Assets and Liabilities Measured at Fair Value

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2011

Assets and Liabilities Measured at Fair Value [Abstract]

ASSETS AND LIABILITIES MEASURED AT FAIR VALUE

NOTE 7 — ASSETS AND LIABILITIES MEASURED AT FAIR VALUE

Accounting Standards Codification 820, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures (“ASC 820”) defines fair value, establishes a framework for measuring fair value, and expands disclosures about fair value measurements. ASC 820 applies to reported balances that are required or permitted to be measured at fair value under existing accounting pronouncements.

ASC 820 emphasizes fair value is a market-based measurement, not an entity-specific measurement. Therefore, a fair value measurement should be determined based on the assumptions market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability. As a basis for considering market participant assumptions in fair value measurements, ASC 820 establishes a fair value hierarchy that distinguishes between market participant assumptions based on market data obtained from sources independent of the reporting entity (observable inputs classified within Levels 1 and 2 of the hierarchy) and the reporting entity’s own assumptions about market participant assumptions (unobservable inputs classified within Level 3 of the hierarchy).

Level 1 inputs utilize quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities. Level 2 inputs are inputs other than quoted prices included in Level 1 that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly. Level 2 inputs may include quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets, as well as inputs observable for the asset or liability (other than quoted prices), such as interest rates, foreign exchange rates, and yield curves observable at commonly quoted intervals. Level 3 inputs are unobservable inputs for the asset or liability, which are typically based on an entity’s own assumptions, as there is little, if any, related market activity. In instances where the determination of the fair value measurement is based on inputs from different levels of the fair value hierarchy, the level in the fair value hierarchy within which the entire fair value measurement falls is based on the lowest level input significant to the fair value measurement in its entirety. Our assessment of the significance of a particular input to the fair value measurement in its entirety requires judgment, and considers factors specific to the asset or liability.

Cash Traded Investments

Our cash traded investments are generally classified within Level 1 or Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy because they are valued using quoted market prices, broker or dealer quotations, or alternative pricing sources with reasonable levels of price transparency. Certain types of cash traded instruments are classified within Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy because they trade infrequently and therefore have little or no price transparency. Such instruments include auction rate securities (“ARS”) and limited partnership investments. The transaction price is initially used as the best estimate of fair value.

Our wholly-owned insurance subsidiary had investments in tax-exempt ARS, which are backed by student loans substantially guaranteed by the federal government, of $145 million ($149 million par value) at September 30, 2011. We do not currently intend to attempt to sell the ARS as the liquidity needs of our insurance subsidiary are expected to be met by other investments in its investment portfolio. During 2010 and the first nine months of 2011, certain issuers and their broker/dealers redeemed or repurchased $150 million and $102 million, respectively, of our ARS at par value. The valuation of these securities involved management’s judgment, after consideration of market factors and the absence of market transparency, market liquidity and observable inputs. Our valuation models derived a fair market value compared to tax-equivalent yields of other student loan backed variable rate securities of similar credit worthiness and similar effective maturities.

Derivative Financial Instruments

We have entered into interest rate and cross currency swap agreements to manage our exposure to fluctuations in interest rates and foreign currency risks. The valuation of these instruments is determined using widely accepted valuation techniques, including discounted cash flow analysis on the expected cash flows of each derivative. This analysis reflects the contractual terms of the derivatives, including the period to maturity, and uses observable market-based inputs, including interest rate curves, foreign exchange rates and implied volatilities. To comply with the provisions of ASC 820, we incorporate credit valuation adjustments to reflect both our own nonperformance risk and the respective counterparty’s nonperformance risk in the fair value measurements.

Although we determined the majority of the inputs used to value our derivatives fall within Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy, the credit valuation adjustments associated with our derivatives utilize Level 3 inputs, such as estimates of current credit spreads to evaluate the likelihood of default by us and our counterparties. We assessed the significance of the impact of the credit valuation adjustments on the overall valuation of our derivative positions and at September 30, 2011 and December 31, 2010, we determined the credit valuation adjustments were not significant to the overall valuation of our derivatives.

Fair Value Summary

The following table summarizes our assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of September 30, 2011 and December 31, 2010, aggregated by the level in the fair value hierarchy within which those measurements fall (dollars in millions):

	September 30, 2011
				Fair Value Measurements Using
	Fair Value			Quoted Prices  in Active Markets for Identical Assets and Liabilities (Level 1)			Significant  Other Observable Inputs (Level 2)		Significant Unobservable  Inputs (Level 3)
Assets:
Investments of insurance subsidiary:
Debt securities:
States and municipalities	$	368		$	—		$	368	$	—
Auction rate securities		145			—			—		145
Asset-backed securities		21			—			21		—
Money market funds		88			88			—		—
		622			88			389		145
Equity securities		8			2			5		1
Investments of insurance subsidiary		630			90			394		146
Less amounts classified as current assets		(85	)		(85	)		—		—
	$	545		$	5		$	394	$	146
Cross currency swap (Other assets)	$	39		$	—		$	39	$	—
Liabilities:
Interest rate swaps (Income taxes and other liabilities)	$	434		$	—		$	434	$	—

Fair Value Summary (continued)

	December 31, 2010
				Fair Value Measurements Using
	Fair Value			Quoted Prices in Active  Markets for Identical Assets and Liabilities (Level 1)			Significant Other Observable  Inputs (Level 2)		Significant Unobservable  Inputs (Level 3)
Assets:
Investments of insurance subsidiary:
Debt securities:
States and municipalities	$	323		$	—		$	323	$	—
Auction rate securities		250			—			—		250
Asset-backed securities		26			—			26		—
Money market funds		135			135			—		—
		734			135			349		250
Equity securities		8			2			5		1
Investments of insurance subsidiary		742			137			354		251
Less amounts classified as current assets		(100	)		(100	)		—		—
	$	642		$	37		$	354	$	251
Cross currency swap (Other assets)	$	39		$	—		$	39	$	—
Liabilities:
Interest rate swaps (Income taxes and other liabilities)	$	426		$	—		$	426	$	—

The following table summarizes the activity related to the auction rate and equity securities investments of our insurance subsidiary, which have fair value measurements based on significant unobservable inputs (Level 3), during the nine months ended September 30, 2011 (dollars in millions):

Asset balances at December 31, 2010	$	251
Unrealized losses included in other comprehensive income		(3	)
Settlements		(102	)
Asset balances at September 30, 2011	$	146

The estimated fair value of our long-term debt was $25.989 billion and $28.738 billion at September 30, 2011 and December 31, 2010, respectively, compared to carrying amounts aggregating $26.596 billion and $28.225 billion, respectively. The estimates of fair value are generally based upon the quoted market prices or quoted market prices for similar issues of long-term debt with the same maturities.