General

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2021

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

General

General

Basis of Presentation

The Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of CNA Financial Corporation (CNAF) and its subsidiaries. Collectively, CNAF and its subsidiaries are referred to as CNA or the Company. Loews Corporation (Loews) owned approximately 89.5% of the outstanding common stock of CNAF as of March 31, 2021.

The accompanying Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (GAAP). Intercompany amounts have been eliminated. Certain financial information that is normally included in annual financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP, including certain financial statement notes, is not required for interim reporting purposes and has been condensed or omitted. These statements should be read in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements and notes thereto included in CNAF's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission for the year ended December 31, 2020, including the summary of significant accounting policies in Note A. The preparation of Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results may differ from those estimates.

The interim financial data as of March 31, 2021 and for the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020 is unaudited. However, in the opinion of management, the interim data includes all adjustments, including normal recurring adjustments, necessary for a fair statement of the Company's results for the interim periods. The results of operations for the interim periods are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the full year.

Accounting Standards Pending Adoption

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-12, Financial Services-Insurance (Topic 944): Targeted Improvements to the Accounting for Long-Duration Contracts. The updated accounting guidance requires changes to the measurement and disclosure of long-duration contracts. The guidance requires entities to annually update cash flow assumptions, including morbidity and persistency, and update discount rate assumptions quarterly using an upper-medium grade fixed-income instrument yield. The effect of changes in cash flow assumptions will be recorded in the Company's results of operations and the effect of changes in discount rate assumptions will be recorded in Other comprehensive income. This guidance is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2022, with early adoption permitted. The guidance may be applied using either a modified retrospective transition method or a full retrospective transition method. The guidance requires restatement of prior periods presented. The Company plans to adopt on the effective date, using the modified retrospective transition method and is currently evaluating the effect the updated guidance will have on its financial statements, including the increased disclosure requirements. The annual updating of cash flow assumptions is expected to increase income statement volatility. While the requirements of the new guidance represent a material change from existing GAAP, the underlying economics of the business and related cash flows will be unchanged.