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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q

[ X ]        QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d)

OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the quarterly period ended September 30, 2013

or

[     ]        TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 or 15(d)

OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

Commission File Number 000-51446

CONSOLIDATED COMMUNICATIONS HOLDINGS, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

(217) 235-3311

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company.  See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

Non-accelerated filer___ (Do not check if a smaller reporting company)               Smaller reporting company ____

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).

On October 23, 2013, the registrant had 40,111,518 shares of Common Stock outstanding.

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PART I – FINANCIAL INFORMATION

ITEM 1.  FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

CONSOLIDATED COMMUNICATIONS HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME

(Unaudited; Amounts in thousands except per share amounts)

See accompanying notes.

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CONSOLIDATED COMMUNICATIONS HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

(Unaudited; Amounts in thousands)

See accompanying notes.

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CONSOLIDATED COMMUNICATIONS HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(Unaudited; Amounts in thousands except share and per share amounts)

See accompanying notes.

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CONSOLIDATED COMMUNICATIONS HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(Unaudited; amounts in thousands)

See accompanying notes.

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CONSOLIDATED COMMUNICATIONS HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

1.                   SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Business and Basis of Accounting

Consolidated Communications Holdings, Inc. (the “Company”, “we” or “our”) is a holding company with operating subsidiaries (collectively “Consolidated”) that provide communications services to residential and business customers in Illinois, Texas, Pennsylvania, California, Kansas and Missouri.

We offer a wide range of telecommunications services to residential and business customers in the areas we serve. Our telecommunications services include local and long-distance service, high-speed broadband Internet access, video services, digital telephone service (“VOIP”), custom calling features, private line services, carrier grade access services, network capacity services over our regional fiber optic networks, directory publishing, Competitive Local Exchange Carrier (“CLEC”) services and equipment sales.  As of September 30, 2013, we had approximately 260 thousand access lines, 124 thousand voice connections, 253 thousand data and Internet connections and 110 thousand video connections.

We historically operated our business as two separate reportable segments: Telephone Operations and Other Operations.  Based on changes in our business structure, during the quarter ended June 30, 2013 we concluded that we operate our business as one reportable segment. See the Recent Business Developments section below for a more detailed discussion regarding the circumstances that resulted in the change to our segment reporting.

In the opinion of management, the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheets and related consolidated statements of income, comprehensive income and cash flows include all adjustments, consisting only of normal recurring items, necessary for their fair presentation in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“U.S. GAAP” or “GAAP”) for interim financial information and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in annual financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP have been condensed or omitted pursuant to such SEC rules and regulations and accounting principles applicable for interim periods. Events subsequent to the balance sheet date have been evaluated for inclusion in the accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements through the date of issuance.  Management believes that the disclosures made are adequate to make the information presented not misleading. Interim results are not necessarily indicative of results for a full year.  The information presented in this Form 10-Q should be read in conjunction with Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and the consolidated financial statements and the accompanying notes to the financial statements (“Notes”) thereto included in our 2012 Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC.

Recent Business Developments

Segment Reporting

Historically, we classified our operations into two separate reportable business segments: Telephone Operations and Other Operations.  Our Telephone Operations consisted of a wide range of telecommunications services to residential and business customers, including local and long-distance service, high-speed broadband Internet access, video services, VOIP services, custom calling features, private line services, carrier access services, network capacity services over a regional fiber optic network, mobile services and directory publishing.  Our Other Operations segment operated two complementary non-core businesses including telephone services to state and county correctional facilities (“Prison Services”) and equipment sales.  As discussed below, our contract to provide telephone services to correctional facilities operated by the Illinois Department of Corrections was not renewed and the process of transitioning those services to another service provider was completed during the quarter ended March 31, 2013.  The remaining prison services assets and operations were classified as discontinued operations during the quarter ended June 30, 2013 and subsequently sold during the quarter ended September 30, 2013.  Prison Services comprised nearly all of the Other Operations segment revenue and results of operations.  Consequently, with the cessation of our Prison Services business and based on the segment accounting guidance, the Company concluded that we operate as one segment as of the quarter ended June 30, 2013. As required by the authoritative guidance for segment presentation, segment results of operations have been retrospectively adjusted to reflect this change for all periods presented.

