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Note 5 - Variable Interest Entities (Policies)
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2014
Variable Interest Entities Policy [Abstract]  
Consolidation, Variable Interest Entity, Policy [Policy Text Block]
Our interests in VIEs for which we are not the primary beneficiary may be accounted for as insurance or reinsurance contracts or credit derivatives, depending on the nature of the transaction. For insurance and reinsurance contracts, we record reserves for losses and LAE, and for credit derivatives, we record cumulative changes in fair value as a derivative asset or liability.
In those instances where we have determined that we are the primary beneficiary, we consolidate the assets and liabilities of the VIE. We have elected to carry the financial assets and financial liabilities of these VIEs at fair value.