(20)	Fair value measurements

Our financial assets and liabilities are summarized below as of December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, with fair values shown according to the fair value hierarchy (in millions). The carrying values of cash and cash equivalents, U.S. Treasury Bills, receivables and accounts payable, accruals and other liabilities are considered to be reasonable estimates of their fair values.

 

		Carrying Value					Fair Value					Quoted Prices (Level 1)					Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2)					Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3)
December 31, 2018
Investments in fixed maturity securities:
U.S. Treasury, U.S. government corporations and agencies			$	4,223				$	4,223				$	2,933				$	1,290				$	—
States, municipalities and political subdivisions				189					189					—					189					—
Foreign governments				7,502					7,502					5,417					2,085					—
Corporate bonds				7,440					7,440					—					7,434					6
Mortgage-backed securities				544					544					—					544					—
Investments in equity securities				172,757					172,757					172,253					203					301
Investment in Kraft Heinz common stock				13,813					14,007					14,007					—					—
Loans and finance receivables				16,280					16,377					—					1,531					14,846
Derivative contract assets (1)				172					172					2					52					118
Derivative contract liabilities:
Railroad, utilities and energy (1)				111					111					1					101					9
Equity index put options				2,452					2,452					—					—					2,452
Notes payable and other borrowings:
Insurance and other				34,975					35,361					—					35,335					26
Railroad, utilities and energy				62,515					66,422					—					66,422					—
December 31, 2017
Investments in fixed maturity securities:
U.S. Treasury, U.S. government corporations and agencies			$	3,953				$	3,953				$	2,360				$	1,593				$	—
States, municipalities and political subdivisions				854					854					—					854					—
Foreign governments				8,822					8,822					6,946					1,876					—
Corporate bonds				6,862					6,862					—					6,856					6
Mortgage-backed securities				862					862					—					862					—
Investments in equity securities				170,540					170,540					170,494					46					—
Investment in Kraft Heinz common stock				17,635					25,306					25,306					—					—
Loans and finance receivables				13,748					14,136					—					17					14,119
Derivative contract assets (1)				142					142					1					28					113
Derivative contract liabilities:
Railroad, utilities and energy (1)				82					82					3					69					10
Equity index put options				2,172					2,172					—					—					2,172
Notes payable and other borrowings:
Insurance and other				40,409					41,762					—					41,757					5
Railroad, utilities and energy				62,178					70,538					—					70,538					—

 

(1)	Assets are included in other assets and liabilities are included in accounts payable, accruals and other liabilities.

 

The fair values of substantially all of our financial instruments were measured using market or income approaches. The hierarchy for measuring fair value consists of Levels 1 through 3, which are described below.

Level 1 – Inputs represent unadjusted quoted prices for identical assets or liabilities exchanged in active markets.

Level 2 – Inputs include directly or indirectly observable inputs (other than Level 1 inputs) such as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities exchanged in active or inactive markets; quoted prices for identical assets or liabilities exchanged in inactive markets; other inputs that may be considered in fair value determinations of the assets or liabilities, such as interest rates and yield curves, volatilities, prepayment speeds, loss severities, credit risks and default rates; and inputs that are derived principally from or corroborated by observable market data by correlation or other means. Pricing evaluations generally reflect discounted expected future cash flows, which incorporate yield curves for instruments with similar characteristics, such as credit ratings, estimated durations and yields for other instruments of the issuer or entities in the same industry sector.

Level 3 – Inputs include unobservable inputs used in the measurement of assets and liabilities. Management is required to use its own assumptions regarding unobservable inputs because there is little, if any, market activity in the assets or liabilities and it may be unable to corroborate the related observable inputs. Unobservable inputs require management to make certain projections and assumptions about the information that would be used by market participants in valuing assets or liabilities.

Reconciliations of assets and liabilities measured and carried at fair value on a recurring basis with the use of significant unobservable inputs (Level 3) for each of the three years ending December 31, 2018 follow (in millions).

 

		Investments in equity and fixed maturity securities				Net derivative contract liabilities
Balance December 31, 2015		$	21,503			$	(3,785	)
Gains (losses) included in:
Earnings			3,593				880
Other comprehensive income			872				(2	)
Regulatory assets and liabilities			—				(11	)
Acquisitions			10				—
Dispositions and settlements			(8,656	)			(101	)
Transfers into/out of Level 3			(1	)			195
Balance December 31, 2016			17,321				(2,824	)
Gains (losses) included in:
Earnings			—				888
Other comprehensive income			1,157				(3	)
Regulatory assets and liabilities			—				(1	)
Dispositions and settlements			(59	)			(129	)
Transfers into/out of Level 3			(18,413	)			—
Balance December 31, 2017			6				(2,069	)
Gains (losses) included in:
Earnings			—				(118	)
Other comprehensive income			—				2
Regulatory assets and liabilities			—				3
Acquisitions			302				3
Dispositions and settlements			(1	)			(164	)
Balance December 31, 2018		$	307			$	(2,343	)

 

Gains and losses included in earnings are reported as components of investment gains/losses, derivative gains/losses and other revenues, as appropriate. In 2017 and 2016, gains and losses included in other comprehensive income were primarily the net change in unrealized appreciation of investments and the reclassification of investment appreciation in net earnings in our Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income.

As disclosed in Note 4, we exercised our BAC Warrants to acquire BAC common stock on August 24, 2017. As payment of the cost to acquire the BAC common stock, we surrendered substantially all of our BAC Preferred. Additionally, Restaurant Brands International Inc. (“RBI”) in December 2017, redeemed a $3 billion private placement security that we acquired in 2014. Accordingly, during 2017, we concluded the Level 3 inputs used in the previous fair value determinations of the BAC Warrants, BAC Preferred Stock and RBI investment were not significant and we transferred these measurements from Level 3 to Level 2.

Quantitative information as of December 31, 2018, with respect to assets and liabilities measured and carried at fair value on a recurring basis with the use of significant unobservable inputs (Level 3) follows (in millions).

 

Fair     Value

Principal Valuation Techniques

Unobservable Inputs

Weighted Average

Derivative contract liabilities – Equity index put options

$

2,452

Option pricing model

Volatility

18%

Our equity index put option contracts are illiquid and contain contract terms that are not standard in derivatives markets. For example, we are not required to post collateral under most of our contracts and certain of the contracts have relatively long durations. For these and other reasons, we classified these contracts as Level 3 measurements. The methods we use to value these contracts are those that we believe market participants would use in determining exchange prices with respect to our contracts.

We value equity index put option contracts based on the Black-Scholes option valuation model. Inputs to this model include index price, contract duration and dividend and interest rate inputs (including a Berkshire non-performance input) which are observable. However, we believe that the valuation of long-duration options using any model is inherently subjective and, given the lack of observable transactions and prices, acceptable values may be subject to wide ranges. Volatility inputs represent our expectations, which consider the remaining duration of each contract and assume that the contracts will remain outstanding until the expiration dates. Increases or decreases in the volatility inputs will produce increases or decreases in the fair values of the liabilities.