Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2020
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies	Summary of Significant Accounting Policies Nature of Operations Cincinnati Financial Corporation (CFC) operates through The Cincinnati Insurance Company and Cincinnati Global Underwriting Ltd.SM (Cincinnati Global) insurance subsidiaries and two complementary subsidiary companies. Cincinnati Global, our London-based global specialty underwriter, was acquired effective February 28, 2019. The Cincinnati Insurance Company leads our insurance group that also includes two subsidiaries: The Cincinnati Casualty Company and The Cincinnati Indemnity Company. This group markets a broad range of standard market commercial and personal policies. The group focuses on delivery of quality customer service to our select group of 1,848 independent insurance agencies with 2,578 reporting locations across 45 states. Other subsidiaries of The Cincinnati Insurance Company include: The Cincinnati Life Insurance Company, which markets life insurance and fixed annuities; and The Cincinnati Specialty Underwriters Insurance Company, which offers excess and surplus lines property casualty insurance products. The Cincinnati Insurance Company also conducts the business of our reinsurance assumed operations, Cincinnati Re®. The two CFC complementary subsidiaries are CSU Producer Resources Inc., which provides insurance brokerage services to our independent agencies so their clients can access our excess and surplus lines insurance products, and CFC Investment Company, which offers commercial leasing and financing services to our agents, their clients and other customers. The World Health Organization declared the 2019 novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2 or COVID-19) outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on January 30, 2020, and a pandemic on March 11, 2020. The pandemic outbreak has caused an economic downturn on a global scale and although many businesses have resumed operations at some capacity, there is still uncertainty surrounding future government and private company restrictions. The pandemic, and unprecedented actions taken to contain the virus, has also continued to cause market disruption and volatility. For 2020, the company estimated that pandemic-related incurred losses and expenses totaled $85 million. The company continues to monitor the impact of the pandemic as it unfolds. The company cannot predict the impact the pandemic will have on its future consolidated financial condition, results of operations and cash flows, however the impact could be material. Basis of Presentation Our consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the parent and its wholly owned subsidiaries and are presented in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (GAAP). The 2019 consolidated financial statements include Cincinnati Global's results for the period from February 28, 2019, through December 31, 2019. Foreign exchange rates related to Cincinnati Global's operations did not have a material impact to our consolidated financial statements. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. The preparation of the consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Our actual results could differ from those estimates. Investments Our portfolio investments are primarily in publicly traded fixed-maturity and equity security investments. Fixed-maturity investments (taxable bonds, tax-exempt bonds, redeemable preferred equities and commercial mortgage- backed securities) classified as available for sale and equity investments (common and nonredeemable preferred equities) are recorded at fair value in the consolidated financial statements. Changes in fair value of fixed-maturity securities are reported in other comprehensive income while equity securities are reported in net income. The number of fixed-maturity securities with fair values below 100% of amortized cost can be expected to fluctuate as interest rates rise or fall. Because of our strong capital and long-term investment horizon, our general intent is to hold fixed-maturity investments until maturity, regardless of short-term fluctuations in fair values. An available for sale fixed maturity is impaired if the fair value of the security is below amortized cost. The impaired loss is charged to net income when we have the intent to sell the security or it is more likely than not we will be required to sell the security before recovery of the amortized cost. For impaired securities we intend to hold, an allowance for credit related losses is recorded in investment losses when the company determines a credit loss has been incurred based on certain factors such as adverse conditions, credit rating downgrades or failure of the issuer to make scheduled principal or interest payments. A credit loss is determined using a discounted cash flow analysis by comparing the present value of expected cash flows with the amortized cost basis, limited to the difference between fair value and amortized cost. Noncredit losses are recognized in other comprehensive income as a change in unrealized gains and losses on investments. As securities are sold, we recognize the gain or loss in income based on the trade date. Included within our other invested assets were $162 million and $164 million held on deposit at Lloyd's, $128 million and $71 million of private equity investments, $33 million and $32 million of life policy loans and $25 million and $29 million of real estate through direct property ownership and development projects in the United States at December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. Lloyd's deposits primarily consist of highly liquid short-term investment instruments. The private equity investments provide their financial statements to us and generally report investments on their balance sheets at fair value. We use the equity method of accounting for private equity and real estate development investments. Life policy loans are carried at the receivable value. Investment income, net of expenses, consists mainly of interest and dividends. We record interest on an accrual basis and record dividends at the ex-dividend date. We amortize premiums and discounts on fixed-maturity securities using the effective interest method over the expected life of the security. Fair Value Disclosures Fair value is defined as the exit price or the amount that would be (1) received to sell an asset or (2) paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between marketplace participants at the measurement date. When determining an exit price, we rely upon observable market data whenever possible. We primarily base fair value for investments in equity and fixed-maturity securities (including redeemable preferred stock and assets held in separate accounts) on quoted market prices or on prices from the company’s nationally recognized pricing vendors, outside resources that supply global securities pricing, dividend, corporate action and descriptive information to support fund pricing, securities operations, research and portfolio management. The company obtains and reviews the pricing services' valuation methodologies and related inputs and validates these prices by replicating a sample across each asset class using a discounted cash flow model. When a price is not available from these sources, as in the case of securities that are not publicly traded, we determine the fair value using various inputs including quotes from independent brokers. The fair value of investments not priced by the company’s nationally recognized pricing vendors is immaterial. For the purpose of Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) 825, Financial Instruments disclosure, we estimate the fair value of our long-term senior notes on market pricing of similar debt instruments that are actively trading. We estimate the fair value of our note payable on the year-end outstanding balance because it is short term and tied to a variable interest rate. We estimate the fair value of liabilities for investment contracts and annuities using discounted cash flow calculations across a wide range of economic interest rate scenarios with a provision for our nonperformance risk. We estimate the fair value for policyholder loans on insurance contracts using a discounted cash flow model. Determination of fair value for structured settlements assumes the discount rates used to calculate the present value of expected payments are the risk-free spot rates plus an A3 rated bond spread for financial issuers at December 31, 2020, to account for nonperformance risk. See Note 3, Fair Value Measurements, for further details. Cash and Cash Equivalents Cash and cash equivalents are highly liquid instruments that include liquid debt instruments with original maturities of less than three months. These are carried at cost, which approximates fair value. Property Casualty Insurance The consolidated property casualty companies actively write property casualty insurance through independent agencies in 45 states. Our 10 largest states generated 53.3% and 54.8% of total earned premiums in 2020 and 2019, respectively. Ohio, our largest state, accounted for 14.8% and 15.1% of total earned premiums in 2020 and 2019, respectively. Illinois, Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Indiana each accounted for between 4% and 6% of total earned premiums in 2020. Our largest single agency relationship accounted for approximately 1.3% of our total property casualty earned premiums in 2020. No aggregate agency relationship locations under a single ownership structure accounted for more than 4% of our total property casualty earned premiums in 2020. We record revenues for installment charges as fee revenues in the consolidated statements of income. Property casualty written premiums are deferred and recorded as earned premiums primarily on a pro rata basis over the terms of the policies. We record as unearned premiums the portion of written premiums that applies to unexpired policy terms. Expenses associated with successfully acquiring insurance policies – commissions, premium taxes and underwriting costs – are deferred and amortized over the terms of the policies. We assess recoverability of deferred acquisition costs at a level consistent with the way we acquire, service and manage insurance policies and measure