Brighthouse Financial Inc
For the period ended Dec 31, 2023. Filed Feb 22, 2024.
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FY2023 · Filed Feb 22, 2024
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Liquidity and Capital Resources
Our business and results of operations are materially affected by conditions in the global capital markets and the economy generally. Stressed conditions, volatility or disruptions in global capital markets, particular markets or financial asset classes can impact us adversely, in part because we have a large investment portfolio and our insurance liabilities and derivatives are sensitive to changing market factors. Changing conditions in the global capital markets and the economy may affect our financing costs and market interest rates for our debt or equity securities. For further information regarding market factors that could affect our ability to meet liquidity and capital needs, see “— Industry Trends and Uncertainties — Financial and Economic Environment,” as well as “Risk Factors — Economic Environment and Capital Markets-Related Risks” and “Risk Factors — Risks Related to Our Investment Portfolio.”
Liquidity and Capital Management
Based upon our capitalization, expectations regarding maintaining our business mix, ratings and funding sources available to us, we believe we have sufficient liquidity to meet business requirements in current market conditions and certain stress scenarios. Our Board of Directors and senior management are directly involved in the governance of the capital management process, including proposed changes to the annual capital plan and capital targets. We continuously monitor and adjust our liquidity and capital plans in light of market conditions, as well as changing needs and opportunities.
We maintain a substantial short-term liquidity position, which was $3.8 billion and $3.6 billion at December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. Short-term liquidity is comprised of cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments, excluding assets that are pledged or otherwise committed. Assets pledged or otherwise committed include amounts received in connection with securities lending, derivatives and assets held on deposit or in trust.
An integral part of our liquidity management includes managing our level of liquid assets, which was $45.2 billion and $40.8 billion at December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. Liquid assets are comprised of cash and cash equivalents, short-term investments and publicly-traded securities, excluding assets that are pledged or otherwise committed. Assets pledged or otherwise committed include amounts received in connection with securities lending, funding agreements, derivatives and assets held on deposit or in trust.
The Company
Liquidity
Liquidity refers to our ability to generate adequate cash flows from our normal operations to meet the cash requirements of our operating, investing and financing activities. We determine our liquidity needs based on a rolling 12-month forecast by portfolio of invested assets, which we monitor daily. We adjust the general account asset and derivatives mix and general account asset maturities based on this rolling 12-month forecast. To support this forecast, we conduct cash flow and stress testing, which reflect the impact of various scenarios, including (i) the potential increase in our requirement to pledge additional collateral or return collateral to our counterparties, (ii) a reduction in new business sales, and (iii) the risk of early contract holder and policyholder withdrawals, as well as lapses and surrenders of existing policies and contracts. We include provisions limiting withdrawal rights in many of our products, which deter the customer from making withdrawals prior to the maturity date of the product. If significant cash is required beyond our anticipated liquidity needs, we have various alternatives available depending on market conditions and the amount and timing of the liquidity need. These available alternative sources of liquidity include cash flows from operations, sales of liquid assets and funding sources, including secured funding agreements, unsecured credit facilities and secured committed facilities.
Under certain adverse market and economic conditions, our access to liquidity may deteriorate, or the cost to access liquidity may increase. See “Risk Factors — Economic Environment and Capital Markets-Related Risks — Adverse capital and credit market conditions may significantly affect our ability to meet liquidity needs and our access to capital.”
Capital
We manage our capital position to maintain our financial strength and credit ratings. Our capital position is supported by our ability to generate cash flows within our insurance subsidiaries, our ability to effectively manage the risks of our businesses and our expected ability to borrow funds and raise additional capital to meet operating and growth needs under a variety of market and economic conditions.
We monitor our debt-to-capital ratio using an average of our key leverage ratios as calculated by A.M. Best, Fitch, Moody’s and S&P, and we aim to maintain a ratio commensurate with our financial strength and credit ratings. As such, we may opportunistically look to pursue additional financing over time, which may include borrowings under credit facilities, the issuance of debt, equity or hybrid securities, the incurrence of term loans, or the refinancing or extinguishment of existing indebtedness. There can be no assurance that we will be able to complete any such financing transactions on terms and conditions favorable to us or at all.
In support of our target combined RBC ratio of 400% to 450% in normal market conditions, we expect to continue to maintain a capital and exposure risk management program that targets total assets supporting our variable annuity contracts at or above the CTE98 level in normal market conditions. With our risk management focus on the core drivers of our combined RBC ratio, we believe we can better manage our RBC in stressed market scenarios.
On November 16, 2023, we authorized the repurchase of up to $750 million of our common stock, which was in addition to our prior $1.2 billion total repurchases authorized in 2021. Repurchases under the authorizations, of which a combined $793 million was remaining at December 31, 2023, may be made through open market purchases, including pursuant to 10b5-1 plans or pursuant to accelerated stock repurchase plans, or through privately negotiated transactions, from time to time at management’s discretion in accordance with applicable legal requirements. Common stock repurchases are dependent upon several factors, including our capital position, liquidity, financial strength and credit ratings, general market conditions, the market price of our common stock compared to management’s assessment of the stock’s underlying value and applicable regulatory approvals, as well as other legal and accounting factors.
We currently have no plans to declare and pay dividends on our common stock. Any future declaration and payment of dividends or other distributions or returns of capital will be at the discretion of our Board of Directors and will depend on and be subject to our financial condition, results of operations, cash needs, regulatory and other constraints, capital requirements (including capital requirements of our insurance subsidiaries), contractual restrictions and any other factors that our Board of Directors deems relevant in making such a determination. Therefore, there can be no assurance that we will pay any dividends or make other distributions or returns of capital on our common stock, or as to the amount of any such dividends, distributions or returns of capital.
Rating Agencies
Financial strength ratings represent the opinion of rating agencies regarding the ability of an insurance company to pay obligations under insurance policies and contracts in accordance with their terms. Credit ratings indicate the rating agency’s opinion regarding a debt issuer’s ability to meet the terms of debt obligations in a timely manner. They are important factors in our overall funding profile and ability to access certain types of liquidity and capital. The level and composition of our regulatory capital at the subsidiary level, our combined RBC ratio and our equity capital are among the many factors considered in determining our financial strength ratings and credit ratings. Each agency has its own capital adequacy evaluation methodology, and assessments are generally based on a combination of factors. Financial strength ratings are not statements of fact nor are they recommendations to purchase, hold or sell any security, contract or policy. Each rating should be evaluated independently of any other rating.
Our financial strength ratings and long-term issuer credit ratings as of the date of this filing were as follows:
| A.M. Best (1) | Fitch (2) | Moody’s (3) | S&P (4) | |
| Current outlook | Stable | Stable | Stable | Stable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Financial Strength Ratings: | ||||
| Brighthouse Life Insurance Company | A | A | A3 | A+ |
| New England Life Insurance Company | A | A | A3 | A+ |
| Brighthouse Life Insurance Company of NY | A | NR | NR | A+ |
| Long-term Issuer Credit Ratings: | ||||
| Brighthouse Financial, Inc. | bbb+ | BBB+ | Baa3 | BBB+ |
| Brighthouse Holdings, LLC | bbb+ | BBB+ | Baa3 | BBB+ |
(1)A.M. Best’s financial strength ratings for insurance companies range from “A++ (Superior)” to “S (Suspended).” A.M. Best’s long-term issuer credit ratings range from “aaa (exceptional)” to “s (suspended).”
(2)Fitch’s financial strength ratings for insurance companies range from “AAA (highest rating)” to “C (distressed).” Fitch’s long-term issuer credit ratings range from “AAA (highest rating)” to “D (default).”
(3)Moody’s financial strength ratings for insurance companies and long-term issuer credit ratings range from “Aaa (highest quality)” to “C (lowest rated).”
(4)S&P’s financial strength ratings for insurance companies and long-term issuer credit ratings range from “AAA (extremely strong)” to “SD (selective default)” or “D (default).”
NR = Not rated
Rating agencies may continue to review and adjust our ratings. See “Risk Factors — Risks Related to Our Business — A downgrade or a potential downgrade in our financial strength or credit ratings could result in a loss of business and materially adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations” for a description of the impact of a potential ratings downgrade.
Sources and Uses of Liquidity and Capital
Our primary sources and uses of liquidity and capital were as follows at:
| Years Ended December 31, | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | |
| (In millions) | |||
| Sources: | |||
| Operating activities, net | $— | $— | $641 |
| Changes in policyholder account balances, net | 4,242 | 11,650 | 11,929 |
| Changes in payables for collateral under securities loaned and other transactions, net | — | — | 1,017 |
| Long-term debt issued | — | — | 400 |
| Preferred stock issued, net of issuance costs | — | — | 339 |
| Financing element on certain derivative instruments and other derivative related transactions, net | 90 | — | — |
| Total sources | 4,332 | 11,650 | 14,326 |
| Uses: | |||
| Operating activities, net | 137 | 1,228 | — |
| Investing activities, net | 3,196 | 8,276 | 12,238 |
| Changes in payables for collateral under securities loaned and other transactions, net | 890 | 1,709 | — |
| Long-term debt repaid | 2 | 3 | 680 |
| Dividends on preferred stock | 102 | 104 | 89 |
| Treasury stock acquired in connection with share repurchases | 250 | 488 | 499 |
| Financing element on certain derivative instruments and other derivative related transactions, net | — | 185 | 368 |
| Other, net | 19 | 16 | 86 |
| Total uses | 4,596 | 12,009 | 13,960 |
| Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents | $(264) | $(359) | $366 |
Cash Flows from Operating Activities
The principal cash inflows from our insurance activities come from insurance premiums, annuity considerations and net investment income. The principal cash outflows are the result of various annuity and life insurance products, operating expenses and income tax, as well as interest expense. The primary liquidity concern with respect to these cash flows is the risk of early contract holder and policyholder withdrawal.
Cash Flows from Investing Activities
The principal cash inflows from our investment activities come from repayments of principal, proceeds from maturities and sales of investments, as well as settlements of freestanding derivatives. The principal cash outflows relate to purchases of investments and settlements of freestanding derivatives. We typically can have a net cash outflow from investing activities because cash inflows from insurance operations are reinvested in accordance with our ALM discipline to fund insurance liabilities. We closely monitor and manage these risks through our comprehensive investment risk management process. The primary liquidity concerns with respect to these cash flows are the risk of default by debtors and market disruption.
Cash Flows from Financing Activities
The principal cash inflows from our financing activities come from issuances of debt and equity securities, deposits of funds associated with policyholder account balances and lending of securities. The principal cash outflows come from repayments of debt, common stock repurchases, preferred stock dividends, withdrawals associated with policyholder account balances and the return of securities on loan. The primary liquidity concerns with respect to these cash flows are market disruption and the risk of early policyholder withdrawal.
Primary Sources of Liquidity and Capital
In addition to the summary description of liquidity and capital sources discussed in “— Sources and Uses of Liquidity and Capital,” the following additional information is provided regarding our primary sources of liquidity and capital:
Funding Sources
Liquidity is provided by a variety of funding sources, including secured and unsecured funding agreements, unsecured credit facilities and secured committed facilities. Capital is provided by a variety of funding sources, including issuances of debt and equity securities, as well as borrowings under our credit facilities. We maintain a shelf registration statement with the SEC that permits the issuance of public debt, equity and hybrid securities. As a “Well-Known Seasoned Issuer” under SEC rules, our shelf registration statement provides for automatic effectiveness upon filing and has no stated issuance capacity. The diversity of our funding sources enhances our funding flexibility, limits dependence on any one market or source of funds and generally lowers the cost of funds. Our primary funding sources include:
Preferred Stock
See Note 13 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for information on preferred stock issuances.
Funding Agreements
Brighthouse Life Insurance Company issues funding agreements and uses the proceeds from such issuances for spread lending purposes in connection with our institutional spread margin business or to provide additional liquidity. The institutional spread margin business is comprised of funding agreements issued in connection with the programs described in more detail below. Activity related to these programs are reported in Corporate & Other. See “Obligations Under Funding Agreements” in Note 4 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information on funding agreements.
Funding Agreement-Backed Repurchase Agreement Program
In January 2024, Brighthouse Life Insurance Company established a secured funding agreement-backed repurchase agreement program (the “FABR Program”), pursuant to which Brighthouse Life Insurance Company may enter into repurchase agreements with bank counterparties and the proceeds of the repurchase agreements are then used by a special-purpose entity to purchase funding agreements from Brighthouse Life Insurance Company.
Funding Agreement-Backed Commercial Paper Program
In July 2021, Brighthouse Life Insurance Company established a funding agreement-backed commercial paper program (the “FABCP Program”) for spread lending purposes, pursuant to which a special purpose limited liability company (the “SPLLC”) may issue commercial paper and deposit the proceeds with Brighthouse Life Insurance Company under a funding agreement issued by Brighthouse Life Insurance Company to the SPLLC. The maximum aggregate principal amount permitted to be outstanding at any one time under the FABCP Program was increased from $3.0 billion to $5.0 billion in June 2023.
Funding Agreement-Backed Notes Program
In April 2021, Brighthouse Life Insurance Company established a funding agreement-backed notes program (the “FABN Program”), pursuant to which Brighthouse Life Insurance Company may issue funding agreements to a special purpose statutory trust for spread lending purposes. The maximum aggregate principal amount permitted to be outstanding at any one time under the FABN Program is $7.0 billion.
Federal Home Loan Bank Funding Agreements
Brighthouse Life Insurance Company is a member of the Federal Home Loan Bank (“FHLB”) of Atlanta, where it maintains a secured funding agreement program, under which funding agreements may be issued.
Farmer Mac Funding Agreements
Brighthouse Life Insurance Company has a secured funding agreement program with the Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation and its affiliate Farmer Mac Mortgage Securities Corporation (“Farmer Mac”) with a term ending on December 1, 2026, pursuant to which the parties may enter into funding agreements in an aggregate amount of up to $750 million.
Information regarding funding agreements issued for spread lending purposes is as follows:
| Aggregate Principal Amount Outstanding · Issuances · Repayments | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 31, · Years Ended December 31, | ||||||||
| 2023 | 2022 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | |
| (In millions) | ||||||||
| FABR Program (1) | $— | $— | $— | $— | $— | $— | $— | $— |
| FABCP Program | 3,442 | 2,097 | 8,046 | 12,682 | 2,939 | 6,701 | 12,433 | 1,091 |
| FABN Program | 2,100 | 3,450 | — | 550 | 2,900 | 1,350 | — | — |
| FHLB Funding Agreements | 4,350 | 3,900 | 2,350 | 6,275 | 1,352 | 1,900 | 3,275 | 452 |
| Farmer Mac Funding Agreements | 700 | 700 | — | 600 | 125 | — | 25 | — |
| Total | $10,592 | $10,147 | $10,396 | $20,107 | $7,316 | $9,951 | $15,733 | $1,543 |
(1) On February 16, 2024, there was $500 million of FABR funding agreements outstanding.
Debt Issuances
See Note 12 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for information on debt issuances.
Credit and Committed Facilities
See Notes 12 and 13 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for information regarding our credit and committed facilities.
We have no reason to believe that our lending counterparties would be unable to fulfill their respective contractual obligations under these facilities. As commitments under our credit and committed facilities may expire unused, these amounts do not necessarily reflect our actual future cash funding requirements.
Our Revolving Credit Facility contains financial covenants, including requirements to maintain a specified minimum adjusted consolidated net worth, to maintain a ratio of total indebtedness to total capitalization not in excess of a specified percentage and that place limitations on the dollar amount of indebtedness that may be incurred by our subsidiaries, which could restrict our operations and use of funds. At December 31, 2023, we were in compliance with these financial covenants.
Primary Uses of Liquidity and Capital
In addition to the summarized description of liquidity and capital uses discussed in “— Sources and Uses of Liquidity and Capital,” the following additional information is provided regarding our primary uses of liquidity and capital:
Common Stock Repurchases
See Note 13 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for information relating to authorizations to repurchase BHF common stock, amounts of common stock repurchased pursuant to such authorizations and the amount remaining under such authorizations at December 31, 2023. In 2024, through February 16, 2024, BHF repurchased an additional 636,454 shares of its common stock through open market purchases, pursuant to a 10b5-1 plan, for $33 million.
Preferred Stock Dividends
See Note 13 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for information relating to dividends declared and paid on our preferred stock.
“Dividend Stopper” Provisions in BHF’s Preferred Stock and Junior Subordinated Debentures
Terms applicable to our junior subordinated debentures may restrict our ability to pay interest on those debentures in certain circumstances. Suspension of payments of interest on our junior subordinated debentures, whether required under the relevant indenture or optional, could cause “dividend stopper” provisions applicable under those and other instruments to restrict our ability to pay dividends, if any, on our common stock and repurchase our common stock in various situations, including situations where we may be experiencing financial stress, and may restrict our ability to pay dividends or interest on our preferred stock and junior subordinated debentures as well. Similarly, the terms of our outstanding preferred stock contain restrictions on our ability to repurchase our common stock or pay dividends thereon if we have not fulfilled our dividend obligations under such preferred stock or other preferred securities. In addition, the terms of the agreements governing any preferred stock, debt or other financial instruments that we may issue in the future, may limit or prohibit the payment of dividends on our common stock or preferred stock, or the payment of interest on our junior subordinated debentures.
Debt Repayments, Repurchases, Redemptions and Exchanges
See Note 12 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for information on debt repayments and repurchases, as well as debt maturities and the terms of our outstanding long-term debt.
We may from time to time seek to retire or purchase our outstanding indebtedness through cash purchases or exchanges for other securities, purchases in the open market, privately negotiated transactions or otherwise. Any such repurchases or exchanges will be dependent upon several factors, including our liquidity requirements, contractual restrictions, general market conditions, as well as applicable regulatory, legal and accounting factors. Whether or not we repurchase any debt and the size and timing of any such repurchases will be determined at our discretion.
Insurance Liabilities
Liabilities arising from our insurance activities primarily relate to benefit payments under various annuity and life insurance products, as well as payments for policy surrenders, withdrawals and loans.
At December 31, 2023, our insurance liabilities, excluding obligations under our institutional spread margin business, totaled $106.9 billion and the related future estimated cash payments totaled $181.9 billion, of which $10.2 billion is due in the next twelve months. These estimated cash payments are based on assumptions related to mortality, morbidity, policy lapses, withdrawals, surrender charges, annuitization, future interest credited and other assumptions comparable with our experience and expectations of future payment patterns, as well as other contingent events as appropriate for the respective product type. These amounts are undiscounted and, therefore, exceed the liabilities included on the consolidated balance sheet. Actual cash payments on insurance liabilities may differ significantly from future estimated cash payments due to differences between actual experience and the assumptions used in the establishment of the liabilities and the estimation of the future cash payments. All future estimated cash payments are presented gross of any reinsurance recoverable. At December 31, 2023, obligations under our institutional spread margin business totaled $10.6 billion and the related future estimated cash payments, including interest, totaled $11.0 billion, of which $5.9 billion is due in the next twelve months.
Pledged Collateral
We enter into derivatives to manage various risks relating to our ongoing business operations. We pledge collateral to, and have collateral pledged to us by, counterparties in connection with our derivatives. At December 31, 2023 and 2022, we pledged cash collateral to counterparties of $16 million and $7 million, respectively. At December 31, 2023 and 2022, we were obligated to return cash collateral pledged to us by counterparties of $393 million and $829 million, respectively. The timing of the return of the derivatives collateral is uncertain. We also pledge collateral from time to time in connection with our funding agreements.
We receive non-cash collateral from counterparties for derivatives, which can be sold or re-pledged subject to certain constraints, and which is not recorded on our consolidated balance sheets. The amount of this non-cash collateral at estimated fair value was $2.4 billion and $1.0 billion at December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.
See Note 10 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information regarding pledged collateral.
We have a securities lending program that aims to enhance the total return on our investment portfolio, whereby securities are loaned to third parties, primarily brokerage firms and commercial banks. We obtain collateral, usually cash, from the borrower, which must be returned to the borrower when the loaned securities are returned to us. Generally, our securities lending contracts expire within twelve months of issuance. We were liable for cash collateral under our control of $3.3 billion and $3.7 billion at December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.
