RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

The Company has extensive transactions and relationships with Prudential Insurance and other affiliates. Although we seek to ensure that these transactions and relationships are fair and reasonable, it is possible that the terms of these transactions are not the same as those that would result from transactions among unrelated parties.

Expense Charges and Allocations

Many of the Company’s expenses are allocations or charges from Prudential Insurance or other affiliates. These expenses can be grouped into general and administrative expenses and agency distribution expenses.

The Company’s general and administrative expenses are charged to the Company using allocation methodologies based on business production processes. Management believes that the methodology is reasonable and reflects costs incurred by Prudential Insurance to process transactions on behalf of the Company. The Company operates under service and lease agreements whereby services of officers and employees, supplies, use of equipment and office space are provided by Prudential Insurance. The Company reviews its allocation methodology periodically which it may adjust accordingly. General and administrative expenses include allocations of stock compensation expenses related to a stock-based awards program and a deferred compensation program issued by Prudential Financial. The expense charged to the Company for the stock-based awards program was $0.1 million for each of the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015. The expense charged to the Company for the deferred compensation program was $0.9 million, $0.8 million and $0.6 million for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively.

The Company is charged for its share of employee benefit expenses. These expenses include costs for funded and non-funded contributory and non-contributory defined benefit pension plans. Some of these benefits are based on final earnings and length of service while others are based on an account balance, which takes into consideration age, service and earnings during a career. The Company’s share of net expense for the pension plans was $1 million for each of the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015.

The Company is also charged for its share of the costs associated with welfare plans issued by Prudential Insurance. These expenses include costs related to medical, dental, life insurance and disability. The Company's share of net expense for the welfare plans was $2 million for each of the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015.

Prudential Insurance sponsors voluntary savings plans for its employee 401(k) plans. The plans provide for salary reduction contributions by employees and matching contributions by the Company of up to 4% of annual salary. The Company's expense for its share of the voluntary savings plan was $0.5 million for each of the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015.

The Company pays commissions and certain other fees to PAD in consideration for PAD’s marketing and underwriting of the Company’s products. Commissions and fees are paid by PAD to broker-dealers who sell the Company’s products. Commissions and fees paid by the Company to PAD were $109 million, $108 million and $143 million for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively.

The Company is charged for its share of corporate expenses incurred by Prudential Financial to benefit its businesses, such as advertising, executive oversight, external affairs and philanthropic activity. The Company’s share of corporate expenses was $14 million $10 million and $11 million for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively.

Certain operating costs, including rental of office space, furniture, and equipment, have been charged to the Company at cost by Prudential Annuities Information Services and Technology Corporation (“PAIST”), an affiliated company. The Company signed a written service agreement with PAIST for these services executed and approved by the Connecticut Insurance Department in 1995. This agreement automatically continues in effect from year to year and may be terminated by either party upon 30 days written notice. Allocated lease expense was $3 million, $4 million and $4 million for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively. Sub-lease rental income, recorded as a reduction to lease expense, was $0 million for each of the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015. Assuming that the written service agreement between PALAC and PAIST continues indefinitely, PALAC's allocated future minimum lease payments and sub-lease receipts per year and in aggregate as of December 31, 2017 are as follows:



	Lease		Sub-Lease
	(in thousands)
2018	$	2,992	$	0
2019	2,742		0
2020	2,992		0
2021	2,992		0
2022	2,992		0
2023 and thereafter	0		0
Total	$	14,710	$	0

Affiliated Investment Management Expenses

In accordance with an agreement with PGIM, Inc. (“PGIM”), the Company pays investment management expenses to PGIM who acts as investment manager to certain Company general account and separate account assets. Investment management expenses paid to PGIM related to this agreement were $13 million, $11 million and $5 million for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively. These expenses are recorded as “Net investment income” in the Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income.

Derivative Trades

In its ordinary course of business, the Company enters into OTC derivative contracts with an affiliate, PGF. For these OTC derivative contracts, PGF has a substantially equal and offsetting position with an external counterparty. See Note 11 for additional information.

Joint Ventures

The Company has made investments in joint ventures with certain subsidiaries of Prudential Financial. "Other long-term investments" includes $111 million and $102 million as of December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively. "Net investment income" related to these ventures includes a gain of $9 million, $5 million and $0.1 million for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively.

Affiliated Asset Administration Fee Income

The Company has a revenue sharing agreement with AST Investment Services, Inc. (“ASTISI”) and PGIM Investments LLC (“PGIM Investments”) whereby the Company receives fee income based on policyholders' separate account balances invested in the Advanced Series Trust and the Prudential Series Fund. Income received from ASTISI and PGIM Investments related to this agreement was $111 million, $112 million and $173 million for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively. These revenues are recorded as “Asset administration fees and other income” in the Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income.

Affiliated Notes Receivable

Affiliated notes receivable included in "Receivables from parent and affiliates" at December 31, were as follows:



	Maturity Dates			Interest Rates				2017		2016
								(in thousands)
U.S. Dollar floating rate notes			2028	2.77%	-	3.12	%	$	34,268	$	0
U.S. Dollar fixed rate notes	2027	-	2028	2.31%	-	14.85	%	3,877		40,925
Total long-term notes receivable - affiliated(1)								$	38,145	$	40,925


(1)	All long-term notes receivable may be called for prepayment prior to the respective maturity dates under specified circumstances.

The affiliated notes receivable shown above include those classified as loans, and carried at unpaid principal balance, net of any allowance for losses and those classified as available-for-sale securities and other trading account assets carried at fair value. The Company monitors the internal and external credit ratings of these loans and loan performance. The Company also considers any guarantees made by Prudential Insurance for loans due from affiliates.

Accrued interest receivable related to these loans was $0.2 million and $0.1 million as of December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively, and is included in “Other assets”. Revenues related to these loans were $0.7 million, $0.9 million and $1 million for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively, and are included in “Asset administration fees and other income”.

Affiliated Asset Transfers

The Company participates in affiliated asset trades with parent and sister companies. Book and market value differences for trades with a parent and sister are recognized within APIC and "Realized investment gains (losses), net", respectively. The table below shows affiliated asset trades for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, excluding those related to the Variable Annuities Recapture effective April 1, 2016, as described in Note 1.



Affiliate	Date	Transaction	Security Type	Fair Value		Book Value		APIC, Net of Tax Increase/ (Decrease)			Realized Investment Gain/ (Loss), Net of Tax
				(in thousands)
Gibraltar Life Insurance Co Ltd	August 2016	Sale	Fixed Maturities	$	11,559	$	11,485	$	0		$	48
Prudential Insurance	September 2016	Sale	Fixed Maturities	$	47,066	$	36,639	$	0		$	6,777
Pruco Re	September 2016	Transfer in	Fixed Maturities	$	91,586	$	80,732	$	(7,055	)	$	0
Pruco Life	January 2017	Sale	Fixed Maturities	$	29	$	29	$	0		$	0
Prudential Insurance	October 2017	Sale	Commercial Mortgages	$	131,953	$	128,529	$	0		$	2,226
Gibraltar Universal Life Reinsurance Company	October 2017	Purchase	Fixed Maturities	$	113,686	$	96,583	$	0		$	(11,117	)
Prudential Insurance	December 2017	Purchase	Other long-term investments - Derivatives	$	171,363	$	171,363	$	0		$	0
Prudential Insurance	December 2017	Sale	Fixed Maturities	$	13,793	$	7,113	$	0		$	4,342

Debt Agreements

The Company is authorized to borrow funds up to $9 billion from Prudential Financial and its affiliates to meet its capital and other funding needs. The debt issued during the second quarter of 2016 in the table below was assigned from affiliates as part of the Variable Annuities Recapture, as described further in Note 1. The following table provides the breakout of the Company's short-term and long-term debt with affiliates:



Affiliate	Date Issued	Amount of Notes - December 31, 2017		Amount of Notes - December 31, 2016		Interest Rate			Date of Maturity
		(in thousands)
Prudential Insurance	4/20/2016	$	0	$	28,101		1.89	%		6/20/2017
Prudential Insurance	4/20/2016	18,734		18,734			2.60	%		12/15/2018
Prudential Insurance	4/20/2016	25,000		25,000			2.60	%		12/15/2018
Prudential Insurance	4/20/2016	46,835		46,835			2.80	%		6/20/2019
Prudential Insurance	4/20/2016	18,734		18,734			2.80	%		6/20/2019
Prudential Insurance	4/20/2016	37,468		37,468			3.64	%		12/6/2020
Prudential Insurance	4/20/2016	93,671		93,671			3.64	%		12/15/2020
Prudential Insurance	4/20/2016	103,039		103,039			3.64	%		12/15/2020
Prudential Insurance	4/20/2016	93,671		93,671			3.47	%		6/20/2021
Prudential Insurance	4/20/2016	93,671		93,671			4.39	%		12/15/2023
Prudential Insurance	4/20/2016	28,102		28,102			4.39	%		12/15/2023
Prudential Insurance	4/20/2016	37,468		37,468			3.95	%		6/20/2024
Prudential Insurance	4/20/2016	93,671		93,671			3.95	%		6/20/2024
Prudential Insurance	4/20/2016	46,835		46,835			3.95	%		6/20/2024
Prudential Insurance	6/28/2016	30,000		30,000			2.08	%		6/28/2019
Prudential Insurance	6/28/2016	50,000		50,000			3.87	%		6/28/2026
Prudential Insurance	6/28/2016	25,000		25,000			3.49	%		6/28/2026
Prudential Insurance	6/28/2016	26,000		26,000			2.59	%		6/28/2021
Prudential Insurance	6/28/2016	25,000		25,000			2.08	%		6/28/2019
Prudential Insurance	6/28/2016	20,000		20,000			2.08	%		6/28/2019
Prudential Insurance	6/28/2016	25,000		25,000			3.49	%		6/28/2026
Prudential Retirement Insurance & Annuity	6/28/2016	34,000		34,000			3.09	%		6/28/2023
Total Loans Payable to Affiliates		$	971,899	$	1,000,000

The total interest expense to the Company related to loans and other payables to affiliates was $66 million, $53 million and $0.0 million for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively.

Contributed Capital and Dividends

For the year ended December 31, 2017, the Company did not receive any capital contributions. In June of 2016, the Company received a capital contribution in the amount of $8,422 million from PAI, related to the Variable Annuities Recapture, as discussed in Note 1. For the year ended December 31, 2015, the Company did not receive any capital contributions.

In June, September and December of 2017, there was a $100 million, $200 million and $650 million return of capital, respectively, to PAI. In December of 2016, there was a $1,140 million return of capital to PAI. In June and December of 2015, the Company paid dividends in the amounts of $270 million and $180 million, respectively, to Prudential Financial.

Reinsurance with Affiliates

As discussed in Note 13, the Company participates in reinsurance transactions with certain affiliates.