SEGMENT INFORMATION

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2011

Segment Information [Abstract]

Schedule Of Segment Reporting Information By Segment [Text Block]

16. SEGMENT INFORMATION

As described below, the Company conducts business primarily in three operating segments and maintains a Corporate segment to provide for the capital needs of the three operating segments and to engage in other financing related activities. Each segment is defined consistently with the way results are evaluated by the chief operating decision-maker.

Net investment income is allocated based on segmented assets, including allocated capital, by line of business. Allocations of operating expenses among segments are made using both standard rates and actual expenses incurred. Management evaluates the results of the operating segments on an after-tax basis. The Company does not depend on one or a few customers, brokers or agents for a significant portion of its operations.

Wealth Management

The Wealth Management segment includes funding agreements, individual and group variable annuity products, individual and group fixed annuity products and other retirement benefit products. These contracts may contain any of a number of features including variable or fixed interest rates and equity index options and may be denominated in foreign currencies. The Company uses derivative instruments to manage the risks inherent in the contract options. In addition, the Company consolidates certain VIEs as a component of the Wealth Management segment. Refer to Note 4 for further discussion of the VIE that is consolidated in the Company's consolidated financial statements. Effective January 1, 2010, the Company discontinued the sales of certain of its fixed and fixed index annuity products. Effective December 30, 2011, the Company discontinued new sales of its variable annuity products. Refer to Note 1 for further details.

Individual Protection

The Individual Protection segment includes a variety of life insurance products sold to individuals and corporate owners of life insurance. The products include whole life, UL and variable life products. The Company discontinued the sales of its individual life products and its corporate-owned life insurance effective December 30, 2011 and January 31, 2012, respectively. Refer to Note 1 for further details.

Group Protection

The Group Protection segment includes group life, group long-term disability, group short-term disability, group dental and group stop loss insurance products to small and mid-size employers in the State of New York through the Company's subsidiary, SLNY.

Corporate

The Corporate segment includes the unallocated capital of the Company, its debt financing and items not otherwise attributable to the other segments.

16. SEGMENT INFORMATION (CONTINUED)

The following amounts pertain to the Company's four segments:

Year ended December 31, 2011
	Wealth		Individual		Group
	Management		Protection		Protection		Corporate		Totals
Total revenues	$	312,953	$	78,961	$	124,677	$	8,305	$	524,896
Total benefits and expenses		491,572		89,404		106,912		20,826		708,714
(Loss) income before income
tax (benefit) expense		(178,619)		(10,443)		17,765		(12,521)		(183,818)
Net (loss) income	$	(98,818)	$	(6,558)	$	11,579	$	(9,320)	$	(103,117)
Separate account assets	$	20,221,425	$	7,262,365	$	-	$	-	$	27,483,790
General account assets		17,688,786		2,278,730		182,603		589,641		20,739,760
Total assets	$	37,910,211	$	9,541,095	$	182,603	$	589,641	$	48,223,550
Year ended December 31, 2010
	Wealth		Individual		Group
	Management		Protection		Protection		Corporate		Totals
Total revenues	$	1,760,979	$	66,425	$	127,104	$	(40,320)	$	1,914,188
Total benefits and expenses		1,514,754		68,585		106,346		19,018		1,708,703
Income (loss) before income
tax expense (benefit)		246,225		(2,160)		20,758		(59,338)		205,485
Net income (loss)	$	162,975	$	(1,204)	$	13,508	$	(41,005)	$	134,274
Separate account assets	$	19,685,774	$	7,194,647	$	-	$	-	$	26,880,421
General account assets		19,453,702		2,067,064		181,482		652,467		22,354,715
Total assets	$	39,139,476	$	9,261,711	$	181,482	$	652,467	$	49,235,136

16. SEGMENT INFORMATION (CONTINUED)

Year ended December 31, 2009
	Wealth		Individual		Group
	Management		Protection		Protection		Corporate		Totals
Total revenues	$	2,823,029	$	71,718	$	135,242	$	(9,011)	$	3,020,978
Total benefits and expenses		1,623,582		40,477		119,134		25,611		1,808,804
Income (loss) from continuing
operations before income tax
expense (benefit)		1,199,447		31,241		16,108		(34,622)		1,212,174
Net income from continuing
operations		798,360		10,155		10,470		57,540		876,525
Income from discontinued
operations, net of tax		-		104,971		-		-		104,971
Net income	$	798,360	$	115,126	$	10,470	$	57,540	$	981,496
Separate account assets	$	16,396,394	$	6,929,928	$	-	$	-	$	23,326,323
General account assets		21,323,702		1,997,532		172,648		755,730		24,249,612
Total assets	$	37,720,096	$	8,927,460	$	172,648	$	755,730	$	47,575,935