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Reinsurance and Indemnification | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2019
Reinsurance Disclosures [Abstract] |
Reinsurance and Indemnification |
Note 10 | Reinsurance and Indemnification
Effects of reinsurance and indemnification on property and casualty premiums written and earned and life premiums and contract charges
|  | For the years ended December 31,
($ in millions) |  | 2019 |  | 2018 |  | 2017
Property and casualty insurance premiums written |  |  |  |  |  |
Direct |  | $ | 37,976 |  |  | $ | 35,895 |  |  | $ | 33,685 |
Assumed |  | 95 |  |  | 99 |  |  | 64 |
Ceded |  | (1,117 | ) |  | (1,008 | ) |  | (1,007 | )
Property and casualty insurance premiums written, net of recoverables |  | $ | 36,954 |  |  | $ | 34,986 |  |  | $ | 32,742 |
Property and casualty insurance premiums earned |  |  |  |  |  |
Direct |  | $ | 37,104 |  |  | $ | 34,977 |  |  | $ | 33,221 |
Assumed |  | 94 |  |  | 87 |  |  | 50 |
Ceded |  | (1,122 | ) |  | (1,016 | ) |  | (971 | )
Property and casualty insurance premiums earned, net of recoverables |  | $ | 36,076 |  |  | $ | 34,048 |  |  | $ | 32,300 |
Life premiums and contract charges |  |  |  |  |  |
Direct |  | $ | 2,074 |  |  | $ | 2,001 |  |  | $ | 1,894 |
Assumed |  | 712 |  |  | 754 |  |  | 787 |
Ceded |  | (285 | ) |  | (290 | ) |  | (303 | )
Life premiums and contract charges, net of recoverables |  | $ | 2,501 |  |  | $ | 2,465 |  |  | $ | 2,378 |
Property and casualty reinsurance and indemnification recoverables Total amounts recoverable from reinsurers and indemnitors as of December 31, 2019 and 2018 were $7.02 billion and $7.27 billion, respectively, including $112 million and $111 million, respectively, related to property and casualty losses paid by the Company and billed to reinsurers and indemnitors, and $6.91 billion and $7.15 billion, respectively, estimated by the Company with respect to ceded or indemnifiable unpaid losses (including IBNR), which are not billable until the losses are paid. The allowance for uncollectible reinsurance was $60 million and $65 million as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively, primarily related to reinsurance recoverables arising from the Discontinued Lines and Coverages segment. Indemnification recoverables are considered collectible based on the industry pool and facility enabling legislation. Property and casualty programs are grouped by the following characteristics:
1. | Indemnification programs - in dustry pools, facilities or associations that are governed by state insurance statutes or regulations or the federal government.
2. | Catastrophe reinsurance programs - reinsurance protection for catastrophe exposure nationwide and by specific states, as applicable.
3. | Other reinsurance programs - reinsurance protection for asbestos, environmental and other liability exposures as well as commercial lines, including shared economy.
Property and casualty reinsurance is in place for the Allstate Protection, Discontinued Lines and Coverages and Service Businesses segments. The Company purchases reinsurance after evaluating the financial condition of the reinsurer as well as the terms and price of coverage. Indemnification programs The Company participates in state-based industry pools or facilities mandating participation by insurers offering certain coverage in their state, including the Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association (“MCCA”), the New Jersey Property-Liability Insurance Guaranty Association (“PLIGA”), the North Carolina Reinsurance Facility (“NCRF”) and the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund (“FHCF”). When the Company pays qualifying claims under the coverage indemnified by a state’s pool or facility, the Company is reimbursed for the qualifying claim losses or expenses. Each state pool or facility may assess participating companies to collect sufficient amounts to meet its total indemnification requirements. The enabling legislation for each state’s pool or facility compels the pool or facility only to indemnify participating companies for qualifying claim losses or expenses; the state pool or facility does not underwrite the coverage or take on the ultimate risk of the indemnified business. As a pass through, these pools or facilities manage the receipt of assessments paid by participating companies and payment of indemnified amounts for covered claims presented by participating companies. The Company has not had any credit losses related to these indemnification programs. State-based industry pools or facilities Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association The MCCA is a statutory indemnification mechanism for member insurers’ qualifying personal injury protection claims paid for the unlimited lifetime medical benefits above the applicable retention level for qualifying injuries from automobile, motorcycle and commercial vehicle accidents. Indemnification recoverables on paid and unpaid claims, including IBNR, as of December 31, 2019 and 2018 include $5.50 billion and $5.40 billion, respectively, from the MCCA for its indemnification obligat ion. The MCCA is funded by annually assessing participating member companies actively writing motor vehicle coverage in Michigan on a per vehicle basis that is currently $220 per vehicle insured. The MCCA’s calculation of the annual assessment is based upon the total of members’ actuarially determined present value of expected payments on lifetime claims by all persons expected to be catastrophically injured in that year and ultimately qualify for MCCA reimbursement, its operating expenses, and adjustments