for-sale fixed maturity securities were $594.0 million, $207.2 million and $256.1 million for the years ended December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007, respectively.

Net Investment Income

 
  Years Ended December 31,  
 
  2009   2008   2007  
 
  (in thousands)
 

Income from fixed maturity securities

  $ 77,483   $ 72,335   $ 62,222  

Income from short-term investments

    802     2,350     2,165  
               
 

Gross investment income

    78,285     74,685     64,387  

Investment expenses

    (1,669 )   (1,518 )   (1,237 )
               
 

Net investment income

  $ 76,616   $ 73,167   $ 63,150  
               

        Under agreements with its cedants and in accordance with statutory requirements, the Company maintains fixed maturity securities in trust accounts of $8.0 million and $18.7 million as of December 31, 2009 and December 31, 2008, respectively, for the benefit of reinsured companies and for the protection of policyholders.

        Under certain derivative contracts, the Company is required to post eligible securities as collateral, generally cash or U.S. government or agency securities. The need to post collateral under these transactions is generally based on mark-to-market valuation in excess of contractual thresholds. The fair market value of the Company's pledged securities totaled $648.7 million and $134.2 million as of December 31, 2009 and December 31, 2008, respectively.

        The Company is not exposed to significant concentrations of credit risk within its investment portfolio.

63



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

8. Investment Portfolio (Continued)

        No material investments of the Company were non-income producing for the years ended December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007, respectively.

Other-Than Temporary Impairment

        The following table presents the roll-forward of the credit loss component of the amortized cost of fixed maturity securities for which the Company has recognized OTTI and where the portion of the fair value adjustment related to other factors was recognized in OCI.

Rollforward of Credit Losses in the Investment Portfolio

 
  Year Ended
December 31, 2009
 
 
  (in thousands)
 

Balance, beginning April 1, 2009(1)

  $ 28  

Additions for credit losses on securities for which an OTTI was not previously recognized

    1,642  

Reductions for securities sold during the period

    (110 )

Additions for credit losses on securities for which an OTTI was previously recognized

    334  

Reductions for credit losses now recognized in earnings due to intention to sell the security

    (252 )
       
 

Balance, end of period

  $ 1,642  
       

(1)
The Company adopted new GAAP guidance on April 1, 2009, which prescribed bifurcation of credit and non-credit related OTTI in realized loss and OCI, respectively.

        As of December 31, 2009, OCI included an after-tax loss of $1.1 million for securities for which the Company had recognized OTTI and a gain of $28.7 million for securities for which the Company had not recognized OTTI.

64



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

8. Investment Portfolio (Continued)

        The following tables summarize, for all securities in an unrealized loss position as of December 31, 2009 and December 31, 2008, the aggregate fair value and gross unrealized loss by length of time the amounts have continuously been in an unrealized loss position.

Gross Unrealized Loss by Length of Time

 
  As of December 31, 2009  
 
  Less than 12 months   12 months or more   Total  
 
  Fair
value
  Unrealized
loss
  Fair
value
  Unrealized
loss
  Fair
value
  Unrealized
loss
 
 
  (dollars in millions)
 

U.S. government and agencies

  $ 96.7   $ (0.8 ) $   $   $ 96.7   $ (0.8 )

Obligations of state and political subdivisions

    111.5     (1.7 )   48.8     (2.2 )   160.3     (3.9 )

Corporate securities

    121.6     (1.7 )   1.7     (0.2 )   123.3     (1.9 )

Mortgage-backed securities:

                                     
 

Residential mortgage-backed securities

    183.7     (7.0 )           183.7     (7.0 )
 

Commercial mortgage-backed securities

    23.0     (1.1 )   12.0     (0.5 )   35.0     (1.6 )

Asset-backed securities

    16.6     (0.1 )           16.6     (0.1 )

Foreign government securities

    24.0     (0.2 )           24.0     (0.2 )

Preferred stock

                         
                           
 

Total

  $ 577.1   $ (12.6 ) $ 62.5   $ (2.9 ) $ 639.6   $ (15.5 )
                           
 

Number of securities

          80           12           92  
                                 
 

Number of securities with OTTI

          5                     5  
                                 

 

 
  As of December 31, 2008(1)  
 
  Less than 12 months   12 months or more   Total  
 
  Fair
value
  Unrealized
loss
  Fair
value
  Unrealized
loss
  Fair
value
  Unrealized
loss
 
 
  (dollars in millions)
 

U.S. government and agencies

  $   $   $   $   $   $  

Obligations of state and political subdivisions

    429.3     (24.6 )   116.5     (19.0 )   545.8     (43.6 )

Corporate securities

    29.4     (3.1 )   5.3     (0.8 )   34.7     (3.9 )

Mortgage-backed securities

                                     
 

Residential mortgage-backed securities

    2.1     (0.5 )   2.2     (0.1 )   4.3     (0.6 )
 

Commercial mortgage-backed securities

    53.8     (10.3 )           53.8     (10.3 )

Asset-backed securities

    22.3     (1.8 )           22.3     (1.8 )

Foreign government securities

                         

Preferred stock

    5.3     (0.1 )           5.3     (0.1 )
                           
 

Total

  $ 542.2   $ (40.4 ) $ 124.0   $ (19.9 ) $ 666.2   $ (60.3 )
                           
 

Number of securities

          102           30           132  
                                 

(1)
Reclassified to conform to the current period presentation.

65



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

8. Investment Portfolio (Continued)

        The $44.8 million decrease in gross unrealized losses was primarily due to the reduction of unrealized losses attributable to municipal securities of $39.7 million, and, to a lesser extent, $8.7 million attributable to CMBS transactions and $2.0 million of losses attributable to corporate bonds. The decrease in unrealized losses was partially offset by a $6.4 million increase in gross unrealized losses in RMBS. The decrease in gross unrealized losses during 2009 was related to the recovery of liquidity in the financial markets, offset in part by a $8.9 million transition adjustment for a change in accounting on April 1, 2009 which required only the credit component of OTTI to be recorded in the consolidated statements of operations.

        Of the securities in an unrealized loss position for 12 months or more as of December 31, 2009, two securities had unrealized losses greater than 10% of book value. The total unrealized loss for these securities as of December 31, 2009 was $0.2 million. This unrealized loss is primarily attributable to the market illiquidity and volatility in the U.S. economy and not specific to individual issuer credit.

        The Company recognized $7.4 million of OTTI losses substantially related to mortgage-backed and corporate securities for the year ended December 31, 2009. The 2009 OTTI represents the sum of the credit component of the securities for which we determined the unrealized loss to be other-than-temporary and the entire unrealized loss related to securities the Company intends to sell. The Company continues to monitor the value of these investments. Future events may result in further impairment of the Company's investments. The Company recognized $15.0 million of OTTI substantially related to mortgage-backed and corporate securities for the year ended December 31, 2008 primarily due to the fact that it did not have the intent to hold these securities until there was a recovery in their value. The Company had no write downs of investments for OTTI for the year ended December 31, 2007. Prior to April 1, 2009, the entire unrealized loss on OTTI securities was recognized in the consolidated statements of operations. Subsequent to that date, only the credit component of the unrealized loss on OTTI securities was recognized in the consolidated statements of operations. The cumulative effect of this change in accounting was recorded as a reclassification from retained earnings to accumulated OCI.

Net Realized Investment Gains (Losses)

 
  Years Ended December 31,  
 
  2009   2008   2007  
 
  (in thousands)
 

Gains on investment portfolio

  $ 17,492   $ 3,982   $ 456  

Losses on investment portfolio

    (7,058 )   (3,669 )   (934 )

OTTI

    (7,445 )   (14,974 )    
               
 

Net realized investment (losses) gains on investment portfolio

  $ 2,989   $ (14,661 ) $ (478 )
               

66



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

9. Statutory Accounting Practices

        These consolidated financial statements are prepared on a GAAP basis, which differs in certain respects from accounting practices prescribed or permitted by the insurance regulatory authorities, including the Maryland Insurance Administration.

 
  Policyholders' Surplus
As of December 31,
  Net Income (Loss)
Years Ended December 31,
 
 
  2009   2008   2009   2008   2007  
 
  (in millions)
 

AGC. 

  $ 1,223.7   $ 378.1   $ (243.1 ) $ 27.7   $ 71.6  

        AGC prepares statutory financial statements in accordance with accounting practices prescribed or permitted by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners ("NAIC") and their respective Insurance Departments. Prescribed statutory accounting practices are set forth in the NAIC Accounting Practices and Procedures Manual. There are no permitted accounting practices on a statutory basis.

        GAAP differs in certain significant respects from statutory accounting practices, applicable to insurance companies, that are prescribed or permitted by insurance regulatory authorities. The principal differences result from the following statutory accounting practices:

    upfront premiums are earned when related principal and interest have expired rather than earned over the expected period of coverage;

    acquisition costs are charged to operations as incurred rather than over the period that related premiums are earned;

    a contingency reserve is computed based on the following statutory requirements:

    1)
    for all policies written prior to July 1, 1989, an amount equal to 50% of cumulative earned premiums less permitted reductions, plus

    2)
    for all policies written on or after July 1, 1989, an amount equal to the greater of 50% of premiums written for each category of insured obligation or a designated percentage of principal guaranteed for that category. These amounts are provided each quarter as either 1/60th or 1/80th of the total required for each category, less permitted reductions;

    certain assets designated as "non-admitted assets" are charged directly to statutory surplus but are reflected as assets under GAAP;

    deferred tax assets are generally admitted to the extent reversals of existing temporary differences in the subsequent year can be recovered through carryback or if greater, the amount of deferred tax asset expected to be realized within one year of the balance sheet date;

    insured CDS are accounted for as insurance contracts rather than as derivative contracts recorded at fair value;

    bonds are generally carried at amortized cost rather than fair value;

    VIEs and refinancing vehicles are not consolidated; and

67



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

9. Statutory Accounting Practices (Continued)

    surplus notes are recognized as surplus rather than as a liability unless approved for repayment.

    present value of expected losses are discounted 5% and recorded without consideration of the deferred premium revenue as opposed to discounted at the risk free rate at the end of each reporting period and only to the extent they exceed deferred premium revenue. Also, losses are recorded based on the Company's best estimate rather than on probability weighted cash flows.

10. Outstanding Exposure

        The Company's insurance policies typically guarantee the scheduled payments of principal and interest on public finance and structured finance (including credit derivatives in the insured portfolio) obligations. The gross amount of financial guaranties in force (principal and interest) was $259.9 billion at December 31, 2009 and $225.2 billion at December 31, 2008. The net amount of financial guaranties in force was $186.6 billion at December 31, 2009 and $164.3 billion at December 31, 2008.

        The Company seeks to limit its exposure to losses from writing financial guaranties by underwriting obligations that are IG at inception, diversifying its portfolio and maintaining rigorous collateral requirements on structured finance obligations, as well as through reinsurance.

        Actual maturities of insured obligations could differ from contractual maturities because borrowers have the right to call or prepay certain obligations with or without call or prepayment penalties. The expected maturities for structured finance obligations are, in general, considerably shorter than the contractual maturities for such obligations. For structured finance obligations, the full par outstanding for each insured risk is shown in the maturity category that corresponds to the final legal maturity of such risk:

Contractual Terms to Maturity of Net Par Outstanding of Financial Guaranty of Insured Obligations

 
  December 31, 2009  
Terms to Maturity
  Public
Finance
  Structured
Finance
  Total  
 
  (in millions)
 

0 to 5 years

  $ 10,264   $ 8,120   $ 18,384  

5 to 10 years

    12,251     11,230     23,481  

10 to 15 years

    12,715     10,060     22,775  

15 to 20 years

    13,259     1,112     14,371  

20 years and above

    24,209     27,248     51,457  
               

Total

  $ 72,698   $ 57,770   $ 130,468  
               

68



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

10. Outstanding Exposure (Continued)

Contractual Terms to Maturity of Ceded Par Outstanding of Financial Guaranty of Insured Obligations

 
  December 31, 2009  
Terms to Maturity
  Public
Finance
  Structured
Finance
  Total  
 
  (in millions)
 

0 to 5 years

  $ 3,367   $ 3,137   $ 6,504  

5 to 10 years

    4,390     3,498     7,888  

10 to 15 years

    5,108     3,445     8,553  

15 to 20 years

    4,872     337     5,209  

20 years and above

    11,869     10,274     22,143  
               

Total

  $ 29,606   $ 20,691   $ 50,297  
               

        The par outstanding of insured obligations in the public finance insured portfolio includes the following amounts by type of issue:

Summary of Public Finance Insured Portfolio

 
  Gross Par Outstanding   Ceded Par Outstanding   Net Par Outstanding  
Types of Issues
  December 31,
2009
  December 31,
2008
  December 31,
2009
  December 31,
2008
  December 31,
2009
  December 31,
2008
 
 
  (in millions)
 

U.S.:

                                     
 

General obligation

  $ 35,616   $ 11,877   $ 10,316   $ 2,715   $ 25,300   $ 9,162  
 

Tax backed

    16,409     12,060     4,114     2,644     12,295     9,416  
 

Municipal utilities

    12,825     7,833     3,288     1,632     9,537     6,201  
 

Transportation

    8,928     6,429     2,030     1,191     6,898     5,238  
 

Healthcare

    8,366     7,513     2,873     2,648     5,493     4,865  
 

Higher education

    4,846     2,633     1,346     570     3,500     2,063  
 

Infrastructure finance

    1,735     547     554     153     1,181     394  
 

Investor-owned utilities

    749     921     61     83     688     838  
 

Housing

    468     240     102     3     366     237  
 

Other public finance—U.S. 

    2,583     2,253     718     487     1,865     1,766  
                           
   

Total public finance—U.S. 

    92,525     52,306     25,402     12,126     67,123     40,180  

Non-U.S.:

                                     
 

Pooled infrastructure

    4,684     685     2,169     167     2,515     518  
 

Regulated utilities

    2,533     4,036     1,375     2,480     1,158     1,556  
 

Infrastructure finance

    1,926     6,252     545     2,525     1,381     3,727  
 

Other public finance—non-U.S. 

    636         115         521      
                           
   

Total public finance—non-U.S.

    9,779     10,973     4,204     5,172     5,575     5,801  
                           
 

Total public finance obligations

  $ 102,304   $ 63,279   $ 29,606   $ 17,298   $ 72,698   $ 45,981  
                           

69



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

10. Outstanding Exposure (Continued)

        The par outstanding of insured obligations in the structured finance insured portfolio includes the following amounts by type of collateral:

Summary of Structured Finance Insured Portfolio

 
  Gross Par Outstanding   Ceded Par Outstanding   Net Par Outstanding  
Types of Collateral
  December 31,
2009
  December 31,
2008
  December 31,
2009
  December 31,
2008
  December 31,
2009
  December 31,
2008
 
 
  (in millions)
 

U.S.:

                                     
 

Pooled corporate obligations

  $ 30,699   $ 35,298   $ 7,819   $ 9,064   $ 22,880   $ 26,234  
 

Residential mortgage-backed and home equity

    14,683     17,860     3,471     4,135     11,212     13,725  
 

Commercial mortgage-backed securities

    7,100     5,679     1,333     1,146     5,767     4,533  
 

Consumer receivables

    3,662     3,010     674     682     2,988     2,328  
 

Structured credit

    2,173     3,005     793     1,070     1,380     1,935  
 

Commercial receivables

    1,359     2,473     339     400     1,020     2,073  
 

Insurance securitizations

    1,100     1,100     845     845     255     255  
 

Other structured finance—U.S. 

    669     205     125     24     544     181  
                           
   

Total structured finance—U.S.

    61,445     68,630     15,399     17,366     46,046     51,264  

Non-U.S.:

                                     
 

Pooled corporate obligations

    9,887     8,119     2,646     2,195     7,241     5,924  
 

Residential mortgage-backed and home equity

    3,558     8,372     1,120     3,212     2,438     5,160  
 

Commercial receivables

    1,089     1,296     355     337     734     959  
 

Insurance securitizations

    923     930     645     644     278     286  
 

Structured credit

    870     58     345         525     58  
 

Commercial mortgage-backed securities

    469     482     110     114     359     368  
 

Other structured finance—non-U.S. 

    220     1,635     71     610     149     1,025  
                           
   

Total structured finance—non-U.S.

    17,016     20,892     5,292     7,112     11,724     13,780  
                           
 

Total structured finance obligations

  $ 78,461   $ 89,522   $ 20,691   $ 24,478   $ 57,770   $ 65,044  
                           

70



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

10. Outstanding Exposure (Continued)

        The following table sets forth the net financial guaranty par outstanding by underwriting rating:

 
  December 31, 2009   December 31, 2008  
Ratings(1)
  Net Par
Outstanding
  % of Net Par
Outstanding
  Net Par
Outstanding
  % of Net Par
Outstanding
 
 
  (dollars in millions)
 

Super senior

  $ 15,902     12.2 % $ 24,295     21.9 %

AAA

    20,026     15.3     27,318     24.6  

AA

    17,918     13.7     14,797     13.3  

A

    48,129     36.9     29,216     26.3  

BBB

    20,266     15.5     11,719     10.6  

BIG

    8,227     6.4     3,680     3.3  
                   
 

Total exposures

  $ 130,468     100.0 % $ 111,025     100.0 %
                   

(1)
The Company's internal rating. The Company's ratings scale is similar to that used by the nationally recognized rating agencies. The super senior category, which is not generally used by rating agencies, is used by the Company in instances where the Company's triple-A-rated exposure has additional credit enhancement due to either (1) the existence of another security rated triple-A that is subordinated to the Company's exposure or (2) the Company's exposure benefits from a different form of credit enhancement that would pay any claims first in the event that any of the exposures incurs a loss, and such credit enhancement, in management's opinion, causes the Company's attachment point to be materially above the triple-A attachment point.

        The Company seeks to maintain a diversified portfolio of insured public finance obligations designed to spread its risk across a number of geographic areas. The following table sets forth those

71



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

10. Outstanding Exposure (Continued)


states in which municipalities located therein issued an aggregate of 2% or more of the Company's net par amount outstanding of insured portfolio:

Insured Portfolio by Location of Exposure

 
  December 31, 2009  
 
  Number
of Risks
  Net Par Amount
Outstanding
  Percent of Total
Net Par Amount
Outstanding
  Ceded
Par Amount
Outstanding
 
 
  (dollars in millions)
 

U.S.:

                         

Public Finance:

                         
 

California

    638   $ 7,973     6.1 % $ 2,603  
 

Texas

    612     6,533     5.0     2,319  
 

New York

    451     5,095     3.9     2,114  
 

Florida

    316     4,776     3.7     1,846  
 

Pennsylvania

    484     4,496     3.4     1,726  
 

Illinois

    369     3,904     3.0     1,406  
 

New Jersey

    238     2,844     2.2     1,199  
 

Puerto Rico

    14     2,010     1.5     838  
 

Michigan

    225     1,930     1.5     684  
 

Alabama

    121     1,822     1.4     606  
 

Other states

    2,389     25,740     19.7     10,061  
                   
   

Total Public Finance

    5,857     67,123     51.4     25,402  
 

Structured finance (multiple states)

    813     46,046     35.3     15,399  
                   
   

Total U.S. 

    6,670     113,169     86.7     40,801  

Non-U.S.:

                         
 

United Kingdom

    90     7,867     6.0     5,719  
 

Australia

    20     1,422     1.1     627  
 

Germany

    2     1,018     0.8     371  
 

Cayman Islands

    1     738     0.6     294  
 

Other

    80     6,254     4.8     2,485  
                   
   

Total non-U.S. 

    193     17,299     13.3     9,496  
                   

Total

    6,863   $ 130,468     100.0 % $ 50,297  
                   

        As part of its financial guaranty business, the Company enters into credit derivative transactions. In such transactions, the buyer of protection pays the seller of protection a periodic fee in fixed basis points on a notional amount. In return, the seller makes a contingent payment to the buyer if one or more defined credit events occurs with respect to one or more third party referenced securities or loans. A credit event is a nonpayment event such as a failure to pay or bankruptcy as negotiated by the parties to the credit derivative transaction. The total notional amount of insured credit derivative exposure outstanding which is accounted for at fair value as of December 31, 2009 and December 31, 2008 and included in the Company's financial guaranty exposure in the tables above was $48.2 billion and $54.4 billion, respectively. See Note 6.

72



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

11. Income Taxes

        For periods after April 2004, AGC files a consolidated federal income tax return with its shareholder, Assured Guaranty US Holdings Inc. ("AGUS") and its affiliate, AG Financial Products Inc. ("AGFP"). Each company, as a member of its respective consolidated tax return group, has paid its proportionate share of the consolidated federal tax burden for its group as if each company filed on a separate return basis with current period credit for net losses.

        The following table provides the Company's income tax (benefit) provision and effective tax rates:

Components of Income Tax Provision (Benefit)

 
  Years Ended December 31,  
 
  2009   2008   2007  
 
  (dollars in thousands)
 

Current tax (benefit) provision

  $ (27,671 ) $ 6,787   $ 26,036  

Deferred tax provision (benefit)

    (157,593 )   43,228     (172,213 )
               
 

Provision (benefit) for income taxes

  $ (185,264 ) $ 50,015   $ (146,177 )
               

Effective tax rate

    31.3 %   27.1 %   38.4 %

        Reconciliation of the difference between the provision for income taxes and the expected tax provision at statutory rates in taxable jurisdictions was as follows:

Effective Tax Rate Reconciliation

 
  Years Ended December 31,  
 
  2009   2008   2007  
 
  (in thousands)
 

Expected tax provision at statutory rates in taxable jurisdictions

  $ (208,558 ) $ 64,634   $ (133,361 )

Tax-exempt interest

    (14,678 )   (14,893 )   (12,699 )

Provision to filed adjustments

    98     (2,114 )   232  

Change in FIN 48 liability

    5,901     2,241      

Goodwill

    29,896          

Other

    2,077     147     (349 )
               
 

Total provision (benefit) for income taxes

  $ (185,264 ) $ 50,015   $ (146,177 )
               

73



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

11. Income Taxes (Continued)

        The deferred income tax asset (liability) reflects the tax effect of the following temporary differences:

 
  As of December 31,  
 
  2009   2008  
 
  (in thousands)
 

Deferred tax assets:

             
 

Unrealized losses on derivative financial instruments, net

  $ 204,991   $ 115,959  
 

Unearned premium reserves, net

    5,887      
 

Reserves for losses and LAE

    65,415     12,651  
 

Tax and loss bonds

    30,914     23,857  
 

Tax basis step-up

    7,631     8,401  
 

Unrealized depreciation on investments

        3,947  
 

Credit derivative assets/liabilities

        16,045  
 

Other

    9,300     14,359  
           

Total deferred income tax assets

    324,138     195,219  
           

Deferred tax liabilities:

             
 

Deferred acquisition costs

    27,872     37,232  
 

Unearned premium reserves, net

        5,421  
 

Contingency reserves

    35,307     24,358  
 

Unrealized appreciation on investments

    17,767      
 

Unrealized gains on committed capital securities

    1,396     17,872  
           

Total deferred income tax liabilities

    82,342     84,883  
           

Net deferred income tax asset

  $ 241,796   $ 110,336  
           

Taxation of Subsidiary

        AGC and AGUK are subject to income taxes imposed by U.S. and U.K. authorities and file applicable tax returns.

        The Internal Revenue Service ("IRS") has completed audits of AGC's federal tax returns for taxable years through 2001. The IRS is currently reviewing tax years 2002 through the date of the IPO. The Company is indemnified by ACE for any potential tax liability associated with the tax examination as it relates to years prior to the IPO. The IRS has commenced an audit of AGUS consolidated group for tax years 2006 through 2008.

74



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

11. Income Taxes (Continued)

Uncertain Tax Positions

        The following table provides a reconciliation of the beginning and ending balances of the total liability for unrecognized tax benefits recorded under FIN 48. The Company does not believe it is reasonably possible that this amount will change significantly in the next twelve months.

 
  Year Ended December 31,  
 
  2009   2008   2007  
 
  (in thousands)
 

Balance as of January 1,

  $ 4,731   $ 2,490   $ 2,490  

Increase in unrecognized tax benefits as a result of position taken during the current period

    5,901     2,241      
               

Balance as of December 31,

  $ 10,632   $ 4,731   $ 2,490  
               

        The Company's policy is to recognize interest and penalties related to uncertain tax positions in income tax expense. As of the date of adoption, the Company has accrued $0.5 million in interest and penalties.

Liability For Tax Basis Step-Up Adjustment

        In connection with the IPO, the Company and ACE Financial Services Inc. ("AFS"), a subsidiary of ACE, entered into a tax allocation agreement, whereby the Company and AFS made a "Section 338(h)(10)" election that has the effect of increasing the tax basis of certain affected subsidiaries' tangible and intangible assets to fair value. Future tax benefits that the Company derives from the election will be payable to AFS when realized by the Company.

        As a result of the election, the Company has adjusted its net deferred tax liability, to reflect the new tax basis of the Company's affected assets. The additional basis is expected to result in increased future income tax deductions and, accordingly, may reduce income taxes otherwise payable by the Company. Any tax benefit realized by the Company will be paid to AFS. Such tax benefits will generally be calculated by comparing the Company's actual taxes to the taxes that would have been owed had the increase in basis not occurred. After a 15 year period, to the extent there remains an unrealized tax benefit, the Company and AFS will negotiate a settlement of the unrealized benefit based on the expected realization at that time.

        The Company initially recorded a $49.0 million reduction of its existing deferred tax liability, based on an estimate of the ultimate resolution of the Section 338(h)(10) election. Under the tax allocation agreement, the Company estimated that, as of the IPO date, it was obligated to pay $20.9 million to AFS and accordingly established this amount as a liability. The initial difference, which is attributable to the change in the tax basis of certain liabilities for which there is no associated step-up in the tax basis of its assets and no amounts due to AFS, resulted in an increase to additional paid-in capital of $28.1 million. As of December 31, 2009 and December 31, 2008, the liability for tax basis step-up adjustment, which is included in the Company's balance sheets in "other liabilities," was $8.4 million and $9.1 million, respectively. The Company has paid ACE and correspondingly reduced its liability by $0.7 million in 2009 and 2008.

75



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

11. Income Taxes (Continued)

Tax Treatment of CDS

        The Company treats the guaranty it provides on CDS as insurance contracts for tax purposes and as such a taxable loss does not occur until the Company expects to make a loss payment to the buyer of credit protection based upon the occurrence of one or more specified credit events with respect to the contractually referenced obligation or entity. The Company holds its CDS to maturity, at which time any unrealized mark to market loss in excess of credit- related losses would revert to zero.

        The tax treatment of CDS is an unsettled area of the law. The uncertainty relates to the IRS determination of the income or potential loss associated with CDS as either subject to capital gain (loss) or ordinary income (loss) treatment. In treating CDS as insurance contracts the Company treats both the receipt of premium and payment of losses as ordinary income and believes it is more likely than not that any CDS credit related losses will be treated as ordinary by the IRS. To the extent the IRS takes the view that the losses are capital losses in the future and the Company incurred actual losses associated with the CDS, the Company would need sufficient taxable income of the same character within the carryback and carryforward period available under the tax law.

Valuation Allowance

        As of December 31, 2009 and December 31, 2008, net deferred tax assets were $241.8 million and $110.3 million, respectively. The 2009 deferred tax asset of $241.8 million consists primarily of $205.0 million in mark to market adjustments for CDS, offset by net deferred tax liabilities. The 2008 deferred tax asset of $110.3 million consists primarily of $116.0 million in mark to market adjustment for CDS, offset by net deferred tax liabilities.

        The Company came to the conclusion that it is more likely than not that its deferred tax asset related to CDS will be fully realized after weighing all positive and negative evidence available as required under GAAP. The evidence that was considered included the following:

Negative Evidence

    Although the Company believes that income or losses for these CDSs are properly characterized for tax purposes as ordinary, the federal tax treatment is an unsettled area of tax law, as noted above.

    Changes in the fair value of CDS have resulted in significant swings in the Company's net income in recent periods. Changes in the fair value of CDS in future periods could result in the U.S. consolidated tax group having a pre-tax loss under GAAP. Although not recognized for tax, this loss could result in a cumulative three year pre-tax loss, which is considered significant negative evidence for the recoverability of a deferred tax asset under GAAP.

Positive Evidence

    The mark-to-market loss on CDS is not considered a tax event, and therefore no taxable loss has occurred.

    After analysis of the current tax law on CDS the Company believes it is more likely than not that the CDS will be treated as ordinary income or loss for tax purposes.

76



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

11. Income Taxes (Continued)

    Assuming a hypothetical loss were triggered for the amount of deferred tax asset, there would be enough taxable income through future income to offset it as follows:

    (a)
    The amortization of the tax-basis unearned premium reserve of $798.1 million as of December 31, 2009 as well as the collection of future installment premiums of contracts already written the Company believes will result in significant taxable income in the future.

    (b)
    Although the Company has a significant tax exempt portfolio, this can be converted to taxable securities as permitted as a tax planning strategy under GAAP.

    (c)
    The mark-to-market loss is reflective of market valuations and will change from quarter to quarter. It is not indicative of the Company's ability to enter new business. The Company writes and continues to write new business which will increase the amortization of unearned premium and investment portfolio resulting in expected taxable income in future periods.

        After examining all of the available positive and negative evidence, the Company believes that no valuation allowance is necessary in connection with the deferred tax asset. The Company will continue to analyze the need for a valuation allowance on a quarter-to-quarter basis.

12. Reinsurance

        The Company assumes and cedes portions of its exposure on insured obligations in exchange for premiums, net of ceding commissions. Assumed business is included in the reinsurance segment, net of retrocessions (i.e. the ceded portion of assumed risks). The direct segment is reported net of third party cessions of its direct financial guaranty business.

        The Company enters into ceded reinsurance agreements with non-affiliated companies to limit its exposure to risk on an on-going basis. In the event that any of the reinsurers are unable to meet their obligations, the Company would be liable for such defaulted amounts.

77



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

12. Reinsurance (Continued)

        Direct, assumed, and ceded premium and loss and LAE amounts for years ended December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007 were as follows:

 
  Year Ended December 31,  
 
  2009   2008   2007  
 
  (in thousands)
 

Premiums Written

                   
 

Direct

  $ 486,078   $ 482,337   $ 164,873  
 

Assumed

    90,821     4,232     11,111  
 

Ceded

    (171,964 )   (140,657 )   (52,430 )
               
 

Net

  $ 404,935   $ 345,912   $ 123,554  
               

Premiums Earned

                   
 

Direct

  $ 185,225   $ 90,933   $ 52,521  
 

Assumed

    31,652     32,446     33,465  
 

Ceded

    (78,139 )   (31,381 )   (27,269 )
               
 

Net

  $ 138,738   $ 91,998   $ 58,717  
               

Loss and Loss Adjustment Expenses

                   
 

Direct

  $ 188,582   $ 199,031   $ 29,117  
 

Assumed

    47,925     11,688     (32,145 )
 

Ceded

    (43,540 )   (61,240 )   (12,347 )
               
 

Net

  $ 192,967   $ 149,479   $ (15,375 )
               

        The Company's reinsurance contracts generally allow the Company to recapture ceded business after certain triggering events, such as reinsurer downgrades. Included in the table below is $17.2 billion in ceded par outstanding related to insured credit derivatives.

Ceded Par Outstanding by Reinsurer and Ratings

 
  Ratings at March 19, 2010    
   
 
 
   
  Ceded Par
Outstanding
as a % of
Total
 
Reinsurer
  Moody's
Reinsurer Rating
  S&P
Reinsurer Rating
  Ceded Par
Outstanding
 
 
  (dollars in millions)
 

Assured Guaranty Re Ltd.(1)

  A1   AA   $ 46,411     92.3 %

RAM Reinsurance Co. Ltd. 

  WR(2)   WR(2)     3,219     6.4  

MBIA Insurance Corporation

  B3   BB+     241     0.5  

Radian Asset Assurance Inc. 

  Ba1   BB-     182     0.4  

Ambac Assurance Corporation. 

  Caa2   CC     110     0.2  

Other

  Various   Various     134     0.2  
                   
 

Total

          $ 50,297     100.0 %
                   

(1)
Assured Guaranty Re Ltd. and its subsidiaries ("AG Re") are affiliates of AGC. See Note 14.

(2)
Represents "Withdrawn Rating."

78



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

12. Reinsurance (Continued)

Ceded Par Outstanding by Reinsurer and Credit Rating
As of December 31, 2009

 
  Credit Rating  
Reinsurer
  Super Senior   AAA   AA   A   BBB   BIG   Total  
 
  (dollars in millions)
 

Assured Guaranty Re Ltd. 

  $ 729   $ 9,225   $ 6,875   $ 19,235   $ 7,395   $ 2,952   $ 46,411  

RAM Reinsurance Co. Ltd. 

    48     1,692     192     534     470     283     3,219  

MBIA Insurance Corporation

            131     110             241  

Radian Asset Assurance Inc. 

                182             182  

Ambac Assurance Corporation. 

                110             110  

Other

            8     61     65         134  
                               
 

Total

  $ 777   $ 10,917   $ 7,206   $ 20,232   $ 7,930   $ 3,235   $ 50,297  
                               

        In accordance with statutory accounting requirements and U.S. insurance laws and regulations, in order for the Company to receive credit for liabilities ceded to reinsurers domiciled outside of the U.S., such reinsurers must secure their liabilities to the Company. All of the unauthorized reinsurers in the table above post collateral for the benefit of the Company in an amount at least equal to the sum of their ceded unearned premiums reserve, loss reserves and contingency reserves calculated on a statutory basis of accounting. Collateral may be in the form of letters of credit or trust accounts. The total collateral posted by all non-affiliated reinsurers as of December 31, 2009 exceeds $25.9 million which has subsequently been increased to approximately $29.1 million.

        Reinsurance recoverable on unpaid losses and LAE as of December 31, 2009 and December 31, 2008 were $50.7 million and $13.4 million, respectively.

Agreement with CIFG Assurance North America, Inc.

        AGC entered into an agreement with CIFG to assume a diversified portfolio of financial guaranty contracts totaling approximately $13.3 billion of net par outstanding. The Company closed the transaction in January 2009 and received $75.6 million, which included $85.7 million of upfront premiums net of ceding commissions, and approximately $12.2 million of future installments related to this transaction.

13. Dividends and Capital Requirements

        AGC is a Maryland domiciled insurance company. Under Maryland's 1993 revised insurance law, AGC may pay dividends out of earned surplus in any twelve-month period in an aggregate amount exceeding the lesser of (a) 10% of surplus to policyholders or (b) net investment income at the preceding December 31 (including net investment income which has not already been paid out as dividends for the three calendar years prior to the preceding calendar year) without prior approval of the Maryland Commissioner of Insurance. The amount available for distribution from the Company during 2010 with notice to, but without prior approval of, the Maryland Commissioner of Insurance under the Maryland insurance law is approximately $122.4 million. During the years ended

79



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

13. Dividends and Capital Requirements (Continued)


December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007, AGC declared and paid $16.8 million, $16.5 million and $12.1 million, respectively, in dividends to AGUS. Under Maryland insurance regulations, AGC is required at all times to maintain a minimum surplus of $750,000.

14. Related Party Transactions

Capital Contribution

        During 2009 and 2008 Assured Guaranty US Holdings Inc. contributed capital of $556.7 million and $100.0 million, respectively, to the Company. Most of the 2009 contributed capital came from AGL's December 2009 public offering of common shares. See Note 1 for more information.

Note Payable to Affiliate

        See Note 17.

Reinsurance Agreements

        The Company cedes business to affiliated entities under certain reinsurance agreements. The approximate amounts for non-derivative transactions deducted from the premiums, losses and commissions in 2009, 2008 and 2007 for reinsurance ceded to affiliates are reflected in the table below.

 
  Year Ended December 31,  
 
  2009   2008   2007  
 
  (in thousands)
 

Ceded Activity

                   

Net earned premiums:

                   
 

AG Re

  $ 70,909   $ 27,031   $ 23,559  

Loss and loss adjustment expenses:

                   
 

AG Re

    41,046     61,349     12,882  

Commissions incurred:

                   
 

AG Re

    18,237     7,331     6,289  

Unearned premium reserves:

                   
 

AG Re

    414,518     188,075     84,321  

Loss and loss adjustment expense reserve:

                   
 

AG Re

    48,476     27,664     15,058  

Reinsurance balances payable, net:

                   
 

AG Re

    151,013     29,133     14,104  

Realized gains and other settlements:

                   
 

AG Re

    8,186     17,187     15,880  

Unrealized (losses) gains on credit derivatives:

                   
 

AG Re

    (319,967 )   (154,736 )   (131,570 )

        The Company also writes business with affiliated entities under insurance and reinsurance agreements. The approximate amounts for non-derivative transactions included in premiums, losses and

80



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

14. Related Party Transactions (Continued)


commissions in 2009, 2008 and 2007 for business assumed from affiliates are reflected in the table below.

 
  Year Ended December 31,  
 
  2009   2008   2007  
 
  (in thousands)
 

Gross Activity

                   

Net earned premiums:

                   
 

AG Re

  $ 213   $ 221   $ 195  

Loss and loss adjustment expenses:

                   
 

AG Re

             

Commissions incurred:

                   
 

AG Re

             

Unearned premium reserves:

                   
 

AG Re

    97     116     105  
 

ACE

    752     753     752  

Loss and loss adjustment expense reserve:

                   
 

AG Re

             

 

 
  As of December 31,  
 
  2009   2008  
 
  (in millions)
 

Other information

             

Gross par outstanding:

             
 

AG Re

  $ 46,411   $ 37,372  
 

Dexia

    684      

15. Commitments and Contingencies

Leases

        The Company and its subsidiary are party to various lease agreements. In June 2008, the Company entered into a new five-year lease agreement for New York office space. Future minimum annual payments of $5.3 million for the first twelve month period and $5.7 million for subsequent twelve month periods commenced October 1, 2008 and are subject to escalation in building operating costs and real estate taxes. As a result of the AGMH Acquisition by the Company's parent, during Third Quarter 2009 the Company decided not to occupy the office space described above and subleased it to two tenants for total minimum annual payments of approximately $3.7 million until October 2013. The Company wrote off related leasehold improvements and recorded a pre-tax loss on the sublease of $11.7 million in Second Quarter 2009, which is included in "other operating expenses" and "other liabilities" in the consolidated statements of operations and balance sheets, respectively.

81



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

15. Commitments and Contingencies (Continued)

        Lease payments for each of the next five calendar years ending December 31, and thereafter are as follows:

Future Minimum Rental Payments

Year
  (in thousands)
 

2010

  $ 2,426  

2011

    2,426  

2012

    2,426  

2013

    2,094  

2014

    435  

Thereafter

    730  
       
 

Total

  $ 10,537  
       

        Rent expense for the years ended December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007 was $4.2 million, $4.3 million and $2.0 million, respectively.

Litigation

        Lawsuits arise in the ordinary course of the Company's business. It is the opinion of the Company's management, based upon the information available, that the expected outcome of litigation against the Company, individually or in the aggregate, will not have a material adverse effect on the Company's financial position or liquidity, although an adverse resolution of litigation against the Company could have a material adverse effect on the Company's results of operations in a particular quarter or fiscal year. In addition, in the ordinary course of their respective businesses, certain of the Company's subsidiaries assert claims in legal proceedings against third parties to recover losses paid in prior periods. The amounts, if any, the Company will recover in these proceedings are uncertain, although recoveries, or failure to obtain recoveries, in any one or more of these proceedings during any quarter or fiscal year could be material to the Company's results of operations in that particular quarter or fiscal year.

        The Company has received subpoenas duces tecum and interrogatories from the State of Connecticut Attorney General and the Attorney General of the State of California related to antitrust concerns associated with the methodologies used by rating agencies for determining the credit rating of municipal debt, including a proposal by Moody's to assign corporate equivalent ratings to municipal obligations, and the Company's communications with rating agencies. The Company has satisfied or is in the process of satisfying such requests. It may receive additional inquiries from these or other regulators and expects to provide additional information to such regulators regarding their inquiries in the future.

        AGM, which became an affiliate of the Company on July 1, 2009, and various other financial guarantors were named in three complaints filed in the Superior Court, San Francisco County in December 2008 and January 2009: (a) City of Los Angeles, acting by and through the Department of Water and Power v. Ambac Financial Group et. al (filed on or about December 31, 2008), Case

82



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

15. Commitments and Contingencies (Continued)


No. CG-08-483689; (b) Sacramento Municipal Utility District v. Ambac Financial Group et. al (filed on or about December 31, 2008), Case No. CGC-08-483691; and (c) City of Sacramento v. Ambac Financial Group Inc. et. al (filed on or about January 6, 2009), Case No. CGC-09-483862. On or about August 31, 2009, plaintiffs in these cases filed amended complaints against AGC and AGM. At the same time, AGC and AGM were named in the following complaints, five of which were amended complaints and three of which were new complaints: (a) City of Los Angeles v. Ambac Financial Group, Inc. et al., Case No. CGC-08-394943; (b) City of Oakland v. Ambac Financial Group, Inc. et al., Case No. CGC-08-479241; (c) City of Riverside v. Ambac Financial Group, Inc. et al., Case No. CGC-09-492059; (d) City of Stockton v. Ambac Financial Group, Inc. et al., Case No. CGC-08-477848; (e) County of Alameda v. Ambac Financial Group, Inc. et al., Case No. CGC-08-481447; (f) County of Contra Costa v. Ambac Financial Group, Inc. et al., Case No. CGC-09-492055; (g) County of San Mateo v. Ambac Financial Group, Inc. et al., Case No. CGC-080481223; and (h) Los Angeles World Airports v. Ambac Financial Group, Inc. et al., Case No. CGC-09-492057.

        These complaints allege (i) participation in a conspiracy in violation of California's antitrust laws to maintain a dual credit rating scale that misstated the credit default risk of municipal bond issuers and created market demand for municipal bond insurance, (ii) participation in risky financial transactions in other lines of business that damaged each bond insurer's financial condition (thereby undermining the value of each of their guaranties), and (iii) a failure to adequately disclose the impact of those transactions on their financial condition. These latter allegations form the predicate for five separate causes of action against AGC: breach of contract, breach of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing, fraud, negligence, and negligent misrepresentation. The complaints in these lawsuits generally seek unspecified monetary damages, interest, attorneys' fees, costs and other expenses. The Company cannot reasonably estimate the possible loss or range of loss that may arise from these lawsuits.

Reinsurance

        The Company is party to reinsurance agreements with other monoline financial guaranty insurance companies. The Company's facultative and treaty agreements are generally subject to termination:

    (a)
    upon written notice (ranging from 90 to 120 days) prior to the specified deadline for renewal,

    (b)
    at the option of the primary insurer if the Company fails to maintain certain financial, regulatory and rating agency criteria which are equivalent to or more stringent than those the Company is otherwise required to maintain for its own compliance with state mandated insurance laws and to maintain a specified financial strength rating for the particular insurance subsidiary, or

    (c)
    upon certain changes of control of the Company.

        Upon termination under the conditions set forth in (b) and (c) above, the Company may be required (under some of its reinsurance agreements) to return to the primary insurer all statutory unearned premiums, less ceding commissions, attributable to reinsurance ceded pursuant to such agreements after which the Company would be released from liability with respect to the ceded business. Upon the occurrence of the conditions set forth in (b) above, whether or not an agreement is terminated, the Company may be required to obtain a letter of credit or alternative form of security to collateralize its obligation to perform under such agreement or it may be obligated to increase the level of ceding commission paid. See Note 12.

83



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

16. Summary of Relationships with Monolines

        The tables below summarize the exposure to each financial guaranty monoline insurer by exposure category and the underlying ratings of the Company's insured risks.

Summary of Relationships with Monolines

 
  As of December 31, 2009  
 
  Insured Portfolios    
 
 
  Assumed
Par
Outstanding
  Ceded Par
Outstanding(2)
  Second-to-Pay
Inusred Par
Outstanding(3)
  Investment
Portfolio(4)
 
 
  (in millions)
 

Assured Guaranty Re Ltd

  $   $ 46,411   $   $  

RAM Reinsurance Co. Ltd. 

        3,219          

MBIA Insurance Corporation

    8,434     241     1,282     160.7  

Radian Asset Assurance Inc

        182     1      

CIFG Assurance North America Inc

    6,188         138      

Ambac Assurance Corporation

    2,909     110     2,531     187.1  

Financial Guaranty Insurance Company

    945         2,107     47.8  

Syncora Guarantee Inc. 

    86         1,005      

ACA Financial Guaranty Corporation

    2     39     1      

Multiple owner

    321         2,073      
                   

Total

  $ 18,885   $ 50,202   $ 9,138   $ 395.6  
                   

(1)
Assumed par outstanding represents the amount of par assumed by the Company from other monolines. Under these relationships, the Company assumes a portion of the ceding company's insured risk in exchange for a premium. The Company may be exposed to risk in this portfolio in that the Company may be required to pay losses without a corresponding premium in circumstances where the ceding company is experiencing financial distress and is unable to pay premiums.

(2)
Ceded par outstanding represents the portion of insured risk ceded to other reinsurers. Under these relationships, the Company cedes a portion of its insured risk in exchange for a premium paid to the reinsurer. The Company remains primarily liable for all risks it directly underwrites and is required to pay all gross claims. It then seeks reimbursement from the reinsurer for its proportionate share of claims. The Company may be exposed to risk for this exposure if were required to pay the gross claims and not be able to collect ceded claims from an assuming company experiencing financial distress. See Note 12.

(3)
Second-to-pay insured par outstanding represents transactions we have insured on a second-to-pay basis that were previously insured by other monolines. The Company underwrites such transactions based on the underlying insured obligation without regard to the primary insurer.

(4)
Securities within the Investment Portfolio that are wrapped by monolines may decline in value based on the rating of the monoline.

84



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

16. Summary of Relationships with Monolines (Continued)

        The table below presents the insured par outstanding categorized by rating as of December 31, 2009:

Insured Par Outstanding
As of December 31, 2009

 
  Public Finance   Structured Finance    
 
 
  AAA   AA   A   BBB   BIG   AAA   AA   A   BBB   BIG   Total  
 
  (in millions)
   
 

MBIA Insurance Corporation

  $ 67   $ 151   $ 441   $ 214   $   $   $ 84   $ 38   $ 287   $   $ 1,282  

Radian Asset Assurance Inc

                1                             1  

CIFG Assurance North America Inc

        29     44     65                             138  

Ambac Assurance Corporation

        449     557     924         32         264     102     203     2,531  

Financial Guaranty Insurance Company

        132     662     170     9     782     174     152     26         2,107  

Syncora Guarantee Inc. 

            308     108             172     102     252     63     1,005  

ACA Financial Guaranty Corporation

                1                             1  

Multiple owner

    708         939     241         90             95         2,073  
                                               
 

Total

  $ 775   $ 761   $ 2,951   $ 1,724   $ 9   $ 904   $ 430   $ 556   $ 762   $ 266   $ 9,138  
                                               

(1)
Assured Guaranty's internal rating.

        In evaluating transactions in which another monoline has provided financial guaranty insurance and the Company would be obligated to pay upon its financial guaranty policies on a second-to-pay basis, the Company does not rely on such other monoline's ability or willingness to pay and instead evaluates the underlying transactions in accordance with its underwriting guidelines.

17. Note Payable to Affiliate and Credit Facilities

Note Payable to Affiliate

        On December 18, 2009, AGC issued a surplus note with a principal amount of $300.0 million to Assured Guaranty Municipal Corp. This Note Payable to Affiliate carries a simple interest rate of 5.0% per annum and matures on December 31, 2029. Principal is payable at the option of AGC prior to the final maturity of the note in 2029 and interest is payable on the note annually in arrears as of December 31st of each year, commencing December 31, 2010. Payments of principal and interest is subject to AGC having policyholders' surplus in excess of statutory minimum requirements after such payment and to prior written approval by the Maryland Insurance Administration. No amounts were due for payment in 2009.

Credit Facilities

2006 Credit Facility

        On November 6, 2006, AGL and certain of its subsidiaries entered into a $300.0 million five-year unsecured revolving credit facility (the "2006 Credit Facility") with a syndicate of banks. Under the 2006 Credit Facility, each of AGC, AGUK, AG Re, Assured Guaranty Re Overseas Ltd. ("AGRO")

85



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

17. Note Payable to Affiliate and Credit Facilities (Continued)


and AGL are entitled to request the banks to make loans to such borrower or to request that letters of credit be issued for the account of such borrower. Of the $300.0 million available to be borrowed, no more than $100.0 million may be borrowed by AGL, AG Re or AGRO, individually or in the aggregate, and no more than $20.0 million may be borrowed by AGUK. The stated amount of all outstanding letters of credit and the amount of all unpaid drawings in respect of all letters of credit cannot, in the aggregate, exceed $100.0 million. The 2006 Credit Facility also provides that AGL may request that the commitment of the banks be increased an additional $100.0 million up to a maximum aggregate amount of $400.0 million. Any such incremental commitment increase is subject to certain conditions provided in the agreement and must be for at least $25.0 million.

        The proceeds of the loans and letters of credit are to be used for the working capital and other general corporate purposes of the borrowers and to support reinsurance transactions.

        At the closing of the 2006 Credit Facility, AGC guaranteed the obligations of AGUK under the facility and AGL guaranteed the obligations of AG Re and AGRO under the facility and agreed that, if the Company consolidated assets (as defined in the related credit agreement) of AGC and its subsidiaries were to fall below $1.2 billion, it would, within 15 days, guarantee the obligations of AGC and AGUK under the facility. At the same time, Assured Guaranty Overseas US Holdings Inc. guaranteed the obligations of AGL, AG Re and AGRO under the facility, and each of AG Re and AGRO guaranteed the other as well as AGL.

        The 2006 Credit Facility's financial covenants require that AGL:

    (a)
    maintain a minimum net worth of 75% of the Consolidated Net Worth of Assured Guaranty as of the quarter ended June 30, 2009; and

    (b)
    maintain a maximum debt-to-capital ratio of 30%.

        In addition, the 2006 Credit Facility requires that AGC maintain qualified statutory capital of at least 75% of its statutory capital as of the fiscal quarter ended June 30, 2006. Furthermore, the 2006 Credit Facility contains restrictions on AGL and its subsidiaries, including, among other things, in respect of their ability to incur debt, permit liens, become liable in respect of guaranties, make loans or investments, pay dividends or make distributions, dissolve or become party to a merger, consolidation or acquisition, dispose of assets or enter into affiliate transactions. Most of these restrictions are subject to certain minimum thresholds and exceptions. The 2006 Credit Facility has customary events of default, including (subject to certain materiality thresholds and grace periods) payment default, failure to comply with covenants, material inaccuracy of representation or warranty, bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings, change of control and cross-default to other debt agreements. A default by one borrower will give rise to a right of the lenders to terminate the facility and accelerate all amounts then outstanding. As of December 31, 2009 and 2008, Assured Guaranty was in compliance with all of the financial covenants.

        As of December 31, 2009 and 2008, no amounts were outstanding under this facility. There have not been any borrowings under the 2006 Credit Facility.

        Letters of credit totaling approximately $2.9 million remained outstanding as of December 31, 2009 and December 31, 2008. The Company obtained the letters of credit in connection with entering into a lease for new office space in 2008, which space was subsequently sublet. See Note 15.

86



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

17. Note Payable to Affiliate and Credit Facilities (Continued)

Committed Capital Securities

Committed Capital Securities

 
  Years Ended December 31,  
 
  2009   2008   2007  
 
  (in thousands)
 

Put option premium expense

  $ 5,957   $ 5,734   $ 2,623  

Change in fair value

    (47,075 )   42,746     8,316  

AGC CCS Securities

        On April 8, 2005, AGC entered into separate agreements (the "Put Agreements") with four custodial trusts (each, a "Custodial Trust") pursuant to which AGC may, at its option, cause each of the Custodial Trusts to purchase up to $50.0 million of perpetual preferred stock of AGC (the "AGC Preferred Stock"). The custodial trusts were created as a vehicle for providing capital support to AGC by allowing AGC to obtain immediate access to new capital at its sole discretion at any time through the exercise of the put option. If the put options were exercised, AGC would receive $200.0 million in return for the issuance of its own perpetual preferred stock, the proceeds of which may be used for any purpose, including the payment of claims. The put options were not exercised during 2009 or 2008. Initially, all of AGC CCS Securities were issued to a special purpose pass-through trust (the "Pass-Through Trust"). The Pass-Through Trust was dissolved in April 2008 and the AGC CCS Securities were distributed to the holders of the Pass-Through Trust's securities. Neither the Pass-Through Trust nor the custodial trusts are consolidated in the Company's financial statements.

        Income distributions on the Pass-Through Trust Securities and AGC CCS Securities were equal to an annualized rate of one-month LIBOR plus 110 basis points for all periods ending on or prior to April 8, 2008. Following dissolution of the Pass-Through Trust, distributions on the AGC CCS Securities are determined pursuant to an auction process. On April 7, 2008 this auction process failed, thereby increasing the annualized rate on the AGC CCS Securities to One-Month LIBOR plus 250 basis points. Distributions on the AGC preferred stock will be determined pursuant to the same process.

        The increase in 2008 compared with 2007 was due to the increase in annualized rates from One-Month LIBOR plus 110 basis points to One-Month LIBOR plus 250 basis points as a result of the failed auction process in April 2008. These expenses are recorded in the Company's consolidated statements of operations under "other operating expenses".

        Fair value of AGC CCS Securities was $4.0 million and $51.1 million as of December 31, 2009 and 2008, respectively.

87



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

18. Employee Benefit Plans

Share-Based Compensation

Accounting for Share-Based Compensation

Share-Based Compensation Summary

 
  Year Ended December 31,  
 
  2009   2008   2007  
 
  (in millions)
 

Share-based compensation expense

  $ 4.8   $ 5.9   $ 7.9  

Share-based compensation capitalized as deferred acquisition costs

    2.3     2.9     2.4  
               

Share-based cost (pre-tax)

    7.1     8.8     10.3  

Share-based compensation expense, after-tax

    3.1     3.8     5.2  

Share based compensation expense for retirement-eligible employees, pre-tax

    1.3     1.1     2.1  

Share based compensation expense for retirement-eligible employees, after-tax

    0.8     0.7     1.4  

        The following table presents pre-DAC and pre-tax, share-based compensation cost by share-based expense type prior to deferral of costs:

 
  Year Ended December 31,  
 
  2009   2008   2007  
 
  (in thousands)
 

Share-Based Employee Cost

                   

Restricted Stock

                   
 

Recurring amortization

  $ 2,699   $ 4,332   $ 5,705  
 

Accelerated amortization for retirement eligible employees

    350     20     1,472  
               
   

Subtotal

    3,049     4,352     7,177  
               

Restricted Stock Units

                   
 

Recurring amortization

    1,120     788      
 

Accelerated amortization for retirement eligible employees

    626     592      
               
   

Subtotal

    1,746     1,380      
               

Stock Options

                   
 

Recurring amortization

    1,862     2,553     2,385  
 

Accelerated amortization for retirement eligible employees

    286     460     665  
               
   

Subtotal

    2,148     3,013     3,050  
               

ESPP

    119     95     122  
               

Total Share-Based Employee Cost

  $ 7,062   $ 8,840   $ 10,349  
               

88



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

18. Employee Benefit Plans (Continued)

Assured Guaranty Ltd. 2004 Long-Term Incentive Plan

        As of April 27, 2004, AGL adopted the Assured Guaranty Ltd. 2004 Long-Term Incentive Plan, as amended (the "Incentive Plan"). The number of AGL common shares that may be delivered under the Incentive Plan may not exceed 10,970,000. In the event of certain transactions affecting AGL's common shares, the number or type of shares subject to the Incentive Plan, the number and type of shares subject to outstanding awards under the Incentive Plan, and the exercise price of awards under the Incentive Plan, may be adjusted.

        The Incentive Plan authorizes the grant of incentive stock options, non-qualified stock options, stock appreciation rights, and full value awards that are based on AGL's common shares. The grant of full value awards may be in return for a participant's previously performed services, or in return for the participant surrendering other compensation that may be due, or may be contingent on the achievement of performance or other objectives during a specified period, or may be subject to a risk of forfeiture or other restrictions that will lapse upon the achievement of one or more goals relating to completion of service by the participant, or achievement of performance or other objectives. Awards under the Incentive Plan may accelerate and become vested upon a change in control of AGL.

        The Incentive Plan is administered by a committee of the Board of Directors of AGL. The Compensation Committee of the Board serves as this committee except as otherwise determined by the Board. The Board may amend or terminate the Incentive Plan. As of December 31, 2009, 3,806,933 common shares were available for grant under the Incentive Plan.

Stock Options

        Nonqualified or incentive stock options may be granted to employees of the Company. Stock options are generally granted once a year with exercise prices equal to the closing price on the date of grant. To date, AGL has only issued nonqualified stock options. All stock options granted to employees vest in equal annual installments over a three-year period and expire 10 years from the date of grant.

89



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

18. Employee Benefit Plans (Continued)


None of AGL's options have a performance or market condition. Following is a summary of AGL's options issued and outstanding for the years ended December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007:

 
  Year of
Expiration
  Weighted Average
Exercise Price
  Options for
Common
Shares
  Number of
Exercisable
Options
  Weighted
average grant
date FV
 

Balance as of December 31, 2006

        $ 19.92     3,010,160              

Options granted

    2017     26.74     862,667           6.83  

Options exercised

          19.10     (78,651 )            

Options forfeited

          23.96     (90,945 )            
                               

Balance as of December 31, 2007

          21.44     3,703,231     2,186,761        

Options granted

    2018     23.13     608,800           7.59  

Options exercised

          18.01     (19,000 )            

Options forfeited

          24.41     (66,528 )            
                               

Balance as of December 31, 2008

          21.65     4,226,503     2,872,199        

Options granted

    2019     10.11     669,098           5.15  

Options exercised

          22.91     (10,667 )            

Options forfeited

          21.48     (256,339 )            
                               

Balance as of December 31, 2009

          19.99     4,628,595     3,480,355        
                               

        As of December 31, 2009, the Company's proportionate share of the aggregate intrinsic value and weighted-average remaining contractual term of options outstanding were $6.1 million and 6.2 years, respectively. As of December 31, 2009, the Company's proportionate share of the aggregate intrinsic value and weighted-average remaining contractual term of options exercisable were $3.5 million and 5.7 years, respectively.

