Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis
Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Index to Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Page
Introduction
58
Executive Summary
58
Industry Trends and Uncertainties
59
Summary of Critical Accounting Estimates
60
Non-GAAP and Other Financial Disclosures
63
Results of Operations
65
Investments
72
Derivatives
81
Policyholder Liabilities
82
Liquidity and Capital Resources
85
Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
92
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For purposes of this discussion, “Brighthouse Financial,” the “Company,” “we,” “our” and “us” refer to Brighthouse Financial, Inc. and its subsidiaries, and “BHF” refers solely to Brighthouse Financial, Inc., the ultimate holding company for all of our subsidiaries, and not to any of its subsidiaries. This Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations should be read in conjunction with (i) the Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements and related notes included elsewhere herein; (ii) our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on February 23, 2023 (the “2022 Annual Report”); and (iii) our current reports on Form 8-K filed in 2023.
Introduction
This Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations is intended to help the reader understand the results of operations, financial condition and cash flows of Brighthouse Financial for the periods indicated. Prior to discussing our results of operations, we present information that we believe is useful to understanding the discussion of our financial results. This information precedes our results of operations discussion and is most beneficial when read in the sequence presented. A summary of key informational sections is as follows:
• “Executive Summary” provides summarized information regarding our business, segments and financial results.
• “Industry Trends and Uncertainties” discusses updates and changes to a number of trends and uncertainties included in our 2022 Annual Report that we believe may materially affect our future financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.
• “Summary of Critical Accounting Estimates” explains the most critical estimates and judgments applied in determining our results in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”).
• “Non-GAAP and Other Financial Disclosures” defines key financial measures presented in our results of operations discussion that are not calculated in accordance with GAAP but are used by management in evaluating company and segment performance. As described in this section, adjusted earnings is presented by key business activities which are derived, but different, from the line items presented in the GAAP statements of operations. This section also refers to certain other terms used to describe our insurance business and financial and operating metrics but is not intended to be exhaustive.
Our Results of Operations discussion and analysis presents a review for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022 and period-over-period comparisons between these periods.
Certain amounts presented in prior periods within the following discussions of our financial results have been reclassified to conform with the current year presentation.
Executive Summary
We are one of the largest providers of annuity and life insurance products in the U.S. through multiple independent distribution channels and marketing arrangements with a diverse network of distribution partners. We are organized into three segments: (i) Annuities, (ii) Life and (iii) Run-off, which consists of products that are no longer actively sold and are separately managed. In addition, we report certain of our results of operations in Corporate & Other. See “Business — Segments and Corporate & Other” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Executive Summary” included in our 2022 Annual Report, as well as Note 3 of the Notes to the Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements for further information regarding our segments and Corporate & Other.
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Net income (loss) available to shareholders and adjusted earnings, a non-GAAP financial measure, were as follows:
Three Months Ended
March 31,
2023 2022
(In millions)
Income (loss) available to shareholders before provision for income tax
$ (681) $ 1,974
Less: Provision for income tax expense (benefit) (156) 416
Net income (loss) available to shareholders (1) $ (525) $ 1,558
Pre-tax adjusted earnings, less net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests and preferred stock dividends
$ 230 $ 485
Less: Provision for income tax expense (benefit) 35 105
Adjusted earnings $ 195 $ 380
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(1) We use the term “net income (loss) available to shareholders” to refer to “net income (loss) available to Brighthouse Financial, Inc.’s common shareholders” throughout the results of operations discussions.
For the three months ended March 31, 2023, we had a net loss available to shareholders of $525 million and adjusted earnings of $195 million compared to net income available to shareholders of $1.6 billion and adjusted earnings of $380 million for the three months ended March 31, 2022. Net loss available to shareholders for the three months ended March 31, 2023 primarily reflects net unfavorable changes in the estimated fair value of our variable annuity guaranteed benefit riders due to market factors, net investment losses on sales of fixed maturity securities and net investment losses on mortgage loans. These unfavorable impacts were partially offset by favorable pre-tax adjusted earnings and decreasing long-term interest rates resulting in a favorable change in the estimated fair value of freestanding interest rate derivatives we use to hedge our universal life with secondary guarantees (“ULSG”) business.
See “— Non-GAAP and Other Financial Disclosures.” See “— Results of Operations” for a detailed discussion of our results.
Industry Trends and Uncertainties
Throughout this Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, we discuss a number of trends and uncertainties that we believe may materially affect our future financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. Where these trends or uncertainties are specific to a particular aspect of our business, we often include such a discussion under the relevant caption of this Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, as part of our broader analysis of that area of our business. Refer to “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Industry Trends and Uncertainties” included in our 2022 Annual Report for a comprehensive discussion of some of the key general trends and uncertainties that have influenced the development of our business and our historical financial performance and that we believe will continue to influence our business and results of operations in the future. In addition, significant changes or updates in certain of these trends and uncertainties are discussed below.
Financial and Economic Environment
Our business and results of operations are materially affected by conditions in the capital markets and the economy generally. Stressed conditions, volatility and disruptions in the capital markets or financial asset classes can have an adverse effect on us. Equity market performance can affect our profitability for variable annuities and other separate account products as a result of the effects it has on product demand, revenues, expenses, reserves and our risk management effectiveness. The level of long-term interest rates and the shape of the yield curve can have a negative effect on the profitability for variable annuities and the demand for, and the profitability of, spread-based products such as fixed annuities, index-linked annuities and universal life insurance. Low interest rates and risk premium, including credit spread, affect new money rates on invested assets and the cost of product guarantees. Insurance premium growth and demand for our products is impacted by the general health of U.S. economic activity. A sustained or material increase in inflation could also affect our business in several ways. During inflationary periods, the value of fixed income investments falls which could increase realized and unrealized losses. Interest rates have increased and may continue to increase due to central bank policy responses to combat inflation, which may positively impact our business in certain respects, but could also increase the risk of a recession or an equity market downturn and could negatively impact various portions of our business, including our investment portfolio. Inflation also
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increases our expenses (including, among others, for labor and third-party services), potentially putting pressure on profitability if such costs cannot be passed through to policyholders in our product prices. Prolonged and elevated inflation could adversely affect the financial markets and the economy generally and dispelling it may require governments to pursue a restrictive fiscal and monetary policy, which could constrain overall economic activity and inhibit revenue growth. Events involving limited liquidity, defaults, nonperformance or other adverse developments that affect financial institutions or the financial services industry generally, or concerns or rumors about events of these kinds or other similar risks, could adversely affect market-wide liquidity, which could increase the risk of a recession or an equity market downturn and negatively impact various portions of our business, including our investment portfolio. See “Risk Factors — Economic Environment and Capital Markets-Related Risks — If difficult conditions in the capital markets and the U.S. economy generally persist or are perceived to persist, they may materially adversely affect our business and results of operations” and “Risk Factors — Risks Related to our Investment Portfolio — Our investment portfolio is subject to significant financial risks both in the U.S. and global financial markets, including credit risk, interest rate risk, inflation risk, market valuation risk, liquidity risk, real estate risk, derivatives risk, and other factors outside our control, the occurrence of any of which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations” included in our 2022 Annual Report.
We continue to closely monitor political and economic conditions that might contribute to market volatility and their impact on our business operations, investment portfolio and derivatives, such as global inflation, uncertainty and instability in certain asset classes (including commercial real estate), supply chain disruptions and the Russia-Ukraine conflict. See “— Investments — Current Environment” herein, as well as “Risk Factors — Economic Environment and Capital Markets-Related Risks,” “Risk Factors — Risks Related to our Investment Portfolio,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Risk Management Strategies,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Industry Trends and Uncertainties” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations —Investments” included in our 2022 Annual Report for a detailed discussion of financial and economic impacts on our business, including the potential impacts of interest rate risk and inflation risk on our investments and overall business.
COVID-19 Pandemic
We continue to closely monitor developments related to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has negatively impacted us in certain respects. At this time, it continues to not be possible to estimate the severity, duration and frequency of any additional “waves” or emerging variants of COVID-19. It likewise remains not possible to predict or estimate the longer-term effects of the pandemic, or any actions taken to contain or address the pandemic, on the economy at large and on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects, including the impact on our investment portfolio and our ratings, or the need for us to revisit or revise any targets we may provide to the markets or any aspects of our business model. See “Business — Regulation,” “Risk Factors — Risks Related to Our Business — Public health crises, extreme mortality events or similar occurrences may adversely impact our business, financial condition, or results of operations, as well as the economy in general” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Industry Trends and Uncertainties — COVID-19 Pandemic” included in our 2022 Annual Report.
Regulatory Developments
Our insurance subsidiaries and Brighthouse Reinsurance Company of Delaware (“BRCD”) are regulated primarily at the state level, with some products and services also subject to federal regulation. In addition, BHF and its insurance subsidiaries are subject to regulation under the insurance holding company laws of various U.S. jurisdictions. Furthermore, some of our operations, products and services are subject to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, consumer protection laws, securities, broker-dealer and investment advisor regulations, as well as environmental and unclaimed property laws and regulations. See “Business — Regulation,” as well as “Risk Factors — Regulatory and Legal Risks” included in our 2022 Annual Report, as amended or supplemented by our subsequent Quarterly Reports under the heading “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Industry Trends and Uncertainties — Regulatory Developments.”
Summary of Critical Accounting Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to adopt accounting policies and make estimates and assumptions that affect amounts reported on the Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.
In connection with the adoption of new guidance on long-duration contracts (ASU 2018-12, Financial Services-Insurance (Topic 944): Targeted Improvements to the Accounting for Long-Duration Contracts (“LDTI”)), the Company updated its impacted critical accounting estimates as described below.
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The most critical estimates include those used in determining:
• liability for future policy benefits (“LFPB”);
• estimated fair values of market risk benefits (“MRB”);
• estimated fair values of freestanding derivatives and the recognition and estimated fair value of embedded derivatives requiring bifurcation; and
• measurement of income taxes and the valuation of deferred tax assets.
In applying our accounting policies, we make subjective and complex judgments that frequently require estimates about matters that are inherently uncertain. Many of these policies, estimates and related judgments are common in the insurance and financial services industries; others are specific to our business and operations. Actual results could differ from these estimates.
The above critical accounting estimates are described below and in Note 1 of the Notes to the Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Summary of Critical Accounting Estimates” in the 2022 Annual Report for a description of income taxes and the valuation of deferred tax assets, which remains unchanged following the adoption of LDTI.
Liability for Future Policy Benefits
The Company establishes an LFPB for non-participating term and whole life insurance and income annuities. LFPBs are accrued over time as revenue is recognized based on a net premium ratio. The net premium ratio is the portion of gross premiums required to provide for all future benefits. LFPBs are established using the Company’s current assumptions of future cash flows, discounted at a rate that approximates a single A corporate bond curve. The Company generally aggregates insurance contracts into groupings by issue year, product and segment for determining the net premium ratio and related LFPBs.
The Company reviews cash flow assumptions regularly, and, if they change significantly, LFPBs are adjusted by determining a revised net premium ratio. The revised net premium ratio is calculated as of contract inception using both actual historical experience and updated future cash flow assumptions. The recalculated net premium ratio is applied to derive a remeasurement gain or loss recognized in current period net income. The net premium ratio is also updated for the difference between actual and expected experience.
The measurement of our LFPBs can be significantly impacted by changes in assumptions for mortality, policy lapses and market interest rates. See Note 4 of the Notes to the Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information on the effects of changes in assumptions on the measurement of our LFPBs.
The Company establishes a liability in addition to the account balance for secondary guarantees on universal life insurance. These liabilities are determined by estimating the expected value of death benefits payable when the account balance is projected to be zero and recognizing those benefits ratably over the contract period based on total expected assessments. The benefits used in calculating the liabilities are based on the average benefits payable over a range of scenarios. The Company also maintains a liability for profits followed by losses on ULSG determined by projecting future earnings and establishing a liability to offset losses that are expected to occur in later years.
The Company reviews cash flow assumptions regularly, and, if they change significantly, the liability for secondary guarantees is adjusted by a cumulative charge or credit to net income.
The measurement of our ULSG liabilities can be significantly impacted by changes in assumptions for the general account rate of return, which is driven by our assumption for long-term treasury yields, and changes in assumptions for premium, premium persistency, mortality and lapses. The Company’s practice of projecting treasury yields uses a mean reversion approach that assumes that long-term interest rates are less influenced by short-term fluctuations and are only changed when sustained interim deviations are expected. As part of our 2022 annual actuarial review, we increased our projected long-term general account earned rate, as well as our mean reversion rate over a period of ten years from 3.00% to 3.50%. We also updated other assumptions related to ULSG, see “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Results of Operations — Annual Actuarial Review” included in our 2022 Annual Report.
See Note 4 of the Notes to the Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information on the effects of inputs and assumptions on the measurement of ULSG liabilities.
