Item 3. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
4K characters. Original on sec.gov ·
Item 3. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
We have considered changes in our exposure to market risks during the nine months ended September 30, 2021 and have determined that there have been no material changes to our exposure to market risks from those described in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020, filed with the SEC on February 23, 2021. However, we have provided the following information to supplement or update our disclosures on our Form 10-K.
LIBOR-Related Debt Instruments
In July 2017, the Financial Conduct Authority, the authority that regulates LIBOR, announced its intention to phase out LIBOR as a benchmark rate by the end of 2021. The Alternative Reference Rates Committee (‘ARRC’), a group of private-market participants convened by the Federal Reserve Board and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York to help ensure a successful transition from U.S. dollar LIBOR (‘USD-LIBOR’) to a more robust reference rate, has proposed that the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (‘SOFR’) represents the best alternative to USD-LIBOR for use in derivatives and other financial contracts that are currently indexed to USD-LIBOR. ARRC has proposed a transition plan with specific steps and timelines designed to encourage the adoption of SOFR and guide the transition to SOFR from USD-LIBOR. Organizations are currently working on industry-wide and company-specific transition plans related to derivatives and cash markets exposed to USD-LIBOR. Similar efforts are underway to identify suitable replacement reference rates for LIBOR in other major currencies.
Subsequently, on March 5, 2021, ICE Benchmark Administration (‘IBA’) stated that as a result of its not having access to input data necessary to calculate LIBOR settings on a representative basis beyond the intended cessation dates as set forth below, it would have to cease publication of all 35 LIBOR settings immediately after December 31, 2021 for all GBP-, EUR-, CHF- and JPY-LIBOR settings as well as 1-week and 2-month USD-LIBOR settings. Effective after June 30, 2023, IBA will cease publishing overnight and 1-, 3-, 6- and 12-month USD-LIBOR settings.
As of September 30, 2021, the Company’s primary exposure was its $1.25 billion revolving credit facility which has subsequently been replaced with a new $1.5 billion revolving credit facility which contains appropriate LIBOR replacement language. The Company has a small, collateralized facility that we will renegotiate, or repay, prior to the end of 2021. In addition, the Company and its subsidiaries have entered into various intercompany notes indexed to LIBOR in various currencies. The Company, in preparation for a December 31, 2021 deadline, will amend, replace, or terminate the LIBOR-based intercompany notes as necessary to reflect new market benchmarks for the relevant loan currencies.
We have updated our Treasury workstation software to implement the new benchmarks and continue to monitor the LIBOR-related risks that may be inherent elsewhere in our business and are monitoring further proposals and guidance from the ARRC and other alternative-rate initiatives. While it is currently uncertain whether SOFR or another reference rate will be selected as the alternative to LIBOR, or whether other reforms will be enacted in response to the planned transition, we will make the appropriate changes when necessary.
Interest Income on Fiduciary Funds
As described in our Form 10-K, we are exposed to interest rate risk. Specifically, as a result of our operating activities, we receive cash for premiums and claims which we deposit in short-term investments denominated in U.S. dollars and other currencies. We earn interest on these funds, which is included in our condensed consolidated financial statements as interest income. These funds are regulated in terms of access and the instruments in which they may be invested, most of which are short-term in maturity. At September 30, 2021, we held $2.2 billion of fiduciary funds invested in interest-bearing accounts. If short-term interest rates increased or decreased by 25 basis points, interest earned on these invested fiduciary funds, and therefore our interest income recognized, would increase or decrease by approximately $6 million on an annualized basis.
Previous: Item 2. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS · Next: Item 4. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES