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Long-Term Debt
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2011
Long-Term Debt [Abstract]  
Long-Term Debt

Note 9—Long-term debt:

 

     December 31,  
     2010      2011  
     (In millions)  

Valhi:

     

Snake River Sugar Company

   $ 250.0       $ 250.0   

Subsidiary debt:

     

Kronos International 6.5% Senior Secured Notes

     532.8         360.6   

CompX promissory note payable to TIMET

     42.2         22.2   

CompX bank credit facility

     3.0         2.0   

NL promissory note

     18.0         9.0   

WCS financing capital lease

     72.0         71.1   

WCS 6% promissory notes

     15.4         11.7   

Other

     6.9         9.8   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total subsidiary debt

     690.3         486.4   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total debt

     940.3         736.4   

Less current maturities

     17.4         19.0   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total long-term debt

   $ 922.9       $ 717.4   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Valhi. Our $250 million in loans from Snake River Sugar Company are collateralized by our interest in The Amalgamated Sugar Company LLC. The loans bear interest at a weighted average fixed interest rate of 9.4% and are due in January 2027. At December 31, 2011, $37.5 million of the loans are recourse to us and the remaining $212.5 million is nonrecourse to us. Under certain conditions, Snake River has the ability to accelerate the maturity of these loans. See Note 4.

We also have an unsecured revolving credit facility with Contran which provides for borrowings from Contran of up to $100 million. The facility, as amended, bears interest at prime plus 1%, and is due on demand, but in any event no earlier than December 31, 2013. Valhi pays an unused commitment fee quarterly to Contran on the available balance. At December 31, 2011, no amounts were outstanding under the Contran credit facility and $100 million was available for borrowings.

Kronos and its subsidiaries. In April 2006, Kronos International, Inc. ("KII"), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kronos, issued €400 million principal amount of 6.5% Senior Secured Notes ("6.5% Notes") due 2013 at 99.306% of the principal amount ($498.5 million when issued). Kronos collateralized the 6.5% Notes with a pledge of 65% of the common stock or other ownership interests of certain of our first-tier European operating subsidiaries: Kronos Titan GmbH, Kronos Denmark ApS, Kronos Limited and Société Industrielle du Titane, S.A. We issued the 6.5% Notes pursuant to an indenture which contains a number of covenants and restrictions which, among other things, restricts Kronos' ability to incur additional debt, incur liens, pay dividends or merge or consolidate with, or sell or transfer all or substantially all of the assets to, another entity. At our option, Kronos may redeem the 6.5% Notes at redemption prices of 102.167% of the principal amount through October 2011, declining to 101.08% of the principal amount through October 2012 and 100% of the principal amount on or after October 15, 2012. In this regard, in March 2011, Kronos redeemed €80 million principal amount of the 6.5% Notes at 102.167% of the principal amount for an aggregate of $115.7 million, including a $2.5 million call premium. During the third and fourth quarters of 2011, we repurchased in open market transactions an aggregate of €40.8 million principal amount of the 6.5% notes for an aggregate of €40.6 million (an aggregate of $57.6 million when repurchased). Following such partial redemption and repurchases, €279.2 million principal amount of Senior Notes remain outstanding. We recognized a $3.3 million pre-tax interest charge related to the redemption of €80 million of the 6.5% Senior Secured Notes consisting of the call premium, the write-off of unamortized deferred financing costs and original issue discount associated with the redeemed Senior Notes. We recognized a $.2 million net gain on the €40.8 million principal amount of Senior Notes repurchased in open market transactions. Kronos borrowed under its European revolving credit facility, as discussed below, in order to fund the redemption in March 2011, while it used cash on hand to fund the open market repurchases.

 

In the event of a change of control, as defined in the agreement, we would be required to make an offer to purchase our 6.5% Notes at 101% of the principal amount. We would also be required to make an offer to purchase a specified portion of our 6.5% Notes at par value in the event we generate a certain amount of net proceeds from the sale of assets outside the ordinary course of business, and such net proceeds are not otherwise used for specified purposes within a specified time period. See Note 19. The indenture also contains certain cross-default provisions, as discussed in "the restrictions and other" section below. The carrying amount of the 6.5% Notes includes unamortized original issue discount of €.9 million ($1.2 million) and €.4 million ($.5 million) at December 31, 2010 and 2011, respectively.

Our Chemicals Segment's operating subsidiaries in Germany, Belgium, Norway and Denmark have a €80 million secured revolving bank credit facility that, as amended, matures in October 2013. We may denominate borrowings in euros, Norwegian kroner or U.S. dollars. We may also issue up to €5 million of letters of credit. Outstanding borrowings bear interest at rates ranging from LIBOR plus 1.75% to LIBOR plus 1.5%. The facility is collateralized by the accounts receivable and inventories of the borrowers, plus a limited pledge of all of the other assets of the Belgian borrower. The facility contains certain restrictive covenants that, among other things, restrict the ability of the borrowers to incur debt, incur liens, pay dividends or merge or consolidate with, or sell or transfer all or substantially all of the assets to, another entity. In addition, the credit facility contains customary cross-default provisions with respect to other debt and obligations of the borrowers, KII and its other subsidiaries.

