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Principles Of Consolidation And Basis Of Presentation
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2011
Principles Of Consolidation And Basis Of Presentation [Abstract] 
Principles Of Consolidation And Basis Of Presentation
1. Principles of Consolidation and Basis of Presentation

Global Indemnity plc ("Global Indemnity" or "the Company") was incorporated on March 9, 2010 and is domiciled in Ireland. Global Indemnity replaced the Company's predecessor, United America Indemnity, Ltd., as the ultimate parent company as a result of a re-domestication transaction. See Note 3 below for details regarding the re-domestication. United America Indemnity, Ltd. was incorporated on August 26, 2003, and is domiciled in the Cayman Islands. United America Indemnity, Ltd. is now a subsidiary of the Company and an Irish tax resident. The Company's Class A ordinary shares are publicly traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market. On July 6, 2010, the Company changed its trading symbol on the NASDAQ Global Select Market from "INDM" to "GBLI."

The interim consolidated financial statements are unaudited, but have been prepared in conformity with GAAP, which differs in certain respects from those principles followed in reports to insurance regulatory authorities. The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

The unaudited consolidated financial statements include all adjustments that are, in the opinion of management, of a normal recurring nature and are necessary for a fair statement of results for the interim periods. Results of operations for the quarters and nine months ended September 30, 2011 and 2010 are not necessarily indicative of the results of a full year. The accompanying notes to the unaudited consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the notes to the consolidated financial statements contained in the Company's 2010 Annual Report on Form 10-K.

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Global Indemnity and its wholly owned subsidiaries. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

The Company's wholly owned business trust subsidiaries, United National Group Capital Trust I ("UNG Trust I") and United National Group Capital Statutory Trust II ("UNG Trust II"), are not consolidated pursuant to the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") Accounting Standards Codification (the "Codification"). The Company's business trust subsidiaries have issued $30.0 million in floating rate capital securities ("Trust Preferred Securities") and $0.9 million of floating rate common securities. The sole assets of the Company's business trust subsidiaries are $30.9 million of junior subordinated debentures issued by the Company, which have the same terms with respect to maturity, payments, and distributions as the Trust Preferred Securities and the floating rate common securities.