        The Company recorded $1.4 million ($0.9 million after-tax) in share-based compensation related to stock options, after the effects of deferred acquisition costs, during the year ended December 31, 2009. As of December 31, 2009 the total unrecognized compensation expense related to outstanding nonvested stock options was $1.1 million, which will be adjusted in the future for the difference between estimated and actual forfeitures. The Company expects to recognize that expense over the weighted-average remaining service period of 1.1 years.

        The fair value of options issued is estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model, with the following weighted-average assumptions used for grants in 2009, 2008 and 2007:

 
  2009   2008   2007  

Dividend yield

    2.0 %   0.8 %   0.6 %

Expected volatility

    66.25     35.10     19.03  

Risk free interest rate

    2.1     2.8     4.7  

Expected life

    5 years     5 years     5 years  

Forfeiture rate

    6.0     6.0     6.0  

90



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

18. Employee Benefit Plans (Continued)

        These assumptions were based on the following:

    The expected dividend yield is based on the current expected annual dividend and share price on the grant date,

    Expected volatility is estimated at the date of grant based on the historical share price volatility, calculated on a daily basis,

    The risk-free interest rate is the implied yield currently available on U.S. Treasury zero-coupon issues with an equivalent remaining term to the granted stock options,

    The expected life is based on the average expected term of Assured Guaranty's guideline companies, which are defined as similar or peer entities, since the Company has insufficient expected life data,

    The forfeiture rate is based on the rate used by Assured Guaranty's guideline companies, since the Company has insufficient forfeiture data. Estimated forfeitures will be reassessed at each grant vesting date and may change based on new facts and circumstances.

        For options granted before January 1, 2006, the Company amortizes the fair value on an accelerated basis. For options granted on or after January 1, 2006, the Company amortizes the fair value on a straight-line basis. All options are amortized over the requisite service periods of the awards, which are generally the vesting periods, with the exception of retirement-eligible employees. For retirement-eligible employees, options are amortized over the period through the date the employee first becomes eligible to retire and is no longer required to provide service to earn part or all of the award. The Company may elect to use different assumptions under the Black-Scholes option valuation model in the future, which could materially affect the Company's net income or earnings per share.

        The total intrinsic value of Assured Guaranty's options exercised by the Company's employees during the years ended December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007 was $27 thousand, $45 thousand and $0.5 million, respectively. During the years ended December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007, $0.2 million, $0.3 million and $1.1 million, respectively, was received from the exercise of stock options and $(16) thousand, $16 thousand and $0.2 million, respectively, related tax benefit was recorded and included in the financing section in the consolidated statements of cash flows. In order to satisfy stock option exercises, Assured Guaranty will issue new shares.

Restricted Stock Awards

        Under Assured Guaranty's Incentive Plan 50,990, 20,443, and 487,437, restricted common shares were awarded during the years ended December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007, respectively. These shares vest at various dates through 2012.

        Restricted stock awards to employees generally vest in equal annual installments over a four-year period and restricted stock awards to outside directors vest in full in one year. Restricted stock awards are amortized on a straight-line basis over the requisite service periods of the awards, and restricted stock to outside directors vest in full in one year, which are generally the vesting periods, with the exception of retirement-eligible employees, discussed above.

91



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

18. Employee Benefit Plans (Continued)

Restricted Stock Award Activity

Nonvested Shares
  Number of Shares   Weighted Average
Grant-Date Fair Value
 

Nonvested at December 31, 2008

    686,325   $ 25.28  

Granted

    50,990     11.13  

Vested

    (313,490 )   24.19  

Forfeited

    (57,328 )   26.68  
             

Nonvested at December 31, 2009

    366,497   $ 24.03  
           

        The Company recorded $2.0 million ($1.3 million after tax) in share-based compensation, related to restricted stock awards, after the effects of deferred acquisition costs, during the year ended December 31, 2009.

        As of December 31, 2009 the total unrecognized compensation cost related to outstanding nonvested restricted stock awards was $1.5 million, which the Company expects to recognize over the weighted-average remaining service period of 1.1 years. The total fair value of shares vested during the years ended December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007 was $3.8 million, $4.6 million and $3.3 million, respectively.

Restricted Stock Units

        Under AGL's Incentive Plan, 469,550, 275,493 and 28,988 restricted stock units were awarded during the years ended December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007, respectively, to employees and non-employee directors of the Company. Restricted stock units are valued based on the closing price of the underlying shares at the date of grant. The 2009 and 2008 amounts included 469,550 and 251,270 restricted stock units which the Company granted to employees beginning February 2008. These restricted stock units have vesting terms similar to those of the restricted common shares and are delivered on the vesting date. The Company has granted restricted stock units to directors of the Company. These restricted stock units vest over a one-year period and are delivered after directors leave.

Restricted Stock Unit Activity
(Excluding Dividend Equivalents)

Nonvested Stock Units
  Number of
Stock Units
  Weighted Average
Grant-Date Fair Value
 

Nonvested at December 31, 2008

    381,519   $ 23.11  

Granted

    469,550     8.47  

Delivered

    (61,115 )   23.13  

Forfeited

    (67,028 )   13.27  
             

Nonvested at December 31, 2009

    722,926   $ 14.51  
           

92



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

18. Employee Benefit Plans (Continued)

        The Company recorded $1.3 million ($0.9 million after tax) in share-based compensation, after the effects of deferred acquisition costs, during the year ended December 31, 2009. The compensation for restricted stock units is expensed on a straight-line basis over the vesting period. As of December 31, 2009, the total unrecognized compensation cost related to outstanding nonvested restricted stock units was $2.7 million, which the Company expects to recognize over the weighted-average remaining service period of 1.6 years. The total fair value of restricted stock units delivered during the years ended December 31, 2009 an 2008 was $0.8 million and $0, respectively.

Employee Stock Purchase Plan

        In January 2005, AGL established the Assured Guaranty Ltd. Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the "Stock Purchase Plan") in accordance with Internal Revenue Code Section 423. The Stock Purchase Plan was approved by shareholders at the 2005 Annual General Meeting. Participation in the Stock Purchase Plan is available to all eligible employees. Maximum annual purchases by participants are limited to the number of whole shares that can be purchased by an amount equal to 10 percent of the participant's compensation or, if less, shares having a value of $25,000. Participants may purchase shares at a purchase price equal to 85 percent of the lesser of the fair market value of AGL's stock on the first day or the last day of the subscription period. AGL reserved for issuance and purchases under the Stock Purchase Plan 350,000 shares of its common stock. The Company's employees purchased AGL's shares for aggregate proceeds of $0.3 million, $0.3 million and $0.5 million during the years ended December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007, respectively. The Company recorded $0.1 million ($0.1million after tax) in share-based compensation, after the effects of DAC, under the Stock Purchase Plan during the year ended December 31, 2009.

Defined Contribution Plan

        The Company maintains savings incentive plans, which are qualified under Section 401(a) of the Internal Revenue Code. The U.S. savings incentive plan is available to all full-time employees upon hire. Eligible participants may contribute a percentage of their salary subject to a maximum of $16,500 for 2009. Beginning January 1, 2006, the Company amended the U.S. savings incentive plan. The Company matches employee contributions up to 6%, subject to IRS limitations. Any amounts over the IRS limits, are contributed to and matched by the Company into a nonqualified supplemental executive retirement plan. The Company also makes a core contribution of 6% to the qualified plan and the nonqualified supplemental executive retirement plan, regardless of whether the employee contributes to the plan. In addition, employees become fully vested after 1 year of service, as defined in the plan. Plan eligibility is immediate upon hire.

        The Company recognized defined contribution expenses of $3.5 million, $3.9 million and $3.7 million for the years ended December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007, respectively.

        Employees of AGMH participated in the AGMH defined contribution plans in effect prior to the AGMH Acquisition through December 31, 2009. Effective January 1, 2010, all AGMH employees have joined AGC's defined contribution plans.

93



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

18. Employee Benefit Plans (Continued)

Cash-Based Compensation

Performance Retention Plan

        In February 2006, Assured Guaranty established the Assured Guaranty Ltd. Performance Retention Plan ("PRP") which permits the grant of cash based awards to selected employees. The employees of the Company participate in this plan. PRP awards may be treated as nonqualified deferred compensation subject to the rules of Internal Revenue Code Section 409A, and the PRP was amended in 2007 to comply with those rules. The PRP was again amended in 2008 to be a sub-plan under the Company's Long-Term Incentive Plan (enabling awards under the plan to be performance based compensation exempt from the $1 million limit on tax deductible compensation). The revisions also give the Compensation Committee greater flexibility in establishing the terms of performance retention awards, including the ability to establish different performance periods and performance objectives.

        The Company granted a limited number of PRP awards in 2007, which vest after four years of continued employment (or if earlier, on employment termination, if the participant's termination occurs as a result of death, disability, or retirement), and participants receive the designated award in a single lump sum when it vests, except that participants who vest as a result of retirement receive the bonus at the end of the four year period during which the award would have vested had the participant continued in employment. The value of the award paid is greater than the originally designated amount only if actual company performance, as measured by an increase in the company's adjusted book value, as defined in the PRP, improves during the four year performance period. For those participants who vest prior to the end of the four year period as a result of their termination of employment resulting from retirement, death or disability, the value of the award paid is greater than the originally designated amount only if actual company performance, as measured by an increase in the company's adjusted book value, improves during the period ending on the last day of the calendar quarter prior to the date of the participant's termination of employment.

        Beginning in 2008, the Company integrated PRP awards into its long term incentive compensation system and substantially increased the number and amount of these awards. Generally, each PRP award is divided into three installments, with 25% of the award allocated to a performance period that includes the year of the award and the next year, 25% of the award allocated to a performance period that includes the year of the award and the next two years, and 50% of the award allocated to a performance period that includes the year of the award and the next three years. Each installment of an award vests if the participant remains employed through the end of the performance period for that installment (or vests on the date of the participant's death, disability, or retirement if that occurs during the performance period). Payment for each performance period is made at the end of that performance period. One half of each installment is increased or decreased in proportion to the increase or decrease of per share adjusted book value during the performance period, and one half of each installment is increased or decreased in proportion to the operating return on equity during the performance period. However, if, during the performance period, a participant dies or becomes disabled while employed, the amount is based on performance through the quarter ending before death or disability and is paid after the occurrence of death or disability. Since 2008, a limited number of awards have cliff vesting in four or five years. Operating return on equity and adjusted book value are defined in each PRP award agreement.

94



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

18. Employee Benefit Plans (Continued)

        Under awards since 2008, if a payment would otherwise be subject to the $1 million limit on tax deductible compensation, no payment will be made unless performance satisfies a minimum threshold.

        As described above, the performance measures used to determine the amounts distributable under the PRP are based on Assured Guaranty's operating return on equity and growth in per share adjusted book value, or in the case of the 2007 awards growth in adjusted book value, as defined. The Compensation Committee believes that management's focus on achievement of these performance measures will lead to increases in Assured Guaranty's intrinsic value. The Compensation Committee uses the following methods to determine operating return on equity and adjusted book value.

    Operating return on equity as of any date is determined by the Compensation Committee and equals Assured Guaranty's operating income as a percentage of average shareholders' equity, excluding OCI and after-tax unrealized gains (losses) on derivative financial instruments. To determine operating income, the Compensation Committee adjusts reported net income or loss to remove items that are determined by the Compensation Committee to increase or decrease reported net income or loss without a corresponding increase or decrease in value of AGL.

    To determine adjusted book value, the Compensation Committee adjusts the reported shareholder equity (i) to remove items that are determined by the Compensation Committee to increase or decrease reported shareholder equity without a corresponding increase or decrease in value of AGL's shareholders' equity, and (ii) to include items that are determined by the Compensation Committee to increase or decrease the value of AGL's shareholders' equity without a corresponding increase or decrease to reported shareholder equity.

        The adjustments described above may be made by the AGL Compensation Committee at any time before distribution, except that, for certain senior executive officers, any adjustment made after the grant of the award may decrease but may not increase the amount of the distribution.

        In the event of a corporate transaction involving AGL, including, without limitation, any share dividend, share split, extraordinary cash dividend, recapitalization, reorganization, merger, amalgamation, consolidation, split-up, spin-off, sale of assets or subsidiaries, combination or exchange of shares, the Compensation Committee may adjust the calculation of Assured Guaranty's adjusted book value and operating return on equity as the Compensation Committee deems necessary or desirable in order to preserve the benefits or potential benefits of PRP awards.

        The Company recognized approximately $5.1million ($3.3 million after tax), $3.1 million ($2.0 million after tax) and $0.1 million ($0.1 million after tax) of expense for performance retention awards in 2009 and 2008, respectively. Included in 2009 and 2008 amounts were $1.6 million and $1.3 million, respectively, of accelerated expense related to retirement-eligible employees.

19. Other Income and Operating Expenses

        The following tables show the components of "other income" and segregate the components of operating expense not considered in underwriting gains (losses) in the segment disclosures in Note 20.

95



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

19. Other Income and Operating Expenses (Continued)

Other Income

 
  Year Ended December 31,  
 
  2009   2008   2007  
 
  (in thousands)
 

Foreign exchange gain on revaluation of premium receivable

  $ 4,320   $   $  

Other

    1,042     648     484  
               
 

Other income included in underwriting gain (loss)

  $ 5,362   $ 648   $ 484  
               

Other Operating Expenses

 
  Year Ended December 31,  
 
  2009   2008   2007  
 
  (in thousands)
 

Other operating expenses

  $ 86,821   $ 54,944   $ 49,447  

Less: CCS premium expense

    5,957     5,734     2,623  

Less: lease termination and other charges

    23,032          
               
 

Other operating expenses included in underwriting gain (loss)

  $ 57,832   $ 49,210   $ 46,824  
               

20. Segment Reporting

        The Company has three principal business segments:

    (1)
    financial guaranty direct, which includes transactions whereby the Company provides an unconditional and irrevocable guaranty that indemnifies the holder of a financial obligation against non-payment of principal and interest when due, and may take the form of a credit derivative;

    (2)
    financial guaranty reinsurance, which includes agreements whereby the Company is a reinsurer and agrees to indemnify a primary insurance company against part or all of the loss which the latter may sustain under a policy it has issued; and

    (3)
    other, which includes lines of business in which the Company is no longer active.

        The Company does not segregate assets and liabilities at a segment level since management reviews and controls these assets and liabilities on a consolidated basis. The Company allocates operating expenses to each segment based on a comprehensive cost study and is based on departmental time estimates and headcount.

        Management uses underwriting gains and losses as the primary measure of each segment's financial performance. Underwriting gain is the measure used by management to measure and analyze the insurance operations of the Company calculated as pre-tax income excluding net investment income, realized investment gains and losses, non-credit impairment related unrealized gains and losses on credit derivatives, fair value gain (loss) on CCS, goodwill and settlement of pre-existing relationship,

96



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

20. Segment Reporting (Continued)


AGMH acquisition-related expenses, interest expense, and certain other expenses, which are not directly related to the underwriting performance of the Company's insurance operations but are included in net income.

        The following tables summarize the components of underwriting gain (loss) for each reporting segment:

Underwriting Gain (Loss) by Segment

 
  Year Ended December 31, 2009  
 
  Financial
Guaranty
Direct
  Financial
Guaranty
Reinsurance
  Other   Total  
 
  (in millions)
 

Net earned premiums

  $ 114.1   $ 24.6   $   $ 138.7  

Realized gain on credit derivatives(1)

    89.0     (0.1 )       88.9  

Other income

    4.5     0.9         5.4  

Loss and loss adjustment (expenses) recoveries

    (144.4 )   (48.6 )       (193.0 )

Incurred losses on credit derivatives

    (229.5 )   (1.1 )       (230.6 )
                   

Total loss and loss adjustment (expenses) recoveries and incurred losses on credit derivatives

    (373.9 )   (49.7 )       (423.6 )

Amortization of deferred acquisition costs

    1.8     (8.5 )       (6.7 )

Other operating expenses

    (48.7 )   (9.1 )       (57.8 )
                   

Underwriting gain (loss)

  $ (213.2 ) $ (41.9 ) $   $ (255.1 )
                   

 

 
  Year Ended December 31, 2008  
 
  Financial
Guaranty
Direct
  Financial
Guaranty
Reinsurance
  Other   Total  
 
  (in millions)
 

Net earned premiums

  $ 64.5   $ 27.5   $   $ 92.0  

Realized gain on credit derivatives(1)

    87.8     0.1         87.9  

Other income

    0.4     0.2         0.6  

Loss and loss adjustment (expenses) recoveries

    (135.5 )   (14.0 )       (149.5 )

Incurred losses on credit derivatives

    (24.9 )           (24.9 )
                   

Total loss and loss adjustment (expenses) recoveries and incurred losses on credit derivatives

    (160.4 )   (14.0 )       (174.4 )

Amortization of deferred acquisition costs

    (7.8 )   (10.8 )       (18.6 )

Other operating expenses

    (43.2 )   (6.0 )       (49.2 )
                   

Underwriting gain (loss)

  $ (58.7 ) $ (3.0 ) $   $ (61.7 )
                   

97



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

20. Segment Reporting (Continued)

 

 
  Year Ended December 31, 2007  
 
  Financial
Guaranty
Direct
  Financial
Guaranty
Reinsurance
  Other   Total  
 
  (in millions)
 

Net earned premiums

  $ 30.9   $ 27.8   $   $ 58.7  

Realized gain on credit derivatives(1)

    53.5     0.3         53.8  

Other income

        0.5         0.5  

Loss and loss adjustment (expenses) recoveries

    (16.2 )   31.6         15.4 )

Incurred losses on credit derivatives

    (1.2 )           (1.2 )
                   

Total loss and loss adjustment (expenses) recoveries and incurred losses on credit derivatives

    (17.4 )   31.6         14.2 )

Amortization of deferred acquisition costs

    (4.0 )   (10.4 )       (14.4 )

Other operating expenses

    (42.0 )   (4.8 )       (46.8 )
                   

Underwriting gain (loss)

  $ 21.0   $ 45.0   $   $ 66.0  
                   

(1)
Comprised of premiums and ceding commissions.

Reconciliation of Underwriting Gain (Loss)
to Income (Loss) before Income Taxes

 
  Years Ended December 31,  
 
  2009   2008   2007  
 
  (in millions)
 

Total underwriting gain (loss)

  $ (255.1 ) $ (61.7 ) $ 66.0  

Net investment income

    76.6     73.2     63.2  

Net realized investment gains (losses)

    3.0     (14.7 )   (0.5 )

Unrealized gains (losses) on credit derivatives, excluding incurred losses on credit derivatives

    (254.4 )   150.9     (515.3 )

Fair value (loss) gain on committed capital securities

    (47.1 )   42.7     8.3  

Interest expense

    (0.5 )       (0.1 )

Goodwill impairment

    (85.4 )        

Other operating expenses

    (29.0 )   (5.6 )   (2.6 )
               

Income (loss) before provision for income taxes

  $ (591.9 ) $ 184.8   $ (381.0 )
               

98



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007

20. Segment Reporting (Continued)

        The following table provides sources from which each of the Company's three reporting segments derive their net earned premiums:

Net Earned Premiums By Segment

 
  Years Ended December 31,  
 
  2009   2008   2007  
 
  (in millions)
 

Financial guaranty direct:

                   

Public finance

  $ 75.0   $ 24.6   $ 8.3  

Structured finance

    39.1     39.9     22.6  
               
 

Total

    114.1     64.5     30.9  
               

Financial guaranty reinsurance:

                   

Public finance

    22.3     24.1     23.2  

Structured finance

    2.3     3.4     4.6  
               
 

Total

    24.6     27.5     27.8  
               

Other:

                   

Trade credit insurance

             
               

Total net earned premiums

  $ 138.7   $ 92.0   $ 58.7  
               

Net credit derivative premiums received and receivable

    80.7     79.3     49.6  
               
 

Total net earned premiums and credit derivative premiums received and receivable

  $ 219.4   $ 171.3   $ 108.3  
               

99




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EX-99.2 4 a2199697zex-99_2.htm EXHIBIT 99.2
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Exhibit 99.2
Amended August 6, 2010

Assured Guaranty Corp.

Consolidated Financial Statements

(Unaudited)

Index

March 31, 2010

 
  Page(s)  

Financial Statements

       

Consolidated Balance Sheets (unaudited) as of March 31, 2010 and December 31, 2009

    2  

Consolidated Statements of Operations (unaudited) for the Three Months Ended March 31, 2010 and 2009

    3  

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (unaudited) for the Three Months Ended March 31, 2010 and 2009

    4  

Consolidated Statement of Shareholders' Equity (unaudited) for the Three Months Ended March 31, 2010

    5  

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (unaudited) for the Three Months Ended March 31, 2010 and 2009

    6  

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited)

    7 - 73  


Assured Guaranty Corp.

Consolidated Balance Sheets (Unaudited)

(dollars in thousands except per share and share amounts)

 
  March 31,
2010
  December 31,
2009
 

ASSETS

             

Investment portfolio:

             
 

Fixed maturity securities, available-for-sale, at fair value (amortized cost of $2,088,483 and $2,002,706)

  $ 2,139,060   $ 2,045,211  
 

Short-term investments, at fair value

    580,018     802,567  
           
 

Total investment portfolio

    2,719,078     2,847,778  

Cash

    32,039     2,470  

Premiums receivable, net of ceding commissions payable

    338,818     351,468  

Ceded unearned premium reserve

    430,713     435,268  

Deferred acquisition costs

    45,571     45,162  

Reinsurance recoverable on unpaid losses

    54,604     50,706  

Credit derivative assets

    304,243     251,992  

Committed capital securities, at fair value

    5,408     3,987  

Deferred tax asset, net

    179,859     241,796  

Salvage and subrogation recoverable

    192,927     169,917  

Financial guaranty variable interest entities' assets

    369,871      

Other assets

    153,238     99,266  
           
 

TOTAL ASSETS

  $ 4,826,369   $ 4,499,810  
           

LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDER'S EQUITY

             

Unearned premium reserve

  $ 1,439,529   $ 1,451,576  

Loss and loss adjustment expense reserve

    201,102     191,211  

Note payable to affiliate

    300,000     300,000  

Credit derivative liabilities

    918,255     1,076,726  

Reinsurance balances payable, net

    154,886     165,892  

Financial guaranty variable interest entities' liabilities with recourse

    403,688      

Financial guaranty variable interest entities' liabilities without recourse

    14,674      

Other liabilities

    90,584     88,188  
           
 

TOTAL LIABILITIES

    3,522,718     3,273,593  
           

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

             

Preferred stock ($1,000 liquidation preference, 200,004 shares authorized; none issued and outstanding in 2010 and 2009)

         

Common stock ($720.00 par value, 500,000 shares authorized; 20,834 shares issued and outstanding in 2010 and 2009)

    15,000     15,000  

Additional paid-in capital

    1,037,059     1,037,059  

Retained earnings

    229,749     153,738  

Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), net of deferred tax provision (benefit) of $11,801 and $10,999

    21,843     20,420  
           
 

TOTAL SHAREHOLDER'S EQUITY

    1,303,651     1,226,217  
           
 

TOTAL LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDER'S EQUITY

  $ 4,826,369   $ 4,499,810  
           

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

2



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Consolidated Statements of Operations (Unaudited)

(in thousands)

 
  Three Months Ended
March 31,
 
 
  2010   2009  

Revenues

             

Net earned premiums

  $ 29,490   $ 67,725  

Net investment income

    19,559     19,301  

Net realized investment gains (losses):

             
 

Other-than-temporary impairment ("OTTI") losses

        (2,509 )
 

Less: portion of OTTI loss recognized in other comprehensive income

         
 

Other net realized investment gains (losses)

    2,841     2,747  
           
   

Net realized investment gains (losses)

    2,841     238  

Net change in fair value of credit derivatives:

             
 

Realized gains (losses) and other settlements

    (6,680 )   22,969  
 

Net unrealized gains (losses)

    209,456     (23,023 )
           
   

Net change in fair value of credit derivatives

    202,776     (54 )

Net change in fair value gains (loss) on committed capital securities

    1,421     19,666  

Financial guaranty variable interest entities' revenues

    27,048      

Other income

    (1,535 )   652  
           
 

Total Revenues

    281,600     107,528  
           

Expenses

             

Loss and loss adjustment expenses

    34,524     21,382  

Amortization of deferred acquisition costs

    4,144     (343 )

Interest expense

    3,750      

Financial guaranty variable interest entities' expenses

    15,534      

Other operating expenses

    28,254     16,591  
           
 

Total Expenses

    86,206     37,630  
           

Income before income taxes

    195,394     69,898  

Provision (benefit) for income taxes

             
 

Current

    (16,815 )   17,995  
 

Deferred

    82,195     2,530  
           

Total provision (benefit) for income taxes

    65,380     20,525  
           

Net income

  $ 130,014   $ 49,373  
           

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

3



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income (Unaudited)

(in thousands)

 
  Three Months Ended
March 31,
 
 
  2010   2009  

Net income

  $ 130,014   $ 49,373  
 

Unrealized holding gains (losses) arising during the period on:

             
 

Investments with no other-than-temporary impairment, net of deferred income tax provision (benefit) of $3,875 and $3,892

    7,038     7,225  
 

Investments with other-than-temporary impairment, net of deferred income tax provision (benefit) of $0 and $0

         
           
 

Unrealized holding gains (losses) during the period, net of tax

    7,038     7,225  
 

Less: reclassification adjustment for gains (losses) included in net income (loss), net of deferred income tax provision (benefit) of $994 and $83

    1,847     155  
           
 

Change in net unrealized gains on available-for-sale securities

    5,191     7,070  
 

Change in cumulative translation adjustment

    (3,768 )   (8,333 )
           

Other comprehensive income (loss)

    1,423     (1,263 )
           

Comprehensive income

  $ 131,437   $ 48,110  
           

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

4



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Consolidated Statements of Shareholder's Equity (Unaudited)

For the Three Months Ended March 31, 2010

(in thousands)

 
  Preferred
Stock
  Common
Stock
  Additional
Paid-in
Capital
  Retained
Earnings
  Accumulated
Other
Comprehensive
Income
  Total
Shareholder's
Equity
 

Balance, December 31, 2009

  $   $ 15,000   $ 1,037,059   $ 153,738   $ 20,420   $ 1,226,217  

Cumulative effect of accounting change—consolidation of variable interest entities effective January 1, 2010 (Note 19)

                (39,003 )       (39,003 )
                           

Balance at the beginning of the year, adjusted

        15,000     1,037,059     114,735     20,420     1,187,212  

Net income

                130,014         130,014  

Dividends

                (15,000 )       (15,000 )

Change in cumulative translation adjustment net of tax of $(2,079)

                    (3,768 )   (3,768 )

Net unrealized gains on investments, net of tax of $2,881

                    5,191     5,191  
                           

Balance, March 31, 2010

  $   $ 15,000   $ 1,037,059   $ 229,749   $ 21,843   $ 1,303,651  
                           

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

5



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (Unaudited)

(in thousands)

 
  Three Months Ended
March 31,
 
 
  2010   2009  

Operating activities

             

Net income

  $ 130,014   $ 49,373  

Adjustments to reconcile net income(loss) to net cash flows provided by operating activities:

             
 

Non-cash operating expenses

    2,523     2,801  
 

Net amortization of premium on fixed maturity securities

    2,734     323  
 

Provision (benefit) for deferred income taxes

    82,195     2,530  
 

Net realized investment losses (gains)

    (2,841 )   (238 )
 

Unrealized losses (gains) on credit derivatives

    (209,456 )   23,023  
 

Fair value loss (gain) on committed capital securities

    (1,421 )   (19,666 )
 

Change in deferred acquisition costs

    (409 )   (1,976 )
 

Change in premiums receivable, net of ceding commissions payable

    90,190     (80,233 )
 

Change in ceded unearned premium reserve

    4,555     (28,002 )
 

Change in unearned premium reserves

    (12,047 )   126,068  
 

Change in reserves for losses and loss adjustment expenses, net

    (105,563 )   50,009  
 

Change in current income taxes

    (18,442 )   32,013  
 

Other changes in credit derivatives assets and liabilities, net

    (1,266 )   5,382  
 

Change in financial guaranty variable interest entities assets and liabilities, net

    (7,484 )    
 

Other

    (30,498 )   (31,642 )
           

Net cash flows provided by (used for) operating activities

    (77,216 )   129,765  
           

Investing activities

             
 

Fixed maturity securities:

             
   

Purchases

    (194,221 )   (140,300 )
   

Sales

    54,067     135,380  
   

Maturities

    38,985      
 

(Purchases) sales of short-term investments, net

    222,636     (118,669 )
 

Proceeds from financial guaranty variable interest entities assets

    5,501      
           

Net cash flows provided by (used for) investing activities

    126,968     (123,589 )
           

Financing activities

             
 

Dividends paid

    (15,000 )    
 

Paydown of financial guaranty variable interest entities liabilities

    (5,501 )    
           

Net cash flows provided by (used for) financing activities

    (20,501 )    

Effect of exchange rate changes

    318     (74 )
           

Increase (decrease) in cash

    29,569     6,102  

Cash at beginning of period

    2,470     7,823  
           

Cash at end of period

  $ 32,039   $ 13,925  
           

Supplemental cash flow information

             

Cash paid (received) during the period for:

             
 

Income taxes

  $   $ (14,008 )
 

Interest

  $   $  
 

Claims, net of reinsurance recoverable

  $ 75,656   $ 43,547  

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

6



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited)

March 31, 2010

1. Business and Organization

        Assured Guaranty Corp. ("AGC" or the "Company") is a Maryland domiciled insurance company which commenced operations in January 1988. It is licensed to conduct financial guaranty insurance business in all fifty states of the United States ("U.S."), the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. The Company's principal product is a guaranty of scheduled principal and interest payments when due on: debt securities issued by governmental entities such as U.S. state or municipal authorities; obligations issued for international infrastructure projects; and asset-backed securities ("ABS") issued by special purpose entities ("SPEs"). AGC's ultimate parent is Assured Guaranty Ltd. ("AGL" and, together with its subsidiaries, "Assured Guaranty"), a Bermuda-based insurance holding company that provides, through its operating subsidiaries, credit protection products to the public finance, infrastructure and structured finance markets in the U.S. as well as internationally. AGC owns 100% of Assured Guaranty (UK) Ltd. ("AGUK"), a company incorporated in the United Kingdom ("U.K.") as a U.K. insurance company and which is also authorized to operate in various countries throughout the European Economic Area.

        On July 1, 2009 (the "Acquisition Date"), Assured Guaranty acquired Financial Security Assurance Holdings Ltd. (renamed Assured Guaranty Municipal Holdings Inc., together with its subsidiaries acquired by Assured Guaranty is referred to as "AGMH") and most of its subsidiaries, including Assured Guaranty Municipal Corp. ("AGM"), from Dexia Holdings Inc. ("Dexia Holdings") (the "AGMH Acquisition"). AGM is a New York domiciled financial guaranty insurance company and the principal operating subsidiary of AGMH. AGMH's financial guaranty insurance subsidiaries participate in the same markets and issue financial guaranty contracts similar to those issued by AGC.

Segments

        The Company's business includes two principal segments: financial guaranty direct and financial guaranty reinsurance. The financial guaranty direct and reinsurance segments include financial guaranties of residential mortgage-backed securities ("RMBS") and commercial mortgage-backed securities ("CMBS"). The segment are reported net of business ceded to external reinsurers. The financial guaranty segments include contracts accounted for as both insurance and credit derivatives. These segments are further discussed in Note 18.

Importance of Financial Strength Ratings

        Debt obligations guaranteed by AGC and its subsidiary AGUK are generally awarded debt credit ratings that are the same rating as the financial strength rating of AGC or AGUK, as the case may be. Investors in products insured by AGC or AGUK frequently rely on rating agency ratings because they influence the trading value of securities and form the basis for many institutions' investment guidelines as well as individuals' bond purchase decisions. Therefore, AGC and AGUK manage their businesses with the goal of achieving high financial strength ratings, preferably the highest that an agency will assign. However, the models used by rating agencies differ, presenting conflicting goals that sometimes make it inefficient or impractical to reach the highest rating level. The models are not fully transparent, contain subjective data (such as assumptions about future market demand for AGC's and AGUK's products) and change frequently.

        Historically, insurance financial strength ratings are with respect to an insurer's ability to pay under its insurance policies and contracts in accordance with their terms. The opinion is not specific to any

7



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

March 31, 2010

1. Business and Organization (Continued)

particular policy or contract. Insurance financial strength ratings do not refer to an insurer's ability to meet non-insurance obligations and are not a recommendation to purchase any policy or contract issued by an insurer or to buy, hold, or sell any security insured by an insurer. More recently, ratings also reflect qualitative factors with respect to such things as the insurer's business strategy and franchise value, the anticipated future demand for its product, the composition of its portfolio, and its capital adequacy, profitability and financial flexibility.

        The rating agencies have developed and published rating guidelines for rating financial guaranty insurers. The rating criteria used by the rating agencies in establishing these ratings include consideration of the sufficiency of capital resources to meet projected growth (as well as access to such additional capital as may be necessary to continue to meet applicable capital adequacy standards), a company's overall financial strength, and demonstrated management expertise in financial guaranty and traditional reinsurance, credit analysis, systems development, marketing, capital markets and investment operations.

        Financial strength ratings reflect only the views of the respective rating agencies and are subject to continuous review and revision or withdrawal at any time. There can be no assurance that rating agencies will not take action on AGC's or AGUK's ratings, including downgrading such ratings. Each of AGC's and AGUK's business and its financial condition have been and will continue to be subject to risk of the global financial and economic conditions that could materially and negatively affect the demand for its products, the amount of losses incurred on transactions it guarantees, and its financial strength ratings.

2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Basis of Presentation

        The unaudited interim consolidated financial statements have been prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("GAAP") and, in the opinion of management, reflect all adjustments, which are of a normal recurring nature, necessary for a fair statement of the Company's financial condition, results of operations and cash flows for the periods presented. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities as of the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. These unaudited interim consolidated financial statements cover the three-month period ended March 31, 2010 ("First Quarter 2010") and the three-month period ended March 31, 2009 ("First Quarter 2009). Operating results for the three-month periods ended March 31, 2010 and 2009 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for a full year.

        Intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated. Certain prior year balances have been reclassified to conform to the current year's presentation.

        These unaudited interim consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the Company's consolidated financial statements included as Exhibit 99.3 in AGL's Form 8-K dated March 22, 2010, filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC").

8



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

March 31, 2010

2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Continued)

        AGC and AGUK are subject to U.S. and U.K. income tax, respectively. The provision for income taxes for interim financial periods is not based on an estimated annual effective rate due to the variability in changes in fair value of its credit derivatives, which prevents the Company from projecting a reliable estimated annual effective tax rate and pre-tax income for the full year of 2010. A discrete calculation of the provision is calculated for each interim period.

        The past couple of years saw volatility and disruption in the global financial markets including depressed home prices and increased foreclosures, falling equity market values, rising unemployment, declining business and consumer confidence and the risk of increased inflation, which have precipitated an economic slowdown. While there have been signs of a recovery as seen by stabilizing unemployment and home prices as well as rising equity markets, there can be no assurance that volatility and disruption will not return to these markets in the near term. These conditions may adversely affect the Company's future profitability, financial position, investment portfolio, cash flow, statutory capital and financial strength ratings. Additionally, future legislative, regulatory or judicial changes in the jurisdictions regulating the Company may adversely affect its ability to pursue its current mix of business, materially impacting its financial results.

3. Recent Accounting Pronouncements

        On January 1, 2010, the Company adopted new accounting guidance as required by the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") that changed how a company determines when an entity that is insufficiently capitalized or is not controlled through voting (or similar rights) should be consolidated. See Note 19.

        Effective March 31, 2010, the Company adopted new accounting guidance as required by the FASB that clarifies existing disclosure requirements for fair value measurements. This new guidance requires the disclosure of (1) the amounts and nature of transfers in and out of Level 1 and Level 2 measurements; (2) purchase, sale, issuance and settlement activity for Level 3 measurements presented on a gross rather than a net basis; (3) fair value measurements by Level presented on a more disaggregated basis, by asset or liability class; and (4) more detailed disclosures about inputs and valuation techniques for Level 2 and Level 3 measurements for interim and annual reporting periods. The adoption of this disclosure guidance did not have a significant impact on the Company's fair value disclosures for the period ended March 31, 2010. See Note 8.

4. Outstanding Exposure

        The Company's insurance policies typically guarantee the scheduled payments of principal and interest on public finance and structured finance (including credit derivatives in the insured portfolio) obligations. The gross amount of financial guaranties in force (principal and interest) was $256.2 billion at March 31, 2010 and $259.9 billion at December 31, 2009. The net amount of financial guaranties in force was $184.0 billion at March 31, 2010 and $186.6 billion at December 31, 2009.

        The Company seeks to limit its exposure to losses from writing financial guaranties by underwriting obligations that are investment grade ("IG") at inception, diversifying its portfolio and maintaining rigorous collateral requirements on structured finance obligations, as well as through reinsurance.

9



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

March 31, 2010

4. Outstanding Exposure (Continued)

        The par outstanding of insured obligations in the public finance insured portfolio includes the following amounts by type of issue:

Summary of Public Finance Insured Portfolio

 
  Gross Par Outstanding   Ceded Par Outstanding   Net Par Outstanding  
Types of Issues
  March 31,
2010
  December 31,
2009
  March 31,
2010
  December 31,
2009
  March 31,
2010
  December 31,
2009
 
 
  (in millions)
 

U.S.:

                                     
 

General obligation

  $ 35,968   $ 35,616   $ 10,422   $ 10,316   $ 25,546   $ 25,300  
 

Tax backed

    16,024     16,409     4,008     4,114     12,016     12,295  
 

Municipal utilities

    12,697     12,825     3,267     3,288     9,430     9,537  
 

Transportation

    8,954     8,928     2,074     2,030     6,880     6,898  
 

Healthcare

    8,200     8,366     2,815     2,873     5,385     5,493  
 

Higher education

    4,831     4,846     1,350     1,346     3,481     3,500  
 

Infrastructure finance

    1,570     1,735     509     554     1,061     1,181  
 

Investor-owned utilities

    765     749     79     61     686     688  
 

Housing

    394     468     93     102     301     366  
 

Other public finance—U.S. 

    2,494     2,583     686     718     1,808     1,865  
                           
   

Total public finance—U.S. 

    91,897     92,525     25,303     25,402     66,594     67,123  

Non-U.S.:

                                     
 

Pooled infrastructure

    4,403     4,684     2,038     2,169     2,365     2,515  
 

Regulated utilities

    2,437     2,533     1,328     1,375     1,109     1,158  
 

Infrastructure finance

    1,870     1,926     528     545     1,342     1,381  
 

Other public finance—non-U.S. 

    626     636     113     115     513     521  
                           
   

Total public finance—non-U.S. 

    9,336     9,779     4,007     4,204     5,329     5,575  
                           
 

Total public finance obligations

  $ 101,233   $ 102,304   $ 29,310   $ 29,606   $ 71,923   $ 72,698  
                           

10



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

March 31, 2010

4. Outstanding Exposure (Continued)

        The par outstanding of insured obligations in the structured finance insured portfolio includes the following amounts by type of collateral:

Summary of Structured Finance Insured Portfolio

 
  Gross Par Outstanding   Ceded Par Outstanding   Net Par Outstanding  
Types of Collateral
  March 31,
2010
  December 31,
2009
  March 31,
2010
  December 31,
2009
  March 31,
2010
  December 31,
2009
 
 
  (in millions)
 

U.S.:

                                     
 

Pooled corporate obligations

  $ 30,904   $ 30,699   $ 7,873   $ 7,819   $ 23,031   $ 22,880  
 

Residential mortgage-backed and home equity

    14,267     14,683     3,377     3,471     10,890     11,212  
 

Commercial mortgage-backed securities

    7,050     7,100     1,329     1,333     5,721     5,767  
 

Consumer receivables

    2,728     3,662     412     674     2,316     2,988  
 

Structured credit

    2,123     2,173     792     793     1,331     1,380  
 

Commercial receivables

    1,419     1,359     339     339     1,080     1,020  
 

Insurance securitizations

    1,100     1,100     845     845     255     255  
 

Other structured finance—U.S. 

    663     669     124     125     539     544  
                           
   

Total structured finance—U.S. 

    60,254     61,445     15,091     15,399     45,163     46,046  

Non-U.S.:

                                     
 

Pooled corporate obligations

    9,399     9,887     2,489     2,646     6,910     7,241  
 

Residential mortgage-backed and home equity

    3,363     3,558     1,073     1,120     2,290     2,438  
 

Commercial receivables

    979     1,089     327     355     652     734  
 

Insurance securitizations

    923     923     644     645     279     278  
 

Structured credit

    832     870     332     345     500     525  
 

Commercial mortgage-backed securities

    431     469     102     110     329     359  
 

Other structured finance—non-U.S. 

    3     220         71     3     149  
                           
   

Total structured finance—non-U.S. 

    15,930     17,016     4,967     5,292     10,963     11,724  
                           
 

Total structured finance obligations

  $ 76,184   $ 78,461   $ 20,058   $ 20,691   $ 56,126   $ 57,770  
                           

11



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

March 31, 2010

4. Outstanding Exposure (Continued)

        The following table sets forth the net financial guaranty par outstanding by rating:

 
  March 31, 2010   December 31, 2009  
Ratings(1)
  Net Par
Outstanding
  % of Net Par
Outstanding
  Net Par
Outstanding
  % of Net Par
Outstanding
 
 
  (dollars in millions)
 

Super senior

  $ 12,240     9.6 % $ 15,902     12.2 %

AAA

    22,227     17.4     20,026     15.3  

AA

    17,399     13.6     17,918     13.7  

A

    47,545     37.1     48,129     36.9  

BBB

    19,846     15.5     20,266     15.5  

BIG

    8,792     6.8     8,227     6.4  
                   
 

Total exposures

  $ 128,049     100.0 % $ 130,468     100.0 %
                   

(1)
Represents the Company's internal rating. The Company's ratings scale is similar to that used by the nationally recognized rating agencies. The super senior category, which is not generally used by rating agencies, is used by the Company in instances where the Company's triple-A-rated exposure has additional credit enhancement due to either (1) the existence of another security rated triple-A that is subordinated to the Company's exposure or (2) the Company's exposure benefits from a different form of credit enhancement that would pay any claims first in the event that any of the exposures incurs a loss, and such credit enhancement, in management's opinion, causes the Company's attachment point to be materially above the triple-A attachment point.

        As part of its financial guaranty business, the Company enters into credit derivative transactions. In such transactions, the buyer of protection pays the seller of protection a periodic fee in fixed basis points on a notional amount. In return, the seller makes a contingent payment to the buyer if one or more defined credit events occurs with respect to one or more third party referenced securities or loans. A credit event is a nonpayment event such as a failure to pay or bankruptcy as negotiated by the parties to the credit derivative transaction. The total notional amount of insured credit derivative exposure outstanding which is accounted for at fair value as of March 31, 2010 and December 31, 2009 and included in the Company's financial guaranty exposure in the tables above was $47.3 billion and $48.2 billion, respectively. See Note 7.

5. Significant Risk Management Activities

        Surveillance personnel are responsible for monitoring and reporting on all transactions in the insured portfolio, including exposures in both financial guaranty insurance and credit derivative form. The primary objective of the surveillance process is to monitor trends and changes in transaction credit quality, detect any deterioration in credit quality, and recommend to management such remedial actions as may be necessary or appropriate. All transactions in the insured portfolio are assigned internal credit ratings, and Surveillance personnel are responsible for recommending adjustments to those ratings to reflect changes in transaction credit quality.

12



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

March 31, 2010

5. Significant Risk Management Activities (Continued)

        Work-out personnel are responsible for managing work-out and loss situations. They develop strategies designed to enhance the ability of the Company to enforce its contractual rights and remedies and to mitigate its losses, engage in negotiation discussions with transaction participants and, when necessary, manage the Company's litigation proceedings.

        The Company segregates its insured portfolio of IG and below investment grade ("BIG") risks into surveillance categories to facilitate the appropriate allocation of resources to monitoring and loss mitigation efforts and to aid in establishing the appropriate cycle for periodic review for each exposure. BIG credits include all credits internally rated lower than BBB-. The Company's internal credit ratings are based on the Company's internal assessment of the likelihood of default. The Company's internal credit ratings are expressed on a ratings scale similar to that used by the rating agencies and are generally reflective of an approach similar to that employed by the rating agencies.

        The Company monitors its IG credits to determine whether any new credits need to be internally downgraded to BIG. Quarterly procedures include qualitative and quantitative analysis of the Company's insured portfolio to identify potential new BIG credits. The Company refreshes its internal credit ratings on individual credits in cycles based on the Company's view of the credit's quality, loss potential, volatility and sector. Ratings on credits in sectors identified as under the most stress or with the most potential volatility are reviewed every quarter. Credits identified through this process as BIG are subjected to further review by Surveillance personnel to determine the various probabilities of a loss. Surveillance personnel present analysis related to potential loss scenarios to the reserve committee.

Below Investment Grade Surveillance Categories

        Within the BIG category, the Company assigns each credit to one of three surveillance categories:

    BIG Category 1: BIG transactions showing sufficient deterioration to make material losses possible, but for which expected losses do not exceed deferred premium revenue. Non-investment grade transactions on which liquidity claims have been paid are in this category. Intense monitoring and intervention is employed, with internal credit ratings reviewed quarterly.

    BIG Category 2: BIG transactions for which expected losses have been established but for which no unreimbursed claims have yet been paid. Intense monitoring and intervention is employed, with internal credit ratings reviewed quarterly.

    BIG Category 3: BIG transactions for which expected losses have been established and on which unreimbursed claims have been paid. Transactions remain in this category when claims have been paid and only a recoverable remains. Intense monitoring and intervention is employed, with internal credit ratings reviewed quarterly.

        The tables below present the U.S. RMBS portfolio and ratings within the BIG category.

13



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

March 31, 2010

5. Significant Risk Management Activities (Continued)

Financial Guaranty Insurance BIG Exposure on U.S. RMBS Policies

 
  March 31, 2010  
 
   
  BIG Net Par Outstanding  
 
  Total Net Par
Outstanding
 
 
  BIG 1   BIG 2   BIG 3   Total  
 
  (in millions)
 

First Lien RMBS:

                               
 

Prime First Lien

  $ 166   $ 37   $ 25   $   $ 62  
 

Alt-A First lien

    676     23     221     96     340  
 

Alt-A Options ARM

    293         292         292  
 

Subprime

    531     2     314         316  

Second Lien RMBS:

                               
 

Closed end second lien ("CES")

    259     100     38     85     223  
 

Home equity lines of credit ("HELOC")

    607             582     582  
                       
   

Total

  $ 2,532   $ 162   $ 890   $ 763   $ 1,815  
                       

Financial Guaranty Insurance BIG Exposure on U.S. RMBS Policies

 
  December 31, 2009  
 
   
  BIG Net Par Outstanding  
 
  Total Net Par
Outstanding
 
 
  BIG 1   BIG 2   BIG 3   Total  
 
  (in millions)
 

First Lien RMBS:

                               
 

Prime First Lien

  $ 176   $   $ 25   $   $ 25  
 

Alt-A First lien

    685     42     194     96     332  
 

Alt-A Options ARM

    299     113     185         298  
 

Subprime

    552         332         332  

Second Lien RMBS:

                               
 

CES

    273     102     39     95     236  
 

HELOC

    645             621     621  
                       
   

Total

  $ 2,630   $ 257   $ 775   $ 812   $ 1,844  
                       

14



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

March 31, 2010

6. Financial Guaranty Contracts Accounted for as Insurance Contracts

        The following tables provide information for contracts accounted for as financial guaranty insurance contracts:

Expected Collections of Gross Premiums Receivable, Net of Ceding Commissions(1)

 
  (in thousands)  

2010 (April 1 - June 30)

  $ 22,392  

2010 (July 1 - September 30)

    11,136  

2010 (October 1 - December 31)

    11,323  

2011

    40,596  

2012

    34,470  

2013

    31,393  

2014

    26,845  

2015 - 2019

    104,564  

2020 - 2024

    67,574  

2025 - 2029

    41,942  

After 2029

    42,838  
       
 

Total expected collections

  $ 435,073  
       

(1)
Represents nominal amounts expected to be collected.

        The following table provides a reconciliation of the beginning and ending balances of gross premium receivable net of ceding commission payable:

Gross Premium Receivable, Net of Ceding Commissions Roll Forward(1)

 
  (in thousands)  

Premium receivable, net at December 31, 2009

  $ 351,468  

Premiums written, net

    29,679  

Premium payments received, net

    (35,757 )

Adjustments to the premium receivable:

       
 

Changes in the expected term of financial guaranty insurance contracts

    (3,390 )
 

Accretion of the premium receivable discount

    2,500  
 

Foreign exchange rate changes

    (5,896 )
       

Premium receivable, net at March 31, 2010

  $ 338,604  
       

(1)
Excludes other segment.

15



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

March 31, 2010

6. Financial Guaranty Contracts Accounted for as Insurance Contracts (Continued)

Selected Information for Policies Paid in Installments

 
  March 31, 2010  
 
  (dollars in thousands)
 

Premiums receivable, net of ceding commission payable

  $ 338,604  

Unearned premium reserve

    335,817  

Weighted-average risk-free rate to discount premiums

    3.2 %

Weighted-average period of premiums receivable (in years)

    8.7  

        The following table presents the components of net premiums earned.

Net Earned Premiums

 
  Three Months Ended
March 31,
 
 
  2010   2009  
 
  (in thousands)
 

Scheduled net earned premiums

  $ 25,657   $ 23,704  

Acceleration of premium earnings(1)

    2,132     42,577  

Accretion of discount on premium receivable

    1,653     1,444  
           

Total net earned premium

  $ 29,442   $ 67,725  
           

(1)
Reflects the unscheduled pre-payment or refundings of underlying insured obligations.

16



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

March 31, 2010

6. Financial Guaranty Contracts Accounted for as Insurance Contracts (Continued)

        The following table provides a schedule of how the Company's financial guaranty net unearned premiums and expected losses expense are expected to run off in the consolidated statements of operations:

Expected Financial Guaranty Net Present Value Earned Premium and
Present Value Net Loss to be Expensed

 
  As of March 31, 2010  
 
  Expected PV Net
Earned Premium
  Expected PV Net Loss
to be Expensed(1)
  Net  
 
  (in thousands)
 

2010 (April 1 - June 30)

  $ 19,606   $ 586   $ 19,020  

2010 (July 1 - September 30)

    21,002     532     20,470  

2010 (October 1 - December 31)

    18,533     482     18,051  

2011

    77,636     1,767     75,869  

2012

    69,978     1,533     68,445  

2013

    65,452     1,338     64,114  

2014

    61,147     1,101     60,046  

2015 - 2019

    251,596     4,069     247,527  

2020 - 2024

    178,590     1,908     176,682  

2025 - 2029

    119,193     1,215     117,978  

After 2029

    126,034     1,389     124,645  
               
 

Total

  $ 1,008,767   $ 15,920   $ 992,847  
               

(1)
Represents the amount of expected loss in unearned premium reserve.

        The following table presents a rollforward of the net expected loss and LAE since December 31, 2009 by sector.

17



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

March 31, 2010

6. Financial Guaranty Contracts Accounted for as Insurance Contracts (Continued)

Financial Guaranty Insurance Net Expected Loss and Loss Adjustment
Expense Rollforward By Sector(1)

 
  Expected
Loss to be
Paid as of
December 31,
2009
  Loss
Development
  Less:
Paid
Losses
  Expected
Loss to be
Paid as of
March 31,
2010
 
 
  (in thousands)
 

First Lien:

                         
 

Prime First lien

  $   $ 198   $   $ 198  
 

Alt-A First lien

    20,614     861     (859 )   22,334  
 

Alt-A Options ARM

    17,399     10,306         27,705  
 

Subprime

    16,914     7,085     216     23,783  
                   
   

Total First Lien

    54,927     18,450     (643 )   74,020  

Second Lien:

                         
 

CES

    17,390     3,589     8,570     12,409  
 

HELOC

    (107,493 )   4,531     20,903     (123,865 )
                   
   

Total Second Lien

    (90,103 )   8,120     29,473     (111,456 )
                   

Total U.S. RMBS

    (35,176 )   26,570     28,830     (37,436 )

Other structured finance

    19,676     (1,513 )   249     17,914  

Public Finance

    55,798     5,070     19,181     41,687  
                   

Total

  $ 40,298   $ 30,127   $ 48,260   $ 22,165  
                   

(1)
Net of present value of future expected recoveries. Excludes LAE reserves.

        Expected loss to be paid in the table above represents the present value of losses to be paid net of expected salvage and subrogation and reinsurance cessions. The amount of "expected loss to be paid" differs from "expected PV net loss to be expensed" due primarily to amounts of expected loss included in unearned premium.

        Gross and ceded unearned premium reserve represents the stand ready obligation under GAAP.

        Loss reserves are recorded at the time, and for the amount of, expected losses in excess of unearned premium reserve on a contract by contract basis. Loss expense is recognized in the consolidated statements of operations only when present value of future expected losses exceeds unearned premium reserve.

        The Company's estimate of ultimate losses on a policy is subject to significant uncertainty over the life of the insured transaction due to the potential for significant variability in credit performance due to changing economic, fiscal and financial market variability over the long duration of most contracts. The determination of expected loss is an inherently subjective process involving numerous estimates, assumptions and judgments by management. The Company's estimates of expected losses on RMBS transactions takes into account expected recoveries from sellers and originators, of the underlying residential mortgages due to breaches in the originator's representations and warranties regarding the loans transferred to the RMBS transaction.

18



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

March 31, 2010

6. Financial Guaranty Contracts Accounted for as Insurance Contracts (Continued)

        The following table provides information on financial guaranty insurance and reinsurance contracts categorized as BIG as of March 31, 2010 and December 31, 2009:

Financial Guaranty BIG Transaction Loss Summary
March 31, 2010

 
  BIG Categories  
 
  BIG 1   BIG 2   BIG 3   Total  
 
  (dollars in millions)
 

Number of risks

    28     98     12     138  

Remaining weighted-average contract period (in years)

    11.9     5.4     12.9     10.2  

Insured contractual payments outstanding:

                         
 

Principal

    1,064     1,308     2,347     4,719  
 

Interest

    465     287     567     1,319  
                   
   

Total

  $ 1,529   $ 1,595   $ 2,914   $ 6,038  
                   

Gross expected cash outflows for loss and LAE

    0.5     246.1     638.3     884.9  

Less:

                         
 

Gross potential recoveries(1)

    1.4     59.1     593.0     653.5  
 

Discount, net

        87.6     120.6     208.2  
                   

Present value of expected cash flows for loss and LAE

    (0.9 )   99.4     (75.3 )   23.2  
                   

Deferred premium revenue

  $ 17.2   $ 6.8   $ 26.3   $ 50.3  
                   

Gross reserves (salvage) for loss and LAE reported in the balance sheet

    (0.9 )   92.8     (85.9 )   6.0  
                   

Reinsurance recoverable (payable)

  $   $ 14.0   $ (20.0 ) $ (6.0 )
                   

(1)
Includes estimated future recoveries for breaches of representations and warranties.

19



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

March 31, 2010

6. Financial Guaranty Contracts Accounted for as Insurance Contracts (Continued)

Financial Guaranty BIG Transaction Loss Summary
December 31, 2009

 
  BIG Categories  
 
  BIG 1   BIG 2   BIG 3   Total  
 
  (dollars in millions)
 

Number of risks

    31     88     10     129  

Remaining weighted-average contract period (in years)

    11.1     4.5     12.9     9.5  

Insured contractual payments outstanding:

                         
 

Principal

  $ 639   $ 1,070   $ 1,328   $ 3,037  
 

Interest

    259     188     389     836  
                   
   

Total

  $ 898   $ 1,258   $ 1,717   $ 3,873  
                   

Gross expected cash outflows for loss and LAE

  $   $ 177.3   $ 700.3   $ 877.6  

Less:

                         
 

Gross potential recoveries(1)

    0.1     33.5     592.9     626.5  
 

Discount, net

        68.3     136.2     204.5  
                   

Present value of expected cash flows for loss and LAE

  $ (0.1 ) $ 75.5   $ (28.8 ) $ 46.6  
                   

Deferred premium revenue

  $ 2.6   $ 5.1   $ 26.7   $ 34.4  

Gross reserves (salvage) for loss and LAE reported in the balance sheet

  $ (0.3 ) $ 69.7   $ (50.3 ) $ 19.1  

Reinsurance recoverable (payable)

  $   $ 10.6   $ (10.7 ) $ (0.1 )

(1)
Includes estimated future recoveries for breaches of representations and warranties.

        The Company used weighted-average risk free rate ranging from 0% to 5.32% and 0.07% to 5.21% to discount expected losses as of March 31, 2010 and December 31, 2009, respectively.

        The following table provides information on loss and loss adjustment expense reserves net of reinsurance on the consolidated balance sheets.

20



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

March 31, 2010

6. Financial Guaranty Contracts Accounted for as Insurance Contracts (Continued)

Loss and Loss Adjustment Expense Reserves, Net of Reinsurance

 
  As of
March 31, 2010
  As of
December 31, 2009
 
 
  (in thousands)
 

First Lien:

             
 

Prime First lien

  $ 143   $  
 

Alt-A First lien

    21,322     19,781  
 

Alt-A Options ARM

    26,746     16,560  
 

Subprime

    23,003     16,162  
           
   

Total First Lien

    71,214     52,503  

Second Lien:

             
 

CES

    12,047     16,706  
 

HELOC

    3,926     5,415  
           
   

Total Second Lien

    15,973     22,121  
           
   

Total U.S. RMBS

    87,187     74,624  

Other structured finance

    16,371     15,745  

Public Finance

    42,940     50,136  
           

Total financial guaranty

    146,498     140,505  

Other

         
           
     

Total

  $ 146,498   $ 140,505  
           

        The following table provides information on financial guaranty insurance and reinsurance contracts recorded as an asset on the consolidated balance sheets.

Summary of Recoverables Recorded as Salvage and Subrogation

 
  As of
March 31, 2010
  As of
December 31, 2009
 
 
  (in thousands)
 

Second Lien:

             
 

CES

  $ 226   $ 91  
 

HELOC

    185,075     168,359  
           
   

Total Second Lien

    185,301     168,450  
           

Total U.S. RMBS

    185,301     168,450  

Other structured finance

    993     993  

Public Finance

    6,633     474  
           
   

Total

    192,927     169,917  

Less: Ceded salvage and subrogation(1)

    58,467     55,384  
           
   

Net recoverable

  $ 134,460   $ 114,533  
           

(1)
Recorded in "reinsurance balances payable, net" on the consolidated balance sheets.

