Chubb Ltd

Liquidity is a measure of a company's ability to generate cash flows sufficient to meet short-term and long-term cash requirements. As a holding company, Chubb Limited possesses assets that consist primarily of the stock of its subsidiaries and other investments. In addition to net investment income, Chubb Limited's cash flows depend primarily on dividends and other statutorily permissible payments. Historically, dividends and other statutorily permitted payments have come primarily from Chubb's Bermuda-based operating subsidiaries, which we refer to as our Bermuda subsidiaries. Our consolidated sources of funds consist primarily of net premiums written, fees, net investment income, and proceeds from sales and maturities of investments. Funds are used at our various companies primarily to pay claims, operating expenses, and dividends; to service debt; to purchase investments; and to fund acquisitions.

We anticipate that positive cash flows from operations (underwriting activities and investment income) should be sufficient to cover cash outflows under most loss scenarios for the near term. Should the need arise, we generally have access to capital markets and available credit facilities. Refer to “Credit Facilities” below for additional information. Our access to funds under the existing credit facility is dependent on the ability of the bank that is a party to the facility to meet its funding commitments. Should our existing credit provider experience financial difficulty, we may be required to replace credit sources, possibly in a difficult market. If we cannot obtain adequate capital or sources of credit on favorable terms, on a timely basis, or at all, our business, operating results, and financial condition could be adversely affected. To date, we have not experienced difficulty accessing our credit facility or establishing additional facilities when needed.

To further ensure the sufficiency of funds to settle unforeseen claims, we hold certain invested assets in cash and short-term investments. In addition, for certain insurance, reinsurance, or deposit contracts that tend to have relatively large and reasonably predictable cash outflows, we attempt to establish dedicated portfolios of assets that are duration-matched with the related liabilities. With respect to the duration of our overall investment portfolio, we manage asset durations to both maximize return given current market conditions and provide sufficient liquidity to cover future loss payments. At December 31, 2023, the average duration of our fixed maturities, including the effect of futures, options, and swaps, (4.8 years) approximates the average expected duration of our P&C insurance liabilities (3.9 years).

Despite our safeguards, if paid losses accelerate beyond our ability to fund such paid losses from current operating cash flows, we might need to either liquidate a portion of our investment portfolio or arrange for financing. Potential events causing such a liquidity strain could include several significant catastrophes occurring in a relatively short period of time, large uncollectible reinsurance recoverables on paid losses (as a result of coverage disputes, reinsurers' credit problems, or decreases in the value of collateral supporting reinsurance recoverables) or increases in collateral postings under our variable annuity reinsurance business. Because each subsidiary focuses on a more limited number of specific product lines than is collectively available from the Chubb Group of Companies, the mix of business tends to be less diverse at the subsidiary level. As a result, the probability of a liquidity strain, as described above, may be greater for individual subsidiaries than when liquidity is assessed on a consolidated basis. If such a liquidity strain were to occur in a subsidiary, we could be required to liquidate a portion of our investments, potentially at distressed prices, as well as be required to contribute capital to the particular subsidiary and/or curtail dividends from the subsidiary to support holding company operations.

The payment of dividends or other statutorily permissible distributions from our operating companies are subject to the laws and regulations applicable to each jurisdiction, as well as the need to maintain capital levels adequate to support the insurance and reinsurance operations, including financial strength ratings issued by independent rating agencies. During 2023, we were able to meet all our obligations, including the payments of dividends on our Common Shares, with our net cash flows.

We assess which subsidiaries to draw dividends from based on a number of factors. Considerations such as regulatory and legal restrictions as well as the subsidiary's financial condition are paramount to the dividend decision. Chubb Limited received dividends of $3.3 billion and $7.5 billion from its Bermuda subsidiaries in 2023 and 2022, respectively. Chubb Limited received cash dividends of $28 million and $32 million and non-cash dividends of $291 million and $348 million from Swiss subsidiaries in 2023 and 2022, respectively. Chubb Limited also received dividends of $134 million from its other international subsidiary in 2022.