for the amount of excesses or deficiencies in prior assessments. The assessment is incurred by the Company as policies are written and recovered as a component of premiums from the Company’s customers. The MCCA indemnifies qualifying claims of all current and former member companies (whether or not actively writing motor vehicle coverage in Michigan) for qualifying claims and claims expenses incurred while the member companies were actively writing the mandatory personal injury protection coverage in Michigan. Member companies actively writing automobile coverage in Michigan include the MCCA annual assessments in determining the level of premiums to charge insureds in the state. As required for member companies by the MCCA, the Company reports covered paid and unpaid claims to the MCCA when estimates of loss for a reported claim are expected to exceed the retention level, the claims involve certain types of severe injuries, or there are litigation demands received suggesting the claim value exceeds certain thresholds. The retention level is adjusted upward every other MCCA fiscal year by the lesser of 6% or the increase in the Consumer Price Index. The retention level will be $580 thousand per claim for the fiscal two-years ending June 30, 2021 compared to $555 thousand per claim for the fiscal two-years ending June 30, 2019. The MCCA is obligated to fund the ultimate liability of member companies’ qualifying claims and claim expenses. The MCCA does not underwrite the insurance coverage or hold any underwriting risk. The MCCA indemnifies members as qualifying claims are paid and billed by members to the MCCA. Unlimited lifetime covered losses result in significant levels of ultimate incurred claim reserves being recorded by member companies along with offsetting indemnification recoverables. Disputes with claimants over coverage on certain reported claims can result in additional losses, which may be recoverable from the MCCA, excluding litigation expenses. There is currently no method by which insurers are able to obtain the benefit of managed care programs to reduce claims costs through the MCCA. The MCCA annual assessments fund current operations and member company reimbursements. The MCCA prepares statutory-basis financial statements in conformity with accounting practices prescribed or permitted by the State of Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services (“MI DOI”). The MI DOI has granted the MCCA a statutory permitted practice that expires in June 30, 2022 to discount its liabilities for loss and loss adjustment expense. As of June 30, 2019, the date of its most recent annual financial report, the MCCA had cash and invested assets of $21.83 billion and an accumulated surplus of $1.28 billion. The permitted practice reduced the accumulated deficit by $39.64 billion. New Jersey Property-Liability Insurance Guaranty Association PLIGA serves as the statutory administrator of the Unsatisfied Claim and Judgment Fund (“UCJF”), Workers’ Compensation Security Fund and the New Jersey Surplus Lines Insurance Guaranty Fund. In addition to its insolvency protection responsibilities, PLIGA reimburses insurers for unlimited excess medical benefits (“EMBs”) paid in connection with personal injury protection claims in excess of $75,000 for policies issued or renewed prior to January 1, 1991, and limited EMB claims in excess of $75,000 and capped at $250,000 for policies issued or renewed on or after January 1, 1991, to December 31, 2003. A significant portion of the incurred claim reserves and the recoverables can be attributed to a small number of catastrophic claims. Assessments paid to PLIGA for the EMB program totaled $8.1 million in 2019. The amounts of paid and unpaid recoverables as of December 31, 2019 and 2018 were $446 million and $461 million, respectively. PLIGA annually assesses all admitted property and casualty insurers writing covered lines in New Jersey for PLIGA indemnification and expenses. PLIGA assessments may be recouped as a surcharge on premiums collected. PLIGA does not ultimately retain underwriting risk as it assesses member companies for their expected qualifying losses to provide funding for payment of its indemnification obligation to member companies for their actual losses. As a pass through, PLIGA facilitates these transactions of receipt of assessments paid by member companies and payment to member companies for covered claims presented by them for indemnification. As of December 31, 2018, the date of its most rece nt annual financial report, PLIGA had a fund balance of $250 million. As statutory administrator of the UCJF, PLIGA provides compensation to qualified claimants for personal injury protection, bodily injury, or death caused by private passenger automobiles operated by uninsured or “hit and run” drivers. The UCJF also provides private passenger pedestrian personal injury protection benefits when no other coverage is available. PLIGA annually collects a UCJF assessment from all admitted property and casualty insurers writing motor vehicle liabilit y insurance in New Jersey for UCJF indemnification and expenses. UCJF assessments can be expensed as losses recoverable in rates as appropriate. As of December 31, 2018, the date of its most recent annual financial report, the UCJF fund had a balance of $41 million. North Carolina Reinsurance Facility The NCRF provides automobile liability insurance to drivers that insurers are not otherwise willing to insure. All insurers licensed to write automobile insurance in North Carolina are members of the NCRF. Premiums, losses and expenses are assigned to the NCRF. North Carolina law allows the NCRF to