General

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2012

General

General

1.  General

Basis of presentation

The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of The Allstate Corporation and its  wholly owned subsidiaries, primarily Allstate Insurance Company (“AIC”), a property-liability insurance company with various property-liability and life and investment subsidiaries, including Allstate Life Insurance Company (“ALIC”) (collectively referred to as the “Company” or “Allstate”).

The condensed consolidated financial statements and notes as of June 30, 2012 and for the three-month and six-month periods ended June 30, 2012 and 2011 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, 2011 and Current Report on Form 8-K filed May 2, 2012.  The results of operations for the interim periods should not be considered indicative of results to be expected for the full year.

To conform to the current year presentation, certain amounts in the prior year condensed consolidated financial statements and notes have been reclassified.

Adopted accounting standards

Accounting for Costs Associated with Acquiring or Renewing Insurance Contracts

In October 2010, the FASB issued guidance modifying the definition of the types of costs incurred by insurance entities that can be capitalized in the acquisition of new and renewal insurance contracts.  The guidance specifies that the costs must be directly related to the successful acquisition of insurance contracts.  The guidance also specifies that advertising costs should be included as deferred acquisition costs (“DAC”) only when the direct-response advertising accounting criteria are met.  The Company adopted the new guidance on a retrospective basis as of January 1, 2012.  The cumulative effect of the adoption to shareholders’ equity as of January 1, 2011 was a decrease of $399 million, net of taxes.  The impacts of the retrospective adjustments on previously issued financial statements are summarized in the following table.

($ in millions, except per share data)		Three months ended						Six months ended
		June 30, 2011						June 30, 2011
		Previously Reported			As Adjusted			Previously Reported			As Adjusted
Amortization of DAC	$	1,018		$	960		$	2,069		$	1,944
Operating costs and expenses		802			868			1,640			1,768
Gain (loss) on disposition of operations		6			7			(17	)		(13	)
Income tax benefit		(409	)		(412	)		(194	)		(194	)
Net loss		(620	)		(624	)		(101	)		(100	)
Net loss per share - Basic		(1.19	)		(1.19	)		(0.19	)		(0.19	)
Net loss per share - Diluted		(1.19	)		(1.19	)		(0.19	)		(0.19	)
		As of December 31, 2011
		Previously Reported			As Adjusted
DAC		4,443			3,871
Deferred income taxes		520			722
Reserve for life-contingent contract benefits		14,449			14,406
Other liabilities and accrued expenses		5,929			5,978
Retained income		32,321			31,909
Unrealized adjustment to DAC, DSI and insurance reserves		(504	)		(467	)
Unrealized foreign currency translation adjustments		57			56

In future periods, operating costs and expenses will increase since a lower amount of acquisition costs will be capitalized, which will be partially offset by a decrease in amortization of DAC due to the retrospective reduction of the DAC balance.  The effect of the adoption on net income and related per share amounts for interim periods after adoption is not determinable since calculations under the historic DAC accounting policy were not continued after adoption.

Criteria for Determining Effective Control for Repurchase Agreements

In April 2011, the FASB issued guidance modifying the assessment criteria of effective control for repurchase agreements.  The new guidance removes the criteria requiring an entity to have the ability to repurchase or redeem financial assets on substantially the agreed terms and the collateral maintenance guidance related to that criteria.  The guidance is to be applied prospectively to transactions or modifications of existing transactions that occur during reporting periods beginning on or after December 15, 2011.  The adoption of this guidance as of January 1, 2012 had no impact on the Company’s results of operations or financial position.

Amendments to Fair Value Measurement and Disclosure Requirements

In May 2011, the FASB issued guidance that clarifies the application of existing fair value measurement and disclosure requirements and amends certain fair value measurement principles, requirements and disclosures.  Changes were made to improve consistency in global application.  The guidance is to be applied prospectively for reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2011.  The adoption of this guidance as of January 1, 2012 had no impact on the Company’s results of operations or financial position.

Presentation of Comprehensive Income

In June and December 2011, the FASB issued guidance amending the presentation of comprehensive income and its components.  Under the new guidance, a reporting entity has the option to present comprehensive income in a single continuous statement or in two separate but consecutive statements.  The Company adopted the new guidance in the first quarter of 2012.  The new guidance affects presentation only and therefore had no impact on the Company’s results of operations or financial position.

Intangibles – Goodwill and Other

In September 2011, the FASB issued guidance providing the option to first assess qualitative factors, such as macroeconomic conditions and industry and market considerations, to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount.  If impairment is indicated by the qualitative assessment, then it is necessary to perform the two-step goodwill impairment test.  If the option is not elected, the guidance requiring the two-step goodwill impairment test is unchanged.  The adoption of this guidance as of January 1, 2012 had no impact on the Company’s results of operations or financial position.

Pending accounting standard

Disclosures about Offsetting Assets and Liabilities for Financial Instruments and Derivative Instruments

In December 2011, the FASB issued guidance requiring expanded disclosures, including both gross and net information, for financial instruments and derivative instruments that are either offset in the reporting entity’s financial statements or those that are subject to an enforceable master netting arrangement or similar agreement.  The guidance is effective for reporting periods beginning on or after January 1, 2013 and is to be applied retrospectively.  The new guidance affects disclosures only and will have no impact on the Company’s results of operations or financial position.