2. Accounting guidance not yet adopted

Accounting for costs associated with acquiring or renewing insurance contracts

In October 2010, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued new guidance related to the accounting for costs associated with acquiring or renewing insurance contracts. The guidance modifies the definition of acquisition costs to specify that a cost must be directly related to the successful acquisition of a new or renewal insurance contract in order to be deferred. We intend to adopt this guidance retrospectively on January 1, 2012. The amount of acquisition costs we will defer under the new guidance will be less than the amount deferred under our current accounting practice. The adoption of this guidance is not expected to have a material impact on our financial condition.

Fair value measurements

In May 2011, the FASB issued new guidance on fair value measurements to revise the wording used to describe the requirements for measuring fair value and for disclosing information about fair value measurements. The guidance is not necessarily intended to result in a significant change in the application of the current requirements. Instead, it is intended to clarify the intended application of existing fair value measurement requirements. It also changes certain principles or requirements for measuring fair value and disclosing information about fair value measurements. This guidance is effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning on or after December 15, 2011. We are in the process of assessing the impact this amendment will have on our financial statements.

Testing goodwill for impairment

In September 2011, the FASB issued new guidance that eliminates the requirement to calculate the fair value of reporting units at least annually and replaces it with an optional qualitative assessment. This guidance is effective for annual and interim goodwill impairment tests performed for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2011, with early adoption permitted. We adopted this guidance on October 1, 2011. The application of the new guidance will not impact our financial condition or results of operations.

3. Acquisitions

ACE acquired New York Life's Korea operations on February 1, 2011 and New York Life's Hong Kong operations on April 1, 2011 for approximately $425 million in cash. These acquired businesses, now operating under our Life segment, expand our presence in the North Asia market and complement our life insurance business established in that region. These acquisitions generated approximately $123 million of goodwill, none of which is expected to be deductible for income tax purposes, and approximately $207 million of intangible assets. The most significant intangible asset is the value of business acquired (VOBA). VOBA represents the fair value of the future profits of the in-force long duration contracts and is amortized in relation to the premium or profit emergence of the underlying contracts, depending on the nature of the product, in a manner similar to deferred acquisition costs.

Prior year acquisitions

On December 28, 2010, ACE acquired all the outstanding common stock of Rain and Hail Insurance Service, Inc. (Rain and Hail) not previously owned by ACE for approximately $1.1 billion in cash. Rain and Hail has served America's farmers since 1919, providing comprehensive multiple peril crop and crop/hail insurance protection to customers in the U.S. and Canada. This acquisition is consistent with ACE's strategy to expand its specialty lines business and provides further diversification of ACE's global product mix. The acquisition of Rain and Hail generated $129 million of goodwill, none of which is expected to be deductible for income tax purposes, and $523 million of other intangible assets. Goodwill and other intangible assets arising from this acquisition are included in the Insurance – North American segment.

On December 1, 2010, ACE acquired Jerneh Insurance Berhad (Jerneh), a general insurance company in Malaysia, for approximately $218 million in cash. The acquisitions of Rain and Hail and Jerneh were financed with cash on hand and the use of reverse repurchase agreements of $1 billion.

4. Investments

a) Fixed maturities

The following tables present the fair value and amortized cost of and the gross unrealized appreciation (depreciation) related to fixed maturities as well as related OTTI recognized in AOCI:

As discussed in Note 4 c), if a credit loss is indicated on an impaired fixed maturity, an OTTI is considered to have occurred and the portion of the impairment not related to credit losses (non-credit OTTI) is recognized in OCI. Included in the "OTTI Recognized in AOCI" columns above is the cumulative amount of non-credit OTTI recognized in OCI adjusted for subsequent sales, maturities, and redemptions. OTTI Recognized in AOCI does not include the impact of subsequent changes in fair value of the related securities. In periods subsequent to a recognition of OTTI in OCI, changes in the fair value of the related fixed maturities are reflected in Unrealized appreciation (depreciation) in the consolidated statement of shareholders' equity. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2011, $30 million and $38 million, respectively, of net unrealized depreciation related to such securities is included in OCI. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2010, $65 million and $161 million, respectively, of net unrealized appreciation related to such securities is included in OCI. At September 30, 2011 and December 31, 2010, AOCI includes net unrealized depreciation of $144 million and $99 million, respectively, related to securities remaining in the investment portfolio at those dates for which ACE has recognized a non-credit OTTI.

Mortgage-backed securities issued by U.S. government agencies are combined with all other to be announced mortgage derivatives held (refer to Note 7 a) (iv)) and are included in the category, "Mortgage-backed securities". Approximately 84 percent and 79 percent of the total mortgage-backed securities at September 30, 2011 and December 31, 2010, respectively, are represented by investments in U.S. government agency bonds. The remainder of the mortgage exposure consists of collateralized mortgage obligations and nongovernment mortgage-backed securities, the majority of which provide a planned structure for principal and interest payments and carry a rating of AAA by the major credit rating agencies.