profitability. We analyze our acquisition cost assumptions to reflect actual experience, and we evaluate potential premium deficiencies. Certain property casualty policies are not entered into policy underwriting systems as of the effective date of coverage. An estimate is recorded for these unprocessed written premiums. A large majority of the estimate is unearned and has no material impact on earned premiums. An allowance for credit losses on uncollectible property casualty premiums is updated and reviewed on a quarterly basis. At January 1, 2020, the allowance was $9 million. At December 31, 2020, the allowance increased to $19 million, of which a significant portion was due to consideration of pandemic-related factors. Other changes in the amount during 2020 were immaterial. We establish reserves to cover the expected cost of claims, losses and expenses related to investigating, processing and resolving claims. Although the appropriate amount of reserves is inherently uncertain, we base our decisions on past experience and current facts. Reserves are based on claims reported prior to the end of the year and estimates of incurred but not reported (IBNR) claims. We regularly review and update reserves using the most current information available. Any resulting adjustments are reflected in current calendar year insurance losses and policyholder benefits. We estimate that we may recover some of our costs through salvage and subrogation. Policyholder Dividends Certain workers’ compensation policies include the possibility of a policyholder earning a return of a portion of premium in the form of a policyholder dividend. The dividend generally is calculated by determining the profitability of a policy year along with the associated premium. We reserve for all probable future policyholder dividend payments. We record policyholder dividends as other underwriting expenses. Life Insurance We offer several types of life insurance and we account for each according to the duration of the contract. Short-duration life and health contracts are written to cover claims that arise during a short, fixed term of coverage. We generally have the right to change the amount of premium charged or cancel the coverage at the end of each contract term. We record premiums for short-duration life and health contracts similarly to property casualty contracts. Long-duration contracts are written to provide coverage for an extended period of time. Traditional long-duration contracts require policyholders to pay scheduled gross premiums, generally not less frequently than annually, over the term of the coverage. Premiums for these contracts, such as whole life insurance are recognized as revenue when due. Some traditional long-duration contracts, such as ten-pay whole life insurance, have premium payment periods shorter than the period over which coverage is provided. For these contracts, the excess of premium over the amount required to pay expenses and benefits is recognized over the term of the coverage rather than over the premium payment period. We establish a liability for traditional long-duration contracts as we receive premiums. The amount of this liability is the present value of future expenses and benefits less the present value of future net premiums. Net premium is the portion of gross premium required to provide for all expenses and benefits. We estimate future expenses and benefits and net premium using assumptions for expected expenses, mortality, morbidity, withdrawal rates and investment income. We include a provision for deviation, meaning we allow for some uncertainty in making our assumptions. We establish our assumptions when the contract is issued, and we generally maintain those assumptions for the life of the contract. We use both our own experience and industry experience, adjusted for historical trends, in arriving at our assumptions for expected mortality, morbidity and withdrawal rates. We use our own experience and historical trends for setting our assumption for expected expenses. We base our assumption for expected investment income on our own experience, adjusted for current and future economic conditions. We capitalize acquisition costs for traditional long-duration contracts. We charge these capitalized costs associated with successfully acquiring traditional long-duration contract insurance policies in proportion to premium revenue recognized. We use the same assumptions used in establishing the liability for the contract. We update our acquisition cost assumptions periodically to reflect actual experience, and we evaluate our deferred acquisition costs for recoverability. Universal life contracts are long-duration contracts for which contractual provisions are not fixed, unlike whole life insurance. Universal life contracts allow policyholders to vary the amount of premium, within limits, without our consent. However, we may vary the mortality, expense charges and the interest crediting rate, within limits, used to accumulate policy values. We do not record universal life premiums as revenue. Instead we recognize as revenue the mortality charges, administration charges and surrender charges when received. Some of our universal life contracts assess administration charges in the early years of the contract that are compensation for services we will provide in the later years of the contract. These administration charges are deferred and are recognized over the period when we provide those future services. We maintain a policy reserve liability equal to the policyholder account value. There is no provision for adverse deviation. Some of our universal life policies contain no-lapse guarantee provisions. For these policies, we establish a reserve in addition to the account balance, based on expected no-lapse guarantee benefits and expected policy assessments. We capitalize acquisition costs associated with successfully acquiring universal life long-duration contracts. We charge these capitalized costs to expenses over the term of coverage of the contract in accordance with the recognition of gross profit from the contract or notional benefit base. When we charge deferred policy acquisition costs to expenses, we use assumptions based on our best estimates of long-term experience. We review and modify these assumptions on a regular basis. An allowance for credit losses on uncollectible life insurance premiums is updated and reviewed on a quarterly basis. The allowance, including changes in the amount during 2020, was immaterial to our consolidated financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. Separate Accounts We have issued universal life contracts with guaranteed minimum returns, referred to as bank-owned life insurance contracts (BOLIs). A BOLI is designed so the bank is the policy owner and the policy beneficiary. We legally segregate and record as separate accounts the assets and liabilities for some of our BOLIs, based on the specific contract provisions. We guarantee minimum investment returns, account values and death benefits for our separate account BOLIs. Our other BOLIs are general account products. We carry the assets of separate account BOLIs at fair value. The liabilities on separate account BOLIs primarily are the contract holders’ claims to the related assets and are carried at an amount equal to the contract holders’ account value. At December 31, 2020 and 2019, the current fair value of the BOLI invested assets and cash exceeded the current fair value of the contract holders’ account value by approximately $99 million and $52 million, respectively. If the BOLI projected fair value were to fall below the value we guaranteed, a liability would be established with a corresponding charge to the company’s earnings. Generally, investment income and investment gains and losses of the separate accounts accrue directly to the contract holder, and we do not include them in the consolidated statements of income. Revenues and expenses related to separate accounts consist of contractual fees and mortality, surrender and expense risk charges. Also, each separate account BOLI includes a negotiated capital gain and loss sharing arrangement between the company and the bank. A percentage of each separate account’s investment gains and losses representing contract fees and assessments accrues to us and is transferred from the separate account to our general account and is recognized as revenue or expense. We record as revenues separate account investment management fees in fee revenues of the consolidated statements of income. Reinsurance The Cincinnati Insurance Company offers reinsurance assumed for casualty (predominantly domestic exposure), specialty and property (worldwide exposure). Treaties are written on a pro rata and excess of loss basis. We also continue to assume risk with limited exposure as a reinsurer for involuntary state pools. Written premium is recorded, net of contract specific retrocessions, on an ultimate estimate basis and primarily earned on a pro rata basis over the coverage period of the treaty. Expenses are recorded as per contract terms and deferred over the earning period of the premium. We establish known loss reserves when reported. We establish reserves for losses in excess of reported activity in the form of IBNR. Reserves are established using actuarial analysis, which includes models and methods traditionally used for the types of exposures written. We establish reserves for event specific occurrences using modeling data and company specific data when available. We enter into other reinsurance transactions to reduce risk and uncertainty by buying property casualty reinsurance and retrocessional reinsurance as well as life reinsurance. Reinsurance and retrocessional reinsurance contracts do not relieve us from our obligation to policyholders, but rather help protect our financial strength to perform that duty. All of these ceded reinsurance contracts transfer the economic risk of loss. Premiums that we cede are deferred and recorded as earned premiums on a pro rata basis over the terms of the contracts. We estimate loss amounts recoverable from our reinsurers based on the reinsurance policy terms. Historically, our claims with reinsurers have been paid. An allowance for credit losses on uncollectible reinsurance premiums and recoverable assets is updated and reviewed on a quarterly basis. The allowances, including changes in the amounts during 2020, were immaterial to our consolidated financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. Income Taxes We calculate deferred income tax liabilities and assets using tax rates in effect when temporary differences in the consolidated financial statement income and taxable income are expected to reverse. We recognize deferred income taxes for numerous temporary differences between our taxable income and consolidated financial statement income and other changes in shareholders’ equity. Such temporary differences relate primarily to unrealized gains and losses on investments and differences in the recognition of deferred acquisition costs, unearned premiums, insurance reserves and basis differences in the carrying value of investments held. We charge deferred income taxes associated with balances that impact other comprehensive income, such as unrealized gains and losses of fixed-maturity investments, to shareholders’ equity in accumulated other comprehensive income (AOCI). We charge deferred taxes associated with other differences to income. See Note 11, Income Taxes, for further detail on our uncertain tax positions and other income tax items. Although no Internal Revenue Service (IRS) penalties currently are accrued, if incurred, they would be recognized as a component of income tax expense. Earnings per Share Net income per common share is based on the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during each of the respective years. We calculate net income per common share (diluted) assuming the exercise or conversion of share‑based awards using the treasury stock method. Land, Building and Equipment We record land at cost, and record building and equipment at cost less accumulated depreciation. Equipment held under finance leases also is classified as property and equipment with the related lease obligations recorded as liabilities. We capitalize and amortize costs for internally developed computer software during the application development stage. These costs generally consist of external consulting, internal payroll and payroll-related costs. Our depreciation is based on estimated useful lives (ranging from three to 39.5 years) using straight-line and accelerated methods. Depreciation expense was $33 million for 2020, $25 million for 2019 and $31 million for 2018. We review our accumulated depreciation for our building, equipment and software assets and write off fully depreciated assets for obsolescence and nonuse. We monitor land, building and equipment and software assets for potential impairments. Indicators of potential impairments may include a significant decrease in the fair values of the assets, considerable cost overruns on projects, a change in legal factors or business climate or other factors that indicate that the carrying amount may not be recoverable or useful. There were no recorded land, building and equipment impairments for 2020, 2019 or 2018. Finance Receivables Our leasing subsidiary provides auto and equipment direct financing (leases and loans) to commercial and individual clients. We generally transfer ownership of the property to the client as the terms of the leases expire. Our lease contracts contain bargain purchase options. We account for these leases and loans as sales-type leases. We capitalize and amortize lease or loan origination costs over the life of the financing, using the effective interest method. These costs may include, but are not limited to finder fees, broker fees, filing fees and the cost of credit reports. We record income as other revenues over the financing term using the effective interest method in the consolidated statements of income. An allowance for credit losses on finance receivables is updated and reviewed on a quarterly basis. The allowance, including changes in the amount during 2020, was immaterial to our consolidated financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. Employee Benefit Pension Plan We sponsor a qualified defined benefit pension plan that was modified during 2008. We closed entry into the pension plan, and only participants 40 years of age or older could elect to remain in the plan. Our pension expenses are based on certain actuarial assumptions and also are composed of several components that are determined using the projected unit credit actuarial cost method. Refer to Note 13, Employee Retirement Benefits, for more information about our defined benefit pension plan. Share-Based Compensation We grant qualified and nonqualified share-based compensation under authorized plans. The stock options generally vest on a graded scale over three years following the date of grant and are exercisable over 10-year periods. We grant service-based restricted stock units that cliff vest three years after the date of grant as well as service-based restricted stock units that vest ratably over the three-year vesting term. We also grant performance-based restricted stock units that vest if certain market conditions are attained. In 2020, the CFC compensation committee approved share-based awards including incentive stock options, nonqualified stock options, service-based restricted and performance-based restricted stock units. See Note 17, Share-Based Associate Compensation Plans, for further details. Goodwill and Intangible Assets We recognize goodwill and intangible assets generated through acquisitions within other assets in the consolidated balance sheets. Goodwill arises when the fair value of consideration transferred exceeds the fair value of the net identifiable assets acquired at the acquisition date. Goodwill and intangible assets with an indefinite life are not amortized. Intangible assets with a definite life are amortized on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful lives as follows: broker relationships, 15 years; internally developed technology, five years; value of business acquired, over the remaining coverage period of the underlying insurance contracts, which expired during 2020. We test for impairments on an annual basis or more frequently if events or circumstances indicate that the asset might be impaired. The company performed its annual impairment test on goodwill and intangibles on September 30, which did not result in the recognition of an impairment loss. The company held goodwill of $30 million and intangible assets with an indefinite life of $31 million at December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. Subsequent Events There were no subsequent events requiring adjustment to the consolidated financial statements or disclosure. Adopted Accounting Updates ASU 2016-13, Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments In June 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2016-13, Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments, as well as additional implementation related ASU's in 2018, 2019 and 2020. These ASU’s amend previous guidance on the impairment of financial instruments by adding an impairment model that allows an entity to recognize expected credit losses as an allowance rather than impairing as they are incurred. The new guidance is intended to reduce the complexity of credit impairment models and result in a more timely recognition of expected credit losses. The standards require the company to consider all relevant information at the time of estimating the expected credit loss, including past events, the current environment, and reasonable and supportable forecasts over the life of the asset. These ASU's also eliminated the other-than-temporary impairment model for available for sale fixed-maturity securities by requiring that credit-related impairments be recognized through an allowance account. Changes in the allowance account are recorded in the period of change as a credit loss expense or reversal of credit loss expense. The measurement of credit losses is not impacted, except that credit losses recognized are limited to the amount by which fair value is below amortized cost and that the length of time that a security has been below amortized cost cannot be considered. These ASU's retain the guidance requiring that impaired securities intended to be sold have their amortized cost basis written down to fair value through net income. The company adopted these ASU's on January 1, 2020, and applied them on a modified retrospective basis. As a result of this adoption, an after-tax cumulative effect decrease of $2 million was made to retained earnings representing an increase to the overall valuation allowances for financial instruments measured at amortized cost. These ASU's were applied to available for sale fixed-maturity securities prospectively with no adjustments to the amortized cost basis of securities for which an other-than-temporary impairment had been previously recognized. The company has elected not to measure expected credit losses for accrued interest receivables related to its finance receivables and fixed-maturity securities. Pending Accounting Updates ASU 2018-12, Financial Services - Insurance (Topic 944): Targeted Improvements to the Accounting for Long-Duration Contracts In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-12, Financial Services - Insurance (Topic 944): Targeted Improvements to the Accounting for Long-Duration Contracts. ASU 2018-12 is intended to improve the timeliness of recognizing changes in the liability for future policy benefits and modify the rate used to discount future cash flows. The ASU will simplify and improve the accounting for certain market-based options or guarantees associated with deposit or account balance contracts and simplify amortization of deferred acquisition costs while improving and expanding required disclosures. In November 2020, the FASB issued an ASU that delayed the effective date of ASU 2018-12 to interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2022. These ASU's have not yet been adopted. Management is currently evaluating the impact on our company's consolidated financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Cincinnati Financial Corporation (CFC) operates through The Cincinnati Insurance Company and Cincinnati Global Underwriting Ltd.SM (Cincinnati Global) insurance subsidiaries and two complementary subsidiary companies. Cincinnati Global, our London-based global specialty underwriter, was acquired effective February 28, 2019.

