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Debt
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2011
Debt [Abstract]  
Debt

9. Debt

 

Debt outstanding consisted of the following:

 

(in millions of U.S. dollars)

 

December 31

2011

       

December 31

2010

 

Short-term debt

                   

ACE Limited revolving credit facility

  $          $ 300  

Reverse repurchase agreements

    1,251           1,000  
    $ 1,251         $ 1,300  

Long-term debt

                   

ACE INA senior notes due 2014

  $ 500         $ 500  

ACE INA senior notes due 2015

    449           447  

ACE INA senior notes due 2015

    699           699  

ACE INA senior notes due 2017

    500           500  

ACE INA senior notes due 2018

    300           300  

ACE INA senior notes due 2019

    500           500  

ACE INA debentures due 2029

    100           100  

ACE INA senior notes due 2036

    299           299  

Other

    13           13  
    $ 3,360         $ 3,358  

Trust Preferred Securities

                   

ACE INA capital securities due 2030

  $ 309         $ 309  

a) Short-term debt

ACE has executed reverse repurchase agreements with certain counterparties under which ACE agreed to sell securities and repurchase them at a future date for a predetermined price. At December 31, 2011, there were $1.3 billion of reverse repurchase agreements outstanding with a weighted average interest rate of 0.32 percent.

b) ACE INA notes and debentures

In June 2004, ACE INA issued $500 million of 5.875 percent senior notes due June 2014. These notes are redeemable at any time at ACE INA's option subject to a "make-whole" premium plus 0.20 percent. The notes are also redeemable at par plus accrued and unpaid interest in the event of certain changes in tax law. The notes do not have the benefit of any sinking fund. These senior unsecured notes are guaranteed on a senior basis by ACE Limited and they rank equally with all of ACE's other senior obligations. They also contain customary limitation on lien provisions as well as customary events of default provisions which, if breached, could result in the accelerated maturity of such senior debt.

 

In May 2008, ACE INA issued $450 million of 5.6 percent senior notes due May 2015. These notes are redeemable at any time at ACE INA's option subject to a "make-whole" premium plus 0.35 percent. The notes are also redeemable at par plus accrued and unpaid interest in the event of certain changes in tax law. The notes do not have the benefit of any sinking fund. These senior unsecured notes are guaranteed on a senior basis by ACE Limited and they rank equally with all of ACE's other senior obligations. They also contain customary limitations on lien provisions as well as customary events of default provisions which, if breached, could result in the accelerated maturity of such senior debt.

 

In November 2010, ACE INA issued $700 million of 2.6 percent senior notes due November 2015. These notes are redeemable at any time at ACE INA's option subject to a "make-whole" premium plus 0.20 percent. The notes are also redeemable at par plus accrued and unpaid interest in the event of certain changes in tax law. The notes do not have the benefit of any sinking fund. These senior unsecured notes are guaranteed on a senior basis by ACE Limited and they rank equally with all of ACE's other senior obligations. They also contain customary limitations on lien provisions as well as customary events of default provisions which, if breached, could result in the accelerated maturity of such senior debt.

 

In February 2007, ACE INA issued $500 million of 5.7 percent senior notes due February 2017. These notes are redeemable at any time at ACE INA's option subject to a "make-whole" premium plus 0.20 percent. The notes are also redeemable at par plus accrued and unpaid interest in the event of certain changes in tax law. These notes do not have the benefit of any sinking fund. These senior unsecured notes are guaranteed on a senior basis by ACE Limited and they rank equally with all of ACE's other senior obligations. They also contain customary limitation on lien provisions as well as customary events of default provisions which, if breached, could result in the accelerated maturity of such senior debt.

 

In February 2008, as part of the financing of the Combined Insurance acquisition, ACE INA issued $300 million of 5.8 percent senior notes due March 2018. These notes are redeemable at any time at ACE INA's option subject to a "make-whole" premium plus 0.35 percent. The notes are also redeemable at par plus accrued and unpaid interest in the event of certain changes in tax law. These notes do not have the benefit of any sinking fund. These senior unsecured notes are guaranteed on a senior basis by ACE Limited and they rank equally with all of ACE's other senior obligations. They also contain customary limitations on lien provisions as well as customary events of default provisions which, if breached, could result in the accelerated maturity of such senior debt.

 

In June 2009, ACE INA issued $500 million of 5.9 percent senior notes due June 2019. These notes are redeemable at any time at ACE INA's option subject to a "make-whole" premium plus 0.40 percent. The notes are also redeemable at par plus accrued and unpaid interest in the event of certain changes in tax law. The notes do not have the benefit of any sinking fund. These senior unsecured notes are guaranteed on a senior basis by ACE Limited and they rank equally with all of ACE's other senior obligations. They also contain customary limitations on lien provisions as well as customary events of default provisions which, if breached, could result in the accelerated maturity of such senior debt.

 

In August 1999, ACE INA issued $100 million of 8.875 percent debentures due August 2029. Subject to certain exceptions, the debentures are not redeemable before maturity and do not have the benefit of any sinking fund. These unsecured debentures are guaranteed on a senior basis by ACE Limited and they rank equally with all of ACE INA's other senior indebtedness.

 

In May 2006, ACE INA issued $300 million of 6.7 percent notes due May 2036. These notes are redeemable at any time at ACE INA's option subject to a "make-whole" premium plus 0.20 percent. The notes are also redeemable at par plus accrued and unpaid interest in the event of certain changes in tax law. These notes do not have the benefit of any sinking fund. These senior unsecured notes are guaranteed on a senior basis by ACE Limited and they rank equally with all of ACE's other senior obligations. They also contain customary limitation on lien provisions as well as customary events of default provisions which, if breached, could result in the accelerated maturity of such senior debt.

c) Other long-term debt

In August 2005, ACE American borrowed $10 million from the Pennsylvania Industrial Development Authority (PIDA) at a rate of 2.75 percent due September 2020. The proceeds from PIDA were restricted for purposes of defraying construction costs of a new office building. Principal and interest are payable on a monthly basis. The current balance outstanding is $6 million.

 

In addition, in 1999, ACE American assumed a CIGNA loan of $8 million borrowed from the City of Philadelphia under the Urban Development Action Grant with an imputed rate of 7.1 percent due December 2019. The current amount outstanding is $7 million.

d) ACE INA capital securities

In March 2000, ACE Capital Trust II, a Delaware statutory business trust, publicly issued $300 million of 9.7 percent Capital Securities (the Capital Securities). At the same time, ACE INA purchased $9.2 million of common securities of ACE Capital Trust II.

 

The Capital Securities mature in April 2030. Distributions on the Capital Securities are payable semi-annually. ACE Capital Trust II may defer these payments for up to ten consecutive semi-annual periods (but no later than April 1, 2030). Any deferred payments would accrue interest compounded semi-annually if ACE INA defers interest on the Subordinated Debentures due 2030 (as defined below).

 

The sole assets of ACE Capital Trust II consist of $309 million principal amount of 9.7 percent Junior Subordinated Deferrable Interest Debentures (the Subordinated Debentures) issued by ACE INA. The Subordinated Debentures mature in April 2030. Interest on the Subordinated Debentures is payable semi-annually. ACE INA may defer such interest payments (but no later than April 1, 2030), with such deferred payments accruing interest compounded semi-annually. ACE INA may redeem the Subordinated Debentures in the event certain changes in tax or investment company law occur at a redemption price equal to accrued and unpaid interest to the redemption date plus the greater of (i) 100 percent of the principal amount thereof, or (ii) the sum of the present value of scheduled payments of principal and interest on the debentures from the redemption date to April 1, 2030. The Capital Securities and the ACE Capital Trust II Common Securities will be redeemed upon repayment of the Subordinated Debentures.

 

ACE Limited has guaranteed, on a subordinated basis, ACE INA's obligations under the Subordinated Debentures, and distributions and other payments due on the Capital Securities. These guarantees, when taken together with ACE's obligations under expense agreements entered into with ACE Capital Trust II, provide a full and unconditional guarantee of amounts due on the Capital Securities.