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INCOME TAXES
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2020
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]  
INCOME TAXES INCOME TAXES
The Company uses a full year estimated annual effective tax rate to calculate total income tax expense on interim quarters. In addition, the Company discretely recognizes certain other items in the period in which they occur. The estimated annual effective tax rate is calculated as the ratio of projected total income tax expense divided by projected earnings before income taxes for the year. The interim period tax expense (or benefit) is the difference between the year-to-date income tax provision and the amounts reported for the previous interim periods of the year.

The Company’s consolidated effective income tax rate on pretax earnings was (112.9)% and 25.0% for the three-month periods and (30.0)% and 25.5% for the nine-month periods ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively. This combined effective tax rate differs from the U.S. statutory rate primarily due to the release of certain valuation allowances discussed below.

On March 27, 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was signed into law and includes certain income tax provisions relevant to businesses. The Company was required to recognize the effect on the consolidated financial statements in the period the law was enacted, which was the period ended March 31, 2020. For the nine-month period ended September 30, 2020, the CARES Act did not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. At this time, the Company does not expect the impact of the CARES Act to have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2020.

On September 29, 2020, the U.S. Treasury and Internal Revenue Service issued Final and Proposed Regulations which address, among other items, the allocation of insurance expenses in the calculation of the foreign tax credit limitation. These regulations clarify how insurance related expenses are allocated and apportioned for this purpose. The Company had previously established valuation allowances on deferred foreign tax credits due to the uncertainty that previously existed. Under the guidance of these regulations, the Company recognized a one-time income tax benefit of $1.4 billion due to the release of these valuation allowances which were predominantly established on the Company’s deferred foreign tax credit benefits. The Company has determined that this will also reduce its effective tax rate in future periods, subject to any future changes in U.S. tax policy.