Infinity Property & Casualty (IPCC) 10-K 26 Feb 15 2014 FY Annual report Financial data

Document_and_Entity_Informatio

Document and Entity Information Document (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014	Feb. 13, 2015	Jun. 30, 2014
Document Information [Abstract]
Document Type	10-K
Amendment Flag	FALSE
Document Period End Date	31-Dec-14
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2014
Document Fiscal Period Focus	FY
Entity Registrant Name	INFINITY PROPERTY & CASUALTY CORP
Entity Central Index Key	1195933
Current Fiscal Year End Date	-19
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		11,473,967
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	Yes
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Public Float			$746,839,380

Consolidated_Statements_of_Ear

Consolidated Statements of Earnings (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Revenues:
Earned premium	$1,325,935	$1,302,525	$1,184,090
Earned premium, percent change	1.80%	10.00%
Installment and other fee income	95,242	98,428	99,952
Installment and other fee income, percent change	-3.20%	-1.50%
Net investment income	35,629	35,546	37,571
Net investment income, percent change	0.20%	-5.40%
Net realized gains on investments	4,284	6,026	24,055
Net realized gains on investments, percent change	-28.90%	-74.90%
Gain on sale of subsidiaries	0	0	2,922
Gain on sale of subsidiaries, percent change	0.00%	-100.00%
Other income	619	707	996
Other income, percent change	-12.50%	-29.00%
Total revenues	1,461,709	1,443,233	1,349,585
Total revenues, percent change	1.30%	6.90%
Costs and Expenses:
Losses and loss adjustment expenses	1,001,628	1,017,247	942,253
Losses and loss adjustment expense, percent change	-1.50%	8.00%
Commissions and other underwriting expenses	354,559	357,052	349,808
Commissions and other underwriting expenses, percent change	-0.70%	2.10%
Interest expense	13,801	13,912	12,908
Interest expense, percent change	-0.80%	7.80%
Corporate general and administrative expenses	7,702	7,870	7,408
Corporate general and administrative expenses, percent change	-2.10%	6.20%
Loss on redemption of long-term debt	0	0	13,595
Loss on repurchase of debt, percent change	0.00%	-100.00%
Other expenses	882	2,073	1,526
Other expenses, percent change	-57.50%	35.90%
Total costs and expenses	1,378,572	1,398,155	1,327,498
Total costs and expenses, percent change	-1.40%	5.30%
Earnings before income taxes	83,138	45,078	22,088
Earnings before income taxes, percent change	84.40%	104.10%
Provision for income taxes	25,936	12,445	-2,231
Provision for income taxes, percent change	108.40%
Net Earnings	57,201	32,633	24,319
Net Earnings, percent change	75.30%	34.20%
Net Earnings per Common Share:
Basic earnings per share (usd per share)	$5	$2.85	$2.09
Basic earnings per share, percent change	75.40%	36.40%
Diluted earnings per share (usd per share)	$4.95	$2.80	$2.04
Diluted earnings per share, percent change	76.80%	37.30%
Average Number of Common Shares:
Basic average number of common shares	11,440	11,451	11,660
Basic average number of common shares, percent change	-0.10%	-1.80%
Diluted average number of common shares	11,562	11,657	11,941
Diluted average number of common shares, percent change	-0.80%	-2.40%
Cash Dividends per Common Share (usd per share)	$1.44	$1.20	$0.90
Cash Dividends per Common Share, percent change	20.00%	33.30%
Net realized gains before impairment losses	4,444	7,495	25,447
Net realized gains before impairment losses, percent change	-40.70%	-70.50%
Total other-than-temporary impairment (OTTI) losses	-1,023	-3,772	-1,404
Total other-than-temporary impairment (OTTI) losses, percent change	-72.90%	168.70%
Non-credit portion in other comprehensive income	888	2,338	44
Non-credit portion in other comprehensive income, percent change	-62.00%
OTTI losses reclassified from other comprehensive income	-25	-33	-32
OTTI losses reclassified from other comprehensive income, percent change	-26.10%	3.30%
Net impairment losses recognized in earnings	($160)	($1,468)	($1,393)
Net impairment losses recognized in earnings, percent change	-89.10%	5.40%

Consolidated_Statement_of_Comp

Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Statement of Comprehensive Income [Abstract]
Net earnings	$57,201	$32,633	$24,319
Other comprehensive (loss) income before tax:
Net change in postretirement benefit liability	235	906	-1,487
Unrealized gains (losses) on investments:
Unrealized holding gains (losses) arising during the period	14,618	-15,227	17,129
Less: Reclassification adjustments for gains included in net earnings	-4,284	-6,026	-24,055
Unrealized gains (losses) on investments, net	10,334	-21,254	-6,926
Other comprehensive income (loss), before tax	10,569	-20,348	-8,412
Income tax benefit (expense) related to components of other comprehensive income	3,699	-7,122	-2,944
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax	6,870	-13,226	-5,468
Comprehensive income	$64,071	$19,406	$18,851

Consolidated_Balance_Sheets

Consolidated Balance Sheets (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Investments:
Fixed maturities – at fair value (amortized cost $1,412,417 and $1,345,077)	$1,431,843	$1,354,305
Equity securities – at fair value (cost $77,862 and $74,718)	94,408	91,127
Short-term investments - at fair value (amortized cost $803 and $2,595)	803	2,596
Total investments	1,527,054	1,448,027
Cash and cash equivalents	84,541	134,211
Accrued investment income	12,976	12,772
Agents’ balances and premium receivable, net of allowances for doubtful accounts of $15,510 and $15,884	483,638	451,339
Property and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation of $63,929 and $53,368	55,880	48,061
Prepaid reinsurance premium	4,809	3,133
Recoverables from reinsurers (includes $161 and $77 on paid losses and LAE)	14,530	14,508
Deferred policy acquisition costs	90,428	88,258
Current and deferred income taxes	20,022	28,648
Receivable for securities sold	4,549	2,791
Other assets	11,108	10,242
Goodwill	75,275	75,275
Total assets	2,384,812	2,317,265
Liabilities:
Unpaid losses and loss adjustment expenses	668,177	646,577
Unearned premium	589,260	566,004
Long-term debt (fair value $291,044 and $272,632)	275,000	275,000
Commissions payable	18,673	19,100
Payable for securities purchased	17,173	39,887
Other liabilities	118,870	113,938
Total liabilities	1,687,153	1,660,507
Commitments and contingencies (See Note 14)
Shareholders’ equity:
Common stock, no par value (50,000,000 shares authorized; 21,728,032 and 21,599,047 shares issued)	21,745	21,684
Additional paid-in capital	372,368	368,902
Retained earnings	725,651	685,011
Accumulated other comprehensive income, net of tax	23,494	16,624
Treasury stock, at cost (10,244,672 and 10,095,416 shares)	-445,599	-435,463
Total shareholders’ equity	697,659	656,758
Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity	$2,384,812	$2,317,265

Consolidated_Balance_Sheets_Pa

Consolidated Balance Sheets (Parenthetical) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, except Share data, unless otherwise specified
Statement of Financial Position [Abstract]
Fixed maturities, amortized costs	$1,412,417	$1,345,077
Equity securities, cost	77,862	74,718
Short-term investments, cost	803	2,597
Agents' balances and premium receivable, allowance for doubtful accounts	15,510	15,884
Property and equipment, accumulated depreciation	63,929	53,368
Recoverable from reinsurers, paid losses and loss adjustement expenses	161	77
Long-term debt	$291,044	$272,632
Common stock, shares authorized	50,000,000	50,000,000
Common stock, shares issued	21,728,032	21,599,047
Treasury stock, shares	10,244,672	10,095,416

Consolidated_Statements_Of_Cha

Consolidated Statements Of Changes In Shareholders' Equity (USD $)	Total	Common Stock	Additional Paid-in Capital	Retained Earnings	Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income, Net of Tax	Treasury Stock
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Beginning Balance at Dec. 31, 2011	$661,789	$21,358	$355,911	$652,423	$35,319	($403,221)
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Net earnings	24,319	0	0	24,319	0	0
Net change in postretirement benefit liability	-966	0	0	0	-966	0
Change in unrealized gain on investments	11,134	0	0	0		0
Available-for-sale Securities, Change in Net Unrealized Holding Gain (Loss), Net of Tax, Excluding Other Than Temporary Impairment Portion	-5,866				-5,866
Change in non-credit component of impairment losses on fixed maturities	1,365	0	0	0	1,365	0
Comprehensive income	18,851
Dividends paid to common shareholders	-10,544	0	0	-10,544	0	0
Shares issued and share-based compensation expense, including tax benefit	6,106	172	5,934	0	0	0
Acquisition of treasury stock	-19,960	0	0	0	0	-19,960
Ending Balance at Dec. 31, 2012	656,242	21,529	361,845	666,199	29,851	-423,181
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Net earnings	32,633	0	0	32,633	0	0
Net change in postretirement benefit liability	589	0	0	0	589	0
Change in unrealized gain on investments	-9,898	0	0	0		0
Available-for-sale Securities, Change in Net Unrealized Holding Gain (Loss), Net of Tax, Excluding Other Than Temporary Impairment Portion	-12,724				-12,724
Change in non-credit component of impairment losses on fixed maturities	-1,091	0	0	0	-1,091	0
Comprehensive income	19,406
Dividends paid to common shareholders	-13,821	0	0	-13,821	0	0
Shares issued and share-based compensation expense, including tax benefit	7,212	155	7,057	0	0	0
Acquisition of treasury stock	-12,282	0	0	0	0	-12,282
Ending Balance at Dec. 31, 2013	656,758	21,684	368,902	685,011	16,624	-435,463
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Net earnings	57,201	0	0	57,201	0	0
Net change in postretirement benefit liability	153	0	0	0	153	0
Change in unrealized gain on investments	9,502	0	0	0		0
Available-for-sale Securities, Change in Net Unrealized Holding Gain (Loss), Net of Tax, Excluding Other Than Temporary Impairment Portion	6,810				6,810
Change in non-credit component of impairment losses on fixed maturities	-93	0	0	0	-93	0
Comprehensive income	64,071
Dividends paid to common shareholders	-16,562	0	0	-16,562	0	0
Shares issued and share-based compensation expense, including tax benefit	3,527	61	3,466	0	0	0
Acquisition of treasury stock	-10,136	0	0	0	0	-10,136
Ending Balance at Dec. 31, 2014	$697,659	$21,745	$372,368	$725,651	$23,494	($445,599)

Consolidated_Statements_of_Cas

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Operating Activities:
Net earnings	$57,201	$32,633	$24,319
Adjustments:
Depreciation	10,803	9,030	8,565
Amortization	21,952	18,936	9,122
Net realized gains on investments	-4,284	-6,026	-24,055
(Gain) loss on disposal of property and equipment	-16	-120	52
Gain on sale of subsidiaries	0	0	-2,922
Loss on redemption of long-term debt	0	0	13,595
Share-based compensation expense	2,634	4,009	3,194
Excess tax benefits from share-based payment arrangements	-108	-573	-896
Activity related to rabbi trust	48	126	65
Change in accrued investment income	-205	-845	-1,165
Change in agents’ balances and premium receivable	-32,299	-24,183	-44,535
Change in reinsurance receivables	-1,699	-575	-216
Change in deferred policy acquisition costs	-2,170	-7	-8,180
Change in other assets	4,251	4,583	-15,911
Change in unpaid losses and loss adjustment expenses	21,600	73,683	77,491
Change in unearned premium	23,256	27,862	63,614
Change in other liabilities	5,056	4,725	36,234
Net cash provided by operating activities	106,020	143,258	138,371
Investing Activities:
Purchases of fixed maturities	-516,522	-774,640	-699,797
Purchases of equity securities	-6,600	-11,100	-69,002
Purchases of short-term investments	-7,920	-5,798	0
Purchases of property and equipment	-18,641	-17,840	-9,235
Maturities and redemptions of fixed maturities	167,011	193,421	182,292
Maturities and redemptions of short-term investments	2,800	0	0
Proceeds from sale of subsidiary companies	0	0	9,107
Proceeds from sale of fixed maturities	238,893	454,647	452,127
Proceeds from sale of equity securities	4,999	7,244	39,502
Proceeds from sale of short-term investments	6,864	3,204	0
Proceeds from sale of property and equipment	34	171	11
Net cash used in investing activities	-129,082	-150,691	-94,995
Financing Activities:
Proceeds from stock options exercised and employee stock purchases	784	3,203	2,911
Excess tax benefits from share-based payment arrangements	108	573	896
Proceeds from issuance of long-term debt	0	0	273,213
Redemption of long-term debt	0	0	-208,122
Principal payments under capital lease obligations	-840	-882	-673
Acquisition of treasury stock	-10,100	-12,612	-19,643
Dividends paid to shareholders	-16,562	-13,821	-10,544
Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities	-26,609	-23,538	38,039
Net (decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents	-49,670	-30,971	81,415
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period	134,211	165,182	83,767
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	$84,541	$134,211	$165,182

Significant_Reporting_and_Acco

Significant Reporting and Accounting Policies	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Significant Reporting and Accounting Policies	Significant Reporting and Accounting Policies
	Nature of Operations
	We currently write personal automobile insurance with a concentration on nonstandard automobile insurance, mono-line commercial vehicle insurance and classic collector automobile insurance. Personal auto insurance accounts for 91% of our total gross written premium and we primarily write it in four states. We wrote approximately 50% of our personal auto gross written premium in the state of California during 2014.
	Basis of Consolidation and Reporting
	The accompanying consolidated financial statements include our accounts and those of our subsidiaries. These financial statements reflect certain adjustments necessary for a fair presentation of our results of operations and financial position. Such adjustments consist of normal, recurring accruals recorded to accurately match expenses with their related revenue streams and the elimination of all significant inter-company transactions and balances.
	We revised the presentation of our Consolidated Statements of Earnings for the years ending 2013 and 2012 to correctly classify $98.4 million and $100.0 million, respectively, of installment and other fee income as a component of total revenues and to conform to our current-year presentation. Previously, installment and other fee income was presented net within our commissions and other underwriting expenses, which was not in compliance with GAAP, thereby understating both total revenues and total expenses by an equivalent amount. This revision is not considered to be material to previously issued financial statements since it has no effect on the results of operations, financial condition or cash flows in any period presented or in any previously issued financial statements.
	We have evaluated events that occurred after December 31, 2014, for recognition or disclosure in our financial statements and the notes to the financial statements.
	Schedules may not foot due to rounding.
	Estimates
	The preparation of the financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles of the United States requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the financial statements and accompanying notes. Changes in circumstances could cause actual results to differ materially from those estimates.
	Investments
	We consider all fixed maturity securities “available for sale” and report them at fair value with unrealized gains or losses reported after-tax in accumulated other comprehensive income within shareholders' equity.  We base the fair values of investments on prices quoted in the most active market for each security. If quoted prices are not available, we estimate fair value based on the fair value of comparable securities, discounted cash flow models or similar methods. We treat premium and discounts on mortgage-backed securities (“MBS”) and asset-backed securities (“ABS”) as a yield adjustment over the estimated life of the securities, adjusted for anticipated prepayments, using the interest method. We base prepayment assumptions on data from widely accepted third party data sources or internal estimates. We review the amortized cost and effective yield of the security periodically and adjust it to reflect actual prepayments and changes in expectations. For high credit quality MBS and ABS (those rated AA or above at the time of purchase), the adjustments to amortized cost are recorded as a charge or credit to net investment income in accordance with the retrospective method. For MBS and ABS rated below AA, we adjust the yield prospectively for any changes in estimated cash flows.
	Gains or losses on securities are determined on the specific identification basis.  When we consider impairment in the value of a specific investment other-than-temporary (“OTTI”), the cost basis of that investment is reduced. For fixed maturity securities that are OTTI, we assess our intent to sell and the likelihood that we will be required to sell the security before recovery of our amortized cost. If a fixed maturity security is considered OTTI, but we do not intend to and are not more than likely to be required to sell the security prior to its recovery to amortized cost, the amount of the impairment is separated into a credit loss component and the amount due to all other factors. The excess of the amortized cost over the present value of the expected cash flows determines the credit loss component of an impairment charge on a fixed maturity security. The present value is determined using the best estimate of cash flows discounted at (1) the effective interest rate implicit at the date of acquisition for non-structured securities or (2) the book yield for structured securities. The techniques and assumptions for determining the best estimate of cash flows varies depending on the type of security. We recognize the credit loss component of an impairment charge in net earnings and the non-credit component in accumulated other comprehensive income.
	Securities having a fair value of approximately $21.2 million at December 31, 2014, were on deposit as required by regulatory authorities.
	Cash and Cash Equivalents
	We consider liquid investments having original maturities of three months or less when purchased to be cash equivalents for purposes of the financial statements.
	Reinsurance
	Our insurance subsidiaries cede insurance to other companies. To the extent that any reinsuring companies are unable to meet obligations under agreements covering reinsurance ceded, our insurance subsidiaries would remain liable. We estimate amounts recoverable from reinsurers in a manner consistent with the claim liability associated with the reinsured policies. Our insurance subsidiaries report as assets (a) the estimated reinsurance recoverable on unpaid losses and (b) amounts paid to reinsurers applicable to the unexpired terms of policies in force.
	Deferred Policy Acquisition Costs (“DPAC”)
	We defer and charge against income ratably over the terms of the related policies policy acquisition costs (principally commissions, premium taxes and other marketing and underwriting expenses) related to the successful production of premium writings.  The method followed in computing DPAC limits the amount of such costs to their estimated realizable value without any consideration for anticipated investment income. Each quarter, we evaluate the recoverability of these costs. The DPAC amortization expense recognized in the Consolidated Statements of Earnings during 2014, 2013 and 2012 was $204.7 million, $206.7 million and $194.9 million, respectively.
	Goodwill
	In accordance with the Goodwill topic of the FASB Accounting Standards Codification (“FASC”), we perform impairment test procedures for goodwill on an annual basis. These procedures require us to calculate the fair value of goodwill, compare the result to our carrying value and record the amount of any shortfall as an impairment charge.
	We performed this test as of October 1, 2014, using a variety of methods, including estimates of future discounted cash flows and comparisons of our market value to that of our major competitors. Our cash flow projections rely on assumptions that are subject to uncertainty, including premium growth, loss and loss adjustment expense ratios, interest rates and capital requirements.
	The October 1, 2014, test results indicated that the fair value of our goodwill exceeded our carrying value and therefore no impairment charge was required at that date. Additionally, there was no indication of impairment at December 31, 2014.
	Unpaid Losses and Loss Adjustment Expenses (“LAE”)
	The net liabilities stated for unpaid claims and for expenses of investigation and adjustment of unpaid claims are based upon (a) the accumulation of case estimates for losses reported prior to the close of the accounting period on direct business written; (b) estimates received from ceding reinsurers and insurance pools and associations; (c) estimates of unreported losses based on past experience; (d) estimates based on experience of expenses for investigating and adjusting claims; and (e) the current state of the law and coverage litigation. These liabilities are subject to the impact of changes in claim amounts and frequency and other factors. We have not reduced liabilities for unpaid losses and LAE for reinsurance recoverables; such recoverables are recorded separately as assets. Changes in estimates of the liabilities for losses and LAE are reflected in the Consolidated Statements of Earnings in the period in which determined. In spite of the variability inherent in such estimates, we believe that the liabilities for unpaid losses and LAE are adequate.
	Premium and Receivables
	We earn insurance premium written over the terms of the policies on a pro rata basis.  Unearned premium represents that portion of premium written which is applicable to the unexpired terms of policies in force.  On reinsurance assumed from other insurance companies or written through various underwriting organizations, we base unearned premium on reports received from such companies and organizations. We provide insurance and related services to individuals and small commercial accounts throughout the United States and offer a variety of payment plans. We establish an allowance for doubtful accounts based on the relationship, on a policy basis, between receivables and unearned premium, or an aging analysis of past due balances. We charge off premium due from insureds if not collected within 90 days of the policies' expiration or cancellation dates. However, even after we charge off premium, attempts to collect the premium continue.
	Income Taxes
	We file a consolidated federal income tax return, which includes all 80% and greater owned U.S. subsidiaries. We and our 80% and greater owned subsidiaries are parties to a tax allocation agreement, which designates how members of the tax group share tax payments. In general, each subsidiary agrees to pay us taxes computed on a separate company taxable income basis. We agree to pay each subsidiary for the tax benefit, if any, of net losses used by other members of the consolidated group.
	We calculate deferred income taxes using the “asset and liability method.” Under this method, deferred income tax assets and liabilities are determined based on differences between financial reporting and tax basis and are measured using enacted tax rates. We recognize deferred tax assets if it is more likely than not that a benefit will be realized. We aggregate current and deferred tax assets and liabilities on the Consolidated Balance Sheets.
	Property and Equipment
	We report property and equipment balances at cost less accumulated depreciation. Property and equipment, which consists of land, buildings, leasehold improvements, computer equipment, capitalized software and furniture and fixtures, consisted of the following balances as of December 31, 2014 ($ in millions):
		Gross Asset		Accumulated Depreciation			Net Asset
	Real Estate Related	$	41.4	$	(6.5	)	$	34.9
	Computer Equipment & Software	66.1		(48.4		)	17.8
	Furniture & Fixtures	12.2		(9.0		)	3.2
		$	119.8	$	(63.9	)	$	55.9
	We recognized $1.8 million, net of accumulated depreciation of $0.9 million, of equipment held under capital leases in other assets on the Consolidated Balance Sheets with the related lease obligations recorded in other liabilities. We compute depreciation over the estimated useful lives of the assets using the straight-line method. Property and equipment is a separate line item on the Consolidated Balance Sheets and we allocate the related expenses, including amortization of assets recorded under capital leases, to one or more of the following line items on the Consolidated Statements of Earnings depending on the asset: losses and LAE, commissions and other underwriting expenses, corporate general and administrative expenses or other expenses.
	Benefit Plans
	We provide retirement benefits to qualified employees and healthcare and life insurance benefits to eligible retirees. We also provide post-employment benefits to former or inactive employees (primarily those on disability) who were not deemed retired under other company plans. The projected future cost of providing these benefits is expensed over the period the employees earn such benefits.
	Recently Issued Accounting Standards
	In May 2014 the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued an Accounting Standards Update (ASU) related to the accounting for revenue from contracts with customers. Insurance contracts have been excluded from the scope of the guidance, which is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016. We do not expect the adoption of this standard to have a material impact on our financial condition or results of operations.

Fair_Value

Fair Value	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Fair Value	Fair Value
	Fair values of instruments are based on (i) quoted prices in active markets for identical assets (Level 1); (ii) quoted prices for similar instruments in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar instruments in markets that are not active and model-derived valuations in which all significant inputs are observable in active markets (Level 2); or (iii) valuations derived from valuation techniques in which one or more significant inputs are unobservable in the marketplace (Level 3).
	The following tables present, for each of the fair value hierarchy levels, our assets and liabilities for which we report fair value on a recurring basis ($ in thousands):
			Fair Value
	December 31, 2014		Level 1				Level 2				Level 3				Total
	Cash and cash equivalents		$	84,541			$	0			$	0			$	84,541
	Fixed maturity securities:
	U.S. government		66,847				87				0				66,933
	State and municipal		0				503,650				0				503,650
	Mortgage-backed securities:
	Residential		0				354,528				0				354,528
	Commercial		0				50,838				0				50,838
	Total mortgage-backed securities		0				405,366				0				405,366
	Collateralized mortgage obligations		0				0				0				0
	Asset-backed securities		0				58,457				150				58,607
	Corporates		0				394,152				3,134				397,286
	Total fixed maturities		66,847				1,361,711				3,285				1,431,843
	Equity securities		94,408				0				0				94,408
	Short-term investments		0				803				0				803
	Total cash and investments		$	245,795			$	1,362,514			$	3,285			$	1,611,594
	Percentage of total cash and investments		15.3		%		84.5		%		0.2		%		100		%
			Fair Value
	December 31, 2013		Level 1				Level 2				Level 3				Total
	Cash and cash equivalents		$	134,211			$	0			$	0			$	134,211
	Fixed maturity securities:
	U.S. government		64,496				171				0				64,666
	State and municipal		0				487,111				0				487,111
	Mortgage-backed securities:
	Residential		0				323,346				0				323,346
	Commercial		0				35,816				0				35,816
	Total mortgage-backed securities		0				359,162				0				359,162
	Collateralized mortgage obligations		0				1,291				0				1,291
	Asset-backed securities		0				70,573				686				71,259
	Corporates		0				365,642				5,175				370,816
	Total fixed maturities		64,496				1,283,949				5,860				1,354,305
	Equity securities		91,127				0				0				91,127
	Short-term investments		1,200				1,396				0				2,596
	Total cash and investments		$	291,033			$	1,285,345			$	5,860			$	1,582,238
	Percentage of total cash and investments		18.4		%		81.2		%		0.4		%		100		%
	We do not report our long-term debt at fair value in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. The $291.0 million and $272.6 million fair value of our long-term debt at December 31, 2014, and December 31, 2013, respectively, would be included in Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy if it were reported at fair value.
	Level 1 includes cash and cash equivalents, U.S. Treasury securities, an exchange-traded fund and equities invested in a rabbi trust. Level 2 securities are comprised of securities whose fair value was determined using observable market inputs. Level 3 securities are comprised of (i) securities for which there is no active or inactive market for similar instruments, (ii) securities whose fair value is determined based on unobservable inputs and (iii) securities, other than those backed by the U.S. Government, that are not rated by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization ("NRSRO"). Transfers between levels are recognized at the beginning of the reporting period.
	A third party nationally recognized pricing service provides the fair value of securities in Level 2. We review the third party pricing methodologies quarterly and test for significant differences between the market price used to value the security and recent sales activity.
	The following tables present the changes in the Level 3 fair value category ($ in thousands):
		Twelve months ended
		31-Dec-14
		U.S. Government				Corporates				Asset-Backed Securities				Total
	Balance at beginning of period	$	0			$	5,175			$	686			$	5,860
	Total gains or (losses), unrealized or realized
	Included in net earnings	0				274				0				274
	Included in other comprehensive income	0				(230		)		(1		)		(231		)
	Purchases	0				0				0				0
	Sales	0				(880		)		0				(880		)
	Settlements	0				(1,204		)		(534		)		(1,739		)
	Transfers in	0				0				0				0
	Transfers out	0				0				0				0
	Balance at end of period	$	0			$	3,134			$	150			$	3,285
		Twelve months ended
		December 31, 2013
		U.S. Government				Corporates				Asset-Backed Securities				Total
	Balance at beginning of period	$	3,712			$	9,101			$	0			$	12,813
	Total gains or (losses), unrealized or realized
	Included in net earnings	268				583				0				852
	Included in other comprehensive income	(418		)		(477		)		1				(895		)
	Purchases	0				0				0				0
Sales	(2,968		)		(877		)		0				(3,845		)
Settlements	(594		)		(1,824		)		(310		)		(2,729		)
Transfers in	0				0				995				995
Transfers out	0				(1,331		)		0				(1,331		)
Balance at end of period	$	0			$	5,175			$	686			$	5,860
Of the $3.3 million fair value of securities in Level 3 at December 31, 2014, which consisted of seven securities, we priced five based on non-binding broker quotes, one price was provided by our unaffiliated money manager and one security, which was included in Level 3 because it was not rated by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization, was priced by a nationally recognized pricing service.
We transferred approximately $1.3 million of securities from Level 3 into Level 2 during 2013 because we obtained a price for those securities from a third party nationally recognized pricing service. We transferred approximately $1.0 million of securities from Level 2 into Level 3 during 2013 because we could not obtain a price from a third party nationally recognized pricing service or because a rating by a NRSRO was not available. There were no transfers between Levels 2 and 3 during 2014 and there were no transfers between Levels 1 and 2 during 2014 or 2013.
The gains or losses included in net earnings are included in the line item "Net realized gains on investments" in the Consolidated Statements of Earnings. We recognize the net gains or losses included in other comprehensive income in the line item "Unrealized gains (losses) on investments, net" in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income and the line item "Change in unrealized gain on investments" or "Change in non-credit component of impairment losses on fixed maturities" in the Consolidated Statements of Changes in Shareholders’ Equity.
The following table presents the carrying value and estimated fair value of our financial instruments ($ in thousands):
	December 31, 2014								December 31, 2013
	Carrying				Fair				Carrying				Fair
	Value				Value				Value				Value
Assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$	84,541			$	84,541			$	134,211			$	134,211
Available-for-sale securities
Fixed maturities	1,431,843				1,431,843				1,354,305				1,354,305
Equity securities	94,408				94,408				91,127				91,127
Short-term investments	803				803				2,596				2,596
Total cash and investments	$	1,611,594			$	1,611,594			$	1,582,238			$	1,582,238
Liabilities:
Long-term debt	$	275,000			$	291,044			$	275,000			$	272,632
See Note 3 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information on investments and Note 4 for additional information on long-term debt.

Investments

Investments	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Investments, Debt and Equity Securities [Abstract]
Investments	Investments
	We consider all fixed maturity and equity securities to be available-for-sale and report them at fair value with the net unrealized gains or losses reported after-tax (net of any valuation allowance) as a component of other comprehensive income. The proceeds from sales of securities for the twelve months ended December 31, 2014, were $250.8 million. These proceeds are net of $4.5 million of receivable for securities sold during 2014 that had not settled at December 31, 2014. The proceeds from sales of securities for the twelve months ended December 31, 2013, were $465.1 million. These proceeds are net of $2.8 million of receivable for securities sold during 2013 that had not settled at December 31, 2013. The proceeds from sales of securities for the twelve months ended December 31, 2012, were $491.6 million. These proceeds are net of $48.5 million of receivable for securities sold during 2012 that had not settled at December 31, 2012.
	Gross gains of $5.1 million, $9.5 million and $26.0 million were realized on sales of available for sale securities during the years ending 2014, 2013, and 2012, respectively. Gross losses of $0.7 million, $2.0 million and $0.6 million were realized on sales of available for sale securities during the years ending 2014, 2013, and 2012, respectively. Gains or losses on securities are determined on a specific identification basis.
	Summarized information for the major categories of our investment portfolio follows ($ in thousands):
		December 31, 2014
		Amortized				Gross				Gross				Fair Value				OTTI
		Cost or Cost				Unrealized				Unrealized								Recognized in
						Gains				Losses								Accumulated
																		OCI(1)
	Fixed maturities:
	U.S. government	$	66,625			$	502			$	(193	)		$	66,933			$	0
	State and municipal	493,350				10,637				(337		)		503,650				(69		)
	Mortgage-backed securities:
	Residential	349,371				6,547				(1,390		)		354,528				(2,914		)
	Commercial	50,914				182				(258		)		50,838				0
	Total mortgage-backed securities	$	400,285			$	6,729			$	(1,648	)		$	405,366			$	(2,914	)
	Collateralized mortgage obligations	0				0				0				0				0
	Asset-backed securities	58,546				131				(70		)		58,607				(8		)
	Corporates	393,611				5,999				(2,324		)		397,286				(441		)
	Total fixed maturities	$	1,412,417			$	23,998			$	(4,572	)		$	1,431,843			$	(3,433	)
	Equity securities	77,862				16,546				0				94,408				0
	Short-term investments	803				0				(1		)		803				0
	Total	$	1,491,082			$	40,544			$	(4,573	)		$	1,527,054			$	(3,433	)
		December 31, 2013
		Amortized				Gross				Gross				Fair Value				OTTI
		Cost or Cost				Unrealized				Unrealized								Recognized in
						Gains				Losses								Accumulated
																		OCI(1)
	Fixed maturities:
	U.S. government	$	64,194			$	900			$	(427	)		$	64,666			$	0
	State and municipal	478,092				10,789				(1,771		)		487,111				(73		)
	Mortgage-backed securities:
	Residential	330,169				1,985				(8,809		)		323,346				(2,435		)
	Commercial	35,781				339				(304		)		35,816				0
	Total mortgage-backed securities	$	365,950			$	2,324			$	(9,113	)		$	359,162			$	(2,435	)
	Collateralized mortgage obligations	1,228				63				0				1,291				(161		)
	Asset-backed securities	71,183				178				(103		)		71,259				(8		)
	Corporates	364,430				9,086				(2,700		)		370,816				(612		)
	Total fixed maturities	$	1,345,077			$	23,340			$	(14,112	)		$	1,354,305			$	(3,290	)
	Equity securities	74,718				16,409				0				91,127				0
	Short-term investments	2,595				1				0				2,596				0
	Total	$	1,422,390			$	39,750			$	(14,112	)		$	1,448,027			$	(3,290	)
	(1) The total non-credit portion of OTTI recognized in Accumulated OCI reflecting the original non-credit loss at the time the credit impairment was determined.
	The following table sets forth the amount of unrealized loss by investment category and length of time that individual securities have been in a continuous unrealized loss position ($ in thousands):
		Less than 12 Months													12 Months or More
	December 31, 2014	Number of		Fair				Gross				Unrealized			Number of		Fair				Gross			Unrealized
		Securities		Value				Unrealized				Losses as			Securities		Value				Unrealized			Losses as
		with						Losses				% of Cost			with						Losses			% of Cost
		Unrealized													Unrealized
		Losses													Losses
	Fixed maturities:
	U.S. government	2		$	5,275			$	(13	)		0.3	%		8		$	21,051			$	(180	)	0.8	%
	State and municipal	45		108,721				(290		)		0.3	%		2		4,183				(47		)	1.1	%
	Mortgage-backed securities:
	Residential	24		12,855				(34		)		0.3	%		109		100,752				(1,356		)	1.3	%
	Commercial	8		15,638				(122		)		0.8	%		5		9,519				(136		)	1.4	%
	Total mortgage-backed securities	32		28,493				(156		)		0.5	%		114		110,271				(1,492		)	1.3	%
	Asset-backed securities	24		23,351				(60		)		0.3	%		2		1,150				(9		)	0.8	%
	Corporate	103		142,046				(1,820		)		1.3	%		16		19,865				(503		)	2.5	%
	Total fixed maturities	206		307,886				(2,340		)		0.8	%		142		156,521				(2,232		)	1.4	%
	Equity securities	0		0				0				0	%		0		0				0			0	%
	Short-term investments	2		803				(1		)		0.1	%		0		0				0			0	%
	Total	208		$	308,689			$	(2,341	)		0.8	%		142		$	156,521			$	(2,232	)	1.4	%
		Less than 12 Months													12 Months or More
December 31, 2013	Number of		Fair				Gross				Unrealized			Number of		Fair				Gross			Unrealized
	Securities		Value				Unrealized				Losses as			Securities		Value				Unrealized			Losses as
	with						Losses				% of Cost			with						Losses			% of Cost
	Unrealized													Unrealized
	Losses													Losses
Fixed maturities:
U.S. government	11		$	26,396			$	(427	)		1.6	%		0		$	0			$	0		0	%
State and municipal	51		121,431				(1,425		)		1.2	%		4		8,062				(346		)	4.1	%
Mortgage-backed securities:
Residential	229		207,821				(7,064		)		3.3	%		34		39,659				(1,744		)	4.2	%
Commercial	11		22,311				(290		)		1.3	%		1		756				(14		)	1.8	%
Total mortgage-backed securities	240		230,133				(7,354		)		3.1	%		35		40,415				(1,758		)	4.2	%
Asset-backed securities	18		14,738				(103		)		0.7	%		0		0				0			0	%
Corporate	90		115,735				(2,621		)		2.2	%		1		1,212				(79		)	6.1	%
Total fixed maturities	410		508,432				(11,929		)		2.3	%		40		49,688				(2,183		)	4.2	%
Equity securities	0		0				0				0	%		0		0				0			0	%
Short-term investments	0		0				0				0	%		0		0				0			0	%
Total	410		$	508,432			$	(11,929	)		2.3	%		40		$	49,688			$	(2,183	)	4.2	%
The determination of whether unrealized losses are “other-than-temporary” requires judgment based on subjective as well as objective factors. Factors we considered and resources we used in our determination include:
•	whether the unrealized loss is credit-driven or a result of changes in market interest rates;
•	the length of time the security’s market value has been below its cost;
•	the extent to which fair value is less than cost basis;
•	the intent to sell the security;
•	whether it is more likely than not that there will be a requirement to sell the security before its anticipated recovery;
•	historical operating, balance sheet and cash flow data contained in issuer SEC filings;
•	issuer news releases;
•	near-term prospects for improvement in the issuer and/or its industry;
•	industry research and communications with industry specialists; and
•	third-party research and credit rating reports.
We regularly evaluate for potential impairment each security position that has either of the following: a fair value of less than 95% of its book value or an unrealized loss that equals or exceeds $100,000.
The following table summarizes those securities, excluding the rabbi trust, with unrealized gains or losses:
	31-Dec-14			December 31, 2013
Number of positions held with unrealized:
Gains	778			590
Losses	350			450
Number of positions held that individually exceed unrealized:
Gains of $500,000	3			1
Losses of $500,000	0			0
Percentage of positions held with unrealized:
Gains that were investment grade	92	%		81	%
Losses that were investment grade	84	%		93	%
Percentage of fair value held with unrealized:
Gains that were investment grade	94	%		88	%
Losses that were investment grade	86	%		95	%
The following table sets forth the amount of unrealized losses, excluding the rabbi trust, by age and severity at December 31, 2014 ($ in thousands):
	Fair Value of				Total Gross				Less Than 5%*				5% - 10%*				Total Gross
	Securities with				Unrealized												Greater
	Unrealized				Losses												Than 10%*
	Losses
Age of Unrealized Losses:
Three months or less	$	245,391			$	(1,077	)		$	(1,004	)		$	(74	)		$	0
Four months through six months	49,083				(1,018		)		(585		)		(334		)		(99		)
Seven months through nine months	11,639				(171		)		(135		)		(36		)		0
Ten months through twelve months	2,576				(74		)		(74		)		0				0
Greater than twelve months	156,521				(2,232		)		(2,044		)		0				(188		)
Total	$	465,210			$	(4,573	)		$	(3,842	)		$	(443	)		$	(288	)
*	As a percentage of amortized cost or cost.
The change in unrealized gains (losses) on securities included the following ($ in thousands):
	Pretax
	Fixed  Maturities				Equity Securities				Short-Term Investments				Tax Effects				Net
December 31, 2014
Unrealized holding gains (losses) on securities arising during the period	$	13,174			$	1,440			$	4			$	(5,116	)		$	9,502
Realized (gains) losses included in net earnings	(3,137		)		(1,303		)		(5		)		1,556				(2,889		)
Impairment losses recognized in net earnings	160				0				0				(56		)		104
Change in unrealized gain (loss) on securities, net	$	10,198			$	137			$	(1	)		$	(3,617	)		$	6,717
December 31, 2013
Unrealized holding gains (losses) on securities arising during the period	$	(29,199	)		$	13,971			$	1			$	5,330			$	(9,898	)
Realized (gains) losses included in net earnings	(6,818		)		(677		)		0				2,623				(4,872		)
Impairment losses recognized in net earnings	1,468				0				0				(514		)		954
Change in unrealized gain (loss) on securities, net	$	(34,549	)		$	13,294			$	1			$	7,439			$	(13,815	)
December 31, 2012
Unrealized holding gains (losses) on securities arising during the period	$	10,678			$	6,451			$	0			$	(5,995	)		$	11,134
Realized (gains) losses included in net earnings(1)	(11,594		)		(13,853		)		0				8,907				(16,541		)
Impairment losses recognized in net earnings	1,393				0				0				(487		)		905
Change in unrealized gain (loss) on securities, net	$	476			$	(7,402	)		$	0			$	2,424			$	(4,502	)
(1) The tax effect is exclusive of the release of the deferred tax valuation allowance of $6.4 million in 2012.
For fixed maturity securities that are other-than-temporarily impaired, we assess our intent to sell and the likelihood that we
will be required to sell the security before recovery of our amortized cost. If a fixed maturity security is considered other-than temporarily impaired but we do not intend to and are not more than likely to be required to sell the security before our recovery
to amortized cost, we separate the amount of the impairment into a credit loss component and the amount due to all other
factors. The excess of the amortized cost over the present value of the expected cash flows determines the credit loss
component of an impairment charge on a fixed maturity security. The present value is determined using the best estimate of
cash flows discounted at (1) the effective interest rate implicit at the date of acquisition for non-structured securities or (2) the
book yield for structured securities. The techniques and assumptions for determining the best estimate of cash flows vary
depending on the type of security. We recognize the credit loss component of an impairment charge in net earnings and the non-credit component in accumulated other comprehensive income. If we intend to sell or will, more likely than not, be required to sell a security, we treat the entire amount of the impairment as a credit loss.
For our securities held with unrealized losses, we believe, based on our analysis, that we will recover our cost basis in these securities and we do not intend to sell the securities nor is it more likely than not that there will be a requirement to sell the securities before they recover in value.
The following table is a progression of credit losses on fixed maturity securities that were bifurcated between a credit and non-credit component ($ in thousands):
	2014				2013
Balance at beginning of year	$	956			$	487
Additions for:
Previously impaired securities	19				27
Newly impaired securities	15				659
Previously all credit	0				26
Reductions for:
Securities sold and paydowns	(139		)		(206		)
Securities that no longer have a non-credit component	0				(37		)
Balance at end of year	$	852			$	956
The table below sets forth the scheduled maturities of fixed maturity securities at December 31, 2014, based on their fair values
($ in thousands). We report securities that do not have a single maturity date at average maturity. Actual maturities may differ
from contractual maturities because certain securities may be called or prepaid by the issuers.
																	Amortized
	Fair Value																Cost
Maturity	Securities				Securities				Securities				All Fixed				All Fixed
	with				with				with No				Maturity				Maturity
	Unrealized				Unrealized				Unrealized				Securities				Securities
	Gains				Losses				Gains or
									Losses
One year or less	$	89,487			$	9,567			$	1,102			$	100,156			$	99,523
After one year through five years	392,906				190,302				1,353				584,560				575,609
After five years through ten years	165,735				100,053				1,777				267,565				263,488
After ten years	11,741				1,219				2,628				15,588				14,966
Mortgage- and asset-backed	297,407				163,266				3,301				463,973				458,831
Total	$	957,275			$	464,407			$	10,160			$	1,431,843			$	1,412,417
Net Investment Income
The following table shows investment income earned and investment expenses incurred ($ in thousands):
	Twelve months ended December 31,
	2014				2013				2012
Investment income:
Interest income on fixed maturities, cash and cash equivalents	$	35,596			$	36,113			$	38,234
Dividends on equity securities	2,245				1,711				1,415
Gross investment income	37,841				37,825				39,649
Investment expenses	(2,211		)		(2,279		)		(2,077		)
Net investment income	$	35,629			$	35,546			$	37,571

LongTerm_Debt

Long-Term Debt	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
Long-term Debt	Long-Term Debt
	In February 2004 we issued $200 million principal of senior notes due February 2014 (the “5.5% Senior Notes”). The 5.5%
	Senior Notes accrued interest at an effective yield of 5.55% and bore a coupon of 5.5%, payable semiannually. At the time we
	issued the 5.5% Senior Notes, we capitalized $2.1 million of debt issuance costs, which we amortized over the term of the 5.5%
	Senior Notes. During 2009, we repurchased $5.0 million of the 5.5% Senior Notes, bringing the outstanding principal to $195.0 million. The 5.5% Senior Notes were fully redeemed on October 17, 2012, at a price of 106.729%, or $208.1 million, plus accrued interest of $1.8 million. The remaining $0.4 million issuance costs were written off at redemption.
	In September 2012 we issued $275 million principal of senior notes due September 2022 (the “5.0% Senior Notes”). The 5.0%
	Senior Notes accrue interest at 5.0%, payable semiannually. At the time we issued the 5.0% Senior Notes, we capitalized $2.2
	million of debt issuance costs, which we are amortizing over the term of the 5.0% Senior Notes. We calculated the
	December 31, 2014, fair value of $291.0 million using a 194 basis point spread to the ten year U.S. Treasury Note of 2.173%.
	We paid interest on long-term debt of $13.8 million, $13.8 million and $12.5 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012, respectively.
	In August 2014 we renewed our agreement for a $50 million three-year revolving credit facility (the “Credit Agreement”) that
	requires us to meet certain financial and other covenants. We are currently in compliance with all covenants under the Credit
	Agreement. At December 31, 2014, there were no borrowings outstanding under the Credit Agreement.

