| **Fair Value Measurements**           | 12 Months Ended                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                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| **Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]** |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                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| Fair Value Measurements               | Fair Value Measurements Recurring fair value measurements The following tables present the Company’s financial assets and liabilities carried at fair value on a recurring basis by fair value hierarchy category:   Assets and liabilities measured atfair value on a recurring basis  December 31, 2014  Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets (Level 1) Significant otherobservable inputs(Level 2) Significantunobservableinputs (Level 3) TotalAssets        Fixed maturities available-for-sale:        U.S. government direct obligations and U.S. agencies $— $3,547,256 $— $3,547,256Obligations of U.S. states and their subdivisions — 2,172,484 — 2,172,484Foreign government securities — 2,451 — 2,451Corporate debt securities — 11,933,607 5,842 11,939,449Asset-backed securities — 1,398,503 36 1,398,539Residential mortgage-backed securities — 173,229 — 173,229Commercial mortgage-backed securities — 918,205 — 918,205Collateralized debt obligations — 10,465 — 10,465Total fixed maturities available-for-sale — 20,156,200 5,878 20,162,078Fixed maturities held for trading:        U.S. government direct obligations and U.S. agencies — 279,602 — 279,602Corporate debt securities — 57,850 — 57,850Commercial mortgage-backed securities — 1,091 — 1,091Total fixed maturities held for trading — 338,543 — 338,543Short-term investments 156,935 106,566 — 263,501Collateral under securities lending agreements 13,741 — — 13,741Collateral under derivative counterparty collateral agreements 106,901 — — 106,901Derivative instruments designated as hedges:        Interest rate swaps — 19,383 — 19,383Cross-currency swaps — 5,143 — 5,143Derivative instruments not designated as hedges:        Interest rate swaps — 6,246 — 6,246Interest rate swaptions — 271 — 271Cross-currency swaps — 4,561 — 4,561Total derivative instruments — 35,604 — 35,604Separate account assets 16,146,057 11,572,787  27,718,844Total assets $16,423,634 $32,209,700 $5,878 $48,639,212         Liabilities        Payable under securities lending agreements $13,741 $— $— $13,741Collateral under derivative counterparty collateral agreements 791 — — 791Derivative instruments designated as hedges:        Interest rate swaps — 131 — 131Cross-currency swaps — 2,821 — 2,821Derivative instruments not designated as hedges:        Interest rate swaps — 1,844 — 1,844Cross-currency swaps — 131,791 — 131,791Total derivative instruments — 136,587 — 136,587Separate account liabilities (1) 15 217,712 — 217,727Total liabilities $14,547 $354,299 $— $368,846 (1)  Includes only separate account instruments which are carried at the fair value of the underlying liabilities owned by the separate accounts.  Assets and liabilities measured atfair value on a recurring basis  December 31, 2013  Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets (Level 1) Significant otherobservable inputs(Level 2) Significantunobservableinputs (Level 3) TotalAssets        Fixed maturities available-for-sale:        U.S. government direct obligations and U.S. agencies $— $3,064,639 $— $3,064,639Obligations of U.S. states and their subdivisions — 1,943,587 — 1,943,587Foreign government securities — 2,603 — 2,603Corporate debt securities — 10,792,329 6,652 10,798,981Asset-backed securities — 1,402,679 252,958 1,655,637Residential mortgage-backed securities — 249,585 — 249,585Commercial mortgage-backed securities — 742,124 — 742,124Collateralized debt obligations — 12,356 32 12,388Total fixed maturities available-for-sale — 18,209,902 259,642 18,469,544Fixed maturities held for trading:        U.S. government direct obligations and U.S. agencies — 236,000 — 236,000Corporate debt securities — 58,171 — 58,171Asset-backed securities — 40,858 — 40,858Commercial mortgage-backed securities — 1,026 — 1,026Total fixed maturities held for trading — 336,055 — 336,055Short-term investments 254,378 39,909 — 294,287Collateral under securities lending agreements 18,534 — — 18,534Collateral under derivative counterparty collateral agreements 143,710 — — 143,710Derivative instruments designated as hedges:        Interest rate swaps — 18,927 — 18,927Derivative instruments not designated as hedges:        Interest rate swaps — 1,454 — 1,454Interest rate swaptions — 1,176 — 1,176Cross-currency swaps — 1,921 — 1,921Total derivative instruments — 23,478 — 23,478Separate account assets 14,861,680 11,769,224 — 26,630,904Total assets $15,278,302 $30,378,568 $259,642 $45,916,512         Liabilities        Payable under securities lending agreements $18,534 $— $— $18,534Derivative instruments designated as hedges:        Interest rate swaps — 147 — 147Cross-currency swaps — 7,843 — 7,843Derivative instruments not designated as hedges:        Interest rate swaps — 3,492 — 3,492Cross-currency swaps — 156,261 — 156,261Total derivative instruments — 167,743 — 167,743Separate account liabilities (1) 2 166,325 — 166,327Total liabilities $18,536 $334,068 $— $352,604(1)  Includes only separate account instruments which are carried at the fair value of the underlying liabilities owned by the separate accounts. The methods and assumptions used to estimate the fair value of the Company’s financial assets and liabilities carried at fair value on a recurring basis are as follows: Fixed maturity investments The fair values for fixed maturity investments are based upon market prices from independent pricing services.  In cases where market prices are not readily available, fair values are estimated by the Company. To determine estimated fair value for these instruments, the Company generally utilizes discounted cash flow models with market observable pricing inputs such as spreads, average life and credit quality. Fair value estimates are made at a specific point in time, based on available market information and judgments about financial instruments, including estimates of the timing and amounts of expected future cash flows and the credit standing of the issuer or counterparty. Short-term investments and securities lending agreements The amortized cost of short-term investments, collateral under securities lending agreements and payable under securities lending agreements is a reasonable estimate of fair value due to their short-term nature and high credit quality of the issuers. Derivative counterparty collateral agreements Included in other assets is cash collateral received from or pledged to derivative counterparties and included in other liabilities is the obligation to return the cash collateral to the counterparties.  The carrying value of the collateral is a reasonable estimate of fair value. Derivative instruments Included in other assets and other liabilities are derivative financial instruments. The estimated fair values of OTC derivatives, primarily consisting of cross-currency swaps, interest rate swaps and interest rate swaptions, are the estimated amounts the Company would receive or pay to terminate the agreements at the end of each reporting period, taking into consideration current interest rates and other relevant factors.Separate account assets and liabilities Separate account assets and liabilities primarily include investments in mutual fund, fixed maturity and short-term securities.  Mutual funds are recorded at net asset value, which approximates fair value, on a daily basis.  The fixed maturity and short-term investments are valued in the same manner, and using the same pricing sources and inputs as the fixed maturity and short-term investments of the Company. The following tables present additional information about assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis and for which the Company has utilized Level 3 inputs to determine fair value:   Recurring Level 3 financial assets and liabilities  Year Ended December 31, 2014  Fixed maturities available-for-sale    Corporate Asset-backed Collateralized    debt securities securities debt obligations TotalBalances, January 1, 2014 $6,652 $252,958 $32 $259,642Realized and unrealized gains (losses) included in:        Net Income — — (17) (17)Other comprehensive income (loss) (178) — (15) (193)Settlements (632) (19) — (651)Transfers out of Level 3 (1) — (252,903) — (252,903)Balances, December 31, 2014 $5,842 $36 $— $5,878Total gains (losses) for the period included in net income attributable to the change in unrealized gains and losses relating to assets held at December 31, 2014 $— $— $— $— (1) Transfers out of Level 3 are due primarily to increased observability of inputs in valuation methodologies as evidenced by corroboration of market prices with multiple pricing vendors and internal models.  Recurring Level 3 financial assets and liabilities  Year Ended December 31, 2013  Fixed maturities available-for-sale    Corporate Asset-backed Collateralized    debt securities securities debt obligations TotalBalances, January 1, 2013 $1,822 $265,538 $32 $267,392Realized and unrealized gains (losses) included in:        Other comprehensive income (loss) (240) 34,766 — 34,526Settlements (762) (47,346) — (48,108)Transfers into Level 3 (1) 5,832 — — 5,832Balances, December 31, 2013 $6,652 $252,958 $32 $259,642Total gains (losses) for the period included in net income attributable to the change in unrealized gains and losses relating to assets held at December 31, 2013 $— $— $— $— (1) Transfers into Level 3 are due primarily to decreased observability of inputs in valuation methodologies.  Recurring Level 3 financial assets and liabilities  Year Ended December 31, 2012  Fixed maturities available-for-sale      Corporate Asset-backed Collateralized Separate    debt securities securities debt obligations accounts TotalJanuary 1, 2012 $36,496 $279,021 $22 $2,118 $317,657Realized and unrealized gains (losses) included in:          Net income (66) — — (3,692) (3,758)Other comprehensive income (loss) 102 33,346 11 3,604 37,063Sales (1,598) — — (1,997) (3,595)Settlements (874) (41,809) (1) (33) (42,717)Transfers out of Level 3 (1) (32,238) (5,020) — — (37,258)Balances, December 31, 2012 $1,822 $265,538 $32 $— $267,392Total gains (losses) for the period included in net income attributable to the change in unrealized gains and losses relating to assets held at December 31, 2012 $— $— $— $— $— (1) Transfers out of Level 3 are due primarily to increased observability of inputs in valuation methodologies as evidenced by corroboration of market prices with multiple pricing vendors and internal models.The following table presents significant unobservable inputs used during the valuation of certain assets categorized within Level 3 of the recurring fair value measurements table:   December 31, 2013  Fair Value ValuationTechnique Unobservable Input WeightedAverageFixed maturities available-for-sale:        Asset-backed securities (1) $252,902 Internal model pricing Prepayment speed assumption 9      Constant default rate assumption 5      Adjusted ABX Index spread assumption (2) 455 (1)  Includes home improvement loans only.(2)  Includes an internally calculated liquidity premium adjustment of 217. At December 31, 2013, after adjusting the ABX Index spread assumption by the liquidity premium, the overall discount rate ranged from 327 to 647 basis points.  The constant default rate assumption ranged from 2.0 to 12.9. The significant unobservable inputs used in the fair value measurement of asset-backed securities are prepayment speed assumptions, constant default rate assumptions and the ABX Index spread adjusted by an internally calculated liquidity premium with the primary inputs being the constant default rate assumption and the adjusted ABX Index spread assumption.   As the constant default rate assumption or the adjusted ABX Index spread assumption increases, the price and therefore, the fair value, of the securities decreases.  Non-recurring fair value measurements - Certain assets are measured at estimated fair value on a non-recurring basis and are not included in the tables above.  The Company held $9,242 and zero of adjusted cost basis limited partnership interests which were impaired at December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively, based on the fair value disclosed in the limited partnership financial statements.  These limited partnership interests were recorded at estimated fair value and represent a non-recurring fair value measurement.  The estimated fair value was categorized as Level 3.Fair value of financial instruments The following tables summarize the carrying amounts and estimated fair values of the Company’s financial instruments not carried at fair value on a recurring basis:   December 31, 2014 December 31, 2013  Carrying Estimated Carrying Estimated  amount fair value amount fair valueAssets        Mortgage loans on real estate $3,363,570 $3,558,111 $3,134,255 $3,197,292Policy loans 4,130,062 4,130,062 4,185,472 4,185,472Limited partnership interests 38,796 41,853 44,551 42,433Other investments 15,614 43,263 16,643 42,814         Liabilities        Annuity contract benefits without life contingencies $10,569,147 $10,563,477 $10,263,043 $9,986,464Policyholders’ funds 335,484 335,484 345,689 345,689Commercial paper 98,589 98,589 98,990 98,990Notes payable 532,547 564,904 532,519 541,918 The methods and assumptions used to estimate the fair value of financial instruments not carried at fair value on a recurring basis are summarized as follows: Mortgage loans on real estate Mortgage loan fair value estimates are generally based on discounted cash flows.  A discount rate matrix is used where the discount rate valuing a specific mortgage generally corresponds to that mortgage’s remaining term and credit quality.  Management believes the discount rate used is comparable to the credit, interest rate, term, servicing costs and risks of loans similar to the portfolio loans that the Company would make today given its internal pricing strategy.  The estimated fair value was classified as Level 2. Policy loans Policy loans are funds provided to policyholders in return for a claim on the policy. The funds provided are limited to the cash surrender value of the underlying policy. The nature of policy loans is to have a negligible default risk as the loans are fully collateralized by the value of the policy. Policy loans do not have a stated maturity and the balances and accrued interest are repaid either by the policyholder or with proceeds from the policy. Due to the collateralized nature of policy loans and unpredictable timing of repayments, the Company believes the fair value of policy loans approximates their carrying value.  The estimated fair value is classified as Level 2.Limited partnership interests Limited partnership interests, accounted for using the cost method, represent the Company’s minor ownership interests in pooled investment funds.  These funds employ varying investment strategies that principally make private equity investments across diverse industries and geographical focuses.  The estimated fair value was determined using the partnership financial statement reported capital account or net asset value adjusted for other relevant information which may impact the exit value of the investments.  Distributions by these investments are generated from investment gains, from operating income generated by the underlying investments of the funds and from liquidation of the underlying assets of the funds which are estimated to be liquidated over the next 1 to 10 years.  The estimated fair value was classified as Level 3. Other investments Other investments primarily include real estate held for investment.  The estimated fair value for real estate is based on the unadjusted annual appraised value which includes factors such as comparable property sales, property income analysis, and capitalization rates.  The estimated fair value was classified as Level 2. Annuity contract benefits without life contingencies The estimated fair value of annuity contract benefits without life contingencies is estimated by discounting the projected expected cash flows to the maturity of the contracts utilizing risk-free spot interest rates plus a provision for the Company’s credit risk.  The estimated fair value was classified as Level 2. Policyholders’ funds The carrying amount of policyholders’ funds approximates the fair value since the Company can change the interest credited rates with 30 days notice. The estimated fair value was classified as Level 2. Commercial paper The amortized cost of commercial paper is a reasonable estimate of fair value due to its short-term nature and the high credit quality of the obligor.  The estimated fair value was classified as Level 2. Notes payable The estimated fair value of the notes payable to GWL&A Financial is based upon quoted market prices from independent pricing services of securities with characteristics similar to those of the notes payable.  The estimated fair value was classified as Level 2. |

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| - Definition
The entire disclosure for the fair value of financial instruments (as defined), including financial assets and financial liabilities (collectively, as defined), and the measurements of those instruments as well as disclosures related to the fair value of non-financial assets and liabilities. Such disclosures about the financial instruments, assets, and liabilities would include: (1) the fair value of the required items together with their carrying amounts (as appropriate); (2) for items for which it is not practicable to estimate fair value, disclosure would include: (a) information pertinent to estimating fair value (including, carrying amount, effective interest rate, and maturity, and (b) the reasons why it is not practicable to estimate fair value; (3) significant concentrations of credit risk including: (a) information about the activity, region, or economic characteristics identifying a concentration, (b) the maximum amount of loss the entity is exposed to based on the gross fair value of the related item, (c) policy for requiring collateral or other security and information as to accessing such collateral or security, and (d) the nature and brief description of such collateral or security; (4) quantitative information about market risks and how such risks are managed; (5) for items measured on both a recurring and nonrecurring basis information regarding the inputs used to develop the fair value measurement; and (6) for items presented in the financial statement for which fair value measurement is elected: (a) information necessary to understand the reasons for the election, (b) discussion of the effect of fair value changes on earnings, (c) a description of [similar groups] items for which the election is made and the relation thereof to the balance sheet, the aggregate carrying value of items included in the balance sheet that are not eligible for the election; (7) all other required (as defined) and desired information.
+ References
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