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2007 Annual Report - AIG.com

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American International Group, Inc. and Subsidiaries<br />

8. Derivatives and Hedge Accounting<br />

Continued<br />

<strong>AIG</strong>FP accounts for its credit default swaps in accordance with<br />

FAS 133 ‘‘Accounting For Derivative Instruments and Hedging<br />

Activities’’ and Emerging Issues Task Force 02-3, ‘‘Issues Involved<br />

in Accounting for Derivative Contracts Held for Trading Purposes<br />

and Contracts Involved in Energy Trading and Risk Management<br />

Activities’’ (EITF 02-3). In accordance with EITF 02-3, <strong>AIG</strong>FP does<br />

not recognize in<strong>com</strong>e in earnings at the inception of each<br />

transaction because the inputs to value these instruments are not<br />

derivable from observable market data.<br />

The valuation of the super senior credit derivatives has<br />

be<strong>com</strong>e increasingly challenging given the limitation on the<br />

availability of market observable information due to the lack of<br />

trading and price transparency in the structured finance market,<br />

particularly in the fourth quarter of <strong>2007</strong>. These market condi-<br />

tions have increased the reliance on management estimates and<br />

judgments in arriving at an estimate of fair value for financial<br />

reporting purposes. Further, disparities in the valuation methodol-<br />

ogies employed by market participants and the varying judgments<br />

reached by such participants when assessing volatile markets has<br />

increased the likelihood that the various parties to these<br />

instruments may arrive at significantly different estimates as to<br />

their fair values.<br />

<strong>AIG</strong>FP’s valuation methodologies for the super senior credit<br />

default swap portfolio have evolved in response to the deteriorat-<br />

ing market conditions and the lack of sufficient market observable<br />

information. <strong>AIG</strong> has sought to calibrate the model to market<br />

information and to review the assumptions of the model on a<br />

regular basis.<br />

<strong>AIG</strong>FP employs a modified version of the BET model to value its<br />

super senior credit default swap portfolio, including the 2a-7 Puts.<br />

The BET model utilizes default probabilities derived from credit<br />

spreads implied from market prices for the individual securities<br />

included in the underlying collateral pools securing the CDOs.<br />

<strong>AIG</strong>FP obtained prices on these securities from the CDO collateral<br />

managers.<br />

The BET model also utilizes diversity scores, weighted average<br />

lives, recovery rates and discount rates. The determination of<br />

some of these inputs require the use of judgment and estimates,<br />

particularly in the absence of market observable data. <strong>AIG</strong>FP also<br />

employed a Monte Carlo simulation to assist in quantifying the<br />

effect on valuation of the CDO of the unique features of the<br />

CDO’s structure such as triggers that divert cash flows to the<br />

most senior level of the capital structure.<br />

The credit default swaps written by <strong>AIG</strong>FP cover only the failure<br />

of payment on the super senior CDO security. <strong>AIG</strong>FP does not own<br />

the securities in the CDO collateral pool. The credit spreads<br />

implied from the market prices of the securities in the CDO<br />

collateral pool incorporate the risk of default (credit risk), the<br />

market’s price for liquidity risk and in distressed markets, the risk<br />

aversion costs. Spreads on credit derivatives tend to be narrower<br />

because, unlike in the case of investing in a bond, there is no<br />

need to fund the position (except when an actual credit event<br />

occurs). In times of illiquidity, the difference between spreads on<br />

cash securities and derivative instruments (the ‘‘negative basis’’)<br />

may be even wider for high quality assets. <strong>AIG</strong>FP was unable to<br />

reliably verify this negative basis due to the accelerating severe<br />

dislocation, illiquidity and lack of trading in the asset backed<br />

securities market during the fourth quarter of <strong>2007</strong> and early<br />

2008. The valuations produced by the BET model therefore<br />

represent the valuations of the underlying super senior CDO cash<br />

securities with no recognition of the effect of the basis differential<br />

on that valuation.<br />

<strong>AIG</strong>FP also considered the valuation of the super senior CDO<br />

securities provided by third parties, including counterparties to<br />

these transactions, and made adjustments as necessary.<br />

As described above, <strong>AIG</strong>FP uses numerous assumptions in<br />

determining its best estimate of the fair value of the super senior<br />

credit default swap portfolio. The most significant assumption<br />

utilized in developing the estimate is the pricing of the securities<br />

within the CDO collateral pools. If the actual pricing of the<br />

securities within the collateral pools differs from the pricing used<br />

in estimating the fair value of the super senior credit default swap<br />

portfolio, there is potential for significant variation in the fair value<br />

estimate.<br />

In the case of credit default swaps written on investment grade<br />

corporate debt and CLOs, <strong>AIG</strong>FP estimated the value of its<br />

obligations by reference to the relevant market indices or third<br />

party quotes on the underlying super senior tranches where<br />

available.<br />

<strong>AIG</strong>FP monitors the underlying portfolios to determine whether<br />

the credit loss experience for any particular portfolio has caused<br />

the likelihood of <strong>AIG</strong>FP having a payment obligation under the<br />

transaction to be greater than super senior risk.<br />

Other Derivative Users<br />

<strong>AIG</strong> and its subsidiaries (other than <strong>AIG</strong>FP) also use derivatives<br />

and other instruments as part of their financial risk management<br />

programs. Interest rate derivatives (such as interest rate swaps)<br />

are used to manage interest rate risk associated with investments<br />

in fixed in<strong>com</strong>e securities, <strong>com</strong>mercial paper issuances, medium-<br />

and long-term note offerings, and other interest rate sensitive<br />

assets and liabilities. In addition, foreign exchange derivatives<br />

(principally cross currency swaps, forwards and options) are used<br />

to economically mitigate risk associated with non-U.S. dollar<br />

denominated debt, net capital exposures and foreign exchange<br />

transactions. The derivatives are effective economic hedges of the<br />

exposures they are meant to offset.<br />

In <strong>2007</strong>, <strong>AIG</strong> and its subsidiaries other than <strong>AIG</strong>FP designated<br />

certain derivatives as either fair value or cash flow hedges of their<br />

debt. The fair value hedges included (i) interest rate swaps that<br />

were designated as hedges of the change in the fair value of fixed<br />

rate debt attributable to changes in the benchmark interest rate<br />

and (ii) foreign currency swaps designated as hedges of the<br />

change in fair value of foreign currency denominated debt<br />

attributable to changes in foreign exchange rates and/or the<br />

benchmark interest rate. With respect to the cash flow hedges,<br />

(i) interest rate swaps were designated as hedges of the changes<br />

in cash flows on floating rate debt attributable to changes in the<br />

benchmark interest rate, and (ii) foreign currency swaps were<br />

designated as hedges of changes in cash flows on foreign<br />

<strong>AIG</strong> <strong>2007</strong> Form 10-K 165

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