Basis Of Presentation And Significant Accounting Policies	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2015
Basis Of Presentation And Significant Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Basis Of Presentation And Significant Accounting Policies	Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements of Newell Rubbermaid Inc. (collectively with its subsidiaries, the “Company”) have been prepared pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and do not include all of the information and footnotes required by U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”) for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include all adjustments (including normal recurring accruals) considered necessary for a fair presentation of the financial position and the results of operations of the Company. It is recommended that these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements be read in conjunction with the financial statements, and the footnotes thereto, included in the Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K. Seasonal Variations Sales of the Company’s products tend to be seasonal, with sales and operating income in the first quarter generally lower than any other quarter during the year, driven principally by reduced volume and the mix of products sold in the first quarter. Historically, the Company has earned approximately 60% of its annual operating income during the second and third quarters of the year. The seasonality of the Company’s sales volume combined with the accounting for fixed costs, such as depreciation, amortization, rent, personnel costs and interest expense, impacts the Company’s results on a quarterly basis. In addition, the Company has historically generated more than 90% of its operating cash flow in the second half of the year due to seasonal variations in operating results, the timing of annual performance-based compensation payments, customer program payments, working capital requirements and credit terms provided to customers. Accordingly, the Company’s results for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 may not necessarily be indicative of the results that may be expected for the full year ending December 31, 2015. Recent Accounting Pronouncements Changes to U.S. GAAP are established by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) in the form of accounting standards updates (“ASUs”) to the FASB’s Accounting Standards Codification. The Company considers the applicability and impact of all ASUs. In April 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-08, “Reporting Discontinued Operations and Disclosures of Disposals of Components of an Entity.” Under ASU 2014-08, only disposals representing a strategic shift in operations that have a major effect on the Company’s operations and financial results are presented as discontinued operations. This guidance requires expanded disclosure that provides information about the assets, liabilities, income and expenses of discontinued operations. Additionally, the guidance requires additional disclosure for a disposal of a significant part of an entity that does not qualify for discontinued operations reporting. The Company adopted ASU 2014-08 on January 1, 2015, and the adoption did not impact the Company’s financial statements and disclosures. As required by ASU 2014-08, the businesses classified as discontinued operations as of December 31, 2014 continued to be classified as such after January 1, 2015. In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-09, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers. Accounting Standard Codification 605 — Revenue Recognition.” ASU 2014-09 supersedes the revenue recognition requirements in “Accounting Standard Codification 605 — Revenue Recognition” and most industry-specific guidance. ASU 2014-09 requires that entities recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which a company expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. ASU 2014-09 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017. ASU 2014-09 permits the use of either the retrospective or cumulative effect transition method. The Company is currently assessing the impact ASU 2014-09 will have on its financial position and results of operations. In January 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-01, “Income Statement—Extraordinary and Unusual Items (Subtopic 225-20), Simplifying Income Statement Presentation by Eliminating the Concept of Extraordinary Items,” which simplifies income statement presentation by eliminating the concept of extraordinary items. Previously, events or transactions that were both unusual in nature and infrequent in occurrence for a business entity were considered to be extraordinary items and required separate presentation, net of tax, after income from continuing operations. The presentation and disclosure guidance for items that are unusual in nature or occur infrequently will be retained and will be expanded to include items that are both unusual and infrequently occurring. The guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2015, with early adoption permitted. The Company has not adopted ASU 2015-01, but the adoption of ASU 2015-01 is not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s results of operations, cash flows or financial position. In April 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-03, “Simplifying the Presentation of Debt Issuance Costs,” which changes the presentation of debt issuance costs in financial statements. ASU 2015-03 requires an entity to present such costs in the balance sheet as a direct deduction from the related debt liability rather than as an asset. Amortization of the costs will continue to be reported as interest expense. The guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2015, with early adoption permitted. The Company has not adopted ASU 2015-03, but the adoption of ASU 2015-03 is expected to reduce the Company’s long-term assets and long-term debt by approximately $16.5 million upon adoption. In July 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-11, “Simplifying the Measurement of Inventory,” which modifies existing requirements regarding measuring first-in, first-out and average cost inventory at the lower of cost or market. Under existing standards, the market amount requires consideration of replacement cost, net realizable value (“NRV”), and NRV less an approximately normal profit margin. ASU 2015-11 replaces market with NRV, defined as estimated selling prices in the ordinary course of business, less reasonably predictable costs of completion, disposal and transportation. This eliminates the need to determine and consider replacement cost or NRV less an approximately normal profit margin when measuring inventory. This guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016, with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently assessing the impact ASU 2015-11 will have on its financial position and results of operations. In September 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-16, “Simplifying the Accounting for Measurement-Period Adjustments,” which requires an acquirer in a business combination to recognize measurement-period adjustments during the period in which the acquirer determines the amounts, including the effect on earnings of any amounts the acquirer would have recorded in previous periods if the accounting had been completed at the acquisition date, as opposed to retrospectively. This guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2015, with early adoption permitted. The Company adopted ASU 2015-16 in the third quarter of 2015, and the adoption did not have a material impact on the Company’s results of operations, cash flows or financial position. Other recently issued ASUs were assessed and determined to be either not applicable or are expected to have a minimal impact on the Company’s consolidated financial position and results of operations. Venezuelan Operations The Company accounts for its Venezuelan operations using highly inflationary accounting, and therefore, the Company remeasures assets, liabilities, sales and expenses denominated in Bolivar Fuertes (“Bolivars”) into U.S. Dollars using the applicable exchange rate, and the resulting translation adjustments are included in earnings. Beginning in July 2013, the Venezuelan government authorized certain companies that operate in designated industry sectors to exchange a limited volume of Bolivars for U.S. Dollars at a bid rate established via weekly auctions under a system referred to as “SICAD I.” During the first quarter of 2014, the government expanded the types of transactions that may be subject to the weekly SICAD I auction process while retaining the official rate of 6.3 Bolivars per U.S. Dollar and introduced another currency exchange mechanism (“SICAD II”). The SICAD II rate was intended to more closely resemble a market-driven exchange rate than the official rate and SICAD I. The SICAD I and SICAD II rates were in addition to the official rate of 6.3 Bolivars to U.S. Dollar used to settle certain transactions, including the import of essential goods, through the National Center of Foreign Trade (“CENCOEX”). As a result of these changes, an entity could have converted Bolivars to U.S. Dollars at one or more of three legal exchange rates, which as of March 31, 2014, were 6.3 (official rate), 10.7 (SICAD I) and 49.8 (SICAD II). The Company analyzed the multiple rates available and the Company's estimates of the applicable rate at which future transactions could be settled and dividends could be paid. Based on this analysis, as of March 31, 2014, the Company determined that the SICAD I rate was the most appropriate rate to use for remeasurement. Therefore, as of March 31, 2014, the Company remeasured the net monetary assets of its Venezuelan operations using an exchange rate of 10.7 Bolivars per U.S. Dollar. As of September 30, 2014, the Company remeasured the net monetary assets of its Venezuelan operations using an exchange rate of 12.0 Bolivars per U.S. Dollar, which was the SICAD I rate on that date. The Company recorded charges of $6.9 million and $45.6 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014, respectively, based on the decline in value of the net monetary assets of its Venezuelan operations that were denominated in Bolivars, which included a foreign exchange loss of $38.7 million upon adoption of the SICAD I rate during the first quarter of 2014. In February 2015, the Venezuelan government announced changes in its foreign currency exchange system. The official rate of 6.3 Bolivars per U.S. Dollar was expected to continue to be made available for purchases of essential goods. The SICAD I exchange mechanism became known as SICAD. There were SICAD auctions conducted during the nine months ended September 30 2015, and the exchange rate in the last SICAD auction was 13.5 Bolivars per U.S. Dollar. The SICAD II market has been eliminated, and a new alternative currency market, the Foreign Exchange Marginal System (“SIMADI”) has been created. The SIMADI market is intended to have a floating exchange rate determined by market participants, and as of September 30, 2015, the SIMADI exchange rate was 199.0 Bolivars per U.S. Dollar. The Company last participated in a SICAD auction in the fourth quarter of 2014. The Company remeasures its Venezuelan operation’s financial results at the rate at which it expects to settle future transactions and remit future dividends which, based on the advice of legal counsel, is currently the SICAD rate. As a result, the Company used the exchange rate applicable in the last SICAD auction of 13.5 Bolivars per U.S. Dollar to remeasure the balance sheet of its Venezuelan operations as of September 30, 2015. As a result, the Company recorded a foreign exchange loss of $4.5 million and $9.2 million during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2015, respectively, based on the change in the applicable exchange rate for remeasuring the net monetary assets of the Company’s Venezuelan operations that are denominated in Bolivars. The results of the Company’s Venezuelan operations have been included in the Company’s consolidated financial statements for all periods presented, as the Company has been able to exchange Bolivars for a sufficient amount of U.S. Dollars in the SICAD auctions to fund its Venezuelan operations. While the Company will continue to assess the impact, if any, of the changes to the Venezuela foreign currency exchange system, if the Company is unable to obtain sufficient U.S. Dollars from CENCOEX or the SICAD market to fund its requirements for imported goods and instead needs to access the SIMADI market, it would significantly impact the Company’s Venezuelan operations which would adversely impact the Company’s results of operations. Despite the additional currency conversion mechanisms, the Company’s ability to pay dividends from Venezuela is still restricted due to the low volume of U.S. Dollars available for conversion. As of September 30, 2015, the Company’s Venezuelan operations had $82.8 million in Bolivar-denominated net monetary assets, comprised of $78.2 million of cash and cash equivalents, $11.2 million of accounts receivable, $13.5 million of other assets and $20.1 million of trade liabilities. In future periods, foreign exchange gains (losses) arising due to the appreciation (depreciation) of the Bolivar versus the U.S. Dollar will result in benefits (charges) based on the change in value of the Bolivar-denominated net monetary assets. The Company’s nonmonetary and U.S. Dollar net assets in Venezuela totaled $28.2 million, including $6.2 million of fixed assets and $23.2 million of inventory. During the nine months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014, the Company’s Venezuelan operations generated 2.4% and 1.8% of consolidated net sales, respectively, using the applicable exchange rate for each period (CENCOEX for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and SICAD for the six months ended September 30, 2014 and nine months ended September 30, 2015). The Company is unable to predict with certainty whether future devaluations will occur because of economic and political uncertainty in Venezuela. If the Bolivar devalues further or if the Company is able to access currency at different rates that are reasonable to the Company, it could result in additional foreign currency exchange losses, and such devaluations could adversely affect the Company’s future financial results. Income Taxes At the end of each interim period, the Company makes its best estimate of the effective tax rate expected to be applicable for the full fiscal year. This estimate reflects, among other items, the Company’s best estimate of operating results and foreign currency exchange rates. The Company’s quarterly income tax rate may differ from its estimated annual effective tax rate because accounting standards require the Company to exclude the actual results of certain entities expected to generate a pretax loss when applying the estimated annual effective tax rate to the Company’s consolidated pretax results in interim periods. In estimating the annual effective tax rate, the Company does not include the estimated impact of unusual and/or infrequent items, including the reversal of valuation allowances, which may cause significant variations in the customary relationship between income tax expense (benefit) and pretax income (loss) in quarterly periods. The income tax expense (benefit) for such unusual and/or infrequent items is recorded in the quarterly period such items are incurred. The Company routinely reviews valuation allowances recorded against deferred tax assets on a more likely than not basis in evaluating whether the Company has the ability to realize the deferred tax assets. In making such a determination, the Company takes into consideration all available and appropriate positive and negative evidence, including projected future taxable income, future reversals of existing taxable temporary differences, available tax planning strategies and taxable income in prior carryback years, if available. Considering these factors, a possibility exists that the Company may record or release a portion of a valuation allowance against some deferred tax assets each quarterly period, which could create volatility in the Company’s future effective tax rate.

Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies

The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements of Newell Rubbermaid Inc. (collectively with its subsidiaries, the “Company”) have been prepared pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and do not include all of the information and footnotes required by U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”) for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include all adjustments (including normal recurring accruals) considered necessary for a fair presentation of the financial position and the results of operations of the Company. It is recommended that these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements be read in conjunction with the financial statements, and the footnotes thereto, included in the Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Seasonal Variations

Sales of the Company’s products tend to be seasonal, with sales and operating income in the first quarter generally lower than any other quarter during the year, driven principally by reduced volume and the mix of products sold in the first quarter. Historically, the Company has earned approximately 60% of its annual operating income during the second and third quarters of the year. The seasonality of the Company’s sales volume combined with the accounting for fixed costs, such as depreciation, amortization, rent, personnel costs and interest expense, impacts the Company’s results on a quarterly basis. In addition, the Company has historically generated more than 90% of its operating cash flow in the second half of the year due to seasonal variations in operating results, the timing of annual performance-based compensation payments, customer program payments, working capital requirements and credit terms provided to customers. Accordingly, the Company’s results for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 may not necessarily be indicative of the results that may be expected for the full year ending December 31, 2015.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Changes to U.S. GAAP are established by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) in the form of accounting standards updates (“ASUs”) to the FASB’s Accounting Standards Codification. The Company considers the applicability and impact of all ASUs.

In April 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-08, “Reporting Discontinued Operations and Disclosures of Disposals of Components of an Entity.” Under ASU 2014-08, only disposals representing a strategic shift in operations that have a major effect on the Company’s operations and financial results are presented as discontinued operations. This guidance requires expanded disclosure that provides information about the assets, liabilities, income and expenses of discontinued operations. Additionally, the guidance requires additional disclosure for a disposal of a significant part of an entity that does not qualify for discontinued operations reporting. The Company adopted ASU 2014-08 on January 1, 2015, and the adoption did not impact the Company’s financial statements and disclosures. As required by ASU 2014-08, the businesses classified as discontinued operations as of December 31, 2014 continued to be classified as such after January 1, 2015.

In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-09, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers. Accounting Standard Codification 605 — Revenue Recognition.” ASU 2014-09 supersedes the revenue recognition requirements in “Accounting Standard Codification 605 — Revenue Recognition” and most industry-specific guidance. ASU 2014-09 requires that entities recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which a company expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. ASU 2014-09 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017. ASU 2014-09 permits the use of either the retrospective or cumulative effect transition method. The Company is currently assessing the impact ASU 2014-09 will have on its financial position and results of operations.

In January 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-01, “Income Statement—Extraordinary and Unusual Items (Subtopic 225-20), Simplifying Income Statement Presentation by Eliminating the Concept of Extraordinary Items,” which simplifies income statement presentation by eliminating the concept of extraordinary items. Previously, events or transactions that were both unusual in nature and infrequent in occurrence for a business entity were considered to be extraordinary items and required separate presentation, net of tax, after income from continuing operations. The presentation and disclosure guidance for items that are unusual in nature or occur infrequently will be retained and will be expanded to include items that are both unusual and infrequently occurring. The guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2015, with early adoption permitted. The Company has not adopted ASU 2015-01, but the adoption of ASU 2015-01 is not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s results of operations, cash flows or financial position.

In April 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-03, “Simplifying the Presentation of Debt Issuance Costs,” which changes the presentation of debt issuance costs in financial statements. ASU 2015-03 requires an entity to present such costs in the balance sheet as a direct deduction from the related debt liability rather than as an asset. Amortization of the costs will continue to be reported as interest expense. The guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2015, with early adoption permitted. The Company has not adopted ASU 2015-03, but the adoption of ASU 2015-03 is expected to reduce the Company’s long-term assets and long-term debt by approximately $16.5 million upon adoption.

In July 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-11, “Simplifying the Measurement of Inventory,” which modifies existing requirements regarding measuring first-in, first-out and average cost inventory at the lower of cost or market. Under existing standards, the market amount requires consideration of replacement cost, net realizable value (“NRV”), and NRV less an approximately normal profit margin. ASU 2015-11 replaces market with NRV, defined as estimated selling prices in the ordinary course of business, less reasonably predictable costs of completion, disposal and transportation. This eliminates the need to determine and consider replacement cost or NRV less an approximately normal profit margin when measuring inventory. This guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016, with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently assessing the impact ASU 2015-11 will have on its financial position and results of operations.

In September 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-16, “Simplifying the Accounting for Measurement-Period Adjustments,” which requires an acquirer in a business combination to recognize measurement-period adjustments during the period in which the acquirer determines the amounts, including the effect on earnings of any amounts the acquirer would have recorded in previous periods if the accounting had been completed at the acquisition date, as opposed to retrospectively. This guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2015, with early adoption permitted. The Company adopted ASU 2015-16 in the third quarter of 2015, and the adoption did not have a material impact on the Company’s results of operations, cash flows or financial position.

Other recently issued ASUs were assessed and determined to be either not applicable or are expected to have a minimal impact on the Company’s consolidated financial position and results of operations.

Venezuelan Operations

The Company accounts for its Venezuelan operations using highly inflationary accounting, and therefore, the Company remeasures assets, liabilities, sales and expenses denominated in Bolivar Fuertes (“Bolivars”) into U.S. Dollars using the applicable exchange rate, and the resulting translation adjustments are included in earnings.

Beginning in July 2013, the Venezuelan government authorized certain companies that operate in designated industry sectors to exchange a limited volume of Bolivars for U.S. Dollars at a bid rate established via weekly auctions under a system referred to as “SICAD I.” During the first quarter of 2014, the government expanded the types of transactions that may be subject to the weekly SICAD I auction process while retaining the official rate of 6.3 Bolivars per U.S. Dollar and introduced another currency exchange mechanism (“SICAD II”). The SICAD II rate was intended to more closely resemble a market-driven exchange rate than the official rate and SICAD I. The SICAD I and SICAD II rates were in addition to the official rate of 6.3 Bolivars to U.S. Dollar used to settle certain transactions, including the import of essential goods, through the National Center of Foreign Trade (“CENCOEX”). As a result of these changes, an entity could have converted Bolivars to U.S. Dollars at one or more of three legal exchange rates, which as of March 31, 2014, were 6.3 (official rate), 10.7 (SICAD I) and 49.8 (SICAD II). The Company analyzed the multiple rates available and the Company's estimates of the applicable rate at which future transactions could be settled and dividends could be paid. Based on this analysis, as of March 31, 2014, the Company determined that the SICAD I rate was the most appropriate rate to use for remeasurement. Therefore, as of March 31, 2014, the Company remeasured the net monetary assets of its Venezuelan operations using an exchange rate of 10.7 Bolivars per U.S. Dollar. As of September 30, 2014, the Company remeasured the net monetary assets of its Venezuelan operations using an exchange rate of 12.0 Bolivars per U.S. Dollar, which was the SICAD I rate on that date. The Company recorded charges of $6.9 million and $45.6 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014, respectively, based on the decline in value of the net monetary assets of its Venezuelan operations that were denominated in Bolivars, which included a foreign exchange loss of $38.7 million upon adoption of the SICAD I rate during the first quarter of 2014.

In February 2015, the Venezuelan government announced changes in its foreign currency exchange system. The official rate of 6.3 Bolivars per U.S. Dollar was expected to continue to be made available for purchases of essential goods. The SICAD I exchange mechanism became known as SICAD. There were SICAD auctions conducted during the nine months ended September 30 2015, and the exchange rate in the last SICAD auction was 13.5 Bolivars per U.S. Dollar. The SICAD II market has been eliminated, and a new alternative currency market, the Foreign Exchange Marginal System (“SIMADI”) has been created. The SIMADI market is intended to have a floating exchange rate determined by market participants, and as of September 30, 2015, the SIMADI exchange rate was 199.0 Bolivars per U.S. Dollar. The Company last participated in a SICAD auction in the fourth quarter of 2014. The Company remeasures its Venezuelan operation’s financial results at the rate at which it expects to settle future transactions and remit future dividends which, based on the advice of legal counsel, is currently the SICAD rate. As a result, the Company used the exchange rate applicable in the last SICAD auction of 13.5 Bolivars per U.S. Dollar to remeasure the balance sheet of its Venezuelan operations as of September 30, 2015. As a result, the Company recorded a foreign exchange loss of $4.5 million and $9.2 million during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2015, respectively, based on the change in the applicable exchange rate for remeasuring the net monetary assets of the Company’s Venezuelan operations that are denominated in Bolivars.

The results of the Company’s Venezuelan operations have been included in the Company’s consolidated financial statements for all periods presented, as the Company has been able to exchange Bolivars for a sufficient amount of U.S. Dollars in the SICAD auctions to fund its Venezuelan operations. While the Company will continue to assess the impact, if any, of the changes to the Venezuela foreign currency exchange system, if the Company is unable to obtain sufficient U.S. Dollars from CENCOEX or the SICAD market to fund its requirements for imported goods and instead needs to access the SIMADI market, it would significantly impact the Company’s Venezuelan operations which would adversely impact the Company’s results of operations. Despite the additional currency conversion mechanisms, the Company’s ability to pay dividends from Venezuela is still restricted due to the low volume of U.S. Dollars available for conversion.

As of September 30, 2015, the Company’s Venezuelan operations had $82.8 million in Bolivar-denominated net monetary assets, comprised of $78.2 million of cash and cash equivalents, $11.2 million of accounts receivable, $13.5 million of other assets and $20.1 million of trade liabilities. In future periods, foreign exchange gains (losses) arising due to the appreciation (depreciation) of the Bolivar versus the U.S. Dollar will result in benefits (charges) based on the change in value of the Bolivar-denominated net monetary assets. The Company’s nonmonetary and U.S. Dollar net assets in Venezuela totaled $28.2 million, including $6.2 million of fixed assets and $23.2 million of inventory. During the nine months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014, the Company’s Venezuelan operations generated 2.4% and 1.8% of consolidated net sales, respectively, using the applicable exchange rate for each period (CENCOEX for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and SICAD for the six months ended September 30, 2014 and nine months ended September 30, 2015).

The Company is unable to predict with certainty whether future devaluations will occur because of economic and political uncertainty in Venezuela. If the Bolivar devalues further or if the Company is able to access currency at different rates that are reasonable to the Company, it could result in additional foreign currency exchange losses, and such devaluations could adversely affect the Company’s future financial results.

Income Taxes

At the end of each interim period, the Company makes its best estimate of the effective tax rate expected to be applicable for the full fiscal year. This estimate reflects, among other items, the Company’s best estimate of operating results and foreign currency exchange rates. The Company’s quarterly income tax rate may differ from its estimated annual effective tax rate because accounting standards require the Company to exclude the actual results of certain entities expected to generate a pretax loss when applying the estimated annual effective tax rate to the Company’s consolidated pretax results in interim periods. In estimating the annual effective tax rate, the Company does not include the estimated impact of unusual and/or infrequent items, including the reversal of valuation allowances, which may cause significant variations in the customary relationship between income tax expense (benefit) and pretax income (loss) in quarterly periods. The income tax expense (benefit) for such unusual and/or infrequent items is recorded in the quarterly period such items are incurred.

The Company routinely reviews valuation allowances recorded against deferred tax assets on a more likely than not basis in evaluating whether the Company has the ability to realize the deferred tax assets. In making such a determination, the Company takes into consideration all available and appropriate positive and negative evidence, including projected future taxable income, future reversals of existing taxable temporary differences, available tax planning strategies and taxable income in prior carryback years, if available. Considering these factors, a possibility exists that the Company may record or release a portion of a valuation allowance against some deferred tax assets each quarterly period, which could create volatility in the Company’s future effective tax rate.