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Market Risk Benefits
MRBs principally include guaranteed minimum benefits on variable annuity contracts, including reinsured benefits related to these guarantees.
The estimated fair value of variable annuity guarantees accounted for as MRBs is determined based on the present value of projected future benefits, less the present value of projected future fees attributable to the guarantees. At policy inception, the Company determines an attributed fee ratio by solving for a percentage of projected future rider fees to be collected from the policyholder equal to the present value of projected future guaranteed benefits. To the extent the rider fees are insufficient, the Company may also include fees related to mortality and expense charges in the attributed fee ratio, provided the total fees included in the calculation do not exceed total contract fees and assessments collected from the contract holder. The attributed fee ratio is not updated in subsequent periods.
The Company updates the estimated fair value of variable annuity guarantees in subsequent periods by projecting future benefits using capital markets inputs and actuarial assumptions, including expectations of policyholder behavior. A risk neutral valuation methodology is used to project the cash flows from the guarantees under multiple capital markets scenarios. The reported estimated fair value is then determined by taking the present value of these cash flows using a discount rate that incorporates a spread over the risk-free rate to reflect the Company’s nonperformance risk and adding a risk margin (as discussed below). For more information on the determination of estimated fair value of MRBs, see Note 8 of the Notes to the Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.
The valuation of MRBs includes an adjustment for the risk that the Company fails to satisfy its obligations, which is referred to as nonperformance risk. The nonperformance risk adjustment is captured as an additional spread applied to the risk-free rate in determining the rate to discount the cash flows of the liability. The spread over the risk-free rate is based on our creditworthiness taking into consideration publicly available information relating to spreads in the secondary market for Brighthouse Financial’s debt. These observable spreads are then adjusted, as necessary, to reflect the financial strength ratings of the issuing insurance subsidiaries as compared to the credit rating of Brighthouse Financial.
Risk margins are established to capture the non-capital markets risks of the instrument which represent the additional compensation a market participant would require to assume the risks related to the uncertainties in certain actuarial assumptions. The establishment of risk margins requires the use of significant actuarial judgment, including assumptions of the amount needed to cover the guarantees.
Actuarial assumptions are reviewed at least annually, and if they change significantly, the estimated fair value is adjusted through net income. Capital market inputs used in the measurement of variable annuity guarantees are updated quarterly through net income, except for the change attributable to the Company’s nonperformance risk, which is reported in other comprehensive income (loss) (“OCI”).
Market conditions, including, but not limited to, changes in interest rates, equity indices, market volatility and variations in actuarial assumptions, including policyholder behavior, mortality and risk margins related to non-capital markets inputs, as well as changes in nonperformance risk, may result in significant fluctuations in the estimated fair value of the guarantees. In 2022, the Company updated fund allocations, market volatility and maintenance expenses, as well as assumptions regarding policyholder behavior, including mortality, lapses and withdrawals. See Note 4 of the Notes to the Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information on the effects of changes in inputs and assumptions on the measurement of our liabilities for variable annuity guarantees.
Derivatives
We use freestanding derivative instruments to hedge various capital markets risks in our products, including: (i) certain variable annuity guarantees, which are reported as MRBs; (ii) index-linked interest credited features, which are reported as embedded derivatives; (iii) current or future changes in the fair value of our assets and liabilities; and (iv) current or future changes in cash flows. All derivatives, whether freestanding or embedded, are required to be carried on the balance sheet at fair value with changes reflected in either net income (loss) available to shareholders or in OCI, depending on the type of hedge. Below is a summary of critical accounting estimates by type of derivative.
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Freestanding Derivatives
The determination of the estimated fair value of freestanding derivatives, when quoted market values are not available, is based on market standard valuation methodologies and inputs that management believes are consistent with what other market participants would use when pricing such instruments. Derivative valuations can be affected by changes in interest rates, foreign currency exchange rates, financial indices, credit spreads, default risk, nonperformance risk, volatility, liquidity and changes in estimates and assumptions used in the pricing models. See Note 8 of the Notes to the Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information on significant inputs into the over-the-counter derivative pricing models and credit risk adjustment.
Embedded Derivatives in Index-Linked Annuities
The Company issues, and assumes through reinsurance, index-linked annuities, including Shield ® Level Annuities (“Shield” and “Shield Annuities”), that contain crediting rates classified as embedded derivatives. The crediting rates are measured at estimated fair value separately from the fixed annuity host contracts, which is determined using a combination of an option pricing methodology and an option-budget approach. The estimated fair value includes capital market inputs and actuarial policyholder behavior assumptions, including expectations for renewals at the end of the term period. Actuarial assumptions are reviewed at least annually, and, if they change significantly, the estimated fair value is adjusted through net income. Capital market inputs used in the measurement of crediting rate embedded derivatives are updated quarterly through net income.
Market conditions, including interest rates and implied volatilities, and variations in actuarial assumptions and risk margins, as well as changes in our nonperformance risk adjustment, may result in significant fluctuations in the estimated fair value that could have a material impact on net income. See Note 8 of the Notes to the Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements for more information on the determination of estimated fair value of crediting rate embedded derivatives.
Non-GAAP and Other Financial Disclosures
Our definitions of non-GAAP and other financial measures may differ from those used by other companies.
Non-GAAP Financial Disclosures
Adjusted Earnings
In this report, we present adjusted earnings as a measure of our performance that is not calculated in accordance with GAAP. Adjusted earnings is used by management to evaluate performance and facilitate comparisons to industry results. We believe the presentation of adjusted earnings, as the Company measures it for management purposes, enhances the understanding of our performance by the investor community by highlighting the results of operations and the underlying profitability drivers of our business. Adjusted earnings should not be viewed as a substitute for net income (loss) available to Brighthouse Financial, Inc.’s common shareholders, which is the most directly comparable financial measure calculated in accordance with GAAP. See “— Results of Operations” for a reconciliation of adjusted earnings to net income (loss) available to Brighthouse Financial, Inc.’s common shareholders.
Adjusted earnings, which may be positive or negative, focuses on our primary businesses by excluding the impact of market volatility, which could distort trends.
The following are significant items excluded from total revenues in calculating adjusted earnings:
• Net investment gains (losses); and
• Net derivative gains (losses), excluding earned income and amortization of premium on derivatives that are hedges of investments or that are used to replicate certain investments, but do not qualify for hedge accounting treatment (“Investment Hedge Adjustments”).
The following are significant items excluded from total expenses in calculating adjusted earnings:
• Change in MRBs; and
• Change in fair value of the crediting rate on experience-rated contracts (“Market Value Adjustments”).
The tax impact of the adjustments discussed above is calculated net of the statutory tax rate, which could differ from our effective tax rate.
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We present adjusted earnings in a manner consistent with management’s view of the primary business activities that drive the profitability of our core businesses. The following table illustrates how each component of adjusted earnings is calculated from the GAAP statements of operations line items:
Component of Adjusted Earnings How Derived from GAAP (1)
(i) Fee income (i) Universal life and investment-type product policy fees plus Other revenues .
(ii) Net investment spread (ii) Net investment income plus Investment Hedge Adjustments reduced by Interest credited to policyholder account balances (excluding Market Value Adjustments) and interest on future policy benefits.
(iii) Insurance-related activities (iii) Premiums less Policyholder benefits and claims , excluding interest on future policy benefits.
(iv) Amortization of DAC and VOBA (iv) Amortization of deferred policy acquisition costs (“DAC”) and value of business acquired (“VOBA”) .
(v) Other expenses
(v) Other expenses.
(vi) Provision for income tax expense (benefit) (vi) Tax impact of the above items.
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(1) Italicized items indicate GAAP statements of operations line items.
Consistent with GAAP guidance for segment reporting, adjusted earnings is also our GAAP measure of segment performance. Accordingly, we report adjusted earnings by segment in Note 3 of the Notes to the Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.
Adjusted Net Investment Income
We present adjusted net investment income to measure our performance for management purposes, and we believe it enhances the understanding of our investment portfolio results. Adjusted net investment income represents GAAP net investment income, plus Investment Hedge Adjustments. For a reconciliation of adjusted net investment income to net investment income, the most directly comparable GAAP measure, see table note (3) to the summary yield table located in “— Investments — Current Environment — Investment Portfolio Results.”
Other Financial Disclosures
Similar to adjusted net investment income, we present net investment income yields as a performance measure we believe enhances the understanding of our investment portfolio results. Net investment income yields are calculated on adjusted net investment income as a percentage of average quarterly asset carrying values. Asset carrying values exclude unrealized gains (losses), collateral received in connection with our securities lending program, freestanding derivative assets and collateral received from derivative counterparties. Investment fee and expense yields are calculated as a percentage of average quarterly asset estimated fair values. Asset estimated fair values exclude collateral received in connection with our securities lending program, freestanding derivative assets and collateral received from derivative counterparties.
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Results of Operations
Consolidated Results for the Three Months Ended March 31, 2023 and 2022
Unless otherwise noted, all amounts in the following discussions of our results of operations are stated before income tax except for adjusted earnings, which are presented net of income tax.
Three Months Ended
March 31,
2023 2022
(In millions)
Revenues
Premiums $ 197 $ 166
Universal life and investment-type product policy fees 606 680
Net investment income 1,059 1,151
Other revenues 93 138
Net investment gains (losses) (96) (68)
Net derivative gains (losses) (575) (54)
Total revenues 1,284 2,013
Expenses
Policyholder benefits and claims (including liability remeasurement gains (losses) of $0 and $0, respectively)
687 675
Interest credited to policyholder account balances 422 248
Amortization of DAC and VOBA 156 157
Change in market risk benefits 194 (1,579)
Interest expense on debt 38 38
Other expenses 440 471
Total expenses 1,937 10
Income (loss) before provision for income tax (653) 2,003
Provision for income tax expense (benefit) (156) 416
Net income (loss) (497) 1,587
Less: Net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests 2 2
Net income (loss) attributable to Brighthouse Financial, Inc. (499) 1,585
Less: Preferred stock dividends 26 27
Net income (loss) available to Brighthouse Financial, Inc.’s common shareholders
$ (525) $ 1,558
The components of net income (loss) available to shareholders were as follows:
Three Months Ended
March 31,
2023 2022
(In millions)
Change in market risk benefits $ (194) $ 1,579
Net investment gains (losses) (96) (68)
Net derivative gains (losses) (575) (54)
Other adjustments (46) 32
Pre-tax adjusted earnings, less net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests and preferred stock dividends
230 485
Income (loss) available to shareholders before provision for income tax (681) 1,974
Provision for income tax expense (benefit) (156) 416
Net income (loss) available to shareholders
$ (525) $ 1,558
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Three Months Ended March 31, 2023 Compared with the Three Months Ended March 31, 2022
Loss available to shareholders before provision for income tax was $681 million ($525 million, net of income tax), a decrease of $2.7 billion ($2.1 billion, net of income tax) from income available to shareholders before provision for income tax of $2.0 billion ($1.6 billion, net of income tax) in the prior period.
The decrease in income before provision for income tax was driven by the following unfavorable items:
• losses from variable annuity guaranteed benefit riders, see “— Annuity Guaranteed Benefits and Shield Annuity Liabilities for the Three Months Ended March 31, 2023 and 2022”; and
• lower pre-tax adjusted earnings, as discussed in greater detail below.
The decrease in income before provision for income tax was partially offset by the favorable impact of long-term interest rates on interest rate derivatives used to manage interest rate exposure in our ULSG business, as the long-term interest rate decreased in the current period resulting in a gain of $141 million and increased in the prior period resulting in a loss of $540 million.
The provision for income tax, expressed as a percentage of income (loss) before provision for income tax, resulted in an effective tax rate of 24% in the current period compared to 21% in the prior period. The increase in the effective tax rate was driven by lower pre-tax adjusted earnings, as discussed in greater detail below. Our effective tax rate differs from the statutory tax rate primarily due to the impacts of the dividends received deduction, tax credits and current period non-recurring items.
