Other Financial Statement Disclosures

Accounts Receivable – The following table sets forth the components of Receivables - trade and other (in thousands):



	September 30, 2014		December 31, 2013
Trade	$	433,997	$	323,679
Income tax	62,590		6,759
Other	13,607		14,108
Total receivables - trade and other	$	510,194	$	344,546

During the third quarter of 2014, we reached a settlement agreement with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service in connection with U.S. tax return issues of certain prior year periods. As a result of the agreement, we recognized an income tax receivable at September 30, 2014, in the amount of $35 million, which we collected in the fourth quarter of 2014. The remainder of the increase in tax receivables is primarily attributable to $29 million for overpayment of 2013 U.S. federal income taxes.

Assets of Discontinued Operations – In February 2014, the Company sold a land rig it retained in the 2011 sale of its manufacturing operations. The net carrying value was $4.1 million, consisting of a $24.2 million asset previously classified as assets of discontinued operations, less $20.1 million of deferred revenues previously classified as liabilities of discontinued operations. The Company received $6.0 million in cash resulting in a $4.0 million gain, net of tax effects. The gain is classified as discontinued operations in the condensed consolidated statement of income for the nine months ended September 30, 2014.

Long-term Debt – On January 15, 2014, Rowan plc, as guarantor, and its 100%-owned subsidiary, Rowan Companies, Inc. ("RCI"), as issuer, completed the issuance and sale in a public offering of $400 million aggregate principal amount of 4.75% Senior Notes due 2024 at a price to the public of 99.898% of the principal amount (the "2024 Notes"), and $400 million aggregate principal amount of 5.85% Senior Notes due 2044 at a price to the public of 99.972% of the principal amount (the "2044 Notes," and together, the "notes"). Net proceeds of the offering were approximately $792 million, which the Company intends to use in its rig construction program and for general corporate purposes.

Interest on the notes is payable on January 15 and July 15 of each year, beginning on July 15, 2014. No principal payments are due with respect to the 2024 Notes or the 2044 Notes until their final maturity date of January 15, 2024 and 2044, respectively.

The notes are redeemable in whole or in part at any time at a price equal to 100% of the principal amount plus a make-whole premium and accrued and unpaid interest to the redemption date for redemptions prior to October 15, 2023, with respect to the 2024 Notes, and prior to July 15, 2043, with respect to the 2044 Notes. On or after such dates, the notes may be redeemed at a price of 100% plus accrued and unpaid interest to the redemption date.

The notes are fully and unconditionally guaranteed on a senior and unsecured basis by Rowan plc.

On January 23, 2014, the Company amended and restated its credit agreement to increase the borrowing capacity under the revolving credit facility from $750 million to $1.0 billion, among other things. There were no amounts drawn under the revolving credit facility at September 30, 2014.

Fair Values of Financial Instruments – Fair value is defined as the exchange price that would be received for an asset or paid to transfer a liability (an exit price) in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability in an orderly transaction between market participants on the measurement date. The fair value hierarchy prescribed by US GAAP requires an entity to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs when measuring fair value. The three levels of inputs that may be used to measure fair value are:


•	Level 1 – Quoted prices for identical instruments in active markets,


•	Level 2 – Quoted market prices for similar instruments in active markets; quoted prices for identical instruments in markets that are not active, and model-derived valuations in which all significant inputs and significant value drivers are observable in active markets and


•	Level 3 – Valuations derived from valuation techniques in which one or more significant inputs or significant value drivers are unobservable, such as those used in pricing models or discounted cash flow methodologies, for example.

A financial instrument’s level within the fair value hierarchy is based on the lowest level of any input that is significant to the fair value measurement.

Certain of our assets and liabilities are required to be measured at fair value on a recurring basis. Assets and liabilities measured at fair value are summarized below (in thousands):



			Estimated fair value measurements
	Carrying value		Quoted prices in active markets (Level 1)		Significant other observable inputs (Level 2)		Significant other unobservable inputs (Level 3)
September 30, 2014:
Assets - cash equivalents	$	663,297	$	663,297	$	—	$	—

December 31, 2013:
Assets - cash equivalents	$	1,063,500	$	1,063,500	$	—	$	—

Trade receivables and trade payables, which are also required to be measured at fair value, have carrying values that approximate their fair values due to their short maturities.

Those financial instruments not required to be measured at fair value consist of the Company’s publicly traded debt securities. Fair values of the Company’s debt securities were provided by one to two brokers who make a market in our debt securities and were measured using a market-approach valuation technique. Fair value was determined by adding a spread based on actual trades for that security (or a trader quote where actual trades were unavailable) to the applicable benchmark Treasury security with a comparable maturity, in order to derive a current yield. The yield is then used to determine a price given the individual security’s coupon rate and maturity. Such inputs are considered “significant other observable inputs,” which are categorized as Level 2 inputs in the fair value hierarchy. Estimated fair values and related carrying values of our long-term debt securities are shown below (in thousands):



	September 30, 2014				December 31, 2013
	Fair value		Carrying value		Fair value		Carrying value

5% Senior Notes, due 2017	$	431,153	$	399,173	$	433,879	$	398,961
7.875% Senior Notes, due 2019	603,258		498,418		603,177		498,171
4.875% Senior Notes, due 2022	731,136		712,035		711,816		713,208
4.75% Senior Notes, due 2024	406,284		399,621		—		—
5.4% Senior Notes, due 2042	378,314		398,402		368,602		398,360
5.85% Senior Notes, due 2044	400,405		399,891		—		—
	$	2,950,550	$	2,807,540	$	2,117,474	$	2,008,700