The Cincinnati Insurance Company leads our insurance group that also includes two subsidiaries: The Cincinnati Casualty Company and The Cincinnati Indemnity Company. This group markets a broad range of standard market commercial and personal policies. The group focuses on delivery of quality customer service to our select group of 1,848 independent insurance agencies with 2,578 reporting locations across 45 states. Other subsidiaries of The Cincinnati Insurance Company include: The Cincinnati Life Insurance Company, which markets life insurance and fixed annuities; and The Cincinnati Specialty Underwriters Insurance Company, which offers excess and surplus lines property casualty insurance products. The Cincinnati Insurance Company also conducts the business of our reinsurance assumed operations, Cincinnati Re®.

The two CFC complementary subsidiaries are CSU Producer Resources Inc., which provides insurance brokerage services to our independent agencies so their clients can access our excess and surplus lines insurance products, and CFC Investment Company, which offers commercial leasing and financing services to our agents, their clients and other customers.

The World Health Organization declared the 2019 novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2 or COVID-19) outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on January 30, 2020, and a pandemic on March 11, 2020. The pandemic outbreak has caused an economic downturn on a global scale and although many businesses have resumed operations at some capacity, there is still uncertainty surrounding future government and private company restrictions. The pandemic, and unprecedented actions taken to contain the virus, has also continued to cause market disruption and volatility. For 2020, the company estimated that pandemic-related incurred losses and expenses totaled $85 million. The company continues to monitor the impact of the pandemic as it unfolds. The company cannot predict the impact the pandemic will have on its future consolidated financial condition, results of operations and cash flows, however the impact could be material.

