DEBT AND OTHER OBLIGATIONS (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended		0 Months Ended	12 Months Ended		12 Months Ended		12 Months Ended			12 Months Ended					12 Months Ended						1 Months Ended				1 Months Ended			1 Months Ended			1 Months Ended			1 Months Ended			1 Months Ended			12 Months Ended			12 Months Ended					12 Months Ended			1 Months Ended			12 Months Ended		1 Months Ended		12 Months Ended										12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Oct. 10, 2012 Golden Gate V and Red Mountain	Dec. 31, 2012 Golden Gate III Vermont Captive Insurance Company (Golden Gate III)	Apr. 23, 2010 Golden Gate III Vermont Captive Insurance Company (Golden Gate III)	Dec. 31, 2012 Golden Gate IV Vermont Captive Insurance Company (Golden Gate IV)	Dec. 10, 2010 Golden Gate IV Vermont Captive Insurance Company (Golden Gate IV)	Dec. 31, 2012 Golden Gate V Vermont Captive Insurance Company	Dec. 31, 2012 Red Mountain	Oct. 10, 2012 Red Mountain	Dec. 31, 2012 Golden Gate II Captive Insurance Company	Dec. 31, 2012 Requirement Minimum	Dec. 31, 2012 Requirement Maximum	Dec. 31, 2012 Actual Results	Dec. 31, 2012 Actual Results Minimum	Dec. 31, 2012 Repurchase Program Borrowings	Dec. 31, 2011 Repurchase Program Borrowings	Dec. 31, 2012 Repurchase Program Borrowings Maximum	Dec. 31, 2012 Revolving Line Of Credit	Jul. 17, 2012 Revolving Line Of Credit	Dec. 31, 2011 Revolving Line Of Credit	Oct. 31, 2009 Senior notes	May 31, 2003 4.30% Senior Notes (2003), due 2013	Dec. 31, 2012 4.30% Senior Notes (2003), due 2013	Dec. 31, 2011 4.30% Senior Notes (2003), due 2013	Oct. 31, 2004 4.875% Senior Notes (2004), due 2014	Dec. 31, 2012 4.875% Senior Notes (2004), due 2014	Dec. 31, 2011 4.875% Senior Notes (2004), due 2014	Dec. 31, 2007 6.40% Senior Notes (2007), due 2018	Dec. 31, 2012 6.40% Senior Notes (2007), due 2018	Dec. 31, 2011 6.40% Senior Notes (2007), due 2018	Oct. 31, 2009 7.375% Senior Notes (2009), due 2019	Dec. 31, 2012 7.375% Senior Notes (2009), due 2019	Dec. 31, 2011 7.375% Senior Notes (2009), due 2019	Oct. 31, 2009 8.00% Senior Notes (2009), due 2024, callable 2014	Dec. 31, 2012 8.00% Senior Notes (2009), due 2024, callable 2014	Dec. 31, 2011 8.00% Senior Notes (2009), due 2024, callable 2014	Oct. 31, 2009 8.45% Senior Notes (2009), due 2039	Dec. 31, 2012 8.45% Senior Notes (2009), due 2039	Dec. 31, 2011 8.45% Senior Notes (2009), due 2039	Dec. 31, 2012 Subordinated debentures Y	Dec. 31, 2012 7.50% Subordinated Debentures (2001), due 2031, callable 2006	Dec. 31, 2011 7.50% Subordinated Debentures (2001), due 2031, callable 2006	Dec. 31, 2012 7.25% Subordinated Debentures (2002), due 2032, callable 2007	Dec. 31, 2011 7.25% Subordinated Debentures (2002), due 2032, callable 2007	Dec. 31, 2012 6.125% Subordinated Debentures (2004), due 2034, callable 2009	Dec. 31, 2011 6.125% Subordinated Debentures (2004), due 2034, callable 2009	Dec. 31, 2012 6.25% Subordinated Debentures (2012) due 2042, callable 2017	Dec. 31, 2012 6.125% Subordinated Debentures (2004), due 2034, callable 2009,One	Dec. 31, 2012 6.125% Subordinated Debentures (2004), due 2034, callable 2009,Two	Dec. 31, 2012 6.00% Subordinated Debentures (2012) due 2042, callable 2017	Jul. 31, 2006 7.25% Capital Securities (2006), due 2066, callable 2011	Dec. 31, 2012 7.25% Capital Securities (2006), due 2066, callable 2011 Y	Dec. 31, 2011 7.25% Capital Securities (2006), due 2066, callable 2011	Dec. 31, 2012 7.25% Capital Securities (2006), due 2066, callable 2011,One	Dec. 31, 2012 7.25% Capital Securities (2006), due 2066, callable 2011,Two	Oct. 31, 2009 Surplus notes	Dec. 31, 2012 Surplus notes	Dec. 31, 2012 Non-recourse funding obligations accruing interest at a rate of LIBOR plus 30 basis points	Dec. 31, 2012 Non-recourse funding obligations accruing interest at a rate of LIBOR plus 200 basis points	Dec. 31, 2012 Long-term debt and subordinated debt securities	Dec. 31, 2011 Long-term debt and subordinated debt securities	Dec. 31, 2010 Long-term debt and subordinated debt securities	Dec. 31, 2012 Other obligations, non-recourse funding obligations and other temporary borrowings	Dec. 31, 2011 Other obligations, non-recourse funding obligations and other temporary borrowings	Dec. 31, 2010 Other obligations, non-recourse funding obligations and other temporary borrowings	Dec. 31, 2012 2012 Credit Facility	Jul. 17, 2012 2012 Credit Facility	Dec. 31, 2012 2012 Credit Facility Federal Funds Rate	Dec. 31, 2012 2012 Credit Facility LIBOR One-Month Rate
Debt and other obligations
Stated interest rate (as a percent)																								4.30%	4.30%		4.875%	4.875%		6.40%	6.40%		7.375%	7.375%		8.00%	8.00%		8.45%	8.45%			7.50%		7.25%	6.125%	6.125%	6.25%			6.00%			7.25%
Total Debt	$ 1,400,000,000	$ 1,520,000,000																	$ 50,000,000		$ 170,000,000			$ 250,000,000	$ 250,000,000		$ 150,000,000	$ 150,000,000		$ 150,000,000	$ 150,000,000		$ 400,000,000	$ 400,000,000		$ 100,000,000	$ 100,000,000		$ 300,000,000	$ 300,000,000
Total subordinated debt securities	540,593,000	524,743,000																																									103,093,000		118,557,000	103,093,000	103,093,000	287,500,000			150,000,000			200,000,000
Repayment of debt																																									421,700,000	103,100,000		118,600,000											75,000,000	125,000,000
Future maturities of debt, excluding notes payable to banks, and subordinated debt securities, for the next five years
2013	250,000,000
2014	150,000,000
Thereafter	1,490,600,000
Line of credit, current borrowing capacity																			500,000,000																																																750,000,000
Line of credit, maximum borrowing capacity																			600,000,000																																																1,000,000,000	750,000,000
Line of credit, maximum borrowing capacity to be granted upon entity's request																																																																				1,000,000,000
Line of credit, amount outstanding																				160,000,000																																															50,000,000
Base of floating rate interest rate payments																			LIBOR																																								LIBOR	LIBOR							LIBOR		Federal Funds rate	one-month LIBOR
Interest rate added to the base rate (as a percent)																			0.40%																																								0.30%	2.00%							1.20%		0.50%	1.00%
Outstanding amount of debt																																									103,100,000
Summary of the Company's estimated debt covenant calculations
Consolidated net worth margin												0			500,000,000
Debt to total capital ratio													0.40	0.30
Total adjusted capital margin												0		2,000,000,000
Interest cash inflow available compared to adjusted consolidated interest expense												2			5
Amount of debt issued																						800,000,000	250,000,000			150,000,000			150,000,000			400,000,000			100,000,000			300,000,000											287,500,000	150,000,000		200,000,000
Write off of deferred issue costs																																																	7,200,000	4,000,000
Maximum period up to which the entity has the right to defer interest payments																																									5												5
Net proceeds from issuance of debt																													148,700,000																							193,800,000
Aggregate principal amount of debt repurchased by Golden Gate from third parties																																																									800,000,000
Pre-tax gain on repurchase of debt																																																									126,300,000
Term of transaction			20 years
Maximum financing capacity under transaction			945,000,000
Principal amount of note issued									300,000,000	275,000,000
Outstanding surplus notes	800,000,000																																																									800,000,000
Outstanding non-recourse funding obligations of Golden Gate II Captive Insurance Company	575,000,000																																																										275,000,000	300,000,000
Non-recourse funding obligations	586,000,000	407,800,000						300,000,000			286,000,000
Non-recourse funding obligations held by affiliates	289,000,000
Additional amount of obligations which can be issued under contingent approval	100,000,000
Year-to-date weighted-average interest rate of non-recourse funding obligations (as a percent)	1.12%							6.25%			1.12%
Outstanding nonrecourse funding obligations repurchased at discount	121,800,000	124,600,000
Gain from repurchase of outstanding nonrecourse funding obligations	38,400,000	40,100,000
Fair value of securities pledged under the repurchase program																168,100,000
Repurchase program borrowings	150,000,000															150,000,000
Average borrowing rate (as a percent)																0.15%
Maximum balance outstanding																425,000,000	348,200,000
Average daily balance																266,300,000	147,700,000
Average borrowing rate (as a percent)																0.14%	0.13%
Term of debt																		30 days
Interest Expense
Interest expense																																																													131,500,000	130,900,000	131,100,000	28,700,000	28,200,000	20,000,000
Increase (decrease) in interest expense																																																														600,000			500,000
Repayment of debt																																									421,700,000	103,100,000		118,600,000											75,000,000	125,000,000
Maximum borrowing capacity				580,000,000	505,000,000	625,000,000	270,000,000
Maximum amount up to which LOC will be periodically increased				$ 610,000,000		$ 790,000,000
Letter of credit term				12 years		12 years