Commitments and Contingencies

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2017

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Commitments and Contingencies

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Letters of Credit and Surety Bonds — We are committed, under various letters of credit and surety bonds, to perform certain development and construction activities and provide certain guarantees in the normal course of business. Outstanding letters of credit and surety bonds under these arrangements totaled $298.0 million and $302.8 million as of March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively. Although significant development and construction activities have been completed related to these site improvements, the bonds are generally not released until all development and construction activities are completed. We do not believe that it is probable that any outstanding bonds as of March 31, 2017 will be drawn upon.

Legal Proceedings — We are involved in various litigation and legal claims in the normal course of our business operations, including actions brought on behalf of various classes of claimants. We are also subject to a variety of local, state, and federal laws and regulations related to land development activities, house construction standards, sales practices, mortgage lending operations, employment practices, and protection of the environment. As a result, we are subject to periodic examination or inquiry by various governmental agencies that administer these laws and regulations. We establish liabilities for legal claims and regulatory matters when such matters are both probable of occurring and any potential loss is reasonably estimable. At March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, our legal accruals were $4.7 million and $4.4 million, respectively. We accrue for such matters based on the facts and circumstances specific to each matter and revise these estimates as the matters evolve. In such cases, there may exist an exposure to loss in excess of any amounts currently accrued. In view of the inherent difficulty of predicting the outcome of these legal and regulatory matters, we generally cannot predict the ultimate resolution of the pending matters, the related timing or the eventual loss. While the outcome of such contingencies cannot be predicted with certainty, we do not believe that the resolution of such matters will have a material adverse impact on our results of operations, financial position, or cash flows. However, to the extent the liability arising from the ultimate resolution of any matter exceeds the estimates reflected in the recorded reserves relating to such matter, we could incur additional charges that could be significant.

Commitments to Extend Credit — We enter into IRLCs with customers who have applied for mortgage loans and meet certain credit and underwriting criteria. These commitments expose us to market risk if interest rates change and the underlying loan is not economically hedged or committed to an investor. We also are exposed to credit loss if the loan is originated and not sold to an investor and the borrower does not perform. The collateral upon extension of credit typically consists of first deed of trust in the mortgagor's property. Commitments to originated loans do not necessarily reflect future cash requirements as some commitments are expected to expire without being drawn upon. Total commitments to originate loans approximated $175.9 million as of March 31, 2017.