recoup operating losses for certain insureds through a surcharge to policyholders. As of September 30, 2019, the NCRF reported a deficit of $110 million in members’ equity. The NCRF implemented a loss recoupment surcharge on all private passenger and commercial fleet policies effective October 1, 2019, through September 30, 2020. Member companies are assessed the recoupment surcharge. The loss recoupment surcharge will be adjusted on October 1, 2020 and discontinued once losses are recovered. The NCRF results are shared by the member companies in proportion to their respective North Carolina automobile liability writings. For the fiscal quarter ending September 30, 2019, net income was $105 million, including $1.10 billion of earned premiums, $271 million of certain private passenger auto risk recoupment and $137 million of member loss recoupments. As of December 31, 2019, the NCRF recoverables on paid claims is $9.4 million and recoverables on unpaid claims is $69.1 million. Paid recoverable balances, if covered, are typically settled within sixty days of monthly filing. Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund Allstate subsidiaries Castle Key Insurance Company (“CKIC”) and Castle Key Indemnity Company (“CKI”, and together with CKIC, “Castle Key”) participate in the mandatory coverage provided by the FHCF and therefore have access to reimbursement for certain qualifying Florida hurricane losses from the FHCF. Castle Key has exposure to assessments and pays annual premiums to the FHCF for this reimbursement protection. The FHCF has the authority to issue bonds to pay its obligations to participating insurers in excess of its capital balances. Payment of these bonds is funded by emergency assessments on all property and casualty premiums in the state, except workers’ compensation, medical malpractice, accident and health insurance and policies written under the National Flood Insurance Program (“NFIP”). The FHCF emergency assessments are limited to 6% of premiums per year beginning the first year in which reimbursements require bonding, and up to a total of 10% of premiums per year for assessments in the second and subsequent years, if required to fund ad ditional bonding. The FHCF issued $2.00 billion in pre-event bonds in 2013 to build its capacity to reimburse member companies’ claims. The FHCF plans to fund these pre-event bonds through current FHCF cash flows. Pursuant to an Order issued by the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (“FL OIR”), the emergency assessment is zero for all policies issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2015. Annual premiums earned and paid under the FHCF agreement were $9 million, $10 million and $11 million in 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively. Qualifying losses were $33 million, $143 million and $19 million in 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively. The Company has access to reimbursement provided by the FHCF for 90% of qualifying personal property losses that exceed its current retention of $52 million for the two largest hurricanes and $17 million for other hurricanes, up to a maximum total of $145 million, effective from June 1, 2019 to May 31, 2020. The amounts recoverable from the FHCF totaled $52 million and $104 million as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively. Federal Government - National Flood Insurance Program NFIP is a program administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (“FEMA”) whereby the Company sells and services NFIP flood insurance policies as an agent of FEMA and receives fees for its services. The Company is fully indemnified for claims and claim expenses and does not retain any ultimate risk for the indemnified business. The federal government is obligated to pay all claims and certain allocated loss adjustment expenses in accordance with the arrangement. Congressional authorization for the NFIP is periodically evaluated and may be subjected to freezes, including when the federal government experiences a shutdown. FEMA has a NFIP reinsurance program to manage the future exposure of the NFIP through the transfer of risk to private reinsurance companies and capital market investors. Congress is evaluating the funding of the program as well as considering reforms to the program that would be incorporated in legislation to reauthorize the NFIP. The amounts recoverable as of December 31, 2019 and 2018 were $25 million and $31 million, respectively. Premiums earned under the NFIP include $258 million, $258 million and $263 million in 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively. Qualifying losses incurred include $150 million, $118 million and $1.12 billion in 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively. Catastrophe reinsurance The Company’s reinsurance program is designed to provide reinsurance protection for catastrophes resulting from multiple perils including hurricanes, windstorms, hail, tornadoes, earthquakes, wildfires, and fires following earthquakes.
• | The majority of the Company’s program comprises multi-year contracts, primarily placed in the traditional reinsurance market, such that generally one-third of the program is renewed every year.
• | Coverage is generally purchased on a broad geographic, product line and multiple peril loss basis.
• | The Company purchases reinsurance from traditional reinsurance companies as well as the insurance linked securities market.
• | Florida property and New Jersey property and auto are each covered by separate agreements, as the risk of loss is different and the Company’s subsidiaries operating in these states are separately capitalized.
