INVESTMENT OPERATIONS (Details 3) (USD $)	3 Months Ended			9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2011		Sep. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2011
Investment operations
Other-than-temporary impairments of investments recorded	$ 1,676,000	$ 6,259,000	[1]	$ 49,766,000	$ 37,912,000	[1]
Other-than-temporary impairments of investments recorded in earnings	8,556,000	9,829,000	[1]	40,928,000	24,979,000	[1]
Other-than-temporary impairments of investments recorded in other comprehensive income (loss)	(6,880,000)	(3,570,000)	[1]	8,838,000	12,933,000	[1]
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	1,600,000			49,700,000
Other-than-temporary impairments related to debt or equity securities that the Company intended to sell or expected to be required to sell	100,000			100,000
Non-credit gains included in other comprehensive income (loss) related to newly impaired securities		1,300,000		100,000
Net gain included in other comprehensive income (loss) related to previously impaired securities		4,900,000
Fixed income securities
Credit losses on debt securities
Beginning balance	101,470,000	49,847,000		69,719,000	39,427,000
Additions for newly impaired securities		744,000		19,473,000	10,150,000
Additions for previously impaired securities	6,923,000	6,647,000		19,201,000	10,750,000
Reductions for previously impaired securities that were sold in the current period					(3,089,000)
Ending balance	$ 108,393,000	$ 57,238,000		$ 108,393,000	$ 57,238,000

[1] Recast from previously reported information