Fair Value Measurements

12 Months Ended

Oct. 31, 2013

As of October 31, 2013 and October 31, 2012, the carrying value of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, prepaid expenses and other current assets, lines of credit, accounts payable and other current liabilities approximate fair value due to the short-term nature of such instruments and the ability to obtain financing on similar terms.

Assets and liabilities are measured and reported at fair value per related accounting standards that define fair value as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. The fair value hierarchy prioritizes the inputs to valuation techniques used to measure fair value. An asset’s or liability’s level is based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement. Assets and liabilities carried at fair value are valued and disclosed in one of the following three levels of the valuation hierarchy:

Level 1: Quoted market prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.

Level 2: Observable market-based inputs or unobservable inputs that are corroborated by market data.

Level 3: Unobservable inputs reflecting the reporting entity’s own assumptions.

The Company has derivative assets and liabilities that include interest rate swaps, cross currency swaps and foreign currency forward contracts. The impact of the counterparty’s creditworthiness when in an asset position and Cooper's creditworthiness when in a liability position has also been factored into the fair value measurement of the derivative instruments. Both the counterparty and Cooper are expected to continue to perform under the contractual terms of the instruments.

We may use interest rate swaps to maintain our desired mix of fixed-rate and variable-rate debt. The swaps exchange fixed and variable rate payments without exchanging the notional principal amount of the debt. We have elected to use the income approach to value the derivatives using observable Level 2 market expectations at the measurement date and standard valuation techniques to convert future amounts to a single present amount assuming that participants are motivated but not compelled to transact. Level 2 inputs are limited to quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets, specifically Eurodollar futures contracts up to three years, and inputs other than quoted prices that are observable for the asset or liability - specifically LIBOR cash and swap rates and credit risk at commonly quoted intervals. Mid-market pricing is used as a practical expedient for fair value measurements.

We may use foreign exchange forward contracts to minimize, to the extent reasonable and practical, our exposure to the impact of foreign currency fluctuations. We have elected to use the income approach to value the derivatives using observable Level 2 market expectations at the measurement date and standard valuation techniques to convert future amounts to a single present amount assuming that participants are motivated but not compelled to transact. Level 2 inputs for the valuations are limited to quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets and inputs other than quoted prices that are observable for the asset or liability - specifically LIBOR cash rates, credit risk at commonly quoted intervals, foreign exchange spot rates and forward points. Mid-market pricing is used as a practical expedient for fair value measurements.

The following table sets forth Cooper’s financial assets and liabilities that were measured at fair value on a recurring basis using Level 2 inputs during the fiscal years 2013 and 2012, within the fair value hierarchy at October 31:



(In millions)	2013		2012
Assets:
Foreign exchange contracts	$	0.3	$	0.2
Liabilities:
Interest rate swaps	$	1.7	$	3.9
Foreign exchange contracts	0.6		0.2
	$	2.3	$	4.1

We recorded contingent consideration representing the estimated fair value of the additional variable cash consideration payable related to an acquisition in our fiscal first quarter of 2013. We recorded the fair value of the acquisition-related contingent consideration as liabilities on the acquisition date using the discounted cash flow approach. Cooper uses unobservable Level 3 inputs including a forecast of new customer accounts and discount rates to fair value the liabilities. Significant increases or decreases in these unobservable inputs in isolation would result in a significantly lower or higher fair value measurement. At October 31, 2013, the fair value of the contingent consideration payable totaled $2.6 million.

- 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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