Fair Value Measurements | C. 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 and debt securities 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, highly liquid government bonds, corporate and municipal fixed maturity securities, asset-backed securities (“ABS”), mortgage-backed securities (“MBS”), certain non-affiliated 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 at the valuation date. Financial instruments whose fair value is estimated based mostly on internally developed using significant inputs not based on, or corroborated by, observable market information are classified as Level 3. For the first five months of 2021 and in prior years, AFG’s management was 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 20 investment professionals 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 services regarding the methods and assumptions used in pricing, including verifying, on a test basis, the inputs used by the service to value specific securities. Beginning in June of 2021 MassMutual assumed responsibility for the valuation process and uses data from outside sources (including nationally recognized pricing services and broker/dealers) in establishing fair value. General Investment Account valuation is provided by MassMutual’s Pricing Operations team, a group is led by MassMutual’s Head of Investment Operations who reports directly to MassMutual’s Chief Investment Officer. Valuation techniques utilized by pricing services and prices obtained from external sources are reviewed by members of MassMutual’s Pricing Operations team. Asset valuation specialists, MassMutual internal investment professionals who are familiar with the securities being priced and the markets in which they trade, review prices that breach defined tolerance thresholds to determine if the price is appropriate. In addition, the Investment Pricing Operations team considers widely published indices (as benchmarks), recent trades, changes in interest rates, general economic conditions and the credit quality of the specific issuers. The Investment Pricing Operations team communicates directly with the pricing services regarding the methods and assumptions used in pricing as needed on an ad hoc basis and during annual pricing vendor due diligence procedures. Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Total September 30, 2021 (unaudited) Assets: Available for sale (“AFS”) fixed maturities: U.S. Government and government agencies $ — $ 25 $ — $ 25 States, municipalities and political subdivisions — 2,885 59 2,944 Foreign government — 34 — 34 Residential MBS — 2,516 2 2,518 Commercial MBS — 593 9 602 Collateralized loan obligations — 3,290 — 3,290 Other asset-backed securities 298 6,742 1,026 8,066 Corporate and other 28 16,847 1,729 18,604 Total AFS fixed maturities 326 32,932 2,825 36,083 Trading fixed maturities — 40 — 40 Equity securities 68 199 381 648 Equity index call options — 646 — 646 Variable annuity assets (separate accounts) (*) — 668 — 668 Other assets — derivatives — 59 — 59 Total assets accounted for at fair value $ 394 $ 34,544 $ 3,206 $ 38,144 Liabilities: Derivatives in annuity benefits accumulated $ — $ — $ 4,208 $ 4,208 Other liabilities — derivatives — 19 — 19 Total liabilities accounted for at fair value $ — $ 19 $ 4,208 $ 4,227 (*) Variable annuity liabilities equal the fair value of variable annuity assets. Assets and liabilities measured and carried at fair value in the financial statements are summarized below (in millions): Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Total December 31, 2020 Assets: Available for sale (“AFS”) fixed maturities: U.S. Government and government agencies $ 6 $ 23 $ 15 $ 44 States, municipalities and political subdivisions — 3,358 64 3,422 Foreign government — 34 — 34 Residential MBS — 2,013 127 2,140 Commercial MBS — 688 10 698 Collateralized loan obligations — 3,443 48 3,491 Other asset-backed securities — 4,107 1,069 5,176 Corporate and other 41 17,733 1,344 19,118 Total AFS fixed maturities 47 31,399 2,677 34,123 Trading fixed maturities — 42 — 42 Equity securities 431 49 293 773 Equity index call options — 825 — 825 Variable annuity assets (separate accounts) (*) — 664 — 664 Other assets — derivatives — 102 — 102 Total assets accounted for at fair value $ 478 $ 33,081 $ 2,970 $ 36,529 Liabilities: Derivatives in annuity benefits accumulated $ — $ — $ 3,933 $ 3,933 Other liabilities — derivatives — 10 — 10 Total liabilities accounted for at fair value $ — $ 10 $ 3,933 $ 3,943 December 31, 2019 Assets: Available for sale fixed maturities: U.S. Government and government agencies $ 6 $ 24 $ 15 $ 45 States, municipalities and political subdivisions — 4,284 65 4,349 Foreign government — 34 — 34 Residential MBS — 1,971 128 2,099 Commercial MBS — 806 29 835 Collateralized loan obligations — 3,365 14 3,379 Other asset-backed securities — 4,357 1,030 5,387 Corporate and other 16 20,220 1,535 21,771 Total AFS fixed maturities 22 35,061 2,816 37,899 Trading fixed maturities — 54 — 54 Equity securities 492 41 276 809 Equity index call options — 924 — 924 Variable annuity assets (separate accounts) (*) — 628 — 628 Other assets — derivatives — 50 — 50 Total assets accounted for at fair value $ 514 $ 36,758 $ 3,092 $ 40,364 Liabilities: Derivatives in annuity benefits accumulated $ — $ — $ 3,730 $ 3,730 Other liabilities — derivatives — 10 — 10 Total liabilities accounted for at fair value $ — $ 10 $ 3,730 $ 3,740 (*) Variable annuity liabilities equal the fair value of variable annuity assets. Approximately 8% of the total assets carried at fair value on September 30, 2021 (unaudited) were Level 3 assets. Approximately $ 49 2 Internally developed Level 3 asset fair values represent approximately $ 3.14 98 The derivatives embedded in GALIC’s fixed-indexed and registered index-linked annuity liabilities are measured using a discounted cash flow approach and had a fair value of $ 4.21 3.93 The following table presents information about the unobservable inputs used by management in determining fair value of these Level 3 liabilities at September 30, 2021 (unaudited). See Note F — “Derivatives.” Unobservable Input Range Adjustment for insurance subsidiary’s credit risk 0% – 2.2% over the risk-free rate Risk margin for uncertainty in cash flows 0.99% reduction in the discount rate Surrenders 7% – 22% of indexed account value Partial surrenders 2% – 10% of indexed account value Annuitizations 0.1% – 1% of indexed account value Deaths 2.0% – 13.7% of indexed account value Budgeted option costs 2.2% – 2.8% of indexed account value The range of adjustments for credit risk is based on the Moody’s corporate A2 bond index and 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 and registered index-linked annuity products with an expected range of 8% to 11% in the majority of future calendar years ( 7 Changes in balances of Level 3 financial assets and liabilities carried at fair value during the nine months ended September 30, 2021 (unaudited) and the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018 are presented below (in millions). The transfers into and out of Level 3 were due to changes in the availability of market observable inputs and $20 million of equity securities transferred into Level 3 in the first quarter of 2018 related to a small number of limited partnerships and similar investments carried at cost under the prior guidance that are carried at fair value through net earnings under new guidance adopted on January 1, 2018, as discussed in Note A “Accounting Policies — Investments.” Total realized/unrealized Balance at Net Other Purchases Sales and Transfer Transfer Balance at AFS fixed maturities: U.S. government agency $ 15 $ 3 $ (18 ) $ — $ — $ — $ — $ — State and municipal 64 — (2 ) — (3 ) — — 59 Residential MBS 127 (3 ) 1 — (13 ) 2 (112 ) 2 Commercial MBS 10 (1 ) — — (1 ) 8 (7 ) 9 Collateralized loan obligations 48 3 (3 ) — (1 ) — (47 ) — Other asset-backed securities 1,069 5 3 330 (318 ) 152 (215 ) 1,026 Corporate and other 1,344 — 58 235 (134 ) 295 (69 ) 1,729 Total AFS fixed maturities 2,677 7 39 565 (470 ) 457 (450 ) 2,825 Equity securities 293 91 — 69 (65 ) — (7 ) 381 Total Level 3 assets $ 2,970 $ 98 $ 39 $ 634 $ (535 ) $ 457 $ (457 ) $ 3,206 Embedded derivatives $ (3,933 ) $ (296 ) $ — $ (283 ) $ 304 $ — $ — $ (4,208 ) Total Level 3 liabilities $ (3,933 ) $ (296 ) $ — $ (283 ) $ 304 $ — $ — $ (4,208 ) Total realized/unrealized Balance at Net Other Purchases Sales and Transfer Transfer Balance at AFS fixed maturities: U.S. government agency $ 15 $ 3 $ (3 ) $ — $ — $ — $ — $ 15 State and municipal 65 — 4 — (3 ) — (2 ) 64 Residential MBS 128 (6 ) (7 ) — (13 ) 49 (24 ) 127 Commercial MBS 29 — — — (3 ) 1 (17 ) 10 Collateralized loan obligations 14 (5 ) 17 — — 135 (113 ) 48 Other asset-backed securities 1,030 (10 ) 14 296 (282 ) 173 (152 ) 1,069 Corporate and other 1,535 2 34 227 (130 ) 128 (452 ) 1,344 Total AFS fixed maturities 2,816 (16 ) 59 523 (431 ) 486 (760 ) 2,677 Equity securities 276 (1 ) — 35 (12 ) 9 (14 ) 293 Total Level 3 assets $ 3,092 $ (17 ) $ 59 $ 558 $ (443 ) $ 495 $ (774 ) $ 2,970 Embedded derivatives (*) $ (3,730 ) $ (283 ) $ — $ (242 ) $ 322 $ — $ — $ (3,933 ) Total Level 3 liabilities $ (3,730 ) $ (283 ) $ — $ (242 ) $ 322 $ — $ — $ (3,933 ) (*) Total realized/unrealized gains (losses) included in net earnings for the embedded derivatives reflects a favorable adjustment related to the unlocking of actuarial assumptions of $ 240 Total realized/unrealized Balance at Net Other Purchases Sales and Transfer Transfer Balance at AFS fixed maturities: U.S. government agency $ 8 $ — $ 7 $ — $ — $ — $ — $ 15 State and municipal 59 — 6 — (3 ) 10 (7 ) 65 Residential MBS 161 3 (3 ) — (18 ) 36 (51 ) 128 Commercial MBS 48 2 — — (13 ) 3 (11 ) 29 Collateralized loan obligations 85 (4 ) 4 — — 14 (85 ) 14 Other asset-backed securities 543 — 5 727 (162 ) 23 (106 ) 1,030 Corporate and other 1,719 (1 ) 53 378 (250 ) 28 (392 ) 1,535 Total AFS fixed maturities 2,623 — 72 1,105 (446 ) 114 (652 ) 2,816 Equity securities 212 8 — 36 (2 ) 22 — 276 Total Level 3 assets $ 2,835 $ 8 $ 72 $ 1,141 $ (448 ) $ 136 $ (652 ) $ 3,092 Embedded derivatives (*) $ (2,720 ) $ (919 ) $ — $ (333 ) $ 242 $ — $ — $ (3,730 ) Total Level 3 liabilities $ (2,720 ) $ (919 ) $ — $ (333 ) $ 242 $ — $ — $ (3,730 ) (*) Total realized/unrealized gains (losses) included in net earnings for the embedded derivatives includes a favorable adjustment related to the unlocking of actuarial assumptions of $ 181 Total realized/unrealized Balance at Net Other Purchases Sales and Transfer Transfer Balance at AFS fixed maturities: U.S. government agency $ 8 $ — $ — $ — $ — $ — $ — $ 8 State and municipal 72 — (3 ) — (2 ) — (8 ) 59 Residential MBS 99 (5 ) (4 ) — (18 ) 106 (17 ) 161 Commercial MBS 34 — — 14 — — — 48 Collateralized loan obligations 142 (2 ) (9 ) 24 (11 ) 2 (61 ) 85 Other asset-backed securities 398 — (1 ) 292 (171 ) 69 (44 ) 543 Corporate and other 941 (9 ) (18 ) 986 (148 ) 26 (59 ) 1,719 Total AFS fixed maturities 1,694 (16 ) (35 ) 1,316 (350 ) 203 (189 ) 2,623 Equity securities 105 (4 ) — 106 (4 ) 20 (11 ) 212 Total Level 3 assets $ 1,799 $ (20 ) $ (35 ) $ 1,422 $ (354 ) $ 223 $ (200 ) $ 2,835 Embedded derivatives (*) $ (2,542 ) $ 204 $ — $ (545 ) $ 163 $ — $ — $ (2,720 ) Total Level 3 liabilities $ (2,542 ) $ 204 $ — $ (545 ) $ 163 $ — $ — $ (2,720 ) (*) Total realized/unrealized gains (losses) included in net earnings for the embedded derivatives includes losses related to the unlocking of actuarial assumptions of $ 44 Fair Value of Financial Instruments Carrying Fair Value Value Total Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 September 30, 2021 (unaudited) Financial assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 1,308 $ 1,308 $ 1,308 $ — $ — Mortgage loans 1,512 — — — — Policy loans 142 142 — — — Total financial assets not accounted for at fair value $ 2,962 $ — $ — $ — $ — Financial liabilities: Annuity benefits accumulated (*) $ — $ — $ — $ — $ — Total financial liabilities not accounted for at fair value $ — $ — $ — $ — $ — December 31, 2020 Financial assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 1,151 $ 1,151 $ 1,151 $ — $ — Mortgage loans 1,251 1,271 — — 1,271 Policy loans 151 151 — — 151 Total financial assets not accounted for at fair value $ 2,553 $ 2,573 $ 1,151 $ — $ 1,422 Financial liabilities: Annuity benefits accumulated (*) $ 41,460 $ 43,081 $ — $ — $ 43,081 Total financial liabilities not accounted for at fair value $ 41,460 $ 43,081 $ — $ — $ 43,081 December 31, 2019 Financial assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 734 $ 734 $ 734 $ — $ — Mortgage loans 1,072 1,081 — — 1,081 Policy loans 164 164 — — 164 Total financial assets not accounted for at fair value $ 1,970 $ 1,979 $ 734 $ — $ 1,245 Financial liabilities: Annuity benefits accumulated (*) $ 40,160 $ 40,182 $ — $ — $ 40,182 Total financial liabilities not accounted for at fair value $ 40,160 $ 40,182 $ — $ — $ 40,182 (*) Excludes $ 1.16 1.11 247 |