2.2.0.25falsefalse0212 - Disclosure - Share Based Paymentstruefalsefalse1falsefalseUSDfalsefalse1/1/2011 - 3/31/2011 USD ($) USD ($) / shares $Jan-01-2011_Mar-31-2011http://www.sec.gov/CIK0001267395duration2011-01-01T00:00:002011-03-31T00:00:00USDStandardhttp://www.xbrl.org/2003/iso4217USDiso42170SharesStandardhttp://www.xbrl.org/2003/instancesharesxbrli0USDEPSDividehttp://www.xbrl.org/2003/iso4217USDiso4217http://www.xbrl.org/2003/instancesharesxbrli0USDUSD$2true0us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationAbstractus-gaaptruenadurationNo definition available.falsefalsefalsefalsefalsefalsefalsefalsefalsefalse1falsefalsefalse00falsefalsefalsefalsefalseOtherxbrli:stringItemTypestringNo definition available.falsefalseShare Based Payments [Abstract]3false0us-gaap_DisclosureOfCompensationRelatedCostsShareBasedPaymentsTextBlockus-gaaptruenadurationNo definition available.falsefalsefalsefalsefalsefalsefalsefalsefalsefalseverboselabel1falsefalsefalse00  <div style="margin-left: 0%"> <div style="margin-top: 12pt; font-size: 1pt">  </div> <table width="100%" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; color: #000000; background: transparent; text-align: left"> <tr> <td width="5%"></td> <td width="95%"></td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td> <b><font style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times">12.  </font></b> </td> <td> <b><font style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times">Share Based Payments</font></b> </td> </tr> </table> <div style="margin-top: 6pt; font-size: 1pt">  </div> <div align="left" style="margin-left: 0%; margin-right: 0%; text-indent: 4%; font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times; color: #000000; background: transparent"> The Company has issued options and other equity incentives under four arrangements: investor options, employee awards, non-employee director awards and the employee share purchase plans. When options are exercised or other equity awards have vested, new shares are issued as the Company does not currently hold treasury shares. The Company applies a fair value based measurement method and an estimate of future forfeitures in the calculation of the compensation costs of stock options and restricted share units. </div>  </div>   <div style="margin-left: 0%">  <div align="left" style="margin-left: 0%; margin-right: 0%; text-indent: 0%; font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times; color: #000000; background: transparent"> </div>  <div style="margin-top: 0pt; font-size: 1pt">  </div> <div align="left" style="margin-top: 6pt; margin-left: 0%; margin-right: 0%; text-indent: 4%; font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times; color: #000000; background: transparent"> <i>Investor Options.</i>  The investor options were issued on June 21, 2002 to Wellington Investment Holdings (Jersey) Limited (“Wellington Investment”) and members of Syndicate 2020 who were not corporate members of Syndicate 2020. The options conferred to the members of Syndicate 2020 are held for their benefit by Appleby Services (Bermuda) Ltd. (formerly Appleby Trust (Bermuda) Limited) (“Names’ Trustee”). The subscription price payable under the options is initially £10 and increases by 5% per annum, less any dividends paid. Option holders are not entitled to participate in any dividends prior to exercise and would not rank as a creditor in the event of liquidation. If not exercised, the options will expire on June 21, 2012. During the three months ended March 31, 2011, the Names’ Trustee exercised 539,823 options on a cash and cashless basis (2010 — 3,221 options). </div> <div style="margin-top: 6pt; font-size: 1pt">  </div> <div align="left" style="margin-left: 0%; margin-right: 0%; text-indent: 4%; font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times; color: #000000; background: transparent"> <i>Employee and Non-Executive Director Awards.</i>  Employee options and other awards are granted under the Aspen 2003 Share Incentive Plan and non-executive director awards are granted under the 2006 Stock Option Plan for Non-Employee Directors. </div> <div style="margin-top: 6pt; font-size: 1pt">  </div> <div align="left" style="margin-left: 0%; margin-right: 0%; text-indent: 4%; font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times; color: #000000; background: transparent"> Stock options are granted with an exercise price equivalent to the fair value of the share on the grant date. The weighted average value at grant date is determined using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. Stock options typically vest over a three-year period with a ten-year contract period (except for options granted in 2007 which have a <font style="white-space: nowrap">7-year</font> exercise period) with vesting dependent on time and performance conditions established at the time of grant. No options were granted in the three months ended March 31, 2011 (2010 — Nil); 9,208 options were exercised during the three months ended March 31, 2011 (2010 — 374,961). Compensation costs credited against income in respect of employee options for the three months ended March 31, 2011 were $Nil (2010 — charges of $0.3 million). </div> <div style="margin-top: 6pt; font-size: 1pt">  </div> <div align="left" style="margin-left: 0%; margin-right: 0%; text-indent: 4%; font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times; color: #000000; background: transparent"> Restricted share units (“RSU’s”) to employees vest equally over a two or three-year period. Some of the grants vest at year-end, while some other grants vest on the anniversary of the date of grant or when the Compensation Committee of the Board agrees to deliver them. The fair value of the restricted share units is based on the closing price on the date of the grant. The fair value is expensed through the income statement evenly over the vesting period. During the three months ended March 31, 2011, the Company granted to employees 105,234 restricted share units (2010 — 32,754). In the case of non-employee directors, one-twelfth of the RSU’s vest on each one month anniversary of the date of grant, with 100% of the RSU’s becoming vested on the first anniversary of the date of grant. On February 3, 2011 (with a grant date of February 9, 2011), the Board of Directors approved a total of 23,408 RSU’s for the non-employee directors (February 11, 2010 — 28,640) and 16,722 RSU’s to the Chairman (February 11, 2010 — 17,902). Compensation costs charged against income in respect of restricted share units for the three months ended March 31, 2011 were $2.5 million (2010 — $0.8 million). </div> <div style="margin-top: 6pt; font-size: 1pt">  </div> <div align="left" style="margin-left: 0%; margin-right: 0%; text-indent: 4%; font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times; color: #000000; background: transparent"> The fair value of performance share awards is based on the value of the average of the high and low of the share price on the date of the grant less a deduction for expected dividends which would not accrue during the vesting period. Performance shares vest over a three or four-year period with shares eligible for vesting dependent on the achievement of performance targets at the end of specified periods as established at the time of grant. Compensation costs credited against income in the three months ended March 31, 2011 in respect of performance shares were a credit of $0.1 million (2010 — charge of $3.2 million). </div> <div style="margin-top: 6pt; font-size: 1pt">  </div> <div align="left" style="margin-left: 0%; margin-right: 0%; text-indent: 4%; font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times; color: #000000; background: transparent"> <i>2011 Performance Shares.</i>  On February 3 and 4, 2011, the Compensation Committee approved the grant of 853,223 performance shares with a grant date of February 9, 2011 and an additional grant of 31,669 performance shares was made on March 21, 2011 (February 11, 2010 — 720,098). The performance shares will be subject to a three-year vesting period with a separate annual Return on Equity (“ROE”) test for each year. One-third of the grant will be eligible for vesting each year based on a formula, and will only be issuable at the end of the three-year period. If the ROE achieved in 2011 is less than 6%, then the portion of the performance shares subject to the vesting conditions in such year will be forfeited (i.e. 33.33% of the initial grant). If the ROE achieved in 2011 is between 6% and 11%, then the percentage of the performance shares eligible for vesting will be between 10% and 100% on a straight-line basis. If the ROE achieved in 2011 is between 11% and 21%, then the percentage of the performance shares eligible for vesting will be between 100% and 200% on a straight-line basis. The Compensation Committee will determine the vesting conditions for the 2012 and 2013 portions of the grant in such years taking into consideration the market conditions and the Company’s business plans at the commencement of the years concerned. Notwithstanding the vesting criteria for each given year, if in any given year, the shares eligible for vesting are greater than 100% for the portion of such year’s grant and the average ROE over such year and the preceding year is less than the average of the minimum vesting thresholds for such year and the preceding year, then only 100% (and no more) of the shares that are eligible for vesting in such year shall vest. If the average ROE over the two years is greater than the average of the minimum vesting thresholds for such year and the preceding year, then there will be no diminution in vesting and the shares eligible for vesting in such year will vest in accordance with the vesting schedule without regard to the average ROE over the two-year period. </div> <div style="margin-top: 6pt; font-size: 1pt">  </div> <div align="left" style="margin-left: 0%; margin-right: 0%; text-indent: 4%; font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times; color: #000000; background: transparent"> <i>Employee Share Purchase Plans.</i>  On April 30, 2008, the shareholders of the Company approved the Employee Share Purchase Plan (the “ESPP”), the 2008 Sharesave Scheme and the International Employee Share Purchase Plan, which are implemented by a series of consecutive offering periods as determined by the Board. In respect of the ESPP, employees can save up to $500 per month over a two-year period, at the end of which they will be eligible to purchase Company shares at a discounted price. In respect of the 2008 Sharesave Scheme, employees can save up to £250 per month over a three-year period, at the end of which they will be eligible to purchase Company shares at a discounted price. The purchase price will be eighty-five percent (85%) of the fair market value of a share on the offering date which may be adjusted upon changes in capitalization of the Company. Under the plan, 21,479 shares were issued during the three months ended March 31, 2011 (2010 — Nil). Compensation costs charged against income in the three months ended March 31, 2011 in respect of the ESPP were $0.2 million (2010 — $0.4 million). </div> </div>  <!-- Begin Block Tagged NotefalsefalsefalsefalsefalseOtherus-types:textBlockItemTypestringDisclosure of compensation-related costs for share-based compensation which may include disclosure of policies, compensation plan details, allocation of stock compensation, incentive distributions, share-based arrangements to obtain goods and services, deferred compensation arrangements, employee stock ownership plan details and employee stock purchase plan details.Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS) -Number 123R -Paragraph 64, 65, A240 Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher AICPA -Name Statement of Position (SOP) -Number 93-6 -Paragraph 53 Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher SEC -Name Staff Accounting Bulletin (SAB) -Number Topic 14 falsefalseShare Based Payments12Share Based PaymentsUnKnownUnKnownUnKnownUnKnownfalsetrue