The following table presents fixed maturities by contractual maturity. Expected maturities could differ from contractual maturities because borrowers may have the right to call or prepay obligations, with or without call or prepayment penalties.

b) Equity securities

The following table presents the fair value and cost of and gross unrealized appreciation (depreciation) related to equity securities:

c) Net realized gains (losses)

In accordance with guidance related to the recognition and presentation of OTTI, when an OTTI related to a fixed maturity has occurred, OTTI is required to be recorded in net income if management has the intent to sell the security or it is more likely than not that we will be required to sell the security before the recovery of its amortized cost. Further, in cases where we do not intend to sell the security and it is more likely than not that we will not be required to sell the security, ACE must evaluate the security to determine the portion of the impairment, if any, related to credit losses. If a credit loss is indicated, an OTTI is considered to have occurred and any portion of the OTTI related to credit losses must be reflected in net income while the portion of OTTI related to all other factors is recognized in OCI. For fixed maturities held to maturity, OTTI recognized in OCI is accreted from AOCI to the amortized cost of the fixed maturity prospectively over the remaining term of the securities.

Each quarter, securities in an unrealized loss position (impaired securities), including fixed maturities, securities lending collateral, equity securities, and other investments, are reviewed to identify impaired securities to be specifically evaluated for a potential OTTI.

For all non-fixed maturities, OTTI is evaluated based on the following:

As a general rule, we also consider that equity securities in an unrealized loss position for twelve consecutive months are OTTI.

We review each fixed maturity in an unrealized loss position to assess whether the security is a candidate for credit loss. Specifically, we consider credit rating, market price, and issuer-specific financial information, among other factors, to assess the likelihood of collection of all principal and interest as contractually due. Securities for which we determine that credit loss is likely are subjected to further analysis to estimate the credit loss recognized in net income, if any. In general, credit loss recognized in net income equals the difference between the security's amortized cost and the net present value of its projected future cash flows discounted at the effective interest rate implicit in the debt security. All significant assumptions used in determining credit losses are subject to change as market conditions evolve.

Projected cash flows for corporate securities (principally senior unsecured bonds) are driven primarily by assumptions regarding probability of default and also the timing and amount of recoveries associated with defaults. We develop these estimates using information based on market observable data, issuer-specific information, and credit ratings. ACE developed its default assumption by using historical default data by Moody's Investors Service (Moody's) rating category to calculate a 1-in-100 year probability of default, which results in a default assumption in excess of the historical mean default rate.

For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2011, credit losses recognized in net income for corporate securities were $4 million. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2010, credit losses recognized in net income for corporate securities were $11 million and $12 million, respectively.

For mortgage-backed securities, credit impairment is assessed using a cash flow model that estimates the cash flows on the underlying mortgages, using the security-specific collateral and transaction structure. The model estimates cash flows from the underlying mortgage loans and distributes those cash flows to various tranches of securities, considering the transaction structure and any subordination and credit enhancements that exist in that structure. The cash flow model incorporates actual cash flows on the mortgage-backed securities through the current period and then projects the remaining cash flows using a number of assumptions, including default rates, prepayment rates, and loss severity rates (the par value of a defaulted security that will not be recovered) on foreclosed properties.

Credit losses recognized in net income for mortgage-backed securities for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2011 were $5 million and $8 million, respectively. Credit losses recognized in net income for mortgage-backed securities for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2010 were $8 million and $30 million, respectively.

The following table presents the Net realized gains (losses) and the losses included in Net realized gains (losses) and OCI as a result of conditions which caused management to conclude the decline in fair value of certain investments was "other-than-temporary":

The following table presents a roll forward of pre-tax credit losses related to fixed maturities for which a portion of OTTI was recognized in OCI:

d) Gross unrealized loss

At September 30, 2011, there were 5,101 fixed maturities out of a total of 21,676 fixed maturities in an unrealized loss position. The largest single unrealized loss in the fixed maturities was $8 million. There were approximately 110 equity securities out of a total of 178 equity securities in an unrealized loss position. The largest single unrealized loss in the equity securities was $31 million. Fixed maturities in an unrealized loss position at September 30, 2011 comprised both investment grade and below investment grade securities for which fair value declined primarily due to widening credit spreads since the date of purchase. Equity securities in an unrealized loss position include foreign fixed income securities held in a commingled fund structure for which fair value declined primarily due to widening credit spreads since the date of purchase.

The following tables present, for all securities in an unrealized loss position (including securities on loan), the aggregate fair value and gross unrealized loss by length of time the security has continuously been in an unrealized loss position: