Financial Instruments

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2012

Financial Instruments [Abstract]

FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS

8. FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS

Cash Flow and Fair Value Hedges

In January 2012, the Company entered into interest rate swaps with an aggregate notional amount of $200.0 million. These swaps were executed to hedge a portion of interest rate risk associated with variable-rate borrowings.

Measurement of Fair Value

At March 31, 2012, the Company used pay-fixed interest rate swaps to manage its exposure to changes in benchmark interest rates (the “Swaps”). The estimated fair values of derivative financial instruments are valued 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 and volatility. The fair values of interest rate swaps and caps are estimated using the market standard methodology of netting the discounted fixed cash payments and the discounted expected variable cash receipts. The variable cash receipts are based on an expectation of interest rates (forward curves) derived from observable market interest rate curves. In addition, credit valuation adjustments, which consider the impact of any credit enhancements to the contracts, are incorporated in the fair values to account for potential nonperformance risk, including the Company’s own nonperformance risk and the respective counterparty’s nonperformance risk. The Company determined that the significant inputs used to value its derivatives fell within Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy.

Items Measured at Fair Value on a Recurring Basis

The following table presents information about the Company’s financial assets and liabilities, which consist of interest rate swap agreements (included in Other Liabilities) and marketable securities (included in Other Assets) from investments in the Company’s elective deferred compensation plan at March 31, 2012, measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of March 31, 2012, and indicates the fair value hierarchy of the valuation techniques used by the Company to determine such fair value (in millions):

	Fair Value Measurement at March 31, 2012
	Level 1		Level 2			Level 3		Total
Assets (liabilities):
Derivative financial instruments	$	—	$	(7.5	)	$	—	$	(7.5	)
Marketable securities	$	3.0	$	—		$	—	$	3.0

The unrealized gain of $1.3 million included in other comprehensive (loss) income (“OCI”) is attributable to the net change in unrealized gains related to derivative liabilities that remain outstanding at March 31, 2012, none of which were reported in the Company’s condensed consolidated statements of operations because they are documented and qualify as hedging instruments.

Other Fair Value Instruments

Investments in unconsolidated joint ventures are considered financial assets. See discussion of fair value consideration in Note 12.

Cash and Cash Equivalents, Restricted Cash, Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, Accrued Expenses and Other Liabilities

The carrying amounts reported in the condensed consolidated balance sheets for these financial instruments approximated fair value because of their short-term maturities. The fair value of cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash are classified as Level 1 in the fair value hierarchy.

Notes Receivable and Advances to Affiliates

The fair value is estimated using a discounted cash flow, in which the Company used unobservable inputs such as market interest rates determined by the loan to value and market capitalization rate at which management believes similar loans would be made and classified as Level 3 in the fair value hierarchy. The fair value of these notes was approximately $93.4 million and $90.6 million at March 31, 2012 and December 31, 2011, respectively, as compared to the carrying amounts of $91.9 million and $91.0 million, respectively. The carrying value of the TIF bonds, which was $6.5 million and $6.4 million at March 31, 2012 and December 31, 2011, respectively, approximated their fair value as of both periods.

Debt

The fair market value of senior notes except convertible senior notes is determined using the trading price of the Company’s public debt. The fair market value for all other debt is estimated using a discounted cash flow technique that incorporates future contractual interest and principal payments and market interest yield curve with adjustments for duration, optionality and risk profile including the Company’s non-performance risk and loan to value. The Company’s senior notes and all other debt are classified as Level 2 and Level 3, respectively, in the fair value hierarchy.

Considerable judgment is necessary to develop estimated fair values of financial instruments. Accordingly, the estimates presented herein are not necessarily indicative of the amounts the Company could realize on disposition of the financial instruments.

Debt instruments at March 31, 2012 and December 31, 2011, with carrying values that are different than estimated fair values, are summarized as follows (in thousands):

	March 31, 2012				December 31, 2011
	Carrying Amount		Fair Value		Carrying Amount		Fair Value
Senior notes	$	1,938,255	$	2,181,764	$	2,139,718	$	2,282,818
Revolving Credit Facilities and Term Loans		825,968		824,073		642,421		641,854
Mortgage payable and other indebtedness		1,372,694		1,406,107		1,322,445		1,352,142
	$	4,136,917	$	4,411,944	$	4,104,584	$	4,276,814

Risk Management Objective of Using Derivatives

The Company is exposed to certain risks arising from both its business operations and economic conditions. The Company principally manages its exposures to a wide variety of business and operational risks through management of its core business activities. The Company manages economic risks, including interest rate, liquidity and credit risk, primarily by managing the amount, sources and duration of its debt funding and, from time to time, the use of derivative financial instruments. Specifically, the Company enters into derivative financial instruments to manage exposures that arise from business activities that result in the receipt or payment of future known and uncertain cash amounts, the values of which are determined by interest rates. The Company’s derivative financial instruments are used to manage differences in the amount, timing and duration of the Company’s known or expected cash receipts and its known or expected cash payments principally related to the Company’s investments and borrowings.

