Fair Value Disclosures

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Fair Value Disclosures

Fair Value Disclosures

Note 8: Fair Value Disclosures

The various inputs used to measure assets at fair value establish a hierarchy that distinguishes between assumptions based on market data (observable inputs) and the Company’s assumptions (unobservable inputs).  The hierarchy consists of three broad levels as follows:

1.	Level 1 – Quoted market prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.
2.	Level 2 –Quoted prices for similar instruments in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar instruments in markets that are not active, and model-based valuation techniques for which all significant assumptions are observable in the market or can be corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term of the assets or liabilities.
3.	Level 3 – Unobservable inputs developed using the Company’s estimates and assumptions, which reflect those that market participants would use.

       The following table summarizes the valuation of financial instruments measured at fair value on a recurring basis on the balance sheet as of December 31, 2012 and 2011:

	Fair Value Measurements at December 31, 2012 with:
(in thousands)	Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets		Significant other observable inputs		Significant unobservable inputs
	(Level 1)		(Level 2)		(Level 3)
Assets:
Trading securities	$	-	$	11,103	$	-
Available-for-sale securities – equity securities	$	380	$	-	$	-

	Fair Value Measurements at December 31, 2011 with:
(in thousands)	Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets		Significant other observable inputs		Significant unobservable inputs
	(Level 1)		(Level 2)		(Level 3)
Assets:
Trading securities	$	-	$	8,251	$	-
Available-for-sale securities – equity securities	$	629	$	-	$	-

The Company determines the fair value of the marketable securities that are available-for-sale through quoted market prices.  The total fair value is the final closing price, as defined by the exchange in which the asset is actively traded, on the last trading day of the period, multiplied by the number of units held without consideration of transaction costs.  The trading securities are comprised of the SERP assets, as described in Note 10, and are recorded primarily at their net cash surrender values, which approximates fair value, as provided by the issuing insurance company.  Significant observable inputs, in addition to quoted market prices, were used to value the trading securities. As a result, the Company classified these investments as using level 2 inputs.  The Company’s policy is to recognize transfers between levels at the beginning of quarterly reporting periods.  For the year ended December 31, 2012 there were no significant transfers in or out of levels 1, 2 or 3.

At December 31, 2012 and 2011, amounts outstanding under the Company’s credit facility were $107,000,000 and $203,300,000 and based on quotes from the lender (level 2 inputs) is similar to the fair values of these amounts at the respective dates.  The borrowings under our revolving credit facility bear interest at the variable rate described in Note 6.  The Company is subject to interest rate risk on the variable component of the interest rate.  In 2008 the Company entered into an interest rate swap agreement effectively converting a portion of the outstanding borrowings under the revolving credit facility to a fixed-rate, thereby hedging against the impact of potential interest rate changes on future interest expense; this agreement terminated in September 2011.

The carrying amounts of other financial instruments reported in the balance sheet for current assets and current liabilities approximate their fair values because of the short maturity of these instruments.  The Company currently does not use the fair value option to measure any of its existing financial instruments and has not determined whether or not it will elect this option for financial instruments it may acquire in the future.