Note 16. Commitments and Contingencies

3 Months Ended

Nov. 30, 2012

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Text Block]

16. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Commitments represent obligations, such as those for future purchases of goods or services that are not yet recorded on the balance sheet as liabilities. FactSet records liabilities for commitments when incurred (i.e., when the goods or services are received).

Lease Commitments

At November 30, 2012, the Company leases approximately 193,000 square feet of office space at its headquarters in Norwalk, Connecticut. In addition, FactSet leases office space for its U.S. reportable segment in New York, New York; Boston, Massachusetts; Chicago, Illinois; San Mateo, California; Austin, Texas; Jackson, Wyoming; Atlanta, Georgia; Tuscaloosa, Alabama; Newark, Ridgewood and Piscataway, New Jersey; Manchester, New Hampshire; and Reston, Virginia. The Company’s European segment operates in leased office space in London, England; Paris and Avon, France; Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Frankfurt, Germany; Dubai, United Arab Emirates; and Milan, Italy. Office space in Tokyo, Japan; Hong Kong; Mumbai, India; and Sydney, Australia are leased by FactSet for its Asia Pacific operating segment. The data content collection centers located in Hyderabad, India and Manila, the Philippines benefit all of the Companies operating segments. The leases expire on various dates through 2021. Total minimum rental payments associated with the leases are recorded as rent expense (a component of selling, general and administrative expenses) on a straight-line basis over the periods of the respective non-cancelable lease terms. At November 30, 2012, FactSet leases approximately 805,000 of office space, which the Company believes is adequate for its current needs and that additional space is available for lease to meet any future needs.

During the first quarter of fiscal 2013, FactSet relocated employees to newly built office space within Dubai and Hong Kong in order to support its growing local presence in each of those regions. The previously leased office spaces were exited by November 2012, concurrent with their expiration dates.

During the first three months of fiscal 2013, FactSet entered into the following new lease agreements:

· Avon, France: A new lease was signed during October 2012 to renew FactSet’s existing office space in Avon, France. The renewal results in incremental future minimum rental payments of $0.8 million over the non-cancelable lease term of 9 years.

· Milan, Italy: A new lease was entered into during November 2012 to renew FactSet’s existing office space in Milan, Italy. The renewal results in incremental future minimum rental payments of $0.4 million over the non-cancelable lease term of 2.3 years.

· Austin, TX: A new lease agreement was entered into during the first quarter of 2013 to expand FactSet’s existing office space in Austin, TX by approximately 3,467 square feet. The new lease results in incremental future minimum rental payments of $0.3 million over the non-cancelable lease term of 1.5 years.

During the three months ended November 30, 2012 and 2011, rent expense (including operating costs) for all operating leases amounted to $9.3 million and $8.4 million, respectively. Approximately $4.3 million of standby letters of credit have been issued during the ordinary course of business in connection with the Company’s current leased office space as of November 30, 2012.These standby letters of credit contain covenants that, among other things, require the Company to maintain minimum levels of consolidated net worth and certain leverage and fixed charge ratios. As of November 30, 2012, FactSet was in compliance with all covenants contained in the standby letters of credit.

At November 30, 2012, the Company’s lease commitments for office space provide for the following future minimum rental payments under non-cancelable operating leases with remaining terms in excess of one year (in thousands):

Years Ended August 31,	Minimum Lease Payments
2013 (remaining nine months)	$	21,035
2014		26,628
2015		22,057
2016		15,912
2017		14,616
Thereafter		36,049
Total	$	136,297

Purchase Commitments with Suppliers

Purchase obligations represent payment due in future periods in respect of commitments to the Company’s various data vendors as well as commitments to purchase goods and services such as telecommunication and computer maintenance services. These purchase commitments are agreements that are enforceable and legally binding on FactSet and that specify all significant terms, including: fixed or minimum quantities to be purchased; fixed, minimum or variable price provisions; and the approximate timing of the transaction. As of August 31, 2012, the Company had total purchase commitments of $52.2 million. There were no material changes in FactSet’s purchase commitments during the first three months of fiscal 2013.

Contingencies

Legal Matters

FactSet accrues non income-tax liabilities for contingencies when management believes that a loss is probable and the amounts can be reasonably estimated, while contingent gains are recognized only when realized. The Company is subject to legal proceedings, claims, and litigation arising in the ordinary course of business, including intellectual property litigation. Based on currently available information at November 30, 2012, FactSet’s management does not believe that the ultimate outcome of these unresolved matters against the Company, individually or in the aggregate, is likely to have a material adverse effect on the Company’s consolidated financial position, its results of operations or its cash flows.

Income Taxes

Uncertain income tax positions are accounted for in accordance with applicable accounting guidance (see Note 15). FactSet is currently under audit by multiple tax authorities. The Company has reserved for potential adjustments to its provision for income taxes that may result from examinations by, or any negotiated agreements with, these tax authorities, and the Company believes that the final outcome of these examinations or agreements will not have a material effect on its results of operations. If events occur which indicate payment of these amounts is unnecessary, the reversal of the liabilities would result in the recognition of tax benefits in the period FactSet determines the liabilities are no longer necessary. If the Company’s estimates of the federal, state, and foreign income tax liabilities are less than the ultimate assessment, a further charge to expense would result.

Indemnifications

As permitted or required under Delaware law and to the maximum extent allowable under that law, FactSet has certain obligations to indemnify its current and former officers and directors for certain events or occurrences while the officer or director is, or was serving, at FactSet’s request in such capacity. These indemnification obligations are valid as long as the director or officer acted in good faith and in a manner the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Company, and with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe his or her conduct was unlawful. The maximum potential amount of future payments FactSet could be required to make under these indemnification obligations is unlimited; however, FactSet has a director and officer insurance policy that should mitigate FactSet's exposure and enables FactSet to recover a portion of any future amounts paid. The Company believes the estimated fair value of these indemnification obligations is not material.

Concentrations of Credit Risk

Cash equivalents - Cash and cash equivalents are maintained with several financial institutions. Deposits held with banks may exceed the amount of insurance provided on such deposits. These deposits may be redeemed upon demand and are maintained with financial institutions with reputable credit and therefore bear minimal credit risk. The Company seeks to mitigate its credit risks by spreading such risks across multiple counterparties and monitoring the risk profiles of these counterparties.

Accounts Receivable - Accounts receivable are unsecured and are derived from revenues earned from clients located around the globe. FactSet performs ongoing credit evaluations of its clients and does not require collateral from its clients. The Company maintains reserves for potential write-offs and these losses have historically been within expectations. No single client represented 10% or more of FactSet’s total revenues in any period presented. At November 30, 2012, the Company’s largest individual client accounted for 2% of total subscriptions and annual subscriptions from the ten largest clients did not surpass 16% of total client subscriptions, consistent with August 31, 2012. At November 30, 2012 and August 31, 2012, the receivable reserve was $1.7 and $1.8 million, respectively.

Derivative Instruments - As a result of the use of derivative instruments, the Company is exposed to counterparty credit risk. FactSet has incorporated counterparty risk into the fair value of its derivative assets and its own credit risk into the value of the Company’s derivative liabilities. FactSet calculates credit risk from observable data related to credit default swaps as quoted by publicly available information. Counterparty risk is represented by CDS spreads related to the senior secured debt of the respective bank with whom FactSet has executed these derivative transactions. Because CDS spread information is not available for FactSet, the Company’s credit risk is determined based on using a simple average of CDS spreads for peer companies as determined by FactSet. To mitigate counterparty credit risk, FactSet enters into contracts with large financial institutions and regularly reviews its credit exposure balances as well as the creditworthiness of the counterparties.