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Statutory Balances And Accounting Practices (Tables) | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2011
Statutory Balances And Accounting Practices [Abstract] |
Schedule Of Statutory Net Income And Capital And Surplus |
|  | 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.

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