Our consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the parent and its wholly owned subsidiaries and are presented in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (GAAP). The 2019 consolidated financial statements include Cincinnati Global's results for the period from February 28, 2019, through December 31, 2019. Foreign exchange rates related to Cincinnati Global's operations did not have a material impact to our consolidated financial statements. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

The preparation of the consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Our actual results could differ from those estimates.

Our portfolio investments are primarily in publicly traded fixed-maturity and equity security investments. Fixed-maturity investments (taxable bonds, tax-exempt bonds, redeemable preferred equities and commercial mortgage- backed securities) classified as available for sale and equity investments (common and nonredeemable preferred equities) are recorded at fair value in the consolidated financial statements. Changes in fair value of fixed-maturity securities are reported in other comprehensive income while equity securities are reported in net income. The number of fixed-maturity securities with fair values below 100% of amortized cost can be expected to fluctuate as interest rates rise or fall. Because of our strong capital and long-term investment horizon, our general intent is to hold fixed-maturity investments until maturity, regardless of short-term fluctuations in fair values.

required to sell the security before recovery of the amortized cost. For impaired securities we intend to hold, an allowance for credit related losses is recorded in investment losses when the company determines a credit loss has been incurred based on certain factors such as adverse conditions, credit rating downgrades or failure of the issuer to make scheduled principal or interest payments. A credit loss is determined using a discounted cash flow analysis by comparing the present value of expected cash flows with the amortized cost basis, limited to the difference between fair value and amortized cost. Noncredit losses are recognized in other comprehensive income as a change in unrealized gains and losses on investments. As securities are sold, we recognize the gain or loss in income based on the trade date.

Included within our other invested assets were $162 million and $164 million held on deposit at Lloyd's, $128 million and $71 million of private equity investments, $33 million and $32 million of life policy loans and $25 million and $29 million of real estate through direct property ownership and development projects in the United States at December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. Lloyd's deposits primarily consist of highly liquid short-term investment instruments. The private equity investments provide their financial statements to us and generally report investments on their balance sheets at fair value. We use the equity method of accounting for private equity and real estate development investments. Life policy loans are carried at the receivable value.

Investment income, net of expenses, consists mainly of interest and dividends. We record interest on an accrual basis and record dividends at the ex-dividend date. We amortize premiums and discounts on fixed-maturity securities using the effective interest method over the expected life of the security.

Fair value is defined as the exit price or the amount that would be (1) received to sell an asset or (2) paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between marketplace participants at the measurement date. When determining an exit price, we rely upon observable market data whenever possible. We primarily base fair value for investments in equity and fixed-maturity securities (including redeemable preferred stock and assets held in separate accounts) on quoted market prices or on prices from the company’s nationally recognized pricing vendors, outside resources that supply global securities pricing, dividend, corporate action and descriptive information to support fund pricing, securities operations, research and portfolio management. The company obtains and reviews the pricing services' valuation methodologies and related inputs and validates these prices by replicating a sample across each asset class using a discounted cash flow model. When a price is not available from these sources, as in the case of securities that are not publicly traded, we determine the fair value using various inputs including quotes from independent brokers. The fair value of investments not priced by the company’s nationally recognized pricing vendors is immaterial.

