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Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2018
Accounting Policies [Abstract]  
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
 Basis of Presentation
 The consolidated financial statements include accounts, after elimination of intercompany accounts and transactions, of Conifer Holdings, Inc. (the “Company” or “Conifer”), its wholly owned subsidiaries, Conifer Insurance Company ("CIC"), White Pine Insurance Company ("WPIC"), Red Cedar Insurance Company ("RCIC"), and Sycamore Insurance Agency, Inc ("SIA"). CIC, WPIC, and RCIC are collectively referred to as the "Insurance Company Subsidiaries." On a stand-alone basis, Conifer Holdings, Inc. is referred to as the "Parent Company."
The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”). The Company has applied the rules and regulations of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) regarding interim financial reporting and therefore the consolidated financial statements do not include all of the information and notes required by GAAP for annual financial statements. In the opinion of Management, all adjustments, consisting of items of a normal recurring nature, necessary for a fair presentation of the consolidated interim financial statements, have been included. The results of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2018, are not necessarily indicative of the results expected for the year ended December 31, 2018.
These consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto should be read in conjunction with the Company's audited consolidated financial statements and related notes included in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017, as filed with the SEC on March 15, 2018.
 Business
The Company is engaged in the sale of property and casualty insurance products and has organized its business model around two classes of insurance businesses: commercial and personal lines. The Company underwrites a variety of specialty insurance products, including property, general liability, liquor liability, automobile, homeowners and dwelling policies. The Company markets and sells its insurance products through a network of independent retail agents and managing general agents. Policies are written in all 50 states. The Company’s corporate headquarters is located in Birmingham, Michigan with additional office facilities in Florida, Pennsylvania and Tennessee.
The Company also generates other revenues through investment income and other income which mainly consists of installment fees and policy issuance fees generally related to the policies we write. We also generate equity earnings from SIA's 50% owned agency (the "Affiliate"). The Affiliate places small commercial risks mainly for alarm and security guard markets.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires Management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. While management believes the amounts included in the consolidated financial statements reflect Management's best estimates and assumptions, actual results may differ from these estimates.
 Recently Issued Accounting Guidance
Effective January 1, 2018, the Company adopted FASB Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") No. 2016-01, Financial Instruments (Topic 825): Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities. As a result of adoption of this ASU, equity instruments that do not result in consolidation and are not accounted for under the equity method are measured at fair value and any changes in fair value are recognized in net income. Previously, the Company’s equity securities were classified as available-for-sale and changes in fair value were recorded in other comprehensive income. Upon adoption of this ASU, cumulative net unrealized gains on equity securities of $1.1 million, net of deferred income taxes of $0.5 million, were reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income into accumulated deficit. Prior periods have not been recast to conform to the current presentation. See Note 2 ~ Investments for details regarding the change in net unrealized gains on equity securities included in net income for the quarter ended March 31, 2018.
Effective January 1, 2018, the Company early adopted ASU No. 2018-02, Income Statement - Reporting Comprehensive Income (Topic 220): Reclassification of Certain Tax Effects from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income. The ASU provides an option to reclassify tax effects remaining in accumulated other comprehensive income as a result of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) to retained earnings. Upon enactment of the TCJA, the U.S. corporate tax rate was reduced from 35% to 21% and the Company's U.S. deferred tax balances were remeasured to the lower enacted U.S. corporate tax rate. GAAP requires the effects of changes in tax rates and laws on deferred tax balances to be recorded as a component of income tax expense in the period of enactment, even if the assets and liabilities relate to items of accumulated other comprehensive income. As a result of adopting the ASU, the Company reclassified $77,000 of previously recognized deferred taxes from accumulated other comprehensive income into accumulated deficit as of January 1, 2018.
In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842), which addresses the financial reporting of leasing transactions. 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 consolidated 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 consolidated statement of operations 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 consolidated statement of cash flows. This ASU is effective for annual and interim reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2018. Early adoption is permitted. Management is currently evaluating the impact of the guidance.
In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326), which amends the current methodology and timing for recognizing credit losses. This amendment will replace the current GAAP "incurred loss" methodology for credit losses with a methodology based on expected credit losses. The new guidance will also require expanded consideration of a broader range of reasonable and increased supportable information for the credit loss estimates. This ASU is effective for annual and interim reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2019. Early adoption is permitted for years beginning after December 15, 2018. Management is currently evaluating the impact of the guidance.