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Fair Values of Financial Instruments (Assets and Liabilities Measured on a Recurring Basis by Fair Value Hierarchy) (Details) (Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member], USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified | Dec. 31, 2013 | Dec. 31, 2012
--- | --- | ---
Total Fair Value [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Derivative assets | $ 856,050 | $ 415,258
Cash and cash equivalents | 897,529 | 1,268,545
Counterparty collateral | 315,824 |
Assets | 28,801,484 | 25,955,713
Liabilities |  |
Fixed index annuities - embedded derivatives | 4,406,163 | 3,337,556
Liabilities | 4,513,204 | 3,384,922
Total Fair Value [Member] | Interest Rate Caps [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Interest rate derivative assets | 6,103 | 3,247
Total Fair Value [Member] | Interest Rate Swap [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Interest rate derivative assets | 712 |
Liabilities |  |
Interest rate derivative liabilities |  | 4,261
Total Fair Value [Member] | 2015 Notes Hedges [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
2015 notes hedges | 107,041 | 43,105
Total Fair Value [Member] | 2015 Notes Embedded Derivative [Member] |  |
Liabilities |  |
2015 notes embedded conversion derivative | 107,041 | 43,105
Total Fair Value [Member] | Equity Securities, Available For Sale [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 7,778 | 53,422
Total Fair Value [Member] | United States Government Full Faith and Credit [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 42,925 | 5,154
Total Fair Value [Member] | United States Government Sponsored Agencies [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 1,194,289 | 1,772,025
Total Fair Value [Member] | United States Municipalities, States and Territories [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 3,306,743 | 3,578,323
Total Fair Value [Member] | Foreign Government Obligations [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 91,557 | 105,259
Total Fair Value [Member] | Corporate Securities [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 17,233,037 | 14,466,772
Total Fair Value [Member] | Residential Mortgage Backed Securities [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 1,971,960 | 2,888,113
Total Fair Value [Member] | Commercial Mortgage Backed Securities [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 1,735,460 | 357,982
Total Fair Value [Member] | Other Asset Backed Securities [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 1,034,476 | 998,508
Quoted Prices in Active Markets (Level 1) [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Derivative assets | 0 | 0
Cash and cash equivalents | 897,529 | 1,268,545
Counterparty collateral | 0 |
Assets | 902,713 | 1,344,136
Liabilities |  |
Fixed index annuities - embedded derivatives | 0 | 0
Liabilities | 0 | 0
Quoted Prices in Active Markets (Level 1) [Member] | Interest Rate Caps [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Interest rate derivative assets | 0 | 0
Quoted Prices in Active Markets (Level 1) [Member] | Interest Rate Swap [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Interest rate derivative assets | 0 |
Liabilities |  |
Interest rate derivative liabilities |  | 0
Quoted Prices in Active Markets (Level 1) [Member] | 2015 Notes Hedges [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
2015 notes hedges | 0 | 0
Quoted Prices in Active Markets (Level 1) [Member] | 2015 Notes Embedded Derivative [Member] |  |
Liabilities |  |
2015 notes embedded conversion derivative | 0 | 0
Quoted Prices in Active Markets (Level 1) [Member] | Equity Securities, Available For Sale [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 0 | 36,928
Quoted Prices in Active Markets (Level 1) [Member] | United States Government Full Faith and Credit [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 4,805 | 5,154
Quoted Prices in Active Markets (Level 1) [Member] | United States Government Sponsored Agencies [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 0 | 0
Quoted Prices in Active Markets (Level 1) [Member] | United States Municipalities, States and Territories [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 0 | 0
Quoted Prices in Active Markets (Level 1) [Member] | Foreign Government Obligations [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 0 | 0
Quoted Prices in Active Markets (Level 1) [Member] | Corporate Securities [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 20 | 33,131
Quoted Prices in Active Markets (Level 1) [Member] | Residential Mortgage Backed Securities [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 0 | 0
Quoted Prices in Active Markets (Level 1) [Member] | Commercial Mortgage Backed Securities [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 0 | 0
Quoted Prices in Active Markets (Level 1) [Member] | Other Asset Backed Securities [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 359 | 378
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Derivative assets | 856,050 | 415,258
Cash and cash equivalents | 0 | 0
Counterparty collateral | 315,824 |
Assets | 27,897,395 | 24,609,765
Liabilities |  |
Fixed index annuities - embedded derivatives | 0 | 0
Liabilities | 107,041 | 47,366
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member] | Interest Rate Caps [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Interest rate derivative assets | 6,103 | 3,247
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member] | Interest Rate Swap [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Interest rate derivative assets | 712 |
Liabilities |  |
Interest rate derivative liabilities |  | 4,261
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member] | 2015 Notes Hedges [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
2015 notes hedges | 107,041 | 43,105
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member] | 2015 Notes Embedded Derivative [Member] |  |
Liabilities |  |
2015 notes embedded conversion derivative | 107,041 | 43,105
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member] | Equity Securities, Available For Sale [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 7,778 | 16,494
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member] | United States Government Full Faith and Credit [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 38,120 | 0
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member] | United States Government Sponsored Agencies [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 1,194,289 | 1,772,025
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member] | United States Municipalities, States and Territories [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 3,306,743 | 3,578,323
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member] | Foreign Government Obligations [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 91,557 | 105,259
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member] | Corporate Securities [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 17,233,017 | 14,433,641
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member] | Residential Mortgage Backed Securities [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 1,970,584 | 2,886,301
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member] | Commercial Mortgage Backed Securities [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 1,735,460 | 357,982
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member] | Other Asset Backed Securities [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 1,034,117 | 998,130
Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Derivative assets | 0 | 0
Cash and cash equivalents | 0 | 0
Counterparty collateral | 0 |
Assets | 1,376 | 1,812
Liabilities |  |
Fixed index annuities - embedded derivatives | 4,406,163 | 3,337,556
Liabilities | 4,406,163 | 3,337,556
Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) [Member] | Interest Rate Caps [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Interest rate derivative assets | 0 | 0
Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) [Member] | Interest Rate Swap [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Interest rate derivative assets | 0 |
Liabilities |  |
Interest rate derivative liabilities |  | 0
Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) [Member] | 2015 Notes Hedges [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
2015 notes hedges | 0 | 0
Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) [Member] | 2015 Notes Embedded Derivative [Member] |  |
Liabilities |  |
2015 notes embedded conversion derivative | 0 | 0
Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) [Member] | Equity Securities, Available For Sale [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 0 | 0
Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) [Member] | United States Government Full Faith and Credit [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 0 | 0
Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) [Member] | United States Government Sponsored Agencies [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 0 | 0
Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) [Member] | United States Municipalities, States and Territories [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 0 | 0
Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) [Member] | Foreign Government Obligations [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 0 | 0
Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) [Member] | Corporate Securities [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 0 | 0
Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) [Member] | Residential Mortgage Backed Securities [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 1,376 | 1,812
Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) [Member] | Commercial Mortgage Backed Securities [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 0 | 0
Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) [Member] | Other Asset Backed Securities [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | $ 0 | $ 0

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- Definition Amount of investment in debt and equity securities categorized neither as held-to-maturity nor trading. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 320 -SubTopic 10 -Section 25 -Paragraph 1 -Subparagraph (b) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=28360136&loc=d3e22054-111558 Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 320 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 5 -Subparagraph (aa) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=27724398&loc=d3e27232-111563 Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 320 -SubTopic 10 -Section 45 -Paragraph 1 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6871852&loc=d3e26610-111562 + Details
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