Basis Of Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2012

Basis Of Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements [Abstract]

Basis Of Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements

Note 1 – Basis of Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements

Spin off

First American Financial Corporation (the "Company") became a publicly traded company following its spin-off from its prior parent, The First American Corporation ("TFAC"), on June 1, 2010 (the "Separation"). On that date, TFAC distributed all of the Company's outstanding shares to the record date shareholders of TFAC on a one-for-one basis (the "Distribution"). After the Distribution, the Company owned TFAC's financial services businesses and TFAC, which reincorporated and assumed the name CoreLogic, Inc. ("CoreLogic"), continued to own its information solutions businesses.

Basis of Presentation

The condensed consolidated financial information included in this report has been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States for interim financial information and Article 10 of Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") Regulation S-X. The principles for condensed interim financial information do not require the inclusion of all the information and footnotes required by generally accepted accounting principles for complete financial statements. Therefore, these financial statements should be read in conjunction with the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011. The condensed consolidated financial statements included herein are unaudited; however, in the opinion of management, they contain all normal recurring adjustments necessary for a fair statement of the consolidated results for the interim periods. Certain 2011 amounts have been reclassified to conform to the 2012 presentation.

Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements

In October 2010, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued updated guidance related to accounting for costs associated with acquiring or renewing insurance contracts. The updated guidance modifies the definition of the types of costs incurred by insurance entities that can be capitalized in the acquisition of new and renewal contracts. Under the updated guidance only costs based on successful efforts (that is, acquiring a new or renewal contract) including direct-response advertising costs are eligible for capitalization. The updated guidance is effective for the interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2011. The adoption of the guidance, on a prospective basis, did not have a material impact on the Company's condensed consolidated financial statements.

In May 2011, the FASB issued updated guidance that is intended to improve the comparability of fair value measurements presented and disclosed in financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles and International Financial Reporting Standards. The amendments are of two types: (i) those that clarify the FASB's intent about the application of existing fair value measurement and disclosure requirements and (ii) those that change a particular principle or requirement for measuring fair value or for disclosing information about fair value measurements. The updated guidance is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2011. Except for the disclosure requirements, the adoption of the guidance had no impact on the Company's condensed consolidated financial statements.

In June 2011, the FASB issued updated guidance that is intended to increase the prominence of other comprehensive income in financial statements. The updated guidance eliminates the option to present the components of other comprehensive income as part of the statement of changes in stockholders' equity, and requires either consecutive presentation of the statement of net income and other comprehensive income or in a single continuous statement of comprehensive income. The updated guidance is effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2011. The adoption of the guidance had no impact on the Company's condensed consolidated financial statements.

Pending Accounting Pronouncements

In December 2011, the FASB issued updated guidance requiring entities to disclose both gross information and net information about both instruments and transactions eligible for offset in the statement of financial position and instruments and transactions subject to an agreement similar to a master netting arrangement. The updated guidance is effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning on or after January 1, 2013. Except for the disclosure requirements, management does not expect the adoption of this guidance to have a material impact on the Company's condensed consolidated financial statements.