BEA Survey Questions

A copy of the survey in .pdf and .xls format, along with additional reporting schedules, can be obtained by going to www.bea.gov/ssb, or by sending an email to be-45@bea.gov.

Completion of a BE-45 survey is required of any U.S. insurance company that has engaged in reinsurance transactions with foreign persons, that has earned premiums from, or incurred losses to, foreign persons in the capacity of primary insurer, or that has engaged in international sales or purchases of services auxiliary to insurance.

Yes. The transfer of reserves and catastrophic losses on Schedule C and Schedule D, respectively, should be included in the transactions reported on Schedule A and/or Schedule B.

Yes. The transfer of reserves and catastrophic losses reported on Schedules C and D, respectively, should reconcile back to Question 10 on Page 7. In other words, the total dollar figure for a particular Transaction ID on Schedule Cor Schedule D should match the total dollar figure listed for that Transaction ID on Question 10 on Page 7.

Yes. The Transaction ID’s from Question 10, Page 7 can be referenced more than once on Schedules C and D. However, large, infrequent transactions reported on Question 10 on page 7 should be reported separately by the country and affiliation of the foreign transactor.

The "Description of Transaction" filed should provide additional information about the large, infrequent transactions listed in Question 10.

If you are using eFile, select “Add overflow” from the BE-140 Report Homepage. You can download as many overflow sheets as needed.

For hard copy filers, additional reporting schedules A can be found on pages 33-35 of the survey, and additional schedules B can be found on pages 36-38.

A catastrophic loss is a severe event that results in losses that are larger than usual. Examples of catastrophic losses that occurred in 2018 are: Hurricanes Florence and Michael, and the November Woolsey and Camp fires.

As an insurance company collects premiums, it establishes a liability for future claims and holds assets to fund those liabilities. If insurance policies are ceded to another insurance company, the assets that are held to fund the future claims on those policies may also be transferred to the insurance company assuming the policies. If the assets that are transferred are included in the premiums reported on the BE-140 survey, the transfer is referred to as a "transfer of reserves."

There have been a few changes to the BE-140 survey since it was last conducted for fiscal year 2013.

The changes that occurred will result in more detailed data used to compile the U.S. international transactions and national income and product accounts, help support U.S. international economic policy and to analyze the impact of that policy and the policies of foreign countries on international trade in services. These changes include: