NOTE 9 – FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS

Fair value is the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date (exit price). The authoritative guidance requires disclosure of the framework for measuring fair value and requires that fair value measurements be classified and disclosed in one of the following categories:

Level 1:         Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets that are accessible at the measurement date for identical, unrestricted assets or liabilities. We consider active markets as those in which transactions for the assets or liabilities occur with sufficient frequency and volume to provide pricing information on an ongoing basis.

Level 2:        Quoted prices in markets that are not active, or inputs that are observable, either directly or indirectly, for substantially the full term of the asset or liability. This category includes those derivative instruments that we value using observable market data. Substantially all of these inputs are observable in the marketplace throughout the full term of the derivative instrument, can be derived from observable data or are supported by observable levels at which transactions are executed in the marketplace.

Level 3:          Measured based on prices or valuation models that require inputs that are both significant to the fair value measurement and less observable from objective sources (i.e., supported by little or no market activity).

Financial assets and liabilities are classified based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement. Our assessment of the significance of a particular input to the fair value measurement requires judgment and may affect the valuation of the fair value of assets and liabilities and their placement within the fair value hierarchy. We continue to evaluate our inputs to ensure the fair value level classification is appropriate. When transfers between levels occur, it is our policy to assume that the transfer occurred at the date of the event or change in circumstances that caused the transfer.

As a result of the Wishbone Acquisition, the Company evaluated the fair value of the assets acquired and the liabilities assumed.  The Company recorded the oil and gas assets acquired in the Wishbone Acquisition at the price paid.  Prior to doing so, the Company determined that the price paid approximated the fair value of the net assets acquired.  In doing so, the Company compared the price paid per BOE of existing production to comparable companies enterprise value per BOE of existing production.  Additionally, the Company did an evaluation of the reserves acquired, based on varying percentages of the present value discounted at 10 percent (PV-10) of the different categories (PDP, PDNP and PUD) of the reserves.  Based on these evaluations, we determined that the price paid was a reasonable approximation of the fair value of the oil and gas assets acquired.  Given the significance of the unobservable nature of a number of the inputs, these are considered Level 3 on the fair value hierarchy.

The Company recorded the prepaid expenses, joint interest billing receivables and revenues payable at the carrying value assumed from Wishbone. The carrying amounts of receivables and accounts payable and other current assets and liabilities approximate fair value because of the short-term maturities and/or liquid nature of these assets and liabilities.

The fair values of the Company’s derivatives are not actively quoted in the open market. The Company uses a market approach to estimate the fair values of its derivative instruments on a recurring basis, utilizing commodity futures pricing for the underlying commodities provided by a reputable third party, a Level 2 fair value measurement.

The following table summarizes the valuation of our assets and liabilities that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis.

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