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Investments in Unconsolidated Affiliates | 3 Months Ended
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Mar. 31, 2014
Equity Method Investments and Joint Ventures [Abstract] |
Investments in Unconsolidated Affiliates | Investments in Unconsolidated Affiliates White Mountains’s investments in unconsolidated affiliates represent investments in other companies in which White Mountains has a significant voting and economic interest but does not control the entity.
Millions |  | March 31, 2014 |  | December 31, 2013
Symetra common shares |  | $ | 373.2 |  |  | $ | 360.9 |
Unrealized losses from Symetra’s fixed maturity portfolio |  | (4.2 | ) |  | (43.6 | )
Carrying value of Symetra common shares |  | 369.0 |  |  | 317.3 |
Hamer |  | 4.3 |  |  | 4.1 |
Total investments in unconsolidated affiliates |  | $ | 373.3 |  |  | $ | 321.4 |
Symetra At March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, White Mountains owned 20.05 million common shares of Symetra Financial Corporation (“Symetra”), about a 17% common share ownership. White Mountains accounts for its investment in common shares of Symetra using the equity method. On June 20, 2013, both White Mountains and Berkshire Hathaway Inc., which each owned warrants to purchase 9.49 million common shares of Symetra, exercised their warrants in a cashless transaction and each received 2.65 million common shares of Symetra in exchange for the warrants. During 2013, Symetra also repurchased 6.6 million of its common shares at an average price of $13.44. The net effect of Symetra’s share repurchases and the warrant exercises resulted in a basis difference between the GAAP carrying value of White Mountains’s investment in Symetra common shares and the amount derived by multiplying the percentage of White Mountains common share ownership by Symetra’s total GAAP equity. This basis difference totaled $19.3 million, of which $0.4 million was attributable to equity in earnings of unconsolidated affiliates and $18.9 million is attributable to equity in net unrealized gains of unconsolidated affiliates. At December 31, 2011, due to the prolonged low interest rate environment in which life insurance companies currently operate, White Mountains concluded that its investment in Symetra common shares was other-than-temporarily impaired and wrote down the GAAP book value of the investment to its estimated fair value of $261.0 million, or $15 per share at December 31, 2011. This impairment also resulted in a basis difference between the GAAP carrying value of White Mountains’s investment in Symetra common shares and the amount derived by multiplying the percentage of White Mountains common share ownership by Symetra’s total GAAP equity. White Mountains recorded $45.9 million of after-tax equity in losses of unconsolidated affiliates and $136.6 million of after-tax equity in net unrealized losses of unconsolidated affiliates. As a result of the various basis adjustments, White Mountains’s carrying value of its investment in Symetra differs from the carrying value by applying its ownership share against Symetra’s GAAP equity as normally done under the equity method. The pre-tax basis difference is being amortized over a 30-year period with a weighted average of 29-years remaining. The amortization is based on estimated future cash flows associated with Symetra’s underlying assets and liabilities to which the basis differences have been attributed. White Mountains continues to record its equity in Symetra's earnings and net unrealized gains (losses). In addition, White Mountains recognizes the amortization of the basis difference through equity in earnings of unconsolidated affiliates and equity in net unrealized gains (losses) from investments in unconsolidated affiliates consistent with the original attribution of the basis differences between equity in earnings and equity in net unrealized gains (losses). For the three months ended March 31, 2014, White Mountains recognized after-tax amortization of $0.7 million through equity in earnings of unconsolidated affiliates and $2.9 million through equity in net unrealized gains from investments in unconsolidated affiliates. At March 31, 2014, the pre-tax unamortized basis difference was $183.3 million, of which $39.0 million is attributable to equity in earnings of unconsolidated affiliates and $144.3 million is attributable to equity in net unrealized gains of unconsolidated affiliates. Prior to the exercise of the warrants, White Mountains accounted for its Symetra warrants as derivatives with changes in fair value recognized through the income statement as a gain or loss recognized through other revenue in the income statement. White Mountains used a Black Scholes valuation model to determine the fair value of the Symetra warrants. The major assumptions used in valuing the Symetra warrants at March 31, 2013 were a risk free rate of a 0.17%, volatility of 29.1%, an expected life of 1.33 years, a strike price of $11.49 per share and a share price of $13.41 per share. The following table summarizes amounts recorded by White Mountains relating to its investment in Symetra for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013:
|  | Three Months Ended |  | Three Months Ended
|  | March 31, 2014 |  | March 31, 2013
Millions |  | Common Shares |  | Warrants |  | Total |  | Common Shares |  | Warrants |  | Total
Carrying value of investment in Symetra at beginning of period |  | $ | 317.3 |  |  | $ | — |  |  | $ | 317.3 |  |  | $ | 351.2 |  |  | $ | 30.3 |  |  | $ | 381.5 |
Equity in earnings (1)(2) |  | 14.4 |  |  | — |  |  | 14.4 |  |  | 9.8 |  |  | — |  |  | 9.8 |
Equity in net unrealized gains (losses) from Symetra’s fixed maturity portfolio(3) |  | 39.3 |  |  | — |  |  | 39.3 |  |  | (8.7 | ) |  | — |  |  | (8.7 | )
Dividends received |  | (2.0 | ) |  | — |  |  | (2.0 | ) |  | (1.4 | ) |  | — |  |  | (1.4 | )
Decrease in value of warrants |  | — |  |  | — |  |  | — |  |  | — |  |  | (3.7 | ) |  | (3.7 | )
Carrying value of investment in Symetra at end of period(4)(5) |  | $ | 369.0 |  |  | $ | — |  |  | $ | 369.0 |  |  | $ | 350.9 |  |  | $ | 26.6 |  |  | $ | 377.5 |
(1) Equity in earnings excludes tax expense of $1.0 and $0.8. (2) Equity in earnings includes $0.7 and $0.7 increase relating to the pre-tax amortization of the Symetra common share basis difference. (3) Net unrealized gains includes $3.1 and $2.7 increase relating to the pre-tax amortization of the Symetra common share basis difference. (4) Includes White Mountains’s equity in net unrealized gains (losses) from Symetra’s fixed maturity portfolio of $39.3 and $(8.7) as of March 31, 2014 and 2013, which excludes tax (expense) benefit of $(2.8) and $0.7. (5) The aggregate value of White Mountains’s investment in common shares of Symetra was $397.4 based upon the quoted market price of $19.82 per share at March 31, 2014. During the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, White Mountains received cash dividends from Symetra of $2.0 million and $1.4 million on its common share investment that were recorded as a reduction of White Mountains’s investment in Symetra. During the three months ended March 31, 2013, White Mountains also received dividends of $0.8 million from Symetra on its investment in Symetra warrants that was recorded in net investment income. Hamer White Mountains received an equity interest in Hamer, a small manufacturing company distributed to White Mountains in connection with the dissolution of the Tuckerman Capital, LP fund. Effective October 1, 2012, this investment has been accounted for under the equity method. For the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, White Mountains recorded equity in earnings of $0.4 million and $0.3 million. For March 31, 2014, White Mountains also received $0.2 million of cash dividends.

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- Definition The entire disclosure for equity method investments and joint ventures. Equity method investments are investments that give the investor the ability to exercise significant influence over the operating and financial policies of an investee. Joint ventures are entities owned and operated by a small group of businesses as a separate and specific business or project for the mutual benefit of the members of the group. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 210 -SubTopic 10 -Section S99 -Paragraph 1 -Subparagraph (SX 210.5-02.12) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6877327&loc=d3e13212-122682 Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 323 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 3 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6382943&loc=d3e33918-111571 Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 323 -SubTopic 10 -Section 35 -Paragraph 35 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=7658923&loc=d3e32847-111569 Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 323 -SubTopic 10 -Section 35 -Paragraph 32 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=7658923&loc=d3e32787-111569 + Details
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