Reconciliation of Net Income (Loss) Available to Shareholders to Adjusted Earnings
The reconciliation of net income (loss) available to shareholders to adjusted earnings was as follows:
Three Months Ended March 31, 2023
Annuities Life Run-off Corporate & Other Total
(In millions)
Net income (loss) available to shareholders $ (697) $ (2) $ 260 $ (86) $ (525)
Add: Provision for income tax expense (benefit) 67 (1) (265) 43 (156)
Income (loss) available to shareholders before provision for income tax
(630) (3) (5) (43) (681)
Less: Net investment gains (losses) (72) (3) (7) (14) (96)
Less: Net derivative gains (losses) (743) 2 154 12 (575)
Less: Change in market risk benefits (194) — — — (194)
Less: Other adjustments (8) (2) (18) (18) (46)
Pre-tax adjusted earnings, less net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests and preferred stock dividends
387 — (134) (23) 230
Less: Provision for income tax expense (benefit) 73 (1) (28) (9) 35
Adjusted earnings $ 314 $ 1 $ (106) $ (14) $ 195
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Three Months Ended March 31, 2022
Annuities Life Run-off Corporate & Other Total
(In millions)
Net income (loss) available to shareholders $ 2,302 $ 50 $ (605) $ (189) $ 1,558
Add: Provision for income tax expense (benefit) 104 17 149 146 416
Income (loss) available to shareholders before provision for income tax
2,406 67 (456) (43) 1,974
Less: Net investment gains (losses) (40) (17) 10 (21) (68)
Less: Net derivative gains (losses) 433 1 (532) 44 (54)
Less: Change in market risk benefits 1,579 — — — 1,579
Less: Other adjustments (4) — 35 1 32
Pre-tax adjusted earnings, less net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests and preferred stock dividends
438 83 31 (67) 485
Less: Provision for income tax expense (benefit) 84 17 7 (3) 105
Adjusted earnings $ 354 $ 66 $ 24 $ (64) $ 380
Consolidated Results for the Three Months Ended March 31, 2023 and 2022 — Adjusted Earnings
The components of adjusted earnings were as follows:
Three Months Ended
March 31,
2023 2022
(In millions)
Fee income $ 699 $ 818
Net investment spread 656 846
Insurance-related activities (463) (484)
Amortization of DAC and VOBA (156) (157)
Other expenses (478) (509)
Less: Net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests and preferred stock dividends
28 29
Pre-tax adjusted earnings, less net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests and preferred stock dividends
230 485
Provision for income tax expense (benefit) 35 105
Adjusted earnings $ 195 $ 380
Three Months Ended March 31, 2023 Compared with the Three Months Ended March 31, 2022
Adjusted earnings were $195 million in the current period, a decrease of $185 million.
Key net unfavorable impacts were:
• lower net investment spread due to:
◦ lower returns on other limited partnerships compared to the prior period;
◦ higher interest credited to policyholders consistent with higher account balances; and
◦ lower returns on real estate limited partnerships and limited liability companies (“LLCs”);
partially offset by
◦ higher average invested assets resulting from positive net flows in the general account;
◦ higher investment yields on our fixed income portfolio, as proceeds from maturing investments and the growth in the investment portfolio were invested at higher yields than the portfolio average;
◦ higher investment yields and average invested long-term assets from funding agreements issued in connection with our institutional spread margin business; and
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◦ higher returns from short-term investments; and
• lower fee income due to lower asset-based fees resulting from lower average separate account balances, a portion of which is offset in other expenses.
Key net favorable impacts were:
• lower other expenses due to:
◦ lower asset-based variable annuity expenses resulting from lower average separate account balances, a portion of which is offset in fee income;
◦ lower transition services agreement expenses; and
◦ lower establishment costs, which were completed in 2022;
partially offset by
◦ lower deferred compensation and operational expenses; and
• lower net costs associated with insurance-related activities due to:
◦ an increase in the income annuity underwriting margin;
partially offset by
◦ higher paid claims, net of reinsurance, in our Run-off segment.
The provision for income tax, expressed as a percentage of pre-tax adjusted earnings, resulted in an effective tax rate of 14% in the current period compared to 20% in the prior period. Our effective tax rate differs from the statutory tax rate primarily due to the impacts of the dividends received deduction, tax credits and current period non-recurring items.
Segments and Corporate & Other Results for the Three Months Ended March 31, 2023 and 2022 — Adjusted Earnings
Annuities
The components of adjusted earnings for our Annuities segment were as follows:
Three Months Ended
March 31,
2023 2022
(In millions)
Fee income $ 510 $ 622
Net investment spread 353 365
Insurance-related activities (7) (50)
Amortization of DAC and VOBA (129) (127)
Other expenses (340) (372)
Pre-tax adjusted earnings 387 438
Provision for income tax expense (benefit) 73 84
Adjusted earnings $ 314 $ 354
A significant portion of our adjusted earnings is driven by separate account balances related to our variable annuity business. Most directly, these balances determine asset-based fee income and asset-based commissions. The changes in our variable annuities separate account balances are presented in Note 4 of the Notes to the Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.
Three Months Ended March 31, 2023 Compared with the Three Months Ended March 31, 2022
Adjusted earnings were $314 million in the current period, a decrease of $40 million.
Key unfavorable impacts were:
• lower asset-based fees resulting from lower average separate account balances, a portion of which is offset in other expenses; and
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• lower net investment spread due to:
◦ higher interest credited to policyholders consistent with higher account balances; and
◦ lower returns on real estate limited partnerships and LLCs;
partially offset by
◦ higher average invested assets resulting from positive net flows in the general account;
◦ higher investment yields on our fixed income portfolio, as proceeds from maturing investments and the growth in the investment portfolio were invested at higher yields than the portfolio average; and
◦ higher returns from short-term investments.
Key favorable impacts were:
• lower costs associated with insurance-related activities due to an increase in income annuity underwriting margins; and
• lower other expenses due to:
◦ lower asset-based variable annuity expenses resulting from lower average separate account balances, a portion of which is offset in fee income; and
◦ lower transition services agreement expenses.
The provision for income tax, expressed as a percentage of pre-tax adjusted earnings, resulted in an effective tax rate of 19% in both the current period and prior period. Our effective tax rate differs from the statutory tax rate primarily due to the impact of the dividends received deduction.
Life
The components of adjusted earnings for our Life segment were as follows:
Three Months Ended
March 31,
2023 2022
(In millions)
Fee income $ 73 $ 62
Net investment spread 52 131
Insurance-related activities (48) (51)
Amortization of DAC and VOBA (27) (30)
Other expenses (50) (29)
Pre-tax adjusted earnings — 83
Provision for income tax expense (benefit) (1) 17
Adjusted earnings $ 1 $ 66
Three Months Ended March 31, 2023 Compared with the Three Months Ended March 31, 2022
Adjusted earnings were $1 million in the current period, a decrease of $65 million.
Key unfavorable impacts were:
• lower net investment spread due to lower returns on other limited partnerships compared to the prior period; and
• higher other expenses due to:
◦ lower ceded cost of insurance expenses consistent with favorable equity market returns, which is offset in fee income; and
◦ higher deferred compensation and operational expenses.
Key favorable impact was:
• higher fee income due to lower ceded cost of insurance fees consistent with favorable equity market returns, which is offset in other expenses.
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The provision for income tax, expressed as a percentage of pre-tax adjusted earnings, resulted in a lower effective tax rate in the current period compared to the prior period. Our effective tax rate differs from the statutory tax rate primarily due to the impact of the dividends received deduction.
Run-off
The components of adjusted earnings for our Run-off segment were as follows:
Three Months Ended
March 31,
2023 2022
(In millions)
Fee income $ 126 $ 134
Net investment spread 188 323
Insurance-related activities (408) (382)
Amortization of DAC and VOBA — —
Other expenses (40) (44)
Pre-tax adjusted earnings (134) 31
Provision for income tax expense (benefit) (28) 7
Adjusted earnings $ (106) $ 24
Three Months Ended March 31, 2023 Compared with the Three Months Ended March 31, 2022
Adjusted earnings were a loss of $106 million in the current period, a decrease of $130 million.
Key net unfavorable impacts were:
• lower net investment spread due to lower returns on other limited partnerships compared to the prior period; and
• higher net costs associated with insurance-related activities due to higher paid claims, net of reinsurance in our ULSG business.
The provision for income tax, expressed as a percentage of pre-tax adjusted earnings, resulted in an effective tax rate of 21% in the current period compared to 23% in the prior period. Our effective tax rate differs from the statutory tax rate primarily due to the impact of the dividends received deduction.
Corporate & Other
The components of adjusted earnings for Corporate & Other were as follows:
Three Months Ended
March 31,
2023 2022
(In millions)
Fee income $ (10) $ —
Net investment spread 63 27
Insurance-related activities — (1)
Amortization of DAC and VOBA — —
Other expenses (48) (64)
Less: Net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests and preferred stock dividends
28 29
Pre-tax adjusted earnings, less net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests and preferred stock dividends
(23) (67)
Provision for income tax expense (benefit) (9) (3)
Adjusted earnings $ (14) $ (64)
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Three Months Ended March 31, 2023 Compared with the Three Months Ended March 31, 2022
Adjusted earnings were a loss of $14 million in the current period, a lower loss of $50 million.
Key favorable impacts were:
• higher net investment spread due to:
◦ higher investment yields and average invested long-term assets from funding agreements issued in connection with our institutional spread margin business; and
◦ higher returns from short-term investments; and
• lower other expenses due to lower establishment costs, which were completed in 2022.
The provision for income tax, expressed as a percentage of pre-tax adjusted earnings, resulted in a lower effective tax rate in the current period compared to the prior period. Our effective tax rate differs from the statutory tax rate primarily due to the impacts of the dividends received deduction, tax credits and current period non-recurring items. We believe the effective tax rate for Corporate & Other is not generally meaningful, neither on a standalone basis nor for comparison to prior periods, since taxes for Corporate & Other are derived from the difference between the overall consolidated effective tax rate and total taxes for the combined operating segments.
Annuity Guaranteed Benefits and Shield Annuity Liabilities for the Three Months Ended March 31, 2023 and 2022
The overall impact on income (loss) available to shareholders before provision for income tax from the performance of variable annuity guaranteed benefits and Shield annuity liabilities, which includes (i) changes in the fair value of liabilities and reinsurance, (ii) fees net of claims and (iii) the mark-to-market of hedges, was as follows:
Three Months Ended
March 31,
2023 2022
(In millions)
Market risk benefits mark-to-market $ (304) $ 1,428
Annuity guaranteed benefit rider fees, net of claims 118 178
Ceded reinsurance (2) (27)
Total changes attributable to annuity guaranteed benefits liabilities (188) 1,579
Variable annuity hedges 365 (316)
Shield embedded derivatives (1,073) 701
Total annuity guaranteed benefits and Shield annuity liabilities $ (896) $ 1,964
Market Risk Benefits Mark-to-Market. Annuity guaranteed rider benefits are accounted for as MRBs. Liabilities related to guarantee rider benefits represent the current estimated fair value of the obligation to protect policyholders against the possibility that a downturn in the markets will reduce the specified benefits that can be claimed under the base annuity contract. Any periods of significant or sustained downturns in equity markets, increased equity volatility, or reduced interest rates could result in an increase in the valuation of these liabilities. An increase in these liabilities would result in a decrease to our net income (loss) available to shareholders, which could be significant.
Annuity Guaranteed Benefit Rider Fees, Net of Claims. We earn fees from the guarantee rider benefits, which are calculated based on the policyholder’s Benefit Base. Fees calculated based on the Benefit Base are more stable in market downturns, compared to fees based on the account value because the Benefit Base excludes the impact of a decline in the market value of the policyholder’s account value. We use the fees directly earned from the guarantee riders to fund the reserves, future claims and costs associated with the hedges of market risks inherent in these liabilities. The future fees are included in the estimated fair value of MRB liabilities, with changes recorded in MRBs.
Variable Annuity Hedges and Reinsurance. We enter into freestanding derivatives to hedge certain aspects of the annuity guaranteed benefits accounted for as MRBs and index-linked crediting rates accounted for as embedded derivatives. Generally, the same market factors that impact the estimated fair value of the guarantee rider impact the value of the hedges, though in the opposite direction. However, the changes in value of MRBs and related hedges may not be symmetrical and the divergence could be significant due to certain factors, including unhedged risks within MRBs. We may also use reinsurance to manage our exposure related to MRBs.
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Shield Embedded Derivatives. Shield Annuities provide the contract holder the ability to participate in the appreciation of certain financial markets up to a stated level, while offering protection from a portion of declines in the applicable indices or benchmark. We believe that Shield Annuities provide us with a risk offset to liabilities related to guarantee rider benefits.
See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Risk Management Strategies — Variable Annuity Exposure Risk Management” in our 2022 Annual Report for discussion of our management of our hedging strategy associated with our variable annuity business, which remains unchanged following the adoption of LDTI.
Three Months Ended March 31, 2023 Compared with the Three Months Ended March 31, 2022
Annuity guaranteed benefits and Shield annuity liabilities performance was unfavorable for the three months ended March 31, 2023, primarily driven by:
• increases in annuity guaranteed benefits liabilities due to decreasing interest rates, partially offset by increasing equity markets;
• favorable changes in variable annuity hedges due to decreasing long-term interest rates, partially offset by the negative impact from increasing equity markets; and
• unfavorable changes in Shield embedded derivatives due to increasing equity markets.
Annuity guaranteed benefits and Shield annuity liabilities performance was favorable for the three months ended March 31, 2022, primarily driven by:
• decreases in annuity guaranteed benefits liabilities due to increasing interest rates, partially offset by decreasing equity markets;
• unfavorable changes in variable annuity hedges due to increasing long-term interest rates, partially offset by the positive impact from decreasing equity markets; and
• favorable changes in Shield embedded derivatives due to decreasing equity markets, partially offset by increasing interest rates.
Investments
Investment Risk Management Strategy
We manage the risks related to our investment portfolio through asset-type allocation as well as industry and issuer diversification. We also use risk limits to promote diversification by asset sector, avoid concentrations in any single issuer and limit overall aggregate credit and equity risk exposure. We manage real estate risk through geographic, property type and product type diversification and asset allocation. Interest rate risk is managed as part of our Asset Liability Management (“ALM”) strategies. We also utilize product design, such as the use of market value adjustment features and surrender charges to manage interest rate risk. These ALM strategies include maintaining an investment portfolio that targets a weighted average duration that reflects the duration of our estimated liability cash flow profile. For certain of our liability portfolios, it is not possible to invest assets for the full liability duration, thereby creating some asset/liability mismatch. We also use certain derivatives in the management of credit, interest rate, equity market and foreign currency exchange rate risks.
Investment Management Agreements
Other than our derivatives trading, which we manage in-house, we have engaged a select group of experienced external asset management firms to manage the investment of the assets comprising our general account portfolio and certain separate account assets of our insurance subsidiaries, as well as assets of BHF and our reinsurance subsidiary, BRCD.
Current Environment
Our business and results of operations are materially affected by conditions in capital markets and the economy, generally. As a U.S. insurance company, we are affected by the monetary policy of the Federal Reserve Board (the “Federal Reserve”) in the U.S. The Federal Reserve may increase or decrease the federal funds rate in the future, which may have an impact on the pricing levels of risk-bearing investments and may adversely impact the level of product sales. We are also affected by the monetary policy of central banks around the world due to the diversification of our investment portfolio. See “— Industry Trends and Uncertainties — Financial and Economic Environment.”
In 2023, the Federal Reserve increased the target range for the federal funds rate three times — from between 4.25% and 4.50% to between 4.50% and 4.75% on February 1, 2023; to between 4.75% and 5.00% on March 22, 2023; and to between
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5.00% and 5.25% on May 3, 2023. These target range increases have contributed to a decrease in the net unrealized gains in our investment portfolio, and any additional target increases could similarly contribute to further decreases.
In the current period, as a result of rising interest rates, the unrealized losses on our fixed maturity securities exceeded the unrealized gains. If interest rates continue to rise, our unrealized gains would decrease, and our unrealized losses would increase, perhaps substantially.
See “Risk Factors — Risks Related to Our Investment Portfolio — Our investment portfolio is subject to significant financial risks both in the U.S. and global financial markets, including credit risk, interest rate risk, inflation risk, market valuation risk, liquidity risk, real estate risk, derivatives risk, and other factors outside our control, the occurrence of any of which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations” included in our 2022 Annual Report.
Selected Sector Investments
Recent elevated levels of market volatility have affected the performance of various asset classes. See “Risk Factors — Risks Related to Our Investment Portfolio — Our investment portfolio is subject to significant financial risks both in the U.S. and global financial markets, including credit risk, interest rate risk, inflation risk, market valuation risk, liquidity risk, real estate risk, derivatives risk, and other factors outside our control, the occurrence of any of which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations,” and “Risk Factors — Risks Related to Our Investment Portfolio — Ongoing military actions, the continued threat of terrorism, climate change as well as other catastrophic events may adversely affect the value of our investment portfolio and the level of claim losses we incur” included in our 2022 Annual Report.
There has been an increased market focus on commercial real estate, including office properties, as a result of companies shifting to hybrid work arrangements and the resulting impact on the demand for office space.
We have direct commercial real estate exposure through mortgage loans and certain structured securities. Structured securities include residential mortgage-backed securities (“RMBS”), commercial mortgage-backed securities (“CMBS”) and asset-backed securities (“ABS”) (collectively, “Structured Securities”). In addition, we have direct and indirect exposure through certain financial industry corporate fixed maturity securities. See “Risk Factors — Risks Related to Our Investment Portfolio — Our investment portfolio is subject to significant financial risks both in the U.S. and global financial markets, including credit risk, interest rate risk, inflation risk, market valuation risk, liquidity risk, real estate risk, derivatives risk, and other factors outside our control, the occurrence of any of which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations” included in our 2022 Annual Report, as well as “— Investments — Mortgage Loans” and Note 6 of the Notes to the Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements for information on mortgage loans, including credit quality by portfolio segment and commercial mortgage loans by property type. Additionally, see “— Investments — Fixed Maturity Securities Available-for-sale — Structured Securities” for information on Structured Securities, including security type, risk profile and ratings profile as well as “— Investments — Fixed Maturity Securities Available-for-sale — U.S. and Foreign Corporate Fixed Maturity Securities” for our exposure to the finance industry.
We monitor direct and indirect investment exposure across sectors and asset classes and adjust our level of investment exposure, as appropriate. At this time, we do not expect that our general account investments in these sectors and asset classes will have a material adverse effect on our results of operations or financial condition.
Investment Portfolio Results
The following summary yield table presents the yield and adjusted net investment income for our investment portfolio for the periods indicated. As described below, this table reflects certain differences from the presentation of net investment income presented in the GAAP statements of operations. This summary yield table presentation is consistent with how we measure our investment performance for management purposes, and we believe it enhances understanding of our investment portfolio results.
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Three Months Ended
March 31,
2023 2022
Yield % Amount Yield % Amount
(Dollars in millions)
Investment income (1) 3.96 % $ 1,136 4.50 % $ 1,195
Investment fees and expenses (2) (0.15) (39) (0.14) (38)
Adjusted net investment income (3) 3.81 % $ 1,097 4.36 % $ 1,157
_______________
(1) Investment income yields are calculated as investment income as a percentage of average quarterly asset carrying values. Investment income excludes recognized gains and losses and reflects the adjustments discussed in table note (3) below to arrive at adjusted net investment income. Asset carrying values exclude unrealized gains (losses), collateral received in connection with our securities lending program, freestanding derivative assets and collateral received from derivative counterparties.
(2) Investment fee and expense yields are calculated as a percentage of average quarterly asset estimated fair values. Asset estimated fair values exclude collateral received in connection with our securities lending program, freestanding derivative assets and collateral received from derivative counterparties.
(3) Adjusted net investment income presented in the yield table varies from the most directly comparable GAAP measure due to certain reclassifications, as presented below.
Three Months Ended
March 31,
2023 2022
(In millions)
Net investment income $ 1,059 $ 1,151
Less: Investment hedge adjustments (38) (6)
Adjusted net investment income — in the above yield table $ 1,097 $ 1,157
See “— Results of Operations — Consolidated Results for the Three Months Ended March 31, 2023 and 2022” for an analysis of the period-over-period changes in net investment income.
Fixed Maturity Securities Available-for-sale
Fixed maturity securities held by type (public or private) were as follows at:
March 31, 2023 December 31, 2022
Estimated
Fair Value % of
Total Estimated
Fair Value % of
Total
(Dollars in millions)
Publicly-traded $ 63,791 82.1 % $ 62,199 82.3 %
Privately-placed 13,894 17.9 13,378 17.7
Total fixed maturity securities $ 77,685 100.0 % $ 75,577 100.0 %
Percentage of cash and invested assets 67.6 % 67.1 %
See Note 8 of the Notes to the Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements for further information on our valuation controls and procedures including our formal process to challenge any prices received from independent pricing services that are not considered representative of estimated fair value.
See Notes 1 and 6 of the Notes to the Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements for further information about fixed maturity securities by sector, contractual maturities, continuous gross unrealized losses and the allowance for credit losses.
Fixed Maturity Securities Credit Quality — Ratings
See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Investments — Fixed Maturity Securities Available-for-sale — Fixed Maturity Securities Credit Quality — Ratings” included in our 2022 Annual Report for a discussion of the credit quality ratings assigned by Nationally Recognized Statistical Rating
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Organizations (“NRSRO”), credit quality designations assigned by and methodologies used by the Securities Valuation Office of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (“NAIC”) for fixed maturity securities and the methodologies adopted by the NAIC for certain Structured Securities.
The following table presents total fixed maturity securities by NRSRO rating and the applicable NAIC designation from the NAIC published comparison of NRSRO ratings to NAIC designations, except for certain Structured Securities, which are presented using the NAIC methodologies, as well as the percentage, based on estimated fair value that each NAIC designation is comprised of at:
March 31, 2023 December 31, 2022
NAIC
Designation NRSRO Rating Amortized
Cost Allowance for Credit Losses Unrealized
Gain (Loss) Estimated Fair Value % of
Total Amortized
Cost Allowance for Credit Losses Unrealized
Gain (Loss) Estimated Fair Value % of
Total
(Dollars in millions)
1 Aaa/Aa/A $ 54,419 $ 3 $ (3,730) $ 50,686 65.2 % $ 53,935 $ 2 $ (4,870) $ 49,063 64.9 %
2 Baa 27,199 — (2,979) 24,220 31.2 27,269 — (3,546) 23,723 31.4
Subtotal investment grade 81,618 3 (6,709) 74,906 96.4 81,204 2 (8,416) 72,786 96.3
3 Ba 2,295 — (193) 2,102 2.7 2,343 — (232) 2,111 2.8
4 B 657 — (78) 579 0.8 677 1 (88) 588 0.8
5 Caa and lower 95 2 (8) 85 0.1 120 4 (24) 92 0.1
6 In or near default
28 — (15) 13 — — — — — —
Subtotal below investment grade
3,075 2 (294) 2,779 3.6 3,140 5 (344) 2,791 3.7
Total fixed maturity securities $ 84,693 $ 5 $ (7,003) $ 77,685 100.0 % $ 84,344 $ 7 $ (8,760) $ 75,577 100.0 %
The following tables present total fixed maturity securities, based on estimated fair value, by sector classification and by NRSRO rating and the applicable NAIC designations from the NAIC published comparison of NRSRO ratings to NAIC designations, except for certain Structured Securities, which are presented using the NAIC methodologies as described above:
Fixed Maturity Securities — by Sector & Credit Quality Rating
NAIC Designation 1 2 3 4 5 6 Total
Estimated
Fair Value
NRSRO Rating Aaa/Aa/A Baa Ba B Caa and
Lower In or Near
Default
(In millions)
March 31, 2023
U.S. corporate $ 15,345 $ 16,051 $ 1,655 $ 495 $ 53 $ 13 $ 33,612
Foreign corporate 3,897 6,539 378 69 — — 10,883
U.S. government and agency 8,168 119 — — — — 8,287
RMBS 7,553 18 9 1 9 — 7,590
CMBS 6,305 350 14 2 3 — 6,674
ABS 4,898 659 17 12 10 — 5,596
State and political subdivision 3,845 93 1 — 10 — 3,949
Foreign government 675 391 28 — — — 1,094
Total fixed maturity securities $ 50,686 $ 24,220 $ 2,102 $ 579 $ 85 $ 13 $ 77,685
December 31, 2022
U.S. corporate $ 14,697 $ 15,683 $ 1,671 $ 499 $ 57 $ — $ 32,607
Foreign corporate 3,758 6,377 373 68 — — 10,576
U.S. government and agency 7,887 129 — — — — 8,016
RMBS 7,490 14 12 2 10 — 7,528
CMBS 6,240 351 9 7 4 — 6,611
ABS 4,648 672 17 12 10 — 5,359
State and political subdivision 3,682 105 1 — 11 — 3,799
Foreign government 661 392 28 — — — 1,081
Total fixed maturity securities $ 49,063 $ 23,723 $ 2,111 $ 588 $ 92 $ — $ 75,577
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U.S. and Foreign Corporate Fixed Maturity Securities
We maintain a diversified portfolio of corporate fixed maturity securities across industries and issuers. Our portfolio does not have any exposure to any single issuer in excess of 1% of total investments and the top ten holdings in aggregate comprise 1% of total investments at both March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022. Our U.S. and foreign corporate fixed maturity securities holdings by industry were as follows at:
March 31, 2023 December 31, 2022
Estimated
Fair Value % of
Total Estimated
Fair Value % of
Total
(Dollars in millions)
Industrial $ 13,739 30.9 % $ 13,290 30.7 %
Finance 12,116 27.2 11,988 27.8
Consumer 9,884 22.2 9,459 21.9
Utility 6,010 13.5 5,767 13.4
Communications 2,746 6.2 2,679 6.2
Total
$ 44,495 100.0 % $ 43,183 100.0 %
Structured Securities
We held $19.9 billion and $19.5 billion of Structured Securities, at estimated fair value, at March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively, as presented in the RMBS, CMBS and ABS sections below.
