NOTE M – COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Warranty Claims

The Company typically provides its homebuyers with a ten-year limited warranty for major defects in structural elements such as framing components and foundation systems, a two-year limited warranty on major mechanical systems, and a one-year limited warranty on other construction components. The Company’s warranty liability is based upon historical warranty cost experience in each market in which it operates, and is adjusted as appropriate to reflect qualitative risks associated with the types of homes built and the geographic areas in which they are built.

At June 30, 2011, the Company had liabilities of $1.5 million for the remaining repair costs of homes in its Florida and Louisiana markets constructed during 2005 through 2007 which contain or are suspected to contain allegedly defective drywall manufactured in China (Chinese Drywall) that may be responsible for accelerated corrosion of certain metals in the home. Through June 30, 2011, the Company has spent approximately $6.0 million to remediate these homes. While the Company will seek reimbursement for these remediation costs from various sources, it has not recorded a receivable for potential recoveries as of June 30, 2011. If additional homes in these or other markets are found to contain Chinese Drywall, the Company would likely be required to further increase its warranty reserve for this matter in the future. The Company has been named as a defendant in several lawsuits in Louisiana and Florida pertaining to Chinese Drywall. As these actions are still in their early stages, the Company is unable to express an opinion as to the amount of damages, if any, beyond what has been reserved for repair as discussed above.

Changes in the Company’s warranty liability during the three and nine-month periods ended June 30, 2011 and 2010 were as follows:


	Three Months Ended						Nine Months Ended
	June 30,						June 30,
	2011			2010			2011			2010
	(In millions)

Warranty liability, beginning of period	$	43.8		$	49.6		$	46.2		$	59.6

Warranties issued		4.3			6.3			10.9			15.5

Changes in liability for pre-existing warranties		0.7			0.6			3.7			(6.6	)

Settlements made		(7.8	)		(7.3	)		(19.8	)		(19.3	)


Warranty liability, end of period	$	41.0		$	49.2		$	41.0		$	49.2

Insurance and Legal Claims

The Company has been named as a defendant in various claims, complaints and other legal actions including construction defect claims on closed homes and other claims and lawsuits incurred in the ordinary course of business, including employment matters, personal injury claims, land development issues, contract disputes and claims related to its mortgage activities. The Company has established reserves for these contingencies, based on the expected costs of the claims. The Company’s estimate of the required reserve is based on the facts and circumstances of individual pending claims and historical data and trends, including costs relative to revenues, home closings and product types, and include estimates of the costs of construction defect claims incurred but not yet reported. These reserve estimates are subject to ongoing revision as the circumstances of individual pending claims and historical data and trends change. Adjustments to estimated reserves are recorded in the accounting period in which the change in estimate occurs. The Company’s liabilities for these items were $523.2 million and $571.3 million at June 30, 2011 and September 30, 2010, respectively, and are included in homebuilding accrued expenses and other liabilities in the consolidated balance sheets. Related to the contingencies for construction defect claims and estimates of construction defect claims incurred but not yet reported, and other legal claims and lawsuits incurred in the ordinary course of business, the Company estimates and records insurance receivables for these matters under applicable insurance policies when recovery is probable. Additionally, the Company may have the ability to recover a portion of its legal expenses from its subcontractors when the Company has been named as an additional insured on their insurance policies. Estimates of the Company’s insurance receivables related to these matters totaled $214.2 million and $251.5 million at June 30, 2011 and September 30, 2010, respectively, and are included in homebuilding other assets in the consolidated balance sheets. Expenses related to these items were approximately $18.7 million and $34.6 million in the nine months ended June 30, 2011 and 2010, respectively.

Due to the high degree of judgment required in establishing reserves for these contingencies, it is not possible for the Company to make a reasonable estimate of the possible loss or range of loss in excess of its reserves. To the extent the losses arising from the ultimate resolution of any matter exceeds management’s estimates reflected in the recorded reserves relating to these matters, the Company would incur additional charges that could be significant.

Land and Lot Option Purchase Contracts

The Company enters into land and lot option purchase contracts in order to procure land or lots for the construction of homes. At June 30, 2011, the Company had total deposits of $14.8 million, consisting of cash deposits of $12.8 million and promissory notes and surety bonds of $2.0 million, to purchase land and lots with a total remaining purchase price of $981.7 million. Within the land and lot option purchase contracts at June 30, 2011, there were a limited number of contracts, representing $12.0 million of remaining purchase price, subject to specific performance clauses which may require the Company to purchase the land or lots upon the land sellers meeting their obligations. The majority of land and lots under contract are currently expected to be purchased within three years, based on the Company’s assumptions as to the extent it will exercise its options to purchase such land and lots.

Other Commitments

To secure performance under various contracts, the Company had outstanding letters of credit of $47.8 million and surety bonds of $741.3 million at June 30, 2011. The Company has secured letter of credit agreements that require it to deposit cash, in an amount approximating the balance of letters of credit outstanding, as collateral with the issuing banks. At June 30, 2011 and September 30, 2010, the amount of cash restricted for this purpose totaled $48.4 million and $52.6 million, respectively, and is included in homebuilding restricted cash on the Company’s consolidated balance sheets.