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Fair Value Fair Value (Policies)
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12 Months Ended |
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| Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items] |
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| Fair Value Measurement, Policy [Policy Text Block] |
Certain assets and liabilities are measured at fair value in the Consolidated Financial Statements or have fair values disclosed in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements. These assets and liabilities are classified into one of three levels of a hierarchy defined by GAAP. In instances in which the inputs used to measure fair value fall into different levels of the fair value hierarchy, the fair value measurement is categorized in its entirety based on the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement in its entirety. The Company’s assessment of the significance of a particular item to the fair value measurement in its entirety requires judgment, including the consideration of inputs specific to the asset or liability. The fair value hierarchy is summarized as follows: Level 1 — Quoted prices (unadjusted) for identical assets/liabilities in active markets. Level 2 — Other observable inputs, either directly or indirectly, including: | | • | Quoted prices for similar assets/liabilities in active markets; |
| | • | Quoted prices for identical or similar assets/liabilities in inactive markets (e.g., few transactions, limited information, noncurrent prices, high variability over time); |
| | • | Inputs other than quoted prices that are observable for the asset/liability (e.g., interest rates, yield curves, implied volatilities, credit spreads); and |
| | • | Inputs that are corroborated by other observable market data. |
Level 3 — Unobservable inputs that cannot be corroborated by observable market data. Transfers between levels, if any, are recorded as of the beginning of the reporting period in which the transfer occurs; there were no transfers between Levels 1, 2 or 3 of any financial assets or liabilities during 2014 or 2013. Nonfinancial assets and liabilities or financial assets and liabilities that are measured at fair value on a nonrecurring basis are subject to fair value adjustments only in certain circumstances, such as when the Company records an impairment. There were no significant fair value adjustments for these assets and liabilities recorded during the years ended December 31, 2014 or 2013. The following methods and assumptions were used to estimate the fair value and determine the fair value hierarchy classification of each class of financial instrument included in the tables below: Cash and Cash Equivalents. The carrying value of cash and cash equivalents approximates fair value as maturities are less than three months. Fair values of cash equivalent instruments that do not trade on a regular basis in active markets are classified as Level 2. Debt and Equity Securities. Fair values of debt and equity securities are based on quoted market prices, where available. The Company obtains one price for each security primarily from a third-party pricing service (pricing service), which generally uses quoted or other observable inputs for the determination of fair value. The pricing service normally derives the security prices through recently reported trades for identical or similar securities, and, if necessary, makes adjustments through the reporting date based upon available observable market information. For securities not actively traded, the pricing service may use quoted market prices of comparable instruments or discounted cash flow analyses, incorporating inputs that are currently observable in the markets for similar securities. Inputs that are often used in the valuation methodologies include, but are not limited to, benchmark yields, credit spreads, default rates, prepayment speeds and nonbinding broker quotes. As the Company is responsible for the determination of fair value, it performs quarterly analyses on the prices received from the pricing service to determine whether the prices are reasonable estimates of fair value. Specifically, the Company compares the prices received from the pricing service to prices reported by a secondary pricing source, such as its custodian, its investment consultant and third-party investment advisors. Additionally, the Company compares changes in the reported market values and returns to relevant market indices to test the reasonableness of the reported prices. The Company’s internal price verification procedures and reviews of fair value methodology documentation provided by independent pricing services have not historically resulted in adjustment in the prices obtained from the pricing service. Fair values of debt securities that do not trade on a regular basis in active markets but are priced using other observable inputs are classified as Level 2. Fair value estimates for Level 1 and Level 2 equity securities are based on quoted market prices for actively traded equity securities and/or other market data for the same or comparable instruments and transactions in establishing the prices. The fair values of Level 3 investments in venture capital portfolios are estimated using a market valuation technique that relies heavily on management assumptions and qualitative observations. Under the market approach, the fair values of the Company’s various venture capital investments are computed using limited quantitative and qualitative observations of activity for similar companies in the current market. The Company’s market modeling utilizes, as applicable, transactions for comparable companies in similar industries that also have similar revenue and growth characteristics and preferences in their capital structure. Key significant unobservable inputs in the market technique include implied earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) multiples and revenue multiples. Additionally, the fair values of certain of the Company’s venture capital securities are based on recent transactions in inactive markets for identical or similar securities. Significant changes in any of these inputs could result in significantly lower or higher fair value measurements. Throughout the procedures discussed above in relation to the Company’s processes for validating third-party pricing information, the Company validates the understanding of assumptions and inputs used in security pricing and determines the proper classification in the hierarchy based on that understanding. Other Assets. The fair values of the Company’s other assets are estimated and classified using the same methodologies as the Company’s investments in debt securities. AARP Program-Related Investments. AARP Program-related investments consist of debt securities and other investments held to fund costs associated with the AARP Program and are priced and classified using the same methodologies as the Company’s investments in debt and equity securities. Interest Rate Swaps. Fair values of the Company’s swaps are estimated using the terms of the swaps and publicly available information including market yield curves. Because the swaps are unique and not actively traded but are valued using other observable inputs, the fair values are classified as Level 2. Long-Term Debt. The fair values of the Company’s long-term debt are estimated and classified using the same methodologies as the Company’s investments in debt securities. AARP Program-Related Other Liabilities. AARP Program-related other liabilities consist of liabilities that represent the amount of net investment gains and losses related to AARP Program-related investments that accrue to the benefit of the AARP policyholders. |
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Disclosure of accounting policy for fair value measurements of financial and non-financial assets, liabilities and instruments classified in shareholders' equity. Disclosures include, but are not limited to, how an entity that manages a group of financial assets and liabilities on the basis of its net exposure measures the fair value of those assets and liabilities.
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