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DEBT AND FINANCING ARRANGEMENTS | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2017
Debt Disclosure [Abstract] |
DEBT AND FINANCING ARRANGEMENTS |
a) | Senior Notes and Notes Payable
On March 23, 2010, AXIS Specialty Finance LLC, a 100% owned finance subsidiary, issued $500 million aggregate principal amount of 5.875% senior unsecured debt (the ''5.875% Senior Notes'') at an issue price of 99.624%. The net proceeds of the issuance, after consideration of the offering discount and underwriting expenses and commissions, totaled approximately $495 million. Interest on the 5.875% Senior Notes is payable semi-annually in arrears on June 1 and December 1 of each year, beginning on June 1, 2010. Unless previously redeemed, the 5.875% Senior Notes will mature on June 1, 2020. The 5.875% Senior Notes are ranked as unsecured senior obligations of AXIS Specialty Finance LLC. AXIS Capital has fully and unconditionally guaranteed all obligations of AXIS Specialty Finance LLC under the 5.875% Senior Notes. AXIS Capital’s obligations under this guarantee are unsecured senior obligations and rank equally with all other senior obligations of AXIS Capital. On March 13, 2014, AXIS Specialty Finance PLC, a 100% owned finance subsidiary, issued $250 million aggregate principal amount of 2.65% senior unsecured notes (the "2.65% Senior Notes") at an issue price of 99.896% and $250 million aggregate principal amount of 5.15% senior unsecured notes (the "5.15% Senior Notes", and, together with the 5.875% Senior Notes and the 2.65% Senior Notes, the "Senior Notes") at an issue price of 99.474%. The net proceeds of the issuance, after consideration of the offering discount and underwriting expenses and commissions, totaled approximately $248 million and $246 million for the 2.65% Senior Notes and the 5.15% Senior Notes, respectively. Interest on the 2.65% Senior Notes and the 5.15% Senior Notes is payable semi-annually in arrears on April 1 and October 1 of each year, beginning on October 1, 2014. Unless previously redeemed, the 2.65% Senior Notes and the 5.15% Senior Notes will mature on April 1, 2019 and April 1, 2045, respectively. The 2.65% Senior Notes and the 5.15% Senior Notes are ranked as unsecured senior obligations of AXIS Specialty Finance PLC. AXIS Capital has fully and unconditionally guaranteed all obligations of AXIS Specialty Finance PLC under the 2.65% Senior Notes and the 5.15% Senior Notes. AXIS Capital's obligations under this guarantee are unsecured senior obligations and rank equally with all other senior obligations of AXIS Capital. On December 6, 2017, AXIS Specialty Finance PLC, a 100% owned finance subsidiary, issued $350 million aggregate principal amount of 4.0% senior unsecured notes (the "4.0% Senior Notes") at an issue price of 99.78%. The net proceeds of the issuance, after consideration of the offering discount and underwriting expenses and commissions, totaled approximately $347 million. Interest on the 4.0% Senior Notes is payable semi-annually in arrears on June 6 and December 6 of each year, beginning on June 6, 2018. Unless previously redeemed, the 4.0% Senior Notes will mature on December 6, 2027. The 4.0% Senior Notes are ranked as unsecured senior obligations of AXIS Specialty Finance PLC. AXIS Capital has fully and unconditionally guaranteed all obligations of AXIS Specialty Finance PLC under the 4.0% Senior Notes. AXIS Capital's obligations under this guarantee are unsecured senior obligations and rank equally with all other senior obligations of AXIS Capital. The Company has the option to redeem the Senior Notes at any time and from time to time, in whole or in part, at a ''make-whole'' redemption price, which is equal to the greater of the aggregate principal amount or the sum of the present values of the remaining scheduled payments of principal and interest. The related indentures contain various covenants, including limitations on liens on the stock of restricted subsidiaries, restrictions as to the disposition of the stock of restricted subsidiaries and limitations on mergers and consolidations. The Company was in compliance with all the covenants contained in the indentures at December 31, 2017. Interest expense recognized in relation to Senior Notes includes interest payable, amortization of the offering discounts and amortization of debt offering expenses. The offering discounts and debt offering expenses are amortized over the period of time during which the Senior Notes are outstanding. For the year ended December 31, 2017, the Company incurred interest expense of $51 million (2016: $50 million, 2015: $50 million).
b) | Dekania Notes
On June 30, 2004, Novae issued $15 million aggregate principal amount of LIBOR plus 3.50% subordinated unsecured notes (the "$15 million Dekania Notes") and $11 million aggregate principal amount of LIBOR plus 4.05% subordinated unsecured notes (the "$11 million Dekania Notes"). On September 29, 2004, Novae issued $10 million aggregate principal amount of LIBOR + 3.50% subordinated notes (the "$10 million Dekania Notes" and together with the "$15 million Dekania Notes" and the "$11 million Dekania Notes" the "Dekania Notes"). The net proceeds of the issuance, after consideration of the offering discount and underwriting expenses and commissions, totaled approximately $35 million. Interest on the Dekania Notes is payable quarterly in arrears on February 15, May 15, August 15 and November 15 of each year. Unless previously redeemed, the $15 million Dekania Notes and the $11 million Dekania Notes will mature on June 30, 2034 and the $10 million Dekania Notes will mature on September 29, 2034. The Dekania Notes are ranked as unsecured and subordinated obligations of Novae. AXIS Capital has not fully and unconditionally guaranteed obligations of Novae under the Dekania Notes. Interest expense recognized in relation to the Dekania Notes includes interest payable, amortization of the offering discounts and amortization of debt offering expenses. The offering discounts and debt offering expenses are amortized over the period of time during which the Dekania Notes are outstanding. For the year ended December 31, 2017, the Company incurred interest expense of $2 million. Scheduled Debt Maturity The scheduled maturity of the Company's aggregate amount of its debt obligation on its consolidated balance sheet at December 31, 2017 is shown in the following table :
| Year ended December 31, |  |
| 2018 | $ | — |  |
| 2019 | 250,000 |  |
| 2020 | 500,000 |  |
| 2021 | — |  |
| 2022 | — |  |
| After 2022 | 636,060 |  |
| Unamortized discount and debt issuance expenses | (9,531 | ) |
| Total senior notes and notes payable | $ | 1,376,529 |  |
c) | Credit Facilities
Credit Facility On March 26, 2013, AXIS Capital and certain of its subsidiaries entered into a $250 million credit facility (the "Credit Facility"), which was issued by a syndication of lenders pursuant to a Credit Agreement and other ancillary documents (together, the "Facility Documents") and will expire in March 2017. At the request of the Company and subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, the aggregate commitment available under the Credit Facility may be increased by up to $150 million. Under the terms of the Credit Facility, loans are available for general corporate purposes and letters of credit may be issued in the ordinary course of business, with total usage not to exceed the aggregate commitment available. Interest on loans issued under the Credit Facility is payable based on underlying market rates at the time of loan issuance. While loans under the Credit Facility are unsecured, the Company has the option to issue letters of credit on a secured basis in order to reduce associated fees. Letters of credit issued under the Credit Facility would principally be used to support the (re)insurance obligations of the Company's operating subsidiaries. Each of AXIS Capital, AXIS Specialty Finance LLC, AXIS Specialty Holdings Bermuda Limited and AXIS Specialty Finance PLC guarantees the obligations of the other parties to the Credit Facility. The Credit Facility is subject to certain non-financial covenants, including limitations on fundamental changes, the incurrence of additional indebtedness and liens and certain transactions with affiliates and investments, as defined in the Facility Documents. The Credit Facility also requires compliance with certain financial covenants, including a maximum debt to capital ratio and a minimum consolidated net worth requirement. In addition, each of AXIS Capital’s material (re)insurance subsidiaries party to the Credit Facility must maintain a minimum A.M. Best financial strength rating. In the event of default, including a breach of these covenants, the lenders may exercise certain remedies including the termination of the Credit Facility, the declaration of all principal and interest amounts related to Credit Facility loans to be immediately due and the requirement that all outstanding letters of credit be collateralized. On September 18, 2013, the Credit Facility was amended in order to permit AXIS Capital and its subsidiaries to enter into swap contracts and other arrangements related to weather derivative transactions. All other material terms and conditions remained unchanged. Effective February 10, 2014, AXIS Specialty Finance PLC was added as a guarantor to the Credit Facility. On March 27, 2017, the Credit Facility expired. Letter of Credit Facility On November 20, 2013, certain of AXIS Capital’s operating subsidiaries (the "Participating Subsidiaries") entered into an amendment to extend the term of the Company's secured $750 million letter of credit facility (the "LOC Facility") with Citibank Europe plc ("Citibank") pursuant to a Master Reimbursement Agreement and other ancillary documents (together, the "LOC Facility Documents"). Under the terms of the LOC Facility, letters of credit to a maximum aggregate amount of $750 million are available for issuance on behalf of the Participating Subsidiaries. These letters of credit will principally be used to support the reinsurance obligations of the Participating Subsidiaries. The LOC Facility is subject to certain covenants, including the requirement to maintain sufficient collateral, as defined in the LOC Facility Documents, to cover all of the obligations under the LOC Facility. Such obligations include contingent reimbursement obligations for outstanding letters of credit and fees payable to Citibank. In the event of default, Citibank may exercise certain remedies, including the exercise of control over pledged collateral and the termination of the availability of the LOC Facility to any or all of the Participating Subsidiaries. On March 31, 2015, the Company entered into an amendment to reduce the maximum aggregate utilization capacity of the LOC Facility from $750 million to $500 million. All other material terms and conditions remained unchanged. On December 18, 2015, the Participating Subsidiaries renewed the $500 million secured LOC Facility with Citibank for a four year term commencing December 31, 2015, pursuant to certain updates to the LOC Facility Documents. All other material terms and conditions remained unchanged. On March 27, 2017, the Participating Subsidiaries amended their existing $500 million secured LOC Facility with Citibank to include an additional $250 million of secured letter of credit capacity (the "$250 Million Facility") pursuant to a Committed Facility Letter and an amendment to the Master Reimbursement Agreement. Under the terms of the $250 Million Facility, letters of credit to a maximum aggregate amount of $250 million are available for issuance on behalf of the Participating Subsidiaries. These letters of credit will principally be used to support the reinsurance obligations of the Participating Subsidiaries. The $250 Million Facility is subject to certain covenants, including the requirement to maintain sufficient collateral, as defined in the LOC Facility Documents, to cover all of the obligations under the LOC Facility. Such obligations include contingent reimbursement obligations for outstanding letters of credit and fees payable to the lender. In the event of default, the lender may exercise certain remedies, including the exercise of control over pledged collateral and the termination of the availability of the facility to any or all of the participating operating subsidiaries. At December 31, 2017, letters of credit outstanding under the LOC Facility totaled $387 million. At December 31, 2017, the Company was in compliance with all LOC Facility covenants. Novae Syndicated Bank Facility On August 2, 2016, Novae entered into a new syndicated bank financing facility, which provides the company with a combined letter of credit and revolving credit facility of $229 million and a term loan of $67 million. On December 29, 2017, the term loan was repaid and the letter of credit and revolving credit facility was terminated. For the year ended December 31, 2017, the Company recognized $1 million of interest expense in relation to the syndicated bank financing facility.

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- Definition The entire disclosure for information about short-term and long-term debt arrangements, which includes amounts of borrowings under each line of credit, note payable, commercial paper issue, bonds indenture, debenture issue, own-share lending arrangements and any other contractual agreement to repay funds, and about the underlying arrangements, rationale for a classification as long-term, including repayment terms, interest rates, collateral provided, restrictions on use of assets and activities, whether or not in compliance with debt covenants, and other matters important to users of the financial statements, such as the effects of refinancing and noncompliance with debt covenants. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 470 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/topic&trid=2208564 + Details
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