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Reinsurance (Tables) | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2016
Reinsurance Disclosures [Abstract] |
Ceded Credit Risk [Table Text Block] | The following table presents information for the Company’s ceded reinsurance receivable assets, including the respective amount and A.M. Best rating for each reinsurer representing in excess of five percent of the total as of December 31, 2016 and 2015 (dollars in thousands):
|  |  |  | 2016 |  | 2015
Reinsurer |  | A.M. Best Rating |  | Amount |  | % of Total |  | Amount |  | % of Total
Reinsurer A |  | A+ |  | $ | 240,894 |  |  | 35.2 | % |  | $ | 199,479 |  |  | 31.3 | %
Reinsurer B |  | A+ |  | 183,881 |  |  | 26.9 |  |  | 179,522 |  |  | 28.1 |
Reinsurer C |  | A+ |  | 68,832 |  |  | 10.1 |  |  | 72,836 |  |  | 11.4 |
Reinsurer D |  | A++ |  | 36,202 |  |  | 5.3 |  |  | 41,807 |  |  | 6.6 |
Reinsurer E |  | A |  | 35,484 |  |  | 5.2 |  |  | 37,138 |  |  | 5.8 |
Other reinsurers |  |  |  | 118,679 |  |  | 17.3 |  |  | 107,077 |  |  | 16.8 |
Total |  |  |  | $ | 683,972 |  |  | 100.0 | % |  | $ | 637,859 |  |  | 100.0 | %
Reinsurance Premium And Effect On Claims And Other Policy Benefits [Table Text Block] | The effect of reinsurance on net premiums is as follows (dollars in thousands):
Years ended December 31, |  | 2016 |  | 2015 |  | 2014
Direct |  | $ | 57,562 |  |  | $ | 43,106 |  |  | $ | 19,365 |
Reinsurance assumed |  | 10,049,587 |  |  | 9,371,308 |  |  | 9,098,378 |
Reinsurance ceded |  | (858,278 | ) |  | (843,673 | ) |  | (447,889 | )
Net premiums |  | $ | 9,248,871 |  |  | $ | 8,570,741 |  |  | $ | 8,669,854 |
The effect of reinsurance on claims and other policy benefits as follows (dollars in thousands):
Years ended December 31, |  | 2016 |  | 2015 |  | 2014
Direct |  | $ | 105,435 |  |  | $ | 82,942 |  |  | $ | 32,564 |
Reinsurance assumed |  | 8,621,647 |  |  | 8,205,308 |  |  | 7,805,984 |
Reinsurance ceded |  | (733,707 | ) |  | (798,868 | ) |  | (431,907 | )
Net claims and other policy benefits |  | $ | 7,993,375 |  |  | $ | 7,489,382 |  |  | $ | 7,406,641 |
Reinsurance Information [Table Text Block] | The effect of reinsurance on life insurance in force is shown in the following schedule (dollars in millions):
|  | Direct |  | Assumed |  | Ceded |  | Net |  | Assumed/Net %
December 31, 2016 |  | $ | 1,576 |  |  | $ | 3,062,525 |  |  | $ | 214,727 |  |  | $ | 2,849,374 |  |  | 107.5 | %
December 31, 2015 |  | 1,686 |  |  | 2,995,079 |  |  | 222,388 |  |  | 2,774,377 |  |  | 108.0 |
December 31, 2014 |  | 78 |  |  | 2,943,517 |  |  | 230,544 |  |  | 2,713,051 |  |  | 108.5 |

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- Definition Tabular disclosure of reinsurer or group of reinsurers for whom the entity has a concentration of credit risk. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 944 -SubTopic 825 -Section 50 -Paragraph 1 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=28088331&loc=SL29635902-196195 Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 825 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 21 -Subparagraph (a),(b) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=73719730&loc=d3e13537-108611 Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 825 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 20 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=73719730&loc=d3e13531-108611 + Details
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