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Prison Services Contract

We previously provided telephone service to inmates incarcerated at facilities operated by the Illinois Department of Corrections and to certain county jails.  On June 27, 2012, the Illinois Department of Central Management Services announced its intent to replace us as the provider of those services with a competitor. Although we challenged our competitor’s bid and the State’s decision to accept that bid in a variety of different forums, during the quarter ended March 31, 2013, the process of transitioning these services to another service provider was completed. All related assets have been assessed for recoverability in light of this change and we determined that no impairment was necessary. During 2012, the prison services contract comprised 5% of consolidated operating revenues and approximately 2% of consolidated operating income, excluding financing and other transaction fees.

Discontinued Operations

On September 13, 2013, we completed the sale of the assets and contractual rights used to provide communications services to inmates in thirteen county jails located in Illinois for a total purchase price of $2.5 million.  In accordance with the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 205-20, “Discontinued Operations”, the financial results of the prison services business have been reported as a discontinued operation in our condensed consolidated financial statements for all periods presented. For a more complete discussion of the transaction, refer to Note 2.

SureWest Merger

We completed the acquisition of SureWest Communications on July 2, 2012.  SureWest Communications’ results of operations are included within our results following the acquisition date.  For a more complete discussion of the transaction, refer to Note 2.

Reclassifications

Certain amounts in our 2012 condensed consolidated financial statements have been reclassified to conform to the presentation of our 2013 condensed consolidated financial statements, which consists of the effects of reclassifications from the presentation of prison services as a discontinued operation and the finalization of purchase accounting for the SureWest acquisition.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In July 2013, the FASB issued the Accounting Standards Update No. 2013-11 (“ASU 2013-11”), Presentation of an Unrecognized Tax Benefit When a Net Operating Loss Carryforward, a Similar Tax Loss, or a Tax Credit Carryforward Exists. ASU 2013-11 provides guidance concerning the balance sheet presentation of an unrecognized tax benefit when a net operating loss carryforward, a similar tax loss or a tax credit carryforward is present. The amended guidance is effective for fiscal years and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2013, with early adoption permitted. We are currently evaluating the impact this update will have on our condensed consolidated financial statements.

Effective January 1, 2013, we adopted Accounting Standards Update No. 2012-02 (“ASU 2012-02”), Testing Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets for Impairment. ASU 2012-02 permits an entity to perform an initial assessment of qualitative factors to determine whether it is more likely than not that a non-goodwill indefinite-lived intangible asset is impaired and thus whether it is necessary to calculate the asset’s fair value for the purpose of comparing it with the asset’s carrying amount. The adoption of this standard did not have a material impact on our condensed consolidated financial statements.

Effective January 1, 2013, we adopted Accounting Standards Update No. 2013-02 (“ASU 2013-02”), Comprehensive Income (Topic 220): Reporting of Amounts Reclassified Out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income, which establishes new requirements for disclosing reclassifications of items out of accumulated other comprehensive income (“OCI”). ASU 2013-2 requires disclosures for the (i) changes in components of accumulated OCI, (ii) effects on individual line items in net income for each item of accumulated OCI that is reclassified in its entirety to net income, and (iii) cross references to other disclosures that provide additional details for OCI items that are not reclassified in their entirety to net income. For public companies, amendments were effective prospectively for reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2012, with early adoption permitted. In accordance with the provisions of this guidance, disclosures related to accumulated OCI can be found in Note 8.

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2.              ACQUISITION AND DISPOSITIONS

Merger With SureWest Communications

On July 2, 2012, we completed the merger with SureWest Communications (“SureWest”), which resulted in the acquisition of 100% of all the outstanding shares of SureWest for $23.00 per share in a cash and stock transaction.  SureWest provides telecommunications services in Northern California, primarily in the greater Sacramento region, and in the greater Kansas City, Kansas and Missouri areas. The total purchase price of $550.8 million consisted of cash and assumed debt of $402.4 million and 9,965,983 shares of the Company’s common stock valued at the Company’s opening stock price on July 2, 2012 of $14.89, which totaled $148.4 million. We acquired SureWest to provide additional diversification of our revenues and cash flows.

Subsequent to the merger, the financial results of SureWest operations have been included in our condensed consolidated statement of income.  For the quarter and nine months ended September 30, 2013, we paid change-in-control obligations to former members of the SureWest management team of $0.2 million and $8.1 million, respectively, that were previously accrued.  At September 30, 2013, unpaid obligations under the change-in-control agreements was $0.1 million, which is expected to be paid during the three months ended December 31, 2013.

The acquisition of SureWest has been accounted for using the acquisition method in accordance with the FASB’s ASC Topic 805, Business Combinations.  Accordingly, the net assets acquired were recorded at their estimated fair values at July 2, 2012.  These values were derived from a purchase price allocation, which was finalized during the quarter ended June 30, 2013.  These final adjustments were retrospectively applied on the balance sheet to reflect the appropriate balances as of July 2, 2012.  There was no impact to the income statement for the twelve months ended December 31, 2012.

Unaudited Pro Forma Results

The following unaudited pro forma information presents our results of operations as if the acquisition of SureWest occurred on January 1, 2011.  The adjustments to arrive at the pro forma information below include additional depreciation and amortization expense for the fair value increases to property, plant and equipment, software and customer relationships.  Interest expense was increased to reflect the additional debt acquired to finance a portion of the acquisition price.  Shares used in the calculation of basic and diluted earnings per share were adjusted to reflect the additional shares of common stock issued to fund a portion of the acquisition price. The pro forma information below does not purport to present the actual results that would have resulted if the acquisition had in fact occurred at the beginning of the fiscal periods presented, nor does the information project results for any future period.

Discontinued Operations

In September 2013, we completed the sale of the assets and contractual rights of our prison services business for a total cash purchase price of $2.5 million, which included the settlement of any pending legal matters.  The financial results of the operations for prison services, which were previously reported in the Other Operations segment, have been reported as a discontinued operation in our condensed consolidated financial statements for all periods presented.

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As of September 30, 2013 and December 31, 2012, the major classes of the prison services assets and liabilities included in discontinued operations were as follows:

The following table summarizes the financial information for the prison services operations for the quarters and nine months ended September 30, 2013 and 2012:

3.              EARNINGS PER SHARE

The computation of basic and diluted earnings per share attributable to common shareholders computed using the two-class method is as follows:

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Diluted earnings per common share attributable to common shareholders for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013 excludes 0.4 million shares and 0.3 million shares, respectively, of potential common shares related to our share-based compensation plan, because the inclusion of the potential common shares would have had an antidilutive effect.  For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2012, diluted earnings per share excluded 0.2 million potential common shares.

4.  INVESTMENTS

Our investments are as follows:

Cost Method

We own 2.34% of GTE Mobilnet of South Texas Limited Partnership (the “Mobilnet South Partnership”).  The principal activity of the Mobilnet South Partnership is providing cellular service in the Houston, Galveston, and Beaumont, Texas metropolitan areas.  We also own 3.60% of Pittsburgh SMSA Limited Partnership (“Pittsburgh SMSA”), which provides cellular service in and around the Pittsburgh metropolitan area.  Because of our limited influence over these partnerships, we use the cost method to account for both of these investments.  It is not practicable to estimate fair value of these investments.  We did not evaluate any of the investments for impairment during the quarters or nine months ended September 30, 2013 or 2012 as no factors indicating impairment existed.  For the three months ended September 30, 2013 and 2012, we received cash distributions from these partnerships totaling $4.3 million and $3.7 million, respectively.  For the nine months ended September 30, 2013 and 2012, we received cash distributions from these partnerships totaling $12.1 million and $9.3 million, respectively.

