international operations experienced increases in both gross written and earned premiums during 2018 as compared to 2017 , primarily due to growth in our property , liability and professional lines , as well as the timing of the ariel re acquisition . ariel re has a significant property contract that is subject to renewal in january of each year . the ariel re transaction closed in february 2017 ; as such the january 2017 gross written premiums for ariel re is not included while the 2018 renewal is included in our gross written premiums . as part of the full integration of the reinsurance business of ariel re , beginning in 2018 we changed the capital structure supporting that business by introducing certain third-party trade capital to participate in the exposures we underwrite . this trade capital receives a corresponding proportion of the gross written premiums . as such , this structure has the effect of reducing the gross written premiums reported in our financial statements . in exchange , we receive certain remuneration for generating this business and for the underlying underwriting performance . there was no such structure for our ariel re business in 2017. our gross written and earned premiums are further discussed by reporting segment and major lines of business under the heading “ segment results ” below . net investment income the increase in consolidated net investment income for the year ended december 31 , 2019 as compared to the same period in 2018 was primarily due to a $ 17.9 million increase in net investment income from our core portfolio due to growth in our invested asset base and higher investment yields . net investment income from our alternative investment portfolio was relatively flat , increasing $ 0.1 million for the year ended december 31 , 2019 as compared to the same period in 2018. the decrease in consolidated net investment income for the year ended december 31 , 2018 as compared to the same period in 2017 was primarily due to a $ 29.7 million decrease in the net investment income of our alternative investment portfolio , partially offset by a $ 22.8 million increase in the net investment income of our core portfolio . the decline in the alternative investment portfolio was due to the volatility experienced in the securities markets primarily during the fourth quarter of 2018 , as well as the impact of a $ 12.2 million pre-tax net investment gain recognized in 2017 related to a sale process initiated by an equity investee . the increase in net investment income from our core portfolio was primarily due to higher asset balances and increased investment yields . total invested assets at december 31 , 2019 were $ 4,940.8 million , net of $ 158.6 million of invested assets attributable to our syndicate 1200 and 1910 trade capital providers . total invested assets at december 31 , 2018 were $ 4,653.6 million , net of $ 133.4 million of invested assets attributable to our syndicate 1200 and 1910 trade capital providers . total invested assets at december 31 , 2017 were $ 4,612.1 million , net of $ 130.8 million of invested assets attributable to syndicate 1200 's trade capital providers . net realized investment gains/losses consolidated net realized investment gains for the year ended december 31 , 2019 consisted of $ 142.0 million in realized gains from the sale of invested assets , including $ 129.0 million from the sale of equity securities . the majority of these asset sales were recognized during the fourth quarter of 2019 , primarily as a result of a shift in capital management and tax planning strategies , and were partially offset by an associated $ 40.8 million decrease in the fair value of equity securities . during the year ended december 31 , 2019 , we recognized $ 20.3 million in other-than-temporary impairment losses related to fixed maturity securities . the remaining $ 0.9 million net realized investment loss related to net foreign currency exchange losses . consolidated net realized investment gains for the year ended december 31 , 2018 included a $ 105.1 million decrease in the fair value of equity securities . the remaining $ 33.1 million net realized investment gain consisted of $ 38.2 million in realized gains primarily from the sale of equity securities and $ 2.5 million of foreign currency exchange gains , including $ 2.7 million on our forward currency forward contracts . additionally , for the year ended december 31 , 2018 , we recognized $ 7.6 million in other-than-temporary impairment losses within our fixed maturity and other invested asset portfolios . 51 consolidated net realized investment gains for the year ended december 31 , 2017 consisted of $ 60.1 million in realized gains primarily from the sale of fixed maturity and equity securities . partially offsetting these realized gains was $ 17.6 million of realized foreign currency exchange losses , including $ 8.6 million on our foreign currency forward contracts and $ 9.0 million on our fixed maturity and equity securities portfolios , as well as $ 0.7 million of losses from other invested assets , primarily overseas deposits . additionally , for the year ended december 31 , 2017 , we recognized a $ 2.5 million other-than-temporary impairment loss within our equity and fixed maturity portfolios . loss and loss adjustment expense consolidated losses and loss adjustment expenses were $ 1,220.7 million , $ 1,040.8 million and $ 1,050.2 million for the years ended december 31 , 2019 , 2018 and 2017 , respectively . story_separator_special_tag 56 specialty the increase in gross written and net earned premiums for the year ended december 31 , 2019 compared to the same period in 2018 was primarily due to the growth in surety , and to a lesser extent , premium from fronted marine programs that were launched in late 2018. the increase in gross written and earned premiums for the year ended december 31 , 2018 as compared to the same period in 2017 was primarily due to the continued growth in our surety lines , partially offset by planned reductions in certain programs . loss and loss adjustment expenses the loss ratios for the years ended december 31 , 2019 , 2018 and 2017 were 61.7 % , 58.2 % and 56.4 % , respectively . the higher loss ratio in 2019 , as compared to 2018 , was driven by a deterioration of 3.3 percentage points from net unfavorable prior-year reserve development in 2019 , as compared to net favorable prior-year reserve development in 2018. the higher loss ratio in 2018 , as compared to 2017 , was driven by a deterioration of 2.2 percentage points related to lower net favorable prior-year reserve development in 2018 , as compared to 2017. the current accident year non-catastrophe loss ratio for the years ended december 31 , 2019 , 2018 and 2017 were 59.0 % , 58.3 % and 58.4 % , respectively . the deterioration in 2019 was driven by an increased level of property losses and , to a lesser extent , loss experience in certain liability lines . the current accident year non-catastrophe loss ratios were comparable for the years ended december 31 , 2018 and 2017. net unfavorable prior-year reserve development for the year ended december 31 , 2019 was $ 15.7 million ( 1.4 percentage points ) and related primarily to unfavorable prior-year reserve development on liability claims within our e & s lines business , as well as in property lines , partially offset by favorable prior-year reserve development in specialty lines . the net favorable prior-year reserve development for the year ended december 31 , 2018 was $ 20.8 million ( 1.9 percentage points ) which was primarily concentrated in our general liability and surety lines , partially offset by unfavorable loss reserve development on prior accident years in commercial multi-peril lines . the net favorable prior-year reserve development for the year ended december 31 , 2017 was $ 38.7 million ( 4.1 percentage points ) was primarily concentrated in our general liability , workers compensation , surety and commercial automobile lines . catastrophe losses for the year ended december 31 , 2019 were $ 14.4 million ( 1.3 percentage points ) and included hurricane dorian and other u.s. storms , including midwest floods . catastrophe losses for the year ended december 31 , 2018 were $ 15.6 million ( 1.8 percentage points ) and were primarily attributable to the woolsey and camp california wildfires , hurricane florence , and other smaller storms in the united states . catastrophe losses for the year ended december 31 , 2017 were $ 16.8 million ( 2.1 percentage points ) and related to hurricanes harvey and irma , other smaller storms and the california wildfires . underwriting , acquisition and insurance expenses the expense ratio was unchanged at 32.9 % for each of the years ended december 31 , 2019 and 2018. the decrease in the expense ratio for the year ended december 31 , 2018 as compared to the same period in 2017 was primarily attributable to the impact of the 15.2 % year-over-year increase in earned premiums combined with lower acquisition costs , primarily offset by strategic investments in people and technology , including digital initiatives in support of premium growth . fee and other income/expense fee and other income , and the associated fee and other expense , improved on a net basis for the year ended december 31 , 2019 as compared to the same period in 2018 , as our operations for third party claims handling showed improved results , which offset an adverse profit commission adjustment recognized on the runoff of the discontinued brokerage book of business that was sold during the year ended 2017. fee and other income , and the associated fee and other expense , decreased for the year ended december 31 , 2018 as compared to the same period in 2017 primarily due to the result of a transaction that was executed in the third quarter of 2017 to transfer to a third-party the distribution rights and operations of certain business managed on behalf of unaffiliated insurance companies . the fee income and expense related to this program were recorded as part of our fee and other income and expense , respectively . 57 international operations the following table summarizes the results of operations for the international operations segment : replace_table_token_13_th the following table contains a reconciliation of certain non-gaap financial measures , specifically the current accident year non-catastrophe loss , expense and combined ratios , to their most directly comparable gaap measures for our international operations . replace_table_token_14_th ( 1 ) for purposes of calculating the percentage points impact on the loss , expense and combined ratios , earned premiums were adjusted to exclude outward reinstatement and other catastrophe-related premium adjustments of $ 0.8 million , $ 1.3 million , and $ 12.8 million for the years ended december 31 , 2019 , 2018 and 2017 , respectively . ( 2 ) catastrophe losses ' percentage point impact are calculated as the difference between the reported combined ratio and the combined ratio excluding incurred catastrophe losses and associated reinstatement and other catastrophe-related premium adjustments . 58 gross written and earned premiums gross written and earned premiums by our four primary insurance lines were as follows : replace_table_token_15_th property the increase in gross written premiums for the year ended december 31 , 2019 as compared to the same period in 2018 was due to

cash flows the primary sources of our cash flows are premiums , reinsurance recoveries , proceeds from sales and redemptions of investments and investment income . the primary cash outflows are claim payments , loss adjustment expenses , reinsurance costs , underwriting , acquisition and overhead expenses , purchases of investments and income taxes . management believes that cash receipts from premiums , proceeds from investment sales and redemptions and investment income are sufficient to cover cash outflows in the foreseeable future . we believe we have access to additional sources of liquidity should the need for additional cash arise . 64 cash provided by operating activities can fluctuate due to timing differences in the collection of premiums and reinsurance recoveries and the payment of losses and expenses . for the years ended december 31 , 2019 , 2018 and 2017 , cash provided by operating activities was $ 183.3 million , $ 301.3 million and $ 165.0 million , respectively . the decrease in cash flows provided by operating activities in 2019 compared to 2018 and in 2017 compared to 2018 was attributable to various fluctuations within our operating activities . the decrease in cash flows from operating activities in 2019 compared to 2018 was primarily related to payments on prior accident year claims during 2019 , primarily driven by catastrophe claims .


 Write a concise suspicious activity report of the following text delimited by triple backquotes. Return your response as a formal report which covers the key points highlighting the location,dates,entity names and account holder information in chronological order of the text.
     ```cash flows the primary sources of our cash flows are premiums , reinsurance recoveries , proceeds from sales and redemptions of investments and investment income . the primary cash outflows are claim payments , loss adjustment expenses , reinsurance costs , underwriting , acquisition and overhead expenses , purchases of investments and income taxes . management believes that cash receipts from premiums , proceeds from investment sales and redemptions and investment income are sufficient to cover cash outflows in the foreseeable future . we believe we have access to additional sources of liquidity should the need for additional cash arise . 64 cash provided by operating activities can fluctuate due to timing differences in the collection of premiums and reinsurance recoveries and the payment of losses and expenses . for the years ended december 31 , 2019 , 2018 and 2017 , cash provided by operating activities was $ 183.3 million , $ 301.3 million and $ 165.0 million , respectively . the decrease in cash flows provided by operating activities in 2019 compared to 2018 and in 2017 compared to 2018 was attributable to various fluctuations within our operating activities . the decrease in cash flows from operating activities in 2019 compared to 2018 was primarily related to payments on prior accident year claims during 2019 , primarily driven by catastrophe claims .
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 Suspicious Activity Report : international operations experienced increases in both gross written and earned premiums during 2018 as compared to 2017 , primarily due to growth in our property , liability and professional lines , as well as the timing of the ariel re acquisition . ariel re has a significant property contract that is subject to renewal in january of each year . the ariel re transaction closed in february 2017 ; as such the january 2017 gross written premiums for ariel re is not included while the 2018 renewal is included in our gross written premiums . as part of the full integration of the reinsurance business of ariel re , beginning in 2018 we changed the capital structure supporting that business by introducing certain third-party trade capital to participate in the exposures we underwrite . this trade capital receives a corresponding proportion of the gross written premiums . as such , this structure has the effect of reducing the gross written premiums reported in our financial statements . in exchange , we receive certain remuneration for generating this business and for the underlying underwriting performance . there was no such structure for our ariel re business in 2017. our gross written and earned premiums are further discussed by reporting segment and major lines of business under the heading “ segment results ” below . net investment income the increase in consolidated net investment income for the year ended december 31 , 2019 as compared to the same period in 2018 was primarily due to a $ 17.9 million increase in net investment income from our core portfolio due to growth in our invested asset base and higher investment yields . net investment income from our alternative investment portfolio was relatively flat , increasing $ 0.1 million for the year ended december 31 , 2019 as compared to the same period in 2018. the decrease in consolidated net investment income for the year ended december 31 , 2018 as compared to the same period in 2017 was primarily due to a $ 29.7 million decrease in the net investment income of our alternative investment portfolio , partially offset by a $ 22.8 million increase in the net investment income of our core portfolio . the decline in the alternative investment portfolio was due to the volatility experienced in the securities markets primarily during the fourth quarter of 2018 , as well as the impact of a $ 12.2 million pre-tax net investment gain recognized in 2017 related to a sale process initiated by an equity investee . the increase in net investment income from our core portfolio was primarily due to higher asset balances and increased investment yields . total invested assets at december 31 , 2019 were $ 4,940.8 million , net of $ 158.6 million of invested assets attributable to our syndicate 1200 and 1910 trade capital providers . total invested assets at december 31 , 2018 were $ 4,653.6 million , net of $ 133.4 million of invested assets attributable to our syndicate 1200 and 1910 trade capital providers . total invested assets at december 31 , 2017 were $ 4,612.1 million , net of $ 130.8 million of invested assets attributable to syndicate 1200 's trade capital providers . net realized investment gains/losses consolidated net realized investment gains for the year ended december 31 , 2019 consisted of $ 142.0 million in realized gains from the sale of invested assets , including $ 129.0 million from the sale of equity securities . the majority of these asset sales were recognized during the fourth quarter of 2019 , primarily as a result of a shift in capital management and tax planning strategies , and were partially offset by an associated $ 40.8 million decrease in the fair value of equity securities . during the year ended december 31 , 2019 , we recognized $ 20.3 million in other-than-temporary impairment losses related to fixed maturity securities . the remaining $ 0.9 million net realized investment loss related to net foreign currency exchange losses . consolidated net realized investment gains for the year ended december 31 , 2018 included a $ 105.1 million decrease in the fair value of equity securities . the remaining $ 33.1 million net realized investment gain consisted of $ 38.2 million in realized gains primarily from the sale of equity securities and $ 2.5 million of foreign currency exchange gains , including $ 2.7 million on our forward currency forward contracts . additionally , for the year ended december 31 , 2018 , we recognized $ 7.6 million in other-than-temporary impairment losses within our fixed maturity and other invested asset portfolios . 51 consolidated net realized investment gains for the year ended december 31 , 2017 consisted of $ 60.1 million in realized gains primarily from the sale of fixed maturity and equity securities . partially offsetting these realized gains was $ 17.6 million of realized foreign currency exchange losses , including $ 8.6 million on our foreign currency forward contracts and $ 9.0 million on our fixed maturity and equity securities portfolios , as well as $ 0.7 million of losses from other invested assets , primarily overseas deposits . additionally , for the year ended december 31 , 2017 , we recognized a $ 2.5 million other-than-temporary impairment loss within our equity and fixed maturity portfolios . loss and loss adjustment expense consolidated losses and loss adjustment expenses were $ 1,220.7 million , $ 1,040.8 million and $ 1,050.2 million for the years ended december 31 , 2019 , 2018 and 2017 , respectively . story_separator_special_tag 56 specialty the increase in gross written and net earned premiums for the year ended december 31 , 2019 compared to the same period in 2018 was primarily due to the growth in surety , and to a lesser extent , premium from fronted marine programs that were launched in late 2018. the increase in gross written and earned premiums for the year ended december 31 , 2018 as compared to the same period in 2017 was primarily due to the continued growth in our surety lines , partially offset by planned reductions in certain programs . loss and loss adjustment expenses the loss ratios for the years ended december 31 , 2019 , 2018 and 2017 were 61.7 % , 58.2 % and 56.4 % , respectively . the higher loss ratio in 2019 , as compared to 2018 , was driven by a deterioration of 3.3 percentage points from net unfavorable prior-year reserve development in 2019 , as compared to net favorable prior-year reserve development in 2018. the higher loss ratio in 2018 , as compared to 2017 , was driven by a deterioration of 2.2 percentage points related to lower net favorable prior-year reserve development in 2018 , as compared to 2017. the current accident year non-catastrophe loss ratio for the years ended december 31 , 2019 , 2018 and 2017 were 59.0 % , 58.3 % and 58.4 % , respectively . the deterioration in 2019 was driven by an increased level of property losses and , to a lesser extent , loss experience in certain liability lines . the current accident year non-catastrophe loss ratios were comparable for the years ended december 31 , 2018 and 2017. net unfavorable prior-year reserve development for the year ended december 31 , 2019 was $ 15.7 million ( 1.4 percentage points ) and related primarily to unfavorable prior-year reserve development on liability claims within our e & s lines business , as well as in property lines , partially offset by favorable prior-year reserve development in specialty lines . the net favorable prior-year reserve development for the year ended december 31 , 2018 was $ 20.8 million ( 1.9 percentage points ) which was primarily concentrated in our general liability and surety lines , partially offset by unfavorable loss reserve development on prior accident years in commercial multi-peril lines . the net favorable prior-year reserve development for the year ended december 31 , 2017 was $ 38.7 million ( 4.1 percentage points ) was primarily concentrated in our general liability , workers compensation , surety and commercial automobile lines . catastrophe losses for the year ended december 31 , 2019 were $ 14.4 million ( 1.3 percentage points ) and included hurricane dorian and other u.s. storms , including midwest floods . catastrophe losses for the year ended december 31 , 2018 were $ 15.6 million ( 1.8 percentage points ) and were primarily attributable to the woolsey and camp california wildfires , hurricane florence , and other smaller storms in the united states . catastrophe losses for the year ended december 31 , 2017 were $ 16.8 million ( 2.1 percentage points ) and related to hurricanes harvey and irma , other smaller storms and the california wildfires . underwriting , acquisition and insurance expenses the expense ratio was unchanged at 32.9 % for each of the years ended december 31 , 2019 and 2018. the decrease in the expense ratio for the year ended december 31 , 2018 as compared to the same period in 2017 was primarily attributable to the impact of the 15.2 % year-over-year increase in earned premiums combined with lower acquisition costs , primarily offset by strategic investments in people and technology , including digital initiatives in support of premium growth . fee and other income/expense fee and other income , and the associated fee and other expense , improved on a net basis for the year ended december 31 , 2019 as compared to the same period in 2018 , as our operations for third party claims handling showed improved results , which offset an adverse profit commission adjustment recognized on the runoff of the discontinued brokerage book of business that was sold during the year ended 2017. fee and other income , and the associated fee and other expense , decreased for the year ended december 31 , 2018 as compared to the same period in 2017 primarily due to the result of a transaction that was executed in the third quarter of 2017 to transfer to a third-party the distribution rights and operations of certain business managed on behalf of unaffiliated insurance companies . the fee income and expense related to this program were recorded as part of our fee and other income and expense , respectively . 57 international operations the following table summarizes the results of operations for the international operations segment : replace_table_token_13_th the following table contains a reconciliation of certain non-gaap financial measures , specifically the current accident year non-catastrophe loss , expense and combined ratios , to their most directly comparable gaap measures for our international operations . replace_table_token_14_th ( 1 ) for purposes of calculating the percentage points impact on the loss , expense and combined ratios , earned premiums were adjusted to exclude outward reinstatement and other catastrophe-related premium adjustments of $ 0.8 million , $ 1.3 million , and $ 12.8 million for the years ended december 31 , 2019 , 2018 and 2017 , respectively . ( 2 ) catastrophe losses ' percentage point impact are calculated as the difference between the reported combined ratio and the combined ratio excluding incurred catastrophe losses and associated reinstatement and other catastrophe-related premium adjustments . 58 gross written and earned premiums gross written and earned premiums by our four primary insurance lines were as follows : replace_table_token_15_th property the increase in gross written premiums for the year ended december 31 , 2019 as compared to the same period in 2018 was due to

