DERIVATIVES AND HEDGING ACTIVITIES (Block)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2014

Derivative Instruments And Hedging Activities Disclosure Abstract

Derivative Instruments And Hedging Activities Disclosure Text Block

10. DERIVATIVE AND HEDGING ACTIVITIES

The Company from time to time enters into derivative financial instruments, including interest rate exchange agreements (“Swaps”) and interest rate collar agreements (“Collars”), to manage its exposure to fluctuations in interest rates under the Company’s variable rate debt.

As of December 31, 2014and 2013, there were no derivative interest rate transactions outstanding.

Accounting For Derivative Instruments And Hedging Activities

The Company recognizes at fair value all derivatives, whether designated in hedging relationships or not, in the balance sheet as either net assets or net liabilities. The accounting for changes in the fair value of a derivative, including certain derivative instruments embedded in other contracts, depends on the intended use of the derivative and the resulting designation. If the derivative is designated as a fair value hedge, the changes in the fair value of the derivative and the hedged item are recognized in the statement of operations. If the derivative is designated as a cash flow hedge, changes in the fair value of the derivative are recorded in other comprehensive income and are recognized in the statement of operations when the hedged item affects net income. If a derivative does not qualify as a hedge, it is marked to fair value through the statement of operations. Any fees associated with these derivatives are amortized over their term. Under these derivatives, the differentials to be received or paid are recognized as an adjustment to interest expense over the life of the contract. In the event the cash flow hedges are terminated early, any amount previously included in comprehensive income (loss) would be reclassified as interest expense to the statement of operations as the forecasted transaction settles.

The Company formally documents all relationships between hedging instruments and hedged items, as well as its risk-management objective and strategy for undertaking various hedge transactions. This process includes ongoing effectiveness assessments by relating all derivatives that are designated as fair value or cash flow hedges to specific assets and liabilities on the balance sheet or to specific firm commitments or forecasted transactions. The Company’s derivative activities, all of which are for purposes other than trading, are initiated within the guidelines of corporate risk-management policies. The Company reviews the correlation and effectiveness of its derivatives on a periodic basis.

The fair value of these derivatives is determined using observable market based inputs (a Level 2 measurement, as described in Note 17) and the impact of credit risk on a derivative’s fair value (the creditworthiness of the Company’s counterparty for assets and the creditworthiness of the Company for liabilities).

During the period of an interest rate hedging agreement, the outstanding amount of the Company’s variable rate debt is expected to be greater than the notional amount of the derivative rate hedging transactions. These transactions are typically tied to LIBOR. Under a fixed rate swap, the Company pays a fixed rate on a notional amount to the counterparty, and the counterparty pays to the Company a variable rate on the notional amount equal to LIBOR. A Collar establishes two separate agreements: an upper limit equal to LIBOR, or cap, and a lower limit equal to LIBOR, or floor.

Non-Hedge Accounting Treatment

The Company recognized non-hedge accounting treatment for the following hedge as the hedge was no longer effective once the Company refinanced its senior debt on November 23, 2011:

Expired Derivative
Year Ended December 31, 2012
Type					Fixed
Of	Notional		Effective		LIBOR	Expiration
Hedge	Amount		Date	Collar	Rate	Date
	(amounts
	(in millions)
Swap	$	100.0	May 28, 2008	n/a	3.62%	May 28, 2012

For2012, the Company recognized a $1.3 million gain to the statement of operations due to ineffectiveness from a cash flow hedge.

The fair value of this derivative was determined using observable market-based inputs (a Level 2 measurement) and the impact of credit risk on a derivative’s fair value (the creditworthiness of the transaction’s counterparty for assets and the creditworthiness of the Company for liabilities).