Great American Life Insurance S-1/A 10 May 16 IPO registration (amended) Financial data

Document and Entity Information

Document and Entity Information	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2015
Document and Entity Information [Abstract]
Document Type	S-1/A
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Dec. 31, 2015
Entity Registrant Name	GREAT AMERICAN LIFE INSURANCE CO.
Entity Central Index Key	723,258
Entity Filer Category	Non-accelerated Filer

Consolidated Balance Sheet

Consolidated Balance Sheet - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 262	$ 222
Investments:
Fixed maturities, available for sale at fair value (amortized cost — $24,903 and $21,820)	25,486	23,101
Fixed maturities, trading at fair value	114	127
Equity securities, available for sale at fair value (cost — $489 and $340)	486	386
Mortgage loans	880	890
Policy loans	201	210
Real estate and other investments	597	466
Total cash and investments	28,026	25,402
Recoverables from reinsurers	355	368
Deferred policy acquisition costs (including the impact of unrealized gains on securities of $233 and $525)	954	580
Accrued investment income	242	212
Variable annuity assets (separate accounts)	608	662
Equity options — fixed indexed annuities	241	322
Funds held as collateral	211	285
Other assets	191	181
Total assets	30,828	28,012
Liabilities and Equity:
Annuity benefits accumulated (including the impact of unrealized gains on securities of $64 and $112)	26,622	23,492
Life, accident and health reserves	705	690
Variable annuity liabilities (separate accounts)	608	662
Liability for funds held as collateral	211	285
Net deferred tax liabilities	31	206
Other liabilities	303	185
Total liabilities	28,480	25,520
Shareholder’s equity:
Common Stock, par value — $12.50 per share: — 1,200,000 shares authorized — 201,000 shares issued and outstanding	3	3
Capital surplus	892	867
Retained earnings	1,206	1,111
Accumulated other comprehensive income, net of tax	192	469
Total shareholder’s equity	2,293	2,450
Noncontrolling interests	55	42
Total equity	2,348	2,492
Total liabilities and equity	$ 30,828	$ 28,012

Consolidated Balance Sheet (Par

Consolidated Balance Sheet (Parenthetical) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Fixed maturities, available for sale at amortized cost	$ 24,903	$ 21,820
Equity securities, available for sale at cost	489	340
Unrealized gains (losses) included in Balance Sheet line items related to the impact of unrealized gains on securities	$ 294	$ 721
Common Stock, par value (USD per share)	$ 12.50	$ 12.50
Common Stock, shares authorized	1,200,000	1,200,000
Common Stock, shares issued	201,000	201,000
Common Stock, shares outstanding	201,000	201,000
Deferred policy acquisition costs [Member]
Unrealized gains (losses) included in Balance Sheet line items related to the impact of unrealized gains on securities	$ (233)	$ (525)
Annuity benefits accumulated [Member]
Unrealized gains (losses) included in Balance Sheet line items related to the impact of unrealized gains on securities	$ (64)	$ (112)

Consolidated Statement of Earni

Consolidated Statement of Earnings - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Revenues:
Net investment income	$ 1,230	$ 1,139	$ 1,038
Realized gains on securities	(16)	35	68
Life, accident and health net earned premiums	21	23	26
Policy charges and other income	105	100	82
Total revenues	1,340	1,297	1,214
Costs and Expenses:
Annuity benefits	724	641	522
Life, accident and health benefits	29	33	34
Insurance acquisition expenses, net	166	182	164
Other expenses	102	89	103
Total costs and expenses	1,021	945	823
Earnings before income taxes	319	352	391
Provision for income taxes	108	120	136
Net earnings, including noncontrolling interests	211	232	255
Less: Net earnings attributable to noncontrolling interests	6	1	1
Net Earnings Attributable to Shareholder	205	231	254
Supplemental disclosure of Realized gains (losses) on securities:
Realized gains before impairments	35	46	71
Losses on securities with impairment	(51)	(11)	(5)
Non-credit portion recognized in other comprehensive income (loss)	0	0	2
Impairment charges recognized in earnings	(51)	(11)	(3)
Total realized gains (losses) on securities	$ (16)	$ 35	$ 68

Consolidated Statement of Compr

Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Statement of Comprehensive Income [Abstract]
Net earnings, including noncontrolling interests	$ 211	$ 232	$ 255
Net unrealized gains (losses) on securities:
Unrealized holding gains (losses) on securities arising during the period	(286)	185	(181)
Reclassification adjustment for realized (gains) losses included in net earnings	8	(23)	(46)
Total net unrealized gains (losses) on securities	(278)	162	(227)
Net unrealized gains on cash flow hedges	1	0	0
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax	(277)	162	(227)
Total comprehensive income (loss), net of tax	(66)	394	28
Less: Comprehensive income attributable to noncontrolling interests	6	1	1
Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to shareholder	$ (72)	$ 393	$ 27

Consolidated Statement of Chang

Consolidated Statement of Changes in Equity - USD ($) $ in Millions	Total	Total	Common Shares	Common Stock and Capital Surplus	Retained Earnings	Accumulated Other Comprehensive Inc. (Loss)	Noncontrolling Interests
Beginning Balance, shares at Dec. 31, 2012			201,000
Beginning Balance at Dec. 31, 2012	$ 2,357	$ 2,317		$ 842	$ 941	$ 534	$ 40
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholder's Equity [Roll Forward]
Net earnings	255	254			254		1
Other comprehensive income (loss)	(227)	(227)				(227)	0
Capital contributions from parent	16	16		16
Dividends	(115)	(115)			(115)
Other	0	1		1	0		(1)
Ending Balance, shares at Dec. 31, 2013			201,000
Ending Balance at Dec. 31, 2013	2,286	2,246		859	1,080	307	40
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholder's Equity [Roll Forward]
Net earnings	232	231			231		1
Other comprehensive income (loss)	162	162				162	0
Capital contributions from parent	10	10		10
Dividends	(200)	(200)			(200)
Other	$ 2	1		1	0	0	1
Ending Balance, shares at Dec. 31, 2014	201,000		201,000
Ending Balance at Dec. 31, 2014	$ 2,492	2,450		870	1,111	469	42
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholder's Equity [Roll Forward]
Net earnings	211	205			205		6
Other comprehensive income (loss)	(277)	(277)				(277)	0
Capital contributions from parent	24	24		24
Dividends	(110)	(110)			(110)
Other	$ 8	1		1			7
Ending Balance, shares at Dec. 31, 2015	201,000		201,000
Ending Balance at Dec. 31, 2015	$ 2,348	$ 2,293		$ 895	$ 1,206	$ 192	$ 55

Consolidated Statement of Cash

Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Operating Activities:
Net earnings, including noncontrolling interests	$ 211	$ 232	$ 255
Adjustments:
Depreciation and amortization	(67)	(85)	(76)
Annuity benefits	724	641	522
Realized (gains) losses on investing activities	16	(35)	(68)
Net sales of trading securities	7	1	12
Deferred annuity and life policy acquisition costs	(224)	(198)	(221)
Amortization of insurance acquisition costs	139	161	147
Change in:
Reinsurance recoverable	13	6	(14)
Accrued investment income	(30)	(17)	(27)
Funds held as collateral	74	0	0
Other assets	1	(9)	(22)
Life, accident and health reserves	15	(12)	26
Liability for funds held as collateral	(74)	0	0
Other liabilities	48	(113)	56
Other operating activities, net	(3)	(7)	(14)
Net cash provided by operating activities	850	565	576
Investing Activities:
Purchases of fixed maturities	(5,450)	(4,419)	(5,280)
Purchases of equity securities	(266)	(136)	(142)
Purchases of mortgage loans	(197)	(323)	(265)
Purchases of other investments	(272)	(189)	(220)
Purchases of real estate, property and equipment	(48)	(12)	(9)
Purchases of equity options — fixed indexed annuities	(301)	(221)	(160)
Proceeds from maturities and redemptions of fixed maturities	2,194	2,014	2,094
Proceeds from repayments of mortgage loans	209	98	74
Proceeds from sales of fixed maturities	281	103	196
Proceeds from sales of equity securities	106	45	105
Proceeds from sales of other investments	151	150	193
Proceeds from sales of real estate, property and equipment	26	5	11
Proceeds from exercise of equity options — fixed indexed annuities	326	352	230
Other investing activities, net	9	9	(11)
Net cash used in investing activities	(3,232)	(2,524)	(3,184)
Financing Activities:
Annuity receipts	4,139	3,692	4,028
Annuity surrenders, benefits and withdrawals	(2,002)	(1,747)	(1,557)
Net transfers from variable annuity assets	43	43	32
Advances from Federal Home Loan Bank	345	0	200
Cash dividends paid	(110)	(200)	(115)
Other financing activities, net	7	1	(1)
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities	2,422	1,789	2,587
Net Change in Cash and Cash Equivalents	40	(170)	(21)
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period	222	392	413
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	$ 262	$ 222	$ 392

Accounting Policies

Accounting Policies	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2015
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Accounting Policies	Accounting Policies Basis of Presentation The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Great American Life Insurance Company and its subsidiaries (“GALIC” or the “Company”). GALIC is a direct wholly-owned subsidiary of Great American Financial Resources, Inc. (“GAFRI”), a financial services holding company wholly-owned by American Financial Group, Inc. (“AFG”). Certain reclassifications have been made to prior years to conform to the current year’s presentation. All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated. The results of operations of companies since their formation or acquisition are included in the consolidated financial statements. The financial statements also include costs paid on behalf of GALIC by GAFRI. These costs are recorded as expense in the period incurred and shown as an increase in capital surplus. Events or transactions occurring subsequent to the audited consolidated financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2015 , and prior to April 27, 2016 , have been evaluated for potential recognition or disclosure herein. The preparation of the financial statements in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the financial statements and accompanying notes. Changes in circumstances could cause actual results to differ materially from those estimates. Fair Value Measurements Accounting standards define fair value as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability (an exit price) in an orderly transaction between market participants on the measurement date. The standards establish a hierarchy of valuation techniques based on whether the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability (“inputs”) are observable or unobservable. Observable inputs reflect market data obtained from independent sources, while unobservable inputs reflect GALIC’s assumptions about the assumptions market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability. GALIC did not have any significant nonrecurring fair value measurements of nonfinancial assets and liabilities in 2015 or 2014 . Investments Fixed maturity and equity securities classified as “available for sale” are reported at fair value with unrealized gains and losses included in accumulated other comprehensive income (“AOCI”) in GALIC’s Balance Sheet. Fixed maturity securities classified as “trading” are reported at fair value with changes in unrealized holding gains or losses during the period included in net investment income. Mortgage and policy loans are carried primarily at the aggregate unpaid balance. In January 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2016-01, which, among other things, will require all equity securities currently classified as “available for sale” to be reported at fair value, with holding gains and losses recognized in net income instead of AOCI. GALIC will be required to adopt this guidance effective January 1, 2018. Premiums and discounts on fixed maturity securities are amortized using the interest method. Mortgage-backed securities (“MBS”) are amortized over a period based on estimated future principal payments, including prepayments. Prepayment assumptions are reviewed periodically and adjusted to reflect actual prepayments and changes in expectations. Gains or losses on securities are determined on the specific identification basis. When a decline in the value of a specific investment is considered to be other-than-temporary at the balance sheet date, a provision for impairment is charged to earnings (included in realized gains (losses) on securities) and the cost basis of that investment is reduced. If management can assert that it does not intend to sell an impaired fixed maturity security and it is not more likely than not that it will have to sell the security before recovery of its amortized cost basis, then the other-than-temporary impairment is separated into two components: (i) the amount related to credit losses (recorded in earnings) and (ii) the amount related to all other factors (recorded in other comprehensive income). The credit-related portion of an other-than-temporary impairment is measured by comparing a security’s amortized cost to the present value of its current expected cash flows discounted at its effective yield prior to the impairment charge. Both components are shown in the Statement of Earnings. If management intends to sell an impaired security, or it is more likely than not that it will be required to sell the security before recovery, an impairment charge to earnings is recorded to reduce the amortized cost of that security to fair value. Derivatives Derivatives included in GALIC’s Balance Sheet are recorded at fair value. Changes in fair value of derivatives are included in earnings, unless the derivatives are designated and qualify as highly effective cash flow hedges. Derivatives that do not qualify for hedge accounting under GAAP consist primarily of (i) components of certain fixed maturity securities (primarily interest-only MBS) and (ii) the equity-based component of certain annuity products (included in annuity benefits accumulated) and related call options designed to be consistent with the characteristics of the liabilities and used to mitigate the risk embedded in those annuity products. To qualify for hedge accounting, at the inception of a derivative contract, GALIC formally documents the relationship between the terms of the hedge and the hedged items and its risk management objective. This documentation includes defining how hedge effectiveness and ineffectiveness will be measured on a retrospective and prospective basis. Changes in the fair value of derivatives that are designated and qualify as highly effective cash flow hedges are recorded in AOCI and are reclassified into earnings when the variability of the cash flows from the hedged items impacts earnings. Any hedge ineffectiveness is immediately recorded in current period earnings. When the change in the fair value of a qualifying cash flow hedge is included in earnings, it is included in the same line item in the Statement of Earnings as the cash flows from the hedged item. GALIC uses interest rate swaps that are designated and qualify as highly effective cash flow hedges to mitigate interest rate risk related to certain floating-rate securities included in GALIC’s portfolio of fixed maturity securities. Funds Held as Collateral GALIC receives collateral from its counterparties to support its purchased call option assets. The fair value of this collateral is recorded as an asset and the offsetting obligation to return the collateral is recorded as a liability. Reinsurance Amounts recoverable from reinsurers are estimated in a manner consistent with the claim liability associated with the reinsured policies. A GALIC subsidiary cedes life insurance policies to a third party on a funds withheld basis whereby the subsidiary retains the assets (securities) associated with the reinsurance contract. Interest is credited to the reinsurer based on the actual investment performance of the retained assets. This reinsurance contract is considered to contain an embedded derivative (that must be adjusted to fair value) because the yield on the payable is based on a specific block of the ceding company’s assets, rather than the overall creditworthiness of the ceding company. GALIC determined that changes in the fair value of the underlying portfolio of fixed maturity securities is an appropriate measure of the value of the embedded derivative. The securities related to this contract are classified as “trading.” The adjustment to fair value on the embedded derivative offsets the investment income recorded on the adjustment to fair value of the related trading portfolio. Deferred Policy Acquisition Costs (“DPAC”) Policy acquisition costs (principally commissions, premium taxes and certain underwriting and policy issuance costs) directly related to the successful acquisition or renewal of an insurance contract are deferred. DPAC also includes capitalized costs associated with sales inducements offered to fixed annuity policyholders such as enhanced interest rates and premium and persistency bonuses. DPAC related to annuities is deferred to the extent deemed recoverable and amortized, with interest, in relation to the present value of actual and expected gross profits on the policies. Expected gross profits consist principally of estimated future investment margin (estimated future net investment income less interest credited on policyholder funds) and surrender, mortality, and other life and annuity policy charges, less death, annuitization and guaranteed withdrawal benefits in excess of account balances and estimated future policy administration expenses. To the extent that realized gains and losses result in adjustments to the amortization of DPAC related to annuities, such adjustments are reflected as components of realized gains (losses) on securities. DPAC related to traditional life and health insurance is amortized over the expected premium paying period of the related policies, in proportion to the ratio of annual premium revenues to total anticipated premium revenues. See “ Life, Accident and Health Reserves ” below for details on the impact of loss recognition on the accounting for traditional life and health insurance contracts. DPAC includes the present value of future profits on business in force of annuity and life, accident and health insurance companies acquired (“PVFP”). PVFP represents the portion of the costs to acquire companies that is allocated to the value of the right to receive future cash flows from insurance contracts existing at the date of acquisition. PVFP is amortized with interest in relation to expected gross profits of the acquired policies for annuities and universal life products and in relation to the premium paying period for traditional life and health insurance products. DPAC and certain other balance sheet amounts related to annuity and life businesses are also adjusted, net of tax, for the change in expense that would have been recorded if the unrealized gains (losses) from securities had actually been realized. These adjustments are included in unrealized gains (losses) on marketable securities, a component of AOCI in GALIC’s Balance Sheet. Annuity Benefits Accumulated Annuity receipts and benefit payments are recorded as increases or decreases in annuity benefits accumulated rather than as revenue and expense. Increases in this liability for interest credited are charged to annuity benefits expense and decreases for policy charges are recorded as annuity policy charges revenue. For certain products, annuity benefits accumulated also includes reserves for accrued persistency and premium bonuses, guaranteed withdrawals and excess benefits expected to be paid on future deaths and annuitizations (“EDAR”). The liabilities for EDAR and guaranteed withdrawals are accrued for and modified using assumptions consistent with those used in determining DPAC and DPAC amortization, except that amounts are determined in relation to the present value of total expected assessments. Total expected assessments consist principally of estimated future investment margin, surrender, mortality, and other life and annuity policy charges, and unearned revenues once they are recognized as income. Reserves for traditional fixed annuities are generally recorded at the stated account value. Reserves for indexed annuities are recorded at a value reflecting the fixed guarantees in the product plus the fair value of equity participation in the contract. Annuity benefits accumulated also includes amounts advanced from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati. Unearned Revenue Certain upfront policy charges on annuities are deferred as unearned revenue (included in other liabilities) and recognized in net earnings (included in policy charges and other income) using the same assumptions and estimated gross profits used to amortize DPAC. Life, Accident and Health Reserves Liabilities for future policy benefits under traditional life, accident and health policies are computed using the net level premium method. Computations are based on the original projections of investment yields, mortality, morbidity and surrenders and include provisions for unfavorable deviations unless a loss recognition event (premium deficiency) occurs. Claim reserves and liabilities established for accident and health claims are modified as necessary to reflect actual experience and developing trends. For long-duration contracts (such as traditional life policies), loss recognition occurs when, based on current expectations as of the measurement date, existing contract liabilities plus the present value of future premiums (including reasonably expected rate increases) are not expected to cover the present value of future claims payments and related settlement and maintenance costs (excluding overhead) as well as unamortized acquisition costs. If a block of business is determined to be in loss recognition, a charge is recorded in earnings in an amount equal to the excess of the present value of expected future claims costs and unamortized acquisition costs over existing reserves plus the present value of expected future premiums (with no provision for adverse deviation). The charge is recorded first to reduce unamortized acquisition costs and then as an additional reserve (if unamortized acquisition costs have been reduced to zero). In addition, reserves for traditional life policies are subject to adjustment for loss recognition charges that would have been recorded if the unrealized gains from securities had actually been realized. This adjustment is included in unrealized gains (losses) on marketable securities, a component of AOCI in GALIC’s Balance Sheet. Variable Annuity Assets and Liabilities Separate accounts related to variable annuities represent the fair value of deposits invested in underlying investment funds on which GALIC earns a fee. Investment funds are selected and may be changed only by the policyholder, who retains all investment risk. GALIC’s variable annuity contracts contain a guaranteed minimum death benefit (“GMDB”) to be paid if the policyholder dies before the annuity payout period commences. In periods of declining equity markets, the GMDB may exceed the value of the policyholder’s account. A GMDB liability is established for future excess death benefits using assumptions together with a range of reasonably possible scenarios for investment fund performance that are consistent with DPAC capitalization and amortization assumptions. Premium Recognition For traditional life, accident and health products, premiums are recognized as revenue when legally collectible from policyholders. For interest-sensitive life and universal life products, premiums are recorded in a policyholder account, which is reflected as a liability. Revenue is recognized as amounts are assessed against the policyholder account for mortality coverage and contract expenses. Noncontrolling Interests For balance sheet purposes, noncontrolling interests represents the interests of shareholders other than GALIC in consolidated entities. In the Statement of Earnings, net earnings and losses attributable to noncontrolling interests represents such shareholders’ interest in the earnings and losses of those entities. Income Taxes GALIC and its subsidiaries have an intercompany tax allocation agreement with AFG. Pursuant to the agreement, each company’s tax expense is determined based upon its inclusion in the consolidated tax return of AFG and its includable subsidiaries. Estimated payments are made quarterly during the year. Following year-end, additional settlements are made on the original due date of the return and, when extended, at the time the return is filed. The method of allocation among the companies under the agreement is based upon separate return calculations with current credit for losses to the extent the losses provide a benefit in the consolidated return. Deferred income taxes are calculated using the liability method. Under this method, deferred income tax assets and liabilities are determined based on differences between financial reporting and tax bases and are measured using enacted tax rates. A valuation allowance is established to reduce total deferred tax assets to an amount that will more likely than not be realized. GALIC recognizes the tax benefits of uncertain tax positions only when the position is more likely than not to be sustained under examination by the appropriate taxing authority. Interest and penalties on GALIC’s reserve for uncertain tax positions are recognized as a component of tax expense. Benefit Plans GALIC provides retirement benefits to qualified employees of participating companies through the AFG 401(k) Retirement and Savings Plan, a defined contribution plan. AFG and its subsidiaries make all contributions to the retirement fund portion of the plan and match a percentage of employee contributions to the savings fund. Company contributions are expensed in the year for which they are declared. Statement of Cash Flows For cash flow purposes, “investing activities” are defined as making and collecting loans and acquiring and disposing of debt or equity instruments and property and equipment. “Financing activities” include obtaining resources from owners and providing them with a return on their investments, borrowing money and repaying amounts borrowed. Annuity receipts, surrenders, benefits and withdrawals are also reflected as financing activities. All other activities are considered “operating.” Short-term investments having original maturities of three months or less when purchased are considered to be cash equivalents for purposes of the financial statements.

Segments of Operations

Segments of Operations	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2015
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
Segments of Operations	Segments of Operations GALIC manages its business as two segments: (i) Annuity and (ii) Run-off life. GALIC’s annuity business markets traditional fixed and fixed-indexed annuities in the retail, financial institutions and education markets. GALIC’s reportable segments and their components were determined based primarily upon similar economic characteristics, products and services. The following tables (in millions) show GALIC’s assets, revenues and earnings before income taxes by segment. December 31, 2015 2014 2013 Assets Annuity $ 30,055 $ 27,218 $ 24,206 Run-off life 773 794 839 Total assets $ 30,828 $ 28,012 $ 25,045 2015 2014 2013 Revenues Annuity: Net investment income $ 1,211 $ 1,120 $ 1,017 Other income 100 94 77 Total annuity 1,311 1,214 1,094 Run-off life 45 48 52 Total revenues before realized gains (losses) 1,356 1,262 1,146 Realized gains (losses) on securities (16 ) 35 68 Total revenues $ 1,340 $ 1,297 $ 1,214 Earnings Before Income Taxes Annuity $ 333 $ 318 $ 320 Run-off life 2 (1 ) 3 Total earnings before realized gains (losses) and income taxes 335 317 323 Realized gains (losses) on securities (16 ) 35 68 Total earnings before income taxes $ 319 $ 352 $ 391

Fair Value Measurements

Fair Value Measurements	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2015
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Fair Value Measurements	Fair Value Measurements Accounting standards for measuring fair value are based on inputs used in estimating fair value. The three levels of the hierarchy are as follows: Level 1 — Quoted prices for identical assets or liabilities in active markets (markets in which transactions occur with sufficient frequency and volume to provide pricing information on an ongoing basis). GALIC’s Level 1 financial instruments consist primarily of publicly traded equity securities and highly liquid government bonds for which quoted market prices in active markets are available. Level 2 — Quoted prices for similar instruments in active markets; quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in inactive markets (markets in which there are few transactions, the prices are not current, price quotations vary substantially over time or among market makers, or in which little information is released publicly); and valuations based on other significant inputs that are observable in active markets. GALIC’s Level 2 financial instruments include separate account assets, corporate and municipal fixed maturity securities, mortgage-backed securities (“MBS”), non-affiliated common stocks and equity index call options priced using observable inputs. Level 2 inputs include benchmark yields, reported trades, corroborated broker/dealer quotes, issuer spreads and benchmark securities. When non-binding broker quotes can be corroborated by comparison to similar securities priced using observable inputs, they are classified as Level 2. Level 3 — Valuations derived from market valuation techniques generally consistent with those used to estimate the fair values of Level 2 financial instruments in which one or more significant inputs are unobservable or when the market for a security exhibits significantly less liquidity relative to markets supporting Level 2 fair value measurements. The unobservable inputs may include management’s own assumptions about the assumptions market participants would use based on the best information available in the circumstances. GALIC’s Level 3 is comprised of financial instruments whose fair value is estimated based on non-binding broker quotes or internally developed using significant inputs not based on, or corroborated by, observable market information. GALIC’s management is responsible for the valuation process and uses data from outside sources (including nationally recognized pricing services and broker/dealers) in establishing fair value. The Company's internal investment professionals are a group of approximately 25 analysts whose primary responsibility is to manage AFG’s investment portfolio. These professionals monitor individual investments as well as overall industries and are active in the financial markets on a daily basis. The group is led by AFG’s chief investment officer, who reports directly to one of AFG’s Co-CEOs. Valuation techniques utilized by pricing services and prices obtained from external sources are reviewed by AFG’s internal investment professionals who are familiar with the securities being priced and the markets in which they trade to ensure the fair value determination is representative of an exit price. To validate the appropriateness of the prices obtained, these investment managers consider widely published indices (as benchmarks), recent trades, changes in interest rates, general economic conditions and the credit quality of the specific issuers. In addition, the Company communicates directly with the pricing service regarding the methods and assumptions used in pricing, including verifying, on a test basis, the inputs used by the service to value specific securities. Assets and liabilities measured and carried at fair value in the financial statements on a recurring basis are summarized below (in millions): Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Total December 31, 2015 Assets: Available for sale (“AFS”) fixed maturities: U.S. Government and government agencies $ 10 $ 35 $ 15 $ 60 States, municipalities and political subdivisions — 3,934 32 3,966 Foreign government — 13 — 13 Residential MBS — 2,400 184 2,584 Commercial MBS — 1,938 36 1,974 Asset-backed securities (“ABS”) — 3,159 333 3,492 Corporate and other 16 12,801 580 13,397 Total AFS fixed maturities 26 24,280 1,180 25,486 Trading fixed maturities — 114 — 114 Equity securities 372 31 83 486 Variable annuity assets (separate accounts) (*) — 608 — 608 Equity options — fixed indexed annuities — 241 — 241 Other assets — derivatives — 2 — 2 Total assets accounted for at fair value $ 398 $ 25,276 $ 1,263 $ 26,937 Liabilities: Derivatives in annuity benefits accumulated $ — $ — $ 1,369 $ 1,369 Other liabilities — derivatives — 8 — 8 Total liabilities accounted for at fair value $ — $ 8 $ 1,369 $ 1,377 December 31, 2014 Assets: Available for sale fixed maturities: U.S. Government and government agencies $ 11 $ 38 $ 15 $ 64 States, municipalities and political subdivisions — 3,627 24 3,651 Foreign government — 13 — 13 Residential MBS — 2,970 235 3,205 Commercial MBS — 2,077 37 2,114 Asset-backed securities — 2,613 175 2,788 Corporate and other 11 10,771 484 11,266 Total AFS fixed maturities 22 22,109 970 23,101 Trading fixed maturities — 127 — 127 Equity securities 289 50 47 386 Variable annuity assets (separate accounts) (*) — 662 — 662 Equity options — fixed indexed annuities — 322 — 322 Total assets accounted for at fair value $ 311 $ 23,270 $ 1,017 $ 24,598 Liabilities: Derivatives in annuity benefits accumulated $ — $ — $ 1,160 $ 1,160 Other liabilities — derivatives — 13 — 13 Total liabilities accounted for at fair value $ — $ 13 $ 1,160 $ 1,173 (*) Variable annuity liabilities equal the fair value of variable annuity assets. The transfers between Level 1 and Level 2 for the years ended December 31, 2015 , 2014 and 2013 are reflected in the table below at fair value as of the end of the reporting period (dollars in millions): Level 2 To Level 1 Transfers Level 1 To Level 2 Transfers # of Transfers Fair Value # of Transfers Fair Value 2015 2014 2013 2015 2014 2013 2015 2014 2013 2015 2014 2013 Perpetual preferred stocks — 1 — $ — $ 4 $ — — 3 — $ — $ 14 $ — Common stocks (*) 1 — 2 — — 18 1 1 — — — — Redeemable preferred stocks — — 1 — — 5 — — — — — — (*) During 2015, there was one common stock transferred from Level 2 to Level 1 and one common stock transferred from Level 1 to Level 2, each with a fair value of less than $1 million . Transfers between Level 1 and Level 2 for all periods presented were a result of increases or decreases in observable trade activity. Approximately 5% of the total assets carried at fair value on December 31, 2015 were Level 3 assets. Approximately 76% ( $959 million ) of the Level 3 assets were priced using non-binding broker quotes, for which there is a lack of transparency as to the inputs used to determine fair value. Details as to the quantitative inputs are neither provided by the brokers nor otherwise reasonably obtainable by GALIC. Since internally developed Level 3 asset fair values represent approximately 1% of the total assets measured at fair value, any justifiable changes in unobservable inputs used to determine internally developed fair values would not have a material impact on GALIC’s financial position. The only significant Level 3 assets or liabilities carried at fair value in the financial statements that were not measured using broker quotes are the derivatives embedded in GALIC’s fixed-indexed annuity liabilities, which are measured using a discounted cash flow approach and had a fair value of $1.37 billion at December 31, 2015 . The following table presents information about the unobservable inputs used by management in determining fair value of these embedded derivatives at December 31, 2015 . See Note F — “ Derivatives .” Unobservable Input Range Adjustment for credit risk 0.30% – 2.95% over the risk free rate Risk margin for uncertainty in cash flows 0.58% reduction in the discount rate Surrenders 3% – 18% of indexed account value Partial surrenders 2% – 10% of indexed account value Annuitizations 0.75% – 1.5% of indexed account value Deaths 1.5% – 4.0% of indexed account value Budgeted option costs 1.75% – 3.5% of indexed account value The range of adjustments for credit risk reflects credit spread variations across the yield curve. The range of projected surrender rates reflects the specific surrender charges and other features of GALIC’s individual fixed-indexed annuity products with an expected range of 5% to 10% in the majority of future calendar years ( 3% to 18% over all periods). Increasing the budgeted option cost or risk margin for uncertainty in cash flows assumptions in the table above would increase the fair value of the fixed-indexed annuity embedded derivatives, while increasing any of the other unobservable inputs in the table above would decrease the fair value of the embedded derivatives. Changes in balances of Level 3 financial assets and liabilities carried at fair value during 2015 , 2014 and 2013 are presented below (in millions). The transfers into and out of Level 3 were due to changes in the availability of market observable inputs. All transfers are reflected in the table at fair value as of the end of the reporting period. Total realized/unrealized gains (losses) included in Balance at December 31, 2014 Net income Other comprehensive income (loss) Purchases and issuances Sales and settlements Transfer into Level 3 Transfer out of Level 3 Balance at December 31, 2015 AFS fixed maturities: U.S. government agency $ 15 $ — $ — $ — $ — $ — $ — $ 15 State and municipal 24 — — 9 (1 ) — — 32 Residential MBS 235 (2 ) (2 ) — (32 ) 48 (63 ) 184 Commercial MBS 37 (1 ) (1 ) — (2 ) 4 (1 ) 36 Asset-backed securities 175 1 (5 ) 184 (40 ) 28 (10 ) 333 Corporate and other 484 (4 ) (9 ) 147 (47 ) 9 — 580 Equity securities 47 (3 ) (6 ) 51 — — (6 ) 83 Embedded derivatives (*) (1,160 ) (17 ) — (257 ) 65 — — (1,369 ) (*) Total realized/unrealized gains (losses) included in net income for the embedded derivatives reflects losses related to the unlocking of actuarial assumptions of $28 million in 2015 . Total realized/unrealized gains (losses) included in Balance at December 31, 2013 Net income Other comprehensive income (loss) Purchases and issuances Sales and settlements Transfer into Level 3 Transfer out of Level 3 Balance at December 31, 2014 AFS fixed maturities: U.S. government agency $ 15 $ — $ — $ — $ — $ — $ — $ 15 State and municipal 20 — 1 — — 3 — 24 Residential MBS 267 4 3 10 (27 ) 62 (84 ) 235 Commercial MBS 24 (1 ) — — — 14 — 37 Asset-backed securities 62 2 (2 ) 88 (17 ) 65 (23 ) 175 Corporate and other 292 3 13 88 (60 ) 151 (3 ) 484 Equity securities 8 1 1 31 — 12 (6 ) 47 Embedded derivatives (*) (804 ) (182 ) — (221 ) 47 — — (1,160 ) (*) Total realized/unrealized gains (losses) included in net income for the embedded derivatives reflects gains related to the unlocking of actuarial assumptions of $58 million in 2014 . Total realized/unrealized gains (losses) included in Balance at December 31, 2012 Net income Other comprehensive income (loss) Purchases and issuances Sales and settlements Transfer into Level 3 Transfer out of Level 3 Balance at December 31, 2013 AFS fixed maturities: U.S. government agency $ 20 $ (2 ) $ (3 ) $ — $ — $ — $ — $ 15 State and municipal 15 — (1 ) 10 — — (4 ) 20 Residential MBS 315 4 21 3 (47 ) 65 (94 ) 267 Commercial MBS 22 (2 ) — — — 4 — 24 Asset-backed securities 233 4 (3 ) 9 (49 ) 9 (141 ) 62 Corporate and other 212 — (16 ) 107 (12 ) 2 (1 ) 292 Equity securities 18 — — 25 — — (35 ) 8 Embedded derivatives (*) (465 ) (182 ) — (192 ) 35 — — (804 ) (*) Total realized/unrealized gains (losses) included in net income for the embedded derivatives reflects gains related to the unlocking of actuarial assumptions of $2 million in 2013 . Fair Value of Financial Instruments The carrying value and fair value of financial instruments that are not carried at fair value in the financial statements are summarized below (in millions): Carrying Value Fair Value Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 December 31, 2015 Financial assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 262 $ 262 $ 262 $ — $ — Mortgage loans 880 883 — — 883 Policy loans 201 201 — — 201 Total financial assets not accounted for at fair value $ 1,343 $ 1,346 $ 262 $ — $ 1,084 Financial liabilities: Annuity benefits accumulated (*) $ 26,422 $ 25,488 $ — $ — $ 25,488 Total financial liabilities not accounted for at fair value $ 26,422 $ 25,488 $ — $ — $ 25,488 December 31, 2014 Financial assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 222 $ 222 $ 222 $ — $ — Mortgage loans 890 892 — — 892 Policy loans 210 210 — — 210 Total financial assets not accounted for at fair value $ 1,322 $ 1,324 $ 222 $ — $ 1,102 Financial liabilities: Annuity benefits accumulated (*) $ 23,291 $ 22,901 $ — $ — $ 22,901 Total financial liabilities not accounted for at fair value $ 23,291 $ 22,901 $ — $ — $ 22,901 (*) Excludes $200 million and $201 million of life contingent annuities in the payout phase at December 31, 2015 and 2014 , respectively. The carrying amount of cash and cash equivalents approximates fair value. Fair values for mortgage loans are estimated by discounting the future contractual cash flows using the current rates at which similar loans would be made to borrowers with similar credit ratings. The fair value of policy loans is estimated to approximate carrying value; policy loans have no defined maturity dates and are inseparable from insurance contracts. The fair value of annuity benefits was estimated based on expected cash flows discounted using forward interest rates adjusted for the Company’s credit risk and includes the impact of maintenance expenses and capital costs.

Balance Sheet Impact of Net Unr

Balance Sheet Impact of Net Unrealized Gains on Securities	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2015
Investments, Debt and Equity Securities [Abstract]
Balance Sheet Impact of Net Unrealized Gains on Securities	Balance Sheet Impact of Net Unrealized Gains on Securities In addition to adjusting equity securities and fixed maturity securities classified as “available for sale” to fair value, GAAP requires that deferred policy acquisition costs and certain other balance sheet amounts related to annuity and life businesses be adjusted to the extent that unrealized gains and losses from securities would result in adjustments to those balances had the unrealized gains or losses actually been realized. The following table shows (in millions) the components of the net unrealized gain on securities that is included in AOCI in GALIC’s Balance Sheet. Asset (Liability) before Unrealized Impact of Unrealized Gains on Securities Carrying Value of Asset (Liability) December 31, 2015 Fixed maturities $ 24,903 $ 583 $ 25,486 Equity securities 489 (3 ) 486 Deferred policy acquisition costs 1,187 (233 ) 954 Annuity benefits accumulated (26,558 ) (64 ) (26,622 ) Unearned revenue (included in Other Liabilities) (42 ) 11 (31 ) Unrealized gain, pretax 294 Deferred tax on unrealized gain (103 ) Unrealized gain, after tax (included in AOCI) $ 191 December 31, 2014 Fixed maturities $ 21,820 $ 1,281 $ 23,101 Equity securities 340 46 386 Deferred policy acquisition costs 1,105 (525 ) 580 Annuity benefits accumulated (23,380 ) (112 ) (23,492 ) Unearned revenue (included in Other Liabilities) (50 ) 31 (19 ) Unrealized gain, pretax 721 Deferred tax on unrealized gain (252 ) Unrealized gain, after tax (included in AOCI) $ 469

