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Basis of Financial Reporting
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2014
Condensed Financial Information of Parent Company Only Disclosure [Abstract]  
Basis of Financial Reporting

NOTE 2· Basis of Financial Reporting

The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP for interim financial information and with the instructions for Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by U.S. GAAP for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring accruals) considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included. These unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto set forth in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013.

The preparation of these financial statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses. We continually evaluate our estimates, which are based on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. These estimates form the basis for our judgments about the carrying values of our assets and liabilities, which values are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements

Disclosure of Uncertainties About an Entity’s Ability to Continue as a Going Concern. In August 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (the “FASB”) issued guidance on disclosure of uncertainties about an entity’s ability to continue as a going concern. This guidance addresses management’s responsibility in evaluating whether there is substantial doubt about a company’s ability to continue as a going concern and to provide related footnote disclosures. The guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016 and for interim periods within those fiscal years, with early adoption permitted. The Company does not expect to early adopt this guidance and it believes the adoption of this guidance will not have material impact on the Consolidated Financial Statements.

In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2014-09, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers” (“ASU 2014-09”), which provides guidance for revenue recognition. ASU 2014-09 affects any entity that either enters into contracts with customers to transfer goods or services or enters into contracts for the transfer of nonfinancial assets and supersedes the revenue recognition requirements in Topic 605, “Revenue Recognition,” and most industry-specific guidance. The standard’s core principle is that a company will recognize revenue when it transfers promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which a company expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. In doing so, companies will need to use more judgment and make more estimates than under today’s guidance. These may include identifying performance obligations in the contract, estimating the amount of variable consideration to include in the transaction price and allocating the transaction price to each separate performance obligation. ASU 2014-09 is effective for the Company beginning November 1, 2017 and, at that time the Company may adopt the new standard under the full retrospective approach or the modified retrospective approach. Early adoption is not permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the method and impact the adoption of ASU 2014-09 will have on the Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements and disclosures.

 

Financial Reporting Related to Insurance Company Operations

Reinsurance

The Company protects itself from claims related losses by reinsuring all claims related risk exposure. The only line of insurance the Company writes is flood insurance associated with the Wright acquisition, with all exposure reinsured with FEMA for basic admitted policies conforming to the National Flood Insurance Program. For excess flood insurance policies, all exposure is reinsured with a reinsurance carrier. Reinsurance does not legally discharge the ceding insurer from the primary liability for the full amount due under the reinsured policies. Reinsurance premiums, commissions, expense reimbursement and related reserves related to ceded business are accounted for on a basis consistent with the accounting for the original policies issued and the terms of reinsurance contracts. Premiums earned and losses and loss adjustment expenses incurred are reported net of reinsurance amounts. Other underwriting expenses are shown net of earned ceding commission income. The liabilities for unpaid losses and loss adjustment expenses and unearned premiums are reported gross of ceded reinsurance recoverable.

Balances due from reinsurers on unpaid losses and loss adjustment expenses, including an estimate of such recoverables related to reserves for incurred but not reported (“IBNR”) losses, are reported as assets and are included in reinsurance recoverable even though amounts due on unpaid loss and loss adjustment expense are not recoverable from the reinsurer until such losses are paid. The Company does not believe it is exposed to any material credit risk through its reinsurance as the reinsurer is FEMA for basic admitted flood policies and a national reinsurance carrier for excess flood policies, which is rated A+ from AM Best. Historically, no amounts due from reinsurance carriers have been written off as uncollectible.

Unpaid Losses and Loss Adjustment Expense

Unpaid losses and loss adjustment expenses include amounts determined on individual claims and other estimates based on the past experience of WNFIC and the policyholders for incurred but not reported (“IBNR”) claims, less anticipated salvage and subrogation recoverable. The methods of making such estimates and for establishing the resulting reserves are continually reviewed and updated, and any adjustments resulting therefrom are reflected in operations currently.

WNFIC engages the services of outside actuarial consulting firms (the “Actuaries”) to assist on an annual basis to render an opinion on the sufficiency of the Company’s estimates for unpaid losses and related loss adjustment expenses. The Actuaries utilize both industry experience and the Company’s own experience to develop estimates of those amounts as of year-end. These estimated liabilities are subject to the impact of future changes in claim severity, frequency and other factors. In spite of the variability inherent in such estimates, management believes that the liabilities for unpaid losses and related loss adjustment expenses are adequate.

Premiums

Premiums are recognized as income over the coverage period of the related policies. Unearned premiums represent the portion of premiums written that relate to the unexpired terms of the policies in force and are determined on a daily pro rata basis.