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Commitments and Contingencies
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2018
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Commitments and Contingencies Commitments and Contingencies
Letters of Credit
In the normal course of business, letters of credit are issued primarily to support reinsurance arrangements in which the Company is the reinsurer. These letters of credit are supported by commitments under which the Company is required to indemnify the financial institution issuing the letter of credit if the letter of credit is drawn. The Company had $16.8 million and $18.1 million of letters of credit outstanding as of September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively.
Legal and Regulatory Matters        
The Company is involved in a variety of litigation relating to its current and past business operations and, from time to time, it may become involved in other such actions. In particular, the Company is a defendant in class actions in a number of jurisdictions regarding its lender-placed insurance programs. These cases assert a variety of claims under a number of legal
theories. The plaintiffs seek premium refunds and other relief. The Company continues to defend itself vigorously in these class actions. We have participated and may participate in settlements on terms that we consider reasonable given the strength of our defenses and other factors.
The Company has established an accrued liability for various legal and regulatory proceedings. However, the possible loss or range of loss resulting from such litigation and regulatory proceedings, if any, in excess of the amounts accrued is inherently unpredictable and uncertain. Consequently, no estimate can be made of any possible loss or range of loss in excess of the accrual. Although the Company cannot predict the outcome of any pending legal or regulatory action, or the potential losses, fines, penalties or equitable relief, if any, that may result, it is possible that such outcome could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s consolidated results of operations or cash flows for an individual reporting period. However, on the basis of currently available information, management does not believe that the pending matters are likely to have a material adverse effect, individually or in the aggregate, on the Company’s financial condition.
Guaranty Fund Assessments
Under state guaranty association laws, certain insurance companies can be assessed (up to prescribed limits) for certain obligations to the policyholders and claimants of impaired or insolvent insurance companies that write the same line or similar lines of business. In 2009, the Pennsylvania Insurance Commissioner (the “Commissioner”) placed long-term care insurer Penn Treaty Network America Insurance Company and one of its subsidiaries (collectively, “Penn Treaty”) in rehabilitation, an intermediate action before insolvency, and subsequently petitioned a state court to convert the rehabilitation into a liquidation. The state court began a hearing in July 2015 to consider the Commissioner’s most recent proposed rehabilitation plan, which contemplates a partial liquidation of Penn Treaty. In March 2017, the order of liquidation was granted. During the nine months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017, the Company accrued an additional $2.1 million and $0.8 million of expense, respectively, related to Penn Treaty due to a revised estimated total loss liability and had a net liability of $6.4 million as of September 30, 2018 for remaining obligations related to the insolvency.