The Company has not experienced credit losses on its catastrophe reinsurance programs. The Company ceded premiums earned of $376 million, $343 million and $344 million under catastrophe reinsurance agreements in 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively. The Company has the following catastrophe reinsurance agreements in effect as of December 31, 2019: The Nationwide Excess Catastrophe Reinsurance Program (the “Nationwide Program”) provides $4.86 billion of reinsurance coverage subject to a $500 million retention and is subject to the amount of reinsurance placed in each of its nine layers. Per Occurrence and Aggregate Excess Agreements, include occurrence coverage in contracts from both the traditional reinsurance and insurance linked securities (“ILS”) markets, while aggregate protection is included in two contracts supported by the ILS market. The agreements provide multi-line catastrophe coverage in every state except Florida, where coverage is only provided for personal lines automobile. Layer 1 through Layer 5 - Per Occurrence Excess Agreement For the June 1, 2019 to May 31, 2020 term, coverage for each of layers one through five is placed in the traditional reinsurance market with each layer comprising three contracts. Each contract provides one-third of 95% of the total layer limit expiring May 31, 2020, May 31, 2021 and May 31, 2022, respectively. One-third of the limit provided by each of layers one through five includes coverage for New Jersey. Two-thirds of the limit provided by each of layers one through five also includes coverage for the Company’s commercial lines property and automobile catastrophe losses. The contracts for each of layers one through five include one reinstatement of limits per year, with premium required. Reinsurance premiums are subject to redetermination for exposure changes on an annual basis. Layer 6 – Per Occurrence Excess Agreement The layer six contract placed in the traditional reinsurance market contains comparable contract terms and conditions as layers one through five, with New Jersey and commercial lines property and automobile catastrophe losses included in the definition of subject loss. The layer six contract provides a $324 million limit, is 95% placed, and expires May 31, 2022. This contract contains a variable reset option, which the ceding entities may elect to invoke at each anniversary and which allows for the annual adjustment of the attachment and exhaustion level within specified limits. The layer six contract contains one reinstatement of limits over its seven-year term with premium required. As of July 1, 2019, a reinstatement of limits has not been executed under this contract. Reinsurance premiums for this contract are subject to redetermination for exposure changes on an annual basis. Layer 7 – Per Occurrence Excess and Aggregate Agreements The seventh layer consists of four contracts:
• | Seven-Year Term
• | 2019-1 Excess Catastrophe Reinsurance
• | Wrap Fill Excess Catastrophe Reinsurance
• | 2017-1 Excess Catastrophe Reinsurance
Seven-Year Term Contract, which is placed in the traditional reinsurance market contains comparable contract terms and conditions as layer six. The contract provides a $446 million limit and is 29.37% placed, and expires May 31, 2022. The contract contains a variable reset option which allows for the annual adjustment of the attachment and exhaustion level within specified limits. The variable reset option requires a premium adjustment. The contract contains one reinstatement of limits over its seven-year term with premium required. Reinsurance premiums for all contracts are subject to redetermination for exposure changes on an annual basis. 2019-1 Excess Catastrophe Reinsurance Contract reinsures personal lines property and automobile excess losses in 49 states and the District of Columbia, excluding Florida, caused by named storms, earthquakes and fire following earthquakes, severe weather, wildfires, and other naturally occurring or man-made events declared to be a catastrophe by the Company. This contract is placed with Sanders Re II Ltd. which obtained funding from the ILS market to collateralize the contract’s limit. The contract reinsures business located in the covered territory and arising out of covered events. The contract’s risk period began April 1, 2019 and terminates on March 31, 2023. The contract provides a $400 million limit and is 75% placed, during its four-year term which can be used on a per occurrence or an annual aggregate basis. For a qualifying loss occurrence, the contract provides 75% of $400 million in reinsurance limits in excess of a minimum $2.75 billion retention for the April 1, 2019 to March 31, 2020 period. The New Jersey Excess Catastrophe Agreement, layer six, the Seven-Year Term Contract for layer seven, and the 5% co-participation inure to the benefit of this contract for events that exceed the retention. As a result, while those layers are fully intact, the contract would begin to pay subject losses in excess of $3.07 billion. The contract also provides an annual aggregate limit of 75% of $400 million in reinsurance limits between a $3.54 billion to $3.94 billion layer subject to an annual retention of $3.54 billion. For each annual period beginning April 1, the Company declared catastrophes occurring during such annual period can be aggregated to erode the aggregate retention and qualify for coverage under the aggregate limit. Reinsurance recoveries from and including layers one through seven of the Nationwide Program and the New Jersey Excess Catastrophe Agreement inure to the benefit of the annual aggregate layer. Reinsurance recoveries collected under the per occurrence limit of this contract are not eligible for cession under the annual aggregate limit of this contract. Reinsurance recoveries for all loss occurrences and annual aggregate losses qualifying for coverage during the contract’s four-year risk period are limited to the Company’s ultimate net loss from covered events and subject to the contract’s $400 million limit, 75% placed. The contract contains a variable reset option, which the ceding entities may invoke for risk periods subsequent to the first risk period and which allows for the annual adjustment of the contract’s attachment and exhaustion levels within specified limits. Wrap Fill Excess Catastrophe Reinsurance Contract provides a $200 million limit in excess of a minimum $2.75 billion retention, is 100% placed in the traditional market, and expires March 31, 2020. This layer is structured to cover gaps around the traditional Seven-Year Term Contract and the Sanders Re II Ltd. 2019-1 contract. The contract provides additional gap coverage as the layer shifts down in attachment, subject to the $2.75 billion minimum retention level as lower layer limits are exhausted. A retention co-participation of 5% for a layer of $1.61 billion in excess of $2.75 billion is deemed in place and inures to the benefit of this contract. Recoveries from contracts in layers six and seven, with the exception of Sanders Re Ltd. 2017-1, inure to the benefit of this contract, as this multiple peril contract provides coverage for perils and subject business not reinsured in portions of layers seven. While those layers are fully intact, the contract would begin to pay subject losses in excess of $3.07 billion. This contract does not include a reinstatement of limits. 2017-1 Excess Catastrophe Reinsurance Contract reinsures personal lines property and automobile excess losses in 49 states and the District of Columbia, excluding the State of Florida, caused by named storms, earthquakes and fire following earthquakes, severe thunderstorms, winter storms, volcanic eruptions, and meteorite impacts. This contract is placed with Sanders Re Ltd., which obtained funding from the ILS market to collateralize the contract’s limit. The contract reinsures actual losses to personal lines property business located in the covered territory and arising out of a covered event. Amounts payable for automobile losses are based on insured industry losses as reported by Property Claim Services (“PCS”) and further adjusted to account for the Company’s auto exposures in reinsured areas. Reinsurance recoveries under the contract are limited to the Company’s ultimate net loss from a covered event subject to the contract’s limit. The contract’s risk period began March 31, 2017 and terminates on November 30, 2021. The contract provides a $375 million limit in excess of $2.75 billion retention. The New Jersey Excess Catastrophe Agreement, layer six, the Seven-Year Term Contract for layer seven, the Wrap Fill contract, and the 5% co-participation inure to the benefit of this contract for events that exceed the retention. As a result, while those layers are fully intact, the contract would begin to pay subject losses in excess of $3.69 billion. The contract contains a variable reset option, which the ceding entities may invoke for risk periods subsequent to the first risk period and which allows for the annual adjustment of the contract’s attachment and exhaustion levels within specified limits. The variable reset option requires a premium adjustment. The contract does not include a reinstatement of limits. To summarize the order of operations and inuring protection for the seventh layer for an occurrence loss, for losses below $3.40 billion, the portion of the seventh layer placed in the traditional market would not be enacted. Once the sixth layer is exhausted, the co-participation of 5% would apply and then the 2019-1 Excess Catastrophe Reinsurance contract and Wrap Fill contract, dependent on the subject business contributing to the per occurrence loss. For losses greater than the $3.40 billion retention, the portions of the seventh layer placed in the traditional market would apply first as they inure to the benefit of the portions of the seventh layer placed in the ILS market. This would be followed by the co-participation of 5%, the 2019-1 Excess Catastrophe Reinsurance Contract, the Wrap Fill, and the 2017-1 Excess Catastrophe Reinsurance Contract, dependent on the per occurrence loss. Layer 8 – Per Occurrence Excess Agreement – Gap Fill Excess Catastrophe Reinsurance Contract provides a $219 million limit in excess of a $2.75 billion retention, is 100% placed in the traditional market, and expires May 31, 2020. The contract provides additional gap coverage as the layer shifts down to the $2.75 billion retention level as lower layers are exhausted. A retention co-participation of 5% for a layer of $1.61 billion in excess of $2.75 billion is deemed in place and inures to the benefit of this contract. Recoveries from contracts in layers six and seven inure to the benefit of this contract, as this multiple peril contract provides coverage for perils and subject business not reinsured in portions of layers seven. While all inuring contracts are fully in place, this contract would begin to cover an occurrence subject loss in excess of $4.13 billion. This contract does not include a reinstatement of limits. Layer 9 – Per Occurrence and Aggregate Excess Agreement – 2018-1 Excess Catastrophe Reinsurance Contract reinsures personal lines property and automobile excess catastrophe losses in 49 states and the District of Columbia, excluding the State of Florida, caused by named storms, earthquakes and fire following earthquakes, severe weather, wildfires, and other naturally occurring or man-made events declared to be a catastrophe by the Company. This contract is placed with Sanders Re Ltd., which obtained funding from the ILS market to collateralize the contract’s limit. The contract reinsures business located in the covered territory and arising out of a covered event. The contract’s risk period began April 1, 2018 and terminates on March 31, 2022. The contract provides one limit of $500 million during its four-year term, which can be used on a per occurrence or aggregate basis. For each qualifying loss occurrence, the contract provides 100% of $500 million in reinsurance limits, between a $4.36 billion to $4.86 billion layer for the April 1, 2019 to March 31, 2020 period. The contract also provides an aggregate limit of 100% of $500 million in reinsurance limits between a $3.94 billion to $4.44 billion. For each annual period beginning April 1, the Company declared catastrophes occurring during such annual period can be aggregated to erode the aggregate retention and qualify for coverage under the aggregate limit. Reinsurance recoveries from and including layers one through seven of the Nationwide Program and the New Jersey Excess Catastrophe Agreement inure to the benefit of the annual aggregate layer. Reinsurance recoveries collected under the per occurrence limit of this contract are not eligible for cession under the aggregate limit of this contract. Reinsurance recoveries for all loss occurrences and aggregate losses qualifying for coverage during the contract’s four-year risk period are limited to the Company’s ultimate net loss from covered events and subject to the contract’s $500 million limit. The contract does not include a reinstatement of limits. Other catastrophe reinsurance programs – The following programs are designed separately from the Nationwide Program to address distinct exposures in certain states and markets. The Company has a separate reinsurance program designed to cover personal lines property policies in Florida written through Castle Key, its separately capitalized wholly-owned subsidiaries. Florida Excess Catastrophe Reinsurance Agreement comprises five contracts, as described below, which reinsures Castle Key for personal lines property excess catastrophe losses in Florida. For the June 1, 2019 to May 31, 2020 term, the agreement includes two contracts placed in the traditional market, Castle Key’s reimbursement contracts with the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund (“Mandatory FHCF contracts”), and the Sanders Re 2017-2 Contract (“Sanders Re 2017-2”) placed in the ILS markets. Below FHCF Contract reinsures personal lines property excess catastrophe losses caused by multiple perils in Florida. The contract provides three separate limits of $34 million in excess of a $20 million retention, each occurrence, and is 100% placed. The contract includes two reinstatements of limits. The first reinstatement of limits is prepaid and the second or final reinstatement requires additional premium. Only the portion of the limit utilized to indemnify losses from an event mandatorily reinstates; the remaining reinstatement limit remains available and will be used as future events erode the per occurrence contract limit. Reinsurance premium is subject to redetermination for exposure changes. Mandatory FHCF Contracts indemnify qualifying personal lines property losses caused by storms the National Hurricane Center declares to be hurricanes. The contracts provide $151 million of limits in excess of a $54 million provisional retention and are 90% placed (or $136 million in excess of a $54 million provisional retention), and also include reimbursement of up to 10% of eligible loss adjustment expenses, which is part of and not in addition to the reinsurance limit provided, with no reinstatement of limits. For each of the two largest hurricanes, the provisional retention is $54 million and a retention equal to one-third of that amount, or approximately $18 million, is applicable to all other hurricanes for the season beginning June 1, 2019. The limit and retention of the Mandatory FHCF Contracts are subject to remeasurement based on June 30, 2019 exposure data. In addition, the FHCF’s retention is subject to adjustment upward or downward to an actual retention based on exposures submitted to the FHCF by all participants. Excess contract reinsures personal lines property excess catastrophe losses caused by multiple perils in Florida. The contract is a two-year term contract effective June 1, 2018 to May 31, 2020 and provides $249 million of reinsurance limits each contract year. For the June 1, 2019 to May 31, 2020 term, the contract provides one limit of $249 million in excess of a $20 million retention and is 100% placed. Recoveries from the Below FHCF contract and Mandatory FHCF contracts inure to the benefit of this contract. The contract provides reinsurance limits above the Mandatory FHCF Contracts, for CKIC’s and CKI’s 10% co-participation in the Mandatory FHCF Contracts, and for loss occurrences not subject to reimbursement under the Mandatory FHCF Contracts which only reinsure losses arising out of hurricanes. The contract does not include a reinstatement of limits. Reinsurance premium is subject to redetermination for exposure changes. Sanders Re 2017-2 is a three-year term contract with a risk period effective June 1, 2017 through May 31, 2020. It reinsures qualifying personal lines property losses caused by a named storm event, a severe thunderstorm event, an earthquake event, a wildfire event, a volcanic eruption event, or a meteorite impact event in Florida as events declared by various reporting agencies, including PCS and as defined in the contract. Should PCS cease to report on severe thunderstorms, then such event will be deemed a severe thunderstorm event if Castle Key has assigned a catastrophe code to such severe thunderstorm. Sanders Re obtained funding from the ILS market to provide collateral equal to the contract’s limit. The contract provides limits of $200 million in excess of a $20 million retention and in excess of “stated reinsurance” and is 100% placed. For the June 1, 2019 to May 31, 2020 risk period, stated reinsurance is defined to include the Below FHCF contract, the Mandatory FHCF contracts, which are deemed to exhaust due to loss occurrences subject to the non-FHCF contracts, and the Excess contract. Stated reinsurance is deemed to be provided on a multiple peril basis under the terms of the non-FHCF contracts and includes an erosion feature, which provides that upon the