ASBESTOS AND ENVIRONMENTAL RELATED CLAIMS	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2013
Liability for Asbestos and Environmental Claims [Abstract]
ASBESTOS AND ENVIRONMENTAL RELATED CLAIMS	ASBESTOS AND ENVIRONMENTAL CLAIMS The Company has exposure to asbestos and environmental related claims associated with the insurance business written by the parties to the pooling agreement and the reinsurance business assumed from Employers Mutual by the reinsurance subsidiary. These exposures are not considered to be significant. Asbestos and environmental losses paid by the Company have averaged $1,770,660 per year over the past five years. Reserves for asbestos and environmental related claims for direct insurance and assumed reinsurance business totaled $9,642,785 and $9,432,926 ($8,950,485 and $8,777,876 net of reinsurance) at December 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively. At present, the pool participants are defending approximately 1,717 asbestos bodily injury lawsuits, some of which involve multiple plaintiffs. Five former policyholders and one current policyholder dominate the pool participants’ asbestos claims. Most of the lawsuits are subject to express reservation of rights based upon the lack of an injury within the applicable policy periods, because many asbestos lawsuits do not specifically allege dates of asbestos exposure or dates of injury. The pool participants are defending several hundred plaintiff lawsuits (primarily multi-plaintiff lawsuits) filed against three former policyholders related to exposure to asbestos or products containing asbestos. These claims are based upon nonspecific asbestos exposure and nonspecific injuries. As a result, management did not establish a significant amount of case loss reserves for these claims. As of December 31, 2013, approximately 2,000 of the claims remain open. The pool participants defended another former policyholder that was a named defendant in approximately 33,000 claims nationwide. The last of these claims were settled during 2012 for approximately $690,000 (the Company’s share). Historically, actual losses paid for asbestos-related claims has been minimal due to the plaintiffs’ failure to identify an exposure to any asbestos-containing products associated with the pool participants’ current and former policyholders. However, in recent years paid losses and settlement expenses have increased significantly as a result of claims attributed to two former policyholders. At December 31, 2013, nine claims associated with one of these policyholders remain open, though exposure on these claims is not expected to be material. The other former policyholder, a furnace manufacturer, had multiple claims settle for a total of approximately $2,176,000 (the Company’s share) during the period 2009 through 2013. The asbestos exposure associated with this former policyholder has increased in recent years, and this trend may possibly continue into the future with increased per plaintiff settlements. Approximately 646 asbestos exposure claims associated with this former policyholder remain open. The Company continues to run-off ultimate asbestos and environmental reserves established from an outside consultant’s ground-up study completed a number of years ago. The direct IBNR and bulk settlement expense reserves associated with asbestos has been increased in each of the most recent six years in response to new information. In particular, bulk settlement expense reserves have been increased to cover the costs associated with the retention of a national coordinating counsel to address the multi-state litigation issues of the Company’s largest asbestos defendant. Additionally, in 2012 the Company jointly settled a long-term asbestos case representing the Company’s share of 20 years’ worth of defense costs. Increased settlement expense payments have been the main driver of the reserve increases over the past several years. Estimating loss and settlement expense reserves for asbestos and environmental claims is very difficult due to the many uncertainties surrounding these types of claims. These uncertainties exist because the assignment of responsibility varies widely by state and claims often emerge long after a policy has expired, which makes assignment of damages to the appropriate party and to the time period covered by a particular policy difficult. In establishing reserves for these types of claims, management monitors the relevant facts concerning each claim, the current status of the legal environment, social and political conditions, and claim history and trends within the Company and the industry.

ASBESTOS AND ENVIRONMENTAL CLAIMS

The Company has exposure to asbestos and environmental related claims associated with the insurance business written by the parties to the pooling agreement and the reinsurance business assumed from Employers Mutual by the reinsurance subsidiary. These exposures are not considered to be significant. Asbestos and environmental losses paid by the Company have averaged $1,770,660 per year over the past five years. Reserves for asbestos and environmental related claims for direct insurance and assumed reinsurance business totaled $9,642,785 and $9,432,926 ($8,950,485 and $8,777,876 net of reinsurance) at December 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively.

At present, the pool participants are defending approximately 1,717 asbestos bodily injury lawsuits, some of which involve multiple plaintiffs. Five former policyholders and one current policyholder dominate the pool participants’ asbestos claims. Most of the lawsuits are subject to express reservation of rights based upon the lack of an injury within the applicable policy periods, because many asbestos lawsuits do not specifically allege dates of asbestos exposure or dates of injury. The pool participants are defending several hundred plaintiff lawsuits (primarily multi-plaintiff lawsuits) filed against three former policyholders related to exposure to asbestos or products containing asbestos. These claims are based upon nonspecific asbestos exposure and nonspecific injuries. As a result, management did not establish a significant amount of case loss reserves for these claims. As of December 31, 2013, approximately 2,000 of the claims remain open. The pool participants defended another former policyholder that was a named defendant in approximately 33,000 claims nationwide. The last of these claims were settled during 2012 for approximately $690,000 (the Company’s share).

Historically, actual losses paid for asbestos-related claims has been minimal due to the plaintiffs’ failure to identify an exposure to any asbestos-containing products associated with the pool participants’ current and former policyholders. However, in recent years paid losses and settlement expenses have increased significantly as a result of claims attributed to two former policyholders. At December 31, 2013, nine claims associated with one of these policyholders remain open, though exposure on these claims is not expected to be material. The other former policyholder, a furnace manufacturer, had multiple claims settle for a total of approximately $2,176,000 (the Company’s share) during the period 2009 through 2013. The asbestos exposure associated with this former policyholder has increased in recent years, and this trend may possibly continue into the future with increased per plaintiff settlements. Approximately 646 asbestos exposure claims associated with this former policyholder remain open.

The Company continues to run-off ultimate asbestos and environmental reserves established from an outside consultant’s ground-up study completed a number of years ago. The direct IBNR and bulk settlement expense reserves associated with asbestos has been increased in each of the most recent six years in response to new information. In particular, bulk settlement expense reserves have been increased to cover the costs associated with the retention of a national coordinating counsel to address the multi-state litigation issues of the Company’s largest asbestos defendant. Additionally, in 2012 the Company jointly settled a long-term asbestos case representing the Company’s share of 20 years’ worth of defense costs. Increased settlement expense payments have been the main driver of the reserve increases over the past several years.

Estimating loss and settlement expense reserves for asbestos and environmental claims is very difficult due to the many uncertainties surrounding these types of claims. These uncertainties exist because the assignment of responsibility varies widely by state and claims often emerge long after a policy has expired, which makes assignment of damages to the appropriate party and to the time period covered by a particular policy difficult. In establishing reserves for these types of claims, management monitors the relevant facts concerning each claim, the current status of the legal environment, social and political conditions, and claim history and trends within the Company and the industry.