Fair Value of Financial Instruments

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2013

Financial Instruments, Owned, at Fair Value [Abstract]

The financial instruments recorded in the consolidated balance sheets include investments, receivables, interest rate swap agreements, accounts payable, equity contracts, and secured notes payable. Due to their short-term maturity, the carrying values of receivables and accounts payable approximate their fair market values. The following table presents the estimated fair values of financial instruments at June 30, 2013 and December 31, 2012.



	June 30, 2013		December 31, 2012
	(Amounts in thousands)
Assets
Investments	$	3,176,297	$	3,180,095
Liabilities
Interest rate swap agreements	$	0	$	103
Equity contracts	$	331	$	175
Secured notes	$	140,000	$	140,000

Methods and assumptions used in estimating fair values are as follows:

Investments

The Company applies the fair value option to all fixed maturity and equity securities and short-term investments at the time an eligible item is first recognized. The cost of investments sold is determined on a first-in and first-out method and realized gains and losses are included in net realized investment (losses) gains. For additional disclosures regarding methods and assumptions used in estimating fair values of these securities, see Note 5.

Interest rate swap agreements

The fair value of interest rate swap agreements reflects the estimated amounts that the Company would pay at June 30, 2013 and December 31, 2012 in order to terminate the contracts based on models using inputs, such as interest rate yield curves, observable for substantially the full term of the contract. For additional disclosures regarding methods and assumptions used in estimating fair values of interest rate swap agreements, see Note 5.

Equity contracts

The fair value of equity contracts is based on quoted prices for identical instruments in active markets. For additional disclosures regarding methods and assumptions used in estimating fair values of equity contracts, see Note 5.

Secured notes payable

The fair value of the Company’s $120 million and $20 million secured notes, classified as Level 2 in the fair value hierarchy described in Note 5, is estimated based on assumptions and inputs, such as the market value of underlying collateral and reset rates, for similarly termed notes that are observable in the market.

- Definition

The entire disclosure for the fair value of financial instruments (as defined), including financial assets and financial liabilities (collectively, as defined), and the measurements of those instruments as well as disclosures related to the fair value of non-financial assets and liabilities. Such disclosures about the financial instruments, assets, and liabilities would include: (1) the fair value of the required items together with their carrying amounts (as appropriate); (2) for items for which it is not practicable to estimate fair value, disclosure would include: (a) information pertinent to estimating fair value (including, carrying amount, effective interest rate, and maturity, and (b) the reasons why it is not practicable to estimate fair value; (3) significant concentrations of credit risk including: (a) information about the activity, region, or economic characteristics identifying a concentration, (b) the maximum amount of loss the entity is exposed to based on the gross fair value of the related item, (c) policy for requiring collateral or other security and information as to accessing such collateral or security, and (d) the nature and brief description of such collateral or security; (4) quantitative information about market risks and how such risks are managed; (5) for items measured on both a recurring and nonrecurring basis information regarding the inputs used to develop the fair value measurement; and (6) for items presented in the financial statement for which fair value measurement is elected: (a) information necessary to understand the reasons for the election, (b) discussion of the effect of fair value changes on earnings, (c) a description of [similar groups] items for which the election is made and the relation thereof to the balance sheet, the aggregate carrying value of items included in the balance sheet that are not eligible for the election; (7) all other required (as defined) and desired information.

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