exhaustion of a portion of the stated reinsurance, coverage under the Sanders Re contract shall be concurrently placed above and contiguous to the unexhausted portion of the stated reinsurance, if any. The Sanders Re 2017-2 contract contains a variable reset option, which Castle Key may invoke for risk periods subsequent to the first risk period and which allows for the annual adjustment of the contract’s attachment and exhaustion levels. The variable reset option requires a premium adjustment. The contract does not contain a reinstatement of limits. The Company’s New Jersey, Kentucky, Florida and Southeast States and California reinsurance agreements are described below. New Jersey Excess Catastrophe Reinsurance Agreement comprises two existing contracts and a newly placed contract that reinsures personal lines property and automobile excess catastrophe losses in New Jersey caused by multiple perils. The placed contracts effective June 1, 2018 and June 1, 2019 include coverage for commercial lines property and automobile (physical damage only) catastrophe losses. The contracts expire May 31, 2020, May 31, 2021 and May 31, 2022, and provide 31.67%, 31.67% and 31.66%, respectively, of $400 million of limits in excess of a $145 million retention, a $150 million retention, and a $150 million retention, respectively. Each contract includes one reinstatement of limits per contract year with premium due. The reinsurance premium and retention are subject to redetermination for exposure changes on an annual basis. Kentucky Earthquake Excess Catastrophe Reinsurance Contract is a three-year contract that reinsures personal lines property losses in Kentucky caused by earthquakes and fire following earthquakes. The contract expires May 31, 2020 and provides three limits of $28 million in excess of a $2 million retention, with two limits available in any one contract year, and is 95% placed. The reinsurance premium and retention are not subject to redetermination for exposure changes. Florida and Southeast Auto Aggregate Excess Catastrophe Contract is a one-year term contract effective June 1, 2019 to May 31, 2020. This contract provides a single reinsurance limit at 80% of $250 million, subject to a $250 million aggregate retention, for catastrophe losses to personal lines and commercial lines automobile business (physical damage only) arising out of multiple perils and provided such losses arise out of a company declared catastrophe and result in a qualifying loss in the State of Florida. For these qualifying catastrophe events, coverage is also provided for losses to personal lines and commercial lines automobile business (physical damage only) in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, and/or South Carolina. The contract does not include a reinstatement of limits. Excess & Surplus (E&S) Earthquake Contract is a three-year contract that reinsures personal lines property catastrophe losses in California caused by the peril of earthquakes and is insured by the Company’s excess and surplus lines insurer. The contract reinsures only shake damage resulting from the earthquake peril. The contract is effective July 1, 2018 and expires June 30, 2021, both days inclusive, and provides reinsurance on a 100% quota share basis with no retention. The contract allows for cession of policies providing earthquake coverage as long as the total amount of in-force building limits provided by those policies does not exceed $400 million. This $400 million cap limits the policies that are covered by the reinsurance contract and not the amount of loss eligible for cession, which includes losses to dwellings, other structures, personal property and additional living expenses on policies covered by this program. As of December 31, 2019, the $400 million cap which serves to limit cessions to the contract has not been exceeded. Other reinsurance programs The Company’s other reinsurance programs relate to asbestos, environmental, and other liability exposures and commercial lines, including shared economy. These programs include reinsurance recoverables of $158 million and $165 million from Lloyd’s of Lo ndon as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively. Excluding Lloyd’s of London, the largest reinsurance recoverable balance the Company had outstanding was $115 million and $37 million from Aleka Insurance Inc. as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively. Lloyd’s of London, through the creation of Equitas Limited (“Equitas”), implemented a restructuring to solidify its capital base and to segregate claims for years prior to 1993. In 2007, Berkshire Hathaway’s subsidiary, National Indemnity Company, assumed responsibility for the Equitas’ claim liabilities through a loss portfolio transfer reinsurance agreement and continues to runoff the Equitas’ claims. Life and annuity reinsurance recoverables The Company reinsures certain life insurance and annuity risks to other insurers primarily under yearly renewable term, coinsurance, modified coinsurance and coinsurance with funds withheld agreements. These agreements result in a passing of the agreed-upon percentage of risk to the reinsurer in exchange for negotiated reinsurance premium payments. Modified coinsurance and coinsurance with funds withheld are similar to coinsurance, except that the cash and investments that support the liability for contract benefits are not transferred to the assuming company and settlements are made on a net basis between the companies. For certain term life insurance policies issued prior to October 2009, the Company ceded up to 90% of the mortality risk depending on the year of policy issuance under coinsurance agreements to a pool of fourteen unaffiliated reinsurers. Effective October 2009, mortality risk on term business is ceded under yearly renewable term agreements under which the Company cedes mortality in excess of its retention, which is consistent with how the Company generally reinsures its permanent life insurance business.
