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COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENT LIABILITIES
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2025
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENT LIABILITIES COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENT LIABILITIES
Litigation and Regulatory Matters
Litigation, regulatory and other loss contingencies arise in the ordinary course of the Company’s activities as a diversified financial services firm. The Company is a defendant in a number of litigation matters arising from the conduct of its business. In some of these matters, claimants seek to recover very large or indeterminate amounts, including compensatory, punitive, treble and exemplary damages. Modern pleading practice permits considerable variation in the assertion of monetary damages and other relief. Claimants are not always required to specify the monetary damages they seek, or they may be required only to state an amount sufficient to meet a court’s jurisdictional requirements. Moreover, some jurisdictions allow claimants to allege monetary damages that far exceed any reasonably possible verdict. The variability in pleading requirements and past experience demonstrates that the monetary and other relief that may be requested in a lawsuit or claim often bears little relevance to the merits or potential value of a claim. Litigation against the Company includes a variety of claims including, among other things, insurers’ sales practices, alleged agent misconduct, alleged failure to properly supervise agents, contract administration, product design, features and accompanying disclosure, COI increases, payments of death benefits and the reporting and escheatment of unclaimed property, alleged breach of fiduciary duties, alleged mismanagement of client funds and other matters.
The outcome of a litigation or regulatory matter is difficult to predict, and the amount or range of potential losses associated with these or other loss contingencies requires significant management judgment. It is not possible to predict the ultimate outcome or to provide reasonably possible losses or ranges of losses for all pending regulatory matters, litigation and other loss contingencies. While it is possible that an adverse outcome in certain cases could have a material adverse effect upon the Company’s financial position, based on information currently known, management believes that neither the outcome of pending litigation and regulatory matters, nor potential liabilities associated with other loss contingencies, are likely to have such an effect. However, given the large and indeterminate amounts sought in certain litigation and the inherent unpredictability of all such matters, it is possible that an adverse outcome in certain of the Company’s litigation or regulatory matters, or liabilities arising from other loss contingencies, could, from time to time, have a material adverse effect upon the Company’s results of operations or cash flows in a particular quarterly or annual period.
For some matters, the Company is able to estimate a range of loss. For such matters in which a loss is probable, an accrual has been made. For matters where the Company believes a loss is reasonably possible, but not probable, no accrual is required. For matters for which an accrual has been made, but there remains a reasonably possible range of loss in excess of the amounts accrued or for matters where no accrual is required, the Company develops an estimate of the unaccrued amounts of the reasonably possible range of losses. As of March 31, 2025, the Company estimates the aggregate range of reasonably possible losses, in excess of any amounts accrued for these matters as of such date, to be up to approximately $100 million.
For other matters, the Company is currently not able to estimate the reasonably possible loss or range of loss. The Company is often unable to estimate the possible loss or range of loss until developments in such matters have provided sufficient information to support an assessment of the range of possible loss, such as quantification of a damage demand from plaintiffs, discovery from plaintiffs and other parties, investigation of factual allegations, rulings by a court on motions or appeals, analysis by experts and the progress of settlement discussions. On a quarterly and annual basis, the Company reviews relevant information with respect to litigation and regulatory contingencies and updates the Company’s accruals, disclosures and reasonably possible losses or ranges of loss based on such reviews.
In July 2022, the trial court in Hobish v. AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company, granted in significant part Equitable Financial’s motion for summary judgment and denied plaintiff’s cross motion. After several appeals, the state’s highest court affirmed the decision. This matter was subsequently settled in March 2025.
As with other financial services companies, Equitable Financial periodically receives informal and formal requests for information from various state and federal governmental agencies and self-regulatory organizations in connection with inquiries and investigations of the products and practices of the Company or the financial services industry. It is the practice of the Company to cooperate fully in these matters.
Obligations under Funding Agreements
Pre-Capitalized Trust Securities (“P-Caps”)
In April 2019, pursuant to separate Purchase Agreements among Holdings, Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC, as representative of the several initial purchasers, and the Trusts (as defined below), Pine Street Trust I, a Delaware statutory trust (the “2029 Trust”), completed the issuance and sale of 600,000 of its Pre-Capitalized Trust Securities redeemable February 15, 2029 (the “2029 P-Caps”) for an aggregate purchase price of $600 million and Pine Street Trust II, a Delaware statutory trust (the “2049 Trust” and, together with the 2029 Trust, the “Trusts”), completed the issuance and sale of 400,000 of its Pre-Capitalized Trust Securities redeemable February 15, 2049 (the “2049 P-Caps” and, together with the 2029 P-Caps, the “P-Caps”) for an aggregate purchase price of $400 million in each case to qualified institutional buyers in reliance on Rule 144A that are also “qualified purchasers” for purposes of Section 3(c)(7) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
In June 2024, the Company exercised its issuance right under the Facility Agreement, dated April 5, 2019 (the “2029 Trust Facility Agreement”) to issue $600 million principal amount of the Company’s 4.572% Senior Notes due 2029 (the “2029 Notes”) in exchange for the portfolio of principal and interest strips of U.S. Treasury securities held by the 2029 Trust (the “2029 Trust Eligible Assets”). Following the Company’s exercise of its issuance right under the 2029 Trust Facility Agreement, the Company: (i) issued $600 million principal amount of the 2029 Notes to the 2029 Trust on June 6, 2024 in exchange for the 2029 Trust Eligible Assets; (ii) waived its right to repurchase the 2029 Notes; and (iii) directed the trustee of the 2029 Trust to dissolve the 2029 Trust in accordance with its declaration of trust and deliver the 2029 Notes to the beneficial holders of the 2029 P-Caps pro rata in respect of each 2029 P-Cap. The 2029 Trust was dissolved on June 11, 2024 and the beneficial holders of the 2029 P-Caps received the 2029 Notes through the facilities of The Depository Trust Company. See Note 14 for additional details on the 2029 Notes.
In addition, in June 2024, pursuant to the Purchase Agreement among Holdings, TD Securities (USA) LLC, Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, as representative of the several initial purchasers, and Pine Street Trust III, a Delaware statutory trust ( “2054 Trust”), completed the issuance and sale of 600,000 of its Pre-Capitalized Trust Securities redeemable May 15, 2054 (the “2054 P-Caps”) for an aggregate purchase price of $600 million to qualified institutional buyers in reliance on Rule 144A that are also “qualified purchasers” for purposes of Section 3(c)(7) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
The P-Caps are an off-balance sheet contingent funding arrangement that, upon Holdings’ election, gives Holdings the right over a thirty-year period to issue senior notes to the 2049 Trust and the 2054 Trusts. The Trust have invested the proceeds from the respective sales of their P-Caps in separate portfolios of principal and/or interest strips of U.S. Treasury securities. In return, Holdings will, in the case of the 2054 Trust, pay, and in the case of the 2049 Trust, continue to pay, a semi-annual facility fee to the 2049 Trust and 2054 Trust calculated at a rate of 2.715% and 1.779% per annum, respectively, which will be applied to the unexercised portion of the contingent funding arrangement and Holdings will reimburse the Trusts for certain expenses. The facility fees are recorded in other operating costs and expenses in the consolidated statements of income (loss).
FHLB
As a member of the FHLB, Equitable Financial and Equitable America have access to collateralized borrowings. They also may issue funding agreements to the FHLB. Both the collateralized borrowings and funding agreements would require Equitable Financial or Equitable America to pledge qualified mortgage-backed assets and/or government securities as collateral. Equitable Financial issues short-term funding agreements to the FHLB and uses the funds for asset, liability, and cash management purposes. Equitable Financial issues long-term funding agreements to the FHLB and uses the funds for spread lending purposes.
Entering into FHLB membership, borrowings and funding agreements requires the ownership of FHLB stock and the pledge of assets as collateral. Equitable Financial has purchased FHLB stock of $322 million and pledged collateral with a carrying value of $10.7 billion as of March 31, 2025. Equitable America has purchased FHLB stock of $4 million as of March 31, 2025.
Funding agreements are reported in policyholders’ account balances in the consolidated balance sheets. For other instruments used for asset/liability and cash management purposes, see “Offsetting of Financial Assets and Liabilities and Derivative Instruments” included in Note 4 of the Notes to these Consolidated Financial Statements. The table below summarizes the Company’s activity of funding agreements with the FHLB.