CoBank, ACB (“CoBank”) is a cooperative bank owned by its customers.  On an annual basis, CoBank distributes patronage in the form of cash and stock in the cooperative based on the Company’s outstanding loan balance with CoBank, which has traditionally been a significant lender in the Company’s credit facility.  The investment in CoBank represents the accumulation of the equity patronage paid by CoBank to the Company.

Equity Method

We own 20.51% of GTE Mobilnet of Texas RSA #17 Limited Partnership (“RSA #17”), 16.6725% of Pennsylvania RSA 6(I) Limited Partnership (“RSA 6(I)”) and 23.67% of Pennsylvania RSA 6(II) Limited Partnership (“RSA 6(II)”).  RSA #17 provides cellular service to a limited rural area in Texas.  RSA 6 (I) and RSA 6 (II) provide cellular service in and around our Pennsylvania service territory.  Because we have significant influence over the operating and financial policies of these three entities, we account for the investments using the equity method.  For the three months ended September 30, 2013 and 2012, we received cash distributions from these partnerships totaling $4.2 million and $4.0 million, respectively. For the nine months ended September 30, 2013 and 2012, we received cash distributions from these partnerships totaling $12.2 million and $10.5 million, respectively.

We have a 12.86% interest in Central Valley Independent Network, LLC (“CVIN”), a joint enterprise comprised of affiliates of several independent telephone companies located in central and northern California. CVIN provides network services and oversees a broadband infrastructure project designed to expand and improve the availability of network services to counties in central California.  Because we have significant influence over the operating and financial policies of this entity, we account for this investment using the equity method.  During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013, we made additional capital investments of $0.1 million and $0.2 million, respectively, in this partnership.  We did not receive any distributions from this partnership during the quarters or nine months ended September 30, 2013 and 2012.

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The combined unaudited results of operations and financial position of our three equity investments in the cellular limited partnerships are summarized below:

5.              FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS

Our derivative instruments related to interest rate swap agreements are required to be measured at fair value on a recurring basis.  The fair values of the interest rate swaps are determined using valuation models which rely on the expected London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) based yield curve and estimates of counterparty and Consolidated’s non-performance risk as the most significant inputs.  Because each of these inputs are directly observable or can be corroborated by observable market data, we have categorized these interest rate swaps as Level 2 within the fair value hierarchy. See Note 7 for further discussion regarding our interest rate swap agreements.

Our interest rate swap liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis and subject to disclosure requirements at September 30, 2013 and December 31, 2012 were as follows:

The change in the fair value of the derivatives is primarily a result of a change in market expectations for future interest rates and the expiration of certain instruments during the nine months ended September 30, 2013.

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We have not elected the fair value option for any of our financial assets or liabilities.  The carrying value of other financial instruments, including cash, accounts receivable, accounts payable and accrued liabilities approximate fair value due to their short maturities or variable-rate nature of the respective balances.  The following table presents the other financial instruments that are not carried at fair value but which require fair value disclosure as of September 30, 2013 and December 31, 2012.

Cost & Equity Method Investments

Our investments at September 30, 2013 and December 31, 2012 accounted for under both the equity and cost methods consists primarily of minority positions in various cellular telephone limited partnerships and our investment in CoBank.  These investments are recorded using either the equity or cost methods. It is impracticable to determine fair value of these investments.

Long-term Debt

The fair value of our long-term debt was estimated using a discounted cash flow analyses based on incremental borrowing rates for similar types of borrowing arrangements.  We have categorized the long-term debt as Level 2 within the fair value hierarchy.

6.     LONG-TERM DEBT

Long-term debt, presented net of unamortized discounts, consisted of the following:

Credit Agreement

The Company, through certain of its wholly owned subsidiaries, has an outstanding credit agreement with several financial institutions, which consists of a $50.0 million revolving credit facility and outstanding term loans of $908.5 million at September 30, 2013.  The credit facility also includes an incremental term loan facility which provides the ability to borrow up to $300.0 million of incremental term loans.  As of September 30, 2013 and December 31, 2012, no amounts were outstanding under the revolving credit facility.  Borrowings under the senior secured credit facility are secured by substantially all of the assets of the Company, with the exception of Illinois Consolidated Telephone Company and our majority-owned subsidiary, East Texas Fiber Line Incorporated.

