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Background and Business Description | 3 Months Ended
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Mar. 31, 2016
Accounting Policies [Abstract] |
Background and Business Description | 1. BACKGROUND AND BUSINESS DESCRIPTION Ambac Financial Group, Inc. (“Ambac” or the “Company”), headquartered in New York City, is a financial services holding company incorporated in the state of Delaware on April 29, 1991. Ambac has two reportable business segments: Financial Guarantee and Financial Services. Ambac’s financial guarantee business segment is conducted through its primary operating subsidiary, Ambac Assurance Corporation (“Ambac Assurance”), and its wholly owned subsidiary, Ambac Assurance UK Limited (“Ambac UK”). Insurance policies issued by Ambac Assurance and Ambac UK generally guarantee payment when due of the principal and interest on the obligations guaranteed. Ambac Assurance also has another wholly-owned financial guarantee subsidiary, Everspan Financial Guarantee Corp. (“Everspan”), which has been in runoff since its acquisition in 1997. The deterioration of Ambac Assurance’s financial condition resulting from losses in its insured portfolio since 2007 has prevented Ambac Assurance from being able to write new business. An inability to write new business has and will continue to negatively impact Ambac’s future operations and financial results. Ambac Assurance’s ability to pay dividends and, as a result, Ambac’s liquidity, have been significantly restricted by the deterioration of Ambac Assurance’s financial condition, by the rehabilitation of the Segregated Account (as defined below) and by the terms of the Settlement Agreement, dated as of June 7, 2010 (the "Settlement Agreement"), by and among Ambac Assurance, Ambac Credit Products LLC (“ACP”), Ambac and certain counterparties to credit default swaps with ACP that were guaranteed by Ambac Assurance. Ambac Assurance is also restricted in its ability to pay dividends pursuant to regulatory restrictions, the terms of its Auction Market Preferred Shares and the terms of agreements entered into with the Segregated Account. It is highly unlikely that Ambac Assurance will be able to make dividend payments to Ambac for the foreseeable future. Ambac’s financial services business segment is conducted through subsidiaries of Ambac Assurance, which provide financial products, including investment agreements, funding conduits and interest rate swaps, principally to the clients of its financial guarantee business. Ambac Assurance insured all of the obligations of its financial services subsidiaries. These businesses are in active runoff, which is being effectuated by transaction terminations, settlements, and scheduled amortization of contracts. The Financial Services business also maintains interest rate derivatives to mitigate exposure to floating rate insured obligations in the Financial Guarantee segment. Ambac’s primary goal is to maximize stockholder value through executing the following key strategies:
• | Increasing the value of its investment in Ambac Assurance by actively managing its assets and liabilities with a focus on maximizing risk-adjusted investment portfolio returns and mitigating or remediating losses on poorly performing insured transactions through executing policy commutations, pursuing recoveries of losses through litigation and the exercise of contractual and legal rights, restructuring transactions, and other means; and
• | Selectively growing and diversifying Ambac through the development or acquisition of financial services businesses such as advisory, asset servicing, asset management and/or insurance.
Ambac Assurance is evaluating possibilities for successfully concluding the Segregated Account Rehabilitation Proceedings (as defined below). In pursuing this objective, Ambac Assurance is considering the possibility of entering into transactions whereby it would monetize certain assets and/or restructure or exchange certain outstanding debt and insurance obligations. Ambac Assurance is also discussing with OCI (as defined below) potential options for addressing outstanding Deferred Amounts (as defined below), including accrued interest, and surplus notes (other than junior surplus notes). From time to time Ambac Assurance has also discussed with several counterparty creditors a potential exchange pursuant to which outstanding Deferred Amounts, including accrued interest, and surplus notes (other than junior surplus notes) would be exchanged for new securities and/or cash. As of the date of this filing, Ambac Assurance has not reached any agreement on the terms of a potential transaction, and we cannot provide assurance that any such transaction will be entered into by Ambac Assurance in the future, or if it is, as to the timing, terms or conditions of any such transaction. Any such transaction would remain subject to the prior approval of the board of Ambac Assurance, OCI and potentially the Rehabilitation Court (as defined below). The execution of Ambac’s strategy to increase the value of its investment in Ambac Assurance is subject to the authority of the Rehabilitator (as defined below) to control the management of the Segregated Account. In exercising such authority, the Rehabilitator will act for the benefit of policyholders, and will not take into account the interests of Ambac. Similarly, by operation of the contracts executed in connection with the establishment, and subsequent rehabilitation, of the Segregated Account, the Rehabilitator retains rights to oversee and approve certain actions taken by or in respect of Ambac Assurance. Opportunities for remediating losses on poorly performing insured transactions also depend on market conditions, including the perception of Ambac Assurance’s creditworthiness, the structure of the underlying risk and associated policy as well as other counterparty specific factors. Oversight by the Rehabilitator could impair Ambac’s ability to execute certain of its strategies. Ambac Assurance's ability to commute policies or purchase certain investments may also be limited by available liquidity. Although we are exploring new business opportunities for Ambac, no assurance can be given that we will be able to execute the acquisition or development of any new business. In addition, there can be no assurance that we will be able to obtain the financial and other resources that may be required to finance the acquisition or development of new businesses. Due to these factors, as well as uncertainties relating to the ability of Ambac Assurance to deliver value to Ambac, the value of our securities is speculative. As a result of uncertainties associated with the aforementioned oversight by the Rehabilitator of the Segregated Account, management has concluded that there is substantial doubt about Ambac's ability to continue as a going concern. Ambac’s financial statements as of and for the three months ended March 31, 2016 and the year ended December 31, 2015, are prepared assuming Ambac continues as a going concern and do not include any adjustment that might result from its inability to continue as a going concern. In March 2010, Ambac Assurance established a Segregated Account pursuant to Wisc. Stat. §611.24 (2) (the “Segregated Account”) to segregate certain segments of Ambac Assurance’s liabilities, and the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance for the State of Wisconsin (“OCI” (which term shall be understood to refer to such office as regulator of Ambac Assurance and to refer to the Commissioner of Insurance for the State of Wisconsin as rehabilitator of the Segregated Account (the “Rehabilitator”), as the context requires)) commenced rehabilitation proceedings in the Dane County, Wisconsin Circuit Court (the “Rehabilitation Court”) with respect to the Segregated Account (the “Segregated Account Rehabilitation Proceedings”) in order to permit OCI to facilitate an orderly run-off and/or settlement of the liabilities allocated to the Segregated Account pursuant to the provisions of the Wisconsin Insurers Rehabilitation and Liquidation Act. On October 8, 2010, OCI filed a plan of rehabilitation for the Segregated Account (the “Segregated Account Rehabilitation Plan”) in the Rehabilitation Court. The Rehabilitation Court confirmed the Segregated Account Rehabilitation Plan on January 24, 2011. On June 11, 2014, the Rehabilitation Court approved amendments to the Segregated Account Rehabilitation Plan and the Segregated Account Rehabilitation Plan, as amended, became effective on June 12, 2014. Net par exposure as of March 31, 2016 for policies allocated to the Segregated Account was $13,832,551. Policy obligations not allocated to the Segregated Account remain in the General Account of Ambac Assurance, and such policies in the General Account are not subject to and, therefore, will not be directly impacted by the Segregated Account Rehabilitation Plan. To pay claims and other liabilities, the Segregated Account has the ability to demand payment from time to time under an aggregate excess of loss reinsurance agreement provided by Ambac Assurance (the “Reinsurance Agreement”). In addition, certain operating and administrative costs and expenses of the Segregated Account are reimbursable by Ambac Assurance pursuant to the Cooperation Agreement, dated as of March 24, 2010, by and between the Segregated Account and Ambac Assurance, as amended (the “Cooperation Agreement”). Ambac Assurance is not obligated to make payments under the Reinsurance Agreement or Cooperation Agreement if its surplus as regards to policyholders is less than $100,000 (the “Minimum Surplus Amount”). As long as the surplus as regards to policyholders is not less than the Minimum Surplus Amount, payments by Ambac Assurance to the Segregated Account under the Reinsurance Agreement and Cooperation Agreement are not capped. At March 31, 2016, Ambac Assurance’s surplus as regards to policyholders of $646,492 exceeded the Minimum Surplus Amount. In the event that Ambac Assurance does not maintain surplus in excess of the Minimum Surplus Amount, the Segregated Account would experience a shortfall in funds available to pay its liabilities. Any such shortfall would be a consideration for the Rehabilitator in the determination of whether any changes to the Segregated Account Rehabilitation Plan and/or the amount of partial policy claim payments are necessary or appropriate or whether to institute general rehabilitation proceedings against Ambac Assurance.

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- Definition The entire disclosure for the business description and basis of presentation concepts. Business description describes the nature and type of organization including but not limited to organizational structure as may be applicable to holding companies, parent and subsidiary relationships, business divisions, business units, business segments, affiliates and information about significant ownership of the reporting entity. Basis of presentation describes the underlying basis used to prepare the financial statements (for example, US Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, Other Comprehensive Basis of Accounting, IFRS). + References No definition available. + Details
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