Retention limits by period of policy issuance
Period |  | Retention limits
April 2015 through current |  | Single life: $2 million per life Joint life: no longer offered
April 2011 through March 2015 |  | Single life: $5 million per life, $3 million age 70 and over, and $10 million for contracts that meet specific criteria Joint life: $8 million per life, and $10 million for contracts that meet specific criteria
July 2007 through March 2011 |  | $5 million per life, $3 million age 70 and over, and $10 million for contracts that meet specific criteria
September 1998 through June 2007 |  | $2 million per life, in 2006 the limit was increased to $5 million for instances when specific criteria were met
August 1998 and prior |  | Up to $1 million per life
In addition, the Company has used reinsurance to effect the disposition of certain blocks of business. The Company had reinsurance recoverables of $1.29 billion and $1.36 billion as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively, due from Prudential related to the disposal of substantially all of its variable annuity business that was effected through reinsurance agreements.
Amounts ceded to Prudential
|  | As of December 31,
($ in millions) |  | 2019 |  | 2018 |  | 2017
Premiums and contract charges |  | $ | 65 |  |  | $ | 72 |  |  | $ | 76 |
Contract benefits |  | 4 |  |  | 87 |  |  | 7 |
Interest credited to contractholder funds |  | 19 |  |  | 20 |  |  | 20 |
Operating costs and expenses |  | 12 |  |  | 14 |  |  | 15 |
As of December 31, 2019 and 2018, the Company had reinsurance recoverables of $112 million and $118 million, respectively, due from subsidiaries of Citigroup (Triton Insurance and American Health and Life Insurance) and Scottish Re (U.S.), Inc. in connection with the disposition of substantially all of the direct response distribution business in 2003. As of December 31, 2019, t he Company had $70 million of reinsurance recoverables, net of an allowance for estimated uncollectible amounts, related to Scottish Re (U.S.), Inc. On December 14, 2018, the Delaware Insurance Commissioner placed Scottish Re (U.S.), Inc. under regulatory supervision. On March 6, 2019, the Chancery Court of the State of Delaware entered a Rehabilitation and Injunction Order (the “Rehabilitation Order”) in response to a petition filed by the Insurance Commissioner (the “Petition”). Pursuant to the Petition, it is expected that Scottish Re (U.S.), Inc. will submit a Plan of Rehabilitation. The Company joined in a joint motion filed on behalf of several affected parties asking the court to allow a specified amount of offsetting claim payments and losses against premiums remitted to Scottish Re (U.S.), Inc. The Company also filed a separate motion related to the reimbursement of claim payments where Scottish Re (U.S.), Inc. is also acting as administrator. The Court has not yet ruled on either of these motions. In the interim, the Company and several other affected parties have been permitted to exercise certain setoff rights while the parties address any potential disputes. The Company continues to monitor Scottish Re (U.S.), Inc. for future developments and will reevaluate its allowance for uncollectible amounts as new information becomes available. The Company is the assuming reinsurer for Lincoln Benefit Life Company’s (“LBL’s”) life insurance business sold through the Allstate agency channel and LBL’s payout annuity business in force prior to the sale of LBL on April 1, 2014. Under the terms of the reinsurance agreement, the Company is required to have a trust with assets greater than or equal to the statutory reserves ceded by LBL to the Company, measured on a monthly basis. As of December 31, 2019, the trust held $6.25 billion of investments, which are reported in the Consolidated Statement of Financial Position. As of December 31, 2019, the gross life insurance in force was $449.20 billion of which $74.02 billion was ceded to the unaffiliated reinsurers.
Reinsurance recoverables on paid and unpaid benefits
|  | As of December 31,
($ in millions) |  | 2019 |  | 2018
Annuities |  | $ | 1,305 |  |  | $ | 1,381 |
Life insurance |  | 749 |  |  | 776 |
Other |  | 133 |  |  | 142 |
Total |  | $ | 2,187 |  |  | $ | 2,299 |
As of both December 31, 2019 and 2018, approximately 93% of the reinsurance recoverables are due from companies rated A- or better by S&P.

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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://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 944 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/topic&trid=2303980 + Details
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