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Background and Business Description | 9 Months Ended
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Sep. 30, 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's subsidiaries 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 by executing the following key strategies:
• | Active runoff of Ambac Assurance and its subsidiaries through accretive transaction terminations, policy commutations, settlements and restructurings, and maximizing the risk-adjusted return on invested assets;
• | Loss recovery through litigation and exercise of contractual and legal rights;
• | Improved cost effectiveness and efficiency of the operating platform;
• | Rationalization of Ambac Assurance's capital and liability structures, enabling simplification of corporate governance and facilitating the successful rehabilitation of the Segregated Account; and
• | Selective business transactions offering attractive risk-adjusted returns that, among other things, may permit utilization of Ambac’s tax net operating loss carry-forwards.
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 September 30, 2016 for policies allocated to the Segregated Account was $12,469,965. 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, are not 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 September 30, 2016, Ambac Assurance’s surplus as regards to policyholders of $921,873 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. Ambac Assurance is evaluating possibilities for concluding the Segregated Account Rehabilitation Proceedings. 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. Towards this objective, Ambac Assurance is discussing with OCI potential options for addressing outstanding Segregated Account obligations. On July 12, 2016, the Special Deputy Commissioner ("SDC") for the Segregated Account met with policy beneficiaries and holders of surplus notes of Ambac Assurance and the Segregated Account during which the SDC stated (i) that at present, the Rehabilitator does not have any plans to increase the interim payment percentage (“IPP”) on Segregated Account policy claims, commenting that the Rehabilitator and his advisors would need to feel highly confident that any change to the IPP would be sustainable and fair to all policyholders; (ii) that the Rehabilitator reserves the right to amend the Segregated Account Rehabilitation Plan or take such other action as he deems necessary or appropriate to adjust the rate of accretion on Deferred Amounts from time to time based on such factors as he considers relevant and, as such, the accretion rate remains under review; and (iii) his objective of seeking an exit of the Segregated Account from rehabilitation, and further stated that although his preferred goal would be to achieve an exit from rehabilitation through a consensual plan, he would advise the Rehabilitator to use all tools available to accomplish a successful and durable exit that enhances Ambac Assurance's long-term claims-paying ability. While the terms, conditions, and timing of a potential conclusion of the Segregated Account Rehabilitation Proceedings are in the sole discretion of the OCI, and subject to the approval of the Rehabilitation Court, from time to time Ambac Assurance has 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 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 the Rehabilitation Court. The execution of Ambac’s strategy to increase the value of its investment in Ambac Assurance is subject to the authority of the Rehabilitator 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. The Rehabilitator's authority includes, but is not limited to, sole discretion over the rate at which the Segregated Account pays claims and the accretion rate on Deferred Amounts. 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 selective business transactions for Ambac, no assurance can be given that we will be able to execute the acquisition or development of any new businesses or assets. 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 or assets that may permit utilization of Ambac’s tax net operating loss carry-forwards. 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 and nine months ended September 30, 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. United Kingdom Referendum In a non-binding referendum on the United Kingdom’s (“UK”) membership in the European Union in June 2016, a majority of those who voted approved the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union (“EU”). A withdrawal by the UK from the European Union (“Brexit”) would occur after, or possibly concurrently with, a process of negotiation regarding the future terms of the UK’s relationship with the EU, which could result in the UK losing access to certain aspects of the single EU market and the global trade deals negotiated by the EU on behalf of its members. The Brexit vote and the perceptions as to the impact of the withdrawal of the UK may adversely affect business activity, political stability and economic conditions in the UK, the Eurozone, the EU and elsewhere. The economic outlook could be further adversely affected by (i) the risk that one or more other EU countries could come under increasing pressure to leave the EU, (ii) the risk of a greater demand for independence by Scottish nationalists or for unification in Ireland, or (iii) the risk that the Euro as the single currency of the Eurozone could cease to exist. Any of these developments, or the perception that any of these developments are likely to occur, could have a material adverse effect on economic growth or business activity in the UK, the Eurozone, or the EU, and could result in the relocation of businesses, cause business interruptions, lead to economic recession or depression, and impact the stability of the financial markets, the availability of credit, political systems or financial institutions and the financial and monetary system. Consequently the medium and longer term impact on the UK generally, and Ambac Assurance UK Limited ("Ambac UK") specifically, is uncertain. The immediate impact on the UK included a decline in the value of the British Pound against major currencies, a decline in the value of certain UK assets, such as real-estate, and greater asset volatility.

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