Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Commitments and Contingencies

v2.4.0.8
Commitments and Contingencies
3 Months Ended
Mar. 29, 2014
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Commitments and Contingencies
Note 8 – Commitments and Contingencies

Financial Commitments

The Company has entered into guarantees of indebtedness of third parties, primarily in connection with customer financing programs.  Under these arrangements, the Company has guaranteed customer obligations to the financial institutions in the event of customer default, generally subject to a maximum amount that is less than total obligations outstanding.  The Company has also extended guarantees to third parties that have purchased customer receivables from Brunswick and, in certain instances, has guaranteed secured term financing of its customers.  Potential payments in connection with these customer financing arrangements generally extend over several years.  The potential cash obligations associated with these customer financing arrangements as of March 29, 2014 and December 31, 2013 were:
 
Single Year Obligation
 
Maximum Obligation
(in millions)
March 29,
2014
 
December 31,
2013
 
March 29,
2014
 
December 31,
2013
Marine Engine
$
8.9

 
$
8.8

 
$
8.9

 
$
8.8

Boat
2.7

 
3.1

 
2.7

 
3.1

Fitness
25.7

 
24.4

 
29.6

 
28.9

Bowling & Billiards
0.4

 
0.5

 
0.7

 
0.9

Total
$
37.7

 
$
36.8

 
$
41.9

 
$
41.7



In most instances, upon repurchase of the receivable or note, the Company receives rights to the collateral securing the financing.  The Company’s risk under these arrangements is partially mitigated by the value of the collateral that secures the financing.  The Company had $1.6 million accrued for potential losses related to recourse exposure at both March 29, 2014 and December 31, 2013. The Company's recourse accrual represents the expected losses that could result from requirements to repurchase receivables or notes, after giving affect to anticipated proceeds from collections.

The Company has also entered into arrangements with third-party lenders where it has agreed, in the event of a default by the customer, to repurchase from the third-party lender those Brunswick products repossessed from the customer.  These arrangements are typically subject to a maximum repurchase amount. The potential cash payments the Company could be required to make to repurchase collateral as of March 29, 2014 and December 31, 2013 were:
 
Single Year Obligation
 
Maximum Obligation
(in millions)
March 29,
2014
 
December 31,
2013
 
March 29,
2014
 
December 31,
2013
Marine Engine
$
2.3

 
$
2.2

 
$
2.3

 
$
2.2

Boat
61.5

 
62.5

 
61.5

 
62.5

Bowling & Billiards
0.2

 
0.3

 
0.2

 
0.3

Total
$
64.0

 
$
65.0

 
$
64.0

 
$
65.0



The Company’s risk under these repurchase arrangements is partially mitigated by the value of the products repurchased as part of the transaction.  The Company had $1.6 million and $1.7 million accrued for potential losses related to repurchase exposure at March 29, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively.  The Company’s repurchase accrual represents the expected losses that could result from obligations to repurchase products, after giving effect to proceeds anticipated to be received from the resale of those products to alternative dealers.
 
The Company has recorded its estimated net liability associated with losses from these guarantee and repurchase obligations on its Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets based on historical experience and current facts and circumstances.  Historical cash requirements and losses associated with these obligations have not been significant, but could increase if dealer defaults exceed current expectations.

The Company has accounts receivable sale arrangements with third parties which are included in the guarantee arrangements discussed above.  The Company treats the sale of receivables in which the Company retains an interest as a secured obligation as the transfers of the receivables under these arrangements do not meet the requirements of a “true sale.”  Accordingly, the current portion of receivables underlying these arrangements of $33.5 million and $36.2 million was recorded in Accounts and notes receivable and Accrued expenses as of March 29, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively.  Further, the long-term portion of these arrangements of $18.9 million as of both March 29, 2014 and December 31, 2013, was recorded in Other long-term assets and Other long-term liabilities.

Financial institutions have issued standby letters of credit and surety bonds conditionally guaranteeing obligations on behalf of the Company totaling $18.9 million and $15.8 million, respectively, as of March 29, 2014.  A large portion of these standby letters of credit and surety bonds are related to the Company’s self-insured workers’ compensation program as required by its insurance companies and various state agencies.  The Company has recorded reserves to cover the anticipated liabilities associated with these programs.  Under certain circumstances, such as an event of default under the Company’s revolving credit facility, or, in the case of surety bonds, a ratings downgrade, the Company could be required to post collateral to support the outstanding letters of credit and surety bonds.  The Company was not required to post letters of credit as collateral against surety bonds as of March 29, 2014.

The Company has a collateral trust arrangement with insurance carriers and a trustee bank.  The trust is owned by the Company, but the assets are pledged as collateral against workers’ compensation related obligations in lieu of other forms of collateral including letters of credit.  In connection with this arrangement, the Company had $8.9 million and $6.5 million of cash in the trust, as of March 29, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively, which was classified as Restricted cash in the Company’s Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets. In the first quarter of 2014, there was a $2.4 million transfer of cash from Cash and cash equivalents to Restricted cash in the Company's Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets related to annual collateral requirements for the current policy year.

Product Warranties

The Company records a liability for product warranties at the time revenue is recognized.  The liability is estimated using historical warranty experience, projected claim rates and expected costs per claim.  The Company adjusts its liability for specific warranty matters when they become known and the exposure can be estimated.  The Company’s warranty liabilities are affected by product failure rates as well as material usage and labor costs incurred in correcting a product failure.  If actual costs differ from estimated costs, the Company must make a revision to the warranty liability.

The following activity related to product warranty liabilities was recorded in Accrued expenses during the three months ended March 29, 2014 and March 30, 2013:
(in millions)
March 29,
2014
 
March 30,
2013
Balance at beginning of period
$
120.8

 
$
127.7

Payments made
(11.4
)
 
(13.3
)
Provisions/additions for contracts issued/sold
11.2

 
13.5

Aggregate changes for preexisting warranties
(3.6
)
 
(1.1
)
Balance at end of period
$
117.0

 
$
126.8



Additionally, end users of the Company's Marine Engine, Boat and Fitness segments' products may purchase a contract from the Company that extends product warranty beyond the standard period.  For certain extended warranty contracts in which the Company retains the warranty or administration obligation, a deferred liability is recorded based on the aggregate sales price for contracts sold.  The deferred liability is reduced and revenue is recognized on a straight-line basis over the contract period during which costs are expected to be incurred.  Deferred revenue associated with contracts sold by the Company that extend product protection beyond the standard product warranty period, not included in the table above, was $57.6 million at both March 29, 2014 and December 31, 2013, and is recorded in Accrued expenses and Other long-term liabilities.

Legal and Environmental

The Company accrues for litigation exposure when it is probable that future costs will be incurred and such costs can be reasonably estimated. Adjustments to estimates are recorded in the period the adjustments are identified. Management does not believe that there is a reasonable possibility that a material loss exceeding the amounts already recognized for the Company’s litigation claims and matters, if any, has been incurred. However, the ultimate resolutions of these proceedings and matters are inherently unpredictable. As such, our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows could be adversely affected in any particular period by the unfavorable resolution of one or more of these proceedings or matters.

There were no significant changes during the three months ended March 29, 2014, to the legal and environmental commitments that were discussed in Note 12 to the consolidated financial statements in the 2013 Form 10-K.