DERIVATIVE INSTRUMENTS AND HEDGING ACTIVITIES

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2013

DERIVATIVE INSTRUMENTS AND HEDGING ACTIVITIES [Abstract]

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosure [Text Block]

DERIVATIVE INSTRUMENTS AND HEDGING ACTIVITIES

The Company is exposed to certain risks arising from both its business operations and economic conditions. The Company principally manages its exposures to a wide variety of business and operational risks through management of its core business activities. The Company manages economic risk, including interest rate, liquidity and credit risk primarily by managing the amount, sources, and duration of its debt funding and, to a limited extent, the use of derivative instruments.

Specifically, the Company has entered into derivative instruments to manage exposures that arise from business activities that result in the payment of future known and uncertain cash amounts, the value of which are determined by interest rates. The Company's derivative instruments, described below, are used to manage differences in the amount, timing, and duration of the Company's known or expected cash payments principally related to certain of the Company's borrowings.

The Company's objective in using interest rate derivatives is to manage exposure to interest rate movements and add stability to interest expense. To accomplish this objective, the Company uses interest rate swaps as part of its interest rate risk management strategy. Interest rate swaps designated as cash flow hedges involve the receipt of variable-rate amounts from a counterparty in exchange for the Company making fixed-rate payments over the life of the agreements without exchange of the underlying notional amount. 

The Company currently has one $80,000,000 interest rate swap outstanding that is used to hedge the variable cash flows associated with an $80,000,000 unsecured loan. Both the swap and the unsecured loan were executed during the third quarter of 2012. The interest rate swap converts the loan's LIBOR rate to a fixed interest rate, and the Company has concluded that the hedging relationship is highly effective. The effective portion of changes in the fair value of derivatives designated and qualifying as cash flow hedges is recorded in Other Comprehensive Income and is subsequently reclassified into earnings in the period that the hedged forecasted transaction affects earnings. The ineffective portion of the change in fair value of the derivatives, which is immaterial for the periods reported, is recognized directly in earnings (included in Other on the Consolidated Statements of Income and Comprehensive Income).

Amounts reported in Other Comprehensive Income related to derivatives will be reclassified to Interest Expense as interest payments are made on the Company's variable-rate debt. The Company estimates that an additional $567,000 will be reclassified from Other Comprehensive Income as an increase to Interest Expense over the next twelve months.

As of January 1, 2013, the Company changed its valuation methodology for over-the-counter (“OTC”) derivatives to discount cash flows based on Overnight Index Swap (“OIS”) rates.  Uncollateralized or partially-collateralized trades are discounted at OIS, but include appropriate economic adjustments for funding costs (i.e., a LIBOR-OIS basis adjustment to approximate uncollateralized cost of funds) and credit risk.  The Company is making the changes to better align its inputs, assumptions, and pricing methodologies with those used in its principal market by most dealers and major market participants.  The changes in valuation methodology are applied prospectively as a change in accounting estimate and are immaterial to the Company's financial statements.

As of June 30, 2013 and December 31, 2012, the Company had the following outstanding interest rate derivative that is designated as a cash flow hedge of interest rate risk:

Interest Rate Derivative	Notional Amount
Interest Rate Swap	$80,000,000

The table below presents the fair value of the Company's derivative financial instrument as well as its classification on the Consolidated Balance Sheets as of June 30, 2013 and December 31, 2012. See Note 17 for additional information on the fair value of the Company's interest rate swap.

	Derivatives As of June 30, 2013			Derivatives As of December 31, 2012
	Balance Sheet Location	Fair Value		Balance Sheet Location	Fair Value
Derivatives designated as cash flow hedges:
Interest rate swaps	Other Assets	$	1,744,000	Other Liabilities	$	645,000

The table below presents the effect of the Company's derivative financial instruments on the Consolidated Statements of Income and Comprehensive Income for the three and six months ended June 30, 2013 and 2012:

	Three Months Ended June 30,				Six Months Ended June 30,
	2013			2012	2013		2012
	(In thousands)
DERIVATIVES IN CASH FLOW HEDGING RELATIONSHIPS
Interest Rate Swaps:
Amount of income recognized in Other Comprehensive Income on derivative	$	1,966		—	2,039		—
Amount of loss reclassified from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) into Interest Expense	(152		)	—	(301	)	—

See Note 11 for additional information on the Company's Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) resulting from its interest rate swap.

Derivative financial agreements expose the Company to credit risk in the event of non-performance by the counterparties under the terms of the interest rate hedge agreements. The Company believes it minimizes the credit risk by transacting with major credit-worthy financial institutions.

The Company has an agreement with its derivative counterparty containing a provision stating that the Company could be declared in default on its derivative obligations if the Company defaults on any of its indebtedness, including default where repayment of the indebtedness has not been accelerated by the lender.

As of June 30, 2013, the fair value of derivatives in an asset position related to these agreements was $1,744,000. If the Company breached any of the contractual provisions of the derivative contract, it would be required to settle its obligation under the agreement at the swap termination value. As of June 30, 2013, the swap termination value was an asset in the amount of $1,800,000.