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Reinsurance | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2017
Reinsurance Disclosures [Abstract] |
Reinsurance | Reinsurance a) Consolidated reinsurance Chubb purchases reinsurance to manage various exposures including catastrophe risks. Although reinsurance agreements contractually obligate Chubb's reinsurers to reimburse it for the agreed-upon portion of its gross paid losses, they do not discharge Chubb's primary liability. The amounts for net premiums written and net premiums earned in the Consolidated statements of operations are net of reinsurance. The following table presents direct, assumed, and ceded premiums:
| Year Ended December 31 |
(in millions of U.S. dollars) | 2017 |  | 2016 |  | 2015 |
Premiums written |  |  |  |
Direct | $ | 33,137 |  |  | $ | 31,543 |  |  | $ | 19,879 |
Assumed | 3,239 |  |  | 3,440 |  |  | 3,932 |
Ceded | (7,132 | ) |  | (6,838 | ) |  | (6,098 | )
Net | $ | 29,244 |  |  | $ | 28,145 |  |  | $ | 17,713 |
Premiums earned |  |  |  |  |
Direct | $ | 32,782 |  |  | $ | 31,811 |  |  | $ | 19,355 |
Assumed | 3,332 |  |  | 3,744 |  |  | 3,676 |
Ceded | (7,080 | ) |  | (6,806 | ) |  | (5,818 | )
Net | $ | 29,034 |  |  | $ | 28,749 |  |  | $ | 17,213 |
Ceded losses and loss expenses incurred were $5.5 billion, $4.1 billion, and $3.1 billion for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016, and 2015, respectively. b) Reinsurance recoverable on ceded reinsurance
|  | December 31 |  | December 31 |
(in millions of U.S. dollars) | 2017 |  | 2016 |
Reinsurance recoverable on unpaid losses and loss expenses (1) | $ | 14,014 |  |  | $ | 12,708 |
Reinsurance recoverable on paid losses and loss expenses (1) | 1,020 |  |  | 869 |
Reinsurance recoverable on losses and loss expenses (1) | $ | 15,034 |  |  | $ | 13,577 |
Reinsurance recoverable on policy benefits (1) | $ | 184 |  |  | $ | 182 |
(1) | Net of a provision for uncollectible reinsurance.
The increase in reinsurance recoverable on loss and loss expenses was principally related to the California wildfires and other catastrophe losses in 2017. We evaluate the financial condition of our reinsurers and potential reinsurers on a regular basis and also monitor concentrations of credit risk with reinsurers. The provision for uncollectible reinsurance is required principally due to the potential failure of reinsurers to indemnify Chubb, primarily because of disputes under reinsurance contracts and insolvencies. We have established provisions for amounts estimated to be uncollectible. At December 31, 2017 and 2016, the provision for uncollectible reinsurance was $321 million and $300 million, respectively. The following tables present a listing, at December 31, 2017, of the categories of Chubb's reinsurers:
December 31, 2017 | Gross Reinsurance Recoverable on Loss and Loss Expenses |  |  | Provision for Uncollectible Reinsurance |  |  | % of Gross Reinsurance Recoverable |
(in millions of U.S. dollars, except for percentages) |  |
Categories |
Largest reinsurers | $ | 5,190 |  |  | $ | 59 |  |  | 1.1 | %
Other reinsurers rated A- or better | 5,898 |  |  | 58 |  |  | 1.0 | %
Other reinsurers with ratings lower than A- or not rated | 681 |  |  | 75 |  |  | 11.0 | %
Pools | 577 |  |  | 15 |  |  | 2.6 | %
Structured settlements | 550 |  |  | 16 |  |  | 2.9 | %
Captives | 2,199 |  |  | 18 |  |  | 0.8 | %
Other | 260 |  |  | 80 |  |  | 30.8 | %
Total | $ | 15,355 |  |  | $ | 321 |  |  | 2.1 | %
Largest Reinsurers |  |
Berkshire Hathaway Insurance Group | Lloyd's of London | Swiss Re Group
HDI Group (Hannover Re) | Munich Re Group |
Categories of Chubb's reinsurers |  | Comprises:
Largest reinsurers |  | • All groups of reinsurers or captives where the gross recoverable exceeds one percent of Chubb's total shareholders' equity.
Other reinsurers rated A- or better |  | • All reinsurers rated A- or better that were not included in the largest reinsurer category.
Other reinsurers rated lower than A- or not rated |  | • All reinsurers rated lower than A- or not rated that were not included in the largest reinsurer category.
Pools |  | • Related to Chubb's voluntary pool participation and Chubb's mandatory pool participation required by law in certain states.
Structured settlements |  | • Annuities purchased from life insurance companies to settle claims. Since we retain ultimate liability in the event that the life company fails to pay, we reflect the amounts as both a liability and a recoverable/receivable for GAAP purposes.
Captives |  | • Companies established and owned by our insurance clients to assume a significant portion of their direct insurance risk from Chubb; structured to allow clients to self-insure a portion of their reinsurance risk. It generally is our policy to obtain collateral equal to expected losses. Where appropriate, exceptions are granted but only with review and approval at a senior officer level. Excludes captives included in the largest reinsurer category.
Other |  | • Amounts recoverable that are in dispute or are from companies that are in supervision, rehabilitation, or liquidation.
The provision for uncollectible reinsurance is principally based on an analysis of the credit quality of the reinsurer and collateral balances. We establish the provision for uncollectible reinsurance for the Other category based on a case-by-case analysis of individual situations including the merits of the underlying matter, credit and collateral analysis, and consideration of our collection experience in similar situations. c) Assumed life reinsurance programs involving minimum benefit guarantees under variable annuity contracts The following table presents income and expenses relating to GMDB and GLB reinsurance. GLBs include GMIBs as well as some GMABs originating in Japan.
| Year Ended December 31 |
(in millions of U.S. dollars) | 2017 |  |  | 2016 |  |  | 2015 |
GMDB |  |  |  |  |
Net premiums earned | $ | 49 |  |  | $ | 55 |  |  | $ | 61 |
Policy benefits and other reserve adjustments | $ | 40 |  |  | $ | 45 |  |  | $ | 34 |
GLB |  |  |  |  |
Net premiums earned | $ | 110 |  |  | $ | 118 |  |  | $ | 121 |
Policy benefits and other reserve adjustments | 105 |  |  | 52 |  |  | 45 |
Net realized gains (losses) | 363 |  |  | 48 |  |  | (203 | )
Gain (loss) recognized in Net income | $ | 368 |  |  | $ | 114 |  |  | $ | (127 | )
Net cash received and other | 65 |  |  | 79 |  |  | 98 |
Net decrease (increase) in liability | $ | 303 |  |  | $ | 35 |  |  | $ | (225 | )
Net realized gains (losses) in the table above include gains (losses) related to foreign exchange and fair value adjustments on insurance derivatives and exclude gains (losses) on S&P put options and futures used to partially offset the risk in the GLB reinsurance portfolio. Refer to Note 10 for additional information. At December 31, 2017 and 2016, the reported liability for GMDB reinsurance was $129 million and $120 million, respectively. At December 31, 2017 and 2016, the reported liability for GLB reinsurance was $550 million and $853 million, respectively, which includes a fair value derivative adjustment of $204 million and $559 million, respectively. Reported liabilities for both GMDB and GLB reinsurance are determined using internal valuation models. Such valuations require considerable judgment and are subject to significant uncertainty. The valuation of these products is subject to fluctuations arising from, among other factors, changes in interest rates, changes in equity markets, changes in credit markets, changes in the allocation of the investments underlying annuitants’ account values, and assumptions regarding future policyholder behavior. These models and the related assumptions are regularly reviewed by management and enhanced, as appropriate, based upon improvements in modeling assumptions and availability of updated information, such as market conditions and demographics of in-force annuities. Variable Annuity Net Amount at Risk The net amount at risk is defined as the present value of future claim payments assuming policy account values and guaranteed values are fixed at the valuation date (December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively) and reinsurance coverage ends at the earlier of the maturity of the underlying variable annuity policy or the reinsurance treaty. In addition, the following assumptions were used:
(in millions of U.S. dollars, except for percentages) |  | Net amount at risk |  |  |
Reinsurance covering |  | December 31, 2017 |  | December 31, 2016 |  | 2017 Future claims discount rate | Other assumptions | Total claims at 100% mortality at December 31, 2017(1) |
GMDB Risk Only |  | $ | 279 |  | $ | 341 |  | 4.00% - 4.50% | No lapses or withdrawals | $ | 189 |
|  |  |  |  | Mortality according to 100% of the Annuity 2000 mortality table |
GLB Risk Only |  | $ | 691 |  | $ | 800 |  | 4.25% - 4.75% | No deaths, lapses or withdrawals | N/A |
|  |  |  |  | Annuitization at a frequency most disadvantageous to Chubb(2) |
|  |  |  |  | Claim calculated using interest rates in line with rates used to calculate reserve |
Both Risks: (3) | GMDB | $ | 81 |  | $ | 88 |  | 4.25% - 4.75% | No lapses or withdrawals | $ | 18 |
|  |  |  |  | Mortality according to 100% of the Annuity 2000 mortality table |
| GLB | $ | 392 |  | $ | 464 |  | 4.25% - 4.75% | Annuitization at a frequency most disadvantageous to Chubb(2) | N/A |
|  |  |  |  | Claim calculated using interest rates in line with rates used to calculate reserve |
(1) Takes into account all applicable reinsurance treaty claim limits. (2) Annuitization at a level that maximizes claims taking into account the treaty limits. (3) Covering both the GMDB and GLB risks on the same underlying policyholders. The average attained age of all policyholders for all risk categories above, weighted by the guaranteed value of each reinsured policy, is approximately 70 years.

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- Definition The entire disclosure pertaining to the existence, magnitude and information about insurance that has been ceded to or assumed from another insurance company, including the methodologies and assumptions used in determining recorded amounts. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 944 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/topic&trid=2303980 + Details
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