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Debt (Note)
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2014
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]  
Debt Disclosure [Text Block]
Debt
Our long-term debt consisted of the following as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013:
 
 
March 31,
2014
 
December 31,
2013
 
 
($ in millions)
Term loan due 2017(a)
 
$
2,000

 
$
2,000

9.5% senior notes due 2015(b)
 
1,265

 
1,265

3.25% senior notes due 2016
 
500

 
500

6.25% euro-denominated senior notes due 2017(c)
 
473

 
473

6.5% senior notes due 2017
 
660

 
660

6.875% senior notes due 2018(d)
 
97

 
97

7.25% senior notes due 2018
 
669

 
669

6.625% senior notes due 2019(e)
 
650

 
650

6.625% senior notes due 2020
 
1,300

 
1,300

6.875% senior notes due 2020
 
500

 
500

6.125% senior notes due 2021
 
1,000

 
1,000

5.375% senior notes due 2021
 
700

 
700

5.75% senior notes due 2023
 
1,100

 
1,100

2.75% contingent convertible senior notes due 2035(f)
 
396

 
396

2.5% contingent convertible senior notes due 2037(f)
 
1,168

 
1,168

2.25% contingent convertible senior notes due 2038(f)
 
347

 
347

Corporate revolving bank credit facility
 

 

Oilfield services revolving bank credit facility
 
464

 
405

Discount on senior notes and term loan(g)
 
(333
)
 
(357
)
Interest rate derivatives(h)
 
13

 
13

Total debt, net
 
12,969

 
12,886

Less current maturities of long-term debt, net(b)
 
(316
)
 

Total long-term debt, net
 
$
12,653

 
$
12,886

___________________________________________
(a)
We repaid the borrowings outstanding under the term loan due 2017 on April 24, 2014 with a portion of the net proceeds from our offering of $3.0 billion in aggregate principal amount of senior notes issued on April 24, 2014. See Note 19 for further discussion of refinancing transactions subsequent to March 31, 2014.
(b)
On April 10, 2014, we commenced a tender offer for the 9.5% Senior Notes due 2015 concurrently with an offering of senior notes. On April 24, 2014, we purchased approximately $946 million aggregate principal amount of notes that were tendered by the early tender date. The tender offer will expire on May 7, 2014, unless extended. See Note 19 for further discussion of refinancing transactions subsequent to March 31, 2014. The remaining $319 million in aggregate principal amount not tendered by the early tender date and the associated $3 million of discount are reflected as a current liability on our March 31, 2014 condensed consolidated balance sheet.
(c)
The principal amount shown is based on the exchange rate of $1.3769 to €1.00 and $1.3743 to €1.00 as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively. See Note 8 for information on our related foreign currency derivatives.
(d)
On April 10, 2014, we called the 6.875% Senior Notes due 2018 for redemption on May 12, 2014. See Note 19 for discussion of refinancing transactions subsequent to March 31, 2014.
(e)
Issuers are Chesapeake Oilfield Operating, L.L.C. (COO), an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, and Chesapeake Oilfield Finance, Inc. (COF), a wholly owned subsidiary of COO formed solely to facilitate the offering of the 6.625% Senior Notes due 2019. COF is nominally capitalized and has no operations or revenues. Chesapeake Energy Corporation is the issuer of all other senior notes and the contingent convertible senior notes.
(f)
The holders of our contingent convertible senior notes may require us to repurchase, in cash, all or a portion of their notes at 100% of the principal amount of the notes on any of four dates that are five, ten, fifteen and twenty years before the maturity date. The notes are convertible, at the holder’s option, prior to maturity under certain circumstances into cash and, if applicable, shares of our common stock using a net share settlement process. One such triggering circumstance is when the price of our common stock exceeds a threshold amount during a specified period in a fiscal quarter. Convertibility based on common stock price is measured quarterly. In the first quarter of 2014, the price of our common stock was below the threshold level for each series of the contingent convertible senior notes during the specified period and, as a result, the holders do not have the option to convert their notes into cash and common stock in the second quarter of 2014 under this provision. The notes are also convertible, at the holder’s option, during specified five-day periods if the trading price of the notes is below certain levels determined by reference to the trading price of our common stock. The notes were not convertible under this provision in the Current Quarter or the Prior Quarter. In general, upon conversion of a contingent convertible senior note, the holder will receive cash equal to the principal amount of the note and common stock for the note’s conversion value in excess of such principal amount. Under certain conditions, we will pay contingent interest on the convertible senior notes after they have been outstanding at least ten years. We may redeem the convertible senior notes once they have been outstanding for ten years at a redemption price of 100% of the principal amount of the notes, payable in cash. The optional repurchase dates, the common stock price conversion threshold amounts and the ending date of the first six-month period in which contingent interest may be payable for the contingent convertible senior notes are as follows:
    Contingent  
    Convertible  
    Senior  Notes    
 
Repurchase Dates
 
Common Stock
 Price Conversion 
Thresholds
 
 Contingent Interest
First Payable
(if applicable)
2.75% due 2035
 
November 15, 2015, 2020, 2025, 2030
 
$
48.09

 
May 14, 2016
2.5% due 2037
 
May 15, 2017, 2022, 2027, 2032
 
$
63.62

 
November 14, 2017
2.25% due 2038
 
December 15, 2018, 2023, 2028, 2033
 
$
106.75

 
June 14, 2019

(g)
Discount as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013 included $284 million and $303 million, respectively, associated with the equity component of our contingent convertible senior notes. This discount is amortized based on an effective yield method. Discount also included $30 million and $33 million as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively, associated with our term loan discussed further below.
(h)
See Note 8 for further discussion related to these instruments.
Term Loan
In November 2012, we established an unsecured five-year term loan credit facility in an aggregate principal amount of $2.0 billion for net proceeds of $1.935 billion. The term loan provided that it could be voluntarily repaid before November 9, 2015 at par plus a specified premium and at any time thereafter at par. The maturity date of the term loan was December 2, 2017. On April 24, 2014, the Company used a portion of the net proceeds from its offering of $3.0 billion in aggregate principal amount of senior notes to repay the borrowings under, and terminate, the term loan. See Note 19 for further discussion related to the refinancing transactions subsequent to March 31, 2014.
Chesapeake Senior Notes and Contingent Convertible Senior Notes
The Chesapeake senior notes and the contingent convertible senior notes are unsecured senior obligations of Chesapeake and rank equally in right of payment with all of our other existing and future senior unsecured indebtedness and rank senior in right of payment to all of our future subordinated indebtedness. Chesapeake is a holding company and owns no operating assets and has no significant operations independent of its subsidiaries. Chesapeake’s obligations under the senior notes and the contingent convertible senior notes are jointly and severally, fully and unconditionally guaranteed by certain of our direct and indirect 100% owned subsidiaries. See Note 17 for condensed consolidating financial information regarding our guarantor and non-guarantor subsidiaries.
We may redeem the senior notes, other than the contingent convertible senior notes, at any time at specified make-whole or redemption prices. Our senior notes are governed by indentures containing covenants that may limit our ability and our subsidiaries’ ability to incur certain secured indebtedness, enter into sale/leaseback transactions, and consolidate, merge or transfer assets. The indentures governing the senior notes and the contingent convertible senior notes do not have any financial or restricted payment covenants. The senior notes and contingent convertible senior notes indentures have cross default provisions that apply to other indebtedness the Company or any guarantor subsidiary may have from time to time with an outstanding principal amount of at least $50 million, depending on the indenture.
We are required to account for the liability and equity components of our convertible debt instruments separately and to reflect interest expense at the interest rate of similar nonconvertible debt at the time of issuance. The applicable rates for our 2.75% Contingent Convertible Senior Notes due 2035, our 2.5% Contingent Convertible Senior Notes due 2037 and our 2.25% Contingent Convertible Senior Notes due 2038 are 6.86%, 8.0% and 8.0%, respectively.
In March 2013, the Company brought suit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York (the “Court”) against The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A. (“BNY Mellon”), the indenture trustee for the 2019 Notes. The Company sought a declaration that the notice it issued on March 15, 2013 to redeem all of the 2019 Notes at par (plus accrued interest through the redemption date) was timely and effective pursuant to the special early redemption provision of the supplemental indenture governing the 2019 Notes. BNY Mellon asserted that the March 15, 2013 notice was not effective to redeem the 2019 Notes at par because it was not timely for that purpose and because of the specific phrasing in the notice that provided it would not be effective unless the Court concluded it was timely. The Court conducted a trial on the matter in late April and on May 8, 2013 ruled in the Company’s favor. On May 11, 2013, BNY Mellon filed notice of an appeal of the decision with the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and the appeal is currently pending.
No scheduled principal payments are required on our senior notes until February 2015. See Note 19 for discussion of senior notes refinancing transactions subsequent to March 31, 2014.
COO Senior Notes
The COO senior notes are the unsecured senior obligations of COO and rank equally in right of payment with all of COO’s other existing and future senior unsecured indebtedness and rank senior in right of payment to all of its future subordinated indebtedness. The COO senior notes are jointly and severally, fully and unconditionally guaranteed by all of COO’s wholly owned subsidiaries, other than de minimis subsidiaries. The notes may be redeemed by COO at any time at specified make-whole or redemption prices and, prior to November 15, 2014, up to 35% of the aggregate principal amount may be redeemed in connection with certain equity offerings. Holders of the COO notes have the right to require COO to repurchase their notes upon a change of control on the terms set forth in the indenture, and COO must offer to repurchase the notes upon certain asset sales. The COO senior notes are subject to covenants that may, among other things, limit the ability of COO and its subsidiaries to make restricted payments, incur indebtedness, issue preferred stock, create liens, and consolidate, merge or transfer assets. The COO senior notes have cross default provisions that apply to other indebtedness COO or any of its guarantor subsidiaries may have from time to time with an outstanding principal amount of $50 million or more.
Bank Credit Facilities
During the Current Quarter, we had the following two revolving bank credit facilities as sources of liquidity:
 
 
Corporate
Credit Facility(a)
 
Oilfield Services
Credit Facility(b)
 
 
($ in millions)
Facility structure
 
Senior secured
revolving
 
Senior secured
revolving
Maturity date
 
December 2015
 
November 2016
Borrowing capacity
 
$
4,000

 
$
500

Amount outstanding as of March 31, 2014
 
$

 
$
464

Letters of credit outstanding as of March 31, 2014
 
$
23

 
$

 ___________________________________________
(a)
Co-borrowers are Chesapeake Exploration, L.L.C., Chesapeake Appalachia, L.L.C. and Chesapeake Louisiana, L.P.
(b)
Borrower is COO.
Although the applicable interest rates under our corporate credit facility fluctuate based on our long-term senior unsecured credit ratings, our credit facilities do not contain provisions which would trigger an acceleration of amounts due under the respective facilities or a requirement to post additional collateral in the event of a downgrade of our credit ratings.
Corporate Credit Facility. Our $4.0 billion syndicated revolving bank credit facility is used for general corporate purposes. Borrowings under the facility are secured by proved reserves and bear interest at our option at either (i) the greater of the reference rate of Union Bank, N.A. or the federal funds effective rate plus 0.50%, both of which are subject to a margin that varies from 0.50% to 1.25% per annum according to our senior unsecured long-term debt ratings, or (ii) the Eurodollar rate, which is based on LIBOR, plus a margin that varies from 1.50% to 2.25% per annum according to our senior unsecured long-term debt ratings. The collateral value and borrowing base are determined periodically. The unused portion of the facility is subject to a commitment fee of 0.50% per annum. Interest is payable quarterly or, if LIBOR applies, it may be payable at more frequent intervals.
Our corporate credit facility agreement contains various covenants and restrictive provisions which limit our ability to incur additional indebtedness, make investments or loans and create liens and require us to maintain an indebtedness to total capitalization ratio and an indebtedness to EBITDA ratio, in each case as defined in the agreement. We were in compliance with all covenants under our corporate credit facility agreement as of March 31, 2014.
Our corporate credit facility is fully and unconditionally guaranteed, on a joint and several basis, by Chesapeake and certain of our wholly owned subsidiaries. If we should fail to perform our obligations under the credit facility agreement, the revolving credit commitment could be terminated and any outstanding borrowings under the facility could be declared immediately due and payable. Such acceleration, if involving a principal amount of $50 million or more, would constitute an event of default under our senior note and contingent convertible senior note indentures, which could in turn result in the acceleration of a significant portion of such indebtedness. The credit facility agreement also has cross default provisions that apply to our secured hedging facility, equipment master lease agreements, term loan and other indebtedness of Chesapeake and its restricted subsidiaries with an outstanding principal amount in excess of $125 million. In addition, the facility contains a restriction on our ability to declare and pay cash dividends on our common or preferred stock if an event of default has occurred.
Oilfield Services Credit Facility. Our $500 million syndicated oilfield services revolving bank credit facility is used to fund capital expenditures and for general corporate purposes associated with our oilfield services operations. Borrowings under the oilfield services credit facility are secured by all of the assets of the wholly owned subsidiaries of COO, itself an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Chesapeake. The facility has initial commitments of $500 million and may be expanded to $900 million at COO’s option, subject to additional bank participation. Borrowings under the credit facility are secured by all of the equity interests and assets of COO and its wholly owned subsidiaries (the restricted subsidiaries for this facility, which are unrestricted subsidiaries under Chesapeake’s senior notes, contingent convertible senior notes, term loan and corporate revolving bank credit facility), and bear interest at our option at either (i) the greater of the reference rate of Bank of America, N.A., the federal funds effective rate plus 0.50%, or one-month LIBOR plus 1.00%, all of which are subject to a margin that varies from 1.00% to 1.75% per annum, or (ii) the Eurodollar rate, which is based on LIBOR plus a margin that varies from 2.00% to 2.75% per annum. The unused portion of the credit facility is subject to a commitment fee that varies from 0.375% to 0.50% per annum. Both margins and commitment fees are determined according to the most recent leverage ratio described below. Interest is payable quarterly or, if LIBOR applies, it may be payable at more frequent intervals.
The oilfield services credit facility agreement contains various covenants and restrictive provisions which limit the ability of COO and its restricted subsidiaries to enter into asset sales, incur additional indebtedness, make investments or loans and create liens. The agreement requires maintenance of a leverage ratio based on the ratio of lease-adjusted indebtedness to earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization and rent (EBITDAR), a senior secured leverage ratio based on the ratio of secured indebtedness to EBITDA and a fixed charge coverage ratio based on the ratio of EBITDAR to lease-adjusted interest expense, in each case as defined in the agreement. COO was in compliance with all covenants under the agreement as of March 31, 2014. If COO or its restricted subsidiaries should fail to perform their obligations under the agreement, the revolving credit commitment could be terminated and any outstanding borrowings under the facility could be declared immediately due and payable. Such acceleration, if involving a principal amount of $50 million or more, would constitute an event of default under our COO senior note indenture, which could in turn result in the acceleration of the COO senior note indebtedness. The oilfield services credit facility agreement also has cross default provisions that apply to other indebtedness COO and its restricted subsidiaries may have from time to time with an outstanding principal amount in excess of $15 million.
Fair Value of Other Financial Instruments
We estimate the fair value of our exchange-traded debt using quoted market prices (Level 1). The fair value of all other debt, which consists of our credit facilities and our term loan, is estimated using our credit default swap rate (Level 2). Fair value is compared to the carrying value, excluding the impact of interest rate derivatives, in the table below. 
 
 
March 31, 2014
 
December 31, 2013
 
 
Carrying
Amount
 
Estimated
Fair Value
 
Carrying
Amount
 
Estimated
Fair Value
 
 
 
 
($ in millions)
 
 
Long-term debt (Level 1)
 
$
10,522

 
$
11,639

 
$
10,501

 
$
11,557

Long-term debt (Level 2)
 
$
2,434

 
$
2,432

 
$
2,372

 
$
2,369