INCOME TAXES (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2017

Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]

Reconciliation of income tax expense (benefit)

The actual income tax expense (benefit) for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016 differed from the “expected” income tax expense (benefit) for those periods (computed by applying the United States federal corporate tax rate of 35 percent to income (loss) before income tax) as follows:

	Three months ended   September 30,						Nine months ended   September 30,
($ in thousands)	2017			2016			2017			2016
Computed "expected" income tax expense (benefit)	$	(154	)	$	1,767		$	5,330		$	11,904
Increases (decreases) in tax resulting from:
Tax-exempt interest income	(656		)	(709		)	(2,122		)	(2,101		)
Dividends received deduction	(294		)	(336		)	(948		)	(1,110		)
Proration of tax-exempt interest and dividends received deduction	142			157			460			482
Other, net	(224		)	39			(545		)	(75		)
Total income tax expense (benefit)	$	(1,186	)	$	918		$	2,175		$	9,100