NOTE 5: Derivative Financial Instruments

We may use derivative financial instruments to hedge all or a portion of the interest rate risk associated with our borrowings. The principal objective of such arrangements is to minimize the risks and/or costs associated with our operating and financial structure as well as to hedge specific anticipated transactions. While these instruments may impact our periodic cash flows, they benefit us by minimizing the risks and/or costs previously described. The counterparties to these contractual arrangements are major financial institutions with which we and our affiliates may also have other financial relationships. In the event of nonperformance by the counterparties, we are potentially exposed to credit loss. However, because of the high credit ratings of the counterparties, we do not anticipate that any of the counterparties will fail to meet their obligations.

The following table summarizes the aggregate notional amount and estimated net fair value of our derivative instruments as of March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017:

	As of March 31, 2018						As of December 31, 2017
	Notional		Fair Value of Assets		Fair Value of Liabilities		Notional		Fair Value of Assets		Fair Value of Liabilities
Cash flow hedges:
Interest rate swap	$	150,000	$	6,211	$	—	$	150,000	$	4,700	$	—
Interest rate collar		100,000		4,314		—		50,000		1,297		—
		250,000		10,525				200,000		5,997		—
Freestanding derivatives:
Interest rate collar	$	—	$	—		—		50,000		1,294		—
Net fair value	$	250,000	$	10,525	$	—	$	250,000	$	7,291	$	—

Interest Rate Swap

On June 24, 2016, we entered into an interest rate swap contract with a notional value of $150,000, a strike rate of 1.145% and a maturity date of June 17, 2021. We designated this interest rate swap as a cash flow hedge at inception and determined that the hedge is highly effective in offsetting interest rate fluctuations associated with the identified indebtedness. We did not recognize any ineffectiveness associated with this cash flow hedge through April 2017. On April 17, 2017, in conjunction with the refinance of our credit facility, we restructured our existing interest rate swap to remove the LIBOR floor. This resulted in a decrease in the strike rate to 1.1325%. The notional value and maturity date remained the same. We designated the restructured interest rate swap as a cash flow hedge at inception and determined that the hedge is highly effective in offsetting interest rate fluctuations associated with the identified indebtedness. Upon our early adoption of accounting standard updates to ASC Topic 815, “Derivatives”, ineffectiveness is no longer measured or reported.

Interest Rate Collar

On November 17, 2017, in connection with our new $100,000 unsecured term loan, we purchased an interest rate collar with a notional value of $100,000, a 2.00% cap and 1.25% floor, and a maturity date of November 17, 2024. We designated $50,000 of the interest rate collar as a cash flow hedge at inception and determined that the hedge is highly effective in offsetting interest rate fluctuations associated with the identified indebtedness. We concluded that this hedging relationship was and will continue to be highly effective using the hypothetical derivative method.

The other $50,000 notional value interest rate collar was accounted for as a freestanding derivative from inception. On January 4, 2018, we designated this other $50,000 notional value interest rate collar as a cash flow hedge and determined that the hedge is highly effective in offsetting interest rate fluctuations associated with the identified indebtedness. During the quarter ended March 31, 2018, we recognized a $52 gain within other income (expense) in our consolidated statements of operations reflecting the change in fair value of the instrument.

Effective interest rate swaps and caps are reported in accumulated other comprehensive income, and the fair value of these hedge agreements is included in other assets or other liabilities.

For our interest rate swap that is considered a highly effective hedge, we reclassified realized gains of $174 to earnings within interest expense for the three months ended March 31, 2018, respectively, and we expect $1,608 to be reclassified out of accumulated other comprehensive income to earnings over the next 12 months.