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General (Policies)
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2023
General [Abstract]  
Basis of presentation
Basis of presentation
The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of The Allstate Corporation (the “Corporation”) and its wholly owned subsidiaries, primarily Allstate Insurance Company (“AIC”), a property and casualty insurance company (collectively referred to as the “Company” or “Allstate”) and variable interest entities (“VIEs”) in which the Company is considered a primary beneficiary. These condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”).
The condensed consolidated financial statements and notes as of March 31, 2023 and for the three month periods ended March 31, 2023 and 2022 are unaudited. The condensed consolidated financial statements reflect all adjustments (consisting only of normal recurring accruals) which are, in the opinion of management, necessary for the fair presentation of the financial position, results of operations and cash flows for the interim periods.
These condensed consolidated financial statements and notes should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022. The results of operations for the interim periods should not be considered indicative of results to be expected for the full year. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated.
To reflect the application of the new guidance to all in-scope long-duration insurance contracts, certain amounts in the condensed consolidated financial statements and notes for 2022 have been recast.
Accounting standard
Adopted accounting standard
Accounting for Long-Duration Insurance Contracts Effective January 1, 2023, the Company adopted the Financial Accounting Standards Board (”FASB”) guidance revising the accounting for certain long-duration insurance contracts using the modified retrospective approach to the transition date of January 1, 2021.
Under the new guidance, measurement assumptions, including those for mortality, morbidity and policy lapses, are required to be reviewed at least annually, and updated as appropriate. In addition, reserves under the new guidance are required to be discounted using an upper-medium grade fixed income instrument yield that is updated through other comprehensive income (“OCI”) at each reporting date. Additionally, deferred policy acquisition costs (“DAC”) for all long-duration products will be amortized on a simplified basis. Also, the Company’s reserve for future policy benefits and DAC will be subject to new disclosure guidance.
In addition, the Company met the conditions included in Accounting Standards Update No. 2022-05, Transition for Sold Contracts, and elected to not apply the new guidance for contracts that were part of the 2021 sales of Allstate Life Insurance Company (“ALIC”) and Allstate Life Insurance Company of New York (“ALNY”).
After-tax cumulative effect of change in accounting principle on transition date
($ in millions)January 1, 2021
Decrease in retained income$21 
Decrease in accumulated other comprehensive income (“AOCI”)277 
Total decrease in equity$298 
The decrease in AOCI is primarily attributable to a change in the discount rate used in measuring the reserve for future policy benefits for traditional life contracts and other long-term products with guaranteed terms from a portfolio-based rate at contract issuance to an upper-medium grade fixed income-based rate at the reporting date. The decrease in retained income primarily relates to certain cohorts of long-term contracts whose expected net premiums exceeded expected gross premiums which resulted in an increase in reserves and a decrease in retained income equal to the present value of expected future benefits less the present value of expected future premiums at the transition date.
Changes to significant accounting policies
Reserve for future policy benefits
Long-duration voluntary accident and health insurance and traditional life insurance contracts The reserve for future policy benefits (“RFPB”) is calculated using the net premium reserving model, which uses the present value of insurance contract benefits less the present value of net premiums. Under the net premium reserving model, the Company computes a net premium ratio which is the present value of insurance contract benefits divided by the present value of gross premiums. The present value of contract benefits and gross premiums are determined using the discount rate at contract inception. The net premium ratio is applied to premiums due on a periodic basis to compute the RFPB. The net premium ratio is recomputed at least annually using both actual historical cash flows and future cash flows anticipated over the life of cohort of contracts subject to measurement. Assumptions including mortality, morbidity, and lapses affect the timing and amount of estimated cash flows used to calculate the RFPB.
The Company has grouped contracts into cohorts based on product type and issue year. Examples of insurance product types include whole life, term life, critical illness and disability. Issue year is based on the issuance date of the contract to the policyholder,
except in the case of contracts acquired in a business combination, where the issue date is based on the acquisition date of the business combination. The RFPB is calculated for contracts in force at the end of each period, which results in the Company recognizing the effects of actual experience in the period it occurs.