Investments

Investments	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2015
Investments, Debt and Equity Securities [Abstract]
Investments	Investments Available for sale fixed maturities and equity securities consisted of the following (in millions): 2015 2014 Amortized Cost Fair Value Gross Unrealized Amortized Cost Fair Value Gross Unrealized Gains Losses Gains Losses Fixed maturities: U.S. Government and government agencies $ 61 $ 60 $ 2 $ (3 ) $ 64 $ 64 $ 3 $ (3 ) States, municipalities and political subdivisions 3,836 3,966 162 (32 ) 3,448 3,651 210 (7 ) Foreign government 12 13 1 — 11 13 2 — Residential MBS 2,344 2,584 246 (6 ) 2,900 3,205 314 (9 ) Commercial MBS 1,903 1,974 71 — 1,974 2,114 140 — Asset-backed securities 3,508 3,492 21 (37 ) 2,773 2,788 31 (16 ) Corporate and other 13,239 13,397 401 (243 ) 10,650 11,266 642 (26 ) Total fixed maturities $ 24,903 $ 25,486 $ 904 $ (321 ) $ 21,820 $ 23,101 $ 1,342 $ (61 ) Common stocks $ 439 $ 436 $ 32 $ (35 ) $ 302 $ 348 $ 52 $ (6 ) Perpetual preferred stocks $ 50 $ 50 $ — $ — $ 38 $ 38 $ — $ — The non-credit related portion of other-than-temporary impairment charges is included in other comprehensive income. Cumulative non-credit charges taken for securities still owned at December 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014 , respectively, were $160 million and $167 million . Gross unrealized gains on such securities at December 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014 were $104 million and $115 million , respectively. Gross unrealized losses on such securities at December 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014 were $5 million and $6 million , respectively. These amounts represent the non-credit other-than-temporary impairment charges recorded in AOCI adjusted for subsequent changes in fair values and nearly all relate to residential MBS. The following tables show gross unrealized losses (dollars in millions) on fixed maturities and equity securities by investment category and length of time that individual securities have been in a continuous unrealized loss position at the following balance sheet dates. Less Than Twelve Months Twelve Months or More Unrealized Loss Fair Value Fair Value as % of Cost Unrealized Loss Fair Value Fair Value as % of Cost December 31, 2015 Fixed maturities: U.S. Government and government agencies $ — $ 4 100 % $ (3 ) $ 15 83 % States, municipalities and political subdivisions (25 ) 1,031 98 % (7 ) 103 94 % Residential MBS (2 ) 180 99 % (4 ) 99 96 % Commercial MBS — 74 100 % — 13 100 % Asset-backed securities (29 ) 1,849 98 % (8 ) 355 98 % Corporate and other (195 ) 4,229 96 % (48 ) 295 86 % Total fixed maturities $ (251 ) $ 7,367 97 % $ (70 ) $ 880 93 % Common stocks $ (35 ) $ 228 87 % $ — $ — — % Perpetual preferred stocks $ — $ 23 100 % $ — $ 5 100 % December 31, 2014 Fixed maturities: U.S. Government and government agencies $ — $ — — % $ (3 ) $ 15 83 % States, municipalities and political subdivisions — 30 100 % (7 ) 407 98 % Residential MBS (1 ) 80 99 % (8 ) 169 95 % Commercial MBS — 10 100 % — 7 100 % Asset-backed securities (8 ) 896 99 % (8 ) 498 98 % Corporate and other (12 ) 411 97 % (14 ) 521 97 % Total fixed maturities $ (21 ) $ 1,427 99 % $ (40 ) $ 1,617 98 % Common stocks $ (6 ) $ 80 93 % $ — $ — — % Perpetual preferred stocks $ — $ 13 100 % $ — $ 4 100 % At December 31, 2015 , the gross unrealized losses on fixed maturities of $321 million relate to 1,078 securities. Investment grade securities (as determined by nationally recognized rating agencies) represented approximately 80% of the gross unrealized loss and 93% of the fair value. The determination of whether unrealized losses are “other-than-temporary” requires judgment based on subjective as well as objective factors. Factors considered and resources used by management include: a) whether the unrealized loss is credit-driven or a result of changes in market interest rates, b) the extent to which fair value is less than cost basis, c) cash flow projections received from independent sources, d) historical operating, balance sheet and cash flow data contained in issuer SEC filings and news releases, e) near-term prospects for improvement in the issuer and/or its industry, f) third party research and communications with industry specialists, g) financial models and forecasts, h) the continuity of dividend payments, maintenance of investment grade ratings and hybrid nature of certain investments, i) discussions with issuer management, and j) ability and intent to hold the investment for a period of time sufficient to allow for anticipated recovery in fair value. GALIC analyzes its MBS securities for other-than-temporary impairment each quarter based upon expected future cash flows. Management estimates expected future cash flows based upon its knowledge of the MBS market, cash flow projections (which reflect loan to collateral values, subordination, vintage and geographic concentration) received from independent sources, implied cash flows inherent in security ratings and analysis of historical payment data. During 2015 , GALIC recorded $4 million in other-than-temporary impairment charges related to its residential MBS. In 2015, GALIC recorded approximately $23 million in other-than-temporary impairment charges related to corporate bonds. GALIC recorded $36 million in other-than-temporary impairment charges on common stocks in 2015 . At December 31, 2015 , the gross unrealized losses on common stocks of $35 million relate to 48 securities, none of which has been in an unrealized loss position for more than 12 months. Management believes GALIC will recover its cost basis in the securities with unrealized losses and that GALIC has the ability to hold the securities until they recover in value and had no intent to sell them at December 31, 2015 . A progression of the credit portion of other-than-temporary impairments on fixed maturity securities for which the non-credit portion of an impairment has been recognized in other comprehensive income is shown below (in millions): 2015 2014 2013 Balance at beginning of period $ 115 $ 125 $ 126 Additional credit impairments on: Previously impaired securities — — — Securities without prior impairments 1 — — Reductions due to sales or redemptions (6 ) (10 ) (1 ) Balance at end of period $ 110 $ 115 $ 125 The table below sets forth the scheduled maturities of available for sale fixed maturities as of December 31, 2015 (dollars in millions). Securities with sinking funds are reported at average maturity. Actual maturities may differ from contractual maturities because certain securities may be called or prepaid by the issuers. Amortized Fair Value Cost Amount % Maturity One year or less $ 549 $ 558 2 % After one year through five years 3,358 3,534 14 % After five years through ten years 9,738 9,762 38 % After ten years 3,503 3,582 14 % 17,148 17,436 68 % ABS (average life of approximately 5 years) 3,508 3,492 14 % MBS (average life of approximately 4 years) 4,247 4,558 18 % Total $ 24,903 $ 25,486 100 % Certain risks are inherent in connection with fixed maturity securities, including loss upon default, price volatility in reaction to changes in interest rates, and general market factors and risks associated with reinvestment of proceeds due to prepayments or redemptions in a period of declining interest rates. There were no investments in individual issuers that exceeded 10% of Shareholder’s Equity at December 31, 2015 or 2014 . The following table shows (in millions) investment income earned and investment expenses incurred: 2015 2014 2013 Investment income: Fixed maturities $ 1,138 $ 1,047 $ 959 Equity securities 21 16 10 Equity in earnings of partnerships and similar investments 16 9 — Mortgage loans 45 42 32 Policy loans 12 12 13 Real estate and other 7 17 33 Gross investment income 1,239 1,143 1,047 Investment expenses (9 ) (4 ) (9 ) Net investment income $ 1,230 $ 1,139 $ 1,038 GALIC’s investment portfolio is managed by a subsidiary of AFG. Investment expenses included investment management fees charged by this subsidiary of $6 million , less than $1 million and $4 million in the years ended December 31, 2015 , 2014 and 2013 , respectively. Realized gains (losses) and changes in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) related to fixed maturity and equity security investments are summarized as follows (in millions): Fixed Maturities Equity Securities Mortgage Loans and Other Investments Other (*) Total Pretax Tax Effects Total Year ended December 31, 2015 Realized before impairments $ 24 $ 17 $ (1 ) $ (5 ) $ 35 $ (12 ) $ 23 Realized — impairments (28 ) (36 ) (2 ) 15 (51 ) 18 (33 ) Change in unrealized (698 ) (49 ) — 320 (427 ) 149 (278 ) Year ended December 31, 2014 Realized before impairments $ 32 $ 16 $ — $ (2 ) $ 46 $ (16 ) $ 30 Realized — impairments (8 ) (8 ) — 5 (11 ) 4 (7 ) Change in unrealized 465 6 — (222 ) 249 (87 ) 162 Year ended December 31, 2013 Realized before impairments $ 26 $ 45 $ — $ — $ 71 $ (25 ) $ 46 Realized — impairments (4 ) — (2 ) 3 (3 ) 1 (2 ) Change in unrealized (763 ) 20 — 394 (349 ) 122 (227 ) (*) Primarily adjustments to deferred policy acquisition costs and reserves related to annuities. Gross realized gains and losses (excluding impairment write-downs and mark-to-market of derivatives) on available for sale fixed maturity and equity security investment transactions included in the Statement of Cash Flows consisted of the following (in millions): 2015 2014 2013 Fixed maturities: Gross gains $ 31 $ 29 $ 34 Gross losses (5 ) (1 ) (3 ) Equity securities: Gross gains 18 16 43 Gross losses (1 ) — —

Derivatives

Derivatives	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2015
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivatives	Derivatives As discussed under “ Derivatives ” in Note A — “ Accounting Policies ” to the financial statements, GALIC uses derivatives in certain areas of its operations. Derivatives That Do Not Qualify for Hedge Accounting The following derivatives that do not qualify for hedge accounting under GAAP are included in GALIC’s Balance Sheet at fair value (in millions): December 31, 2015 December 31, 2014 Derivative Balance Sheet Line Asset Liability Asset Liability MBS with embedded derivatives Fixed maturities $ 100 $ — $ 96 $ — Public company warrants Equity securities 4 — 10 — Fixed-indexed annuities (embedded derivative) Annuity benefits accumulated — 1,369 — 1,160 Equity index call options Equity options - fixed indexed annuities 241 — 322 — Reinsurance contracts (embedded derivative) Other liabilities — 7 — 13 $ 345 $ 1,376 $ 428 $ 1,173 The MBS with embedded derivatives consist primarily of interest-only MBS with interest rates that float inversely with short-term rates. GALIC records the entire change in the fair value of these securities in earnings. These investments are part of GALIC’s overall investment strategy and represent a small component of GALIC’s overall investment portfolio. Warrants to purchase shares of publicly traded companies, which represent a small component of GALIC’s overall investment portfolio, are considered to be derivatives that must be marked to market through earnings. GALIC exercised its most significant warrant position in the first quarter of 2015. GALIC’s fixed-indexed annuities, which represented approximately 60% of annuity benefits accumulated at December 31, 2015 , provide policyholders with a crediting rate tied, in part, to the performance of an existing stock market index. GALIC attempts to mitigate the risk in the index-based component of these products through the purchase of call options on the appropriate index. GALIC receives collateral from its counterparties to support its purchased call option assets. This collateral ( $211 million at December 31, 2015 and $285 million at December 31, 2014 ) is shown as funds held as collateral in GALIC’s Balance Sheet with an offsetting liability to return the collateral, which is included in liability for funds held as collateral. GALIC’s strategy is designed so that the change in the fair value of the call option assets will generally offset the economic change in the liabilities from the index participation. Both the index-based component of the annuities and the related call options are considered derivatives. Fluctuations in interest rates and the stock market, among other factors, can cause volatility in the periodic measurement of fair value of the embedded derivative that management believes can be inconsistent with the long-term economics of these products. As discussed under “ Reinsurance ” in Note A to the financial statements, certain reinsurance contracts are considered to contain embedded derivatives. The following table summarizes the gain (loss) included in the Statement of Earnings for changes in the fair value of derivatives that do not qualify for hedge accounting (in millions): Derivative Statement of Earnings Line 2015 2014 2013 MBS with embedded derivatives Realized gains on securities $ (5 ) $ 4 $ (5 ) Public company warrants Realized gains on securities — — 2 Interest rate swaptions Realized gains on securities — (2 ) 1 Fixed-indexed annuities (embedded derivative) (*) Annuity benefits (17 ) (182 ) (182 ) Equity index call options Annuity benefits (56 ) 181 210 Reinsurance contracts (embedded derivative) Net investment income 6 (3 ) 7 $ (72 ) $ (2 ) $ 33 (*) The change in fair value of the embedded derivative includes losses related to unlocking of actuarial assumptions of $28 million in 2015 compared to gains related to unlocking of actuarial assumptions of $58 million in 2014 and $2 million in 2013 . Derivatives Designated and Qualifying as Cash Flow Hedges In the second quarter of 2015, GALIC entered into two interest rate swaps (a five -year, $195 million notional amount swap and a fifteen -year, $132 million notional amount swap) under which GALIC receives fixed-rate interest payments in exchange for variable interest payments based on three-month LIBOR. In the third quarter of 2014, GALIC entered into a five -year $431 million notional amount interest rate swap under which GALIC receives fixed-rate interest payments in exchange for variable interest payments based on one-month LIBOR. The purpose of each of these swaps is to effectively convert a portion of GALIC’s floating rate fixed maturity securities to fixed rates by offsetting the variability in cash flows attributable to changes in LIBOR. The notional amounts amortize down over each swap’s respective life in anticipation of an expected decline in GALIC’s portfolio of fixed maturity securities with floating interest rates based on LIBOR ( $614 million and $401 million total notional amounts at December 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014 , respectively). The fair value of the effective portion of the interest rate swaps in an asset position and included in other assets was $2 million and less than $1 million at December 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014 , respectively. The fair value of the effective portion of interest rate swaps in a liability position and included in other liabilities was less than $1 million at December 31, 2015 and zero at December 31, 2014 . The net unrealized gain or loss on cash flow hedges is included in AOCI, net of DPAC and tax. During 2015 and 2014 , $6 million and $2 million was reclassified from AOCI to net investment income. There was no ineffectiveness recorded in Net Earnings during these periods.

Deferred Policy Acquisition Cos

Deferred Policy Acquisition Costs	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2015
Deferred Policy Acquisition Costs Disclosures [Abstract]
Deferred Policy Acquisition Costs	Deferred Policy Acquisition Costs A progression of deferred policy acquisition costs is presented below (in millions): Deferred Costs Sales Inducements PVFP Subtotal Unrealized (*) Total Balance at December 31, 2012 $ 773 $ 166 $ 88 $ 1,027 $ (698 ) $ 329 Additions 221 11 — 232 — 232 Amortization: Periodic amortization (140 ) (29 ) (11 ) (180 ) — (180 ) Annuity unlocking 4 (1 ) — 3 — 3 Included in realized gains 2 — — 2 — 2 Change in unrealized — — — — 362 362 Balance at December 31, 2013 860 147 77 1,084 (336 ) 748 Additions 198 8 — 206 — 206 Amortization: Periodic amortization (128 ) (26 ) (11 ) (165 ) — (165 ) Annuity unlocking (22 ) (1 ) — (23 ) — (23 ) Included in realized gains 2 1 — 3 — 3 Change in unrealized — — — — (189 ) (189 ) Balance at December 31, 2014 910 129 66 1,105 (525 ) 580 Additions 224 11 — 235 — 235 Amortization: Periodic amortization (159 ) (26 ) (11 ) (196 ) — (196 ) Annuity unlocking 31 4 — 35 — 35 Included in realized gains 8 1 — 9 — 9 Change in unrealized — — — — 291 291 Balance at December 31, 2015 $ 1,014 $ 119 $ 55 $ 1,188 $ (234 ) $ 954 (*) In addition to adjustments to DPAC related to unrealized gains on securities (as described in Note D — “ Balance Sheet Impact of Net Unrealized Gains on Securities ” ), unrealized also includes adjustments to DPAC related to unrealized gains on cash flow hedges of $1 million at December 31, 2015 . The present value of future profits (“PVFP”) amounts in the table above are net of $158 million and $147 million of accumulated amortization at December 31, 2015 and 2014 , respectively. During each of the next five years, the PVFP is expected to decrease at a rate of approximately one-sixth of the balance at the beginning of each respective year.

Shareholder's Equity

Shareholder's Equity	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2015
Stockholders' Equity Note [Abstract]
Shareholder's Equity	Shareholder’s Equity Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income, Net of Tax (“AOCI”) Comprehensive income is defined as all changes in Shareholder’s Equity except those arising from transactions with shareholders. Comprehensive income includes net earnings and other comprehensive income, which consists primarily of changes in net unrealized gains or losses on available for sale securities. The progression of the components of accumulated other comprehensive income follows (in millions): Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) AOCI Beginning Balance Pretax Tax Net of tax AOCI Ending Balance Year ended December 31, 2015 Net unrealized gains (losses) on securities: Unrealized holding losses on securities arising during the period $ (440 ) $ 154 $ (286 ) Reclassification adjustment for realized (gains) losses included in net earnings (a) 13 (5 ) 8 Total net unrealized gains (losses) on securities (b) $ 469 (427 ) 149 (278 ) $ 191 Net unrealized gains on cash flow hedges — 1 — 1 1 Total $ 469 $ (426 ) $ 149 $ (277 ) $ 192 Year ended December 31, 2014 Net unrealized gains on securities: Unrealized holding gains on securities arising during the period $ 284 $ (99 ) $ 185 Reclassification adjustment for realized (gains) losses included in net earnings (a) (35 ) 12 (23 ) Total net unrealized gains on securities (b) $ 307 249 (87 ) 162 $ 469 Net unrealized gains on cash flow hedges — — — — — Total $ 307 $ 249 $ (87 ) $ 162 $ 469 Year ended December 31, 2013 Net unrealized gains (losses) on securities: Unrealized holding losses on securities arising during the period $ (279 ) $ 98 $ (181 ) Reclassification adjustment for realized (gains) losses included in net earnings (a) (70 ) 24 (46 ) Total net unrealized gains (losses) on securities (b) $ 534 $ (349 ) $ 122 $ (227 ) $ 307 (a) The reclassification adjustment out of net unrealized gains on securities affected the following lines in GALIC’s Statement of Earnings: OCI component Affected line in the Statement of Earnings Pretax Realized gains on securities Tax Provision for income taxes (b) Includes net unrealized gains of $33 million at December 31, 2015 compared to net unrealized gains of $37 million and $35 million at December 31, 2014 and 2013 , respectively, related to securities for which only the credit portion of an other-than-temporary impairment has been recorded in earnings.

Income Taxes

Income Taxes	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2015
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Income Taxes	Income Taxes The following is a reconciliation of income taxes at the statutory rate of 35% to the provision for income taxes as shown in the Statement of Earnings (dollars in millions): 2015 2014 2013 Amount % of EBT Amount % of EBT Amount % of EBT Earnings before income taxes (“EBT”) $ 319 $ 352 $ 391 Income taxes at statutory rate $ 112 35 % $ 123 35 % $ 137 35 % Effect of permanent items (4 ) (1 %) (3 ) (1 %) (1 ) — % Provision for income taxes as shown in the Statement of Earnings $ 108 34 % $ 120 34 % $ 136 35 % GALIC’s 2012 — 2015 tax years remain subject to examination by the IRS. GALIC did not have any earnings or losses subject to tax in a foreign jurisdiction for the years ended December 31, 2015 , 2014 and 2013 . The total income tax provision (credit) consists of (in millions): 2015 2014 2013 Current taxes: Federal $ 133 $ 170 $ 193 State 2 4 2 Deferred taxes: Federal (27 ) (54 ) (59 ) Provision for income taxes $ 108 $ 120 $ 136 Deferred income tax assets and liabilities reflect temporary differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities recognized for financial reporting purposes and the amounts recognized for tax purposes. The significant components of deferred tax assets and liabilities included in the GALIC’s Balance Sheet at December 31 were as follows (in millions): 2015 2014 Excluding Unrealized Gains Impact of Unrealized Gains Total Excluding Unrealized Gains Impact of Unrealized Gains Total Deferred tax assets: Insurance claims and reserves $ 404 $ 22 $ 426 $ 357 $ 39 $ 396 Other, net 22 (4 ) 18 25 (11 ) 14 Total deferred tax assets 426 18 444 382 28 410 Deferred tax liabilities: Investment securities (6 ) (203 ) (209 ) (23 ) (464 ) (487 ) Deferred policy acquisition costs (348 ) 82 (266 ) (313 ) 184 (129 ) Total deferred tax liabilities (354 ) (121 ) (475 ) (336 ) (280 ) (616 ) Net deferred tax assets (liabilities) $ 72 $ (103 ) $ (31 ) $ 46 $ (252 ) $ (206 ) The likelihood of realizing deferred tax assets is reviewed periodically. There was no valuation allowance against deferred tax assets as of December 31, 2015 and 2014 . In July 2014, AFG finalized a settlement with the IRS related to tax years 2008 and 2009. As a result, GALIC’s uncertain tax positions were effectively settled, allowing GALIC to reduce its liability for uncertain tax positions by $13 million in the third quarter of 2014. Although GALIC paid $9 million under this settlement, the reduction in this liability resulted in offsetting increases to GALIC’s deferred tax liability and did not impact GALIC’s effective tax rate. The following is a progression of GALIC’s uncertain tax positions, excluding interest and penalties, which all relate to the uncertainty as to the timing of tax return inclusion of investment income of certain debt securities (in millions): 2015 2014 2013 Balance at January 1 $ — $ 13 $ 12 Reductions for tax positions of prior years — (4 ) — Additions for tax positions of current year — — 1 Settlements — (9 ) — Balance at December 31 $ — $ — $ 13 GALIC’s provision for income taxes included a benefit of $1 million in 2014 and an expense of less than $1 million in 2013 of interest (net of federal benefit or expense). GALIC’s liability for interest related to unrecognized tax benefits was $1 million at December 31, 2013 (net of federal benefit); no penalties were accrued at that date. Cash payments for income taxes, net of refunds, were $100 million , $227 million and $135 million for 2015 , 2014 and 2013 , respectively.

Contingencies

Contingencies	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2015
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Contingencies	Contingencies GALIC and its subsidiaries are involved in litigation from time to time, generally arising in the ordinary course of business. This litigation may include, but is not limited to, general commercial disputes, lawsuits brought by policyholders, employment matters, reinsurance collection matters and actions challenging certain business practices of insurance subsidiaries. None of these matters are expected to have a material adverse impact on GALIC’s results of operations or financial condition.

Insurance

Insurance	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2015
Insurance [Abstract]
Insurance	Insurance Securities owned by GALIC, having a carrying value of approximately $24 million at December 31, 2015 , were on deposit as required by regulatory authorities. FHLB Funding Agreements GALIC is a member of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati (“FHLB”). The FHLB makes advances and provides other banking services to member institutions. Members are required to purchase stock in the FHLB in addition to maintaining collateral deposits that back any funds advanced. GALIC’s $41 million investment in FHLB capital stock at December 31, 2015 , is included in other investments at cost. Membership in the FHLB provides the annuity operations with a substantial additional source of liquidity. These advances further the FHLB’s mission of improving access to housing by increasing liquidity in the residential mortgage-backed securities market. In 2015, the FHLB advanced GALIC $345 million (included in annuity benefits accumulated), increasing the total amount advanced to $785 million at December 31, 2015 . Interest rates under the various funding agreements on these advances range from 0.02% to 0.49% over LIBOR (average rate of 0.58% at December 31, 2015 ). While these advances must be repaid between 2016 and 2020 ( $200 million in 2016, $285 million in 2018 and $300 million in 2020), GALIC has the option to prepay all or a portion of the advances. The advances on these agreements are collateralized by mortgage-backed securities, which have a total fair value of $912 million (included in available for sale fixed maturity securities) at December 31, 2015 and have similar expected lives as the advances. Interest credited on the funding agreements, which is included in annuity benefits, was $3 million in 2015 and $1 million in 2014 and 2013 . Statutory Information GALIC and its insurance subsidiaries are required to file financial statements with state insurance regulatory authorities prepared on an accounting basis prescribed or permitted by such authorities (statutory basis). Net earnings and capital and surplus on a statutory basis for all GALIC insurance subsidiaries were as follows (in millions): Net Earnings Capital and Surplus 2015 2014 2013 2015 2014 GALIC consolidated life insurance companies $ 399 $ 384 $ 285 $ 1,719 $ 1,636 The National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ (“NAIC”) model law for risk based capital (“RBC”) applies to life insurance companies. RBC formulas determine the amount of capital that an insurance company needs so that it has an acceptable expectation of not becoming financially impaired. Companies below specific trigger points or ratios are subject to regulatory action. At December 31, 2015 and 2014 , the capital ratios of all GALIC life insurance companies substantially exceeded the RBC requirements. GALIC’s insurance companies did not use any prescribed or permitted statutory accounting practices that differed from the NAIC statutory accounting practices at December 31, 2015 or 2014 . GALIC paid dividends to GAFRI totaling $110 million , $200 million and $115 million in 2015 , 2014 and 2013 , respectively. The maximum amount of dividends that can be paid to shareholders in 2016 by life insurance companies domiciled in the State of Ohio without prior approval of the Insurance Commissioner is the greater of 10% of statutory surplus as regards to policyholders or statutory net income as of the preceding December 31, but only to the extent of statutory earned surplus as of the preceding December 31. The maximum amount of dividends payable in 2016 by GALIC without prior approval is $375 million , based on net income. The maximum amount of dividends receivable from GALIC’s subsidiaries in 2016 without prior approval is $25 million . Reinsurance GALIC has reinsured approximately $11.19 billion of its $14.67 billion in face amount of life insurance at December 31, 2015 compared to $12.15 billion of its $15.81 billion in face amount of life insurance at December 31, 2014 . Life written premiums ceded were $34 million , $36 million and $38 million for 2015 , 2014 and 2013 , respectively. Reinsurance recoveries on ceded life policies were $45 million , $55 million and $54 million for 2015 , 2014 and 2013 , respectively. To the extent that any reinsuring companies are unable to meet obligations under agreements covering reinsurance ceded, GALIC would remain liable. Fixed Annuities For certain products, the liability for “annuity benefits accumulated” includes reserves for excess benefits expected to be paid on future deaths and annuitizations (“EDAR”), guaranteed withdrawal benefits and accrued persistency and premium bonuses. The liabilities included in GALIC’s Balance Sheet for these benefits, excluding the impact of unrealized gains on securities, were as follows at December 31 (in millions): 2015 2014 Expected death and annuitization $ 214 $ 213 Guaranteed withdrawal benefits 203 151 Accrued persistency and premium bonuses 11 14 Variable Annuities At December 31, 2015 , the aggregate guaranteed minimum death benefit value (assuming every variable annuity policyholder died on that date) on GALIC’s variable annuity policies exceeded the fair value of the underlying variable annuities by $27 million , compared to $23 million at December 31, 2014 . Death benefits paid in excess of the variable annuity account balances were less than $1 million in each of the last three years.

Additional Information

Additional Information	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2015
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Additional Information	Additional Information Related Parties Certain administrative, management, accounting, actuarial, data processing, collection and investment services are provided under agreements between GALIC and its parent, GAFRI, based on actual costs incurred. In 2015 , 2014 and 2013 , GALIC paid GAFRI $27 million , $26 million and $26 million , respectively, for such services. Operating Leases Total rental expense for leases of office space was $4 million in 2015 , 2014 and 2013 . GALIC leases space from AFG. GALIC has no contractual obligations for rent but expects to pay similar amounts in future periods to AFG. Financial Instruments — Unfunded Commitments On occasion, GALIC has entered into financial instrument transactions that may present off-balance-sheet risks of both a credit and market risk nature. These transactions include commitments to fund loans, loan guarantees and commitments to purchase and sell securities or loans. At December 31, 2015 , GALIC had commitments to fund credit facilities and contribute capital to limited partnerships and limited liability corporations of approximately $261 million . Benefit Plans GALIC expensed approximately $1 million in 2015 , 2014 and 2013 , respectively, related to the retirement and employee savings plans.

Supplementary Insurance Informa

Supplementary Insurance Information	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2015
Supplementary Insurance Information [Abstract]
Supplementary Insurance Information	GREAT AMERICAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES SUPPLEMENTARY INSURANCE INFORMATION THREE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2015 (IN MILLIONS) Segment Deferred policy acquisition costs Reserves for future policy benefits and claims Net earned premiums Net investment income Benefits, claims, losses and settlement expenses Amortization of deferred policy acquisition costs Other operating expenses 2015 Annuity $ 930 $ 26,622 $ — $ 1,211 $ 724 $ 134 $ 120 Run-off life 24 705 21 19 29 5 9 Total $ 954 $ 27,327 $ 21 $ 1,230 $ 753 $ 139 $ 129 2014 Annuity $ 553 $ 23,492 $ — $ 1,120 $ 641 $ 156 $ 99 Run-off life 27 690 23 19 33 5 11 Total $ 580 $ 24,182 $ 23 $ 1,139 $ 674 $ 161 $ 110 2013 Annuity $ 717 $ 20,658 $ — $ 1,017 $ 522 $ 142 $ 110 Run-off life 31 702 26 21 34 5 10 Total $ 748 $ 21,360 $ 26 $ 1,038 $ 556 $ 147 $ 120

Accounting Policies (Policies)

Accounting Policies (Policies)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2015
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Basis of Presentation	Basis of Presentation The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Great American Life Insurance Company and its subsidiaries (“GALIC” or the “Company”). GALIC is a direct wholly-owned subsidiary of Great American Financial Resources, Inc. (“GAFRI”), a financial services holding company wholly-owned by American Financial Group, Inc. (“AFG”). Certain reclassifications have been made to prior years to conform to the current year’s presentation. All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated. The results of operations of companies since their formation or acquisition are included in the consolidated financial statements. The financial statements also include costs paid on behalf of GALIC by GAFRI. These costs are recorded as expense in the period incurred and shown as an increase in capital surplus. Events or transactions occurring subsequent to the audited consolidated financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2015 , and prior to April 27, 2016 , have been evaluated for potential recognition or disclosure herein. The preparation of the financial statements in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the financial statements and accompanying notes. Changes in circumstances could cause actual results to differ materially from those estimates.
Fair Value Measurements	Fair Value Measurements Accounting standards define fair value as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability (an exit price) in an orderly transaction between market participants on the measurement date. The standards establish a hierarchy of valuation techniques based on whether the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability (“inputs”) are observable or unobservable. Observable inputs reflect market data obtained from independent sources, while unobservable inputs reflect GALIC’s assumptions about the assumptions market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability. GALIC did not have any significant nonrecurring fair value measurements of nonfinancial assets and liabilities in 2015 or 2014 .
Investments	Investments Fixed maturity and equity securities classified as “available for sale” are reported at fair value with unrealized gains and losses included in accumulated other comprehensive income (“AOCI”) in GALIC’s Balance Sheet. Fixed maturity securities classified as “trading” are reported at fair value with changes in unrealized holding gains or losses during the period included in net investment income. Mortgage and policy loans are carried primarily at the aggregate unpaid balance. In January 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2016-01, which, among other things, will require all equity securities currently classified as “available for sale” to be reported at fair value, with holding gains and losses recognized in net income instead of AOCI. GALIC will be required to adopt this guidance effective January 1, 2018. Premiums and discounts on fixed maturity securities are amortized using the interest method. Mortgage-backed securities (“MBS”) are amortized over a period based on estimated future principal payments, including prepayments. Prepayment assumptions are reviewed periodically and adjusted to reflect actual prepayments and changes in expectations. Gains or losses on securities are determined on the specific identification basis. When a decline in the value of a specific investment is considered to be other-than-temporary at the balance sheet date, a provision for impairment is charged to earnings (included in realized gains (losses) on securities) and the cost basis of that investment is reduced. If management can assert that it does not intend to sell an impaired fixed maturity security and it is not more likely than not that it will have to sell the security before recovery of its amortized cost basis, then the other-than-temporary impairment is separated into two components: (i) the amount related to credit losses (recorded in earnings) and (ii) the amount related to all other factors (recorded in other comprehensive income). The credit-related portion of an other-than-temporary impairment is measured by comparing a security’s amortized cost to the present value of its current expected cash flows discounted at its effective yield prior to the impairment charge. Both components are shown in the Statement of Earnings. If management intends to sell an impaired security, or it is more likely than not that it will be required to sell the security before recovery, an impairment charge to earnings is recorded to reduce the amortized cost of that security to fair value.
Derivatives	Derivatives Derivatives included in GALIC’s Balance Sheet are recorded at fair value. Changes in fair value of derivatives are included in earnings, unless the derivatives are designated and qualify as highly effective cash flow hedges. Derivatives that do not qualify for hedge accounting under GAAP consist primarily of (i) components of certain fixed maturity securities (primarily interest-only MBS) and (ii) the equity-based component of certain annuity products (included in annuity benefits accumulated) and related call options designed to be consistent with the characteristics of the liabilities and used to mitigate the risk embedded in those annuity products. To qualify for hedge accounting, at the inception of a derivative contract, GALIC formally documents the relationship between the terms of the hedge and the hedged items and its risk management objective. This documentation includes defining how hedge effectiveness and ineffectiveness will be measured on a retrospective and prospective basis. Changes in the fair value of derivatives that are designated and qualify as highly effective cash flow hedges are recorded in AOCI and are reclassified into earnings when the variability of the cash flows from the hedged items impacts earnings. Any hedge ineffectiveness is immediately recorded in current period earnings. When the change in the fair value of a qualifying cash flow hedge is included in earnings, it is included in the same line item in the Statement of Earnings as the cash flows from the hedged item. GALIC uses interest rate swaps that are designated and qualify as highly effective cash flow hedges to mitigate interest rate risk related to certain floating-rate securities included in GALIC’s portfolio of fixed maturity securities.
Funds Held as Collateral	Funds Held as Collateral GALIC receives collateral from its counterparties to support its purchased call option assets. The fair value of this collateral is recorded as an asset and the offsetting obligation to return the collateral is recorded as a liability.
Reinsurance	Reinsurance Amounts recoverable from reinsurers are estimated in a manner consistent with the claim liability associated with the reinsured policies. A GALIC subsidiary cedes life insurance policies to a third party on a funds withheld basis whereby the subsidiary retains the assets (securities) associated with the reinsurance contract. Interest is credited to the reinsurer based on the actual investment performance of the retained assets. This reinsurance contract is considered to contain an embedded derivative (that must be adjusted to fair value) because the yield on the payable is based on a specific block of the ceding company’s assets, rather than the overall creditworthiness of the ceding company. GALIC determined that changes in the fair value of the underlying portfolio of fixed maturity securities is an appropriate measure of the value of the embedded derivative. The securities related to this contract are classified as “trading.” The adjustment to fair value on the embedded derivative offsets the investment income recorded on the adjustment to fair value of the related trading portfolio.
Deferred Policy Acquisition Costs (''DPAC'')	Deferred Policy Acquisition Costs (“DPAC”) Policy acquisition costs (principally commissions, premium taxes and certain underwriting and policy issuance costs) directly related to the successful acquisition or renewal of an insurance contract are deferred. DPAC also includes capitalized costs associated with sales inducements offered to fixed annuity policyholders such as enhanced interest rates and premium and persistency bonuses. DPAC related to annuities is deferred to the extent deemed recoverable and amortized, with interest, in relation to the present value of actual and expected gross profits on the policies. Expected gross profits consist principally of estimated future investment margin (estimated future net investment income less interest credited on policyholder funds) and surrender, mortality, and other life and annuity policy charges, less death, annuitization and guaranteed withdrawal benefits in excess of account balances and estimated future policy administration expenses. To the extent that realized gains and losses result in adjustments to the amortization of DPAC related to annuities, such adjustments are reflected as components of realized gains (losses) on securities. DPAC related to traditional life and health insurance is amortized over the expected premium paying period of the related policies, in proportion to the ratio of annual premium revenues to total anticipated premium revenues. See “ Life, Accident and Health Reserves ” below for details on the impact of loss recognition on the accounting for traditional life and health insurance contracts. DPAC includes the present value of future profits on business in force of annuity and life, accident and health insurance companies acquired (“PVFP”). PVFP represents the portion of the costs to acquire companies that is allocated to the value of the right to receive future cash flows from insurance contracts existing at the date of acquisition. PVFP is amortized with interest in relation to expected gross profits of the acquired policies for annuities and universal life products and in relation to the premium paying period for traditional life and health insurance products. DPAC and certain other balance sheet amounts related to annuity and life businesses are also adjusted, net of tax, for the change in expense that would have been recorded if the unrealized gains (losses) from securities had actually been realized. These adjustments are included in unrealized gains (losses) on marketable securities, a component of AOCI in GALIC’s Balance Sheet.
Annuity Benefits Accumulated	Annuity Benefits Accumulated Annuity receipts and benefit payments are recorded as increases or decreases in annuity benefits accumulated rather than as revenue and expense. Increases in this liability for interest credited are charged to annuity benefits expense and decreases for policy charges are recorded as annuity policy charges revenue. For certain products, annuity benefits accumulated also includes reserves for accrued persistency and premium bonuses, guaranteed withdrawals and excess benefits expected to be paid on future deaths and annuitizations (“EDAR”). The liabilities for EDAR and guaranteed withdrawals are accrued for and modified using assumptions consistent with those used in determining DPAC and DPAC amortization, except that amounts are determined in relation to the present value of total expected assessments. Total expected assessments consist principally of estimated future investment margin, surrender, mortality, and other life and annuity policy charges, and unearned revenues once they are recognized as income. Reserves for traditional fixed annuities are generally recorded at the stated account value. Reserves for indexed annuities are recorded at a value reflecting the fixed guarantees in the product plus the fair value of equity participation in the contract. Annuity benefits accumulated also includes amounts advanced from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati.
Unearned Revenue	Unearned Revenue Certain upfront policy charges on annuities are deferred as unearned revenue (included in other liabilities) and recognized in net earnings (included in policy charges and other income) using the same assumptions and estimated gross profits used to amortize DPAC.
Life, Accident and Health Reserves	Life, Accident and Health Reserves Liabilities for future policy benefits under traditional life, accident and health policies are computed using the net level premium method. Computations are based on the original projections of investment yields, mortality, morbidity and surrenders and include provisions for unfavorable deviations unless a loss recognition event (premium deficiency) occurs. Claim reserves and liabilities established for accident and health claims are modified as necessary to reflect actual experience and developing trends. For long-duration contracts (such as traditional life policies), loss recognition occurs when, based on current expectations as of the measurement date, existing contract liabilities plus the present value of future premiums (including reasonably expected rate increases) are not expected to cover the present value of future claims payments and related settlement and maintenance costs (excluding overhead) as well as unamortized acquisition costs. If a block of business is determined to be in loss recognition, a charge is recorded in earnings in an amount equal to the excess of the present value of expected future claims costs and unamortized acquisition costs over existing reserves plus the present value of expected future premiums (with no provision for adverse deviation). The charge is recorded first to reduce unamortized acquisition costs and then as an additional reserve (if unamortized acquisition costs have been reduced to zero). In addition, reserves for traditional life policies are subject to adjustment for loss recognition charges that would have been recorded if the unrealized gains from securities had actually been realized. This adjustment is included in unrealized gains (losses) on marketable securities, a component of AOCI in GALIC’s Balance Sheet.
Variable Annuity Assets and Liabilities	Variable Annuity Assets and Liabilities Separate accounts related to variable annuities represent the fair value of deposits invested in underlying investment funds on which GALIC earns a fee. Investment funds are selected and may be changed only by the policyholder, who retains all investment risk. GALIC’s variable annuity contracts contain a guaranteed minimum death benefit (“GMDB”) to be paid if the policyholder dies before the annuity payout period commences. In periods of declining equity markets, the GMDB may exceed the value of the policyholder’s account. A GMDB liability is established for future excess death benefits using assumptions together with a range of reasonably possible scenarios for investment fund performance that are consistent with DPAC capitalization and amortization assumptions.
Premium Recognition	Premium Recognition For traditional life, accident and health products, premiums are recognized as revenue when legally collectible from policyholders. For interest-sensitive life and universal life products, premiums are recorded in a policyholder account, which is reflected as a liability. Revenue is recognized as amounts are assessed against the policyholder account for mortality coverage and contract expenses.
Noncontrolling Interests	Noncontrolling Interests For balance sheet purposes, noncontrolling interests represents the interests of shareholders other than GALIC in consolidated entities. In the Statement of Earnings, net earnings and losses attributable to noncontrolling interests represents such shareholders’ interest in the earnings and losses of those entities.
Income Taxes	Income Taxes GALIC and its subsidiaries have an intercompany tax allocation agreement with AFG. Pursuant to the agreement, each company’s tax expense is determined based upon its inclusion in the consolidated tax return of AFG and its includable subsidiaries. Estimated payments are made quarterly during the year. Following year-end, additional settlements are made on the original due date of the return and, when extended, at the time the return is filed. The method of allocation among the companies under the agreement is based upon separate return calculations with current credit for losses to the extent the losses provide a benefit in the consolidated return. Deferred income taxes are calculated using the liability method. Under this method, deferred income tax assets and liabilities are determined based on differences between financial reporting and tax bases and are measured using enacted tax rates. A valuation allowance is established to reduce total deferred tax assets to an amount that will more likely than not be realized. GALIC recognizes the tax benefits of uncertain tax positions only when the position is more likely than not to be sustained under examination by the appropriate taxing authority. Interest and penalties on GALIC’s reserve for uncertain tax positions are recognized as a component of tax expense.
Benefit Plans	Benefit Plans GALIC provides retirement benefits to qualified employees of participating companies through the AFG 401(k) Retirement and Savings Plan, a defined contribution plan. AFG and its subsidiaries make all contributions to the retirement fund portion of the plan and match a percentage of employee contributions to the savings fund. Company contributions are expensed in the year for which they are declared.
Statement of Cash Flows	Statement of Cash Flows For cash flow purposes, “investing activities” are defined as making and collecting loans and acquiring and disposing of debt or equity instruments and property and equipment. “Financing activities” include obtaining resources from owners and providing them with a return on their investments, borrowing money and repaying amounts borrowed. Annuity receipts, surrenders, benefits and withdrawals are also reflected as financing activities. All other activities are considered “operating.” Short-term investments having original maturities of three months or less when purchased are considered to be cash equivalents for purposes of the financial statements.

Segments of Operations (Tables)

Segments of Operations (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2015
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
Segment Reporting Information, by Segment	The following tables (in millions) show GALIC’s assets, revenues and earnings before income taxes by segment. December 31, 2015 2014 2013 Assets Annuity $ 30,055 $ 27,218 $ 24,206 Run-off life 773 794 839 Total assets $ 30,828 $ 28,012 $ 25,045 2015 2014 2013 Revenues Annuity: Net investment income $ 1,211 $ 1,120 $ 1,017 Other income 100 94 77 Total annuity 1,311 1,214 1,094 Run-off life 45 48 52 Total revenues before realized gains (losses) 1,356 1,262 1,146 Realized gains (losses) on securities (16 ) 35 68 Total revenues $ 1,340 $ 1,297 $ 1,214 Earnings Before Income Taxes Annuity $ 333 $ 318 $ 320 Run-off life 2 (1 ) 3 Total earnings before realized gains (losses) and income taxes 335 317 323 Realized gains (losses) on securities (16 ) 35 68 Total earnings before income taxes $ 319 $ 352 $ 391

Fair Value Measurements (Tables

Fair Value Measurements (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2015
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Assets and liabilities measured at fair value	Assets and liabilities measured and carried at fair value in the financial statements on a recurring basis are summarized below (in millions): Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Total December 31, 2015 Assets: Available for sale (“AFS”) fixed maturities: U.S. Government and government agencies $ 10 $ 35 $ 15 $ 60 States, municipalities and political subdivisions — 3,934 32 3,966 Foreign government — 13 — 13 Residential MBS — 2,400 184 2,584 Commercial MBS — 1,938 36 1,974 Asset-backed securities (“ABS”) — 3,159 333 3,492 Corporate and other 16 12,801 580 13,397 Total AFS fixed maturities 26 24,280 1,180 25,486 Trading fixed maturities — 114 — 114 Equity securities 372 31 83 486 Variable annuity assets (separate accounts) (*) — 608 — 608 Equity options — fixed indexed annuities — 241 — 241 Other assets — derivatives — 2 — 2 Total assets accounted for at fair value $ 398 $ 25,276 $ 1,263 $ 26,937 Liabilities: Derivatives in annuity benefits accumulated $ — $ — $ 1,369 $ 1,369 Other liabilities — derivatives — 8 — 8 Total liabilities accounted for at fair value $ — $ 8 $ 1,369 $ 1,377 December 31, 2014 Assets: Available for sale fixed maturities: U.S. Government and government agencies $ 11 $ 38 $ 15 $ 64 States, municipalities and political subdivisions — 3,627 24 3,651 Foreign government — 13 — 13 Residential MBS — 2,970 235 3,205 Commercial MBS — 2,077 37 2,114 Asset-backed securities — 2,613 175 2,788 Corporate and other 11 10,771 484 11,266 Total AFS fixed maturities 22 22,109 970 23,101 Trading fixed maturities — 127 — 127 Equity securities 289 50 47 386 Variable annuity assets (separate accounts) (*) — 662 — 662 Equity options — fixed indexed annuities — 322 — 322 Total assets accounted for at fair value $ 311 $ 23,270 $ 1,017 $ 24,598 Liabilities: Derivatives in annuity benefits accumulated $ — $ — $ 1,160 $ 1,160 Other liabilities — derivatives — 13 — 13 Total liabilities accounted for at fair value $ — $ 13 $ 1,160 $ 1,173 (*) Variable annuity liabilities equal the fair value of variable annuity assets.
Fair value measurements, Levels 1 and 2 transfers	The transfers between Level 1 and Level 2 for the years ended December 31, 2015 , 2014 and 2013 are reflected in the table below at fair value as of the end of the reporting period (dollars in millions): Level 2 To Level 1 Transfers Level 1 To Level 2 Transfers # of Transfers Fair Value # of Transfers Fair Value 2015 2014 2013 2015 2014 2013 2015 2014 2013 2015 2014 2013 Perpetual preferred stocks — 1 — $ — $ 4 $ — — 3 — $ — $ 14 $ — Common stocks (*) 1 — 2 — — 18 1 1 — — — — Redeemable preferred stocks — — 1 — — 5 — — — — — —
Unobservable inputs used by management in determining fair value of embedded derivatives	The following table presents information about the unobservable inputs used by management in determining fair value of these embedded derivatives at December 31, 2015 . See Note F — “ Derivatives .” Unobservable Input Range Adjustment for credit risk 0.30% – 2.95% over the risk free rate Risk margin for uncertainty in cash flows 0.58% reduction in the discount rate Surrenders 3% – 18% of indexed account value Partial surrenders 2% – 10% of indexed account value Annuitizations 0.75% – 1.5% of indexed account value Deaths 1.5% – 4.0% of indexed account value Budgeted option costs 1.75% – 3.5% of indexed account value
Changes in balances of Level 3 financial assets and liabilities	Changes in balances of Level 3 financial assets and liabilities carried at fair value during 2015 , 2014 and 2013 are presented below (in millions). The transfers into and out of Level 3 were due to changes in the availability of market observable inputs. All transfers are reflected in the table at fair value as of the end of the reporting period. Total realized/unrealized gains (losses) included in Balance at December 31, 2014 Net income Other comprehensive income (loss) Purchases and issuances Sales and settlements Transfer into Level 3 Transfer out of Level 3 Balance at December 31, 2015 AFS fixed maturities: U.S. government agency $ 15 $ — $ — $ — $ — $ — $ — $ 15 State and municipal 24 — — 9 (1 ) — — 32 Residential MBS 235 (2 ) (2 ) — (32 ) 48 (63 ) 184 Commercial MBS 37 (1 ) (1 ) — (2 ) 4 (1 ) 36 Asset-backed securities 175 1 (5 ) 184 (40 ) 28 (10 ) 333 Corporate and other 484 (4 ) (9 ) 147 (47 ) 9 — 580 Equity securities 47 (3 ) (6 ) 51 — — (6 ) 83 Embedded derivatives (*) (1,160 ) (17 ) — (257 ) 65 — — (1,369 ) (*) Total realized/unrealized gains (losses) included in net income for the embedded derivatives reflects losses related to the unlocking of actuarial assumptions of $28 million in 2015 . Total realized/unrealized gains (losses) included in Balance at December 31, 2013 Net income Other comprehensive income (loss) Purchases and issuances Sales and settlements Transfer into Level 3 Transfer out of Level 3 Balance at December 31, 2014 AFS fixed maturities: U.S. government agency $ 15 $ — $ — $ — $ — $ — $ — $ 15 State and municipal 20 — 1 — — 3 — 24 Residential MBS 267 4 3 10 (27 ) 62 (84 ) 235 Commercial MBS 24 (1 ) — — — 14 — 37 Asset-backed securities 62 2 (2 ) 88 (17 ) 65 (23 ) 175 Corporate and other 292 3 13 88 (60 ) 151 (3 ) 484 Equity securities 8 1 1 31 — 12 (6 ) 47 Embedded derivatives (*) (804 ) (182 ) — (221 ) 47 — — (1,160 ) (*) Total realized/unrealized gains (losses) included in net income for the embedded derivatives reflects gains related to the unlocking of actuarial assumptions of $58 million in 2014 . Total realized/unrealized gains (losses) included in Balance at December 31, 2012 Net income Other comprehensive income (loss) Purchases and issuances Sales and settlements Transfer into Level 3 Transfer out of Level 3 Balance at December 31, 2013 AFS fixed maturities: U.S. government agency $ 20 $ (2 ) $ (3 ) $ — $ — $ — $ — $ 15 State and municipal 15 — (1 ) 10 — — (4 ) 20 Residential MBS 315 4 21 3 (47 ) 65 (94 ) 267 Commercial MBS 22 (2 ) — — — 4 — 24 Asset-backed securities 233 4 (3 ) 9 (49 ) 9 (141 ) 62 Corporate and other 212 — (16 ) 107 (12 ) 2 (1 ) 292 Equity securities 18 — — 25 — — (35 ) 8 Embedded derivatives (*) (465 ) (182 ) — (192 ) 35 — — (804 ) (*) Total realized/unrealized gains (losses) included in net income for the embedded derivatives reflects gains related to the unlocking of actuarial assumptions of $2 million in 2013 .
Fair value of financial instruments	The carrying value and fair value of financial instruments that are not carried at fair value in the financial statements are summarized below (in millions): Carrying Value Fair Value Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 December 31, 2015 Financial assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 262 $ 262 $ 262 $ — $ — Mortgage loans 880 883 — — 883 Policy loans 201 201 — — 201 Total financial assets not accounted for at fair value $ 1,343 $ 1,346 $ 262 $ — $ 1,084 Financial liabilities: Annuity benefits accumulated (*) $ 26,422 $ 25,488 $ — $ — $ 25,488 Total financial liabilities not accounted for at fair value $ 26,422 $ 25,488 $ — $ — $ 25,488 December 31, 2014 Financial assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 222 $ 222 $ 222 $ — $ — Mortgage loans 890 892 — — 892 Policy loans 210 210 — — 210 Total financial assets not accounted for at fair value $ 1,322 $ 1,324 $ 222 $ — $ 1,102 Financial liabilities: Annuity benefits accumulated (*) $ 23,291 $ 22,901 $ — $ — $ 22,901 Total financial liabilities not accounted for at fair value $ 23,291 $ 22,901 $ — $ — $ 22,901 (*) Excludes $200 million and $201 million of life contingent annuities in the payout phase at December 31, 2015 and 2014 , respectively.

Balance Sheet Impact of Net U24

Balance Sheet Impact of Net Unrealized Gains on Securities (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2015
Investments, Debt and Equity Securities [Abstract]
Components of the net unrealized gain on securities, included in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income	The following table shows (in millions) the components of the net unrealized gain on securities that is included in AOCI in GALIC’s Balance Sheet. Asset (Liability) before Unrealized Impact of Unrealized Gains on Securities Carrying Value of Asset (Liability) December 31, 2015 Fixed maturities $ 24,903 $ 583 $ 25,486 Equity securities 489 (3 ) 486 Deferred policy acquisition costs 1,187 (233 ) 954 Annuity benefits accumulated (26,558 ) (64 ) (26,622 ) Unearned revenue (included in Other Liabilities) (42 ) 11 (31 ) Unrealized gain, pretax 294 Deferred tax on unrealized gain (103 ) Unrealized gain, after tax (included in AOCI) $ 191 December 31, 2014 Fixed maturities $ 21,820 $ 1,281 $ 23,101 Equity securities 340 46 386 Deferred policy acquisition costs 1,105 (525 ) 580 Annuity benefits accumulated (23,380 ) (112 ) (23,492 ) Unearned revenue (included in Other Liabilities) (50 ) 31 (19 ) Unrealized gain, pretax 721 Deferred tax on unrealized gain (252 ) Unrealized gain, after tax (included in AOCI) $ 469

Investments (Tables)

Investments (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2015
Investments, Debt and Equity Securities [Abstract]
Available for sale fixed maturities and equity securities	Available for sale fixed maturities and equity securities consisted of the following (in millions): 2015 2014 Amortized Cost Fair Value Gross Unrealized Amortized Cost Fair Value Gross Unrealized Gains Losses Gains Losses Fixed maturities: U.S. Government and government agencies $ 61 $ 60 $ 2 $ (3 ) $ 64 $ 64 $ 3 $ (3 ) States, municipalities and political subdivisions 3,836 3,966 162 (32 ) 3,448 3,651 210 (7 ) Foreign government 12 13 1 — 11 13 2 — Residential MBS 2,344 2,584 246 (6 ) 2,900 3,205 314 (9 ) Commercial MBS 1,903 1,974 71 — 1,974 2,114 140 — Asset-backed securities 3,508 3,492 21 (37 ) 2,773 2,788 31 (16 ) Corporate and other 13,239 13,397 401 (243 ) 10,650 11,266 642 (26 ) Total fixed maturities $ 24,903 $ 25,486 $ 904 $ (321 ) $ 21,820 $ 23,101 $ 1,342 $ (61 ) Common stocks $ 439 $ 436 $ 32 $ (35 ) $ 302 $ 348 $ 52 $ (6 ) Perpetual preferred stocks $ 50 $ 50 $ — $ — $ 38 $ 38 $ — $ —
Available for sale securities in a continuous unrealized loss position	The following tables show gross unrealized losses (dollars in millions) on fixed maturities and equity securities by investment category and length of time that individual securities have been in a continuous unrealized loss position at the following balance sheet dates. Less Than Twelve Months Twelve Months or More Unrealized Loss Fair Value Fair Value as % of Cost Unrealized Loss Fair Value Fair Value as % of Cost December 31, 2015 Fixed maturities: U.S. Government and government agencies $ — $ 4 100 % $ (3 ) $ 15 83 % States, municipalities and political subdivisions (25 ) 1,031 98 % (7 ) 103 94 % Residential MBS (2 ) 180 99 % (4 ) 99 96 % Commercial MBS — 74 100 % — 13 100 % Asset-backed securities (29 ) 1,849 98 % (8 ) 355 98 % Corporate and other (195 ) 4,229 96 % (48 ) 295 86 % Total fixed maturities $ (251 ) $ 7,367 97 % $ (70 ) $ 880 93 % Common stocks $ (35 ) $ 228 87 % $ — $ — — % Perpetual preferred stocks $ — $ 23 100 % $ — $ 5 100 % December 31, 2014 Fixed maturities: U.S. Government and government agencies $ — $ — — % $ (3 ) $ 15 83 % States, municipalities and political subdivisions — 30 100 % (7 ) 407 98 % Residential MBS (1 ) 80 99 % (8 ) 169 95 % Commercial MBS — 10 100 % — 7 100 % Asset-backed securities (8 ) 896 99 % (8 ) 498 98 % Corporate and other (12 ) 411 97 % (14 ) 521 97 % Total fixed maturities $ (21 ) $ 1,427 99 % $ (40 ) $ 1,617 98 % Common stocks $ (6 ) $ 80 93 % $ — $ — — % Perpetual preferred stocks $ — $ 13 100 % $ — $ 4 100 %
Roll forward of cumulative credit portion of other-than-temporary impairments on fixed maturity securities	A progression of the credit portion of other-than-temporary impairments on fixed maturity securities for which the non-credit portion of an impairment has been recognized in other comprehensive income is shown below (in millions): 2015 2014 2013 Balance at beginning of period $ 115 $ 125 $ 126 Additional credit impairments on: Previously impaired securities — — — Securities without prior impairments 1 — — Reductions due to sales or redemptions (6 ) (10 ) (1 ) Balance at end of period $ 110 $ 115 $ 125
Available for sale fixed maturity securities by contractual maturity date	The table below sets forth the scheduled maturities of available for sale fixed maturities as of December 31, 2015 (dollars in millions). Securities with sinking funds are reported at average maturity. Actual maturities may differ from contractual maturities because certain securities may be called or prepaid by the issuers. Amortized Fair Value Cost Amount % Maturity One year or less $ 549 $ 558 2 % After one year through five years 3,358 3,534 14 % After five years through ten years 9,738 9,762 38 % After ten years 3,503 3,582 14 % 17,148 17,436 68 % ABS (average life of approximately 5 years) 3,508 3,492 14 % MBS (average life of approximately 4 years) 4,247 4,558 18 % Total $ 24,903 $ 25,486 100 %
Net investment income earned and investment expenses incurred	The following table shows (in millions) investment income earned and investment expenses incurred: 2015 2014 2013 Investment income: Fixed maturities $ 1,138 $ 1,047 $ 959 Equity securities 21 16 10 Equity in earnings of partnerships and similar investments 16 9 — Mortgage loans 45 42 32 Policy loans 12 12 13 Real estate and other 7 17 33 Gross investment income 1,239 1,143 1,047 Investment expenses (9 ) (4 ) (9 ) Net investment income $ 1,230 $ 1,139 $ 1,038
Realized gains (losses) and changes in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) related to fixed maturity and equity security investments	Realized gains (losses) and changes in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) related to fixed maturity and equity security investments are summarized as follows (in millions): Fixed Maturities Equity Securities Mortgage Loans and Other Investments Other (*) Total Pretax Tax Effects Total Year ended December 31, 2015 Realized before impairments $ 24 $ 17 $ (1 ) $ (5 ) $ 35 $ (12 ) $ 23 Realized — impairments (28 ) (36 ) (2 ) 15 (51 ) 18 (33 ) Change in unrealized (698 ) (49 ) — 320 (427 ) 149 (278 ) Year ended December 31, 2014 Realized before impairments $ 32 $ 16 $ — $ (2 ) $ 46 $ (16 ) $ 30 Realized — impairments (8 ) (8 ) — 5 (11 ) 4 (7 ) Change in unrealized 465 6 — (222 ) 249 (87 ) 162 Year ended December 31, 2013 Realized before impairments $ 26 $ 45 $ — $ — $ 71 $ (25 ) $ 46 Realized — impairments (4 ) — (2 ) 3 (3 ) 1 (2 ) Change in unrealized (763 ) 20 — 394 (349 ) 122 (227 ) (*) Primarily adjustments to deferred policy acquisition costs and reserves related to annuities.
Gross realized gains and losses on available for sale fixed maturity and equity security investments	Gross realized gains and losses (excluding impairment write-downs and mark-to-market of derivatives) on available for sale fixed maturity and equity security investment transactions included in the Statement of Cash Flows consisted of the following (in millions): 2015 2014 2013 Fixed maturities: Gross gains $ 31 $ 29 $ 34 Gross losses (5 ) (1 ) (3 ) Equity securities: Gross gains 18 16 43 Gross losses (1 ) — —

Derivatives (Tables)

Derivatives (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2015
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivatives included in Balance Sheet at fair value	The following derivatives that do not qualify for hedge accounting under GAAP are included in GALIC’s Balance Sheet at fair value (in millions): December 31, 2015 December 31, 2014 Derivative Balance Sheet Line Asset Liability Asset Liability MBS with embedded derivatives Fixed maturities $ 100 $ — $ 96 $ — Public company warrants Equity securities 4 — 10 — Fixed-indexed annuities (embedded derivative) Annuity benefits accumulated — 1,369 — 1,160 Equity index call options Equity options - fixed indexed annuities 241 — 322 — Reinsurance contracts (embedded derivative) Other liabilities — 7 — 13 $ 345 $ 1,376 $ 428 $ 1,173
Summary of gain (loss) included in the Statement of Earnings for changes in the fair value of derivatives	The following table summarizes the gain (loss) included in the Statement of Earnings for changes in the fair value of derivatives that do not qualify for hedge accounting (in millions): Derivative Statement of Earnings Line 2015 2014 2013 MBS with embedded derivatives Realized gains on securities $ (5 ) $ 4 $ (5 ) Public company warrants Realized gains on securities — — 2 Interest rate swaptions Realized gains on securities — (2 ) 1 Fixed-indexed annuities (embedded derivative) (*) Annuity benefits (17 ) (182 ) (182 ) Equity index call options Annuity benefits (56 ) 181 210 Reinsurance contracts (embedded derivative) Net investment income 6 (3 ) 7 $ (72 ) $ (2 ) $ 33 (*) The change in fair value of the embedded derivative includes losses related to unlocking of actuarial assumptions of $28 million in 2015 compared to gains related to unlocking of actuarial assumptions of $58 million in 2014 and $2 million in 2013 .

Deferred Policy Acquisition C27

Deferred Policy Acquisition Costs (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2015
Deferred Policy Acquisition Costs Disclosures [Abstract]
Deferred Policy Acquisition Costs Details	A progression of deferred policy acquisition costs is presented below (in millions): Deferred Costs Sales Inducements PVFP Subtotal Unrealized (*) Total Balance at December 31, 2012 $ 773 $ 166 $ 88 $ 1,027 $ (698 ) $ 329 Additions 221 11 — 232 — 232 Amortization: Periodic amortization (140 ) (29 ) (11 ) (180 ) — (180 ) Annuity unlocking 4 (1 ) — 3 — 3 Included in realized gains 2 — — 2 — 2 Change in unrealized — — — — 362 362 Balance at December 31, 2013 860 147 77 1,084 (336 ) 748 Additions 198 8 — 206 — 206 Amortization: Periodic amortization (128 ) (26 ) (11 ) (165 ) — (165 ) Annuity unlocking (22 ) (1 ) — (23 ) — (23 ) Included in realized gains 2 1 — 3 — 3 Change in unrealized — — — — (189 ) (189 ) Balance at December 31, 2014 910 129 66 1,105 (525 ) 580 Additions 224 11 — 235 — 235 Amortization: Periodic amortization (159 ) (26 ) (11 ) (196 ) — (196 ) Annuity unlocking 31 4 — 35 — 35 Included in realized gains 8 1 — 9 — 9 Change in unrealized — — — — 291 291 Balance at December 31, 2015 $ 1,014 $ 119 $ 55 $ 1,188 $ (234 ) $ 954 (*) In addition to adjustments to DPAC related to unrealized gains on securities (as described in Note D — “ Balance Sheet Impact of Net Unrealized Gains on Securities ” ), unrealized also includes adjustments to DPAC related to unrealized gains on cash flow hedges of $1 million at December 31, 2015 .

Shareholder's Equity (Tables)

Shareholder's Equity (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2015
Stockholders' Equity Note [Abstract]
Components of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)	The progression of the components of accumulated other comprehensive income follows (in millions): Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) AOCI Beginning Balance Pretax Tax Net of tax AOCI Ending Balance Year ended December 31, 2015 Net unrealized gains (losses) on securities: Unrealized holding losses on securities arising during the period $ (440 ) $ 154 $ (286 ) Reclassification adjustment for realized (gains) losses included in net earnings (a) 13 (5 ) 8 Total net unrealized gains (losses) on securities (b) $ 469 (427 ) 149 (278 ) $ 191 Net unrealized gains on cash flow hedges — 1 — 1 1 Total $ 469 $ (426 ) $ 149 $ (277 ) $ 192 Year ended December 31, 2014 Net unrealized gains on securities: Unrealized holding gains on securities arising during the period $ 284 $ (99 ) $ 185 Reclassification adjustment for realized (gains) losses included in net earnings (a) (35 ) 12 (23 ) Total net unrealized gains on securities (b) $ 307 249 (87 ) 162 $ 469 Net unrealized gains on cash flow hedges — — — — — Total $ 307 $ 249 $ (87 ) $ 162 $ 469 Year ended December 31, 2013 Net unrealized gains (losses) on securities: Unrealized holding losses on securities arising during the period $ (279 ) $ 98 $ (181 ) Reclassification adjustment for realized (gains) losses included in net earnings (a) (70 ) 24 (46 ) Total net unrealized gains (losses) on securities (b) $ 534 $ (349 ) $ 122 $ (227 ) $ 307 (a) The reclassification adjustment out of net unrealized gains on securities affected the following lines in GALIC’s Statement of Earnings: OCI component Affected line in the Statement of Earnings Pretax Realized gains on securities Tax Provision for income taxes (b) Includes net unrealized gains of $33 million at December 31, 2015 compared to net unrealized gains of $37 million and $35 million at December 31, 2014 and 2013 , respectively, related to securities for which only the credit portion of an other-than-temporary impairment has been recorded in earnings.

Income Taxes (Tables)

Income Taxes (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2015
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Reconciliation of income taxes at the statutory rate and income taxes shown in the Statement of Earnings	The following is a reconciliation of income taxes at the statutory rate of 35% to the provision for income taxes as shown in the Statement of Earnings (dollars in millions): 2015 2014 2013 Amount % of EBT Amount % of EBT Amount % of EBT Earnings before income taxes (“EBT”) $ 319 $ 352 $ 391 Income taxes at statutory rate $ 112 35 % $ 123 35 % $ 137 35 % Effect of permanent items (4 ) (1 %) (3 ) (1 %) (1 ) — % Provision for income taxes as shown in the Statement of Earnings $ 108 34 % $ 120 34 % $ 136 35 %
Components of income tax provision (credit)	The total income tax provision (credit) consists of (in millions): 2015 2014 2013 Current taxes: Federal $ 133 $ 170 $ 193 State 2 4 2 Deferred taxes: Federal (27 ) (54 ) (59 ) Provision for income taxes $ 108 $ 120 $ 136
Components of deferred tax assets and liabilities	Deferred income tax assets and liabilities reflect temporary differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities recognized for financial reporting purposes and the amounts recognized for tax purposes. The significant components of deferred tax assets and liabilities included in the GALIC’s Balance Sheet at December 31 were as follows (in millions): 2015 2014 Excluding Unrealized Gains Impact of Unrealized Gains Total Excluding Unrealized Gains Impact of Unrealized Gains Total Deferred tax assets: Insurance claims and reserves $ 404 $ 22 $ 426 $ 357 $ 39 $ 396 Other, net 22 (4 ) 18 25 (11 ) 14 Total deferred tax assets 426 18 444 382 28 410 Deferred tax liabilities: Investment securities (6 ) (203 ) (209 ) (23 ) (464 ) (487 ) Deferred policy acquisition costs (348 ) 82 (266 ) (313 ) 184 (129 ) Total deferred tax liabilities (354 ) (121 ) (475 ) (336 ) (280 ) (616 ) Net deferred tax assets (liabilities) $ 72 $ (103 ) $ (31 ) $ 46 $ (252 ) $ (206 )
Progression of the liability for uncertain tax positions, excluding interest and penalties	The following is a progression of GALIC’s uncertain tax positions, excluding interest and penalties, which all relate to the uncertainty as to the timing of tax return inclusion of investment income of certain debt securities (in millions): 2015 2014 2013 Balance at January 1 $ — $ 13 $ 12 Reductions for tax positions of prior years — (4 ) — Additions for tax positions of current year — — 1 Settlements — (9 ) — Balance at December 31 $ — $ — $ 13

Insurance (Tables)

Insurance (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2015
Insurance [Abstract]
Statutory information	Net earnings and capital and surplus on a statutory basis for all GALIC insurance subsidiaries were as follows (in millions): Net Earnings Capital and Surplus 2015 2014 2013 2015 2014 GALIC consolidated life insurance companies $ 399 $ 384 $ 285 $ 1,719 $ 1,636
Schedule of reserve liabilities for annuity benefits accumulated	For certain products, the liability for “annuity benefits accumulated” includes reserves for excess benefits expected to be paid on future deaths and annuitizations (“EDAR”), guaranteed withdrawal benefits and accrued persistency and premium bonuses. The liabilities included in GALIC’s Balance Sheet for these benefits, excluding the impact of unrealized gains on securities, were as follows at December 31 (in millions): 2015 2014 Expected death and annuitization $ 214 $ 213 Guaranteed withdrawal benefits 203 151 Accrued persistency and premium bonuses 11 14

Accounting Policies (Details)

Accounting Policies (Details)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2015
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Maturities of short term investments	3 months

Segments of Operations (Details

Segments of Operations (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total assets	$ 30,828	$ 28,012	$ 25,045
Annuity [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total assets	30,055	27,218	24,206
Run-off Life [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total assets	$ 773	$ 794	$ 839

Segments of Operations (Detai33

Segments of Operations (Details 1) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net investment income	$ 1,230	$ 1,139	$ 1,038
Other income	105	100	82
Revenues before realized gains	1,356	1,262	1,146
Realized gains (losses) on securities	(16)	35	68
Total revenues	1,340	1,297	1,214
Annuity [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net investment income	1,211	1,120	1,017
Other income	100	94	77
Revenues before realized gains	1,311	1,214	1,094
Run-off Life [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues before realized gains	$ 45	$ 48	$ 52

Segments of Operations (Detai34

Segments of Operations (Details 2) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Earnings before realized gains and income taxes	$ 335	$ 317	$ 323
Realized gains (losses) on securities	(16)	35	68
Earnings before income taxes	319	352	391
Annuity [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Earnings before realized gains and income taxes	333	318	320
Run-off Life [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Earnings before realized gains and income taxes	$ 2	$ (1)	$ 3

Segments of Operations (Detai35

Segments of Operations (Details Textual)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2015segment
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
Number of segments	2

Fair Value Measurements (Detail

Fair Value Measurements (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions		Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Assets:
Fixed maturities, Available for sale, Fair Value		$ 25,486	$ 23,101
Fixed maturities, Trading, Fair Value		114	127
Equity securities, Available for sale, Fair Value		486	386
Variable annuity assets (separate accounts)	[1]	608	662
Equity options — fixed indexed annuities		241	322
Total assets accounted for at fair value		26,937	24,598
Liabilities:
Total liabilities accounted for at fair value		1,377	1,173
Annuity benefits accumulated [Member]
Liabilities:
Derivatives included in annuity benefits accumulated and other liabilities		1,369	1,160
Other liabilities [Member]
Liabilities:
Derivatives included in annuity benefits accumulated and other liabilities		8	13
U.S. Government and government agencies [Member]
Assets:
Fixed maturities, Available for sale, Fair Value		60	64
States, municipalities and political subdivisions [Member]
Assets:
Fixed maturities, Available for sale, Fair Value		3,966	3,651
Foreign government [Member]
Assets:
Fixed maturities, Available for sale, Fair Value		13	13
Residential Mortgage Backed Securities [Member]
Assets:
Fixed maturities, Available for sale, Fair Value		2,584	3,205
Commercial Mortgage Backed Securities [Member]
Assets:
Fixed maturities, Available for sale, Fair Value		1,974	2,114
Asset-backed Securities [Member]
Assets:
Fixed maturities, Available for sale, Fair Value		3,492	2,788
All other corporate [Member]
Assets:
Fixed maturities, Available for sale, Fair Value		13,397	11,266
Fixed maturities [Member]
Assets:
Fixed maturities, Available for sale, Fair Value		25,486	23,101
Fixed maturities, Trading, Fair Value		114	127
Equity securities [Member]
Assets:
Equity securities, Available for sale, Fair Value		486	386
Other assets [Member]
Assets:
Other assets — derivatives		2
Level 1 [Member]
Assets:
Variable annuity assets (separate accounts)	[1]	0	0
Equity options — fixed indexed annuities		0	0
Total assets accounted for at fair value		398	311
Liabilities:
Total liabilities accounted for at fair value		0	0
Level 1 [Member] | Annuity benefits accumulated [Member]
Liabilities:
Derivatives included in annuity benefits accumulated and other liabilities		0	0
Level 1 [Member] | Other liabilities [Member]
Liabilities:
Derivatives included in annuity benefits accumulated and other liabilities		0	0
Level 1 [Member] | U.S. Government and government agencies [Member]
Assets:
Fixed maturities, Available for sale, Fair Value		10	11
Level 1 [Member] | States, municipalities and political subdivisions [Member]
Assets:
Fixed maturities, Available for sale, Fair Value		0	0
Level 1 [Member] | Foreign government [Member]
Assets:
Fixed maturities, Available for sale, Fair Value		0	0
Level 1 [Member] | Residential Mortgage Backed Securities [Member]
Assets:
Fixed maturities, Available for sale, Fair Value		0	0
Level 1 [Member] | Commercial Mortgage Backed Securities [Member]
Assets:
Fixed maturities, Available for sale, Fair Value		0	0
Level 1 [Member] | Asset-backed Securities [Member]
Assets:
Fixed maturities, Available for sale, Fair Value		0	0
Level 1 [Member] | All other corporate [Member]
Assets:
Fixed maturities, Available for sale, Fair Value		16	11
Level 1 [Member] | Fixed maturities [Member]
Assets:
Fixed maturities, Available for sale, Fair Value		26	22
Fixed maturities, Trading, Fair Value		0	0
Level 1 [Member] | Equity securities [Member]
Assets:
Equity securities, Available for sale, Fair Value		372	289
Level 1 [Member] | Other assets [Member]
Assets:
Other assets — derivatives		0
Level 2 [Member]
Assets:
Variable annuity assets (separate accounts)	[1]	608	662
Equity options — fixed indexed annuities		241	322
Total assets accounted for at fair value		25,276	23,270
Liabilities:
Total liabilities accounted for at fair value		8	13
Level 2 [Member] | Annuity benefits accumulated [Member]
Liabilities:
Derivatives included in annuity benefits accumulated and other liabilities		0	0
Level 2 [Member] | Other liabilities [Member]
Liabilities:
Derivatives included in annuity benefits accumulated and other liabilities		8	13
Level 2 [Member] | U.S. Government and government agencies [Member]
Assets:
Fixed maturities, Available for sale, Fair Value		35	38
Level 2 [Member] | States, municipalities and political subdivisions [Member]
Assets:
Fixed maturities, Available for sale, Fair Value		3,934	3,627
Level 2 [Member] | Foreign government [Member]
Assets:
Fixed maturities, Available for sale, Fair Value		13	13
Level 2 [Member] | Residential Mortgage Backed Securities [Member]
Assets:
Fixed maturities, Available for sale, Fair Value		2,400	2,970
Level 2 [Member] | Commercial Mortgage Backed Securities [Member]
Assets:
Fixed maturities, Available for sale, Fair Value		1,938	2,077
Level 2 [Member] | Asset-backed Securities [Member]
Assets:
Fixed maturities, Available for sale, Fair Value		3,159	2,613
Level 2 [Member] | All other corporate [Member]
Assets:
Fixed maturities, Available for sale, Fair Value		12,801	10,771
Level 2 [Member] | Fixed maturities [Member]
Assets:
Fixed maturities, Available for sale, Fair Value		24,280	22,109
Fixed maturities, Trading, Fair Value		114	127
Level 2 [Member] | Equity securities [Member]
Assets:
Equity securities, Available for sale, Fair Value		31	50
Level 2 [Member] | Other assets [Member]
Assets:
Other assets — derivatives		2
Level 3 [Member]
Assets:
Variable annuity assets (separate accounts)	[1]	0	0
Equity options — fixed indexed annuities		0	0
Total assets accounted for at fair value		1,263	1,017
Liabilities:
Total liabilities accounted for at fair value		1,369	1,160
Level 3 [Member] | Annuity benefits accumulated [Member]
Liabilities:
Derivatives included in annuity benefits accumulated and other liabilities		1,369	1,160
Level 3 [Member] | Other liabilities [Member]
Liabilities:
Derivatives included in annuity benefits accumulated and other liabilities		0	0
Level 3 [Member] | U.S. Government and government agencies [Member]
Assets:
Fixed maturities, Available for sale, Fair Value		15	15
Level 3 [Member] | States, municipalities and political subdivisions [Member]
Assets:
Fixed maturities, Available for sale, Fair Value		32	24
Level 3 [Member] | Foreign government [Member]
Assets:
Fixed maturities, Available for sale, Fair Value		0	0
Level 3 [Member] | Residential Mortgage Backed Securities [Member]
Assets:
Fixed maturities, Available for sale, Fair Value		184	235
Level 3 [Member] | Commercial Mortgage Backed Securities [Member]
Assets:
Fixed maturities, Available for sale, Fair Value		36	37
Level 3 [Member] | Asset-backed Securities [Member]
Assets:
Fixed maturities, Available for sale, Fair Value		333	175
Level 3 [Member] | All other corporate [Member]
Assets:
Fixed maturities, Available for sale, Fair Value		580	484
Level 3 [Member] | Fixed maturities [Member]
Assets:
Fixed maturities, Available for sale, Fair Value		1,180	970
Fixed maturities, Trading, Fair Value		0	0
Level 3 [Member] | Equity securities [Member]
Assets:
Equity securities, Available for sale, Fair Value		83	$ 47
Level 3 [Member] | Other assets [Member]
Assets:
Other assets — derivatives		$ 0
[1]	Variable annuity liabilities equal the fair value of variable annuity assets.

Fair Value Measurements (Deta37

Fair Value Measurements (Details 1) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2015USD ($)stock		Dec. 31, 2014USD ($)stock	Dec. 31, 2013USD ($)stock
Perpetual preferred stocks [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Number of stocks transferred from Level 2 to Level 1 | stock	0		1	0
Fair value of assets transferred from Level 2 to Level 1 | $	$ 0		$ 4	$ 0
Number of stocks transferred from Level 1 to Level 2 | stock	0		3	0
Fair value of assets transferred from Level 1 to Level 2 | $	$ 0		$ 14	$ 0
Common stocks [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Number of stocks transferred from Level 2 to Level 1 | stock	1	[1]	0	2
Fair value of assets transferred from Level 2 to Level 1 | $	$ 0	[1]	$ 0	$ 18
Number of stocks transferred from Level 1 to Level 2 | stock	1	[1]	1	0
Fair value of assets transferred from Level 1 to Level 2 | $	$ 0	[1]	$ 0	$ 0
Redeemable preferred stocks [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Number of stocks transferred from Level 2 to Level 1 | stock	0		0	1
Fair value of assets transferred from Level 2 to Level 1 | $	$ 0		$ 0	$ 5
Number of stocks transferred from Level 1 to Level 2 | stock	0		0	0
Fair value of assets transferred from Level 1 to Level 2 | $	$ 0		$ 0	$ 0
[1]	During 2015, there was one common stock transferred from Level 2 to Level 1 and one common stock transferred from Level 1 to Level 2, each with a fair value of less than $1 million.

Fair Value Measurements (Deta38

Fair Value Measurements (Details 2) - Embedded derivatives [Member]	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2015
Unobservable inputs used by management in determining fair value of embedded derivatives
Risk margin for uncertainty in cash flows	0.58%
Minimum [Member]
Unobservable inputs used by management in determining fair value of embedded derivatives
Adjustment for insurance subsidiary's credit risk	0.30%
Surrenders	3.00%
Partial surrenders	2.00%
Annuitizations	0.75%
Deaths	1.50%
Budgeted option costs	1.75%
Maximum [Member]
Unobservable inputs used by management in determining fair value of embedded derivatives
Adjustment for insurance subsidiary's credit risk	2.95%
Surrenders	18.00%
Partial surrenders	10.00%
Annuitizations	1.50%
Deaths	4.00%
Budgeted option costs	3.50%

Fair Value Measurements (Deta39

Fair Value Measurements (Details 3) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
US Treasury and Government [Member]
Assets Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation [Roll Forward]
Financial assets, Beginning Balance	$ 15	$ 15	$ 20
Total realized/unrealized gains (losses) included in Net income	0	0	(2)
Total realized/unrealized gains (losses) included in other comprehensive income (loss)	0	0	(3)
Purchases and issuances	0	0	0
Sales and settlements	0	0	0
Transfer into Level 3	0	0	0
Transfer out of Level 3	0	0	0
Financial assets, Ending Balance	15	15	15
States, municipalities and political subdivisions [Member]
Assets Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation [Roll Forward]
Financial assets, Beginning Balance	24	20	15
Total realized/unrealized gains (losses) included in Net income	0	0	0
Total realized/unrealized gains (losses) included in other comprehensive income (loss)	0	1	(1)
Purchases and issuances	9	0	10
Sales and settlements	(1)	0	0
Transfer into Level 3	0	3	0
Transfer out of Level 3	0	0	(4)
Financial assets, Ending Balance	32	24	20
Residential Mortgage Backed Securities [Member]
Assets Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation [Roll Forward]
Financial assets, Beginning Balance	235	267	315
Total realized/unrealized gains (losses) included in Net income	(2)	4	4
Total realized/unrealized gains (losses) included in other comprehensive income (loss)	(2)	3	21
Purchases and issuances	0	10	3
Sales and settlements	(32)	(27)	(47)
Transfer into Level 3	48	62	65
Transfer out of Level 3	(63)	(84)	(94)
Financial assets, Ending Balance	184	235	267
Commercial Mortgage Backed Securities [Member]
Assets Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation [Roll Forward]
Financial assets, Beginning Balance	37	24	22
Total realized/unrealized gains (losses) included in Net income	(1)	(1)	(2)
Total realized/unrealized gains (losses) included in other comprehensive income (loss)	(1)	0	0
Purchases and issuances	0	0	0
Sales and settlements	(2)	0	0
Transfer into Level 3	4	14	4
Transfer out of Level 3	(1)	0	0
Financial assets, Ending Balance	36	37	24
Asset-backed Securities [Member]
Assets Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation [Roll Forward]
Financial assets, Beginning Balance	175	62	233
Total realized/unrealized gains (losses) included in Net income	1	2	4
Total realized/unrealized gains (losses) included in other comprehensive income (loss)	(5)	(2)	(3)
Purchases and issuances	184	88	9
Sales and settlements	(40)	(17)	(49)
Transfer into Level 3	28	65	9
Transfer out of Level 3	(10)	(23)	(141)
Financial assets, Ending Balance	333	175	62
All other corporate [Member]
Assets Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation [Roll Forward]
Financial assets, Beginning Balance	484	292	212
Total realized/unrealized gains (losses) included in Net income	(4)	3	0
Total realized/unrealized gains (losses) included in other comprehensive income (loss)	(9)	13	(16)
Purchases and issuances	147	88	107
Sales and settlements	(47)	(60)	(12)
Transfer into Level 3	9	151	2
Transfer out of Level 3	0	(3)	(1)
Financial assets, Ending Balance	580	484	292
Equity securities [Member]
Assets Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation [Roll Forward]
Financial assets, Beginning Balance	47	8	18
Total realized/unrealized gains (losses) included in Net income	(3)	1	0
Total realized/unrealized gains (losses) included in other comprehensive income (loss)	(6)	1	0
Purchases and issuances	51	31	25
Sales and settlements	0	0	0
Transfer into Level 3	0	12	0
Transfer out of Level 3	(6)	(6)	(35)
Financial assets, Ending Balance	$ 83	$ 47	$ 8

Fair Value Measurements (Deta40

Fair Value Measurements (Details 4) - Embedded derivatives [Member] - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2015		Dec. 31, 2014		Dec. 31, 2013
Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation [Roll Forward]
Financial liabilities, Beginning Balance	$ (1,160)		$ (804)		$ (465)
Total realized/unrealized gains (losses) included in Net income	(17)	[1]	(182)	[2]	(182)	[3]
Total realized/unrealized gains (losses) included in other comprehensive income (loss)	0		0		0
Purchases and issuances	(257)		(221)		(192)
Sales and settlements	65		47		35
Transfers into Level 3	0		0		0
Transfers out of Level 3	0		0		0
Financial liabilities, Ending Balance	$ (1,369)		$ (1,160)		$ (804)
[1]	Total realized/unrealized gains (losses) included in net income for the embedded derivatives reflects losses related to the unlocking of actuarial assumptions of $28 million in 2015.
[2]	Total realized/unrealized gains (losses) included in net income for the embedded derivatives reflects gains related to the unlocking of actuarial assumptions of $58 million in 2014.
[3]	Total realized/unrealized gains (losses) included in net income for the embedded derivatives reflects gains related to the unlocking of actuarial assumptions of $2 million in 2013.

Fair Value Measurements (Deta41

Fair Value Measurements (Details 5) - USD ($) $ in Millions		Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Financial assets:
Cash and cash equivalents		$ 262	$ 222	$ 392	$ 413
Mortgage loans		880	890
Policy loans		201	210
Level 1 [Member]
Financial assets:
Cash and cash equivalents		262	222
Mortgage loans		0	0
Policy loans		0	0
Total financial assets not accounted for at fair value		262	222
Financial liabilities:
Annuity benefits accumulated	[1]	0	0
Total financial liabilities not accounted for at fair value		0	0
Level 2 [Member]
Financial assets:
Cash and cash equivalents		0	0
Mortgage loans		0	0
Policy loans		0	0
Total financial assets not accounted for at fair value		0	0
Financial liabilities:
Annuity benefits accumulated	[1]	0	0
Total financial liabilities not accounted for at fair value		0	0
Level 3 [Member]
Financial assets:
Cash and cash equivalents		0	0
Mortgage loans		883	892
Policy loans		201	210
Total financial assets not accounted for at fair value		1,084	1,102
Financial liabilities:
Annuity benefits accumulated	[1]	25,488	22,901
Total financial liabilities not accounted for at fair value		25,488	22,901
Carrying Value [Member]
Financial assets:
Cash and cash equivalents		262	222
Mortgage loans		880	890
Policy loans		201	210
Total financial assets not accounted for at fair value		1,343	1,322
Financial liabilities:
Annuity benefits accumulated	[1]	26,422	23,291
Total financial liabilities not accounted for at fair value		26,422	23,291
Fair Value [Member]
Financial assets:
Cash and cash equivalents		262	222
Mortgage loans		883	892
Policy loans		201	210
Total financial assets not accounted for at fair value		1,346	1,324
Financial liabilities:
Annuity benefits accumulated	[1]	25,488	22,901
Total financial liabilities not accounted for at fair value		$ 25,488	$ 22,901
[1]	Excludes $200 million and $201 million of life contingent annuities in the payout phase at December 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively.

Fair Value Measurements (Deta42

Fair Value Measurements (Details Textual) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2015USD ($)stockprofessional		Dec. 31, 2014USD ($)stock	Dec. 31, 2013USD ($)stock
Fair Value Measurements (Textual) [Abstract]
AFG's internal investment professionals | professional	25
Level 3 assets as a percentage of total assets measured at fair value	5.00%
Percentage of level 3 assets that were priced using non-binding broker quotes	76.00%
Level 3 assets that were priced using non-binding broker quotes	$ 959
Percentage of internally developed Level 3 asset fair values to total assets (approximately)	1.00%
Life contingent annuities	$ 200		$ 201
Fixed-indexed annuities (embedded derivative) [Member]
Fair Value Measurements (Textual) [Abstract]
Fair value of derivatives in annuity benefits accumulated measured using a discounted cash flow approach	$ 1,370
Fixed-indexed annuities (embedded derivative) [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Fair Value Measurements (Textual) [Abstract]
Unobservable input surrenders used in Level 3 fair value determination	3.00%
Fixed-indexed annuities (embedded derivative) [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Fair Value Measurements (Textual) [Abstract]
Unobservable input surrenders used in Level 3 fair value determination	18.00%
Fixed-indexed annuities (embedded derivative), majority of future years [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Fair Value Measurements (Textual) [Abstract]
Unobservable input surrenders used in Level 3 fair value determination	5.00%
Fixed-indexed annuities (embedded derivative), majority of future years [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Fair Value Measurements (Textual) [Abstract]
Unobservable input surrenders used in Level 3 fair value determination	10.00%
Not Designated as Hedging Instrument [Member] | Annuity benefits [Member] | Fixed-indexed annuities (embedded derivative) [Member]
Fair Value Measurements (Textual) [Abstract]
Total realized/unrealized gains (losses) included in net income for the embedded derivatives related to the unlocking of actuarial assumptions	$ (28)		$ 58	$ 2
Common stocks [Member]
Fair Value Measurements (Textual) [Abstract]
Number of stocks transferred from Level 2 to Level 1 | stock	1	[1]	0	2
Number of stocks transferred from Level 1 to Level 2 | stock	1	[1]	1	0
Fair value of assets transferred from Level 2 to Level 1 (are less than)	$ 0	[1]	$ 0	$ 18
Fair value of assets transferred from Level 1 to Level 2 (are less than)	0	[1]	$ 0	$ 0
Common stocks [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Fair Value Measurements (Textual) [Abstract]
Fair value of assets transferred from Level 2 to Level 1 (are less than)	1
Fair value of assets transferred from Level 1 to Level 2 (are less than)	$ 1
[1]	During 2015, there was one common stock transferred from Level 2 to Level 1 and one common stock transferred from Level 1 to Level 2, each with a fair value of less than $1 million.

Balance Sheet Impact of Net U43

Balance Sheet Impact of Net Unrealized Gains on Securities (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions		Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Available-for-sale Securities [Abstract]
Fixed maturities, Available for sale, Amortized Cost		$ 24,903	$ 21,820
Equity securities, Available for sale, Amortized Cost		489	340
Fixed maturities, Available for sale, Fair Value		25,486	23,101
Equity securities, Available for sale, Fair Value		486	386
Deferred policy acquisition costs		954	580	$ 748	$ 329
Annuity benefits accumulated		(26,622)	(23,492)
Components of the net unrealized gain on securities, included in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income
Unrealized gain, pretax		294	721
Deferred tax on unrealized gain		(103)	(252)
Unrealized gain, after tax (included in AOCI)	[1]	191	469	307	534
Fixed maturities [Member]
Available-for-sale Securities [Abstract]
Fixed maturities, Available for sale, Amortized Cost		24,903	21,820
Fixed maturities, Available for sale, Fair Value		25,486	23,101
Components of the net unrealized gain on securities, included in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income
Unrealized gain, pretax		583	1,281
Equity securities [Member]
Available-for-sale Securities [Abstract]
Equity securities, Available for sale, Fair Value		486	386
Components of the net unrealized gain on securities, included in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income
Unrealized gain, pretax		(3)	46
Deferred policy acquisition costs [Member]
Available-for-sale Securities [Abstract]
Deferred policy acquisition costs		954	580
Components of the net unrealized gain on securities, included in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income
Unrealized gain, pretax		(233)	(525)
Annuity benefits accumulated [Member]
Available-for-sale Securities [Abstract]
Annuity benefits accumulated		(26,622)	(23,492)
Components of the net unrealized gain on securities, included in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income
Unrealized gain, pretax		(64)	(112)
Unearned Revenue (included in Other Liabilities) [Member]
Available-for-sale Securities [Abstract]
Unearned revenue (included in Other Liabilities)		(31)	(19)
Components of the net unrealized gain on securities, included in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income
Unrealized gain, pretax		11	31
Excluding Unrealized Gains [Member]
Available-for-sale Securities [Abstract]
Deferred policy acquisition costs		1,188	1,105	$ 1,084	$ 1,027
Excluding Unrealized Gains [Member] | Fixed maturities [Member]
Available-for-sale Securities [Abstract]
Fixed maturities, Available for sale, Amortized Cost		24,903	21,820
Excluding Unrealized Gains [Member] | Equity securities [Member]
Available-for-sale Securities [Abstract]
Equity securities, Available for sale, Amortized Cost		489	340
Excluding Unrealized Gains [Member] | Deferred policy acquisition costs [Member]
Available-for-sale Securities [Abstract]
Deferred policy acquisition costs		1,187	1,105
Excluding Unrealized Gains [Member] | Annuity benefits accumulated [Member]
Available-for-sale Securities [Abstract]
Annuity benefits accumulated		(26,558)	(23,380)
Excluding Unrealized Gains [Member] | Unearned Revenue (included in Other Liabilities) [Member]
Available-for-sale Securities [Abstract]
Unearned revenue (included in Other Liabilities)		$ (42)	$ (50)
[1]	Includes net unrealized gains of $33 million at December 31, 2015 compared to net unrealized gains of $37 million and $35 million at December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively, related to securities for which only the credit portion of an other-than-temporary impairment has been recorded in earnings.

Investments (Details)

Investments (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Available for sale fixed maturities and equity securities
Fixed maturities, Available for sale, Amortized Cost	$ 24,903	$ 21,820
Fixed maturities, Available for sale, Fair Value	25,486	23,101
Equity securities, Available for sale, Amortized Cost	489	340
Equity securities, Available for sale, Fair Value	486	386
U.S. Government and government agencies [Member]
Available for sale fixed maturities and equity securities
Fixed maturities, Available for sale, Amortized Cost	61	64
Fixed maturities, Available for sale, Fair Value	60	64
Fixed maturities, Available for sale, Gross Unrealized, Gains	2	3
Fixed maturities, Available for sale, Gross Unrealized, Losses	(3)	(3)
States, municipalities and political subdivisions [Member]
Available for sale fixed maturities and equity securities
Fixed maturities, Available for sale, Amortized Cost	3,836	3,448
Fixed maturities, Available for sale, Fair Value	3,966	3,651
Fixed maturities, Available for sale, Gross Unrealized, Gains	162	210
Fixed maturities, Available for sale, Gross Unrealized, Losses	(32)	(7)
Foreign government [Member]
Available for sale fixed maturities and equity securities
Fixed maturities, Available for sale, Amortized Cost	12	11
Fixed maturities, Available for sale, Fair Value	13	13
Fixed maturities, Available for sale, Gross Unrealized, Gains	1	2
Fixed maturities, Available for sale, Gross Unrealized, Losses	0	0
Residential Mortgage Backed Securities [Member]
Available for sale fixed maturities and equity securities
Fixed maturities, Available for sale, Amortized Cost	2,344	2,900
Fixed maturities, Available for sale, Fair Value	2,584	3,205
Fixed maturities, Available for sale, Gross Unrealized, Gains	246	314
Fixed maturities, Available for sale, Gross Unrealized, Losses	(6)	(9)
Commercial Mortgage Backed Securities [Member]
Available for sale fixed maturities and equity securities
Fixed maturities, Available for sale, Amortized Cost	1,903	1,974
Fixed maturities, Available for sale, Fair Value	1,974	2,114
Fixed maturities, Available for sale, Gross Unrealized, Gains	71	140
Fixed maturities, Available for sale, Gross Unrealized, Losses	0	0
Asset-backed Securities [Member]
Available for sale fixed maturities and equity securities
Fixed maturities, Available for sale, Amortized Cost	3,508	2,773
Fixed maturities, Available for sale, Fair Value	3,492	2,788
Fixed maturities, Available for sale, Gross Unrealized, Gains	21	31
Fixed maturities, Available for sale, Gross Unrealized, Losses	(37)	(16)
All other corporate [Member]
Available for sale fixed maturities and equity securities
Fixed maturities, Available for sale, Amortized Cost	13,239	10,650
Fixed maturities, Available for sale, Fair Value	13,397	11,266
Fixed maturities, Available for sale, Gross Unrealized, Gains	401	642
Fixed maturities, Available for sale, Gross Unrealized, Losses	(243)	(26)
Fixed maturities [Member]
Available for sale fixed maturities and equity securities
Fixed maturities, Available for sale, Amortized Cost	24,903	21,820
Fixed maturities, Available for sale, Fair Value	25,486	23,101
Fixed maturities, Available for sale, Gross Unrealized, Gains	904	1,342
Fixed maturities, Available for sale, Gross Unrealized, Losses	(321)	(61)
Common stocks [Member]
Available for sale fixed maturities and equity securities
Equity securities, Available for sale, Amortized Cost	439	302
Equity securities, Available for sale, Fair Value	436	348
Equity securities, Available for sale, Gross Unrealized, Gains	32	52
Equity securities, Available for sale, Gross Unrealized, Losses	(35)	(6)
Perpetual preferred stocks [Member]
Available for sale fixed maturities and equity securities
Equity securities, Available for sale, Amortized Cost	50	38
Equity securities, Available for sale, Fair Value	50	38
Equity securities, Available for sale, Gross Unrealized, Gains	0	0
Equity securities, Available for sale, Gross Unrealized, Losses	$ 0	$ 0

Investments (Details 1)

Investments (Details 1) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
U.S. Government and government agencies [Member]
Available-for-sale securities in a continuous unrealized loss position
Unrealized Loss - Less than twelve months	$ 0	$ 0
Fair Value - Less than twelve months	$ 4	$ 0
Fair Value as % of Cost - Less than twelve months	100.00%	0.00%
Unrealized Loss - Twelve months or more	$ (3)	$ (3)
Fair Value - Twelve months or more	$ 15	$ 15
Fair Value as % of Cost - Twelve months or more	83.00%	83.00%
States, municipalities and political subdivisions [Member]
Available-for-sale securities in a continuous unrealized loss position
Unrealized Loss - Less than twelve months	$ (25)	$ 0
Fair Value - Less than twelve months	$ 1,031	$ 30
Fair Value as % of Cost - Less than twelve months	98.00%	100.00%
Unrealized Loss - Twelve months or more	$ (7)	$ (7)
Fair Value - Twelve months or more	$ 103	$ 407
Fair Value as % of Cost - Twelve months or more	94.00%	98.00%
Residential Mortgage Backed Securities [Member]
Available-for-sale securities in a continuous unrealized loss position
Unrealized Loss - Less than twelve months	$ (2)	$ (1)
Fair Value - Less than twelve months	$ 180	$ 80
Fair Value as % of Cost - Less than twelve months	99.00%	99.00%
Unrealized Loss - Twelve months or more	$ (4)	$ (8)
Fair Value - Twelve months or more	$ 99	$ 169
Fair Value as % of Cost - Twelve months or more	96.00%	95.00%
Commercial Mortgage Backed Securities [Member]
Available-for-sale securities in a continuous unrealized loss position
Unrealized Loss - Less than twelve months	$ 0	$ 0
Fair Value - Less than twelve months	$ 74	$ 10
Fair Value as % of Cost - Less than twelve months	100.00%	100.00%
Unrealized Loss - Twelve months or more	$ 0	$ 0
Fair Value - Twelve months or more	$ 13	$ 7
Fair Value as % of Cost - Twelve months or more	100.00%	100.00%
Asset-backed Securities [Member]
Available-for-sale securities in a continuous unrealized loss position
Unrealized Loss - Less than twelve months	$ (29)	$ (8)
Fair Value - Less than twelve months	$ 1,849	$ 896
Fair Value as % of Cost - Less than twelve months	98.00%	99.00%
Unrealized Loss - Twelve months or more	$ (8)	$ (8)
Fair Value - Twelve months or more	$ 355	$ 498
Fair Value as % of Cost - Twelve months or more	98.00%	98.00%
All other corporate [Member]
Available-for-sale securities in a continuous unrealized loss position
Unrealized Loss - Less than twelve months	$ (195)	$ (12)
Fair Value - Less than twelve months	$ 4,229	$ 411
Fair Value as % of Cost - Less than twelve months	96.00%	97.00%
Unrealized Loss - Twelve months or more	$ (48)	$ (14)
Fair Value - Twelve months or more	$ 295	$ 521
Fair Value as % of Cost - Twelve months or more	86.00%	97.00%
Fixed maturities [Member]
Available-for-sale securities in a continuous unrealized loss position
Unrealized Loss - Less than twelve months	$ (251)	$ (21)
Fair Value - Less than twelve months	$ 7,367	$ 1,427
Fair Value as % of Cost - Less than twelve months	97.00%	99.00%
Unrealized Loss - Twelve months or more	$ (70)	$ (40)
Fair Value - Twelve months or more	$ 880	$ 1,617
Fair Value as % of Cost - Twelve months or more	93.00%	98.00%
Common stocks [Member]
Available-for-sale securities in a continuous unrealized loss position
Unrealized Loss - Less than twelve months	$ (35)	$ (6)
Fair Value - Less than twelve months	$ 228	$ 80
Fair Value as % of Cost - Less than twelve months	87.00%	93.00%
Unrealized Loss - Twelve months or more	$ 0	$ 0
Fair Value - Twelve months or more	$ 0	$ 0
Fair Value as % of Cost - Twelve months or more	0.00%	0.00%
Perpetual preferred stocks [Member]
Available-for-sale securities in a continuous unrealized loss position
Unrealized Loss - Less than twelve months	$ 0	$ 0
Fair Value - Less than twelve months	$ 23	$ 13
Fair Value as % of Cost - Less than twelve months	100.00%	100.00%
Unrealized Loss - Twelve months or more	$ 0	$ 0
Fair Value - Twelve months or more	$ 5	$ 4
Fair Value as % of Cost - Twelve months or more	100.00%	100.00%

Investments (Details 2)

Investments (Details 2) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Other than Temporary Impairment, Credit Losses Recognized in Earnings [Roll Forward]
Balance at beginning of period	$ 115	$ 125	$ 126
Additional credit impairments on:
Previously impaired securities	0	0	0
Securities without prior impairments	1	0	0
Reductions due to sales or redemptions	(6)	(10)	(1)
Balance at end of period	$ 110	$ 115	$ 125

Investments (Details 3)

Investments (Details 3) - Fixed maturity [Member] $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2015USD ($)
Amortized Cost Basis, Fiscal Year Maturity [Abstract]
One year or less	$ 549
After one year through five years	3,358
After five years through ten years	9,738
After ten years	3,503
Fixed maturities amortized cost, Subtotal	17,148
ABS (average life of approximately 5 years)	3,508
MBS (average life of approximately 4 years)	4,247
Amortized Cost	24,903
Fair Value, Fiscal Year Maturity [Abstract]
One year or less	558
After one year through five years	3,534
After five years through ten years	9,762
After ten years	3,582
Fixed maturities fair value, Subtotal	17,436
ABS (average life of approximately 5 years)	3,492
MBS (average life of approximately 4 years)	4,558
Fair Value	$ 25,486
Fair Value Percent, Fiscal Year Maturity [Abstract]
One year or less	2.00%
After one year through five years	14.00%
After five years through ten years	38.00%
After ten years	14.00%
Fixed maturities fair value, Subtotal, Percent	68.00%
ABS (average life of approximately 5 years)	14.00%
MBS (average life of approximately 4 years)	18.00%
Fair value, Total, Percent	100.00%

Investments (Details 4)

Investments (Details 4) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Net Investment Income [Line Items]
Gross investment income	$ 1,239	$ 1,143	$ 1,047
Investment expenses	(9)	(4)	(9)
Net investment income	1,230	1,139	1,038
Fixed maturities [Member]
Net Investment Income [Line Items]
Gross investment income	1,138	1,047	959
Equity securities [Member]
Net Investment Income [Line Items]
Gross investment income	21	16	10
Equity method investments [Member]
Net Investment Income [Line Items]
Gross investment income	16	9	0
Mortgage loans [Member]
Net Investment Income [Line Items]
Gross investment income	45	42	32
Policy loans [Member]
Net Investment Income [Line Items]
Gross investment income	12	12	13
Real estate and other [Member]
Net Investment Income [Line Items]
Gross investment income	$ 7	$ 17	$ 33

Investments (Details 5)

Investments (Details 5) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Realized gains (losses) and changes in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) related to fixed maturity and equity security investments
Realized before impairments	$ 35	$ 46	$ 71
Realized - impairments	(51)	(11)	(3)
Fixed maturities [Member]
Realized gains (losses) and changes in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) related to fixed maturity and equity security investments
Realized before impairments	24	32	26
Realized - impairments	(28)	(8)	(4)
Change in unrealized	(698)	465	(763)
Equity securities [Member]
Realized gains (losses) and changes in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) related to fixed maturity and equity security investments
Realized before impairments	17	16	45
Realized - impairments	(36)	(8)	0
Change in unrealized	(49)	6	20
Mortgage Loans And Other Investments [Member]
Realized gains (losses) and changes in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) related to fixed maturity and equity security investments
Realized before impairments	(1)	0	0
Realized - impairments	(2)	0	(2)
Change in unrealized	0	0	0
Other, Including DPAC on Annuities [Member]
Realized gains (losses) and changes in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) related to fixed maturity and equity security investments
Realized before impairments	(5)	(2)	0
Realized - impairments	15	5	3
Change in unrealized	320	(222)	394
Total Pretax [Member]
Realized gains (losses) and changes in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) related to fixed maturity and equity security investments
Realized before impairments	35	46	71
Realized - impairments	(51)	(11)	(3)
Change in unrealized	(427)	249	(349)
Tax Effects [Member]
Realized gains (losses) and changes in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) related to fixed maturity and equity security investments
Realized before impairments	(12)	(16)	(25)
Realized - impairments	18	4	1
Change in unrealized	149	(87)	122
Marketable Securities [Member]
Realized gains (losses) and changes in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) related to fixed maturity and equity security investments
Realized before impairments	23	30	46
Realized - impairments	(33)	(7)	(2)
Change in unrealized	$ (278)	$ 162	$ (227)

Investments (Details 6)

Investments (Details 6) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Fixed maturities [Member]
Gross realized gains and losses on the sale of available for sale fixed maturity and equity security investments
Gross gains	$ 31	$ 29	$ 34
Gross losses	(5)	(1)	(3)
Equity securities [Member]
Gross realized gains and losses on the sale of available for sale fixed maturity and equity security investments
Gross gains	18	16	43
Gross losses	$ (1)	$ 0	$ 0

Investments (Details Textual)