21



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

March 31, 2010

6. Financial Guaranty Contracts Accounted for as Insurance Contracts (Continued)

Loss and Loss Adjustment Expenses (Recoveries)
By Type

 
  Three Months Ended
March 31,
 
 
  2010   2009  
 
  (in thousands)
 

Financial Guaranty:

             
 

First Lien:

             
   

Prime First lien

  $ 31   $  
   

Alt-A First lien

    793     1,486  
   

Alt-A Options ARM

    10,186     676  
   

Subprime

    7,057     797  
           
     

Total First Lien

    18,067     2,959  
 

Second Lien:

             
   

CES

    3,796     7,442  
   

HELOC

    5,762     2,540  
           
     

Total Second Lien

    9,558     9,982  
           
 

Total U.S. RMBS

    27,625     12,941  
 

Other structured finance

    1,072     (32 )
 

Public Finance

    5,827     8,473  
           

Total Financial Guaranty

    34,524     21,382  

Other

         
           
 

Total loss and LAE

  $ 34,524   $ 21,382  
           

22



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

March 31, 2010

6. Financial Guaranty Contracts Accounted for as Insurance Contracts (Continued)

Net Losses Paid on Financial Guaranty Insurance Contracts

 
  Three Months Ended
March 31,
 
 
  2010   2009  
 
  (in thousands)
 

Financial Guaranty:

             
 

First Lien:

             
   

Prime First lien

  $   $  
   

Alt-A First lien

    (859 )    
   

Alt-A Options ARM

         
   

Subprime

    216     284  
           
     

Total First Lien

    (643 )   284  
 

Second Lien:

             
   

CES

    8,570     8,722  
   

HELOC

    20,903     28,104  
           
     

Total Second Lien

    29,473     36,826  
           
 

Total U.S. RMBS

    28,830     37,110  
 

Other structured finance

    249     (570 )
 

Public Finance

    19,181     7,007  
           
   

Total

  $ 48,260   $ 43,547  
           

        In accordance with the Company's standard practices the Company evaluated the most current available information as part of its loss reserving process, including trends in delinquencies and charge-offs on the underlying loans and its experience in requiring providers of representations and warranties to purchase ineligible loans out of these transactions.

U.S. Second Lien RMBS: HELOCs and CES

        The Company insures two types of second lien RMBS, those secured by HELOCs and those secured by CES mortgages. HELOCs are revolving lines of credit generally secured by a second lien on a one to four family home. A mortgage for a fixed amount secured by a second lien on a one-to-four family home is generally referred to as a CES. The Company has material exposure to second lien mortgage loans originated and serviced by a number of parties, but the Company's most significant second lien exposure is to HELOCs originated and serviced by Countrywide.

        The performance of the Company's HELOC and CES exposures deteriorated beginning 2007 and through First Quarter 2010 and transactions, particularly those originated in the period from 2005 through 2007, continue to perform below the Company's original underwriting expectations.

23



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

March 31, 2010

6. Financial Guaranty Contracts Accounted for as Insurance Contracts (Continued)

        The following table shows the Company's key assumptions used in its calculation of estimated expected losses for these types of policies as of March 31, 2010 and December 31, 2009:

Key Assumptions in Base Case Expected Loss Estimates
Second Lien RMBS

HELOC Key Variables
  March 31,
2010
  December 31,
2009

Plateau Conditional Default Rate ("CDR")

  14.0 - 23.8%   14.8 - 32.3%

Final CDR trended down to

  0.5 - 2.2%   0.5 - 2.2%

Expected Period until Final CDR(1)

  21 months   21 months

Initial Conditional Prepayment Rate ("CPR")

  0.4 - 3.7%   4.8 - 14.9%

Final CPR

  10.0%   10.0%

Loss Severity

  95%   95%

Future Repurchase of Ineligible Loans

  $189.2 million   $193.4 million

Initial Draw Rate

  0.4 - 0.5%   0.4 - 0.7%

 

CES Key Variables
  March 31,
2010
  December 31,
2009

Plateau CDR

  31.5 - 36.4%   34.0 - 36.0%

Final CDR Rate trended down to

  2.9 - 8.1%   3.5 - 8.1%

Expected Period until Final CDR achieved

  21 months   21 months

Initial CPR

  0.8 - 3.3%   0.8 - 2.4%

Final CPR

  10.0%   10.0%

Loss Severity

  95%   95%

Future Repurchase of Ineligible Loans

  $63.1 million   $64.2 million

(1)
Represents assumptions for most heavily weighted scenario.

        The primary driver of the adverse development the Company has experienced related to its HELOC and CES sector is significantly higher total pool delinquencies than had been experienced historically. In order to project future defaults in each pool, a CDR is applied each reporting period to various delinquency categories to calculate the projected losses to the pool. First, current representative liquidation rates (the percent of loans in a given delinquency status that are assumed to ultimately default ) are used to estimate losses in the first five months from loans that are currently delinquent and then the CDR of the fifth month is held constant for a period of time. Taken together, the first five months of losses plus the period of time for which the CDR is held constant represent the stress period. Once the stress period has elapsed, the CDR is assumed to gradually trend down to its final CDR. In the base case as of March 31, 2010, the total time between the current period's CDR and the long-term assumed CDR used to project losses was 21 months. At the end of this period, the long-term steady CDRs modeled were between 0.4% and 2.2% for HELOC transactions and between 2.9% and 8.1% for CES transactions. The Company continued to assume an extended stress period based on transaction performance and the continued weakened overall economic environment.

24



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

March 31, 2010

6. Financial Guaranty Contracts Accounted for as Insurance Contracts (Continued)

        The assumption for the CPR, which represents voluntary prepayments, follows a similar pattern to that of the CDR. The current CPR is assumed to continue for the stress period before gradually increasing to the final CPR, which is assumed to be 10% for both HELOC and CES transactions. This level is much higher than current rates but lower than the historical average, which reflects the Company's continued uncertainty about performance of the borrowers in these transactions. For HELOC transactions, the draw rate is assumed to decline from the current level to the final draw rate over a period of three months. The final draw rates were assumed to be between 0.1% and 1.0%.

        Performance of the collateral underlying certain securitizations has substantially differed from the Company's original expectations. Employing several loan file diligence firms and law firms as well as internal resources, as of March 31, 2010 the Company had performed a detailed review of approximately 6,900 files, representing nearly $546.0 million in outstanding par of defaulted second lien loans underlying insured transactions, and identified a material number of defaulted loans that breach representations and warranties regarding the characteristics of the loans. The Company continues to review new files as new loans default and as new loan files are made available to it. Following negotiation with the sellers and originators of the breaching loans, as of March 31, 2010 the Company and its affiliates had reached agreement to have $55.5 million of the second lien loans repurchased. The Company has included in its loss estimates for second liens as of March 31, 2010 an estimated benefit from repurchases of $252.3 million. The amount the Company ultimately recovers related to contractual representations and warranties is uncertain and subject to a number of factors including the counterparty's ability to pay, the number and amount of loans determined to have breached representations and warranties and, potentially, negotiated settlements or litigation. As such, the Company's estimate of recoveries is uncertain and actual amounts realized may differ significantly from these estimates. In arriving at the expected recovery from breaches of representations and warranties the Company considered: the credit worthiness of the provider of representations and warranties, the number of breaches found on defaulted loans, the success rate resolving these breaches with the provider of the representations and warranties and the potential amount of time until the recovery is realized. This calculation involved a variety of scenarios which ranged from the Company recovering substantially all of the losses it incurred due to violations of representations and warranties to the Company realizing very limited recoveries. These scenarios were probability weighted in order to determine the recovery incorporated into the Company's reserve estimate. This approach was used for both loans that had already defaulted and those assumed to default in the future. In all cases recoveries were limited to amounts paid or expected to be paid out by the Company.

        The ultimate performance of the Company's HELOC and CES transactions will depend on many factors, such as the level and timing of loan defaults, interest proceeds generated by the securitized loans, prepayment speeds and changes in home prices, as well as the levels of credit support built into each transaction. The ability and willingness of providers of representations and warranties to repurchase ineligible loans from the transactions will also have a material effect on the Company's ultimate loss on these transactions. Finally, other factors also may have a material impact upon the ultimate performance of each transaction, including the ability of the seller and servicer to fulfill all of their contractual obligations including any obligation to fund future draws on lines of credit. The variables affecting transaction performance are interrelated, difficult to predict and subject to considerable volatility. If actual results differ materially from any of the Company's assumptions, the

25



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

March 31, 2010

6. Financial Guaranty Contracts Accounted for as Insurance Contracts (Continued)


losses incurred could be materially different from the estimate. The Company continues to update its evaluation of these exposures as new information becomes available.

        The Company modeled and probability weighted three potential time periods over which an elevated CDR may potentially occur, one of which assumed a three month shorter period of elevated CDR and another of which assumed a three month longer period of elevated CDR than the most heavily weighted scenario described in the table above. Given that draw rates have been reduced to levels below the historical average and that loss severities in these products have been higher than anticipated at inception, the Company believes that the level of the elevated CDR and the length of time it will persist is the primary driver behind the likely amount of losses the collateral will suffer (before considering the effects of repurchases of ineligible loans). The Company continues to evaluate all of the assumptions affecting its modeling results.

        The primary drivers of the Company's approach to modeling potential loss outcomes for transactions backed by second lien collateral are to assume a stressed CDR for a selected period of time and a constant 95% severity rate for the duration of the transaction. Sensitivities around the results of these transactions were modeled by varying the length of the stressed CDR, which corresponds to how long the Company assumes the second lien sector remains stressed before a recovery begins and it returns to the long term equilibrium that was modeled when the deal was underwritten. For HELOC and CES, extending the expected period until the CDR begins returning to its long term equilibrium by three months would result in an increase to expected loss of approximately $16.6 million for HELOC transactions and $4.6 million for CES transactions. Conversely shortening the time until the CDR begins to return to its long term equilibrium by three months decreases expected loss by approximately $15.5 million for HELOC transactions and $4.2 million for CES transactions.

U.S. First Lien RMBS: Subprime, Alt-A, Option ARM and Prime

        First lien RMBS are generally categorized in accordance with the characteristics of the first lien mortgage loans on one to four family homes supporting the transactions. The collateral supporting "Subprime RMBS" transactions is comprised of first-lien residential mortgage loans made to subprime borrowers. A "subprime borrower" is one considered to be a higher risk credit based on credit scores or other risk characteristics. Another type of RMBS transaction is generally referred to as "Alt-A RMBS." The collateral supporting such transactions is comprised of first-lien residential mortgage loans made to "prime" quality borrowers that lack certain ancillary characteristics that would make them prime. When more than 66% of the loans originally included in the pool are mortgage loans with an option to make a minimum payment that has the potential to negatively amortize the loan (i.e., increase the amount of principal owed), the transaction is referred to as an "Option ARM." Finally, transactions may include loans made to prime borrowers.

        The performance of the Company's first lien RMBS exposures deteriorated beginning 2007 through First Quarter 2010 and transactions, particularly those originated in the period from 2005 through 2007, continue to perform below the Company's original underwriting expectations. The majority of the projected losses in the first lien RMBS transactions are expected to come from mortgage loans that are currently delinquent, so an increase in delinquent loans beyond those expected last quarter is one of the primary drivers of loss development in this portfolio. Similar to many market

26



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

March 31, 2010

6. Financial Guaranty Contracts Accounted for as Insurance Contracts (Continued)


participants, the Company applies a liquidation rate assumption to loans in various delinquency categories to determine what proportion of loans in those categories will eventually default.

        The problems affecting the subprime mortgage market have been widely reported, with rising delinquencies, defaults and foreclosures negatively impacting the performance of Subprime RMBS transactions. Those concerns relate primarily to Subprime RMBS issued in the period from 2005 through 2007. As of March 31, 2010, the Company had insured $531.2 million in net par of Subprime RMBS transactions, of which $487.7 million was in the financial guaranty direct segment. These transactions benefit from various structural protections, including credit enhancement that in the direct portfolio, for the vintages 2005 through 2008, currently averages approximately 38.4% of the remaining insured balance.

        The factors affecting the subprime mortgage market are now affecting Alt-A RMBS transactions, with rising delinquencies, defaults and foreclosures negatively impacting their performance. Those concerns relate primarily to Alt-A RMBS issued in the period from 2005 through 2007. As of March 31, 2010, the Company had insured $676.3 million in net par of Alt-A RMBS transactions, almost all of which was in the financial guaranty direct segment. These transactions benefit from various structural protections, including credit enhancement that in the direct portfolio, for the vintages 2005 through 2007, currently averages approximately 5.7% of the remaining insured balance.

        As has been reported, the problems affecting the subprime mortgage market are also affecting Option ARM RMBS transactions, with rising delinquencies, defaults and foreclosures negatively impacting their performance. Those concerns relate primarily to Option ARM RMBS issued in the period from 2005 through 2007. As of March 31, 2010, the Company had insured $293.1 million in net par of Option ARM RMBS transactions, almost all of which was in the financial guaranty direct segment. These transactions benefit from various structural protections, including credit enhancement that in the direct portfolio for the vintages 2005 through 2007 currently averages approximately 10.6% of the remaining insured balance.

        The Company also insures one direct prime RMBS transaction rated BIG with a net outstanding par at March 31, 2010 of $24.7 million, which it models as an Alt-A transaction and on which it had gross expected loss, prior to reinsurance or netting of unearned premium, of $0.2 million, and net reserves of $0.1 million.

        The following table shows the Company's liquidation assumptions for various delinquency categories as of March 31, 2010 and December 31, 2009. The liquidation rate is a standard industry

27



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

March 31, 2010

6. Financial Guaranty Contracts Accounted for as Insurance Contracts (Continued)

measure that is used to estimate the number of loans in a given aging category that will default within a specified time period. The Company projects these liquidations over two years:

 
  March 31,
2010
  December 31,
2009
 

30 - 59 Days Delinquent

             
 

Alt-A First Lien

    50 %   50 %
 

Alt-A Option ARM

    50     50  
 

Subprime

    45     45  

60 - 89 Days Delinquent

             
 

Alt-A First Lien

    65     65  
 

Alt-A Option ARM

    65     65  
 

Subprime

    65     65  

90 days—Bankruptcy

             
 

Alt-A First Lien

    75     75  
 

Alt-A Option ARM

    75     75  
 

Subprime

    70     70  

Foreclosure

             
 

Alt-A First Lien

    85     85  
 

Alt-A Option ARM

    85     85  
 

Subprime

    85     85  

Real estate owned

             
 

Alt-A First Lien

    100     100  
 

Alt-A Option ARM

    100     100  
 

Subprime

    100     100  

First Lien U.S. RMBS Future Repurchase of Ineligible Loans

 
  As of
March 31, 2010
  As of
December 31, 2009
 
 
  (in millions)
 

Future Repurchase of Ineligible Loans

  $ 25.3   $ 25.1  

        Another important driver of loss projections in this area is loss severities, i.e. the amount of loss the transaction incurs on a loan after the application of net proceeds from the disposal of the underlying property. Loss severities experienced in first lien transactions have reached historical highs, and the Company has been revising its assumptions to match experience. The Company is assuming that loss severities begin returning to more normal levels beginning in March 2011, reducing over two or four years to either 40% or 20 points (i.e. from 60% to 40%) below their initial levels, depending on the scenario.

28



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

March 31, 2010

6. Financial Guaranty Contracts Accounted for as Insurance Contracts (Continued)

        The Company increased its initial loss severity assumption this quarter for subprime transactions based on actual loss severity experience in transactions it insures. The following table shows the Company's initial loss severity assumptions as of March 31, 2010 and December 31, 2009:

 
  March 31,
2010
  December 31,
2009
 

Alt-A First Lien

    60 %   60 %

Alt-A Option ARM

    60 %   60 %

Subprime

    75 %   70 %

        The primary driver of the loss development related to first lien exposure, as is the case with the Company's second lien transactions, is the continued increase in delinquent mortgages. The Company predicts losses and delinquent loans using liquidation rates, while losses from current loans are determined by applying a CDR trend. For delinquent loans, a liquidation rate is applied to loans in various stages of delinquency to determine the portion of loans in each delinquency category that will eventually default. Then, for each transaction, management calculates the constant CDR that, over the next 24 months, would be sufficient to produce the amount of losses that were calculated to emerge from the various delinquency categories. That CDR plateau is extended another three months, for a total of 27 months, in some scenarios. Each transaction's CDR is calculated to improve over 12 months to an intermediate CDR based upon its CDR plateau, then trail off to its final CDR. The intermediate CDRs modeled were between 0.4% and 3.3% for Alt-A first lien transactions, between 2.6% to 4.1% for Option ARM transactions and between 1.4% and 2.2% for Subprime transactions. The defaults resulting from the CDR after the 24 months represent the defaults that can be attributed to borrowers that are currently performing.

        The assumption for the CPR follows a similar pattern to that of the CDR. The current level of voluntary prepayments is assumed to continue for the stress period before gradually increasing over 12 months to the final CPR, which is assumed to be either 10% or 15% depending on the scenario run. In the First Quarter of 2010, the Company modeled and probability weighted four different scenarios with differing CDR curve shapes, loss severity development assumptions and voluntary prepayment assumptions.

        The performance of the collateral underlying certain of these securitizations has substantially differed from the Company's original expectations. As with the second lien policies, as of March 31, 2010 the Company had performed a detailed review of approximately 600 files representing nearly $315.8 million in outstanding par of defaulted first lien loans underlying insured transactions, and identified a material number of defaulted loans that breach representations and warranties regarding the characteristics of the loans. The Company continues to review new files as new loans default and as new loan files are made available to it. The amount the Company ultimately recovers related to contractual representations and warranties is uncertain and subject to a number of factors including the counterparty's ability to pay, the number and amount of loans determined to have breached representations and warranties and, potentially, negotiated settlements or litigation. As such, the Company's estimate of recoveries is uncertain and actual amounts realized may differ significantly from these estimates. In arriving at the expected recovery from breaches of representations and warranties the Company considered the credit worthiness of the provider of representations and warranties, the

29



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

March 31, 2010

6. Financial Guaranty Contracts Accounted for as Insurance Contracts (Continued)


number of breaches found on defaulted loans, the success rate resolving these breaches with the provider of the representations and warranties and the potential amount of time until the recovery is realized. This calculation involved a variety of scenarios which ranged from the Company recovering substantially all of the losses it incurred due to violations of representations and warranties to the Company realizing very limited recoveries. These scenarios were probability weighted in order to determine the recovery incorporated into the Company's reserve estimate. This approach was used for both loans that had already defaulted and those assumed to default in the future. In all cases recoveries were limited to amounts paid or expected to be paid out by the Company.

        The ultimate performance of the Company's First Lien RMBS transactions remains highly uncertain and may be subject to considerable volatility due to the influence of many factors, including the level and timing of loan defaults, changes in housing prices and other variables. The Company will continue to monitor the performance of its RMBS exposures and will adjust the risk ratings of those transactions based on actual performance and management's estimates of future performance.

        The Company modeled sensitivities for first lien transactions by varying its assumptions of how fast an economic recovery was expected to occur. The primary variables that were varied when modeling sensitivities were the amount of time until the CDR returned to its modeled equilibrium, which was defined as 5% of the current CDR, and how quickly the stressed loss severity returned to its long term equilibrium, which was approximately a 20 point reduction in the current severity rate. In a stressed economic environment assuming a slow recovery rate in the performance of the CDR, where the CDR rate steps down in five increments over 11.3 years, and a five year period before severity rates return to their normalized rate, the reserves increase by $4.0 million for Alt-A transactions, $12.8 million for Option ARM transactions and $4.4 million for subprime transactions. Conversely, assuming a recovery in the performance of the CDR, whereby the CDR rates step down in two increments over 8.1 years, and a three year period before loss severity rates have returned to their normalized rates results in a reserve decrease of approximately $4.0 million for Alt-A transactions, $15.8 million for Option ARM transactions and $7.3 million for subprime transactions.

"XXX" Life Insurance Transactions

        AGC and AGUK have insured $428.2 million of net par in "XXX" life insurance reserve securitization transactions based on discrete blocks of individual life insurance business. In these transactions the monies raised by the sale of the bonds insured by AGC and AGUK are used to capitalize a special purpose vehicle that provides reinsurance to a life insurer or reinsurer. The monies are invested at inception in accounts managed by third-party investment managers. In order for AGC and AGUK to incur an ultimate net loss on these transactions, adverse experience on the underlying block of life insurance policies and/or credit losses in the investment portfolio would need to exceed the level of credit enhancement built into the transaction structures.

        AGC's and AGUK's $428.2 million in net par of XXX Life Insurance transactions is entirely in the financial guaranty direct segment. Of the total, $248.2 million was rated BIG by the Company as of March 31, 2010, and corresponded to two transactions, classified as BIG 2 and BIG 3. These two XXX transactions had material amounts of their assets invested in U.S. RMBS transactions.

30



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

March 31, 2010

6. Financial Guaranty Contracts Accounted for as Insurance Contracts (Continued)

        Based on its analysis of the information currently available, including estimates of future investment performance provided by the current investment manager, projected credit impairments on the invested assets and performance of the blocks of life insurance business at March 31, 2010, AGUK's gross expected loss, prior to reinsurance or netting of unearned premium, for its two BIG XXX insurance transactions was $56.2 million and its net reserve was $12.2 million.

        On December 19, 2008, AGUK sued J.P. Morgan Investment Management Inc. ("JPMIM"), the investment manager in one of the transactions, which relates to Orkney Re II p.l.c. ("Orkney Re II") in New York Supreme Court ("Court") alleging that JPMIM engaged in breaches of fiduciary duty, gross negligence and breaches of contract based upon its handling of the investments of Orkney Re II. On January 28, 2010 the Court ruled against AGUK on a motion to dismiss filed by JPMIM. AGUK has filed an appeal.

Public Finance Transactions

        Public finance net par outstanding represents 56% of total net par outstanding. Within the public finance category, $950 million was rated BIG. The largest BIG exposure is to a public finance transaction for sewer service in Jefferson County, Alabama. The Company's total exposure to this transaction is approximately $261 million of net par, of which $0 million is in the financial guaranty direct segment. The Company has made debt service payments during the year and expects to make additional payments in the near term. The Company is continuing its risk remediation efforts for this exposure.

Other Sectors and Transactions

        The Company continues to closely monitor other sectors and individual transactions it feels warrant the additional attention, including, as of March 31, 2010, its commercial mortgage exposure of $234.6 million of net par, of which $219.1 million was in the financial guaranty direct segment; its trust preferred securities ("TruPS") collateralized debt obligations ("CDOs") exposure of $494.1 million, most of which was in the financial guaranty direct segment; and its U.S. health care exposure of $5.4 billion of net par, of which $4.5 billion was in the financial guaranty direct segment.

7. Credit Derivatives

        Certain financial guaranty contracts written in credit derivative form, principally in the form of insured credit default swap ("CDS") contracts, have been deemed to meet the definition of a derivative under GAAP, which requires that an entity recognize all derivatives as either assets or liabilities in the consolidated balance sheet and measure those instruments at fair value. GAAP requires companies to recognize freestanding or embedded derivatives relating to beneficial interests in securitized financial instruments.

        In general, the Company structures credit derivative transactions such that the circumstances giving rise to the Company's obligation to make loss payments is similar to that for financial guaranty contracts written in insurance form and only occurs as losses are realized on the underlying reference obligation. Nonetheless, credit derivative transactions are governed by International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc. ("ISDA") documentation and operate differently from financial guaranty

31



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

March 31, 2010

7. Credit Derivatives (Continued)


contracts written in insurance form. For example, the Company's control rights with respect to a reference obligation under a credit derivative may be more limited than when the Company issues a financial guaranty contract written in insurance form on a direct primary basis. In addition, while the Company's exposure under credit derivatives, like the Company's exposure under financial guaranty contracts written in insurance form, has been generally for as long as the reference obligation remains outstanding, unlike those contracts, a credit derivative may be terminated for a breach of the ISDA documentation or other specific events. If events of default or termination events specified in the credit derivative documentation were to occur, the non-defaulting or the non-affected party, which may be either the Company or the counterparty, depending upon the circumstances, may decide to terminate a credit derivative prior to maturity. The Company may be required to make a termination payment to its swap counterparty upon such termination.

        Some of the Company's CDS have rating triggers that allow certain CDS counterparties to terminate in the case of downgrades. If certain of its credit derivative contracts were terminated the Company could be required to make a termination payment as determined under the relevant documentation, although under certain documents, the Company may have the right to cure the termination event by posting collateral, assigning its rights and obligations in respect of the transactions to a third party or seeking a third party guaranty of the obligations of the Company. As of March 31, 2010 and December 31, 2009, if AGC's ratings were downgraded to levels between BBB or Baa2 and BB+ or Ba1, certain CDS counterparties could terminate certain CDS contracts covering approximately $6.0 billion par insured. The Company does not believe that it can accurately estimate the termination payments it could be required to make if, as a result of any such downgrade, a CDS counterparty terminated its CDS contracts with the Company. These payments could have a material adverse effect on the Company's liquidity and financial condition.

        Under a limited number of other CDS contracts, the Company may be required to post eligible securities as collateral—generally cash or U.S. government or agency securities. For certain of such contracts, this requirement is based on a mark-to-market valuation, as determined under the relevant documentation, in excess of contractual thresholds that decline if the Company's ratings decline. Under other contracts, the Company has negotiated caps such that the posting requirement cannot exceed a certain amount. As of March 31, 2010, without giving effect to thresholds that apply under current ratings, the amount of par that is subject to collateral posting is approximately $19.6 billion. Counterparties have agreed that for approximately $18.2 billion of that $19.6 billion, the maximum amount that the Company could be required to post at current ratings is $425 million; if AGC were downgraded to A- by S&P or A3 by Moody's, that maximum amount would be $475 million. As of March 31, 2010, the Company had posted approximately $648.5 million of collateral in respect of approximately $19.5 billion of par insured. The Company may be required to post additional collateral from time to time, depending on its ratings and on the market values of the transactions subject to collateral posting.

        Realized gains and other settlements on credit derivatives include credit derivative premiums received and receivable for credit protection the Company has sold under its insured CDS contracts, premiums paid and payable for credit protection the Company has purchased as well as any contractual claim losses paid and payable and received and receivable related to insured credit events under these

32



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

March 31, 2010

7. Credit Derivatives (Continued)


contracts, ceding commissions (expense) income and realized gains or losses related to their early termination.

        The following table disaggregates realized gains and other settlements on credit derivatives into its component parts for the three months ended March 31, 2010 and 2009:

Realized Gains and Other Settlements on Credit Derivatives

 
  Three Months Ended March 31,  
 
  2010   2009  
 
  (in thousands)
 

Net credit derivative premiums received and receivable

  $ 18,719   $ 20,750  

Ceding commissions received and receivable (paid and payable), net

    1,997     2,219  
           
 

Realized gains on credit derivatives

    20,716     22,969  

Net credit derivative losses (paid and payable) recovered and recoverable

    (27,396 )    
           
 

Total realized gains and other settlements on credit derivatives

  $ (6,680 ) $ 22,969  
           

        Changes in unrealized gains and losses on credit derivatives are reflected in the consolidated statements of operations in "net unrealized gains (losses) on credit derivatives." Cumulative unrealized losses, determined on a contract by contract basis, are reflected as either net assets or net liabilities in the Company's consolidated balance sheets. Unrealized gains and losses resulting from changes in the fair value of credit derivatives occur because of changes in interest rates, credit spreads, the credit ratings of the referenced entities and the issuing company's own credit rating and other market factors. Except for estimated credit impairments, the unrealized gains and losses on credit derivatives will reduce to zero as the exposure approaches its maturity date.

        The Company determines the fair value of its credit derivative contracts primarily through modeling that uses various inputs to derive an estimate of the value of the Company's contracts in principal markets. See Note 8. Inputs include expected contractual life and credit spreads, based on observable market indices and on recent pricing for similar contracts. Credit spreads capture the impact of recovery rates and performance of underlying assets, among other factors, on these contracts. The Company's pricing model takes into account not only how credit spreads on risks that it assumes affect pricing, but also how the Company's own credit spread affects the pricing of its deals. If credit spreads of the underlying obligations change, the fair value of the related credit derivative changes. Market liquidity could also impact valuations of the underlying obligations.

        The impact of changes in credit spreads will vary based upon the volume, tenor, interest rates, and other market conditions at the time these fair values are determined. In addition, since each transaction has unique collateral and structure terms, the underlying change in fair value of each transaction may vary considerably. The fair value of credit derivative contracts also reflects the change in the Company's own credit cost based on the price to purchase credit protection on AGC. As of

33



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

March 31, 2010

7. Credit Derivatives (Continued)


March 31, 2010, the net credit liability included a reduction in the liability of $1.9 billion representing AGC's credit value adjustment. The Company determines its own credit risk based on quoted CDS prices traded on the Company at each balance sheet date. Historically, the price of CDS traded on AGC moves directionally the same as general market spreads, however in the First Quarter of 2010, AGC's CDS widened while the general market tightened. Generally, a widening of the CDS prices traded on AGC has an effect of offsetting unrealized losses that result from widening general market credit spreads, while a narrowing of the CDS prices traded on AGC has an effect of offsetting unrealized gains that result from narrowing general market credit spreads. An overall narrowing of spreads generally results in an unrealized gain on credit derivatives for the Company and an overall widening of spreads generally results in an unrealized loss for the Company.

Effect of Company's Credit Spread on Credit Derivatives Fair Value

 
  As of
March 31, 2010
  As of
December 31, 2009
 
 
  (dollars in millions)
 

Quoted price of CDS contract (in basis points)

    734     634  

Fair value of CDS contracts:

             
 

Before considering implication of the Company's credit spreads

  $ (2,508.3 ) $ (2,630.2 )
 

After considering implication of the Company's credit spreads

  $ (614.0 ) $ (824.7 )

        As of March 31, 2010, AGC's credit spreads remained relatively wide compared to pre-2007 levels, as did general market spreads. The $2.5 billion liability as of March 31, 2010, which represents the fair value of CDS contracts before considering the implications of AGC's credit spreads, is a direct result of continued wide credit spreads in the fixed income security markets, and ratings downgrades. The asset classes that remain most affected, are the more recent vintages of Subprime RMBS and Alt-A deals, as well as trust- preferred securities. When looking at the First Quarter 2010, compared to the First Quarter 2009, there was tightening of general market spreads as well as a run-off in net par outstanding, resulting in a gain of approximately $121.9 million before taking into account AGC's credit spreads.

        During First Quarter 2009, the Company incurred net pre-tax unrealized losses on credit derivative contracts of $23.0 million. Of this amount, $1.9 billion was due to the widening of AGC's own credit spread from 1,775 basis points at December 31, 2008 to 3,847 basis points at March 31, 2009. As of March 31, 2009, the Company had a gain of $5.1 billion associated with the widening of AGC's credit spread to 3,847 basis points. Management believed that the widening of AGC's credit spread was due to the correlation between AGC's risk profile and that experienced by the broader financial markets and increased demand for credit protection against AGC as the result of its direct segment financial guarantee volume as well as the overall lack of liquidity in the CDS market. Offsetting the gain attributable to the significant increase in AGC's credit spread were declines in fixed income security market prices primarily attributable to widening spreads in certain markets as a result of the continued deterioration in credit markets and some credit rating downgrades, rather than from delinquencies or defaults on securities guaranteed by the Company. The higher credit spreads in the fixed income

34



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

March 31, 2010

7. Credit Derivatives (Continued)


security market were due to the recent lack of liquidity in the high yield CDOs and collateralized loan obligation ("CLOs") markets as well as continuing market concerns over the most recent vintages of subprime residential mortgage backed securities and commercial mortgage backed securities.

        The estimated remaining weighted average life of credit derivative exposure outstanding subject to derivative accounting rules was 7.7 years at March 31, 2010 and 8.0 years at December 31, 2009.

        The components of the Company's net par outstanding and change in unrealized gain (loss) on credit derivatives as of March 31, 2010 and December 31, 2009 and for the three months ended March 31, 2010 and 2009 are:

Net Par Outstanding on Credit Derivatives

 
  As of March 31, 2010   As of December 31, 2009
Asset Type
  Original
Subordination(1)
  Current
Subordination(1)
  Net Par
Outstanding
  Weighted
Average
Credit
Rating(2)
  Original
Subordination(1)
  Current
Subordination(1)
  Net Par
Outstanding
  Weighted
Average
Credit
Rating(2)
 
  (dollars in millions)

Financial Guaranty Direct:

                                           
 

Pooled corporate obligations:

                                           
   

CLOs/CBOs

    35.5 %   30.6 % $ 17,142   AAA     35.4 %   30.2 % $ 17,312   AAA
   

Synthetic investment grade pooled corporate

    30.0     29.7     1,647   AAA     30.0     29.4     1,647   AAA
   

Trust preferred securities

    46.0     33.7     4,481   BB+     46.5     36.9     4,566   BB+
   

Market value CDOs of corporate obligations

    37.0     37.7     3,115   AAA     38.8     39.0     3,002   AAA
                                 
 

Total pooled corporate obligations

    37.2     31.9     26,385   AA+     37.4     32.3     26,527   AA+
 

U.S. RMBS:

                                           
   

Alt-A Option ARMs and Alt-A First Lien

    20.3     21.0     4,200   BB-     20.3     22.0     4,320   BB
   

Subprime First Lien

    27.5     57.6     3,695   A+     27.6     52.4     3,782   A+
   

Prime First Lien

    10.9     10.5     451   B     10.9     11.1     467   BB
   

CES and HELOCs

    0.0     19.1     12   AA     0.0     19.2     13   AA
                                 
 

Total U.S. RMBS

    22.9     36.3     8,358   BBB-     22.9     34.6     8,582   BBB
 

Commercial mortgage-backed securities

    28.6     31.2     5,782   AAA     28.5     30.9     5,844   AAA
 

Other

            6,793   AA             7,255   AA
                                         

Total

              $ 47,318   AA               $ 48,208   AA
                                         

(1)
Represents the sum of subordinate tranches and over-collateralization and does not include any benefit from excess interest collections that may be used to absorb losses.

(2)
Based on the Company's internal rating, which is on a ratings scale similar to that used by the nationally recognized rating agencies.

35



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

March 31, 2010

7. Credit Derivatives (Continued)

Change in Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Credit Derivatives

 
  Three Months Ended
March 31,
 
Asset Type
  2010   2009  
 
  (in millions)
 

Pooled corporate obligations:

             
 

CLOs/CBOs

  $ 1.0   $ (62.4 )
 

Synthetic investment grade pooled corporate

    (0.8 )   1.6  
 

Trust preferred securities

    23.3     61.1  
 

Market value CDOs of corporate obligations

    0.2     (5.8 )
 

Commercial Real Estate

        (1.8 )
 

CDO of CDOs (corporate)

        (0.7 )
           

Total pooled corporate obligations

    23.7     (8.0 )

U.S. RMBS:

             
 

Alt-A Option ARMs and Alt-A First Lien

    115.3     (40.2 )
 

Subprime First lien

    0.6     (3.3 )
 

Prime first lien

    11.9     (40.7 )
 

CES and HELOCs

         
           

Total U.S. RMBS

    127.8     (84.2 )

Commercial mortgage-backed securities

    8.0     (25.2 )

Other

    50.0     94.4  
           

Total

  $ 209.5   $ (23.0 )
           

        Corporate CLOs, synthetic pooled corporate obligations, market value CDOs, and TruPS, which comprise the Company's pooled corporate exposures, include all U.S. structured finance pooled corporate obligations and international pooled corporate obligations. U.S. RMBS are comprised of prime and subprime U.S. mortgage-backed and home equity securities. CMBS are comprised of commercial U.S. structured finance and commercial international mortgage backed securities. "Other" includes all other U.S. and international asset classes, such as commercial receivables, international infrastructure, international RMBS and home equity securities, and pooled infrastructure securities.

        The Company's exposure to pooled corporate obligations is highly diversified in terms of obligors and, except in the case of TruPS, industries. Most pooled corporate transactions are structured to limit exposure to any given obligor and industry. The majority of the Company's pooled corporate exposure in the financial guaranty direct segment consists of CLOs or synthetic pooled corporate obligations. Most of these direct CLOs have an average obligor size of less than 1% and typically restrict the maximum exposure to any one industry to approximately 10%. The Company's exposure also benefits from embedded credit enhancement in the transactions which allows a transaction to sustain a certain level of losses in the underlying collateral, further insulating the Company from industry specific concentrations of credit risk on these deals.

        The Company's TruPS CDO asset pools are generally less diversified by obligors and especially industries than the typical CLO asset pool. Also, the underlying collateral in TruPS CDOs consists

36



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

March 31, 2010

7. Credit Derivatives (Continued)


primarily of subordinated debt instruments such as TruPS issued by banks, real estate investment trusts ("REITs") and insurance companies, while CLOs typically contain primarily senior secured obligations. Finally, TruPS CDOs typically contain interest rate hedges that may complicate the cash flows. However, to mitigate these risks TruPS CDOs were typically structured with higher levels of embedded credit enhancement than typical CLOs.

        The Company's exposure to "Other" CDS contracts is also highly diversified. It includes $2.4 billion of exposure to four pooled infrastructure transactions comprised of diversified pools of international infrastructure project transactions and loans to regulated utilities. These pools were all structured with underlying credit enhancement sufficient for the Company to attach at super senior AAA levels. The remaining $4.4 billion of exposure in "Other" CDS contracts is comprised of numerous deals typically structured with significant underlying credit enhancement and spread across various asset classes, such as commercial receivables, international RMBS and home equity securities, infrastructure, regulated utilities and consumer receivables. Substantially all of this exposure is rated IG and the weighted average credit rating is AA.

        The unrealized gain for the three months ended March 31, 2010, on "Other" CDS contracts is primarily attributable to implied spreads narrowing on a film securitization transaction.

        With considerable volatility continuing in the market, unrealized gains (losses) on credit derivatives may fluctuate significantly in future periods.

        The following tables present additional details about the Company's unrealized gain or loss on credit derivatives associated with RMBS by vintage and asset type as of and for the three months ended March 31, 2010:

U.S. Residential Mortgage-Backed Securities

Vintage
  Original
Subordination(1)
  Current
Subordination(1)
  Net Par
Outstanding
(in millions)
  Weighted
Average
Credit
Rating(2)
  Three Months Ended
March 31, 2010
Unrealized Gain (Loss)
(in millions)
 

2004 and Prior

    6.1 %   20.3 % $ 134   A   $ 0.3  

2005

    26.8     58.9     2,694   AA-     1.4  

2006

    28.5     50.6     1,367   BBB     4.3  

2007

    19.2     18.2     4,163   B+     121.8  

2008

                   

2009

                   

2010

                   
                           

Total

    22.9 %   36.3 % $ 8,358   BBB-   $ 127.8  
                           

(1)
Represents the sum of subordinate tranches and over-collateralization and does not include any benefit from excess interest collections that may be used to absorb losses.

(2)
Represents the Company's internal rating, which is based on a rating scale similar to that used by the nationally recognized rating agencies.

37



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

March 31, 2010

7. Credit Derivatives (Continued)

        The following table presents additional details about the Company's unrealized gain or loss on credit derivatives associated with commercial mortgage-backed securities by vintage as of and for the three months ended March 31, 2010:

Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities

Vintage
  Original
Subordination(1)
  Current
Subordination(1)
  Net Par
Outstanding
(in millions)
  Weighted
Average
Credit
Rating(2)
  Three Months Ended
March 31, 2010
Unrealized Gain (Loss)
(in millions)
 

2004 and Prior

    28.2 %   43.0 % $ 614   AAA   $ 0.2  

2005

    17.6     24.9     514   AAA     0.3  

2006

    26.4     27.2     3,460   AAA     3.8  

2007

    41.1     41.4     1,194   AAA     3.7  

2008

                   

2009

                   

2010

                   
                           

Total

    28.6 %   31.2 % $ 5,782   AAA   $ 8.0  
                           

(1)
Represents the sum of subordinate tranches and over-collateralization and does not include any benefit from excess interest collections that may be used to absorb losses.

(2)
Represents the Company's internal rating, which is based on a rating scale similar to that used by the nationally recognized rating agencies.

        The following table summarizes the estimated change in fair values on the net balance of the Company's credit derivative positions assuming immediate parallel shifts in credit spreads on AGC and on the risks that it assumes:

 
  As of March 31, 2010  
Credit Spreads
  Estimated Net
Fair Value (Pre-Tax)
  Estimated Pre-Tax
Change in Gain /(Loss)
 
 
  (in millions)
 

100% widening in spreads

  $ (1,587.2 ) $ (973.2 )

50% widening in spreads

    (1,100.6 )   (486.6 )

25% widening in spreads

    (857.3 )   (243.3 )

10% widening in spreads

    (711.3 )   (97.3 )

Base Scenario

    (614.0 )    

10% narrowing in spreads

    (547.3 )   66.7  

25% narrowing in spreads

    (447.9 )   166.1  

50% narrowing in spreads

    (281.6 )   332.4  

(1)
Includes the effects of spreads on both the underlying asset classes and the Company's own credit spread.

38



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

March 31, 2010

7. Credit Derivatives (Continued)

        During First Quarter 2010, due to technical factors such as mismatched supply and demand for buyers and sellers of protection on AGC's credit spread, AGC's credit spread did not move in correlation with asset price changes experienced in the broader market. However, based upon historical data, and price shifts experienced as of the date of this filing, the Company believes that AGC's credit spreads continue to remain correlated with asset price changes experienced throughout the financial markets.

8. Fair Value of Financial Instruments

        The carrying amount and estimated fair value of financial instruments are presented in the following table:

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

 
  As of March 31, 2010   As of December 31, 2009  
 
  Carrying
Amount
  Estimated
Fair Value
  Carrying
Amount
  Estimated
Fair Value
 
 
  (in thousands)
 

Assets:

                         
 

Fixed maturity securities

  $ 2,139,060   $ 2,139,060   $ 2,045,211   $ 2,045,211  
 

Short-term investments

    580,018     580,018     802,567     802,567  
 

Credit derivative assets

    304,243     304,243     251,992     251,992  
 

Committed capital securities, at fair value

    5,408     5,408     3,987     3,987  
 

Financial guaranty variable interest entities' assets

    369,871     369,871          

Liabilities:

                         
 

Financial guaranty insurance contracts(1)

    778,455     1,025,866     801,320     1,061,330  
 

Note payable to affiliate

    300,000     287,484     300,000     300,000  
 

Credit derivative liabilities

    918,255     918,255     1,076,726     1,076,726  
 

Financial guaranty variable interest entities' liabilities with recourse

    403,688     403,688          
 

Financial guaranty variable interest entities' liabilities without recourse

    14,674     14,674          

(1)
Includes the balance sheet amounts related to financial guaranty insurance contract premiums and losses, net of reinsurance.

Background

        Fair value framework defines fair value as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability (an exit price) in an orderly transaction between market participants on the measurement date. The price represents the price available in the principal market for the asset or liability. If there is no principal market, then the price is based on the market that maximizes the value received for an asset or minimizes the amount paid for a liability (i.e. the most advantageous market).

39



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

March 31, 2010

8. Fair Value of Financial Instruments (Continued)

        A fair value hierarchy was also established based on whether the inputs to valuation techniques used to measure fair value are observable or unobservable. Observable inputs reflect market data obtained from independent sources, while unobservable inputs reflect the Company's estimates of market assumptions. In accordance with GAAP, the fair value hierarchy prioritizes model inputs into three broad levels as follows:

        Level 1—Quoted prices for identical instruments in active markets.

        Level 2—Quoted prices for similar instruments in active markets; quoted prices for identical or similar instruments in markets that are not active; and observable inputs other than quoted prices, such as interest rates or yield curves and other inputs derived from or corroborated by observable market inputs.

        Level 3—Model derived valuations in which one or more significant inputs or significant value drivers are unobservable. This hierarchy requires the use of observable market data when available. Financial instruments are considered Level 3 when their values are determined using pricing models, discounted cash flow methodologies or similar techniques and at least one significant model assumption or input is unobservable. Level 3 financial instruments also include those for which the determination of fair value requires significant management judgment or estimation.

        An asset or liability's categorization within the fair value hierarchy is based on the lowest level of significant input to its valuation.

Financial Instruments Carried at Fair Value

        The measurement provision of the fair value framework applies to both amounts recorded in the Company's financial statements and to disclosures. Amounts recorded at fair value in the Company's financial statements on a recurring basis are included in the tables below.

40



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

March 31, 2010

8. Fair Value of Financial Instruments (Continued)

Fair Value Hierarchy of Financial Instruments
Recurring Basis
As of March 31, 2010

 
   
  Fair Value Measurements Using  
 
  Fair Value   Level 1   Level 2   Level 3  
 
  (in millions)
 

Assets:

                         

Investment portfolio, available-for-sale:

                         
 

Fixed maturity securities:

                         
   

U.S. government and agencies

  $ 460.2   $   $ 460.2   $  
   

Obligations of state and political subdivisions

    1,029.3         1,029.3      
   

Corporate securities

    219.8         219.8      
   

Mortgage-backed securities:

                         
     

Residential mortgage-backed securities

    186.2         154.8     31.4  
     

Commercial mortgage-backed securities

    78.2         78.2      
   

Asset-backed securities

    85.8         85.8      
   

Foreign government securities

    79.6         79.6      
                   
     

Total fixed maturity securities

    2,139.1         2,107.7     31.4  
 

Short-term investments

    580.0     168.4     411.6      
 

Credit derivative assets

    304.2             304.2  
 

Committed capital securities, at fair value

    5.4         5.4      
 

Financial guaranty variable interest entities' assets

    369.9             369.9  
                   
   

Total assets

  $ 3,398.6   $ 168.4   $ 2,524.7   $ 705.5  
                   

Liabilities:

                         
 

Credit derivative liabilities

  $ 918.3   $   $   $ 918.3  
 

Financial guaranty variable interest entities' liabilities with recourse

    403.7             403.7  
 

Financial guaranty variable interest entities' liabilities without recourse

    14.7             14.7  
                   
   

Total liabilities

  $ 1,336.7   $   $   $ 1,336.7  
                   

41



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

March 31, 2010

8. Fair Value of Financial Instruments (Continued)

Fair Value Hierarchy of Financial Instruments
Recurring Basis
As of December 31, 2009

 
   
  Fair Value Measurements Using  
 
  Fair Value   Level 1   Level 2   Level 3  
 
  (in millions)
 

Assets:

                         

Investment portfolio, available-for-sale:

                         
 

Fixed maturity securities:

                         
   

U.S. government and agencies

  $ 451.5   $   $ 451.5   $  
   

Obligations of state and political subdivisions

    1,059.1         1,059.1      
   

Corporate securities

    183.3         183.3      
   

Mortgage-backed securities:

                         
     

Residential mortgage-backed securities

    190.6         190.6      
     

Commercial mortgage-backed securities

    64.3         64.3      
   

Asset-backed securities

    16.7         16.7      
   

Foreign government securities

    79.7         79.7      
                   
     

Total fixed maturity securities

    2,045.2         2,045.2      
 

Short-term investments

    802.6     43.2     759.4      
 

Credit derivative assets

    252.0             252.0  
 

Committed capital securities, at fair value

    4.0         4.0      
                   
   

Total assets

  $ 3,103.8   $ 43.2   $ 2,808.6   $ 252.0  
                   

Liabilities:

                         
 

Credit derivative liabilities

  $ 1,076.7   $   $   $ 1,076.7  
                   
   

Total liabilities

  $ 1,076.7   $   $   $ 1,076.7  
                   

Fixed Maturity Securities and Short-term Investments

        The fair value of bonds in the Investment Portfolio is generally based on quoted market prices received from third party pricing services or alternative pricing sources with reasonable levels of price transparency. Such quotes generally consider a variety of factors, including recent trades of the same and similar securities. If quoted market prices are not available, the valuation is based on pricing models that use dealer price quotations, price activity for traded securities with similar attributes and other relevant market factors as inputs, including security type, rating, vintage, tenor and its position in the capital structure of the issuer. The Company considers securities prices from pricing services, index providers or broker-dealers to be Level 2 in the fair value hierarchy. Prices determined based upon model processes are considered to be Level 3 in the fair value hierarchy. The Company used model processes to price four fixed maturity securities as of March 31, 2010 and these securities were classified as Level 3.

        Broker-dealer quotations obtained to price securities are generally considered to be indicative and are nonactionable (i.e. non-binding).

42



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

March 31, 2010

8. Fair Value of Financial Instruments (Continued)

        The Company did not make any internal adjustments to prices provided by its third party pricing service.

Committed Capital Securities

        The fair value of committed capital securities (the "CCS Securities") represents the difference between the present value of remaining expected put option premium payments under AGC's CCS agreements and the value of such estimated payments based upon the quoted price for such premium payments as of the reporting dates. See Note 15. Changes in fair value of this financial instrument are included in the consolidated statements of operations. The significant market inputs used are observable, therefore, the Company classified this fair value measurement as Level 2.

Financial Guaranty Credit Derivatives Accounted for as Derivatives

        The Company's credit derivatives consist primarily of insured CDS contracts (see Note 7) most of which fall under derivative accounting guidance requiring fair value accounting through the consolidated statements of operations. The Company does not typically exit its credit derivative contracts, and there are no quoted prices for its instruments or for similar instruments. Observable inputs other than quoted market prices exist; however, these inputs reflect contracts that do not contain terms and conditions similar to the credit derivative contracts issued by the Company. Therefore, the valuation of credit derivative contracts requires the use of models that contain significant, unobservable inputs. The Company accordingly believes the credit derivative valuations are in Level 3 in the fair value hierarchy discussed above.

        The fair value of the Company's credit derivative contracts represents the difference between the present value of remaining expected net premiums the Company receives for the credit protection and the estimated present value of premiums that a comparable credit-worthy financial guarantor would hypothetically charge the Company for the same protection at the balance sheet date. The fair value of the Company's credit derivatives depends on a number of factors, including notional amount of the contract, expected term, credit spreads, changes in interest rates, the credit ratings of referenced entities, the Company's own credit risk and remaining contractual cash flows.

        Market conditions at March 31, 2010, were such that market prices of the Company's CDS contracts were not generally available. Where market prices were not available, the Company used proprietary valuation models that used both unobservable and observable market data inputs such as various market indices, credit spreads, the Company's own credit spread, and estimated contractual payments to estimate the portion of the fair value of its credit derivatives. These models are primarily developed internally based on market conventions for similar transactions.

        Management considers the non-standard terms of its credit derivative contracts in determining the fair value of these contracts. These terms differ from more standardized credit derivative contracts sold by companies outside the financial guaranty industry. The non-standard terms include the absence of collateral support agreements or immediate settlement provisions. In addition, the Company employs relatively high attachment points and does not exit derivatives it sells for credit protection purposes, except under specific circumstances such as novations upon exiting a line of business. Because of these terms and conditions, the fair value of the Company's credit derivatives may not reflect the same prices

43



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

March 31, 2010

8. Fair Value of Financial Instruments (Continued)


observed in an actively traded market of credit derivatives that do not contain terms and conditions similar to those observed in the financial guaranty market. The Company's models and the related assumptions are continuously reevaluated by management and enhanced, as appropriate, based upon improvements in modeling techniques and availability of more timely and relevant market information.

        Remaining contractual cash flows are the most readily observable variables since they are based on the CDS contractual terms. These variables include (i) net premiums received and receivable on written credit derivative contracts, (ii) net premiums paid and payable on purchased contracts, (iii) losses paid and payable to credit derivative contract counterparties and (iv) losses recovered and recoverable on purchased contracts.

        Valuation models include management estimates and current market information. Management is also required to make assumptions on how the fair value of credit derivative instruments is affected by current market conditions. Management considers factors such as current prices charged for similar agreements, performance of underlying assets, life of the instrument, and credit derivative exposure ceded under reinsurance agreements, and the nature and extent of activity in the financial guaranty credit derivative marketplace. The assumptions that management uses to determine its fair value may change in the future due to market conditions. Due to the inherent uncertainties of the assumptions used in the valuation models to determine the fair value of these credit derivative products, actual experience may differ from the estimates reflected in the Company's consolidated financial statements and the differences may be material.

Assumptions and Inputs

        Listed below are various inputs and assumptions that are key to the establishment of the Company's fair value for CDS contracts.

        The key assumptions of the Company's internally developed model include the following:

    Gross spread is the difference between the yield of a security paid by an issuer on an insured versus uninsured basis or, in the case of a CDS transaction, the difference between the yield and an index such as the London Interbank Offered Rate ("LIBOR"). Such pricing is well established by historical financial guaranty fees relative to capital market spreads as observed and executed in competitive markets, including in financial guaranty reinsurance and secondary market transactions.

    Gross spread on a financial guaranty written in CDS form is allocated among:

    1.
    the profit the originator, usually an investment bank, realizes for putting the deal together and funding the transaction ("bank profit");

    2.
    premiums paid to the Company for the Company's credit protection provided ("net spread"); and

    3.
    the cost of CDS protection purchased on the Company by the originator to hedge their counterparty credit risk exposure to the Company ("hedge cost").

        The premium the Company receives is referred to as the "net spread." The Company's own credit risk is factored into the determination of net spread based on the impact of changes in the quoted

44



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

March 31, 2010

8. Fair Value of Financial Instruments (Continued)


market price for credit protection bought on the Company, as reflected by quoted market prices on CDS referencing AGC. The cost to acquire CDS protection referencing AGC affects the amount of spread on CDS deals that the Company retains and, hence, their fair value. As the cost to acquire CDS protection referencing AGC increases, the amount of premium the Company retains on a deal generally decreases. As the cost to acquire CDS protection referencing AGC decreases, the amount of premium the Company retains on a deal generally increases. In the Company's valuation model, the premium the Company captures is not permitted to go below the minimum rate that the Company would currently charge to assume similar risks. This assumption can have the effect of mitigating the amount of unrealized gains that are recognized on certain CDS contracts.

        The Company determines the fair value of its CDS contracts by applying the net spread for the remaining duration of each contract to the notional value of its CDS contracts. To the extent available actual transactions executed in the accounting period are used to validate the model results and to explain the correlation between various market indices and indicative CDS market prices.

        The Company's fair value model inputs are gross spread, credit spreads on risks assumed and credit spreads on the Company's name.

        Gross spread is an input into the Company's fair value model that is used to ultimately determine the net spread a comparable financial guarantor would charge the Company to transfer risk at the reporting date. The Company's estimate of the fair value adjustment represents the difference between the estimated present value of premiums that a comparable financial guarantor would accept to assume the risk from the Company on the current reporting date, on terms identical to the original contracts written by the Company and at the contractual premium for each individual credit derivative contract. This is an observable input that the Company obtains for deals it has closed or bid on in the market place.

        The Company obtains credit spreads on risks assumed from market data sources published by third parties (e.g. dealer spread tables for the collateral similar to assets within the Company's transactions) as well as collateral-specific spreads provided by trustees or obtained from market sources. If observable market credit spreads are not available or reliable for the underlying reference obligations, then market indices are used that most closely resembles the underlying reference obligations, considering asset class, credit quality rating and maturity of the underlying reference obligations. As discussed previously, these indices are adjusted to reflect the non-standard terms of the Company's CDS contracts. Market sources determine credit spreads by reviewing new issuance pricing for specific asset classes and receiving price quotes from their trading desks for the specific asset in question. Management validates these quotes by cross-referencing quotes received from one market source against quotes received from another market source to ensure reasonableness. In addition, the Company compares the relative change in price quotes received from one quarter to another, with the relative change experienced by published market indices for a specific asset class. Collateral specific spreads obtained from third-party, independent market sources are un-published spread quotes from market participants and or market traders whom are not trustees. Management obtains this information as the result of direct communication with these sources as part of the valuation process.

        For credit spreads on the Company's name the Company obtains the quoted price of CDS contracts traded on AGC from market data sources published by third parties.

45



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

March 31, 2010

8. Fair Value of Financial Instruments (Continued)

Example

        The following is an example of how changes in gross spreads, the Company's own credit spread and the cost to buy protection on the Company affect the amount of premium the Company can demand for its credit protection. Scenario 1 represents the market conditions in effect on the transaction date and Scenario 2 represents market conditions at a subsequent reporting date.

 
  Scenario 1   Scenario 2  
 
  bps   % of Total   bps   % of Total  

Original gross spread/cash bond price (in bps)

    185           500        

Bank profit (in bps)

    115     62 %   50     10 %

Hedge cost (in bps)

    30     16     440     88  

The Company premium received per annum (in bps)

    40     22     10     2  

        In Scenario 1, the gross spread is 185 basis points. The bank or deal originator captures 115 basis points of the original gross spread and hedges 10% of its exposure to AGC, when the CDS spread on AGC was 300 basis points (300 basis points × 10% = 30 basis points). Under this scenario the Company received premium of 40 basis points, or 22% of the gross spread.

        In Scenario 2, the gross spread is 500 basis points. The bank or deal originator captures 50 basis points of the original gross spread and hedges 25% of its exposure to AGC, when the CDS spread on AGC was 1,760 basis points (1,760 basis points × 25% = 440 basis points). Under this scenario the Company would receive premium of 10 basis points, or 2% of the gross spread.

        In this example, the contractual cash flows (the Company premium received per annum above) exceed the amount a market participant would require the Company to pay in today's market to accept its obligations under the CDS contract, thus resulting in an asset. This credit derivative asset is equal to the difference in premium rate discounted at the corresponding LIBOR over the weighted average remaining life of the contract. The expected future cash flows for the Company's credit derivatives were discounted at rates ranging from 1.0% to 4.5% at March 31, 2010. The expected future cash flows for the Company's credit derivatives were discounted at rates ranging from 1.0% to 4.5% at December 31, 2009.

        The Company corroborates the assumptions in its fair value model, including the amount of exposure to AGC hedged by its counterparties, with independent third parties each reporting period. The current level of AGC's own credit spread has resulted in the bank or deal originator hedging a significant portion of its exposure to AGC. This reduces the amount of contractual cash flows AGC can capture for selling its protection.

        The amount of premium a financial guaranty insurance market participant can demand is inversely related to the cost of credit protection on the insurance company as measured by market credit spreads. This is because the buyers of credit protection typically hedge a portion of their risk to the financial guarantor, due to the fact that contractual terms of financial guaranty insurance contracts typically do not require the posting of collateral by the guarantor. The widening of a financial guarantor's own credit spread increases the cost to buy credit protection on the guarantor, thereby reducing the amount of premium the guarantor can capture out of the gross spread on the deal. The extent of the hedge depends on the types of instruments insured and the current market conditions.

46



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

March 31, 2010

8. Fair Value of Financial Instruments (Continued)

        A credit derivative asset is the result of contractual cash flows on in-force deals in excess of what a hypothetical financial guarantor could receive if it sold protection on the same risk as of the current reporting date. If the Company were able to freely exchange these contracts (i.e., assuming its contracts did not contain proscriptions on transfer and there was a viable exchange market), it would be able to realize an asset representing the difference between the higher contractual premiums to which it is entitled and the current market premiums for a similar contract.

        Management does not believe there is an established market where financial guaranty insured credit derivatives are actively traded. The terms of the protection under an insured financial guaranty credit derivative do not, except for certain rare circumstances, allow the Company to exit its contracts. Management has determined that the exit market for the Company's credit derivatives is a hypothetical one based on its entry market. Management has tracked the historical pricing of the Company's deals to establish historical price points in the hypothetical market that are used in the fair value calculation.

        The following spread hierarchy is utilized in determining which source of spread to use, with the rule being to use CDS spreads where available. If not available, the Company either interpolates or extrapolates CDS spreads based on similar transactions or market indices.

    Actual collateral specific credit spreads (if up-to-date and reliable market-based spreads are available, they are used).

    Credit spreads are interpolated based upon market indices or deals priced or closed during a specific quarter within a specific asset class and specific rating.

    Credit spreads provided by the counterparty of the CDS.

    Credit spreads are extrapolated based upon transactions of similar asset classes, similar ratings, and similar time to maturity.

        Over time the data inputs can change as new sources become available or existing sources are discontinued or are no longer considered to be the most appropriate. It is the Company's objective to move to higher levels on the hierarchy whenever possible, but it is sometimes necessary to move to lower priority inputs because of discontinued data sources or management's assessment that the higher priority inputs are no longer considered to be representative of market spreads for a given type of collateral. This can happen, for example, if transaction volume changes such that a previously used spread index is no longer viewed as being reflective of current market levels.

Information by Credit Spread Type

 
  As of March 31, 2010   As of December 31, 2009  

Based on actual collateral specific spreads

    9 %   9 %

Based on market indices

    81 %   81 %

Provided by the CDS counterparty

    10 %   10 %
           

Total

    100 %   100 %
           

        The Company interpolates a curve based on the historical relationship between premium the Company receives when a financial guaranty contract written in CDS form is closed to the daily closing

47



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

March 31, 2010

8. Fair Value of Financial Instruments (Continued)


price of the market index related to the specific asset class and rating of the deal. This curve indicates expected credit spreads at each indicative level on the related market index. For specific transactions where no price quotes are available and credit spreads need to be extrapolated, an alternative transaction for which the Company has received a spread quote from one of the first three sources within the Company's spread hierarchy is chosen. This alternative transaction will be within the same asset class, have similar underlying assets, similar credit ratings, and similar time to maturity. The Company then calculates the percentage of relative spread change quarter over quarter for the alternative transaction. This percentage change is then applied to the historical credit spread of the transaction for which no price quote was received in order to calculate the transactions current spread. Counterparties determine credit spreads by reviewing new issuance pricing for specific asset classes and receiving price quotes from their trading desks for the specific asset in question. These quotes are validated by cross-referencing quotes received from one market source with those quotes received from another market source to ensure reasonableness. In addition, management compares the relative change experienced on published market indices for a specific asset class for reasonableness and accuracy.

Strengths and Weaknesses of Model

        The Company's credit derivative valuation model, like any financial model, has certain strengths and weaknesses.

        The primary strengths of the Company's CDS modeling techniques are:

    The model takes account of transaction structure and the key drivers of market value. The transaction structure includes par insured, weighted average life, level of subordination and composition of collateral.

    The model maximizes the use of market-driven inputs whenever they are available. The key inputs to the model are market-based spreads for the collateral, and the credit rating of referenced entities. These are viewed by the Company to be the key parameters that affect fair value of the transaction.

    The Company is able to use actual transactions to validate its model results and to explain the correlation between various market indices and indicative CDS market prices. Management first attempts to compare modeled values to premiums on deals the Company received on new deals written within the reporting period. If no new transactions were written for a particular asset type in the period or if the number of transactions is not reflective of a representative sample, management compares modeled results to premium bids offered by the Company to provide credit protection on new transactions within the reporting period, the premium the Company has received on historical transactions to provide credit protection in net tight and wide credit environments and/or the premium on transactions closed by other financial guaranty insurance companies during the reporting period.

    The model is a well-documented, consistent approach to valuing positions that minimizes subjectivity. The Company has developed a hierarchy for market-based spread inputs that helps mitigate the degree of subjectivity during periods of high illiquidity.

48



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

March 31, 2010

8. Fair Value of Financial Instruments (Continued)

        The primary weaknesses of the Company's CDS modeling techniques are:

    There is no exit market or actual exit transactions. Therefore the Company's exit market is a hypothetical one based on the Company's entry market.

    There is a very limited market in which to verify the fair values developed by the Company's model.

    At March 31, 2010 and December 31, 2009, the markets for the inputs to the model were highly illiquid, which impacts their reliability. However, the Company employs various procedures to corroborate the reasonableness of quotes received and calculated by the Company's internal valuation model, including comparing to other quotes received on similarly structured transactions, observed spreads on structured products with comparable underlying assets and, on a selective basis when possible, through second independent quotes on the same reference obligation.

    Due to the non-standard terms under which the Company enters into derivative contracts, the fair value of its credit derivatives may not reflect the same prices observed in an actively traded market of credit derivatives that do not contain terms and conditions similar to those observed in the financial guaranty market.

        Financial assets and liabilities are classified in their entirety based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement. As of March 31, 2010 and December 31, 2009, these contracts are classified as Level 3 in the fair value hierarchy since there is reliance on at least one unobservable input deemed significant to the valuation model, most significantly the Company's estimate of the value of the non-standard terms and conditions of its credit derivative contracts and of the Company's current credit standing.

Fair Value Option on Financial Guaranty Variable Interest Entities' Assets and Liabilities

        The Company elected the Fair Value Option for financial guaranty variable interest entities ("VIE") assets and liabilities upon adopting the new accounting guidance on accounting for VIEs (see Note 19).

        The Company's financial guaranty VIEs issued securities collateralized by Alt-A second lien RMBS and other receivables. As the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement of these securities in its entirety was a Level 3 input, we classified all such securities as Level 3 in the fair value hierarchy. The securities were priced with the assistance of an independent third-party using a discounted cash flow approach and the third-party's proprietary pricing models. The models to price the VIEs liabilities used, where appropriate, inputs such as estimated prepayment speeds; losses; recoveries; market values of the assets that collateralize the securities; estimated default rates (determined on the basis of an analysis of collateral attributes, historical collateral performance, borrower profiles and other features relevant to the evaluation of collateral credit quality); discount rates implied by market prices for similar securities; house price depreciation/appreciation rates based on macroeconomic forecasts and benefit from the Company's insurance policy guaranteeing the timely payment of principal and interest for the VIE tranches insured by the Company. Those VIE liabilities insured by the Company are considered to be with recourse, since the Company guarantees the

49



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

March 31, 2010

8. Fair Value of Financial Instruments (Continued)


payment of principal and interest regardless of the performance of the related VIE assets. Those VIE liabilities not insured by the Company are considered to be non-recourse, since the payment of principal and interest of these liabilities is wholly dependent on the performance of the VIE assets.

        The Company is not primarily liable for the debt obligations issued by the VIEs and would only be required to make payments on these debt obligations in the event that the issuer of such debt obligations defaults on any principal or interest due. The Company's creditors do not have any rights with regard to the assets of the VIEs.

        The Company determined the fair value of the VIE assets to using a similar methodology as described above with the exception that there was no benefit assigned to the value of the Company's financial guarantee, since the Company does not guarantee the performance of the underlying assets of the VIE.

        Changes in fair value of the financial guaranty VIE assets and liabilities are included in the consolidated statement of operations. Interest income on VIE assets is recognized when received and recorded in "variable interest entities' revenues" in the consolidated statements of operations. Except for credit impairment, the unrealized fair value adjustments related to the consolidated VIEs will reverse to zero over the terms of these financial instruments.

        The total unpaid principal balance for the VIE assets that were over 90 days or more past due was approximately $16.6 million. The change in the instrument-specific credit risk of the VIE assets was a loss of approximately $36.1 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2010. The difference between the aggregate unpaid principal and aggregate fair value of the VIE liabilities was approximately $264.5 million at March 31, 2010.

Financial Instruments Carried at Fair Value on a Non-recurring Basis

Level 3 Instruments

        The table below presents a rollforward of the Company's financial instruments whose fair value included significant unobservable inputs (Level 3) during the three months ended March 31, 2010 and 2009. There were no significant transfers between Level 1 and Level 2 financial assets during the period.

50



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

March 31, 2010

8. Fair Value of Financial Instruments (Continued)

Fair Value Level 3 Rollforward

 
   
   
   
  Three Months Ended March 31, 2010  
 
   
   
   
  Total Pre-tax Realized/
Unrealized
Gains/(Losses)(1)
Recorded in:
   
   
   
  Change in
Unrealized
Gains/(Losses)
Related to
Financial
Instruments
Held at
March 31,
2010
 
 
  Fair
Value at
December 31,
2009
  Adoption
of New
Accounting
Guidance
  Fair
Value at
January 1,
2010
  Net
Income
(Loss)
  Other
Comprehensive
Income
(Loss)
  Purchases,
Issuances,
Settlements,
net
  Transfers
in and/or
out of
Level 3
  Fair
Value at
March 31,
2010
 
 
  (in thousands)
 

Investment portfolio

  $   $   $   $ (96 )(2) $ 679   $ 2,434   $ 28,428   $ 31,445   $ 679  

Financial guaranty VIE assets

          348,324     348,324     27,048 (3)       (5,501 )       369,871     31,877  

Credit derivative asset (liability), net(4)

    (824,734 )       (824,734 )   202,776 (5)       7,946         (614,012 )   (1,396 )

Financial guaranty VIE liabilities with recourse

          (390,274 )   (390,274 )   (16,478 )(3)       3,064         (403,688 )   (18,567 )

Financial guaranty VIE liabilities without recourse

          (18,055 )   (18,055 )   944 (3)       2,437         (14,674 )   (2,783 )

Fair Value Level 3 Rollforward

 
   
  Three Months Ended March 31, 2009  
 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Change in
Unrealized
Gains/(Losses)
Related to
Financial
Instruments
Held at
March 31,
2009
 
 
   
  Total Pre-tax Realized/
Unrealized
Gains/(Losses)(1)
Recorded in:
   
   
   
 
 
  Fair
Value at
December 31,
2008
  Purchases,
Issuances,
Settlements,
net
  Transfers
in and/or
out of
Level 3
  Fair
Value at
March 31,
2009
 
 
  Net
Income
(Loss)
  Other
Comprehensive
Income (Loss)
 
 
  (in thousands)
 

Credit derivative asset (liability), net(5)

  $ (341,546 ) $ (54 )(5) $   $ (28,351 ) $   $ (369,951 ) $ 22,873  

(1)
Realized and unrealized gains (losses) from changes in values of Level 3 financial instruments represent gains (losses) from changes in values of those financial instruments only for the periods in which the instruments were classified as Level 3.

(2)
Included in net investment income.

(3)
Included in financial guaranty variable interest entities revenues or expenses.

(4)
Represents net position of credit derivatives. The consolidated balance sheet presents gross assets and liabilities based on net counterparty exposure.

(5)
Reported in net change in fair value of credit derivatives.

51



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

March 31, 2010

8. Fair Value of Financial Instruments (Continued)

Unearned Premium Reserve

        The fair value of the Company's unearned premium reserve was based on management's estimate of what a similarly rated financial guaranty insurance company would demand to acquire the Company's in-force book of financial guaranty insurance business. This amount was based on the pricing assumptions management has observed in recent portfolio transfers that have occurred in the financial guaranty market and included adjustments to the carrying value of unearned premium reserve for stressed losses and ceding commissions. The significant inputs for stressed losses and ceding commissions were not readily observable inputs. The Company accordingly classified this fair value measurement as Level 3.

Note Payable to Affiliate

        The fair value of the Company's note payable to affiliate is determined by calculating the effect of changes in U.S. Treasury yield at the end of reporting period and the appropriate credit spread for similar debt instruments. The significant market inputs are observable, therefore, the Company classified this fair value measurement as Level 2.

9. Investment Portfolio

        The following table summarizes the Company's aggregate investment portfolio:

Investment Portfolio by Security Type

 
  As of March 31, 2010  
Investments Category
  Percent of
Total(1)
  Amortized
Cost
  Gross
Unrealized
Gains
  Gross
Unrealized
Losses
  Estimated
Fair Value
  AOCI on
Securities
with
OTTI(2)
  Weighted
Average of
Credit
Quality
 
 
   
  (dollars in thousands)
   
 

Fixed maturity securities

                                           
 

U.S. government and agencies

    17 % $ 451,226   $ 9,015   $ (85 ) $ 460,156         AAA  
 

Obligations of state and political subdivisions

    37     992,470     39,764     (2,964 )   1,029,270         AA  
 

Corporate securities

    8     215,867     4,276     (375 )   219,768         A+  
 

Mortgage-backed securities(2):

                                           
   

Residential mortgage-backed securities

    7     191,040     1,102     (5,935 )   186,207     2,998     A+  
   

Commercial mortgage-backed securities

    3     76,414     2,049     (235 )   78,228     235     AA+  
 

Asset-backed securities

    3     85,635     176     (3 )   85,808         AAA  
 

Foreign government securities

    3     75,831     3,887     (95 )   79,623         AA+  
                               
   

Total fixed maturity securities

    78     2,088,483     60,270     (9,692 )   2,139,060     3,233     AA  

Short-term investments

    22     580,018             580,018         AA+  
                               
   

Total investments

    100 % $ 2,668,501   $ 60,270   $ (9,692 ) $ 2,719,078   $ 3,233     AA+  
                               

52



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

March 31, 2010

9. Investment Portfolio (Continued)

 

 
  As of December 31, 2009  
Investments Category
  Percent of
Total(1)
  Amortized
Cost
  Gross
Unrealized
Gains
  Gross
Unrealized
Losses
  Estimated
Fair Value
  AOCI on
Securities
with
OTTI(2)
  Weighted
Average of
Credit
Quality
 
 
   
  (dollars in thousands)
   
 

Fixed maturity securities

                                           
 

U.S. government and agencies

    16 % $ 445,714   $ 6,590   $ (776 ) $ 451,528         AAA  
 

Obligations of state and political subdivisions

    36     1,018,185     44,738     (3,868 )   1,059,055         AA  
 

Corporate securities

    6     182,153     3,004     (1,869 )   183,288         A+  
 

Mortgage-backed securities(2):

                                           
   

Residential mortgage-backed securities

    7     197,558         (6,993 )   190,565     539     AA-  
   

Commercial mortgage-backed securities

    2     65,173     771     (1,602 )   64,342     1,183     AA+  
 

Asset-backed securities

    1     16,827         (75 )   16,752         AAA  
 

Foreign government securities

    3     77,096     2,851     (266 )   79,681         AAA  
                               
   

Total fixed maturity securities

    71     2,002,706     57,954     (15,449 )   2,045,211     1,722     AA  

Short-term investments

    29     802,567             802,567         AAA  
                               
   

Total investments

    100 % $ 2,805,273   $ 57,954   $ (15,449 ) $ 2,847,778   $ 1,722     AA+  
                               

(1)
Based on amortized cost.

(2)
As of March 31, 2010 and December 31, 2009, respectively, approximately 55% and 61% of the Company's total mortgage backed securities were government agency obligations.

        Ratings in the table above represent the lower of the Moody's and S&P classifications. The Company's portfolio is comprised primarily of high-quality, liquid instruments. The Company continues to receive sufficient information to value its investments and has not had to modify its valuation approach due to the current market conditions.

        The amortized cost and estimated fair value of available-for-sale fixed maturity securities as of March 31, 2010, are shown below, by contractual maturity. Expected maturities will differ from contractual maturities because borrowers may have the right to call or prepay obligations with or without call or prepayment penalties.

53



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

March 31, 2010

9. Investment Portfolio (Continued)

Distribution of Fixed-Maturity Securities in the Investment Portfolio
by Contractual Maturity

 
  As of March 31, 2010  
 
  Amortized
Cost
  Estimated
Fair Value
 
 
  (in thousands)
 

Due within one year

  $ 7,923   $ 8,107  

Due after one year through five years

    727,410     738,469  

Due after five years through ten years

    291,864     307,375  

Due after ten years

    793,832     820,674  

Mortgage-backed securities:

             
 

Residential mortgage-backed securities

    191,040     186,207  
 

Commercial mortgage-backed securities

    76,414     78,228  
           

Total

  $ 2,088,483   $ 2,139,060  
           

        Proceeds from the sale of available-for-sale fixed maturity securities were $54.1 million and $135.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2010 and 2009, respectively.

Net Investment Income

 
  Three Months Ended
March 31,
 
 
  2010   2009  
 
  (in thousands)
 

Income from fixed maturity securities

  $ 19,897   $ 19,197  

Income from short-term investments

    231     519  
           
 

Gross investment income

    20,128     19,716  

Investment expenses

    (569 )   (415 )
           
 

Net investment income

  $ 19,559   $ 19,301  
           

        Under agreements with its cedants and in accordance with statutory requirements, the Company maintains fixed maturity securities in trust accounts of $8.0 million as of March 31, 2010 and December 31, 2009, for the benefit of reinsured companies and for the protection of policyholders.

        Under certain derivative contracts, the Company is required to post eligible securities as collateral, generally cash or U.S. government or agency securities. The need to post collateral under these transactions is generally based on mark-to-market valuation in excess of contractual thresholds. The fair market value of the Company's pledged securities totaled $648.5 million and $648.7 million as of March 31, 2010 and December 31, 2009, respectively.

        The Company is not exposed to significant concentrations of credit risk within its investment portfolio.

54



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

March 31, 2010

9. Investment Portfolio (Continued)

        No material investments of the Company were non-income producing for the three months ended March 31, 2010 and 2009, respectively.

Other-Than Temporary Impairment

        The credit loss component of the amortized cost of fixed maturity securities for which the Company has recognized OTTI and where the portion of the fair value adjustment related to other factors was recognized in other comprehensive income ("OCI") was $1.6 million at March 31, 2010 and December 31, 2009.

        As of March 31, 2010, OCI included an after-tax loss of $2.1 million for securities for which the Company had recognized OTTI and a gain of $35.0 million for securities for which the Company had not recognized OTTI. As of December 31, 2009, OCI included an after-tax loss of $1.1 million for securities for which the Company had recognized OTTI and a gain of $28.7 million for securities for which the Company had not recognized OTTI.

        The following tables summarize, for all securities in an unrealized loss position as of March 31, 2010 and December 31, 2009, the aggregate fair value and gross unrealized loss by length of time the amounts have continuously been in an unrealized loss position.

Gross Unrealized Loss by Length of Time

 
  As of March 31, 2010  
 
  Less than 12 months   12 months or more   Total  
 
  Fair value   Unrealized loss   Fair value   Unrealized loss   Fair value   Unrealized loss  
 
  (dollars in millions)
 

U.S. government and agencies

  $ 22.1   $ (0.1 ) $   $   $ 22.1   $ (0.1 )

Obligations of state and political subdivisions

    91.7     (1.1 )   43.0     (1.9 )   134.7     (3.0 )

Corporate securities

    58.0     (0.3 )   1.4     (0.1 )   59.4     (0.4 )

Mortgage-backed securities:

                                     
 

Residential mortgage-backed securities

    148.3     (5.9 )           148.3     (5.9 )
 

Commercial mortgage-backed securities

    6.3     (0.2 )           6.3     (0.2 )

Asset-backed securities

    3.6                 3.6      

Foreign government securities

    12.9     (0.1 )           12.9     (0.1 )
                           
 

Total

  $ 342.9   $ (7.7 ) $ 44.4   $ (2.0 ) $ 387.3   $ (9.7 )
                           
 

Number of securities

          49           8           57  
                                 
 

Number of securities with OTTI

          3                     3  
                                 

55



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

March 31, 2010

9. Investment Portfolio (Continued)

 

 
  As of December 31, 2009  
 
  Less than 12 months   12 months or more   Total  
 
  Fair
value
  Unrealized
loss
  Fair
value
  Unrealized
loss
  Fair
value
  Unrealized
loss
 
 
  (dollars in millions)
 

U.S. government and agencies

  $ 96.7   $ (0.8 ) $   $   $ 96.7   $ (0.8 )

Obligations of state and political subdivisions

    111.5     (1.7 )   48.8     (2.2 )   160.3     (3.9 )

Corporate securities

    121.6     (1.7 )   1.7     (0.2 )   123.3     (1.9 )

Mortgage-backed securities:

                                     
 

Residential mortgage-backed securities

    183.7     (7.0 )           183.7     (7.0 )
 

Commercial mortgage-backed securities

    23.0     (1.1 )   12.0     (0.5 )   35.0     (1.6 )

Asset-backed securities

    16.6     (0.1 )           16.6     (0.1 )

Foreign government securities

    24.0     (0.2 )           24.0     (0.2 )
                           
 

Total

  $ 577.1   $ (12.6 ) $ 62.5   $ (2.9 ) $ 639.6   $ (15.5 )
                           
 

Number of securities

          80           12           92  
                                 
 

Number of securities with OTTI

          5                     5  
                                 

        Of the securities in an unrealized loss position for 12 months or more as of March 31, 2010, none had an unrealized loss greater than 10% of book value.

56



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

March 31, 2010

9. Investment Portfolio (Continued)

Net Realized Investment Gains (Losses)

 
  Three Months Ended
March 31,
 
 
  2010   2009  
 
  (in thousands)
 

Gains on investment portfolio

  $ 3,164   $ 6,203  

Losses on investment portfolio

    (323 )   (3,456 )

OTTI

        (2,509 )
           
 

Net realized investment (losses) gains on investment portfolio

  $ 2,841   $ 238  
           

10. Income Taxes

        AGC files as part of a consolidated federal income tax return with its shareholder, Assured Guaranty US Holdings Inc. ("AGUS") and its U.S taxpaying subsidiaries. Each company, as a member of its respective consolidated tax return group, has paid its proportionate share of the consolidated federal tax burden for its group as if each company filed on a separate return basis with current period credit for net losses.

        The effective rate for First Quarter 2010 and First Quarter 2009 was 33.5% and 29.4%, respectively. The change in the effective tax rate from year to year is primarily due to a higher portion of pre-tax income in First Quarter 2010.

Taxation of Subsidiary

        AGC and AGUK are subject to income taxes imposed by U.S. and U.K. authorities and file applicable tax returns.

        The Internal Revenue Service ("IRS") has completed audits of AGC's federal tax returns for taxable years through 2001. The IRS is currently reviewing tax years 2002 through the date of the IPO. The Company is indemnified by ACE Financial Services Inc. for any potential tax liability associated with the tax examination as it relates to years prior to the IPO. The IRS has commenced an audit of AGUS consolidated group for tax years 2006 through 2008.

Tax Treatment of CDS

        The Company treats the guaranty it provides on CDS as insurance contracts for tax purposes and as such a taxable loss does not occur until the Company expects to make a loss payment to the buyer of credit protection based upon the occurrence of one or more specified credit events with respect to the contractually referenced obligation or entity. The Company holds its CDS to maturity, at which time any unrealized mark to market loss in excess of credit- related losses would revert to zero.

        The tax treatment of CDS is an unsettled area of the law. The uncertainty relates to the IRS determination of the income or potential loss associated with CDS as either subject to capital gain (loss) or ordinary income (loss) treatment. In treating CDS as insurance contracts the Company treats both the receipt of premium and payment of losses as ordinary income and believes it is more likely

57



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

March 31, 2010

10. Income Taxes (Continued)


than not that any CDS credit related losses will be treated as ordinary by the IRS. To the extent the IRS takes the view that the losses are capital losses in the future and the Company incurred actual losses associated with the CDS, the Company would need sufficient taxable income of the same character within the carryback and carryforward period available under the tax law.

Valuation Allowance

        As of March 31, 2010 and December 31, 2009, net deferred tax assets were $179.9 million and $241.8 million, respectively. The March 31, 2010, deferred tax asset of $179.9 million consists primarily of $118.7 million in mark to market adjustments for CDS, offset by net deferred tax liabilities. The December 31, 2009, deferred tax asset of $241.8 million consists primarily of $205.0 million in mark to market adjustments for CDS, offset by net deferred tax liabilities.

        The Company came to the conclusion that it is more likely than not that its deferred tax asset related to CDS will be fully realized after weighing all positive and negative evidence available as required under GAAP. The evidence that was considered included the following:

Negative Evidence

    Although the Company believes that income or losses for these CDSs are properly characterized for tax purposes as ordinary, the federal tax treatment is an unsettled area of tax law, as noted above.

    Changes in the fair value of CDS have resulted in significant swings in the Company's net income in recent periods. Changes in the fair value of CDS in future periods could result in the U.S. consolidated tax group having a pre-tax loss under GAAP. Although not recognized for tax, this loss could result in a cumulative three year pre-tax loss, which is considered significant negative evidence for the recoverability of a deferred tax asset under GAAP.

Positive Evidence

    The mark-to-market loss on CDS is not considered a tax event, and therefore no taxable loss has occurred.

    After analysis of the current tax law on CDS the Company believes it is more likely than not that the CDS will be treated as ordinary income or loss for tax purposes.

    Assuming a hypothetical loss were triggered for the amount of deferred tax asset, there would be enough taxable income through future income to offset it as follows:

    (a)
    The amortization of the tax-basis unearned premium reserve of $876 million as of March 31, 2010, as well as the collection of future installment premiums of contracts already written the Company believes will result in significant taxable income in the future.

    (b)
    Although the Company has a significant tax exempt portfolio, this can be converted to taxable securities as permitted as a tax planning strategy under GAAP.

58



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

March 31, 2010

10. Income Taxes (Continued)

      (c)
      The mark-to-market loss is reflective of market valuations and will change from quarter to quarter. It is not indicative of the Company's ability to enter new business. The Company writes and continues to write new business which will increase the amortization of unearned premium and investment portfolio resulting in expected taxable income in future periods.

        After examining all of the available positive and negative evidence, the Company believes that no valuation allowance is necessary in connection with this deferred tax asset. The Company will continue to analyze the need for a valuation allowance on a quarter-to-quarter basis.

11. Reinsurance

        The Company assumes and cedes portions of its exposure on insured obligations in exchange for premiums, net of ceding commissions. Assumed business is included in the reinsurance segment, net of retrocessions (i.e. the ceded portion of assumed risks). The direct segment is reported net of third party cessions of its direct financial guaranty business.

        The Company enters into ceded reinsurance agreements with non-affiliated companies to limit its exposure to risk on an on-going basis. In the event that any of the reinsurers are unable to meet their obligations, the Company would be liable for such defaulted amounts.

        Direct, assumed, and ceded premium and loss and LAE amounts for the three months ended March 31, 2010 and 2009 were as follows:

 
  Three Months Ended
March 31,
 
 
  2010   2009  
 
  (in thousands)
 

Premiums Written

             
 

Direct

  $ 26,617   $ 140,080  
 

Assumed

    (318 )   94,513  
 

Ceded

    (6,095 )   (72,186 )
           
 

Net

  $ 20,204   $ 162,407  
           

Premiums Earned

             
 

Direct

  $ 33,575   $ 105,854  
 

Assumed

    7,471     9,856  
 

Ceded

    (11,556 )   (47,985 )
           
 

Net

  $ 29,490   $ 67,725  
           

Loss and Loss Adjustment Expenses

             
 

Direct

  $ 40,804   $ 15,066  
 

Assumed

    6,366     7,930  
 

Ceded

    (12,646 )   (1,614 )
           
 

Net

  $ 34,524   $ 21,382  
           

59



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

March 31, 2010

11. Reinsurance (Continued)

        The Company's reinsurance contracts generally allow the Company to recapture ceded business after certain triggering events, such as reinsurer downgrades. Included in the table below is $16.9 billion in ceded par outstanding related to insured credit derivatives.

Ceded Par Outstanding by Reinsurer and Ratings

 
  Ratings at May 20, 2010    
   
 
 
   
  Ceded Par
Outstanding
as a % of
Total
 
Reinsurer
  Moody's
Reinsurer Rating
  S&P
Reinsurer Rating
  Ceded Par
Outstanding
 
 
  (dollars in millions)
 

Affiliated Companies(1)

  A1   AA   $ 45,681     92.5 %

Non-Affiliated Companies:

                     
 

RAM Reinsurance Co. Ltd. 

  WR   WR     3,151     6.4  
 

MBIA Insurance Corporation

  B3   BB+     211     0.4  
 

Radian Asset Assurance Inc. ("Radian")

  Ba1   BB-     176     0.4  
 

Ambac Assurance Corporation

  Caa2   R     109     0.2  
 

Other

  Various   Various     40     0.1  
                   

Non-Affiliated Companies

            3,687     7.5  
                   
   

Total

          $ 49,368     100.0 %
                   

(1)
Assured Guaranty Re Ltd. and its subsidiaries ("AG Re") are affiliates of AGC.

(2)
Represents "Withdrawn Rating."

Ceded Par Outstanding by Reinsurer and Credit Rating
As of March 31, 2010

 
  Credit Rating  
Reinsurer
  Super Senior   AAA   AA   A   BBB   BIG   Total  
 
  (in millions)
 

Affiliated Companies

  $ 3,146   $ 6,122   $ 6,733   $ 19,200   $ 7,409   $ 3,071   $ 45,681  

RAM Reinsurance Co. Ltd. 

    319     1,391     188     515     444     294     3,151  

MBIA Insurance Corporation

            110     101             211  

Radian

                176             176  

Ambac Assurance Corporation

                109             109  

Other

            1         39         40  
                               
 

Total

  $ 3,465   $ 7,513   $ 7,032   $ 20,101   $ 7,892   $ 3,365   $ 49,368  
                               

        Reinsurance recoverable on unpaid losses and LAE as of March 31, 2010 and December 31, 2009 were $54.6 million and $50.7 million, respectively.

60



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

March 31, 2010

11. Reinsurance (Continued)

Agreement with CIFG Assurance North America, Inc.

        AGC entered into an agreement with CIFG Assurance North America Inc. ("CIFG") to assume a diversified portfolio of financial guaranty contracts totaling approximately $13.3 billion of net par outstanding. The Company closed the transaction in January 2009 and received $75.6 million, which included $85.7 million of upfront premiums net of ceding commissions, and approximately $12.2 million of future installments related to this transaction.

        After a review of the facts, AGC notified CIFG on May 10, 2010, that AGC has determined that $83.3 million of Xenia, Iowa, Rural Water District 2006 revenue bonds are not covered policies under the reinsurance agreement and returned to CIFG approximately $0.3 million, representing upfront premiums net of ceding commissions retained by CIFG for such financial guaranty contract. CIFG has disputed this determination.

12. Dividends and Capital Requirements

        AGC is a Maryland domiciled insurance company. Under Maryland's 1993 revised insurance law, AGC may pay dividends out of earned surplus in any twelve-month period in an aggregate amount exceeding the lesser of (a) 10% of surplus to policyholders or (b) net investment income at the preceding December 31, 2009 (including net investment income which has not already been paid out as dividends for the three calendar years prior to the preceding calendar year) without prior approval of the Maryland Commissioner of Insurance. As of March 31, 2010, the amount available for distribution from the Company during 2010 with notice to, but without prior approval of, the Maryland Commissioner of Insurance under the Maryland insurance law is approximately $108.0 million. During the three months ended March 31, 2010, AGC declared and paid $15.0 million in dividends to AGUS. AGC did not declare or pay dividends during three months ended March 31, 2009. Under Maryland insurance regulations, AGC is required at all times to maintain a minimum capital stock of $1.5 million and minimum surplus as regards policyholders of $1.5 million.

13. Commitments and Contingencies

Litigation

        Lawsuits arise in the ordinary course of the Company's business. It is the opinion of the Company's management, based upon the information available, that the expected outcome of litigation against the Company, individually or in the aggregate, will not have a material adverse effect on the Company's financial position or liquidity, although an adverse resolution of litigation against the Company could have a material adverse effect on the Company's results of operations in a particular quarter or fiscal year. In addition, in the ordinary course of its business, either AGC or AGUK may assert claims in legal proceedings against third parties to recover losses paid in prior periods. The amounts, if any, AGC or AGUK will recover in these proceedings are uncertain, although recoveries, or failure to obtain recoveries, in any one or more of these proceedings during any quarter or fiscal year could be material to the Company's results of operations in that particular quarter or fiscal year.

        The Company has received subpoenas duces tecum and interrogatories from the State of Connecticut Attorney General and the Attorney General of the State of California related to antitrust concerns associated with the methodologies used by rating agencies for determining the credit rating of

61



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

March 31, 2010

13. Commitments and Contingencies (Continued)


municipal debt, including a proposal by Moody's to assign corporate equivalent ratings to municipal obligations, and the Company's communications with rating agencies. The Company has satisfied or is in the process of satisfying such requests. It may receive additional inquiries from these or other regulators and expects to provide additional information to such regulators regarding their inquiries in the future.

        AGM, which became an affiliate of the Company on July 1, 2009, and various other financial guarantors were named in three complaints filed in the Superior Court, San Francisco County in December 2008 and January 2009 by the following plaintiffs: (a) City of Los Angeles, acting by and through the Department of Water and Power; (b) Sacramento Municipal Utility District; and (c) City of Sacramento. On or about August 31, 2009, plaintiffs in these cases filed amended complaints against AGC and AGM. At the same time, AGC and AGM were named in five amended complaints and three new complaints by the following plaintiffs: (a) City of Los Angeles; (b) City of Oakland; (c) City of Riverside; (d) City of Stockton; (e) County of Alameda; (f) County of Contra Costa; (g) County of San Mateo; and (h) Los Angeles World Airports.

        These complaints allege (i) participation in a conspiracy in violation of California's antitrust laws to maintain a dual credit rating scale that misstated the credit default risk of municipal bond issuers and created market demand for municipal bond insurance, (ii) participation in risky financial transactions in other lines of business that damaged each bond insurer's financial condition (thereby undermining the value of each of their guaranties), and (iii) a failure to adequately disclose the impact of those transactions on their financial condition. These latter allegations form the predicate for five separate causes of action against AGC: breach of contract, breach of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing, fraud, negligence, and negligent misrepresentation. The complaints in these lawsuits generally seek unspecified monetary damages, interest, attorneys' fees, costs and other expenses. At a hearing on March 1, 2010, the Court on its own motion struck all of the plaintiffs' complaints with leave to amend. The Court instructed plaintiffs to file one consolidated complaint on May 7, 2010. On May 6, 2010, plaintiffs requested and received an extension until May 28, 2010, to file the consolidated complaint. The Company cannot reasonably estimate the possible loss or range of loss that may arise from these lawsuits.

Reinsurance

        The Company is party to reinsurance agreements with other monoline financial guaranty insurance companies. The Company's facultative and treaty agreements are generally subject to termination:

    (a)
    upon written notice (ranging from 90 to 120 days) prior to the specified deadline for renewal,

    (b)
    at the option of the primary insurer if the Company fails to maintain certain financial, regulatory and rating agency criteria which are equivalent to or more stringent than those the Company is otherwise required to maintain for its own compliance with state mandated insurance laws and to maintain a specified financial strength rating for the particular insurance subsidiary, or

    (c)
    upon certain changes of control of the Company.

62



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

March 31, 2010

13. Commitments and Contingencies (Continued)

        Upon termination under the conditions set forth in (b) and (c) above, the Company may be required (under some of its reinsurance agreements) to return to the primary insurer all statutory unearned premiums, less ceding commissions, attributable to reinsurance ceded pursuant to such agreements after which the Company would be released from liability with respect to the ceded business. Upon the occurrence of the conditions set forth in (b) above, whether or not an agreement is terminated, the Company may be required to obtain a letter of credit or alternative form of security to collateralize its obligation to perform under such agreement or it may be obligated to increase the level of ceding commission paid. See Note 11.

14. Summary of Relationships with Monolines

        The tables below summarize the exposure to each financial guaranty monoline insurer by exposure category and the underlying ratings of the Company's insured risks.

Summary of Relationships with Monolines

 
  As of March 31, 2010  
 
  Insured Portfolios    
 
 
  Assumed
Par
Outstanding
  Ceded
Par
Outstanding
  Second-to-Pay
Insured Par
Outstanding
  Investment
Portfolio
 
 
  (in millions)
 

Affiliated Companies

  $   $ 45,681   $   $  

RAM Reinsurance Co. Ltd. 

        3,151          

MBIA Insurance Corporation

    8,214     211     1,997     161.9  

Radian

        176     1      

CIFG

    6,117         109      

Ambac Assurance Corporation

    2,851     109     2,370     150.5  

Financial Guaranty Insurance Company

    642         1,553     5.5  

Syncora Guarantee Inc. ("Syncora")

    86         971      

ACA Financial Guaranty Corporation

    2     37     1      

Multiple owner

    321         1,553      
                   

Total

  $ 18,233   $ 49,365     8,555   $ 317.9  
                   

        Assumed par outstanding represents the amount of par assumed by the Company from other monolines. Under these relationships, the Company assumes a portion of the ceding company's insured risk in exchange for a premium. The Company may be exposed to risk in this portfolio in that the Company may be required to pay losses without a corresponding premium in circumstances where the ceding company is experiencing financial distress and is unable to pay premiums.

        Ceded par outstanding represents the portion of insured risk ceded to other reinsurers. Under these relationships, the Company cedes a portion of its insured risk in exchange for a premium paid to the reinsurer. The Company remains primarily liable for all risks it directly underwrites and is required to pay all gross claims. It then seeks reimbursement from the reinsurer for its proportionate share of claims. The Company may be exposed to risk for this exposure if were required to pay the gross claims

63



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

March 31, 2010

14. Summary of Relationships with Monolines (Continued)


and not be able to collect ceded claims from an assuming company experiencing financial distress. A number of the financial guaranty insurers to which the Company has ceded par has experienced financial distress and been downgraded by the rating agencies as a result. In addition, state insurance regulators have intervened with respect to some of these insurers. For example, Syncora was ordered by the New York Insurance Department in April 2009 to suspend payment of claims and undertake a comprehensive restructuring to remediate its policyholders' surplus deficit and restore its minimum surplus to policyholders. On April 12, 2010, Syncora announced that although it had closed the outstanding transaction that formed part of the restructuring, it was still prohibited by the New York Insurance Department from paying claims because it is currently faced with significant short-term liquidity and surplus issues. More recently, Ambac announced that at the request of the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance of the State of Wisconsin, it had established a segregated account for certain of its liabilities related to credit derivatives, RMBS and other structured finance and public finance transactions and that in conjunction therewith, the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance of the State of Wisconsin has commenced rehabilitation proceedings with respect to liabilities contained in the segregated account in order to facilitate an orderly run-off and/or settlement of those liabilities. In accordance with statutory accounting requirements and U.S. insurance laws and regulations, in order for the Company to receive credit for liabilities ceded to reinsurers domiciled outside of the U.S., such reinsurers must secure their liabilities to the Company. Most of the unauthorized reinsurers in the table above post collateral for the benefit of the Company in an amount at least equal to the sum of their ceded unearned premiums reserve, loss reserves and contingency reserves calculated on a statutory basis of accounting. In the case of CIFG, included in "Other," and Radian, which are authorized reinsurers and, therefore, are not required to post security, their collateral equals or exceeds their ceded statutory loss reserves. Collateral may be in the form of letters of credit or trust accounts.

        Second-to-pay insured par outstanding represents transactions we have insured on a second-to-pay basis that were previously insured by other monolines. The Company underwrites such transactions based on the underlying insured obligation without regard to the primary insurer.

        Securities within the Investment Portfolio that are wrapped by monolines may decline in value based on the rating of the monoline.

64



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

March 31, 2010

14. Summary of Relationships with Monolines (Continued)

        The table below presents the insured par outstanding categorized by rating as of March 31, 2010:

Second-to-Pay Insured Par Outstanding
As of March 31, 2010

 
  Public Finance   Structured Finance    
 
 
  AAA   AA   A   BBB   BIG   AAA   AA   A   BBB   BIG   Total  
 
  (in millions)
   
 

MBIA Insurance Corporation

  $ 47   $ 247   $ 1,083   $ 231   $   $   $ 74   $ 37   $ 274   $ 4   $ 1,997  

Radian

                1                             1  

CIFG

        4     40     65                             109  

Ambac Assurance Corporation

    18     380     620     740         32     3     262     110     205     2,370  

Financial Guaranty Insurance Company

        47     91     298         773     170     151     23         1,553  

Syncora

            234     177             159     94     244     63     971  

ACA Financial Guaranty Corporation

                1                             1  

Multiple owner

    678     3     872                                 1,553  
                                               
 

Total

  $ 743   $ 681   $ 2,940   $ 1,513   $   $ 805   $ 406   $ 544   $ 651   $ 272   $ 8,555  
                                               

(1)
Assured Guaranty's internal rating.

15. Note Payable to Affiliate and Credit Facilities

Note Payable to Affiliate

        On December 18, 2009, AGC issued a surplus note with a principal amount of $300.0 million to Assured Guaranty Municipal Corp. This Note Payable to Affiliate carries a simple interest rate of 5.0% per annum and matures on December 31, 2029. Principal is payable at the option of AGC prior to the final maturity of the note in 2029 and interest is payable on the note annually in arrears as of December 31st of each year, commencing December 31, 2010. Payments of principal and interest are subject to AGC having policyholders' surplus in excess of statutory minimum requirements after such payment and to prior written approval by the Maryland Insurance Administration. No amounts were due for payment in First Quarter 2010.

Credit Facilities

2006 Credit Facility

        On November 6, 2006, AGL and certain of its subsidiaries entered into a $300.0 million five-year unsecured revolving credit facility (the "2006 Credit Facility") with a syndicate of banks. Under the 2006 Credit Facility, each of AGC, AGUK, AG Re, Assured Guaranty Re Overseas Ltd. ("AGRO") and AGL are entitled to request the banks to make loans to such borrower or to request that letters of credit be issued for the account of such borrower. Of the $300.0 million available to be borrowed, no more than $100.0 million may be borrowed by AGL, AG Re or AGRO, individually or in the

65



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

March 31, 2010

15. Note Payable to Affiliate and Credit Facilities (Continued)


aggregate, and no more than $20.0 million may be borrowed by AGUK. The stated amount of all outstanding letters of credit and the amount of all unpaid drawings in respect of all letters of credit cannot, in the aggregate, exceed $100.0 million. The 2006 Credit Facility also provides that AGL may request that the commitment of the banks be increased an additional $100.0 million up to a maximum aggregate amount of $400.0 million. Any such incremental commitment increase is subject to certain conditions provided in the agreement and must be for at least $25.0 million.

        The proceeds of the loans and letters of credit are to be used for the working capital and other general corporate purposes of the borrowers and to support reinsurance transactions.

        At the closing of the 2006 Credit Facility, AGC guaranteed the obligations of AGUK under the facility and AGL guaranteed the obligations of AG Re and AGRO under the facility and agreed that, if the Company consolidated assets (as defined in the related credit agreement) of AGC and its subsidiaries were to fall below $1.2 billion, it would, within 15 days, guarantee the obligations of AGC and AGUK under the facility. At the same time, Assured Guaranty Overseas US Holdings Inc. guaranteed the obligations of AGL, AG Re and AGRO under the facility, and each of AG Re and AGRO guaranteed the other as well as AGL.

        The 2006 Credit Facility's financial covenants require that AGL:

    (a)
    maintain a minimum net worth of 75% of the Consolidated Net Worth of Assured Guaranty as of June 30, 2009 (calculated as if the acquisition of AGMH had been consummated on such date); and

    (b)
    maintain a maximum debt-to-capital ratio of 30%.

        In addition, the 2006 Credit Facility requires that AGC maintain qualified statutory capital of at least 75% of its statutory capital as of the fiscal quarter ended June 30, 2006. Furthermore, the 2006 Credit Facility contains restrictions on AGL and its subsidiaries, including, among other things, in respect of their ability to incur debt, permit liens, become liable in respect of guaranties, make loans or investments, pay dividends or make distributions, dissolve or become party to a merger, consolidation or acquisition, dispose of assets or enter into affiliate transactions. Most of these restrictions are subject to certain minimum thresholds and exceptions. The 2006 Credit Facility has customary events of default, including (subject to certain materiality thresholds and grace periods) payment default, failure to comply with covenants, material inaccuracy of representation or warranty, bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings, change of control and cross-default to other debt agreements. A default by one borrower will give rise to a right of the lenders to terminate the facility and accelerate all amounts then outstanding. As of March 31, 2010 and December 31, 2009, Assured Guaranty was in compliance with all of the financial covenants.

        As of March 31, 2010 and December 31, 2009, no amounts were outstanding under this facility. There have not been any borrowings under the 2006 Credit Facility.

        Letters of credit totaling approximately $2.9 million remained outstanding as of March 31, 2010 and December 31, 2009. The Company obtained the letters of credit in connection with entering into a lease for new office space in 2008, which space was subsequently sublet.

66



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

March 31, 2010

15. Note Payable to Affiliate and Credit Facilities (Continued)

Committed Capital Securities

Committed Capital Securities

 
  Three Months Ended
March 31,
 
 
  2010   2009  
 
  (in thousands)
 

Put option premium (expense)

  $ (1,478 ) $ (1,400 )

Change in fair value

    1,421     19,666  

AGC CCS Securities

        On April 8, 2005, AGC entered into separate agreements (the "Put Agreements") with four custodial trusts (each, a "Custodial Trust") pursuant to which AGC may, at its option, cause each of the Custodial Trusts to purchase up to $50.0 million of perpetual preferred stock of AGC (the "AGC Preferred Stock"). The custodial trusts were created as a vehicle for providing capital support to AGC by allowing AGC to obtain immediate access to new capital at its sole discretion at any time through the exercise of the put option. If the put options were exercised, AGC would receive $200.0 million in return for the issuance of its own perpetual preferred stock, the proceeds of which may be used for any purpose, including the payment of claims. The put options have not been exercised through the date of this filing. Initially, all of AGC CCS Securities were issued to a special purpose pass-through trust (the "Pass-Through Trust"). The Pass-Through Trust was dissolved in April 2008 and the AGC CCS Securities were distributed to the holders of the Pass-Through Trust's securities. Neither the Pass-Through Trust nor the custodial trusts are consolidated in the Company's financial statements.

        Income distributions on the Pass-Through Trust Securities and AGC CCS Securities were equal to an annualized rate of one-month LIBOR plus 110 basis points for all periods ending on or prior to April 8, 2008. Following dissolution of the Pass-Through Trust, distributions on the AGC CCS Securities are determined pursuant to an auction process. On April 7, 2008, this auction process failed, thereby increasing the annualized rate on the AGC CCS Securities to One-Month LIBOR plus 250 basis points. Distributions on the AGC preferred stock will be determined pursuant to the same process.

        The increase in First Quarter 2010 compared with First Quarter 2009 was due to the increase in annualized rates from One-Month LIBOR plus 110 basis points to One-Month LIBOR plus 250 basis points as a result of the failed auction process in April 2008. These expenses are recorded in the Company's consolidated statements of operations under "other operating expenses".

        Fair value of AGC CCS Securities was $5.4 million and $4.0 million as of March 31, 2010 and December 31, 2009, respectively.

67



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

March 31, 2010

16. Employee Benefit Plans

Share-Based Compensation

Share-Based Compensation Summary

 
  Three Months
Ended
March 31,
 
 
  2010   2009  
 
  (in millions)
 

Share-based compensation cost, before the effects of deferred acquisition costs, pre tax

  $ 2.7   $ 2.2  

Share-based compensation cost, before the effects of deferred acquisition costs, after tax

    1.8     1.5  

Share based compensation expense for retirement-eligible employees, pre-tax

    1.5     0.6  

Share based compensation expense for retirement-eligible employees, after-tax

    1.0     0.4  

Cash-Based Compensation

Performance Retention Plan

 
  Three Months
Ended
March 31,
 
 
  2010   2009  
 
  (in millions)
 

Performance Retention Plan expense, pre-tax

  $ 4.2   $ 2.2  

Performance Retention Plan expense, after-tax

    2.7     1.4  

Performance Retention Plan expense for retirement-eligible employees, pre-tax

    1.3     1.5  

17. Other Income and Other Operating Expenses

        The following tables show the components of "other income" and segregate the components of operating expense not considered in underwriting gains (losses) in the segment disclosures in Note 18.

68



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

March 31, 2010

17. Other Income and Other Operating Expenses (Continued)

Other Income

 
  Three Months Ended
March 31,
 
 
  2010   2009  
 
  (in thousands)
 

Foreign exchange gain on revaluation of premium receivable

  $ (2,535 ) $  

Other

    391     652  
           
 

Other income included in underwriting gain (loss)

    (2,162 )   652  

SERP(1)

    627      
           
 

Other income

  $ (1,535 ) $ 652  
           

Other Operating Expenses

 
  Three Months Ended
March 31,
 
 
  2010   2010  
 
  (in thousands)
 

Other operating expenses

  $ 28,254   $ 16,591  

Less: CCS premium expense

    1,478     1,400  

Less: other charges

    1,678      

Less: SERP

    627      
           
 

Other operating expenses included in underwriting gain (loss)

  $ 24,471   $ 15,191  
           

(1)
Supplemental executive retirement plan ("SERP") assets are held to defease the Company's plan obligations. The changes in fair value may vary significantly from period to period. Increases or decreases in the fair value of the assets are recorded in "other income" and are primarily offset by like changes in the fair value of the related liability, which are recorded in "other operating expenses".

18. Segment Reporting

        The Company has two principal business segments:

    (1)
    financial guaranty direct, which includes transactions whereby the Company provides an unconditional and irrevocable guaranty that indemnifies the holder of a financial obligation against non-payment of principal and interest when due, and may take the form of a credit derivative; and

    (2)
    financial guaranty reinsurance, which includes agreements whereby the Company is a reinsurer and agrees to indemnify a primary insurance company against part or all of the loss which the latter may sustain under a policy it has issued.

        Other includes lines of business in which the Company no longer active. The Company does not segregate assets and liabilities at a segment level since management reviews and controls these assets

69



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

March 31, 2010

18. Segment Reporting (Continued)


and liabilities on a consolidated basis. The Company allocates operating expenses to each segment based on a comprehensive cost study and is based on departmental time estimates and headcount.

        The Company manages its business without regard to accounting requirements to consolidate certain VIEs. As a result, underwriting gain or loss includes results of operations as if consolidated VIEs were accounted for as insurance.

        The following tables summarize the components of underwriting gain (loss) for each reporting segment:

Underwriting Gain (Loss) by Segment

 
  Three Months Ended March 31, 2010  
 
  Financial
Guaranty
Direct
  Financial
Guaranty
Reinsurance
  Other   Total  
 
  (in millions)
 

Net earned premiums

  $ 23.4   $ 6.1   $   $ 29.5  

Realized gain on credit derivatives(1)

    20.6     0.1         20.7  

Other income

    (1.3 )   (0.9 )       (2.2 )

Loss and loss adjustment (expenses) recoveries

    (28.1 )   (6.4 )       (34.5 )

Incurred losses on credit derivatives

    (64.2 )   (0.4 )       (64.6 )

Amortization of deferred acquisition costs

    (3.9 )   (0.2 )       (4.1 )

Other operating expenses

    (23.0 )   (1.5 )       (24.5 )
                   

Underwriting gain (loss)

  $ (76.5 )   (3.2 ) $     (79.7 )
                   

 

 
  Three Months Ended March 31, 2009  
 
  Financial
Guaranty
Direct
  Financial
Guaranty
Reinsurance
  Other   Total  
 
  (in millions)
 

Net earned premiums

  $ 60.2   $ 7.5   $   $ 67.7  

Realized gain on credit derivatives(1)

    23.0             23.0  

Other income

    0.6     0.1         0.7  

Loss and loss adjustment (expenses) recoveries

    (24.1 )   2.7         (21.4 )

Incurred losses on credit derivatives

    (1.1 )           (1.1 )

Amortization of deferred acquisition costs

    3.8     (3.5 )       0.3  

Other operating expenses

    (13.2 )   (2.0 )       (15.2 )
                   

Underwriting gain (loss)

  $ 49.2   $ 4.8   $   $ 54.0  
                   

(1)
Comprised of premiums and ceding commissions.

70



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

March 31, 2010

18. Segment Reporting (Continued)

Reconciliation of Underwriting Gain (Loss)
to Income (Loss) before Income Taxes

 
  Three Months Ended
March 31,
 
 
  2010   2009  
 
  (in millions)
 

Total underwriting gain (loss)

  $ (79.7 ) $ 54.0  

Net investment income

    19.6     19.3  

Net realized investment gains (losses)

    2.8     0.2  

Unrealized gains (losses) on credit derivatives, excluding incurred losses on credit derivatives

    246.7     (21.9 )

Fair value (loss) gain on committed capital securities

    1.4     19.7  

Financial guaranty VIE net revenues and expenses

    11.5      

Other income

    0.6      

Interest expense

    (3.8 )    

Other operating expenses

    (3.7 )   (1.4 )
           

Income (loss) before provision for income taxes

  $ 195.4   $ 69.9  
           

19. Consolidation of VIEs

        The Company has exposure to VIEs through the issuance of financial guaranty insurance contracts that typically ensure for the timely payment of principal and interest to the holders of VIE debt. As part of the terms of its insurance contracts, at the outset of a contract the Company obtains certain protective rights over the control of a VIE based upon the occurrence of certain trigger events, such as deal performance or servicer or collateral manager financial health. At deal inception, the Company typically is not deemed to be have control of a VIE, however, once a trigger event occurs the Company's control of the VIE typically increases.

        Under accounting rules previously in effect, the Company determined whether it is the primary beneficiary (i.e., the variable interest holder required to consolidate a VIE) of a VIE by first performing a qualitative analysis of the VIE that includes, among other factors, its capital structure, contractual terms, which variable interests create or absorb variability, related party relationships and the design of the VIE. The Company performed a quantitative analysis when qualitative analysis was not conclusive.

        The new accounting guidance requires the Company to perform an analysis to determine whether its variable interests give it a controlling financial interest in a VIE. This analysis identifies the primary beneficiary of a VIE as the enterprise that has both 1) the power to direct the activities of a VIE that most significantly impact the entity's economic performance; and 2) the obligation to absorb losses of the entity that could potentially be significant to the VIE or the right to receive benefits from the entity that could potentially be significant to the VIE. Additionally, this new accounting guidance requires an ongoing reassessment of whether the Company is the primary beneficiary of a VIE. The adoption of this new accounting guidance resulted in no greater rights or benefits to the Company.

71



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

March 31, 2010

19. Consolidation of VIEs (Continued)

        Pursuant to the new accounting guidance, the Company evaluated its power to direct the significant activities that most significantly impact the economic performance of VIEs that have debt obligations insured by the Company and, accordingly, where the Company is obligated to absorb VIE losses that could potentially be significant to the VIE. The Company determined that it is the primary beneficiary of three VIEs based on the assessment of its control rights over servicer or collateral manager replacement, given that servicing/managing collateral were deemed to be the VIEs' most significant activities. The Company is not primarily liable for the debt obligations issued by the VIEs and would only be required to make payments on these debt obligations in the event that the issuer of such debt obligations defaults on any principal or interest due. The Company's creditors do not have any rights with regard to the assets of the VIEs.

        The table below shows the carrying value of the consolidated VIE assets and liabilities in the Company's unaudited interim consolidated financial statements, segregated by the types of assets held by VIEs that collateralize their respective debt obligations:

Consolidated VIEs

 
  As of March 31, 2010  
 
  Assets   Liabilities  
 
  (in thousands)
 

Alt-A Second liens

  $ 83,176   $ 131,667  

Life insurance

    286,695     286,695  
           
 

Total

  $ 369,871   $ 418,362  
           

        The table below shows the revenues and expenses of the consolidated VIEs:

 
  Three Months Ended
March 31, 2010
 
 
  (in thousands)
 

Revenues:

       

Financial guaranty variable interest entities' revenues:

       
 

Interest income

  $ 5,501  
 

Net realized and unrealized gains (losses) on assets

    21,547  
       
   

Financial guaranty variable interest entities' revenues

  $ 27,048  
       

Expenses:

       

Financial guaranty variable interest entities' expenses:

       
 

Interest expense

  $ 2,362  
 

Net realized and unrealized losses (gains) on liabilities with recourse

    13,414  
 

Net realized and unrealized (gains) losses on liabilities without recourse

    (3,381 )
 

Other expenses

    3,139  
       
   

Financial guaranty variable interest entities' expenses

  $ 15,534  
       

72



Assured Guaranty Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited) (Continued)

March 31, 2010

19. Consolidation of VIEs (Continued)

        The financial reports of the consolidated VIEs are prepared by outside parties and are not available within the time constraints that the Company requires to ensure the financial accuracy of the operating results. As such, the financial results of the three VIEs are consolidated on a one quarter lag.

        The new accounting guidance mandates the accounting changes prescribed by the statement to be recognized by the Company as a cumulative effect adjustment to retained earnings as of January 1, 2010. The cumulative effect of adopting the new accounting guidance was a $39.0 million after-tax decrease to the opening retained earnings balance due to the consolidation of three VIEs at fair value. The impact of adopting the new accounting guidance on the Company's balance sheet was as follows:

 
  As of December 31,
2009
  Transition
Adjustment
  As of January 1,
2010
 
 
  (in thousands)
 

ASSETS:

                   

Deferred tax asset, net

  $ 241,796   $ 21,002   $ 262,798  

Financial guaranty variable interest entities' assets

        348,324     348,324  

Total assets

    4,499,810     369,326     4,869,136  

LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDER'S EQUITY:

                   

Financial guaranty variable interest entities' liabilities with recourse

        390,274     390,274  

Financial guaranty variable interest entities' liabilities without recourse

        18,055     18,055  

Total liabilities

    3,273,593     408,329     3,681,922  

Retained earnings

    153,738     (39,003 )   114,735  

Total shareholder's equity

    1,226,217     (39,003 )   1,187,214  

Total liabilities and shareholder's equity

    4,499,810     369,326     4,869,136  

Non-Consolidated VIEs

        To date, the results of qualitative and quantitative analyses have indicated that the Company does not have a majority of the variability in any other VIEs and, as a result, are not consolidated in the Company's unaudited interim consolidated financial statements. The Company's exposure provided through its financial guaranties with respect to debt obligations of non-consolidated SPEs is included within net par outstanding in Note 4.

73




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