During 2011, Kronos borrowed €80 million ($113.3 million when borrowed) under its European credit facility, and subsequently repaid €80 million ($115.0 million when repaid). As of December 31, 2011, there were no outstanding borrowings under our European credit facility and the equivalent of $103.5 million was available for borrowing under this facility.

In December 2011, Kronos' Canadian subsidiary entered into a Cdn. $10.0 million loan agreement with the Bank of Montreal for the limited purpose of issuing letters of credit. The facility renews annually. Letters of credit are collateralized by restricted deposits at the Bank of Montreal. The facility contains certain restrictive covenants which, among other things, restrict the subsidiary from incurring additional indebtedness in excess of Cdn. $20 million. At December 31, 2011, an aggregate of Cdn. $5.2 million letters of credit were outstanding under this facility. In February 2012, an additional letter of credit was issued under this facility for Cdn $2.1 million.

In December 2011, Kronos' Canadian subsidiary entered into an agreement with an economic development agency of the Province of Quebec, Canada pursuant to which we may borrow up to Cdn. $7.1 million from such agency. Borrowings may only be used to fund capital improvements at our Canadian plant, and are limited to a specified percentage of such capital improvements. Borrowings are non-interest bearing, with monthly payments commencing in 2017. The agreement contains certain restrictive covenants, which, among other things, restricts the subsidiary's ability to sell assets or enter into mergers, and requires our subsidiary to maintain certain financial ratios and maintain specified levels of employment. At December 31, 2011, we had no borrowings under this agreement.

CompX. At December 31, 2011 CompX had a $37.5 million revolving bank credit facility that matured in January 2012. CompX had net borrowings of $3.0 million under the credit facility in 2010, which was repaid in February 2011. In July 2011, CompX borrowed the equivalent of approximately $5.3 million under the credit facility in connection with the acquisition discussed in Note 3 (such borrowing was denominated in Canadian dollars, as permitted by the terms of the credit facility), and subsequently repaid the equivalent of $2.9 million of such borrowing during the remainder of 2011. The interest rate on the $2.0 million outstanding under the credit facility at December 31, 2011 was 4.4%. CompX was in compliance with all covenants of the credit facility at December 31, 2011.

 

In January 2012, CompX amended and restated the terms of the credit facility to extend the maturity date to January 2015 and to reduce the size of the facility from $37.5 million to $30.0 million. Any amounts outstanding under the credit facility bear interest at LIBOR plus a margin of 2.25%. The credit facility is collateralized by 65% of the ownership interests in CompX's first-tier non-U.S. subsidiaries. The facility contains certain covenants and restrictions customary in lending transactions of this type, which among other things restricts CompX's ability to incur debt, incur liens, pay dividends or merge or consolidate with, or transfer all or substantially all assets to, another entity. The facility also requires maintenance of specified levels of net worth (as defined in the agreement). In the event of a change of control, as defined in the agreement, the lenders would have the right to accelerate the maturity of the facility. The credit facility permits CompX to pay dividends and/or repurchase common stock in an amount equal to the sum of $.125 per share in any calendar quarter, not to exceed $8.0 million in any calendar year. At December 31, 2011, and based on the new $30 million size of the amended and restated credit facility, approximately $28.0 million was available for borrowings. Because the amended and restated credit facility extended the maturity date of our prior credit facility, we have classified the $2.0 million outstanding at December 31, 2011 under CompX's prior credit facility as noncurrent.

Note payable to TIMET. In October 2007, CompX purchased and/or cancelled a net 2.7 million shares of its Class A common stock from Timet Finance Management Company ("TFMC"). TFMC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of TIMET. CompX purchased and/or cancelled these shares for $19.50 per share, or aggregate consideration of $52.6 million, which CompX paid in the form of a promissory note. The promissory note, as amended, bears interest at LIBOR plus 1% (1.4% at December 31, 2011) and provides for quarterly principal repayments of $250,000, with the balance due at maturity in September 2014. The promissory note is prepayable, in whole or in part, at any time at our option without penalty. The promissory note is subordinated to CompX's amended and restated U.S. revolving bank credit facility, although we are permitted to make future principal prepayments not to exceed $15 million in the aggregate. The promissory note was amended in September 2009 resulting in the deferral of interest payments until March 2011 and the postponement of the quarterly principal repayments until March 2011. We had net repayments on the note payable to affiliate of $.8 million in 2009, nil in 2010 and $20 million in 2011, including $15.0 million of prepayments in 2011 using cash we received upon collection of our promissory note receivable, see Note 16.

NLNL's $18.0 million long-term promissory note is discussed in Note 17.

