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Derivatives
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9 Months Ended |
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Sep. 30, 2012
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| Summary of Derivative Instruments [Abstract] | |
| Derivatives | Derivatives The Company is a party to a credit default swap agreement, under which third party credit risk is transferred from a counterparty to the Company. The Company entered into the credit default swap agreement for investment purposes. At both September 30, 2012 and December 31, 2011, the notional amount of the credit default swap was $33.1 million, which represented the Company’s aggregate exposure to losses if specified credit events involving third party reference entities occur. These third party reference entities are specified under the terms of the agreement and represent a portfolio of names upon which the Company has assumed credit risk from the counterparty. The Company’s exposure to loss from any one reference entity is limited to $20.0 million. The credit default swap has a scheduled termination date of December 2014. The credit default swap is accounted for as a derivative instrument and is recorded at fair value with any changes in fair value recorded in net investment income. At September 30, 2012 and December 31, 2011, the credit default swap had a fair value of $15.6 million and $29.3 million, respectively. The fair value of the credit default swap is included in other liabilities on the consolidated balance sheets. Net investment income for the quarter and nine months ended September 30, 2012 included favorable changes in the fair value of the credit default swap of $1.5 million and $13.7 million, respectively. For the quarter and nine months ended September 30, 2011, net investment income included an adverse change in the credit default swap of $3.3 million and $2.7 million, respectively. The fair value of the credit default swap is determined by the Company using a Gaussian copula valuation model, a market standard model for valuing credit default swaps. The fair value is dependent upon several inputs, including changes in interest rates, credit spreads, expected default rates, changes in credit quality, future expected recovery rates and other market factors. The significant unobservable inputs used in the fair value measurement of the credit default swap are expected default rates and future expected recovery rates. The Company determines these unobservable inputs based upon default rates and recovery rates used to price similar credit default swap indices. A significant increase in expected default rates in isolation results in a significantly higher fair value measurement, while a significant decrease in expected default rates results in a significantly lower fair value measurement. A significant increase in future expected recovery rates in isolation results in a significantly lower fair value measurement, while a significant decrease in future expected recovery rates results in a significantly higher fair value measurement. Generally, a change in the assumption used for expected default rates is accompanied by a directionally opposite change in future expected recovery rates. The fair value measurement of the credit default swap at September 30, 2012 included expected default rates ranging between 1% and 33%, with a weighted-average expected default rate of 3%, and future expected recovery rates ranging between 20% and 40%, with a weighted-average future expected recovery rate of 39%. The fair value measurement of the credit default swap at December 31, 2011 included expected default rates ranging between 2% and 37%, with a weighted-average expected default rate of 9%, and future expected recovery rates ranging between 19% and 52%, with a weighted-average future expected recovery rate of 39%. The Company's valuation policies and procedures for the credit default swap are determined by an internal investment manager with oversight provided by the Company's Chief Financial Officer and Chief Investment Officer. Fair value measurements are analyzed quarterly to ensure the change in fair value from prior periods is reasonable relative to recent market trends. Additionally, the reported fair value of the credit default swap is compared to results from similar valuation models. The Company had no other material derivative instruments at September 30, 2012. |