THG 2018 Annual Report

We may incur financial losses related to our discontinued assumed accident and health reinsurance pools and arrangements. We previously participated, through FAFLIC, in approximately 40 assumed accident and health reinsurance pools and arrangements. The business was retained in the sale of FAFLIC and assumed by Hanover Insurance through a reinsurance agreement. In 1999, prior to the sale of FAFLIC to Commonwealth Annuity, FAFLIC had ceased writing new premiums in this business, subject to certain contractual obligations. The reinsurance pool business consists primarily of long-term care, the medical and disability portions of ZRUNHUV¶ FRPSHQVDWLRQ ULVNV DVVXPHG SHUVRQDO DFFLGHQW LQGLYLGXDO PHGLFDO ORQJ -term disability and special risk business. We are currently monitoring and managing the run-off of our related participation in the 24 pools with remaining liabilities. Loss estimates associated with substantially all of the discontinued accident and health business are provided by managers of each pool. Reserve estimates for this business are subject to the variability caused by extended loss emergence periods. The estimation of reserves for this business is further complicated by delays between the time a claim is reported to the ceding insurer and when the claim, premium and other pertinent policy data is reported by the ceding insurer to the pool manager and then to us, and by our dependence on the quality and consistency of the claim cost reporting by the ceding company and actuarial estimates by the pool manager. We adopt reserve estimates for this business that consider this information, expected returns on assets assigned to this business and other facts. We update these reserves as new information becomes available and further events occur that may affect the ultimate resolution of unsettled claims. Based on information provided to us by the pool managers, we believe that the reserves recorded related to this business are adequate. However, since reserve and claim cost estimates related to the discontinued accident and health business are dependent on several assumptions, including, but not limited to, morbidity, lapses, future premium rates, future health care costs, persistency of medical care inflation and investment performance, and these assumptions can be impacted by technical developments and advancements in the medical field and other factors, there can be no assurance that the reserves established for this business will prove sufficient. Revisions to these reserves could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations for a particular quarterly or annual period or on our financial position. Our long-term care pool accounts for the majority of our remaining accident and health reinsurance pool business. The potential risk and exposure of our long-term care pool is based upon expected estimated claims and payment patterns, using assumptions for, among other things, morbidity, lapses, future premium rates, and the interest rate used for discounting the future projected cash flows. The long- term exposure of this pool depends upon how our actual experience compares with these future cash flow projection assumptions. If any of our assumptions prove to be inaccurate, our reserves may be inadequate, which may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations. For example, during the fourth quarter of 2017, we received updated future cash flow projections from the manager of our long-term care pool that reflected a significant increase in projected claim costs. As a result of this deterioration, we increased our long- term care pool reserves by $23.3 million (44%), before tax, during the fourth quarter of 2017 and we continue to monitor developments in the legacy long-term care industry. For some of these pools and arrangements, we variously acted as a reinsurer, a reinsured or both. In some instances, we ceded significant exposures to other reinsurers in the marketplace. The potential risk to us as a participant in such pools is primarily that other companies that reinsured this business from us may fail to pay their reinsurance obligations. Thus, we are exposed to both assumed losses and to credit risk related to these pools. Based on the information provided by the pool managers, we believe that the reserves recorded related to this business are appropriate. However, due to the inherent volatility in this business and the reporting lag of losses that tend to develop over time and which ultimately affect excess covers, as well as uncertainty surrounding both future claim expenses and with future premium rate levels for certain of these businesses, there can be no assurance that current reserves are adequate or that we will not have additional losses in the future. Although we have discontinued participation in these reinsurance arrangements, unreported and new claims related to the years in which we were a participant may be reported, and previously reported claims may develop unfavorably. If any such unreported claims or unfavorable development is reported to us, our results of operations and financial position may be negatively impacted. Other market fluctuations and general economic, market and political conditions may also negatively affect our business, profitability, investment portfolio, and the market value of our common stock. It is difficult to predict the impact of a challenging economic environment on our business. In Commercial Lines, a difficult economy has resulted in reductions in demand for insurance products and services since there are more companies ceasing to do business and there are fewer business start-ups, particularly as businesses are affected by a decline in overall consumer and business spending. Additionally, claims frequency could increase as policyholders submit and pursue claims more aggressively than in the past, fraud incidences may increase, or we may experience higher incidents of abandoned properties or poorer maintenance, which may also result LQ PRUH FODLPV DFWLYLW\ :H KDYH H[SHULHQFHG KLJKHU ZRUNHUV¶ FRPSHQVDWLRQ FODLPV DV LQMXUHG HPSOR\HHV WDNH ORQJHU WR UHWXUQ W o work, increased surety losses as construction companies experience financial pressures and higher retroactive premium returns as audit results reflect lower payrolls. Our business could also be affected by an ensuing consolidation of independent insurance agencies. Our ability to increase pricing has been impacted as agents and policyholders have been more price sensitive, customers shop for policies more frequently or aggressively, utilize comparative rating models or, in Personal Lines in particular, turn to direct sales channels rather than independent agents. We have also experienced decreased new business premium levels, retention and renewal rates, and renewal premiums. Specifically, in Personal Lines, policyholders may reduce coverages or change deductibles to reduce premiums, experience 29 2018 ANNUAL REPORT | THE HANOVER INSURANCE GROUP