Note F. Claim and Claim Adjustment Expense Reserves

The Company's property and casualty insurance claim and claim adjustment expense reserves represent the estimated amounts necessary to resolve all outstanding claims, including IBNR claims as of the reporting date. The Company's reserve projections are based primarily on detailed analysis of the facts in each case, the Company's experience with similar cases and various historical development patterns. Consideration is given to such historical patterns as field reserving trends and claims settlement practices, loss payments, pending levels of unpaid claims and product mix, as well as court decisions, economic conditions including inflation, and public attitudes. All of these factors can affect the estimation of claim and claim adjustment expense reserves.

Establishing claim and claim adjustment expense reserves, including claim and claim adjustment expense reserves for catastrophic events that have occurred, is an estimation process. Many factors can ultimately affect the final settlement of a claim and, therefore, the necessary reserve. Changes in the law, results of litigation, medical costs, the cost of repair materials and labor rates can all affect ultimate claim costs. In addition, time can be a critical part of reserving determinations since the longer the span between the incidence of a loss and the payment or settlement of the claim, the more variable the ultimate settlement amount can be. Accordingly, short-tail claims, such as property damage claims, tend to be more reasonably estimable than long-tail claims, such as workers' compensation, general liability and professional liability claims. Adjustments to prior year reserve estimates, if necessary, are reflected in the results of operations in the period that the need for such adjustments is determined. There can be no assurance that the Company's ultimate cost for insurance losses will not exceed current estimates.

Catastrophes are an inherent risk of the property and casualty insurance business and have contributed to material period-to-period fluctuations in the Company's results of operations and/or equity. The Company reported catastrophe losses, net of reinsurance, of $28 million and $55 million for the three months ended March 31, 2012 and 2011. Catastrophe losses in the first quarter of 2012 related primarily to U.S. storms.

Net Prior Year Development

The following tables and discussion include the net prior year development recorded for CNA Specialty, CNA Commercial and Corporate & Other Non-Core. Favorable net prior year development of $1 million was recorded in the Life & Group Non-Core segment for the three months ended March 31, 2012, compared to unfavorable net prior year development of $7 million for the same period in 2011.

Net Prior Year Development



Three months ended March 31, 2012
(In millions)	CNA Specialty			CNA Commercial			Corporate & Other Non-Core		Total
Pretax (favorable) unfavorable net prior year claim and allocated claim adjustment expense reserve development	$	(6	)	$	(14	)	$	2	$	(18	)
Pretax (favorable) unfavorable premium development	(9		)	(17		)	1		(25		)
Total pretax (favorable) unfavorable net prior year development	$	(15	)	$	(31	)	$	3	$	(43	)



Three months ended March 31, 2011
(In millions)	CNA Specialty			CNA Commercial			Corporate & Other Non-Core			Total
Pretax (favorable) unfavorable net prior year claim and allocated claim adjustment expense reserve development	$	(15	)	$	(7	)	$	3		$	(19	)
Pretax (favorable) unfavorable premium development	(7		)	(8		)	(1		)	(16		)
Total pretax (favorable) unfavorable net prior year development	$	(22	)	$	(15	)	$	2		$	(35	)

For the three months ended March 31, 2012, favorable premium development was recorded for CNA Commercial primarily due to premium adjustments on auditable policies arising from increased exposures.

CNA Specialty

The following table provides further detail of the net prior year claim and allocated claim adjustment expense reserve development (development) recorded for the CNA Specialty segment for the three months ended March 31, 2012 and 2011.



Three months ended March 31
(In millions)	2012			2011
Pretax (favorable) unfavorable net prior year claim and allocated claim adjustment expense reserve development:
Medical Professional Liability	$	(6	)	$	(14	)
Other Professional Liability	4			6
Surety	1			—
Warranty	(1		)	(10		)
Other	(4		)	3
Total pretax (favorable) unfavorable net prior year claim and allocated claim adjustment expense reserve development	$	(6	)	$	(15	)

2012

Favorable development for medical professional liability was primarily due to reductions in the estimated frequency of large losses in accident years 2008 and prior.

2011

Favorable development for medical professional liability was primarily due to favorable loss emergence in aging services, physicians and excess institutions in accident years 2007 and prior.

Favorable development in warranty was driven by favorable policy year experience on an aggregate stop loss treaty covering the Company's non-insurance warranty subsidiary.

CNA Commercial

The following table provides further detail of development recorded for the CNA Commercial segment for the three months ended March 31, 2012 and 2011.



Three months ended March 31
(In millions)	2012			2011
Pretax (favorable) unfavorable net prior year claim and allocated claim adjustment expense reserve development:
Commercial Auto	$	—		$	10
General Liability	8			22
Workers' Compensation	(19		)	8
Property and Other	(3		)	(47		)
Total pretax (favorable) unfavorable net prior year claim and allocated claim adjustment expense reserve development	$	(14	)	$	(7	)

2012

Overall, favorable development for workers compensation reflects favorable experience in accident years 2001 and prior. Unfavorable development was recorded for accident year 2010 related to increased medical severity.

2011

Favorable development for property and marine coverages was due to lower than expected frequency in commercial multi-peril coverages primarily in accident year 2010 and a favorable settlement on an individual claim in accident year 2003 in the equipment breakdown book.

The unfavorable development in the general liability coverages was primarily due to two large claim outcomes on umbrella claims in accident year 2001.