INVESTMENTS

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Investments [Abstract]

Investment

INVESTMENTS

Net Investment Income

The components of net investment income for the years ended December 31 were as follows:

(In millions)	2020			2019			2018
Fixed maturity securities		$	3,113		$	3,141		$	3,142
Equity securities		29			37			38
Commercial mortgage and other loans		545			468			333
Other investments		145			53			36
Short-term investments and cash equivalents		18			56			41
Gross investment income		3,850			3,755			3,590
Less investment expenses		212			177			148
Net investment income		$	3,638		$	3,578		$	3,442

Investment Holdings

The amortized cost for the Company's investments in fixed maturity securities, the cost for equity securities and the fair values of these investments at December 31 are shown in the following tables.

	2020
(In millions)	Amortized Cost		Allowance for Credit Losses		Gross Unrealized Gains		Gross Unrealized Losses		Fair   Value
Securities available for sale, carried at fair value through other comprehensive income:
Fixed maturity securities:
Yen-denominated:
Japan government and agencies	$	32,959	$	0	$	4,182	$	52	$	37,089
Municipalities	1,324		0		374		5		1,693
Mortgage- and asset-backed securities	342		0		27		1		368
Public utilities	4,777		0		1,096		1		5,872
Sovereign and supranational	981		0		108		0		1,089
Banks/financial institutions	7,552		0		886		102		8,336
Other corporate	8,114		0		1,747		37		9,824
Total yen-denominated	56,049		0		8,420		198		64,271
U.S. dollar-denominated:
U.S. government and agencies	245		0		16		0		261
Municipalities	1,154		0		173		2		1,325
Mortgage- and asset-backed securities	667		0		8		5		670
Public utilities	4,013		0		947		15		4,945
Sovereign and supranational	232		0		64		3		293
Banks/financial institutions	2,973		0		758		7		3,724
Other corporate	26,297		38		4,385		251		30,393
Total U.S. dollar-denominated	35,581		38		6,351		283		41,611
Total securities available for sale	$	91,630	$	38	$	14,771	$	481	$	105,882

	2019
(In millions)	Amortized Cost			Gross Unrealized Gains			Gross Unrealized Losses			Fair   Value
Securities available for sale, carried at fair value through other comprehensive income:
Fixed maturity securities:
Yen-denominated:
Japan government and agencies		$	30,929		$	5,169		$	0		$	36,098
Municipalities		516			116			3			629
Mortgage- and asset-backed securities		229			25			0			254
Public utilities		1,855			406			0			2,261
Sovereign and supranational		680			50			0			730
Banks/financial institutions		6,152			700			86			6,766
Other corporate		5,323			944			24			6,243
Total yen-denominated		45,684			7,410			113			52,981
U.S dollar-denominated:
U.S. government and agencies		293			9			0			302
Municipalities		1,077			141			0			1,218
Mortgage- and asset-backed securities		149			7			0			156
Public utilities		3,804			725			10			4,519
Sovereign and supranational		239			73			0			312
Banks/financial institutions		2,879			646			4			3,521
Other corporate		25,246			3,255			248			28,253
Total U.S. dollar-denominated		33,687			4,856			262			38,281
Total securities available for sale		$	79,371		$	12,266		$	375		$	91,262

	2020
(In millions)	Amortized Cost		Allowance for Credit Losses		Net Carrying Amount		Gross Unrealized Gains		Gross Unrealized Losses		Fair   Value
Securities held to maturity, carried at amortized cost:
Fixed maturity securities:
Yen-denominated:
Japan government and agencies	$	23,448	$	3	$	23,445	$	5,625	$	0	$	29,070
Municipalities	377		0		377		122		0		499
Public utilities	48		1		47		14		0		61
Sovereign and supranational	577		6		571		165		0		736
Other corporate	24		0		24		9		0		33
Total yen-denominated	24,474		10		24,464		5,935		0		30,399
Total securities held to maturity	$	24,474	$	10	24,464		$	5,935	$	0	$	30,399

	2019
(In millions)	Amortized Cost			Gross Unrealized Gains			Gross Unrealized Losses			Fair Value
Securities held to maturity, carried at amortized cost:
Fixed maturity securities:
Yen-denominated:
Japan government and agencies		$	22,241		$	6,050		$	0		$	28,291
Municipalities		821			262			0			1,083
Mortgage- and asset-backed securities		16			1			0			17
Public utilities		2,535			419			0			2,954
Sovereign and supranational		1,123			197			0			1,320
Banks/financial institutions		916			105			3			1,018
Other corporate		2,433			485			7			2,911
Total yen-denominated		30,085			7,519			10			37,594
Total securities held to maturity		$	30,085		$	7,519		$	10		$	37,594

	2020			2019
(In millions)	Fair Value			Fair Value
Equity securities, carried at fair value through net earnings:
Equity securities:
Yen-denominated		$	680		$	658
U.S. dollar-denominated		603			144
Total equity securities		$	1,283		$	802

The methods of determining the fair values of the Company's investments in fixed maturity securities and equity securities are described in Note 5.

During 2020, as a result of the adoption of ASU 2019-04 discussed in Note 1, the Company reclassified $6.9 billion (at amortized cost) of pre-payable fixed-maturity securities from the held-to-maturity category to the available-for-sale category. This reclassification resulted in recording in accumulated other comprehensive income a net unrealized gain of $848 million on an after-tax basis. During 2019 and 2018, the Company did not reclassify any investments from the held-to-maturity category to the available-for-sale category.

Contractual and Economic Maturities

The contractual and economic maturities of the Company's investments in fixed maturity securities at December 31, 2020, were as follows:

(In millions)	Amortized Cost (1)			Fair Value
Available for sale:
Due in one year or less		$	1,130		$	1,125
Due after one year through five years		8,750			9,020
Due after five years through 10 years		13,752			15,945
Due after 10 years		66,951			78,754
Mortgage- and asset-backed securities		1,009			1,038
Total fixed maturity securities available for sale		$	91,592		$	105,882
Held to maturity:
Due in one year or less		$	0		$	0
Due after one year through five years		0			0
Due after five years through 10 years		2,212			2,594
Due after 10 years		22,252			27,805
Mortgage- and asset-backed securities		0			0
Total fixed maturity securities held to maturity		$	24,464		$	30,399

(1) Net of allowance for credit losses

Economic maturities are used for certain debt instruments with no stated maturity where the expected maturity date is based on the combination of features in the financial instrument such as the right to call or prepay obligations or changes in coupon rates.

Investment Concentrations

The Company's process for investing in credit-related investments begins with an independent approach to underwriting each issuer's fundamental credit quality. The Company evaluates independently those factors that it believes could influence an issuer's ability to make payments under the contractual terms of the Company's instruments. This includes a thorough analysis of a variety of items including the issuer's country of domicile (including political, legal, and financial considerations); the industry in which the issuer competes (with an analysis of industry structure, end-market dynamics, and regulation); company specific issues (such as management, assets, earnings, cash generation, and capital needs); and contractual provisions of the instrument (such as financial covenants and position in the capital structure). The Company further evaluates the investment considering broad business and portfolio management objectives, including asset/liability needs, portfolio diversification, and expected income.

Investment exposures that individually exceeded 10% of shareholders' equity as of December 31 were as follows:

	2020			2019
(In millions)	Credit Rating	Amortized Cost	Fair Value	Credit Rating	Amortized Cost	Fair Value
Japan National Government(1)	A+	$55,153	$64,657	A+	$51,726	$62,584

(1)Japan Government Bonds (JGBs) or JGB-backed securities

Net Investment Gains and Losses

Information regarding pretax net gains and losses from investments for the years ended December 31 follows:

(In millions)	2020		2019		2018
Net investment gains (losses):
Sales and redemptions:
Fixed maturity securities available for sale:
Gross gains from sales	$	31	$	115	$	101
Gross losses from sales	(47)		(68)		(156)
Foreign currency gains (losses) on sales and redemptions	(69)		(16)		73
Total sales and redemptions	(85)		31		18
Equity securities	184		101		(131)
Loan loss reserves (1)	0		(18)		(19)
Credit losses:
Fixed maturity securities available for sale (2)	(75)		(13)		(64)
Fixed maturity securities held to maturity	1		0		0
Commercial mortgage and other loans	(103)		0		0
Loan commitments	(21)		0		0
Reinsurance recoverables and other	(2)		0		0
Total credit losses	(200)		(13)		(64)
Derivatives and other:
Derivative gains (losses)	399		(174)		(224)
Foreign currency gains (losses)	(568)		(62)		(10)
Total derivatives and other	(169)		(236)		(234)
Total net investment gains (losses)	$	(270)	$	(135)	$	(430)

(1) U.S. GAAP guidance adopted as of January 1, 2020 has superseded these losses, included for comparative purposes only

(2) Includes other-than-temporary impairment losses for prior year

The unrealized holding gains, net of losses, recorded as a component of net investment gains and losses for the year ended December 31, 2020, that relates to equity securities still held at the December 31, 2020, reporting date was $210 million.

Unrealized Investment Gains and Losses

Information regarding changes in unrealized gains and losses from investments recorded in AOCI for the years ended December 31 follows:

(In millions)	2020			2019			2018
Changes in unrealized gains (losses):
Fixed maturity securities, available for sale		$	2,399		$	5,852		$	(3,142)
Total change in unrealized gains (losses)		$	2,399		$	5,852		$	(3,142)

Effect on Shareholders' Equity

The net effect on shareholders' equity of unrealized gains and losses from fixed maturity securities at December 31 was as follows:

(In millions)	2020			2019
Unrealized gains (losses) on securities available for sale		$	14,290		$	11,891
Deferred income taxes		(3,929)			(3,343)
Shareholders’ equity, unrealized gains (losses) on fixed maturity securities		$	10,361		$	8,548

Gross Unrealized Loss Aging

The following tables show the fair values and gross unrealized losses of the Company's available-for-sale investments for the period ended December 31, 2020 and available-for-sale and held-to-maturity investments for prior periods that were in an unrealized loss position, aggregated by investment category and length of time that individual securities have been in a continuous unrealized loss position that were in an unrealized loss position.

	2020
	Total						Less than 12 months						12 months or longer
(In millions)	Fair Value			Unrealized Losses			Fair Value			Unrealized Losses			Fair Value			Unrealized Losses
Fixed maturity securities available for sale:
Japan government and agencies:
Yen-denominated		$	2,604		$	52		$	2,604		$	52		$	0		$	0
Municipalities:
U.S. dollar-denominated		94			2			94			2			0			0
Yen-denominated		183			5			169			4			14			1
Mortgage- and asset- backed securities:
U.S. dollar-denominated		360			5			360			5			0			0
Yen-denominated		37			1			37			1			0			0
Public utilities:
U.S. dollar-denominated		326			15			208			7			118			8
Yen-denominated		135			1			135			1			0			0
Sovereign and supranational:
U.S. dollar-denominated		39			3			39			3			0			0
Banks/financial institutions:
U.S. dollar-denominated		82			7			44			1			38			6
Yen-denominated		1,809			102			765			36			1,044			66
Other corporate:
U.S. dollar-denominated		4,499			251			2,157			59			2,342			192
Yen-denominated		613			37			290			13			323			24
Total		$	10,781		$	481		$	6,902		$	184		$	3,879		$	297

	2019
	Total						Less than 12 months						12 months or longer
(In millions)	Fair Value			Unrealized Losses			Fair Value			Unrealized Losses			Fair Value			Unrealized Losses
Fixed maturity securities:
Municipalities:
Yen-denominated		$	80		$	3		$	80		$	3		$	0		$	0
Public utilities:
U.S. dollar-denominated		306			10			69			2			237			8
Banks/financial institutions:
U.S. dollar-denominated		79			4			18			0			61			4
Yen-denominated		1,828			89			1,828			89			0			0
Other corporate:
U.S. dollar-denominated		4,261			248			792			53			3,469			195
Yen-denominated		636			31			636			31			0			0
Total		$	7,190		$	385		$	3,423		$	178		$	3,767		$	207

Analysis of Securities in Unrealized Loss Positions

The unrealized losses on the Company's fixed maturity securities investments have been primarily related to general market changes in interest rates, foreign exchange rates, and/or the levels of credit spreads rather than specific concerns with the issuer's ability to pay interest and repay principal.

For any significant declines in fair value of its fixed maturity securities, the Company performs a more focused review of the related issuers' credit profile. For corporate issuers, the Company evaluates their assets, business profile including industry dynamics and competitive positioning, financial statements and other available financial data. For non-corporate issuers, the Company analyzes all sources of credit support, including issuer-specific factors. The Company utilizes information available in the public domain and, for certain private placement issuers, from consultations with the issuers directly. The Company also considers ratings from Nationally Recognized Statistical Rating Organizations (NRSROs), as well as the specific characteristics of the security it owns including seniority in the issuer's capital structure, covenant protections, or other relevant features. From these reviews, the Company evaluates the issuers' continued ability to service the Company's investment through payment of interest and principal.

