Commitments and Contingencies

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2022

Note 19: Commitments and Contingencies

MBIA has received subpoenas or informal inquiries from a variety of regulators, regarding a variety of subjects. MBIA has cooperated fully with each of these regulators and has or is in the process of satisfying all such requests. MBIA may receive additional inquiries from these or other regulators and expects to provide additional information to such regulators regarding their inquiries in the future.

Litigation

Zohar CDO

2003-1,

Ltd., et al. v. Patriarch Partners, LLC et al.,

Case No.

1:17-cv-0307-WHP

(S.D.N.Y.)

On November 27, 2017, Lynn Tilton and certain affiliated entities including Patriarch Partners, LLC commenced a third-party complaint against MBIA Inc., MBIA Insurance Corp. and other Zohar Fund stakeholders seeking damages for alleged breaches of the contracts governing the Zohar Funds and additional alleged legal duties and obligations relating to the Funds. On December 22, 2020, the Company and the other third-party defendants moved to dismiss the third-party complaint. On July 6, 2021, following the completion of briefing on those motions to dismiss, the presiding judge, the Honorable William H. Pauley died, and the case was reassigned to the Honorable P. Kevin Castel. On September 29, 2021, Judge Castel issued a decision on the motions to dismiss; granting them almost in full, with certain claims being stayed rather than dismissed, pending further developments in the Adversary Proceedings pending in the Zohar Funds Bankruptcy Cases in Delaware Bankruptcy Court.

Zohar Litigation

Trust-A

v. Tilton, et al

. (

f/k/a

MBIA Insurance Corp. v. Tilton et al.),

Adversary Case

No. 20-50776

(KBO) (Bankr. Del.)

On July 30, 2020, MBIA Corp. commenced an adversary proceeding in the Zohar Funds Bankruptcy Cases against Lynn Tilton and certain affiliated entities seeking damages incurred by MBIA Corp. in connection with insurance policies it issued on senior notes issued by Zohar I and Zohar II. On July 23, 2021, the court denied in part and granted in part Tilton’s and her affiliated defendants’ motion to dismiss the complaint. The court denied defendants’ motion with respect to MBIA’s claims for breach of contract, tortious interference, unjust enrichment, and malicious prosecution of claims Tilton brought against MBIA in Delaware. On February 1, 2022, MBIA filed its most recent Amended Complaint pursuant to and in accordance with the court’s multiple rulings on defendants’ motion to dismiss and related filings regarding the parties’ pleadings. Defendants filed their Answer to MBIA’s most recent Amended Complaint on April 13, 2022. Following the confirmation of a liquidation plan of the Zohar Collateral by the Delaware Bankruptcy Court and that plan becoming effective on August 2, 2022, MBIA Corp.’s

claims in this adversary proceeding, among other assets, were transferred and assigned to a litigation trust (Zohar Litigation

Trust-A,

or “the Trust”) and distributed to MBIA Corp. in the form of interests in the Trust subject to oversight by MBIA Corp. and another former Zohar creditor. As a result, on September 12, 2022, the court ordered the substitution of the Trust, as

successor-in-interest

to MBIA Corp., for MBIA Corp. as plaintiff in this adversary proceeding. Accordingly, MBIA Corp. is no longer the plaintiff or party to this adversary proceeding. On September 13, 2022, the Delaware Bankruptcy Court ordered the consolidation of this adversary proceeding for discovery and pretrial proceedings with an adversary proceeding commenced in 2020 by the Zohar Funds against Lynn Tilton in the Delaware Bankruptcy Court. Pursuant to that order, all pleadings concerning the

now-consolidated

proceedings shall be filed only in the adversary proceeding captioned

Zohar III, Corp. v. Patriarch Partners, LLC

, Adv. Proc.

No. 20-50534

(KBO).

The Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico, as representative of The Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, et al.

Case No.

17 BK

4780-LTS

(

D.P.R. July 19, 2017) (Swain, J.)

On July 18, 2017, National, together with other PREPA bondholders, asked the court overseeing PREPA’s Title III proceeding to lift the automatic stay, and permit bondholders to seek appointment of a receiver to oversee PREPA. On September 14, 2017, the court held that PROMESA barred relief from the stay. The bondholders appealed the decision to the First Circuit. On August 8, 2018, the First Circuit issued an order reversing the Court’s decision on jurisdictional grounds and remanding the motion. On October 3, 2018, National, together with other monolines filed an updated motion for relief from the automatic stay to allow Movants to exercise their statutory right to have a receiver appointed at PREPA. The Oversight Board filed a motion to dismiss the receiver motion. These motions had been stayed pending completion of a then pending restructuring agreement, but following its termination on March 8, 2022, the Court appointed a mediation panel to engage with the parties on a settlement. The bondholders renewed their motion on September 19, 2022. On September 29, 2022, the Court issued an order continuing its stay of the motion until the earlier of (a) the day after the deadline set by the Court for the Oversight Board to file a proposed plan of adjustment for PREPA, if such plan deadline is not met, or (b) the termination of the plan confirmation process. On January 31, 2023, National entered into the Plan Support Agreement with PREPA wherein National agreed, among other things, to settle its pending litigation with PREPA subject to the approval and implementation of a plan of reorganization incorporating the terms of the PSA.

Cortland Capital Market Services LLC, et al. v. The Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico et al.,

Case

No. 19-00396

(D.P.R. July 9, 2019) (Swain, J.)

On July

9, 2019, the “Fuel Line Lenders,” parties who extended approximately $

700

million to PREPA beginning in 2012 to fund fuel purchases, filed an adversary complaint against the Oversight Board, PREPA, AAFAF, and the Trustee for the PREPA Bonds, alleging that they are entitled to be paid in full before National and other bondholders have any lien on or recourse to PREPA’s assets, including pursuant to the RSA. On September 30, 2019, the Fuel Line Lenders filed an amended complaint which added National, Assured, Syncora, and the Ad Hoc Group as defendants. Defendants moved to dismiss the Fuel Line Lenders’ adversary complaint on November 11, 2019. The Fuel Line Lenders filed their opposition to the motion to dismiss on December 5, 2019. Defendants’ reply in support of the motion to dismiss was filed February 3, 2020. The hearing on the motion to dismiss was adjourned, and subject to Judge Swain’s order dated September 29, 2022, was stayed until further order of the Court. On December 1, 2022, the Fuel Line Lenders entered into a settlement agreement with the Oversight Board subject to the effective date of the proposed PREPA plan of adjustment.

National Public Finance Guarantee Corporation et al. v. UBS Financial Services, Inc. et al.,

No. SJ2019CV07932 (Superior Court San Juan)

On August 8, 2019, National and MBIA Corp. filed suit in the Court of First Instance in San Juan, Puerto Rico against UBS Financial Services, Inc., UBS Securities LLC, Citigroup Global Markets Inc., Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, Merrill Lynch, Fenner & Smith Inc., RBC Capital Markets LLC, and Santander Securities LLC, bringing two claims under Puerto Rico law: doctrina de actos propios (the doctrine of one’s own acts) and unilateral declaration of will. These claims concern the insurance by

National of bonds issued by the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and its instrumentalities that were underwritten by these defendants. National alleges that, when the defendants solicited bond insurance, they represented through their acts that they would investigate certain information they provided to National and that they had a reasonable basis to believe that information was true and complete. National further alleges that the defendants did not perform such investigations and that key information was untrue or incomplete. National seeks damages to be proven at trial. On September 16, 2020, Defendants filed a motion to dismiss the complaint. National filed its objection to that motion on October 7, 2020, and briefing concluded on November 30, 2020. On June 2, 2021, the Superior Court denied Defendants’ motion to dismiss. Defendants appealed but filed an answer to the complaint on July 15, 2021. On December 17, 2021, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico Court of Appeals issued a judgment reversing the Superior Court’s decision on the motion to dismiss. On January 4, 2022, National filed with the Court of Appeals a motion for reconsideration of its judgment concerning the motion to dismiss. On February 17, 2022, the Court of Appeals issued an order denying National’s motion for reconsideration. On March 23, 2022, National filed a Petition for Certiorari to the Supreme Court of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, which was denied on May 13, 2022. On May 27, 2022 National filed a motion for reconsideration. On June 8, 2022 Defendants filed their response to National’s motion for reconsideration. On October 14, 2022, the motion was denied. On October 19, 2022, National filed a renewed motion for reconsideration and a motion seeking review of that motion by the whole of the Puerto Rico Supreme court. Defendants have objected to both motions. On January 13, 2023, the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico denied National’s renewed motion for reconsideration.

Complaint Objecting to Defendant’s Claims and Seeking Related Relief

, Case No.

17-BK-4780-LTS

(D.P.R. July 1, 2019)

On July 1, 2019, the Oversight Board and AAFAF filed an adversary complaint against the Trustee for the PREPA bonds, challenging the validity of the liens arising under the Trust Agreement securing the insurance obligations of National. On September 30, 2022, the Oversight Board filed an amended complaint objecting to: (1) the secured claims asserted by the Trustee in PREPA’s assets; and (2) all unsecured claims of the Trustee, including as a result of the disallowance of the Trustee’s claims. The Oversight Board alleges that the Trustee’s security interest in PREPA’s property is limited to moneys deposited to the credit of the sinking fund and subordinate funds, and are

non-recourse

except as to the same sinking and subordinate funds moneys actually deposited. In addition it asserts that the Trust Agreement does not grant security interests in any of the covenants or remedies thereunder, that any security interests in deposit accounts other than those held by the Trustee are unperfected, and that there can be no security interest in the covenants and remedies, and if so, would be unperfected. The Defendants, including National, filed an answer and counterclaim on October 17, 2022. On October 24, 2022, the Oversight Board and Defendants each filed summary judgement motions seeking expedited resolution of certain counts in the amended complaint. The Court set February 1, 2023 as the hearing date for the summary judgement motions.

For those aforementioned actions in which it is a defendant, the Company is defending against those actions and expects ultimately to prevail on the merits. There is no assurance, however, that the Company will prevail in these actions. Adverse rulings in these actions could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s ability to implement its strategy and on its business, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition. At this stage of the litigation, there has not been a determination as to the amount, if any, of damages. Accordingly, the Company is not able to estimate any amount of loss or range of loss. The Company similarly can provide no assurance that it will be successful in those actions in which it is a plaintiff.

There are no other material lawsuits pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened, to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party.

Leases

The Company has a lease agreement for its headquarters in Purchase, New York. The initial lease term expires in 2030 with the option to terminate the lease in 2025 upon the payment of a termination amount. This lease agreement included an incentive amount to fund certain leasehold improvements, renewal options, escalation

clauses and a free rent period. This lease agreement has been classified as an operating lease and the Company recognizes operating rent expense on a straight-line basis. The following below table presents the Company’s operating lease information as of December 31, 2022:


$ in millions	As of December 31, 2022		Balance Sheet Location
Right-of-use asset	$	17		Other assets
Lease liability	$	17		Other liabilities
Weighted average remaining lease term (years)		7.1
Discount rate used for operating leases		7.5%
Total future minimum lease payments	$	23