WCS In December 2010, WCS closed under a Sale and Purchase Agreement with the County of Andrews, Texas whereby WCS sold certain real and personal property constituting a substantial portion of its property and equipment ("Transferred Assets") to the County for gross proceeds of $75 million. WCS used the net proceeds received under the Agreement to finance the construction of its Federal and Texas Compact LLRW disposal facilities. As a condition under the Agreement, in December 2010 WCS also concurrently entered into a Lease Agreement ("Lease") with the County pursuant to which we agreed to lease the Transferred Assets back from the County for a period of 25 years. The Lease requires monthly rental payments payable from December 2010 through August 2035, and during the Lease term WCS is responsible for all costs associated with the use, occupancy, possession and operation of the Transferred Assets. Under the terms of the Agreement, WCS was also required to pay all of the County's costs associated with the transactions, and the proceeds WCS received from the County upon closing under the Sale and Purchase Agreement were net of the County's cost, which aggregated approximately $2.6 million At the end of the Lease term, title to the Transferred Assets automatically reverts back to WCS without further payment obligation. Prior to the end of the Lease term, WCS may, at its option, terminate the Lease early upon payment of specified amounts to the County, at which time the Transferred Assets would also revert back to WCS. For financial reporting purposes, we have accounted for these transactions in tandem as a financing capital lease, in which we continue to recognize the Transferred Assets on our Consolidated Balance Sheet and our rental payments due under the Lease are accounted for as debt. The capital lease has an effective interest rate of approximately 7.0%. At the inception of the Lease, we were required to prepay to the County an amount ($6.2 million) equal to our aggregate lease rentals due to the County in the final year of the Lease, the County will hold the funds as a prepaid deposit. The deposit serves as collateral for WCS' performance under the Lease and is included in our other noncurrent assets. See also Note 7.

As part of the termination of a contract with a former customer regarding various contractual and legal claims, in April 2010 WCS issued the former customer a $12.0 million long-term promissory note. The note is unsecured, bears interest at a fixed rate of 6% and is payable in five equal annual installments of principal plus accrued interest that began on December 31, 2010. WCS has the right to prepay the note at any time without penalty. A substantial portion of the principal amount of the promissory note issued was offset against deferred revenue that was unearned by WCS. The remaining $1.1 million we recognized in contract termination expense related to this agreement in the first quarter of 2010. At December 31, 2011, the outstanding principal balance of this promissory note was $7.2 million.

In December 2010, WCS issued a vendor, in final settlement of certain accrued construction retainage WCS owed such vendor, a $6.6 million non-interest bearing promissory note due on December 31, 2013. The note calls for payments of $1.7 million, $2.4 million and $2.5 million on December 31, 2011, 2012 and 2013, respectively. While the note is non-interest bearing, it does provide for a 6% discount rate in the event WCS elects, at its option, to prepay the promissory note. For financial reporting purposes, we discounted the note to its present value of $5.8 million at issuance based on this 6% discount rate. The amount of accrued construction retainage payable we had previously recognized was approximately $1.4 million greater than such $5.8 million amount, and as part of the settlement we reduced the value of our property and equipment by such excess to reflect the final cost. At December 31, 2011, the carrying value of our remaining obligation to the vendor under this promissory note was $4.5 million.

Aggregate maturities of long-term debt at December 31, 2011

 

Years ending December 31,

   Amount  
     (In millions)  

Gross amounts due each year:

  

2012

   $ 23.7   

2013

     374.8   

2014

     30.3   

2015

     9.5   

2016

     7.9   

2017 and thereafter

     364.8   
  

 

 

 

Subtotal

     811.0   

Less amounts representing interest on capital leases and discount on other debt obligations

     74.6   
  

 

 

 

Total long-term debt

   $ 736.4   
  

 

 

 

 

Restrictions and other. Under the cross-default provisions of Kronos' 6.5% Notes, the 6.5% Notes may be accelerated prior to their stated maturity if our European subsidiaries default under any other indebtedness in excess of $20 million due to a failure to pay the other indebtedness at its due date (including any due date that arises prior to the stated maturity as a result of a default under the other indebtedness). Under the cross-default provisions of Kronos' European revolving credit facility, any outstanding borrowings under the facility may be accelerated prior to their stated maturity if the borrowers or its parent company default under any other indebtedness in excess of €5 million due to a failure to pay the other indebtedness at its due date (including any due date that arises prior to the stated maturity as a result of a default under the other indebtedness).

Certain of the credit facilities described above require the respective borrowers to maintain minimum levels of equity, require the maintenance of certain financial ratios, limit dividends and additional indebtedness and contain other provisions and restrictive covenants customary in lending transactions of this type. We are in compliance with all of our debt covenants at December 31, 2011. We believe we will be able to comply with the financial covenants contained in all of our credit facilities through the maturity of the respective facility; however if future operating results differ materially from our expectations we may be unable to maintain compliance.