1. General
Basis of presentation
The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of The Allstate Corporation and its wholly owned subsidiaries, primarily Allstate Insurance Company ("AIC"), a property-liability insurance company with various property-liability and life and investment subsidiaries, including Allstate Life Insurance Company ("ALIC") (collectively referred to as the "Company" or "Allstate"). These consolidated financial statements have been prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("GAAP"). All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated.
To conform to the current year presentation, certain amounts in the prior years' consolidated financial statements and notes have been reclassified.
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Nature of operations
Allstate is engaged, principally in the United States, in the property-liability insurance, life insurance, retirement and investment product business. Allstate's primary business is the sale of private passenger auto and homeowners insurance. The Company also sells several other personal property and casualty insurance products, life insurance, annuities, voluntary accident and health insurance, funding agreements, and select commercial property and casualty coverages. Allstate primarily distributes its products through exclusive agencies, financial specialists and independent agencies. Certain products are also sold through call centers and the internet.
The Allstate Protection segment principally sells private passenger auto and homeowners insurance, with earned premiums accounting for 83% of Allstate's 2010 consolidated revenues. Allstate was the country's second largest insurer for both private passenger auto and homeowners insurance as of December 31, 2009. Allstate Protection, through several companies, is authorized to sell certain property-liability products in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. The Company is also authorized to sell certain insurance products in Canada. For 2010, the top geographic locations for premiums earned by the Allstate Protection segment were New York, California, Texas, Florida and Pennsylvania. No other jurisdiction accounted for more than 5% of premiums earned for Allstate Protection.
Allstate has exposure to catastrophes, an inherent risk of the property-liability insurance business, which have contributed, and will continue to contribute, to material year-to-year fluctuations in the Company's results of operations and financial position (see Note 7). The nature and level of catastrophic loss caused by natural events (high winds, winter storms, tornadoes, hailstorms, wildfires, tropical storms, hurricanes, earthquakes and volcanoes) and man-made events (terrorism and industrial accidents) experienced in any period cannot be predicted and could be material to results of operations and financial position. The Company considers the greatest areas of potential catastrophe losses due to hurricanes to generally be major metropolitan centers in counties along the eastern and gulf coasts of the United States. The Company considers the greatest areas of potential catastrophe losses due to earthquakes and fires following earthquakes to be major metropolitan areas near fault lines in the states of California, Oregon, Washington, South Carolina, Missouri, Kentucky and Tennessee. The Company also has exposure to asbestos, environmental and other discontinued lines claims (see Note 13).
The Allstate Financial segment sells life insurance, retirement and investment products and voluntary accident and health insurance. The principal individual products are interest-sensitive, traditional and va
Free historical financial statements for Allstate Corp.
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Data imported from Allstate Corp SEC filings. Check original filings before making any investment decision.