FINANCING ARRANGEMENTS

The following table is a summary of the Company’s financing arrangements (in thousands):



	September 30, 2018			December 31, 2017
Senior secured Term Loan Agreement ("Term Loan Agreement")	$	7,535		$	4,000
Current portion of long-term obligations, at carrying value	$	7,535		$	4,000

Senior secured Term Loan Agreement due June 30, 2024	$	736,581		$	394,000
Senior unsecured notes, at 5.25%, due August 1, 2020 ("2020 Notes")	—			400,000
Senior unsecured notes, at 5.125%, due June 1, 2021 ("2021 Notes")	845,000			845,000
Revolving credit facility	50,000			—
Long-term obligations, at par	$	1,631,581		$	1,639,000
Unamortized debt issuance costs and premium, net	(15,425		)	(13,463		)
Long-term obligations, at carrying value	$	1,616,156		$	1,625,537

Total current and long-term obligations, at carrying value	$	1,623,691		$	1,629,537

Financing Activities

On April 17, 2018, the Company, and substantially all of the Company's domestic subsidiaries as guarantors, entered into the first amendment (“First Amendment”) of the Term Loan Agreement. The First Amendment reduced the applicable interest rate margin for the Company’s initial term loans (the "Term Loans") outstanding under the Term Loan Agreement by 25 basis points for both Eurocurrency borrowings and base rate borrowings. After giving effect to the repricing, the applicable interest rate margins for the Term Loans are 1.75% for Eurocurrency borrowings and 0.75% for base rate borrowings.

On July 19, 2018, the Company, and substantially all of the Company’s domestic subsidiaries as guarantors, entered into an Incremental Facility Amendment (the “Incremental Facility Amendment”) to the Company’s Term Loan Agreement. The Incremental Facility Amendment increased the principal amount of the Term Loans outstanding under the Term Loan Agreement by $350.0 million. Term Loans under the Term Loan Agreement will mature on June 30, 2024 and may be prepaid at any time without premium or penalty other than customary breakage costs with respect to Eurodollar based loans or if the Company engages in certain repricing transactions before January 19, 2019, in which event a 1.0% prepayment premium would be due. The Company’s obligations under the Term Loan Agreement are guaranteed by all of the Company’s domestic restricted subsidiaries and secured by liens on substantially all of the assets of the Company and the guarantors.

Concurrently with the closing on July 19, 2018 of the Incremental Facility Amendment, the Company purchased $322.0 million aggregate principal of the 2020 Notes. The total amount paid in purchasing the 2020 Notes was $330.9 million including $7.9 million of accrued interest. On August 1, 2018, the Company redeemed the remaining $78.0 million of outstanding 2020 Notes.

At September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017, the fair value of the Term Loans was $746.0 million and $400.5 million, respectively, based on quoted market prices or other available market data. At September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017, the fair value of the Company's 2021 Notes was $846.1 million and $855.7 million, respectively, based on quoted market prices for the instrument. The fair values of the Term Loans, 2020 Notes and 2021 Notes are considered Level 2 measures according to the fair value hierarchy.

The Company also maintains a $400.0 million revolving credit facility under which in connection with the redemption of the $78.0 million of 2020 Notes, the Company borrowed $50.0 million. At September 30, 2018, approximately $194.4 million was available to borrow and outstanding letters of credit were $130.0 million. At December 31, 2017, $217.8 million was available to borrow and outstanding letters of credit were $134.1 million.

Cash Flow Hedge

The Company’s strategy to hedge against fluctuations in variable interest rates involves entering into interest rate derivative agreements to hedge against adverse movements in interest rates. For interest rate derivatives deemed to be effective cash flow hedges, the change in fair value is recorded in stockholders’ equity as a component of accumulated other comprehensive loss and included in interest expense at the same time as interest expense is affected by the hedged transaction. Differences paid or received over the life of the agreements are recorded as additions to or reductions of interest expense on the underlying debt.

Although the interest rate on all $744.1 million aggregate principal amount of Term Loans which were outstanding on September 30, 2018 is variable under the Term Loan Agreement, the Company has effectively fixed the interest rate on the first $350.0 million aggregate principal amount of the Term Loans outstanding by entering into interest rate swap agreements with a notional amount of $350.0 million. Under the terms of the interest rate swap agreements, the Company receives interest based on the 1-month LIBOR index and pays interest at a weighted average rate of approximately 2.92%. When combined with the 1.75% interest rate margin for Eurocurrency borrowings, the effective annual interest rate on such $350.0 million aggregate principal amount of Term Loans is therefore approximately 4.67%.

The Company recognizes derivative instruments as either assets or liabilities on the balance sheet at fair value. No ineffectiveness has been identified on these swaps and, therefore, all unrealized changes in fair value are recorded in accumulated other comprehensive loss. Amounts are reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss into interest expense on the Statement of Operations in the same period or periods during which the hedged transaction affects earnings.

As of September 30, 2018, we have recorded a derivative liability with a fair value of $0.3 million within accrued expenses in connection with these cash flow hedges.

The fair value of the interest rate swaps included in the Level 2 tier of the fair value hierarchy is calculated using discounted cash flow valuation methodologies based upon the one month LIBOR yield curves that are observable at commonly quoted intervals for the full term of the swaps.