Annually, in the third quarter, the Company obtains historical premiums and benefits information and evaluates future cash flow assumptions that include mortality, morbidity, and terminations, and updates cash flow assumptions as necessary. The Company has elected to not update the expense assumption when annually reviewing and updating future cash flow assumptions. Actual premiums and benefits and any updates to future cash flow assumptions are incorporated into the calculation of an updated net premium ratio. Updates for actual premiums and benefits and changes to future cash flow assumptions will result in a liability remeasurement gain or loss that is recognized in net income. The first step to determining the liability remeasurement gain or loss is to calculate the RFPB using revised net premiums discounted at the locked-in discount rate set at contract issuance. The result of the first step is then compared to the carrying amount of the RFPB before the updates for actual experience and changes to future cash flow assumptions. The decrease (gain) or increase (loss) in the RFPB is reported as liability
remeasurement gain or loss in net income and presented parenthetically as part of Accident, health and other policy benefits on the Consolidated Statements of Operations. The updated net premium ratio is used in future quarters to measure the RFPB until the next annual update or an earlier date if the Company determines it is necessary to revise future cash flow assumptions based on available evidence, including actual experience.
The discount rate assumption is determined using a yield curve approach. The yield curve consists of U.S. dollar-denominated senior unsecured fixed-income securities issued by U.S. companies that have an A credit rating based on the ratings provided by nationally recognized rating agencies that include Moody’s, Standard & Poor’s, and Fitch. For points on the yield curve that do not have observable yields, the Company uses linear interpolation which calculates the unobservable yield based on the two nearest observable yields, except for any points beyond the last observable yield at 30 years, where interest rates are held constant with the last observable point on the yield curve. The Company updates the current discount rate quarterly and the change in the RFPB resulting from the updated current discount rate is recognized in OCI.
Deferred policy acquisition costs
Deferred policy acquisition costs
Deferred policy acquisition costs are related directly to the successful acquisition of new or renewal insurance contracts and are deferred and recognized as an expense over the life of the related contracts. These costs are principally agent and broker remuneration, premium taxes and certain underwriting expenses. All other acquisition costs are expensed as incurred and included in operating costs and expenses.
Long-duration voluntary accident and health insurance, traditional life insurance contracts, and interest-sensitive life insurance contracts Voluntary accident and health insurance and traditional life insurance contracts are grouped by product and issue year into cohorts consistent with the cohorts used to calculate the RFPB. Interest-sensitive life insurance contracts are grouped into cohorts by issue year, and the issue year is determined based on contract issue date. DAC is amortized on a constant level basis over the expected contract term and is included in Amortization of deferred policy acquisition costs on the Consolidated Statements of Operations. The constant level basis used for all cohorts is based on policies-in-force. The expected contract term and mortality, morbidity, and termination assumptions are used to calculate both DAC amortization and the RFPB. If actual contract terminations are greater than expected terminations for any cohort, each affected cohort’s DAC balance will be reduced in the current period based on the difference between the actual and expected terminations. No adjustments to DAC amortization are recorded if actual contract terminations are less than expected terminations for any cohort. If the Company makes an update to any of its mortality, morbidity, or termination assumptions, the Company will use the assumptions prospectively to amortize any cohort’s remaining DAC over the remaining expected contract term.
The costs assigned to the right to receive future cash flows from certain business purchased from other insurers are also classified as DAC in the Consolidated Statements of Financial Position. The costs capitalized represent the present value of future profits expected to be earned over the lives of the contracts acquired. The Company amortizes the present value of future profits using the same methodology and assumptions as the amortization of DAC. The present value of future profits is subject to premium deficiency testing.
Earnings per common share
Basic earnings per common share is computed using the weighted average number of common shares outstanding, including vested unissued participating restricted stock units. Diluted earnings per common share is computed using the weighted average number of common and dilutive potential common shares outstanding.
For the Company, dilutive potential common shares consist of outstanding stock options, unvested
non-participating restricted stock units and contingently issuable performance stock awards. The effect of dilutive potential common shares does not include the effect of options with an anti-dilutive effect on earnings per common share because their exercise prices exceed the average market price of Allstate common shares during the period or for which the unrecognized compensation cost would have an anti-dilutive effect.