GUARANTEES

The Company and certain of its foreign subsidiaries guarantee bank loans to suppliers to finance their crops. Under longer-term arrangements, the Company may also guarantee financing on suppliers’ construction of curing barns or other tobacco production assets. Guaranteed loans are generally repaid concurrent with the delivery of tobacco to the Company. The Company is obligated to repay any guaranteed loan should the supplier default. If default occurs, the Company has recourse against the supplier. The Company also guarantees bank loans of certain unconsolidated subsidiaries in Asia and Zimbabwe.

The following table summarizes amounts guaranteed and the fair value of those guarantees:



	June 30, 2012		June 30, 2011		March 31, 2012
Amounts guaranteed (not to exceed)	$	101,852	$	145,223	$	127,132
Amounts outstanding under guarantee	76,960		96,573		105,403
Fair value of guarantees	5,803		2,950		5,265

Of the guarantees outstanding at June 30, 2012, approximately 93% expire within one year and the remainder within five years. The fair value of guarantees is recorded in Accrued Expenses and Other Current Liabilities in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets and included in crop costs except for Zimbabwe which is included in Accounts Receivable, Related Parties.

In Brazil, some suppliers obtain government subsidized rural credit financing from local banks that is guaranteed by the Company. The Company withholds amounts owed to suppliers related to the rural credit financing of the supplier upon delivery of tobacco to the Company. The Company remits payments to the local banks on behalf of the guaranteed suppliers. Terms of rural credit financing are such that repayment is due to local banks based on contractual due dates. As of June 30, 2012 and 2011 and March 31, 2012, respectively, the Company had balances of $24,042, $32,839 and $27,619 that were due to local banks on behalf of suppliers. These amounts are included in Accounts Payable in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets.