XML 14 R17.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT v2.4.0.8
Product Warranty
9 Months Ended
Aug. 31, 2013
Product Warranties Disclosures [Abstract]  
Product Warranty
Product Warranty
Warranty and similar reserves for homes are established at an amount estimated to be adequate to cover potential costs for materials and labor with regard to warranty-type claims expected to be incurred subsequent to the delivery of a home. Reserves are determined based on historical data and trends with respect to similar product types and geographical areas. The Company regularly monitors the warranty reserve and makes adjustments to its pre-existing warranties in order to reflect changes in trends and historical data as information becomes available. Warranty reserves are included in other liabilities in the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheets. The activity in the Company’s warranty reserve was as follows:
 
Three Months Ended
 
Nine Months Ended
 
August 31,
 
August 31,
(In thousands)
2013
 
2012
 
2013
 
2012
Warranty reserve, beginning of period
$
90,242

 
84,488

 
84,188

 
88,120

Warranties issued during the period
13,914

 
9,469

 
34,795

 
24,430

Adjustments to pre-existing warranties from changes in estimates
7,506

 
766

 
15,415

 
5,813

Payments
(12,186
)
 
(9,942
)
 
(34,922
)
 
(33,582
)
Warranty reserve, end of period
$
99,476

 
84,781

 
99,476

 
84,781


As of August 31, 2013, the Company has identified approximately 1,010 homes delivered in Florida primarily during its 2006 and 2007 fiscal years that are confirmed to have had defective Chinese drywall and resulting damage. This represents a small percentage of homes the Company delivered nationally (1.2%) during those fiscal years. Defective Chinese drywall is an industry-wide issue as other homebuilders have publicly disclosed that they have experienced similar issues with defective Chinese drywall. Based on its efforts to date, the Company has not identified defective Chinese drywall in homes delivered by the Company outside of Florida. The Company has offered to replace defective Chinese drywall when it has been found in homes the Company has built, and has done so in substantially all affected homes. Drywall claims for approximately 60 of the 1,010 homes will be resolved through settlement of the drywall multi-district class action litigation in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.
Through August 31, 2013, the Company has accrued $82.2 million of warranty reserves related to defective Chinese drywall. There were no additional amounts accrued during the nine months ended August 31, 2013. As of August 31, 2013 and November 30, 2012, the warranty reserve related to Chinese drywall, net of payments, was $1.8 million and $2.9 million, respectively. The Company has received, and continues to seek, reimbursement from its subcontractors, insurers and others for costs the Company has incurred or expects to incur to investigate and repair defective Chinese drywall and resulting damage.