Note 12 - Insurance Reserves

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2013

Insurance Loss Reserves [Abstract]

Liability for Future Policy Benefits and Unpaid Claims Disclosure [Text Block]

12.          Insurance Reserves

The following table summarizes the insurance reserve activity for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011. The insurance reserve is included as a component of accounts payable and accrued liabilities in the Financial Services section of the accompanying consolidated balance sheets.

	Year Ended December 31,
	2013			2012			2011
	(Dollars in thousands)
Balance at beginning of period	$	47,852		$	49,376		$	51,576
Expense provisions		7,065			4,565			2,506
Cash payments, net of recoveries		(5,280	)		(8,020	)		(7,115	)
Adjustments		-			1,931			2,409
Balance at end of period	$	49,637		$	47,852		$	49,376

The $1.9 million and $2.4 million of adjustments to increase our insurance reserves during the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively, primarily resulted from increases in the severity and frequency of insurance claim experience relative to prior period estimates. No such adjustments were required for the year ended December 31, 2013.

In the ordinary course of business, we make payments from our insurance reserves to settle litigation claims arising primarily from our homebuilding activities. These payments are irregular in both their timing and their magnitude. As a result, the cash payments, net of recoveries shown for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012, and 2011, are not necessarily indicative of what future cash payments will be for subsequent periods.