Assuming no credit-related factors develop, unrealized gains and losses on fixed maturity securities are expected to diminish as investments near maturity. Based on its credit analysis, the Company believes that the issuers of its fixed maturity investments in the sectors shown in the table above have the ability to service their obligations to the Company, and the Company does not intend to sell the investments and it is not more likely than not that the Company will be required to sell the investments before recovery of their amortized cost bases, which may be at maturity.

However, the Company has identified certain available-for-sale fixed maturity securities where the amortized cost basis exceeds the present value of the cash flows expected to be collected due to credit related factors and as a result, a credit allowance has been calculated. As of December 31, 2020, the Company held an allowance of $38 million. Refer to the Credit Losses section below for additional information.

Commercial Mortgage and Other Loans

The Company classifies its TREs, CMLs and MMLs as held-for-investment and includes them in the commercial mortgage and other loans line on the consolidated balance sheets. The Company carries them on the balance sheet at amortized cost less an estimated allowance for credit losses.

The table below reflects the composition of the carrying value for commercial mortgage and other loans by property type as of December 31.

(In millions)	2020				2019
	Amortized Cost		% of Total		Amortized Cost			% of Total
Commercial Mortgage and other loans
Transitional real estate loans:
Office	$	2,115	19.7	%	$	1,800		18.7	%
Retail	125		1.2		131			1.4
Apartments/Multi-Family	1,782		16.6		2,085			21.7
Industrial	85		.8		256			2.7
Hospitality	1,106		10.3		1,036			10.8
Other	81		.7		164			1.7
Total transitional real estate loans	5,294		49.3		5,472			57.0
Commercial mortgage loans:
Office	401		3.7		410			4.3
Retail	340		3.2		348			3.5
Apartments/Multi-Family	588		5.5		569			5.9
Industrial	391		3.6		383			4.0
Total commercial mortgage loans	1,720		16.0		1,710			17.7
Middle market loans	3,720		34.7		2,432			25.3
Total commercial mortgage and other loans	$	10,734	100.0	%	$	9,614		100.0	%
Allowance for credit losses	(180)				(45)		(1)
Total net commercial mortgage and other loans	$	10,554			$	9,569

(1) U.S. GAAP guidance adopted as of January 1, 2020 has superseded these losses, included for comparative purposes only.

Commercial mortgage and transitional real estate loans were secured by properties entirely within the U.S. (with the largest concentrations in California (21%), Texas (14%) and Florida (11%)). Middle market loans are issued only to companies domiciled within the U.S. and Canada.

Transitional Real Estate Loans

Transitional real estate loans are commercial mortgage loans that are typically relatively short-term floating rate instruments secured by a first lien on the property. These loans provide funding for properties undergoing a change in their physical characteristics and/or economic profile and do not typically require any principal repayment prior to the maturity date. This loan portfolio is generally considered to be investment grade. As of December 31, 2020, the Company had $601 million in outstanding commitments to fund transitional real estate loans. These commitments are contingent on the final underwriting and due diligence to be performed.

Commercial Mortgage Loans

Commercial mortgage loans are typically fixed rate loans on commercial real estate with partial repayment of principal over the life of the loan with the remaining outstanding principal being repaid upon maturity. This loan portfolio is generally considered higher quality investment grade loans. As of December 31, 2020, the Company had $32 million of outstanding commitments to fund commercial mortgage loans. These commitments are contingent on the final underwriting and due diligence to be performed.

Middle Market Loans

Middle market loans are typically first lien senior secured cash flow loans to small to mid-size companies for working capital, refinancing, acquisition, and recapitalization. These loans are generally considered to be below investment grade. The carrying value for middle market loans included $25 million and $99 million for a short term credit facility that is reflected in other liabilities on the consolidated balance sheets, as of December 31, 2020, and 2019, respectively.

As of December 31, 2020, the Company had commitments of approximately $2.2 billion of which $2.0 billion was a result of a new agreement with an external manager during the first quarter of 2020 to fund future middle market loans. These commitments are contingent upon the availability of middle market loans that meet the Company's underwriting criteria.

Credit Quality Indicators

For TREs, the Company’s key credit quality indicator is loan-to-value (LTV). Given that TRE loans involve properties undergoing renovation or construction, loan-to-value provides the most insight into the credit risk of the loan. The Company monitors the performance of the loans periodically, but not less frequently than quarterly.

For CMLs, the Company’s key credit quality indicators include LTV and debt service coverage ratios (DSCR). LTV is calculated by dividing the current outstanding loan balance by the most recent estimated property value. DSCR is the most recently available operating income of the underlying property compared to the required debt service of the loan.

For MMLs and held-to-maturity fixed maturity securities, the Company’s key credit quality indicator is credit ratings. The Company’s held-to-maturity portfolio is composed of investment grade securities that are senior unsecured instruments, while its MMLs generally have below-investment-grade ratings but are typically senior secured instruments. The Company monitors the credit ratings periodically, but not less frequently than quarterly.

For the Company’s reinsurance recoverable balance, the key credit quality indicator is the credit rating of the Company’s reinsurance counterparty. The Company uses external credit ratings focused on the reinsurer’s financial strength and credit worthiness. The Company's counterparties are rated A+. The Company monitors the credit ratings periodically, but not less frequently than quarterly.

The following tables present as of December 31, 2020 the amortized cost basis of TREs, CMLs and MMLs by year of origination and credit quality indicator.

Transitional Real Estate Loans
(In millions)	2020		2019		2018		2017		2016		Prior		Total
Loan-to-Value Ratio:
0%-59.99%	$	79	$	670	$	397	$	159	$	20	$	29	$	1,354
60%-69.99%	214		857		722		372		0		0		2,165
70%-79.99%	84		754		673		224		14		0		1,749
80% or greater	26		0		0		0		0		0		26
Total	$	403	$	2,281	$	1,792	$	755	$	34	$	29	$	5,294

Commercial Mortgage Loans
(In millions)	2020		2019		2018		2017		2016		Total		Weighted-Average DSCR
Loan-to-Value Ratio:
0%-59.99%	$	31	$	400	$	100	$	69	$	554	$	1,154	2.59
60%-69.99%	31		223		70		0		161		485		1.94
70%-79.99%	0		33		0		0		22		55		1.76
80% or greater	0		0		0		0		26		26		1.66
Total	$	62	$	656	$	170	$	69	$	763	$	1,720	2.37
Weighted Average DSCR	2.00		2.52		2.21		2.58		2.27

Middle Market Loans
(In millions)	2020		2019		2018		2017		2016		Prior		Revolving Loans		Total
Credit Ratings:
BBB	$	36	$	71	$	51	$	33	$	4	$	0	$	20	$	215
BB	269		247		211		93		37		15		90		962
B	483		615		325		219		127		23		170		1,962
CCC	95		89		97		89		31		27		84		512
CC	0		0		0		39		3		0		1		43
C and lower	8		0		18		0		0		0		0		26
Total	$	891	$	1,022	$	702	$	473	$	202	$	65	$	365	$	3,720

Allowance for Credit Losses

The Company calculates its allowance for credit losses for held-to-maturity fixed maturity securities, loan receivables, loan commitments and reinsurance recoverable by grouping assets with similar risk characteristics when there is not a specific expectation of a loss for an individual asset. For held-to-maturity fixed maturity securities, MMLs, and MML commitments, the Company groups assets by credit ratings, industry, and country. The Company groups CMLs and TREs and respective loan commitments by property type, property location and the property’s loan-to-value and debt service coverage ratios. The credit allowance for the reinsurance recoverable balance is estimated using a probability-of-default (PD) / loss-given-default (LGD) method.

The credit allowance for held-to-maturity fixed maturity securities and loan receivables is estimated using a PD / LGD method, discounted for the time value of money. For held-to-maturity fixed maturity securities, available-for-sale fixed maturity securities and loan receivables, the Company includes the change in present value due to the passage of time in the change in the allowance for credit losses. The Company’s methodology for estimating credit losses utilizes the contractual maturity date of the financial asset, adjusted when necessary to reflect the expected timing of repayment (such as prepayment options, renewal options, call options, or extension options). The Company applies reasonable and supportable forecasts of macroeconomic variables that impact the determination of PD/LGD over a two-year period for held-to-maturity fixed maturity securities and MMLs. The Company reverts to historical loss information over one year, following the two-year forecast period. For the CML and TRE portfolio, the Company applies reasonable and supportable forecasts of macroeconomic variables as well as national and local real-estate market factors to estimate future credit losses where the market factors revert back to historical levels over time with the period being dependent on current market conditions, projected market conditions and difference in the current and historical market levels for each factor. The Company continuously monitors the estimation methodology, due to changes in portfolio composition, changes in underwriting practices and significant events or conditions and makes adjustments as necessary.

The Company’s held-to-maturity fixed maturity portfolio includes Japan Government and Agency securities of $23.3 billion amortized cost as of December 31, 2020 that meet the requirements for zero-credit-loss expectation and therefore these asset classes have been excluded from the current expected credit loss measurement.

An investment in an available-for-sale fixed maturity security is impaired if the fair value falls below amortized cost. The Company regularly reviews its fixed maturity security investments portfolio for declines in fair value. The Company's debt impairment model focuses on the ultimate collection of the cash flows from its investments and whether the Company has the intent to sell or if it is more likely than not the Company would be required to sell the security prior to recovery of its amortized cost. The determination of the amount of impairments under this model is based upon the Company's periodic evaluation and assessment of known and inherent risks associated with the respective securities. Such evaluations and assessments are revised as conditions change and new information becomes available.

When determining the Company's intention to sell a security prior to recovery of its fair value to amortized cost, the Company evaluates facts and circumstances such as, but not limited to, future cash flow needs, decisions to reposition its security portfolio, and risk profile of individual investment holdings. The Company performs ongoing analyses of its liquidity needs, which includes cash flow testing of its policy liabilities, debt maturities, projected dividend payments, and other cash flow and liquidity needs.

The Company’s methodology for estimating credit losses for available-for-sale fixed maturity securities utilizes the discounted cash flow model, based on past events, current market conditions and future economic conditions, as well as

industry analysis and credit ratings of the fixed maturity securities. In addition, the Company evaluates the specific issuer’s probability of default and expected recovery of its position in the event of default based on the underlying financial condition and assets of the borrower as well as seniority and/or security of other debt holders in the issuer when developing management’s best estimate of expected cash flows.

The Company granted certain loan modifications in its MML and TRE portfolios due to COVID-19 during the year ended December 31, 2020. As of December 31, 2020 loan modifications did not have a material impact on the Company’s results of operations. The nature of the modifications varied in scope and significance, but generally a small proportion of modifications qualified as TDR, which is a situation where a Company grants a concession to a borrower that a Company would not otherwise have considered due to the borrower’s financial difficulties. Additionally, in accordance with the FASB’s published response to a COVID-19 Pandemic technical inquiry, the Company continues to accrue interest income on such loans that have deferred payment. The Company continues to evaluate loan modifications in its MML and TRE portfolios. As of December 31, 2020, the amortized cost of modified loans where Section 4013 of the CARES Act, as extended by the CAA, or the Interagency statement is applicable was immaterial.

The Company had an immaterial amount of TDRs during the year ended December 31, 2020. The Company had no TDRs during 2019. For certain TDRs, modifications resulted in write-offs for certain loans where the modified loan resulted in a forgiveness of existing principal and are included in the rollforward of the allowance for credit losses below.

The Company designates nonaccrual status for a nonperforming debt security or a loan that is not generating its stated interest rate because of nonpayment of periodic interest by the borrower. The Company applies the cash basis method to record any payments received on non-accrual assets. The Company resumes the accrual of interest on fixed maturity securities and loans that are currently making contractual payments or for those that are not current where the borrower has paid timely (less than 30 days outstanding).

As of December 31, 2020 and 2019, the Company had an immaterial amount (cost basis) of loans and fixed maturities on nonaccrual status.

The following table presents the roll forward of the allowance for credit losses by portfolio segment for the year ended December 31, 2020.

(In millions)	Transitional Real Estate Loans		Commercial Mortgage Loans		Middle Market Loans		Held to Maturity Securities		Available for Sale Securities		Reinsurance Recoverables
Balance at December 31, 2019 (1)	$	(22)	$	(3)	$	(20)	$	0	$	0	$	0
Transition impact to retained earnings	(2)		(8)		(33)		(10)		0		(11)
(Addition to) release of allowance for credit losses	(39)		(21)		(41)		0		(75)		(1)
Write-offs, net of recoveries	0		0		9		0		37		0
Balance at December 31, 2020	$	(63)	$	(32)	$	(85)	$	(10)	$	(38)	$	(12)

(1) U.S. GAAP guidance adopted as of January 1, 2020 has superseded these losses, included for comparative purposes only.

For assets that are subject to the credit loss measurement, the change in credit loss allowance will be significantly impacted by purchases and sales in those assets during the period as well as entering into new non-cancelable loan commitments. During the first quarter of 2020, the Company entered into a loan commitment with an external manager that met the requirements to recognize a credit loss on over $2.2 billion of loan commitments over the next few years. The estimate of credit losses for loan commitments as of December 31, 2020 was $35 million.

Other Investments

The table below reflects the composition of the carrying value for other investments as of December 31.

(In millions)	2020			2019
Other investments:
Policy loans		$	260		$	250
Short-term investments (1)		1,139			628
Limited partnerships		1,004			569
Other		26			30
Total other investments		$	2,429		$	1,477

(1) Includes securities lending collateral

As of December 31, 2020, the Company had $1.6 billion in outstanding commitments to fund alternative investments in limited partnerships.

Variable Interest Entities (VIEs)

As a condition of its involvement or investment in a VIE, the Company enters into certain protective rights and covenants that preclude changes in the structure of the VIE that would alter the creditworthiness of the Company's investment or its beneficial interest in the VIE.

For those VIEs other than certain unit trust structures, the Company's involvement is passive in nature. The Company has not, nor has it been, required to purchase any securities issued in the future by these VIEs.

The Company's ownership interest in VIEs is limited to holding the obligations issued by them. The Company has no direct or contingent obligations to fund the limited activities of these VIEs, nor does it have any direct or indirect financial guarantees related to the limited activities of these VIEs. The Company has not provided any assistance or any other type of financing support to any of the VIEs it invests in, nor does it have any intention to do so in the future. For those VIEs in which the Company holds debt obligations, the weighted-average lives of the Company's notes are very similar to the underlying collateral held by these VIEs where applicable.

The Company's risk of loss related to its interests in any of its VIEs is limited to the carrying value of the related investments held in the VIE.

VIEs - Consolidated

The following table presents the cost or amortized cost, fair value and balance sheet caption in which the assets and liabilities of consolidated VIEs are reported as of December 31.

Investments in Consolidated Variable Interest Entities

	2020						2019
(In millions)	Amortized Cost (1)			Fair Value			Amortized Cost			Fair Value
Assets:
Fixed maturity securities, available for sale		$	3,487		$	4,596		$	3,308		$	4,312
Commercial mortgage and other loans		8,964			9,040			7,956			8,015
Other investments (2)		826			826			494			494
Other assets (3)		133			133			169			169
Total assets of consolidated VIEs		$	13,410		$	14,595		$	11,927		$	12,990
Liabilities:
Other liabilities (3)		$	231		$	231		$	126		$	126
Total liabilities of consolidated VIEs		$	231		$	231		$	126		$	126

(1) Net of allowance for credit losses

(2) Consists entirely of alternative investments in limited partnerships

(3) Consists entirely of derivatives

The Company is substantively the only investor in the consolidated VIEs listed in the table above. As the sole investor in these VIEs, the Company has the power to direct the activities of a variable interest entity that most significantly impact the entity's economic performance and is therefore considered to be the primary beneficiary of the VIEs that it consolidates. The Company also participates in substantially all of the variability created by these VIEs. The activities of these VIEs are limited to holding invested assets and foreign currency swaps, as appropriate, and utilizing the cash flows from these securities to service its investment. Neither the Company nor any of its creditors are able to obtain the underlying collateral of the VIEs unless there is an event of default or other specified event. For those VIEs that contain a swap, the Company is not a direct counterparty to the swap contracts and has no control over them. The Company's loss exposure to these VIEs is limited to its original investment. The Company's consolidated VIEs do not rely on outside or ongoing sources of funding to support their activities beyond the underlying collateral and swap contracts, if applicable. With the exception of its investment in unit trust structures, the underlying collateral assets and funding of the Company's consolidated VIEs are generally static in nature.

Investments in Unit Trust Structures

The Company also utilizes unit trust structures in its Aflac Japan segment to invest in various asset classes. As the sole investor of these VIEs, the Company is required to consolidate these trusts under U.S. GAAP.

VIEs - Not Consolidated

The table below reflects the amortized cost, fair value and balance sheet caption in which the Company's investment in VIEs not consolidated are reported as of December 31.

Investments in Variable Interest Entities Not Consolidated

	2020						2019
(In millions)	Amortized Cost			Fair Value			Amortized Cost			Fair Value
Assets:
Fixed maturity securities, available for sale		$	5,477		$	6,767		$	4,129		$	4,884
Fixed maturity securities, held to maturity		0			0			1,848			2,236
Other investments (1)		178			178			75			74
Total investments in VIEs not consolidated		$	5,655		$	6,945		$	6,052		$	7,194

(1) Consists entirely of alternative investments in limited partnerships

The Company holds alternative investments in limited partnerships that have been determined to be VIEs. These partnerships invest in private equity and structured investments. The Company’s maximum exposure to loss on these investments is limited to the amount of its investment. The Company is not the primary beneficiary of these VIEs and is

therefore not required to consolidate them. The Company classifies these investments as Other investments in the consolidated balance sheets.Certain investments in VIEs that the Company is not required to consolidate are investments that are in the form of debt obligations from the VIEs that are irrevocably and unconditionally guaranteed by their corporate parents or sponsors. These VIEs are the primary financing vehicles used by their corporate sponsors to raise financing in the capital markets. The variable interests created by these VIEs are principally or solely a result of the debt instruments issued by them. The Company does not have the power to direct the activities that most significantly impact the entity's economic performance, nor does it have the obligation to absorb losses of the entity or the right to receive benefits from the entity. As such, the Company is not the primary beneficiary of these VIEs and is therefore not required to consolidate them.

Securities Lending and Pledged Securities

The Company lends fixed maturity and public equity securities to financial institutions in short-term security-lending transactions. These short-term security-lending arrangements increase investment income with minimal risk. The Company receives cash or other securities as collateral for such loans. The Company's security lending policy requires that the fair value of the securities received as collateral be 102% or more of the fair value of the loaned securities and that unrestricted cash received as collateral be 100% or more of the fair value of the loaned securities. The securities loaned continue to be carried as investment assets on the Company's balance sheet during the terms of the loans and are not reported as sales. For loans involving unrestricted cash or securities as collateral, the collateral is reported as an asset with a corresponding liability for the return of the collateral. For loans where the Company receives as collateral securities that the Company is not permitted to sell or repledge, the collateral is not reflected on the consolidated financial statements.

Details of collateral by loaned security type and remaining maturity of the agreements as of December 31 were as follows:

Securities Lending Transactions Accounted for as Secured Borrowings
Remaining Contractual Maturity of the Agreements
	2020						2019
(In millions)	Overnight and Continuous(1)		Up to 30 days		Total		Overnight and Continuous(1)		Up to 30 days		Total
Securities lending transactions:
Fixed maturity securities:
Japan government and agencies	$	0	$	0	$	0	$	0	$	1,013	$	1,013
Public utilities	57		0		57		35		0		35
Sovereign and supranational	3		0		3		2		0		2
Banks/financial institutions	63		0		63		48		0		48
Other corporate	841		0		841		778		0		778
Total borrowings	$	964	$	0	$	964	$	863	$	1,013	$	1,876
Gross amount of recognized liabilities for securities lending transactions					$	964					$	1,876

(1) The related loaned security, under the Company's Aflac U.S. securities lending program, can be returned to the Company at the transferee's discretion; therefore, they are classified as Overnight and Continuous.

In connection with securities lending, in addition to cash collateral received, the Company received from counterparties securities collateral of $6,654 million and $4,759 million at December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively, which may not be sold or re-pledged, unless the counterparty is in default. Such securities collateral is not reflected on the consolidated financial statements.

The Company did not have any repurchase agreements or repurchase-to-maturity transactions outstanding as of December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively.

Certain fixed maturity securities can be pledged as collateral as part of derivative transactions, or pledged to support state deposit requirements on certain investment programs. For additional information regarding pledged securities related to derivative transactions, see Note 4.

At December 31, 2020, debt securities with a fair value of $18 million were on deposit with regulatory authorities in the U.S. (including U.S. territories). The Company retains ownership of all securities on deposit and receives the related investment income.

For general information regarding the Company's investment accounting policies, see Note 1.