FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2015

Accounting standards for fair value measurements establish a three-tier fair value hierarchy, which prioritizes the inputs used in measuring fair value. These tiers are defined as:

Level 1 – Quoted prices in active markets for identical instruments.

Level 2 – Inputs other than quoted prices in active markets that are either directly or indirectly observable.

Level 3 – Unobservable inputs in which little or no market data exists, therefore requiring an entity to develop its own assumptions.

Assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis consisted of the following (amounts in thousands):



	September 30, 2015										December 31, 2014
	Total			Level 1		Level 2			Level 3		Total			Level 1		Level 2			Level 3
Contractual obligation investments	$	9,201		$	9,201	$	—		$	—	$	9,840		$	9,840	$	—		$	—
Derivative financial instruments asset	3,841			—		3,841			—		1,068			—		1,068			—
Preferred stock	250			—		—			250		250			—		—			250
Derivative financial instruments liability	(12		)	—		(12		)	—		(43		)	—		(43		)	—
Total	$	13,280		$	9,201	$	3,829		$	250	$	11,115		$	9,840	$	1,025		$	250

The following table presents the changes during the periods presented in Titan's Level 3 investments that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis (amounts in thousands):



	Preferred stock
Balance at December 31, 2014	$	250
Total realized and unrealized gains and losses	—
Balance as of September 30, 2015	$	250

- Definition

The entire disclosure for the fair value of financial instruments (as defined), including financial assets and financial liabilities (collectively, as defined), and the measurements of those instruments as well as disclosures related to the fair value of non-financial assets and liabilities. Such disclosures about the financial instruments, assets, and liabilities would include: (1) the fair value of the required items together with their carrying amounts (as appropriate); (2) for items for which it is not practicable to estimate fair value, disclosure would include: (a) information pertinent to estimating fair value (including, carrying amount, effective interest rate, and maturity, and (b) the reasons why it is not practicable to estimate fair value; (3) significant concentrations of credit risk including: (a) information about the activity, region, or economic characteristics identifying a concentration, (b) the maximum amount of loss the entity is exposed to based on the gross fair value of the related item, (c) policy for requiring collateral or other security and information as to accessing such collateral or security, and (d) the nature and brief description of such collateral or security; (4) quantitative information about market risks and how such risks are managed; (5) for items measured on both a recurring and nonrecurring basis information regarding the inputs used to develop the fair value measurement; and (6) for items presented in the financial statement for which fair value measurement is elected: (a) information necessary to understand the reasons for the election, (b) discussion of the effect of fair value changes on earnings, (c) a description of [similar groups] items for which the election is made and the relation thereof to the balance sheet, the aggregate carrying value of items included in the balance sheet that are not eligible for the election; (7) all other required (as defined) and desired information.

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