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Deferred Policy Acquisition Costs and Deferred Sales Inducements (Tables) | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2015
Deferred Policy Acquisition Costs and Deferred Sales Inducements [Abstract] |
Deferred Policy Acquisition Costs | Policy acquisition costs deferred and amortized are as follows:
| December 31,
| 2015 |  | 2014 |  | 2013
| (Dollars in thousands)
Balance at beginning of year | $ | 2,058,556 |  |  | $ | 2,426,652 |  |  | $ | 1,709,799 |
Costs deferred during the year: |  |  |  |  |
Commissions | 651,094 |  |  | 421,802 |  |  | 420,378 |
Policy issue costs | 6,545 |  |  | 5,080 |  |  | 5,422 |
Amortization | (286,114 | ) |  | (163,578 | ) |  | (365,468 | )
Effect of net unrealized gains/losses | 475,055 |  |  | (631,400 | ) |  | 656,521 |
Balance at end of year | $ | 2,905,136 |  |  | $ | 2,058,556 |  |  | $ | 2,426,652 |
Deferred Sales Inducements | Sales inducements deferred and amortized are as follows:
| December 31,
| 2015 |  | 2014 |  | 2013
| (Dollars in thousands)
Balance at beginning of year | $ | 1,587,257 |  |  | $ | 1,875,880 |  |  | $ | 1,292,341 |
Costs deferred during the year | 486,924 |  |  | 330,079 |  |  | 337,787 |
Amortization | (209,390 | ) |  | (131,419 | ) |  | (253,113 | )
Effect of net unrealized gains/losses | 367,357 |  |  | (487,283 | ) |  | 498,865 |
Balance at end of year | $ | 2,232,148 |  |  | $ | 1,587,257 |  |  | $ | 1,875,880 |

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- Definition Tabular disclosure of the movement in deferred policy acquisition costs. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 944 -SubTopic 30 -Section 50 -Paragraph 1 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=35755530&loc=d3e11264-158415 + Details
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