Related Party Transactions

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2011

Related Party Transactions [Abstract]

Related Party Transactions

8. Related Party Transactions

The Company previously entered into a transaction (the "Transaction") with the Villages at Castle Rock Metropolitan District No. 6 (the "District"). The District is a quasi-municipal corporation and political subdivision of the State of Colorado. The Board of Directors of the District currently is comprised of employees of the Company. The District was formed to provide funding for certain land development costs associated with the construction of homes in the Company's Cobblestone subdivision. Pursuant to the terms of the Transaction, the District sold to the Company approximately $22.5 million in Limited Tax General Obligation Capital Appreciation Bonds Series 2007 (the "2007 Bonds") and a $1.6 million Limited Tax General Obligation Subordinate Bond (the "Subordinate Bond") in exchange for title to approximately $28.6 million in land development improvements to the District.

The Company recorded the 2007 Bonds and Subordinate Bond at an estimated $8.9 million fair value based upon discounted cash flows. During the year ended December 31, 2009, the Company updated its evaluation of the estimated fair value of the 2007 Bonds and Subordinate Bond. Through this evaluation, the Company determined there was a decrease in the estimated cash flows from such assets and, as a result, recorded a $1.0 million other-than-temporary-impairment associated with the 2007 Bonds in 2009. During the year ended December 31, 2011 and 2010, the Company received the scheduled payments from the District in the amount of $0.7 million and $0.5 million, respectively, which were recorded as a reduction to the carrying value of the 2007 Bonds and Subordinate Bond.

During 2009, the Company committed to contribute $1.0 million in cash to the MDC/Richmond American Homes Foundation (the "Foundation"), a Delaware non-profit corporation that was incorporated on September 30, 1999. The Company did not contribute to the Foundation during the years ended December 31, 2011 or 2010.

The Foundation is a non-profit organization operated exclusively for charitable, educational and other purposes beneficial to social welfare within the meaning of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The following Directors and/or officers of the Company are the trustees of the Foundation at December 31, 2011, all of whom serve without compensation:

Name	Title
Larry A. Mizel	Trustee, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Steven J. Borick	Trustee
David D. Mandarich	Trustee