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Fair Values of Financial Instruments (Assets and Liabilities Measured on a Recurring Basis by Fair Value Hierarchy) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands | Mar. 31, 2017 | Dec. 31, 2016
--- | --- | ---
Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | $ 42,105,366 | $ 41,060,494
Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] | United States Government Full Faith and Credit [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 11,672 | 11,805
Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] | United States Government Sponsored Agencies [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 1,340,788 | 1,344,787
Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] | United States Municipalities, States and Territories [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 3,989,302 | 3,926,950
Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] | Foreign Government Obligations [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 238,398 | 236,341
Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] | Corporate Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 28,160,620 | 27,114,418
Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] | Residential Mortgage Backed Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 1,200,040 | 1,254,835
Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] | Commercial Mortgage Backed Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 5,383,942 | 5,365,235
Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] | Other Asset Backed Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 1,780,604 | 1,806,123
Equity Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 7,990 | 8,000
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Derivative assets | 1,033,552 | 830,519
Cash and cash equivalents | 1,172,748 | 791,266
Counterparty collateral | 143,229 | 145,693
Assets | 44,463,689 | 42,837,054
Liabilities |  |
Fixed index annuities - embedded derivatives | 7,051,000 | 6,563,288
Liabilities | 7,052,729 | 6,565,401
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Interest Rate Caps [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Interest rate derivative assets | 804 | 1,082
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Interest Rate Swap [Member] |  |
Liabilities |  |
Interest rate derivative liabilities | 1,729 | 2,113
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] | United States Government Full Faith and Credit [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 11,672 | 11,805
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] | United States Government Sponsored Agencies [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 1,340,788 | 1,344,787
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] | United States Municipalities, States and Territories [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 3,989,302 | 3,926,950
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] | Foreign Government Obligations [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 238,398 | 236,341
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] | Corporate Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 28,160,620 | 27,114,418
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] | Residential Mortgage Backed Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 1,200,040 | 1,254,835
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] | Commercial Mortgage Backed Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 5,383,942 | 5,365,235
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] | Other Asset Backed Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 1,780,604 | 1,806,123
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Equity Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 7,990 | 8,000
Quoted Prices in Active Markets (Level 1) [Member] | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Derivative assets | 0 | 0
Cash and cash equivalents | 1,172,748 | 791,266
Counterparty collateral | 0 | 0
Assets | 1,178,141 | 796,653
Liabilities |  |
Fixed index annuities - embedded derivatives | 0 | 0
Liabilities | 0 | 0
Quoted Prices in Active Markets (Level 1) [Member] | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Interest Rate Caps [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Interest rate derivative assets | 0 | 0
Quoted Prices in Active Markets (Level 1) [Member] | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Interest Rate Swap [Member] |  |
Liabilities |  |
Interest rate derivative liabilities | 0 | 0
Quoted Prices in Active Markets (Level 1) [Member] | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] | United States Government Full Faith and Credit [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 5,381 | 5,381
Quoted Prices in Active Markets (Level 1) [Member] | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] | United States Government Sponsored Agencies [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 0 | 0
Quoted Prices in Active Markets (Level 1) [Member] | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] | United States Municipalities, States and Territories [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 0 | 0
Quoted Prices in Active Markets (Level 1) [Member] | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] | Foreign Government Obligations [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 0 | 0
Quoted Prices in Active Markets (Level 1) [Member] | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] | Corporate Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 12 | 6
Quoted Prices in Active Markets (Level 1) [Member] | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] | Residential Mortgage Backed Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 0 | 0
Quoted Prices in Active Markets (Level 1) [Member] | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] | Commercial Mortgage Backed Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 0 | 0
Quoted Prices in Active Markets (Level 1) [Member] | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] | Other Asset Backed Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 0 | 0
Quoted Prices in Active Markets (Level 1) [Member] | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Equity Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 0 | 0
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member] | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Derivative assets | 1,033,552 | 830,519
Cash and cash equivalents | 0 | 0
Counterparty collateral | 143,229 | 145,693
Assets | 43,285,548 | 42,040,401
Liabilities |  |
Fixed index annuities - embedded derivatives | 0 | 0
Liabilities | 1,729 | 2,113
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member] | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Interest Rate Caps [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Interest rate derivative assets | 804 | 1,082
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member] | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Interest Rate Swap [Member] |  |
Liabilities |  |
Interest rate derivative liabilities | 1,729 | 2,113
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member] | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] | United States Government Full Faith and Credit [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 6,291 | 6,424
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member] | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] | United States Government Sponsored Agencies [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 1,340,788 | 1,344,787
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member] | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] | United States Municipalities, States and Territories [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 3,989,302 | 3,926,950
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member] | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] | Foreign Government Obligations [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 238,398 | 236,341
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member] | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] | Corporate Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 28,160,608 | 27,114,412
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member] | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] | Residential Mortgage Backed Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 1,200,040 | 1,254,835
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member] | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] | Commercial Mortgage Backed Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 5,383,942 | 5,365,235
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member] | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] | Other Asset Backed Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 1,780,604 | 1,806,123
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member] | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Equity Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 7,990 | 8,000
Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) [Member] | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [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 | 7,051,000 | 6,563,288
Liabilities | 7,051,000 | 6,563,288
Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) [Member] | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Interest Rate Caps [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Interest rate derivative assets | 0 | 0
Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) [Member] | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Interest Rate Swap [Member] |  |
Liabilities |  |
Interest rate derivative liabilities | 0 | 0
Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) [Member] | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] | United States Government Full Faith and Credit [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 0 | 0
Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) [Member] | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] | United States Government Sponsored Agencies [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 0 | 0
Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) [Member] | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] | United States Municipalities, States and Territories [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 0 | 0
Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) [Member] | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] | Foreign Government Obligations [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 0 | 0
Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) [Member] | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] | Corporate Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 0 | 0
Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) [Member] | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] | Residential Mortgage Backed Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 0 | 0
Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) [Member] | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] | Commercial Mortgage Backed Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 0 | 0
Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) [Member] | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] | Other Asset Backed Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | 0 | 0
Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) [Member] | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Equity Securities [Member] |  |
Assets |  |
Available for sale securities | $ 0 | $ 0

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