Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activity

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2023

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activity

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activity

Note 9 – Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activity

Background

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 risk, including interest rate, liquidity and credit risk primarily by managing the amount, sources and duration of its debt funding and, to a limited extent, the use of derivative instruments. For additional information regarding the leveling of the Company’s derivatives, refer to Note 10 – Fair Value Measurements.

The Company’s objective in using interest rate derivatives is to manage its exposure to interest rate movements and add stability to interest expense. To accomplish this objective, the Company uses interest rate swaps as part of its interest rate risk management strategy. Interest rate 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 agreement without exchange of the underlying notional amount.

2022 Settlements - Hedging 2022 Debt Issuances

In May and July 2021, the Company entered into forward-starting interest rate swap agreements to hedge against changes in future cash flows resulting from changes in interest rates from the trade date through the forecasted issuance date of $300 million of long-term debt. The Company hedged its exposure to the variability in future cash flows for a forecasted issuance of long-term debt over a maximum period ending December 2022. In August 2022, the Company terminated the swap agreements upon the debt issuance, receiving $28.4 million upon termination. This settlement was included as a component of accumulated OCI, to be recognized as an adjustment to income over the term of the debt.

Recognition

The Company recognizes all derivative instruments as either assets or liabilities at fair value on the balance sheet. The Company recognizes its derivatives within other assets, net and accounts payable, accrued expenses and other liabilities on the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets.

The Company recognizes all changes in fair value for hedging instruments designated and qualifying for cash flow hedge accounting treatment as a component of other comprehensive income (OCI).

Accumulated OCI relates to (i) the change in fair value of forward-starting interest rate derivatives and (ii) realized gains or losses on settled derivative instruments. The realized gains or losses on settled derivative instruments are recognized as an adjustment to interest expense over the term of the hedged debt transaction. During the next twelve months, the Company estimates that an additional $2.5 million will be reclassified as a decrease to interest expense.

The Company had no outstanding interest rate derivatives that were designated as cash flow hedges of interest rate risk as of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022.

The table below presents the effect of the Company’s derivative financial instruments in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022 (presented in thousands).

	Amount of Income/(Loss)				Location of Accumulated OCI	Amount Reclassified from
	Recognized in				Reclassified from Accumulated	Accumulated OCI as a
	OCI on Derivative				OCI into Income	(Reduction)/Increase in Interest Expense
Three Months Ended March 31,	2023		2022			2023		2022
Interest rate swaps	$	—	$	20,581	Interest expense	$	(629)	$	82

The Company does not use derivative instruments for trading or other speculative purposes and did not have any other derivative instruments or hedging activities as of March 31, 2023.

Credit-Risk-Related Contingent Features

The Company has agreements with its derivative counterparties that contain a provision where the Company could be declared in default on its derivative obligations if repayment of the underlying indebtedness is accelerated by the lender due to the Company’s default on the indebtedness.

Although previous derivative contracts were subject to master netting arrangements, which serve as credit mitigants to both the Company and its counterparties under certain situations, the Company does not net its derivative fair values or any existing rights or obligations to cash collateral on the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets.

As of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, the Company had no derivatives outstanding.