Reinsurance

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2011

Notes to Financial Statements

Note 7. Reinsurance

The Company’s reinsurance treaties for both its Personal Lines business, which primarily consists of homeowners’ policies, and Commercial Lines business, other than commercial auto, were renewed as of July 1, 2011. The treaties, which are renewed annually, provide for the following material terms:

Personal Lines

Personal Lines business, which includes homeowners, dwelling fire and canine legal liability insurance, is reinsured under a 75% quota share treaty which provides coverage up to $700,000 per occurrence. An excess of loss contract provides $1,500,000 of coverage in excess of the $700,000 included under the 75% quota share treaty for a total coverage up to $2,200,000 per occurrence. Personal umbrella policies are reinsured under a 90% quota share treaty limiting the Company to a maximum of $100,000 per occurrence for the first $1,000,000 of coverage. The second $1,000,000 of coverage is 100% reinsured.

Commercial Lines

General liability commercial policies written by the Company, except for commercial auto policies, are reinsured under a 60% quota share treaty, which provides coverage up to $700,000 per occurrence. An excess of loss contract provides $1,500,000 of coverage in excess of the $700,000 included under the 60% quota share treaty for a total coverage up to $2,200,000 per occurrence.

Commercial Auto

Commercial auto policies are covered by an excess of loss reinsurance contract which provides $1,750,000 of coverage in excess of $250,000.

Catastrophe Reinsurance

A total of $54,000,000 of catastrophe reinsurance coverage has been obtained, whereby the Company retains $500,000 per occurrence.

The Company’s reinsurance program is structured to enable the Company to significantly grow its premium volume while maintaining regulatory capital and other financial ratios generally within or below the expected ranges used for regulatory oversight purposes. The reinsurance program also provides income as a result of ceding commissions earned pursuant to the quota share reinsurance contracts. The Company’s participation in reinsurance arrangements does not relieve the Company from its obligations to policyholders.

Approximate reinsurance recoverables on unpaid and paid losses by reinsurer are as follows:

	Unpaid		Paid
($ in thousands)	Losses		Losses		Total		Security
December 31, 2011
Maiden Reinsurace Company	$	3,534	$	514	$	4,048	$	8,156	(1)
SCOR Reinsurance Company		2,046		272		2,318		-
Motors Insurance Corporation		1,730		228		1,958		1,923	(1)
Sirius American Insurance Company (formerly
White Mountain Re))		993		67		1,060		-
Others		1,657		536		2,193		360	(2)
Total	$	9,960	$	1,617	$	11,577	$	10,439
December 31, 2010
Maiden Reinsurace Company	$	3,521	$	149	$	3,670	$	4,884	(1)
SCOR Reinsurance Company		2,027		76		2,103		-
Motors Insurance Corporation		1,943		129		2,072		2,100	(1)
Sirius American Insurance Company (formerly
White Mountain Re))		1,284		-		1,284		-
Others		1,656		209		1,865		26	(2)
Total	$	10,431	$	563	$	10,994	$	7,010

Assets held in the two trusts referred to in footnote (1) above are not included in the Company’s invested assets and investment income earned on these assets is credited to the two reinsurers respectively. In addition to reinsurance recoverables on unpaid and paid losses, reinsurance receivables as of December 31, 2011 and 2010 include unearned ceded premiums of $12,304,499 and $9,726,027, respectively.

Ceding Commission Revenue

The Company earns ceding commissions under its quota share reinsurance agreements based on a sliding scale of commission rates and ultimate treaty year loss ratios on the policies reinsured under each of these agreements. The sliding scale includes minimum and maximum commission rates in relation to specified ultimate loss ratios. The commission rate and ceding commissions earned increases when the estimated ultimate loss ratio decreases and, conversely, the commission rate and ceding commissions earned decreases when the estimated ultimate loss ratio increases.

As of December 31, 2011 and 2010, the Company’s estimated ultimate loss ratios attributable to these contracts are lower than the contractual ultimate loss ratios at which the minimum amount of ceding commissions can be earned. Accordingly, the Company has recorded ceding commissions earned that are greater than the minimum provisional commissions.

Ceding commission revenue consists of the following:

	Years ended
	December 31,
	2011		2010
Provisional ceding commissions earned	$	6,916,027	$	6,319,699
Contingent ceding commissions earned		3,708,687		2,263,447
	$	10,624,714	$	8,583,146

Ceding commissions due from reinsurers as of December 31, 2011 and 2010 were $1,734,535 and $1,174,729, respectively, and are in included in “Receivables – reinsurance contracts” in the Consolidated Balance Sheets.