Fair Value of Financial Instruments

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2014

15. Fair Value of Financial Instruments

The following method and assumptions were used to estimate the fair value of each class of financial instruments for which it is practical to estimate the fair value.

Cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable and accounts payable—The carrying amount approximates fair value. The valuation is based on settlements of similar financial instruments all of which are short-term in nature and generally settled at or near cost. Cash is measured at Level 1.

Investment securities—The fair value of investment securities is based on quoted market prices. Investment securities are included in other assets on the consolidated balance sheets.

Debt—The fair value of debt is based on the value at which debt is trading among holders.

The estimated fair value of financial instruments is as follows (dollars in thousands):

	Carrying Value		Fair Value
December 31, 2014
Assets—investment in U.S. Treasury obligations	$	808	$	808
Liabilities—long-term debt (carried at amortized cost)		292,423		296,908
December 31, 2013
Assets—investment in U.S. Treasury obligations	$	807	$	807
Liabilities—long-term debt (carried at amortized cost)		294,679		299,886

Fair Value Measurements

Fair value for accounting purposes 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 (exit price).

Accounting standards establish a fair value hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs used to measure fair value. The hierarchy gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1 measurement) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3 measurement). Assets measured at fair value on a recurring basis represent investment securities included in other assets. Liabilities carried at amortized cost with fair value disclosure on a recurring basis represent long-term debt. A summary is as follows (dollars in thousands):

	December 31, 2014		December 31, 2013
Asset value measurements using:
Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets (Level 1)	$	808	$	807
Significant other observable inputs (Level 2)		—		—
Significant unobservable inputs (Level 3)		—		—

	$	808	$	807


Liability value measurements using:
Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets (Level 1)	$	—	$	—
Significant other observable inputs (Level 2)		296,908		299,886
Significant unobservable inputs (Level 3)		—		—

	$	296,908	$	299,886

Assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a non-recurring basis for the year ended December 31, 2013 and 2012 represent those recognized in conjunction with the acquisition of SystemMetrics and Wavecom, respectively. A summary of the valued assets and liabilities is included in Note 3 including a discussion of the valuation methodology. The majority of assets and liabilities were valued using level 3 unobservable inputs.

- 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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