ASBESTOS AND ENVIRONMENTAL CLAIMS	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2014
Liability for Asbestos and Environmental Claims [Abstract]
ASBESTOS AND ENVIRONMENTAL 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 $1,720 per year over the past five years. Reserves for asbestos and environmental related claims for direct insurance and assumed reinsurance business totaled $9,420 and $9,643 ($9,296 and $8,950 net of reinsurance) at December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively. 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. At present, the pool participants are defending approximately 1,849 asbestos bodily injury lawsuits, some of which involve multiple plaintiffs. 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’ policyholders named as defendants in these asbestos lawsuits are typically peripheral defendants who have little or no exposure and are routinely dismissed from asbestos litigation with nominal or no payment (i.e., small contractors, supply companies, and a furnace manufacturer). Prior to 2008, 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, paid losses and settlement expenses have increased significantly since 2008 as a result of claims attributed to one former policyholder. During the period 2009 through 2014, the Company's share of paid losses and settlement expenses attributed to this former policyholder, a furnace manufacturer, was $7,294 (primarily settlement expenses). 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 690 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 each year for the last several 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 (the furnace manufacturer discussed above). 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.

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 $1,720 per year over the past five years. Reserves for asbestos and environmental related claims for direct insurance and assumed reinsurance business totaled $9,420 and $9,643 ($9,296 and $8,950 net of reinsurance) at December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively.

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.

At present, the pool participants are defending approximately 1,849 asbestos bodily injury lawsuits, some of which involve multiple plaintiffs. 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’ policyholders named as defendants in these asbestos lawsuits are typically peripheral defendants who have little or no exposure and are routinely dismissed from asbestos litigation with nominal or no payment (i.e., small contractors, supply companies, and a furnace manufacturer).

Prior to 2008, 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, paid losses and settlement expenses have increased significantly since 2008 as a result of claims attributed to one former policyholder. During the period 2009 through 2014, the Company's share of paid losses and settlement expenses attributed to this former policyholder, a furnace manufacturer, was $7,294 (primarily settlement expenses). 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 690 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 each year for the last several 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 (the furnace manufacturer discussed above). 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.