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MARKEL CORP – 10-K – MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION & ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
The following discussion and analysis includes discussion of changes in our results of operations and financial condition from 2021 to 2022 and should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and related notes included under Item 8, Item 1 Business, Item 1A Risk Factors and "Safe Harbor and Cautionary Statement" under Item 7. The accompanying consolidated financial statements and related notes have been prepared in accordance withUnited States (U.S. ) generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and include the accounts ofMarkel Corporation and its consolidated subsidiaries, as well as any variable interest entities that meet the requirements for consolidation (the Company). A discussion of changes in our results of operations and financial condition from 2020 to 2021 may be found in Part II Item 7 Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations in our 2021 Annual Report on Form 10-K, which was filed with theU.S. Securities and Exchange Commission onFebruary 18, 2022 .
Item 7 is divided into the following sections:
•Results of Operations
•Liquidity and Capital Resources
•Critical Accounting Estimates
•Safe Harbor and Cautionary Statement
For a discussion of our significant accounting policies, as well as recently issued accounting pronouncements that we have not yet adopted and their expected effects on our consolidated financial position, results of operations and cash flows, see note 1 of the notes to consolidated financial statements included under Item 8. Results of Operations
The following table presents the components of operating revenues.
Years Ended December 31,
(dollars in thousands) 2022 2021
Insurance segment $ 6,528,263 $ 5,465,284
Reinsurance segment 1,063,347 1,042,048
Insurance-linked securities, program services and other insurance 493,746
342,142 Insurance operations 8,085,356 6,849,474 Net investment income 445,846 367,406 Net investment gains (losses) (1,595,733) 1,978,534 Other (17,661) 7,184 Investing segment (1,167,548) 2,353,124 Markel Ventures segment 4,757,527 3,643,827 Total operating revenues$ 11,675,335 $ 12,846,425 10K - 38
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The following table presents the components of comprehensive income (loss) to
shareholders.
Years Ended December 31,
(dollars in thousands) 2022 2021
Insurance segment profit $ 549,871 $ 696,413
Reinsurance segment profit (loss) 83,859 (55,129)
Insurance-linked securities, program services and other insurance 295,329
79,512 Amortization of intangible assets (1) (99,735) (102,971) Impairment of goodwill (2) (80,000) - Insurance operations 749,324 617,825 Investing segment profit (loss) (1,167,548) 2,353,124 Markel Ventures segment profit (3) 325,238 272,552 Interest expense (196,062) (183,579) Net foreign exchange gains 140,209 72,271 Income tax (expense) benefit 47,636 (684,458) Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests (112,920) (22,732) Net income (loss) to shareholders (214,123) 2,425,003 Preferred stock dividends (36,000) (36,000) Net income (loss) to common shareholders (250,123) 2,389,003 Other comprehensive loss to shareholders (1,094,694) (346,759) Comprehensive income (loss) to shareholders $
(1,308,817)
(1) Amortization of intangible assets includes all amortization attributable to our insurance operations. Amortization of intangible assets attributable to our underwriting segments was$38.5 million and$41.2 million for the years endedDecember 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively; however, we do not allocate amortization of intangible assets between the Insurance and Reinsurance segments. Amortization of intangible assets attributable to our insurance-linked securities, program services and other insurance operations was$61.2 million and$61.8 million for the years endedDecember 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively.
(2) Impairment of goodwill for the year ended
attributable to our Nephila ILS operations.
(3) Segment profit for the
intangible assets attributable to
Our 2022 results were significantly impacted by decreases in the fair value of our investment portfolio. Net investment losses on our equity portfolio reflect the impact of volatility and overall decline in the public equity markets. The decreases in the fair value of our fixed maturity portfolio were primarily due to increases in interest rates in 2022. Volatility in the public equity and bond markets reflects the impact of economic uncertainty and broader market conditions, which are impacting all three of our operating engines, including high levels of inflation, rising interest rates and global supply chain disruptions. The change in comprehensive income (loss) to shareholders in 2022 compared to 2021 was primarily due to pre-tax net investment losses of$1.6 billion in 2022, compared to pre-tax net investment gains of$2.0 billion in 2021, as well as pre-tax net unrealized losses on our fixed maturity securities of$1.5 billion in 2022 compared to$504.1 million in 2021. The components of net income (loss) to shareholders and comprehensive income (loss) to shareholders are discussed in further detail under "Insurance Results," "Investing Results," "Markel Ventures Results," "Interest Expense, Net Foreign Exchange Gains and Income Taxes" and "Comprehensive Income (Loss) to Shareholders and Book Value per Common Share." 10K - 39 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Insurance Results
Our Insurance engine includes our underwriting, insurance-linked securities
(ILS), program services and other fronting operations. We have a suite of
capabilities through which we can access capital to support our customers'
risks, which includes our own capital through our underwriting operations and
third-party capital through our ILS and program services operations. Our
underwriting operations, which are primarily comprised of our Insurance and
Reinsurance segments, produce revenues primarily by underwriting insurance
contracts and earning premiums in the specialty insurance market. Our
insurance-linked securities and program services operations produce revenues
primarily through fees earned for investment management services and fronting
services, respectively. Our insurance operations also include the underwriting
results of run-off lines of business that were discontinued prior to, or in
conjunction with, insurance acquisitions, and the results of our run-off life
and annuity reinsurance business. The following table presents the components of
our Insurance engine gross premium volume and operating revenues.
Years Ended December 31,
(dollars in thousands) 2022 2021 % Change
Gross premium volume:
Underwriting $ 9,847,538 $ 8,485,929 16 %
Program services and other fronting (1) 3,354,144 2,952,753 14 %
Insurance operations $ 13,201,682 $ 11,438,682 15 %
Operating revenues:
Insurance segment $ 6,528,263 $ 5,465,284 19 %
Reinsurance segment 1,063,347 1,042,048 2 %
Insurance-linked securities, program services and other
insurance 493,746 342,142 44 %
Insurance operations $ 8,085,356 $ 6,849,474 18 %
(1) Substantially all gross premiums from our program services business and
other fronting arrangements were ceded to third parties for the years ended
Underwriting Results
Underwriting profits are a key component of our strategy to build shareholder value. We believe that the ability to achieve consistent underwriting profits demonstrates knowledge and expertise, commitment to superior customer service and the ability to manage insurance risk. The property and casualty insurance industry commonly defines underwriting profit or loss as earned premiums net of losses and loss adjustment expenses and underwriting, acquisition and insurance expenses. We use underwriting profit or loss and the combined ratio as a basis for evaluating our underwriting performance. TheU.S. GAAP combined ratio is a measure of underwriting performance and represents the relationship of incurred losses, loss adjustment expenses and underwriting, acquisition and insurance expenses to earned premiums. The combined ratio is the sum of the loss ratio and the expense ratio. The loss ratio represents the relationship of incurred losses and loss adjustment expenses to earned premiums. The expense ratio represents the relationship of underwriting, acquisition and insurance expenses to earned premiums. A combined ratio less than 100% indicates an underwriting profit, while a combined ratio greater than 100% reflects an underwriting loss. In addition to theU.S. GAAP combined ratio, loss ratio and expense ratio, we also evaluate our underwriting performance using measures that exclude the impacts of certain items on these ratios. We believe these adjusted measures, which are non-GAAP measures, provide financial statement users with a better understanding of the significant factors that comprise our underwriting results and how management evaluates underwriting performance. When analyzing our combined ratio, we exclude current accident year losses and loss adjustment expenses attributed to natural catastrophes. We also exclude losses and loss adjustment expenses attributed to certain significant, infrequent loss events, for example, the COVID-19 pandemic and the military conflict betweenRussia andUkraine that began followingRussia's invasion ofUkraine inFebruary 2022 . Due to the unique characteristics of a catastrophe loss and other significant, infrequent events, there is inherent variability as to the timing or loss amount, which cannot be predicted in advance. We believe measures that exclude the effects of catastrophe events, COVID-19 and theRussia -Ukraine conflict are meaningful to understand the underlying trends and variability in our underwriting results that may be obscured by these items. 10K - 40 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When analyzing our loss ratio, we evaluate losses and loss adjustment expenses attributable to the current accident year separate from losses and loss adjustment expenses attributable to prior accident years. Prior accident year reserve development, which can either be favorable or unfavorable, represents changes in our estimates of losses and loss adjustment expenses related to loss events that occurred in prior years. We believe a discussion of current accident year loss ratios, which exclude prior accident year reserve development, is helpful since it provides more insight into estimates of current underwriting performance and excludes changes in estimates related to prior year loss reserves. We also analyze our current accident year loss ratio excluding losses and loss adjustment expenses attributable to catastrophes and, in 2022, theRussia -Ukraine conflict. The current accident year loss ratio excluding the impact of catastrophes and other significant, infrequent loss events is also commonly referred to as an attritional loss ratio within the property and casualty insurance industry. The following table presents summary data for our consolidated underwriting operations, which are comprised predominantly of our Insurance and Reinsurance segments. Our consolidated underwriting results also include results from discontinued lines of business and the retained portion of our program services operations. Years Ended December 31, (dollars in thousands) 2022 2021 % Change Gross premium volume$ 9,843,555 $ 8,480,494 16 % Net written premiums$ 8,203,390 $ 7,119,731 15 % Earned premiums$ 7,587,792 $ 6,503,029 17 % Underwriting profit$ 626,620 $ 628,085 - % Underwriting Ratios (1) Point Change Loss ratio Current accident year loss ratio 60.8 % 62.4 % (1.6) Prior accident years loss ratio (2.2) % (7.4) % 5.2 Loss ratio 58.6 % 55.1 % 3.5 Expense ratio 33.2 % 35.3 % (2.1) Combined ratio 91.7 % 90.3 % 1.4
Current accident year loss ratio catastrophe impact (2) 0.6 %
3.0 % (2.4) Current accident year loss ratioRussia -Ukraine conflict impact (2) 0.5 % - % 0.5 Prior accident years loss ratio COVID-19 impact (2) (0.1) % 0.2 % (0.3) Current accident year loss ratio, excluding catastrophes and Russia-Ukraine conflict 59.7 % 59.4 % 0.3
Combined ratio, excluding current year catastrophes,
90.7 % 87.1 % 3.6 (1) Amounts may not reconcile due to rounding. (2) The point impact of catastrophes, theRussia -Ukraine conflict and COVID-19 is calculated as the associated net losses and loss adjustment expenses divided by total earned premiums. Premiums The increase in gross premium volume in our underwriting operations in 2022 was driven by growth within our Insurance segment across all product lines. Net retention of gross premium volume for our underwriting operations was 83% in 2022 compared to 84% in 2021. The decrease in net retention in 2022 was driven by lower retention within our Insurance segment, partially offset by higher retention within our Reinsurance segment. Within our underwriting operations, we purchase reinsurance and retrocessional reinsurance to manage our net retention on individual risks and overall exposure to losses and to enable us to write policies with sufficient limits to meet policyholder needs. The increase in earned premiums in our underwriting operations in 2022 was primarily attributable to higher gross premium volume. 10K - 41 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Since 2018, we have seen rate strengthening across most product lines following the continued high level of natural catastrophes and significant losses attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as general market conditions. However, we began to see rate increases moderate on many of our product lines in 2022. In some product lines, such as directors and officers, we even began to see single digit rate decreases in the latter part of 2022. The overall strengthening of rates in recent years has been most prominent within our professional liability and general liability product lines, reflecting the impacts of both economic and social inflation on loss costs. Recent increases in economic and social inflation have created more uncertainty around the ultimate losses that will be incurred to settle claims on these longer-tail product lines. These factors, as well as the impacts of the low interest rate environment on interest income in recent years, have contributed to the strong rate environment. The primary exception to the favorable rate environment is workers' compensation, where we continue to see low single digit rate decreases given generally favorable loss experience in recent years. When we believe the prevailing market price will not support our underwriting profit targets, the business is not written. As a result of our underwriting discipline, gross premium volume may vary when we alter our product offerings to maintain or improve underwriting profitability.
Combined Ratio
In 2022, underwriting results included$46.2 million and$35.7 million of net losses and loss adjustment expenses attributed to Hurricane Ian and theRussia -Ukraine conflict, respectively. The net losses and loss adjustment expenses from Hurricane Ian and theRussia -Ukraine conflict were net of ceded losses of$115.3 million and$44.3 million , respectively. In 2021, underwriting results included$195.0 million of net losses and loss adjustment expenses attributed to Winter Storm Uri, the floods inEurope and Hurricane Ida (2021 Catastrophes), as well as$15.7 million of net losses and loss adjustment expenses resulting from an increase in our net estimate of ultimate losses and loss adjustment expenses attributed to COVID-19. The net losses and loss adjustment expenses from the 2021 Catastrophes were net of ceded losses of$221.7 million . Excluding these losses from the respective periods, the increase in our consolidated combined ratio in 2022 compared to 2021 was driven by the impact of less favorable development on prior accident years loss reserves within our Insurance segment in 2022 compared to 2021, partially offset by a lower expense ratio within our Insurance segment.
Russia-Ukraine Conflict
Our results reflect underwriting losses from the military conflict betweenRussia andUkraine that began followingRussia's invasion ofUkraine inFebruary 2022 . The ongoing conflict has also contributed to certain aspects of the current economic conditions impacting all of our operations. For further discussion regarding theRussia -Ukraine conflict and risks related to our businesses, see the risk factor titled "Our businesses, results of operations and financial condition could be adversely affected by the ongoing conflict betweenRussia andUkraine and related disruptions in the global economy" under Item 1A Risk Factors. Our losses and loss adjustment expenses from theRussia -Ukraine conflict are primarily attributed to business written within our international insurance and reinsurance operations and are primarily associated with war and terrorism coverages within our marine and energy product lines, as well as our trade credit and surety product lines. We purchase significant excess of loss reinsurance on the impacted product lines to reduce our net exposures, resulting in significant ceded losses. See note 11 of the notes to consolidated financial statements included under Item 8 for further details on our estimate of ultimate gross and net losses and loss adjustment expenses attributed to theRussia -Ukraine conflict.
COVID-19 Pandemic
Our losses from the COVID-19 pandemic were primarily attributed to business written within our international insurance operations and were primarily associated with coverages for event cancellation and business interruption losses on policies where no specific pandemic exclusion existed. Our estimates of ultimate gross and net losses and loss adjustment expenses attributed to COVID-19 are based on reported claims and still include assumptions about coverage, liability and ceded reinsurance contract attachment, which, in some cases, remain subject to judicial review, and represent our best estimate as ofDecember 31, 2022 based upon information currently available. We continue to closely monitor reported claims, claim settlements, ceded reinsurance contract settlements and judicial decisions and may adjust our estimates as new information becomes available. 10K - 42 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Insurance Segment
Years Ended December 31,
(dollars in thousands) 2022 2021 % Change
Gross premium volume $ 8,606,700 $ 7,239,676 19 %
Net written premiums $ 7,040,176 $ 5,998,890 17 %
Earned premiums $ 6,528,263 $ 5,465,284 19 %
Underwriting profit $ 549,871 $ 696,413 (21) %
Underwriting Ratios (1) Point Change
Loss ratio
Current accident year loss ratio 60.3 % 60.6 % (0.3)
Prior accident years loss ratio (2.2) % (9.3) % 7.1
Loss ratio 58.1 % 51.3 % 6.8
Expense ratio 33.5 % 35.9 % (2.4)
Combined ratio 91.6 % 87.3 % 4.3
Current accident year loss ratio catastrophe impact (2) 0.7 %
1.7 % (1.0) Current accident year loss ratioRussia -Ukraine conflict impact (2) 0.4 % - % 0.4 Prior accident years loss ratio COVID-19 impact (2) 0.0 % (0.1) % 0.1 Current accident year loss ratio, excluding catastrophes and Russia-Ukraine conflict 59.2 % 58.9 % 0.3
Combined ratio, excluding current year catastrophes,
90.6 % 85.6 % 5.0 (1) Amounts may not reconcile due to rounding. (2) The point impact of catastrophes, theRussia -Ukraine conflict and COVID-19 is calculated as the associated net losses and loss adjustment expenses divided by total earned premiums. Premiums The increase in gross premium volume in our Insurance segment in 2022 was driven by new business volume, strong policy retention levels, more favorable rates and expanded product offerings, resulting in growth across all of our product lines, most notably in our general liability and professional liability product lines. Net retention of gross premium volume was 82% in 2022 compared to 83% in 2021. The decrease in net retention for the year endedDecember 31, 2022 was primarily due to higher cession rates on our professional liability and personal lines product lines in 2022 compared to 2021, partially offset by the impact of higher retention rates on new programs business. The increase in earned premiums in 2022 was primarily due to higher gross premium volume.
Combined Ratio
The Insurance segment's current accident year losses and loss adjustment expenses in 2022 included$46.2 million and$23.0 million of net losses and loss adjustment expenses attributed to Hurricane Ian and theRussia -Ukraine conflict, respectively. Current accident year losses in 2021 included$94.7 million of net losses and loss adjustment expenses attributed to the 2021 Catastrophes. Excluding these losses from the respective periods, the current accident year loss ratio in 2022 was consistent with 2021. Despite achieving higher premium rates on our professional liability and general liability product lines, we generally kept our estimates of ultimate loss ratios on these product lines for the 2022 accident year consistent with the 2021 accident year due to the unfavorable claims trend within these product lines on prior accident years during 2022 arising from current and anticipated levels of economic and social inflation. 10K - 43 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Insurance segment's 2022 combined ratio included$142.9 million of favorable development on prior accident years loss reserves compared to$506.3 million in 2021. The decrease in favorable development was primarily due to adverse development on our professional liability and general liability product lines in 2022 compared to favorable development in 2021. Adverse development on our professional liability and general liability product lines in 2022 was primarily attributable to unfavorable claim settlements and increased claim frequency and severity on a number of products, including directors and officers, errors and omissions and employment practices liability within professional liability and contractors and excess and umbrella within general liability. Development on prior years loss reserves within our professional liability and general liability product lines in 2022 was impacted by broader market conditions, including the effects of economic and social inflation. These factors have created more uncertainty around the ultimate losses that will be incurred to settle claims on these longer-tail product lines, and as a result, we are approaching reductions to prior year loss reserves on more recent accident years cautiously. Consistent with our reserving philosophy, we are responding quickly to increase loss reserves following any indication of increased claims frequency or severity in excess of our previous expectations, whereas in instances where claims trends are more favorable than we previously anticipated, we are often waiting to reduce loss reserves and will evaluate our experience over additional periods of time. In 2022, favorable development was most significant on our workers' compensation, programs, property and credit and surety product lines. In 2021, favorable development was most significant on our general liability, property, workers' compensation, professional liability and marine and energy product lines. See note 11 of the notes to consolidated financial statements included under Item 8 for more information on the Insurance segment's prior year loss reserve development.
The decrease in the Insurance segment's expense ratio in 2022 was primarily due
to the favorable impact of higher earned premiums in 2022 while maintaining
consistent levels of general expenses with 2021, as we continue to focus on
scaling our insurance operations.
Reinsurance Segment
Years Ended December 31,
(dollars in thousands) 2022 2021 % Change
Gross premium volume $ 1,229,851 $ 1,246,143 (1) %
Net written premiums $ 1,167,312 $ 1,126,167 4 %
Earned premiums $ 1,063,347 $ 1,042,048 2 %
Underwriting profit (loss) $ 83,859 $ (55,238) NM (1)
Underwriting Ratios (2) Point Change
Loss ratio
Current accident year loss ratio 63.6 % 72.0 % (8.4)
Prior accident years loss ratio (2.4) % 1.9 % (4.3)
Loss ratio 61.2 % 73.9 % (12.7)
Expense ratio 30.9 % 31.4 % (0.5)
Combined ratio 92.1 % 105.3 % (13.2)
Current accident year loss ratio catastrophe impact (3)
(4)
- % 9.6 % (9.6)
Current accident year loss ratio
(3)
1.2 % - % 1.2 Prior accident years loss ratio COVID-19 impact (3) (0.3) % 2.1 % (2.4) Current accident year loss ratio, excluding catastrophes and Russia-Ukraine conflict 62.4 % 62.3 % 0.1
Combined ratio, excluding current year catastrophes,
91.2 % 93.6 % (2.4) (1) NM - Ratio is not meaningful (2) Amounts may not reconcile due to rounding. (3) The point impact of catastrophes, theRussia -Ukraine conflict and COVID-19 is calculated as the associated net losses and loss adjustment expenses divided by total earned premiums. (4) The point impact of catastrophes does not include the favorable impact of assumed reinstatement premiums associated with the 2021 Catastrophes of$21.7 million for the year endedDecember 31, 2021 . Reinstatement premiums were not significant for the year endedDecember 31, 2022 . 10K - 44 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Premiums
The modest decrease in gross premium volume in our Reinsurance segment in 2022 was primarily attributable to non-renewals within our property product lines and the non-renewal of a large treaty within our workers' compensation product line, largely offset by the impact of new business, primarily within our general liability and professional liability product lines, and more favorable premium adjustments within our credit and surety product lines. We discontinued writing property retrocessional reinsurance in 2022 and property reinsurance in 2021, which resulted in a$123.3 million reduction in gross premium volume in 2022 compared to 2021. Significant variability in gross premium volume can be expected in our Reinsurance segment due to individually significant contracts and multi-year contracts. Net retention of gross premium volume was 95% in 2022 compared to 90% in 2021. The increase in net retention was driven by changes in mix of business. We have experienced growth in highly retained product lines during the year, while the non-renewed property business had a lower retention rate than the rest of the segment. The increase in earned premiums in 2022 was primarily attributable to growth in gross premium volume within our professional liability and general liability product lines in recent periods, partially offset by the impact of lower gross premiums within our property product lines.
Combined Ratio
The Reinsurance segment's current accident year losses and loss adjustment expenses in 2022 included$12.7 million of net losses and loss adjustment expenses attributed to theRussia -Ukraine conflict. Current accident year losses in 2021 included$100.3 million of net losses and loss adjustment expenses attributed to the 2021 Catastrophes. Excluding these losses from the respective periods, the current accident year loss ratio in 2022 was consistent with 2021. The benefit of higher premium rates on our general liability and professional liability product lines and more favorable premium adjustments in 2022 compared to 2021 was offset by the unfavorable impact of changes in the mix of business within the segment and the benefit in 2021 of$21.7 million of favorable assumed reinstatement premiums on catastrophes. The change in mix of business had an unfavorable impact as the non-renewed property business had a lower attritional loss ratio than the rest of the segment. The Reinsurance segment's 2022 combined ratio included$26.1 million of favorable development on prior accident years loss reserves, which was primarily attributable to favorable development within our property product lines related to natural catastrophes and our credit and surety product lines. Favorable development on prior years loss reserves in 2022 was partially offset by additional exposures recognized on prior accident years related to net favorable premium adjustments on our general liability, credit and surety and professional liability product lines. In 2021, the combined ratio included$19.9 million of adverse development on prior accident years loss reserves, which was primarily attributable to net adverse development on natural catastrophes and COVID-19 within our property product lines, as well as additional exposures recognized on prior accident years related to net favorable premium adjustments on our professional liability product lines. See note 11 of the notes to consolidated financial statements included under Item 8 for more information on the Reinsurance segment's prior year loss reserve development. 10K - 45 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The following table presents the components of operating revenues and operating
expenses attributable to our insurance-linked securities, program services and
other insurance operations, including our run-off block of life and annuity
reinsurance contracts, none of which are included in a reportable segment.
Underwriting results attributable to these operations include results from
discontinued lines of business, which are reported separate from our Insurance
and Reinsurance segments, and the retained portion of our program services
operations. Investment income earned on the investments that support life and
annuity policy benefit reserves are included in our Investing segment.