Change in FHLB Funding Agreements during the Three Months Ended March 31, 2025
Outstanding Balance at December 31, 2024Issued During the PeriodRepaid During the PeriodLong-term Agreements Maturing Within One YearLong-term Agreements Maturing Within Five YearsOutstanding Balance at March 31, 2025
(in millions)
Short-term funding agreements:
Due in one year or less$5,843 $17,423 $(17,723)$ $ $5,543 
Long-term funding agreements:
Due in years two through five829     829 
Due in more than five years493     493 
Total long-term funding agreements1,322     1,322 
Total funding agreements (1)$7,165 $17,423 $(17,723)$ $ $6,865 
_____________
(1)The $14 million and $2 million difference between the funding agreements carrying value shown in fair value table for March 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024, respectively, reflects the remaining amortization of a hedge implemented and closed, which locked in the funding agreements borrowing rates.
FABN
Under the FABN program, Equitable Financial may issue funding agreements in U.S. dollar or other foreign currencies to a Delaware special purpose statutory trust (the “Trust”) in exchange for the proceeds from issuances of fixed and floating rate medium-term marketable notes issued by the Trust from time to time (the “Trust Notes”). The funding agreements have matching interest, maturity and currency payment terms to the applicable Trust Notes. The Company hedges the foreign currency exposure of foreign currency denominated funding agreements using cross currency swaps as discussed in Note 4 of the Notes to these Consolidated Financial Statements. As of March 31, 2025, the maximum aggregate principal amount of Trust Notes permitted to be outstanding at any one time is $10.0 billion. Funding agreements issued to the Trust, including any foreign currency transaction adjustments, are reported in policyholders’ account balances in the consolidated balance sheets. Foreign currency transaction adjustments to policyholder’s account balances are recognized in net income (loss) as an adjustment to interest credited to policyholders’ account balances and are offset in interest credited to policyholders’ account balances by a release of AOCI from deferred changes in fair value of designated and qualifying cross currency swap cash flow hedges. The table below summarizes Equitable Financial’s activity of funding agreements under the FABN program.
Change in FABN Funding Agreements during the Three Months Ended March 31, 2025
Outstanding Balance at December 31, 2024Issued During the PeriodRepaid During the PeriodLong-term Agreements Maturing Within One YearLong-term Agreements Maturing Within Five YearsForeign Currency Transaction AdjustmentOutstanding Balance at March 31,
2025
(in millions)
Short-term funding agreements:
Due in one year or less$1,050 $300 $ $450 $ $ $1,800 
Long-term funding agreements:
Due in years two through five4,393 1,000  (450) 35 4,978 
Due in more than five years300      300 
Total long-term funding agreements4,693 1,000  (450) 35 5,278 
Total funding agreements (1)$5,743 $1,300 $ $ $ $35 $7,078 
_____________
(1)The $22 million and $18 million difference between the funding agreements notional value shown and carrying value table as of March 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024, respectively, reflects the remaining amortization of the issuance cost of the funding agreements and the foreign currency transaction adjustment.
FABCP
In May 2023, Equitable Financial and Equitable America established a FABCP program, pursuant to which a SPLLC may issue commercial paper and deposit the proceeds with Equitable Financial or Equitable America pursuant to a funding agreement issued by Equitable Financial or Equitable America to the SPLLC. The current maximum aggregate principal amount permitted to be outstanding at any one time under the FABCP program is $3.0 billion for Equitable Financial and $1.0 billion for Equitable America. As of March 31, 2025, Equitable Financial and Equitable America had $850 million and $0 million outstanding under the program, respectively.
Credit Facilities
For information regarding activity pertaining to our credit facilities arrangements, see Note 14 of the Notes to these Consolidated Financial Statements.
Guarantees and Other Commitments
The Company provides certain guarantees or commitments to affiliates and others. As of March 31, 2025, these arrangements include commitments by the Company to provide equity financing of $1.1 billion to certain limited partnerships and real estate joint ventures under certain conditions as well as a guarantee of a subsidiary’s performance under a reinsurance arrangement that will no longer be in effect once certain conditions at the subsidiary are met and notice is provided. Management believes the Company will not incur material losses as a result of these commitments.
The Company had $17 million of undrawn letters of credit related to reinsurance as of March 31, 2025. The Company had $614 million of commitments under existing mortgage loan agreements as of March 31, 2025.
The Company is the obligor under certain structured settlement agreements it had entered into with unaffiliated insurance companies and beneficiaries. To satisfy its obligations under these agreements, the Company owns single premium annuities issued by previously wholly-owned life insurance subsidiaries. The Company has directed payment under these annuities to be made directly to the beneficiaries under the structured settlement agreements. A contingent liability exists with respect to these agreements should the previously wholly-owned subsidiaries be unable to meet their obligations. Management believes the need for the Company to satisfy those obligations is remote.