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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 | Dec. 31, 2016 | Dec. 31, 2015
--- | --- | ---
Assets |  |
Derivative assets | $ 830,519 | $ 337,256
Cash and cash equivalents | 791,266 | 397,749
Counterparty collateral | 145,693 | 82,312
Assets | 42,837,054 | 37,248,394
Liabilities |  |
Fixed index annuities - embedded derivatives | 6,563,288 | 5,983,622
Liabilities | 6,565,401 | 5,986,761
Interest Rate Caps [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Interest rate derivative assets | 1,082 | 1,410
Interest Rate Swap [Member] |  |
Liabilities |  |
Interest rate derivative liabilities | 2,113 | 3,139
Other Investments: Equity Securities, Available For Sale [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 8,000 | 7,828
United States Government Full Faith and Credit [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 11,805 | 471,256
United States Government Sponsored Agencies [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 1,344,787 | 1,398,611
United States Municipalities, States and Territories [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 3,926,950 | 3,755,367
Foreign Government Obligations [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 232,233 | 212,565
Corporate Securities [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 27,118,526 | 23,802,394
Residential Mortgage Backed Securities [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 1,254,835 | 1,462,072
Commercial Mortgage Backed Securities [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 5,365,235 | 4,174,396
Other Asset Backed Securities [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 1,806,123 | 1,145,178
Quoted Prices in Active Markets (Level 1) [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Derivative assets | 0 | 0
Cash and cash equivalents | 791,266 | 397,749
Counterparty collateral | 0 | 0
Assets | 796,653 | 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] | Other Investments: Equity Securities, Available For Sale [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 | 5,381 | 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 | 830,519 | 337,256
Cash and cash equivalents | 0 | 0
Counterparty collateral | 145,693 | 82,312
Assets | 42,040,401 | 36,411,926
Liabilities |  |
Fixed index annuities - embedded derivatives | 0 | 0
Liabilities | 2,113 | 3,139
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member] | Interest Rate Caps [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Interest rate derivative assets | 1,082 | 1,410
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member] | Interest Rate Swap [Member] |  |
Liabilities |  |
Interest rate derivative liabilities | 2,113 | 3,139
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member] | Other Investments: Equity Securities, Available For Sale [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 8,000 | 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 | 6,424 | 32,658
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member] | United States Government Sponsored Agencies [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 1,344,787 | 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 | 3,926,950 | 3,755,367
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member] | Foreign Government Obligations [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 232,233 | 212,565
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member] | Corporate Securities [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 27,118,520 | 23,802,273
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member] | Residential Mortgage Backed Securities [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 1,254,835 | 1,462,072
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member] | Commercial Mortgage Backed Securities [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 5,365,235 | 4,174,396
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member] | Other Asset Backed Securities [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 1,806,123 | 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 | 6,563,288 | 5,983,622
Liabilities | 6,563,288 | 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] | Other Investments: 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 | 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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