We receive non-cash collateral for securities lending from counterparties, which cannot be sold or re-pledged, and which is not recorded on our consolidated balance sheets. There was no non-cash collateral at both December 31, 2023 and 2022.
See Note 9 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further discussion of our securities lending program.
Contingencies, Commitments and Guarantees
We establish liabilities for litigation, regulatory and other loss contingencies when it is probable that a loss has been incurred and the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated. See “Contingencies” in Note 18 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
We enter into commitments for the purpose of enhancing the total return on our investment portfolio consisting of commitments to fund partnership investments, bank credit facilities and private corporate bond investments, as well as commitments to lend funds under mortgage loan commitments. We anticipate these commitments could be invested any time over the next five years. See Note 9 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements. See “Commitments” in Note 18 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
In the normal course of our business, we have provided certain indemnities, guarantees and commitments to third parties such that we may be required to make payments now or in the future. See “Guarantees” in Note 18 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
The Parent Company
Liquidity and Capital
In evaluating liquidity, it is important to distinguish the cash flow needs of the parent company from the cash flow needs of the combined group of companies. BHF is largely dependent on cash flows from its insurance subsidiaries to meet its obligations. Constraints on BHF’s liquidity may occur as a result of operational demands or as a result of compliance with regulatory requirements. See “Risk Factors — Risks Related to Our Business — As a holding company, BHF depends on the ability of its subsidiaries to pay dividends,” “Risk Factors — Economic Environment and Capital Markets-Related Risks — Adverse capital and credit market conditions may significantly affect our ability to meet liquidity needs and our access to capital” and “Risk Factors — Regulatory and Legal Risks — Our insurance business is highly regulated, and changes in regulation and in supervisory and enforcement policies or interpretations thereof may materially impact our capitalization or cash flows, reduce our profitability and limit our growth,” as well as Note 13 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
Short-term Liquidity and Liquid Assets
At December 31, 2023 and 2022, BHF and certain of its non-insurance subsidiaries had short-term liquidity of $1.2 billion and $1.0 billion, respectively. Short-term liquidity is comprised of cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments, excluding assets that are pledged or otherwise committed. Assets pledged or otherwise committed include assets held in trust.
At December 31, 2023 and 2022, BHF and certain of its non-insurance subsidiaries had liquid assets of $1.3 billion and $1.0 billion, respectively, of which $1.2 billion and $987 million, respectively, was held by BHF. Liquid assets are comprised of cash and cash equivalents, short-term investments and publicly-traded securities, excluding assets that are pledged or otherwise committed. Assets pledged or otherwise committed include assets held in trust.
Statutory Capital and Dividends
The NAIC and state insurance departments have established regulations that provide minimum capitalization requirements based on RBC formulas for insurance companies. See “Business — Regulation — Insurance Regulation” and Note 13 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for information regarding our statutory accounting and reserves, as well as the calculation of RBC and the regulatory RBC requirements. At December 31, 2023, our insurance subsidiaries had a combined statutory TAC of approximately $6.3 billion, resulting in a combined RBC ratio of approximately 428%.
The amount of dividends that our insurance subsidiaries can ultimately pay to BHF through their various parent entities provides an additional margin for risk protection and investment in our businesses. Such dividends are constrained by the amount of surplus our insurance subsidiaries hold to maintain their ratings, which is generally higher than minimum RBC requirements. We proactively take actions to maintain capital consistent with these ratings objectives, which may include adjusting dividend amounts and deploying financial resources from internal or external sources of capital. Certain of these activities may require regulatory approval. Furthermore, the payment of dividends and other distributions by our insurance subsidiaries is governed by the insurance laws and regulations of the states where they are domiciled. Any payment of dividends by Brighthouse Life Insurance Company in 2024 would be subject to Delaware DOI approval. See also Note 13 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information regarding the applicable dividend restrictions and certain of our subsidiaries’ ordinary dividend capacity, as well as the circumstances under which regulatory approval would be required.
Normalized Statutory Earnings
Normalized statutory earnings (loss) is used by management to measure our insurance subsidiaries’ ability to pay future distributions and is reflective of whether our hedging program functions as intended. Normalized statutory earnings (loss) is calculated as statutory pre-tax net gain (loss) from operations adjusted for the favorable or unfavorable impacts of (i) net realized capital gains (losses), (ii) the change in total asset requirement at CTE98, net of the change in our variable annuity reserves, which are calculated at CTE70, and (iii) unrealized gains (losses) associated with our variable annuities and Shield hedging programs and other equity risk management strategies. See “Glossary” for the definition of CTE. Normalized statutory earnings (loss) may be further adjusted for certain unanticipated items that impact our results in order to help management and investors better understand, evaluate and forecast those results.
Our variable annuity block has been managed by funding the balance sheet with assets equal to or greater than a CTE98 level. We have also managed market-related risks of increases in these asset requirements by hedging the market sensitivity of the CTE98 level to changes in the capital markets. By including hedge gains and losses related to our variable annuity risk management strategy in our calculation of normalized statutory earnings (loss), we are able to fully reflect the change in value of the hedges, as well as the change in the value of the underlying CTE98 total asset requirement level. We believe this allows us to determine whether our hedging program is providing the desired level of protection. See “— Risk Management Strategies — Variable Annuity Exposure Risk Management” for additional details regarding our hedge program.
The following table presents the components of combined normalized statutory earnings for Brighthouse Life Insurance Company and NELICO:
| Years Ended December 31, | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | |
| (In billions) | ||
| Statutory net gain (loss) from operations, pre-tax (1) | $(2.0) | $1.0 |
| Add: net realized capital gains (losses) | (1.1) | 0.4 |
| Add: change in total asset requirement at CTE98, net of the change in variable annuity reserves (1) | 2.5 | 0.7 |
| Add: unrealized gains (losses) on variable annuity & Shield hedging programs and other equity risk management strategies | 1.2 | (1.6) |
| Add: impact of actuarial items and other insurance adjustments (1) | (0.8) | 0.4 |
| Add: other adjustments, net | — | 0.1 |
| Normalized statutory earnings (loss) | $(0.2) | $1.0 |
(1)As a result of implementing a new statutory requirement as of December 31, 2023 under which all future hedges must be reflected in reserves and required capital, CTE70 increased $870 million and the total asset requirement at CTE98 decreased $1.1 billion for the year ended December 31, 2023. The $1.1 billion impact to CTE98 is reflected in ‘impact of actuarial and other insurance adjustments’ to normalize the effect of implementing this new statutory requirement.
Primary Sources and Uses of Liquidity and Capital
The principal sources of funds available to BHF include distributions from BH Holdings, dividends and returns of capital from its insurance subsidiaries and BRCD, capital markets issuances, as well as its own cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments. These sources of funds may also be supplemented by alternate sources of liquidity either directly or indirectly through our insurance subsidiaries. For example, we have established internal liquidity facilities to provide liquidity within and across our regulated and non-regulated entities to support our businesses.
The primary uses of liquidity of BHF include debt-service obligations (including interest expense and debt repayments), preferred stock dividends, capital contributions to subsidiaries, common stock repurchases and payment of general operating expenses. Based on our analysis and comparison of our current and future cash inflows from the dividends we receive from subsidiaries that are permitted to be paid without prior insurance regulatory approval, our investment portfolio and other cash flows and anticipated access to the capital markets, we believe there will be sufficient liquidity and capital to enable BHF to make payments on debt, pay preferred stock dividends, contribute capital to its subsidiaries, repurchase its common stock, pay all general operating expenses and meet its cash needs.
In addition to the liquidity and capital sources discussed in “— The Company — Primary Sources of Liquidity and Capital” and “— The Company — Primary Uses of Liquidity and Capital,” the following additional information is provided regarding BHF’s primary sources and uses of liquidity and capital:
Distributions from and Capital Contributions to BH Holdings
See Note 2 of Schedule II — Condensed Financial Information (Parent Company Only) for information relating to distributions from and capital contributions to BH Holdings.
Short-term Intercompany Loans and Intercompany Liquidity Facilities
See Note 3 of Schedule II — Condensed Financial Information (Parent Company Only) for information relating to short-term intercompany loans and our intercompany liquidity facilities including obligations outstanding, issuances and repayments.
The text of this filing, as the company filed it with the SEC, without its images or exhibits. This is not investment advice.