Investments In Debt And Equity Securities

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2012

Investments In Debt And Equity Securities

10. Investments in Debt and Equity Securities

The Duke Energy Registrants classify their investments in debt and equity securities into two categories – trading and available-for-sale.

Trading Securities.Investments in debt and equity securities held in grantor trusts associated with certain deferred compensation plans and certain other investments are classified as trading securities and are reported at fair value in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets with net realized and unrealized gains and losses included in earnings each period. At June 30,2012 and December 31, 2011, the fair value of these investments was $31 million and $32 million, respectively.

Available for Sale Securities.All other investments in debt and equity securities are classified as available-for-sale securities, which are also reported at fair value on the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets with unrealized gains and losses excluded from earnings and reported either as a regulatory asset or liability, as discussed further below, or as a component of other comprehensive income until realized.

Duke Energy's available-for-sale securities are primarily comprised of investments held in the NDTF at Duke Energy Carolinas, investments in a grantor trust at Duke Energy Indiana related to other post-retirement benefit plans as required by the IURC, Duke Energy captive insurance investment portfolio, Duke Energy's foreign operations investment portfolio and investments of Duke Energy and Duke Energy Carolinas in auction rate debt securities.

The investments within the Duke Energy Carolinas NDTF and the Duke Energy Indiana grantor trust are managed by independent investment managers with discretion to buy, sell and invest pursuant to the objectives set forth by the trust agreements. Therefore, Duke Energy Carolinas and Duke Energy Indiana have limited oversight of the day-to-day management of these investments. Since day-to-day investment decisions, including buy and sell decisions, are made by the investment manager, the ability to hold investments in unrealized loss positions is outside the control of Duke Energy Carolinas and Duke Energy Indiana. Accordingly, all unrealized gains and losses associated with equity securities within the Duke Energy Carolinas NDTF and the Duke Energy Indiana grantor trust are considered other-than-temporary and are recognized immediately when the fair value of individual investments is less than the cost basis of the investment. Pursuant to regulatory accounting, substantially all unrealized losses associated with investments in debt and equity securities within the Duke Energy Carolinas NDTF and the Duke Energy Indiana grantor trust are deferred as a regulatory asset or liability. As a result there is no immediate impact on the earnings of Duke Energy Carolinas and Duke Energy Indiana.

For investments in debt and equity securities held in the captive insurance investment portfolio, Duke Energy's foreign operations investment portfolio and investments in auction rate debt securities, unrealized gains and losses are included in other comprehensive income until realized, unless it is determined that the carrying value of an investment is other-than-temporarily impaired. If so, the write-down to fair value may be included in earnings based on the criteria discussed below.

For available-for-sale securities outside of the Duke Energy Carolinas NDTF and the Duke Energy Indiana grantor trust, which are discussed separately above, Duke Energy analyzes all investment holdings each reporting period to determine whether a decline in fair value should be considered other-than-temporary. Criteria used to evaluate whether an impairment associated with equity securities is other-than-temporary includes, but is not limited to, the length of time over which the market value has been lower than the cost basis of the investment, the percentage decline compared to the cost of the investment and management's intent and ability to retain its investment in the issuer for a period of time sufficient to allow for any anticipated recovery in market value. If a decline in fair value is determined to be other-than-temporary, the investment is written down to its fair value through a charge to earnings.

With respect to investments in debt securities, under the accounting guidance for other-than-temporary impairment, if the entity does not have an intent to sell the security and it is not more likely than not that management will be required to sell the debt security before the recovery of its cost basis, the impairment write-down to fair value would be recorded as a component of other comprehensive income, except for when it is determined that a credit loss exists. In determining whether a credit loss exists, management considers, among other things, the length of time and the extent to which the fair value has been less than the amortized cost basis, changes in the financial condition of the issuer of the security, or in the case of an asset backed security, the financial condition of the underlying loan obligors, consideration of underlying collateral and guarantees of amounts by government entities, ability of the issuer of the security to make scheduled interest or principal payments and any changes to the rating of the security by rating agencies. If it is determined that a credit loss exists, the amount of impairment write-down to fair value would be split between the credit loss, which would be recognized in earnings, and the amount attributable to all other factors, which would be recognized in other comprehensive income. Management believes, based on consideration of the criteria above, that no credit loss exists as of June 30, 2012 and December 31, 2011. Management does not have the intent to sell such investments in auction rate debt securities and the investments in debt securities within its captive insurance investment portfolio and foreign operations investment portfolio, and it is not more likely than not that management will be required to sell these securities before the anticipated recovery of their cost basis. Management has concluded that there were no other-than-temporary impairments for debt or equity securities necessary as ofJune 30, 2012 and December 31, 2011.Accordingly, all changes in the market value of investments other than the Duke Energy Carolinas NDTF and the Duke Energy Indiana Grantor Trust were reflected as a component of other comprehensive income in2012 and 2011.

See Note 9 for additional information related to fair value measurements for investments in auction rate debt securities.

Short-term and Long-term investments. Investments in debt and equity securities are classified as either short-term investments or long-term investments based on management's intent and ability to sell these securities, taking into consideration illiquidity factors in the current markets.

Duke Energy holds corporate debt securities which were purchased using excess cash from its foreign operations. These investments are classified as Short-term Investments on the balance sheet and are available for current operations of Duke Energy's foreign business. Duke Energy held short-term investments with a fair value of $234 million as of June 30, 2012 and $190 million as of December 31, 2011.

Duke Energy classifies its investments in debt and equity securities held in the Duke Energy Carolinas NDTF (see Note 9 for further information), the Duke Energy Indiana grantor trust and the captive insurance investment portfolio as long-term. Additionally, Duke Energy has classified $41 million carrying value ($50 million par value) and $71 million carrying value ($89 million par value) of investments in auction rate debt securities as long-term at June 30, 2012 and December 31, 2011, respectively, due to market illiquidity factors as a result of continued failed auctions. All of these investments are classified as available-for-sale and, therefore, are reflected on the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets at estimated fair value based on either quoted market prices or management's best estimate of fair value based on expected future cash flow using appropriate risk-adjusted discount rates. Since management does not intend to use these investments in current operations, these investments are classified as long-term.

	The estimated fair values of short-term and long-term investments for Duke Energy, Duke Energy Carolinas and Duke Energy
Indiana are as follows (in millions):
		June 30, 2012						December 31, 2011
(in millions)		Gross Unrealized Holding Gains		Gross Unrealized Holding Losses		Estimated Fair Value		Gross Unrealized Holding Gains		Gross Unrealized Holding Losses		Estimated Fair Value
Duke Energy Carolinas NDTF
Equity Securities		$	522	$	17	$	1,470	$	443	$	16	$	1,337
Corporate Debt Securities			10		2		221		8		2		205
Municipal Bonds			2		―		73		2		―		51
U.S. Government Bonds			12		―		277		16		―		306
Other			4		1		163		4		4		161
Total Duke Energy Carolinas NDTF(a)		$	550	$	20	$	2,204	$	473	$	22	$	2,060
Duke Energy Indiana Grantor Trust
Equity Securities		$	7	$	1	$	46	$	5	$	1	$	46
Municipal Bonds			1		―		28		1		―		28
Total Duke Energy Indiana Grantor Trust(a)		$	8	$	1	$	74	$	6	$	1	$	74
Other Investments
Equity Securities		$	1	$	1	$	20	$	―	$	1	$	14
Corporate Debt Securities			2		―		295		1		1		241
Municipal Bonds			―		―		1		―		―		―
U.S. Government Bonds			―		―		28		1		―		21
Other			1		―		107		2		―		68
Auction Rate Securities(b)			―		9		41		―		17		71
Total Other Investments		$	4	$	10	$	492	$	4	$	19	$	415
Total Duke Energy Investments		$	562	$	31	$	2,770	$	483	$	42	$	2,549
(a)	Unrealized losses on investments within the Duke Energy Carolinas NDTF and Duke Energy Indiana grantor trust are deferred as regulatory assets pursuant to regulatory accounting treatment.
(b)	At June 30, 2012 and December 31, 2011, $6 million and $12 million of these securities were held by Duke Energy Carolinas, respectively. Gross unrealized holding gains on these securities held by Duke Energy Carolinas were insignificant at both June 30, 2012 and December 31, 2011. Gross unrealized holding losses on these securities held by Duke Energy Carolinas were $1 million at June 30, 2012 and $3 million at December 31, 2011.

	The table below summarizes the maturity date for debt securities held by Duke Energy, Duke Energy Carolinas, and Duke Energy Indiana.
(in millions)		< 1 Year		1-5 Years		6-10 Years		Thereafter
Duke Energy(a)		$	164	$	345	$	212	$	471
Duke Energy Carolinas(a)		$	45	$	146	$	174	$	369
Duke Energy Indiana		$	―	$	21	$	5	$	2
(a)	Excludes auction rate securities based on the stated maturity date. See Note ##FVFAL for information about fair value measurements related to investments in auction rate debt securities.

The fair values and gross unrealized losses of available-for-sale debt and equity securities which are in an unrealized loss position for which other-than-temporary impairment losses have not been recorded, summarized by investment type and length of time that the securities have been in a continuous loss position, are presented in the table below for Duke Energy, Duke Energy Carolinas, and Duke Energy Indiana.

		June 30, 2012						December 31, 2011
				Unrealized		Unrealized				Unrealized		Unrealized
				Loss		Loss				Loss		Loss
				Position		Position				Position		Position
(in millions)		Fair Value		>12 months		<12 months		Fair Value		>12 months		<12 months
Duke Energy Carolinas NDTF
Equity Securities		$	117	$	7	$	11	$	111	$	4	$	12
Corporate Debt Securities			29		―		1		57		1		1
Municipal Bonds			21		―		―		―		―		―
U.S. Government Bonds			27		―		―		8		―		―
Other			78		―		1		113		1		3
Total Duke Energy Carolinas NDTF(a)		$	272	$	7	$	13	$	289	$	6	$	16
Duke Energy Indiana Grantor Trust
Equity Securities		$	8	$	―	$	1	$	8	$	―	$	1
Municipal Bonds			10		―		―		3		―		―
Total Duke Energy Indiana Grantor Trust(a)		$	18	$	―	$	1	$	11	$	―	$	1
Other Investments
Equity Securities		$	6	$	1	$	―	$	4	$	1	$	―
Corporate Debt Securities			243		―		―		201		1		―
Municipal Bonds			1		―		―		―		―		―
U.S. Government Bonds			12		―		―		―		―		―
Other			11		―		―		8		―		―
Auction Rate Securities(b)			41		9		―		71		17		―
Total Other Investments		$	314	$	10	$	―	$	284	$	19	$	―
Total Duke Energy Investments		$	604	$	17	$	14	$	584	$	25	$	17
(a)	Unrealized losses on investments within the Duke Energy Carolinas NDTF and Duke Energy Indiana grantor trust are deferred as regulatory assets pursuant to regulatory accounting treatment.
(b)	At June 30, 2012 and December 31, 2011, $6 million and $12 million of these securities, respectively, were held by Duke Energy
	Carolinas. The gross unrealized losses on these securities held by Duke Energy Carolinas which were in an unrealized loss position greater than 12 months were $1 million at June 30, 2012 and $3 million at December 31, 2011.