Fair Value of Financial Instruments

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2016

NOTE 3. FAIR VALUE OF FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS

The accounting guidance for fair value measurements defines fair value, establishes a market-based framework or hierarchy for measuring fair value and expands disclosures about fair value measurements. The guidance is applicable whenever assets and liabilities are measured and included in the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements at fair value. The fair value of a financial instrument is the amount that could be received upon the sale of an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. Financial assets are marked to bid prices and financial liabilities are marked to offer prices. Fair value measurements do not include transaction costs. The fair value hierarchy prioritizes the quality and reliability of the information used to determine fair values. Categorization within the fair value hierarchy is based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement. The fair value hierarchy is defined into the following three categories:

Level 1: Quoted market prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.

Level 2: Inputs that reflect quoted prices for identical assets or liabilities in less active markets; quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets; benchmark yields, reported trades, broker/dealer quotes, inputs other than quoted prices that are observable for the assets or liabilities; or inputs that are derived principally from or corroborated by observable market data by correlation or other means.

Level 3: Unobservable inputs that reflect our own assumptions incorporated in valuation techniques used to measure fair value. These assumptions are required to be consistent with market participant assumptions that are reasonably available.

Assets Measured at Fair Value on a Recurring Basis:

The following table summarizes our investments measured at fair value on a recurring basis using the above input categories. As of September 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015, we did not hold any Level 3 assets, and our Level 1 and Level 2 holdings were as follows (in thousands):

	September 30, 2016						December 31, 2015
	Level 1		Level 2		Total		Level 1		Level 2		Total
Cash equivalents:
Money market funds	$	28,382	$	-	$	28,382	$	4,071	$	-	$	4,071
Commercial paper		-		-		-		-		999		999
Total cash equivalents		28,382		-		28,382		4,071		999		5,070
Investments:
Commercial paper		-		17,852		17,852		-		27,846		27,846
Corporate debt securities		-		17,936		17,936		-		45,830		45,830
Municipal bonds		-		2,511		2,511		-		1,433		1,433
Total investments		-		38,299		38,299		-		75,109		75,109
Total assets measured at fair value	$	28,382	$	38,299	$	66,681	$	4,071	$	76,108	$	80,179

Fair Value Measurements

Money Market Funds – We value our money market funds using quoted active market prices for such funds.

Commercial paper, Corporate debt securities, and Municipal bonds – The fair value of these securities are estimated using observable market prices for identical securities that may be traded in less-active markets, if available. When observable market prices for identical securities are not available, we value these securities using non-binding market price quotes from brokers which we review for reasonableness using observable market data; quoted prices for similar instruments; or pricing models, such as a discounted cash flows.

Other Financial Instruments

The carrying amounts of cash and cash equivalents (other than investments recorded on a fair value basis disclosed above), accounts and other receivables, and trade accounts payable approximate fair value because of the immediate or short-term maturities of these financial instruments.

The fair value of the Convertible Notes is considered to be a Level 2 measurement because it is based on a recent bid price quote for the Convertible Notes, reflecting activity in a less than active market. The carrying value and estimated fair value of our Convertible Notes are as follows (in thousands):

	September 30, 2016				December 31, 2015
	Carrying Value		Estimated Fair Value		Carrying Value		Estimated Fair Value
Convertible notes	$	85,215	$	138,792	$	81,985	$	108,330

- Definition

The entire disclosure for the fair value of financial instruments (as defined), including financial assets and financial liabilities (collectively, as defined), and the measurements of those instruments as well as disclosures related to the fair value of non-financial assets and liabilities. Such disclosures about the financial instruments, assets, and liabilities would include: (1) the fair value of the required items together with their carrying amounts (as appropriate); (2) for items for which it is not practicable to estimate fair value, disclosure would include: (a) information pertinent to estimating fair value (including, carrying amount, effective interest rate, and maturity, and (b) the reasons why it is not practicable to estimate fair value; (3) significant concentrations of credit risk including: (a) information about the activity, region, or economic characteristics identifying a concentration, (b) the maximum amount of loss the entity is exposed to based on the gross fair value of the related item, (c) policy for requiring collateral or other security and information as to accessing such collateral or security, and (d) the nature and brief description of such collateral or security; (4) quantitative information about market risks and how such risks are managed; (5) for items measured on both a recurring and nonrecurring basis information regarding the inputs used to develop the fair value measurement; and (6) for items presented in the financial statement for which fair value measurement is elected: (a) information necessary to understand the reasons for the election, (b) discussion of the effect of fair value changes on earnings, (c) a description of [similar groups] items for which the election is made and the relation thereof to the balance sheet, the aggregate carrying value of items included in the balance sheet that are not eligible for the election; (7) all other required (as defined) and desired information.

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