Debt	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2012
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
Debt	DEBT In the fourth quarter of 2011, United Fire entered into a credit agreement with a syndicate of financial institutions as lenders, KeyBank National Association as administrative agent, lead arranger, sole book runner, swingline lender, and letter of credit issuer, and Bankers Trust Company as syndication agent. The four-year credit agreement provides for a $100,000 unsecured revolving credit facility that includes a $20,000 letter of credit subfacility and a swing line subfacility in the amount of up to $5,000. During the term of this credit agreement, we have the right to increase the total credit facility from $100,000 up to $125,000 if no event of default has occurred and is continuing and certain other conditions are satisfied. The credit facility is available for general corporate purposes, including working capital, acquisitions and liquidity purposes. Principal of the credit facility is due in full at maturity, on December 22, 2015. The interest rate is based on our monthly choice of either a base rate or the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) plus, in each case, a calculated margin amount. A commitment fee on each lender's unused commitment under the credit facility is also payable quarterly. The credit agreement contains customary representations, covenants and events of default, including certain covenants that limit or restrict our ability to engage in certain activities. Subject to certain exceptions, these activities include restricting our ability to sell or transfer assets or enter into a merger or consolidate with another company, grant certain types of security interests, incur certain types of liens, impose restrictions on subsidiary dividends, enter into leaseback transactions, or incur certain indebtedness. The credit agreement contains certain financial covenants including covenants that require us to maintain a minimum consolidated net worth, a debt to capitalization ratio and minimum stockholders' equity. There was no outstanding balance on the credit facility at December 31, 2012. We incurred $780 in interest expense related to this credit facility in 2012. We were in compliance with all covenants of the credit agreement at December 31, 2012. In connection with our acquisition of Mercer Insurance Group, we acquired three statutory trusts with outstanding issuances of trust preferred securities balances as of the acquisition date of $15,614. We redeemed each of the trusts and related issuances in full in 2012. We incurred $509 and $1,055 of interest expense related to these trust preferred securities for 2012 and 2011, respectively.

DEBT

In the fourth quarter of 2011, United Fire entered into a credit agreement with a syndicate of financial institutions as lenders, KeyBank National Association as administrative agent, lead arranger, sole book runner, swingline lender, and letter of credit issuer, and Bankers Trust Company as syndication agent. The four-year credit agreement provides for a $100,000 unsecured revolving credit facility that includes a $20,000 letter of credit subfacility and a swing line subfacility in the amount of up to $5,000.

During the term of this credit agreement, we have the right to increase the total credit facility from $100,000 up to $125,000 if no event of default has occurred and is continuing and certain other conditions are satisfied. The credit facility is available for general corporate purposes, including working capital, acquisitions and liquidity purposes. Principal of the credit facility is due in full at maturity, on December 22, 2015. The interest rate is based on our monthly choice of either a base rate or the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) plus, in each case, a calculated margin amount. A commitment fee on each lender's unused commitment under the credit facility is also payable quarterly.

The credit agreement contains customary representations, covenants and events of default, including certain covenants that limit or restrict our ability to engage in certain activities. Subject to certain exceptions, these activities include restricting our ability to sell or transfer assets or enter into a merger or consolidate with another company, grant certain types of security interests, incur certain types of liens, impose restrictions on subsidiary dividends, enter into leaseback transactions, or incur certain indebtedness. The credit agreement contains certain financial covenants including covenants that require us to maintain a minimum consolidated net worth, a debt to capitalization ratio and minimum stockholders' equity.

There was no outstanding balance on the credit facility at December 31, 2012. We incurred $780 in interest expense related to this credit facility in 2012. We were in compliance with all covenants of the credit agreement at December 31, 2012.

In connection with our acquisition of Mercer Insurance Group, we acquired three statutory trusts with outstanding issuances of trust preferred securities balances as of the acquisition date of $15,614. We redeemed each of the trusts and related issuances in full in 2012. We incurred $509 and $1,055 of interest expense related to these trust preferred securities for 2012 and 2011, respectively.