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Commitments and Contingencies | 6 Months Ended
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Mar. 31, 2013
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract] |
Commitments and Contingencies | Commitments and Contingencies The Company has aggregate reserves for its legal, environmental and regulatory matters of approximately $21.6 at March 31, 2013. These reserves relate primarily to the matters described below. However, based on currently available information, including legal defenses available to the Company, and given the aforementioned reserves and related insurance coverage, the Company does not believe that the outcome of these legal, environmental and regulatory matters will have a material effect on its financial position, results of operations or cash flows. Legal and Environmental Matters HGI HGI is a nominal defendant, and the members of its board of directors are named as defendants in a derivative action filed in December 2010 by Alan R. Kahn in the Delaware Court of Chancery. The plaintiff alleges that the Spectrum Brands acquisition was financially unfair to HGI and its public stockholders and seeks unspecified damages and the rescission of the transaction. The Company believes the allegations are without merit and intends to vigorously defend this matter. HGI is also involved in other litigation and claims incidental to its current and prior businesses. These include worker compensation and environmental matters and pending cases in Mississippi and Louisiana state courts and in a Federal multi-district litigation alleging injury from exposure to asbestos on offshore drilling rigs and shipping vessels formerly owned or operated by its offshore drilling and bulk-shipping affiliates. Based on currently available information, including legal defenses available to it, and given its reserves and related insurance coverage, the Company does not believe that the outcome of these legal and environmental matters will have a material effect on its financial position, results of operations or cash flows. Spectrum Brands Spectrum Brands has provided approximately $5.3 for the estimated costs associated with environmental remediation activities at some of its current and former manufacturing sites. Spectrum Brands believes that any additional liability which may result from resolution of these matters in excess of the amounts provided for will not have a material adverse effect on the financial condition, results of operations or cash flows of Spectrum Brands. Spectrum Brands is a defendant in various other matters of litigation generally arising out of the ordinary course of business. FGL FGL is involved in various pending or threatened legal proceedings, including purported class actions, arising in the ordinary course of business. In some instances, these proceedings include claims for unspecified or substantial punitive damages and similar types of relief in addition to amounts for alleged contractual liability or requests for equitable relief. In the opinion of FGL management and in light of existing insurance and other potential indemnification, reinsurance and established reserves, such litigation is not expected to have a material adverse effect on FGL’s financial position, although it is possible that the results of operations and cash flows could be materially affected by an unfavorable outcome in any one period. Regulatory Matters FGL FGL is assessed amounts by the state guaranty funds to cover losses to policyholders of insolvent or rehabilitated insurance companies. Those mandatory assessments may be partially recovered through a reduction in future premium taxes in certain states. At March 31, 2013, FGL has accrued $5.8 for guaranty fund assessments which is expected to be offset by estimated future premium tax deductions of $4.3. FGL has received inquiries from a number of state regulatory authorities regarding its use of the U.S. Social Security Administration’s Death Master File ("Death Master File") and compliance with state claims practices regulation. To date, FGL has received inquiries from authorities in Maryland, Minnesota and New York. The New York Insurance Department issued a letter and subsequent regulation requiring life insurers doing business in New York to use the Death Master File or similar databases to determine if benefits were payable under life insurance policies, annuities, and retained asset accounts. Legislation requiring insurance companies to use the Death Master File to identify potential claims has recently been enacted in FGL’s state of domicile (Maryland) and other states. As a result of these legislative and regulatory developments, in May 2012 FGL undertook an initiative to use the Death Master File and other publicly available databases to identify persons potentially entitled to benefits under life insurance policies, annuities and retained asset accounts. In July 2012, FGL incurred an $11.0 pre-tax charge, net of reinsurance, to increase reserves to cover potential benefits payable resulting from this ongoing effort. Based on its analysis to date and management’s estimate, FGL believes this accrual will cover the reasonably estimated liability arising out of these developments. In addition, FGL has received audit and examination notices from several state agencies responsible for escheatment and unclaimed property regulation in those states. FGL has established a contingency of $2.0, the mid-point of an estimated range of $1.0 to $3.0, related to the external legal costs and potential liabilities of said audits and examinations. Additional costs that cannot be reasonably estimated as of the date of this filing are possible as a result of ongoing regulatory developments and other future requirements related to this matter. Guarantees Throughout its history, the Company has entered into indemnifications in the ordinary course of business with customers, suppliers, service providers, business partners and, in certain instances, when it sold businesses. Additionally, the Company has indemnified its directors and officers who are, or were, serving at the request of the Company in such capacities. Although the specific terms or number of such arrangements is not precisely known due to the extensive history of past operations, costs incurred to settle claims related to these indemnifications have not been material to the Company’s financial statements. The Company has no reason to believe that future costs to settle claims related to its former operations will have a material impact on its financial position, results of operations or cash flows. The F&G Stock Purchase Agreement between HFG and OMGUK includes a Guarantee and Pledge Agreement which creates certain obligations for FGL as a grantor and also grants a security interest to OMGUK of FGL’s equity interest in FGL Insurance in the event that HFG fails to perform in accordance with the terms of the F&G Stock Purchase Agreement. The Company is not aware of any events or transactions that resulted in non-compliance with the Guarantee and Pledge Agreement. Unfunded Asset Based Lending Commitments Through Salus, the Company enters into commitments to extend credit to meet the financing needs of its asset based lending customers upon satisfaction of certain conditions. At March 31, 2013, the notional amount of unfunded, legally binding lending commitments was approximately $140.9, of which $11.1 expires in one year or less, and the remainder expires between one and four years. Shareholder Contingencies The Master Fund has pledged all of its shares of the Company’s common stock, together with securities of other issuers to secure a certain portfolio financing, which as of the date hereof, constitutes a majority of the outstanding shares of the Company’s common stock. The sale or other disposition of a sufficient number of such shares (including any foreclosure on or sale of the Company’s shares pledged as collateral) to non-affiliates could cause the Company and its subsidiaries to experience a change of control, which may accelerate certain of the Company’s and its subsidiaries’ debt instruments and other obligations (including the 7.875% Notes and Preferred Stock) and/or allow certain counterparties to terminate their agreements. Any such sale or disposition may also cause the Company and its subsidiaries to be unable to utilize certain of their net operating loss carryforwards and other tax attributes for income tax purposes.

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