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Benefit Plans

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019



Note 17	Benefit Plans

Pension and other postretirement plans

Defined benefit pension plans cover most full-time employees, certain part-time employees and employee-agents. Benefits under the pension plans are based upon the employee’s length of service, eligible annual compensation and, prior to January 1, 2014, either a cash balance or final average pay formula. A cash balance formula applies to all eligible employees hired after August 1, 2002. Eligible employees hired before August 1, 2002 chose between the cash balance formula and the final average pay formula. In July 2013, the Company amended its primary plans effective January 1, 2014 to introduce a new cash balance formula to replace the previous formulas (including the final average pay formula and the previous cash balance formula) under which eligible employees accrue benefits. The Company merged two of its qualified pension plans effective March 31, 2019.

The Company also provides a medical coverage subsidy for eligible employees hired before January 1, 2003, including their eligible dependents, when they retire and certain life insurance benefits for eligible retirees (“postretirement benefits”). In July 2013, the Company amended the plan to eliminate the life insurance benefits effective January 1, 2014 for current eligible employees and effective January 1, 2016 for eligible retirees who retired after 1989. The Company continues to pay life insurance premiums for certain retiree plaintiffs subject to a court order requiring it to do so until such time as their lawsuit seeking to keep their life insurance benefits intact is resolved. Qualified employees may become eligible for a medical subsidy if they retire in accordance with the terms of the applicable plans and are continuously insured under the Company’s group plans or other approved plans in accordance with the plan’s participation requirements. The Company shares the cost of retiree medical

benefits with non Medicare-eligible retirees based on years of service, with the Company’s share being subject to a 5% limit on future annual medical cost inflation after retirement. For Medicare-eligible retirees, the Company provides a fixed Company contribution based on years of service and other factors, which is not subject to adjustments for inflation.

The Company has reserved the right to modify or terminate its benefit plans at any time and for any reason.

Obligations and funded status

The Company calculates benefit obligations based upon generally accepted actuarial methodologies using the projected benefit obligation (“PBO”) for pension plans and the accumulated postretirement benefit obligation (“APBO”) for other postretirement plans. Pension costs and other postretirement obligations are determined using a December 31 measurement date. The benefit obligations represent the actuarial present value of all benefits attributed to employee service rendered as of the measurement date. The PBO is measured using the pension benefit formulas and assumptions. A plan’s funded status is calculated as the difference between the benefit obligation and the fair value of plan assets. The Company’s funding policy for the pension plans is to make contributions at a level in accordance with regulations under the Internal Revenue Code (“IRC”) and generally accepted actuarial principles. The Company’s other postretirement benefit plans are not funded.



Change in projected benefit obligation, plan assets and funded status
	As of December 31,
	Pension benefits						Postretirement benefits
($ in millions)	2019			2018			2019			2018
Change in projected benefit obligation
Benefit obligation, beginning of year	$	6,224		$	6,815		$	375		$	386
Service cost	117			110			8			7
Interest cost	240			255			14			15
Participant contributions	—			—			15			13
Actuarial losses (gains)	927			(255		)	19			(4		)
Benefits paid	(356		)	(646		)	(39		)	(35		)
Translation adjustment and other	(13		)	(55		)	5			(7		)
Benefit obligation, end of year	$	7,139		$	6,224		$	397		$	375

Change in plan assets
Fair value of plan assets, beginning of year	$	5,299		$	6,284
Actual return on plan assets	1,235			(300		)
Employer contribution	27			16
Benefits paid	(356		)	(646		)
Translation adjustment and other	(13		)	(55		)
Fair value of plan assets, end of year	$	6,192		$	5,299

Funded status ⁽¹⁾	$	(947	)	$	(925	)	$	(397	)	$	(375	)

Amounts recognized in AOCI
Unamortized pension and other postretirement prior service credit	$	(142	)	$	(198	)	$	(13	)	$	(16	)


⁽¹⁾	The funded status is recorded within other liabilities and accrued expenses on the Consolidated Statements of Financial Position.



Changes in items not yet recognized as a component of net cost for pension and other postretirement plans
($ in millions)	Pension benefits			Postretirement benefits
Items not yet recognized as a component of net cost – December 31, 2018	$	(198	)	$	(16	)
Prior service credit amortized to net cost	56			3
Items not yet recognized as a component of net cost – December 31, 2019	$	(142	)	$	(13	)

The prior service credit is recognized as a component of net cost for pension and other postretirement plans amortized over the average remaining service period of active employees expected to receive benefits. The prior service credit that will be amortized to net cost for pension and postretirement plans in 2020 is estimated to be $56 million and $3 million, respectively.

The accumulated benefit obligation (“ABO”) for all defined benefit pension plans was $7.02 billion and $6.15 billion as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively. The ABO is the actuarial present value of all benefits attributed by the pension benefit formula

to employee service rendered at the measurement date. However, it differs from the PBO due to the exclusion of an assumption as to future compensation levels.

The PBO, ABO and fair value of plan assets for the Company’s pension plans with an ABO in excess of plan assets were $6.73 billion, $6.62 billion and $5.79 billion, respectively, as of December 31, 2019 and $5.99 billion, $5.93 billion and $5.07 billion, respectively, as of December 31, 2018. Included in the accrued benefit cost of the pension benefits are certain unfunded non-qualified plans with accrued benefit costs of $137 million and $135 million for 2019 and 2018, respectively.



Components of net cost (benefit) for pension and other postretirement plans
	For the years ended December 31,
	Pension benefits									Postretirement benefits									Total Pension and Postretirement Benefits
($ in millions)	2019			2018			2017			2019			2018			2017			2019			2018			2017
Service cost	$	117		$	110		$	111		$	8		$	7		$	8		$	125		$	117		$	119
Interest cost	240			255			254			14			15			15			254			270			269
Expected return on plan assets	(403		)	(427		)	(419		)	—			—			—			(403		)	(427		)	(419		)
Amortization of prior service credit	(56		)	(56		)	(56		)	(3		)	(21		)	(25		)	(59		)	(77		)	(81		)
Costs and expenses	(102		)	(118		)	(110		)	19			1			(2		)	(83		)	(117		)	(112		)
Remeasurement of projected benefit obligation	927			(255		)	406			19			(4		)	8			946			(259		)	414
Remeasurement of plan assets	(832		)	727			(631		)	—			—			—			(832		)	727			(631		)
Remeasurement gains and losses	95			472			(225		)	19			(4		)	8			114			468			(217		)
Total net (benefit) cost	$	(7	)	$	354		$	(335	)	$	38		$	(3	)	$	6		$	31		$	351		$	(329	)

The service cost component is the actuarial present value of the benefits attributed by the plans’ benefit formula to services rendered by the employees during the period.

Interest cost is the increase in the PBO in the period due to the passage of time at the discount rate. Interest cost fluctuates as the discount rate changes and is also impacted by the related change in the size of the PBO.

The expected return on plan assets is determined as the product of the expected long-term rate of return on plan assets and the fair value of plan assets.

Pension and other postretirement service cost, interest cost, expected return on plan assets and

amortization of prior service credit are reported in property and casualty insurance claims and claims expense, operating costs and expenses, net investment income and (if applicable) restructuring and related charges on the Consolidated Statements of Operations.

Remeasurement gains and losses relate to changes in discount rates, the differences between actual return on plan assets and the expected long-term rate of return on plan assets, and differences between actual plan experience and actuarial assumptions.



Weighted average assumptions used to determine net pension cost and net postretirement benefit cost
	For the years ended December 31,
	Pension benefits						Postretirement benefits
($ in millions)	2019		2018		2017		2019		2018		2017
Discount rate	3.70	%	4.06	%	3.96	%	3.61	%	3.95	%	3.91	%
Expected long-term rate of return on plan assets	7.34		7.33		7.32		n/a		n/a		n/a



Weighted average assumptions used to determine benefit obligations
	For the years ended December 31,
	Pension benefits				Postretirement benefits
	2019		2018		2019		2018
Discount rate	3.31	%	4.31	%	3.27	%	4.22	%

The weighted average health care cost trend rate used in measuring the accumulated postretirement benefit cost is 7.0% for 2020, gradually declining to 4.5% in 2035 and remaining at that level thereafter.

Pension plan assets In general, the Company’s pension plan assets are managed in accordance with investment policies approved by pension investment committees. The purpose of the policies is to ensure the plans’ long-term ability to meet benefit obligations by prudently investing plan assets and Company contributions, while taking into consideration regulatory and legal requirements and current market conditions. The investment policies are reviewed periodically and specify target plan asset allocation by asset category. In addition, the policies specify various

asset allocation and other risk limits. The target asset allocation takes the plans’ funding status into consideration, among other factors, including anticipated demographic changes or liquidity requirements that may affect the funding status such as the potential impact of lump sum settlements as well as existing or expected market conditions. In general, the allocation has a lower overall investment risk when a plan is in a stronger funded status position since there is less economic incentive to take risk to increase the expected returns on the plan assets. The pension plans’ asset exposure within each asset category is tracked against widely accepted established benchmarks for each asset class with limits on variation from the benchmark established in the

investment policy. Pension plan assets are regularly monitored for compliance with these limits and other risk limits specified in the investment policies.



Weighted average target asset allocation and actual percentage of plan assets by asset category
	As of December 31, 2019
	Target asset allocation ⁽¹⁾	Actual percentage of plan assets
Pension plan’s asset category	2019	2019		2018
Equity securities ⁽²⁾	37 - 55%	50	%	47	%
Fixed income securities	37 - 48%	38		41
Limited partnership interests	1 - 15%	10		9
Short-term investments and other	—	2		3
Total without securities lending ⁽³⁾		100	%	100	%


⁽¹⁾	The target asset allocation considers risk-based exposure while the actual percentage of plan assets utilizes a financial reporting view excluding exposure provided through derivatives.


⁽²⁾	The actual percentage of plan assets for equity securities includes 1% of private equity investments in both 2019 and 2018 that are subject to the limited partnership interests target allocation and none and 4% of fixed income mutual funds in 2019 and 2018, respectively, that are subject to the fixed income securities target allocation.


⁽³⁾	Securities lending collateral reinvestment of $258 million and $208 million is excluded from the table above in 2019 and 2018, respectively.

The target asset allocation for an asset category may be achieved either through direct investment holdings, through replication using derivative instruments (e.g., futures or swaps) or net of hedges using derivative instruments to reduce exposure to an asset category. The net notional amount of derivatives used for replication and non-hedging strategies is limited to 115% of total plan assets. Market performance of the different asset categories may, from time to time, cause deviation from the target

asset allocation. The asset allocation mix is reviewed on a periodic basis and rebalanced to bring the allocation within the target ranges.

Outside the target asset allocation, the pension plans participate in a securities lending program to enhance returns. As of December 31, 2019, U.S. government fixed income securities and U.S. equity securities are lent out and cash collateral is invested in short-term investments.



Fair values of pension plan assets as of December 31, 2019
($ in millions)	Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets (Level 1)			Significant other observable inputs (Level 2)			Significant unobservable inputs (Level 3)			Balance as of December 31, 2019
Equity securities	$	216		$	45		$	—		$	261
Fixed income securities:
U.S. government and agencies	237			1,096			—			1,333
Corporate	—			1,060			—			1,060
Short-term investments	128			252			—			380
Free-standing derivatives:
Assets	—			5			—			5
Liabilities	(2		)	(17		)	—			(19		)
Total plan assets at fair value	$	579		$	2,441		$	—		3,020
% of total plan assets at fair value	19.2		%	80.8		%	—		%	100.0		%

Investments measured using the net asset value practical expedient										3,418
Securities lending obligation ⁽¹⁾										(272		)
Derivatives counterparty and cash collateral netting										9
Other net plan assets ⁽²⁾										17
Total reported plan assets										$	6,192

⁽¹⁾

The securities lending obligation represents the plan’s obligation to return securities lending collateral received under a securities lending program. The terms of the program allow both the plan and the counterparty the right and ability to redeem/return the securities loaned on short notice. Due to its relatively short-term nature, the outstanding balance of the obligation approximates fair value.


⁽²⁾	Other net plan assets represent cash and cash equivalents, interest and dividends receivable and net receivables related to settlements of investment transactions, such as purchases and sales.



Fair values of pension plan assets as of December 31, 2018
($ in millions)	Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets (Level 1)			Significant other observable inputs (Level 2)			Significant unobservable inputs (Level 3)			Balance as of December 31, 2018
Equity securities	$	51		$	265		$	—		$	316
Fixed income securities:
U.S. government and agencies	172			509			—			681
Corporate	—			1,479			5			1,484
Short-term investments	122			198			—			320
Free-standing derivatives:
Assets	—			19			—			19
Liabilities	—			(11		)	—			(11		)
Total plan assets at fair value	$	345		$	2,459		$	5		2,809
% of total plan assets at fair value	12.3		%	87.5		%	0.2		%	100.0		%

Investments measured using the net asset value practical expedient										2,687
Securities lending obligation										(222		)
Derivatives counterparty and cash collateral netting										(6		)
Other net plan assets										31
Total reported plan assets										$	5,299

The fair values of pension plan assets are estimated using the same methodologies and inputs as those used to determine the fair values for the respective asset category of the Company. These methodologies and inputs are disclosed in Note 6.



Rollforward of Level 3 plan assets during December 31, 2019
			Actual return on plan assets:
($ in millions)	Balance as of December 31, 2018		Relating to assets sold during the period		Relating to assets still held at the reporting date		Purchases, sales and settlements, net			Net transfers in and/or (out) of Level 3		Balance as of December 31, 2019
Equity securities	$	—	$	—	$	—	$	—		$	—	$	—
Fixed income securities:
Corporate	5		—		—		(5		)	—		—
Total Level 3 plan assets	$	5	$	—	$	—	$	(5	)	$	—	$	—



Rollforward of Level 3 plan assets during December 31, 2018
			Actual return on plan assets:
($ in millions)	Balance as of December 31, 2017		Relating to assets sold during the period		Relating to assets still held at the reporting date		Purchases, sales and settlements, net			Net transfers in and/or (out) of Level 3			Balance as of December 31, 2018
Equity securities	$	29	$	—	$	3	$	—		$	(32	)	$	—
Fixed income securities:
Corporate	10		—		—		(5		)	—			5
Total Level 3 plan assets	$	39	$	—	$	3	$	(5	)	$	(32	)	$	5



Rollforward of Level 3 plan assets during December 31, 2017
			Actual return on plan assets:
($ in millions)	Balance as of December 31, 2016		Relating to assets sold during the period		Relating to assets still held at the reporting date		Purchases, sales and settlements, net		Net transfers in and/or (out) of Level 3		Balance as of December 31, 2017
Equity securities	$	—	$	—	$	—	$	29	$	—	$	29
Fixed income securities:
Corporate	10		—		—		—		—		10
Total Level 3 plan assets	$	10	$	—	$	—	$	29	$	—	$	39

The expected long-term rate of return on plan assets reflects the average rate of earnings expected on plan assets. The Company’s assumption for the expected long-term rate of return on plan assets is reviewed annually giving consideration to appropriate financial data including, but not limited to, the plan asset allocation, forward-looking expected returns for the period over which benefits will be paid, historical returns on plan assets and other relevant market data. Given the long-term forward-looking nature of this assumption, the actual returns in any one year do not immediately result in a change. In giving consideration to the targeted plan asset allocation, the Company evaluated returns using the same sources it has used historically which include: historical average asset class returns from an independent nationally recognized vendor of this type of data blended together using the asset allocation policy weights for the Company’s pension plans; asset class return forecasts from a large global independent asset management firm that specializes in providing multi-asset class investment fund products which were blended together using the asset allocation policy weights; and expected portfolio returns from a proprietary simulation methodology of a widely recognized external investment consulting firm

that performs asset allocation and actuarial services for corporate pension plan sponsors. This same methodology has been applied on a consistent basis each year. All of these were consistent with the Company’s weighted average long-term rate of return on plan assets assumption of 7.34% used for 2019 and an estimate of 7.08% that will be used for 2020. As of the 2019 measurement date, the arithmetic average of the annual actual return on plan assets for the most recent 10 and 5 years was 10.0% and 9.6%, respectively.

Cash flows There was no required cash contribution necessary to satisfy the minimum funding requirement under the IRC for the tax qualified pension plan for the year ended December 31, 2019.

The Company currently plans to contribute $25 million to its unfunded non-qualified plans and zero and $4 million to its primary and other qualified funded pension plans, respectively, in 2020.

The Company contributed $24 million and $22 million to the postretirement benefit plans in 2019 and 2018, respectively. Contributions by participants were $15 million and $13 million in 2019 and 2018, respectively.



Estimated future benefit payments expected to be paid in the next 10 years
	As of December 31, 2019
($ in millions)	Pension benefits		Postretirement benefits
2020	$	600	$	23
2021	629		24
2022	636		26
2023	634		27
2024	626		27
2025-2029	2,401		136
Total benefit payments	$	5,526	$	263

Allstate 401(k) Savings Plan

Employees of the Company, with the exception of those employed by the Company’s international, SquareTrade, InfoArmor and Esurance subsidiaries, are eligible to become members of the Allstate 401(k) Savings Plan (“Allstate Plan”). The Company’s contributions are based on the Company’s matching obligation. The Company is responsible for funding its anticipated contribution to the Allstate Plan, and has used the remaining ESOP shares to pre-fund a portion of the contribution. In connection with the Allstate Plan, the Company had a note from the ESOP. On

December 31, 2019, the note matured and the remaining principal balance of $2 million was repaid. The Company records dividends on the ESOP shares in retained income and all the shares held by the ESOP are included in basic and diluted weighted average common shares outstanding.

The Company’s contribution to the Allstate Plan was $93 million, $89 million and $81 million in 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively. These amounts were reduced by the ESOP benefit.



ESOP benefit
	For the years December 31,
($ in millions)	2019			2018			2017
Interest expense recognized by ESOP	$	—		$	—		$	—
Less: dividends accrued on ESOP shares	(1		)	(1		)	(1		)
Cost of shares allocated	3			—			3
Compensation expense	2			(1		)	2
Reduction of defined contribution due to ESOP	43			1			38
ESOP benefit	$	(41	)	$	(2	)	$	(36	)

The Company made $2 million, zero and $1 million in contributions to the ESOP in 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively. As of December 31, 2019, there were 0.4 million, 39 million and zero of the remaining ESOP shares that have been committed to be released, allocated and unallocated, respectively.

Allstate’s Canadian, SquareTrade, Esurance and Answer Financial subsidiaries sponsor defined contribution plans for their eligible employees. Expense for these plans was $15 million, $15 million and $12 million in 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively. Effective January 1, 2020, Answer Financial employees will be included in the Allstate Plan.