WTW, §1A diff (2016 → 2017)

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS In addition to the factors discussed elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, the following are some of the important factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those projected in any forward-looking statements. These risk factors should be carefully considered in evaluating our business. The descriptions below are not the only risks and uncertainties that we face. Additional risks and uncertainties that are presently unknown to us could also impair our business operations, financial condition or results. If any of the risks and uncertainties below or other risks were to occur, our business operations, financial condition or results of operations could be materially and adversely impacted. With respect to the tax-related consequences of acquisition, ownership and disposal of ordinary shares, you should consult with your own tax advisors. Strategic and Operational Risks Our success largely depends on our ability to achieve our global business strategy, and our results of operations and financial condition could suffer if the Company were unable to successfully establish and execute on its strategy and generate anticipated revenue growth and cost savings and efficiencies. Our future growth, profitability and cash flows largely depend upon our ability to successfully establish and execute our global business strategy. As discussed under Item 1., “Business - Business Strategy”, we seek to be an advisory, broking and solutions provider of choice through an integrated global platform. While we have confidence that our strategic plan reflects opportunities that are appropriate and achievable, there is a possibility that our strategy may not deliver projected long-term growth in revenue and profitability due to inadequate execution, incorrect assumptions, global or local economic conditions, competition, changes in the industries in which we operate, sub-optimal resource allocation or any of the other risks described in this “Risk Factors” section. In pursuit of our growth strategy, we may also invest significant time and resources into new product or service offerings, and there is the possibility that these offerings may fail to yield sufficient return to cover their investment. The failure to continually develop and execute optimally on our global business strategy could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Demand for our services could decrease for various reasons, including a general economic downturn, increased competition, or a decline in a client’s or an industry’s financial condition or prospects, all of which could materially adversely affect us. We can give no assurance that the demand for our services will grow or be maintained, or that we will compete successfully with our existing competitors, new competitors or our clients’ internal capabilities. Client demand for our services may change based on the clients’ needs and financial conditions, among other factors. Our results of operations are affected directly by the level of business activity of our clients, which in turn is affected by the level of economic activity in the industries and markets that they serve. Global financial markets may continue to experience disruptions, including increased volatility and credit availability, which could substantially impact our results. While it is difficult to predict the consequences of any deterioration in global economic conditions on our business, any significant reduction or delay by our clients in purchasing our services or insurance or making payment of premiums could have a material adverse impact on our financial condition and results of operations. In addition, the potential for a significant insurer to fail, be downgraded or withdraw from writing certain lines of insurance coverages that we offer our clients could negatively impact overall capacity in the industry, which could then reduce the placement of certain lines and types of insurance and reduce our revenues and profitability. The potential for an insurer to fail or be downgraded could also result in errors and omissions claims by clients. In addition, the markets for our principal services are highly competitive. Our competitors include other insurance brokerage, human capital and risk management consulting and actuarial firms, and the human capital and risk management divisions of diversified professional services, insurance, brokerage and accounting firms and specialty, regional and local firms. Competition for business is intense in all of our business lines and in every insurance market, and some competitors have greater market share in certain lines of business than we do. Some of our competitors have greater financial, technical and marketing resources than us, which could enhance their ability to finance acquisitions, fund internal growth and respond more quickly to professional and technological changes. New competitors or alliances among competitors could emerge, creating additional competition and gaining significant market share, resulting in a loss of business for us and a corresponding decline in revenues and profit margin. In order to respond to increased competition and pricing pressure, we may have to lower our prices, which would also have an adverse effect on our revenues and profit margin. In addition, competitors could develop competing technologies or product or service offerings that disrupt our industries. Any new technology or product or service offering (including insurance companies selling their products directly to consumers or other insureds) that reduces or eliminates the need for intermediaries in insurance or reinsurance sales transactions could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations. Further, the increasing willingness of clients to either self-insure or maintain a captive insurance company, and the development of capital markets-based solutions and other alternative capital sources for traditional insurance and reinsurance needs, could also materially adversely affect us and our results of operations. An example of a business that may be significantly impacted by changes in customer demand is our retirement consulting and actuarial business, which comprises a substantial portion of our revenue and profit. We provide clients with actuarial and consulting services relating to both defined benefit and defined contribution pension plans. Defined benefit pension plans generally require more actuarial services than defined contribution plans because defined benefit plans typically involve large asset pools, complex calculations to determine employer costs, funding requirements and sophisticated analysis to match liabilities and assets over long periods of time. If organizations shift to defined contribution plans more rapidly than we anticipate, or if we are unable to otherwise compensate for the decline in our business that results from employers moving away from defined benefit plans, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected. In addition, the demand for many of our core benefit services, including compliance-related services, is affected by government regulation and taxation of employee benefit plans. Significant changes in tax or social welfare policy or other regulations could lead some employers to discontinue their employee benefit plans, including defined benefit pension plans, thereby reducing the demand for our services. A simplification of regulations or tax policy also could reduce the need for our services. We could be subject to claims and lawsuits arising from our work, which could materially adversely affect our reputation, business and financial condition. We depend in large part on our relationships with clients and our reputation for high-quality services to secure future engagements. Clients that become dissatisfied with our services may terminate their business relationships with us, and clients and third parties that claim they suffered damages caused by our services may bring lawsuits against us. We are subject to various actual and potential claims, lawsuits, investigations and other proceedings relating principally to alleged errors and omissions in connection with the provision of our services or the placement of insurance and reinsurance in the ordinary course of business. We are also subject to actual and potential claims, lawsuits, investigations and proceedings outside of errors and omissions claims. See Note 13 - Commitments and Contingencies in Item 8 in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for examples of claims to which we are subject. Because we often assist our clients with matters involving substantial amounts of money, including actuarial services, asset management and the placement of insurance coverage and the handling of related claims, errors and omissions claims against us may arise that allege our potential liability for all or part of the substantial amounts in question. The nature of our work, particularly our actuarial services, necessarily involves the use of assumptions and the preparation of estimates relating to future and contingent events, the actual outcome of which we cannot know in advance. Our actuarial and brokerage services also rely on substantial amounts of data provided by clients, the accuracy and quality of which we cannot ensure. In addition, we could make computational, software programming or data management errors in connection with the services we provide to clients. Clients may seek to hold us responsible for alleged errors or omissions relating to any of the brokerage advice and services we provide, including when claims they submit to their insurance carriers are disputed or denied. Given that many of our clients have very high insurance policy limits to cover their risks, alleged errors and omissions claims against us arising from disputed or denied claims are often significant. Moreover, in various circumstances, our brokerage, investment and certain other types of business may not limit the maximum liability to which we may be exposed for claims involving alleged errors or omissions; and as such, we do not have limited liability for the work we provide to the associated clients. Further, given that we frequently work with large pension funds and insurance companies as well as other large clients, relatively small percentage errors or variances can create significant financial variances and result in significant claims for unintended or unfunded liabilities. The risks from such variances or errors could be aggravated in an environment of declining pension fund asset values and insurance company capital levels. In almost all cases, our exposure to liability with respect to a particular engagement is substantially greater than the revenue opportunity that the engagement generates for us. Clients may seek to hold us responsible for the financial consequences of variances between assumptions and estimates and actual outcomes or for errors. For example, in the case of pension plan actuarial work, a client’s claims might focus on the client’s alleged reliance on actuarial assumptions that it believes were unreasonable and, based on such reliance, the client made benefit commitments that it may later claim are not affordable or funding decisions that result in plan underfunding if and when actual outcomes vary from actuarial assumptions. We also continue to create new products and services and to grow the business of providing products and services to institutional investors, financial services companies and other clients. The risk of claims from these lines of business and related products and services may be greater than from our core products or services, and such claims may be for significant amounts. We also provide advice on both asset allocation and selection of investment managers. Increasingly, for some clients, we are responsible for making decisions on both of these matters, or we may serve in a fiduciary capacity, either of which may increase liability exposure. In addition, the Company recently launched affiliated investment funds, with plans to launch additional funds over time. Given that our Investment business may recommend affiliated investment funds or affirmatively invest such clients’ assets in such funds under delegated authority, this may increase our liability exposure. We may also be liable for actions of managers or other service providers to the funds. Further, for certain clients, we are responsible for some portions of cash and investment management, including rebalancing of investment portfolios and guidance to third parties on the structure of derivatives and securities transactions. Asset classes may experience poor absolute performance, and investment managers may underperform their benchmarks; in both cases the investment return shortfall can be significant. Clients experiencing this underperformance, including from our affiliated investment funds, may assert claims against us, and such claims may be for significant amounts. In addition, our failure to properly execute our role can cause monetary damage to our clients or such third parties for which we might be found liable, and such claims may be for significant amounts. Our ability to contractually limit our potential liability may be limited in certain jurisdictions or markets or in connection with claims involving breaches of fiduciary duties or other alleged errors or omissions. The ultimate outcome of all of the above matters cannot be ascertained and liabilities in indeterminate amounts may be imposed on us. It is thus possible that future results of operations or cash flows for any particular quarterly or annual period could be materially adversely affected by an unfavorable resolution of these matters. In addition, these matters continue to divert management and personnel resources away from operating our business. Even if we do not experience significant monetary costs, there may be adverse publicity associated with these matters that could result in reputational harm to the industries we operate in or to us in particular that may adversely affect our business, client or employee relationships. In addition, defending against these claims can involve potentially significant costs, including legal defense costs. As a highly-regulated company, we are subject from time to time to inquiries or investigations by governmental agencies or regulators that could have a material adverse effect on our business or results of operations. We have also been and may continue to be subject to inquiries and investigations by federal, state or other governmental agencies regarding aspects of our clients’ businesses or our own businesses, especially regulated businesses such as our insurance broker, securities broker-dealer and investment advisory services. Such inquiries or investigations may consume significant management time and result in regulatory sanctions, fines or other actions as well as significant legal fees, which could have a material adverse impact on our business, results of operations and liquidity. Examples of these inquiries or investigations are set forth in more detail in Note 13 - Commitments and Contingencies in Item 8 in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. These include: • The European Commission’s civil investigation proceedings in respect of an alleged exchange of commercially sensitive information among competitors in aerospace insurance and reinsurance broking in the European Economic Area. • The U.K. anti-trust regulator (the Competition and Markets Authority) market study in respect of competition in the investment consulting business in the U.K. (the ‘CMA Investment Consultancy Market Investigation’). • The FCA’s market study to assess whether competition is working in the wholesale insurance broking sector in the U.K. (the ‘FCA Wholesale Market Study’). The FCA Wholesale Market Study is examining, among other things: the market power of individual brokerage firms and whether concentrated power is harming competition; conflicts of interest including in the areas of placement selection, use of facilities and in-house underwriting; and whether broker conduct might dampen competition. All of these items reflect an increased focus by regulators (both in the U.K. and elsewhere) on various aspects of the operations and affairs of our regulated businesses. We are unable to predict the outcome of these inquiries or investigations. Any proposed changes that result from these investigations and inquiries, or any other investigations, inquiries or regulatory developments, or any potential fines or enforcement action, could materially adversely affect our business and our results of operations. Allegations of conflicts of interest, including in connection with accepting market derived income (‘MDI’), may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operation or reputation. We could suffer significant financial or reputational harm if we fail to properly identify and manage potential conflicts of interest. Conflicts of interest exist or could exist any time the Company or any of its employees has or may have an interest in a transaction or engagement that is inconsistent with our clients’ interests. This could occur, for example, when the Company is providing services to multiple parties in connection with a transaction. In addition, as we provide more solutions-based services, there is greater potential for conflicts with advisory services. Managing conflicts of interest is an important issue for the Company, but can be a challenge for a large and complex company such as ours. Due to the broad scope of our businesses and our client base, we regularly address potential conflicts of interest, including, without limitation, situations where our services to a particular client or our own investments or other interests conflict, or are perceived to conflict, with the interests of another client. If these are not carefully managed, this then could lead to failure or perceived failure to protect the client’s interests, with attendant regulatory and reputational risks that could materially adversely affect us and our operations. There is no guarantee that all potential conflicts of interest will be identified, and undetected conflicts may result in damage to our professional reputation and result in legal liability which may have a material adverse effect on our business. Identifying conflicts of interest may also prove particularly difficult in the near-term while we continue to bring together and integrate Legacy Willis, Legacy Towers Watson and Gras Savoye. In addition, we may encounter more conflicts of interest than anticipated in connection with the Merger or the Gras Savoye acquisition and we may not be able to adequately address such conflicts of interest. In addition, insurance intermediaries have traditionally been remunerated by base commissions paid by insurance carriers in respect of placements we make for clients, or by fees paid by clients. Intermediaries also obtain other revenue from insurance carriers. This revenue, when derived from carriers in their capacity as insurance markets (as opposed to as corporate clients of the intermediaries where they may be purchasing insurance or reinsurance or other non-market related services), is commonly known as market derived income or ‘MDI’. MDI is another example of an area in which allegations of conflicts of interest may arise. MDI takes a variety of forms, including volume- or profit-based contingent commissions, facilities administration charges, business development agreements, and fees for providing certain data to carriers. MDI creates various risks. Intermediaries in many markets have a duty to act in the best interests of their clients and payments from carriers can incentivize intermediaries to put carriers’ or their own interests ahead of their clients. Accordingly, MDI may be subject to scrutiny by various regulators under conflict of interest, anti-trust, unfair competition, and anti-bribery laws and regulations. While accepting MDI is a lawful and acceptable business practice, and while we have established systems and controls to manage these risks, we cannot predict whether our position will result in regulatory or other scrutiny and our controls may not be effective. In addition, the Company recently launched affiliated investment funds, with plans to launch additional funds over time. Given that our Investment business may recommend affiliated investment funds or affirmatively invest such clients’ assets in such funds under delegated authority, there may be a perceived conflict of interest. While the Company has processes, procedures and controls in place intended to mitigate potential conflicts, such perception could cause regulatory inquiries, or could impact client demand and the business’ financial performance, and our controls may not be effective. In addition, underperformance by our affiliated investment funds could lead to lawsuits by clients that were invested in such funds. Separately, the CMA Investment Consultancy Market Investigation and the FCA Wholesale Market Study are also both expected to examine various potential conflicts of interest in the investment consultancy and the wholesale insurance brokerage industries, respectively. There can be no assurances as to the outcome of these market investigations and market studies, and the CMA or FCA may recommend or require significant changes in these industries or impose firm-specific remedies. The failure or perceived failure to adequately address conflicts of interest could affect the willingness of clients to deal with us, or give rise to litigation or enforcement actions. Conflicts of interest may also arise in the future that could cause material harm to us. Damage to our reputation, including due to failure of third-parties on whom we rely to perform services, could damage our businesses. Maintaining a positive reputation is critical to our ability to attract and maintain relationships with clients and colleagues. Damage to our reputation could therefore cause significant harm to our business and prospects. Harm to our reputation can arise from numerous sources, including, among others, employee misconduct, litigation or regulatory action, failure to deliver minimum standards of service and quality, compliance failures, allegations of conflicts of interest and unethical behavior. Negative publicity, whether or not true, may also result in harm to our prospects. In addition, the failure to deliver satisfactory service and quality in one line of business could cause clients to terminate the services we provide to that client in many other lines of business. This risk has increased as the Company has become larger and more complex. In addition, as part of providing services to clients and managing our business, we rely on a number of third-party service providers. Our ability to perform effectively depends in part on the ability of these service providers to meet their obligations, as well as on our effective oversight of their performance. The quality of our services could suffer or we could be required to incur unanticipated costs if our third-party service providers do not perform as expected or their services are disrupted. This could have a material adverse effect on our reputation as well as our business and results of operations. We may fail to realize some or all of the anticipated benefits of the Merger or related actions or those benefits may take longer to realize than expected. We may also encounter significant difficulties in integrating the businesses. Since the Merger was consummated in January 2016, we have endeavored to integrate the legacy Towers Watson, legacy Willis and legacy Gras Savoye businesses. However, our ability to realize the anticipated benefits of the Merger and related actions occurring around the time of the Merger depends, to a large extent, on our ability to complete such integration. The combination of independent businesses is a complex, costly and time-consuming process requiring significant management attention. The remaining integration process could disrupt the businesses and, if implemented ineffectively, could restrict the realization of the full expected benefits. In addition, the overall integration may result in material unanticipated costs or other problems, expenses, liabilities, loss of client relationships or revenue, and diversion of management’s attention. The failure to meet the challenges involved in completing the integration of the businesses and to realize the anticipated benefits of the transactions could cause an interruption of, or a loss of momentum in, our activities and could adversely affect our results of operations. Further, even if our operations are integrated successfully, the full benefits of the transactions, including the synergies, cost savings or sales or growth opportunities that are expected, may not be achieved within the anticipated time frame, or at all. All of these factors could cause dilution to our earnings per share, decrease or delay the expected benefits of the Merger or the related actions and negatively impact the price of our ordinary shares. The loss of key colleagues could damage or result in the loss of client relationships and could result in such colleagues competing against us. Our success depends on our ability to attract, retain and motivate qualified personnel, including key managers and colleagues. In addition, our success largely depends upon our colleagues’ abilities to generate business and provide quality services. In particular, our colleagues’ business relationships with our clients are a critical element of obtaining and maintaining client engagements. Labor markets have become more competitive globally as the economic outlook in many countries has improved, and we have experienced intense competition for certain types of colleagues. In the past, as a result of the Merger and otherwise, we have lost colleagues who manage substantial client relationships or possess substantial experience or expertise; if we lose additional colleagues such as those, it could result in such colleagues competing against us and could materially adversely affect our ability to secure and complete engagements, which would materially adversely affect our results of operations and prospects. Our ability to successfully manage ongoing organizational changes could impact our business results. We have recently undergone several significant business and organizational changes, including the Merger, the acquisitions of Gras Savoye and Miller Insurance Services, LLP, and our Business Restructuring Program and multi-year operational improvement program. There are also a number of other initiatives planned or ongoing to transform our processes and gain efficiencies. In connection with these changes, we are managing a number of large-scale and complex projects. While we have concluded that each of these large, complex projects is necessary or desirable to the execution of the Company’s business strategy, we cannot guarantee that the collective effect of all of these projects will not adversely impact our business or results of operations. Effectively managing these organizational changes is critical to retaining talent, servicing clients and our business success overall. The failure to effectively manage such risks could adversely impact our resources or business or financial results. Data security breaches or improper disclosure of confidential company or personal data could result in material financial loss, regulatory actions, reputational harm or legal liability. We depend on information technology networks and systems to process, transmit and store electronic information and to communicate among our locations around the world and with our alliance partners, insurance carriers/markets and clients. Additionally, one of our significant responsibilities is to maintain the security and privacy of our clients’ confidential and proprietary information and the personal data of their customers and/or employees. Our information systems, and those of our third-party service providers and vendors, are vulnerable to an increasing threat of continually evolving cybersecurity risks. Computer viruses, hackers and other external hazards, as well as improper or inadvertent staff behavior, could expose confidential company and personal data systems and information to security breaches. Many of the software applications that we use in our business are licensed from, and supported, upgraded and maintained by, third-party vendors. Our third-party applications include enterprise cloud storage and cloud computing application services provided and maintained by third-party vendors. These third-party applications store confidential and proprietary data of both the Company and our clients. We have processes designed to require third-party IT outsourcing, offsite storage and other vendors to agree to maintain certain standards with respect to the storage, protection and transfer of confidential, personal and proprietary information. However, we remain at risk of a data breach due to the intentional or unintentional non-compliance by a vendor’s employee or agent, the breakdown of a vendor’s data protection processes, or a cyber-attack on a vendor’s information systems. Further, the potential impact of a data breach of our third-party vendors’ systems increases as we move more of our and our clients’ data into our vendors’ cloud storage, we engage in IT outsourcing or we consolidate the group of third-party vendors that provide cloud storage or other IT services for the Company. We have experienced a number of data incidents, resulting from human error or malfeasance, as well as attempts at unauthorized access to our information technology networks and systems, or our information through fraud or other means of deceiving our colleagues, third-party service providers and vendors, none of which to our knowledge have been material to our business or our clients. Over time, the sophistication of the attacks against us has increased. We maintain policies, procedures and technological safeguards designed to protect the security and privacy of this information. However, we cannot entirely eliminate the risk of data security breaches, improper access