For the purpose of Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) 825, Financial Instruments disclosure, we estimate the fair value of our long-term senior notes on market pricing of similar debt instruments that are actively trading. We estimate the fair value of our note payable on the year-end outstanding balance because it is short term and tied to a variable interest rate. We estimate the fair value of liabilities for investment contracts and annuities using discounted cash flow calculations across a wide range of economic interest rate scenarios with a provision for our nonperformance risk. We estimate the fair value for policyholder loans on insurance contracts using a discounted cash flow model. Determination of fair value for structured settlements assumes the discount rates used to calculate the present value of expected payments are the risk-free spot rates plus an A3 rated bond spread for financial issuers at December 31, 2020, to account for nonperformance risk. See Note 3, Fair Value Measurements, for further details.

The consolidated property casualty companies actively write property casualty insurance through independent agencies in 45 states. Our 10 largest states generated 53.3% and 54.8% of total earned premiums in 2020 and 2019, respectively. Ohio, our largest state, accounted for 14.8% and 15.1% of total earned premiums in 2020 and 2019, respectively. Illinois, Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Indiana each accounted for between 4% and 6% of total earned premiums in 2020. Our largest single agency relationship accounted for approximately 1.3% of our total property casualty earned premiums in 2020. No aggregate agency relationship locations under a single

Property casualty written premiums are deferred and recorded as earned premiums primarily on a pro rata basis over the terms of the policies. We record as unearned premiums the portion of written premiums that applies to unexpired policy terms. Expenses associated with successfully acquiring insurance policies – commissions, premium taxes and underwriting costs – are deferred and amortized over the terms of the policies. We assess recoverability of deferred acquisition costs at a level consistent with the way we acquire, service and manage insurance policies and measure profitability. We analyze our acquisition cost assumptions to reflect actual experience, and we evaluate potential premium deficiencies.

Certain property casualty policies are not entered into policy underwriting systems as of the effective date of coverage. An estimate is recorded for these unprocessed written premiums. A large majority of the estimate is unearned and has no material impact on earned premiums.

An allowance for credit losses on uncollectible property casualty premiums is updated and reviewed on a quarterly basis. At January 1, 2020, the allowance was $9 million. At December 31, 2020, the allowance increased to $19 million, of which a significant portion was due to consideration of pandemic-related factors. Other changes in the amount during 2020 were immaterial.

We establish reserves to cover the expected cost of claims, losses and expenses related to investigating, processing and resolving claims. Although the appropriate amount of reserves is inherently uncertain, we base our decisions on past experience and current facts. Reserves are based on claims reported prior to the end of the year and estimates of incurred but not reported (IBNR) claims. We regularly review and update reserves using the most current information available. Any resulting adjustments are reflected in current calendar year insurance losses and policyholder benefits. We estimate that we may recover some of our costs through salvage and subrogation.

Certain workers’ compensation policies include the possibility of a policyholder earning a return of a portion of premium in the form of a policyholder dividend. The dividend generally is calculated by determining the profitability of a policy year along with the associated premium. We reserve for all probable future policyholder dividend payments. We record policyholder dividends as other underwriting expenses.

We offer several types of life insurance and we account for each according to the duration of the contract. Short-duration life and health contracts are written to cover claims that arise during a short, fixed term of coverage. We generally have the right to change the amount of premium charged or cancel the coverage at the end of each contract term. We record premiums for short-duration life and health contracts similarly to property casualty contracts.

Long-duration contracts are written to provide coverage for an extended period of time. Traditional long-duration contracts require policyholders to pay scheduled gross premiums, generally not less frequently than annually, over the term of the coverage. Premiums for these contracts, such as whole life insurance are recognized as revenue when due. Some traditional long-duration contracts, such as ten-pay whole life insurance, have premium payment periods shorter than the period over which coverage is provided. For these contracts, the excess of premium over the amount required to pay expenses and benefits is recognized over the term of the coverage rather than over the premium payment period.

We establish a liability for traditional long-duration contracts as we receive premiums. The amount of this liability is the present value of future expenses and benefits less the present value of future net premiums. Net premium is the portion of gross premium required to provide for all expenses and benefits. We estimate future expenses and benefits and net premium using assumptions for expected expenses, mortality, morbidity, withdrawal rates and investment income. We include a provision for deviation, meaning we allow for some uncertainty in making our assumptions. We establish our assumptions when the contract is issued, and we generally maintain those assumptions for the life of the contract. We use both our own experience and industry experience, adjusted for historical trends, in arriving at our assumptions for expected mortality, morbidity and withdrawal rates. We use our own experience and historical trends for setting our assumption for expected expenses. We base our assumption for expected investment income on our own experience, adjusted for current and future economic conditions.

We capitalize acquisition costs for traditional long-duration contracts. We charge these capitalized costs associated with successfully acquiring traditional long-duration contract insurance policies in proportion to premium revenue recognized. We use the same assumptions used in establishing the liability for the contract. We update our acquisition cost assumptions periodically to reflect actual experience, and we evaluate our deferred acquisition costs for recoverability.

