F&G Annuities & Life Inc (FG) Risk Factors

Pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the related rules adopted by the SEC and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, starting with the second annual report that we file with the SEC after the consummation of the separation and distribution, our management will be required to report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. We may encounter problems or delays in completing the implementation of any changes necessary to our internal control over financial reporting to conclude such controls are effective. If we are unable to comply with the requirements of Section 404 in a timely manner or assert that our internal control over financial reporting is effective, or if our independent registered public accounting firm is unable to express an opinion as to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting, investor confidence and our stock price could decline. Matters impacting our internal controls may cause us to be unable to report our financial information on a timely basis and thereby subject us to adverse regulatory consequences, including sanctions by the SEC or violations of NYSE rules, and result in a breach of the covenants under our financing arrangements. There also could be a negative reaction in the financial markets due to a loss of investor confidence in us and the reliability of our financial statements. Confidence in the reliability of our financial statements also could suffer if we were to report a material weakness in our internal controls over financial reporting. This could materially adversely affect the price of our common stock.

We are a holding company whose operating subsidiaries write insurance products that generate a net spread between their assets and liabilities (net of operating costs). Our ability to pay interest on our outstanding debt and our other obligations and to pay dividends is dependent on the ability of our subsidiaries to pay dividends or make other distributions or payments to us. If our operating subsidiaries are not able to pay dividends to us, we may not be able to meet our obligations or pay dividends on our common stock. Our insurance subsidiaries are also subject to state laws with respect to the payment of dividends. The Iowa insurance law and the New York insurance law regulate the amount of dividends that may be paid in any year by FGL Insurance and FGL NY Insurance, respectively. Compliance with these state regulations will limit the amounts that FGL Insurance and FGL NY Insurance may dividend to us. Any dividends in excess of a threshold amount are subject to advance state notice or approval. The maximum dividend permitted by law is not necessarily indicative of an insurer's actual ability to pay dividends, which may be constrained by business and regulatory considerations, such as the impact of dividends on surplus, which could affect an insurer's ratings or competitive position, the amount of premiums that can be written and the ability to pay future dividends. Further, depending on business and regulatory conditions, we may in the future need to retain cash in our subsidiaries or even contribute cash to one or more of them in order to maintain their ratings or their statutory capital position. Such a requirement could be the result of investment losses, reserve charges, adverse operating conditions in the current economic environment or changes in interpretation of statutory accounting requirements by regulators.

The historical information about us in this Annual Report on Form 10-K includes periods where we operated as a wholly owned subsidiary of FNF or as a stand-alone public company. Our historical financial information and summary historical financial information included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K is derived from the Consolidated Financial Statements and the accounting records of F&G and FNF. Accordingly, the historical financial information for periods prior to the separation and distribution included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K does not necessarily reflect the financial condition, results of operations or cash flows that we would have achieved as a separate, publicly traded company during the periods presented, or those that we will achieve in the future, including: - The ongoing cost of capital for our business may be higher than our access to FNF's cost of capital prior to the separation and distribution. - Our historical financial information for periods prior the separation and distribution does not reflect the debt or the associated interest expense that we have incurred in connection with the separation and distribution or expect to incur in the future. Other changes may occur in our cost structure, management, financing and business operations as a result of operating as a company separate from FNF. For additional information about the past financial performance of our business and the basis of presentation of the Consolidated Financial Statements and summary historical financial information of our business, see "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" and the historical financial statements and accompanying notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Various nationally recognized rating agencies review the financial performance and condition of insurers, including our insurance subsidiaries, and publish their financial strength ratings as indicators of an insurer's ability to meet policyholder and contract holder obligations. These ratings are important to maintaining public confidence in our products, our ability to market our products and our competitive position. Downgrades, unfavorable changes in rating methodology or other negative action by a rating agency could have a material adverse effect on us in many ways, including the following: - adversely affecting relationships with distributors, independent marketing organizations ("IMO") and sales agents, which could result in reduction of sales;- increasing the number or amount of policy lapses or surrenders and withdrawals of funds;- requiring a reduction in prices for our subsidiaries' insurance products and services in order to remain competitive;- excluding us from participating in the PRT business or FABN issuances;- adversely affecting our ability to obtain reinsurance at a reasonable price, on reasonable terms or at all;- requiring us to collateralize reserves, balances or obligations under certain reinsurance agreements. In the event of a withdrawal or downgrade of our S&P issuer credit rating to BB or lower, we are required to fund a note issued by a reinsurance counterparty up to $300 million. As of December 31, 2023, the amount funded under the note agreement was insignificant; and - limiting our ability to hedge index risk inherent in the products offered due to Additional Termination Event ("ATE") provisions in our International Swap and Derivative Association ("ISDA")/Credit Support Annex ("CSA"), which could allow counterparties to opt not to trade with us should our rating fall below a certain threshold. As of December 31, 2023, our ratings exceeded the ATE threshold in our ISDA/CSAs.

Our profitability depends significantly upon the extent to which our actual experience is consistent with the assumptions used in setting rates for our products and establishing liabilities for future life insurance, annuity and PRT policy benefits and claims. However, due to the nature of the underlying risks and the high degree of uncertainty associated with the determination of the liabilities for unpaid policy benefits and claims, we cannot precisely determine the amounts we will ultimately pay to settle these liabilities. As a result, we may experience volatility in our reserves and, therefore, our profitability from period to period. To the extent that actual experience is less favorable than our underlying assumptions, we could be required to increase our reserves which may reduce our profitability and impact our financial strength. We have been issuing guaranteed minimum withdrawal benefit ("GMWB") products since 2008. In our reserve calculations, we make assumptions for policyholder behavior as it relates to GMWB utilization. If emerging experience deviates from our assumptions on GMWB utilization, it could have a significant effect on our reserve levels and related results of operations. We will continue to monitor the GMWB utilization assumption and update our best estimate as applicable.

Fixed maturities, equity securities and derivatives represent the majority of total cash and invested assets reported at fair value on our balance sheet. Fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date (an exit price). Fair value estimates are made based on available market information and judgments about the financial instrument at a specific point in time. Expectations that our investments will continue to perform in accordance with their contractual terms are based on evidence gathered through our normal credit surveillance process and on assumptions a market participant would use in determining the current fair value. The determination of current expected credit loss varies by investment type and is based upon our periodic evaluation and assessment of known and inherent risks associated with the respective asset class. Our management considers a wide range of factors about the instrument issuer (e.g., operations of the issuer and future earnings potential) and uses their best judgment in evaluating the cause of the decline in the estimated fair value of the instrument and in assessing the prospects for recovery. In addition, we conduct various quantitative credit screens on the investment portfolio to create a credit watchlist. The credit watchlist investments are then further analyzed by our portfolio managers for likelihood of loss of contractual principal and interest. Our portfolio managers also maintain a credit spotlight for investments that do not meet the quantitative screens. These investments have been identified as requiring a higher level of review and monitoring due to idiosyncratic risk. Such evaluations and assessments require significant judgment and are revised as conditions change and new information becomes available. Additional impairments may need to be taken in the future, and the ultimate loss may exceed management's current estimate of impairment amounts. The value and performance of certain of our assets are dependent upon the performance of collateral underlying these investments. It is possible the collateral will not meet performance expectations leading to adverse changes in the cash flows on our holdings of these types of securities. See Note C - Investments to the Consolidated Financial Statements, including the notes thereto, in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional information about our investment portfolio.

Current accounting rules require that goodwill be assessed for impairment annually or more frequently if changes in events or circumstances indicate that the fair value of our reporting unit may be less than its carrying value. Factors that may be considered a change in circumstance indicating the carrying value of goodwill may not be recoverable include, but are not limited to, significant underperformance relative to historical or projected future operating results, divestitures, and negative industry or economic trends. Evaluating this asset's recoverability requires us to make estimates and assumptions to estimate the fair value of our reporting unit. For the years ended December 31, 2023, and 2022, no goodwill impairment charge was recorded. However, if there is an adverse event affecting the value of our reporting unit in the future, the carrying amount of our goodwill may no longer be recoverable, and we may be required to record an impairment charge, which would have a negative impact on our results of operations and financial condition. We will continue to monitor our operating results and the impact of the economy to determine if there is an impairment of goodwill in future periods.

Interest rate risk is a significant market risk for us, as our business involves issuing interest rate sensitive obligations backed primarily by investments in fixed income assets. As of December 31, 2023, we also maintained approximately 21% of the assets in our investment portfolio in floating rate investments. During the year ended December 31, 2023, we executed some variable interest rate credit agreements, floating rate funding agreements and pay-float and receive-fixed interest rate swaps to reduce market risks from interest rate changes on our earnings associated with our floating rate investments. All of these assets are subject to an element of market risk from changes in interest rates. Prior to 2022, interest rates had been at or near historical low levels over the preceding several years. A prolonged period of low rates exposes us to the risk of not achieving returns sufficient to meet our earnings targets and/or our contractual obligations. Furthermore, low or declining interest rates may reduce the rate of policyholder surrenders and withdrawals on our life insurance and annuity products, thus increasing the duration of the liabilities, creating asset and liability duration mismatches and increasing the risk of having to reinvest assets at yields below the amounts required to support our obligations. Lower interest rates may also result in decreased sales of certain insurance products, negatively impacting our profitability from new business. Since March 2022, the Federal Reserve has increased the Federal Funds ("Fed Funds") rate 11 times from approximately 0% to approximately 5.50% before pausing in the latter half of 2023, and market rates have risen during that time. During periods of increasing interest rates, we may offer higher crediting rates on interest-sensitive products, such as universal life insurance and fixed annuities, and we may increase crediting rates on in-force products to keep these products competitive. We may be required to accept lower spread income (the difference between the returns we earn on our investments and the amounts we credit to contract holders), thus reducing our profitability, as returns on our portfolio of invested assets may not increase as quickly as current interest rates. Rapidly rising interest rates may also expose us to the risk of financial disintermediation, which is an increase in policy surrenders, withdrawals and requests for policy loans as customers seek to achieve higher returns elsewhere, requiring us to liquidate assets in an unrealized loss position. If we experience unexpected withdrawal activity, we could exhaust our liquid assets and be forced to liquidate other less liquid assets such as limited partnership investments. We may have difficulty selling these investments in a timely manner and/or be forced to sell them for less than we otherwise would have been able to realize, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or operating results. We have developed and maintain ALM programs and procedures that are, we believe, designed to mitigate interest rate risk by matching asset cash flows to expected liability cash flows, and robust inflows provide additional opportunities to allocate in force assets in support of news business, further mitigating potential losses due to disintermediation risk. In addition, we assess surrender charges on withdrawals in excess of allowable penalty-free amounts that occur during the surrender charge period. The significant new business written in recent years strengthens the surrender charge protection since the surrender charges are highest in the early years of a policy. There can be no assurance that actual withdrawals, contract benefits, and maturities will match our estimates. Despite our efforts to reduce the impact of rising interest rates, we may be required to sell assets to raise the cash necessary to respond to an increase in surrenders, withdrawals and loans, thereby realizing capital losses on the assets sold. Liabilities that are held on our balance sheet at fair value, including embedded derivatives on our FIA and IUL business and market risk benefits ("MRB") on our FIA and fixed rate annuity business, are sensitive to fluctuations in interest rates. Decreases in interest rates generally would have the impact of increasing the value of these liabilities, which will result in a reduction in our net income. Liabilities for future policy benefits ("FPB") are valued using locked-in discount rates, and any changes in interest rates since the inception of those contracts are reflected in other comprehensive income ("OCI"). Decreases in interest rates would result in a reduction in our OCI. In addition, certain statutory capital and reserve requirements are based on formulas or models that consider interest rates and a prolonged period of low interest rates may increase the statutory capital we are required to hold as well as the amount of assets we must maintain to support statutory reserves. As of December 31, 2023, current economic conditions, including higher interest rates, have not adversely affected our business, results of operations and financial condition. However, we cannot predict if it will impact our business, results of operations and financial condition in the future for the forgoing reasons. Higher interest rates have decreased the fair value of our investment security portfolio, primarily our fixed maturity securities, as of December 31, 2023, and December 31, 2022, resulting in our AOCI being a loss of $2.0 billion and $2.8 billion, respectively. See "Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosure about Market Risk" in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a more detailed discussion of interest rate risk.

We cede material amounts of insurance to other insurance companies through reinsurance. Accordingly, we bear credit risk with respect to our reinsurers. The failure, insolvency, inability or unwillingness of any reinsurer to pay under the terms of reinsurance agreements with us could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, liquidity and results of operations. We regularly monitor the credit rating and performance of our reinsurance parties. ASPIDA Life Re Ltd. ("Aspida Re"), Wilton Reassurance Company ("Wilton Re"), Somerset Reinsurance Ltd. ("Somerset") and Everlake Life Insurance Company ("Everlake") represent our largest third-party reinsurance counterparty exposures. As of December 31, 2023, the net amount recoverable from Aspida Re, Wilton Re, Somerset and Everlake were $6,128 million, $1,092 million, $716 million and $509 million, respectively. The risk of non-performance is mitigated with various forms of collateral or collateral arrangements, including secured trusts, funds withheld accounts and irrevocable letters of credit. We are also exposed to credit loss in the event of non-performance by our counterparties on options. We seek to reduce the risk associated with such agreements by purchasing such options from large, well-established financial institutions, and by holding collateral. There can be no assurance we will not suffer losses in the event of counterparty non-performance. Several of our derivative counterparty ISDA agreements contain additional termination event triggers based on a downgrade of FGL Insurance. These triggers would give these counterparties the option to terminate our options, which could lead to losses if occurring at an inopportune time. Please refer to "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" for additional details on credit risk and counterparty risk.

Our insurance company subsidiaries are parties to IMAs with BIS and other investment managers and sub-managers. These entities depend in large part on their ability to attract and retain key people, including senior executives, finance professionals and information technology professionals. Intense competition exists for key employees with demonstrated ability, and our investment managers may be unable to hire or retain such employees. The unexpected loss by any of our investment managers, including BIS, of key employees could have a material adverse effect on their ability to manage our investment portfolio and have an adverse impact on our investment portfolio and results of operations.

At December 31, 2023, we had outstanding (i) $345 million in aggregate principal of our 7.95% Senior Notes due 2053 (the "7.95% F&G Notes"), (ii) $500 million in aggregate principal of our 7.40% Senior Notes due 2028 (the "7.40% F&G Notes"), (iii) $365 million of borrowings under an unsecured revolving credit agreement with Bank of America, N.A., as administrative agent, the lenders ( the "Lenders") and guarantors party there-to and the other parties there-to (the "Credit Agreement") and (iv) $550 million in aggregate principal of our 5.50% Senior Notes due 2025 (the "5.50% F&G Notes"). The Credit Agreement imposes operating and financial restrictions, including financial covenants, and the Credit Agreement and the indentures governing the 7.95% F&G Notes, the 7.40% F&G Notes and the 5.50% F&G Notes impose limitations. As a result of these restrictions, covenants and limitations, we may be limited in how we conduct our business, and we may be unable to raise additional debt or equity financing to compete effectively or take advantage of new business opportunities. We do not believe these restrictions, covenants or limitations will have a material impact on the Company's current or future operations. However, our failure to comply with the restrictive covenants in existing or future debt instruments could result in an event of default, which, if not cured or waived, could result in our being required to repay outstanding indebtedness before their due date. If we are forced to refinance indebtedness on less favorable terms or are unable to refinance at all, our results of operations and financial condition could be materially adversely affected.

Our long-term strategic capital requirements will depend on many factors, including our accumulated statutory earnings and the relationship between our statutory capital and surplus and various elements of required capital. To support long-term capital requirements, we may need to increase or maintain statutory capital and surplus of our insurance subsidiaries through financing which could include debt, equity, financing arrangements or other surplus relief transactions. On June 24, 2022, FNF capitalized $400 million of intercompany indebtedness into common stock of F&G. FNF is not obligated to, may choose not to, or may not be able to provide financing or make capital contributions to us now or in the future. Consequently, financings, if available at all, may be available only on terms that are not favorable to us. Under a note purchase agreement with Kubera Insurance (SAC) Ltd. ("Kubera"), in which we are a noteholder, and capital keep-well agreements with our reinsurance subsidiary F&G Cayman Re Ltd. ("F&G Cayman Re"), there is an obligation to provide financing to the extent of a funding shortfall on a reserve note facility. Adverse market conditions have affected and continue to affect the availability and cost of capital from external sources. If we cannot maintain adequate capital for our insurance subsidiaries, or if we are obligated to provide capital contributions in the event of funding shortfalls, we may be required to limit growth in sales of new policies which could materially adversely affect our business, operations and financial condition.