Investments (Details Textual) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2015USD ($)security	Dec. 31, 2014USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2013USD ($)
Investment [Line Items]
Percentage (based on amount of unrealized loss) of available for sale fixed maturities that are in an unrealized loss position and rated investment grade	80.00%
Percentage (based on fair value) of available for sale fixed maturities that are in an unrealized loss position and rated investment grade	93.00%
Other than temporary impairment charges	$ 51	$ 11	$ 3
Average life of ABS	5 years
Average life of MBS	4 years
Investment management charges (are less than in 2014)	$ 6		4
Residential Mortgage Backed Securities [Member]
Investment [Line Items]
Non-credit related portion of other-than-temporary impairment charges taken for securities still owned	160	167
Fixed maturities, Gross Unrealized, Losses	(6)	(9)
Other than temporary impairment charges	4
Corporate bonds [Member]
Investment [Line Items]
Other than temporary impairment charges	23
Securities with non-credit other-than-temporary impairment charges [Member]
Investment [Line Items]
Gross Unrealized, Gains	104	115
Gross Unrealized, Losses	(5)	(6)
Fixed maturities [Member]
Investment [Line Items]
Fixed maturities, Gross Unrealized, Losses	$ (321)	(61)
Number of available for sale securities in an unrealized loss position | security	1,078
Other than temporary impairment charges	$ 28	8	$ 4
Common stocks [Member]
Investment [Line Items]
Number of available for sale securities in an unrealized loss position | security	48
Other than temporary impairment charges	$ 36
Equity securities, Gross Unrealized, Losses	(35)	(6)
Preferred stocks [Member]
Investment [Line Items]
Equity securities, Gross Unrealized, Losses	$ 0	0
Maximum [Member]
Investment [Line Items]
Investment management charges (are less than in 2014)		$ 1
Number of available for sale securities in an unrealized loss position for twelve months or longer [Member] | Common stocks [Member]
Investment [Line Items]
Number of available for sale securities in an unrealized loss position | security	0

Derivatives (Details)

Derivatives (Details) - Not Designated as Hedging Instrument [Member] - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Derivatives included in AFG' s Balance Sheet at fair value
Derivative asset, at fair value	$ 345	$ 428
Derivative liability, at fair value	1,376	1,173
MBS with embedded derivatives [Member] | Fixed maturities [Member]
Derivatives included in AFG' s Balance Sheet at fair value
Derivative asset, at fair value	100	96
Public company warrants [Member] | Equity securities [Member]
Derivatives included in AFG' s Balance Sheet at fair value
Derivative asset, at fair value	4	10
Fixed-indexed annuities (embedded derivative) [Member] | Annuity benefits accumulated [Member]
Derivatives included in AFG' s Balance Sheet at fair value
Derivative liability, at fair value	1,369	1,160
Equity index call options [Member] | Equity options - fixed indexed annuities [Member]
Derivatives included in AFG' s Balance Sheet at fair value
Derivative asset, at fair value	241	322
Reinsurance contracts (embedded derivative) [Member] | Other liabilities [Member]
Derivatives included in AFG' s Balance Sheet at fair value
Derivative liability, at fair value	$ 7	$ 13

Derivatives (Details 1)

Derivatives (Details 1) - Not Designated as Hedging Instrument [Member] - USD ($) $ in Millions		12 Months Ended
		Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Derivative, Gain (Loss) on Derivative, Net [Abstract]
Derivative Instruments Not Designated as Hedging Instruments, Gain (Loss), Net		$ (72)	$ (2)	$ 33
MBS with embedded derivatives [Member] | Realized gains on securities [Member]
Derivative, Gain (Loss) on Derivative, Net [Abstract]
Derivative Instruments Not Designated as Hedging Instruments, Gain (Loss), Net		(5)	4	(5)
Public company warrants [Member] | Realized gains on securities [Member]
Derivative, Gain (Loss) on Derivative, Net [Abstract]
Derivative Instruments Not Designated as Hedging Instruments, Gain (Loss), Net		0	0	2
Interest rate swaptions [Member] | Realized gains on securities [Member]
Derivative, Gain (Loss) on Derivative, Net [Abstract]
Derivative Instruments Not Designated as Hedging Instruments, Gain (Loss), Net		0	(2)	1
Fixed-indexed annuities (embedded derivative) [Member] | Annuity benefits [Member]
Derivative, Gain (Loss) on Derivative, Net [Abstract]
Derivative Instruments Not Designated as Hedging Instruments, Gain (Loss), Net	[1]	(17)	(182)	(182)
Equity index call options [Member] | Annuity benefits [Member]
Derivative, Gain (Loss) on Derivative, Net [Abstract]
Derivative Instruments Not Designated as Hedging Instruments, Gain (Loss), Net		(56)	181	210
Reinsurance contracts (embedded derivative) [Member] | Net investment income [Member]
Derivative, Gain (Loss) on Derivative, Net [Abstract]
Derivative Instruments Not Designated as Hedging Instruments, Gain (Loss), Net		$ 6	$ (3)	$ 7
[1]	The change in fair value of the embedded derivative includes losses related to unlocking of actuarial assumptions of $28 million in 2015 compared to gains related to unlocking of actuarial assumptions of $58 million in 2014 and $2 million in 2013.

Derivatives (Details Textual)

Derivatives (Details Textual) - USD ($)	3 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Indexed annuities as a percentage of annuity benefits			60.00%
Carrying value of collateral received to support purchased call options			$ 211,000,000	$ 285,000,000
Not Designated as Hedging Instrument [Member] | Annuity benefits [Member] | Fixed-indexed annuities (embedded derivative) [Member]
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
The portion of the change in fair value of the embedded derivative related to the unlocking of actuarial assumptions			(28,000,000)	58,000,000	$ 2,000,000
Cash Flow Hedges [Member] | Designated as Hedging Instrument [Member] | Interest rate swaps [Member]
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Contract term of derivative instrument		5 years
Notional amount of derivative instrument outstanding		$ 431,000,000
Gain (loss) reclassified from AOCI into net investment income			6,000,000	2,000,000
Gain (loss) on cash flow hedge ineffectiveness recorded in Net Earnings			0	0
Cash Flow Hedges [Member] | Designated as Hedging Instrument [Member] | Interest rate swaps [Member]
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Notional amount of derivative instrument outstanding			614,000,000	401,000,000
Maximum [Member] | Cash Flow Hedges [Member] | Designated as Hedging Instrument [Member] | Interest rate swaps [Member]
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Net derivatives, at fair value (are less than in 2014)				1,000,000
Five-year interest rate swap [Member] | Cash Flow Hedges [Member] | Designated as Hedging Instrument [Member] | Interest rate swaps [Member]
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Contract term of derivative instrument	5 years
Notional amount of derivative instrument outstanding	$ 195,000,000
Fifteen-year interest rate swap [Member] | Cash Flow Hedges [Member] | Designated as Hedging Instrument [Member] | Interest rate swaps [Member]
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Contract term of derivative instrument	15 years
Notional amount of derivative instrument outstanding	$ 132,000,000
Other assets [Member] | Cash Flow Hedges [Member] | Designated as Hedging Instrument [Member] | Interest rate swaps [Member]
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Net derivatives, at fair value (are less than in 2014)			2,000,000
Other Liabilities [Member] | Cash Flow Hedges [Member] | Designated as Hedging Instrument [Member] | Interest rate swaps [Member]
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Net derivatives, at fair value (are less than in 2014)				$ 0
Other Liabilities [Member] | Maximum [Member] | Cash Flow Hedges [Member] | Designated as Hedging Instrument [Member] | Interest rate swaps [Member]
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Net derivatives, at fair value (are less than in 2014)			$ (1,000,000)

Deferred Policy Acquisition C55

Deferred Policy Acquisition Costs (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2015		Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Movement Analysis of Deferred Policy Acquisition Costs [Roll Forward]
Deferred policy acquisition costs, beginning balance	$ 910		$ 860	$ 773
Deferred policy acquisition costs, additions	224		198	221
Deferred policy acquisition costs, periodic amortization	(159)		(128)	(140)
Deferred policy acquisition costs, annuity unlocking	31		(22)	4
Deferred policy acquisition costs, change included in realized gains	8		2	2
Deferred policy acquisition costs, ending balance	1,014		910	860
Movement in Deferred Sales Inducements [Roll Forward]
Deferred sales inducements, beginning balance	129		147	166
Deferred sales inducements, additions	11		8	11
Deferred sales inducements, periodic amortization	(26)		(26)	(29)
Deferred sales inducements, annuity unlocking	4		(1)	(1)
Deferred sales inducements, change included in realized gains	1		1	0
Deferred sales inducements, ending balance	119		129	147
Movement in Present Value of Future Insurance Profits [Roll Forward]
Present value of future profits, beginning balance	66		77	88
Present value of future profits, periodic amortization	(11)		(11)	(11)
Present value of future profits, annuity unlocking	0		0	0
Present value of future profits, ending balance	55		66	77
Movement in Unrealized Gains (Losses) Related to Deferred Policy Acquisition Costs and Present Value of Future Profits [Roll Forward]
Unrealized investment gains (losses), beginning balance	(525)		(336)	(698)
Unrealized investment gains (losses), change in unrealized	291	[1]	(189)	362
Unrealized investment gains (losses), ending balance	(234)	[1]	(525)	(336)
Movement Analysis of Deferred Policy Acquisition Costs and Present Value of Future Profits [Roll Forward]
Deferred policy acquisition costs and present value of future profits, beginning balance	580		748	329
Deferred policy acquisition costs and present value of future profits, additions	235		206	232
Deferred policy acquisition costs and present value of future profits, periodic amortization	(196)		(165)	(180)
Deferred policy acquisition costs and present value of future profits, annuity unlocking	35		(23)	3
Deferred policy acquisition costs and present value of future profits, change included in realized gains	9		3	2
Deferred policy acquisition costs and present value of future profits, change in unrealized	291		(189)	362
Deferred policy acquisition costs and present value of future profits, ending balance	954		580	748
Excluding Unrealized Gains [Member]
Movement Analysis of Deferred Policy Acquisition Costs and Present Value of Future Profits [Roll Forward]
Deferred policy acquisition costs and present value of future profits, beginning balance	1,105		1,084	1,027
Deferred policy acquisition costs and present value of future profits, ending balance	$ 1,188		$ 1,105	$ 1,084
[1]	In addition to adjustments to DPAC related to unrealized gains on securities (as described in Note D — “Balance Sheet Impact of Net Unrealized Gains on Securities”), unrealized also includes adjustments to DPAC related to unrealized gains on cash flow hedges of $1 million at December 31, 2015.

Deferred Policy Acquisition C56

Deferred Policy Acquisition Costs (Details Textual) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2015USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2014USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2013USD ($)
Deferred Policy Acquisition Costs Disclosures [Abstract]
Net unrealized gains (losses) on cash flow hedges	$ 1	$ 0	$ 0
Accumulated Amortization of Present Value of Future Profits	$ 158	$ 147
Approximate annual rate of decrease in present value of future profits during next five years	0.167

Shareholder's Equity (Details)

Shareholder's Equity (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions		12 Months Ended
		Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Components of accumulated other comprehensive income
Unrealized holding gains (losses) on securities arising during the period, pretax		$ (440)	$ 284	$ (279)
Unrealized holding gains (losses) on securities arising during the period, tax		154	(99)	98
Unrealized holding gains (losses) on securities arising during the period, net of tax		(286)	185	(181)
Reclassification adjustment for realized (gains) losses included in net earnings, pretax	[1]	13	(35)	(70)
Reclassification adjustment for realized (gains) losses included in net earnings, tax	[1]	(5)	12	24
Reclassification adjustment for realized (gains) losses included in net earnings, net of tax		8	(23)	(46)
Accumulated other comprehensive income, net unrealized gains (losses) on securities, beginning balance	[2]	469	307	534
Other comprehensive income, net unrealized gains (losses) on securities, pretax		(427)	249	(349)
Other comprehensive income, net unrealized gains (losses) on securities, tax		149	(87)	122
Total net unrealized gains (losses) on securities		(278)	162	(227)
Accumulated other comprehensive income, net unrealized gains (losses) on securities, ending balance	[2]	191	469	307
Accumulated other comprehensive income, net unrealized gains (losses) on cash flow hedges, beginning balance		0	0
Other comprehensive income, net unrealized gains (losses) on cash flow hedges, pretax		1	0
Other comprehensive income, net unrealized gains (losses) on cash flow hedges, tax		0	0
Other comprehensive income, net unrealized gains (losses) on cash flow hedges, net of tax		1	0	0
Accumulated other comprehensive income, net unrealized gains (losses) on cash flow hedges, ending balance		1	0	0
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), total, beginning balance		469	307
Other comprehensive income (loss), total, pretax		(426)	249
Other comprehensive income (loss), total, tax		149	(87)
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax		(277)	162	(227)
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), total, ending balance		$ 192	$ 469	$ 307
[1]	The reclassification adjustment out of net unrealized gains on securities affected the following lines in GALIC’s Statement of Earnings: OCI component Affected line in the Statement of Earnings Pretax Realized gains on securities Tax Provision for income taxes
[2]	Includes net unrealized gains of $33 million at December 31, 2015 compared to net unrealized gains of $37 million and $35 million at December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively, related to securities for which only the credit portion of an other-than-temporary impairment has been recorded in earnings.

Shareholder's Equity (Details T

Shareholder's Equity (Details Textual) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Components of accumulated other comprehensive income
Net of tax unrealized gains (losses) related to credit-only impaired securities	$ 33	$ 37	$ 35

Income Taxes (Details)

Income Taxes (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Effective Income Tax Rate Reconciliation, Amount [Abstract]
Earnings before income taxes (“EBT”)	$ 319	$ 352	$ 391
Income taxes at statutory rate	112	123	137
Effect of other income tax reconciliation	(4)	(3)	(1)
Provision for income taxes as shown in the Statement of Earnings	$ 108	$ 120	$ 136
Effective Income Tax Rate Reconciliation, Percent [Abstract]
Income taxes at statutory rate as a percentage of EBT	35.00%	35.00%	35.00%
Effect of other income tax reconciliation as a percentage of EBT	(1.00%)	(1.00%)	0.00%
Provision for income taxes as shown in the Statement of Earnings as a percentage of EBT	34.00%	34.00%	35.00%

Income Taxes (Details 1)

Income Taxes (Details 1) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Current taxes:
Federal	$ 133	$ 170	$ 193
State	2	4	2
Deferred taxes:
Federal	(27)	(54)	(59)
Provision for income taxes as shown in the Statement of Earnings	$ 108	$ 120	$ 136

Income Taxes (Details 2)

Income Taxes (Details 2) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Deferred tax assets:
Insurance claims and reserves	$ 426	$ 396
Other, net	18	14
Total deferred tax assets	444	410
Deferred tax liabilities:
Investment securities	(209)	(487)
Deferred policy acquisition costs	(266)	(129)
Total deferred tax liabilities	(475)	(616)
Net deferred tax assets (liabilities)	(31)	(206)
Excluding Unrealized Gains [Member]
Deferred tax assets:
Insurance claims and reserves	404	357
Other, net	22	25
Total deferred tax assets	426	382
Deferred tax liabilities:
Investment securities	(6)	(23)
Deferred policy acquisition costs	(348)	(313)
Total deferred tax liabilities	(354)	(336)
Net deferred tax assets (liabilities)	72	46
Impact of Unrealized Gains [Member]
Deferred tax assets:
Insurance claims and reserves	22	39
Other, net	(4)	(11)
Total deferred tax assets	18	28
Deferred tax liabilities:
Investment securities	(203)	(464)
Deferred policy acquisition costs	82	184
Total deferred tax liabilities	(121)	(280)
Net deferred tax assets (liabilities)	$ (103)	$ (252)

Income Taxes (Details 3)

Income Taxes (Details 3) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Progression of the liability for uncertain tax positions, excluding interest and penalties
Balance at January 1		$ 0	$ 13	$ 12
Reductions for tax positions of prior years		0	(4)	0
Additions for tax positions of current year		0	0	1
Settlements	$ (9)	0	(9)	0
Balance at December 31		$ 0	$ 0	$ 13

Income Taxes (Details Textual)

Income Taxes (Details Textual) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Income Tax Reconciliation [Line Items]
Statutory rate of income taxes		35.00%	35.00%	35.00%
Decrease in AFG's liability for uncertain tax positions	$ (13)
Decrease in AFG's liability for uncertain tax positions, settlements	$ (9)	$ 0	$ (9)	$ 0
Change in AFG's liability for uncertain tax positions of prior year		0	(4)	0
Interest included in tax provision (are less than in 2013)			(1)
Decrease in related accrued interest				1
Income tax penalties accrued				0
Cash payments for income taxes		100	227	135
Maximum [Member]
Income Tax Reconciliation [Line Items]
Interest included in tax provision (are less than in 2013)				$ 1
Charge for valuation allowance [Member]
Income Tax Reconciliation [Line Items]
Charge for valuation allowance against deferred tax assets		$ 0	$ 0

Insurance (Details)

Insurance (Details) - GALIC consolidated life insurance companies [Member] - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Statutory information
Net Earnings	$ 399	$ 384	$ 285
Capital and Surplus	$ 1,719	$ 1,636

Insurance (Details 1)

Insurance (Details 1) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Insurance [Abstract]
Expected death and annuitization	$ 214	$ 213
Guaranteed withdrawal benefits	203	151
Accrued persistency and premium bonuses	$ 11	$ 14

Insurance (Details Textual)

Insurance (Details Textual) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Insurance [Line Items]
Carrying value of securities owned by U.S.-based insurance subsidiaries on deposit	$ 24
Investment in Federal Home Loan Bank capital stock	41
Proceeds received under funding agreements with the Federal Home Loan Bank	345
Advances from Federal Home Loan Bank	785
Repayments of advances from Federal Home Loan Bank due in the next twelve months	200
Repayments of advances from Federal Home Loan Bank due in year three	285
Repayments of advances from Federal Home Loan Bank due in year five	$ 300
Description of variable rate basis	LIBOR
Fair value of commercial mortgage-backed securities held as collateral by the Federal Home Loan Bank	$ 912
Interest on advances from Federal Home Loan Bank	3	$ 1	$ 1
Dividends	$ (110)	(200)	(115)
Statutory restrictions on dividends	The maximum amount of dividends that can be paid to shareholders in 2016 by life insurance companies domiciled in the State of Ohio without prior approval of the Insurance Commissioner is the greater of 10% of statutory surplus as regards to policyholders or statutory net income as of the preceding December 31, but only to the extent of statutory earned surplus as of the preceding December 31.
Percentage threshold of dividends paid in previous twelve months to earned statutory surplus of prior year end, requiring approval of payment of dividends if exceeded	10.00%
Maximum amount of dividends available to be paid by insurance subsidiaries to parent without prior approval of regulatory authorities	$ 375
Maximum amount of dividends available to be received by parent from insurance subsidiaries without prior approval of regulatory authorities	25
Aggregate guaranteed minimum death benefit value on variable annuity polices in force	$ 27	23
Minimum [Member] | LIBOR [Member]
Insurance [Line Items]
FHLB advances, basis spread on variable rate	0.02%
Maximum [Member]
Insurance [Line Items]
Death benefits paid in excess of the variable annuity account balances (are less than in 2013, 2014 and 2015)	$ 1	1	1
Maximum [Member] | LIBOR [Member]
Insurance [Line Items]
FHLB advances, basis spread on variable rate	0.49%
Average [Member] | LIBOR [Member]
Insurance [Line Items]
FHLB advances, basis spread on variable rate	0.58%
Life insurance [Member]
Insurance [Line Items]
Life insurance in force, ceded premiums	$ 11,190	12,150
Life insurance in force, direct premiums	14,670	15,810
Life written premiums ceded	34	36	38
Reinsurance recoveries	45	55	54
Retained Earnings
Insurance [Line Items]
Dividends	$ (110)	$ (200)	$ (115)

Additional Information (Details

Additional Information (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Additional Information [Abstract]
General and administrative costs paid to parent	$ 27	$ 26	$ 26
Total rental expense	4	4	4
Commitments to fund limited partnerships	261
Retirement and employee savings plan expense	$ 1	$ 1	$ 1

Supplementary Insurance Infor68

Supplementary Insurance Information (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Supplementary Insurance Information, by Segment [Line Items]
Deferred policy acquisition costs	$ 954	$ 580	$ 748
Reserves for future policy benefits and claims	27,327	24,182	21,360
Net earned premiums	21	23	26
Net investment income	1,230	1,139	1,038
Benefits, claims, losses and settlement expenses	753	674	556
Amortization of deferred policy acquisition costs	139	161	147
Other operating expenses	129	110	120
Annuity [Member]
Supplementary Insurance Information, by Segment [Line Items]
Deferred policy acquisition costs	930	553	717
Reserves for future policy benefits and claims	26,622	23,492	20,658
Net investment income	1,211	1,120	1,017
Benefits, claims, losses and settlement expenses	724	641	522
Amortization of deferred policy acquisition costs	134	156	142
Other operating expenses	120	99	110
Run-off Life [Member]
Supplementary Insurance Information, by Segment [Line Items]
Deferred policy acquisition costs	24	27	31
Reserves for future policy benefits and claims	705	690	702
Net earned premiums	21	23	26
Net investment income	19	19	21
Benefits, claims, losses and settlement expenses	29	33	34
Amortization of deferred policy acquisition costs	5	5	5
Other operating expenses	$ 9	$ 11	$ 10