aig-20231231
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
——————————
FORM 10-K
☑ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023
OR
☐ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the transition period from to
Commission File Number 1-8787
American International Group, Inc.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
1271 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10020
(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (212)770-7000
——————————
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of each class Trading Symbol Name of each exchange on which registered
Common Stock, Par Value $2.50 Per Share AIG New York Stock Exchange
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None
——————————
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☑ No ☐
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐ No ☑
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☑ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes ☑ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large accelerated filer ☑ Accelerated filer ☐
Non-accelerated filer ☐ Smaller reporting company ☐
Emerging growth company ☐
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☑
If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant's executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b). ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). Yes ☐ No ☑
As of June 30, 2023, the aggregate market value of the registrant's voting and nonvoting common equity held by nonaffiliates was approximately $36,903,000,000.
As of February 8, 2024, 680,953,652 shares of the registrant's Common Stock, $2.50 par value per share, were outstanding.
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
Document of the Registrant Form 10-K Reference Locations
AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL GROUP, INC.
ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-K FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2023
TABLE OF CONTENTS
FORM 10-K
Item Number Description Page
Part I
ITEM 1 Business 2
•Our Global Business Overview 2
•Operating Structure 4
•How We Generate Revenues and Profitability 5
•Human Capital Management 5
•Regulation 7
•Available Information about AIG 14
ITEM 1A Risk Factors 15
ITEM 1B Unresolved Staff Comments 37
ITEM 1C Cybersecurity 38
ITEM 2 Properties 40
ITEM 3 Legal Proceedings 40
ITEM 4 Mine Safety Disclosures 40
Part II
ITEM 6 [Reserved] 42
•Use of Non-GAAP Measures 46
•Critical Accounting Estimates 48
•Executive Summary 57
•Consolidated Results of Operations 60
•Business Segment Operations 65
•Investments 86
•Insurance Reserves 96
•Liquidity and Capital Resources 104
•Enterprise Risk Management 114
ITEM 7A Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk 124
ITEM 8 Financial Statements and Supplementary Data 125
Reference to Financial Statements and Schedules 125
ITEM 9A Controls and Procedures 259
ITEM 9B Other Information 260
ITEM 9C Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections 260
Part III
ITEM 10 Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance 261
ITEM 11 Executive Compensation 262
ITEM 14 Principal Accountant Fees and Services 262
Part IV
ITEM 15 Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules 263
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Part I
ITEM 1 | Business
In this Annual Report, unless otherwise mentioned or unless the context indicates otherwise, we use the terms “AIG,” the “Company,” “we,” “us” and “our” to refer to American International Group, Inc., a Delaware corporation, and its consolidated subsidiaries. We use the term “AIG Parent” to refer solely to American International Group, Inc., and not to any of its consolidated subsidiaries.
About AIG
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ITEM 1 | Business
As a leading global property, casualty and specialty insurance organization, we are results oriented and believe that focusing on how we achieve positive outcomes creates an aligned and inclusive culture that enables further progress. Unifying under one set of clear and directive Purpose and Values empowers AIG colleagues to be conduits of positive change – delivering exceptional client service, enhanced shareholder value and a better experience for everyone we serve.
AIG’s five Values guide our actions:
•Take ownership: we set clear expectations, we are proactive, we are accountable
•Set the standard: we deliver quality—always, we are client-centric, we lead the industry
•Win together: we are stronger together, we are aligned, we are one team
•Be an ally: we strive for inclusion, we listen and learn, we speak with our actions
•Do what’s right: we act with integrity, we lead by example, we lift up our communities
2023 Highlights and 2024 Priorities
(a)Non-GAAP measure – for reconciliation of non-GAAP to GAAP measure, see Part II, Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (MD&A).
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ITEM 1 | Business
Operating Structure
AIG reports the results of its businesses through three segments – General Insurance, Life and Retirement and Other Operations. General Insurance consists of two operating segments – North America and International. Life and Retirement consists of four operating segments – Individual Retirement, Group Retirement, Life Insurance and Institutional Markets. Other Operations is primarily comprised of corporate, our institutional asset management business and consolidation and eliminations.
For additional information on our business segments, see Part II, Item 7. MD&A – Business Segment Operations and Note 3 to the Consolidated Financial Statements, and for information regarding the separation of Life and Retirement, bankruptcy filing of AIG Financial Products Corp. and the sale of Validus Re, CRS, AIG Life and Laya, see Note 1 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
Business Segments
General Insurance Life and Retirement
Other Operations
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ITEM 1 | Business
How We Generate Revenues and Profitability
We earn revenues primarily from insurance premiums, policy fees and income from investments.
Our expenses consist of policyholder benefits and losses incurred, interest credited to policyholders, commissions and other costs of selling and servicing our products, interest expense and general operating expenses.
Our profitability is dependent on our ability to properly price and manage risk on insurance and annuity products, including establishing loss reserves, to manage our portfolio of investments effectively and to control costs through expense discipline.
For additional information on loss reserves and prior year loss development, see Part II, Item 7. MD&A – Critical Accounting Estimates – Loss Reserves, Part II, Item 7. MD&A – Insurance Reserves – Liability for Unpaid Losses and Loss Adjustment Expenses (Loss Reserves), and Note 13 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
For additional information on investment strategies, see Part II, Item 7. MD&A – Investments – Investment Strategies.
Human Capital Management
Our people are our greatest strength. To this end, we place significant focus on human capital management; namely retaining, developing and attracting high caliber talent and fostering an inclusive environment in which we actively seek and embrace diverse thinking.
Our Compensation and Management Resources Committee of the Board of Directors (CMRC) is responsible for overseeing human capital management practices and programs, including retention, talent development, compensation and benefits, and diversity, equity and inclusion. Management periodically reports to the CMRC on our various human capital management initiatives and metrics.
At December 31, 2023, we had approximately 25,200 employees based in approximately 50 countries, of which 32 percent are located in North America, 44 percent are in the Asia Pacific region and the remaining 24 percent are in the European, Middle East and Africa (EMEA region) and Latin America.
We believe that we foster a constructive and healthy work environment for our employees. The key programs and initiatives that are designed to attract, develop and retain our diverse workforce include:
Competitive Compensation and Benefits. We seek to align compensation with individual and Company performance and provide the appropriate market-competitive incentives to attract, retain and motivate employees to achieve outstanding results.
Management and the CMRC engage the services of third-party compensation consultants to help monitor the competitiveness of our incentive programs. We provide a performance-driven compensation structure that consists of base salary and, for eligible employees, short- and long-term incentives. We also offer comprehensive benefits to support the health, wellness, work-life balance and retirement preparedness/savings needs of our employees, including subsidized health care plans, life and disability insurance, wellness and mental health benefits, legal assistance plan, paid time off, paid volunteer time off, 2:1 matching grants for eligible charitable donations, parental and bonding leave and both matching and Company 401(k) contributions for eligible employees.
Health and Safety. The health and safety of our employees is a priority. Occupational safety and health is a shared responsibility between employees and corporate stakeholders, which we implement through our Global Safety and Environment policy. We take appropriate measures to prevent workplace injuries and illnesses, to provide a safe and healthy work environment, and to meet regulatory and duty of care responsibilities regarding the health, safety and welfare of employees engaging in AIG business activities.
We offer numerous benefits and wellness programs focused on the physical, social and financial wellness of our employees. Nearly every country in which we operate has an Employee Assistance Program (EAP), which provides employees with confidential counselling, mental health resources and information to help employees and their dependents through times of stress and anxiety. In many countries where local market and regulations permit, our EAP and other programs also offer work-life balance assistance, eldercare advice, bereavement support, and legal and financial guidance.
The AIG Compassionate Colleagues Fund (the Fund) enables the Company and its employees to provide direct relief to help eligible colleagues overcome unforeseen financial hardships. The Fund has helped more than 1,600 employees overcome serious financial hardships and disasters. In each of 2021, 2022 and 2023, AIG made a $2 million contribution to the Fund, and additional amounts were contributed by our colleagues through voluntary donations and our 2:1 matching grants program. Employees in approximately 23 countries have contributed to the Fund and employees in 11 countries have received relief.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ITEM 1 | Business
Talent Development. Equipping our people with the skills and capabilities to be successful and contribute toAIG is another priority. We do this by giving our employees access to meaningful tools and resources to assist in their professional development no matter where they are in their career paths.
AIG offers numerous learning opportunities to support the development of its employees. All online learning programs are accessible through a global learning management system, Your Learning Journey. Through these programs, employees can increase their insurance and business knowledge, build critical job skills and earn continuing education credits.
Alongside online courses, AIG offers a series of live, interactive learning opportunities designed to reinforce the Company's culture of excellence. These programs focus on providing employees with a strong foundation of core skills including communication, collaboration, coaching, change agility and problem solving.
Managers and leaders are critical in developing AIG’s talent for organizational success. To assess leadership skills and capabilities, we use distinct leadership assessment tools, including 360 degree feedback, which develops self-awareness and builds personalized leadership development goals. Our Leading Transformation program enhances our senior leaders’ ability to navigate and drive change and transformation to successfully achieve business objectives and build culture.
In addition to live courses and online training, AIG also offers tuition and certification training reimbursement to encourage employees to enhance their education and skills.
The Company also places significant importance on promoting internal talent and succession planning. Accordingly, we use a globally consistent streamlined process to support succession planning and talent development for each of our functions and operating segments. This approach helps identify a pipeline of diverse talent for positions at all levels of the organization and the actions needed to support their development. In 2023, 33 percent of all our open positions were filled with internal talent.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI). At AIG, we strive to create an inclusive workplace that provides equal opportunities for all colleagues. We believe in building a culture where everyone is valued and celebrated for who they are and where all perspectives are welcome. As of December 31, 2023, 54 percent of our global workforce were female and 34 percent of our U.S. workforce is ethnically diverse.
AIG sponsors over 110 Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), which are groups of employees who come together based on a shared interest in a specific identity in 45 countries to enhance allyship and inclusion across the organization. AIG’s global ERG network spans 13 different dimensions of diversity and is open to all employees. The ERGs are key to fostering an inclusive workplace that provides a safe space for colleagues to engage, learn, give back to our communities, and provide feedback from their perspective to the business. The ERGs also support and advise company practices and programs to drive a committed culture of belonging and deliver company value, as well as serve as an incubator for developing future leaders. AIG also provides DEI learning opportunities to create awareness and educate on inclusive leadership, allyship, cross-cultural dynamics and fostering inclusion, including DEI microlearning and sessions on authentic leadership.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ITEM 1 | Business
Regulation
GENERAL
Our (re)insurance subsidiaries are subject to extensive regulation and supervision in the jurisdictions in which our (re)insurance businesses are located or operate. Insurance regulatory authorities in those jurisdictions are the primary regulators for those businesses; however, our operations are subject to regulation by many different types of regulatory authorities, including insurance, securities, derivatives and investment advisory regulators in the United States and abroad.
Insurance regulators, other regulatory authorities, law enforcement agencies, and other governmental authorities from time to time make inquiries and conduct examinations or investigations regarding our compliance, as well as compliance by other companies in our industry, with applicable laws. In addition, regulation, legislation and administrative policies that are not limited in application solely to the insurance market may significantly affect the insurance industry and certain of our operations, including regulation, legislation and administrative policies related to privacy, cybersecurity, government sanctions, pensions, age and sex discrimination, financial services, securities, taxation and climate change. See Item 1A. Risk Factors – Regulation – "Our businesses are heavily regulated and changes in laws and regulations may affect our operations, increase our insurance subsidiary capital requirements or reduce our profitability".
We expect that the U.S. and international regulations applicable to us and our regulated entities will continue to evolve for the foreseeable future. See Item 1A. Risk Factors – Regulation – "New laws and regulations or new interpretations of current laws and regulations, both domestically and internationally, may affect our businesses, results of operations, financial condition and ability to compete effectively".
FINANCIAL, MARKET CONDUCT & CORPORATE GOVERNANCE OVERSIGHT
The method of insurance regulation of our (re)insurance subsidiaries varies, but generally has its source in statutes that delegate regulatory and supervisory powers to a state insurance official (in the United States) or another governmental agency (outside the United States). The regulation and supervision relate primarily to the financial condition of the (re)insurers, corporate conduct and market conduct activities. In general, such regulation is for the protection of policyholders rather than the creditors or equity owners of these companies. Financial, market conduct and corporate conduct oversight varies by jurisdiction, but can include activities such as:
(a)approval of policy language and rates;
(b)advertising practices;
(c)establishing minimum capital and liquidity requirements;
(d)licensing of insurers and their agents;
(e)requiring registration and periodic reporting by (re)insurance companies that are licensed in the jurisdiction;
(f)evaluating and, in some cases, requiring regulatory approval of, certain transactions between (re)insurance company subsidiaries and their affiliates;
(g)imposing restrictions and limitations on the amount of dividends or other distributions payable by a (re)insurance company;
(h)enforcing rules related to outsourcing of material functions;
(i)requiring deposits of securities for the benefit of policyholders;
(j)establishing requirements for acceptability of reinsurers and credit for reinsurance;
(k)establishing requirements for reserves; and
(l)enterprise risk management (including technology risk management) and corporate governance requirements.
