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Income Taxes
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2012
Income Taxes [Abstract]  
Income Taxes

6. Income taxes

The Company follows ASC Topic 740, Income Taxes ("ASC 740"). Under the asset and liability method of ASC 740, deferred assets and liabilities are recognized for the future costs and benefits attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. The Company periodically reviews the requirements for a valuation allowance and makes adjustments to such allowance when changes in circumstances result in changes in the Company's judgment about the future realization of deferred tax assets. ASC 740 places more emphasis on historical information, such as the Company's cumulative operating results and its current year results than it places on estimates of future taxable income. Therefore, the Company added $1.7 million to its valuation allowance in the three months ended March 31, 2012, resulting in a cumulative balance of $85.6 million as of March 31, 2012. In addition, the Company recorded $0.4 million of tax expense during the three months ended March 31, 2012 which is primarily attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of past acquisitions of certain indefinite-lived intangible assets and their respective tax bases, which resulted in a net deferred tax liability of $6.2 million at March 31, 2012. The Company intends to maintain a valuation allowance until evidence would support the conclusion that it is more likely than not that the deferred tax asset could be realized.

ASC 740 further establishes guidance on the accounting for uncertain tax positions. As of March 31, 2012, the Company had an ASC 740 liability balance of $0.08 million, of which $0.06 million represented unrecognized tax benefits, which if recognized at some point in the future would favorably impact the effective tax rate, and $0.02 million represented interest. The Company is no longer subject to U.S. federal income tax examinations by tax authorities for the years before 2005 and state examinations for the years before 2003. The Company anticipates that as a result of audit settlements and expirations of statutes of limitation over the next twelve months, the liability will be reduced, including cash payments of approximately $0.01 million.