Financing and Long-term Debt

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2011

Financing and Long-term Debt [Abstract]

Financing and Long-term Debt

5. Financing and Long-term Debt

Loans payable and current portion of long-term debt consisted of the following:

	September 30,		December 31,
	2011		2010
	(Dollars in thousands)
Loans payable to banks	$	809	$	709
Domestic accounts receivable asset securitization program		45,000		—
International accounts receivable sales programs		9,659		—
Current portion of long-term debt		2,929		2,871
Total loans payable and current portion of long-term debt	$	58,397	$	3,580

Long-term debt consisted of the following:

	September 30,			December 31,
	2011			2010
	(Dollars in thousands)
7.875% Senior Notes	$	250,000		$	250,000
6.50% Convertible Senior Notes, net of unamortized discounts		34,007			33,368
Revolving credit facility		13,110			—
Capitalized lease obligations		5,161			6,177
Other notes		5,367			4,297
Total long-term debt		307,645			293,842
Less current portion		(2,929	)		(2,871	)
Total long-term debt, less current portion	$	304,716		$	290,971

Receivable Sales Programs

We have an asset securitization program for Ferro’s U.S. trade accounts receivable. In May 2011, we made certain modifications to and extended the maturity of this credit facility through May 2012. We sell interests in our domestic receivables to various purchasers, and we may obtain up to $50.0 million in the form of cash or letters of credit. Advances received under this program are accounted for as borrowings secured by the receivables and included in net cash provided by financing activities. At September 30, 2011, advances received of $45.0 million were secured by $115.9 million of accounts receivable. The interest rate under this program is the sum of (A) either (1) commercial paper rates, (2) LIBOR rates, or (3) the federal funds rate plus 0.5% or the prime rate and (B) a fixed margin. At September 30, 2011, the interest rate was 0.6%. We had no borrowings under this program at December 31, 2010.

In 2011, we entered into several international programs to sell with recourse trade accounts receivable to financial institutions. Advances received under these programs are accounted for as borrowings secured by the receivables and included in net cash provided by financing activities. At September 30, 2011, the commitments supporting these programs totaled $18.7 million, the advances received were secured by $11.8 million of accounts receivable, and no additional borrowings were available under the programs. The interest rates under these programs are based on EURIBOR rates plus 1.75%. At September 30, 2011, the weighted-average interest rate was 3.2%.

Prior to 2011, we maintained several international programs to sell without recourse trade accounts receivable to financial institutions. Advances received under these programs were accounted for as proceeds from the sales of receivables and included in net cash provided by operating activities. In the first quarter of 2011, these programs expired or were terminated. Ferro had received net proceeds under these programs of $3.4 million at December 31, 2010, for outstanding receivables.

7.875% Senior Notes

The Senior Notes were issued in 2010 at par, bear interest at a rate of 7.875% per year, payable semi-annually in arrears on February 15 and August 15 of each year, beginning February 15, 2011, and mature on August 15, 2018. We may redeem some or all of the Senior Notes beginning August 15, 2014, at prices ranging from 100% to 103.938% of the principal amount. In addition, through August 15, 2013, we may redeem up to 35% of the Senior Notes at a price equal to 107.875% of the principal amount using proceeds of certain equity offerings. We may also redeem some or all of the Senior Notes prior to August 15, 2014, at a price equal to the principal amount plus a defined applicable premium. The applicable premium on any redemption date is the greater of 1.0% of the principal amount of the note or the excess of (1) the present value at such redemption date of the redemption price of the note at August 15, 2014, plus all required interest payments due on the note through August 15, 2014, computed using a discount rate equal to the Treasury Rate as of the redemption date plus 50 basis points; over (2) the principal amount of the note.

The Senior Notes are unsecured obligations and rank equally in right of payment with any other unsecured, unsubordinated obligations. The Senior Notes contain certain affirmative and negative covenants customary for high-yield debt securities, including, but not limited to, restrictions on our ability to incur additional debt, create liens, pay dividends or make other distributions or repurchase our common stock and sell assets outside the ordinary course of business. At September 30, 2011, we were in compliance with the covenants under the Senior Notes’ indenture.

6.50% Convertible Senior Notes

The Convertible Notes were issued in 2008, bear interest at a rate of 6.5% per year, payable semi-annually in arrears on February 15th and August 15th of each year, and mature on August 15, 2013. We separately account for the liability and equity components of the Convertible Notes in a manner that, when interest cost is recognized in subsequent periods, will reflect our nonconvertible debt borrowing rate at the time the Convertible Notes were issued. The effective interest rate on the liability component is 9.5%. Under certain circumstances, holders of the Convertible Notes may convert their notes prior to maturity. The Convertible Notes are unsecured obligations and rank equally in right of payment with any other unsecured, unsubordinated obligations. The principal amount outstanding was $35.8 million at September 30, 2011, and $35.8 million at December 31, 2010. At September 30, 2011, we were in compliance with the covenants under the Convertible Notes’ indenture.

2010 Credit Facility

In 2010, we entered into the Third Amended and Restated Credit Agreement with a group of lenders for a five-year, $350 million multi-currency senior revolving credit facility (the “2010 Credit Facility”). The interest rate under the 2010 Credit Facility is the sum of (A) either (1) LIBOR or (2) the higher of the Federal Funds Rate plus 0.5%, the Prime Rate, or LIBOR plus 1.0% and (B) a variable margin based on the Company’s leverage. At September 30, 2011, the interest rate was 3.0%. We had no borrowings under this facility at December 31, 2010. The 2010 Credit Facility matures on August 24, 2015, and is secured by substantially all of Ferro’s assets.

We are subject to a number of financial covenants under our 2010 Credit Facility, which are discussed in Note 6 within Item 8 of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010. At September 30, 2011, we were in compliance with the covenants of the 2010 Credit Facility.

Our ability to pay common stock dividends is limited by certain covenants in our 2010 Credit Facility and the bond indenture governing the Senior Notes. The covenant in our 2010 Credit Facility is the more limiting of the two covenants and is described in Note 6 within Item 8 of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010.