Fair Value Measurement

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2017

The Company follows a three-level fair value hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs used to measure fair value. This hierarchy requires entities to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs. The three levels of inputs used to measure fair value are as follows:


•	Level 1 — Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.


•	Level 2 — Observable inputs other than quoted prices included in Level 1, such as quoted prices for markets that are not active, or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data.


•	Level 3 — Unobservable inputs that are supported by little or no market activity and that are significant to the fair value of the assets or liabilities. This includes certain pricing models, discounted cash flow methodologies and similar techniques that use significant unobservable inputs.

Financial instruments consist of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable, and debt instruments. As of December 31, 2017 and 2016, the Company has not elected the fair value option for any financial assets and liabilities for which such an election would have been permitted, and there were no outstanding financial assets and liabilities recorded at fair value on a recurring basis.

The following is a summary of the carrying amounts and estimated fair values of our financial instruments at December 31, 2017 and 2016:



	December 31, 2017				December 31, 2016
	Reported		Fair Value		Reported		Fair Value
	(in thousands)
Financial Assets and Liabilities:
Cash and cash equivalents	$	5,247	$	5,247	$	6,183	$	6,183
Credit Facility	$	38,467	$	38,467	$	35,905	$	35,905
Term Loans	$	11,721	$	11,329	$	14,367	$	14,281
Subordinated Debt	$	21,911	$	22,442	$	19,403	$	18,569

Cash equivalents are stated at amortized cost, which approximates fair value as of the consolidated balance sheet dates, due to the short period of time to maturity; and accounts receivable and accounts payable are stated at their carrying value, which approximates fair value due to the short time to the expected receipt or payment. The carrying value of the Credit Facility and Term Loan Due 2018 equals fair value as the stated interest rate approximates market rates currently available to the Company, which are considered Level 2 inputs. The fair values of our Term Loan Due 2019 and Subordinated Debt are based upon an estimated market value calculation that factors principal, time to maturity, interest rate and current cost of debt, which is considered a Level 3 input.

- 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.

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