Commitments and Contingencies

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2011

Commitments and Contingencies [Abstract]

Commitments and Contingencies

(12) Commitments and Contingencies

At December 31, 2011, the Company had aggregate outstanding irrevocable letters of credit which had not been drawn amounting to $5.9 million. Those letters of credit included $2.5 million for the benefit of the Vermont Department of Banking, Insurance, Securities and Health Care Administration, as well as $2.5 million issued to Wentworth Insurance Services pursuant to a contingent payment obligation.

ASRe, our reinsurance subsidiary, focuses on reinsurance risks for risk retention groups, captives and small insurance companies. As a normal course of business they may provide letters of credit to the companies that they reinsure. As of December 31, 2011, ASRe had $68.2 million letters of credit issued and outstanding.

The Company entered into a lease for approximately 47,000 rentable square feet for its primary U.S. operations. The term of the lease is eighty-six months, commencing on February 1, 2007, and extending through March 31, 2014.

The yearly minimum base rent for all operating leases is payable according to the following schedule:

		September 30,
2012	$	1,845
2013		1,545
2014		502
2015		89
2016		34
Thereafter		—
Total	$	4,015

Litigation Contingencies

Certain conditions may exist as of the date the financial statements are issued, which may result in a loss to the Company but which will only be resolved when one or more future events occur or fail to occur. The Company’s management and its legal counsel assess such contingent liabilities, and such assessment inherently involves an exercise of judgment. In assessing loss contingencies related to legal proceedings that are pending against the Company or unasserted claims that may result in such proceedings, the Company’s legal counsel evaluates the perceived merits of any legal proceedings or unasserted claims as well as the perceived merits of the amount of relief sought or expected to be sought therein.

If the assessment of a contingency indicates that it is probable that a material loss has been incurred and the amount of the liability can be estimated, then the estimated liability would be accrued in the Company’s financial statements. If the assessment indicates that a potentially material loss contingency is not probable, but is reasonably possible, or is probable but cannot be estimated, then the nature of the contingent liability, together with an estimate of the range of possible loss if determinable and material, would be disclosed.