Variable Interests

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2011

Variable Interests [Abstract]

Variable Interests

8. Variable Interests

On January 20, 2010, we entered into agreements with unrelated third parties to establish the PEAKS Private Student Loan Program ("PEAKS Program"), which is a private education loan program for our students. Under the PEAKS Program, an unaffiliated lender originated private education loans to our eligible students and, subsequently, sells those loans to an unaffiliated trust that purchases, owns and collects private education loans ("PEAKS Trust"). The PEAKS Trust issued senior debt in the aggregate principal amount of $300,000 ("PEAKS Senior Debt") to investors. The lender disburses the proceeds of the private education loans to us for application to the students' account balances with us that represent their unpaid education costs. We transfer a portion of the amount of each private education loan disbursed to us under the PEAKS Program to the PEAKS Trust in exchange for a subordinated note issued by the PEAKS Trust ("Subordinated Note"). No new private education loans were or will be originated under the PEAKS Program after July 2011, but immaterial amounts related to loans originated prior to that date will be disbursed and purchased through approximately 2012.

The Subordinated Note is non-interest bearing and has been recorded net of an unamortized discount based on an imputed interest rate of 9.0% in Other assets on our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet. The discount will be amortized over the term of the Subordinated Note, which is expected to be approximately 15 years. The face value of the Subordinated Note as of September 30, 2011 was approximately $83,000.

The PEAKS Trust utilizes the proceeds from the issuance of the PEAKS Senior Debt and the Subordinated Note to purchase the private education loans made by the lender to our students. The assets of the PEAKS Trust (which include, among other assets, the private education loans owned by the PEAKS Trust) serve as collateral for, and are intended to be the principal source of, the repayment of the PEAKS Senior Debt and the Subordinated Note. We guarantee payment of the principal, interest and certain call premiums owed on the PEAKS Senior Debt, and the administrative fees and expenses of the PEAKS Trust ("PEAKS Guarantee"). See Note 11 – Contingencies, for further discussion of the PEAKS Guarantee.

We did not explicitly or implicitly provide any financial or other support to the PEAKS Trust during the three or nine months ended September 30, 2011 or 2010 that we were not contractually required to provide, and we do not intend to provide any such support to the PEAKS Trust in the foreseeable future, other than what we are contractually required to provide.

The PEAKS Trust is a variable interest entity as defined under ASC 810. We held variable interests in the PEAKS Trust as of September 30, 2011 as a result of the Subordinated Note and PEAKS Guarantee. To determine whether we were the primary beneficiary of the PEAKS Trust, we:

• assessed the risks that the PEAKS Trust was designed to create and pass through to its variable interest holders;

• identified the variable interests in the PEAKS Trust;

• identified the other variable interest holders and their involvement in the activities of the PEAKS Trust;

• identified the activities that most significantly impact the PEAKS Trust's economic performance;

• determined whether we have the power to direct those activities; and

• determined whether we have the right to receive the benefits from, or the obligation to absorb the losses of, the PEAKS Trust that could potentially be significant to the PEAKS Trust.

We determined that the activities of the PEAKS Trust that most significantly impact the economic performance of the PEAKS Trust involve:

• establishing the underwriting criteria of, and the interest rates and fees charged on, the private education loans acquired by the PEAKS Trust; and

• the servicing (which includes the collection) of the private education loans owned by the PEAKS Trust.

To make that determination, we analyzed various possible scenarios of student loan portfolio performance to evaluate the potential economic impact on the PEAKS Trust. In our analysis, we made what we believe are conservative assumptions based on historical data for the following key variables:

• the composition of the credit profiles of the borrowers;

• the interest rates and fees charged on the loans;

• the default rates and the timing of defaults associated with similar types of loans; and

• the prepayment and the speed of repayment associated with similar types of loans.

Based on our analysis, we concluded that we are not the primary beneficiary of the PEAKS Trust, because we do not have the power to direct the activities that most significantly impact the economic performance of the PEAKS Trust. As a result, we are not required under ASC 810 to include the financial results of the PEAKS Trust in our condensed consolidated financial statements for the three or nine months ended September 30, 2011. Our conclusion that we are not the primary beneficiary of the PEAKS Trust did not change from the prior reporting period. Therefore, there was no effect on our condensed consolidated financial statements.

On February 20, 2009, we entered into agreements with an unaffiliated entity (the "2009 Entity") to create a program that makes private education loans available to our students to help pay the students' cost of education that student financial aid from federal, state and other sources do not cover (the "2009 Loan Program"). Under the 2009 Loan Program, an unaffiliated lender makes private education loans to our eligible students and, subsequently, sells those loans to the 2009 Entity. The 2009 Entity purchases the private education loans from the lender utilizing funds received from its owners in exchange for participation interests in the private education loans acquired by the 2009 Entity. The lender disburses the proceeds of the private education loans to us for application to the students' account balances with us that represent their unpaid education costs.

In connection with the 2009 Loan Program, we entered into a risk sharing agreement (the "2009 RSA") with the 2009 Entity under which we have guaranteed the repayment of any private education loans that are charged off above a certain percentage of the private education loans made under the 2009 Loan Program, based on the annual dollar volume. See Note 11 – Contingencies, for further discussion of the 2009 RSA.

In addition, we have made advances to the 2009 Entity under a revolving promissory note (the "Revolving Note"). We provided advances to the 2009 Entity under the Revolving Note that we were not contractually required to provide, as set forth in the following table:

Three Months Ended     September 30,		Nine Months Ended     September 30,
2011	2010	2011	2010
$350	$215	$550	$2,934

Substantially all of the assets of the 2009 Entity serve as collateral for the Revolving Note. The Revolving Note bears interest, is subject to customary terms and conditions and may be repaid at any time without penalty prior to its 2026 maturity date.

The advances under the Revolving Note were used by the 2009 Entity primarily to purchase additional private education loans under the 2009 Loan Program that otherwise may not have been originated. We have no immediate plans to significantly increase the amount of advances that we make to the 2009 Entity under the Revolving Note, but we may decide to do so in the foreseeable future.

The 2009 Entity is a variable interest entity as defined under ASC 810. We held variable interests in the 2009 Entity as of September 30, 2011 as a result of the Revolving Note and 2009 RSA. To determine whether we were the primary beneficiary of the 2009 Entity, we:

• assessed the risks that the 2009 Entity was designed to create and pass through to its variable interest holders;

• identified the variable interests in the 2009 Entity;

• identified the other variable interest holders and their involvement in the activities of the 2009 Entity;

• identified the activities that most significantly impact the 2009 Entity's economic performance;

• determined whether we have the power to direct those activities; and

• determined whether we have the right to receive the benefits from, or the obligation to absorb the losses of, the 2009 Entity that could potentially be significant to the 2009 Entity.

To identify the activities of the 2009 Entity that most significantly impact the economic performance of the 2009 Entity, we analyzed various possible scenarios of private education loan portfolio performance. In our analysis, we made what we believe are conservative assumptions based on historical data for the following key variables:

• the composition of the credit profiles of the borrowers;

• the interest rates and fees charged on the loans;

• the default rates and the timing of defaults associated with similar types of loans; and

• the prepayment and the speed of repayment associated with similar types of loans.

We determined that the activities of the 2009 Entity that most significantly impact its economic performance involve:

• establishing the underwriting criteria of, and the interest rates and fees charged on, the private education loans acquired by the 2009 Entity; and

• the servicing (which includes the collection) of the private education loans owned by the 2009 Entity.

Based on our analysis, we concluded that we are not the primary beneficiary of the 2009 Entity, because we do not direct those activities. As a result, we are not required under ASC 810 to include the financial results of the 2009 Entity in our condensed consolidated financial statements for the three or nine months ended September 30, 2011. Our conclusion that we are not the primary beneficiary of the 2009 Entity did not change from the prior reporting period. Therefore, there was no effect on our condensed consolidated financial statements.

The carrying value of the Subordinated Note and the Revolving Note as of September 30, 2011 was approximately $18,000 and is included in Other assets on our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet.