DERIVATIVE INSTRUMENTS AND HEDGING ACTIVITIES

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2014

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]

Derivative Instruments And Hedging Activities

DERIVATIVE INSTRUMENTS AND HEDGING ACTIVITIES

The Company addresses its exposure to market risks, principally the market risk associated with changes in interest rates, through a controlled program of risk management that includes, from time to time, the use of derivative financial instruments such as interest rate swap agreements (see Interest Rate Swap section below). Although the Company’s zero-coupon subordinated notes contain features that are considered to be embedded derivative instruments (see Embedded Derivatives Related to the Zero-Coupon Subordinated Notes section below), the Company does not hold or issue derivative financial instruments for trading purposes. The Company does not believe that its exposure to market risk is material to the Company’s financial position or results of operations.

Interest Rate Swap

During the third quarter of 2013, the Company entered into two fixed-to-variable interest rate swap agreements for the 4.625% senior notes due 2020 with an aggregate notional amount of $600.0 and variable interest rates based on one-month LIBOR plus 2.298% to hedge against changes in the fair value of a portion of the Company's long term debt.  These derivative financial instruments are accounted for as fair value hedges of the senior notes due 2020.  These interest rate swaps are included in other long term assets and added to the value of the senior notes, with an aggregate fair value of $17.0 and $0.0 at September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively. As the specific terms and notional amounts of the derivative financial instruments match those of the fixed-rate debt being hedged, the derivative instruments are assumed to be perfectly effective hedges and accordingly, there is no impact to the Company's consolidated statements of operations.

Embedded Derivatives Related to the Zero-Coupon Subordinated Notes

The Company’s zero-coupon subordinated notes contain the following two features that are considered to be embedded derivative instruments under authoritative guidance in connection with accounting for derivative instruments and hedging activities:

1) The Company will pay contingent cash interest on the zero-coupon subordinated notes after September 11, 2006, if the average market price of the notes equals 120% or more of the sum of the issue price, accrued original issue discount and contingent additional principal, if any, for a specified measurement period.

2) Holders may surrender zero-coupon subordinated notes for conversion during any period in which the rating assigned to the zero-coupon subordinated notes by Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services is BB- or lower.

The Company believes these embedded derivatives had no fair value at September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013. These embedded derivatives also had no impact on the condensed consolidated statements of operations for the nine months endedSeptember 30, 2014 and 2013.