Our term loans under the credit facility, as amended, were issued in separate tranches, resulting in different maturity dates and interest rate margins for each term loan.  The second term loan (“Term 2”) consists of an original aggregate principal amount of $409.1 million, matures on December 31, 2017 and currently has an applicable margin (at our election) equal to either 4.00% for a LIBOR-based term loan or 3.00% for an alternative base rate term loan.  The Term 2 loan requires $1.0 million in quarterly principal payments, which began on March 31, 2012.  The third term loan (“Term 3”) consists of an original aggregate principal amount of $515.0 million, with a maturity date of December 31, 2018.  The Term 3 loan requires quarterly principal payments of $1.3 million which commenced March 31, 2013 and has an applicable margin (at our election) equal to either 4.00% for a LIBOR-based term loan or 3.00% for an alternative base rate term loan subject to a 1.25% LIBOR floor. The Term 3 loan contains an original issuance discount of $5.2 million, which is being amortized over the term of the loan.

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Our revolving credit facility has a maturity date of June 8, 2016 and an applicable margin (at our election) of between 2.75% and 3.50% for LIBOR-based borrowings and between 1.75% and 2.50% for alternative base rate borrowings, depending on our leverage ratio.  Based on our leverage ratio at September 30, 2013, the borrowing margin for the next three month period ending December 31, 2013 will be at a weighted-average margin of 3.25% for a LIBOR-based loan or 2.25% for an alternative base rate loan.  The applicable borrowing margin for the revolving credit facility is adjusted quarterly to reflect the leverage ratio from the prior quarter-end.  There were no borrowings or letters of credit outstanding under the revolving credit facility at September 30, 2013 and December 31, 2012.

The weighted-average interest rate on outstanding borrowings under our credit agreement was 4.78% and 4.79% at September 30, 2013 and December 31, 2012, respectively.  Interest is payable at least quarterly.

Net proceeds from asset sales exceeding certain thresholds, to the extent not reinvested, are required to be used to repay loans outstanding under the credit agreement.

Credit Agreement Covenant Compliance

The credit agreement contains various provisions and covenants, including, among other items, restrictions on the ability to pay dividends, incur additional indebtedness, and issue capital stock.  We have agreed to maintain certain financial ratios, including interest coverage and total net leverage ratios, all as defined in the credit agreement.  As of September 30, 2013, we were in compliance with the credit agreement covenants.

Effective February 17, 2012, we amended our credit facility to provide us with the ability to incur indebtedness necessary to finance the acquisition of SureWest, which enabled us to issue the unsecured Senior Notes (“Senior Notes”), as described below.  In connection with the amendment, fees of $3.5 million were recognized as financing and other transaction costs during the nine months ended September 30, 2012.

In general, our credit agreement restricts our ability to pay dividends to the amount of our Available Cash as defined in our credit agreement. As of September 30, 2013, and including the $15.5 million dividend declared in August 2013 and paid on November 1, 2013, we had $208.7 million in dividend availability under the credit facility covenant.

Under our credit agreement, if our total net leverage ratio (as defined in the credit agreement), as of the end of any fiscal quarter, is greater than 5.10:1.00, we will be required to suspend dividends on our common stock unless otherwise permitted by an exception for dividends that may be paid from the portion of proceeds of any sale of equity not used to fund acquisitions, or make other investments.  During any dividend suspension period, we will be required to repay debt in an amount equal to 50.0% of any increase in Available Cash, among other things.  In addition, we will not be permitted to pay dividends if an event of default under the credit agreement has occurred and is continuing.  Among other things, it will be an event of default if our total net leverage ratio and interest coverage ratio as of the end of any fiscal quarter is greater than 5.25:1.00 and less than 2.25:1.00, respectively.  As of September 30, 2013, our total net leverage ratio under the credit agreement was 4.19:1.00, and our interest coverage ratio was 3.34:1.00.

Senior Notes

On May 30, 2012, we completed an offering of $300.0 million aggregate principal amount of 10.875% unsecured Senior Notes, due 2020 through our wholly-owned subsidiary, Consolidated Communications Finance Co. (“Finance Co.”) for the acquisition of SureWest.  The Senior Notes will mature on June 1, 2020 and earn interest at a rate of 10.875% per year, payable semi-annually in arrears on June 1 and December 1 of each year, commencing on December 1, 2012.  The Senior Notes were sold in the United States to qualified institutional buyers pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933 (the “Securities Act”) and outside the United States in compliance with Regulation S under the Securities Act.  In addition, some of the Senior Notes were sold to certain “accredited investors” (as defined in Rule 501 under the Securities Act).  The Senior Notes were sold to investors at a price equal to 99.345% of the principal amount thereof, for a yield to maturity of 11.00%.  This discount is being amortized over the term of the Senior Notes.  The proceeds of the sale of the Senior Notes were

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held in an escrow account prior to the closing of the SureWest transaction.  Upon closing of the SureWest acquisition on July 2, 2012, Finance Co. merged with and into our wholly-owned subsidiary Consolidated Communications, Inc., which assumed the Senior Notes, and we and certain of our subsidiaries fully and unconditionally guaranteed the Senior Notes.  On August 3, 2012, SureWest and its subsidiaries guaranteed the Senior Notes.

During the quarter ended June 30, 2013, we completed an exchange offer to issue registered notes (“Exchange Notes”) for $287.3 million of the original Senior Notes.  The terms of the Exchange Notes are substantially identical to the Senior Notes, except that the Exchange Notes are registered under the Securities Act and the transfer restrictions and registration rights applicable to the Senior Notes do not apply to the Exchange Notes.  The exchange offer did not impact the aggregate principal amount or the remaining terms of the Senior Notes outstanding.

Senior Notes Covenant Compliance

The indenture governing the Senior Notes contains customary covenants for high yield notes, which limits Consolidated Communications, Inc.’s and its restricted subsidiaries’ ability to: incur debt or issue certain preferred stock; pay dividends or make other distributions on capital stock or prepay subordinated indebtedness; purchase or redeem any equity interests; make investments; create liens; sell assets; enter into agreements that restrict dividends or other payments by restricted subsidiaries; consolidate, merge or transfer all or substantially all of its assets; engage in transactions with its affiliates; or enter into any sale and leaseback transactions.

Among other matters, the Senior Notes indenture provides that Consolidated Communications, Inc. may not pay dividends or make other “restricted payments” to the Company if its total net leverage ratio is 4.25:1.00 or greater.  At September 30, 2013, this ratio, which is calculated differently than the comparable ratio under the credit agreement, was 3.99:1.00.  If this ratio is met, dividends and other restricted payments may be made from cumulative consolidated cash flow since the date the Senior Notes were issued, less 1.75 times fixed charges, less dividends and other restricted payments made since the date the Senior Notes were issued.  Dividends may be paid and other restricted payments may also be made from a “basket” of $50.0 million, none of which has been used to date, and pursuant to other exceptions identified in the Senior Notes indenture. Since dividends of $93.0 million have been paid since May 30, 2012, at September 30, 2013 there was $135.9 million of the $228.9 million of cumulative consolidated cash flow since May 30, 2012 available to pay dividends.

Bridge Loan Facility

In connection with the acquisition of SureWest, in February 2012 the Company received committed financing for a total of $350.0 million to fund the cash portion of the anticipated transaction, to refinance SureWest’s debt and to pay for certain transaction costs. The financing package included a $350.0 million Senior Unsecured Bridge Loan Facility (“Bridge Facility”). As anticipated, permanent financing for the SureWest acquisition was funded by our Senior Note offering, as described above.  As a result, the $4.2 million commitment fee incurred for the Bridge Facility was capitalized as deferred debt issuance costs in February 2012 and was amortized over the expected life of the Bridge Facility, which was four months.

Capital Leases

As of September 30, 2013, we had seven capital leases which expire between 2015 and 2021.  As of September 30, 2013, the present value of the minimum remaining lease commitments was approximately $5.3 million, of which $0.6 million was due and payable within the next twelve months.  The leases require total remaining rental payments of $8.2 million as of September 30, 2013, of which $6.0 million will be paid to LATEL LLC, a related party entity.

During the nine months ended September 30, 2013, we acquired equipment of $0.8 million through capital lease agreements, which represents a noncash activity.

7.     DERIVATIVE FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS

We use derivative financial instruments to manage our exposure to the risks associated with fluctuations in interest rates. Our interest rate swap agreements effectively convert a portion of our floating-rate debt to a fixed-rate basis, thereby reducing the impact of interest rate changes on future cash interest payments.  Derivative financial instruments are recorded at fair value in our condensed consolidated balance sheet.  Certain of our interest rate swaps are designated as cash flow hedges of our expected future interest payments.  For derivative instruments designated as a cash flow hedge, the effective portion of the change in the fair value is recognized as a

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component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) (“AOCI”) and is recognized as an adjustment to earnings over the period in which the hedged item impacts earnings. When an interest rate swap agreement terminates, any resulting gain or loss is recognized over the shorter of the remaining original term of the hedging instrument or the remaining life of the underlying debt obligation.  If a derivative instrument is de-designated, the remaining gain or loss in AOCI on the date of de-designation is amortized to earnings over the remaining term of the hedging instrument. For derivative financial instruments that are not designated as a hedge, changes in fair value are recognized on a current basis in earnings.  The ineffective portion of the change in fair value of any hedging derivative is recognized immediately in earnings.  Cash flows from hedging activities are classified under the same category as the cash flows from the hedged items in our consolidated statement of cash flows.

The following interest rate swaps were outstanding at September 30, 2013:

The following interest rate swaps were outstanding at December 31, 2012:

At September 30, 2013 and December 31, 2012, the interest rate on approximately 36% and 69%, respectively, of our outstanding debt under the term loan credit facility was fixed through the use of interest rate swaps.

As of September 30, 2013, the counterparties to our various swaps are four major U.S. and European banks.  None of the swap agreements provide for either us or the counterparties to post collateral nor do the agreements include any covenants related to the financial condition of Consolidated or the counterparties.  The swaps of any counterparty that is a “Lender” as defined in our credit facility are secured along with the other creditors under the credit facility.  Each of the swap agreements provides that in the event of a bankruptcy filing by either Consolidated or the counterparty, any amounts owed between the two parties would be offset in order to determine the net amount due between parties.  This provision allows us to partially mitigate the risk of non-performance by a counterparty.

On December 4, 2012, $660.0 million notional interest rate swaps designated as cash flow hedges were de-designated in connection with an amendment to our credit agreement.  Prior to the de-designation, the effective portion of the change in fair value of these interest rate swaps were recognized in AOCI.  The balance of the unrealized loss included in AOCI as of the date the swaps were de-designated was amortized to earnings over the remaining term of the swap agreements.  On December 31, 2012, $200.0 million notional interest rate swap agreements expired and the remainder expired on March 31, 2013.  Subsequent to December 4, 2012, changes in fair value of the de-designated swaps were recognized in earnings.  During the nine months ended September 30, 2013, a gain of $2.1 million was recognized as a reduction to interest expense for the change in fair value of the de-designated swaps.

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Information regarding our cash flow hedge transactions is as follows:

8.     EQUITY

Share-Based Compensation

The following table summarizes total compensation costs recognized for share-based payments during the quarters and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2013 and 2012:

Stock-based compensation expense is included in “selling, general and administrative expenses” in the accompanying statements of income.

As of September 30, 2013, total unrecognized compensation costs related to nonvested Restricted Stock Awards (“RSAs”) and Performance Share Awards (“PSAs”) was $4.2 million and will be recognized over a weighted-average period of approximately 1.08 years.

The following table summarizes the RSA and PSA activity for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2013: