FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS - Additional Information (Detail) (Insurance Subsidiary)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Collateralized Mortgage Backed Securities
Fair Value, Measurement Inputs, Disclosure [Line Items]
Percent of the total fixed maturities	21.00%	22.00%
Credit rating of MBS holdings	Our MBS holdings are issued by the Federal National Mortgage Association, the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, or the Government National Mortgage Association all of which are rated "AAA" by Moody's Investors Services.
Temporarily Impaired Securities | Minimum
Fair Value, Measurement Inputs, Disclosure [Line Items]
Maturities of temporarily impaired securities	12 months
Temporarily Impaired Securities | U.S. Treasury and other direct U.S. Government obligations
Fair Value, Measurement Inputs, Disclosure [Line Items]
Number of temporarily impaired securities	1
Temporarily Impaired Securities | Federal agency mortgage-backed securities
Fair Value, Measurement Inputs, Disclosure [Line Items]
Number of temporarily impaired securities	4
Temporarily Impaired Securities | Other government obligations
Fair Value, Measurement Inputs, Disclosure [Line Items]
Number of temporarily impaired securities	2
Temporarily Impaired Securities | Corporate bonds
Fair Value, Measurement Inputs, Disclosure [Line Items]
Number of temporarily impaired securities	9