10-Q

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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q

(Mark One)

☒Quarterly Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

For the quarterly period ended March 31, 2017

or

☐Transition Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

For the transition period from                 to                

Commission File Number:    001-09463

RLI Corp.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Illinois	37-0889946
(State or other jurisdiction of	(I.R.S. Employer
incorporation or organization)	Identification Number)
9025 North Lindbergh Drive, Peoria, IL	61615
(Address of principal executive offices)	(Zip Code)

(309) 692-1000

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports) and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.   Yes  ☒    No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).   Yes  ☒    No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company.  See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Large accelerated filer ☒	Accelerated filer ☐
Non-accelerated filer ☐	Smaller reporting company ☐
(Do not check if a smaller reporting company)
	Emerging growth company ☐

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).  Yes  ☐   No ☒

APPLICABLE ONLY TO CORPORATE ISSUERS:

As of April 12, 2017, the number of shares outstanding of the registrant’s Common Stock was 43,969,904.

Table of Contents

			Page
Part I - Financial Information			3
	Item 1.	Financial Statements	3
		Condensed Consolidated Statements of Earnings and Comprehensive Earnings For the Three-Month Periods Ended March 31, 2017 and 2016 (unaudited)	3
		Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets as of March 31, 2017 (unaudited) and December 31, 2016	4
		Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows For the Three-Month Periods Ended March 31, 2017 and 2016 (unaudited)	5
		Notes to unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements	6
	Item 2.	Management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations	21
	Item 3.	Quantitative and qualitative disclosures about market risk	32
	Item 4.	Controls and procedures	32
Part II - Other Information			32
	Item 1.	Legal proceedings	32
	Item 1a.	Risk factors	32
	Item 2.	Unregistered sales of equity securities and use of proceeds	32
	Item 3.	Defaults upon senior securities	32
	Item 4.	Mine safety disclosures	32
	Item 5.	Other information	32
	Item 6.	Exhibits	33
Signatures			34

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PART I - FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Item 1. Financial Statements

RLI Corp. and Subsidiaries

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Earnings and Comprehensive Earnings

(Unaudited)

	For the Three-Month Periods
	Ended March 31,
(in thousands, except per share data)	2017		2016
Net premiums earned	$	183,285	$	176,918
Net investment income		13,005		13,370
Net realized gains		2,714		11,400
Other-than-temporary impairment (OTTI) losses on investments		(2,090)		-
Consolidated revenue	$	196,914	$	201,688
Losses and settlement expenses		93,390		81,171
Policy acquisition costs		63,503		62,243
Insurance operating expenses		13,335		12,200
Interest expense on debt		1,856		1,857
General corporate expenses		3,325		2,375
Total expenses	$	175,409	$	159,846
Equity in earnings of unconsolidated investees		4,938		3,751
Earnings before income taxes	$	26,443	$	45,593
Income tax expense		6,615		14,200
Net earnings	$	19,828	$	31,393
Other comprehensive earnings, net of tax		11,769		21,763
Comprehensive earnings	$	31,597	$	53,156
Earnings per share:
Basic:
Basic net earnings per share	$	0.45	$	0.72
Basic comprehensive earnings per share	$	0.72	$	1.22
Diluted:
Diluted net earnings per share	$	0.45	$	0.71
Diluted comprehensive earnings per share	$	0.71	$	1.20
Weighted average number of common shares outstanding
Basic		43,961		43,597
Diluted		44,502		44,361
Cash dividends paid per common share	$	0.20	$	0.19

See accompanying notes to the unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements.

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RLI Corp. and Subsidiaries

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets

(Unaudited)

	March 31,		December 31,
(in thousands, except share data)	2017		2016
ASSETS
Investments
Fixed income
Available-for-sale, at fair value (amortized cost - $1,572,909 at 3/31/17 and $1,596,227 at 12/31/16)	$	1,590,399	$	1,605,209
Equity securities available-for-sale, at fair value (cost - $192,340 at 3/31/17 and $187,573 at 12/31/16)		383,929		369,219
Short-term investments, at cost which approximates fair value		13,002		5,015
Other invested assets		24,199		24,115
Cash		28,144		18,269
Total investments and cash	$	2,039,673	$	2,021,827
Accrued investment income		13,958		14,593
Premiums and reinsurance balances receivable, net of allowances for uncollectible amounts of $16,222 at 3/31/17 and $15,981 at 12/31/16		121,863		126,387
Ceded unearned premium		48,804		52,173
Reinsurance balances recoverable on unpaid losses and settlement expenses, net of allowances for uncollectible amounts of $10,426 at 3/31/17 and $10,699 at 12/31/16		271,346		288,224
Deferred policy acquisition costs		71,995		73,147
Property and equipment, at cost, net of accumulated depreciation of $43,493 at 3/31/17 and $41,999 at 12/31/16		56,173		54,606
Investment in unconsolidated investees		76,833		72,240
Goodwill and intangibles		64,165		64,371
Other assets		12,708		10,065
TOTAL ASSETS	$	2,777,518	$	2,777,633
LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Liabilities
Unpaid losses and settlement expenses	$	1,152,027	$	1,139,337
Unearned premiums		412,862		433,777
Reinsurance balances payable		16,612		17,928
Funds held		74,138		72,742
Income taxes-deferred		72,192		64,494
Bonds payable, long-term debt		148,788		148,741
Accrued expenses		27,791		51,992
Other liabilities		25,233		25,050
TOTAL LIABILITIES	$	1,929,643	$	1,954,061
Shareholders’ Equity
Common stock ($1 par value, 100,000,000 shares authorized)
(66,900,118 shares issued, 43,969,904 shares outstanding at 3/31/17)
(66,874,911 shares issued, 43,944,697 shares outstanding at 12/31/16)	$	66,900	$	66,875
Paid-in capital		231,253		229,779
Accumulated other comprehensive earnings		134,379		122,610
Retained earnings		808,342		797,307
Deferred compensation		11,265		11,496
Less: Treasury shares at cost
(22,930,214 shares at 3/31/17 and 12/31/16)		(404,264)		(404,495)
TOTAL SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY	$	847,875	$	823,572
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY	$	2,777,518	$	2,777,633

See accompanying notes to the unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements.

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RLI Corp. and Subsidiaries

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

(Unaudited)

	For the Three-Month Periods
	Ended March 31,
(in thousands)	2017		2016
Net cash provided by operating activities	$	11,265	$	21,266
Cash Flows from Investing Activities
Investments purchased	$	(88,910)	$	(128,242)
Investments sold		67,667		114,930
Investments called or matured		33,880		19,800
Net change in short-term investments		(3,435)		(14,897)
Net property and equipment purchased		(3,298)		(4,088)
Acquisition of agency		-		(850)
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities	$	5,904	$	(13,347)
Cash Flows from Financing Activities
Cash dividends paid	$	(8,793)	$	(8,286)
Stock plan share issuance		1,499		1,480
Excess tax benefit from exercise of stock options		-		2,375
Net cash used in financing activities	$	(7,294)	$	(4,431)
Net increase in cash	$	9,875	$	3,488
Cash at the beginning of the period	$	18,269	$	11,081
Cash at March 31	$	28,144	$	14,569

See accompanying notes to the unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements.

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NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED INTERIM FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

1.    SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

A.  BASIS OF PRESENTATION

The unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America (GAAP) for interim financial reporting and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the disclosures required by GAAP for complete financial statements. As such, these unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements should be read in conjunction with our 2016 Annual Report on Form 10-K. Management believes that the disclosures are adequate to make the information presented not misleading, and all normal and recurring adjustments necessary to present fairly the financial position at March 31, 2017 and the results of operations of RLI Corp. and subsidiaries for all periods presented have been made. The results of operations for any interim period are not necessarily indicative of the operating results for a full year. Certain reclassifications were made to 2016 to conform to the classifications used in the current year.

The preparation of the unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements requires management to make estimates and assumptions relating to the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the period. These estimates are inherently subject to change and actual results could differ significantly from these estimates.

B.  ADOPTED ACCOUNTING STANDARDS

ASU 2016-09, Compensation – Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting

ASU 2016-09 was issued to simplify the accounting for share-based payment awards. The guidance requires that, prospectively, all tax effects related to share-based payments be made through the income statement at the time of settlement as opposed to excess tax benefits being recognized in additional paid-in-capital under the previous guidance. The ASU also removes the requirement to delay recognition of a tax benefit until it reduces current taxes payable. This change is required to be applied on a modified retrospective basis, with a cumulative-effect adjustment to opening retained earnings. Additionally, all tax related cash flows resulting from share-based payments are to be reported as operating activities on the statement of cash flows, a change from the previous requirement to present tax benefits as an inflow from financing activities and an outflow from operating activities. Finally, entities will be allowed to withhold an amount up to the employees’ maximum individual tax rate (as opposed to the minimum statutory tax rate) in the relevant jurisdiction without resulting in liability classification of the award. The change in withholding requirements will be applied on a modified retrospective approach.

We adopted ASU 2016-09 on January 1, 2017. The guidance’s primary impact on our financial statements relates to the provision concerning the recognition of tax effects through the income statement in 2017 and forward.  In the first quarter of 2017, $0.4 million of excess tax benefits was recognized as a reduction to income tax expense rather than as an increase to additional paid-in-capital. The future impact to our income statement will vary depending upon the level of intrinsic value associated with option exercises in a particular period. Additionally, the changes in cash flow presentation resulted in $0.4 million more operating cash flows and $0.4 million less financing cash flows than would have been recognized under the previous guidance. We have historically estimated the number of forfeitures as part of our option valuation process and will continue to do so under the new guidance. As no aspect of the guidance that requires retrospective adoption impacted the Company, no prior period adjustments were made.

C.  PROSPECTIVE ACCOUNTING STANDARDS

ASU 2016-01, Financial Instruments - Overall (Subtopic 825-10): Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities

This ASU was issued to improve the recognition and measurement of financial instruments. The new guidance makes targeted improvements to GAAP as follows:

a. Requires equity investments (except those accounted for under the equity method of accounting or those that result in consolidation of the investee) to be measured at fair value with changes in fair value recognized in net income;

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b. Simplifies the impairment assessment of equity investments without readily determinable fair values by requiring a qualitative assessment to identify impairment;

c. Eliminates the requirement for public business entities to disclose the method(s) and significant assumptions used to estimate the fair value that is required to be disclosed for financial instruments measured at amortized cost on the balance sheet;

d. Requires public business entities to use the exit price notion when measuring the fair value of financial instruments for disclosure purposes;

e. Requires an entity to present separately in other comprehensive income the portion of the total change in the fair value of a liability resulting from a change in the instrument-specific credit risk when the entity has elected to measure the liability at fair value in accordance with the fair value option for financial instruments;

f. Requires separate presentation of financial assets and financial liabilities by measurement category and form of financial asset on the balance sheet or the accompanying notes to the financial statements; and

g. Clarifies that an entity should evaluate the need for a valuation allowance on a deferred tax asset related to available-for-sale securities in combination with the entity’s other deferred tax assets.

This ASU is effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017. Early adoption is only permitted for provision (e) above. Upon adoption, a cumulative-effect adjustment to the balance sheet will be made as of the beginning of the fiscal year of adoption. The primary impact this guidance will have on our financial statements relates to the provision requiring the recognition of changes in the fair value of equity securities through the income statement rather than through other comprehensive income. The impact to our income statement will vary depending upon the level of volatility in the performance of the securities held in our equity portfolio and the overall market.

ASU 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842)

ASU 2016-02 was issued to improve the financial reporting of leasing transactions. Under current guidance for lessees, leases are only included on the balance sheet if certain criteria, classifying the agreement as a capital lease, are met. This update will require the recognition of a right-of-use asset and a corresponding lease liability, discounted to the present value, for all leases that extend beyond 12 months. For operating leases, the asset and liability will be expensed over the lease term on a straight-line basis, with all cash flows included in the operating section of the statement of cash flows. For finance leases, interest on the lease liability will be recognized separately from the amortization of the right-of-use asset in the statement of comprehensive income and the repayment of the principal portion of the lease liability will be classified as a financing activity while the interest component will be included in the operating section of the statement of cash flows.

This ASU is effective for annual and interim reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2018. Early adoption is permitted. Upon adoption, leases will be recognized and measured at the beginning of the earliest period presented using a modified retrospective approach. We have not yet completed the analysis of how adopting this ASU will affect our financial statements.

ASU 2016-13, Financial Instruments – Credit Losses (Topic 326)

ASU 2016-13 was issued to provide more decision-useful information about the expected credit losses on financial instruments. Current GAAP delays the recognition of credit losses until it is probable a loss has been incurred. The update will require a financial asset measured at amortized cost to be presented at the net amount expected to be collected by means of an allowance for credit losses that runs through net income. Credit losses relating to available-for-sale debt securities will also be recorded through an allowance for credit losses. However, the amendments would limit the amount of the allowance to the amount by which fair value is below amortized cost. The measurement of credit losses on available-for-sale securities is similar under current GAAP, but the update requires the use of the allowance account through which amounts can be reversed, rather than through an irreversible write-down.

This ASU is effective for annual and interim reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2019. Early adoption is permitted beginning after December 15, 2018. Upon adoption, the update will be applied using the modified-retrospective approach, by which a cumulative-effect adjustment will be made to retained earnings as of the beginning of the first reporting period presented. We have not yet completed the analysis of how adopting this ASU will affect our financial statements.

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ASU 2016-15, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230):  Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments

ASU 2016-15 was issued to reduce the diversity in practice of how certain cash receipts and payments, for which current guidance is silent, are classified in the statement of cash flows. The update addresses eight specific issues, including contingent consideration payments made after a business combination, distributions received from equity method investees and the classification of cash receipts and payments that have aspects of more than one class of cash flows. This ASU is effective for annual and interim reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017. Early adoption is permitted. Upon adoption, the update will be applied using the retrospective transition method. We have not yet completed the analysis of how adopting this ASU will affect our financial statements, but do not expect a material impact on our statement of cash flows.

ASU 2017-04, Intangibles-Goodwill and Other (Topic 350):  Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment

ASU 2017-04 was issued to simplify the subsequent measurement of goodwill. This update changes the impairment test by requiring an entity to compare the fair value of a reporting unit with its carrying amount as opposed to comparing the carrying amount of goodwill with its implied fair value. This ASU is effective for annual and interim reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2019. Early adoption is permitted. Adoption of this ASU will not have a material impact on our financial statements.

D.  INTANGIBLE ASSETS

In accordance with GAAP guidelines, the amortization of goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets is not permitted. Goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets remain on the balance sheet and are tested for impairment on an annual basis, or earlier if there is reason to suspect that their values may have been diminished or impaired. Goodwill and intangible assets totaled $64.2 million and $64.4 million at March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively, as detailed in the following table.

Goodwill and Intangible Assets
(in thousands)			March 31,		December 31,
Reporting Unit			2017		2016
Goodwill
	Energy surety	$	25,706	$	25,706
	Miscellaneous and contract surety		15,110		15,110
	P&C package business		5,246		5,246
	Medical professional liability *		5,208		5,208
Total goodwill		$	51,270	$	51,270
Intangibles
	State insurance licenses	$	7,500	$	7,500
	Definite-lived intangibles, net of accumulated amortization of $3,606 at 3/31/17 and $5,546 at 12/31/16		5,395		5,601
Total intangibles		$	12,895	$	13,101
Total goodwill and intangibles		$	64,165	$	64,371

*   The medical professional liability goodwill balance reflects a $7.2 million non-cash impairment charge recorded in the second quarter of 2016.

All definite-lived intangible assets are amortized against future operating results based on their estimated useful lives. Amortization of intangible assets was $0.2 million for the first quarters of 2017 and 2016.  

Annual impairment testing was performed on each of our existing goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets during 2016. Based upon these annual reviews, none of the assets were impaired. In addition, as of March 31, 2017, there were no triggering events that occurred that would suggest an updated review was necessary. However, as the medical professional liability goodwill was impaired in the second quarter of 2016 and the reporting unit has continued to experience competitive

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pressures, we continue to closely monitor the performance of the reporting unit and will reexamine our valuation should results change from expectations or other triggering events occur.

E.  EARNINGS PER SHARE

Basic earnings per share (EPS) excludes dilution and is computed by dividing income available to common shareholders by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding for the period. Diluted EPS reflects the dilution that could occur if securities or other contracts to issue common stock or common stock equivalents were exercised or converted into common stock. When inclusion of common stock equivalents increases the earnings per share or reduces the loss per share, the effect on earnings is anti-dilutive. Under these circumstances, the diluted net earnings or net loss per share is computed excluding the common stock equivalents.

The following represents a reconciliation of the numerator and denominator of the basic and diluted EPS computations contained in the unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements.

	For the Three-Month Period					For the Three-Month Period
	Ended March 31,  2017					Ended March 31,  2016
	Income		Shares	Per Share		Income		Shares	Per Share
(in thousands, except per share data)	(Numerator)		(Denominator)	Amount		(Numerator)		(Denominator)	Amount
Basic EPS
Income available to common shareholders	$	19,828	43,961	$	0.45	$	31,393	43,597	$	0.72
Effect of Dilutive Securities
Stock options		-	541				-	764
Diluted EPS
Income available to common shareholders	$	19,828	44,502	$	0.45	$	31,393	44,361	$	0.71

F.  COMPREHENSIVE EARNINGS

Our comprehensive earnings include net earnings plus unrealized gains/losses on our available-for-sale investment securities, net of tax. In reporting comprehensive earnings on a net basis in the statement of earnings, we used the federal statutory tax rate of 35 percent.

Unrealized gains, net of tax, for the first three months of 2017 were $11.8 million, compared to $21.8 million during the same period last year. Unrealized gains in the first three months of 2017 were led by positive pricing movements in equity securities, with increases in the fixed income portfolio following closely due to slight declines in interest rates since year-end 2016. In 2016, unrealized gains were primarily the result of declining interest rates, while the equity portfolio experienced a similar amount of unrealized change as 2017. 

The following table illustrates the changes in the balance of each component of accumulated other comprehensive earnings for each period presented in the unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements.

(in thousands)	For the Three-Month Periods
	Ended March 31,
Unrealized Gains/Losses on Available-for-Sale Securities	2017		2016
Beginning balance	$	122,610	$	123,774
Other comprehensive earnings before reclassifications		12,172		29,171
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive earnings		(403)		(7,408)
Net current-period other comprehensive earnings (loss)	$	11,769	$	21,763
Ending balance	$	134,379	$	145,537

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The sale or other-than-temporary impairment of an available-for-sale security results in amounts being reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive earnings to current period net earnings. The effects of reclassifications out of accumulated other comprehensive earnings by the respective line items of net earnings are presented in the following table.

	Amount Reclassified from Accumulated Other
(in thousands)	Comprehensive Earnings
	For the Three-Month
Component of Accumulated	Periods Ended March 31,				Affected line item in the
Other Comprehensive Earnings	2017		2016		Statement of Earnings
Unrealized gains and losses on available-for-sale securities	$	2,710	$	11,397	Net realized gains
		(2,090)		-	Other-than-temporary impairment (OTTI) losses on investments
	$	620	$	11,397	Earnings before income taxes
		(217)		(3,989)	Income tax expense
	$	403	$	7,408	Net earnings

2.    INVESTMENTS

Our investments are primarily composed of fixed income debt securities and common stock equity securities. As disclosed in our 2016 Annual Report on Form 10-K, we present all of our investments as available-for-sale, which are carried at fair value. When available, we obtain quoted market prices to determine fair value for our investments. If a quoted market price is not available, fair value is estimated using a secondary pricing source or using quoted market prices of similar securities. We have no investment securities for which fair value is determined using Level 3 inputs as defined in note 3 to the unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements, “Fair Value Measurements.”

Available-for-Sale Securities

The amortized cost and fair value of available-for-sale securities at March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016 were as follows:

Available-for-sale
(in thousands)
	March 31,  2017
	Cost or		Gross		Gross
	Amortized		Unrealized		Unrealized		Fair
Asset Class	Cost		Gains		Losses		Value
U.S. government	$	78,066	$	104	$	(476)	$	77,694
U.S. agency		5,474		302		-		5,776
Non-U.S. govt. & agency		9,511		86		(164)		9,433
Agency MBS		276,957		4,224		(3,467)		277,714
ABS/CMBS*		82,915		653		(376)		83,192
Corporate		495,867		11,216		(3,362)		503,721
Municipal		624,119		13,099		(4,349)		632,869
Total Fixed Income	$	1,572,909	$	29,684	$	(12,194)	$	1,590,399
Equity	$	192,340	$	193,324	$	(1,735)	$	383,929

*Non-agency asset-backed and commercial mortgage-backed

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Available-for-sale
(in thousands)
	December 31,  2016
	Cost or		Gross		Gross
	Amortized		Unrealized		Unrealized		Fair
Asset Class	Cost		Gains		Losses		Value
U.S. government	$	77,054	$	88	$	(579)	$	76,563
U.S. agency		5,473		340		-		5,813
Non-U.S. govt. & agency		9,517		2		(368)		9,151
Agency MBS		283,002		4,635		(3,568)		284,069
ABS/CMBS*		93,791		676		(557)		93,910
Corporate		503,041		10,996		(5,670)		508,367
Municipal		624,349		9,575		(6,588)		627,336
Total Fixed Income	$	1,596,227	$	26,312	$	(17,330)	$	1,605,209
Equity	$	187,573	$	182,912	$	(1,266)	$	369,219

*Non-agency asset-backed and commercial mortgage-backed

The following table presents the amortized cost and fair value of available-for-sale debt securities by contractual maturity dates as of March 31, 2017:

	March 31,  2017
Available-for-sale	Amortized		Fair
(in thousands)	Cost		Value
Due in one year or less	$	14,302	$	14,298
Due after one year through five years		357,017		363,349
Due after five years through 10 years		516,586		523,913
Due after 10 years		325,132		327,933
Mtge/ABS/CMBS*		359,872		360,906
Total available-for-sale	$	1,572,909	$	1,590,399

*Mortgage-backed, asset-backed and commercial mortgage-backed

Unrealized Losses

We conduct and document periodic reviews of all securities with unrealized losses to evaluate whether the impairment is other-than-temporary. The following tables are used as part of our impairment analysis and illustrate the total value of securities that were in an unrealized loss position as of March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016. The tables segregate the securities based on type, noting the fair value, cost (or amortized cost) and unrealized loss on each category of investment as well as in total. The tables further classify the securities based on the length of time they have been in an unrealized loss position. As of March 31, 2017 unrealized losses, as shown in the following tables, were 0.7 percent of total invested assets. Unrealized losses decreased in the first quarter of 2017, as interest rates declined slightly from the end of 2016, which increased the fair value of securities held in the fixed income portfolio.

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	March 31,  2017						December 31,  2016
(in thousands)	< 12 Mos.		12 Mos. &  Greater		Total		< 12 Mos.		12 Mos. &  Greater		Total
U.S. Government
Fair value	$	46,069	$	—	$	46,069	$	48,500	$	—	$	48,500
Cost or amortized cost		46,545		—		46,545		49,079		—		49,079
Unrealized Loss	$	(476)	$	—	$	(476)	$	(579)	$	—	$	(579)
Non-U.S. government
Fair value	$	5,847	$	—	$	5,847	$	7,647	$	—	$	7,647
Cost or amortized cost		6,011		—		6,011		8,015		—		8,015
Unrealized Loss	$	(164)	$	—	$	(164)	$	(368)	$	—	$	(368)
Agency MBS
Fair value	$	176,538	$	4,201	$	180,739	$	175,858	$	5,737	$	181,595
Cost or amortized cost		179,861		4,345		184,206		179,238		5,925		185,163
Unrealized Loss	$	(3,323)	$	(144)	$	(3,467)	$	(3,380)	$	(188)	$	(3,568)
ABS/CMBS*
Fair value	$	37,672	$	6,431	$	44,103	$	48,907	$	5,272	$	54,179
Cost or amortized cost		37,898		6,581		44,479		49,372		5,364		54,736
Unrealized Loss	$	(226)	$	(150)	$	(376)	$	(465)	$	(92)	$	(557)
Corporate
Fair value	$	122,221	$	10,414	$	132,635	$	144,353	$	15,535	$	159,888
Cost or amortized cost		124,348		11,649		135,997		146,979		18,579		165,558
Unrealized Loss	$	(2,127)	$	(1,235)	$	(3,362)	$	(2,626)	$	(3,044)	$	(5,670)
Municipal
Fair value	$	182,139	$	—	$	182,139	$	250,930	$	—	$	250,930
Cost or amortized cost		186,488		—		186,488		257,518		—		257,518
Unrealized Loss	$	(4,349)	$	—	$	(4,349)	$	(6,588)	$	—	$	(6,588)
Subtotal, fixed income
Fair value	$	570,486	$	21,046	$	591,532	$	676,195	$	26,544	$	702,739
Cost or amortized cost		581,151		22,575		603,726		690,201		29,868		720,069
Unrealized Loss	$	(10,665)	$	(1,529)	$	(12,194)	$	(14,006)	$	(3,324)	$	(17,330)
Equity securities
Fair value	$	9,552	$	3,925	$	13,477	$	7,438	$	1,973	$	9,411
Cost or amortized cost		10,568		4,644		15,212		8,029		2,648		10,677
Unrealized Loss	$	(1,016)	$	(719)	$	(1,735)	$	(591)	$	(675)	$	(1,266)
Total
Fair value	$	580,038	$	24,971	$	605,009	$	683,633	$	28,517	$	712,150
Cost or amortized cost		591,719		27,219		618,938		698,230		32,516		730,746
Unrealized Loss	$	(11,681)	$	(2,248)	$	(13,929)	$	(14,597)	$	(3,999)	$	(18,596)

* Non-agency asset-backed and commercial mortgage-backed

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The following table shows the composition of the fixed income securities in unrealized loss positions at March 31, 2017 by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) rating and the generally equivalent Standard & Poor’s (S&P) and Moody’s ratings. The vast majority of the securities are rated by S&P and/or Moody’s.

	Equivalent	Equivalent	(dollars in thousands)
NAIC	S&P	Moody’s	Amortized				Unrealized		Percent
Rating	Rating	Rating	Cost		Fair Value		Loss		to Total
1	AAA/AA/A	Aaa/Aa/A	$	525,282	$	515,405	$	(9,877)	81.0	%
2	BBB	Baa		63,482		62,204		(1,278)	10.5	%
3	BB	Ba		4,906		4,835		(71)	0.6	%
4	B	B		7,299		6,776		(523)	4.3	%
5	CCC orlower	Caa or lower		2,757		2,312		(445)	3.6	%
6				—		—		—	—
		Total	$	603,726	$	591,532	$	(12,194)	100.0	%

Evaluating Investments for OTTI

The fixed income portfolio contained 319 securities in an unrealized loss position as of March 31, 2017. The $12.2 million in associated unrealized losses for these 319 securities represents 0.8 percent of the fixed income portfolio’s cost basis. Of these 319 securities, 33 have been in an unrealized loss position for 12 consecutive months or longer. All fixed income securities in the investment portfolio continue to pay the expected coupon payments under the contractual terms of the securities. Any credit-related impairment related to fixed income securities we do not plan to sell and for which we are not more likely than not to be required to sell is recognized in net earnings, with the non-credit related impairment recognized in comprehensive earnings. Based on our analysis, our fixed income portfolio is of high credit quality and we believe we will recover the amortized cost basis of our fixed income securities. We continually monitor the credit quality of our fixed income investments to assess if it is probable that we will receive our contractual or estimated cash flows in the form of principal and interest. In the first quarter of 2017, we recognized $2.1 million in other-than-temporary impairment (OTTI) charges in earnings on two fixed income securities that we no longer had the intent to hold. Comparatively, we did not recognize any OTTI losses in earnings on the fixed income portfolio in same period in 2016. There were no OTTI losses recognized in other comprehensive earnings on the fixed income portfolio for the periods presented.

As of March 31, 2017, we held five common stock securities that were in an unrealized loss position. The unrealized loss on these securities was $1.7 million. Based on our analysis, we believe each security will recover in a reasonable period of time and we have the intent and ability to hold them until recovery. One equity security has been in an unrealized loss position for 12 consecutive months or longer. There were no OTTI losses recognized in the periods presented on the equity portfolio.

Other Invested Assets

Other invested assets include investments in three low income housing tax credit partnerships (LIHTC), carried at amortized cost, membership in the Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago (FHLBC), carried at cost, an investment in a real estate fund, carried at cost, and an investment in a business development company (BDC), carried at fair value. Due to the nature of the LIHTC and our membership in the FHLBC, their carrying amounts approximate fair value. Our LIHTC interests had a balance of $17.0 million at March 31, 2017, compared to $17.5 million at December 31, 2016 and recognized a total tax benefit of $0.6 million during the first quarter of 2017 compared to $0.4 million during the first quarter of 2016. Our investment in FHLBC stock totaled $0.8 million at March 31, 2017, compared to $1.6 million at December 31, 2016. Our investment in the real estate fund was carried at $3.1 million which approximated fair value at March 31, 2017, compared to a carrying value of $5.0 million which approximated fair value at December 31, 2016. During the first quarter, we made an initial investment in a BDC which had a fair value of $3.3 million at March 31, 2017. The investment in the BDC is restricted from being transferred until after a qualified IPO unless prior consent is provided by the BDC. Our unfunded commitments related to these investments totaled $23.6 million at the end of the first quarter of 2017.

Cash and Short-term Investments

Cash consists of uninvested balances in bank accounts. We had a cash balance of $28.1 million at the end of the first quarter of 2017, compared to $18.3 million at the end of 2016. Short-term investments of $13.0 million and $5.0 million at March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively, are carried at cost, which approximates fair value.

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3.    FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS

Assets and Liabilities Recorded at Fair Value on a Recurring Basis

Fair value is defined as the price in the principal market that would be received for an asset to facilitate an orderly transaction between market participants on the measurement date.

We determined the fair value of certain financial instruments based on their underlying characteristics and relevant transactions in the marketplace. GAAP guidance requires an entity to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs when measuring fair value. The guidance also describes three levels of inputs that may be used to measure fair value.

Financial assets are classified based upon the lowest level of significant input that is used to determine fair value. The following are the levels of the fair value hierarchy and a brief description of the type of valuation inputs that are used to establish each level:

Pricing Level 1 is applied to valuations based on readily available, unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets.

Pricing Level 2 is applied to valuations based upon quoted prices for similar assets in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar assets in inactive markets; or valuations based on models where the significant inputs are observable (e.g. interest rates, yield curves, prepayment speeds, default rates, loss severities) or can be corroborated by observable market data.

Pricing Level 3 is applied to valuations that are derived from techniques in which one or more of the significant inputs are unobservable.

As a part of management’s process to determine fair value, we utilize widely recognized, third-party pricing sources to determine our fair values. We have obtained an understanding of the third-party pricing sources’ valuation methodologies and inputs. The following is a description of the valuation techniques used for financial assets that are measured at fair value, including the general classification of such assets pursuant to the fair value hierarchy.

Corporate, Agencies, Government and Municipal Bonds: The pricing vendor employs a multi-dimensional model which uses standard inputs including (listed in approximate order of priority for use) benchmark yields, reported trades, broker/dealer quotes, issuer spreads, two-sided markets, benchmark securities, market bids/offers and other reference data. The pricing vendor also monitors market indicators, as well as industry and economic events. All bonds valued using these techniques are classified as Level 2. All corporate, agency, government and municipal securities were deemed Level 2.

Mortgage-backed Securities (MBS)/Commercial Mortgage-backed Securities (CMBS) and Asset-backed Securities (ABS): The pricing vendor evaluation methodology includes principally interest rate movements and new issue data. Evaluation of the tranches (non-volatile, volatile or credit sensitivity) is based on the pricing vendors’ interpretation of accepted modeling and pricing conventions. This information is then used to determine the cash flows for each tranche, benchmark yields, prepayment assumptions and to incorporate collateral performance. To evaluate MBS and CMBS volatility, an option adjusted spread model is used in combination with models that simulate interest rate paths to determine market price information. This process allows the pricing vendor to obtain evaluations of a broad universe of securities in a way that reflects changes in yield curve, index rates, implied volatility, mortgage rates and recent trade activity. MBS/CMBS and ABS with corroborated, observable inputs are classified as Level 2. All of our MBS/CMBS and ABS are deemed Level 2.

Common Stock: Exchange traded equities have readily observable price levels and are classified as Level 1 (fair value based on quoted market prices). All of our common stock holdings are deemed Level 1.

For the Level 2 securities, as described above, we periodically conduct a review to assess the reasonableness of the fair values provided by our pricing services. Our review consists of a two pronged approach. First, we compare prices provided by our pricing services to those provided by an additional source. Second, we obtain prices from securities brokers and compare them to the prices provided by our pricing services. In both comparisons, when discrepancies are found, we compare our prices to actual reported trade data for like securities. Based on this assessment, we determined that the fair values of our Level 2 securities provided by our pricing services are reasonable.

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For common stock, we receive prices from a nationally recognized pricing service. Prices are based on observable inputs in an active market and are therefore disclosed as Level 1. Based on this assessment, we determined that the fair values of our Level 1 securities provided by our pricing service are reasonable.

The investment in the BDC is measured using the investment’s net asset value per share and is not categorized within the fair value hierarchy.

Due to the relatively short-term nature of cash, short-term investments, accounts receivable and accounts payable, their carrying amounts are reasonable estimates of fair value.

Assets measured at fair value in the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements on a recurring basis are summarized below:

	As of March 31,  2017
	Fair Value Measurements Using
	Quoted Prices in		Significant Other		Significant
	Active Markets for		Observable		Unobservable
	Identical Assets		Inputs		Inputs
(in thousands)	(Level 1)		(Level 2)		(Level 3)		Total
Available-for-sale securities
U.S. government	$	—	$	77,694	$	—	$	77,694
U.S. agency		—		5,776		—		5,776
Non-U.S. govt. & agency		—		9,433		—		9,433
Agency MBS		—		277,714		—		277,714
ABS/CMBS*		—		83,192		—		83,192
Corporate		—		503,721		—		503,721
Municipal		—		632,869		—		632,869
Equity		383,929		—		—		383,929
Total available-for-sale securities	$	383,929	$	1,590,399	$	—	$	1,974,328

	As of December 31,  2016
	Fair Value Measurements Using
	Quoted Prices in		Significant Other		Significant
	Active Markets for		Observable		Unobservable
	Identical Assets		Inputs		Inputs
(in thousands)	(Level 1)		(Level 2)		(Level 3)		Total
Available-for-sale securities
U.S. government	$	—	$	76,563	$	—	$	76,563
U.S. agency		—		5,813		—		5,813
Non-U.S. govt. & agency		—		9,151		—		9,151
Agency MBS		—		284,069		—		284,069
ABS/CMBS*		—		93,910		—		93,910
Corporate		—		508,367		—		508,367
Municipal		—		627,336		—		627,336
Equity		369,219		—		—		369,219
Total available-for-sale securities	$	369,219	$	1,605,209	$	—	$	1,974,428

* Non-agency asset-backed and commercial mortgage-backed

As noted in the above table, we did not have any assets measured at fair value on a recurring basis using significant unobservable inputs (Level 3) during the period. Additionally, there were no securities transferred in or out of levels 1 or 2 during the three-month period ended March 31, 2017.

4. HISTORICAL LOSS AND LAE DEVELOPMENT

The following table is a reconciliation of our unpaid losses and settlement expenses (LAE) for the first quarters of 2017 and 2016.

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	For the Three-Month Periods
	Ended March 31,
(in thousands)	2017		2016
Unpaid losses and LAE at beginning of year
Gross	$	1,139,337	$	1,103,785
Ceded		(288,224)		(297,844)
Net	$	851,113	$	805,941
Increase (decrease) in incurred losses and LAE
Current accident year	$	99,249	$	95,161
Prior accident years		(5,859)		(13,990)
Total incurred	$	93,390	$	81,171
Loss and LAE payments for claims incurred
Current accident year	$	(3,395)	$	(4,405)
Prior accident year		(60,427)		(58,584)
Total paid	$	(63,822)	$	(62,989)
Net unpaid losses and LAE at March 31,	$	880,681	$	824,123
Unpaid losses and LAE at March 31,
Gross	$	1,152,027	$	1,121,363
Ceded		(271,346)		(297,240)
Net	$	880,681	$	824,123

As disclosed in the 2016 Annual Report on Form 10-K, our actuaries have historically performed a ground up reserve study of the expected value of unpaid losses and LAE using multiple standard actuarial methodologies three times a year. As a result of efficiency improvements in our reserving process, our actuaries began performing ground up reserve studies on a quarterly basis during the first quarter of 2017.  We will continue to perform an emergence analysis on a quarterly basis to determine if further adjustments are necessary. We will then review all of the various estimates of ultimate loss by accident year and determine the appropriateness of the reserve balance as we have done in the past.

5.  INCOME TAXES

Our effective tax rate for the three-month period ended March 31, 2017 was 25.0 percent, compared to 31.1 percent for the same period in 2016. Effective rates are dependent upon components of pretax earnings and the related tax effects. The effective rate was lower for the first quarter of 2017 due largely to lower levels of pre-tax earnings, which caused the tax favored adjustments to be larger on a percentage basis in 2017 compared to the prior year. The adoption of FASB ASU 2016-09 also contributed to the decline in the effect rate, as the standard requires the excess tax benefit on share-based compensation to run through income tax expense in 2017 and forward. Prior to the adoption of FASB ASU 2016-09, excess tax benefits on share-based compensation were recorded through additional paid-in-capital and had no impact on the effective tax rate.

Income tax expense attributable to income from operations for the three-month period ended March 31, 2017 and 2016 differed from the amounts computed by applying the U.S. federal tax rate of 35 percent to pretax income as a result of the following:

	For the Three-Month Periods Ended March 31,
	2017				2016
(in thousands)	Amount		%		Amount		%
Provision for income taxes at the statutory rate of 35%	$	9,255	35.0	%	$	15,958	35.0	%
Increase (reduction) in taxes resulting from:
Excess tax benefit on share-based compensation		(443)	(1.7)	%		—	0.0	%
Tax exempt interest income		(1,179)	(4.5)	%		(1,100)	(2.4)	%
Dividends received deduction		(530)	(2.0)	%		(565)	(1.2)	%
ESOP dividends paid deduction		(233)	(0.9)	%		(232)	(0.5)	%
Other items, net		(255)	(0.9)	%		139	0.2	%
Total tax expense	$	6,615	25.0	%	$	14,200	31.1	%

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6.  STOCK BASED COMPENSATION

Our RLI Corp. Omnibus Stock Plan (omnibus plan) was in place from 2005 to 2010. The omnibus plan provided for equity-based compensation, including stock options, up to a maximum of 3,000,000 shares of common stock (subject to adjustment for changes in our capitalization and other events). Between 2005 and 2010, we granted 2,458,059 stock options under this plan, including incentive stock options (ISOs), which were adjusted as part of the special dividends paid in 2014 and prior years. The omnibus plan was replaced in 2010.

In 2010, our shareholders approved the RLI Corp. Long-Term Incentive Plan (2010 LTIP), which provides for equity-based compensation and replaced the omnibus plan. In conjunction with the adoption of the 2010 LTIP, effective May 6, 2010, options were no longer granted under the omnibus plan. The 2010 LTIP provided for equity-based compensation, including stock options, up to a maximum of 4,000,000 shares of common stock (subject to adjustment for changes in our capitalization and other events). Between 2010 and 2015, we granted 2,878,000 stock options under the 2010 LTIP. The 2010 LTIP was replaced in 2015.

In 2015, our shareholders approved the 2015 RLI Corp. Long-Term Incentive Plan (2015 LTIP), which provides for equity-based compensation and replaced the 2010 LTIP. In conjunction with the adoption of the 2015 LTIP, effective May 7, 2015, options were no longer granted under the 2010 LTIP. Awards under the 2015 LTIP may be in the form of restricted stock, stock options (non-qualified only), stock appreciation rights, performance units as well as other stock-based awards. Eligibility under the 2015 LTIP is limited to employees and directors of the company or any affiliate. The granting of awards under the 2015 LTIP is solely at the discretion of the board of directors. The maximum number of shares of common stock available for distribution under the 2015 LTIP is 4,000,000 shares (subject to adjustment for changes in our capitalization and other events). Since 2015, we have granted 973,875 stock options under the 2015 LTIP, including 23,125 thus far in 2017.

Under the 2015 LTIP, as under the 2010 LTIP and omnibus plan, we grant stock options for shares with an exercise price equal to the fair market value of the shares at the date of grant (subject to adjustments for changes in our capitalization, special dividends and other events as set forth in such plans). Options generally vest and become exercisable ratably over a five-year period and expire eight years after grant.

For most participants, the requisite service period and vesting period will be the same. For participants who are retirement eligible, defined by the plan as those individuals whose age and years of service equals 75, the requisite service period is deemed to be met and options are immediately expensed on the date of grant. For participants who will become retirement eligible during the vesting period, the requisite service period over which expense is recognized is the period between the grant date and the attainment of retirement eligibility. Shares issued upon option exercise are newly issued shares.

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The following tables summarize option activity for the periods ended March 31, 2017 and 2016:

				Weighted
		Weighted		Average	Aggregate
	Number of	Average		Remaining	Intrinsic
	Options	Exercise		Contractual	Value
	Outstanding	Price		Life	(in 000’s)
Outstanding options at January 1, 2017	2,207,110	$	40.90
Options granted	23,125	$	59.77
Options exercised	(32,960)	$	33.05		$	891
Options canceled/forfeited	—	$	0.00
Outstanding options at March 31, 2017	2,197,275	$	41.22	4.73	$	42,954
Exercisable options at March 31, 2017	891,235	$	31.89	3.12	$	25,118
				Weighted
		Weighted		Average	Aggregate
	Number of	Average		Remaining	Intrinsic
	Options	Exercise		Contractual	Value
	Outstanding	Price		Life	(in 000’s)
Outstanding options at January 1, 2016	2,582,220	$	32.42
Options granted	36,500	$	61.27
Options exercised	(168,480)	$	19.00		$	7,619
Options canceled/forfeited	(5,440)	$	33.69
Outstanding options at March 31, 2016	2,444,800	$	33.78	4.99	$	80,880
Exercisable options at March 31, 2016	966,100	$	27.24	3.62	$	38,280

The majority of our stock options are granted annually at our regular board meeting in May. In addition, options are approved at the May meeting for quarterly grants to certain retirement eligible employees. Since stock option grants to retirement eligible employees are fully expensed when issued, the approach allows for a more even expense distribution throughout the year.

Thus far in 2017,  23,125 stock options were granted with a weighted average exercise price of $59.77 and a weighted average fair value of $8.49. We recognized $0.9 million of expense in the first quarter of 2017 related to options vesting. Since options granted under our 2010 LTIP and 2015 LTIP are non-qualified, we recorded a tax benefit of $0.3 million in the first quarter of 2017 related to this compensation expense. Total unrecognized compensation expense relating to outstanding and unvested options was $5.5 million, which will be recognized over the remainder of the vesting period. Comparatively, we recognized $0.9 million of expense in the first quarter of 2016. We recorded a tax benefit of $0.3 million in the first quarter of 2016 related to this compensation expense.

The fair value of options was estimated using a Black-Scholes based option pricing model with the following weighted average grant-date assumptions and weighted average fair values as of March 31:

	2017			2016
Weighted-average fair value of grants	$	8.49		$	11.32
Risk-free interest rates		1.95	%		1.38	%
Dividend yield		3.59	%		1.60	%
Expected volatility		22.99	%		23.11	%
Expected option life		5.14	years		5.31	years

The risk-free rate was determined based on U.S. treasury yields that most closely approximated the option’s expected life. The dividend yield for 2017 was determined based on the average annualized quarterly dividends paid during the most recent five-year period and incorporated a consideration for special dividends paid in recent history. The dividend yield in 2016 and prior was determined based on the average annualized quarterly dividends paid during the most recent five-year period, exclusive of considerations for special dividends. The expected volatility was calculated based on the median of the rolling volatilities for the expected life of the options. The expected option life was determined based on historical exercise behavior and the assumption that

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all outstanding options will be exercised at the midpoint of the current date and remaining contractual term, adjusted for the demographics of the current year’s grant.

7.  OPERATING SEGMENT INFORMATION

Selected information by operating segment is presented in the table below. Additionally, the table reconciles segment totals to total earnings and total revenues.

	For the Three-Month Periods
REVENUES	Ended March 31,
(in thousands)	2017		2016
Casualty	$	116,984	$	108,593
Property		35,805		38,685
Surety		30,496		29,640
Net premiums earned	$	183,285	$	176,918
Net investment income		13,005		13,370
Net realized gains		624		11,400
Total consolidated revenue	$	196,914	$	201,688
NET EARNINGS
(in thousands)	2017		2016
Casualty	$	(6,881)	$	9,106
Property		8,804		6,198
Surety		11,134		6,000
Net underwriting income	$	13,057	$	21,304
Net investment income		13,005		13,370
Net realized gains		624		11,400
General corporate expense and interest on debt		(5,181)		(4,232)
Equity in earnings of unconsolidated investees		4,938		3,751
Total earnings before income taxes	$	26,443	$	45,593
Income tax expense		6,615		14,200
Total net earnings	$	19,828	$	31,393

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The following table further summarizes revenues by major product type within each operating segment:

	For the Three-Month Periods
NET PREMIUMS EARNED	Ended March 31,
(in thousands)	2017		2016
Casualty
Commercial and personal umbrella	$	28,577	$	27,130
General liability		21,583		20,724
Commercial transportation		21,101		18,274
Professional services		19,226		18,538
Small commercial		12,287		10,900
Executive products		4,412		4,835
Medical professional liability		4,291		3,815
Other casualty		5,507		4,377
Total	$	116,984	$	108,593
Property
Commercial property	$	15,718	$	17,596
Marine		12,286		12,300
Specialty personal		6,018		6,308
Property reinsurance		1,783		2,762
Crop reinsurance		5		(281)
Other property		(5)		-
Total	$	35,805	$	38,685
Surety
Miscellaneous	$	11,857	$	11,097
Commercial		7,143		7,354
Contract		7,084		6,743
Energy		4,412		4,446
Total	$	30,496	$	29,640
Grand Total	$	183,285	$	176,918

8.  ACQUISITION

On February 29, 2016, we acquired the assets of Associations Liability Insurance Agency, Inc. for $1.2 million, which includes $0.9 million of cash paid at acquisition and $0.3 million associated with the present value of a contingent earn-out agreement. The earn-out is subject to the achievement of certain targets and may be adjusted in future periods based on actual performance achieved. Separately identifiable assets of the agency totaling $1.2 million, relating to acquired software, trade name and agency relationships,  were recognized. 

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ITEM 2.MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS.

“SAFE HARBOR” STATEMENT UNDER THE PRIVATE SECURITIES LITIGATION REFORM ACT OF 1995: This discussion and analysis may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are not historical facts, and involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expected and projected. Various risk factors that could affect future results are listed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016.

OVERVIEW

RLI Corp. is an Illinois corporation that was organized in 1965. We underwrite selected property and casualty insurance through major subsidiaries collectively known as RLI Insurance Group (the Group). We conduct operations principally through three insurance companies. RLI Insurance Company (RLI Ins.), a subsidiary of RLI Corp. and our principal insurance subsidiary, writes multiple lines of insurance on an admitted basis in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Guam. Mt. Hawley Insurance Company (Mt. Hawley), a subsidiary of RLI Ins., writes excess and surplus lines insurance on a non-admitted basis in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Guam. Contractors Bonding and Insurance Company (CBIC), a subsidiary of RLI Ins., writes multiple lines of insurance on an admitted basis in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Each of our insurance companies is domiciled in Illinois.

As a specialty company with a niche focus, we offer insurance coverages in both the specialty admitted and excess and surplus markets. Coverages in the specialty admitted market, such as our energy surety bonds, are for risks that are unique or hard-to-place in the standard market, but must remain with an admitted insurance company for regulatory or marketing reasons. In addition, our coverages in the specialty admitted market may be designed to meet specific insurance needs of targeted insured groups, such as our professional liability and package coverages for design professionals and our stand-alone personal umbrella policy. The specialty admitted market is subject to more state regulation than the excess and surplus market, particularly with regard to rate and form filing requirements, restrictions on the ability to exit lines of business, premium tax payments and membership in various state associations, such as state guaranty funds and assigned risk plans. We also underwrite coverages in the excess and surplus market. The excess and surplus market, unlike the standard admitted market, is less regulated and more flexible in terms of policy forms and premium rates. This market provides an alternative for customers with risks or loss exposures that generally cannot be written in the standard admitted market. This typically results in coverages that are more restrictive and more expensive than coverages in the admitted market. When we underwrite within the excess and surplus market, we are selective in the lines of business and type of risks we choose to write. Using our non-admitted status in this market allows us to tailor terms and conditions to manage these exposures effectively. Often, the development of these coverages is generated through proposals brought to us by an agent or broker seeking coverage for a specific group of clients or loss exposures. Once a proposal is submitted, our underwriters determine whether it would be a viable product based on our business objectives.

The foundation of our overall business strategy is to underwrite for profit in all market conditions and we have achieved this for 21 consecutive years, averaging an 87.4 combined ratio over that period of time. This drives our ability to provide shareholder returns in three different ways: the underwriting income itself, net investment income from our investment portfolio and long-term appreciation in our equity portfolio. Our investment strategy is based on preservation of capital as the first priority, with a secondary focus on generating total return. The fixed income portfolio consists primarily of highly-rated, diversified, liquid, investment-grade securities. Consistent underwriting income allows a portion of our shareholders’ equity to be invested in equity securities and other risk asset classes. Our equity portfolio consists of a core stock portfolio weighted toward dividend-paying stocks, as well as exchange traded funds (ETFs). Our minority equity ownership interests in Maui Jim, Inc. (Maui Jim), a manufacturer of high-quality sunglasses, and Prime Holdings Insurance Services, Inc. (Prime), a specialty excess and surplus insurance company, has also enhanced returns. We have a diversified investment portfolio and closely monitor our investment risks. Despite periodic fluctuations in market value, our equity portfolio is part of a long-term asset allocation strategy and has contributed significantly to our historical growth in book value.

We measure the results of our insurance operations by monitoring certain measures of growth and profitability across three distinct business segments: casualty, property and surety. Growth is measured in terms of gross premiums written and profitability is analyzed through combined ratios, which are further subdivided into their respective loss and expense components.

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The property and casualty insurance business is cyclical and influenced by many factors, including price competition, economic conditions, natural or man-made disasters (for example, earthquakes, hurricanes and terrorism), interest rates, state regulations, court decisions and changes in the law.

One of the unique and challenging features of the property and casualty insurance business is that coverages must be priced before costs have fully developed, because premiums are charged before claims are incurred. This requires that liabilities be estimated and recorded in recognition of future loss and settlement obligations. Due to the inherent uncertainty in estimating these liabilities, there can be no assurance that actual liabilities will not be more or less than recorded amounts; if actual liabilities differ from recorded amounts, there will be an adverse or favorable effect on net earnings. In evaluating the objective performance measures previously mentioned, it is important to consider the following individual characteristics of each major insurance segment.

The casualty portion of our business consists largely of commercial umbrella, personal umbrella, general liability, transportation and executive products coverages, as well as package business and other specialty coverages, such as professional liability and workers’ compensation for office-based professionals. We also offer fidelity and crime coverage for commercial insureds and select financial institutions and medical and healthcare professional liability coverage in the excess and surplus market. The casualty business is subject to the risk of estimating losses and related loss reserves because the ultimate settlement of a casualty claim may take several years to fully develop. The casualty segment is also subject to inflation risk and may be affected by evolving legislation and court decisions that define the extent of coverage and the amount of compensation due for injuries or losses.

Our property segment is comprised primarily of commercial fire, earthquake, difference in conditions and marine coverages. We also offer select personal lines policies, including homeowners’ coverages. Our crop, property reinsurance and recreational vehicle products are in runoff after we discontinued our crop relationship at the end of 2015 and began curtailing reinsurance and recreational vehicle offerings at the end of 2015 and 2016, respectively. Property insurance results are subject to the variability introduced by perils such as earthquakes, fires and hurricanes. Our major catastrophe exposure is to losses caused by earthquakes, primarily on the West Coast. Our second largest catastrophe exposure is to losses caused by wind storms to commercial properties throughout the Gulf and East Coast, as well as to homes we insure in Hawaii. We limit our net aggregate exposure to a catastrophic event by minimizing the total policy limits written in a particular region, purchasing reinsurance and maintaining policy terms and conditions throughout market cycles. We also use computer-assisted modeling techniques to provide estimates that help us carefully manage the concentration of risks exposed to catastrophic events.

The surety segment specializes in writing small-to-large commercial and contract surety coverages, as well as those for the energy, petrochemical and refining industries. We also offer miscellaneous bonds including license and permit, notary and court bonds. Often, our surety coverages involve a statutory requirement for bonds. While these bonds typically maintain a relatively low loss ratio, losses may fluctuate due to adverse economic conditions affecting the financial viability of our insureds. The contract surety product guarantees the construction work of a commercial contractor for a specific project. Generally, losses occur due to the deterioration of a contractor’s financial condition. This line has historically produced marginally higher loss ratios than other surety lines during economic downturns.

The insurance marketplace remains intensely competitive across all of our segments. New entrants, alternative capital and lower catastrophe activity in recent periods has had a significant impact on the industry. Despite these challenges in today’s marketplace, we believe that our business model is built to create underwriting income by focusing on sound risk selection and discipline. Our primary focus will continue to be on underwriting profitability, with a secondary focus on premium growth where we believe underwriting profit exists, as opposed to general premium growth or market share measurements.

GAAP, non-GAAP and Performance Measures

Throughout this quarterly report, we include certain non-generally accepted accounting principles (“non-GAAP”) financial measures. Management believes that these non-GAAP measures better explain the Company’s results of operations and allows for a more complete understanding of the underlying trends in the Company’s business. These measures should not be viewed as a substitute for those determined in accordance with GAAP. In addition, our definitions of these items may not be comparable to the definitions used by other companies.

Following is a list of non-GAAP measures found throughout this report with their definitions, relationships to GAAP measures and explanations of their importance to our operations.

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Underwriting Income

Underwriting income or profit represents one measure of the pretax profitability of our insurance operations and is derived by subtracting losses and settlement expenses, policy acquisition costs and insurance operating expenses from net premiums earned, which are all GAAP financial measures. Each of these captions is presented in the statements of earnings, but is not subtotaled. However, this information is available in total and by segment in note 11 to the consolidated financial statements in our 2016 Annual Report on Form 10-K, regarding operating segment information. The nearest comparable GAAP measure is earnings before income taxes which, in addition to underwriting income, includes net investment income, net realized gains/losses, general corporate expenses, debt costs and earnings from unconsolidated investees.

Combined Ratio

The combined ratio, which is derived from components of underwriting income, is a common industry performance measure of profitability for underwriting operations and is calculated in two components. First, the loss ratio is losses and settlement expenses divided by net premiums earned. The second component, the expense ratio, reflects the sum of policy acquisition costs and insurance operating expenses, divided by net premiums earned. All items included in these components of the combined ratio are presented in our GAAP financial statements. The sum of the loss and expense ratios is the combined ratio. The difference between the combined ratio and 100 reflects the per-dollar rate of underwriting income or loss. For example, a combined ratio of 85 implies that for every $100 of premium we earn, we record $15 of underwriting income.

Net Unpaid Loss and Settlement Expenses

Unpaid losses and settlement expenses, as shown in the liabilities section of our balance sheets, represents the total obligations to claimants for both estimates of known claims and estimates for incurred but not reported (IBNR) claims. The related asset item, reinsurance balances recoverable on unpaid losses and settlement expense, is the estimate of known claims and estimates of IBNR that we expect to recover from reinsurers. The net of these two items is generally referred to as net unpaid loss and settlement expenses and is commonly used in our disclosures regarding the process of establishing these various estimated amounts.

Critical Accounting Policies

In preparing the unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements, we are required to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities as of the date of the condensed consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses for the reporting period. Actual results could differ significantly from those estimates.

The most critical accounting policies involve significant estimates and include those used in determining the liability for unpaid losses and settlement expenses, investment valuation and OTTI, recoverability of reinsurance balances, deferred policy acquisition costs and deferred taxes. For a detailed discussion of each of these policies, refer to our 2016 Annual Report on Form 10-K. There have been no significant changes to any of these policies during the current year.

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Three Months Ended March 31, 2017 Compared to Three Months Ended March 31, 2016

Consolidated revenues, as displayed in the table that follows, totaled $196.9 million for the first quarter of 2017, compared to $201.7 million for the same period in 2016.

	For the Three-Month Periods
	Ended March 31,
	2017		2016
Consolidated revenues (in thousands)
Net premiums earned	$	183,285	$	176,918
Net investment income		13,005		13,370
Net realized gains		624		11,400
Total consolidated revenue	$	196,914	$	201,688

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Consolidated revenue for the first quarter of 2017 decreased $4.8 million, or 2 percent, from the same period in 2016. Net premiums earned for the Group increased 4 percent for the quarter, driven by growth from our casualty and surety segments, while investment income declined slightly, down 3 percent. Net realized gains totaled $0.6 million in the three month period ended March 31, 2017, compared to $11.4 million in 2016. The rebalancing of the equity portfolio throughout 2016 accounts for the higher amount of gains compared to that realized in the current year.

Net after-tax earnings for the first quarter of 2017 totaled $19.8 million, $0.45 per diluted share, compared to $31.4 million, $0.71 per diluted share, for the same period last year. Results for each of these periods reflected positive underwriting results for the current accident year and benefited from favorable development on prior years’ loss reserves. Both periods also benefited from light catastrophe activity, as storm losses had a negligible impact on results for each period. In the first quarter of 2017, favorable development on prior years’ loss reserves resulted in additional pretax earnings of $5.4 million. Comparatively, for the first quarter of 2016 favorable development on prior years’ loss reserves resulted in additional pretax earnings of $12.5 million. Bonus and profit sharing-related expenses associated with the above mentioned prior year reserve development totaled $0.7 million in 2017, compared to $1.6 million in 2016.

During the first quarter of 2017, equity in earnings of unconsolidated investees totaled $4.9 million. This amount includes $4.3 million from Maui Jim and $0.6 million from Prime. Comparatively, the first quarter of 2016 reflected $3.8 million of earnings, including $3.3 million from Maui Jim and $0.5 million from Prime.

Comprehensive earnings, which include net earnings plus other comprehensive earnings (primarily the change in unrealized gains/losses net of tax), totaled $31.6 million, $0.71 per diluted share, for the first quarter of 2017, compared to $53.2 million, $1.20 per diluted share, for the first quarter of 2016. The first quarter’s $11.8 million other comprehensive gain was attributable to strong equity market returns during the quarter as well as a slight decline in interest rates from the end of 2016, which increased the fair value of securities held in the fixed income portfolio. This compares to a $21.8 million gain for the same period in 2016, which was primarily the result of declining interest rates, while the equity portfolio experienced a similar amount of unrealized change as 2017.

RLI Insurance Group

Gross premiums written for the Group decreased 1 percent to $194.9 million for the first quarter of 2017. Modest growth achieved by our casualty and surety segments, up 2 percent and 1 percent, respectively, was offset by an 11 percent decline from the property segment. The decrease from the property segment was driven by continued competitive pressures in the excess and surplus (E&S) property market, and the phase out of the property reinsurance and recreational vehicle businesses. Excluding the impact of those exited lines, gross premiums written for the Group were up 1 percent. On a net premiums earned basis, premiums increased $6.4 million, or 4 percent. This growth was attributable to our casualty and surety segments, where net premiums earned were up 8 percent and 3 percent, respectively.

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	Gross Premiums Written						Net Premiums Earned
	For the Three-Month Periods Ended March 31,						For the Three-Month Periods Ended March 31,
(in thousands)	2017		2016		% Change		2017		2016		% Change
Casualty
Commercial and personal umbrella	$	30,912	$	30,620	1.0	%	$	28,577	$	27,130	5.3	%
General liability		19,599		19,276	1.7	%		21,583		20,724	4.1	%
Commercial transportation		15,612		16,629	(6.1)	%		21,101		18,274	15.5	%
Professional services		20,078		19,596	2.5	%		19,226		18,538	3.7	%
Small commercial		13,054		13,142	(0.7)	%		12,287		10,900	12.7	%
Executive products		9,835		8,693	13.1	%		4,412		4,835	(8.7)	%
Medical professional liability		6,697		8,933	(25.0)	%		4,291		3,815	12.5	%
Other casualty		11,047		7,161	54.3	%		5,507		4,377	25.8	%
Total	$	126,834	$	124,050	2.2	%	$	116,984	$	108,593	7.7	%
Property
Commercial property	$	18,419	$	21,481	(14.3)	%	$	15,718	$	17,596	(10.7)	%
Marine		13,537		11,958	13.2	%		12,286		12,300	(0.1)	%
Specialty personal		4,660		5,892	(20.9)	%		6,018		6,308	(4.6)	%
Property reinsurance		405		2,596	(84.4)	%		1,783		2,762	(35.4)	%
Crop reinsurance		5		(281)				5		(281)
Other property		53		-				(5)		-
Total	$	37,079	$	41,646	(11.0)	%	$	35,805	$	38,685	(7.4)	%
Surety
Miscellaneous	$	12,161	$	12,313	(1.2)	%	$	11,857	$	11,097	6.8	%
Commercial		7,482		8,055	(7.1)	%		7,143		7,354	(2.9)	%
Contract		7,145		6,369	12.2	%		7,084		6,743	5.1	%
Energy		4,175		3,816	9.4	%		4,412		4,446	(0.8)	%
Total	$	30,963	$	30,553	1.3	%	$	30,496	$	29,640	2.9	%
Grand Total	$	194,876	$	196,249	(0.7)	%	$	183,285	$	176,918	3.6	%

Casualty

Gross premiums written for the casualty segment in the first quarter of 2017 were up 2 percent, following a 9 percent increase posted in the first quarter of 2016. Several product lines within the segment posted modest top line growth, as newer product initiatives contributed to the increased premium production. Growth was led by other casualty, specifically our assumed casualty reinsurance business with Prime, which increased by $3.1 million during the quarter to $6.4 million. Our executive products group also made significant contributions with exposure growth from both mature and newer products, which has helped overcome continued flat pricing for these coverages overall. Umbrella and general liability also posted modest growth, as new product initiatives have had a positive impact on premium for these businesses. Declines in the quarter were posted by transportation and medical professional liability. The transportation unit has continued to pursue rate increases in response to higher commercial auto loss trends in recent periods. While these efforts led to double-digit price increases on retained business, written premium declined 6 percent on an overall basis. For medical professional liability, the healthcare

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liability lines decreased slightly during the quarter, though the bulk of the premium decline related to other medical professional liability offerings due to ongoing competitive pressures in that market.

Property

Gross premiums written for the Group’s property segment totaled $37.1 million for the first quarter of 2017, a $4.6 million decrease from the same period last year. The bulk of this decline related to our previously announced exits from recreational vehicles and treaty reinsurance businesses. Excluding the impact of these products, gross premiums written declined 2 percent. The remaining premium decrease was driven by ongoing competitive pressures for commercial E&S property coverages. Commercial property premiums were down 14 percent in the first quarter of 2017, reflecting the combination of both price and exposure declines. Growth within the segment was posted by marine, which experienced a 13 percent increase in gross premiums written, despite relatively flat pricing for these coverages. Specialty personal coverages for Hawaii homeowners also increased its top line, up 6 percent.

Surety

The surety segment recorded gross premiums written of $31.0 million for the first quarter of 2017, an increase of 1 percent from the same period last year. Growth within the segment was achieved by contract and energy surety, which increased 12 percent and 9 percent, respectively. The increases from these products served to offset a 7 percent decline from commercial surety, as well as a slight decrease from miscellaneous surety.

RLI Insurance Group

Underwriting income for the Group totaled $13.1 million for the first quarter of 2017, compared to $21.3 million in the same period last year. Both periods reflect positive underwriting results for the current accident year and favorable reserve development on prior accident years. Favorable development on prior years’ loss reserves improved net underwriting results by $4.7 million in 2017, compared to $10.9 million in 2016, with the decreased amount in 2017 driven by adverse development on commercial auto coverages within our casualty segment. The GAAP combined ratio for the Group totaled 92.9 in 2017, compared to 88.0 in 2016. The loss ratio increased to 51.0 from 45.9, while the Group’s expense ratio decreased slightly to 41.9 from 42.1.

	Forthe Three-Month Periods
	Ended March 31,
	2017		2016
Underwriting income (in thousands)
Casualty	$	(6,881)	$	9,106
Property		8,804		6,198
Surety		11,134		6,000
Total	$	13,057	$	21,304
Combined ratio
Casualty		105.8		91.6
Property		75.5		84.0
Surety		63.5		79.8
Total		92.9		88.0

Casualty

The casualty segment recorded an underwriting loss of $6.9 million in the first quarter of 2017, compared to $9.1 million of underwriting income for the same period last year. The disparity in underwriting profit between periods relates primarily to development on prior years’ loss reserves. Results for 2017 reflect unfavorable development on prior years’ reserves of $3.1 million, compared to favorable development on prior years’ reserves during 2016. The bulk of the adverse development related to transportation, though professional services and medical professional liability were also slightly adverse. Consistent with industry reports, our actual commercial auto losses have exceeded our original expectations. We have adjusted our reserve estimates, primarily in accident years 2012 through 2016 where a majority of the unfavorable development was realized, and will continue to monitor claim activity. Adverse development for these products was partially offset by favorable development on prior years’ reserves for executive products, general liability and umbrella, most of which related to more recent accident years (2013–2016). Comparatively, 2016 results included favorable development on prior accident years’ loss reserves,

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primarily for general liability, umbrella, professional services, executive products and small commercial, slightly offset by unfavorable development from transportation. In total, favorable development improved the segment’s net underwriting results in the first quarter of 2016 by $11.0 million.

The combined ratio for the casualty segment was 105.8 for 2017, compared to 91.6 in 2016. The segment’s loss ratio was 70.4 in 2017, compared to 55.9 in 2016. The loss ratio increase in 2017 was largely due to the adverse development on prior years’ reserves, though the current accident year loss ratio also increased slightly from 2016. The expense ratio for the casualty segment was 35.4 for the first quarter of 2017, slightly improved from 35.7 for the same period in 2016.

Property

Underwriting income for the segment was $8.8 million for the first quarter of 2017, compared to $6.2 million for the same period last year. Both periods reflect positive underwriting income for the current accident year and an absence of significant catastrophe activity. Underwriting results for 2017 included favorable development on prior years’ loss reserves, primarily on marine business, which benefited the segment’s net underwriting results by $2.0 million. Comparatively, underwriting results for 2016 were minimally impacted by development on prior years’ loss reserves.

Underwriting results for the first quarter of 2017 translated into a combined ratio of 75.5, compared to 84.0 for the same period last year. The segment’s loss ratio decreased to 28.9 in 2017 from 39.3 in 2016. The decrease was driven by the higher benefit from development on prior years’ reserves, coupled with lower current accident year losses in 2017. The segment’s expense ratio increased to 46.6 for the first quarter of 2017, up from 44.7 in the prior year. The increased expense ratio relates primarily to the overall decline in net premium earned and the fixed nature of certain expenses.

Surety

The surety segment recorded underwriting income of $11.1 million for the first quarter of 2017, compared to $6.0 million for the same period last year. Both periods reflected positive current accident year underwriting performance and benefited from favorable development on prior years’ loss reserves. Results for 2017 included favorable development on prior accident years’ reserves, largely from contract and commercial surety, which improved net underwriting results for the segment by $6.0 million. Comparatively, 2016 results included favorable development on prior accident years’ loss reserves which impacted the segment’s net underwriting results by $0.3 million.

The combined ratio for the surety segment totaled 63.5 for the first quarter of 2017, compared to 79.8 for the same period in 2016. The segment’s loss ratio was 2.2 for 2017, compared to 17.6 for 2016. The loss ratio decrease in 2017 was driven by the higher benefit from favorable development on prior years’ reserves. The expense ratio improved slightly to 61.3 for the first quarter of 2017, down from 62.2 in the prior year, due to improved leveraging of our expense base.

Investment Income and Realized Capital Gains

Our investment portfolio generated net investment income of $13.0 million during the first three months of 2017, a decrease of 2.7 percent from that reported for the same period in 2016. The decrease in investment income was due to a lower average yield environment over the previous twelve months versus the year earlier period. On an after-tax basis, investment income decreased by 2.4 percent.

Yields on our fixed income investments for the first quarter of 2017 and 2016 were as follows:

	1Q 2017		1Q 2016
Pretax Yield
Taxable	3.17	%	3.45	%
Tax-Exempt	2.58	%	2.85	%
After-Tax Yield
Taxable	2.06	%	2.24	%
Tax-Exempt	2.44	%	2.70	%

We recognized $0.6 million of realized gains in the first three months of 2017, compared to realized gains of $11.4 million in the same period of 2016. The rebalancing of the equity portfolio throughout 2016 accounts for the higher amount of gains compared to that realized in the current year. In 2017, the equity portfolio had realized gains of $2.8 million while the

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fixed income portfolio had realized losses of $2.2 million primarily due to impairment charges on securities we no longer had the intent to hold. 

The following table depicts the composition of our investment portfolio at March 31, 2017 as compared to December 31, 2016.

	3/31/2017				12/31/2016
	Financial				Financial
(in thousands)	Stmt Value		%		StmtValue		%
Fixed income	$	1,590,399	78.0	%	$	1,605,209	79.4	%
Equity securities		383,929	18.8	%		369,219	18.3	%
Other invested assets		24,199	1.2	%		24,115	1.2	%
Cash and short-term investments		41,146	2.0	%		23,284	1.2	%
Total	$	2,039,673	100.0	%	$	2,021,827	100.0	%

We believe our overall asset allocation best meets our strategy to preserve capital for policyholders, provide sufficient income to support insurance operations, and to effectively grow book value over a long-term investment horizon.

The fixed income portfolio decreased by $14.8 million in the first three months of 2017. The decrease was due to fixed income securities being sold to fund corporate dividends and interest payments during the first quarter. This portfolio had a tax-adjusted total return on a mark-to-market basis of 1.3 percent. Average fixed income duration was 4.9 years at March 31, 2017, reflecting our current liability structure and sound capital position.

The equity portfolio increased by $14.7 million during the first three months of 2017 and had a total return of 4.1 percent through March 31, 2017. The following table illustrates certain industry-level measurements relative to our equity portfolio as of March 31, 2017, including fair value, cost basis and unrealized gains and losses.

	3/31/2017
	Cost				Unrealized
(in thousands)	Basis		Fair Value		Gains		Losses		Net
Consumer discretionary	$	6,686	$	18,213	$	11,527	$	—	$	11,527
Consumer staples		15,876		31,559		16,819		(1,136)		15,683
Energy		14,437		24,919		10,482		—		10,482
Financials		25,536		46,267		20,731		—		20,731
Healthcare		7,775		19,693		11,961		(43)		11,918
Industrials		9,358		23,851		14,493		—		14,493
Information technology		12,345		26,297		14,243		(291)		13,952
Materials		1,480		5,245		3,765		—		3,765
Telecommunications		3,193		10,484		7,291		—		7,291
Utilities		23,020		46,997		24,242		(265)		23,977
ETF		72,634		130,404		57,770		—		57,770
	$	192,340	$	383,929	$	193,324	$	(1,735)	$	191,589

Income Taxes

Our effective tax rate for the first quarter of 2017 was 25.0 percent, compared to 31.1 percent for the same period in 2016. Effective rates are dependent upon components of pretax earnings and the related tax effects. The effective rate was lower for the first quarter of 2017 due largely to lower levels of pre-tax earnings, which caused the tax favored adjustments to be larger on a percentage basis in 2017 compared to the prior year. The adoption of FASB ASU 2016-09 also reduced the effect rate by 1.7 percent ($0.4 million), as the standard requires the excess tax benefit on share-based compensation to run through income tax expense in 2017 and forward. Prior to the adoption of FASB ASU 2016-09, excess tax benefits on share-based compensation were recorded through additional paid-in-capital and had no impact on the effective tax rate.

LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES

We have three primary types of cash flows: (1) cash flows from operating activities, which consist mainly of cash generated by our underwriting operations and income earned on our investment portfolio, (2) cash flows from investing

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activities related to the purchase, sale and maturity of investments, and (3) cash flows from financing activities that impact our capital structure, such as shareholder dividend payments and changes in debt and shares outstanding.

The following table summarizes cash flows provided by (used in) our activities for the three-month periods ended March 31, 2017 and 2016:

(in thousands)	2017		2016
Operating cash flows	$	11,265	$	21,266
Investing cash flows	$	5,904	$	(13,347)
Financing cash flows	$	(7,294)	$	(4,431)
Total	$	9,875	$	3,488

Operating activities generated positive cash flows of $11.3 million in the first three months of 2017, compared to $21.3 million in the same period last year. The decrease in operating cash flows was due largely to the timing of claim payments, which were higher during the first quarter of 2017.

We have $148.8 million in debt outstanding. On October 2, 2013, we completed a public debt offering, issuing $150.0 million in senior notes maturing September 15, 2023 (a 10-year maturity), and paying interest semi-annually at the rate of 4.875 percent per annum. The notes were issued at a discount resulting in proceeds, net of discount and commission, of $148.6 million. The estimated fair value for the senior note at March 31, 2017 was $159.8 million. The fair value of our debt is estimated based on the limited observable prices that reflect thinly traded securities.

As of March 31, 2017, we had cash, short-term investments and other investments maturing within one year of approximately $55.4 million and an additional $363.3 million maturing between one to five years. As of March 31, 2017, our short-term investments were held primarily in government/agency funds. All funds are NAIC-rated, AAA-rated and maintain average weighted maturities of less than 60 days. Holdings within each of these funds comply with regulatory limitations.

Whereas our strategy is to be fully invested at all times, short-term investments in excess of demand deposit balances are considered a component of investment activities, and thus are classified as investments in our consolidated balance sheets.

We also maintain a revolving line of credit with JP Morgan Chase Bank N.A., which permits us to borrow up to an aggregate principal amount of $40.0 million. This facility was entered into during the second quarter of 2014 and replaced the previous $25.0 million facility which expired on May 31, 2014. Under certain conditions, the line may be increased up to an aggregate principal amount of $65.0 million. The facility has a four-year term that expires on May 28, 2018. As of and during the three-month period ended March 31, 2017, no amounts were outstanding on this facility.

Additionally, two of our insurance companies, RLI Ins. and Mt. Hawley, are members of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago (FHLBC). Membership in the Federal Home Loan Bank System provides both companies access to an additional source of liquidity via a secured lending facility. Our membership allows each insurance subsidiary to determine tenor and structure at the time of borrowing. As of and during the three-month period ended March 31, 2017, there were no outstanding borrowing amounts with FHLBC.

We believe that cash generated by operations and investments will provide sufficient sources of liquidity to meet our anticipated needs over the next 12 to 24 months. In the event they are not sufficient, we believe cash available from financing activities and other sources will provide sufficient additional liquidity.

We have not had any liquidity issues affecting our operations as we have sufficient cash flow to support operations. In addition to our bank credit facility and FHLBC membership, our highly liquid investment portfolio provides an additional source of liquidity.

We maintain a diversified investment portfolio representing policyholder funds that have not yet been paid out as claims, as well as the capital we hold for our shareholders. As of March 31, 2017, our investment portfolio had a balance sheet value of $2.0 billion. Invested assets at March 31, 2017, have increased $17.8 million from December 31, 2016.

29

As of March 31, 2017, our investment portfolio had the following asset allocation breakdown:

Portfolio Allocation
(in thousands)
	Costor		Fair		Unrealized		% of Total
Asset class	Amortized Cost		Value		Gain/(Loss)		Fair Value		Quality*
U.S. government	$	78,066	$	77,694	$	(372)	3.8	%	AAA
U.S. agency		5,474		5,776		302	0.3	%	AA+
Non-U.S. govt. & agency		9,511		9,433		(78)	0.5	%	BBB+
Agency MBS		276,957		277,714		757	13.6	%	AAA
ABS/CMBS**		82,915		83,192		277	4.1	%	AAA
Corporate		495,867		503,721		7,854	24.7	%	BBB+
Municipal		624,119		632,869		8,750	31.0	%	AA
Total Fixed Income	$	1,572,909	$	1,590,399	$	17,490	78.0	%	AA-
Equity	$	192,340	$	383,929	$	191,589	18.8	%
Other Invested Assets	$	24,199	$	24,199	$	—	1.2	%
Cash and Short-Term Investments	$	41,146	$	41,146	$	—	2.0	%
Total Portfolio	$	1,830,594	$	2,039,673	$	209,079	100.0	%

*Quality ratings provided by Moody’s and S&P

**Asset-backed and commercial mortgage-backed securities

Our investment portfolio does not have any exposure to derivatives.

As of March 31, 2017, our fixed income portfolio had the following rating distribution:

AAA	35.2	%
AA	29.8	%
A	17.8	%
BBB	10.9	%
BB	3.2	%
B	2.6	%
CCC	0.3	%
NR	0.2	%
Total	100.0	%

As of March 31, 2017, the duration of the fixed income portfolio was 4.9 years. Our fixed income portfolio remained well diversified, with 1,127 individual issues as of March 31, 2017.

Our investment portfolio has limited exposure to structured asset-backed securities (ABS). As of March 31, 2017, we had $58.6 million in ABS which are pools of assets collateralized by cash flows from several types of loans, including home equity, credit cards, autos and similar obligations.

As of March 31, 2017, we had $24.6 million in commercial mortgage backed securities (CMBS) and $277.7 million in residential mortgage backed securities backed by government sponsored enterprises (GSEs - Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae and Ginnie Mae). Excluding the GSE backed MBS, our exposure to ABS and CMBS was 4.1 percent of our investment portfolio at quarter end.

We had $503.7 million in corporate fixed income securities as of March 31, 2017. As of March 31, 2017, we had $72.1 million invested in a high yield credit strategy. This portfolio consists of floating rate bank loans and bonds that are below investment grade in credit quality and offer incremental yield over our core fixed income portfolio.

30

We also maintain an allocation to municipal fixed income securities. As of March 31, 2017, we had $632.9 million in municipal securities. As of March 31, 2017, approximately 88 percent of our municipal bond portfolio maintains an ‘AA’ or better rating, while 99 percent of the municipal bond portfolio is rated ‘A’ or better.

At March 31, 2017, our equity portfolio had a fair value of $383.9 million and is also a source of liquidity. The securities within the equity portfolio remain primarily invested in large-cap issues with strong dividend performance. In the equity portfolio, the strategy remains one of value investing, with security selection taking precedence over market timing. We use a buy-and-hold strategy, minimizing both transactional costs and taxes.

As of March 31, 2017, our equity portfolio had a dividend yield of 2.6 percent, compared to 2.0 percent for the S&P 500 index. Because of the corporate dividend-received-deduction applicable to our dividend income, we pay an effective tax rate of 14.2 percent on dividends, compared to 35.0 percent on taxable interest and 5.3 percent on municipal bond interest income. The equity portfolio is managed in a diversified and granular manner, with 84 individual names and no single stock exposure greater than 2 percent of the equity portfolio.

Other invested assets include investments in three low income housing tax credit partnerships (LIHTC), carried at amortized cost, membership in the Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago (FHLBC), carried at cost, an investment in a real estate fund, carried at cost, and an investment in a business development company (BDC), carried at fair value. Due to the nature of the LIHTC and our membership in the FHLBC, their carrying amounts approximate fair value. Our LIHTC interests had a balance of $17.0 million at March 31, 2017, compared to $17.5 million at December 31, 2016 and recognized a total tax benefit of $0.6 million during the first quarter of 2017 compared to $0.4 million during the first quarter of 2016. Our investment in FHLBC stock totaled $0.8 million at March 31, 2017, compared to $1.6 million at December 31, 2016. Our investment in the real estate fund was carried at $3.1 million which approximated fair value at March 31, 2017, compared to a carrying value of $5.0 million which approximated fair value at December 31, 2016. During the first quarter, we made an initial investment in a BDC which had a fair value of $3.3 million at March 31, 2017. The investment in the BDC is restricted from being transferred until after a qualified IPO unless prior consent is provided by the BDC. Our unfunded commitments related to these investments totaled $23.6 million at the end of the first quarter of 2017.

Our capital structure is comprised of equity and debt outstanding. As of March 31, 2017, our capital structure consisted of $148.8 million in 10-year maturity senior notes maturing in 2023 (debt) and $847.9 million of shareholders’ equity. Debt outstanding comprised 14.9 percent of total capital as of March 31, 2017. Interest and fees on debt obligations totaled $1.9 million during the first three months of 2017, the same amount as the previous year. We have incurred interest expense on debt at an average annual interest rate of 4.91 percent for the three-month periods ended March 31, 2017 and 2016.

We paid a quarterly cash dividend of $0.20 per share on March 20, 2017, the same amount as the prior quarter. We have paid dividends for 163 consecutive quarters and increased dividends in each of the last 41 years.

Our three insurance subsidiaries are subsidiaries of RLI Corp, with RLI Ins. as the first-level, or principal, insurance subsidiary. At the holding company (RLI Corp.) level, we rely largely on dividends from our insurance company subsidiaries to meet our obligations for paying principal and interest on outstanding debt, corporate expenses and dividends to RLI Corp. shareholders. As discussed further below, dividend payments to RLI Corp. from our principal insurance subsidiary are restricted by state insurance laws as to the amount that may be paid without prior approval of the insurance regulatory authorities of Illinois. As a result, we may not be able to receive dividends from such subsidiary at times and in amounts necessary to pay desired dividends to RLI Corp. shareholders. On a GAAP basis, as of March 31, 2017, our holding company had $847.9 million in equity. This includes amounts related to the equity of our insurance subsidiaries, which is subject to regulatory restrictions under state insurance laws. The unrestricted portion of holding company net assets is comprised primarily of investments and cash, including $33.4 million in liquid assets, which approximates the remainder of our estimated 2017 annual holding company expenditures. Unrestricted funds at the holding company are available to fund debt interest, general corporate obligations and dividend payments to our shareholders. If necessary, the holding company also has other potential sources of liquidity that could provide for additional funding to meet corporate obligations or pay shareholder dividends, which include a revolving line of credit, as well as issuances of common stock and debt.

Ordinary dividends, which may be paid by our principal insurance subsidiary without prior regulatory approval, are subject to certain limitations based upon statutory income, surplus and earned surplus. The maximum ordinary dividend distribution from our principal insurance subsidiary in a rolling 12-month period is limited by Illinois law to the greater of 10 percent of RLI Ins. policyholder surplus, as of December 31 of the preceding year, or the net income of RLI Ins. for the 12-month period ending December 31 of the preceding year. Ordinary dividends are further restricted by the requirement that they be paid from earned surplus. Any dividend distribution in excess of the ordinary dividend limits is deemed extraordinary and

31

requires prior approval from the Illinois Department of Insurance. In the first three months of 2017, RLI Ins. paid no ordinary dividends to RLI Corp. In 2016, our principal insurance subsidiary paid ordinary dividends totaling $123.6 million to RLI Corp. No extraordinary dividends were paid during 2017 or 2016.  Given the amount of dividends paid during the prior rolling 12-month period, the net assets of our principal insurance subsidiary are restricted through the second quarter of 2017 and cannot be distributed to RLI Corp. without prior approval from the IDOI.

ITEM 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk

Market risk is the risk of economic losses due to adverse changes in the estimated fair value of a financial instrument as the result of changes in equity prices, interest rates, foreign currency exchange rates and commodity prices. Historically, our primary market risks have been equity price risk associated with investments in equity securities and interest rate risk associated with investments in fixed maturities. We have limited exposure to both foreign currency risk and commodity risk.

Credit risk is the potential loss resulting from adverse changes in an issuer’s ability to repay its debt obligations. We monitor our portfolio to ensure that credit risk does not exceed prudent levels. We have consistently invested in high credit quality, investment grade securities. Our fixed maturity portfolio has an average rating of “AA-,” with 83 percent rated “A” or better by at least two nationally recognized rating organizations.

On an overall basis, our exposure to market risk has not significantly changed from that reported in our December 31, 2016 Annual Report on Form 10-K.

ITEM 4. Controls and Procedures

We maintain a system of controls and procedures designed to provide reasonable assurance as to the reliability of the financial statements and other disclosures included in this report, as well as to safeguard assets from unauthorized use or disposition. An evaluation of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures was performed, under the supervision and with the participation of management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as of the end of the period covered by this report. Based upon that evaluation, the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have concluded that these disclosure controls and procedures are effective, as of the end of the period covered by this report.

In designing and evaluating our disclosure controls and procedures, management recognizes that any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurances of achieving the desired control objective, and management necessarily is required to apply its judgment in evaluating the cost-benefit relationship of possible controls and procedures. We believe that our disclosure controls and procedures provide such reasonable assurance.

No changes were made to our internal control over financial reporting during the last fiscal quarter that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

PART II - OTHER INFORMATION

Item 1.	Legal Proceedings – There were no material changes to report.
Item 1A.	Risk Factors - There were no material changes to report.
Item 2.	Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds  -

Items 2(a) and (b) are not applicable.

In 2010, our Board of Directors implemented a $100 million share repurchase program. We did not repurchase any shares during 2017. We have $87.5 million of remaining capacity from the repurchase program. The repurchase program may be suspended or discontinued at any time without prior notice.

Item 3.	Defaults Upon Senior Securities - Not Applicable.
Item 4.	Mine Safety Disclosures - Not Applicable.
Item 5.	Other Information - Not Applicable.

32

Item 6.	Exhibits
	Exhibit 31.1 Certification Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
	Exhibit 31.2 Certification Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
	Exhibit 32.1 Certification Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as Adopted Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
	Exhibit 32.2 Certification Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as Adopted Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
	Exhibit 101 XBRL-Related Documents

33

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.

	RLI Corp.
	/s/Thomas L. Brown
	Thomas L. Brown
	Vice President, Chief Financial Officer
	(Principal Financial and Chief Accounting Officer)
Date: April 27, 2017

34

EX-31.1

Exhibit 31.1

CERTIFICATION

Chief Executive Officer Certification pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

I, Jonathan E. Michael, certify that:

I have reviewed this quarterly report on Form 10-Q of RLI Corp.;

Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;

Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

The registrant’s other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have:

(a) designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;

(b) designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;

(c) evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and

(d) disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and

The registrant’s other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of  the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):

(a) all significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and

(b) any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.

Date:April 27, 2017

/s/ Jonathan E. Michael

Jonathan E. Michael

Chairman & CEO

EX-31.2

Exhibit 31.2

CERTIFICATION

Chief Financial Officer Certification pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

I, Thomas L. Brown, certify that:

I have reviewed this quarterly report on Form 10-Q of RLI Corp.;

Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;

Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

The registrant’s other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have:

(a) designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;

(b) designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;

(c) evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and

(d) disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and

The registrant’s other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of  the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):

(a) all significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and

(b) any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.

Date:April 27, 2017

/s/ Thomas L. Brown

Thomas L. Brown

VP, Chief Financial Officer

EX-32.1

Exhibit 32.1

CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO

18 U.S.C. SECTION 1350,

AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO

SECTION 906 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

In connection with the Quarterly Report of RLI Corp. (the “Company”) on Form 10-Q for the period ending March 31, 2017 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on the date hereof (the “Report”), I, Jonathan E. Michael, Chief Executive Officer of the Company, certify, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 1350, as adopted pursuant to § 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, that:

(1)  The Report fully complies with the requirements of section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and

(2)  The information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of the Company.

/s/ Jonathan E. Michael

Jonathan E. Michael

Chairman & CEO

April 27, 2017

EX-32.2

Exhibit 32.2

CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO

18 U.S.C. SECTION 1350,

AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO

SECTION 906 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

In connection with the Quarterly Report of RLI Corp. (the “Company”) on Form 10-Q for the period ending March 31, 2017 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on the date hereof (the “Report”), I, Thomas L. Brown, Chief Financial Officer of the Company, certify, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 1350, as adopted pursuant to § 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, that:

(1)  The Report fully complies with the requirements of section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and

(2)  The information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of the Company.

/s/ Thomas L. Brown

Thomas L. Brown

VP, Chief Financial Officer

April 27, 2017

XML

Document and Entity Information - shares	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017	Apr. 12, 2017
Document and Entity Information
Entity Registrant Name	RLI CORP
Entity Central Index Key	0000084246
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Mar. 31, 2017
Amendment Flag	false
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	Yes
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		43,969,904
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2017
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q1

XML

Consolidated Statements of Earnings and Comprehensive Earnings - USD ($) shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2016
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Earnings and Comprehensive Earnings
Net premiums earned	$ 183,285	$ 176,918
Net investment income	13,005	13,370
Net realized gains	2,714	11,400
Other-than-temporary-impairment (OTTI) losses on investments	(2,090)
Consolidated revenue	196,914	201,688
Losses and settlement expenses	93,390	81,171
Policy acquisition costs	63,503	62,243
Insurance operating expenses	13,335	12,200
Interest expense on debt	1,856	1,857
General corporate expenses	3,325	2,375
Total expenses	175,409	159,846
Equity in earnings of unconsolidated investees	4,938	3,751
Earnings before income taxes	26,443	45,593
Income tax expense:
Total tax expense	6,615	14,200
Net earnings	19,828	31,393
Other comprehensive earnings, net of tax	11,769	21,763
Comprehensive earnings	$ 31,597	$ 53,156
Basic:
Net earnings per share (in dollars per share)	$ 0.45	$ 0.72
Comprehensive earnings per share (in dollars per share)	0.72	1.22
Diluted:
Net earnings per share (in dollars per share)	0.45	0.71
Comprehensive earnings per share (in dollars per share)	$ 0.71	$ 1.20
Weighted average number of common shares outstanding
Basic (in shares)	43,961	43,597
Diluted (in shares)	44,502	44,361
Cash dividends paid per common share	$ 0.20	$ 0.19

XML

Consolidated Balance Sheets - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Fixed income:
Available-for-sale, at fair value (amortized cost - $1,572,909 at 3/31/17 and $1,596,227 at 12/31/16)	$ 1,590,399	$ 1,605,209
Equity securities available-for-sale, at fair value (cost - $192,340 at 3/31/17 and $187,573 at 12/31/16	383,929	369,219
Short-term investments, at cost which approximates fair value	13,002	5,015
Other invested assets	24,199	24,115
Cash	28,144	18,269
Total investments and cash	2,039,673	2,021,827
Accrued investment income	13,958	14,593
Premiums and reinsurance balances receivable, net of allowances for uncollectible amounts of $16,222 at 3/31/17 and $15,981 at 12/31/16	121,863	126,387
Ceded unearned premium	48,804	52,173
Reinsurance balances recoverable on unpaid losses and settlement expenses, net of allowances for uncollectible amounts of $10,426 at 3/31/17 and $10,699 at 12/31/16	271,346	288,224
Deferred policy acquisition costs	71,995	73,147
Property and equipment, at cost, net of accumulated depreciation of $43,493 at 3/31/17 and $41,999 at 12/31/16	56,173	54,606
Investment in unconsolidated investees	76,833	72,240
Goodwill and intangibles	64,165	64,371
Other assets	12,708	10,065
TOTAL ASSETS	2,777,518	2,777,633
Liabilities:
Unpaid losses and settlement expenses	1,152,027	1,139,337
Unearned premiums	412,862	433,777
Reinsurance balances payable	16,612	17,928
Funds held	74,138	72,742
Income taxes - deferred	72,192	64,494
Bonds payable, long-term debt	148,788	148,741
Accrued expenses	27,791	51,992
Other liabilities	25,233	25,050
TOTAL LIABILITIES	1,929,643	1,954,061
Shareholders' Equity
Common stock ($1 par value, authorized 100,000,000 shares, issued 66,900,118 shares at 3/31/17 and 66,874,911 shares at 12/31/16, and outstanding 43,969,904 shares at 3/31/17 and 43,944,697 shares at 12/31/16)	66,900	66,875
Paid-in capital	231,253	229,779
Accumulated other comprehensive earnings	134,379	122,610
Retained earnings	808,342	797,307
Deferred compensation	11,265	11,496
Less: Treasury shares at cost (22,930,214 shares at 3/31/17 and 12/31/16)	(404,264)	(404,495)
TOTAL SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY	847,875	823,572
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY	$ 2,777,518	$ 2,777,633

XML

Consolidated Balance Sheets (Parenthetical) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets
Available-for-sale, amortized cost	$ 1,572,909	$ 1,596,227
Equity securities available-for-sale, cost	192,340	187,573
Premiums and reinsurance balances receivable, allowances for uncollectible amounts	16,222	15,981
Reinsurance balances recoverable on unpaid losses and settlement expenses, allowances for uncollectible amounts	10,426	10,699
Property and equipment, accumulated depreciation	$ 43,493	$ 41,999
Common stock, par value (in dollars per share)	$ 1	$ 1
Common stock, shares authorized (in shares)	100,000,000	100,000,000
Common stock, shares issued (in shares)	66,900,118	66,874,911
Common stock, shares outstanding (in shares)	43,969,904	43,944,697
Treasury stock, shares (in shares)	22,930,214	22,930,214

XML

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2016
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
Net cash provided by operating activities	$ 11,265	$ 21,266
Cash Flows from Investing Activities
Investments purchased	(88,910)	(128,242)
Investments sold	67,667	114,930
Investments called or matured	33,880	19,800
Net change in short-term investments	(3,435)	(14,897)
Net property and equipment purchased	(3,298)	(4,088)
Acquisition of agency		(850)
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities	5,904	(13,347)
Cash Flows from Financing Activities
Cash dividends paid	(8,793)	(8,286)
Proceeds from stock option exercises	(1,499)	(1,480)
Excess tax benefit from exercise of stock options		2,375
Net cash used in financing activities	(7,294)	(4,431)
Net increase in cash	9,875	3,488
Cash at the beginning of the period	18,269	11,081
Cash at the end of the period	$ 28,144	$ 14,569

XML

SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2017

SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

1.    SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

A.  BASIS OF PRESENTATION

The unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America (GAAP) for interim financial reporting and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the disclosures required by GAAP for complete financial statements. As such, these unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements should be read in conjunction with our 2016 Annual Report on Form 10-K. Management believes that the disclosures are adequate to make the information presented not misleading, and all normal and recurring adjustments necessary to present fairly the financial position at March 31, 2017 and the results of operations of RLI Corp. and subsidiaries for all periods presented have been made. The results of operations for any interim period are not necessarily indicative of the operating results for a full year. Certain reclassifications were made to 2016 to conform to the classifications used in the current year.

The preparation of the unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements requires management to make estimates and assumptions relating to the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the period. These estimates are inherently subject to change and actual results could differ significantly from these estimates.

B.  ADOPTED ACCOUNTING STANDARDS

ASU 2016-09, Compensation – Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting

ASU 2016-09 was issued to simplify the accounting for share-based payment awards. The guidance requires that, prospectively, all tax effects related to share-based payments be made through the income statement at the time of settlement as opposed to excess tax benefits being recognized in additional paid-in-capital under the previous guidance. The ASU also removes the requirement to delay recognition of a tax benefit until it reduces current taxes payable. This change is required to be applied on a modified retrospective basis, with a cumulative-effect adjustment to opening retained earnings. Additionally, all tax related cash flows resulting from share-based payments are to be reported as operating activities on the statement of cash flows, a change from the previous requirement to present tax benefits as an inflow from financing activities and an outflow from operating activities. Finally, entities will be allowed to withhold an amount up to the employees’ maximum individual tax rate (as opposed to the minimum statutory tax rate) in the relevant jurisdiction without resulting in liability classification of the award. The change in withholding requirements will be applied on a modified retrospective approach.

We adopted ASU 2016-09 on January 1, 2017. The guidance’s primary impact on our financial statements relates to the provision concerning the recognition of tax effects through the income statement in 2017 and forward. In the first quarter of 2017, $0.4 million of excess tax benefits was recognized as a reduction to income tax expense rather than as an increase to additional paid-in-capital. The future impact to our income statement will vary depending upon the level of intrinsic value associated with option exercises in a particular period. Additionally, the changes in cash flow presentation resulted in $0.4 million more operating cash flows and $0.4 million less financing cash flows than would have been recognized under the previous guidance. We have historically estimated the number of forfeitures as part of our option valuation process and will continue to do so under the new guidance. As no aspect of the guidance that requires retrospective adoption impacted the Company, no prior period adjustments were made.

C.  PROSPECTIVE ACCOUNTING STANDARDS

ASU 2016-01, Financial Instruments - Overall (Subtopic 825-10): Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities

This ASU was issued to improve the recognition and measurement of financial instruments. The new guidance makes targeted improvements to GAAP as follows:

a. Requires equity investments (except those accounted for under the equity method of accounting or those that result in consolidation of the investee) to be measured at fair value with changes in fair value recognized in net income;

b. Simplifies the impairment assessment of equity investments without readily determinable fair values by requiring a qualitative assessment to identify impairment;

c. Eliminates the requirement for public business entities to disclose the method(s) and significant assumptions used to estimate the fair value that is required to be disclosed for financial instruments measured at amortized cost on the balance sheet;

d. Requires public business entities to use the exit price notion when measuring the fair value of financial instruments for disclosure purposes;

e. Requires an entity to present separately in other comprehensive income the portion of the total change in the fair value of a liability resulting from a change in the instrument-specific credit risk when the entity has elected to measure the liability at fair value in accordance with the fair value option for financial instruments;

f. Requires separate presentation of financial assets and financial liabilities by measurement category and form of financial asset on the balance sheet or the accompanying notes to the financial statements; and

g. Clarifies that an entity should evaluate the need for a valuation allowance on a deferred tax asset related to available-for-sale securities in combination with the entity’s other deferred tax assets.

This ASU is effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017. Early adoption is only permitted for provision (e) above. Upon adoption, a cumulative-effect adjustment to the balance sheet will be made as of the beginning of the fiscal year of adoption. The primary impact this guidance will have on our financial statements relates to the provision requiring the recognition of changes in the fair value of equity securities through the income statement rather than through other comprehensive income. The impact to our income statement will vary depending upon the level of volatility in the performance of the securities held in our equity portfolio and the overall market.

ASU 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842)

ASU 2016-02 was issued to improve the financial reporting of leasing transactions. Under current guidance for lessees, leases are only included on the balance sheet if certain criteria, classifying the agreement as a capital lease, are met. This update will require the recognition of a right-of-use asset and a corresponding lease liability, discounted to the present value, for all leases that extend beyond 12 months. For operating leases, the asset and liability will be expensed over the lease term on a straight-line basis, with all cash flows included in the operating section of the statement of cash flows. For finance leases, interest on the lease liability will be recognized separately from the amortization of the right-of-use asset in the statement of comprehensive income and the repayment of the principal portion of the lease liability will be classified as a financing activity while the interest component will be included in the operating section of the statement of cash flows.

This ASU is effective for annual and interim reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2018. Early adoption is permitted. Upon adoption, leases will be recognized and measured at the beginning of the earliest period presented using a modified retrospective approach. We have not yet completed the analysis of how adopting this ASU will affect our financial statements.

ASU 2016-13, Financial Instruments – Credit Losses (Topic 326)

ASU 2016-13 was issued to provide more decision-useful information about the expected credit losses on financial instruments. Current GAAP delays the recognition of credit losses until it is probable a loss has been incurred. The update will require a financial asset measured at amortized cost to be presented at the net amount expected to be collected by means of an allowance for credit losses that runs through net income. Credit losses relating to available-for-sale debt securities will also be recorded through an allowance for credit losses. However, the amendments would limit the amount of the allowance to the amount by which fair value is below amortized cost. The measurement of credit losses on available-for-sale securities is similar under current GAAP, but the update requires the use of the allowance account through which amounts can be reversed, rather than through an irreversible write-down.

This ASU is effective for annual and interim reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2019. Early adoption is permitted beginning after December 15, 2018. Upon adoption, the update will be applied using the modified-retrospective approach, by which a cumulative-effect adjustment will be made to retained earnings as of the beginning of the first reporting period presented. We have not yet completed the analysis of how adopting this ASU will affect our financial statements.

ASU 2016-15, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230):  Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments

ASU 2016-15 was issued to reduce the diversity in practice of how certain cash receipts and payments, for which current guidance is silent, are classified in the statement of cash flows. The update addresses eight specific issues, including contingent consideration payments made after a business combination, distributions received from equity method investees and the classification of cash receipts and payments that have aspects of more than one class of cash flows. This ASU is effective for annual and interim reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017. Early adoption is permitted. Upon adoption, the update will be applied using the retrospective transition method. We have not yet completed the analysis of how adopting this ASU will affect our financial statements, but do not expect a material impact on our statement of cash flows.

ASU 2017-04, Intangibles-Goodwill and Other (Topic 350):  Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment

ASU 2017-04 was issued to simplify the subsequent measurement of goodwill. This update changes the impairment test by requiring an entity to compare the fair value of a reporting unit with its carrying amount as opposed to comparing the carrying amount of goodwill with its implied fair value. This ASU is effective for annual and interim reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2019. Early adoption is permitted. Adoption of this ASU will not have a material impact on our financial statements.

D.  INTANGIBLE ASSETS

In accordance with GAAP guidelines, the amortization of goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets is not permitted. Goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets remain on the balance sheet and are tested for impairment on an annual basis, or earlier if there is reason to suspect that their values may have been diminished or impaired. Goodwill and intangible assets totaled $64.2 million and $64.4 million at March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively, as detailed in the following table.

Goodwill and Intangible Assets
(in thousands)			March 31,		December 31,
Reporting Unit			2017		2016
Goodwill
	Energy surety	$	25,706	$	25,706
	Miscellaneous and contract surety		15,110		15,110
	P&C package business		5,246		5,246
	Medical professional liability *		5,208		5,208
Total goodwill		$	51,270	$	51,270
Intangibles
	State insurance licenses	$	7,500	$	7,500
	Definite-lived intangibles, net of accumulated amortization of $3,606 at 3/31/17 and $5,546 at 12/31/16		5,395		5,601
Total intangibles		$	12,895	$	13,101
Total goodwill and intangibles		$	64,165	$	64,371

*   The medical professional liability goodwill balance reflects a $7.2 million non-cash impairment charge recorded in the second quarter of 2016.

All definite-lived intangible assets are amortized against future operating results based on their estimated useful lives. Amortization of intangible assets was $0.2 million for the first quarters of 2017 and 2016.

Annual impairment testing was performed on each of our existing goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets during 2016. Based upon these annual reviews, none of the assets were impaired. In addition, as of March 31, 2017, there were no triggering events that occurred that would suggest an updated review was necessary. However, as the medical professional liability goodwill was impaired in the second quarter of 2016 and the reporting unit has continued to experience competitive pressures, we continue to closely monitor the performance of the reporting unit and will reexamine our valuation should results change from expectations or other triggering events occur.

E.  EARNINGS PER SHARE

Basic earnings per share (EPS) excludes dilution and is computed by dividing income available to common shareholders by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding for the period. Diluted EPS reflects the dilution that could occur if securities or other contracts to issue common stock or common stock equivalents were exercised or converted into common stock. When inclusion of common stock equivalents increases the earnings per share or reduces the loss per share, the effect on earnings is anti-dilutive. Under these circumstances, the diluted net earnings or net loss per share is computed excluding the common stock equivalents.

The following represents a reconciliation of the numerator and denominator of the basic and diluted EPS computations contained in the unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements.

	For the Three-Month Period					For the Three-Month Period
	Ended March 31,  2017					Ended March 31,  2016
	Income		Shares	Per Share		Income		Shares	Per Share
(in thousands, except per share data)	(Numerator)		(Denominator)	Amount		(Numerator)		(Denominator)	Amount
Basic EPS
Income available to common shareholders	$	19,828	43,961	$	0.45	$	31,393	43,597	$	0.72
Effect of Dilutive Securities
Stock options		-	541				-	764
Diluted EPS
Income available to common shareholders	$	19,828	44,502	$	0.45	$	31,393	44,361	$	0.71

F.  COMPREHENSIVE EARNINGS

Our comprehensive earnings include net earnings plus unrealized gains/losses on our available-for-sale investment securities, net of tax. In reporting comprehensive earnings on a net basis in the statement of earnings, we used the federal statutory tax rate of 35 percent.

Unrealized gains, net of tax, for the first three months of 2017 were $11.8 million, compared to $21.8 million during the same period last year. Unrealized gains in the first three months of 2017 were led by positive pricing movements in equity securities, with increases in the fixed income portfolio following closely due to slight declines in interest rates since year-end 2016. In 2016, unrealized gains were primarily the result of declining interest rates, while the equity portfolio experienced a similar amount of unrealized change as 2017.

The following table illustrates the changes in the balance of each component of accumulated other comprehensive earnings for each period presented in the unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements.

(in thousands)	For the Three-Month Periods
	Ended March 31,
Unrealized Gains/Losses on Available-for-Sale Securities	2017		2016
Beginning balance	$	122,610	$	123,774
Other comprehensive earnings before reclassifications		12,172		29,171
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive earnings		(403)		(7,408)
Net current-period other comprehensive earnings (loss)	$	11,769	$	21,763
Ending balance	$	134,379	$	145,537

The sale or other-than-temporary impairment of an available-for-sale security results in amounts being reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive earnings to current period net earnings. The effects of reclassifications out of accumulated other comprehensive earnings by the respective line items of net earnings are presented in the following table.

	Amount Reclassified from Accumulated Other
(in thousands)	Comprehensive Earnings
	For the Three-Month
Component of Accumulated	Periods Ended March 31,				Affected line item in the
Other Comprehensive Earnings	2017		2016		Statement of Earnings
Unrealized gains and losses on available-for-sale securities	$	2,710	$	11,397	Net realized gains
		(2,090)		-	Other-than-temporary impairment (OTTI) losses on investments
	$	620	$	11,397	Earnings before income taxes
		(217)		(3,989)	Income tax expense
	$	403	$	7,408	Net earnings

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INVESTMENTS

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2017

INVESTMENTS

INVESTMENTS

2.    INVESTMENTS

Our investments are primarily composed of fixed income debt securities and common stock equity securities. As disclosed in our 2016 Annual Report on Form 10-K, we present all of our investments as available-for-sale, which are carried at fair value. When available, we obtain quoted market prices to determine fair value for our investments. If a quoted market price is not available, fair value is estimated using a secondary pricing source or using quoted market prices of similar securities. We have no investment securities for which fair value is determined using Level 3 inputs as defined in note 3 to the unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements, “Fair Value Measurements.”

Available-for-Sale Securities

The amortized cost and fair value of available-for-sale securities at March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016 were as follows:

Available-for-sale
(in thousands)
	March 31,  2017
	Cost or		Gross		Gross
	Amortized		Unrealized		Unrealized		Fair
Asset Class	Cost		Gains		Losses		Value
U.S. government	$	78,066	$	104	$	(476)	$	77,694
U.S. agency		5,474		302		-		5,776
Non-U.S. govt. & agency		9,511		86		(164)		9,433
Agency MBS		276,957		4,224		(3,467)		277,714
ABS/CMBS*		82,915		653		(376)		83,192
Corporate		495,867		11,216		(3,362)		503,721
Municipal		624,119		13,099		(4,349)		632,869
Total Fixed Income	$	1,572,909	$	29,684	$	(12,194)	$	1,590,399
Equity	$	192,340	$	193,324	$	(1,735)	$	383,929

*Non-agency asset-backed and commercial mortgage-backed

Available-for-sale
(in thousands)
	December 31,  2016
	Cost or		Gross		Gross
	Amortized		Unrealized		Unrealized		Fair
Asset Class	Cost		Gains		Losses		Value
U.S. government	$	77,054	$	88	$	(579)	$	76,563
U.S. agency		5,473		340		-		5,813
Non-U.S. govt. & agency		9,517		2		(368)		9,151
Agency MBS		283,002		4,635		(3,568)		284,069
ABS/CMBS*		93,791		676		(557)		93,910
Corporate		503,041		10,996		(5,670)		508,367
Municipal		624,349		9,575		(6,588)		627,336
Total Fixed Income	$	1,596,227	$	26,312	$	(17,330)	$	1,605,209
Equity	$	187,573	$	182,912	$	(1,266)	$	369,219

*Non-agency asset-backed and commercial mortgage-backed

The following table presents the amortized cost and fair value of available-for-sale debt securities by contractual maturity dates as of March 31, 2017:

	March 31,  2017
Available-for-sale	Amortized		Fair
(in thousands)	Cost		Value
Due in one year or less	$	14,302	$	14,298
Due after one year through five years		357,017		363,349
Due after five years through 10 years		516,586		523,913
Due after 10 years		325,132		327,933
Mtge/ABS/CMBS*		359,872		360,906
Total available-for-sale	$	1,572,909	$	1,590,399

*Mortgage-backed, asset-backed and commercial mortgage-backed

Unrealized Losses

We conduct and document periodic reviews of all securities with unrealized losses to evaluate whether the impairment is other-than-temporary. The following tables are used as part of our impairment analysis and illustrate the total value of securities that were in an unrealized loss position as of March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016. The tables segregate the securities based on type, noting the fair value, cost (or amortized cost) and unrealized loss on each category of investment as well as in total. The tables further classify the securities based on the length of time they have been in an unrealized loss position. As of March 31, 2017 unrealized losses, as shown in the following tables, were 0.7 percent of total invested assets. Unrealized losses decreased in the first quarter of 2017, as interest rates declined slightly from the end of 2016, which increased the fair value of securities held in the fixed income portfolio.

	March 31,  2017						December 31,  2016
(in thousands)	< 12 Mos.		12 Mos. &  Greater		Total		< 12 Mos.		12 Mos. &  Greater		Total
U.S. Government
Fair value	$	46,069	$	—	$	46,069	$	48,500	$	—	$	48,500
Cost or amortized cost		46,545		—		46,545		49,079		—		49,079
Unrealized Loss	$	(476)	$	—	$	(476)	$	(579)	$	—	$	(579)
Non-U.S. government
Fair value	$	5,847	$	—	$	5,847	$	7,647	$	—	$	7,647
Cost or amortized cost		6,011		—		6,011		8,015		—		8,015
Unrealized Loss	$	(164)	$	—	$	(164)	$	(368)	$	—	$	(368)
Agency MBS
Fair value	$	176,538	$	4,201	$	180,739	$	175,858	$	5,737	$	181,595
Cost or amortized cost		179,861		4,345		184,206		179,238		5,925		185,163
Unrealized Loss	$	(3,323)	$	(144)	$	(3,467)	$	(3,380)	$	(188)	$	(3,568)
ABS/CMBS*
Fair value	$	37,672	$	6,431	$	44,103	$	48,907	$	5,272	$	54,179
Cost or amortized cost		37,898		6,581		44,479		49,372		5,364		54,736
Unrealized Loss	$	(226)	$	(150)	$	(376)	$	(465)	$	(92)	$	(557)
Corporate
Fair value	$	122,221	$	10,414	$	132,635	$	144,353	$	15,535	$	159,888
Cost or amortized cost		124,348		11,649		135,997		146,979		18,579		165,558
Unrealized Loss	$	(2,127)	$	(1,235)	$	(3,362)	$	(2,626)	$	(3,044)	$	(5,670)
Municipal
Fair value	$	182,139	$	—	$	182,139	$	250,930	$	—	$	250,930
Cost or amortized cost		186,488		—		186,488		257,518		—		257,518
Unrealized Loss	$	(4,349)	$	—	$	(4,349)	$	(6,588)	$	—	$	(6,588)
Subtotal, fixed income
Fair value	$	570,486	$	21,046	$	591,532	$	676,195	$	26,544	$	702,739
Cost or amortized cost		581,151		22,575		603,726		690,201		29,868		720,069
Unrealized Loss	$	(10,665)	$	(1,529)	$	(12,194)	$	(14,006)	$	(3,324)	$	(17,330)
Equity securities
Fair value	$	9,552	$	3,925	$	13,477	$	7,438	$	1,973	$	9,411
Cost or amortized cost		10,568		4,644		15,212		8,029		2,648		10,677
Unrealized Loss	$	(1,016)	$	(719)	$	(1,735)	$	(591)	$	(675)	$	(1,266)
Total
Fair value	$	580,038	$	24,971	$	605,009	$	683,633	$	28,517	$	712,150
Cost or amortized cost		591,719		27,219		618,938		698,230		32,516		730,746
Unrealized Loss	$	(11,681)	$	(2,248)	$	(13,929)	$	(14,597)	$	(3,999)	$	(18,596)

* Non-agency asset-backed and commercial mortgage-backed

The following table shows the composition of the fixed income securities in unrealized loss positions at March 31, 2017 by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) rating and the generally equivalent Standard & Poor’s (S&P) and Moody’s ratings. The vast majority of the securities are rated by S&P and/or Moody’s.

	Equivalent	Equivalent	(dollars in thousands)
NAIC	S&P	Moody’s	Amortized				Unrealized		Percent
Rating	Rating	Rating	Cost		Fair Value		Loss		to Total
1	AAA/AA/A	Aaa/Aa/A	$	525,282	$	515,405	$	(9,877)	81.0	%
2	BBB	Baa		63,482		62,204		(1,278)	10.5	%
3	BB	Ba		4,906		4,835		(71)	0.6	%
4	B	B		7,299		6,776		(523)	4.3	%
5	CCC orlower	Caa or lower		2,757		2,312		(445)	3.6	%
6				—		—		—	—
		Total	$	603,726	$	591,532	$	(12,194)	100.0	%

Evaluating Investments for OTTI

The fixed income portfolio contained 319 securities in an unrealized loss position as of March 31, 2017. The $12.2 million in associated unrealized losses for these 319 securities represents 0.8 percent of the fixed income portfolio’s cost basis. Of these 319 securities, 33 have been in an unrealized loss position for 12 consecutive months or longer. All fixed income securities in the investment portfolio continue to pay the expected coupon payments under the contractual terms of the securities. Any credit-related impairment related to fixed income securities we do not plan to sell and for which we are not more likely than not to be required to sell is recognized in net earnings, with the non-credit related impairment recognized in comprehensive earnings. Based on our analysis, our fixed income portfolio is of high credit quality and we believe we will recover the amortized cost basis of our fixed income securities. We continually monitor the credit quality of our fixed income investments to assess if it is probable that we will receive our contractual or estimated cash flows in the form of principal and interest. In the first quarter of 2017, we recognized $2.1 million in other-than-temporary impairment (OTTI) charges in earnings on two fixed income securities that we no longer had the intent to hold. Comparatively, we did not recognize any OTTI losses in earnings on the fixed income portfolio in same period in 2016. There were no OTTI losses recognized in other comprehensive earnings on the fixed income portfolio for the periods presented.

As of March 31, 2017, we held five common stock securities that were in an unrealized loss position. The unrealized loss on these securities was $1.7 million. Based on our analysis, we believe each security will recover in a reasonable period of time and we have the intent and ability to hold them until recovery. One equity security has been in an unrealized loss position for 12 consecutive months or longer. There were no OTTI losses recognized in the periods presented on the equity portfolio.

Other Invested Assets

Other invested assets include investments in three low income housing tax credit partnerships (LIHTC), carried at amortized cost, membership in the Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago (FHLBC), carried at cost, an investment in a real estate fund, carried at cost, and an investment in a business development company (BDC), carried at fair value. Due to the nature of the LIHTC and our membership in the FHLBC, their carrying amounts approximate fair value. Our LIHTC interests had a balance of $17.0 million at March 31, 2017, compared to $17.5 million at December 31, 2016 and recognized a total tax benefit of $0.6 million during the first quarter of 2017 compared to $0.4 million during the first quarter of 2016. Our investment in FHLBC stock totaled $0.8 million at March 31, 2017, compared to $1.6 million at December 31, 2016. Our investment in the real estate fund was carried at $3.1 million which approximated fair value at March 31, 2017,  compared to a carrying value of $5.0 million which approximated fair value at December 31, 2016. During the first quarter, we made an initial investment in a BDC which had a fair value of $3.3 million at March 31, 2017. The investment in the BDC is restricted from being transferred until after a qualified IPO unless prior consent is provided by the BDC. Our unfunded commitments related to these investments totaled $23.6 million at the end of the first quarter of 2017.

Cash and Short-term Investments

Cash consists of uninvested balances in bank accounts. We had a cash balance of $28.1 million at the end of the first quarter of 2017, compared to $18.3 million at the end of 2016. Short-term investments of $13.0 million and $5.0 million at March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively, are carried at cost, which approximates fair value.

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FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2017

FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS

FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS

3.    FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS

Assets and Liabilities Recorded at Fair Value on a Recurring Basis

Fair value is defined as the price in the principal market that would be received for an asset to facilitate an orderly transaction between market participants on the measurement date.

We determined the fair value of certain financial instruments based on their underlying characteristics and relevant transactions in the marketplace. GAAP guidance requires an entity to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs when measuring fair value. The guidance also describes three levels of inputs that may be used to measure fair value.

Financial assets are classified based upon the lowest level of significant input that is used to determine fair value. The following are the levels of the fair value hierarchy and a brief description of the type of valuation inputs that are used to establish each level:

Pricing Level 1 is applied to valuations based on readily available, unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets.

Pricing Level 2 is applied to valuations based upon quoted prices for similar assets in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar assets in inactive markets; or valuations based on models where the significant inputs are observable (e.g. interest rates, yield curves, prepayment speeds, default rates, loss severities) or can be corroborated by observable market data.

Pricing Level 3 is applied to valuations that are derived from techniques in which one or more of the significant inputs are unobservable.

As a part of management’s process to determine fair value, we utilize widely recognized, third-party pricing sources to determine our fair values. We have obtained an understanding of the third-party pricing sources’ valuation methodologies and inputs. The following is a description of the valuation techniques used for financial assets that are measured at fair value, including the general classification of such assets pursuant to the fair value hierarchy.

Corporate, Agencies, Government and Municipal Bonds: The pricing vendor employs a multi-dimensional model which uses standard inputs including (listed in approximate order of priority for use) benchmark yields, reported trades, broker/dealer quotes, issuer spreads, two-sided markets, benchmark securities, market bids/offers and other reference data. The pricing vendor also monitors market indicators, as well as industry and economic events. All bonds valued using these techniques are classified as Level 2. All corporate, agency, government and municipal securities were deemed Level 2.

Mortgage-backed Securities (MBS)/Commercial Mortgage-backed Securities (CMBS) and Asset-backed Securities (ABS): The pricing vendor evaluation methodology includes principally interest rate movements and new issue data. Evaluation of the tranches (non-volatile, volatile or credit sensitivity) is based on the pricing vendors’ interpretation of accepted modeling and pricing conventions. This information is then used to determine the cash flows for each tranche, benchmark yields, prepayment assumptions and to incorporate collateral performance. To evaluate MBS and CMBS volatility, an option adjusted spread model is used in combination with models that simulate interest rate paths to determine market price information. This process allows the pricing vendor to obtain evaluations of a broad universe of securities in a way that reflects changes in yield curve, index rates, implied volatility, mortgage rates and recent trade activity. MBS/CMBS and ABS with corroborated, observable inputs are classified as Level 2. All of our MBS/CMBS and ABS are deemed Level 2.

Common Stock: Exchange traded equities have readily observable price levels and are classified as Level 1 (fair value based on quoted market prices). All of our common stock holdings are deemed Level 1.

For the Level 2 securities, as described above, we periodically conduct a review to assess the reasonableness of the fair values provided by our pricing services. Our review consists of a two pronged approach. First, we compare prices provided by our pricing services to those provided by an additional source. Second, we obtain prices from securities brokers and compare them to the prices provided by our pricing services. In both comparisons, when discrepancies are found, we compare our prices to actual reported trade data for like securities. Based on this assessment, we determined that the fair values of our Level 2 securities provided by our pricing services are reasonable.

For common stock, we receive prices from a nationally recognized pricing service. Prices are based on observable inputs in an active market and are therefore disclosed as Level 1. Based on this assessment, we determined that the fair values of our Level 1 securities provided by our pricing service are reasonable.

The investment in the BDC is measured using the investment’s net asset value per share and is not categorized within the fair value hierarchy.

Due to the relatively short-term nature of cash, short-term investments, accounts receivable and accounts payable, their carrying amounts are reasonable estimates of fair value.

Assets measured at fair value in the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements on a recurring basis are summarized below:

	As of March 31,  2017
	Fair Value Measurements Using
	Quoted Prices in		Significant Other		Significant
	Active Markets for		Observable		Unobservable
	Identical Assets		Inputs		Inputs
(in thousands)	(Level 1)		(Level 2)		(Level 3)		Total
Available-for-sale securities
U.S. government	$	—	$	77,694	$	—	$	77,694
U.S. agency		—		5,776		—		5,776
Non-U.S. govt. & agency		—		9,433		—		9,433
Agency MBS		—		277,714		—		277,714
ABS/CMBS*		—		83,192		—		83,192
Corporate		—		503,721		—		503,721
Municipal		—		632,869		—		632,869
Equity		383,929		—		—		383,929
Total available-for-sale securities	$	383,929	$	1,590,399	$	—	$	1,974,328

	As of December 31,  2016
	Fair Value Measurements Using
	Quoted Prices in		Significant Other		Significant
	Active Markets for		Observable		Unobservable
	Identical Assets		Inputs		Inputs
(in thousands)	(Level 1)		(Level 2)		(Level 3)		Total
Available-for-sale securities
U.S. government	$	—	$	76,563	$	—	$	76,563
U.S. agency		—		5,813		—		5,813
Non-U.S. govt. & agency		—		9,151		—		9,151
Agency MBS		—		284,069		—		284,069
ABS/CMBS*		—		93,910		—		93,910
Corporate		—		508,367		—		508,367
Municipal		—		627,336		—		627,336
Equity		369,219		—		—		369,219
Total available-for-sale securities	$	369,219	$	1,605,209	$	—	$	1,974,428

* Non-agency asset-backed and commercial mortgage-backed

As noted in the above table, we did not have any assets measured at fair value on a recurring basis using significant unobservable inputs (Level 3) during the period. Additionally, there were no securities transferred in or out of levels 1 or 2 during the three-month period ended March 31, 2017.

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HISTORICAL LOSS AND LAE DEVELOPMENT

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2017

HISTORICAL LOSS AND LAE DEVELOPMENT

HISTORICAL LOSS AND LAE DEVELOPMENT

4. HISTORICAL LOSS AND LAE DEVELOPMENT

The following table is a reconciliation of our unpaid losses and settlement expenses (LAE) for the first quarters of 2017 and 2016.

	For the Three-Month Periods
	Ended March 31,
(in thousands)	2017		2016
Unpaid losses and LAE at beginning of year
Gross	$	1,139,337	$	1,103,785
Ceded		(288,224)		(297,844)
Net	$	851,113	$	805,941
Increase (decrease) in incurred losses and LAE
Current accident year	$	99,249	$	95,161
Prior accident years		(5,859)		(13,990)
Total incurred	$	93,390	$	81,171
Loss and LAE payments for claims incurred
Current accident year	$	(3,395)	$	(4,405)
Prior accident year		(60,427)		(58,584)
Total paid	$	(63,822)	$	(62,989)
Net unpaid losses and LAE at March 31,	$	880,681	$	824,123
Unpaid losses and LAE at March 31,
Gross	$	1,152,027	$	1,121,363
Ceded		(271,346)		(297,240)
Net	$	880,681	$	824,123

As disclosed in the 2016 Annual Report on Form 10-K, our actuaries have historically performed a ground up reserve study of the expected value of unpaid losses and LAE using multiple standard actuarial methodologies three times a year. As a result of efficiency improvements in our reserving process, our actuaries began performing ground up reserve studies on a quarterly basis during the first quarter of 2017. We will continue to perform an emergence analysis on a quarterly basis to determine if further adjustments are necessary. We will then review all of the various estimates of ultimate loss by accident year and determine the appropriateness of the reserve balance as we have done in the past.

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INCOME TAXES

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2017

INCOME TAXES

INCOME TAXES

5.  INCOME TAXES

Our effective tax rate for the three-month period ended March 31, 2017 was 25.0 percent, compared to 31.1 percent for the same period in 2016. Effective rates are dependent upon components of pretax earnings and the related tax effects. The effective rate was lower for the first quarter of 2017 due largely to lower levels of pre-tax earnings, which caused the tax favored adjustments to be larger on a percentage basis in 2017 compared to the prior year. The adoption of FASB ASU 2016-09 also contributed to the decline in the effect rate, as the standard requires the excess tax benefit on share-based compensation to run through income tax expense in 2017 and forward. Prior to the adoption of FASB ASU 2016-09, excess tax benefits on share-based compensation were recorded through additional paid-in-capital and had no impact on the effective tax rate.

Income tax expense attributable to income from operations for the three-month period ended March 31, 2017 and 2016 differed from the amounts computed by applying the U.S. federal tax rate of 35 percent to pretax income as a result of the following:

	For the Three-Month Periods Ended March 31,
	2017				2016
(in thousands)	Amount		%		Amount		%
Provision for income taxes at the statutory rate of 35%	$	9,255	35.0	%	$	15,958	35.0	%
Increase (reduction) in taxes resulting from:
Excess tax benefit on share-based compensation		(443)	(1.7)	%		—	0.0	%
Tax exempt interest income		(1,179)	(4.5)	%		(1,100)	(2.4)	%
Dividends received deduction		(530)	(2.0)	%		(565)	(1.2)	%
ESOP dividends paid deduction		(233)	(0.9)	%		(232)	(0.5)	%
Other items, net		(255)	(0.9)	%		139	0.2	%
Total tax expense	$	6,615	25.0	%	$	14,200	31.1	%

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STOCK BASED COMPENSATION

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2017

STOCK BASED COMPENSATION

STOCK BASED COMPENSATION

6.  STOCK BASED COMPENSATION

Our RLI Corp. Omnibus Stock Plan (omnibus plan) was in place from 2005 to 2010. The omnibus plan provided for equity-based compensation, including stock options, up to a maximum of 3,000,000 shares of common stock (subject to adjustment for changes in our capitalization and other events). Between 2005 and 2010, we granted 2,458,059 stock options under this plan, including incentive stock options (ISOs), which were adjusted as part of the special dividends paid in 2014 and prior years. The omnibus plan was replaced in 2010.

In 2010, our shareholders approved the RLI Corp. Long-Term Incentive Plan (2010 LTIP), which provides for equity-based compensation and replaced the omnibus plan. In conjunction with the adoption of the 2010 LTIP, effective May 6, 2010, options were no longer granted under the omnibus plan. The 2010 LTIP provided for equity-based compensation, including stock options, up to a maximum of 4,000,000 shares of common stock (subject to adjustment for changes in our capitalization and other events). Between 2010 and 2015, we granted 2,878,000 stock options under the 2010 LTIP. The 2010 LTIP was replaced in 2015.

In 2015, our shareholders approved the 2015 RLI Corp. Long-Term Incentive Plan (2015 LTIP), which provides for equity-based compensation and replaced the 2010 LTIP. In conjunction with the adoption of the 2015 LTIP, effective May 7, 2015, options were no longer granted under the 2010 LTIP. Awards under the 2015 LTIP may be in the form of restricted stock, stock options (non-qualified only), stock appreciation rights, performance units as well as other stock-based awards. Eligibility under the 2015 LTIP is limited to employees and directors of the company or any affiliate. The granting of awards under the 2015 LTIP is solely at the discretion of the board of directors. The maximum number of shares of common stock available for distribution under the 2015 LTIP is 4,000,000 shares (subject to adjustment for changes in our capitalization and other events). Since 2015, we have granted 973,875 stock options under the 2015 LTIP, including 23,125 thus far in 2017.

Under the 2015 LTIP, as under the 2010 LTIP and omnibus plan, we grant stock options for shares with an exercise price equal to the fair market value of the shares at the date of grant (subject to adjustments for changes in our capitalization, special dividends and other events as set forth in such plans). Options generally vest and become exercisable ratably over a five-year period and expire eight years after grant.

For most participants, the requisite service period and vesting period will be the same. For participants who are retirement eligible, defined by the plan as those individuals whose age and years of service equals 75, the requisite service period is deemed to be met and options are immediately expensed on the date of grant. For participants who will become retirement eligible during the vesting period, the requisite service period over which expense is recognized is the period between the grant date and the attainment of retirement eligibility. Shares issued upon option exercise are newly issued shares.

The following tables summarize option activity for the periods ended March 31, 2017 and 2016:

				Weighted
		Weighted		Average	Aggregate
	Number of	Average		Remaining	Intrinsic
	Options	Exercise		Contractual	Value
	Outstanding	Price		Life	(in 000’s)
Outstanding options at January 1, 2017	2,207,110	$	40.90
Options granted	23,125	$	59.77
Options exercised	(32,960)	$	33.05		$	891
Options canceled/forfeited	—	$	0.00
Outstanding options at March 31, 2017	2,197,275	$	41.22	4.73	$	42,954
Exercisable options at March 31, 2017	891,235	$	31.89	3.12	$	25,118
				Weighted
		Weighted		Average	Aggregate
	Number of	Average		Remaining	Intrinsic
	Options	Exercise		Contractual	Value
	Outstanding	Price		Life	(in 000’s)
Outstanding options at January 1, 2016	2,582,220	$	32.42
Options granted	36,500	$	61.27
Options exercised	(168,480)	$	19.00		$	7,619
Options canceled/forfeited	(5,440)	$	33.69
Outstanding options at March 31, 2016	2,444,800	$	33.78	4.99	$	80,880
Exercisable options at March 31, 2016	966,100	$	27.24	3.62	$	38,280

The majority of our stock options are granted annually at our regular board meeting in May. In addition, options are approved at the May meeting for quarterly grants to certain retirement eligible employees. Since stock option grants to retirement eligible employees are fully expensed when issued, the approach allows for a more even expense distribution throughout the year.

Thus far in 2017, 23,125 stock options were granted with a weighted average exercise price of $59.77 and a weighted average fair value of $8.49. We recognized $0.9 million of expense in the first quarter of 2017 related to options vesting. Since options granted under our 2010 LTIP and 2015 LTIP are non-qualified, we recorded a tax benefit of $0.3 million in the first quarter of 2017 related to this compensation expense. Total unrecognized compensation expense relating to outstanding and unvested options was $5.5 million, which will be recognized over the remainder of the vesting period. Comparatively, we recognized $0.9 million of expense in the first quarter of 2016. We recorded a tax benefit of $0.3 million in the first quarter of 2016 related to this compensation expense.

The fair value of options was estimated using a Black-Scholes based option pricing model with the following weighted average grant-date assumptions and weighted average fair values as of March 31:

	2017			2016
Weighted-average fair value of grants	$	8.49		$	11.32
Risk-free interest rates		1.95	%		1.38	%
Dividend yield		3.59	%		1.60	%
Expected volatility		22.99	%		23.11	%
Expected option life		5.14	years		5.31	years

The risk-free rate was determined based on U.S. treasury yields that most closely approximated the option’s expected life. The dividend yield for 2017 was determined based on the average annualized quarterly dividends paid during the most recent five-year period and incorporated a consideration for special dividends paid in recent history. The dividend yield in 2016 and prior was determined based on the average annualized quarterly dividends paid during the most recent five-year period, exclusive of considerations for special dividends. The expected volatility was calculated based on the median of the rolling volatilities for the expected life of the options. The expected option life was determined based on historical exercise behavior and the assumption that all outstanding options will be exercised at the midpoint of the current date and remaining contractual term, adjusted for the demographics of the current year’s grant.

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OPERATING SEGMENT INFORMATION

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2017

OPERATING SEGMENT INFORMATION

OPERATING SEGMENT INFORMATION

7.  OPERATING SEGMENT INFORMATION

Selected information by operating segment is presented in the table below. Additionally, the table reconciles segment totals to total earnings and total revenues.

	For the Three-Month Periods
REVENUES	Ended March 31,
(in thousands)	2017		2016
Casualty	$	116,984	$	108,593
Property		35,805		38,685
Surety		30,496		29,640
Net premiums earned	$	183,285	$	176,918
Net investment income		13,005		13,370
Net realized gains		624		11,400
Total consolidated revenue	$	196,914	$	201,688
NET EARNINGS
(in thousands)	2017		2016
Casualty	$	(6,881)	$	9,106
Property		8,804		6,198
Surety		11,134		6,000
Net underwriting income	$	13,057	$	21,304
Net investment income		13,005		13,370
Net realized gains		624		11,400
General corporate expense and interest on debt		(5,181)		(4,232)
Equity in earnings of unconsolidated investees		4,938		3,751
Total earnings before income taxes	$	26,443	$	45,593
Income tax expense		6,615		14,200
Total net earnings	$	19,828	$	31,393

The following table further summarizes revenues by major product type within each operating segment:

	For the Three-Month Periods
NET PREMIUMS EARNED	Ended March 31,
(in thousands)	2017		2016
Casualty
Commercial and personal umbrella	$	28,577	$	27,130
General liability		21,583		20,724
Commercial transportation		21,101		18,274
Professional services		19,226		18,538
Small commercial		12,287		10,900
Executive products		4,412		4,835
Medical professional liability		4,291		3,815
Other casualty		5,507		4,377
Total	$	116,984	$	108,593
Property
Commercial property	$	15,718	$	17,596
Marine		12,286		12,300
Specialty personal		6,018		6,308
Property reinsurance		1,783		2,762
Crop reinsurance		5		(281)
Other property		(5)		-
Total	$	35,805	$	38,685
Surety
Miscellaneous	$	11,857	$	11,097
Commercial		7,143		7,354
Contract		7,084		6,743
Energy		4,412		4,446
Total	$	30,496	$	29,640
Grand Total	$	183,285	$	176,918

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ACQUISITION

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2017

ACQUISITION

ACQUISITION

8.  ACQUISITION

On February 29, 2016, we acquired the assets of Associations Liability Insurance Agency, Inc. for $1.2 million, which includes $0.9 million of cash paid at acquisition and $0.3 million associated with the present value of a contingent earn-out agreement. The earn-out is subject to the achievement of certain targets and may be adjusted in future periods based on actual performance achieved. Separately identifiable assets of the agency totaling $1.2 million, relating to acquired software, trade name and agency relationships, were recognized. 

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SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Policies)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2017

SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

BASIS OF PRESENTATION

A.  BASIS OF PRESENTATION

The unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America (GAAP) for interim financial reporting and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the disclosures required by GAAP for complete financial statements. As such, these unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements should be read in conjunction with our 2016 Annual Report on Form 10-K. Management believes that the disclosures are adequate to make the information presented not misleading, and all normal and recurring adjustments necessary to present fairly the financial position at March 31, 2017 and the results of operations of RLI Corp. and subsidiaries for all periods presented have been made. The results of operations for any interim period are not necessarily indicative of the operating results for a full year. Certain reclassifications were made to 2016 to conform to the classifications used in the current year.

The preparation of the unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements requires management to make estimates and assumptions relating to the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the period. These estimates are inherently subject to change and actual results could differ significantly from these estimates.

ADOPTED ACCOUNTING STANDARDS

B.  ADOPTED ACCOUNTING STANDARDS

ASU 2016-09, Compensation – Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting

ASU 2016-09 was issued to simplify the accounting for share-based payment awards. The guidance requires that, prospectively, all tax effects related to share-based payments be made through the income statement at the time of settlement as opposed to excess tax benefits being recognized in additional paid-in-capital under the previous guidance. The ASU also removes the requirement to delay recognition of a tax benefit until it reduces current taxes payable. This change is required to be applied on a modified retrospective basis, with a cumulative-effect adjustment to opening retained earnings. Additionally, all tax related cash flows resulting from share-based payments are to be reported as operating activities on the statement of cash flows, a change from the previous requirement to present tax benefits as an inflow from financing activities and an outflow from operating activities. Finally, entities will be allowed to withhold an amount up to the employees’ maximum individual tax rate (as opposed to the minimum statutory tax rate) in the relevant jurisdiction without resulting in liability classification of the award. The change in withholding requirements will be applied on a modified retrospective approach.

We adopted ASU 2016-09 on January 1, 2017. The guidance’s primary impact on our financial statements relates to the provision concerning the recognition of tax effects through the income statement in 2017 and forward. In the first quarter of 2017, $0.4 million of excess tax benefits was recognized as a reduction to income tax expense rather than as an increase to additional paid-in-capital. The future impact to our income statement will vary depending upon the level of intrinsic value associated with option exercises in a particular period. Additionally, the changes in cash flow presentation resulted in $0.4 million more operating cash flows and $0.4 million less financing cash flows than would have been recognized under the previous guidance. We have historically estimated the number of forfeitures as part of our option valuation process and will continue to do so under the new guidance. As no aspect of the guidance that requires retrospective adoption impacted the Company, no prior period adjustments were made.

PROSPECTIVE ACCOUNTING STANDARDS

C.  PROSPECTIVE ACCOUNTING STANDARDS

ASU 2016-01, Financial Instruments - Overall (Subtopic 825-10): Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities

This ASU was issued to improve the recognition and measurement of financial instruments. The new guidance makes targeted improvements to GAAP as follows:

a. Requires equity investments (except those accounted for under the equity method of accounting or those that result in consolidation of the investee) to be measured at fair value with changes in fair value recognized in net income;

b. Simplifies the impairment assessment of equity investments without readily determinable fair values by requiring a qualitative assessment to identify impairment;

c. Eliminates the requirement for public business entities to disclose the method(s) and significant assumptions used to estimate the fair value that is required to be disclosed for financial instruments measured at amortized cost on the balance sheet;

d. Requires public business entities to use the exit price notion when measuring the fair value of financial instruments for disclosure purposes;

e. Requires an entity to present separately in other comprehensive income the portion of the total change in the fair value of a liability resulting from a change in the instrument-specific credit risk when the entity has elected to measure the liability at fair value in accordance with the fair value option for financial instruments;

f. Requires separate presentation of financial assets and financial liabilities by measurement category and form of financial asset on the balance sheet or the accompanying notes to the financial statements; and

g. Clarifies that an entity should evaluate the need for a valuation allowance on a deferred tax asset related to available-for-sale securities in combination with the entity’s other deferred tax assets.

This ASU is effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017. Early adoption is only permitted for provision (e) above. Upon adoption, a cumulative-effect adjustment to the balance sheet will be made as of the beginning of the fiscal year of adoption. The primary impact this guidance will have on our financial statements relates to the provision requiring the recognition of changes in the fair value of equity securities through the income statement rather than through other comprehensive income. The impact to our income statement will vary depending upon the level of volatility in the performance of the securities held in our equity portfolio and the overall market.

ASU 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842)

ASU 2016-02 was issued to improve the financial reporting of leasing transactions. Under current guidance for lessees, leases are only included on the balance sheet if certain criteria, classifying the agreement as a capital lease, are met. This update will require the recognition of a right-of-use asset and a corresponding lease liability, discounted to the present value, for all leases that extend beyond 12 months. For operating leases, the asset and liability will be expensed over the lease term on a straight-line basis, with all cash flows included in the operating section of the statement of cash flows. For finance leases, interest on the lease liability will be recognized separately from the amortization of the right-of-use asset in the statement of comprehensive income and the repayment of the principal portion of the lease liability will be classified as a financing activity while the interest component will be included in the operating section of the statement of cash flows.

This ASU is effective for annual and interim reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2018. Early adoption is permitted. Upon adoption, leases will be recognized and measured at the beginning of the earliest period presented using a modified retrospective approach. We have not yet completed the analysis of how adopting this ASU will affect our financial statements.

