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Retrocession Arrangements and Reinsurance Ceded Receivables | 9 Months Ended
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Sep. 30, 2012
Retrocession Arrangements And Reinsurance Ceded Receivables [Abstract] |
Retrocession And Claims Recoverable [Text Block] | 12. Retrocession Arrangements and Reinsurance Ceded Receivables The Company generally reports retrocession activity on a gross basis. Amounts paid or deemed to have been paid for reinsurance are reflected in reinsurance ceded receivables. The cost of reinsurance related to long-duration contracts is recognized over the terms of the reinsured policies on a basis consistent with the reporting of those policies. In the normal course of business, the Company seeks to limit its exposure to loss on any single insured and to recover a portion of benefits paid by ceding reinsurance to other insurance enterprises or reinsurers under excess coverage, quota share and coinsurance contracts. Certain r etrocessions are arranged through the Company's retrocession pools for amounts in excess of the Company's retention limit. As of September 30, 2012 and December 31, 2011, all rated retrocession pool participants rated by the A.M. Best Company were rated “A- (excellent)” or better, except for one pool member that was rated “B++.” The Company verifies retrocession pool participants' ratings on a quarterly basis. For a majority of the retrocessionaires that were not rated, security in the form of letters of credit or trust assets has been given as additional security in favor of RGA Reinsurance Company (“RGA Reinsurance”). In addition, the Company performs annual financial reviews of its retrocessionaires to evaluate financial stability and performance. As of September 30, 2012 and December 31, 2011, the Company had claims recoverable from retrocessionaires of $176.5 million and $151.9 million, respectively, which is included in reinsurance ceded receivables, in the condensed consolidated balance sheets. The Company considers outstanding claims recoverable in excess of 90 days to be past due. There were $3.3 million and $11.4 million of past due claims recoverable as of September 30, 2012 and December 31, 2011, respectively. Based on financial reviews of the counterparties, the Company has not established a valuation allowance for claims recoverable. The Company has never experienced a material default in connection with retrocession arrangements, nor has it experienced any difficulty in collecting claims recoverable from retrocessionaires; however, no assurance can be given as to the future performance of such retrocessionaires or as to recoverability of any such claims.

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