Our (re)insurance subsidiaries are generally subject to laws and regulations that prescribe the type, quality and concentration of investments they can make and permissible investment practices, such as derivatives, securities lending and repurchase transactions. In non-U.S. jurisdictions, our (re)insurance subsidiaries may also be subject to laws requiring certain amounts and types of local investment. In addition, certain affiliates of our (re)insurance affiliates are themselves subject to laws and regulations concerning the investment advisory and investment management services they provide to our (re)insurance subsidiaries and other clients with respect to such investments.
Insurance laws in many jurisdictions also provide that no person, corporation or other entity may acquire control of an insurance company, or a controlling interest in (or prescribed percentage of capital of) any direct or indirect parent company of an insurance company, without the prior approval of, or notice to, such insurance company’s domiciliary insurance regulator.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ITEM 1 | Business
As a holding company with no significant business operations of its own, AIG Parent depends on dividends from our subsidiaries to meet our obligations. U.S. state insurance laws typically provide that dividends in excess of certain prescribed limits are considered to be extraordinary dividends and require prior approval or non-disapproval from the applicable insurance regulator. Outside the U.S., (re)insurers, subject to certain exceptions, are permitted to pay dividends subject to maintaining prescribed capital and solvency requirements and ensuring that dividends are made out of profits/retained earnings.
Further, as part of their regulatory oversight processes, insurance regulators conduct periodic examinations of our (re)insurance subsidiaries. Such examinations can cover a broad scope of the (re)insurance subsidiary’s operations, including the financial strength of the (re)insurance subsidiary; sales, marketing and claims handling practices; risk management; capital and liquidity management; and information technology operations (including emerging technology risks).
Insurance and securities regulators and other law enforcement agencies and attorneys general also, from time to time, make inquiries, issue data calls and conduct examinations or investigations regarding compliance with insurance and other laws or for informational purposes that can be company-specific or part of a broader industry-wide effort.
There can be no assurance that any noncompliance with such applicable laws, regulations or guidance would not have a material adverse effect on our business or results of operations.
REGULATORY REGIMES
United States
States
At the state-level, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) is a standard-setting and regulatory support organization created and governed by the chief insurance regulators from the 50 states, the District of Columbia and five U.S. territories. The NAIC is not a regulator, but, with assistance from the NAIC, state insurance regulators establish standards and best practices, conduct peer reviews and coordinate regulatory oversight. Model laws and regulations promulgated by the NAIC only become effective in a state once formally adopted by such state and are subject to revision by each state. Examples of NAIC models adopted, in substantial part, by all states include:
•The Risk-Based Capital (RBC) for Insurers Model Act, which incorporates an RBC formula calculated in accordance with instructions updated annually by the NAIC that is designed to measure the adequacy of an insurer’s total adjusted capital, as calculated pursuant to the RBC formula, in relation to certain risks inherent in its business, and authorizes certain regulatory actions regarding insurers whose RBC levels fall below specific thresholds. The NAIC has adopted, or is considering, several changes impacting how RBC is calculated, including initiatives aimed at a comprehensive review of the RBC investment framework as well as a proposed modeling methodology to determine RBC for collateralized loan obligations and other structured securities to reduce reliance on the use of rating agency ratings. The RBC levels of each of our U.S. domiciled (re)insurance companies exceeded each of these specific thresholds as of December 31, 2023. In addition to RBC requirements, the insurance laws of our domiciliary states prescribe certain minimum capital and surplus requirements for insurance companies. If any of our (re)insurance entities fell below prescribed levels of statutory capital and surplus, it would be our intention to provide appropriate capital or other types of support to that entity. For additional information, see Part II, Item 7. MD&A – Liquidity and Capital Resources – Liquidity and Capital Resources of AIG Parent and Subsidiaries – Insurance Companies.
•The Insurance Holding Company System Regulatory Act and the Insurance Holding Company System Model Regulation (together, the Holding Company Models) include: provisions authorizing insurance commissioners to act as global group-wide supervisors for internationally active insurance groups and participate in international supervisory colleges; standards for transactions between a domestic (re)insurance company and its affiliates and regulatory approval requirements for certain of such transactions; requirements for obtaining regulatory approval for acquiring control of a domestic (re)insurance company; and the requirement that the ultimate controlling person of a U.S. insurer file an annual enterprise risk report with its lead state regulator identifying risks likely to have a material adverse effect upon the financial condition or liquidity of its licensed insurers or the insurance holding company system as a whole, among other requirements. The New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) is AIG’s lead U.S.-state regulator, and leads AIG’s Supervisory College meetings, which consist of AIG’s key global regulatory bodies.
•The Risk Management and Own Risk and Solvency Assessment Model Act, which requires that insurers maintain a risk management framework, conduct an internal own risk and solvency assessment of the insurer’s material risks in normal and stressed environments, and submit annual Own Risk and Solvency Assessment (ORSA) summary reports to the insurance group’s lead U.S.-state regulator.
•The Corporate Governance Annual Disclosure Model Act (CGAD), which requires insurers to submit an annual filing regarding their corporate governance structure, policies and practices.
•And, specific to our life insurance subsidiaries, the NAIC's new Valuation Manual, which contains a principle-based reserving (PBR) approach to life insurance company reserves. PBR is designed to tailor the reserving process to more closely reflect the risks of specific products rather than the factor-based approach employed historically.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ITEM 1 | Business
The NAIC also provides standardized insurance industry accounting and reporting guidance through the NAIC Accounting Manual, which establishes statutory accounting principles applicable to (re)insurance companies. Statutory accounting principles promulgated by the NAIC may be modified by individual state laws, regulations and permitted practices granted by our domiciliary insurance regulators.
The NAIC has undertaken a multi-pronged effort to determine whether additional standards, safeguards or disclosures are required in connection with certain investments by U.S. insurance companies, including related party investments, structured securities and other complex assets.
In December 2020, the NAIC amended the Holding Company Models to incorporate a Liquidity Stress Testing (LST) requirement for large life insurers based on a set of scope criteria and a Group Capital Calculation (GCC) requirement. These amendments require the ultimate controlling person of every U.S. insurer that is scoped into the LST framework to submit LST results to the insurance group’s lead state insurance regulator on an annual basis. In addition, these amendments require the ultimate controlling person of every U.S. insurer to submit GCC reports to the insurance group’s lead state insurance regulator on an annual basis unless an exemption applies. The provisions of the December 2020 amendments to the Holding Company Models that authorize the GCC and LST were signed into law by New York State in August 2023, making AIG formally subject to them beginning in 2024.
U.S. states have state insurance guaranty associations in which insurers admitted in the state are required by law to be members. Member insurers may be assessed by the associations for certain obligations of insolvent insurance companies to policyholders and claimants. The aggregate assessments levied against us have not been material to our financial condition in any of the past three years.
Federal
At the U.S. federal level, AIG is impacted by the activities of policymakers and by the laws and regulations enforced by various federal agencies.
The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank), signed into law in 2010, brought about extensive changes to financial regulation in the United States and established the Federal Insurance Office (FIO) to serve as the central insurance authority in the federal government. While not serving a regulatory function, FIO performs certain duties related to the business of insurance and has authority to collect information on the insurance industry and recommend prudential standards. In addition, FIO monitors market access issues, represents the United States in international insurance forums and has authority to determine if certain regulations are preempted by covered agreements. FIO’s approval is required to subject a financial company whose largest U.S. subsidiary is an insurer to the special orderly liquidation process outside the federal bankruptcy code, administered by the FDIC pursuant to Dodd-Frank. U.S. insurance subsidiaries of any such financial company, however, would remain subject to rehabilitation and liquidation proceedings under state insurance laws.
FIO also assists the Secretary of the Treasury in administering the U.S. Terrorism Risk Insurance Act (TRIA), enacted in 2002 to support insurance coverage for certain terrorist acts in the U.S. The program was continued under the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2019 (TRIPRA) through December 31, 2027 and is intended to provide reinsurance coverage from the federal government in limited circumstances for certified acts of terrorism that exceed a certain threshold of industry losses.
Title I of Dodd-Frank established the Financial Stability Oversight Council (Council), which is authorized to determine that certain nonbank financial companies be designated as nonbank systemically important financial institutions (SIFIs) subject to supervision by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and enhanced prudential standards. Designation by the Council of any nonbank SIFI is subject to certain statutory and regulatory standards and to the Council’s guidance. The Council may also recommend that state insurance regulators or other regulators apply new or heightened standards and safeguards for activities or practices that insurers or other nonbank financial services companies engage in.
Title V of Dodd-Frank authorizes the United States to enter into covered agreements with foreign governments or regulatory entities regarding the business of insurance and reinsurance. On September 22, 2017, the U.S. and the European Union (EU) entered into such an agreement, and on December 18, 2018, the U.S. signed a covered agreement with the United Kingdom (UK), which is similar to the agreement with the EU. Under the agreements, AIG is supervised at the worldwide group level only by its relevant U.S. insurance supervisors, and generally does not have to satisfy EU Solvency II group capital, reporting and governance requirements for its worldwide group. The covered agreements also require various U.S. reinsurance collateral reforms, which have now been adopted by all U.S. states.
Title VII of Dodd-Frank provides for significantly increased regulation of, and restrictions on, derivatives markets and transactions that have affected various activities of insurance and other financial services companies, including (i) regulatory reporting for swaps, including security-based swaps, (ii) mandated clearing through central counterparties and execution through regulated swap execution facilities for certain swaps (other than security-based swaps) and (iii) margin and collateral requirements.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ITEM 1 | Business
International
In the UK, the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) is the lead prudential supervisor for our UK insurance operations and the Financial Conduct Authority has oversight of AIG’s insurance operations for consumer protection and competition matters.
In the EU, various Directives and Regulations affect our international (re)insurance operations. The Luxembourg insurance regulator, the Commissariat aux Assurances, is the insurance regulator for AIG Europe SA, which serves our European Economic Area (EEA) and Swiss policyholders. In addition, financial companies that operate in the EU are subject to a range of regulations enforced by the national regulators in each member state in which that firm operates. Solvency II governs the insurance industry’s solvency framework for the EU, including minimum capital and solvency requirements, governance requirements, risk management and public reporting standards.
AIG’s operating (re)insurance subsidiaries in Bermuda are regulated by the Bermuda Monetary Authority (BMA). Bermuda’s Insurance Act 1978, the applicable Codes of Conduct and related regulations impose solvency and liquidity standards and auditing and reporting requirements on Bermuda (re)insurance companies and grant the BMA powers to supervise, investigate and intervene in the affairs of (re)insurance companies. A variety of requirements and restrictions are imposed on our Bermuda operating (re)insurance subsidiaries including: periodic financial reporting; corporate governance framework; solvency and financial performance; compliance with minimum enhanced capital requirements; and minimum solvency margins and liquidity ratios (the latter for general business (re)insurers); and limitations on dividends and distributions.
The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) supervises AIG’s insurance subsidiary in Singapore. It has broad authority under the Insurance Act 1966 to regulate insurance business in Singapore as well as insurers, insurance intermediaries and related institutions. Our Singapore insurance operations are subject to minimum capital and solvency requirements as well as financial reporting, corporate governance and conduct of business requirements. The MAS has authority to conduct inspections and investigations on insurers and to administer sanctions for regulatory non-compliance. Our Singapore insurance subsidiary holds insurance entities in the Asia Pacific region. The MAS holds the Chief Executive of the Singapore insurance subsidiary principally responsible for the management and conduct of the business of the subsidiary, including the business of its subsidiaries and overseas branches.
The Japan Financial Services Agency (JFSA) regulates AIG’s operating insurance subsidiaries and insurance holding company in Japan. The JFSA has extensive authority under the Insurance Business Act and related regulations to oversee licensing, sales practices, business conduct, investments, reserves and solvency, amongst other matters. Our Japanese insurance operations are required to maintain a minimum solvency margin ratio (SMR), which is a measure of capital adequacy. The failure to maintain an appropriate SMR, or comply with other similar indicators of financial health, could result in the JFSA imposing corrective actions on our operations.
FSB and IAIS
The Financial Stability Board (FSB) consists of representatives of national financial authorities of the G20 countries. The FSB is not a regulator but is focused primarily on promoting international financial stability. The FSB has issued a series of frameworks and recommendations to address such issues as systemic financial risk, financial group supervision, capital and solvency standards, effective recovery and resolution regimes, corporate governance including compensation, and a number of related issues associated with responses to the financial crisis.
The International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS) represents insurance regulators and supervisors of more than 200 jurisdictions (including regions and states) in nearly 140 countries and seeks to promote globally consistent insurance industry supervision. The IAIS is not a regulator, but one of its activities is to develop insurance regulatory standards for use by local authorities across the globe. For example, the IAIS has adopted ComFrame, a Common Framework for the Supervision of Internationally Active Insurance Groups (IAIGs). ComFrame assists regulators in addressing an IAIG’s risks by providing supervisory standards for areas such as group supervision, governance and internal controls, enterprise risk management, and recovery and resolution planning. We currently meet the criteria set forth to identify an IAIG, and the NYDFS, as our group-wide supervisor, has publicly disclosed us as an IAIG on the IAIS’ register of IAIGs.
In addition, the FSB has charged the IAIS with developing a framework for measuring and mitigating systemic risks posed by the insurance sector, and in response the IAIS developed an enhanced set of supervisory policy measures for the assessment and mitigation of systemic risk in the insurance sector (Holistic Framework), with implementation beginning in 2020. The Holistic Framework recognizes that systemic risk can emanate from specific activities and exposures arising from either sector-wide trends or concentrations in individual insurers. In light of the IAIS adoption of the Holistic Framework, the FSB decided in December 2022 to discontinue the annual identification of Global Systemically Important Insurers in favor of instead applying the Holistic Framework to inform the FSB’s consideration of systemic risk in insurance.
As part of ComFrame, the IAIS is developing a risk-based global insurance capital standard (ICS) applicable to IAIGs, with the purpose of creating a common language for supervisory discussions of group solvency of IAIGs. The IAIS has adopted ICS Version 2.0 for a five-year monitoring phase, with an initial phase that commenced January 2020. During the initial phase, ICS Version 2.0 is used for confidential reporting to group-wide supervisors and discussion in supervisory colleges, but will not trigger supervisory action.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ITEM 1 | Business
Beginning after the conclusion of the five-year monitoring period in 2024, the IAIS has agreed to a second phase of implementation in which the ICS will be applied as a group-wide prescribed capital requirement, defined as a solvency control level above which the supervisor does not intervene on capital adequacy grounds. However, in recognition that the United States and potentially other interested jurisdictions are developing an alternative approach to a group capital calculation that, as with the GCC, utilizes an aggregation methodology of available capital and required capital of all insurance group members (Aggregation Method or AM), the IAIS is assessing whether the AM provides comparable outcomes to ICS Version 2.0, including by collecting data from interested jurisdictions. The IAIS aims to be in a position by the end of the monitoring phase to assess whether the AM provides substantially the same outcome as the ICS, in which case it will be considered an outcome-equivalent approach to the ICS.
The standards issued by the FSB and/or the IAIS are not binding on the United States or other jurisdictions around the world unless and until the appropriate local governmental bodies or regulators adopt laws or regulations implementing such standards.
PRIVACY, DATA PROTECTION, CYBERSECURITY AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE REQUIREMENTS
We are subject to various laws and regulations that require financial institutions and other businesses to protect and safeguard personal and other sensitive information and provide notice of their practices relating to the collection, disclosure and other processing of personal information. We also are subject to U.S. federal and state laws and regulations requiring notification to affected individuals and regulators of a data breach(es). Below we highlight a few key privacy, data protection, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence (AI) laws and regulations.
In October 2017, the NAIC adopted the Insurance Data Security Model Law (NAIC Data Security Model Law), which, among other things, requires insurers, insurance producers and other entities required to be licensed under state insurance laws to develop and maintain a written information security program, conduct risk assessments, and oversee the data security practices of third-party service providers. As of December 31, 2023, more than 20 jurisdictions had adopted the NAIC Data Security Model Law. In addition, on March 1, 2019, the NYDFS’s cybersecurity regulation became fully effective, requiring covered financial institutions, including insurance entities licensed in New York, to, among other things, implement a cybersecurity program designed to protect information systems. On November 1, 2023 the NYDFS published amendments to this cybersecurity regulation, which include additional obligations for large insurers including enhanced and updated governance, risk assessment, and technology requirements, new notification obligations, and clarifying changes regarding enforcement.
The State of California enacted the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (CCPA), which went into effect as of January 1, 2020, and imposes significant and often first-of-their-kind privacy obligations on businesses handling data related to California residents. The law has a number of exceptions as a result of amendments however; it does not apply to personal information collected, processed, sold, or disclosed pursuant to the federal Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA) and implementing regulations or the California Financial Information Privacy Act (FIPA). These amendments reduce the impact of the law on AIG in some, but not all, areas. The California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA) passed in November 2020 became effective January 1, 2023 and amends the CCPA to create additional privacy rights and obligations in California. Colorado, Connecticut, Utah and Virginia also enacted comprehensive consumer data privacy laws and many other states have proposed similar laws, albeit with similar exemptions for entities and/or data governed by the GLBA.
These privacy laws impose requirements on covered businesses that are similar to those imposed by the CCPA with respect to privacy notices, data subject rights and data security standards.
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Rules of Cybersecurity Risk Management, Strategy, Governance and Incident Disclosure by Public Companies require among other things, disclosure by registrants of any material cybersecurity incident on Form 8-K within four business days of determining that the incident the registrant has experienced is material. They also require periodic disclosures of, among other things, (i) details on the company’s cybersecurity policies and procedures, and (ii) cybersecurity governance and oversight policies, including the board of directors’ oversight of any material incidents (individually or in the aggregate).
The EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) took effect in May 2018. The GDPR’s scope extends to entities established within the EEA (i.e., EU member states plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) and to certain entities not established in the EEA (in certain instances, if they solicit or target individuals in the EU by offering goods or services to EEA data subjects or monitoring the personal behavior of EEA data subjects (e.g., in an online context)). The GDPR was also onshored in the UK through the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018, with adjustments as provided in the Data Protection, Privacy and Electronic Communications (Amendments etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019. Sanctions for non-compliance with the GDPR are onerous, with the potential for fines of up to 4 percent of global revenue for the most serious infringements of the GDPR.
We have sought to address the GDPR’s requirements by demonstrating accountability for compliance with the GDPR’s principles relating to processing of personal data, maintaining records of processing and completing mandatory Data Protection Impact Assessments in connection with higher risk data processing activities.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ITEM 1 | Business
The GDPR imposes requirements on the transfer of personal data outside of the EEA, including via standard contractual clauses supplemented by an assessment and due diligence of the legal and regulatory landscape of the jurisdiction of the data importer, the channels used to transmit personal data and the processors or subprocessors that may process personal data.
The NAIC and certain U.S. states have adopted or are considering regulations and guidance relating to the use of “big data,” AI, machine learning and other technology innovations in the insurance marketplace. For example, Colorado and New York have adopted regulations or guidance with respect to the use of external consumer data and information sources in underwriting for life insurance, including the use of algorithms and predictive models. In December 2023, the NAIC adopted a model bulletin on the use of AI by insurers that sets forth governance, risk management and other requirements that insurers using AI are expected to establish. In addition, state insurance regulators in the United States have issued and will continue to consider regulations or proposed guidelines in the use of external data, algorithms and AI in insurance practices, including underwriting, marketing, and claims practices.
The EEA and the UK have also taken steps to regulate the use of data and algorithms used for the purpose of AI and automated decision-making. On December 9, 2023, the European Parliament and European Council reached a provisional agreement on the European Union Artificial Intelligence Act, which, once formally adopted, will broadly regulate the use of AI within the European Union. European countries, and supranational political organizations like the EU and the Council of Europe, are expected to continue taking an active role in regulating AI in ways that may impact the insurance industry in the future.
We also are subject to other international laws and regulations that require financial institutions and other businesses to protect personal and other sensitive information and provide notice of their practices relating to the collection, disclosure and other processing of personal information and to obtain consent for specific processing activities. We are also subject to laws and regulations requiring notification to affected individuals and regulators of security breaches and laws and regulations regarding data localization and the cross-border transfer of information.
CLIMATE CHANGE
In recent years, federal- and state-level lawmakers and regulators in the United States and in other major countries in which we operate have increased their scrutiny on financial institutions’ and other companies’ governance, risk oversight, disclosures, plans, policies and practices in connection with climate change. Throughout 2023, there have been active and significant regulatory developments on these issues in the form of newly proposed, issued or implemented laws, rules, regulations, guidance and frameworks regarding climate change that impose, or will impose if and when effective, new requirements and expectations, including in connection with climate-related governance, risk management, disclosures, stress testing and scenario analysis. Regulators in several jurisdictions are considering the so-called protection gap as it relates to climate – which is the view that populations are under-insured or that there is insufficient coverage to protect policyholders against the risks associated with climate change. In addition, the SEC has proposed rule changes on climate-related disclosure. The proposed rule would require registrants, including public issuers such as us, to include certain climate-related disclosures in registration statements and periodic reports. These proposed disclosures include information about climate-related risks that are reasonably likely to have a material impact on the registrant’s business, results of operations, or financial condition, and include a new note to their audited financial statements that provides certain climate-related metrics and impacts on a line-item basis. The proposed climate-related disclosures would also include disclosure of a registrant’s greenhouse gas emissions (including Scope 3 emissions) and attestation thereof, as well as information about climate-related targets, goals, and transition plan, if any. If adopted as proposed, the rule changes are expected to result in additional compliance and reporting costs. We continue to actively monitor the regulatory landscape surrounding these issues.
U.S. SECURITIES, INVESTMENT ADVISER, BROKER-DEALER AND INVESTMENT COMPANY REGULATION
Our investment products and services are subject to applicable federal and state securities, investment advisory, fiduciary, including the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (ERISA), and other laws and regulations. The principal U.S. regulators of these operations include the SEC, Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board, state securities commissions, state insurance departments and the Department of Labor (DOL).
Our variable life insurance, variable annuity and mutual fund products generally are subject to regulation as “securities” under applicable federal securities laws, except where exempt. Such regulation includes registration of the offerings of these products with the SEC, unless exempt from such registration, and requirements of distribution participants to be registered as broker-dealers, as well as recordkeeping, reporting, and other requirements. This regulation also involves the registration of mutual funds and other investment products offered by our businesses, and the separate accounts through which our variable life insurance and variable annuity products are issued, as investment companies under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (Investment Company Act), except where exempt. The Investment Company Act imposes requirements relating to compliance, corporate governance, disclosure, recordkeeping, registration and other matters. In addition, the offering of these products may involve filing and other requirements under the securities laws of the states and other U.S. jurisdictions where offered. Our separate account investment products are also subject to applicable state insurance regulation.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ITEM 1 | Business
We have several subsidiaries that are registered as broker-dealers under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (Exchange Act) and are members of FINRA, and/or are registered as investment advisers under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (Advisers Act). Certain of these broker-dealers and investment advisers are involved in our life and annuity product sales, including participating in their distribution and/or serving as an investment adviser to mutual funds that underlie variable products offered by us. Certain of these broker-dealers and investment advisers are also involved in the management of the investment portfolios of our (re)insurance subsidiaries and other affiliates. In addition to registration requirements, the Exchange Act, the Advisers Act, and the regulations thereunder, impose various compliance, disclosure, qualification, recordkeeping, reporting requirements and subject these subsidiaries and their operations to examination. State securities laws also impose filing and other requirements on broker-dealers, investment advisers and/or their licensed representatives, except where exempt.
Further, our licensed sales professionals appointed with certain of our broker-dealer and/or investment adviser subsidiaries and our other employees, insofar as they sell products that are securities, including wholesale and retail activity, are subject to the Exchange Act and to examination requirements and regulation by the SEC, FINRA and state securities commissioners. Regulation and examination requirements also extend to our subsidiaries that employ or control those individuals.
INTERNATIONAL SECURITIES, INVESTMENT ADVISER, BROKER-DEALER AND INVESTMENT COMPANY REGULATION
We operate investment-related businesses in, among other jurisdictions, the UK and Ireland. These businesses may advise on and market investment management products and services, investment funds and separately managed accounts. The regulatory authorities for these businesses include securities, investment advisory, financial conduct and other regulators that typically oversee such issues as: (1) company licensing; (2) the approval of individuals with positions of responsibility; (3) conduct of business to customers, including sales practices; (4) solvency and capital adequacy; (5) fund product approvals and related disclosures; and (6) securities, commodities and related laws, among other items. We also participate in investment-related joint ventures in jurisdictions outside the United States, primarily in Europe and Asia. In some cases, our international investment operations are also subject to U.S. securities laws and regulations.
ERISA
We provide products and services to certain employee benefit plans that are subject to ERISA and/or the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the Internal Revenue Code). Plans subject to ERISA include certain pension and profit-sharing plans and welfare plans, including health, life and disability plans. As a result, our activities are subject to the restrictions imposed by ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code, including the requirement under ERISA that fiduciaries must perform their duties solely in the interests of ERISA plan participants and beneficiaries, and that fiduciaries may not cause a covered plan to engage in certain prohibited transactions. The applicable provisions of ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code are subject to enforcement by the DOL, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation.
STANDARD OF CARE DEVELOPMENTS
We and our distributors are subject to laws and regulations regarding the standard of care applicable to sales of our products and the provision of advice to our customers. In recent years, many of these laws and regulations have been revised or reexamined while others have been newly adopted, such as:
•On October 31, 2023, the DOL announced proposed changes to the regulatory definition of an investment advice fiduciary for purposes of transactions with ERISA qualified plans, related plan participants and IRAs. The proposed changes also included significant changes to existing prohibited transactions exemptions (PTEs) relating to such advice, including PTE 84-24 and PTE 2020-02. The DOL’s proposed regulation changes would significantly increase the number of recommendations that would be considered fiduciary, including (but not limited to) retirement plan rollover recommendations. The DOL proposal established a 60-day comment period through January 2, 2024. Final DOL guidance is expected in 2024.