Shareholders' Equity – The Company had accumulated other comprehensive losses (AOCL) totaling $135.5 million and $210.1 million at September 30, 2014 and 2013, respectively, which were solely attributable to pension and other postemployment benefits (OPEB). The following sets forth the significant amounts reclassified out of each component of AOCL. The amounts reclassified are included in the computation of net periodic pension costs. (See Note 3 – Pension and Other Postemployment Benefits.) Amounts in parentheses indicate debits to income (in thousands):



	Three months ended September 30,						Nine months ended September 30,
	2014			2013			2014			2013

Amortization of pension and OPEB items:
Actuarial gains (losses)	$	(4,909	)	$	(6,924	)	$	(14,570	)	$	(20,553	)
Prior service costs	1,142			1,230			3,390			3,652
Total before tax	(3,767		)	(5,694		)	(11,180		)	(16,901		)
Tax (expense) benefit	1,314			1,993			3,899			5,915
Total reclassifications for the period, net of tax	$	(2,453	)	$	(3,701	)	$	(7,281	)	$	(10,986	)

On April 25, 2014, the Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.10 per share, paid on May 20, 2014, to shareholders of record at the close of business on May 5, 2014.

On July 31, 2014, the Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.10 per share, paid on August 26, 2014, to shareholders of record at the close of business on August 11, 2014.

On October 30, 2014, the Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.10 per share, payable on November 25, 2014, to shareholders of record at the close of business on November 11, 2014.

During the third quarter of 2014, we completed a capital reduction under U.K. law (the “Capital Reduction”), which increased the Company's distributable reserves and will provide the Company with greater flexibility to increase shareholder return in the form of dividends and share repurchases. The Capital Reduction was authorized by our Board of Directors and approved by our shareholders at a general meeting on August 15, 2014. The Capital Reduction was achieved through the issuance and cancellation of $2.0 billion of newly created Class C shares (the “Capital Reduction Shares”) pursuant to a customary, court approved process in the U.K.

The Capital Reduction Shares had no substantive economic rights, provided no voting rights and otherwise provided extremely limited rights (e.g., no right to receive any dividends or other distributions). Once the Capital Reduction Shares were cancelled on September 17, 2014, $2.0 billion of the shareholders’ equity of Rowan Companies plc (the parent company of the Rowan group of companies) that could not be distributed under U.K. law may now be used for dividends, future distributions or share repurchases as determined by our Board of Directors, subject to compliance with applicable rules and limitations under U.K. law.

The Capital Reduction did not involve any distribution or repayment of capital, nor did it have an impact on the underlying net assets of the Company. There was no net impact on our shareholders’ equity for the three-month period ended September 30, 2014 (or any period) as a result of the Capital Reduction.

Supplemental Cash Flow Information – Accrued capital expenditures, which are excluded from capital expenditures in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows until settlement, totaled $48.9 million and $37.2 million at September 30, 2014 and 2013, respectively. Interest capitalized in connection with rig construction projects totaled $15.5 million and $46.0 million in the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014, as compared to $12.9 million and $35.1 million, respectively, in the comparable period of the prior year.

Income Taxes – In accordance with US GAAP for interim reporting, the Company estimates its full-year effective tax rate and applies this rate to its year-to-date pretax income. In addition, the Company separately calculates the tax impact of unusual items, if any. We provide for income taxes based upon the tax laws and rates in effect in the countries in which we conduct operations. The amounts of our provisions are impacted by such laws and rates and the availability of deductions, credits and other benefits in each of the various jurisdictions. Our overall effective tax rate may therefore vary considerably from quarter to quarter and from year to year based on the actual or projected location of operations and other factors.

In the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014, our effective tax rates were -47.4% and -21.1%, respectively, compared to -0.9% and 6.7%, respectively, for the comparable periods of 2013. The negative effective rates for 2014 are primarily the result of a settlement agreement reached with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service in the third quarter of 2014 in connection with U.S. tax return issues of certain prior-year periods (see Note 4, "Uncertain tax positions").

The Company has not provided deferred income taxes on undistributed earnings of its non-U.K. subsidiaries, including non-U.S. subsidiaries of RCI. It is the Company’s policy and intention to permanently reinvest the earnings of non-U.S. subsidiaries of RCI outside the U.S. Generally, earnings of non-U.K. subsidiaries that are not subsidiaries of RCI can be distributed to the Company without imposition of either U.K. or local country tax.

Litigation Settlement – In the first quarter of 2014, the Company settled its litigation with the owners and operators of a tanker that collided with the EXL I in May 2012 and received $20.9 million in cash as compensation for damages incurred in 2012 for repair costs to and loss of use of the rig. Such amount was recognized as a component of operating income in the nine months ended September 30, 2014.

Material Charges and Other Operating Expenses – Material charges for the first nine months of 2014 included an $8.3 million noncash impairment charge for the carrying value of the Company's sole aircraft, which was used to support operations. The asset had a carrying value of $12.7 million prior to the write-down. The amount of the impairment was based on actual sales prices for similar equipment obtained from a third-party dealer of such equipment. Quoted prices in active markets for similar equipment is considered a Level 2 input in the fair value hierarchy.