to or disclosure of confidential company or personally identifiable information. Our technology may fail to adequately secure the private information we hold and protect it from theft, computer viruses, hackers or inadvertent loss. If any person, including any of our colleagues, fails to comply with, disregards or intentionally breaches our established controls with respect to such data or otherwise mismanages or misappropriates that data, we could be subject to monetary damages, fines or criminal prosecution. Unauthorized disclosure of sensitive or confidential client or employee data, whether through systems failure, accident, employee negligence, fraud or misappropriation, could damage our reputation and cause us to lose clients. Similarly, unauthorized access to or through our information systems or those we develop for our clients, whether by our colleagues or third parties, could result in significant additional expenses (including expenses relating to notification of data security breaches and costs of credit monitoring services), negative publicity, legal liability and damage to our reputation, as well as require substantial resources and effort of management, thereby diverting management’s focus and resources from business operations. In addition, our failure to adhere to or successfully implement processes in response to changing customer expectations and legal or regulatory requirements in this area, including changing legal or regulatory requirements that may be developed or revised due to the U.K.’s exit from the E.U. (‘Brexit’), could result in legal liability or impairment to our reputation or business. The methods used to obtain unauthorized access, disable or degrade service or sabotage systems are also constantly changing and evolving; continue to become more sophisticated and complex; and may be difficult to anticipate or detect. For example, the Cyber Division of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (‘FBI’) has noted that cyber criminals have targeted, and may increasingly target, assets held in Health Savings Accounts and Reimbursement Accounts to fraudulently acquire the assets held in those accounts. Assets held in Health Savings Accounts are expected to grow substantially over the next few years. Given the Company’s move toward managing more of these assets ourselves as a Non-Bank Custodian in connection with our Benefits Delivery and Administration Businesses, our reputation could be harmed and our business and results of operations could be materially adversely affected if we are the target of such fraud and it goes undetected for any period of time. We have implemented and regularly review and update processes and procedures to protect against fraud or unauthorized access to or use of secured data and to prevent data loss. The ever-evolving threats mean we and our third-party service providers and vendors must continually evaluate, adapt, enhance and otherwise improve our respective systems and processes, and there is no guarantee that they will be adequate to safeguard against all fraud, data security breaches or misuses of data. Any future significant compromise or breach of our data security or fraud, whether external or internal, or misuse of client, colleague, supplier or company data, could result in additional significant costs, lost revenue opportunities, fines, lawsuits, and damage to our reputation. We are subject to numerous U.S. and foreign jurisdiction laws and regulations designed to protect this information, such as the European Union Directive on Data Protection (and the General Data Protection Regulation (‘GDPR’) once it supersedes the Directive on Data Protection in May 2018), regulations from other countries that prohibit the transmission of data outside of such country’s borders and various U.S. federal and state laws governing the protection of health or other individually identifiable information. GDPR significantly increases our responsibilities when handling personal data, including, without limitation, requiring us to conduct privacy impact assessments, restricting the transmission of data and requiring public disclosure of significant data breaches. Laws and regulations in this area are evolving and generally becoming more stringent. For example, the New York State Department of Financial Services has issued cybersecurity regulations that outline a variety of required security measures for protection of data. Further, a U.K. exit from the E.U. will increase uncertainty regarding applicable laws and regulations pending more clarity on the terms of that exit. All of these evolving laws and regulations may restrict the manner in which we provide services to our clients, increase the risk of non-compliance and impose significant costs that are likely to increase over time, all of which could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations. Our inability to successfully recover should we experience a disaster or other business continuity problem could cause material financial loss, loss of human capital, regulatory actions, reputational harm or legal liability. Should we experience a disaster or other business continuity problem, such as an earthquake, hurricane, terrorist attack, pandemic, security breach, power loss, telecommunications failure or other natural or man-made disaster, our continued success will depend, in part, on the availability of our personnel, our office facilities, and the proper functioning of our computer, telecommunication and other related systems and operations. In such an event, we could experience near-term operational challenges with regard to particular areas of our operations. A disaster on a significant scale or affecting certain of our key operating areas within or across regions, or our inability to successfully recover should we experience a disaster or other business continuity problem, could materially interrupt our business operations and cause material financial loss, loss of human capital, regulatory actions, reputational harm, damaged client relationships or legal liability, particularly if any of these problems occur during peak times. Interruption to or loss of our information processing capabilities or failure to effectively maintain and upgrade our information processing hardware or systems could cause material financial loss, regulatory actions, reputational harm or legal liability. Our business depends significantly on effective information systems. Our capacity to service our clients relies on effective storage, retrieval, processing and management of information. Our information systems also rely on the commitment of significant resources to maintain and enhance existing systems, develop and create new systems and products in order to keep pace with continuing changes in information processing technology or evolving industry and regulatory standards and to be at the forefront of a range of technology relevant to our business. In addition, many of the software applications that we use in our business are licensed from, and supported, upgraded and maintained by, third-party vendors. Our third-party applications include enterprise cloud storage and cloud computing application services provided and maintained by third-party vendors. These third-party applications store confidential and proprietary data of both the Company and our clients. A suspension or termination of certain of these licenses or the related support, upgrades and maintenance could cause temporary system delays or interruption that could adversely impact our business. If the data we rely on to run our business were found to be inaccurate or unreliable or if we fail to maintain effective and efficient systems (including through a telecommunications failure, failure to replace or update redundant or obsolete computer hardware, applications or software systems, or the loss of skilled people with the knowledge needed to operate older systems, or if we experience other disruptions), this could result in material financial loss, regulatory action, reputational harm or legal liability. In conducting our businesses around the world, we are subject to political, economic, legal, regulatory, cultural, market, operational and other risks that are inherent in operating in many countries. In conducting our businesses and maintaining and supporting our global operations, we are subject to political, economic, legal, regulatory, market, operational and other risks. Our businesses and operations continue to expand into new regions throughout the world, including emerging markets. The possible effects of economic and financial disruptions throughout the world could have an adverse impact on our businesses and financial results. These risks include: • the general economic and political conditions in foreign countries; • the imposition of controls or limitations on the conversion of foreign currencies or remittance of dividends and other payments by foreign subsidiaries; • the imposition of sanctions by both the U.S. and foreign governments; • the imposition of withholding and other taxes on remittances and other payments from subsidiaries; • the imposition or increase of investment and other restrictions by foreign governments; • fluctuations in currency exchange rates or our tax rate; • difficulties in controlling operations and monitoring employees in geographically dispersed and culturally diverse locations; and • the practical challenge and costs of complying, or monitoring compliance, with a wide variety of foreign laws (some of which are evolving or are not as well-developed as the laws of the U.S. or U.K. or which may conflict with U.S. or other sources of law), and regulations applicable to insurance brokers and other business operations abroad (in more than 140 countries and territories including many countries in Africa), including laws, rules and regulations relating to the conduct of business, trade sanction laws administered by the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control, the E.U., the U.K. and the United Nations (‘U.N.’), and the requirements of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act as well as other anti-bribery and corruption rules and requirements in all of the countries in which we operate. Our business will be negatively affected if we are not able to anticipate and keep pace with rapid changes in government laws or regulations, or if government laws or regulations decrease the need for our services or increase our costs. A material portion of our revenues are affected by statutory or regulatory changes. An example of a statutory or regulatory change that could materially impact us is any change to Healthcare Reform in the U.S. The new administration and certain key members of Congress have expressed a desire to replace or amend all or a portion of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (‘PPACA’), and the Healthcare and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, (‘HCERA’), which we refer to collectively as ‘Healthcare Reform’. While the U.S. Congress has not passed legislation replacing or significantly amending Healthcare Reform (other than changes to the individual mandate), such legislation, or another version of Healthcare Reform, could be implemented in the future. If we are unable to adapt our services to potential new laws and regulations with respect to Healthcare Reform or otherwise, our ability to provide effective services in these areas may be substantially impacted. In addition, more restrictive rules or interpretations of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services marketing rules, or judicial decisions that restrict or otherwise change existing provisions of U.S. healthcare regulation, could have a material adverse impact on our Benefits Delivery and Administration business. Many areas in which we provide services are the subject of government regulation, which is constantly evolving. For example, our activities in connection with insurance brokerage services are subject to regulation and supervision by national, state or other authorities. Insurance laws in the markets in which we operate are often complex and generally grant broad discretion to supervisory authorities in adopting regulations and supervising regulated activities. That supervision generally includes the licensing of insurance brokers and agents and the regulation of the handling and investment of client funds held in a fiduciary capacity. Our continuing ability to provide insurance brokerage in the markets in which we currently operate is dependent upon our compliance with the rules and regulations promulgated from time to time by the regulatory authorities in each of these locations. Changes in government and accounting regulations in the U.S. and the U.K., two of our principal geographic markets, affecting the value, use or delivery of benefits and human capital programs may materially adversely affect the demand for, or the profitability of, various of our services. In addition, we have significant operations throughout the world, which further subject us to applicable laws and regulations of countries outside the U.S. and the U.K. Changes in legislation or regulations and actions by regulators in particular countries, including changes in administration and enforcement policies, could require operational improvements or modifications, which may result in higher costs or hinder our ability to operate our business in those countries. Our compliance systems and controls cannot guarantee that we comply with all applicable federal and state or foreign laws and regulations, and actions by regulatory authorities or changes in applicable laws and regulations in the jurisdictions in which we operate could have an adverse effect on our business. Our activities are subject to extensive regulation under the laws of the U.S., the U.K., the E.U. and its member states, and the other jurisdictions around the world in which we operate. In addition, we own an interest in a number of associates where we do not exercise management control. Over the last few years, regulators across the world are increasingly seeking to regulate brokers who operate in their jurisdictions. The foreign and U.S. laws and regulations applicable to our operations are complex, continually evolving and may increase the costs of regulatory compliance, limit or restrict the products or services we sell or subject our business to the possibility of regulatory actions or proceedings. These laws and regulations include insurance and financial industry regulations, competition law regulations, economic and trade sanctions laws relating to countries in which certain subsidiaries do business or may do business (“Sanctioned Jurisdictions”) such as Cuba, Iran, Russia, Sudan and Syria, anti-corruption laws such as the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the U.K. Bribery Act 2010 and similar local laws prohibiting corrupt payments to governmental officials and the Foreign Account Tax Compliance provisions of the Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment Act in the U.S., as well as laws and regulations related to data privacy and cyber security. Because of changes in regulation and Company practice, our non-U.S. subsidiaries are providing more services with connections to various countries, including some Sanctioned Jurisdictions, that our U.S. subsidiaries are unable to perform. In most jurisdictions, governmental and regulatory authorities have the ability to interpret and amend these laws and regulations and impose penalties for non-compliance, including sanctions, civil remedies, monetary fines, injunctions, revocation of licenses or approvals, suspension of individuals, limitations on business activities or redress to clients. While we believe that we have substantially increased our focus on the geographic breadth of regulations to which we are subject, maintain good relationships with our key regulators and our current systems and controls are adequate, we cannot assure that such systems and controls will prevent any violations of any applicable laws and regulations. While we strive to remain fully-compliant with all applicable laws and regulations, we cannot guarantee that we will fully comply at all times with all laws and regulations, especially in countries with developing or evolving legal systems or with evolving or extra-territorial regulations. In particular, given the challenges of integrating operations, many of which are de-centralized, we cannot assure that our newly-acquired entities’ business systems and controls have prevented or will prevent any and all violations of applicable laws or regulations. The decision by the United Kingdom to leave the European Union, and the risk that other countries may follow, could adversely affect us. In 2017, approximately 22% of our revenues are generated in the U.K., although only about 13% of revenues are denominated in Pounds sterling as much of the insurance business is transacted in U.S. dollars. Approximately 19% of our expenses are denominated in Pounds sterling. Given the status of Brexit, at this time, we are not able to predict the impact that it will have on the economy; economic, regulatory and political stability; and market conditions in Europe, including in the U.K., or on Pound sterling, Euro or other European currencies, but any such impacts and others we cannot currently anticipate could materially adversely affect us and our operations. Among other things, we could experience: lower growth in the region due to indecision as businesses hold off on generating new projects or due to adverse market conditions; and reduced reported revenues and earnings because foreign currencies may translate into fewer U.S. dollars due to the fact that we translate revenue denominated in non-U.S. currencies such as Pounds sterling into U.S. dollars for our financial statements. In addition, there can be no assurance that our hedging strategies will be effective. The British government began negotiating the terms of the U.K.'s future relationship with the E.U. in 2017. While certain separation issues have been resolved, there is still significant uncertainty with respect to the terms of the future relationship between the E.U. and the U.K. Although we cannot anticipate what those terms will be, the Company is heavily invested in and focused on the U.K. in our businesses and activities. If Brexit negatively impacts the U.K., then it could have a material adverse impact on us. In addition, Brexit may result in greater restrictions on business between the U.K. and E.U. countries and increased regulatory complexities. This and other factors could cause us to move businesses or operations outside of the U.K. There is also uncertainty as to how the U.K.'s access to the E.U. Single Market and the wider trading, legal, regulatory, tax and labor environments, especially in the U.K. and E.U., will be impacted, including the resulting impact on our business and that of our clients. Any such changes may adversely affect our operations and financial results. For example, any changes to the passporting or other regulations relating to doing business in various E.U. countries by relying on a regulatory permission in the U.K. (or doing business in the U.K. by relying on a regulatory permission in an E.U. country) could increase our costs of doing business, or our ability to do so. As another example, changes in labor laws may impact the ability to hire and retain non-U.K. staff in the U.K. or U.K. staff in the E.U. In addition, the outcome of the referendum has created uncertainty with regard to the regulation of data protection in the U.K. Among other things, it is unclear whether the U.K. will enact legislation similar to the pending European General Data Protection Regulation after Brexit, and how data transfers to and from the U.K. will be regulated. A change in such regulations, or other regulations, could increase our costs of doing business, or in some cases our ability to do business, and adversely impact our operations and financial results. There is also a risk that other countries may decide to leave the E.U. We cannot predict the impact that any additional countries leaving the E.U. will have on us, but any such impacts could materially adversely affect us. Our business performance and growth plans could be negatively affected if we are not able to effectively apply technology and analytics to drive value for our clients through technology-based solutions or gain internal efficiencies through the effective application of technology, analytics and related tools. Our success depends, in part, on our ability to develop and implement technology and analytic solutions that anticipate, lead or keep pace with rapid and continuing changes in technology, industry standards and client preferences. We may not be successful in anticipating or responding to these developments in a timely and cost-effective manner, and our ideas may not be accepted in the marketplace. Additionally, the effort to gain technological expertise and develop new technologies or analytic techniques in our business requires us to incur significant cost. Our competitors are seeking to develop competing technologies, and their success in this space may impact our ability to differentiate our services to our clients through the use of unique technological solutions. If we cannot offer new technologies or analytic services or solutions as quickly or effectively as our competitors, or if our competitors develop more cost-effective technologies or analytic tools, it could have a material adverse effect on our ability to obtain and complete client engagements. Our business may be harmed by any negative developments that may occur in the insurance industry or if we fail to maintain good relationships with insurance carriers. Many of our businesses are heavily dependent on the insurance industry. Any negative developments that occur in the insurance industry may have a material adverse effect on our business and our results of operations. In addition, if we fail to maintain good relationships with insurance carriers, it may have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations. The private health insurance industry in the U.S. has experienced a substantial amount of consolidation over the past several years, resulting in a decrease in the number of insurance carriers. In the future, it may become necessary for us to offer insurance plans from a reduced number of insurance carriers or to derive a greater portion of our revenues from a more concentrated number of carriers as our business and the health insurance industry evolve. The termination, amendment or consolidation of our relationship with our insurance carriers could harm our business, results of operations and financial condition. Changes and developments in the health insurance system in the United States could harm our business. In 2010, the Federal government enacted significant reforms to healthcare legislation through Healthcare Reform. Many of our lines of business depend upon the private sector of the U.S. insurance system, its role in financing health care delivery, and insurance carriers’ use of, and payment of commissions to, agents, brokers and other organizations to market and sell individual and family health insurance plans. Healthcare Reform contains provisions that have changed and will continue to change the industry in which we operate in substantial ways. The new administration, and certain key members of Congress have expressed a desire to replace or amend all or a portion of Healthcare Reform. Any partial or complete repeal or amendment or implementation difficulties, or uncertainty regarding such events, could increase our costs of compliance, prevent or delay future adoption of our exchange platform, and adversely impact our results of operations and financial condition. Given the uncertainty relating to the potential repeal and replacement of Healthcare Reform, the impact is difficult to determine, but it could have negative effects on us, including: • increasing our competition; • reducing or eliminating the need for health insurance agents and brokers or demand for the health insurance that we sell; • decreasing the number of types of health insurance plans that we sell, as well as the number of insurance carriers offering such plans; • causing insurance carriers to change the benefits and/or premiums for the plans they sell; • causing insurance carriers to reduce the amount they pay for our services or change our relationship with them in other ways; or • materially restricting our call center operations. Any of these effects could materially harm our business and results of operations. For example, the manner in which the Federal government and the states implement health insurance exchanges and the process for receiving subsidies and cost-sharing credits could substantially increase our competition and member turnover and substantially reduce the number of individuals who purchase insurance through us. Various aspects of Healthcare Reform could cause insurance carriers to limit the types of health insurance plans we are able to sell and the geographies in which we are able to sell them. In addition, the U.S. Congress may seek to find spending cuts, and such cuts may include Medicare. If cuts are made to Medicare, there may be substantial changes in the types of health insurance plans we are able to sell. Changes in the law could also cause insurance carriers to exit the business of selling insurance plans in a particular jurisdiction, to eliminate certain categories of products or to attempt to move members into new plans for which we receive lower commissions. If insurance carriers decide to limit our ability to sell their plans or determine not to sell individual health insurance plans altogether, our business, results of operations and financial condition would be materially harmed. Our growth strategy depends, in part, on our ability to make acquisitions and we face risks when we acquire or divest businesses, and could have difficulty in acquiring, integrating or managing acquired businesses, or with effecting internal reorganizations, all of which could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations or reputation. Our growth depends in part on our ability to make acquisitions. We may not be successful in identifying appropriate acquisition candidates or consummating acquisitions on terms acceptable or favorable to us. We also face additional risks related to acquisitions, including that we could overpay for acquired businesses and that any acquired business could significantly underperform relative to our expectations. If we are unable to identify and successfully make, integrate and manage acquisitions, our business could be materially adversely affected. In addition, we face risks related to divesting businesses, including that we may not receive adequate consideration in return for the divested business, we may continue to be subject to the liabilities of the divested business after its divestiture (including with respect to work we might perform on behalf of the divested business), and we may not be able to reduce overhead or redeploy assets or retain colleagues after the divestiture closes. In addition, we cannot be certain that our acquisitions will be accretive to earnings or that our acquisitions or divestitures will otherwise meet our operational or strategic expectations. Acquisitions involve special risks, including the potential assumption of unanticipated liabilities and contingencies and difficulties in integrating acquired businesses, and acquired businesses may not achieve the levels of revenue, profit or productivity we anticipate or otherwise perform as we expect. In addition, if the operating performance of an acquired business deteriorates significantly, we may need to write down the value of the goodwill and other acquisition-related intangible assets recorded on our balance sheet. We may be unable to effectively integrate an acquired business into our organization, and may not succeed in managing such acquired businesses or the larger company that results from such acquisitions. The process of integrating an acquired business may subject us to a number of risks, including, without limitation, an inability to retain the management, key personnel and other employees of the acquired business; an inability to establish uniform standards, controls, systems, procedures and policies or to achieve anticipated synergies; and exposure to legal claims for activities of the acquired business prior to acquisition. We may also face similar challenges in effecting internal reorganizations. If acquisitions or internal reorganizations are not successfully integrated, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected, as well as our professional reputation. We also own an interest in a number of associates where we do not exercise management control and we are therefore limited in our ability to direct or manage the business to realize the anticipated benefits that we could achieve if we had full ownership. Limited protection of our intellectual property could harm our business, and we face the risk that our services or products may infringe upon the intellectual property rights of others. We cannot guarantee that trade secret, trademark and copyright law protections are adequate to deter misappropriation of our intellectual property (including our software, which may become an increasingly important part of our business). Existing laws of some countries in which we provide services or products may offer only limited protection of our intellectual property rights. Also, we may be unable to detect the unauthorized use of our intellectual property and take the necessary steps to enforce our rights, which may have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition or results of operations. We cannot be sure that our services and products, or the products of others that we offer to our clients, do not infringe on the intellectual property rights of third parties, and we may have infringement claims asserted against us or our clients. These claims may harm our reputation, result in financial liability, consume financial resources to pursue or defend, and prevent us from offering some services or products. Financial and Tax Risks Our outstanding debt could adversely affect our cash flows and financial flexibility and we may not be able to obtain financing on favorable terms or at all. Willis Towers Watson had total consolidated debt outstanding of approximately $4.5 billion as of December 31, 2017, and our interest expense was $188 million for the year ended December 31, 2017. Although management believes that our cash flows will be sufficient to service this debt, there may be circumstances in which required payments of principal and/or interest on this debt could adversely affect our cash flows and this level of indebtedness may: • require us to dedicate a significant portion of our cash flow from operations to payments on our debt, thereby reducing the availability of cash flow to fund capital expenditures, to pursue other acquisitions or investments, to pay dividends and for general corporate purposes; • increase our vulnerability to general adverse economic conditions, including when we borrow at variable interest rates, which makes us vulnerable to increases in interest rates generally; • limit our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes or challenges relating to our business and industry; and • put us at a competitive disadvantage against competitors who have less indebtedness or are in a more favorable position to access additional capital resources. The terms of our current financings also include certain limitations. For example, the agreements relating to the debt arrangements and credit facilities contain numerous operating and financial covenants, including requirements to maintain minimum ratios of consolidated EBITDA to consolidated cash interest expense and maximum levels of consolidated funded indebtedness in relation to consolidated EBITDA, in each case subject to certain adjustments. The operating restrictions and financial covenants in our credit facilities do, and any future financing agreements may, limit our ability to finance future operations or capital needs or to engage in other business activities. A failure to comply with the restrictions under our credit facilities and outstanding notes could result in a default under the financing obligations or could require us to obtain waivers from our lenders for failure to comply with these restrictions. The occurrence of a default that is not cured or the inability to secure a necessary consent or waiver could cause our obligations with respect to our debt to be accelerated and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations. The maintenance and growth of our business depends on our access to capital, which will depend in large part on cash flow generated by our business and the availability of equity and debt financing. There can be no assurance that our operations will generate sufficient positive cash flow to finance all of our capital needs or that we will be able to obtain equity or debt financing on favorable terms or at all, which could have a material adverse effect on us. A downgrade to our corporate credit rating and the credit ratings of our outstanding debt may adversely affect our borrowing costs and financial flexibility and, under certain circumstances, may require us to offer to buy back some of our outstanding debt. A downgrade in our corporate credit rating or the credit ratings of our debt would increase our borrowing costs including those under our credit facilities, and reduce our financial flexibility. In addition, certain downgrades would trigger a step-up in interest rates under the indentures for certain of our senior notes, which would increase our interest expense. If we need to raise capital in the future, any credit rating downgrade could negatively affect our financing costs or access to financing sources. In addition, under the indenture for our 3.600% senior notes due 2024, our 4.625% senior notes due 2023, our 6.125% senior notes due 2043, our 3.500% senior notes due 2021, our 4.400% senior notes due 2026, and our 2.125% senior notes due 2022, if we experience a ratings decline together with a change of control event, we would be required to offer to purchase these notes from holders unless we had previously redeemed those notes. We may not have sufficient funds available or access to funding to repurchase tendered notes in that event, which could result in a default under the notes. Any future debt that we incur may contain covenants regarding repurchases in the event of a change of control triggering event. Legislative or regulatory action in the U.S. or abroad could materially adversely affect our ability to maintain a competitive worldwide effective corporate tax rate. We cannot give any assurance as to what our effective tax rate will be in the future, because of, among other things, uncertainty regarding the tax policies of the jurisdictions where we operate. Our actual effective tax rate may vary from expectations and that variance may be material. Additionally, the tax laws of Ireland and other jurisdictions could change in the future, and such changes could cause a material change in our effective tax rate. On December 22, 2017, the U.S. government enacted comprehensive tax reform legislation commonly referred to as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the ‘U.S. Tax Reform’). The U.S. Tax Reform includes numerous changes to existing tax law, including a permanent reduction in the federal corporate income tax rate from 35% to 21%. Although the rate reduction takes effect on January 1, 2018, the impact to the Company on the re-measurement of its deferred taxes was significant. Among other things, U.S. Tax Reform could cause us to lose the benefit of certain tax credits and deductions (including for performance-based compensation under Section 162(m)), limit our ability to deduct interest incurred in the U.S. and potentially increase our income taxes due to the base erosion and anti-abuse tax and one-time transition tax on unrepatriated earnings of certain foreign subsidiaries. While we recorded provisional estimates for 2017, we will continue to evaluate the overall impact of U.S. Tax Reform on our operations and tax position over the next twelve months. Our expectations of the impact of U.S. Tax Reform are also subject to change, possibly materially, due to, among other things, changes in interpretation or assumptions, and/or updated regulatory guidance. The U.S. Tax Reform could have a material adverse effect on our financial results. Further legislative action may be taken by the U.S. Congress which, if ultimately enacted, could limit the availability of tax benefits or deductions that we currently claim, override tax treaties upon which we rely, or otherwise affect the taxes that the U.S. imposes on our worldwide operations. Regulations or administrative guidance from the U.S. Treasury Department could have similar consequences. Such changes could materially adversely affect our effective tax rate and/or require us to take further action, at potentially significant additional expense, to seek to preserve our effective tax rate. In addition, if proposals were enacted that have the effect of limiting our ability as an Irish company to take advantage of tax treaties with the U.S., we could incur additional tax expense and/or otherwise experience business detriment. In addition, the U.S. Congress, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (‘OECD’), World Trade Organization and other government agencies in jurisdictions where we and our affiliates do business have had an extended focus on issues related to the taxation of multinational corporations. One example is in the area of “base erosion and profit shifting”, where payments are made between affiliates from a jurisdiction with high tax rates to a jurisdiction with lower tax rates. In October 2015, the OECD released final reports addressing fifteen specific actions as part of a comprehensive plan to create an agreed set of international rules for fighting base erosion and profit shifting. Although the timing and methods of implementation vary, several jurisdictions have enacted legislation that is aligned with, and in some cases exceeds the scope of, the OECD’s recommendations. Ireland is currently conducting hearings on the Irish Corporate Tax System and is considering changes that could be adopted as part of its 2018 Budget, which could be effective as early as 2019. As a result, the tax laws in the U.S., Ireland, and other countries in which we and our affiliates do business could change on a prospective or retroactive basis, and any such changes could adversely affect us and our affiliates. Our significant non-U.S. operations, particularly our London market operations, expose us to exchange rate fluctuations and various other risks that could impact our business. A significant portion of our operations is conducted outside of the U.S. Accordingly, we are subject to legal, economic and market risks associated with operating in foreign countries, including devaluations and fluctuations in currency exchange rates; imposition of limitations on conversion of foreign currencies into Pounds sterling or U.S. dollars or remittance of dividends and other payments by foreign subsidiaries; hyperinflation in certain foreign countries; imposition or increase of investment and other restrictions by foreign governments; and the requirement of complying with a wide variety of foreign laws. Additionally and as noted above, the unknown impacts of Brexit may expose us to additional exchange rate fluctuations in the Pound Sterling. We report our operating results and financial condition in U.S. dollars. Our U.S. operations earn revenues and incur expenses primarily in U.S. dollars. In our London market operations, however, we earn revenues in a number of different currencies, but expenses are almost entirely incurred in Pounds sterling. Outside of the U.S. and our London market operations, we predominantly generate revenues and expenses in local currencies. Because of devaluations and fluctuations in currency exchange rates or the imposition of limitations on conversion of foreign currencies into U.S. dollars, we are subject to currency translation exposure on the profits of our operations, in addition to economic exposure. Furthermore, the mismatch between Pounds sterling revenues and expenses, together with any net Pound sterling balance sheet position we hold in our U.S. dollar denominated London market operations, creates an exchange exposure. While we do utilize hedging strategies to attempt to minimize the impact of foreign currency fluctuations, there can be no assurance that our hedging strategies will be effective. Changes in accounting principles or in our accounting estimates and assumptions could negatively affect our financial position and results of operations. We prepare our financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (‘U.S. GAAP’). Any change to accounting principles, particularly to U.S. GAAP, could have a material adverse effect on us or our results of operations. For example, we adopted a new revenue recognition standard as of January 1, 2018. Changes in our revenues and costs on a year over year basis could occur as a result of such adoption, and in any event the standards will impact the presentation of our financial results. U.S. GAAP accounting principles require us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of our financial statements. We are also required to make certain judgments that affect the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during each reporting period. We periodically evaluate our estimates and assumptions, including those relating to revenue recognition, valuation of billed and unbilled receivables from clients, discretionary compensation, incurred but not reported liabilities, restructuring, pensions, goodwill and other intangible assets, contingencies, share-based payments and income taxes. We base our estimates on historical experience and various assumptions that we believe to be reasonable based on specific circumstances. Actual results could differ from these estimates, and changes in accounting standards could have an adverse impact on our future financial position and results of operations. In addition, we have a substantial amount of goodwill on our balance sheet as a result of acquisitions we have completed, and we significantly increased goodwill as a result of the Merger. We review goodwill for impairment annually or whenever events or circumstances indicate impairment may have occurred. Application of the impairment test requires judgment, including the identification of reporting units, assignment of assets, liabilities and goodwill to reporting units and the determination of the fair value of each reporting unit. A significant deterioration in a key estimate or assumption or a less significant deterioration to a combination of assumptions or the sale of a part of a reporting unit could result in an impairment charge in the future, which could have a significant adverse impact on our reported earnings. We have material pension liabilities that can fluctuate significantly and adversely affect our financial position or net income or result in other financial impact. We have material pension liabilities, some of which represent unfunded and underfunded pension and postretirement liabilities. Movements in the interest rate environment, investment returns, inflation or changes in other assumptions that are used to estimate our benefit obligations and other factors could have a material effect on the level of liabilities in these plans at any given time. Most pension plans have minimum funding requirements that may require material amounts of periodic additional funding and accounting requirements that may result in increased pension expense. For example, in 2017 we were required to recognize a £27 million ($36 million) pension settlement expense related to transfer payments and the accelerated recognition of certain accumulated losses in our U.K. pension scheme. Depending on the above factors, among others, we could be required to recognize further pension expense in the future. Increased pension expense could adversely affect our earnings or cause earnings volatility. In addition, the need to make additional cash contributions may reduce our financial flexibility and increase liquidity risk by reducing the cash available to meet our other obligations, including the payment obligations under our credit facilities and other long-term debt, or other needs of our business. Our quarterly revenues could fluctuate, including as a result of factors outside of our control, while our expenses are relatively fixed. Quarterly variations in our revenues and results of operations have occurred in the past and could occur as a result of a number of factors, such as: the significance of client engagements commenced and completed during a quarter; seasonality of certain types of services; the number of business days in a quarter; colleague hiring and utilization rates; our clients’ ability to terminate engagements without penalty; the size and scope of assignments; and general economic conditions. We derive significant revenues from commissions for brokerage services, but do not determine the insurance premiums on which our commissions are generally based. Commission levels generally follow the same trend as premium levels, as they are a percentage of the premiums paid by the insureds. Fluctuations in the premiums charged by the insurance carriers can therefore have a direct and potentially material impact on our results of operations. Due to the cyclical nature of the insurance market and the impact of other market conditions on insurance premiums, commission levels may vary widely between accounting periods. A period of low or declining premium rates, generally known as a ‘soft’ or ‘softening’ market, generally leads to downward pressure on commission revenues and can have a material adverse impact on our commission revenues and operating margin. We could be negatively impacted by soft market conditions across certain sectors and geographic regions. In addition, insurance carriers may seek to reduce their expenses by reducing the commission rates payable to insurance agents or brokers such as us. The reduction of these commission rates, along with general volatility and/or declines in premiums, may significantly undermine our profitability. A sizeable portion of our total operating expenses is relatively fixed, encompassing the majority of administrative, occupancy, communications and other expenses, depreciation and amortization, and salaries and employee benefits excluding fiscal year-end incentive bonuses. Therefore, a variation in the number of client assignments or in the timing of the initiation or the completion of client assignments or our inability to forecast demand can cause significant variations in quarterly operating results and could result in losses and volatility in our stock price. The laws of Ireland differ from the laws in effect in the United States and may afford less protection to holders of our securities. It may not be possible to enforce court judgments obtained in the U.S. against us in Ireland, based on the civil liability provisions of the U.S. federal or state securities laws. In addition, there is some uncertainty as to whether the courts of Ireland would recognize or enforce judgments of U.S. courts obtained against us or our directors or officers based on the civil liabilities provisions of the U.S. federal or state securities laws or hear actions against us or those persons based on those laws. We have been advised that the U.S. currently does not have a treaty with Ireland providing for the reciprocal recognition and enforcement of judgments in civil and commercial matters. Therefore, a final judgment for the payment of money rendered by any U.S. federal or state court based on civil liability, whether or not based solely on U.S. federal or state securities laws, would not automatically be enforceable in Ireland. As an Irish company, we are governed by the Irish Companies Act, which differs in some material respects from laws generally applicable to U.S. corporations and shareholders, including, among others, differences relating to interested director and officer transactions and shareholder lawsuits. Likewise, the duties of directors and officers of an Irish company generally are owed to the company only. Shareholders of Irish companies generally do not have a personal right of action against directors or officers of the company and may exercise such rights of action on behalf of the company only in limited circumstances. Accordingly, holders of our securities may have more difficulty protecting their interests than would holders of securities of a corporation incorporated in a jurisdiction of the United States. We are a holding company and, therefore, may not be able to receive dividends or other distributions in needed amounts from our subsidiaries. The Company is organized as a holding company, a legal entity separate and distinct from our operating subsidiaries. As a holding company without significant operations of our own, we are dependent upon dividends and other payments from our operating subsidiaries to meet our obligations for paying principal and interest on outstanding debt obligations, for paying dividends to shareholders, for repurchasing shares of common stock and for corporate expenses. Legal and regulatory restrictions, foreign exchange controls, as well as operating requirements of our subsidiaries, may limit our ability to obtain cash from these subsidiaries. For example, Willis Limited, our U.K. brokerage subsidiary regulated by the FCA, is currently required to maintain $140 million in unencumbered and available financial resources, of which at least $79 million must be in cash, for regulatory purposes. In the event our operating subsidiaries are unable to pay dividends and other payments to the Company, we may not be able to service debt, pay obligations or pay dividends on, or repurchase shares of, common stock. In the event we are unable to generate cash from our operating subsidiaries for any of the reasons discussed above, our overall liquidity could deteriorate. ITEM 1B.