Commitments, Contingencies and Guarantees

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2021

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Commitments, Contingencies and Guarantees

Commitments, Contingencies and Guarantees

There are no material changes from the commitments, contingencies and concentrations previously disclosed in the Company’s Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020 except for the guarantees related to the indebtedness of others as disclosed in Note 11 (b) below.

a)Concentrations of Credit Risk

At June 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020, the Company’s assets where significant concentrations of credit risk may exist include investments, cash and cash equivalents, loan to related party, reinsurance recoverable on unpaid losses and funds withheld receivable. Please refer to "Note 8. Reinsurance" for additional information regarding the Company's credit risk exposure on its reinsurance counterparties including the impact of the LPT/ADC Agreement effective January 1, 2019. The Company requires its reinsurers to have adequate financial strength. The Company evaluates the financial condition of its reinsurers and monitors its concentration of credit risk on an ongoing basis. Provisions are made for amounts considered potentially uncollectible. Letters of credit are provided by its reinsurers for material amounts recoverable as discussed in "Note 8 — Reinsurance".

The Company manages the concentration of credit risk in its investment portfolio through issuer and sector exposure limitations. The Company believes it bears minimal credit risk in its cash on deposit. The Company also monitors the credit risk related to the loan to related party and funds withheld receivable, within which the largest balances are due from AmTrust. AmTrust has a financial strength/credit rating of A- (Excellent) from A.M. Best at June 30, 2021. To mitigate credit risk, the Company generally has a contractual right of offset thereby allowing claims to be settled net of any premiums or loan receivable. The Company believes these balances as at June 30, 2021 will be fully collectible.

b)Other Commitments and Financial Guarantees

The Company has remaining unfunded commitments on its other investments of $66,351 at June 30, 2021 (2020 - $63,313). Please refer to "Note 4 (b) - Investments" for further details on unfunded commitments at June 30, 2021.

Certain of the Company's investments in limited partnerships are related to real estate joint ventures with interests in multi-property projects with varying strategies ranging from the development of properties to the ownership of income-producing properties. In certain of these joint ventures, the Company has provided certain indemnities, guarantees and commitments to certain parties such that it may be required to make payments now or in the future.

Any loss for which the Company could be liable would be contingent on the default of a loan by the real estate joint venture entity for which the Company provided a financial guarantee to a lender. While the Company has committed to aggregate limits as to the amount of guarantees it will provide as part of its limited partnerships, guarantees are only provided on an individual transaction basis and are subject to the terms and conditions of each transaction mutually agreed by the parties involved. The Company is not bound to such guarantees without its express authorization.

As discussed above, at June 30, 2021, guarantees of $8,545 have been provided to lenders by the Company on behalf of the real estate joint venture, however, the likelihood of the Company incurring any losses pertaining to project level financing guarantees was determined to be remote. Therefore, no liability has been accrued under ASC 450-20.

c)Operating Lease Commitments

The Company leases office spaces, housing, office equipment and company vehicles under various operating leases expiring in various years through 2024. The Company terminated one of its office leasing arrangements and its subleasing arrangement during the three and six months ended June 30, 2021. The Company's leases are currently classified as operating leases and none of them have non-lease components. For operating leases that have an initial lease term of more than twelve months, and whose lease payments are above a certain threshold, the Company recognizes a lease liability and a right-of-use asset in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets at the present value of the remaining lease payments until expiration. As the lease contracts generally do not provide an implicit discount rate, the Company used the weighted-average discount rate of 10%, representing its secured incremental borrowing rate, in calculating the present value of the lease liability. This amount is recorded as a lease liability within accrued expenses and other liabilities with an equivalent amount for the right-of-use asset presented as part of other assets and is deemed insignificant at June 30, 2021. The Company's weighted-average remaining lease term is approximately 3.0 years at June 30, 2021. 

d)Legal Proceedings

Except as noted below, the Company is not a party to any material legal proceedings. From time to time, the Company is subject to routine legal proceedings, including arbitrations, arising in the ordinary course of business. These legal proceedings generally relate to claims asserted by or against the Company in the ordinary course of insurance or reinsurance operations. Based on the Company's opinion, the eventual outcome of these legal proceedings is not expected to have a material adverse effect on its financial condition or results of operations.

In April 2009, the Company learned that Bentzion S. Turin, the former Chief Operating Officer, General Counsel and Secretary of Maiden Holdings and Maiden Reinsurance, sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Labor claiming that his employment with the Company was terminated in retaliation for corporate whistle-blowing in violation of the whistle-blower protection provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. Mr. Turin alleged that he was terminated for raising concerns regarding corporate governance with respect to the negotiation of the terms of the Trust Preferred Securities Offering. He seeks reinstatement as Chief Operating Officer, General Counsel and Secretary of Maiden Holdings and Maiden Reinsurance, back pay and legal fees incurred. On December 31, 2009, the U.S. Secretary of Labor found no reasonable cause for Mr. Turin’s

11. Commitments, Contingencies and Guarantees (continued)

claim and dismissed the complaint in its entirety. Mr. Turin objected to the Secretary's findings and requested a hearing before an administrative law judge in the U.S. Department of Labor. The Company moved to dismiss Mr. Turin's complaint, and its motion was granted by the Administrative Law Judge on June 30, 2011. On July 13, 2011, Mr. Turin filed a petition for review of the Administrative Law Judge's decision with the Administrative Review Board in the U.S. Department of Labor. On March 29, 2013, the Administrative Review Board reversed the dismissal of the complaint on procedural grounds, and remanded the case to the administrative law judge. The administrative hearing began in September 2014 and concluded in November 2018. The Company believes that it had good and sufficient reasons for terminating Mr. Turin's employment and that the claim is without merit. The Company will continue to vigorously defend itself against this claim.

A putative class action complaint was filed against Maiden Holdings, Arturo M. Raschbaum, Karen L. Schmitt, and John M. Marshaleck in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey on February 11, 2019. On February 19, 2020, the Court appointed lead plaintiffs, and on May 1, 2020, lead plaintiffs filed an amended class action complaint (the “Amended Complaint”).The Amended Complaint asserts violations of Section 10(b) of the Exchange Act and Rule 10b-5 (and Section 20(a) for control person liability) arising in large part from allegations that Maiden failed to take adequate loss reserves in connection with reinsurance provided to AmTrust. Plaintiffs further claim that certain of Maiden Holdings’ representations concerning its business, underwriting and financial statements were rendered false by the allegedly inadequate loss reserves, that these misrepresentations inflated the price of Maiden Holdings' common stock, and that when the truth about the misrepresentations was revealed, the Company’s stock price fell, causing Plaintiffs to incur losses. On September 11, 2020, a motion to dismiss was filed on behalf of all Defendants. On August 6, 2021, the Court issued an order denying, in part, Defendants’ motion to dismiss, ordering Plaintiffs to file a shorter amended complaint no later than August 20, 2021, and permitting discovery to proceed on a limited basis. We believe the claims are without merit and we intend to vigorously defend ourselves. It is possible that additional lawsuits will be filed against the Company, its subsidiaries and its respective officers due to the diminution in value of our securities as a result of our operating results and financial condition. It is currently uncertain as to the effect of such litigation on our business, operating results and financial condition.