Level of aggregation of insurance contracts (AASB17_07-17_COMPdec22_01-23)

An entity shall identify portfolios of insurance contracts. A portfolio comprises contracts subject to similar risks and managed together. Contracts within a product line would be expected to have similar risks and hence would be expected to be in the same portfolio if they are managed together. Contracts in different product lines (for example single premium fixed annuities compared with regular term life assurance) would not be expected to have similar risks and hence would be expected to be in different portfolios.

Paragraphs 16–24 apply to insurance contracts issued. The requirements for the level of aggregation of reinsurance contracts held are set out in paragraph 61.

An entity shall divide a portfolio of insurance contracts issued into a minimum of:

(a)            a group of contracts that are onerous at initial recognition, if any;

(b)            a group of contracts that at initial recognition have no significant possibility of becoming onerous subsequently, if any; and

(c)            a group of the remaining contracts in the portfolio, if any.

If an entity has reasonable and supportable information to conclude that a set of contracts will all be in the same group applying paragraph 16, it may measure the set of contracts to determine if the contracts are onerous (see paragraph 47) and assess the set of contracts to determine if the contracts have no significant possibility of becoming onerous subsequently (see paragraph 19). If the entity does not have reasonable and supportable information to conclude that a set of contracts will all be in the same group, it shall determine the group to which contracts belong by considering individual contracts.

For contracts issued to which an entity applies the premium allocation approach (see paragraphs 53–59), the entity shall assume no contracts in the portfolio are onerous at initial recognition, unless facts and circumstances indicate otherwise. An entity shall assess whether contracts that are not onerous at initial recognition have no significant possibility of becoming onerous subsequently by assessing the likelihood of changes in applicable facts and circumstances.

For contracts issued to which an entity does not apply the premium allocation approach (see paragraphs 53–54), an entity shall assess whether contracts that are not onerous at initial recognition have no significant possibility of becoming onerous:

(a)            abased on the likelihood of changes in assumptions which, if they occurred, would result in the contracts becoming onerous.

(b)            using information about estimates provided by the entity’s internal reporting. Hence, in assessing whether contracts that are not onerous at initial recognition have no significant possibility of becoming onerous:

(i)              an entity shall not disregard information provided by its internal reporting about the effect of changes in assumptions on different contracts on the possibility of their becoming onerous; but

(ii)             an entity is not required to gather additional information beyond that provided by the entity’s internal reporting about the effect of changes in assumptions on different contracts.

If, applying paragraphs 14–19, contracts within a portfolio would fall into different groups only because law or regulation specifically constrains the entity’s practical ability to set a different price or level of benefits for policyholders with different characteristics, the entity may include those contracts in the same group. The entity shall not apply this paragraph by analogy to other items.

An entity is permitted to subdivide the groups described in paragraph 16. For example, an entity may choose to divide the portfolios into:

(a)            more groups that are not onerous at initial recognition – if the entity’s internal reporting provides information that distinguishes:

(i)              different levels of profitability; or

(ii)             different possibilities of contracts becoming onerous after initial recognition; and.

(b)            more than one group of contracts that are onerous at initial recognition – if the entity’s internal reporting provides information at a more detailed level about the extent to which the contracts are onerous..

An entity shall not include contracts issued more than one year apart in the same group. To achieve this the entity shall, if necessary, further divide the groups described in paragraphs 16–21.

A group of insurance contracts shall comprise a single contract if that is the result of applying paragraphs 14–22.

An entity shall apply the recognition and measurement requirements of AASB 17 to the groups of contracts determined by applying paragraphs 14–23. An entity shall establish the groups at initial recognition and add contracts to the groups applying paragraph 28. The entity shall not reassess the composition of the groups subsequently. To measure a group of contracts, an entity may estimate the fulfilment cash flows at a higher level of aggregation than the group or portfolio, provided the entity is able to include the appropriate fulfilment cash flows in the measurement of the group, applying paragraphs 32(a), 40(a)(i) and 40(b), by allocating such estimates to groups of contracts.