Contingencies And Commitments

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2013

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Contingencies And Commitments

Contingencies and Commitments

Asbestos-related product liability claims continue to be filed against two of our subsidiaries-Spence Engineering Company, Inc. (“Spence”), the stock of which we acquired in 1984; and Circor Instrumentation Technologies, Inc. (f/k/a Hoke Incorporated) (“Hoke”), the stock of which we acquired in 1998. Due to the nature of the products supplied by these entities, the markets they serve and our historical experience in resolving these claims, we do not believe that these asbestos-related claims will have a material adverse effect on the financial condition, results of operations or liquidity of Spence or Hoke, or the financial condition, consolidated results of operations or liquidity of the Company.

During the third quarter of 2011, we commenced arbitration proceedings against T.M.W. Corporation (“TMW”), the seller from which we acquired the assets of Castle Precision Industries in August 2010, seeking to recover damages from TMW for breaches of certain representations and warranties made by TMW in the Asset Purchase Agreement dated August 3, 2010 relative to such acquisition. We currently are in the discovery phase of this arbitration and expect the actual hearings to occur in the third quarter of 2013 at the earliest. Early in the third quarter of 2012 we also commenced arbitration proceedings against the individuals from whom we purchased SF Valves for breaches of certain representations and warranties made in the Stock Purchase Agreement dated February 4, 2011.

We are currently involved in various legal claims and legal proceedings, some of which may involve substantial dollar amounts. Periodically, we review the status of each significant matter and assess our potential financial exposure. If the potential loss from any claim or legal proceeding is considered probable and the amount can be estimated, we accrue a liability for the estimated loss. Significant judgment is required in both the determination of probability and the determination as to whether an exposure can be reasonably estimated. Because of uncertainties related to these matters, accruals are based on the best information available at the time. As additional information becomes available, we reassess the potential liability related to our pending claims and litigation and may revise our estimates. Such revisions in the estimates of the potential liabilities could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial position.

Standby Letters of Credit

We execute standby letters of credit, which include bid bonds and performance bonds, in the normal course of business to ensure our performance or payments to third parties. The aggregate notional value of these instruments was $50.3 million at March 31, 2013. Our historical experience with these types of instruments has been good and no claims have been paid in the current or past five fiscal years. We believe that the likelihood of demand for payments relating to the outstanding instruments is remote. These instruments generally have expiration dates ranging from less than 1 month to 5 years from March 31, 2013.

The following table contains information related to standby letters of credit instruments outstanding as of March 31, 2013 (In thousands):

Term Remaining	Maximum Potential Future  Payments
0–12 months	$	39,376
Greater than 12 months	10,934
Total	$	50,310