FAIR VALUE OF FINANCIAL ASSETS AND LIABILITIES

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2012

FAIR VALUE OF FINANCIAL ASSETS AND LIABILITIES [Abstract]

FAIR VALUE OF FINANCIAL ASSETS AND LIABILITIES

NOTE 9. FAIR VALUE OF FINANCIAL ASSETS AND LIABILITIES

Authoritative guidance for financial assets and liabilities measured on a recurring basis applies to all financial assets and financial liabilities that are being measured and reported on a fair value basis. Fair value, as defined in the authoritative guidance, is the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. The authoritative guidance affects the fair value measurement of an investment with quoted market prices in an active market for identical instruments, which must be classified in one of the following categories:

Level 1 Inputs

These inputs come from quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.

Level 2 Inputs

These inputs are other than quoted prices that are observable for an asset or liability. These inputs include: quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets; quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in markets that are not active; inputs other than quoted prices that are observable for the asset or liability; and inputs that are derived principally from or corroborated by observable market data by correlation or other means.

Level 3 Inputs

These are unobservable inputs for the asset or liability which require the Company's own assumptions.

Financial assets and liabilities are classified based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement. Our assessment of the significance of a particular input to the fair value measurement requires judgment and may affect the valuation of the fair value of assets and liabilities and their placement within the fair value hierarchy levels.

The following presents the changes in Level 1 assets for the six months ended June 30, 2012 and 2011 (in thousands):

	2012	2011
Six Months Ended June 30
Fair value at January 1	$  1,679	-
Investment during period	105	-
Realized and unrealized gains (losses)   included in other comprehensive income	(468)	-
Fair value at June 30	$  1,316	-

During the fourth quarter of 2011, the Company paid $1,572,000 for an investment with quoted market prices in an active market.  At December 31, 2011, the market value of this investment was $1,679,000.  During 2012, the Company paid $105,000 for additional shares of this investment.  At June 30, 2012, the market value of the investment was $1,316,000.  The $468,000 decline in the market value during the six months ended June 30, 2012 was included in other comprehensive income in 2012.