Commitments and Contingencies

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Commitments and Contingencies [Abstract]

Commitments and Contingencies

(12) Commitments and Contingencies

At December 31, 2012, the Company had aggregate outstanding irrevocable letters of credit which had not been drawn amounting to $5.3 million. Those letters of credit included $2.0 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, and $0.8 million issued to various other parties.

ASRe, our reinsurance subsidiary, provides reinsurance protection for risk retention groups, captives and insurance companies and may be required to provide letters of credit to collateralize a portion of the reinsurance protection. In the normal course of business they may provide letters of credit to the companies they reinsure. As of December 31, 2012, ASRe had $81.4 million letters of credit issued and outstanding, secured by pledged investment assets of $90.1 million.

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:

2013	$	1,708
2014		653
2015		244
2016		193
2017		164
Thereafter		98
Total	$	3,060

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.