Income Taxes (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2011

Income Taxes [Abstract]

Components Of Income Tax Expense

	Year Ended December 31,
	2011			2010			2009
	(Amounts in thousands)
Federal
Current	$	31,390		$	23,699		$	31,676
Deferred		20,518			9,964			131,839
	$	51,908		$	33,663		$	163,515
State
Current	$	2,934		$	(3,225	)	$	1,793
Deferred		(907	)		(246	)		3,161
	$	2,027		$	(3,471	)	$	4,954
Total
Current	$	34,324		$	20,474		$	33,469
Deferred		19,611			9,718			135,000
Total	$	53,935		$	30,192		$	168,469

Reconciliation Of Income Taxes

	Year Ended December 31,
	2011			2010			2009
	(Amounts in thousands)
Computed tax expense at 35%	$	85,785		$	63,837		$	200,039
Tax-exempt interest income		(31,414	)		(33,966	)		(34,210	)
Dividends received deduction		(1,704	)		(1,463	)		(1,689	)
State tax expense (benefit)		1,299			(3,580	)		3,688
Other, net		(31	)		5,364			641
Income tax expense	$	53,935		$	30,192		$	168,469

Deferred Tax Assets And Liabilities

	December 31,
	2011			2010
	(Amounts in thousands)
Deferred tax assets:
20% of net unearned premium	$	61,039		$	60,473
Capital loss carryforward		7,108			14,718
Discounting of loss reserves and salvage and subrogation recoverable for tax purposes		15,034			15,843
Write-down of impaired investments		4,638			5,389
Tax credit carryforward		20,060			16,679
Expense accruals		11,632			14,467
Other deferred tax assets		3,568			4,337
Total gross deferred tax assets		123,079			131,906
Deferred tax liabilities:
Deferred acquisition costs		(60,000	)		(59,702	)
Tax liability on net unrealized gain on securities carried at fair value		(31,997	)		(18,808	)
Tax depreciation in excess of book depreciation		(15,164	)		(16,839	)
Undistributed earnings of insurance subsidiaries		(3,962	)		(4,447	)
Accounting method transition adjustments		0			(112	)
Tax amortization in excess of book amortization		(442	)		(24	)
Other deferred tax liabilities		(5,003	)		(5,475	)
Total gross deferred tax liabilities		(116,568	)		(105,407	)
Net deferred tax assets	$	6,511		$	26,499

Summary Of Unrecognized Tax Benefits

	2011			2010
	(Amounts in thousands)
Balance at January 1	$	3,823		$	6,666
Additions based on tax positions related to the current year		1,011			387
Reductions for tax positions of prior years		(267	)		(3,230	)
Balance at December 31	$	4,567		$	3,823