Retirement Benefit Arrangements (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2014

Disclosure - Retirement Benefit Arrangements [Abstract]

Schedule of Defined Benefit Plans Disclosures [Table Text Block]

At December 31, 2014 and 2013, the funded status of the Zurich Plan was as follows (in thousands of U.S. dollars):

	2014			2013
Funded status
Unfunded pension obligation at beginning of year	$	24,614		$	32,262
Change in pension obligation
Service cost	6,188			6,934
Interest cost	2,635			2,314
Plan participants’ contributions	1,838			1,938
Actuarial loss (gain)	15,796			(8,408		)
Plan amendments	2,667			—
Benefits paid	(7,392		)	(216		)
Foreign currency adjustments	(13,493		)	2,901
Settlements	—			(13,783		)
Change in pension obligation	8,239			(8,320		)
Change in fair value of plan assets
Actual return on plan assets	1,707			3,119
Employer contributions	5,492			5,922
Plan participants’ contributions	1,838			1,938
Benefits paid	(7,392		)	(216		)
Foreign currency adjustments	(10,157		)	2,348
Settlements	—			(13,783		)
Change in fair value of plan assets	(8,512		)	(672		)
Funded status
Unfunded pension obligation at end of year	$	41,365		$	24,614
Additional information:
Projected benefit obligation at end of year	$	134,629		$	126,390
Accumulated pension obligation at end of year	127,322			123,524
Fair value of plan assets at end of year	93,264			101,776

Assumptions used

The assumptions used to determine the Zurich Plan’s pension obligation and net periodic benefit cost for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012 were as follows:

	2014				2013				2012
	Pension obligation		Net periodic benefit cost		Pension obligation		Net periodic benefit cost		Pension obligation		Net periodic benefit cost
Discount rate	1.25	%	2.25	%	2.25	%	1.75	%	1.75	%	2.50	%
Expected return on plan assets	—		2.25	%	—		1.75	%	—		2.50	%
Rate of compensation increase	2.25	%	2.50	%	2.50	%	2.50	%	2.50	%	3.50	%

Expected future benefit payments

At December 31, 2014, estimated employer contributions to be paid in 2015 related to the Zurich Plan were $5.1 million and future benefit payments were estimated to be paid as follows (in thousands of U.S. dollars):

Year	Amount
2015	$	3,959
2016	4,461
2017	4,332
2018	4,108
2019	4,086
2020 to 2024	26,983