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General | 9 Months Ended
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Sep. 30, 2018
General [Abstract] |
General |
Note 1 | General
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 with various property and casualty and life and investment subsidiaries, including Allstate Life Insurance Company (“ALIC”) (collectively referred to as the “Company” or “Allstate”). 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 September 30, 2018 and for the three month and nine month periods ended September 30, 2018 and 2017 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, 2017. 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. Adopted accounting standards Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities Effective January 1, 2018, the Company adopted new Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) guidance requiring equity investments, including equity securities and limited partnership interests not accounted for under the equity method of accounting or that do not result in consolidation to be measured at fair value with changes in fair value recognized in net income. The guidance clarifies that an entity should evaluate the realizability of deferred tax assets related to available-for-sale fixed income securities in combination with the entity’s other deferred tax assets. The Company’s adoption of the new FASB guidance included adoption of the relevant elements of Technical Corrections and Improvements to Financial Instruments, issued in February 2018. Upon adoption of the new guidance on January 1, 2018, $1.16 billion of pre-tax unrealized net capital gains for equity securities were reclassified from AOCI to retained income. The after-tax change in accounting for equity securities did not affect the Company’s total shareholders’ equity and the unrealized net capital gains of $910 million, reclassified to retained income will never be recognized in net income. Upon adoption of the new guidance on January 1, 2018, the carrying value of cost method limited partnership interests increased $224 million, pre-tax, to fair value. The after-tax cumulative-effect increase in retained income of $177 million increased the Company’s shareholders’ equity but will never be recognized in net income thereby negatively impacting calculations of returns on equity. Revenue from Contracts with Customers Effective January 1, 2018, the Company adopted new FASB guidance which revises the criteria for revenue recognition. Insurance contracts are excluded from the scope of the new guidance. The Company’s principal activities impacted by the new guidance are those related to the issuance of protection plans for consumer products and automobiles and service contracts that provide roadside assistance. Under the guidance, the transaction price is attributed to underlying performance obligations in the contract and revenue is recognized as the entity satisfies performance obligations and transfers control of a good or service to the customer. Incremental costs of obtaining a contract may be capitalized and amortized to the extent the entity expects to recover those costs. Adoption of the guidance on January 1, 2018 under the modified retrospective approach resulted in the recognition of an immaterial after-tax net cumulative effect increase to the beginning balance of retained income. In addition to the net cumulative effect, the Company also recorded in the statement of financial position an increase of approximately $160 million pre-tax in unearned premiums with a corresponding $160 million pre-tax increase in deferred policy acquisition costs (“DAC”) for protection plans sold directly to retailers for which SquareTrade Holding Company, Inc. (“SquareTrade”) is deemed to be the principal in the transaction. This impact offsets fully and did not impact retained income at the date of adoption. Presentation of Net Periodic Pension and Postretirement Benefits Costs Effective January 1, 2018, the Company adopted new FASB guidance requiring identification, on the statement of operations or in disclosures, the line items in which the components of net periodic pension and postretirement benefits costs are presented. The new guidance permits only the service cost component to be eligible for capitalization where applicable. The adoption had no impact on the Company’s results of operations or financial position. Goodwill Impairment In January 2017, the FASB issued guidance to simplify the accounting for goodwill impairment which removes the second step of the goodwill impairment test that requires a hypothetical purchase price allocation. Under the new guidance, goodwill impairment will be measured and recognized as the amount by which a reporting unit’s carrying value, including goodwill, exceeds its fair value, not to exceed the carrying amount of goodwill allocated to the reporting unit. The revised guidance does not affect a reporting entity’s ability to first assess qualitative factors by reporting unit to determine whether to perform the quantitative goodwill impairment test. The guidance is to be applied on a prospective basis, with the effects, if any, recognized in net income in the period of adoption. The Company elected to early adopt the new guidance as of January 1, 2018. The adoption had no impact on the Company’s results of operations or financial position. Changes to significant accounting policies Investments Changes were made to the Company’s Significant Accounting Policies upon adoption of new FASB guidance related to the recognition and measurement of financial assets. Equity securities primarily include common stocks, exchange traded and mutual funds, non-redeemable preferred stocks and real estate investment trust equity investments. Equity securities are carried at fair value. Equity securities without readily determinable or estimable fair values are measured using the measurement alternative of cost less impairment, if any, and adjustments resulting from observable price changes in orderly transactions for the identical or similar investment of the same issuer. The periodic change in fair value of equity securities is recognized within realized capital gains and losses on the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations effective January 1, 2018. Investments in limited partnership interests include interests in private equity funds, real estate funds and other funds. Where the Company’s interest is so minor that it exercises virtually no influence over operating and financial policies, investments in limited partnership interests purchased prior to January 1, 2018 are accounted for at fair value primarily utilizing the net asset value (“NAV”) as a practical expedient to determine fair value. All other investments in limited partnership interests, including those purchased subsequent to January 1, 2018, are accounted for in accordance with the equity method of accounting (“EMA”). Investment income from limited partnership interests carried at fair value is recognized based upon the changes in fair value of the investee’s equity primarily determined using NAV. Income from EMA limited partnership interests is recognized based on the Company’s share of the partnerships’ earnings. Income from EMA limited partnership interests is generally recognized on a three month delay due to the availability of the related financial statements from investees. Recognition of Revenue Revenues related to protection plans, other contracts (primarily finance and insurance products) and roadside assistance are deferred and earned over the term of the contract in a manner that recognizes revenue as obligations under the contracts are performed. Revenues from these products are classified as premiums as the products are backed by insurance. Protection plans and finance and insurance premiums are recognized using a cost-based incurrence method. Roadside assistance premiums are recognized evenly over the term of the contract as performance obligations are fulfilled. Tax Reform On December 22, 2017, Public Law 115-97, known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (“Tax Legislation”) became effective, permanently reducing the U.S. corporate income tax rate from 35% to 21% beginning January 1, 2018. As a result, the corporate tax rate is not comparable between periods. During 2017, the Company revalued its deferred tax assets and liabilities and recorded liabilities related to the transition to the modified territorial system for international taxation. The impact of the Tax Legislation was adjusted from the Company’s preliminary estimate due to, among other things, changes in interpretations and assumptions the Company previously made, guidance that was issued and actions the Company took as a result of the Tax Legislation. During the third quarter of 2018, the Company recorded a reduction of $31 million to income tax expense related to these provisional amounts. The Company may make adjustments to these provisional amounts as additional information becomes available and future guidance is issued by the Internal Revenue Service. Pending accounting standards Accounting for Leases In February 2016, the FASB issued guidance revising the accounting for leases. Under the new guidance, lessees will be required to recognize a right-of-use (“ROU”) asset and lease liability for all leases other than those with a term less than one year. The lease liability will be equal to the present value of lease payments. A ROU asset will be based on the lease liability adjusted for qualifying initial direct costs. The Company currently estimates that the recognition of the ROU asset and lease liability will result in an increase in both total assets and liabilities in the Condensed Consolidated Statement of Financial Position of approximately $525 million. The new guidance requires sellers in a sale-leaseback transaction to recognize the entire gain from the sale of an underlying asset at the time the sale is recognized rather than over the leaseback term. The carrying value of unrecognized gains on sale-leaseback transactions executed prior to January 1, 2019 are approximately $20 million, after-tax, and will be recorded as an increase to retained income. The expense of operating leases under the new guidance will be recognized in the income statement on a straight-line basis by adjusting the amortization of the ROU asset to produce a straight-line expense when combined with the interest expense on the lease liability. For finance leases, the expense components are computed separately and produce greater up-front expense compared to operating leases as interest expense on the lease liability is higher in early years and the ROU asset is amortized on a straight-line basis. Lease classification will be based on criteria similar to those currently applied. The accounting model for lessors will be similar to the current model with modifications to reflect definition changes for components such as initial direct costs. Lessors will continue to classify leases as operating, direct financing, or sales-type. The guidance is effective for reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2018, and will be implemented using the optional transition method that allows application of the transition provisions at the adoption date instead of the earliest date presented. Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments In June 2016, the FASB issued guidance which revises the credit loss recognition criteria for certain financial assets measured at amortized cost, including reinsurance recoverables. The new guidance replaces the existing incurred loss recognition model with an expected loss recognition model. The objective of the expected credit loss model is for the reporting entity to recognize its estimate of expected credit losses for affected financial assets in a valuation allowance deducted from the amortized cost basis of the related financial assets that results in presenting the net carrying value of the financial assets at the amount expected to be collected. The reporting entity must consider all relevant information available when estimating expected credit losses, including details about past events, current conditions, and reasonable and supportable forecasts over the life of an asset. Financial assets may be evaluated individually or on a pooled basis when they share similar risk characteristics. The measurement of credit losses for available-for-sale debt securities measured at fair value is not affected except that credit losses recognized are limited to the amount by which fair value is below amortized cost and the carrying value adjustment is recognized through a valuation allowance and not as a direct write-down. The guidance is effective for reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2019, and for most affected instruments must be adopted using a modified retrospective approach, with a cumulative effect adjustment recorded to beginning retained income. The Company is in the process of evaluating the impact of adoption. Accounting for Hedging Activities In August 2017, the FASB issued amendments intended to better align hedge accounting with an organization’s risk management activities. The amendments expand hedge accounting for nonfinancial and financial risk components and revise the measurement methodologies to better align with an organization’s risk management activities. Separate presentation of hedge ineffectiveness is eliminated to provide greater transparency of the full impact of hedging by requiring presentation of the results of the hedged item and hedging instrument in a single financial statement line item. In addition, the amendments are designed to reduce complexity by simplifying the manner in which assessments of hedge effectiveness may be performed. The guidance is effective for reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2018. The presentation and disclosure guidance is effective on a prospective basis. The impact of adoption is not expected to be material to the Company’s results of operations or financial position. Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Deferred Benefit Plans In August 2018, the FASB issued amendments to modify certain disclosure requirements for defined benefit plans. Disclosure additions relate to the weighted-average interest crediting rates for cash balance plans and other plans with interest crediting rates and explanations for significant gains and losses related to changes in the benefit obligation for the period. Disclosures to be removed include those that identify amounts that are expected to be reclassified out of AOCI and into the income statement in the coming year and the anticipated impact of a one-percentage point change in assumed health care cost trend rate on service and interest cost and on the accumulated benefit obligation. The amendments are effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2020. The impacts of adoption are to the Company’s disclosures only. Accounting for Long-Duration Insurance Contracts In August 2018, the FASB issued guidance revising the accounting for certain long-duration insurance contracts. The new guidance changes the measurement of the Company’s reserves for traditional life, life-contingent immediate annuities and certain voluntary accident and health insurance products. Under the new guidance, measurement assumptions, including those for mortality, morbidity and policy terminations, will be required to be reviewed and updated at least annually. The effect of updating measurement assumptions other than the discount rate are required to be determined on a retrospective basis and reported in net income. In addition, cash flows under the new guidance are required to be discounted using an upper-medium grade fixed income instrument yield that is updated through OCI at each reporting date. These changes will replace current GAAP, which utilizes assumptions set at policy issuance until such time as the assumptions result in reserves that are deficient when compared to reserves computed using current assumptions. When this occurs under current GAAP, premium deficiency reserves are recognized by unlocking reserve assumptions to eliminate a reserve deficiency. The new guidance requires DAC and other capitalized balances currently amortized in proportion to premiums or gross profits to be amortized on a constant level basis over the expected term for all long-duration insurance contracts. DAC will not be subject to loss recognition testing but rather will be reduced when actual experience exceeds expected experience (i.e. as a result of unexpected contract terminations). The new guidance will no longer require adjustments to DAC and deferred sales inducement costs (“DSI”) related to unrealized gains and losses. Market risk benefit product features are required to be measured at fair value with changes in fair value recorded in net income with the exception of changes in the fair value attributable to a change in the instrument’s credit risk, which are required to be recognized in OCI. Substantially all of the Company’s market risk benefits are reinsured and therefore these impacts are not expected to be material to the Company. The guidance is to be included in the comparable financial statements issued in reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2020, thereby requiring restatement of prior periods presented. Early adoption is permitted. The new guidance will be applied to affected contracts and DAC on the basis of existing carrying amounts at the earliest period presented or the new guidance may be applied retrospectively using actual historical experience as of contract inception. The guidance for market risk benefits is required to be adopted retrospectively. The Company is evaluating the anticipated impacts of applying the new guidance to both retained income and AOCI. While the requirements of the new guidance represent a material change from existing GAAP, the underlying economics of the business and related cash flows are unchanged. The Company has not completed an evaluation of the specific impacts of adopting the new guidance, but anticipates the financial statement impact of migrating from existing GAAP to that required by the new guidance to be material, largely attributed to the impact of transitioning from an original investment-based discount rate to one based on an upper-medium grade fixed income investment yield and updates to mortality assumptions that had previously been locked in at issuance. The Company expects the most significant impacts will occur in the run-off annuity segment. The revised accounting for DAC will be applied prospectively using the new model and any DAC effects existing in AOCI as a result of applying existing GAAP at the date of adoption will be reversed. Other revenue presentation Concurrent with the adoption of new FASB guidance on revenue from contracts with customers and the Company’s objective of providing more information related to revenues for our Service Businesses, the Company revised the presentation of total revenue to include other revenue. Previously, components of other revenue were presented within operating costs and expenses and primarily represent fees collected from policyholders relating to premium installment payments, commissions on sales of non-proprietary products, fee-based services and other revenue transactions. Other revenue is recognized when performance obligations are fulfilled. Prior periods have been reclassified to conform to current separate presentation of other revenue.

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