Related Party Transactions

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2011

Related Party Transactions [Abstract]

Related Party Transactions

Note 11—Related party transactions:

We may be deemed to be controlled by Mr. Harold C. Simmons. See Note 1. Corporations that may be deemed to be controlled by or affiliated with Mr. Simmons sometimes engage in (a) intercorporate transactions such as guarantees, management and expense sharing arrangements, shared fee arrangements, joint ventures, partnerships, loans, options, advances of funds on open account, and sales, leases and exchanges of assets, including securities issued by both related and unrelated parties, and (b) common investment and acquisition strategies, business combinations, reorganizations, recapitalizations, securities repurchases, and purchases and sales (and other acquisitions and dispositions) of subsidiaries, divisions or other business units, which transactions have involved both related and unrelated parties and have included transactions which resulted in the acquisition by one related party of a publicly-held minority equity interest in another related party. We periodically consider, review and evaluate, and understand that Contran and related entities consider, review and evaluate such transactions. Depending upon the business, tax and other objectives then relevant, it is possible that we might be a party to one or more such transactions in the future.

Under the terms of an intercorporate services agreement (the "ISA") entered into between us and Contran, employees of Contran provide certain management, tax planning, legal, financial and administrative services on a fee basis. Such charges are based upon estimates of the time devoted by the employees of Contran to our affairs and the compensation of such persons. Because of the large number of companies affiliated with Contran, we believe we benefit from cost savings and economies of scale gained by not having certain management, legal, financial and administrative staffs duplicated at each entity, thus allowing certain individuals to provide services to multiple companies but only be compensated by one entity. During 2009, 2010 and 2011 the ISA fees charged to us by Contran aggregated approximately $2.0 million, $2.1 million and $2.1 million, respectively.

Tall Pines Insurance Company ("Tall Pines") and EWI RE, Inc. ("EWI") provide for or broker certain insurance policies for Contran and certain of its subsidiaries and affiliates, including us. Tall Pines is an indirect subsidiary of Valhi, Inc., a majority-owned subsidiary of Contran. EWI is a wholly-owned subsidiary of NL Industries, Inc., a publically-held company which is majority owned by Valhi, Inc. Consistent with insurance industry practices, Tall Pines and EWI receive commissions from the insurance and reinsurance underwriters and/or assess fees for the policies they provide or broker. We paid Tall Pines and EWI $4.0 million in 2009, $3.7 million in 2010 and $4.2 million in 2011 for insurance, reinsurance premiums paid to third parties and commissions. Tall Pines purchases reinsurance from third-party insurance carriers with an A.M. Best Company rating of generally at least A-(Excellent) for substantially all of the risks it underwrites. We expect these relationships with Tall Pines and EWI will continue in 2012.

Contran and certain of its subsidiaries and affiliates, including us, purchase certain of our insurance policies as a group, with the costs of the jointly-owned policies being apportioned among the participating companies. With respect to certain of such policies, it is possible that unusually large losses incurred by one or more insureds during a given policy period could leave the other participating companies without adequate coverage under that policy for the balance of the policy period. As a result, Contran and certain of its subsidiaries and affiliates, including us, have entered into a loss sharing agreement under which any uninsured loss is shared by those entities who have submitted claims under the relevant policy. We believe the benefits in the form of reduced premiums and broader coverage associated with the group coverage for such policies justifies the risk associated with the potential for any uninsured loss.

Prior to 2009, we formed Alter Recycling Company, LLC ("ARC"), a joint venture with Alter Trading Corporation ("ATC"), to operate a ferrous scrap recycling operation at KSW. We have a scrap supply agreement with ATC and we source the majority of our ferrous scrap supply under this agreement. During 2009, 2010 and 2011, we purchased approximately $105.5 million, $205.9 million and $285.2 million respectively, of ferrous scrap from ATC and approximately $.5 million, $.5 million and $.8 million, respectively, of ferrous scrap from ARC. As of December 31, 2011, our payable to ATC approximated $2.7 million.