Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2011

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities

5.  Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities

The Company enters into interest rate swap and interest rate cap agreements (collectively, the “Hedging Derivatives”) for interest rate risk management purposes and in conjunction with certain variable rate secured debt to satisfy lender requirements. The Company does not enter into derivative transactions for trading or other speculative purposes. In April 2011, the Company entered into $430,000,000 of forward starting interest rate swaps where the Company has agreed to pay a fixed rate of interest in exchange for a floating rate of interest at a future date. These swaps were transacted to reduce the Company’s exposure to fluctuations in interest rates on future debt issuances.

The following table summarizes the consolidated Hedging Derivatives at December 31, 2011, excluding derivatives executed to hedge debt on communities classified as held for sale (dollars in thousands):

	Non- designated Hedges			Cash Flow Hedges			Cash Flow Hedges			Fair Value Hedges
	Interest Rate Caps			Interest Rate Caps			Interest Rate Swaps			Interest Rate Swaps
Notional balance	$	75,847		$	195,191		$	430,000		$	75,000
Weighted average interest rate (1)		1.1	%		2.3	%		4.5	%		4.5	%
Weighted average capped interest rate		7.1	%		5.3	%		N/A			N/A
Earliest maturity date		Aug-12			Jun-12			Sep-12			Jan-12
Latest maturity date		Mar-14			Jun-15			May-13			Jan-12
Estimated fair value, asset/(liability)	$	2		$	112		$	(85,467	)	$	11

⁽¹⁾  For interest rate caps, this represents the weighted average interest rate on the debt.

Excluding derivatives executed to hedge debt on communities classified as held for sale, the Company had seven derivatives designated as cash flow hedges, two derivatives designated as fair value hedges and four derivatives not designated as hedges at December 31, 2011. Fair value changes for derivatives that are not in qualifying hedge relationships are reported as a component of general and administrative expenses on the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income. Fair value changes for derivatives not in qualifying hedge relationships for the year ended December 31, 2011, were not material. For the derivative positions that the Company has determined qualify as effective cash flow hedges, the Company has recorded the effective portion of cumulative changes in the fair value of the Hedging Derivatives in other comprehensive income. Amounts recorded in other comprehensive income will be reclassified into earnings in the periods in which earnings are affected by the hedged cash flow. To adjust the Hedging Derivatives in qualifying cash flow hedges to their fair value and recognize the impact of hedge accounting, the Company recorded a decrease in other comprehensive income of $85,845,000 and $108,000 for the years ended December 31, 2011 and December 31, 2010, respectively, and an increase in other comprehensive income of $1,865,000 during the year ended December 31, 2009. The amount reclassified into earnings in 2011, as well as the estimated amount included in accumulated other comprehensive income as of December 31, 2011, expected to be reclassified into earnings within the next twelve months to offset the variability of cash flows of the hedged items during this period are not material. For the derivative positions that the Company has determined qualify as effective fair value hedges, the Company has recorded a decrease in the fair value of $1,498,000 and an increase of $1,737,000 for the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010, respectively. The derivatives’ fair value is reported as a component of prepaid expenses and other assets, with the associated gain as an adjustment to the carrying amount of the corresponding debt being hedged on the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2011.

The Company assesses, both at inception and on an on-going basis, the effectiveness of qualifying cash flow and fair value hedges. Hedge ineffectiveness, reported as a component of general and administrative expenses, did not have a material impact on earnings of the Company for any prior period, and the Company does not anticipate that it will have a material effect in the future. The fair values of the Hedging Derivatives and non-designated derivatives that are in an asset position are recorded in prepaid expenses and other assets. The fair value of derivatives that are in a liability position are included in accrued expenses and other liabilities on the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets.

Derivative financial instruments expose the Company to credit risk in the event of nonperformance by the counterparties under the terms of the Hedging Derivatives. The Company minimizes its credit risk on these transactions by dealing with major, creditworthy financial institutions which have an A+ or better credit rating by the Standard & Poor’s Ratings Group. As part of its on-going control procedures, the Company monitors the credit ratings of counterparties and the exposure of the Company to any single entity, thus minimizing credit risk concentration. The Company believes the likelihood of realizing losses from counterparty non-performance is remote. The Company incorporates credit valuation adjustments to appropriately reflect both its own nonperformance risk and the respective counterparty’s nonperformance risk in the fair value measurements of its derivative financial instruments. Refer to Note 11, “Fair Value,” for further discussion.