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 has 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 and Puerto Rico. In addition, the Company has a relatively small in force block of variable life insurance policies. The Company stopped actively selling annuity products in March 2010.

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, the Company continues to accept additional customer deposits on certain in force contracts, subject to applicable contract provisions and administrative rules.

The Company resumed offering annuity products to new investors (except in New York) when it launched a new fixed index annuity and a new deferred income annuity in 2018.

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-based insurance company and its principal insurance regulatory authority is the Arizona Department of Insurance ("AZDOI"). 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 AZDOI. 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.

Variable Annuities Recapture

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".

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 a 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 impact of these transactions on the Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss) was as follows:



Day 1 Impact of the Variable Annuities Recapture(1)	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	)


(1)	Day 1 Significant Non-Cash Transactions:


•	Consideration transferred 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.


•	Prudential Financial contributed current tax receivables through PAI of $1.5 billion to the Company as part of the Variable Annuities Recapture.


•	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.


•	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.

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 and regulatory matters.

Reclassifications

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