Shareholders' Equity

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Stockholders' Equity Note [Abstract]

Stockholders' Equity Note Disclosure [Text Block]

(9) Shareholders' Equity

Treasury Stock

In August 2012, the Board approved a new $300.0 million stock purchase plan (the Plan) and cancelled $98.0 million remaining under a previous authorization for $300.0 million, which was approved in September 2011. In 2012, we purchased 5.6million shares of our common stock in the open market for a total cost of $178.7million and a weighted-average cost of $32.09 per share, of which $50.2 million, or 1.4 million shares, was purchased under the Plan. In 2011, we purchased 12.6million shares of our common stock in the open market for a total cost of $373.6million and a weighted-average cost of $29.55 per share.

Dividends

U.S. insurance companies are limited in the amount of dividends they can pay to their parent by the laws of their state of domicile. The maximum dividends that our direct domestic insurance subsidiaries can pay in 2013 without special permission is $293.5million.

Other Comprehensive Income

The components of accumulated other comprehensive income in our consolidated balance sheets were as follows:

						Foreign		Accumulated
			Net unrealized			currency		other
			investment			translation		comprehensive
			gains (losses)			adjustment		income
Balance at December 31, 2009			$	97,108		$	22,557	$	119,665
Other comprehensive loss - 2010				(14,435)			(8,044)		(22,479)
Balance at December 31, 2010				82,673			14,513		97,186
Other comprehensive income - 2011				130,441			32		130,473
Balance at December 31, 2011				213,114			14,545		227,659
Other comprehensive income (loss) - 2012				69,389	*		(1,777)		67,612
	Balance at December 31, 2012		$	282,503		$	12,768	$	295,271
*	Includes the following reclassification adjustments, which were recorded
	to these accounts in our consolidated statements of earnings:
	Net realized investment gain		$	31,148
	Other-than-temporary impairment credit losses			(1,028)
		Total reclassifications before taxes		30,120
	Income tax expense			10,542
		Total reclassifications	$	19,578

Other

In 2012, we acquired the non-controlling interest of an entity we previously controlled and consolidated, resulting in a decrease in additional paid-in capital of $14.4 million. The purchase agreement includes a contingent earnout of $7.0 million payable in 2022.