FAIR VALUE OF FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS (Details 2) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Determination of fair values
Number of primary sources of information used for determining fair value	1
Total number of primary sources of information available for determining fair value	3
Minimum percentage of the Company's fixed maturity securities priced by third party pricing services	90.00%
Number of independent non-binding broker quotes obtained per security	1
Percentage of derivatives excluding embedded derivatives that were priced using exchange prices or independent broker quotations	97.10%
Annuity account balances
Determination of fair values
Mortality rate related to GMDB table (as a percent)	57.00%
Annuity account balances
Discount rate curve, base rate	LIBOR
Equity indexed annuities, discount rate for one month (as a percent)	0.30%
Equity indexed annuities, discount rate for five years (as a percent)	1.96%
Equity indexed annuities, discount rate for thirty years (as a percent)	4.14%
Level 3
Annuity account balances
Financial instruments that are valued using broker quotes	71,100,000
Financial instruments with book value approximating to fair value	73,200,000
Level 3 | Annuity account balances
Liabilities:
Annuity account balances.	129,468,000
Level 3 | Annuity account balances | Actuarial cash flow model
Unobservable input
Mortality (as a percent)	57.00%
Asset earned rate (as a percent)	5.81%
Withdrawal rate (as a percent)	2.20%
Level 3 | Annuity account balances | Actuarial cash flow model | Minimum
Unobservable input
Lapse (as a percent)	2.20%
Nonperformance risk (as a percent)	0.09%
Expenses per Policy	88
Return on Assets (as a percent)	1.50%
Level 3 | Annuity account balances | Actuarial cash flow model | Maximum
Unobservable input
Lapse (as a percent)	45.00%
Nonperformance risk (as a percent)	1.34%
Expenses per Policy	108
Return on Assets (as a percent)	1.85%
Asset-Backed Securities | Level 2
Determination of fair values
Carrying amount	3,700,000,000
Asset-Backed Securities | Level 3
Determination of fair values
Carrying amount	666,700,000
Annuity account balances
Financial instruments that are valued using broker quotes	70,500,000
Financial instruments with book value approximating to fair value	4,300,000
Other asset-backed securities
Determination of fair values
Percentage of underlying collateral of student-loan backed auction rate securities guaranteed by the Federal Family Education Loan Program ("FFELP"), minimum	97.00%	97.00%
Other asset-backed securities | Level 3
Determination of fair values
Carrying amount	596,143,000
Other asset-backed securities | Level 3 | Discounted cash flow | Minimum
Unobservable input
Liquidity premium (as a percent)	0.72%
Paydown rate (as a percent)	8.51%
Other asset-backed securities | Level 3 | Discounted cash flow | Maximum
Unobservable input
Liquidity premium (as a percent)	1.68%
Paydown rate (as a percent)	18.10%
Other asset-backed securities | Level 3 | Discounted cash flow | Weighted average
Unobservable input
Liquidity premium (as a percent)	1.29%
Paydown rate (as a percent)	11.40%
Other asset-backed securities | Level 3 | Trading Securities
Determination of fair values
Carrying amount	70,500,000
Percentage of underlying collateral of student-loan backed auction rate securities guaranteed by the Federal Family Education Loan Program ("FFELP"), minimum	97.00%
Corporate bonds, U.S. Government-related securities, and Other government related securities | Level 2
Determination of fair values
Carrying amount	24,000,000,000
Corporate bonds, U.S. Government-related securities, and Other government related securities | Level 3
Determination of fair values
Carrying amount	192,400,000
Equity securities | Level 2 and Level 3
Determination of fair values
Carrying amount	104,500,000
Federal Home Loan Bank Stock	64,600,000
Equity securities | Level 3
Annuity account balances
Financial instruments that are valued using broker quotes	600,000
Financial instruments with book value approximating to fair value	68,900,000
Embedded derivative - GMWB
Liabilities:
Fair value	2,600,000,000
Annuity account balances
Discount rate curve, base rate	LIBOR
Unobservable input
Mortality (as a percent)	57.00%
Embedded derivative - GMWB | Trading Securities
Determination of fair values
Carrying amount	3,100,000,000
Embedded derivative - GMWB | Level 3
Liabilities:
Fair value	169,041,000
Embedded derivative - GMWB | Level 3 | Actuarial cash flow model
Unobservable input
Mortality (as a percent)	57.00%
Embedded derivative - GMWB | Level 3 | Actuarial cash flow model | Minimum
Unobservable input
Lapse (as a percent)	0.00%
Utilization (as a percent)	93.00%
Nonperformance risk (as a percent)	0.09%
Embedded derivative - GMWB | Level 3 | Actuarial cash flow model | Maximum
Unobservable input
Lapse (as a percent)	24.00%
Utilization (as a percent)	100.00%
Nonperformance risk (as a percent)	1.34%
Corporate bonds | Level 3
Determination of fair values
Carrying amount	168,007,000
Corporate bonds | Level 3 | Discounted cash flow | Minimum
Unobservable input
Spread over treasury (as a percent)	0.92%
Corporate bonds | Level 3 | Discounted cash flow | Maximum
Unobservable input
Spread over treasury (as a percent)	7.75%
Corporate bonds | Level 3 | Discounted cash flow | Weighted average
Unobservable input
Spread over treasury (as a percent)	3.34%
Other government-related securities | Level 3
Determination of fair values
Carrying amount	20,011,000
Other government-related securities | Level 3 | Discounted cash flow
Unobservable input
Spread over treasury (as a percent)	0.30%