Income_Taxes

Income Taxes	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Income Taxes	Income Taxes
	In the years 2014, 2013 and 2012, we paid $20.9 million, $7.6 million and $9.0 million, respectively, in taxes. The following is a reconciliation of income taxes at the statutory rate of 35.0% to the effective provision for income taxes as shown in the Consolidated Statements of Earnings ($ in thousands):
		Twelve Months December 31,
		2014			2013			2012
	Earnings before income taxes	$	83,138		$	45,078		$	22,088
	Income taxes at statutory rate	29,098			15,777			7,731
	Effect of:
	Dividends-received deduction	(469		)	(357		)	(296		)
	Tax-exempt interest	(2,752		)	(2,743		)	(3,294		)
	Adjustment to valuation allowance	1			(48		)	(6,402		)
	Other	58			(184		)	30
	Provision for income taxes as shown on the Consolidated Statements of Earnings	$	25,936		$	12,445		$	(2,231	)
	GAAP effective tax rate	31.2		%	27.6		%	(10.1		)%
	The total income tax provision (benefit) consists of ($ in thousands):
		2014			2013			2012
	Current	$	25,342		$	10,541		$	3,605
	Deferred	594			1,904			(5,836		)
	Provision for income taxes	$	25,936		$	12,445		$	(2,231	)
	A full valuation allowance was maintained on the deferred tax asset relating to the credit portion of the reserve for other-than-temporarily impaired securities. In 2012, a security which accounted for approximately 77% of the balance in the reserve for other-than-temporarily impaired securities was sold. As of December 31, 2012, management determined that it was more likely than not that the deferred tax asset relating to the reserve for other-than-temporarily impaired securities would be recognized and the valuation allowance was released through the provision for income taxes.
	Deferred income tax assets and liabilities reflect temporary differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities recognized for financial reporting purposes and the amounts recognized for tax purposes. The significant components of deferred tax assets and liabilities included in the Consolidated Balance Sheets were as follows ($ in thousands):
		As of December 31,
		2014			2013
	Deferred tax assets:
	Discount on loss reserves	$	6,001		$	7,045
	Unearned premium reserve	40,918			39,401
	Bad debts	5,428			5,559
	Accrued bonuses	2,791			2,442
	Deferred compensation	5,372			4,842
	Long-term incentive compensation	1,193			2,040
	Other	5,157			5,473
	Gross deferred tax assets	$	66,860		$	66,803
	Valuation allowance for deferred tax assets	(166		)	(165		)
	Total deferred tax assets	$	66,694		$	66,638
	Deferred tax liabilities:
	Deferred policy acquisition costs	$	(31,650	)	$	(30,890	)
	Investment securities – unrealized gains	(12,590		)	(8,973		)
	Other	(1,951		)	(2,111		)
	Total deferred tax liabilities	$	(46,191	)	$	(41,975	)
	Net deferred tax assets	$	20,503		$	24,663
	Current income taxes	(481		)	3,985
	Current and deferred income taxes	$	20,022		$	28,648
	An analysis is performed on a quarterly basis to determine if there is sufficient evidence that it is more likely than not that the deferred tax assets will be recognized for tax purposes. The evidence that is considered in assessing the need for a valuation allowance includes: (i) sufficient future taxable income; (ii) sufficient ordinary and capital taxable income in carryback periods; (iii) the reversals of existing taxable temporary differences; and (iv) tax planning strategies that could be utilized to accelerate the recognition of capital gains in the future. Based on this evaluation, it is management’s belief the only valuation allowance required at December 31, 2014, and December 31, 2013, related to the net operating loss carryover for an inactive company that is required to file its federal tax return on a separate company basis.
	We did not have any gross unrecognized tax benefits that would exceed a materiality threshold and therefore, there was no reduction to Retained Earnings in our Consolidated Balance Sheets at January 1, 2014. The gross unrecognized tax benefit did not exceed the materiality threshold as of December 31, 2014.
	The Company is not currently under examination by the IRS and the statute of limitations has expired for all years prior to 2011.

Computation_Of_Earnings_Per_Sh

Computation Of Earnings Per Share	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Computation of Earnings per Share	Computation of Net Earnings per Share
	The following table illustrates our computations of basic and diluted net earnings per common share ($ in thousands, except per share figures):
		Twelve months ended December 31,
		2014		2013		2012
	Net earnings	$	57,201	$	32,633	$	24,319
	Average basic shares outstanding	11,440		11,451		11,660
	Basic net earnings per share	$	5	$	2.85	$	2.09
	Average basic shares outstanding	11,440		11,451		11,660
	Restricted stock not vested	37		46		28
	Dilutive effect of assumed option exercises	1		29		97
	Dilutive effect of Performance Share Plan	84		130		156
	Average diluted shares outstanding	11,562		11,657		11,941
	Diluted net earnings per share	$	4.95	$	2.8	$	2.04

ShareBased_Compensation

Share-Based Compensation	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Abstract]
Share-Based Compensation	Share-Based Compensation
	We established the Amended and Restated 2013 Stock Incentive Plan (the “2013 Plan”), which was approved by the Company’s shareholders on May 21, 2013. Under the 2013 Plan, 750,000 shares are authorized and reserved for issuance. Upon the approval by the shareholders of the 2013 Plan, we became prohibited from issuing any further grants under the Restricted Stock Plan, Directors’ Plan, Performance Share Plan, or Stock Option Plan (collectively, the "Prior Plans"). However, all outstanding awards under the Prior Plans remain outstanding and will continue to be administered and settled with the applicable provisions of the Prior Plans.
	The number of shares issued, by plan, for share-based compensation arrangements was as follows:
		2014				2013				2012
		2013 Plan		Prior Plans		2013 Plan		Prior Plans
	Restricted Stock	46,328		0		0		0		0
	Non-employee Directors’ Stock	8,016		0		6,517		0		5,502
	Performance Shares	0		55,245		0		17,934		49,098
	Total	54,344		55,245		6,517		17,934		54,600
	The amount of total compensation cost for share-based compensation arrangements was as follows ($ in thousands):
		Twelve months ended December 31,
		2014								2013					2012
		Expense				Tax				Expense			Tax		Expense		Tax
		Recognized in				Benefit				Recognized in			Benefit		Recognized in		Benefit
		Earnings								Earnings					Earnings
	Restricted Stock	$	1,126			$	394			$	1,190		$	417	$	1,190	$	417
	Non-employee Directors’ Stock Ownership Plan	520				182				385			135		300		105
	Employee Stock Purchase Plan	55				0				54			0		55		0
	Performance Shares	933				327				2,380			833		1,704		596
	Total	$	2,634			$	903			$	4,009		$	1,384	$	3,249	$	1,118
	Restricted Stock
	On August 2, 2011, the Compensation Committee ("the Committee") approved the grant of 72,234 shares of restricted stock to certain officers under the Restricted Stock Plan. These shares vested in full on August 2, 2014. On August 5, 2014, the Committee approved the grant of an additional 46,328 shares of restricted stock to certain officers under the 2013 Plan. These shares will vest in full on August 5, 2017. During the vesting period, the shares of restricted stock will not have voting rights but will accrue dividends, which we will not pay until the shares have vested. We treat the restricted shares as issued and outstanding for calculation of diluted earnings per share only. Until fully vested, we will not consider the shares issued and outstanding for purposes of the basic earnings per share calculation.
	Restricted Stock	Number of			Weighted-average
		Shares			Grant Date  Fair Value
	Non-vested as of January 1, 2014	72,234			$49.44
	Granted	46,328			$67.04
	Vested	(72,234	)		$49.44
	Non-vested as of December 31, 2014	46,328			$67.04
	Non-employee Directors’ Stock
	Shares are issued to non-employee directors on or about June 1 of each year as part of the compensation provided and to provide for stock ownership requirements for our non-employee directors. We restrict these shares from sale or transfer by any recipient for six months from the grant date. These shares are treated as issued and outstanding for basic and diluted earnings per share calculations.
	Performance Shares
	The purpose of the Performance Shares is to align further the interest of management with our long-term shareholders by including performance-based compensation, payable in shares of common stock, as a component of an executive’s annual compensation. The Committee administers the Performance Shares and (i) establishes the performance goals, which may include but are not limited to, combined ratio, premium growth, growth within certain geographic areas and earnings per share or return on equity over the course of the upcoming three year period, (ii) determines the Performance Share participants, (iii) sets the performance share units to be awarded to such participants, and (iv) sets the rate at which performance share units will convert to shares of common stock based upon attainment of the performance goals.
	Stock Option Plan
	We have not granted options under this plan since 2004. We generally granted options with an exercise price equal to the closing price of our stock at the date of grant with a 10 year contractual life. All of the options under this plan have fully vested. As of February 13, 2014, all options granted under the SOP had either expired or been exercised.
	Optionees must make payment for shares purchased upon exercise by tendering cash, by delivery of shares of common stock already owned by the optionee having a fair market value equal to the cash option price of the shares, by assigning the proceeds of a sale or loan with respect to some or all of the shares being acquired (subject to applicable law), by a combination of the foregoing or by any other method.
	Persons who received options incurred no federal income tax liability at the time of grant. Persons exercising nonqualified options recognize taxable income, and we have a tax deduction at the time of exercise to the extent of the difference between market price on the day of exercise and the exercise price. Persons exercising incentive stock options defer the recognition of taxable income until they sell the underlying common stock. Sales within two years of the date of grant or one year of the date of exercise result in taxable income to the holder and a deduction for us, both measured by the difference between the market price at the time of sale and the exercise price. Sales after such period are treated as capital transactions to the holder, and we receive no deduction. The foregoing is only a summary of the federal income tax rules applicable to options granted under the plan and is not intended to be complete. In addition, this summary does not discuss the effect of the income or other tax laws of any state or foreign country in which a participant may reside.
	We estimated the weighted-average grant date fair value of options granted during 2004 using the modified Black-Scholes valuation model and the following weighted-average assumptions:
		2004 Grants
	Weighted-average grant date fair value	$	13.87
	Dividend yield	0.7		%
	Expected volatility	33		%
	Risk-free interest rate	4.3		%
	Expected life (in years)	7.5
	Weighted-average grant exercise price	$	33.56
	Outstanding as of December 31, 2014	0
	The following table describes activity for our SOP for the twelve-month period ended December 31, 2014:
	Options	Number of			Weighted-				Weighted-		Aggregate
		Options			Average				Average		Intrinsic
					Exercise				Remaining		Value (a)
					Price				Term		(in millions)
									(in years)
	Outstanding as of January 1, 2014	16,000			$	33.58
	Exercised	(14,000	)		33.58
	Forfeited	(2,000	)		33.58
	Outstanding as of December 31, 2014	0			$	0			0		$	0
	Vested as of December 31, 2014	0			$	0			0		$	0
	Exercisable as of December 31, 2014	0			$	0			0		$	0
	(a)	The intrinsic value for the stock options is calculated based on the difference between the exercise price of the underlying awards and our closing stock price as of the reporting date.
	Cash received from option exercises for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012 were $0.2 million, $1.3 million and $0.6 million, respectively. The actual tax benefit realized for the tax deductions from options exercised for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012 totaled $0.1 million, $0.5 million and $0.6 million, respectively. The total intrinsic value of options exercised during the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012, was approximately $0.5 million, $2.4 million and $3.9 million, respectively.
	In 2014 a senior executive of the company surrendered to the company 3,361 shares of stock owned in order to exercise 7,500 options.
	We have a policy of issuing new stock for the exercise of options.
	Employee Stock Purchase Plan
	Under the ESPP, all eligible full-time employees may purchase shares of our common stock at a 15% discount to the current market price. Employees may allocate up to 25% of their base salary with a maximum annual participation amount of $25,000. If a participant sells any shares purchased under the ESPP within one year, we preclude that employee from participating in the
	ESPP for one year from the date of sale. The source of shares issued to participants is treasury shares or authorized but
previously unissued shares. The maximum number of shares that we may issue under the ESPP may not exceed 1,000,000, of which we have issued 65,341 as of December 31, 2014. Our ESPP is qualified under Section 423 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. We treat participants’ shares as issued and outstanding for basic and diluted earnings per share calculations.

Benefit_Plans

Benefit Plans	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Compensation and Retirement Disclosure [Abstract]
Benefit Plans	Benefit Plans
	We provide retirement benefits for all eligible employees by matching contributions made on participants' discretionary basis to participants' accounts in our qualified 401(k) Retirement Plan. Eligible employees may contribute up to a maximum of the lesser of $17,500 per year or 25% of the participant's salary in 2014. Participants age 50 or over at the end of the calendar year may make an additional elective deferral contribution of up to $5,500 for 2014. These additional contributions (commonly referred to as catch-up contributions) are not subject to the general limits that apply to 401(k) plans. The matching percentage made by us was 100% of participants' contributions up to a ceiling of 4% and 50% of the next 2% of contributions with a maximum match of $13,000 in 2014. The plan expense was $5.1 million, $4.9 million and $4.6 million for the twelve-month periods ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012, respectively.
	Our Supplemental Employee Retirement Plan (“SERP”) is a non-qualified deferred compensation plan that enables eligible employees to contribute and to receive employer-matching contributions that the provisions of the 401(k) Retirement Plan or laws preclude due to limits on compensation. We amended the SERP effective January 1, 2010, to permit participants to make contributions and to permit us to make matching contributions on compensation that exceeds the statutory annual compensation limit of $260,000 for qualified defined contribution plans. We contributed $0.1 million to the SERP for each of the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012. We maintain a rabbi trust that includes investments to fund the SERP. As of December 31, 2014, investments in the rabbi trust totaled $1.6 million. We reflected these investments at fair value as equity securities on the Consolidated Balance Sheets.
	We maintain a non-qualified deferred compensation plan for certain highly compensated employees, which permits the participants to defer a portion of their salaries and bonuses. The deferred amounts accrue interest at our approximate long-term borrowing rate. The deferred amounts are our general obligation liability and amounted to $15.3 million, $13.8 million and $12.4 million at December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012, respectively. We credited interest of approximately $0.7 million, $0.6 million and $0.6 million for these same periods.
	We also provide post-retirement medical and life insurance benefits to certain eligible retirees. During 2006, we determined that the benefits provided under this plan were actuarially equivalent to those benefits provided by the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003 (“MMA”). Our calculation of the accumulated post-retirement benefit obligation (“APBO”) as of December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012 does not reflect the government subsidy provided by the MMA, other than as reflected in the insured over 65 rates going forward.
	Unrecognized actuarial gains of $0.5 million ($0.3 million net of tax) and prior service costs of $0.3 million ($0.2 million net of tax) that have not yet been recognized in net periodic post-retirement benefit costs are included in accumulated other comprehensive income at December 31, 2014. We expect to recognize less than a $0.1 million actuarial gain and $0.1 million of amortization of prior service costs in net periodic post-retirement benefit income during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015.
	We recognized the unfunded status of the APBO plan of $4.3 million at December 31, 2014 in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. We expect no plan assets to be returned to us during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015.
	The following tables show data related to the APBO plan ($ in thousands):
		2014			2013
	Net benefit obligation at beginning of year	$	4,473		$	5,004
	Service cost	198			331
	Interest cost	150			159
	Participant contributions	28			27
	Plan amendment	(660		)	0
	Assumption change	534			(342		)
	Actuarial (gain) loss	(120		)	(364		)
	Gross benefits paid	(291		)	(342		)
	Net benefit obligation at end of year	$	4,313		$	4,473
	The 2014 $0.7 million plan amendment relates to a modification in the premium charged to eligible retirees.
	The following table discloses the components of net periodic post-retirement benefit cost ($ in thousands):
		2014			2013				2012
	Service cost	$	198		$	331			$	119
	Interest cost	150			159				136
	Amortization of prior service cost	71			199				0
	Amortization of net cumulative (gain)/loss	(81		)	0				(23		)
	Net periodic post-retirement benefit cost	$	339		$	690			$	232
	The following table discloses discount rates used to determine benefit obligations:
		2014		2013	2012
	Discount rate	3.50%		4.10%	3.30%
	The weighted average health care cost trend rate used in measuring the accumulated post-retirement benefit cost is 8.0% for 2015, declining to 5.0% in 2036.
	The following table discloses the effects of a hypothetical one percentage point increase and the effects of a hypothetical one percentage point decrease in the assumed healthcare trend rate ($ in thousands):
		2014			2013			2012
	A one percentage point hypothetical change in the assumed healthcare trend rate would have the following effect on the post-retirement benefit obligations:
	1% increase	$	396		349			389
	1% decrease	(348		)	(318	)		(363		)
	A one percentage point hypothetical change in the assumed healthcare trend rate would have the following effect on the aggregate of the service and interest cost components of net periodic post-retirement healthcare benefit costs:
	1% increase	$	40		53			$	56
	1% decrease	(34		)	(47	)		(49		)
	The following table reconciles the beginning and ending balances of the fair value of plan assets for the years ended December 31, 2014, and 2013 ($ in thousands):
		2014			2013
	Fair value of plan assets at beginning of year	$	0		$	0
	Employer contributions	263			315
	Participant contributions	28			27
	Gross benefits paid	(291		)	(342		)
	Fair value of plan assets at end of year	$	0		$	0
	The following table presents the funded status and the amounts recognized in the Consolidated Balance Sheets ($ in thousands):
		2014			2013
	Fair value of plan assets	$	0		$	0
	Benefit obligations	(4,313		)	(4,473		)
	Funded status at end of year	$	(4,313	)	$	(4,473	)
	Contributions made after the measurement date	0			0
	Unrecognized actuarial net (gain) loss	0			0
	Unrecognized prior service cost	0			0
	Net amount recognized at end of year	$	(4,313	)	$	(4,473	)
	The following table presents the ten-year forecast and best estimate of expected benefit payments ($ in thousands):
		2014					2013					2012
	2015	$	259		2014		$	292			2013	315
	2016	294			2015		304				2014	341
	2017	304			2016		346				2015	356
	2018	314			2017		361				2016	390
	2019	337			2018		398				2017	395
	2020-2024	1,840			2019-2023		2,459				2018-2022	2,474
	Ten Year Total	$	3,348				$	4,160				4,270
	Our best estimate of contributions expected to be paid to the plan during the fiscal year beginning January 1, 2015, is $0.3 million.

Quarterly_Operating_Results_Un

Quarterly Operating Results (Unaudited)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Quarterly Financial Information Disclosure [Abstract]
Quarterly Operating Results	Quarterly Operating Results (Unaudited)
	While we recognize insurance premium on a relatively level basis, claim losses related to adverse weather (snow, hail, hurricanes, tornadoes, etc.) may be seasonal. Quarterly results rely heavily on estimates and are not necessarily indicative of results for longer periods.
	The following are quarterly results of our consolidated operations for the three years ended December 31, 2014 ($ in thousands, except per share amounts):
		1st Quarter		2nd Quarter		3rd Quarter			4th Quarter		Total Year
	2014
	Revenues	$	361,613	$	367,954	$	366,160		$	365,982	$	1,461,709
	Net earnings	10,327		10,667		14,855			21,352		57,201
	Net earnings per share:
	Basic	$	0.9	$	0.93	$	1.3		$	1.87	$	5
	Diluted	0.89		0.92		1.29			1.85		4.95
	2013
	Revenues	$	356,102	$	365,656	$	359,145		$	362,330	$	1,443,233
	Net earnings	8,662		7,408		7,195			9,368		32,633
	Net earnings per share:
	Basic	$	0.75	$	0.65	$	0.63		$	0.82	$	2.85
	Diluted	0.74		0.64		0.62			0.81		2.8
	2012
	Revenues	$	312,116	$	331,081	$	338,879		$	367,510	$	1,349,585
	Net earnings	4,294		6,954		5,154			7,917		24,319
	Net earnings per share:
	Basic	$	0.37	$	0.59	$	0.44		$	0.68	$	2.09
	Diluted	0.35		0.58		0.43			0.67		2.04
	Net realized gains (losses) on investments amounted to:
		1st Quarter		2nd Quarter		3rd Quarter			4th Quarter		Total Year
	2014	$	645	$	1,846	$	1,013		$	781	$	4,284
	2013	3,824		794		(546		)	1,955		6,026
	2012	238		2,166		268			21,382		24,055
	We revised the presentation of our Consolidated Statements of Earnings for the years ending 2013 and 2012 to correctly classify $98.4 million and $100.0 million, respectively, of installment and other fee income as a component of total revenues and to conform to our current-year presentation (see Note 1 to the Consolidated Financial Statements). The following are the amounts of installment and other fee income that have been included in the revenue shown above that were not included in the amounts previously reported.
		1st Quarter		2nd Quarter		3rd Quarter			4th Quarter		Total Year
	2013	$	25,300	$	24,952	$	24,183		$	23,994	$	98,428
	2012	24,714		25,098		25,145			24,995		99,952

Insurance_Reserves

Insurance Reserves	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Insurance [Abstract]
Insurance Reserves	Insurance Reserves
	Our insurance reserves consist of business produced directly by our wholly owned insurance subsidiaries, the Assumed Agency Business and two other unaffiliated insurance companies.
	Incurred but not reported (“IBNR”) reserves for the direct and Assumed Agency Business are established for the quarter and year-end based on a quarterly reserve analysis by our actuarial staff. Various standard actuarial tests are applied to subsets of the business at a state, product and coverage basis. Included in the analyses are the following:
	•	Paid and incurred extrapolation methods utilizing paid and incurred loss development to predict ultimate losses;
	•	Paid and incurred frequency and severity methods utilizing paid and incurred claims count development and paid and incurred claims cost development to predict ultimate average frequency (claims count per policy or auto insured) or ultimate average severity (cost of claim per claim); and
	•	Paid and incurred Bornhuetter-Ferguson methods adding expected development to actual paid or incurred experience to project ultimate losses.
	For each subset of the business evaluated, each test generates a point estimate based on development factors applied to known paid and incurred claims and claim counts to estimate ultimate paid claims and claim counts. Selections of development factors are based on historical loss development patterns with adjustment based on professional actuarial judgment where anticipated development patterns vary from those seen historically. Deviations from historical loss development patterns may occur due to changes in items such as claims settlement and payment practices, business mix, coverage limits and deductibles, inflation trends in auto repair and medical costs and legal and regulatory trends affecting claims settlements. This estimation of IBNR requires selection of hundreds of such factors. A single point estimate for the subset being evaluated is then selected from the results of various tests, based on a combination of simple averages of the point estimates of the various tests and selections based on professional actuarial judgment. During recent years, paid methods have been less reliable because of changes in settlement practices, so we have more heavily relied on incurred methods.
	The following table provides an analysis of changes in the liability for losses and LAE, net of reinsurance:
	($ in thousands)	2014			2013			2012
	Balance at Beginning of Period
	Unpaid losses on known claims	$	221,447		$	205,589		$	181,972
	IBNR losses	262,660			218,552			177,645
	LAE	162,469			148,753			135,787
	Total unpaid losses and LAE	646,577			572,894			495,403
	Reinsurance recoverables	(14,431		)	(13,678		)	(14,640		)
	Unpaid losses and LAE, net of reinsurance recoverables	632,146			559,215			480,764
	Current Activity
	Loss and LAE incurred:
	Current accident year	1,019,033			1,014,299			926,033
	Prior accident years	(17,405		)	2,948			16,219
	Total loss and LAE incurred	1,001,628			1,017,247			942,253
	Loss and LAE payments:
	Current accident year	(602,732		)	(593,850		)	(553,549		)
	Prior accident years	(377,235		)	(350,466		)	(310,252		)
	Total loss and LAE payments	(979,967		)	(944,316		)	(863,801		)
	Balance at End of Period
	Unpaid losses and LAE, net of reinsurance recoverables	653,808			632,146			559,215
	Add back reinsurance recoverables	14,370			14,431			13,678
	Total unpaid losses and LAE	$	668,177		$	646,577		$	572,894
	Unpaid losses on known claims	$	235,037		$	221,447		$	205,589
	IBNR losses	277,482			262,660			218,552
	LAE	155,658			162,469			148,753
	Total unpaid losses and LAE	$	668,177		$	646,577		$	572,894
	The $17.4 million favorable reserve development during the twelve months ended December 31, 2014, was primarily due to decreases in severity in California property damage and in both severity and frequency in Florida bodily injury coverages, related to accident year 2013.
	Increases in severities in both bodily injury coverage in California and personal injury protection coverage in Florida related to
	accident year 2012 were the primary sources of the $2.9 million unfavorable reserve development during the twelve months ended December 31, 2013.
	Increases in severities in both bodily injury coverage in California and personal injury protection coverage in Florida related to accident year 2011 were the primary sources of the $16.2 million unfavorable reserve development during the twelve months ended December 31, 2012.

