General (Policies)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2020

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

Chubb Limited is a holding company incorporated in Zurich, Switzerland. Chubb Limited, through its subsidiaries, provides a broad range of insurance and reinsurance products to insureds worldwide. Our results are reported through the following business segments: North America Commercial P&C Insurance, North America Personal P&C Insurance, North America Agricultural Insurance, Overseas General Insurance, Global Reinsurance, and Life Insurance. Refer to Note 11 for additional information.

The interim unaudited consolidated financial statements, which include the accounts of Chubb Limited and its subsidiaries (collectively, Chubb, we, us, or our), have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (GAAP) and, in the opinion of management, reflect all adjustments necessary for a fair statement of the results and financial position for such periods. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions, including internal reinsurance transactions, have been eliminated.

The results of operations and cash flows for any interim period are not necessarily indicative of the results for the full year. These consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and related notes included in our 2019 Form 10-K.

Cash and Cash Equivalents, Restricted Cash and Cash Equivalents, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Restricted cash

Restricted cash in the Consolidated balance sheets represents amounts held for the benefit of third parties and is legally or contractually restricted as to withdrawal or usage. Amounts include deposits with U.S. and non-U.S. regulatory authorities, trust funds set up for the benefit of ceding companies, and amounts pledged as collateral to meet financing arrangements.

The following table provides a reconciliation of cash and restricted cash reported within the Consolidated balance sheets that total to the amounts shown in the Consolidated statements of cash flows:



	March 31		December 31
(in millions of U.S. dollars)	2020		2019
Cash	$	1,512	$	1,537
Restricted cash	146		109
Total cash and restricted cash shown in the Consolidated statements of cash flows	$	1,658	$	1,646

Accounting guidance adopted in current year

Accounting guidance adopted in 2020

Financial Instruments – Credit Losses: Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments

Effective January 1, 2020, we adopted, on a modified retrospective basis, new guidance on the accounting for credit losses of financial instruments that are measured at amortized cost, including held to maturity securities, and reinsurance recoverables, by applying an approach based on the current expected credit losses (CECL). The estimate of expected credit losses considers historical information, current information, as well as reasonable and supportable forecasts, including estimates of prepayments. In addition, the guidance also replaced the current available for sale (AFS) security other-than-temporary impairment model by requiring an estimate of the expected credit loss (ECL) only when the fair value is below the amortized cost of the asset. The length of time the fair value of an AFS security has been below its amortized cost no longer impacts the determination of whether a potential credit loss exists. The AFS security model also requires the use of a valuation allowance as compared to the previous practice of writing down the asset.

During the first quarter of 2020, we established a valuation allowance for credit losses and recognized a cumulative effect adjustment and decreased beginning retained earnings by $69 million pre-tax, or $63 million after-tax. We also adopted the required disclosures within Note 3 Investments and Note 5 Reinsurance. Results for reporting periods prior to January 1, 2020 are presented in accordance with the previous guidance.

Accounting guidance not yet adopted

Effects of Reference Rate Reform on Financial Reporting

In March 2020, the FASB issued guidance which provides optional expedients and exceptions for applying GAAP to investments, derivatives, or other transactions that reference the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) or another reference rate expected to be discontinued because of reference rate reform. Along with the optional expedients, the amendments include a general principle that permits an entity to consider contract modifications due to reference reform to be an event that does not require contract re-measurement at the modification date or reassessment of a previous accounting determination. Additionally, a company may make a one-time election to sell, transfer, or both sell and transfer debt securities classified as held to maturity that reference a rate affected by reference rate reform and that were classified as held to maturity before January 1, 2020. This standard may be elected over time through December 31, 2022 as reference rate reform activities occur. We are currently assessing the effect of adopting this guidance on our financial condition and results of operations.