Income Taxes

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2011

Income Taxes [Abstract]

Income Taxes

5. INCOME TAXES

The Company recognized an income tax expense/benefit of $0 and income tax expense of $881,000 for the nine months ended September 30, 2011 and September 30, 2010, respectively.

At December 31, 2010, the Company had net operating loss ("NOL") carryforwards for federal income tax purposes of approximately $302.2 million, which expire in varying amounts between 2018 and 2025. The Company has determined that an ownership change as defined under Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended ("IRC") occurred during 2008. The effect of this ownership change was the imposition of a $457,000 annual limitation on the use of NOL carryforwards attributable to periods before the change. This annual limitation will result in the expiration of NOL carryforwards before they become available for utilization. Based on the $457,000 annual limitation, the Company anticipates that a total of approximately $6.4 million of NOL carryforwards will be available for utilization prior to 2025.

As of September 30, 2011, the Company recognized a deferred tax benefit of $480,000 related to the anticipated future use of some of the Company's NOL carryforwards. In the future, the Company may reduce the valuation allowance over its NOL carryforwards and recognize an additional deferred tax benefit. Management assesses this potential based upon all available evidence, including the last several quarters of profitability and forecasts. The Company continues to carry a full valuation allowance on its other deferred tax assets, the majority of which represent NOL carryforwards and tax credit carryovers which the Company generated prior to achieving profitability.