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Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2012
Basis Of Presentation

Basis of Presentation

The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X and, accordingly, do not include all of the information and disclosures required by GAAP for annual periods. These statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011. The accompanying consolidated financial statements have not been audited by an independent registered public accounting firm in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (U.S.), but in the opinion of management such financial statements include all adjustments, consisting only of normal recurring adjustments, necessary for the fair statement of the Company’s consolidated financial position and results of operations. All material intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated.

The preparation of financial statements requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. As additional information becomes available or actual amounts become determinable, the recorded estimates are revised and reflected in operating results.

The results of operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2012 may not be indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending December 31, 2012. The December 31, 2011 consolidated balance sheet was derived from audited financial statements, but does not include all disclosures required by GAAP for annual periods. Certain amounts have been reclassified in comparison to prior years’ financial statements to conform to the current presentation. Such reclassifications had no impact on total revenues, expenses, assets, liabilities, or shareholders’ equity for all periods presented.

Statements Of Cash Flows

Statements of Cash Flows

Previously, the Company reported its consolidated statements of cash flows using the indirect method. The indirect method uses accrual accounting information to present the cash flows from operations. Effective January 1, 2012, the Company elected to present its consolidated statements of cash flows using the direct method. The direct method uses actual cash flow information from the Company’s operations, rather than using accrual accounting values. Using either the direct or indirect method, total cash flows from operations are consistent. In addition, the presentation of cash flows from investing and financing activities using either the direct or indirect method are consistent. The change to the direct method for calculating and presenting cash flows from operations was implemented retroactively for all statements of cash flows presented herein. Use of the direct method requires a reconciliation of net income to cash flows from operations. This reconciliation is provided as a supplement directly beneath the statements of cash flows.

Recently Adopted Accounting Standards

Recently Adopted Accounting Standards

Presentation of Comprehensive Income (ASU 2011-05)

In June 2011, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2011-05, “Comprehensive Income (Topic 220)—Presentation of Comprehensive Income.” This amendment eliminates the current option to report other comprehensive income and its components in the statements of changes in equity except for the presentation of reclassification adjustments for which adoption has been deferred by the FASB. The amendment does not change what currently constitutes net income and other comprehensive income. The new guidance is effective for the Company beginning January 1, 2012. In December 2011, the FASB issued ASU 2011-12 “Comprehensive Income (Topic 220)—Deferral of the Effective Date for Amendments to the Presentation of Reclassifications of Items Out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income in Accounting Standards Update No. 2011-05,” which defers certain aspects of ASU 2011-05 related to the presentation of reclassification adjustments. The Company adopted this standard effective January 1, 2012. The standard only affected the Company’s presentation of comprehensive income and did not affect the Company’s consolidated balance sheets, results of operations, or cash flows.

Amendments to Achieve Common Fair Value Measurement and Disclosure Requirements in U.S. GAAP and IFRSs (ASU 2011-04)

In May 2011, the FASB issued ASU 2011-04, “Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820)—Amendments to Achieve Common Fair Value Measurement and Disclosure Requirements in U.S. GAAP and IFRSs.” This amendment results in a consistent definition of fair value and common requirements for measurement of and disclosure about fair value between GAAP and International Financial Reporting Standards. The Company adopted this standard effective January 1, 2012. This standard only affected the Company’s disclosures related to fair value; therefore, the adoption of this standard did not affect the Company’s consolidated balance sheets, results of operations, or cash flows.

Accounting for Costs Associated with Acquiring or Renewing Insurance Contracts (ASU 2010-26)

In October 2010, the FASB issued ASU 2010-26, “Financial Services—Insurance (Topic 944)—Accounting for Costs Associated with Acquiring or Renewing Insurance Contracts.” This amendment specifies which costs incurred in the acquisition of new and renewal insurance contracts should be capitalized. The Company adopted this standard on a prospective basis effective January 1, 2012. As the Company is currently not writing any significant new business, the adoption of this standard did not have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated balance sheets, results of operations, or cash flows. The difference between the amount of acquisition costs capitalized during the first nine months of 2012 compared with the amount of acquisition costs that would have been capitalized during the period if the Company’s previous policy had been applied during that period is not material because the Company did not write any significant new insurance business during the first nine months of 2012.

Recent Accounting Developments

Disclosures about Offsetting Assets and Liabilities (ASU 2011-11)

In December 2011, the FASB issued ASU 2011-11, “Balance Sheet (Topic 210)—Disclosures about Offsetting Assets and Liabilities.” ASU 2011-11 creates new disclosure requirements about the nature of the Company’s rights of setoff and related arrangements associated with its financial instruments and derivative instruments. This amendment does not change the existing offsetting eligibility criteria or the permitted balance sheet presentation for those instruments that meet the eligibility criteria. The disclosure requirements are effective for the Company beginning in the first quarter of 2013. This standard will only affect the Company’s disclosures and will not affect the Company’s consolidated balance sheets, results of operations, or cash flows.

Refer to the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011 for further information regarding the effects of recently adopted accounting standards on prior year financial statements.