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Guarantees and Contingent Liabilities | 3 Months Ended
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Mar. 31, 2018
Guarantees and Contingent Liabilities |
Guarantees and Contingent Liabilities |
Note 12 | 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. Underwriting results related to these arrangements, which tend to be adverse, have been immaterial to the Company’s results of operations. Because of the Company’s participation, it may be exposed to losses that surpass the capitalization of these facilities and/or assessments from these facilities. Guarantees Related to the sale of Lincoln Benefit Life Company (“LBL”) on April 1, 2014, ALIC agreed to indemnify Resolution Life Holdings, Inc. in connection with certain representations, warranties and covenants of ALIC, and certain liabilities specifically excluded from the transaction, subject to specific contractual limitations regarding ALIC’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 disposal through reinsurance of substantially all of its variable annuity business to Prudential in 2006, the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries, ALIC and ALNY, have agreed to indemnify Prudential for certain pre-closing contingent liabilities (including extra-contractual liabilities of ALIC and ALNY and liabilities specifically excluded from the transaction) that ALIC and ALNY have agreed to retain. In addition, the Company, ALIC and ALNY will each indemnify Prudential for certain post-closing liabilities that may arise from the acts of ALIC, ALNY and their agents, including certain liabilities arising from ALIC’s and ALNY’s provision of transition services. The reinsurance agreements contain no limitations or indemnifications with regard to insurance risk transfer and transferred all of the future risks and responsibilities for performance on the underlying variable annuity contracts to Prudential, including those related to benefit guarantees. Management does not believe this agreement will have a material effect on results of operations, cash flows or financial position of the Company. 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. The aggregate liability balance related to all guarantees was not material as of March 31, 2018. 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 agent 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, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, the Department of Labor, 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 $150 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 T he case of Jack Jimenez, et al. v. Allstate Insurance Company was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California in September 2010. Plaintiffs allege off-the-clock wage and hour claims and other California Labor Code violations resulting from purported unpaid overtime. Plaintiffs seek recovery of unpaid compensation, liquidated damages, penalties, and attorneys’ fees and costs. The court certified a class that includes all adjusters in the state of California, except auto field adjusters, from September 29, 2006 to final judgment. Allstate’s appeals to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and then to the U.S. Supreme Court did not result in decertification. No trial date is calendared. The case of Maria Victoria Perez and Kaela Brown, et al. v. Allstate Insurance Company was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York in April 2011. Plaintiffs allege that no-fault claim adjusters have been improperly classified as exempt employees under New York Labor Law and the Fair Labor Standards Act. Plaintiffs seek unpaid wages, liquidated damages, injunctive relief, compensatory and punitive damages, and attorneys’ fees. On September 16, 2014, the court certified a class of no-fault adjusters under New York Labor Law and refused to decertify a Fair Labor Standards Act class of no-fault adjusters. The parties have concluded discovery and the court scheduled a jury trial on June 25, 2018. Other proceedings The Company is defending a consolidated proceeding relating to the reorganization of its agent sales force in 2000, when the Company discontinued employee agent programs, terminated the contracts of its employee agents, and offered those agents the opportunity to become Allstate Exclusive Agent independent contractors or to take severance benefits in exchange for a release of claims. The consolidated proceeding, captioned Gene Romero, et al. v. Allstate Insurance Company, et al., is pending in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The consolidated proceeding includes three separate cases filed in August 2001, December 2001, and December 2003. The Court opted to resolve these proceedings in 4 phases. Phases 1, 2 and 3 are complete although the Company awaits final disposition in Phase 1. On January 30, 2018, the court decided two summary judgment motions filed by Allstate with respect to the Phase 4 claims. The court (i) granted summary judgment in Allstate’s favor on the claims by twenty-seven Phase 4 plaintiffs alleging that Allstate improperly retaliated against them by filing counterclaims to their original complaint; and (ii) declined to decide whether the remaining Phase 4 plaintiffs’ age discrimination (disparate treatment) claims should be dismissed due to their failure to exhaust administrative remedies. In March 2018, the Company reached agreements to settle the claims of additional plaintiffs on a confidential basis, subject to negotiating and executing appropriate written settlement agreements, resulting in a total of 457 individual settlements to date. As a result of these settlements, plus several voluntary and involuntary dismissals of individual plaintiffs’ claims, there are 36 individual plaintiffs with claims remaining in the litigation. On April 11, 2018, the Company filed a motion for summary judgment as to the state law breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty claims for fourteen of the remaining plaintiffs asserting that those claims are barred by statutes of limitations. The court has established a Phase 4 schedule contemplating resolving this matter through trial, if necessary, by the end of 2018. The court has yet to decide the proper venue for such trials. The final resolution of these matters is subject to various uncertainties and complexities including how trials, post-trial motions, possible appeals with respect to the validity of the release, and any rulings on the merits will be resolved. The two shareholder derivative actions described below are disclosed pursuant to SEC disclosure requirements for these types of matters, and the putative class action has been disclosed because these matters involve similar allegations. In Biefeldt v. Wilson, et al., a plaintiff alleging to be a stockholder in the Company filed a shareholder derivative complaint in the Circuit Court for Cook County, Illinois, Chancery Division on August 3, 2017. The plaintiff seeks, on behalf of the Company, an unspecified amount of damages and various forms of equitable relief. The complaint alleges breaches of fiduciary duty based on allegations similar to those asserted in In re The Allstate Corp. Securities Litigation. The complaint names as defendants the Company’s chairman and chief executive officer, its former president, its former chief financial officer, who is now the Company’s vice chairman, and the members of the board of directors during the relevant period. The defendants’ motion to dismiss the complaint is scheduled to be heard on May 8, 2018. In IBEW Local No. 98 Pension Fund v. Wilson, et al., another plaintiff alleging to be a stockholder in the Company filed a shareholder derivative complaint in the Circuit Court for Cook County, Illinois, Chancery Division on April 12, 2018. The plaintiff seeks, on behalf of the Company, an unspecified amount of damages and various forms of equitable relief. The complaint alleges breaches of fiduciary duty based on allegations similar to those asserted in In re The Allstate Corp. Securities Litigation. The complaint also includes allegations concerning the exercise of stock options by the Company’s chairman and several other members of our board of directors during the relevant period. The complaint names as defendants the Company’s chairman and chief executive officer, its former president and the members of the board of directors during the relevant period. In re The Allstate Corp. Securities Litigation is a putative class action filed in November 2016 in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois against the Company and several of its officers asserting claims under the federal securities laws. Plaintiffs seek an unspecified amount of damages, costs, attorney’s fees, and such 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. Plaintiffs’ further allege that a senior officer engaged in stock option exercises and sales during that time allegedly while in possession of nonpublic information about claim frequency. The Company, its chairman and chief executive officer and its former president are the named defendants. Defendants answered the complaint, disputing plaintiffs’ allegations that there was any misstatement or omission or other misconduct, after the court denied their motion to dismiss on February 27, 2018.

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