•SEC Best Interest Regulation – In 2020, Regulation Best Interest (Regulation BI), which establishes new rules regarding the standard of care a broker must meet when making a recommendation to a retail customer in connection with the sale of a security or other covered recommendation, and Form CRS, which requires enhanced disclosure by broker-dealers and investment advisers regarding client relationships and certain conflicts of interest issues, became effective. Both had been adopted by the SEC in June 2019 as part of a package of final rulemakings and interpretations, at the same time as the SEC issued two interpretations under the Advisers Act. The first interpretation addressed the standard of conduct applicable to SEC-registered investment advisers, including details regarding the fiduciary duty owed to clients, required disclosures and the adviser’s continuous monitoring obligations. The second interpretation clarified when investment advice would be considered “solely incidental” to brokerage activity for purposes of the broker-dealer exclusion from SEC investment adviser registration. These two SEC interpretations became effective in 2019.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ITEM 1 | Business
•FINRA Standard of Care Development – In 2020, FINRA Rule 2111 was amended to provide that FINRA’s suitability requirements do not apply to recommendations that are subject to Regulation BI. This amendment was intended to mitigate any potential confusion regarding which standard of conduct applies to retail consumers. FINRA’s suitability rules still apply to recommendations that are not covered by Regulation BI, such as recommendations to institutional customers.
•New York Standard of Care Developments – In July 2018, NYDFS adopted a best interest standard of care regulation applicable to annuity and life insurance transactions through issuance of the First Amendment to Insurance Regulation 187 – Suitability and Best Interests in Life Insurance and Annuity Transactions (Regulation 187). As amended, Regulation 187 requires life and annuity producers to act in their client’s best interest when making point-of-sale and in-force recommendations, and to deliver to the client the written basis for the recommendation, as well as the facts and analysis to support the recommendation. The amended regulation also imposes additional duties on life insurance companies in relation to these transactions, such as requiring insurers to establish and maintain procedures designed to prevent financial exploitation and abuse. The amended Regulation 187 was previously challenged in court, but was upheld by the State of New York Court of Appeals, which is New York’s highest state court, in October 2022.
•State Standard of Care Developments (Other than New York) – In February 2020, the NAIC adopted revisions to its Suitability in Annuity Transactions Model Regulation (#275) (NAIC Suitability Model) implementing a best interest standard of care applicable to sales and recommendations of annuities. The amended NAIC Suitability Model conforms in large part to Regulation BI, providing that all recommendations by agents and insurers must be in the best interest of the consumer under known circumstances at the time an annuity recommendation is made, without placing agents’ or insurers’ financial interests ahead of the consumer’s interest in making a recommendation. A majority of states have adopted amendments to their suitability rules based on the NAIC Suitability Model revisions, and we expect that a substantial majority of states will do so or consider adopting their own standards of conduct which could be broader than the NAIC Suitability Model.
We continue to closely follow these legislative and regulatory activities as changes in standard of care requirements and have evaluated the impact of these requirements on us and our customers, distribution partners and financial advisers. We have made significant investments to implement and enhance tools, processes and procedures, where needed, to comply with the final rules and interpretations. These efforts and enhancements have resulted in increased compliance costs and may impact sales results and increase regulatory and litigation risk.
FEDERAL RETIREMENT LEGISLATION
In December 2022, comprehensive retirement legislation entitled "SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022" (SECURE 2.0) was signed into law. SECURE 2.0 included many provisions affecting qualified contracts, many of which became effective in 2023, and additional ones that become effective in 2024 or subsequent years. Some of the SECURE 2.0 provisions that became effective in 2023 include, among others: an increase in the age at which required minimum distributions generally must commence to age 73 from the previous age of 72; elimination of the first day of the month requirement for governmental Section 457(b) plans; and optional treatment of employer contributions as Roth sources. We are implementing new processes and procedures, where needed, designed to comply with the new requirements.
Available Information about AIG
Our corporate website is www.aig.com. We make available free of charge, through the Investors section of our corporate website, the reports that we file or furnish with the SEC (including Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, Proxy Statements on Schedule 14A, any amendments to each of those reports and filings, and other disclosure), corporate governance information (including our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics and any amendments of or waivers from the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics), and select press releases. Additionally, all of our reports filed with the SEC are available on the SEC's website at sec.gov.
Except for the documents specifically incorporated by reference into this Annual Report on Form 10-K, information contained on our website or that can be accessed through our website is not incorporated by reference into this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Reference to our website is made as an inactive textual reference.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ITEM 1A | Risk Factors
ITEM 1A | Risk Factors
Risk Factor Summary
The following is a summary of the material risks and uncertainties that could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. You should read this summary together with the more detailed description of each risk factor contained below.
Market Conditions
•Deterioration of economic conditions, geopolitical tensions, changes in market conditions or weakening in global capital markets may materially affect our businesses, results of operations, financial condition and liquidity.
•Changes in interest rates have materially and adversely affected and may continue to materially and adversely affect our profitability.
Reserves and Exposures
•The amount and timing of insurance and reinsurance liability claims are difficult to predict and such claims may exceed the related liability for unpaid losses and loss adjustment expenses or future policy benefits, or the liabilities associated with certain guaranteed benefits and indexed features accounted for as embedded derivatives at fair value.
•Reinsurance may be unavailable or too expensive relative to its benefit, and may not be adequate to protect us against losses.
•Our consolidated results of operations, liquidity, financial condition and ratings are subject to the effects of natural and man-made catastrophic events as well as mass torts.
•Climate change may adversely affect our business and financial condition.
•Concentration of our insurance, reinsurance and other risk exposures may have adverse effects.
•Fortitude Re may fail to perform its obligations and the accounting treatment of our reinsurance agreements with Fortitude Re leads to volatility in our results of operations.
•Losses due to nonperformance or defaults by counterparties may materially and adversely affect the value of our investments, our profitability and sources of liquidity.
Investment Portfolio and Concentration of Investments
•Our investment portfolio is concentrated in certain segments of the economy, and the performance and value of our investment portfolio are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties.
•We rely on investment management and advisory arrangements with third-party investment managers for the majority of our investment portfolio. The historical performance of Blackstone, BlackRock or any other investment manager we engage should not be considered as indicative of the future results of our investment portfolio, our future results or any returns expected on AIG Common Stock.
•Our valuation of investments and derivatives involves the application of methodologies and assumptions to derive estimates, which may differ from actual experience and could result in changes to investment valuations that may materially adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition and liquidity or lead to volatility in our net income.
Liquidity, Capital and Credit
•AIG Parent’s ability to access funds from our subsidiaries is limited, and our sources of liquidity may be insufficient to meet our needs, including providing capital that may be required by our subsidiaries.
•We may not be able to generate cash to meet our needs due to the illiquidity of some of our investments.
•A downgrade by one or more of the rating agencies in the Insurer Financial Strength ratings of our insurance companies could limit their ability to write or prevent them from writing new business and impair their retention of customers and in-force business, and a downgrade in our credit ratings could adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition and liquidity.
Business and Operations
•No assurances can be given that the separation of our Life and Retirement business will be completed or as to the specific terms or timing thereof. In addition, we may not achieve the expected benefits of the separation and will have continuing equity market exposure to Corebridge until we fully divest our stake.
•Pricing for our products is subject to our ability to adequately assess risks and estimate related losses.
•Guarantees within certain of our Life and Retirement products may increase the volatility of our results.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ITEM 1A | Risk Factors
•Our risk management policies, standards and procedures may prove to be ineffective and leave us exposed to unidentified or unanticipated risk, which could adversely affect our businesses, results of operations, financial condition and liquidity.
•Our foreign operations expose us to risks that may affect our operations.
•We are exposed to certain risks if we are unable to maintain the availability of our critical technology systems and data and safeguard the confidentiality and integrity of our data, which could compromise our ability to conduct business and adversely affect our consolidated business, results of operations, financial condition and liquidity.
•Third parties we rely upon to provide certain business and administrative services on our behalf may not perform as anticipated, which could have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations.
•We may experience difficulty in marketing and distributing products through our current and future distribution channels and the use of third parties may result in additional liabilities.
•Our restructuring initiatives may not yield our expected reductions in expenses and improvements in operational and organizational efficiency.
•Business or asset acquisitions and dispositions may expose us to certain risks.
•Significant legal or regulatory proceedings may adversely affect our business, results of operations or financial condition.
•Increasing scrutiny and evolving expectations from investors, customers, regulators, policymakers and other stakeholders regarding environmental, social and governance matters, including governmental responses to such matters, may adversely affect our reputation or otherwise adversely impact our business and results of operations.
•An epidemic, pandemic or other health crisis could materially and adversely affect our business results of operations, financial condition and liquidity. COVID-19 (including variants) has adversely affected and may continue to adversely affect our global business, results of operations, financial condition and liquidity.
•We may not be able to protect our intellectual property and may be subject to infringement claims.
Regulation
•Our businesses are heavily regulated and changes in laws and regulations may affect our operations, increase our insurance subsidiary capital requirements or reduce our profitability.
•New laws and regulations or new interpretations of current laws and regulations, both domestically and internationally, may affect our businesses, results of operations, financial condition and ability to compete effectively.
•An “ownership change” could limit our ability to utilize tax loss and credit carryforwards to offset future taxable income.
•New and proposed changes to tax laws could increase our corporate taxes or make some of our products less attractive to consumers.
Estimates and Assumptions
•Estimates or assumptions used in the preparation of financial statements and modeled results used in various areas of our business may differ materially from actual experience.
•Changes in accounting principles and financial reporting requirements may impact our consolidated results of operations and financial condition.
•If our businesses do not perform well and/or their estimated fair values decline, we may be required to recognize an impairment of our goodwill or establish an additional valuation allowance against the deferred income tax assets, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.
Employees and Competition
•Employee error and misconduct may be difficult to detect and prevent and may result in reputational damage and significant losses.
•Competition for employees in our industry is intense, and managing key employee succession is critical to our success. We may not be able to attract and retain the key employees and other highly skilled employees we need to support our businesses.
•We face intense competition in each of our business lines, and technological changes may present new and intensified challenges to our businesses.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ITEM 1A | Risk Factors
Risk Factors
Investing in AIG involves risk. In deciding whether to invest in AIG, you should carefully consider the following risk factors. Any of these risk factors could have a significant or material adverse effect on our businesses, results of operations, financial condition or liquidity. They could also cause significant fluctuations and volatility in the trading price of our securities. Readers should not consider any descriptions of these factors to be a complete set of all potential risks that could affect AIG. These factors should be considered carefully together with the other information contained in this report and the other reports and materials filed by us with the SEC. Further, many of these risks are interrelated and could occur under similar business and economic conditions, and the occurrence of certain of them may in turn cause the emergence or exacerbate the effect of others. Such a combination could materially increase the severity of the impact of these risks on our businesses, results of operations, financial condition and liquidity above and beyond a risk’s singular impact.
MARKET CONDITIONS
Deterioration of economic conditions, geopolitical tensions, changes in market conditions or weakening in global capital markets may materially affect our businesses, results of operations, financial condition and liquidity.
Our businesses are highly dependent on global economic and market conditions. Weaknesses in economic conditions, including a recessionary environment, poor capital markets performance and market volatility have in the past led to, and may in the future lead to, among other consequences, a poor operating environment, erosion of consumer and investor confidence, reduced business volumes, deteriorating liquidity, declines in asset valuations and impacts on policyholder behavior that could influence reserve valuations.
Key ways in which we have in the past been, and could in the future be, negatively affected by economic conditions include:
•increases in policy withdrawals, lapses, surrenders and cancellations and other impacts from changes in policyholder behavior compared to that assumed in pricing;
•increased loss payments and loss costs due to inflation;
•increased challenges to insurance policy terms and conditions, such as standard exclusions;
•increases in costs associated with third-party reinsurance, or decreased ability to obtain reinsurance on acceptable terms;
•the increased likelihood of, or increased magnitude of, asset impairments caused by market fluctuations, deterioration in collateral values or credit deterioration of borrowers; and
•reduced premium and deposits.
Adverse economic conditions may result from a variety of factors including domestic and global economic and political developments, including elevated interest rates, plateauing or decreasing economic growth and business activity, recessions, social inflation, inflationary or deflationary pressures in developed economies, including the United States, civil unrest, pandemics, geopolitical tensions, foreign investment restrictions, or military action, such as the armed conflict between Ukraine and Russia and corresponding sanctions imposed by the United States and other countries or the conflict in Israel and the surrounding areas, and new or evolving legal and regulatory requirements on business investment, hiring, migration, labor supply and global supply chains.