Universal life contracts are long-duration contracts for which contractual provisions are not fixed, unlike whole life insurance. Universal life contracts allow policyholders to vary the amount of premium, within limits, without our consent. However, we may vary the mortality, expense charges and the interest crediting rate, within limits, used to accumulate policy values. We do not record universal life premiums as revenue. Instead we recognize as revenue the mortality charges, administration charges and surrender charges when received. Some of our universal life contracts assess administration charges in the early years of the contract that are compensation for services we will provide in the later years of the contract. These administration charges are deferred and are recognized over the period when we provide those future services. We maintain a policy reserve liability equal to the policyholder account value. There is no provision for adverse deviation. Some of our universal life policies contain no-lapse guarantee provisions. For these policies, we establish a reserve in addition to the account balance, based on expected no-lapse guarantee benefits and expected policy assessments.

We capitalize acquisition costs associated with successfully acquiring universal life long-duration contracts. We charge these capitalized costs to expenses over the term of coverage of the contract in accordance with the recognition of gross profit from the contract or notional benefit base. When we charge deferred policy acquisition costs to expenses, we use assumptions based on our best estimates of long-term experience. We review and modify these assumptions on a regular basis.

An allowance for credit losses on uncollectible life insurance premiums is updated and reviewed on a quarterly basis. The allowance, including changes in the amount during 2020, was immaterial to our consolidated financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

We have issued universal life contracts with guaranteed minimum returns, referred to as bank-owned life insurance contracts (BOLIs). A BOLI is designed so the bank is the policy owner and the policy beneficiary. We legally segregate and record as separate accounts the assets and liabilities for some of our BOLIs, based on the specific contract provisions. We guarantee minimum investment returns, account values and death benefits for our separate account BOLIs. Our other BOLIs are general account products.

We carry the assets of separate account BOLIs at fair value. The liabilities on separate account BOLIs primarily are the contract holders’ claims to the related assets and are carried at an amount equal to the contract holders’ account value. At December 31, 2020 and 2019, the current fair value of the BOLI invested assets and cash exceeded the current fair value of the contract holders’ account value by approximately $99 million and $52 million, respectively. If the BOLI projected fair value were to fall below the value we guaranteed, a liability would be established with a corresponding charge to the company’s earnings.

Generally, investment income and investment gains and losses of the separate accounts accrue directly to the contract holder, and we do not include them in the consolidated statements of income. Revenues and expenses related to separate accounts consist of contractual fees and mortality, surrender and expense risk charges. Also, each separate account BOLI includes a negotiated capital gain and loss sharing arrangement between the company and the bank. A percentage of each separate account’s investment gains and losses representing contract fees and assessments accrues to us and is transferred from the separate account to our general account and is recognized as revenue or expense. We record as revenues separate account investment management fees in fee revenues of the consolidated statements of income.

The Cincinnati Insurance Company offers reinsurance assumed for casualty (predominantly domestic exposure), specialty and property (worldwide exposure). Treaties are written on a pro rata and excess of loss basis. We also continue to assume risk with limited exposure as a reinsurer for involuntary state pools.

Written premium is recorded, net of contract specific retrocessions, on an ultimate estimate basis and primarily earned on a pro rata basis over the coverage period of the treaty. Expenses are recorded as per contract terms and deferred over the earning period of the premium.

We establish known loss reserves when reported. We establish reserves for losses in excess of reported activity in the form of IBNR. Reserves are established using actuarial analysis, which includes models and methods traditionally used for the types of exposures written. We establish reserves for event specific occurrences using modeling data and company specific data when available.

We enter into other reinsurance transactions to reduce risk and uncertainty by buying property casualty reinsurance and retrocessional reinsurance as well as life reinsurance. Reinsurance and retrocessional reinsurance contracts do not relieve us from our obligation to policyholders, but rather help protect our financial strength to perform that duty. All of these ceded reinsurance contracts transfer the economic risk of loss.

Premiums that we cede are deferred and recorded as earned premiums on a pro rata basis over the terms of the contracts. We estimate loss amounts recoverable from our reinsurers based on the reinsurance policy terms. Historically, our claims with reinsurers have been paid.

An allowance for credit losses on uncollectible reinsurance premiums and recoverable assets is updated and reviewed on a quarterly basis. The allowances, including changes in the amounts during 2020, were immaterial to our consolidated financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

We calculate deferred income tax liabilities and assets using tax rates in effect when temporary differences in the consolidated financial statement income and taxable income are expected to reverse. We recognize deferred income taxes for numerous temporary differences between our taxable income and consolidated financial statement income and other changes in shareholders’ equity. Such temporary differences relate primarily to unrealized gains and losses on investments and differences in the recognition of deferred acquisition costs, unearned premiums, insurance reserves and basis differences in the carrying value of investments held. We charge deferred income taxes associated with balances that impact other comprehensive income, such as unrealized gains and losses of fixed-maturity investments, to shareholders’ equity in accumulated other comprehensive income (AOCI). We charge deferred taxes associated with other differences to income.

Net income per common share is based on the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during each of the respective years. We calculate net income per common share (diluted) assuming the exercise or conversion of share‑based awards using the treasury stock method.

We record land at cost, and record building and equipment at cost less accumulated depreciation. Equipment held under finance leases also is classified as property and equipment with the related lease obligations recorded as liabilities. We capitalize and amortize costs for internally developed computer software during the application development stage. These costs generally consist of external consulting, internal payroll and payroll-related costs. Our depreciation is based on estimated useful lives (ranging from three to 39.5 years) using straight-line and accelerated methods. Depreciation expense was $33 million for 2020, $25 million for 2019 and $31 million for 2018. We review our accumulated depreciation for our building, equipment and software assets and write off fully depreciated assets for obsolescence and nonuse. We monitor land, building and equipment and software assets for potential impairments. Indicators of potential impairments may include a significant decrease in the fair values of the assets, considerable cost overruns on projects, a change in legal factors or business climate or other factors that indicate that the carrying amount may not be recoverable or useful. There were no recorded land, building and equipment impairments for 2020, 2019 or 2018.

Our leasing subsidiary provides auto and equipment direct financing (leases and loans) to commercial and individual clients. We generally transfer ownership of the property to the client as the terms of the leases expire. Our lease contracts contain bargain purchase options. We account for these leases and loans as sales-type leases. We capitalize and amortize lease or loan origination costs over the life of the financing, using the effective interest method. These costs may include, but are not limited to finder fees, broker fees, filing fees and the cost of credit reports. We record income as other revenues over the financing term using the effective interest method in the consolidated statements of income. An allowance for credit losses on finance receivables is updated and reviewed on a quarterly basis. The allowance, including changes in the amount during 2020, was immaterial to our consolidated financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

We sponsor a qualified defined benefit pension plan that was modified during 2008. We closed entry into the pension plan, and only participants 40 years of age or older could elect to remain in the plan. Our pension expenses are based on certain actuarial assumptions and also are composed of several components that are determined using the projected unit credit actuarial cost method. Refer to Note 13, Employee Retirement Benefits, for more information about our defined benefit pension plan.

We grant qualified and nonqualified share-based compensation under authorized plans. The stock options generally vest on a graded scale over three years following the date of grant and are exercisable over 10-year periods. We grant service-based restricted stock units that cliff vest three years after the date of grant as well as service-based restricted stock units that vest ratably over the three-year vesting term. We also grant performance-based restricted stock units that vest if certain market conditions are attained. In 2020, the CFC compensation committee approved share-based awards including incentive stock options, nonqualified stock options, service-based restricted and performance-based restricted stock units. See Note 17, Share-Based Associate Compensation Plans, for further details.

We recognize goodwill and intangible assets generated through acquisitions within other assets in the consolidated balance sheets. Goodwill arises when the fair value of consideration transferred exceeds the fair value of the net identifiable assets acquired at the acquisition date. Goodwill and intangible assets with an indefinite life are not amortized. Intangible assets with a definite life are amortized on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful lives as follows: broker relationships, 15 years; internally developed technology, five years; value of business acquired, over the remaining coverage period of the underlying insurance contracts, which expired during 2020. We test for impairments on an annual basis or more frequently if events or circumstances indicate that the asset might be impaired. The company performed its annual impairment test on goodwill and intangibles on September 30, which did not result in the recognition of an impairment loss. The company held goodwill of $30 million and intangible assets with an indefinite life of $31 million at December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively.

In June 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2016-13, Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments, as well as additional implementation related ASU's in 2018, 2019 and 2020. These ASU’s amend previous guidance on the impairment of financial instruments by adding an impairment model that allows an entity to recognize expected credit losses as an allowance rather than impairing as they are incurred. The new guidance is intended to reduce the complexity of credit impairment models and result in a more timely recognition of expected credit losses. The standards require the company to consider all relevant information at the time of estimating the expected credit loss, including past events, the current environment, and reasonable and supportable forecasts over the life of the asset.

These ASU's also eliminated the other-than-temporary impairment model for available for sale fixed-maturity securities by requiring that credit-related impairments be recognized through an allowance account. Changes in the allowance account are recorded in the period of change as a credit loss expense or reversal of credit loss expense. The measurement of credit losses is not impacted, except that credit losses recognized are limited to the amount by which fair value is below amortized cost and that the length of time that a security has been below amortized cost cannot be considered. These ASU's retain the guidance requiring that impaired securities intended to be sold have their amortized cost basis written down to fair value through net income.

The company adopted these ASU's on January 1, 2020, and applied them on a modified retrospective basis. As a result of this adoption, an after-tax cumulative effect decrease of $2 million was made to retained earnings representing an increase to the overall valuation allowances for financial instruments measured at amortized cost. These ASU's were applied to available for sale fixed-maturity securities prospectively with no adjustments to the amortized cost basis of securities for which an other-than-temporary impairment had been previously recognized. The company has elected not to measure expected credit losses for accrued interest receivables related to its finance receivables and fixed-maturity securities.

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-12, Financial Services - Insurance (Topic 944): Targeted Improvements to the Accounting for Long-Duration Contracts. ASU 2018-12 is intended to improve the timeliness of recognizing changes in the liability for future policy benefits and modify the rate used to discount future cash flows. The ASU will simplify and improve the accounting for certain market-based options or guarantees associated with deposit or account balance contracts and simplify amortization of deferred acquisition costs while improving and expanding required disclosures. In November 2020, the FASB issued an ASU that delayed the effective date of ASU 2018-12 to interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2022. These ASU's have not yet been adopted. Management is currently evaluating the impact on our company's consolidated financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.