Note 11.

Commitments and Contingencies

Future minimum annual rental commitments as of December 31, 2014 under various non-cancellable operating leases for our office facilities, which expire at various dates through 2023, are as follows:


	Year Ended
In thousands	December 31,
2015	$	11,245
2016		9,234
2017		7,942
2018		6,907
2019		4,258
Thereafter		12,811

Total minimum operating lease payments	$	52,397

We are also liable for additional payments to the landlords for certain annual cost increases. Rent expense for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012 was $13.2 million, $11.5 million and $10.5 million, respectively.

The State of Connecticut (“the State”) awarded our Company up to $11.5 million ($8.0 million in loans and $3.5 million in grants) as an incentive to move its corporate headquarters to Stamford Connecticut. The loan is non-interest bearing, has a term of 10 years and is subject to forgiveness under conditions of the agreement with the State. The amount of the assistance to be received is dependent on our Company reaching certain milestones for creation of new jobs over a five-year period, and the funds are to be used to offset certain equipment purchases, facility costs, training of employees and other eligible project-related costs. Our Company completed the move to Stamford in September 2013 and received $7.5 million for reaching the first job milestone. Earning of the grant and forgiveness of the loan is subject to certain conditions, including maintaining the required jobs for an extended period of time. As of December 31, 2014, the length of time commitment has not been met, however, our Company expects to meet all the conditions to keep the amount of assistance received to date, and accordingly, is recognizing the assistance received over the period in which our Company recognizes the expenses for which the assistance is intended to compensate, and is recognized as a reduction of such expenses. For the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, our Company recognized $1.1 million and $0.3 million of the assistance and as of December 31, 2014 has deferred revenue of $6.1 million, which is included in other liabilities.

In the ordinary course of conducting business, our Company’s subsidiaries are involved in various legal proceedings, either indirectly as insurers for parties or directly as defendants. Most of these proceedings consist of claims litigation involving our Company’s subsidiaries as either: (a) liability insurers defending or providing indemnity for third party claims brought against insureds or (b) insurers defending first party coverage claims brought against them. Our Company accounts for such activity through the establishment of unpaid loss and loss adjustment reserves. Our Company’s management believes that the ultimate liability, if any, with respect to such ordinary-course claims litigation, after consideration of provisions made for potential losses and cost of defense, will not be material to our Company’s consolidated financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows.

Our Company’s subsidiaries are also occasionally involved with other legal actions, some of which assert claims for substantial amounts. These actions include claims asserting extra contractual obligations, such as claims involving allegations of bad faith in the handling of claims or the underwriting of policies. In general, our Company believes it has valid defenses to these cases. Our Company’s management expects that the ultimate liability, if any, with respect to future extra-contractual matters will not be material to its consolidated financial position. Nonetheless, given the large or indeterminate amounts sought in certain of these matters, and the inherent unpredictability of litigation, an adverse outcome in such matters could, from time to time, have a material adverse outcome on our Company’s consolidated results of operations or cash flows in a particular fiscal quarter or year.