INCOME TAXES (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2018

Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]

Reconciliation of income tax expense (benefit)

The actual income tax expense (benefit) for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017 differed from the “expected” income tax expense (benefit) for those periods (computed by applying the United States federal corporate tax rates of 21 percent during 2018 and 35 percent during 2017 to income (loss) before income tax) as follows:

	Three months ended   March 31,
($ in thousands)	2018			2017
Computed "expected" income tax expense (benefit)	$	(111	)	$	2,954
Increases (decreases) in tax resulting from:
Tax-exempt interest income	(310		)	(705		)
Dividends received deduction	(123		)	(306		)
Proration of tax-exempt interest and dividends received deduction	108			152
Other, net	(16		)	(459		)
Total income tax expense (benefit)	$	(452	)	$	1,636