Reinsurance

Reinsurance	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Reinsurance Disclosures [Abstract]
Reinsurance	Reinsurance
	The following table shows written and earned premium included in earnings for reinsurance assumed and amounts deducted from written and earned premium in connection with reinsurance ceded ($ in thousands):
	Year	Direct  Written		Reinsurance		Reinsurance			Net Written		% of Amount
		Premium		Assumed		Ceded			Premium		Assumed to
											Net
	2014	$	1,360,807	$	63	$	(13,266	)	$	1,347,604	0	%
	2013	1,339,803		16		(9,927		)	1,329,892		0	%
	2012	1,254,386		543		(7,731		)	1,247,198		0	%
	Year	Direct  Earned		Reinsurance		Reinsurance			Net Earned		% of Amount
		Premium		Assumed		Ceded			Premium		Assumed to
											Net
	2014	$	1,337,557	$	57	$	(11,679	)	$	1,325,935	0	%
	2013	1,311,942		15		(9,432		)	1,302,525		0	%
	2012	1,190,773		542		(7,225		)	1,184,090		0	%
	Assumed Reinsurance
	Assumed business consists of business assumed from unaffiliated insurance companies and involuntary pools and associations.
	We assumed $3.5 million, $4.1 million and $5.4 million, respectively, at December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012 of total unpaid losses and LAE from unaffiliated insurance companies. We assumed no premium from unaffiliated insurance companies in 2014 or 2013. In 2012, we assumed $0.5 million of premium from unaffiliated insurance companies.
	At December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012, we assumed $7.5 million, $7.8 million and $8.0 million, respectively, of assumed unpaid losses and LAE as part of fronting arrangements under which we utilized these companies' insurance licenses to write business while assuming substantially all of that business back from these carriers. Although the business was issued on these unaffiliated companies' policies, we manage the claims adjusting and loss reserving for this business.
	During the twelve months ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012, we assumed, from involuntary pools and associations, premium and unpaid losses and LAE of less than $0.1 million each.
	Ceded Reinsurance
	We use excess of loss, catastrophe and extra-contractual loss reinsurance to mitigate the financial impact of large or
	catastrophic losses. During 2012, our catastrophe reinsurance protection was 100% of $25 million in excess of $5 million. For 2013, we increased our catastrophe reinsurance protection to 100% of $45 million in excess of $5 million. For 2014, we increased our catastrophe reinsurance protection to 100% of $55 million in excess of $5 million. Our excess of loss reinsurance provides reinsurance protection for commercial auto losses up to $700,000 for claims in excess of $300,000 per occurrence. Our extra-contractual loss reinsurance provides protection for losses up to $10 million in excess of $5 million for any single extra-contractual loss. We also use reinsurance to mitigate losses on our Classic Collector business.
	Ceded reinsurance for all programs reduced our incurred losses and LAE by $3.5 million, $1.6 million and $2.5 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012, respectively.

Statutory_Information

Statutory Information	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Insurance [Abstract]
Statutory Information	Statutory Information
	Capital and Surplus
	Insurance companies are required to file financial statements with state insurance regulatory authorities prepared on an accounting basis prescribed or permitted by such authorities (statutory basis). Net earnings and capital and surplus on a statutory basis were as follows ($ in thousands):
	Statutory Net Earnings			Statutory Capital and Surplus
	2014	2013	2012	2014	2013
	$67,360	$44,906	$31,141	$682,068	$673,973
	For the twelve-month periods ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012, statutory results differed from net earnings on a GAAP basis primarily due to the amortization of deferred acquisition costs, the basis difference in realized gains and holding company expenses, including interest. Net earnings for 2012 include $0.1 million related to a subsidiary sold as of December 31, 2012.
	At December 31, 2014, the consolidated amount of statutory capital and surplus necessary to satisfy regulatory requirements as defined by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners' ("NAIC") Risk-Based Capital ("RBC") calculation was $144.9 million. This amount of statutory capital and surplus represents the Company Action Level ("CAL") of minimum surplus. Falling below this level would require a company to prepare and submit an RBC plan to address the deficiency in surplus to the CAL to the commissioner of its state of domicile.
	Restrictions on Transfer of Funds and Assets of Subsidiaries
	As of December 31, 2014, there are no regulatory restrictions on the payment of dividends to our shareholders. However, our ability to declare and pay dividends will depend on the working capital in the holding company, as well as dividends received from our insurance subsidiaries.
	Payments of dividends, loans and advances by our insurance subsidiaries are subject to certain restrictions under various state laws, federal regulations and debt covenants that limit the amount of dividends, loans and advances that can be paid. Under applicable restrictions, the maximum amount of dividends payable in 2015 from our insurance subsidiaries without regulatory approval is approximately $68.1 million. Additional amounts of dividends, loans and advances require regulatory approval.

Legal_and_Regulatory_Proceedin

Legal and Regulatory Proceedings	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Loss Contingency [Abstract]
Legal and Regulatory Proceedings	Legal and Regulatory Proceedings
	From time to time we and our subsidiaries are named as defendants in various lawsuits incidental to our insurance operations. We consider legal actions relating to claims made in the ordinary course of seeking indemnification for a loss covered by the insurance policy in establishing loss and LAE reserves.
	We also face in the ordinary course of business lawsuits that seek damages beyond policy limits, commonly known as extra-contractual claims, as well as class action and individual lawsuits that involve issues not unlike those facing other insurance companies and employers. We continually evaluate potential liabilities and reserves for litigation of these types using the criteria established by the Contingencies topic of the FASC. Under this guidance we may only record reserves for a loss if the likelihood of occurrence is probable and we can reasonably estimate the amount. If a material loss, while not probable, is judged to be reasonably possible, we will disclose, if it can be estimated, a possible range of loss or state that an estimate cannot be made. We consider each legal action using this guidance and record reserves for losses as warranted by establishing a reserve captured within our Consolidated Balance Sheets line-items “Unpaid losses and LAE” for extra-contractual claims and “Other liabilities” for class action and other non-claims related lawsuits. We record amounts incurred on the Consolidated Statements of Earnings within “Losses and LAE” for extra-contractual claims and “Other expenses” for class action and other non-claims related lawsuits.
	Certain claims and legal actions have been brought against us for which we have accrued no loss, and for which an estimate of a possible range of loss cannot be made under the above rules. While it is not possible to predict the ultimate outcome of these claims or lawsuits, we do not believe they are likely to have a material effect on our financial condition or liquidity. However, losses incurred because of these cases could have a material adverse impact on net earnings in a given period.
	In Reyes v. Infinity Indemnity Insurance Company (Circuit Court of Miami-Dade County, Florida), a third party claimant is attempting to recover from Infinity a $30 million consent judgment obtained against an Infinity policyholder for personal injuries suffered by claimant. Infinity believes any claims of bad faith are unfounded and has denied any and all liability to plaintiff. In December 2014 the court granted Infinity's motion for partial summary judgment finding the $30 million consent judgment unenforceable and that no bad faith claim can exist as a matter of law. Plantiff has appealed this ruling. While a decision on the appeal cannot be predicted with certainty, we believe that a material loss is not probable.

Commitments_And_Contingencies

Commitments And Contingencies	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Commitments and Contingencies	Commitments and Contingencies
	Commitments
	Minimum rental commitments under non-cancelable leases with an initial or remaining term of more than one year as of December 31, 2014, were as follows ($ in thousands):
	Due in	Operating Leases		Capital Leases
	2015	$	9,200	$	481
	2016	4,921		425
	2017	3,361		318
	2018	2,927		236
	2019	1,153		222
	Thereafter	375		0
	Total	$	21,937	$	1,682
	All of these leases expire within 7 years. The most significant leased office spaces are located in Birmingham, Alabama ($4.4 million) and suburban Los Angeles, California ($7.3 million).
	The operating leases above include leased vehicles. As vehicles are surrendered, they are sold for cash by the lessor. We guarantee that proceeds from sales will be at least equal to the lessor's depreciated book value. Otherwise, we are credited the excess or we pay the deficit. The lessors depreciated book value at December 31, 2014, on the vehicles we lease was $6.4 million, which represents the maximum deficit we would be required to pay if the lessor received no proceeds from the sale. Historically, we have not made any material additional rental payments due to surrendered vehicles. As of December 31, 2014, the current fair market value of the vehicles we lease was approximately $6.6 million.
	Lease expense incurred for all leases during the last three years was as follows ($ in thousands):
		Twelve months ended December 31,
		2014		2013			2012
	Lease expense	$	10,447	$	12,015		$	12,389
	Sublease income	0		(163		)	(420		)
	Total	$	10,447	$	11,851		$	11,969
	Contingencies
	Based on the criteria established by the Contingencies topic of the FASC, we have the following loss contingencies for which we accrue in our financial statements:
	•     Other-than-temporary impairments on investments		Note 3
	•     Insurance reserves		Note 10
	•     Legal and regulatory proceedings		Note 13
	•     Allowances for uncollectible accounts		Note 15
	For each item listed above, please refer to the notes referenced for additional discussion.

Additional_Information

Additional Information	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Additional Information [Abstract]
Additional Information	Additional Information
	Allowances for Uncollectible Accounts
	Agents’ balances and premium receivable included in the Consolidated Balance Sheets are net of allowances for uncollectible accounts. The provision for such losses is included in commissions and other underwriting expenses. A progression of the aggregate allowance follows ($ in thousands):
		2014			2013			2012
	Beginning balance	$	15,884		$	16,124		$	13,497
	Provision for losses	19,541			20,913			24,884
	Uncollectible amounts written off	(19,916		)	(21,154		)	(22,257		)
	Ending balance	$	15,510		$	15,884		$	16,124
	Negative Cash Book Balances
	Negative cash book balances, included in the line item “Other liabilities” in the Consolidated Balance Sheets, were $51.2 million, $50.5 million and $45.4 million, respectively, at December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012.

Accumulated_Other_Comprehensiv

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Stockholders' Equity Note [Abstract]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income	The components of other comprehensive income before and after tax are as follows ($ in thousands):
		Twelve Months Ended December 31,
		2014									2013									2012
		Before Tax			Income Tax			Net			Before Tax			Income Tax			Net			Before Tax			Income Tax			Net
	Accumulated change in postretirement benefit liability, beginning of period	$	(62	)	$	22		$	(40	)	$	(967	)	$	339		$	(629	)	$	519		$	(182	)	$	337
	Effect on other comprehensive income	235			(82		)	153			906			(317		)	589			(1,487		)	520			(966		)
	Accumulated change in postretirement benefit liability, end of period	$	174		$	(61	)	$	113		$	(62	)	$	22		$	(40	)	$	(967	)	$	339		$	(629	)
	Accumulated unrealized gains on investments, net, beginning of period	$	25,638		$	(8,973	)	$	16,665		$	46,892		$	(16,412	)	$	30,480		$	53,817		$	(18,836	)	$	34,981
	Other comprehensive income before reclassification	14,618			(5,116		)	9,502			(15,227		)	5,330			(9,898		)	17,129			(5,995		)	11,134
	Reclassification adjustment for other-than-temporary impairments included in net income	160			(56		)	104			1,468			(514		)	954			1,393			(487		)	905
	Reclassification adjustment for realized gains included in net income	(4,444		)	1,556			(2,889		)	(7,495		)	2,623			(4,872		)	(25,447		)	8,907			(16,541		)
	Effect on other comprehensive income	10,334			(3,617		)	6,717			(21,254		)	7,439			(13,815		)	(6,926		)	2,424			(4,502		)
	Accumulated unrealized gains on investments, net, end of period	$	35,972		$	(12,590	)	$	23,382		$	25,638		$	(8,973	)	$	16,665		$	46,892		$	(16,412	)	$	30,480
	Accumulated other comprehensive income, beginning of period	$	25,576		$	(8,952	)	$	16,624		$	45,924		$	(16,073	)	$	29,851		$	54,336		$	(19,018	)	$	35,319
	Change in postretirement benefit liability	235			(82		)	153			906			(317		)	589			(1,487		)	520			(966		)
	Change in unrealized gains on investments, net	10,334			(3,617		)	6,717			(21,254		)	7,439			(13,815		)	(6,926		)	2,424			(4,502		)
	Effect on other comprehensive income	10,569			(3,699		)	6,870			(20,348		)	7,122			(13,226		)	(8,412		)	2,944			(5,468		)
	Accumulated other comprehensive income, end of period	$	36,145		$	(12,651	)	$	23,494		$	25,576		$	(8,952	)	$	16,624		$	45,924		$	(16,073	)	$	29,851

Subsequent_Events_Notes

Subsequent Events (Notes)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Subsequent Events [Abstract]
Subsequent Events	17 Subsequent Events
	On February 5, 2015, we signed a $20.0 million purchase agreement for a 120,493 square foot building to replace a location currently leased in Birmingham, Alabama. The purchase will be made with internally generated funds and is expected to close in approximately 60 days.

Significant_Reporting_and_Acco1

Significant Reporting and Accounting Policies (Policies)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Nature of Operations	Nature of Operations
	We currently write personal automobile insurance with a concentration on nonstandard automobile insurance, mono-line commercial vehicle insurance and classic collector automobile insurance. Personal auto insurance accounts for 91% of our total gross written premium and we primarily write it in four states. We wrote approximately 50% of our personal auto gross written premium in the state of California during 2014.
Basis of Consolidation and Reporting	Basis of Consolidation and Reporting
	The accompanying consolidated financial statements include our accounts and those of our subsidiaries. These financial statements reflect certain adjustments necessary for a fair presentation of our results of operations and financial position. Such adjustments consist of normal, recurring accruals recorded to accurately match expenses with their related revenue streams and the elimination of all significant inter-company transactions and balances.
	We revised the presentation of our Consolidated Statements of Earnings for the years ending 2013 and 2012 to correctly classify $98.4 million and $100.0 million, respectively, of installment and other fee income as a component of total revenues and to conform to our current-year presentation. Previously, installment and other fee income was presented net within our commissions and other underwriting expenses, which was not in compliance with GAAP, thereby understating both total revenues and total expenses by an equivalent amount. This revision is not considered to be material to previously issued financial statements since it has no effect on the results of operations, financial condition or cash flows in any period presented or in any previously issued financial statements.
	We have evaluated events that occurred after December 31, 2014, for recognition or disclosure in our financial statements and the notes to the financial statements.
	Schedules may not foot due to rounding.
Estimates	The preparation of the financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles of the United States requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the financial statements and accompanying notes. Changes in circumstances could cause actual results to differ materially from those estimates.
Investments	Investments
	We consider all fixed maturity securities “available for sale” and report them at fair value with unrealized gains or losses reported after-tax in accumulated other comprehensive income within shareholders' equity.  We base the fair values of investments on prices quoted in the most active market for each security. If quoted prices are not available, we estimate fair value based on the fair value of comparable securities, discounted cash flow models or similar methods. We treat premium and discounts on mortgage-backed securities (“MBS”) and asset-backed securities (“ABS”) as a yield adjustment over the estimated life of the securities, adjusted for anticipated prepayments, using the interest method. We base prepayment assumptions on data from widely accepted third party data sources or internal estimates. We review the amortized cost and effective yield of the security periodically and adjust it to reflect actual prepayments and changes in expectations. For high credit quality MBS and ABS (those rated AA or above at the time of purchase), the adjustments to amortized cost are recorded as a charge or credit to net investment income in accordance with the retrospective method. For MBS and ABS rated below AA, we adjust the yield prospectively for any changes in estimated cash flows.
	Gains or losses on securities are determined on the specific identification basis.  When we consider impairment in the value of a specific investment other-than-temporary (“OTTI”), the cost basis of that investment is reduced. For fixed maturity securities that are OTTI, we assess our intent to sell and the likelihood that we will be required to sell the security before recovery of our amortized cost. If a fixed maturity security is considered OTTI, but we do not intend to and are not more than likely to be required to sell the security prior to its recovery to amortized cost, the amount of the impairment is separated into a credit loss component and the amount due to all other factors. The excess of the amortized cost over the present value of the expected cash flows determines the credit loss component of an impairment charge on a fixed maturity security. The present value is determined using the best estimate of cash flows discounted at (1) the effective interest rate implicit at the date of acquisition for non-structured securities or (2) the book yield for structured securities. The techniques and assumptions for determining the best estimate of cash flows varies depending on the type of security. We recognize the credit loss component of an impairment charge in net earnings and the non-credit component in accumulated other comprehensive income.
	Securities having a fair value of approximately $21.2 million at December 31, 2014, were on deposit as required by regulatory authorities.
Cash and Cash Equivalents	Cash and Cash Equivalents
	We consider liquid investments having original maturities of three months or less when purchased to be cash equivalents for purposes of the financial statements.
Reinsurance	Reinsurance
	Our insurance subsidiaries cede insurance to other companies. To the extent that any reinsuring companies are unable to meet obligations under agreements covering reinsurance ceded, our insurance subsidiaries would remain liable. We estimate amounts recoverable from reinsurers in a manner consistent with the claim liability associated with the reinsured policies. Our insurance subsidiaries report as assets (a) the estimated reinsurance recoverable on unpaid losses and (b) amounts paid to reinsurers applicable to the unexpired terms of policies in force.
Deferred Policy Acquisition Costs (DPAC)	Deferred Policy Acquisition Costs (“DPAC”)
	We defer and charge against income ratably over the terms of the related policies policy acquisition costs (principally commissions, premium taxes and other marketing and underwriting expenses) related to the successful production of premium writings.  The method followed in computing DPAC limits the amount of such costs to their estimated realizable value without any consideration for anticipated investment income. Each quarter, we evaluate the recoverability of these costs.
Goodwill	Goodwill
	In accordance with the Goodwill topic of the FASB Accounting Standards Codification (“FASC”), we perform impairment test procedures for goodwill on an annual basis. These procedures require us to calculate the fair value of goodwill, compare the result to our carrying value and record the amount of any shortfall as an impairment charge.
	We performed this test as of October 1, 2014, using a variety of methods, including estimates of future discounted cash flows and comparisons of our market value to that of our major competitors. Our cash flow projections rely on assumptions that are subject to uncertainty, including premium growth, loss and loss adjustment expense ratios, interest rates and capital requirements.
	The October 1, 2014, test results indicated that the fair value of our goodwill exceeded our carrying value and therefore no impairment charge was required at that date. Additionally, there was no indication of impairment at December 31, 2014
Unpaid Losses and Loss Adjustment Expense (LAE)	Unpaid Losses and Loss Adjustment Expenses (“LAE”)
	The net liabilities stated for unpaid claims and for expenses of investigation and adjustment of unpaid claims are based upon (a) the accumulation of case estimates for losses reported prior to the close of the accounting period on direct business written; (b) estimates received from ceding reinsurers and insurance pools and associations; (c) estimates of unreported losses based on past experience; (d) estimates based on experience of expenses for investigating and adjusting claims; and (e) the current state of the law and coverage litigation. These liabilities are subject to the impact of changes in claim amounts and frequency and other factors. We have not reduced liabilities for unpaid losses and LAE for reinsurance recoverables; such recoverables are recorded separately as assets. Changes in estimates of the liabilities for losses and LAE are reflected in the Consolidated Statements of Earnings in the period in which determined. In spite of the variability inherent in such estimates, we believe that the liabilities for unpaid losses and LAE are adequate.
Premium and Receivables	Premium and Receivables
	We earn insurance premium written over the terms of the policies on a pro rata basis.  Unearned premium represents that portion of premium written which is applicable to the unexpired terms of policies in force.  On reinsurance assumed from other insurance companies or written through various underwriting organizations, we base unearned premium on reports received from such companies and organizations. We provide insurance and related services to individuals and small commercial accounts throughout the United States and offer a variety of payment plans. We establish an allowance for doubtful accounts based on the relationship, on a policy basis, between receivables and unearned premium, or an aging analysis of past due balances. We charge off premium due from insureds if not collected within 90 days of the policies' expiration or cancellation dates. However, even after we charge off premium, attempts to collect the premium continue.
Income Taxes	Income Taxes
	We file a consolidated federal income tax return, which includes all 80% and greater owned U.S. subsidiaries. We and our 80% and greater owned subsidiaries are parties to a tax allocation agreement, which designates how members of the tax group share tax payments. In general, each subsidiary agrees to pay us taxes computed on a separate company taxable income basis. We agree to pay each subsidiary for the tax benefit, if any, of net losses used by other members of the consolidated group.
	We calculate deferred income taxes using the “asset and liability method.” Under this method, deferred income tax assets and liabilities are determined based on differences between financial reporting and tax basis and are measured using enacted tax rates. We recognize deferred tax assets if it is more likely than not that a benefit will be realized. We aggregate current and deferred tax assets and liabilities on the Consolidated Balance Sheets.
Property and Equipment	Property and Equipment
	We report property and equipment balances at cost less accumulated depreciation. Property and equipment, which consists of land, buildings, leasehold improvements, computer equipment, capitalized software and furniture and fixtures, consisted of the following balances as of December 31, 2014 ($ in millions):
		Gross Asset		Accumulated Depreciation			Net Asset
	Real Estate Related	$	41.4	$	(6.5	)	$	34.9
	Computer Equipment & Software	66.1		(48.4		)	17.8
	Furniture & Fixtures	12.2		(9.0		)	3.2
		$	119.8	$	(63.9	)	$	55.9
	We recognized $1.8 million, net of accumulated depreciation of $0.9 million, of equipment held under capital leases in other assets on the Consolidated Balance Sheets with the related lease obligations recorded in other liabilities. We compute depreciation over the estimated useful lives of the assets using the straight-line method. Property and equipment is a separate line item on the Consolidated Balance Sheets and we allocate the related expenses, including amortization of assets recorded under capital leases, to one or more of the following line items on the Consolidated Statements of Earnings depending on the asset: losses and LAE, commissions and other underwriting expenses, corporate general and administrative expenses or other expenses.
Benefit Plans	Benefit Plans
	We provide retirement benefits to qualified employees and healthcare and life insurance benefits to eligible retirees. We also provide post-employment benefits to former or inactive employees (primarily those on disability) who were not deemed retired under other company plans. The projected future cost of providing these benefits is expensed over the period the employees earn such benefits.
Recently Issued Accounting Standards	Recently Issued Accounting Standards
	In May 2014 the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued an Accounting Standards Update (ASU) related to the accounting for revenue from contracts with customers. Insurance contracts have been excluded from the scope of the guidance, which is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016. We do not expect the adoption of this standard to have a material impact on our financial condition or results of operations.

Significant_Reporting_and_Acco2

Significant Reporting and Accounting Policies Significant Reporting and Accounting Policies (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Schedule of Property, Plant and Equipment	Property and equipment, which consists of land, buildings, leasehold improvements, computer equipment, capitalized software and furniture and fixtures, consisted of the following balances as of December 31, 2014 ($ in millions):
		Gross Asset		Accumulated Depreciation			Net Asset
	Real Estate Related	$	41.4	$	(6.5	)	$	34.9
	Computer Equipment & Software	66.1		(48.4		)	17.8
	Furniture & Fixtures	12.2		(9.0		)	3.2
		$	119.8	$	(63.9	)	$	55.9

Fair_Value_Tables

Fair Value (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Fair value by hierarchy	The following tables present, for each of the fair value hierarchy levels, our assets and liabilities for which we report fair value on a recurring basis ($ in thousands):
			Fair Value
	December 31, 2014		Level 1				Level 2				Level 3				Total
	Cash and cash equivalents		$	84,541			$	0			$	0			$	84,541
	Fixed maturity securities:
	U.S. government		66,847				87				0				66,933
	State and municipal		0				503,650				0				503,650
	Mortgage-backed securities:
	Residential		0				354,528				0				354,528
	Commercial		0				50,838				0				50,838
	Total mortgage-backed securities		0				405,366				0				405,366
	Collateralized mortgage obligations		0				0				0				0
	Asset-backed securities		0				58,457				150				58,607
	Corporates		0				394,152				3,134				397,286
	Total fixed maturities		66,847				1,361,711				3,285				1,431,843
	Equity securities		94,408				0				0				94,408
	Short-term investments		0				803				0				803
	Total cash and investments		$	245,795			$	1,362,514			$	3,285			$	1,611,594
	Percentage of total cash and investments		15.3		%		84.5		%		0.2		%		100		%
			Fair Value
	December 31, 2013		Level 1				Level 2				Level 3				Total
	Cash and cash equivalents		$	134,211			$	0			$	0			$	134,211
	Fixed maturity securities:
	U.S. government		64,496				171				0				64,666
	State and municipal		0				487,111				0				487,111
	Mortgage-backed securities:
	Residential		0				323,346				0				323,346
	Commercial		0				35,816				0				35,816
	Total mortgage-backed securities		0				359,162				0				359,162
	Collateralized mortgage obligations		0				1,291				0				1,291
	Asset-backed securities		0				70,573				686				71,259
	Corporates		0				365,642				5,175				370,816
	Total fixed maturities		64,496				1,283,949				5,860				1,354,305
	Equity securities		91,127				0				0				91,127
	Short-term investments		1,200				1,396				0				2,596
	Total cash and investments		$	291,033			$	1,285,345			$	5,860			$	1,582,238
	Percentage of total cash and investments		18.4		%		81.2		%		0.4		%		100		%
Fair value level 3 reconciliation	The following tables present the changes in the Level 3 fair value category ($ in thousands):
		Twelve months ended
		31-Dec-14
		U.S. Government				Corporates				Asset-Backed Securities				Total
	Balance at beginning of period	$	0			$	5,175			$	686			$	5,860
	Total gains or (losses), unrealized or realized
	Included in net earnings	0				274				0				274
	Included in other comprehensive income	0				(230		)		(1		)		(231		)
	Purchases	0				0				0				0
	Sales	0				(880		)		0				(880		)
	Settlements	0				(1,204		)		(534		)		(1,739		)
	Transfers in	0				0				0				0
	Transfers out	0				0				0				0
	Balance at end of period	$	0			$	3,134			$	150			$	3,285
		Twelve months ended
		December 31, 2013
		U.S. Government				Corporates				Asset-Backed Securities				Total
	Balance at beginning of period	$	3,712			$	9,101			$	0			$	12,813
	Total gains or (losses), unrealized or realized
	Included in net earnings	268				583				0				852
	Included in other comprehensive income	(418		)		(477		)		1				(895		)
	Purchases	0				0				0				0
	Sales	(2,968		)		(877		)		0				(3,845		)
	Settlements	(594		)		(1,824		)		(310		)		(2,729		)
	Transfers in	0				0				995				995
	Transfers out	0				(1,331		)		0				(1,331		)
	Balance at end of period	$	0			$	5,175			$	686			$	5,860
Carrying value and estimated fair value	The following table presents the carrying value and estimated fair value of our financial instruments ($ in thousands):
		December 31, 2014								December 31, 2013
		Carrying				Fair				Carrying				Fair
		Value				Value				Value				Value
	Assets:
	Cash and cash equivalents	$	84,541			$	84,541			$	134,211			$	134,211
	Available-for-sale securities
	Fixed maturities	1,431,843				1,431,843				1,354,305				1,354,305
	Equity securities	94,408				94,408				91,127				91,127
	Short-term investments	803				803				2,596				2,596
	Total cash and investments	$	1,611,594			$	1,611,594			$	1,582,238			$	1,582,238
	Liabilities:
	Long-term debt	$	275,000			$	291,044			$	275,000			$	272,632

Investments_Tables

Investments (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Investments, Debt and Equity Securities [Abstract]
Summarized information of investment portfolio	Summarized information for the major categories of our investment portfolio follows ($ in thousands):
		December 31, 2014
		Amortized				Gross				Gross				Fair Value				OTTI
		Cost or Cost				Unrealized				Unrealized								Recognized in
						Gains				Losses								Accumulated
																		OCI(1)
	Fixed maturities:
	U.S. government	$	66,625			$	502			$	(193	)		$	66,933			$	0
	State and municipal	493,350				10,637				(337		)		503,650				(69		)
	Mortgage-backed securities:
	Residential	349,371				6,547				(1,390		)		354,528				(2,914		)
	Commercial	50,914				182				(258		)		50,838				0
	Total mortgage-backed securities	$	400,285			$	6,729			$	(1,648	)		$	405,366			$	(2,914	)
	Collateralized mortgage obligations	0				0				0				0				0
	Asset-backed securities	58,546				131				(70		)		58,607				(8		)
	Corporates	393,611				5,999				(2,324		)		397,286				(441		)
	Total fixed maturities	$	1,412,417			$	23,998			$	(4,572	)		$	1,431,843			$	(3,433	)
	Equity securities	77,862				16,546				0				94,408				0
	Short-term investments	803				0				(1		)		803				0
	Total	$	1,491,082			$	40,544			$	(4,573	)		$	1,527,054			$	(3,433	)
		December 31, 2013
		Amortized				Gross				Gross				Fair Value				OTTI
		Cost or Cost				Unrealized				Unrealized								Recognized in
						Gains				Losses								Accumulated
																		OCI(1)
	Fixed maturities:
	U.S. government	$	64,194			$	900			$	(427	)		$	64,666			$	0
	State and municipal	478,092				10,789				(1,771		)		487,111				(73		)
	Mortgage-backed securities:
	Residential	330,169				1,985				(8,809		)		323,346				(2,435		)
	Commercial	35,781				339				(304		)		35,816				0
	Total mortgage-backed securities	$	365,950			$	2,324			$	(9,113	)		$	359,162			$	(2,435	)
	Collateralized mortgage obligations	1,228				63				0				1,291				(161		)
	Asset-backed securities	71,183				178				(103		)		71,259				(8		)
	Corporates	364,430				9,086				(2,700		)		370,816				(612		)
	Total fixed maturities	$	1,345,077			$	23,340			$	(14,112	)		$	1,354,305			$	(3,290	)
	Equity securities	74,718				16,409				0				91,127				0
	Short-term investments	2,595				1				0				2,596				0
	Total	$	1,422,390			$	39,750			$	(14,112	)		$	1,448,027			$	(3,290	)
	(1) The total non-credit portion of OTTI recognized in Accumulated OCI reflecting the original non-credit loss at the time the credit impairment was determined.
Unrealized loss by investment category and length of time	The following table sets forth the amount of unrealized loss by investment category and length of time that individual securities have been in a continuous unrealized loss position ($ in thousands):
		Less than 12 Months													12 Months or More
	December 31, 2014	Number of		Fair				Gross				Unrealized			Number of		Fair				Gross			Unrealized
		Securities		Value				Unrealized				Losses as			Securities		Value				Unrealized			Losses as
		with						Losses				% of Cost			with						Losses			% of Cost
		Unrealized													Unrealized
		Losses													Losses
	Fixed maturities:
	U.S. government	2		$	5,275			$	(13	)		0.3	%		8		$	21,051			$	(180	)	0.8	%
	State and municipal	45		108,721				(290		)		0.3	%		2		4,183				(47		)	1.1	%
	Mortgage-backed securities:
	Residential	24		12,855				(34		)		0.3	%		109		100,752				(1,356		)	1.3	%
	Commercial	8		15,638				(122		)		0.8	%		5		9,519				(136		)	1.4	%
	Total mortgage-backed securities	32		28,493				(156		)		0.5	%		114		110,271				(1,492		)	1.3	%
	Asset-backed securities	24		23,351				(60		)		0.3	%		2		1,150				(9		)	0.8	%
	Corporate	103		142,046				(1,820		)		1.3	%		16		19,865				(503		)	2.5	%
	Total fixed maturities	206		307,886				(2,340		)		0.8	%		142		156,521				(2,232		)	1.4	%
	Equity securities	0		0				0				0	%		0		0				0			0	%
	Short-term investments	2		803				(1		)		0.1	%		0		0				0			0	%
	Total	208		$	308,689			$	(2,341	)		0.8	%		142		$	156,521			$	(2,232	)	1.4	%
		Less than 12 Months													12 Months or More
	December 31, 2013	Number of		Fair				Gross				Unrealized			Number of		Fair				Gross			Unrealized
		Securities		Value				Unrealized				Losses as			Securities		Value				Unrealized			Losses as
		with						Losses				% of Cost			with						Losses			% of Cost
		Unrealized													Unrealized
		Losses													Losses
	Fixed maturities:
	U.S. government	11		$	26,396			$	(427	)		1.6	%		0		$	0			$	0		0	%
	State and municipal	51		121,431				(1,425		)		1.2	%		4		8,062				(346		)	4.1	%
	Mortgage-backed securities:
	Residential	229		207,821				(7,064		)		3.3	%		34		39,659				(1,744		)	4.2	%
	Commercial	11		22,311				(290		)		1.3	%		1		756				(14		)	1.8	%
	Total mortgage-backed securities	240		230,133				(7,354		)		3.1	%		35		40,415				(1,758		)	4.2	%
	Asset-backed securities	18		14,738				(103		)		0.7	%		0		0				0			0	%
	Corporate	90		115,735				(2,621		)		2.2	%		1		1,212				(79		)	6.1	%
	Total fixed maturities	410		508,432				(11,929		)		2.3	%		40		49,688				(2,183		)	4.2	%
	Equity securities	0		0				0				0	%		0		0				0			0	%
	Short-term investments	0		0				0				0	%		0		0				0			0	%
	Total	410		$	508,432			$	(11,929	)		2.3	%		40		$	49,688			$	(2,183	)	4.2	%
Summary of unrealized gains or losses	The following table summarizes those securities, excluding the rabbi trust, with unrealized gains or losses:
		31-Dec-14			December 31, 2013
	Number of positions held with unrealized:
	Gains	778			590
	Losses	350			450
	Number of positions held that individually exceed unrealized:
	Gains of $500,000	3			1
	Losses of $500,000	0			0
	Percentage of positions held with unrealized:
	Gains that were investment grade	92	%		81	%
	Losses that were investment grade	84	%		93	%
	Percentage of fair value held with unrealized:
	Gains that were investment grade	94	%		88	%
	Losses that were investment grade	86	%		95	%
Unrealized loss by age and severity	The following table sets forth the amount of unrealized losses, excluding the rabbi trust, by age and severity at December 31, 2014 ($ in thousands):
		Fair Value of				Total Gross				Less Than 5%*				5% - 10%*				Total Gross
		Securities with				Unrealized												Greater
		Unrealized				Losses												Than 10%*
		Losses
	Age of Unrealized Losses:
	Three months or less	$	245,391			$	(1,077	)		$	(1,004	)		$	(74	)		$	0
	Four months through six months	49,083				(1,018		)		(585		)		(334		)		(99		)
	Seven months through nine months	11,639				(171		)		(135		)		(36		)		0
	Ten months through twelve months	2,576				(74		)		(74		)		0				0
	Greater than twelve months	156,521				(2,232		)		(2,044		)		0				(188		)
	Total	$	465,210			$	(4,573	)		$	(3,842	)		$	(443	)		$	(288	)
	*	As a percentage of amortized cost or cost.
Change in unrealized gains (losses) on marketable securities	The change in unrealized gains (losses) on securities included the following ($ in thousands):
		Pretax
		Fixed  Maturities				Equity Securities				Short-Term Investments				Tax Effects				Net
	December 31, 2014
	Unrealized holding gains (losses) on securities arising during the period	$	13,174			$	1,440			$	4			$	(5,116	)		$	9,502
	Realized (gains) losses included in net earnings	(3,137		)		(1,303		)		(5		)		1,556				(2,889		)
	Impairment losses recognized in net earnings	160				0				0				(56		)		104
	Change in unrealized gain (loss) on securities, net	$	10,198			$	137			$	(1	)		$	(3,617	)		$	6,717
	December 31, 2013
	Unrealized holding gains (losses) on securities arising during the period	$	(29,199	)		$	13,971			$	1			$	5,330			$	(9,898	)
	Realized (gains) losses included in net earnings	(6,818		)		(677		)		0				2,623				(4,872		)
	Impairment losses recognized in net earnings	1,468				0				0				(514		)		954
	Change in unrealized gain (loss) on securities, net	$	(34,549	)		$	13,294			$	1			$	7,439			$	(13,815	)
	December 31, 2012
	Unrealized holding gains (losses) on securities arising during the period	$	10,678			$	6,451			$	0			$	(5,995	)		$	11,134
	Realized (gains) losses included in net earnings(1)	(11,594		)		(13,853		)		0				8,907				(16,541		)
	Impairment losses recognized in net earnings	1,393				0				0				(487		)		905
	Change in unrealized gain (loss) on securities, net	$	476			$	(7,402	)		$	0			$	2,424			$	(4,502	)
	(1) The tax effect is exclusive of the release of the deferred tax valuation allowance of $6.4 million in 2012.
Progression of credit losses on fixed maturity securities	The following table is a progression of credit losses on fixed maturity securities that were bifurcated between a credit and non-credit component ($ in thousands):
		2014				2013
	Balance at beginning of year	$	956			$	487
	Additions for:
	Previously impaired securities	19				27
	Newly impaired securities	15				659
	Previously all credit	0				26
	Reductions for:
	Securities sold and paydowns	(139		)		(206		)
	Securities that no longer have a non-credit component	0				(37		)
	Balance at end of year	$	852			$	956
Scheduled maturities of fixed maturity securities	Actual maturities may differ
	from contractual maturities because certain securities may be called or prepaid by the issuers.
																		Amortized
		Fair Value																Cost
	Maturity	Securities				Securities				Securities				All Fixed				All Fixed
		with				with				with No				Maturity				Maturity
		Unrealized				Unrealized				Unrealized				Securities				Securities
		Gains				Losses				Gains or
										Losses
	One year or less	$	89,487			$	9,567			$	1,102			$	100,156			$	99,523
	After one year through five years	392,906				190,302				1,353				584,560				575,609
	After five years through ten years	165,735				100,053				1,777				267,565				263,488
	After ten years	11,741				1,219				2,628				15,588				14,966
	Mortgage- and asset-backed	297,407				163,266				3,301				463,973				458,831
	Total	$	957,275			$	464,407			$	10,160			$	1,431,843			$	1,412,417
Investment income	The following table shows investment income earned and investment expenses incurred ($ in thousands):
		Twelve months ended December 31,
		2014				2013				2012
	Investment income:
	Interest income on fixed maturities, cash and cash equivalents	$	35,596			$	36,113			$	38,234
	Dividends on equity securities	2,245				1,711				1,415
	Gross investment income	37,841				37,825				39,649
	Investment expenses	(2,211		)		(2,279		)		(2,077		)
	Net investment income	$	35,629			$	35,546			$	37,571

Income_Taxes_Tables

Income Taxes (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Reconciliation of provision for income taxes	The following is a reconciliation of income taxes at the statutory rate of 35.0% to the effective provision for income taxes as shown in the Consolidated Statements of Earnings ($ in thousands):
		Twelve Months December 31,
		2014			2013			2012
	Earnings before income taxes	$	83,138		$	45,078		$	22,088
	Income taxes at statutory rate	29,098			15,777			7,731
	Effect of:
	Dividends-received deduction	(469		)	(357		)	(296		)
	Tax-exempt interest	(2,752		)	(2,743		)	(3,294		)
	Adjustment to valuation allowance	1			(48		)	(6,402		)
	Other	58			(184		)	30
	Provision for income taxes as shown on the Consolidated Statements of Earnings	$	25,936		$	12,445		$	(2,231	)
	GAAP effective tax rate	31.2		%	27.6		%	(10.1		)%
Components of income tax expense	The total income tax provision (benefit) consists of ($ in thousands):
		2014			2013			2012
	Current	$	25,342		$	10,541		$	3,605
	Deferred	594			1,904			(5,836		)
	Provision for income taxes	$	25,936		$	12,445		$	(2,231	)
Schedule of deferred tax assets and liabilities	The significant components of deferred tax assets and liabilities included in the Consolidated Balance Sheets were as follows ($ in thousands):
		As of December 31,
		2014			2013
	Deferred tax assets:
	Discount on loss reserves	$	6,001		$	7,045
	Unearned premium reserve	40,918			39,401
	Bad debts	5,428			5,559
	Accrued bonuses	2,791			2,442
	Deferred compensation	5,372			4,842
	Long-term incentive compensation	1,193			2,040
	Other	5,157			5,473
	Gross deferred tax assets	$	66,860		$	66,803
	Valuation allowance for deferred tax assets	(166		)	(165		)
	Total deferred tax assets	$	66,694		$	66,638
	Deferred tax liabilities:
	Deferred policy acquisition costs	$	(31,650	)	$	(30,890	)
	Investment securities – unrealized gains	(12,590		)	(8,973		)
	Other	(1,951		)	(2,111		)
	Total deferred tax liabilities	$	(46,191	)	$	(41,975	)
	Net deferred tax assets	$	20,503		$	24,663
	Current income taxes	(481		)	3,985
	Current and deferred income taxes	$	20,022		$	28,648

Computation_Of_Earnings_Per_Sh1

Computation Of Earnings Per Share (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Schedule of Earnings per Share	The following table illustrates our computations of basic and diluted net earnings per common share ($ in thousands, except per share figures):
		Twelve months ended December 31,
		2014		2013		2012
	Net earnings	$	57,201	$	32,633	$	24,319
	Average basic shares outstanding	11,440		11,451		11,660
	Basic net earnings per share	$	5	$	2.85	$	2.09
	Average basic shares outstanding	11,440		11,451		11,660
	Restricted stock not vested	37		46		28
	Dilutive effect of assumed option exercises	1		29		97
	Dilutive effect of Performance Share Plan	84		130		156
	Average diluted shares outstanding	11,562		11,657		11,941
	Diluted net earnings per share	$	4.95	$	2.8	$	2.04

ShareBased_Compensation_Tables

Share-Based Compensation (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Abstract]
Schedule of Shares Issued by Plan	The number of shares issued, by plan, for share-based compensation arrangements was as follows:
		2014				2013				2012
		2013 Plan		Prior Plans		2013 Plan		Prior Plans
	Restricted Stock	46,328		0		0		0		0
	Non-employee Directors’ Stock	8,016		0		6,517		0		5,502
	Performance Shares	0		55,245		0		17,934		49,098
	Total	54,344		55,245		6,517		17,934		54,600
Schedule of Compensation Cost for Share-based Payment Arrangements, Allocation of Share-based Compensation Costs by Plan [Table Text Block]	The amount of total compensation cost for share-based compensation arrangements was as follows ($ in thousands):
		Twelve months ended December 31,
		2014								2013					2012
		Expense				Tax				Expense			Tax		Expense		Tax
		Recognized in				Benefit				Recognized in			Benefit		Recognized in		Benefit
		Earnings								Earnings					Earnings
	Restricted Stock	$	1,126			$	394			$	1,190		$	417	$	1,190	$	417
	Non-employee Directors’ Stock Ownership Plan	520				182				385			135		300		105
	Employee Stock Purchase Plan	55				0				54			0		55		0
	Performance Shares	933				327				2,380			833		1,704		596
	Total	$	2,634			$	903			$	4,009		$	1,384	$	3,249	$	1,118
Schedule of Nonvested Restricted Stock Shares Activity
	Restricted Stock	Number of			Weighted-average
		Shares			Grant Date  Fair Value
	Non-vested as of January 1, 2014	72,234			$49.44
	Granted	46,328			$67.04
	Vested	(72,234	)		$49.44
	Non-vested as of December 31, 2014	46,328			$67.04
Valuation assumptions of stock options granted	We estimated the weighted-average grant date fair value of options granted during 2004 using the modified Black-Scholes valuation model and the following weighted-average assumptions:
		2004 Grants
	Weighted-average grant date fair value	$	13.87
	Dividend yield	0.7		%
	Expected volatility	33		%
	Risk-free interest rate	4.3		%
	Expected life (in years)	7.5
	Weighted-average grant exercise price	$	33.56
	Outstanding as of December 31, 2014	0
Stock option activity	The following table describes activity for our SOP for the twelve-month period ended December 31, 2014:
	Options	Number of			Weighted-				Weighted-		Aggregate
		Options			Average				Average		Intrinsic
					Exercise				Remaining		Value (a)
					Price				Term		(in millions)
									(in years)
	Outstanding as of January 1, 2014	16,000			$	33.58
	Exercised	(14,000	)		33.58
	Forfeited	(2,000	)		33.58
	Outstanding as of December 31, 2014	0			$	0			0		$	0
	Vested as of December 31, 2014	0			$	0			0		$	0
	Exercisable as of December 31, 2014	0			$	0			0		$	0

Benefit_Plans_Tables

Benefit Plans (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Compensation and Retirement Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of net benefit obligation	The following tables show data related to the APBO plan ($ in thousands):
		2014			2013
	Net benefit obligation at beginning of year	$	4,473		$	5,004
	Service cost	198			331
	Interest cost	150			159
	Participant contributions	28			27
	Plan amendment	(660		)	0
	Assumption change	534			(342		)
	Actuarial (gain) loss	(120		)	(364		)
	Gross benefits paid	(291		)	(342		)
	Net benefit obligation at end of year	$	4,313		$	4,473
Schedule of weighted-average assumptions used	The following table discloses discount rates used to determine benefit obligations:
		2014		2013	2012
	Discount rate	3.50%		4.10%	3.30%
Schedule of net benefit costs	The following table discloses the components of net periodic post-retirement benefit cost ($ in thousands):
		2014			2013				2012
	Service cost	$	198		$	331			$	119
	Interest cost	150			159				136
	Amortization of prior service cost	71			199				0
	Amortization of net cumulative (gain)/loss	(81		)	0				(23		)
	Net periodic post-retirement benefit cost	$	339		$	690			$	232
Schedule of health care cost trend rates	The following table discloses the effects of a hypothetical one percentage point increase and the effects of a hypothetical one percentage point decrease in the assumed healthcare trend rate ($ in thousands):
		2014			2013			2012
	A one percentage point hypothetical change in the assumed healthcare trend rate would have the following effect on the post-retirement benefit obligations:
	1% increase	$	396		349			389
	1% decrease	(348		)	(318	)		(363		)
	A one percentage point hypothetical change in the assumed healthcare trend rate would have the following effect on the aggregate of the service and interest cost components of net periodic post-retirement healthcare benefit costs:
	1% increase	$	40		53			$	56
	1% decrease	(34		)	(47	)		(49		)
Schedule of changes in fair value of plan assets	The following table reconciles the beginning and ending balances of the fair value of plan assets for the years ended December 31, 2014, and 2013 ($ in thousands):
		2014			2013
	Fair value of plan assets at beginning of year	$	0		$	0
	Employer contributions	263			315
	Participant contributions	28			27
	Gross benefits paid	(291		)	(342		)
	Fair value of plan assets at end of year	$	0		$	0
Schedule of amounts recognized in balance sheet	The following table presents the funded status and the amounts recognized in the Consolidated Balance Sheets ($ in thousands):
		2014			2013
	Fair value of plan assets	$	0		$	0
	Benefit obligations	(4,313		)	(4,473		)
	Funded status at end of year	$	(4,313	)	$	(4,473	)
	Contributions made after the measurement date	0			0
	Unrecognized actuarial net (gain) loss	0			0
	Unrecognized prior service cost	0			0
	Net amount recognized at end of year	$	(4,313	)	$	(4,473	)
Schedule of expected benefit payments	The following table presents the ten-year forecast and best estimate of expected benefit payments ($ in thousands):
		2014					2013					2012
	2015	$	259		2014		$	292			2013	315
	2016	294			2015		304				2014	341
	2017	304			2016		346				2015	356
	2018	314			2017		361				2016	390
	2019	337			2018		398				2017	395
	2020-2024	1,840			2019-2023		2,459				2018-2022	2,474
	Ten Year Total	$	3,348				$	4,160				4,270

Quarterly_Operating_Results_Ta

Quarterly Operating Results (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Quarterly Financial Information Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of quarterly financial information	The following are quarterly results of our consolidated operations for the three years ended December 31, 2014 ($ in thousands, except per share amounts):
		1st Quarter		2nd Quarter		3rd Quarter			4th Quarter		Total Year
	2014
	Revenues	$	361,613	$	367,954	$	366,160		$	365,982	$	1,461,709
	Net earnings	10,327		10,667		14,855			21,352		57,201
	Net earnings per share:
	Basic	$	0.9	$	0.93	$	1.3		$	1.87	$	5
	Diluted	0.89		0.92		1.29			1.85		4.95
	2013
	Revenues	$	356,102	$	365,656	$	359,145		$	362,330	$	1,443,233
	Net earnings	8,662		7,408		7,195			9,368		32,633
	Net earnings per share:
	Basic	$	0.75	$	0.65	$	0.63		$	0.82	$	2.85
	Diluted	0.74		0.64		0.62			0.81		2.8
	2012
	Revenues	$	312,116	$	331,081	$	338,879		$	367,510	$	1,349,585
	Net earnings	4,294		6,954		5,154			7,917		24,319
	Net earnings per share:
	Basic	$	0.37	$	0.59	$	0.44		$	0.68	$	2.09
	Diluted	0.35		0.58		0.43			0.67		2.04
	Net realized gains (losses) on investments amounted to:
		1st Quarter		2nd Quarter		3rd Quarter			4th Quarter		Total Year
	2014	$	645	$	1,846	$	1,013		$	781	$	4,284
	2013	3,824		794		(546		)	1,955		6,026
	2012	238		2,166		268			21,382		24,055
	We revised the presentation of our Consolidated Statements of Earnings for the years ending 2013 and 2012 to correctly classify $98.4 million and $100.0 million, respectively, of installment and other fee income as a component of total revenues and to conform to our current-year presentation (see Note 1 to the Consolidated Financial Statements). The following are the amounts of installment and other fee income that have been included in the revenue shown above that were not included in the amounts previously reported.
		1st Quarter		2nd Quarter		3rd Quarter			4th Quarter		Total Year
	2013	$	25,300	$	24,952	$	24,183		$	23,994	$	98,428
	2012	24,714		25,098		25,145			24,995		99,952
Schedule of Prior Period Adjustments	The following are the amounts of installment and other fee income that have been included in the revenue shown above that were not included in the amounts previously reported.
		1st Quarter		2nd Quarter		3rd Quarter			4th Quarter		Total Year
	2013	$	25,300	$	24,952	$	24,183		$	23,994	$	98,428
	2012	24,714		25,098		25,145			24,995		99,952

Insurance_Reserves_Tables

Insurance Reserves (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Insurance [Abstract]
Liability for unpaid losses and LAE	The following table provides an analysis of changes in the liability for losses and LAE, net of reinsurance:
	($ in thousands)	2014			2013			2012
	Balance at Beginning of Period
	Unpaid losses on known claims	$	221,447		$	205,589		$	181,972
	IBNR losses	262,660			218,552			177,645
	LAE	162,469			148,753			135,787
	Total unpaid losses and LAE	646,577			572,894			495,403
	Reinsurance recoverables	(14,431		)	(13,678		)	(14,640		)
	Unpaid losses and LAE, net of reinsurance recoverables	632,146			559,215			480,764
	Current Activity
	Loss and LAE incurred:
	Current accident year	1,019,033			1,014,299			926,033
	Prior accident years	(17,405		)	2,948			16,219
	Total loss and LAE incurred	1,001,628			1,017,247			942,253
	Loss and LAE payments:
	Current accident year	(602,732		)	(593,850		)	(553,549		)
	Prior accident years	(377,235		)	(350,466		)	(310,252		)
	Total loss and LAE payments	(979,967		)	(944,316		)	(863,801		)
	Balance at End of Period
	Unpaid losses and LAE, net of reinsurance recoverables	653,808			632,146			559,215
	Add back reinsurance recoverables	14,370			14,431			13,678
	Total unpaid losses and LAE	$	668,177		$	646,577		$	572,894
	Unpaid losses on known claims	$	235,037		$	221,447		$	205,589
	IBNR losses	277,482			262,660			218,552
	LAE	155,658			162,469			148,753
	Total unpaid losses and LAE	$	668,177		$	646,577		$	572,894

Reinsurance_Tables

Reinsurance (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Reinsurance Disclosures [Abstract]
Schedule of reinsurance assumed and ceded	The following table shows written and earned premium included in earnings for reinsurance assumed and amounts deducted from written and earned premium in connection with reinsurance ceded ($ in thousands):
	Year	Direct  Written		Reinsurance		Reinsurance			Net Written		% of Amount
		Premium		Assumed		Ceded			Premium		Assumed to
											Net
	2014	$	1,360,807	$	63	$	(13,266	)	$	1,347,604	0	%
	2013	1,339,803		16		(9,927		)	1,329,892		0	%
	2012	1,254,386		543		(7,731		)	1,247,198		0	%
	Year	Direct  Earned		Reinsurance		Reinsurance			Net Earned		% of Amount
		Premium		Assumed		Ceded			Premium		Assumed to
											Net
	2014	$	1,337,557	$	57	$	(11,679	)	$	1,325,935	0	%
	2013	1,311,942		15		(9,432		)	1,302,525		0	%
	2012	1,190,773		542		(7,225		)	1,184,090		0	%

Statutory_Information_Tables

Statutory Information (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Insurance [Abstract]
Statutory accounting practices disclosure	Net earnings and capital and surplus on a statutory basis were as follows ($ in thousands):
	Statutory Net Earnings			Statutory Capital and Surplus
	2014	2013	2012	2014	2013
	$67,360	$44,906	$31,141	$682,068	$673,973

Commitments_And_Contingencies_

Commitments And Contingencies (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of future minimum rental payments for operating leases	Minimum rental commitments under non-cancelable leases with an initial or remaining term of more than one year as of December 31, 2014, were as follows ($ in thousands):
	Due in	Operating Leases		Capital Leases
	2015	$	9,200	$	481
	2016	4,921		425
	2017	3,361		318
	2018	2,927		236
	2019	1,153		222
	Thereafter	375		0
	Total	$	21,937	$	1,682
Schedule of Guarantor Obligations	The operating leases above include leased vehicles. As vehicles are surrendered, they are sold for cash by the lessor. We guarantee that proceeds from sales will be at least equal to the lessor's depreciated book value. Otherwise, we are credited the excess or we pay the deficit. The lessors depreciated book value at December 31, 2014, on the vehicles we lease was $6.4 million, which represents the maximum deficit we would be required to pay if the lessor received no proceeds from the sale. Historically, we have not made any material additional rental payments due to surrendered vehicles.
Schedule of Rent Expense	Lease expense incurred for all leases during the last three years was as follows ($ in thousands):
		Twelve months ended December 31,
		2014		2013			2012
	Lease expense	$	10,447	$	12,015		$	12,389
	Sublease income	0		(163		)	(420		)
	Total	$	10,447	$	11,851		$	11,969

Additional_Information_Tables

Additional Information (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Additional Information [Abstract]
Schedule of allowances for uncollectible accounts	A progression of the aggregate allowance follows ($ in thousands):
		2014			2013			2012
	Beginning balance	$	15,884		$	16,124		$	13,497
	Provision for losses	19,541			20,913			24,884
	Uncollectible amounts written off	(19,916		)	(21,154		)	(22,257		)
	Ending balance	$	15,510		$	15,884		$	16,124

Accumulated_Other_Comprehensiv1

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Stockholders' Equity Note [Abstract]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)	Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income
	The components of other comprehensive income before and after tax are as follows ($ in thousands):
		Twelve Months Ended December 31,
		2014									2013									2012
		Before Tax			Income Tax			Net			Before Tax			Income Tax			Net			Before Tax			Income Tax			Net
	Accumulated change in postretirement benefit liability, beginning of period	$	(62	)	$	22		$	(40	)	$	(967	)	$	339		$	(629	)	$	519		$	(182	)	$	337
	Effect on other comprehensive income	235			(82		)	153			906			(317		)	589			(1,487		)	520			(966		)
	Accumulated change in postretirement benefit liability, end of period	$	174		$	(61	)	$	113		$	(62	)	$	22		$	(40	)	$	(967	)	$	339		$	(629	)
	Accumulated unrealized gains on investments, net, beginning of period	$	25,638		$	(8,973	)	$	16,665		$	46,892		$	(16,412	)	$	30,480		$	53,817		$	(18,836	)	$	34,981
	Other comprehensive income before reclassification	14,618			(5,116		)	9,502			(15,227		)	5,330			(9,898		)	17,129			(5,995		)	11,134
	Reclassification adjustment for other-than-temporary impairments included in net income	160			(56		)	104			1,468			(514		)	954			1,393			(487		)	905
	Reclassification adjustment for realized gains included in net income	(4,444		)	1,556			(2,889		)	(7,495		)	2,623			(4,872		)	(25,447		)	8,907			(16,541		)
	Effect on other comprehensive income	10,334			(3,617		)	6,717			(21,254		)	7,439			(13,815		)	(6,926		)	2,424			(4,502		)
	Accumulated unrealized gains on investments, net, end of period	$	35,972		$	(12,590	)	$	23,382		$	25,638		$	(8,973	)	$	16,665		$	46,892		$	(16,412	)	$	30,480
	Accumulated other comprehensive income, beginning of period	$	25,576		$	(8,952	)	$	16,624		$	45,924		$	(16,073	)	$	29,851		$	54,336		$	(19,018	)	$	35,319
	Change in postretirement benefit liability	235			(82		)	153			906			(317		)	589			(1,487		)	520			(966		)
	Change in unrealized gains on investments, net	10,334			(3,617		)	6,717			(21,254		)	7,439			(13,815		)	(6,926		)	2,424			(4,502		)
	Effect on other comprehensive income	10,569			(3,699		)	6,870			(20,348		)	7,122			(13,226		)	(8,412		)	2,944			(5,468		)
	Accumulated other comprehensive income, end of period	$	36,145		$	(12,651	)	$	23,494		$	25,576		$	(8,952	)	$	16,624		$	45,924		$	(16,073	)	$	29,851

Significant_Reporting_and_Acco3

Significant Reporting and Accounting Policies (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
	states
Concentration Risk [Line Items]
Number of states primarilay writes insurance	4
Installment and other fee income	$95,242,000	$98,428,000	$99,952,000
Available-for-sale securities	21,200,000
Deferred policy acquisition cost, amortization expense	($204,700,000)	($206,700,000)	($194,900,000)
Off premium charges	90 days
Personal auto insurance [Member] | Sales Revenue, Product Line [Member] | Product Concentration Risk [Member]
Concentration Risk [Line Items]
Portion of total gross written premiums (percent)	91.00%
Personal auto insurance [Member] | Sales Revenue, Product Line [Member] | Geographic Concentration Risk [Member] | California
Concentration Risk [Line Items]
Portion of total gross written premiums (percent)	50.00%

Significant_Reporting_and_Acco4

Significant Reporting and Accounting Policies Significant Reporting and Accounting Policies (Details 2) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Gross Asset	$119,810,000
Accumulated Depreciation	-63,929,000	-53,368,000
Net Asset	55,880,000	48,061,000
Capital Leases [Abstract]
Capital leases net of depreciation	1,800,000
Capital lease accumulated depreciation	900,000
Real Estate Related [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Gross Asset	41,449,000
Accumulated Depreciation	-6,525,000
Net Asset	34,924,000
Computer Equipment & Software [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Gross Asset	66,125,000
Accumulated Depreciation	-48,371,000
Net Asset	17,755,000
Furniture & Fixtures [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Gross Asset	12,235,000
Accumulated Depreciation	-9,034,000
Net Asset	$3,202,000

Fair_Value_Fair_Value_by_Hiera

Fair Value - Fair Value by Hierarchy (Details) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis
Available-for-sale securities	$1,527,054	$1,448,027
Long-term debt	291,044	272,632
Fixed maturities
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis
Available-for-sale securities	1,431,843	1,354,305
U.S. government
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis
Available-for-sale securities	66,933	64,666
State and municipal
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis
Available-for-sale securities	503,650	487,111
Mortgage-backed securities:
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis
Available-for-sale securities	405,366	359,162
Residential
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis
Available-for-sale securities	354,528	323,346
Commercial
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis
Available-for-sale securities	50,838	35,816
Collateralized mortgage obligations
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis
Available-for-sale securities	0	1,291
Asset-backed securities
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis
Available-for-sale securities	58,607	71,259
Corporates
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis
Available-for-sale securities	397,286	370,816
Equity securities
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis
Available-for-sale securities	94,408	91,127
Short-term investments
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis
Available-for-sale securities	803	2,596
Recurring basis
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis
Cash and cash equivalents	84,541	134,211
Total cash and investments	1,611,594	1,582,238
Percentage of total cash and investments	100.00%	100.00%
Recurring basis | Level 1
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis
Cash and cash equivalents	84,541	134,211
Total cash and investments	245,795	291,033
Percentage of total cash and investments	15.30%	18.40%
Recurring basis | Level 2
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis
Cash and cash equivalents	0	0
Total cash and investments	1,362,514	1,285,345
Percentage of total cash and investments	84.50%	81.20%
Recurring basis | Level 3
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis
Cash and cash equivalents	0	0
Total cash and investments	3,285	5,860
Percentage of total cash and investments	0.20%	0.40%
Recurring basis | Fixed maturities
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis
Available-for-sale securities	1,431,843	1,354,305
Recurring basis | Fixed maturities | Level 1
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis
Available-for-sale securities	66,847	64,496
Recurring basis | Fixed maturities | Level 2
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis
Available-for-sale securities	1,361,711	1,283,949
Recurring basis | Fixed maturities | Level 3
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis
Available-for-sale securities	3,285	5,860
Recurring basis | U.S. government
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis
Available-for-sale securities	66,933	64,666
Recurring basis | U.S. government | Level 1
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis
Available-for-sale securities	66,847	64,496
Recurring basis | U.S. government | Level 2
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis
Available-for-sale securities	87	171
Recurring basis | U.S. government | Level 3
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis
Available-for-sale securities	0	0
Recurring basis | State and municipal
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis
Available-for-sale securities	503,650	487,111
Recurring basis | State and municipal | Level 1
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis
Available-for-sale securities	0	0
Recurring basis | State and municipal | Level 2
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis
Available-for-sale securities	503,650	487,111
Recurring basis | State and municipal | Level 3
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis
Available-for-sale securities	0	0
Recurring basis | Mortgage-backed securities:
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis
Available-for-sale securities	405,366	359,162
Recurring basis | Mortgage-backed securities: | Level 1
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis
Available-for-sale securities	0	0
Recurring basis | Mortgage-backed securities: | Level 2
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis
Available-for-sale securities	405,366	359,162
Recurring basis | Mortgage-backed securities: | Level 3
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis
Available-for-sale securities	0	0
Recurring basis | Residential
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis
Available-for-sale securities	354,528	323,346
Recurring basis | Residential | Level 1
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis
Available-for-sale securities	0	0
Recurring basis | Residential | Level 2
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis
Available-for-sale securities	354,528	323,346
Recurring basis | Residential | Level 3
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis
Available-for-sale securities	0	0
Recurring basis | Commercial
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis
Available-for-sale securities	50,838	35,816
Recurring basis | Commercial | Level 1
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis
Available-for-sale securities	0	0
Recurring basis | Commercial | Level 2
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis
Available-for-sale securities	50,838	35,816
Recurring basis | Commercial | Level 3
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis
Available-for-sale securities	0	0
Recurring basis | Collateralized mortgage obligations
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis
Available-for-sale securities	0	1,291
Recurring basis | Collateralized mortgage obligations | Level 1
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis
Available-for-sale securities	0	0
Recurring basis | Collateralized mortgage obligations | Level 2
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis
Available-for-sale securities	0	1,291
Recurring basis | Collateralized mortgage obligations | Level 3
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis
Available-for-sale securities	0	0
Recurring basis | Asset-backed securities
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis
Available-for-sale securities	58,607	71,259
Recurring basis | Asset-backed securities | Level 1
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis
Available-for-sale securities	0	0
Recurring basis | Asset-backed securities | Level 2
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis
Available-for-sale securities	58,457	70,573
Recurring basis | Asset-backed securities | Level 3
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis
Available-for-sale securities	150	686
Recurring basis | Corporates
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis
Available-for-sale securities	397,286	370,816
Recurring basis | Corporates | Level 1
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis
Available-for-sale securities	0	0
Recurring basis | Corporates | Level 2
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis
Available-for-sale securities	394,152	365,642
Recurring basis | Corporates | Level 3
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis
Available-for-sale securities	3,134	5,175
Recurring basis | Equity securities
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis
Available-for-sale securities	94,408	91,127
Recurring basis | Equity securities | Level 1
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis
Available-for-sale securities	94,408	91,127
Recurring basis | Equity securities | Level 2
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis
Available-for-sale securities	0	0
Recurring basis | Equity securities | Level 3
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis
Available-for-sale securities	0	0
Recurring basis | Short-term investments
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis
Available-for-sale securities	803	2,596
Recurring basis | Short-term investments | Level 1
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis
Available-for-sale securities	0	1,200
Recurring basis | Short-term investments | Level 2
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis
Available-for-sale securities	803	1,396
Recurring basis | Short-term investments | Level 3
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis
Available-for-sale securities	$0	$0

Fair_Value_Level_3_Investments

Fair Value - Level 3 Investments (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Level 3 reconciliation
Number of securities	7
Number of non-binding securities	5
Number of unaffiliated securities	1
Number of nationally recognized securities	1
Recurring basis | Level 3
Level 3 reconciliation
Balance at beginning of period	$5,860	$12,813
Included in net earnings	274	852
Included in other comprehensive income	-231	-895
Purchases	0	0
Sales	-880	-3,845
Settlements	-1,739	-2,729
Transfers in	0	995
Transfers out	0	-1,331
Balance at end of period	3,285	5,860
Recurring basis | Level 3 | U.S. Government
Level 3 reconciliation
Balance at beginning of period	0	3,712
Included in net earnings	0	268
Included in other comprehensive income	0	-418
Purchases	0	0
Sales	0	-2,968
Settlements	0	-594
Transfers in	0	0
Transfers out	0	0
Balance at end of period	0	0
Recurring basis | Level 3 | Corporates
Level 3 reconciliation
Balance at beginning of period	5,175	9,101
Included in net earnings	274	583
Included in other comprehensive income	-230	-477
Purchases	0	0
Sales	-880	-877
Settlements	-1,204	-1,824
Transfers in	0	0
Transfers out	0	-1,331
Balance at end of period	3,134	5,175
Recurring basis | Level 3 | Asset-Backed Securities
Level 3 reconciliation
Balance at beginning of period	686	0
Included in net earnings	0	0
Included in other comprehensive income	-1	1
Purchases	0	0
Sales	0	0
Settlements	-534	-310
Transfers in	0	995
Transfers out	0	0
Balance at end of period	$150	$686

Fair_Value_Fair_Value_of_Finan

Fair Value - Fair Value of Financial Instruments (Details) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Available-for-sale securities	$1,527,054	$1,448,027
Long-term debt	291,044	272,632
Fixed maturities
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Available-for-sale securities	1,431,843	1,354,305
Equity securities
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Available-for-sale securities	94,408	91,127
Short-term investments
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Available-for-sale securities	803	2,596
Carrying Value
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents	84,541	134,211
Total cash and investments	1,611,594	1,582,238
Long-term debt	275,000	275,000
Carrying Value | Fixed maturities
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Available-for-sale securities	1,431,843	1,354,305
Carrying Value | Equity securities
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Available-for-sale securities	94,408	91,127
Carrying Value | Short-term investments
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Available-for-sale securities	803	2,596
Fair Value
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents	84,541	134,211
Total cash and investments	1,611,594	1,582,238
Long-term debt	291,044	272,632
Fair Value | Fixed maturities
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Available-for-sale securities	1,431,843	1,354,305
Fair Value | Equity securities
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Available-for-sale securities	94,408	91,127
Fair Value | Short-term investments
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Available-for-sale securities	$803	$2,596

Investments_Textual_Details

Investments - Textual (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Proceeds from sale of securities	$250,800,000	$465,100,000	$491,600,000
Receivable for securities sold	4,549,000	2,791,000	48,500,000
Gross realized gains on sale of securities	5,100,000	9,500,000	26,000,000
Gross realized losses on sale of securities	$700,000	$2,000,000	$600,000

Investments_Investments_by_maj

Investments - Investments by major category (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Amortized Cost or Cost	$1,491,082	$1,422,390
Gross Unrealized Gains	40,544	39,750
Gross Unrealized Losses	-4,573	-14,112
Fair Value	1,527,054	1,448,027
OTTI Recognized in Accumulated OCI	-3,433	-3,290	[1]
Fixed maturities
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Amortized Cost or Cost	1,412,417	1,345,077
Gross Unrealized Gains	23,998	23,340
Gross Unrealized Losses	-4,572	-14,112
Fair Value	1,431,843	1,354,305
OTTI Recognized in Accumulated OCI	-3,433	-3,290	[1]
U.S. government
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Amortized Cost or Cost	66,625	64,194
Gross Unrealized Gains	502	900
Gross Unrealized Losses	-193	-427
Fair Value	66,933	64,666
OTTI Recognized in Accumulated OCI	0	0	[1]
State and municipal
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Amortized Cost or Cost	493,350	478,092
Gross Unrealized Gains	10,637	10,789
Gross Unrealized Losses	-337	-1,771
Fair Value	503,650	487,111
OTTI Recognized in Accumulated OCI	-69	-73	[1]
Mortgage-backed securities:
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Amortized Cost or Cost	400,285	365,950
Gross Unrealized Gains	6,729	2,324
Gross Unrealized Losses	-1,648	-9,113
Fair Value	405,366	359,162
OTTI Recognized in Accumulated OCI	-2,914	-2,435	[1]
Residential
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Amortized Cost or Cost	349,371	330,169
Gross Unrealized Gains	6,547	1,985
Gross Unrealized Losses	-1,390	-8,809
Fair Value	354,528	323,346
OTTI Recognized in Accumulated OCI	-2,914	-2,435	[1]
Commercial
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Amortized Cost or Cost	50,914	35,781
Gross Unrealized Gains	182	339
Gross Unrealized Losses	-258	-304
Fair Value	50,838	35,816
OTTI Recognized in Accumulated OCI	0	0	[1]
Collateralized mortgage obligations
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Amortized Cost or Cost	0	1,228
Gross Unrealized Gains	0	63
Gross Unrealized Losses	0	0
Fair Value	0	1,291
OTTI Recognized in Accumulated OCI	0	-161	[1]
Asset-backed securities
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Amortized Cost or Cost	58,546	71,183
Gross Unrealized Gains	131	178
Gross Unrealized Losses	-70	-103
Fair Value	58,607	71,259
OTTI Recognized in Accumulated OCI	-8	-8	[1]
Corporates
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Amortized Cost or Cost	393,611	364,430
Gross Unrealized Gains	5,999	9,086
Gross Unrealized Losses	-2,324	-2,700
Fair Value	397,286	370,816
OTTI Recognized in Accumulated OCI	-441	-612	[1]
Equity securities
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Amortized Cost or Cost	77,862	74,718
Gross Unrealized Gains	16,546	16,409
Gross Unrealized Losses	0	0
Fair Value	94,408	91,127
OTTI Recognized in Accumulated OCI	0	0	[1]
Short-term investments
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Amortized Cost or Cost	803	2,595
Gross Unrealized Gains	0	1
Gross Unrealized Losses	-1	0
Fair Value	803	2,596
OTTI Recognized in Accumulated OCI	$0	$0
[1]	The total non-credit portion of OTTI recognized in Accumulated OCI reflecting the original non-credit loss at the time the credit impairment was determined.

Investments_Continuous_loss_po

Investments - Continuous loss position investments (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Available-for-sale, Securities in Unrealized Loss Positions, Qualitative Disclosure, Number of Positions	350	450
Less than 12 Months
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Less than 12 Months, Fair Value	$308,689,000	$508,432,000
Less than 12 Months, Gross Unrealized Losses	-2,341,000	-11,929,000
Unrealized Losses as Percentage of Cost	0.80%	2.30%
Available-for-sale, Securities in Unrealized Loss Positions, Qualitative Disclosure, Number of Positions	208	410
Less than 12 Months | Short-term investments
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Less than 12 Months., Number of Securities with Unrealized Losses	2	0
Less than 12 Months, Fair Value	803,000	0
Less than 12 Months, Gross Unrealized Losses	-1,000	0
Unrealized Losses as Percentage of Cost	0.10%	0.00%
12 Months or More
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Unrealized Losses as Percentage of Cost	1.40%	4.20%
Available-for-sale, Securities in Unrealized Loss Positions, Qualitative Disclosure, Number of Positions	142	40
12 Months or More, Fair Value	156,521,000	49,688,000
12 Months or More, Gross Unrealized Losses	-2,232,000	-2,183,000
12 Months or More | Short-term investments
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Unrealized Losses as Percentage of Cost	0.00%	0.00%
12 Months or More, Number of Securities with Unrealized Losses	0	0
12 Months or More, Fair Value	0	0
12 Months or More, Gross Unrealized Losses	0	0
Maximum [Member]
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Threshold for impairment evaluation, percentage of book value	95.00%
Minimum [Member]
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Threshold for impairment evaluation, unrealized loss amount	100,000
Rabbi Trust [Member] | Less than 12 Months | Fixed maturities
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Less than 12 Months., Number of Securities with Unrealized Losses	206	410
Less than 12 Months, Fair Value	307,886,000	508,432,000
Less than 12 Months, Gross Unrealized Losses	-2,340,000	-11,929,000
Unrealized Losses as Percentage of Cost	0.80%	2.30%
Rabbi Trust [Member] | Less than 12 Months | U.S. government
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Less than 12 Months., Number of Securities with Unrealized Losses	2	11
Less than 12 Months, Fair Value	5,275,000	26,396,000
Less than 12 Months, Gross Unrealized Losses	-13,000	-427,000
Unrealized Losses as Percentage of Cost	0.30%	1.60%
Rabbi Trust [Member] | Less than 12 Months | State and municipal
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Less than 12 Months., Number of Securities with Unrealized Losses	45	51
Less than 12 Months, Fair Value	108,721,000	121,431,000
Less than 12 Months, Gross Unrealized Losses	-290,000	-1,425,000
Unrealized Losses as Percentage of Cost	0.30%	1.20%
Rabbi Trust [Member] | Less than 12 Months | Mortgage-backed securities:
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Less than 12 Months., Number of Securities with Unrealized Losses	32	240
Less than 12 Months, Fair Value	28,493,000	230,133,000
Less than 12 Months, Gross Unrealized Losses	-156,000	-7,354,000
Unrealized Losses as Percentage of Cost	0.50%	3.10%
Rabbi Trust [Member] | Less than 12 Months | Residential
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Less than 12 Months., Number of Securities with Unrealized Losses	24	229
Less than 12 Months, Fair Value	12,855,000	207,821,000
Less than 12 Months, Gross Unrealized Losses	-34,000	-7,064,000
Unrealized Losses as Percentage of Cost	0.30%	3.30%
Rabbi Trust [Member] | Less than 12 Months | Commercial
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Less than 12 Months., Number of Securities with Unrealized Losses	8	11
Less than 12 Months, Fair Value	15,638,000	22,311,000
Less than 12 Months, Gross Unrealized Losses	-122,000	-290,000
Unrealized Losses as Percentage of Cost	0.80%	1.30%
Rabbi Trust [Member] | Less than 12 Months | Asset-backed securities
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Less than 12 Months., Number of Securities with Unrealized Losses	24	18
Less than 12 Months, Fair Value	23,351,000	14,738,000
Less than 12 Months, Gross Unrealized Losses	-60,000	-103,000
Unrealized Losses as Percentage of Cost	0.30%	0.70%
Rabbi Trust [Member] | Less than 12 Months | Corporates
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Less than 12 Months., Number of Securities with Unrealized Losses	103	90
Less than 12 Months, Fair Value	142,046,000	115,735,000
Less than 12 Months, Gross Unrealized Losses	-1,820,000	-2,621,000
Unrealized Losses as Percentage of Cost	1.30%	2.20%
Rabbi Trust [Member] | Less than 12 Months | Equity securities
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Less than 12 Months., Number of Securities with Unrealized Losses	0	0
Less than 12 Months, Fair Value	0	0
Less than 12 Months, Gross Unrealized Losses	0	0
Unrealized Losses as Percentage of Cost	0.00%	0.00%
Rabbi Trust [Member] | 12 Months or More | Fixed maturities
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Unrealized Losses as Percentage of Cost	1.40%	4.20%
12 Months or More, Number of Securities with Unrealized Losses	142	40
12 Months or More, Fair Value	156,521,000	49,688,000
12 Months or More, Gross Unrealized Losses	-2,232,000	-2,183,000
Rabbi Trust [Member] | 12 Months or More | U.S. government
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Unrealized Losses as Percentage of Cost	0.80%	0.00%
12 Months or More, Number of Securities with Unrealized Losses	8	0
12 Months or More, Fair Value	21,051,000	0
12 Months or More, Gross Unrealized Losses	-180,000	0
Rabbi Trust [Member] | 12 Months or More | State and municipal
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Unrealized Losses as Percentage of Cost	1.10%	4.10%
12 Months or More, Number of Securities with Unrealized Losses	2	4
12 Months or More, Fair Value	4,183,000	8,062,000
12 Months or More, Gross Unrealized Losses	-47,000	-346,000
Rabbi Trust [Member] | 12 Months or More | Mortgage-backed securities:
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Unrealized Losses as Percentage of Cost	1.30%	4.20%
12 Months or More, Number of Securities with Unrealized Losses	114	35
12 Months or More, Fair Value	110,271,000	40,415,000
12 Months or More, Gross Unrealized Losses	-1,492,000	-1,758,000
Rabbi Trust [Member] | 12 Months or More | Residential
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Unrealized Losses as Percentage of Cost	1.30%	4.20%
12 Months or More, Number of Securities with Unrealized Losses	109	34
12 Months or More, Fair Value	100,752,000	39,659,000
12 Months or More, Gross Unrealized Losses	-1,356,000	-1,744,000
Rabbi Trust [Member] | 12 Months or More | Commercial
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Unrealized Losses as Percentage of Cost	1.40%	1.80%
12 Months or More, Number of Securities with Unrealized Losses	5	1
12 Months or More, Fair Value	9,519,000	756,000
12 Months or More, Gross Unrealized Losses	-136,000	-14,000
Rabbi Trust [Member] | 12 Months or More | Asset-backed securities
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Unrealized Losses as Percentage of Cost	0.80%	0.00%
12 Months or More, Number of Securities with Unrealized Losses	2	0
12 Months or More, Fair Value	1,150,000	0
12 Months or More, Gross Unrealized Losses	-9,000	0
Rabbi Trust [Member] | 12 Months or More | Corporates
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Unrealized Losses as Percentage of Cost	2.50%	6.10%
12 Months or More, Number of Securities with Unrealized Losses	16	1
12 Months or More, Fair Value	19,865,000	1,212,000
12 Months or More, Gross Unrealized Losses	-503,000	-79,000
Rabbi Trust [Member] | 12 Months or More | Equity securities
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Unrealized Losses as Percentage of Cost	0.00%	0.00%
12 Months or More, Number of Securities with Unrealized Losses	0	0
12 Months or More, Fair Value	0	0
12 Months or More, Gross Unrealized Losses	$0	$0

Investments_Summary_of_unreali

Investments - Summary of unrealized gains and losses (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
	Securities	Securities
Investments, Debt and Equity Securities [Abstract]
Number of positions held with unrealized gains	778	590
Number of positions held with unrealized losses	350	450
Number of positions held that individually exceed unrealized gains of $500,000	3	1
Individual unrealized gain threshold	$500,000	$500,000
Number of positions held that individually exceed unrealized losses of $500,000	0	0
Individual unrealized loss threshold	$500,000	$500,000
Percentage of positions held with unrealized gains that were investment grade	92.00%	81.00%
Percentage of positions held with unrealized losses that were investment grade	84.00%	93.00%
Percentage of fair value held with unrealized gains that were investment grade	94.00%	88.00%
Percentage of fair value held with unrealized losses that were investment grade	86.00%	95.00%

Investments_Unrealized_losses_

Investments - Unrealized losses by age and severity (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Fair Value of Securities with Unrealized Losses	$465,210
Total Gross Unrealized Losses	-4,573
0-3 months
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Fair Value of Securities with Unrealized Losses, 0-12 Months	245,391
Total Gross Unrealized Losses, 0-12 Months	-1,077
3-6 months
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Fair Value of Securities with Unrealized Losses, 0-12 Months	49,083
Total Gross Unrealized Losses, 0-12 Months	-1,018
6-9 months
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Fair Value of Securities with Unrealized Losses, 0-12 Months	11,639
Total Gross Unrealized Losses, 0-12 Months	-171
9-12 months
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Fair Value of Securities with Unrealized Losses, 0-12 Months	2,576
Total Gross Unrealized Losses, 0-12 Months	-74
Greater than twelve months
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Fair Value of Securities with Unrealized Losses, Greater Than 12 Months	156,521	49,688
Total Gross Unrealized Losses, Greater Than 12 Months	-2,232	-2,183
Less Than 5% as a Percentage of Amortized Cost or Cost
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Total Gross Unrealized Losses	-3,842
Less Than 5% as a Percentage of Amortized Cost or Cost | 0-3 months
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Total Gross Unrealized Losses, 0-12 Months	-1,004
Less Than 5% as a Percentage of Amortized Cost or Cost | 3-6 months
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Total Gross Unrealized Losses, 0-12 Months	-585
Less Than 5% as a Percentage of Amortized Cost or Cost | 6-9 months
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Total Gross Unrealized Losses, 0-12 Months	-135
Less Than 5% as a Percentage of Amortized Cost or Cost | 9-12 months
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Total Gross Unrealized Losses, 0-12 Months	-74
Less Than 5% as a Percentage of Amortized Cost or Cost | Greater than twelve months
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Total Gross Unrealized Losses, Greater Than 12 Months	-2,044
5% - 10% as a Percentage of Amortized Cost or Cost
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Total Gross Unrealized Losses	-443
5% - 10% as a Percentage of Amortized Cost or Cost | 0-3 months
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Total Gross Unrealized Losses, 0-12 Months	-74
5% - 10% as a Percentage of Amortized Cost or Cost | 3-6 months
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Total Gross Unrealized Losses, 0-12 Months	-334
5% - 10% as a Percentage of Amortized Cost or Cost | 6-9 months
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Total Gross Unrealized Losses, 0-12 Months	-36
5% - 10% as a Percentage of Amortized Cost or Cost | 9-12 months
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Total Gross Unrealized Losses, 0-12 Months	0
5% - 10% as a Percentage of Amortized Cost or Cost | Greater than twelve months
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Total Gross Unrealized Losses, Greater Than 12 Months	0
Greater Than 10% as a Percentage of Amortized Cost or Cost
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Total Gross Unrealized Losses	-288
Greater Than 10% as a Percentage of Amortized Cost or Cost | 0-3 months
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Total Gross Unrealized Losses, 0-12 Months	0
Greater Than 10% as a Percentage of Amortized Cost or Cost | 3-6 months
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Total Gross Unrealized Losses, 0-12 Months	-99
Greater Than 10% as a Percentage of Amortized Cost or Cost | 6-9 months
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Total Gross Unrealized Losses, 0-12 Months	0
Greater Than 10% as a Percentage of Amortized Cost or Cost | 9-12 months
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Total Gross Unrealized Losses, 0-12 Months	0
Greater Than 10% as a Percentage of Amortized Cost or Cost | Greater than twelve months
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Total Gross Unrealized Losses, Greater Than 12 Months	($188)

Investments_Change_in_unrealiz

Investments - Change in unrealized gains and losses (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Unrealized holding gains (losses) on securities arising during the period, pre-tax	$14,618,000	($15,227,000)	$17,129,000
Realized (gains) losses on securities sold, pre-tax	4,444,000	7,495,000	25,447,000
Impairment losses recognized in net earnings, pre-tax	-160,000	-1,468,000	-1,393,000
Unrealized holding gains (losses) on securities arising during the period, tax effects	-5,116,000	5,330,000	-5,995,000
Realized (gains) losses on securities sold, tax effects	1,556,000	2,623,000	8,907,000
Impairment losses recognized in net earnings, tax effect	-56,000	-514,000	-487,000
Change in unrealized gains (losses) on marketable securities, net, tax effects	-3,617,000	7,439,000	2,424,000
Unrealized holding gains (losses) on securities arising during period, net of tax	9,502,000	-9,898,000	11,134,000
Realized (gains) losses on securities sold, net of tax	2,889,000	4,872,000	16,541,000
Impairment loss recognized in earnings, net of tax	104,000	954,000	905,000
Change in unrealized gains (losses) on marketable securities, net, net of tax	6,717,000	-13,815,000	-4,502,000
Deferred tax asset valuation allowance		6,400,000
Fixed maturities
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Unrealized holding gains (losses) on securities arising during the period, pre-tax	13,174,000	-29,199,000	10,678,000
Realized (gains) losses on securities sold, pre-tax	-3,137,000	-6,818,000	-11,594,000	[1]
Impairment losses recognized in net earnings, pre-tax	160,000	1,468,000	1,393,000
Unrealized gains (losses) on investments, net, pre-tax	10,198,000	-34,549,000	476,000
Equity securities
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Unrealized holding gains (losses) on securities arising during the period, pre-tax	1,440,000	13,971,000	6,451,000
Realized (gains) losses on securities sold, pre-tax	-1,303,000	-677,000	-13,853,000	[1]
Impairment losses recognized in net earnings, pre-tax	0	0	0
Unrealized gains (losses) on investments, net, pre-tax	137,000	13,294,000	-7,402,000
Short-term investments
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Unrealized holding gains (losses) on securities arising during the period, pre-tax	4,000	1,000	0
Realized (gains) losses on securities sold, pre-tax	-5,000	0	0	[1]
Impairment losses recognized in net earnings, pre-tax	0	0	0
Unrealized gains (losses) on investments, net, pre-tax	($1,000)	$1,000	$0
[1]	The intrinsic value for the stock options is calculated based on the difference between the exercise price of the underlying awards and our closing stock price as of the reporting date.

Investments_Credit_losses_roll

Investments - Credit losses rollforward (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Credit losses on fixed maturity securities
Balance at beginning of year	$956	$487
Additions for previously impaired securities	19	27
Additions for newly impaired securities	15	659
Other than Temporary Impairment, Credit Losses Recognized in Earnings, Additions, Previously All Non-credit	0	26
Securities sold and paydowns	-139	-206
Securities that no longer have a non-credit component	0	-37
Balance at end of year	$852	$956

Investments_Investments_by_con

Investments - Investments by contractual maturity (Details) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
One year or less, fair value	$100,156
One year or less, amortized cost	99,523
After one year through five years, fair value	584,560
After one year through five years, amortized cost	575,609
After five years through ten years, fair value	267,565
After five years through ten years, amortized cost	263,488
After ten years, fair value	15,588
After ten years, amortized cost basis	14,966
Mortgage-backed, asset-backed and collateralized mortgage obligations, fair value	463,973
Mortgage-backed, asset-backed and collateralized mortgage obligations, amortized cost	458,831
Fixed maturities	1,431,843	1,354,305
Amortized cost	1,412,417
Securities with Unrealized Gains
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
One year or less, fair value	89,487
After one year through five years, fair value	392,906
After five years through ten years, fair value	165,735
After ten years, fair value	11,741
Mortgage-backed, asset-backed and collateralized mortgage obligations, fair value	297,407
Fixed maturities	957,275
Securities with Unrealized Losses
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
One year or less, fair value	9,567
After one year through five years, fair value	190,302
After five years through ten years, fair value	100,053
After ten years, fair value	1,219
Mortgage-backed, asset-backed and collateralized mortgage obligations, fair value	163,266
Fixed maturities	464,407
Securities with No Unrealized Gains or Losses
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
One year or less, fair value	1,102
After one year through five years, fair value	1,353
After five years through ten years, fair value	1,777
After ten years, fair value	2,628
Mortgage-backed, asset-backed and collateralized mortgage obligations, fair value	3,301
Fixed maturities	$10,160

InvestmentsInvestment_Income_D

Investments-Investment Income (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Investments, Debt and Equity Securities [Abstract]
Interest income on fixed maturities, cash and cash equivalents	$35,596	$36,113	$38,234
Dividends on equity securities	2,245	1,711	1,415
Gross investment income	37,841	37,825	39,649
Investment expenses	-2,211	-2,279	-2,077
Net investment income	$35,629	$35,546	$37,571

LongTerm_Debt_Details

Long-Term Debt (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended			1 Months Ended	0 Months Ended	12 Months Ended	1 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Aug. 31, 2014	Oct. 17, 2013	Dec. 31, 2004	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2011	Feb. 29, 2004
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term debt	$291,044,000	$272,632,000
Debt issuance costs written off	400,000
Interest payments on debt	13,800,000	13,800,000	12,500,000
Revolving Credit Facility
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Credit facility capacity				50,000,000
Term of revolving credit facility				3 years
Senior Notes Due 2014 | Senior Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Principal amount										200,000,000
Effective yield										5.55%
Coupon rate										5.50%
Capitalized debt issuance costs						2,100,000
Amount of repurchased debt									5,000,000
Outstanding principal									195,000,000
Make whole price of redeemed debt					106.73%
Repurchase amount					208,100,000
Interest payable					1,800,000
Senior Notes Due 2022 | Senior Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Principal amount								275,000,000
Coupon rate								5.00%
Capitalized debt issuance costs							$2,200,000
Fair value spread to U.S. Treasury Note rate	2.60%
Term of note used								10 years
Treasury note rate used for debt fair value calculation								2.17%

Income_Taxesreconciliation_to_

Income Taxes-reconciliation to GAAP effective tax rate (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Income tax payments	$20,900,000	$7,600,000	$9,000,000
Federal statutory income tax rate (percent)	35.00%
Income tax reconciliation
Earnings before income taxes	83,138,000	45,078,000	22,088,000
Income taxes at statutory rates	29,098,000	15,777,000	7,731,000
Dividends-received deduction	-469,000	-357,000	-296,000
Tax-exempt interest	-2,752,000	-2,743,000	-3,294,000
Adjustment to valuation allowance	1,000	-48,000	-6,402,000
Other	58,000	-184,000	30,000
Provision for income taxes	$25,936,000	$12,445,000	($2,231,000)
GAAP effective tax rate (percent)	31.20%	27.60%	-10.10%

Income_TaxesProvision_for_inco

Income Taxes-Provision for income taxes (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Operating Loss Carryforwards [Line Items]
Current	$25,342	$10,541	$3,605
Deferred	594	1,904	-5,836
Provision for income taxes	$25,936	$12,445	($2,231)

Income_TaxesDeferred_Tax_Asset

Income Taxes-Deferred Tax Assets and Liabilities (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Portion of OTTI attributable to investments sold during period	77.00%
Deferred tax assets:
Discount on loss reserves	$6,001	$7,045
Unearned premium reserve	40,918	39,401
Bad debts	5,428	5,559
Accrued bonuses	2,791	2,442
Deferred compensation	5,372	4,842
Long-term incentive compensation	1,193	2,040
Other	5,157	5,473
Gross deferred tax assets	66,860	66,803
Valuation allowance for deferred tax assets	-166	-165
Deferred tax assets, net of valuation allowance	66,694	66,638
Deferred tax liabilities:
Deferred policy acquisition costs	-31,650	-30,890
Investment securities – unrealized gains	-12,590	-8,973
Other	-1,951	-2,111
Net deferred tax assets	-46,191	-41,975
Net deferred tax assets	20,503	24,663
Current income taxes	-481	3,985
Current and deferred income taxes	$20,022	$28,648

Computation_Of_Earnings_Per_Sh2

Computation Of Earnings Per Share (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended												12 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Sep. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2014	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Sep. 30, 2013	Jun. 30, 2013	Mar. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Sep. 30, 2012	Jun. 30, 2012	Mar. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Computation of net earnings per share
Net earnings	$21,352	$14,855	$10,667	$10,327	$9,368	$7,195	$7,408	$8,662	$7,917	$5,154	$6,954	$4,294	$57,201	$32,633	$24,319
Average basic shares outstanding (shares)													11,440	11,451	11,660
Basic earnings per share (usd per share)	$1.87	$1.30	$0.93	$0.90	$0.82	$0.63	$0.65	$0.75	$0.68	$0.44	$0.59	$0.37	$5	$2.85	$2.09
Average diluted shares outstanding (shares)													11,562	11,657	11,941
Diluted earnings per share (usd per share)	$1.85	$1.29	$0.92	$0.89	$0.81	$0.62	$0.64	$0.74	$0.67	$0.43	$0.58	$0.35	$4.95	$2.80	$2.04
Restricted stock
Computation of net earnings per share
Dilutive shares													37	46	28
Stock options
Computation of net earnings per share
Dilutive shares													1	29	97
Performance Shares
Computation of net earnings per share
Dilutive shares													84	130	156

ShareBased_Compensation_Plans_

Share-Based Compensation - Plans (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Millions, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	21-May-13
Executive Officer
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Shares executives surrendered to the company	3,361
Stock options exercised	7,500
Stock options
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Cash received from option exercises	0.2	$1.30	$0.60
Tax benefit realized from exercise of stock options	0.1	0.5	0.6
Total intrinsic value of options exercised	0.5	$2.40	$3.90
2013 Plan
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Shares reserved for future issuance (shares)				750,000
SOP
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Award contractual life	10 years
SOP | Common stock
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Share restriction period, from date of grant	2 years
Share restriction period, from exercise date	1 year
SOP | Stock options
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Stock options exercised	14,000

ShareBased_Compensation_Share_

Share-Based Compensation - Share Awards (Details)	12 Months Ended			0 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2013	Aug. 02, 2011
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Awards granted (shares)	46,328,000	54,600
Non-employee Directors' Stock
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Awards granted (shares)	0	5,502	0
Performance Shares
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Awards granted (shares)		49,098
2013 Plan
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Awards granted (shares)	54,344		6,517
Prior Plan
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Awards granted (shares)	55,245		17,934
Officers | Restricted stock
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Awards granted (shares)				0
Officers | 2013 Plan | Restricted stock
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Awards granted (shares)	46,328		0
Officers | 2013 Plan | Non-employee Directors' Stock
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Awards granted (shares)	8,016		6,517
Officers | 2013 Plan | Performance Shares
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Awards granted (shares)	0		0
Officers | Prior Plan | Restricted stock
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Awards granted (shares)	0		0
Officers | Prior Plan | Performance Shares
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Awards granted (shares)	55,245		17,934

ShareBased_Compensation_Compen

Share-Based Compensation - Compensation Cost (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Expense Recognized in Earnings	$2,634	$4,009	$3,249
Tax Benefit	903	1,384	1,118
Restricted Stock Plan
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Expense Recognized in Earnings	1,126	1,190	1,190
Tax Benefit	394	417	417
Directors Plan
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Expense Recognized in Earnings	520	385	300
Tax Benefit	182	135	105
ESPP
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Expense Recognized in Earnings	55	54	55
Tax Benefit	0	0	0
PSP
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Expense Recognized in Earnings	933	2,380	1,704
Tax Benefit	$327	$833	$596

ShareBased_Compensation_ShareB

Share-Based Compensation Share-Based Compensation - Restricted Stock Activity (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended		0 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2012	Aug. 02, 2011	Aug. 05, 2014
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Awards granted (shares)	46,328,000	54,600
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Nonvested, Number of Shares [Roll Forward]
Non-vested as of January 1, 2014 (shares)	72,234,000
Granted (shares)	46,328,000	54,600
Vested (shares)	-72,234,000
Non-vested as of December 31, 2014 (shares)	46,328,000
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Nonvested, Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value [Abstract]
Non-vested as of January 1, 2014 (in dollars per share)	$49.44
Granted (in dollars per share)	$67.04
Vested (in dollars per share)	$49.44
Non-vested as of December 31, 2014 (in dollars per share)	$67.04
Officers | Restricted stock
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Awards granted (shares)			0
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Nonvested, Number of Shares [Roll Forward]
Granted (shares)			0
Officers | Restricted Stock Plan | Restricted stock
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Awards granted (shares)			72,234	46,328
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Nonvested, Number of Shares [Roll Forward]
Granted (shares)			72,234	46,328

ShareBased_Compensation_Fair_V

Share-Based Compensation - Fair Value Assumptions (Details) (2004 Grants, Stock options, USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
2004 Grants | Stock options
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Weighted-average grant date fair value (usd per share)	$13.87
Dividend yield (percent)	0.70%
Expected volatility (percent)	33.00%
Risk-free interest rate (percent)	4.30%
Expected life (in years)	7 years 6 months
Weighted-average grant exercise price (usd per share)	$33.56
Outstanding	0

ShareBased_Compensation_Stock_

Share-Based Compensation - Stock Option Activity (Details) (SOP, Stock options, USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Millions, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014
SOP | Stock options
Stock option activity
Outstanding (in shares)	16,000
Exercised (in shares)	-14,000
Forfeited (in shares)	-2,000
Outstanding (in shares)	0
Vested (in shares)	0
Exercisable (in shares)	0
Stock option activity, weighted-average exercise price
Outstanding, weighted-average exercise price (in dollars per share)	$33.58
Exercised, weighted-average exercise price (in dollars per share)	$33.58
Forfeited, weighted-average exercise price (in dollars per share)	$33.58
Outstanding, weighted-average exercise price (in dollars per share)	$0
Vested, weighted-average exercise price (in dollars per share)	$0
Exercisable, weighted-average exercise price (in dollars per share)	$0
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Additional Disclosures [Abstract]
Outstanding, weighted-average remaining term	0 years
Vested, weighted-average remaining term	0 years
Exercisable, weighted-average remaining term	0 years
Outstanding, aggregate intrinsic value	$0	[1]
Vested, aggregate intrinsic value	0	[1]
Exercisable, aggregate intrinsic value	$0	[1]
[1]	The intrinsic value for the stock options is calculated based on the difference between the exercise price of the underlying awards and our closing stock price as of the reporting date.

ShareBased_Compensation_Employ

Share-Based Compensation - Employee Stock Purchase Plan (Details) (ESPP, USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Shares reserved for issuance	1,000,000
Outstanding (in shares)	65,341
Common Stock
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Discount from market price on purchase date	15.00%
Maximum percentage of employee base salary	25.00%
Maximum annual purchase amount per employee	$25,000

Benefit_PlansNarrative_Details

Benefit Plans-Narrative (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Deferred Compensation Arrangement with Individual, Postretirement Benefits [Line Items]
Maximum employee annual contribution	$17,500
Maximum employee annual contribution, percent	25.00%
Minimum age eligible for catch-up contributions	50 years
Maximum employee annual catch-up contribution	5,500
Maximum annual contribution per employee, amount	13,000
Employer contribution	5,100,000	4,900,000	4,600,000
Unrecognized actuarial gain, gross	-500,000
Unrecognized actuarial gain, net	300,000
Plan amendment	-660,000	0
Net prior service cost, before tax	300,000
Net prior service cost, after tax	200,000
Amortization of net gains (losses)	100,000
Amortization of prior service cost	100,000
Funded status at end of year	-4,313,000	-4,473,000
Estimated future employer contributions in next fiscal year	300,000
Benefit obligation	4,313,000	4,473,000	5,004,000
Deferred compensation, excluding share-based payments and retirement benefits [Member]
Deferred Compensation Arrangement with Individual, Postretirement Benefits [Line Items]
Recorded liability	15,300,000	13,800,000	12,400,000
Interest expense	700,000	600,000	600,000
Supplemental Employee Retirement Plan, Defined Benefit [Member]
Deferred Compensation Arrangement with Individual, Postretirement Benefits [Line Items]
Employer contribution	100,000
Statutory annual compensaiton limit	260,000
Cost recognized		100,000	100,000
Rabbi Trust [Member]
Deferred Compensation Arrangement with Individual, Postretirement Benefits [Line Items]
Investments in the rabbi trust	$1,600,000
Threshold One [Member]
Deferred Compensation Arrangement with Individual, Postretirement Benefits [Line Items]
Maximum employer annual contribution per employee, (percent)	4.00%
Employer match after initial threshold, percent	100.00%
Threshold Two [Member]
Deferred Compensation Arrangement with Individual, Postretirement Benefits [Line Items]
Maximum employer annual contribution per employee, (percent)	2.00%
Employer match after initial threshold, percent	50.00%

Benefit_PlansNet_Benefit_Oblig

Benefit Plans-Net Benefit Obligation at End of Year (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Defined Benefit Plan, Change in Benefit Obligation [Roll Forward]
Net benefit obligation at end of year	$4,473	$5,004
Service cost	198	331	119
Interest cost	150	159	136
Participant contributions	28	27
Plan amendment	-660	0
Assumption change	534	-342
Actuarial (gain) loss	-120	-364
Gross benefits paid	-291	-342
Net benefit obligation at end of year	$4,313	$4,473	$5,004

Benefit_PlansWeighted_Average_

Benefit Plans-Weighted Average Assumptions (Details)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Defined Benefit Plan, Weighted Average Assumptions Used in Calculating Benefit Obligation [Abstract]
Discount rate	3.50%	4.10%	3.30%
Health care cost trend rate assumed for next fiscal year	8.00%
Ultimate health care cost trend rate	5.00%
Year that rate reaches ultimate trend rate	2036

Benefit_PlansNet_Periodic_Bene

Benefit Plans-Net Periodic Benefit Cost (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Defined Benefit Plan, Net Periodic Benefit Cost [Abstract]
Service cost	$198	$331	$119
Interest cost	150	159	136
Amortization of prior service cost	71	199	0
Amortization of net cumulative (gain)/loss	-81	0	-23
Net periodic post-retirement benefit cost	$339	$690	$232

Benefit_PlansEffect_of_OnePerc

Benefit Plans-Effect of One-Percentage Point Change in Assumed Health Care Cost Trend Rates (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Defined Benefit Plan, Effect of One-Percentage Point Change in Assumed Health Care Cost Trend Rates [Abstract]
Post-retirement benefit obligations 1% increase	$396	$349	$389
Post-retirement benefit obligations 1% decrease	-348	-318	-363
Service and interest cost components 1% increase	40	53	56
Service and interest cost components 1% decrease	($34)	($47)	($49)

Benefit_PlansFair_Value_of_Pla

Benefit Plans-Fair Value of Plan Assets (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Defined Benefit Plan, Change in Fair Value of Plan Assets [Roll Forward]
Fair value of plan assets at beginning of year	$0	$0
Employer contributions	263	315
Participant contributions	28	27
Gross benefits paid	-291	-342
Fair value of plan assets at end of year	$0	$0

Benefit_Plans_Amount_Recognize

Benefit Plans- Amount Recognized in Balance Sheet (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Compensation and Retirement Disclosure [Abstract]
Fair value of plan assets	$0	$0	$0
Benefit obligation	4,313	4,473	5,004
Funded status at end of year	-4,313	-4,473
Contributions made after the measurement date	0	0
Unrecognized actuarial net (gain) loss	0	0
Unrecognized prior service cost	$0	$0

Benefit_Plans_Expected_Future_

Benefit Plans- Expected Future Benefit Payments (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Defined Benefit Plan, Expected Future Benefit Payments, Fiscal Year Maturity [Abstract]
Next twelve months	$259,000	$292,000	$315,000
Year two	294,000	304,000	341,000
Year three	304,000	346,000	356,000
Year four	314,000	361,000	390,000
Year five	337,000	398,000	395,000
Years five through ten	1,840,000	2,459,000	2,474,000
Total expected future benefit payments	3,348,000	4,160,000	4,270,000
Estimated future employer contributions in next fiscal year	$300,000

Quarterly_Operating_Results_De

Quarterly Operating Results (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended												12 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Sep. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2014	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Sep. 30, 2013	Jun. 30, 2013	Mar. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Sep. 30, 2012	Jun. 30, 2012	Mar. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Quarterly Financial Information Disclosure [Abstract]
Total revenues	$365,982	$366,160	$367,954	$361,613	$362,330	$359,145	$365,656	$356,102	$367,510	$338,879	$331,081	$312,116	$1,461,709	$1,443,233	$1,349,585
Net earnings	21,352	14,855	10,667	10,327	9,368	7,195	7,408	8,662	7,917	5,154	6,954	4,294	57,201	32,633	24,319
Basic earnings per share (usd per share)	$1.87	$1.30	$0.93	$0.90	$0.82	$0.63	$0.65	$0.75	$0.68	$0.44	$0.59	$0.37	$5	$2.85	$2.09
Diluted earnings per share (usd per share)	$1.85	$1.29	$0.92	$0.89	$0.81	$0.62	$0.64	$0.74	$0.67	$0.43	$0.58	$0.35	$4.95	$2.80	$2.04
Realized gains (losses) on investments	$781	$1,013	$1,846	$645	$1,955	($546)	$794	$3,824	$21,382	$268	$2,166	$238	$4,284	$6,026	$24,055

Quarterly_Operating_Results_Un1

Quarterly Operating Results (Unaudited) - Prior Period Adjustments (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended			3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2013	Sep. 30, 2013	Jun. 30, 2013	Mar. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Sep. 30, 2012	Jun. 30, 2012	Mar. 31, 2012
Installment and other fee income	$95,242	$98,428	$99,952
Restatement Adjustment [Member]
Installment and other fee income		$98,428	$99,952	$23,994	$24,183	$24,952	$25,300	$24,995	$25,145	$25,098	$24,714

Insurance_Reserves_Details

Insurance Reserves (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Balance at Beginning of Period [Abstract]
Unpaid losses on known claims	$221,447	$205,589	$181,972
IBNR losses	262,660	218,552	177,645
LAE	162,469	148,753	135,787
Total unpaid losses and LAE	646,577	572,894	495,403
Reinsurance recoverables	-14,431	-13,678	-14,640
Unpaid losses and LAE, net of reinsurance recoverables	632,146	559,215	480,764
Current Activity [Abstract]
Loss and LAE incurred, current accident year	1,019,033	1,014,299	926,033
Loss and LAE incurred, prior accident years	-17,405	2,948	16,219
Total loss and LAE incurred	1,001,628	1,017,247	942,253
Loss and LAE payments, current accident year	-602,732	-593,850	-553,549
Loss and LAE payments, prior accident years	-377,235	-350,466	-310,252
Total loss and LAE payments	-979,967	-944,316	-863,801
Balance at End of Period [Abstract]
Unpaid losses and LAE, net of reinsurance recoverables	653,808	632,146	559,215
Add back reinsurance recoverables	14,370	14,431	13,678
Total unpaid losses and LAE	668,177	646,577	572,894
Unpaid losses on known claims	235,037	221,447	205,589
IBNR losses	277,482	262,660	218,552
LAE	155,658	162,469	148,753
Total unpaid losses and LAE	$668,177	$646,577	$572,894

ReinsuranceTable_Details

Reinsurance-Table (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Reinsurance Disclosures [Abstract]
Direct written premium, gross amount	$1,360,807	$1,339,803	$1,254,386
Direct written premium, amount assumed from other companies	63	16	543
Direct written premium, amount ceded to other companies	-13,266	-9,927	-7,731
Direct written premium, net amount	1,347,604	1,329,892	1,247,198
Direct written premium, percentage of amount assumed to net	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
Direct earned premium, gross amount	1,337,557	1,311,942	1,190,773
Direct earned premium, amount assumed from other companies	57	15	542
Direct earned premium, amount ceded to other companies	-11,679	-9,432	-7,225
Direct earned premium, net amount	$1,325,935	$1,302,525	$1,184,090
Direct earned premium, percentage of amount assumed to net	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%

Reinsurance_Narrative_Details

Reinsurance- Narrative (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Reinsurance Premiums for Insurance Companies, by Product Segment [Line Items]
Direct written premium, amount assumed from other companies	$63,000	$16,000	$543,000
Liability for unpaid losses and LAE	7,500,000	7,800,000	8,000,000
Maximum third party recovery			25,000,000
Minimum loss threshold per event			5,000,000
Additional coverage, third party recovery, percentage	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%
Additional coverage, loss coverage base per event	55,000,000	45,000,000
Additional coverage, minimum loss threshold per event	5,000,000	5,000,000
Reduction in losses due to amount ceded to other companies	-3,500,000	-1,600,000	-2,500,000
Extra-Contractual Loss Reinsurance [Member]
Reinsurance Premiums for Insurance Companies, by Product Segment [Line Items]
Maximum third party recovery	10,000,000
Minimum loss threshold per event	5,000,000
Personal auto insurance [Member]
Reinsurance Premiums for Insurance Companies, by Product Segment [Line Items]
Maximum third party recovery	700,000
Minimum loss threshold per event	300,000
GAI [Member]
Reinsurance Premiums for Insurance Companies, by Product Segment [Line Items]
Liability for unpaid losses and LAE	3,500,000	4,100,000	5,400,000
Amount assumed from other companies	0	0	500,000
Maximum [Member] | Involuntary Pools and Associations [Member]
Reinsurance Premiums for Insurance Companies, by Product Segment [Line Items]
Amount assumed from other companies	$100,000	$100,000	$100,000

Statutory_Information_Details

Statutory Information (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Insurance [Abstract]
Statutory net earnings	$67,360,000	$44,906,000	$31,141,000
Statutory policyholders' surplus	682,068,000	673,973,000
Statutory net earnings from subsidiaries sold			100,000
Statutory capital and surplus required	144,900,000
Amount available for dividend distribution without prior approval from regulatory agency	$68,100,000

Commitments_And_Contingencies_1

Commitments And Contingencies Details (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Operating Leases, Future Minimum Payments Due, Fiscal Year Maturity [Abstract]
2013	$9,200,000
2014	4,921,000
2015	3,361,000
2016	2,927,000
2017	1,153,000
Thereafter	375,000
Total	21,937,000
Operating leases, lease expiration period	7 years
Capital Leases, Future Minimum Payments Due, Fiscal Year Maturity [Abstract]
2013	481,000
2014	425,000
2015	318,000
2016	236,000
2017	222,000
Thereafter	0
Total	1,682,000
Lease expense	10,447,000	12,015,000	12,389,000
Sublease income	0	-163,000	-420,000
Total	10,447,000	11,851,000	11,969,000
Guarantor Obligations, Maximum Exposure, Undiscounted	6,400,000
Birmingham, Alabama [Member]
Operating Leases, Future Minimum Payments Due, Fiscal Year Maturity [Abstract]
Total	4,400,000
Los Angeles, California [Member]
Operating Leases, Future Minimum Payments Due, Fiscal Year Maturity [Abstract]
Total	7,300,000
Automobiles [Member]
Operating Leases, Future Minimum Payments Due, Fiscal Year Maturity [Abstract]
Total	$6,600,000

Additional_Information_Details

Additional Information (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Allowance for Doubtful Accounts Receivable [Roll Forward]
Beginning balance	$15,884,000	$16,124,000	$13,497,000
Provision for losses	19,541,000	20,913,000	24,884,000
Uncollectible amounts written off	-19,916,000	-21,154,000	-22,257,000
Ending balance	15,510,000	15,884,000	16,124,000
Supplemental Cash Flow Elements [Abstract]
Negative cash book balances	$51,200,000	$50,500,000	$45,400,000

Accumulated_Other_Comprehensiv2

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Before Tax [Abstract]
Accumulated other comprehensive income, beginning of period	$25,576	$45,924	$54,336
Effect on other comprehensive income	10,569	-20,348	-8,412
Accumulated other comprehensive income, end of period	36,145	25,576	45,924
Income Tax [Abstract]
Accumulated other comprehensive income, beginning of period	-8,952	-16,073	-19,018
Effect on other comprehensive income	-3,699	7,122	2,944
Accumulated other comprehensive income, end of period	-12,651	-8,952	-16,073
Net [Abstract]
Accumulated other comprehensive income, beginning of period	16,624	29,851	35,319
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax	6,870	-13,226	-5,468
Accumulated other comprehensive income, end of period	23,494	16,624	29,851
Accumulated Change Postretirement Benefite Liability [Member]
Before Tax [Abstract]
Accumulated other comprehensive income, beginning of period	-62	-967	519
Effect on other comprehensive income	235	906	-1,487
Accumulated other comprehensive income, end of period	174	-62	-967
Income Tax [Abstract]
Accumulated other comprehensive income, beginning of period	22	339	-182
Effect on other comprehensive income	-82	-317	520
Accumulated other comprehensive income, end of period	-61	22	339
Net [Abstract]
Accumulated other comprehensive income, beginning of period	-40	-629	337
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax	153	589	-966
Accumulated other comprehensive income, end of period	113	-40	-629
Accumulated Unrealized Gains on Investments, net [Member]
Before Tax [Abstract]
Accumulated other comprehensive income, beginning of period	25,638	46,892	53,817
Effect on other comprehensive income	10,334	-21,254	-6,926
Other comprehensive income before reclassification	14,618	-15,227	17,129
Accumulated other comprehensive income, end of period	35,972	25,638	46,892
Income Tax [Abstract]
Accumulated other comprehensive income, beginning of period	-8,973	-16,412	-18,836
Other comprehensive income before reclassification	-5,116	5,330	-5,995
Effect on other comprehensive income	-3,617	7,439	2,424
Accumulated other comprehensive income, end of period	-12,590	-8,973	-16,412
Net [Abstract]
Accumulated other comprehensive income, beginning of period	16,665	30,480	34,981
Other comprehensive income before reclassification	9,502	-9,898	11,134
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax	6,717	-13,815	-4,502
Accumulated other comprehensive income, end of period	23,382	16,665	30,480
Reclassification Adjustment for Other-than-Temporary Impairment [Member]
Before Tax [Abstract]
Reclassicification adjustment	160	1,468	1,393
Income Tax [Abstract]
Reclassicification adjustment	-56	-514	-487
Net [Abstract]
Reclassicification adjustment	104	954	905
Accumulated Unrealized Gains on Investments, Net [Member]
Before Tax [Abstract]
Effect on other comprehensive income	10,334	-21,254	-6,926
Reclassicification adjustment	-4,444	-7,495	-25,447
Income Tax [Abstract]
Reclassicification adjustment	1,556	2,623	8,907
Effect on other comprehensive income	-3,617	7,439	2,424
Net [Abstract]
Reclassicification adjustment	-2,889	-4,872	-16,541
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax	$6,717	($13,815)	($4,502)

Subsequent_Events_Details

Subsequent Events (Details) (Subsequent Event [Member], Building [Member], USD $)	Feb. 05, 2015
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	sqft
Subsequent Event [Member] | Building [Member]
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Purchase agreement	$20
Area of building (in sq ft)	120,493