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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 | Sep. 30, 2016 | Dec. 31, 2015
--- | --- | ---
Assets |  |
Derivative assets | $ 706,007 | $ 337,256
Cash and cash equivalents | 812,814 | 397,749
Counterparty collateral | 144,082 | 82,312
Assets | 43,975,463 | 37,248,394
Liabilities |  |
Fixed index annuities - embedded derivatives | 6,678,102 | 5,983,622
Liabilities | 6,683,046 | 5,986,761
Interest Rate Caps [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Interest rate derivative assets | 307 | 1,410
Interest Rate Swap [Member] |  |
Liabilities |  |
Interest rate derivative liabilities | 4,944 | 3,139
Equity Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 7,843 | 7,828
United States Government Full Faith and Credit [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 418,465 | 471,256
United States Government Sponsored Agencies [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 1,472,904 | 1,398,611
United States Municipalities, States and Territories [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 4,052,210 | 3,755,367
Foreign Government Obligations [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 254,420 | 212,565
Corporate Securities [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 27,915,657 | 23,802,394
Residential Mortgage Backed Securities [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 1,358,174 | 1,462,072
Commercial Mortgage Backed Securities [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 5,310,156 | 4,174,396
Other Asset Backed Securities [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 1,522,424 | 1,145,178
Quoted Prices in Active Markets (Level 1) [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Derivative assets | 0 | 0
Cash and cash equivalents | 812,814 | 397,749
Counterparty collateral | 0 | 0
Assets | 1,224,228 | 836,468
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] |  |
Liabilities |  |
Interest rate derivative liabilities | 0 | 0
Quoted Prices in Active Markets (Level 1) [Member] | Equity Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 0 | 0
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 | 411,408 | 438,598
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 | 6 | 121
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 | 0 | 0
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Derivative assets | 706,007 | 337,256
Cash and cash equivalents | 0 | 0
Counterparty collateral | 144,082 | 82,312
Assets | 42,751,235 | 36,411,926
Liabilities |  |
Fixed index annuities - embedded derivatives | 0 | 0
Liabilities | 4,944 | 3,139
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member] | Interest Rate Caps [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Interest rate derivative assets | 307 | 1,410
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member] | Interest Rate Swap [Member] |  |
Liabilities |  |
Interest rate derivative liabilities | 4,944 | 3,139
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member] | Equity Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 7,843 | 7,828
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member] | United States Government Full Faith and Credit [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 7,057 | 32,658
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member] | United States Government Sponsored Agencies [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 1,472,904 | 1,398,611
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member] | United States Municipalities, States and Territories [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 4,052,210 | 3,755,367
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member] | Foreign Government Obligations [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 254,420 | 212,565
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member] | Corporate Securities [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 27,915,651 | 23,802,273
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member] | Residential Mortgage Backed Securities [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 1,358,174 | 1,462,072
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member] | Commercial Mortgage Backed Securities [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 5,310,156 | 4,174,396
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member] | Other Asset Backed Securities [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 1,522,424 | 1,145,178
Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Derivative assets | 0 | 0
Cash and cash equivalents | 0 | 0
Counterparty collateral | 0 | 0
Assets | 0 | 0
Liabilities |  |
Fixed index annuities - embedded derivatives | 6,678,102 | 5,983,622
Liabilities | 6,678,102 | 5,983,622
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] |  |
Liabilities |  |
Interest rate derivative liabilities | 0 | 0
Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) [Member] | Equity Securities [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 | 0 | 0
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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