XML 25 R14.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT v3.19.2
Legal Proceedings, Contingencies and Guarantees
6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2019
Legal Proceedings, Commitments and Contingencies, and Guarantees [Abstract]  
Legal Proceedings, Contingencies and Guarantees Legal Proceedings, Contingencies and Guarantees
The Company is a party to various claims and routine litigation incidental to its business, which, based on the facts and circumstances currently known, are not material to the Company's results of operations or financial position.
Guarantees
As of June 30, 2019 and December 31, 2018, the Company had recorded liabilities of approximately $5 million related to guarantee and indemnification agreements and management does not believe that any future indemnity claims will be significantly greater than the amounts recorded.
In the course of selling business entities and assets to third parties, the Company indemnified purchasers for certain losses, some of which are not limited by a contractual monetary amount. As of June 30, 2019, the Company had outstanding unlimited indemnifications that included tax liabilities arising prior to a purchaser's ownership of an entity or asset, defects in title at the time of sale, employee claims arising prior to closing and in some cases losses arising from certain litigation and undisclosed liabilities. Certain provisions of the indemnification agreements survive indefinitely, while others survive until the applicable statutes of limitation expire, or until the agreed-upon contract terms expire.
The Company also provided guarantees, if the primary obligor fails to perform, to holders of structured settlement annuities provided by a previously owned subsidiary. As of June 30, 2019, the potential amount of future payments the Company could be required to pay under these guarantees was approximately $1.7 billion, which will be paid over the lifetime of the annuitants. The Company does not believe any payment is likely under these guarantees, as the Company is the beneficiary of a trust that must be maintained at a level that approximates the discounted reserves for these annuities.