Investment In Preferred Stock, At Cost	12 Months Ended
Investment In Preferred Stock, At Cost	Dec. 31, 2011
Investment In Preferred Stock, At Cost [Abstract]
Investment In Preferred Stock, At Cost	NOTE 5. INVESTMENT IN PREFERRED STOCK, AT COST In September 1998, we purchased 2,000,000 shares of cumulative preferred stock of LTC Properties, Inc. ("LTC"), a publicly-held REIT. The nonvoting preferred stock is convertible into 2,000,000 shares of LTC common stock. The closing price of LTC's common stock at December 31, 2011 was $30.86 per share. The preferred stock has an annual cumulative coupon rate of 8.5% payable quarterly and a liquidation preference of $19.25 per share. The preferred stock is not redeemable by us or LTC. The preferred stock, which is not listed on a stock exchange, is considered a non-marketable security and is recorded at cost in our Consolidated Balance Sheets. Dividends to be received are recorded as investment income when the dividend is declared. The carrying value of the preferred stock at December 31, 2011 and December 31, 2010 equals its original cost of $38,132,000.

The entire disclosure for investments accounted for under the cost-method. The carrying amount of such investments may be adjusted, for example, distributions in excess of cost (return of capital) or for other-than-temporary impairments. The cost method and lower-of-cost or market, an adaptation of the cost method, is generally followed for most investments in noncontrolled corporations, in some corporate joint ventures, and to a lesser extent in unconsolidated subsidiaries in which the entity does not have the ability to exercise significant influence.

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