Donegal (DGICA) 10-Q 8 May 14 2014 Q1 Quarterly report Financial data

Document_and_Entity_Informatio

Document and Entity Information	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014	1-May-14	1-May-14
		Class A common stock [Member]	Class B common stock [Member]
Document Information [Line Items]	'	'	'
Document Type	'10-Q	'	'
Amendment Flag	'false	'	'
Document Period End Date	31-Mar-14	'	'
Document Fiscal Year Focus	'2014	'	'
Document Fiscal Period Focus	'Q1	'	'
Trading Symbol	'DGICA	'	'
Entity Registrant Name	'DONEGAL GROUP INC	'	'
Entity Central Index Key	'0000800457	'	'
Current Fiscal Year End Date	'--12-31	'	'
Entity Filer Category	'Accelerated Filer	'	'
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding	'	20,937,567	5,576,775

Consolidated_Balance_Sheets

Consolidated Balance Sheets (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Fixed maturities	'	'
Held to maturity, at amortized cost	$296,360,179	$240,370,277
Available for sale, at fair value	431,527,749	403,651,965
Equity securities, available for sale, at fair value	22,297,723	12,422,837
Investments in affiliates	37,117,118	35,685,433
Short-term investments, at cost, which approximates fair value	16,367,589	99,677,795
Total investments	803,670,358	791,808,307
Cash	17,153,044	27,636,416
Accrued investment income	6,498,123	5,423,531
Premiums receivable	133,342,894	123,904,629
Reinsurance receivable	252,079,827	244,239,113
Deferred policy acquisition costs	45,407,383	43,627,510
Deferred tax asset, net	17,886,321	20,310,558
Prepaid reinsurance premiums	116,693,136	112,663,942
Property and equipment, net	7,053,122	6,424,703
Accounts receivable - securities	'	1,187,866
Federal income taxes recoverable	731,983	420,952
Goodwill	5,625,354	5,625,354
Other intangible assets	958,010	958,010
Other	1,225,194	1,179,611
Total assets	1,408,324,749	1,385,410,502
Liabilities	'	'
Unpaid losses and loss expenses	510,122,359	495,619,269
Unearned premiums	397,797,596	382,734,642
Accrued expenses	14,621,812	19,265,097
Reinsurance balances payable	12,510,502	17,948,808
Borrowings under lines of credit	61,000,000	58,000,000
Cash dividends declared to stockholders	'	3,299,182
Subordinated debentures	5,000,000	5,000,000
Accounts payable - securities	'	751,641
Due to affiliate	1,662,166	2,170,225
Drafts payable	1,083,987	1,386,285
Other	2,940,998	2,358,242
Total liabilities	1,006,739,420	988,533,391
Stockholders' Equity	'	'
Preferred stock, $.01 par value, authorized 2,000,000 shares; none issued	'	'
Additional paid-in capital	190,342,555	189,116,410
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)	1,936,592	-2,312,890
Retained earnings	222,133,113	222,888,887
Treasury stock	-13,101,682	-13,089,656
Total stockholders' equity	401,585,329	396,877,111
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity	1,408,324,749	1,385,410,502
Class A common stock [Member]	'	'
Stockholders' Equity	'	'
Common stock value	218,259	217,868
Total stockholders' equity	218,259	217,868
Class B common stock [Member]	'	'
Stockholders' Equity	'	'
Common stock value	56,492	56,492
Total stockholders' equity	$56,492	$56,492

Consolidated_Balance_Sheets_Pa

Consolidated Balance Sheets (Parenthetical) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Preferred stock, par value	$0.01	$0.01
Preferred stock, shares authorized	2,000,000	2,000,000
Preferred stock, shares issued	'	'
Class A common stock [Member]	'	'
Common stock, par value	$0.01	$0.01
Common stock, shares authorized	40,000,000	40,000,000
Common stock, shares issued	21,825,877	21,786,765
Common stock, shares outstanding	20,884,169	20,845,903
Class B common stock [Member]	'	'
Common stock, par value	$0.01	$0.01
Common stock, shares authorized	10,000,000	10,000,000
Common stock, shares issued	5,649,240	5,649,240
Common stock, shares outstanding	5,576,775	5,576,775

Consolidated_Statements_of_Inc

Consolidated Statements of Income (USD $)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Revenues:	'	'
Net premiums earned	$133,548,261	$124,702,041
Investment income, net of investment expenses	4,615,776	4,815,443
Net realized investment (losses) gains	-88,532	1,340,564
Lease income	212,790	215,397
Installment payment fees	1,641,550	1,710,241
Equity in earnings of Donegal Financial Services Corporation	409,242	1,088,906
Total revenues	140,339,087	133,872,592
Expenses:	'	'
Net losses and loss expenses	97,632,392	85,533,016
Amortization of deferred policy acquisition costs	21,319,000	19,560,000
Other underwriting expenses	20,458,719	18,751,511
Policyholder dividends	394,503	475,273
Interest	365,482	487,149
Other expenses	962,207	982,354
Total expenses	141,132,303	125,789,303
(Loss) income before income tax (benefit) expense	-793,216	8,083,289
Income tax (benefit) expense	-158,802	1,607,853
Net (loss) income	($634,414)	$6,475,436
Class A common stock [Member]	'	'
(Loss) earnings per common share:	'	'
Common stock - basic	($0.02)	$0.26
Common stock - diluted	($0.02)	$0.25
Class B common stock [Member]	'	'
(Loss) earnings per common share:	'	'
Common stock - basic	($0.02)	$0.23
Common stock - diluted	($0.02)	$0.23
Common stock - basic and diluted	($0.02)	$0.23

Consolidated_Statements_of_Inc1

Consolidated Statements of Income (Parenthetical) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Net realized investment (losses) gains	($88,532)	$1,340,564
Income tax (benefit) expense	-158,802	1,607,853
Reclassification out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (loss) [Member]	'	'
Net realized investment (losses) gains	-88,532	1,340,564
Income tax (benefit) expense	($30,101)	$455,792

Consolidated_Statements_of_Com

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (USD $)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Statement Of Income And Comprehensive Income [Abstract]	'	'
Net (loss) income	($634,414)	$6,475,436
Unrealized gain (loss) on securities:	'	'
Unrealized holding income (loss) during the period, net of income tax (benefit) expense of $2,258,082 and ($1,725,094)	4,191,051	-3,165,445
Reclassification adjustment for (losses) gains included in net income, net of income tax (benefit) expense of ($30,101) and $455,792	58,431	-884,772
Other comprehensive income (loss)	4,249,482	-4,050,217
Comprehensive income	$3,615,068	$2,425,219

Consolidated_Statements_of_Com1

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Parenthetical) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Statement Of Income And Comprehensive Income [Abstract]	'	'
Income tax (benefit) expense on unrealized holding (loss) income arising during the period	$2,258,082	($1,725,094)
Income tax (benefit) expense on reclassification adjustment for (losses) gains	($30,101)	$455,792

Consolidated_Statement_of_Stoc

Consolidated Statement of Stockholders' Equity (USD $)	Total	Additional Paid-In Capital [Member]	Accumulated Other Comprehensive (Loss) Income [Member]	Retained Earnings [Member]	Treasury Stock [Member]	Class A common stock [Member]	Class B common stock [Member]
Beginning balance at Dec. 31, 2013	$396,877,111	$189,116,410	($2,312,890)	$222,888,887	($13,089,656)	$217,868	$56,492
Beginning balance, shares at Dec. 31, 2013	'	'	'	'	'	21,786,765	5,649,240
Issuance of common stock (stock compensation plans)	1,096,765	1,096,374	'	'	'	391	'
Issuance of common stock (stock compensation plans), shares	'	'	'	'	'	39,112	'
Net (loss) income	-634,414	'	'	-634,414	'	'	'
Cash dividends declared	-3,104	'	'	-3,104	'	'	'
Grant of stock options	'	118,256	'	-118,256	'	'	'
Tax benefit on exercise of stock options	11,515	11,515	'	'	'	'	'
Repurchase of treasury shares	-12,026	'	'	'	-12,026	'	'
Other comprehensive income (loss)	4,249,482	'	4,249,482	'	'	'	'
Ending balance at Mar. 31, 2014	$401,585,329	$190,342,555	$1,936,592	$222,133,113	($13,101,682)	$218,259	$56,492
Ending balance, shares at Mar. 31, 2014	'	'	'	'	'	21,825,877	5,649,240

Consolidated_Statements_of_Cas

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (USD $)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Cash Flows from Operating Activities:	'	'
Net (loss) income	($634,414)	$6,475,436
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:	'	'
Depreciation and amortization	793,240	901,111
Net realized investment losses (gains)	88,532	-1,340,564
Equity in earnings of Donegal Financial Services Corporation	-409,242	-1,088,906
Changes in assets and liabilities:	'	'
Losses and loss expenses	14,503,090	11,728,371
Unearned premiums	15,062,954	11,296,320
Premiums receivable	-9,438,265	-10,425,418
Deferred acquisition costs	-1,779,873	-1,064,350
Deferred income taxes	136,054	1,631,380
Reinsurance receivable	-7,840,714	-4,659,893
Prepaid reinsurance premiums	-4,029,194	-3,532,303
Accrued investment income	-1,074,592	-224,912
Due to affiliate	-508,059	-5,061,688
Reinsurance balances payable	-5,438,306	1,035,868
Current income taxes	-311,031	-774,316
Accrued expenses	-4,643,285	-2,689,827
Other, net	234,873	-288,302
Net adjustments	-4,653,818	-4,557,429
Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities	-5,288,232	1,918,007
Cash Flows from Investing Activities:	'	'
Purchases of fixed maturities, held to maturity	-69,863,688	'
Purchases of fixed maturities, available for sale	-34,438,401	-37,561,696
Purchases of equity securities, available for sale	-10,837,100	-3,497,597
Maturity of fixed maturities:	'	'
Held to maturity	13,941,822	1,610,591
Available for sale	9,197,730	14,853,225
Sales of fixed maturities, available for sale	1,235,464	17,791,110
Sales of equity securities, available for sale	2,329,866	2,829,224
Net purchases of property and equipment	-832,686	-48,498
Net decrease in investment in affiliates	'	465,000
Net sales of short-term investments	83,310,206	12,562,837
Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities	-5,956,787	9,004,196
Cash Flows from Financing Activities:	'	'
Cash dividends paid	-3,302,286	-3,069,386
Issuance of common stock	1,075,959	2,239,693
Purchase of treasury stock	-12,026	'
Payments on subordinated debentures	'	-15,465,000
Payments on line of credit	'	-9,000,000
Borrowings under lines of credit	3,000,000	18,500,000
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities	761,647	-6,794,693
Net (decrease) increase in cash	-10,483,372	4,127,510
Cash at beginning of period	27,636,416	19,801,290
Cash at end of period	17,153,044	23,928,800
Cash paid during period - Interest	299,614	517,823
Net cash paid during period - Taxes	'	$650,000

Organization

Organization	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Accounting Policies [Abstract]	'
Organization	'
	1 -	Organization
	Donegal Mutual Insurance Company (“Donegal Mutual”) organized us as an insurance holding company on August 26, 1986. Our insurance subsidiaries, Atlantic States Insurance Company (“Atlantic States”), Southern Insurance Company of Virginia (“Southern”), Le Mars Insurance Company (“Le Mars”), the Peninsula Insurance Group (“Peninsula”), which consists of Peninsula Indemnity Company and The Peninsula Insurance Company, Sheboygan Falls Insurance Company (“Sheboygan”) and Michigan Insurance Company (“MICO”), write personal and commercial lines of property and casualty coverages exclusively through a network of independent insurance agents in certain Mid-Atlantic, Midwestern, New England and Southern states. We also own 48.2% of the outstanding stock of Donegal Financial Services Corporation (“DFSC”), a grandfathered unitary savings and loan holding company that owns Union Community Bank (“UCB”), a state savings bank. UCB has 13 banking offices, all of which are located in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Donegal Mutual owns the remaining 51.8% of the outstanding stock of DFSC.
	We have four segments: our investment function, our personal lines of insurance, our commercial lines of insurance and our investment in DFSC. The personal lines products of our insurance subsidiaries consist primarily of homeowners and private passenger automobile policies. The commercial lines products of our insurance subsidiaries consist primarily of commercial automobile, commercial multi-peril and workers’ compensation policies.
	At March 31, 2014, Donegal Mutual held approximately 37% of our outstanding Class A common stock and approximately 76% of our outstanding Class B common stock. This ownership provides Donegal Mutual with approximately 65% of the total voting power of our common stock. Our insurance subsidiaries and Donegal Mutual have interrelated operations due to a pooling agreement and other intercompany agreements and transactions. While each company maintains its separate corporate existence, our insurance subsidiaries and Donegal Mutual conduct business together as the Donegal Insurance Group. As such, Donegal Mutual and our insurance subsidiaries share the same business philosophy, the same management, the same employees and the same facilities and offer the same types of insurance products.
	Atlantic States, our largest subsidiary, participates in a pooling agreement with Donegal Mutual. Under the pooling agreement, the two companies pool their insurance business and each company receives an allocated percentage of the pooled business. Atlantic States has an 80% share of the results of the pooled business, and Donegal Mutual has a 20% share of the results of the pooled business.
	The same executive management and underwriting personnel administer products, classes of business underwritten, pricing practices and underwriting standards of Donegal Mutual and our insurance subsidiaries. In addition, as the Donegal Insurance Group, Donegal Mutual and our insurance subsidiaries share a combined business plan to achieve market penetration and underwriting profitability objectives. The products our insurance subsidiaries and Donegal Mutual market are generally complementary, thereby allowing the Donegal Insurance Group to offer a broader range of products to a given market and to expand the Donegal Insurance Group’s ability to service an entire personal lines or commercial lines account. Distinctions within the products of Donegal Mutual and our insurance subsidiaries generally relate to specific risk profiles targeted within similar classes of business, such as preferred tier versus standard tier products, but we do not allocate all of the standard risk gradients to one company. Therefore, the underwriting profitability of the business the individual companies write directly will vary. However, as the risk characteristics of all business Donegal Mutual and Atlantic States write directly are homogenized within the underwriting pool, Donegal Mutual and Atlantic States share the underwriting results in proportion to their respective participation in the pool. Pooled business represents the predominant percentage of the net underwriting activity of both Donegal Mutual and Atlantic States.
	On February 23, 2009, our board of directors authorized a share repurchase program pursuant to which we may purchase up to 300,000 shares of our Class A common stock at prices prevailing from time to time in the open market subject to the provisions of applicable rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and in privately negotiated transactions. We purchased 846 shares of our Class A common stock under this program during the three months ended March 31, 2014. We did not purchase any shares under this program during the three-month period ended March 31, 2013. We have purchased a total of 296,778 shares of our Class A common stock under this program from its inception through March 31, 2014.
	On July 18, 2013, our board of directors authorized a share repurchase program pursuant to which we have the authority to purchase up to 500,000 additional shares of our Class A common stock at prices prevailing from time to time in the open market subject to the provisions of applicable rules of the SEC and in privately negotiated transactions. We did not purchase any shares of our Class A common stock under this program during the three-month period ended March 31, 2014.

Basis_of_Presentation

Basis of Presentation	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Accounting Policies [Abstract]	'
Basis of Presentation	'
	2 -	Basis of Presentation
	Our financial information for the interim periods included in this Form 10-Q Report is unaudited; however, such information reflects all adjustments, consisting only of normal recurring adjustments that, in the opinion of our management, are necessary for a fair presentation of our financial position, results of operations and cash flows for those interim periods. Our results of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2014 are not necessarily indicative of the results of operations we expect for the year ending December 31, 2014.
	You should read these interim financial statements in conjunction with the financial statements and the notes to our financial statements contained in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013.

Earnings_Per_Share

Earnings Per Share	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]	'
Earnings Per Share	'
	3 -	Earnings Per Share
	We have two classes of common stock, which we refer to as our Class A common stock and our Class B common stock. Our certificate of incorporation provides that whenever our board of directors declares a dividend on our Class B common stock, our board of directors must also declare a dividend on our Class A common stock that is payable to the holders of our Class A common stock at the same time and as of the same record date at a rate that is at least 10% greater than the rate at which our board of directors declared a dividend on our Class B common stock. Accordingly, we use the two-class method to compute our earnings per common share. The two-class method is an earnings allocation formula that determines earnings per share separately for each class of common stock based on dividends we have declared and an allocation of our remaining undistributed earnings using a participation percentage that reflects the dividend rights of each class. The table below presents for the periods indicated a reconciliation of the numerators and denominators we used to compute basic and diluted net income per share for each class of our common stock:
			Three Months Ended March 31,
			2014						2013
			Class A			Class B			Class A		Class B
			(in thousands, except per share data)
	Basic and diluted net (loss) income per share:
	Numerator:
	Allocation of net (loss) income		$	(510	)	$	(124	)	$	5,170	$	1,305
	Denominator:
	Weighted-average shares outstanding			20,873,043			5,576,775			20,066,755		5,576,775
	Basic net (loss) income per share		$	(0.02	)	$	(0.02	)	$	0.26	$	0.23
	Diluted net (loss) income per share:
	Numerator:
	Allocation of net (loss) income		$	(510	)	$	(124	)	$	5,170	$	1,305
	Denominator:
	Number of shares used in basic computation			20,873,043			5,576,775			20,066,755		5,576,775
	Weighted-average shares effect of dilutive securities
	Add: Director and employee stock options			380,186			—			291,477		—
	Number of shares used in per share computations			21,253,229			5,576,775			20,358,232		5,576,775
	Diluted net (loss) income per share		$	(0.02	)	$	(0.02	)	$	0.25	$	0.23
	We did not include outstanding options to purchase the following number of shares of Class A common stock in our computation of diluted earnings per share because the exercise price of the options was greater than the average market price of our Class A common stock during the applicable period:
			Three Months Ended
			March 31,
			2014			2013
	Number of options to purchase Class A shares excluded			2,548,500			1,212,000

Reinsurance

Reinsurance	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Insurance [Abstract]	'
Reinsurance	'
	4 -	Reinsurance
	Atlantic States and Donegal Mutual have participated in a pooling agreement since 1986 under which each company places all of its direct written business into the pool, and Atlantic States and Donegal Mutual then share the underwriting results of the pool in accordance with the terms of the pooling agreement. Atlantic States has an 80% share of the results of the pool, and Donegal Mutual has a 20% share of the results of the pool.
	Our insurance subsidiaries and Donegal Mutual purchase certain third-party reinsurance on a combined basis. Le Mars, MICO, Peninsula and Sheboygan also purchase separate third-party reinsurance that provides coverage that is commensurate with their relative size and exposures. Our insurance subsidiaries use several different reinsurers, all of which, consistent with requirements of our insurance subsidiaries and Donegal Mutual, have an A.M. Best rating of A- (Excellent) or better or, with respect to foreign reinsurers, have a financial condition that, in the opinion of our management, is equivalent to a company with at least an A- rating from A.M. Best. The following information describes the external reinsurance our insurance subsidiaries have in place at March 31, 2014:
		•	excess of loss reinsurance, under which losses are automatically reinsured, through a series of reinsurance agreements, over a set retention (generally $1.0 million), and
		•	catastrophe reinsurance, under which Donegal Mutual, Atlantic States and Southern recover, through a series of reinsurance agreements, 100% of an accumulation of many losses resulting from a single event, including natural disasters, over a set retention (generally $5.0 million) and after exceeding an annual aggregate deductible (generally $1.5 million) up to aggregate losses of $145.0 million per occurrence.
	Our insurance subsidiaries and Donegal Mutual also purchase facultative reinsurance to cover exposures from losses that exceed the limits their third-party reinsurance agreements provide.
	MICO maintains a quota-share reinsurance agreement with third-party reinsurers to reduce its net exposures. Effective January 1, 2014, the quota-share reinsurance percentage was 20%.
	In addition to the pooling agreement and third-party reinsurance, our insurance subsidiaries have various reinsurance agreements with Donegal Mutual.
	Other than the changes we discuss above, we have made no significant changes to our third-party reinsurance or the reinsurance agreements between our insurance subsidiaries and Donegal Mutual during the three months ended March 31, 2014.

