We carry insurance policies on insurable risks at levels that we believe to be appropriate, including workers’ compensation, automobile and general liability risks. We purchase insurance policies from third-party insurance carriers, which typically incorporate significant deductibles or self-insured retentions. We are responsible for all claims that fall below the retention limits, exceed our coverage limits or are otherwise not covered by our insurance policies. In determining our accrual for self-insured claims, we use historical claims experience to establish both the current year accrual and the underlying provision for future losses. This actuarially determined provision and related accrual include known claims, as well as incurred but not reported claims. We adjust our estimate of accrued self-insured claims when required to reflect changes based on factors such as changes in health care costs, accident frequency and claim severity.

In the normal course of business, we periodically enter into agreements that incorporate indemnification provisions. While the maximum amount to which we may be exposed under such agreements cannot be estimated, we do not expect these guarantees and indemnifications to have a material effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

A reconciliation of beginning and ending accrued self-insured claims, which are included in Accrued liabilities—Self-insured claims and related expenses and Other long-term obligations, primarily self-insured claims on the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Financial Position, net of insurance recoverables, which are included in Prepaid expenses and other assets and Other assets on the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Financial Position, is presented as follows:



	Accrued
	Self-insured
(In millions)	Claims, Net
Balance as of December 31, 2020	$	126
Provision for self-insured claims		29
Cash payments		(21)
Balance as of September 30, 2021	$	134

Balance as of December 31, 2019	$	111
Provision for self-insured claims		35
Cash payments		(21)
Balance as of September 30, 2020	$	125

Our business is subject to a significant number of damage claims related to termite activity in homes for which we provide termite control services, often accompanied by a termite damage warranty. Our termite damage warranty is a differentiator in the industry that has enabled us to become a market leader of this product line. Termite damage claims include circumstances when a customer notifies us that they have experienced damage to their property and we reach an agreement to remediate that damage (a

“Non-Litigated Claim”); and circumstances when we do not reach an agreement with a customer to remediate the damage and that customer initiates litigation or arbitration proceedings (a “Litigated Claim”). We accrue for these liabilities when it is probable that future costs will be incurred and such costs can be reasonably estimated. Current activity can differ, causing a change in estimates which could be material.

A reconciliation of beginning and ending accrued Litigated Claims, which are included in Accrued liabilities—Other and Other long-term obligations, primarily self-insured claims on the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Financial Position, and Non-Litigated Claims, which are included in Accrued liabilities—Self-insured claims and related expenses on the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Financial Position, is presented as follows:


	Accrued
	Termite Damage
(In millions)	Claims
Balance as of December 31, 2020	$	72
Provision for termite damage claims		47
Cash payments		(49)
Balance as of September 30, 2021	$	69

Balance as of December 31, 2019	$	80
Provision for termite damage claims		41
Cash payments		(42)
Balance as of September 30, 2020	$	79

Mobile Bay Formosan Termite Settlement

In November 2020, the Company entered into the Consent Judgment and Settlement Agreement (the “Settlement”) with the Office of the Attorney General of the State of Alabama (the “AL AG”) and other Alabama state regulators, primarily related to termite renewal pricing changes we made in our branches in Mobile, Alabama and Gulf Shores, Alabama, which comprise all of our customers in the area, (collectively, the “Mobile Bay Area”) in 2019 and certain other termite inspection and treatment practices regarding the control of Formosan termites in that area that allegedly violated the Alabama Deceptive Trade Practices Act (the “ADTPA”). The Settlement provides for: immediate remediation measures to be provided directly to current and former customers in the Mobile Bay Area, including refunds of certain price increases, rebates to certain former customers, the establishment of a $25 million consumer fund and a related receiver to oversee our compliance with these commitments and to act as an arbitrator for certain Non-litigated Claims; the reimbursement of certain investigative and monitoring costs incurred by the AL AG’s office and the Department of Agriculture and Industries; and a university endowment intended to support termite and pest management research with an emphasis on Formosan termite research. The Company has also agreed to pay the state of Alabama $19 million.

Pursuant to the Settlement, we have also agreed to provide the opportunity to reinstate service for certain customers who canceled their services during specified timeframes as well as the retreatment of certain customer premises and a commitment to certain specified response and remediation timeframes for future termite damage claims. We do not expect the financial impact of these additional remedies to have a material impact on our prospective results of operations or cash flows.

In the fourth quarter of 2020, the Company funded the $25 million consumer fund, from which certain monetary liabilities from settlements of, or judgments in, the covered Settlement are paid by the fund’s receiver. The amount in the consumer fund is held in escrow by the receiver and is classified as a deposit within Prepaid expenses and other assets and with an offsetting liability recorded within Accrued liabilities – Other on the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Financial Position. The fund’s receiver has paid a total of $8 million from the fund through the third quarter of 2021. In the second quarter of 2021, the Company recorded an increase in expense related to the settlement of $4 million due to a higher than anticipated customer participation rate. No adjustments were made in the third quarter of 2021.

State of Mississippi Formosan Termite Litigation

On April 22, 2021, the State of Mississippi brought litigation against us related to our termite inspection and treatment practices. The Company disputes the claims made in the litigation and intends to defend the matter vigorously. However, given the uncertainty of litigation, the preliminary stage of the case, and the legal standards that must be met for success on the merits, the Company cannot predict with certainty the outcome of the Mississippi litigation.

Other Litigation

In addition to the matters discussed above, in the ordinary course of conducting business activities, we and our subsidiaries become involved in judicial, administrative and regulatory proceedings involving both private parties and governmental authorities. We accrue for these liabilities when it is probable the future costs will be incurred and such costs can be reasonably estimated. Current activity can differ, causing a change in estimates which could be material. These proceedings include insured and uninsured matters that are brought on an individual, collective, representative and class action basis, or other proceedings involving regulatory, employment, general and commercial liability, automobile liability, wage and hour, environmental, shareholder and other matters. We