Years Ended December 31,
2022 2021
Operating Operating Operating Operating
(dollars in thousands) revenues expenses Net revenues expenses Net
Services and other:
Insurance-linked securities $ 109,020 $ 125,316 $ (16,296) $ 202,019 $ 186,510 $ 15,509
Insurance-linked securities -
disposition gains 225,828 - 225,828 - - -
Program services and other
fronting 149,993 27,613 122,380 125,716 20,132 105,584
Life and annuity 1,040 10,723 (9,683) 1,515 16,667 (15,152)
Markel CATCo buy-out - 101,904 (101,904) - - -
Markel CATCo Re - (89,862) 89,862 - - -
Other 11,683 19,431 (7,748) 17,195 30,534 (13,339)
497,564 195,125 302,439 346,445 253,843 92,602
Underwriting (3,818) 3,292 (7,110) (4,303) 8,787 (13,090)
493,746 198,417 295,329 342,142 262,630 79,512
Amortization of intangible
assets 61,202 (61,202) 61,789 (61,789)
Impairment of goodwill 80,000 (80,000) - -
$ 493,746 $ 339,619 $ 154,127 $ 342,142 $ 324,419 $ 17,723
Insurance-Linked Securities
The decrease in operating revenues and operating expenses in our Nephila
insurance-linked securities operations in 2022 was primarily due to the
disposition of our Velocity and Volante managing general agent operations during
the year. Operating losses in 2022 were driven by costs incurred by Volante in
connection with its launch of a Lloyd's of London syndicate prior to
disposition.
Since our acquisition of Nephila in 2018, we experienced significant growth in
the Velocity and Volante managing general agent operations. In 2022, we realized
the significant value created since 2018 through the sale of Velocity and
Volante. We sold the majority of our controlling interest in Velocity in
February 2022 for total cash consideration of $181.3 million , which resulted in
a gain of $107.3 million . Velocity provides risk origination services for our
Nephila fund management operations, as well as for third parties, and was a
source of growth within our ILS operations since we acquired Nephila in 2018. We
continue to have a minority interest in Velocity after the sale, and Velocity
will continue to be a source for risk origination for our Nephila fund
management operations. We sold our controlling interest in Volante in October
2022 for total cash consideration of $181.9 million of which $155.6 million was
cash. This transaction resulted in a gain of $118.5 million . Volante, which has
also been a source of growth within our ILS operations, underwrites and
administers specialty insurance and reinsurance policies and provides delegated
underwriting services to third-party providers of insurance capital.
Following the sales of our Velocity and Volante managing general agent
operations, our Nephila ILS operations are solely comprised of our fund
management operations. Since acquiring Nephila in 2018, investment performance
in the broader ILS market has been adversely impacted by consecutive years of
elevated catastrophe losses, most recently with Hurricane Ian in 2022. These
events, as well as recent volatility in the capital markets, have impacted
investor decisions around allocation of capital to ILS, which in turn has
impacted our capital raises and redemptions within the funds we manage.
Additionally, increases in the cost of capital during 2022 further impacted the
estimated fair value of our fund management operations, and ultimately resulted
in an $80.0 million partial impairment of goodwill in 2022. Nephila's net assets
under management were $7.2 billion as of December 31, 2022 . See "Critical
Accounting Estimates - Goodwill and Intangible Assets" for further discussion of
goodwill impairment at our Nephila ILS operations.
10K - 46
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Program Services and Other Fronting
The increase in operating revenues in our program services and other fronting operations in 2022 was primarily due to higher gross earned premium, on which our fees are based, in 2022 compared to 2021, driven by the expansion of existing programs and growth from new programs, as well as the growth of our other fronting arrangements. Gross written premiums in our program services operations were$2.8 billion and$2.7 billion for the years endedDecember 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. Gross written premiums from our other fronting operations, which consist of business written by our underwriting platform on behalf of our ILS operations, were$553.9 million and$223.5 million for the years endedDecember 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively.
InMarch 2022 , we completed a buy-out transaction withMarkel CATCo Re Ltd. (Markel CATCo Re) andMarkel CATCo Reinsurance Fund Ltd. (the Markel CATCo Funds) that provided for an accelerated return of all remaining capital to investors in the Markel CATCo Funds and resulted in the consolidation of Markel CATCo Re upon completion of the transaction. In order to complete the transaction, we made$101.9 million in payments, net of insurance proceeds, to or for the benefit of investors that were recognized as an expense during the first quarter of 2022. In 2022, results attributable to Markel CATCo Re were primarily related to favorable loss reserve development on the run-off of the reinsurance contracts, all of which were attributable to noncontrolling interest holders inMarkel CATCo Re. See note 17 of the notes to consolidated financial statements for further details regarding our Markel CATCo operations and the consolidation of Markel CATCo Re and note 21 for further details about the buy-out transaction.
Investing Results
Our business strategy recognizes the importance of both consistent underwriting and operating profits and superior investment returns to build shareholder value. We rely on sound underwriting practices to produce investable funds. We measure our investment performance by analyzing net investment income earned on our investment portfolio, as well as through net investment gains, which includes unrealized gains on our equity portfolio, and the change in net unrealized gains on available-for-sale investments. Our performance measures also include investment yield and taxable equivalent total investment return. Other income or losses within our investing operations primarily relate to equity method investments in our investing segment, which are managed separately from the rest of our investment portfolio. Based on the potential for volatility in the financial markets, we believe investment performance is best analyzed over several years.
The following table summarizes our consolidated investment performance, which
consists predominantly of the results of our Investing segment.
Years Ended December 31,
(dollars in thousands) 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018
Net investment income $ 446,755 $ 367,417
Net investment gains (losses)
$ (1,595,733) $ 1,978,534
Change in net unrealized gains (losses)
on available-for-sale investments (1)
$ 442,089 $ 381,890 $ (299,446) Other$ (17,661) $ 7,184 $ (3,996) $ 9,706 $ (1,043) Investment Ratios Investment yield (2) 2.2 % 2.0 % 2.4 % 2.9 % 2.8 % Taxable equivalent total investment return (9.5) % 8.8 % 9.4 % 14.6 % (1.0) % (1) The change in net unrealized gains (losses) on available-for-sale investments included a benefit related to an adjustment to decrease our life and annuity benefit reserves of$56.6 million and$63.0 million for the years endedDecember 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively, and a loss related to an adjustment to increase our life and annuity benefit reserves of$68.2 million and$51.4 million for the years endedDecember 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. There was no adjustment to our life and annuity benefit reserves for the year endedDecember 31, 2018 . See note 13 of the notes to consolidated financial statements included under Item 8 for details on our life and annuity benefit reserve adjustments.
(2) Investment yield reflects net investment income as a percentage of monthly
average invested assets at amortized cost.
The increase in net investment income in 2022 was primarily attributable to
higher interest income on short-term investments and cash equivalents due to
higher short-term interest rates in 2022 compared to 2021. Additionally,
interest income on our fixed maturity securities increased in 2022, primarily
attributable to higher average holdings of fixed maturity securities,
10K - 47
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partially offset by a lower yield during 2022 compared to 2021. See note 4(d) of
the notes to consolidated financial statements included under Item 8 for further
details regarding the components of net investment income.
Net investment losses in 2022 were primarily attributable to decreases in the
fair value of our equity portfolio driven by unfavorable market value movements
in 2022. Net investment gains in 2021 were primarily attributable to increases
in the fair value of our equity portfolio driven by favorable market value
movements in 2021. See note 4(e) of the notes to consolidated financial
statements included under Item 8 for further details on the components of net
investment gains (losses).
The change in net unrealized gains (losses) on available-for-sale investments in
2022 and 2021 was attributable to decreases in the fair value of our fixed
maturity investment portfolio as a result of increases in interest rates during
2022 and 2021.
Taxable equivalent total investment return is a non-GAAP financial measure.
Taxable equivalent total investment return includes items that impact net
income, such as coupon interest on fixed maturity securities, changes in fair
value of equity securities, dividends on equity securities and realized
investment gains or losses on available-for-sale securities, as well as changes
in unrealized gains or losses on available-for-sale securities, which do not
impact net income. Certain items that are included in net investment income have
been excluded from the calculation of taxable equivalent total investment
return, such as amortization and accretion of premiums and discounts on our
fixed maturity portfolio, to provide a comparable basis for measuring our
investment return against industry investment returns. The calculation of
taxable equivalent total investment return also includes the current tax benefit
associated with income on certain investments that is either taxed at a lower
rate than the statutory income tax rate or is not fully included in U.S. taxable
income. We believe the taxable equivalent total investment return is a better
reflection of the economics of our decision to invest in certain asset classes.
We focus on our long-term investment return, understanding that the level of
investment gains or losses may vary from one period to the next.
We believe our investment performance is best analyzed using taxable equivalent
total investment return over several years. The following table presents taxable
equivalent total investment return before and after the effects of foreign
currency movements.
Years Ended December 31, Five-Year Annual Ten-Year Annual Twenty-Year Annual
2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 Return Return Return
Equities (16.0) % 29.6 % 15.2 % 30.0 % (3.5) % 9.5 % 13.2 % 11.0 %
Fixed maturity securities,
cash and short-term
investments (1) (5.8) % (0.7) % 5.7 % 6.5 % 1.3 % 1.3 % 2.0 % 3.6 %
Total portfolio, before
foreign currency effect (9.2) % 9.0 % 8.6 % 14.4 % (0.7) % 4.1 % 5.1 % 5.5 %
Total portfolio (9.5) % 8.8 % 9.4 % 14.6 % (1.0) % 4.1 % 4.8 % 5.5 %
(1) Includes cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash and cash
equivalents.
The following table reconciles investment yield to taxable equivalent total
investment return.
Years Ended
2022 2021 2020 2019 2018
Investment yield (1) 2.2 % 2.0 % 2.4 % 2.9 % 2.8 %
Adjustment of investment yield from amortized cost
to fair value
(0.5) % (0.6) % (0.5) % (0.7) % (0.6) % Net amortization of net premium on fixed maturity securities 0.4 % 0.4 % 0.4 % 0.4 % 0.4 % Net investment gains (losses) and change in net unrealized investment gains on available-for-sale securities (12.5) % 5.9 % 5.8 % 10.3 % (3.8) %
Taxable equivalent effect for interest and dividends
(2)
0.1 % 0.1 % 0.1 % 0.2 % 0.1 % Other (3) 0.8 % 1.0 % 1.2 % 1.5 % 0.1 % Taxable equivalent total investment return (9.5) % 8.8 % 9.4 % 14.6 % (1.0) %
(1) Investment yield reflects net investment income as a percentage of monthly
average invested assets at amortized cost.
(2) Adjustment to tax-exempt interest and dividend income to reflect a taxable
equivalent basis.
(3) Adjustment to reflect the impact of time-weighting the inputs to the
calculation of taxable equivalent total investment return.
10K - 48 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Markel Ventures Results
OurMarkel Ventures segment includes a diverse portfolio of businesses from different industries that offer various types of products and services to businesses and consumers, predominantly inthe United States . We measureMarkel Ventures' results by its operating income and net income, as well as earnings before interest, income taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA). We consolidate the results of ourMarkel Ventures subsidiaries on a one-month lag, with the exception of significant transactions or events that occur during the intervening period. InDecember 2021 , we acquired a controlling interest inMetromont LLC (Metromont ), a precast concrete manufacturer and concrete building solutions provider for commercial projects. InAugust 2021 , we acquired a controlling interest inBuckner HeavyLift Cranes (Buckner), a provider of crane rental services for large commercial contractors. See note 3 of the notes to consolidated financial statements included under Item 8 for additional details related to these acquisitions.
The following table summarizes the operating revenues, operating income, EBITDA
and net income to shareholders from our
Years ended December 31,
(dollars in thousands) 2022 2021 % Change
Operating revenues $ 4,757,527 $ 3,643,827 31 %
Operating income $ 325,238 $ 272,552 19 %
EBITDA $ 506,336 $ 402,700 26 %
Net income to shareholders $ 192,601 $ 174,407 10 %
The increase in operating revenues in 2022 was driven by the contribution from
Metromont , which was acquired in December 2021 , as well as an increased
contribution from Buckner, which was acquired in August 2021 . The combined
contribution to the increase in operating revenues in 2022 attributable to these
acquisitions was $604.6 million . Additionally, operating revenues in 2022
increased as a result of the impact of increased demand and higher prices at
many of our other businesses, most notably at our construction services
businesses.
The benefit of increases in operating revenues to operating income, EBITDA and
net income to shareholders in 2022 was reduced by increased costs of materials
and labor across many of our businesses, which reflected the impact of broader
economic conditions on our operations during the year. The higher cost of
materials was due in part to a shortage in the availability of certain products,
the higher cost of shipping and a prolonged period of elevated inflation. We
attempted to mitigate the impact of these cost increases through a variety of
actions, such as increasing the prices of our products and services,
pre-purchasing materials, locking in prices in advance or utilizing alternative
sources of materials. Our businesses have had varying levels of success with
these efforts, and we have seen conditions stabilize to varying degrees at many
of our businesses. However, high labor costs continue to impact our businesses
and there can be a time lag before the impacts of changes are reflected in our
margins.
The increases in operating income, EBITDA and net income to shareholders in 2022
were primarily due to the impact of higher revenues and improved operating
results at our construction services businesses, transportation-related
businesses and consulting services businesses, as well as the contribution of
Metromont . These increases were partially offset by the impact of lower
operating margins at one of our consumer and building products businesses in
2022 compared to 2021.
Markel Ventures EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure. We use Markel Ventures
EBITDA as an operating performance measure in conjunction with U.S. GAAP
measures, including operating income and net income to shareholders, to monitor
and evaluate the performance of our Markel Ventures segment. Because EBITDA
excludes interest, income taxes, depreciation and amortization, it provides an
indicator of economic performance that is useful to both management and
investors in evaluating our Markel Ventures businesses as it is not affected by
levels of debt, interest rates, effective tax rates or levels of depreciation or
amortization resulting from purchase accounting.
10K - 49
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The following table reconciles
Ventures EBITDA.
Years ended December 31 ,
(dollars in thousands) 2022
2021
Markel Ventures operating income$ 325,238 $
272,552
Depreciation expense 102,055
72,580
Amortization of intangible assets 79,043
57,568
Markel Ventures EBITDA$ 506,336 $
402,700
The following tables present condensed financial information reflecting the financial position, results of operations and cash flows ofMarkel Ventures, Inc. , and also summarizing the amounts recognized in the consolidated financial statements included under Item 8 for theMarkel Ventures segment, unless otherwise noted. CONDENSED BALANCE SHEETS December 31, (dollars in thousands) 2022 2021 ASSETS Cash and cash equivalents$ 315,452 $ 321,473 Receivables 636,161 501,349 Goodwill 1,153,909 1,196,590 Intangible assets 796,297 766,179 Other assets: Inventory 639,562 529,250 Property, plant and equipment, net 1,028,156 948,971 Right-of-use lease assets 409,014 393,551 Other 337,126 300,916 Total other assets 2,413,858 2,172,688 Total Assets$ 5,315,677 $
4,958,279
LIABILITIES AND EQUITY
Debt (1) 1,222,152
1,140,559
Other liabilities:
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities $ 355,037 $ 320,375
Lease liabilities 421,089 445,683
Other 625,215 544,718
Total other liabilities 1,401,341
1,310,776
Total Liabilities 2,623,493
2,451,335
Redeemable noncontrolling interests 523,154
461,378
Shareholders' equity (2) 2,172,935
2,050,675
Noncontrolling interests (3,905)
(5,109)
Total Equity 2,169,030
2,045,566
Total Liabilities and Equity$ 5,315,677 $
4,958,279
(1) Debt as ofDecember 31, 2022 and 2021 included$808.1 million and$853.0 million , respectively, of debt due to other subsidiaries ofMarkel Corporation , which was eliminated in consolidation.
(2) Shareholders' equity as of
billion
10K - 50 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CONDENSED STATEMENTS OF INCOME
Years ended December 31,
(dollars in thousands) 2022 2021
OPERATING REVENUES
Products revenues $ 2,427,096 $ 1,712,120
Services and other revenues 2,329,522 1,931,696
Net investment income 909 11
Total Operating Revenues 4,757,527 3,643,827
OPERATING EXPENSES
Products expenses 2,241,736 1,544,506
Services and other expenses 2,111,510 1,769,201
Amortization of intangible assets 79,043 57,568
Total Operating Expenses 4,432,289 3,371,275
Operating Income 325,238 272,552
Net foreign exchange gains 3,140 1,119
Interest expense (1) (46,780) (35,031)
Income Before Income Taxes 281,598 238,640
Income tax expense (61,588) (43,626)
Net Income 220,010 195,014
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests (27,409) (20,607)
Net Income to Shareholders $
192,601
(1) Interest expense for the years endedDecember 31, 2022 and 2021 included intercompany interest expense of$27.4 million and$25.8 million , respectively, which was eliminated in consolidation. CONDENSED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS Years ended December 31, (dollars in thousands) 2022 2021
Cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash and restricted cash
equivalents, beginning of year
$ 321,473 $ 363,532 Net cash provided by operating activities 260,286 187,180 Net cash used by investing activities (302,770) (585,971) Net cash provided by financing activities (1) (2) 37,897 356,562
Effect of foreign currency rate changes on cash, cash
equivalents, restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents
(1,434) 170
Decrease in cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash and
restricted cash equivalents
(6,021) (42,059)
Cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash and restricted cash
equivalents, end of year
$ 315,452 $ 321,473 (1) Net cash provided by financing activities for the year endedDecember 31, 2021 included a capital contribution from our holding company,Markel Corporation , of$250.0 million , which was eliminated in consolidation. There were no capital contributions from our holding company for the year endedDecember 31, 2022 . (2) Net cash provided by financing activities for the year endedDecember 31, 2022 included net repayments of intercompany debt of$44.9 million , which were eliminated in consolidation. Net cash provided by financing activities for the year endedDecember 31, 2021 included net additions to intercompany debt of$120.0 million , which were eliminated in consolidation.
Interest Expense, Net Foreign Exchange Gains and Income Taxes
Interest Expense
Interest expense was$196.1 million in 2022 compared to$183.6 million in 2021. The increase in interest expense in 2022 was primarily attributable to higherMarkel Ventures interest expense and the issuance of our 3.45% unsecured senior notes issued inMay 2021 , partially offset by the impact of the retirement of our 4.90% unsecured senior notes inJuly 2022 . See note 14 of the notes to consolidated financial statements included under Item 8 for further details regarding the retirement of our senior long-term debt. 10K - 51 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Net Foreign Exchange Gains
Net foreign exchange gains included in net income (loss) were$140.2 million in 2022 compared to$72.3 million in 2021. Net foreign exchange gains are primarily due to the remeasurement of our foreign currency denominated insurance reserves to theU.S. Dollar. TheU.S. Dollar strengthened against the Euro and British Pound, the predominant foreign currencies within our insurance operations, during 2022 and 2021, particularly in the second and third quarters of 2022. Pre-tax net foreign exchange losses attributed to changes in exchange rates on available-for-sale securities supporting our insurance reserves, which are included in the changes in net unrealized gains (losses) on available-for-sale investments in other comprehensive loss, were$79.5 million in 2022 compared to$78.0 million in 2021. Income Taxes The effective tax rate was 32% in 2022 compared to 22% in 2021. The effective tax rate for 2022 differs from the effective tax rate for 2021, and the statutory rate of 21%, due to the impact of various immaterial items resulting in a net tax benefit that was magnified due to the small pre-tax loss in 2022. See note 15 of the notes to consolidated financial statements included under Item 8 for further discussion of our income taxes. InAugust 2022 , theU.S. enacted the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (the Act). The Act implements a 15% corporate minimum tax based on adjusted financial statement income and a 1% excise tax on stock repurchases effectiveJanuary 1, 2023 . We do not expect these tax law changes to have a material impact on our results of operations, financial condition or cash flows, however, we will continue to evaluate the impact of the Act as additional guidance is issued by theU.S. Treasury .
Comprehensive Income (Loss) to Shareholders and Book Value per Common Share
The following table summarizes the components of comprehensive income (loss) to
shareholders.
Years Ended December 31,
(dollars in thousands) 2022 2021
Net income (loss) to shareholders $ (214,123) $ 2,425,003
Other comprehensive loss:
Change in net unrealized gains (losses) on available-for-sale
investments, net of taxes (1,110,148) (354,938)
Other, net of taxes 15,471 8,177
Other comprehensive (income) loss attributable to noncontrolling
interest
(17) 2 Other comprehensive loss to shareholders (1,094,694) (346,759) Comprehensive income (loss) to shareholders $
(1,308,817)
Book value per common share decreased 10% from$1,036.20 atDecember 31, 2021 to$929.27 as ofDecember 31, 2022 , primarily due to other comprehensive loss to shareholders in 2022.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
We seek to maintain prudent levels of liquidity and financial leverage for the protection of our policyholders, creditors and shareholders. Our consolidated debt to capital ratio was 24% atDecember 31, 2022 and 23% atDecember 31, 2021 . The increase reflects a decrease in shareholders' equity, primarily attributable to a decline in the fair value of our investment portfolio, driven by unfavorable movements in the public equity markets and increases in interest rates in 2022. Holding Company Our holding company had$3.7 billion and$5.3 billion of investments, cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash and cash equivalents (invested assets) atDecember 31, 2022 andDecember 31, 2021 , respectively. The decrease in holding company invested assets was primarily due to capital contributions made to our insurance subsidiaries and a decline in the fair value of the holding company investment portfolio, as well as the$350.0 million repayment of our 4.90% unsecured senior notes dueJuly 1, 2022 . See note 23 of the notes to consolidated financial statements included under Item 8 for condensed financial information for our holding company. 10K - 52 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Within our insurance subsidiaries, we seek to maintain capital that significantly exceeds required capital levels, as prescribed by applicable regulators. A portion of the capital held by many of our insurance subsidiaries includes a portfolio of equity securities, and the unfavorable movements in the public equity markets in 2022 had a significant impact on their investment portfolio valuations, and in turn, the capital within these entities. In order to maintain our target levels of excess capital within the impacted insurance subsidiaries, our holding company made capital contributions totaling$973.5 million in 2022. There were no capital contributions from our holding company to our insurance subsidiaries in 2021. We also received dividends totaling$130.0 million from certain of our insurance subsidiaries in 2022 compared to$1.0 billion in 2021. The following table presents the composition of our holding company's invested assets. December 31, 2022 2021 Fixed maturity securities 4 % 4 % Equity securities 40 % 53 % Short-term investments, cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash and cash equivalents 56 % 43 % Total 100 % 100 % After satisfying our interest and principal obligations on our senior long-term debt and notes payable to subsidiaries, as well as any other holding company obligations, excess liquidity atMarkel Corporation is available to, among other things, allocate capital to our existing businesses, complete acquisitions, build our portfolio of equity securities or repurchase shares of our common stock. InFebruary 2022 , our Board of Directors approved a new share repurchase program that provides for the repurchase of up to$750 million of common stock. As ofDecember 31, 2022 ,$511.7 million remained available for repurchases under the program. This share repurchase program has no expiration date but may be terminated by the Board of Directors at any time. We may from time to time seek to prepay, retire or repurchase our outstanding senior notes or preferred shares, through open market purchases, privately negotiated transactions or otherwise. Those prepayments, retirements or repurchases, if any, will depend on prevailing market conditions, our liquidity requirements, contractual restrictions and other factors. The holding company relies on dividends from its subsidiaries to meet debt service obligations and pay dividends on our preferred stock. Under the insurance laws of the various states in which our domestic insurance subsidiaries are incorporated, an insurer is restricted in the amount of dividends it may pay without prior approval of regulatory authorities. There are also regulatory restrictions on the amount of dividends that certain of our foreign subsidiaries may pay based on applicable laws in their respective jurisdictions. AtDecember 31, 2022 , our domestic insurance subsidiaries andMarkel Bermuda Limited could pay ordinary dividends of$1.1 billion during the following twelve months under these laws. We maintain a corporate revolving credit facility, which provides up to$300 million of capacity for future acquisitions, investments and stock repurchases and for other working capital and general corporate purposes. At our discretion, up to$200 million of the total capacity may be used for letters of credit. We may increase the capacity of the facility by up to$200 million subject to obtaining commitments for the increase and certain other terms and conditions. This facility expires inApril 2024 . As ofDecember 31, 2022 and 2021, there were no borrowings outstanding under this revolving credit facility. We were in compliance with all covenants contained in our corporate revolving credit facility atDecember 31, 2022 . To the extent that we are not in compliance with our covenants, access to the revolving credit facility could be restricted. While we believe this to be unlikely, the inability to access the revolving credit facility could adversely affect our liquidity. See note 14 of the notes to consolidated financial statements included under Item 8 for further discussion of our revolving credit facility. 10K - 53 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We have access to various capital sources, including dividends from certain of our subsidiaries, holding company invested assets, undrawn capacity under our revolving credit facility and access to the debt and equity capital markets. We believe we have adequate liquidity to meet our capital and operating needs, including that which may be required to support the operating needs of our subsidiaries. However, the availability of these sources of capital and the availability and terms of future financings will depend on a variety of factors. See the "Access to Capital" risk factors under Item 1A Risk Factors for more discussion regarding our access to capital sources.
Cash Flows and Invested Assets
Net cash provided by operating activities was$2.7 billion in 2022 compared to$2.3 billion in 2021. The increase in net cash flows from operating activities for the year endedDecember 31, 2022 was primarily due to higher net premiums within our Insurance segment, partially offset by$101.9 million of payments made in connection with the Markel CATCo buy-out transaction. Net cash used by investing activities was$1.7 billion in 2022 compared to$2.9 billion in 2021. In 2022, net cash used by investing activities included net purchases of fixed maturity securities, short-term investments and equity securities of$959.7 million ,$846.0 million and$201.0 million , respectively. Net cash used by investing activities was net of$630.0 million of net cash and restricted cash acquired as part of our consolidation of Markel CATCo Re, of which$169.4 million was subsequently distributed to Markel CATCo investors for shares that were redeemed in conjunction with the buy-out transaction. In 2021, net cash used by investing activities included net purchases of fixed maturity and equity securities of$2.5 billion and$54.9 million , respectively, and net sales of short-term investments of$229.0 million . Net cash used by investing activities in 2021 also included$510.9 million of net cash used for the acquisitions of Buckner andMetromont . In 2022, as interest rates began to rise, we increased our allocation of cash to short-term investments and fixed maturity securities to support our growing underwriting business. Additionally, we increased our purchases of equity securities in 2022 to take advantage of favorable prices following declines in the public equity markets during the year. Cash flow from investing activities is affected by various factors such as anticipated payment of claims, financing activity, acquisition opportunities and individual buy and sell decisions made in the normal course of our investment portfolio management. Invested assets were$27.4 billion atDecember 31, 2022 compared to$28.3 billion atDecember 31, 2021 , reflecting a decrease of 3% in 2022. The decline in the fair value of our investment portfolio, driven by unfavorable movements in the public equity markets and increases in interest rates in 2022, was partially offset by cash provided by operating activities. These factors were also the primary drivers of the change in the composition of our investment portfolio. The following table presents the composition of our invested assets. December 31, 2022 2021 Fixed maturity securities 43 % 44 % Equity securities 28 % 32 % Short-term investments, cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash and cash equivalents 29 % 24 % Total 100 % 100 % Net cash used by financing activities was$595.3 million in 2022, which included$350.0 million to retire our 4.90% unsecured senior notes dueJuly 1, 2022 . Financing activities in 2022 also reflected borrowings and repayments at certain ourMarkel Ventures businesses, primarily on revolving lines of credit. Net cash provided by financing activities was$369.8 million in 2021, which included net proceeds of$591.4 million from ourMay 2021 senior notes offering. Cash of$290.8 million and$206.5 million was used to repurchase shares of our common stock during 2022 and 2021, respectively. 10K - 54 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cash Obligations
As ofDecember 31, 2022 , our primary cash obligations were unpaid losses and loss adjustment expenses, senior long-term debt and other debt and related interest payments, life and annuity benefits and lease liabilities. These cash obligations, as presented in the following table, represent our estimate of total future cash payments and may differ from the corresponding liabilities on our consolidated balance sheet due to present value discounts and other adjustments required for presentation in accordance withU.S. GAAP. The following table summarizes our estimated contractual cash obligations atDecember 31, 2022 and the estimated amount expected to be paid in 2023. Total cash Cash obligations obligations as of due in less than 1 (dollars in thousands) December 31, 2022 year Unpaid losses and loss adjustment expenses (1)$ 21,053,737 $ 4,494,980 Senior long-term debt and other debt (2)$ 4,148,007 $ 399,604 Interest payments on senior long-term debt and other debt$ 3,414,263 $ 169,263 (3) Life and annuity benefits (4)$ 974,212 $ 58,650 Lease liabilities (5)$ 661,112 $ 100,887 (1) The actual cash payments for settled claims will vary, possibly significantly, from these estimates. As ofDecember 31, 2022 , the average duration of our reserves for unpaid losses and loss adjustment expenses was 3.8 years. See note 11 of the notes to consolidated financial statements included under Item 8 for further details on our loss reserve estimates.
(2) See note 14 of the notes to consolidated financial statements included
under Item 8 for further details on the scheduled maturity of principal payments
on our senior long-term debt and other debt.
(3) Interest expense is accrued in the period incurred and therefore, only a portion of the future interest payments presented in this table represents a liability on our consolidated balance sheet as ofDecember 31, 2022 . (4) There is inherent uncertainty in the process of estimating the timing of payments for life and annuity benefits and actual cash payments for settled contracts could vary significantly from these estimates. We expect$704.1 million of our cash obligation for life and annuity benefits to be paid beyond five years. See note 13 of the notes to consolidated financial statements included under Item 8 for further details on our estimates for life and annuity benefit reserves. (5) See note 9 of the notes to consolidated financial statements included under Item 8 for further details on our lease obligations and the expected timing of future payments. Various of ourMarkel Ventures subsidiaries maintain revolving credit facilities or lines of credit, which provide up to$620 million of aggregate capacity for working capital and other general operational purposes. A portion of the capacity on certain of these credit facilities may be used as security for letters of credit and other obligations. AtDecember 31, 2022 and 2021,$238.1 million and$94.3 million , respectively, of borrowings were outstanding under these credit facilities. As ofDecember 31, 2022 , one of ourMarkel Ventures subsidiaries was not in compliance with certain financial covenants of its revolving credit facility, which had an outstanding balance of$97.9 million as ofDecember 31, 2022 . The subsidiary is working with its lenders and anticipates amending the facility. This event is not expected to have a material effect on our consolidated financial condition or results of operations. AtDecember 31, 2022 , all of our other subsidiaries were in compliance with all covenants contained in their respective credit facilities. To the extent our subsidiaries are not in compliance with their respective covenants, access to their credit facilities could be restricted, which could adversely affect their operations. See note 14 of the notes to consolidated financial statements included under Item 8 for further discussion of our credit facilities.
Restricted Assets and Capital
AtDecember 31, 2022 , we had$4.8 billion of invested assets held in trust or on deposit for the benefit of policyholders or ceding companies or to support underwriting activities. Additionally, we have pledged investments and cash and cash equivalents totaling$437.8 million atDecember 31, 2022 as security for letters of credit that have been issued by various banks on our behalf. These invested assets and the related liabilities are included in our consolidated balance sheet. See note 4(f) of the notes to consolidated financial statements included under Item 8 for further discussion of restrictions over our invested assets. Our insurance operations require capital to support premium writings, and we remain committed to maintaining adequate capital and surplus at each of our insurance subsidiaries. TheNational Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) developed a model law and risk-based capital formula designed to help regulators identify domestic property and casualty insurers that may be inadequately capitalized. Under the NAIC's requirements, a domestic insurer must maintain total capital and surplus above a calculated threshold or face varying levels of regulatory action. Capital adequacy of our foreign insurance 10K - 55 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- subsidiaries is regulated by applicable laws of theUnited Kingdom ,Bermuda andGermany . AtDecember 31, 2022 , the capital and surplus of each of our insurance subsidiaries significantly exceeded the amount of statutory capital and surplus necessary to satisfy regulatory requirements.
Critical Accounting Estimates
Critical accounting estimates are those estimates that both are important to the portrayal of our financial condition and results of operations and require us to exercise significant judgment. The preparation of financial statements in accordance withU.S. GAAP requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses and the disclosure of material contingent assets and liabilities. These estimates, by necessity, are based on assumptions about numerous factors. Actual results may differ materially from the estimates and assumptions used in preparing the consolidated financial statements. Our accounts with accounting policies that involve critical accounting estimates are unpaid losses and loss adjustment expenses and goodwill and intangible assets.
Unpaid Losses and Loss Adjustment Expenses
Our consolidated balance sheets included estimated unpaid losses and loss adjustment expenses of$20.9 billion and reinsurance recoverables on unpaid losses of$8.0 billion atDecember 31, 2022 compared to$18.2 billion and$6.9 billion , respectively, atDecember 31, 2021 . Included in these balances were unpaid losses and loss adjustment expenses and reinsurance recoverables on unpaid losses attributable to our program services business and other fronting arrangements totaling$5.2 billion for the year endedDecember 31, 2022 and$4.2 billion for the year endedDecember 31, 2021 . Additionally, consolidated unpaid losses and loss adjustment expenses as ofDecember 31, 2022 included$347.9 million of fully collateralized reserves attributable to Markel CATCo Re, which we consolidate following the Markel CATCo buy-out. See note 17 of the notes to consolidated financial statements for further details regarding the consolidation ofMarkel CATCo Re. Our consolidated balance sheets do not include reserves for losses and loss adjustment expenses attributed to unconsolidated subsidiaries or affiliates that we manage through ourNephila insurance-linked securities operations. We accrue liabilities for unpaid losses and loss adjustment expenses based upon estimates of the ultimate amounts payable. We maintain reserves for specific claims incurred and reported (case reserves) and reserves for claims incurred but not reported (IBNR reserves). Reported claims are in various stages of the settlement process, and the corresponding reserves for reported claims are based upon all information available to us. Case reserves consider our estimate of the ultimate cost to settle the claims, including investigation and defense of lawsuits resulting from the claims, and may be subject to adjustment for differences between costs originally estimated and costs subsequently re-estimated or incurred. Claims are settled based upon their merits, and some claims may take years to settle, especially if legal action is involved. As of any balance sheet date, all claims have not yet been reported, and some claims may not be reported for many years. As a result, the liability for unpaid losses and loss adjustment expenses includes significant estimates for incurred but not reported claims. There is normally a time lag between when a loss event occurs and when it is reported to us. The actuarial methods that we use to estimate losses have been designed to address the lag in loss reporting as well as the delay in obtaining information that would allow us to more accurately estimate future payments. There is also often a time lag between cedents establishing case reserves or re-estimating their reserves and notifying us of those new or revised case reserves. As a result, the reporting lag is more pronounced in our reinsurance contracts than in our insurance contracts. On reinsurance transactions, the reporting lag will generally be 60 to 90 days after the end of a reporting period but can be longer in some cases. There may also be a more pronounced reporting lag, as well as reliance on third-party claims handling practices and reserve estimates, on insurance contracts for which we are not the primary insurer and participate only in excess layers of loss. Based on the experience of our actuaries and management, we select loss development factors and trending techniques to mitigate the difficulties caused by reporting lags. At least annually, we evaluate our loss development factors and trending assumptions using our own loss data, as well as cedent-specific and industry data, and update them as needed.U.S. GAAP requires that IBNR reserves be based on the estimated ultimate cost of settling claims, including the effects of inflation and other social and economic factors, using past experience adjusted for current trends and any other factors that would modify past experience. IBNR reserves are calculated by subtracting paid losses and loss adjustment expenses and case reserves from estimated ultimate losses and loss adjustment expenses. IBNR reserves were 70% of total unpaid losses and loss adjustment expenses atDecember 31, 2022 compared to 67% atDecember 31, 2021 . 10K - 56 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The following table summarizes case reserves and IBNR reserves for our underwriting, program services and other fronting operations, which excludes$347.9 million of fully collateralized reserves attributable to Markel CATCo Re as ofDecember 31, 2022 . The amounts in the following table exclude the unamortized portion of any fair value adjustments for unpaid losses and loss adjustment expenses assumed in conjunction with an acquisition and any adjustments to discount reserves. Program services and other (dollars in thousands) Insurance Reinsurance Other underwriting fronting Total December 31, 2022 Case reserves$ 3,361,400 $ 1,234,852 $ 70,072$ 1,617,473 $ 6,283,797 IBNR reserves 8,238,051 2,406,235 127,531 3,586,817 14,358,634 Total$ 11,599,451 $ 3,641,087 $ 197,603$ 5,204,290 (1)$ 20,642,431 December 31, 2021 Case reserves$ 3,093,576 $ 1,334,444 $ 53,317$ 1,485,857 $ 5,967,194 IBNR reserves 6,951,347 2,369,313 218,039 2,730,477 12,269,176 Total$ 10,044,923 $ 3,703,757 $ 271,356$ 4,216,334 (1)$ 18,236,370
(1) Substantially all of the premium written in our program services and other
fronting business is ceded, resulting in reinsurance recoverables on unpaid
losses of
respectively.
Each quarter, our actuaries prepare estimates of the ultimate liability for unpaid losses and loss adjustment expenses based on established actuarial methods. Management reviews these estimates, supplements the actuarial analyses with information provided by claims, underwriting and other operational personnel and determines its best estimate of loss reserves, which is recorded in our consolidated financial statements. Our procedures for determining the adequacy of loss reserves at the end of the year are substantially similar to the procedures applied at the end of each interim period. Any adjustments to reserves resulting from our interim or year-end reviews, including changes in estimates, are recorded as a component of losses and loss adjustment expenses in the period of the change. Reserve changes that increase previous estimates of ultimate claims cost are referred to as unfavorable or adverse development, or reserve strengthening. Reserve changes that decrease previous estimates of ultimate claims cost are referred to as favorable development.
Program Services and Other Fronting
For our program services business and other fronting arrangements, case reserves are generally established based on reports received from the general agents or reinsurers with whom we do business. Our actuaries review the case loss reserve data received for sufficiency, consistency with historical data and for consistency with other programs we write that have similar characteristics. Ultimate losses and loss adjustment expenses are calculated using either our program experience or, where the program data is not credible, industry experience for similar products or lines of business. Substantially all of the premium written in our program services business and other fronting arrangements is ceded, and net reserves for unpaid losses and loss adjustment expenses as ofDecember 31, 2022 andDecember 31, 2021 were$10.0 million and$11.6 million , respectively. Underwriting For our insurance operations, we are generally notified of insured losses by our insureds, their brokers or the primary insurer in instances in which we participate in excess layers of insured losses on a contract. Based on this information, we establish case reserves by estimating the expected ultimate losses from the claim (including any administrative or legal costs associated with settling the claim). Our claims personnel use their knowledge of the policy provisions and details specific to the claim, along with information provided by internal and external experts, including underwriters, actuaries and legal counsel, to estimate the expected ultimate losses. For our reinsurance operations, case reserves are generally established based on reports received from ceding companies or their brokers. For excess of loss contracts, we are typically notified of insurance losses on specific contracts and record a case reserve for the estimated expected ultimate losses from the claim. For quota share contracts, we typically receive aggregated claims information and record a case reserve based on that information. As with insurance business, we evaluate this information and estimate the expected ultimate losses. Our liabilities for unpaid losses and loss adjustment expenses can generally be categorized into two distinct groups, short-tail business and long-tail business. Short-tail business refers to lines of business, such as property, accident and health, 10K - 57 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- automobile, watercraft and marine hull exposures, for which losses are usually known and paid shortly after the loss actually occurs. Long-tail business describes lines of business for which specific losses take much longer to emerge and may not be known and reported for some time. Given the time frame over which long-tail exposures are ultimately settled, there is greater uncertainty and volatility in these lines than in short-tail lines of business. Our long-tail coverages consist of most casualty lines, including professional liability, products liability, general and excess liability and excess and umbrella exposures, as well as workers' compensation insurance, which have been a significant source growth in premium volume in recent years. Some factors that contribute to the uncertainty and volatility of long-tail business, and thus require a significant degree of judgment in the reserving process, include the effects of unanticipated levels of economic inflation, the impact of social inflation, the inherent uncertainty as to the length of reporting and payment development patterns, the possibility of judicial interpretations or legislative changes, including changes in workers' compensation benefit laws, that might impact future loss experience relative to prior loss experience and the potential lack of comparability of the underlying data used in performing loss reserve analyses. Our ultimate liability may be greater or less than current reserves. Changes in our estimated ultimate liability for loss reserves generally occur as a result of the emergence of unanticipated loss activity, the completion of specific actuarial or claims studies or changes in internal or external factors. We closely monitor new information on reported claims and use statistical analyses prepared by our actuaries to evaluate the adequacy of our recorded reserves. We are required to exercise considerable judgment when assessing the relative credibility of loss development trends. Our philosophy is to establish loss reserves that are more likely redundant than deficient. This means that we seek to establish loss reserves that will ultimately prove to be adequate. As a result, if new information or trends indicate an increase in frequency or severity of claims in excess of what we initially anticipated, we generally respond quickly and increase loss reserves. If, however, frequency or severity trends are more favorable than initially anticipated, we often wait to reduce our loss reserves until we can evaluate experience in additional periods to confirm the credibility of the trend. In addition, for long-tail lines of business, trends develop over longer periods of time, and as a result, we give credibility to these trends more slowly than for short-tail or less volatile lines of business. In establishing our liabilities for unpaid losses and loss adjustment expenses, our actuaries estimate an ultimate loss ratio, by accident year or underwriting year, for each of our product lines with input from our underwriting and claims personnel. For product lines in which loss reserves are established on a underwriting year basis, we have developed a methodology to convert from underwriting year to accident year for financial reporting purposes. In estimating an ultimate loss ratio for a particular line of business, our actuaries may use one or more actuarial reserving methods and select from these a single point estimate. To varying degrees, these methods include detailed statistical analysis of past claim reporting, settlement activity, claim frequency and severity, policyholder loss experience, industry loss experience and changes in market and economic conditions, policy forms and exposures. The actuarial methods we use include: Initial Expected Loss Ratio Method - This method multiplies earned premiums by an expected loss ratio. The expected loss ratio is selected utilizing industry data, our historical data, frequency-severity and rate level forecasts and professional judgment.Paid Loss Development - This method uses historical loss payment patterns to estimate future loss payment patterns. Our actuaries use the historical loss patterns to develop factors that are applied to current paid loss amounts to calculate expected ultimate losses.Incurred Loss Development - This method uses historical loss reporting patterns to estimate future loss reporting patterns. Our actuaries use the historical loss patterns to develop factors that are applied to current reported losses to calculate expected ultimate losses.Bornhuetter-Ferguson Paid Loss Development - This method divides the projection of ultimate losses into the portion that has already been paid and the portion that has yet to be paid. The portion that has yet to be paid is estimated as the product of three amounts: the premium earned for the exposure period, the expected loss ratio and the estimated percentage of ultimate losses that are still unpaid. The expected loss ratio is selected by considering historical loss ratios, adjusted for any known changes in pricing, loss trends, adequacy of case reserves, changes in administrative practices and other relevant factors.Bornhuetter-Ferguson Incurred Loss Development - This method is identical to the Bornhuetter-Ferguson paid loss development method, except that it uses the estimated percentage of ultimate losses that are still unreported, instead of the estimated percentage of ultimate losses that are still unpaid. 10K - 58 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Frequency/Severity - Under this method, expected ultimate losses are equal to the product of the expected ultimate number of claims and the expected ultimate average cost per claim. Our actuaries use historical reporting patterns and severity patterns to develop factors that are applied to the current reported amounts to calculate expected ultimate losses.
Other Methods - There are certain instances when traditional actuarial methods
may not be appropriate for estimating unpaid losses and loss adjustment
expenses. In these instances, we may employ other actuarial methods.
Each actuarial method has its own set of assumptions and its own strengths and limitations, with no one method being better than the others in all situations. Our actuaries select the reserving methods that they believe will produce the most reliable estimates for the class of business being evaluated. Greater judgment may be required when we introduce new product lines or when there have been changes in claims handling practices, as the statistical data available may be insufficient. In these instances, we may rely upon assumptions applied to similar lines of business, rely more heavily on industry experience, take into account changes in underwriting guidelines and risk selection or review the impact of changes in claims reserving practices with claims personnel. Greater judgment also may be required for product lines that experience a low frequency of high severity claims, particularly when we are reliant on third party case reserve estimates and claims handling practices. In these instances, we may perform detailed claims reviews, analyzing the characteristics of each individual claim, with input from both actuarial and claims personnel to assess the adequacy of the case and IBNR reserves on the underlying product line. Our claims personnel use their knowledge of the specific claims along with internal and external experts, to estimate the expected ultimate losses. While we use our best judgment in establishing our estimate for loss reserves, applying different assumptions and variables could lead to significantly different loss reserve estimates. A key assumption in most actuarial analyses is that past development patterns will repeat themselves in the future, absent a significant change in internal or external factors that influence the ultimate cost of our unpaid losses and loss adjustment expenses. Our estimates reflect implicit and explicit assumptions regarding the potential effects of external factors, including economic and social inflation, judicial decisions, changes in law, general economic conditions and recent trends in these factors. Our actuarial analyses are based on statistical analysis but also consist of reviewing internal factors that are difficult to analyze statistically, including changes in underwriting and claims handling practices, as well as rate changes. In theLondon market, and where we act as a reinsurer or participate only in excess layers of insured losses, the timing and amount of information reported about underlying claims are in the control of third parties. This can also affect estimates and require re-estimation as new information becomes available. We cannot estimate losses from widespread catastrophic events, such as hurricanes and earthquakes, as well as pandemics and wars, using the traditional actuarial methods previously described. In the initial months after a catastrophic event occurs, our actuaries estimate losses and loss adjustment expenses based on claims received to date, industry loss estimates and output from industry, broker and proprietary models, as well as analysis of our ceded reinsurance contracts. We may also perform detailed policy and reinsurance contract level reviews. The availability of data from these procedures varies depending on the timing of the event relative to the point at which we develop our estimate. We also consider loss experience on historical events that may have similar characteristics to the underlying event and current market conditions, including the level of economic inflation. Due to the inherent uncertainty in estimating such losses, these estimates are subject to variability, which increases with the severity and complexity of the underlying event. As additional claims are reported and paid, and industry loss estimates are revised, we incorporate this new information into our analysis and adjust our estimate of ultimate losses and loss adjustment expenses as appropriate. Loss reserves are established at management's best estimate, which is developed using the actuarially calculated point estimate as the starting point. The actuarial point estimate represents our actuaries' estimate of the most likely amount that will ultimately be paid to settle the losses that have occurred at a particular point in time; however, there is inherent uncertainty in the point estimate as it is the expected value in a range of possible reserve estimates. In some cases, actuarial analyses, which are generally based on statistical analysis, cannot fully incorporate all of the subjective factors that affect development of losses. In other cases, management's perspective of these more subjective factors may differ from the actuarial perspective. Subjective factors influencing the development of management's best estimate include: the credibility and timeliness of claims and loss information received from cedents and other third parties, economic and social inflation, judicial decisions, changes in law, changes in underwriting or claims handling practices, general economic conditions, the risk of moral hazard and other current and developing trends within the insurance and reinsurance markets, including the effects of competition. For example, our loss experience in recent years has reflected higher than anticipated levels of economic inflation, as well as the impacts of social inflation. In developing its best estimate of loss reserves, management's philosophy is to establish loss reserves that are more likely to be redundant rather than deficient, and therefore, will ultimately prove to be adequate. Management's approach to establishing 10K - 59 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- loss reserves typically results in loss reserves that exceed the calculated actuarial point estimate. Management also considers the range, or variability, of reasonably possible loss outcomes determined by our actuaries when establishing its best estimate for loss reserves. The actuarial ranges represent our actuaries' estimate of a likely lowest amount and likely highest amount that could ultimately be paid to settle the losses that have occurred at a particular point in time. The range determinations are based on estimates and actuarial judgements and are intended to encompass reasonably likely changes in one or more of the factors that were used to determine the point estimates. Using statistical models, our actuaries establish a range of reasonable reserve estimates for each of our underwriting segments. Additionally, following an acquisition of insurance operations, acquired reserves initially are recorded at fair value, and therefore our recorded loss reserves may be closer to the actuarial point estimate until we build total loss reserves that are consistent with our historic level of confidence. Management's best estimate of net reserves for unpaid losses and loss adjustment expenses exceeded the actuarially calculated point estimate by$688.4 million , or 5.8%, atDecember 31, 2022 , compared to$638.3 million , or 6.0%, atDecember 31, 2021 . The difference between management's best estimate and the actuarially calculated point estimate in both 2022 and 2021 is primarily associated with our long-tail business due to the subjective factors previously described that affect the development of losses. Certain subjective factors, particularly the credibility and timeliness of claims information, are more pronounced within our reinsurance operations, as previously discussed, and therefore, the percentage difference between management's best estimate and the actuarially calculated point estimate is more significant in our Reinsurance segment than our Insurance segment. Loss frequency and loss severity are two key measures of loss activity that often result in adjustments to actuarial assumptions relative to ultimate loss reserve estimates. Loss frequency measures the number of claims per unit of insured exposure. When the number of newly reported claims is higher than anticipated, generally speaking, loss reserves are increased. Conversely, loss reserves are generally decreased when fewer claims are reported than expected. Loss severity measures the average size of a claim. When the average severity of reported claims is higher than originally estimated, loss reserves are typically increased. When the average claim size is lower than anticipated, loss reserves are typically decreased. Our underwriting results in 2022 included$167.4 million of favorable development on prior years loss reserves compared to$479.8 million in 2021. In connection with our quarterly reviews of loss reserves in 2021, the actuarial methods we used exhibited a favorable trend on prior accident years. This trend was observed using statistical analysis of actual loss experience for prior years, particularly with regard to most of our long-tail books of business within the Insurance segment, including our general liability and professional liability product lines. Additionally, as loss reserves are recorded at management's best estimate, which is generally higher than the corresponding actuarially calculated point estimate, the initial reserves established by management are more likely to be redundant than deficient. As actual losses continued to be lower than anticipated in 2021, it became more likely that the underwriting results would prove to be better than originally estimated. Additionally, as most actuarial methods rely upon historical reporting patterns, the favorable trends experienced on earlier accident years resulted in a re-estimation of our ultimate incurred losses on more recent accident years. When we experience loss frequency or loss severity trends that are more favorable than we initially anticipated, we often evaluate the loss experience over a period of several years in order to assess the relative credibility of loss development trends. In 2021, based upon our evaluations of claims development patterns in our long-tail, and often volatile, lines of business, our actuaries reduced their estimates of ultimate losses. Management also gave greater credibility to the favorable trends experienced on earlier accident years, and upon incorporating these favorable trends into its best estimate, we reduced prior years loss reserves on more recent accident years accordingly. Favorable development in 2022 was net of$70.9 million of adverse development on our professional liability and general liability product lines within our Insurance segment, where the favorable claims and loss trends observed in 2021, and other recent years, were disrupted. Adverse development on these product lines was primarily attributable to unfavorable claim settlements and increased claim frequency and severity on the 2018 and 2019 accident years within our professional liability product lines and the 2016 to 2019 accident years within our general liability product lines. The adverse development on these accident years was across a number of products, including directors and officers, errors and omissions and employment practices liability within professional liability and contractors and excess and umbrella within general liability. Development on prior years loss reserves within our professional liability and general liability product lines in 2022 for these accident years was impacted by broader market conditions, including the effects of economic and social inflation. The impacts of social inflation were most significant on our large, risk-managed excess professional liability accounts, corresponding with a notable rise in the number of class action lawsuits on these years and the recent unfavorable legal environment. The development of this claims trend was influenced by state and federal court closures following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, which has delayed court proceedings for claims on the impacted product lines. 10K - 60 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- These factors have created more uncertainty around the ultimate losses that will be incurred to settle claims on these longer-tail product lines. On our professional liability product lines, loss development reflected more favorable experience than originally anticipated on the 2020 and 2021 accident years in 2022, however, we are approaching reductions to prior year loss reserves on more recent accident years cautiously. Consistent with our reserving philosophy, we are responding quickly to increase loss reserves following any indication of increased claims frequency or severity in excess of our previous expectations, whereas in instances where claims trends are more favorable than we previously anticipated, we are often waiting to reduce loss reserves and will evaluate our experience over additional periods of time. Additionally, the actuarial methods we used indicated a continued favorable trend in loss frequency and severity on the 2015 and prior accident years for both our professional liability and general liability product lines. Management gave greater credibility to the favorable trend and reduced prior years loss reserves on these earlier accident years accordingly. Favorable development on prior years loss reserves in 2022 also reflected favorable loss experience across several other product lines, most notably our property and workers' compensation lines of business. This included favorable development on our reserves for natural catastrophes that occurred in prior years, based on additional claims reporting and settlement activity in 2022. On our workers' compensation product line, the actuarial methods we used indicated a continued decline in the loss severity trend on prior accident years in 2022, consistent with our experience in recent years. As actual losses continued to be lower than anticipated in 2022, it became more likely that the underwriting results would prove to be better than originally estimated. Management gave greater credibility to the favorable trend experienced on earlier accident years and upon incorporating these favorable trends into its best estimate, reduced prior years loss reserves on more recent accident years accordingly. While we believe it is likely that there will be additional favorable development on prior years loss reserves in 2023, we caution readers not to place undue reliance on this favorable trend. Changes in prior years loss reserves, including the trends and factors that impacted loss reserve development in 2022 and 2021, as well as further details regarding the historical development of reserves for losses and loss adjustment expenses and changes in methodologies and assumptions used to calculate reserves for unpaid losses and loss adjustment expenses are discussed in further detail in note 11 of the notes to consolidated financial statements included under Item 8. The following table summarizes our reserves for net unpaid losses and loss adjustment expenses and the actuarially established high and low ends of a range of reasonable reserve estimates atDecember 31, 2022 . This table excludes the fully collateralized reserves attributable toMarkel CATCo Re. As described in note 11 of the notes to consolidated financial statements included under Item 8, unpaid losses and loss adjustment expenses attributable to acquisitions are recorded at fair value as of the acquisition date, which generally consists of the present value of the expected net loss and loss adjustment expense payments plus a risk premium. The net loss reserves presented in this table represent our estimated future payments for losses and loss adjustment expenses, whereas the reserves for unpaid losses and loss adjustment expenses included on the consolidated balance sheet include the unamortized portion of fair value adjustments recorded in conjunction with an acquisition. Low End of High End of Net Loss Actuarial Actuarial (dollars in millions) Reserves Held Range(1) Range(1) Insurance$ 9,183.7 $ 7,910.8 $ 9,883.5 Reinsurance$ 3,303.4 $ 2,642.1 $ 3,688.4 Other underwriting$ 114.7 $ 90.7 $ 162.8 (1) Due to the actuarial methods used to determine the separate ranges for each component of our business, it is not appropriate to aggregate the high or low ends of the separate ranges to determine the high and low ends of the actuarial range on a consolidated basis. Undue reliance should not be placed on these ranges of estimates as they are only one of many points of reference used by management to determine its best estimate of ultimate losses. Further, actuarial ranges may not be a true reflection of the potential variability between loss reserves estimated at the balance sheet date and the ultimate cost of settling claims. Similar to the development of our estimate of ultimate losses, actuarial ranges are developed based on known events as of the valuation date, while ultimate paid losses are subject to events and circumstances that are unknown as of the valuation date. 10K - 61 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- During the years endedDecember 31, 2022 and 2021, we experienced favorable development on prior years loss reserves of 1% and 5%, respectively, of beginning of year net loss reserves. The magnitude of our historical trend of favorable loss reserve development was disrupted in 2022 as a result of the emergence of multiple factors that impacted the claims and loss trends on certain of our professional liability and general liability product lines, which resulted in net adverse loss development on the 2016 to 2019 accident years. On other accident years within these long-tail product lines, claims trends in 2022 were more favorable than we previously anticipated. Additionally, some of the loss development factors observed in 2022 that disrupted our historical favorable trend, including the rise in class action lawsuits and delays in the court systems, are not expected to have as significant of an impact on more recent accident years on the affected product lines. Since 2019, we've experienced meaningful rate increases, tightened our terms and conditions, optimized our portfolio through underwriting action and risk selection, adjusted attachment points, managed limits and diversified our portfolios. However, the impacts of economic and social inflation, among other factors previously discussed, have also created more uncertainty around the ultimate losses that will be incurred to settle claims on our longer-tail product lines. As a result, we are approaching reductions to prior year loss reserves on more recent accident years cautiously. It is difficult for management to predict the duration and magnitude of a trend and, on a relative basis, it is even more difficult to predict the emergence of factors or trends that are unknown today but may have a material impact on loss reserve development. In assessing the likelihood of whether the trends previously discussed will continue and whether other trends may develop, we believe that a reasonably likely movement in prior years loss reserves during 2023 would range from adverse development of 2%, or$200 million , to favorable development of 6%, or$800 million , ofDecember 31, 2022 net loss reserves.
Our consolidated balance sheet as of
intangible assets of
December 31, 2022
(dollars in millions) Underwriting Markel Ventures Other (1) Total
Goodwill $ 894.4 $ 1,153.9 $ 590.5 $ 2,638.8
Intangible assets 362.3 796.3 588.9 1,747.5
Total $ 1,256.7 $ 1,950.2 $ 1,179.4 $ 4,386.3
(1) Amounts included in Other reflect our operations that are not included in a
reportable segment, including our insurance-linked securities operations and our
program services operations.
Goodwill and intangible assets are recorded as a result of business
acquisitions. Goodwill represents the excess of the amount paid to acquire a
business over the net fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed at
the date of acquisition. Indefinite-lived and other intangible assets are
recorded at fair value as of the acquisition date. The determination of the fair
value of certain assets acquired, including goodwill and intangible assets, and
liabilities assumed involves significant judgment and the use of valuation
models and other estimates, which require assumptions that are inherently
subjective. During the year ended December 31, 2021 , we recorded $497.7 million
of goodwill and intangible assets in connection with acquisitions. We did not
make any significant acquisitions during the year ended December 31, 2022 . See
note 3 of the notes to consolidated financial statements included under Item 8
for further details about recent acquisitions.
Intangible assets with definite lives are reviewed for impairment when events or
circumstances indicate that their carrying value may not be recoverable.
Goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets are tested for impairment
annually, or when events or circumstances indicate that their carrying value may
not be recoverable. A significant amount of judgment is required in performing
impairment tests, including the optional assessment of qualitative factors for
the annual impairment test, which is used to determine whether it is more likely
than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying
amount. This assessment serves as a basis for determining whether it is
necessary to perform a quantitative impairment test.
We completed our annual tests for impairment as of October 1, 2022 based upon
results of operations through September 30, 2022 . We elected to perform a
qualitative assessment for all of our reporting units, with the exception of our
Nephila reporting unit, for which we performed a quantitative assessment.
10K - 62
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When performing our qualitative assessments, we considered macroeconomic factors
such as industry conditions and market conditions. We also considered reporting
unit-specific events, actual financial performance versus expectations and
management's future business expectations, as well as the amount by which the
fair value of the reporting unit exceeded its carrying value at the date of the
last quantitative assessment. As part of our qualitative assessment of recently
acquired reporting units with material goodwill, we considered the fact that the
businesses had been acquired in orderly transactions between market
participants, and our purchase price represented fair value at acquisition. For
recent acquisitions for which we elected to perform a qualitative assessment,
there were no events since acquisition that had a significant adverse impact on
the fair value of these reporting units through the assessment date. Based on
the results of our qualitative assessments, we believe it is more likely than
not that the fair value of each of the assessed reporting units exceeded its
respective carrying amount as of the assessment date and December 31, 2022 and
none of the assessed reporting units are at risk of a material impairment of
goodwill. We considered similar factors to determine if there were any
indicators requiring an assessment of the recoverability of our definite lived
intangible assets and concluded there were not. However, deterioration of market
conditions related to the general economy or the specific industries in which we
operate, a sustained trend of weaker than anticipated financial performance
within a reporting unit beyond that which we considered or included in our
assessments, or further increases in the market-based weighted average cost of
capital, among other factors, could impact the impairment analysis and may
result in future goodwill or intangible asset impairment charges. See the risk
factor titled "Impairment in the value of our goodwill or other intangible
assets could have a material adverse effect on our operating results and
financial condition" within Item 1A Risk Factors for further discussion of risks
associated with our goodwill and intangible assets.
We performed a quantitative impairment assessment for our Nephila reporting
unit, which resulted in an $80.0 million impairment of goodwill. We acquired our
Nephila operations in 2018 at which time they were recorded at fair value. The
Nephila reporting unit serves as an insurance and investment fund manager that
offers a broad range of investment products, including insurance-linked
securities, catastrophe bonds, insurance swaps and weather derivatives. Nephila
receives management fees for these services primarily based on the net asset
value of the accounts managed and, for certain funds, incentive fees based on
their annual performance. Prior to its sale in February 2022 , this reporting
unit also included our Velocity managing general agent operations.
We estimated the fair value of our Nephila reporting unit primarily using an
income approach based on a discounted cash flow model. The cash flow projections
used in the discounted cash flow model included management's best estimate of
future growth and margins. The discount rates used to determine the fair value
estimates were developed based on a capital asset pricing model using
market-based inputs as well as an assessment of the inherent risk in projected
future cash flows. Our fair value estimate was negatively impacted by an
increase in our discount rate assumption in 2022, reflecting the increased cost
of capital due to rising interest rates throughout 2022.
Since acquiring Nephila , investment performance in the broader ILS market has
been adversely impacted by consecutive years of elevated catastrophe losses,
most recently with Hurricane Ian in 2022. These events, as well as recent
volatility in the capital markets, have impacted investor decisions around
allocation of capital to ILS, which in turn has impacted our capital raises and
redemptions within the funds we manage. Following Hurricane Ian, we have seen
more favorable rates on the reinsurance contracts to which the Nephila
Reinsurers subscribe, which is reflective of the current property catastrophe
market and had a positive impact on Nephila's growth and performance
projections. However, the impact of this favorable trend was more than offset by
the impact of further declines in investor capital within the funds we manage.
Our cash flow assumptions reflect management's best estimate of the reporting
unit's future cash flows, based on information currently available, however,
these assumptions are inherently uncertain, require a high degree of estimation
and judgment and are subject to change depending on the outcome of future
events.
Based on the result of our quantitative assessment, the carrying value of our
Nephila reporting unit exceeded the estimated fair value of the reporting unit
by $80.0 million resulting in a corresponding impairment of goodwill. This
reduced the goodwill of the Nephila reporting unit to $221.8 million . We also
evaluated our intangible assets within the Nephila reporting unit for impairment
and determined they were not impaired.
Safe Harbor and Cautionary Statement
This report contains statements concerning or incorporating our expectations,
assumptions, plans, objectives, future financial or operating performance and
other statements that are not historical facts. These statements are
"forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements may use words such as
"anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "predict," "project"
and similar expressions as they relate to us or our management.
10K - 63
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There are risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ
materially from predicted results in forward-looking statements. Factors that
may cause actual results to differ are often presented with the forward-looking
statements themselves. Additional factors that could cause actual results to
differ from those predicted are set forth under Item 1 Business, Item 1A Risk
Factors, Item 7 Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and
Results of Operations and Item 7A Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About
Market Risk in this report or are included in the items listed below:
•our expectations about future results of our underwriting, investing, Markel
Ventures and other operations are based on current knowledge and assume no
significant man-made or natural catastrophes, no significant changes in products
or personnel and no adverse changes in market conditions;
•the effect of cyclical trends on our underwriting, investing, Markel Ventures
and other operations, including demand and pricing in the insurance, reinsurance
and other markets in which we operate;
•actions by competitors, including the use of technology and innovation to
simplify the customer experience, increase efficiencies, redesign products,
alter models and effect other potentially disruptive changes in the insurance
industry, and the effect of competition on market trends and pricing;
•our efforts to develop new products, expand in targeted markets or improve
business processes and workflows may not be successful and may increase or
create new risks (e.g., insufficient demand, change to risk exposures,
distribution channel conflicts, execution risk, increased expenditures);
•the frequency and severity of man-made and natural catastrophes (including earthquakes, wildfires and weather-related catastrophes) may exceed expectations, are unpredictable and, in the case of wildfires and weather-related catastrophes, may be exacerbated if, as many forecast, changing conditions in the climate, oceans and atmosphere result in increased hurricane, flood, drought or other adverse weather-related activity;
•we offer insurance and reinsurance coverage against terrorist acts in
connection with some of our programs, and in other instances we are legally
required to offer terrorism insurance; in both circumstances, we actively manage
our exposure, but if there is a covered terrorist attack, we could sustain
material losses;
•emerging claim and coverage issues, changing industry practices and evolving legal, judicial, social and other environmental trends or conditions, can increase the scope of coverage, the frequency and severity of claims and the period over which claims may be reported; these factors, as well as uncertainties in the loss estimation process, can adversely impact the adequacy of our loss reserves and our allowance for reinsurance recoverables; •reinsurance reserves are subject to greater uncertainty than insurance reserves, primarily because of reliance upon the original underwriting decisions made by ceding companies and the longer lapse of time from the occurrence of loss events to their reporting to the reinsurer for ultimate resolution; •inaccuracies (whether due to data error, human error or otherwise) in the various modeling techniques and data analytics (e.g., scenarios, predictive and stochastic modeling, and forecasting) we use to analyze and estimate exposures, loss trends and other risks associated with our insurance and insurance-linked securities businesses could cause us to misprice our products or fail to appropriately estimate the risks to which we are exposed; •changes in the assumptions and estimates used in establishing reserves for our life and annuity reinsurance book (which is in runoff), for example, changes in assumptions and estimates of mortality, longevity, morbidity and interest rates, could result in material changes in our estimated loss reserves for such business;
•adverse developments in insurance coverage litigation or other legal or
administrative proceedings could result in material increases in our estimates
of loss reserves;
•initial estimates for catastrophe losses and other significant, infrequent events (such as the COVID-19 pandemic and theRussia -Ukraine conflict), are often based on limited information, are dependent on broad assumptions about the nature and extent of losses, coverage, liability and reinsurance, and those losses may ultimately differ materially from our expectations;
•changes in the availability, costs, quality and providers of reinsurance
coverage, which may impact our ability to write or continue to write certain
lines of business or to mitigate the volatility of losses on our results of
operations and financial condition;
•the ability or willingness of reinsurers to pay balances due may be adversely affected by industry and economic conditions, deterioration in reinsurer credit quality and coverage disputes, and collateral we hold, if any, may not be sufficient to cover a reinsurer's obligation to us;
•after the commutation of ceded reinsurance contracts, any subsequent adverse
development in the re-assumed loss reserves will result in a charge to earnings;
10K - 64 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
•regulatory actions can impede our ability to charge adequate rates and
efficiently allocate capital;
•general economic and market conditions and industry specific conditions, including extended economic recessions or expansions; prolonged periods of slow economic growth; inflation or deflation; fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates, commodity and energy prices and interest rates; volatility in the credit and capital markets; and other factors; •economic conditions, actual or potential defaults in corporate bonds, municipal bonds, mortgage-backed securities or sovereign debt obligations, volatility in interest and foreign currency exchange rates and changes in market value of concentrated investments can have a significant impact on the fair value of our fixed maturity securities and equity securities, as well as the carrying value of our other assets and liabilities, and this impact may be heightened by market volatility and our ability to mitigate our sensitivity to these changing conditions;
•economic conditions may adversely affect our access to capital and credit
markets;
•the effects of government intervention, including material changes in the monetary policies of central banks, to address financial downturns (such as in response to the COVID-19 pandemic), inflation and other economic and currency concerns; •the impacts that political and civil unrest and regional conflicts, such as the conflict betweenRussia andUkraine , may have on our businesses and the markets they serve or that any disruptions in regional or worldwide economic conditions generally arising from these situations may have on our businesses, industries or investments;
•the significant volatility, uncertainty and disruption caused by health
epidemics and pandemics, including the COVID-19 pandemic and its variants, as
well as governmental, legislative, judicial or regulatory actions or
developments in response thereto;
•changes inU.S. tax laws, regulations or interpretations, or in the tax laws, regulations or interpretations of other jurisdictions in which we operate, and adjustments we may make in our operations or tax strategies in response to those changes; •a failure or security breach of, or cyberattack on, enterprise information technology systems that we use or a failure to comply with data protection or privacy regulations;
•third-party providers may perform poorly, breach their obligations to us or
expose us to enhanced risks;
•our acquisitions may increase our operational and internal control risks for a
period of time;
•we may not realize the contemplated benefits, including cost savings and
synergies, of our acquisitions;
•any determination requiring the write-off of a significant portion of our
goodwill and intangible assets;
•the failure or inadequacy of any methods we employ to manage our loss
exposures;
•the loss of services of any senior executive or other key personnel of our
businesses could adversely impact one or more of our operations;
•the manner in which we manage our global operations through a network of
business entities could result in inconsistent management, governance and
oversight practices and make it difficult for us to implement strategic
decisions and coordinate procedures;
•our substantial international operations and investments expose us to increased political, civil, operational and economic risks, including foreign currency exchange rate and credit risk;
•our ability to obtain additional capital for our operations on terms favorable
to us;
•our compliance, or failure to comply, with covenants and other requirements
under our credit facilities, senior debt and other indebtedness and our
preferred shares;
•our ability to maintain or raise third-party capital for existing or new
investment vehicles and risks related to our management of third-party capital;
•the effectiveness of our procedures for compliance with existing and future
guidelines, policies and legal and regulatory standards, rules, laws and
regulations;
•the impact of economic and trade sanctions and embargo programs on our businesses, including instances in which the requirements and limitations applicable to the global operations ofU.S. companies and their affiliates are more restrictive than, or conflict with, those applicable to non-U.S. companies and their affiliates;
•regulatory changes, or challenges by regulators, regarding the use of certain
issuing carrier or fronting arrangements;
10K - 65 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
•our dependence on a limited number of brokers for a large portion of our
revenues and third-party capital;
•adverse changes in our assigned financial strength, debt or preferred share ratings or outlook could adversely impact us, including our ability to attract and retain business, the amount of capital our insurance subsidiaries must hold and the availability and cost of capital; •changes in the amount of statutory capital our insurance subsidiaries are required to hold, which can vary significantly and is based on many factors, some of which are outside our control;
•losses from litigation and regulatory investigations and actions;
•investor litigation or disputes, as well as regulatory inquiries, investigations or proceedings related to our Markel CATCo operations; delays or disruptions in the run-off of those operations; or the failure to realize the benefits of the transaction that permitted the accelerated return of capital to our Markel CATCo investors; and •a number of additional factors may adversely affect ourMarkel Ventures operations, and the markets they serve, and negatively impact their revenues and profitability, including, among others: adverse weather conditions, plant disease and other contaminants; changes in government support for education, healthcare and infrastructure projects; changes in capital spending levels; changes in the housing, commercial and industrial construction markets; liability for environmental matters; supply chain and shipping issues, including increases in freight costs; volatility in the market prices for their products; and volatility in commodity, wholesale and raw materials prices and interest and foreign currency exchange rates.
Results from our underwriting, investing,
have been and will continue to be potentially materially affected by these
factors.
By making forward-looking statements, we do not intend to become obligated to
publicly update or revise any such statements whether as a result of new
information, future events or other changes. Readers are cautioned not to place
undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which speak only as at their
dates.
10K - 66
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ALLSTATE CORP FILES (8-K) Disclosing Other Events, Financial Statements and Exhibits
HILLTOP HOLDINGS INC. – 10-K – Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
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