The Company has interests in consolidated joint ventures that own real estate assets in Canada and Russia. The net assets of these subsidiaries are exposed to volatility in currency exchange rates. The Company uses non-derivative financial instruments to economically hedge a portion of this exposure. The Company manages its currency exposure related to the net assets of its Canadian and European subsidiaries through foreign currency-denominated debt agreements.

Cash Flow Hedges of Interest Rate Risk

The Company’s objectives in using interest rate derivatives are to manage its exposure to interest rate movements. To accomplish this objective, the Company generally uses interest rate swaps as part of its interest rate risk management strategy. Swaps designated as cash flow hedges involve the receipt of variable-rate amounts from a counterparty in exchange for the Company making fixed-rate payments over the life of the agreements without exchange of the underlying notional amount. As of March 31, 2012 and December 31, 2011, the aggregate fair value of the Company’s $383.8 million and $284.1 million notional amount of Swaps was a liability of $7.5 million and $8.8 million, respectively, which is included in other liabilities in the condensed consolidated balance sheets. The following table discloses certain information regarding the Company’s six interest rate swaps (not including the specified spreads):

Aggregate Notional Amount (in millions)	LIBOR Fixed Rate			Maturity Date
$100.0		1.0	%	June 2014
$ 83.8		2.8	%	September 2017
$100.0		1.6	%	February 2019
$100.0		1.5	%	February 2019

All components of the Swaps were included in the assessment of hedge effectiveness. The Company expects that within the next 12 months it will reflect an increase to interest expense (and a corresponding decrease to earnings) of approximately $5.0 million.

The effective portion of changes in the fair value of derivatives designated and that qualify as cash flow hedges is recorded in accumulated OCI and is subsequently reclassified into earnings in the period that the hedged forecasted transaction affects earnings. During 2012, such derivatives were used to hedge the forecasted variable cash flows associated with existing obligations. The ineffective portion of the change in the fair value of derivatives is recognized directly in earnings. During the three-month periods ended March 31, 2012 and 2011, the amount of hedge ineffectiveness recorded was not material.

Amounts reported in accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income related to derivatives will be reclassified to interest expense as interest payments are made on the Company’s variable-rate debt. The table below presents the fair value of the Company’s Swaps as well as their classification on the condensed consolidated balance sheets as of March 31, 2012 and December 31, 2011, as follows (in millions):

	Liability Derivatives
	March 31, 2012				December 31, 2011
Derivatives Designated as Hedging Instruments	Balance Sheet Location		Fair Value		Balance Sheet Location		Fair Value
Interest rate products		Other liabilities	$	7.5		Other liabilities	$	8.8

The effect of the Company’s derivative instruments on net (loss) and income is as follows (in millions):

Derivatives in Cash Flow Hedging	Amount of (Loss) Gain Recognized in OCI on Derivatives (Effective Portion)					Location of (Loss) Gain Reclassified from Accumulated OCI into Income (Loss) (Effective Portion)		Amount of (Loss) Gain Reclassified from Accumulated OCI into (Income) Loss (Effective Portion)
	Three-Month Periods Ended March 31,							Three-Month Periods Ended March 31,
	2012		2011					2012			2011
Interest rate products	$	1.3	$	(1.6	)		Interest expense	$	(0.1	)	$	—

The Company is exposed to credit risk in the event of non-performance by the counterparties to the Swaps. The Company believes it mitigates its credit risk by entering into swaps with major financial institutions. The Company continually monitors and actively manages interest costs on its variable-rate debt portfolio and may enter into additional interest rate swap positions or other derivative interest rate instruments based on market conditions. The Company has not entered, and does not plan to enter, into any derivative financial instruments for trading or speculative purposes.

Credit-Risk-Related Contingent Features

The Company has agreements with each of its Swap counterparties that contain a provision whereby if the Company defaults on certain of its unsecured indebtedness, the Company could also be declared in default on its Swaps, resulting in an acceleration of payment under the Swaps.

Net Investment Hedges

The Company is exposed to foreign exchange risk from its consolidated and unconsolidated international investments. The Company has foreign currency-denominated debt agreements that expose the Company to fluctuations in foreign exchange rates. The Company has designated these foreign currency borrowings as a hedge of its net investment in its Canadian and European subsidiaries. Changes in the spot rate value are recorded as adjustments to the debt balance with offsetting unrealized gains and losses recorded in OCI. Because the notional amount of the non-derivative instrument substantially matches the portion of the net investment designated as being hedged, and the non-derivative instrument is denominated in the functional currency of the hedged net investment, the hedge ineffectiveness recognized in earnings was not material.

The effect of the Company’s net investment hedge derivative instruments on OCI is as follows (in millions):

	Amount of Gain (Loss) Recognized in OCI on Derivatives  (Effective Portion)
	Three-Month Periods Ended March 31,
Derivatives in Net Investment Hedging Relationships	2012			2011
Euro-denominated revolving credit facilities designated as a hedge of the Company’s net investment in its subsidiary	$	(0.1	)	$	(2.7	)
Canadian dollar-denominated revolving credit facilities designated as a hedge of the Company’s net investment in its subsidiaries	$	(1.3	)	$	(2.9	)