REGULATORY MATTERS

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2011

Insurance [Abstract]

Regulatory Matters

REGULATORY MATTERS:

The regulations of the Departments of Insurance in the states where the Company’s insurance subsidiaries are domiciled generally restrict the ability of insurance companies to pay dividends or make other distributions.  Based upon statutory financial statements filed with the insurance departments as of December 31, 2011, $6.2 million was available for distribution by the Company’s wholly owned insurance subsidiaries to the parent company without the prior approval of the Department of Insurance in the states in which the Company’s insurance subsidiaries are domiciled.  At December 31, 2011, the total statutory surplus in the insurance companies that would require Department of Insurance approval before distribution was $51.4 million.