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Statutory Balances And Accounting Practices | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2011
Statutory Balances And Accounting Practices [Abstract] |
Statutory Balances And Accounting Practices | 13. Statutory Balances and Accounting Practices The Insurance Companies prepare their statutory-basis financial statements in conformity with accounting practices prescribed or permitted by the insurance departments of the applicable states of domicile. Prescribed statutory accounting practices primarily include those published as statements of SAP by the NAIC, as well as state laws, regulations, and general administrative rules. Permitted statutory accounting practices encompass all accounting practices not so prescribed. As of December 31, 2011, there were no material permitted statutory accounting practices utilized by the Insurance Companies. The following table presents the statutory net income and capital and surplus of the Insurance Companies, as reported to regulatory authorities:
|  | Year Ended December 31, |
|  | 2011 |  |  | 2010 |  |  | 2009 |
|  | (Amounts in thousands) |
Statutory net income(1) |  | $ | 223,447 |  |  | $ | 142,981 |  |  | $ | 186,995 |
Statutory capital and surplus(2) |  |  | 1,497,609 |  |  |  | 1,322,270 | (2) |  |  | 1,517,864 |
(1) | Statutory net income excludes changes in the fair value of the investment portfolio as a result of the application of fair value option.
(2) | The decrease in statutory capital and surplus in 2010 was primarily due to a $270 million extraordinary intercompany dividend declared by MCC in the fourth quarter of 2010. The dividend was paid to Mercury General in 2011.
The statutory capital and surplus of each of the Insurance Companies exceeded the highest level of minimum regulatory required capital.

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- Definition Tabular disclosure of how the entity's reporting under GAAP as of the balance sheet date differs from the results based on prescribed and permitted accounting practices of the state or country of domicile in which a relevant statutory filing is made, or differences in results based on the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) prescribed practices, or a combination thereof. Describes the accounting practices used and the related monetary effect on statutory surplus, net income, and risk-based capital. If an insurance enterprise's risk-based capital would have triggered a regulatory event had it not used a permitted practice, that fact is disclosed in the financial statements. Permitted statutory accounting practices include practices not prescribed but allowed by the domiciliary state insurance department regulatory authority. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 944 -SubTopic 505 -Section 55 -Paragraph 1 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6588579&loc=d3e24938-158530 Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher AICPA -Name Statement of Position (SOP) -Number 94-5 -Paragraph 8, 9 -LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy. Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 944 -SubTopic 505 -Section 50 -Paragraph 1 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6486098&loc=d3e24708-158529 Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS) -Number 60 -Paragraph 60 -Subparagraph h -LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy. Reference 5: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 944 -SubTopic 505 -Section 50 -Paragraph 3 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6486098&loc=d3e24746-158529 Reference 6: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 944 -SubTopic 505 -Section 55 -Paragraph 2 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6588579&loc=d3e24959-158530 Reference 7: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 944 -SubTopic 505 -Section 50 -Paragraph 6 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6486098&loc=d3e24790-158529 Reference 8: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 944 -SubTopic 210 -Section S99 -Paragraph 1 -Subparagraph (SX 210.7-03.23(c)) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6879938&loc=d3e572229-122910 + Details
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