The U.S. insurance subsidiaries of Chubb INA Holdings Inc. (Chubb INA) may pay dividends, without prior regulatory approval, subject to restrictions set out in state law of the subsidiary's domicile (or, if applicable, commercial domicile). Chubb INA's international subsidiaries are also subject to insurance laws and regulations particular to the countries in which the subsidiaries operate. These laws and regulations sometimes include restrictions that limit the amount of dividends payable without prior approval of regulatory insurance authorities. Chubb Limited received no dividends from Chubb INA in 2023 and 2022. Debt issued by Chubb INA is serviced by statutorily permissible distributions by Chubb INA's insurance subsidiaries to Chubb INA as well as other group resources. Chubb INA received cash dividends of $2.4 billion and $2.0 billion and non-cash dividends of $170 million and nil from its subsidiaries in 2023 and 2022, respectively. At December 31, 2023, the amount of dividends available to be paid to Chubb INA in 2024 from its subsidiaries without prior approval of insurance regulatory authorities totals $4.0 billion.

Cash Flows

Our insurance and reinsurance operations provide liquidity in that premiums are received in advance, sometimes substantially in advance, of the time claims are paid. Generally, cash flows are affected by claim payments that, due to the nature of our operations, may comprise large loss payments on a limited number of claims and which can fluctuate significantly from period to period. The irregular timing of these loss payments can create significant variations in cash flows from operations between periods. For additional information regarding estimates of future claim payments over the next twelve months, refer to our discussion of Cash Requirements within "Capital Resources". Sources of liquidity include cash from operations, routine sales of investments, and financing arrangements. The following is a discussion of our cash flows for 2023, 2022, and 2021.

Operating cash flows reflect Net income for each period, adjusted for non-cash items and changes in working capital. Operating cash flows were $12.6 billion in 2023, compared to $11.3 billion and $11.2 billion in 2022 and 2021, respectively. Operating cash flow increased $1.3 billion in 2023 compared to 2022, due to higher net investment income and net premiums collected, partially offset by higher net losses paid and income taxes paid. In addition, there were net proceeds from sales of consolidated investment products (CIP) from Huatai's asset management companies of $450 million.

Cash used for investing was $7.6 billion in 2023, compared to $5.7 billion and $6.7 billion in 2022 and 2021, respectively. Cash used for investing in the current year increased $1.9 billion in 2023 compared to 2022 due to higher net purchases of fixed maturities and equity securities of $7.5 billion, offset by a decrease in cash paid for acquisition of subsidiaries of $5.1 billion. In 2023, the incremental cash paid for the additional purchases of Huatai, net of cash acquired, was immaterial given that there were cash deposits made in the prior years. In 2022, cash paid for acquisition of subsidiaries primarily included the purchase of Cigna's business in Asia of $5.0 billion, net of cash acquired.

Cash used for financing was $4.5 billion in 2023, compared to $5.1 billion and $4.4 billion in 2022 and 2021, respectively. The decrease of $653 million in 2023 compared to 2022 is primarily from lower long-term debt repayments of $525 million and lower common shares repurchased of $483 million. This decrease in cash used for financing was partially offset by net CIP-related distributions to third-parties of $619 million. These CIPs are related to Huatai's asset management companies. Refer to Note 15 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information on share repurchases.

Both internal and external forces influence our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows. Claim settlements, premium levels, and investment returns may be impacted by changing rates of inflation and other economic conditions. In many cases, significant periods of time, ranging up to several years or more, may lapse between the occurrence of an insured loss, the reporting of the loss to us, and the settlement of the liability for that loss.

We use repurchase agreements as a low-cost funding alternative. At December 31, 2023, there were $2.8 billion, including variable interest entities balances of $1.0 billion, in repurchase agreements outstanding with various maturities over the next five months.

In addition to cash from operations, routine sales of investments, and financing arrangements, we have agreements with a third-party bank provider which implemented two international multi-currency notional cash pooling programs to enhance cash management efficiency during periods of short-term timing mismatches between expected inflows and outflows of cash by currency. The programs allow us to optimize investment income by avoiding portfolio disruption. In each program, participating Chubb entities establish deposit accounts in different currencies with the bank provider. Each day the credit or debit balances in every account are notionally translated into a single currency (U.S. dollars) and then notionally pooled. The bank extends overdraft credit to all participating Chubb entities as needed, provided that the overall notionally pooled balance of all accounts in each pool at the end of each day is at least zero. Actual cash balances are not physically converted and are not commingled between legal entities. Chubb entities may incur overdraft balances as a means to address short-term liquidity needs. Any overdraft balances incurred under this program by a Chubb entity would be guaranteed by Chubb Limited (up to $300 million in the aggregate). Our syndicated letter of credit facility allows for same day drawings to fund a net pool overdraft should participating Chubb entities withdraw contributed funds from the pool.