RMBS
Our RMBS holdings are diversified by security type, risk profile and ratings profile, which were as follows at:
March 31, 2023 December 31, 2022
Estimated
Fair Value % of
Total Net Unrealized Gains (Losses) Estimated
Fair Value % of
Total Net Unrealized Gains (Losses)
(Dollars in millions)
Security type:
Pass-through securities $ 3,879 51.1 % $ (515) $ 3,846 51.1 % $ (590)
Collateralized mortgage obligations 3,711 48.9 (250) 3,682 48.9 (311)
Total RMBS $ 7,590 100.0 % $ (765) $ 7,528 100.0 % $ (901)
Risk profile:
Agency $ 6,199 81.7 % $ (711) $ 6,137 81.5 % $ (842)
Prime 148 2.0 (17) 149 2.0 (20)
Alt-A 800 10.5 (36) 788 10.5 (37)
Sub-prime 443 5.8 (1) 454 6.0 (2)
Total RMBS $ 7,590 100.0 % $ (765) $ 7,528 100.0 % $ (901)
Ratings profile:
Rated Aaa $ 6,706 88.4 % $ 6,643 88.2 %
Designated NAIC 1 $ 7,553 99.5 % $ 7,490 99.5 %
Historically, our exposure to sub-prime RMBS holdings has been managed by focusing primarily on senior tranche securities, stress-testing the portfolio with severe loss assumptions and closely monitoring the performance of the portfolio. Our sub-prime RMBS portfolio consists predominantly of securities that were purchased after 2012 at significant discounts to par value and discounts to the expected principal recovery value of these securities. The vast majority of these securities are investment grade under the NAIC designations (e.g., NAIC 1 and NAIC 2).
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CMBS
Our CMBS holdings are diversified by vintage year, which were as follows at:
March 31, 2023 December 31, 2022
Amortized Cost Estimated Fair Value Amortized Cost Estimated Fair Value
(In millions)
2003 - 2011 $ 90 $ 82 $ 90 $ 82
2012 22 20 41 38
2013 161 154 204 197
2014 321 295 322 294
2015 960 878 966 879
2016 462 424 463 421
2017 731 669 732 667
2018 1,664 1,540 1,668 1,538
2019 1,025 888 1,021 879
2020 554 450 534 426
2021 858 795 821 748
2022 483 468 462 442
2023 12 11 — —
Total $ 7,343 $ 6,674 $ 7,324 $ 6,611
The estimated fair value of CMBS rated Aaa using rating agency ratings was $4.7 billion, or 70.9% of total CMBS, and designated NAIC 1 was $6.3 billion, or 94.5% of total CMBS, at March 31, 2023. The estimated fair value of CMBS Aaa rating agency ratings was $4.6 billion, or 70.0% of total CMBS, and designated NAIC 1 was $6.2 billion, or 94.4% of total CMBS, at December 31, 2022.
ABS
Our ABS holdings are diversified by both collateral type and issuer. Our ABS holdings by collateral type and ratings profile were as follows at:
March 31, 2023 December 31, 2022
Estimated
Fair Value % of
Total Net Unrealized
Gains (Losses) Estimated
Fair Value % of
Total Net Unrealized
Gains (Losses)
(Dollars in millions)
Collateral type:
Collateralized obligations $ 3,351 59.9 % $ (107) $ 3,239 60.5 % $ (124)
Consumer loans 401 7.2 (28) 420 7.8 (36)
Student loans 403 7.2 (27) 393 7.3 (34)
Automobile loans 300 5.3 (7) 216 4.0 (9)
Credit card loans 139 2.5 (9) 158 3.0 (10)
Other loans 1,002 17.9 (61) 933 17.4 (80)
Total $ 5,596 100.0 % $ (239) $ 5,359 100.0 % $ (293)
Ratings profile:
Rated Aaa $ 2,553 45.6 % $ 2,300 42.9 %
Designated NAIC 1 $ 4,898 87.5 % $ 4,648 86.7 %
Allowance for Credit Losses for Fixed Maturity Securities
See Note 6 of the Notes to the Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements for information about the evaluation of fixed maturity securities for an allowance for credit losses or write-offs due to uncollectibility.
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Securities Lending
We participate in a securities lending program whereby securities are loaned to third parties, primarily brokerage firms and commercial banks. We obtain collateral, usually cash, in an amount generally equal to 102% of the estimated fair value of the securities loaned, which is obtained at the inception of a loan and maintained at a level greater than or equal to 100% for the duration of the loan. The estimated fair value of the securities loaned is monitored on a daily basis with additional collateral obtained as necessary throughout the duration of the loan. Securities loaned under such transactions may be sold or re-pledged by the transferee. We are liable to return to our counterparties the cash collateral under our control. Security collateral received from counterparties may not be sold or re-pledged, unless the counterparty is in default, and is not reflected in the financial statements. These transactions are treated as financing arrangements and the associated cash collateral liability is recorded at the amount of the cash received.
See “— Liquidity and Capital Resources — The Company — Primary Uses of Liquidity and Capital — Securities Lending” and Note 6 of the Notes to the Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements for information regarding our securities lending program.
Mortgage Loans
Our mortgage loans are principally collateralized by commercial, agricultural and residential properties. Information regarding mortgage loans by portfolio segment is summarized as follows at:
March 31, 2023 December 31, 2022
Amortized Cost % of
Total Allowance for Credit Losses % of Amortized Cost Amortized Cost % of
Total Allowance for Credit Losses % of Amortized Cost
(Dollars in millions)
Commercial $ 13,529 58.9 % $ 64 0.5 % $ 13,574 58.9 % $ 49 0.4 %
Agricultural 4,388 19.1 14 0.3 % 4,365 18.9 15 0.3 %
Residential 5,042 22.0 58 1.2 % 5,116 22.2 55 1.1 %
Total $ 22,959 100.0 % $ 136 0.6 % $ 23,055 100.0 % $ 119 0.5 %
Our mortgage loan portfolio is diversified by both geographic region and property type to reduce the risk of concentration. The percentage of our commercial and agricultural mortgage loan portfolios collateralized by properties located in the U.S. were 98% at both March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022. The remainder was collateralized by properties located outside of the U.S. At March 31, 2023, the carrying value as a percentage of total commercial and agricultural mortgage loans for the top three states in the U.S. was 18% for California, 13% for Texas and 9% for Florida. Additionally, we manage risk when originating commercial and agricultural mortgage loans by generally lending up to 75% of the estimated fair value of the underlying real estate collateral.
Our residential mortgage loan portfolio is managed in a similar manner to reduce risk of concentration. All residential mortgage loans were collateralized by properties located in the U.S. at both March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022. At March 31, 2023, the carrying value as a percentage of total residential mortgage loans for the top three states in the U.S. was 39% for California, 11% for Florida and 7% for New York.
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Commercial Mortgage Loans by Geographic Region and Property Type . Commercial mortgage loans are the largest component of the mortgage loan invested asset class. The diversification across geographic regions and property types of commercial mortgage loans was as follows at:
March 31, 2023 December 31, 2022
Amount % of
Total Amount % of
Total
(Dollars in millions)
Geographic region:
South Atlantic $ 2,851 21.1 % $ 3,026 22.3 %
Pacific 2,775 20.5 2,765 20.4
Middle Atlantic 2,185 16.1 2,344 17.3
West South Central 1,899 14.0 1,642 12.1
Mountain 1,145 8.5 1,140 8.4
East North Central 790 5.8 794 5.8
New England 755 5.6 741 5.4
International 398 2.9 390 2.9
West North Central 360 2.7 361 2.7
East South Central 306 2.3 306 2.2
Multi-region and Other 65 0.5 65 0.5
Total recorded investment 13,529 100.0 % 13,574 100.0 %
Less: allowance for credit losses 64 49
Carrying value, net of allowance for credit losses $ 13,465 $ 13,525
Property type:
Apartment $ 5,425 40.1 % $ 5,366 39.5 %
Office 3,357 24.8 3,375 24.9
Industrial 2,035 15.1 2,051 15.1
Retail 1,855 13.7 1,934 14.3
Hotel 857 6.3 848 6.2
Total recorded investment 13,529 100.0 % 13,574 100.0 %
Less: allowance for credit losses 64 49
Carrying value, net of allowance for credit losses $ 13,465 $ 13,525
Mortgage Loan Credit Quality — Monitoring Process. Our mortgage loan investments are monitored on an ongoing basis, including a review of loans that are current, past due, restructured and under foreclosure. Quarterly, we conduct a formal review of the portfolio with our investment managers. See Note 6 of the Notes to the Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements for information on mortgage loans by credit quality indicator, past due status, nonaccrual status and modified mortgage loans.
Our commercial mortgage loans are reviewed on an ongoing basis. These reviews may include an analysis of the property financial statements and rent roll, lease rollover analysis, property inspections, market analysis, estimated valuations of the underlying collateral, loan-to-value ratios, debt-service coverage ratios and tenant creditworthiness. The monitoring process focuses on higher risk loans, which include those that are classified as restructured, delinquent or in foreclosure, as well as loans with higher loan-to-value ratios and lower debt-service coverage ratios. The monitoring process for agricultural mortgage loans is generally similar, with a focus on higher risk loans, such as loans with higher loan-to-value ratios, including reviews on a geographic and sector basis. Our residential mortgage loans are reviewed on an ongoing basis. See Note 6 of the Notes to the Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements for information on our evaluation of residential mortgage loans and related measurement of allowance for credit losses.
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Loan-to-value ratios and debt-service coverage ratios are common measures in the assessment of the quality of commercial mortgage loans. Loan-to-value ratios are a common measure in the assessment of the quality of agricultural mortgage loans. Loan-to-value ratios compare the amount of the loan to the estimated fair value of the underlying collateral. A loan-to-value ratio greater than 100% indicates that the loan amount is greater than the collateral value. A loan-to-value ratio of less than 100% indicates an excess of collateral value over the loan amount. Generally, the higher the loan-to-value ratio, the higher the risk of experiencing a credit loss. The debt-service coverage ratio compares a property’s net operating income to amounts needed to service the principal and interest due under the loan. Generally, the lower the debt-service coverage ratio, the higher the risk of experiencing a credit loss. For our commercial mortgage loans, our average loan-to-value ratio was 57% at both March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, and our average debt-service coverage ratio was 2.2x at both March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022. The debt-service coverage ratio, as well as the values utilized in calculating the ratio, is updated annually on a rolling basis, with a portion of the portfolio updated each quarter. In addition, the loan-to-value ratio is routinely updated for all but the lowest risk loans as part of our ongoing review of our commercial mortgage loan portfolio. For our agricultural mortgage loans, our average loan-to-value ratio was 48% at both March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022. The values utilized in calculating the agricultural mortgage loan loan-to-value ratio are developed in connection with the ongoing review of the agricultural loan portfolio and are routinely updated.
Mortgage Loan Allowance for Credit Losses . See Note 6 of the Notes to the Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements for information about how the allowance for credit losses is established and monitored, as well as activity in and balances of the allowance for credit losses for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022.
Limited Partnerships and Limited Liability Companies
The carrying values of our limited partnerships and LLCs were as follows at:
March 31, 2023 December 31, 2022
(In millions)
Other limited partnerships $ 3,985 $ 3,941
Real estate limited partnerships and LLCs (1) 818 834
Total $ 4,803 $ 4,775
__________________
(1) The estimated fair value of real estate limited partnerships and LLCs was $974 million and $987 million at March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively.
Cash distributions on these investments are generated from investment gains, operating income from the underlying investments of the funds and liquidation of the underlying investments of the funds. We estimate that the underlying investment of the private equity funds will typically be liquidated over the next 10 to 20 years.
Other Invested Assets
The carrying value of our other invested assets by type was as follows at:
March 31, 2023 December 31, 2022
Carrying
Value % of
Total Carrying
Value % of
Total
(Dollars in millions)
Freestanding derivatives with positive estimated fair values
$ 2,642 81.8 % $ 2,284 80.1 %
Company-owned life insurance 253 7.9 250 8.8
Federal Home Loan Bank stock
220 6.8 201 7.0
Tax credit and renewable energy partnerships 54 1.7 55 1.9
Leveraged leases, net of non-recourse debt 48 1.5 48 1.7
Other 12 0.3 14 0.5
Total $ 3,229 100.0 % $ 2,852 100.0 %
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Derivatives
Derivative Risks
We are exposed to various risks relating to our ongoing business operations, including interest rate, foreign currency exchange rate, credit and equity market. We use a variety of strategies to manage these risks, including the use of derivatives. See Note 7 of the Notes to the Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements for:
• information about the gross notional amount, estimated fair value, and primary underlying risk exposure of our derivatives by type of hedge designation, excluding embedded derivatives held at March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022; and
• the effects of derivatives in cash flow, fair value, or non-qualifying hedge relationships on the statements of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022.
See “Business — Segments and Corporate & Other — Annuities,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Risk Management Strategies” included in our 2022 Annual Report for more information about our use of derivatives by major hedging programs. In addition, see “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Results of Operations — Annual Actuarial Review” and “Risk Factors — Risks Related to our Investment Portfolio — Our investment portfolio is subject to significant financial risks both in the U.S. and global financial markets, including credit risk, interest rate risk, inflation risk, market valuation risk, liquidity risk, real estate risk, derivatives risk, and other factors outside our control, the occurrence of any of which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations” included in our 2022 Annual Report.
Fair Value Hierarchy
See Note 8 of the Notes to the Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements for derivatives measured at estimated fair value on a recurring basis and their corresponding fair value hierarchy, as well as a rollforward of the fair value measurements for derivatives measured at estimated fair value on a recurring basis using significant unobservable (Level 3) inputs as discussed below.
The valuation of Level 3 derivatives involves the use of significant unobservable inputs and generally requires a higher degree of management judgment or estimation than the valuations of Level 1 and Level 2 derivatives. Although Level 3 inputs are unobservable, management believes they are consistent with what other market participants would use when pricing such instruments and are considered appropriate given the circumstances. The use of different inputs or methodologies could have a material effect on the estimated fair value of Level 3 derivatives and could materially affect net income.
Derivatives categorized as Level 3 at March 31, 2023 include: credit default swaps priced using unobservable credit spreads, or that are priced through independent broker quotations, and foreign currency swaps with certain unobservable inputs.
Credit Risk
See Note 7 of the Notes to the Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements for information about how we manage credit risk related to derivatives and for the estimated fair value of our net derivative assets and net derivative liabilities after the application of master netting agreements and collateral. See “Risk Factors — Risks Related to our Investment Portfolio — Our investment portfolio is subject to significant financial risks both in the U.S. and global financial markets, including credit risk, interest rate risk, inflation risk, market valuation risk, liquidity risk, real estate risk, derivatives risk, and other factors outside our control, the occurrence of any of which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations” included in our 2022 Annual Report.
Our policy is not to offset the fair value amounts recognized for derivatives executed with the same counterparty under the same master netting agreement. This policy applies to the recognition of derivatives on the balance sheet and does not affect our legal right of offset.
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Credit Derivatives
The gross notional amount and estimated fair value of credit default swaps were as follows at:
March 31, 2023 December 31, 2022
Gross Notional
Amount Estimated
Fair Value Gross Notional
Amount Estimated
Fair Value
(In millions)
Written $ 1,760 $ 22 $ 1,757 $ 16
Purchased — — — —
Total $ 1,760 $ 22 $ 1,757 $ 16
The maximum amount at risk related to our written credit default swaps is equal to the corresponding gross notional amount. In a replication transaction, we pair an asset on our balance sheet with a written credit default swap to synthetically replicate a corporate bond, a core asset holding of life insurance companies. Replications are entered into in accordance with the guidelines approved by state insurance regulators and the NAIC and are an important tool in managing the overall corporate credit risk within the Company. In order to match our long-dated insurance liabilities, we seek to buy long-dated corporate bonds. In some instances, these may not be readily available in the market, or they may be issued by corporations to which we already have significant corporate credit exposure. For example, by purchasing Treasury bonds (or other high-quality assets) and associating them with written credit default swaps on the desired corporate credit name, we can replicate the desired bond exposures and meet our ALM needs. This can expose the Company to changes in credit spreads as the written credit default swap tenor is shorter than the maturity of Treasury bonds.
Embedded Derivatives
See Note 8 of the Notes to the Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements for (i) information about embedded derivatives measured at estimated fair value on a recurring basis and their corresponding fair value hierarchy and (ii) a rollforward of the fair value measurements for net embedded derivatives measured at estimated fair value on a recurring basis using significant unobservable (Level 3) inputs.
See “— Summary of Critical Accounting Estimates — Derivatives” for additional information on the estimates and assumptions that affect embedded derivatives.
Policyholder Liabilities
We establish, and carry as liabilities, actuarially determined amounts that are calculated to meet policy obligations or to provide for future annuity and life insurance benefit payments. Amounts for actuarial liabilities are computed and reported in the financial statements in conformity with GAAP. See “— Summary of Critical Accounting Estimates” for more details on policyholder liabilities.
Future Policy Benefits
We establish liabilities for future amounts payable under insurance policies. See Notes 2 and 4 of the Notes to the Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.
Policyholder Account Balances
Policyholder account balance liabilities are established for products with an explicit account value and generally equal to the balance accrued to the contract holder, which includes accrued interest credited, but excludes the impact of any applicable charge that may be incurred upon surrender. See Note 4 of the Notes to the Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.
Market Risk Benefits
We issue certain variable annuity products with guaranteed minimum benefits that provide the policyholder a minimum return based on their initial deposit (i.e., the Benefit Base) less withdrawals. In some cases, the Benefit Base may be increased by additional deposits, bonus amounts, accruals or optional market value step-ups. Liabilities for variable annuity guaranteed benefits are classified as MRBs and measured at fair value. Certain index-linked annuity products may also have guaranteed minimum benefits classified as MRBs. See Note 4 of the Notes to the Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements and “Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk — Market Risk - Fair Value Exposures — Interest Rates.”
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Select information that management considers relevant to understanding our variable annuity risk management strategy has been included below.
Net Amount at Risk
The net amount at risk (“NAR”) for the guaranteed minimum income benefits (“GMIB”) is the amount (if any) that would be required to be added to the total account value to purchase a lifetime income stream, based on current annuity rates, equal to the minimum amount provided under the guaranteed benefit. This amount represents our potential economic exposure to such guarantees in the event all contract holders were to annuitize on the balance sheet date, even though the guaranteed amount under the contract may not be annuitized until after the waiting period of the contract.
The NAR for the guaranteed minimum withdrawal benefits (“GMWB”) is the amount of guaranteed benefits in excess of the account values (if any) as of the balance sheet date and assumes utilization of benefits by all contract holders as of the balance sheet date. Only a small portion of the Benefit Base is available for withdrawal on an annual basis.
The NAR for the guaranteed minimum accumulation benefits (“GMAB”) is the amount of guaranteed benefits in excess of the account values (if any) as of the balance sheet date and assumes utilization of benefits by all contract holders as of the balance sheet. The NAR for the GMAB is not available until the GMAB maturity date.
The NAR for the guaranteed minimum death benefits (“GMDB”) is the amount of death benefit in excess of the account value (if any) as of the balance sheet date. It represents the amount of the claim we would incur if death claims were made on all contracts on the balance sheet date and includes any additional contractual claims associated with riders purchased to assist with covering income taxes payable upon death.
Our variable annuity account value and NAR by type of GMxB were as follows at:
March 31, 2023
December 31, 2022
Account Value Death Benefit NAR (1) Living Benefit NAR (1) % of Account Value In-the-Money (2) Account Value Death Benefit NAR (1) Living Benefit NAR (1) % of Account Value In-the-Money (2)
(Dollars in millions)
GMIB $ 32,260 $ 4,897 $ 3,845 34.6 % $ 31,541 $ 5,517 $ 4,484 42.9 %
GMIB Max with EDB (3) 8,026 5,816 319 25.8 % 7,868 6,013 415 34.8 %
GMIB Max without EDB (3) 4,568 159 64 12.7 % 4,464 196 92 18.7 %
GMWB 19,780 1,195 460 19.3 % 19,270 1,584 662 26.5 %
GMAB 481 12 12 23.9 % 492 18 18 25.4 %
GMDB only (other than EDB) (3) 16,330 1,467 — N/A 15,766 1,737 — N/A
EDB only (3) 3,092 1,348 — N/A 3,009 1,439 — N/A
Total $ 84,537 $ 14,894 $ 4,700 $ 82,410 $ 16,504 $ 5,671
__________________
(1) The “Death Benefit NAR” and “Living Benefit NAR” are not additive at the contract level.
(2) In-the-money is defined as any contract with a living benefit NAR in excess of zero.
(3) Enhanced Death Benefit (“EDB”).
Reserves
Under GAAP, variable annuity guarantees are classified as MRBs and measured at estimated fair value. Liabilities for these guarantees are reported in market risk benefit liabilities on the consolidated balance sheets, with changes reported in change in market risk benefits on the consolidated statements of operations, except for changes related to nonperformance risk which is reported in other comprehensive income on the consolidated statements of comprehensive income (loss). Additionally, the index protection and accumulation features of Shield Annuities are accounted for as embedded derivatives and reported in policyholder account balances on the consolidated balance sheets, with changes reported in net derivative gains (losses) on the consolidated statements of operations. These liabilities, valued at $4.7 billion at March 31, 2023, are measured at estimated fair value.
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Our variable annuity reserves by type of GMxB were as follows at:
March 31, 2023 December 31, 2022
(In millions)
GMIB $ 9,828 $ 9,457
GMWB 178 209
GMAB — —
GMDB 719 720
Total $ 10,725 $ 10,386
The estimated fair value of these guarantees can change significantly due to changes in equity market performance, equity market volatility or interest rates. Fair values are also affected by our assumptions around mortality, separate account returns and policyholder behavior, including lapse, annuitization and withdrawal rates. See “Risk Factors — Risks Related to Our Business — Guarantees within certain of our annuity products may decrease our earnings, decrease our capitalization, increase the volatility of our results, result in higher risk management costs and expose us to increased market risk” included in our 2022 Annual Report.
Derivatives Hedging Variable Annuity Guarantees
The gross notional amount and estimated fair value of the derivatives held in our macro interest rate hedging program were as follows at:
March 31, 2023 December 31, 2022
Instrument Type Gross Notional Amount (1) Estimated Fair Value Gross Notional Amount (1) Estimated Fair Value
Assets Liabilities Assets Liabilities
(In millions)
Interest rate swaps $ 14,434 $ 103 $ 94 $ 2,330 $ 38 $ 46
Interest rate options 32,388 60 133 28,688 22 232
Interest rate forwards 16,681 73 1,696 16,848 35 2,387
Total $ 63,503 $ 236 $ 1,923 $ 47,866 $ 95 $ 2,665
__________________
(1) The gross notional amounts presented do not necessarily represent the relative economic coverage provided by derivative instruments because certain positions were closed out by entering into offsetting positions that are not netted in the above table.
The gross notional amount and estimated fair value of the derivatives held in our variable annuity hedging program, as well as the interest rate hedges allocated from our macro interest rate hedging program, were as follows at:
March 31, 2023 December 31, 2022
Instrument Type Gross Notional Amount (1) Estimated Fair Value Gross Notional Amount (1) Estimated Fair Value
Assets Liabilities Assets Liabilities
(In millions)
Equity index options $ 13,484 $ 322 $ 385 $ 13,862 $ 525 $ 350
Equity total return swaps 43,941 998 858 32,909 520 747
Interest rate swaps 14,435 103 94 2,330 38 46
Interest rate options 29,688 58 77 27,088 21 126
Interest rate forwards 10,388 69 615 10,565 35 1,255
Total $ 111,936 $ 1,550 $ 2,029 $ 86,754 $ 1,139 $ 2,524
__________________
(1) The gross notional amounts presented do not necessarily represent the relative economic coverage provided by option instruments because certain positions were closed out by entering into offsetting positions that are not netted in the above table.
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Period-to-period changes in the estimated fair value of these hedges affect our net income, as well as stockholders’ equity and these effects can be material in any given period. See “Risk Factors — Risks Related to Our Business — Our variable annuity exposure risk management strategy may not be effective, may result in significant volatility in our profitability measures and may negatively affect our statutory capital,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Summary of Critical Accounting Estimates” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Risk Management Strategies” included in our 2022 Annual Report.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Our business and results of operations are materially affected by conditions in the global capital markets and the economy generally. Stressed conditions, volatility or disruptions in global capital markets, particular markets or financial asset classes can impact us adversely, in part because we have a large investment portfolio and our insurance liabilities and derivatives are sensitive to changing market factors. Changing conditions in the global capital markets and the economy may affect our financing costs and market interest rates for our debt or equity securities. For further information regarding market factors that could affect our ability to meet liquidity and capital needs, see “— Industry Trends and Uncertainties — Financial and Economic Environment,” as well as “Risk Factors — Economic Environment and Capital Markets-Related Risks” and “Risk Factors — Risks Related to Our Investment Portfolio” included in our 2022 Annual Report.
Liquidity and Capital Management
Based upon our capitalization, expectations regarding maintaining our business mix, ratings, and funding sources available to us, we believe we have sufficient liquidity to meet business requirements in current market conditions and certain stress scenarios. Our Board of Directors and senior management are directly involved in the governance of the capital management process, including proposed changes to the annual capital plan and capital targets. We continuously monitor and adjust our liquidity and capital plans in light of market conditions, as well as changing needs and opportunities.
We maintain a substantial short-term liquidity position, which was $3.5 billion and $3.6 billion at March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively. Short-term liquidity is comprised of cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments, excluding assets that are pledged or otherwise committed. Assets pledged or otherwise committed include amounts received in connection with securities lending, derivatives and assets held on deposit or in trust.
An integral part of our liquidity management includes managing our level of liquid assets, which was $43.7 billion and $40.8 billion at March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively. Liquid assets are comprised of cash and cash equivalents, short-term investments and publicly-traded securities, excluding assets that are pledged or otherwise committed. Assets pledged or otherwise committed include amounts received in connection with securities lending, funding agreements, derivatives and assets held on deposit or in trust.
The Company
Liquidity
Liquidity refers to our ability to generate adequate cash flows from our normal operations to meet the cash requirements of our operating, investing and financing activities. We determine our liquidity needs based on a rolling 12-month forecast by portfolio of invested assets, which we monitor daily. We adjust the general account asset and derivatives mix and general account asset maturities based on this rolling 12-month forecast. To support this forecast, we conduct cash flow and stress testing, which reflect the impact of various scenarios, including (i) the potential increase in our requirement to pledge additional collateral or return collateral to our counterparties, (ii) a reduction in new business sales, and (iii) the risk of early contract holder and policyholder withdrawals, as well as lapses and surrenders of existing policies and contracts. We include provisions limiting withdrawal rights in many of our products, which deter the customer from making withdrawals prior to the maturity date of the product. If significant cash is required beyond our anticipated liquidity needs, we have various alternatives available depending on market conditions and the amount and timing of the liquidity need. These available alternative sources of liquidity include cash flows from operations, sales of liquid assets and funding sources, including secured funding agreements, unsecured credit facilities and secured committed facilities.
Under certain adverse market and economic conditions, our access to liquidity may deteriorate, or the cost to access liquidity may increase. See “Risk Factors — Economic Environment and Capital Markets-Related Risks — Adverse capital and credit market conditions may significantly affect our ability to meet liquidity needs and our access to capital” in our 2022 Annual Report.
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Capital
We manage our capital position to maintain our financial strength and credit ratings. Our capital position is supported by our ability to generate cash flows within our insurance companies, our ability to effectively manage the risks of our businesses and our expected ability to borrow funds and raise additional capital to meet operating and growth needs under a variety of market and economic conditions.
We monitor our debt-to-capital ratio using an average of our key leverage ratios as calculated by A.M. Best, Fitch, Moody’s and S&P, and we aim to maintain a ratio commensurate with our financial strength and credit ratings. As such, we may opportunistically look to pursue additional financing over time, which may include borrowings under credit facilities, the issuance of debt, equity or hybrid securities, the incurrence of term loans, or the refinancing or extinguishment of existing indebtedness. There can be no assurance that we will be able to complete any such financing transactions on terms and conditions favorable to us or at all.
In support of our target combined risk-based capital (“RBC”) ratio of 400% to 450% in normal market conditions, we expect to continue to maintain a capital and exposure risk management program that targets total assets supporting our variable annuity contracts at or above the average of the worst two percent of a set of capital markets scenarios over the life of the contracts level in normal market conditions. With our risk management focus on the core drivers of our combined RBC ratio, we believe we can better manage our RBC in stressed market scenarios.
We have a share repurchase program under which repurchases may be made through open market purchases, including pursuant to 10b5-1 plans or pursuant to accelerated stock repurchase plans, or through privately negotiated transactions, from time to time at management’s discretion in accordance with applicable legal requirements. Common stock repurchases are dependent upon several factors, including our capital position, liquidity, financial strength and credit ratings, general market conditions, the market price of our common stock compared to management’s assessment of the stock’s underlying value and applicable regulatory approvals, as well as other legal and accounting factors.
We currently have no plans to declare and pay dividends on our common stock. Any future declaration and payment of dividends or other distributions or returns of capital will be at the discretion of our Board of Directors and will depend on and be subject to our financial condition, results of operations, cash needs, regulatory and other constraints, capital requirements (including capital requirements of our insurance subsidiaries), contractual restrictions and any other factors that our Board of Directors deems relevant in making such a determination. Therefore, there can be no assurance that we will pay any dividends or make other distributions or returns of capital on our common stock, or as to the amount of any such dividends, distributions or returns of capital.
Sources and Uses of Liquidity and Capital
Our primary sources and uses of liquidity and capital were as follows at:
Three Months Ended
March 31,
2023 2022
(In millions)
Sources:
Changes in policyholder account balances, net $ 1,566 $ 2,649
Financing element on certain derivative instruments and other derivative related transactions, net 91 —
Total sources 1,657 2,649
Uses:
Operating activities, net 500 199
Investing activities, net 1,325 2,519
Changes in payables for collateral under securities loaned and other transactions, net 159 60
Long-term debt repaid — 1
Dividends on preferred stock 26 27
Treasury stock acquired in connection with share repurchases 62 127
Financing element on certain derivative instruments and other derivative related transactions, net — 76
Other, net 15 13
Total uses 2,087 3,022
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents $ (430) $ (373)
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Cash Flows from Operating Activities
The principal cash inflows from our insurance activities come from insurance premiums, annuity considerations and net investment income. The principal cash outflows are the result of various annuity and life insurance products, operating expenses and income tax, as well as interest expense. The primary liquidity concern with respect to these cash flows is the risk of early contract holder and policyholder withdrawal.
Cash Flows from Investing Activities
The principal cash inflows from our investment activities come from repayments of principal, proceeds from maturities and sales of investments, as well as settlements of freestanding derivatives. The principal cash outflows relate to purchases of investments and settlements of freestanding derivatives. We typically can have a net cash outflow from investing activities because cash inflows from insurance operations are reinvested in accordance with our ALM discipline to fund insurance liabilities. We closely monitor and manage these risks through our comprehensive investment risk management process. The primary liquidity concerns with respect to these cash flows are the risk of default by debtors and market disruption.
Cash Flows from Financing Activities
The principal cash inflows from our financing activities come from issuances of debt and equity securities, deposits of funds associated with policyholder account balances and lending of securities. The principal cash outflows come from repayments of debt, common stock repurchases, preferred stock dividends, withdrawals associated with policyholder account balances and the return of securities on loan. The primary liquidity concerns with respect to these cash flows are market disruption and the risk of early policyholder withdrawal.
Primary Sources of Liquidity and Capital
In addition to the summary description of liquidity and capital sources discussed in “— Sources and Uses of Liquidity and Capital,” the following additional information is provided regarding our primary sources of liquidity and capital:
Funding Sources
Liquidity is provided by a variety of funding sources, including secured and unsecured funding agreements, unsecured credit facilities and secured committed facilities. Capital is provided by a variety of funding sources, including issuances of debt and equity securities, as well as borrowings under our credit facilities. We maintain a shelf registration statement with the SEC that permits the issuance of public debt, equity and hybrid securities. As a “Well-Known Seasoned Issuer” under SEC rules, our shelf registration statement provides for automatic effectiveness upon filing and has no stated issuance capacity. The diversity of our funding sources enhances our funding flexibility, limits dependence on any one market or source of funds and generally lowers the cost of funds. Our primary funding sources include:
Preferred Stock
See Note 9 of the Notes to the Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements and Note 10 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in our 2022 Annual Report for information on preferred stock issuances.
Funding Agreements
Brighthouse Life Insurance Company issues funding agreements and uses the proceeds from such issuances for spread lending purposes in connection with our institutional spread margin business or to provide additional liquidity. The institutional spread margin business is comprised of funding agreements issued in connection with the programs described in more detail below. See Note 3 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in our 2022 Annual Report for additional information on funding agreements.
Funding Agreement-Backed Commercial Paper Program
In July 2021, Brighthouse Life Insurance Company established a funding agreement-backed commercial paper program (the “FABCP Program”) for spread lending purposes, pursuant to which a special purpose limited liability company (the “SPLLC”) may issue commercial paper and deposit the proceeds with Brighthouse Life Insurance Company under a funding agreement issued by Brighthouse Life Insurance Company to the SPLLC. The maximum aggregate principal amount permitted to be outstanding at any one time under the FABCP Program is $3.0 billion. Activity related to this funding agreement is reported in Corporate & Other.
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Funding Agreement-Backed Notes Program
In April 2021, Brighthouse Life Insurance Company established a funding agreement-backed notes program (the “FABN Program”), pursuant to which Brighthouse Life Insurance Company may issue funding agreements to a special purpose statutory trust for spread lending purposes. The maximum aggregate principal amount permitted to be outstanding at any one time under the FABN Program is $7.0 billion. Activity related to these funding agreements is reported in Corporate & Other.
Federal Home Loan Bank Funding Agreements
Brighthouse Life Insurance Company is a member of the Federal Home Loan Bank (“FHLB”) of Atlanta, where it maintains a secured funding agreement program, under which funding agreements may be issued either (i) for spread lending purposes or (ii) to provide additional liquidity. Activity related to these funding agreements is reported in Corporate & Other.
Farmer Mac Funding Agreements
Brighthouse Life Insurance Company has a secured funding agreement program with the Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation and its affiliate Farmer Mac Mortgage Securities Corporation (“Farmer Mac”) with a term ending on December 1, 2026, pursuant to which the parties may enter into funding agreements in an aggregate amount of up to $750 million either (i) for spread lending purposes or (ii) to provide additional liquidity. Activity related to these funding agreements is reported in Corporate & Other.
Information regarding funding agreements issued for spread lending purposes is as follows:
Aggregate Principal Amount
Outstanding Issuances Repayments
Three Months Ended March 31,
March 31, 2023 December 31, 2022 2023 2022 2023 2022
(In millions)
FABCP Program $ 2,508 $ 2,097 $ 2,598 $ 2,158 $ 2,187 $ 2,213
FABN Program 3,050 3,450 — 550 400 —
FHLB Funding Agreements 4,350 3,900 800 1,350 350 850
Farmer Mac Funding Agreements 700 700 — 300 — —
Total $ 10,608 $ 10,147 $ 3,398 $ 4,358 $ 2,937 $ 3,063
Debt Issuances
See Note 9 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in our 2022 Annual Report for information on debt issuances.
Credit and Committed Facilities
See Notes 9 and 10 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in our 2022 Annual Report for information regarding our credit and committed facilities.
We have no reason to believe that our lending counterparties would be unable to fulfill their respective contractual obligations under these facilities. As commitments under our credit and committed facilities may expire unused, these amounts do not necessarily reflect our actual future cash funding requirements.
Our Revolving Credit Facility contains financial covenants, including requirements to maintain a specified minimum adjusted consolidated net worth, to maintain a ratio of total indebtedness to total capitalization not in excess of a specified percentage and that place limitations on the dollar amount of indebtedness that may be incurred by our subsidiaries, which could restrict our operations and use of funds. At March 31, 2023, we were in compliance with these financial covenants.
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Primary Uses of Liquidity and Capital
In addition to the summarized description of liquidity and capital uses discussed in “— Sources and Uses of Liquidity and Capital,” the following additional information is provided regarding our primary uses of liquidity and capital:
Common Stock Repurchases
See Note 9 of the Notes to the Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements for information relating to authorizations to repurchase BHF common stock, amounts of common stock repurchased pursuant to such authorizations and the amount remaining under such authorizations at March 31, 2023. Subsequent to March 31, 2023 and through May 5, 2023, BHF repurchased an additional 562,813 shares of its common stock through open market purchases, pursuant to a 10b5-1 plan, for $24 million.
Preferred Stock Dividends
See Note 9 of the Notes to the Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements for information relating to dividends declared and paid on our preferred stock.
“Dividend Stopper” Provisions in BHF’s Preferred Stock and Junior Subordinated Debentures
Terms applicable to our junior subordinated debentures may restrict our ability to pay interest on those debentures in certain circumstances. Suspension of payments of interest on our junior subordinated debentures, whether required under the relevant indenture or optional, could cause “dividend stopper” provisions applicable under those and other instruments to restrict our ability to pay dividends, if any, on our common stock and repurchase our common stock in various situations, including situations where we may be experiencing financial stress, and may restrict our ability to pay dividends or interest on our preferred stock and junior subordinated debentures as well. Similarly, the terms of our outstanding preferred stock contain restrictions on our ability to repurchase our common stock or pay dividends thereon if we have not fulfilled our dividend obligations under such preferred stock or other preferred securities. In addition, the terms of the agreements governing any preferred stock, debt or other financial instruments that we may issue in the future, may limit or prohibit the payment of dividends on our common stock or preferred stock, or the payment of interest on our junior subordinated debentures.
Debt Repayments, Repurchases, Redemptions and Exchanges
See Note 9 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in our 2022 Annual Report for information on debt repayments and repurchases, as well as debt maturities and the terms of our outstanding long-term debt.
We may from time to time seek to retire or purchase our outstanding indebtedness through cash purchases or exchanges for other securities, purchases in the open market, privately negotiated transactions or otherwise. Any such repurchases or exchanges will be dependent upon several factors, including our liquidity requirements, contractual restrictions, general market conditions, as well as applicable regulatory, legal and accounting factors. Whether or not we repurchase any debt and the size and timing of any such repurchases will be determined at our discretion.
Insurance Liabilities
Liabilities arising from our insurance activities primarily relate to benefit payments under various annuity and life insurance products, as well as payments for policy surrenders, withdrawals and loans. See “— Primary Sources of Liquidity and Capital — Funding Sources — Funding Agreements” for additional information regarding our institutional spread margin business.
Pledged Collateral
We enter into derivatives to manage various risks relating to our ongoing business operations. We pledge collateral to, and have collateral pledged to us by, counterparties in connection with our derivatives. At March 31, 2023, we did not pledge any cash collateral to counterparties. At December 31, 2022, we pledged $7 million of cash collateral to counterparties. At March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, we were obligated to return cash collateral pledged to us by counterparties of $709 million and $829 million, respectively. The timing of the return of the derivatives collateral is uncertain. See Note 7 of the Notes to the Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information about pledged collateral. We also pledge collateral from time to time in connection with our funding agreements.
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We receive non-cash collateral from counterparties for derivatives, which can be sold or re-pledged subject to certain constraints, and which is not recorded on our consolidated balance sheets. The amount of this non-cash collateral at estimated fair value was $1.7 billion and $1.0 billion at March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively.
Securities Lending
We have a securities lending program that aims to enhance the total return on our investment portfolio, whereby securities are loaned to third parties, primarily brokerage firms and commercial banks. We obtain collateral, usually cash, from the borrower, which must be returned to the borrower when the loaned securities are returned to us. Generally, our securities lending contracts expire within twelve months of issuance. We were liable for cash collateral under our control of $3.7 billion at both March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022.
We receive non-cash collateral for securities lending from counterparties, which cannot be sold or re-pledged, and which is not recorded on our consolidated balance sheets. There was no non-cash collateral at both March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022.
See Note 6 of the Notes to the Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements for further discussion of our securities lending program.
Contingencies, Commitments and Guarantees
We establish liabilities for litigation, regulatory and other loss contingencies when it is probable that a loss has been incurred and the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated. See Note 12 of the Notes to the Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information regarding contingencies.
We enter into commitments for the purpose of enhancing the total return on our investment portfolio consisting of commitments to fund partnership investments, bank credit facilities and private corporate bond investments, as well as commitments to lend funds under mortgage loan commitments. We anticipate these commitments could be invested any time over the next five years. See Notes 6 and 12 of the Notes to the Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information regarding commitments.
In the normal course of our business, we have provided certain indemnities, guarantees and commitments to third parties such that we may be required to make payments now or in the future. See Note 12 of the Notes to the Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information regarding guarantees.
The Parent Company
Liquidity and Capital
In evaluating liquidity, it is important to distinguish the cash flow needs of the parent company from the cash flow needs of the combined group of companies. BHF is largely dependent on cash flows from its insurance subsidiaries to meet its obligations. Constraints on BHF’s liquidity may occur as a result of operational demands or as a result of compliance with regulatory requirements.
Short-term Liquidity and Liquid Assets
At March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, BHF and certain of its non-insurance subsidiaries had short-term liquidity of $1.1 billion and $1.0 billion, respectively. Short-term liquidity is comprised of cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments, excluding assets that are pledged or otherwise committed. Assets pledged or otherwise committed include assets held in trust.
At March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, BHF and certain of its non-insurance subsidiaries had liquid assets of $1.1 billion and $1.0 billion, respectively, of which $996 million and $987 million, respectively, was held by BHF. Liquid assets are comprised of cash and cash equivalents, short-term investments and publicly-traded securities, excluding assets that are pledged or otherwise committed. Assets pledged or otherwise committed include assets held in trust.
Statutory Capital and Dividends
The NAIC and state insurance departments have established regulations that provide minimum capitalization requirements based on RBC formulas for insurance companies. RBC is based on a formula calculated by applying factors to various asset, premium, claim, expense and statutory reserve items. The formula takes into account the risk characteristics of the insurer, including asset risk, insurance risk, interest rate risk, market risk and business risk and is calculated on an annual basis. The formula is used as an early warning regulatory tool to identify possible inadequately capitalized insurers for purposes of initiating regulatory action, and not as a means to rank insurers generally. State
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insurance laws provide insurance regulators the authority to require various actions by, or take various actions against, insurers whose total adjusted capital (“TAC”) does not meet or exceed the amounts required to attain certain RBC levels. As of the date of the most recent annual statutory financial statements filed with insurance regulators, the TAC of each of our insurance subsidiaries subject to these requirements was in excess of the amounts required to attain each of those RBC levels.
The amount of dividends that our insurance subsidiaries can ultimately pay to BHF through their various parent entities provides an additional margin for risk protection and investment in our businesses. Such dividends are constrained by the amount of surplus our insurance subsidiaries hold to maintain their ratings, which is generally higher than minimum RBC requirements. We proactively take actions to maintain capital consistent with these ratings objectives, which may include adjusting dividend amounts and deploying financial resources from internal or external sources of capital. Certain of these activities may require regulatory approval. Furthermore, the payment of dividends and other distributions by our insurance subsidiaries is governed by insurance laws and regulations. See Note 10 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in our 2022 Annual Report.
Primary Sources and Uses of Liquidity and Capital
The principal sources of funds available to BHF include distributions from Brighthouse Holdings, LLC (“BH Holdings”), dividends and returns of capital from its insurance subsidiaries and BRCD, capital markets issuances, as well as its own cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments. These sources of funds may also be supplemented by alternate sources of liquidity either directly or indirectly through our insurance subsidiaries. For example, we have established internal liquidity facilities to provide liquidity within and across our regulated and non-regulated entities to support our businesses.
The primary uses of liquidity of BHF include debt-service obligations (including interest expense and debt repayments), preferred stock dividends, capital contributions to subsidiaries, common stock repurchases and payment of general operating expenses. Based on our analysis and comparison of our current and future cash inflows from the dividends we receive from subsidiaries that are permitted to be paid without prior insurance regulatory approval, our investment portfolio and other cash flows and anticipated access to the capital markets, we believe there will be sufficient liquidity and capital to enable BHF to make payments on debt, pay preferred stock dividends, contribute capital to its subsidiaries, repurchase its common stock, pay all general operating expenses and meet its cash needs.
In addition to the liquidity and capital sources discussed in “— The Company — Primary Sources of Liquidity and Capital” and “— The Company — Primary Uses of Liquidity and Capital,” the following additional information is provided regarding BHF’s primary sources and uses of liquidity and capital:
Distributions from and Capital Contributions to BH Holdings
During both the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, BHF did not receive any cash distributions from BH Holdings and did not make any cash capital contributions to BH Holdings.
Short-term Intercompany Loans
BHF, as borrower, has a short-term intercompany loan agreement with certain of its non-insurance subsidiaries, as lenders, for the purposes of facilitating the management of the available cash of the borrower and the lenders on a short-term and consolidated basis. Such intercompany loan agreement allows management to optimize the efficient use of and maximize the yield on cash between BHF and its subsidiary lenders. Each loan entered into under this intercompany loan agreement has a term not more than 364 days and bears interest on the unpaid principal amount at a variable rate, payable monthly. During the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, BHF borrowed $217 million and $252 million, respectively, from certain of its non-insurance subsidiaries and repaid $172 million and $228 million of such borrowings during the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. At March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, BHF had total obligations outstanding of $558 million and $513 million, respectively, under such agreements.
Intercompany Liquidity Facilities
BHF has established intercompany liquidity facilities with certain of its insurance and non-insurance subsidiaries to provide short-term liquidity within and across the combined group of companies. Under these facilities, which are comprised of a series of revolving loan agreements among BHF and its participating subsidiaries, each company may lend to or borrow from each other, subject to certain maximum limits for a term of up to 364 days, depending on the agreement. During both the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, there were no borrowings or repayments by
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BHF under these facilities and, at both March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, BHF had no obligations outstanding under such facilities.
Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This report and other oral or written statements that we make from time to time may contain information that includes or is based upon forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements involve substantial risks and uncertainties. We have tried, wherever possible, to identify such statements using words such as “anticipate,” “estimate,” “expect,” “project,” “may,” “will,” “could,” “intend,” “goal,” “target,” “guidance,” “forecast,” “preliminary,” “objective,” “continue,” “aim,” “plan,” “believe” and other words and terms of similar meaning, or that are tied to future periods, in connection with a discussion of future operating or financial performance. In particular, these include, without limitation, statements relating to future actions, prospective services or products, financial projections, future performance or results of current and anticipated services or products, sales efforts, expenses, the outcome of contingencies such as legal proceedings, as well as trends in operating and financial results.
Any or all forward-looking statements may turn out to be wrong. They can be affected by inaccurate assumptions or by known or unknown risks and uncertainties. Many such factors will be important in determining the actual future results of Brighthouse Financial. These statements are based on current expectations and the current economic environment and involve a number of risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict. These statements are not guarantees of future performance. Actual results could differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements due to a variety of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors. Although it is not possible to identify all of these risks and factors, they include, among others:
• differences between actual experience and actuarial assumptions and the effectiveness of our actuarial models;
• higher risk management costs and exposure to increased market risk due to guarantees within certain of our products;
• the effectiveness of our variable annuity exposure risk management strategy and the impact of such strategy on volatility in our profitability measures and negative effects on our statutory capital;
• material differences between actual outcomes and the sensitivities calculated under certain scenarios that we may utilize in connection with our variable annuity risk management strategies;
• the impact of interest rates on our future ULSG policyholder obligations and net income volatility;
• the potential material adverse effect of changes in accounting standards, practices or policies applicable to us, including changes in the accounting for long-duration contracts;
• loss of business and other negative impacts resulting from a downgrade or a potential downgrade in our financial strength or credit ratings;
• the availability of reinsurance and the ability of the counterparties to our reinsurance or indemnification arrangements to perform their obligations thereunder;
• heightened competition, including with respect to service, product features, scale, price, actual or perceived financial strength, claims-paying ratings, credit ratings, e-business capabilities and name recognition;
• our ability to market and distribute our products through distribution channels;
• any failure of third parties to provide services we need, any failure of the practices and procedures of such third parties and any inability to obtain information or assistance we need from third parties;
• the ability of our subsidiaries to pay dividends to us, and our ability to pay dividends to our shareholders and repurchase our common stock;
• the risks associated with climate change;
• the adverse impact of public health crises, extreme mortality events or similar occurrences on our business and the economy in general;
• the impact of adverse capital and credit market conditions, including with respect to our ability to meet liquidity needs and access capital;
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• the impact of economic conditions in the capital markets and the U.S. and global economy, as well as geopolitical events, military actions or catastrophic events, on our profitability measures as well as our investment portfolio, including on realized and unrealized losses and impairments, net investment spread and net investment income;
• the financial risks that our investment portfolio is subject to, including credit risk, interest rate risk, inflation risk, market valuation risk, liquidity risk, real estate risk, derivatives risk, and other factors outside our control;
• the impact of changes in regulation and in supervisory and enforcement policies or interpretations thereof on our insurance business or other operations;
• the potential material negative tax impact of potential future tax legislation that could make some of our products less attractive to consumers or increase our tax liability;
• the effectiveness of our policies, procedures and processes in managing risk;
• the loss or disclosure of confidential information, damage to our reputation and impairment of our ability to conduct business effectively as a result of any failure in cyber- or other information security systems;
• whether all or any portion of the tax consequences of our separation from MetLife, Inc. (together with its subsidiaries and affiliates, “MetLife”) are not as expected, leading to material additional taxes or material adverse consequences to tax attributes that impact us; and
• other factors described in this report and from time to time in documents that we file with the SEC.
For the reasons described above, we caution you against relying on any forward-looking statements, which should also be read in conjunction with the other cautionary statements included and the risks, uncertainties and other factors identified in our 2022 Annual Report, particularly in the sections entitled “Risk Factors” and “Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk,” as well as in our other subsequent filings with the SEC. Further, any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made, and we undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which the statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as otherwise may be required by law.
Corporate Information
We routinely use our Investor Relations website to provide presentations, press releases and other information that may be deemed material to investors. Accordingly, we encourage investors and others interested in the Company to review the information that we share at http://investor.brighthousefinancial.com. In addition, our Investor Relations website allows interested persons to sign up to automatically receive e-mail alerts when we post financial information. Information contained on or connected to any website referenced in this report or any of our other filings with the SEC is not incorporated by reference in this report or in any other report or document we file with the SEC, and any website references are intended to be inactive textual references only unless expressly noted.
Text extracted from the filing as submitted to EDGAR. Formatting, tables and exhibits are simplified for reading; the original document is authoritative for anything you rely on.