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Long-term Debt
6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2011
Long-term Debt [Abstract]  
Long-Term Debt
(2) LONG-TERM DEBT —
          At June 30, 2011, long-term debt was comprised of:
         
    (In thousands)  
Bank credit facility
  $ 95,000  
83/8% Senior Notes due 2017
    296,640  
73/4% Senior Notes due 2019
    300,000  
 
     
 
  $ 691,640  
 
     
          The Company has a $850.0 million bank credit facility with Bank of Montreal, as the administrative agent. The credit facility is a five-year revolving credit commitment that matures on November 30, 2015. Indebtedness under the credit facility is secured by substantially all of Comstock’s assets and is guaranteed by all of its wholly owned subsidiaries. The credit facility is subject to borrowing base availability, which is redetermined semiannually based on the banks’ estimates of the Company’s future net cash flows of oil and natural gas properties. The borrowing base may be affected by the performance of Comstock’s properties and changes in oil and natural gas prices. The determination of the borrowing base is at the sole discretion of the administrative agent and the bank group. As of June 30, 2011, the borrowing base was $500.0 million, $405.0 million of which was available. Borrowings under the credit facility bear interest, based on the utilization of the borrowing base, at Comstock’s option at either (1) LIBOR plus 1.75% to 2.75% or (2) the base rate (which is the higher of the administrative agent’s prime rate, the federal funds rate plus 0.5% or 30 day LIBOR plus 1.0%) plus 0.75% to 1.75%. A commitment fee of 0.5% is payable annually on the unused borrowing base. The credit facility contains covenants that, among other things, restrict the payment of cash dividends in excess of $50.0 million, limit the amount of consolidated debt that Comstock may incur and limit the Company’s ability to make certain loans and investments. The only financial covenants are the maintenance of a ratio of current assets, including availability under the bank credit facility, to current liabilities of at least one-to-one and maintenance of a minimum tangible net worth. The Company was in compliance with these covenants as of June 30, 2011.
          On March 14, 2011, Comstock issued $300.0 million of senior notes (the “2019 Notes”) pursuant to an underwritten public offering. The 2019 Notes are due on April 1, 2019 and bear interest at 73/4%, which is payable semiannually on each April 1 and October 1. The 2019 Notes are unsecured obligations of Comstock and are guaranteed by all of the Company’s material subsidiaries. Comstock also has $300.0 million of 83/8% senior notes outstanding which mature on October 15, 2017 (the “2017 Notes”). Interest on the 2017 Notes is payable semiannually on each April 15 and October 15. The 2017 Notes are also unsecured obligations of Comstock and are guaranteed by all of Comstock’s material subsidiaries. The subsidiary guarantors are 100% owned and all of the guarantees are full and conditional and joint and several. As of June 30, 2011, Comstock had no material assets or operations which are independent of its subsidiaries. There are no restrictions on the ability of Comstock to obtain funds from its subsidiaries through dividends or loans.
          On January 1, 2011, Comstock had $172.0 million in principal amount of 67/8% senior notes outstanding due on March 1, 2012 (the “2012 Notes”). In 2011 Comstock redeemed all of the 2012 Notes for $172.4 million. The early extinguishment of the 2012 Notes resulted in a loss of $1.1 million which is included in interest expense in the consolidated financial statements. This loss is comprised of the premium paid for the redemption of the 2012 Notes, the costs incurred related to the tender offer, and the write-off of unamortized debt issuance costs related to the 2012 Notes.