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Commitments, Contingencies and Guarantees
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2013
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Commitments, Contingencies and Guarantees

17. Commitments, Contingencies and Guarantees

Deferred Acquisition Consideration.  In addition to the consideration paid by the Company in respect of certain of its acquisitions at closing, additional consideration may be payable, or may be potentially payable based on the achievement of certain threshold levels of earnings. See Note 2 and Note 4.
Put Options.  Owners of interests in certain subsidiaries have the right in certain circumstances to require the Company to acquire either a portion of or all of the remaining ownership interests held by them. The owners’ ability to exercise any such “put option” right is subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, including conditions requiring notice in advance of exercise. In addition, these rights cannot be exercised prior to specified staggered exercise dates. The exercise of these rights at their earliest contractual date would result in obligations of the Company to fund the related amounts during the period 2014 to 2018. It is not determinable, at this time, if or when the owners of these rights will exercise all or a portion of these rights.
The amount payable by the Company in the event such rights are exercised is dependent on various valuation formulas and on future events, such as the average earnings of the relevant subsidiary through the date of exercise, the growth rate of the earnings of the relevant subsidiary during that period, and, in some cases, the currency exchange rate at the date of payment.
Management estimates, assuming that the subsidiaries owned by the Company at December 31, 2013, perform over the relevant future periods at their 2013 earnings levels, that these rights, if all exercised, could require the Company, in future periods, to pay an aggregate amount of approximately $17,807 to the owners of such rights to acquire such ownership interests in the relevant subsidiaries. Of this amount, the Company is entitled, at its option, to fund approximately $1,319 by the issuance of share capital. In addition, the Company is obligated under similar put option rights to pay an aggregate amount of approximately $130,727 only upon termination of such owner’s employment with the applicable subsidiary or death. The ultimate amount payable relating to these transactions will vary because it is dependent on the future results of operations of the subject businesses and the timing of when and if these rights are exercised. The aggregate amount of these options is $148,534, which has been recorded on the balance sheet at December 31, 2013 and is included in Redeemable Noncontrolling Interests.
Natural Disasters.  Certain of the Company’s operations are located in regions of the United States and the Caribbean which typically are subject to hurricanes. During the year ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011, these operations did not incur any material costs related to damages resulting from hurricanes, although certain agency operations experienced temporary closures as a result of Hurricane Sandy.
Guarantees.  Generally, the Company has indemnified the purchasers of certain assets in the event that a third party asserts a claim against the purchaser that relates to a liability retained by the Company. These types of indemnification guarantees typically extend for a number of years. Historically, the Company has not made any significant indemnification payments under such agreements and no amount has been accrued in the accompanying consolidated financial statements with respect to these indemnification guarantees. The Company continues to monitor the conditions that are subject to guarantees and indemnifications to identify whether it is probable that a loss has occurred, and would recognize any such losses under any guarantees or indemnifications in the period when those losses are probable and estimable.
Legal Proceedings.  The Company’s operating entities are involved in legal proceedings of various types. While any litigation contains an element of uncertainty, the Company has no reason to believe that the outcome of such proceedings or claims will have a material adverse effect on the financial condition or results of operations of the Company.
Commitments.  At December 31, 2013, the Company has $4,884 of undrawn outstanding letters of credit. In addition, the Company has commitments to fund investments in an aggregate amount of $2,546.
Leases.  The Company and its subsidiaries lease certain facilities and equipment. Gross premises rental expense amounted to $40,111 for 2013, $35,909 for 2012 and $26,521 for 2011, which was reduced by sublease income of $897 in 2013, $820 in 2012 and $555 in 2011. Where leases contain escalation clauses or other concessions, the impact of such adjustments is recognized on a straight-line basis over the minimum lease period.
Minimum rental commitments for the rental of office and production premises and equipment under non-cancellable leases net of sublease income, some of which provide for rental adjustments due to increased property taxes and operating costs for 2012 and thereafter, are as follows:
 
 
Period
 
Amount
2014
 
$
41,166
 
2015
 
 
40,447
 
2016
 
 
35,893
 
2017
 
 
30,350
 
2018
 
 
31,026
 
2019 and thereafter
 
 
86,696
 
  
 
$
265,578
 
At December 31, 2013, the total future cash to be received on sublease income is $6,201.