Notes Payable	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2012
Notes Payable [Abstract]
Notes Payable	Notes Payable Notes payable consists of two secured notes of $120 million and $20 million at both December 31, 2012 and 2011. The $120 million credit facility is secured by municipal bonds held as collateral. The credit facility calls for the collateral requirement to be greater than the loan amount. The collateral requirement is calculated as the fair market value of the municipal bonds held as collateral multiplied by the advance rates, which vary based on the credit quality and duration of the assets held and range between 75% and 100% of the fair value of each bond. Effective August 4, 2011, the Company extended the maturity date of the $120 million credit facility from January 1, 2012 to January 2, 2015 with interest payable at a floating rate of LIBOR plus 40 basis points. On October 4, 2011, the Company refinanced its Bank of America $18 million LIBOR plus 50 basis points loan that was scheduled to mature on March 1, 2013 with a Union Bank $20 million LIBOR plus 40 basis points loan that matures on January 2, 2015. The $20 million loan has collateral requirements similar to those of the $120 million credit facility. Both the $120 million credit facility and the $20 million bank loan contain financial covenants pertaining to minimum statutory surplus, debt to capital ratio, and risk based capital ratio. The Company was in compliance with all of its loan covenants at December 31, 2012. The Company retired all of its $125 million 7.25% senior notes on their August 15, 2011 maturity date by using a portion of the proceeds from the extraordinary dividend paid by MCC to Mercury General. The aggregated maturities for notes payable are $140 million in 2015. For additional disclosures regarding methods and assumptions used in estimating fair values of interest rate swap agreements associated with the Company’s loans listed above, see Note 7.

Notes Payable

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Notes payable consists of two secured notes of $120 million and $20 million at both December 31, 2012 and 2011.

The $120 million credit facility is secured by municipal bonds held as collateral. The credit facility calls for the collateral requirement to be greater than the loan amount. The collateral requirement is calculated as the fair market value of the municipal bonds held as collateral multiplied by the advance rates, which vary based on the credit quality and duration of the assets held and range between 75% and 100% of the fair value of each bond. Effective August 4, 2011, the Company extended the maturity date of the $120 million credit facility from January 1, 2012 to January 2, 2015 with interest payable at a floating rate of LIBOR plus 40 basis points.

On October 4, 2011, the Company refinanced its Bank of America $18 million LIBOR plus 50 basis points loan that was scheduled to mature on March 1, 2013 with a Union Bank $20 million LIBOR plus 40 basis points loan that matures on January 2, 2015. The $20 million loan has collateral requirements similar to those of the $120 million credit facility.

Both the $120 million credit facility and the $20 million bank loan contain financial covenants pertaining to minimum statutory surplus, debt to capital ratio, and risk based capital ratio. The Company was in compliance with all of its loan covenants at December 31, 2012.

The Company retired all of its $125 million 7.25% senior notes on their August 15, 2011 maturity date by using a portion of the proceeds from the extraordinary dividend paid by MCC to Mercury General.

The aggregated maturities for notes payable are $140 million in 2015.

For additional disclosures regarding methods and assumptions used in estimating fair values of interest rate swap agreements associated with the Company’s loans listed above, see Note 7.