Brighthouse Financial, Inc. 10-K

Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk Risk Management We have an integrated process for managing risk exposures, which is coordinated among our Risk Management, Finance and Investment Departments. The process is designed to assess and manage exposures on a consolidated, company-wide basis. The Brighthouse Financial Balance Sheet Committee (“BSC”) is responsible for periodically reviewing all material financial risks and, in the event risks exceed desired tolerances, informs the Finance and Risk Committee of the Board of Directors, considers possible courses of action and determines how best to resolve or mitigate such risks. In taking such actions, the BSC considers industry best practices and the current economic environment. The BSC also reviews and approves target investment portfolios in order to align them with our liability profile and establishes guidelines and limits for various risk-taking departments, such as the Investment Department. Our Finance Department and our Investment Department, together with Risk Management, are responsible for coordinating our ALM strategies throughout the enterprise. The voting membership of the BSC is comprised of the following members of senior management: Chief Executive Officer, Chief Risk Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Investment Officer and Head of Product Strategy and Underwriting. Our significant market risk management practices include, but are not limited to, the following: Managing Interest Rate Risk We manage interest rate risk as part of our asset and liability management strategies, which include (i) maintaining an investment portfolio that has a weighted average duration approximately equal to the duration of our estimated liability cash flow profile, and (ii) maintaining hedging programs. For certain of our liability portfolios, it is not possible to invest assets to the full liability duration, thereby creating some asset/liability mismatch. Where a liability cash flow may exceed the maturity of available assets, as is the case with certain life insurance and annuity products, we may support such liabilities with equity investments, derivatives or other mismatch mitigation strategies. Although we take measures to manage the economic risks of investing in a changing interest rate environment, we may not be able to mitigate completely the interest rate or other mismatch risk of our fixed income investments relative to our interest rate sensitive liabilities. The level of interest rates also affects our liabilities for benefits under our annuity contracts. If interest rates continue to decline, we may need to increase our reserves for future benefits under our annuity contracts, which would adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. We also employ product design and pricing strategies to mitigate the potential effects of interest rate movements. These strategies include the use of surrender charges, market value adjustment features or restrictions on withdrawals, and for certain products, the ability to reset crediting rates. 106 Tab le of Contents We analyze interest rate risk using various models, including multi-scenario cash flow projection models that forecast cash flows of the liabilities and their supporting investments, including derivatives. These projections involve evaluating the potential gain or loss on most of our in-force business under various increasing and decreasing interest rate environments. State insurance department regulations require that we perform some of these analyses annually as part of our review of the sufficiency of our regulatory reserves. We measure relative sensitivities of the value of our assets and liabilities to changes in key assumptions using internal models. These models reflect specific product characteristics and include assumptions based on current and anticipated experience regarding lapse, mortality and interest crediting rates. In addition, these models include asset cash flow projections reflecting interest payments, sinking fund payments, principal payments, bond calls, prepayments and defaults. We also use common industry metrics, such as duration and convexity, to measure the relative sensitivity of asset and liability values to changes in interest rates. In computing the duration of liabilities, we consider all policyholder guarantees and how indeterminate policy elements such as interest credits or dividends are set. Each asset portfolio has a duration target based on the liability duration and the investment objectives of that portfolio. Managing Equity Market and Foreign Currency Risks We manage equity market risk in a coordinated process across our Risk Management, Investment and Finance Departments primarily by (i) holding sufficient capital to permit us to absorb modest losses, which may be temporary, from changes in equity markets and interest rates, and (ii) through the use of derivatives. We also employ product design strategies to mitigate the effect of changes in equity markets such as prioritizing products that provide a risk offset and diversification to our variable annuity products. Key management objectives include limiting losses, minimizing exposures to significant risks and providing additional capital capacity for future growth. The Investment and Finance Departments are also responsible for managing the exposure to foreign currency denominated investments. We use foreign currency swaps and forwards to mitigate the exposure, risk of loss and financial statement volatility associated with foreign currency denominated fixed income investments. Market Risk - Fair Value Exposures We have exposure to market risk through our insurance operations and general account investment activities. For purposes of this discussion, “market risk” is defined as changes in estimated fair value resulting from changes in interest rates, equity market prices, credit spreads and foreign currency exchange rates. We regularly analyze our market risk exposure. As a result of that analysis, we have determined that the estimated fair values of certain assets and liabilities are significantly exposed to changes in interest rates, and to a lesser extent, to changes in equity market prices and foreign currency exchange rates. We may have additional financial impacts other than changes in estimated fair value. See “Risk Factors” for additional disclosure regarding our market risk and related sensitivities. Interest Rates Our fair value exposure to changes in interest rates arises most significantly from our interest rate sensitive liabilities and our holdings of fixed maturity securities, mortgage loans and derivatives that are used to support our policyholder liabilities. Our interest rate sensitive liabilities include long-term debt, policyholder account balances related to certain investment contracts and variable annuity guarantees accounted for as MRBs. Our fixed maturity securities including U.S. and foreign government bonds, securities issued by government agencies, corporate bonds, mortgage-backed and other ABS, and our commercial, agricultural and residential mortgage loans, are exposed to changes in interest rates. We also use interest rate derivatives to mitigate the exposure related to interest rate risks from our policyholder liabilities. Equity Market Our fair value exposure to equity market risk primarily arises from policyholder liabilities with long-term guarantees on equity performance, including crediting rates on index-linked annuities accounted for as embedded derivatives and variable annuity guarantees. In addition, we have exposure to equity markets through equity derivatives that we enter into to mitigate potential equity market exposure from our policyholder liabilities. Foreign Currency Exchange Rates Our fair value exposure to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates against the U.S. dollar results from our holdings in non-U.S. dollar denominated fixed maturity securities, mortgage loans and certain liabilities. The principal currencies that create foreign currency exchange rate risk in our investment portfolios and liabilities are the Euro and the British pound. We economically hedge substantially all of our foreign currency exposure. 107 Tab le of Contents Risk Measurement: Sensitivity Analysis In the following discussion and analysis, we measure market risk related to our market sensitive assets and liabilities based on changes in interest rates, equity market prices and foreign currency exchange rates using a sensitivity analysis. This analysis estimates the potential changes in estimated fair value based on a hypothetical 100 basis point change (increase or decrease) in interest rates, or a 10% change in equity market prices or foreign currency exchange rates. We believe that these changes in market rates and prices are reasonably possible in the near-term. In performing the analysis summarized below, we used market rates as of December 31, 2025. We modeled the impact of changes in market rates and prices on the estimated fair values of our market sensitive assets and liabilities as follows: • the estimated fair value of our interest rate sensitive exposures resulting from a 100 basis point change (increase or decrease) in interest rates; • the estimated fair value of our equity positions due to a 10% change (increase or decrease) in equity market prices; and • the U.S. dollar equivalent of estimated fair values of our foreign currency exposures due to a 10% change (increase or decrease) in foreign currency exchange rates. The sensitivity analysis is an estimate and should not be viewed as predictive of our future financial performance. Our actual losses in any particular period may vary from the amounts indicated in the table below. Limitations related to this sensitivity analysis include: • interest sensitive liabilities do not include a significant portion of our insurance contract liabilities. Management believes that the changes in the economic value of those contracts under changing interest rates would offset a significant portion of the fair value changes of interest sensitive assets; • the market risk information is limited by the assumptions and parameters established in creating the related sensitivity analysis, including the impact of prepayment rates on mortgage loans; • for derivatives that qualify for hedge accounting, the impact on reported earnings may be materially different from the change in market values; • the analysis excludes limited partnership interests; and • the model assumes that the composition of assets and liabilities remains unchanged throughout the period. Accordingly, we use such models as tools and not as substitutes for the experience and judgment of our management. 108 Tab le of Contents The potential loss in the estimated fair value of our interest rate sensitive financial instruments due to a 100 basis point increase in the yield curve by type of asset and liability was as follows at: December 31, 2025 Notional Amount Estimated Fair Value (1) 100 Basis Point Increase in the Yield Curve (In millions) Financial assets with interest rate risk Fixed maturity securities $ 82,014 $ (4,619) Mortgage loans $ 21,732 (825) Policy loans $ 1,551 (132) Premiums, reinsurance and other receivables $ 8,197 (91) Reinsurance of index-linked annuities and market risk benefits $ 87 (20) Increase (decrease) in estimated fair value of assets (5,687) Financial liabilities with interest rate risk (2) Policyholder account balances $ 28,728 173 Long-term debt $ 2,633 174 Other liabilities $ 1,291 (6) Embedded derivatives on index-linked annuities (3) $ 12,406 108 (Increase) decrease in estimated fair value of liabilities 449 Market risk benefits associated with variable annuities $ 7,001 (1,803) Derivative instruments with interest rate risk Interest rate contracts $ 83,364 $ (1,785) (2,260) Foreign currency contracts $ 4,783 $ 262 (20) Equity contracts $ 216,118 $ 3,057 802 Increase (decrease) in estimated fair value of derivative instruments (1,478) Net change $ (4,913) _______________ (1) Separate account assets and liabilities, which are interest rate sensitive, are not included herein as any interest rate risk is borne by the contract holder. (2) Excludes $35.9 billion of liabilities at carrying value pursuant to insurance contracts reported within future policy benefits and other policy-related balances on the consolidated balance sheet at December 31, 2025. Management believes that the changes in the economic value of those contracts under changing interest rates would offset a significant portion of the fair value changes of interest rate sensitive assets. (3) Embedded derivatives on index-linked annuities are recognized on the consolidated balance sheet in Policyholder account balances. Sensitivity Summary Sensitivity to a 100 basis point rise in interest rates increased by $474 million, or 11% to $4.9 billion at December 31, 2025 from $4.4 billion at December 31, 2024, primarily as a result of an increase in derivatives used to mitigate interest rate exposures from our policyholder liabilities. Sensitivity to a 10% decrease in equity prices increased by $403 million, or 125% to $725 million at December 31, 2025 from $322 million at December 31, 2024, primarily due to differences between the fair value methodologies of our equity-sensitive liabilities compared to the methodologies used to value the related derivative instruments. As discussed above, we economically hedge substantially all of our foreign currency exposure such that sensitivity to changes in foreign currencies is minimal. 109 Table of Contents