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Commitments and Contingencies | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2015
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract] |
Commitments and Contingencies | Commitments and Contingencies We lease our home office space and certain equipment under various operating leases. Rent expense for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013 totaled $2.5 million, $2.5 million and $2.3 million, respectively. At December 31, 2015, the aggregate future minimum lease payments are $16.8 million. The following represents payments due by period for operating lease obligations as of December 31, 2015 (dollars in thousands):
Year Ending December 31: |
2016 | $ | 1,808 |
2017 | 1,611 |
2018 | 1,550 |
2019 | 1,529 |
2020 | 1,577 |
2021 and thereafter | 8,679 |
We are occasionally involved in litigation, both as a defendant and as a plaintiff. In addition, state regulatory bodies, such as state insurance departments, the SEC, FINRA, the Department of Labor, and other regulatory bodies regularly make inquiries and conduct examinations or investigations concerning our compliance with, among other things, insurance laws, securities laws, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, and laws governing the activities of broker/dealers. In accordance with applicable accounting guidelines, we establish an accrued liability for litigation and regulatory matters when those matters present loss contingencies that are both probable and estimable. As a litigation or regulatory matter is developing we, in conjunction with outside counsel, evaluate on an ongoing basis whether the matter presents a loss contingency that meets conditions indicating the need for accrual and/or disclosure, and if not the matter will continue to be monitored for further developments. If and when the loss contingency related to litigation or regulatory matters is deemed to be both probable and estimable, we will establish an accrued liability with respect to that matter and will continue to monitor the matter for further developments that may affect the amount of the accrued liability. Companies in the life insurance and annuity business have faced litigation, including class action lawsuits, alleging improper product design, improper sales practices and similar claims. We were a defendant in a purported class action, McCormack, et al. v. American Equity Investment Life Insurance Company, et al., in the United States District Court for the Central District of California, Western Division and Anagnostis v. American Equity, et al., coordinated in the Central District, entitled, In Re: American Equity Annuity Practices and Sales Litigation (complaint filed September 7, 2005) (the "Los Angeles Case"), involving allegations of improper sales practices and similar claims. The Los Angeles Case was a consolidated action involving several lawsuits filed by putative class members seeking class action status for a national class of purchasers of annuities issued by us. On July 30, 2013, the parties entered into a settlement agreement and stipulated to certification of the case as a class action for settlement purposes only. Notice of the terms of the settlement was mailed to the members of the class on October 7, 2013 and settlement claim forms were due from members of the class on or before December 6, 2013. On January 27, 2014, a hearing was held regarding the fairness of the settlement. On January 29, 2014, the District Court signed a final order approving the settlement and finding the settlement is fair and represents a complete resolution of all claims asserted on behalf of the class. On January 30, 2014, a final judgment was entered dismissing the case on the merits and with prejudice. On February 28, 2014, a member of the class filed an appeal of the District Court's approval of the terms of the settlement agreement with the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. On February 17, 2016, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed the District Court's approval of attorneys' fees and its approval of the settlement agreement. We recorded an estimated litigation liability of $17.5 million during the third quarter of 2012 related to the Los Angeles Case. We increased our estimated litigation liability for this matter to $21.2 million during the fourth quarter of 2013 following the passage of the deadline for submission of claims by class members in the lawsuit and based upon information available at that time. However, we decreased the liability by $2.3 million in the first quarter of 2014 as additional information became available concerning the nature and magnitude of the claims received. In addition, during the first quarter of 2014, we paid $7.8 million in legal fees to the plaintiffs' counsel. The estimated litigation liability at December 31, 2015 is $11.1 million. While review of the claim forms has been stayed due to the appeal and it is difficult to predict the amount of the liabilities that will ultimately result from the completion of the claims process, the $11.1 million litigation liability represents our best estimate of probable loss with respect to this litigation. In light of the inherent uncertainties involved in the matter described above, there can be no assurance that such litigation, or any other pending or future litigation, will not have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, or results of operations. In addition to our commitments to fund mortgage loans, we have unfunded commitments at December 31, 2015 to limited partnerships of $46.6 million and to secured bank loans of $18.7 million.

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