Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

DERIVATIVE INSTRUMENTS

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DERIVATIVE INSTRUMENTS
6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2012
Derivative Instruments [Abstract]  
DERIVATIVE INSTRUMENTS
8.             DERIVATIVE INSTRUMENTS      
 
We were subject to interest rate risk to the extent we borrowed against credit facilities with variable interest rates as described above.  We had potential interest rate exposure with respect to the $33.0 million original outstanding balance on our variable rate term loan.  During January 2011, we reduced our exposure to changes in interest rates by entering into an interest rate swap agreement (“Swap”) with Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., which became effective on April 1, 2011.  The Swap contract exchanged a floating rate for fixed interest payments periodically over the life of the Swap without exchange of the underlying $20.0 million notional amount.  The interest payments under the Swap were settled on a net basis.
 
Effective March 30, 2012 the Swap was terminated, and $0.5 million was paid, which reflected the fair value on that date, therefore, we no longer recognized the derivative as a liability on the balance sheet in long-term debt. Prior to the pay-off of the Swap, the derivative was marked to fair value and the adjustment of the derivative was recognized as income during the first quarter of 2012.
 
During the first quarter of 2012, we paid interest on the hedged portion of the debt ($18.0 million) at an average net rate of 8.56% and paid interest on the non-hedged portion of the debt ($13.0 million) at a rate of 7.0%.  The weighted average cash interest rate paid on the debt was 8.16%, including Swap interest and loan interest.
 
The net effect of our floating-to-fixed interest rate swap resulted in an increase in interest expense of $0.07 million during the first quarter of 2012, as compared to the contractual rate of the underlying hedged debt for the period.