INVESTMENT OPERATIONS (Details 3) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Investment operations
Other-than-temporary impairments of investments recorded	$ 10,941,000	$ 66,188,000	$ 62,332,000
Other-than-temporary impairments of investments recorded in earnings	22,447,000	58,886,000	47,442,000
Other-than-temporary impairments of investments recorded in other comprehensive income (loss)	(11,506,000)	7,302,000	14,890,000
Pre-tax other-than-temporary impairments related to debt securities that the entity does not intend to sell and does not expect to be required to sell			52,800,000
Pre-tax other-than-temporary impairments credit losses related to debt securities that the entity does not intend to sell and does not expect to be required to sell recorded in earnings			37,900,000
Pre-tax other-than-temporary impairments credit losses related to debt securities that the entity does not intend to sell and does not expect to be required to sell recorded in other comprehensive income (loss)			14,900,000
Fixed income securities
Investment operations
Other-than-temporary impairments related to fixed maturities or equity securities that the Company intended to sell or expected to be required to sell	0	0	9,500,000
Other-than-temporary impairments of investments recorded	7,600,000	66,200,000	62,300,000
Credit losses on fixed maturities
Beginning balance	122,121,000	69,719,000	39,427,000
Additions for newly impaired securities	3,516,000	26,961,000	12,731,000
Additions for previously impaired securities	12,066,000	25,441,000	20,650,000
Reductions for previously impaired securities due to a change in expected cash flows	(88,523,000)
Reductions for previously impaired securities that were sold in the current period	(7,488,000)		(3,089,000)
Ending balance	41,692,000	122,121,000	69,719,000
Equity securities
Investment operations
Other-than-temporary impairments related to fixed maturities or equity securities that the Company intended to sell or expected to be required to sell	0	0
Other-than-temporary impairments of investments recorded	$ 3,300,000	$ 0	$ 0