(4) Medical care ratio represents medical care costs as a percentage of premium revenue. The medical care ratio is a key operating indicator used to measure our performance in delivering efficient and cost effective health care services. Changes in the medical care ratio from period to period result from changes in Medicaid funding by the states, our ability to effectively manage costs, contract changes, and changes in accounting estimates related to incurred but not reported claims. See Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations for further discussion.
Interest expense increased to $15.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2010, from $13.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2009. We incurred higher interest expense relating to the $105 million draw on our credit facility (beginning May 1, 2010) to fund the acquisition of Molina Medicaid Solutions. Amounts borrowed to fund this acquisition were repaid in the third quarter using proceeds from our equity offering in the third quarter of 2010. Interest expense includes non-cash interest expense relating to our convertible senior notes, which amounted to $5.1 million and $4.8 million for the years ended December 31, 2010 and 2009, respectively.
Investments and restricted investments are subject to interest rate risk and will decrease in value if market rates increase. We have the ability to hold our restricted investments until maturity. Declines in interest rates over time will reduce our investment income.
(1) “Claims Data” for the year ended December 31, 2010 does not include our Wisconsin health plan acquired September 1, 2010.
Our intangible assets are subject to impairment tests when events or circumstances indicate that a finite-lived intangible asset’s (or asset group’s) carrying value may not be recoverable. Consideration is given to a number of potential impairment indicators. For example, our health plan subsidiaries have generally been successful in obtaining the renewal by amendment of their contracts in each state prior to the actual expiration of their contracts. However, there can be no assurance that these contracts will continue to be renewed as in the case of our Missouri health plan, described below.
We accounted for the Rights as a freestanding financial instrument and, until July 2, 2010, recorded the value of the Rights under the fair value option. For the year ended December 31, 2010, we recorded pretax losses of $3.8 million on the Rights, attributable to the decline in the fair value of the Rights. When the remaining eligible auction rate securities were sold at par value on July 1, 2010, the value of the Rights was zero.
Pursuant to the regulations governing our health plan subsidiaries, we maintain statutory deposits and deposits required by state Medicaid authorities in certificates of deposit and U.S. treasury securities. Additionally, we maintain restricted investments as protection against the insolvency of certain capitated providers. The following table presents the balances of restricted investments by health plan, and for our insurance company:
We recognized a benefit from prior period claims development in the amount of $51.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2011. This amount represents our estimate as of December 31, 2011 of the extent to which our initial estimate of medical claims and benefits payable at December 31, 2010 exceeded the amount that will ultimately be paid out in satisfaction of that liability. The overestimation of claims liability at December 31, 2010 was due primarily to the following factors:
In connection with our entrance into the Credit Facility, on September 9, 2011, we terminated our existing credit agreement with Bank of America, dated March 9, 2005, as amended to date, which had provided us with a $150 million revolving credit facility. As of December 31, 2011 and December 31, 2010, there was no outstanding principal balance under this credit agreement.
On December 7, 2011, our wholly owned subsidiary Molina Center LLC entered into a Term Loan Agreement, dated as of December 1, 2011, with various lenders and East West Bank, as Administrative Agent (the “Administrative Agent”). Pursuant to the terms of the Term Loan Agreement, Molina Center LLC borrowed the aggregate principal amount of $48.6 million to finance a portion of the $81 million purchase price for the acquisition of the approximately 460,000 square foot office building, or Molina Center, located in Long Beach, California.
During the fourth quarter of 2011 our New Mexico data center subsidiary entered into a financing transaction with Wells Fargo Community Investment Holdings, LLC, or Wells Fargo, its wholly owned subsidiary New Mexico Healthcare Data Center Investment Fund, LLC, or Investment Fund, and certain of Wells Fargo’s affiliated Community Development Entities, or CDEs, in connection with our participation in the federal government’s New Markets Tax Credit Program, or NMTC. The NMTC was established by Congress in 2000 to facilitate new or increased investments in businesses and real estate projects in low-income communities. The NMTC attracts investment capital to low-income communities by permitting investors to receive a tax credit against their federal income tax return in exchange for equity investments in specialized financial institutions called CDEs which provide financing to qualified active businesses operating in low-income communities. The credit totals 39 percent of the original investment amount and is claimed over a period of seven years (five percent for each of the first three years, and six percent for each of the remaining four years). The investment in the CDE cannot be redeemed before the end of the seven-year period.