FAIR VALUE ACCOUNTING

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2016

Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]

FAIR VALUE ACCOUNTING

The Company accounts for fair value measurements in accordance with ASC 820, “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures,” which defines fair value, establishes a framework for measuring fair value in generally accepted accounting principles, and expands disclosures about fair value measurements.

ASC 820 establishes a fair value hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs to valuation techniques used to measure fair value. The hierarchy gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1 measurements) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3 measurements). The three levels of the fair value hierarchy under ASC 820 are described below:

Level 1	Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets that are accessible at the measurement date for identical, unrestricted assets or liabilities.
Level 2	Applies to assets or liabilities for which there are inputs other than quoted prices included within Level 1 that are observable for the asset or liability such as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets; quoted prices for identical assets or liabilities in markets with insufficient volume or infrequent transactions (less active markets); or model-derived valuations in which significant inputs are observable or can be derived principally from, or corroborated by, observable market data.
Level 3	Prices or valuation techniques that require inputs that are both significant to the fair value measurement and unobservable (supported by little or no market activity).

The following table sets forth the Company’s financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value by level within the fair value hierarchy. As required by ASC 820, assets and liabilities are classified in their entirety based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement.

	Fair Value at December 31, 2016
($ in thousands)	Total		Level 1		Level 2		Level 3
Assets:
Pension assets	$	1,645	$	1,645	$	—	$	—
Totals	$	1,645	$	1,645	$	—	$	—

	Fair Value at December 31, 2015
($ in thousands)	Total		Level 1		Level 2		Level 3
Assets:
Pension assets	$	1,557	$	1,557	$	—	$	—
Totals	$	1,557	$	1,557	$	—	$	—

The Company’s pension assets are classified within Level 1 of the fair value hierarchy because they are valued using market prices. The pension assets are primarily comprised of the cash surrender value of insurance contracts. All plan assets are managed in a policyholder pool in Germany by outside investment managers. The investment objectives for the plan are the preservation of capital, current income and long-term growth of capital.

The Company monitors the activity within each level and any changes with the underlying valuation techniques or inputs utilized to recognize if any transfers between levels are necessary.  That determination is made, in part, by working with outside valuation experts for Level 3 instruments and monitoring market related data and other valuation inputs for Level 1 and Level 2 instruments.