These and other market, economic, regulatory and political factors, including the prolonged effects of elevated inflation, turmoil in the global banking sector and related macroeconomic uncertainty, and domestic and international political tension, including any potential U.S. government shutdown, have had and could continue to have a material adverse effect on our businesses, results of operations, financial condition, capital and liquidity in many ways, including:
•lower levels of consumer demand for and ability to afford our products and commercial business activities that have decreased and may continue to decrease revenues and profitability and thus impair goodwill, deferred tax assets or other long-term assets;
•increased credit impairments, downgrades and losses across single or numerous asset classes due to lower collateral values or deteriorating cash flow and profitability by borrowers that could lead to higher defaults on the Company’s investment portfolio, especially in geographic, industry or investment sectors where the Company has higher concentrations of exposure, such as real estate related borrowings, and widening of credit spreads that could reduce investment asset valuations, decrease fee income and increase statutory capital requirements;
•increased market volatility and uncertainty that could decrease liquidity, increase borrowing costs and limit access to capital markets;
•the reduction of investment income generated by our investment portfolio;
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ITEM 1A | Risk Factors
•disruption to our business operations in countries experiencing geopolitical tensions as well as increased costs associated with meeting customer needs in such regions;
•increased costs related to our direct and third-party support services, labor and financing, increased credit risk and decreased sales as a result of inflationary pressures; and
•limitations on business activities and increased compliance risks with respect to economic sanctions regulations relating to jurisdictions in which our businesses operate or we have operations.
In addition, if our investment managers, including Blackstone Inc. (Blackstone) and BlackRock, Inc. (BlackRock), or any other investment managers we engage, fail to react appropriately to difficult market or economic conditions, our investment portfolio could incur material losses.
Changes in interest rates have materially and adversely affected and may continue to materially and adversely affect our profitability.
Global interest rates increased steadily in 2022 and 2023, including in the United States, and in some cases, have risen rapidly after an extended period at or near historic lows.
We are exposed primarily to the following risks arising from or exacerbated by fluctuations in interest rates:
•mismatch between the expected duration of our liabilities and our assets;
•impairment to our ability to earn the returns or spreads assumed in the pricing and the reserving for our products;
•changes in certain statutory reserve or capital requirements that are based on formulas or models that consider interest rates or prescribed interest rates, such as cash flow testing reserves;
•changes in the costs of derivatives we use for hedging or increases in the volume of hedging we do;
•an increase in policy loans, surrenders and withdrawals as interest rates rise;
•loss from reduced fee income, and changes in the fair values of Market Risk Benefits (MRBs) and embedded derivatives;
•the reinvestment risk associated with more prepayments on mortgage-backed securities and other fixed income securities in decreasing interest rate environments and fewer prepayments in increasing interest rate environments;
•volatility in our generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) results of operations driven by interest rate-related components of liabilities and equity market-related components of optional guaranteed benefits and the cost of associated hedges in low interest rate environments; and
•increased financing and refinancing costs, in particular with respect to our corporate debt instruments.
Changes in interest rates have had and could continue to have a material adverse effect on the value of our investment portfolio. For example, increases in interest rates have impacted, and may continue to impact, our investment portfolio by decreasing the estimated fair values of the fixed income securities that constitute a substantial portion of our investment portfolio as well as the alternative investments in our investment portfolio. This in turn has increased and could continue to increase the unrealized loss positions in our portfolio and adversely affect our ability to realize our deferred tax assets, thereby materially and adversely affecting our business, results of operations, financial condition and liquidity. Furthermore, changes in interest rates and credit spreads have led to decreasing the average account value of our separate accounts thereby negatively impacting the fee income we earn.
In periods of rapidly increasing interest rates or sustained periods of elevated interest rates, such as the current interest rate environment, we may not be able to purchase, in a timely manner, the investments in our general account with yields sufficient to fund the higher crediting rates necessary to keep interest rate sensitive products that we offer competitive.Therefore, we may need to accept a lower investment spread and, thus, lower profitability, or face a decline in sales and greater loss of existing contracts and related assets.Policy loans, surrenders and withdrawals also tend to increase as policyholders seek investments with higher perceived returns in higher interest rate environments. These impacts may continue to result in significant cash outflows requiring that we sell investments at a time when the prices of those investments are adversely affected by interest rate volatility, which could result in realized investment losses when selling assets in an unrealized loss position.
Conversely, the sustained low interest rates we experienced through early 2022 negatively affected and, should a low interest rate environment return, could in the future negatively affect the performance of our investments and reduce the level of investment income earned on our investment portfolios, resulting in net investment spread compression. We experience lower investment income as well as lower sales of new Life and Retirement insurance products, including interest rate sensitive products, and policies when a low or declining U.S. interest rate environment persists, and/or interest rates turn negative, and these effects can persist so long as the investments purchased and products issued remain outstanding, even after rates have risen. We may also experience lower investment income if we are forced to reinvest cash flows from investments at rates below the average yield of our existing portfolios. Due to practical and capital markets limitations, we have in the past not been and may in the future not be able to fully mitigate our interest rate risk by matching exposure of our assets relative to our liabilities. Low levels of interest rates have in the past and could in the future continue to impair our ability to earn the returns assumed in the pricing and the reserving for our products at the time they were sold and issued.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ITEM 1A | Risk Factors
In addition, fluctuations in interest rates may expose us to the risk of increases in certain statutory reserve requirements that are based on formulas or models that consider interest rates, which would reduce statutory capital, and increases in capital requirements and the amount of assets we must maintain to support statutory reserves, which would reduce surplus.
The primary source of our exposure to credit spreads is in the value of our fixed income securities. If credit spreads widen significantly, we could be exposed to higher levels of defaults and impairments.If credit spreads tighten significantly, it could result in reduced net investment income and, in turn, reduced profitability associated with new purchases of fixed maturity securities.
Tightening credit spreads would reduce the discount rates used in the principles-based statutory reserve calculation, potentially increasing statutory reserve requirements and, in turn, reducing statutory surplus. Although these effects on bond fund valuation and reserve discount rates run in offsetting directions for either credit spread widening or narrowing, it is possible for one of them to outweigh the other under certain market conditions. Any of these risks could cause an adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and liquidity.
RESERVES AND EXPOSURES
The amount and timing of insurance and reinsurance liability claims are difficult to predict and such claims may exceed the related liability for unpaid losses and loss adjustment expenses or future policy benefits, or the liabilities associated with certain guaranteed benefits and indexed features accounted for as embedded derivatives at fair value.
We regularly review the adequacy of the established liability for unpaid losses and loss adjustment expenses and future policy benefits, as well as liabilities associated with certain guaranteed benefits and indexed features accounted for as embedded derivatives at fair value. We also conduct extensive analyses of our reserves and embedded derivatives during the year. Our liability for unpaid losses and loss adjustment expenses, future policy benefits and embedded derivatives, however, has and may develop adversely and materially impact our businesses, results of operations, financial condition and liquidity.
For General Insurance, estimation of ultimate net losses, loss expenses and the liability for unpaid losses and loss adjustment expenses is a complex process, particularly for both long-tail and medium-tail liability lines of business. There is also greater uncertainty in establishing reserves with respect to new business, particularly new business involving recently introduced product lines. In these cases, there is less historical experience or knowledge and less data upon which the actuaries can rely. Estimating reserves is further complicated by unexpected claims or unintended coverages that emerge due to unexpected events, such as pandemics or geopolitical conflicts. These emerging issues may increase the size or number of claims beyond our underwriting intent and may not become apparent for many years after a policy is issued.
While we use a number of analytical reserve development techniques to project future loss development, the liability for unpaid losses and loss adjustment expenses has been and may continue to be significantly affected by changes in loss cost trends or loss development factors that were relied upon in setting the liability for unpaid losses and loss adjustment expenses. These changes in loss cost trends or loss development factors could be due to changes in actual versus expected claims and losses, difficulties in predicting changes, such as changes in inflation, unemployment, or other social or economic factors affecting claims, including judicial and legislative actions, and changes in the tort environment. Any deviation in loss cost trends or in loss development factors might not be identified for an extended period of time after we record the initial loss reserve estimates for any accident year or number of years.
For Life and Retirement, establishment and ongoing calculations of reserves for future policy benefits and related reinsurance assets as well as embedded derivatives and MRBs is a complex process with significant judgmental inputs, assumptions and modeling techniques, in each case yielding corresponding results which may be inaccurate or incorrect. We make assumptions regarding mortality, morbidity, discount rates, persistency and policyholder behavior at various points, including at the time of issuance and in subsequent reporting periods. An increase in the valuation of the liability could result to the extent emerging and actual experience deviates from these assumptions. The inputs and assumptions used in connection with calculations of reserves for future policy benefits are inherently uncertain. Experience may develop adversely such that additional reserves must be established or the value of MRBs or embedded derivatives may increase. Adverse experience could arise out of a number of factors, including, but not limited to, a severe short-term event, such as a pandemic or changes to policyholder behavior during stressed economic periods, or due to mis-estimation of long-term assumptions such as mortality, interest rates, credit spreads, equity market levels and volatility and persistency assumptions. Certain variables, such as policyholder behavior, are difficult to estimate and can have a significant impact on future policy benefits, MRBs and embedded derivatives. We review and update actuarial assumptions at least annually, typically in the third quarter for reserves, MRBs and embedded derivatives. Additionally, we regularly carry out cash flow testing for statutory reporting. If actual experience or revised future expectations result in projected future losses, we may be required to record additional liabilities through a charge to policyholder benefit expense, net realized gains or losses, or changes in market risk benefits in the then-current period, which could negatively affect our business, results of operations, financial condition and liquidity.
For additional information on reserve development, see Part II, Item 7. MD&A – Insurance Reserves.
For additional information on our loss reserves, see Part II, Item 7. MD&A – Critical Accounting Estimates – Loss Reserves and Note 13 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ITEM 1A | Risk Factors
For additional information regarding these products, see Item 1. Business – Regulation, Part II, Item 7. MD&A – Critical Accounting Estimates – Market Risk Benefits, and Notes 13 and 14 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
Reinsurance may be unavailable or too expensive relative to its benefit, and may not be adequate to protect us against losses.
Our subsidiaries are major purchasers of third-party reinsurance and we use reinsurance as part of our overall risk management strategy. While reinsurance does not discharge our subsidiaries from their obligation to pay claims for losses insured under our policies, it does make the reinsurer liable to the subsidiaries for the reinsured portion of the risk. Market conditions beyond our control have impacted and may in the future impact the availability and cost of reinsurance and could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. For example, reinsurance is typically more difficult or costly to obtain after a year or consecutive years with a large number of major catastrophes, the likelihood of which may be exacerbated by climate change. We have been and may, at certain times be, (i) forced to incur additional costs for reinsurance, (ii) unable to obtain sufficient reinsurance on acceptable terms, or (iii) unable to obtain reinsurance for certain parts of our business. In instances where reinsurance is more costly, insufficient on acceptable terms or unavailable, we have had to, and will in the future have to accept an increase in exposure to risk, reduce or stop writing certain lines of business written by our subsidiaries or seek alternatives in line with our risk limits, or a combination thereof.
Additionally, we are exposed to credit risk with respect to our subsidiaries’ reinsurers to the extent the reinsurance receivable is not secured, or is inadequately secured by collateral or does not benefit from other credit enhancements. We also bear the risk that a reinsurer is, or may be, unwilling to pay amounts we have recorded as reinsurance recoverables for any reason, including that (i) the terms of the reinsurance contract do not reflect the intent of the parties to the contract or there is a disagreement between the parties as to their intent, or (ii) the terms of the contract cannot be legally enforced. In addition, we bear the risk that (i) the terms of the contract are interpreted by a court or arbitration panel differently than expected, (ii) the reinsurance transaction performs differently than we anticipated compared to the original structure, terms or conditions, or (iii) a change in laws and regulations, or in the interpretation of the laws and regulations, materially impacts a reinsurance transaction. The insolvency of one or more of our reinsurers, the inability or unwillingness of such reinsurers to make timely payments under the terms of our contracts or payments in an amount equal to our reinsurance recoverable, or the risk that the reinsurance transaction does not operate as intended, including due to a change in laws and regulations or on account of court or arbitration panel interpretations, could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and liquidity.
Moreover, the use of reinsurance placed in the capital markets may not provide the same levels of protection as traditional reinsurance transactions. Any disruption, volatility and uncertainty in these markets, such as following a major catastrophic event, may limit our ability to access such markets on terms favorable to us or at all. Also, to the extent that we intend to use structures based on an industry loss index or other non-indemnity trigger rather than on actual losses incurred by us, we could be subject to residual risk.
Our Life and Retirement companies also utilize intercompany reinsurance arrangements to provide capital benefits to their affiliated cedants. They have also pursued, and may continue to pursue, reinsurance transactions with external parties and permitted practices to manage the capital impact of statutory reserve requirements under applicable reserving rules, including principle-based reserving (PBR). The application of actuarial guidelines and PBR involves numerous interpretations. If state insurance departments do not agree with our interpretations or if regulations change with respect to our ability to manage the capital impact of certain statutory reserve requirements, the statutory reserve requirements of our Life and Retirement companies could increase, or the ability of our Life and Retirement companies to take reserve credit for reinsurance transactions could be reduced or eliminated. Additionally, if the ratings of our Life and Retirement companies decline, we could incur higher costs to obtain reinsurance, each of which could adversely affect sales of our products and our financial condition or results of operations.
The availability of private sector reinsurance for terrorism is limited and we currently have limited reinsurance coverage for terrorist attacks. While we benefit from the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (TRIPRA), which provides U.S. government risk assistance to the insurance industry to manage the exposure to terrorism incidents, TRIPRA has specific program limits and does not cover losses in certain lines of business such as personal property and personal casualty. We also rely on the government sponsored and government arranged terrorism reinsurance programs, including pools, in force in applicable non-U.S. jurisdictions. The realization of these risks may materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.
For additional information on our reinsurance recoverable, see Part II, Item 7. MD&A – Enterprise Risk Management – Insurance Risks – Reinsurance Activities – Reinsurance Recoverable.
Our consolidated results of operations, liquidity, financial condition and ratings are subject to the effects of natural and man-made catastrophic events as well as mass torts.
Events such as hurricanes, windstorms, hailstorms, flooding, earthquakes, landslides, wildfires, solar storms, earth sinking, tsunamis, war or other military action, acts of terrorism, explosions and fires, cyberattacks, product defects, pandemics and other highly contagious diseases, mass torts, civil unrest and other catastrophes have adversely affected our business in the past and could do so in the future.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ITEM 1A | Risk Factors
Catastrophic events, and any relevant regulations, have in the past and could in the future result in losses in any business in which we operate, and could expose us to:
•widespread claim costs associated with property, casualty, general liability, bodily injury, workers’ compensation, accident and health, travel, business interruption, cyber and mortality and morbidity claims, among others;
•loss resulting from a decline in the value of our invested assets;
•limitations on our ability to recover deferred tax assets;
•loss resulting from actual policy experience that is adverse compared to the assumptions made in product pricing;
•revenue loss due to decline in customer base;
•declines in value and/or losses with respect to companies and other entities whose securities we hold and counterparties we transact business with and have credit exposure to, including reinsurers; and
•significant disruptions to our physical infrastructure, systems and operations.
Natural and man-made catastrophic events are generally unpredictable. Our exposure to catastrophe-related loss depends on various factors, including the frequency and severity of the catastrophes, the availability of reinsurance, the rate of inflation and the value and geographic or other concentrations of insured companies and individuals. Vendor models and proprietary assumptions and processes that we use to manage catastrophe exposure may prove to be ineffective due to incorrect assumptions or estimates. For example, modeling for terrorism, cyber events and pandemics is more difficult and may be less reliable.
In addition, legislative and regulatory initiatives and court decisions following major catastrophes (both natural and man-made), as well as mass torts, have required and could in the future require us to pay the insured beyond the provisions of the original insurance policy and may prohibit the application of a deductible, resulting in inflated and unanticipated claims; or impose other restrictions, which would reduce our ability to mitigate exposure. These initiatives could impair our cash flows and, without regulatory relief, could reduce our subsidiaries’ capital ratios.
For additional information on potential catastrophic events, including a sensitivity analysis of our exposure to certain catastrophes, see Part II, Item 7. MD&A – Enterprise Risk Management – Insurance Risks.
For information regarding the effects of climate change on our business, see Reserves and Exposures – “Climate change may adversely affect our business and financial condition” below.
For information regarding the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business, see Business and Operations – “An epidemic, pandemic or other health crisis could materially and adversely affect our business results of operations, financial condition and liquidity. COVID-19 (including variants) has adversely affected and may continue to adversely affect our global business, results of operations, financial condition and liquidity.” below.
Climate change may adversely affect our business and financial condition.
Climate change, indicated by higher concentrations of greenhouse gases, a warming atmosphere and ocean, wildfires, diminished snow and ice, and a rise in sea levels, appears to have contributed to an increase in the frequency and severity of natural disasters and the creation of uncertainty as to future trends and exposures. As such, climate change presents significant financial implications for AIG in areas such as underwriting, claims and investments, as well as risk capacity, financial reserving and operations.
Climate change presents challenges to our ability to effectively underwrite, model and price catastrophe risk particularly if the frequency and severity of catastrophic events such as pandemics, hurricanes, tornadoes, heatwaves, floods, wildfires and windstorms and other natural disasters continue to increase. For example, losses resulting from actual policy experience may be adverse as compared to the assumptions made in product pricing as well as mortality assumptions and our ability to mitigate our exposure may be reduced.
Climate change-related risks may also adversely impact the value of the securities that we hold or lead to credit risk of other counterparties we transact business with, including reinsurers. Our reputation or corporate brand could also be negatively impacted as a result of changing customer or societal perceptions of organizations that we either insure or invest in due to their actions (or lack thereof) with respect to climate change, as well as political initiatives or other stakeholder expectations with respect thereto. Any policies adopted by investors to address changing societal perceptions on climate change could result in increased compliance costs to our businesses and changes to our corporate governance and risk management practices, and may affect the type of assets we hold in our investment portfolio.
In addition, lawmakers and regulators have imposed and may continue to impose new requirements or issue new guidance aimed at addressing or mitigating climate change-related risks and efforts undertaken in response thereto. Additional actions by foreign governments, regulators and international standard setters have and could result in substantial expansions of the regulations, guidance or expectations to which we may be subject. It is also possible that the laws, regulations and guidance adopted in U.S. state, U.S. federal or foreign jurisdictions regarding climate change-related risks will differ from one another, and that they could be inconsistent with the laws and regulations of other jurisdictions in which we operate.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ITEM 1A | Risk Factors
Additionally, litigation related to climate change has increased in recent years. Many lawsuits center on enforcement or interpretation of environmental laws and regulations, often seeking to use litigation as a tool to influence governmental and corporate climate policies. Other cases seek damages for contribution to climate change or for insufficient disclosure around material financial risks. Increased litigation of this nature could trigger losses under liability policies, such as casualty and directors’ and officers’ insurance policies, increase our liabilities and affect the viability of certain of our business lines.
In addition, severe weather and other effects of climate change result in more frequent and more severe damages, leading to lawsuits. Indirect climate change effects are also seen in litigation over flooding, mudslides and other severe weather that results in injury or damage, as well as in construction defect litigation, chemical release lawsuits, and workers’ compensation claims. Litigation related to climate change may, through increased claims from our customers and adverse impacts to the value of the securities that we hold, adversely impact our business and results of operations.
We have also faced and may continue to face business continuity risk as a result of climate change-related incidents that may disrupt business operations, including extreme weather events. We cannot predict the long-term impacts of climate change on our business and results of operations.
For information regarding risks associated with other catastrophic events, see Reserves and Exposures – “Our consolidated results of operations, liquidity, financial condition and ratings are subject to the effects of natural and man-made catastrophic events” above.
Concentration of our insurance, reinsurance and other risk exposures may have adverse effects.
We are exposed to risks as a result of concentrations in our insurance and reinsurance policies, investments, derivatives and other obligations that we undertake for customers and counterparties. Further, any risk management arrangements we employ to manage concentration risks, whether directly or through third parties, may not be available on acceptable terms or may prove to be ineffective. Our risk exposures under insurance and reinsurance policies, derivatives and other obligations are, from time to time, compounded by risk exposure assumed in our investment business. Also, our exposure for certain single risk coverages and other coverages may be so large that adverse experience compared to our expectations may have a material adverse effect on our consolidated results of operations or result in additional statutory capital requirements for our subsidiaries.
In addition, the separation of our Life and Retirement business, if completed, could increase the materiality of these potential concentrations in the remaining portfolio. For additional information on risks associated with the separation of the Life and Retirement business from AIG, see Business Operations – “No assurances can be given that the separation of our Life and Retirement business will be completed or as to the specific terms or timing thereof. In addition, we may not achieve the expected benefits of the separation and will have continuing equity market exposure to Corebridge until we fully divest our stake” below.
Also see Part II, Item 7. MD&A – Business Segment Operations – General Insurance – Business Strategy and – Business Segment Operations – General Insurance – Industry and Economic Factors, and Part II, Item 7. MD&A – Business Segment Operations – Life and Retirement – Business Strategy and – Business Segment Operations – Life and Retirement – Industry and Economic Factors.
Fortitude Re may fail to perform its obligations and the accounting treatment of our reinsurance agreements with Fortitude Re leads to volatility in our results of operations.
As of December 31, 2023, approximately $27.6 billion of reserves from AIG’s Life and Retirement Run-Off Lines and approximately $3.0 billion of reserves from AIG’s General Insurance Run-Off Lines, related to business written by multiple AIG subsidiaries, had been ceded to Fortitude Re under reinsurance transactions. These reserve balances are fully collateralized pursuant to the terms of the reinsurance transactions. Our subsidiaries continue to remain primarily liable to policyholders under the business reinsured with Fortitude Re. As a result, if Fortitude Re is unable to successfully operate, or other issues arise that affect its financial condition or ability to satisfy or perform its obligations to our subsidiaries, we could experience a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and liquidity to the extent the amount of collateral posted in respect of our reinsurance receivable is inadequate. Further, as is customary in similar reinsurance agreements, upon the occurrence of certain termination and recapture triggers, our subsidiaries may elect or may be required to recapture the business ceded under such reinsurance agreements, which would result in a substantial increase to our net insurance liabilities and statutory capital requirements and may require us to raise capital to recapture such ceded business. These termination and recapture triggers include Fortitude Re becoming insolvent or being placed into liquidation, rehabilitation, conservatorship, supervision, receivership, bankruptcy or similar proceedings, certain regulatory ratios falling below certain thresholds, and, in the case of those reinsurance agreements made with Life and Retirement, Fortitude Re’s failure to perform under the reinsurance agreements, or its entry into certain transactions without receiving the consent of Corebridge.
As the reinsurance transactions between AIG and Fortitude Re are structured as modified coinsurance (modco) for the Life and Retirement Run-Off Lines and loss portfolio transfer arrangements with funds withheld for the General Insurance Run-Off Lines, the manner in which we account for these reinsurance arrangements has led, and will continue to lead, to volatility in our results of operations. In modco and funds withheld arrangements, the investments supporting the reinsurance agreements, and which reflect the majority of the consideration that is paid to the reinsurer for entering into the transaction, are withheld by, and therefore continue to reside on the balance sheet of, the ceding company (i.e., AIG and its subsidiaries) thereby creating a potential obligation for the
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ITEM 1A | Risk Factors
ceding company to pay the reinsurer (i.e., Fortitude Re) at a later date. Additionally, as our applicable insurance subsidiaries maintain ownership of these investments, AIG will maintain its existing accounting for these assets (e.g., the changes in fair value of available for sale securities will be recognized within other comprehensive income). AIG has established a funds withheld payable to Fortitude Re while simultaneously establishing a reinsurance asset representing reserves for the insurance coverage that Fortitude Re has assumed. The funds withheld payable contains an embedded derivative and changes in fair value of the embedded derivative related to the funds withheld payable are recognized in earnings through realized gains (losses). This embedded derivative is considered a total return swap with contractual returns that are attributable to various assets and liabilities associated with these reinsurance agreements. As a result of changes in the fair value of the embedded derivative, we experience volatility in our GAAP net income.
For additional information on our exposure to credit risk of reinsurers, see Reserves and Exposures – “Reinsurance may be unavailable or too expensive relative to its benefit, and may not be adequate to protect us against losses” above.
Losses due to nonperformance or defaults by counterparties may materially and adversely affect the value of our investments, our profitability and sources of liquidity.
We are exposed to credit risk arising from exposures to various counterparties related to investments, derivatives, premiums receivable, certain General Insurance businesses and reinsurance recoverables. These counterparties include, but are not limited to, issuers of fixed income and equity securities we hold, borrowers of loans we hold, customers, plan sponsors, trading counterparties, counterparties under swaps and other derivatives instruments, reinsurers, corporate and governmental entities whose payments or performance we insure, joint venture partners, clearing agents, exchanges, clearing houses, custodians, brokers and dealers, commercial banks, investment banks, intra-group counterparties with respect to derivatives and other third parties, financial intermediaries and institutions and guarantors. These counterparties may default on their obligations to us due to bankruptcy, insolvency, receivership, financial distress, lack of liquidity, adverse economic conditions, operational failure, fraud, government intervention and other reasons. In addition, for exchange-traded derivatives, such as futures, options as well as "cleared" over-the-counter derivatives, we are generally exposed to the credit risk of the relevant central counterparty clearing house and futures commission merchants through which we clear derivatives. Defaults by these counterparties on their obligations to us could have a material adverse effect on the value of our investments, business, financial condition, results of operations and liquidity.
An insolvency of, or the appointment of a receiver to rehabilitate or liquidate, a significant competitor could negatively impact our business if such appointment were to impact consumer confidence in our products and services. Additionally, if the underlying assets supporting the structured securities we invest in are expected to default or actually default on their payment obligations, our securities may incur losses.
In addition, our exposure to credit risk may be exacerbated in periods of market or credit stress, as derivative counterparties take a more conservative view of their acceptable credit exposure to us, resulting in reduced capacity to execute derivative-based hedges.
INVESTMENT PORTFOLIO AND CONCENTRATION OF INVESTMENTS
Our investment portfolio is concentrated in certain segments of the economy, and the performance and value of our investment portfolio are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties.
Our results of operations and financial condition have in the past been, and may in the future be, adversely affected by the degree of concentration in our consolidated investment portfolio. For example, we have significant holdings of real estate and real estate-related investments, including residential mortgage- backed, commercial mortgage-backed and other asset-backed securities and residential and commercial (including office) mortgage loans.We also have significant exposures to financial institutions and, in particular, to money center banks and global banks, certain industries, such as energy and utilities, the U.S. federal, state and local government issuers and authorities, and global financial institutions, governments and corporations. Events or developments that have a negative effect on any particular industry, asset class, group of related industries or geographic region may adversely affect the valuation of our investments to the extent they are concentrated in such segments. Our ability to sell assets in such segments may be limited.
Our investments are also subject to market risks and uncertainties, including, in addition to interest rate risk, changes in the level of credit spreads, currency rates, and commodity and equity prices, each of which has affected and will continue to affect the value of investments in our investment portfolio as well as the performance of, and returns generated by, such investments. For information regarding risks associated with interest rate volatility, see Market Conditions above.
Furthermore, our alternative investment portfolio, which is subject to volatility in equity markets, includes investments for which changes in fair value are reported through pre-tax income. An economic downturn or decline in the capital markets has had and could continue to have a material adverse effect on our investment income, including as a result of decreases in the fair value of alternative investments.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ITEM 1A | Risk Factors
We rely on investment management and advisory arrangements with third-party investment managers for the majority of our investment portfolio. The historical performance of Blackstone, BlackRock or any other investment manager we engage should not be considered as indicative of the future results of our investment portfolio, our future results or any returns expected on AIG Common Stock.
In 2021, AIG entered into a long-term investment management relationship with Blackstone, pursuant to which Blackstone is initially managing $50 billion of Corebridge’s existing investment portfolio, with that amount increasing to an aggregate of $92.5 billion by the third quarter of 2027. In addition, beginning in April 2022, certain AIG and Corebridge insurance company subsidiaries entered into investment management agreements with BlackRock and as of December 31, 2023, BlackRock manages $135 billion of our investment portfolio, consisting of liquid fixed income and certain private placement assets, including $76 billion of Corebridge assets. In addition, liquid fixed income assets associated with the Fortitude Re funds withheld asset portfolio were separately transferred to BlackRock for management.
As part of the arrangements with Blackstone, Blackstone is serving as exclusive external investment manager for certain of Corebridge's current and future insurance company subsidiaries for certain asset classes, which has led to an increase in investment management fees payable by us as compared to expenses we have historically incurred for similar services. Under the arrangements with Blackstone, there are provisions that require minimum management fees to be paid to Blackstone to the extent actual amounts charged to the Corebridge insurance company subsidiaries are below such minimums. Also, the exclusivity provisions and termination provisions that are part of these arrangements with Blackstone may prevent certain of our Corebridge subsidiaries from retaining other external investment managers with respect to the subject asset classes who may produce better returns on investments than Blackstone. In addition, pursuant to the relevant agreements with Blackstone, if such agreements are terminated for reasons other than certain specified reasons, Corebridge could be required to continue paying investment advisory fees to Blackstone regardless of the termination. Corebridge may not have the funds available to pay any such fees and its insurance company subsidiaries may not be able or permitted to pay dividends or make other distributions to Corebridge in an amount sufficient to pay any such fees or at all. Any requirement to pay such fees could adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition and liquidity.
In addition, Blackstone and BlackRock are generally compensated based solely on our assets which they manage, rather than by investment return targets, and as a result, Blackstone and BlackRock are not directly incentivized to maximize investment returns. Our investment portfolio’s returns have benefited historically from investment opportunities and general market conditions that may not currently exist and may not be repeated. There can be no guarantee that Blackstone, BlackRock or any other investment manager we engage will be able to achieve any particular returns or generate investment opportunities with attractive, risk-adjusted returns for our investment portfolio in the future. If Blackstone or BlackRock is unable to effectively manage our portfolio, due to the concentration of assets in our portfolio that are managed by Blackstone and BlackRock, such inability could adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition and liquidity.
Additionally, from time to time, we consider and engage in discussions with external asset managers about managing other assets in our investment portfolio that are currently managed by us. If we increase the amount of assets in our investment portfolio managed by external asset managers, it may lead to an increase in investment advisory fees payable by us. In addition, we may become more reliant on our external asset managers, and such increased dependence may reduce our internal capabilities and expertise or expose us to greater risk, including the risk that external asset managers may fail to meet our performance expectations or otherwise experience disruptions or losses.
Our valuation of investments and derivatives involves the application of methodologies and assumptions to derive estimates, which may differ from actual experience and could result in changes to investment valuations that may materially adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition and liquidity or lead to volatility in our net income.
It has been and may continue to be difficult to value certain of our investments or derivatives that are not actively traded. There also may be cases where certain assets in normally active markets with significant observable data become inactive with insufficient observable data due to the financial environment or market conditions in effect at that time. As a result, valuations may include inputs and assumptions that are less observable or require greater estimation and judgment as well as valuation methods that are more complex. These values may not be realized in a market transaction, may not reflect the value of the asset and may change very rapidly as market conditions change and valuation assumptions are modified. Decreases in value and/or an inability to realize that value in a market transaction or other disposition may have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and liquidity.
For information regarding volatility in accounting as it relates to Fortitude Re, see Reserves and Exposures – “Fortitude Re may fail to perform its obligations and the accounting treatment of our reinsurance agreements with Fortitude Re leads to volatility in our results of operations” above.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ITEM 1A | Risk Factors
LIQUIDITY, CAPITAL AND CREDIT
AIG Parent’s ability to access funds from our subsidiaries is limited, and our sources of liquidity may be insufficient to meet our needs, including providing capital that may be required by our subsidiaries.
As a holding company, AIG Parent depends on dividends and other payments from its subsidiaries to fund operations, pay dividends, repurchase shares, meet debt service obligations and meet the capital and liquidity needs of our subsidiaries. The majority of our investments are held by our regulated subsidiaries. Any inability by our subsidiaries to make dividend or other payments in an amount sufficient to enable AIG Parent to meet its cash requirements could have an adverse effect on our operations or our business, results of operations, financial condition, capital and liquidity.
The ability of our subsidiaries to pay dividends to AIG Parent in the future will depend on their earnings, capital levels, tax considerations, covenants contained in any financing or other agreements, applicable regulatory restrictions and rating agency requirements. In addition, such payments could be limited as a result of claims against our subsidiaries by their creditors, including suppliers, vendors, lessors and employees. Additionally, our insurance subsidiaries may be limited in their ability to make dividend payments to AIG Parent in the future because of the need to meet their obligations or to support their own capital levels or because of regulatory limits and restrictions or changes in, or interpretations of, regulatory or rating agency standards.
Our decision to pursue strategic changes or transactions in our business and operations may also subject our subsidiaries’ dividend plans to heightened regulatory scrutiny and could make obtaining regulatory approvals for extraordinary distributions by our subsidiaries, if required, more difficult. We are also subject to certain other restrictions on our capital from time to time.
If our liquidity is insufficient to meet our needs, we may need to have recourse to third-party financing, external capital markets or other sources of liquidity, which may not be available or could be expensive. The availability and cost of any additional financing at any given time depends on a variety of factors, including general market conditions, the volume of trading activities, the overall availability of credit, regulatory actions and our credit ratings and credit capacity. It is also possible that, as a result of such recourse to external financing, customers, lenders or investors could develop a negative perception of our long- or short-term financial prospects. If AIG Parent is unable to satisfy a capital need of a subsidiary, the credit rating agencies could downgrade the subsidiary’s financial strength ratings or the subsidiary could become insolvent or, in certain cases, could be seized by its regulator.
In the ordinary course of our business, we are required to post collateral for our insurance company subsidiaries from time to time. If our reinsurance liabilities increase, we may be required to post additional collateral for insurance company clients that we reinsure. In addition, we may be required to post additional collateral due to regulatory changes from time to time, which could adversely impact our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
For additional information on our liquidity, see Part II, Item 7. MD&A – Liquidity and Capital Resources.
For additional information on rating agency requirements, see Liquidity, Capital and Credit – “A downgrade by one or more of the rating agencies in the Insurer Financial Strength ratings of our insurance companies could limit their ability to write or prevent them from writing new business and impair their retention of customers and in-force business, and a downgrade in our credit ratings could adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition and liquidity” below.
We may not be able to generate cash to meet our needs due to the illiquidity of some of our investments.
We have a diversified investment portfolio. However, economic conditions as well as adverse capital market conditions, including a lack of buyers, the inability of potential buyers to obtain financing on reasonable terms, volatility, credit spread changes, interest rate changes, foreign currency exchange rates and/or declines in collateral values have in the past impacted, and may in the future impact, the liquidity and value of our investments.
We have investments in certain securities, including certain fixed income structured and privately placed securities as well as investments in private equity funds and hedge funds, mortgage loans, finance receivables and real estate, that are less liquid than other types of securities. Collectively, investments in these assets had a carrying value of $68 billion at December 31, 2023. If it became necessary to sell such assets in a stressed market environment, the prices achieved in any sale of such securities may be lower than their carrying value, which could cause a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. Adverse changes in the valuation of real estate and real estate-linked assets, volatility or deterioration of capital markets and widening credit spreads have in the past, and may in the future, materially adversely affect the liquidity and the value of our investment portfolios, including our residential and commercial mortgage related securities portfolios.
In the event additional liquidity is required by one or more of our companies, it may be difficult for us to generate additional liquidity by selling, pledging or otherwise monetizing these or other of our investments at reasonable prices and time frames.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ITEM 1A | Risk Factors
A downgrade by one or more of the rating agencies in the Insurer Financial Strength ratings of our insurance companies could limit their ability to write or prevent them from writing new business and impair their retention of customers and in-force business, and a downgrade in our credit ratings could adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition and liquidity.
Downgrades of the Insurer Financial Strength (IFS) ratings of our insurance companies could (i) prevent these companies from selling, or make it more difficult for them to succeed in selling, products and services, (ii) make it more difficult for them to obtain new reinsurance or obtain it on reasonable pricing terms, and/or (iii) result in increased policy cancellations, lapses and surrenders, termination of, or increased collateral posting obligations under, assumed reinsurance contracts, or return of premiums.
A downgrade in AIG Parent’s credit ratings could result in a downgrade of the IFS ratings of our insurance or reinsurance subsidiaries. Similarly, under credit rating agency policies, a downgrade of the IFS ratings of our insurance and reinsurance subsidiaries could also result in a downgrade in AIG Parent’s credit ratings.
In addition, a downgrade of our long-term debt ratings could increase our financing costs and limit the availability of financing. A downgrade would also require us to post additional collateral payments related to derivative transactions to which we are a party, and could cause counterparties to limit or reduce their exposure to us and thus reduce our ability to manage our market risk exposures effectively.
These events could adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition and liquidity.
For additional information on rating agency actions, see Part II, Item 7. MD&A – Liquidity and Capital Resources – Credit Ratings and – Financial Strength Ratings.
BUSINESS AND OPERATIONS
No assurances can be given that the separation of our Life and Retirement business will be completed or as to the specific terms or timing thereof. In addition, we may not achieve the expected benefits of the separation and will have continuing equity market exposure to Corebridge until we fully divest our stake.
Since September of 2022 when AIG closed on the initial public offering Corebridge’s common stock, we have been selling down our ownership interest. As of December 31, 2023, AIG holds 52.2 percent of Corebridge common stock. While we currently intend to sell down our remaining ownership interest in Corebridge over time, there can be no guarantee as to the timing or pricing thereof.
The separation of our Life and Retirement business involves a number of risks, including (i) unanticipated developments that may delay, prevent or otherwise adversely affect our ability to continue the separation, including an economic downturn or unfavorable capital markets conditions; (ii) significant costs and disruption or distraction of management from AIG’s other business operations, whether or not a separation is completed; (iii) rating agency actions; (iv) unforeseen losses, liabilities or asset impairments arising from the disposition; (v) challenges associated with disentangling certain operations; and (vi) if we are successful in separating the business, increased concentration of our business operations.
In addition, the separation of our Life and Retirement business, or a significant delay in our ability to continue to separate the business, has caused and could continue to cause the emergence or exacerbate the effects of many of the other risks noted herein, including: (i) the risk of indemnity claims or breach of contract claims that could be made against us in connection with divested businesses; (ii) changes in our deferred tax assets and liabilities; (iii) our ability to utilize certain tax loss and credit carryforwards to offset future taxable income; (iv) competition for employees and managing retention of key employees; (v) maintaining relationships with certain key distributors; (vi) concentration of our insurance and other risk exposures; and (vii) increased exposure to certain risks related to deriving revenue from non-U.S. sources.
We believe that the separation of our Life and Retirement business allows us and Corebridge to pursue distinct strategies appropriate to our respective markets. However, there can be no assurance that we will realize any or all of the expected strategic, financial, operational or other benefits of the separation. Our business, results of operations and financial condition may be materially and adversely impacted if we are unable to realize the anticipated expense reductions and organizational improvements of the separation and any related restructuring activities, or if implementing these initiatives harms our relationships with customers or employees or our competitive position. Additionally, we continue to have a significant equity ownership position in Corebridge, and changes in the market price of Corebridge common stock may have a material impact on us.
Pricing for our products is subject to our ability to adequately assess risks and estimate related losses.
Our business is dependent on our ability to price our products effectively and charge appropriate premiums, policy fees and other charges. Pricing adequacy depends on a number of factors and assumptions, including proper evaluation of insurance risks, our expense levels, expected net investment income to be realized, our response to rate actions taken by competitors, legal and regulatory developments, the ability to obtain regulatory approval for rate changes and inflation. Management establishes target returns for each product based upon the factors described above, certain underwriting assumptions and capital requirements, including statutory, GAAP and economic capital models. We monitor and manage pricing and sales to achieve target returns on new
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ITEM 1A | Risk Factors
business, but we may not be able to achieve those returns due to the factors discussed above. Additionally, the property and casualty insurance markets are historically cyclical and experience periods of relatively strong premium rates followed by periods of increased competition that push premium rates down. Inadequate pricing and the difference between estimated results of the above factors compared to actual results could have a material adverse effect on the profitability of our operations and our financial condition.
Guarantees within certain of our Life and Retirement products may increase the volatility of our results.
Certain of our annuity and life insurance products include features that guarantee a certain level of benefits, including guaranteed minimum death benefits, guaranteed living benefits, including guaranteed minimum income benefits, and products with guaranteed interest crediting rates, including crediting rate guarantees tied to the performance of various market indices. Many of these features are accounted for at fair value as either MRBs or embedded derivatives under GAAP, and they have significant exposure to capital markets and insurance risks. An increase in valuation of liabilities associated with the guaranteed features results in a decrease in our profitability and depending on the magnitude of any such increase, could materially and adversely affect our financial condition, including our capitalization, as well as our financial strength ratings.
We employ a capital markets hedging strategy to partially offset the economic impacts of movements in equity, interest rate and credit markets, however, our hedging strategy may not effectively offset movements in our GAAP equity or our statutory surplus and capital requirements and may otherwise be insufficient in relation to our obligations. Furthermore, we are subject to the risk that changes in policyholder behavior or actual levels of mortality/longevity as compared to assumptions in pricing and reserving, combined with adverse market events, could produce losses not addressed by the risk management techniques employed.These factors, individually or collectively, may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations or liquidity including our ability to receive dividends from our operating companies.
Changes in interest rates result in changes to the fair value liability. All else being equal, higher interest rates generally decrease the fair value of our liabilities, which increases our earnings, while low interest rates generally increase the fair value of our liabilities, which decreases our earnings. A prolonged low interest rate environment or a prolonged period of widening credit spreads may also subject us to increased hedging costs or an increase in the amount of statutory reserves that our insurance subsidiaries are required to hold for our liabilities, lowering their statutory surplus, which would adversely affect their ability to pay dividends. In addition, it may also increase the perceived value of our benefits to our policyholders, which in turn may lead to a higher than expected benefit utilization and lower than expected surrender rates of those products over time as compared to pricing assumptions.
Differences between the change in fair value of the GAAP MRBs and embedded derivatives, as well as associated statutory and tax liabilities, and the value of the related hedging portfolio may occur and can be caused by movements in the level of equity, interest rate and credit markets, market volatility, policyholder behavior and mortality/longevity rates that differ from our assumptions and our inability to purchase hedging instruments at prices consistent with the desired risk and return trade-off. In addition, we may sometimes choose not to hedge or fully mitigate these risks, based on economic considerations and other factors. The occurrence of one or more of these events has in the past resulted in, and could in the future result in, an increase in the fair value of liabilities associated with the guaranteed benefits without an offsetting increase in the value of our hedges, or a decline in the value of our hedges without an offsetting decline in our liabilities, thus reducing our results of operations and shareholders’ equity.
For additional information on these products, see Item 1. Business – Regulation, Part II, Item 7. MD&A – Critical Accounting Estimates – Market Risk Benefits and Notes 13 and 14 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
Our risk management policies, standards and procedures may prove to be ineffective and leave us exposed to unidentified or unanticipated risk, which could adversely affect our businesses, results of operations, financial condition and liquidity.
We have developed and continue to enhance enterprise-wide risk management policies, standards and procedures to identify, monitor and mitigate risk to which we are exposed. Our risk management policies, standards and procedures may not be sufficiently comprehensive and may not identify or adequately protect us from every risk to which we are exposed. Many of our methods of identifying, measuring, underwriting and managing risks are based upon our study and use of historical market, applicant, customer, employee and bad actor behavior or statistics based on historical models. As a result, these methods may not accurately predict future exposures from events such as a major financial market disruption as the result of a natural or man-made disaster (for example, a severe climate-related event or terrorist attack), that could be significantly different than the historical measures indicate, and which could also result in a substantial change in policyholder behavior and claims levels not previously observed. We have and will continue to enhance our underwriting processes, including, from time to time, considering and integrating newly available sources of data to confirm and refine our traditional underwriting methods. Our efforts at implementing these improvements may not, however, be fully successful, which may adversely affect our competitive position. We have also introduced new product features designed to limit our risk and taken actions on in-force business, which may not be fully successful in limiting or eliminating risk. We may take additional actions on our in-force business, including adjusting crediting rates and cost of insurance, which may not be fully successful in maintaining profitability and which may result in litigation. Moreover, our hedging programs and reinsurance strategies that are designed to manage market risk and mortality risk rely on assumptions regarding our assets, liabilities, general market factors and the creditworthiness of our counterparties that could prove to be incorrect or inadequate. Our hedging programs utilize various derivative instruments, including but not limited to equity options, futures contracts, interest rate swaps and swaptions, as well as other hedging
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ITEM 1A | Risk Factors
instruments, which may not effectively or completely reduce our risk; and assumptions underlying models used to measure accumulations and support reinsurance purchases may prove inaccurate and could leave us exposed to larger than expected catastrophe losses in a given year. In addition, our current business continuity and disaster recovery plans may not be sufficient to reduce the impact of pandemics, a major cyber attack, including ransomware, and other natural or man-made catastrophic events that are beyond our anticipated thresholds or impact tolerances. Other risk management methods depend upon the evaluation of information regarding markets, clients, or other matters that is publicly available or otherwise accessible to us, which may not always be accurate, complete, up-to-date or properly evaluated. Management of operational, legal and regulatory risks requires, among other things, policies and procedures to record and verify large numbers of transactions and events in each jurisdiction in which we operate. Jurisdictions have unique requirements with respect to artificial intelligence and environmental, social and governance matters, which may impact the efficacy of our standardized risk management tools and techniques and therefore our policies and procedures may not be fully effective. Accordingly, our risk management policies and procedures may not adequately mitigate the risks to our business, results of operations, financial condition and liquidity.
If our risk management policies and procedures are ineffective, we may suffer unexpected losses and could be materially adversely affected. As our businesses change and the markets in which we operate evolve and new risks emerge, including risks posed by the rapidly developing technology associated with artificial intelligence and the implementation thereof within our operations, by our third-party vendors and by competitors and unanticipated challenges with respect thereto. As a result, there is a risk that new products or new business strategies may present risks that are not appropriately identified, monitored or managed. The effectiveness of our risk management strategies may be limited, resulting in losses, because of market stress, unanticipated financial market movements or unanticipated claims experience from adverse mortality, morbidity or policyholder behavior. In addition, there can be no assurance that we can effectively review and monitor all risks or that all of our employees will understand and follow (or comply with) our risk management policies and procedures.
Our foreign operations expose us to risks that may affect our operations.
AIG provides insurance solutions that help businesses and individuals in approximately 190 countries and jurisdictions protect their assets and manage risks through AIG operations and network partners. A substantial portion of our business is conducted outside the United States, and we intend to continue to grow our business in strategic markets. Operations outside the United States have in the past been, and may in the future be, affected by elevated climate risks, regional economic downturns, changes in foreign currency exchange rates, political events or upheaval, sanctions policies, nationalization and other restrictive government or regulatory actions, which could also affect our other operations.
AIG subsidiaries operating in foreign jurisdictions must satisfy local regulatory requirements and it is possible that these local licenses may require AIG Parent to meet certain conditions. Licenses issued by foreign authorities to our subsidiaries are subject to modification and revocation. Consequently, our insurance subsidiaries could be prevented from conducting future business in some of the jurisdictions where they currently operate. Adverse actions from any single country could adversely affect our results of operations, depending on the magnitude of the event and our financial exposure at that time in that country.
AIG is subject to myriad regulations which govern items such as sanctions, bribery and anti-money laundering, for which failure to comply could expose us to significant penalties. The USA Patriot Act of 2011 requires companies to know certain information about their clients and to monitor their transactions for suspicious activities. The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act makes it unlawful for certain classes of persons and entities to make payments to foreign government officials to assist in obtaining or retaining business. Also, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control administers regulations that restrict or prohibit dealings involving certain organizations, individuals and countries. The UK, the EU, Japan and other jurisdictions maintain similar laws and regulations. Although we have policies and controls in place that are designed to ensure compliance with these laws, if those controls are ineffective and/or an employee or third party fails to comply with applicable laws and regulations, we could suffer civil and criminal penalties, including disgorgement, and our business and our reputation could be adversely affected.
We are exposed to certain risks if we are unable to maintain the availability of our critical technology systems and data and safeguard the confidentiality and integrity of our data, which could compromise our ability to conduct business and adversely affect our consolidated business, results of operations, financial condition and liquidity.
We use information technology systems, infrastructure and networks and other operational systems to store, retrieve, evaluate and use customer, employee and company data and information. Our business is highly dependent on our ability to access these systems and networks to perform necessary business functions. In the event of a natural disaster, unauthorized access, a terrorist attack, a major cyber attack or other disruption, our systems, networks, and data may be inaccessible to our employees, customers or business partners for an extended period of time, and we may be unable to meet our business obligations and regulatory requirements for an extended period of time if our data or systems are disabled, manipulated, destroyed or otherwise compromised. Additionally, some of our technology systems are older, legacy-type systems that are less efficient and require an ongoing commitment of significant resources to maintain or upgrade. Some of these systems cannot be fully protected because of the inability to implement the latest security patches. Supply chain disruptions or delays could prevent us from maintaining and implementing changes, updates and upgrades to our systems and networks in a timely manner or at all. System and network failures or outages could compromise our
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ITEM 1A | Risk Factors
ability to perform business functions in a timely manner, which could harm our ability to conduct business, hurt our relationships with our business partners and customers and expose us to legal claims as well as regulatory investigations and sanctions, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and liquidity.
Some of these technology systems also rely upon third-party systems and services, which themselves may rely on the systems and services of other third parties. Problems caused by, or occurring in relation to, our third-party providers’ systems and services, including those resulting from breakdowns or other disruptions in information technology services provided by our third-party providers and the other third-parties on which they rely, our inability to acquire third-party services on commercially acceptable terms, failure of a third-party provider to perform as anticipated or in compliance with applicable laws or regulations, inability of a third-party provider to provide the required volumes of services or our third-party providers experiencing cyberattacks or data breaches, could materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition and liquidity.
Like other global companies, the systems and networks we maintain and third-party systems and networks we use have in the past been, and may in the future be, subject to or targets of unauthorized or fraudulent access, including physical or electronic break-ins or unauthorized tampering, as well as attempted cybersecurity threats such as “denial of service” attacks, phishing, automated attacks, and other disruptive attacks, including ransomware. Cyber threats are constantly evolving and the techniques used in these attacks change, develop and evolve rapidly, including the use of emerging technologies, such as broader forms of artificial intelligence and quantum computing by nation state threat actors and criminal organizations. The new cyber risks introduced by these changes in technology require us to devote significant attention to identification, assessment and analysis of the risks and implementation of corresponding preventative measures. Additionally, the frequency and sophistication of such threats continue to increase and often become further heightened in connection with geopolitical tensions. Also, like other global companies, we have an increasing challenge of retaining and attracting highly qualified personnel to assist us in combatting these security threats.
There is no assurance that our cybersecurity measures, including information security and technology policies and standards, administrative, technical and physical controls and other actions by us or contracted third-parties designed as preventative, will provide fully effective protection from threats to our data, systems and networks, including malware and computer virus attacks, ransomware, unauthorized access, business e-mail compromise, misuse, denial-of-service attacks, system failures and other disruptions. AIG maintains insurance to cover operational risks, such as cyber risk and technology outages, but this insurance may not cover all costs associated with the consequences of information systems or personal, confidential or proprietary information being compromised. In the case of a successful ransomware attack in which our data and information systems are compromised and applicable restore control processes to restore access are not effective, our information could be held hostage until a ransom, which may be significant, is paid. In some cases, such a compromise may not be immediately detected which may make it difficult to restore critical services, mitigate damage to assets and maintain the integrity and security of data including our policyholder, employee, agent, and other confidential information processed through our systems and networks.
Additionally, since we rely heavily on information technology and systems (which increasingly will include the use of artificial intelligence) and on the integrity and timeliness of data to run our businesses and service our customers, any such security event and resulting compromise of systems or data may impede or interrupt our business operations and our ability to service our customers, and otherwise may materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition and liquidity.
There can be no assurance that any actions taken by us to evaluate and enhance our information security and technology systems and processes, including third-party systems and services on which we rely, as well as changes designed to update and enhance our protective measures to address new threats, will decrease the risk of a system or process failure or may create a gap in the associated security measures during the change period. Any such system or process failure or security measures gap could materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition and liquidity.