Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Commitments and Contingencies

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Commitments and Contingencies
6 Months Ended
Nov. 30, 2011
Commitments and Contingencies [Abstract]  
Commitments and Contingencies
Note H: Commitments and Contingencies

Lines of credit: As of November 30, 2011, the Company had unused borrowing capacity available under four uncommitted, secured, short-term lines of credit at market rates of interest with financial institutions as follows:

 

                 

Financial institution

  Amount
available
    Expiration date  
     

JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A.

  $ 350 million       February 2012  

Bank of America, N.A.

  $ 250 million       February 2012  

PNC Bank, National Association

  $ 150 million       February 2012  

Wells Fargo Bank, National Association

  $ 150 million       February 2012  

The primary uses of the lines of credit would be to meet short-term funding requirements related to deposit account overdrafts and client fund obligations arising from electronic payment transactions on behalf of clients in the ordinary course of business, if necessary. No amounts were outstanding against these lines of credit as of, or during the six months ended, November 30, 2011.

JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. and Bank of America, N.A. are also parties to the Company’s irrevocable standby letters of credit, which are discussed next.

 

Letters of credit: As of both November 30, 2011 and May 31, 2011, the Company had irrevocable standby letters of credit available totaling $47.4 million, required to secure commitments for certain insurance policies. The letters of credit expire at various dates between July 2012 and December 2012, and are collateralized by securities held in the Company’s investment portfolios. No amounts were outstanding on these letters of credit as of, or during the six months ended, November 30, 2011.

Other commitments: The Company enters into various purchase commitments with vendors in the ordinary course of business. The Company had outstanding commitments to purchase approximately $8.5 million and $6.0 million of capital assets as of November 30, 2011 and May 31, 2011, respectively.

In the normal course of business, the Company makes representations and warranties that guarantee the performance of its services under service arrangements with clients. Historically, there have been no material losses related to such guarantees. In addition, the Company has entered into indemnification agreements with its officers and directors, which require it to defend and, if necessary, indemnify these individuals for certain pending or future claims as they relate to their services provided to the Company.

Paychex currently self-insures the deductible portion of various insured exposures under certain employee benefit plans. The Company’s estimated loss exposure under these insurance arrangements is recorded in other current liabilities on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. Historically, the amounts accrued have not been material. The Company also maintains insurance coverage in addition to its purchased primary insurance policies for gap coverage for employment practices liability, errors and omissions, warranty liability, theft and embezzlement, and acts of terrorism; and capacity for deductibles and self-insured retentions through its captive insurance company.

Contingencies: The Company is subject to various claims and legal matters that arise in the normal course of business. These include disputes or potential disputes related to breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, employment-related claims, tax claims, and other matters.

The Company’s management currently believes that resolution of any outstanding legal matters will not have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial position or results of operations. However, legal matters are subject to inherent uncertainties and there exists the possibility that the ultimate resolution of these matters could have a material adverse impact on the Company’s financial position and results of operations in the period in which any such effect is recorded.