XML 19 R7.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT v3.6.0.2
Business and Basis of Presentation
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2016
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]  
Business and Basis of Presentation
BUSINESS AND BASIS OF PRESENTATION
Prudential Annuities Life Assurance Corporation (the “Company” or “PALAC”), with its principal offices in Shelton, Connecticut, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Prudential Annuities, Inc. (“PAI”), which in turn is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Prudential Financial, Inc. ("Prudential Financial"), a New Jersey corporation.
The Company developed long-term savings and retirement products, which were distributed through its affiliated broker/dealer company, Prudential Annuities Distributors, Inc. (“PAD”). The Company issued variable and fixed deferred and immediate annuities for individuals and groups in the United States of America, District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. In addition, the Company has a relatively small in force block of variable life insurance policies. The Company no longer actively sells such products.
Beginning in March 2010, the Company ceased offering its variable annuity products (and where offered, the companion market value adjustment option) to new investors upon the launch of a new product line by each of Pruco Life Insurance Company ("Pruco Life") and its wholly-owned subsidiary Pruco Life Insurance Company of New Jersey ("PLNJ") (which are affiliates of the Company). These initiatives were implemented to create operational and administrative efficiencies by offering a single product line of annuity products from a more limited group of legal entities. During 2012, the Company suspended additional customer deposits for variable annuities with certain living benefit guarantees. However, subject to applicable contract provisions and administrative rules, the Company continues to accept additional customer deposits on certain in force contracts.
The Company is engaged in a business that is highly competitive because of the large number of stock and mutual life insurance companies and other entities engaged in marketing long-term savings and retirement products, including insurance products, and individual and group annuities.
On August 31, 2013, the Company redomesticated from Connecticut to Arizona. As a result of the redomestication, the Company is now an Arizona insurance company and its principal insurance regulatory authority is the Arizona Department of Insurance. The redomestication also resulted in the Company being domiciled in the same jurisdiction as the then primary reinsurer of the Company’s living benefit guarantees, Pruco Reinsurance, Ltd. (“Pruco Re”), which enabled the Company to claim statutory reserve credit for business ceded to Pruco Re without the need for Pruco Re to collateralize its obligations under the reinsurance agreement. As of April 1, 2016, the Company no longer reinsures its living benefit guarantees to Pruco Re.

As disclosed in Note 1 to the Financial Statements included in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31 2015, the Company surrendered its New York license effective December 31, 2015, and reinsured the majority of its New York business to an affiliate, The Prudential Insurance Company of America (“Prudential Insurance”). The license surrender relieves the Company of the requirement to hold New York statutory reserves on its business in excess of the statutory reserves required by its domiciliary regulator, the Arizona Department of Insurance. For the small portion of New York business retained by the Company, a custodial account has been established to hold collateral assets in an amount equal to a percentage of the reserves associated with such business, as calculated in accordance with PALAC's New York Regulation 109 Plan approved by the New York Department of Financial Services.

Through March 31, 2016, the Company reinsured the majority of its variable annuity living benefit guarantees to its affiliated companies, Pruco Re and Prudential Insurance. Effective April 1, 2016, the Company recaptured the risks related to its variable annuity living benefit guarantees that were previously reinsured to Pruco Re and Prudential Insurance. In addition, the Company reinsured the variable annuity base contracts, along with the living benefit guarantees, from Pruco Life, excluding the PLNJ business which was reinsured to Prudential Insurance, under a coinsurance and modified coinsurance agreement. This reinsurance agreement covers new and in force business and excludes business reinsured externally. The product risks related to the reinsured business are being managed in the Company. In addition, the living benefit hedging program related to the reinsured living benefit guarantees is being managed within the Company. These series of transactions are collectively referred to as the "Variable Annuities Recapture".


The financial statement impacts of these transactions were as follows:

Affected Financial Statement Lines Only
Interim Statement of Financial Position
 
Balance as of
March 31, 2016
Impacts of Recapture
Impacts of Reinsurance
Total
 
(in millions)
ASSETS
 
 
 
 
Total investments(1)
$
3,343

$
3,084

$
10,624

$
17,051

Cash and cash equivalents
106

11

1,024

1,141

Deferred policy acquisition costs
537

0

3,134

3,671

Reinsurance recoverables
3,776

(3,401
)
320

695

Deferred sales inducements
327

0

500

827

Income tax receivable(2)
0

115

2,441

2,556

TOTAL ASSETS
46,694

(191
)
18,043

64,546

LIABILITIES AND EQUITY
 
 
 
 
LIABILITIES
 
 
 
 
Policyholders' account balances
$
2,422

$
0

$
2,387

$
4,809

Future policy benefits
4,295

0

6,972

11,267

Short-term and long-term debt(3)
0

0

1,268

1,268

Other liabilities
114

0

630

744

TOTAL LIABILITIES
45,472

0

11,257

56,729

EQUITY
 
 
 
 
Additional paid-in capital(4)
901

0

8,422

9,323

Retained earnings
254

(191
)
(1,600
)
(1,537
)
Accumulated other comprehensive income
64

0

(36
)
28

TOTAL EQUITY
1,222

(191
)
6,786

7,817

TOTAL LIABILITIES AND EQUITY
46,694

(191
)
18,043

64,546


Significant Non-Cash Transactions
(1) The increase in total investments includes non-cash activities of $3.1 billion for assets received related to the recapture transaction with Pruco Re, $7.1 billion for assets received related to the reinsurance transaction with Pruco Life and $3.6 billion related to non-cash capital contributions from PAI.
(2) Prudential Financial contributed current tax receivables through PAI of $1.5 billion to the Company as part of the Variable Annuities Recapture.
(3) The Company incurred ceding commissions of $3.6 billion, of which $1.1 billion was in the form of reassignment of debt from Pruco Life.
(4) The increase in additional paid-in capital ("APIC") includes non-cash capital contributions from PAI of $3.6 billion in invested assets, $1.5 billion of current tax receivables and $2.5 billion funding for the ceding commission for the reinsurance transaction with Pruco Life.

Statement of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss)
Day 1 Impact of the Variable Annuities Recapture
Impacts of Recapture
Impacts of Reinsurance
Total Impacts
 
(in millions)
REVENUES
 
 
 
Premiums
$
0

$
832

$
832

Realized investment gains (losses), net
(305
)
(2,561
)
(2,866
)
TOTAL REVENUES
(305
)
(1,729
)
(2,034
)
BENEFITS AND EXPENSES
 
 
 
Policyholders' benefits
0

522

522

General, administrative and other expenses
0

310

310

TOTAL BENEFITS AND EXPENSES
0

832

832

INCOME (LOSS) FROM OPERATIONS BEFORE INCOME TAXES
(305
)
(2,561
)
(2,866
)
Income tax expense (benefit)
(114
)
(961
)
(1,075
)
NET INCOME (LOSS)
$
(191
)
$
(1,600
)
$
(1,791
)

As part of the Variable Annuities Recapture, the Company received invested assets of $3.1 billion as consideration from Pruco Re, which is equivalent to the amount of statutory reserve credit taken as of March 31, 2016, and unwound the associated reinsurance recoverable of $3.4 billion. As a result of the recapture transaction, the Company recognized a loss of $0.3 billion immediately.

For the Variable Annuities Recapture, the Company received invested assets of $7.1 billion as consideration from Pruco Life and established reserves of $9.4 billion. In addition, the Company incurred ceding commissions of $3.6 billion, of which $1.1 billion was in the form of reassignment of debt from Pruco Life. Also, the Company established deferred policy acquisition costs ("DAC") and deferred sales inducements ("DSI") balances, which were equivalent to the ceding commission incurred by the Company. For the reinsurance of the variable annuity base contracts, the Company recognized a benefit of $0.3 billion, which was deferred and will subsequently be amortized through General, administrative and other expenses. For the reinsurance of the living benefit guarantees, the Company recognized a loss of $2.6 billion immediately since the reinsurance contract is accounted for as free-standing derivative.

The Company also received a capital contribution of $8.4 billion from PAI.

As a result of the Variable Annuities Recapture, Pruco Re no longer had any material active reinsurance with affiliates. On September 30, 2016, Pruco Re was merged with and into the Company.

The following table summarizes the asset transfers related to Variable Annuities Recapture between the Company and its affiliates.

Affiliate
 
Period
 
Transaction
 
Security Type
 
Fair Value
 
Book Value
 
APIC Increase/ (Decrease)
 
Realized Investment Gain/(Loss), Net
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
(in millions)
Pruco Re
 
Apr - June 2016
 
Purchase
 
Derivatives
 
$
3,084

 
$
3,084

 
$
0

 
$
0

Pruco Life
 
Apr - June 2016
 
Purchase
 
Fixed Maturities, Trading Account Assets, Commercial Mortgages, Derivatives, JV/LP Investments and Short-Term Investments
 
$
6,994

 
$
6,994

 
$
0

 
$
0

PAI
 
Apr - June 2016
 
Contributed Capital
 
Fixed Maturities, Trading Account Assets and Derivatives
 
$
3,517

 
$
3,517

 
$
3,517

 
$
0


Basis of Presentation
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”).
Use of Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities as of the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
The most significant estimates include those used in determining DAC and related amortization; value of business acquired ("VOBA") and its amortization; amortization of DSI; valuation of investments including derivatives and the recognition of other-than-temporary impairments (“OTTI”); future policy benefits including guarantees; provision for income taxes and valuation of deferred tax assets; and accruals for contingent liabilities, including estimates for losses in connection with unresolved legal matters.

Revision to Prior Period Financial Statements

The Company identified errors in the presentation of certain activity related to the Variable Annuities Recapture and other affiliated reinsurance transactions that impacted several line items within our previously issued Statements of Cash Flows for the interim periods ended March 31, 2016, June 30, 2016 and September 30, 2016. Management assessed the materiality of the misstatements on prior period financial statements in accordance with SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin ("SAB") No. 99, Materiality, codified in ASC 250-10, Accounting Changes and Error Corrections ("ASC 250"), and concluded that these misstatements were not material to any prior interim periods. Accordingly, prior period amounts to be presented in subsequent quarterly 10-Q filings will be revised, as presented below:
 
(UNAUDITED)
 
Three Months Ended March 31, 2016
 
As Previously Reported
 
Revision
 
As Revised
 
(in thousands)
CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES:
 
 
 
 
 
Reinsurance recoverables
$
(69,025
)
 
$
5,261

 
$
(63,764
)
Cash flows from (used in) operating activities
35,727

 
5,261

 
40,988

CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES:
 
 
 
 
 
Ceded policyholders’ account deposits
0

 
(16,249
)
 
(16,249
)
Ceded policyholders’ account withdrawals
0

 
10,988

 
10,988

Cash flows from (used in) financing activities
(5,823
)
 
(5,261
)
 
(11,084
)
 
(UNAUDITED)
 
Six Months Ended June 30, 2016
 
As Previously Reported
 
Revision
 
As Revised
 
(in thousands)
CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES:
 
 
 
 
 
Policy charges and fee income
$
248

 
$
(355
)
 
$
(107
)
Future policy benefits
122,101

 
193,147

 
315,248

Reinsurance recoverables
(15,315
)
 
279,718

 
264,403

Derivatives, net
10,192,618

 
(233,295
)
 
9,959,323

Other, net
84,739

 
(279,768
)
 
(195,029
)
Cash flows from (used in) operating activities
10,936,664

 
(40,553
)
 
10,896,111

CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES:
 
 
 
 
 
Policyholders’ account deposits
637,886

 
497,834

 
1,135,720

Ceded policyholders’ account deposits
0

 
(19,498
)
 
(19,498
)
Policyholders’ account withdrawals
(736,708
)
 
(454,971
)
 
(1,191,679
)
Ceded policyholders’ account withdrawals
0

 
17,188

 
17,188

Cash flows from (used in) financing activities
534,651

 
40,553

 
575,204


 
(UNAUDITED)
 
Nine Months Ended September 30, 2016
 
As Previously Reported
 
Revision
 
As Revised
 
(in thousands)
CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES:
 
 
 
 
 
Policy charges and fee income
$
(803
)
 
$
920

 
$
117

Future policy benefits
(5,224
)
 
535,604

 
530,380

Net payable to/receivable from parent and affiliates
171,317

 
(226,317
)
 
(55,000
)
Reinsurance recoverables
(213,844
)
 
421,353

 
207,509

Other, net
650,903

 
(791,800
)
 
(140,897
)
Cash flows from (used in) operating activities
10,149,084

 
(60,241
)
 
10,088,843

CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES:
 
 
 
 
 
Contributed capital
781,125

 
79,448

 
860,573

Policyholders’ account deposits
2,203,234

 
(678,706
)
 
1,524,528

Ceded policyholders’ account deposits
0

 
(21,033
)
 
(21,033
)
Policyholders’ account withdrawals
(2,346,701
)
 
655,334

 
(1,691,367
)
Ceded policyholders’ account withdrawals
0

 
25,198

 
25,198

Cash flows from (used in) financing activities
508,274

 
60,241

 
568,515


Reclassifications
Certain amounts in prior periods have been reclassified to conform to the current period presentation.