Guarantees and Contingent Liabilities

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2023

Guarantees and Contingent Liabilities


Note 14			Guarantees and Contingent Liabilities

Shared markets and state facility assessments

The Company is required to participate in assigned risk plans, reinsurance facilities and joint underwriting associations in various states that provide insurance coverage to individuals or entities that otherwise are unable to purchase such coverage from private insurers.

The Company routinely reviews its exposure to assessments from these plans, facilities and government programs. Underwriting results related to these arrangements, which tend to be adverse, have been immaterial to the Company’s results of operations in the last two years. Because of the Company’s participation, it may be exposed to losses that surpass the capitalization of these facilities or assessments from these facilities.

Guarantees

In the normal course of business, the Company provides standard indemnifications to contractual counterparties in connection with numerous transactions, including acquisitions and divestitures. The types of indemnifications typically provided include indemnifications for breaches of

representations and warranties, taxes and certain other liabilities, such as third-party lawsuits. The indemnification clauses are often standard contractual terms and are entered into in the normal course of business based on an assessment that the risk of loss would be remote. The terms of the indemnifications vary in duration and nature. In many cases, the maximum obligation is not explicitly stated and the contingencies triggering the obligation to indemnify have not occurred and are not expected to occur. Consequently, the maximum amount of the obligation under such indemnifications is not determinable. Historically, the Company has not made any material payments pursuant to these obligations.

Related to the sale of ALNY on October 1, 2021, AIC agreed to indemnify Wilton Reassurance Company in connection with certain representations, warranties and covenants of AIC, and certain liabilities specifically excluded from the transaction, subject to specific contractual limitations regarding AIC’s maximum obligation. Management does not believe these indemnifications will have a material effect on results of operations, cash flows or financial position of the Company.

Related to the sale of ALIC and Allstate Assurance Company on November 1, 2021, AIC and Allstate Financial Insurance Holdings Corporation (collectively, the “Sellers”) agreed to indemnify Everlake US Holdings Company in connection with certain representations, warranties and covenants of the Sellers, and certain liabilities specifically excluded from the transaction, subject to specific contractual limitations regarding the Sellers’ maximum obligation. Management does not believe these indemnifications will have a material effect on results of operations, cash flows or financial position of the Company.

The aggregate liability balance related to all guarantees was not material as of September 30, 2023.

Regulation and compliance

The Company is subject to extensive laws, regulations, administrative directives, and regulatory actions. From time to time, regulatory authorities or legislative bodies seek to influence and restrict premium rates, require premium refunds to policyholders, require reinstatement of terminated policies, prescribe rules or guidelines on how affiliates compete in the marketplace, restrict the ability of insurers to cancel or non-renew policies, require insurers to continue to write new policies or limit their ability to write new policies, limit insurers’ ability to change coverage terms or to impose underwriting standards, impose additional regulations regarding agency and broker compensation, regulate the nature of and amount of investments, impose fines and penalties for unintended errors or mistakes, impose additional regulations regarding cybersecurity and privacy, and otherwise expand overall regulation of insurance products and the insurance industry. In addition, the Company is subject to laws and regulations administered and enforced by federal agencies, international agencies, and other organizations, including but not limited to the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the U.S. Department of Justice. The Company has established procedures and policies to facilitate compliance with laws and regulations, to foster prudent business operations, and to support financial reporting. The Company routinely reviews its practices to validate compliance with laws and regulations and with internal procedures and policies. As a result of these reviews, from time to time the Company may decide to modify some of its procedures and policies. Such modifications, and the reviews that led to them, may be accompanied by payments being made and costs being incurred. The ultimate changes and eventual effects of these actions on the Company’s business, if any, are uncertain.

Legal and regulatory proceedings and inquiries

The Company and certain subsidiaries are involved in a number of lawsuits, regulatory inquiries, and other legal proceedings arising out of various aspects of its business.

Background These matters raise difficult and complicated factual and legal issues and are subject to

many uncertainties and complexities, including the underlying facts of each matter; novel legal issues; variations between jurisdictions in which matters are being litigated, heard, or investigated; changes in assigned judges; differences or developments in applicable laws and judicial interpretations; judges reconsidering prior rulings; the length of time before many of these matters might be resolved by settlement, through litigation, or otherwise; adjustments with respect to anticipated trial schedules and other proceedings; developments in similar actions against other companies; the fact that some of the lawsuits are putative class actions in which a class has not been certified and in which the purported class may not be clearly defined; the fact that some of the lawsuits involve multi-state class actions in which the applicable law(s) for the claims at issue is in dispute and therefore unclear; and the challenging legal environment faced by corporations and insurance companies.

The outcome of these matters may be affected by decisions, verdicts, and settlements, and the timing of such decisions, verdicts, and settlements, in other individual and class action lawsuits that involve the Company, other insurers, or other entities and by other legal, governmental, and regulatory actions that involve the Company, other insurers, or other entities. The outcome may also be affected by future state or federal legislation, the timing or substance of which cannot be predicted.

In the lawsuits, plaintiffs seek a variety of remedies which may include equitable relief in the form of injunctive and other remedies and monetary relief in the form of contractual and extra-contractual damages. In some cases, the monetary damages sought may include punitive or treble damages. Often specific information about the relief sought, such as the amount of damages, is not available because plaintiffs have not requested specific relief in their pleadings. When specific monetary demands are made, they are often set just below a state court jurisdictional limit in order to seek the maximum amount available in state court, regardless of the specifics of the case, while still avoiding the risk of removal to federal court. In Allstate’s experience, monetary demands in pleadings bear little relation to the ultimate loss, if any, to the Company.

In connection with regulatory examinations and proceedings, government authorities may seek various forms of relief, including penalties, restitution, and changes in business practices. The Company may not be advised of the nature and extent of relief sought until the final stages of the examination or proceeding.

Accrual and disclosure policy The Company reviews its lawsuits, regulatory inquiries, and other legal proceedings on an ongoing basis and follows appropriate accounting guidance when making accrual and disclosure decisions. The Company establishes accruals for such matters at management’s best estimate when the Company assesses that it is probable that a loss has been incurred and the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated. The Company does not establish accruals for such matters when the

Company does not believe both that it is probable that a loss has been incurred and the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated. The Company’s assessment of whether a loss is reasonably possible or probable is based on its assessment of the ultimate outcome of the matter following all appeals. The Company does not include potential recoveries in its estimates of reasonably possible or probable losses. Legal fees are expensed as incurred.

The Company continues to monitor its lawsuits, regulatory inquiries, and other legal proceedings for further developments that would make the loss contingency both probable and estimable, and accordingly accruable, or that could affect the amount of accruals that have been previously established. There may continue to be exposure to loss in excess of any amount accrued. Disclosure of the nature and amount of an accrual is made when there have been sufficient legal and factual developments such that the Company’s ability to resolve the matter would not be impaired by the disclosure of the amount of accrual.

When the Company assesses it is reasonably possible or probable that a loss has been incurred, it discloses the matter. When it is possible to estimate the reasonably possible loss or range of loss above the amount accrued, if any, for the matters disclosed, that estimate is aggregated and disclosed. Disclosure is not required when an estimate of the reasonably possible loss or range of loss cannot be made.

For certain of the matters described below in the “Claims related proceedings” and “Other proceedings” subsections, the Company is able to estimate the reasonably possible loss or range of loss above the amount accrued, if any. In determining whether it is possible to estimate the reasonably possible loss or range of loss, the Company reviews and evaluates the disclosed matters, in conjunction with counsel, in light of potentially relevant factual and legal developments.

These developments may include information learned through the discovery process, rulings on dispositive motions, settlement discussions, information obtained from other sources, experience from managing these and other matters, and other rulings by courts, arbitrators or others. When the Company possesses sufficient appropriate information to develop an estimate of the reasonably possible loss or range of loss above the amount accrued, if any, that estimate is aggregated and disclosed below. There may be other disclosed matters for which a loss is probable or reasonably possible, but such an estimate is not possible. Disclosure of the estimate of the reasonably possible loss or range of loss above the amount accrued, if any, for any individual matter would only be considered when there have been sufficient legal and factual developments such that the Company’s ability to resolve the matter would not be impaired by the disclosure of the individual estimate.

The Company currently estimates that the aggregate range of reasonably possible loss in excess of the amount accrued, if any, for the disclosed matters where such an estimate is possible is zero to $67 million, pre-tax. This disclosure is not an indication of

expected loss, if any. Under accounting guidance, an event is “reasonably possible” if “the chance of the future event or events occurring is more than remote but less than likely” and an event is “remote” if “the chance of the future event or events occurring is slight.” This estimate is based upon currently available information and is subject to significant judgment and a variety of assumptions and known and unknown uncertainties. The matters underlying the estimate will change from time to time, and actual results may vary significantly from the current estimate. The estimate does not include matters or losses for which an estimate is not possible. Therefore, this estimate represents an estimate of possible loss only for certain matters meeting these criteria. It does not represent the Company’s maximum possible loss exposure. Information is provided below regarding the nature of all of the disclosed matters and, where specified, the amount, if any, of plaintiff claims associated with these loss contingencies.

Due to the complexity and scope of the matters disclosed in the “Claims related proceedings” and “Other proceedings” subsections below and the many uncertainties that exist, the ultimate outcome of these matters cannot be predicted and in the Company’s judgment, a loss, in excess of amounts accrued, if any, is not probable. In the event of an unfavorable outcome in one or more of these matters, the ultimate liability may be in excess of amounts currently accrued, if any, and may be material to the Company’s operating results or cash flows for a particular quarterly or annual period. However, based on information currently known to it, management believes that the ultimate outcome of all matters described below, as they are resolved over time, is not likely to have a material effect on the financial position of the Company.

Claims related proceedings The Company is managing various disputes in Florida that raise challenges to the Company’s practices, processes, and procedures relating to claims for personal injury protection benefits under Florida auto policies. Medical providers continue to pursue litigation under various theories that challenge the amounts that the Company pays under the personal injury protection coverage, seeking additional benefit payments, as well as applicable interest, penalties and fees. There is a pending lawsuit, Revival Chiropractic v. Allstate Insurance Company, et al. (M.D. Fla. filed January 2019; appeal pending, 11th Circuit Court of Appeals), where the federal district court denied class certification and plaintiff’s request to file a renewed motion for class certification. In Revival, on June 2, 2022, the 11th Circuit certified to the Florida Supreme Court Allstate’s appeal of the federal district court’s interpretation of the state personal injury protection statute. The 11th Circuit is holding determination on plaintiff’s class certification appeal pending the outcome of the Florida Supreme Court certification. The oral argument before the Florida Supreme Court was on March 8, 2023. The Company is also defending litigation involving individual plaintiffs.

The Company is defending putative class actions in various courts that raise challenges to the

Company’s depreciation practices in homeowner property claims. In these lawsuits, plaintiffs generally allege that, when calculating actual cash value, the costs of “non-materials” such as labor, general contractor’s overhead and profit, and sales tax should not be subject to depreciation. The Company is currently defending the following lawsuits on this issue: Sims, et al. v. Allstate Fire and Casualty Insurance Company, et al. (W.D. Tex. filed June 2022); Thompson, et al. v. Allstate Insurance Company (Circuit Court of Cole Co., Mo. filed June 2022); Hill v. Allstate Vehicle and Property Insurance Company (Circuit Court of Cole Co., Mo. filed October 2022); Tabuga v. Allstate Vehicle and Property Insurance Company (D. Md. filed April 2023); and Hernandez v. Allstate Vehicle and Property Insurance Company (D. Ariz. filed April 2023) (the Shumway plaintiff was substituted with Hernandez). No classes have been certified in any of these matters. The court granted final approval of a class-wide settlement in: Perry v. Allstate Indemnity Company, et al. (N.D. Ohio filed May 2016); Lado v. Allstate Vehicle and Property Insurance Company (S.D. Ohio filed March 2020); Maniaci v. Allstate Insurance Company (N.D. Ohio filed March 2020); Ferguson-Luke, et al. v. Allstate Property and Casualty Insurance Company (N.D. Ohio filed April 2020); Mitchell, et al. v. Allstate Vehicle and Property Insurance Company, et al. (S.D. Ala. filed August 2021).

The Company is defending putative class actions pending in multiple states alleging that the Company underpays total loss vehicle physical damage claims on auto policies. The alleged systematic underpayments result from the following theories: (a) the third party valuation tool used by the Company as part of a comprehensive adjustment process is allegedly flawed, biased, or contrary to applicable law; and/or (b) the Company allegedly does not pay sales tax, title fees, registration fees, and/or other specified fees that are allegedly mandatory under policy language or state legal authority.

The following cases are currently pending against the Company: Kronenberg v. Allstate Insurance Company and Allstate Fire and Casualty Insurance Company (E.D.N.Y. filed December 2018); Durgin v. Allstate Property and Casualty Insurance Company (W.D. La. filed June 2019); Bass v. Imperial Fire and Casualty Insurance Company (W.D. La. filed February 2022); Cummings v. Allstate Property and Casualty Insurance Company (M.D. La. filed April 2022); Golla v. Allstate Insurance Company (N.D. Ohio filed June 2023); and Bibbs v. Allstate Insurance Company and Allstate Fire and Casualty Insurance Company (N.D. Ohio filed August 2023).

None of the courts in any of the pending matters has ruled on class certification.

Other proceedings The Company has pending an investigatory hearing before the California Insurance Commissioner concerning the private passenger automobile insurance rating practices of Allstate Insurance Company and Allstate Indemnity Company in California. The investigatory hearing is captioned: In the Matter of the Rating Practices of Allstate Insurance Company and Allstate Indemnity Company. Pursuant to

the Notice of Hearing issued by the California Insurance Commissioner, the California Insurance Commissioner is investigating: (1) whether Allstate has potentially violated California insurance law by using illegal price optimization; (2) how Allstate implemented any such potentially illegal price optimization in its private passenger auto insurance rates and/or class plans; and (3) how such potentially illegal price optimization impacted Allstate’s private passenger auto insurance policyholders. Fact discovery was completed in the investigatory hearing. Allstate and the California Department of Insurance have reached an agreement in principle to resolve the investigatory hearing. The May 22, 2023 hearing was continued. A new hearing date has not been set.

In re The Allstate Corp. Securities Litigation is a certified class action filed on November 11, 2016 in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois against the Company and two of its officers asserting claims under the federal securities laws. Plaintiffs allege that they purchased Allstate common stock during the class period and suffered damages as the result of the conduct alleged. Plaintiffs seek an unspecified amount of damages, costs, attorney’s fees, and other relief as the court deems appropriate. Plaintiffs allege that the Company and certain senior officers made allegedly material misstatements or omissions concerning claim frequency statistics and the reasons for a claim frequency increase for Allstate brand auto insurance between October 2014 and August 3, 2015.

Plaintiffs further allege that a senior officer engaged in stock option exercises during that time allegedly while in possession of material nonpublic information about Allstate brand auto insurance claim frequency. The Company, its chairman, president and chief executive officer, and its former president are the named defendants. After the court denied their motion to dismiss on February 27, 2018, defendants answered the complaint, denying plaintiffs’ allegations that there was any misstatement or omission or other misconduct. On June 22, 2018, plaintiffs filed their motion for class certification. The court allowed the lead plaintiffs to amend their complaint to add the City of Providence Employee Retirement System as a proposed class representative and on September 12, 2018, the amended complaint was filed. A class was certified on March 26, 2019, vacated by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit on July 16, 2020 and remanded for further consideration by the district court. On December 21, 2020, the district court again granted plaintiffs’ motion for class certification and certified a class consisting of all persons who purchased Allstate common stock between October 29, 2014 and August 3, 2015. Defendants’ petition for permission to appeal this ruling was denied on January 28, 2021. Following the close of discovery, defendants moved for summary judgment on March 23, 2022. On July 26, 2022, the court entered its order granting summary judgment in part (as to plaintiffs’ claims relating to certain statements made in October 2014) and denying it as to the remainder of plaintiffs’ claims. On January 10, 2023, the parties filed a joint pre-trial order. A pre-trial conference has not occurred.

Subsequently, on June 28, 2023, the parties reached an agreement in principle to settle the action, without any admission of liability or wrongdoing. On September 26, 2023, an order was entered by the district court granting preliminary approval of the class settlement. The settlement is subject to final approval by the district court and any appeals therefrom. The final approval hearing is scheduled for December 19, 2023.

The Company is continuing to defend two putative class actions in California federal court, Holland Hewitt v. Allstate Life Insurance Company (E.D. Cal. filed May 2020) and Farley v. Lincoln Benefit Life Company (E.D. Cal. filed Dec. 2020), following the sale of ALIC. On April 19, 2023, the court certified a class in Farley. On September 28, 2023, the Ninth Circuit accepted Lincoln Benefit Life Company’s petition to appeal the district court’s class certification ruling. There has been

no ruling on plaintiff’s motion for class certification in Hewitt. In these cases, plaintiffs generally allege that the defendants failed to comply with certain California statutes which address contractual grace periods and lapse notice requirements for certain life insurance policies. Plaintiffs claim that these statutes apply to life insurance policies that existed before the statutes’ effective date. The plaintiffs seek damages and injunctive relief. Similar litigation is pending against other insurance carriers. In August 2021, the California Supreme Court in McHugh v. Protective Life, a matter involving another insurer, determined that the statutory notice requirements apply to life insurance policies issued before the statutes’ effective date. The Company asserts various defenses to plaintiffs’ claims and to class certification.