ASSURED GUARANTY LTD
For the period ended Dec 31, 2024. Filed Feb 28, 2025.
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FY2024 · Filed Feb 28, 2025
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UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-K
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024
Or
| ☐ | TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
|---|
For the transition period from to
Commission File Number 001-32141
ASSURED GUARANTY LTD.
(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)
| Bermuda | 98-0429991 |
|---|---|
| (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation) | (I.R.S. employer identification no.) |
30 Woodbourne Avenue Hamilton HM 08 Bermuda
(441)279-5700
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of Registrant’s principal executive office)
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
| Title of each class: | Trading Symbol(s) | Name of exchange on which registered | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Common Shares | $0.01 par value per share | AGO | New York Stock Exchange |
| Assured Guaranty US Holdings Inc. 6.125% Senior Notes due 2028 (and the related guarantee of Registrant) | AGO/28 | New York Stock Exchange | |
| Assured Guaranty US Holdings Inc. 3.150% Senior Notes due 2031 (and the related guarantee of Registrant) | AGO/31 | New York Stock Exchange | |
| Assured Guaranty US Holdings Inc. 3.600% Senior Notes due 2051 (and the related guarantee of Registrant) | AGO/51 | New York Stock Exchange |
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None
Indicate by check mark if the Registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ý Noo
Indicate by check mark if the Registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yeso No ý
Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ý Noo
Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to submit such files). Yes ý Noo
Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See definition of “large accelerated filer”, “accelerated filer”, “smaller reporting company”, and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
| Large accelerated filer | ☒ | Accelerated filer | ☐ | Non-accelerated filer | ☐ | Smaller reporting company | ☐ | Emerging growth company | ☐ |
|---|
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the Registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. o
Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. x
If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the Registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. o
Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the Registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b). o
Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes☐ Noý
The aggregate market value of Common Shares held by non-affiliates of the Registrant as of the close of business on June 30, 2024 was $3,903,669,901 (based upon the closing price of the Registrant's shares on the New York Stock Exchange on that date, which was $77.15). For purposes of this information, the outstanding Common Shares which were owned by all directors and executive officers of the Registrant were deemed to be the only shares of Common Shares held by affiliates.
As of February 26, 2025,50,103,140 Common Shares, par value $0.01 per share, were outstanding (including 21,413 unvested restricted shares).
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
Certain portions of Registrant’s definitive proxy statement relating to its 2025 Annual General Meeting of Shareholders to be held on May 2, 2025, are incorporated by reference to Part III of this report.
Forward Looking Statements
This Form 10-K contains information that includes or is based upon forward looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward looking statements give the expectations or forecasts of future events of Assured Guaranty Ltd. (AGL) and its subsidiaries (collectively with AGL, Assured Guaranty or the Company). These statements can be identified by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts and relate to future operating or financial performance.
Any or all of Assured Guaranty’s forward looking statements herein are based on current expectations and the current economic environment and may turn out to be incorrect. Assured Guaranty’s actual results may vary materially from those expressed in, or implied or projected by, the forward-looking information and statements. Among factors that could cause actual results to differ materially are:
(i) significant changes in inflation, interest rates, the world’s credit markets or segments thereof, credit spreads, foreign exchange rates or general economic conditions, including the possibility of a recession or stagflation; (ii) geopolitical risk, terrorism and political violence risk, including those arising out of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and intentional or accidental escalation between The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and Russia, conflict in the Middle East and confrontation over Iran’s nuclear program, the polarized political environment in the United States (U.S.), and U.S. – China strategic competition; (iii) cybersecurity risk and the impacts of artificial intelligence, machine learning and other technological advances, including potentially increasing the risks of malicious cyber attacks, dissemination of misinformation, and disruption of markets, including the markets in which the Company participates; (iv) the possibility of a U.S. government shutdown, payment defaults on the debt of the U.S. government or instruments issued, insured or guaranteed by related institutions, agencies or instrumentalities, and downgrades to their credit ratings; (v) developments in the world’s financial and capital markets, including stresses in the financial condition of banking institutions in the U.S. and the possibility that increasing participation of unregulated financial institutions