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GOODWILL (Policies)
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2011
Goodwill valuation policy
Goodwill is tested by initially comparing the fair value of each of the Company's reporting units to their related carrying values.  If the fair value of the reporting unit is less than its carrying value, the Company must determine the implied fair value of the goodwill associated with that reporting unit.  The implied fair value of goodwill is determined by first allocating the fair value of the reporting unit to all of its assets and liabilities and then computing the excess of the reporting unit's fair value over the amounts assigned to the assets and liabilities.  If the carrying value of goodwill exceeds the implied fair value of goodwill, such excess represents the amount of goodwill impairment charge that must be recognized.

Determining the fair value of a reporting unit involves the use of significant estimates and assumptions.  The Company estimates the fair value of its reporting units utilizing an income approach.  To estimate fair value utilizing the income approach, the Company established an estimate of future cash flows for each reporting unit and discounted those estimated future cash flows to present value.  Key assumptions used in the income approach were: (a) expected cash flows for the period from October 1, 2011 to December 31, 2018; and (b) discount rates of 19% to 25%, which were based on the Company's best estimates of the after-tax weighted-average cost of capital of each reporting unit.