Investments

Investments	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Investments Debt And Equity Securities [Abstract]	'
Investments	'
	5 -	Investments
	The amortized cost and estimated fair values of our fixed maturities and equity securities at March 31, 2014 were as follows:
			Amortized			Gross		Gross		Estimated
			Cost			Unrealized		Unrealized		Fair Value
						Gains		Losses
			(in thousands)
	Held to Maturity
	U.S. Treasury securities and obligations of U.S. government corporations and agencies		$	48,379		$	193	$	77	$	48,495
	Obligations of states and political subdivisions			96,477			4,638		—	$	101,115
	Corporate securities			51,570			287		152	$	51,705
	Mortgage-backed securities			99,934			337		261		100,010
	Totals		$	296,360		$	5,455	$	490	$	301,325
			Amortized			Gross		Gross		Estimated
			Cost			Unrealized		Unrealized		Fair Value
						Gains		Losses
			(in thousands)
	Available for Sale
	U.S. Treasury securities and obligations of U.S. government corporations and agencies		$	12,888		$	128	$	29	$	12,987
	Obligations of states and political subdivisions			262,754			15,960		5		278,709
	Corporate securities			61,521			1,150		54		62,617
	Mortgage-backed securities			76,018			1,235		38		77,215
	Fixed maturities			413,181			18,473		126		431,528
	Equity securities			21,752			592		46		22,298
	Totals		$	434,933		$	19,065	$	172	$	453,826
	At March 31, 2014, our holdings of obligations of states and political subdivisions included general obligation bonds with an aggregate fair value of $285.2 million and an amortized cost of $270.3 million. Our holdings at March 31, 2014 also included special revenue bonds with an aggregate fair value of $94.6 million and an amortized cost of $88.9 million. With respect to both categories of these bonds, we held no securities of any issuer that comprised more than 10% of the category at March 31, 2014. Education bonds and water and sewer utility bonds represented 57% and 21%, respectively, of our total investments in special revenue bonds based on their carrying values at March 31, 2014. Many of the issuers of the special revenue bonds we held at March 31, 2014 have the authority to impose ad valorem taxes. In that respect, many of the special revenue bonds we held are similar to general obligation bonds.
	The amortized cost and estimated fair values of our fixed maturities and equity securities at December 31, 2013 were as follows:
			Amortized			Gross		Gross		Estimated
			Cost			Unrealized		Unrealized		Fair Value
						Gains		Losses
			(in thousands)
	Held to Maturity
	U.S. Treasury securities and obligations of U.S. government corporations and agencies		$	47,946		$	—	$	870	$	47,076
	Obligations of states and political subdivisions			108,435			465		446		108,454
	Corporate securities			14,875			17		112		14,780
	Mortgage-backed securities			69,114			33		667		68,480
	Totals		$	240,370		$	515	$	2,095	$	238,790
			Amortized			Gross		Gross		Estimated
			Cost			Unrealized		Unrealized		Fair Value
						Gains		Losses
			(in thousands)
	Available for Sale
	U.S. Treasury securities and obligations of U.S. government corporations and agencies		$	14,272		$	118	$	57	$	14,333
	Obligations of states and political subdivisions			265,783			11,779		15		277,547
	Corporate securities			39,940			775		43		40,672
	Mortgage-backed securities			70,259			923		82		71,100
	Fixed maturities			390,254			13,595		197		403,652
	Equity securities			12,168			348		93		12,423
	Totals		$	402,422		$	13,943	$	290	$	416,075
	At December 31, 2013, our holdings of obligations of states and political subdivisions included general obligation bonds with an aggregate fair value of $294.1 million and an amortized cost of $284.9 million. Our holdings also included special revenue bonds with an aggregate fair value of $91.9 million and an amortized cost of $89.3 million. With respect to both categories, we held no securities of any issuer that comprised more than 10% of the category at December 31, 2013. Education bonds and water and sewer utility bonds represented 56% and 23%, respectively, of our total investments in special revenue bonds based on their carrying values at December 31, 2013. Many of the issuers of the special revenue bonds we held at December 31, 2013 have the authority to impose ad valorem taxes. In that respect, many of the special revenue bonds we held are similar to general obligation bonds.
	We made reclassifications from available for sale to held to maturity of fixed maturities at fair value on November 30, 2013. The following table summarizes the reclassifications by type of securities at November 30, 2013:
			Amortized			Estimated Fair
			Cost			Value
	U.S. Treasury securities and obligations of U.S. government corporations and agencies		$	50,627,225		$	47,914,311
	Obligations of states and political subdivisions			88,456,842			79,866,801
	Corporate securities			15,745,976			14,879,294
	Mortgage-backed securities			72,465,250			69,567,883
	Totals		$	227,295,293		$	212,228,289
	We have segregated within accumulated other comprehensive income the net unrealized losses of $15.1 million arising prior to the November 30, 2013 reclassification date for fixed maturities reclassified from available for sale to held to maturity. We will amortize this balance over the remaining life of the related securities as an adjustment to yield in a manner consistent with the accretion of discount on the same fixed maturities. At March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, net unrealized losses of $14.7 million and $14.9 million, respectively, remained within accumulated other comprehensive income.
	We show below the amortized cost and estimated fair value of our fixed maturities at March 31, 2014 by contractual maturity. Expected maturities may differ from contractual maturities because borrowers may have the right to call or prepay obligations with or without call or prepayment penalties.
			Amortized			Estimated
			Cost			Fair Value
			(in thousands)
	Held to maturity
Due in one year or less		$	3,659		$	3,693
Due after one year through five years			38,127			38,340
Due after five years through ten years			76,922			77,392
Due after ten years			77,718			81,890
Mortgage-backed securities			99,934			100,010
Total held to maturity		$	296,360		$	301,325
Available for sale
Due in one year or less		$	14,415		$	14,541
Due after one year through five years			66,282			68,033
Due after five years through ten years			126,254			133,077
Due after ten years			130,212			138,662
Mortgage-backed securities			76,018			77,215
Total available for sale		$	413,181		$	431,528
Gross realized gains and losses from investments before applicable income taxes were as follows:
		Three Months Ended
		March 31,
		2014			2013
		(in thousands)
Gross realized gains:
Fixed maturities		$	23		$	951
Equity securities			24			474
			47			1,425
Gross realized losses:
Fixed maturities			1			14
Equity securities			135			70
			136			84
Net realized (losses) gains		$	(89	)	$	1,341
We held fixed maturities and equity securities with unrealized losses representing declines that we considered temporary at March 31, 2014 as follows:
		Less Than 12 Months					More Than 12 Months
		Fair			Unrealized		Fair		Unrealized
		Value			Losses		Value		Losses
		(in thousands)
U.S. Treasury securities and obligations of U.S. government corporations and agencies		$	15,647		$	76	$	4,973	$	30
Obligations of states and political subdivisions			1,588			5		—		—
Corporate securities			40,874			172		3,259		34
Mortgage-backed securities			40,344			164		13,408		135
Equity securities			1,536			46		—		—
Totals		$	99,989		$	463	$	21,640	$	199
We held fixed maturities and equity securities with unrealized losses representing declines that we considered temporary at December 31, 2013 as follows:
		Less Than 12 Months					More Than 12 Months
		Fair			Unrealized		Fair		Unrealized
		Value			Losses		Value		Losses
		(in thousands)
U.S. Treasury securities and obligations of U.S. government corporations and agencies		$	50,803		$	822	$	4,642	$	104
Obligations of states and political subdivisions			65,171			363		13,405		99
Corporate securities			16,694			84		6,852		72
Mortgage-backed securities			72,878			536		19,014		213
Equity securities			1,629			93		—		—
Totals		$	207,175		$	1,898	$	43,913	$	488
We make estimates concerning the valuation of our investments and the recognition of other-than-temporary declines in the value of our investments. For equity securities, we write down the investment to its fair value, and we reflect the amount of the write-down as a realized loss in our results of operations when we consider the decline in value of an individual investment to be other than temporary. We individually monitor all investments for other-than-temporary declines in value. Generally, we assume there has been an other-than-temporary decline in value if an individual equity security has depreciated in value by more than 20% of original cost and has been in such an unrealized loss position for more than six months. We held two equity securities that were in an unrealized loss position at March 31, 2014. Based upon our analysis of general market conditions and underlying factors impacting these equity securities, we considered these declines in value to be temporary. With respect to a debt security that is in an unrealized loss position, we first assess if we intend to sell the debt security. If we determine we intend to sell the debt security, we recognize the impairment loss in our results of operations. If we do not intend to sell the debt security, we determine whether it is more likely than not that we will be required to sell the debt security prior to recovery. If we determine it is more likely than not that we will be required to sell the debt security prior to recovery, we recognize an impairment loss in our results of operations. If we determine it is more likely than not that we will not be required to sell the debt security prior to recovery, we then evaluate whether a credit loss has occurred. We determine whether a credit loss has occurred by comparing the amortized cost of the debt security to the present value of the cash flows we expect to collect. If we expect a cash flow shortfall, we consider that a credit loss has occurred. If we determine that a credit loss has occurred, we consider the impairment to be other than temporary. We then recognize the amount of the impairment loss related to the credit loss in our results of operations, and we recognize the remaining portion of the impairment loss in our other comprehensive income, net of applicable taxes. In addition, we may write down securities in an unrealized loss position based on a number of other factors, including when the fair value of an investment is significantly below its cost, when the financial condition of the issuer of a security has deteriorated, the occurrence of industry, company or geographic events that have negatively impacted the value of a security and rating agency downgrades. We held 128 debt securities that were in an unrealized loss position at March 31, 2014. Based upon our analysis of general market conditions and underlying factors impacting these debt securities, we considered these declines in value to be temporary.
We amortize premiums and discounts on debt securities over the life of the security as an adjustment to yield using the effective interest method. We compute realized investment gains and losses using the specific identification method.
We amortize premiums and discounts on mortgage-backed debt securities using anticipated prepayments.
We account for investments in our affiliates using the equity method of accounting. Under this method, we record our investment at cost, with adjustments for our share of our affiliates’ earnings and losses as well as changes in the equity of our affiliates due to unrealized gains and losses. Our investments in affiliates include our 48.2% ownership interest in DFSC. We include our share of DFSC’s net income in our results of operations. We have compiled the following summary financial information for DFSC at March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013 and for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively, from the financial statements of DFSC. The financial information of DFSC at March 31, 2014 and for the three months then ended is unaudited.
Balance sheets:		March 31,			December 31,
		2014			2013
		(in thousands)
Total assets		$	511,062		$	512,578
Total liabilities		$	434,163		$	438,649
Stockholders’ equity			76,899			73,929
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity		$	511,062		$	512,578
		Three Months Ended
		March 31,
Income statements:		2014			2013
		(in thousands)
Net income		$	849		$	2,258

Segment_Information

Segment Information	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Segment Reporting [Abstract]	'
Segment Information	'
	6 -	Segment Information
	We evaluate the performance of our personal lines and commercial lines segments based upon the underwriting results of our insurance subsidiaries using statutory accounting principles (“SAP”) that various state insurance departments prescribe or permit. Our management uses SAP to measure the performance of our insurance subsidiaries instead of United States generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”). Financial data by segment is as follows:
			Three Months Ended
			March 31,
			2014			2013
			(in thousands)
	Revenues:
	Premiums earned
	Commercial lines		$	54,346		$	47,631
	Personal lines			79,202			77,071
	GAAP premiums earned			133,548			124,702
	Net investment income			4,616			4,815
	Realized investment (losses) gains			(89	)		1,341
	Equity in earnings of DFSC			409			1,089
	Other			1,855			1,926
	Total revenues		$	140,339		$	133,873
	(Loss) income before income taxes:
	Underwriting (loss) income:
	Commercial lines		$	(5,348	)	$	(1,591	)
	Personal lines			(3,833	)		223
	SAP underwriting loss			(9,181	)		(1,368	)
	GAAP adjustments			2,925			1,750
	GAAP underwriting (loss) income			(6,256	)		382
	Net investment income			4,616			4,815
	Realized investment (losses) gains			(89	)		1,341
	Equity in earnings of DFSC			409			1,089
	Other			527			456
	(Loss) income before income taxes		$	(793	)	$	8,083

Borrowings

Borrowings	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Borrowings	'
	7 -	Borrowings
	Lines of Credit
	In June 2013, we renewed our existing credit agreement with Manufacturers and Traders Trust Company (“M&T”) relating to a $60.0 million unsecured, revolving line of credit. The line of credit expires in July 2016. We have the right to request a one-year extension of the credit agreement as of each anniversary date of the agreement. At March 31, 2014, we had $46.0 million in outstanding borrowings and had the ability to borrow an additional $14.0 million at interest rates equal to M&T’s current prime rate or the then current LIBOR rate plus 2.25%. The interest rate on our outstanding borrowings is adjustable quarterly. At March 31, 2014, the interest rate on our outstanding borrowings was 2.40%. We pay a fee of 0.2% per annum on the loan commitment amount regardless of usage. The credit agreement requires our compliance with certain covenants. These covenants include minimum levels of our net worth, leverage ratio, statutory surplus and the A.M. Best ratings of our insurance subsidiaries. We complied with all requirements of the credit agreement during the three months ended March 31, 2014.
	MICO is a member of the Federal Home Loan Bank (“FHLB”) of Indianapolis. Through its membership, MICO has the ability to issue debt to the FHLB of Indianapolis in exchange for cash advances. MICO had no outstanding borrowings with the FHLB of Indianapolis at December 31, 2013 or March 31, 2014. The table below presents the amount of FHLB of Indianapolis stock MICO purchased, collateral pledged and assets related to MICO’s membership at March 31, 2014.
	FHLB stock purchased and owned as part of the agreement		$	252,100
	Collateral pledged, at par (carrying value $2,777,078)			3,700,000
	Borrowing capacity currently available			2,395,543
	Atlantic States is a member of the FHLB of Pittsburgh. Through its membership, Atlantic States has the ability to issue debt to the FHLB of Pittsburgh in exchange for cash advances. In the first quarter of 2013, Atlantic States issued secured debt in the principal amount of $15.0 million to the FHLB of Pittsburgh in exchange for cash advances in the amount of $15.0 million. The interest rate on the advances was .30% at March 31, 2014. The table below presents the amount of FHLB of Pittsburgh stock Atlantic States purchased, collateral pledged and assets related to Atlantic States’ membership in the FHLB of Pittsburgh at March 31, 2014.
	FHLB stock purchased and owned as part of the agreement		$	870,300
	Collateral pledged, at par (carrying value $16,028,983)			19,000,000
	Borrowing capacity currently available			125,191
	Subordinated Debentures
	In January 2002, West Bend Mutual Insurance Company (“West Bend”), the prior owner of MICO, purchased a $5.0 million surplus note from MICO at face value to increase MICO’s statutory surplus. On December 1, 2010, Donegal Mutual purchased the surplus note from West Bend at face value. The surplus note carries an interest rate of 5.00%, and any repayment of principal or payment of interest on the surplus note requires prior approval of the Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services.

ShareBased_Compensation

Share-Based Compensation	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Disclosure Of Compensation Related Costs Sharebased Payments [Abstract]	'
Share-Based Compensation	'
	8 -	Share-Based Compensation
	We measure all share-based payments to employees, including grants of stock options, and use a fair-value-based method for the recording of such expense in our consolidated statements of income. In determining the expense we record for stock options granted to directors and employees of our subsidiaries and affiliates, we estimate the fair value of each option award on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. The significant assumptions we utilize in applying the Black-Scholes option pricing model are the risk-free interest rate, the expected term, the dividend yield and the expected volatility.
	We charged compensation expense related to our stock compensation plans against income before income taxes of $180,415 and $172,305 for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively, with a corresponding income tax benefit of $63,145 and $60,307, respectively. At March 31, 2014, we had $931,181 of unrecognized compensation expense related to nonvested share-based compensation granted under our stock compensation plans. We expect to recognize this cost over a weighted average period of 1.8 years.
	We received cash from option exercises under all stock compensation plans for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013 of $193,558 and $1.7 million, respectively. We realized actual tax benefits for the tax deductions from option exercises of share-based compensation of $11,515 and $98,929 for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively.

Fair_Value_Measurements

Fair Value Measurements	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]	'
Fair Value Measurements	'
	9 -	Fair Value Measurements
	We account for financial assets using a framework that establishes a hierarchy that ranks the quality and reliability of the inputs, or assumptions, we use in the determination of fair value, and we classify financial assets and liabilities carried at fair value in one of the following three categories:
	Level 1 – quoted prices in active markets for identical assets and liabilities;
	Level 2 – directly or indirectly observable inputs other than Level 1 quoted prices; and
	Level 3 – unobservable inputs not corroborated by market data.
	For investments that have quoted market prices in active markets, we use the quoted market price as fair value and include these investments in Level 1 of the fair value hierarchy. We classify publicly-traded equity securities as Level 1. When quoted market prices in active markets are not available, we base fair values on quoted market prices of comparable instruments or price estimates we obtain from independent pricing services and include these investments in Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy. We classify our fixed maturity investments as Level 2. Our fixed maturity investments consist of U.S. Treasury securities and obligations of U.S. government corporations and agencies, obligations of states and political subdivisions, corporate securities and mortgage-backed securities.
	We present our investments in available-for-sale fixed maturity and equity securities at estimated fair value. The estimated fair value of a security may differ from the amount that could be realized if we sold the security in a forced transaction. In addition, the valuation of fixed maturity investments is more subjective when markets are less liquid, increasing the potential that the estimated fair value does not reflect the price at which an actual transaction would occur. We utilize nationally recognized independent pricing services to estimate fair values or obtain market quotations for substantially all of our fixed maturity and equity investments. These pricing services utilize market quotations for fixed maturity and equity securities that have quoted prices in active markets. For fixed maturity securities that generally do not trade on a daily basis, the pricing services prepare estimates of fair value measurements based predominantly on observable market inputs. The pricing services do not use broker quotes in determining the fair values of our investments. Our investment personnel review the estimates of fair value the pricing services provide to determine if the estimates we obtain are representative of fair values based upon our investment personnel’s general knowledge of the market, their research findings related to unusual fluctuations in value and their comparison of such values to execution prices for similar securities. Our investment personnel regularly monitor the market, current trading ranges for similar securities and the pricing of specific investments. Our investment personnel review all pricing estimates that we receive from the pricing services against their expectations with respect to pricing based on fair market curves, security ratings, coupon rates, security type and recent trading activity. Our investment personnel review documentation with respect to the pricing services’ pricing methodology that they obtain periodically to determine if the primary pricing sources, market inputs and pricing frequency for various security types are reasonable. At December 31, 2013, we received one estimate per security from the pricing services, and we priced substantially all of our Level 1 and Level 2 investments using those prices. At March 31, 2014, we received two estimates per security from the pricing services, and we priced substantially all of our Level 1 and Level 2 investments using those prices. In our review of the estimates the pricing services provided at March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, we did not identify any discrepancies, and we did not make any adjustments to the estimates the pricing services provided.
	We present our cash and short-term investments at estimated fair value. We classify these items as Level 1.
	The carrying values in the balance sheet for premium receivables and reinsurance receivables and payables for premiums and paid losses and loss expenses approximate their fair values. The carrying amounts reported in the balance sheet for our subordinated debentures and borrowings under lines of credit approximate their fair values. We classify these items as Level 3.
	We evaluate our assets and liabilities on a recurring basis to determine the appropriate level at which to classify them for each reporting period.
	The following table presents our fair value measurements for our investments in available-for-sale fixed maturity and equity securities at March 31, 2014:
					Fair Value Measurements Using
			Fair Value		Quoted Prices		Significant		Significant
					in Active		Other		Unobservable
					Markets for		Observable		Inputs
					Identical Assets		Inputs		(Level 3)
					(Level 1)		(Level 2)
			(in thousands)
	U.S. Treasury securities and obligations of U.S. government corporations and agencies		$	12,987	$	—	$	12,987	$	—
	Obligations of states and political subdivisions			278,709		—		278,709		—
	Corporate securities			62,617		—		62,617		—
	Mortgage-backed securities			77,215		—		77,215		—
	Equity securities			22,298		13,405		8,893		—
	Totals		$	453,826	$	13,405	$	440,421	$	—
	We did not transfer any investments between Levels 1 and 2 during the three months ended March 31, 2014.
	The following table presents our fair value measurements for our investments in available-for-sale fixed maturity and equity securities at December 31, 2013:
					Fair Value Measurements Using
			Fair Value		Quoted Prices		Significant		Significant
					in Active		Other		Unobservable
					Markets for		Observable		Inputs
					Identical Assets		Inputs		(Level 3)
					(Level 1)		(Level 2)
			(in thousands)
	U.S. Treasury securities and obligations of U.S. government corporations and agencies		$	14,333	$	—	$	14,333	$	—
	Obligations of states and political subdivisions			277,547		—		277,547		—
	Corporate securities			40,672		—		40,672		—
	Mortgage-backed securities			71,100		—		71,100		—
	Equity securities			12,423		6,468		5,955		—
	Totals		$	416,075	$	6,468	$	409,607	$	—

Income_Taxes

Income Taxes	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Income Taxes	'
	10 -	Income Taxes
	At March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively, we had no material unrecognized tax benefits or accrued interest and penalties. Tax years 2010 through 2013 remained open for examination at March 31, 2014. We provide a valuation allowance when we believe it is more likely than not that we will not realize some portion of our tax asset. We established a valuation allowance of $440,778 related to a portion of the net operating loss carryforward of Le Mars at January 1, 2004. We have determined that we are not required to establish a valuation allowance for the other net deferred tax assets of $39.1 million and $39.6 million at March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively, because it is more likely than not that we will realize these deferred tax assets through reversals of existing temporary differences, future taxable income and the implementation of tax planning strategies. We also have a net operating loss carryforward of $4.3 million related to Le Mars, which will begin to expire in 2020 if not previously utilized. This carryforward is subject to an annual limitation in the amount that we can use in any one year of approximately $376,000. We also have an alternative minimum tax credit carryforward of $10.0 million with an indefinite life.

Impact_of_New_Accounting_Stand

Impact of New Accounting Standards	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Accounting Changes And Error Corrections [Abstract]	'
Impact of New Accounting Standards	'
	11 -	Impact of New Accounting Standards
	In February 2013, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued guidance that requires an entity to provide information about amounts it reclassifies out of accumulated other comprehensive income. If GAAP requires an entity to reclassify amounts out of accumulated other comprehensive income to net income in their entirety in the same reporting period, the guidance requires an entity to present significant amounts it reclassifies out of accumulated other comprehensive income by the respective line items of net income, either on the face of the statement where the entity presents net income or in the notes to the entity’s financial statements,. For other amounts that GAAP does not require an entity to reclassify to net income in their entirety, the guidance requires an entity to cross-reference such amounts to other disclosures GAAP requires that provide additional detail about those amounts. The guidance was effective for interim and annual reporting periods after December 15, 2012. We adopted this new guidance as of January 1, 2013. Our adoption of this new guidance did not impact our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
	In July 2013, the FASB issued a new standard that requires an entity to present an unrecognized tax benefit as a reduction of a deferred tax asset for a net operating loss carryforward or similar tax loss or tax credit carryforward, rather than as a liability, when the uncertain tax position would reduce the net operating loss or other carryforward under the tax law of the applicable jurisdiction and when the entity intends to use the deferred tax asset for that purpose. The new standard was effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2013. We adopted this new guidance as of January 1, 2014. Our adoption of this new standard did not impact our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

Impact_of_New_Accounting_Stand1

Impact of New Accounting Standards (Policies)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Accounting Changes And Error Corrections [Abstract]	'
Other Comprehensive Income	'
	In February 2013, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued guidance that requires an entity to provide information about amounts it reclassifies out of accumulated other comprehensive income. If GAAP requires an entity to reclassify amounts out of accumulated other comprehensive income to net income in their entirety in the same reporting period, the guidance requires an entity to present significant amounts it reclassifies out of accumulated other comprehensive income by the respective line items of net income, either on the face of the statement where the entity presents net income or in the notes to the entity’s financial statements,. For other amounts that GAAP does not require an entity to reclassify to net income in their entirety, the guidance requires an entity to cross-reference such amounts to other disclosures GAAP requires that provide additional detail about those amounts. The guidance was effective for interim and annual reporting periods after December 15, 2012. We adopted this new guidance as of January 1, 2013. Our adoption of this new guidance did not impact our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
	In July 2013, the FASB issued a new standard that requires an entity to present an unrecognized tax benefit as a reduction of a deferred tax asset for a net operating loss carryforward or similar tax loss or tax credit carryforward, rather than as a liability, when the uncertain tax position would reduce the net operating loss or other carryforward under the tax law of the applicable jurisdiction and when the entity intends to use the deferred tax asset for that purpose. The new standard was effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2013. We adopted this new guidance as of January 1, 2014. Our adoption of this new standard did not impact our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

Earnings_Per_Share_Tables

Earnings Per Share (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]	'
Summary of Reconciliation of Numerators and Denominators Used in Basic and Diluted Per Share Computations	'
	The table below presents for the periods indicated a reconciliation of the numerators and denominators we used to compute basic and diluted net income per share for each class of our common stock:
		Three Months Ended March 31,
		2014						2013
		Class A			Class B			Class A		Class B
		(in thousands, except per share data)
	Basic and diluted net (loss) income per share:
	Numerator:
	Allocation of net (loss) income	$	(510	)	$	(124	)	$	5,170	$	1,305
	Denominator:
	Weighted-average shares outstanding		20,873,043			5,576,775			20,066,755		5,576,775
	Basic net (loss) income per share	$	(0.02	)	$	(0.02	)	$	0.26	$	0.23
	Diluted net (loss) income per share:
	Numerator:
	Allocation of net (loss) income	$	(510	)	$	(124	)	$	5,170	$	1,305
	Denominator:
	Number of shares used in basic computation		20,873,043			5,576,775			20,066,755		5,576,775
	Weighted-average shares effect of dilutive securities
	Add: Director and employee stock options		380,186			—			291,477		—
	Number of shares used in per share computations		21,253,229			5,576,775			20,358,232		5,576,775
	Diluted net (loss) income per share	$	(0.02	)	$	(0.02	)	$	0.25	$	0.23
Reconciliation of Diluted Shares Outstanding	'
	We did not include outstanding options to purchase the following number of shares of Class A common stock in our computation of diluted earnings per share because the exercise price of the options was greater than the average market price of our Class A common stock during the applicable period:
		Three Months Ended
		March 31,
		2014			2013
	Number of options to purchase Class A shares excluded		2,548,500			1,212,000

Investments_Tables

Investments (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Investments Debt And Equity Securities [Abstract]	'
Summary of Amortized Cost and Estimated Fair Value of Fixed Maturities and Equity Securities	'
	The amortized cost and estimated fair values of our fixed maturities and equity securities at March 31, 2014 were as follows:
		Amortized			Gross		Gross		Estimated
		Cost			Unrealized		Unrealized		Fair Value
					Gains		Losses
		(in thousands)
	Held to Maturity
	U.S. Treasury securities and obligations of U.S. government corporations and agencies	$	48,379		$	193	$	77	$	48,495
	Obligations of states and political subdivisions		96,477			4,638		—	$	101,115
	Corporate securities		51,570			287		152	$	51,705
	Mortgage-backed securities		99,934			337		261		100,010
	Totals	$	296,360		$	5,455	$	490	$	301,325
		Amortized			Gross		Gross		Estimated
		Cost			Unrealized		Unrealized		Fair Value
					Gains		Losses
		(in thousands)
	Available for Sale
	U.S. Treasury securities and obligations of U.S. government corporations and agencies	$	12,888		$	128	$	29	$	12,987
	Obligations of states and political subdivisions		262,754			15,960		5		278,709
	Corporate securities		61,521			1,150		54		62,617
	Mortgage-backed securities		76,018			1,235		38		77,215
	Fixed maturities		413,181			18,473		126		431,528
	Equity securities		21,752			592		46		22,298
	Totals	$	434,933		$	19,065	$	172	$	453,826
	The amortized cost and estimated fair values of our fixed maturities and equity securities at December 31, 2013 were as follows:
		Amortized			Gross		Gross		Estimated
		Cost			Unrealized		Unrealized		Fair Value
					Gains		Losses
		(in thousands)
	Held to Maturity
	U.S. Treasury securities and obligations of U.S. government corporations and agencies	$	47,946		$	—	$	870	$	47,076
	Obligations of states and political subdivisions		108,435			465		446		108,454
	Corporate securities		14,875			17		112		14,780
	Mortgage-backed securities		69,114			33		667		68,480
	Totals	$	240,370		$	515	$	2,095	$	238,790
		Amortized			Gross		Gross		Estimated
		Cost			Unrealized		Unrealized		Fair Value
					Gains		Losses
		(in thousands)
	Available for Sale
	U.S. Treasury securities and obligations of U.S. government corporations and agencies	$	14,272		$	118	$	57	$	14,333
	Obligations of states and political subdivisions		265,783			11,779		15		277,547
	Corporate securities		39,940			775		43		40,672
	Mortgage-backed securities		70,259			923		82		71,100
	Fixed maturities		390,254			13,595		197		403,652
	Equity securities		12,168			348		93		12,423
	Totals	$	402,422		$	13,943	$	290	$	416,075
Summary of Reclassifications of Fixed Maturities at Fair Value	'
	The following table summarizes the reclassifications by type of securities at November 30, 2013:
		Amortized			Estimated Fair
		Cost			Value
	U.S. Treasury securities and obligations of U.S. government corporations and agencies	$	50,627,225		$	47,914,311
	Obligations of states and political subdivisions		88,456,842			79,866,801
	Corporate securities		15,745,976			14,879,294
	Mortgage-backed securities		72,465,250			69,567,883
	Totals	$	227,295,293		$	212,228,289
Summary of Amortized Cost and Estimated Fair Value of Fixed Maturities by Contractual Maturity	'
	We show below the amortized cost and estimated fair value of our fixed maturities at March 31, 2014 by contractual maturity. Expected maturities may differ from contractual maturities because borrowers may have the right to call or prepay obligations with or without call or prepayment penalties.
		Amortized			Estimated
		Cost			Fair Value
		(in thousands)
	Held to maturity
	Due in one year or less	$	3,659		$	3,693
	Due after one year through five years		38,127			38,340
	Due after five years through ten years		76,922			77,392
	Due after ten years		77,718			81,890
	Mortgage-backed securities		99,934			100,010
	Total held to maturity	$	296,360		$	301,325
	Available for sale
	Due in one year or less	$	14,415		$	14,541
	Due after one year through five years		66,282			68,033
	Due after five years through ten years		126,254			133,077
	Due after ten years		130,212			138,662
	Mortgage-backed securities		76,018			77,215
	Total available for sale	$	413,181		$	431,528
Summary of Gross Realized Gains and Losses from Investments before Applicable Income Taxes	'
	Gross realized gains and losses from investments before applicable income taxes were as follows:
		Three Months Ended
		March 31,
		2014			2013
		(in thousands)
	Gross realized gains:
	Fixed maturities	$	23		$	951
	Equity securities		24			474
			47			1,425
	Gross realized losses:
	Fixed maturities		1			14
	Equity securities		135			70
			136			84
	Net realized (losses) gains	$	(89	)	$	1,341
Summary of Fixed Maturities and Equity Securities with Unrealized Losses	'
	We held fixed maturities and equity securities with unrealized losses representing declines that we considered temporary at March 31, 2014 as follows:
		Less Than 12 Months					More Than 12 Months
		Fair			Unrealized		Fair		Unrealized
		Value			Losses		Value		Losses
		(in thousands)
	U.S. Treasury securities and obligations of U.S. government corporations and agencies	$	15,647		$	76	$	4,973	$	30
	Obligations of states and political subdivisions		1,588			5		—		—
	Corporate securities		40,874			172		3,259		34
	Mortgage-backed securities		40,344			164		13,408		135
	Equity securities		1,536			46		—		—
	Totals	$	99,989		$	463	$	21,640	$	199
	We held fixed maturities and equity securities with unrealized losses representing declines that we considered temporary at December 31, 2013 as follows:
		Less Than 12 Months					More Than 12 Months
		Fair			Unrealized		Fair		Unrealized
		Value			Losses		Value		Losses
		(in thousands)
	U.S. Treasury securities and obligations of U.S. government corporations and agencies	$	50,803		$	822	$	4,642	$	104
	Obligations of states and political subdivisions		65,171			363		13,405		99
	Corporate securities		16,694			84		6,852		72
	Mortgage-backed securities		72,878			536		19,014		213
	Equity securities		1,629			93		—		—
	Totals	$	207,175		$	1,898	$	43,913	$	488
Summary of Financial Information	'
	The financial information of DFSC at March 31, 2014 and for the three months then ended is unaudited.
	Balance sheets:	March 31,			December 31,
		2014			2013
		(in thousands)
	Total assets	$	511,062		$	512,578
	Total liabilities	$	434,163		$	438,649
	Stockholders’ equity		76,899			73,929
	Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity	$	511,062		$	512,578
		Three Months Ended
		March 31,
	Income statements:	2014			2013
		(in thousands)
	Net income	$	849		$	2,258

Segment_Information_Tables

Segment Information (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Segment Reporting [Abstract]	'
Summary of Financial Data by Segment	'
	Financial data by segment is as follows:
		Three Months Ended
		March 31,
		2014			2013
		(in thousands)
	Revenues:
	Premiums earned
	Commercial lines	$	54,346		$	47,631
	Personal lines		79,202			77,071
	GAAP premiums earned		133,548			124,702
	Net investment income		4,616			4,815
	Realized investment (losses) gains		(89	)		1,341
	Equity in earnings of DFSC		409			1,089
	Other		1,855			1,926
	Total revenues	$	140,339		$	133,873
	(Loss) income before income taxes:
	Underwriting (loss) income:
	Commercial lines	$	(5,348	)	$	(1,591	)
	Personal lines		(3,833	)		223
	SAP underwriting loss		(9,181	)		(1,368	)
	GAAP adjustments		2,925			1,750
	GAAP underwriting (loss) income		(6,256	)		382
	Net investment income		4,616			4,815
	Realized investment (losses) gains		(89	)		1,341
	Equity in earnings of DFSC		409			1,089
	Other		527			456
	(Loss) income before income taxes	$	(793	)	$	8,083

Borrowings_Tables

Borrowings (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Amount of FHLB of Indianapolis/Pittsburgh Stock Purchased, Collateral Pledged and Assets Related to MICO's/Atlantic States Agreement	'
	The table below presents the amount of FHLB of Indianapolis stock MICO purchased, collateral pledged and assets related to MICO’s membership at March 31, 2014.
	FHLB stock purchased and owned as part of the agreement	$	252,100
	Collateral pledged, at par (carrying value $2,777,078)		3,700,000
	Borrowing capacity currently available		2,395,543
	The table below presents the amount of FHLB of Pittsburgh stock Atlantic States purchased, collateral pledged and assets related to Atlantic States’ membership in the FHLB of Pittsburgh at March 31, 2014.
	FHLB stock purchased and owned as part of the agreement	$	870,300
	Collateral pledged, at par (carrying value $16,028,983)		19,000,000
	Borrowing capacity currently available		125,191

Fair_Value_Measurements_Tables

Fair Value Measurements (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]	'
Fair Value Measurements for Investments in Available-for-Sale Fixed Maturity and Equity Securities	'
	The following table presents our fair value measurements for our investments in available-for-sale fixed maturity and equity securities at March 31, 2014:
				Fair Value Measurements Using
		Fair Value		Quoted		Significant Other		Significant
				Prices in Active		Observable Inputs		Unobservable
				Markets for		(Level 2)		Inputs (Level 3)
				Identical Assets
				(Level 1)
		(in thousands)
	U.S. Treasury securities and obligations of U.S. government corporations and agencies	$	12,987	$	—	$	12,987	$	—
	Obligations of states and political subdivisions		278,709		—		278,709		—
	Corporate securities		62,617		—		62,617		—
	Mortgage-backed securities		77,215		—		77,215		—
	Equity securities		22,298		13,405		8,893		—
	Totals	$	453,826	$	13,405	$	440,421	$	—
	The following table presents our fair value measurements for our investments in available-for-sale fixed maturity and equity securities at December 31, 2013:
				Fair Value Measurements Using
		Fair Value		Quoted		Significant Other		Significant
				Prices in Active		Observable Inputs		Unobservable
				Markets for		(Level 2)		Inputs (Level 3)
				Identical Assets
				(Level 1)
		(in thousands)
	U.S. Treasury securities and obligations of U.S. government corporations and agencies	$	14,333	$	—	$	14,333	$	—
	Obligations of states and political subdivisions		277,547		—		277,547		—
	Corporate securities		40,672		—		40,672		—
	Mortgage-backed securities		71,100		—		71,100		—
	Equity securities		12,423		6,468		5,955		—
	Totals	$	416,075	$	6,468	$	409,607	$	—

Organization_Additional_Inform

Organization - Additional Information (Detail)	3 Months Ended					3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2014	Jul. 18, 2013	Feb. 23, 2009	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013	Mar. 31, 2014
	Office	Subsidiaries [Member]	Class A common stock [Member]	Class A common stock [Member]	Class A common stock [Member]	Class A common stock [Member]	Class A common stock [Member]	Class B common stock [Member]
	Segment					Subsidiaries [Member]	Subsidiaries [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Operations Commenced Date	26-Aug-86	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Outstanding stock percentage	48.20%	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Stock ownership percentage owned by third party	51.80%	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Number of banking offices	13	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Number of operating segments	4	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Stock ownership percentage held by major shareholder	'	'	37.00%	'	'	'	'	76.00%
Voting power percentage of outstanding common stock	65.00%	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Percentage of share in results of pooled business	'	80.00%	'	'	'	'	'	'
Percentage of share in results of pooled business owned by third party	20.00%	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Number of common stock shares purchased	'	'	'	500,000	300,000	'	'	'
Common stock shares purchased	'	'	296,778	'	'	846	0	'

Earnings_Per_Share_Additional_

Earnings Per Share - Additional Information (Detail)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Equity [Abstract]	'
Percentage of dividend declared on each share	10.00%

Earnings_Per_Share_Summary_of_

Earnings Per Share - Summary of Reconciliation of Numerators and Denominators Used in Basic and Diluted Per Share Computations (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Class A common stock [Member]	'	'
Numerator:	'	'
Allocation of net (loss) income	($510)	$5,170
Denominator:	'	'
Weighted-average shares outstanding	20,873,043	20,066,755
Basic net (loss) income per share	($0.02)	$0.26
Numerator:	'	'
Allocation of net (loss) income	-510	5,170
Denominator:	'	'
Number of shares used in basic computation	20,873,043	20,066,755
Weighted-average shares effect of dilutive securities	'	'
Add: Director and employee stock options	380,186	291,477
Number of shares used in per share computations	21,253,229	20,358,232
Diluted net (loss) income per share	($0.02)	$0.25
Class B common stock [Member]	'	'
Numerator:	'	'
Allocation of net (loss) income	-124	1,305
Denominator:	'	'
Weighted-average shares outstanding	5,576,775	5,576,775
Basic net (loss) income per share	($0.02)	$0.23
Numerator:	'	'
Allocation of net (loss) income	($124)	$1,305
Denominator:	'	'
Number of shares used in basic computation	5,576,775	5,576,775
Weighted-average shares effect of dilutive securities	'	'
Add: Director and employee stock options	'	'
Number of shares used in per share computations	5,576,775	5,576,775
Diluted net (loss) income per share	($0.02)	$0.23

Earnings_Per_Share_Reconciliat

Earnings Per Share - Reconciliation of Diluted Shares Outstanding (Detail)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]	'	'
Number of options to purchase Class A shares excluded	2,548,500	1,212,000

Reinsurance_Additional_Informa

Reinsurance - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014
Ceded Credit Risk [Line Items]	'
Percentage of share in results of pooled business subsidiary	80.00%
Percentage of share in results of pooled business owned by third party	20.00%
Excess of loss reinsured under an agreement	$1
Percentage of accumulation of losses	100.00%
Natural disasters, over a set retention	5
Natural disasters, aggregate annual deduction	1.5
Quota share reinsurance percentage	20.00%
Donegal Mutual [Member]	'
Ceded Credit Risk [Line Items]	'
Maximum amount of loss coverage under reinsurance agreement of property catastrophe	$145

Investments_Summary_of_Amortiz

Investments - Summary of Amortized Cost and Estimated Fair Value of Fixed Maturities and Equity Securities (Detail) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Nov. 30, 2013
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]	'	'	'
Held to maturity, at amortized cost	$296,360,179	$240,370,277	'
Held to Maturity, Gross Unrealized Gains	5,455,000	515,000	'
Held to Maturity, Gross Unrealized Losses	490,000	2,095,000	'
Total held to maturity, Estimated Fair Value	301,325,000	238,790,000	212,228,289
Available for Sale, Amortized Cost	434,933,000	402,422,000	'
Available for Sale, Gross Unrealized Gains	19,065,000	13,943,000	'
Available for Sale, Gross Unrealized Losses	172,000	290,000	'
Available for Sale, Estimated Fair Value	453,826,000	416,075,000	'
U.S. Treasury Securities and Obligations of U.S. Government Corporations and Agencies [Member]	'	'	'
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]	'	'	'
Held to maturity, at amortized cost	48,379,000	47,946,000	'
Held to Maturity, Gross Unrealized Gains	193,000	'	'
Held to Maturity, Gross Unrealized Losses	77,000	870,000	'
Total held to maturity, Estimated Fair Value	48,495,000	47,076,000	47,914,311
Available for Sale, Amortized Cost	12,888,000	14,272,000	'
Available for Sale, Gross Unrealized Gains	128,000	118,000	'
Available for Sale, Gross Unrealized Losses	29,000	57,000	'
Available for Sale, Estimated Fair Value	12,987,000	14,333,000	'
Obligations of States and Political Subdivisions [Member]	'	'	'
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]	'	'	'
Held to maturity, at amortized cost	96,477,000	108,435,000	'
Held to Maturity, Gross Unrealized Gains	4,638,000	465,000	'
Held to Maturity, Gross Unrealized Losses	'	446,000	'
Total held to maturity, Estimated Fair Value	101,115,000	108,454,000	79,866,801
Available for Sale, Amortized Cost	262,754,000	265,783,000	'
Available for Sale, Gross Unrealized Gains	15,960,000	11,779,000	'
Available for Sale, Gross Unrealized Losses	5,000	15,000	'
Available for Sale, Estimated Fair Value	278,709,000	277,547,000	'
Corporate Securities [Member]	'	'	'
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]	'	'	'
Held to maturity, at amortized cost	51,570,000	14,875,000	'
Held to Maturity, Gross Unrealized Gains	287,000	17,000	'
Held to Maturity, Gross Unrealized Losses	152,000	112,000	'
Total held to maturity, Estimated Fair Value	51,705,000	14,780,000	14,879,294
Available for Sale, Amortized Cost	61,521,000	39,940,000	'
Available for Sale, Gross Unrealized Gains	1,150,000	775,000	'
Available for Sale, Gross Unrealized Losses	54,000	43,000	'
Available for Sale, Estimated Fair Value	62,617,000	40,672,000	'
Mortgage-Backed Securities [Member]	'	'	'
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]	'	'	'
Held to maturity, at amortized cost	99,934,000	69,114,000	'
Held to Maturity, Gross Unrealized Gains	337,000	33,000	'
Held to Maturity, Gross Unrealized Losses	261,000	667,000	'
Total held to maturity, Estimated Fair Value	100,010,000	68,480,000	69,567,883
Available for Sale, Amortized Cost	76,018,000	70,259,000	'
Available for Sale, Gross Unrealized Gains	1,235,000	923,000	'
Available for Sale, Gross Unrealized Losses	38,000	82,000	'
Available for Sale, Estimated Fair Value	77,215,000	71,100,000	'
Fixed Maturities [Member]	'	'	'
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]	'	'	'
Available for Sale, Amortized Cost	413,181,000	390,254,000	'
Available for Sale, Gross Unrealized Gains	18,473,000	13,595,000	'
Available for Sale, Gross Unrealized Losses	126,000	197,000	'
Available for Sale, Estimated Fair Value	431,528,000	403,652,000	'
Equity Securities [Member]	'	'	'
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]	'	'	'
Available for Sale, Amortized Cost	21,752,000	12,168,000	'
Available for Sale, Gross Unrealized Gains	592,000	348,000	'
Available for Sale, Gross Unrealized Losses	46,000	93,000	'
Available for Sale, Estimated Fair Value	$22,298,000	$12,423,000	'

Investments_Additional_Informa

Investments - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)

0 Months Ended

3 Months Ended

3 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

3 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

3 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

In Millions, unless otherwise specified

Nov. 30, 2013

Mar. 31, 2014

Dec. 31, 2013

Mar. 31, 2014

Dec. 31, 2013

Mar. 31, 2014

Dec. 31, 2013

Mar. 31, 2014

Dec. 31, 2013

Mar. 31, 2014

Dec. 31, 2013

Mar. 31, 2014

Mar. 31, 2014

Mar. 31, 2014

Dec. 31, 2013

Obligations of States and Political Subdivisions [Member]

Obligations of States and Political Subdivisions [Member]

Special Revenue Bond [Member]

Special Revenue Bond [Member]

Education Bond [Member]

Education Bond [Member]

Water and Sewer Utility Bonds [Member]

Water and Sewer Utility Bonds [Member]

Equity Securities [Member]

Fixed Maturities [Member]

Accumulated Net Unrealized Investment Losses [Member]

Accumulated Net Unrealized Investment Losses [Member]

General Obligation Bonds [Member]

Securities

Securities

Schedule of Investments [Line Items]

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Aggregate fair value of bond held

'

'

'

$285.20

$294.10

$94.60

$91.90

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Amortized cost of bond held

'

'

'

270.3

284.9

88.9

89.3

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Percentage of which the company held security of any issuer

'

10.00%

10.00%

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Percentage of investments in special revenue bonds

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

57.00%

56.00%

21.00%

23.00%

'

'

'

'

Net unrealized losses arising prior to reclassification date and classified in accumulated other comprehensive loss

15.1

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Net unrealized losses reclassified in accumulated other comprehensive income

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

$14.70

$14.90

Depreciation of original cost value

'

20.00%

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Time period for which individual security should be in unrealized position of twenty percentage or more to assume it as other than temporary decline

'

'More than six months

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Number of fixed maturity securities classified as available for sale

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

2

128

'

'

Percentage of ownership interest

'

48.20%

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Investments_Summary_of_Reclass

Investments - Summary of Reclassifications of Fixed Maturities at Fair Value (Detail) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Nov. 30, 2013
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]	'	'	'
Transfers from available for sale to held to maturity, Amortized Cost	'	'	$227,295,293
Transfers from available for sale to held to maturity, Estimated Fair Value	301,325,000	238,790,000	212,228,289
U.S. Treasury Securities and Obligations of U.S. Government Corporations and Agencies [Member]	'	'	'
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]	'	'	'
Transfers from available for sale to held to maturity, Amortized Cost	'	'	50,627,225
Transfers from available for sale to held to maturity, Estimated Fair Value	48,495,000	47,076,000	47,914,311
Obligations of States and Political Subdivisions [Member]	'	'	'
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]	'	'	'
Transfers from available for sale to held to maturity, Amortized Cost	'	'	88,456,842
Transfers from available for sale to held to maturity, Estimated Fair Value	101,115,000	108,454,000	79,866,801
Corporate Securities [Member]	'	'	'
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]	'	'	'
Transfers from available for sale to held to maturity, Amortized Cost	'	'	15,745,976
Transfers from available for sale to held to maturity, Estimated Fair Value	51,705,000	14,780,000	14,879,294
Mortgage-Backed Securities [Member]	'	'	'
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]	'	'	'
Transfers from available for sale to held to maturity, Amortized Cost	'	'	72,465,250
Transfers from available for sale to held to maturity, Estimated Fair Value	$100,010,000	$68,480,000	$69,567,883

Investments_Summary_of_Amortiz1

Investments - Summary of Amortized Cost and Estimated Fair Value of Fixed Maturities by Contractual Maturity (Detail) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Nov. 30, 2013
Held to maturity	'	'	'
Due in one year or less, Amortized Cost	$3,659,000	'	'
Due after one year through five years, Amortized Cost	38,127,000	'	'
Due after five years through ten years, Amortized Cost	76,922,000	'	'
Due after ten years, Amortized Cost	77,718,000	'	'
Mortgage-backed securities, Amortized Cost	99,934,000	'	'
Total held to maturity, Amortized Cost	296,360,179	240,370,277	'
Due in one year or less, Estimated Fair Value	3,693,000	'	'
Due after one year through five years, Estimated Fair Value	38,340,000	'	'
Due after five years through ten years, Estimated Fair Value	77,392,000	'	'
Due after ten years, Estimated Fair Value	81,890,000	'	'
Mortgage-backed securities, Estimated Fair Value	100,010,000	'	'
Total held to maturity, Estimated Fair Value	301,325,000	238,790,000	212,228,289
Available for sale	'	'	'
Due in one year or less, Amortized Cost	14,415,000	'	'
Due after one year through five years, Amortized Cost	66,282,000	'	'
Due after five years through ten years, Amortized Cost	126,254,000	'	'
Due after ten years, Amortized Cost	130,212,000	'	'
Mortgage-backed securities, Amortized Cost	76,018,000	'	'
Total available for sale, Amortized Cost	413,181,000	'	'
Due in one year or less, Estimated Fair Value	14,541,000	'	'
Due after one year through five years, Estimated Fair Value	68,033,000	'	'
Due after five years through ten years, Estimated Fair Value	133,077,000	'	'
Due after ten years, Estimated Fair Value	138,662,000	'	'
Mortgage-backed securities, Estimated Fair Value	77,215,000	'	'
Total available for sale, Estimated Fair Value	$431,527,749	$403,651,965	'

Investments_Summary_of_Gross_R

Investments - Summary of Gross Realized Gains and Losses from Investments before Applicable Income Taxes (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Gain (Loss) on Investments [Line Items]	'	'
Gross realized gains	$47,000	$1,425,000
Gross realized losses	136,000	84,000
Net realized (losses) gains	-88,532	1,340,564
Fixed Maturities [Member]	'	'
Gain (Loss) on Investments [Line Items]	'	'
Gross realized gains	23,000	951,000
Gross realized losses	1,000	14,000
Equity Securities [Member]	'	'
Gain (Loss) on Investments [Line Items]	'	'
Gross realized gains	24,000	474,000
Gross realized losses	$135,000	$70,000

Investments_Summary_of_Fixed_M

Investments - Summary of Fixed Maturities and Equity Securities with Unrealized Losses (Detail) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Less Than 12 Months, Fair Value	$99,989	$207,175
Less Than 12 Months, Unrealized Losses	463	1,898
More Than 12 Months, Fair Value	21,640	43,913
More Than 12 Months, Unrealized Losses	199	488
U.S. Treasury Securities and Obligations of U.S. Government Corporations and Agencies [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Less Than 12 Months, Fair Value	15,647	50,803
Less Than 12 Months, Unrealized Losses	76	822
More Than 12 Months, Fair Value	4,973	4,642
More Than 12 Months, Unrealized Losses	30	104
Obligations of States and Political Subdivisions [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Less Than 12 Months, Fair Value	1,588	65,171
Less Than 12 Months, Unrealized Losses	5	363
More Than 12 Months, Fair Value	'	13,405
More Than 12 Months, Unrealized Losses	'	99
Corporate Securities [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Less Than 12 Months, Fair Value	40,874	16,694
Less Than 12 Months, Unrealized Losses	172	84
More Than 12 Months, Fair Value	3,259	6,852
More Than 12 Months, Unrealized Losses	34	72
Mortgage-Backed Securities [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Less Than 12 Months, Fair Value	40,344	72,878
Less Than 12 Months, Unrealized Losses	164	536
More Than 12 Months, Fair Value	13,408	19,014
More Than 12 Months, Unrealized Losses	135	213
Equity Securities [Member]	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Less Than 12 Months, Fair Value	1,536	1,629
Less Than 12 Months, Unrealized Losses	46	93
More Than 12 Months, Fair Value	'	'
More Than 12 Months, Unrealized Losses	'	'

Investments_Summary_of_Financi

Investments - Summary of Financial Information (Detail) (Donegal Financial Services Corporation [Member], USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013
Donegal Financial Services Corporation [Member]	'	'	'
Balance sheets:	'	'	'
Total assets	$511,062	'	$512,578
Total liabilities	434,163	'	438,649
Stockholders' equity	76,899	'	73,929
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity	511,062	'	512,578
Income statements:	'	'	'
Net income	$849	$2,258	'

Segment_Information_Summary_of

Segment Information - Summary of Financial Data by Segment (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Premiums earned	'	'
Net premiums earned	$133,548,261	$124,702,041
GAAP premiums earned	133,548,000	124,702,000
Net investment income	4,615,776	4,815,443
Realized investment gains	-88,532	1,340,564
Equity in earnings of DFSC	409,242	1,088,906
Other	1,855,000	1,926,000
Total revenues	140,339,087	133,872,592
Underwriting income (loss):	'	'
SAP underwriting income (loss)	-9,181,000	-1,368,000
GAAP adjustments	2,925,000	1,750,000
GAAP underwriting income (loss)	-6,256,000	382,000
Net investment income	4,616,000	4,815,000
Realized investment gains	-88,532	1,340,564
Equity in earnings of DFSC	409,242	1,088,906
Other	527,000	456,000
(Loss) income before income tax (benefit) expense	-793,216	8,083,289
Commercial lines [Member]	'	'
Premiums earned	'	'
Net premiums earned	54,346,000	47,631,000
Underwriting income (loss):	'	'
GAAP underwriting income (loss)	-5,348,000	-1,591,000
Personal lines [Member]	'	'
Premiums earned	'	'
Net premiums earned	79,202,000	77,071,000
Underwriting income (loss):	'	'
GAAP underwriting income (loss)	($3,833,000)	$223,000

Borrowings_Additional_Informat

Borrowings - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Mar. 31, 2014
		Maximum [Member]	Subordinated Debentures [Member]	Manufacturers and Traders Trust Company [Member]	MICO [Member]	MICO [Member]	MICO [Member]	West Bend Mutual Insurance Company [Member]	Atlantic States [Member]	Atlantic States [Member]	Atlantic States [Member]
					Indianapolis [Member]	Indianapolis [Member]	Lines of Credit [Member]	Subordinated Debentures [Member]		Pittsburgh [Member]	Lines of Credit [Member]
							Indianapolis [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Right to request for extension of credit agreement with Manufacturers and Traders Trust Company	'	'	'	$60,000,000	'	'	$2,395,543	'	'	'	'
Line of credit that expires date	'2016-07	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Outstanding borrowings	46,000,000	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Line of credit facility remaining borrowing capacity	14,000,000	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Line of credit, interest rate related to LIBOR rate description	'Interest rates equal to M&T's current prime rate or the then current LIBOR rate plus 2.25%.	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Debt instrument interest rate effective percentage	'	2.25%	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Interest rate on borrowings	2.40%	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Percentage commitment fee	0.20%	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Revolving credit facility, borrowing interest rate	'The credit agreement requires our compliance with certain covenants. These covenants include minimum levels of our net worth, leverage ratio, statutory surplus and the A.M. Best ratings of our insurance subsidiaries. We complied with all requirements of the credit agreement during the three months ended March 31, 2014.	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Federal Home Loan Bank borrowing amount outstanding	'	'	'	'	0	0	'	'	'	0	'
Interest rate on advances	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	0.30%
Debt issued to FHLB in exchange of advance cash	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	15,000,000	'	'
Debt instrument basis spread on variable rate	'	'	5.00%	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Purchase of surplus note	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	$5,000,000	'	'	'

Borrowings_Amount_of_FHLB_of_I

Borrowings - Amount of FHLB of Indianapolis/Pittsburgh Stock Purchased, Collateral Pledged and Assets Related to MICO's/Atlantic States Agreement (Detail) (Lines of Credit [Member], USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014
MICO [Member] | Indianapolis [Member]	'
Amount of FHLB of Indianapolis/Pittsburgh stock purchased, collateral pledged and assets related to MICO's/Atlantic States Agreement	'
FHLB stock purchased and owned as part of the agreement	$252,100
Collateral pledged, at par	3,700,000
Borrowing capacity currently available	2,395,543
Atlantic States [Member] | Pittsburgh [Member]	'
Amount of FHLB of Indianapolis/Pittsburgh stock purchased, collateral pledged and assets related to MICO's/Atlantic States Agreement	'
FHLB stock purchased and owned as part of the agreement	870,300
Collateral pledged, at par	19,000,000
Borrowing capacity currently available	$125,191

Borrowings_Amount_of_FHLB_of_I1

Borrowings - Amount of FHLB of Indianapolis/Pittsburgh Stock Purchased, Collateral Pledged and Assets Related to MICO's/Atlantic States Agreement (Parenthetical) (Detail) (Lines of Credit [Member], USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014
Indianapolis [Member] | MICO [Member]	'
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]	'
Collateral pledged, at par, carrying value	$2,777,078
Pittsburgh [Member] | Atlantic States [Member]	'
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]	'
Collateral pledged, at par, carrying value	$16,028,983

ShareBased_Compensation_Additi

Share-Based Compensation - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Disclosure Of Compensation Related Costs Sharebased Payments [Abstract]	'	'
Compensation expenses in stock compensation plans	$180,415	$172,305
Income tax benefit of stock compensation plans	63,145	60,307
Unrecognized compensation expense related to nonvested share-based compensation	931,181	'
Weighted average period of unrecognized compensation cost	'1 year 9 months 18 days	'
Cash from option exercises	193,558	1,700,000
Tax benefit for tax deductions from option exercise	$11,515	$98,929

Fair_Value_Measurements_Fair_V

Fair Value Measurements - Fair Value Measurements for Investments in Available-for-Sale Fixed Maturity and Equity Securities (Detail) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value Disclosure	$453,826	$416,075
U.S. Treasury Securities and Obligations of U.S. Government Corporations and Agencies [Member]	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value Disclosure	12,987	14,333
Obligations of States and Political Subdivisions [Member]	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value Disclosure	278,709	277,547
Corporate Securities [Member]	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value Disclosure	62,617	40,672
Mortgage-Backed Securities [Member]	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value Disclosure	77,215	71,100
Equity Securities [Member]	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value Disclosure	22,298	12,423
Assets and Liabilities on Recurring Basis [Member]	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value Disclosure	453,826	416,075
Assets and Liabilities on Recurring Basis [Member] | U.S. Treasury Securities and Obligations of U.S. Government Corporations and Agencies [Member]	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value Disclosure	12,987	14,333
Assets and Liabilities on Recurring Basis [Member] | Obligations of States and Political Subdivisions [Member]	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value Disclosure	278,709	277,547
Assets and Liabilities on Recurring Basis [Member] | Corporate Securities [Member]	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value Disclosure	62,617	40,672
Assets and Liabilities on Recurring Basis [Member] | Mortgage-Backed Securities [Member]	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value Disclosure	77,215	71,100
Assets and Liabilities on Recurring Basis [Member] | Equity Securities [Member]	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value Disclosure	22,298	12,423
Assets and Liabilities on Recurring Basis [Member] | Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1) [Member]	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value Disclosure	13,405	6,468
Assets and Liabilities on Recurring Basis [Member] | Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1) [Member] | U.S. Treasury Securities and Obligations of U.S. Government Corporations and Agencies [Member]	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value Disclosure	'	'
Assets and Liabilities on Recurring Basis [Member] | Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1) [Member] | Obligations of States and Political Subdivisions [Member]	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value Disclosure	'	'
Assets and Liabilities on Recurring Basis [Member] | Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1) [Member] | Corporate Securities [Member]	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value Disclosure	'	'
Assets and Liabilities on Recurring Basis [Member] | Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1) [Member] | Mortgage-Backed Securities [Member]	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value Disclosure	'	'
Assets and Liabilities on Recurring Basis [Member] | Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1) [Member] | Equity Securities [Member]	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value Disclosure	13,405	6,468
Assets and Liabilities on Recurring Basis [Member] | Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member]	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value Disclosure	440,421	409,607
Assets and Liabilities on Recurring Basis [Member] | Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member] | U.S. Treasury Securities and Obligations of U.S. Government Corporations and Agencies [Member]	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value Disclosure	12,987	14,333
Assets and Liabilities on Recurring Basis [Member] | Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member] | Obligations of States and Political Subdivisions [Member]	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value Disclosure	278,709	277,547
Assets and Liabilities on Recurring Basis [Member] | Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member] | Corporate Securities [Member]	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value Disclosure	62,617	40,672
Assets and Liabilities on Recurring Basis [Member] | Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member] | Mortgage-Backed Securities [Member]	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value Disclosure	77,215	71,100
Assets and Liabilities on Recurring Basis [Member] | Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member] | Equity Securities [Member]	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value Disclosure	8,893	5,955
Assets and Liabilities on Recurring Basis [Member] | Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) [Member]	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value Disclosure	'	'
Assets and Liabilities on Recurring Basis [Member] | Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) [Member] | U.S. Treasury Securities and Obligations of U.S. Government Corporations and Agencies [Member]	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value Disclosure	'	'
Assets and Liabilities on Recurring Basis [Member] | Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) [Member] | Obligations of States and Political Subdivisions [Member]	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value Disclosure	'	'
Assets and Liabilities on Recurring Basis [Member] | Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) [Member] | Corporate Securities [Member]	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value Disclosure	'	'
Assets and Liabilities on Recurring Basis [Member] | Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) [Member] | Mortgage-Backed Securities [Member]	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value Disclosure	'	'
Assets and Liabilities on Recurring Basis [Member] | Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) [Member] | Equity Securities [Member]	'	'
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]	'	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Fair Value Disclosure	'	'

Fair_Value_Measurements_Additi

Fair Value Measurements - Additional information (Detail) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]	'
Transfer of investments between Levels 1 and 2	$0

Income_Taxes_Additional_Inform

Income Taxes - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Mar. 31, 2014
			Le Mars [Member]
Operating Loss Carryforwards [Line Items]	'	'	'
Unrecognized tax benefits	$0	$0	'
Valuation allowance related to the portion of operating loss carryforwards	'	'	440,778
Deferred tax asset, net	39,100,000	39,600,000	'
Operating loss carryforwards	'	'	4,300,000
Operating loss carryforwards expiration period	'	'	'2020
Operating loss carryforwards annual limitations in amount on use	'	'	376,000
Alternative minimum tax credit carryforward	$10,000,000	'	'