in these markets results in losses or lower valuations of assets, reduced liquidity and credit and/or contraction of these markets, that adversely affect repayment rates of insured obligors, Assured Guaranty’s insurance loss or recovery experience, or investments of Assured Guaranty; (vi) reduction in the amount of available insurance opportunities and/or in the demand for Assured Guaranty’s insurance; (vii) the possibility that budget or pension shortfalls, difficulties in obtaining additional financing or other factors will result in credit losses or liquidity claims on obligations of state, territorial and local governments, their related authorities, public corporations and other obligors that Assured Guaranty insures or reinsures; (viii) insured losses, including losses with respect to related legal proceedings, in excess of those expected by Assured Guaranty or the failure of Assured Guaranty to realize loss recoveries that are assumed in its expected loss estimates for insurance exposures, including below-investment-grade (BIG) healthcare, U.K. regulated utilities, European renewable energy, and Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) exposures; (ix) the impact of Assured Guaranty satisfying its obligations under insurance policies with respect to legacy insured Puerto Rico bonds; (x) the possibility that underwriting insurance in new jurisdictions and/or covering new sectors or classes of business does not result in the benefits anticipated or subjects Assured Guaranty to negative consequences; (xi) increased competition, including from new entrants into the financial guaranty industry, nonpayment insurance and other forms of capital saving or risk syndication available to banks and insurers; (xii) the possibility that investments made by Assured Guaranty for its investment portfolio, including alternative investments, do not result in the benefits anticipated or subject Assured Guaranty to reduced liquidity at a time it requires liquidity, or to other negative or unanticipated consequences; (xiii) the impacts of Assured Guaranty’s transaction with Sound Point Capital Management, LP (Sound Point, LP) and certain of its investment management affiliates (together with Sound Point, LP, Sound Point) on Assured Guaranty and its relationships with its shareholders, regulators, rating agencies and the obligors it insures and on Assured Guaranty’s Asset Management segment results; (xiv) the possibility that mergers, acquisitions, divestitures and other strategic transactions made by Assured Guaranty, including the transactions with Sound Point and/or Assured Healthcare Partners LLC (AHP) and/or merger of Assured Guaranty Municipal Corp. (AGM) with and into Assured Guaranty Inc. (AG, formerly Assured Guaranty Corp.), do not result in the benefits anticipated or subject Assured Guaranty to negative consequences; (xv) the inability to control the business, management or policies of entities in which Assured Guaranty holds a minority interest; (xvi) the impact of market volatility on the fair value of Assured Guaranty’s assets and liabilities subject to mark-to-market, including certain of its investments, contracts accounted for as derivatives, its committed capital securities, its consolidated investment vehicles (CIVs) and consolidated variable interest entities (VIEs); (xvii) rating agency action, including a ratings downgrade, a change in outlook, the placement of ratings on watch for downgrade, or a change in rating criteria, at any time, of AGL or any of its insurance subsidiaries, and/or of any securities AGL or any of its subsidiaries have issued, and/or of transactions that AGL’s insurance subsidiaries have insured; (xviii) the inability of Assured Guaranty to access external sources of capital on acceptable terms; (xix) changes in applicable accounting policies or practices; (xx) changes in applicable laws or regulations, including insurance, bankruptcy and tax laws, or other governmental actions; (xxi) the possibility that legal or regulatory decisions or determinations subject Assured Guaranty or obligations that it insures or reinsures to negative consequences; (xxii) difficulties with the execution of Assured Guaranty’s business strategy; (xxiii) loss of key personnel; (xxiv) public health crises, including pandemics and endemics, and the governmental and private actions taken in response to such events; (xxv) natural or man-made catastrophes; (xxvi) the impact of climate change on Assured Guaranty’s business and regulatory actions taken related to such risk; (xxvii) other risk factors identified in AGL’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC); (xxviii) other risks and uncertainties that have not been identified at this time; and (xxix) management’s response to these factors.
The foregoing important factors should not be construed as exhaustive, and should be read in conjunction with the other cautionary statements that are included in this Form 10-K. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or review any forward looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as required by law. Investors are advised, however, to consult any further disclosures the Company makes on related subjects in the Company’s reports filed with the SEC.
If one or more of these or other risks or uncertainties materialize, or if the Company’s underlying assumptions prove to be incorrect, actual results may vary materially from what the Company projected. Any forward looking statements in this Form 10-K reflect the Company’s current views with respect to future events and are subject to these and other risks, uncertainties and assumptions relating to its operations, results of operations, growth strategy and liquidity.
For these statements, the Company claims the protection of the safe harbor for forward looking statements contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (Securities Act), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (Exchange Act).
Conventions
Unless otherwise noted, ratings on Assured Guaranty’s insured portfolio are Assured Guaranty’s internal ratings. The Company purchases attractively priced obligations that it has insured and for which it had expected losses to be paid (Loss Mitigation Securities) in order to mitigate the economic effect of insured losses. Ratings on Loss Mitigation Securities are also Assured Guaranty's internal ratings. Internal credit ratings are expressed on a rating scale similar to that used by the rating agencies and generally reflect an approach similar to that employed by the rating agencies, except that Assured Guaranty’s internal credit ratings focus on future performance, rather than lifetime performance. The Company excludes amounts relating to Loss Mitigation Securities from its outstanding insured par and debt services.
ASSURED GUARANTY LTD.
FORM 10-K
TABLE OF CONTENTS
| Page | ||
|---|---|---|
| PART I | 6 | |
| Item 1. | Business | 6 |
| Overview | 6 | |
| Insurance | 6 | |
| Insurance Business | 6 | |
| Exposure Limits, Underwriting Process, and Credit Policy | 9 | |
| Importance of Financial Strength Ratings | 11 | |
| Market Demand and Competition | 12 | |
| Insurance Acquisitions | 13 | |
| Insurance Subsidiaries | 14 | |
| Support of the European Insurance Subsidiaries | 14 | |
| Asset Management | 16 | |
| Strategic Transactions | 16 | |
| Asset Management Strategies | 17 | |
| Investments | 17 | |
| Risk Management | 18 | |
| Regulation | 23 | |
| Human Capital Management | 32 | |
| Tax Matters | 33 | |
| Available Information | 41 | |
| Item 1A. | Risk Factors | 42 |
| Risks Related to Economic, Market and Political Conditions and Natural Phenomena | 44 | |
| Risks Related to Estimates, Assumptions and Valuations | 47 | |
| Strategic Risks | 48 | |
| Operational Risks | 51 | |
| Risks Related to Taxation | 55 | |
| Risks Related to GAAP, Applicable Law and Litigation | 59 | |
| Risks Related to AGL’s Common Shares | 61 | |
| Item 1B. | Unresolved Staff Comments | 62 |
| Item 1C. | Cybersecurity | 62 |
| Item 2. | Properties | 64 |
| Item 3. | Legal Proceedings | 64 |
| Item 4. | Mine Safety Disclosures | 64 |
| Information About the Company's Executive Officers | 65 | |
| PART II | 67 | |
| Item 5. | Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities | 67 |
| Item 7. | Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations | 69 |
| Overview | 69 | |
| Business | 69 | |
| Economic Environment | 69 | |
| Key Business Strategies | 70 | |
| Executive Summary | 73 | |
| Financial Performance of Assured Guaranty | 74 | |
| Other Matters | 76 | |
| Results of Operations | 77 | |
| Critical Accounting Estimates | 77 | |
| Results of Operations by Segment | 77 | |
| Insurance Segment | 78 | |
| Asset Management Segment | 86 | |
| Corporate Division | 87 | |
| Other | 87 | |
| Reconciliation to GAAP | 89 | |
| Non-GAAP Financial Measures | 91 | |
| Insured Portfolio | 95 | |
| Liquidity and Capital Resources | 98 | |
| AGL and its U.S. Holding Companies | 98 | |
| Insurance Subsidiaries | 102 | |
| Investment Portfolio | 104 | |
| Lease Obligations | 108 | |
| Financial Guaranty Variable Interest Entities and Consolidated Investment Vehicles | 109 | |
| Consolidated Cash Flow Summary | 109 | |
| Item 7A. | Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk | 111 |
| Item 8. | Financial Statements and Supplementary Data | 115 |
| Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm | 116 | |
| Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023 | 118 | |
| Consolidated Statements of Operations for Years Ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022 | 119 | |
| Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss) for Years Ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022 | 120 | |
| Consolidated Statement of Shareholders’ Equity for Years Ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022 | 121 | |
| Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for Years Ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022 | 122 | |
| Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements | 125 | |
| Item 9. | Changes In and Disagreements With Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure | 212 |
| Item 9A. | Controls and Procedures | 212 |
| Item 9B. | Other Information | 213 |
| Item 9C. | Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections | 213 |
| PART III | 214 | |
| Item 10. | Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance | 214 |
| Code of Ethics | 214 | |
| Insider Trading Policy | 214 | |
| Item 11. | Executive Compensation | 214 |
| Item 12. | Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters | 214 |
| Item 13. | Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence | 214 |
| Item 14. | Principal Accountant Fees and Services | 214 |
| PART IV | 215 | |
| Item 15. | Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules | 215 |
| Signatures | 221 | |
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