Deferred Policy Acquisition Costs

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2023

Deferred Costs, Capitalized, Prepaid, and Other Assets Disclosure [Abstract]

Deferred Policy Acquisition Costs

9. Deferred Policy Acquisition Costs

DAC represent those costs that are incremental and directly related to the successful acquisition of new or renewal of existing insurance contracts. We defer incremental costs that result directly from, and are essential to, the acquisition or renewal of an insurance contract. Such DAC generally include agent or broker commissions and bonuses, premium taxes, and medical and inspection fees that would not have been incurred if the insurance contract had not been acquired or renewed. Each cost is analyzed to assess whether it is fully deferrable. We partially defer costs, including certain commissions, when we do not believe that the entire cost is directly related to the acquisition or renewal of insurance contracts. Commissions that are not deferred to DAC are recorded in General operating and other expenses in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income (Loss).

We also defer a portion of employee total compensation and payroll-related fringe benefits directly related to time spent performing specific acquisition or renewal activities, including costs associated with the time spent on underwriting, policy issuance and processing, and sales force contract selling. The amounts deferred are derived based on successful efforts for each distribution channel and/or cost center from which the cost originates.

Short-duration insurance contracts: Policy acquisition costs are deferred and amortized over the period in which the related premiums written are earned, generally 12 months. DAC is grouped consistent with the manner in which the insurance contracts are acquired, serviced and measured for profitability and is reviewed for recoverability based on the profitability of the underlying insurance contracts. Investment income is anticipated in assessing the recoverability of DAC. We assess the recoverability of DAC on an annual basis or more frequently if circumstances indicate an impairment may have occurred. This assessment is performed by comparing recorded net unearned premiums and anticipated investment income on in-force business to the sum of expected losses and loss adjustment expenses incurred, unamortized DAC and maintenance costs. If the sum of these costs exceeds the amount of recorded net unearned premiums and anticipated investment income, the excess is recognized as an offset against the asset established for DAC. This offset is referred to as a premium deficiency charge. Increases in expected losses and loss adjustment expenses incurred can have a significant impact on the likelihood and amount of a premium deficiency charge.

PRIOR TO THE ADOPTION OF THE TARGETED IMPROVEMENTS TO THE ACCOUNTING FOR LONG-DURATION CONTRACTS STANDARD

Long-duration insurance contracts: Policy acquisition costs for participating life, traditional life and accident and health insurance products were generally deferred and amortized, with interest, over the premium paying period. The assumptions used to calculate the benefit liabilities and DAC for these traditional products were set when a policy was issued and did not change with changes in actual experience, unless a loss recognition event occurred. These “locked-in” assumptions included mortality, morbidity, persistency, maintenance expenses and investment returns, and included margins for adverse deviation to reflect uncertainty given that actual experience might deviate from these assumptions. A loss recognition event occurred when there was a shortfall between the carrying amount of future policy benefit liabilities, net of DAC, and what the future policy benefit liabilities, net of DAC, would be when applying updated current assumptions. When we determined a loss recognition event had occurred, we first reduced any DAC related to that block of business through amortization of acquisition expense, and after DAC was depleted, we recorded additional liabilities through a charge to Policyholder benefits and losses incurred. Groupings for loss recognition testing were consistent with our manner of acquiring, servicing and measuring the profitability of the business and applied by product groupings. We performed separate loss recognition tests for traditional life products, payout annuities and long-term care products. Our policy was to perform loss recognition testing net of reinsurance. Once loss recognition had been recorded for a block of business, the old assumption set was replaced, and the assumption set used for the loss recognition would then be subject to the lock-in principle.

Investment-oriented contracts: Certain policy acquisition costs and policy issuance costs related to investment-oriented contracts, for example universal life, variable and fixed annuities, and fixed index annuities, were deferred and amortized, with interest, in relation to the incidence of EGPs to be realized over the estimated lives of the contracts. EGPs were affected by a number of factors, including levels of current and expected interest rates, net investment income and spreads, net realized gains and losses, fees, surrender rates, mortality experience, policyholder behavior experience and equity market returns and volatility. In each reporting period, current period amortization expense was adjusted to reflect actual gross profits. If the assumptions used for estimating gross profit changed significantly, DAC was recalculated using the new assumptions, including actuarial assumptions such as mortality, lapse, benefit utilization, and premium persistency, and any resulting adjustment was included in income. If the new assumptions indicated that future EGPs were higher than previously estimated, DAC was increased resulting in a decrease in amortization expense and increase in income in the current period; if future EGPs were lower than previously estimated, DAC was decreased resulting in an increase in amortization expense and decrease in income in the current period. Updating such assumptions may result in acceleration of amortization in some products and deceleration of amortization in other products. DAC was grouped consistent with

the manner in which the insurance contracts were acquired, serviced and measured for profitability and was reviewed for recoverability based on the current and projected future profitability of the underlying insurance contracts.

To estimate future EGPs for variable life and annuity products, a long-term annual asset growth assumption was applied to determine the future growth in assets and related asset-based fees. In determining the asset growth rate, the effect of short-term fluctuations in the equity markets was partially mitigated through the use of a “reversion to the mean” methodology for variable annuities, whereby short-term asset growth above or below long-term annual rate assumptions impacted the growth assumption applied to the five-year period subsequent to the current balance sheet date. The reversion to the mean methodology allowed us to maintain our long-term growth assumptions, while also giving consideration to the effect of actual investment performance. When actual performance significantly deviated from the annual long-term growth assumption, as evidenced by growth assumptions in the five-year reversion to the mean period falling below a certain rate (floor) or rising above a certain rate (cap) for a sustained period, judgment was applied to revise or “unlock” the growth rate assumptions to be used for both the five-year reversion to the mean period as well as the long-term annual growth assumption applied to subsequent periods.

Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation) of Investments: DAC related to investment-oriented contracts was also adjusted to reflect the effect of unrealized gains or losses on fixed maturity securities available for sale on EGPs, with related changes recognized through OCI. The adjustment was made at each balance sheet date, as if the securities had been sold at their stated aggregate fair value and the proceeds reinvested at current yields. Similarly, for long-duration traditional insurance contracts, if the assets supporting the liabilities were in a net unrealized gain position at the balance sheet date, loss recognition testing assumptions were updated to exclude such gains from future cash flows by reflecting the impact of reinvestment rates on future yields. If a future loss was anticipated under this basis, any additional shortfall indicated by loss recognition tests was recognized as a reduction in OCI. Similar to other loss recognition on long-duration insurance contracts, such shortfall is first reflected as a reduction in DAC and secondly as an increase in liabilities for Future policy benefits. The change in these adjustments, net of tax, was included with the change in net unrealized appreciation of investments that is credited or charged directly to OCI.

SUBSEQUENT TO THE ADOPTION OF THE TARGETED IMPROVEMENTS TO THE ACCOUNTING FOR LONG-DURATION CONTRACTS STANDARD

DAC for all long-duration contracts, except for those with limited to no exposure to policyholder behavior risk, (i.e., certain investment contracts), is grouped and amortized on a constant level basis (i.e., approximating straight line amortization with adjustments for expected terminations) over the expected term of the related contracts using assumptions consistent with those used in estimating the related liability for future policy benefits, or any other related balances, for those corresponding contracts, as applicable. Capitalized expenses are only included in DAC amortization as expenses are incurred. For amortization purposes, contracts are grouped into annual cohorts by issue year and product and to segregate reinsured and non-reinsured contracts. For life insurance contracts, amortization is based on insurance in-force, while initial deposits are used for deferred annuity contracts, structured settlements and pension risk transfer products. Changes in future assumptions (e.g., expected duration of contracts or amount of coverage expected to be in force) are applied by adjusting the amortization rate prospectively. The Company has elected to implicitly account for actual experience, whether favorable or unfavorable, in its amortization expense each period. DAC is capped at the amount of expenses capitalized as the DAC balance does not accrue interest. DAC is not subject to recoverability testing.

Value of Business Acquired (VOBA) is determined at the time of acquisition and is reported in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets with DAC. This value is based on the present value of future pre-tax profits discounted at yields applicable at the time of purchase. VOBA is amortized, consistent with DAC, i.e., over the life of the business on a constant level basis.

Internal Replacements of Long-duration and Investment-oriented Products: the accounting of internal replacements has generally not been impacted by the adoption of LDTI.

The following table presents the transition rollforward for DAC*:

	Individual Retirement		Group Retirement		Life Insurance		Institutional Markets		Total
(in millions)
Pre-adoption December 31, 2020 DAC balance	$	2,359	$	560	$	4,371	$	26	$	7,316
Adjustments for the removal of related balances in Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) originating from unrealized gains (losses)	2,062		534		547		7		3,150
Post-adoption January 1, 2021 DAC balance	$	4,421	$	1,094	$	4,918	$	33	$	10,466

*Excludes $2.5 billion of DAC in General Insurance.

Prior to the adoption of LDTI, DAC for investment-oriented products included the effect of unrealized gains or losses on fixed maturity securities classified as available for sale. At the Transition Date, these adjustments were removed with a corresponding offset in AOCI. As the available for sale portfolio was in an unrealized gain position as of the Transition Date, the adjustment for removal of related balances in AOCI originating from unrealized gains (losses) balances was reducing DAC.

The following table presents a rollforward of DAC:

Nine Months Ended September 30, 2023		General Insurance		Individual Retirement		Group Retirement		Life Insurance		Institutional Markets
(in millions)												Total
Balance, beginning of year	$	2,310	$	4,597	$	1,060	$	4,839	$	51	$	12,857
Capitalization		3,310		519		55		354		22		4,260
Amortization expense		(2,884)		(422)		(62)		(299)		(6)		(3,673)
Other, including foreign exchange		(76)		—		—		9		—		(67)
Reclassified to held for sale		(623)		—		—		(755)		—		(1,378)
Balance, end of period	$	2,037	$	4,694	$	1,053	$	4,148	$	67	$	11,999
Nine Months Ended September 30, 2022
Balance, beginning of year	$	2,428	$	4,553	$	1,078	$	4,904	$	38	$	13,001
Capitalization		2,960		420		44		319		13		3,756
Amortization expense		(2,668)		(380)		(59)		(311)		(5)		(3,423)
Other, including foreign exchange		(242)		—		—		(131)		—		(373)
Balance, end of period	$	2,478	$	4,593	$	1,063	$	4,781	$	46	$	12,961

DEFERRED SALES INDUCEMENTS

We offer deferred sales inducements (DSI) which include enhanced crediting rates or bonus payments to contract holders (bonus interest) on certain annuity and investment contract products. To qualify for such accounting treatment as an asset, the bonus interest must be explicitly identified in the contract at inception. We must also demonstrate that such amounts are incremental to amounts we credit on similar contracts without bonus interest and are higher than the contracts’ expected ongoing crediting rates for periods after the bonus period. DSI is reported in Other assets, while amortization related to DSI is recorded in Interest credited to policyholder account balances.

Prior to the adoption of the Targeted Improvements to the Accounting for Long-Duration Contracts Standard

DSI amounts were deferred and amortized over the life of the contract in relation to the incidence of EGPs to be realized over the estimated lives of the contracts. DSI was adjusted for the effect on EGPs of unrealized gains and losses on available-for-sale securities, with related changes recognized through OCI.

Subsequent to the adoption of the Targeted Improvements to the Accounting for Long-Duration Contracts Standard

DSI amounts are deferred and amortized on a constant level basis over the life of the contract consistent with DAC. Changes in future assumptions (e.g., expected duration of contracts) are applied by adjusting the amortization rate prospectively rather than through a retrospective catch up adjustment. The Company has elected to implicitly account for actual experience, whether favorable or unfavorable, in its amortization expense each period, consistent with DAC.

The following table presents the transition rollforward for DSI*:

(in millions)	Individual  Retirement		Group  Retirement		Total
Pre-adoption December 31, 2020 DSI balance	$	190	$	91	$	281
Adjustments for the removal of related balances in Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) originating from unrealized gains (losses)	284		114		398
Post-adoption January 1, 2021 DSI balance	$	474	$	205	$	679

*Other assets, excluding DSI, totaled $12.8 billion.

Prior to the adoption of LDTI, deferred sales inducements for investment-oriented products included the effect of unrealized gains or losses on fixed maturity securities classified as available-for-sale. At the Transition Date, these adjustments were removed with a corresponding offset in AOCI. As the available for sale portfolio was in an unrealized gain position as of the Transition Date, the adjustment for removal of related balances in AOCI originating from unrealized gains (losses) balances was reducing DSI.

The following table presents a rollforward of DSI:

Nine Months Ended September 30, 2023	2023						2022
(in millions)	Individual  Retirement		Group  Retirement		Total		Individual  Retirement		Group  Retirement		Total
Balance, beginning of year	$	381	$	177	$	558	$	428	$	191	$	619
Capitalization	5		—		5		5		—		5
Amortization expense	(41)		(10)		(51)		(41)		(10)		(51)
Balance, end of period*	$	345	$	167	$	512	$	392	$	181	$	573

*At September 30, 2023 and 2022, Other assets, excluding DSI, totaled $11.3 billion and $11.9 billion, respectively.