Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2011

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements

Note 10. Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements

In January 2010, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") 2010-06 "Improving Disclosures about Fair Value Measurements". This guidance requires new disclosures related to fair value measurements and clarifies existing disclosure requirements about the level of disaggregation, inputs and valuation techniques. Specifically, reporting entities now must disclose separately the amounts of significant transfers in and out of Level 1 and Level 2 fair value measurements and describe the reasons for the transfers. In addition, in the reconciliation for Level 3 fair value measurements, a reporting entity should present separately information about purchases, sales, issuances and settlements. The guidance clarifies that a reporting entity needs to use judgment in determining the appropriate classes of assets and liabilities for disclosure of fair value measurement, considering the level of disaggregated information required by other applicable U.S. GAAP guidance and should also provide disclosures about the valuation techniques and inputs used to measure fair value for each class of assets and liabilities. This guidance was effective January 1, 2010, except for the disclosures about purchases, sales, issuances and settlements in the reconciliation for Level 3 fair value measurements, which was effective January 1, 2011. This guidance did not have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.

In October 2010, the FASB issued ASU 2010-26, "Accounting for Costs Associated with Acquiring or Renewing Insurance Contracts" (previously referred to as EITF Issue 09-G). This guidance changes the accounting for costs associated with acquiring or renewing insurance contracts in response to diversity in practice in the capitalization and amortization of those costs. Under the new guidance, deferrable costs will be limited to incremental direct costs of successful contract acquisition incurred with independent third parties and the portion of total employee compensation and payroll-related fringe benefits related to time spent performing specified acquisition activities (e.g., underwriting, policy issuance and processing) for successful acquisition efforts. Companies will have a choice between prospective and retrospective adoption. The new guidance will be effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2011. Management estimates the effect of adoption of this new guidance on our consolidated financial position or results of operations to result in a change between $2.0 million and $3.0 million, pre-tax.

In May 2011, the FASB issued ASU 2011-04, "Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820): Amendments to Achieve Common Fair Value Measurement and Disclosure Requirements in U.S. GAAP and IFRS." ASU 2011-04 clarifies some existing concepts, eliminates wording differences between U.S. GAAP and International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS"), and in some limited cases, changes principles to achieve convergence between U.S. GAAP and IFRS. ASU 2011-04 results in a consistent definition of fair value and common requirements for measurement of and disclosure about fair value between U.S. GAAP and IFRS. ASU 2011-04 also expands the disclosures for fair value measurements that are estimated using significant unobservable (Level 3) inputs. The new guidance will be effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2011. The adoption of this guidance is not expected to have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.

In June 2011, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update 2011-05 "Presentation of Comprehensive Income." This guidance requires an entity to present the total of comprehensive income, the components of net income and the components of other comprehensive income either in a single continuous statement of comprehensive income or in two separate but consecutive statements. ASU 2011-05 eliminates the option to present components of other comprehensive income as part of the statement of equity. This guidance is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2011. The adoption of this guidance is not expected to have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.