Commitments and Contingencies

General

From time to time, we are involved in legal proceedings that are incidental to the operation of our businesses. Some of these proceedings seek remedies relating to environmental matters, intellectual property matters, product liability and personal injury claims, employment and pension matters, government contract issues and commercial or contractual disputes, which are sometimes related to acquisitions or divestitures. Although we cannot predict the outcome of these and other proceedings with certainty, we believe that they will not have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

On December 20, 2011, the Ad Hoc Committee of ITT Bondholders filed a complaint in New York State court alleging that ITT breached the early redemption provisions of certain bonds issued in 2009. In 2009, ITT issued $500 million in bonds maturing in 2019 at an interest rate of 6.125%. The documents governing the bonds contained certain provisions governing early redemptions. On September 20, 2011, ITT notified the holders of the debt that it intended to redeem the bonds on October 20, 2011 in accordance with the terms of the governing documents. On October 18, 2011, the redemption price was disclosed. As disclosed in our last quarterly report, this complaint was resolved on July 10, 2012 and the resolution did not have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows. The costs associated with this matter were shared with ITT and Exelis in accordance with the Distribution Agreement.

While very few claims have been asserted against Xylem alleging injury caused by any of our products resulting from asbestos exposure, it is possible that additional claims could be filed in the future. We believe there are numerous legal defenses available for such claims and, should such a claim not be indemnifiable by ITT, we would defend ourselves vigorously. Pursuant to the Distribution Agreement, ITT will indemnify Xylem for asbestos product liability matters, including settlements, judgments, and legal defense costs associated with all pending and future claims that may arise from past sales of ITT’s legacy products. We believe ITT remains a substantial entity with sufficient financial resources to honor its obligations to us.

Although the ultimate outcome of any legal matter cannot be predicted with certainty, based on present information, including our assessment of the merits of the particular claims, we do not expect that any asserted or unasserted legal claims or proceedings, individually or in aggregate, will have a material adverse effect on our cash flow, results of operations, or financial condition.

Indemnifications

As part of the Spin-off, ITT, Exelis and Xylem will indemnify each of the other parties with respect to such parties’ assumed or retained liabilities under the Distribution Agreement and breaches of the Distribution Agreement or related spin agreements. ITT’s indemnification obligations include asserted and unasserted asbestos and silica liability claims that relate to the presence or alleged presence of asbestos or silica in products manufactured, repaired or sold prior to the Distribution Date, subject to limited exceptions with respect to certain employee claims, or in the structure or material of any building or facility, subject to exceptions with respect to employee claims relating to Xylem buildings or facilities. The indemnification associated with pending and future asbestos claims does not expire. Xylem has not recorded a liability for material matters for which we will be indemnified by ITT or Exelis through the Distribution Agreement and we are not aware of any claims or other circumstances that would give rise to material payments from us under such indemnifications.

Environmental

In the ordinary course of business, we are subject to federal, state, local, and foreign environmental laws and regulations. We are responsible, or are alleged to be responsible, for ongoing environmental investigation and remediation of sites in various countries. These sites are in various stages of investigation and/or remediation and in many of these proceedings our liability is considered de minimis. We have received notification from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and from similar state and foreign environmental agencies, that a number of sites formerly or currently owned and/or operated by Xylem or for which we are responsible under the Distribution Agreement, and other properties or water supplies that may be or have been impacted from those operations, contain disposed or recycled materials or wastes and require environmental investigation and/or remediation. These sites include instances where we have been identified as a potentially responsible party under federal and state environmental laws and regulations.

Accruals for environmental matters are recorded on a site-by-site basis when it is probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount of the liability can be reasonably estimated, based on current law and existing technologies. Our accrued liabilities for these environmental matters represent the best estimates related to the investigation and remediation of environmental media such as water, soil, soil vapor, air and structures, as well as related legal fees. These estimates, and related accruals, are reviewed quarterly and updated for progress of investigation and remediation efforts and changes in facts and legal circumstances. Liabilities for these environmental expenditures are recorded on an undiscounted basis. We have estimated and accrued $12 million and $15 million as of September 30, 2012 and December 31, 2011, respectively, for environmental matters.

It is difficult to estimate the final costs of investigation and remediation due to various factors, including incomplete information regarding particular sites and other potentially responsible parties, uncertainty regarding the extent of investigation or remediation and our share, if any, of liability for such conditions, the selection of alternative remedial approaches, and changes in environmental standards and regulatory requirements. In our opinion, the total amount accrued is reasonable based on existing facts and circumstances.

Operating Leases

We lease certain offices, manufacturing buildings, machinery, computers and other equipment. Such leases expire at various dates through 2047 and may include renewal and payment escalation clauses. We often pay maintenance, insurance and tax expense related to leased assets. Subsequent to the issuance of our 2011 Annual Report, we identified that we had incorrectly aggregated data from certain of our foreign subsidiaries related to our annual disclosure of rent expense for the year ended December 31, 2011 and our future minimum rental payments. As a result, we have adjusted and disclosed certain corrected amounts herein. These adjustments did not impact the Consolidated and Combined Income Statements, Balance Sheet, Statements of Cash Flows or Statement of Stockholders’ Equity and Comprehensive Income.

At December 31, 2011, we were obligated to make minimum rental payments under operating leases which are as follows. There have been no material changes to our minimum rental obligations subsequent to December 31, 2011.



(in millions)	2012		2013		2014		2015		2016		Thereafter
Minimum rental payments (1)	$	54	$	42	$	29	$	22	$	17	$	36

(1) The disclosed rent expense for the year-ended December 31, 2011, as adjusted, is $64 million.

Warranties

We warrant numerous products, the terms of which vary widely. In general, we warrant products against defect and specific non-performance. The table below provides the changes in our product warranty accrual.



(in millions)	2012			2011
Warranty accrual – January 1	$	42		$	38
Net changes for product warranties in the period	23			21
Settlement of warranty claims	(23		)	(25		)
Other	(1		)	1
Warranty accrual – September 30	$	41		$	35