Derivative Financial Instruments

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2015

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]

Derivative Financial Instruments

Note 9 — Derivative Financial Instruments

The Company uses derivative financial instruments to manage the characteristics ofinvestment assets (such as duration, yield, currency and liquidity)to meet the varying demands of the related insurance and contractholder liabilities(such as paying claims, investment returns and withdrawals)and to hedge interest rate risk of its long-term debt. The Company has written and purchased GMIB reinsurance contracts in its run-off reinsurance business that are accounted for as freestanding derivatives. For information on the Company's accounting policy for derivative financial instruments, see Note 2(C) to the Financial Statements contained in the Company's 2014 Form 10-K. Derivatives in the Company's separate accounts are excluded from the following discussion because associated gains and losses generally accrue directly to separate account policyholders.

Collateral and termination features.The Company routinely monitors exposure to credit risk associated with derivatives and diversifies the portfolio among approved dealers of high credit quality to minimize this risk. As of March 31, 2015, the Company had $22 million in cash on deposit representing the upfront margin required for the Company's centrally-cleared derivative instruments.Certain of the Company's over-the-counter derivative instruments contain provisions requiring either the Company or the counterparty to post collateral or demand immediate payment depending on the amount of the net liability position and predefined financial strength or credit rating thresholds. Collateral posting requirements vary by counterparty. The net asset or liability positions of these derivatives were not material as of March 31, 2015 or December 31, 2014.

Investment Cash Flow Hedges

Purpose. The Company uses interest rate, foreign currency, and combination (interest rate and foreign currency) swap contracts to hedge the interest and foreign currency cash flows of its fixed maturity bonds to match associated insurance liabilities.

Accounting policy. Using cash flow hedge accounting, fair values are reported in other long-term investments or accounts payable, accrued expenses and other liabilities. Changes in fair value are reported in accumulated other comprehensive income and amortized into net investment income or reported in other realized investment gains and losses as interest or principal payments are received.

Cash flows. Under the terms of these various contracts, the Company periodically exchanges cash flows between variable and fixed interest rates and/or between two currencies for both principal and interest. Foreign currency and combination swaps are primarily Euros,Australian dollars,Canadian dollars, Japanese yen and British pounds and have terms for periods of up to six years. Net interest cash flows are reported in operating activities.

Volume of activity. As of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014, the notional values of these cash flow swaps was $145 million.

As of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014, and for the periods ended March 31, 2015 and 2014, the effects of these derivative instruments on the Consolidated Financial Statements, including the amounts of gains (losses) reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income into shareholders' net income were not material.No amounts were excluded from the assessment of hedge effectiveness and no gains (losses) were recognized due to hedge ineffectiveness.

Interest Rate Fair Value Hedges

Purpose. Beginning in 2014, the Company entered into centrally-clearedinterest rate swap contracts to convert a portion of the interest rate exposure on its long-term debt from fixed to variable rates to more closely align interest expense with interest income received on its cash equivalent and short-term investment balances. The variable rates are benchmarked to LIBOR.

Accounting policy. Using fair value hedge accounting, the fair values of the swap contracts are reported in other assets, including other intangibles or accounts payable, accrued expenses and other liabilities. As the critical terms of these swaps match those of the long-term debt being hedged, the carrying value of the hedged debt is adjusted to reflect changes in its fair value driven by LIBOR. The effects of those adjustments on other operating expenses are offset by the effects of corresponding changes in the swaps' fair value, including interest expense for the difference between the variable and fixed interest rates.

Cash flows. Under the terms of these contracts, the Company provides upfront margin and settles fair value changes and net interest between variable and fixed interest rates daily with the clearinghouse. Net interest cash flows are reported in operating activities.

Volume of activity. As of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014, the notional values of these derivative instruments was $750 million.

As ofMarch 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014, and for the periods ended March 31, 2015 and 2014, the effects of these derivative instruments on the Consolidated Financial Statements were not material.

GMIB

Purpose.The Company's run-off reinsurance business has written reinsurance contracts with issuers of variable annuity contracts that provide annuitants with certain guarantees of minimum income benefits resulting from the level of variable annuity account values compared with a contractually guaranteed amount (“GMIB liabilities”). According to the contractual terms of the written reinsurance contracts, payment by the Company depends on the actual account value in the underlying mutual funds and the level of interest rates when the contractholders elect to receive minimum income payments.

The fair value effects of GMIB contracts on the financial statements are included in Note 7 and their volume of activity is included in Note 16.Cash flows on these contracts are reported in operating activities.