ASU 2016-13, Financial Instruments – Credit Losses (Topic 326)

ASU 2016-13 was issued to provide more decision-useful information about the expected credit losses on financial instruments. Current GAAP delays the recognition of credit losses until it is probable a loss has been incurred. The update will require a financial asset measured at amortized cost to be presented at the net amount expected to be collected by means of an allowance for credit losses that runs through net income. Credit losses relating to available-for-sale debt securities will also be recorded through an allowance for credit losses. However, the amendments would limit the amount of the allowance to the amount by which fair value is below amortized cost. The measurement of credit losses on available-for-sale securities is similar under current GAAP, but the update requires the use of the allowance account through which amounts can be reversed, rather than through an irreversible write-down.

This ASU is effective for annual and interim reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2019. Early adoption is permitted beginning after December 15, 2018. Upon adoption, the update will be applied using the modified-retrospective approach, by which a cumulative-effect adjustment will be made to retained earnings as of the beginning of the first reporting period presented. We have not yet completed the analysis of how adopting this ASU will affect our financial statements.

ASU 2016-15, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230):  Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments

ASU 2016-15 was issued to reduce the diversity in practice of how certain cash receipts and payments, for which current guidance is silent, are classified in the statement of cash flows. The update addresses eight specific issues, including contingent consideration payments made after a business combination, distributions received from equity method investees and the classification of cash receipts and payments that have aspects of more than one class of cash flows. This ASU is effective for annual and interim reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017. Early adoption is permitted. Upon adoption, the update will be applied using the retrospective transition method. We have not yet completed the analysis of how adopting this ASU will affect our financial statements, but do not expect a material impact on our statement of cash flows.

ASU 2017-04, Intangibles-Goodwill and Other (Topic 350):  Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment

ASU 2017-04 was issued to simplify the subsequent measurement of goodwill. This update changes the impairment test by requiring an entity to compare the fair value of a reporting unit with its carrying amount as opposed to comparing the carrying amount of goodwill with its implied fair value. This ASU is effective for annual and interim reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2019. Early adoption is permitted. Adoption of this ASU will not have a material impact on our financial statements.

INTANGIBLE ASSETS

D.  INTANGIBLE ASSETS

In accordance with GAAP guidelines, the amortization of goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets is not permitted. Goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets remain on the balance sheet and are tested for impairment on an annual basis, or earlier if there is reason to suspect that their values may have been diminished or impaired. Goodwill and intangible assets totaled $64.2 million and $64.4 million at March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively, as detailed in the following table.

Goodwill and Intangible Assets
(in thousands)			March 31,		December 31,
Reporting Unit			2017		2016
Goodwill
	Energy surety	$	25,706	$	25,706
	Miscellaneous and contract surety		15,110		15,110
	P&C package business		5,246		5,246
	Medical professional liability *		5,208		5,208
Total goodwill		$	51,270	$	51,270
Intangibles
	State insurance licenses	$	7,500	$	7,500
	Definite-lived intangibles, net of accumulated amortization of $3,606 at 3/31/17 and $5,546 at 12/31/16		5,395		5,601
Total intangibles		$	12,895	$	13,101
Total goodwill and intangibles		$	64,165	$	64,371

*   The medical professional liability goodwill balance reflects a $7.2 million non-cash impairment charge recorded in the second quarter of 2016.

All definite-lived intangible assets are amortized against future operating results based on their estimated useful lives. Amortization of intangible assets was $0.2 million for the first quarters of 2017 and 2016.

Annual impairment testing was performed on each of our existing goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets during 2016. Based upon these annual reviews, none of the assets were impaired. In addition, as of March 31, 2017, there were no triggering events that occurred that would suggest an updated review was necessary. However, as the medical professional liability goodwill was impaired in the second quarter of 2016 and the reporting unit has continued to experience competitive pressures, we continue to closely monitor the performance of the reporting unit and will reexamine our valuation should results change from expectations or other triggering events occur.

EARNINGS PER SHARE

E.  EARNINGS PER SHARE

Basic earnings per share (EPS) excludes dilution and is computed by dividing income available to common shareholders by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding for the period. Diluted EPS reflects the dilution that could occur if securities or other contracts to issue common stock or common stock equivalents were exercised or converted into common stock. When inclusion of common stock equivalents increases the earnings per share or reduces the loss per share, the effect on earnings is anti-dilutive. Under these circumstances, the diluted net earnings or net loss per share is computed excluding the common stock equivalents.

The following represents a reconciliation of the numerator and denominator of the basic and diluted EPS computations contained in the unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements.

	For the Three-Month Period					For the Three-Month Period
	Ended March 31,  2017					Ended March 31,  2016
	Income		Shares	Per Share		Income		Shares	Per Share
(in thousands, except per share data)	(Numerator)		(Denominator)	Amount		(Numerator)		(Denominator)	Amount
Basic EPS
Income available to common shareholders	$	19,828	43,961	$	0.45	$	31,393	43,597	$	0.72
Effect of Dilutive Securities
Stock options		-	541				-	764
Diluted EPS
Income available to common shareholders	$	19,828	44,502	$	0.45	$	31,393	44,361	$	0.71

COMPREHENSIVE EARNINGS

F.  COMPREHENSIVE EARNINGS

Our comprehensive earnings include net earnings plus unrealized gains/losses on our available-for-sale investment securities, net of tax. In reporting comprehensive earnings on a net basis in the statement of earnings, we used the federal statutory tax rate of 35 percent.

Unrealized gains, net of tax, for the first three months of 2017 were $11.8 million, compared to $21.8 million during the same period last year. Unrealized gains in the first three months of 2017 were led by positive pricing movements in equity securities, with increases in the fixed income portfolio following closely due to slight declines in interest rates since year-end 2016. In 2016, unrealized gains were primarily the result of declining interest rates, while the equity portfolio experienced a similar amount of unrealized change as 2017.

The following table illustrates the changes in the balance of each component of accumulated other comprehensive earnings for each period presented in the unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements.

(in thousands)	For the Three-Month Periods
	Ended March 31,
Unrealized Gains/Losses on Available-for-Sale Securities	2017		2016
Beginning balance	$	122,610	$	123,774
Other comprehensive earnings before reclassifications		12,172		29,171
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive earnings		(403)		(7,408)
Net current-period other comprehensive earnings (loss)	$	11,769	$	21,763
Ending balance	$	134,379	$	145,537

The sale or other-than-temporary impairment of an available-for-sale security results in amounts being reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive earnings to current period net earnings. The effects of reclassifications out of accumulated other comprehensive earnings by the respective line items of net earnings are presented in the following table.

	Amount Reclassified from Accumulated Other
(in thousands)	Comprehensive Earnings
	For the Three-Month
Component of Accumulated	Periods Ended March 31,				Affected line item in the
Other Comprehensive Earnings	2017		2016		Statement of Earnings
Unrealized gains and losses on available-for-sale securities	$	2,710	$	11,397	Net realized gains
		(2,090)		-	Other-than-temporary impairment (OTTI) losses on investments
	$	620	$	11,397	Earnings before income taxes
		(217)		(3,989)	Income tax expense
	$	403	$	7,408	Net earnings

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SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2017

SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Schedule of goodwill and intangible assets

Goodwill and Intangible Assets
(in thousands)			March 31,		December 31,
Reporting Unit			2017		2016
Goodwill
	Energy surety	$	25,706	$	25,706
	Miscellaneous and contract surety		15,110		15,110
	P&C package business		5,246		5,246
	Medical professional liability *		5,208		5,208
Total goodwill		$	51,270	$	51,270
Intangibles
	State insurance licenses	$	7,500	$	7,500
	Definite-lived intangibles, net of accumulated amortization of $3,606 at 3/31/17 and $5,546 at 12/31/16		5,395		5,601
Total intangibles		$	12,895	$	13,101
Total goodwill and intangibles		$	64,165	$	64,371

*   The medical professional liability goodwill balance reflects a $7.2 million non-cash impairment charge recorded in the second quarter of 2016.

Schedule of reconciliation of numerator and denominator of the basic and diluted earnings per share computations

	For the Three-Month Period					For the Three-Month Period
	Ended March 31,  2017					Ended March 31,  2016
	Income		Shares	Per Share		Income		Shares	Per Share
(in thousands, except per share data)	(Numerator)		(Denominator)	Amount		(Numerator)		(Denominator)	Amount
Basic EPS
Income available to common shareholders	$	19,828	43,961	$	0.45	$	31,393	43,597	$	0.72
Effect of Dilutive Securities
Stock options		-	541				-	764
Diluted EPS
Income available to common shareholders	$	19,828	44,502	$	0.45	$	31,393	44,361	$	0.71

Schedule of changes in the balance of each component of accumulated other comprehensive earnings

(in thousands)	For the Three-Month Periods
	Ended March 31,
Unrealized Gains/Losses on Available-for-Sale Securities	2017		2016
Beginning balance	$	122,610	$	123,774
Other comprehensive earnings before reclassifications		12,172		29,171
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive earnings		(403)		(7,408)
Net current-period other comprehensive earnings (loss)	$	11,769	$	21,763
Ending balance	$	134,379	$	145,537

Schedule of effects of reclassifications out of accumulated other comprehensive earnings

	Amount Reclassified from Accumulated Other
(in thousands)	Comprehensive Earnings
	For the Three-Month
Component of Accumulated	Periods Ended March 31,				Affected line item in the
Other Comprehensive Earnings	2017		2016		Statement of Earnings
Unrealized gains and losses on available-for-sale securities	$	2,710	$	11,397	Net realized gains
		(2,090)		-	Other-than-temporary impairment (OTTI) losses on investments
	$	620	$	11,397	Earnings before income taxes
		(217)		(3,989)	Income tax expense
	$	403	$	7,408	Net earnings

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INVESTMENTS (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2017

Schedule of securities in an unrealized loss position segregated by type and length of time in an unrealized loss position

	March 31,  2017						December 31,  2016
(in thousands)	< 12 Mos.		12 Mos. &  Greater		Total		< 12 Mos.		12 Mos. &  Greater		Total
U.S. Government
Fair value	$	46,069	$	—	$	46,069	$	48,500	$	—	$	48,500
Cost or amortized cost		46,545		—		46,545		49,079		—		49,079
Unrealized Loss	$	(476)	$	—	$	(476)	$	(579)	$	—	$	(579)
Non-U.S. government
Fair value	$	5,847	$	—	$	5,847	$	7,647	$	—	$	7,647
Cost or amortized cost		6,011		—		6,011		8,015		—		8,015
Unrealized Loss	$	(164)	$	—	$	(164)	$	(368)	$	—	$	(368)
Agency MBS
Fair value	$	176,538	$	4,201	$	180,739	$	175,858	$	5,737	$	181,595
Cost or amortized cost		179,861		4,345		184,206		179,238		5,925		185,163
Unrealized Loss	$	(3,323)	$	(144)	$	(3,467)	$	(3,380)	$	(188)	$	(3,568)
ABS/CMBS*
Fair value	$	37,672	$	6,431	$	44,103	$	48,907	$	5,272	$	54,179
Cost or amortized cost		37,898		6,581		44,479		49,372		5,364		54,736
Unrealized Loss	$	(226)	$	(150)	$	(376)	$	(465)	$	(92)	$	(557)
Corporate
Fair value	$	122,221	$	10,414	$	132,635	$	144,353	$	15,535	$	159,888
Cost or amortized cost		124,348		11,649		135,997		146,979		18,579		165,558
Unrealized Loss	$	(2,127)	$	(1,235)	$	(3,362)	$	(2,626)	$	(3,044)	$	(5,670)
Municipal
Fair value	$	182,139	$	—	$	182,139	$	250,930	$	—	$	250,930
Cost or amortized cost		186,488		—		186,488		257,518		—		257,518
Unrealized Loss	$	(4,349)	$	—	$	(4,349)	$	(6,588)	$	—	$	(6,588)
Subtotal, fixed income
Fair value	$	570,486	$	21,046	$	591,532	$	676,195	$	26,544	$	702,739
Cost or amortized cost		581,151		22,575		603,726		690,201		29,868		720,069
Unrealized Loss	$	(10,665)	$	(1,529)	$	(12,194)	$	(14,006)	$	(3,324)	$	(17,330)
Equity securities
Fair value	$	9,552	$	3,925	$	13,477	$	7,438	$	1,973	$	9,411
Cost or amortized cost		10,568		4,644		15,212		8,029		2,648		10,677
Unrealized Loss	$	(1,016)	$	(719)	$	(1,735)	$	(591)	$	(675)	$	(1,266)
Total
Fair value	$	580,038	$	24,971	$	605,009	$	683,633	$	28,517	$	712,150
Cost or amortized cost		591,719		27,219		618,938		698,230		32,516		730,746
Unrealized Loss	$	(11,681)	$	(2,248)	$	(13,929)	$	(14,597)	$	(3,999)	$	(18,596)

* Non-agency asset-backed and commercial mortgage-backed

Schedule of credit quality indicators for investments in unrealized loss positions

	Equivalent	Equivalent	(dollars in thousands)
NAIC	S&P	Moody’s	Amortized				Unrealized		Percent
Rating	Rating	Rating	Cost		Fair Value		Loss		to Total
1	AAA/AA/A	Aaa/Aa/A	$	525,282	$	515,405	$	(9,877)	81.0	%
2	BBB	Baa		63,482		62,204		(1,278)	10.5	%
3	BB	Ba		4,906		4,835		(71)	0.6	%
4	B	B		7,299		6,776		(523)	4.3	%
5	CCC orlower	Caa or lower		2,757		2,312		(445)	3.6	%
6				—		—		—	—
		Total	$	603,726	$	591,532	$	(12,194)	100.0	%

Available for sale securities

Schedule of amortized cost and fair value of available-for-sale securities

Available-for-sale
(in thousands)
	March 31,  2017
	Cost or		Gross		Gross
	Amortized		Unrealized		Unrealized		Fair
Asset Class	Cost		Gains		Losses		Value
U.S. government	$	78,066	$	104	$	(476)	$	77,694
U.S. agency		5,474		302		-		5,776
Non-U.S. govt. & agency		9,511		86		(164)		9,433
Agency MBS		276,957		4,224		(3,467)		277,714
ABS/CMBS*		82,915		653		(376)		83,192
Corporate		495,867		11,216		(3,362)		503,721
Municipal		624,119		13,099		(4,349)		632,869
Total Fixed Income	$	1,572,909	$	29,684	$	(12,194)	$	1,590,399
Equity	$	192,340	$	193,324	$	(1,735)	$	383,929

*Non-agency asset-backed and commercial mortgage-backed

Available-for-sale
(in thousands)
	December 31,  2016
	Cost or		Gross		Gross
	Amortized		Unrealized		Unrealized		Fair
Asset Class	Cost		Gains		Losses		Value
U.S. government	$	77,054	$	88	$	(579)	$	76,563
U.S. agency		5,473		340		-		5,813
Non-U.S. govt. & agency		9,517		2		(368)		9,151
Agency MBS		283,002		4,635		(3,568)		284,069
ABS/CMBS*		93,791		676		(557)		93,910
Corporate		503,041		10,996		(5,670)		508,367
Municipal		624,349		9,575		(6,588)		627,336
Total Fixed Income	$	1,596,227	$	26,312	$	(17,330)	$	1,605,209
Equity	$	187,573	$	182,912	$	(1,266)	$	369,219

*Non-agency asset-backed and commercial mortgage-backed

Schedule of contractual maturity of securities

	March 31,  2017
Available-for-sale	Amortized		Fair
(in thousands)	Cost		Value
Due in one year or less	$	14,302	$	14,298
Due after one year through five years		357,017		363,349
Due after five years through 10 years		516,586		523,913
Due after 10 years		325,132		327,933
Mtge/ABS/CMBS*		359,872		360,906
Total available-for-sale	$	1,572,909	$	1,590,399

*Mortgage-backed, asset-backed and commercial mortgage-backed

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FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2017

FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS

Schedule of assets measured at fair value on recurring basis

	As of March 31,  2017
	Fair Value Measurements Using
	Quoted Prices in		Significant Other		Significant
	Active Markets for		Observable		Unobservable
	Identical Assets		Inputs		Inputs
(in thousands)	(Level 1)		(Level 2)		(Level 3)		Total
Available-for-sale securities
U.S. government	$	—	$	77,694	$	—	$	77,694
U.S. agency		—		5,776		—		5,776
Non-U.S. govt. & agency		—		9,433		—		9,433
Agency MBS		—		277,714		—		277,714
ABS/CMBS*		—		83,192		—		83,192
Corporate		—		503,721		—		503,721
Municipal		—		632,869		—		632,869
Equity		383,929		—		—		383,929
Total available-for-sale securities	$	383,929	$	1,590,399	$	—	$	1,974,328

	As of December 31,  2016
	Fair Value Measurements Using
	Quoted Prices in		Significant Other		Significant
	Active Markets for		Observable		Unobservable
	Identical Assets		Inputs		Inputs
(in thousands)	(Level 1)		(Level 2)		(Level 3)		Total
Available-for-sale securities
U.S. government	$	—	$	76,563	$	—	$	76,563
U.S. agency		—		5,813		—		5,813
Non-U.S. govt. & agency		—		9,151		—		9,151
Agency MBS		—		284,069		—		284,069
ABS/CMBS*		—		93,910		—		93,910
Corporate		—		508,367		—		508,367
Municipal		—		627,336		—		627,336
Equity		369,219		—		—		369,219
Total available-for-sale securities	$	369,219	$	1,605,209	$	—	$	1,974,428

* Non-agency asset-backed and commercial mortgage-backed

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HISTORICAL LOSS AND LAE DEVELOPMENT (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2017

HISTORICAL LOSS AND LAE DEVELOPMENT

Schedule of reconciliation of unpaid losses and settlement expenses (LAE)

	For the Three-Month Periods
	Ended March 31,
(in thousands)	2017		2016
Unpaid losses and LAE at beginning of year
Gross	$	1,139,337	$	1,103,785
Ceded		(288,224)		(297,844)
Net	$	851,113	$	805,941
Increase (decrease) in incurred losses and LAE
Current accident year	$	99,249	$	95,161
Prior accident years		(5,859)		(13,990)
Total incurred	$	93,390	$	81,171
Loss and LAE payments for claims incurred
Current accident year	$	(3,395)	$	(4,405)
Prior accident year		(60,427)		(58,584)
Total paid	$	(63,822)	$	(62,989)
Net unpaid losses and LAE at March 31,	$	880,681	$	824,123
Unpaid losses and LAE at March 31,
Gross	$	1,152,027	$	1,121,363
Ceded		(271,346)		(297,240)
Net	$	880,681	$	824,123

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INCOME TAXES (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2017

INCOME TAXES

Schedule of reconciliation of income tax expense attributable to income from operations with amounts computed by applying the U.S. federal tax rate to pretax income from continuing operations

	For the Three-Month Periods Ended March 31,
	2017				2016
(in thousands)	Amount		%		Amount		%
Provision for income taxes at the statutory rate of 35%	$	9,255	35.0	%	$	15,958	35.0	%
Increase (reduction) in taxes resulting from:
Excess tax benefit on share-based compensation		(443)	(1.7)	%		—	0.0	%
Tax exempt interest income		(1,179)	(4.5)	%		(1,100)	(2.4)	%
Dividends received deduction		(530)	(2.0)	%		(565)	(1.2)	%
ESOP dividends paid deduction		(233)	(0.9)	%		(232)	(0.5)	%
Other items, net		(255)	(0.9)	%		139	0.2	%
Total tax expense	$	6,615	25.0	%	$	14,200	31.1	%

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STOCK BASED COMPENSATION (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2017

STOCK BASED COMPENSATION

Schedule of stock option activity

				Weighted
		Weighted		Average	Aggregate
	Number of	Average		Remaining	Intrinsic
	Options	Exercise		Contractual	Value
	Outstanding	Price		Life	(in 000’s)
Outstanding options at January 1, 2017	2,207,110	$	40.90
Options granted	23,125	$	59.77
Options exercised	(32,960)	$	33.05		$	891
Options canceled/forfeited	—	$	0.00
Outstanding options at March 31, 2017	2,197,275	$	41.22	4.73	$	42,954
Exercisable options at March 31, 2017	891,235	$	31.89	3.12	$	25,118
				Weighted
		Weighted		Average	Aggregate
	Number of	Average		Remaining	Intrinsic
	Options	Exercise		Contractual	Value
	Outstanding	Price		Life	(in 000’s)
Outstanding options at January 1, 2016	2,582,220	$	32.42
Options granted	36,500	$	61.27
Options exercised	(168,480)	$	19.00		$	7,619
Options canceled/forfeited	(5,440)	$	33.69
Outstanding options at March 31, 2016	2,444,800	$	33.78	4.99	$	80,880
Exercisable options at March 31, 2016	966,100	$	27.24	3.62	$	38,280

Schedule of stock option assumptions for fair value estimate

	2017			2016
Weighted-average fair value of grants	$	8.49		$	11.32
Risk-free interest rates		1.95	%		1.38	%
Dividend yield		3.59	%		1.60	%
Expected volatility		22.99	%		23.11	%
Expected option life		5.14	years		5.31	years

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OPERATING SEGMENT INFORMATION (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2017

OPERATING SEGMENT INFORMATION

Schedule of revenues and net earnings by segment

	For the Three-Month Periods
REVENUES	Ended March 31,
(in thousands)	2017		2016
Casualty	$	116,984	$	108,593
Property		35,805		38,685
Surety		30,496		29,640
Net premiums earned	$	183,285	$	176,918
Net investment income		13,005		13,370
Net realized gains		624		11,400
Total consolidated revenue	$	196,914	$	201,688
NET EARNINGS
(in thousands)	2017		2016
Casualty	$	(6,881)	$	9,106
Property		8,804		6,198
Surety		11,134		6,000
Net underwriting income	$	13,057	$	21,304
Net investment income		13,005		13,370
Net realized gains		624		11,400
General corporate expense and interest on debt		(5,181)		(4,232)
Equity in earnings of unconsolidated investees		4,938		3,751
Total earnings before income taxes	$	26,443	$	45,593
Income tax expense		6,615		14,200
Total net earnings	$	19,828	$	31,393

Schedule of net premiums earned by major product type

	For the Three-Month Periods
NET PREMIUMS EARNED	Ended March 31,
(in thousands)	2017		2016
Casualty
Commercial and personal umbrella	$	28,577	$	27,130
General liability		21,583		20,724
Commercial transportation		21,101		18,274
Professional services		19,226		18,538
Small commercial		12,287		10,900
Executive products		4,412		4,835
Medical professional liability		4,291		3,815
Other casualty		5,507		4,377
Total	$	116,984	$	108,593
Property
Commercial property	$	15,718	$	17,596
Marine		12,286		12,300
Specialty personal		6,018		6,308
Property reinsurance		1,783		2,762
Crop reinsurance		5		(281)
Other property		(5)		-
Total	$	35,805	$	38,685
Surety
Miscellaneous	$	11,857	$	11,097
Commercial		7,143		7,354
Contract		7,084		6,743
Energy		4,412		4,446
Total	$	30,496	$	29,640
Grand Total	$	183,285	$	176,918

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SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES - Intangible Assets and EPS (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2016
ADOPTED ACCOUNTING STANDARDS
Increase to operating cash flows	$ 11,265	$ 21,266
Decrease to financing cash flows	7,294	4,431
Goodwill	51,270		$ 51,270
State insurance licenses	7,500		7,500
Definite-lived intangibles, net of accumulated amortization of $3,606 at 3/31/17 and $5,546 at 12/31/16	5,395		5,601
Total intangibles	12,895		13,101
Goodwill and intangibles	64,165		64,371
Accumulated amortization of definite-lived intangibles	3,606		5,546
Amortization of intangible assets	200	200
Basic EPS, Income (Numerator)
Income available to common shareholders	19,828	31,393
Diluted EPS, Income (Numerator)
Income available to common shareholders	$ 19,828	$ 31,393
Basic EPS, Weighted Average Shares (Denominator)
Number of shares outstanding	43,961	43,597
Effect of Dilutive Securities, Shares (Denominator)
Stock options (in shares)	541	764
Diluted EPS, Weighted Average Shares (Denominator)
Number of shares outstanding	44,502	44,361
Basic EPS, Per Share Amount
Basic net earnings per share (in dollars per share)	$ 0.45	$ 0.72
Diluted EPS, Per Share Amount
Diluted earnings per share (in dollars per share)	$ 0.45	$ 0.71
Accounting Standards Update 2016-09
ADOPTED ACCOUNTING STANDARDS
Reduction to income tax expense	$ 400
Increase to operating cash flows	400
Decrease to financing cash flows	400
Prior period adjustment	0
Energy Surety
ADOPTED ACCOUNTING STANDARDS
Goodwill	25,706		25,706
Miscellaneous and Contract Surety
ADOPTED ACCOUNTING STANDARDS
Goodwill	15,110		15,110
Small commercial
ADOPTED ACCOUNTING STANDARDS
Goodwill	5,246		5,246
Medical professional liability
ADOPTED ACCOUNTING STANDARDS
Goodwill	5,208		5,208
Goodwill, Impaired, Accumulated Impairment Loss	$ 7,200		$ 7,200

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SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES - Changes in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Earnings (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2016
COMPREHENSIVE EARNINGS
Tax rate used (as a percent)	35.00%	35.00%
Changes in the balance of each component of accumulated other comprehensive earnings
Beginning balance	$ 122,610
Net current-period other comprehensive earnings (loss)	11,769	$ 21,763
Ending balance	134,379
Unrealized Gains and Losses on Available-for-Sale Securities
Changes in the balance of each component of accumulated other comprehensive earnings
Beginning balance	122,610	123,774
Other comprehensive earnings before reclassifications	12,172	29,171
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive earnings	(403)	(7,408)
Net current-period other comprehensive earnings (loss)	11,769	21,763
Ending balance	$ 134,379	$ 145,537

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SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES - Effects of Reclassifications Out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Earnings (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2016
Amount Reclassified from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Earnings
Net realized gains	$ 2,714	$ 11,400
Earnings before income taxes	26,443	45,593
Income tax expense	(6,615)	(14,200)
Net earnings	19,828	31,393
Reclassifications out of accumulated other comprehensive earnings | Unrealized Gains and Losses on Available-for-Sale Securities
Amount Reclassified from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Earnings
Net realized gains	2,710	11,397
Other-than-temporary impairment (OTTI) losses on investments	2,090
Earnings before income taxes	620	11,397
Income tax expense	(217)	(3,989)
Net earnings	$ 403	$ 7,408

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INVESTMENTS - Amortized Cost and Fair Value (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands		Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Amortized Cost
Due in one year or less		$ 14,302
Due after one year through five years		357,017
Due after five years through 10 years		516,586
Due after 10 years		325,132
Mtge/ABS/CMBS	[1]	359,872
Total amortized cost		1,572,909	$ 1,596,227
Fair Value
Due in one year or less		14,298
Due after one year through five years		363,349
Due after five years through 10 years		523,913
Due after 10 years		327,933
Mtge/ABS/CMBS	[1]	360,906
Total fair value		1,590,399	1,605,209
Fair value measured on recurring basis
Available-for-sale
Fair Value		1,974,328	1,974,428
Fair value measured on recurring basis | Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3)
INVESTMENTS
Total assets at fair value		0
Debt securities
Available-for-sale
Amortized Cost		1,572,909	1,596,227
Gross Unrealized Gains		29,684	26,312
Gross Unrealized Losses		(12,194)	(17,330)
Fair Value		1,590,399	1,605,209
U.S. government
Available-for-sale
Amortized Cost		78,066	77,054
Gross Unrealized Gains		104	88
Gross Unrealized Losses		(476)	(579)
Fair Value		77,694	76,563
U.S. Agency
Available-for-sale
Amortized Cost		5,474	5,473
Gross Unrealized Gains		302	340
Fair Value		5,776	5,813
Non-U.S. govt. & agency
Available-for-sale
Amortized Cost		9,511	9,517
Gross Unrealized Gains		86	2
Gross Unrealized Losses		(164)	(368)
Fair Value		9,433	9,151
Mortgage-backed
Available-for-sale
Amortized Cost		276,957	283,002
Gross Unrealized Gains		4,224	4,635
Gross Unrealized Losses		(3,467)	(3,568)
Fair Value		277,714	284,069
ABS/CMBS
Available-for-sale
Amortized Cost	[2]	82,915	93,791
Gross Unrealized Gains	[2]	653	676
Gross Unrealized Losses	[2]	(376)	(557)
Fair Value	[2]	83,192	93,910
Corporate Debt
Available-for-sale
Amortized Cost		495,867	503,041
Gross Unrealized Gains		11,216	10,996
Gross Unrealized Losses		(3,362)	(5,670)
Fair Value		503,721	508,367
Municipal
Available-for-sale
Amortized Cost		624,119	624,349
Gross Unrealized Gains		13,099	9,575
Gross Unrealized Losses		(4,349)	(6,588)
Fair Value		632,869	627,336
Equity securities
Available-for-sale
Amortized Cost		192,340	187,573
Gross Unrealized Gains		193,324	182,912
Gross Unrealized Losses		(1,735)	(1,266)
Fair Value		$ 383,929	$ 369,219

[1] Mortgage-backed, asset-backed and commercial mortgage-backed

[2] Non-agency asset-backed and commercial mortgage-backed

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INVESTMENTS - Unrealized Losses (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands		Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Investment positions with unrealized losses
Unrealized losses relative to total invested assets (as a percent)		0.70%
Fair value
Less than 12 months		$ 580,038	$ 683,633
12 Months and Greater		24,971	28,517
Total Fair value		605,009	712,150
Cost or amortized Cost
Less than 12 months		591,719	698,230
12 months and greater		27,219	32,516
Total Cost or Amortized Cost		618,938	730,746
Unrealized Loss
Less than 12 months		(11,681)	(14,597)
12 Months and Greater		(2,248)	(3,999)
Total Unrealized Loss		(13,929)	(18,596)
Debt securities
Fair value
Less than 12 months		570,486	676,195
12 Months and Greater		21,046	26,544
Total Fair value		591,532	702,739
Cost or amortized Cost
Less than 12 months		581,151	690,201
12 months and greater		22,575	29,868
Total Cost or Amortized Cost		603,726	720,069
Unrealized Loss
Less than 12 months		(10,665)	(14,006)
12 Months and Greater		(1,529)	(3,324)
Total Unrealized Loss		$ (12,194)	(17,330)
Percent to Total		100.00%
Debt securities | NAIC Rating 1 | AAA/AA/A | Aaa/Aa/A
Fair value
Total Fair value		$ 515,405
Cost or amortized Cost
Total Cost or Amortized Cost		525,282
Unrealized Loss
Total Unrealized Loss		$ (9,877)
Percent to Total		81.00%
Debt securities | NAIC Rating 2 | BBB | Baa
Fair value
Total Fair value		$ 62,204
Cost or amortized Cost
Total Cost or Amortized Cost		63,482
Unrealized Loss
Total Unrealized Loss		$ (1,278)
Percent to Total		10.50%
Debt securities | NAIC Rating 3 | BB | Ba
Fair value
Total Fair value		$ 4,835
Cost or amortized Cost
Total Cost or Amortized Cost		4,906
Unrealized Loss
Total Unrealized Loss		$ (71)
Percent to Total		0.60%
Debt securities | NAIC Rating 4 | B
Fair value
Total Fair value		$ 6,776
Cost or amortized Cost
Total Cost or Amortized Cost		7,299
Unrealized Loss
Total Unrealized Loss		$ (523)
Percent to Total		4.30%
Debt securities | NAIC Rating 5 | CCC or lower
Fair value
Total Fair value		$ 2,312
Cost or amortized Cost
Total Cost or Amortized Cost		2,757
Unrealized Loss
Total Unrealized Loss		$ (445)
Percent to Total		3.60%
U.S. government
Fair value
Less than 12 months		$ 46,069	48,500
Total Fair value		46,069	48,500
Cost or amortized Cost
Less than 12 months		46,545	49,079
Total Cost or Amortized Cost		46,545	49,079
Unrealized Loss
Less than 12 months		(476)	(579)
Total Unrealized Loss		(476)	(579)
Non-U.S. govt. & agency
Fair value
Less than 12 months		5,847	7,647
Total Fair value		5,847	7,647
Cost or amortized Cost
Less than 12 months		6,011	8,015
Total Cost or Amortized Cost		6,011	8,015
Unrealized Loss
Less than 12 months		(164)	(368)
Total Unrealized Loss		(164)	(368)
Mortgage-backed
Fair value
Less than 12 months		176,538	175,858
12 Months and Greater		4,201	5,737
Total Fair value		180,739	181,595
Cost or amortized Cost
Less than 12 months		179,861	179,238
12 months and greater		4,345	5,925
Total Cost or Amortized Cost		184,206	185,163
Unrealized Loss
Less than 12 months		(3,323)	(3,380)
12 Months and Greater		(144)	(188)
Total Unrealized Loss		(3,467)	(3,568)
ABS/CMBS
Fair value
Less than 12 months	[1]	37,672	48,907
12 Months and Greater	[1]	6,431	5,272
Total Fair value	[1]	44,103	54,179
Cost or amortized Cost
Less than 12 months	[1]	37,898	49,372
12 months and greater	[1]	6,581	5,364
Total Cost or Amortized Cost	[1]	44,479	54,736
Unrealized Loss
Less than 12 months	[1]	(226)	(465)
12 Months and Greater	[1]	(150)	(92)
Total Unrealized Loss	[1]	(376)	(557)
Corporate Debt
Fair value
Less than 12 months		122,221	144,353
12 Months and Greater		10,414	15,535
Total Fair value		132,635	159,888
Cost or amortized Cost
Less than 12 months		124,348	146,979
12 months and greater		11,649	18,579
Total Cost or Amortized Cost		135,997	165,558
Unrealized Loss
Less than 12 months		(2,127)	(2,626)
12 Months and Greater		(1,235)	(3,044)
Total Unrealized Loss		(3,362)	(5,670)
Municipal
Fair value
Less than 12 months		182,139	250,930
Total Fair value		182,139	250,930
Cost or amortized Cost
Less than 12 months		186,488	257,518
Total Cost or Amortized Cost		186,488	257,518
Unrealized Loss
Less than 12 months		(4,349)	(6,588)
Total Unrealized Loss		(4,349)	(6,588)
Equity securities
Fair value
Less than 12 months		9,552	7,438
12 Months and Greater		3,925	1,973
Total Fair value		13,477	9,411
Cost or amortized Cost
Less than 12 months		10,568	8,029
12 months and greater		4,644	2,648
Total Cost or Amortized Cost		15,212	10,677
Unrealized Loss
Less than 12 months		(1,016)	(591)
12 Months and Greater		(719)	(675)
Total Unrealized Loss		$ (1,735)	$ (1,266)

[1] Non-agency asset-backed and commercial mortgage-backed

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INVESTMENTS Debt Securities and Common Stock (Details)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017 USD ($) security position	Mar. 31, 2016 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2016 USD ($)
Securities in unrealized loss positions
Unrealized Loss	$ 13,929,000		$ 18,596,000
Other-than-temporary impairment (OTTI) losses	$ 2,090,000
Debt securities
Securities in unrealized loss positions
Number of unrealized loss positions | position	319
Number of securities in unrealized loss positions for 12 months or longer | security	33
Unrealized losses as percentage of fixed income portfolio cost basis	0.80%
Number of securities with OTTI losses recognized in earnings | security	2
Other than Temporary Impairment Losses recognized in earnings	$ 2,100,000	$ 0
Other than Temporary Impairment Losses recognized in other comprehensive earnings	$ 0	0
Common stock security
Securities in unrealized loss positions
Number of unrealized loss positions | position	5
Number of securities in unrealized loss positions for 12 months or longer | security	1
Unrealized Loss	$ 1,700,000
Other-than-temporary impairment (OTTI) losses	$ 0	$ 0

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INVESTMENTS Debt and Short-term Investments (Details) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017 USD ($) item	Mar. 31, 2016 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2016 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2015 USD ($)
Other invested assets
Other investments	$ 24,199		$ 24,115
Total tax benefit on investments in housing tax credit partnership	600	$ 400
Investment in FHLBC	800		1,600
Fair Value, Investments, Entities that Calculate Net Asset Value Per Share, Unfunded Commitments	23,600
Cash and Short-term Investments
Cash	28,144	$ 14,569	18,269	$ 11,081
Short-term investments, at cost which approximates fair value	$ 13,002		5,015
Investment In Low Income Housing Tax Credit Partnership Net Of Amortization Member
Other invested assets
Number of investments in low income housing tax credit partnerships | item	3
Other investments	$ 17,000		17,500
Investment in Real Estate Fund
Other invested assets
Other investments	3,100		5,000
Other investments fair value	3,100		$ 5,000
Investment in BDC
Other invested assets
Other investments fair value	$ 3,300

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FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands		Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Transfers in (out of) level 1		$ 0
Transfers in (out of) level 2		0
Fair value measured on recurring basis
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities		1,974,328	$ 1,974,428
Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1) | Fair value measured on recurring basis
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities		383,929	369,219
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) | Fair value measured on recurring basis
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities		1,590,399	1,605,209
U.S. government | Fair value measured on recurring basis
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities		77,694	76,563
U.S. government | Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) | Fair value measured on recurring basis
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities		77,694	76,563
U.S. Agency | Fair value measured on recurring basis
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities		5,776	5,813
U.S. Agency | Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) | Fair value measured on recurring basis
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities		5,776	5,813
Non-U.S. govt. & agency | Fair value measured on recurring basis
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities		9,433	9,151
Non-U.S. govt. & agency | Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) | Fair value measured on recurring basis
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities		9,433	9,151
Mortgage-backed | Fair value measured on recurring basis
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities		277,714	284,069
Mortgage-backed | Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) | Fair value measured on recurring basis
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities		277,714	284,069
ABS/CMBS | Fair value measured on recurring basis
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities	[1]	83,192	93,910
ABS/CMBS | Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) | Fair value measured on recurring basis
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities	[1]	83,192	93,910
Corporate Bond Securities [Member] | Fair value measured on recurring basis
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities		503,721	508,367
Corporate Bond Securities [Member] | Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) | Fair value measured on recurring basis
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities		503,721	508,367
Municipal | Fair value measured on recurring basis
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities		632,869	627,336
Municipal | Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) | Fair value measured on recurring basis
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities		632,869	627,336
Equity securities | Fair value measured on recurring basis
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities		383,929	369,219
Equity securities | Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1) | Fair value measured on recurring basis
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities		$ 383,929	$ 369,219

[1] Non-agency asset-backed and commercial mortgage-backed

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HISTORICAL LOSS AND LAE DEVELOPMENT - Unpaid Losses and Settlement Expenses (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2016	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2016
Unpaid losses and LAE at beginning of year:
Gross	$ 1,139,337	$ 1,103,785
Ceded	(288,224)	(297,844)
Net	851,113	805,941
Increase (decrease) in incurred losses and LAE:
Current accident year	99,249	95,161
Prior accident years	(5,859)	(13,990)
Total incurred	93,390	81,171
Loss and LAE payments for claims incurred:
Current accident year	(3,395)	(4,405)
Prior accident year	(60,427)	(58,584)
Total paid	(63,822)	(62,989)
Net unpaid losses and LAE at end of year	851,113	805,941	$ 880,681	$ 824,123
Unpaid losses and LAE at end of year:
Gross	1,152,027	1,121,363
Ceded	(271,346)	(297,240)
Net	$ 851,113	$ 805,941	$ 880,681	$ 824,123

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INCOME TAXES (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2016
Reconciliation of income tax expense reported to amount computed by applying the U.S. federal tax rate
Provision for income taxes at the statutory rate of 35%	$ 9,255	$ 15,958
Excess tax benefit on share-based compensation	(443)
Tax-exempt interest income	(1,179)	(1,100)
Dividends received deduction	(530)	(565)
ESOP dividends paid deduction	(233)	(232)
Other items, net	(255)	139
Total tax expense	$ 6,615	$ 14,200
Reconciliation of income tax expense rate to the U.S. federal tax rate
U.S. federal tax rate (as a percent)	35.00%	35.00%
Excess tax benefit on share-based compensation	(1.70%)	(0.00%)
Effective rate reduction due to tax exempt interest income (as a percent)	(4.50%)	(2.40%)
Effective rate reduction due to dividend received (as a percent)	(2.00%)	(1.20%)
Effective rate reduction due to dividend paid to ESOP (as a percent)	(0.90%)	(0.50%)
Effective rate reduction due to other items, net (as a percent)	(0.90%)	0.20%
Effective tax rates (as a percent)	25.00%	31.10%

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STOCK BASED COMPENSATION (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		23 Months Ended	60 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2016	Mar. 31, 2017	May 06, 2015	May 05, 2010
Weighted Number of Options Outstanding
Outstanding options at the beginning of the period (in shares)	2,207,110	2,582,220
Options granted (in shares)	23,125	36,500
Options exercised (in shares)	(32,960)	(168,480)
Options canceled/forfeited (in shares)		(5,440)
Outstanding options at the end of the period (in shares)	2,197,275	2,444,800	2,197,275
Exercisable options at the end of the period (in shares)	891,235	966,100	891,235
Weighted Average Exercise Price
Outstanding options at the beginning of the period (in dollars per share)	$ 40.90	$ 32.42
Options granted (in dollars per share)	59.77	61.27
Options exercised (in dollars per share)	33.05	19.00
Options canceled/forfeited (in dollars per share)	0.00	33.69
Outstanding options at the end of the period (in dollars per share)	41.22	33.78	$ 41.22
Exercisable options at the end of the period (in dollars per share)	$ 31.89	$ 27.24	$ 31.89
Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Life
Weighted-average remaining contractual term of options outstanding	4 years 8 months 23 days	4 years 11 months 27 days
Weighted-average remaining contractual term of exercisable options	3 years 1 month 13 days	3 years 7 months 13 days
Aggregate Intrinsic Value
Options exercised (in dollars)	$ 891	$ 7,619
Outstanding options at the end of the period (in dollars)	42,954	80,880	$ 42,954
Exercisable options at the end of the period (in dollars)	$ 25,118	$ 38,280	25,118
Weighted-average fair value of grants (in dollars per share)	$ 8.49	$ 11.32
Stock-based compensation expenses (in dollars)	$ 900	$ 900
Income tax benefit from stock-based compensation (in dollars)	300	$ 300
Unrecognized stock-based compensation expense (in dollars)	$ 5,500		$ 5,500
Weighted average grant date assumptions and weighted average fair value
Weighted-average fair value of grants (in dollars per share)	$ 8.49	$ 11.32
Risk-free interest rates (as a percent)	1.95%	1.38%
Dividend yield (as a percent)	3.59%	1.60%
Expected volatility (as a percent)	22.99%	23.11%
Expected option life	5 years 1 month 21 days	5 years 3 months 22 days
Period for which annualized dividends is considered to calculate dividend yield	5 years
RLI Corp. Long-Term Incentive Plan (LTIP) and Omnibus Stock Plan
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award
Award vesting period	5 years
Term of options	8 years
Age and period of service of the participant to be eligible for retirement	75 years
Omnibus Stock Plan
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award
Shares authorized for grant					3,000,000
Weighted Number of Options Outstanding
Options granted (in shares)					2,458,059
RLI Corp. Long-Term Incentive Plan (2010 LTIP)
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award
Shares authorized for grant				4,000,000
Weighted Number of Options Outstanding
Options granted (in shares)				2,878,000
RLI Corp. Long-Term Incentive Plan (2015 LITP)
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award
Shares authorized for grant	4,000,000		4,000,000
Weighted Number of Options Outstanding
Options granted (in shares)	23,125		973,875

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OPERATING SEGMENT INFORMATION - Reconciliation of Segment Totals to Total Earnings (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2016
REVENUES
Net premiums earned	$ 183,285	$ 176,918
Net investment income	13,005	13,370
Net realized gains	624	11,400
Consolidated revenue	196,914	201,688
NET EARNINGS
Net underwriting income	13,057	21,304
Net investment income	13,005	13,370
Net realized gains	624	11,400
General corporate expense and interest on debt	(5,181)	(4,232)
Equity in earnings of unconsolidated investees	4,938	3,751
Earnings before income taxes	26,443	45,593
Income tax expense	6,615	14,200
Net earnings	19,828	31,393
Casualty segment
REVENUES
Net premiums earned	116,984	108,593
NET EARNINGS
Net underwriting income	(6,881)	9,106
Property segment
REVENUES
Net premiums earned	35,805	38,685
NET EARNINGS
Net underwriting income	8,804	6,198
Surety segment
REVENUES
Net premiums earned	30,496	29,640
NET EARNINGS
Net underwriting income	$ 11,134	$ 6,000

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OPERATING SEGMENT INFORMATION - Major Products (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2016
Revenue by major product
Net premiums earned	$ 183,285	$ 176,918
Casualty segment
Revenue by major product
Net premiums earned	116,984	108,593
Casualty segment | Commercial and personal umbrella
Revenue by major product
Net premiums earned	28,577	27,130
Casualty segment | General liability
Revenue by major product
Net premiums earned	21,583	20,724
Casualty segment | Transportation
Revenue by major product
Net premiums earned	21,101	18,274
Casualty segment | Professional services
Revenue by major product
Net premiums earned	19,226	18,538
Casualty segment | Small commercial
Revenue by major product
Net premiums earned	12,287	10,900
Casualty segment | Executive products
Revenue by major product
Net premiums earned	4,412	4,835
Casualty segment | Medical professional liability
Revenue by major product
Net premiums earned	4,291	3,815
Casualty segment | Other casualty
Revenue by major product
Net premiums earned	5,507	4,377
Property segment
Revenue by major product
Net premiums earned	35,805	38,685
Property segment | Commercial
Revenue by major product
Net premiums earned	15,718	17,596
Property segment | Marine
Revenue by major product
Net premiums earned	12,286	12,300
Property segment | Specialty Personal
Revenue by major product
Net premiums earned	6,018	6,308
Property segment | Property reinsurance
Revenue by major product
Net premiums earned	1,783	2,762
Property segment | Crop reinsurance business
Revenue by major product
Net premiums earned	5
Net premiums earned		(281)
Property segment | Other property
Revenue by major product
Net premiums earned	(5)
Surety segment
Revenue by major product
Net premiums earned	30,496	29,640
Surety segment | Miscellaneous
Revenue by major product
Net premiums earned	11,857	11,097
Surety segment | Commercial surety product
Revenue by major product
Net premiums earned	7,143	7,354
Surety segment | Contract
Revenue by major product
Net premiums earned	7,084	6,743
Surety segment | Energy Surety
Revenue by major product
Net premiums earned	$ 4,412	$ 4,446

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ACQUISITION (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands		3 Months Ended
	Feb. 29, 2016	Mar. 31, 2016
Business acquisition
Cash consideration for purchase of agency		$ 850
Associations Liability Insurance Agency, Inc.
Business acquisition
Total business acquisition consideration	$ 1,200
Cash consideration for purchase of agency	900
Present value of an earn-out agreement to be paid in future years	300
Acquired software, trade name and agency relationships	$ 1,200