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Fairfax Financial

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Employees 51-200
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FY2019 Annual Report · Fairfax Financial
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2019 Annual Report

GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR FAIRFAX FINANCIAL HOLDINGS LIMITED

OBJECTIVES:

1) We  expect  to  compound  our  mark-to-market  book  value  per  share  over  the  long  term  by  15%  annually  by
running Fairfax and its subsidiaries for the long term benefit of customers, employees, shareholders and the
communities where we operate – at the expense of short term profits if necessary.

2) Our focus is long term growth in book value per share and not quarterly earnings. We plan to grow through

internal means as well as through friendly acquisitions.

3) We always want to be soundly financed.

4) We provide complete disclosure annually to our shareholders.

STRUCTURE:

1) Our  companies  are  decentralized  and  run  by  the  presidents  except  for  performance  evaluation,  succession
planning, acquisitions, financing and investments, which are done by or with Fairfax. Investing will always be
conducted based on a long term value-oriented philosophy. Cooperation among companies is encouraged to the
benefit of Fairfax in total.

2) Complete and open communication between Fairfax and subsidiaries is an essential requirement at Fairfax.

3)

4)

Share ownership and large incentives are encouraged across the Group.

Fairfax will always be a very small holding company and not an operating company.

VALUES:

1) Honesty and integrity are essential in all our relationships and will never be compromised.

2) We are results oriented – not political.

3) We are team players – no ‘‘egos’’. A confrontational style is not appropriate. We value loyalty – to Fairfax and

our colleagues.

4) We are hard working but not at the expense of our families.

5) We  always  look  at  opportunities  but  emphasize  downside  protection  and  look  for  ways  to  minimize  loss

of capital.

6) We  are  entrepreneurial.  We  encourage  calculated  risk  taking.  It  is  all  right  to  fail  but  we  should  learn  from

our mistakes.

7) We will never bet the company on any project or acquisition.

8) We believe in having fun – at work! 

30JAN201416052574

2019 Annual Report

(in US$ millions, except as otherwise indicated)(1)

Fairfax Corporate Performance

Book
value
per
share(2)

Closing
share
price(1) Revenue
As at and for the years ended December 31(3)
12.2
1985
38.9
1986
86.9
1987
112.0
1988
108.6
1989
167.0
1990
217.4
1991
237.0
1992
266.7
1993
464.8
1994
837.0
1995
1,082.3
1996
1,507.7
1997
2,469.0
1998
3,905.9
1999
4,157.2
2000
3,953.2
2001
5,104.7
2002
5,731.2
2003
5,829.7
2004
5,900.5
2005
6,803.7
2006
7,510.2
2007
7,825.6
2008
6,635.6
2009
5,967.3
2010
7,475.0
2011
8,022.8
2012
5,944.9
2013
10,017.9
2014
9,580.4
2015
9,299.6
2016
16,224.6
2017
17,757.7
2018
21,532.8
2019

3.25(4)
12.75
12.37
15.00
18.75
11.00
21.25
25.00
61.25
67.00
98.00
290.00
320.00
540.00
245.50
228.50
164.00
121.11
226.11
202.24
168.00
231.67
287.00
390.00
410.00
408.99
437.01
358.55
424.11
608.78
656.91
648.50
669.34
600.98
609.74

1.52
4.25
6.30
8.26
10.50
14.84
18.38
18.55
26.39
31.06
38.89
63.31
86.28
112.49
155.55
148.14
117.03
125.25
163.70
162.76
137.50
150.16
230.01
278.28
369.80
376.33
364.55
378.10
339.00
394.83
403.01
367.40
449.55
432.46
486.10

Net
earnings
(loss)

Total
assets

Invest-
ments

Net
debt(5)

Common
share-
holders’
equity

Shares
out-
standing

Earnings
(loss)
per
share

(0.6)
4.7
12.3
12.1
14.4
18.2
19.6
8.3
25.8
27.9
63.9
110.6
152.1
280.3
42.6
75.5

30.4
93.4
139.8
200.6
209.5
461.9
447.0
464.6
906.6
1,549.3
2,104.8
4,216.0
7,148.9
13,640.1
22,229.3
21,667.8
(406.5) 22,183.8
22,173.2
252.8
24,877.1
288.6
26,271.2
53.1
(446.6) 27,542.0
26,576.5
227.5
27,941.8
1,095.8
27,305.4
1,473.8
28,452.0
856.8
31,448.1
335.8
33,406.9
45.1
526.9
36,945.4
(573.4) 35,999.0
36,131.2
1,633.2
567.7
41,529.0
(512.5) 43,384.4
64,090.1
64,372.1
70,508.5

1,740.6
376.0
2,004.1

23.9
68.8
93.5
111.7
113.1
289.3
295.3
311.7
641.1
1,105.9
1,221.9
2,520.4
4,054.1
7,867.8
12,289.7
10,399.6
10,228.8
10,596.5
12,491.2
13,460.6
14,869.4
16,819.7
19,000.7
19,949.8
21,273.0
23,300.0
24,322.5
26,094.2
24,861.6
26,192.7
29,016.1
28,430.7
39,255.4
38,840.6
39,004.6

–
3.7
4.9
27.3
21.9
83.3
58.0
69.4
118.7
166.3
175.7
281.6
369.7
830.0
1,248.5
1,251.5
1,194.1
1,602.8
1,961.1
1,965.9
1,984.0
1,613.6
1,207.4
412.5
1,071.1
1,254.9
2,055.7
1,920.6
1,752.9
1,966.3
2,075.6
3,438.2
4,057.2
4,929.8
6,134.0

7.6
29.7
46.0
60.3
76.7
81.6
101.1
113.1
211.1
279.6
346.1
664.7
960.5
1,364.8
2,088.5
1,940.8
1,679.5
1,760.4
2,264.6
2,605.7
2,448.2
2,662.4
4,063.5
4,866.3
7,391.8
7,697.9
7,427.9
7,654.7
7,186.7
8,361.0
8,952.5
8,484.6
12,475.6
11,779.3
13,042.6

5.0
7.0
7.3
7.3
7.3
5.5
5.5
6.1
8.0
9.0
8.9
10.5
11.1
12.1
13.4
13.1
14.4
14.1
13.8
16.0
17.8
17.7
17.7
17.5
20.0
20.5
20.4
20.2
21.2
21.2
22.2
23.1
27.8
27.2
26.8

(1.35)
0.98
1.72
1.63
1.87
2.42
3.34
1.44
4.19
3.41
7.15
11.26
14.12
23.60
3.20
5.04
(31.93)
17.49
19.51
3.11
(27.75)
11.92
58.38
79.53
43.75
14.82
(0.31)
22.68
(31.15)
73.01
23.15
(24.18)
64.98
11.65
69.79

Compound annual growth

18.5%

16.6%

(1) All share references are to common shares; Closing share price is in Canadian dollars; Per share amounts are in US dollars;

Shares outstanding are in millions.

(2) Calculated as common shareholders’ equity divided by common shares effectively outstanding.

(3)

IFRS  basis  for  2010  to  2019;  Canadian  GAAP  basis  for  2009  and  prior.  Under  Canadian  GAAP,  investments  were
generally carried at cost or amortized cost in 2006 and prior.

(4) When current management took over in September 1985.

(5) Calculated as total debt less holding company cash and investments (net of short sale and derivative obligations). 

1

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

Corporate Profile

Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited  is  a  holding  company  whose  corporate  objective  is  to  build  long  term
shareholder value by achieving a high rate of compound growth in book value per share over the long term. The
company has been under present management since September 1985.

Insurance and Reinsurance

Northbridge Financial,  based  in  Toronto,  Canada,  provides  property  and  casualty  insurance  products  in  the
Canadian market through its Northbridge and Federated subsidiaries. It is one of the largest commercial property and
casualty insurers in Canada based on gross premiums written. In 2019, Northbridge’s net premiums written were
Cdn$1,791.6  million  (approximately  US$1,350 million).  At  year-end,  the  company  had  statutory  equity  of
Cdn$1,321.1 million (approximately US$1,019 million) and there were 1,557 employees.

Odyssey  Group,  based  in  Stamford,  Connecticut,  underwrites  treaty  and  facultative  reinsurance  and  specialty
insurance, with principal locations in the United States, Toronto, London, Paris, Singapore and Latin America. In
2019, Odyssey Group’s net premiums written were US$3,393.8 million. At year-end, the company had shareholders’
equity of US$4,778.2 million and there were 1,081 employees.

Crum  &  Forster,  based  in  Morristown,  New  Jersey,  is  a  national  commercial  property  and  casualty  insurance
company in the United States writing a broad range of commercial, principally specialty, coverages. In 2019, Crum &
Forster’s  net  premiums  written  were  US$2,331.5  million.  At  year-end,  the  company  had  statutory  surplus  of
US$1,406.0 million and there were 2,395 employees.

Zenith National, based in Woodland Hills, California, is primarily engaged in the workers compensation insurance
business in the United States. In 2019, Zenith National’s net premiums written were US$720.8 million. At year-end,
the company had statutory surplus of US$531.8 million and there were 1,477 employees.

Brit, based in London, England, is a market-leading global Lloyd’s of London specialty insurer and reinsurer. In
2019, Brit’s net premiums written were US$1,656.2 million. At year-end, the company had shareholders’ equity of
US$1,319.9 million and there were 702 employees.

Allied World, based in Pembroke, Bermuda, provides property, casualty and specialty insurance and reinsurance
solutions, with principal locations in the United States, Bermuda, London, Singapore and Canada. In 2019, Allied
World’s  net  premiums  written  were  US$2,428.9  million.  At  year-end,  the  company  had  shareholders’  equity  of
US$4,136.1 million and there were 1,446 employees.

Fairfax Asia

Falcon Insurance, based in Hong Kong, writes property and casualty insurance in niche markets in Hong Kong. In
2019,  Falcon’s  net  premiums  written  were  HKD  656.2  million  (approximately  US$84 million).  At  year-end,  the
company  had  shareholders’  equity  of  HKD  661.5  million  (approximately  US$85 million)  and  there  were
66 employees.

Pacific Insurance, based in Malaysia, writes all classes of general insurance and medical insurance in Malaysia. In
2019,  Pacific’s  net  premiums  written  were  MYR  253.5  million  (approximately  US$61 million).  At  year-end,  the
company  had  shareholders’  equity  of  MYR  487.5  million (approximately  US$119 million)  and  there  were
441 employees.

AMAG Insurance, based in Indonesia, writes all classes of general insurance in Indonesia. In 2019, AMAG’s net
premiums  written  were  IDR  751.9  billion  (approximately  US$53 million).  At  year-end,  the  company  had
shareholders’ equity of IDR 3,222.6 billion (approximately US$232 million) and there were 722 employees.

Fairfirst Insurance,  based  in  Sri  Lanka,  writes  general  insurance  in  Sri  Lanka,  specializing  in  automobile  and
personal  accident  lines  of  business.  In  2019,  Fairfirst’s  net  premiums  written  were  LKR  5,910.0  million
(approximately  US$33 million).  At  year-end,  the  company  had  shareholders’  equity  of  LKR  6,742.2  million
(approximately US$37 million) and there were 811 employees.

Insurance and Reinsurance – Other

Group Re primarily constitutes the participation by CRC Re, Wentworth and Connemara (all based in Barbados) in
the reinsurance of Fairfax’s subsidiaries by quota share or through participation in those subsidiaries’ third party
reinsurance  programs  on  the  same  terms  and  pricing  as  third  party  reinsurers.  Group  Re  also  writes  third  party
business. In 2019, Group Re’s net premiums written were US$184.3 million. At year-end, the Group Re companies
had combined shareholders’ equity of US$518.1 million.

Bryte Insurance, based in South Africa, writes property and casualty insurance in South Africa and Botswana. In
2019, Bryte Insurance’s net premiums written were ZAR 4.0 billion (approximately US$279 million). At year-end, the
company  had  shareholders’  equity  of  ZAR  2,028.2  million (approximately  US$145 million)  and  there  were
841 employees.

2

Fairfax Central and Eastern Europe comprises Colonnade Insurance, Polish Re and Fairfax Ukraine.

Colonnade Insurance, based in Luxembourg, writes general insurance through its branches in the Czech Republic,
Hungary,  Slovakia,  Bulgaria,  Poland  and  Romania  and  through  its  Ukrainian  insurance  company.  In  2019,
Colonnade Insurance’s net premiums written were US$156.9 million. At year-end, the company had shareholders’
equity of US$104.0 million and there were 491 employees.

Polish Re, based in Warsaw, writes reinsurance in the Central and Eastern European regions. In 2019, Polish Re’s net
premiums  written  were  PLN  325.8  million  (approximately  US$85 million).  At  year-end,  the  company  had
shareholders’ equity of PLN 340.9 million (approximately US$90 million) and there were 47 employees.

Fairfax Ukraine, which comprises ARX Insurance and Universalna, primarily writes property and casualty insurance
in  Ukraine.  In  2019,  Fairfax  Ukraine’s  net  premiums  written  were  UAH  2,295.9  million  (approximately
US$89 million).  At  year-end,  the  company  had  shareholders’  equity  of  UAH  938.4  million  (approximately
US$39 million) and there were 1,046 employees.
Fairfax Latin America comprises Fairfax Brasil and Fairfax Latam.
Fairfax Brasil, based in S˜ao Paulo, writes general insurance in Brazil. In 2019, Fairfax Brasil’s net premiums written
were BRL 312.3 million (approximately US$79 million). At year-end, the company had shareholders’ equity of BRL
338.5 million (approximately US$84 million) and there were 149 employees.
Fairfax Latam, based in Miami, writes property and casualty insurance through its operating companies in Chile,
Colombia,  Argentina  and  Uruguay.  In  2019,  Fairfax  Latam’s  net  premiums  written  were  US$275.2  million.  At
year-end, the company had shareholders’ equity of US$94.3 million and there were 930 employees.

Run-off

The  run-off  business  comprises  the  U.S.  and  the  European  run-off  groups.  At  year-end,  the  run-off  group  had
combined shareholders’ equity of US$1,842.4 million.

The Resolution Group (TRG) and the RiverStone Group (run by TRG management) manage run-off under the
RiverStone name. At year-end, TRG/RiverStone had 359 employees in the U.S., located primarily in Manchester,
New Hampshire, and 227 employees in its offices in the United Kingdom.

International Investment Companies
Fairfax  India  Holdings  is  an  investment  holding  company  whose  objective  is  to  achieve  long  term  capital
appreciation, while preserving capital, by investing in public and private equity securities and debt instruments in
India and Indian businesses or other businesses with customers, suppliers or business primarily conducted in, or
dependent on, India. At year-end, the company had shareholders’ equity of US$1,559.7 million.

Fairfax Africa Holdings  is  an  investment  holding  company  whose  objective  is  to  achieve  long  term  capital
appreciation, while preserving capital, by investing in public and private equity securities and debt instruments in
Africa and African businesses or other businesses with customers, suppliers or business primarily conducted in, or
dependent on, Africa. At year-end, the company had shareholders’ equity of US$489.4 million.

Other
Pethealth, based in Toronto with 427 employees, provides pet medical insurance and pet-related management
software  and  database  management  services  in  North  America  and  the  United  Kingdom.  In  2019,  Pethealth
produced gross premiums written of Cdn$102.6 million.

Hamblin Watsa Investment Counsel, founded in 1984 and based in Toronto, provides investment management
to the insurance, reinsurance and run-off subsidiaries of Fairfax.

Notes:
(1) All of the above companies are wholly owned except for 89.3%-owned Brit, 70.1%-owned Allied World, 85.0%-owned
Pacific Insurance, 78.0%-owned Fairfirst Insurance, 80.0%-owned AMAG Insurance, 70.0%-owned Fairfax Ukraine,
Fairfax India Holdings (93.8% voting control, 33.8%-owned) and Fairfax Africa Holdings (98.5% voting control, 62.0%-
owned).

(2) The foregoing lists all of Fairfax’s operating subsidiaries (many of which operate through their own operating structure,
primarily involving wholly-owned operating subsidiaries). The Fairfax corporate structure also includes a 43.6% interest
in Gulf Insurance (a Kuwait company with property and casualty insurance operations in the MENA region), a 47.1%
interest  in  Thai  Re  (a  Thai  reinsurance  and  insurance  company),  a  15.0%  interest  in  Alltrust  Insurance  (a  Chinese
property  and  casualty  insurance  company),  a  35.0%  interest  in  BIC  Insurance  (a  Vietnamese  property  and  casualty
insurance company), a 27.8% interest in Singapore Re (a Singapore based reinsurance company), a 41.2% interest in
Falcon Insurance (Thailand), a 50.0% interest in Eurolife (a Greek life and non-life insurer), a 45.3% interest in Digit
(a  digital  insurance  company  in  India)  and  a  7.3%  interest  in  Africa  Re  as  well  as  investments  in  a  number  of
non-insurance-related companies. The other companies in the Fairfax corporate structure, which include a number of
intermediate holding companies, have no insurance, reinsurance, run-off or other operations.

3

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

Contents

Fairfax Corporate Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Corporate Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Chairman’s Letter to Shareholders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Management’s Responsibility for the Financial Statements and Management’s

Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Fairfax Consolidated Financial Statements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of

Operations

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Corporate Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1

2

5

31

32

36

43

132

217

4

To Our Shareholders:

We had an excellent year in 2019. We earned a record $2.0 billion* and our book value per share increased by 14.8%
(adjusted for the $10 per share dividend) to $486 per share. Since we began in 1985, our book value per share has
compounded at 19.3% (including dividends) annually, while our common stock price has compounded at 17.8%
(including dividends) annually. And our insurance companies are in great shape and growing!

Here’s how our insurance companies performed in 2019:

Northbridge
Odyssey Group
Crum & Forster
Zenith
Brit
Allied World
Fairfax Asia
Other Insurance and Reinsurance

Underwriting
Profit (Loss)
47
90
52
109
51
58
6
(18)

Combined
Ratio
96%
97%
98%
85%
97%
98%
97%
102%

Growth in Gross Premiums

2019 vs 2018
15%
15%
22%
(9)%
1%
14%
14%
(6)%

Fourth quarter
2019 vs 2018
19%
25%
33%
(7)%
(1)%
21%
27%
0%

Consolidated

395

97%

10%

17%

As you can see from the table, we had combined ratios well below 100% across our major worldwide insurance
operations in 2019 while experiencing 10% growth in gross premiums written. Premium growth has accelerated, as
you can see in the fourth quarter column in the table above. As shown below, premium growth accelerated as the
year went on, principally due to rate increases:

First
Quarter
5%

Second
Quarter
7%

Third
Quarter
12%

Fourth
Quarter
17%

The large catastrophe losses in 2017/2018, low interest rates and social inflation (think judicial!) have caused badly
needed rate increases across almost all lines (workers’ compensation, Zenith’s specialty, being an exception) and
across many geographies. Our companies are expanding again! The 10% increase in gross premiums written in 2019,
to $17 billion, was like adding another insurance company the size of Northbridge – without paying for it! As I said,
we are focused on organic growth and the conditions in our industry are ripe for it!

Odyssey finished the year with $3.7 billion in gross premiums, up 15% over last year and 60% over 2016. It had a
combined ratio of 93% over the last five and ten years with reserve redundancies each year. Zenith had a combined
ratio of 85% but premiums declined as rates in workers’ compensation continue to decrease. Since we purchased it in
2010, Zenith has had a cumulative combined ratio of 93%, with reserve redundancies in all but two years.

Allied  World,  with  a  combined  ratio  of  98%  and  gross  premiums  up  14%  to  $3.8  billion;  Northbridge,  with  a
combined ratio of 96% and gross premiums up 15%; and Crum & Forster, with a combined ratio of 98% and gross
premiums up 22%, all had excellent years. Brit rebounded from two difficult years and posted a combined ratio of
97%,  positioning  itself  for  future  growth  and  profitability  in  the  London  market  that  has  been  undergoing
significant disruption. Fairfax Asia had a strong year, with a combined ratio of 97% and gross premiums up 14%.
Including the Asian business at Allied World and Odyssey, we now write over $1 billion in premiums in the region.

We  have  some  exceptional  stories  in  our  insurance  businesses – sometimes  buried  in  our  large  companies  like
Crum & Forster, Northbridge or Odyssey. To highlight just three:

*

Amounts in this letter are in U.S. dollars unless specified otherwise. Numbers in the tables in this letter are in U.S. dollars
and $ millions except as otherwise indicated.

5

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

Gary McGeddy runs the Accident & Health (‘‘A&H‘‘) profit centre at Crum & Forster. The A&H business was extracted
from TIG when we put it into runoff in 2002 and was one of the businesses that was in Fairmont that was then
merged into Crum & Forster in 2006. Gary has run the business since 2000 when the A&H profit centre had gross
premiums of $40 million. Gary has grown this business over 20 years to almost $1 billion in 2019 with a cumulative
average combined ratio of 95%, with only one year above 100% (slightly). Outstanding results by Gary and the A&H
team at Crum & Forster.

We began in 1985 in trucking insurance with $10 million in premium. Northbridge is now the largest writer of
trucking insurance in Canada, with $300 million in gross premiums and a combined ratio of 97%. Over the years,
Northbridge has established a number of trucking programs including a truck driver training institute, dedicated
account professionals for safety management and a high risk driver program. It is a cyclical business and we have
been a reliable insurance partner over the cycles where rates have moved between being very inadequate to adequate.
We are expanding currently as rates are adequate.

Hudson, the insurance company within the Odyssey Group, began in 2001 from scratch. Under Chris Gallagher’s
outstanding leadership and Brian Young’s guidance as CEO of Odyssey, it has expanded from $169 million in gross
premiums in 2002, the year Chris joined us, to $1.7 billion in 2019, almost 45% of Odyssey Group’s business. Hudson
specializes in mid-market niches and since inception has made an underwriting profit in all but three years.

The table below shows you what constitutes ‘‘Other Insurance and Reinsurance’’ in the table on the previous page:

Bryte (South Africa)
Fairfax Latam
– Argentina
– Chile
– Colombia
– Uruguay
Fairfax Brasil
Fairfax Central and Eastern Europe

– Colonnade
– Ukraine
– Polish Re

Group Re

Gross Premiums
344
589
202
225
150
12
208

Underwriting
Profit (Loss)
(3)
(40)
(13)
(17)
(7)
(0)
2

Combined Ratio
101%
117%
113%
145%
108%
102%
97%

194
94
89
191

12
3
1
7

92%
97%
99%
96%

Bryte is our South African business we acquired in 2016, run by Edwyn O’Neill. Since our acquisition, it has had a
cumulative combined ratio of 100%, which we expect will be reduced over time.

Fairfax Latam is the business we acquired from AIG in 2017 and 2018. It consists of operations in Argentina, Chile,
Colombia and Uruguay. Because of high inflation in Argentina and riots in Chile, Latam had a 117% combined ratio
in 2019. Fabricio Campos and our Latam Presidents are working diligently to bring the combined ratio below 100%.

Fairfax  Brasil  is  a  great  story  of  a  company  we  started  from  scratch  in  2009,  when  Jacques  Bergman  and  Bruno
Camargo joined us with a team of 29 insurance professionals. In the last four years, since Bruno became CEO, Fairfax
Brasil has had a combined ratio every year below 100%, and since inception it has produced cumulative net earnings
of $24 million, including cumulative losses of $42 million during its first six years. Fairfax Brasil earned $19 million
after taxes last year, a 25% return on our equity capital invested. Another example that what counts is the long term!

Fairfax Central and Eastern Europe consists of Colonnade, ARX Ukraine, Universalna Ukraine and Polish Re. Since
inception in 2016, Peter Csakvari has done an outstanding job at Colonnade, with a combined ratio below 100%
since 2018, including a combined ratio of 92% in 2019. With the acquisitions of the two Ukrainian companies, run
separately by their management teams (ARX by Andrey Peretyazhko and Universalna by Oleksiy Muzychko), we are
the largest property and casualty insurer in Ukraine. We acquired both last year for $22 million at approximately
book value for a 70% stake in both companies. We are very happy to be partnered with the European Bank for
Reconstruction and Development (‘‘EBRD’’) which owns the remaining 30%. Polish Re, with a combined ratio below
100% since 2014, had a good year with a combined ratio of 99% in 2019.

6

In 2014, we began a formal program of retaining a small proportion of the third party reinsurance purchased by our
companies.  This  premium  is  included  in  our  Group  Re  segment.  Since  this  program  began,  we  have  retained
$248 million in gross premiums and achieved a cumulative average combined ratio of 88%.

Not included in our gross premiums of $17 billion are the gross premiums of the following insurance companies
which are equity-accounted. The 2019 results for these companies (on a 100% basis) are as follows:

Gulf Insurance Group (44% owned)
Eurolife (50% owned)
Digit (45% owned)

*

P&C operations only

**

Includes life premiums

Underwriting Profit
42
11*
(38)

Combined Ratio Gross Premiums
1,297

95%
80%*
124%

566**
367

Gulf Insurance Group (‘‘GIG’’) is a wonderful partnership we entered into in 2010 with Kipco in Kuwait through its
Chairman, Faisal Al-Ayyar. GIG, run by Khaled Saoud Al-Hasan, operates in 11 countries in the Middle East. In 2019
it wrote $1.3 billion in gross premiums and had a combined ratio of 95%. Since we acquired our interest, Gulf has had
an average combined ratio of 95% and gross premiums have almost tripled.

Through  the  crisis  in  Greece,  we  acquired  a  gem  in  Eurolife,  a  Greek  property  and  casualty  and  life  insurance
company that operates predominantly in Greece but also in Romania. Alex Sarrigeorgiou has run Eurolife since 2004,
following Eurobank’s decision to grow its insurance business, and we acquired it with OMERS as our partner in 2016.
Since  our  initial  40%  purchase  of  Eurolife  in  2016  for  A163 million,  Eurolife  has  earned  A347  million  and  paid
dividends of A298 million and shareholders’ equity has increased from A400 million to A720 million at the end of
2019  after  the  payment  of  dividends.  This  phenomenal  performance  was  predominantly  because  Eurolife  had  a
significant holding of Greek government bonds whose rates went from 8% to 1% during that time period while its
non-life business had an average combined ratio of 72%. We currently own 50% and equity account for Eurolife but
plan to buy the rest of OMERS’ shares in 2020.

It was a big year for Kamesh Goyal and his team at Digit Insurance (‘‘Digit’’). As you might remember, Kamesh is
building  a  fully  digital  company  in  India  with  the  objective  of  making  insurance  simple  to  understand  for  its
customers. After just two years of operation, Digit has accumulated a 1.2% market share in India and was awarded
Asia’s General Insurance Company of the Year in 2019. Digit wrote $367 million in gross premiums in 2019 and now
has over 1,500 employees. Still in its start-up phase, its combined ratio was elevated at 124% but decreasing, and we
expect it to achieve breakeven in the next 18 months.

Fairfax has invested $154 million in Digit through common and convertible preferred shares for a 45% ownership.
Late in 2019, the company entered into a financing arrangement with three private equity firms, who agreed to
purchase approximately 10% of the company for $91 million. This purchase, which closed in early 2020, values the
entire company at $858 million, resulting in a $351 million mark to market gain that was included in our earnings in
2019. We are very excited about Digit’s prospects in the future!

Together, GIG, Eurolife and Digit have $2.2 billion of gross premiums and an investment portfolio of $4.9 billion,
which are not shown in our consolidated numbers.

You can see that Fairfax now has insurance operations across the world. In the main, our global platform has been
built  over  the  last  five  years  as  we  expanded  opportunistically  into  Allied  World,  Brit,  Eastern  Europe  through
Colonnade, Latin America, South Africa, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Ukraine, Vietnam, Greece and India. It is a
decentralized  platform,  with  exceptional  CEOs  responsible  for  running  their  own  companies  with  our  Fairfax
culture.  We  have  no  need  to  make  further  significant  insurance  acquisitions,  as  we  focus  on  the  long  term
performance of each of our companies. Through cooperation and working together, we expect to grow significantly
through organic means over the long term. Scott Carmilani, who built and ran Allied World for about 20 years, is
now contributing to Fairfax by using his experience and relationships to help our companies work together. We are
looking forward to his contributions.

7

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

It is quite extraordinary how our insurance company results have improved since Andy Barnard began working with
our Presidents in 2011. Since then, our consolidated combined ratio has averaged 98%, with only two years above
100% due to the Japanese earthquake and other catastrophes in 2011 and the hurricanes in 2017. So what has Andy
done? First and foremost, he has brought his considerable experience to bear, helping our CEOs expand thoughtfully
in the right places at the right times, while also encouraging the discipline so important to avoiding the big mistakes.
He began initiatives, such as the Leadership Workshop and the inter-company Working Groups, that have become
intrinsic aspects of our unique culture. He has facilitated inter-company management transfers that have effectively
leveraged our talent and reinforced the profit center concept from Odyssey in all our insurance companies (we now
have approximately 200 profit centres across our companies). Working closely with Peter Clarke, Chief Operating
Officer of Fairfax, Andy is keeping a watchful eye on underwriting performance across all of our key units. He did all
of this while being very respectful of our decentralized structure, with each of our Presidents responsible for their
company’s results. In our 2012 annual report, I quoted Andy’s remark at our annual shareholders’ meeting that his
objective was to have Fairfax as well known for its insurance operations as it was for its investment prowess. He has
certainly kept up his end of this bargain.

Recently, we have mentioned to you that we could achieve our target of a 15% annual return on our shareholders’
equity by producing a 95% combined ratio in our insurance operations and earning a 7% return on our investment
portfolio. In 2019, we achieved a 97% combined ratio and a 6.9% return on our investment portfolio, which would
have produced a 15% return except that some unrealized foreign exchange losses, which go directly though book
value, resulted in us coming in at 14.8%, just below our long term target.

The table below shows the percentage contribution by category to our investment return (the percentage is of our
approximately $40 billion total investment portfolio):

Interest and dividends
Share of profit of associates
Net gains on equity exposures
Net gains on bonds
Other net gains

880
170
1,573
110
27

2.2%
0.4%
3.9%
0.3%
0.1%

2,760

6.9%

Interest and dividend income increased to $880 million in 2019, a record, in spite of very low interest rates and in
spite  of  not  reaching  for  yield  by  taking  credit  risk  or  term  risk.  Our  fixed  income  portfolio,  which  effectively
comprises 70% of our investment portfolio, has a very short duration of approximately 1.5 years and on average is
rated AA-. Very high quality and very short term to maturity – so rising interest rates would not impact our portfolio!

Share of profit of associates of $170 million includes our share of earnings from Eurolife ($155 million), Seaspan
($84 million) and IIFL Finance ($50 million). This is net of our share of losses of $74 million principally from APR
Energy ($57 million) and from associates of our non-insurance consolidated investments ($45 million).

Net gains on equity exposures of $1,573 million comprises net realized gains of $771 million – including realized
gains from ICICI Lombard ($311 million), Grivalia ($171 million), Seaspan ($85 million) and limited partnerships
($131 million) – and net unrealized gains of $802 million – including unrealized gains on Eurobank ($362 million),
Digit  ($351  million),  CIB  ($163  million)  and  Seaspan  ($117  million)  and  unrealized  losses  on  BlackBerry
($50 million) and Stelco ($45 million). Much of this was a rebound from 2018 declines in stock prices. Please see the
Investments section of this letter for commentary on some of these situations.

Net gains on bonds of $110 million includes gains on corporate bonds of $49 million (inclusive of a loss on Exco
bonds of $179 million) and on our remaining U.S. municipal bond holdings of $59 million.

Other net gains of $27 million includes many miscellaneous items including foreign exchange gains and losses and a
gain of $34 million on the First Capital reserve indemnity. When we sold First Capital to Mitsui we guaranteed the
reserves as of December 31, 2017 against any deficiencies. Of course, any redundancies belong to us! The $34 million
is  the  redundancy  to  date – we  hope  to  get  more  over  the  next  four  years.  Many  thanks  to  Mr.  Athappan,  who
continues to run Fairfax Asia and MS First Capital very effectively.

8

Below is, once again, a table that shows, for successive periods over our 34 years of operations, the compound growth
in our book value per share (including dividends paid) together with the average combined ratio and total return
on investments:

1986-1990
1991-1995
1996-2000
2001-2005
2006-2010
2011-2016
2017-2019

Compound
Growth in
Book
Value per Share
57.7%
21.2%
30.7%
(0.7)%
24.0%
2.1%
12.0%

Average Average Total
Return on
Investments
10.4%
9.7%
8.8%
8.6%
11.0%
2.3%
5.6%

Combined
Ratio
106.7%
104.2%
114.4%
105.4%
99.9%
96.0%
99.8%

Over the last 14 years, our insurance business has had a combined ratio less than 100%, but our investment returns in
the  2011 – 2016  time  period  were  very  poor,  because  of  a  cautious  approach  to  financial  markets  (hedging  our
common  stocks)  and  a  stock  performance  impacted  by  poor  stock  selection  and  ‘‘value  investing’’  being  out  of
favour. If we had not hedged, over the period 2011-2016 our average return on investments would have been 5.0%
and  the  compound  growth  in  book  value  would  have  been  7.1% – not  exceptional,  but  better  than  what  we
achieved. Please see the Investment section of this letter for some commentary on value investing.

The good news is that in spite of some poor investment selection (think BlackBerry and Exco), we had a 14.8%
growth in book value in 2019. We should be well poised to resume getting a 15% return over time – as we have in
the past!

India

We last discussed our investments in India in my letter to shareholders in our 2017 annual report. Below is an update
of the table which appeared in that letter:

Market Value

Company

Fairfax India

Bangalore International

Airport

Sanmar Chemicals Group
IIFL Finance
IIFL Wealth
IIFL Securities
CSB Bank
NCML
Fairchem

Seven Islands Shipping
Other

Thomas Cook

Sterling Resorts

Digit
Quess
Indian Government Bonds
Other

Total Investments in

India

Ownership Investment

Cost of Market

(under Number of
Value Change management)(1) Employees

%

%

CEO

33.8

469

659

40%

1,951

Chandran Ratnaswami

54.0
42.9
26.5
13.9
26.5
49.7
89.5
48.8

48.5

66.9
100.0
45.3
33.2

653
199
–
191
91
169
188
74

84
283
253
140
154
33
407
327

1,430
119%
413
108%
166
n.a.
191
0%
49 (cid:2)47%
229
35%
135 (cid:2)28%
71%
127

6%
89
342
21%
222 (cid:3)12%
90 (cid:2)36%
292%
903%
11%
22%

604
332
454
398

1,300
Hari Marar
1,900
N. Sankar
18,000
Sumit Bali
900
Karan Bhagat
2,000
R. Venkataraman
3,200
C.V.R. Rajendran
Siraj Chaudhry
2,000
1,400 Nahoosh Jariwala + Mahesh
Babani
Captain Thomas Pinto

70

7,476
2,646
1,585
385,000

Madhavan Menon
Ramesh Ramanathan
Kamesh Goyal
Ajit Isaac

331

604
332
454
398

1,643

2,669

62%

4,070

(1)

Includes 100% of Fairfax India and Thomas Cook

In  May  2019,  Prime  Minister  Modi  was  re-elected  to  another  five-year  term  with  a  larger  majority  than  in  the
previous  election  in  2014.  In  a  country  of  1.3  billion  people,  this  is  a  miracle!  India  is  blessed  to  have  a  leader
relentlessly focused on economic growth through business friendly policies. We believe that under Mr. Modi, India

9

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

will be transformed as economic freedom permeates the country and Mr. Modi achieves his goal of a $5 trillion
economy by the end of this term. We continue to believe India is the best country to invest in for the long term. Our
investments are shown in the table on the previous page.

As you know, we began Fairfax India in December 2014. Since then, Fairfax India has made ten investments – all with
great long term prospects in a country that is expected to have the fastest growth in the free world! The crown jewel
in Fairfax India is the Bangalore International Airport (‘‘BIAL’’) run by Hari Marar, who aims to make BIAL one of the
best airports in the world. BIAL is the third largest airport in India, but it is the fastest growing airport in the world
and recently was the first airport ever to win best customer service for both arrivals and departures awarded by the
Airports Council International. Last year, the airport served 34 million passengers, up 4% from 2018, despite the
shutdown of Jet Airways, its second largest airline customer. In 2019 it commissioned a second runway, and phase
one of the second terminal is expected to be completed in 2021, raising passenger capacity to 50 million. After the
completion of phase 2 of terminal 2, BIAL’s passenger capacity will increase to about 70 million by 2028. BIAL has
also now finalized plans to increase capacity to over 90 million passengers by 2038 by building a third terminal.
Capital expenditures of approximately $4.0 billion for these growth plans will all be funded internally and by debt
(already approved by a syndicate of Indian banks). As a result of these growth plans and the finalization of the master
plan to develop the 460 acres of land that BIAL can use for real estate development, the valuation of the 54% of BIAL
that Fairfax India owns is now $1.4 billion, up by 119% from Fairfax India’s cost. Also, Fairfax India signed definitive
agreements with an investor whereby Fairfax India will transfer 43.6% of BIAL out of the 54% that it owns in BIAL to
a wholly owned Indian holding company and the investor will pay about $135 million to acquire from Fairfax India
an  11.5%  interest  on  a  fully  diluted  basis  in  the  holding  company.  The  transaction  values  100%  of  BIAL  at
$2.7 billion.

Under  the  exceptional  leadership  of  Nirmal  Jain  and  R.  Venkataraman,  IIFL,  another  important  Fairfax  India
investment, has established a leading national financial services company serving over 3 million customers from
2,300 branches in India. You will recall that in 2018, IIFL announced its intention to divide its three business groups
into three separate companies, with each to be listed on the Indian stock exchanges, as IIFL believed that this was the
best structure for its business and would further enhance value. In May 2019 IIFL Holdings, the company that Fairfax
and Fairfax India had originally invested in, was, as planned, divided into three separate companies, IIFL Finance
(the NBFC), IIFL Wealth (the wealth and asset management company) and IIFL Securities (the retail and institutional
broker,  financial  products  distribution  and  investment  banking  company).  All  of  these  companies  are  well
established with excellent management teams and we expect each of them to do very well as independent listed
companies under the IIFL brand umbrella.

Chandran’s letter to shareholders in Fairfax India’s annual report and the individual company websites give you a lot
more information on each of Fairfax India’s investee companies. As you can see, they had an outstanding year, many
thanks to Chandran, Sumit who runs Fairbridge, Gopal and the Fairbridge team.

As you will recall, our first major acquisition in India was the purchase of a 77% interest (later reduced to 67%) in
Thomas Cook India led by Madhavan Menon. Thomas Cook, first set up in India in 1881, is the leading integrated
travel and travel-related financial services company in India, offering, through its 7,500 employees, a broad spectrum
of services that include foreign exchange, corporate travel, leisure travel, insurance, visa and passport services and
e-business. With the 2015 purchase of Kuoni’s Indian travel business and then its operations all over the world,
Thomas  Cook  India  is  today  one  of  the  largest  high-end  travel  service  provider  networks  headquartered  in  the
Asia-Pacific  region.  In  2019  Thomas  Cook  India  purchased  a  51%  interest  in  Digiphoto  Entertainment  Imaging
(‘‘DEI’’), which provides imaging solutions for the entertainment industry, giving Thomas Cook an opportunity to
package DEI products with Thomas Cook Tours. Established in 2004, DEI has offices throughout the Far East, as well
as in the Middle East, India and the U.S., and has a network of 120 entertainment partners.

Thomas Cook India invested $47 million in Quess in 2013, sold a 5.4% interest in 2017 for $97 million and retained a
49% interest. We have had a phenomenal run with Quess and because of Quess’ great success, Thomas Cook India
decided during 2018 to spin its holding in Quess out to its shareholders so that Quess could be run independently as
a public company under the leadership of Ajit Isaac. The spinoff took place in December 2019 and Fairfax now
directly owns 33% of Quess with a market value of $332 million. The cost of our investment was $33 million and we
are carrying it on our books at $704 million as it was written up to its market value at the time of the announcement
of  its  spinoff in  early 2018.  Today,  Quess  is  India’s  leading  integrated  business  services  provider.  With  over
385,000 employees, it is now the largest domestic private sector employer in India. It has a pan-India presence with
65 offices across 34 cities, along with an overseas footprint in North America, South America, the Middle East and
South East Asia. It serves over 2,600 customers across three platforms – Workforce Management, Operating Asset
Management  and  Global  Technology  Solutions.  Quess  had  good  financial  results  in  the  nine  months  ended
December 2019: net revenue grew 22% to $149 million and profit before tax grew 4% to $30 million.

10

In 2019 Mr. Athappan agreed to purchase a 49% stake in Paramount Health Services for $11 million through Fairfax
Asia. Paramount is one of India’s leading third party claim administrators specializing in the health business and is
led by its founder and our partner Dr. Nayan Shah. The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2020.

We sold our last remaining position in ICICI Lombard in 2019 for $729 million. As I mentioned to you in our 2017
annual report, we helped build the largest private property and casualty company in India with our name, Lombard,
very much continuing in the future. It has been a very profitable investment for us and we wish the management
team, led by Bhargav Dasgupta, much success in the future.

As shown in the previous table, we have $407 million invested in Indian government bonds with a yield of 8.7%,
which we began purchasing in August 2014. Since then we have earned a return of 13.3% annually (in dollar terms
9.4% as the rupee has depreciated by 14% over that time period).

As we have done since 1991, we have reinvested a part of our profits in the communities we do business in across the
world.  In  India,  we  thought  we  would  share  two  initiatives  with  you.  Through  Madhavan  and  Thomas  Cook’s
leadership, we have purchased and installed 500 dialysis machines in the poorest regions of India. We will soon add
another 500 machines. Without these dialysis machines, the poorest people in India who experienced kidney failure
faced certain death. We are very grateful to the Thomas Cook team for carrying out this initiative.

Through the leadership of Ajit Isaac, Chandran and others in the Fairfax family, we are funding a children’s hospital
in India over the next five years, which is being built by CMC Vellore (‘‘CMC’’). CMC was established by an American
missionary, Ida Scudder, who began the college and hospital from scratch over 100 years ago. Today it is perhaps the
best medical college in India and its graduates have one of the best reputations in the world. CMC treats about
3 million out-patients and 120,000 in-patients annually and has a long established culture of humanitarian care,
providing  subsidized  or  free  care  for  those  who  cannot  afford  it.  We  are  fortunate  to  have  our  famous  SickKids
hospital in Toronto, one of the best in the world, to help in this venture.

Both  of  these  initiatives  will  be  funded  by  our  foundations  in  India  and  Canada,  to  which  we  contribute
approximately 1-2% of our pre-tax profits annually.

We continue to be committed to buying back our shares over the next ten years at attractive prices, but rest assured
that we will not buy back shares at the expense of our financial position or at the expense of taking advantage of a
hard  market  in  insurance.  This  is  a  balancing  act,  but  even  so,  in  the  last  27  months  we  have  purchased
approximately 1.3 million shares for cancellation and to provide long term share incentives for our executives.

11

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

As we did last year, we show you our unconsolidated balance sheet so that you can better see where your money
is invested:

Unconsolidated Balance Sheet(1)
Assets

Northbridge
Odyssey Group
Crum & Forster
Zenith
Brit Insurance
Allied World
Fairfax Asia
Other Insurance and Reinsurance
Run-off

Insurance and Reinsurance Operations

Recipe
Thomas Cook India
Fairfax India
Fairfax Africa
Other Non-Insurance

Non-Insurance Operations

Total consolidated operations

Holding company cash and investments
Investments in associates
Other holding company assets

Total assets

Liabilities
Accounts payable and other liabilities
Long term debt

Shareholders’ equity
Common equity
Preferred stock

($ billions)

($ per share)

1.2
3.5
1.5
0.9
1.5
2.5
1.0
0.9
0.8

13.8

0.6
0.3
0.5
0.3
0.4

2.1

15.9
1.1
1.1
0.5

18.6

0.2
4.1

4.3

13.0
1.3

14.3

18.6

46
131
56
32
54
95
36
35
31

516

22
10
20
11
14

77

593
41
40
22

696

6
154

160

486
50

536

696

(1) Equity shown for the Insurance and Reinsurance Operations excludes minority interests, investments in other consolidated

operations, investments at the holding company and intercompany debt.

The  table  shows  you  our  insurance  companies,  which  are  decentralized  and  separately  capitalized,  with  our
consolidated non-insurance companies shown separately even though some of them may be held in our insurance
companies’ investment portfolios.

As you can see, we have $13.8 billion ($516 per share) invested in our insurance companies – our core business. This
has been and will be the gift that keeps giving, as they provide us with a float, currently $22.4 billion, which does not
cost us anything – in fact, in 2019 we were paid $395 million to keep the float – which is then invested worldwide.
Our largest insurance companies are Odyssey Group, Allied World, Crum & Forster, Brit, Northbridge and Zenith,
which account for 80% of the investment in our insurance companies. Our consolidated non-insurance businesses
are significant and listed so that you can see them (and your investment per share in them) separately. The major
consolidated  non-insurance  businesses  are  Recipe  ($0.6  billion),  Fairfax  India  ($0.5  billion),  Thomas  Cook  India
($0.3 billion) and Fairfax Africa ($0.3).

12

We expect each of these non-insurance operations to generate a 15% return or better over the long term. So as a
shareholder  of  Fairfax,  you  benefit  from  three  sources  of  income:  underwriting  income,  interest  and  dividend
income and capital gains, and returns from our non-insurance businesses.

Below we update the table on our intrinsic value and stock price. As discussed in previous annual reports, we use book
value as a first measure of intrinsic value.

1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
1985-2019 (compound annual growth)

INTRINSIC VALUE
% Change in
US$ Book Value per Share
+180
+48
+31
+27
+41
+24
+1
+42
+18
+25
+63
+36
+30
+38
(cid:2)5
(cid:2)21
+7
+31
(cid:2)1
(cid:2)16
+9
+53
+21
+33
+2
(cid:2)3
+4
(cid:2)10
+16
+2
(cid:2)9
+22
(cid:2)4
+12
+18.5

STOCK PRICE
% Change in
Cdn$ Price per Share
+292
(cid:2)3
+21
+25
(cid:2)41
+93
+18
+145
+9
+46
+196
+10
+69
(cid:2)55
(cid:2)7
(cid:2)28
(cid:2)26
+87
(cid:2)11
(cid:2)17
+38
+24
+36
+5
–
+7
(cid:2)18
+18
+44
+8
(cid:2)1
+3
(cid:2)10
+1
+16.6

The table shows the change in book value in U.S. dollars and in our stock price in Canadian dollars. As I have said
before, we think our intrinsic value far exceeds our book value. As shown in the table, there have been many years
when our stock price has gone up significantly as that intrinsic value is recognized in the marketplace. As you can see,
it has not happened in the last four years but we expect it will happen again!

13

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

Insurance and Reinsurance Operations

Combined Ratio

Northbridge
Odyssey Group
Crum & Forster
Zenith
Brit
Allied World
Fairfax Asia
Other Insurance and Reinsurance

Consolidated

(1) Further detail is provided in the MD&A

(2) For the period since its acquisition on July 6, 2017

2019
96%
97%
98%
85%
97%
98%
97%
102%

97%

Change in Net
Premiums
Written(1)

2017
99%
97%
100%
86%
113%
157%(2)
88%
110%

2019 vs. 2018
15.1%
17.1%
17.9%
(8.7)%
(0.7)%
6.3%
20.5%
2.2%

2018
96%
93%
98%
83%
105%
98%
100%
105%

97%

107%

9.6%

In 2019, Northbridge produced another exemplary combined ratio of 96%, generating an underwriting profit of
$47 million. Through a combination of new initiatives and a very robust rate environment, Silvy Wright and her
team were able to grow their net premiums by 15%, exceeding last year’s growth rate of 10%. Due largely to these
strong  rate  increases,  Northbridge’s  accident  year  combined  ratio  came  in  at  its  lowest  level  in  many  years.
Favourable reserve development continued to benefit the Northbridge calendar year results, though to a lesser extent
than in previous years. The commercial auto business has begun to produce rewarding results after years of challenge
and intensive corrective actions. Heading into 2020, the future looks promising.

Odyssey  Group,  led  by  Brian  Young,  in  2019  contributed  another  year  of  strong  underwriting  profit.  While  its
combined ratio climbed to 97%, it was still responsible for $90 million of underwriting profit, close to a quarter of the
total for all of Fairfax. Compared to prior years, Odyssey’s results were exposed to more volatility, as it cut back its
purchase of retrocession protection. The Japanese typhoons in the second half of the year were a contributor to the
higher combined ratio in 2019 versus 2018. After another year of strong growth, Odyssey’s profile has continued to
expand. The insurance business at Odyssey, done through its Hudson and Newline subsidiaries, now accounts for
over half of gross premiums. With many areas in the industry experiencing favourable tail winds, Odyssey is well
positioned to benefit from both margin and revenue expansion. Brian Young and company have built a well-oiled
machine, and it is firing on all cylinders.

At Crum & Forster, Marc Adee has led a steady improvement in the company’s combined ratio, coming in at 98% and
generating $52 million of underwriting profit in 2019. The A&H division recorded another year of impressive growth
and strong profits. The E&S division likewise expanded opportunistically where rates strengthened and produced a
solid profit. During the year, initiatives to build significant businesses in both the Surety and Property fields had good
success.  We  expect  the  year  by  year  improvement  in  performance  which  Marc  and  his  team  have  achieved  will
continue into 2020.

No story at Fairfax has been as remarkable over the last half dozen years as that of Zenith. In 2019, Zenith contributed
over $100 million of underwriting profit, the largest amount of any of our six major companies, despite having the
smallest premium base. It posted an 85% combined ratio, benefiting from continued reserve redundancies driven by
its extraordinary claims management expertise. Alas, it appears the Workers Compensation field is becoming more
and more competitive, and Zenith will be hard put to maintain this incredible performance. Rates are down across
the  country,  and  may  head  further  south.  Nevertheless,  no  company  is  better  positioned  to  manage  through
challenging times than our Kari Van Gundy-led Zenith.

Brit,  under  Matthew  Wilson’s  leadership,  was  2019’s  comeback  story.  After  two  successive  years  of  underwriting
losses, Brit returned to profitability in 2019 with a 97% combined ratio. Brit continues to outperform its peers in the
Lloyd’s marketplace by a significant margin (about 5 combined ratio points), and we are very happy that, in 2019,
that outperformance meant more profit rather than a lower loss! Focused on the future, Matthew, Mark Allan and

14

their colleagues have been implementing innovative strategies designed to optimize Brit’s status as a market leader,
while mitigating the expense burden common to Lloyd’s participants. In Lloyd’s, the market tightening our other
companies are experiencing is being magnified by the pressure being put on underperforming syndicates and classes
of business. The prospects for expansion of Brit’s underwriting margins in 2020 are very good!

Allied World improved its performance in 2019, coming in at a 98% combined ratio. With much of its insurance
business focused on large, complex risks, Allied World stands to gain significantly from the hardening underway in
the commercial property and casualty markets. The withdrawal and compression of capacity from major competitors
for these types of risks, both in the property and liability classes, has been driving upward rate momentum. In 2019,
Allied World underwent a successful transition in leadership, as Scott Carmilani passed the reins to Lou Iglesias. Lou,
along with his senior colleagues John Bender and Wes Dupont, have the company poised to capitalize on the rapidly
improving environment.

Outside of North America, performance in 2019 was mixed.

The Latin America operations, under the supervision of Fabricio Campos, generated a combined ratio of 117%. The
surge in inflation in Argentina caused results to deteriorate at our local company, La Meridional, and the widespread
riots and civil commotion in Chile added unexpected losses to the accounts of Southbridge in Santiago. In both
countries, corrective measures are being implemented and we are hopeful that performance across the region will
improve markedly in 2020.

Fairfax Brasil, under the steady hand of Bruno Camargo, again produced favourable results in 2019, with a combined
ratio of 97%.

In South Africa, Bryte’s combined ratio rose to 101%, largely due to two significant property losses.

Fairfax Asia, under the continued guidance of Mr. Athappan, his son Gobi, Sam Chan and Ravi Prabhakar, advanced
in  2019  by  growing  premiums  and  reducing  the  overall  combined  ratio  by  3  points  to  97%.  Each  of  the  four
companies that today comprise Fairfax Asia, in Malaysia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Hong Kong, produced combined
ratios below 100%. The local teams in each of these countries, working with Mr. Athappan, Gobi, Sam and Ravi, are
focused on driving the Fairfax Asia combined ratio to 95% and below.

By all measures, our top performing foreign operation in 2019 was Colonnade. Located in Luxembourg and run by
Peter Csakvari, Colonnade produced an outstanding combined ratio of 92%. Writing business in Poland, Hungary,
Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria and the Ukraine, Colonnade has an extensive presence in Eastern and
Central Europe. Separate from the Colonnade operations, we added two additional companies in Ukraine in 2019,
which collectively also produced an underwriting profit for the year.

Working  closely  with  Fabricio  Campos  and  Peter  Csakvari  is  Bijan  Khosrowshahi.  Bijan  oversees  the  operations
Fabricio  and  Peter  are  responsible  for,  and  serves  as  well  as  Fairfax’s  point  man  at  our  Gulf  Insurance  Group
partnership.

The tables that follow show you how our international operations (non-North American other than Brit) have grown
in the last five and ten years. The top table is at the 100% level and the bottom table is Fairfax’s share. The growth in
the last five and ten years is despite the sale of First Capital and the restructuring of Advent, which eliminates them
from the 2019 column although they are included in 2010 and 2015. We expect our international operations to
continue to grow significantly because of the low insurance penetration in many of these countries.

Gross Premiums Written
Shareholders’ Equity
Investment Portfolio

*

100% level

International Operations*

Cumulative
Growth

2010
2,237
1,288
3,109

2015
3,029
1,684
4,402

2019
4,361
2,525
6,830

5-year
44%
50%
55%

10-year
95%
96%
120%

15

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

Gross Premium Written
Shareholders’ Equity
Investment Portfolio

*

Fairfax share

International Operations*

Cumulative
Growth

2010
1,231
765
1,876

2015
1,701
1,134
2,580

2019
2,945
1,642
4,094

5-year
73%
45%
59%

10-year
139%
115%
118%

All of our major companies are well capitalized, as shown in the table below (further detail is provided in the MD&A):

Northbridge
Odyssey Group
Crum & Forster
Zenith
Brit
Allied World
Fairfax Asia

As at and for the Year Ended
December 31, 2019

Net Premiums
Written
Cdn 1,791.6
3,393.8
2,331.5
720.8
1,656.2
2,428.9
231.2

Net Premiums
Statutory Written/Statutory
Surplus
1.4x
0.7x
1.7x
1.4x
1.3x
0.6x
0.5x

Surplus
Cdn 1,321.1
4,778.2
1,406.0
531.8
1,319.9
4,096.7
473.4

On average we are writing at about 1.0 times net premiums written to surplus. In the hard markets of 2002 – 2005 we
wrote,  on  average,  at  1.5  times.  As  you  know,  our  strategy,  during  the  times  when  rates  are  rising,  as  they  are
currently, is to expand significantly in areas where margins are high.

The combined ratios of our companies which we have owned since 2010, and of our major companies acquired since
then, are shown in the table below:

Northbridge
Odyssey Group
Crum & Forster
Zenith(1)
Brit(1)
Allied World(1)
Fairfax Asia(2)

Total

2010 – 2019

Cumulative Net
Premiums Written
($ billions)

Average
Combined Ratio

Cdn 12.3
24.1
15.3
6.9
7.3
5.8
2.5

74.2

98%
93%
101%(3)
93%
102%
109%
88%

98%

(1) Zenith since acquisition on May 20, 2010, Brit since acquisition on June 5, 2015, Allied World since acquisition on

July 6, 2017

(2) Fairfax Asia included First Capital until December 28, 2017.

(3) The average combined ratio for Crum & Forster for the last five years was 98%.

Since we began, we have written over $150 billion in gross premiums, with a combined ratio of approximately 100%.

16

The table below shows the average annual reserve redundancies for the past ten years (business written from 2009
onwards) for our companies which we have owned since 2009 (Zenith since 2010):

Northbridge
Odyssey Group
Crum & Forster
Zenith(1)
Fairfax Asia(2)

2009 – 2018
Average Annual
Reserve
Redundancies
15.3%
13.4%

0.1%(3)

14.4%
18.1%

(1) Since acquisition on May 20, 2010

(2) Fairfax Asia included First Capital until December 28, 2017

(3) The average annual reserve redundancy for Crum & Forster for the last five years was 2.3%

The table shows you how our reserves have developed for the ten accident years prior to 2019. We are very pleased
with this reserving record, but given the inherent uncertainty in setting reserves in the property casualty business, we
continue to be focused on being conservative in our reserving process. More on our reserves in the MD&A and in the
Annual  Financial  Supplement  for  the  year  ended  December  31,  2019  which  is  available  on  our  website
www.fairfax.ca.

Our  RiverStone  run-off  operations,  led  by  Nick  Bentley,  continue  to  focus  on  our  US  legacy  reserves,  especially
asbestos claims, which continue to produce adverse development. We benefit from the team’s dedicated focus and
best in class experience in settling these claims in a fair way to our policyholders. In the UK run-off operations, Nick
and Luke Tanzer continue to successfully purchase run-off books now that their legacy reserves are behind them. Late
in 2019 we announced a partnership with OMERS in which it would purchase a 40% interest in our UK run-off group
RiverStone UK. OMERS’ investment and its ability to work jointly with Luke and his team will provide RiverStone UK
the  opportunity  to  prudently  leverage  the  business  and  pursue  opportunistic  acquisitions.  At  closing  we  will
deconsolidate RiverStone UK and apply the equity method of accounting for our joint interest.

We have updated the float table that we show you each year for our insurance and reinsurance companies:

Year
1986
2009
2019
Weighted average last ten years
Fairfax weighted average financing differential last ten

years: 3.5%

Underwriting Average
Float
22
9,429
20,150

Profit
3
7
395

Cost
(Benefit)

Average
Long Term
Canada
Treasury
of Float Bond Yield
9.6%
(11.6)%
3.9%
(0.1)%
1.8%
(2.0)%
2.5%
(1.0)%

Float is essentially the sum of loss reserves, including loss adjustment expense reserves, insurance contract payables,
and unearned premium reserves, less insurance contract receivables, reinsurance recoverables and deferred premium
acquisition costs. Our long term goal is to increase the float at no cost, by achieving combined ratios consistently at
or below 100%. This, combined with our ability to invest the float well, is why we feel we can achieve our long term
objective of compounding book value per share by 15% per annum. This no cost float is perhaps one of Fairfax’s
biggest assets and could be the key reason for our success in the future. In 2019, our ‘‘cost of float’’ was a 2.0% benefit,
as we made an underwriting profit. In the last ten years, our float has cost us nothing (in fact, it provided an average
1.0% benefit per year) – while during that time it cost the Government of Canada an average 2.5% per year to borrow
for ten years.

17

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

The table below shows you the breakdown of our year-end float for the past five years:

Insurance and Reinsurance

Odyssey Crum &

Zenith

Allied Fairfax

Total
Insurance
and

Year

2015
2016
2017
2018
2019

Northbridge

Group

Forster National Brit World

Asia Other Reinsurance Run-off Total

1.6
1.7
1.8
1.7
1.9

4.2
4.1
4.5
4.7
5.1

2.7
2.9
2.9
2.9
3.0

($ billions)

1.3 2.7
1.2 2.8
1.2 3.1
1.2 2.8
1.1 3.0

–
–
5.5
5.1
5.1

0.5
0.5
0.2
0.2
0.3

0.9
0.9
1.2
1.1
1.1

13.9
14.1
20.4
19.7
20.6

3.3 17.2
2.8 16.9
2.5 22.9
3.0 22.7
1.8 22.4

In the past five years our float has increased by 49%, due partly to organic growth in net premiums written at Odyssey
Group and Crum & Forster, but due principally to the acquisition of Brit and Allied World, notwithstanding the sale
of First Capital in 2017 and European Run-off not being included in 2019 as it will soon be equity accounted.

Of course, our float and float per share have grown tremendously since we began in 1985, as the table below shows.
This has been one of the key reasons for our success in the past and will continue to be a key reason in the future.

1985
1990
1995
2000
2005
2010
2018
2019

Total Float
13
164
653
5,877
8,757
13,110
22,718
22,379

Float per Share
$2 1⁄2
30
74
449
492
641
834
834

18

The table below shows the sources of our net earnings. This table, like various others in this letter, is set out in a
format which we have consistently used and we believe assists you in understanding Fairfax.

Underwriting – insurance and reinsurance

Northbridge
Odyssey Group
Crum & Forster
Zenith
Brit
Allied World
Fairfax Asia
Other

Underwriting profit
Interest and dividends – insurance and reinsurance

Operating income
Run-off (excluding net gains (losses) on investments)
Non-insurance operations
Interest expense
Corporate overhead and other

Pre-tax income before net gains (losses) on investments
Net realized gains on investments

Pre-tax income including net realized gains on investments
Net change in unrealized gains (losses) on investments

Pre-tax income
Income taxes and non-controlling interests

Net earnings

2019

2018

46.7
89.9
51.8
108.8
51.1
57.7
6.4
(17.9)

394.5
713.0

1,107.5
(214.7)
(2.4)
(472.0)
98.1

47.0
181.1
32.6
140.2
(77.0)
42.9
0.4
(48.9)

318.3
637.8

956.1
(197.9)
380.3
(347.1)
(182.2)

516.5
611.8

609.2
1,174.9

1,128.3
1,104.4

1,784.1
(922.0)

2,232.7
(228.6)

862.1
(486.1)

2,004.1

376.0

The table shows the results from our insurance and reinsurance (underwriting and interest and dividends), run-off
and non-insurance operations (which shows the pre-tax income (loss) before interest expense). Net realized gains
and net change in unrealized gains (losses) are shown separately to help you understand the composition of our
earnings.  In  2019,  after  interest  and  dividend  income,  our  insurance  and  reinsurance  companies  had  operating
income  of  $1.1  billion,  due  to  higher  interest  and  dividend  income  and  improved  underwriting  profit.  All  in,
after-tax income was $2.0 billion. Of our interest expense of $472.0 million, $268.4 million was from borrowings by
our holding company and our insurance and reinsurance companies, while $135.8 million was from borrowings by
our non-insurance companies, which are non-recourse to Fairfax, and $67.8 million was from our leases.

Corporate  overhead  and  other  of  $98.1  million  in  income  is  because  it  includes  investment  management  fees,
holding company interest and dividends and holding company share of profit of associates, less corporate overhead,
amortization of subsidiary companies’ intangible assets and a loss on the repurchase of debt. We continue to focus on
keeping holding company expenses low. (See more detail in the MD&A.)

19

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

Financial Position

The following table shows our financial position, excluding consolidated non-insurance companies, at the end of
2019 and 2018:

Holding company cash and investments (net of short sale and derivative obligations)

Borrowings – holding company
Borrowings – insurance and reinsurance companies

Total debt

Net debt

Common shareholders’ equity
Preferred stock
Non-controlling interests(1)

Total equity

Net debt/total equity
Net debt/net total capital
Total debt/total capital
Interest coverage
Interest and preferred share dividend coverage

(1) Excludes consolidated non-insurance companies’ minority interests

2019
1,098.6

4,117.3
1,039.6

2018
1,550.6

3,859.5
995.7

5,156.9

4,855.2

4,058.3

3,304.6

13,042.6
1,335.5
1,519.8

11,779.3
1,335.5
1,437.1

15,897.9

14,551.9

25.5%
20.3%
24.5%
9.8x
7.9x

22.7%
18.5%
25.0%
3.2x
2.6x

As we did last year, we show you our financial position excluding the debt of non-insurance companies that we do
not own 100%. When we have a controlling interest in a company (for example, Recipe or Thomas Cook India), we
are required to consolidate that company’s financial statements into our own financial statements even though we
do  not  guarantee  the  debt – and  quite  often  it  is  an  investment  in  a  public  company.  Excluding  non-insurance
company debt, our debt/capital ratios are excellent, and for 2019, we had interest coverage of 9.8x.

We have a very strong financial position, with $1.1 billion in cash and investments at the holding company at the
end of 2019 and no significant debt maturities until 2022 (we intend to continue to refinance near term maturities).
In 2018, for the first time ever we issued euro debt – A750 million at 2.75% for 10 years. The proceeds were used to
reduce near term maturities and hedge against our euro equity holdings. We now have access to the bond markets in
Canada, the United States and Europe! Our financial position is rock solid!

Investments

The table below updates our investment results for 2019 in the same format as last year. This table is very important
as it shows that Fairfax’s investment results have been consistently very good since inception, with the exception of
the 2011 – 2016 time period, when we treaded water.

Period
1986–1990
1991–1995
1996–2000
2001–2005
2006–2010
2011–2016
2017–2019

Average
investments
109
620
6,469
11,854
19,214
26,047
37,667

Interest &
dividends
45
169
1,665
2,047
3,558
2,963
2,223

Share of

profit (loss) Net gains
(losses)
of associates
(1)
0
128
0
592
0
2,937
0
6,787
46
(85)
416
3,474
591

Total return on
investments

44
296
2,258
4,983
10,391
3,294
6,288

% Return(1)
10.4
9.7
8.8
8.6
11.0
2.3
5.6

Cumulative from inception

12,669

1,054

13,833

27,555

8.0

(1) Simple average of the total return on average investments for each year

20

As you can see, since inception we have made an 8% return on our investment portfolios. On a cumulative basis, we
have earned more on realized and unrealized gains than on interest and dividend income. However, in the 2011 to
2016 time period, we had an average return of only 2.3% on investments because we had no net gains (actually an
$85 million net loss) in spite of a significantly larger investment portfolio. This was a result of our hedging program,
poor stock and bond selection and ‘‘value investing’’ being out of favour. In the last three years, particularly in 2019,
we have come back some, but have some way to go before we reach historical results. We are working on it!

In 2019, we had $1.6 billion in realized and unrealized gains from our equity portfolios. I wanted to highlight some
of our larger positions, as we did last year.

Early in 2019, Fokion Karavias (CEO of Eurobank) and George Chryssikos (CEO of Grivalia) came up with the idea of
merging Grivalia into Eurobank, to strengthen the capital position of Eurobank, and accelerating its non-performing
loan stock reduction through spinning out A7.5 billion of non-performing loans from the bank to its shareholders.
We thought it was a brilliant idea but the process took time as it was subject to shareholder approval at Eurobank and
Grivalia and regulatory approval from the ECB. As part of the same plan, Eurobank sold its non-performing loans
management unit, FPS, to doValue S.p.A. (a public company listed in Italy) for A360 million. We expect all these
transactions to close by March 31, 2020 and Eurobank to be well capitalized and on its way to earning 10% on its
shareholders’ equity in 2020. Last year, Greece had an election in which the business friendly party of Kyriakos
Mitsotakis won a majority in the parliament. As the new Prime Minister, Kyriakos has the opportunity to transform
Greece  by  encouraging  foreign  investment  into  the  country  and  by  being  business  friendly.  Ten-year  Greek
government bonds, which peaked at a yield of 37% in 2012, came down to 10% in 2016 and are now trading below
1%. Recently, Greece did a 15-year bond issue at 1.9% and a 30-year issue at 2.5%. The animal spirits are coming back
to Greece and we think the Greek economy and Greek companies will thrive. Eurobank should benefit!! Our cost of
1.2 billion shares of Eurobank after the Grivalia transaction is now 94¢ versus a book value of approximately 135¢ per
share post the transaction. At year end, Eurobank was selling at 68% of book value and 6.5x normalized earnings. We
still believe it will be a good investment for us.

Under the leadership of David Sokol as Chairman and Bing Chen as CEO and with the acquisition of APR Energy, we
expect  that  the  recently  re-named  Atlas  Corp.  (formerly  Seaspan)  will  continue  to  be  a  significant  driver  of
shareholder value over the long term. With the addition of APR, Atlas Corp. has become a holding company that we
fully expect David and Bing will continue to build into a compounding machine (think Mid-American 2.0). We are
very appreciative of the efforts of Chuck Ferry, APR’s CEO, and John Campion, its founder, before him and we believe
Chuck will do a tremendous job driving the business forward under David and Bing’s leadership.

At year end, Atlas Corp. shares were selling at $14.21 per share, approximately 8.5x earnings, with a dividend yield of
approximately 3.5%. Please remember that Mid-American, under David Sokol, compounded earnings at more than
20% over a 20-year period. Including the APR transaction, we have invested $760 million in common shares of Atlas
Corp. (cost per share $7.57), and we hold 25 million warrants exercisable at $8.05 and $500 million of 5.5% debt.

We monetized APR in 2019 and we hope to monetize some of our remaining private companies with good results.

Recipe has a network of over 1,300 restaurants with total system sales in 2019 of approximately Cdn$3.5 billion and
EBITDA of Cdn$216 million. The company continues to extend its brands outside restaurants to include grocery
sales. Bill Gregson recently retired from the role of Chair at Recipe. On behalf of our shareholders we thank Bill for all
of his efforts rejuvenating the company. Paul Rivett has taken over as Chair.

2019 was another difficult year for Fairfax Africa, with book value down $84.3 million from the previous year and a
net loss of $61.2 million. The main drivers of the poor results were unrealized losses on investments in Atlas Mara
and Consolidated Infrastructure Group. We remain positive about the prospects in Africa and our team is working
hard with the portfolio companies and partners to maximize long-term value for shareholders. Please read the Fairfax
Africa annual report where Mike Wilkerson gives you more details on Fairfax Africa’s investments.

Last year I stated that Resolute has been a poor investment to date. I should have said, very poor!! Brad Martin chairs
the Board at Resolute and he continues to work with management to find a path to increase shareholder value in a
very  tough  environment  for  paper,  pulp  and  lumber.  Our  net  investment  in  Resolute  is  $745  million  while  the
carrying value of our shares is approximately $200 million.

21

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

Our investment in the Davos craft spirit brands continues to do well. Davos is run by Andrew Chrisomalis and Blake
Spahn and their leading partnership is with Ryan Reynolds in Aviation American Gin, which continues to exceed
expectations. We are partners with David Sokol.

Propelled by its founder, Wade Barnes, Farmers Edge has continued to grow acres under contract and, along with it,
predictable recurring revenue and cash flows. Bill McFarland has become the Chair of Farmers Edge and will continue
to support Wade as he builds out this valuable precision agriculture platform.

Peak’s Bauer brands are overseen by Ed Kinnaly and Easton brands by Dan Jelinek and Matt Arndt. Tony Palma
recently retired as CEO at Easton. Tony worked very closely with the late Jim Easton, founder of Easton brands. We
are very thankful for the turnaround that Tony oversaw and we wish him well in retirement.

Dexterra continues to provide industry-leading facilities management and operation solutions in Canada under the
leadership of John MacCuish, its CEO. Bill McFarland is also Chair of Dexterra. The company continues to be the
go-to service provider for some of the country’s largest airports, premier retail and commercial properties, corporate
campuses, research and education facilities, large industrial sites, defence and public assets, camps and catering and
state-of-the-art healthcare infrastructure. The company is also one of the country’s largest reforestation contractors
and forest firefighters.

AGT is one of the largest suppliers of pulses in the world run by Murad Al-Katib, its CEO. AGT’s exports of pulses has
increased along with a resurgence in global demand, particularly in India, and continues to expand in its food retail
business.

In our retail investments, Chad McKinnon and the teams at Golf Town and Sporting Life, supported by the founders,
Dave and Patti Russell, continue to make strides to be stronger together with the benefit of reduced seasonality and
the implementation of best practices for continued profitable growth and building a long term winning culture. We
welcome Vic Bertrand as the new CEO of Toys ‘‘R’’ Us and Babies ‘‘R’’ Us. Vic was formerly the COO at Mega Brands
(the Bertrand family business we previously supported) and he is working closely on retail initiatives with Chad.

CIB Bank, in Egypt, continues to perform spectacularly. In 2019, earnings were up 23% and the return on equity was
29.5%. CIB Bank has a low loan to deposit ratio of 43% and is very well capitalized, with a capital adequacy ratio of
26% and financial leverage of just 7.5x. Its ten-year return on equity is 27.5% and it is still selling at only 9x this year’s
estimated earnings. We own 7% of CIB and are very excited about its prospects under the leadership of Hisham Ezz Al
Arab and Hussein Abaza.

Stelco had a difficult year in 2019 as its earnings dropped 90%. However, it has no debt, has the lowest cost steel
production in North America and is selling at less than 5x normalized earnings. We continue to be very excited about
its future under the leadership of Alan Kestenbaum, its CEO, and Chair Alan Goldberg. We own 13 million shares
(14.6%) of Stelco at a cost of Cdn$20.27 per share.

We continue to support John Chen as he works diligently to make BlackBerry a growth company again. As I said last
year, with the Cylance acquisition, John is working to become the most trusted AI-cybersecurity company. Still a
work in progress!

Debt and Warrant Deals

Company

Seaspan – 1st tranche
Seaspan – 2nd tranche
Seaspan – additional warrants
Chorus Aviation
Mosaic Capital
Altius Minerals
Westaim

Principal

Warrant
Coupon Maturity

Warrant
Strike Price
per Share

(local currency)

Potential
Stock
Price Ownership

250
250

154
115
77
39

885

5.5% Feb-2025
5.5% Jan-2026
Jul-2025
6.0% Dec-2024
5.7% Jan-2024
5.0% Apr-2024
5.0% Jun-2024

exercised
exercised
$ 8.05
8.25
8.81
15.00
3.50

exercised
exercised
$14.21
8.09
5.50
11.96
2.65

42.3%
13.1%
61.6%
13.6%
8.2%

5.5%

22

As shown in the table on the previous page, we have invested $885 million in debt and warrant deals, with an average
yield of 5.5%. We will get an annual income of $49 million while we wait for the warrants to become valuable over
time.  In  the  case  of  Seaspan  (now  Atlas  Corp.),  we  exercised  our  original  warrants  early  and  thereby  invested
$500 million in common shares at $6.50 per share while receiving an additional 25 million warrants as an incentive
for this early exercise.

The table below shows you the amazing track records of the FAANG stocks (plus Microsoft) in the last ten years:

10 year
Compound
Annual
Growth
Rate

2010

2014

2019

($ billions, except stock prices)

29
9
35
46
297

66
14
64
104
531

34
89
1 (cid:2)0.2
17
9
11
7
310
180

162
34
120
201
1,339

281
12
55
62
1,848

65
14
51
48
46

2
1
2
2

62
19
37
46
28

2
0.2
0.4
0.3
25

183
40
155
112
110

12
3
11
36
78

87
22
86
90
46

6
0.3
1.6
1.9
49

260
55
206
90
294

71
18
55
101
205

126
39
134
102
158

20
1.9
5.0
7.6
324

21%
18%
17%
19%
16%

28%
29%
24%
28%
30%

20%
21%
20%
11%
26%

57%
55%
56%
61%
34%(1)

8%
10%
16%
10%
18%

28%
32%
32%
44%
45%

Alphabet (Google)

Revenue
Net income
Cash and marketable securities
Shareholders’ equity
Stock price

Amazon

Revenue
Net income
Cash and marketable securities
Shareholders’ equity
Stock price

Apple

Revenue
Net income
Cash and marketable securities
Shareholders’ equity
Stock price

Facebook

Revenue
Net income
Cash and marketable securities
Shareholders’ equity
Stock price

Microsoft
Revenue
Net income
Cash and marketable securities
Shareholders’ equity
Stock price

Netflix

Revenue
Net income
Cash and marketable securities
Shareholders’ equity
Stock price

(1) From IPO in 2012

23

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

As you can see in the table, the growth record is phenomenal. Revenue, net income, cash and marketable securities
and shareholders’ equity have grown at extraordinary rates. And last year was no different. Almost all of them grew at
15%-20% from the previous year! And we missed it completely! Shame on us for missing the most important trend in
the US economy and reflected in the stock market.

Of course, the two most important questions now are will these trends continue and what are these companies
selling at?

For some perspective on this phenomenon, we have to go back almost 50 years to the late 1960s and early 1970s
when  a  group  of  stocks  called  the  Nifty  Fifty  sold  at  extraordinary  multiples.  These  companies  included  the
established  growth  companies  such  as  Coca-Cola,  Pfizer,  Merck  and  Anheuser-Busch,  but  also  newer  growth
companies such as Polaroid, Avon and McDonald’s. In 1972, these companies, on average, sold at a price earnings
ratio of 42x versus 19x for the S&P500 – twice as expensive! Polaroid sold at 95x earnings, Avon Products at 61x,
Xerox at 46x, Coca-Cola at 46x, Disney at 71x and Johnson & Johnson at 57x. Over the next ten years, many of these
companies,  such  as  Polaroid,  did  not  survive;  many  had  much  lower  growth  rates  (if  any),  and  many  such  as
Johnson & Johnson continued their growth record. In the 1974 stock market crash, when the S&P500 dropped 48%
from its peak in 1973, many of these stocks dropped by over 70%. Almost none of them saw their 1972 highs for the
next ten years.

Here’s what the FAANG stocks (plus Microsoft) are selling at:

Alphabet (Google)
Amazon
Apple
Facebook
Microsoft
Netflix

Price/earnings
ratio
27x
79x
25x
32x
31x
76x

Will  the  history  of  the  Nifty  Fifty  repeat  itself  with  these  stocks?  Only  time  will  tell – suffice  to  say  that,  in  our
experience, trees don’t grow to the sky.

Value stocks, on the other hand, have suffered greatly in the last ten years as money has gravitated to the tech stocks
through ETFs and index funds. These six tech stocks have a total market value of $5 trillion – almost 20% of the
S&P500  index,  and  they  have  a  market  value  in  excess  of  the  market  capitalization  of  France  and  Germany
combined. Amazon and Facebook alone had a market value at year end 2019 in excess of the S&P/TSX 60, which
includes the five largest Canadian banks.

So when the correction happens (and it may be happening as we speak), we expect value stocks to provide better
protection on the downside and the ‘‘renaissance of value’’, a term coined by Ben Graham in 1974, may well take
place again.

I remind you again that in the 1999 – 2002 time period, when most worldwide stock indices dropped by 50% mainly
because of the dot.com crash, our stock portfolios went up 100%.

Value will out again!

One further observation: The 1960s were a time period not unlike the present one, when interest rates were low and
inflation seemed under control. All of this changed in the late 1960s, inflation began rising in the early 1970s (in fact,
Nixon imposed wage and price controls in 1971!) and interest rates followed suit. With record low unemployment
and continued growth in the U.S. economy, we may witness a similar occurrence in the next few years.

There continue to be many risks in the world today, including world trade, China or a blow-up in the junk bond
market. As we have said before, to protect us against these risks, we continue to retain $100 billion notional amount
in deflation hedges which still have 2.8 years to go and are now on our balance sheet at only $7 million.

24

Under the leadership of Wade Burton, the transition of the management of our investment portfolios to a younger
group at Hamblin Watsa is going very well. Here’s how we have delegated the investment management of some of
our stock and bond portfolios across the world:

HWIC Professionals
Wade Burton and Lawrence Chin
Yi Sang
Jamie Lowry and Ian Kelly
Jeff Ware
Quinn McLean
Gopal Soundarajan
Reno Giancola

Geography
United States/Canada
Asia
Europe
South America
Middle East and South Africa
India
Canada

Wade has achieved outstanding results since he began managing portfolios for us in 2008. Over that period, up to
June 2018, Wade had a 19.5% compound return on his stock portfolio. Since June 2018, Wade and Lawrence Chin,
who joined us in 2016, have compounded a stock and bond portfolio at 9.8% annually. We are looking forward to
Wade’s increasing impact on Fairfax’s investment portfolios over time.

Our team at Hambin Watsa also includes Wendy Teramoto, Peter Furlan, Paul Ianni and Davis Town, who all work
with our portfolio managers. Roger Lace, Brian Bradstreet, Chandran Ratnaswami and I continue to manage the rest
of the portfolio with much input from Wade and his team.

Miscellaneous

We maintained our dividend in 2019 at $10 per share. As I have mentioned to you before, we are focused on using
our free cash flow, in excess of what we need for our business, to buy back stock so it is unlikely our dividend will be
increased soon. Since we began paying dividends, we have paid cumulative dividends of $123 per share.

May 21, 2019 was the saddest day in our 34 years as we learned of the sudden passing of Dave Bonham. Dave was
incredibly bright and disciplined as our CFO with a great sense of humour, quick wit and caring nature. He was a
great CFO, colleague and friend and we will all miss him greatly.

Paul Rivett told me recently that for family reasons, he wanted to retire as President of Fairfax. It was with great
sadness that I accepted his decision. For 17 years, Paul has given his all and has been instrumental in our success over
that time. I have had the pleasure of working very closely with Paul all those years and I will miss him greatly. He
retires with our gratitude and best wishes to him, his wife and his children in his retirement. Paul has agreed to
continue as the Chair of certain Fairfax investees, including Fairfax Africa and Recipe. I and other Fairfax executive
officers will be assuming Paul’s other responsibilities.

One  sad  result  of  having  wonderful  employees  who  never  leave  once  they  join  is  that  eventually  they  reach
retirement age – that’s the case with Ronald Schokking, who has been a Fairfax officer since 1989. Ronald has done a
great  job  for  us  as  Treasurer  and  in  several  financial  roles,  most  importantly  in  developing  and  overseeing  our
international financial operations. Ronald will be retiring as an officer at the end of 2020, although he will continue
to be available to us as a consultant. We are very appreciative of the skill with which he navigated his special areas,
and wish him, his wife and his family the very best in his retirement.

Over our 34-year history, we have always operated at Fairfax with a small team which, with great integrity, team spirit
and no egos, protects our company from unexpected downside risks and which takes advantage of opportunities
when they arise. Our outstanding team of officers at Fairfax and Hamblin Watsa is further strengthened by Andy
Barnard, Jonathan Godown and Bijan Khosrowshahi. This group has worked together for a long time – with trust and
a long term focus.

We were pleased to announce in August that Jennifer Allen was appointed CFO of Fairfax. Jennifer has been with
Fairfax for over 13 years, most recently serving as a Vice President of Fairfax and CFO of Fairfax India and Fairfax
Africa.  At  the  same  time  we  were  happy  to  announce  that  Amy  Sherk,  who  has  been  with  us  for  16 years,  was
appointed CFO of Fairfax India and Fairfax Africa. Both have demonstrated the qualities we admire as officers of
Fairfax. We are so fortunate to have this executive depth within our group.

25

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

Our employees are our most important asset and their health and well-being is critical to our long-term viability.
Actively working to improve their health and well-being is not only the right thing to do, but it makes good business
sense. We have had longstanding relationships with both The Cleveland Clinic and Johnson & Johnson, two world
class health organizations, and we are fortunate to have them as partners in this initiative. The Cleveland Clinic has
met with the senior management of our largest organizations to offer innovative solutions for employee wellness
including assessments of current programs, executive physicals, virtual care and second opinions. These meetings
have expanded to include our international operations so that our people, regardless of where they are in the world,
can access world class healthcare when needed.

I am very happy to advise that Bill Weldon, who until his retirement in 2012 was the CEO of Johnson & Johnson, has
enthusiastically agreed to join the Fairfax Board at this year’s annual meeting. Bill has been a consultant to Fairfax,
giving us the benefit of his experience in running a large, decentralized, highly principled company, so Bill and
Fairfax are already familiar with each other, and mutually know that this will be a good fit.

After eight years on our Board, John Palmer determined not to stand for re-election. John has been a strong supporter
of Fairfax over all these years and we have benefitted from his broad range of experience. We wish him and his wife
well in his retirement.

One other Board matter: Tony Griffiths suggested to me that, to ease off a little, he would like to continue as a director
but not as the Lead Director. I’m pleased to report that Bill McFarland has kindly agreed to assume the Lead Director
role after the annual meeting.

We continue to encourage all our employees to be owners of our company through our employee share ownership
plan, under which our employees’ share purchases by way of payroll deduction are supplemented by contributions
by their employer. It is an excellent plan and employees have had great returns over the long term, as shown below:

Employee Share Ownership Plan

Compound Annual Return

5 Years
12%

10 Years
12%

15 Years
13%

20 Years
12%

Since
Inception
14%

If an employee earning $40,000 had participated fully in this program since its inception, he or she would have
accumulated 3,620 shares of Fairfax worth Cdn$2.2 million at the end of 2019. I am happy to say, we have many
employees who have done exactly that!

Our donations program continues to thrive across the communities all over the world where we do business. Our
employees are all pitching in and having ‘‘fun’’, helping people less fortunate. In 2019, we donated $23 million, for a
total of $216 million since we began. Over the 29 years since we began our donations program, our annual donations
have gone up approximately 120 times at a compound rate of 18% per year. Allow me to highlight briefly just a few
examples of our company donations:

The Northbridge Cares program, through donations and volunteer hours (2,500 in 2019) focuses on empowering,
educating  and  supporting  Canadian  youth  at  risk  to  reach  their  potential  by  partnering  with  selected  national
organizations. In addition, under a community impact initiative launched last year, each of Northbridge’s offices
across Canada received funding for local charities chosen by employees.

The Odyssey Group Foundation continues to support charitable organizations focused on worldwide disaster relief,
cancer  research,  education,  healthcare  and  human  services,  while  Odyssey’s  employee  voting  campaign  directs
funding  to  92  charities  around  the  world.  In  2019,  new  grants  were  awarded  to  MD  Anderson  Cancer  Center,
Mt. Sinai Health System and the American Red Cross for Relief for Victims of Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas.

Crum & Forster gives back to the communities where its employees live and work through service hours, corporate
donations,  matching  gift  programs  and  an  employee-led  charitable  impact  committee.  In  2019,  400  employees
participated  in  20  community-based  programs  throughout  the  United  States  and  personally  donated  to  over
600 organizations, with an emphasis on healthcare and education.

26

Zenith in 2019, besides continuing its annual financial and employee volunteer support to many organizations,
instituted  its  first  annual  Give  Together  Campaign,  a  weeklong  event  during  which  Zenith  employees  worked
together, had fun and gave generously supporting Feeding America and Ronald McDonald House Charities. Zenith
employees also created more than 5,000 hygiene kits that the American Red Cross distributed to military hospitals,
medical facilities and homeless veterans.

Brit again in 2019 sent a cohort of volunteers for a week to help the development of the Soweto Academy in Kibera,
Kenya and continued its support for Team BRIT, a team of disabled motor racing drivers, for Great Ormond Street
Hospital, a world-leading children’s hospital based in London, and for ten staff-nominated charities.

In 2019, Allied World supported many charities and community service projects with a primary focus on education,
healthcare and the arts and culture, including continued support to the N.Y. Police and Fire Widows’ & Children’s
Benefit Fund, the Citizens Committee for New York City (whose mission it is to improve the quality of life for lower-
income  New  Yorkers)  and  the  Spencer  Educational  Foundation.  Globally,  Allied  World  employees  donated
thousands of hours servicing the needs of their local communities.

RiverStone’s  unwavering  commitment  to  the  community  in  both  the  US  and  the  UK  continued  in  2019  with
donations  to  local  food  banks,  many  types  of  children’s  services,  health  and  education  services,  and  other
organizations serving local needs, and meaningful donations to the charities that mattered most to its employees
through its program of providing a 3:1 match on all eligible charitable contributions. In the US, RiverStone unveiled
a  new  program  allowing  employees  eight  hours  per  year  of  paid  time  off  while  volunteering  at  charitable
organizations.

We are looking forward to seeing you at our annual meeting in Toronto at 9:30 a.m. (Eastern time) on Thursday,
April 16, 2020 at Roy Thomson Hall. As in the past few years, we will have booths (the number keeps growing each
year)  which  will  provide  information  and  allow  you  the  opportunity  to  interact  with  the  Presidents  and  senior
members of our insurance companies, such as Northbridge, Odyssey Group, Crum & Forster, Zenith, Brit, Allied
World, RiverStone, Fairfax Asia (which now includes AMAG, Pacific Insurance, Falcon, BIC (our insurance operation
in Vietnam), Fairfirst (our insurance operation in Sri Lanka) and Paramount Health Group), Bryte, Onlia, and the
Gulf Insurance Group, along with Colonnade, which covers Central and Eastern Europe, and our Latin American
operations which cover Colombia, Argentina, Uruguay and Chile. Digit, our online insurance company which is one
of the fastest growing insurance companies in India, and Fairfax Worldwide, which will help provide us the ability to
collaborate across the Fairfax group of companies to seamlessly and reliably issue locally admitted insurance policies,
will also be there. For the continually increasing number of pet lovers, Sean Smith and his team at Pethealth will be
on hand to help you insure your favorite pet: stop by the Pethealth booth and take advantage of some special offers
that Sean has for you. To give you ample time to visit all our booths, the doors to Roy Thomson Hall will open at
8:00 a.m.

The  Fairfax  Leadership  Workshop  continues  to  grow  and  develop  our  leaders  of  tomorrow.  We  now  have  about
200 individuals who have attended the program. Many have moved on to senior leadership roles and some are
running our companies. You will recognize them by the special pins they wear that even I do not get. You will see
them at the various insurance company booths, so stop by and speak to them. In addition, the booths will showcase
some of our non-insurance company investments, including some you have known previously, such as William
Ashley, Sporting Life, Quess, Golf Town, Boat Rocker Media, AGT Foods, Altius Minerals, Peak Achievement, Rouge
Media,  Zoomermedia,  Blue  Ant  Media,  Davos  Brands  and  Toys  ‘‘R’’  Us.  Our  innovation  lab  that  we  started  in
Waterloo, for which we created our FairVentures company, continues to grow and support innovation at all our
companies, so please stop by and visit its booth where Dave Kruis, who runs the FairVentures innovation lab, will be
happy  to  let  you  know  some  of  our  new  acquisitions  and  the  creative  solutions  that  they  are  working  on  for
our companies.

Like last year, after our meeting we will have Recipe, which now includes The Keg, and McEwan’s, led by celebrity
chef Mark McEwan, tantalize your taste buds with some of their delicious offerings from their various restaurants. I
reiterate that we are now the third largest restaurant company in Canada: you cannot go too far before you come
across one of our restaurants in either the fast food or fine dining space, and we are continuing to strategically add to
our collection.

Madhavan Menon from Thomas Cook India will again offer you a discount to take your family for a trip of a lifetime
to India, so this year he expects to see many of you visit him and sign up. Everyone who has gone has come back with
glowing reports and having done it myself, I can vouch for it.

27

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

Last year at our shareholders’ meeting I told you about the investor trip to India that we were planning on offering
our shareholders so that they could see for themselves firsthand the transformation and opportunities that India has
to offer. The trip was to give our shareholders a chance to take in some sightseeing and to experience the culture, the
people and the cuisine, while exposing them to some of the companies that we have invested in and giving them the
chance to interact with the Presidents who run those companies.

The response was great, and all who went were very impressed. Madhavan Menon, Dipak Deva and his group, of
course  with  help  from  our  Vinodh  Loganadhan,  did  an  outstanding  job;  from  all  the  feedback  we  received,  our
shareholders had a memorable trip giving them a deeper understanding of why we think India is going to continue
to be an exceptional investment opportunity in the years to come. Madhavan will be offering this trip again in the
future, so stay tuned.

We will also have Hari Marar, who runs Bangalore International Airport, on hand and you can hear from him all the
exciting things that he has planned in the year ahead, such as adding a second runway and beginning to carry out the
exciting plans for the land surrounding the airport. BIAL is on the way to being one of the best airports in the world.
Ajit Isaac from Quess, which is the largest private employer in India, will be at the meeting, as will Nirmal Jain from
IIFL and Vijay Sankar from Sanmar Chemicals Group. Sterling Resorts, NCML, Saurashtra Freight, Fairchem, Privi
Organics, Primary Real Estate, Quantum, Seven Islands Shipping and CSB Bank will round out the investments that
we have in India, each represented by its CEO. I guarantee that after you speak to them, you will be as excited as I am
regarding our investments in India.

Also, stop by Golf Town, where you can improve your putting in a three-hole contest, with the winner getting a prize:
you might find many of our Presidents and directors there as well, practising their putting! We also have Easton and
Bauer, which will showcase some of their latest equipment that makes them the leader in hockey equipment, with ice
hockey being the number one sport in Canada.

Altogether, this is a fantastic opportunity for you to learn more about our companies, as well as to get some discounts
for shopping at William Ashley, Toys ‘‘R’’ Us, Sporting Life and Golf Town and for dining at Recipe and The Keg.

As  in  the  past,  highlighted  will  be  two  excellent  programs  that  we  support:  The  Ben  Graham  Centre  for  Value
Investing with George Athanassakos at the Ivey School of Business, and the Actuarial Program at the University of
Waterloo – both among the best in North America! This year the staff at the University of Waterloo booth will again
include co-op students working at our companies. I encourage you to speak to them: I assure you that you will be
impressed. Many of you have hired, and will want to continue to hire, a few more at your own companies: the
University will have someone on hand to let you know how you can go about doing so. George will also have many
of his MBA students on hand, so speak to them: you may want to hire them as well. George runs a Value Investing
Conference the day before our meeting. This will be its ninth year and in case you have not attended, please check
the website for details (www.bengrahaminvesting.ca). I highly recommend it – it is well worth your time to attend.
Many who have attended have mentioned to me that it is one of the best of its kind, and this year’s lineup of speakers
is outstanding! This year’s luncheon keynote speaker will be Howard Marks, followed by Larry Culp, the CEO of
General Electric. James Grant of Grant’s Interest Rate Observer will be the morning keynote speaker.

This year Lawrence Cunningham, an author and a law professor at George Washington University, will be on hand
with his bestselling book, The Best Executive Letters, containing letters from Warren Buffett, yours truly and other
CEOs.  He  will  have  some  copies  that  he  will  autograph  for  a  donation  to  the  Crohn’s  & Colitis  Foundation  in
memory of my assistant, Jo Ann Butler.

Similarly to last year, Fairfax India (of which many of you are also shareholders) will hold its annual meeting at
2:00 p.m. on April 16 at Roy Thomson Hall. Chandran Ratnaswami, Amy Sherk, John Varnell, Sumit Maheshwari
and the CEOs of many of Fairfax India’s investees will be on hand to answer any questions you may have. As noted
above, Fairfax India will also showcase the companies in its portfolio at the booths in the foyer, so stop by and visit
them  and  hear  firsthand  about  all  the  wonderful  things  taking  place  in  India  and  the  vast  potential  that  lies
ahead there.

Fairfax Africa will hold its second shareholders’ meeting on Wednesday, April 15 at 2:30 p.m. at the Royal York Hotel
in Toronto. Fairfax Africa will also have a booth at our meeting, so stop by and say hello to Michael Wilkerson and
Neil Holzapfel and learn about the exciting opportunities that are unfolding in Africa.

28

So as we have done for the last 34 years, we look forward to meeting you, our shareholders, and answering all your
questions, as well as getting you to meet our dedicated directors and the fine men and women who work at and run
our companies. I personally am inspired every time that I meet all of you, and when I hear your stories I want to work
twice as hard to make a return for you in the long term.

We are truly blessed to have the loyal shareholders that we have, and I look forward to seeing you at our shareholders’
meeting in April.

March 6, 2020

10MAR201607580995

V. Prem Watsa
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

29

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

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30

Management’s Responsibility for the Financial Statements

The  preparation  and  presentation  of  the  accompanying  consolidated  financial  statements,  Management’s
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (‘‘MD&A’’) and all financial information
are the responsibility of management and have been approved by the Board of Directors (the ‘‘Board’’).

The consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting
Standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board. Financial statements, by nature, are not precise
since  they  include  certain  amounts  based  upon  estimates  and  judgments.  When  alternative  methods  exist,
management has chosen those it deems to be the most appropriate in the circumstances.

We,  as  Fairfax’s  Chief  Executive  Officer  and  Chief  Financial  Officer,  have  certified  Fairfax’s  annual  disclosure
documents  filed  with  the  Canadian  Securities  Administrators  and  the  United  States  Securities  and  Exchange
Commission (Form 40-F) in accordance with Canadian securities legislation and the United States Sarbanes-Oxley
Act of 2002 respectively.

The  Board  is  responsible  for  ensuring  that  management  fulfills  its  responsibilities  for  financial  reporting  and  is
ultimately responsible for reviewing and approving the consolidated financial statements and MD&A. The Board
carries out this responsibility principally through its Audit Committee which is independent from management.

The Audit Committee is appointed by the Board and reviews the consolidated financial statements and MD&A;
considers the report of the independent registered public accounting firm; assesses the adequacy of the internal
controls of the company, including management’s assessment described below; examines the fees and expenses for
audit services; and recommends to the Board the independent registered public accounting firm for appointment by
the shareholders. The independent registered public accounting firm has full access to the Audit Committee and
meet with it to discuss their audit work, Fairfax’s internal control over financial reporting and financial reporting
matters. The Audit Committee reports its findings to the Board for consideration when approving the consolidated
financial statements for issuance to the shareholders and management’s assessment of the internal control over
financial reporting.

Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting

Management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting.

Management  has  assessed  the  effectiveness  of  the  company’s  internal  control  over  financial  reporting  as  of
December  31,  2019  using  criteria  established  in  Internal  Control – Integrated  Framework  (2013)  issued  by  the
Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (‘‘COSO’’). The scope of this assessment, as
permitted by Canadian and U.S. securities laws, did not include an evaluation of the internal control over financial
reporting of AGT Food and Ingredients Inc. as of December 31, 2019 because it was acquired by the company in a
business combination during 2019. The operations of AGT Food and Ingredients Inc. represented approximately
3.7% of the company’s consolidated income for the year ended December 31, 2019 and represented approximately
1.6% and 1.9% of the company’s consolidated assets and liabilities respectively as at December 31, 2019. Based on
this assessment, management concluded that the company’s internal control over financial reporting was effective
as of December 31, 2019.

The  effectiveness  of  the  company’s  internal  control  over  financial  reporting  as  of  December  31,  2019  has  been
audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their report
which appears herein.

March 6, 2020

10MAR201607580995

V. Prem Watsa
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

28FEB201713300060
Jennifer Allen
Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

31

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Shareholders and Board of Directors of Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited

Opinions on the Financial Statements and Internal Control over Financial Reporting

We  have  audited  the  accompanying  consolidated  balance  sheets  of  Fairfax  Financial  Holdings  Limited  and  its
subsidiaries (together, the Company) as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, and the related consolidated statements of
earnings, comprehensive income, changes in equity and cash flows for the years then ended, including the related
notes (collectively referred to as the consolidated financial statements). We also have audited the Company’s internal
control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2019, based on criteria established in Internal Control – Integrated
Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO).

In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the
financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, and its financial performance and its cash
flows  for  the  years  then  ended  in  conformity  with  International  Financial  Reporting  Standards  as  issued  by  the
International Accounting Standards Board. Also in our opinion, the Company maintained, in all material respects,
effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2019, based on criteria established in Internal
Control – Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the COSO.

Basis for Opinions

The Company’s management is responsible for these consolidated financial statements, for maintaining effective
internal control over financial reporting, and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial
reporting, included in the accompanying Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting. Our
responsibility is to express opinions on the Company’s consolidated financial statements and on the Company’s
internal control over financial reporting based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the
Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB) and are required to be independent with
respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of
the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and
perform the audits to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free of
material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud, and whether effective internal control over financial reporting
was maintained in all material respects.

Our audits of the consolidated financial statements included performing procedures to assess the risks of material
misstatement of the consolidated financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures
that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts
and  disclosures  in  the  consolidated  financial  statements.  Our  audits  also  included  evaluating  the  accounting
principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the
consolidated  financial  statements.  Our  audit  of  internal  control  over  financial  reporting  included  obtaining  an
understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, and
testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk. Our
audits also included performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe
that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinions.

As  described  in  Management’s  Report  on  Internal  Control  over  Financial  Reporting,  management  has  excluded
AGT Food and Ingredients Inc. from its assessment of internal control over financial reporting as of December 31,
2019 because it was acquired by the Company in a purchase business combination during the year ended December
31, 2019. We have also excluded AGT Food and Ingredients Inc. from our audit of internal control over financial
reporting. AGT Food and Ingredients Inc. is a subsidiary whose total assets, total liabilities and total income excluded
from management’s assessment and our audit of internal control over financial reporting represent 1.6%, 1.9% and
3.7%,  respectively,  of  the  related  consolidated  financial  statement  amounts  as  of  and  for  the  year  ended
December 31, 2019.

32

Definition and Limitations of Internal Control over Financial Reporting

A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding
the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance
with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those
policies and procedures that (i) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly
reflect  the  transactions  and  dispositions  of  the  assets  of  the  company;  (ii)  provide  reasonable  assurance  that
transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally
accepted  accounting  principles,  and  that  receipts  and  expenditures  of  the  company  are  being  made  only  in
accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (iii) provide reasonable assurance
regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets
that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

Because  of  its  inherent  limitations,  internal  control  over  financial  reporting  may  not  prevent  or  detect
misstatements.  Also,  projections  of  any  evaluation  of  effectiveness  to  future  periods  are  subject  to  the  risk  that
controls  may  become  inadequate  because  of  changes  in  conditions,  or  that  the  degree  of  compliance  with  the
policies or procedures may deteriorate.

Critical Audit Matters

The critical audit matters communicated below are matters arising from the current period audit of the consolidated
financial statements that were communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that
(i) relate to accounts or disclosures that are material to the consolidated financial statements and (ii) involved our
especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. The communication of critical audit matters does not alter
in  any  way  our  opinion  on  the  consolidated  financial  statements,  taken  as  a  whole,  and  we  are  not,  by
communicating the critical audit matters below, providing separate opinions on the critical audit matters or on the
accounts or disclosures to which they relate.

Valuation of private placement debt securities as a type of Level 3 investment

As described in Notes 3 and 5 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company holds financial instruments
categorized as Level 3 investments. Level 3 investments represent 14.4% of the Company’s holding company cash
and  investments  and  portfolio  investments measured  at  fair  value  of  $34,184.6  million  at  December  31,  2019.
Valuation of Level 3 investments uses valuation techniques and unobservable inputs that depend on the type of
investment. Management used its own assumptions regarding unobservable inputs, as there is little, if any, market
activity  in  these  instruments  or  related  observable  inputs  that  can  be  corroborated  as  at  the  measurement  date.
Private placement debt securities measured at fair value of $1,420.1 million at December 31, 2019, are a type of
Level 3 investment that can be valued using varying valuation techniques and incorporate significant unobservable
inputs,  leading  to  a  higher  degree  of  estimation  uncertainty.  These  securities  are  valued  by  management  using
primarily industry accepted discounted cash flow models that incorporate credit spreads of issuers as a significant
unobservable input.

The principal considerations for our determination that performing procedures relating to the valuation of private
placement debt securities as a type of Level 3 investment is a critical audit matter were there was (1) significant
judgement  required  by  management  in  selecting  the  relevant  discounted  cash  flow  model  and  determining  the
credit spreads as a significant unobservable input when developing the fair value of these investments, (2) a high
degree of auditor subjectivity and judgement in performing procedures to evaluate i) management’s selection of
valuation techniques, such as discounted cash flow models, and ii) management’s determination of credit spreads as
a  significant  unobservable  input.  Hence,  this  resulted  in  significant  audit  effort,  which  included  the  use  of
professionals with specialized skill and knowledge.

Addressing the matter involved performing procedures and evaluating audit evidence in connection with forming
our overall opinion on the consolidated financial statements. These procedures included, among others, testing the
effectiveness of controls over the valuation of the Level 3 investments, including management review controls over
the Company’s selection of the discounted cash flow model and determination of credit spreads as a significant
unobservable  input.  These  audit  procedures  also  included  testing  management’s  process  for  developing  the  fair
values or developing independent fair values to compare to those determined by management. Professionals with
specialized  skill  and  knowledge  were  used  to  develop  independent  fair  values  using  industry-accepted  valuation
models  and  to  assist  in  the  evaluation  of  the  Company’s  selection  of  the  discounted  cash  flow  model  and

33

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

determination of credit spreads as a significant unobservable input. Evaluating the reasonableness of credit spreads
as  a  significant  unobservable  input  involved  considering  consistency  with,  as  applicable:  (i)  current  and  past
performance of the particular investment, (ii) relevant external market and industry data, and (iii) evidence obtained
in other areas of the audit. Further audit procedures included, among others, testing the completeness and accuracy
of the underlying data used by management in the valuation process of the private placement debt securities.

Valuation of reserves for incurred but not reported losses

As described in Notes 3, 4 and 8 to the consolidated financial statements, provision for losses and loss adjustment
expenses are estimated based on Canadian accepted actuarial practices which are designed to ensure the Company
establishes an appropriate reserve on its consolidated balance sheet for both reported and incurred but not reported
(IBNR) losses as of the end of each accounting period. Management determines the undiscounted reserves for IBNR
losses based on assumptions that represent best estimates of the expected ultimate cost to settle unpaid claims that
occurred on or before the balance sheet date but have not yet been reported. The Company’s reserves for IBNR losses,
net of reinsurance (IBNR reserves), as of December 31, 2019 were $13,301.1 million. There are varying actuarial
projection  methodologies  that  have  been  applied  by  management  in  the  estimation  of  IBNR  reserves,  based  on
product  line,  type  and  extent  of  coverage.  These  methodologies  require  management  to  develop  significant
assumptions including; expected loss ratios, loss development patterns, claim frequencies and severities, exposure,
expected reinsurance recoveries and trends.

The principal considerations for our determination that performing procedures relating to the valuation of IBNR
reserves is a critical audit matter were there was (1) significant judgement required by management when selecting
the actuarial projection methodologies and developing their assumptions to determine the IBNR reserves and (2) a
high degree of auditor judgement, subjectivity and effort in evaluating audit evidence relating to the appropriateness
of management’s actuarial projection methodologies and significant assumptions including; expected loss ratios,
loss development patterns, claims frequencies and severities, exposure, expected reinsurance recoveries and trends.
In  addition,  the  audit  effort  involved  the  use  of  professionals  with  specialized  skill  and  knowledge  to  assist  in
performing these procedures and evaluating the audit evidence obtained.

Addressing the matter involved performing procedures and evaluating audit evidence in connection with forming
our overall opinion on the consolidated financial statements. These procedures included testing the effectiveness of
controls over the Company’s valuation of IBNR reserves, including controls over the selection of actuarial projection
methodologies and the development of significant assumptions including; expected loss ratios, loss development
patterns, claims frequencies and severities, exposure, expected reinsurance recoveries and trends. These procedures
also  included,  among  others,  the  involvement  of  professionals  with  specialized  skill  and  knowledge  to  assist  in
testing a significant portion of the IBNR reserves by developing an independent estimate of the IBNR reserves by
product line, type and extent of coverage. The IBNR reserves determined by management are compared to the total
amount tested through the development of an independent estimate and the remaining portion subjected to other
procedures.  Developing  an  independent  estimate  involved  i)  selecting  the  actuarial  projection  methodology,
ii) developing significant assumptions based on data provided by management, iii) where there was limited historical
data, consideration of market views and peer company benchmarking to further inform independent development
of significant assumptions and iv) testing the completeness and accuracy of the data provided by management.

Discounted cash flows used to determine recoverable amounts when assessing the impairment of goodwill, indefinite-lived
intangible assets and investments in associates

As  described  in  Notes  3,  4  and  12  to  the  consolidated  financial  statements,  goodwill  of  $2,997.3  million  and
indefinite-lived  intangible  assets  not  subject  to  amortization  of  $1,790.5  million  as  of  December  31,  2019  are
assessed for impairment annually or more frequently if there are indicators of impairment. Impairment of goodwill
and indefinite-lived intangible assets is assessed by comparing the carrying value of the cash-generating unit (CGU)
or group of CGUs to which these assets are allocated to their recoverable amounts, with any impairment measured as
the  excess  of  the  carrying  amount  over  the  recoverable  amount  of  the  respective  CGU  or  group  of  CGUs.
Furthermore,  as  described  in  Note  6  to  the  consolidated  financial  statements,  investments  in  associates  had  a
carrying value of $4,820.0 million as of December 31, 2019, of which $1,148.2 million represented investments in
associates with fair values below their carrying values. If there is objective evidence that the carrying value of an
associate is impaired, impairment is measured as the excess of the carrying amount over the recoverable amount of
the associate. Discounted cash flows, when used to determine the recoverable amount of a CGU or a group of CGUs,
to which goodwill or indefinite-lived intangible assets are allocated, are based on a fair value less costs to sell or a

34

value-in-use model. Discounted cash flows, when used to determine the recoverable amount of associates, are based
on a value-in-use model. The estimates of the recoverable amounts required significant judgements and assumptions
in  determining  the  discounted  cash  flows,  which  included  discount  rates,  long  term  growth  rates  and  working
capital  requirements,  and  also  included  (i)  for  goodwill,  premiums,  investment  returns,  revenues  and  expenses,
(ii) for indefinite-lived intangible assets, revenues and royalty rates, and (iii) for investments in associates, annual
capital expenditures, valuations of the pension funding liability on a going concern basis and cash taxes payable.

The principal considerations for our determination that performing procedures relating to the discounted cash flows
used  to  determine  recoverable  amounts  when  assessing  the  impairment  of  goodwill,  indefinite-lived  intangible
assets  and  investments  in  associates  is  a  critical  audit  matter  were  there  was  (1)  significant  judgement  by
management in developing the significant assumptions including discount rates, long term growth rates, working
capital requirements, premiums, investment returns, revenues, expenses, royalty rates, annual capital expenditures,
valuation of pension funding liability on a going concern basis and cash taxes payable; and (2) a high degree of
auditor  judgement,  subjectivity,  and  effort  in  performing  procedures  to  evaluate  management’s  significant
assumptions.  The  audit  effort  involved  the  use  of  professionals  with  specialized  skill  and  knowledge  to  assist  in
performing these procedures and evaluating the audit evidence obtained.

Addressing the matter involved performing procedures and evaluating audit evidence in connection with forming
our  overall  opinion  on  the  consolidated  financial  statements.  These  procedures  also  included  testing  the
effectiveness of controls relating to management’s preparation of discounted cash flows including controls over the
development of significant assumptions. For the majority of the recoverable amounts of the respective CGU or group
of CGUs to which goodwill and indefinite-lived intangibles are allocated and for the recoverable amounts related to
investments in associates where fair value is below carrying value, these procedures included: testing management’s
process for determining the recoverable amounts; evaluating the appropriateness of the models used; testing the
completeness and accuracy of underlying data used in the discounted cash flows; and evaluating the reasonableness
of the significant assumptions described above by comparing to current and past performance as well as to relevant
external  market  and  industry  data.  Professionals  with  specialized  skill  and  knowledge  were  used  to  assist  in  the
evaluation of the discounted cash flows, including the significant assumptions of royalty rates, discount rates and
long term growth rates.

6MAR202014190338

Chartered Professional Accountants, Licensed Public Accountants

Toronto, Canada
March 6, 2020

We have served as the Company’s auditor since at least 1985. We have not been able to determine the specific year we
began serving as auditor of the Company.

35

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

Consolidated Financial Statements

Consolidated Balance Sheets
as at December 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018

Assets
Holding company cash and investments (including assets pledged
for short sale and derivative obligations – $5.5; December 31,
2018 – $21.5)

Insurance contract receivables

Portfolio investments
Subsidiary cash and short term investments (including restricted

cash and cash equivalents – $664.8; December 31, 2018 – $560.9)

Bonds (cost $15,353.9; December 31, 2018 – $19,281.8)
Preferred stocks (cost $241.3; December 31, 2018 – $327.2)
Common stocks (cost $5,533.7; December 31, 2018 – $5,014.2)
Investments in associates (fair value $3,357.3; December 31, 2018 –

$3,279.1)

Derivatives and other invested assets (cost $1,168.7; December 31,

2018 – $971.3)

Assets pledged for short sale and derivative obligations (cost $146.7;

December 31, 2018 – $164.8)

Fairfax India and Fairfax Africa cash, portfolio investments and

Notes

December 31, December 31,
2018

2019
(US$ millions)

5, 27
10

5, 27
5
5
5

5, 6

5, 7

5, 7

1,098.9
5,435.0

1,557.2
5,110.7

10,021.3
15,618.1
578.2
5,287.6

6,722.0
19,256.4
260.1
4,431.4

3,195.8

3,471.9

759.1

146.9

563.6

164.6

investments in associates

5, 6, 27

2,504.6

2,562.9

Assets held for sale
Deferred premium acquisition costs
Recoverable from reinsurers (including recoverables on paid losses –

$637.3; December 31, 2018 – $651.0)

Deferred income taxes
Goodwill and intangible assets
Other assets

Total assets

See accompanying notes.

38,111.6

37,432.9

23
11

8, 9
18
12
13

2,785.6
1,344.3

9,155.8
375.9
6,194.1
6,007.3

–
1,127.3

8,400.9
497.9
5,676.9
4,568.3

70,508.5

64,372.1

Signed on behalf of the Board

10MAR201607580995
Director

28FEB202001225020
Director

36

Liabilities
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities
Short sale and derivative obligations (including at the holding

company – $0.3; December 31, 2018 – $6.6)
Liabilities associated with assets held for sale
Insurance contract payables
Insurance contract liabilities
Borrowings – holding company and insurance and reinsurance

companies

Borrowings – non-insurance companies

Total liabilities

Equity
Common shareholders’ equity
Preferred stock

Shareholders’ equity attributable to shareholders of Fairfax
Non-controlling interests

Total equity

See accompanying notes.

Notes

December 31, December 31,
2018

2019
(US$ millions)

14

5, 7
23
10
8

15
15

16

4,814.1

3,020.0

205.9
2,035.1
2,591.0
35,722.6

5,156.9
2,075.7

149.5
–
2,003.1
35,353.9

4,855.2
1,625.2

52,601.3

47,006.9

13,042.6
1,335.5

14,378.1
3,529.1

17,907.2

70,508.5

11,779.3
1,335.5

13,114.8
4,250.4

17,365.2

64,372.1

37

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

Consolidated Statements of Earnings
for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018

Income

Gross premiums written

Net premiums written

Gross premiums earned
Premiums ceded to reinsurers

Net premiums earned
Interest and dividends
Share of profit of associates
Net gains on investments
Other revenue

Expenses

Losses on claims, gross
Losses on claims, ceded to reinsurers

Losses on claims, net
Operating expenses
Commissions, net
Interest expense
Other expenses

Earnings before income taxes
Provision for income taxes

Net earnings

Attributable to:
Shareholders of Fairfax
Non-controlling interests

Net earnings per share
Net earnings per diluted share
Cash dividends paid per share
Shares outstanding (000) (weighted average)

See accompanying notes.

38

Notes

2019

2018

(US$ millions except per
share amounts)

10, 25

17,511.2

15,528.3

25

13,835.6

12,431.0

16,611.0
(3,381.3)

15,001.4
(2,935.4)

13,229.7
880.2
169.6
1,716.2
5,537.1

12,066.0
783.5
221.1
252.9
4,434.2

21,532.8

17,757.7

25
5
6
5
25

8
9

11,758.9
(3,070.8)

10,598.6
(2,775.2)

26
26
9
15
25, 26

8,688.1
2,476.3
2,206.8
472.0
5,456.9

7,823.4
2,444.7
2,051.0
347.1
4,229.4

19,300.1

16,895.6

2,232.7
261.5

1,971.2

2,004.1
(32.9)

1,971.2

$ 72.80
$ 69.79
$ 10.00
26,901

862.1
44.2

817.9

376.0
441.9

817.9

$ 12.03
$ 11.65
$ 10.00
27,506

18

16

17
17
16
17

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income
for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018

Net earnings

Other comprehensive loss, net of income taxes

Items that may be subsequently reclassified to net earnings

Net unrealized foreign currency translation gains (losses) on foreign operations
Gains (losses) on hedge of net investment in Canadian subsidiaries
Gains (losses) on hedge of net investment in European operations
Share of other comprehensive loss of associates, excluding net losses on defined

benefit plans

Items that will not be subsequently reclassified to net earnings

Net gains (losses) on defined benefit plans
Share of net losses on defined benefit plans of associates

Other comprehensive loss, net of income taxes

Comprehensive income

Attributable to:
Shareholders of Fairfax
Non-controlling interests

Income tax (expense) recovery included in other comprehensive loss

Income tax on items that may be subsequently reclassified to net

earnings
Net unrealized foreign currency translation gains (losses) on foreign operations
Share of other comprehensive loss of associates, excluding net losses on defined

benefit plans

Income tax on items that will not be subsequently reclassified to net

earnings
Net gains (losses) on defined benefit plans
Share of net losses on defined benefit plans of associates

Total income tax recovery

See accompanying notes.

Notes

2019
(US$ millions)

2018

1,971.2

817.9

16

7
7

6

101.4
(105.6)
(35.3)

(661.2)
166.3
57.1

(37.7)

(49.1)

(77.2)

(486.9)

21
6

(69.3)
(41.3)

10.2
(44.0)

(110.6)

(33.8)

(187.8)

(520.7)

1,783.4

297.2

1,857.7
(74.3)

65.5
231.7

1,783.4

297.2

2019

2018

(4.3)

(7.3)

(11.6)

2.9

4.6

7.5

29.8
6.5

36.3

24.7

(2.0)
5.6

3.6

11.1

39

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

Consolidated Statements of Changes in Equity
for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018
(US$ millions)

Share-
based
payments
and

Accumulated
other

Equity
attributable
to

Common
shares(1)

Treasury
shares
at cost

Non-
Common
other Retained comprehensive shareholders’ Preferred shareholders controlling
interests

earnings income (loss)(2)

of Fairfax

equity

shares

reserves

Total
equity

Balance as of January 1, 2019
Net earnings (loss) for the year
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of

income taxes:
Net unrealized foreign currency translation

gains (losses) on foreign operations
Losses on hedge of net investment in

Canadian subsidiaries

Losses on hedge of net investment in

European operations

Share of other comprehensive loss of

associates, excluding net losses on defined
benefit plans

Net gains (losses) on defined benefit plans
Share of net losses on defined benefit plans of

associates

Issuances for share-based payments
Purchases and amortization for share-based

payments (note 16)

Purchases for cancellation (note 16)
Common share dividends
Preferred share dividends
Acquisitions of subsidiaries (note 23)
Deconsolidation of subsidiary (note 23)
Other net changes in capitalization (notes 16

and 23)

6,859.0
–

(587.5)
–

208.9 5,864.2
– 2,004.1

(565.3)
–

11,779.3 1,335.5
–

2,004.1

13,114.8
2,004.1

4,250.4
(32.9)

17,365.2
1,971.2

–

–

–

–
–

–
–

–

–

–

–
–

–

–

–

–
–

–
30.8

–
(35.6)

–

–

–

–
–

–
–

–
(61.8)
–
–
–
–

(104.4)
–
–
–
–
–

80.1
–
–
–
–
–

–
(56.2)
(278.0)
(45.8)
–
–

–

–

(14.4)

(109.1)

118.3

118.3

(105.6)

(105.6)

(35.3)

(35.3)

(17.6)
(69.4)

(36.8)
–

–
–
–
–
–
–

–

(17.6)
(69.4)

(36.8)
(4.8)

(24.3)
(118.0)
(278.0)
(45.8)
–
–

(123.5)

–

–

–

–
–

–
–

–
–
–
–
–
–

–

118.3

(16.9)

101.4

(105.6)

(35.3)

(17.6)
(69.4)

(36.8)
(4.8)

(24.3)
(118.0)
(278.0)
(45.8)
–
–

–

–

(105.6)

(35.3)

(20.1)
0.1

(4.5)
(0.3)

5.3
–
(175.8)
–
121.7
(466.2)

(37.7)
(69.3)

(41.3)
(5.1)

(19.0)
(118.0)
(453.8)
(45.8)
121.7
(466.2)

(123.5)

(131.7)

(255.2)

Balance as of December 31, 2019

6,797.2

(661.1)

239.0 7,379.2

(711.7)

13,042.6 1,335.5

14,378.1

3,529.1

17,907.2

Balance as of January 1, 2018
Net earnings for the year
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of

income taxes:
Net unrealized foreign currency translation

losses on foreign operations

Gains on hedge of net investment in

Canadian subsidiaries

Gains on hedge of net investment in

European operations

Share of other comprehensive loss of

associates, excluding net losses on defined
benefit plans

Net gains on defined benefit plans
Share of net losses on defined benefit plans of

associates

Issuances for share-based payments
Purchases and amortization for share-based

payments (note 16)

Purchases for cancellation (note 16)
Common share dividends
Preferred share dividends
Acquisitions of subsidiaries (note 23)
Deconsolidation of subsidiary (note 23)
Other net changes in capitalization (notes 16

and 23)

6,905.4
–

(408.2)
–

194.5 6,048.0
376.0

–

(264.1)
–

12,475.6 1,335.5
–

376.0

13,811.1
376.0

4,600.9
441.9

18,412.0
817.9

–

–

–

–
–

–
–

–

–

–

–
–

–

–

–

–
–

–
34.7

–
(35.3)

–

–

–

–
–

–
–

–
(46.4)
–
–
–
–

(214.0)
–
–
–
–
–

66.1
–
–
–
–
–

–
(46.3)
(283.2)
(45.1)
–
–

(459.0)

(459.0)

166.3

166.3

57.1

57.1

(42.6)
9.9

(42.2)
–

–
–
–
–
–
–

(42.6)
9.9

(42.2)
(0.6)

(147.9)
(92.7)
(283.2)
(45.1)
–
–

–

–

(16.4)

(185.2)

9.3

(192.3)

–

–

–

–
–

–
–

–
–
–
–
–
–

–

(459.0)

(202.2)

(661.2)

166.3

57.1

(42.6)
9.9

(42.2)
(0.6)

(147.9)
(92.7)
(283.2)
(45.1)
–
–

–

–

166.3

57.1

(6.5)
0.3

(1.8)
–

2.3
–
(159.5)
–
(5.8)
(212.5)

(49.1)
10.2

(44.0)
(0.6)

(145.6)
(92.7)
(442.7)
(45.1)
(5.8)
(212.5)

(192.3)

(206.7)

(399.0)

Balance as of December 31, 2018

6,859.0

(587.5)

208.9 5,864.2

(565.3)

11,779.3 1,335.5

13,114.8

4,250.4

17,365.2

(1)

Includes  multiple  voting  shares  with  a  carrying  value  of  $3.8  at  January  1,  2018,  December  31,  2018  and
December 31, 2019.

(2) Accumulated other comprehensive loss at December 31, 2019 of $711.7 included European Run-off’s loss of $127.5

related primarily to net unrealized foreign currency translation losses (note 23).

See accompanying notes.

40

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018

Operating activities

Net earnings
Depreciation, amortization and impairment charges
Net bond discount amortization
Amortization of share-based payment awards
Share of profit of associates
Deferred income taxes
Net gains on investments
Net increase in fair value of investment property
Net purchases of securities classified at FVTPL
Loss on repurchase of borrowings
Changes in operating assets and liabilities

Cash provided by (used in) operating activities

Investing activities

Sales of investments in associates
Purchases of investments in associates
Net purchases of investment property
Net purchases of premises and equipment and intangible assets
Purchases of subsidiaries, net of cash acquired
Sale of subsidiary, net of cash divested
Deconsolidation of subsidiary

Cash used in investing activities

Financing activities

Borrowings – holding company and insurance and reinsurance companies:

Proceeds, net of issuance costs
Repayments
Net borrowings (repayments) on insurance and reinsurance companies’

revolving credit facilities

Borrowings – non-insurance companies:

Proceeds, net of issuance costs
Repayments
Net borrowings (repayments) on revolving credit facilities and short term

loans

Decrease in restricted cash related to financing activities

Principal payments on lease liabilities – holding company and insurance and

reinsurance companies

Principal payments on lease liabilities – non-insurance companies
Subordinate voting shares:
Purchases for treasury
Purchases for cancellation

Common share dividends
Preferred share dividends
Subsidiary shares:

Issuances to non-controlling interests, net of issuance costs
Purchases of non-controlling interests
Dividends paid to non-controlling interests

Cash used in financing activities

Decrease in cash and cash equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents – beginning of year
Foreign currency translation

Cash and cash equivalents – end of year

See accompanying notes.

41

Notes

2019
(US$ millions)

2018

26

6
18
5

27
15
27

6
6

23
23
23

15

15

3
3
16

16
16

23
23
16

1,971.2
611.5
(116.3)
80.1
(169.6)
83.8
(1,691.0)
(25.2)
(366.7)
23.7
953.9

817.9
350.9
(141.0)
66.1
(221.1)
(105.0)
(248.7)
(24.4)
(2,749.3)
58.9
271.4

1,355.4

(1,924.3)

323.8
(772.1)
(184.4)
(319.6)
(210.1)
–
(41.6)

444.8
(535.8)
(141.7)
(236.5)
(163.1)
71.4
(67.7)

(1,204.0)

(628.6)

456.5
(326.7)

1,490.7
(1,246.5)

132.1

(42.2)

302.7
(308.5)

664.0
(660.6)

(16.9)
–

41.4
150.5

(59.9)
(166.1)

(104.4)
(118.0)
(278.0)
(45.8)

44.7
(151.4)
(197.7)

–
–

(214.0)
(92.7)
(283.2)
(45.1)

103.1
(382.0)
(159.5)

(837.4)

(676.1)

(686.0)
4,536.9
12.4

(3,229.0)
7,935.0
(169.1)

27

3,863.3

4,536.9

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

Index to Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

1. Business Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

2. Basis of Presentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

4. Critical Accounting Estimates and Judgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

5. Cash and Investments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

6.

Investments in Associates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

7. Short Sales and Derivatives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

8.

Insurance Contract Liabilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

9. Reinsurance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

10.

Insurance Contract Receivables and Payables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

11. Deferred Premium Acquisition Costs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

12. Goodwill and Intangible Assets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

13. Other Assets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

14. Accounts Payable and Accrued Liabilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

15. Borrowings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

16. Total Equity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

17. Earnings per Share . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

18.

Income Taxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

19. Statutory Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

20. Contingencies and Commitments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

21. Pensions and Post Retirement Benefits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

22. Leases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

23. Acquisitions and Divestitures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

43

43

43

58

60

68

74

77

81

82

83

83

85

85

86

88

92

92

95

96

97

98

99

24. Financial Risk Management

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

104

25. Segmented Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

120

26. Expenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

126

27. Supplementary Cash Flow Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

126

28. Related Party Transactions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

128

29. Subsidiaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

129

42

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018
(in US$ and $ millions except per share amounts and as otherwise indicated)

1. Business Operations

Fairfax  Financial  Holdings  Limited  (‘‘the  company’’  or  ‘‘Fairfax’’)  is  a  holding  company  which,  through  its
subsidiaries,  is  engaged  in  property  and  casualty  insurance  and  reinsurance  and  the  associated  investment
management. The holding company is federally incorporated and domiciled in Ontario, Canada.

2. Basis of Presentation

The company’s consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2019 are prepared in accordance
with International Financial Reporting Standards (‘‘IFRS’’) as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board
(‘‘IASB’’). The consolidated financial statements have been prepared on a historical cost basis, except for derivative
financial instruments, investment property and fair value through profit and loss (‘‘FVTPL’’) financial assets and
liabilities that have been measured at fair value, and non-current assets and disposal groups held for sale that have
been measured at the lower of carrying value and fair value less costs to sell.

The  consolidated  balance  sheets  of  the  company  are  presented  on  a  non-classified  basis.  Assets  expected  to  be
realized and liabilities expected to be settled within the company’s normal operating cycle of one year are considered
current, including the following balances: cash, short term investments, insurance contract receivables, assets held
for sale, deferred premium acquisition costs, short sale and derivative obligations, liabilities associated with assets
held for sale and insurance contract payables. The following balances are considered non-current: deferred income
taxes and goodwill and intangible assets. All other balances are comprised of current and non-current amounts.

The holding company has significant liquid resources that are generally not restricted by insurance regulators. The
subsidiary insurance and reinsurance companies are often subject to a wide variety of insurance and other laws and
regulations that vary by jurisdiction and are intended to protect policyholders rather than investors. These laws and
regulations may limit the ability of the insurance and reinsurance companies to pay dividends or make distributions
to parent companies. The company’s consolidated balance sheet and consolidated statement of cash flows therefore
make a distinction in classification between the holding company and the insurance and reinsurance companies for
cash  and  investments  to  provide  additional  insight  into  the  company’s  liquidity,  financial  leverage  and  capital
structure.

These  consolidated  financial  statements  were  approved  for  issue  by  the  company’s  Board  of  Directors  on
March 6, 2020.

3. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

The principal accounting policies applied to the presentation of these consolidated financial statements and the
methods of computation have been consistently applied to all periods presented unless otherwise stated, and are as
set out below.

Consolidation
Subsidiaries – The  company’s  consolidated  financial  statements  include  the  assets,  liabilities,  equity,  income,
expenses and cash flows of the holding company and its subsidiaries. A subsidiary is an entity that the company
controls. The company controls an entity when it has power over the entity, is exposed to, or has rights to, variable
returns from its involvement with the entity and has the ability to affect those returns through its power over the
entity. Assessment of control is based on the substance of the relationship between the company and the entity and
includes consideration of both existing voting rights and, if applicable, potential voting rights that are currently
exercisable or convertible. The operating results of subsidiaries acquired are included in the consolidated financial
statements  from  the  date  control  is  acquired,  which  is  typically  the  acquisition  date.  The  operating  results  of
subsidiaries that are divested during the year are included up to the date control ceased and any difference between
the  fair  value  of  the  consideration  received  and  the  carrying  value  of  a  divested  subsidiary  is  recognized  in  the
consolidated statement of earnings.

The consolidated financial statements were prepared as of December 31, 2019 and 2018 based on individual holding
companies’  and  subsidiaries’  financial  statements  at  those  dates.  Accounting  policies  of  subsidiaries  have  been

43

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

aligned with those of the company where necessary. The company’s significant operating subsidiaries are identified
in note 29.

Non-controlling interests – Subsequent to initial recognition in a business combination, the carrying value of
non-controlling  interests  is  adjusted  for  the  non-controlling  interest’s  share  of  changes  in  the  subsidiary’s  net
earnings  and  capital.  Effects  of  transactions  with  non-controlling  interests  are  recorded  in  equity  if  there  is  no
change in control.

Business combinations
Business combinations are accounted for using the acquisition method of accounting whereby the consideration
transferred is measured at fair value at the date of acquisition. This consideration may include cash paid and the fair
value at the date of exchange of assets given, liabilities assumed and equity instruments issued by the company or its
subsidiaries. Directly attributable acquisition-related costs are recorded in operating expenses as incurred. At the date
of  acquisition,  the  company  recognizes  the  identifiable  assets  acquired,  the  liabilities  assumed  and  any
non-controlling interest in the acquired business. The identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed are initially
recognized  at  fair  value.  For  each  business  combination  the  company  determines  whether  to  initially  record
non-controlling  interest  at  fair  value  or  as  the  proportionate  share  of  the  identifiable  net  assets  of  the  acquired
subsidiary. If the consideration transferred is less than the fair value of identifiable net assets acquired, the excess is
recognized in the consolidated statement of earnings.

An  existing  equity  interest  in  an  acquired  subsidiary  is  remeasured  to  fair  value  at  the  date  of  the  business
combination with any gain or loss recognized in net gains (losses) on investments in the consolidated statement
of earnings.

Goodwill and intangible assets
Goodwill – Goodwill is recorded as the excess of consideration transferred over the fair value of the identifiable net
assets  acquired  in  a  business  combination,  less  accumulated  impairment  charges,  and  is  allocated  to  the
cash-generating units expected to benefit from the acquisition for the purpose of impairment testing. Goodwill is
assessed annually for impairment or more frequently if there are indicators of impairment by comparing the carrying
value  of  a  cash-generating  unit  inclusive  of  its  allocated  goodwill  to  its  recoverable  amount,  with  any  goodwill
impairment measured as the excess of the carrying amount over the recoverable amount. An impairment loss is
recorded  in  operating  expenses  or  other  expenses  in  the  consolidated  statement  of  earnings.  Goodwill  is
derecognized on disposal of a cash-generating unit to which goodwill was previously allocated.

Intangible assets – Intangible assets are comprised primarily of customer and broker relationships, brand names,
Lloyd’s  participation  rights,  computer  software  (including  enterprise  systems)  and  other  acquired  identifiable
non-monetary assets without physical form.

Intangible assets are initially recognized at cost, or at fair value when acquired through a business combination.
Intangible assets with a finite life are subsequently measured at cost less accumulated amortization and impairment,
where amortization is calculated using the straight-line method over the estimated useful life, and carrying value is
re-assessed  when  there  are  indicators  of  impairment.  Indefinite-lived  intangible  assets  are  not  subject  to
amortization and are assessed annually for impairment or more frequently if there are indicators of impairment.
When the carrying value of an intangible asset exceeds its recoverable amount, an impairment loss is recorded in
operating expenses or other expenses in the consolidated statement of earnings.

The estimated useful lives of the company’s intangible assets are as follows:

Customer and broker relationships

Brand names and Lloyd’s participation rights

Computer software

8 to 20 years

Indefinite

3 to 15 years

Brand names and Lloyd’s participation rights are considered to be indefinite-lived based on their strength, history
and expected future use.

Investments in associates
Investments  in  associates  are  accounted  for  using  the  equity  method  and  are  comprised  of  investments  in
corporations, limited partnerships and trusts where the company has the ability to exercise significant influence but
not control. An investment in associate is initially recognized at cost and adjusted thereafter for the post-acquisition

44

change in the company’s share of net assets of the associate. The company’s share of profit (loss) and share of other
comprehensive income (loss) of associates are reported in the corresponding lines in the consolidated statement of
earnings  and  consolidated  statement  of  comprehensive  income,  respectively.  An  existing  equity  interest  in  an
acquired  associate  is  remeasured  to  fair  value  at  the  date  significant  influence  is  obtained  and  included  in  the
carrying value of the associate.

The fair value of associates is estimated at each reporting date using valuation techniques consistent with those
applied to the company’s other investments in equity instruments. See ‘‘Determination of fair value’’ under the
heading of ‘‘Investments’’ in this note for further details. If there is objective evidence that the carrying value of an
associate is impaired, it is written down to its recoverable amount, being the higher of the associate’s fair value and
value-in-use. The unrealized impairment loss is recognized in share of profit (loss) of associates in the consolidated
statement  of  earnings.  An  impairment  loss  is  reversed  in  future  periods  if  the  circumstances  that  led  to  the
impairment no longer exist. The reversal is limited to restoring the carrying value to what it would have been had no
impairment loss been recognized in prior periods.

Upon loss of significant influence, any retained equity interest classified as a financial asset is remeasured to fair
value and all amounts previously recognized in other comprehensive income are reclassified to the consolidated
statement of earnings. Gains and losses on loss of significant influence or disposition of an associate are recognized
in net gains (losses) on investments in the consolidated statement of earnings.

Investments in joint ventures
Investments in joint ventures are accounted for using the equity method (as described in the preceding paragraphs)
and are comprised of investments in corporations and limited partnerships where the company has joint control
together with one or more third parties by contractual agreement. Joint control requires the unanimous consent of
all  parties  sharing  control  to  make  decisions  regarding  the  joint  venture’s  relevant  activities. When  a  subsidiary
constituting  a  business  is  contributed  to  a  joint  venture,  any  gain  or  loss  on  derecognition  of  the  subsidiary,
including recycling of applicable amounts in accumulated other comprehensive income and remeasurement to fair
value of any retained interest in the subsidiary, is recognized in the consolidated statement of earnings. Investments
in joint ventures and all related activity are presented with investments in associates in these consolidated financial
statements.

Consolidated statement of cash flows
The company’s consolidated statement of cash flows is prepared in accordance with the indirect method, classifying
cash flows by operating, investing and financing activities.

Cash and cash equivalents – Cash and cash equivalents consist of holding company, subsidiary and Fairfax India
and Fairfax Africa cash on hand, demand deposits with banks and other short term highly liquid investments with
maturities of three months or less when purchased, and exclude cash and short term highly liquid investments that
are restricted.

Investments
Investments include cash and cash equivalents, short term investments, bonds, equity instruments, investments in
associates,  derivatives,  short  sales  and  other  invested  assets  (primarily  investment  property).  Management
determines the appropriate classifications of investments at their acquisition date.

Classification – Short term investments, bonds, preferred stocks, common stocks, short sales and derivatives are
classified at FVTPL. The company manages these investments on a fair value basis, using fair value information to
assess  investment  performance  and  to  make  investment  decisions.  The  company  has  not  elected  to  irrevocably
designate  any  of  its  common  stocks  or  preferred  stocks  at  fair  value  through  other  comprehensive  income.  The
company classifies its short term investments and bonds based on both the company’s business model for managing
those financial assets and their contractual cash flow characteristics. While the contractual cash flows of certain of
the company’s short term investments and bonds are solely principal and interest, those investments are neither
held for the purpose of collecting contractual cash flows nor held both for collecting contractual cash flows and for
sale. The collection of contractual cash flows is incidental to the company’s business model of maximizing total
investment return on a fair value basis.

Recognition and measurement – The company recognizes purchases and sales of investments on the trade date,
the date on which the company commits to purchase or sell the investment. Transactions pending settlement are

45

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

reflected on the consolidated balance sheet in other assets or in accounts payable and accrued liabilities. Investments
classified  at  FVTPL  are  initially  recognized  at  fair  value  with  transaction  costs  recorded  as  investment  expenses
(a component of interest and dividends) in the consolidated statement of earnings.

Subsequent to initial recognition, investments classified at FVTPL are measured at fair value with changes in fair
value reported in the consolidated statement of earnings as income, comprised of interest and dividends and net
gains (losses) on investments. Interest and dividends represent interest income on short term investments and bonds
calculated using the effective interest method, and dividends received on holdings of common stocks and preferred
stocks, net of investment expenses. All other changes in fair value are reported in net gains (losses) on investments in
the consolidated statement of earnings. For short term investments and bonds, the sum of their interest income and
net gains (losses) on investments is equal to their total change in fair value for the reporting period.

For  investments  classified  at  FVTPL,  the  company  further  disaggregates  net  gains  (losses)  on  investments  into
realized and unrealized components in note 5. Where a financial instrument continues to be held by the company at
the end of a reporting period, changes in the fair value of that instrument during the reporting period, excluding
those  changes  reported  as  interest  and  dividends,  are  presented  in  net  change  in  unrealized  gains  (losses).  On
disposition or as a result of a change in accounting for that financial instrument, its inception-to-date net gain (loss),
excluding those changes previously reported as interest and dividends, is presented as net realized gains (losses). The
cumulative unrealized net gain (loss) recognized in prior periods on that financial instrument is then reversed in net
change in unrealized gains (losses). The sum of the inception-to-date gain (loss) and the cumulative reversal of prior
period  unrealized  gains  (losses)  equals  that  financial  instrument’s  net  gain  (loss)  on  investment  for  the  current
reporting period as presented in the consolidated statement of earnings.

Interest and dividends and net gains (losses) on investments are reported as operating activities in the consolidated
statement of cash flows.

Derecognition – An investment is derecognized when the rights to receive cash flows from the investment have
expired  or  have  been  transferred  and  when  the  company  has  transferred  substantially  the  risks  and  rewards
of ownership.

Short term investments – Highly liquid debt instruments with maturity dates between three months and twelve
months when purchased are classified as short term investments.

Bonds – Debt  instruments  with  maturity  dates  greater  than  twelve  months  when  purchased,  or  illiquid  debt
instruments with maturity dates of less than twelve months when purchased, are classified as bonds.

Derivatives – Derivatives  may  include  interest  rate,  credit  default,  currency  and  total  return  swaps,  futures,
forwards, warrants and consumer price index linked (‘‘CPI-linked’’) and option contracts, all of which derive their
value primarily from changes in underlying interest rates, foreign exchange rates, credit ratings, commodity values,
inflation indexes or equity instruments. A derivative contract may be traded on an exchange or over-the-counter
(‘‘OTC’’).  Exchange-traded  derivatives  are  standardized  and  include  futures  and  certain  warrants  and  option
contracts. OTC derivative contracts are individually negotiated between contracting parties and may include the
company’s forwards, CPI-linked derivatives and total return swaps.

The  company  uses  derivatives  principally  to  mitigate  financial  risks  arising  from  its  investment  holdings  and
reinsurance  recoverables,  and  monitors  its  derivatives  for  effectiveness  in  achieving  their  risk  management
objectives.

The fair value of derivatives in a gain position are presented on the consolidated balance sheet in holding company
cash and investments, and in portfolio investments as derivatives and other invested assets and as a component of
Fairfax Africa’s portfolio investments. The fair value of derivatives in a loss position and short sales are presented on
the consolidated balance sheet in short sale and derivative obligations. The initial premium paid for a derivative
contract,  if  any,  is  recorded  as  a  derivative  asset  and  subsequently  adjusted  for  changes  in  the  fair  value  of  the
contract at each reporting date. Changes in the fair value of derivatives and short sales are recorded as net gains
(losses) on investments in the consolidated statement of earnings.

Cash received from counterparties as collateral for derivative contracts is recognized on the consolidated balance
sheet in holding company cash and investments or subsidiary cash and short term investments, and a corresponding
liability is recognized in accounts payable and accrued liabilities. Securities received from counterparties as collateral
are not recorded as assets.

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Cash and securities delivered to counterparties as collateral for derivative contracts continue to be reflected as assets
on the consolidated balance sheet in holding company cash and investments or in portfolio investments as assets
pledged for short sale and derivative obligations. The portion of the collateral related to changes in fair value of
derivative contracts may be repledged by the counterparties holding the collateral.

Short sales – Short sales represent obligations to deliver securities which were not owned at the time of sale and are
classified as financial liabilities at FVTPL. Such transactions are typically undertaken in anticipation of a decline in
the market value of a security or for risk management purposes.

Determination  of  fair  value – Fair  values  for  substantially  all  of  the  company’s  financial  instruments  are
measured using market or income approaches. Considerable judgment may be required in interpreting market data
used to develop estimates of fair value. Accordingly, actual values realized in future market transactions may differ
from the estimates presented in these consolidated financial statements. The use of different market assumptions
and/or valuation methodologies may have a material effect on the estimated fair values. The fair values of financial
instruments  are  based  on  bid  prices  for  financial  assets  and  ask  prices  for  financial  liabilities.  The  company
categorizes its fair value measurements using a three-level fair value hierarchy in accordance with IFRS as described
below:

Level 1 – Inputs represent unadjusted quoted prices for identical instruments exchanged in active markets. The
fair values of the majority of the company’s common stocks, equity call options, certain warrants and securities
sold short are based on published quotes in active markets.

Level 2 – Inputs include directly or indirectly observable inputs (other than Level 1 inputs) such as quoted prices
for similar financial instruments exchanged in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar financial
instruments  exchanged  in  inactive  markets  and  other  market  observable  inputs.  The  fair  value  of  the  vast
majority of the company’s investments in bonds are priced based on information provided by independent
pricing service providers while much of the remainder, along with most derivative contracts (including total
return swaps, U.S. treasury bond forward contracts and certain warrants) are based primarily on non-binding
third party broker-dealer quotes that are prepared using Level 2 inputs. Where third party broker-dealer quotes
are used, typically one quote is obtained from a broker-dealer with particular expertise in the instrument being
priced. Preferred stocks are priced using a combination of independent pricing service providers and internal
valuation models that rely on directly or indirectly observable inputs.

The fair values of investments in certain limited partnerships classified as common stocks on the consolidated
balance  sheet  are  based  on  the  net  asset  values  received  from  the  general  partner,  adjusted  for  liquidity  as
required and are classified as Level 2 when they may be liquidated or redeemed within three months or less of
providing  notice  to  the  general  partner.  All  other  such  investments  in  limited  partnerships  are  classified  as
Level 3.

Level 3 – Inputs include unobservable inputs that require management to use its own assumptions regarding
unobservable inputs as there is little, if any, market activity in these instruments or related observable inputs that
can be corroborated at the measurement date. CPI-linked derivatives are classified as Level 3 and valued using
broker-dealer  quotes  which  management  has  determined  utilize  market  observable  inputs  except  for  the
inflation volatility input which is not market observable.

Transfers between fair value hierarchy levels are considered effective from the beginning of the annual reporting
period in which the transfer is identified.

Valuation techniques used by the company’s independent pricing service providers and third party broker-dealers
include use of prices from similar instruments where observable market prices exist, discounted cash flow analysis,
option  pricing  models,  and  other  valuation  techniques  commonly  used  by  market  participants.  The  company
assesses the reasonableness of pricing received from these third party sources by comparing the fair values received to
recent transaction prices for similar assets where available, to industry accepted discounted cash flow models (that
incorporate estimates of the amount and timing of future cash flows and market observable inputs such as credit
spreads and discount rates) and to option pricing models (that incorporate market observable inputs including the
quoted price, volatility and dividend yield of the underlying security and the risk free rate).

Fair values of CPI-linked derivative contracts received from third party broker-dealers are assessed by comparing the
fair values to recent market transactions where available and values determined using third party pricing software
based on the Black-Scholes option pricing model for European-style options that incorporate market observable and

47

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

unobservable inputs such as the current value of the relevant CPI underlying the derivative, the inflation swap rate,
nominal  swap  rate  and  inflation  volatility.  The  fair  values  of  CPI-linked  derivative  contracts  are  sensitive  to
assumptions such as market expectations of future rates of inflation and related inflation volatilities.

The  company  employs  specialist  personnel  for  the  valuation  of  its  investment  portfolio.  Detailed  valuations  are
prepared for those financial instruments that are priced internally, while external pricing received from independent
pricing  service  providers  and  third  party  broker-dealers  are  evaluated  by  the  company  for  reasonableness.  The
company’s Chief Financial Officer oversees the valuation function and regularly reviews valuation processes and
results,  including  at  each  quarterly  reporting  period.  Significant  valuation  matters,  particularly  those  requiring
extensive judgment, are communicated to the company’s Audit Committee.

Foreign currency translation
Functional and presentation currency – The consolidated financial statements are presented in U.S. dollars
which is the holding company’s functional currency and the presentation currency of the consolidated group.

Foreign currency transactions – Foreign currency transactions are translated into the functional currencies of
the holding company and its subsidiaries using the exchange rates prevailing at the dates of the transactions. Foreign
exchange gains and losses resulting from the settlement of such transactions and from the translation at year-end
exchange  rates  of  monetary  assets  and  liabilities  denominated  in  foreign  currencies  are  recognized  in  the
consolidated statement of earnings. Non-monetary items carried at cost are translated using the exchange rate at the
date of the transaction. Non-monetary items carried at fair value are translated using the exchange rate at the date
the fair value is determined.

Translation  of  foreign  subsidiaries – The  functional  currency  of  some  of  the  company’s  subsidiaries
(principally in Canada, the United Kingdom, India and other parts of Asia) differ from the consolidated group’s
U.S. dollar presentation currency. Assets and liabilities of these foreign subsidiaries (including goodwill and fair value
adjustments arising on their acquisition, where applicable) are translated on consolidation using exchange rates at
the  balance  sheet  date.  Income  and  expenses  are  translated  at  average  exchange  rates  for  the  period.  The  net
unrealized gain or loss resulting from this translation is recognized in accumulated other comprehensive income,
and recycled to the consolidated statement of earnings upon loss of control of a foreign subsidiary.

Hedging
At the inception of a hedge transaction the company documents the economic relationship between the hedged
item and hedging instrument, and its risk management objective and strategy for undertaking the hedge.

Net investment hedge – The company has designated the principal amount of its Canadian dollar denominated
borrowings as a hedge of its net investment in its Canadian subsidiaries with a Canadian dollar functional currency,
and has designated the principal amount of its euro denominated borrowings as a hedge of its net investment in its
European operations with a euro functional currency. Unrealized gains or losses relating to the effective portions of
the  hedges  are  initially  recognized  in  other  comprehensive  income,  and  recycled  from  accumulated  other
comprehensive  income  to  the  consolidated  statement  of  earnings  upon  disposal  of  an  investment  in  a  hedged
foreign subsidiary or associate. Gains and losses relating to any ineffective portion of the hedges are recorded in net
gains (losses) on investments in the consolidated statement of earnings.

Comprehensive income (loss)
Comprehensive income (loss) consists of net earnings (loss) and other comprehensive income (loss) and includes all
changes  in  total  equity  during  a  reporting  period,  except  for  those  resulting  from  investments  by  owners  or
distributions to owners. Unrealized foreign currency translation amounts arising from the translation of foreign
subsidiaries and associates and the effective portion of changes in the fair value of hedging instruments on hedges of
net  investments  in  foreign  subsidiaries  and  associates  are  recognized  in  other  comprehensive  income  (loss)  and
included in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) until recycled to the consolidated statement of earnings
on disposal of an investment in a foreign subsidiary or associate. Actuarial gains and losses and changes in asset
limitation  amounts  on  defined  benefit  pension  and  post  retirement  plans  are  recorded  in  other  comprehensive
income (loss) and included in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) without recycling to the consolidated
statement of earnings. Upon settlement of the defined benefit plan or disposal of the related subsidiary or associate,
those amounts are reclassified directly to retained earnings. Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), net of
income taxes, is included on the consolidated balance sheet as a component of common shareholders’ equity.

48

Insurance contracts
Insurance  contracts  are  those  contracts  that  have  significant  insurance  risk  at  the  inception  of  the  contract.
Insurance risk arises when the company agrees to compensate a policyholder if a specified uncertain future event
adversely  affects  the  policyholder,  with  the  possibility  of  paying  (including  variability  in  timing  of  payments)
significantly more in a scenario where the insured event occurs than when it does not occur. Contracts not meeting
the definition of an insurance contract under IFRS are classified as investment contracts, derivative contracts or
service contracts, as appropriate.

Revenue  recognition – Premiums  written  are  deferred  as  unearned  premiums  and  recognized  as  premiums
earned, net of premiums ceded, over the coverage terms of the underlying policies in accordance with the level of
protection provided. Certain reinsurance premiums are estimated at the individual contract level, based on historical
patterns  and  experience  from  the  ceding  companies  for  contracts  where  reports  from  ceding  companies  for  the
period are not contractually due until after the balance sheet date. The cost of reinsurance purchased by the company
(premiums ceded) is included in recoverable from reinsurers and is amortized over the contract period in proportion
to the amount of insurance protection provided. Unearned premium represents the portion of premiums written
relating to periods of insurance and reinsurance coverage subsequent to the balance sheet date. Impairment losses on
insurance premiums receivable are included in operating expenses in the consolidated statement of earnings.

Deferred  premium  acquisition  costs – Certain  costs  of  acquiring  insurance  contracts,  consisting  of  broker
commissions and premium taxes, are deferred and charged to earnings as the related premiums are earned. Deferred
premium acquisition costs are limited to their estimated realizable value based on the related unearned premium,
which considers anticipated losses and loss adjustment expenses and estimated remaining costs of servicing the
business  based  on  historical  experience.  The  ultimate  recoverability  of  deferred  premium  acquisition  costs  is
determined without regard to investment income. Broker commissions are included in commissions, net, in the
consolidated statement of earnings. Premium taxes and impairment losses on deferred premium acquisition costs are
included in operating expenses in the consolidated statement of earnings.

Provision for losses and loss adjustment expenses – The company is required by applicable insurance laws,
regulations and Canadian accepted actuarial practice to establish reserves for payment of losses and loss adjustment
expenses that arise from the company’s general insurance and reinsurance products and its run-off operations. These
reserves are based on assumptions that represent the best estimates of possible outcomes aimed at evaluating the
expected  ultimate  cost  to  settle  unpaid  claims  that  occurred  on  or  before  the  balance  sheet  date.  The  company
establishes its reserves by product line, type and extent of coverage and year of occurrence. Loss reserves fall into two
categories:  reserves  for  reported  losses  (case  reserves)  and  reserves  for  incurred  but  not  reported  (‘‘IBNR’’)  losses.
Those  reserves  include  amounts  for  loss  adjustment  expenses,  such  as  the  estimated  legal  and  other  expenses
expected to be incurred to finalize the settlement of the losses. Losses and loss adjustment expenses are charged to
losses on claims, gross, in the consolidated statement of earnings.

The company’s reserves for reported losses and loss adjustment expenses are based on estimates of future payments
to  settle  reported  general  insurance  and  reinsurance  claims  and  claims  from  its  run-off  operations.  Case  reserve
estimates are based on the facts available at the time the reserves are established and for reinsurance, based on reports
and individual case reserve estimates received from ceding companies. The company establishes these reserves on an
undiscounted  basis  to  recognize  the  estimated  costs  of  bringing  pending  claims  to  final  settlement,  taking  into
account inflation, as well as other factors that can influence the amount of reserves required, some of which are
subjective and some of which are dependent on future events. In determining the level of reserves, the company
considers historical trends and patterns of loss payments, pending levels of unpaid claims and types of coverage. In
addition, court decisions, economic conditions and public attitudes may affect the ultimate cost of settlement and,
as  a  result,  the  company’s  estimation  of  reserves.  Between  the  reporting  and  final  settlement  of  a  claim,
circumstances may change, which would result in changes to established reserves. Items such as changes in law and
interpretations of relevant case law, results of litigation, changes in medical costs, as well as costs of vehicle and
building  repair  materials  and  labour  rates  can  substantially  impact  ultimate  settlement  costs.  Accordingly,  the
company regularly reviews and re-evaluates case reserves. Any resulting adjustments are included in the current
period consolidated statement of earnings in losses on claims, gross, and in losses on claims, ceded to reinsurers, as
applicable. Amounts ultimately paid for losses and loss adjustment expenses can vary significantly from the level of
reserves originally set or currently recorded.

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FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

The company also establishes reserves for IBNR claims on an undiscounted basis to recognize the estimated final
settlement  cost  for  loss  events  which  have  already  occurred  but  which  have  not  yet  been  reported.  Historical
information and statistical models, based on product line, type and extent of coverage, as well as reported claims
trends, severities and frequencies, exposure growth and other factors are relied upon to estimate IBNR reserves. These
estimates are revised as additional information becomes available and as claims are actually reported and paid.

Estimation  techniques – Provisions  for  losses  and  loss  adjustment  expenses  and  provisions  for  unearned
premiums are determined based upon previous claims experience, knowledge of events, the terms and conditions of
the relevant policies and on interpretation of circumstances. Particularly relevant is experience with similar cases and
historical claims payment trends. The approach also includes consideration of the development of loss payment
trends, the potential longer term significance of large events, the levels of unpaid claims, legislative changes, judicial
decisions and economic and political conditions.

Where possible the company applies several commonly accepted actuarial projection methodologies in estimating
required  provisions  to  give  greater  insight  into  the  trends  inherent  in  the  data  being  projected.  These  include
methods  based  upon  the  following:  the  development  of  previously  settled  claims,  where  payments  to  date  are
extrapolated for each prior year; estimates based upon a projection of number of claims and average cost; notified
claims development, where notified claims to date for each year are extrapolated based upon observed development
of  earlier  years;  and,  expected  loss  ratios.  In  addition,  the  company  uses  other  techniques  such  as  aggregate
benchmarking methods for specialist classes of business. In selecting its best estimate, the company considers the
appropriateness  of  the  methods  to  the  individual  circumstances  of  the  line  of  business  and  accident  or
underwriting year.

Large claims affecting each relevant line of business are generally assessed separately, being measured either at the
face  value  of  the  loss  adjuster’s  estimate  or  projected  separately  in  order  to  allow  for  the  future  development  of
large claims.

Provisions  for  losses  and  loss  adjustment  expenses  are  calculated  gross  of  any  reinsurance  recoveries.  A  separate
estimate is made of the amounts that will be recoverable from reinsurers based upon the gross provisions and with
due regard to collectability.

The provisions for losses and loss adjustment expenses are subject to review at the subsidiary level by subsidiary
actuaries and at the corporate level by the company’s Chief Actuary. In addition, for major classes of business where
the risks and uncertainties inherent in the provisions are greatest, ad hoc detailed reviews are undertaken by internal
and  external  actuaries  who  are  able  to  draw  upon  their  specialist  expertise  and  a  broader  knowledge  of  current
industry trends in claims development. The results of these reviews are considered when establishing the appropriate
levels of provisions for losses and loss adjustment expenses and unexpired risks.

Reinsurance
Reinsurance does not relieve the originating insurer of its liability and is reflected on the consolidated balance sheet
on a gross basis to indicate the extent of credit risk related to reinsurance and the obligations of the insurer to its
policyholders. Reinsurance assets include balances due from reinsurance companies for paid and unpaid losses and
loss adjustment expenses and ceded unearned premiums. Amounts recoverable from reinsurers are estimated in a
manner consistent with the claim liability associated with the reinsured policy. Reinsurance is recorded gross on the
consolidated balance sheet unless a legal right to offset against a liability owing to the same reinsurer exists.

Ceded premiums and losses are recorded in the consolidated statement of earnings in premiums ceded to reinsurers
and losses on claims, ceded to reinsurers respectively and in recoverable from reinsurers on the consolidated balance
sheet.  Commission  income  earned  on  premiums  ceded  to  reinsurers  is  included  in  commissions,  net  in  the
consolidated  statement  of  earnings.  Unearned  premiums  are  reported  on  the  consolidated  balance  sheet  before
reduction for premiums ceded to reinsurers. Reinsurers’ portion of unearned premiums is included in recoverable
from reinsurers on the consolidated balance sheet together with estimates of reinsurers’ share of provision for claims
determined on a basis consistent with the related claims liabilities.

Impairment – Reinsurance assets are assessed regularly for any events that may trigger impairment, including legal
disputes with third parties, changes in capital or other financial metrics that may affect the credit worthiness of a
counterparty, and historic experience regarding collectability from specific reinsurers. If there is objective evidence
that  a  reinsurance  asset  is  impaired,  the  carrying  amount  of  the  asset  is  reduced  to  its  recoverable  amount  by
recording a provision for uncollectible reinsurance in operating expenses in the consolidated statement of earnings.

50

Risk transfer – Reinsurance  contracts  are  assessed  to  ensure  that  insurance  risk  is  transferred  by  the  ceding  or
assuming company to or from the reinsurer. Contracts that do not transfer insurance risk are accounted for using the
deposit method whereby a deposit asset or liability is recognized based on the consideration paid or received less any
explicitly identified premiums or fees to be retained by the ceding company.

Premiums – Premiums  payable  for  reinsurance  ceded  are  recognized  on  the  consolidated  balance  sheet  in  the
period in which the reinsurance contract is entered into and include estimates for contracts in force which have not
yet been finalized. Premiums ceded are recognized in the consolidated statement of earnings over the period of the
reinsurance contract.

Income taxes
The  provision  for  income  taxes  for  the  period  comprises  current  and  deferred  income  tax.  Income  taxes  are
recognized  in  the  consolidated  statement  of  earnings,  except  when  related  to  items  recognized  in  other
comprehensive income or in equity. In those cases, the income taxes are also recognized in other comprehensive
income or in equity, respectively, except for dividends where the income taxes are recognized in earnings, other
comprehensive income or equity according to where the transactions that generated the distributable profits were
recognized.

Current income tax is calculated on the basis of the tax laws enacted or substantively enacted at the end of the
reporting  period  in  the  countries  where  the  company’s  subsidiaries  and  associates  operate  and  generate
taxable income.

Deferred income tax is calculated under the liability method whereby deferred income tax assets and liabilities are
recognized for temporary differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of assets and liabilities and
their respective income tax bases at current substantively enacted tax rates. With the exception of initial recognition
of  deferred  income  tax  arising  from  business  combinations,  changes  in  deferred  income  tax  associated  with
components of other comprehensive income are recognized in other comprehensive income while all other changes
in deferred income tax are included in the provision for income taxes in the consolidated statement of earnings.

Deferred income tax assets are recognized to the extent that it is probable that future taxable profits will be available
against which the temporary differences can be utilized. Carry forwards of unused losses or unused tax credits are tax
effected and recognized as deferred tax assets when it is probable that future taxable profits will be available against
which these losses or tax credits can be utilized.

Deferred income tax is not recognized on unremitted earnings of subsidiaries where the company has determined it
is not probable those earnings will be repatriated in the foreseeable future.

Current  and  deferred  income  tax  assets  and  liabilities  are  offset  when  the  income  taxes  are  levied  by  the  same
taxation authority and there is a legally enforceable right of offset.

On December 22, 2017 the United States enacted the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (‘‘U.S. tax reform’’) that, among other
changes,  introduced  a  new  minimum  base  erosion  and  anti-abuse  tax  (‘‘BEAT’’)  on  certain  payments  to  foreign
affiliates and a U.S. tax on foreign earnings for certain global intangible low-taxed income (‘‘GILTI’’), applicable to
U.S. corporate income tax for tax years beginning after December 31, 2017. The company recognizes charges related
to BEAT and GILTI, if any, in the periods in which they are incurred, and does not include their impacts in measuring
its net deferred income tax asset.

Assets held for sale and liabilities associated with assets held for sale
Non-current  assets  and  disposal  groups  are  classified  as  held  for  sale  if  their  carrying  amount  will  be  recovered
through sale rather than through continuing use. A disposal group consists of assets to be transferred as a group,
liabilities  directly  related  to  those  assets  and  any  goodwill  acquired  in  a  business  combination  allocated  to  the
disposal  group  if  the  disposal  group  is  a  cash-generating  unit.  Classification  as  held  for  sale  requires  that
management  be  committed  to  the  sale,  the  sale  is  highly  probable,  the  asset  or  disposal  group  is  available  for
immediate sale in its present condition, and the sale is expected to be completed within one year from the date of
classification.

Non-current assets and disposal groups classified as held for sale are measured at the lower of carrying value and fair
value less costs to sell.

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FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

When a sale is expected to result in loss of control of a subsidiary, all of the subsidiary’s assets and liabilities are
classified as held for sale even if the company will retain an interest in its former subsidiary after the sale.

When a sale involves an investment in associate or a portion thereof, the portion to be sold is classified as held for
sale. The equity method of accounting is no longer applied to the portion to be sold, and continues to be applied to
the retained portion if there is significant influence.

Investment property
Investment property consists of real estate held by the company for capital appreciation, rental income, or both, and
is  initially  recorded  at  cost,  including  transaction  costs,  and  subsequently  measured  at  fair  value.  On  the
consolidated  balance  sheet  investment  property  is  included  in  portfolio  investments  by  the  insurance  and
reinsurance  companies  and  in  other  assets  by  the  non-insurance  companies.  In  the  consolidated  statement  of
earnings, insurance and reinsurance companies record investment property rental income and direct expenses in
interest  and  dividends,  and  changes  in  fair  value  in  net  gains  (losses)  on  investments,  while  non-insurance
companies record investment property rental income and changes in fair value in other revenue, and direct expenses
in other expenses.

Other assets
Other assets primarily consist of premises and equipment, right-of-use assets associated with leases, inventories, sales
receivables and finance lease receivables of the non-insurance companies, prepaid expenses, accrued interest and
dividends, income taxes refundable, receivables for securities sold, pension assets, deferred compensation assets and
other miscellaneous receivables. Receivables are initially recognized at fair value less a provision for expected lifetime
credit losses, and subsequently measured at amortized cost.

Premises and equipment – Premises and equipment is recorded at historical cost less accumulated amortization
and  any  accumulated  impairment  losses.  The  company  reviews  premises  and  equipment  for  impairment  when
events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value may not be recoverable. The cost of premises and
equipment is depreciated on a straight-line basis over the asset’s estimated useful life. In the consolidated statement
of earnings depreciation expense is charged to operating expenses by the insurance and reinsurance companies, and
to other expenses by the non-insurance companies.

Other revenue
Other revenue is primarily comprised of revenue earned by the non-insurance companies. Revenue from restaurant
and retail sales is recognized when the company provides goods to the customer and receives payment. Revenue
from the sale of other goods is typically recognized when shipped to the customer, with payment received in advance
of shipment. Revenue from providing travel, hospitality and other non-insurance services is recognized over time
based on measured progress towards complete satisfaction of the related performance obligations. Payment is usually
received  at  the  time  of  initial  booking  for  travel  and  hospitality  services,  and  received  in  installments  for  other
services. Unconditional payments due from customers for satisfied performance obligations are recorded as sales
receivables within other assets on the consolidated balance sheet. Customer prepayments are recorded as deferred
revenue within accounts payable and accrued liabilities on the consolidated balance sheet and are not recognized as
revenue until the shipment of goods or provision of services occurs. Certain contracts include multiple deliverables
which are accounted for as separate performance obligations, with the transaction price allocated to the performance
obligations based on their individual selling prices.

Other expenses
Other expenses is primarily comprised of the cost of inventories sold or services provided and the operating expenses
of the non-insurance companies.

Accounts payable and accrued liabilities
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities primarily consist of leases liabilities, trade payables of the non-insurance
companies, accrued amounts for salaries and employee benefits, deferred revenue of the non-insurance companies,
pension and post retirement liabilities, amounts withheld and accrued taxes, income taxes payable, accrued interest
expense, legal fees, and other administrative costs. Accounts payable and accrued liabilities are initially recognized at
fair value and subsequently measured at amortized cost.

52

Borrowings
Borrowings are initially recognized at fair value, net of incremental and directly attributable transaction costs, and
subsequently  measured  at  amortized  cost.  Interest  expense  on  borrowings  is  recognized  in  the  consolidated
statement of earnings using the effective interest rate method. Borrowings are derecognized when extinguished, with
any gain or loss on extinguishment recognized in other expenses in the consolidated statement of earnings.

Equity
Common stock issued by the company is classified as equity when there is no contractual obligation to transfer cash
or other financial assets to the holder of the shares. Incremental costs directly attributable to the issue or repurchase
of equity instruments are recognized in equity, net of tax.

Treasury shares are equity instruments repurchased by the company which have not been canceled and are deducted
from equity on the consolidated balance sheet, irrespective of the objective of the purchase. The company acquires
its  own  subordinate  voting  shares  on  the  open  market  for  its  share-based  payment  awards.  No  gain  or  loss  is
recognized in the consolidated statement of earnings on the purchase, sale, issue or cancellation of treasury shares.
Consideration paid or received is recognized directly in equity.

Dividends and other distributions to holders of the company’s equity instruments are recognized directly in equity.

Share-based payments
The company has restricted share plans or equivalent for management of the holding company and its subsidiaries
with vesting periods of up to fifteen years from the date of grant. The fair value of restricted share awards on the grant
date is amortized to compensation expense over the vesting period, with a corresponding increase in the share-based
payments equity reserve. At each balance sheet date, the company reviews its estimates of the number of restricted
share awards expected to vest.

Net earnings per share attributable to shareholders of Fairfax
Net earnings (loss) per share – Basic net earnings (loss) per share is calculated by dividing the net earnings (loss)
attributable to shareholders of Fairfax, after the deduction of preferred share dividends declared and the excess over
stated value of preferred shares purchased for cancellation, by the weighted average number of subordinate and
multiple voting shares issued and outstanding during the period, excluding subordinate voting shares purchased by
the company and held as treasury shares.

Net earnings (loss) per diluted share – Diluted net earnings (loss) per share is calculated in the same manner as
basic net earnings (loss) per share except that the weighted average number of subordinate and multiple voting
shares outstanding during the period is adjusted for the dilutive effect, if any, of share-based payments.

Pensions and post retirement benefits
The company’s subsidiaries have a number of arrangements in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and
certain other jurisdictions that provide pension and post retirement benefits to retired and current employees. The
holding company has no such arrangements or plans. Pension arrangements of the subsidiaries include defined
benefit statutory pension plans and supplemental arrangements that provide pension benefits in excess of statutory
limits. These plans are a combination of defined benefit plans and defined contribution plans. The assets of these
plans are held separately from the company’s general assets in separate pension funds and invested principally in
high quality fixed income securities and cash and short term investments. Certain of the company’s post retirement
benefit plans covering medical care and life insurance are internally funded.

Defined contribution plan – A defined contribution plan is a pension plan under which the company pays fixed
contributions. These contributions are charged to operating expenses by the insurance and reinsurance companies
and to other expenses by the non-insurance companies in the period in which the employment services qualifying
for  the  benefit  are  provided.  The  company  has  no  further  payment  obligations  once  the  contributions  have
been paid.

Defined benefit plan – A defined benefit plan is a plan that defines an amount of pension or other post retirement
benefit that an employee will receive on retirement, usually dependent on one or more factors such as age, years of
service and salary. Actuarial valuations of benefit liabilities for the majority of pension and post retirement benefit
plans  are  performed  each  year  using  the  projected  benefit  method  prorated  on  service,  based  on  management’s
assumptions.

53

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

Defined benefit obligations, net of the fair value of plan assets, and adjusted for pension asset limitations, if any, are
accrued on the consolidated balance sheet in accounts payable and accrued liabilities (note 14). Plans in a net asset
position, subject to any minimum funding requirements, are recognized in other assets (note 13).

Defined benefit expense recognized in the consolidated statement of earnings includes the net interest on the net
defined benefit liability (asset) calculated using a discount rate based on market yields on high quality bonds, past
service costs arising from plan amendments or curtailments and gains or losses on plan settlements.

Remeasurements,  consisting  of  actuarial  gains  and  losses  on  plan  liabilities,  the  actual  return  on  plan  assets
(excluding  the  net  interest  component)  and  any  change  in  asset  limitation  amounts,  are  recognized  in  other
comprehensive income and subsequently included in accumulated other comprehensive income. Remeasurements
are not recycled to the consolidated statement of earnings and are reclassified to retained earnings upon settlement
of the plan or disposal of the related subsidiary.

Leases
Lessees – The  company,  primarily  through  its  non-insurance  companies,  is  a  lessee  under  various  leases  related
principally to premises, automobiles and equipment.

A right-of-use asset and a lease liability are recognized at the commencement date of a lease. Right-of-use assets are
initially measured at cost, which comprises the initial amount of the lease liability adjusted for any lease payments
made before the commencement date, and any initial direct costs incurred. Lease liabilities are initially measured at
the present value of lease payments, discounted using the interest rate implicit in the lease, or if that rate cannot be
readily  determined,  the  company’s  incremental  borrowing  rate.  The  company  typically  uses  its  incremental
borrowing rate. Right-of-use assets are included in other assets and lease liabilities are included in accounts payable
and accrued liabilities on the consolidated balance sheet.

Subsequent to initial recognition, right-of-use assets are depreciated using the straight-line method over the shorter
of the lease term and the right-of-use asset’s useful life, with depreciation expense recorded as operating expenses or
other expenses in the consolidated statement of earnings, and lease liabilities are measured at amortized cost using
the  effective  interest  method,  with  accretion  of  lease  liabilities  recorded  as  interest  expense  in  the  consolidated
statement of earnings. Each lease payment is allocated between principal and interest expense to produce a constant
periodic rate of interest on the remaining balance of the lease liability. The interest and principal portions of cash
payments  on  lease  liabilities  are  reported  as  operating  activities  and  financing  activities  respectively  in  the
consolidated statement of cash flows.

Right-of-use  assets  and  lease  liabilities  are  not  recognized  for  short-term  leases  that  have  a  lease  term  of  twelve
months or less, or for low value leases, which principally relate to office equipment, furniture and fixtures. Payments
for  short-term  and  low  value  leases  are  recorded  on  a  straight-line  basis  over  the  lease  term  in  the  consolidated
statement of earnings and reported as operating activities in the consolidated statement of cash flows.

Lessors – The company, primarily through its non-insurance companies, holds certain head leases where it acts as
an intermediate lessor in a sub-lease. Interests in head leases and sub-leases are accounted for separately.

Classification of a sub-lease is determined with reference to the right-of-use asset arising from the head lease, and not
with  reference  to  the  underlying  leased  asset.  If  substantially  all  of  the  risk  and  rewards  of  ownership  of  the
right-of-use asset are transferred, then the sub-lease is classified as a finance lease, where the right-of-use asset is
derecognized, a finance lease receivable is recorded, representing the present value of future lease payments to be
received,  and  any  difference  is  recorded  in  the  consolidated  statement  of  earnings.  Finance  lease  receivables  are
included in other assets on the consolidated balance sheet. Interest revenue earned on finance lease receivables is
included in other revenue in the consolidated statement of earnings.

Sub-leases classified as operating leases do not result in any change to the amounts initially recognized on the head
lease.  Payments  received  from  operating  leases  are  recorded  on  a  straight-line  basis  over  the  lease  term  as  other
revenue in the consolidated statement of earnings.

Operating leases (policy applicable prior to January 1, 2019)
The  company  and  its  subsidiaries  are  lessees  under  various  operating  leases  related  primarily  to  premises,
automobiles  and  equipment.  Payments  made  under  an  operating  lease,  net  of  any  incentives  received  from  the
lessor, are recorded as an expense on a straight-line basis over the lease term in operating expenses or other expenses
in the consolidated statement of earnings.

54

New accounting pronouncements adopted in 2019
The company adopted the following new standards and amendments, effective January 1, 2019, in accordance with
their applicable transition provisions.

IFRS 16 Leases (‘‘IFRS 16’’)
IFRS 16 removes the distinction between finance and operating leases and recognizes substantially all leases on the
balance sheet. On the transition date of January 1, 2019, the company recognized the following in its consolidated
financial statements:

• Lease  liabilities  of  $1,498.0  in  accounts  payable  and  accrued  liabilities  on  the  consolidated  balance  sheet,

inclusive of finance lease amounts under IAS 17 Leases (‘‘IAS 17’’) that were carried forward;

• Right-of-use assets of $1,051.4 in other assets on the consolidated balance sheet, inclusive of reclassification
adjustments for prepaid and accrued lease payments, deferred tenant inducements and leased premises and
equipment previously recognized separately on the consolidated balance sheet at December 31, 2018;

• Finance lease receivables of $369.0 in other assets on the consolidated balance sheet; and

• Net  decreases  to  retained  earnings  of  $4.3  and  non-controlling  interests  of  $1.9  in  other  net  changes  in

capitalization in the consolidated statement of changes in equity.

As permitted by IFRS 16, comparative information for periods prior to the transition date have not been restated and
continue to be reported in accordance with IAS 17 and IFRIC 4 Determining Whether an Arrangement Contains a Lease
(‘‘IFRIC 4’’).

On initial application of IFRS 16 the company applied the following permitted practical expedients: carried forward
the assessment of which contracts contain leases as previously assessed under IAS 17 and IFRIC 4; accounted for
operating leases under IAS 17 with a remaining lease term of less than 12 months as short-term leases; measured
right-of-use assets at an amount equal to the related lease liabilities; excluded initial direct costs in the measurement
of right-of-use assets; and used hindsight in determining the lease term where a contract contains options to extend
or terminate the lease.

Lease liabilities for leases previously classified as operating leases under IAS 17 and with remaining terms of greater
than 12 months at the transition date were measured at the present value of the lease payments over the remaining
lease  term,  discounted  at  the  company’s  incremental  borrowing  rate.  Right-of-use  assets  for  those  leases  were
measured as the amount of the lease liabilities, adjusted by any prepaid or accrued lease payments and deferred
tenant  inducements  reclassified  from  the  consolidated  balance  sheet  at  December  31,  2018.  Asset  and  liability
balances for leases classified as finance leases under IAS 17 were carried forward under IFRS 16 and reclassified as
right-of-use assets and lease liabilities, respectively.

Sub-leases  previously  classified  as  operating  leases  under  IAS  17  were  reassessed  at  the  transition  date.  Those
sub-leases classified as finance leases under IFRS 16 were accounted for as new finance leases entered into on the
transition date.

55

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

Presented  in  the  table  below  are  details  of  the  lease  commitments  and  obligations  included  in  the  company’s
consolidated  financial  statements  for  the  year  ended  December  31,  2018,  compared  to  the  lease  liabilities,
right-of-use assets and finance lease receivables recognized on initial application of IFRS 16 at January 1, 2019:

Operating lease commitments at December 31, 2018
Adjustments for:

Short-term and low value leases
Extension and termination options

Lease commitments to be recognized under IFRS 16

Incremental borrowing rate (weighted average)

Present value of lease commitments recognized under IFRS 16
Finance lease obligations at December 31, 2018 and other

Lease liabilities at January 1, 2019

Right-of-use assets at January 1, 2019

Finance lease receivables at January 1, 2019

Insurance and
reinsurance
companies
540.2

Non-
insurance
companies
1,103.5

Total
1,643.7

(2.0)
32.3

570.5

4.2%

454.4
1.1

455.5

418.9

5.6

(20.7)
106.5

(22.7)
138.8

1,189.3

1,759.8

5.1%

4.8%

992.4
50.1

1,446.8
51.2

1,042.5

1,498.0

632.5

1,051.4

363.4

369.0

The  company’s  lease  liabilities,  right-of-use  assets  and  finance  lease  receivables  at  January  1,  2019  related
predominantly to premises.

Plan Amendment, Curtailment or Settlement (Amendments to IAS 19)
The amendments to IAS 19 Employee Benefits clarify the calculation of current service cost and net interest for the
remainder of an annual period when a plan amendment, curtailment or settlement occurs, and are effective for such
changes to the company’s defined benefit pension and post retirement plans occurring on or after January 1, 2019.
Adoption of these amendments on January 1, 2019 did not have a significant impact on the company’s consolidated
financial statements.

IFRIC Interpretation 23 Uncertainty over Income Tax Treatments (‘‘IFRIC 23’’)
IFRIC 23 clarifies how IAS 12 Income Taxes should be applied when there is uncertainty over income tax treatments.
Adoption of IFRIC 23 on January 1, 2019 did not have a significant impact on the company’s consolidated financial
statements.

IFRS Annual Improvements 2015-2017
The Annual Improvements amended IAS 12 Income Taxes to clarify that the income tax consequences, if any, of
dividend distributions are recognized at the same time as the liability to pay those dividends, and that the income tax
consequences  are  recorded  in  earnings,  other  comprehensive  income,  or  in  equity,  according  to  where  the  past
transactions or events that generated those distributable profits were recorded. Adoption of this amendment on
January 1, 2019 did not have a significant impact on the company’s consolidated financial statements.

56

New accounting pronouncements issued but not yet effective
The following new standards and amendments have been issued by the IASB and were not yet effective for the fiscal
year beginning January 1, 2019. The company does not expect to adopt any of them in advance of their respective
effective dates.

IFRS 17 Insurance Contracts (‘‘IFRS 17’’)
On May 18, 2017 the IASB issued IFRS 17, a comprehensive standard that provides guidance on the recognition,
measurement, presentation and disclosure of insurance contracts. IFRS 17 requires entities to measure insurance
contract liabilities at their current estimates of fulfillment cash flows using one of three approaches and to discount
loss reserves. The standard is effective for the company on January 1, 2021 and must be applied retrospectively with
restatement of comparatives unless impracticable. On June 26, 2019 the IASB published an exposure draft proposing
targeted amendments to IFRS 17, including a tentative deferral of the effective date to January 1, 2022. The company
will continue to monitor the IASB’s developments and assess the effect of any changes to IFRS 17 on the company’s
implementation plan.

Conceptual Framework for Financial Reporting (‘‘Conceptual Framework’’)
On March 29, 2018 the IASB issued a revised Conceptual Framework that includes revised definitions of an asset and
a  liability  as  well  as  new  guidance  on  measurement,  derecognition,  presentation  and  disclosure.  The  revised
Conceptual Framework does not constitute an accounting pronouncement and will not result in any immediate
change to IFRS, but the IASB and IFRS Interpretations Committee will use it in setting future standards. The revised
Conceptual Framework is effective for the company beginning on January 1, 2020 and will apply when developing
an accounting policy for an issue not addressed by IFRS.

Definition of a Business (Amendments to IFRS 3)
On October 22, 2018 the IASB issued amendments to IFRS 3 Business Combinations to narrow the definition of a
business and clarify the distinction between a business combination and an asset acquisition. The amendments are
applied prospectively to all business combinations and asset acquisitions on or after January 1, 2020 and are not
expected to have a significant impact on the company’s consolidated financial statements.

Definition of Material (Amendments to IAS 1 and IAS 8)
On October 31, 2018 the IASB issued amendments to IAS 1 Presentation of Financial Statements and IAS 8 Accounting
Policies, Changes in Accounting Estimates and Errors to clarify the definition of ‘‘material’’. The amendments are applied
prospectively  on  or  after  January  1,  2020  and  are  not  expected  to  have  a  significant  impact  on  the  company’s
consolidated financial statements.

Classification of Liabilities as Current or Non-current (Amendments to IAS 1)
On January 23, 2020 the IASB issued amendments to IAS 1 Presentation of Financial Statements to clarify the criteria for
classifying a liability as non-current. The amendments are applied retrospectively on or after January 1, 2022 and are
not expected to have a significant impact on the company’s consolidated financial statements.

Comparatives
Certain prior year comparatives have been reclassified to conform with the current year’s presentation.

Insurance contract payables is a new line on the consolidated balance sheet, comprised of certain insurance related
amounts previously included in accounts payable and accrued liabilities. Income taxes payable and funds withheld
payable to reinsurers were previously presented as separate lines on the consolidated balance sheet and are now
included within accounts payable and accrued liabilities and insurance contract payables respectively. The company
believes these reclassifications provide a better distinction between payables related to insurance and reinsurance

57

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

contracts  and  those  related  to  other  aspects  of  the  company’s  operations  including  investments,  non-insurance
companies, leases, and administration.

Insurance contract payables
Amounts previously included in accounts payable and accrued liabilities:

Payable to reinsurers
Ceded deferred premium acquisition costs
Amounts payable to agents and brokers
Accrued commissions
Accrued premium taxes
Other insurance contract payables

Funds withheld and other payables to reinsurers (previously presented separately on the

consolidated balance sheet)

Insurance contract payables as presented on the consolidated balance sheet

Accounts payable and accrued liabilities
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities as previously presented on the consolidated balance

sheet

Amounts reclassified to insurance contract payables
Income taxes payable (previously presented separately on the consolidated balance sheet)

Accounts payable and accrued liabilities as presented on the consolidated balance sheet

December 31,
2018

576.4
254.8
93.8
87.3
74.6
241.9

1,328.8

674.3

2,003.1

4,268.7
(1,328.8)
80.1

3,020.0

4. Critical Accounting Estimates and Judgments

In the preparation of the company’s consolidated financial statements, management has made a number of critical
accounting  estimates  and  judgments  as  described  below,  and  in  certain  notes  to  the  consolidated  financial
statements: determination of fair value for financial instruments in note 5; carrying value of associates in note 6;
carrying value of goodwill and intangibles in note 12; and contingencies in note 20. Estimates and judgments are
continually evaluated and are based on historical experience and other factors, including expectations of future
events that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances.

Provision for losses and loss adjustment expenses
Provisions for losses and loss adjustment expenses are estimated based on Canadian accepted actuarial practices,
which are designed to ensure the company establishes an appropriate reserve on the consolidated balance sheet to
cover  insured  losses  and  related  claims  expenses  for  both  reported  claims  and  incurred  but  not  reported  (IBNR)
claims as of each balance sheet date. The assumptions underlying the estimation of provisions for losses and loss
adjustment expenses are regularly reviewed and updated by the company to reflect recent and emerging trends in
experience and changes in the risk profile of the business. The estimation techniques employed by the company in
determining  provisions  for  losses  and  loss  adjustment  expenses  and  the  inherent  uncertainties  associated  with
insurance contracts are described in the ‘‘Insurance contracts’’ section of note 3 and the ‘‘Underwriting Risk’’ section
of note 24 while the historic development of the company’s insurance liabilities are presented in note 8.

Recoverability of deferred income tax assets
Management exercises judgment in assessing recent and expected profitability of operating companies and their
ability to realize recorded income tax assets. The company reviews its deferred income tax assets quarterly, taking
into consideration the availability of sufficient current and projected taxable profits, reversals of taxable temporary
differences and tax planning strategies. Details of deferred income tax assets are presented in note 18.

58

Business combinations
Accounting  for  business  combinations  requires  estimates  of  fair  value  for  the  consideration  transferred,  assets
acquired and liabilities assumed. The company uses all available information, including third party valuations and
appraisals where appropriate, to determine these fair values. Changes in estimates of fair value due to additional
information related to facts and circumstances that existed at the acquisition date would impact the amount of
goodwill (or gain on bargain purchase) recognized. The company has up to one year from the acquisition date to
finalize its determination of fair values for a business combination if needed. Details of business combinations are
presented in note 23.

Determination of recoverable amounts for goodwill, indefinite-lived intangible assets and
investments in associates
Goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets are assessed annually for impairment, or more frequently if there are
indicators of impairment, by comparing the carrying value of the cash-generating unit (‘‘CGU’’) or group of CGUs to
which these assets are allocated to their recoverable amounts. Investments in associates are assessed for impairment
by comparing the carrying value of an associate to its recoverable amount. The company typically uses discounted
cash flows to estimate the recoverable amount of a CGU or group of CGUs to which goodwill or indefinite-lived
intangible assets have been allocated, and to estimate the recoverable amount of an associate that is based on a
value-in-use model. Significant judgements and assumptions are required to determine the discounted cash flows,
including  discount  rates,  long  term  growth  rates  and  working  capital  requirements,  and  also  (i)  for  goodwill,
premiums,  investment  returns,  revenues  and  expenses,  (ii)  for  indefinite-lived  intangible  assets,  revenues  and
royalty rates, and (iii) for investments in associates, annual capital expenditures, cash taxes payable and valuations of
pension funding liabilities, if any, on a going concern basis. Discounted cash flows are subject to sensitivity analysis
given the variability of future-oriented financial information. Details of goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible
assets, including the results of annual impairment tests, are presented in note 12. Details of investments in associates
and any impairment losses recorded in the consolidated statement of earnings are presented in note 6.

Determination of significant influence, joint control and control
The  determination  of  whether  an  investment  is  an  associate,  a  joint  arrangement  or  a  subsidiary  requires
consideration of all facts and circumstances, and typically begins with an analysis of the company’s proportion of the
investee’s voting rights. Judgment may be required to determine the existence of significant influence, joint control
or control when it involves elements such as contractual arrangements between shareholders, currently exercisable
potential voting rights through warrants or convertible instruments, significant shareholdings relative to other third
party shareholders, and regulatory restrictions on board representation, voting rights, or relevant activities of the
investee.  De  facto  control  over  an  investee  without  holding  the  majority  of  its  voting  rights  may  occur  due  to
dispersion of third party shareholdings and other factors. Conversely, having significant influence over an investee
when holding the majority of its voting rights may occur due to regulatory and other restrictions that limit the
application of voting and other rights. The company’s investments in associates and joint ventures are presented in
note 6, business combinations are presented in note 23 and subsidiaries are presented in note 29.

59

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

5. Cash and Investments

Presented in the table below are holding company cash and investments and portfolio investments, net of short sale
and derivative obligations, all of which are classified at FVTPL except for investments in associates and other invested
assets.

Holding company
Cash and cash equivalents(1)
Short term investments
Bonds
Preferred stocks
Common stocks(2)
Derivatives (note 7)

Assets pledged for short sale and derivative obligations:
Short term investments
Bonds

Holding company cash and investments as presented on the consolidated balance sheet
Short sale and derivative obligations (note 7)

Portfolio investments
Cash and cash equivalents(1)
Short term investments
Bonds
Preferred stocks
Common stocks(2)
Investments in associates (note 6)
Derivatives (note 7)
Other invested assets(3)

Assets pledged for short sale and derivative obligations:
Cash and cash equivalents(1)
Short term investments
Bonds

Fairfax India cash, portfolio investments and associates:
Cash and cash equivalents(1)
Bonds
Common stocks
Investments in associates (note 6)

Fairfax Africa cash, portfolio investments and associates:
Cash and cash equivalents(1)
Short term investments
Bonds
Common stocks
Investments in associates (note 6)
Derivatives (note 7)

Portfolio investments as presented on the consolidated balance sheet
Short sale and derivative obligations (note 7)

Total investments, net of short sale and derivative obligations

December 31,
2019

December 31,
2018

183.9
128.3
395.9
4.7
296.9
83.7

227.7
19.8
503.4
4.5
704.7
75.6

1,093.4

1,535.7

2.8
2.7

5.5

1,098.9
(0.3)

1,098.6

3,954.5
6,066.8
15,618.1
578.2
5,287.6
3,195.8
202.7
556.4

13.7
7.8

21.5

1,557.2
(6.6)

1,550.6

4,583.7
2,138.3
19,256.4
260.1
4,431.4
3,471.9
229.8
333.8

35,460.1

34,705.4

–
72.4
74.5

146.9

104.7
124.1
359.7
1,391.3

1,979.8

86.2
104.0
100.1
–
232.9
1.6

524.8

3.0
36.8
124.8

164.6

67.7
576.4
158.5
1,103.0

1,905.6

231.9
38.7
92.7
3.9
288.1
2.0

657.3

38,111.6
(205.6)

37,432.9
(142.9)

37,906.0

37,290.0

39,004.6

38,840.6

(1)

(2)

Includes aggregate restricted cash and cash equivalents at December 31, 2019 of $691.5 (December 31, 2018 – $577.1).
See note 27.
Includes aggregate investments in limited partnerships and other funds with carrying values at December 31, 2019 of
$2,056.8 and $175.6 (December 31, 2018 – $2,055.8 and $150.3).

(3) Comprised primarily of investment property. 

60

Restricted cash and cash equivalents at December 31, 2019 of $691.5 (December 31, 2018 – $577.1) was comprised
primarily  of  amounts  required  to  be  maintained  on  deposit  with  various  regulatory  authorities  to  support  the
operations  of  the  insurance  and  reinsurance  subsidiaries,  and  excluded  European  Run-off’s  amounts  that  were
included in assets held for sale on the consolidated balance sheet at December 31, 2019. Refer to note 27 for details of
restricted cash and cash equivalents presented on the consolidated balance sheet.

The company’s subsidiaries have pledged cash and investments, inclusive of trust funds and regulatory deposits, as
security for their own obligations to pay claims or make premium payments (these pledges are either direct or to
support  letters  of  credit).  In  order  to  write  insurance  business  in  certain  jurisdictions  (primarily  U.S.  states)  the
company’s subsidiaries must deposit funds with local insurance regulatory authorities to provide security for future
claims  payments  as  ultimate  protection  for  the  policyholder.  Additionally,  some  of  the  company’s  subsidiaries
provide reinsurance to primary insurers, for which funds must be posted as security for losses that have been incurred
but not yet paid. These pledges are in the normal course of business and are generally released when the payment
obligation is fulfilled.

The table that follows summarizes assets pledged to third parties by the nature of the pledge requirement (excluding
assets pledged in favour of Lloyd’s (note 20), for short sale and derivative obligations and for certain intercompany
reinsurance arrangements). Pledged assets primarily consist of cash and cash equivalents, short term investments
and bonds within portfolio investments on the consolidated balance sheet.

Regulatory deposits(1)
Security for reinsurance and other(1)

December 31, December 31,
2018
4,503.3
1,200.3

2019
4,667.4
1,106.7

5,774.1

5,703.6

(1) Excludes European Run-off’s regulatory deposits of $71.7 and security for reinsurance and other of $65.5 at December 31,

2019 that were included in assets held for sale on the consolidated balance sheet (note 23).

Fixed Income Maturity Profile
Bonds are summarized by their earliest contractual maturity date in the table below. Actual maturities may differ
from maturities shown below due to the existence of call and put features. At December 31, 2019 bonds containing
call, put and both call and put features represented $3,415.4, $2.6 and $952.7 respectively (December 31, 2018 –
$3,123.1,  $49.1  and  $242.9)  of  the  total  fair  value  of  bonds.  The  table  below  does  not  reflect  the  impact  of
U.S. treasury bond forward contracts with a notional amount at December 31, 2019 of $846.5 (December 31, 2018 –
$471.9) that reduce the company’s exposure to interest rate risk (described in note 7). The decrease in the company’s
holdings of bonds due in 1 year or less and due after 1 year through 5 years was primarily due to net sales and
maturities of short-dated U.S. treasury bonds and Canadian government bonds for net proceeds of $4,601.5 and
$344.5, the settlement of bonds issued by EXCO Resources Inc. and Sanmar Chemicals Group (both described in
note 6) and the reclassification of bonds at European Run-off to assets held for sale (note 23), partially offset by net
purchases of high quality U.S. corporate bonds of $545.1 and purchases of other corporate bonds. Proceeds from net
sales  of  short-dated  U.S.  treasury  bonds  were  primarily  reinvested  into  U.S.  treasury  and  corporate  and  other
short-term investments.

Due in 1 year or less
Due after 1 year through 5 years
Due after 5 years through 10 years
Due after 10 years

December 31, 2019

December 31, 2018

Amortized
cost(1)
8,158.1
5,872.8
1,227.6
784.9

Fair Amortized
cost(1)
9,610.5
9,112.7
808.4
956.9

value(1)
8,206.3
5,980.8
1,242.3
886.0

Fair
value(1)
9,606.5
9,174.4
802.7
977.9

16,043.4

16,315.4

20,488.5

20,561.5

Pre-tax effective interest rate

3.6%

3.5%

(1)

Includes bonds held by the holding company, Fairfax India and Fairfax Africa.

61

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

Fair Value Disclosures
The  company’s  use  of  quoted  market  prices  (Level  1),  valuation  models  with  significant  observable  market
information as inputs (Level 2) and valuation models with significant unobservable information as inputs (Level 3)
in the valuation of securities and derivative contracts by type of issuer was as follows:

December 31, 2019

December 31, 2018

Significant
other
Quoted observable unobservable
inputs
inputs
(Level 3)
(Level 2)

Significant Total fair
value
asset
(liability)

prices
(Level 1)

Significant
Significant
other
Quoted observable unobservable
inputs
inputs
(Level 3)
(Level 2)

prices
(Level 1)

Cash and cash equivalents(1)

4,329.3

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

1,420.1

4,329.3

5,114.0

373.9

755.3

3,154.4

375.8

1,714.9

198.9

171.6

758.5

692.4

–

6,374.3

1,821.4

664.4

2.9

5,610.8

216.5

1,656.0

8,164.8

–

–

–

–

122.3

303.6

425.9

964.7

51.9

10,464.0

363.2

1,593.3

5,131.5

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

1,992.9

Total fair
value
asset
(liability)

5,114.0

198.9

171.6

758.5

814.7

303.6

2,247.3

964.7

51.9

10,464.0

363.2

1,593.3

7,124.4

14,895.3

1,420.1

16,315.4

82.5

5.0

90.9

5.0

481.7

487.0

569.2

582.9

114.8

1,029.3

1,037.4

796.4

1,423.1

3,724.7

669.6

302.0

1,056.7

2,181.5

5,944.2

2,028.3

764.3

844.4

18,568.6

1,992.9

20,561.5

7.8

–

–

7.8

96.0

48.6

476.9

621.5

164.3

160.5

5.0

90.2

255.7

168.3

5.0

91.3

264.6

107.7

1,073.2

1,467.8

873.3

1,423.8

3,001.4

2,648.7

5,298.5

476.9

641.2

(149.3)

(0.2)

(149.5)

(205.9)

–

(205.9)

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

1.1

1.1

–

–

Short term investments:

Canadian government

Canadian provincials

U.S. treasury

Other government

Corporate and other

Bonds:

Canadian government

Canadian provincials

U.S. treasury

U.S. states and municipalities

Other government

Corporate and other

Preferred stocks:

Canadian

U.S.
Other(2)

Common stocks:

Canadian

U.S.
Other(3)

Derivatives and other invested assets

Short sale and derivative obligations

(note 7)

Holding company cash and investments
and portfolio investments measured at
fair value

–

1,714.9

4,504.2

1,870.1

–

–

–

–

155.2

664.4

2.9

5,610.8

216.5

1,656.0

6,744.7

8.4

–

–

8.4

103.7

33.2

397.8

534.7

80.1

373.9

755.3

3,154.4

220.6

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

5.3

5.3

577.9

360.6

2,289.5

3,228.0

–

–

12,066.8

17,182.7

4,935.1

34,184.6

8,964.8

19,638.8

5,374.0

33,977.6

35.3%

50.3%

14.4%

100.0%

26.4%

57.8%

15.8%

100.0%

Investments in associates (note 6)(4)

1,982.9

19.4

4,034.2

6,036.5

2,344.9

36.9

2,841.3

5,223.1

(1)

Includes  restricted  cash  and  cash  equivalents  of  $691.5  at  December  31,  2019  (December  31,  2018 – $577.1).  See
note 27.

(2) Primarily comprised of the company’s investment in compulsory convertible preferred shares of Go Digit Infoworks Services

Limited (‘‘Digit’’). The company also holds a 49.0% equity interest in Digit as described in note 6.

(3)

Includes other funds invested principally in fixed income securities with a carrying value at December 31, 2019 of $175.6
(December 31, 2018 – $150.3) that are excluded when measuring the company’s equity and equity-related exposure.

(4) The carrying value of investments in associates  is determined using the  equity method of accounting so fair value is

presented separately in the table above.

62

During  2019  and  2018  there  were  no  significant  transfers  of  financial  instruments  between  Level  1  and  Level  2
and there were no significant transfers of financial instruments in or out of Level 3 as a result of changes in the
observability of valuation inputs except as described in the following table which summarizes changes in Level 3
financial assets measured at fair value on a recurring basis.

2019

Limited
partnerships

Private
placement
and other(1) debt securities

Derivatives

Private
company
and other preferred Common
shares

shares

invested assets

Private
equity
funds(1)

Total

Balance – January 1

1,810.7

1,992.9

476.7

255.7

668.0

170.0

5,374.0

Net realized and unrealized gains (losses) included in

the consolidated statement of earnings

Purchases
Sales and distributions
Transfer out of category
Unrealized foreign currency translation gains (losses)

on foreign operations included in other
comprehensive income
Assets held for sale (note 23)

136.0
196.6
(251.9)
(39.0)

6.8
(12.5)

(159.8)
424.5
(806.6)
–

23.3
(54.2)

195.9
195.3
(109.2)
–

374.3
49.0
(108.7)
–

132.0
25.5
(45.4)
(574.3)(2)

29.9
–

708.3
890.9
(67.4) (1,389.2)
(613.3)

–

5.8
(0.2)

(1.1)
–

(0.2)
–

(3.3)
–

31.3
(66.9)

Balance – December 31

1,846.7

1,420.1

764.3

569.2

205.6

129.2

4,935.1

2018

Limited
partnerships

Private
placement
and other(1) debt securities

Derivatives

Private
company
and other preferred Common
shares

shares

invested assets

Private
equity
funds(1)

Total

Balance – January 1

1,598.7

1,941.1

177.6

283.2

202.2

170.5 4,373.3

Net realized and unrealized gains (losses) included in

the consolidated statement of earnings

Purchases
Sales and distributions
Transfer into category
Unrealized foreign currency translation losses on

foreign operations included in other comprehensive
income

155.7
383.1
(316.3)
–

(78.4)
458.7
(266.3)
–

(44.5)
362.1
(0.5)
–

(46.0)
47.7
(24.4)
–

(24.0)
7.5
(3.5)
491.4(2)

10.9

(26.3)
2.6 1,261.7
(616.8)
(5.8)
491.4
–

(10.5)

(62.2)

(18.0)

(4.8)

(5.6)

(8.2)

(109.3)

Balance – December 31

1,810.7

1,992.9

476.7

255.7

668.0

170.0 5,374.0

(1)

Included in common stocks in the fair value hierarchy table presented on the previous page and in holding company cash
and investments or common stocks on the consolidated balance sheets.

(2) During 2019 the company’s investment in ICICI Lombard common stock was transferred from Level 3 to Level 1 as the
Indian regulatory selling restriction placed on the company’s holdings was removed. Accordingly, the company ceased
applying a discount for lack of marketability (an unobservable key valuation input) to the traded market price of those
holdings, which had previously been transferred from Level 1 to Level 3 during 2018. Subsequently during 2019 the
company sold its remaining 9.9% equity interest in ICICI Lombard.

63

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

The  table  below  presents  the  valuation  techniques  and  unobservable  inputs  used  to  estimate  fair  values  for  the
company’s significant Level 3 financial assets at December 31, 2019:

Asset class
Limited partnerships and other(b)(1)
Private placement debt securities(c)(2)
Private placement debt securities(c)(3)
Derivatives and other invested assets:

Investment property(e)(4)

Warrants(e)(5)
CPI-linked derivatives(e)(6)

Carrying

value Valuation technique

1,846.7

Net asset value

1,051.0

Discounted cash flow

Significant
unobservable
input

Net asset value

Credit spread

232.0 Market approach

Recent transaction price

480.5

199.5

Income capitalization
approach and/or
sales comparison
approach
Option pricing model

Terminal capitalization rate
Discount rate
Market rent growth rate

6.7

Option pricing model

Inflation volatility

Equity volatility

21.3%

41.0%

Private company preferred shares(d)(7)

481.7 Market approach

Transaction price

Discount for lack of marketability

Private company preferred shares(d)(8)
Common shares(b)(9)
Private equity funds(b)(1)
Private equity funds(b)(9)
Other

68.6

Discounted cash flow

Credit spread

76.0 Market comparable

Book value multiple

65.4

Net asset value

Net asset value

63.8 Market comparable

Price/Earnings multiple

363.2

Various

Various

Total

4,935.1

Input range
used

Low High

N/A

1.4%

N/A

6.8%
7.3%
3.0%

N/A

19.4%

N/A

7.5%
9.0%
3.0%

0.0%

N/A

4.5%

3.6%

1.4

N/A

10.0

N/A

3.9%

N/A

4.5%

3.6%

1.4

N/A

10.0

N/A

Effect on
estimated
fair value
if input value
is increased(a)
Increase

Decrease

Increase

Decrease
Decrease
Increase

Increase

Increase

Increase

Decrease

Decrease

Increase

Increase

Increase

N/A

(a) Decreasing the input value would have the opposite effect on the estimated fair value.

(b)

Included in holding company cash and investments or common stocks on the consolidated balance sheet.

(c)

Included in holding company cash and investments or bonds on the consolidated balance sheet.

(d)

Included in preferred stocks on the consolidated balance sheet.

(e)

Included  in  holding  company  cash  and  investments  or  derivatives  and  other  invested  assets  on  the  consolidated
balance sheet.

(1) Valued  primarily  based  on  net  asset  value  statements  provided  by  third  party  fund  managers  and  general
partners. The fair values in those statements are determined using quoted prices of the underlying assets, and to
a  lesser  extent,  observable  inputs  where  available  and  unobservable  inputs,  in  conjunction  with  industry
accepted valuation models, where required. In some instances, such investments are classified as Level 3 if they
require at least three months’ notice to liquidate or redeem. Reasonably possible alternative assumptions have
not  been  applied  to  the  estimated  fair  value  of  these  investments  due  to  their  diverse  nature  and  resulting
dispersion  of  prices.  At  December  31,  2019  limited  partnerships  and  other  consisted  of  49  investments,  the
largest being $482.3.

(2) Valued  using  industry  accepted  discounted  cash  flow  models  that  incorporate  market  unobservable  credit
spreads of the issuers. At December 31, 2019 this asset class consisted of 16 investments, the largest being $442.1.
By increasing (decreasing) the credit spreads within a reasonably possible range, the fair value of these private
placement debt securities would decrease by $14.3 (increase by $14.4).

(3) At December 31, 2019 this asset class consisted of 6 investments, the largest being $108.1.

(4) Valued  by  third  party  appraisers  using  industry  accepted  income  capitalization  and/or  sales  comparison
methodologies  that  incorporate  market  unobservable  capitalization  rates,  discount  rates  and  market  rent
growth rates.

(5) Valued using industry accepted option pricing models that incorporate market unobservable long-dated equity
volatilities. A higher equity volatility generally results in a higher fair value due to the higher probability of
obtaining a greater return from the warrant.

(6) Valued  based  on  broker-dealer  quotes  which  utilize  market  observable  inputs  except  for  inflation  volatility

which is market unobservable.

64

(7) A discount for lack of marketability is applied to the transaction price of preferred shares that the company is
restricted  from  converting  into  common  shares  for  a  specified  period,  and  is  determined  using  an  industry
accepted option pricing model that incorporates market unobservable long-dated equity volatilities. A higher
(lower) equity volatility generally results in a higher (lower) option value and a lower (higher) fair value of the
preferred shares.

(8) Valued  using  industry  accepted  discounted  cash  flow  models  that  incorporate  market  unobservable  credit

spreads of the preferred shares.

(9) Fair  values  are  determined  by  reference  to  various  valuation  measures  for  comparable  companies  and
transactions,  including  relevant  valuation  multiples.  In  some  instances,  such  investments  are  classified  as
Level  3  because  the  valuation  multiples  applied  by  the  company  were  adjusted  for  differences  in  attributes
between  the  investment  and  the  underlying  companies  or  transactions  from  which  the  valuation  multiples
were derived.

Investment Income
An analysis of investment income for the years ended December 31 follows:

Interest and dividends and share of profit of associates

Interest income:

Cash and short term investments
Bonds
Derivatives and other invested assets

Dividends:

Preferred stocks
Common stocks

Investment expenses

Interest and dividends

Share of profit of associates(1)

2019

2018

156.5
618.0
51.8

158.1
555.0
30.8

826.3

743.9

11.2
82.5

93.7

11.0
70.5

81.5

(39.8)

(41.9)

880.2

783.5

169.6

221.1

(1)

Includes impairment charges recorded on investments in associates during 2019 of $211.2 (2018 – $57.3). See note 6.

65

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

Net gains (losses) on investments

2019

2018

Net

Net change

Net

Net change

realized

in unrealized

Net gains

realized

in unrealized

Bonds
Preferred stocks
Common stocks

Derivatives:

Equity and equity index total return swaps –

short positions

Equity total return swaps – long positions
Equity warrant forward contracts
Equity warrants and call options
CPI-linked derivatives
U.S. treasury bond forwards
Other

gains

(losses)

(59.6)(1)(2)
(23.4)
548.0(4)

gains

(losses) on

(losses)
258.1(1)(2)
397.3(3)
377.9(4)

investments

198.5
373.9
925.9

gains

(losses)

126.2
(21.9)
196.4

465.0

1,033.3

1,498.3

300.7

48.2(5)
(34.5)(5)
83.8(6)
(4.7)
(14.1)
(119.3)
9.9(6)

(93.2)
55.0
(38.4)(6)
128.6
1.8
32.6
(111.3)(6)

(45.0)
20.5
45.4
123.9
(12.3)
(86.7)
(101.4)

(46.8)(5)
(37.2)(5)
75.4(6)
(15.1)
–
49.6
0.1

(30.7)

(24.9)

(55.6)

26.0

gains

Net gains

(losses) on

(losses)

investments

(335.9)
(10.7)
(581.1)

(927.7)

8.6
(49.1)
38.5(6)
(54.8)
(6.7)
(2.9)
19.8(6)

(46.6)

(209.7)
(32.6)
(384.7)

(627.0)

(38.2)
(86.3)
113.9
(69.9)
(6.7)
46.7
19.9

(20.6)

Foreign currency net gains (losses) on:

Investing activities
Underwriting activities
Foreign currency contracts

Gain on disposition of associates

Gain on deconsolidation of subsidiary

Other

Net gains (losses) on investments

(17.3)
5.6
8.3

(3.4)

10.9(8)

171.3(9)

20.3

633.4

(50.7)
–
(9.6)

(60.3)

–

–

134.7(10)

(68.0)(7)
5.6
(1.3)

(43.1)
31.6
(21.5)

(128.2)
–
29.4

(171.3)(7)
31.6
7.9

(63.7)

(33.0)

(98.8)

(131.8)

10.9

138.9(11)

171.3

155.0

889.9(12)

(0.1)

–

–

3.6

138.9

889.9

3.5

252.9

1,082.8

1,716.2

1,322.4

(1,069.5)

(1) On June 28, 2019 EXCO emerged from bankruptcy protection and settled the company’s holdings of EXCO bonds with
common shares (note 6), resulting in the company recording a net loss on investment of $179.3 (realized losses of $296.3,
of which $117.0 was recorded as unrealized losses in prior years).

(2) On December 21, 2019 Fairfax India’s holdings of Sanmar Chemicals Group (‘‘Sanmar’’) bonds with a principal amount
of $300.0 were settled for net cash proceeds of $425.5 (30.3 billion Indian rupees) including accrued interest, resulting in
the company recording a net gain on investment of $48.8 (realized gains of $156.5, of which $107.7 was recorded as
unrealized gains in prior years). See note 6.

(3) On December 23, 2019 Go Digit Infoworks Services Private Limited (‘‘Digit’’) entered into definitive agreements whereby
its general insurance subsidiary Go Digit Insurance Limited (‘‘Digit Insurance’’) subsequently issued approximately $91
(6.5  billion  Indian  rupees)  of  new  equity  shares  primarily  to  three  Indian  investors.  This  transaction  valued  Digit
Insurance at approximately $858 (61.2 billion Indian rupees) and resulted in the company recording net unrealized gains
on investments of $350.9 on its investment in Digit compulsory convertible preferred shares. The company also holds a
49.0% equity interest in Digit as described in note 6.

(4) During 2019 the company sold its 9.9% equity interest in ICICI Lombard for gross proceeds of $729.0 and recognized a
net gain on investment of $240.0 (realized gains of $311.2, of which $71.2 was recorded as unrealized gains in prior
years), primarily related to the removal of the discount for lack of marketability previously applied by the company to the
traded market price of its ICICI Lombard common stock.

(5) Amounts recorded in net realized gains (losses) include net gains (losses) on total return swaps where the counterparties are
required to cash-settle monthly or quarterly the market value movement since the previous reset date notwithstanding that
the total return swap positions remain open subsequent to the cash settlement.

(6)

Includes the Seaspan forward commitment contracts to invest in Seaspan Tranche 2 debentures and warrants in 2019 and
also the equity warrant forward contract to invest in Seaspan $8.05 warrants in 2018. See note 6.

66

(7) Foreign currency net losses on investing activities during 2019 primarily related to U.S. dollar denominated investments
held by subsidiaries with a Canadian dollar or British pound functional currency as the U.S. dollar weakened relative to
those currencies. Foreign currency net losses on investing activities during 2018 primarily reflected strengthening of the
U.S. dollar relative to the Indian rupee and the euro.

(8) On April 18, 2019 Brit acquired the 50.0% equity interest in Ambridge Partners LLC (‘‘Ambridge Partners’’) that it did not
already  own  for  $46.6,  remeasured  its  existing  equity  interest  to  fair  value  for  a  gain  of  $10.4,  and  commenced
consolidating Ambridge Partners.

(9) On  May  17,  2019  the  company  deconsolidated  Grivalia  Properties  upon  its  merger  into  Eurobank  and  recognized  a

non-cash gain of $171.3. See note 23.

(10) During 2019 it was determined that the company will receive additional consideration of $33.9 pursuant to its sale of

First Capital in 2017. See note 20.

(11) During  2018  the  company  sold  its  equity  accounted  investments  in  Arbor  Memorial  Services  Inc.  and  an  insurance
brokerage for net proceeds of $179.2 (Cdn $235.4) and $58.8 (Cdn$76.3) and recorded net realized gains of $111.8 and
$17.6 (Cdn$22.7) respectively.

(12) During 2018 Thomas Cook India entered into a joint strategic agreement with the founder of Quess that resulted in Quess
becoming a joint venture of Thomas Cook India whereas it was previously a consolidated subsidiary. Accordingly, the
company remeasured the carrying value of Quess to its fair value of $1,109.5, recognized a non-cash gain of $889.9 and
commenced applying the equity method of accounting. See note 23.

67

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

6.

Investments in Associates

The company’s investments in associates are as follows:

Ownership
percentage(a)(e)

Insurance and reinsurance:

Eurolife ERB Insurance Group Holdings S.A. (‘‘Eurolife’’)
Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam Insurance

Joint Stock Corporation (‘‘BIC Insurance’’)
Thai Re Public Company Limited (‘‘Thai Re’’)(1)
Singapore Reinsurance Corporation Limited (‘‘Singapore Re’’)
Falcon Insurance PLC (‘‘Falcon Thailand’’)
Go Digit Infoworks Services Private Limited (‘‘Digit’’)(2)
Other(3)

Non-insurance:

India

Bangalore International Airport Limited (‘‘Bangalore

Airport’’)(14)

Quess Corp Limited (‘‘Quess’’)(6)(7)
IIFL Finance Limited (‘‘IIFL Finance’’)(10)
Sanmar Chemicals Group (‘‘Sanmar’’)(11)
CSB Bank Limited (‘‘CSB Bank’’)(12)
IIFL Securities Limited (‘‘IIFL Securities’’)(7)(10)
Seven Islands Shipping Limited (‘‘Seven Islands’’)(13)
Other

Africa

Atlas Mara Limited (‘‘Atlas Mara’’)
AFGRI Holdings Proprietary Limited (‘‘AFGRI’’)
Other(15)

Agriculture

Astarta Holding N.V. (‘‘Astarta’’)(7)
Farmers Edge Inc. (‘‘Farmers Edge’’)

35.0%
47.1%
27.8%
41.2%
49.0%
–

54.0%
33.2%
35.4%
42.9%
49.7%
35.4%
48.5%
–

42.4%
62.8%
–

27.4%
50.4%

December 31, 2019

Carrying value

Year ended
December 31,
2019

Fairfax India
and
Associates
and joint Fairfax Africa
associates(c)

Fair

value(b)(e) ventures(e)

50.0%

403.1

303.9(d)

Share of
profit
(loss)

Total

303.9

154.8

48.6
43.3
39.2
10.4
–
46.7

2.7
(15.0)
3.2
0.5
(7.6)
7.9

492.1

146.5

–

–
–
–
–
–
–

–

45.2
43.3
35.6
10.4
122.3
46.6

48.6
43.3
39.2
10.4
–
46.7

706.5

492.1

1,429.8
332.1
221.4
412.9
229.3
65.0
88.8
24.3

–

704.1(d)
56.4
–
–
30.8
–
8.8

689.3
–
167.2
178.7
157.8
90.3
84.7
23.3

689.3
704.1
223.6
178.7
157.8
121.1
84.7
32.1

30.8
(183.2)
198.9
–
(4.0)
1.6
3.0
(0.3)

2,803.6

800.1

1,391.3

2,191.4

46.8

–
–
–

–

82.3
79.6
71.0

82.3
79.6
71.0

232.9

232.9

78.1
141.0
66.3

285.4

28.9
43.8

72.7

99.0
80.8

115.5
41.0

156.5

99.0(d)
74.7

–
–

–

–
–

–

–
–
–
–
–
–

–

115.5
41.0

156.5

99.0
74.7

173.7

626.9
243.2
207.5
189.3
104.4
202.1

1,573.4

(54.0)
19.5
(6.6)

(41.1)

(19.1)
(39.9)

(59.0)

49.8
(5.8)

44.0

83.8
21.6
(4.9)
(57.0)
(5.1)
(6.0)

32.4

23.1

Real estate

KWF Real Estate Ventures Limited Partnerships (‘‘KWF LPs’’)(4)
Other(5)

–
–

Other

Seaspan Corporation (‘‘Seaspan’’)(8)
EXCO Resources Inc. (‘‘EXCO’’)(9)
Resolute Forest Products Inc. (‘‘Resolute’’)(7)
APR Energy plc (‘‘APR Energy’’)
Peak Achievement Athletics (‘‘Peak Achievement’’)
Partnerships, trusts and other

32.5%
43.3%
27.7%
53.4%
42.6%
–

179.8

173.7

994.5
238.2
104.0
266.2
163.9
221.7

626.9
243.2
207.5
189.3(d)
104.4(d)
202.1

1,988.5

1,573.4

5,330.0

2,703.7

1,624.2

4,327.9

Investments in associates

6,036.5

3,195.8

1,624.2

4,820.0

169.6

As presented on the consolidated balance sheet:

Investments in associates
Fairfax India and Fairfax Africa investments in associates

3,357.3
2,679.2

6,036.5

3,195.8
1,624.2

4,820.0

68

Insurance and reinsurance:

Eurolife ERB Insurance Group Holdings S.A. (‘‘Eurolife’’)
Gulf Insurance Company (‘‘Gulf Insurance’’)
Thai Re Public Company Limited (‘‘Thai Re’’)
Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam Insurance

Joint Stock Corporation (‘‘BIC Insurance’’)

Singapore Reinsurance Corporation Limited (‘‘Singapore Re’’)
Falcon Insurance PLC (‘‘Falcon Thailand’’)
Go Digit Infoworks Services Private Limited (‘‘Digit’’)
Other

Non-insurance:

India

Quess Corp Limited (‘‘Quess’’)
Bangalore International Airport Limited (‘‘Bangalore Airport’’)
IIFL Holdings Limited (‘‘IIFL Holdings’’)
CSB Bank Limited (‘‘CSB Bank’’)
Other

Africa

Atlas Mara Limited (‘‘Atlas Mara’’)
AFGRI Holdings Propriety Limited (‘‘AFGRI’’)
Other

Agriculture

Astarta Holding N.V. (‘‘Astarta’’)
Farmers Edge Inc. (‘‘Farmers Edge’’)

Real estate
KWF Real Estate Ventures Limited Partnerships (‘‘KWF LPs’’)
Other

Other

Resolute Forest Products Inc. (‘‘Resolute’’)
APR Energy plc (‘‘APR Energy’’)
Seaspan Corporation (‘‘Seaspan’’)
Peak Achievement Athletics (‘‘Peak Achievement’’)
Arbor Memorial Services Inc. (‘‘Arbor Memorial’’)
Partnerships, trusts and other

Investments in associates

As presented on the consolidated balance sheet:

Investments in associates
Fairfax India and Fairfax Africa investments in associates

50.0%
43.3%
47.1%

35.0%
27.8%
41.2%
49.0%
–

48.8%
54.0%
35.4%
36.4%
–

42.4%
60.0%

28.2%
49.2%

–
–

33.6%
67.8%
21.8%
42.6%
–
–

December 31, 2018

Carrying value

Fairfax India
Associates
and
and joint Fairfax Africa
associates(c)
ventures

Ownership
percentage(a)

Fair
value(b)

287.7
211.5
53.1

46.0
34.5
9.3
3.4
55.2

175.2(d)
174.2
53.1

47.1
36.5
9.3
3.4
55.2

700.7

554.0

–
–
–

–
–
–
–
–

–

Year ended
December 31,
2018

Share of
profit
(loss)

18.1
7.3
(52.4)

0.7
0.6
–
(6.8)
2.8

Total

175.2
174.2
53.1

47.1
36.5
9.3
3.4
55.2

554.0

(29.7)

672.5
704.1
818.3
93.1
233.2

1,044.6(d)

–
106.2
–
6.6

–
674.4
317.2
93.1
18.3

1,044.6
674.4
423.4
93.1
24.9

8.4
51.1
45.3
–
(1.0)

2,521.2

1,157.4

1,103.0

2,260.4

103.8

–
–
–

–

195.6
57.1
35.4

288.1

119.1
149.9
35.3

304.3

43.1
66.6

109.7

246.7
116.7

363.4

240.8
303.6
300.8
153.5
–
225.1

116.9
66.9

183.8

247.3(d)
105.7

353.0

299.8
298.4(d)
276.8
128.6(d)

–
220.1

195.6
57.1
35.4

288.1

116.9
66.9

183.8

247.3
105.7

353.0

299.8
298.4
276.8
128.6
–
220.1

1,223.7

–
–

–

–
–

–

–
–
–
–
–
–

–

1,223.8

1,223.7

4,522.4

2,917.9

1,391.1

4,309.0

5,223.1

3,471.9

1,391.1

4,863.0

3,279.1
1,944.0

5,223.1

3,471.9
1,391.1

4,863.0

30.8
(13.2)
–

17.6

(16.3)
(32.7)

(49.0)

118.6
(2.8)

115.8

74.4
(10.3)
8.8
(15.1)
10.8
(6.0)

62.6

250.8

221.1

(a) Ownership percentages include the effects of financial instruments that are considered in-substance equity.
(b) See note 5 for fair value hierarchy information.
(c) Fairfax India and Fairfax Africa’s associates are domiciled in India and Africa respectively.
(d) These investments are joint ventures.
(e) Excludes European Run-off’s investments in associates and joint ventures with a carrying value of $368.8 and a fair value
of  $430.5  that  were  included  in  assets  held  for  sale  on  the  consolidated  balance  sheet  at  December 31,  2019  and
principally comprised of investments in Gulf Insurance, Seaspan, APR Energy and Resolute. See note 23.

69

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

Insurance and reinsurance associates

(1) During 2019 the carrying value of the company’s investment in Thai Re exceeded its fair value as determined by
the market price of Thai Re shares. The company performed a value-in-use analysis to establish the recoverable
amount of its investment in Thai Re and recognized a non-cash impairment charge of $7.5 in share of profit of
associates in the consolidated statement of earnings.

(2) On December 23, 2019 Digit entered into definitive agreements whereby its general insurance subsidiary Digit
Insurance subsequently issued approximately $91 (6.5 billion Indian rupees) of new equity shares primarily to
three  Indian  investors.  This  transaction  valued  Digit  Insurance  at  approximately  $858  (61.2  billion  Indian
rupees) and valued the company’s 49.0% equity interest in Digit at $122.3 at December 31, 2019. The company’s
49.0% equity interest in Digit is comprised of a 45.3% interest in Digit common shares and a 3.7% interest
through Digit compulsory convertible preferred shares that are considered in-substance equity. Foreign direct
ownership in the insurance sector in India is limited to 49.0% and as a result the remainder of the company’s
investment in Digit compulsory convertible preferred shares are recorded at FVTPL as described in note 5.

(3) On April 18, 2019 Brit acquired the 50.0% equity interest in Ambridge Partners that it did not already own for
$46.6, remeasured its existing equity interest to fair value for a gain of $10.4, and commenced consolidating
Ambridge Partners.

Non-insurance associates

(4) The  KWF  LPs  are  partnerships  formed  between  the  company  and  Kennedy-Wilson  Holdings,  Inc.  and  its
affiliates  (‘‘Kennedy  Wilson’’)  to  invest  in  U.S.  and  international  real  estate.  The  company  participates  as  a
limited partner in the KWF LPs with interests ranging from approximately 50% to 90%. Kennedy Wilson is the
general partner and holds the remaining limited partnership interest in each of the KWF LPs. During 2019 the
company recorded share of profit of a KWF LP of $57.0 (A53.6) related to the sale of investment property in
Dublin,  Ireland.  The  KWF  LP  was  subsequently  liquidated  and  its  carrying  value  reduced  to  nil  when  the
company received final cash distributions of $169.4 (A150.0).

(5) On  May  17,  2019  the  company  deconsolidated  Grivalia  Properties,  which  included  Grivalia  Properties’

investments in associates with a carrying value of $68.5. See note 23.

(6) On December 9, 2019 Thomas Cook India completed a non-cash spin-off of its 48.6% equity interest in Quess
Corp Limited (‘‘Quess’’) as a return of capital to its shareholders. This resulted in the company receiving a direct
31.8%  joint  venture  interest  in  Quess  as  a  transfer  between  companies  under  common  control,  with  the
company’s carrying value of Quess remaining unchanged and subject to impairment testing as described in
footnote 7 below. Prior to the spin-off Thomas Cook India recorded the Quess shares to be transferred to its
minority shareholders at fair value and recognized a non-cash impairment loss of $190.6, which is included in
share of profit of associates in the consolidated statement of earnings and fully attributed to non-controlling
interests.

(7) At December 31, 2019 certain of the company’s associates had carrying values that exceeded their fair values as
determined by the market prices of their shares. For each such associate, the company performed a value-in-use
analysis based on multi-year free cash flow projections and concluded that no impairment was required as the

70

recoverable amount exceeded carrying value. Key assumptions for each value-in-use analysis are set out in the
table below:

Associate or
joint
venture

Fair Carrying
value

value

Source of free cash
flow projections

Quess

332.1

704.1

Quess management

Discount
rate(a)

12.8%

Resolute

104.0

207.5

Internal estimates consistent
with third party analyst
reports

10.3%

IIFL Securities

65.0

121.1

IIFL Securities management

12.3%

Long term
growth
rate(b)

Summary of other assumptions

6.0% Annual  capital  expenditures  reverting  to
lower  historical  levels,  working  capital
requirements comparable to industry peers
and reduced cash taxes payable in the next
eight  years  through  utilization  of  existing
tax incentives.

1.5% Valuation of pension funding liability on a
going  concern  basis,  annual  capital
expenditures  reverting  to  lower  historical
levels,  working 
requirements
comparable  to  industry  peers  and  no
significant  cash  taxes  payable  in  the  next
five years through utilization of existing tax
losses.

capital 

6.0% Annual capital expenditures normalizing to
levels  that  are  comparable  to  non-capital
intensive  service-based  peers  and  working
to
capital 
industry peers.

requirements 

comparable 

Astarta(c)

28.9

115.5

Internal estimates consistent
with third party analyst
reports

12.7%

3.0% Annual capital expenditures consistent with
external  analyst  estimates,  working  capital
requirements comparable to industry peers
and  cash  taxes  payable  at  the  Ukraine
corporate  income  tax  rate  for  subsidiaries
that  have  not  elected  to  pay  the  fixed
agricultural tax.

530.0

1,148.2

(a) The discount rate is representative of the cost of capital of industry peers.

(b) The long term growth rate is consistent with growth expectations for the industry and the economies in which each

associate or joint venture operates.

(c) The  company  recorded  a  non-cash  impairment  charge  of  $10.1  on  its  investment  in  Astarta  during  2019.  At

December 31, 2019 a value-in-use analysis concluded that no further impairment charge was required. 

(8) On January 15, 2019 the company fulfilled its commitment to Seaspan Corporation (‘‘Seaspan’’) to purchase
Tranche 2 warrants and debentures for aggregate cash consideration of $250.0. The Tranche 2 warrants were
then immediately exercised to acquire 38.5 million Seaspan Class A common shares for an additional $250.0. On
derecognition of its forward commitments to invest in the Tranche 2 warrants and debentures, the company
recorded a net gain on investment of $63.5 (realized gains of $107.6, of which $44.1 was recorded as unrealized
gains  in  2018),  primarily  related  to  the  appreciation  of  Seaspan’s  Class  A  common  share  price  over  the
commitment period. 

The total cost of the company’s investment in Seaspan is set out in the following table:

Financial instruments acquired

Date

Total
investment

Tranche 1 debentures and warrants
Class A common shares and $8.05 warrants through early exercise of Tranche 1 warrants
Tranche 2 debentures and warrants
Class A common shares through early exercise of Tranche 2 warrants

February 14, 2018
July 16, 2018
January 15, 2019
January 15, 2019

250.0
250.0
250.0
250.0

1,000.0

During 2019 the company recorded share of profit of Seaspan of $83.8, principally reflecting Seaspan’s gain of
$227.0 related to the modification of charter arrangements with one of its largest customers.

71

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

(9) On  June  28,  2019  EXCO  Resources  Inc.  (‘‘EXCO’’)  emerged  from  bankruptcy  protection  and  settled  the
company’s investment in EXCO bonds with newly issued common shares that had a fair value of $220.9 and
represented a 42.8% equity interest in EXCO. The company derecognized its EXCO bonds and recorded a net
loss on investment of $179.3 (realized losses of $296.3, of which $117.0 was recorded as unrealized losses in prior
years), and applied the equity method of accounting to its investment in EXCO common shares.

Fairfax India

(10) On May 31, 2019 IIFL Holdings Limited (‘‘IIFL Holdings’’) spun off its wholly-owned subsidiary IIFL Securities
Limited (‘‘IIFL Securities’’, comprised of investment brokerage, distribution and investment banking businesses)
and its 53.3% equity interest in its subsidiary IIFL Wealth Management Limited (‘‘IIFL Wealth’’, comprised of
wealth and asset management businesses) in a non-cash transaction. IIFL Holdings was renamed IIFL Finance
Limited (‘‘IIFL Finance’’, comprised of loans and mortgages businesses) and continues to be publicly listed. The
company recorded share of profit of IIFL Holdings of $172.9, reflecting its share of a gain at IIFL Holdings from
the spin-offs, and recorded its initial investments in IIFL Wealth and IIFL Securities at their fair values of $255.6
and $121.9. Subsequently, the company applied the equity method of accounting to its 35.4% equity interest in
each of IIFL Finance and IIFL Securities, and recorded its 19.0% equity interest in IIFL Wealth at FVTPL. The
shares of IIFL Wealth and IIFL Securities were listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and National Stock Exchange
of India in September 2019.

(11) On December 21, 2019 Fairfax India’s holdings of Sanmar Chemicals Group (‘‘Sanmar’’) bonds with a principal
amount of $300.0 were settled for net cash proceeds of $425.5 (30.3 billion Indian rupees) including accrued
interest, resulting in the company recording a net gain on investment of $48.8 (realized gains of $156.5, of
which  $107.7  was  recorded  as  unrealized  gains  in  prior  years).  Fairfax  India  reinvested  $198.0  (14.1  billion
Indian rupees) of the net cash proceeds to increase its equity interest in Sanmar from 30.0% to 42.9%.

(12) During 2019 Fairfax India increased its equity interest in CSB Bank Limited (‘‘CSB Bank’’, formerly The Catholic
Syrian  Bank  Limited)  to  49.7%  for  cash  consideration  of  $81.0  (5.6  billion  Indian  rupees).  The  company
continues  to  apply  the  equity  method  of  accounting  to  its  investment  in  CSB  Bank  primarily  because  of
extensive government regulation of the banking sector in India, including restricted board representation and
shareholders being limited to 26.0% of available voting rights. CSB Bank, established in 1920, is headquartered
in Thrissur, India, offering banking services through branches and automated teller machines across India. In
December 2019 CSB Bank became publicly listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and National Stock Exchange
of India.

(13) During 2019 Fairfax India acquired a 48.5% equity interest in Seven Islands Shipping Limited (‘‘Seven Islands’’)
for $83.8 (5.8 billion Indian rupees). Seven Islands is a private shipping company headquartered in Mumbai,
India that transports liquid cargo along the Indian coast and in international waters.

(14) The fair value and carrying value of the company’s investment in Bangalore Airport increased to $1,429.8 and
$689.3 at December 31, 2019 from $704.1 and $674.4 at December 31, 2018. The increase in fair value was
primarily due to Bangalore Airport’s finalization of plans for a third terminal expansion and the development of
its monetizable land, which increased the free cash flow projections (a significant unobservable input) used in
the company’s determination  of Bangalore Airport’s fair value. At December 31, 2019 the company’s 54.0%
equity interest in Bangalore Airport was held through its 33.8% ownership interest in Fairfax India.

Fairfax Africa

(15) On  January  4,  2019  Fairfax  Africa  acquired  de  facto  control  of  Consolidated  Infrastructure  Group  Limited
(‘‘CIG’’) and commenced consolidating CIG, which included CIG’s investments in associates with a fair value of
$42.8. See note 23.

72

Changes in the carrying value of investments in associates for the years ended December 31 were as follows:

2019

Associates ventures

Joint Fairfax India Fairfax Africa
associates

associates

Total

Balance – January 1
Share of pre-tax comprehensive income (loss):

Share of profit (loss)
Impairment(1)
Share of other comprehensive income (loss), excluding losses on

defined benefit plans

Share of losses on defined benefit plans

Dividends and distributions received
Purchases and acquisitions
Divestitures and other net changes in capitalization(2)
Reclassifications(3)
Assets held for sale (note 23)
Foreign exchange effect

1,465.6 2,006.3

1,103.0

288.1

4,863.0

111.6
(20.6)

131.1
(190.6)

26.2
(42.3)

74.9
(160.7)
677.2
(0.5)
(36.7)
(316.8)
9.2

(3.8)
(0.2)

(63.5)
(245.0)
71.6
(221.0)
–
(52.0)
(12.8)

179.2
–

(0.7)
(5.5)

173.0
(288.8)
441.0
(9.7)
–
–
(27.2)

(41.1)
–

(51.6)
–

(92.7)
–
45.1
(7.4)
–
–
(0.2)

380.8
(211.2)

(29.9)
(48.0)

91.7
(694.5)
1,234.9
(238.6)
(36.7)
(368.8)
(31.0)

Balance – December 31

1,712.2 1,483.6

1,391.3

232.9

4,820.0

2018

Balance – January 1
Share of pre-tax comprehensive income (loss):

1,437.0 1,050.0

949.5

219.8

3,656.3

Associates ventures

Joint Fairfax India Fairfax Africa
associates

associates

Total

Share of profit
Impairment(1)
Share of other comprehensive income (loss), excluding losses on

defined benefit plans

Share of losses on defined benefit plans

64.6
(57.3)

112.4
–

(23.9)
(49.4)

(18.5)
(0.2)

Dividends and distributions received
Purchases and acquisitions
Divestitures and other net changes in capitalization(2)
Reclassifications(3)
Foreign exchange effect

(66.0)
(74.2)
321.7
(139.0)

93.7
(220.5)
80.6
(16.8)
– 1,103.6
(84.3)

(13.9)

83.7
–

0.5
–

84.2
(6.2)
155.9
–
–
(80.4)

17.7
–

(13.0)
–

4.7
–
63.3
0.3
–
–

278.4
(57.3)

(54.9)
(49.6)

116.6
(300.9)
621.5
(155.5)
1,103.6
(178.6)

Balance – December 31

1,465.6 2,006.3

1,103.0

288.1

4,863.0

(1)

Included in share of profit of associates in the consolidated statement of earnings.

(2) Primarily reflects the deconsolidation of Grivalia Properties in 2019 and Quess in 2018 and their respective investments in

associates of $68.5 and $12.8. See note 23.

(3) Primarily  reflects  Brit’s  consolidation  of  Ambridge  Partners  in  2019  and  the  deconsolidation  of  Quess  (note  23)

and Grivalia Properties’ consolidation of a former joint venture in 2018.

Subsequent to December 31, 2019

Sale of APR Energy plc to Seaspan Corporation

On February 27, 2020 Seaspan Corporation (‘‘Seaspan’’) completed a reorganization pursuant to which Atlas Corp.
(‘‘Atlas’’), a newly created holding company, became its parent. Shareholders of Seaspan, including the company,
exchanged  their  Seaspan  shares  for  Atlas  shares  with  no  change  in  ownership  percentage.  Additionally,  on
February 28,  2020,  Atlas  acquired  all  issued  and  outstanding  shares  of  APR  Energy  plc  (‘‘APR  Energy’’)  from  the
company and other shareholders in an all-stock transaction for approximately $406. The company’s consolidated
financial reporting in the first quarter of 2020 will derecognize its investment in APR Energy and will apply the
equity method of accounting to its investment in Atlas.

73

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

Sale of minority interest in Anchorage Infrastructure Investments Holdings Limited

On December 16, 2019 Fairfax India entered into an agreement to sell an approximate 12% equity interest on a fully-
diluted basis of its wholly-owned subsidiary Anchorage Infrastructure Investments Holdings Limited (‘‘Anchorage’’)
for gross proceeds of approximately $133 (9.5 billion Indian rupees). Fairfax India formed Anchorage in 2019 to act
as its primary holding company for investments in the airport sector of India. Pursuant to the agreement Fairfax
India  will  transfer  approximately  44%  of  its  54.0%  equity  interest  in  Bangalore  International  Airport  Limited
(‘‘Bangalore Airport’’) to Anchorage. Closing of the transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including
various third-party consents, and is expected to be completed in the first half of 2020.

7. Short Sales and Derivatives

The following table summarizes the company’s derivative financial instruments:

December 31, 2019

December 31, 2018

Notional
amount Cost Assets Liabilities amount Cost Assets Liabilities

Notional

Fair value

Fair value

Equity contracts:

Equity total return swaps – short positions

Equity total return swaps – long positions
Equity warrants and call options(1)
Equity warrant forward contracts(2)

CPI-linked derivative contracts

U.S. treasury bond forward contracts

Foreign currency forward and swap

contracts(3)

Foreign currency options
Other derivative contracts(2)

369.8

406.3

–

–

–

11.1

528.1 114.8

200.3

–

–

99,804.7 614.9

846.5

–

–

1.8

– 102.7

–

3.4

–

6.7

3.9

55.3

8.2

2.5

84.6

3.0

–

–

414.4

390.3

–

–

652.9 123.7

316.6

–

– 114,426.4 668.9

1.7

471.9

114.5

–

2.1

–

–

–

–

–

48.3

–

22.3

4.8

79.8

38.4

24.9

–

71.3

44.9

21.0

13.4

51.7

–

–

–

30.4

53.7

–

0.3

Total

288.0

205.9

307.4

149.5

(1)

(2)

Includes  the  company’s  investment  in  Seaspan  $8.05  warrants  with  a  fair  value  at  December  31,  2019  of  $164.8
(December 31, 2018 – $47.3). See note 6.

Includes the forward commitment to invest in Seaspan Tranche 2 debentures and warrants at December 31, 2018. See
note 6.

(3) During 2019 the company consolidated AGT (note 23) which included AGT’s foreign currency swap liabilities with a fair

value of $53.3 at December 31, 2019.

The company is exposed to significant market risk (comprised of foreign currency risk, interest rate risk and other
price  risk)  through  its  investing  activities.  Derivative  contracts  entered  into  by  the  company,  with  limited
exceptions, are considered investments or economic hedges and are not designated as hedges for financial reporting.

Equity contracts

The company holds short equity total return swaps for investment purposes with an original notional amount at
December 31, 2019 of $194.4 (December 31, 2018 – $276.5). These contracts provide a return which is inverse to
changes in the fair values of the underlying individual equities. During 2019 the company received net cash of $48.2
(2018 – paid net cash of $46.8) in connection with the closures and reset provisions of its short equity total return
swaps  (excluding  the  impact  of  collateral  requirements).  During  2019  the  company  closed  out  $89.9  notional
amount of short equity total return swaps and recognized net gains on investments of $30.3 (realized losses of $7.9,
of which $38.2 was recognized as unrealized losses in prior years). During 2018 the company closed out $565.8
notional amount of short equity and equity index total return swaps and recognized net losses on investments of
$11.4 (realized losses of $248.2 of which $236.8 was recognized as unrealized losses in prior years).

The company holds long equity total return swaps on individual equities for investment purposes with an original
notional amount at December 31, 2019 of $501.5 (December 31, 2018 – $501.5). These contracts provide a return
which is directly correlated to changes in the fair values of the underlying individual equities. During 2019 the
company paid net cash of $34.5 (2018 – $37.2) in connection with the closures and reset provisions of its long equity

74

total return swaps (excluding the impact of collateral requirements). During 2019 the company did not initiate or
close out any long equity total return swaps. During 2018 the company closed out $452.9 notional amount of long
equity total return swaps and recognized a net gain on investment of $19.5 (realized gain of $16.5 of which $3.0 was
recognized as unrealized losses in prior years).

At December 31, 2019 the fair value of collateral deposited for the benefit of derivative counterparties included in
holding company cash and investments and in assets pledged for short sale and derivative obligations was $152.4
(December  31,  2018 – $186.1),  comprised  of  collateral  of  $70.3  (December  31,  2018 – $126.1)  required  to  be
deposited to enter into such derivative contracts (principally related to total return swaps), and collateral of $82.1
(December 31, 2018 – $60.0) securing amounts owed to counterparties in respect of fair value changes since the most
recent reset date.

CPI-linked derivative contracts

The company holds derivative contracts referenced to consumer price indexes (‘‘CPI’’) in the geographic regions in
which it operates to serve as an economic hedge against the potential adverse financial impact on the company of
decreasing price levels. At December 31, 2019 these contracts have a remaining weighted average life of 2.8 years
(December 31, 2018 – 3.6 years) and notional amounts and fair values as shown in the table below. In the event of a
sale, expiration or early settlement of a contract, the company would receive the fair value of that contract on the
date of the transaction. The company’s maximum potential loss on a contract is limited to the original cost of that
contract. The CPI-linked derivative contracts are summarized as follows:

Underlying CPI

index

Average

life

(in years)

Floor
rate(1)

0.0%
United States
0.5%
United States
European Union
0.0%
United Kingdom 0.0%
0.0%
France

2.7
4.8
2.2
2.9
3.1

2.8

Notional amount

Contract
currency(2)

U.S.
dollars(2)

44,775.0 44,775.0
12,600.0 12,600.0
32,525.0 36,509.3
2,384.5
3,535.9

1,800.0
3,150.0

December 31, 2019

Weighted

average

Index value

strike

price

231.35
238.30
96.57
243.79
99.27

at period

end

Cost

256.97 277.5
39.7
256.97
105.13 263.6
13.4
291.90
20.7
104.39

99,804.7

614.9

Fair

Cost in
bps(3)

Fair
value(2)

value in Unrealized

bps(3)

gain (loss)

62.0
31.5
72.2
56.2
58.5

1.6
4.4
0.6
–
0.1

6.7

(275.9)
(35.3)
(263.0)
(13.4)
(20.6)

(608.2)

0.4
3.5
0.2
–
0.3

Fair

December 31, 2018

Weighted

average

Index value

Underlying CPI

index

Floor
rate(1)

0.0%
United States
United States
0.5%
European Union 0.0%
United Kingdom 0.0%
0.0%
France

Average

life

(in years)

3.7
5.8
3.0
3.9
4.1

3.6

Notional amount

Contract

currency

46,725.0
12,600.0
41,375.0
3,300.0
3,150.0

U.S.

dollars

46,725.0
12,600.0
47,297.6
4,202.9
3,600.9

114,426.4

strike

price

231.39
238.30
96.09
243.82
99.27

at period

end

Cost

251.23 286.7
251.23
39.4
104.10 299.3
22.8
285.60
20.7
103.16

668.9

Cost in
bps(3)

Fair

value in Unrealized

value

bps(3)

gain (loss)

61.4
31.3
63.3
54.2
57.5

1.7
12.0
0.3
–
0.8

8.0
15.1
1.5
–
0.3

24.9

(278.7)
(24.3)
(297.8)
(22.8)
(20.4)

(644.0)

(1) Contracts with a floor rate of 0.0% provide a payout at maturity if there is cumulative deflation over the life of the
contract. Contracts with a floor rate of 0.5% provide a payout at maturity based on an equivalent weighted average strike
price of 250.49 if cumulative inflation averages less than 0.5% per year over the life of the contract. At December 31, 2019
the  equivalent  weighted  average  strike  price  for  the  United  States  0.5%  CPI-linked  derivative  contracts  was  244.63
(December 31, 2018 – 243.41).

(2) Excludes European Run-off’s contracts with a notional amount of $12,054.3 and a fair value of $0.2 referenced to CPI in
the United States, European Union and United Kingdom that were included in assets held for sale on the consolidated
balance sheet at December 31, 2019. See note 23.

(3) Expressed as a percentage of the notional amount. 

75

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

During  2019  the  company  recorded  net  losses  of  $12.3  (2018 – net  losses  of  $6.7)  on  its  CPI-linked  derivative
contracts  and  did  not  enter  into  any  new  contracts.  During  2019  certain  CPI-linked  derivative  contracts  with  a
notional amount of $1,800.3 referenced to CPI in the United States, European Union and United Kingdom matured.

U.S. treasury bond forward contracts
To reduce its exposure to interest rate risk (primarily exposure to long dated U.S. treasury bonds, U.S. corporate bonds
and U.S. state and municipal bonds held in its fixed income portfolio), the company held forward contracts to sell
long dated U.S. treasury bonds with a notional amount of $846.5 (December 31, 2018 – $471.9). These contracts
have an average term to maturity of less than three months, and may be renewed at market rates. During 2019 the
company recorded net losses of $86.7 (2018 – net gains of $46.7) on its U.S. treasury bond forward contracts.

Foreign currency forward contracts
Long and short foreign currency forward contracts, primarily denominated in the euro, the British pound sterling
and  the  Canadian  dollar,  are  used  to  manage  certain  foreign  currency  exposures  arising  from  foreign  currency
denominated  transactions.  These  contracts  have  an  average  term  to  maturity  of  less  than  one  year  and  may  be
renewed at market rates.

Counterparty collateral
The company endeavours to limit counterparty risk through diligent selection of counterparties to its derivative
contracts and through the terms of negotiated agreements. The fair value of collateral deposited for the benefit of the
company at December 31, 2019 consisted of cash of $5.3 and government securities of $10.8 (December 31, 2018 –
$1.1  and  $18.3).  The  cash  is  recorded  on  the  consolidated  balance  sheet  in  subsidiary  cash  and  short  term
investments with a corresponding liability recorded in accounts payable and accrued liabilities. The company had
not exercised its right to sell or repledge collateral at December 31, 2019. The company’s exposure to counterparty
risk and the management thereof are discussed in note 24.

Hedge of net investment in Canadian subsidiaries
At  December  31,  2019  the  company  had  designated  the  carrying  value  of  Cdn$2,796.1  principal  amount  of  its
Canadian dollar denominated unsecured senior notes with a fair value of $2,270.0 (December 31, 2018 – principal
amount of Cdn$2,691.5 with a fair value of $2,028.4) as a hedge of a portion of its net investment in subsidiaries with
a Canadian dollar functional currency. During 2019 the company recognized pre-tax losses of $105.6 (2018 – pre-tax
gains of $166.3) related to exchange rate movements on the Canadian dollar denominated unsecured senior notes in
gains (losses) on hedge of net investment in Canadian subsidiaries in the consolidated statement of comprehensive
income.

Hedge of net investment in European operations
At  December  31,  2019  the  company  had  designated  the  carrying  value  of  A277.0  principal  amount  of  its  euro
denominated  unsecured  senior  notes  with  a  fair  value  of  $336.2  (December  31,  2018 – principal  amount  of
A750.0 with a fair value of $854.5) as a hedge of its net investment in European operations with a euro functional
currency. The decrease in principal amount of euro denominated unsecured senior notes designated as a hedging
instrument  during  2019  was  due  to  the  deconsolidation  of  Grivalia  Properties  (note  23)  which  reduced  the
company’s  net  investment  in  European  operations  with  a  euro  functional  currency.  During  2019  the  company
recognized pre-tax losses of $35.3 (2018 – pre-tax gains of $57.1) related to exchange rate movements on the euro
denominated unsecured senior notes in gains (losses) on hedge of net investment in European operations in the
consolidated statement of comprehensive income.

76

8.

Insurance Contract Liabilities

Provision for unearned premiums
Provision for losses and loss adjustment

expenses

December 31, 2019

December 31, 2018

Gross
7,222.4

Ceded
1,583.7

Net
5,638.7

Gross
6,272.2

Ceded
1,290.8

Net
4,981.4

28,500.2

6,934.8

21,565.4

29,081.7

6,459.1

22,622.6

Total insurance contract liabilities

35,722.6

8,518.5

27,204.1

35,353.9

7,749.9

27,604.0

Current
Non-current

15,023.9
20,698.7

3,715.8
4,802.7

11,308.1
15,896.0

14,086.5
21,267.4

3,489.5
4,260.4

10,597.0
17,007.0

35,722.6

8,518.5

27,204.1

35,353.9

7,749.9

27,604.0

At  December  31,  2019  the  company’s  net  provision  for  losses  and  loss  adjustment  expenses  of  $21,565.4
(December 31, 2018 – $22,622.6) was comprised of case reserves of $9,061.1 and IBNR of $12,504.3 (December 31,
2018 – $9,409.3 and $13,213.3). Excluded from those balances are European Run-off’s net provision for losses and
loss adjustment expenses at December 31, 2019 of $1,590.2, comprised of case reserves of $793.4 and IBNR of $796.8.
See note 23.

Provision for unearned premiums
Changes in the provision for unearned premiums for the years ended December 31 were as follows:

Provision for unearned premiums – January 1

Gross premiums written
Less: gross premiums earned

Acquisitions of subsidiaries (note 23)
Liabilities associated with assets held for sale (note 23)
Foreign exchange effect and other

Provision for unearned premiums – December 31

2019
6,272.2
17,511.2
(16,611.0)
53.6
(6.0)
2.4

2018
5,951.7
15,528.3
(15,001.4)
5.9
–
(212.3)

7,222.4

6,272.2

Provision for losses and loss adjustment expenses
Changes in the provision for losses and loss adjustment expenses for the years ended December 31 were as follows:

Provision for losses and loss adjustment expenses – January 1

Decrease in estimated losses and expenses for claims occurring in the prior years
Losses and expenses for claims occurring in the current year(1)
Paid on claims occurring during:

the current year
the prior years

Acquisitions of subsidiaries and reinsurance transactions(2)
Liabilities associated with assets held for sale (note 23)
Foreign exchange effect and other

Provision for losses and loss adjustment expenses – December 31

2019
29,081.7
(166.5)
11,927.5

2018
28,610.8
(462.7)
11,165.8

(2,830.3)
(7,733.7)
44.0
(1,830.8)
8.3

(2,474.6)
(7,566.3)
564.6
–
(755.9)

28,500.2

29,081.7

(1)

Includes in 2019 the first quarter 2019 reinsurance transaction and excludes in 2018 the gain of $103.7 related to the
Part VII transfer component of the RiverStone (UK) acquisition transactions, both of which are described in the paragraphs
below.

(2)

Includes in 2018 gross insurance contract liabilities assumed of $553.2 related to the Part VII transfer component of the
RiverStone (UK) acquisition transactions described in the second paragraph below.

77

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

Effective  January  1,  2019  Run-off  Syndicate  3500  reinsured  a  portfolio  of  business  predominantly  comprised  of
casualty (principally employers’ liability and public liability), professional indemnity, property, marine and aviation
exposures relating to accident years 2018 and prior (the ‘‘first quarter 2019 reinsurance transaction’’). Pursuant to
this  transaction  Run-off  Syndicate  3500  assumed  $556.8  of  net  insurance  contract  liabilities  for  consideration
of $561.5.

Effective  October  1,  2018  a  portfolio  of  business  comprised  of  direct  UK  employers’  liability  and  public  liability
policies written by a UK insurer relating to accident years 2001 and prior was transferred to RiverStone (UK) through
a Part VII transfer under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, as amended. Also effective October 1, 2018
certain latent claims related to policies issued by the same UK insurer relating to accident years 2002 through 2014
were reinsured by RiverStone (UK). The combination of these two transactions (collectively the ‘‘RiverStone (UK)
acquisition  transactions’’)  resulted  in  RiverStone  (UK)  assuming  $566.8  of  net  insurance  contract  liabilities  in
exchange  for  cash  consideration  of  $670.5.  Run-off  results  in  2018  reflected  the  RiverStone  (UK)  acquisition
transactions  as  follows:  net  premiums  earned  and  losses  on  claims  of  $37.5  were  recorded  for  the  reinsurance
component of this transaction; the difference between the cash consideration of $633.0 received for the Part VII
transfer  and  the  net  insurance  contract  liabilities  assumed  of  $529.3  decreased  losses  on  claims  by  $103.7;  and
operating expenses included a profit commission payable to the UK insurer of $18.8 for these transactions.

Subsequent to December 31, 2019

Effective January 31, 2020 a portfolio of business predominantly comprised of U.S. asbestos, pollution and other
hazards (‘‘APH’’) exposures relating to accident years 2001 and prior was transferred to RiverStone (UK) through a
Part  VII  transfer  under  the  Financial  Services  and  Markets  Act  2000,  as  amended.  Pursuant  to  this  transaction
RiverStone (UK) assumed net insurance contract liabilities of $134.2 for cash consideration of $143.4.

Effective  January  1,  2020  Run-off  Syndicate  3500  reinsured  a  portfolio  of  business  predominantly  comprised  of
property,  liability  and  marine  exposures  relating  to  accident  years  2019  and  prior.  Pursuant  to  this  transaction
Run-off Syndicate 3500 assumed net insurance contract liabilities of $154.6 for consideration of $155.6.

78

Development of insurance losses, gross
The development of insurance liabilities illustrates the estimation uncertainty associated with these liabilities and
provides a measure of the company’s ability to estimate the ultimate value of claims. The loss development table
below shows the provision for losses and loss adjustment expenses at the end of each calendar year, the cumulative
payments made in respect of those reserves in subsequent years and the re-estimated amount of each calendar year’s
provision for losses and loss adjustment expenses as at December 31, 2019.

Provision for losses and loss adjustment

expenses

Less: CTR Life(1)

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

16,049.3
25.3

17,232.2
24.2

19,648.8
20.6

19,212.8
17.9

17,749.1
15.2

19,816.4
14.2

19,481.8
12.8

28,610.8
8.7

29,081.7
8.0

28,500.2
7.0

16,024.0

17,208.0

19,628.2

19,194.9

17,733.9

19,802.2

19,469.0

28,602.1

29,073.7

28,493.2

Calendar year

Cumulative payments as of:
One year later
Two years later
Three years later
Four years later
Five years later
Six years later
Seven years later
Eight years later
Nine years later

Reserves re-estimated as of:
One year later
Two years later
Three years later
Four years later
Five years later
Six years later
Seven years later
Eight years later
Nine years later

3,355.9
5,441.4
7,063.1
8,333.3
9,327.0
10,202.6
10,823.4
11,442.7
11,853.3

15,893.8
15,959.7
15,705.6
15,430.4
15,036.2
15,099.0
15,252.1
15,279.7
15,447.7

3,627.6
6,076.7
7,920.3
9,333.4
10,458.7
11,263.6
12,030.0
12,558.1

17,316.4
17,013.6
16,721.0
16,233.9
16,269.6
16,331.8
16,340.6
16,535.1

4,323.5
7,153.1
9,148.0
10,702.8
11,783.3
12,729.6
13,335.1

4,081.1
6,787.6
8,775.5
10,212.4
11,354.4
12,123.4

3,801.6
6,364.5
8,172.7
9,561.8
10,496.4

4,441.4
7,283.6
9,466.5
10,914.2

4,608.0
7,631.4
9,655.9

7,564.0
12,081.3

7,732.0

19,021.2
18,529.4
17,820.5
17,735.5
17,830.5
17,791.8
17,931.9

18,375.6
17,475.0
17,307.9
17,287.2
17,203.5
17,340.1

16,696.4
16,269.2
16,114.0
15,938.9
16,049.6

19,169.3
18,973.6
18,502.5
18,469.1

19,343.1
18,804.8
18,752.8

27,580.6
27,565.9

28,974.3

Favourable development
Favourable development comprised of:
Effect of foreign currency translation
Favourable loss reserve development

576.3

672.9

1,696.3

1,854.8

1,684.3

1,333.1

716.2

1,036.2

99.4

239.4
336.9

240.8
432.1

559.4
1,136.9

471.1
1,383.7

255.3
1,429.0

(216.2)
1,549.3

(190.8)
907.0

428.0
608.2

(66.6)
166.0

576.3

672.9

1,696.3

1,854.8

1,684.3

1,333.1

716.2

1,036.2

99.4

(1) Guaranteed  minimum  death  benefit  retrocessional  business  written  by  Compagnie  Transcontinentale  de  R´eassurance
(‘‘CTR Life’’), a wholly owned subsidiary of the company that was transferred to Wentworth and placed into run-off
in 2002.

The effect of foreign currency translation in the table above primarily arose on translation to U.S. dollars of loss
reserves of subsidiaries with functional currencies other than the U.S. dollar. The company’s exposure to foreign
currency risk and the management thereof are discussed in note 24.

Loss reserve development in the table above excludes the loss reserve development of a subsidiary in the year it is
acquired whereas the consolidated statement of earnings includes the loss reserve development of a subsidiary from
its acquisition date.

Favourable loss reserve development in calendar year 2019 of $166.0 in the table above was principally comprised of
favourable loss emergence on accident years 2012 to 2016, partially offset by adverse development primarily related
to asbestos and other latent claims liabilities.

Development of losses and loss adjustment expenses for asbestos
A number of the company’s subsidiaries wrote general liability policies and reinsurance prior to their acquisition by
the company under which policyholders continue to present asbestos-related injury claims. Substantially all of these
claims are presented under policies written many years ago and reside primarily within the run-off group.

79

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

There  is  a  great  deal  of  uncertainty  surrounding  these  types  of  claims,  which  affects  the  ability  of  insurers  and
reinsurers to estimate the ultimate amount of unpaid claims and related settlement expenses. The majority of these
claims differ from most other types of claims because there is inconsistent precedent, if any at all, to determine what,
if any, coverage exists or which, if any, policy years and insurers or reinsurers may be liable. These uncertainties are
exacerbated  by  judicial  and  legislative  interpretations  of  coverage  that  in  some  cases  have  eroded  the  clear  and
express intent of the parties to the insurance contracts, and in others have expanded theories of liability.

The following is an analysis of the changes which have occurred in the company’s provision for losses and loss
adjustment expenses related to U.S. asbestos exposure on a gross and net basis for the years ended December 31:

2019

2018

Provision for asbestos claims and loss adjustment expenses – January 1

Losses and loss adjustment expenses incurred
Losses and loss adjustment expenses paid
Provisions for asbestos claims assumed during the year, at December 31(1)
Liabilities associated with assets held for sale (note 23)

Net

Gross
Gross
995.3 1,292.1
1,217.9
138.6
135.4
114.8
(233.2)
(164.0) (138.4)
20.4
–
–
(114.7) (111.2)

–

Net
1,033.3
114.3
(170.1)
17.8
–

Provision for asbestos claims and loss adjustment expenses – December 31

1,074.6

860.5 1,217.9

995.3

(1) Comprised primarily of the reinsurance component of the RiverStone (UK) acquisition transactions.

Fair Value
The estimated fair value of the company’s insurance and reinsurance contracts is as follows:

Insurance contracts
Ceded reinsurance contracts

December 31, 2019

December 31, 2018

Fair
value
35,248.0
8,049.4

Carrying
value
35,722.6
8,518.5

Fair
value
34,560.2
7,276.2

Carrying
value
35,353.9
7,749.9

The fair value of insurance contracts is comprised of the fair value of both unpaid claims liabilities and unearned
premiums. The fair value of ceded reinsurance contracts is comprised of the fair value of reinsurers’ share of unpaid
claims liabilities and unearned premiums. Both reflect the time value of money through discounting, whereas the
carrying  values  (including  the  reinsurers’  share  thereof)  do  not.  The  calculation  of  the  fair  value  of  unearned
premiums includes acquisition expenses to reflect the deferral of these expenses at the inception of the insurance
contract.  The  estimated  fair  value  of  insurance  and  ceded  reinsurance  contracts  is  determined  by  projecting  the
expected  future  cash  flows  of  the  contracts,  selecting  the  appropriate  interest  rates,  and  applying  the  resulting
discount factors to the expected future cash flows. The difference between the sum of the undiscounted expected
future cash flows and the sum of the discounted expected future cash flows represents the time value of money. A
margin for risk and uncertainty is added to the discounted cash flows to reflect the volatility of the lines of business
written,  quantity  of  reinsurance  purchased,  credit  quality  of  reinsurers  and  the  possibility  of  future  changes  in
interest rates.

The table that follows illustrates the potential impact of interest rate fluctuations on the fair value of the company’s
insurance and reinsurance contracts:

December 31, 2019

December 31, 2018

Change in interest rates
100 basis point increase
100 basis point decrease

Fair value of Fair value of Fair value of Fair value of
reinsurance
contracts
7,074.1
7,494.8

reinsurance
contracts
7,836.5
8,285.1

insurance
contracts
33,539.0
35,686.3

insurance
contracts
34,240.4
36,343.0

80

9. Reinsurance

Reinsurers’ share of insurance contract liabilities was comprised as follows:

December 31, 2019

December 31, 2018

Gross
recoverable

Provision for Recoverable
from
reinsurers

from uncollectible
reinsurance(1)

reinsurers

Gross
recoverable

Provision for Recoverable
from
reinsurers

from uncollectible
reinsurance(1)

reinsurers

Provision for losses and loss adjustment expenses
Reinsurers’ share of paid losses
Provision for unearned premiums

6,956.7
776.9
1,583.7

9,317.3

(21.9)
(139.6)
–

6,934.8
637.3
1,583.7

6,482.3
792.6
1,290.8

(23.2)
(141.6)
–

6,459.1
651.0
1,290.8

(161.5)

9,155.8

8,565.7

(164.8)

8,400.9

Current
Non-current

4,314.8
4,841.0

9,155.8

4,121.2
4,279.7

8,400.9

(1) Management of credit risk associated with reinsurance recoverables is discussed in note 24.

Changes  in  reinsurers’  share  of  paid  losses,  unpaid  losses  and  unearned  premiums,  and  the  provision  for
uncollectible reinsurance for the years ended December 31 were as follows:

Balance – January 1

Reinsurers’ share of losses paid to insureds
Reinsurance recoveries received
Reinsurers’ share of unpaid losses and premiums earned
Premiums ceded to reinsurers
Change in provision, recovery or write-off of impaired

balances

Acquisitions of subsidiaries (note 23) and reinsurance

transactions

Assets held for sale (note 23)
Foreign exchange effect and other

2019

Paid Unpaid
losses
losses
792.6 6,482.3
2,299.4 (2,299.4)
–
(2,277.0)
– 3,069.6
–
–

Unearned uncollectible
reinsurance
premiums
(164.8)
1,290.8
–
–
–
–
–
(3,381.3)
–
3,675.6

Provision for Recoverable
from
reinsurers
8,400.9
–
(2,277.0)
(311.7)
3,675.6

(20.6)

–

0.2
(19.4)
1.7

8.7
(241.0)
(63.5)

–

2.9
–
(4.3)

3.4

(17.2)

–
0.4
(0.5)

11.8
(260.0)
(66.6)

Balance – December 31

776.9 6,956.7

1,583.7

(161.5)

9,155.8

Balance – January 1

Reinsurers’ share of losses paid to insureds
Reinsurance recoveries received
Reinsurers’ share of unpaid losses and premiums earned
Premiums ceded to reinsurers
Change in provision, recovery or write-off of impaired

2018

Paid Unpaid
losses
losses
593.7 6,216.2
2,233.3 (2,233.3)
–
(2,012.6)
– 2,774.4
–
–

Unearned uncollectible
reinsurance
premiums
(166.4)
1,169.0
–
–
–
–
–
(2,935.4)
–
3,097.3

Provision for Recoverable
from
reinsurers
7,812.5
–
(2,012.6)
(161.0)
3,097.3

balances

(5.5)

(2.5)

–

(0.2)

(8.2)

Acquisitions of subsidiaries (note 23) and reinsurance

transactions(1)

Foreign exchange effect and other

0.1
(16.4)

30.1
(302.6)

4.2
(44.3)

–
1.8

34.4
(361.5)

Balance – December 31

792.6 6,482.3

1,290.8

(164.8)

8,400.9

(1)

Includes recoverable from reinsurers of $23.9 related to the Part VII transfer component of the RiverStone (UK) acquisition
transactions (note 8).

81

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

Commission  income  earned  on  premiums  ceded  to  reinsurers  in  2019  of  $652.3  (2018 – $567.4)  is  included  in
commissions, net in the consolidated statement of earnings.

10. Insurance Contract Receivables and Payables

Insurance contract receivables were comprised as follows:

Insurance premiums receivable
Reinsurance premiums receivable
Funds withheld receivable
Other
Provision for uncollectible receivables

Current
Non-current

December 31,
2019
3,325.0
1,176.0
753.7
211.0
(30.7)

December 31,
2018
2,949.8
1,082.1
800.9
307.5
(29.6)

5,435.0

4,921.5
513.5

5,435.0

5,110.7

4,467.1
643.6

5,110.7

Changes in insurance premiums receivable and reinsurance premiums receivable for the years ended December 31
were as follows:

Balance – January 1

Gross premiums written
Premiums collected
Amounts due to brokers and agents
Acquisitions of subsidiaries (note 23)
Assets held for sale (note 23)
Recovery (impairments)
Foreign exchange effect and other

Balance – December 31

Insurance contract payables were comprised as follows:

Payable to reinsurers
Ceded deferred premium acquisition costs
Funds withheld payable to reinsurers
Amounts payable to agents and brokers
Accrued commissions
Accrued premium taxes
Other insurance contract payables

Current
Non-current

82

Insurance
premiums receivable

Reinsurance
premiums receivable

2019
2,949.8
13,167.8
(11,516.3)
(1,284.5)
17.1
(1.7)
(1.3)
(5.9)

2018
2,752.3
11,895.0
(10,344.5)
(1,220.4)
4.0
–
(1.3)
(135.3)

2019
1,082.1
4,343.4
(3,288.5)
(917.2)
–
(22.6)
0.3
(21.5)

2018
1,086.4
3,633.3
(2,772.1)
(842.7)
–
–
(1.7)
(21.1)

3,325.0

2,949.8

1,176.0

1,082.1

December 31,
2019
1,469.4
373.2
239.1
101.8
95.5
82.7
229.3

December 31,
2018
1,122.2
254.8
128.5
93.8
87.3
74.6
241.9

2,591.0

2,315.4
275.6

2,591.0

2,003.1

1,514.2
488.9

2,003.1

11. Deferred Premium Acquisition Costs

Changes in deferred premium acquisition costs for the years ended December 31 were as follows:

Balance – January 1

Premium acquisition costs deferred
Amortization
Assets held for sale (note 23)
Foreign exchange effect and other

Balance – December 31

12. Goodwill and Intangible Assets

Goodwill and intangible assets were comprised as follows:

2019

2018

1,127.3
3,271.4
(3,068.2)
(1.7)
15.5

927.5
3,012.1
(2,812.5)
–
0.2

1,344.3

1,127.3

Goodwill

Intangible assets

Total

Balance – January 1, 2019

Additions
Disposals
Amortization
Impairments(2)
Foreign exchange effect and other

Balance – December 31, 2019

Gross carrying amount
Accumulated amortization
Accumulated impairment

2,702.7
316.2
–
–
(43.9)
22.3

2,997.3

3,043.9
–
(46.6)

2,997.3

Lloyd’s
participation

Customer
and broker
rights(1) relationships
932.8
134.9
–
(105.5)
–
7.6

503.2
–
–
–
–
–

Brand
names(1)

1,096.8
34.8
–
–
–
49.5

Computer
software
and other(1)

441.4
218.6
(1.3)
(117.6)
(2.9)
4.5

5,676.9
704.5
(1.3)
(223.1)
(46.8)
83.9

503.2

503.2
–
–

503.2

969.8

1,181.1

542.7

6,194.1

1,391.4
(421.9)
0.3

1,181.1
–
–

1,071.2
(512.6)
(15.9)

7,190.8
(934.5)
(62.2)

969.8

1,181.1

542.7

6,194.1

Goodwill

Intangible assets

Total

Balance – January 1, 2018

Additions
Disposals
Amortization
Impairments
Foreign exchange effect and other

Balance – December 31, 2018

Gross carrying amount
Accumulated amortization
Accumulated impairment

2,904.7
136.4
(227.1)
–
(2.6)
(108.7)

2,702.7

2,712.3
–
(9.6)

2,702.7

Lloyd’s
participation

Customer
and broker
rights(1) relationships
1,047.8
11.2
(8.2)
(99.3)
(0.2)
(18.5)

507.9
–
–
–
(4.3)
(0.4)

Brand
names(1)

1,171.4
11.9
(8.5)
–
–
(78.0)

Computer
software
and other(1)

440.7
134.9
(4.1)
(96.3)
(1.2)
(32.6)

6,072.5
294.4
(247.9)
(195.6)
(8.3)
(238.2)

503.2

507.5
–
(4.3)

503.2

932.8

1,096.8

441.4

5,676.9

1,247.0
(314.0)
(0.2)

1,096.8
–
–

852.8
(398.6)
(12.8)

6,416.4
(712.6)
(26.9)

932.8

1,096.8

441.4

5,676.9

(1)

Indefinite-lived intangible assets not subject to amortization had an aggregate carrying value at December 31, 2019 of
$1,790.5 (December 31, 2018 – $1,700.5).

(2) Non-cash impairment charges recorded in other expenses in the consolidated statement of earnings by the non-insurance

companies and principally attributable to non-controlling interests.

83

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

Goodwill and intangible assets were allocated to the company’s cash-generating units (‘‘CGUs’’) as follows:

Allied World
Recipe
Brit
Zenith National
Crum & Forster
Boat Rocker
AGT(1)
Thomas Cook India
Northbridge
Odyssey Group
AMAG Insurance
All other(2)

December 31, 2019

December 31, 2018

Goodwill
938.8
279.3
200.2
317.6
188.2
93.8
174.7
150.6
92.5
119.7
43.7
398.2

Intangible
assets
659.2
1,035.5
594.2
99.3
111.7
154.1
58.9
55.8
90.9
62.8
102.3
172.1

Total Goodwill
937.9
261.8
154.3
317.6
185.9
61.7
–
133.4
87.8
119.7
42.2
400.4

1,598.0
1,314.8
794.4
416.9
299.9
247.9
233.6
206.4
183.4
182.5
146.0
570.3

Intangible
assets
710.0
984.9
561.1
107.2
108.3
62.2
–
52.7
76.6
57.7
101.5
152.0

Total
1,647.9
1,246.7
715.4
424.8
294.2
123.9
–
186.1
164.4
177.4
143.7
552.4

2,997.3

3,196.8

6,194.1

2,702.7

2,974.2

5,676.9

(1) AGT was acquired on April 17, 2019 as described in note 23.

(2) Comprised  primarily  of  balances  related  to  Dexterra,  Fairchem,  Mosaic  Capital,  Sterling  Resorts,  CIG,  U.S.  Run-off

and Pethealth.

At  December  31,  2019  goodwill  and  intangible  assets  were  comprised  primarily  of  amounts  arising  on  the
acquisitions of AGT during 2019, Allied World during 2017, St-Hubert and Original Joe’s (both by Recipe) during
2016, Recipe and Brit during 2015, Thomas Cook India during 2012, and Zenith National during 2010. Impairment
tests for goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets were completed during 2019 and it was concluded that no
significant impairments had occurred. When testing for impairment, the recoverable amount of each CGU or group
of CGUs was based on the higher of (i) fair value less costs of disposal, determined using market prices inclusive of a
control  premium,  or  discounted  cash  flow  models,  and  (ii)  value-in-use,  determined  using  discounted  cash
flow models.

In  preparing  discounted  cash  flow  models,  cash  flow  projections  covering  a  five  year  period  were  derived  from
financial  budgets  approved  by  management.  Cash  flows  beyond  the  five  year  period  were  extrapolated  using
estimated growth rates which do not exceed the long term average historic growth rate for the business in which
each  CGU  operates.  A  number  of  other  assumptions  and  estimates  including  premiums,  investment  returns,
revenues,  expenses,  royalty  rates  and  working  capital  requirements  were  required  to  be  incorporated  into  the
discounted  cash  flow  models.  The  forecasts  were  based  on  best  estimates  of  future  premiums  or  revenues  and
operating expenses using historical trends, general geographical market conditions, industry trends and forecasts
and  other  available  information.  These  assumptions  and  estimates  were  reviewed  by  the  applicable  CGU’s
management and by Fairfax’s management. The cash flow forecasts were adjusted by applying appropriate discount
rates  within  a  range  of  6.8%  to  12.8%  for  insurance  and  reinsurance  subsidiaries  and  8.4%  to  15.2%  for
non-insurance  subsidiaries.  A  long  term  investment  return  of  5.0%  was  applied  to  the  investment  portfolios  of
insurance and reinsurance subsidiaries. The long term growth rates used to extrapolate cash flows beyond five years
for the majority of the CGUs ranged from 2.5% to 3.0%.

84

13. Other Assets

Other assets were comprised as follows:

Premises and equipment

Right-of-use assets (notes 3 and 22)

Inventories

Other revenue receivables

Finance lease receivables (notes 3 and 22)

Prepaid expenses

Accrued interest and dividends

Income taxes refundable

Sales tax and other taxes receivable

Prepaid losses on claims

Deferred compensation plans

Pension surplus (note 21)

Non-insurance companies’ investment property (note 23)

Other

Current

Non-current

December 31, 2019

December 31, 2018

Insurance and

Non-
reinsurance insurance
companies companies

Insurance and

Non-
reinsurance insurance
companies companies

Total

Total

367.8

385.4

–

–

8.8

113.2

195.7

126.3

22.3

114.4

87.4

51.9

–

1,319.9

1,687.7

374.8

867.7

1,242.5

635.2

694.5

583.5

367.1

168.9

10.8

42.7

102.6

–

–

–

–

1,020.6

694.5

583.5

375.9

282.1

206.5

169.0

124.9

114.4

87.4

51.9

–

–

–

–

–

89.9

162.0

123.0

24.8

98.9

80.5

64.0

–

455.5

390.9

–

117.3

11.2

29.3

68.9

–

–

–

–

455.5

390.9

–

207.2

173.2

152.3

93.7

98.9

80.5

64.0

–

1,157.9

1,157.9

490.3

118.6

608.9

327.8

123.9

451.7

1,963.5

4,043.8

6,007.3

1,345.7

3,222.6

4,568.3

789.7

1,668.1

2,457.8

1,173.8

2,375.7

3,549.5

614.5

731.2

947.8

1,562.3

2,274.8

3,006.0

1,963.5

4,043.8

6,007.3

1,345.7

3,222.6

4,568.3

14. Accounts Payable and Accrued Liabilities

Accounts payable and accrued liabilities were comprised as follows:

December 31, 2019

December 31, 2018

Insurance and

Non-
reinsurance insurance
companies companies

Insurance and

Non-
reinsurance insurance
companies companies

Total

Lease liabilities (notes 3 and 22)

Payables related to cost of sales

Salaries and employee benefit liabilities

Deferred gift card, hospitality and other revenue

Pension and post retirement liabilities (note 21)

Amounts withheld and accrued taxes

Advances and deposits from customers

Income taxes payable

Accrued legal and professional fees

Accrued interest expense

Accrued rent, storage and facilities costs

Amounts payable for securities purchased but not yet settled

434.3

1,062.1

1,496.4

–

354.9

21.2

338.8

314.7

–

47.5

57.3

64.9

16.4

6.2

778.4

79.7

351.6

21.8

31.5

109.6

30.9

11.4

2.2

8.8

–

778.4

434.6

372.8

360.6

346.2

109.6

78.4

68.7

67.1

25.2

6.2

–

–

315.1

24.7

232.0

269.8

–

58.2

61.1

63.2

26.9

19.2

Administrative and other

423.8

246.1

669.9

433.7

–

616.8

61.2

336.4

21.1

29.5

55.9

21.9

10.7

3.0

103.7

29.8

226.1

Total

–

616.8

376.3

361.1

253.1

299.3

55.9

80.1

71.8

66.2

130.6

49.0

659.8

Current

Non-current

2,080.0

2,734.1

4,814.1

1,503.9

1,516.1

3,020.0

869.9

1,594.1

2,464.0

1,210.1

1,140.0

2,350.1

870.4

633.5

1,173.6

2,044.0

342.5

976.0

2,080.0

2,734.1

4,814.1

1,503.9

1,516.1

3,020.0

85

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

15. Borrowings

Borrowings – holding company
Fairfax unsecured notes:

6.40% due May 25, 2021 (Cdn$400.0)(d)(1)
5.84% due October 14, 2022 (Cdn$450.0)(d)
4.50% due March 22, 2023 (Cdn$400.0)
4.142% due February 7, 2024(3)
4.875% due August 13, 2024(d)
4.95% due March 3, 2025 (Cdn$350.0)(d)
8.30% due April 15, 2026(e)
4.70% due December 16, 2026 (Cdn$450.0)
4.25% due December 6, 2027 (Cdn$650.0)
2.75% due March 29, 2028 (A750.0)
4.85% due April 17, 2028
4.23% due June 14, 2029 (Cdn$500.0)(2)
7.75% due July 15, 2037

Borrowings – insurance and reinsurance companies
Odyssey Group floating rate unsecured senior notes due 2021
Allied World 4.35% senior notes due October 29, 2025
Allied World revolving credit facility and other borrowings
Zenith National 8.55% debentures due August 1, 2028(d)
Brit 6.625% subordinated notes due December 9, 2030 (£135.0)
Brit floating rate revolving credit facility(4)
Advent floating rate unsecured senior notes due 2026(d)(f)
Advent floating rate subordinated notes due June 3, 2035(d)(f)
First Mercury trust preferred securities due 2036 and 2037

Borrowings – non-insurance companies(c)
Fairfax India floating rate term loans(5)
Fairfax India subsidiary borrowings
AGT credit facilities, senior notes and loans (note 23)(6)
Recipe term loans and credit facilities
Boat Rocker demand loans and revolving credit facilities
Fairfax Africa subsidiary borrowings(7)
Fairfax Africa credit facility
Grivalia Properties term loans and revolving facility (note 23)
Loans and revolving credit facilities primarily at floating rates

December 31, 2019

December 31, 2018

Carrying

Fair

Principal

value(a) value(b) Principal

Carrying

Fair
value(a) value(b)

–
343.9
308.5
85.0
282.5
269.9
91.8
347.0
501.3
841.9
600.0
385.6
91.3

–
345.9
307.0
85.0
280.0
267.1
91.6
345.1
499.3
827.0
595.2
383.6
90.5

–
373.8
326.0
85.1
300.8
293.1
116.1
370.0
515.7
910.2
648.9
391.4
113.8

289.6
326.5
292.9
–
282.5
256.3
91.8
329.5
475.9
857.4
600.0
–
91.3

288.7
329.2
290.9
–
279.5
252.9
91.6
327.2
473.7
840.7
594.6
–
90.5

310.2
352.9
301.7
–
288.2
267.2
109.5
334.3
462.1
854.5
576.3
–
106.7

4,148.7

4,117.3 4,444.9

3,893.7

3,859.5 3,963.6

90.0
500.0
39.4
38.5
178.8
140.0
–
–
41.4

90.0
506.1
43.0
38.3
180.8
140.0
–
–
41.4

92.5
524.1
46.4
38.3
181.2
140.0
–
–
41.3

90.0
500.0
39.6
38.5
171.9
7.9
46.0
47.7
41.4

89.9
507.2
43.5
38.2
176.1
7.9
45.0
46.5
41.4

92.4
490.4
43.2
38.2
174.3
7.9
46.0
44.7
41.4

1,028.1

1,039.6 1,063.8

983.0

995.7

978.5

550.0
155.1
435.7
413.5
147.6
102.4
–
–
279.9

547.2
155.1
432.8
410.7
147.6
102.4
–
–
279.9

550.0
155.1
433.1
410.8
147.5
102.4
–
–
277.7

550.0
183.8
–
328.0
80.3
–
30.0
254.2
203.4

547.2
183.8
–
326.9
80.3
–
29.5
254.2
203.3

550.0
183.8
–
326.9
80.3
–
29.5
254.2
203.3

2,084.2

2,075.7 2,076.6

1,629.7

1,625.2 1,628.0

Total debt

7,261.0

7,232.6 7,585.3

6,506.4

6,480.4 6,570.1

(a) Principal net of unamortized issue costs and discounts (premiums).

(b) Based  principally  on  quoted  market  prices  with  the  remainder  based  on  discounted  cash  flow  models  using  market

observable inputs (Levels 1 and 2 respectively in the fair value hierarchy).

(c) These borrowings are non-recourse to the holding company.

(d)

Issuer may redeem any time at prices specified in the instrument’s offering document.

(e) Not redeemable prior to the contractual maturity date.

(f) European Run-off’s borrowings at December 31, 2019 with a carrying value of $91.4 are presented as liabilities associated

with assets held for sale on the consolidated balance sheet. See note 23.

86

During 2019 the company and its subsidiaries completed the following debt transactions:

(1) On July 15, 2019 the company redeemed its remaining Cdn$395.6 principal amount of 6.40% unsecured senior
notes  due  May  25,  2021  for  cash  consideration  of  $329.1  (Cdn$429.0)  including  accrued  interest,  and
recognized a loss on repurchase of long term debt of $23.7 (Cdn$30.7).

(2) On  June  14,  2019  the  company  completed  an  offering  of  Cdn$500.0  principal  amount  of  4.23%  unsecured
senior notes due June 14, 2029 at an issue price of 99.952 for net proceeds after discount, commissions and
expenses of $371.5 (Cdn$497.3). Commissions and expenses of $1.9 (Cdn$2.5) were included in the carrying
value of the notes. On July 15, 2019 the company designated these senior notes as a hedge of a portion of its net
investment in Canadian subsidiaries.

(3) On February 7, 2019 the company completed an offering of $85.0 principal amount of 4.142% unsecured senior
notes due February 7, 2024 at an issue price of 100.0 for net proceeds of $85.0. Commissions and expenses of
$0.6 were reimbursed to the company by the sole purchaser of the notes.

(4) During 2019 Brit borrowed an additional $132.1 on its revolving credit facility.

(5) On June 28, 2019 Fairfax India extended its $550.0 principal amount floating rate term loan for one year (with a
one  year  extension  option)  and  entered  into  a  $50.0  revolving  credit  facility  that  was  not  borrowed  on  at
December 31, 2019.

(6) On April 17, 2019 the company consolidated AGT’s borrowings (note 23) which primarily included a Cdn$525.0
floating rate secured senior credit facility maturing on March 16, 2020. At December 31, 2019 there was $386.9
(Cdn$501.7) borrowed on this credit facility. Subsequent to December 31, 2019 the credit facility was renewed
and matures on March 15, 2021.

(7) On  January  4,  2019  Fairfax  Africa  consolidated  CIG’s  borrowings  which  primarily  included  floating  rate
unsecured  senior  notes  due  2020,  trade  finance  and  overdraft  facilities.  Refer  to  note  23  for  details  of  the
acquisition of CIG.

Changes in the carrying values of borrowings for the years ended December 31 were as follows:

2019

2018

company

3,859.5
456.5
(326.5)

–

–

–
23.7

Balance – January 1

Cash inflows from issuances
Cash outflows from repayments
Net cash inflows (outflows)

from credit facilities and short
term loans

Non-cash changes:
Acquisitions(1)
Deconsolidation of

subsidiary(1)

Loss on redemption
Liabilities associated with
assets held for sale(1)

Foreign exchange effect and

other

Insurance
and
Holding reinsurance

Non-
insurance
companies companies

Insurance
and
Holding reinsurance

Non-
insurance
companies companies

Total company

Total

995.7
–
(0.2)

1,625.2 6,480.4
759.2
(635.2)

302.7
(308.5)

3,475.1
1,490.7
(928.8)

1,373.0
–
(317.7)

1,566.0 6,414.1
664.0 2,154.7
(660.6) (1,907.1)

132.1

(16.9)

115.2

–

–

–

–
–

687.7

687.7

(246.2)
–

(246.2)
23.7

–
58.9

–

(91.4)

–

(91.4)

–

(42.2)

41.4

(0.8)

–

–
–

–

218.1

218.1

(141.6)
–

(141.6)
58.9

–

–

104.1

3.4

31.7

139.2

(236.4)

(17.4)

(62.1)

(315.9)

Balance – December 31

4,117.3

1,039.6

2,075.7 7,232.6

3,859.5

995.7

1,625.2 6,480.4

(1) See note 23.

87

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

Principal repayments on borrowings are due as follows:

Holding company
Insurance and reinsurance companies
Non-insurance companies

2020

2021

2022

2023

2024 Thereafter

Total

–
140.0
1,304.9

–
90.0
100.8

343.9
–
291.9

308.5
–
75.8

367.5
–
39.0

3,128.8
798.1
271.8

4,148.7
1,028.1
2,084.2

Total

1,444.9

190.8

635.8

384.3

406.5

4,198.7

7,261.0

Interest Expense

Interest expense was comprised of interest expense on borrowings of $404.2 and interest expense on accretion of
lease liabilities of $67.8 (2018 – $347.1 and nil). The adoption of IFRS 16 is described in note 3.

Credit Facility – Holding company

During 2018 the company extended the term of its $2.0 billion unsecured revolving credit facility with a syndicate of
lenders  by  one  year  to  December  21,  2022.  The  principal  financial  covenants  of  the  credit  facility  require  the
company  to  maintain  a  ratio  of  consolidated  debt  to  consolidated  capitalization  not  exceeding  0.35:1  and
consolidated  shareholders’  equity  attributable  to  shareholders  of  Fairfax  of  not  less  than  $9.5  billion.  At
December 31, 2019 there were no amounts borrowed on the credit facility and the company was in compliance with
its  financial  covenants,  with  a  consolidated  debt  to  consolidated  capitalization  ratio  of  0.26:1  and  consolidated
shareholders’  equity  attributable  to  shareholders  of  Fairfax  of  $14.4  billion,  both  calculated  as  defined  in  the
financial covenants.

Subsequent to December 31, 2019 the company borrowed $300.0 on the credit facility.

16. Total Equity

Equity attributable to shareholders of Fairfax

Authorized capital

The authorized share capital of the company consists of an unlimited number of preferred shares issuable in series, an
unlimited number of multiple voting shares (cumulatively carrying 41.8% voting power) and an unlimited number
of subordinate voting shares carrying one vote per share.

Issued capital

Issued capital at December 31, 2019 was comprised of 1,548,000 multiple voting shares and 27,467,964 subordinate
voting shares without par value prior to deducting 1,385,665 subordinate voting shares reserved in treasury for share-
based  payment  awards  (December  31,  2018 – 1,548,000,  27,717,325  and  1,228,148  respectively).  The  multiple
voting shares are not traded.

Common stock

The number of shares outstanding was as follows:

Subordinate voting shares – January 1

Purchases for cancellation
Treasury shares acquired
Treasury shares reissued

Subordinate voting shares – December 31
Multiple voting shares – beginning and end of year
Interest in multiple and subordinate voting shares held through ownership interest in

shareholder – beginning and end of year

Common stock effectively outstanding – December 31

2019

2018

26,489,177
(249,361)
(229,189)
71,672

27,002,303
(187,476)
(415,538)
89,888

26,082,299
1,548,000

26,489,177
1,548,000

(799,230)

(799,230)

26,831,069

27,237,947

88

During 2019 the company purchased for cancellation 249,361 subordinate voting shares (2018 – 187,476) under the
terms of its normal course issuer bids at a cost of $118.0 (2018 – $92.7), of which $56.2 (2018 – $46.3) was charged to
retained  earnings.  Subsequent  to  December  31,  2019  and  up  to  March  5,  2020  the  company  purchased  for
cancellation 23,568 subordinate voting shares under the terms of its normal course issuer bid at a cost of $10.0.

During  2019  the  company  purchased  for  treasury  229,189  subordinate  voting  shares  at  a  cost  of  $104.4  (2018 –
415,538 subordinate voting shares at a cost of $214.0) on the open market for use in its share-based payment awards.
Subsequent to December 31, 2019 and up to March 5, 2020 the company purchased for treasury 22,693 subordinate
voting  shares  at  a  cost  of  $9.8  on  the  open  market  for  use  in  its  share-based  payment  awards.  During  2019  the
company granted long term incentive options, becoming exercisable only after 15 years, at the exercise price of
Cdn$650.00 per share to 24 of its employees on an aggregate of 103,079 previously issued subordinate voting shares
of the company purchased on the open market.

Dividends paid by the company on its outstanding multiple voting and subordinate voting shares were as follows:

Date of declaration

Date of record

January 3, 2020
January 3, 2019
January 3, 2018

January 17, 2020
January 18, 2019
January 18, 2018

Date of payment

January 28, 2020
January 28, 2019
January 25, 2018

Preferred stock

Dividend
per share

$10.00
$10.00
$10.00

Total
cash
payment

$275.7
$278.0
$283.2

The terms of the company’s cumulative five-year rate reset preferred shares at December 31, 2019 were as follows:

Series C
Series D
Series E
Series F
Series G
Series H
Series I
Series J
Series K
Series M

Next possible
redemption and
conversion date(1)(2)

December 31, 2024
December 31, 2024
March 31, 2020
March 31, 2020
September 30, 2020
September 30, 2020
December 31, 2020
December 31, 2020
March 31, 2022
March 31, 2020

Number of

outstanding(3)

shares Carrying
value(3)

7,515,642
2,484,358
3,967,134
3,572,044
7,432,952
2,567,048
10,465,553
1,534,447
9,500,000
9,200,000

$170.8
$56.4
$90.8
$81.8
$175.3
$60.6
$251.6
$36.9
$231.7
$179.6

Stated
capital(3)

Cdn$187.9
Cdn$62.1
Cdn$99.2
Cdn$89.3
Cdn$185.8
Cdn$64.2
Cdn$261.6
Cdn$38.4
Cdn$237.5
Cdn$230.0

$1,335.5

Cdn$1,456.0

Liquidation
preference
per share

Fixed
dividend rate

Floating
dividend rate
per annum per annum(4)

Cdn$25.00
Cdn$25.00
Cdn$25.00
Cdn$25.00
Cdn$25.00
Cdn$25.00
Cdn$25.00
Cdn$25.00
Cdn$25.00
Cdn$25.00

4.71%
–
2.91%
–
3.32%
–
3.71%
–
4.67%
4.75%

–
4.80%
–
3.81%
–
4.21%
–
4.50%
–
–

(1) Fixed and floating rate cumulative preferred shares are redeemable by the company at each stated redemption date and on

each subsequent five-year anniversary date at Cdn$25.00 per share.

(2) Holders of Series C, Series E, Series G, Series I, Series K and Series M fixed rate cumulative preferred shares will have the
option to convert their shares into Series D, Series F, Series H, Series J, Series L and Series N floating rate cumulative
preferred shares respectively, at the specified conversion dates, and on each subsequent five-year anniversary date. Holders
of Series D, Series F, Series H and Series J floating rate cumulative preferred shares will have the option to convert their
shares into Series C, Series E, Series G and Series I fixed rate cumulative preferred shares respectively, at the specified
conversion dates, and on each subsequent five-year anniversary date.

(3) For each series of preferred shares, the number of shares outstanding, carrying value and stated capital have remained
consistent  at  January  1,  2018  and  December  31,  2018  and  December  31,  2019  except  for  the  net  conversion  of
1,499,258 Series D floating rate cumulative preferred shares with aggregate carrying value of $34.1 and stated capital of
Cdn$37.5 into an equal number of Series C fixed rate cumulative preferred shares on December 31, 2019.

(4) The Series D, Series F, Series H, and Series J preferred shares, and the Series L and Series N preferred shares (of which none
are currently issued), have a floating dividend rate equal to the three-month Government of Canada treasury bill yield plus
3.15%, 2.16%, 2.56%, 2.85%, 3.51% and 3.98% respectively, with rate resets at the end of each calendar quarter.

During 2019 the company paid preferred share dividends of $45.8 (2018 – $45.1).

89

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)

Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) attributable to shareholders of Fairfax was comprised as follows:

December 31, 2019

December 31, 2018

(Provision for)

Items that may be subsequently reclassified to

net earnings

Pre-tax
amount

recovery of After-tax
income tax

amount amount

Pre-tax Recovery of After-tax
amount
income tax

Currency translation account

(423.4)

1.4

(422.0)

(405.1)

5.7

(399.4)

Share of accumulated other comprehensive loss of

associates, excluding share of net losses on
defined benefit plans of associates

Items that will not be subsequently

reclassified to net earnings

(79.3)

(502.7)

(2.4)

(81.7)

(68.2)

(1.0)

(503.7)

(473.3)

4.1

9.8

(64.1)

(463.5)

Net losses on defined benefit plans

(147.7)

36.2

(111.5)

(49.2)

7.1

(42.1)

Share of net losses on defined benefit plans of

associates

Other

(120.9)

(0.8)

(269.4)

15.1

10.1

61.4

(105.8)

9.3

(78.0)

(0.8)

(208.0)

(128.0)

9.0

10.1

26.2

(69.0)

9.3

(101.8)

Accumulated other comprehensive income

(loss) attributable to shareholders of Fairfax

(772.1)

60.4

(711.7)

(601.3)

36.0

(565.3)

Non-controlling interests

Details of non-controlling interests as at and for the years ended December 31 were as follows:

Subsidiary
Allied World(1)
Fairfax India(2)
Recipe(3)
Brit(4)
Fairfax Africa(5)
Thomas Cook India(6)
Grivalia Properties(7)
All other(8)

December 31, 2019

December 31, 2018

Minority
voting
Domicile percentage
29.9%
Bermuda
6.2%
Canada
38.4%
Canada
10.7%
U.K.
1.5%
Canada
33.1%
India
–
Greece
–
–

Carrying
value
1,256.3
1,117.2
437.5
197.4
195.6
93.8
–
231.3

3,529.1

Minority
voting
percentage
32.2%
6.2%
43.1%
11.1%
1.7%
33.1%
47.3%
–

Carrying
value
1,196.6
1,095.4
494.3
181.9
267.2
434.5
473.1
107.4

4,250.4

Net earnings
(loss) attributable to
non-controlling
interests

2019
88.1
59.0
28.5
15.8
(41.4)
(186.2)
8.5
(5.2)

(32.9)

2018
6.1
81.9
33.6
(1.7)
(1.6)
283.4
28.6
11.6

441.9

(1) On April 29, 2019 Allied World paid a dividend of $126.4 (April 30, 2018 – $61.3) to its minority shareholders (OMERS,
AIMCo and others). On November 30, 2019 the company made a capital contribution of $320.8 to Allied World which
increased  its  ownership  interest  to  70.1%  from  67.8%.  During  2019  Allied  World  redomesticated  from  Switzerland
to Bermuda.

(2) Net earnings attributable to non-controlling interests of Fairfax India in 2019 primarily reflected the non-controlling

interests’ 66.2% share of Fairfax India’s share of a spin-off gain at IIFL Holdings on May 31, 2019 (note 6).

(3) The decrease in the carrying value of Recipe’s non-controlling interests at December 31, 2019 compared to December 31,
2018 primarily reflected Recipe’s purchase of its common shares for cancellation ($85.3) and the company’s purchase of
multiple voting shares from Recipe’s non-controlling interests ($20.2), partially offset by the non-controlling interests’
share of Recipe’s net earnings ($28.5).

90

(4) On April 29, 2019 Brit paid a dividend of $20.6 to its minority shareholder (OMERS). During 2019 Brit received capital
contributions from the company of $70.6 primarily to support its underwriting plans. Subsequent to these transactions,
the company’s ownership interest in Brit increased to 89.3% from 88.9% at December 31, 2018.

(5) The  decrease  in  the  carrying  value  of  Fairfax  Africa’s  non-controlling  interests  at  December  31,  2019  compared  to
December 31, 2018 primarily reflected net losses at CIG and share of loss of Atlas Mara (note 6), partially offset by the
consolidation of CIG (note 23).

(6) The decrease in carrying value of Thomas Cook India’s non-controlling interests at December 31, 2019 compared to
December 31, 2018 and the net loss attributable to non-controlling interests during 2019 primarily reflected Thomas
Cook India’s spin-off of its investment in Quess to its shareholders (note 6). Net earnings attributable to non-controlling
interests during 2018 primarily reflected the non-controlling interests’ 33.0% share of a non-cash remeasurement gain
($889.9) related to the deconsolidation of Quess (note 23).

(7) On May 17, 2019 the company deconsolidated Grivalia Properties upon the merger of Grivalia Properties into Eurobank

(note 23).

(8) The increase in carrying value at December 31, 2019 compared to December 31, 2018 primarily related to the acquisition

of AGT (note 23) and acquisitions by Boat Rocker.

Minority  voting  percentages  in  the  table  above  are  consistent  with  equity  interests  in  each  subsidiary  at
December 31, 2019 except for Fairfax India, Recipe, and Fairfax Africa whose minority equity interests were 66.2%,
52.1%, and 38.0% respectively (December 31, 2018 – 66.3%, 56.3%, 41.3%).

Other net changes in capitalization

The  impact  on  retained  earnings  and  non-controlling  interests  of  certain  capital  transactions  and  changes  in
ownership interests of the company’s consolidated subsidiaries for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018 are
included in other net changes in capitalization in the consolidated statement of changes in equity as shown in the
table below. See note 23 and under the heading ‘‘Non-controlling interests’’ earlier in this note for details of those
transactions.

Thomas Cook India’s spin-off of its investment in Quess
Purchase of multiple voting shares from Recipe’s non-
controlling interests and Recipe’s share repurchases

Fairfax India and Fairfax Africa share repurchases
Dividends paid to co-investors in Allied World and Brit
Boat Rocker issuance of preferred shares
Additional investments in Brit
Recipe’s acquisition of The Keg
Fairfax Africa secondary public offering
Other

As presented in other net changes in capitalization in the

consolidated statement of changes in equity

2019

2018

Non-

Retained
earnings
–

controlling Retained
earnings
–

interests
(147.2)

Non-
controlling
interests
–

(15.5)
1.7
(104.1)
–
–
–
–
8.8

(105.5)
(31.8)
104.1
20.0
–
–
–
28.7

–
–
(86.5)
–
(63.9)
(9.3)
3.9
(29.4)

–
–
86.5
–
(233.5)
(79.1)
86.6
(67.2)

(109.1)

(131.7)

(185.2)

(206.7)

91

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

17. Earnings per Share

Net earnings per share is calculated using the weighted average common shares outstanding as follows:

Net earnings attributable to shareholders of Fairfax
Preferred share dividends

Net earnings attributable to common shareholders – basic and diluted

Weighted average common shares outstanding – basic
Share-based payment awards

Weighted average common shares outstanding – diluted

Net earnings per common share – basic
Net earnings per common share – diluted

18. Income Taxes

2019
2,004.1
(45.8)

1,958.3

2018
376.0
(45.1)

330.9

26,901,184
1,159,352

27,505,896
890,985

28,060,536

28,396,881

$
$

72.80
69.79

$
$

12.03
11.65

The company’s provision for income taxes for the years ended December 31 were comprised as follows:

Current income tax:

Current year expense
Adjustments to prior years’ income taxes

Deferred income tax:

Origination and reversal of temporary differences
Adjustments to prior years’ deferred income taxes
Other

Provision for income taxes

2019

2018

175.0
2.7

144.1
5.1

177.7

149.2

87.5
(17.1)
13.4

(108.1)
(1.6)
4.7

83.8

(105.0)

261.5

44.2

A significant portion of the company’s earnings or losses before income taxes may be earned or incurred outside of
Canada.  The  statutory  income  tax  rates  for  jurisdictions  outside  of  Canada  generally  differs  from  the  Canadian
statutory income tax rate, and may be significantly higher or lower. The company’s earnings (loss) before income
taxes by jurisdiction and the associated provision for (recovery of) income taxes for the years ended December 31 are
summarized in the following table:

Earnings (loss) before

income taxes

Provision for

(recovery of)
income taxes

Canada(1) U.S.(2) U.K.(3) Other(4)

Total Canada(1) U.S.(2) U.K.(3) Other(4) Total

2019

2018

183.4

848.0

244.7

956.6 2,232.7

54.7

(78.2)

(115.4)

1,001.0

862.1

79.3

23.5

24.0

134.7

261.5

47.4

(27.2)

(24.0)

48.0

44.2

Net earnings (loss)

104.1

824.5

220.7

821.9 1,971.2

7.3

(51.0)

(91.4)

953.0

817.9

(1)

Includes Fairfax India and Fairfax Africa.

(2) Principally comprised of Crum & Forster, Zenith National, Odyssey Group (notwithstanding that certain operations of Odyssey Group

conduct business outside of the U.S.), U.S. Run-off and other associated holding company results.

(3) Principally comprised of Brit, European Run-off and other associated holding company results.

(4)

Includes companies in India, Asia and Europe (excluding the U.K.), and Allied World (the majority of Allied World’s net earnings (loss) is
sourced from its Bermuda operations notwithstanding certain of its operations conduct business in the U.S. and the U.K.).

92

Increased  pre-tax  profitability  in  Canada,  the  U.S.  and  the  U.K.  in  2019  compared  to  2018  primarily  reflected
improvements  in  investment  performance.  Decreased  pre-tax  profitability  in  Other  in  2019  compared  to  2018
primarily reflected the gain on deconsolidation of Quess in 2018, partially offset by improvements in investment
performance.

Reconciliations  of  the  provision  for  income  taxes  calculated  at  the  Canadian  statutory  income  tax  rate  to  the
provision  for  income  taxes  at  the  effective  tax  rate  in  the  consolidated  financial  statements  for  the  years  ended
December 31 are summarized in the following table:

Canadian statutory income tax rate

Provision for income taxes at the Canadian statutory income tax rate
Non-taxable investment income
Tax rate differential on income and losses outside Canada
Change in unrecorded tax benefit of losses and temporary differences
Change in tax rate for deferred income taxes
Provision (recovery) relating to prior years
Foreign exchange effect
Other including permanent differences

Provision for income taxes

2019
26.5%

591.7
(56.6)
(209.5)
(90.7)
0.5
(14.4)
(3.7)
44.2

2018
26.5%

228.5
(289.7)
(36.4)
81.6
4.3
3.5
27.4
25.0

261.5

44.2

Non-taxable  investment  income  of  $56.6  in  2019  and  $289.7  in  2018  were  principally  comprised  of  dividend
income, non-taxable interest income, the 50% of net capital gains which are not taxable in Canada and share of
profit of associates in certain jurisdictions. Also included in 2018 was an income tax rate benefit of $235.8 related to
the  non-cash  gain  on  deconsolidation  of  Quess,  reflecting  the  preferential  treatment  of  long  term  capital  gains
in India.

The tax rate differential on income and losses outside Canada of $209.5 in 2019 principally related to income taxed
at lower rates in the U.S. and Barbados, and at Fairfax India, Brit, and Allied World. The tax rate differential on
income and losses outside Canada of $36.4 in 2018 principally related to income taxed at lower rates at Allied World,
certain subsidiaries of Fairfax India and in Barbados.

The change in unrecorded tax benefit of losses and temporary differences of an income tax rate benefit of $90.7 in
2019  (2018 – income  tax  rate  expense  of  $81.6)  principally  reflected  the  recognition  of  U.S.  foreign  tax  credit
carryforwards of $104.0 (2018 – nil) that are expected to be utilized prior to expiration without incurring an equal
amount of base erosion anti-abuse tax (‘‘BEAT’’), partially offset by deferred tax assets in Canada of $13.8 (2018 –
$63.3) that were not recorded, as it was not considered probable that those losses could be utilized.

Other including permanent differences of $44.2 in 2019 included $13.4 related to a non-cash goodwill impairment
charge recorded by Fairfax India. Other including permanent differences of $25.0 in 2018 primarily reflected BEAT
of $17.9.

Income taxes refundable and payable were as follows:

Income taxes refundable
Income taxes payable

Net income taxes refundable

December 31, December 31,
2018
152.3
(80.1)

2019
169.0
(78.4)

90.6

72.2

93

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

Changes in net income taxes refundable during the years ended December 31 were as follows:

Balance – January 1

Amounts recorded in the consolidated statements of earnings
Payments made during the year
Acquisitions of subsidiaries (note 23)
Assets held for sale (note 23)
Liabilities associated with assets held for sale (note 23)
Deconsolidation of subsidiary (note 23)
Foreign exchange effect and other

Balance – December 31

2019
72.2
(177.7)
178.9
6.7
(17.1)
29.6
–
(2.0)

2018
51.4
(149.2)
229.9
7.3
–
–
(71.3)
4.1

90.6

72.2

Changes in the net deferred income tax asset during the years ended December 31 were as follows:

Operating
and

Provision
for losses Provision
for

and loss

Deferred
premium Intan-

2019

Balance – January 1

Amounts recorded in the

consolidated statement of
earnings

Amounts recorded in total equity
Acquisitions of subsidiaries

(note 23)

Assets held for sale (note 23)
Foreign exchange effect and other

capital adjustment unearned acquisition
gible Invest-
costs
expenses premiums
assets ments credits Other Total
(81.1) (419.6) 314.9 118.9 225.9 497.9
96.8

losses
107.4

134.7

Tax

(11.7)
2.5

22.9
–
(1.9)

8.8
–

–
–
1.8

23.1
–

(16.0)
–

28.3 (181.0) 92.5 (27.8) (83.8)
– 35.3 26.4

(11.4)

–

–
–
–

–
–
0.2

(29.5)
–
(7.4)

–
0.8
4.7

– (58.3) (64.9)
(2.2)
–
2.5
(0.4)

(3.0)
5.5

Balance – December 31

119.2

145.3

119.9

(96.9) (428.2) 128.0 211.0 177.6 375.9

Operating
and

Provision
for losses Provision
for

and loss

Deferred
premium Intan-

2018

Balance – January 1

Amounts recorded in the

consolidated statement of
earnings

Amounts recorded in total equity
Acquisitions of subsidiaries

capital adjustment unearned acquisition
gible Invest-
costs
expenses premiums
assets ments credits Other Total
(66.7) (443.5) 177.5 118.1 184.5 380.8
91.9

losses
187.7

131.3

Tax

(67.6)
5.0

5.3
–

5.5
–

(15.6)
–

11.2 128.8
7.6

–

1.1 36.3 105.0
– 13.9 26.5

(note 23)

1.4

–

(0.8)

1.4

(4.7)

–

–

9.1

6.4

Deconsolidation of subsidiary

(note 23)

Foreign exchange effect and other

(6.1)
(13.0)

–
(1.9)

–
0.2

–
(0.2)

4.2
13.2

–
1.0

– (15.3) (17.2)
(3.6)

(2.6)

(0.3)

Balance – December 31

107.4

134.7

96.8

(81.1) (419.6) 314.9 118.9 225.9 497.9

94

Management expects that the deferred income tax asset will be realized in the normal course of operations. The most
significant temporary differences included in the deferred income tax asset at December 31, 2019 related to tax
credits,  provision  for  losses  and  loss  adjustment  expenses,  investments,  provision  for  unearned  premiums,  and
operating  and  capital  losses,  partially  offset  by  a  deferred  income  tax  liability  related  to  intangible  assets.  The
temporary differences related to investments are primarily due to net unrealized investment losses in the U.S. In
these consolidated financial statements, investment gains and losses are primarily recognized on a mark-to-market
basis but are only recognized for income tax when realized (particularly in the U.S. and several other jurisdictions).
The provision for losses and loss adjustment expenses is recorded on an undiscounted basis in these consolidated
financial  statements  but  is  recorded  on  a  discounted  basis  in  certain  jurisdictions  for  income  tax,  resulting  in
temporary  differences.  Deferred  taxes  on  intangible  assets  primarily  relate  to  intangible  assets  recognized  on
acquisitions (principally Allied World, Recipe and Brit) that are typically not deductible in the determination of
income  taxes  payable.  The  deferred  income  tax  asset  related  to  operating  and  capital  losses  arises  primarily  at
Northbridge, AGT and Fairfax Latam. Tax credits are primarily in the U.S. and relate to foreign taxes paid that will
reduce U.S. taxes payable in the future. Other deferred taxes include temporary differences related to pensions and
premises and equipment.

Management  conducts  ongoing  reviews  of  the  recoverability  of  the  deferred  income  tax  asset  and  adjusts,  as
necessary,  to  reflect  its  anticipated  realization.  At  December  31,  2019  deferred  income  tax  assets  of  $814.7
(December 31, 2018 – $857.8) related principally to operating and capital losses and U.S. foreign tax credits that have
not been recorded. The losses for which deferred income tax assets have not been recorded are comprised of losses in
Canada of $1,863.5 (December 31, 2018 – $1,570.1), losses in Europe of $495.8 (December 31, 2018 – $613.4), losses
in  the  U.S.  of  $46.1  (December  31,  2018 – $45.9),  losses  at  Allied  World  of  $359.4  across  various  jurisdictions
(December  31,  2018 – $363.5)  and  U.S.  foreign  tax  credits  of  $55.0  (December  31,  2018 – $159.0).  The  losses  in
Canada expire between 2026 and 2039. The losses and foreign tax credits in the U.S. expire between 2020 and 2032.
Substantially all of the losses in Europe do not have an expiry date. Allied World’s losses are primarily in the U.K. and
Asia, with no expiry date, while the remainder expire between 2022 and 2037.

Deferred income tax has not been recognized for the withholding tax and other taxes that could be payable on the
unremitted  earnings  of  certain  subsidiaries.  Unremitted  earnings  amounted  to  approximately  $3.5  billion  at
December 31, 2019 (December 31, 2018 – $3.2 billion) and are not likely to be repatriated in the foreseeable future.

19. Statutory Requirements

The retained earnings of the company are largely represented by retained earnings at the company’s insurance and
reinsurance subsidiaries. Those subsidiaries are subject to certain requirements and restrictions under their respective
insurance company Acts including minimum capital requirements and dividend restrictions. The company’s capital
requirements and management thereof are discussed in note 24. The company’s share of dividends paid in 2019 by
the insurance and reinsurance subsidiaries, which are eliminated on consolidation, was $282.3 (2018 – $415.2).

Based on the surplus and net earnings (loss) of the primary insurance and reinsurance subsidiaries as at and for the
year ended December 31, 2019, the maximum dividend capacity available in 2020 at each of those subsidiaries,
payable to all shareholders (including non-controlling interests) is as follows:

Allied World
Odyssey Group
Crum & Forster(1)
Brit
Northbridge(1)
Zenith National

December 31,
2019
798.7
347.6
140.6
138.8
132.6
66.9

1,625.2

(1) Subject to prior regulatory approval.

When determining the amount of dividends to be paid from its insurance and reinsurance subsidiaries, the company
considers  regulatory  capital  requirements,  and  also  rating  agency  capital  tests,  future  capital  levels  required  to

95

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

support growth and tax planning matters, among other factors. In addition, the co-investors in Allied World and Brit
have a dividend in priority to the company.

20. Contingencies and Commitments

Lawsuits

On  July  26,  2006  Fairfax  filed  a  lawsuit  seeking  $6  billion  in  damages  from  a  number  of  defendants  who,  the
complaint (as subsequently amended) alleges, participated in a stock market manipulation scheme involving Fairfax
shares. The complaint, filed in Superior Court, Morris County, New Jersey, alleges violations of various state laws,
including the New Jersey Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, pursuant to which treble damages
may  be  available.  On  September  12,  2012,  before  trial,  and  consequently  without  having  heard  or  made  any
determination on the facts, the Court dismissed the lawsuit on legal grounds. In October 2012 Fairfax filed an appeal
of this dismissal, as it believes that the legal basis for the dismissal is incorrect. On April 27, 2017, the appeals court
issued a decision reinstating certain claims but affirming the dismissal of the major portion of the claims. On July 10,
2017, Fairfax filed with the New Jersey Supreme Court a petition for certification of the appeal court’s decision. On
October 20, 2017, that petition was denied by the court. The case allowed then moved ahead to a trial, which took
place in September and October 2018. Prior to the trial, Fairfax agreed, in exchange for the receipt of a payment of
$20.0,  to  resolve  its  claims  against  Morgan  Keegan  &  Company,  Incorporated;  that  payment  was  received  in
September 2018. At the trial, the jury awarded Fairfax and its Crum & Forster subsidiary damages of $10.9 against
Exis Capital Management and related Exis companies, Adam Sender and Andrew Heller, including punitive damages
of $3.0 against Exis, $2.25 against Mr. Sender and $0.25 against Mr. Heller, although the court subsequently relieved
Messrs. Sender and Heller of any liability for damages. Fairfax intends to appeal this relief to Messrs. Sender and
Heller, and to continue to pursue its remaining claims against other defendants in the lawsuit by way of appeals
against previous court decisions. The ultimate outcome of any litigation is uncertain. The financial effects, if any, of
this lawsuit cannot be practicably determined at this time, and the company’s consolidated financial statements
include no anticipated recovery from the lawsuit, except for the receipt of the $20.0 payment in 2018 as described
above.

Other

Subsidiaries of the company, in the ordinary course of their business, are defendants in several damage suits and have
been named as third parties in other suits. The uninsured exposure to the company is not considered to be material
to the company’s financial position, financial performance or cash flows.

Odyssey Group, Brit and Allied World (‘‘the Lloyd’s participants’’) underwrite in the Lloyd’s of London insurance
market through their participation in certain Lloyd’s syndicates. The Lloyd’s participants have pledged cash and cash
equivalents of $232.2 and securities with a fair value of $1,264.9 at December 31, 2019 as capital to support those
underwriting activities. Additionally, Advent and Riverstone (UK) have pledged cash and cash equivalents of $9.2
and securities with a fair value of $175.5 at December 31, 2019 which are included in assets held for sale on the
consolidated balance sheet. Pledged securities primarily consist of bonds and equity investments presented within
portfolio investments on the consolidated balance sheet. The Lloyd’s participants have the ability to substitute other
securities for these pledged securities, subject to certain admissibility criteria. The Lloyd’s participants’ liability in
respect of assets pledged as capital is limited to the aggregate amount of the pledged assets and their obligation to
support these liabilities will continue until such liabilities are settled or are reinsured by a third party approved by
Lloyd’s. The company believes that the syndicates for which the Lloyd’s participants are capital providers maintain
sufficient  liquidity  and  financial  resources  to  support  their  ultimate  liabilities  and  does  not  anticipate  that  the
pledged assets will be utilized.

The company’s maximum capital commitments for potential investments in common stocks, limited partnerships,
associates and joint ventures at December 31, 2019 was $988.5.

Pursuant to the sale of the company’s 97.7% interest in First Capital Insurance Limited (‘‘First Capital’’) to Mitsui
Sumitomo Insurance Company Limited of Tokyo, Japan (‘‘Mitsui Sumitomo’’) on December 28, 2017, the company
agreed to guarantee the sufficiency of First Capital’s loss reserves as at the sale date and will receive (return) sale
consideration equal to any favourable (adverse) development on these loss reserves as of December 31, 2023. During
2019 pursuant to an actuarial report independent of both Fairfax and Mitsui Sumitomo the company estimated it
will receive additional sale consideration of $33.9 as a result of favourable loss reserve development, which was
recorded as net gains on investment in the consolidated statement of earnings.

96

21. Pensions and Post Retirement Benefits

The  funded  status  of  the  company’s  defined  benefit  pension  and  post  retirement  plans  at  December  31  were
as follows:

Benefit obligation
Fair value of plan assets

Funded status of plans – deficit
Impact of asset ceiling

Net accrued liability(1)

Defined benefit
pension plans

2019
(789.4)
605.8

(183.6)
0.3

2018
(803.7)
726.9

(76.8)
–

Defined benefit
post retirement
plans

2019
(125.4)
–

(125.4)
–

2018
(112.3)
–

(112.3)
–

(183.3)

(76.8)

(125.4)

(112.3)

Weighted average assumptions used to determine benefit obligations:
Discount rate
Rate of compensation increase
Health care cost trend

3.0%
2.6%
–

3.6%
2.7%
–

3.3%
3.6%
4.5%

4.2%
3.6%
4.6%

(1) The defined benefit pension plan net accrued liability at December 31, 2019 of $183.3 (December 31, 2018 – $76.8) was
comprised of pension surpluses of $51.9 and pension deficits of $235.2 (December 31, 2018 – $64.0 and $140.8). See
notes 13 and 14.

Pension and post retirement benefit expenses recognized in the consolidated statement of earnings for the years
ended December 31 were as follows:

Defined benefit pension plan expense
Defined contribution pension plan expense
Defined benefit post retirement plan expense

2019
18.8
53.1
8.4

2018
26.8
50.3
9.7

80.3

86.8

Pre-tax actuarial net gains (losses) recognized in the consolidated statement of comprehensive income for the years
ended December 31 were comprised as follows:

Defined benefit pension plans

Actuarial net gains (losses) on plan assets and change in asset ceiling
Actuarial net gains (losses) on benefit obligations

Defined benefit post retirement plans – actuarial net gains (losses) on benefit obligations

2019

2018

18.8
(109.9)

(69.2)
74.1

(91.1)
(8.0)

4.9
7.3

(99.1)

12.2

During 2019 the company contributed $36.8 (2018 – $28.8) to its defined benefit pension and post retirement plans,
and expects to contribute $19.3 in 2020.

97

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

22. Leases

Changes in the company’s right-of-use assets for the year ended December 31 were as follows:

Balance – January 1

Additions
Disposals
Depreciation(1)
Acquisitions of subsidiaries (note 23)
Assets held for sale (note 23)
Foreign exchange effect and other

Balance – December 31 (note 13)

2019

Insurance and

reinsurance Non-insurance
companies
632.5
73.2
(1.6)
(109.4)
16.2
–
24.3

companies
418.9
59.9
(8.3)
(69.3)
4.4
(22.9)
2.7

Total
1,051.4
133.1
(9.9)
(178.7)
20.6
(22.9)
27.0

385.4

635.2

1,020.6

(1) Recorded in operating expenses and other expenses in the consolidated statement of earnings.

The maturity profile of the company’s lease liabilities was as follows:

Less than one year
One to two years
Two to three years
Three to four years
Four to five years
More than five years

Undiscounted lease liabilities

Lease liabilities – discounted (note 14)

December 31, 2019

Insurance and

reinsurance Non-insurance
companies
209.4
193.1
163.8
136.5
115.6
428.5

companies
78.0
72.0
63.2
54.7
48.8
240.8

Total
287.4
265.1
227.0
191.2
164.4
669.3

557.5

434.3

1,246.9

1,804.4

1,062.1

1,496.4

Weighted average incremental borrowing rate

4.6%

4.6%

4.6%

During 2019 the company recognized in the consolidated statement of earnings interest expense of $67.8 on lease
liabilities (note 15) and short-term and low value lease costs of $78.0 (note 26).

The maturity profile of the company’s finance lease receivables was as follows:

Less than one year
One to two years
Two to three years
Three to four years
Four to five years
More than five years

Undiscounted finance lease receivables
Unearned finance income

Finance lease receivables (note 13)

December 31, 2019

Insurance and

reinsurance Non-insurance
companies
72.0
66.9
59.3
49.6
41.4
130.2

companies
1.7
1.7
1.8
1.6
0.7
4.0

Total
73.7
68.6
61.1
51.2
42.1
134.2

430.9
55.0

419.4
52.3

367.1

375.9

11.5
2.7

8.8

98

During 2019 the company recognized interest revenue on finance lease receivables of $14.7 in other revenue in the
consolidated statement of earnings.

23. Acquisitions and Divestitures

Subsequent to December 31, 2019

Contribution of European Run-off to a joint venture

On December 20, 2019 the company entered into an agreement to contribute its wholly owned European Run-off
group (‘‘European Run-off’’) to RiverStone Barbados Limited (‘‘RiverStone Barbados’’), a newly created entity to be
jointly managed with OMERS, the pension plan for municipal employees in the province of Ontario. Pursuant to the
agreement,  OMERS  will  subscribe  for  a  40.0%  equity  interest  in  RiverStone  Barbados  for  cash  consideration  of
approximately  $597.  At  the  closing  date  the  company  will  deconsolidate  European  Run-off  from  the  Run-off
reporting segment and apply the equity method of accounting to its joint venture interest in RiverStone Barbados.
The company will have the option to purchase OMERS’ interest in RiverStone Barbados at certain dates commencing
in 2023. The transaction is subject to regulatory approval and is expected to close in the first half of 2020.

Assets held for sale and liabilities associated with assets held for sale as presented on the company’s consolidated
balance sheet at December 31, 2019 were comprised of the assets and liabilities of European Run-off as follows:

Assets held for sale:

Insurance contract receivables
Portfolio investments(2)
Deferred premium acquisition costs
Recoverable from reinsurers
Deferred income taxes
Other assets

Liabilities associated with assets held for

sale:
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities
Short sale and derivative obligations
Insurance contract payables
Insurance contract liabilities
Borrowings – insurance and reinsurance

companies

European
Run-off

Intercompany
reinsurance(1)

Consolidation
adjustments(1)

As presented on
the consolidated
balance sheet

53.1
2,688.7
1.9
642.0
2.2
351.2

3,739.1

77.6
2.0
49.5
2,340.7

91.4

2,561.2

8.2
–
(0.2)
(382.0)
–
–

(374.0)

–
–
(11.7)
(503.9)

–

(515.6)

–
(313.4)
–
–
–
(266.1)

(579.5)

(10.5)
–
–
–

–

(10.5)

61.3
2,375.3
1.7
260.0
2.2
85.1

2,785.6

67.1
2.0
37.8
1,836.8

91.4

2,035.1

(1) Primarily reflects reinsurance with Wentworth and investments in Fairfax subsidiaries.

(2)

Includes cash and cash equivalents of $283.7. See note 27.

Year ended December 31, 2019

Acquisition of Universalna

On November 5, 2019 the company transferred its investment in ARX Insurance (described below) into Limited
Liability Company FFH Ukraine Holdings (‘‘Fairfax Ukraine’’), a newly formed subsidiary. On November 6, 2019
Fairfax  Ukraine  completed  the  acquisition  of  Private  Joint  Stock  Company  Insurance  Company  Universalna
(‘‘Universalna’’), a property and casualty insurance company in Ukraine. Purchase consideration for Universalna was
comprised of cash of $4.6 and the transfer of a 30.0% equity interest in Fairfax Ukraine to the European Bank for
Reconstruction  and  Development.  The  assets,  liabilities  and  results  of  operations  of  Fairfax  Ukraine  were
consolidated in the Insurance and Reinsurance – Other reporting segment.

99

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

Merger of Grivalia Properties REIC and Eurobank Ergasias S.A.

On May 17, 2019 Grivalia Properties REIC (‘‘Grivalia Properties’’) merged into Eurobank Ergasias S.A. (‘‘Eurobank’’),
as a result of which shareholders of Grivalia Properties, including the company, received 15.8 newly issued Eurobank
shares  in  exchange  for  each  share  of  Grivalia  Properties.  Accordingly,  the  company  deconsolidated  Grivalia
Properties from the Non-insurance companies reporting segment, recognized a non-cash gain of $171.3 and reduced
non-controlling interests by $466.2. In connection with the merger, Grivalia Properties had paid a pre-merger capital
dividend of A0.42 per share on February 5, 2019. The company owned approximately 53% of Grivalia Properties and
18% of Eurobank prior to the merger, and owned 32.4% of Eurobank upon completion of the merger. The company
continues to account for its investment in Eurobank as a common stock at FVTPL due to regulatory restrictions on
the company’s ability to affect the relevant activities of Eurobank. Eurobank is a financial services provider in Greece
and is listed on the Athens Stock Exchange.

Privatization of AGT Food and Ingredients Inc.

On April 17, 2019 AGT Food & Ingredients Inc. (‘‘AGT’’) completed a management-led privatization for Cdn$18.00
per  common  share.  The  buying  group,  comprised  of  the  company,  AGT  management  and  other  co-investors,
acquired through a newly formed subsidiary of the company (‘‘Purchase Co.’’) all AGT common shares not already
owned by the buying group for cash consideration of $226.5 (Cdn$301.8), resulting in the company acquiring a
69.9% controlling equity interest in AGT upon closing and effectively settling the company’s pre-existing interests in
AGT’s preferred shares and warrants at fair value.

Contemporaneously with the acquisition of AGT, Purchase Co. acquired the company’s preferred shares and the
remaining common shares of AGT held by the buying group in exchange for its own common shares which diluted
the  company’s  interest  in  AGT  to  59.6%,  with  AGT  management  and  other  co-investors  owning  the  remainder.
Purchase Co. and AGT subsequently amalgamated and the amalgamated entity was renamed AGT. The company
holds warrants that, if exercised, would increase its equity interest in AGT to approximately 80%. The preferred
shares were subsequently canceled and the warrants are eliminated on consolidation of AGT. The assets, liabilities
and results of operations of AGT were consolidated in the Non-insurance companies reporting segment. AGT is a
supplier of pulses, staple foods and food ingredients.

Acquisition of AXA operations in Ukraine

On  February  14,  2019  the  company  completed  the  acquisition  of  the  insurance  operations  of  AXA  in  Ukraine
(subsequently  renamed  ARX  Insurance  Company  (‘‘ARX  Insurance’’))  for  purchase  consideration  of  $17.4.  The
assets, liabilities and results of operations of ARX Insurance were consolidated in the Insurance and Reinsurance –
Other reporting segment.

Additional investment in Consolidated Infrastructure Group

On January 4, 2019 Fairfax Africa acquired an additional 41.2% equity interest in Consolidated Infrastructure Group
(‘‘CIG’’) for $44.9 (628.3 million South African rand) which increased its total equity interest in CIG to 49.1%. Fairfax
Africa has de facto control of CIG as its largest shareholder, and as an owner of currently exercisable CIG convertible
debentures that would provide majority voting control if converted. CIG is a pan-African engineering infrastructure
company listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. The assets, liabilities and results of operations of CIG were
consolidated in the Non-insurance companies reporting segment.

100

The determination of the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed in connection with the acquisitions
described above is currently underway and will be finalized within twelve months of the respective acquisition dates.
Provisionally recorded amounts primarily include intangible assets, deferred income taxes, and goodwill.

Acquisition date
Percentage of common shares acquired
Assets:

Insurance contract receivables
Portfolio investments
Recoverable from reinsurers
Deferred income taxes
Goodwill and intangible assets
Other assets

Liabilities:

Accounts payable and accrued liabilities
Short sale and derivative obligations
Insurance contract payables
Insurance contract liabilities
Deferred income taxes
Borrowings – non-insurance companies

Settlement of pre-existing interests
Non-controlling interests
Purchase consideration
Excess of fair value of net assets acquired over purchase consideration

Other(1)
April 17, 2019 Throughout 2019

AGT

69.9%

–

113.0(2)

–
–

240.9(3)
878.9(5)

1,232.8

161.9
50.3
–
–
42.9
535.9

791.0
114.3(6)
98.5(7)

229.0
–

1,232.8

16.9
220.3(2)
17.6
0.8
285.4(4)
328.4

869.4

282.6
–
8.3
93.2
18.1
148.5

550.7
–
36.7(7)

281.2
0.8

869.4

(1) Comprised primarily of the acquisitions of Universalna and ARX Insurance, the consolidation of CIG by Fairfax Africa,
the  consolidation  of  Ambridge  Partners  by  Brit  (note  6)  and  incremental  acquisitions  by  Boat  Rocker  and  Thomas
Cook India.

(2)

Includes subsidiary cash and cash equivalents at AGT of $111.5 and at other subsidiaries of $144.5.

(3) Comprised  of  goodwill  of  $175.5  and  intangible  assets  of  $65.4  (primarily  brand  names  of  $34.7  and  customer

relationships of $16.9).

(4) Comprised of goodwill of $146.1 and intangible assets of $139.3 (primarily customer relationships of $42.6 at Brit and

$46.0 at Boat Rocker).

(5) Primarily comprised of premises and equipment of $442.6 (principally vehicles and heavy machinery of $200.4 and

buildings of $108.3), accounts receivable of $198.1 and inventory of $148.3.

(6) Comprised of the company’s pre-existing investments in AGT preferred shares of $108.6 and AGT warrants of $5.7 which

were considered settled at fair value on the acquisition date.

(7) Non-controlling interest was measured at fair value at AGT and as the proportionate share of the identifiable net assets

acquired at other subsidiaries.

Year ended December 31, 2018

Reorganization of ownership interests in Sporting Life Inc. and Golf Town Limited

On August 31, 2018 the company, together with the respective non-controlling interests, contributed 100% of the
ownership interests in Sporting Life and Golf Town to a new holding company. Subsequent to the reorganization, the
company held a controlling 65.1% ownership interest in each of Sporting Life and Golf Town through the new
holding company.

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FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

Additional investments in Brit Limited

On July 5, 2018 Brit used the proceeds from a $264.6 capital contribution from the company to purchase an 11.2%
ownership interest from its minority shareholder (OMERS) for $251.8 and to pay an accrued dividend of $12.8 on the
shares  purchased.  Subsequent  to  this  transaction,  the  company’s  ownership  interest  in  Brit  was  88.0%.  On
December 14, 2018 the company increased its ownership interest in Brit to 88.9% through a capital contribution of
$126.0 to support Brit’s 2019 underwriting plans.

Additional investment in Fairfax Africa Holdings Corporation

On June 18, 2018 Fairfax Africa completed a bought deal secondary public offering of 12,300,000 subordinate voting
shares at a price of $12.25 per share, which raised gross proceeds of $150.7 (net proceeds of $148.3 after commissions
and expenses). The company acquired 4,100,000 subordinate voting shares for $50.2 through the public offering,
and an additional 645,421 subordinate voting shares for $7.6 through open market purchases. These transactions
collectively decreased the company’s ownership interest and voting interest in Fairfax Africa from 64.2% and 98.8%
at  December  31,  2017  to  59.2%  and  98.3%  at  December  31,  2018  respectively,  and  resulted  in  an  increase  in
non-controlling  interests  of  $86.6  and  a  dilution  gain  of  $3.9,  which  are  included  in  other  net  changes  in
capitalization in the consolidated statement of changes in equity.

Acquisition of Toys ‘‘R’’ Us (Canada) Ltd.

On May 31, 2018 the company acquired a 100% equity interest in Toys ‘‘R’’ Us (Canada) Ltd. (‘‘Toys ‘‘R’’ Us Canada’’)
from  Toys  ‘‘R’’  Us – Delaware,  Inc.  for  cash  consideration  of  $41.1  (Cdn$53.3)  and  an  additional  investment  of
$193.7 (Cdn$251.3) that Toys ‘‘R’’ Us Canada used to repay its debtor in possession financing loan. Toys ‘‘R’’ Us
Canada is a specialty retailer of toys and baby products with 82 stores across Canada. The assets, liabilities and results
of operations of Toys ‘‘R’’ Us Canada were consolidated in the Non-insurance companies reporting segment.

Receipt of Fairfax India Performance Fee

Pursuant  to  the  company’s  investment  advisory  agreement  with  Fairfax  India,  on  March  9,  2018  the  company
received  a  performance  fee  of  $114.4  for  the  period  January  30,  2015  to  December  31,  2017  in  the  form  of
7,663,685 newly issued Fairfax India subordinate voting shares, which increased the company’s equity interest in
Fairfax India to 33.6% from 30.2% at December 31, 2017.

Acquisition of certain businesses of Carillion Canada Inc.

On March 7, 2018 the company acquired the services business carried on in Canada by Carillion Canada Inc. and
certain  affiliates  thereof  relating  to  facilities  management  of  airports,  commercial  and  retail  properties,  defense
facilities,  select  healthcare  facilities  and  on  behalf  of  oil,  gas  and  mining  clients.  The  acquired  business  was
subsequently renamed Dexterra Integrated Facilities Management (‘‘Dexterra’’). Dexterra is an infrastructure services
company  that  provides  asset  management  and  operations  solutions  to  industries  and  governments.  The  assets,
liabilities  and  results  of  operations  of  Dexterra  were  consolidated  in  the  Non-insurance  companies  reporting
segment.

Deconsolidation of Quess Corp Limited

On March 1, 2018 Thomas Cook India entered into a strategic joint venture agreement with the founder of Quess
Corp  Limited  (‘‘Quess’’)  that  resulted  in  Quess  becoming  a  joint  venture  of  Thomas  Cook  India  whereas  it  was
previously a consolidated subsidiary. Accordingly, the company remeasured the carrying value of Quess to its fair
value of $1,109.5, recognized a non-cash gain of $889.9 and commenced applying the equity method of accounting.
The  deconsolidation  of  Quess  from  the  Non-insurance  companies  reporting  segment  reduced  non-controlling
interests by $212.5 which was included in deconsolidation of subsidiary in the consolidated statement of changes
in equity. On December 9, 2019 Thomas Cook India completed a non-cash spin-off of Quess and recorded a non-cash
impairment loss of $190.6. See note 6.

102

Sale of Keg Restaurants Ltd. to Recipe Unlimited Corporation (formerly Cara Operations Limited)

On February 22, 2018 the company completed the sale of its 51.0% ownership interest in The Keg to Recipe for
consideration of $74.6 (Cdn $94.7), comprised of cash of $7.9 (Cdn $10.0) and 3,400,000 Recipe subordinate voting
shares. The other shareholders of The Keg sold their 49.0% ownership interest to Recipe for $82.7 (Cdn$105.0),
comprised of cash of $74.8 (Cdn$95.0) and 401,284 Recipe subordinate voting shares. The transaction increased the
company’s equity interest in Recipe to 43.2% from 40.2% at December 31, 2017. The company recorded the sale of its
ownership interest in The Keg to Recipe as a business combination between entities under common control using
predecessor values whereby the company’s carrying values for the assets and liabilities of The Keg at the date of the
transaction were added to those of Recipe’s, with no change to the company’s consolidated financial statements.
Recipe’s acquisition of the remaining 49.0% ownership interest in The Keg was recorded as an equity transaction,
with the excess of consideration paid over the carrying value of non-controlling interests in The Keg included in
other net changes in capitalization in the consolidated statement of changes in equity. During 2019 Recipe estimated
that it may be required to pay an additional $15.4 (Cdn$20.0) of cash consideration to the other former shareholders
of  The  Keg  pursuant  to  the  achievement  of  certain  financial  objectives  within  the  first  three  years  subsequent
to closing.

Acquisition of AIG operations in Uruguay

On  January  31,  2018  the  company  completed  the  acquisition  of  the  insurance  operations  of  AIG  in  Uruguay
(subsequently  renamed  SBI  Seguros  Uruguay  S.A.  (‘‘SouthBridge  Uruguay’’))  for  cash  consideration  of  $5.9.  The
assets,  liabilities  and  results  of  operations  of  SouthBridge  Uruguay  were  consolidated  in  the  Insurance  and
Reinsurance – Other reporting segment.

Acquisition date
Percentage of common shares acquired
Assets:

Insurance contract receivables
Portfolio investments
Recoverable from reinsurers
Deferred income taxes
Goodwill and intangible assets(3)
Other assets

Liabilities:

Accounts payable and accrued liabilities
Deferred income taxes
Insurance contract payables
Insurance contract liabilities
Borrowings – non-insurance companies

Non-controlling interests
Purchase consideration

Excess of fair value of net assets acquired over purchase consideration

Toys ‘‘R’’ Us
Canada

Other(1)
May 31, 2018 Throughout 2018

100.0%

–
9.1(2)
–
11.3
16.8
415.8

453.0

166.4
12.4
–
–
195.9

374.7
–
41.1

37.2

453.0

4.1
30.5
10.0
1.6
193.7
130.5

370.4

105.0
1.8
2.6
13.9
23.3

146.6
4.0
218.4

1.4

370.4

(1) Comprised primarily of the acquisitions of Dexterra and SouthBridge Uruguay, and incremental acquisitions by Boat

Rocker, Recipe and Pethealth.

(2) Comprised of subsidiary cash and cash equivalents.

(3) Comprised of goodwill of $140.5 and intangible assets of $70.0 (primarily customer relationships of $21.5, brand names

of $15.3 and media content and non-compete agreements at Boat Rocker of $12.1).

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FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

24. Financial Risk Management

Overview

The  primary  goals  of  the  company’s  financial  risk  management  are  to  ensure  that  the  outcomes  of  activities
involving elements of risk are consistent with the company’s objectives and risk tolerance, while maintaining an
appropriate balance between risk and reward and protecting the company’s consolidated balance sheet from events
that have the potential to materially impair its financial strength. The company’s exposure to potential loss from its
insurance and reinsurance operations and investment activities primarily relates to underwriting risk, credit risk,
liquidity risk and various market risks. Balancing risk and reward is achieved through identifying risk appropriately,
aligning  risk  tolerances  with  business  strategy,  diversifying  risk,  pricing  appropriately  for  risk,  mitigating  risk
through preventive controls and transferring risk to third parties. There were no significant changes in the types of
the  company’s  risk  exposures  or  the  processes  used  by  the  company  for  managing  those  risk  exposures  at
December 31, 2019 compared to those identified at December 31, 2018, except as discussed below.

Financial risk management objectives are achieved through a two tiered system, with detailed risk management
processes  and  procedures  at  the  company’s  primary  operating  subsidiaries  and  its  investment  management
subsidiary combined with the analysis of the company-wide aggregation and accumulation of risks at the holding
company. In addition, although the company and its operating subsidiaries each have an officer with designated
responsibility for risk management, the company regards each Chief Executive Officer as the chief risk officer of his
or her company; each Chief Executive Officer is the individual ultimately responsible for risk management for his or
her company and its subsidiaries.

The company’s Chief Operating Officer reports on risk considerations to the company’s Executive Committee and
provides a quarterly report on key risk exposures to the company’s Board of Directors. The Executive Committee, in
consultation  with  the  Chief  Operating  Officer,  approves  certain  policies  for  overall  risk  management,  as  well  as
policies  addressing  specific  areas  such  as  investments,  underwriting,  catastrophe  risk  and  reinsurance.  The
company’s Investment Committee approves policies for the management of market risk (including currency risk,
interest  rate  risk  and  other  price  risk)  and  the  use  of  derivative  and  non-derivative  financial  instruments,  and
monitors to ensure compliance with relevant regulatory guidelines and requirements. A discussion of the company’s
risks  and  the  management  of  those  risks  is  an  agenda  item  for  every  regularly  scheduled  meeting  of  the  Board
of Directors.

Underwriting Risk

Underwriting risk is the risk that the total cost of claims, claims adjustment expenses, commissions and premium
acquisition costs will exceed premiums received and can arise as a result of numerous factors, including pricing risk,
reserving risk and catastrophe risk. There were no significant changes to the company’s exposure to underwriting risk
or  the  framework  used  to  monitor,  evaluate  and  manage  underwriting  risk  at  December  31,  2019  compared  to
December 31, 2018.

Principal lines of business

The company’s principal insurance and reinsurance lines of business and the significant insurance risks inherent
therein are as follows:

• Property, which insures against losses to property from (among other things) fire, explosion, natural perils
(for example, earthquake, windstorm and flood), terrorism and engineering problems (for example, boiler
explosion, machinery breakdown and construction defects). Specific types of property risks underwritten by
the company include automobile, commercial and personal property and crop;

• Casualty,  which  insures  against  accidents  (including  workers’  compensation  and  automobile)  and  also
includes employers’ liability, accident and health, medical malpractice, professional liability and umbrella
coverage; and

• Specialty, which insures against marine, aerospace and surety risk, and other various risks and liabilities that

are not identified above.

An analysis of net premiums earned by line of business is included in note 25.

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The table that follows shows the company’s concentration of insurance risk by region and line of business based on
gross premiums written prior to giving effect to ceded reinsurance premiums. The company’s exposure to general
insurance  risk  varies  by  geographic  region  and  may  change  over  time.  Premiums  ceded  to  reinsurers  (including
retrocessions)  in  2019  by  line  of  business  was  comprised  of  property  of  $1,471.5  (2018 – $1,267.2),  casualty  of
$1,842.9 (2018 – $1,443.4) and specialty of $361.2 (2018 – $386.7).

For the years ended
December 31

Property
Casualty
Specialty

Total

Insurance
Reinsurance

Canada

United States

Asia(1)

International(2)

Total

2019

853.5
805.4
177.6

2018

732.6
695.4
164.6

2019

2018

3,087.9 2,704.3
6,903.4 6,082.3
619.8

597.7

2019

710.4
411.6
237.6

2018

2019

2018

2019

2018

634.5 1,669.4 1,495.8
384.5 1,424.6 1,210.8
588.4
632.1
215.3

6,321.2
9,545.0
1,645.0

5,567.2
8,373.0
1,588.1

1,836.5 1,592.6

10,589.0 9,406.4 1,359.6 1,234.3 3,726.1 3,295.0

17,511.2

15,528.3

1,724.5 1,492.5
100.1

112.0

8,389.9 7,439.7
2,199.1 1,966.7

676.1
683.5

692.4 2,377.3 2,270.4
541.9 1,348.8 1,024.6

13,167.8
4,343.4

11,895.0
3,633.3

1,836.5 1,592.6

10,589.0 9,406.4 1,359.6 1,234.3 3,726.1 3,295.0

17,511.2

15,528.3

(1) The Asia geographic segment is primarily comprised of countries located throughout Asia, including China, Japan, India,

Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand, and the Middle East.

(2) The International geographic segment is primarily comprised of countries located in South America, Europe and Africa.

Pricing risk

Pricing  risk  arises  because  actual  claims  experience  may  differ  adversely  from  the  assumptions  used  in  pricing
insurance  risk.  Historically,  the  underwriting  results  of  the  property  and  casualty  industry  have  fluctuated
significantly due to the cyclicality of the insurance market. Market cycles are affected by the frequency and severity
of  losses,  levels  of  capacity  and  demand,  general  economic  conditions  and  competition  on  rates  and  terms  of
coverage.  The  operating  companies  focus  on  profitable  underwriting  using  a  combination  of  experienced
underwriting and actuarial staff, pricing models and price adequacy monitoring tools.

Reserving risk

Reserving risk arises because actual claims experience may differ adversely from the assumptions used in setting
reserves, in large part due to the length of time between the occurrence of a loss, the reporting of the loss to the
insurer and the ultimate resolution of the claim. The degree of uncertainty will vary by line of business according to
the characteristics of the insured risks, with the ultimate cost of a claim determined by the actual insured loss suffered
by the policyholder. Claims provisions reflect expectations of the ultimate cost of resolution and administration of
claims based on an assessment of facts and circumstances then known, a review of historical settlement patterns,
estimates of trends in claims severities and frequencies, developing case law and other factors.

The time required to learn of and settle claims is often referred to as the ‘‘tail’’ and is an important consideration in
establishing the company’s reserves. Short-tail claims are those for which losses are normally reported soon after the
incident and are generally settled within months following the reported incident. This would include, for example,
most property, automobile and marine and aerospace damage. Long-tail claims are considered by the company to be
those that often take three years or more to develop and settle, such as asbestos, environmental pollution, workers’
compensation and product liability. Information concerning the loss event and ultimate cost of a long-tail claim may
not be readily available, making the reserving analysis of long-tail lines of business more difficult and subject to
greater uncertainties than for short-tail lines of business. In the extreme cases of long-tail claims like those involving
asbestos and environmental pollution, it may take upwards of 40 years to settle. The company employs specialized
techniques to determine such provisions using the extensive knowledge of both internal and external asbestos and
environmental pollution experts and legal advisors.

The establishment of provisions for losses and loss adjustment expenses is an inherently uncertain process that can
be affected by internal factors such as: the risk in estimating loss development patterns based on historical data that
may not be representative of future loss payment patterns; assumptions built on industry loss ratios or industry
benchmark development patterns that may not reflect actual experience; the intrinsic risk as to the homogeneity of

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FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

the underlying data used in carrying out the reserve analyses; and external factors such as trends relating to jury
awards;  economic  inflation;  medical  cost  inflation;  worldwide  economic  conditions;  tort  reforms;  court
interpretations  of  coverage;  the  regulatory  environment;  underlying  policy  pricing;  claims  handling  procedures;
inclusion  of  exposures  not  contemplated  at  the  time  of  policy  inception;  and  significant  changes  in  severity  or
frequency of losses relative to historical trends. Due to the amount of time between the occurrence of a loss, the
actual reporting of the loss and the ultimate settlement of the claim, provisions may ultimately develop differently
from the actuarial assumptions made when initially estimating the provision for losses.

The diversity of insurance risk within the company’s portfolio of issued policies makes it difficult to predict whether
material  prior  year  reserve  development  will  occur  and,  if  it  does  occur,  the  location  and  the  timing  of  such
an occurrence.

Catastrophe risk

Catastrophe risk arises from exposure to large losses caused by man-made or natural catastrophes that could result in
significant  underwriting  losses.  As  the  company  does  not  establish  reserves  for  catastrophes  in  advance  of  the
occurrence of such events, these events may cause volatility in the levels of incurred losses and reserves, subject to
the effects of reinsurance recoveries. This volatility may also be contingent upon political and legal developments
after the occurrence of the event. The company evaluates potential catastrophic events and assesses the probability
of occurrence and magnitude of these events predominantly through probable maximum loss (‘‘PML’’) modeling
techniques and through the aggregation of limits exposed. A wide range of events are simulated using the company’s
proprietary  and  commercial  models,  including  single  large  events  and  multiple  events  spanning  the  numerous
geographic regions in which the company assumes insurance risk.

Each operating company has developed and applies strict underwriting guidelines for the amount of catastrophe
exposure it may assume as a standalone entity for any one risk and location, and those guidelines are regularly
monitored  and  updated.  Operating  companies  also  manage  catastrophe  exposure  by  diversifying  risk  across
geographic  regions,  catastrophe  types  and  other  lines  of  business,  factoring  in  levels  of  reinsurance  protection,
adjusting  the  amount  of  business  written  based  on  capital  levels  and  adhering  to  risk  tolerance  guidelines.  The
company’s  head  office  aggregates  catastrophe  exposure  company-wide  and  continually  monitors  the  group’s
aggregate exposure. Independent exposure limits for each entity in the group are aggregated to produce an exposure
limit  for  the  group  as  there  is  presently  no  model  capable  of  simultaneously  projecting  the  magnitude  and
probability of loss in all geographic regions in which the company operates. Currently the company’s objective is to
limit its company-wide catastrophe loss exposure such that one year’s aggregate pre-tax net catastrophe losses would
not  exceed  one  year’s  normalized  net  earnings  before  income  taxes.  The  company  takes  a  long  term  view  and
generally considers a 15% return on common shareholders’ equity, adjusted to a pre-tax basis, to be representative of
one  year’s  normalized  net  earnings.  The  modeled  probability  of  aggregate  catastrophe  losses  in  any  one  year
exceeding this amount is generally more than once in every 250 years.

Management of underwriting risk

To  manage  exposure  to  underwriting  risk,  and  the  pricing,  reserving  and  catastrophe  risks  contained  therein,
operating companies have established limits for underwriting authority and requirements for specific approvals of
transactions involving new products or transactions involving existing products which exceed certain limits of size
or complexity. The company’s objective of operating with a prudent and stable underwriting philosophy with sound
reserving  is  also  achieved  through  establishment  of  goals,  delegation  of  authorities,  financial  monitoring,
underwriting  reviews  and  remedial  actions  to  facilitate  continuous  improvement.  The  company’s  provision  for
claims is reviewed separately by, and must be acceptable to, internal actuaries at each operating company and the
company’s  Chief  Actuary.  Additionally,  independent  actuaries  are  periodically  engaged  to  review  an  operating
company’s reserves or reserves for certain lines of business. The company purchases reinsurance protection for risks
assumed when it is considered prudent and cost effective to do so at the operating companies for specific exposures
and, if needed, at the holding company for aggregate exposures. Steps are taken to actively reduce the volume of
insurance and reinsurance underwritten on particular types of risks when the company desires to reduce its direct
exposure due to inadequate pricing.

106

As  part  of  its  overall  risk  management  strategy,  the  company  cedes  insurance  risk  through  proportional,
non-proportional and facultative reinsurance treaties. With proportional reinsurance, the reinsurer shares a pro rata
portion of the company’s losses and premium, whereas with non-proportional reinsurance, the reinsurer assumes
payment  of  the  company’s  loss  above  a  specified  retention,  subject  to  a  limit.  Facultative  reinsurance  is  the
reinsurance  of  individual  risks  as  agreed  by  the  company  and  the  reinsurer.  The  company  follows  a  policy  of
underwriting  and  reinsuring  contracts  of  insurance  and  reinsurance  which,  depending  on  the  type  of  contract,
generally  limits  the  liability  of  an  operating  company  on  any  policy  to  a  maximum  amount  on  any  one  loss.
Reinsurance  decisions  are  made  by  operating  companies  to  reduce  and  spread  the  risk  of  loss  on  insurance  and
reinsurance written, to limit multiple claims arising from a single occurrence and to protect capital resources. The
amount of reinsurance purchased can vary among operating companies depending on the lines of business written,
their respective capital resources and prevailing or expected market conditions. Reinsurance is generally placed on an
excess  of  loss  basis  and  written  in  several  layers,  the  purpose  of  which  is  to  limit  the  amount  of  one  risk  to  a
maximum amount acceptable to the company and to protect from losses on multiple risks arising from a single
occurrence. This type of reinsurance includes what is generally referred to as catastrophe reinsurance. The company’s
reinsurance does not, however, relieve the company of its primary obligation to the policyholder.

The  majority  of  reinsurance  contracts  purchased  by  the  company  provide  coverage  for  a  one  year  term  and  are
negotiated annually. The ability of the company to obtain reinsurance on terms and prices consistent with historical
results reflects, among other factors, recent loss experience of the company and of the industry in general. The effects
of low interest rates, increased catastrophes and rising claims costs are currently elevating reinsurance pricing, which
has affected the company’s reinsurance cost for loss affected business and retroactive reinsurance. Notwithstanding
the significant current period catastrophe losses suffered by the industry in 2017 and 2018, capital adequacy within
the reinsurance market remains strong and alternative forms of reinsurance capacity continue to be available. As a
result, reinsurance pricing of loss affected business has increased while non-loss affected property has increased to a
lesser extent. The company remains opportunistic in its use of reinsurance, balancing capital requirements and the
cost of reinsurance.

Credit Risk

Credit risk is the risk of loss resulting from the failure of a counterparty to honour its financial obligations to the
company. Credit risk arises predominantly on cash and short term investments, investments in debt instruments,
insurance  contract  receivables,  recoverable  from  reinsurers  and  receivable  from  counterparties  to  derivative
contracts (primarily foreign currency forward contracts, total return swaps and CPI-linked derivatives). There were
no significant changes to the company’s exposure to credit risk (except as set out in the discussion which follows) or
the  framework  used  to  monitor,  evaluate  and  manage  credit  risk  at  December  31,  2019  compared  to
December 31, 2018.

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FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

The company’s gross credit risk exposure (without consideration of amounts held by the company as collateral) was
comprised as follows:

Cash and short term investments
Investments in debt instruments:
U.S. sovereign government(1)
Other sovereign government rated AA/Aa or higher(1)(2)
All other sovereign government(3)
Canadian provincials
U.S. states and municipalities
Corporate and other

Receivable from counterparties to derivative contracts
Insurance contract receivables
Recoverable from reinsurers
Other assets

Total gross credit risk exposure

December 31, December 31,
2018
7,361.3

2019
10,703.6

5,610.8
1,090.4
1,230.0
2.9
216.5
8,164.8
85.2
5,435.0
9,155.8
1,645.0

43,340.0

10,464.0
1,368.1
1,189.9
51.9
363.2
7,124.4
168.2
5,110.7
8,400.9
1,253.3

42,855.9

(1) Representing together 17.2% of the company’s total investment portfolio at December 31, 2019 (December 31, 2018 –

30.5%) and considered by the company to have nominal credit risk.

(2) Comprised primarily of bonds issued by the governments of Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore and Australia with fair values
at December 31, 2019 of $664.4, $105.9, $99.4 and $89.0 respectively (December 31, 2018 – $964.7, $86.4, $54.4
and $93.6).

(3) Comprised primarily of bonds issued by the governments of India, Spain and Poland with fair values at December 31,

2019 of $519.0, $218.2 and $149.6 respectively (December 31, 2018 – $527.5, $210.6 and $127.4).

The company had income taxes refundable of $169.0 at December 31, 2019 (December 31, 2018 – $152.3) that are
considered to have nominal credit risk and are not included in the table above.

Cash and short term investments

The company’s cash and short term investments (including those of the holding company) are primarily held at
major financial institutions in the jurisdictions in which the company operates. At December 31, 2019, 83.5% of
these balances were held in Canadian and U.S. financial institutions, 11.0% in European financial institutions and
5.5%  in  other  foreign  financial  institutions  (December  31,  2018 – 79.5%,  13.0%  and  7.5%  respectively).  The
company  monitors  risks  associated  with  cash  and  short  term  investments  by  regularly  reviewing  the  financial
strength  and  creditworthiness  of  these  financial  institutions  and  more  frequently  during  periods  of  economic
volatility.  From  these  reviews,  the  company  may  transfer  balances  from  financial  institutions  where  it  perceives
heightened credit risk to others considered to be more stable.

Investments in debt instruments

The company’s risk management strategy for debt instruments is to invest primarily in those of high credit quality
issuers and to limit the amount of credit exposure to any one corporate issuer. Management considers high quality
debt instruments to be those with a S&P or Moody’s issuer credit rating of BBB/Baa or higher. While the company
reviews third party credit ratings, it also performs its own analysis and does not delegate the credit decision to rating
agencies.  The  company  endeavours  to  limit  credit  exposure  by  monitoring  fixed  income  portfolio  limits  on
individual corporate issuers and on credit quality and may, from time to time, initiate positions in certain types of
derivatives to further mitigate credit risk exposure.

108

The  composition  of  the  company’s  investments  in  debt  instruments  classified  according  to  the  higher  of  each
security’s respective S&P and Moody’s issuer credit rating is presented in the table that follows:

Issuer Credit Rating
AAA/Aaa
AA/Aa
A/A
BBB/Baa
BB/Ba
B/B
Lower than B/B
Unrated(1)

Total

December 31, 2019

December 31, 2018

Amortized
cost
6,795.2
870.0
2,979.4
3,059.6
121.9
59.9
31.6
2,125.8

Fair
value
6,820.4
881.8
3,008.0
3,206.2
135.0
61.6
16.4
2,186.0

Amortized
cost
11,931.0
1,107.6
2,214.0
2,583.1
125.0
87.8
27.6
2,412.4

%
41.8
5.4
18.4
19.7
0.8
0.4
0.1
13.4

Fair
value
11,920.5
1,115.3
2,184.7
2,641.8
131.8
79.7
27.5
2,460.2

%
58.1
5.4
10.6
12.8
0.6
0.4
0.1
12.0

16,043.4

16,315.4

100.0

20,488.5

20,561.5

100.0

(1) Comprised primarily of the fair value of the company’s investments in Seaspan Corporation of $483.4 (December 31,
2018 – $242.9),  Blackberry  Limited  of  $442.1  (December  31,  2018 – $512.4),  Chorus  Aviation  Inc.  of  $155.8
(December  31,  2018 – $138.6),  EXCO  Resources,  Inc.  of  nil  (December  31,  2018 – $504.6)  and  Sanmar  Chemicals
Group of nil (December 31, 2018 – $392.8).

At December 31, 2019, 85.3% (December 31, 2018 – 86.9%) of the fixed income portfolio’s carrying value was rated
investment grade or better, with 47.2% (December 31, 2018 – 63.5%) rated AA or better (primarily consisting of
government  bonds).  The  decrease  in  the  fair  value  of  bonds  rated  AAA/Aaa  primarily  reflected  net  sales  and
maturities of short-dated U.S. treasury bonds and Canadian government bonds for net proceeds of $4,601.5 and
$344.5, and the reclassification of bonds at European Run-off to assets held for sale. The increase in bonds rated A/A
and BBB/Baa was primarily due to net purchases of high quality U.S. corporate bonds of $664.5 and $708.3, partially
offset by the reclassification of bonds at European Run-off to assets held for sale. The decrease in unrated bonds was
primarily due to the settlement of bonds issued by EXCO Resources, Inc. and Sanmar Chemicals Group (note 6),
partially offset by net purchases of unrated private placement corporate bonds of $492.4.

At  December  31,  2019  holdings  of  bonds  in  the  ten  issuers  to  which  the  company  had  the  greatest  exposure
(excluding U.S., Canadian, U.K. and German sovereign government bonds) totaled $3,201.5 (December 31, 2018 –
$3,079.6), which represented approximately 8.2% (December 31, 2018 – 7.9%) of the total investment portfolio.
Exposure to the largest single issuer of corporate bonds at December 31, 2019 was $483.4 (December 31, 2018 –
$512.4), which represented approximately 1.2% (December 31, 2018 – 1.3%) of the total investment portfolio.

Counterparties to derivative contracts

Counterparty risk arises from the company’s derivative contracts primarily in three ways: first, a counterparty may be
unable to honour its obligation under a derivative contract and have insufficient collateral pledged in favour of the
company to support that obligation; second, collateral deposited by the company to a counterparty as a prerequisite
for entering into certain derivative contracts (also known as initial margin) may be at risk should the counterparty
face financial difficulty; and third, excess collateral pledged in favour of a counterparty may be at risk should the
counterparty  face  financial  difficulty  (counterparties  may  hold  excess  collateral  as  a  result  of  the  timing  of  the
settlement of the amount of collateral required to be pledged based on the fair value of a derivative contract).

The company endeavours to limit counterparty risk through diligent selection of counterparties to its derivative
contracts  and  through  the  terms  of  negotiated  agreements.  Pursuant  to  these  agreements,  counterparties  are
contractually required to deposit eligible collateral in collateral accounts (subject to certain minimum thresholds) for
the benefit of the company based on the daily fair value of the derivative contracts. The company’s exposure to risk
associated  with  providing  initial  margin  is  mitigated  where  possible  through  the  use  of  segregated  third  party
custodian  accounts  that  only  permit  counterparties  to  take  control  of  the  collateral  in  the  event  of  default  by
the company.

109

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

Agreements negotiated with counterparties provide for a single net settlement of all financial instruments covered by
the agreement in the event of default by the counterparty, thereby permitting obligations owed by the company to a
counterparty to be offset against amounts receivable by the company from that counterparty (the ‘‘net settlement
arrangements’’). The following table sets out the company’s counterparty risk assuming all derivative counterparties
are simultaneously in default:

Total derivative assets(1)
Obligations that may be offset under net settlement arrangements
Fair value of collateral deposited for the benefit of the company(2)
Excess collateral pledged by the company in favour of counterparties
Initial margin not held in segregated third party custodian accounts

December 31, December 31,
2018
168.2
(83.4)
(17.9)
26.1
2.0

2019
85.2
(19.2)
(14.2)
1.9
–

Net derivative counterparty exposure after net settlement and collateral

arrangements

53.7

95.0

(1) Excludes equity warrants, equity warrant forward contracts, equity call options and other derivatives which are not subject

to counterparty risk.

(2) Excludes excess collateral pledged by counterparties of $1.9 at December 31, 2019 (December 31, 2018 – $1.5).

Collateral deposited for the benefit of the company at December 31, 2019 consisted of cash of $5.3 and government
securities of $10.8 (December 31, 2018 – $1.1 and $18.3). The company had not exercised its right to sell or repledge
collateral at December 31, 2019.

Recoverable from reinsurers

Credit risk on the company’s recoverable from reinsurers balance existed at December 31, 2019 to the extent that any
reinsurer  may  be  unable  or  unwilling  to  reimburse  the  company  under  the  terms  of  the  relevant  reinsurance
arrangements. The company is also exposed to the credit risk assumed in fronting arrangements and to potential
reinsurance capacity constraints. The company regularly assesses the creditworthiness of reinsurers with whom it
transacts business. Internal guidelines generally require reinsurers to have strong A.M. Best ratings and to maintain
capital and surplus in excess of $500.0. Where contractually provided for, the company has collateral for outstanding
balances in the form of cash, letters of credit, guarantees or assets held in trust accounts. This collateral may be drawn
on when amounts remain unpaid beyond contractually specified time periods for each individual reinsurer.

The company’s reinsurance security staff conduct ongoing detailed assessments of current and potential reinsurers,
perform  annual  reviews  of  impaired  reinsurers,  and  provide  recommendations  for  uncollectible  reinsurance
provisions for the group. The reinsurance security staff also collect and maintain individual and group reinsurance
exposures across the group. Most of the reinsurance balances for reinsurers rated B++ or lower were inherited by the
company  on  acquisition  of  a  subsidiary.  The  company’s  single  largest  recoverable  from  reinsurer  (Munich
Reinsurance  Company)  represented  6.4%  of  shareholders’  equity  attributable  to  shareholders  of  Fairfax  at
December 31, 2019 (December 31, 2018 – 6.7%) and is rated A+ by A.M. Best.

The  company’s  gross  exposure  to  credit  risk  from  its  reinsurers  increased  at  December  31,  2019  compared  to
December  31,  2018,  primarily  reflecting  an  increase  in  reinsurance  recoverables  at  Allied  World  (due  to  higher
business volume and increased use of reinsurance) and Fairfax Latam (primarily reflecting losses ceded to reinsurers
related to the Chilean Riots). Changes that occurred in the provision for uncollectible reinsurance during the year are
disclosed in note 9.

110

The  following  table  presents  the  gross  recoverable  from  reinsurers  classified  according  to  the  financial  strength
ratings of the reinsurers. Pools and associations are generally government or similar insurance funds with limited
credit risk.

December 31, 2019

December 31, 2018

A.M. Best Rating
(or S&P equivalent)
A++
A+
A
A(cid:2)
B++
B+
B or lower
Not rated
Pools and associations

Provision for uncollectible reinsurance

Recoverable from reinsurers

Liquidity Risk

Gross
recoverable
from
reinsurers
357.1
5,005.9
2,567.7
217.7
18.1
3.9
11.0
941.1
194.8

9,317.3
(161.5)

9,155.8

Outstanding
balances

Net
Gross
unsecured
for which recoverable recoverable
from
reinsurers
369.8
4,225.2
2,255.2
247.9
32.4
1.5
10.3
1,139.6
283.8

from
reinsurers
328.3
4,654.0
2,461.7
208.0
16.9
3.5
9.6
416.8
188.3

security
is held
28.8
351.9
106.0
9.7
1.2
0.4
1.4
524.3
6.5

Outstanding
balances

Net
unsecured
for which recoverable
from
reinsurers
340.9
3,960.4
2,169.7
238.3
21.9
1.2
8.5
466.2
280.1

security
is held
28.9
264.8
85.5
9.6
10.5
0.3
1.8
673.4
3.7

1,030.2

8,287.1
(161.5)

8,565.7
(164.8)

8,125.6

8,400.9

1,078.5

7,487.2
(164.8)

7,322.4

Liquidity risk is the potential for loss if the company is unable to meet financial commitments in a timely manner at
reasonable cost as they fall due. The company’s policy is to ensure that sufficient liquid assets are available to meet
financial commitments, including liabilities to policyholders and debt holders, dividends on preferred shares and
investment commitments. Cash flow analysis is performed regularly at both the holding company and operating
companies to ensure that future cash needs are met or exceeded by cash flows generated by operating companies.

The holding company’s known significant commitments for 2020 consist of payment of a common share dividend
of $275.7 ($10.00 per common share, paid in January 2020), interest and corporate overhead expenses, preferred
share dividends, income tax payments, potential payments on amounts borrowed from the revolving credit facility
and other investment related activities.

The  company  believes  that  holding  company  cash  and  investments,  net  of  holding  company  short  sale  and
derivative obligations, at December 31, 2019 of $1,098.6 provides adequate liquidity to meet the holding company’s
known commitments in 2020. The holding company expects to continue to receive investment management and
administration fees and dividends from its insurance and reinsurance subsidiaries, and investment income on its
holdings  of  cash  and  investments.  To  further  augment  its  liquidity,  the  holding  company  can  borrow  from  the
$2.0  billion  unsecured  revolving  credit  facility  as  described  in  note  15.  Subsequent  to  December  31,  2019  the
company borrowed $300.0 on the credit facility.

The liquidity requirements of the insurance and reinsurance subsidiaries principally relate to liabilities associated
with underwriting, operating expenses, the payment of dividends to the holding company, contributions to their
subsidiaries,  payment  of  principal  and  interest  on  their  outstanding  debt  obligations,  income  tax  payments,
investment  commitments  and  certain  derivative  obligations  (described  below).  Liabilities  associated  with
underwriting include the payment of claims and direct commissions. Historically, the insurance and reinsurance
subsidiaries have used cash inflows from operating activities (primarily the collection of premiums and reinsurance
commissions) and investment activities (primarily repayments of principal on debt investments, sales of investment
securities and investment income) to fund their liquidity requirements. The insurance and reinsurance subsidiaries
may also receive cash inflows from financing activities (primarily distributions received from their subsidiaries).

111

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

The company’s insurance and reinsurance subsidiaries, and the holding company at a consolidated level, focus on
the stress that could be placed on liquidity requirements as a result of severe disruption or volatility in the capital
markets  or  extreme  catastrophe  activity,  or  a  combination  of  both.  The  insurance  and  reinsurance  subsidiaries
maintain  investment  strategies  intended  to  provide  adequate  funds  to  pay  claims  or  withstand  disruption  or
volatility in the capital markets without forced sales of investments. The insurance and reinsurance subsidiaries hold
highly  liquid,  high  quality  short-term  investment  securities  and  other  liquid  investment  grade  fixed  maturity
securities  to  fund  anticipated  claim  payments,  operating  expenses  and  commitments  related  to  investments.  At
December  31,  2019  portfolio  investments,  net  of  short  sale  and  derivative  obligations,  was  $37.9  billion
(December  31,  2018 – $37.3  billion).  Portfolio  investments  include  investments  that  may  lack  liquidity  or  are
inactively traded, including corporate debentures, preferred stocks, common stocks, limited partnership interests
and other invested assets. At December 31, 2019 these asset classes represented approximately 12.6% (December 31,
2018 – 13.3%) of the carrying value of the insurance and reinsurance subsidiaries’ portfolio investments. Fairfax
India and Fairfax Africa together held investments that may lack liquidity or are inactively traded with a carrying
value of $1,415.3 at December 31, 2019 (December 31, 2018 – $1,406.7).

The insurance and reinsurance subsidiaries may experience cash inflows or outflows on occasion related to their
derivative  contracts,  including  collateral  requirements.  During  2019  the  insurance  and  reinsurance  subsidiaries
received net cash of $30.7 (2018 – paid net cash of $61.8) in connection with long and short equity total return swap
derivative contracts (excluding the impact of collateral requirements).

The  Non-insurance  companies  have  principal  repayments  coming  due  in  2020  of  $1,304.9  primarily  related  to
Fairfax India’s term loan, AGT’s credit facilities (which were renewed subsequent to December 31, 2019 and mature
in 2021) and CIG’s long term notes. Borrowings of the Non-insurance companies are non-recourse to the holding
company and are generally expected to be settled through a combination of refinancing and operating cash flows.

The  following  tables  set  out  the  maturity  profile  of  the  company’s  financial  liabilities  based  on  the  expected
undiscounted cash flows from the balance sheet date to the contractual maturity date or the settlement date:

Accounts payable and accrued liabilities(1)
Insurance contract payables(3)
Provision for losses and loss adjustment expenses

Borrowings – holding company and insurance and

reinsurance companies:

Principal

Interest

Borrowings – non-insurance companies:

Principal

Interest

December 31, 2019

Less than 3 months
to 1 year
3 months

1,321.1

717.2

2,475.6

799.9

1,294.8

5,325.9

1 – 3 years

3 – 5 years

More than
5 years

Total

798.1

133.2

426.0

9.6

853.2

4,198.3

63.0

2,217.8

8,490.8

4,619.5

7,588.4 28,500.2

–

53.1

533.4

59.9

140.0

180.5

771.5

45.4

433.9

456.4

392.7

60.4

676.0

391.1

114.8

38.4

3,926.9

5,176.8

648.0

1,729.1

271.8

113.9

2,084.2

318.0

5,160.3

8,558.0

10,765.5

6,275.4

13,465.2 44,224.4

112

Accounts payable and accrued liabilities(2)
Insurance contract payables(3)
Provision for losses and loss adjustment expenses

Borrowings – holding company and insurance and

reinsurance companies:

Principal

Interest

Borrowings – non-insurance companies:

Principal

Interest

December 31, 2018

Less than 3 months
to 1 year
3 months

1,118.3

653.3

576.0

652.6

1 – 3 years

3 – 5 years

More than
5 years

Total

251.7

360.6

98.8

5.2

204.8

2,249.6

76.6

1,748.3

2,385.8

5,428.5

8,292.1

4,578.1

8,397.2 29,081.7

0.1

53.5

159.5

20.1

8.1

177.7

866.7

39.3

380.2

451.4

356.0

43.7

620.0

391.4

157.9

22.1

3,868.3

4,876.7

783.2

1,857.2

89.6

63.5

1,629.7

188.7

4,390.6

7,748.9

10,135.7

5,873.5

13,483.2 41,631.9

(1) Excludes pension and post retirement liabilities (note 21), deferred gift card, hospitality and other revenue, accrued interest

expense and other. The maturity profile of lease liabilities is based on undiscounted balances (note 22).

(2) Excludes lease commitments in addition to the items described in the preceding footnote.

(3) Excludes ceded deferred premium acquisition costs.

The timing of claims payments is not fixed and represents the company’s best estimate. The payment obligations
which are due beyond one year in insurance contract payables primarily relate to certain payables to brokers and
reinsurers not expected to be settled in the short term.

The following table provides a maturity profile of the company’s short sale and derivative obligations based on the
expected  undiscounted  cash  flows  from  the  balance  sheet  date  to  the  contractual  maturity  date  or  the
settlement date:

December 31, 2019

December 31, 2018

Less than
3 months

3 months More than
1 year
to 1 year

Less than
3 months

3 months More than
1 year
to 1 year

Total

84.6

3.0

1.7

–

–

–

53.3
0.1

114.5
2.1

13.4

51.7

30.4

45.7
–

–

–

–

8.0
–

8.0

–

–

–

–
0.3

0.3

Total

13.4

51.7

30.4

53.7
0.3

149.5

31.9

53.4

205.9

141.2

58.0

26.6

–

1.7

59.3
1.6

120.6

3.0

–

1.9
0.4

Equity total return swaps –

short positions

Equity total return swaps –

long positions

U.S. treasury bond forward

contracts

Foreign currency forward
and swap contracts

Other derivative contracts

Market Risk

Market risk, comprised of foreign currency risk, interest rate risk and other price risk, is the risk that the fair value or
future  cash  flows  of  a  financial  instrument  will  fluctuate  because  of  changes  in  market  prices.  The  company  is
exposed  to  market  risk  principally  in  its  investing  activities,  and  also  in  its  underwriting  activities  where  those
activities expose the company to foreign currency risk. The company’s investment portfolios are managed with a
long  term,  value-oriented  investment  philosophy  emphasizing  downside  protection,  with  policies  to  limit  and
monitor individual issuer exposures and aggregate equity exposure at the subsidiary and consolidated levels. The
following is a discussion of the company’s primary market risk exposures and how those exposures are managed.

Interest rate risk

Interest rate risk is the risk that the fair value or future cash flows of a financial instrument will fluctuate because of
changes in market interest rates. Typically, as interest rates rise, the fair value of fixed income investments decline

113

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

and, conversely, as interest rates decline, the fair value of fixed income investments rise. In each case, the longer the
maturity  of  the  financial  instrument,  the  greater  the  consequence  of  a  change  in  interest  rates.  The  company’s
interest rate risk management strategy is to position its fixed income portfolio based on its view of future interest
rates  and  the  yield  curve,  balanced  with  liquidity  requirements.  The  company  may  reposition  the  portfolio  in
response to changes in the interest rate environment. At December 31, 2019 the company’s investment portfolio
included fixed income securities with an aggregate fair value of approximately $16.3 billion (December 31, 2018 –
$20.6 billion) that is subject to interest rate risk.

The  company’s  exposure  to  interest  rate  risk  decreased  during  2019  due  to  decreased  bond  holdings,  primarily
reflecting  net  sales  and  maturities  of  short-dated  U.S.  treasury  bonds  and  Canadian  government  bonds  for  net
proceeds of $4,601.5 and $344.5, and the settlement of bonds issued by EXCO Resources, Inc. and Sanmar Chemicals
Group  (note  6),  partially  offset  by  net  purchases  of  high  quality  U.S.  corporate  bonds  of  $1,370.4.  To  reduce  its
exposure  to  interest  rate  risk  (primarily  exposure  to  long-dated  U.S.  treasury  bonds,  U.S.  corporate  bonds  and
U.S.  state  and  municipal  bonds  held  in  its  fixed  income  portfolio),  the  company  held  forward  contracts  to  sell
long-dated  U.S.  treasury  bonds  with  a  notional  amount  at  December 31,  2019  of  $846.5  (December  31,  2018 –
$471.9).  There  were  no  significant  changes  to  the  company’s  framework  used  to  monitor,  evaluate  and  manage
interest rate risk at December 31, 2019 compared to December 31, 2018.

Movements in the term structure of interest rates affect the level and timing of recognition in earnings of gains and
losses  on  fixed  income  securities  held.  Generally,  the  company’s  investment  income  may  be  reduced  during
sustained periods of lower interest rates as higher yielding fixed income securities are called, mature, or sold, and the
proceeds reinvested at lower interest rates. During periods of rising interest rates, the market value of the company’s
existing fixed income securities will generally decrease and gains on fixed income securities will likely be reduced.
Losses  are  likely  to  be  incurred  following  significant  increases  in  interest  rates.  General  economic  conditions,
political conditions and many other factors can also adversely affect the bond markets and, consequently, the value
of fixed income securities held. These risks are monitored by the company’s senior portfolio managers and Chief
Executive Officer, and taken into consideration when managing the consolidated bond portfolio.

The table below displays the potential impact of changes in interest rates on the company’s fixed income portfolio
based on parallel 200 basis point shifts up and down, in 100 basis point increments. This analysis was performed on
each individual security to determine the hypothetical effect on net earnings.

Change in interest rates
200 basis point increase
100 basis point increase
No change
100 basis point decrease
200 basis point decrease

Fair value
of fixed
income
portfolio

15,752.1
16,018.9
16,315.4
16,712.8
17,162.3

December 31, 2019

December 31, 2018

Hypothetical
change in net
earnings(1)

Hypothetical
% change
in fair
value(1)

Fair value
of fixed
income
portfolio

Hypothetical
change in net
earnings(1)

Hypothetical
% change
in fair
value(1)

(463.3)
(243.6)
–
326.8
695.8

(3.5)
(1.8)
–
2.4
5.2

19,902.5
20,227.4
20,561.5
20,915.6
21,282.1

(541.1)
(274.3)
–
290.4
590.6

(3.2)
(1.6)
–
1.7
3.5

(1)

Includes the impact of forward contracts to sell long dated U.S. treasury bonds with a notional amount at December 31,
2019 of $846.5 (December 31, 2018 – $471.9).

Certain shortcomings are inherent in the method of analysis presented above. Computations of the prospective
effects of hypothetical interest rate changes are based on numerous assumptions, including the maintenance of the
level and composition of fixed income securities at the indicated date, and should not be relied on as indicative of
future  results.  Actual  values  may  differ  from  the  projections  presented  should  market  conditions  vary  from
assumptions  used  in  the  calculation  of  the  fair  value  of  individual  securities;  such  variations  may  include
non-parallel shifts in the term structure of interest rates and changes in individual issuer credit spreads.

Market price fluctuations

Market price fluctuation is the risk that the fair value or future cash flows of a financial instrument will fluctuate
because of changes in market prices (other than those arising from interest rate risk or foreign currency risk), whether
those  changes  are  caused  by  factors  specific  to  the  individual  financial  instrument  or  its  issuer,  or  other  factors

114

affecting all similar financial instruments in the market. The company’s risk management objective for market price
fluctuations places primary emphasis on the preservation of invested capital. There were no significant changes to
the company’s exposure to equity price risk through its equity and equity-related holdings at December 31, 2019
compared to December 31, 2018.

The company holds significant investments in equity and equity-related instruments. The market value and the
liquidity of these investments are volatile and may vary dramatically either up or down in short periods, and their
ultimate value will therefore only be known over the long term or on disposition. The following table summarizes
the net effect of the company’s equity and equity-related holdings (long exposures net of short exposures) on the
company’s financial position as at December 31, 2019 and 2018 and results of operations for the years then ended. In
that  table  the  company  considers  its  non-insurance  investments  in  associates  (note  6)  with  a  fair  value  of
December  31,  2019  of  $5,330.0  (December  31,  2018 – $4,522.4)  as  a  component  of  its  equity  and  equity-related
holdings when assessing its net equity exposures.

Year ended

Year ended

December 31, December 31,

December 31, 2019

December 31, 2018

2019

2018

Exposure/

Exposure/

Pre-tax

Pre-tax

Notional

Carrying

Notional

Carrying

earnings

earnings

amount

value

amount

value

(loss)

(loss)

Long equity exposures:
Common stocks(1)(2)
Preferred stocks – convertible(3)
Bonds – convertible
Investments in associates(3)(4)
Deconsolidation of non-insurance

companies(5)(6)

Derivatives and other invested assets:

Equity total return swaps – long positions
Equity warrant forward contracts(7)
Equity warrants and call options(7)

5,768.6 5,768.6 5,148.2 5,148.2
17.7
595.6
5,330.0 4,327.9 4,522.4 4,309.0

17.7
595.6

20.7
667.6

20.7
667.6

–

–

–

–

406.3
–
200.3

8.1
–
200.3

390.3
316.6
79.8

(46.9)
38.4
79.8

915.9
0.9
1.4
0.7

171.3

20.5
45.4
123.9

Total equity and equity related holdings

12,393.5 10,993.2 11,070.6 10,141.8

1,280.0

(386.2)
2.9
(171.3)
138.9

889.9

(86.3)
113.9
(69.9)

431.9

Short equity exposures:

Derivatives and other invested assets:

Equity total return swaps – short positions
Equity index total return swaps – short

positions

Other

(369.8)

(84.6)

(414.4)

8.9

(45.0)

(33.9)

–
–

–
–

–
–

–
–

(369.8)

(84.6)

(414.4)

8.9

–
(12.8)

(57.8)

(4.3)
–

(38.2)

393.7

Net equity exposures and financial effects

12,023.7

10,656.2

1,222.2

(1) The  company  excludes  other  funds  that  are  invested  principally  in  fixed  income  securities  with  a  carrying  value  at
December 31, 2019 of $175.6 (December 31, 2018 – $150.3) when measuring its equity and equity-related exposure.

(2) During 2019 the company sold its 9.9% equity interest in ICICI Lombard for gross proceeds of $729.0 and recognized a
net gain on investment of $240.0 (realized gains of $311.2, of which $71.2 was recorded as unrealized gains in prior
years), primarily related to the removal of the discount for lack of marketability previously applied by the company to the
traded market price of its ICICI Lombard common stock.

(3) Excludes the company’s insurance and reinsurance investments in associates, joint ventures and other equity and equity-

related holdings which are considered long term strategic holdings. See note 6.

(4) On October 31, 2018 the company sold its equity accounted investments in Arbor Memorial Services Inc. and an insurance
brokerage for net proceeds of $179.2 (Cdn $235.4) and $58.8 (Cdn $76.3) and recorded net realized gains of $111.8 and
$17.6 (Cdn $22.7) respectively.

(5) On  May  17,  2019  the  company  deconsolidated  Grivalia  Properties  upon  its  merger  into  Eurobank  and  recognized  a

non-cash gain of $171.3. See note 23.

(6) On March 1, 2018 Thomas Cook India entered into a strategic joint venture agreement with the founder of Quess that
resulted in Quess becoming a joint venture of Thomas Cook India whereas it was previously a consolidated subsidiary.
Accordingly, the company remeasured the carrying value of Quess to its fair value of $1,109.5, recognized a non-cash gain
of $889.9 and commenced applying the equity method of accounting.

(7)

Includes the Seaspan warrants and forward contracts described in note 6.

115

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

The table that follows illustrates the potential impact on net earnings of changes in the fair value of the company’s
equity and equity-related holdings (long exposures net of short exposures) as a result of changes in global equity
markets  at  December  31,  2019  and  2018.  The  analysis  assumes  variations  of  5%  and  10%  which  the  company
believes  to  be  reasonably  possible  based  on  analysis  of  the  return  on  various  equity  indexes  and  management’s
knowledge of global equity markets.

December 31, 2019

December 31, 2018

Fair value
of equity

Fair value
of equity

and equity- $ change in net
earnings

related holdings

Hypothetical Hypothetical
% change

and equity- $ change in net
earnings

Hypothetical Hypothetical
% change
in fair value

in fair value related holdings

Change in global
equity markets

10% increase
5% increase
No change
5% decrease
10% decrease

7,329.1
7,010.7
6,693.7
6,377.9
6,063.7

532.5
265.7
–
(264.4)
(527.5)

9.5
4.7
–
(4.7)
(9.4)

6,807.2
6,510.9
6,224.0
5,929.9
5,645.7

498.3
244.9
–
(251.3)
(493.8)

9.4
4.6
–
(4.7)
(9.3)

The change in fair value of non-insurance investments in associates and joint ventures have been excluded from
each of the scenarios presented above as any change in the fair value of an investment in associate is generally
recognized in the company’s consolidated financial reporting only upon disposition of the associate. The change in
fair value of equity and equity-related holdings related to insurance and reinsurance investments in associates and
joint ventures have been excluded from each of the scenarios presented above as they are considered long term
strategic holdings.

At December 31, 2019 the company’s ten largest holdings within common stocks totaled $3,407.0 or 8.7% of the
total  investment  portfolio  (December  31,  2018 – $2,681.1  or  6.9%).  The  largest  single  holding  within  common
stocks at December 31, 2019 was the company’s investment in Eurobank (note 23) at $1,164.4 or 3.0% of the total
investment portfolio (December 31, 2018 – $497.1 or 1.3%).

Risk of decreasing price levels

The risk of decreases in the general price level of goods and services is the potential for negative impacts on the
consolidated  balance  sheet  (including  the  company’s  equity  and  equity-related  holdings  and  fixed  income
investments  in  non-sovereign  debt)  and  the  consolidated  statement  of  earnings.  Among  their  effects  on  the
economy, decreasing price levels typically result in decreased consumption, restriction of credit, shrinking output
and investment and numerous bankruptcies.

The company has purchased derivative contracts referenced to consumer price indexes (‘‘CPI’’) in the geographic
regions in which it operates to serve as an economic hedge against the potential adverse financial impact on the
company of decreasing price levels. At December 31, 2019 these contracts have a remaining weighted average life of
2.8 years (December 31, 2018 – 3.6 years), a notional amount of $99.8 billion (December 31, 2018 – $114.4 billion)
and a fair value of $6.7 (December 31, 2018 – $24.9). As the average remaining life of a contract declines, the fair
value  of  the  contract  (excluding  the  impact  of  CPI  changes)  will  generally  decline.  The  company’s  maximum
potential loss on any contract is limited to the original cost of that contract. During 2019 the company recorded net
losses  of  $12.3  (2018 – net  losses  of  $6.7)  on  its  CPI-linked  derivative  contracts  and  did  not  enter  into  any  new
contracts. During 2019 certain CPI-linked derivative contracts with a notional amount of $1,800.3 referenced to CPI
in the United States, European Union and United Kingdom matured. At December 31, 2019 CPI-linked derivative
contracts with a notional amount of $12.1 billion and a fair value of $0.2 referenced to CPI in the United States,
European Union and United Kingdom were included in assets held for sale on the consolidated balance sheet.

Foreign currency risk

Foreign currency risk is the risk that the fair value or cash flows of a financial instrument or another asset or liability
will fluctuate because of changes in foreign currency exchange rates and produce an adverse effect on earnings or
equity when measured in a company’s functional currency. The company is exposed to foreign currency risk through
transactions conducted in currencies other than the U.S. dollar, including net premiums earned and losses on claims,
net that are denominated in foreign currencies. Investments in associates and net investments in subsidiaries with

116

functional  currencies  other  than  the  U.S.  dollar  also  result  in  exposure  to  foreign  currency  risk.  The  company’s
exposure  to  foreign  currency  risk  was  not  significantly  different  at  December  31,  2019  compared  to
December 31, 2018.

The company’s foreign currency risk management objective is to mitigate the impact of foreign currency exchange
rate fluctuations on total equity, notwithstanding the company’s exposure to the Indian rupee from its investment
in Fairfax India. The company monitors its invested assets for exposure to foreign currency risk and limits such
exposure as deemed necessary. At the consolidated level the company accumulates and matches all significant asset
and liability foreign currency exposures to identify net unmatched positions, whether long or short. To mitigate
exposure to an unmatched position, the company may: enter into long and short foreign currency forward contracts
(primarily denominated in the euro, the British pound sterling and the Canadian dollar) to manage exposure on
foreign currency denominated transactions; identify or incur foreign currency denominated liabilities to manage
exposure to investments in associates and net investments in subsidiaries with functional currencies other than the
U.S. dollar; and, purchase investments denominated in the same currency as foreign currency exposed liabilities.
Despite such efforts, the company may experience gains or losses resulting from foreign currency fluctuations, which
may favourably or adversely affect operating results.

At  December  31,  2019  the  company  has  designated  the  carrying  value  of  Cdn$2,796.1  principal  amount  of  its
Canadian dollar denominated unsecured senior notes with a fair value of $2,270.0 (December 31, 2018 – principal
amount of Cdn$2,691.5 with a fair value of $2,028.4) as a hedge of a portion of its net investment in Canadian
subsidiaries. During 2019 the company recognized pre-tax losses of $105.6 (2018 – pre-tax gains of $166.3) related to
exchange rate movements on the Canadian dollar denominated unsecured senior notes in gains (losses) on hedge of
net investment in Canadian subsidiaries in the consolidated statement of comprehensive income.

At  December  31,  2019  the  company  has  designated  the  carrying  value  of  A277.0  principal  amount  of  its  euro
denominated  unsecured  senior  notes  with  a  fair  value  of  $336.2  (December  31,  2018 – principal  amount  of
A750.0 with a fair value of $854.5) as a hedge of its net investment in European operations with a euro functional
currency. The decrease in principal amount of euro denominated unsecured senior notes designated as a hedging
instrument  during  2019  was  due  to  the  deconsolidation  of  Grivalia  Properties  (note  23)  which  reduced  the
company’s  net  investment  in  European  operations  with  a  euro  functional  currency.  During  2019  the  company
recognized pre-tax losses of $35.3 (2018 – pre-tax gains of $57.1) related to exchange rate movements on the euro
denominated unsecured senior notes in gains (losses) on hedge of net investment in European operations in the
consolidated statement of comprehensive income.

The pre-tax foreign exchange effects included in net gains on investments in the company’s consolidated statements
of earnings for the years ended December 31 were as follows:

Net gains (losses) on investments:

Investing activities
Underwriting activities
Foreign currency contracts

Foreign currency net losses

2019

2018

(68.0)
5.6
(1.3)

(171.3)
31.6
7.9

(63.7)

(131.8)

Foreign  currency  net  losses  on  investing  activities  during  2019  primarily  related  to  U.S. dollar  denominated
investments  held  by  subsidiaries  with  a  Canadian dollar  or  British  pound  functional  currency  as  the  U.S.  dollar
weakened  relative  to  those  currencies.  Foreign  currency  net  losses  on  investing  activities  during  2018  primarily
reflected strengthening of the U.S. dollar relative to the Indian rupee and the euro.

The table below shows the approximate effect of a 10% appreciation of the U.S. dollar against each of the Canadian
dollar, euro, British pound sterling, Indian rupee and all other currencies, respectively, on pre-tax earnings (loss), net
earnings  (loss),  pre-tax  other  comprehensive  income  (loss)  and  other  comprehensive  income  (loss).  Certain

117

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

shortcomings are inherent in the method of analysis presented, including the assumption that the 10% appreciation
of the U.S. dollar occurred at December 31, 2019 with all other variables held constant.

Canadian
dollar

Euro

British
pound
sterling

Indian rupee

All other
currencies

Total

2019
12.7
9.6

2018

2019
0.1 (57.3)
(1.3) (52.3)

2018
37.8
31.8

2019
(5.7)
(2.4)

2018
2019
2018
15.6 (108.0) (105.8)
(95.0)
(93.8)
12.6

2019
(77.3)
(57.5)

2018
2019
2018
(96.9) (235.6) (149.2)
(74.3) (196.4) (126.2)

(113.6) (137.2) 30.2

(13.8) (125.5)

(98.5) (275.4) (308.7) (124.3)

(99.5) (608.6) (657.7)

(116.8) (134.9) 40.9

(4.9) (124.7)

(98.1) (254.2) (305.7) (119.1)

(93.4) (573.9) (637.0)

Pre-tax earnings (loss)
Net earnings (loss)
Pre-tax other

comprehensive
income (loss)

Other comprehensive

income (loss)

The hypothetical impact in 2019 of the foreign currency movements on pre-tax earnings (loss) in the table above
principally related to the following:

Canadian  dollar: Primarily  net  liabilities  at  Odyssey  Group,  partially  offset  by  net  assets  at  Allied  World
(principally related to portfolio investments and operational exposure). Odyssey Group entered into foreign
currency forward contracts which were used as economic hedges of its operational exposure (including the net
investment in its Canadian branch where the net assets are translated through other comprehensive income).

Euro: Primarily net assets at Odyssey Group, Crum and Forster, Allied World and Group Re (principally related
to portfolio investments and operational exposure).

British  pound  sterling: Primarily  net assets  at  Odyssey  Group,  Brit,  Zenith  National  and  Non-insurance
companies, partially offset by net liabilities at Allied World (principally related to portfolio investments and
operational  exposure,  partially  offset  by  foreign  currency  forward  contracts  used  as  economic  hedges  of
operational exposure).

Indian rupee: Portfolio investments held broadly across the company.

All other currencies: Primarily U.S. dollar, Egyptian pound and Singapore dollar net assets at entities where the
functional  currency  is  other  than  those  currencies  (primarily  at  Odyssey  Group’s  Paris  branch  and  Newline
syndicate  and Allied  World),  partially  offset  by  certain  net  liabilities  at  Fairfax  India  (primarily  U.S.  dollar
borrowings).

The hypothetical impact in 2019 of the foreign currency movements on pre-tax other comprehensive income (loss)
in  the  table  above  principally  related  to  the  translation  of  the  company’s  non-U.S.  dollar  net  investments  in
subsidiaries and investments in associates as follows:

Canadian  dollar: Net  investments  in  Northbridge  and  Canadian  subsidiaries  within  the  Non-insurance
companies  reporting  segment,  partially  offset  by  the  impact  of  the  hedge  of  net  investment  in  Canadian
subsidiaries.

Euro: Net  liabilities  in  Odyssey  Group’s  Paris  branch  and  the  impact  of  the  hedge  of  net  investment  in
European operations, partially offset by investments in associates (primarily Eurolife and Astarta) and the net
investment in Colonnade Insurance. The exposure changed during 2019 primarily due to the deconsolidation of
Grivalia Properties.

British pound sterling: Net investments in RiverStone (UK) at European Run-off and Odyssey Group’s Newline
syndicate.

Indian rupee: Net investments in Fairfax India and Thomas Cook India, and Fairfax’s investment in Quess. The
exposure decreased during 2019 primarily reflecting the spin-off of Thomas Cook India’s investment in Quess to
its minority shareholders.

All other currencies: Net investments in Fairfax Latin America (Argentine peso, Chilean peso, Colombian peso,
Uruguayan peso, Brazilian real), Bryte Insurance (South African rand), Polish Re (Polish zloty), AMAG Insurance
(Indonesian rupiah), Fairfirst Insurance (Sri Lankan rupee), Pacific Insurance (Malaysian ringgit), Fairfax Central
and Eastern Europe (Bulgarian lev, Czech koruna, Hungarian florint, Romanian leu and Ukrainian hryvnia) and

118

non-insurance  companies  (primarily  AGT’s  net  investment  in  its  Turkish  subsidiary  (Turkish  lira)),  and
investments  in  associates  (primarily  Kuwaiti  dinar  at  Gulf  Insurance,  South  African  rand  at  Fairfax  Africa’s
associates and Vietnamese dong at BIC Insurance).

Capital Management

The company’s capital management framework is designed to protect, in the following order, its policyholders, its
bondholders and its preferred shareholders and then finally to optimize returns to common shareholders. Effective
capital management includes measures designed to maintain capital above minimum regulatory levels, above levels
required to satisfy issuer credit ratings and financial strength ratings requirements, and above internally determined
and calculated risk management levels. Total capital at December 31, 2019, comprising total debt, shareholders’
equity attributable to shareholders of Fairfax and non-controlling interests, was $25,139.8 compared to $23,845.6 at
December 31, 2018. The company manages its capital based on the following financial measurements and ratios to
provide an indication of the company’s ability to issue and service debt without impacting the operating companies
or their portfolio investments:

Consolidated

Excluding consolidated
non-insurance companies

December 31, December 31, December 31, December 31,
2018

2019

2018

2019

Holding company cash and investments (net of short sale

and derivative obligations)

Borrowings – holding company
Borrowings – insurance and reinsurance companies
Borrowings – non-insurance companies

Total debt

Net debt(1)

Common shareholders’ equity
Preferred stock
Non-controlling interests

Total equity

Net debt/total equity
Net debt/net total capital(2)
Total debt/total capital(3)
Interest coverage(4)
Interest and preferred share dividend distribution

coverage(5)

1,098.6

4,117.3
1,039.6
2,075.7

7,232.6

6,134.0

1,550.6

3,859.5
995.7
1,625.2

6,480.4

4,929.8

1,098.6

4,117.3
1,039.6
–

5,156.9

4,058.3

1,550.6

3,859.5
995.7
–

4,855.2

3,304.6

13,042.6
1,335.5
3,529.1

11,779.3
1,335.5
4,250.4

13,042.6
1,335.5
1,519.8

11,779.3
1,335.5
1,437.1

17,907.2

17,365.2

15,897.9

14,551.9

34.3%
25.5%
28.8%
6.5x

28.4%
22.1%
27.2%
3.5x

25.5%
20.3%
24.5%

22.7%
18.5%
25.0%

9.8x (6)

3.2x (6)

5.7x

3.0x

7.9x (6)

2.6x (6)

(1) Net debt is calculated by the company as total debt less holding company cash and investments (net of short sale and

derivative obligations).

(2) Net total capital is calculated by the company as the sum of total equity and net debt.

(3) Total capital is calculated by the company as the sum of total equity and total debt.

(4)

(5)

Interest coverage is calculated by the company as earnings (loss) before income taxes and interest expense on borrowings,
divided by interest expense on borrowings.

Interest and preferred share dividend distribution coverage is calculated by the company as earnings (loss) before income
taxes and interest expense on borrowings divided by the sum of interest expense on borrowings and preferred share dividend
distributions adjusted to a pre-tax equivalent at the company’s Canadian statutory income tax rate.

(6) Excludes  earnings  (loss)  before  income  taxes,  and  interest  expense  on  borrowings,  of  consolidated  non-insurance
companies.  The  ratios  for  the  year  ended  December  31,  2018  include  the  non-cash  gain  of  $889.9  from  the
deconsolidation of Quess (note 23).

The  company’s  capital  management  objectives  include  maintaining  sufficient  liquid  resources  at  the  holding
company to be able to pay interest on debt, dividends to preferred shareholders and all other holding company
obligations. Accordingly, the company monitors its interest and preferred share dividend distribution coverage ratio
calculated as described in footnote 5 of the table above.

119

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

In  the  United  States,  the  National  Association  of  Insurance  Commissioners  (‘‘NAIC’’)  applies  a  model  law  and
risk-based capital (‘‘RBC’’) formula designed to help regulators identify property and casualty insurers that may be
inadequately capitalized. Under the NAIC’s requirements, an insurer must maintain total capital and surplus above a
calculated threshold or face varying levels of regulatory action. The threshold is based on a formula that attempts to
quantify the risk of a company’s insurance, investment and other business activities. At December 31, 2019 Odyssey
Group, Crum & Forster, Zenith National, Allied World and U.S. Run-off subsidiaries had capital and surplus that met
or exceeded the regulatory minimum requirement of two times the authorized control level.

In Bermuda, the Bermuda Insurance Act 1978 imposes solvency and liquidity standards on Bermuda insurers and
reinsurers. There is a requirement to hold available statutory economic capital and surplus equal to or in excess of an
enhanced capital and target capital level as determined by the Bermuda Monetary Authority under the Bermuda
Solvency  Capital  Requirement  model.  The  target  capital  level  is  measured  as  120%  of  the  enhanced  capital
requirements.  At  December  31,  2019  Allied  World’s  subsidiary  was  in  compliance  with  Bermuda’s  regulatory
requirements.

In  Canada,  property  and  casualty  companies  are  regulated  by  the  Office  of  the  Superintendent  of  Financial
Institutions on the basis of a minimum supervisory target of 150% of a minimum capital test (‘‘MCT’’) formula. At
December 31, 2019 Northbridge’s subsidiaries had a weighted average MCT ratio in excess of the 150% minimum
supervisory target.

The  Lloyd’s  market  is  subject  to  the  solvency  and  capital  adequacy  requirements  of  the  Prudential  Regulatory
Authority in the U.K. The capital requirements of Brit are based on the output of an internal model which reflects the
risk profile of the business. At December 31, 2019 Brit’s available capital was in excess of its management capital
requirements (capital required for business strategy and regulatory requirements).

In countries other than the U.S., Bermuda, Canada and the U.K. where the company operates, the company met or
exceeded the applicable regulatory capital requirements at December 31, 2019.

25. Segmented Information

The company identifies its operating segments by operating company, consistent with its management structure.
Certain of the operating segments have been aggregated into reporting segments that are categorized by type of
business as described below. The accounting policies of the reporting segments are the same as those described in
note 3. Prices for inter-segment transactions are set at arm’s length. Geographic premiums are determined by the
domicile of the operating companies and where the primary underlying insurance risk resides.

Insurance and Reinsurance

Northbridge – A national commercial property and casualty insurer in Canada providing property and casualty
insurance products through its Northbridge Insurance and Federated subsidiaries.

Odyssey Group – A U.S.-based reinsurer that provides a full range of property and casualty products worldwide, and
that underwrites specialty insurance, primarily in the U.S. and in the U.K., both directly and through the Lloyd’s
market in London.

Crum & Forster – A national commercial property and casualty insurer in the U.S. that principally underwrites
specialty coverages.

Zenith National – An insurer primarily engaged in workers’ compensation business in the U.S.

Brit – A market-leading global Lloyd’s of London specialty insurer and reinsurer.

Allied World – A global property, casualty and specialty insurer and reinsurer with a presence at Lloyd’s.

Fairfax  Asia – This  reporting  segment  includes  the  company’s  operations  that  underwrite  insurance  and
reinsurance coverages in Hong Kong (Falcon), Malaysia (Pacific Insurance), Indonesia (AMAG Insurance) and Sri
Lanka (Fairfirst Insurance). Fairfax Asia also includes the company’s equity accounted interests in Vietnam-based BIC
Insurance (35.0%) and Thailand-based Falcon Thailand (41.2%).

120

Insurance  and  Reinsurance – Other – This  reporting  segment  is  comprised  of  Group  Re,  Bryte  Insurance,
Advent,  Fairfax  Latin  America  and  Fairfax  Central  and  Eastern  Europe  (‘‘Fairfax  CEE’’).  Group  Re  primarily
constitutes  the  participation  of  the  company’s  Barbados  based  reinsurance  subsidiaries  CRC  Re,  Wentworth  and
Connemara (established in 2019) in the reinsurance of Fairfax’s subsidiaries by quota share or through participation
in those subsidiaries’ third party reinsurance programs on the same terms as third party reinsurers. Group Re also
writes  third  party  business.  Bryte  Insurance  is  an  established  property  and  casualty  insurer  in  South  Africa  and
Botswana. Advent is a specialty property reinsurance and insurance company that operated through Syndicate 780 at
Lloyd’s. During 2018 Advent transferred certain classes of its business to Brit, Allied World and Newline with the
remainder of Advent Syndicate 780 placed into run-off. Advent is reported in the Run-off reporting segment effective
January 1, 2019. Fairfax Latin America is comprised of Fairfax Brasil, which writes commercial property and casualty
insurance in Brazil, and Fairfax Latam, consisting of property and casualty insurance operations in Argentina, Chile,
Colombia  and  Uruguay.  Fairfax  CEE  is  comprised  of  Polish  Re,  which  writes  reinsurance  in  Central  and  Eastern
Europe,  Colonnade  Insurance,  a  Luxembourg  property  and  casualty  insurer  with  branches  in  each  of  the  Czech
Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, Poland, Bulgaria and Romania and an insurance subsidiary in Ukraine, and Fairfax
Ukraine  which  comprises  ARX  Insurance  (acquired  February  14,  2019)  and  Universalna  (acquired  November  6,
2019), both property and casualty insurers in Ukraine.

Run-off

This reporting segment is comprised of European Run-off, which principally consists of RiverStone (UK), Advent
(effective January 1, 2019), Syndicate 3500 at Lloyd’s (managed by RiverStone Managing Agency Limited) and TIG
Insurance (Barbados) Limited, and U.S. Run-off, which includes TIG Insurance Company. On December 20, 2019 the
company entered into an agreement to contribute European Run-off to a joint venture with OMERS, resulting in the
assets and liabilities of European Run-off being classified as held for sale on the company’s consolidated balance
sheet at December 31, 2019 (note 23).

Non-insurance companies

This reporting segment is comprised as follows:

Restaurants and retail – Comprised of Recipe and its subsidiaries The Keg, St-Hubert, Pickle Barrel and Original
Joe’s, Toys ‘‘R’’ Us Canada (acquired on May 31, 2018), Praktiker, Golf Town, Sporting Life, Kitchen Stuff Plus and
William Ashley.

Fairfax India – Comprised of Fairfax India and its subsidiaries NCML, Fairchem and Saurashtra Freight.

Thomas  Cook  India – Comprised  of  Thomas  Cook  India  and  its  subsidiaries  Sterling  Resorts  and  Quess
(deconsolidated on March 1, 2018).

Other – Comprised primarily of AGT (acquired on April 17, 2019), Dexterra (acquired on March 7, 2018), Grivalia
Properties (deconsolidated on May 17, 2019), Fairfax Africa and its subsidiary CIG (consolidated January 4, 2019),
Mosaic Capital, Boat Rocker, Pethealth and Rouge Media.

Corporate and Other

Corporate and Other includes the parent entity (Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited), its subsidiary intermediate
holding companies and Hamblin Watsa, an investment management company.

121

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

Sources of Earnings by Reporting Segment

Sources of earnings by reporting segment for the years ended December 31 were as follows:

2019

Gross premiums written

External

Intercompany

Insurance and Reinsurance

Non- Corporate Eliminations

Odyssey Crum &

Zenith

Allied Fairfax

Operating

insurance

and

and

Northbridge Group Forster National

Brit World

Asia

Other companies Run-off companies

Other adjustments Consolidated

1,513.6

3,742.8

2,805.0

732.7

2,245.4

3,809.3

439.3

1,616.7

16,904.8

606.4

7.9

73.2

22.8

–

48.1

51.0

(1.0)

94.2

296.2

3.2

1,521.5

3,816.0

2,827.8

732.7

2,293.5

3,860.3

438.3

1,710.9

17,201.0

609.6

Net premiums written

1,350.3

3,393.8

2,331.5

720.8

1,656.2

2,428.9

231.2

1,148.4

13,261.1

574.5

Net premiums earned

External

Intercompany

1,247.3

3,162.2

2,234.4

737.3

1,608.1

2,345.9

228.2

(7.0)

17.0

(40.6)

(2.3)

33.8

(10.5)

(13.0)

981.3

65.5

12,544.7

685.0

42.9

(42.9)

Underwriting expenses(1)

(1,193.6)

(3,089.3) (2,142.0)

(626.2)

(1,590.8)

(2,277.7)

(208.8)

(1,064.7)

(12,193.1)

(906.3)

1,240.3

3,179.2

2,193.8

735.0

1,641.9

2,335.4

215.2

1,046.8

12,587.6

642.1

Underwriting profit (loss)

46.7

89.9

51.8

108.8

Interest income

Dividends

65.9

10.4

189.5

17.5

93.6

7.0

36.7

4.0

51.1

82.0

3.0

57.7

6.4

(17.9)

394.5

(264.2)

165.6

16.7

16.9

8.6

66.8

3.6

717.0

70.8

60.5

9.5

Investment expenses

(11.3)

(31.1)

(14.7)

(7.6)

(11.5)

(33.4)

(7.8)

(13.4)

(130.8)

(14.2)

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

24.5

11.8

(89.0)

33.7

1.6

(2.4)

Interest and dividends

65.0

175.9

85.9

33.1

73.5

148.9

17.7

57.0

657.0

55.8

(52.7)

32.9

Share of profit (loss) of

associates

Other

Revenue

Expenses

Operating income (loss)

Net gains on investments

Loss on repurchase of

long term debt
(note 15)

Interest expense

Corporate overhead

1.1

55.1

19.1

(16.4)

(2.4)

13.3

(0.1)

(13.7)

56.0

(6.3)

(45.2)

165.1

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

112.8

0.5

320.9

149.5

156.8

75.2

125.5

22.5

122.2

62.1

219.9

210.2

24.0

632.3

25.4

106.2

1,107.5

(214.7)

1,258.5

168.2

5,537.1

(5,441.6)

95.5

(2.4)

72.6

–

–

–

198.0

216.9

–

(1.5)

(5.7)

–

–

(7.8)

(5.3)

(10.7)

(20.5)

–

(3.9)

(8.5)

–

(19.1)

(9.2)

–

(29.1)

(59.7)

–

(0.4)

(9.8)

–

(1.9)

(0.6)

–

(69.0)

(124.7)

–

(7.0)

0.4

–

(184.9)

–

(23.7)

(212.1)

49.1

–

17,511.2

(299.4)

–

(299.4)

17,511.2

–

–

–

–

–

–

(9.4)

–

196.6

187.2

–

–

8.4

8.4

195.6

–

–

1.0

(196.6)

13,835.6

13,229.7

–

13,229.7

(13,099.4)

130.3

826.3

93.7

(39.8)

880.2

169.6

5,537.1

(5,433.2)

103.9

1,284.0

1,716.2

(23.7)

(472.0)

(271.8)

Pre-tax income (loss)

106.1

451.9

206.2

135.6

156.0

341.3

646.1

129.1

2,172.3

(53.1)

(114.7)

228.2

–

2,232.7

Provision for income taxes

Net earnings

Attributable to:

Shareholders of Fairfax

Non-controlling interests

(261.5)

1,971.2

2,004.1

(32.9)

1,971.2

(1) Underwriting expenses for the year ended December 31, 2019 were comprised as shown below. Accident year underwriting

expenses exclude the impact of favourable or adverse prior year claims reserve development.

Loss & LAE – accident year
Commissions
Premium acquisition costs and other underwriting

expenses

Insurance and Reinsurance

Odyssey Crum &

Zenith

Allied Fairfax

Operating

Northbridge

Group Forster National

Brit World

Asia

Other companies

851.9
204.1

2,383.6 1,387.4
350.8

629.9

423.4
80.1

961.0 1,585.8
256.2
444.6

151.3
29.1

678.8
187.5

8,423.2
2,182.3

204.7

305.4

410.0

204.8

231.7

403.7

56.7

250.4

2,067.4

Underwriting expenses – accident year
Net (favourable) adverse claims reserve development

1,260.7
(67.1)

3,318.9 2,148.2
(6.2)

(229.6)

708.3 1,637.3 2,245.7
32.0
(46.5)
(82.1)

237.1 1,116.7
(52.0)
(28.3)

12,672.9
(479.8)

Underwriting expenses – calendar year

1,193.6

3,089.3 2,142.0

626.2 1,590.8 2,277.7

208.8 1,064.7

12,193.1

122

2018

Gross premiums written

External

Intercompany

Insurance and Reinsurance

Non- Corporate Eliminations

Odyssey Crum &

Zenith

Allied Fairfax

Operating

insurance

and

and

Northbridge

Group Forster National

Brit World

Asia

Other companies Run-off companies

Other adjustments Consolidated

1,316.0

3,269.4

2,305.7

800.3

2,221.3

3,355.2

384.5

1,725.2

15,377.6

6.0

59.2

57.4

–

17.8

13.7

1.1

67.7

222.9

150.7

268.2

1,322.0

3,328.6

2,363.1

800.3

2,239.1

3,368.9

385.6

1,792.9

15,600.5

418.9

Net premiums written

1,173.6

2,897.8

1,977.8

789.2

1,494.2

2,368.8

191.9

1,124.2

12,017.5

413.5

Net premiums earned

External

Intercompany

1,125.4

2,736.4

1,939.6

806.6

1,645.8

2,318.3

195.6

1,141.2

11,908.9

(6.2)

19.0

21.3

(2.3)

(166.1)

(31.5)

(6.1)

(75.6)

(247.5)

157.1

247.5

Underwriting expenses(1)

(1,072.2)

(2,574.3) (1,928.3)

(664.1)

(1,556.7)

(2,243.9)

(189.1)

(1,114.5)

(11,343.1)

(647.0)

1,119.2

2,755.4

1,960.9

804.3

1,479.7

2,286.8

189.5

1,065.6

11,661.4

404.6

Underwriting profit (loss)

Interest income

Dividends

47.0

72.2

10.2

181.1

32.6

140.2

(77.0)

42.9

0.4

(48.9)

318.3

(242.4)

155.5

15.6

73.2

4.9

36.9

3.5

64.5

3.6

140.6

11.3

16.4

7.8

61.7

3.5

621.0

60.4

45.3

9.8

Investment expenses

(15.4)

(31.2)

(13.5)

(8.1)

(12.8)

(34.7)

(3.1)

(18.5)

(137.3)

(11.4)

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

43.4

10.0

(40.6)

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

39.8

1.3

(3.3)

37.8

Interest and dividends

67.0

139.9

64.6

32.3

55.3

117.2

21.1

46.7

544.1

43.7

12.8

Share of profit (loss) of

associates

Other

Revenue

Expenses

6.3

65.8

4.1

4.4

5.3

(3.8)

(5.1)

16.7

93.7

0.8

109.4

17.2

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

4,434.2

(4,176.1)

258.1

–

–

–

–

15,528.3

(491.1)

–

(491.1)

15,528.3

–

–

–

–

–

–

(5.6)

–

150.7

145.1

–

–

5.6

5.6

12,431.0

12,066.0

–

12,066.0

(11,990.1)

75.9

743.9

81.5

(41.9)

783.5

221.1

4,434.2

(4,170.5)

263.7

Operating income (loss)

120.3

386.8

101.3

176.9

(16.4)

156.3

16.4

14.5

956.1

(197.9)

380.3

55.0

150.7

1,344.2

Net gains (losses) on

investments

Loss on repurchase of

long term debt
(note 15)

Interest expense

Corporate overhead

(55.6)

(111.4)

(144.2)

(57.6)

(63.1)

(66.9)

(71.7)

45.8

(524.7)

(107.6)

900.4

(15.2)

–

–

–

–

(4.1)

(2.2)

(6.6)

(23.3)

(24.1)

–

(3.3)

(8.2)

–

(14.2)

(14.0)

–

(26.2)

(67.6)

–

–

(10.3)

–

(5.6)

(21.9)

–

(55.6)

(176.0)

–

–

–

–

(94.1)

–

(58.9)

(197.4)

(2.3)

–

–

–

(150.7)

252.9

(58.9)

(347.1)

(329.0)

Pre-tax income (loss)

58.1

248.0

(69.2)

107.8

(107.7)

(4.4)

(65.6)

32.8

199.8

(305.5)

1,186.6

(218.8)

–

862.1

Provision for income taxes

Net earnings

Attributable to:

Shareholders of Fairfax

Non-controlling interests

(44.2)

817.9

376.0

441.9

817.9

(1) Underwriting expenses for the year ended December 31, 2018 were comprised as shown below. Accident year underwriting

expenses exclude the impact of favourable or adverse prior year claims reserve development.

Loss & LAE – accident year
Commissions
Premium acquisition costs and other underwriting

expenses

Insurance and Reinsurance

Odyssey Crum &

Zenith

Allied Fairfax

Operating

Northbridge

Group Forster National

Brit World

Asia

Other companies

802.7
184.5

2,061.5 1,244.7
304.2

588.7

453.4
84.2

982.6 1,739.9
207.8
456.8

138.0
19.9

687.4
177.6

8,110.2
2,023.7

191.7

269.8

383.3

211.8

216.6

392.8

55.6

276.6

1,998.2

Underwriting expenses – accident year
Net favourable claims reserve development

1,178.9
(106.7)

2,920.0 1,932.2
(3.9)

(345.7)

749.4 1,656.0 2,340.5
(96.6)
(99.3)
(85.3)

213.5 1,141.6
(27.1)
(24.4)

12,132.1
(789.0)

Underwriting expenses – calendar year

1,072.2

2,574.3 1,928.3

664.1 1,556.7 2,243.9

189.1 1,114.5

11,343.1

123

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

Investments in Associates, Additions to Goodwill, Segment Assets and Segment Liabilities

Investments in associates, segment assets and segment liabilities at December 31, and additions to goodwill for the
years then ended, by reporting segment were as follows:

Investments in
associates

Additions to
goodwill

Segment assets

Segment liabilities

2019

2018

2019

2018

2019

2018

2019

2018

Insurance and Reinsurance

Northbridge
Odyssey Group
Crum & Forster
Zenith National
Brit
Allied World
Fairfax Asia
Other

195.4
641.6
265.4
133.2
270.0
373.3
92.1
114.8

136.9
443.2
260.6
149.3
266.9
310.0
91.6
115.9

Operating companies
Run-off
Non-insurance companies
Corporate and Other and eliminations

2,085.8

142.0(1)

1,663.0

1,774.4
273.4
2,523.3

–
–
0.5
–
45.9
–
–
3.9

50.3
3.8
262.1

–
–
–
–
–
–
(0.3)
3.7

4,654.4
13,489.0
6,803.3
2,504.8
8,106.8
15,596.0
2,231.5
4,520.1

3.4
–
133.0

57,905.9

6,372.6(2)
9,210.5

4,205.7
12,077.8
6,217.4
2,543.0
7,543.4
14,530.7
1,813.4
4,353.4

53,284.8
5,529.1
9,424.7

3,085.0
8,710.8
4,995.4
1,527.7
6,329.2
11,499.3
805.1
3,442.5

40,395.0

4,530.2(2)
5,181.9

2,706.0
7,887.7
4,617.9
1,612.8
5,947.6
10,911.7
692.4
3,285.9

37,662.0
3,934.3
3,361.2

and adjustments

929.2

291.9

–

–

(2,980.5)

(3,866.5)

2,494.2

2,049.4

Consolidated

4,820.0

4,863.0

316.2

136.4

70,508.5

64,372.1

52,601.3

47,006.9

(1) Excludes European Run-off’s investments in associates and joint ventures with a carrying value of $368.8 and a fair value
of  $430.5  that  were  included  in  assets  held  for  sale  on  the  consolidated  balance  sheet  at  December 31,  2019  and
principally comprised of investments in Gulf Insurance, Seaspan, APR Energy and Resolute.

(2)

Includes European Run-off’s assets and liabilities that were included in assets held for sale and liabilities associated with
assets held for sale on the consolidated balance sheet at December 31, 2019. See note 23.

Product Line

Net premiums earned by product line for the years ended December 31 were as follows:

Property

Casualty

Specialty

Total

2019

2018

2019

2018

2019

2018

2019

2018

Net premiums earned – Insurance and
Reinsurance

Northbridge
Odyssey Group
Crum & Forster
Zenith National
Brit
Allied World
Fairfax Asia
Other

Operating companies
Run-off

Consolidated net premiums earned
Interest and dividends
Share of profit of associates
Net gains on investments
Other revenue (Non-insurance

companies)

Consolidated income

538.0
1,598.8
293.8
39.1
494.3
832.1
74.7
601.2

4,472.0
103.8

490.3
1,398.3
253.9
35.5
490.7
794.5
75.7
564.9

4,103.8
–

581.4
1,288.2
1,771.6
695.9
844.3
1,394.1
113.7
305.8

6,995.0
379.2

523.2
1,099.2
1,623.6
768.8
618.5
1,362.4
93.0
308.5

6,397.2
389.1

120.9
292.2
128.4
–
303.3
109.2
26.8
139.8

105.7
257.9
83.4
–
370.5
129.9
20.8
192.2

1,120.6
159.1

1,160.4
15.5

4,575.8

4,103.8

7,374.2

6,786.3

1,279.7

1,175.9

1,240.3
3,179.2
2,193.8
735.0
1,641.9
2,335.4
215.2
1,046.8

12,587.6
642.1

13,229.7
880.2
169.6
1,716.2

1,119.2
2,755.4
1,960.9
804.3
1,479.7
2,286.8
189.5
1,065.6

11,661.4
404.6

12,066.0
783.5
221.1
252.9

5,537.1

4,434.2

21,532.8

17,757.7

Allocation of net premiums earned

34.6%

34.0%

55.7%

56.3%

9.7%

9.7%

100.0%

100.0%

124

Geographic Region

Net premiums earned by geographic region for the years ended December 31 were as follows:

Canada

United States

Asia(1)

International(2)

Total

2019

2018

2019

2018 2019 2018

2019

2018

2019

2018

Net premiums earned – Insurance and
Reinsurance

Northbridge
Odyssey Group
Crum & Forster
Zenith National
Brit
Allied World
Fairfax Asia
Other

Operating companies
Run-off

Consolidated net premiums earned
Interest and dividends
Share of profit of associates
Net gains on investments
Other revenue (Non-insurance companies)

Consolidated income

1,223.8 1,108.2

80.8
–
–
107.0
34.7
–
–

–

11.0

16.5

–
70.2 2,126.5 1,858.0 377.1 319.8
–
– 2,191.7 1,958.0
–
804.3
735.0
–
95.3 1,119.5 1,073.7
57.9
28.2 1,710.2 1,671.9 239.7 254.9
– 215.2 189.5
94.9

–
–
48.9

83.6 111.1

–
31.1

–
5.0

–
594.8
2.1
–
366.5
350.8
–
904.6

–
507.4
2.9
–
252.8
331.8
–
882.1

735.0

1,240.3 1,119.2
3,179.2 2,755.4
2,193.8 1,960.9
804.3
1,641.9 1,479.7
2,335.4 2,286.8
189.5
1,046.8 1,065.6

215.2

1,446.3 1,306.9 7,930.5 7,460.5 992.0 917.0 2,218.8
606.0

29.8

5.8

0.5

6.3

–

–

1,977.0 12,587.6 11,661.4
404.6

398.3

642.1

1,452.1 1,306.9 7,960.3 7,466.8 992.5 917.0 2,824.8

2,375.3 13,229.7 12,066.0
783.5
880.2
221.1
169.6
1,716.2
252.9
5,537.1 4,434.2

21,532.8 17,757.7

Allocation of net premiums earned

11.0% 10.8% 60.1% 61.9% 7.5% 7.6% 21.4%

19.7% 100.0% 100.0%

(1) The Asia geographic segment is primarily comprised of countries located throughout Asia, including China, Japan, India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia,

Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand, and the Middle East.

(2) The International geographic segment is primarily comprised of countries located in South America, Europe and Africa.

Non-insurance companies

Revenue and expenses of the non-insurance companies were comprised as follows for the years ended December 31:

Revenue
Expenses

Pre-tax income before interest

expense and other(3)

Restaurants
and retail

Fairfax
India(1)

Thomas Cook
India(2)

Other

Total

2019

2018

2019

2018

2019

2018

2019

2018

2019

2018

2,120.6
(2,049.5)

2,013.4
(1,890.7)

410.7
(401.8)

430.3
(403.3)

1,087.4
(1,081.3)

1,202.4
(1,184.1)

1,918.4
(1,909.0)

788.1
(698.0)

5,537.1
(5,441.6)

4,434.2
(4,176.1)

71.1

122.7

8.9

27.0

6.1

18.3

9.4

90.1

95.5

258.1

(1) These results differ from those published by Fairfax India due to Fairfax India’s application of investment entity accounting under IFRS.

(2) These results differ from those published by Thomas Cook India primarily due to differences between IFRS and Ind AS, and acquisition accounting

adjustments.

(3)

Excludes interest and dividends, share of profit (loss) of associates and net gains (losses) on investments. 

125

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

26. Expenses

Losses  on  claims,  net,  operating  expenses  and  other  expenses  for  the  years  ended  December  31  were  comprised
as follows:

Losses and loss adjustment expenses
Non-insurance companies’ cost of

sales

Wages and salaries
Depreciation, amortization and

impairment charges(3)

Employee benefits
Premium taxes
Information technology costs
Audit, legal and tax professional fees
Non-insurance companies’

marketing costs

Share-based payments to directors

and employees

Short-term and low value lease

costs(3)

Loss on repurchase of long term

debt (note 15)(2)
Restructuring costs
Operating lease costs(3)
Administrative expense and other

2019

2018

Insurance and

Insurance and

reinsurance Non-insurance
companies(2)
companies(1)
–
8,401.5

Total

8,401.5

reinsurance Non-insurance
companies(2)
companies(1)
–
7,545.9

Total

7,545.9

–
1,263.2

3,474.1
801.4

3,474.1
2,064.6

–
1,241.2

2,653.2
688.5

2,653.2
1,929.7

233.8
326.7
223.9
163.1
137.0

–

89.1

17.5

–
3.8
–
304.8

377.7
121.8
–
29.9
52.3

611.5
448.5
223.9
193.0
189.3

108.5

108.5

13.4

102.5

60.5

78.0

23.7
3.2
–
390.4

23.7
7.0
–
695.2

184.6
309.5
210.9
155.9
136.4

–

78.4

–

–
25.9
93.5
285.9

166.3
103.3
–
24.5
40.2

350.9
412.8
210.9
180.4
176.6

102.7

102.7

11.2

89.6

–

–

58.9
9.5
159.6
211.5

58.9
35.4
253.1
497.4

11,164.4

5,456.9

16,621.3

10,268.1

4,229.4

14,497.5

(1) Total  expense  of  the  insurance  and  reinsurance  companies  is  comprised  of  losses  on  claims,  net  and  operating  expenses  as  presented  in  the

consolidated statement of earnings.

(2) Other expenses as presented in the consolidated statement of earnings is comprised of cost of sales and operating expenses of the non-insurance

companies, and loss on repurchase of long term debt of the holding company.

(3) Reflects the adoption of IFRS 16 as described in note 3. Leases are presented in note 22.

27. Supplementary Cash Flow Information

Cash,  cash  equivalents  and  bank  overdrafts  as  presented  in  the  consolidated  statements  of  cash  flows  excludes
restricted cash and cash equivalents that are amounts primarily required to be maintained on deposit with various
regulatory authorities to support the operations of the insurance and reinsurance subsidiaries. Cash equivalents are
comprised of treasury bills and other eligible bills.

Holding company cash and

investments

Subsidiary cash and short term

investments

Fairfax India
Fairfax Africa
Assets held for sale (note 23)

December 31, 2019

Unrestricted cash and cash
equivalents included in the
consolidated statement of
cash flows

Restricted cash and cash
equivalents

Cash
Cash equivalents

Total Cash equivalents Total

Cash

Cash and cash equivalents
included on the
consolidated balance sheet

Cash
Cash equivalents

Total

98.8

84.5

183.3

0.6

–

0.6

99.4

84.5

183.9

1,934.7
67.0
77.9
160.5

2,338.9

1,355.0 3,289.7 469.4
18.6
7.5
54.0

86.1
78.7
225.5

19.1
0.8
65.0

195.4
–
–
4.2

664.8 2,404.1
85.6
85.4
214.5

18.6
7.5
58.2

1,550.4 3,954.5
104.7
86.2
283.7

19.1
0.8
69.2

1,524.4 3,863.3 550.1

199.6

749.7 2,889.0

1,724.0 4,613.0

126

December 31, 2018

Unrestricted cash and cash
equivalents included in the
consolidated statement of
cash flows

Restricted cash and cash
equivalents

Cash
Cash equivalents

Total Cash equivalents Total

Cash

Cash and cash equivalents
included on the
consolidated balance sheet

Cash
Cash equivalents

Total

131.0

96.1

227.1

0.6

–

0.6

131.6

96.1

227.7

Holding company cash and

investments

Subsidiary cash and short term

investments

2,300.1

1,722.7 4,022.8 359.7

201.2

560.9 2,659.8

1,923.9 4,583.7

Subsidiary assets pledged for short
sale and derivative obligations

Fairfax India
Fairfax Africa

–
25.0
77.4

3.0
27.1
154.5

3.0
52.1
231.9

–
15.6
–

–
–
–

–
15.6
–

–
40.6
77.4

3.0
27.1
154.5

3.0
67.7
231.9

2,533.5

2,003.4 4,536.9 375.9

201.2

577.1 2,909.4

2,204.6 5,114.0

Details of certain cash flows included in the consolidated statement of cash flows for the years ended December 31
were as follows:

2019

2018

(4,646.5)
3,618.7
(52.4)
898.3
(184.8)

8,033.8
(10,743.0)
(25.6)
82.3
(96.8)

(366.7)

(2,749.3)

(170.3)
1,171.5
893.9
(382.5)
616.5
(1,093.8)
211.8
3.8
(297.0)

102.9
1,200.6
521.9
(555.6)
246.6
(954.5)
(211.6)
225.3
(304.2)

953.9

271.4

819.2
(319.6)
(60.4)

764.0
(285.5)
–

439.2

478.5

(178.9)

(229.9)

Net (purchases) sales of securities classified at FVTPL

Short term investments
Bonds
Preferred stocks
Common stocks
Derivatives and short sales

Changes in operating assets and liabilities

Net decrease (increase) in restricted cash and cash equivalents
Provision for losses and loss adjustment expenses
Provision for unearned premiums
Insurance contract receivables
Insurance contract payables
Recoverable from reinsurers
Other receivables
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities
Other

Net interest and dividends received

Interest and dividends received
Interest paid on borrowings
Interest paid on lease liabilities(1)

Net income taxes paid

(1) Reflects the adoption of IFRS 16 as described in note 3.

127

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

28. Related Party Transactions

Compensation for the company’s key management team for the years ended December 31 determined in accordance
with the company’s IFRS accounting policies was as follows:

Salaries and other short-term employee benefits
Share-based payments

2019
9.8
5.1

14.9

Compensation for the company’s Board of Directors for the years ended December 31 was as follows:

Retainers and fees
Share-based payments

2019
1.1
0.2

1.3

2018
9.3
3.6

12.9

2018
0.9
0.3

1.2

During  2019  the  company  recorded  a  performance  fee  receivable  of  $47.8  pursuant  to  its  investment  advisory
agreement with Fairfax India whereby the company will receive a performance fee if the increase in Fairfax India’s
book  value  per  share  (common  shareholders’  equity  divided  by  the  number  of  common  shares  effectively
outstanding) exceeds a specified threshold over the period from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2020. Settlement of
the performance fee is expected to be in the first quarter of 2021 by way of Fairfax India subordinate voting shares.
The calculation of the performance fee was reassessed and adjusted during 2019 to reflect the company’s receipt of a
performance fee of $114.4 on March 9, 2018, settled by way of newly issued Fairfax India subordinate voting shares
as described in note 23.

On February 28, 2020 Seaspan Corporation completed a reorganization pursuant to which its newly created holding
company acquired all issued and outstanding shares of APR Energy plc from the company and other shareholders as
described in note 6.

128

29. Subsidiaries

During 2019 the company acquired AGT, ARX Insurance and Universalna, consolidated CIG and deconsolidated
Grivalia Properties as described in note 23. The company has wholly-owned subsidiaries not presented in the tables
below that are intermediate holding companies of investments in subsidiaries and intercompany balances, all of
which are eliminated on consolidation.

Fairfax’s ownership
(100% other than
as shown below)

89.3%
70.1%

70.0%

85.0%
80.0%
78.0%

December 31, 2019
Insurance and reinsurance
Northbridge Financial Corporation (Northbridge)
Odyssey Group Holdings, Inc. (Odyssey Group), which consists of:

Hudson Insurance Company (Hudson Insurance)
Newline Holdings UK Limited (Newline)

Crum & Forster Holdings Corp. (Crum & Forster)
Zenith National Insurance Corp. (Zenith National)
Brit Limited (Brit)
Allied World Assurance Company Holdings, Ltd (Allied World)
Fairfax Central and Eastern Europe, which consists of:

Polskie Towarzystwo Reasekuracji Sp ´olka Akcyjna (Polish Re)
Colonnade Insurance S.A. (Colonnade Insurance)
FFH Ukraine Holdings (Fairfax Ukraine), which consists of:

ARX Insurance Company (ARX Insurance)
Private Joint Stock Company Insurance Company Universalna

(Universalna)

Fairfax Latin America, which consists of:

Fairfax Brasil Seguros Corporativos S.A. (Fairfax Brasil)
La Meridional Compa ˜n´ıa Argentina de Seguros S.A. (La Meridional

Argentina)

SBS Seguros Colombia S.A. (SouthBridge Colombia)
SBI Seguros Uruguay S.A. (SouthBridge Uruguay)
Southbridge Compa ˜n´ıa de Seguros Generales S.A. (SouthBridge

Chile)

Bryte Insurance Company Ltd (Bryte Insurance)
Group Re, which underwrites business in:
CRC Reinsurance Limited (CRC Re)
Wentworth Insurance Company Ltd. (Wentworth)
Connemara Reinsurance Company Ltd. (Connemara)

Fairfax Asia, which consists of:

Falcon Insurance Company (Hong Kong) Limited (Falcon)
The Pacific Insurance Berhad (Pacific Insurance)
PT Asuransi Multi Artha Guna Tbk (AMAG Insurance)
Fairfirst Insurance Limited (Fairfirst Insurance)

Run-off

U.S. Run-off, which consists of:

TIG Insurance Company (TIG Insurance)

European Run-off, which consists of (1):

RiverStone Insurance (UK) Limited (RiverStone (UK))
RiverStone Managing Agency Limited
Advent Capital (Holdings) Ltd. (Advent)(2)
TIG Insurance (Barbados) Company

Domicile

Canada
United States
United States
United Kingdom
United States
United States
United Kingdom
Bermuda

Poland
Luxembourg
Ukraine
Ukraine

Ukraine

Brazil

Argentina
Colombia
Uruguay

Chile
South Africa

Barbados
Barbados
Barbados

Hong Kong
Malaysia
Indonesia
Sri Lanka

United States

United Kingdom
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Barbados

Investment management
Hamblin Watsa Investment Counsel Ltd. (Hamblin Watsa)

Canada

(1) Classified as held for sale at December 31, 2019 as described in note 23.

(2) Transferred to the Run-off reporting segment effective January 1, 2019 as described in note 25.

129

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

December 31, 2019
Non-insurance companies

Domicile

Fairfax’s
ownership

Primary business

Restaurants and retail
Recipe Unlimited Corporation (Recipe), which owns:

100.0% of Keg Restaurants Ltd. (The Keg)

100.0% of Groupe St-Hubert Inc. (St-Hubert)

Canada

Canada

Canada

89.2% of Original Joe’s Franchise Group Inc.

Canada

(Original Joe’s)

100.0% of Pickle Barrel Holdings Limited (Pickle

Canada

Barrel)

Praktiker Hellas Commercial Societe Anonyme

(Praktiker)

Toys ‘‘R’’ Us (Canada) Ltd. (Toys ‘‘R’’ Us Canada)
Sporting Life Group Limited, which owns:

100.0% of Sporting Life Inc. (Sporting Life)

100.0% of Golf Town Limited (Golf Town)

Greece

Canada
Canada
Canada

Canada

47.9%(1) Franchisor, owner and operator of

restaurants

47.9% Owner and operator of premium
dining restaurants

47.9% Full-service restaurant operator and
a fully integrated food
manufacturer

42.7% Multi-brand restaurant owner and

operator

47.9% Owner and operator of restaurants
and catering business

100.0% Retailer of home improvement

goods

100.0% Retailer of toys and baby products

65.1% Invests in retail businesses
65.1% Retailer of sporting goods and

sports apparel
65.1% Retailer of golf equipment,

consumables, athletic apparel
and accessories

Kitchen Stuff Plus, Inc. (Kitchen Stuff Plus)

Canada

55.0% Retailer of housewares and home

William Ashley China Corporation (William Ashley)

Canada

100.0% Retailer of tableware and gifts

decor

Fairfax India
Fairfax India Holdings Corporation (Fairfax India),

which owns:
89.5% of National Collateral Management Services

Canada

India

Limited (NCML)

48.8% of Fairchem Speciality Limited (Fairchem)

India

33.8%(1) Invests in public and private
Indian businesses

30.3% Provider of agricultural
commodities storage

16.5% Manufacturer, supplier and

exporter of aroma chemicals

51.0% of Saurashtra Freight Private Limited

India

17.2% Container freight station operator

(Saurashtra Freight)

Thomas Cook India
Thomas Cook (India) Limited (Thomas Cook India),

which owns:
100.0% of Sterling Holiday Resorts Limited

India

India

(Sterling Resorts)

66.9% Provider of integrated travel and
travel-related financial services

66.9% Owner and operator of holiday

resorts

Other
Fairfax Africa Holdings Corporation (Fairfax Africa),

which owns:
49.3% of Consolidated Infrastructure Group (CIG)

AGT Food and Ingredients Inc. (AGT)

Canada

South
Africa
Canada

62.0%(1) Invests in public and private

African businesses

30.6%(2) Developer and operator of

engineering infrastructure

59.6% Originator, processor and

Dexterra Integrated Facilities Management (Dexterra)

Canada

100.0% Infrastructure services to industries

Boat Rocker Media Inc. (Boat Rocker)

Canada

59.1% Development, production,

and government

distributor of value-added pulses
and staple foods.

Mosaic Capital Corporation (Mosaic Capital)

Pethealth Inc. (Pethealth)

Rouge Media Group Inc. (Rouge Media)

Canada

Canada

Canada

marketing and distribution of
television programs
–(3) Invests in private Canadian

businesses

100.0% Pet medical insurance and database

services

65.0% Media and marketing solutions

(1) The company owns multiple voting shares and subordinate voting shares of Recipe, Fairfax India and Fairfax Africa that

give it voting rights of 61.6%, 93.8% and 98.5% respectively.

(2) The company’s consolidated ownership of CIG is 31.2% inclusive of a 0.6% ownership interest held by Bryte Insurance.

(3) The company owns Mosaic Capital warrants that represent a substantive potential voting interest of approximately 62%.

130

Index to Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

Notes to Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations . . . . . .
Overview of Consolidated Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Business Developments

Acquisitions and Divestitures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Operating Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Sources of Income . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Net Premiums Earned by Geographic Region . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Sources of Net Earnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Net Earnings by Reporting Segment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Components of Net Earnings

Underwriting and Operating Income . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Interest and Dividends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Share of Profit of Associates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Net Gains (Losses) on Investments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Interest Expense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Corporate and Other . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Income Taxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Non-controlling Interests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Balance Sheets by Reporting Segment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Components of Consolidated Balance Sheets

Consolidated Balance Sheet Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Provision for Losses and Loss Adjustment Expenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Asbestos, Pollution and Other Hazards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Recoverable from Reinsurers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Investments

Hamblin Watsa Investment Counsel Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Overview of Investment Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Interest and Dividends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Share of Profit of Associates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Net Gains (Losses) on Investments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Total Return on the Investment Portfolio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Bonds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Common Stocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Derivatives and Derivative Counterparties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Float . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Financial Condition

Capital Resources and Management
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Book Value per Share . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Liquidity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Contractual Obligations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Contingencies and Commitments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Accounting and Disclosure Matters

Management’s Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Critical Accounting Estimates and Judgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Significant Accounting Policy Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Future Accounting Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Risk Management

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Issues and Risks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Other

Quarterly Data (unaudited)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Stock Prices and Share Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Compliance with Corporate Governance Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Forward-Looking Statements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

132
133

134
136
137
140
141
144

145
164
164
165
165
166
167
167
168

171
173
175
177

181
181
182
183
185
187
189
189
190
191

193
197
197
201
201

201
201
202
203
203

203
203

214
215
215
216

131

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
(as of March 6, 2020)

(Figures and amounts are in US$ and $ millions except per share amounts and as otherwise indicated. Figures may not add due
to rounding.)

Notes to Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

(1) Readers of the Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
(‘‘MD&A’’) should review the entire Annual Report for additional commentary and information. Additional
information  about  the  company,  including  its  annual  information  form,  can  be  found  on  SEDAR  at
www.sedar.com. Additional information can also be accessed from the company’s website www.fairfax.ca.

(2) Management analyzes and assesses the underlying insurance and reinsurance and run-off operations, and
the  financial  position  of  the  consolidated  group,  in  various  ways.  Certain  of  the  measures  and  ratios
provided in this Annual Report, which have been used consistently and disclosed regularly in the company’s
Annual  Reports  and  interim  financial  reporting,  do  not  have  a  prescribed  meaning  under  International
Financial Reporting Standards (‘‘IFRS’’) and may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other
companies.

(3) The company presents information on gross premiums written and net premiums written throughout this
MD&A. Gross premiums written represents the total premiums on policies issued during a specified period,
irrespective of the portion ceded or earned, and is an indicator of the volume of new business generated by
the company. Net premiums written represents gross premiums written less amounts ceded to reinsurers
and is considered a measure of the insurance risk that the company has chosen to retain from the new
business  it  has  generated.  These  performance  measures  are  used  in  the  insurance  industry  and  by
management primarily to evaluate business volumes.

(4) The combined ratio is the traditional performance measure of underwriting results of property and casualty
companies and is calculated by the company as the sum of the loss ratio (claims losses and loss adjustment
expenses expressed as a percentage of net premiums earned) and the expense ratio (commissions, premium
acquisition  costs  and  other  underwriting  expenses  expressed  as  a  percentage  of  net  premiums  earned).
Other  ratios  used  by  the  company  include  the  commission  expense  ratio  (commissions  expressed  as  a
percentage of net premiums earned), the underwriting expense ratio (premium acquisition costs and other
underwriting  expenses  expressed  as  a  percentage  of  net  premiums  earned),  the  accident  year  loss  ratio
(claims losses and loss adjustment expenses excluding the net favourable or adverse development of reserves
established for claims that occurred in previous accident years, expressed as a percentage of net premiums
earned), the accident year combined ratio (the sum of the accident year loss ratio and the expense ratio) and
combined  ratio  points  (expressing  a  particular  loss  such  as  a  catastrophe  loss  as  a  percentage  of  net
premiums earned). All of the ratios described above are calculated from information disclosed in note 25
(Segmented Information) to the consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2019
and are used by management for comparisons to historical underwriting results, to the underwriting results
of competitors and to the broader property and casualty industry.

(5) The company’s long equity total return swaps allow the company to receive the total return on a notional
amount of an equity index or an individual equity instrument (including dividends and capital gains or
losses) in exchange for the payment of a floating rate of interest on the notional amount. Conversely, short
equity total return swaps allow the company to pay the total return on a notional amount of an equity index
or an individual equity instrument in exchange for the receipt of a floating rate of interest on the notional
amount. Throughout this MD&A, the terms ‘‘total return swap expense’’ and ‘‘total return swap income’’
refer  to  the  net  dividends  and  interest  paid  and  received  respectively  on  the  company’s  long  and  short
equity total return swaps. Interest and dividends as presented in the consolidated statement of earnings
includes total return swap expense or income.

(6) The  measures  ‘‘pre-tax  income  before  net  gains  (losses)  on  investments’’,  ‘‘net  realized  gains  on
investments’’, ‘‘pre-tax income including net realized gains on investments’’ and ‘‘net change in unrealized
gains (losses) on investments’’ are presented separately in this MD&A, consistent with the manner in which
management reviews the results of the company’s investment management strategies. The two measures
‘‘net  realized  gains  on  investments’’,  and  ‘‘net  change  in  unrealized  gains  (losses)  on  investments’’  are

132

performance measures derived from the details of net gains (losses) on investments as presented in note 5
(Cash and Investments) to the consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2019, and
their sum is equal to ‘‘net gains on investments’’ as presented in the consolidated statement of earnings.

(7)

In  this  MD&A  ‘‘long  equity  exposures’’  and  ‘‘short  equity  exposures’’  refer  to  long  and  short  positions
respectively,  in  equity  and  equity-related  instruments  held  for  investment  purposes,  and  ‘‘net  equity
exposures’’ refers to the company’s long equity exposures net of its short equity exposures. ‘‘Long equity
exposures’’ exclude the company’s insurance and reinsurance investments in associates, joint ventures and
other  equity  and  equity-related  holdings  which  are  considered  long-term  strategic  holdings,  and
investment funds that are invested principally in fixed income securities. For details, see note 24 (Financial
Risk Management, under the heading of ‘‘Market risk’’) to the consolidated financial statements for the year
ended December 31, 2019.

(8) Ratios presented in the Capital Resources and Management section of this MD&A include: net debt divided
by total equity, net debt divided by net total capital and total debt divided by total capital. Those ratios are
used  by  the  company  to  assess  the  amount  of  leverage  employed  in  its  operations.  The  company  also
presents an interest coverage ratio and an interest and preferred share dividend distribution coverage ratio
as measures of its ability to service its debt and pay dividends to its preferred shareholders. These ratios are
calculated using amounts presented in the company’s consolidated financial statements for the year ended
December 31,  2019  and  are  explained  in  note 24  (Financial  Risk  Management,  under  the  heading  of
‘‘Capital Management’’) thereto.

(9) Book value per basic share (also referred to as book value per share or common shareholders’ equity per
share) is a performance measure calculated by the company as common shareholders’ equity divided by the
number  of  common  shares  effectively  outstanding.  Those  amounts  are  presented  in  the  consolidated
balance  sheet  and  note  16  (Total  Equity,  under  the  heading  of  ‘‘Common  stock’’)  respectively  to  the
consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2019.

(10) On the segmented balance sheets intercompany shareholdings of insurance and reinsurance subsidiaries are
presented as ‘‘Investments in Fairfax insurance and reinsurance affiliates’’, intercompany shareholdings of
non-insurance subsidiaries are included in ‘‘Portfolio investments’’ and total intercompany shareholdings
of subsidiaries are presented as ‘‘Investments in Fairfax affiliates’’ in the ‘‘Capital’’ section. These methods of
presentation are non-IFRS measures as intercompany shareholdings of subsidiaries are carried at cost in the
segmented  balance  sheets  whereas  those  shareholdings  are  eliminated  upon  consolidation  in  the
consolidated financial statements.

(11) References in this MD&A to the company’s insurance and reinsurance operations do not include its run-off
operations,  consistent  with  the  presentation  in  note  25  (Segmented  Information)  to  the  consolidated
financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2019.

(12) Cash  provided  by  operating  activities  (excluding  operating  cash  flow  activity  related  to  investments
recorded  at  FVTPL)  is  presented  for  the  insurance  and  reinsurance  subsidiaries  in  this  MD&A  as
management  believes  this  amount  to  be  a  useful  estimate  of  cash  generated  or  used  by  a  subsidiary’s
underwriting activities. This performance measure is calculated from amounts that comprise cash provided
by (used in) operating activities in the consolidated statement of cash flows.

(13) Adoption of IFRS 16 Leases (‘‘IFRS 16’’) on January 1, 2019 did not have a significant effect on common
shareholders’ equity. Comparative periods were not restated as permitted by the transition provisions of
IFRS  16.  For  details  see  note  3  (Summary  of  Significant  Accounting  Policies,  under  the  heading  ‘‘New
accounting pronouncements adopted in 2019’’) to the consolidated financial statements for the year ended
December 31, 2019.

Overview of Consolidated Performance

The insurance and reinsurance operations produced an underwriting profit of $394.5 and a combined ratio of 96.9%
in 2019, compared to an underwriting profit of $318.3 and a combined ratio of 97.3% in 2018. The underwriting
profit in 2019 principally reflected increased business volume and lower current period catastrophe losses, partially
offset by reduced net favourable prior year reserve development. The insurance and reinsurance operations reported
operating income (excluding net gains (losses) on investments) of $1,107.5 in 2019 compared to $956.1 in 2018,
reflecting  increased  interest  and  dividends  and  underwriting  profit,  partially  offset  by  lower  share  of  profit  of

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FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

associates. Net premiums written by the insurance and reinsurance operations increased by 10.3% to $13,261.1 in
2019 (9.6% excluding the acquisitions of ARX Insurance and Universalna, the Allied World loss portfolio transfer, the
Brit reinsurance transaction and the transfer of Advent to Run-off, all of which occurred in 2019 and 2018).

Net gains on investments of $1,716.2 in 2019 principally reflected net gains on common stocks, net unrealized gains
on  the  company’s  investment  in  Digit  compulsory  convertible  preferred  shares,  net  gains  on  bonds  and  equity
derivatives, and a non-cash gain of $171.3 as a result of the deconsolidation of Grivalia Properties upon its merger
into Eurobank, partially offset by net losses on other derivative contracts and U.S. treasury bond forward contracts.
Net gains on investments of $252.9 in 2018 principally reflected a net realized gain recorded on re-measurement of
Quess ($889.9) upon its deconsolidation, partially offset by net losses on common stocks and convertible bonds
which arose primarily in the fourth quarter of 2018 and foreign currency net losses that resulted primarily from the
strengthening of the U.S. dollar relative to the Indian rupee and euro. At December 31, 2019 subsidiary cash and
short  term  investments  (excluding  those  of  Fairfax  India  and  Fairfax  Africa)  of  $10,093.7  represented  26.6%  of
portfolio investments.

Net earnings attributable to shareholders of Fairfax increased to $2,004.1 in 2019 from $376.0 in 2018, primarily due
to  increased  net  gains  on  investments,  interest  and  dividends  and  underwriting  profit  by  the  insurance  and
reinsurance operations, partially offset by decreased operating income in the Non-insurance companies reporting
segment, higher provision for income taxes and increased interest expense.

The company’s consolidated total debt to total capital ratio increased to 28.8% at December 31, 2019 from 27.2% at
December 31, 2018 primarily as a result of increased total debt (principally by the non-insurance companies and
increased borrowing by the holding company), partially offset by increased total capital (reflecting increases in total
debt  and  common  shareholders’  equity,  partially  offset  by  a  decrease  in  non-controlling  interests).  Common
shareholders’ equity increased to $13,042.6 ($486.10 per basic share) at December 31, 2019 from $11,779.3 ($432.46
per basic share) at December 31, 2018 (an increase of 14.8%, adjusted for the $10.00 per common share dividend paid
in the first quarter of 2019), principally reflecting net earnings attributable to shareholders of Fairfax, partially offset
by  the  payment  of  dividends  on  the  company’s  common  and  preferred  shares,  purchases  of  subordinate  voting
shares for cancellation and for use in share-based payment awards, net losses on defined benefit pension plans of
subsidiaries and associates and other net changes in capitalization.

Maintaining  its  emphasis  on  financial  soundness,  the  company  held  $1,098.9  of  cash  and  investments  at  the
holding company ($1,098.6 net of $0.3 of holding company short sale and derivative obligations) at December 31,
2019  compared  to  $1,557.2  ($1,550.6  net  of  $6.6  of  holding  company  short  sale  and  derivative  obligations)  at
December 31, 2018.

Business Developments

Acquisitions and Divestitures

The following narrative sets out the company’s key business developments in 2019 and 2018 by reporting segment.
Unless indicated otherwise, all completed acquisitions described in the following paragraphs resulted in a 100%
ownership interest in the acquiree. For details of these transactions (including definitions of terms set out in italics),
refer  to  note  23  (Acquisitions  and  Divestitures)  to  the  consolidated  financial  statements  for  the  year  ended
December  31,  2019  or  to  the  Components  of  Net  Earnings  section  of  this  MD&A  under  the  relevant  reporting
segment.

Brit

During  2019  the  company  increased  its  ownership  interest  in  Brit  to  89.3%  from  88.9%  at  December  31,  2018.
During 2018 the company increased its ownership interest in Brit to 88.9% from 72.5% at December 31, 2017.

On April 18, 2019 Brit acquired the 50.0% equity interest in Ambridge Partners that it did not already own.

Allied World

During 2019 the company increased its ownership in Allied World to 70.1% from 67.8% at December 31, 2018.

134

Insurance and Reinsurance – Other

On November 6, 2019 Fairfax Ukraine completed the acquisition of Universalna for purchase consideration comprised
of cash and the transfer of a 30.0% equity interest in Fairfax Ukraine to the European Bank for Reconstruction and
Development.

On November 5, 2019 the company transferred its investment in ARX Insurance into Fairfax Ukraine, a newly formed
subsidiary.

On February 14, 2019 the company completed the acquisition of the insurance operations of AXA in Ukraine (ARX
Insurance).

Effective January 1, 2019 Advent was reported in the Run-off reporting segment.

On January 31, 2018 the company completed the acquisition of the insurance operations of AIG in Uruguay.

Run-off

On December 20, 2019 the company entered into an agreement to contribute European Run-off to RiverStone Barbados,
a newly created entity to be jointly managed with OMERS, the pension plan for municipal employees in the province
of Ontario. At the closing date the company will deconsolidate European Run-off and apply the equity method of
accounting to its joint venture interest in RiverStone Barbados. The transaction is subject to regulatory approval and is
expected to close in the first half of 2020.

Effective January 1, 2019 Advent was reported in the Run-off reporting segment.

Non-insurance companies

Restaurants and retail

During 2019 the company increased its ownership interest in Recipe to 47.9% from 43.7% at December 31, 2018.

On August 31, 2018 ownership of Sporting Life and Golf Town was reorganized under a new holding company in
which the company has a 65.1% controlling equity interest.

On May 31, 2018 the company acquired Toys ‘‘R’’ Us Canada, a specialty retailer of toys and baby products.

On February 22, 2018 the company sold its 51.0% ownership interest in The Keg to Recipe. Recipe contemporaneously
acquired the 49.0% non-controlling interest in The Keg.

Fairfax India

During  2019  Fairfax  India  acquired  a  48.5%  equity  interest  in  Seven  Islands,  a  private  shipping  company
headquartered in Mumbai, India that transports liquid cargo along the Indian coast and in international waters.

During  2019  the  company  recorded  a  performance  fee  receivable  of  $47.8  pursuant  to  its  investment  advisory
agreement with Fairfax India whereby the company will receive a performance fee if the increase in Fairfax India’s
book  value  per  share  (common  shareholders’  equity  divided  by  the  number  of  common  shares  effectively
outstanding) exceeds a specified threshold over the period from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2020. Settlement of
the performance fee is expected to be in the first quarter of 2021 by way of Fairfax India subordinate voting shares.
The calculation of the performance fee was reassessed and adjusted during 2019 to reflect the company’s receipt of a
performance fee of $114.4 on March 9, 2018, settled by way of newly issued Fairfax India subordinate voting shares.

Thomas Cook India

On March 28, 2019 Thomas Cook India acquired a 51.0% equity interest in DEI, an imaging solutions and services
provider for the attractions industry headquartered in Dubai with over 250 locations worldwide.

On March 1, 2018 Thomas Cook India entered into a strategic agreement with the founder of Quess that resulted in
Quess  becoming  a  joint  venture  of  Thomas  Cook  India  whereas  it  was  previously  a  consolidated  subsidiary.  On
December 9, 2019 Thomas Cook India completed a non-cash spin-off of its 48.6% equity interest in Quess as a return of
capital to its shareholders, which resulted in the company holding a direct 31.8% joint venture interest in Quess.

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FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

Other

On May 17, 2019 the company deconsolidated Grivalia Properties upon its merger into Eurobank.

On April 17, 2019 the company acquired a 59.6% equity interest in AGT, a supplier of pulses, staple foods and food
ingredients.  The  company  holds  warrants  that,  if  exercised,  would  increase  its  equity  interest  in  AGT  to
approximately 80%.

On  January  4,  2019  Fairfax  Africa  increased  its  equity  interest  in  CIG,  a  pan-African  engineering  infrastructure
company, to 49.1%.

On June 18, 2018 the company acquired an additional 4,100,000 subordinate voting shares of Fairfax Africa through
Fairfax  Africa’s  secondary  public  offering  and  a  further  645,421  subordinate  voting  shares  through  open  market
purchases.

On March 7, 2018 the company acquired Dexterra, a Canadian infrastructure services company that provides asset
management and operations solutions to industries and governments.

Operating Environment

Insurance Environment

The property and casualty insurance and reinsurance industry is expected to report a moderate underwriting gain in
2019 due to lower catastrophe activity and an improving rate environment. Although 2019 marked an improvement
over 2018, the market remained challenging after years of rate decreases, the expectation that the benefit from net
favourable prior year reserve development may diminish, and rising claims costs affecting frequency and severity
trends.  Investment  returns  in  2019  benefited  from  a  rebound  in  equity  markets  following  a  challenging  fourth
quarter of 2018 as well as a decrease in yield curves. Decreasing interest rates will temper the operating income
reported by the industry going forward, however with the combination of favourable equity market performance,
increases in bond valuations and positive underwriting results it is expected that these positive factors will contribute
to an increase in capital for the industry in 2020. Insurance pricing on property and casualty lines of business shows
continued signs of firming as catastrophe losses in recent years and the impact of rising claims costs have focused
attention on pricing across most segments.

The reinsurance sector remains well capitalized after the below average catastrophe losses in 2019. The reinsurance
market  remains  firm  following  some  difficult  years  recently  and  pricing  on  many  reinsurance  lines  remains
attractive: casualty reinsurance business is experiencing noteworthy rate increases, property catastrophe-exposed
business has experienced rate increases for loss affected lines of business whilst non-loss affected lines of business and
non-catastrophe property are mainly experiencing flat renewals. More significant market pressures are being felt in
the retrocession reinsurance market where rates are experiencing significant firming or restructuring of programs is
necessary to secure capacity.

136

Sources of Income

Income for the most recent three years was comprised as follows:

Net premiums earned – Insurance and Reinsurance

Northbridge
Odyssey Group
Crum & Forster
Zenith National
Brit
Allied World(1)
Fairfax Asia
Other

Run-off

Net premiums earned
Interest and dividends
Share of profit of associates
Net gains on investments(2)
Gain on sale of subsidiary(3)
Other revenue(4)

2019

2018

2017

1,240.3
3,179.2
2,193.8
735.0
1,641.9
2,335.4
215.2
1,046.8
642.1

13,229.7
880.2
169.6
1,716.2
–
5,537.1

1,119.2
2,755.4
1,960.9
804.3
1,479.7
2,286.8
189.5
1,065.6
404.6

12,066.0
783.5
221.1
252.9
–
4,434.2

1,019.7
2,333.4
1,852.8
811.6
1,536.9
1,028.7
327.6
790.6
20.1

9,721.4
559.0
200.5
1,467.5
1,018.6
3,257.6

21,532.8

17,757.7

16,224.6

(1) Allied World is included in the company’s consolidated financial reporting with effect from July 6, 2017.

(2) An analysis of net gains on investments in 2019 and 2018 is provided in the Investments section of this MD&A. Included

in 2017 is a net gain of $930.1 related to the reduction of the company’s shareholding in ICICI Lombard.

(3) Gain on sale of the company’s 97.7% interest in First Capital on December 28, 2017.

(4) Represents revenue earned by the Non-insurance companies reporting segment, which is comprised primarily of the revenue
earned by Recipe and its subsidiaries (The Keg, Pickle Barrel (acquired on December 1, 2017), St-Hubert and Original
Joe’s), Thomas Cook India and its subsidiaries (Sterling Resorts and Quess (deconsolidated on March 1, 2018)), AGT
(consolidated on April 17, 2019), Toys ‘‘R’’ Us Canada (acquired on May 31, 2018), and Fairfax India and its subsidiaries
(NCML, Fairchem and Saurashtra Freight). Also included is the revenue earned by Mosaic Capital, Boat Rocker, Dexterra
(acquired on March 7, 2018), Praktiker, Sporting Life, Golf Town, Grivalia Properties (deconsolidated on May 17, 2019),
Pethealth, Fairfax Africa and its subsidiary (CIG (consolidated on January 4, 2019)), Kitchen Stuff Plus, Rouge Media and
William Ashley.

The increase in income to $21,532.8 in 2019 from $17,757.7 in 2018 principally reflected increased net gains on
investments, higher net premiums earned, increased other revenue and interest and dividends, partially offset by
decreased share of profit of associates. Net investment gains of $1,716.2 in 2019 principally reflected net gains on
common stocks, net unrealized gains on the company’s investment in the Digit compulsory convertible preferred
shares, net gains on bonds and equity derivatives, and a non-cash gain of $171.3 as a result of the deconsolidation of
Grivalia Properties upon its merger into Eurobank, partially offset by net losses on other derivative contracts and
U.S. treasury bond forward contracts. Net investment gains of $252.9 in 2018 principally reflected a net realized gain
recorded on re-measurement of Quess ($889.9) upon its deconsolidation, partially offset by net losses on common
stocks  and  convertible  bonds  which  arose  primarily  in  the  fourth  quarter  of  2018  as  a  result  of  marking  those
positions to market and foreign currency net losses that resulted primarily from the strengthening of the U.S. dollar
relative  to  the  Indian  rupee  and  euro.  Interest  and  dividends  increased  to  $880.2  in  2019  from  $783.5  in  2018,
primarily reflecting higher interest income from increased holdings of higher yielding, high quality U.S. corporate
bonds  in  2019,  the  reinvestment  of  cash  and  short  term  investments  into  short-dated  U.S.  treasury  bonds  and
Canadian government bonds in the second half of 2018, and higher dividend income earned on common stocks,
partially offset by lower interest income earned from a reduction in holdings of U.S. municipal bonds in 2018. Share
of profit of associates decreased to $169.6 in 2019 from $221.1 in 2018, principally reflecting a non-cash impairment
loss  of  $190.6  recognized  by  Thomas  Cook  India  on  the  Quess  shares  that  were  transferred  to  the  minority
shareholders (fully attributed to non-controlling interests) and share of losses of Atlas Mara and Resolute (compared

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FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

to share of profits in 2018), partially offset by share of a spin-off distribution gain at IIFL Holdings, increased share of
profit of Eurolife, and share of a significant gain at Seaspan.

The  increase  in  net  premiums  earned  by  the  company’s  insurance  and  reinsurance  operations  in  2019  reflected
increases at Odyssey Group ($423.8, 15.4%), Crum & Forster ($232.9, 11.9%), Northbridge ($121.1, 10.8% including
the unfavourable impact of foreign currency translation), Allied World ($138.7, 6.1% excluding the impact of the
Allied World loss portfolio transfer described in the Allied World section of this MD&A), Fairfax Asia ($25.7, 13.6%)
and Insurance and Reinsurance – Other ($8.5, 0.9% excluding the impact of the transfer of Advent to Run-off and the
consolidation  of  the  net  premiums  earned  by  ARX  Insurance  and  Universalna  described  in  the  Insurance  and
Reinsurance – Other section of this MD&A), partially offset by decreases at Zenith National ($69.3, 8.6%) and Brit
($12.2, 0.7% excluding the impact of the Brit reinsurance transaction described in the Brit section of this MD&A).
Net  premiums  earned  at  Run-off  in  2019  principally  reflected  the  impact  of  the  first  quarter  2019  reinsurance
transaction and the run-off of Advent’s unearned premium reserve described in the Run-off section of this MD&A.

The increase in income to $17,757.7 in 2018 from $16,224.6 in 2017 principally reflected higher net premiums
earned  (including  the  consolidation  of  a  full  year  of  net  premiums  earned  by  Allied  World),  other  revenue  and
interest and dividends, partially offset by lower net gains on investments and the non-recurring net gain of $1,018.6
recognized on sale of the company’s 97.7% interest in First Capital in 2017. Net investment gains of $252.9 in 2018
were described in the second preceding paragraph. Net investment gains of $1,467.5 in 2017 principally reflected the
net gain of $930.1 related to the reduction of the company’s shareholding in ICICI Lombard. Interest and dividends
increased to $783.5 in 2018 from $559.0 in 2017, primarily reflecting higher interest earned on increased holdings of
short-dated  U.S.  treasury  bonds  and  high  quality  corporate  bonds,  partially  offset  by  lower  interest  earned  on
U.S. state and municipal bonds as a result of sales of such bonds during 2017 and 2018. Share of profit of associates
increased to $221.1 in 2018 from $200.5 in 2017, principally reflecting increased share of profit of Resolute and
KWF LPs ($73.6 related to sales of investment property located in Dublin, Ireland) and contributions from Atlas Mara
and Bangalore Airport (both acquired in 2017), partially offset by non-cash impairment charges related to Thai Re
and Astarta, the absence of share of profit of ICICI Lombard in 2018, the increased share of loss of Farmers Edge and
the share of loss of Astarta (compared to share of profit in 2017).

The increase in net premiums earned by the company’s insurance and reinsurance operations in 2018 reflected the
consolidation of a full year of net premiums earned by Allied World ($1,258.1 of incremental net premiums earned in
2018) and increases at Odyssey Group ($422.0, 18.1%), Insurance and Reinsurance – Other ($354.3, 44.8% excluding
the  impact  of  the  Advent  reinsurance  transaction  and  including  the  consolidation  of  the  $170.6  and  $61.3  of
incremental net premiums earned by Fairfax Latam and Colonnade Insurance related to the AIG branches in Latin
America and Central and Eastern Europe respectively, described in the Insurance and Reinsurance – Other section of
this MD&A), Brit ($117.2, 7.6% excluding the impact of the Brit reinsurance transaction described in the Brit section
of this MD&A), Crum & Forster ($108.1, 5.8%) and Northbridge ($99.5, 9.8% including the favourable effect of
foreign currency translation), partially offset by decreases at Fairfax Asia ($138.1, 42.2% reflecting the divestiture of
First Capital on December 28, 2017) and Zenith National ($7.3, 0.9%). Net premiums earned at Run-off in 2018
principally reflected the impact of the RiverStone (UK) acquisition transactions, the Advent reinsurance transaction,
the Brit reinsurance transaction and the Other 2018 reinsurance transactions described in the Run-off section of
this MD&A.

In order to normalize the comparison of 2019 to 2018, the table which follows presents net premiums written by the
company’s insurance and reinsurance operations, excluding net premiums written of companies acquired during
2019 (comprised of the acquisitions of ARX Insurance on February 14, 2019 and Universalna on November 6, 2019),
Advent’s  net  premiums  written  in  2018  within  Insurance  and  Reinsurance – Other,  the  2018  Brit  reinsurance

138

transaction and the 2019 Allied World loss portfolio transfer as described in the footnotes to the table. The discussion
of net premiums written that follows the table refers to the ‘‘as adjusted’’ results.

Insurance and Reinsurance

Northbridge
Odyssey Group
Crum & Forster
Zenith National
Brit(1)
Allied World(2)
Fairfax Asia
Other(1)(2)

As adjusted

As presented in the
consolidated financial
statements

2019
1,350.3
3,393.8
2,331.5
720.8
1,656.2
2,519.0
231.2
1,059.3

2018
1,173.6
2,897.8
1,977.8
789.2
1,668.6
2,368.8
191.9
1,036.0

% change
year-over-
year
15.1
17.1
17.9
(8.7)
(0.7)
6.3
20.5
2.2

2019
1,350.3
3,393.8
2,331.5
720.8
1,656.2
2,428.9
231.2
1,148.4

2018
1,173.6
2,897.8
1,977.8
789.2
1,494.2
2,368.8
191.9
1,124.2

% change
year-over-
year
15.1
17.1
17.9
(8.7)
10.8
2.5
20.5
2.2

Net premiums written

13,262.1

12,103.7

9.6

13,261.1

12,017.5

10.3

(1)

(2)

‘‘As adjusted’’ excludes in 2018 the impact of the Brit reinsurance transaction described in the Brit section of this MD&A,
and  net  premiums  written  by  Advent  of  $88.2  (Advent  was  transferred  to  the  Run-off  reporting  segment  effective
January 1, 2019).

‘‘As adjusted’’ excludes in 2019 the impact of the Allied World loss portfolio transfer described in the Allied World section
of this MD&A, and net premiums written by ARX Insurance of $83.6 and by Universalna of $5.5 as described in the
Insurance and Reinsurance – Other section of this MD&A.

Northbridge’s net premiums written increased by 15.1% in 2019 (increased by 17.8% in Canadian dollar terms),
primarily  reflecting  price  increases  across  the  group,  strong  retention  of  renewal  business  and  growth  in
new business.

Odyssey Group’s net premiums written increased by 17.1% in 2019, primarily reflecting growth across all divisions
with  the  majority  of  the  increase  related  to  U.S.  Insurance  (primarily  reflecting  growth  in  U.S.  crop,  motor  and
financial  products),  London  Market  (growth  at  Newline  Insurance),  EuroAsia  (growth  in  property),  and  North
America (growth in U.S. casualty reinsurance).

Crum & Forster’s net premiums written increased by 17.9% in 2019, primarily reflecting growth in accident and
health, surety and programs, and surplus and specialty lines of business.

Zenith  National’s  net  premiums  written  decreased  by  8.7%  in  2019,  primarily  reflecting  price  decreases  due  to
continuing favourable loss trends, partially offset by a modest increase in exposure.

Brit’s  net  premiums  written  (as  adjusted)  decreased  by  0.7%  in  2019,  primarily  reflecting  increased  use  of
proportional treaty reinsurance in marine and property lines of business and the purchase of increased catastrophe
protection.

Allied World’s net premiums written (as adjusted) increased by 6.3% in 2019, primarily due to new business and
improved pricing across both the insurance segment (primarily reflecting growth in the North American operations
in the excess casualty, programs and professional liability lines of business, and to a lesser extent growth in Global
Markets platforms principally from professional liability lines of business) and the reinsurance segment (primarily in
the North American operations principally from property and casualty treaty business), partially offset by decreased
premium retention (primarily driven by increased reinsurance purchased in the insurance segment).

Fairfax Asia’s net premiums written increased by 20.5% in 2019, primarily reflecting increased business volume by
Falcon on its 25% quota share reinsurance participation in the net underwriting result of First Capital’s insurance
portfolio, higher premium retention at Falcon and growth by AMAG Insurance in property lines of business, partially
offset  by  a  decrease  in  gross  premiums  written  at  Pacific  Insurance  (primarily  automobile)  and  lower  premium
retention at AMAG Insurance.

139

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

Insurance  and  Reinsurance – Other  net  premiums  written  (as  adjusted)  increased  by  2.2%  in  2019,  principally
reflecting  increases  at  Fairfax  Latin  America  (reflecting  increased  premiums  written,  partially  offset  by  the
unfavourable impact of foreign currency translation) and Group Re, partially offset by lower premium retention at
Fairfax Latam and decreased net premiums written at Bryte Insurance (reflecting the unfavourable impact of foreign
currency translation, partially offset by increased premiums written).

An analysis of consolidated net gains on investments of $1,716.2 in 2019 and $252.9 in 2018 is provided in the
Investments section of this MD&A.

Other  revenue  earned  by  the  Non-insurance  companies  reporting  segment  increased  to  $5,537.1  in  2019  from
$4,434.2 in 2018 principally reflecting the consolidation of AGT (on April 17, 2019) and CIG (on January 4, 2019),
the inclusion of a full year of revenue of Toys ‘‘R’’ Us Canada in 2019 (consolidated on May 31, 2018) and increased
business volume at Boat Rocker (principally as a result of business acquisitions in 2019 and 2018) and Thomas Cook
India, partially offset by the deconsolidation of Quess (on March 1, 2018) and Grivalia Properties (on May 17, 2019).
Refer to the Non-insurance companies section of this MD&A for additional details on other revenue.

Net Premiums Earned by Geographic Region

As  presented  in  note  25  (Segmented  Information)  to  the  consolidated  financial  statements  for  the  year  ended
December 31, 2019, the United States, Canada, International and Asia accounted for 60.1%, 11.0%, 21.4% and 7.5%
respectively, of net premiums earned by geographic region in 2019, compared to 61.9%, 10.8%, 19.7% and 7.6%
respectively, in 2018.

United States

Net premiums earned in the United States geographic region increased by 6.6% from $7,466.8 in 2018 to $7,960.3 in
2019 primarily reflecting increases at Odyssey Group (growth across all divisions) and Crum & Forster (principally
growth in accident and health, surety and programs, and surplus and specialty lines of business), partially offset by
decreases at Zenith National (reflecting price decreases due to continuing favourable loss trends, partially offset by a
modest increase in exposure).

Canada

Net premiums earned in the Canada geographic region increased by 11.1% from $1,306.9 in 2018 to $1,452.1 in
2019 primarily reflecting an increase at Northbridge (reflecting price increases across the group, strong retention of
renewal business and growth in new business).

International

Net premiums earned in the International geographic region increased by 18.9% from $2,375.3 in 2018 to $2,824.8
in 2019 primarily reflecting the 2019 first quarter reinsurance transaction at Run-off (described in more detail in the
Run-off section of this MD&A) and increases at Odyssey Group (growth at Newline Insurance) and Brit.

Asia

Net  premiums  earned  in  the  Asia  geographic  region  increased  by  8.2%  from  $917.0  in  2018  to  $992.5  in  2019
primarily reflecting increases at Odyssey Group (growth in property) and Fairfax Asia (primarily reflecting increases
at Falcon on its 25% quota share reinsurance agreement with First Capital, partially offset by a decrease in business
volume at Pacific Insurance (primarily automobile) and lower premium retention at AMAG Insurance), partially
offset by lower net premiums earned at Allied World.

140

Sources of Net Earnings

The table below presents the sources of the company’s net earnings for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and
2017  using  amounts  presented  in  note 25  (Segmented  Information)  to  the  company’s  consolidated  financial
statements for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, set out in a format the company has consistently used
as it believes it assists in understanding the composition and management of the company. In that table, combined
ratios and underwriting results for each of the insurance and reinsurance segments is shown separately. Operating
income  (loss) presented  for  the  insurance  and  reinsurance,  Run-off  and  Non-insurance  companies  reporting
segments includes interest and dividends and share of profit (loss) of associates, and excludes net gains (losses) on
investments which are considered a less predictable source of investment income. Net gains (losses) on investments
as presented in the consolidated statement of earnings is disaggregated into net realized gains on investments and
net change in unrealized gains (losses) on investments, consistent with the manner in which management reviews
the results of the company’s investment management strategies.

Combined ratios – Insurance and Reinsurance

Northbridge
Odyssey Group
Crum & Forster
Zenith National
Brit
Allied World(1)
Fairfax Asia
Other

Consolidated

Sources of net earnings
Underwriting – Insurance and Reinsurance

Northbridge
Odyssey Group
Crum & Forster
Zenith National
Brit
Allied World(1)
Fairfax Asia
Other

Underwriting profit (loss) – Insurance and Reinsurance
Interest and dividends – Insurance and Reinsurance
Share of profit of associates – Insurance and Reinsurance

Operating income (loss) – Insurance and Reinsurance
Operating loss – Run-off
Operating income (loss) – Non-insurance companies
Interest expense
Corporate and other
Gain on sale of subsidiary(2)

Pre-tax income before net gains (losses) on investments
Net realized gains on investments

Pre-tax income including net realized gains on investments
Net change in unrealized gains (losses) on investments

Earnings before income taxes
Provision for income taxes

Net earnings

Attributable to:

Shareholders of Fairfax
Non-controlling interests

Net earnings per share
Net earnings per diluted share
Cash dividends paid per share

2019

2018

2017

96.2%
97.2%
97.6%
85.2%
96.9%
97.5%
97.0%
101.7%

95.8%
93.4%
98.3%
82.6%
105.2%
98.1%
99.8%
104.6%

99.1%
97.4%
99.8%
85.6%
113.1%
157.0%
88.4%
110.2%

96.9%

97.3%

106.6%

46.7
89.9
51.8
108.8
51.1
57.7
6.4
(17.9)

394.5
657.0
56.0

1,107.5
(214.7)
(2.4)
(472.0)
98.1
–

516.5
611.8

1,128.3
1,104.4

2,232.7
(261.5)

47.0
181.1
32.6
140.2
(77.0)
42.9
0.4
(48.9)

318.3
544.1
93.7

956.1
(197.9)
380.3
(347.1)
(182.2)
–

609.2
1,174.9

1,784.1
(922.0)

862.1
(44.2)

9.0
60.0
3.2
117.2
(201.9)
(586.6)
38.2
(80.6)

(641.5)
402.3
23.5

(215.7)
(184.6)
212.1
(331.2)
56.5
1,018.6

555.7
723.4

1,279.1
744.1

2,023.2
(408.3)

1,971.2

817.9

1,614.9

2,004.1
(32.9)

1,971.2

376.0
441.9

817.9

1,740.6
(125.7)

1,614.9

$ 72.80
$ 69.79
$ 10.00

$ 12.03
$ 11.65
$ 10.00

$
$
$

66.74
64.98
10.00

(1) Allied World is included in the company’s consolidated financial reporting with effect from July 6, 2017.

(2) Gain on sale of the company’s 97.7% interest in First Capital on December 28, 2017.

141

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

The company’s insurance and reinsurance operations produced an underwriting profit of $394.5 (combined ratio of
96.9%) in 2019 compared to an underwriting profit of $318.3 (combined ratio of 97.3%) in 2018. The improvement
in  the  combined  ratio  in  2019  principally  reflected  a  lower  accident  year  loss  ratio  (reflecting  growth  in  net
premiums earned and lower current period catastrophe losses), partially offset by lower net favourable prior year
reserve development.

Net favourable prior year reserve development decreased to $479.8 (3.8 combined ratio points) in 2019 from $789.0
(6.8 combined ratio points) in 2018 and was comprised as follows:

Insurance and Reinsurance

Northbridge
Odyssey Group
Crum & Forster
Zenith National
Brit
Allied World
Fairfax Asia
Other

Net favourable development

2019

2018

(67.1)
(229.6)
(6.2)
(82.1)
(46.5)
32.0
(28.3)
(52.0)

(106.7)
(345.7)
(3.9)
(85.3)
(99.3)
(96.6)
(24.4)
(27.1)

(479.8)

(789.0)

Current  period  catastrophe  losses  decreased  to  $497.8  (4.0  combined  ratio  points)  in  2019  from  $752.3
(6.5 combined ratio points) in 2018 and were comprised as follows:

Typhoon Hagibis
Typhoon Faxai
Hurricane Dorian
California Wildfires(2)
Hurricane Michael
Typhoon Jebi
Hurricane Florence
Other

2019

2018

Catastrophe
losses(1)
146.0
76.1
66.1
–
–
–
–
209.6

Combined
ratio impact
1.2
0.6
0.5
–
–
–
–
1.7

Catastrophe
losses(1)
–
–
–
232.7
137.8
102.0
69.0
210.8

Combined
ratio impact
–
–
–
2.0
1.2
0.9
0.6
1.8

497.8

4.0 points

752.3

6.5 points

(1) Net of reinstatement premiums.

(2) California wildfires include the Woolsey and Camp wildfires in 2018.

The following table presents the components of the company’s combined ratios for the years ended December 31:

Underwriting profit – Insurance and Reinsurance

Loss & LAE – accident year
Commissions
Underwriting expense

Combined ratio – accident year

Net favourable development

Combined ratio – calendar year

142

2019
394.5

2018
318.3

66.9% 69.5%
17.3% 17.4%
16.5% 17.2%

100.7% 104.1%
(3.8)% (6.8)%

96.9% 97.3%

The commission expense ratio of 17.3% in 2019 modestly decreased compared to 17.4% in 2018, primarily reflecting
decreases at Odyssey Group (principally related to increased net premiums earned and changes in the mix of business
written) and Brit, partially offset by increases at Crum & Forster (reflecting growth in business that attracted higher
commissions and reduced ceding commission income (primarily related to discontinued business in marine and
reduced cession rates in property lines)), Allied World (reflecting the release of acquisition accounting adjustments
that favourably affected net premiums earned and commission expenses in 2018, and the Allied World loss portfolio
transfer  that  reduced  net  premiums  earned  in  2019)  and  Fairfax  Asia  (primarily  reflecting  higher  commission
expense in automobile and marine lines of business, partially offset by reduced commissions in the engineering line
of business).

The  underwriting  expense  ratio  decreased  to  16.5%  in  2019  from  17.2%  in  2018,  primarily  reflecting  lower
underwriting  expense  ratios  at  Odyssey  Group,  Crum  and  Forster,  Northbridge,  Brit,  Fairfax  Asia  (principally
reflecting increased net premiums earned relative to modest increases in underwriting expenses) and Insurance and
Reinsurance – Other, principally reflecting improvements at Fairfax Latin America (primarily at Fairfax Latam related
to cost efficiencies across the region), Bryte Insurance and Fairfax CEE (primarily related to increased net premiums
earned by Colonnade Insurance), and the impact of the transfer of Advent to Run-off.

Premium acquisition costs and other underwriting expenses increased to $2,067.4 in 2019 from $1,998.2 in 2018,
primarily reflecting increased business volumes at Odyssey Group, Crum and Forster, Northbridge and Brit and the
consolidation of ARX Insurance (on February 14, 2019), partially offset by a decrease at Fairfax Latam and the impact
of the transfer of Advent to Run-off. For further details refer to note 25 (Segmented Information) to the consolidated
financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2019.

Operating  expenses  as  presented  in  the  consolidated  statement  of  earnings  increased  to  $2,476.3  in  2019  from
$2,444.7  in  2018,  primarily  reflecting  increases  in  underwriting  expenses  of  the  insurance  and  reinsurance
operations (as described in the preceding paragraph) and higher operating expenses at Run-off, partially offset by
decreases in Fairfax and subsidiary holding companies’ corporate overhead (refer to the Run-off and Corporate and
Other sections in this MD&A for further details).

Other expenses as presented in the consolidated statement of earnings increased to $5,456.9 in 2019 from $4,229.4
in  2018,  primarily  reflecting  the  consolidation  of  AGT  (on  April  17,  2019)  and  CIG  (on  January  4,  2019),  the
inclusion of a full year of expenses of Toys ‘‘R’’ Us Canada in 2019 (consolidated on May 31, 2018) and increased
business volume at Boat Rocker (principally as a result of business acquisitions in 2019 and 2018) and Thomas Cook
India, partially offset by the deconsolidation of Quess (on March 1, 2018) and Grivalia Properties (on May 17, 2019).
Other expenses also included loss on repurchase of long term debt of $23.7 in 2019 (2018 – $58.9). Refer to the
Non-insurance companies section in this MD&A for further details.

An analysis of interest and dividends, share of profit of associates and net gains on investments for the years ended
December 31, 2019 and 2018 is provided in the Investments section of this MD&A.

The company reported net earnings attributable to shareholders of Fairfax of $2,004.1 (net earnings of $72.80 per
basic share and $69.79 per diluted share) in 2019 compared to net earnings attributable to shareholders of Fairfax of
$376.0 (net earnings of $12.03 per basic share and $11.65 per diluted share) in 2018. The year-over-year increase in
profitability primarily reflected increased net gains on investments, interest and dividends and underwriting profit
by the insurance and reinsurance operations, partially offset by decreased operating income in the Non-insurance
companies reporting segment, higher provision for income taxes and increased interest expense.

Common shareholders’ equity increased to $13,042.6 at December 31, 2019 from $11,779.3 at December 31, 2018,
primarily reflecting net earnings attributable to shareholders of Fairfax ($2,004.1), partially offset by payments of
common and preferred share dividends ($323.8), purchases of subordinate voting shares for cancellation ($118.0)
and for use in share-based payment awards ($104.4), other comprehensive loss ($146.4, comprised of net losses on
defined benefit plans ($69.4), net unrealized foreign currency translation losses on foreign operations ($22.6) and
share of other comprehensive loss of associates ($54.4)) and other net changes in capitalization ($123.5).

Book value per basic share at December 31, 2019 was $486.10 compared to $432.46 per basic share at December 31,
2018, representing an increase of 12.4% (without adjustment for the $10.00 per common share dividend paid in the
first quarter of 2019, or an increase of 14.8% adjusted to include that dividend).

143

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

Net Earnings by Reporting Segment

The company’s sources of net earnings (loss) shown by reporting segment are set out below for the years ended
December 31, 2019 and 2018. In the Eliminations and adjustments column, the gross premiums written adjustment
eliminates premiums on reinsurance ceded within the group, primarily to Odyssey Group, Allied World and Group
Re. Also presented in that column are adjustments to eliminate investment management and administration fees
paid by the operating companies to the holding company. Those fees are included in interest and dividends (as
investment  management  expense)  by  the  operating  companies  and  in  corporate  overhead  and  other  (expense)
income by the Corporate and Other reporting segment.

Year ended December 31, 2019

Insurance and Reinsurance

Zenith
Northbridge Group Forster National

Odyssey Crum &

Allied Fairfax

Operating

insurance Corporate

Non-

Eliminations
and

Brit World

Asia Other companies Run-off companies and Other adjustments Consolidated

Gross premiums written

1,521.5

3,816.0

2,827.8

732.7 2,293.5

3,860.3

438.3 1,710.9

17,201.0

609.6

Net premiums written

1,350.3

3,393.8

2,331.5

720.8 1,656.2

2,428.9

231.2 1,148.4

13,261.1

574.5

Net premiums earned

1,240.3

3,179.2

2,193.8

735.0 1,641.9

2,335.4

215.2 1,046.8

12,587.6

642.1

46.7

65.0

89.9

175.9

51.8

85.9

108.8

33.1

51.1

73.5

57.7

148.9

6.4

17.7

(17.9)

57.0

394.5

657.0

(264.2)

55.8

(52.7)

32.9

187.2

1.1

55.1

19.1

(16.4)

(2.4)

13.3

(0.1)

(13.7)

56.0

(6.3)

(45.2)

165.1

112.8

0.5

320.9

149.5

156.8

75.2

125.5

122.2

22.5

62.1

219.9

210.2

24.0

25.4

1,107.5

(214.7)

632.3

106.2

1,258.5

168.2

(97.9)

72.6

198.0

216.9

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

95.5

–

(1.5)

(7.8)

(5.3)

(3.9)

(19.1)

(29.1)

(0.4)

(1.9)

(69.0)

(7.0)

(184.9)

(212.1)

–

187.2

–

8.4

1.0

(299.4)

17,511.2

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

13,835.6

13,229.7

130.3

880.2

169.6

1,180.1

1,716.2

103.9

(472.0)

(5.7)

(10.7)

(20.5)

(8.5)

(9.2)

(59.7)

(9.8)

(0.6)

(124.7)

0.4

–

25.4

(196.6)

(295.5)

106.1

451.9

206.2

135.6

156.0

341.3

646.1

129.1

2,172.3

(53.1)

(114.7)

228.2

–

2,232.7

(261.5)

1,971.2

2,004.1

(32.9)

1,971.2

Year ended December 31, 2018

Insurance and Reinsurance

Zenith
Northbridge Group Forster National

Odyssey Crum &

Brit World

Allied Fairfax

insurance
Asia Other companies Run-off companies

Operating

Non- Corporate Eliminations
and

and

Other adjustments Consolidated

Gross premiums written

1,322.0

3,328.6

2,363.1

800.3 2,239.1

3,368.9

385.6 1,792.9

15,600.5

418.9

Net premiums written

1,173.6

2,897.8

1,977.8

789.2 1,494.2

2,368.8

191.9 1,124.2

12,017.5

413.5

Net premiums earned

1,119.2

2,755.4

1,960.9

804.3 1,479.7

2,286.8

189.5 1,065.6

11,661.4

404.6

47.0

67.0

181.1

139.9

32.6

64.6

140.2

(77.0)

32.3

55.3

42.9

117.2

0.4

21.1

(48.9)

46.7

318.3

544.1

(242.4)

43.7

6.3

65.8

4.1

4.4

5.3

(3.8)

(5.1)

16.7

93.7

0.8

109.4

Operating income (loss)

120.3

386.8

101.3

176.9

(16.4)

156.3

16.4

14.5

956.1

(197.9)

122.2

–

–

–

–

12.8

–

–

–

–

37.8

17.2

55.0

(491.1)

15,528.3

–

–

–

145.1

–

12,431.0

12,066.0

75.9

783.5

221.1

145.1

1,080.5

–

5.6

–

252.9

263.7

(347.1)

(55.6)

(111.4)

(144.2)

(57.6)

(63.1)

(66.9)

(71.7)

45.8

(524.7)

(107.6)

900.4

(15.2)

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

(4.1)

(2.2)

(3.3)

(14.2)

(26.2)

–

–

–

(5.6)

–

(55.6)

(6.6)

(23.3)

(24.1)

(8.2)

(14.0)

(67.6)

(10.3)

(21.9)

(176.0)

–

–

–

258.1

(94.1)

–

(197.4)

–

(61.2)

(150.7)

(387.9)

58.1

248.0

(69.2)

107.8 (107.7)

(4.4)

(65.6)

32.8

199.8

(305.5)

1,186.6

(218.8)

–

862.1

(44.2)

817.9

376.0

441.9

817.9

144

Underwriting profit (loss)

Interest and dividends

Share of profit (loss) of

associates

Operating income (loss)

Net gains on investments

Non-insurance companies

reporting segment

Interest (expense) income

Corporate overhead and

other (expense) income

Earnings before income

taxes

Provision for income taxes

Net earnings

Attributable to:

Shareholders of Fairfax

Non-controlling interests

Underwriting profit (loss)

Interest and dividends

Share of profit (loss) of

associates

Net gains (losses) on

investments

Non-insurance companies

reporting segment

Interest expense

Corporate overhead and

other expense

Earnings before income

taxes

Provision for income taxes

Net earnings

Attributable to:

Shareholders of Fairfax

Non-controlling interests

Components of Net Earnings

Underwriting and Operating Income

Set out and discussed below are the underwriting and operating results of the company’s insurance and reinsurance,
Run-off and Non-insurance companies reporting segments for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018.

Northbridge

Underwriting profit

Loss & LAE – accident year
Commissions
Underwriting expenses

Combined ratio – accident year

Net favourable development

Combined ratio – calendar year

Gross premiums written

Net premiums written

Net premiums earned

Underwriting profit
Interest and dividends
Share of profit of associates

Operating income

Cdn$

2019
62.0

68.7%
16.5%
16.4%

2018
60.9

71.7%
16.5%
17.1%

2019
46.7

68.7%
16.5%
16.4%

2018
47.0

71.7%
16.5%
17.1%

101.6%
(5.4)%

105.3%
(9.5)%

101.6%
(5.4)%

105.3%
(9.5)%

96.2%

95.8%

96.2%

95.8%

2,018.8

1,712.8

1,521.5

1,322.0

1,791.6

1,520.5

1,350.3

1,173.6

1,645.6

1,450.0

1,240.3

1,119.2

62.0
86.3
1.5

60.9
86.8
8.1

46.7
65.0
1.1

47.0
67.0
6.3

149.8

155.8

112.8

120.3

The Canadian dollar weakened relative to the U.S. dollar (measured using average foreign exchange rates) by 2.4% in
2019 compared to 2018. To avoid the distortion caused by foreign currency translation, the table above presents
Northbridge’s  underwriting  and  operating  results  in  both  U.S.  dollars  and  Canadian  dollars  (Northbridge’s
functional currency). The discussion which follows makes reference to those Canadian dollar figures unless indicated
otherwise.

Northbridge reported an underwriting profit of Cdn$62.0 ($46.7) and a combined ratio of 96.2% in 2019 compared
to an underwriting profit of Cdn$60.9 ($47.0) and a combined ratio of 95.8% in 2018. The increase in underwriting
profit  in  2019  principally  reflected  lower  non-catastrophe  loss  experience  related  to  the  current  accident  year
(reflecting  improvements  in  the  commercial  automobile  lines  of  business  that  was  largely  attributable  to  price
increases), partially offset by lower net favourable prior year reserve development.

Net favourable prior year reserve development in 2019 of Cdn$89.1 ($67.1 or 5.4 combined ratio points), principally
reflected better than expected loss emergence across all major lines of business primarily related to accident years
2011 to 2015. Net favourable prior year reserve development in 2018 of Cdn$138.2 ($106.7 or 9.5 combined ratio
points) principally reflected better than expected loss emergence on automobile and casualty lines of business related
to accident years 2013 to 2016.

The underwriting results in 2019 and 2018 included Cdn$16.4 ($12.4 or 1.0 combined ratio point) and Cdn$23.9
($18.5 or 1.7 combined ratio points) of current period catastrophe losses principally related to storms in Ontario
and Quebec.

Gross premiums written increased by 17.9% in 2019, reflecting price increases across the group, strong retention of
renewal business and growth in new business. Net premiums written increased by 17.8% in 2019, consistent with the
growth in gross premiums written. Net premiums earned increased by 13.5% in 2019, primarily reflecting the growth
in net premiums written during 2019 and 2018.

145

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

Interest and dividends marginally decreased to Cdn$86.3 ($65.0) in 2019 from Cdn$86.8 ($67.0) in 2018, principally
reflecting lower interest income earned on bonds, partially offset by higher interest income earned on short term
investments and higher income earned on investment property.

Share of profit of associates of Cdn$1.5 ($1.1) in 2019 primarily reflected share of profit of EXCO and share of a spin-
off distribution gain at IIFL Holdings, partially offset by share of loss of Farmers Edge and KWF LPs. Share of profit of
associates of Cdn$8.1 ($6.3) in 2018 primarily reflected share of profit of Resolute and Arbor Memorial, partially
offset by share of loss of Farmers Edge.

Cash  provided  by  operating  activities  (excluding  operating  cash  flow  activity  related  to  investments  recorded  at
FVTPL) increased to Cdn$257.2 ($193.9) in 2019 from Cdn$184.4 ($142.3) in 2018, primarily reflecting higher net
premium collections, partially offset by higher net paid claims.

Odyssey Group(1)

Underwriting profit

Loss & LAE – accident year
Commissions
Underwriting expenses

Combined ratio – accident year

Net favourable development

Combined ratio – calendar year

Gross premiums written

Net premiums written

Net premiums earned

Underwriting profit
Interest and dividends
Share of profit of associates

Operating income

2019
89.9

75.0%
19.8%
9.6%

2018
181.1

74.8%
21.4%
9.7%

104.4%
(7.2)%

105.9%
(12.5)%

97.2%

93.4%

3,816.0

3,328.6

3,393.8

2,897.8

3,179.2

2,755.4

89.9
175.9
55.1

320.9

181.1
139.9
65.8

386.8

(1) These results differ from those published by Odyssey Group primarily due to differences between IFRS and U.S. GAAP and purchase
accounting adjustments (principally goodwill and intangible assets) recorded by Fairfax related to the privatization of Odyssey Group
in 2009.

Odyssey Group reported an underwriting profit of $89.9 and a combined ratio of 97.2% in 2019 compared to an
underwriting profit of $181.1 and a combined ratio of 93.4% in 2018. The decrease in underwriting profit in 2019
principally  reflected  lower  net  favourable  prior  year  reserve  development  and  higher  current  period  catastrophe
losses (as set out in the table below).

Typhoon Hagibis
Typhoon Faxai
Hurricane Dorian
California wildfires(2)
Hurricane Michael
Typhoon Jebi
Hurricane Florence
Other

2019

2018

Catastrophe
losses(1)
88.2
42.4
25.0
–
–
–
–
124.3

Combined
ratio impact
2.8
1.3
0.8
–
–
–
–
3.9

Catastrophe
losses(1)
–
–
–
48.9
30.9
25.6
7.5
138.7

Combined
ratio impact
–
–
–
1.8
1.1
0.9
0.3
5.0

279.9

8.8 points

251.6

9.1 points

(1) Net of reinstatement premiums.

(2) California wildfires included the Woolsey and Camp wildfires.

146

Net favourable prior year reserve development decreased to $229.6 (7.2 combined ratio points) in 2019 from $345.7
(12.5 combined ratio points) in 2018. Net favourable prior year reserve development in 2019 primarily reflected
better than expected emergence from both non-catastrophe loss experience (primarily casualty, motor, and marine
and  aviation)  and  property  catastrophe  loss  experience.  Net  favourable  prior  year  reserve  development  in  2018
primarily  reflected  better  than  expected  emergence  related  to  casualty  and  assumed  property  catastrophe
loss reserves.

Gross premiums written and net premiums written increased by 14.6% and 17.1% in 2019, principally reflecting
increases across all divisions with the majority of the increase related to U.S. Insurance (growth in U.S. crop, motor
and financial products), London Market (growth at Newline Insurance), EuroAsia (growth in property), and North
America (growth in U.S. casualty reinsurance). Net premiums earned in 2019 increased by 15.4% consistent with the
growth in net premiums written during 2019 and 2018.

The commission expense ratio decreased to 19.8% in 2019 from 21.4% in 2018, primarily reflecting increased net
premiums earned and changes in the mix of business written.

Interest and dividends increased to $175.9 in 2019 from $139.9 in 2018, primarily reflecting higher income earned
on increased holdings of investment property and higher interest income earned from the reinvestment of cash and
short-term investments into higher yielding short-dated U.S. treasury bonds and high quality U.S. corporate bonds,
partially offset by lower interest income earned on reduced holdings of U.S. government bonds and municipal bonds
in 2019.

Share of profit of associates of $55.1 in 2019 primarily reflected unrealized appreciation of investment property of
the KWF LPs and share of a significant gain at Seaspan, partially offset by share of loss of APR Energy. Share of profit of
associates  of  $65.8  in  2018,  primarily  reflected  Odyssey  Group’s  share  of  net  gains  on  sales  and  net  unrealized
appreciation of investment property of the KWF LPs.

During 2019 Odyssey Group received capital contributions of $225.5 (2018 – nil) from the company to support its
capital requirements. During 2019 Odyssey Group paid a dividend of $50.0 (2018 – $100.0) to the company.

Cash  provided  by  operating  activities  (excluding  operating  cash  flow  activity  related  to  investments  recorded  at
FVTPL)  increased  to  $666.1  in  2019  from  $499.4  in  2018,  primarily  reflecting  higher  net  premium  collections,
partially offset by higher net payments on prior year losses.

Crum & Forster

Underwriting profit

Loss & LAE – accident year
Commissions
Underwriting expenses

Combined ratio – accident year

Net favourable development

Combined ratio – calendar year

Gross premiums written

Net premiums written

Net premiums earned

Underwriting profit
Interest and dividends
Share of profit of associates

Operating income

147

2019
51.8

2018
32.6

63.2%
16.0%
18.7%

97.9%
(0.3)%

63.5%
15.5%
19.5%

98.5%
(0.2)%

97.6%

98.3%

2,827.8

2,363.1

2,331.5

1,977.8

2,193.8

1,960.9

51.8
85.9
19.1

32.6
64.6
4.1

156.8

101.3

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

Crum & Forster reported an underwriting profit of $51.8 and a combined ratio of 97.6% in 2019 compared to an
underwriting profit of $32.6 and a combined ratio of 98.3% in 2018. The increase in underwriting profit in 2019
principally  reflected  increased  business  volumes  in  higher  profitable  lines  of  business  and  lower  current  period
catastrophe losses, partially offset by increased commission expense.

Net favourable prior year reserve development was nominal at $6.2 (0.3% combined ratio points) in 2019 and $3.9
(0.2% combined ratio points) in 2018. Underwriting profit in 2019 included $18.1 (0.8 combined ratio points) of
current  period  catastrophe  losses  (net  of  reinstatement  premiums).  Underwriting  profit  in  2018  included  $26.6
(1.4 combined ratio points) of current period catastrophe losses (net of reinstatement premiums), principally related
to  California  wildfires  ($9.0  or  0.5  combined  ratio  points,  which  included  the  Woolsey  and  Camp  wildfires),
Hurricane Michael ($2.7 or 0.1 combined ratio points) and Hurricane Florence ($1.8 or 0.1 combined ratio points).

Gross premiums written and net premiums written increased by19.7% and 17.9% in 2019, principally reflecting
growth  in  accident  and  health,  surety  and  programs,  and  surplus  and  specialty  lines  of  business.  Net  premiums
earned increased by 11.9% in 2019, primarily reflecting the growth in net premiums written during 2019 and 2018.

The commission expense ratio increased to 16.0% in 2019 from 15.5% in 2018, principally reflecting growth in
business  that  attracted  higher  commissions  and  reduced  ceding  commission  income  (primarily  related  to
discontinued business in marine and reduced cession rates in property lines).

Interest and dividends increased to $85.9 in 2019 from $64.6 in 2018, primarily reflecting higher interest income
earned on increased holdings of high quality U.S. corporate bonds and lower total return swap expense, partially
offset by lower interest income earned on reduced holdings of U.S. municipal bonds.

Share of profit of associates of $19.1 in 2019 primarily reflected share of a spin-off distribution gain at IIFL Holdings
and share of significant gain at Seaspan, partially offset by share of losses of APR Energy and Farmers Edge. Share of
profit of associates of $4.1 in 2018 primarily reflected share of profits of Resolute and KWF LPs, partially offset by
share of a non-cash impairment charge of $12.8 related to Thai Re.

During 2019 Crum and Forster received capital contributions of $122.4 (2018 – $24.0) from the company to support
its capital requirements. During 2019 Crum and Forster paid a dividend of $50.0 (2018 – nil) to the company.

Cash  provided  by  operating  activities  (excluding  operating  cash  flow  activity  related  to  investments  recorded  at
FVTPL) increased to $294.3 in 2019 from $98.1 in 2018 primarily due to increased net premium collections.

Zenith National(1)

Underwriting profit

Loss & LAE – accident year
Commissions
Underwriting expenses

Combined ratio – accident year

Net favourable development

Combined ratio – calendar year

Gross premiums written

Net premiums written

Net premiums earned

Underwriting profit
Interest and dividends
Share of profit (loss) of associates

Operating income

2019
108.8

2018
140.2

57.6%
10.9%
27.9%

56.4%
10.5%
26.3%

96.4%
(11.2)%

93.2%
(10.6)%

85.2%

82.6%

732.7

720.8

735.0

108.8
33.1
(16.4)

125.5

800.3

789.2

804.3

140.2
32.3
4.4

176.9

(1) These results differ from those published by Zenith National primarily due to differences between IFRS and U.S. GAAP, intercompany
investment  transactions  and  acquisition  accounting  adjustments  recorded  by  Fairfax  related  to  the  acquisition  of  Zenith  National
in 2010.

148

Zenith National reported an underwriting profit of $108.8 and a combined ratio of 85.2% in 2019 compared to an
underwriting profit of $140.2 and a combined ratio of 82.6% in 2018. The decrease in underwriting profit in 2019
principally reflected price decreases.

Net favourable prior year reserve development of $82.1 (11.2 combined ratio points) in 2019 compared to $85.3
(10.6 combined ratio points) in 2018, principally reflected net favourable emergence related to accident years 2013
through 2018.

Gross premiums written decreased by 8.4% in 2019, primarily reflecting price decreases due to continuing favourable
loss  trends,  partially  offset  by  a  modest  increase  in  exposure.  Net  premiums  written  and  net  premiums  earned
decreased by 8.7% and 8.6% in 2019, consistent with the decrease in gross premiums written.

Interest and dividends increased to $33.1 in 2019 from $32.3 in 2018, primarily reflecting higher interest income
earned on increased holdings of U.S. treasury bonds, partially offset by lower interest income earned on decreased
holdings of U.S. municipal bonds in 2019.

Share of loss of associates of $16.4 in 2019 primarily reflected share of losses of APR Energy and Farmers Edge. Share
of profit of associates of $4.4 in 2018 primarily reflected share of profit of Resolute, partially offset by share of loss of
Farmers Edge and a non-cash impairment charge of $5.0 related to Thai Re.

Cash  provided  by  operating  activities  (excluding  operating  cash  flow  activity  related  to  investments  recorded  at
FVTPL) decreased to $45.4 in 2019 from $119.5 in 2018, primarily as a result of lower net premium collections and a
special dividend received from Resolute in 2018.

Brit(1)

Underwriting profit (loss)

Loss & LAE – accident year
Commissions
Underwriting expenses

Combined ratio – accident year

Net favourable development

Combined ratio – calendar year

Gross premiums written

Net premiums written (ceded)

Net premiums earned (ceded)

Underwriting profit (loss)
Interest and dividends
Share of profit (loss) of associates

Operating income (loss)

2019

2018

51.1

58.5%
27.1%
14.1%

Brit(2)
(73.0)

69.7%
27.6%
13.1%

Brit
reinsurance
transaction(3)
(4.0)

102.3%

–
–

Total
(77.0)

66.4%
30.9%
14.6%

99.7%
(2.8)%

110.4%
(6.0)%

102.3%

–

111.9%
(6.7)%

96.9%

104.4%

102.3%

105.2%

2,293.5

2,239.1

–

2,239.1

1,656.2

1,668.6

(174.4)

1,494.2

1,641.9

1,654.1

(174.4)

1,479.7

51.1
73.5
(2.4)

122.2

(73.0)
55.3
5.3

(12.4)

(4.0)
–
–

(4.0)

(77.0)
55.3
5.3

(16.4)

(1) These results differ from those published by Brit primarily due to acquisition accounting adjustments recorded by Fairfax
related to the acquisition of Brit on June 5, 2015 and different measurement and presentation of certain items including
investments and foreign exchange.

(2) Brit’s results excluding the Brit reinsurance transaction described in the following footnote.

(3) Effective  November  30,  2018,  Run-off  Syndicate  3500  agreed  to  reinsure  a  portfolio  of  business  written  by  Brit
Syndicate 2987 including non-US professional indemnity, UK employer’s liability, UK public liability and a number of
legacy lines of business, relating to accident years 2018 and prior (the ‘‘Brit reinsurance transaction’’). The impact of that
transaction in 2018 is shown separately in the table above to minimize distortion on the components of combined ratio.
This transaction is eliminated within Fairfax’s consolidated financial reporting.

149

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

On April 29, 2019 Brit paid a dividend of $20.6 to its minority shareholder (OMERS). During 2019 Brit received
capital contributions from the company of $70.6 primarily to support its underwriting plans. Subsequent to these
transactions, the company’s ownership interest in Brit increased to 89.3% from 88.9% at December 31, 2018.

On  April  18,  2019  Brit  acquired  the  remaining  50.0%  equity  interest  in  Ambridge  Partners  LLC  (‘‘Ambridge
Partners’’) that it did not already own for $46.6. Ambridge Partners is a specialized managing general underwriter of
transactional,  legal  contingency,  specialty  management  liability,  and  intellectual  property  liability  insurance
products.

On July 5, 2018 Brit purchased an 11.2% ownership interest from its minority shareholder (OMERS) for $251.8 and
paid a dividend of $12.8 on the shares purchased. During 2018 Brit received capital contributions from the company
of $436.4 primarily to support the purchase of its shares from OMERS and its 2019 underwriting plans. Subsequent to
these transactions, the company’s ownership interest in Brit was 88.9%.

References to 2018 throughout the remainder of this section exclude the impact of the Brit reinsurance transaction
described above.

Brit reported an underwriting profit of $51.1 and a combined ratio of 96.9% in 2019 compared to an underwriting
loss  of  $73.0  and  a  combined  ratio  of  104.4%  in  2018.  The  increase  in  underwriting  profit  in  2019  principally
reflected lower current period catastrophe losses (as set out in the table below) and attritional loss ratio, partially
offset by decreased net favourable prior year reserve development.

Typhoon Hagibis
Hurricane Dorian
Typhoon Faxai
California wildfires(2)
Hurricane Michael
Hurricane Florence
Typhoon Jebi
Other

2019

2018

Catastrophe
losses(1)
24.7
24.3
12.5
–
–
–
–
8.3

Combined
ratio impact
1.5
1.5
0.8
–
–
–
–
0.5

Catastrophe
losses(1)
–
–
–
91.5
53.7
26.9
23.0
15.2

Combined
ratio impact
–
–
–
5.5
3.2
1.6
1.4
1.0

69.8

4.3 points

210.3

12.7 points

(1) Net of reinstatement premiums.

(2) California wildfires included the Woolsey and Camp wildfires. 

Net favourable prior year reserve development of $46.5 (2.8 combined ratio points) in 2019 primarily reflected better
than  expected  claims  experience  across  most  lines  of  business  (primarily  financial  and  professional,  specialty,
property,  and  programs  and  facilities  lines  of  business),  partially  offset  by  net  adverse  development  in  the
U.S. specialty segment. Net favourable prior year reserve development of $99.3 (6.0 combined ratio points) in 2018
primarily reflected better than expected emergence on the 2017 catastrophe losses and energy and property (political
risks and violence) lines of business, partially offset by net reserve strengthening in the marine line of business.

Gross  premiums  written  increased  by  2.4%  in  2019,  principally  reflecting  increased  business  volume  within  the
reinsurance segment (primarily casualty treaty), increased contribution from underwriting initiatives launched in
recent  years  and  price  increases  (principally  in  property  open  market,  marine,  specialist  liability  and  energy),
partially  offset  by  decreased  business  volume  within  the  insurance  segment  (primarily  discontinued  classes  and
specialty business). Net premiums written marginally decreased by 0.7% in 2019, primarily reflecting increased use
of proportional treaty reinsurance in marine and property lines of business and the purchase of increased catastrophe
protection, partially offset by the growth in gross premiums written. Net premiums earned decreased marginally by
0.7% in 2019, primarily reflecting the factors affecting net premiums written.

Interest and dividends increased to $73.5 in 2019 from $55.3 in 2018, principally reflecting higher interest income
earned from the reinvestment of cash and short-term investments into higher yielding U.S. treasury bonds and high
quality U.S. corporate bonds.

150

Share of loss of associates of $2.4 in 2019 primarily reflected share of losses of APR Energy and Astarta, partially offset
by share of a significant gain at Seaspan. Share of profit of associates of $5.3 in 2018 primarily reflected share of profit
of Resolute, partially offset by share of loss of Astarta.

Cash provided by operating activities (excluding operating cash flow activity related to securities recorded at FVTPL)
of $152.1 in 2019 compared to cash used in operating activities of $133.1 in 2018, primarily reflecting lower net
paid losses.

Allied World(1)

Underwriting profit

Loss & LAE – accident year
Commissions
Underwriting expenses

Combined ratio – accident year

Net (favourable) adverse development

Combined ratio – calendar year

Gross premiums written

Net premiums written

Net premiums earned

Underwriting profit
Interest and dividends
Share of profit (loss) of associates

Operating income

2019(2)
57.7

67.9%
11.0%
17.2%

96.1%
1.4%

2018
42.9

76.1%
9.1%
17.1%

102.3%
(4.2)%

97.5%

98.1%

3,860.3

3,368.9

2,428.9

2,368.8

2,335.4

2,286.8

57.7
148.9
13.3

219.9

42.9
117.2
(3.8)

156.3

(1) These results differ from those published by Allied World primarily due to acquisition accounting adjustments recorded by

Fairfax related to the acquisition of Allied World on July 6, 2017.

(2)

Includes the impact of a loss portfolio transfer in the U.S. primary casualty line of business loss reserves ($65.4) and the
related premiums ceded to reinsurers ($90.1).

On December 31, 2019 Allied World completed a loss portfolio transfer with a third party reinsurer to reinsure all net
reserves  for  risks  Allied  World  had  insured  in  its  U.S.  primary  casualty  line  of  business  (the  ‘‘Allied  World  loss
portfolio transfer’’). The Allied World loss portfolio transfer resulted in a decrease of both net premiums written and
net premiums earned by $90.1 and decreased losses on claims, net by $65.4 in 2019.

On November 30, 2019 the company made a capital contribution of $320.8 to Allied World which increased its
ownership interest to 70.1% from 67.8% at December 31, 2018. On April 29, 2019 Allied World paid a dividend of
$126.4 to its minority shareholders (OMERS, AIMCo and others). During 2019 Allied World redomesticated from
Switzerland to Bermuda.

On April 30, 2018 Allied World used the proceeds from a $61.3 capital contribution from the company to pay a
dividend of $61.3 to its minority shareholders (OMERS, AIMCo and others).

151

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

Allied  World  reported  an  underwriting  profit  of  $57.7  and  a  combined  ratio  of  97.5%  in  2019  compared  to  an
underwriting profit of $42.9 and a combined ratio of 98.1% in 2018. The increase in underwriting profit in 2019
principally reflected lower current period catastrophe losses (as set out in the table below), partially offset by net
adverse prior year reserve development in 2019 compared to net favourable prior year reserve development in 2018.

Typhoon Hagibis
Typhoon Faxai
Hurricane Dorian
California wildfires(2)
Typhoon Jebi
Hurricane Michael
Hurricane Florence
Other

2019

2018

Catastrophe
losses(1)
30.6
19.5
14.3
–
–
–
–
20.8

Combined
ratio impact
1.3
0.8
0.6
–
–
–
–
1.0

Catastrophe
losses(1)
–
–
–
76.1
52.9
47.5
25.6
21.3

Combined
ratio impact
–
–
–
3.3
2.3
2.1
1.1
1.0

85.2

3.7 points

223.4

9.8 points

(1) Net of reinstatement premiums.

(2) California wildfires included the Woolsey and Camp wildfires. 

Net  adverse  prior  year  reserve  development  of  $32.0  (1.4  combined  ratio  points)  in  2019  primarily  reflected
deterioration  in  the  insurance  segment  (principally  related  to  the  North  American  casualty  lines  of  business
primarily related to the 2017 accident year, partially offset by a reduction in unallocated loss adjustment expenses)
and the reinsurance segment (principally related to Typhoon Jebi). Net favourable prior year reserve development of
$96.6  (4.2  combined  ratio  points)  in  2018  primarily  reflected  better  than  expected  emergence  on  the  2017
catastrophe losses and a reduction in unallocated loss adjustment expenses, partially offset by net adverse prior year
reserve development in the casualty line of business primarily related to the 2012, 2014 and 2015 accident years and
the professional liability line of business primarily related to the 2012 accident year.

Gross premiums written increased by 14.6% in 2019, primarily due to new business and improved pricing across
both the insurance segment (primarily reflecting growth in the North American operations in the excess casualty,
programs  and  professional  liability  lines  of  business,  and  to  a  lesser  extent  growth  in  Global  Markets  platforms
principally  from  professional  liability  lines  of  business)  and  the  reinsurance  segment  (primarily  in  the  North
American operations principally from property and casualty treaty business). Excluding the impact of the Allied
World  loss  portfolio  transfer,  net  premiums  written  increased  by  6.3%  in  2019  reflecting  the  growth  in  gross
premiums  written,  partially  offset  by  decreased  premium  retention  (primarily  driven  by  increased  reinsurance
purchased in the insurance segment). Excluding the impact of the Allied World loss portfolio transfer, net premiums
earned increased by 6.1% in 2019, primarily reflecting the changes in net premiums written during 2019 and 2018.

The commission expense ratio increased to 11.0% in 2019 from 9.1% in 2018, principally reflecting the release of
acquisition  accounting  adjustments  that  favourably  affected  net  premiums  earned  and  commission  expenses  in
2018, and the Allied World loss portfolio transfer that reduced net premiums earned in 2019.

Interest and dividends increased to $148.9 in 2019 from $117.2 in 2018 primarily reflecting higher interest income
earned from the reinvestment of cash and short-term investments into higher yielding high quality U.S. corporate
bonds, and higher dividends earned on common stocks.

Share of profit of associates of $13.3 in 2019 primarily reflected share of a significant gain at Seaspan, partially offset
by  share  of  loss  of  APR  Energy.  Share  of  loss  of  associates  of  $3.8  in  2018  primarily  reflected  share  of  a  loss  of
Farmers Edge.

Cash  provided  by  operating  activities  (excluding  operating  cash  flow  activity  related  to  investments  recorded  at
FVTPL) of $117.3 in 2019 compared to cash used in operating activities of $557.0 in 2018, primarily reflecting higher
net premium collections and lower net paid losses.

152

Fairfax Asia

Underwriting profit

Loss & LAE – accident year
Commissions
Underwriting expenses

Combined ratio – accident year

Net favourable development

Combined ratio – calendar year

Gross premiums written

Net premiums written

Net premiums earned

Underwriting profit
Interest and dividends
Share of loss of associates

Operating income

2019
6.4

70.3%
13.5%
26.4%

2018
0.4

72.8%
10.5%
29.4%

110.2%
(13.2)%

112.7%
(12.9)%

97.0%

99.8%

438.3

231.2

215.2

6.4
17.7
(0.1)

24.0

385.6

191.9

189.5

0.4
21.1
(5.1)

16.4

Fairfax Asia comprises the company’s Asian holdings and operations: Hong Kong-based Falcon Insurance (Hong
Kong) Company Ltd. (‘‘Falcon’’), 85.0%-owned Malaysia-based The Pacific Insurance Berhad (‘‘Pacific Insurance’’),
80.0%-owned Indonesia-based PT Asuransi Multi Artha Guna Tbk. (‘‘AMAG Insurance’’), 78.0%-owned Sri Lanka-
based  Fairfirst  Insurance  Limited  (‘‘Fairfirst  Insurance’’),  35.0%-owned  Vietnam-based  Bank  for  Investment  and
Development of Vietnam Insurance Joint Stock Corporation (‘‘BIC Insurance’’), 41.2%-owned Bangkok-based Falcon
Insurance PLC (‘‘Falcon Thailand’’) and 49.0%-owned Go Digit Infoworks Services Private Limited (‘‘Digit’’). Fairfax
Asia also has an investment in Digit compulsory convertible preferred shares.

On December 23, 2019 Digit entered into definitive agreements whereby its general insurance subsidiary Go Digit
Insurance Limited (‘‘Digit Insurance’’) subsequently issued approximately $91 (6.5 billion Indian rupees) of new
equity shares primarily to three Indian investors. This transaction valued Digit Insurance at approximately $858
(61.2 billion Indian rupees) and resulted in the company recording net unrealized gains on investments of $350.9 on
its investment in Digit compulsory convertible preferred shares.

During 2019 the company sold its 9.9% equity interest in ICICI Lombard for gross proceeds of $729.0 and recognized
a net gain on investment of $240.0 (realized gains of $311.2, of which $71.2 was recorded as unrealized gains in prior
years), primarily related to the removal of the discount for lack of marketability previously applied by the company
to the traded market price of its ICICI Lombard common stock.

Pursuant to the sale of the company’s 97.7% interest in First Capital Insurance Limited (‘‘First Capital’’) to Mitsui
Sumitomo Insurance Company Limited of Tokyo, Japan (‘‘Mitsui Sumitomo’’) on December 28, 2017, the company
agreed to guarantee the sufficiency of First Capital’s loss reserves as at the sale date and will receive (return) sale
consideration equal to any favourable (adverse) development on these loss reserves as of December 31, 2023. During
2019 pursuant to an acturial report independent of both Fairfax and Mitsui Sumitomo the company estimated it will
receive additional sale consideration of $33.9 as a result of favourable loss reserve development, which was recorded
as net gains on investment in the consolidated statement of earnings. On July 1, 2018 Falcon entered into a 25%
quota share reinsurance agreement to participate in the net underwriting result of First Capital’s insurance portfolio.

Fairfax  Asia  reported  an  underwriting  profit  of  $6.4  and  a  combined  ratio  of  97.0%  in  2019  compared  to  an
underwriting profit of $0.4 and a combined ratio of 99.8% in 2018. The companies comprising Fairfax Asia produced
combined ratios as set out in the following table:

Falcon
Pacific Insurance
AMAG Insurance
Fairfirst Insurance

153

2018

2019
96.0% 99.4%
97.8% 103.7%
94.7% 89.2%
98.5% 98.8%

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

Fairfax  Asia’s  underwriting  profit  in  2019  included  net  favourable  prior  year  reserve  development  of  $28.3
(13.2  combined  ratio  points),  primarily  related  to  automobile,  marine  and  workers’  compensation  loss  reserves.
Fairfax  Asia’s  underwriting  profit  in  2018  included  the  benefit  of  $24.4  (12.9  combined  ratio  points)  of  net
favourable prior year reserve development, primarily related to commercial automobile, workers’ compensation and
marine loss reserves.

Gross premiums written increased by 13.7% in 2019, principally reflecting increased business volume by Falcon on
its  25%  quota  share  reinsurance  agreement  with  First  Capital  ($47.4  increase  from  2018)  and  growth  by  AMAG
Insurance in property lines of business, partially offset by a decrease in gross premiums written at Pacific Insurance
(primarily automobile). Net premiums written increased by 20.5% in 2019 reflecting the factors that affected gross
premiums written and higher premium retention at Falcon, partially offset by lower premium retention at AMAG
Insurance. Net premiums earned increased by 13.6% in 2019 reflecting the growth in net premiums written.

The  commission  expense  ratio  increased  to  13.5%  in  2019  from  10.5%  in  2018,  primarily  reflecting  higher
commission expense in automobile and marine lines of business, partially offset by reduced commissions in the
engineering line of business.

The underwriting expense ratio decreased to 26.4% in 2019 from 29.4% in 2018, primarily reflecting increased net
premiums earned relative to modest increases in underwriting expenses.

Interest and dividends decreased to $17.7 in 2019 from $21.1 in 2018, primarily reflecting increased investment
expenses, partially offset by higher interest income earned on increased holdings of cash and cash equivalents and
dividend income on common stocks.

Share of loss of associates of $0.1 in 2019 primarily reflected share of loss of Digit, partially offset by share of profit of
BIC Insurance and share of a spin-off distribution gain at IIFL Holdings. Share of loss of associates of $5.1 in 2018
primarily reflected the share of loss of Digit.

During  2019  Fairfax  Asia  received  capital  contributions  of  $48.1  (2018 – $55.9)  from  the  company  primarily  to
support the capital requirements of Digit.

Insurance and Reinsurance – Other

2019

Fairfax
Latin
America

Fairfax
Central
and
Eastern
Europe

Inter-
company

(37.9)

15.9

62.1%
10.3%
40.5%

53.3%
22.2%
23.8%

112.9%
(0.2)%

99.3%
(4.4)%

112.7%

94.9%

–

–
–
–

–
–

–

Total

(17.9)

64.8%
17.9%
24.0%

106.7%
(5.0)%

101.7%

797.6

378.3

(0.4)

1,710.9

354.5

330.9

299.0

310.1

(37.9)
31.7
–

(6.2)

15.9
10.0
(1.3)

24.6

–

–

–
–
–

–

1,148.4

1,046.8

(17.9)
57.0
(13.7)

25.4

Group Re

Bryte
Insurance

Advent

Underwriting profit (loss)

Loss & LAE – accident year
Commissions
Underwriting expenses

7.0

83.5%
25.2%
3.5%

(2.9)

69.7%
17.0%
18.3%

Combined ratio – accident year

Net favourable development

112.2%
(16.5)%

105.0%
(3.9)%

Combined ratio – calendar year

95.7%

101.1%

Gross premiums written

Net premiums written

Net premiums earned

Underwriting profit (loss)
Interest and dividends
Share of loss of associates

Operating income (loss)

191.1

184.3

163.8

7.0
0.7
(12.4)

(4.7)

344.3

278.7

273.9

(2.9)
14.6
–

11.7

154

–

–
–
–

–
–

–

–

–

–

–
–
–

–

Group Re

Bryte
Insurance

Advent

2018

Fairfax
Latin
America

Fairfax
Central
and
Eastern
Europe

Inter-
company

Underwriting profit (loss)

Loss & LAE – accident year
Commissions
Underwriting expenses

9.7

83.4%
17.2%
2.2%

9.2

(26.1)

(45.7)

4.0

66.0%
14.0%
19.2%

64.4%
42.4%
33.3%

60.7%
6.9%
44.8%

Combined ratio – accident year

Net adverse (favourable) development

102.8%
(8.3)%

99.2% 140.1%
(2.5)% (16.4)%

112.4%
3.1%

51.4%
20.0%
24.9%

96.3%
1.7%

Combined ratio – calendar year

94.5%

96.7% 123.7%

115.5%

98.0%

Total

(48.9)

64.5%
16.7%
25.9%

107.1%
(2.5)%

104.6%

–

–
–
–

–
–

–

Gross premiums written

Net premiums written

Net premiums earned

Underwriting profit (loss)
Interest and dividends
Share of profit (loss) of associates

Operating income (loss)

167.3

163.9

178.9

9.7
(2.5)
13.9

21.1

353.4

247.4

758.8

268.9

(2.9)

1,792.9

276.6

88.2

378.8

216.7

277.1

110.0

295.7

203.9

9.2
17.5
–

26.7

(26.1)
7.4
3.5

(15.2)

(45.7)
22.5
–

(23.2)

4.0
1.8
(0.7)

5.1

–

–

–
–
–

–

1,124.2

1,065.6

(48.9)
46.7
16.7

14.5

Group Re primarily constitutes the participation of the company’s Barbados based reinsurance subsidiaries CRC Re,
Wentworth  and  Connemara  (established  in  2019)  in  the  reinsurance  of  Fairfax’s  subsidiaries  by  quota  share  or
through  participation  in  those  subsidiaries’  third  party  reinsurance  programs  on  the  same  terms  as  third  party
reinsurers. Group Re also writes third party business.

Bryte Insurance is an established property and casualty insurer in South Africa and Botswana.

Fairfax Latin America is comprised of Fairfax Brasil (established by the company in 2010) and Fairfax Latam, which
writes property and casualty insurance through its operating companies in Chile, Colombia, Argentina (all acquired
in 2017) and Uruguay (acquired January 31, 2018).

Fairfax Central and Eastern Europe (‘‘Fairfax CEE’’) is comprised of Colonnade Insurance, Polish Re (acquired in
2009)  and  Fairfax  Ukraine  (established  in  2019).  Colonnade  Insurance  writes  general  insurance  through  its
Ukrainian  insurance  company  (acquired  in  2015)  and  through  its  branches  in  the  Czech  Republic,  Hungary,
Slovakia,  Bulgaria,  Poland  and  Romania  (all  acquired  in  2016  and  2017).  Fairfax  Ukraine,  comprised  of  ARX
Insurance and Universalna (both acquired in 2019), primarily writes property and casualty insurance in Ukraine.

Year ended December 31, 2019

On November 5, 2019 the company transferred its investment in ARX Insurance (described below) into Limited
Liability Company FFH Ukraine Holdings (‘‘Fairfax Ukraine’’), a newly formed subsidiary. On November 6, 2019
Fairfax  Ukraine  completed  the  acquisition  of  Private  Joint  Stock  Company  Insurance  Company  Universalna
(‘‘Universalna’’), a property and casualty insurance company in Ukraine. Purchase consideration for Universalna was
comprised of cash of $4.6 and the transfer of a 30.0% equity interest in Fairfax Ukraine to the European Bank for
Reconstruction and Development.

On  February  14,  2019  the  company  completed  the  acquisition  of  the  insurance  operations  of  AXA  in  Ukraine
(subsequently  renamed  ARX  Insurance  Company  (‘‘ARX  Insurance’’))  for  purchase  consideration  of  $17.4.  ARX
Insurance contributed an underwriting profit of $3.1 in 2019.

155

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

Effective  January  1,  2019  Advent  was  reported  in  the  Run-off  reporting  segment.  The  decision  to  place  Advent
Syndicate  780  into  run-off  reflected  the  considerable  strategic  challenges  it  faced  as  it  endeavored  to  build  a
significant presence in its target areas of business in an extremely competitive market place. Prior to January 1, 2019,
certain ongoing classes of Advent’s business were transferred to Brit (casualty, direct and faculty property binder and
terrorism classes), Allied World (consumer products classes) and Odyssey Group’s Newline (pet health class). The
capital supporting Advent Syndicate 780 and Run-off Syndicate 3500 was made interavailable from January 1, 2019
and almost all of Advent’s employees were retained within Fairfax.

Year ended December 31, 2018

Effective December 31, 2018 Group Re entered into an agreement to provide a third-party insurer with excess of loss
reinsurance protection for a portfolio comprised of a diverse mix of direct primary and excess classes of business
written across a range of geographies related to accident years 2018 and prior (the ‘‘third party adverse development
cover’’).  The  impact  of  the  third  party  adverse  development  cover  on  Group  Re  in  2018  was  to  increase  gross
premiums written, net premiums written and net premiums earned by $39.1 and to increase losses on claims, net
by $39.1.

The Insurance and Reinsurance – Other segment produced an underwriting loss of $17.9 and a combined ratio of
101.7% in 2019 compared to an underwriting loss of $48.9 and a combined ratio of 104.6% in 2018. The decrease in
underwriting loss in 2019 principally reflected higher net favourable prior year reserve development, partially offset
by higher current period catastrophe losses (as set out in the table below).

Chilean riots
Typhoon Hagibis
Typhoon Faxai
Hurricane Dorian
Hurricane Florence
California wildfires(2)
Hurricane Michael
Other

2019

2018

Catastrophe
losses(1)
19.2
2.5
1.7
0.3
–
–
–
8.2

Combined
ratio impact
1.8
0.2
0.2
–
–
–
–
0.9

Catastrophe
losses(1)
–
–
–
–
7.1
6.2
2.9
4.7

Combined
ratio impact
–
–
–
–
0.7
0.6
0.3
0.4

31.9

3.1 points

20.9

2.0 points

(1) Net of reinstatement premiums.

(2) California wildfires included the Woolsey and Camp wildfires. 

The underwriting result in 2019 included net favourable prior year reserve development of $52.0 (5.0 combined ratio
points), principally reflecting net favourable prior year reserve development at Group Re, Fairfax CEE (primarily at
Colonnade Insurance relating principally to commercial property and casualty lines of business) and Bryte Insurance
(primarily  related  to  property  and  automobile  lines  of  business).  The  underwriting  results  in  2018  included  net
favourable prior year reserve development of $27.1 (2.5 combined ratio points), principally reflecting net favourable
prior year reserve development at Advent, Group Re and Bryte Insurance, partially offset by net adverse prior year
reserve development at Fairfax Latam (primarily related to long tail casualty lines of business in Argentina due to the
macro  economic  conditions)  and  Polish  Re  (primarily  related  to  automobile  third  party  liability  and  property
loss lines of business).

156

Excluding the year-over-year impacts of the companies acquired during 2019 (comprised of the acquisitions of ARX
Insurance and Universalna) and Advent’s premiums in 2018, normalized gross premiums written, net premiums
written and net premiums earned in 2019 and 2018 were as set out in the following table:

2019

2018

Gross

Net
premiums premiums premiums premiums premiums premiums
earned

written

written

written

written

earned

Gross

Net

Net

Net

Insurance and Reinsurance – Other – as reported
ARX Insurance
Universalna
Advent

1,710.9
(88.0)
(6.4)
–

1,148.4
(83.6)
(5.5)
–

1,046.8
(78.2)
(4.5)
–

1,792.9
–
–
(247.4)

1,124.2
–
–
(88.2)

1,065.6
–
–
(110.0)

Insurance and Reinsurance – Other – as adjusted

1,616.5

1,059.3

964.1

1,545.5

1,036.0

955.6

Percentage change (year-over-year)

4.6%

2.2%

0.9%

Gross  premiums  written  increased  by  4.6%  in  2019,  principally  reflecting  increases  at  Fairfax  Latin  America
(reflecting increased premiums written, partially offset by the unfavourable impact of foreign currency translation)
and  Group  Re,  partially  offset  by  a  decrease  at  Bryte  Insurance  (reflecting  the  unfavourable  impact  of  foreign
currency translation, partially offset by increased premiums written). Net premiums written increased by 2.2% in
2019,  primarily  reflecting  the  factors  that  affected  gross  premiums  written,  partially  offset  by  lower  premium
retention at Fairfax Latam. Net premiums earned increased by 0.9% in 2019, consistent with the factors that affected
net premiums written.

The  underwriting  expense  ratio  decreased  to  24.0%  in  2019  from  25.9%  in  2018,  principally  reflecting
improvements at Fairfax Latin America (primarily at Fairfax Latam related to cost efficiencies across the region), Bryte
Insurance and Fairfax CEE (primarily related to increased net premiums earned by Colonnade Insurance), and the
impact of the transfer of Advent to Run-off.

Interest and dividends increased to $57.0 in 2019 from $46.7 in 2018 primarily reflecting higher interest income
earned on bonds and cash and cash equivalents and lower investment management expenses, partially offset by the
transfer of Advent and its investment portfolio to Run-off.

Share  of  loss  of  associates  of  $13.7  in  2019  primarily  reflected  share  of  losses  of  Farmers  Edge  and  APR  Energy,
partially offset by share of a significant gain at Seaspan. Share of profit of associates of $16.7 in 2018 principally
reflected share of profits of Seaspan (acquired on February 14, 2018) and Resolute.

Run-off

The Run-off reporting segment was formed with the acquisition of the company’s interest in The Resolution Group
(‘‘TRG’’) on August 11, 1999, and currently consists of two wholly-owned groups: the U.S. Run-off group, principally
consisting of TIG Insurance Company, and the European Run-off group, principally consisting of RiverStone (UK),
Syndicate 3500 at Lloyd’s, TIG Insurance (Barbados) Limited, formed to facilitate certain reinsurance transactions,
and Advent (effective January 1, 2019). The Run-off reporting segment also includes Resolution Group Reinsurance
(Barbados) Limited. Both groups are managed by the dedicated RiverStone Run-off management operation which
has 586 employees in the U.S. and the U.K.

Subsequent to December 31, 2019

On  December 20,  2019  the  company  entered  into  an  agreement  to  contribute  European  Run-off  to  RiverStone
Barbados Limited (‘‘RiverStone Barbados’’), a newly created entity to be jointly managed with OMERS, the pension
plan for municipal employees in the province of Ontario. Pursuant to the agreement, OMERS will subscribe for a
40.0% equity interest in RiverStone Barbados for cash consideration of approximately $597. At the closing date the
company will deconsolidate European Run-off from the Run-off reporting segment and apply the equity method of
accounting  to  its  joint  venture  interest  in  RiverStone  Barbados.  The  company  will  have  the  option  to  purchase
OMERS’  interest  in  RiverStone  Barbados  at  certain  dates  commencing  in  2023.  The  transaction  is  subject  to
regulatory approval and is expected to close in the first half of 2020.

Effective January 31, 2020 a portfolio of business predominantly comprised of U.S. asbestos, pollution and other
hazards (‘‘APH’’) exposures relating to accident years 2001 and prior was transferred to RiverStone (UK) through a

157

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

Part  VII  transfer  under  the  Financial  Services  and  Markets  Act  2000,  as  amended.  Pursuant  to  this  transaction
RiverStone (UK) assumed net insurance contract liabilities of $134.2 for cash consideration of $143.4.

Effective  January  1,  2020  Run-off  Syndicate  3500  reinsured  a  portfolio  of  business  predominantly  comprised  of
property,  liability  and  marine  exposures  relating  to  accident  years  2019  and  prior.  Pursuant  to  this  transaction
Run-off Syndicate 3500 assumed net insurance contract liabilities of $154.6 for consideration of $155.6.

Year ended December 31, 2019

Effective April 1, 2019 Run-off ceded to Brit, for initial consideration of $17.6, a portfolio of business written by
Advent Syndicate 780 related to accident years 2018 and prior, comprised of property direct and facultative, property
binders and terrorism policies (the ‘‘second quarter 2019 Brit reinsurance transaction’’).

Effective  January  1,  2019  Run-off  Syndicate  3500  reinsured  a  portfolio  of  business  predominantly  comprised  of
casualty (principally employers’ liability and public liability), professional indemnity, property, marine and aviation
exposures relating to accident years 2018 and prior (the ‘‘first quarter 2019 reinsurance transaction’’). Pursuant to
this  transaction  Run-off  Syndicate  3500  assumed  $556.8  of  net  insurance  contract  liabilities  for  consideration
of $561.5.

Effective  January  1,  2019  Advent  was  reported  in  the  Run-off  reporting  segment.  Refer  to  the  Insurance  and
Reinsurance – Other section of this MD&A for details.

Year ended December 31, 2018

Effective  October  1,  2018  a  portfolio  of  business  comprised  of  direct  UK  employers’  liability  and  public  liability
policies written by a UK insurer relating to accident years 2001 and prior was transferred to RiverStone (UK) through
a Part VII transfer under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, as amended. Also effective October 1, 2018
certain latent claims related to policies issued by the same UK insurer relating to accident years 2002 through 2014
were reinsured by RiverStone (UK). The combination of these two transactions (collectively the ‘‘RiverStone (UK)
acquisition  transactions’’)  resulted  in  RiverStone  (UK)  assuming  $566.8  of  net  insurance  contract  liabilities  in
exchange  for  cash  consideration  of  $670.5.  Run-off  results  in  2018  reflected  the  RiverStone  (UK)  acquisition
transactions  as  follows:  net  premiums  earned  and  losses  on  claims  of  $37.5  were  recorded  for  the  reinsurance
component of this transaction; the difference between the cash consideration of $633.0 received for the Part VII
transfer  and  the  net  insurance  contract  liabilities  assumed  of  $529.3  decreased  losses  on  claims  by  $103.7;  and
operating expenses included a profit commission payable to the UK insurer of $18.8 for these transactions.

On July 11, 2018 Advent announced that certain classes of its business would be transferred to Brit, Allied World and
Odyssey Group’s Newline with the remainder of Advent Syndicate 780 placed into run-off. Effective October 1, 2018
Run-off reinsured on a 25% quota share basis Advent’s net insurance contract liabilities (including net provision for
unearned  premiums)  that  were  outstanding  on  October  1,  2018  (the  ‘‘Advent  reinsurance  transaction’’).  This
transaction resulted in Run-off assuming $78.7 of net insurance contract liabilities and $15.7 of net provision for
unearned premiums in exchange for cash consideration of $95.0. The 2018 Run-off results included gross premiums
written and net premiums written of $95.0, net premiums earned of $79.3, losses on claims of $78.7 and operating
expenses of $3.0 for this transaction, which is eliminated within Fairfax’s consolidated financial reporting.

Effective  November  30,  2018  Run-off  Syndicate  3500  reinsured  a  portfolio  of  business  written  by  Brit
Syndicate 2987 including non-U.S. professional indemnity, UK employer’s liability, UK public liability and a number
of  legacy  lines  of  business,  relating  to  accident  years  2018  and  prior  (the  ‘‘Brit  reinsurance  transaction’’).  This
transaction  resulted  in  Run-off  assuming  $170.4  of  net  insurance  contract  liabilities  in  exchange  for  cash
consideration of $174.4. The 2018 Run-off results included gross premiums written, net premiums written and net
premiums earned of $174.4 and losses on claims of $170.4 for this transaction, which is eliminated in the company’s
consolidated financial reporting.

Effective in December 2018 Run-off reinsured two separate third party run-off portfolios comprised of exposures to
APH related to accident years 1999 and prior (assumed by RiverStone UK) and Irish employer’s liability and public
liability exposures related to accident years 2018 and prior (assumed by Syndicate 3500) (collectively the ‘‘Other
2018 reinsurance transactions’’). These transactions resulted in Run-off assuming net insurance contract liabilities of
$102.6 in exchange for cash consideration of $113.5. The 2018 Run-off results included gross premiums written, net
premiums written and net premiums earned of $113.5, losses on claims of $102.6 and operating expenses of $1.4 (a
commission paid by Run-off to a third party) for these transactions.

158

Set out below is a summary of the operating results of Run-off for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018.

2019

2018

First quarter
2019 reinsurance
transaction(1)
561.5

561.5

561.5

(556.8)
–
–

–

4.7

Run-off(2)
48.1

Total
609.6

13.0

574.5

80.6

642.1

(187.9)
(161.6)
55.8

(744.7)
(161.6)
55.8

Fourth quarter
2018 reinsurance
transactions(3)
419.2

414.2

398.7

(285.5)
(23.2)
–

Run-off(4)
(0.3)

Total
418.9

(0.7)

413.5

5.9

404.6

(216.8)
(121.5)
43.7

(502.3)
(144.7)
43.7

(6.3)

(6.3)

–

0.8

0.8

(219.4)

(214.7)

90.0

(287.9)

(197.9)

Gross premiums written

Net premiums written

Net premiums earned

Losses on claims
Operating expenses
Interest and dividends
Share of profit (loss) of

associates

Operating profit (loss)

(1) The first quarter 2019 reinsurance transaction described in the preceding paragraphs.

(2) Run-off including the second quarter 2019 Brit reinsurance transaction and excluding the first quarter 2019 reinsurance

transaction described in the preceding paragraphs.

(3) Reinsurance  transactions  are  comprised  of  the  RiverStone  (UK)  acquisition  transactions,  the  Advent  reinsurance
transaction, the Brit reinsurance transaction and the Other 2018 reinsurance transactions (collectively the ‘‘fourth quarter
2018 reinsurance transactions’’) described in the preceding paragraphs.

(4) Run-off excluding the fourth quarter 2018 reinsurance transactions referenced in the preceding footnote.

References to 2019 and 2018 throughout the remainder of this section exclude the impact of the first quarter 2019
reinsurance transaction and the fourth quarter 2018 reinsurance transactions described above in order to normalize
results.

Run-off reported an operating loss of $219.4 in 2019 compared to an operating loss of $287.9 in 2018. Net premiums
earned of $80.6 in 2019 principally reflected the run-off of Advent’s unearned premium reserve ($104.3), partially
offset by net premiums ceded to Brit ($24.5) related to the second quarter 2019 Brit reinsurance transaction.

Losses on claims of $187.9 in 2019 principally reflected net adverse prior year reserve development at U.S. Run-off of
$216.4 and an increase in loss reserves associated with the run-off of Advent’s unearned premium reserve of $54.1,
partially offset by net favourable prior year reserve development at European Run-off of $65.9. Net adverse prior year
reserve  development  at  U.S.  Run-off  of  $216.4  principally  related  to  continued  deterioration  of  APH  exposures
($213.7) and strengthening of other loss reserves ($6.7), partially offset by net favourable emergence on workers’
compensation  loss  reserves  ($5.5).  Net  favourable  prior  year  reserve  development  at  European  Run-off  of  $65.9
principally related to improvement in RiverStone (UK)’s employers’ liability and public liability exposures ($49.4)
and improvement in Advent’s marine and property exposures ($9.5).

Losses on claims of $216.8 in 2018 principally reflected net adverse prior year reserve development at U.S. Run-off of
$197.1 and at European Run-off of $11.3. Net adverse prior year reserve development at U.S. Run-off was principally
comprised of $143.6 related to APH exposures assumed primarily from Crum & Forster and in the legacy portfolio of
Clearwater Insurance, strengthening of other loss reserves of $38.6 principally related to construction defect and
habitational risk exposures and strengthening of unallocated loss adjustments expenses of $31.7 principally at TIG
Insurance, partially offset by net favourable emergence of $16.8 on workers’ compensation loss reserves principally
at TIG Insurance. Net adverse prior year reserve development at European Run-off of $11.3 principally related to
reserve strengthening on one specific loss.

Operating expenses increased to $161.6 in 2019 from $121.5 in 2018, primarily as a result of commission expense of
$28.0 related to the run-off of Advent’s unearned premium reserve, increases in employee compensation expense
following  the  transfer  of  Advent’s  employees  to  European  Run-off  effective  January  1,  2019  and  provision  for
uncollectible recoverable from reinsurers as a result of disputed recoverables, partially offset by commission income
of $6.0 related to the second quarter 2019 Brit reinsurance transaction.

159

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

Interest and dividends increased to $55.8 in 2019 from $43.7 in 2018, primarily reflecting higher interest income
earned on increased holdings of high quality U.S. corporate bonds and short-term investments, partially offset by
lower interest income earned on reduced holdings of U.S. municipal bonds.

Share of loss of associates of $6.3 in 2019 primarily reflected share of losses of Thai Re and APR Energy, partially offset
by share of a significant gain at Seaspan and share of a spin-off distribution gain at IIFL Holdings. Share of profit of
associates  of  $0.8  in  2018  primarily  reflected  share  of  net  gains  on  sales  and  net  unrealized  appreciation  of
investment properties of the KWF LPs, and share of profit of Resolute, partially offset by a non-cash impairment
charge on Thai Re of $19.3.

During 2019 Fairfax made capital contributions to Run-off of $290.1, comprised of cash of $205.2 that was used to
augment  Run-off’s  capital  ($120.2)  and  support  the  first  quarter  2019  reinsurance  transaction  ($85.0),  and  the
contribution of the net assets of Advent that were placed into run-off of $84.9. During 2018 Fairfax augmented
Run-off’s capital with net capital contributions of $136.3, comprised of cash and marketable securities.

Run-off’s cash flows may be volatile as to timing and amount, with potential variability arising principally from the
requirement to pay gross claims initially while third party reinsurance is only subsequently collected in accordance
with its terms and from the delay, until some time after claims are paid, of the release of assets pledged to secure the
payment of those claims.

Non-insurance companies

Revenue
Expenses

Pre-tax income before interest expense and the

undernoted

Interest and dividends(5)
Share of profit (loss) of associates
Net gains on investments

Pre-tax income (loss) before interest expense

Revenue
Expenses

2019

Restaurants
and retail(1)
2,120.6
(2,049.5)

Fairfax
India(2)
410.7
(401.8)

Thomas Cook
India(3)
1,087.4
(1,081.3)

Other(4)
1,918.4
(1,909.0)

Total(6)
5,537.1
(5,441.6)

71.1
8.3
–
9.2

88.6

8.9
(74.5)
179.2
54.7

168.3

6.1
–
(182.8)
4.2

(172.5)

9.4
13.5
(41.6)
4.5

(14.2)

95.5
(52.7)
(45.2)
72.6

70.2

2018

Restaurants
and retail(1)

Fairfax
India(2)

Thomas Cook
India(3)

Other(4)

Total(6)

2,013.4
(1,890.7)

430.3
(403.3)

1,202.4
(1,184.1)

788.1
(698.0)

4,434.2
(4,176.1)

Pre-tax income before interest expense and the

undernoted

Interest and dividends(5)
Share of profit of associates
Net gains (losses) on investments

122.7
8.3
0.9
(7.9)

27.0
(11.0)
83.7
80.0

Pre-tax income before interest expense

124.0

179.7

18.3
–
8.8
841.0

868.1

90.1
15.5
16.0
(12.7)

258.1
12.8
109.4
900.4

108.9

1,280.7

(1) Comprised primarily of Recipe and its subsidiaries The Keg, Pickle Barrel, St-Hubert and Original Joe’s, Toys ‘‘R’’ Us
Canada (acquired on May 31, 2018), Praktiker, Golf Town, Sporting Life, Kitchen Stuff Plus and William Ashley.

(2) Comprised of Fairfax India and its subsidiaries NCML, Fairchem and Saurashtra Freight. These results differ from those
published by Fairfax India primarily due to Fairfax India’s application of investment entity accounting under IFRS.

(3) Comprised of Thomas Cook India and its subsidiaries Quess (until its deconsolidation on March 1, 2018) and Sterling
Resorts. These results differ from those published by Thomas Cook India primarily due to differences between IFRS and Ind
AS, and acquisition accounting adjustments. 

160

(4) Comprised primarily of AGT (consolidated on April 17, 2019), Dexterra (acquired on March 7, 2018), Grivalia Properties
(deconsolidated  on  May  17,  2019),  Mosaic  Capital,  Pethealth,  Boat  Rocker,  Fairfax  Africa  and  its  subsidiary  CIG
(consolidated on January 4, 2019), and Rouge Media.

(5)

Interest and dividends of Fairfax India are net of investment management and administration fees paid to Fairfax of
$27.5 in 2019 and $33.9 in 2018. In 2019 interest and dividends of Fairfax India are also net of a performance fee
accrual of $47.8, pursuant to the company’s investment advisory agreement with Fairfax India as described in note 28
(Related Party Transactions) to the consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2019.

(6) Amounts as presented in note 25 (Segmented Information) to the consolidated financial statements for the year ended

December 31, 2019.

Restaurants and retail

Year ended December 31, 2019

In  2019  the  company’s  ownership  interest  in  Recipe  increased  to  47.9%  from  43.7%  at  December  31,  2018,
principally  related  to  Recipe’s  purchase  of  its  common  shares  for  cancellation  and  the  company’s  purchase  of
multiple voting shares from Recipe’s non-controlling interests. These transactions reduced Recipe’s non-controlling
interests by $85.3 and $20.2 respectively and resulted in a dilution loss recorded by the company of $15.5, which
were included in Other net changes in capitalization in the consolidated statement of changes in equity for the year
ended December 31, 2019.

Year ended December 31, 2018

On August 31, 2018 the company, together with the respective non-controlling interests, contributed 100% of the
ownership interests in Sporting Life and Golf Town to a new holding company. Subsequent to the reorganization, the
company held a controlling 65.1% ownership interest in each of Sporting Life and Golf Town through the new
holding company.

On May 31, 2018 the company acquired a 100% equity interest in Toys ‘‘R’’ Us (Canada) Ltd. (‘‘Toys ‘‘R’’ Us Canada’’)
from  Toys  ‘‘R’’  Us – Delaware,  Inc.  for  cash  consideration  of  $41.1  (Cdn$53.3)  and  an  additional  investment  of
$193.7 (Cdn$251.3) that Toys ‘‘R’’ Us Canada used to repay its debtor in possession financing loan. Toys ‘‘R’’ Us
Canada is a specialty retailer of toys and baby products with 82 stores across Canada.

On  February  22,  2018  the  company  completed  the  sale  of  its  51.0%  ownership  interest  in  The  Keg  to  Recipe
Unlimited  Corporation  (‘‘Recipe’’;  formerly  Cara  Operations  Limited)  for  consideration  of  $74.6  (Cdn$94.7),
comprised of cash of $7.9 (Cdn$10.0) and 3,400,000 Recipe subordinate voting shares. The other shareholders of The
Keg sold their 49.0% ownership interest to Recipe for $82.7 (Cdn$105.0), comprised of cash of $74.8 (Cdn$95.0) and
401,284  Recipe  subordinate  voting  shares.  The  transaction  increased  the  company’s  equity  interest  in  Recipe  to
43.2% from 40.2% at December 31, 2017. During 2019 Recipe estimated that it may be required to pay an additional
$15.4 (Cdn$20.0) of cash consideration to the other former shareholders of The Keg pursuant to the achievement of
certain financial objectives within the first three years subsequent to closing.

Operating Results

The increase in the revenue and expenses of Restaurants and retail in 2019 primarily reflected a full year of results
from the consolidation of Toys ‘‘R’’ Us Canada on May 31, 2018, with Toys ‘‘R’’ Us Canada experiencing decreased
business volumes in the second half of 2019 over the comparable period in 2018.

Fairfax India

Year ended December 31, 2019

On  December  21,  2019  Fairfax  India’s  holdings  of  Sanmar  Chemicals  Group  (‘‘Sanmar’’)  bonds  with  a  principal
amount of $300.0 were settled for net cash proceeds of $425.5 (30.3 billion Indian rupees) including accrued interest,
resulting in the company recording a net gain on investment of $48.8 (realized gains of $156.5, of which $107.7 was
recorded as unrealized gains in prior years). Fairfax India reinvested $198.0 (14.1 billion Indian rupees) of the net
cash proceeds to increase its equity interest in Sanmar from 30.0% to 42.9%. Sanmar is one of the largest suspension
PVC manufacturers in India.

161

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

On December 16, 2019 Fairfax India entered into an agreement to sell an approximate 12% equity interest on a fully-
diluted basis of its wholly-owned subsidiary Anchorage Infrastructure Investments Holdings Limited (‘‘Anchorage’’)
for gross proceeds of approximately $133 (9.5 billion Indian rupees). Fairfax India formed Anchorage in 2019 to act
as its primary holding company for investments in the airport sector of India. Pursuant to the agreement Fairfax
India  will  transfer  approximately  44%  of  its  54.0%  equity  interest  in  Bangalore  International  Airport  Limited
(‘‘Bangalore Airport’’) to Anchorage. Closing of the transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including
various third-party consents, and is expected to be completed in the first half of 2020.

On  May  31,  2019  IIFL  Holdings  Limited  (‘‘IIFL  Holdings’’)  spun  off  its  wholly-owned  subsidiary  IIFL  Securities
Limited (‘‘IIFL Securities’’, comprised of investment brokerage, distribution and investment banking businesses) and
its 53.3% equity interest in its subsidiary IIFL Wealth Management Limited (‘‘IIFL Wealth’’, comprised of wealth and
asset management businesses) in a non-cash transaction. IIFL Holdings was renamed IIFL Finance Limited (‘‘IIFL
Finance’’,  comprised  of  loans  and  mortgages  businesses)  and  continues  to  be  publicly  listed.  The  shares  of  IIFL
Wealth  and  IIFL  Securities  were  listed  on  the  Bombay  Stock  Exchange  and  National  Stock  Exchange  of  India  in
September 2019.

During 2019 Fairfax India acquired a 48.5% equity interest in Seven Islands Shipping Limited (‘‘Seven Islands’’) for
$83.8 (5.8 billion Indian rupees). Seven Islands is a private shipping company headquartered in Mumbai, India that
transports liquid cargo along the Indian coast and in international waters.

During 2019 Fairfax India increased its equity interest in CSB Bank Limited (‘‘CSB Bank’’, formerly The Catholic
Syrian Bank Limited) to 49.7% for cash consideration of $81.0 (5.6 billion Indian rupees). CSB Bank, established in
1920, is headquartered in Thrissur, India, offering banking services through branches and automated teller machines
across India. In December 2019 CSB Bank became publicly listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and National Stock
Exchange of India.

Year ended December 31, 2018

On October 19, 2018 Fairfax India invested $88.5 (6.5 billion Indian rupees) in CSB Bank and received common
shares and warrants representing a 36.4% effective equity interest.

On May 16, 2018 Fairfax India increased its equity interest in Bangalore Airport to 54.0% by acquiring an additional
6.0% for cash consideration of $67.4 (4.6 billion Indian rupees). The company continues to apply the equity method
of accounting to its investment in Bangalore Airport because of extensive Indian government regulation of, and
participation in, Bangalore Airport’s relevant activities. Bangalore Airport operates the Kempegowda International
Airport in Bengaluru, India through a public-private partnership.

Pursuant to the company’s investment advisory agreement with Fairfax India, on March 9, 2018 Fairfax received a
performance fee of $114.4 for the period January 30, 2015 to December 31, 2017 in the form of 7,663,685 newly
issued Fairfax India subordinate voting shares, which increased the company’s equity interest in Fairfax India to
33.6% from 30.2% at December 31, 2017.

Operating Results

The decrease in the revenue and expenses of Fairfax India in 2019 primarily reflected decreased business volume at
NCML, partially offset by growth in business volume at Fairchem.

Interest and dividends expense of $74.5 in 2019 (2018 – $11.0) included an accrual of a performance fee payable to
Fairfax  by  Fairfax  India  of  $47.8  (2018 – nil),  pursuant  to  the  investment  advisory  agreement  with  Fairfax  India
whereby the company may receive a performance fee if the increase in Fairfax India’s book value per share exceeds a
specified threshold over the period from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2020. Settlement of the performance fee is
expected to be in the first quarter of 2021 by way of Fairfax India subordinate voting shares. The performance fee
accrual represented an intercompany transaction that was eliminated on consolidation. Interest and dividends of
Fairfax India are also net of investment management and administration fees paid to Fairfax of $27.5 in 2019 (2018 –
$33.9). Excluding the impact of the performance fee and investment and administration fees, interest and dividend
income was $0.8 in 2019 compared to $22.9 in 2018, with the decrease principally reflecting the sale of Government
of India and Indian corporate bonds to fund Fairfax India’s investments in Seven Islands and CSB Bank.

162

Share of profit of associates of $179.2 in 2019 primarily reflected share of a spin-off distribution gain of IIFL Holdings
and share of profit of Bangalore Airport. Share of profit of associates of $83.7 in 2018 principally reflected share of
profits of Bangalore Airport and IIFL Holdings.

Net gains on investments of $54.7 in 2019 decreased from $80.0 in 2018, primarily reflecting lower net gains on
Indian corporate bonds (principally related to the Sanmar bonds) and net losses on equity derivatives, partially offset
by lower foreign exchange losses on U.S. dollar borrowings and higher net gains on common stocks.

Thomas Cook India

Year ended December 31, 2019

On December 9, 2019 Thomas Cook India completed a non-cash spin-off of its 48.6% equity interest in Quess Corp
Limited (‘‘Quess’’) as a return of capital to its shareholders. This resulted in the company receiving a 31.8% direct
equity interest in Quess as a transfer between companies under common control, with the company’s carrying value
of Quess remaining unchanged. Prior to the spin-off Thomas Cook India recorded the Quess shares to be transferred
to its minority shareholders at fair value and recognized a non-cash impairment loss of $190.6, which is included in
share  of  profit  of  associates  in  the  consolidated  statement  of  earnings  and  fully  attributed  to  non-controlling
interests.

On March 28, 2019 Thomas Cook India acquired a 51.0% equity interest in DEI Holdings Limited (‘‘DEI’’) for $20.4
(1.4  billion  Indian  rupees).  DEI  is  an  imaging  solutions  and  services  provider  for  the  attractions  industry
headquartered in Dubai with over 250 locations worldwide.

Year ended December 31, 2018

On March 1, 2018 Thomas Cook India entered into a strategic joint venture agreement with the founder of Quess
Corp  Limited  (‘‘Quess’’)  that  resulted  in  Quess  becoming  a  joint  venture  of  Thomas  Cook  India  whereas  it  was
previously a consolidated subsidiary. Accordingly, the company remeasured the carrying value of Quess to its fair
value of $1,109.5, recognized a non-cash gain of $889.9 and commenced applying the equity method of accounting.

Upon adoption of IFRS 15 Revenue from Contracts with Customers on January 1, 2018, Thomas Cook India determined
that it should report in other revenue the gross receipts from certain of its travel related businesses, and the associated
cost of sales in other expenses. This change in revenue recognition increased Thomas Cook India’s reported revenue
and cost of sales by $770.1 for the year ended December 31, 2018, with no impact on net earnings. Prior to the
adoption  of  IFRS  15,  Thomas  Cook  India  only  reported  the  net  commissions  earned  on  this  business  as  other
revenue.  For  further  details  see  note  3  (Summary  of  Significant  Accounting  Policies,  under  the  heading  ‘‘New
accounting pronouncements adopted in 2018’’) in the company’s consolidated financial statements for the year
ended December 31, 2018.

Operating Results

The decrease in the revenue and expenses of Thomas Cook India in 2019 primarily reflected the deconsolidation of
Quess on March 1, 2018, partially offset by growth in business volume.

Share of loss of associates of $182.8 in 2019 included a non-cash impairment loss of $190.6 recognized by Thomas
Cook  India  on  the  Quess  shares  that  were  transferred  to  the  minority  shareholders  (fully  attributed  to
non-controlling interests). Share of profit of associates of $8.8 in 2018 principally related to share of profit of Quess.

Net gains on investments of $841.0 in 2018 included the non-cash gain of $889.9 recognized on deconsolidation
of Quess.

Other

Year ended December 31, 2019

On May 17, 2019 Grivalia Properties REIC (‘‘Grivalia Properties’’) merged into Eurobank Ergasias S.A. (‘‘Eurobank’’),
as a result of which shareholders of Grivalia Properties, including the company, received 15.8 newly issued Eurobank
shares  in  exchange  for  each  share  of  Grivalia  Properties.  Accordingly,  the  company  deconsolidated  Grivalia
Properties from the Non-insurance companies reporting segment, recognized a non-cash gain of $171.3 and reduced
non-controlling interests by $466.2. In connection with the merger, Grivalia Properties had paid a pre-merger capital

163

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

dividend of A0.42 per share on February 5, 2019. The company owned approximately 53% of Grivalia Properties and
18% of Eurobank prior to the merger, and owned 32.4% of Eurobank upon completion of the merger. The company
continues to account for its investment in Eurobank as a common stock at FVTPL due to regulatory restrictions on
the company’s ability to affect the relevant activities of Eurobank. Eurobank is a financial services provider in Greece
and is listed on the Athens Stock Exchange.

On April 17, 2019 AGT Food & Ingredients Inc. (‘‘AGT’’) completed a management-led privatization for Cdn$18.00
per  common  share.  The  buying  group,  comprised  of  the  company,  AGT  management  and  other  co-investors,
acquired through a newly formed subsidiary of the company (‘‘Purchase Co.’’) all AGT common shares not already
owned by the buying group for cash consideration of $226.5 (Cdn$301.8), resulting in the company acquiring a
69.9% controlling equity interest in AGT upon closing and effectively settling the company’s pre-existing interests in
AGT’s preferred shares and warrants at fair value. Contemporaneously with the acquisition of AGT, Purchase Co.
acquired the company’s preferred shares and the remaining common shares of AGT held by the buying group in
exchange for its own common shares which diluted the company’s interest in AGT to 59.6%, with AGT management
and  other  co-investors  owning  the  remainder.  Purchase  Co.  and  AGT  subsequently  amalgamated  and  the
amalgamated entity was renamed AGT. The company holds warrants that, if exercised, would increase its equity
interest  in  AGT  to  approximately  80%.  The  preferred  shares  were  subsequently  canceled  and  the  warrants  are
eliminated on consolidation of AGT. AGT is a supplier of pulses, staple foods and food ingredients.

On January 4, 2019 Fairfax Africa acquired an additional 41.2% equity interest in Consolidated Infrastructure Group
(‘‘CIG’’) for $44.9 (628.3 million South African rand) which increased its total equity interest in CIG to 49.1%. Fairfax
Africa has de facto control of CIG as its largest shareholder, and as an owner of currently exercisable CIG convertible
debentures that would provide majority voting control if converted. CIG is a pan-African engineering infrastructure
company listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange.

Year ended December 31, 2018

On June 18, 2018 Fairfax Africa completed a bought deal secondary public offering of 12,300,000 subordinate voting
shares at a price of $12.25 per share, resulting in net proceeds of $148.3 after commission and expenses, to provide
financing  for  the  acquisition  of  additional  African  Investments.  The  company  acquired  4,100,000  subordinate
voting shares for $50.2 through the public offering, and an additional 645,421 subordinate voting shares for $7.6
through open market purchases.

On March 7, 2018 the company acquired the services business carried on in Canada by Carillion Canada Inc. and
certain  affiliates  thereof  relating  to  facilities  management  of  airports,  commercial  and  retail  properties,  defense
facilities,  select  healthcare  facilities  and  on  behalf  of  oil,  gas  and  mining  clients.  The  acquired  business  was
subsequently renamed Dexterra Integrated Facilities Management (‘‘Dexterra’’). Dexterra is an infrastructure services
company that provides asset management and operations solutions to industries and governments.

Operating Results

The increase in the revenue and expenses of Other in 2019 primarily reflected the consolidation of AGT (on April 17,
2019) and CIG (on January 4, 2019), the inclusion of the full year revenue and expenses of Dexterra and growth in
business volume at Boat Rocker (principally as a result of business acquisitions in 2019 and 2018) and Mosaic Capital,
partially offset by the deconsolidation of Grivalia Properties (on May 17, 2019).

Share of loss of associates of $41.6 in 2019 primarily reflected Fairfax Africa’s share of loss of Atlas Mara, partially
offset by its share of profit of AFGRI. Share of profit of associates of $16.0 in 2018 primarily reflected Fairfax Africa’s
share of profit of Atlas Mara, partially offset by its share of loss of AFGRI.

The increase in net gains on investments of $4.5 in 2019 compared to net losses on investments of $12.7 in 2018,
primarily reflected net gains on corporate bonds and convertible debentures at Fairfax Africa.

Interest and Dividends

An analysis of interest and dividends is presented in the Investments section of this MD&A.

Share of Profit of Associates

An analysis of share of profit of associates is presented in the Investments section of this MD&A.

164

Net Gains on Investments

An analysis of consolidated net gains on investments is provided in the Investments section of this MD&A.

Interest Expense

Consolidated interest expense of $472.0 in 2019 (2018 – $347.1) was comprised as follows:

Interest expense on borrowings:

Holding company
Insurance and reinsurance companies
Non-insurance companies(1)

Interest expense on lease liabilities:(2)

Holding company and insurance and reinsurance companies
Non-insurance companies

2019

2018

211.8
56.6
135.8

197.4
55.6
94.1

404.2

347.1

19.7
48.1

67.8

–
–

–

Interest expense as presented in the consolidated statement of earnings

472.0

347.1

(1) Borrowings and related interest expense are non-recourse to the holding company.

(2) Represents  accretion  of  lease  liabilities  using  the  effective  interest  method  subsequent  to  the  adoption  of  IFRS  16  on
January 1, 2019. See note 3 (Significant Accounting Policies) to the consolidated financial statements for the year ended
December 31, 2019 for details.

The increase in interest expense on borrowings incurred at the holding company in 2019 principally reflected the
issuance on June 14, 2019 of Cdn$500.0 principal amount of 4.23% senior notes due 2029, the issuance on April 17,
2018 of $600.0 principal amount of 4.85% senior notes due 2028 and the issuances of A750.0 principal amount of
2.75%  unsecured  senior  notes  due  2028  on  March  29,  2018  (A600.0)  and  May  18,  2018  (A150.0),  and  higher
borrowings on the holding company credit facility year-over-year, partially offset by the redemption on June 15,
2018 of $500.0 principal amount of 5.80% senior notes due 2021, the redemption on April 30, 2018 of Cdn$267.3
principal amount of 7.25% senior notes due 2020, the repayment on April 15, 2018 of $144.2 principal amount of
7.375%  senior  notes  on  maturity,  and  the  redemption  on  July  15,  2019  of  the  remaining  Cdn$395.6  principal
amount of 6.40% senior notes due 2021.

The modest increase in interest expense on borrowings incurred at the insurance and reinsurance companies in 2019
principally reflected increased borrowing by Brit on its revolving credit facility, partially offset by the repurchase and
redemption during 2018 of Allied World’s $300.0 principal amount of 5.50% senior notes due 2020.

The  increase  in  interest  expense  on  borrowings  incurred  at  the  Non-insurance  companies  in  2019  principally
reflected the consolidation of AGT (on April 17, 2019) and CIG (on January 4, 2019), increased borrowings at Fairfax
India (primarily related to the replacement in 2018 of its $400.0 term loan due July 2018 with a $550.0 term loan)
and increased borrowings at Boat Rocker (primarily to support its acquisitions in 2019 and 2018), partially offset by
the deconsolidation of Grivalia Properties (on May 17, 2019) and Quess (on March 1, 2018), and the repayment by
Fairfax Africa on its revolving credit facility.

For details of the company’s borrowings refer to note 15 (Borrowings) to the consolidated financial statements for the
year ended December 31, 2019.

165

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

Corporate and Other

Corporate and other primarily consists of the expenses of all of the group holding companies (corporate overhead),
net of investment management and administration fees earned by the holding company, interest and dividends
earned on holding company cash and investments and holding company share of profit of associates.

Fairfax corporate overhead
Subsidiary holding companies’ corporate overhead
Subsidiary holding companies’ non-cash intangible asset amortization(1)

Corporate overhead(2)
Holding company interest and dividends
Holding company share of profit of associates
Investment management and administration fees and other(3)
Loss on repurchase of long term debt

2019
147.5
27.9
96.4

271.8
(32.9)
(165.1)
(195.6)
23.7

2018
153.0
66.7
109.3

329.0
(37.8)
(17.2)
(150.7)
58.9

(98.1)

182.2

(1) Non-cash intangible asset amortization is principally related to customer and broker relationships.

(2) Presented as consolidated corporate overhead in note 25 (Segmented Information) to the consolidated financial statements

for the year ended December 31, 2019.

(3) Presented as a consolidation elimination in note 25 (Segmented Information) to the consolidated financial statements for

the year ended December 31, 2019.

Fairfax corporate overhead decreased to $147.5 in 2019 from $153.0 in 2018, primarily reflecting decreased legal and
consulting  fees  and  decreased  employee  compensation  expenses.  Fairfax  corporate  overhead  included  charitable
donations of $7.7 in 2019 (2018 – $8.5).

Subsidiary  holding  companies’  corporate  overhead  decreased  to  $27.9  in  2019  from  $66.7  in  2018,  primarily
reflecting restructuring costs at Advent and Fairfax Latam in 2018, decreased corporate overhead at Allied World,
decreased employee compensation expenses and decreased legal and consulting fees, partially offset by increased
charitable donations.

Subsidiary holding companies’ non-cash intangible asset amortization of $96.4 in 2019 and $109.3 in 2018 primarily
related to amortization of intangible assets at Allied World and Crum & Forster.

Holding company interest and dividends included total return swap income of $3.6 in 2019 compared to $7.8 in
2018. Excluding the impact of total return swap income, holding company interest and dividends of $29.3 in 2019
decreased modestly from $30.0 in 2018, primarily reflecting lower interest income earned from cash and short-term
investments.

Holding company share of profit of associates increased to $165.1 in 2019 from $17.2 in 2018, primarily reflecting
higher share of profit of Eurolife and share of a significant gain at Seaspan.

Investment  management  and  administration  fees  and  other,  which  is  principally  comprised  of  fees  received  or
receivable from the insurance and reinsurance subsidiaries and Fairfax India and Fairfax Africa, increased to $195.6
in 2019 from $150.7 in 2018, primarily reflecting a performance fee receivable from Fairfax India of $47.8 that was
recorded  in  2019  (2018 – nil)  pursuant  to  the  investment  advisory  agreement  with  Fairfax  India  whereby  the
company will receive a performance fee if the increase in Fairfax India’s book value per share exceeds a specified
threshold over the period from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2020. Settlement of the performance fee is expected
to be in the first quarter of 2021 by way of Fairfax India subordinate voting shares.

Loss on repurchase of long term debt of $23.7 in 2019 related to the redemption on July 15, 2019 of the company’s
remaining Cdn$395.6 principal amount of 6.40% unsecured senior notes due May 25, 2021. Loss on repurchase of
long term debt of $58.9 in 2018 was primarily comprised of a loss of $19.6 (Cdn$25.1) related to the redemption on
April 30, 2018 of the company’s $207.3 (Cdn$267.3) principal amount of 7.25% unsecured senior notes due June 22,
2020 and a loss of $38.2 related to the redemption on June 15, 2018 of the company’s $500.0 principal amount of
5.80% unsecured senior notes due May 15, 2021.

166

Net  gains  (losses)  on  investments  attributable  to  the  Corporate  and  Other  reporting  segment  are  set  out  in  the
Investments section of this MD&A.

Income Taxes

The company’s effective income tax rate in 2019 of 11.7% (provision for income taxes of $261.5) was lower than the
company’s  Canadian  statutory  income  tax  rate  of  26.5%  primarily  due  to  income  taxed  at  lower  rates  than  the
Canadian  statutory  income  tax  rate  (principally  in  the  U.S.,  Barbados,  Fairfax  India,  Brit  and  Allied  World),  the
recognition  of  previously  unrecorded  U.S.  foreign  tax  credit  carryforwards,  and  non-taxable  investment  income
(principally  comprised  of  dividend  income  and  non-taxable  interest  income  and  share  of  profit  of  associates  in
certain jurisdictions).

The company’s effective income tax rate in 2018 of 5.1% (provision for income taxes of $44.2) was lower than the
company’s Canadian statutory income tax rate of 26.5% primarily due to the non-cash gain on deconsolidation of
Quess which was not taxable (income tax rate benefit of $235.8 due to the preferential treatment of long term capital
gains  in  India),  other  non-taxable  investment  income  (principally  comprised  of  dividend  income,  non-taxable
interest income and share of profit of associates in certain jurisdictions) and income taxed at lower rates than the
Canadian statutory income tax rate (primarily at Allied World, certain subsidiaries of Fairfax India and in Barbados),
partially offset by the unrecorded tax benefit of losses and temporary differences, principally in Canada.

For  details  refer  to  note  18  (Income  Taxes)  to  the  consolidated  financial  statements  for  the  year  ended
December 31, 2019.

Non-controlling Interests

Non-controlling interests principally related to Allied World, Fairfax India, Recipe, Brit and Fairfax Africa. For details
refer to note 16 (Total Equity) to the consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2019.

167

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

Balance Sheets by Reporting Segment

The company’s segmented balance sheets as at December 31, 2019 and 2018 present the assets and liabilities of, and
the capital invested by the company in, each of the company’s reporting segments. The segmented balance sheets
have been prepared on the following basis:

(a) The  balance  sheet  for  each  reporting  segment  is  on  a  legal  entity  basis  for  the  subsidiaries  within  that
segment, in accordance with Fairfax’s IFRS accounting policies and includes, where applicable, acquisition
accounting  adjustments  principally  related  to  goodwill  and  intangible  assets  which  arose  on  initial
acquisition of the subsidiaries or on a subsequent step acquisition.

(b) Certain of the company’s subsidiaries held equity interests in other Fairfax subsidiaries (‘‘Fairfax affiliates’’)
at December 31, 2019. These investments in Fairfax affiliates are carried at cost and are disclosed in the table
below. Affiliated insurance and reinsurance balances, including premiums receivable (included in insurance
contracts receivable), deferred premium acquisition costs, recoverable from reinsurers, insurance contract
payables, provision for losses and loss adjustment expenses and provision for unearned premiums, are not
shown separately but are eliminated in Corporate and Other.

(c) Corporate  and  Other  includes  the  Fairfax  holding  company  and  its  subsidiary  intermediate  holding
companies as well as the consolidating and eliminating entries required under IFRS to prepare consolidated
financial  statements.  The  most  significant  of  those  entries  are  derived  from  the  elimination  of
intercompany  reinsurance  (primarily  consisting  of  reinsurance  provided  by  Group Re  and  reinsurance
between  Odyssey  Group  and  Allied  World  and  the  primary  insurers),  which  affects  recoverable  from
reinsurers, provision for losses and loss adjustment expenses and unearned premiums. Corporate and Other
borrowings of $4,124.6 at December 31, 2019 (December 31, 2018 – $3,865.9) primarily consisted of Fairfax
holding company borrowings of $4,117.3 (December 31, 2018 – $3,859.5).

Equity interests in Fairfax affiliates at December 31, 2019

Odyssey Crum &

Zenith

Group Forster National Brit World

Insurance &
Allied Fairfax Reinsurance –
Other

Asia

Run- Corporate &
off(4)

Other Consolidated

6.1%

2.0%

15.7% 12.7%

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

– 13.8%

31.5%

–

91.9%

57.8%

68.5%

100.0%

100.0%

100.0%

0.4%

–

4.6% 0.6%

0.2% 4.9%

45.3%

9.4%

5.6%

1.5%

3.4%

6.1%

5.6%

12.9%

1.1% 2.4%

5.9%

–

–

27.7%

20.5%

–

–

–

–

0.9% 3.1%

5.5% 1.0%

2.1% 7.0%

2.8% 10.5%

10.9%

–

1.4%

19.9%

4.1%

7.8% 5.6%

7.7% 0.5%

4.7% 5.8%

5.2%

0.6%

–

4.5%

66.9%

33.8%

47.9%

59.1%

62.0%

–

–

28.2% 28.2%

28.2%

7.8% 12.3%

3.1%

–

–

–

16.4%

–

–

– 15.4%

–

100.0%

–

1.5%

18.5%

59.6%

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

This table excludes subsidiaries where the company’s equity interest is entirely held by the holding company including Northbridge, Odyssey Group, Crum & Forster, Brit, Allied World,
Fairfax Asia, Fairfax Brasil, Fairfax Latam, Bryte Insurance and Polish Re.

Investments in insurance and reinsurance affiliates are reported in investments in Fairfax insurance and reinsurance affiliates on the segmented balance sheet.

Investments in non-insurance affiliates are reported within portfolio investments on the segmented balance sheet.

Includes  European  Run-off’s  ownership  in  Fairfax  affiliates  (refer  to  note 23  (Acquisitions  and  Divestitures)  to  the  consolidated  financial  statements  for  the  year  ended
December 31, 2019).

168

Northbridge

–

–

–

–

–

Investments in

insurance and
reinsurance
affiliates(1)(2)

Zenith National

Advent

TRG (Run-off)

Investments in

non-insurance
affiliates(3)

Thomas Cook India

Fairfax India

Recipe

Boat Rocker Media

Fairfax Africa

Toys ‘‘R’’ Us Canada

AGT Food and
Ingredients

Assets

Holding company cash and

investments

Insurance contract

receivables

Portfolio investments(1)
Assets held for sale(2)
Deferred premium
acquisition costs

Recoverable from

reinsurers

Goodwill and intangible

assets

Due from affiliates

Other assets

Investments in Fairfax

insurance and
reinsurance affiliates

Short sale and derivative

obligations

Due to affiliates

Liabilities associated with
assets held for sale(2)

Insurance contract

payables

Provision for losses and loss
adjustment expenses(3)

Provision for unearned

premiums(3)

Deferred income taxes

Borrowings

Total liabilities and total

equity

Capital

Borrowings

Investments in Fairfax

affiliates

Shareholders’ equity
attributable to
shareholders of Fairfax

Segmented Balance Sheet as at December 31, 2019

Insurance and Reinsurance

Non-

Odyssey Crum &

Zenith

Allied Fairfax

Operating

insurance Corporate

Northbridge

Group Forster National

Brit World

Asia Other companies Run-off companies and Other Consolidated

79.6

621.7

10.8

12.1

–

–

–

–

724.2

–

–

374.7

1,098.9

441.7
3,012.4

1,473.2
325.8
9,198.1 4,408.0

229.8

964.5
1,667.8 4,200.1

1,512.0
8,235.0

89.9

551.1
1,117.4 2,040.8

5,588.0

4.1
33,879.6 1,906.3

–
2,730.7

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

– 3,386.6

144.2

316.1

164.8

12.8

215.5

342.1

22.8

146.4

1,364.7

–

406.3

1,138.4 1,045.1

38.9 1,695.7

3,638.1

354.4 1,522.1

9,839.0

494.8

183.4

203.2

97.9

182.5

299.9

416.9

794.4

1,598.0

2.6

4.1

–

0.1

0.2

185.2

363.0

54.2

3,714.5

–

573.2

184.9

353.9

84.3

236.5

270.6

98.8

138.7

1,465.6

43.5

356.1

112.5

2,435.3

0.6

4,043.9

–

–

–

–

(157.1)
(405.0)

(601.0)

5,435.0
38,111.6

2,785.6

(20.4)

1,344.3

(1,178.0)

(156.4)

0.8

(929.9)

385.3

9,155.8

375.9

6,194.1

–

6,007.3

Deferred income taxes

85.7

239.6

125.7

42.2

–

–

–

32.8

526.0

6.3

–

131.9

65.2

–

–

–

–

34.0

231.1

62.4

–

(293.5)

–

Total assets

4,654.4 13,489.0 6,803.3

2,504.8 8,106.8 15,596.0

2,231.5 4,520.1

57,905.9 6,372.6

9,210.5

(2,980.5)

70,508.5

Liabilities

Accounts payable and accrued

liabilities

222.7

531.7

324.7

62.9

188.3

285.7

39.2

130.2

1,785.4

75.4

2,734.1

219.2

4,814.1

–

1.1

–

61.6

2.3

53.3

1.5

–

–

1.8

1.7

–

15.1

1.0

–

2.6

0.3

–

0.5

0.8

–

10.5

6.0

–

– 2,203.7

145.4

14.7

4.8

–

55.4

145.1

0.3

(159.8)

205.9

–

105.1

528.6

150.5

57.9

524.8

796.6

89.7

478.7

2,731.9

14.1

1,976.9

6,158.5 3,548.0

1,088.5 4,286.4

7,672.7

424.0 2,071.8

27,226.8 2,232.2

779.2

1,338.1

876.0

276.6

969.5

2,139.2

206.5

732.8

7,317.9

–

–

–

90.0

–

41.4

–

23.3

38.3

320.8

53.1

549.1

44.4

12.5

133.3

–

–

1,039.6

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

178.9

(168.6)

2,035.1

(155.0)

2,591.0

(958.8)

28,500.2

(95.5)

(312.2)

7,222.4

–

2,068.4

4,124.6

7,232.6

Total liabilities

3,085.0

8,710.8 4,995.4

1,527.7 6,329.2 11,499.3

805.1 3,442.5

40,395.0 4,530.2

5,181.9

2,494.2

52,601.3

Equity

Shareholders’ equity
attributable to
shareholders of Fairfax

1,569.3

4,778.2 1,807.9

977.1 1,777.6

4,100.4

1,362.5 1,074.9

17,447.9 1,842.4

3,869.3

(8,781.5)

Non-controlling interests

0.1

–

–

–

–

(3.7)

63.9

2.7

63.0

–

159.3

3,306.8

14,378.1

3,529.1

Total equity

1,569.4

4,778.2 1,807.9

977.1 1,777.6

4,096.7

1,426.4 1,077.6

17,510.9 1,842.4

4,028.6

(5,474.7)

17,907.2

4,654.4 13,489.0 6,803.3

2,504.8 8,106.8 15,596.0

2,231.5 4,520.1

57,905.9 6,372.6

9,210.5

(2,980.5)

70,508.5

–

90.0

41.4

38.3

320.8

549.1

–

–

1,039.6

–

2,068.4

4,124.6

7,232.6

66.4

627.0

293.7

106.5

133.6

301.9

32.3

130.6

1,692.0

530.6

–

(2,222.6)

–

Non-controlling interests

0.1

–

–

–

197.4

1,256.3

63.9

2.1

1,519.8

–

1,502.9

4,151.2 1,514.2

870.6 1,446.6

2,538.5

1,330.2

944.9

14,299.1 1,311.8

2,044.1

1,984.5

(3,276.9)

24.8

14,378.1

3,529.1

Total capital

1,569.4

4,868.2 1,849.3

1,015.4 2,098.4

4,645.8

1,426.4 1,077.6

18,550.5 1,842.4

6,097.0

(1,350.1)

25,139.8

% of consolidated total

capital

6.2% 19.4%

7.4%

4.0% 8.3% 18.5%

5.7% 4.3%

73.8%

7.3%

24.3%

(5.4)%

100.0%

(1)

(2)

Includes investments in non-insurance affiliates.

The effects of intercompany reinsurance with Wentworth, which decreased assets held for sale by $352.5 and liabilities associated with assets held for sale by $357.5 were adjusted in
the Run-off reporting segment. See note 23 (Acquisitions and Divestitures) to the consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2019.

(3)

Included in Insurance contract liabilities on the consolidated balance sheet at December 31, 2019.

169

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

Segmented Balance Sheet as at December 31, 2018

Insurance and Reinsurance

Non-

Odyssey Crum &

Zenith

Allied Fairfax

Operating

insurance Corporate

Northbridge

Group Forster National

Brit World

Asia Other companies Run-off companies and Other Consolidated

Assets

Holding company cash and

investments

Insurance contract

receivables

Portfolio investments(1)
Deferred premium
acquisition costs

Recoverable from

reinsurers

Deferred income taxes

Goodwill and intangible

assets

Due from affiliates

Other assets

Investments in Fairfax

insurance and
reinsurance affiliates

120.2

553.6

9.9

9.8

–

–

497.1

–

1,190.6

–

–

366.6

1,557.2

334.6
2,700.6

1,253.1
302.7
8,168.8 3,989.1

247.0

853.0
1,697.4 3,898.4

1,420.9
7,922.6

78.3

565.9
658.7 2,159.6

5,055.5

160.1
31,195.2 3,822.6

–
4,216.0

(104.9)
(1,800.9)

5,110.7
37,432.9

118.0

264.0

131.0

12.1

215.2

253.2

18.5

130.4

1,142.4

3.5

396.8

1,208.1

95.3

222.1

987.4

165.5

46.6 1,743.1

3,108.7

314.9 1,230.3

9,035.9

49.1

–

–

–

53.0

585.0

164.4

191.6

84.2

177.4

294.2

424.8

715.4

1,647.9

182.4

5.6

93.2

3.1

264.3

–

0.2

0.2

–

56.2

118.1

177.2

63.5

124.0

46.2

11.7

3,652.7

212.4

980.7

634.5

11.0

35.9

438.2

108.1

–

–

–

1,984.9

1.0

3,222.8

(18.6)

1,127.3

(1,269.5)

(98.1)

3.4

(651.6)

256.7

8,400.9

497.9

5,676.9

–

4,568.3

–

131.9

70.2

–

–

–

–

32.3

234.4

315.2

–

(549.6)

–

Total assets

4,205.7 12,077.8 6,217.4

2,543.0 7,543.4 14,530.7

1,813.4 4,353.4

53,284.8 5,529.1

9,424.7

(3,866.5)

64,372.1

Liabilities

Accounts payable and accrued

liabilities

137.0

362.7

230.0

48.4

131.0

145.8

30.8

137.2

1,222.9

75.7

1,516.6

204.8

3,020.0

Short sale and derivative

obligations

Due to affiliates

Insurance contract

payables

Provision for losses and loss
adjustment expenses(2)

Provision for unearned

premiums(2)

Deferred income taxes

Borrowings

24.4

1.1

30.2

9.4

36.3

1.5

16.5

3.6

14.1

1.0

1.5

307.8

–

1.3

7.5

16.9

130.5

342.6

12.4

–

–

85.7

6.6

(428.3)

149.5

–

90.9

519.2

123.5

64.8

361.7

404.1

91.6

426.0

2,081.8

45.0

1,820.3

5,799.1 3,453.0

1,150.6 4,316.3

7,653.5

379.4 1,909.4

26,481.6 3,784.3

632.3

1,077.2

732.2

290.7

925.6

1,807.7

183.1

689.6

6,338.4

16.9

–

–

–

89.9

–

41.4

–

13.9

38.2

184.0

40.6

550.7

6.2

–

7.8

91.5

68.5

995.7

–

–

–

–

–

140.1

(123.7)

2,003.1

(1,184.2)

29,081.7

(83.1)

(208.6)

6,272.2

–

1,618.8

3,865.9

6,480.4

Total liabilities

2,706.0

7,887.7 4,617.9

1,612.8 5,947.6 10,911.7

692.4 3,285.9

37,662.0 3,934.3

3,361.2

2,049.4

47,006.9

Equity

Shareholders’ equity
attributable to
shareholders of Fairfax

Non-controlling interests

1,499.7

4,190.1 1,599.5

930.2 1,595.8

3,617.1

1,062.4 1,064.8

15,559.6 1,594.8

5,932.0

(9,971.6)

–

–

–

–

–

1.9

58.6

2.7

63.2

–

131.5

4,055.7

13,114.8

4,250.4

Total equity

1,499.7

4,190.1 1,599.5

930.2 1,595.8

3,619.0

1,121.0 1,067.5

15,622.8 1,594.8

6,063.5

(5,915.9)

17,365.2

Total liabilities and total

equity

Capital

Borrowings

Investments in Fairfax

affiliates

Shareholders’ equity
attributable to
shareholders of Fairfax

Non-controlling interests

4,205.7 12,077.8 6,217.4

2,543.0 7,543.4 14,530.7

1,813.4 4,353.4

53,284.8 5,529.1

9,424.7

(3,866.5)

64,372.1

–

89.9

41.4

38.2

184.0

550.7

–

91.5

995.7

–

1,618.8

3,865.9

6,480.4

62.0

827.5

302.6

109.6

201.3

320.9

25.9

159.7

2,009.5

672.2

–

(2,681.7)

–

1,437.7

3,362.6 1,296.9

820.6 1,212.6

2,101.5

1,036.5

907.8

12,176.2

922.6

–

–

–

–

181.9

1,196.6

58.6

–

1,437.1

–

3,250.2

2,813.3

(3,234.2)

–

13,114.8

4,250.4

Total capital

1,499.7

4,280.0 1,640.9

968.4 1,779.8

4,169.7

1,121.0 1,159.0

16,618.5 1,594.8

7,682.3

(2,050.0)

23,845.6

% of consolidated total

capital

6.3% 17.9%

6.9%

4.1% 7.5% 17.5%

4.7% 4.9%

69.8%

6.7%

32.2%

(8.7)%

100.0%

(1)

(2)

Includes investments in non-insurance affiliates.

Included in Insurance contract liabilities on the consolidated balance sheet at December 31, 2018.

170

Components of Consolidated Balance Sheets

Consolidated Balance Sheet Summary

The  assets  and  liabilities  on  the  company’s  consolidated  balance  sheet  at  December  31,  2019  compared  to
December 31, 2018 were primarily affected by the classification of European Run-off as held for sale, the acquisition
of AGT on April 17, 2019, the deconsolidation of Grivalia Properties on May 17, 2019 upon its merger into Eurobank,
the adoption of IFRS 16 Leases on January 1, 2019, as described in note 23 (Acquisitions and Divestitures) and note 3
(Summary  of  Significant  Accounting  Policies)  to  the  consolidated  financial  statements  for  the  year  ended
December 31, 2019, and unrealized appreciation of common stocks and preferred stocks as described below.

Holding company cash and investments decreased to $1,098.9 ($1,098.6 net of $0.3 of holding company short
sale and derivative obligations) at December 31, 2019 from $1,557.2 at December 31, 2018 ($1,550.6 net of $6.6 of
holding company short sale and derivative obligations). Significant cash movements at the holding company in
2019 are set out in the Financial Condition section of this MD&A under the heading ‘‘Liquidity’’.

Insurance  contract  receivables  increased  by  $324.3  to  $5,435.0  at  December  31,  2019  from  $5,110.7  at
December  31,  2018  primarily  reflecting  increased  business  volume  at  Odyssey  Group,  Brit,  Allied  World  and
Northbridge, partially offset by the reclassification of insurance contract receivables at European Run-off to assets
held for sale.

Portfolio  investments  comprise  investments  carried  at  fair  value  and  equity  accounted  investments,  the
aggregate carrying value of which was $38,111.6 at December 31, 2019 ($37,906.0 net of subsidiary short sale and
derivative obligations) compared to an aggregate carrying value at December 31, 2018 of $37,432.9 ($37,290.0 net of
subsidiary  short  sale  and  derivative  obligations).  The  increase  of  $616.0  principally  reflected  net  unrealized
appreciation  of  common  and  preferred  stocks,  the  merger  of  Grivalia  Properties  into  Eurobank,  the  spin-off
distribution by IIFL Holdings and the receipt of cash and investments in connection with the first quarter 2019
reinsurance transaction, partially offset by the reclassification of portfolio investments at European Run-off to assets
held for sale, Thomas Cook India’s non-cash spin-off of its Quess shares to its minority shareholders and the related
non-cash  impairment  loss  fully  attributed  to  non-controlling  interests,  in  addition  to  the  specific  factors  which
caused movements in portfolio investments as discussed in the subsequent paragraphs.

Subsidiary cash and short term investments (including cash and short term investments pledged for short sale and
derivative obligations) increased by $3,288.5, primarily reflecting net proceeds received from sales and maturities of
short-dated U.S. treasury bonds and receipts of dividends and distributions from investments in associates, partially
offset  by  the  reclassification  of  cash  and  short-term  investments  at  European  Run-off  to  assets  held  for  sale,
reinvestment of cash and short-term investments into U.S. corporate bonds and investments in private placement
corporate bonds.

Bonds (including bonds pledged for short sale and derivative obligations) decreased by $4,133.5, primarily reflecting
sales  and  maturities  of  short-dated  U.S.  treasury  bonds  and  Canadian  government  bonds,  the  reclassification  of
bonds  at  European  Run-off  to  assets  held  for  sale  and  the  settlement  of  bonds  issued  by  EXCO  Resources  Inc.
(‘‘EXCO’’) and Sanmar, partially offset by the reinvestment of cash and short-term investments into U.S. corporate
bonds and investments in private placement corporate bonds.

Preferred stocks increased by $318.1 primarily reflecting unrealized appreciation of compulsory convertible preferred
shares of Digit.

Common  stocks  increased  by  $1,053.5  primarily  reflecting  net  unrealized  appreciation,  the  merger  of  Grivalia
Properties into Eurobank and the spin-off distribution by IIFL holdings, partially offset by the reclassification of
common stocks at European Run-off to assets held for sale.

Investments in associates decreased by $43.0 primarily reflecting the reclassification of investments in associates at
European Run-off to assets held for sale, Thomas Cook India’s non-cash spin-off of its Quess shares to its minority
shareholders, the spin-off distribution by IIFL Holdings, the deconsolidation of Grivalia Properties’ equity accounted
associates ($68.5) and distributions and dividends, partially offset by additional investments in Seaspan ($362.7),
Sanmar ($198.0, by Fairfax India) and CSB Bank ($81.0, by Fairfax India), investments in EXCO ($228.7) and Seven
Islands ($83.8, by Fairfax India), share of profit of associates ($169.6 inclusive of the $190.6 non-cash impairment
loss on the spin-off of Quess that was fully attributed to non-controlling interests) and the consolidation of CIG’s
equity accounted associates ($42.8, by Fairfax Africa).

171

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

Derivatives  and  other  invested  assets  net  of  short  sale  and  derivative  obligations  increased  by  $132.4  primarily
reflecting investments in North American investment property, net unrealized gains on equity warrants and lower
net payables to counterparties to U.S. treasury bond forward contracts, partially offset by higher net payables to
counterparties to total return swaps and other derivatives (reflecting the consolidation of AGT).

Recoverable  from  reinsurers  increased  by  $754.9  to  $9,155.8  at  December  31,  2019  from  $8,400.9  at
December 31, 2018 primarily reflecting increases at Allied World (principally due to higher business volume and
increased  use  of  reinsurance)  and  Fairfax  Latam  (principally  reflecting  losses  ceded  to  reinsurers  related  to  the
Chilean Riots), partially offset by the reclassification of reinsurance recoverables at European Run-off to assets held
for sale.

Deferred income taxes decreased by $122.0 to $375.9 at December 31, 2019 from $497.9 at December 31, 2018
primarily due to decreases in temporary differences in the U.S. and at Allied World, the recognition of deferred tax
liabilities  on  the  spin-off  distribution  by  IIFL  Holdings,  Thomas  Cook  India’s  spin-off  of  Quess,  unrealized
appreciation of compulsory convertible preferred shares of Digit, and the consolidation of the deferred tax liabilities
of AGT, partially offset by the recognition of previously unrecorded U.S. foreign tax credit carryforwards.

Goodwill  and  intangible  assets  increased  by  $517.2  to  $6,194.1  at  December  31,  2019  from  $5,676.9  at
December  31,  2018  primarily  due  to  the  acquisition  of  AGT,  the  consolidation  of  Ambridge  Partners  by  Brit,
incremental  acquisitions  by  Boat  Rocker,  and  the  impact  of  foreign  currency  translation  (principally  the
strengthening  of  the  Canadian  dollar  relative  to  the  U.S.  dollar),  partially  offset  by  amortization  of  finite-lived
intangible assets.

The acquisition of AGT, and the allocation by operating segment at December 31, 2019 of goodwill of $2,997.3 and
intangible assets of $3,196.8 (December 31, 2018 – $2,702.7 and $2,974.2), are described in note 23 (Acquisitions
and Divestitures) and note 12 (Goodwill and Intangible Assets) to the consolidated financial statements for the year
ended  December  31,  2019.  Impairment  tests  for  goodwill  and  indefinite-lived  intangible  assets  were  completed
during 2019 and it was concluded that no significant impairments had occurred.

Other assets increased by $1,439.0 to $6,007.3 at December 31, 2019 from $4,568.3 at December 31, 2018 primarily
due to the recognition of right-of-use assets and finance lease receivables on adoption of IFRS 16 at January 1, 2019
and  the  consolidation  of  AGT  and  CIG,  partially  offset  by  the  deconsolidation  of  Grivalia  Properties  and  the
reclassification of other assets at European Run-off to assets held for sale.

Accounts  payable  and  accrued  liabilities  increased  by  $1,794.1  to  $4,814.1  at  December  31,  2019  from
$3,020.0  at  December  31,  2018  primarily  due  to  the  recognition  of  lease  liabilities  on  adoption  of  IFRS  16  at
January 1, 2019 and the consolidation of AGT and CIG, partially offset by the deconsolidation of Grivalia Properties
and the reclassification of accounts payable and accrued liabilities at European Run-off to liabilities associated with
assets held for sale.

Insurance  contract  payables  increased  by  $587.9  to  $2,591.0  at  December  31,  2019  from  $2,003.1  at
December 31, 2018 primarily reflecting increased payables to reinsurers for premiums ceded at Allied World and Brit.

Provision for losses and loss adjustment expenses decreased by $581.5 to $28,500.2 at December 31, 2019
from  $29,081.7  at  December  31,  2018  primarily  reflecting  the  reclassification  of  provision  for  losses  and  loss
adjustment expenses at European Run-off to liabilities associated with assets held for sale and net favourable prior
year reserve development (principally at Odyssey Group, Zenith National, Northbridge and Brit), partially offset by
increased business volume (principally at Odyssey Group, Crum & Forster and Northbridge) and strengthening of
the Canadian dollar relative to the U.S. dollar (principally at Northbridge).

Non-controlling interests decreased by $721.3 to $3,529.1 at December 31, 2019 from $4,250.4 at December 31,
2018  primarily  reflecting  the  deconsolidation  of  Grivalia  Properties  ($466.2),  dividends  paid  to  minority
shareholders ($175.8), other net changes in capitalization ($131.7), and non-controlling interests’ share of net loss
($32.9),  partially  offset  by  the  consolidation  of  AGT  and  CIG.  For  further  details  on  other  net  changes  in
capitalization refer to note 16 (Total Equity) and note 23 (Acquisitions and Divestitures) to the consolidated financial
statements for the year ended December 31, 2019.

Comparison  of  2018  to  2017 – Total  assets  increased  to  $64,372.1  at  December  31,  2018  from  $64,090.1  at
December 31, 2017 primarily reflecting the acquisitions Toys ‘‘R’’ Us Canada and Dexterra, partially offset by the
deconsolidation of Quess pursuant to the transactions described in note 23 (Acquisitions and Divestitures) to the
consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2019.

172

2019

Property

Casualty

Specialty

2018

Property

Casualty

Specialty

Provision for Losses and Loss Adjustment Expenses

Since 1985, in order to ensure so far as possible that the company’s provision for losses and loss adjustment expenses
(‘‘LAE’’) (often called ‘‘loss reserves’’ or ‘‘provision for claims’’) is adequate, management has established procedures
so that the provision for losses and loss adjustment expenses at the company’s insurance and reinsurance operations
and Run-off are subject to several reviews. The reserves are reviewed separately by, and must be acceptable to, internal
actuaries  at  each  operating  company  and  the  company’s  Chief  Actuary.  Additionally,  independent  actuaries  are
periodically engaged to review an operating company’s reserves or reserves for certain lines of business.

The tables below present the company’s gross provision for losses and loss adjustment expenses by reporting segment
and line of business at December 31:

Insurance and Reinsurance

Odyssey Crum & Zenith

Allied Fairfax

Operating

Corporate

Northbridge Group Forster National

Brit World

Asia Other companies Run-off(1) and Other Consolidated

332.8

1,772.2

157.7

18.2

716.8 1,170.0

104.6 1,079.1

5,351.4

107.1

1,571.4

3,887.4

3,248.2

1,063.4 2,809.8 6,172.1

62.8

353.0

91.8

6.9

709.3

297.1

170.8

147.1

574.8

266.2

19,497.9

1,606.7

1,934.2

2.9

1,967.0

6,012.6

3,497.7

1,088.5 4,235.9 7,639.2

422.5 1,920.1

26,783.5

1,716.7

–

–

–

–

Intercompany

9.9

145.9

50.3

–

50.5

33.5

1.5

151.7

443.3

515.5

(958.8)

Provision for losses

and LAE

1,976.9

6,158.5

3,548.0

1,088.5 4,286.4 7,672.7

424.0 2,071.8

27,226.8

2,232.2

(958.8)

28,500.2

(1)

Excludes European Run-off’s gross provision for losses and loss adjustment expenses that are included in liabilities associated with assets held for sale on the consolidated
balance sheet at December 31, 2019. See note 23 (Acquisitions and Divestitures) to the consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2019.

Insurance and Reinsurance

Odyssey Crum &

Zenith

Allied Fairfax

Operating

Corporate

Northbridge Group Forster National

Brit World

Asia Other companies Run-off and Other Consolidated

297.0

1,585.5

137.4

19.6

844.5 1,270.1

1,467.6

3,746.4

3,117.0

1,123.6 2,643.2 6,021.1

52.3

322.5

110.7

7.4

777.3

348.4

105.3

165.2

107.4

732.4

737.9

333.0

4,991.8

119.6

19,022.0

2,775.7

2,059.0

113.6

1,816.9

5,654.4

3,365.1

1,150.6 4,265.0 7,639.6

377.9 1,803.3

26,072.8

3,008.9

–

–

–

–

Intercompany

3.4

144.7

87.9

–

51.3

13.9

1.5

106.1

408.8

775.4

(1,184.2)

Provision for losses

and LAE

1,820.3

5,799.1

3,453.0

1,150.6 4,316.3 7,653.5

379.4 1,909.4

26,481.6

3,784.3

(1,184.2)

29,081.7

In the ordinary course of carrying on business, the company’s insurance and reinsurance and Run-off operations may
pledge their own assets as security for their own obligations to pay claims or to make premium (and accrued interest)
payments.  Circumstances  where  assets  may  be  pledged  (either  directly  or  to  support  letters  of  credit)  include:
regulatory deposits (such as with U.S. states for workers’ compensation business); deposits of funds at Lloyd’s in
support  of  London  market  underwriting;  and  by  a  non-admitted  company  under  U.S.  insurance  regulations  as
security for claims assumed or to support funds withheld obligations. Generally, the pledged assets are released as the
underlying  payment  obligation  is  fulfilled.  Cash  and  investments  pledged  by  the  company’s  subsidiaries  at
December  31,  2019  of  $5.8  billion,  as  described  in  note  5  (Cash  and  Investments)  to  the  consolidated  financial
statements for the year ended December 31, 2019, represented the aggregate amount at that date that had been
pledged in the ordinary course of business to support each pledging subsidiary’s respective obligations (these pledges
do not involve the cross-collateralization by one subsidiary of another subsidiary’s obligations).

173

5,458.5

21,104.6

1,937.1

28,500.2

–

5,111.4

21,797.7

2,172.6

29,081.7

–

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

Claims  provisions  are  established  by  the  company’s  primary  insurance  companies  using  the  case  method  when
claims are initially reported. The provisions are subsequently adjusted as additional information on the estimated
ultimate  amount  of  a  claim  becomes  known  during  the  course  of  its  settlement.  The  company’s  reinsurance
companies  rely  on  initial  and  subsequent  premium  and  loss  information  received  from  ceding  companies  to
establish  estimates  of  their  provisions  for  claims.  In  determining  the  provision  to  cover  the  estimated  ultimate
liability for all of the company’s insurance and reinsurance obligations, a provision is also made for management’s
calculation of factors affecting the future development of claims including incurred but not reported claims based on
the volume of business currently in force, the historical experience on claims and potential changes, such as changes
in the underlying book of business, in law and in cost factors.

As  time  passes,  more  information  about  the  claims  becomes  known  and  provision  estimates  are  consequently
adjusted upward or downward. Because of the various elements of estimation encompassed in this process, and the
time  it  takes  to  settle  many  of  the  more  substantial  claims,  several  years  may  be  required  before  a  meaningful
comparison of actual losses to the original estimates of provision for claims can be developed.

The development of the provision for claims is often measured as the difference between estimates of reserves as of
the initial year-end and the re-estimated reserves at each subsequent year-end. This is based on actual payments in
full  or  partial  settlement  of  claims,  plus  re-estimates  of  the  reserves  required  for  claims  still  open  or  claims  still
unreported.  Favourable  development  (or  redundancies)  means  that  subsequent  reserve  estimates  are  lower  than
originally  indicated,  while  unfavourable  development  (or  deficiencies)  means  that  the  original  reserve  estimates
were  lower  than  subsequently  indicated.  The  net  favourable  reserve  development  in  the  two  tables  that  follow
excludes  the  loss  reserve  development  of  a  subsidiary  in  the  year  it  is  acquired.  In  the  second  table  below,  a
subsidiary’s provision for claims balance at December 31 in the year of acquisition is included in the line ‘‘Provision
for claims of companies acquired during the year at December 31’’, whereas the net favourable reserve development
as set out in the Sources of Net Earnings section of this MD&A and in the consolidated statement of earnings includes
the loss reserve development of a subsidiary from its acquisition date.

Aggregate net favourable development for the years ended December 31 were comprised as shown in the following
table:

Insurance and Reinsurance

Northbridge
Odyssey Group
Crum & Forster
Zenith National
Brit
Allied World
Fairfax Asia
Other(1)

Operating companies
Run-off

Net favourable development

Favourable/(Unfavourable)

2019
67.1
229.6
6.2
82.1
46.5
(32.0)
28.3
51.8

479.6
(150.5)

329.1

2018
106.7
345.7
3.9
85.3
99.3
96.6
24.4
26.9

788.8
(208.4)

580.4

(1)

Excludes net favourable development of companies acquired during the year: Fairfax Ukraine ($0.2) in 2019 and SouthBridge Uruguay ($0.2) in 2018.

174

Changes in provision for losses and loss adjustment expenses recorded on the consolidated balance sheets and the
related impact on unpaid claims and loss adjustment expenses for the years ended December 31 were as shown in the
following table:

Reconciliation of Provision for Claims – Consolidated

Provision for claims at January 1 – net
Foreign exchange effect
Losses on claims for claims occurring:

In the current year
In the prior years – net favourable development

Paid on claims during the year related to:

The current year
The prior years

2019

2018

2017
22,614.6 22,412.4 16,289.4
463.3

(444.6)

69.7

2016
16,596.3
(103.7)

2015
14,378.2
(559.3)

8,982.3
(329.1)

8,505.4
(580.4)

6,192.9
(454.6)

5,286.9
(573.7)

4,307.0
(467.5)

(2,293.8) (2,034.8) (1,691.3)
(5,927.8) (5,777.2) (3,876.8)

(1,304.5)
(3,695.2)

(1,055.3)
(2,688.4)

Provision for claims of companies acquired and reinsurance

transactions during the year, at December 31

Divestiture of subsidiary
Liabilities associated with assets held for sale(1)

32.7
–
(1,590.2)

533.8
–
–

5,725.0
(235.5)
–

83.3
–
–

2,681.6
–
–

Provision for claims at December 31 before the undernoted 21,558.4 22,614.6 22,412.4
CTR Life(2)
8.7

7.0

8.0

16,289.4
12.8

16,596.3
14.2

Provision for claims at December 31 – net
Reinsurers’ share of provision for claims at December 31

21,565.4 22,622.6 22,421.1
6,189.7
6,459.1

6,934.8

16,302.2
3,179.6

16,610.5
3,205.9

Provision for claims at December 31 – gross

28,500.2 29,081.7 28,610.8

19,481.8

19,816.4

(1)

(2)

European Run-off’s reinsurance recoverables and provision for losses and loss adjustment expenses are included in assets held for sale and liabilities associated with assets held for sale
respectively  on  the  consolidated  balance  sheet  at  December  31,  2019.  See  note  23  (Acquisitions  and  Divestitures)  to  the  consolidated  financial  statements  for  the  year  ended
December 31, 2019.

Guaranteed minimum death benefit retrocessional business written by Compagnie Transcontinentale de R´eassurance (‘‘CTR Life’’), a wholly owned subsidiary of the company that
was transferred to Wentworth and placed into run-off in 2002.

The foreign exchange effect of change in provision for claims in 2019 primarily reflected the strengthening of the
Canadian dollar and the British pound relative to the U.S. dollar (principally at Northbridge, Odyssey Group and
Brit).  The  company  generally  manages  foreign  currency  risk  on  claims  liabilities  by  investing  in  financial
instruments and other assets denominated in the same currency as the liabilities to which they relate.

The company endeavours to establish adequate provisions for losses and loss adjustment expenses at the original
valuation  date,  with  the  objective  of  achieving  net  favourable  prior  period  reserve  development  at  subsequent
valuation dates. The reserves will always be subject to upward or downward development in the future and future
development could be significantly different from the past due to many unknown factors.

Available on Fairfax’s website (www.fairfax.ca) in the Annual Financial Supplement for the year ended December 31,
2019 are tables that show the historical reserve reconciliation and the reserve development of Northbridge, Odyssey
Group, Crum & Forster, Zenith National, Brit, Allied World, Fairfax Asia and Insurance and Reinsurance – Other
(comprised of Group Re, Bryte Insurance, Advent, Fairfax Latin America and Fairfax Central and Eastern Europe), and
Run-off’s reconciliation of provision for claims.

Asbestos, Pollution and Other Latent Hazards

General Discussion

The  company’s  insurance  contract  liabilities  include  estimates  for  exposure  to  asbestos  claims,  environmental
pollution and other types of latent hazard claims (collectively ‘‘APH exposures’’).

A number of the company’s subsidiaries wrote general liability policies and reinsurance prior to their acquisition by
Fairfax  under  which  policyholders  continue  to  present  asbestos-related  injury  claims.  Substantially  all  of  the
company’s exposure to asbestos losses are now under the management of Run-off. The vast majority of these claims
are presented under policies written many years ago. There is a great deal of uncertainty surrounding these types of
claims,  which  affects  the  ability  of  insurers  and  reinsurers  to  estimate  the  amount  of  unpaid  claims  and  related

175

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

settlement expenses. These claims differ from most other types of claims because legal precedent is inadequate to
determine what coverage obligations attach and which, if any, policy years and insurers/reinsurers may be liable.
These uncertainties are exacerbated by judicial rulings and legislation that have undermined the clear and express
intent of the insurer and policyholder and expanded theories of liability. Further, asbestos litigation itself continues
to be an imperfect process for resolving asbestos claims fairly and cost effectively. The insurance industry is engaged
in extensive litigation over these coverage and liability issues and thus confronts continuing uncertainty in its efforts
to quantify asbestos exposures.

The  company  also  faces  claims  exposure  related  to  environmental  pollution  and  bodily  injury  allegedly  from
exposure  to  potentially  harmful  products  or  substances  such  as  pharmaceutical  products,  chemical  products,
lead-based pigments and talc. Other latent injury claims arise from insureds’ alleged responsibility for sports head
trauma, sexual molestation, and opioid addiction. The potential exposure associated with sexual molestation claims
has increased based on several developments including heightened awareness and investigation into past abuse,
high profile claims and, most significantly, efforts by legislative bodies to abolish or revise statute of limitations to
support alleged victims seeking redress through litigation. Methyl tertiary butyl ether (‘‘MTBE’’) contamination of
underground water supplies was a significant potential health hazard, and while the company has resolved most of
its potential MTBE exposures, some exposure lingers. The company is monitoring the emergence of water and soil
contamination claims involving perfluorinated chemicals (‘‘PFCs’’) which are a group of compounds widely used in
water  and  stain  resistant  products,  as  well  as  firefighting  materials.  Although  still  a  risk  due  to  occasional
unfavourable court decisions, lead pigment bodily injury litigation has had some favourable underlying litigation
developments  resulting  in  this  hazard  presenting  less  of  a  risk  to  the  company.  Additionally,  the  company  is
evaluating a recent court decision finding certain paint manufacturers liable for the presence of and abatement of
lead paint in residential structures based on those manufacturers’ advertising practices decades ago. The company
continues to monitor an emerging body of claims by women who claim bodily injury from exposure to talc as an
ingredient of consumer products such as powders and cosmetics. Many such claims have alleged the talc in these
products caused ovarian cancer; other claims assert the talc was contaminated with asbestos which caused ovarian
cancer or other more typical asbestos injury such as mesothelioma. Since 2016, a number of large talc verdicts have
been awarded against a number of defendants. However, there also have been developments in defendants’ favour, as
there have been several defense verdicts, the most significant plaintiff trial verdicts have been appealed, and those
appeals that have concluded have been largely favorable to the defendants. Whether other latent injury claims will
develop into material exposures to the company is yet to be determined due to the lack of developed scientific proof
of causation and significant questions around coverage.

Asbestos Claims Discussion

Tort  reform  in  the  first  decade  of  the  millennium,  both  legislative  and  judicial,  had  a  significant  impact  on  the
asbestos litigation landscape. The majority of claims now being filed and litigated continue to be mesothelioma and
lung  cancer  claims.  With  unimpaired  and  non-malignant  claims  brought  much  less  frequently  and  in  few
jurisdictions,  the  litigation  industry  has  focused  on  the  more  seriously  injured  plaintiffs,  and  the  number  of
mesothelioma  cases  has  not  tailed  off  as  expected.  Though  there  are  fewer  cases  overall,  the  average  number  of
defendants named in each case continues to rise, and each year more defendants not previously sued for asbestos
liability  are  named  in  lawsuits.  Furthermore,  plaintiffs’  firms  in  the  asbestos  litigation  continue  to  push  for  an
increase in the settlement values of asbestos cases involving malignancies. This is a trend the insurance industry
continues to resist. Defense costs continue to be a significant driver of the liability as well as the malignancy cases
often are more heavily litigated and because the asbestos litigation process and practices in the U.S. continue to be
inefficient,  in  particular  with  respect  to  the  continued  over-naming  of  defendants  in  the  litigation.  Another
battleground for the industry. Asbestos trial results have been mixed, with both plaintiff and defense verdicts having
been rendered in courts throughout the U.S. Some plaintiffs continue to focus their efforts on maximizing their
recoveries  in  the  U.S.  tort  system  from  solvent  defendants  by  heavily  emphasizing  their  exposure  to  these
defendants’  products  and  operations,  however  limited  that  exposure  may  have  been.  Separately,  these  plaintiffs
often also seek to recover from the trusts established in prior bankruptcies of asbestos defendants based on alleged
exposures not identified in the tort system, resulting in a disproportionate shift in financial responsibility from large
bankrupt entities to solvent peripheral defendants. The company continues to implement strategies and initiatives
to  address  these  issues  and  will  prudently  evaluate  and  adjust  its  asbestos  reserves  as  necessary  as  the  litigation
landscape continues to evolve. As set out in the table that follows, during 2019 the company strengthened asbestos
reserves  by  $135.4,  or  11.1%  (2018 – $138.6  or  10.7%)  of  the  provision  for  asbestos  claims  and  ALAE  at
January 1, 2019.

176

In October 2019, A.M. Best Company issued its Market Segment Report for Asbestos and Environmental where it
maintained its estimate of net ultimate asbestos losses in the U.S. property and casualty industry at $100 billion,
noting asbestos losses have not slowed down since A.M. Best boosted its estimate to this level in its 2016 report which
cited ‘‘an unstable environment faced with evolving litigation, increasing secondary exposure cases, and an increase
in  life  expectancy.’’  The  company  continues  to  see  in  the  Run-off  portfolio  some  of  the  underlying  litigation
factors A.M. Best cites. The policyholders with the most significant asbestos exposure continue to be defendants who
manufactured, distributed or installed asbestos products on a nationwide basis. The Run-off portfolio is exposed to
these  risks  and  face  the  majority  of  the  direct  asbestos  exposure  within  the  company.  While  these  insureds  are
relatively small in number, asbestos exposures for such entities have increased over the past decade due to the rising
volume  of  claims,  the  erosion  of  underlying  limits,  and  the  bankruptcies  of  target  defendants.  In  addition,  less
prominent or ‘‘peripheral’’ defendants, including a mix of manufacturers, distributors, and installers of asbestos-
containing products, as well as premises owners continue to be named as defendants. For the most part, these are
regional,  rather  than  nationwide  defendants.  Reinsurance  contracts  entered  into  before  1984  also  continue  to
present exposure to asbestos.

Reserves for asbestos cannot be estimated using traditional loss reserving techniques that rely on historical accident
year loss development factors. As each insured presents different liability and coverage issues, the company evaluates
its asbestos exposure on an insured-by-insured basis. Since the mid-1990’s the company has utilized a sophisticated
methodology  that  draws  upon  company  experience  and  asbestos  claim  data  sets  to  assess  asbestos  liabilities  on
reported claims. The methodology utilizes a ground-up, exposure-based analysis that constitutes the industry ‘‘best
practice’’. In conjunction with the exposure based analysis, the company also uses aggregate industry methods when
setting its overall asbestos reserves.

Following is an analysis of the company’s gross and net loss and ALAE reserves from U.S. asbestos exposures for the
years ended December 31:

Asbestos
Provision for asbestos claims and ALAE at January 1
Asbestos losses and ALAE incurred during the year
Asbestos losses and ALAE paid during the year
Provisions for asbestos losses and ALAE for acquisitions at December 31(1)
Liabilities associated with assets held for sale(2)

2019

2018

Gross

Net

Gross

Net

1,217.9
135.4
(164.0)
–
(114.7)

995.3
114.8
(138.4)
–
(111.2)

1,292.1
138.6
(233.2)
20.4
–

1,033.3
114.3
(170.1)
17.8
–

Provision for asbestos claims and ALAE at December 31

1,074.6

860.5

1,217.9

995.3

(1)

(2)

Comprised primarily of the reinsurance component of the RiverStone (UK) acquisition transactions as described in the Run-off section of this MD&A.

European Run-off’s reinsurance recoverables and provision for losses and loss adjustment expenses are included in assets held for sale and liabilities associated with assets held for sale
respectively  on  the  consolidated  balance  sheet  at  December  31,  2019.  See  note  23  (Acquisitions  and  Divestitures)  to  the  consolidated  financial  statements  for  the  year  ended
December 31, 2019. 

Summary

Management  believes  that  the  asbestos  reserves  reported  at  December  31,  2019  are  reasonable  estimates  of  the
ultimate  remaining  liability  for  these  claims  based  on  facts  currently  known,  the  present  state  of  the  law  and
coverage litigation, current assumptions, and the reserving methodologies employed. These asbestos reserves are
monitored by management and regularly reviewed by actuaries. To the extent that future social, scientific, economic,
legal, or legislative developments alter the volume of claims, the liabilities of policyholders, the original intent of the
policies and the ability to recover reinsurance, adjustments to loss reserves may emerge in future periods.

Recoverable from Reinsurers

The company’s subsidiaries purchase reinsurance to reduce their exposure on insurance and reinsurance risks they
underwrite. Credit risk associated with reinsurance is managed through adherence to internal reinsurance guidelines
whereby the company’s ongoing reinsurers generally must have high A.M. Best and/or Standard & Poor’s financial
strength  ratings  and  maintain  capital  and  surplus  exceeding  $500.0.  Most  of  the  recoverable  from  reinsurance
balances rated B++ and lower were inherited by the company on acquisition of a subsidiary.

177

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

Recoverable from reinsurers of $9,155.8 on the consolidated balance sheet at December 31, 2019 consisted of future
recoverable amounts from reinsurers on unpaid claims ($6,956.7), reinsurance receivable on paid losses ($776.9) and
the  unearned  portion  of  premiums  ceded  to  reinsurers  ($1,583.7),  net  of  provision  for  uncollectible  balances
($161.5). Recoverables from reinsurers on unpaid claims increased by $474.4 to $6,956.7 at December 31, 2019 from
$6,482.3 at December 31, 2018, primarily reflecting an increase at Allied World (due to higher business volumes and
increased use of reinsurance) and Fairfax Latam (reflecting losses ceded to reinsurers related to the Chilean Riots),
partially  offset  by  the  reclassification  of  reinsurance  recoverables  at  European  Run-off  to  assets  held  for  sale  as
described  in  note  23  (Acquisitions  and  Divestitures)  to  the  consolidated  financial  statements  for  the  year  ended
December 31, 2019.

The following table presents the company’s top 25 reinsurance groups (ranked by gross recoverable from reinsurers)
at December 31, 2019, which represented 83.1% (December 31, 2018 – 83.1%) of gross recoverable from reinsurers.

Reinsurance group
Munich
Swiss Re
AIG
Lloyd’s
Everest
Markel
HDI
Axis
Berkshire Hathaway
RenaissanceRe
EXOR

Risk Management
Agency
Alleghany
SCOR
Liberty Mutual
AXA
Arch Capital
Sompo Holdings
WR Berkley
Singapore Re
Aspen
IRB
DARAG Group
QBE
Tokio Marine

Principal reinsurers
Munich Reinsurance Company
Swiss Reinsurance America Corporation
New Hampshire Insurance Company
Lloyd’s
Everest Reinsurance (Bermuda), Ltd
Markel Global Reinsurance Company
Hannover R ¨uck SE
Axis Reinsurance Company
General Reinsurance Corporation
Renaissance Reinsurance U.S. Inc
Partner Reinsurance Company of the
U.S.
Federal Crop Insurance Corporation

Transatlantic Reinsurance Company
SCOR Reinsurance Company
Liberty Mutual Insurance Company
XL Reinsurance America Inc
Arch Reinsurance Company
Endurance Assurance Corporation
Berkley Insurance Company
Singapore Reinsurance Corporation Ltd
Aspen Insurance UK Limited
IRB – Brasil Resseguros S.A.
DARAG Guernsey Limited
QBE Reinsurance Corporation
Safety National Casualty Corporation

Top 25 reinsurance groups
Other reinsurers

Gross recoverable from reinsurers
Provision for uncollectible reinsurance

Recoverable from reinsurers

A.M. Best
rating (or S&P
equivalent)(1)

A+
A+
A
A
A+
A
A+
A+
A++
A+

A+
NR

A+
A+
A
A+
A+
A+
A+
A-
A
A
NR
A
A+

Gross
recoverable
from
reinsurers(2)
1,320.8
968.0
929.1
590.2
458.7
404.0
333.2
326.6
240.5
234.8

Net unsecured
recoverable
from
reinsurers(3)
1,127.7
959.2
915.4
587.3
375.4
239.2
324.9
316.7
239.9
205.1

204.2
178.3

175.7
165.4
164.6
145.6
138.3
132.9
121.5
99.5
95.0
82.9
80.2
76.1
73.1

7,739.2
1,578.1

9,317.3
(161.5)

9,155.8

198.0
178.3

173.4
164.3
164.3
137.1
133.9
131.4
118.7
99.5
95.0
79.1
–
75.4
72.4

7,111.6
1,175.5

8,287.1
(161.5)

8,125.6

(1) Financial strength rating of principal reinsurer (or of the group, if principal reinsurer is not rated).

(2) Excludes specific provisions for uncollectible reinsurance.

(3) Net of outstanding balances for which security was held, and excludes specific provisions for uncollectible reinsurance.

178

The  following  table  presents  recoverable  from  reinsurers  of  $9,155.8  at  December  31,  2019  separately  for  the
insurance and reinsurance and run-off operations, according to the financial strength rating of the reinsurers. Shown
separately are pools and associations, which generally consist of government or similar insurance funds carrying
limited  credit  risk.  At  December  31,  2019  approximately  5.3%  of  recoverable  from  reinsurers  related  to  Run-off
operations  compared  to  7.2%  at  December  31,  2018,  with  the  decrease  primarily  reflecting  the  classification  of
European Run-off as held for sale at December 31, 2019.

Insurance and Reinsurance

Run-off(1)

Consolidated

A.M. Best

Gross

Balance

unsecured

Gross

Balance

unsecured

Gross

Balance

unsecured

rating recoverable

for which recoverable

recoverable

for which recoverable

recoverable

for which recoverable

(or S&P

from security is

from

from security is

from

from security is

from

Net

Net

Net

reinsurers

reinsurers

held

reinsurers

reinsurers

equivalent)

reinsurers

A++

A+

A

A-

B++

B+

B or lower

Not rated

Pools and associations

Provision for uncollectible
reinsurance

292.6

4,785.8

2,449.8

213.8

17.0

1.6

11.0

741.8

188.8

8,702.2

(28.1)

held

28.5

342.4

96.3

8.9

0.3

0.4

1.4

471.0

6.5

955.7

264.1

4,443.4

2,353.5

204.9

16.7

1.2

9.6

270.8

182.3

7,746.5

64.5

220.1

117.9

3.9

1.1

2.3

–

199.3

6.0

615.1

0.3

9.5

9.7

0.8

0.9

–

–

53.3

–

74.5

64.2

210.6

108.2

3.1

0.2

2.3

–

146.0

6.0

540.6

Recoverable from reinsurers

8,674.1

7,718.4

481.7

407.2

9,155.8

(28.1)

(133.4)

(133.4)

(161.5)

357.1

5,005.9

2,567.7

217.7

18.1

3.9

11.0

941.1

194.8

held

28.8

351.9

106.0

9.7

1.2

0.4

1.4

524.3

6.5

reinsurers

328.3

4,654.0

2,461.7

208.0

16.9

3.5

9.6

416.8

188.3

9,317.3

1,030.2

8,287.1

(161.5)

8,125.6

(1) Excludes European Run-off’s gross recoverable from reinsurers of $260.0 (of which security is held for $26.5) that is
included in assets held for sale on the consolidated balance sheet at December 31, 2019. See note 23 (Acquisitions and
Divestitures) to the consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2019.

To  support  recoverable  from  reinsurers  balances,  the  company  had  the  benefit  of  letters  of  credit  or  trust  funds
totaling $1,030.2 at December 31, 2019 as follows:

• for reinsurers rated A – or better, security of $496.4 against outstanding reinsurance recoverables of $8,148.4;

• for reinsurers rated B++ or lower, security of $3.0 against outstanding reinsurance recoverables of $33.0;

• for unrated reinsurers, security of $524.3 against outstanding reinsurance recoverables of $941.1; and

• for pools and associations, security of $6.5 against outstanding reinsurance recoverables of $194.8.

In  addition  to  the  above  security  arrangements,  Lloyd’s  is  also  required  to  maintain  funds  in  Canada  and  the
United States that are monitored by the applicable regulatory authorities in those jurisdictions.

Substantially  all  of  the  provision  for  uncollectible  reinsurance  of  $161.5  at  December  31,  2019  related  to  net
unsecured reinsurance recoverable of $446.8 from reinsurers rated B++ or lower, including those that are not rated
(which excludes pools and associations).

Based  on  the  preceding  analysis  of  the  company’s  recoverable  from  reinsurers,  and  on  the  credit  risk  analysis
performed  by  the  company’s  reinsurance  security  department  as  described  below,  the  company  believes  that  its
provision for uncollectible reinsurance is reasonable for all incurred losses arising from uncollectible reinsurance at
December 31, 2019.

The company’s reinsurance security staff, with their expertise in analyzing and managing credit risk, are responsible
for the following with respect to recoverable from reinsurers: evaluating the creditworthiness of all reinsurers and
recommending to the company’s reinsurance committee those reinsurers which should be included on the list of
approved  reinsurers;  on  a  quarterly  basis,  monitoring  the  reinsurance  recoverable  by  reinsurer,  by  operating
company  and  in  aggregate,  and  recommending  the  appropriate  provision  for  uncollectible  reinsurance;  and
pursuing collections from, and global commutations with, reinsurers which are either impaired or considered to be
financially challenged.

179

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

The insurance and reinsurance companies purchase reinsurance to achieve various objectives including protection
from catastrophic financial loss resulting from a single event, such as the total loss of a large manufacturing plant
from  a  fire,  protection  against  the  aggregation  of  many  smaller  claims  resulting  from  a  single  event,  such  as  an
earthquake or major hurricane, that may affect many policyholders simultaneously and generally to protect capital
by  limiting  loss  exposure  to  acceptable  levels.  Consolidated  net  earnings  included  the  pre-tax  benefit  of  ceded
reinsurance  of  $323.4  (2018 – $398.2).  The  consolidated  pre-tax  impact  of  ceded  reinsurance  was  comprised  as
follows:  reinsurers’  share  of  premiums  earned  (see  tables  which  follow  this  paragraph);  commissions  earned  on
reinsurers’ share of premiums earned of $652.3 (2018 – $567.4); losses on claims ceded to reinsurers of $3,069.6
(2018 – $2,774.4); and provision for uncollectible reinsurance of $17.2 (2018 – $8.2).

Year ended December 31, 2019

Insurance and Reinsurance

Northbridge

Odyssey Crum & Zenith
Group Forster National

Allied Fairfax
Asia

Brit World(1)

Operating
Other companies Run-off

Inter-

company Consolidated

Reinsurers’ share of premiums

earned

Pre-tax benefit (cost) of ceded

reinsurance

170.6

385.4

490.2

11.7

607.8 1,194.1

203.2

544.2

3,607.2

76.1

(302.0)

3,381.3

(21.3)

57.6

41.5

(12.5) (156.6)

(81.2)

(35.0)

306.6

99.1

177.2

47.1

323.4

(1) Allied World includes reinsurers’ share of premiums earned of $90.1 and pre-tax cost of ceded reinsurance of $24.7 related to the Allied World loss portfolio

transfer as described in the Allied World section of this MD&A.

Year ended December 31, 2018

Insurance and Reinsurance

Northbridge

Group Forster National Brit(1) World

Asia Other(2) companies Run-off

company(1)(2) Consolidated

Odyssey Crum & Zenith

Allied Fairfax

Operating

Inter-

Reinsurers’ share of premiums

earned

Pre-tax benefit (cost) of ceded

reinsurance

143.9

387.9

383.0

11.1

724.9

922.4

180.1

642.3

3,395.6

5.4

(465.6)

2,935.4

(38.7)

234.2

86.4

(8.8)

43.7

7.8

(13.1)

96.3

407.8

26.3

(35.9)

398.2

(1)

Brit includes reinsurers’ share of premiums earned of $174.4 and pre-tax cost of ceded reinsurance of $4.0 related to the intercompany Brit reinsurance
transaction with Run-off as described in the Brit section of this MD&A.

(2) Other includes reinsurers’ share of premiums earned of $79.3 and pre-tax benefit of ceded reinsurance of $2.4 related to the intercompany Advent reinsurance

transaction with Run-off as described in the Run-off section of this MD&A.

Reinsurers’  share  of  premiums  earned  increased  to  $3,381.3  in  2019  from  $2,935.4  in  2018,  primarily  reflecting
increases at Crum & Forster (due to higher business volumes), Brit (excluding the intercompany Brit reinsurance
transaction, increased due to greater use of third party reinsurance) and Allied World (due to higher business volumes
and cession rates, and premiums ceded in the Allied World loss portfolio transfer).

Commissions earned on reinsurers’ share of premiums earned increased to $652.3 in 2019 from $567.4 in 2018,
primarily due to increases at Allied World (commensurate with the increase in reinsurers’ share of premiums earned)
and Odyssey Group (reflecting higher commission income in its U.S. crop and financial products lines of business).

Reinsurers’  share  of  losses  on  claims  increased  to  $3,069.6  in  2019  from  $2,774.4  in  2018,  primarily  reflecting
increases at Fairfax Latam (reflecting losses ceded to reinsurers related to the Chilean Riots), Allied World (reflecting
adverse prior year development on ceded reserves in 2019 compared to favourable prior year development in 2018,
higher business volumes and cession rates and the impact of the Allied World loss portfolio transfer in 2019) and
European Run-off (reflecting reinsurers’ share of the losses assumed pursuant to the first quarter 2019 reinsurance
transaction described in the Run-off section of this MD&A). This was partially offset by a decrease in reinsurers’ share
of  losses  on  claims  at  Brit  (reflecting  favourable  prior  year  development  on  ceded  reserves  in  2019  compared  to
adverse prior year development in 2018) and lower current period catastrophe losses ceded to reinsurers at Odyssey
Group, Allied World and Brit. The company recorded net provisions for uncollectible reinsurance of $17.2 in 2019
(2018 – $8.2).

The use of reinsurance in 2019 decreased cash provided by operating activities by approximately $626 (2018 – $455)
primarily reflecting the timing of premiums paid to reinsurers in each of 2019 and 2018 which was earlier than the
collection of reinsurance on claims paid.

180

Investments

Hamblin Watsa Investment Counsel Ltd.

Hamblin Watsa  Investment  Counsel  Ltd.  (‘‘Hamblin Watsa’’)  is  a  wholly  owned  subsidiary  of  the  company  that
serves as the investment manager for the holding company, its insurance and reinsurance operations and run-off
companies, and Fairfax India and Fairfax Africa. Following a long term value-oriented investment philosophy with
primary emphasis on the preservation of invested capital, Hamblin Watsa looks for investments with a margin of
safety by conducting thorough proprietary analysis of investment opportunities and markets, assessing the financial
strength of issuers, identifying attractively priced securities selling at discounts to intrinsic value and hedging risks
where appropriate. Hamblin Watsa is opportunistic and disciplined in seeking undervalued securities in the market,
often investing in out-of-favour securities when sentiment is negative, and maintaining a large proportion of its
investment portfolio in cash and cash equivalents when it perceives markets to be over-valued.

Hamblin Watsa generally operates as a separate investment management entity, with the company’s Chief Executive
Officer  and  one  other  corporate  officer  serving  as  members  of  Hamblin  Watsa’s  investment  committee.  This
investment committee is responsible for making all investment decisions, subject to relevant regulatory guidelines
and constraints, and oversight by Hamblin Watsa management. The company’s Board of Directors, management,
insurance and reinsurance operations and run-off companies, and Fairfax India and Fairfax Africa are kept apprised
of  significant  investment  decisions  by  Hamblin  Watsa  through  the  financial  reporting  process  and  periodic
presentations by Hamblin Watsa management.

Overview of Investment Performance

Investments at their year end carrying values (including at the holding company) for the company’s first year and for
the past ten years are presented in the following table. Included in bonds are U.S. treasury bond forward contracts,
CPI-linked derivatives and credit default swaps and included in common stocks are investments in associates and
equity derivatives.

Year(1)
1985
(cid:2)

2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017(6)
2018
2019(7)

Cash and
short term
investments
6.4

4,073.4
6,899.1
8,085.4
7,988.0
6,428.5
7,368.7
11,214.4
19,186.2
7,423.8
10,652.2

Bonds(2)
14.1

13,353.5
12,074.7
11,545.9
10,710.3
12,660.3
14,905.0
10,358.3
10,392.5
20,727.3
16,499.9

Preferred
stocks
1.0

Common
stocks
2.5

Real
estate(3)
–

Total
investments(4)
24.0

627.3
608.3
651.4
764.8
520.6
116.9
70.6
299.6
264.6
582.9

5,095.3
4,448.8
5,397.6
4,951.0
5,968.1
6,124.4
6,281.1
9,014.1
9,738.1
10,539.5

150.5
291.6
413.9
447.5
615.2
501.1
506.3
363.0
686.8
730.1

23,300.0
24,322.5
26,094.2
24,861.6
26,192.7
29,016.1
28,430.7
39,255.4
38,840.6
39,004.6

Investments
per
share ($)(5)
4.80

1,139.07
1,193.70
1,288.89
1,172.72
1,236.90
1,306.22
1,231.11
1,414.55
1,425.97
1,453.71

(1)

(2)

(3)

IFRS  basis  for  2010  to  2019;  Canadian  GAAP  basis  for  2009  and  prior.  Under  Canadian  GAAP,  investments  were
generally carried at cost or amortized cost in 2006 and prior.

Includes the company’s investment in other funds with a carrying value of $175.6 at December 31, 2019 (December 31,
2018 – $150.3, December 31, 2017 – $90.9, December 31, 2016 – $157.1, December 31, 2015 – $1,094.0) that are
invested principally in fixed income securities.

Includes  the  company’s  equity  accounted  investments  in  KWF  LPs,  and  Grivalia  Properties  prior  to  its  consolidation
effective  July  4,  2017.  Grivalia  Properties  was  deconsolidated  upon  its  merger  into  Eurobank  on  May 17,  2019  as
described  in  note 23  (Acquisitions  and  Divestitures)  to  the  consolidated  financial  statements  for  the  year  ended
December 31, 2019. Eurobank is included in common stocks in the table above.

(4) Comprised  of  holding  company  cash  and  investments  and  portfolio  investments,  net  of  short  sale  and  derivative

obligations (commencing in 2004), as presented on the consolidated balance sheet.

(5) Total  investments  divided  by  the  number  of  common  shares  effectively  outstanding  as  presented  in  the  consolidated

financial statements.

181

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

(6)

Increase  primarily  related  to  Allied  World’s  investment  portfolio  of  $7,918.8,  which  the  company  commenced
consolidating on July 6, 2017.

(7) Excludes European Run-off’s portfolio investments that were included in assets held for sale on the consolidated balance
sheet at December 31, 2019. See note 23 (Acquisitions and Divestitures) to the consolidated financial statements for the
year ended December 31, 2019.

Investments per share increased by $27.74 to $1,453.71 at December 31, 2019 from $1,425.97 at December 31, 2018
primarily  reflecting  the  factors  that  increased  investments  described  under  the  heading  ‘‘Components  of
Consolidated Balance Sheets’’ in this MD&A and the impact of the company’s net purchases of its common shares for
treasury (for use in its share-based payment awards) and for cancellation (pursuant to normal course issuer bids). The
company’s  common  shares  effectively  outstanding  decreased  to  26,831,069  at  December  31,  2019  from
27,237,947 at December 31, 2018. Since 1985, investments per share has compounded at a rate of 18.3% per year,
including the impact of acquisitions.

Interest and Dividends

The majority of interest and dividends is earned by the insurance and reinsurance operations and run-off companies.
Interest and dividends on holding company cash and investments was $29.3 in 2019 (2018 – $30.0) prior to giving
effect to total return swap income of $3.6 (2018 – $7.8). Interest and dividends earned in the company’s first year and
for the past ten years is presented in the following table. The company calculates a pre-tax and after-tax interest and
dividends yield on average investments at carrying value to determine the return earned on investments during the
holding period prior to realization of capital gains or losses.

Average

Investments at
carrying value(2)
46.3

Amount(3)
3.4

Pre-tax

Yield(4)
(%)
7.34

Interest and dividends

After-tax

Per share(5)
($)
0.70

Amount(3)
1.8

Yield(4)
(%)
3.89

Per share(5)
($)
0.38

22,270.2
23,787.5
25,185.2
25,454.7
25,527.2
27,604.4
28,723.4
33,843.1
39,048.0
40,109.3

711.5
705.3
409.3
376.9
403.8
512.2
555.2
559.0
783.5
880.2

3.20
2.97
1.63
1.48
1.58
1.86
1.93
1.65
2.01
2.19

34.82
34.56
19.90
18.51
18.70
22.70
24.12
21.42
27.59
31.37

490.9
505.7
300.8
277.0
296.8
376.5
408.1
410.9
575.9
646.9

2.20
2.13
1.19
1.09
1.16
1.36
1.42
1.21
1.47
1.61

24.02
24.78
14.63
13.60
13.74
16.69
17.73
15.74
20.28
23.05

Year(1)
1986
(cid:2)

2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019(6)

(1)

(2)

IFRS  basis  for  2010  to  2019;  Canadian  GAAP  basis  for  2009  and  prior.  Under  Canadian  GAAP,  investments  were
generally carried at cost or amortized cost in 2006 and prior. All amounts in the table are calculated using information
presented in the consolidated financial statements.

Investments at carrying value is comprised of holding company cash and investments and portfolio investments, net of
short sale and derivative obligations (commencing in 2004), as presented on the consolidated balance sheet. Average
investments at carrying value is the simple average of investments at carrying value at the beginning and end of the year.

(3) Pre-tax  amount  is  as  presented  in  the  consolidated  statement  of  earnings.  After-tax  amount  is  tax  effected  at  the

company’s Canadian statutory income tax rate.

(4)

Interest and dividends, on a pre-tax and after-tax basis, expressed as a percentage of average investments at carrying value.

(5) Based  on  the  weighted  average  diluted  number  of  common  shares  outstanding  during  the  year  as  disclosed  in  the

consolidated financial statements.

(6) Average investments at carrying value and interest and dividends yield on a pre-tax and after-tax basis were calculated
inclusive of European Run-off’s portfolio investments included in assets held for sale on the consolidated balance sheet at
December 31, 2019.

182

Interest and dividends increased to $880.2 in 2019 from $783.5 in 2018, primarily reflecting higher interest income
from increased holdings of higher yielding, high quality U.S. corporate bonds in 2019, the reinvestment of cash and
short term investments into short-dated U.S. treasury bonds and Canadian government bonds in the second half of
2018, and higher dividend income earned on common stocks, partially offset by lower interest income earned from a
reduction in holdings of U.S. municipal bonds in 2018.

The  company’s  pre-tax  interest  and  dividends  yield  increased  from  2.01%  in  2018  to  2.19%  in  2019  and  the
company’s after-tax interest and dividends yield increased from 1.47% in 2018 to 1.61% in 2019. Prior to giving
effect to the interest which accrued to reinsurers on funds withheld of $11.1 (2018 – $6.1) and total return swap
income of $9.3 (2018 – $17.9), interest and dividends in 2019 of $859.8 (2018 – $759.5) produced a pre-tax yield of
2.14%  (2018 – 1.95%),  with  the  year-over-year  increase  primarily  due  to  the  factors  described  in  the  preceding
paragraph (excluding the impact of total return swaps).

Total return swap income decreased to $9.3 in 2019 from $17.9 in 2018 primarily reflecting decreased dividend
income earned on long equity total return swaps.

Share of Profit of Associates

Share  of  profit  of  associates  decreased  to  $169.6  in  2019  from  $221.1  in  2018,  principally  reflecting  a  non-cash
impairment loss of $190.6 recognized by Thomas Cook India on the non-cash spin-off of its Quess shares to its
minority  shareholders  that  was  fully  attributable  to  non-controlling  interests,  share  of  losses  of  Atlas  Mara  and
Resolute (compared to share of profits in 2018), decreased share of profit of KWF LPs and increased share of loss of
APR Energy, partially offset by share of a spin-off distribution gain at IIFL Holdings, increased share of profit of
Eurolife, share of a significant gain at Seaspan, share of profit of AFGRI (compared to share of loss in 2018) and
decreased non-cash impairment loss related to Thai Re of $7.5 in 2019 (2018 – $46.5).

Share of profit of associates by reporting segment in 2019 and 2018 were comprised as shown in the following tables:

Year ended December 31, 2019

Insurance and Reinsurance

Insurance and reinsurance:

Northbridge Group Forster National Brit World

Odyssey Crum &

Zenith

Allied Fairfax

insurance
Asia Other companies Run-off companies

Operating

Other Consolidated

Non- Corporate
and

Eurolife

Gulf Insurance

Digit

Thai Re

Other

Non-insurance:
IIFL Finance(1)
Seaspan(2)
KWF LPs(3)

Bangalore Airport

EXCO

AFGRI

Resolute

Astarta

Farmers Edge

Atlas Mara

APR Energy
Quess(4)

Other

–

–

–

–

–

–

3.2

–

(3.1)

–

6.4

–

(0.5)

–

(5.4)

–

–

–

0.5

1.1

–

–

–

–

–

–

(1.9)

1.0

(0.9)

–

–

–

–

(2.7)

–

–

–

–

–

0.3

(0.9)

(0.9)

(2.7)

0.3

–

–

–

–

–

–

0.7

15.1

56.3

–

6.9

–

–

(5.0)

(2.6)

–

(13.9)

–

(1.5)

27.4

9.4

0.1

–

0.8

–

(0.8)

(3.5)

(4.3)

–

(8.6)

–

(0.5)

–

1.0

–

–

2.7

7.6

(0.3)

–

0.6

2.6

–

–

4.6

22.4

–

–

–

–

(1.3)

(0.6)

(0.4)

(2.1)

(3.9)

–

(4.6)

(2.3)

(5.7)

–

–

–

(5.6)

(7.5)

(8.2)

–

–

(1.7)

(1.0)

–

0.6

–

–

(7.6)

–

5.4

(2.2)

2.1

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

1.1

5.2

–

–

2.2

–

(0.3)

(2.0)

(15.0)

–

(5.0)

–

0.1

–

–

(7.6)

(5.5)

6.7

–

–

–

(10.2)

–

(6.4)

(10.2)

41.8

60.7

53.0

–

19.5

–

(3.9)

(16.5)

(39.9)

–

7.4

11.4

(3.2)

–

1.7

–

(1.0)

(1.8)

–

–

(48.8)

(7.9)

–

–

(3.5)

(2.7)

–

–

–

–

–

–

148.6

–

–

30.8

–

19.5

–

–

–

(54.0)

–

(183.2)

(6.9)

154.8

15.4

–

0.7

(7.8)

163.1

1.1

11.7

–

–

0.4

–

–

(0.8)

–

–

(0.3)

–

(10.1)

154.8

15.4

(7.6)

(15.0)

(1.1)

146.5

198.9

83.8

49.8

30.8

21.6

19.5

(4.9)

(19.1)

(39.9)

(54.0)

(57.0)

(183.2)

(23.2)

56.0

20.0

(13.7)

(2.7)

13.3

2.1

(13.7)

62.4

3.9

(45.2)

2.0

23.1

Share of profit (loss) of

associates

1.1

55.1

19.1

(16.4)

(2.4)

13.3

(0.1)

(13.7)

56.0

(6.3)

(45.2)

165.1

169.6

183

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

Year ended December 31, 2018

Insurance and Reinsurance

Odyssey Crum &

Zenith

Insurance and reinsurance:

Northbridge Group Forster National Brit World

Allied Fairfax

insurance
Asia Other companies Run-off companies

Operating

Other Consolidated

Non- Corporate
and

Eurolife

Gulf Insurance

Digit

Thai Re

Other

Non-insurance:

IIFL Finance

Seaspan

KWF LPs

Bangalore Airport

EXCO

AFGRI

Resolute

Astarta

Farmers Edge

Atlas Mara

APR Energy

Quess

Other

–

–

–

–

–

–

0.7

–

0.7

–

–

–

7.5

–

(6.0)

–

–

–

3.4

6.3

–

–

–

(9.1)

0.2

–

–

–

–

–

–

(14.8)

(5.5)

–

–

–

–

–

–

6.5

(8.9)

(14.8)

(5.5)

6.5

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

(6.8)

–

1.1

(5.7)

1.8

1.1

0.5

0.1

–

86.9

–

–

–

–

(3.8)

(5.4)

–

(2.6)

–

(0.5)

6.3

–

10.9

–

–

–

11.8

(3.2)

(4.8)

–

(1.6)

–

(0.5)

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

20.3

8.7

(2.1)

(4.7)

(5.1)

(2.6)

–

–

(1.0)

(1.1)

–

–

(2.2)

(3.3)

–

–

–

–

–

5.8

–

(6.4)

–

(1.5)

–

(2.8)

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

0.1

–

–

–

–

–

–

0.2

8.8

3.3

–

–

–

4.8

(1.1)

(2.4)

–

(0.8)

–

3.9

–

–

(6.8)

(29.4)

7.8

–

–

–

(21.7)

–

(28.4)

(21.7)

10.7

8.8

101.8

–

–

–

58.9

(14.9)

(32.7)

–

0.7

–

16.8

–

–

–

15.5

(0.7)

–

–

(8.6)

(1.4)

–

–

(1.9)

(8.4)

–

–

–

–

–

–

18.1

7.3

–

(1.3)

(3.7)

20.4

33.7

0.2

–

–

51.1

–

(13.2)

–

–

–

30.8

–

8.4

(1.4)

–

–

–

–

–

–

(0.7)

–

–

(0.3)

–

(2.4)

(3.2)

18.1

7.3

(6.8)

(52.4)

4.1

(29.7)

45.3

8.8

118.6

51.1

–

(13.2)

74.4

(16.3)

(32.7)

30.8

(10.3)

8.4

(14.1)

250.8

74.7

18.9

9.9

(1.2)

(3.8)

0.6

16.7

122.1

22.5

109.4

Share of profit (loss) of

associates

6.3

65.8

4.1

4.4

5.3

(3.8)

(5.1)

16.7

93.7

0.8

109.4

17.2

221.1

See note 6 (Investments in Associates) to the consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2019 for details of transactions described below:

(1) During 2019 the company recorded share of profit of IIFL Holdings of $172.9, reflecting its share of a gain at IIFL Holdings from the spin-offs of IIFL Wealth and IIFL

Securities.

(2) During 2019 the company recorded share of profit of Seaspan of $83.8, principally reflecting Seaspan’s gain of $227.0 related to the modification of charter arrangements

with one of its largest customers.

(3) During 2019 the company recorded share of profit of a KWF LP of $57.0 (B53.6) related to the sale of investment property in Dublin, Ireland. The KWF LP was

(4)

subsequently liquidated.
Prior to the non-cash spin-off of its Quess shares as a return of capital, Thomas Cook India recorded the Quess shares to be transferred to its minority shareholders at fair
value and recognized a non-cash impairment loss of $190.6 that was fully attributed to non-controlling interests in 2019.

184

Net Gains (Losses) on Investments

Net gains on investments of $1,716.2 in 2019 (2018 – $252.9) was comprised as shown in the following table:

2019

2018

realized gains
(losses)

Net Net change in
unrealized
gains (losses)

Net gains
(losses) on realized gains
(losses)

Net Net change in
unrealized
gains (losses)

investments

Common stocks(1)
Preferred stocks – convertible
Bonds – convertible
Gain on disposition of associates(2)
Gain on deconsolidation of non-

insurance subsidiary(3)(4)
Other equity derivatives(5)(6)(7)

Long equity exposures
Short equity exposures(6)

Net equity exposure and financial effects

Bonds(8)(9)
Preferred stocks(10)
CPI-linked derivatives
U.S. treasury bond forward contracts
Other derivatives
Foreign currency
Gain on disposition of insurance
and reinsurance associate(11)

Other

545.4
–
(4.4)
0.7

171.3
79.1

792.1
(20.7)

771.4
(55.2)
(23.4)
(14.1)
(119.3)
22.7
(3.4)

10.2
22.9

370.5
0.9
5.8
–

–
110.7

487.9
(37.1)

450.8
252.3
396.4
1.8
32.6
(111.3)
(60.3)

–
142.1

915.9
0.9
1.4
0.7

171.3
189.8

1,280.0
(57.8)

1,222.2
197.1
373.0
(12.3)
(86.7)
(88.6)
(63.7)

10.2
165.0

195.2
5.1
20.2
138.9

889.9
76.8

1,326.1
(248.0)

1,078.1
106.0
(27.0)
–
49.6
0.1
(33.0)

–
1.1

(581.4)
(2.2)
(191.5)
–

–
(119.1)

(894.2)
209.8

(684.4)
(144.4)
(8.5)
(6.7)
(2.9)
19.8
(98.8)

–
3.9

Net gains
(losses) on
investments

(386.2)
2.9
(171.3)
138.9

889.9
(42.3)

431.9
(38.2)

393.7
(38.4)
(35.5)
(6.7)
46.7
19.9
(131.8)

–
5.0

Net gains (losses) on investments

611.8

1,104.4

1,716.2

1,174.9

(922.0)

252.9

Net gains (losses) on bonds is comprised

as follows:
Government bonds
U.S. states and municipalities
Corporate and other

21.4
52.5
(129.1)

(55.2)

67.4
6.9
178.0

252.3

88.8
59.4
48.9

197.1

(70.8)
212.0
(35.2)

106.0

29.1
(252.5)
79.0

(144.4)

(41.7)
(40.5)
43.8

(38.4)

See note 5 (Cash and Investments), note 6 (Investments in Associates) and note 23 (Acquisitions and Divestitures) to the
consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2019 for details of 2019 transactions described below:

(1) During 2019 the company sold its 9.9% equity interest in ICICI Lombard for gross proceeds of $729.0 and recognized a
net gain on investment of $240.0 (realized gains of $311.2, of which $71.2 was recorded as unrealized gains in prior
years), primarily related to the removal of the discount for lack of marketability previously applied by the company to the
traded market price of its ICICI Lombard common stock.

(2) On October 31, 2018 the company sold its equity accounted investments in Arbor Memorial Services Inc. and an insurance
brokerage for net proceeds of $179.2 (Cdn $235.4) and $58.8 (Cdn $76.3) and recorded net realized gains of $111.8 and
$17.6 (Cdn $22.7) respectively.

(3) On  May  17,  2019  the  company  deconsolidated  Grivalia  Properties  upon  its  merger  into  Eurobank  and  recognized  a

non-cash gain of $171.3.

(4) On March 1, 2018 Thomas Cook India entered into a strategic joint venture agreement with the founder of Quess that
resulted in Quess becoming a joint venture of Thomas Cook India whereas it was previously a consolidated subsidiary.
Accordingly, the company remeasured the carrying value of Quess to its fair value of $1,109.5, recognized a non-cash gain
of $889.9 and commenced applying the equity method of accounting.

(5) Other equity derivatives include long equity total return swaps, equity warrant forward contracts, equity warrants and

call options.

(6) Gains and losses on equity total return swaps that are regularly renewed as part of the company’s long term investment

strategy are presented in net change in unrealized gains (losses).

(7)

Includes the Seaspan equity warrants and equity warrant forward contracts in 2019 and 2018.

185

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

(8) On June 28, 2019 EXCO emerged from bankruptcy protection and settled the company’s holdings of EXCO bonds with
common shares, resulting in the company recording a net loss on investment of $179.3 (realized losses of $296.3, of which
$117.0 was recorded as unrealized losses in prior years).

(9) On December 21, 2019 Fairfax India’s holdings of Sanmar Chemicals Group (‘‘Sanmar’’) bonds with a principal amount
of $300.0 were settled for net cash proceeds of $425.5 (30.3 billion Indian rupees) including accrued interest, resulting in
the company recording a net gain on investment of $48.8 (realized gains of $156.5, of which $107.7 was recorded as
unrealized gains in prior years).

(10) On December 23, 2019 Go Digit Infoworks Services Private Limited (‘‘Digit’’) entered into definitive agreements whereby
its general insurance subsidiary Go Digit Insurance Limited (‘‘Digit Insurance’’) subsequently issued approximately $91
(6.5  billion  Indian  rupees)  of  new  equity  shares  primarily  to  three  Indian  investors.  This  transaction  valued  Digit
Insurance at approximately $858 (61.2 billion Indian rupees) and resulted in the company recording net unrealized gains
on investments of $350.9 on its investment in Digit compulsory convertible preferred shares.

(11) On April 18, 2019 Brit acquired the 50.0% equity interest in Ambridge Partners LLC (‘‘Ambridge Partners’’) that it did not
already  own  for  $46.6,  remeasured  its  existing  equity  interest  to  fair  value  for  a  gain  of  $10.4,  and  commenced
consolidating Ambridge Partners.

Net equity exposure and financial effects: Net equity exposure and financial effects excludes the company’s
insurance and reinsurance investments in associates and joint ventures and other equity and equity-related holdings
which are considered long term strategic holdings. During 2019 the company’s net equity exposure (long equity
exposures net of short equity exposures) produced net gains of $1,222.2 (2018 – $393.7). Net gains on long equity
exposures of $1,280.0 in 2019 were primarily comprised of net gains on common stocks ($915.9, inclusive of net
gains on ICICI Lombard), a net realized gain recorded on Grivalia upon its deconsolidation ($171.3), net gains on
equity warrants and call options ($123.9) and net gains on equity warrant forward contracts ($45.4).

The  company’s  short  equity  exposures  produced  net  losses  in  2019  of  $57.8  (2018 – $38.2).  During  2019  the
company  closed  out  $89.9  notional  amount  of  short  equity  total  return  swaps  and  recognized  net  gains  on
investments of $30.3 (realized losses of $7.9, of which $38.2 was recognized as unrealized losses in prior years).

Bonds: Net gains on bonds in 2019 of $197.1 (2018 – net losses on bonds of $38.4) were primarily comprised of net
gains on U.S. state and municipal bonds ($59.4), net gains on U.S. treasury bonds ($58.7), net gains on corporate and
other bonds ($48.9, inclusive of net losses on EXCO bonds and net gains on Sanmar bonds) and India government
bonds ($21.6).

CPI-linked derivatives: The company has purchased derivative contracts referenced to consumer price indexes
(‘‘CPI’’) in the geographic regions in which it operates to serve as an economic hedge against the potential adverse
financial impact on the company of decreasing price levels. During 2019 the company recorded net losses of $12.3
(2018 – $6.7) on its CPI-linked derivative contracts and did not enter into any new contracts. During 2019 certain
CPI-linked derivative contracts with a notional amount of $1,800.3 referenced to CPI in the United States, European
Union and United Kingdom matured. Refer to note 7 (Short Sales and Derivatives, under the heading ‘‘CPI-linked
derivatives’’) to the company’s consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2019 for details.

U.S. treasury bond forward contracts: To reduce its exposure to interest rate risk (primarily exposure to long
dated  U.S.  treasury  bonds,  U.S.  corporate  bonds  and  U.S.  state  and  municipal  bonds  held  in  its  fixed  income
portfolio), the company held forward contracts to sell long dated U.S. treasury bonds with a notional amount at
December 31, 2019 of $846.5 (December 31, 2018 – $471.9). These contracts have an average term to maturity of less
than three months, and may be renewed at market rates. During 2019 the company recorded net losses of $86.7
(2018 – net gains of $46.7) on its U.S. treasury bond forward contracts.

Foreign currency: Net losses on foreign currency in 2019 of $63.7 (2018 – $131.8) primarily reflected foreign
currency net losses on investing activities of $68.0 (primarily reflecting the strengthening of the Canadian dollar and
British  pound  relative  to  the  U.S.  dollar  and  the  strengthening  of  the  U.S.  dollar  relative  to  the  Indian  rupee),
partially offset by foreign currency net gains on underwriting activities of $5.6.

186

Net gains (losses) on investments by reporting segment: Net gains (losses) on investments by reporting
segment in 2019 and 2018 were comprised as follows:

Year ended December 31, 2019

Insurance and Reinsurance

Odyssey Crum & Zenith
Northbridge Group Forster National Brit World

Allied Fairfax

insurance
Asia Other companies Run-off companies

Operating

Other Consolidated

Non- Corporate
and

Long equity exposures(1)

Short equity exposures

Bonds
Preferred Stocks(2)

CPI-linked derivatives

U.S treasury bond forward contracts

Foreign currency

Other

40.6

230.1

78.9

11.7 40.1

104.3

244.9 147.6

898.2

177.9

–

(19.6)

(28.6)

(44.6)

5.5

2.0

–

(14.8)

11.8

(5.2)

3.8

(0.7)

(3.5)

(29.0)

(26.4)

74.2

3.2

(0.2)

(43.4)

6.8

(15.7)

(0.6)

24.3

1.4

–

6.4

1.4

(1.4)

(0.3)

(12.1)

–

–

69.8

6.4

–

–

4.3

2.1

(5.1) 12.4

15.8

13.9

–

(3.2)

5.6

(10.9)

350.9

–

–

(10.1)

0.2

(8.9)

–

5.2

41.0

(23.8)

(52.0)

119.6

372.8

(9.5)

(59.0)

(19.7)

8.1

(5.8)

45.5

0.2

(0.6)

(27.7)

(15.5)

(5.8)

24.8

–

50.7

–

–

–

(16.3)

13.4

179.1

–

(18.7)

–

(2.2)

–

(12.2)

70.9

1,280.0

(57.8)

197.1

373.0

(12.3)

(86.7)

(63.7)

86.6

Net gains (losses) on investments

0.5

149.5

75.2

22.5 62.1

210.2

632.3 106.2

1,258.5

168.2

72.6

216.9

1,716.2

Year ended December 31, 2018

Insurance and Reinsurance

Odyssey Crum & Zenith
Northbridge Group Forster National Brit World

Allied Fairfax

insurance
Asia Other companies Run-off companies

Operating

Other Consolidated

Non- Corporate
and

Long equity exposures(3)

Short equity exposures

Bonds

Preferred stocks

CPI-linked derivatives

U.S treasury bond forward contracts

Foreign currency

Other

(27.5)

(144.0)

0.2

(8.7)

(14.2)

(2.8)

0.5

(3.3)

0.2

(8.3)

(0.9)

(5.6)

2.9

6.7

35.5

2.3

(93.2)

(14.8)

(48.8)

(7.5)

(0.3)

28.2

(9.2)

1.4

(43.2) (60.9)

(5.2)

(16.8)

27.5

(363.3)

(83.4)

–

–

–

–

(8.7) 4.7

(25.0)

(10.8)

(2.4)

(1.1)

(11.6)

(0.4) 1.2

3.3

0.3

–

–

–

–

–

(2.0)

(6.0)

7.8

(1.5)

0.2

(24.9)

(2.5)

(104.2)

(15.1)

(34.6)

(0.9)

39.2

(0.9)

0.1

7.2

(6.2) (13.0)

(23.4)

(44.6)

19.4

(44.8)

(12.9)

–

5.7

(1.7)

0.5

0.4

8.8

(0.1)

908.4

–

84.5

–

–

–

(90.6)

(1.9)

(29.8)

(10.8)

(3.6)

–

(5.9)

0.3

16.5

18.1

431.9

(38.2)

(38.4)

(35.5)

(6.7)

46.7

(131.8)

24.9

Net gains (losses) on investments

(55.6)

(111.4)

(144.2)

(57.6) (63.1)

(66.9)

(71.7)

45.8

(524.7)

(107.6)

900.4

(15.2)

252.9

(1)

(2)
(3)

Includes a net gain on investment of $240.0 (realized gains of $311.2, of which $71.2 was recorded as unrealized gains in prior years) on the disposition of the company’s
remaining 9.9% equity interest in ICICI Lombard at Fairfax Asia.
Includes a net unrealized gain of $350.9 on the company’s investments in compulsory convertible preferred shares of Digit at Fairfax Asia.
Includes a net realized gain of $889.9 related to the deconsolidation of Quess by Thomas Cook India in the Non-insurance companies reporting segment.

Total Return on the Investment Portfolio

The following table presents the performance of the investment portfolio since the company’s inception in 1985. For
the  years  1986  to  2006,  total  return  on  average  investments  included  interest  and  dividends,  net  realized  gains
(losses)  and  changes  in  net  unrealized  gains  (losses)  as  the  majority  of  the  company’s  investment  portfolio  was
carried at cost or amortized cost under Canadian GAAP. For the years 2007 to 2009, Canadian GAAP required the
company to carry the majority of its investments at fair value and as a result, total return on average investments
during this period included interest and dividends, net gains (losses) on investments recorded in the consolidated
statement of earnings and net unrealized gains (losses) on investments recorded in other comprehensive income.
Effective January 1, 2010 the company adopted IFRS and was required to carry the majority of its investments at
FVTPL and as a result, total return on average investments for the years 2010 to 2019 includes interest and dividends,
net gains (losses) on investments and share of profit of associates, as presented on the consolidated statement of

187

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

earnings,  expressed  as  a  percentage  of  average  investments  at  carrying  value.  All  amounts  described  above  are
included on a pre-tax basis in the calculation of total return on average investments.

Net gains (losses)
recorded in:

Consolidated

Other
statement comprehensive

Share of
profit
income (loss) of associates

Total return
on average
investments

(%)

Average
investments
at carrying
value(2)

Interest
and
dividends

Net Change in
realized unrealized
gains
(losses)

gains
(losses)

46.3
81.2
102.6
112.4
201.2
292.3
301.8
473.1
871.5
1,163.4
1,861.5
3,258.6
5,911.2
10,020.3
11,291.5
10,264.3
10,377.9
11,527.5
12,955.8
14,142.4
15,827.0
17,898.0
19,468.8
20,604.2
22,270.2
23,787.5
25,185.2
25,454.7
25,527.2
27,604.4
28,723.4
33,843.1
39,048.0
40,109.3

3.4
6.2
7.5
10.0
17.7
22.7
19.8
18.1
42.6
65.3
111.0
183.8
303.7
532.7
534.0
436.9
436.1
331.9
375.7
466.1
746.5
761.0
626.4
712.7
711.5
705.3
409.3
376.9
403.8
512.2
555.2
559.0
783.5
880.2

0.7
7.1
6.5
13.4
2.0
(3.9)
2.8
21.6
14.6
52.5
96.3
149.3
314.3
63.8
259.1
121.0
465.0
826.1
300.5(4)
385.7
789.4(4)

–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–

(0.2)
(6.1)
9.5
(5.1)
(28.5)
24.0
(8.3)
22.2
(30.7)
32.7
82.1
(6.9)
(78.3)
(871.4)
584.1
194.0
263.2
142.4
165.6
73.0
(247.8)
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–

Year(1)
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019(6)

of earnings(3)

–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
1,639.5
2,718.6

904.3(4)
28.7
737.7
639.4
(1,579.8)
1,682.7
(341.3)
(1,223.3)
1,542.4(5)
221.3
1,710.6

–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
304.5
(426.7)
1,076.7
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–

751.9

3.9
7.2

8.4
–
8.9
–
23.5 22.9
–
18.3 16.3
–
(8.8) (4.4)
–
42.8 14.6
–
4.7
14.3
–
61.9 13.1
–
3.0
26.5
–
150.5 12.9
–
289.4 15.5
–
326.2 10.0
–
539.7
9.1
–
(274.9) (2.7)
–
1,377.2 12.2
–
7.3
–
1,164.3 11.2
–
1,300.4 11.3
–
6.5
841.8
–
6.5
924.8
–
1,288.1
8.1
–
2,705.0 15.1
–
2,918.3 15.0
–
2,693.7 13.1
–
3.5
786.2
46.0
6.1
1,444.8
1.8
15.0
4.2
1,063.7
96.7 (1,106.2) (4.3)
8.6
2,192.2
343.8
1.2
(643.9) (2.2)
6.8
3.1
6.9

2,301.9
1,225.9
2,760.4

105.7
172.9
24.2
200.5
221.1
169.6

Cumulative from

inception

12,668.7

3,887.8

8,680.8

1,053.5 27,554.8

8.0(7)

(1)

(2)

IFRS basis for 2010 to 2019; Canadian GAAP for 2009 and prior. Under Canadian GAAP, investments were generally
carried at cost or amortized cost in 2006 and prior.

Investments at carrying value is comprised of holding company cash and investments and portfolio investments, net of
short sale and derivative obligations (commencing in 2004), as presented on the consolidated balance sheet. Average
investments at carrying value is the simple average of investments at carrying value at the beginning and end of the year.

(3) Excludes foreign currency net gains (losses) recognized on the company’s underwriting activities since 2008, as presented

in the consolidated financial statements.

(4) Excludes gains on the company’s secondary offerings of certain insurance and reinsurance subsidiaries (2004 – $40.1;
2006 – $69.7), losses on repurchase of long term debt at premiums to par (2004 – $27.0; 2006 – $15.7) and other gains
and losses arising on transactions involving the common and preferred shares of consolidated insurance and reinsurance
subsidiaries (2006 – $8.1 loss; 2009 – $25.9 gain).

188

(5) Excludes the gain of $1,018.6 on the company’s sale of First Capital during 2017.

(6) Average investments at carrying value and total return on average investments were calculated inclusive of European
Run-off’s  portfolio  investments  that  were  presented  in  assets  held  for  sale  on  the  consolidated  balance  sheet  at
December 31, 2019.

(7) Simple average of the total return on average investments for each of the 34 years.

Investment  gains  have  been  an  important  component  of  the  company’s  financial  results  since  1985,  having
contributed  an  aggregate  $13,627.3  (pre-tax)  to  total  equity  since  inception.  The  contribution  has  fluctuated
significantly from period to period; the amount of investment gains (losses) for any period has no predictive value
and variations in amount from period to period have no practical analytical value. From inception in 1985 to 2019,
total return on average investments has averaged 8.0%.

The company has a long term, value-oriented investment philosophy. It continues to expect fluctuations in the
global financial markets for common stocks, bonds, derivatives and other securities.

Bonds

Credit Risk

At December 31, 2019, 85.3% (December 31, 2018 – 86.9%) of the fixed income portfolio’s carrying value was rated
investment grade or better, with 47.2% (December 31, 2018 – 63.5%) rated AA or better (primarily consisting of
government  bonds).  Refer  to  note  24  (Financial  Risk  Management,  under  the  heading  ‘‘Investments  in  Debt
Instruments’’) to the consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2019 for a discussion of the
company’s exposure to the credit risk in its fixed income portfolio.

Interest Rate Risk

Hypothetical parallel upward shifts in the term structure of interest rates by 100 basis points and 200 basis points
would potentially decrease net earnings by $243.6 and $463.3 respectively (2018 – $274.3 and $541.1).

The company’s exposure to interest rate risk decreased during 2019 reflecting decreased holdings in bonds as a result
of net sales and maturities of short-dated U.S. treasury bonds and Canadian government bonds for net proceeds of
$4,601.5  and  $344.5,  respectively,  and  the  settlement  of  bonds  issued  by  EXCO  Resources Inc.  and  Sanmar
Chemicals Group, partially offset by net purchases of high quality U.S. corporate bonds of $1,370.4. To reduce its
exposure  to  interest  rate  risk  (primarily  exposure  to  long-dated  U.S.  treasury  bonds,  U.S.  corporate  bonds  and
U.S.  state  and  municipal  bonds  held  in  its  fixed  income  portfolio),  the  company  held  forward  contracts  to  sell
long-dated  U.S.  treasury  bonds  with  a  notional  amount  at  December 31,  2019  of  $846.5  (December  31,  2018 –
$471.9).  These  contracts  have  an  average  term  to  maturity  of  less  than  three  months  and  may  be  renewed  at
market rates.

The company’s exposure to interest rate risk is discussed further in note 24 (Financial Risk Management) to the
consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2019.

Common Stocks

The company holds significant investments in equity and equity-related instruments. The market value and the
liquidity of these investments are volatile and may vary dramatically either up or down in short periods, and their
ultimate value will therefore only be known over the long term or on disposition. During 2019 the company’s equity
and  equity-related  exposure  increased,  primarily  reflecting  net  unrealized  appreciation,  the  merger  of  Grivalia
Properties into Eurobank and net acquisitions of non-insurance associates and joint ventures, partially offset by the
reclassification  of  common  stocks,  associates  and  joint  ventures  at  European  Run-off  to  assets  held  for  sale  and
Thomas Cook India’s non-cash spin-off of its Quess shares as a return of capital to its minority shareholders.

The company’s risk management objective with respect to market price fluctuations places primary emphasis on the
preservation of invested capital. In the foreseeable future, the company will remain focused on its long term value-
oriented investment philosophy, seeking investments that are attractively priced, selling at a discount to intrinsic
value and afford a margin of safety.

A hypothetical decrease in global equity markets of 5% and 10% at December 31, 2019 would potentially decrease
the company’s net earnings by $264.4 and $527.5 respectively (2018 – $251.3 and $493.8). The company’s net equity

189

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

exposure and exposure to market price fluctuations are discussed further in note 24 (Financial Risk Management) to
the consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2019.

The company’s holdings of common stocks and long equity total return swaps at December 31, 2019 and 2018 are
summarized by the issuer’s primary industry in the table below.

Financials and investment funds
Commercial and industrial
Consumer products and other

December 31, December 31,
2018(1)
4,120.9
966.6
451.0

2019(1)
4,777.9
950.0
447.0

6,174.9

5,538.5

(1) Excludes  other  funds  that  are  invested  principally  in  fixed  income  securities  at  December  31,  2019  of  $175.6

(December 31, 2018 – $150.3).

The company’s holdings of common stocks and long equity total return swaps at December 31, 2019 and 2018 are
summarized by the issuer’s country of domicile in the table below.

United States
Greece(2)
Canada
Netherlands
India
Egypt
China
Singapore
Nigeria
United Kingdom
Hong Kong
Brazil
Japan
Thailand
Italy
Kuwait
Germany
All other

December 31, December 31,
2018(1)
1,466.7
244.4
978.9
509.4
677.8
351.1
154.8
178.6
79.0
70.8
95.6
46.5
43.4
97.3
52.6
30.8
28.6
432.2

2019(1)
1,573.2
1,174.4
857.0
588.6
441.0
395.2
145.0
143.0
71.2
69.5
65.7
65.3
51.6
45.2
43.4
41.3
35.2
369.1

6,174.9

5,538.5

(1) Excludes  other  funds  that  are  invested  principally  in  fixed  income  securities  at  December  31,  2019  of  $175.6

(December 31, 2018 – $150.3).

(2) The year-over-year increase primarily related to the deconsolidation of Grivalia Properties upon its merger into Eurobank,
with the company continuing to account for its investment in Eurobank as a common stock. Refer to note 23 (Acquisitions
and Divestitures) to the company’s consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2019.

Derivatives and Derivative Counterparties

The company endeavours to limit counterparty risk through diligent selection of counterparties to its derivative
contracts  and  through  the  terms  of  negotiated  agreements.  Pursuant  to  these  agreements,  counterparties  are
contractually required to deposit eligible collateral in collateral accounts (subject to certain minimum thresholds) for
the benefit of the company based on the daily fair value of the derivative contracts. Agreements negotiated with
counterparties provide for a single net settlement of all financial instruments covered by the agreement in the event
of default by the counterparty, thereby permitting obligations owed by the company to a counterparty to be offset to
the extent of the aggregate amount receivable by the company from that counterparty. The company’s exposure to
net derivative counterparty risk at December 31, 2019 was estimated to be $53.7 (December 31, 2018 – $95.0).

Refer  to  note  24  (Financial  Risk  Management,  under  the  heading  ‘‘Credit  Risk – Counterparties  to  Derivative
Contracts’’) to the consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2019 for a discussion and
tabular analysis of the company’s exposure to derivative counterparty risk. 

190

Float

Float in the insurance industry refers to the funds available for investment that arise as an insurance or reinsurance
operation receives premiums in advance of the payment of claims. The company calculates its float as the sum of its
provision for losses and loss adjustment expenses, unearned premiums and other insurance contract liabilities, less
the sum of its insurance contract receivables, recoverable from reinsurers and deferred premium acquisition costs.
The annual cost (benefit) of float is calculated by expressing annual underwriting loss (profit) as a percentage of
average float for the year (the simple average of float at the beginning and end of the year).

The following table presents the accumulated float and the cost (benefit) of generating that float for the company’s
insurance  and  reinsurance  operations.  The  average  float  from  those  operations  increased  by  0.7%  in  2019  to
$20,149.6, at no cost.

Year
1986
(cid:2)

2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
Weighted average since inception

Underwriting
profit (loss)(1)
2.5

Average
float
21.6

Cost (benefit)
of float
(11.6)%

12,744.1
704.5
575.9
13,986.5
(641.5) 17,200.9
20,009.6
318.3
20,149.6
394.5

(5.5)%
(4.1)%
3.8%
(1.6)%
(2.0)%
0.2%

(3.2)%

Average long
term Canada
treasury
bond yield
9.6%

2.2%
1.9%
2.3%
2.4%
1.8%
3.4%

Fairfax’s weighted average net benefit of float since inception:

(1)

IFRS basis for 2010 to 2019; Canadian GAAP basis for 2009 and prior. Underwriting profit (loss) of the insurance and
reinsurance subsidiaries for 2019 and 2018 is presented in note 25 (Segmented Information) to the consolidated financial
statements for the year ended December 31, 2019.

Consolidated year-end float for the most recent five years was comprised as follows:

Insurance and Reinsurance

Year

2015
2016
2017
2018
2019

Northbridge(1)

Odyssey
Group(2)

Crum &
Zenith
Forster(3) National(4)

Brit(5)

Allied Fairfax
Asia(7)

World(6)

Other(8)

Operating
companies

Run-off(9) Consolidated

1,599.8
1,650.3
1,786.2
1,694.1
1,869.0

4,227.2
4,093.9
4,531.0
4,670.3
5,100.5

2,714.9 1,259.0
2,854.8 1,232.6
2,888.7 1,236.6
2,887.6 1,200.4
3,032.8 1,141.6

– 549.4
– 512.0

833.2 13,922.4 3,286.8 17,209.2
2,738.9
2,806.1
900.8 14,050.5 2,808.5 16,859.0
3,079.5 5,459.1 240.6 1,129.5 20,351.2 2,573.1 22,924.3
2,792.3 5,082.5 242.4 1,098.4 19,668.0 3,050.1 22,718.1
3,043.0 5,115.9 253.1 1,075.2 20,631.1 1,747.4 22,378.5

During  2019  the  company’s  consolidated  float  decreased  by  $339.6  to  $22,378.5.  A  comparison  of  2019  to
2018 year-end float for each of the insurance and reinsurance and Run-off reporting segments is provided below.

(1) Northbridge’s float increased by 10.3% (increased by 4.7% in Canadian dollar terms) primarily due to increases in loss
reserves and unearned premiums, partially offset by higher insurance contract receivables. The increase in float of 10.3%
also reflected the weakening of the U.S. dollar relative to the Canadian dollar. The increase in unearned premiums and
insurance contract receivables primarily reflected higher business volumes.

(2) Odyssey Group’s float increased by 9.2% primarily due to increases in loss reserves and unearned premiums and a decrease
in  recoverables  from  reinsurers,  partially  offset  by  an  increase  in  insurance  contract  receivables.  The  increase  in  loss
reserves  reflected  higher  business  volumes  and  the  impact  of  catastrophe  losses  in  2019.  The  increases  in  unearned
premiums and insurance contract receivables primarily reflected higher business volumes.

(3) Crum & Forster’s float increased by 5.0% primarily reflecting increases in loss reserves and unearned premiums, partially
offset by increases in insurance contract receivables, recoverables from reinsurers and deferred acquisition costs, due to
higher business volumes.

191

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

(4) Zenith National’s float decreased by 4.9% reflecting decreases in loss reserves and unearned premiums, partially offset by
a decrease in insurance contract receivables. The decreases in unearned premiums and insurance contract receivables
primarily reflected lower business volumes.

(5) Brit’s float increased by 9.0% due to increases in insurance contract payables and unearned premiums, partially offset by
an increase in insurance contract receivables. Brit is included in the company’s consolidated financial reporting with effect
from June 5, 2015.

(6) Allied World’s float increased by 0.7% principally as a result of increases in unearned premiums and insurance contract
payables, partially offset by increases in recoverables from reinsurers and insurance contract receivables. Allied World is
included in the company’s consolidated financial reporting with effect from July 6, 2017.

(7) Fairfax Asia’s float increased by 4.4% primarily due to increases in loss reserves and unearned premiums, partially offset

by increases in insurance contract receivables and recoverables from reinsurers.

(8)

Insurance  and  Reinsurance – Other’s  float  decreased  by  2.1%  primarily  due  to  higher  recoverables  from  reinsurers,
partially offset by an increase in loss reserves and lower insurance contract receivables.

(9) Run-off’s float decreased by 42.7% primarily due to European Run-off’s assets and liabilities being included in assets held
for sale and liabilities associated with assets held for sale on the consolidated balance sheet at December 31, 2019 and
excluded from the calculation of float.

Float, average float and cost (benefit) of float are performance measures that are calculated using amounts presented
in  the  consolidated  financial  statements.  Consolidated  float  was  calculated  using  amounts  presented  on  the
consolidated balance sheets at December 31 as follows:

Insurance contract payables
Insurance contract liabilities
Insurance contract receivables
Deferred premium acquisition costs
Recoverable from reinsurers

December 31, December 31,
2018
2,003.1
35,353.9
(5,110.7)
(1,127.3)
(8,400.9)

2019
2,591.0
35,722.6
(5,435.0)
(1,344.3)
(9,155.8)

22,378.5

22,718.1

192

Financial Condition

Capital Resources and Management

The company manages its capital based on the following financial measurements and ratios:

December 31,

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

Consolidated
Holding company cash and investments (net of short

sale and derivative obligations)

1,098.6

1,550.6

2,356.9

1,329.4

1,275.9

Borrowings – holding company
Borrowings – insurance and reinsurance companies
Borrowings – non-insurance companies

4,117.3
1,039.6
2,075.7

3,859.5
995.7
1,625.2

3,475.1
1,373.0
1,566.0

3,472.5
435.5
859.6

2,599.0
468.5
284.0

Total debt

Net debt(1)

Common shareholders’ equity
Preferred stock
Non-controlling interests

Total equity

7,232.6

6,480.4

6,414.1

4,767.6

3,351.5

6,134.0

4,929.8

4,057.2

3,438.2

2,075.6

13,042.6
1,335.5
3,529.1

11,779.3
1,335.5
4,250.4

12,475.6
1,335.5
4,600.9

8,484.6
1,335.5
2,000.0

8,952.5
1,334.9
1,731.5

17,907.2

17,365.2

18,412.0

11,820.1

12,018.9

Net debt/total equity
Net debt/net total capital(2)
Total debt/total capital(3)
Interest coverage(4)
Interest and preferred share dividend distribution

coverage(5)

34.3%
25.5%
28.8%
6.5x

28.4%
22.1%
27.2%
3.5x

22.0%
18.1%
25.8%
7.1x

29.1%
22.5%
28.7%
n/a

17.3%
14.7%
21.8%
3.9x

5.7x

3.0x

6.0x

n/a

2.9x

193

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

December 31,

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

Excluding consolidated non-insurance

companies

Holding company cash and investments (net of short

sale and derivative obligations)

1,098.6

1,550.6

2,356.9

1,329.4

1,275.9

Borrowings – holding company
Borrowings – insurance and reinsurance companies

4,117.3
1,039.6

3,859.5
995.7

3,475.1
1,373.0

3,472.5
435.5

2,599.0
468.5

Total debt

Net debt(1)

Common shareholders’ equity
Preferred stock
Non-controlling interests

Total equity

5,156.9

4,855.2

4,848.1

3,908.0

3,067.5

4,058.3

3,304.6

2,491.2

2,578.6

1,791.6

13,042.6
1,335.5
1,519.8

11,779.3
1,335.5
1,437.1

12,475.6
1,335.5
1,725.9

8,484.6
1,335.5
523.5

8,952.5
1,334.9
524.3

15,897.9

14,551.9

15,537.0

10,343.6

10,811.7

Net debt/total equity
Net debt/net total capital(2)
Total debt/total capital(3)
Interest coverage(4)(6)
Interest and preferred share dividend distribution

coverage(5)(6)

25.5%
20.3%
24.5%
9.8x

22.7%
18.5%
25.0%
3.2x

16.0%
13.8%
23.8%
8.0x

24.9%
20.0%
27.4%
n/a

16.6%
14.2%
22.1%
3.5x

7.9x

2.6x

6.5x

n/a

2.6x

(1) Net debt is calculated by the company as total debt less holding company cash and investments (net of short sale and

derivative obligations).

(2) Net total capital is calculated by the company as the sum of total equity and net debt.

(3) Total capital is calculated by the company as the sum of total equity and total debt.

(4)

(5)

Interest coverage is calculated by the company as earnings (loss) before income taxes and interest expense on borrowings,
divided by interest expense on borrowings.

Interest and preferred share dividend distribution coverage is calculated by the company as earnings (loss) before income
taxes and interest expense on borrowings divided by the sum of interest expense on borrowings and preferred share dividend
distributions adjusted to a pre-tax equivalent at the company’s Canadian statutory income tax rate.

(6) Excludes  earnings  (loss)  before  income  taxes,  and  interest  expense  on  borrowings,  of  consolidated  non-insurance
companies.  The  ratios  for  the  year  ended  December  31,  2018  include  the  non-cash  gain  of  $889.9  from  the
deconsolidation of Quess.

Borrowings – holding  company  increased  by  $257.8  to  $4,117.3  at  December  31,  2019  from  $3,859.5  at
December 31, 2018, primarily reflecting the issuance of Cdn$500.0 principal amount of 4.23% unsecured senior
notes due June 14, 2029, the issuance of $85.0 principal amount of 4.142% unsecured senior notes due February 7,
2024  and  the  foreign  currency  translation  impact  of  the  strengthening  of  the  Canadian  dollar  relative  to  the
U.S.  dollar  on  the  company’s  Canadian  dollar  denominated  long  term  debt,  partially  offset  by  the  company’s
redemption  of  its  remaining  Cdn$395.6  principal  amount  of  6.40%  unsecured  senior  notes  due  May  25,  2021.
Significant cash movements at the holding company during 2019 are as set out in the Financial Condition section of
this MD&A under the heading ‘‘Liquidity’’. Subsequent to December 31, 2019 the company borrowed $300.0 on the
credit facility.

Borrowings – insurance  and  reinsurance  companies  increased  by  $43.9  to  $1,039.6  at  December  31,  2019  from
$995.7  at  December  31,  2018,  primarily  reflecting  Brit’s  additional  borrowings  of  $132.1  on  its  revolving  credit
facility, partially offset by the reclassification of European Run-off’s borrowings to liabilities associated with assets
held for sale.

Borrowings – non-insurance  companies  increased  by  $450.5  to  $2,075.7  at  December  31,  2019  from  $1,625.2  at
December 31, 2018, primarily reflecting the consolidation of AGT and CIG, and increased borrowings at Recipe,
partially offset by the deconsolidation of Grivalia Properties.

194

Common shareholders’ equity increased to $13,042.6 at December 31, 2019 from $11,779.3 at December 31, 2018,
primarily reflecting net earnings attributable to shareholders of Fairfax ($2,004.1), partially offset by payments of
common and preferred share dividends ($323.8), purchases of subordinate voting shares for cancellation ($118.0)
and for use in share-based payment awards ($104.4), other comprehensive loss ($146.4, comprised of net losses on
defined benefit plans ($69.4), net unrealized foreign currency translation losses on foreign operations ($22.6) and
share of other comprehensive loss of associates ($54.4)) and other net changes in capitalization ($123.5). For further
details  on  other  net  changes  in  capitalization  refer  to  note  16  (Total  Equity)  and  note  23  (Acquisitions  and
Divestitures) to the consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2019.

Non-controlling  interests  decreased  to  $3,529.1  at  December  31,  2019  from  $4,250.4  at  December  31,  2018,
primarily reflecting the deconsolidation of Grivalia Properties ($466.2), dividends paid to minority shareholders
($175.8),  other  net  changes  in  capitalization  ($131.7)  and  non-controlling  interests’  share  of  net  loss  ($32.9),
partially offset by the consolidation of AGT and CIG. For further details on other net changes in capitalization refer
to note 16 (Total Equity) and note 23 (Acquisitions and Divestitures) to the consolidated financial statements for the
year ended December 31, 2019.

The changes in borrowings and common shareholders’ equity affected the company’s leverage ratios as follows: the
consolidated net debt/net total capital ratio increased to 25.5% at December 31, 2019 from 22.1% at December 31,
2018, primarily as a result of increased net debt, partially offset by increased net total capital. The increase in net debt
was primarily due to increased borrowings by the Non-insurance companies and holding company (as described in
the preceding paragraphs) and decreased holding company cash and investments. The consolidated total debt/total
capital ratio increased to 28.8% at December 31, 2019 from 27.2% at December 31, 2018, primarily as a result of
increased  total  debt,  partially  offset  by  increased  total  capital  (reflecting  increases  in  total  debt  and  common
shareholders’ equity, partially offset by a decrease in non-controlling interests).

The company believes that holding company cash and investments, net of short sale and derivative obligations, at
December  31,  2019  of  $1,098.6  (December  31,  2018 – $1,550.6)  provide  adequate  liquidity  to  meet  the  holding
company’s known commitments in 2020. Refer to the Liquidity section of this MD&A for a discussion of the holding
company’s available sources of liquidity and known significant commitments for 2020.

The  company’s  insurance  and  reinsurance  companies  continue  to  maintain  capital  above  minimum  regulatory
levels, at levels adequate to support their issuer credit and financial strength ratings, and above internally calculated
risk management levels as discussed below. A common non-IFRS measure of capital adequacy in the property and
casualty industry is the ratio of net premiums written to statutory surplus (or total equity). This ratio is presented for
the insurance and reinsurance companies for the most recent five years in the following table:

Insurance and Reinsurance

Northbridge (Canada)
Odyssey Group (U.S.)
Crum & Forster (U.S.)
Zenith National (U.S.)
Brit(1)
Allied World(2)
Fairfax Asia(3)
Other

Industry

Canadian insurance industry
U.S. insurance industry

Net premiums written to statutory
surplus (total equity)

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

1.4
0.7
1.7
1.4
1.3
0.6
0.5
1.1

1.2
0.7

1.2
0.7
1.5
1.5
1.4
0.8
0.4
1.1

1.1
0.8

1.0
0.6
1.4
1.5
1.4
0.9
0.4
0.8

1.1
0.7

0.9
0.5
1.5
1.5
1.3
–
0.4
0.7

1.0
0.7

0.9
0.5
1.3
1.3
1.4
–
0.5
0.7

1.0
0.7

(1) The  2015  ratio  presented  for  Brit  includes  net  premiums  written  by  Brit  prior  its  acquisition  by  the  company  on

June 5, 2015.

(2) The 2019, 2018 and 2017 ratios presented for Allied World include its U.S. GAAP equity of $4,136.1, $2,817.3 and
$2,523.8 at December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017 respectively.  The 2017 ratio presented for Allied World includes net
premiums written by Allied World prior to its acquisition by the company on July 6, 2017.

(3) Total equity excludes certain holding company investments. 

195

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

In  the  U.S.,  the  National  Association  of  Insurance  Commissioners  (‘‘NAIC’’)  has  developed  a  model  law  and
risk-based capital (‘‘RBC’’) formula designed to help regulators identify property and casualty insurers that may be
inadequately capitalized. Under the NAIC’s requirements, an insurer must maintain total capital and surplus above a
calculated threshold or face varying levels of regulatory action. The threshold is based on a formula that attempts to
quantify  the  risk  of  a  company’s  insurance  and  reinsurance,  investment  and  other  business  activities.  At
December 31, 2019 Odyssey Group, Crum & Forster, Zenith National, Allied World and U.S. Run-off subsidiaries had
capital and surplus that met or exceeded the regulatory minimum requirement of two times the authorized control
level; each subsidiary had capital and surplus of at least 3.1 times (December 31, 2018 – 3.3 times) the authorized
control level, except for TIG Insurance which had 2.0 times (December 31, 2018 – 2.0 times).

In  Canada,  property  and  casualty  companies  are  regulated  by  the  Office  of  the  Superintendent  of  Financial
Institutions on the basis of a minimum supervisory target of 150% of a minimum capital test (‘‘MCT’’) formula. At
December 31, 2019 Northbridge’s subsidiaries had a weighted average MCT ratio of 204% (December 31, 2018 –
198%) of the minimum statutory capital required.

In Bermuda, insurance and reinsurance companies are regulated by the Bermuda Monetary Authority and are subject
to the statutory requirements of the Bermuda Insurance Act 1978. There is a requirement to hold available statutory
economic capital and surplus equal to or in excess of an enhanced capital and target capital level as determined
under  the  Bermuda  Solvency  Capital  Requirement  model.  The  target  capital  level  is  measured  as  120%  of  the
enhanced capital requirements. At December 31, 2019 and 2018 Allied World’s subsidiary was in compliance with
Bermuda’s regulatory requirements.

The  Lloyd’s  market  is  subject  to  the  solvency  and  capital  adequacy  requirements  of  the  Prudential  Regulatory
Authority in the U.K. The capital requirements of Brit are based on the output of an internal model which reflects the
risk profile of the business. At December 31, 2019 Brit’s available capital consisted of net tangible assets (total assets
less any intangible assets and all liabilities), subordinated debt and contingent funding in the form of letters of credit
and  amounted  to  $1,576.6  (December  31,  2018 – $1,409.8).  This  represented  a  surplus  of  $348.8  (December  31,
2018 – $328.7)  over  the  management  capital  requirements  (capital  required  for  business  strategy  and  regulatory
requirements), compared to Brit’s minimum targeted surplus of $210.0 (December 31, 2018 – $200.0).

In countries other than the U.S., Bermuda, Canada and the U.K. where the company operates, the company met or
exceeded the applicable regulatory capital requirements at December 31, 2019 and 2018.

The  issuer  credit  ratings  and  financial  strength  ratings  of  Fairfax  and  its  insurance  and  reinsurance  operating
companies at December 31, 2019 were as follows:

Issuer Credit Ratings

Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited

Financial Strength Ratings
Northbridge Financial Corporation(1)
Odyssey Group Holdings, Inc.(1)
Crum & Forster Holdings Corp.(1)
Zenith National Insurance Corp.(1)
Brit Limited(2)
Allied World Assurance Company Holdings, Ltd(1)
Falcon Insurance Company (Hong Kong) Limited
Wentworth Insurance Company Ltd.
Polish Re
Colonnade Insurance S.A.

Standard

A.M. Best

& Poor’s Moody’s

DBRS

bbb

BBB-

Baa3

BBB
(high)

A
A
A
A
A
A
–
A
A-
A-

A-
A-
A-
A-
A+
A-
A-
–
–
–

A3
A2
Baa1
Baa1
–
A3
–
–
–
–

A
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–

(1) Financial strength ratings apply to the operating companies.

(2) Brit’s ratings are the A.M. Best and Standard & Poor’s ratings assigned to Lloyd’s.

196

During 2019 Moody’s upgraded the financial strength rating of Odyssey Reinsurance Company to ‘‘A2’’ from ‘‘A3’’.

Book Value Per Share

Common shareholders’ equity at December 31, 2019 of $13,042.6 or $486.10 per basic share compared to $11,779.3
or $432.46 per basic share at December 31, 2018, representing an increase per basic share in 2019 of 12.4% (without
adjustment for the $10.00 per common share dividend paid in the first quarter of 2019; the increase would be 14.8%
adjusted to include that dividend). The increase in book value per basic share was primarily due to net earnings
attributable to shareholders of Fairfax. During 2019 the number of basic shares decreased primarily as a result of net
purchases of 157,517 subordinate voting shares for treasury (for use in the company’s share-based payment awards)
and  purchases  of  249,361  subordinate  voting  shares  for  cancellation.  At  December  31,  2019  there  were
26,831,069 common shares effectively outstanding.

The company has issued common shares and purchased common shares for cancellation in the most recent five
years as follows:

Year
2015 – issuance of shares
2016 – issuance of shares
2016 – purchase of shares
2017 – issuance of shares
2017 – purchase of shares
2018 – purchase of shares
2019 – purchase of shares

Number of
subordinate
voting shares
1,169,294
1,000,000
(30,732)
5,084,961
(184,367)
(187,476)
(249,361)

Average
issue/purchase
price per share(1)
$502.01
$523.50
$458.81
$431.94
$521.79
$494.46
$473.21

Net proceeds/
(purchase cost)
587.0
523.5
(14.1)
2,196.4
(96.2)
(92.7)
(118.0)

(1) The company calculates average issue price per share as aggregate net proceeds divided by the total number of subordinate
voting  shares  issued,  and  average  purchase  price  per  share  as  aggregate  net  purchase  cost  divided  by  the  number  of
subordinate voting  shares purchased for cancellation. Both measures are calculated for annual periods using amounts
presented in the consolidated financial statements.

On September 30, 2019 the company commenced its normal course issuer bid by which it is authorized, until expiry
of the bid on September 29, 2020, to acquire up to 2,556,821 subordinate voting shares, 601,588 Series C preferred
shares,  328,741  Series  D  preferred  shares,  396,713  Series  E  preferred  shares,  357,204  Series  F  preferred  shares,
743,295  Series  G  preferred  shares,  256,704  Series  H  preferred  shares,  1,046,555  Series  I  preferred  shares,
153,444  Series  J  preferred  shares,  950,000  Series  K  preferred  shares  and  920,000  Series  M  preferred  shares,
representing approximately 10% of the public float in respect of the subordinate voting shares and 10% of the public
float in respect of each series of preferred shares. Decisions regarding any future purchases will be based on market
conditions,  share  price  and  other  factors  including  opportunities  to  invest  capital  for  growth.  The  Notice  of
Intention to Make a Normal Course Issuer Bid is available by contacting the Corporate Secretary of the company.

Substantially all of the common share issuances in 2015 and 2016 were pursuant to public offerings. During 2016,
2017, 2018, and 2019 the company purchased 30,732, 184,367, 187,476 and 249,361 subordinate voting shares
respectively for cancellation under the terms of its normal course issuer bids.

The company’s indirect ownership of its own shares through The Sixty Two Investment Company Limited results in
an effective reduction of shares outstanding by 799,230, and this reduction has been reflected in the earnings per
share, net earnings per diluted share and book value per basic share figures.

Liquidity

Holding  company  cash  and  investments  at  December  31,  2019  was  $1,098.9  ($1,098.6  net  of  $0.3  of  holding
company short sale and derivative obligations) compared to $1,557.2 ($1,550.6 net of $6.6 of holding company
short sale and derivative obligations) at December 31, 2018.

Significant cash and investment inflows at the holding company during 2019 included the following: net proceeds
from the issuance of Cdn$500.0 principal amount of 4.23% unsecured senior notes due June 14, 2029 of $371.5
(Cdn$497.3),  net  proceeds  from  the  issuance  of  $85.0  principal  amount  of  4.142%  unsecured  senior  notes  due
February  7,  2024  of  $85.0  and  dividends  received  from  Crum  &  Forster  ($50.0),  Odyssey  Group  ($50.0),  Zenith
National ($51.2), CRC ($30.0) and Wentworth ($25.0).

197

FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

Significant  cash  and  investment  outflows  at  the  holding  company  during  2019  included  the  following:  the
redemption of the remaining Cdn$395.6 principal amount of 6.40% unsecured senior notes due May 25, 2021 of
$329.1 (Cdn$429.0), payment of common and preferred share dividends of $323.8, purchases of subordinate voting
shares for cancellation of $118.0 and for treasury of $104.4 (for use in the company’s share-based payment awards),
and capital contributions to Run-off ($120.2 to support capital requirements and $85.0 to provide capital for the first
quarter 2019 reinsurance transaction), Crum & Forster ($122.4 to support capital requirements), Brit ($70.6 primarily
to  support  underwriting  plans),  Fairfax  Asia  ($48.1  primarily  to  support  the  capital  requirements  of  Digit),  and
Northbridge ($65.6 to support capital requirements).

The  carrying  value  of  holding  company  cash  and  investments  was  also  affected  by  the  following:  receipt  of
investment management and administration fees, disbursements for corporate overhead expenses and interest paid
on long term debt. The carrying value of holding company cash and investments will vary with changes in the fair
values  of  those  investments  (including  derivative  contracts  that  may  have  collateral  and  cash  settlement
requirements).

The  company  believes  that  holding  company  cash  and  investments,  net  of  holding  company  short  sale  and
derivative obligations at December 31, 2019 of $1,098.6 provides adequate liquidity to meet the holding company’s
known commitments in 2020. The holding company expects to continue to receive investment management and
administration fees from its insurance and reinsurance subsidiaries and Fairfax India and Fairfax Africa, investment
income on its holdings of cash and investments, and dividends from its insurance and reinsurance subsidiaries. To
further  augment  its  liquidity,  the  holding  company  can  draw  upon  the  $2.0  billion  unsecured  revolving  credit
facility  (for  details  refer  to  note  15  (Borrowings)  to  the  consolidated  financial  statements  for  the  year  ended
December 31, 2019).

The holding company’s known significant commitments for 2020 consist of payment of a common share dividend
of $275.7 ($10.00 per common share, paid in January 2020), interest and corporate overhead expenses, preferred
share dividends, income tax payments, potential payments on amounts borrowed from the revolving credit facility
and other investment related activities.

During 2019 subsidiary cash and short term investments (including cash and short term investments pledged for
short sale and derivative obligations) increased by $3,288.5 primarily reflecting net proceeds received from sales and
maturities  of  short-dated  U.S.  treasury  bonds  and  receipts  of  dividends  and  distributions  from  investments  in
associates, partially offset by the reclassification of cash and short-term investments at European Run-off to assets
held for sale, reinvestment of cash and short-term investments into U.S. corporate bonds and investments in private
placement corporate bonds.

The insurance and reinsurance subsidiaries may experience cash inflows or outflows on occasion related to their
derivative  contracts,  including  collateral  requirements.  During  2019  the  insurance  and  reinsurance  subsidiaries
received net cash of $30.7 (2018 – paid net cash of $61.8) in connection with long and short equity total return swaps
(excluding the impact of collateral requirements).

The  Non-insurance  companies  have  principal  repayments  coming  due  in  2020  of  $1,304.9  primarily  related  to
Fairfax India’s term loan, AGT’s credit facilities (which were renewed subsequent to December 31, 2019 and mature
in 2021) and CIG’s long term notes. Borrowings of the Non-insurance companies are non-recourse to the holding
company and are generally expected to be settled through a combination of refinancing and operating cash flows.

198

The following table presents major components of cash flows for the years ended December 31:

Operating activities

Cash provided by operating activities before the undernoted
Net purchases of investments classified at FVTPL

Investing activities

Purchases of investments in associates
Sales of investments in associates
Purchases of subsidiaries, net of cash acquired
Sale of subsidiary, net of cash divested
Deconsolidation of subsidiary
Net purchases of premises and equipment and intangible assets
Net purchases of investment property

Financing activities

Borrowings – holding company and insurance and reinsurance companies
Repayments – holding company and insurance and reinsurance companies
Net borrowings (repayments) – insurance and reinsurance companies’ revolving credit

facilities

Borrowings – non-insurance companies
Repayments – non-insurance companies
Net borrowings (repayments) – non-insurance companies’ revolving credit facilities and

short term loans

Increase in restricted cash related to financing activities
Principal payments on lease liabilities – holding company and insurance and reinsurance

companies(1)

Principal payments on lease liabilities – non-insurance companies(1)
Purchases of subordinate voting shares for treasury (for share-based payment awards)
Purchases of subordinate voting shares for cancellation
Issuances of subsidiary common shares to non-controlling interests
Purchases of subsidiary common shares from non-controlling interests
Common and preferred share dividends paid
Dividends paid to non-controlling interests

2019

2018

1,722.1
(366.7)

825.0
(2,749.3)

(772.1)
323.8
(210.1)
–
(41.6)
(319.6)
(184.4)

(535.8)
444.8
(163.1)
71.4
(67.7)
(236.5)
(141.7)

456.5
(326.7)

1,490.7
(1,246.5)

132.1
302.7
(308.5)

(42.2)
664.0
(660.6)

(16.9)
–

41.4
150.5

(59.9)
(166.1)
(104.4)
(118.0)
44.7
(151.4)
(323.8)
(197.7)

–
–
(214.0)
(92.7)
103.1
(382.0)
(328.3)
(159.5)

Decrease in cash and cash equivalents during the year

(686.0)

(3,229.0)

(1) The adoption of IFRS 16 Leases is described in note 3 (Summary of Significant Accounting Policies) to the consolidated

financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2019.

Operating activities for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018

Cash  provided  by  operating  activities  (excluding  net  purchases  of  investments  classified  at  FVTPL)  increased  to
$1,722.1 in 2019 from $825.0 in 2018, principally reflecting higher net premium collections and lower income taxes
paid, partially offset by higher net paid losses and higher interest paid on borrowings. Refer to the consolidated
statements  of  cash  flows  and  to  note  27  (Supplementary  Cash  Flow  Information)  to  the  consolidated  financial
statements  for  the  year  ended  December  31,  2019  for  details  of  operating  activities,  including  net  purchases  of
investments classified at FVTPL.

Investing activities for the year ended December 31, 2019

Purchases  of  investments  in  associates  of  $772.1  primarily  reflected  increased  investments  in  Seaspan,  Sanmar
Chemicals Group and CSB Bank (both by Fairfax India).

Sales of investments in associates of $323.8 primarily reflected distributions received from the company’s insurance
and  non-insurance  associates  and  joint  ventures  (inclusive  of  the  final  cash  distributions  received  from  the
liquidation of the KWF LP that sold investment property in Dublin, Ireland).

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Purchases of subsidiaries, net of cash acquired of $210.1 primarily related to the acquisitions of AGT, CIG (by Fairfax
Africa), Ambridge Partners (by Brit) and ARX Insurance.

Investing activities for the year ended December 31, 2018

Purchases of investments in associates of $535.8 primarily reflected investments in Seaspan and CSB Bank (by Fairfax
India) and increased investments in Bangalore Airport (by Fairfax India), Thai Re and AFGRI (by Fairfax Africa).

Sales  of  investments  in  associates  of  $444.8  primarily  reflected  the  sale  of  Arbor  Memorial  and  an  insurance
brokerage, and distributions received from the company’s insurance and non-insurance associates and joint ventures
(inclusive of net cash distributions received from the liquidation of three KWF LPs).

Purchases of subsidiaries, net of cash acquired of $163.1 primarily reflected the acquisitions of Dexterra and Toys ‘‘R’’
Us Canada.

Financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2019

Net proceeds from borrowings – holding company and insurance and reinsurance companies of $456.5 primarily
reflected the issuance of unsecured senior notes with principal amounts of Cdn$500.0 due 2029 and $85.0 due 2024.

Repayments – holding  company  and  insurance  and  reinsurance  companies  of  $326.7  reflected  the  company’s
redemption of its remaining Cdn$395.6 principal amount of unsecured senior notes due 2021.

Net  borrowings  from  revolving  credit  facilities – insurance  and  reinsurance  companies  of  $132.1  reflected  Brit’s
additional borrowings on its revolving credit facility.

Borrowings – non-insurance companies of $302.7 primarily reflected the net proceeds received from the issuance of
Cdn$250.0 principal amount of secured senior notes due 2029 by Recipe and borrowings by Boat Rocker and Thomas
Cook India.

Repayments – non-insurance  companies  of  $308.5  primarily  reflected  AGT’s  partial  repayment  of  $131.8
(Cdn$175.6)  of  its  Cdn$200.0  principal  amount  of  senior  notes  due  2021  and  Recipe’s  repayment  of  its  $111.8
(Cdn$150.0) term loan due 2019.

Purchases  of  subordinate  voting  shares  for  treasury  in  2019  of  $104.4  were  for  the  company’s  share-based
payment awards.

Purchases of subsidiary common shares from non-controlling interests of $151.4 primarily reflected purchases of
common shares made under the substantial issuer bid by Recipe and normal course issuer bids by Fairfax Africa,
Recipe and Fairfax India.

Issuance of subsidiary common shares to non-controlling interests of $44.7 in 2019 primarily reflected the issuance
of preferred shares by a non-insurance company.

Dividends paid to non-controlling interests of $197.7 primarily reflected dividends paid by Allied World, Brit, Recipe
and Mosaic Capital to their minority shareholders.

Financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2018

Net proceeds from borrowings – holding company and insurance and reinsurance companies of $1,490.7 primarily
reflected offerings of unsecured senior notes with principal amounts of A750.0 due 2028 and $600.0 due 2028.

Repayments – holding  company  and  insurance  and  reinsurance  companies  of  $1,246.5  primarily  reflected  the
company’s redemption of senior notes with principal amount of $500.0 due 2021 and remaining principal amount
of $207.3 (Cdn$267.3) due 2020, Allied World’s redemption of its remaining $291.8 principal amount of senior notes
due 2020, and the company’s repayment of $144.2 principal amount of its senior notes on maturity.

Borrowings – non-insurance companies of $664.0 primarily reflected net proceeds from Fairfax India’s $550.0 term
loan due 2019.

Repayments – non-insurance companies of $660.6 primarily reflected Fairfax India’s repayment of its $400.0 term
loan  due  2018  and  Toys  ‘‘R’’  Us  Canada’s  repayment  of  its  $195.9  (Cdn$254.2)  principal  amount  of  debtor  in
possession financing.

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Purchases  of  subordinate  voting  shares  for  treasury  in  2018  of  $214.0  were  for  the  company’s  share-based
payment awards.

Purchases of subsidiary common shares from non-controlling interests of $382.0 primarily reflected Brit’s purchase
of its common shares from its minority shareholder (OMERS), Recipe’s acquisition of the non-controlling interests in
The Keg, and open market purchases of Fairfax Africa subordinate voting shares.

Issuance  of  subsidiary  common  shares  to  non-controlling  interests  of  $103.1  primarily  reflected  Fairfax  Africa’s
secondary public offering.

Dividends  paid  to  non-controlling  interests  of  $159.5  primarily  reflected  dividends  paid  by  Allied  World,  Brit,
Grivalia Properties (deconsolidated on May 17, 2019) and Recipe to their minority shareholders.

Contractual Obligations

For details of the company’s contractual obligations, including the maturity profile of its financial liabilities, please
see  note  24  (Financial  Risk  Management,  under  the  heading  ‘‘Liquidity  Risk’’)  to  the  consolidated  financial
statements for the year ended December 31, 2019.

Contingencies and Commitments

For a full description of these matters, please see note 20 (Contingencies and Commitments) to the consolidated
financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2019.

Accounting and Disclosure Matters

Management’s Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

Under  the  supervision  and  with  the  participation  of  the  company’s  Chief  Executive  Officer  (‘‘CEO’’)  and  Chief
Financial Officer (‘‘CFO’’), the company conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of its disclosure controls and
procedures as of December 31, 2019, as required by Canadian and U.S. securities legislation. Disclosure controls and
procedures are designed to ensure that the information required to be disclosed by the company in the reports it files
or submits under securities legislation is recorded, processed, summarized and reported on a timely basis and that
such information is accumulated and reported to the company’s CEO and CFO, as appropriate, to allow required
disclosures to be made in a timely fashion. Based on their evaluation, the CEO and CFO have concluded that as of
December 31, 2019, the company’s disclosure controls and procedures were effective.

Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

The company’s management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial
reporting  (as  defined  in  Rule  13a-15(f)  under  the  Securities  Exchange  Act  of  1934  and  under  National
Instrument  52-109).  The  company’s  internal  control  over  financial  reporting  is  a  process  designed  to  provide
reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for
external  purposes  in  accordance  with  International  Financial  Reporting  Standards  (‘‘IFRS’’)  as  issued  by  the
International Accounting Standards Board (‘‘IASB’’). A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes
those policies and procedures that: (i) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and
fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (ii) provide reasonable assurance that
transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with IFRS as issued
by  the  IASB,  and  that  receipts  and  expenditures  of  the  company  are  being  made  only  in  accordance  with
authorizations  of  management  and  directors  of  the  company;  and  (iii)  provide  reasonable  assurance  regarding
prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could
have a material effect on the financial statements.

Because  of  its  inherent  limitations,  internal  control  over  financial  reporting  may  not  prevent  or  detect
misstatements.  Also,  projections  of  any  evaluation  of  effectiveness  to  future  periods  are  subject  to  the  risk  that
controls  may  become  inadequate  because  of  changes  in  conditions,  or  that  the  degree  of  compliance  with  the
policies or procedures may deteriorate.

The company’s management assessed the effectiveness of the company’s internal control over financial reporting as
of December 31, 2019. In making this assessment, the company’s management used the criteria set forth by the
Committee  of  Sponsoring  Organizations  of  the  Treadway  Commission  (‘‘COSO’’)  in  Internal  Control – Integrated

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Framework (2013). Based on this assessment, except as described below under ‘‘Limitation on scope of design and
evaluation’’, the company’s management, including the CEO and CFO, concluded that, as of December 31, 2019, the
company’s internal control over financial reporting was effective based on the criteria in Internal Control – Integrated
Framework (2013) issued by COSO.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the effectiveness of the company’s internal
control  over  financial  reporting  as  of  December  31,  2019  has  been  audited  by  PricewaterhouseCoopers  LLP,  an
independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in its report which appears within this Annual Report.

Limitation on scope of design and evaluation

On April 17, 2019 the company acquired AGT Food and Ingredients Inc. (‘‘AGT’’) and commenced consolidating
AGT  in  the  company’s  financial  reporting.  Management  has  determined  to  limit  the  scope  of  the  design  and
evaluation  of  the  company’s  internal  control  over  financial  reporting  to  exclude  the  controls,  policies  and
procedures of AGT, the results of which are included in the consolidated financial statements of the company for the
year ended December 31, 2019. This scope limitation is in accordance with Canadian and U.S. securities laws, which
allow an issuer to limit its design and evaluation of internal control over financial reporting to exclude the controls,
policies and procedures of a company acquired not more than 365 days before the end of the financial period to
which the applicable certifications relate. The operations of AGT represented approximately 3.7% of the company’s
consolidated income for the year ended December 31, 2019 and represented approximately 1.6% and 1.9% of the
company’s consolidated assets and liabilities respectively as at December 31, 2019. The table that follows presents a
summary of financial information for AGT.

Income

Net loss

Assets

Portfolio investments
Goodwill and intangible assets
Other assets(1)

Liabilities

Accounts payable and accrued liabilities
Short sale and derivative obligations
Due to affiliates
Deferred income taxes
Borrowings

Equity

For the period
April 17, 2019 to
December 31, 2019
800.9

(43.6)

As at
December 31, 2019

29.7
233.7
871.7

1,135.1

190.9
55.5
276.0
36.4
432.8

991.6

143.5

1,135.1

(1) Primarily comprised of premises and equipment, accounts receivable and inventory.

Critical Accounting Estimates and Judgments

Please see note 4 (Critical Accounting Estimates and Judgments) to the consolidated financial statements for the year
ended December 31, 2019.

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Significant Accounting Policy Changes

For a detailed description of the company’s accounting policies and changes thereto during 2019, please see note 3
(Summary  of  Significant  Accounting  Policies)  to  the  consolidated  financial  statements  for  the  year  ended
December 31, 2019.

Future Accounting Changes

Certain new IFRS standards may have a significant impact on the company’s consolidated financial reporting in the
future. Each of those standards will require a moderate to high degree of implementation effort within the next three
years as described below. The company does not expect to adopt any of these new standards in advance of their
respective  effective  dates.  New  standards  and  amendments  that  have  been  issued  but  are  not  yet  effective  are
described in note 3 (Summary of Significant Accounting Policies) to the consolidated financial statements for the
year ended December 31, 2019.

IFRS 17 Insurance Contracts (‘‘IFRS 17’’)

On May 18, 2017 the IASB issued IFRS 17, a comprehensive standard that provides guidance on the recognition,
measurement, presentation and disclosure of insurance contracts. IFRS 17 requires entities to measure insurance
contract liabilities at their current estimates of fulfillment cash flows using one of three approaches and to discount
loss reserves. The standard is effective for the company on January 1, 2021 and must be applied retrospectively with
restatement of comparatives unless impracticable. On June 26, 2019 the IASB published an exposure draft proposing
targeted amendments to IFRS 17, including a tentative deferral of the effective date to January 1, 2022. The company
will continue to monitor the IASB’s developments and assess the effect of any changes to IFRS 17 on the company’s
implementation plan.

Of the three measurement approaches permitted by IFRS 17, the general measurement model and the premium
allocation approach (a simplified model for short-duration contracts) are expected to be applicable for substantially
all of the company’s insurance and reinsurance contracts. The need for current estimates of cash flows and discount
rates at each reporting period and the additional disclosure requirements in the consolidated financial statements are
expected to significantly increase operational complexity.

The company’s adoption of IFRS 17 is progressing as planned. As a result of having commenced financial impact
assessments at the company’s largest insurance and reinsurance subsidiaries in 2018, the company in 2019 focused
its efforts on analyzing accounting policy choices and considering the design and requirements of new information
technology  and  accounting  solutions.  Significant  effort  in  2020  will  be  devoted  to  implementing,  testing  and
refining  information  technology  and  accounting  solutions,  selecting  accounting  policies  and  mapping  process
changes. Parallel reporting is planned for testing late in 2020 and will continue throughout 2021 for compliance by
the proposed effective date of January 1, 2022.

Risk Management

Overview

The primary goals of the company’s financial risk management program are to ensure that the outcomes of activities
involving elements of risk are consistent with the company’s objectives and risk tolerance, while maintaining an
appropriate balance between risk and reward and protecting the company’s consolidated balance sheet from events
that have the potential to materially impair its financial strength. Please see note 24 (Financial Risk Management) to
the  consolidated  financial  statements  for  the  year  ended  December  31,  2019  for  a  detailed  discussion  of  the
company’s risk management policies.

Issues and Risks

The following issues and risks, among others, should be considered in evaluating the outlook of the company. For
further detail about the company’s issues and risks, please see Risk Factors in Fairfax’s most recent Short Form Base
Shelf Prospectus and Supplements filed with the securities regulatory authorities in Canada, which are available on
SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

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FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

Claims Reserves

Reserves are maintained to cover the estimated ultimate unpaid liability for losses and loss adjustment expenses with
respect to reported and unreported claims incurred as of the end of each accounting period. The company’s success is
dependent upon its ability to accurately assess the risks associated with the businesses being insured or reinsured.
Failure to accurately assess the risks assumed may lead to the setting of inappropriate premium rates and establishing
reserves that are inadequate to cover losses. This could adversely affect the company’s net earnings and financial
condition.

Reserves do not represent an exact calculation of liability, but instead represent estimates at a point in time involving
actuarial and statistical projections of the company’s expectations of the ultimate settlement and administration
costs of claims incurred. Establishing an appropriate level of claims reserves is an inherently uncertain process. Both
proprietary and commercially available actuarial models, as well as historical insurance industry loss development
patterns, are utilized to establish appropriate claims reserves. The company’s management of pricing risk is discussed
in  note  24  (Financial  Risk  Management),  and  management  of  claims  reserves  is  discussed  in  note  4  (Critical
Accounting  Estimates  and  Judgments)  and  note  8  (Insurance  Contract  Liabilities),  to  the  consolidated  financial
statements for the year ended December 31, 2019.

Catastrophe Exposure

The company’s insurance and reinsurance operations are exposed to claims arising out of catastrophes. Catastrophes
can be caused by various events, including natural events such as hurricanes, windstorms, earthquakes, tornadoes,
hailstorms, severe winter weather and fires, and unnatural events such as terrorist attacks and riots. The incidence
and severity of catastrophes are inherently unpredictable.

The extent of losses from a catastrophe is a function of both the total amount of insured exposure in the area affected
by  the  event  and  the  severity  of  the  event.  Most  catastrophes  are  restricted  to  small  geographic  areas;  however,
hurricanes,  windstorms  and  earthquakes  may  produce  significant  damage  in  large,  heavily  populated  areas.
Catastrophes  can  cause  losses  in  a  variety  of  property  and  casualty  lines,  including  losses  relating  to  business
interruptions occurring in the same geographic area as the catastrophic event or in the other geographic areas. It is
possible that a catastrophic event or multiple catastrophic events could have a material adverse effect upon the
company’s financial condition, profitability or cash flows. The company believes that increases in the value and
geographic concentration of insured property, higher construction costs due to labour and raw material shortages
following a significant catastrophe event, and climate change could increase the severity of claims from catastrophic
events  in  the  future.  The  company’s  management  of  catastrophe  risk  is  discussed  in  note  24  (Financial  Risk
Management) to the consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2019.

Investment Portfolio

Investment returns are an important part of the company’s overall profitability as the company’s operating results
depend in part on the performance of its investment portfolio. The company’s investment portfolio includes bonds
and other debt instruments, common stocks, preferred stocks and derivative instruments. Accordingly, fluctuations
in the fixed income or equity markets could impair the company’s financial condition, profitability or cash flows.
Investment income is derived from interest and dividends, together with net gains or losses on investments. The
portion derived from net gains or losses on investments generally fluctuates from year to year and is typically a less
predictable source of investment income than interest and dividends, particularly in the short term. The return on
the portfolio and the risks associated with the investments are affected by the asset mix, which can change materially
depending on market conditions.

The ability of the company to achieve its investment objectives is affected by general economic conditions that are
beyond  its  control.  General  economic  conditions  can  adversely  affect  the  markets  for  interest-rate-sensitive
securities,  including  the  extent  and  timing  of  investor  participation  in  such  markets,  the  level  and  volatility  of
interest rates and, consequently, the value of fixed income securities. Interest rates are highly sensitive to many
factors, including governmental monetary policies, domestic and international economic and political conditions
and other factors beyond the company’s control. General economic conditions, stock market conditions and many
other factors can also adversely affect the equity markets and, consequently, the value of the equities owned. In
addition,  defaults  by  third  parties  who  fail  to  pay  or  perform  on  their  obligations  could  reduce  the  company’s
investment income and net gains on investment or result in investment losses. The company’s management of credit

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risk,  liquidity  risk,  market  risk  and  interest  rate  risk  is  discussed  in  note  24  (Financial  Risk  Management)  to  the
consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2019.

Cyclical Nature of the Property & Casualty Business

The financial performance of the insurance and reinsurance industries has historically tended to fluctuate due to
competition,  frequency  of  occurrence  or  severity  of  catastrophic  events,  levels  of  capacity,  general  economic
conditions and other factors. Demand for insurance and reinsurance is influenced significantly by underwriting
results  of  primary  insurers  and  prevailing  general  economic  conditions.  Factors  such  as  changes  in  the  level  of
employment,  wages,  consumer  spending,  business  investment  and  government  spending,  the  volatility  and
strength of the global capital markets and inflation or deflation all affect the business and economic environment
and, ultimately, the demand for insurance and reinsurance products, and therefore may affect the company’s net
earnings, financial position or cash flows.

The  property  and  casualty  insurance  business  historically  has  been  characterized  by  periods  of  intense  price
competition due to excess underwriting capacity, as well as periods when shortages of underwriting capacity have
permitted attractive premium levels. The company expects to continue to experience the effects of this cyclicality,
which, during down periods, could significantly reduce the amount of premiums the company writes and could
harm its financial position, profitability or cash flows.

In the reinsurance industry, the supply of reinsurance is related to prevailing prices and levels of surplus capacity
that, in turn, may fluctuate in response to changes in rates of return being realized. It is possible that premium rates
or other terms and conditions of trade could vary in the future, that the present level of demand will not continue
because insurers, including the larger insurers created by industry consolidation, may require less reinsurance or that
the  present  level  of  supply  of  reinsurance  could  increase  as  a  result  of  capital  provided  by  existing  reinsurers  or
alternative forms of reinsurance capacity entering the market from recent or future market entrants. If any of these
events transpire, the profitability of the company’s reinsurance business could be adversely affected.

The company actively manages its operations to withstand the cyclical nature of the property and casualty business
by maintaining sound liquidity and strong capital management as discussed in note 24 (Financial Risk Management)
to the consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2019.

Latent Claims

The company has established loss reserves for asbestos, environmental and other latent claims that represent its best
estimate of ultimate claims and claims adjustment expenses based upon known facts and current law. As a result of
significant  issues  surrounding  liabilities  of  insurers,  risks  inherent  in  major  litigation  and  diverging  legal
interpretations and judgments in different jurisdictions, actual liability for these types of claims could exceed the loss
reserves set by the company by an amount that could be material to the company’s financial condition, profitability
or cash flows in future periods.

The company’s exposure to asbestos, environmental and other latent claims is discussed in the Asbestos, Pollution
and  Other  Hazards  section  of  this  MD&A.  The  company’s  management  of  reserving  risk  is  discussed  in  note  24
(Financial Risk Management) and in note 8 (Insurance Contract Liabilities) to the consolidated financial statements
for the year ended December 31, 2019.

Recoverable from Reinsurers and Insureds

Most insurance and reinsurance companies reduce their exposure to any individual claim by reinsuring amounts in
excess of their maximum desired retention. Reinsurance is an arrangement in which an insurer, called the cedant,
transfers  insurance  risk  to  another  insurer,  called  the  reinsurer,  which  accepts  the  risk  in  return  for  a  premium
payment. This third party reinsurance does not relieve the company, as a cedant, of its primary obligation to the
insured. Recoverable from reinsurers balances may become an issue mainly due to reinsurer solvency and credit
concerns, due to the potentially long time period over which claims may be paid and the resulting recoveries are
received from the reinsurers, or due to policy disputes. If reinsurers are unwilling or unable to pay amounts due under
reinsurance contracts, the company will incur unexpected losses and its operations, financial positions and cash
flows will be adversely affected. The credit risk associated with the company’s reinsurance recoverable balances is
described  in  note  24  (Financial  Risk  Management)  to  the  consolidated  financial  statements  for  the  year  ended
December 31, 2019 and in the Recoverable from Reinsurers section of this MD&A.

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FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

The  company’s  insurance  and  reinsurance  companies  write  certain  insurance  policies,  such  as  large  deductible
policies  (policies  where  the  insured  retains  a  specific  amount  of  any  potential  loss),  in  which  the  insured  must
reimburse  the  company’s  insurance  and  reinsurance  companies  for  certain  losses.  Accordingly,  the  company’s
insurance and reinsurance companies bear credit risk on these policies as there is no assurance that the insureds will
provide reimbursement on a timely basis or at all.

Ratings

Financial  strength  and  credit  ratings  by  the  major  North  American  rating  agencies  are  important  factors  in
establishing competitive position for insurance and reinsurance companies. Third-party rating agencies assess and
rate the claims-paying ability of reinsurers and insurers based upon the criteria of such rating agencies. Periodically
the rating agencies evaluate the company’s insurance and reinsurance subsidiaries to confirm that they continue to
meet the criteria of the ratings previously assigned to them. The claims-paying ability ratings assigned by rating
agencies to insurance or reinsurance companies represent independent opinions of financial strength and ability to
meet policyholder obligations. A downgrade in these ratings could lead to a significant reduction in the number of
insurance policies the company’s insurance subsidiaries write and could cause early termination of contracts written
by  the  company’s  reinsurance  subsidiaries  or  a  requirement  for  them  to  post  collateral  at  the  direction  of  their
counterparts. A downgrade of the company’s long term debt ratings by the major rating agencies could require the
company and/or its subsidiaries to accelerate their cash settlement obligations for certain derivative transactions to
which they are a party, and could result in the termination of certain other derivative transactions. In addition, a
downgrade of the company’s credit rating may affect the cost and availability of unsecured financing. Ratings are
subject to periodic review at the discretion of each respective rating agency and may be revised downward or revoked
at  their  sole  discretion.  Rating  agencies  may  also  increase  their  scrutiny  of  rated  companies,  revise  their  rating
standards or take other action. The company has dedicated personnel that manage the company’s relationships with
its various rating agencies.

Acquisitions and Divestitures

The company may periodically and opportunistically acquire other insurance and reinsurance companies or execute
other strategic initiatives developed by management. Although the company undertakes due diligence prior to the
completion of an acquisition, it is possible that unanticipated factors could arise and there is no assurance that the
anticipated  financial  or  strategic  objectives  following  an  integration  effort  or  the  implementation  of  a  strategic
initiative  will  be  achieved,  which  could  adversely  affect  the  company’s  financial  condition,  profitability  or  cash
flows. The company may periodically explore opportunities to make strategic investments in all or part of certain
businesses  or  companies.  Acquisitions  may  involve  a  number  of  special  risks,  including  failure  to  retain  key
personnel, unanticipated events or circumstances and legal liabilities, some or all of which could have a material
adverse effect on the company’s business, results of operations and financial position. The company cannot be sure
that any acquired businesses will achieve the anticipated revenues, income and synergies. Failure on the company’s
part to manage its acquisition strategy successfully could have a material adverse effect on its business, results of
operations and financial position. The company cannot be sure that it will be able to identify appropriate targets,
profitably manage additional businesses or successfully integrate any acquired business into its operations.

The  strategies  and  performance  of  operating  companies,  and  the  alignment  of  those  strategies  throughout  the
organization, are regularly assessed through various processes undertaken by senior management and the company’s
Board of Directors. The company’s recent acquisitions and divestitures are discussed in note 23 (Acquisitions and
Divestitures) to the consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2019.

Derivative Instruments

The  company  may  be  a  counterparty  to  various  derivative  instruments,  primarily  for  general  protection  against
declines in the fair value of its financial assets. Derivative instruments may be used to manage or reduce risks or as a
cost-effective way to synthetically replicate the investment characteristics of an otherwise permitted investment.
The market value and liquidity of these investments are volatile and may vary dramatically up or down in short
periods, and their ultimate value will therefore only be known upon their disposition or settlement.

The company’s use of derivative instruments is governed by its investment policies and exposes the company to a
number  of  risks,  including  credit  risk,  interest  rate  risk,  liquidity  risk,  inflation  risk,  market  risk,  basis  risk  and
counterparty risk, although these risks are diminished because the company’s principal use of derivative instruments

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is to hedge exposures to various risks. The company endeavors to limit counterparty risk through diligent selection of
counterparties to its derivative instruments and through the terms of agreements negotiated with counterparties.
Pursuant to these agreements, both parties are required to deposit eligible collateral in collateral accounts for either
the benefit of the company or the counterparty depending on the current fair value or change in the fair value of the
derivative contract.

The company may not be able to realize its investment objectives with respect to derivative instruments, which
could have an adverse effect upon its financial position, profitability or cash flows. The company’s use of derivatives
is discussed in note 7 (Short Sales and Derivatives) and its management of credit risk, liquidity risk, market risk and
interest rate risk is discussed in note 24 (Financial Risk Management) to the consolidated financial statements for the
year ended December 31, 2019.

Economic Hedging Strategies

The company may use derivative instruments from time to time to manage or reduce its exposure to credit risk and
various market risks, including interest rate risk, equity market risk, inflation/deflation risk and foreign currency risk.
The company may choose to hedge risks associated with a specific financial instrument, asset or liability or at a
macro level to hedge systemic financial risk and the impact of potential future economic crisis and credit related
problems on its operations and the value of its financial assets. Credit default swaps, total return swaps and consumer
price index-linked derivative instruments have been used in the past to hedge macro level risks. The company’s use of
derivatives is discussed in note 7 (Short Sales and Derivatives) to the consolidated financial statements for the year
ended December 31, 2019.

The company’s derivative instruments may expose it to basis risk. Basis risk is the risk that the fair value or cash flows
of derivative instruments applied as economic hedges will not experience changes in exactly the opposite directions
from those of the underlying hedged exposure. This imperfect correlation may adversely impact the net effectiveness
of the hedge and may diminish the financial viability of maintaining the hedging strategy and therefore adversely
impact the company’s financial condition, profitability or cash flows.

The  company  regularly  monitors  the  prospective  and  retrospective  effectiveness  of  its  economic  hedging
instruments  and  will  adjust  the  amount  and/or  type  of  hedging  instruments  as  required  to  achieve  its  risk
management goals. The management of credit risk and various market risks is discussed in note 24 (Financial Risk
Management) to the consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2019.

Competition

The property and casualty insurance industry and the reinsurance industry are both highly competitive, and will
likely remain highly competitive in the foreseeable future. Competition in these industries is based on many factors,
including premiums charged and other terms and conditions offered, products and services provided, commission
structure, financial ratings assigned by independent rating agencies, speed of claims payment, reputation, selling
effort,  perceived  financial  strength  and  the  experience  of  the  insurer  or  reinsurer  in  the  line  of  insurance  or
reinsurance to be written. The company competes with a large number of Canadian, U.S. and foreign insurers and
reinsurers,  as  well  as  certain  underwriting  syndicates,  some  of  which  have  greater  financial,  marketing  and
management resources than the company. In addition, some financial institutions, such as banks, are now able to
offer services similar to those offered by the company’s reinsurance subsidiaries while in recent years, capital market
participants have also created alternative products that are intended to compete with reinsurance products.

Consolidation within the insurance industry could result in insurance and reinsurance market participants using
their market power to implement price reductions. If competitive pressures compel the company to reduce its prices,
the company’s operating margins would decrease. As the insurance industry consolidates, competition for customers
could become more intense and the importance of acquiring and properly servicing each customer could become
greater, causing the company to incur greater expenses relating to customer acquisition and retention and further
reducing  operating  margins.  The  company’s  management  of  pricing  risk  is  discussed  in  note  24  (Financial  Risk
Management) to the consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2019.

Emerging Claim and Coverage Issues

The provision for claims is an estimate and may be found to be deficient, perhaps very significantly, in the future as a
result of unanticipated frequency or severity of claims or for a variety of other reasons including unpredictable jury

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verdicts, expansion of insurance coverage to include exposures not contemplated at the time of policy issue (as was
the case with asbestos and pollution exposures), extreme weather events, civil unrest and pandemic. Unanticipated
developments in the law as well as changes in social and environmental conditions could result in unexpected claims
for coverage under insurance and reinsurance contracts. With respect to casualty lines of business, these legal, social
and environmental changes may not become apparent until some time after their occurrence.

The full effects of these and other unforeseen emerging claim and coverage issues are extremely hard to predict. As a
result, the full extent of the company’s liability under its coverages, and in particular its casualty insurance policies
and reinsurance contracts, may not be known until many years after a policy or contract is issued. The company’s
exposure to this uncertainty is greatest in its ‘‘long-tail’’ casualty lines of business where claims can typically be made
for many years, rendering them more susceptible to these trends than in the property insurance lines of business,
which is more typically ‘‘short-tail’’. In addition, the company could be adversely affected by the growing trend of
plaintiffs  targeting  participants  in  the  property-liability  insurance  industry  in  purported  class  action  litigation
relating to claims handling and other practices.

The company seeks to limit its loss exposure by employing a variety of policy limits and other terms and conditions
and  through  prudent  underwriting  of  each  program  written.  Loss  exposure  is  also  limited  by  geographic
diversification. The company’s management of reserving risk is discussed in note 24 (Financial Risk Management)
and  in  note  8  (Insurance  Contract  Liabilities)  to  the  consolidated  financial  statements  for  the  year  ended
December 31, 2019 and in the Asbestos, Pollution and Other Hazards section of this MD&A.

Holding Company Liquidity

Fairfax  is  a  holding  company  that  conducts  substantially  all  of  its  business  through  its  subsidiaries  and  receives
substantially all of its earnings from them. The holding company controls the operating insurance and reinsurance
companies,  each  of  which  must  comply  with  applicable  insurance  regulations  of  the  jurisdictions  in  which  it
operates. Each operating company must maintain reserves for losses and loss adjustment expenses to cover the risks
it has underwritten.

Although substantially all of the holding company’s operations are conducted through its subsidiaries, none of its
subsidiaries are obligated to make funds available to the holding company for payment of its outstanding debt.
Accordingly, the holding company’s ability to meet financial obligations, including the ability to make payments on
outstanding debt, is dependent on the distribution of earnings from its subsidiaries. The ability of subsidiaries to pay
dividends in the future will depend on their statutory surplus, on earnings and on regulatory restrictions. Dividends,
distributions or returns of capital to the holding company are subject to restrictions set forth in the insurance laws
and regulations of the countries where the company operates (principally the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom and
Bermuda)  (in  each  case,  including  the  provinces,  states  or  other  jurisdictions  therein)  and  is  affected  by  the
subsidiaries’ credit agreements, indentures, rating agencies, the discretion of insurance regulatory authorities and
capital support agreements with subsidiaries. The holding company strives to be soundly financed and maintains
high  levels  of  liquid  assets  as  discussed  in  note  24  (Financial  Risk  Management)  to  the  consolidated  financial
statements for the year ended December 31, 2019 and in the Liquidity section of this MD&A.

Access to Capital

The company’s future capital requirements depend on many factors, including its ability to successfully write new
business and to establish premium rates and reserves at levels sufficient to cover losses. To the extent that the funds
generated by the company’s business are insufficient to fund future operations, additional funds may need to be
raised through equity or debt financings. If the company requires additional capital or liquidity but cannot obtain it
on  reasonable  terms  or  at  all,  its  business,  financial  condition  and  profitability  would  be  materially  adversely
affected.

The company’s ability and/or the ability of its subsidiaries to obtain additional financing for working capital, capital
expenditures  or  acquisitions  in  the  future  may  also  be  limited  under  the  terms  of  the  revolving  credit  facility
discussed in note 15 (Borrowings) to the consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2019.
The revolving credit facility contains various covenants that may restrict, among other things, the company’s ability
or the ability of its subsidiaries to incur additional indebtedness, to create liens or other encumbrances and to sell or
otherwise dispose of assets and merge or consolidate with another entity. In addition, the revolving credit facility
contains  certain  financial  covenants  that  require  the  company  to  maintain  a  ratio  of  consolidated  debt  to
consolidated  capitalization  of  not  more  than  0.35:1  and  consolidated  shareholders’  equity  of  not  less  than

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$9.5 billion, both calculated as defined in the financial covenants. A failure to comply with the obligations and
covenants under the revolving credit facility could result in an event of default under such agreement which, if not
cured or waived, could permit acceleration of indebtedness, including other indebtedness of the holding company or
its subsidiaries. If such indebtedness were to be accelerated, there can be no assurance that the company’s assets
would be sufficient to repay that indebtedness in full. This risk is mitigated by maintaining high levels of liquid assets
at the holding company. The company’s management of liquidity risk is discussed further in note 24 (Financial Risk
Management) to the consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2019 and in the Liquidity
section of this MD&A.

Key Employees

The  company  is  substantially  dependent  on  a  small  number  of  key  employees,  including  its  Chairman,  Chief
Executive Officer and significant shareholder, Mr. Prem Watsa, and the senior management of the company and its
operating subsidiaries. The industry experience and reputations of these individuals are important factors in the
company’s ability to attract new business. The company’s success has been, and will continue to be, dependent on its
ability to retain the services of existing key employees and to attract and retain additional qualified personnel in the
future.  At  the  operating  subsidiaries,  employment  agreements  have  been  entered  into  with  key  employees.  The
company does not maintain key employee insurance with respect to any of its employees.

Cost of Reinsurance and Adequate Protection

The company uses reinsurance arrangements, including reinsurance of its own reinsurance business purchased from
other reinsurers, referred to as retrocessionaires, to help manage its exposure to property and casualty risks. The
availability of reinsurance and the rates charged by reinsurers are subject to prevailing market conditions, both in
terms of price and available capacity, which can affect the company’s business volume and profitability. Reinsurance
companies can also add or exclude certain coverages from, or alter terms in, the policies they offer. Reinsurers may
also impose terms, such as lower per occurrence and aggregate limits, on primary insurers that are inconsistent with
corresponding  terms  in  the  policies  written  by  these  primary  insurers.  As  a  result,  the  company’s  insurance
subsidiaries,  like  other  primary  insurance  companies,  increasingly  are  writing  insurance  policies  which  to  some
extent do not have the benefit of reinsurance protection. These gaps in reinsurance protection expose the company
to greater risk and greater potential losses.

The rates charged by reinsurers and the availability of reinsurance to the company’s subsidiaries will generally reflect
the recent loss experience of the company and of the industry overall. Currently, reinsurance pricing has remained
firm as a result of catastrophe losses in recent years, the effects of social inflation in the United States and the low
interest rate environment. The retrocession market continues to experience the most significant rate increases due to
the catastrophe activity in recent years. Each of the company’s insurance and reinsurance subsidiaries continue to
evaluate the relative costs and benefits of accepting more risk on a net basis, reducing exposure on a direct basis, and
paying additional premiums for reinsurance.

Regulatory, Political and other Influences

The insurance and reinsurance industries are highly regulated and are subject to changing political, economic and
regulatory influences. These factors affect the practices and operation of insurance and reinsurance organizations.
Federal,  state  and  provincial  governments  in  the  United  States  and  Canada,  as  well  as  governments  in  foreign
jurisdictions  in  which  the  company  operates,  have  periodically  considered  programs  to  reform  or  amend  the
insurance  systems  at  both  the  federal  and  local  levels.  For  example,  in  recent  years  the  company  has  had  to
implement the following: new regulatory capital guidelines for the company’s European operations due to Solvency
II; the Dodd-Frank Act created a new framework for regulation of over-the-counter derivatives in the United States
which could increase the cost of the company’s use of derivatives for investment and hedging purposes; the activities
of  the  International  Association  of  Insurance  Supervisors  has  resulted  in  additional  regulatory  oversight  of  the
company; and the Canadian and U.S. insurance regulators’ Own Risk and Solvency Assessment (‘‘ORSA’’) initiatives
have  required  the  company’s  North  American  operations  to  perform  self-assessments  of  the  capital  available  to
support their business risks. Such initiatives could adversely affect the financial results of the company’s subsidiaries,
including their ability to pay dividends, cause unplanned modifications of products or services, or result in delays or
cancellations of sales of products and services by insurers or reinsurers. Insurance industry participants may respond
to  changes  by  reducing  their  investments  or  postponing  investment  decisions,  including  investments  in  the
company’s products and services. The company’s management of the risks associated with its capital within the

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various  regulatory  regimes  in  which  it  operates  is  discussed  in  note  24  (Financial  Risk  Management,  under  the
heading of ‘‘Capital Management’’) to the consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2019
and in the ‘‘Capital Resources and Management’’ section of this MD&A.

Economic Sanctions and Foreign Corrupt Practices

The company must comply with all applicable economic sanctions and anti-bribery laws and regulations, including
those  of  Canada,  the  U.S.,  the  United  Kingdom,  the  European  Union  and  other  foreign  jurisdictions  where  it
operates.  U.S.  laws  and  regulations  applicable  to  the  company  include  the  economic  trade  sanctions  laws  and
regulations administered by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, as well as certain
laws administered by the U.S. Department of State. In addition, the company’s business is subject to the Foreign
Corrupt Practices Act and other anti-bribery laws such as the U.K. Bribery Act that generally bar corrupt payments or
unreasonable gifts to foreign governments or officials. Failure to comply with applicable laws and regulations could
expose the company to civil penalties, criminal penalties and other sanctions, including fines or other punitive
actions. In addition, such violations could damage the company’s business and/or reputation and therefore have a
material adverse effect on the company’s financial condition and results of operations. The company believes that its
commitment to honesty and integrity, set out in its Guiding Principles and regularly communicated, and that the
large number of its executives and employees who have served the company for a long time, significantly enhance
the likelihood that it will comply with those laws and regulations. More specifically, the company has policies and
controls  in  place  that  are  designed  to  ensure  compliance  with  these  laws  and  regulations,  including  policies
distributed annually to employees, controls and oversight at individual operating companies and company wide,
and whistleblower programs that are monitored by senior management and the Board of Directors.

Information Requests or Proceedings by Government Authorities

From time to time, the insurance industry has been subject to investigations, litigation and regulatory activity by
various insurance, governmental and enforcement authorities, concerning certain practices within the industry. The
company sometimes receives inquiries and informational requests from insurance regulators in the jurisdictions in
which its insurance and reinsurance subsidiaries operate. From time to time, consumer advocacy groups or the media
also focus attention on certain insurance industry practices. The company cannot predict at this time the effect that
investigations, litigation and regulatory activity or negative publicity from consumers or the media will have on the
insurance or reinsurance industry or its business, or whether activities or practices currently thought to be lawful will
be  characterized  in  the  future  as  unlawful  or  will  become  subject  to  negative  scrutiny  from  consumer  advocacy
groups or the media. The company’s involvement in any investigations and related lawsuits would cause it to incur
legal costs and, if the company were found to have violated any laws, could be required to pay fines and damages,
perhaps  in  material  amounts.  In  addition,  the  company  could  be  materially  adversely  affected  by  the  negative
publicity for the insurance industry related to any such proceedings, and by any new industry-wide regulations or
practices  that  may  result  from  such  proceedings  or  publicity.  It  is  possible  that  future  investigations  or  related
regulatory developments will mandate changes in industry practices in a fashion that increases the company’s costs
of doing business or requires the company to alter aspects of the manner in which it conducts its business. The
company’s internal and external legal counsels coordinate with operating companies in responding to information
requests and government proceedings.

Regional or Geographical Limitations and Risks

The company’s international operations are regulated in various jurisdictions with respect to licensing requirements,
currency, amount and type of security deposits, amount and type of reserves, amount and type of local investment
and other matters. International operations and assets held abroad may be adversely affected by political and other
developments in foreign countries, including possibilities of tax changes, nationalization and changes in regulatory
policy, as well as by consequences of hostilities and unrest. The risks of such occurrences and their overall effect upon
the company vary from country to country and cannot easily be predicted.

The company regularly monitors for political and other changes in each country where it operates. The decentralized
nature  of  the  company’s  operations  permits  quick  adaptation  to,  or  mitigation  of,  evolving  regional  risks.
Furthermore, the company’s international operations are widespread and therefore not dependent on the economic
stability of any one particular region.

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Lawsuits

The company may, from time to time, become party to a variety of legal claims and regulatory proceedings including,
but  not  limited  to:  disputes  over  coverage  or  claims  adjudication;  disputes  regarding  sales  practices,  disclosures,
premium  refunds,  licensing,  regulatory  compliance  and  compensation  arrangements;  disputes  with  its  agents,
brokers or network providers over compensation and termination of contracts and related claims; regulatory actions
relating to consumer pressure in relation to benefits realized by insurers; disputes with taxing authorities regarding
its tax liabilities and tax assets; regulatory proceedings and litigation related to acquisitions or divestitures made or
proposed by the company or its subsidiaries or in connection with subsidiaries in which the company holds an
investment; and disputes relating to certain businesses acquired or disposed of by the company. The existence of
such claims against the company or its affiliates, directors or officers could have various adverse effects, including
negative publicity and the incurrence of significant legal expenses defending claims, even those without merit.

Operating companies manage day-to-day regulatory and legal risk primarily by implementing appropriate policies,
procedures and controls. Internal and external legal counsels also work closely with the operating companies to
identify and mitigate areas of potential regulatory and legal risk. The company’s legal and regulatory matters are
discussed in note 20 (Contingencies and Commitments) to the consolidated financial statements for the year ended
December 31, 2019.

Technology Infrastructure

The company’s business is highly dependent upon the successful and uninterrupted functioning of its computer and
data  processing  systems  which  are  relied  upon  to  perform  actuarial  and  other  modeling  functions  necessary  for
writing business, to process and make claim payments and to process and summarize investment transactions. Third
parties  provide  certain  of  the  key  components  of  the  company’s  business  infrastructure  such  as  voice  and  data
communications and network access. Given the high volume of transactions processed daily, the company is reliant
on such third party provided services to successfully deliver its products and services. The failure of these systems
could  interrupt  the  company’s  operations  or  impact  its  ability  to  rapidly  evaluate  and  commit  to  new  business
opportunities.  If  sustained  or  repeated,  a  system  failure  could  result  in  the  loss  of  existing  or  potential  business
relationships, or compromise the company’s ability to pay claims in a timely manner.

In addition, a security breach of the company’s computer systems could damage the company’s reputation or result
in liability. The company retains confidential information regarding its business dealings in its computer systems,
including,  in  some  cases,  confidential  personal  information  regarding  insureds.  Significant  capital  and  other
resources may be required to protect against security breaches or to alleviate problems caused by such breaches. Any
well publicized compromise of security could deter people from conducting transactions that involve transmitting
confidential information to the company’s systems. Therefore, it is critical that these facilities and infrastructure
remain secure and are perceived by the marketplace to be secure. This infrastructure may be vulnerable to physical
break-ins, computer viruses, programming errors, attacks by third parties or similar disruptive problems. In addition,
the  company  could  be  subject  to  liability  if  hackers  were  able  to  penetrate  its  network  security  or  otherwise
misappropriate confidential information.

The company has highly trained information technology staff that is committed to the continual development and
maintenance  of  its  technology  infrastructure.  Security  measures,  including  data  security  programs  to  protect
confidential personal information, have been implemented and are regularly upgraded. The company, together with
its  third  party  service  providers,  also  maintains  and  regularly  tests  contingency  plans  for  its  technology
infrastructure.

Systemic Cyber-Attacks

The company relies on information technology in virtually all aspects of its business. A significant disruption or
failure  of  the  company’s  information  technology  systems  could  result  in  service  interruptions,  safety  failures,
security violations, regulatory compliance failures, and inability to protect information and assets against intruders,
and other operational difficulties. Attacks perpetrated against those information systems could result in loss of assets
and critical information, potential breach of privacy laws, expose the company to remediation costs and reputational
damage, and adversely affect the company’s results of operations, financial condition and liquidity.

Cyber-attacks could further adversely affect the company’s ability to operate facilities, information technology and
business  systems,  or  compromise  confidential  customer  and  employee  information.  Cyber-attacks  resulting  in

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political, economic, social or financial market instability or damage to or interference with the company’s assets, or
its customers or suppliers may result in business interruptions, lost revenue, higher commodity prices, disruption in
fuel supplies, lower energy consumption, unstable markets, increased security and repair or other costs, any of which
may affect the company’s consolidated financial results. Furthermore, instability in the financial markets as a result
of  terrorism,  sustained  or  significant  cyber-attacks,  or  war  could  also  adversely  affect  the  company’s  ability  to
raise capital.

The company has taken steps intended to mitigate these risks, including implementation of cyber security and cyber
resilience  measures,  business  continuity  planning,  disaster  recovery  planning  and  business  impact  analysis,  and
regularly updates these plans and security measures.

Significant Shareholder

The company’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Prem Watsa, owns, directly or indirectly, or exercises
control  or  direction  over  shares  representing  approximately  42.5%  of  the  voting  power  of  the  company’s
outstanding  shares.  Mr.  Watsa  has  the  ability  to  substantially  influence  certain  actions  requiring  shareholder
approval,  including  approving  a  business  combination  or  consolidation,  liquidation  or  sale  of  assets,  electing
members of the Board of Directors and adopting amendments to articles of incorporation and by-laws.

Amendments were made to the terms of the company’s multiple voting shares, which are controlled by Mr. Watsa, in
August of 2015 having the effect of preserving the voting power represented by the multiple voting shares at 41.8%
even if additional subordinate voting shares are issued in the future. The amendments are described in note 16 (Total
Equity) to the consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2015 and in the company’s annual
information  form  filed  with  the  securities  regulatory  authorities  in  Canada,  which  are  available  on  SEDAR  at
www.sedar.com.

Foreign Exchange

The  company’s  reporting  currency  is  the  U.S.  dollar.  A  portion  of  the  company’s  premiums  and  expenses  are
denominated  in  foreign  currencies  and  a  portion  of  assets  (including  investments)  and  loss  reserves  are  also
denominated  in  foreign  currencies.  The  company  may,  from  time  to  time,  experience  losses  resulting  from
fluctuations in the values of foreign currencies (including when certain foreign currency assets and liabilities of the
company are hedged) which could adversely affect the company’s financial condition, profitability or cash flows.
The company’s management of foreign currency risk is discussed in note 24 (Financial Risk Management) to the
consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2019.

Reliance on Distribution Channels

The company uses brokers to distribute its business and in some instances will distribute through agents or directly to
customers. The company may also conduct business through third parties such as managing general agents where it
is cost effective to do so and where the company can control the underwriting process to ensure its risk management
criteria  are  met.  Each  of  these  channels  has  its  own  distinct  distribution  characteristics  and  customers.  A  large
majority of the company’s business is generated by brokers (including international reinsurance brokers with respect
to the company’s reinsurance operations), with the remainder split among the other distribution channels. This is
substantially consistent across the company’s insurance and reinsurance subsidiaries.

The company’s insurance operations have relationships with many different types of brokers including independent
retail brokers, wholesale brokers and national brokers depending on the particular jurisdiction, while the company’s
reinsurance  operations  are  dependent  primarily  on  a  limited  number  of  international  reinsurance  brokers.  The
company transacts business with these brokers on a non-exclusive basis. These independent brokers also transact the
business  of  the  company’s  competitors  and  there  can  be  no  assurance  as  to  their  continuing  commitment  to
distribute the company’s insurance and reinsurance products. The continued profitability of the company depends,
in part, on the marketing efforts of independent brokers and the ability of the company to offer insurance and
reinsurance products and maintain financial ratings that meet the requirements and preferences of such brokers and
their policyholders.

Because the majority of the company’s brokers are independent, there is limited ability to exercise control over them.
In the event that an independent broker exceeds its authority by binding the company on a risk which does not
comply with the company’s underwriting guidelines, the company may be at risk for that policy until the application

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is received and a cancellation effected. Although to date the company has not experienced a material loss from
improper use of binding authority by its brokers, any improper use of such authority may result in losses that could
have a material adverse effect on the business, financial condition, profitability or cash flows of the company. The
company’s insurance and reinsurance subsidiaries closely manage and monitor broker relationships and regularly
audit broker compliance with the company’s established underwriting guidelines.

Goodwill, Indefinite-lived Intangible Assets and Investments in Associates

The  goodwill,  indefinite-lived  intangible  assets  and  investments  in  associates  on  the  company’s  consolidated
balance  sheet  originated  from  various  acquisitions  and  investments  made  by  the  company  or  its  operating
subsidiaries. Continued profitability and achievement of financial plans by acquired businesses and associates is a
key consideration for there to be no impairment in the carrying value of goodwill, indefinite-lived intangible assets
and investments in associates. An intangible asset may be impaired if the economic benefit to be derived from its use
is unexpectedly diminished. An investment in associate is considered to be impaired if its carrying value exceeds its
recoverable amount (the higher of the associate’s fair value and value-in-use).

Management regularly reviews the current and expected profitability of operating companies and associates and
their success in achieving financial plans when assessing the carrying value of goodwill, indefinite-lived intangible
assets and investments in associates. The carrying values of goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets are tested
for  impairment  at  least  annually  or  more  often  if  events  or  circumstances  indicate  there  may  be  impairment.
Investments  in  associates  with  carrying  values  that  exceed  their  fair  values  are  tested  for  impairment  using
value-in-use  discounted  cash  flow  models  at  each  reporting  date.  The  company’s  goodwill  and  indefinite-lived
intangible assets, and their annual impairment tests, are described in note 12 (Goodwill and Intangible Assets), and
the company’s investments in associates and the results of value-in-use analyses are described in note 6 (Investments
in Associates), to the consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2019.

Taxation

Realization of deferred income tax assets is dependent upon the generation of taxable income in those jurisdictions
where the relevant tax losses and temporary differences exist. Failure to achieve projected levels of profitability could
lead to a reduction in the company’s deferred income tax asset if it is no longer probable that the amount of the asset
will be realized.

The company is subject to income taxes in Canada, the U.S. and many foreign jurisdictions where it operates, and
the  company’s  determination  of  its  tax  liability  is  subject  to  review  by  applicable  domestic  and  foreign  tax
authorities. While the company believes its tax positions to be reasonable, where the company’s interpretations
differ from those of tax authorities or the timing of realization is not as expected, the provision for income taxes may
increase or decrease in future periods to reflect actual experience.

The  company  has  specialist  tax  personnel  responsible  for  assessing  the  income  tax  consequences  of  planned
transactions and events and undertaking the appropriate tax planning. The company also consults with external tax
professionals  as  needed.  Tax  legislation  of  each  jurisdiction  in  which  the  company  operates  is  interpreted  to
determine the provision for income taxes and expected timing of the reversal of deferred income tax assets and
liabilities. The company’s deferred tax assets are described in note 18 (Income Taxes) to the consolidated financial
statements for the year ended December 31, 2019.

Technological Changes

Technological changes could have unpredictable effects on the insurance and reinsurance industries. It is expected
that new services and technologies will continue to emerge that will affect the demand for insurance and reinsurance
products and services, the premiums payable, the profitability of such products and services and the risks associated
with  underwriting  certain  lines  of  business,  including  new  lines  of  business.  Failure  to  understand  evolving
technologies, or to position the company in the appropriate direction, or to deploy new products and services in a
timely  way  that  considers  customer  demand  and  competitor  activities  could  have  an  adverse  impact  on  the
company’s business, financial condition, profitability or cash flows. The company maintains an innovation working
group comprised of members with diverse backgrounds from across its global operating companies to regularly assess
new services and technologies that may be applicable or disruptive to the insurance and reinsurance industries.

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FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

Guaranty Funds and Shared Markets

Virtually all U.S. states require insurers licensed to do business in their state to bear a portion of the loss suffered by
some insureds as a result of impaired or insolvent insurance companies. Many states also have laws that establish
second-injury funds to provide compensation to injured employees for aggravation of a prior condition or injury,
which are funded by either assessments based on paid losses or premium surcharge mechanisms. In addition, as a
condition  to  the  ability  to  conduct  business  in  various  jurisdictions,  the  company’s  insurance  subsidiaries  are
required to participate in mandatory property and casualty shared market mechanisms or pooling arrangements,
which  provide  various  types  of  insurance  coverage  to  individuals  or  other  entities  that  otherwise  are  unable  to
purchase  that  coverage  from  private  insurers.  The  effect  of  these  assessments  and  mandatory  shared-market
mechanisms or changes in them could reduce the profitability of the company’s U.S. insurance subsidiaries in any
given period or limit their ability to grow their business. Similarly, the company’s Canadian insurance subsidiaries
contribute to mandatory guaranty funds that protect insureds in the event of a Canadian property and casualty
insurer becoming insolvent, and certain of the company’s Asian insurance subsidiaries participate in mandatory
pooling arrangements in their local markets.

Other

Quarterly Data (unaudited)

Years ended December 31

2019

Income
Net earnings
Net earnings attributable to shareholders of Fairfax
Net earnings per share
Net earnings per diluted share

2018(1)

Income
Net earnings (loss)
Net earnings (loss) attributable to shareholders of Fairfax
Net earnings (loss) per share
Net earnings (loss) per diluted share

First

Fourth
Quarter Quarter Quarter Quarter

Second

Third

Full
Year

5,632.6
814.6
769.2

5,441.3
579.5
494.3

$ 28.04 $ 17.94 $
$ 26.98 $ 17.18 $

5,533.0
502.7
672.0

4,925.9
74.4
68.6
2.13 $ 24.62 $
2.04 $ 23.58 $

21,532.8
1,971.2
2,004.1
72.80
69.79

4,926.4
1,038.0
684.3
$ 24.27 $
$ 23.60 $

4,210.4
83.9
63.1
1.88 $
1.82 $

4,441.0
149.2
106.2

4,179.9
(453.2)
(477.6)

3.46 $ (17.89) $
3.34 $ (17.89) $

17,757.7
817.9
376.0
12.03
11.65

(1) Periods prior to 2019 have not been restated for the adoption of IFRS 16 Leases on January 1, 2019 as described in note 3
(Summary  of  Significant  Accounting  Policies)  to  the  consolidated  financial  statements  for  the  year  ended
December 31, 2019.

Income of $5,632.6 in the first quarter of 2019 increased from $4,926.4 in the first quarter of 2018 principally as a
result  of  increases  in  net  premiums  earned  (including  the  impact  of  Run-off’s  first  quarter  2019  reinsurance
transaction), share of profit of associates, interest and dividends and other revenue, partially offset by lower net gains
on investments. The increase in net earnings attributable to shareholders of Fairfax to $769.2 (net earnings of $28.04
per basic share and $26.98 per diluted share) in the first quarter of 2019 from $684.3 (net earnings of $24.27 per basic
share  and  $23.60  per  diluted  share)  in  the  first  quarter  of  2018  principally  reflected  significant  net  gains  on
investments and decreased net earnings attributable to non-controlling interests (principally due to non-controlling
interests’ share of the net gain from re-measurement of Quess upon its deconsolidation in the first quarter of 2018),
partially offset by a higher provision for income taxes.

Income of $5,441.3 in the second quarter of 2019 increased from $4,210.4 in the second quarter of 2018, principally
as a result of increases in net premiums earned, interest and dividends, net gains on investments and other revenue.
The increase in net earnings attributable to shareholders of Fairfax to $494.3 (net earnings of $17.94 per basic share
and $17.18 per diluted share) in the second quarter of 2019 from $63.1 (net earnings of $1.88 per basic share and
$1.82 per diluted share) in the second quarter of 2018 primarily reflected significant net gains on investments and
higher share of profit of associates, partially offset by a higher provision for income taxes.

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Income of $4,925.9 in the third quarter of 2019 increased from $4,441.0 in the third quarter of 2018, principally as a
result of increases in net premiums earned and other revenue, partially offset by net losses on investments. The
decrease in net earnings attributable to shareholders of Fairfax to $68.6 (net earnings of $2.13 per basic share and
$2.04 per diluted share) in the third quarter of 2019 from $106.2 (net earnings of $3.46 per basic share and $3.34 per
diluted share) in the third quarter of 2018 primarily reflected net losses on investments, partially offset by higher
share of profit of associates.

Income of $5,533.0 in the fourth quarter of 2019 increased from $4,179.9 in the fourth quarter of 2018, principally as
a result of net gains on investments in the fourth quarter of 2019 compared to net losses on investments in the fourth
quarter of 2018 and higher other revenue, partially offset by share of loss of associates in the fourth quarter of 2019
compared to share of profit of associates in the fourth quarter of 2018. The net earnings attributable to shareholders
of Fairfax of $672.0 (net earnings of $24.62 per basic share and $23.58 per diluted share) in the fourth quarter of 2019
compared to net loss attributable to shareholders of Fairfax of $477.6 (net loss of $17.89 per basic share and diluted
share)  in  the  fourth  quarter  of  2018  primarily  reflected  net  gains  on  investments  in  the  fourth  quarter  of  2019
compared to net losses on investments in the fourth quarter of 2018 and higher underwriting profit.

Operating  results  at  the  company’s  insurance  and  reinsurance  operations  continue  to  be  affected  by  a  difficult
competitive environment. Individual quarterly results have been (and may in the future be) affected by losses from
significant  natural  or  other  catastrophes,  by  favourable  or  adverse  reserve  development  and  by  settlements  or
commutations, the occurrence of which are not predictable, and have been (and are expected to continue to be)
significantly affected by net gains or losses on investments, the timing of which are not predictable.

Stock Prices and Share Information

At  March  5,  2020,  Fairfax  had  26,036,038  subordinate  voting  shares  and  1,548,000  multiple  voting  shares
outstanding  (an  aggregate  of  26,784,808  shares  effectively  outstanding  after  an  intercompany  holding).  Each
subordinate voting share carries one vote per share at all meetings of shareholders except for separate meetings of
holders of another class of shares. The multiple voting shares cumulatively carry 41.8% voting power at all meetings
of  shareholders  except  in  certain  circumstances  (which  have  not  occurred)  and  except  for  separate  meetings  of
holders of another class of shares. The multiple voting shares are not publicly traded.

The  table  that  follows  presents  the  Toronto  Stock  Exchange  high,  low  and  closing  Canadian  dollar  prices  of
subordinate voting shares of Fairfax for each quarter of 2019 and 2018.

2019
High
Low
Close

2018
High
Low
Close

First
Quarter

Second
Quarter

Third
Quarter

Fourth
Quarter

(Cdn$)

667.23
573.63
619.00

678.66
614.59
653.07

662.29
600.00
642.76

788.88
635.50
736.66

648.59
575.00
584.00

752.10
678.04
701.74

617.21
542.70
609.74

708.83
565.99
600.98

Compliance with Corporate Governance Rules

Fairfax is a Canadian reporting issuer with securities listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange and trading in Canadian
dollars under the symbol FFH and in U.S. dollars under the symbol FFH.U. It has in place corporate governance
practices that comply with all applicable rules and substantially comply with all applicable guidelines and policies of
the Canadian Securities Administrators and the practices set out therein.

The company’s Board of Directors has adopted a set of Corporate Governance Guidelines (which include a written
mandate  of  the  Board),  established  an  Audit  Committee,  a  Governance  and  Nominating  Committee  and  a
Compensation Committee, approved written charters for all of its committees, approved a Code of Business Conduct
and Ethics applicable to all directors, officers and employees of the company and established, in conjunction with

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FAIRFAX  FINANCIAL  HOLDINGS  LIMITED

the  Audit  Committee,  a  Whistleblower  Policy.  The  company  continues  to  monitor  developments  in  the  area  of
corporate governance as well as its own procedures.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements contained herein may constitute forward-looking statements and are made pursuant to the ‘‘safe
harbour’’  provisions  of  the  United  States  Private  Securities  Litigation  Reform  Act  of  1995.  Such  forward-looking
statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual
results, performance or achievements of Fairfax to be materially different from any future results, performance or
achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.

Such  factors  include,  but  are  not  limited  to:  a  reduction  in  net  earnings  if  our  loss  reserves  are  insufficient;
underwriting losses on the risks we insure that are higher or lower than expected; the occurrence of catastrophic
events with a frequency or severity exceeding our estimates; changes in market variables, including interest rates,
foreign exchange rates, equity prices and credit spreads, which could negatively affect our investment portfolio; the
cycles of the insurance market and general economic conditions, which can substantially influence our and our
competitors’ premium rates and capacity to write new business; insufficient reserves for asbestos, environmental and
other  latent  claims;  exposure  to  credit  risk  in  the  event  our  reinsurers  fail  to  make  payments  to  us  under  our
reinsurance  arrangements;  exposure  to  credit  risk  in  the  event  our  insureds,  insurance  producers  or  reinsurance
intermediaries fail to remit premiums that are owed to us or failure by our insureds to reimburse us for deductibles
that  are  paid  by  us  on  their  behalf;  our  inability  to  maintain  our  long  term  debt  ratings,  the  inability  of  our
subsidiaries to maintain financial or claims paying ability ratings and the impact of a downgrade of such ratings on
derivative transactions that we or our subsidiaries have entered into; risks associated with implementing our business
strategies; the timing of claims payments being sooner or the receipt of reinsurance recoverables being later than
anticipated by us; risks associated with any use we may make of derivative instruments; the failure of any hedging
methods we may employ to achieve their desired risk management objective; a decrease in the level of demand for
insurance or reinsurance products, or increased competition in the insurance industry; the impact of emerging claim
and coverage issues or the failure of any of the loss limitation methods we employ; our inability to access cash of our
subsidiaries; our inability to obtain required levels of capital on favourable terms, if at all; the loss of key employees;
our inability to obtain reinsurance coverage in sufficient amounts, at reasonable prices or on terms that adequately
protect us; the passage of legislation subjecting our businesses to additional supervision or regulation, including
additional tax regulation, in the United States, Canada or other jurisdictions in which we operate; risks associated
with government investigations of, and litigation and negative publicity related to, insurance industry practice or
any  other  conduct;  risks  associated  with  political  and  other  developments  in  foreign  jurisdictions  in  which  we
operate; risks associated with legal or regulatory proceedings or significant litigation; failures or security breaches of
our  computer  and  data  processing  systems;  the  influence  exercisable  by  our  significant  shareholder;  adverse
fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; our dependence on independent brokers over whom we exercise
little control; impairment of the carrying value of our goodwill, indefinite-lived intangible assets or investments in
associates; our failure to realize deferred income tax assets; technological or other change which adversely impacts
demand, or the premiums payable, for the insurance coverages we offer; disruptions of our information technology
systems; and assessments and shared market mechanisms which may adversely affect our insurance subsidiaries.
Additional risks and uncertainties are described in this Annual Report, which is available at www.fairfax.ca, and in
our Base Shelf Prospectus (under ‘‘Risk Factors’’) filed with the securities regulatory authorities in Canada, which is
available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Fairfax disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-
looking  statements,  whether  as  a  result  of  new  information,  future  events  or  otherwise,  except  as  required  by
applicable securities law.

216

Directors of the Company
Anthony F. Griffiths
Corporate Director
Robert J. Gunn
Corporate Director
Karen L. Jurjevich
Principal, Branksome Hall
R. William McFarland
Corporate Director
Christine N. McLean
Director of Research
Sprucegrove Investment Management Ltd.
Timothy R. Price
Chairman, Brookfield Funds, a division of
Brookfield Asset Management Inc.

Brandon W. Sweitzer
Dean, School of Risk Management, St. John’s University

Lauren C. Templeton
President, Templeton and Phillips Capital Management, LLC

Benjamin P. Watsa
President and Founder, Marval Capital Ltd.

V. Prem Watsa
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Company

William C. Weldon (as of April 2020)
Corporate Director

Officers of the Company
Jennifer Allen
Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Peter Clarke
Vice President and Chief Operating Officer

Jean Cloutier
Vice President, International Operations

Vinodh Loganadhan
Vice President, Administrative Services

Bradley Martin
Vice President, Strategic Investments

Eric Salsberg
Vice President, Corporate Affairs and Corporate Secretary

Ronald Schokking
Vice President and Treasurer

John Varnell
Vice President, Corporate Development

V. Prem Watsa
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
General Counsel
Torys LLP

Operating Management

Fairfax Insurance Group

Andrew A. Barnard, President
Scott A. Carmilani, President of Strategy and
Distribution

Northbridge

Silvy Wright, President
Northbridge Financial Corporation

Odyssey Group

Brian D. Young, President
Odyssey Group Holdings, Inc.

Crum & Forster
Marc Adee, President
Crum & Forster Holdings Corp.

Zenith National

Kari Van Gundy, President
Zenith National Insurance Corp.

Brit

Matthew Wilson, President
Brit Limited

Allied World

Lou Iglesias, President
Allied World Assurance Company Holdings, Ltd

Fairfax Asia

Ramaswamy Athappan, Chief Executive Officer
Sammy Y. Chan, President
Gobinath Athappan, Chief Operating Officer
and President, Pacific Insurance

Insurance and Reinsurance – Other

Bruno Camargo, President
Fairfax Brasil
Jacek Kugacz, President
Polish Re
Peter Csakvari, President
Colonnade Insurance
Edwyn O’Neill, President
Bryte Insurance
Fabricio Campos, President
Fairfax Latin America
Andrey Peretyazhko, President
ARX Insurance
Oleksiy Muzychko, President
Universalna Insurance

Run-off

Nicholas C. Bentley, President
RiverStone Group

Other

Bijan Khosrowshahi, President
Fairfax International
Sean Smith, President
Pethealth
Wade Burton, President
Hamblin Watsa Investment Counsel

Head Office

95 Wellington Street West, Suite 800, Toronto, Canada M5J 2N7
Telephone: (416) 367-4941
Website: www.fairfax.ca

217