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TABLE OF CONTENTS
PART IV

Table of Contents

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549



FORM 10-K




ý

 

ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011

OR

o

 

TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

Commission File Number 1-14762

THE SERVICEMASTER COMPANY
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware
(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)
  36-3858106
(I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.)

860 Ridge Lake Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee 38120
(Address of principal executive offices, including zip code)

(901) 597-1400
(Registrant's telephone number, including area code)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act: None

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

        Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes o    No ý

        Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ý    No o

        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. Yes o    No ý

        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 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes ý    No o

        Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of the registrant's knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. ý

        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.

Large accelerated filer o   Accelerated filer o   Non-accelerated filer ý
(Do not check if a
smaller reporting company)
  Smaller reporting company o

        Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). Yes o    No ý

        The registrant is a privately held corporation and its equity shares are not publicly traded. At March 6, 2012, 1,000 shares of the registrant's common stock were outstanding, all of which were owned by CDRSVM Holding, Inc.

        The ServiceMaster Company is not required to file this Annual Report on Form 10-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission and is doing so on a voluntary basis.

   


Table of Contents

THE SERVICEMASTER COMPANY
ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-K

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART I

           

Item 1.

 

Business

    3  

Item 1A.

 

Risk Factors

    14  

Item 1B.

 

Unresolved Staff Comments

    28  

Item 2.

 

Properties

    28  

Item 3.

 

Legal Proceedings

    29  

Item 4.

 

Mine Safety Disclosures

    29  

PART II

           

Item 5.

 

Market for Registrant's Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

    30  

Item 6.

 

Selected Financial Data

    30  

Item 7.

 

Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

    32  

Item 7A.

 

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk

    65  

Item 8.

 

Financial Statements and Supplementary Data

    69  

Item 9.

 

Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure

    124  

Item 9A.

 

Controls and Procedures

    124  

Item 9B.

 

Other Information

    125  

PART III

           

Item 10.

 

Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance

    126  

Item 11.

 

Executive Compensation

    128  

Item 12.

 

Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters

    153  

Item 13.

 

Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence

    156  

Item 14.

 

Principal Accounting Fees and Services

    159  

PART IV

           

Item 15.

 

Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules

    160  

Signatures

    161  

Exhibit Index

    164  

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PART I

ITEM 1.    BUSINESS

        The following discussion of our business contains "forward-looking statements," as discussed in Part II, Item 7 below. Our business, operations and financial condition are subject to various risks as set forth in Part I, Item 1A below. The following information should be read in conjunction with Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, the Consolidated Financial Statements and related notes and the Risk Factors included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

COMPANY

        The ServiceMaster Company ("ServiceMaster," the "Company," "we," "us" or "our") is a national company serving both residential and commercial customers. Our services include lawn care, termite and pest control, home service contracts, cleaning and disaster restoration, house cleaning, furniture repair and home inspection. As of December 31, 2011, we provided these services through a network of approximately 6,900 company-owned, franchised and licensed locations operating primarily under the following leading brands: TruGreen, Terminix, American Home Shield, ServiceMaster Clean, Merry Maids, Furniture Medic and AmeriSpec. Approximately 98 percent of our 2011 operating revenue was generated by sales in the United States. Incorporated in Delaware in 1991, ServiceMaster is the successor to various entities dating back to 1947.

        ServiceMaster is organized into five principal reportable segments: TruGreen, Terminix, American Home Shield, ServiceMaster Clean, and Other Operations and Headquarters. The financial information for each operating segment for 2011, 2010 and 2009 is contained in Note 3 to the Consolidated Financial Statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. During 2011, we employed an average of approximately 21,000 company associates, and our franchise network independently employed over 31,000 additional people.

        In the first quarter of 2011, we concluded that TruGreen LandCare, a commercial landscape maintenance business, did not fit within our long-term strategic plans and committed to a plan to sell the business. On April 21, 2011, we entered into a purchase agreement to sell the TruGreen LandCare business, and the disposition was completed effective as of April 30, 2011. The financial results, as well as the assets and liabilities, of the TruGreen LandCare business are reported in discontinued operations for all periods presented in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

        On July 24, 2007 (the "Closing Date"), ServiceMaster was acquired pursuant to a merger transaction (the "Merger"), and, immediately following the completion of the Merger, all of the outstanding common stock of ServiceMaster Global Holdings, Inc. ("Holdings"), the ultimate parent company of ServiceMaster, was owned by investment funds sponsored by, or affiliated with, Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, Inc. (now operated as Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, LLC, "CD&R"), Citigroup Private Equity LP (together with its affiliate, Citigroup Alternative Investments LLC, "Citigroup"), BAS Capital Funding Corporation ("BAS") and J.P. Morgan Ventures Corporation (now known as JPMorgan Chase Funding Inc., "JPMorgan"). On September 30, 2010, Citigroup transferred the management responsibility for certain investment funds that own shares of common stock of Holdings to StepStone Group LLC ("StepStone" and collectively with CD&R, Citigroup, BAS and JPMorgan, the "Equity Sponsors") and its proprietary interests in such investment funds to Lexington Partners Advisors LP. As of December 22, 2011, Holdings purchased from BAS 7.5 million shares of capital stock of Holdings. Affiliates of BAS continue to hold 10 million shares of Holdings. For information with respect to the ownership of common stock of Holdings by Equity Sponsors and related funds, see Item 12, Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters.

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SERVICES

        The following table shows the percentage of ServiceMaster's consolidated revenue from continuing operations derived from each of ServiceMaster's reportable segments in the years indicated:

Segment
  2011   2010   2009  

TruGreen

    34 %   35 %   35 %

Terminix

    37 %   37 %   37 %

American Home Shield

    22 %   21 %   21 %

ServiceMaster Clean

    4 %   4 %   4 %

Other Operations and Headquarters

    3 %   3 %   3 %

TruGreen Segment

        The TruGreen segment provides lawn, tree and shrub care services primarily under the TruGreen brand name. TruGreen is a leading provider of lawn, tree and shrub care services in the United States, serving both residential and commercial customers. Of the TruGreen segment's 2011 operating revenue, 55 percent was generated from residential weed control and fertilization services, while expanded lawn services (such as aeration and grub control) (19 percent), commercial weed control and fertilization services (15 percent), and tree and shrub services (11 percent) accounted for the remainder.

        As of December 31, 2011, TruGreen provided these services in 48 states and the District of Columbia through approximately 200 company-owned locations and 35 franchised outlets. As of December 31, 2011, TruGreen also provided lawn care services through a subsidiary in Canada and had licensing arrangements whereby licensees provided these services in Japan and the United Kingdom.

        The TruGreen business is seasonal in nature. In the winter and spring, this business sells to customers a series of lawn applications, which are rendered primarily in March through October. Weather conditions such as droughts, severe winter storms and snowfall, whether created by climate change factors or otherwise, can adversely impact the timing of product or service delivery and/or demand for lawn care services and may result in a decrease in revenues or an increase in costs.

Terminix Segment

        The Terminix segment provides termite and pest control services and distributes pest control products primarily under the Terminix brand name. Terminix is a leading provider of termite and pest control services in the United States, serving both residential and commercial customers. Of the Terminix segment's 2011 operating revenue, 38 percent and 17 percent were generated from residential and commercial pest control services, respectively, and 37 percent and 3 percent were generated from residential and commercial termite control services, respectively (with the remainder from other services).

        As of December 31, 2011, Terminix provided these services in 47 states and the District of Columbia through approximately 300 company-owned locations and 100 franchised outlets. As of December 31, 2011, Terminix also provided termite and pest control services through subsidiaries in Mexico and Honduras and had licensing arrangements whereby licensees provided these services in Japan, China, South Korea, Southeast Asia, Central America, the Caribbean and the Middle East. Terminix has formed a joint venture to enter the Indian pest market.

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        The Terminix business is seasonal in nature. The termite swarm season, which typically occurs in early spring, but varies in timing and intensity by region depending on climate and other factors, leads to the highest demand for termite control services and, therefore, the highest level of revenues. Similarly, increased pest activity in the warmer months generally leads to the highest demand for pest control services and, therefore, the highest level of revenues.

American Home Shield Segment

        The American Home Shield segment provides home service contracts for household systems and appliances primarily under the American Home Shield brand name. American Home Shield is a leading provider of home service contracts for household systems and appliances in the United States. It provides residential customers with contracts to repair or replace electrical, plumbing, central heating and central air conditioning systems, water heaters and other covered household systems and appliances and services those contracts through independent repair contractors. In 2011, 68 percent of the home service contracts written by American Home Shield were derived from existing contract renewals, while 18 percent and 14 percent were derived from sales made in conjunction with existing home resale transactions and direct-to-consumer sales, respectively. As of December 31, 2011, American Home Shield issued and administered home service contracts in 49 states and the District of Columbia and had no international operations.

        Weather conditions such as extreme temperatures can lead to an increase in service requests related to household systems and appliances, resulting in higher claim costs and lower profitability, thereby adversely impacting results of operations and cash flows.

ServiceMaster Clean Segment

        The ServiceMaster Clean segment provides residential and commercial disaster restoration and cleaning services primarily under the ServiceMaster and ServiceMaster Clean brand names, on-site furniture repair and restoration services primarily under the Furniture Medic brand name and home inspection services primarily under the AmeriSpec brand name. Of the ServiceMaster Clean segment's 2011 operating revenue, 52 percent was generated from domestic royalty fees, while international (19 percent), product sales (12 percent), janitorial national accounts (9 percent), lead generation fees (3 percent), AmeriSpec (2 percent), Furniture Medic (2 percent) and new license sales (1 percent) accounted for the remainder.

        ServiceMaster Clean.    ServiceMaster Clean is a leading franchisor in the residential and commercial disaster restoration and cleaning field in the United States. As of December 31, 2011, ServiceMaster Clean provided these services in all 50 states and the District of Columbia through approximately 2,975 franchised outlets. ServiceMaster Clean also has operations in Canada and Honduras. As of December 31, 2011, ServiceMaster Clean, through franchises, provided disaster restoration and cleaning services in Canada, the United Kingdom and Spain and had licensing arrangements whereby licensees provided these services in India, Lebanon, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Japan and Southeast Asia.

        Furniture Medic.    Furniture Medic is a leading provider of on-site furniture repair and restoration services in the United States serving residential customers. As of December 31, 2011, Furniture Medic provided these services in 42 states and the District of Columbia through approximately 215 franchised outlets. As of December 31, 2011, Furniture Medic also provided on-site furniture repair and restoration services through franchisees in Canada and the United Kingdom and had licensing arrangements to provide these services in Turkey and Saudi Arabia.

        AmeriSpec.    AmeriSpec is a leading provider of home inspection services in the United States serving residential customers. As of December 31, 2011, AmeriSpec provided these services in

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44 states and the District of Columbia through approximately 220 franchised outlets. AmeriSpec also provided home inspection services through franchisees in Canada.

Other Operations and Headquarters Segment

        The Other Operations and Headquarters segment includes the Merry Maids business unit, The ServiceMaster Acceptance Company Limited Partnership ("SMAC") and ServiceMaster's corporate headquarters functions.

        Merry Maids.    Merry Maids is a leading provider of home cleaning services in the United States. As of December 31, 2011, these services were provided in 49 states and the District of Columbia through approximately 70 company-owned locations and 400 franchised outlets. As of December 31, 2011, Merry Maids, through franchises, also provided home cleaning services in Canada, Ireland and the United Kingdom and had licensing arrangements whereby licensees provided these services in Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea and Southeast Asia.

        SMAC.    SMAC provides financing to franchisees of the Company through commercial loans for franchise fees and royalties, equipment and vehicle purchases and working capital needs and to consumer customers of Terminix through retail installment sales contracts. Commercial loans are typically for a term of one to seven years and are generally secured by the assets of the franchisee and other collateral. On December 31, 2011, the outstanding balance of commercial loans was $35.8 million with a bad debt reserve for commercial loans of $2.5 million. SMAC wrote off $0.6 million in commercial loans in 2011. Retail installment sales contracts are typically for a term of 12 months and are unsecured. On December 31, 2011, the outstanding balance of retail installment sales contracts was $19.1 million. In the event a customer fails to make payments under a retail installment sales contract for 120 days after the due date, Terminix purchases the installment contract from SMAC.

        Headquarters functions.    The Business Support Center, headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, administers payroll, benefits, risk management, travel and certain procurement services for our internal operations. Various administrative support departments also provide personnel, communications, marketing, government and public relations, administrative, accounting, financial, tax, human resources and legal services.

STRENGTHS

        We believe our company has the following competitive strengths:

        Leading market segment positions and iconic brands.    We believe that TruGreen, Terminix and American Home Shield, which collectively contributed 93 percent of our operating revenue for the year ended December 31, 2011, each holds a leading position in its respective business segment. Measured by operating revenue, TruGreen is approximately 4.9 times larger than its nearest competitor, and Terminix is approximately 1.2 times larger than its nearest competitor. American Home Shield is approximately 3.8 times larger than its nearest competitor, as measured by the gross premium of home service contracts written. We believe that, based on our understanding of our competitors and their operations, American Home Shield is one of the few nationwide providers of home service contracts in the United States with both national sales and technical services networks. We believe this provides a significant competitive advantage by enabling American Home Shield to educate real estate professionals, financial institutions and insurance agencies about the benefits of home service contracts. We also believe that our size and scale improve our purchasing power, route density, marketing and operating efficiencies compared to smaller local and regional competitors.

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        More focused portfolio.    We believe that our portfolio realignment actions since 2007 allow us to use our competitive advantages within our core competencies more effectively and better position us for growth. Our 2011 disposition of TruGreen LandCare enhanced TruGreen's ability to grow commercial revenues and resulted in a service portfolio more focused on our core businesses. With the formation of the ServiceMaster Clean & Merry Maids franchise group in 2011, we created a platform that is better equipped to utilize best practices across franchise brands within that group. By divesting InStar, a provider of disaster response, restoration and reconstruction services, in 2008, we shed a non-strategic asset with less predictable revenue performance and eliminated unnecessary market confusion with ServiceMaster Clean's disaster restoration business.

        Committed and experienced senior leadership.    Our senior management team has a long track record of producing profitable growth in a wide variety of industries and economic conditions. Many of our senior managers own equity in our organization, and their incentive compensation is tied to key performance metrics. Our compensation structure is designed to incentivize our senior management team to drive the long-term success of our business.

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        Strong cash flow profile.    Our company has historically generated significant operating cash flow. Our average Adjusted EBITDA for the last three years was $536 million, and our average capital expenditures over the same period were $96 million. We have been able to manage our working capital needs, principally through lower inventory requirements and increased customer prepayment initiatives in several of our businesses.

STRATEGY

        Our strategy is focused on the following strategic priorities:

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        Talent Management.    We intend to continue our focus on developing and retaining key associates to best align our business to the needs of our customer base. We are implementing this strategy through four key initiatives:

        Best practice transfer and execution excellence.    In recent years, we have employed a strategy of accelerating the transfer of best practices across our businesses, investing in technology and mobility solutions, centralizing support functions and reducing layers of management, along with other business unit specific initiatives. We believe there are appreciable opportunities for further improvement across and within each of our businesses, including further utilizing the competitive advantages of our centralized support center to take advantage of combined capabilities and scale.

INDUSTRY AND COMPETITION

        We compete in the residential and commercial services industry, focusing on lawn care, termite and pest control, home service contracts, cleaning and disaster restoration, house cleaning, furniture repair and home inspection. We target market segments that meet our criteria for size, growth and profit potential. While we compete with a broad range of competitors in each discrete segment, we do not believe that any of our competitors provides all of the services we provide in all of the market segments we serve. We believe that our widely recognized brands, size, geographic footprint and reputation for service quality provide us with significant competitive advantages in reaching both residential and commercial customers. All of the primary segments in which we

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operate are highly fragmented, and we believe they are characterized by attractive industry conditions.

Lawn care

        According to a study by NorthStar Partners, the U.S. professional lawn services segment specializing in lawn treatments was estimated at $6.7 billion in revenue in 2011. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics and Consumer Expenditures' 2010 consumer expenditure interview survey, approximately 14 percent of survey respondents outsourced lawn or gardening services. According to Packaged Facts, the lawn care segment has decreased at a 1.8 percent CAGR over the 2007-2011 period but is projected to grow at a 2.2 percent CAGR over the 2011-2016 period.

        Based on the study conducted by NorthStar Partners, we estimate that our share of the U.S. lawn care services segment is approximately 16 percent based upon TruGreen's operating revenue (including royalties and franchise fees from franchisees) of $1.1 billion in 2010. Competition in the segment for outsourced professional lawn care services comes mainly from local and independently owned firms. Scotts LawnService, a segment of The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, which we believe is our next largest competitor in the outsourced professional lawn care services segment, generated approximately $224 million of revenues in their fiscal 2010. Based on publicly available information for 2010, we estimate TruGreen is approximately 4.9 times larger than this competitor.

Termite and pest control

        A 2010 study on the U.S. pest control industry conducted by Specialty Products Consultants, LLC estimates that the U.S. professional termite and pest control services segment generated $6.3 billion in revenue. The termite and pest control services segment is generally characterized by high customer retention rates and, according to the National Pest Management Association's 2010 survey, 60 percent of U.S. households currently use or have used a professional exterminator in their homes. We estimate that Terminix's U.S. market segment share for the termite and pest control services we provide is approximately 22 percent, based on total operating revenue for Terminix's services (including revenue generated by our franchisees) of approximately $1.4 billion in 2010, of which $1.2 billion in operating revenue was reported by Terminix for services we provided in 2010.

        Competition in the segment for professional termite and pest control services comes primarily from regional and local, independently operated firms, Orkin, Inc., a subsidiary of Rollins, Inc., and Ecolab, Inc., both of which compete nationally. We estimate that the top three providers (including Terminix) comprised approximately 45 percent of the professional termite and pest control services segment in 2010. The remaining portion of the professional termite and pest control services segment is highly fragmented with numerous privately-held, local termite and pest control service providers.

Home service contracts

        According to Warranty Week, a newsletter for warranty management professionals, the U.S. home warranty segment (including structural home warranties, which is a business in which we do not compete) was approximately $1.5 billion in 2009, as measured by the annual value of premiums paid by consumers. One of the primary drivers of new home service contracts is the number of existing homes sold in the United States, since a home service product is often recommended by a real estate sales professional or offered by the seller of a home in conjunction with a real estate transaction. According to the National Association of Realtors, existing home re-sales in units increased by 1.7 percent in 2011 and are currently projected to increase by 4.7 percent in 2012 and 5.2 percent in 2013. Approximately 22 percent of the operating revenue of American Home Shield in 2011 was tied directly to existing home resales.

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        Competition for home service contracts that cover systems and appliances comes mainly from regional providers. Several competitors are expected to initiate expansion efforts into additional states. According to Warranty Week data, American Home Shield and The First American Corporation are the two largest industry participants, based on gross premiums paid in 2009, with American Home Shield having 41 percent market segment share and The First American Corporation having 11 percent market segment share. Based on this information, American Home Shield is approximately 3.7 times larger than this competitor.

Disaster restoration and reconstruction, emergency response and other services

        Most emergency response work results from extreme weather environments and natural disasters such as hurricanes, floods, mudslides, tornadoes and earthquakes. Firms in this segment also respond to non-weather-related emergency situations for residential and commercial customers, such as fires and flooding. Critical factors in the selection of an emergency response firm are the firm's reputation, relationships with insurers, available resources, proper insurance and credentials, timeliness, and responsiveness. The segment is highly fragmented, and key competitors of our ServiceMaster Clean business include ServPro Industries, Inc., Belfor, a subsidiary of Belfor Europe GmbH, and BMS CAT, Inc.

Home cleaning services

        Competition in the market segment for home cleaning services comes mainly from local, independently owned firms, from homeowners who clean their own homes and from a few national companies such as The Maids International, Inc., Molly Maid, Inc. and The Cleaning Authority, LLC.

MARKETING AND DISTRIBUTION

        ServiceMaster markets its services primarily through the internet, direct mail, television and radio advertising, print advertisements, door-to-door solicitation, telemarketing and yellow pages advertisements. Additionally, American Home Shield and Terminix, in certain jurisdictions, market their services through various participants in the residential real estate market place, such as real estate brokerages, financial institutions and insurance agencies and, for American Home Shield, an internal sales organization that supports these distribution channels.

SERVICE MARKS, TRADEMARKS AND TRADE NAMES

        ServiceMaster holds various service marks, trademarks and trade names, such as ServiceMaster, Terminix, TruGreen, Merry Maids, ServiceMaster Clean, American Home Shield, AmeriSpec and Furniture Medic, that it deems particularly important to the advertising activities conducted by each of its reportable segments as well as the franchising activities conducted by certain reportable segments. As of December 31, 2011, ServiceMaster had marks that were protected by registration (either by direct registration or by treaty) in the United States and 81 other countries.

FRANCHISES

        Franchises are important to the TruGreen, Terminix, ServiceMaster Clean, Merry Maids, AmeriSpec and Furniture Medic businesses. Total franchise fees (initial and recurring) represented 4.0 percent, 3.9 percent and 4.1 percent of consolidated revenue from continuing operations in 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively. Related franchise operating expenses were 2.0 percent, 1.8 percent and 2.0 percent of consolidated operating expenses in 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively. Total franchise-related profits comprised 15.2 percent, 23.1 percent and 27.4 percent of consolidated operating income in 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively. We evaluate the performance

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of our franchise businesses based primarily on operating profit before corporate general and administrative expenses and amortization of intangible assets. Franchise agreements entered into in the course of these businesses are generally for a term of five to ten years. The majority of these franchise agreements are renewed prior to expiration. The majority of international licenses are for ten-year terms.

MAJOR CUSTOMERS

        ServiceMaster has no single customer that accounts for more than ten percent of its consolidated operating revenue. Additionally, no operating segment has a single customer that accounts for more than ten percent of its operating revenue. None of ServiceMaster's operating segments is dependent on a single customer or a few customers, the loss of which would have a material adverse effect on the segment.

REGULATORY COMPLIANCE

Government Regulations

        ServiceMaster's operating segments are subject to various international, federal, state, provincial and local laws and regulations, compliance with which increases ServiceMaster's operating costs, limits or restricts the services provided by ServiceMaster's operating segments or the methods by which ServiceMaster's operating segments offer, sell and fulfill those services or conduct their respective businesses, or subjects ServiceMaster and its operating segments to the possibility of regulatory actions or proceedings. Noncompliance with these laws and regulations can subject ServiceMaster to fines or various forms of civil or criminal prosecution, any of which could have a material adverse effect on its reputation, business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

        These international, federal, state, provincial and local laws and regulations include laws relating to consumer protection, wage and hour, deceptive trade practices, permitting and licensing, real estate settlements, workers' safety, tax, healthcare reforms, franchise-related issues, collective bargaining and other labor matters, environmental and employee benefits. The TruGreen and Terminix businesses must also meet certain Department of Transportation and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration requirements with respect to some types of vehicles in their fleets. American Home Shield is regulated in certain states by the applicable state insurance regulatory authority and by the Real Estate Commission in Texas. TruGreen and Terminix are regulated by federal, state and local laws, ordinances and regulations which are enforced by Departments of Agriculture, Pest Control Boards, Departments of Environmental Conservation and similar government entities. ServiceMaster Clean uses products containing ingredients regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA") and is subject to licensing and certification requirements for applying disinfectants, sanitizers and other EPA registered products in certain states. AmeriSpec is regulated by various state and local home inspection laws and regulations.

Consumer Protection and Solicitation Matters

        ServiceMaster is subject to international, federal, state, provincial and local laws and regulations designed to protect consumers, including laws governing consumer privacy and fraud, the collection and use of consumer data, telemarketing and other forms of solicitation.

        The telemarketing rules adopted by the Federal Communications Commission pursuant to the Federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act and the Federal Telemarketing Sales Rule issued by the Federal Trade Commission govern ServiceMaster's telephone sales practices. In addition, some states and local governing bodies have adopted laws and regulations targeted at direct telephone sales and "do-not-knock," "do-not-mail" and "do-not-leave" activities. The implementation of these

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marketing regulations requires TruGreen, and, to a lesser extent, ServiceMaster's other operating segments, to rely more extensively on other marketing methods and channels. In addition, if ServiceMaster were to fail to comply with any applicable law or regulation, ServiceMaster could be subject to substantial fines or damages, be involved in litigation, suffer losses to its reputation and its business or suffer the loss of licenses or penalties that may affect how the business is operated, which, in turn, could have a material adverse effect on its financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

Franchise Matters

        TruGreen, Terminix, ServiceMaster Clean, AmeriSpec, Furniture Medic and Merry Maids are subject to various international, federal, state, provincial and local laws and regulations governing franchise sales, marketing and licensing and franchise trade practices generally, including applicable rules and regulations of the Federal Trade Commission. These laws and regulations generally require disclosure of business information in connection with the sale and licensing of franchises. Certain state regulations also affect the ability of the franchisor to revoke or refuse to renew a franchise. ServiceMaster seeks to comply with regulatory requirements and deal with franchisees and licensees in good faith. From time to time, ServiceMaster and one or more franchisees may become involved in a dispute regarding the franchise relationship, including payment of royalties or fees, location of branches, advertising, purchase of products by franchisees, non-competition covenants, compliance with ServiceMaster standards and franchise renewal criteria. There can be no assurance that compliance problems will not be encountered from time to time or that material disputes with one or more franchisees will not arise.

Environmental Matters

        ServiceMaster's operating segments are subject to various international, federal, state and local laws and regulations regarding environmental, health and safety matters. Compliance with such laws increases ServiceMaster's operating costs, limits or restricts the services provided by ServiceMaster's operating segments or the methods by which they offer, sell and fulfill those services or conduct their respective businesses, or subjects ServiceMaster and its operating segments to the possibility of regulatory or private actions or proceedings. Terminix and TruGreen are regulated under many federal and state environmental laws, including the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980 ("CERCLA" or "Superfund"), the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986, the Federal Environmental Pesticide Control Act of 1972, the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act of 1947, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976, the Clean Air Act, the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986, the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 and the Clean Water Act of 1977, each as amended. ServiceMaster cannot predict the effect of possible future environmental laws on its operations. During 2011, there were no material capital expenditures for environmental control facilities, and there are no material expenditures anticipated for 2012 or 2013 related to such facilities.

INSURANCE

        We maintain insurance coverage that we believe is appropriate for our business, including workers' compensation, auto liability, general liability, umbrella and property insurance. In addition, we provide various insurance coverages, including deductible reimbursement policies, to our business units through our wholly owned captive insurance company, which is domiciled in Vermont.

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EMPLOYEES

        The average number of persons employed by ServiceMaster during 2011 was approximately 21,000. Due to the seasonal nature of some of the Company's businesses, employee headcount can fluctuate during the course of a year, reaching approximately 25,000 during peak service periods.

AVAILABLE INFORMATION

        ServiceMaster maintains a website at http://www.svm.com that includes a hyperlink to a website maintained by a third party where ServiceMaster's Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and all amendments to those reports are available without charge as soon as reasonably practicable following the time that they are filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). The information found on the Company's website is not a part of this or any other report filed with or furnished to the SEC.

ITEM 1A.    RISK FACTORS

        The following discussion of risk factors contains "forward-looking statements," as discussed in Part II, Item 7 below. These risk factors are important to understanding statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and in other reports. Our reputation, business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows are subject to various risks. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones relevant to us. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently believe are immaterial may also adversely impact our reputation, business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows. The following information should be read in conjunction with Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and the Consolidated Financial Statements and related notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Risks Related to Our Business and Our Industry

Adverse credit and financial market events and conditions could, among other things, impede access to or increase the cost of financing or cause our commercial customers to incur liquidity issues that could lead to some of our services being cancelled or result in reduced revenues and lower operating income, which could have an adverse impact on our business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

        Adverse developments in the credit and financial markets, including due to the recent downgrade of the U.S. long-term sovereign credit rating and the European debt crisis, as well as unstable consumer sentiment and high unemployment, continue to challenge the U.S. and global financial and credit markets and overall economies. These developments have had a significant material adverse impact on a number of financial institutions and have limited access to capital and credit for many companies. Disruptions in credit or financial markets could, among other things, lead to impairment charges, make it more difficult for us to obtain, or increase our cost of obtaining, financing for our operations or investments or to refinance our debt, cause our lenders to depart from prior credit industry practice and not give technical or other waivers under our senior secured term loan facility and pre-funded letter of credit facility (together, the "Term Facilities") and senior secured revolving credit facility (the "Revolving Credit Facility") (the Term Facilities and Revolving Credit Facility are collectively referred to herein as the "Credit Facilities"), to the extent we may seek them in the future, thereby causing us to be in default under one or more of the Credit Facilities. These disruptions also could cause our commercial customers to encounter liquidity issues that could lead to some of our services being cancelled or reduced, or that could result in an increase in the time it takes our customers to pay us, or that could lead to a decrease

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in pricing for our services and products, any of which could adversely affect our accounts receivable, among other things, and, in turn, increase our working capital needs. Volatile swings in the commercial real estate segment could also impact the demand for our services as landlords cut back on services provided to their tenants.

        Although we are not currently experiencing any limitation of access to the Credit Facilities and are not aware of any issues currently impacting the ability of the lenders under them to honor their commitments to extend credit, there is no assurance that the U.S. and global credit crisis will not adversely affect our ability to borrow under the Credit Facilities in the future. Liquidity or capital problems at one or more of the lenders on the Revolving Credit Facility could reduce or eliminate the amount available for us to draw under such facility. Our access to additional capital may not be available on terms acceptable to us or at all.

        There can be no assurance that adverse developments in the credit and financial markets, along with other economic uncertainties, will not get worse over time. Adverse developments in the credit and financial markets and economic uncertainties make it difficult for us to accurately forecast and plan future business activities. The continuance of the current uncertain economic conditions or further deterioration of such conditions could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

Further weakening in general economic conditions, especially as they may affect home sales, unemployment or consumer confidence or spending levels, may adversely impact our business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

        A substantial portion of our results of operations is dependent upon spending by consumers. Deterioration in general economic conditions and consumer confidence could affect the demand for our services. Consumer spending and confidence tend to decline during times of declining economic conditions, and there can be no assurance that consumer spending or confidence will materially improve. A worsening of macroeconomic indicators, including weak home sales, higher home foreclosures, declining consumer confidence or rising unemployment rates, could adversely affect consumer spending levels, reduce the demand for our services and adversely impact our business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows. These factors could also negatively impact the timing or the ultimate collection of accounts receivable, which would adversely impact our business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

Weather conditions and seasonality affect the demand for our services and our results of operations and cash flows.

        The demand for our services and our results of operations are affected by weather conditions, including, without limitation, potential impacts, if any, from climate change, known and unknown, and by the seasonal nature of our lawn care services, termite and pest control services, home inspection services and disaster restoration services. For example, in geographies that do not have a year-round growing season, the demand for our lawn care services decreases during the winter months. Adverse weather conditions (e.g., droughts, severe storms and significant rain or snow fall), whether created by climate change factors or otherwise, can adversely impact the timing of product or service delivery and/or demand for lawn care services, and cooler temperatures can impede the development of the termite swarm and lead to lower demand for our termite control services. Severe winter storms can also impact our home cleaning business if we cannot travel to service locations due to hazardous road conditions. In addition, extreme temperatures can lead to an increase in service requests related to household systems and appliances in our American Home Shield business, resulting in higher claim frequency and costs and lower profitability thereby adversely impacting our results of operations and cash flows.

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Availability of our raw materials and increases in raw material prices, fuel prices and other operating costs could adversely impact our business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

        Our financial performance is affected by the level of our operating expenses, such as fuel, fertilizer, chemicals, raw materials, wages and salaries, employee benefits, health care, vehicle, self-insurance costs and other insurance premiums as well as various regulatory compliance costs, all of which may be subject to inflationary pressures. In particular, our financial performance is adversely affected by increases in these operating costs. In recent years, fuel prices have fluctuated widely, and previous increases in fuel prices increased our costs of operating vehicles and equipment. We cannot predict what effect the recent global events could have on fuel prices, but it is possible that such events could lead to reduced fuel supplies, resulting in higher fuel prices. With respect to fuel, our fleet, which consumes approximately 21 million gallons annually, has been negatively impacted by significant increases in fuel prices in the past and could be negatively impacted in the future. Although we hedge a significant portion of our fuel costs, we do not hedge all of those costs. A ten percent change in fuel prices would result in a change of approximately $6.5 million in the Company's annual fuel cost before considering the impact of fuel swap contracts. Based upon current Department of Energy fuel price forecasts, as well as the hedges the Company has executed to date for 2012, the Company has projected that fuel prices will increase our fuel costs by $10 million to $15 million for 2012 compared to 2011. Fuel price increases can also result in increases in the cost of fertilizer, chemicals and other materials used in our business. We cannot predict the extent to which we may experience future increases in costs of fuel, fertilizer, chemicals, raw materials, wages, employee benefits, healthcare, vehicles, insurance and other operating costs. To the extent such costs increase, we may be prevented, in whole or in part, from passing these cost increases through to our existing and prospective customers, and the rates we pay to our subcontractors and suppliers may increase, any of which could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

We may not successfully implement our business strategies, including achieving our growth objectives.

        We may not be able to fully implement our business strategies or realize, in whole or in part within the time frames anticipated, the anticipated benefits of our various growth initiatives. Our various business strategies and initiatives, including our productivity and customer retention initiatives, are subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are beyond our control. In addition, we may incur certain costs to achieve efficiency improvements in our business. Even if these efficiency improvement initiatives are undertaken, we may not fully achieve our expected cost savings and efficiency improvements or these initiatives could adversely impact our customer retention and/or our operations. In addition, our strategies to enhance talent management and transfer best practices across our businesses may not produce the efficiencies and productivity levels we seek and may present unforeseen challenges. Also, our business strategy may change from time to time. As a result, we may not be able to achieve our expected results of operations and cash flows.

Our market segments are highly competitive. Competition could reduce our share of the market segments served by us and adversely impact our reputation, business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

        We operate in highly competitive market segments. Changes in the source and intensity of competition in the market segments served by us impact the demand for our services and may also result in additional pricing pressures. The relatively low capital cost of entry to certain of our business categories has led to strong competitive market segments, including competition from

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regional and local owner-operated companies. Regional and local competitors operating in a limited geographic area may have lower labor, benefits and overhead costs. The principal methods of competition in our businesses include name recognition, quality and speed of service, pricing, customer satisfaction and reputation. No assurance can be given that we will be able to compete successfully against current or future competitors and that the competitive pressures that we face will not result in reduced market segment share, reduced pricing or adversely impact our reputation, business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

We may not be able to attract and retain qualified key executives or transition smoothly to new leadership, which could hurt the Company and its businesses and inhibit our ability to operate and grow successfully.

        The execution of our business strategy and our financial performance will continue to depend in significant part on our executive management team and other key management personnel and the smooth transition of new senior leadership. As a result of a more aggressive strategic plan, we have decided to enhance many of our senior management positions, including the hiring of Thomas J. Coba as President, ServiceMaster Clean, Merry Maids, Furniture Medic & AmeriSpec, Roger A. Cregg as Senior Vice President & Chief Financial Officer and Charles M. Fallon as President, Terminix, as well as moving Thomas G. Brackett to a new position as President, TruGreen. Our future success depends in large part on our success in utilizing current, experienced senior leadership and transitioning responsibilities to, and implementing the goals and objectives of, our new business unit executives. In addition, any inability to attract in a timely manner qualified key executives, retain our leadership team and recruit other important personnel could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

Public perceptions that our products and services are not environmentally friendly or safe may adversely impact the demand for our services.

        In providing our services, we use, among other things, fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides. Public perception that our products and services are not environmentally friendly or safe or are harmful to humans or animals, whether justified or not, or our improper application of these chemicals, could reduce demand for our services, increase regulation or government restrictions or actions, result in fines or penalties, impair our reputation, involve us in litigation, damage our brand names and otherwise have a material adverse impact on our business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

Changes in our services or products could impact our reputation, business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

        Our financial performance is affected by changes in the services and products we offer our customers. For example, when Terminix transitioned from offering primarily bait termite services to providing both liquid and bait termite services, this transition required the purchase of additional equipment and additional training. The bait and termite service lines also have different price points (for both the initial treatment and for renewals), different ongoing service obligations and different revenue recognition policies. An unsuccessful rollout or adjustment of our new services or products could have a material adverse impact on our reputation, business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

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Laws and government regulations applicable to our businesses could increase our legal and regulatory expenses, risks and impact our business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

        Our businesses are subject to significant international, federal, state, provincial and local laws and regulations. These laws and regulations include laws relating to consumer protection, wage and hour requirements, franchising, the employment of immigrants, labor relations, permitting and licensing, workers' safety, the environment, insurance and home service contracts, employee benefits, marketing (including, without limitation, telemarketing or green marketing) and advertising, the application of fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides and other chemicals, noise and air pollution from power equipment and water management techniques. In particular, we anticipate that various international, federal, state, provincial and local governing bodies may propose additional legislation and regulation that may be detrimental to our business or may substantially increase our operating costs, including legislation relating to the Employee Free Choice Act; environmental regulations related to water quality, water use, chemical use, climate change, equipment efficiency standards, refrigerant use and other environmental matters; other consumer protection laws or regulations; or "do-not-knock," "do-not-mail," "do-not-leave" or other marketing regulations. It is difficult to predict the future impact of the broad and expanding legislative and regulatory requirements affecting our businesses and changes to such requirements may adversely affect our business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows. In addition, if we were to fail to comply with any applicable law or regulation, we could be subject to substantial fines or damages, be involved in litigation, suffer losses to our reputation or suffer the loss of licenses or incur penalties that may affect how our business is operated, which, in turn, could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

        The enactment of new federal or state legislation or the promulgation of new regulations or interpretations at any level of government may also expose the Company to potential new liabilities or costs, or may require the Company to modify its business model or business practices. At this time, the Company does not expect any such changes in law or regulation to have a material effect on its reputation, business, financial position, results of operations or cash flows; however, in March 2010, comprehensive health care reform legislation was enacted in the U.S. which, among other things, includes guaranteed coverage requirements, including for dependents up to age 26; eliminates pre-existing condition exclusions and annual and lifetime maximum limits; restricts the extent to which policies can be rescinded; and requires employers to provide employees with insurance coverage that meets minimum eligibility and coverage requirements. The legislation imposes implementation effective dates that began in 2010. Due to the breadth and complexity of the health reform legislation, the current lack of implementing regulations and interpretive guidance, the phased-in nature of the implementation and pending court challenges, it is difficult to predict the overall impact of the health reform legislation on our business over the coming years. However, new requirements to provide additional health insurance benefits to our employees would likely increase our expenses, and any such increases could be significant enough to materially impact our business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows. Additional or new regulations promulgated by the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau may also require the Company to modify its business model or business practices.

Compliance with environmental, health and safety laws and regulations, including laws pertaining to the use of pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers, could result in significant costs that adversely impact our reputation, business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

        International, federal, state, provincial and local laws and regulations relating to environmental, health and safety matters affect us in several ways. In the United States, products containing

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pesticides generally must be registered with the EPA and similar state agencies before they can be sold or applied. The failure to obtain or the cancellation of any such registration, or the withdrawal from the market place of such pesticides, could have an adverse effect on our business, the severity of which would depend on the products involved, whether other products could be substituted and whether our competitors were similarly affected. The pesticides we use are manufactured by independent third parties and are evaluated by the EPA as part of its ongoing exposure risk assessment. The EPA may decide that a pesticide we use will be limited or will not be re-registered for use in the United States. We cannot predict the outcome or the severity of the effect of the EPA's continuing evaluations.

        In addition, the use of certain pesticides, herbicides and fertilizer products is regulated by various international, federal, state, provincial and local environmental and public health agencies. These regulations may require that only certified or professional users apply the product or that certain products only be used on certain types of locations. These laws may also require users to post notices on properties at which products have been or will be applied, may require notification to individuals in the vicinity that products will be applied in the future or may restrict or ban the use of certain products. Although we strive to comply with such regulations and have processes in place designed to achieve compliance, given our dispersed locations, distributed operations and numerous employees, we can give no assurance that we can prevent violations of these or other regulations from occurring. Even if we are able to comply with all such regulations and obtain all necessary registrations and licenses, we cannot assure you that the pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers or other products we apply, or the manner in which we apply them, will not be alleged to cause injury to the environment, to people or to animals, or that such products will not be banned in certain circumstances. The costs of compliance, non-compliance, remediation, combating unfavorable public perceptions or defending products liability lawsuits could have a material adverse impact on our reputation, business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

        International, federal, state, provincial and local agencies regulate the disposal, handling and storage of waste, discharges from our facilities and the investigation and clean-up of contaminated sites. We could incur significant costs, including investigation and clean-up costs, fines, penalties and civil or criminal sanctions and claims by third parties for property damage and personal injury, as a result of violations of, or liabilities under, these laws and regulations. If there is a significant change in the facts or circumstances surrounding the assumptions upon which we operate, or if we are found to violate applicable environmental and public health laws and regulations, it could have a material adverse impact on future environmental capital expenditures and other environmental expenses and on our reputation, financial position, results of operations and cash flows. In addition, potentially significant expenditures could be required to comply with environmental laws and regulations, including requirements that may be adopted or imposed in the future.

        International, federal, state, provincial and local agencies that regulate environmental matters may change environmental laws, regulations or standards, including imposing new regulations with respect to climate change matters. Changes in any of these or other laws, regulations or standards could materially adversely impact our business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

If we fail to protect the security of personal information about our customers, we could be subject to interruption of our business operations, private litigation, reputational damage and costly penalties.

        We rely on, among other things, commercially available systems, software, tools and monitoring to provide security for processing, transmission and storage of confidential customer information, such as payment card and personal information. The systems currently used for transmission and approval of payment card transactions, and the technology utilized in payment

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cards themselves, all of which can put payment card data at risk, are central to meeting standards set by the payment card industry ("PCI"). The Company is evaluating and updating its systems and protocols to establish compliance with these industry standards as they currently exist, and going forward will continue to evaluate its systems and protocols in a continued effort to comply with industry standards, as such standards may change from time to time in the future. Activities by third parties, advances in computer and software capabilities and encryption technology, new tools and discoveries and other events or developments may facilitate or result in a compromise or breach of our systems. Any compromises, breaches or errors in application related to our systems or failures to comply with standards set by the PCI could cause damage to our reputation and interruptions in our operations, including our customers' ability to pay for our services and products by credit card or their willingness to purchase our services and products and could result in a violation of applicable laws, regulations, orders, industry standards or agreements and subject us to costs, penalties and liabilities which could have a material adverse impact on our reputation, business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

Our business process outsourcing initiatives have increased our reliance on third-party contractors and may expose our business to harm upon the termination or disruption of our third party contractor relationships.

        Our strategy to increase profitability, in part, by reducing our costs of operations includes the implementation of certain business process outsourcing initiatives. As a result, our future operations are expected to significantly rely on third party vendors to provide certain services that we previously performed internally. Any disruption, termination or substandard performance of these outsourced services, including possible breaches by third party vendors of their agreements with us, could adversely affect our brands, customer relationships, financial position, results of operations and cash flows. Also, to the extent a third party outsourcing provider relationship is terminated, there is a risk that we may not be able to enter into a similar agreement with an alternate provider in a timely manner or on terms that we consider favorable, and even if we find an alternate provider, or choose to insource such services, there are significant risks associated with any transitioning activities. We expect to phase out a significant portion of our use of information technology services provided by International Business Machines Corporation by the end of 2013. In the event a third party outsourcing relationship is terminated and we are unable to replace it, there is a risk that we may not have the capabilities to perform these services internally, resulting in a disruption to our business, which could adversely impact our reputation, business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

We may not be able to adequately protect our intellectual property and other proprietary rights that are material to our business.

        Our ability to compete effectively depends in part on our rights to service marks, trademarks, trade names and other intellectual property rights we own or license, particularly our registered brand names, ServiceMaster, Terminix, TruGreen, Merry Maids, ServiceMaster Clean, American Home Shield, AmeriSpec and Furniture Medic. We have not sought to register or protect every one of our marks either in the United States or in every country in which they are or may be used. Furthermore, because of the differences in foreign trademark, patent and other intellectual property or proprietary rights laws, we may not receive the same protection in other countries as we would in the United States. If we are unable to protect our proprietary information and brand names, we could suffer a material adverse impact on our reputation, business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

        Litigation may be necessary to enforce our intellectual property rights and protect our proprietary information, or to defend against claims by third parties that our products, services or

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activities infringe their intellectual property rights. Any litigation or claims brought by or against us could result in substantial costs and diversion of our resources. A successful claim of trademark, patent or other intellectual property infringement against us, or any other successful challenge to the use of our intellectual property, could subject us to damages or prevent us from operating our business in the manner in which we have in the past, including preventing us from providing certain services under our recognized brand names, all of which could have a material adverse impact on our reputation, business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

Disruptions or security failures in our information technology systems could create liability for us and/or limit our ability to effectively monitor, operate and control our operations and adversely impact our reputation, business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

        Our information technology systems facilitate our ability to monitor, operate and control our operations. Changes or modifications to our information technology systems could cause disruption to our operations or cause challenges with respect to our compliance with laws, regulations or other applicable standards. For example, delays, higher than expected costs or unsuccessful implementation of new information technology systems could adversely impact our operations. In addition, any disruption in or failure of our information technology systems to operate as expected could, depending on the magnitude of the problem, adversely impact our business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows, including by limiting our capacity to monitor, operate and control our operations effectively. Failures of our information technology systems could also lead to violations of privacy laws, regulations, trade guidelines or practices related to our customers and employees. If our disaster recovery plans do not work as anticipated, or if the third party vendors to which we have outsourced certain information technology, contact center or other services fail to fulfill their obligations to us, our operations may be adversely impacted and any of these circumstances could adversely impact our reputation, business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

Future acquisitions could impact our reputation, business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

        We plan to continue to pursue opportunities to expand through selective acquisitions. Our ability to make acquisitions at reasonable prices and to integrate acquired businesses is an important factor in our future growth. We cannot ensure that we will be able to manage or integrate acquired businesses successfully and/or retain customers of the acquired businesses. Any inability on our part to consolidate and manage growth from acquired businesses could have an adverse impact on our reputation, business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows and there can be no assurance that any acquisition that we make will provide us with the benefits that were anticipated when entering into such acquisition. The process of integrating an acquired business may create unforeseen difficulties and expenses, including the diversion of resources needed to integrate new businesses, technologies, products, personnel or systems; the inability to retain employees, customers and suppliers; the assumption of actual or contingent liabilities (including those relating to the environment); failure to effectively and timely adopt and adhere to our internal control processes and other policies; write-offs or impairment charges relating to goodwill and other intangible assets; unanticipated liabilities relating to acquired businesses; and potential expense associated with litigation with sellers of such businesses.

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We are subject to various restrictive covenants that could adversely impact our business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

        From time to time, we enter into noncompetition agreements or other restrictive covenants (e.g., exclusivity, take or pay and non-solicitation), including in connection with business dispositions or strategic contracts, that restrict us from entering into lines of business or operating in certain geographic areas into which we may desire to expand our business. We also are subject to various non-solicitation and no-hire covenants that may restrict our ability to solicit potential customers or employees. To the extent that such restrictive covenants prevent us from taking advantage of business opportunities, or if we fail to comply with them, our business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows may be adversely impacted.

Our future success depends on our ability to attract and retain trained workers and third party contractors.

        Our future success and financial performance depend substantially on our ability to attract, retain and train workers and attract and retain third party contractors and ensure third party contractor compliance with our policies and standards. Our ability to conduct our operations is in part impacted by our ability to increase our labor force, including on a seasonal basis, which may be adversely impacted by a number of factors, including immigration reform or lack thereof, which may negatively impact the number of foreign nationals available to engage in seasonal employment. In the event of a labor shortage, we could experience difficulty in delivering our services in a high-quality or timely manner and could be forced to increase wages in order to attract and retain employees, which would result in higher operating costs and reduced profitability.

We may be required to recognize additional impairment charges.

        We have significant amounts of goodwill and intangible assets, such as trade names, and have incurred impairment charges in the past with respect to goodwill and intangible assets, as well as in connection with our disposition activities. In accordance with applicable accounting standards, goodwill and intangible assets that are not amortized are subject to assessment for impairment by applying a fair-value based test annually, or more frequently if there are indicators of impairment, including:

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        For example, in 2011 we recorded pre-tax non-cash impairment charges of $36.7 million to reduce the carrying value of TruGreen's trade name as a result of our annual impairment testing of goodwill and intangible assets. Additionally, as a result of the decision to sell TruGreen LandCare, we recorded a $34.2 million impairment charge ($21.0 million, net of tax) in the first quarter of 2011 to reduce the carrying value of TruGreen LandCare's assets to their estimated fair value less cost to sell in accordance with applicable accounting standards. Upon completion of the sale, a $6.2 million loss on sale ($1.9 million, net of tax) was recorded in loss from discontinued operations, net of tax. In the second quarter of 2010, we recorded a pre-tax non-cash impairment charge of $46.9 million, of which $43.0 million was related to the remaining goodwill at TruGreen LandCare and $3.9 million related to TruGreen LandCare's trade name. In 2009, we recorded pre-tax non-cash impairment charges of $28.0 million (of which $1.4 million was related to the trade name of TruGreen LandCare) to reduce the carrying value of trade names as a result of our annual impairment testing of goodwill and intangible assets. Based upon future economic and financial market conditions, the operating performance of our reporting units and other factors, including those listed above, future impairment charges could be incurred. All impairments related to TruGreen LandCare are recorded in (loss) income from discontinued operations, net of income taxes.

Our franchisees could take actions that could harm our business.

        Our franchisees are contractually obligated to operate their businesses in accordance with the standards set forth in our agreements with them. Each franchising brand also provides training and support to franchisees. However, franchisees are independent third parties that we do not control, and the franchisees own, operate and oversee the daily operations of their businesses. As a result, the ultimate success of any franchise operation rests with the franchisee. If franchisees do not successfully operate their businesses in a manner consistent with required standards, royalty payments to us will be adversely affected and a brand's image and reputation could be harmed, which in turn could adversely impact our business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows. In addition, our relationship with our franchisees could become strained if we impose new standards or assert more rigorous enforcement practices of the required standards. It is also possible that creditors, or other claimants, of a franchisee, could, in the event such creditors and claimants cannot collect from our franchisee or otherwise, attempt to make claims against us under various legal theories. These claims could have a material adverse impact on our reputation, business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

Changes in accounting, securities and other rules or interpretations could adversely impact our financial position and results of operations.

        Changes in accounting, securities and other rules applicable to our business, including proposed revisions to the rules related to accounting for leases and reserves for, and disclosures relating to, legal contingencies, could (i) affect our reported results of operations and financial position, (ii) potentially decrease the comparability of our financial statements to others within our industry and (iii) increase our liability exposure.

Risks Related to Our Capital Structure and Our Debt

We are indirectly owned and controlled by the Equity Sponsors, and their interests as equity holders may conflict with the interests of our other stakeholders.

        We are indirectly owned and controlled by the Equity Sponsors, who have the ability to control our policies and operations. The directors appointed by affiliates of the Equity Sponsors and their affiliates are able to make decisions affecting our capital structure, including decisions to issue or repurchase capital stock, pay dividends and incur or repurchase debt. The interests of the Equity

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Sponsors may not in all cases be aligned with the interests of our other stakeholders. For example, if we encounter financial difficulties or are unable to pay our debts as they mature, the interests of our Equity Sponsors might conflict with the interests of holders of our debt. In addition, our Equity Sponsors may have an interest in pursuing acquisitions, divestitures, financings or other transactions that, in their judgment, could enhance their equity investments, even though such transactions might involve risks to our business or the holders of our debt. Furthermore, the Equity Sponsors may own businesses that directly or indirectly compete with us. One or more of the Equity Sponsors also may pursue acquisition opportunities that may be complementary to our business, and as a result, those acquisition opportunities may not be available to us.

We have substantial indebtedness and may incur substantial additional indebtedness, which could adversely affect our financial health and our ability to obtain financing in the future, react to changes in our business and satisfy our obligations.

        As of December 31, 2011, we had $3.876 billion of consolidated indebtedness, and, after effectiveness on February 13, 2012 of the Extension Amendment dated as of January 30, 2012 (the "Extension Amendment") and the Increase Supplement dated as of January 30, 2012 (the "Increase Supplement"), we have available borrowing capacity under the Revolving Credit Facility of $447.7 million through July 24, 2013, $324.2 million from July 25, 2013 through July 24, 2014 and $265.2 million from July 25, 2014 through January 31, 2017. Our substantial debt could have important consequences to holders of our debt and other stakeholders in the Company. Because of our substantial debt:

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Despite our indebtedness levels, we and our subsidiaries may be able to incur substantially more debt, including secured debt. This could further exacerbate the risks associated with our substantial indebtedness.

        We and our subsidiaries may be able to incur substantial additional debt in the future. The terms of the indentures governing our debt securities do not prohibit us or our subsidiaries from doing so. After effectiveness on February 13, 2012 of the Extension Amendment and the Increase Supplement, we have available borrowing capacity under the Revolving Credit Facility of $447.7 million through July 24, 2013, $324.2 million from July 25, 2013 through July 24, 2014 and $265.2 million from July 25, 2014 through January 31, 2017. The Credit Facilities permit additional borrowings beyond those commitments under certain circumstances. If new debt is added to our current debt levels, the related risks we face would increase, and we may not be able to meet all of our debt obligations.

Our ability to generate the significant amount of cash needed to pay interest and principal on our debt and our ability to refinance all or a portion of our debt or obtain additional financing depends on many factors beyond our control.

        As a holding company, we have no independent operations or material assets other than our ownership of equity interests in our subsidiaries, and we depend on our subsidiaries to distribute funds to us so that we may pay our obligations and expenses, including satisfying our obligations under our debt. Our ability to make scheduled payments on, or to refinance our obligations under, our debt depends on the ability of our subsidiaries to make distributions and dividends to us, which, in turn, depends on their operating results, cash requirements and financial condition, general business conditions and any legal and regulatory restrictions on the payment of dividends to which they may be subject, many of which may be beyond our control, and as described under "Risks Relating to Our Business and Our Industry" above.

        The payment of ordinary and extraordinary dividends by our subsidiaries that are regulated as insurance, home service, or similar companies is subject to applicable state law limitations. If we cannot receive sufficient distributions from our subsidiaries, we may not be able to meet our obligations to fund general corporate expenses or service our debt obligations. Our insurance subsidiaries and home services and similar subsidiaries (through which we conduct our American Home Shield business) are subject to significant regulatory restrictions under the laws and regulations of the states in which they operate. Among other things, such laws and regulations require certain such subsidiaries to maintain minimum capital and net worth requirements and may limit the amount of ordinary and extraordinary dividends and other payments that these subsidiaries can pay to us. For example, certain states prohibit payment by these subsidiaries to the Company of dividends in excess of ten percent of their capital as of the most recent year end, as determined in accordance with prescribed insurance accounting practices in those states. Of the $226.2 million as of December 31, 2011, which we identify as being potentially unavailable to be paid to the Company by its subsidiaries, approximately $183.3 million is held by our home services and insurance subsidiaries and is subject to these regulatory limitations on the payment of funds to us. Such limitations will be in effect through the end of 2012, at which time new limitations will be calculated based on regulatory capital levels as of December 31, 2012. The remainder of the $226.2 million, or $42.9 million, is related to amounts that the Company's management does not consider readily available to be used to service the Company's indebtedness due, among other reasons, to the Company's cash management practices and working capital needs at various subsidiaries.

        If our cash flow and capital resources are insufficient to fund our debt service obligations, we may be forced to reduce or delay capital expenditures, sell assets, seek to obtain additional equity capital or restructure our debt. In the future, our cash flow and capital resources may not be

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sufficient for payments of interest on and principal of our debt, and such alternative measures may not be successful and may not permit us to meet our scheduled debt service obligations.

        The Revolving Credit Facility is scheduled to mature on January 31, 2017, and the Term Facilities will mature on July 24, 2014. The 10.75 percent senior notes due 2015 (the "2015 Notes") will mature on July 15, 2015, and the $600 million aggregate principal amount of 8 percent senior notes due 2020 (the "2020 Notes") will mature on February 15, 2020. We cannot provide assurance that we will be able to refinance any of our debt or obtain additional financing, particularly because of our high levels of debt. It is our understanding that a significant amount of global indebtedness related to the leveraged buy-out boom will mature between 2012 and 2015, when significant portions of our debt are scheduled to mature. There is no assurance that the debt markets will be able to absorb all of the potential refinancing during that time period. Moreover, in 2008 and 2009, the global credit markets suffered a significant contraction, including the failure of some large financial institutions. This resulted in a significant decline in the credit markets and the overall availability of credit. Market disruptions, such as those experienced in 2008 and 2009, as well as our significant debt levels, may increase our cost of borrowing or adversely affect our ability to refinance our obligations as they become due. If we are unable to refinance our indebtedness or access additional credit, or if short-term or long-term borrowing costs dramatically increase, our ability to finance current operations and meet our short-term and long-term obligations could be adversely affected. If we cannot refinance our debt, we could face substantial liquidity problems, causing us to become bankrupt or insolvent, and we might be required to dispose of material assets or operations to meet our debt service and other obligations. We cannot assure you we will be able to consummate those sales, or if we do, what the timing of the sales will be, whether the proceeds that we realize will be adequate to meet our debt service obligations when due or whether we would receive fair value for such assets.

        If we cannot make scheduled payments on our debt, we will be in default and holders of the 2015 Notes and the 2020 Notes could declare all outstanding principal and interest to be due and payable, the lenders under the Credit Facilities could terminate their commitments to loan money, our secured lenders could foreclose against the assets securing their borrowings and we could be forced into bankruptcy or liquidation.

Increases in interest rates would increase the cost of servicing our debt and could reduce our profitability.

        A significant portion of our outstanding debt, including debt under the Credit Facilities, bears interest at variable rates. As a result, increases in interest rates would increase the cost of servicing our debt and could materially reduce our profitability and cash flows. As of December 31, 2011, each one percentage point change in interest rates would result in approximately an $11.0 million change in the annual interest expense on our Term Facilities after considering the impact of the interest rate swaps into which we have entered. Assuming all revolving loans were fully drawn as of December 31, 2011, each one percentage point change in interest rates would result in approximately a $4.4 million change in annual interest expense on our Revolving Credit Facility. Our Term Facilities are scheduled to mature in July 2014, and we will need to refinance such debt prior to such date. Refinancing the Term Facilities at current market interest rates would result in an increase to the current rate, and therefore lead to higher interest expense.

        We are also exposed to increases in interest rates with respect to our arrangement enabling us to transfer an interest in certain receivables to unrelated third parties. Assuming all available amounts were transferred under this arrangement, each one percentage point change in interest rates would result in approximately a $0.5 million change in annual interest expense with respect to this arrangement. We are also exposed to increases in interest rates with respect to our floating rate operating leases, and a one percentage point change in interest rates would result in approximately

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a $0.3 million change in annual rent expense with respect to such operating leases. The impact of increases in interest rates could be more significant for us than it would be for some other companies because of our substantial debt and floating rate operating leases.

The agreements and instruments governing our debt contain restrictions and limitations that could significantly impact our ability to operate our business.

        The Credit Facilities contain covenants that, among other things, restrict our ability to:

        The indentures governing the 2015 Notes and the 2020 Notes also contain restrictive covenants that, among other things, limit our ability and the ability of our restricted subsidiaries to:

        The restrictions in the indentures governing the 2015 Notes and the 2020 Notes, the Credit Facilities and the instruments governing our other debt may prevent us from taking actions that we believe would be in the best interest of our business and may make it difficult for us to execute our business strategy successfully or effectively compete with companies that are not similarly restricted. We may also incur future debt obligations that might subject us to additional restrictive covenants that could affect our financial and operational flexibility. We cannot assure you that we will be able to refinance our debt, at maturity or otherwise, on terms acceptable to us, or at all.

        Our ability to comply with the covenants and restrictions contained in the Credit Facilities, the indentures governing the 2015 Notes and the 2020 Notes and the instruments governing our other

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debt may be affected by economic, financial and industry conditions beyond our control including credit or capital market disruptions. The breach of any of these covenants or restrictions could result in a default that would permit the applicable lenders or noteholders, as the case may be, to declare all amounts outstanding thereunder to be due and payable, together with accrued and unpaid interest. If we are unable to repay debt, lenders having secured obligations, such as the lenders under the Credit Facilities, could proceed against the collateral securing the debt. In any such case, we may be unable to borrow under the Credit Facilities and may not be able to repay the amounts due under the Credit Facilities or our other outstanding indebtedness. This could have serious consequences to our financial condition and results of operations and could cause us to become bankrupt or insolvent.

A lowering or withdrawal of the ratings assigned to our debt securities by rating agencies may increase our future borrowing costs and reduce our access to capital.

        Our debt currently has a non-investment grade rating, and any rating or outlook assigned could be lowered or withdrawn entirely, or outlook changed, by a rating agency if, in that rating agency's judgment, future circumstances relating to the basis of the rating or outlook, such as adverse changes to our business, so warrant. Consequently, real or anticipated changes in our credit ratings or outlook will generally affect the market value of our debt securities. Any future lowering of our ratings or change in outlook likely would make it more difficult or more expensive for us to obtain additional debt financing.

ITEM 1B.    UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

        None.

ITEM 2.    PROPERTIES

        The headquarters for TruGreen and Terminix, along with the corporate headquarters, are located in leased premises at 860 Ridge Lake Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee. The headquarters for American Home Shield are located in leased premises at 889 Ridge Lake Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee. The headquarters for ServiceMaster Clean, AmeriSpec, Furniture Medic, Merry Maids and a training facility are located in owned premises at 3839 Forest Hill Irene Road, Memphis, Tennessee. In addition, ServiceMaster leases space for a call center located at 6399 Shelby View Drive, Memphis, Tennessee; offices located at 850 and 855 Ridge Lake Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee; a training facility located at 1650 Shelby Oaks Drive North, Memphis, Tennessee; and a warehouse located at 1575 Two Place, Memphis, Tennessee.

        ServiceMaster and its operating companies own and lease a variety of facilities, principally in the United States, for branch and service center operations and for office, storage, call center and data processing space. The following chart identifies the number of owned and leased facilities used by each of its operating segments and Merry Maids as of December 31, 2011. ServiceMaster believes that these facilities, when considered with the corporate headquarters, call center facility, offices, training facilities and warehouse described above, are suitable and adequate to support the current needs of its business.

Operating Company
  Owned
Facilities
  Leased
Facilities
 

TruGreen

    36     245  

Terminix

    24     398  

American Home Shield

    1     4  

ServiceMaster Clean

        8  

Merry Maids

        74  

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ITEM 3.    LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

        In the ordinary course of conducting business activities, the Company and its subsidiaries become involved in judicial, administrative and regulatory proceedings involving both private parties and governmental authorities. These proceedings include, on an individual, collective, representative and class action basis, regulatory, insured and uninsured employment, general and commercial liability, wage and hour and environmental proceedings. The Company has entered into settlement agreements in certain cases, including with respect to putative collective and class actions, which are subject to court approval. As previously reported, American Home Shield Corporation was sued in a putative class action on May 26, 2009 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama by Abigail Rudd, et al., and is alleged to have violated Section 8 of the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act in connection with certain payments made to real estate agencies. On December 8, 2011, the court granted final approval of a settlement to resolve this matter. The settlement will be implemented during the first two quarters of 2012, and the settlement is not expected to have a material effect on the Company's reputation, business, financial position, results of operations or cash flows. If one or more of the Company's settlements are not finally approved, the Company could have additional or different exposure, which could be material. At this time, the Company does not expect any of these proceedings to have a material effect on its reputation, business, financial position, results of operations or cash flows; however, the Company can give no assurance that the results of any such proceedings will not materially affect its reputation, business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

ITEM 4.    MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES

        Not applicable.

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PART II

ITEM 5.    MARKET FOR REGISTRANT'S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

        The Company's sole class of issued equity is common stock. As of March 6, 2012, all of the Company's common stock was owned by CDRSVM Holding, Inc.

        On July 24, 2007, the Company completed the Merger pursuant to which the Company's publicly traded securities were cancelled in exchange for cash. As a result of the Merger transaction, the Company became a privately held corporation, and its equity shares were no longer publicly traded. The Company has not paid any dividends since the Merger. There are restrictions on the Company's, and its subsidiaries', ability to pay dividends in the future. For further discussion see "Item 7, Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

ITEM 6.    SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA

Five-Year Financial Summary

 
  Successor(1)   Predecessor(1)  
 
  Year Ended Dec. 31,    
   
 
 
  Jul. 25, 2007 to
Dec. 31, 2007
  Jan. 1, 2007 to
Jul. 24, 2007
 
(In thousands, except per share data)
  2011   2010   2009   2008  

Operating Results:

                                     

Operating revenue

  $ 3,205,872   $ 3,127,394   $ 2,977,885   $ 2,995,126   $ 1,252,617   $ 1,692,236  

Operating income(2)

    375,460     306,692     243,834     187,562     36,529     141,851  

Percentage of operating revenue

    11.7 %   9.8 %   8.2 %   6.3 %   2.9 %   8.4 %

Non-operating expense(3)

    263,711     278,308     246,896     357,796     181,602     2,983  

Provision (benefit) for income taxes(2)(4)

    43,912     10,945     (9,204 )   (50,753 )   (50,995 )   50,734  
                           

Income (Loss) from continuing operations(2)(3)(4)

    67,837     17,439     6,142     (119,481 )   (94,078 )   88,134  

(Loss) income from discontinued operations, net of income taxes(5)

    (27,016 )   (31,998 )   7,353     (6,918 )   (29,442 )   (3,610 )
                           

Net income (loss)(2)(3)(4)(5)

    40,821     (14,559 )   13,495     (126,399 )   (123,520 )   84,524  

Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests

                        3,423  
                           

Net income (loss) attributable to ServiceMaster(2)(3)(4)(5)

  $ 40,821   $ (14,559 ) $ 13,495   $ (126,399 ) $ (123,520 ) $ 81,101  
                           

Cash dividends per share

  $   $   $   $   $   $ 0.24  

Financial Position:

                                     

Total assets

  $ 7,146,823   $ 7,098,090   $ 7,146,389   $ 7,493,627   $ 7,591,060        

Total liabilities

  $ 5,898,904   $ 5,910,563   $ 5,960,058   $ 6,361,268   $ 6,287,526        

Total long-term debt outstanding

  $ 3,875,870   $ 3,948,487   $ 3,974,944   $ 4,266,092   $ 4,130,811        

Total shareholder's equity(2)(3)(4)(5)

  $ 1,247,919   $ 1,187,527   $ 1,186,331   $ 1,132,359   $ 1,303,534        

(1)
Although ServiceMaster continued as the same legal entity after the Merger, the accompanying selected financial data for 2007 is presented for two periods: Predecessor and Successor, which relate to the period preceding the Merger and the period succeeding the Merger, respectively.

(2)
The 2011, 2010 and 2009 results include restructuring charges of $8.2 million, $11.4 million and $26.7 million, respectively, as described in Note 8 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

The 2008 results include restructuring charges of $12.2 million. These charges included transition fees, employee severance and retention costs, consulting and other costs related to the information technology outsourcing initiative; adjustments to lease termination reserves, employee retention and severance costs, consulting and other costs related to prior restructuring initiatives; and severance, retention, legal fees and other costs associated with the Merger.

The 2007 results include restructuring charges of $18.9 million for the Successor period from July 25, 2007 to December 31, 2007 and $58.4 million for the Predecessor period from January 1, 2007 to July 24, 2007. These charges

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(3)
The 2009 results include a $46.1 million ($29.6 million, net of tax) gain on extinguishment of debt related to the completion of open market purchases of $89.0 million in face value of the Company's 2015 Notes.

(4)
In the third and fourth quarters of 2009, the Company recorded a reduction in income tax expense of $12.1 million and $3.1 million, respectively, related to changes in state tax rates used to measure deferred taxes. In the fourth quarter of 2008, the Company recorded a reduction in income tax benefit of $8.3 million resulting from the establishment of a valuation allowance related to certain deferred tax assets for which the realization in future years is not more likely than not.

(5)
In 2011, in conjunction with the decision to dispose of TruGreen LandCare, a pre-tax non-cash impairment charge of $34.2 million was recorded to reduce the carrying value of TruGreen LandCare's assets to their estimated fair value less cost to sell in accordance with applicable accounting standards. Upon completion of the sale of TruGreen LandCare in 2011, the Company recorded a pre-tax loss on sale of $6.2 million. In 2010, 2009 and 2008, the Company recorded pre-tax non-cash impairment charges associated with the goodwill and trade name at its TruGreen LandCare business in the amount of $46.9 million, $1.4 million and $1.4 million, respectively. These charges are classified within the financial statement caption "(loss) income from discontinued operations, net of income taxes."

The Company recorded pre-tax non-cash impairment charges of $6.3 million and $18.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2008 and the Successor period from July 25, 2007 to December 31, 2007, respectively, related to the long-lived assets (other than goodwill) at its InStar business in connection with the decision to sell the InStar business. In the fourth quarter of 2007, the Company also recorded a pre-tax non-cash impairment charge associated with the goodwill at its InStar business in the amount of $12.9 million. These charges are classified within the financial statement caption "(loss) income from discontinued operations, net of income taxes."

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ITEM 7.   MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Results of Operations

        In the first quarter of 2011, ServiceMaster concluded that TruGreen LandCare did not fit within the long-term strategic plans of the Company and committed to a plan to sell the business. On April 21, 2011, the Company entered into a purchase agreement to sell the TruGreen LandCare business, and the disposition was effective as of April 30, 2011. As a result of the decision to sell this business, a $34.2 million impairment charge ($21.0 million, net of tax) was recorded in loss from discontinued operations, net of income taxes, in the first quarter of 2011 to reduce the carrying value of TruGreen LandCare's assets to their estimated fair value less cost to sell in accordance with applicable accounting standards. Upon completion of the sale, a $6.2 million loss on sale ($1.9 million, net of tax) was recorded. The loss on the disposition of the TruGreen LandCare business continues to be subject to certain post-closing adjustments and disputes, and such adjustments could be significant to the sale price. The financial results, as well as the assets and liabilities, of the TruGreen LandCare business are reported in discontinued operations for all periods presented in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

        The Company reported operating revenue of $3.206 billion for the year ended December 31, 2011, $3.127 billion for the year ended December 31, 2010 and $2.978 billion for the year ended December 31, 2009. The operating revenue changes from year to year were driven by the results of our business units as described in our "Segment Review."

        Operating income was $375.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2011, $306.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2010 and $243.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2009. Income from continuing operations before income taxes was $111.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2011 and $28.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2010. Loss from continuing operations before income taxes was $3.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2009. The increase in income from continuing operations before income taxes for 2011 compared to 2010 and 2010 compared to 2009 of $83.4 million and $31.4 million, respectively, primarily reflect the net effect of year over year changes in the following items:

(In thousands)
  2011
Compared
to 2010
  2010
Compared
to 2009
 

Segment results(1)

  $ 59,423   $ 11,555  

Depreciation and amortization expense(2)

    33,189     18,167  

Interest expense(3)

    13,810     12,400  

Residual value guarantee charges(4)

    10,449     (4,988 )

Restructuring and Merger related charges(5)

    3,286     15,234  

Non-cash trade name impairments(6)

    (36,700 )   26,600  

Loss/gain on extinguishment of debt(7)

    (774 )   (46,106 )

Other

    682     (1,416 )
           

  $ 83,365   $ 31,446  
           

(1)
Represents an improvement in income from continuing operations before income taxes, as adjusted for the specific items included in the table above. Includes an increase in key executive transition charges, reflecting the net effect of (i) $6.6 million recorded in the year ended December 31, 2011, which include recruiting costs and signing bonuses related to the hiring in 2011 of our Chief Executive Officer ("CEO"), Chief Financial Officer ("CFO") and President of ServiceMaster Clean and Merry Maids and separation charges related to the resignations of our former CFO and the former

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(2)
Consists primarily of decreased amortization of intangible assets as a result of certain finite lived intangible assets recorded in connection with the Merger being fully amortized, offset, in part, by increased depreciation of property and equipment as a result of property additions.

(3)
For 2011 compared to 2010, represents a decrease in interest expense as a result of decreases in our weighted average interest rate. For 2010 compared to 2009, represents a decrease in interest expense as a result of decreases in our weighted average interest rate and average long-term debt balances.

(4)
Represents non-cash residual value guarantee charges of $10.4 million and $5.5 million recorded in the years ended December 31, 2010 and 2009, respectively, related to a synthetic lease for operating properties, which expired in July 2010. There was no similar charge in the year ended December 31, 2011.

(5)
Represents the net decrease in restructuring charges related to a reorganization of field leadership and a restructuring of branch operations at TruGreen, a branch optimization project at Terminix, information technology outsourcing and an initiative to enhance capabilities and reduce costs in our centers of excellence at Other Operations and Headquarters, Merger related charges and other restructuring costs.

(6)
Represents pre-tax non-cash impairment charges of $36.7 million and $26.6 million recorded in the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2009, respectively, to reduce the carrying value of trade names as a result of the Company's annual impairment testing of goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets. There were no similar impairment charges included in continuing operations in 2010. See Note 1 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further details.

(7)
For 2011 compared to 2010, represents the loss on extinguishment of debt recorded in the year ended December 31, 2011 related to the purchase of $65.0 million in face value of the 2015 Notes from Holdings. For 2010 compared to 2009, represents the gain on extinguishment of debt recorded in the year ended December 31, 2009 related to the completion of open market purchases of $89.0 million in face value of the 2015 Notes. There were no open market or other purchases of 2015 Notes by the Company in the year ended December 31, 2010.

        The Company has historically hedged a significant portion of its annual fuel consumption of approximately 21 million gallons. Fuel costs, after the impacts of the hedges and after adjusting for the impact of year over year changes in the number of gallons used, increased $11.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2011 compared to 2010 and decreased $18.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2010 compared to 2009. Based upon current Department of Energy fuel price forecasts, as well as the hedges the Company has executed to date for 2012, the Company projects that fuel prices will increase our fuel costs by $10 million to $15 million for 2012 compared to 2011.

        After adjusting for the impact of year over year changes in the number of covered employees, health care and related costs increased $2.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2011 compared to 2010 and decreased $13.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2010 compared to 2009. We expect to incur incremental aggregate health care costs in 2012 as compared to 2011

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as a result of continued inflation in the cost of health care services and due to certain provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

        The Company has entered into multiple interest rate swap agreements as further discussed in Note 12 to the Consolidated Financial Statements. Changes in interest rates, after the impact of the interest rate swap agreements, improved the Company's non-operating expenses by approximately $13.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2011 compared to 2010 and $3.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2010 compared to 2009 by virtue of the effect on floating rate debt, offset, in part, by the negative effect on investment income.

Operating and Non-Operating Expenses

        The Company reported cost of services rendered and products sold of $1.814 billion for the year ended December 31, 2011 compared to $1.777 billion for the year ended December 31, 2010. As a percentage of revenue, these costs decreased to 56.6 percent for the year ended December 31, 2011 from 56.8 percent for the year ended December 31, 2010. Residual value guarantee charges of $9.2 million related to synthetic leases were recorded in 2010 at TruGreen for which there was no similar charge in 2011 and contributed 29 basis points ("bps") to the improvement in cost of services rendered and products sold as a percentage of revenue. The remaining 9 bps increase as a percentage of revenue primarily reflects an increase in fuel and fertilizer prices and contract claims costs, offset, in part, by a reduction in termite damage claims expense, the favorable impact of acquiring assets in connection with exiting certain fleet leases and cost reductions realized through ongoing initiatives.

        The Company reported cost of services rendered and products sold of $1.777 billion for the year ended December 31, 2010 compared to $1.691 billion for the year ended December 31, 2009. As a percentage of revenue, these costs for the year ended December 31, 2010 were comparable to the year ended December 31, 2009 at 56.8 percent. Residual value guarantee charges of $9.2 million and $4.7 million related to synthetic leases were recorded in 2010 and 2009, respectively, at TruGreen and negatively impacted the change in cost of services rendered and products sold as a percentage of revenue by 14 bps. The remaining change as a percentage of revenue primarily reflects an increase in incentive compensation expense, contract claims costs at American Home Shield and product distribution revenue at Terminix, which has lower margins than termite or pest revenue, offset, in part, by the favorable impact of acquiring assets in connection with exiting certain fleet leases and a reduction in fuel and fertilizer prices and health care costs.

        The Company reported selling and administrative expenses of $880.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2011 compared to $896.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2010. As a percentage of revenue, these costs decreased to 27.5 percent for the year ended December 31, 2011 from 28.6 percent for the year ended December 31, 2010. Key executive transition charges of $6.6 million and $5.5 million were incurred in 2011 and 2010, respectively, which negatively impacted the change in selling and administrative expenses as a percentage of revenue by 4 bps. The remaining 114 bps improvement as a percentage of revenue primarily reflects a reduction in sales and marketing expense, legal related expense and spending in the Company's centers of excellence, offset, in part, by an increase in technology related costs driven by our new CRM system at American Home Shield and for PCI standards compliance purposes.

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        The Company reported selling and administrative expenses of $896.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2010 compared to $830.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2009. As a percentage of revenue, these costs increased to 28.6 percent for the year ended December 31, 2010 from 27.9 percent for the year ended December 31, 2009. Key executive transition charges of $5.5 million were incurred in 2010, which negatively impacted the change in selling and administrative expenses as of percentage of revenue by 18 bps. The remaining 52 bps decline as a percentage of revenue primarily reflects an increase in spending in the Company's headquarters functions to enhance capabilities in our centers of excellence and on initiatives designed to improve the performance of our operating segments and incentive compensation expense.

        Amortization expense was $91.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2011, $136.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2010 and $158.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2009. The decrease in 2011 and 2010 is a result of certain finite lived intangible assets recorded in connection with the Merger being fully amortized.

        Non-operating expense totaled $263.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2011, $278.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2010 and $246.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2009. The decrease in 2011 compared to 2010 is primarily due to a $13.8 million decrease in interest expense as a result of a decrease in our weighted-average interest rate. The increase in 2010 compared to 2009 includes the impact of a $46.1 million gain on extinguishment of debt recorded in the year ended December 31, 2009, which did not recur in 2010, offset, in part, by a $12.4 million decrease in interest expense, primarily resulting from decreases in our weighted-average interest rate and average long-term debt balances, and a $2.3 million increase in interest and net investment income. Interest and net investment income was comprised of the following for the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009:

 
  Year Ended Dec. 31,  
(In thousands)
  2011   2010   2009  

Realized gains(1)

  $ 9,972   $ 6,418   $ 7,830  

Impairments of securities(2)

    (195 )   (174 )   (5,854 )

Deferred compensation trust(3)

    (49 )   1,200     1,964  

Other(4)

    1,158     1,914     3,139  
               

Interest and net investment income

  $ 10,886   $ 9,358   $ 7,079  
               

(1)
Represents the net investment gains and the interest and dividend income realized on the American Home Shield investment portfolio.

(2)
Represents other than temporary declines in the value of certain investments in the American Home Shield investment portfolio.

(3)
Represents investment (loss) income resulting from a change in the market value of investments within an employee deferred compensation trust (for which there is a corresponding and offsetting change in compensation expense within income from continuing operations before income taxes).

(4)
Represents interest income on other cash balances.

        The effective tax rate on income from continuing operations was a provision of 39.3 percent for the year ended December 31, 2011 compared to a provision of 38.6 percent for the year ended December 31, 2010 and a benefit of 300.6 percent for the year ended December 31, 2009. The effective tax rate for the year ended December 31, 2010 includes a reduction to income tax expense resulting from the resolution of examinations by taxing authorities and the lapsing of statutes of limitations. The effective tax rate for the year ended December 31, 2009 includes a tax

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benefit resulting from a change in the state tax rates used to measure deferred taxes which more than offset state and foreign tax expense.

Restructuring Charges

        The Company incurred restructuring charges of $8.2 million, $11.4 million and $26.7 million for the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively. Restructuring charges were comprised of the following:

 
  Year Ended Dec. 31,  
(In thousands)
  2011   2010   2009  

TruGreen reorganization and restructuring(1)

  $ 1,115   $ 6,922   $ 8,717  

Information technology outsourcing(2)

            9,861  

Terminix branch optimization(3)

    3,560     2,352     3,219  

Centers of excellence initiative(4)

    3,416          

Merger related charges(5)

        1,208     2,321  

Other(6)

    71     966     2,564  
               

Total restructuring charges

  $ 8,162   $ 11,448   $ 26,682  
               

(1)
Represents restructuring charges related to a reorganization of field leadership and a restructuring of branch operations. For the year ended December 31, 2011 these charges included severance and lease termination costs of $0.8 million and $0.3 million, respectively. For the years ended December 31, 2010 and 2009, these charges included consulting fees of $4.7 million and $6.3 million, respectively and severance, lease termination and other costs of $2.2 million and $2.4 million, respectively.

(2)
On December 11, 2008, the Company entered into an agreement with International Business Machines Corporation ("IBM") pursuant to which IBM provides information technology operations and applications development services to the Company. These services were phased in during the first half of 2009. For the year ended December 31, 2009, these charges included transition fees paid to IBM of $7.6 million, employee retention and severance costs of $1.3 million and consulting and other costs of $1.0 million.

(3)
Represents restructuring charges related to a branch optimization project. For the year ended December 31, 2011, these charges included severance and lease termination costs of $0.1 million and $3.5 million, respectively. For the year ended December 31, 2010, these charges were comprised of lease termination costs. For the year ended December 31, 2009, these charges included lease termination costs of $2.9 million and severance costs of $0.3 million.

(4)
Represents restructuring charges related to an initiative to enhance capabilities and reduce costs in our centers of excellence. For the year ended December 31, 2011, these charges included consulting and severance costs of $1.5 million and $1.9 million, respectively.

(5)
Included severance, retention, legal fees and other costs associated with the Merger.

(6)
For the year ended December 31, 2011, these charges included reserve adjustments. For the year ended December 31, 2010, these charges included reserve adjustments of $0.6 million and severance and retention of $0.4 million. For the year ended December 31, 2009 these charges related to previous restructuring initiatives and

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  Key Performance
Indicators
as of December 31,
 
 
  2011   2010   2009  

TruGreen—

                   

(Reduction) Growth in Full Program Accounts

    (5.3 )%   (1.7 )%   0.7 %

Customer Retention Rate

    66.7 %   66.0 %   68.1 %

Terminix—

                   

Growth (Reduction) in Pest Control Customers

    6.4 %   3.6 %   (0.9 )%

Pest Control Customer Retention Rate

    80.6 %   79.9 %   78.5 %

(Reduction) Growth in Termite Customers

    (1.0 )%   0.3 %   (1.5 )%

Termite Customer Retention Rate

    86.1 %   86.0 %   85.7 %

American Home Shield—

                   

Growth in Home Service Contracts

    1.6 %   0.1 %   0.1 %

Customer Retention Rate(1)

    75.1 %   73.0 %   72.2 %

(1)
During the fourth quarter of 2011, the Company changed its calculation methodology of Customer Retention Rate for American Home Shield to be consistent with the calculation methodology for TruGreen and Terminix. The Customer Retention Rate for American Home Shield has been adjusted to reflect the 2011 calculation methodology for all periods presented.

Segment Review

        The following business segment reviews should be read in conjunction with the required footnote disclosures presented in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements. This disclosure provides a reconciliation of segment operating income to income from continuing operations before income taxes, with net non-operating expenses as the only reconciling item.

        The Company uses Adjusted EBITDA and Comparable Operating Performance to facilitate operating performance comparisons from period to period. Adjusted EBITDA and Comparable Operating Performance are supplemental measures of the Company's performance that are not required by, or presented in accordance with, accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("GAAP"). Adjusted EBITDA and Comparable Operating Performance are not measurements of the Company's financial performance under GAAP and should not be considered as alternatives to net income or any other performance measures derived in accordance

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with GAAP or as alternatives to net cash provided by operating activities or any other measures of the Company's cash flow or liquidity. "Adjusted EBITDA" means net income (loss) before: income (loss) from discontinued operations; provision (benefit) for income taxes; other expense; gain (loss) on extinguishment of debt; interest expense; interest and net investment income; and depreciation and amortization expense; as well as adding back interest and net investment income, residual value guarantee charge and non-cash trade name impairment. "Comparable Operating Performance" is calculated by adding back to Adjusted EBITDA an amount equal to the non-cash stock-based compensation expense and non-cash effects on Adjusted EBITDA attributable to the application of purchase accounting in connection with the Merger.

        The Company believes Adjusted EBITDA facilitates company-to-company operating performance comparisons by backing out potential differences caused by variations in capital structures (affecting net interest income and expense), taxation and the age and book depreciation of facilities and equipment (affecting relative depreciation expense), which may vary for different companies for reasons unrelated to operating performance. In addition, the Company excludes residual value guarantee charges that do not result in additional cash payments to exit the facility at the end of the lease term. The Company uses Comparable Operating Performance as a supplemental measure to assess the Company's performance because it excludes non-cash stock-based compensation expense and non-cash effects on Adjusted EBITDA attributable to the application of purchase accounting in connection with the Merger. The Company presents Comparable Operating Performance because it believes that it is useful for investors, analysts and other interested parties in their analysis of the Company's operating results.

        Charges relating to stock-based compensation expense and the impact of purchase accounting are non-cash and the exclusion of the impact of these items from Comparable Operating Performance allows investors to understand the current period results of operations of the business on a comparable basis with previous periods and, secondarily, gives the investors added insight into cash earnings available to service the Company's debt. We believe this to be of particular importance to the Company's public investors, which are debt holders. The Company also believes that the exclusion of the purchase accounting and non-cash stock-based compensation expense may provide an additional means for comparing the Company's performance to the performance of other companies by eliminating the impact of differently structured equity-based, long-term incentive plans (although care must be taken in making any such comparison, as there may be inconsistencies among companies in the manner of computing similarly titled financial measures).

        Adjusted EBITDA and Comparable Operating Performance are not necessarily comparable to other similarly titled financial measures of other companies due to the potential inconsistencies in the methods of calculation.

        Adjusted EBITDA and Comparable Operating Performance have limitations as analytical tools, and should not be considered in isolation or as substitutes for analyzing the Company's results as reported under GAAP. Some of these limitations are:

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        Operating Revenues and Comparable Operating Performance by operating segment are as follows:

 
  Year Ended Dec. 31,  
(In thousands)
  2011   2010   2009  

Operating Revenue:

                   

TruGreen

  $ 1,100,741   $ 1,096,667   $ 1,048,936  

Terminix

    1,193,075     1,157,346     1,089,072  

American Home Shield

    686,737     656,572     630,251  

ServiceMaster Clean

    138,691     132,132     125,614  

Other Operations and Headquarters

    86,628     84,677     84,012  
               

Total Operating Revenue

  $ 3,205,872   $ 3,127,394   $ 2,977,885  
               

Comparable Operating Performance:

                   

TruGreen

  $ 207,916   $ 187,550   $ 178,646  

Terminix

    295,925     267,338     247,182  

American Home Shield

    131,977     116,736     113,738  

ServiceMaster Clean

    63,982     63,691     59,431  

Other Operations and Headquarters

    (104,987 )   (103,211 )   (93,682 )
               

Total Comparable Operating Performance

  $ 594,813   $ 532,104   $ 505,315  
               

Memo: Items included in Comparable Operating Performance

                   

Restructuring charges(1)

  $ 8,162   $ 11,448   $ 26,682  
               

Management and consulting fees(2)

  $ 7,500   $ 7,500   $ 7,500  
               

Memo: Items excluded from Comparable Operating Performance

                   

Comparable Operating Performance of discontinued operations

  $ (3,064 ) $ 7,862   $ 23,747  
               

(1)
Represents restructuring charges related to a reorganization of field leadership and a restructuring of branch operations at TruGreen, a branch optimization project at Terminix, information technology outsourcing and initiatives to enhance capabilities and reduce costs in our centers of excellence at Other Operations and Headquarters, Merger related charges and other restructuring costs.

(2)
Represents management and consulting fees payable to certain related parties. See Note 10 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further information on management and consulting fees.

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        The following table presents reconciliations of operating income (loss) to Adjusted EBITDA and Comparable Operating Performance for the periods presented.

(in thousands)
  TruGreen   Terminix   American
Home
Shield
  ServiceMaster
Clean
  Other
Operations
and
Headquarters
  Total  

Year Ended Dec. 31, 2011

                                     

Operating income (loss)(1)

  $ 129,324   $ 220,622   $ 94,869   $ 57,674   $ (127,029 ) $ 375,460  

Depreciation and amortization expense

    41,929     75,347     27,331     6,150     12,679     163,436  
                           

EBITDA

    171,253     295,969     122,200     63,824     (114,350 )   538,896  

Interest and net investment income(2)

            9,777     158     951     10,886  

Non-cash trade name impairment(3)

    36,700                     36,700  
                           

Adjusted EBITDA

    207,953     295,969     131,977     63,982     (113,399 )   586,482  

Non-cash stock-based compensation expense

                    8,412     8,412  

Non-cash credits attributable to purchase accounting(4)

    (37 )   (44 )               (81 )
                           

Comparable Operating Performance

  $ 207,916   $ 295,925   $ 131,977   $ 63,982   $ (104,987 ) $ 594,813  
                           

Memo: Items included in Comparable Operating Performance

                                     

Restructuring charges(5)

  $ 1,115   $ 3,560   $   $ 36   $ 3,451   $ 8,162  
                           

Management and consulting fees(6)

  $   $   $   $   $ 7,500   $ 7,500  
                           

Memo: Items excluded from Comparable Operating Performance

                                     

Comparable Operating Performance of discontinued operations(7)

  $   $   $   $   $ (3,064 ) $ (3,064 )
                           

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(in thousands)
  TruGreen   Terminix   American
Home
Shield
  ServiceMaster
Clean
  Other
Operations
and
Headquarters
  Total  

Year Ended Dec. 31, 2010

                                     

Operating income (loss)(1)

  $ 112,312   $ 199,750   $ 68,380   $ 55,450   $ (129,200 ) $ 306,692  

Depreciation and amortization expense

    66,069     67,761     42,259     7,106     13,430     196,625  
                           

EBITDA

    178,381     267,511     110,639     62,556     (115,770 )   503,317  

Interest and net investment income(2)

            6,243     153     2,962     9,358  

Residual value guarantee charge(8)

    9,222             982     245     10,449  
                           

Adjusted EBITDA

    187,603     267,511     116,882     63,691     (112,563 )   523,124  

Non-cash stock-based compensation expense

                    9,352     9,352  

Non-cash credits attributable to purchase accounting(4)

    (53 )   (173 )   (146 )           (372 )
                           

Comparable Operating Performance

  $ 187,550   $ 267,338   $ 116,736   $ 63,691   $ (103,211 ) $ 532,104  
                           

Memo: Items included in Comparable Operating Performance

                                     

Restructuring charges (credits)(5)

  $ 6,922   $ 3,491   $ (127 ) $ 71   $ 1,091   $ 11,448  
                           

Management and consulting fees(6)

  $   $   $   $   $ 7,500   $ 7,500  
                           

Memo: Items excluded from Comparable Operating Performance

                                     

Comparable Operating Performance of discontinued operations(7)

  $   $   $   $   $ 7,862   $ 7,862  
                           

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(in thousands)
  TruGreen   Terminix   American
Home
Shield
  ServiceMaster
Clean
  Other
Operations
and
Headquarters
  Total  

Year Ended Dec. 31, 2009

                                     

Operating income (loss)(1)

  $ 64,897   $ 184,131   $ 70,253   $ 50,456   $ (125,903 ) $ 243,834  

Depreciation and amortization expense

    87,726     63,277     41,728     8,243     13,818     214,792  
                           

EBITDA

    152,623     247,408     111,981     58,699     (112,085 )   458,626  

Interest and net investment income(2)

            1,976     144     4,959     7,079  

Residual value guarantee charge(8)

    4,726             588     147     5,461  

Non-cash trade name impairment(3)

    21,400                 5,200     26,600  
                           

Adjusted EBITDA

    178,749     247,408     113,957     59,431     (101,779 )   497,766  

Non-cash stock-based compensation expense

                    8,097     8,097  

Non-cash credits attributable to purchase accounting(4)

    (103 )   (226 )   (219 )           (548 )
                           

Comparable Operating Performance

  $ 178,646   $ 247,182   $ 113,738   $ 59,431   $ (93,682 )   505,315  
                           

Memo: Items included in Comparable Operating Performance

                                     

Restructuring charges(5)

  $ 8,717   $ 3,390   $ 147   $   $ 14,428   $ 26,682  
                           

Management and consulting fees(6)

  $   $   $   $   $ 7,500   $ 7,500  
                           

Memo: Items excluded from Comparable Operating Performance

                                     

Comparable Operating Performance of discontinued operations(7)

  $   $   $   $   $ 23,747   $ 23,747  
                           

(1)
Presented below is a reconciliation of total segment operating income to net income (loss).

 
  Year Ended December 31,  
(In thousands)
  2011   2010   2009  

Total Segment Operating Income

  $ 375,460   $ 306,692   $ 243,834  

Non-operating Expense (Income):

                   

Interest expense

    273,123     286,933     299,333  

Interest and net investment income

    (10,886 )   (9,358 )   (7,079 )

Loss (Gain) on extinguishment of debt

    774         (46,106 )

Other expense

    700     733     748  
               

Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations before Income Taxes

    111,749     28,384     (3,062 )

Provision (benefit) for income taxes

    43,912     10,945     (9,204 )
               

Income from Continuing Operations

    67,837     17,439     6,142  

(Loss) income from discontinued operations, net of income taxes

    (27,016 )   (31,998 )   7,353  
               

Net Income (Loss)

  $ 40,821   $ (14,559 ) $ 13,495  
               

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(2)
Interest and net investment income is primarily comprised of investment income and realized gain (loss) on our American Home Shield segment investment portfolio. Cash, short-term and long-term marketable securities associated with regulatory requirements in connection with American Home Shield and for other purposes totaled $226.2 million as of December 31, 2011. American Home Shield interest and net investment income was $9.8 million, $6.2 million and $2.0 million for the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively. The balance of interest and net investment income primarily relates to (i) investment income (loss) from our employee deferred compensation trust (for which there is a corresponding and offsetting change in compensation expense within (loss) income from continuing operations before income taxes) and (ii) interest income on other cash balances.

(3)
Represents pre-tax non-cash impairment charges of $36.7 million and $26.6 million recorded in the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2009, respectively, to reduce the carrying value of trade names as a result of the Company's annual impairment testing of goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets. There were no similar impairment charges included in continuing operations in 2010. See Note 1 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further information.

(4)
The Merger was accounted for using purchase accounting. This adjustment represents the aggregate, non-cash adjustments (other than amortization and depreciation) attributable to the application of purchase accounting.

(5)
Represents restructuring charges related to a reorganization of field leadership and a restructuring of branch operations at TruGreen, a branch optimization project at Terminix, information technology outsourcing and an initiative to enhance capabilities and reduce costs in our centers of excellence at Other Operations and Headquarters, Merger related charges and other restructuring costs.

(6)
Represents management and consulting fees payable to certain related parties. See Note 10 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further information on management and consulting fees.

(7)
The table included in "Discontinued Operations" below presents reconciliations of operating (loss) income, the most directly comparable financial measure under GAAP, to EBITDA and Comparable Operating Performance for the periods presented.

(8)
Represents non-cash residual value guarantee charges recorded in 2010 and 2009 related to a synthetic lease for operating properties, which expired in July 2010. There were no similar charges in 2011.

TruGreen Segment

        The TruGreen segment, which provides lawn, tree and shrub care services, reported a 0.4 percent increase in operating revenue, a 15.1 percent increase in operating income and a 10.9 percent increase in Comparable Operating Performance for the year ended December 31, 2011 compared to 2010. Revenue from core lawn service customers, which was 55 percent of the segment's operating revenue in 2011, was comparable to 2010, reflecting a 4.3 percent increase in the average application price, offset, by a 4.8 percent decline in average customer counts. Absolute customer counts as of December 31, 2011 compared to 2010 declined 5.3 percent, which was driven by a decrease in new unit sales, primarily in our neighborhood selling channel, offset, in part, by a 70 bps increase in the customer retention rate. TruGreen is redefining its sales channel mix by shifting focus away from the neighborhood sales channel. The segment's operating revenue results also reflect a $5.7 million increase in other expanded services. TruGreen is continuing its efforts to reduce customer cancellations by focusing on the overall quality of service delivery, including more consistent application of service standards, an improved recovery program for problem lawns, the reduction of lawn specialist turnover and the continued improvement of overall communication with customers.

        TruGreen's operating income for the year ended December 31, 2011 included a pre-tax non-cash impairment charge of $36.7 million to reduce the carrying value of trade names to their estimated fair value as further discussed in Note 1 to the Consolidated Financial Statements. There were no similar charges in 2010. TruGreen's Comparable Operating Performance as a percentage of revenue increased to 18.9 percent for the year ended December 31, 2011 compared to

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17.1 percent for the year ended December 31, 2010. TruGreen's Comparable Operating Performance included restructuring charges of $1.1 million and $6.9 million in 2011 and 2010, respectively. Additionally, key executive transition charges of $1.0 million were incurred in 2011, which included separation charges related to the resignation of the former President of TruGreen in the second quarter of 2011. The net reduction in these charges contributed 44 bps to the increase in the segment's Comparable Operating Performance as a percentage of revenue. The remaining 136 bps increase primarily reflects a reduction in sales and marketing expense driven by the reduced focus on the neighborhood sales channel and cost reductions realized through ongoing initiatives, offset, in part, by an increase in fuel and fertilizer prices.

        The TruGreen segment reported a 4.6 percent increase in revenue, a 73.1 percent increase in operating income and a 5.0 percent increase in Comparable Operating Performance for the year ended December 31, 2010 compared to 2009. Revenue from core lawn service customers, which was 55 percent of the segment's operating revenue in 2010 increased 3.5 percent compared to 2010, reflecting a 1.8 percent increase in the average application price and a 1.6 percent increase in average customer counts. Absolute customer counts as of December 31, 2010 compared to 2009 declined 1.7 percent, which was driven by a 210 bps reduction in the customer retention rate, offset, in part, by an increase in new unit sales generated in the neighborhood selling channel. The segment's revenue results also reflect a $27.5 million increase in other expanded services.

        TruGreen's operating income for the year ended December 31, 2009 included a pre-tax non-cash impairment charge of $21.4 million to reduce the carrying value of trade names to their estimated fair value as further discussed in Note 1 to the Consolidated Financial Statements. There were no similar charges in 2010. TruGreen's Comparable Operating Performance as a percentage of revenue increased to 17.1 percent for the year ended December 31, 2010 compared to 17.0 percent for the year ended December 31, 2009. TruGreen's Comparable Operating Performance included restructuring charges of $6.9 million and $8.7 million in 2010 and 2009, respectively. The net reduction in these charges contributed 20 bps to the increase in the segment's Comparable Operating Performance as a percentage of revenue. The remaining 10 bps decline primarily reflects an increase in sales and marketing expense, incentive compensation expense and costs related to our ongoing initiatives to transform our branch operations and to improve customer service, offset, in part, by a reduction in fuel and fertilizer prices and health care costs.

Terminix Segment

        The Terminix segment, which provides termite and pest control services and distributes pest control products, reported a 3.1 percent increase in operating revenue, a 10.4 percent increase in operating income and a 10.7 percent increase in Comparable Operating Performance for the year ended December 31, 2011 compared to 2010. Pest control revenue, which was 55 percent of the segment's operating revenue in 2011, increased 5.3 percent in 2011 compared to 2010, reflecting a 6.4 percent increase in customer counts, a 1.1 percent increase in the average annual account value, and a $6.0 million increase in other services, including bed bug and other pest services. The increase in pest control customer counts was driven by an increase in new unit sales and acquisitions and a 70 bps increase in the customer retention rate. Termite revenue, including new unit sales and renewals, was 40.5 percent of the segment's operating revenue in 2011 and increased 0.5 percent in 2011 compared to 2010, primarily reflecting a 2.2 percent increase in average price of new units and renewals, offset, in part, by a 2.6 percent decline in new unit sales and a 1.0 percent decline in renewal customer counts. For 2011, termite renewal revenue comprised 55 percent of total termite revenue, while the remainder consisted of termite completion new unit sales. The decline in termite renewal customer counts was driven by a decrease in new units, offset, in part, by a 10 bps increase in the customer retention rate.

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        Terminix's Comparable Operating Performance as a percentage of revenue increased to 24.8 percent for the year ended December 31, 2011 compared to 23.1 percent for the year ended December 31, 2010. Terminix's Comparable Operating Performance included restructuring charges of $3.6 million and $3.5 million in 2011 and 2010, respectively. The 170 basis point increase in Comparable Operating Performance as a percentage of revenue primarily reflects a reduction in incentive compensation expense, legal related expense, termite damage claims expense, the favorable impact of acquiring assets in connection with exiting certain fleet leases and other cost reductions realized through ongoing initiatives, offset, in part by an increase in sales and marketing expense and fuel prices.

        The Terminix segment reported a 6.3 percent increase in operating revenue, an 8.5 percent increase in operating income and an 8.2 percent increase in Comparable Operating Performance for the year ended December 31, 2010 compared to 2009. Pest control revenue, which was 54 percent of the segment's operating revenue in 2010, increased 5.2 percent in 2010 compared to 2009, reflecting a 3.6 percent increase in customer counts, a 0.3 percent increase in the average annual account value and a $10.4 million increase in other services, including bed bug and other pest services. The increase in pest control customer counts was driven by an increase in new unit sales and acquisitions and a 140 bps improvement in the customer retention rate. Termite revenue, including new unit sales and renewals, was 41.5 percent of the segment's operating revenue in 2010 and increased 3.1 percent in 2010 compared to 2009, primarily reflecting a 2.0 percent increase in average price of new units and renewals, a 7.9 percent increase in new unit sales and a 0.3 percent increase in renewal customer counts. For 2010, termite renewal revenue comprised 55 percent of total termite revenue, while the remainder consisted of termite completion new unit sales. The increase in termite renewal customer counts was driven by an increase in new units and acquisitions and a 30 bps improvement in the customer retention rate. Product distribution revenue, which has lower margins than termite or pest revenue and accounted for less than five percent of total segment operating revenue, increased $23.2 million. In August 2010, Terminix acquired the assets of Antimite Termite and Pest Control, a company with annual revenues of approximately $30 million.

        Terminix's Comparable Operating Performance as a percentage of revenue increased to 23.1 percent for the year ended December 31, 2010 compared to 22.7 percent for the year ended December 31, 2009. Terminix's Comparable Operating performance included restructuring charges of $3.5 million and $3.4 million in 2010 and 2009, respectively. The 40 bps increase in Comparable Operating Performance as a percentage of revenue primarily reflects a reduction in fuel prices, health care costs, termite damage claims expense and sales and marketing expense, the favorable impact of acquiring assets in connection with exiting certain fleet leases and other cost reductions realized through ongoing initiatives, offset, in part, by an increase in incentive compensation expense, legal related expense and increases in product distribution revenue, which has lower margins than pest or termite revenue.

American Home Shield Segment

        The American Home Shield segment, which provides home service contracts to consumers that cover heating, ventilation, air conditioning, plumbing and other systems and appliances, reported a 4.6 percent increase in operating revenue, a 38.7 percent increase in operating income and a 13.1 percent increase in Comparable Operating Performance for the year ended December 31, 2011 compared to 2010. The revenue results reflect a 4.0 percent increase in average price on home service contracts written and a 1.6 percent increase in customer counts. The increase in average price was driven, in part, by the introduction of new product options in our direct-to-consumer channel. The increase in customer counts was driven by a 210 bps increase in the customer retention rate, offset, in part, by a decrease in new unit sales. American Home

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Shield's sales in the real estate channel were negatively impacted by softness in the home resale market and elimination of the government housing incentive program, which was extended through the first quarter of 2011. This decline was offset, in part, by growth in consumer sales.

        American Home Shield's Comparable Operating Performance as a percentage of revenue increased to 19.2 percent for the year ended December 31, 2011 compared to 17.8 percent for the year ended December 31, 2010. American Home Shield's Comparable Operating performance included interest and net investment income from the American Home Shield investment portfolio of $9.8 million and $6.2 million in 2011 and 2010, respectively, which contributed 47 bps to the increase in the segment's Comparable Operating Performance as a percentage of revenue. The remaining 93 basis point increase primarily reflects a reduction in legal related expense and cost reductions realized through ongoing initiatives, offset, in part, by an increase in contract claims costs and technology related costs driven by our new CRM system and other ongoing initiatives.

        The American Home Shield segment reported a 4.2 percent increase in operating revenue, a 2.7 percent decrease in operating income and a 2.6 percent increase in Comparable Operating Performance for the year ended December 31, 2010 compared to 2009. The revenue results reflect a 2.9 percent increase in average price on home service contracts written and a 2.8 percent increase in average customer counts. Absolute customer counts as of December 31, 2010 were comparable to 2009, reflecting a 3.8 percent decline in new unit sales, offset by an 80 bps improvement in the customer retention rate. American Home Shield's sales in the real estate channel were negatively impacted by softness in the home resale market, offset, in part, by growth in consumer sales.

        American Home Shield's Comparable Operating Performance as a percentage of revenue decreased to 17.8 percent for the year ended December 31, 2010 compared to 18.0 percent for the year ended December 31, 2009. American Home Shield's Comparable Operating performance included interest and net investment income from the American Home Shield investment portfolio of $6.2 million and $2.0 million in 2010 and 2009, respectively, which contributed 64 bps to the increase in the segment's Comparable Operating Performance as a percentage of revenue. The remaining 84 bps decrease primarily reflects an increase in contract claims costs, offset, in part, by cost reductions realized through ongoing initiatives.

ServiceMaster Clean Segment

        The ServiceMaster Clean segment, which provides residential and commercial disaster restoration and cleaning services through franchises primarily under the ServiceMaster and ServiceMaster Clean brand names, on-site furniture repair and restoration services primarily under the Furniture Medic brand name and home inspection services primarily under the AmeriSpec brand name, reported a 5.0 percent increase in operating revenue, a 4.0 percent increase in operating income and a 0.5 percent increase in Comparable Operating Performance for the year ended December 31, 2011 compared to 2010. Domestic royalty fees, which were 54 percent of the segment's operating revenue in 2011, increased 6.4 percent in 2011 compared to 2010, driven by increases in disaster restoration services. Revenue from janitorial national accounts, which was 9 percent of the segment's revenue in 2011, increased 32.4 percent in 2011 compared to 2010, driven by strong sales activity. Sales of products to franchisees, which were 12 percent of the segment's revenue in 2011, decreased 8.4 percent in 2011 compared to 2010.

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        ServiceMaster Clean's Comparable Operating Performance as a percentage of revenue decreased to 46.1 percent for the year ended December 31, 2011 compared to 48.2 percent for the year ended December 31, 2010. Key executive transition charges of $0.4 million were incurred in 2011, which represented a signing bonus related to the hiring of the new President of ServiceMaster Clean and Merry Maids. These charges negatively impacted the change in the segment's Comparable Operating Performance as a percentage of revenue by 30 bps. The remaining 180 basis point reduction primarily reflects an increase in support services, sales and marketing expense, technology and other costs, all driven by ongoing initiatives to increase share primarily in the commercial, fire remediation and janitorial market segments.

        The ServiceMaster Clean segment reported a 5.2 percent increase in operating revenue, a 9.9 percent increase in operating income and a 7.2 percent increase in Comparable Operating Performance for the year ended December 31, 2010 compared to 2009. Domestic royalty fees, which were 53 percent of the segment's operating revenue in 2010, decreased 0.3 percent in 2010 compared to 2009, driven by reductions in disaster restoration services. Revenue from janitorial national accounts, which was 7 percent of the segment's operating revenue in 2010, increased 46.8 percent in 2010 compared to 2009, driven by strong sales activity. Sales of products to franchisees, which were 14 percent of the segment's operating revenue in 2010, increased 8.3 percent in 2010 compared to 2009.

        ServiceMaster Clean's Comparable Operating Performance as a percentage of revenue increased to 48.2 percent for the year ended December 31, 2010 compared to 47.3 percent for the year ended December 31, 2009. The 90 bps increase in Comparable Operating Performance as a percentage of revenue primarily reflects cost reductions realized through ongoing initiatives.

Other Operations and Headquarters Segment

        This segment includes the operations of Merry Maids, SMAC and the Company's headquarters functions. The segment reported a 2.3 percent increase in operating revenue, a 1.7 percent improvement in operating loss and a 1.7 percent improvement in Comparable Operating Performance for the year ended December 31, 2011 compared to 2010.

        Merry Maids, which accounted for 93.5 percent of the segment's operating revenue for 2011, reported a 3.0 percent increase in operating revenue, a 7.0 percent increase in operating income and a 1.9 percent increase in Comparable Operating Performance for the year ended December 31, 2011 compared to 2010. Revenue from company-owned branches, which was 75 percent of Merry Maids' revenue in 2011, increased 0.7 percent in 2011 compared to 2010, driven by a 1.7 percent increase in the average service price, offset, in part, by a 0.3 percent decline in average customer counts. Absolute customer counts as of December 31, 2011 compared to 2010 declined 3.6 percent driven by the sale of certain company-owned branches to existing and new franchisees in the fourth quarter of 2011, offset, in part, by a 630 bps increase in the customer retention rate. Royalty fees, which were 19 percent of Merry Maids' revenue in 2011, increased 6.3 percent in 2011 compared to 2010, primarily driven by market expansion.

        Merry Maids' Comparable Operating Performance as a percentage of revenue decreased to 25.9 percent for the year ended December 31, 2011 compared to 26.2 percent for the year ended December 31, 2010. Key executive transition charges of $0.6 million were incurred in 2011, which included separation charges related to the resignation of the former President of Merry Maids in the first quarter of 2011. These charges negatively impacted the change in Comparable Operating Performance as a percentage of revenue by 72 bps. The remaining 42 bps increase reflects the gain resulting from the sale of certain branches, offset, in part, by an increase in sales and marketing expense, fuel costs and incentive compensation expense.

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        The Comparable Operating Performance of SMAC and the Company's headquarters functions declined $2.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2011 compared to the year ended December 31, 2010. The segment's Comparable Operating Performance included restructuring charges of $3.5 million and $1.1 million in 2011 and 2010, respectively, and interest and net investment income of $1.0 million and $1.8 million in 2011 and 2010, respectively. Additionally, key executive transition charges of (i) $4.7 million were incurred in 2011, which included recruiting costs and signing bonuses related to the hiring of our new CEO and CFO and separation charges related to the resignation or our former CFO and (ii) $5.0 million were incurred in 2010, which included separation charges related to the retirement of our former CEO on March 31, 2011. The remaining $0.7 million increase in Comparable Operating Performance primarily reflects a reduction in spending in the Company's centers of excellence, as well as favorable claims trends in our automobile, general liability and workers' compensation program, which may or may not continue, ($1.8 million), offset, in part, by an increase in technology related costs for PCI standards compliance purposes ($5.1 million) and incentive compensation expense ($3.7 million).

        The segment reported comparable operating revenue, a 2.6 percent increase in operating loss and a 10.2 percent decrease in Comparable Operating Performance for the year ended December 31, 2010 compared to 2009.

        Merry Maids, which accounted for 92.9 percent of the segment's operating revenue for 2010, reported a 0.8 percent increase in operating revenue, a 100.3 percent increase in operating income and a 15.2 percent increase in Comparable Operating Performance for the year ended December 31, 2010 compared to 2009. Revenue from company-owned branches, which was 77 percent of Merry Maids' revenue in 2010, was comparable to 2009, reflecting a 1.3 percent increase in average customer counts, offset, in part, by a reduction in service frequency. Absolute customer counts as of December 31, 2010 compared to 2009 declined 2.9 percent driven by a decrease in new unit sales, offset, in part, by a 150 bps increase in the customer retention rate. The average service price in 2010 was comparable to 2009. Royalty fees, which were 18 percent of Merry Maids' revenue in 2010, increased 1.7 percent in 2010 compared to 2009, primarily driven by market expansion.

        Merry Maid's operating income for the year ended December 31, 2009 included a pre-tax non-cash impairment charge of $5.2 million to reduce the carrying value of trade names to their estimated fair value as further discussed in Note 1 to the Consolidated Financial Statements. There were no similar charges in 2010. Merry Maids' Comparable Operating Performance as a percentage of revenue increased to 26.2 percent for the year ended December 31, 2010 compared to 23.0 percent for the year ended December 31, 2009. The 320 bps increase in Comparable Operating Performance as a percentage of revenue reflects production labor efficiencies, a reduction in legal related expense, sales and marketing expense, incentive compensation expense and healthcare costs, offset, in part, by an increase in other overhead and support costs.

        The Comparable Operating Performance of SMAC and the Company's headquarters functions declined $12.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2010 compared to the year ended December 31, 2009. The segment's Comparable Operating Performance included restructuring charges of $1.1 million and $14.4 million in 2010 and 2009, respectively, and interest and net investment income of $1.8 million and $3.0 million in 2010 and 2009, respectively. Additionally, key executive transition charges of $5.0 million were incurred in 2010, which included separation charges related to the retirement of our former CEO on March 31, 2011. The remaining $19.4 million decrease in Comparable Operating Performance primarily reflects increased provisions for incentive compensation ($5.1 million), due primarily to the reversal, in 2009, of a $4.4 million reserve for cash awards related to a long-term incentive plan as certain performance measures under the plan were not achieved, and increases in spending in the Company's headquarters

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functions to enhance capabilities in our centers of excellence and on initiatives designed to improve the performance of our operating segments.

Discontinued Operations

        In the first quarter of 2011, ServiceMaster concluded that TruGreen LandCare did not fit within the long-term strategic plans of the Company and committed to a plan to sell the business. On April 21, 2011, the Company entered into a purchase agreement to sell TruGreen LandCare, and the disposition was effective as of April 30, 2011. As a result of the decision to sell this business, a $34.2 million impairment charge ($21.0 million, net of tax) was recorded in loss from discontinued operations, net of income taxes, in the first quarter of 2011 to reduce the carrying value of TruGreen LandCare's assets to their estimated fair value less cost to sell in accordance with applicable accounting standards. Upon completion of the sale, a $6.2 million loss on sale ($1.9 million, net of tax) was recorded. The loss on the disposition of the TruGreen LandCare business continues to be subject to certain post-closing adjustments and disputes, and such adjustments could be significant to the sale price.

        In 2010 and 2009, the Company recorded pre-tax non-cash impairment charges of $46.9 million ($28.7 million, net of tax) and $1.4 million ($0.9 million, net of tax), respectively, associated with the goodwill and trade name at TruGreen LandCare in (loss) income from discontinued operations, net of income taxes.

        The components of (loss) income from discontinued operations, net of income taxes, for the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009 are as follows:

 
  Year Ended Dec. 31,  
(In thousands)
  2011   2010   2009  

Operating (loss) income(1)

  $ (40,620 ) $ (49,971 ) $ 11,468  

(Benefit) provision for income taxes(1)

    (15,461 )   (17,973 )   4,115  
               

Operating (loss) income, net of income taxes(1)

    (25,159 )   (31,998 )   7,353  

Loss on sale, net of income taxes

    (1,857 )        
               

(Loss) income from discontinued operations, net of income taxes(1)

  $ (27,016 ) $ (31,998 ) $ 7,353  
               

Operating (loss) income(1)

  $ (40,620 ) $ (49,971 ) $ 11,468  

Interest expense

    16     46     44  

Depreciation and amortization expense

    3,509     11,524     11,486  
               

EBITDA

    (37,095 )   (38,401 )   22,998  

Non-cash goodwill and trade name impairment

    34,185     46,884     1,400  
               

Adjusted EBITDA

    (2,910 )   8,483     24,398  

Non-cash credits attributable to purchase accounting

    (154 )   (621 )   (651 )
               

Comparable Operating Performance

  $ (3,064 ) $ 7,862   $ 23,747  
               

(1)
During 2011, a pre-tax non-cash impairment charge of $34.2 million ($21.0 million, net of tax) was recorded to reduce the carrying value of TruGreen LandCare's assets to their estimated fair value less cost to sell in accordance with applicable accounting standards. Also includes goodwill and trade name impairments of $46.9 million ($28.7 million, net of tax) and $1.4 million ($0.9 million, net of tax) in 2010 and 2009, respectively.

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Financial Position and Liquidity

Cash Flows from Operating Activities from Continuing Operations

        Net cash provided from operating activities from continuing operations increased $72.5 million to $295.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2011 compared to $222.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2010.

        Net cash provided from operating activities in 2011 was comprised of $334.4 million in earnings adjusted for non-cash charges, offset, in part, by $7.5 million in cash payments related to restructuring charges and a $31.9 million increase in cash required for working capital. For the year ended December 31, 2011 working capital requirements were adversely impacted by a reduction in reserve levels under certain self-insurance programs and unrecognized tax benefits.

        Net cash provided from operating activities in 2010 was comprised of $253.8 million in earnings adjusted for non-cash charges, offset, in part, by $10.8 in cash payments related to restructuring charges and a $20.5 million increase in cash required for working capital. For the year ended December 31, 2010 working capital requirements were adversely impacted by growth in accounts receivable balances, due in part to unfavorable collection trends partially attributable to increases in revenue in service lines with longer than average collection terms. Also adversely impacting working capital requirements was a reduction in reserve levels under certain self-insurance programs. Working capital requirements were favorably impacted by a change in the timing of payments to our vendors and increased accruals for incentive compensation.

Cash Flows from Investing Activities from Continuing Operations

        Net cash used for investing activities from continuing operations was $135.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2011 compared to $175.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2010.

        Capital expenditures decreased to $96.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2011 from $134.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2010 and included vehicle purchases of $48.5 million, recurring capital needs and information technology projects. The Company anticipates that capital expenditures, excluding vehicle fleet purchases, for the full year 2012 will range from $85.0 million to $95.0 million, reflecting recurring needs and the continuation of investments in information systems and productivity enhancing operating systems. Although the Company has been purchasing vehicles in recent years, we expect to fulfill our ongoing vehicle fleet needs through vehicle capital leases; therefore, the Company's capital requirement for fleet vehicles for the full year 2012 is not expected to exceed $5.0 million. The Company has no additional material capital commitments at this time.

        Proceeds from sales of equipment and other assets increased to $4.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2011 from $1.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2010 and included $2.2 million of proceeds from the sale of Merry Maids company-owned branches to existing and new franchisees. The Company may sell additional Merry Maids company-owned branches to existing or new franchisees in the future.

        Cash payments for acquisitions for the year ended December 31, 2011 totaled $44.4 million, compared with $57.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2010. Consideration paid for tuck-in acquisitions consisted of cash payments and debt payable to sellers. The Company expects to continue its tuck-in acquisition program at Terminix, TruGreen and Merry Maids.

        Cash flows from notes receivable, financial investments and securities decreased to $3.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2011 from $20.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2010. The cash flows from notes receivable, financial investments and securities for the year ended

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December 31, 2010 included the return of the Company's investment in previously leased real estate facilities of $22.0 million.

Cash Flows from Financing Activities from Continuing Operations

        Net cash used for financing activities from continuing operations was $102.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2011 compared to $46.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2010. During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company borrowed $4.0 million under other financing arrangements, purchased from Holdings $65.0 million face value of 2015 Notes, as further discussed in "Liquidity," and made scheduled principal payments of long-term debt of $40.9 million. During the year ended December 31, 2010, the Company borrowed and repaid $5.0 million under the Revolving Credit Facility, borrowed $10.0 million under other financing arrangements, made scheduled principal payments of long-term debt of $43.8 million and made repayments of $12.5 million in connection with purchases of properties previously under lease.

Liquidity

        The Company is highly leveraged, and a substantial portion of the Company's liquidity needs is due to service requirements on indebtedness incurred in connection with the Merger, some of which has been refinanced, and from funding the Company's operations, working capital and capital expenditures. The agreements governing the Term Facilities, the 2015 Notes, the 2020 Notes, which were issued in February 2012 as discussed further below, and the Revolving Credit Facility contain certain covenants that limit or restrict the incurrence of additional indebtedness, debt repurchases, liens, sales of assets, certain payments (including dividends) and transactions with affiliates, subject to certain exceptions. At December 31, 2011, the Company was in compliance with the covenants under these agreements that were in effect on such date.

        Cash and short- and long-term marketable securities totaled $471.4 million as of December 31, 2011, compared with $393.3 million as of December 31, 2010. As of December 31, 2011 and 2010, $226.2 million and $242.2 million, respectively, of the cash and short- and long-term marketable securities balances are associated with regulatory requirements at American Home Shield and for other purposes. Such amounts are identified as being potentially unavailable to be paid to the Company by its subsidiaries. American Home Shield's investment portfolio has been invested in a combination of high quality, short duration fixed income securities and equities. The Company closely monitors the performance of the investments. From time to time, the Company reviews the statutory reserve requirements to which its regulated entities are subject and any changes to such requirements. These reviews may result in identifying current reserve levels above or below minimum statutory reserve requirements, in which case the Company may adjust its reserves. The reviews may also identify opportunities to satisfy certain regulatory reserve requirements through alternate financial vehicles.

        A portion of the Company's vehicle fleet and some equipment are leased through month-to-month operating leases, cancelable at the Company's option. There are residual value guarantees by the Company (ranging from 70 percent to 84 percent of the estimated terminal value at the inception of the lease depending on the agreement) relative to these vehicles and equipment, which historically have not resulted in significant net payments to the lessors. The fair value of the assets under all of the fleet and equipment leases is expected to substantially mitigate the Company's guarantee obligations under the agreements. As of December 31, 2011, the Company's residual value guarantees related to the leased assets totaled $32.2 million for which the Company has recorded as a liability the estimated fair value of these guarantees of $0.7 million in the Consolidated Statements of Financial Position.

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        Under the terms of its fuel swap contracts, the Company is required to post collateral in the event that the fair value of the contracts exceeds a certain agreed upon liability level and in other circumstances required by the counterparty. As of December 31, 2011, the estimated fair value of the Company's fuel swap contracts was a net liability of $0.7 million, and the Company had posted $3.8 million in letters of credit as collateral under its fuel hedging program, none of which were issued under the Company's Revolving Credit Facility. The continued use of letters of credit for this purpose could limit the Company's ability to post letters of credit for other purposes and could limit the Company's borrowing availability under the Revolving Credit Facility. However, the Company does not expect the fair value of its outstanding fuel swap contracts to materially impact its financial position or liquidity.

        The Company's ongoing liquidity needs are expected to be funded by cash on hand, net cash provided by operating activities and, as required, borrowings under the Revolving Credit Facility. We expect that cash provided from operations and available capacity under the Revolving Credit Facility will provide sufficient funds to operate our business, make expected capital expenditures and meet our liquidity requirements for the following 12 months, including payment of interest and principal on our debt. As of December 31, 2011, the Company had $442.5 million of remaining capacity available under the Revolving Credit Facility.

        On February 2, 2011, ServiceMaster entered into an amendment to its Revolving Credit Facility, which provides for senior secured revolving loans and stand-by and other letters of credit. Prior to the amendment, the facility was scheduled to mature on July 24, 2013 and provided for maximum borrowing capacity of $500.0 million with outstanding letters of credit limited to $75.0 million. The Company desired to extend the maturity date of the facility by one year, and as an inducement for such extension, offered to allow any lenders in the syndicate group that were willing to extend the maturity date by one year a 20 percent reduction of such lender's loan commitment. As a result of the amendment, the Company had available borrowing capacity under its amended Revolving Credit Facility of $442.5 million through July 24, 2013 and $229.6 million from July 25, 2013 through July 24, 2014.

        On January 30, 2012, ServiceMaster entered into the Extension Amendment and the Increase Supplement to its Revolving Credit Facility. After effectiveness on February 13, 2012 of the Extension Amendment and the Increase Supplement, we have available borrowing capacity under the Revolving Credit Facility of $447.7 million through July 24, 2013, $324.2 million from July 25, 2013 through July 24, 2014 and $265.2 million from July 25, 2014 through January 31, 2017. The Company will continue to have access to letters of credit up to $75.0 million through January 31, 2017.

        During the first quarter of 2009, the Company completed open market purchases of $89.0 million in face value of the 2015 Notes for a cost of $41.0 million. The debt acquired by the Company has been retired, and the Company has discontinued the payment of interest. The Company recorded a gain on extinguishment of debt of $46.1 million in its Consolidated Statements of Operations for the year ended December 31, 2009 related to these retirements.

        During the fourth quarter of 2011, the Company purchased $65.0 million in face value of the 2015 Notes from Holdings for a cost of $68.0 million, which included payment of accrued interest of $3.0 million. The debt acquired by the Company has been retired, and the Company has discontinued the payment of interest. The Company recorded a loss on extinguishment of debt of $0.8 million in its Consolidated Statements of Operations for the year ended December 31, 2011 for write-offs of unamortized debt issuance costs related to the extinguished debt.

        In February 2012, the Company sold in transactions exempt from registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, $600 million aggregate principal amount of the 2020 Notes. The 2020 Notes will mature on February 15, 2020 and bear interest at a rate of 8 percent per

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annum. The 2020 Notes are guaranteed on a senior unsecured basis by certain domestic subsidiaries of the Company. The Company used $400 million of the proceeds of the sale of the 2020 Notes, together with available cash, to redeem $400 million in aggregate principal amount of its outstanding 2015 Notes in February 2012 and intends to use the remainder of such proceeds, together with available cash, to redeem an additional $200 million aggregate principal amount of the 2015 Notes in March 2012.

        After giving effect to the 2009 open market purchases and retirement of 2015 Notes by the Company, the 2011 purchase and retirement of 2015 Notes from Holdings and the redemption of $600 million aggregate principal amount of 2015 Notes with proceeds from the 2020 Notes offering, $396 million aggregate principal amount of the 2015 Notes will remain outstanding.

        The Company has an accounts receivable securitization arrangement under which TruGreen and Terminix may sell certain eligible trade accounts receivable to ServiceMaster Funding Company LLC ("Funding"), the Company's wholly owned, bankruptcy-remote subsidiary, which is consolidated for financial reporting purposes. Funding, in turn, may transfer, on a revolving basis, an undivided percentage ownership interest of up to $50.0 million in the pool of accounts receivable to one or both of the unrelated purchasers who are parties to the accounts receivable securitization arrangement ("Purchasers"). The amount of the eligible receivables varies during the year based on seasonality of the businesses and could, at times, limit the amount available to the Company from the sale of these interests. As of December 31, 2011, the amount of eligible receivables was approximately $31.1 million.

        During the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010, there were no transfers of interests in the pool of trade accounts receivable to Purchasers under this arrangement. As of December 31, 2011 and 2010, the Company had $10.0 million outstanding under the arrangement and, as of December 31, 2011 had $21.1 million of remaining capacity available under the accounts receivable securitization arrangement.

        The accounts receivable securitization arrangement is a 364-day facility that is renewable annually at the option of Funding, with a final termination date of July 17, 2012. Only one of the Purchasers is required to purchase interests under the arrangement. As part of the annual renewal of the facility, which occurred on July 26, 2011, this Purchaser agreed to continue its participation in the arrangement through July 17, 2012. Unless the arrangement is renegotiated or extended prior to its expiration, all obligations under the accounts receivable securitization arrangement must be repaid by July 17, 2012.

        As a holding company, we depend on our subsidiaries to distribute funds to us so that we may pay our obligations and expenses, including our debt service obligations. The ability of our subsidiaries to make distributions and dividends to us depends on their operating results, cash requirements and financial condition and general business conditions. Our insurance subsidiaries and home services and similar subsidiaries (through which we conduct our American Home Shield business) are subject to significant regulatory restrictions under the laws and regulations of the states in which they operate. Among other things, such laws and regulations require certain such subsidiaries to maintain minimum capital and net worth requirements and may limit the amount of ordinary and extraordinary dividends and other payments that these subsidiaries can pay to us. For example, certain states prohibit payment by these subsidiaries to the Company of dividends in excess of ten percent of their capital as of the most recent year end, as determined in accordance with prescribed insurance accounting practices in those states. Of the $226.2 million as of December 31, 2011, which we identify as being potentially unavailable to be paid to the Company by its subsidiaries, approximately $183.3 million is held by our home services and insurance subsidiaries and is subject to these regulatory limitations on the payment of funds to us. Such limitations were in effect throughout 2011, and similar limitations are expected to be in effect

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through 2012. The remainder of the $226.2 million, or $42.9 million, is related to amounts that the Company's management does not consider readily available to be used to service the Company's indebtedness due, among other reasons, to the Company's cash management practices and working capital needs at various subsidiaries.

        We consider undistributed earnings of our foreign subsidiaries as of December 31, 2011, to be indefinitely reinvested and, accordingly, no U.S. income taxes have been provided thereon. As of December 31, 2011, the amount of cash associated with indefinitely reinvested foreign earnings was approximately $24.1 million. We have not, nor do we anticipate the need to, repatriate funds to the United States to satisfy domestic liquidity needs arising in the ordinary course of business, including liquidity needs associated with our domestic debt service requirements.

        The following table presents the Company's contractual obligations and commitments as of December 31, 2011. See discussion above in Liquidity for information on our issuance of the 2020 Notes and redemption of the 2015 Notes, which is not reflected in the table below.

(In millions)
  Total   Less than
1 Yr
  1 - 3 Yrs   3 - 5 Yrs   More than
5 Yrs
 

Principal repayments*

  $ 3,938.7   $ 47.7   $ 2,532.0   $ 1,001.9   $ 357.1  

Capital leases

    12.2     4.1     5.4     2.6     0.1  

Estimated interest payments(1)

    1,080.2     227.4     385.9     169.7     297.2  

Non-cancelable operating leases(2)

    143.8     42.6     56.0     24.4     20.8  

Purchase obligations:

                               

Supply agreements and other(3)

    115.3     76.7     24.6     14.0      

Outsourcing agreements(4)

    133.6     52.1     39.0     20.7     21.8  

Other long-term liabilities:*

                               

Insurance claims

    154.8     73.1     28.8     10.7     42.2  

Discontinued Operations

    2.6     0.6     0.7     0.2     1.1  

Other, including deferred compensation trust(2)

    10.8     0.2     1.5     1.5     7.6  
                       

Total Amount

  $ 5,592.0   $ 524.5   $ 3,073.9   $ 1,245.7   $ 747.9  
                       

*
These items are reported in the Consolidated Statements of Financial Position

(1)
These amounts represent future interest payments related to the Company's existing debt obligations based on fixed and variable interest rates and principal maturities specified in the associated debt agreements. Payments related to variable debt are based on applicable rates at December 31, 2011 plus the specified margin in the associated debt agreements for each period presented as of December 31, 2011. The estimated debt balance (including capital leases) as of each fiscal year end from 2012 through 2016 is $3.899 billion, $3.849 billion, $1.362 billion, $359.3 million, and $357.2 million, respectively. The weighted average interest rate (including interest rate swaps) on the estimated debt balances at each fiscal year end from 2012 through 2016 is expected to be 6.0 percent, 6.0 percent, 9.8 percent, 7.3 percent, and 7.3 percent, respectively. See Note 12 of the Consolidated Financial Statements for the terms and maturities of existing debt obligations.

(2)
A portion of the Company's vehicle fleet and some equipment are leased through operating leases. The lease terms are non-cancelable for the first twelve-month term, and then are month-to-month, cancelable at the Company's option. The amounts in non-cancelable operating leases exclude all prospective cancelable payments under these agreements. There are residual value guarantees by the Company (ranging from 70 percent to 84 percent of the estimated terminal value at the inception of the lease depending on the agreement) relative to these vehicles and equipment, which historically have not resulted in significant net payments

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(3)
These obligations include commitments for various products and services including, among other things, inventory purchases, telecommunications services, marketing and advertising services and other professional services. Arrangements are considered purchase obligations if a contract specifies all significant terms, including fixed or minimum quantities to be purchased, a pricing structure and approximate timing of the transactions. Most arrangements are cancelable without a significant penalty and with short notice (usually 30-120 days) and amounts reflected above include the minimum contractual obligation of the Company (inclusive of applicable cancellation penalties). For obligations with significant penalties associated with termination, the minimum required expenditures over the term of the agreement have been included in the table above.

(4)
Outsourcing agreements include commitments for the purchase of certain outsourced services from third party vendors (see further discussion of the Company's agreement with IBM below). Because the services provided through these agreements are integral to the operations of the Company and due to termination provisions contained in these agreements, the Company has concluded that it is appropriate to include the total anticipated costs over the expected term of the agreements in the table above.

On December 11, 2008, the Company entered into an agreement with IBM pursuant to which IBM provides information technology operations and applications development services (collectively, the "IT Services") to the Company. ServiceMaster pays IBM for the IT Services under the agreement through a combination of fixed and variable charges, with variable charges fluctuating based on the Company's actual need for IT Services. For the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company paid IBM $37.2 million for the IT Services. The Company expects to phase out a significant portion of its use of IT Services from IBM by the end of 2013, but does not expect its costs for IT Services to increase materially. The figures in the table above reflect expected spend with IBM of $32.5 million for 2012 and $14.5 million for 2013 as the IT Services are reduced.

ServiceMaster has the right to terminate the agreement both for cause and for its convenience. Upon termination of the agreement for convenience and in the case of certain other termination events, ServiceMaster would be required to pay a termination charge to IBM of approximately $12.7 million. The Company does not expect to incur a termination charge in connection with the phase out of the IT Services from IBM discussed above. IBM has the right to terminate the agreement only in the event of a failure by the Company to make timely payment of any fees due and payable. In the event of termination by either party and upon the Company's request, IBM is obligated to provide termination assistance services at agreed-upon pricing for up to 24 months.

        Due to the uncertainty with respect to the timing of future cash flows associated with unrecognized tax benefits at December 31, 2011, the Company is unable to reasonably estimate the period of cash settlement with the respective taxing authority. Accordingly, $9.0 million of unrecognized tax benefits have been excluded from the contractual obligations table above. See the discussion of income taxes in Note 5 of the Consolidated Financial Statements.

        As further described above in Liquidity, the Company sold $600 million aggregate principal amount of the 2020 Notes in February 2012. The Company used $400 million of the proceeds of

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the sale of the 2020 Notes, together with available cash, to redeem $400 million in aggregate principal amount of its outstanding 2015 Notes in February 2012 and intends to use the remainder of such proceeds, together with available cash, to redeem an additional $200 million aggregate principal amount of the 2015 Notes in March 2012. The following table presents the Company's contractual obligations and commitments as of December 31, 2011 as if the sale of the 2020 Notes and the redemption of the 2015 Notes had occurred on December 31, 2011, and includes the payment, as scheduled, of the regular interest payment due in January 2012 for the redeemed 2015 Notes. This pro forma presentation impacts the Principal repayments, Estimated interest payments and Total Amount rows only. No other changes have been made from the information presented in the contractual obligations table above.

(In millions)
  Total   Less than
1 Yr
  1-3 Yrs   3-5 Yrs   More than
5 Yrs
 

Principal repayments

  $ 3,938.7   $ 47.7   $ 2,532.0   $ 401.9   $ 957.1  

Capital leases

    12.2     4.1     5.4     2.6     0.1  

Estimated interest payments

    1,238.5     219.2     352.9     201.2     465.2  

Non-cancelable operating leases

    143.8     42.6     56.0     24.4     20.8  

Purchase obligations:

                               

Supply agreements and other

    115.3     76.7     24.6     14.0      

Outsourcing agreements

    133.6     52.1     39.0     20.7     21.8  

Other long-term liabilities:

                               

Insurance claims

    154.8     73.1     28.8     10.7     42.2  

Discontinued Operations

    2.6     0.6     0.7     0.2     1.1  

Other, including deferred compensation trust

    10.8     0.2     1.5     1.5     7.6  
                       

Total Amount

  $ 5,750.3   $ 516.3   $ 3,040.9   $ 677.2   $ 1,515.9  
                       

Financial Position—Continuing Operations

        Receivables increased from prior year levels, reflecting an increase in home service contracts written at American Home Shield.

        There is seasonality in the lawn care operations. In the winter and spring, this business sells a series of lawn applications to customers, which are rendered primarily in March through October. On an ongoing basis, these direct and incremental selling expenses which relate to successful sales will be deferred and recognized over the production season and are not deferred beyond the calendar year-end. In addition, the Company will continue to capitalize sales commissions and other direct contract acquisition costs relating to termite baiting, termite inspection and protection contracts and pest contracts, as well as home service contracts. These costs vary with and are directly related to a new sale, and will be amortized over the life of the related contract.

        Current deferred tax assets increased from prior year levels, reflecting the reclassification of certain net operating losses from long-term to current, a decrease in the amount of prepaid items deductible for income tax purposes and an increase to the amount of accrued expenses not deductible for income tax purposes.

        Property and equipment increased from prior year levels, reflecting vehicle purchases, recurring capital needs and information technology projects.

        Goodwill increased from prior year levels as a result of tuck-in acquisitions at TruGreen and Terminix.

        Intangibles decreased from prior year levels due to amortization expense and a recorded trade name impairment.

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        Debt issue costs decreased from prior year levels due to amortization expense being recorded.

        The increase in accounts payable reflects a change in the timing of payments to vendors.

        Accrued self-insurance claims and related expenses decreased from prior year levels, reflecting a reduction in required reserve levels under certain of our self-insurance programs and a decrease in accruals for home service contract claims in the American Home Shield business.

        Other accrued liabilities decreased from prior year levels, reflecting a reduction in reserve levels for unrecognized tax benefits.

        Deferred revenue increased from prior year levels, reflecting an increase in home service contracts written at American Home Shield.

        Long-term debt decreased from prior year levels, reflecting the purchase from Holdings of $65.0 million face value of 2015 Notes, as discussed in "Liquidity", and scheduled principal payments.

        Non-current deferred tax liabilities increased from prior year levels, reflecting the reclassification of certain net operating losses from long-term to current, the loss for tax purposes on the sale of TruGreen LandCare exceeding the loss on the sale and impairment for financial reporting purposes and tax deductible depreciation and amortization exceeding depreciation and amortization expense for financial reporting purposes, offset, in part, by the nondeductible trade name impairment.

        Other long-term obligations, primarily self-insured claims, decreased from prior year levels, reflecting decreases in the fair value liability recorded for interest rate swap contracts and reductions in required reserve levels under certain of our self-insurance programs.

        Total shareholder's equity was $1.248 billion as of December 31, 2011 compared to $1.188 billion as of December 31, 2010.

Financial Position—Discontinued Operations

        The assets and liabilities related to discontinued operations have been classified in a separate caption on the Consolidated Statements of Financial Position.

        As part of the TruGreen LandCare sale agreement, the Company guaranteed obligations to third parties with respect to bonds (primarily performance type). At the present time, the Company does not believe it is probable that the buyers will default on their obligations subject to guarantee. The fair value of the Company's obligations related to these guarantees is not significant and no liability has been recorded. See Note 10 of the Consolidated Financial Statements for more information on the Company's guarantees.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

        The Company has off-balance sheet arrangements in the form of guarantees as discussed in Note 9 of the Consolidated Financial Statements.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

        The preparation of the Consolidated Financial Statements requires management to make certain estimates and assumptions required under GAAP which may differ from actual results. The more significant areas requiring the use of management estimates relate to revenue recognition; the allowance for uncollectible receivables; accruals for self-insured retention limits related to medical, workers' compensation, auto and general liability insurance claims; accruals for home service contracts and termite damage claims; the possible outcome of outstanding litigation and other disputes; accruals for income tax liabilities as well as deferred tax accounts; the deferral and amortization of customer acquisition costs; useful lives for depreciation and amortization expense; the valuation of marketable securities; and the valuation of tangible and intangible assets. In 2011, there have been no changes in the significant areas that require estimates or in the underlying methodologies used in determining the amounts of these associated estimates.

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        The allowance for receivables is developed based on several factors including overall customer credit quality, historical write-off experience and specific account analyses that project the ultimate collectability of the outstanding balances. As such, these factors may change over time causing the reserve level to vary.

        The Company carries insurance policies on insurable risks at levels which it believes to be appropriate, including workers' compensation, auto and general liability risks. The Company purchases insurance from third-party insurance carriers. These policies typically incorporate significant deductibles or self-insured retentions. The Company is responsible for all claims that fall within the retention limits. In determining the Company's accrual for self-insured claims, the Company uses historical claims experience to establish both the current year accrual and the underlying provision for future losses. This actuarially determined provision and related accrual include both known claims, as well as incurred but not reported claims. The Company adjusts its estimate of accrued self-insured claims when required to reflect changes based on factors such as changes in health care costs, accident frequency and claim severity.

        Accruals for home service contract claims in the American Home Shield business are made based on the Company's claims experience and actuarial projections. Termite damage claim accruals are recorded based on both the historical rates of claims incurred within a contract year and the cost per claim. Current activity could differ causing a change in estimates. The Company has certain liabilities with respect to existing or potential claims, lawsuits, and other proceedings. The Company accrues for these liabilities when it is probable that future costs will be incurred and such costs can be reasonably estimated. Any resulting adjustments, which could be material, are recorded in the period identified.

        The Company records deferred income tax balances based on the net tax effects of temporary differences between the carrying value of assets and liabilities for financial reporting purposes and income tax purposes. The Company records its deferred tax items based on the estimated value of the tax basis. The Company adjusts tax estimates when required to reflect changes based on factors such as changes in tax laws, relevant court decisions, results of tax authority reviews and statutes of limitations. The Company records a liability for unrecognized tax benefits resulting from uncertain tax positions taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. The Company recognizes potential interest and penalties related to its uncertain tax positions in income tax expense.

        Revenues from lawn care and pest control services, as well as liquid and fumigation termite applications, are recognized as the services are provided. The Company eradicates termites through the use of non-baiting methods (e.g., fumigation or liquid treatments) and baiting systems. Termite services using baiting systems, termite inspection and protection contracts, as well as home service contracts, are frequently sold through annual contracts for a one-time, upfront payment. Direct costs of these contracts (service costs for termite contracts and claim costs for home service contracts) are expensed as incurred. The Company recognizes revenue over the life of these contracts in proportion to the expected direct costs. Those costs bear a direct relationship to the fulfillment of the Company's obligations under the contracts and are representative of the relative value provided to the customer (proportional performance method). The Company regularly reviews its estimates of direct costs for its termite bait and home service contracts and adjusts the estimates when appropriate.

        The Company has franchise agreements in its TruGreen, Terminix, ServiceMaster Clean, AmeriSpec, Furniture Medic and Merry Maids businesses. Franchise revenue (which in the aggregate represents approximately four percent of annual consolidated revenue from continuing operations) consists principally of continuing monthly fees based upon the franchisee's customer level revenue. Monthly fee revenue is recognized when the related customer level revenue is earned by the franchisee and collectability is reasonably assured. Franchise revenue also includes initial

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fees resulting from the sale of a franchise. These fees are fixed and are recognized as revenue when collectability is reasonably assured and all material services or conditions relating to the sale have been substantially performed.

        Customer acquisition costs, which are incremental and direct costs of obtaining a customer, are deferred and amortized over the life of the related contract in proportion to revenue recognized. These costs include sales commissions and direct selling costs which can be shown to have resulted in a successful sale.

        Fixed assets and intangible assets with finite lives are depreciated and amortized on a straight-line basis over their estimated useful lives. These lives are based on the Company's previous experience for similar assets, potential market obsolescence and other industry and business data. As required by accounting standards for the impairment or disposal of long- lived assets, the Company's long-lived assets, including fixed assets and intangible assets (other than goodwill), are tested for recoverability whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that their carrying amounts may not be recoverable. If the carrying value is no longer recoverable based upon the undiscounted future cash flows of the asset, an impairment loss would be recognized equal to the difference between the carrying amount and the fair value of the asset. Changes in the estimated useful lives or in the asset values could cause the Company to adjust its book value or future expense accordingly.

        As required under accounting standards for goodwill and other intangibles, goodwill is not subject to amortization, and intangible assets with indefinite useful lives are not amortized until their useful lives are determined to no longer be indefinite. Goodwill and intangible assets that are not subject to amortization are subject to assessment for impairment by applying a fair-value based test on an annual basis or more frequently if circumstances indicate a potential impairment. The Company adopted the provisions of Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") 2011-8, "Testing Goodwill for Impairment," in the fourth quarter of 2011. This ASU gives entities the option of performing a qualitative assessment before calculating the fair value of a reporting unit in Step 1 of the goodwill impairment test. If entities determine, on the basis of qualitative factors, that the fair value of a reporting unit is more likely than not greater than its carrying amount, the two-step impairment test would not be required. For the 2011 annual goodwill impairment review performed as of October 1, 2011, the Company performed qualitative assessments on the Terminix, American Home Shield and ServiceMaster Clean reporting units. Based on these assessments, the Company determined that, more likely than not, the fair values of Terminix, American Home Shield and ServiceMaster Clean were greater than their respective carrying amounts. As a result, the two-step goodwill impairment test was not performed for Terminix, American Home Shield and ServiceMaster Clean in 2011.

        As permitted under accounting standards for goodwill and other intangibles prior to the adoption of ASU 2011-08, the Company carried forward a reporting unit's valuation from the most recent valuation under the following conditions: the assets and liabilities of the reporting unit have not changed significantly since the most recent fair value calculation, the most recent fair value calculation resulted in an amount that exceeded the carrying amount of the reporting unit by a substantial margin and, based on the facts and circumstances of events that have occurred since the last fair value determination, the likelihood that a current fair value calculation would result in an impairment would be remote. For the 2010 annual goodwill impairment review performed as of October 1, 2010, the Company carried forward the valuations of the Terminix and ServiceMaster Clean reporting units completed as of October 1, 2009. The Company did not carry forward the valuations for any trade names for the 2011 or 2010 annual trade name impairment reviews. For the 2009 annual goodwill and trade name impairment reviews performed as of October 1, 2009, the Company did not carry forward the valuations of any reporting units or trade names.

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        Goodwill impairment is determined using a two-step process. The first step involves a comparison of the estimated fair value of each of the Company's reporting units to its carrying amount, including goodwill. In performing the first step, the Company determines the fair value of a reporting unit using a combination of a discounted cash flow ("DCF") analysis, a market-based comparable approach and a market-based transaction approach. Determining fair value requires the exercise of significant judgment, including judgment about appropriate discount rates, terminal growth rates, the amount and timing of expected future cash flows, as well as relevant comparable company earnings multiples for the market-based comparable approach and relevant transaction multiples for the market-based transaction approach. The cash flows employed in the DCF analyses are based on the Company's most recent budget and, for years beyond the budget, the Company's estimates, which are based on assumed growth rates. The discount rates used in the DCF analyses are intended to reflect the risks inherent in the future cash flows of the respective reporting units. In addition, the market-based comparable and transaction approaches utilize comparable company public trading values, comparable company historical results, research analyst estimates and, where available, values observed in private market transactions. If the estimated fair value of a reporting unit exceeds its carrying amount, goodwill of the reporting unit is not impaired and the second step of the impairment test is not necessary. If the carrying amount of a reporting unit exceeds its estimated fair value, then the second step of the goodwill impairment test must be performed. The second step of the goodwill impairment test compares the implied fair value of the reporting unit's goodwill with its goodwill carrying amount to measure the amount of impairment, if any. The implied fair value of goodwill is determined in the same manner as the amount of goodwill recognized in a business combination. In other words, the estimated fair value of the reporting unit is allocated to all of the assets and liabilities of that unit (including any unrecognized intangible assets) as if the reporting unit had been acquired in a business combination and the fair value of the reporting unit was the purchase price paid. If the carrying amount of the reporting unit's goodwill exceeds the implied fair value of that goodwill, an impairment is recognized in an amount equal to that excess.

        The impairment test for other intangible assets not subject to amortization involves a comparison of the estimated fair value of the intangible asset with its carrying value. If the carrying value of the intangible asset exceeds its fair value, an impairment loss is recognized in an amount equal to that excess. The estimates of fair value of intangible assets not subject to amortization are determined using a DCF valuation analysis. The DCF methodology used to value trade names is known as the relief from royalty method and entails identifying the hypothetical cash flows generated by an assumed royalty rate that a third party would pay to license the trade names and discounting them back to the valuation date. Significant judgments inherent in this analysis include the selection of appropriate discount rates and hypothetical royalty rates, estimating the amount and timing of estimated future cash flows attributable to the hypothetical royalty rates and identification of appropriate terminal growth rate assumptions. The discount rates used in the DCF analyses are intended to reflect the risk inherent in the projected future cash flows generated by the respective intangible assets.

        Goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets, primarily the Company's trade names, are assessed annually for impairment during the fourth quarter or earlier upon the occurrence of certain events or substantive changes in circumstances. The Company's 2011, 2010 and 2009 annual impairment analyses, which were performed as of October 1 of each year, did not result in any goodwill impairments. However, as of the 2011 annual impairment analysis, the following reporting

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unit had an estimated fair value that the Company has determined, from both a quantitative and a qualitative perspective, was not significantly in excess of its carrying value:

(In millions)
  Goodwill
Balance
  Fair Value as a
Percent
of Carrying Value
 

TruGreen

  $ 1,202.0     110 %

        For the TruGreen reporting unit, the revenue growth assumption and the margin expansion assumption had the most significant influence on the estimation of fair value. The revenue growth assumption was based primarily on expected sales growth to commercial customers along with improved retention of existing commercial and residential customers. The key uncertainties in the revenue growth assumption include the impact of the various marketing and selling initiatives being undertaken by TruGreen to increase its presence in the commercial lawn care sector. The margin expansion assumption was based primarily on the achievement of improved operational efficiencies through standardization and centralization of selected operating activities and cost efficiencies as a result of projected revenue growth. The key uncertainty in the margin expansion assumption is TruGreen's ability to achieve the forecasted revenue growth while also improving operational efficiencies around costs and expenses.

        The Company's annual trade name impairment analyses, which were performed as of October 1 of each year, resulted in pre-tax non-cash impairments of $36.7 million and $26.6 million in 2011 and 2009, respectively. The Company's 2010 trade name impairment analysis did not result in any impairment. The impairment charges by business segment for the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009, as well as the remaining value of the trade names not subject to amortization by business segment as of December 31, 2011 and 2010 are as follows:

(In thousands)
  TruGreen   Terminix   American
Home
Shield
  ServiceMaster
Clean
  Other
Operations &
Headquarters(1)
  Total  

Balance at Dec. 31, 2008

  $ 783,600   $ 875,100   $ 140,400   $ 152,600   $ 445,100   $ 2,396,800  

2009 Impairment

    (21,400 )               (5,200 )   (26,600 )
                           

Balance at Dec. 31, 2009 and 2010

    762,200     875,100     140,400     152,600     439,900     2,370,200  

2011 Impairment

    (36,700 )                   (36,700 )
                           

Balance at Dec. 31, 2011

  $ 725,500   $ 875,100   $ 140,400   $ 152,600   $ 439,900   $ 2,333,500  
                           

(1)
The Other Operations and Headquarters segment includes Merry Maids.

        The impairment charge in 2011 was primarily attributable to the use of higher discount rates in the DCF valuation analyses as compared to the discount rates used in the 2010 impairment analyses. Although the projected future growth in cash flows in 2011 were slightly higher than in the 2010 valuation, the increase in the discount rates more than offset the improved cash flows. The increase in the discount rates is primarily attributable to changes in market conditions which indicated a lower risk tolerance in 2011 as compared to 2010. This lower risk tolerance is exhibited through the marketplace's desire for higher returns in order to accept market risk. The aggregate impairment charge in 2009 was primarily attributable to the use of lower projected future cash flows related to the hypothetical royalty rates utilized in the DCF valuation analyses as compared to the projected future cash flows used in the 2008 impairment analysis. Although the Company projected future growth in cash flows, such growth was lower than that estimated at the time the trade names

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were tested for impairment in 2008. The terminal growth rates used in the analyses for the October 1, 2011, 2010 and 2009 impairment tests were the same and in line with historical U.S. gross domestic product growth rates. Had the Company used a discount rate in assessing the impairment of its trade names that was one percent higher across all business segments (holding all other assumptions unchanged), the Company would have recorded an additional impairment charge of approximately $114.8 million in 2011.

        As a result of the trade name impairment taken in 2011, the carrying value of the TruGreen trade name was adjusted to its estimated fair value as of October 1, 2011. Further, the October 1, 2011 estimated fair value of the trade name at the ServiceMaster Clean business segment was not significantly in excess of its carrying value. Consequently, any further decline in the estimated fair values of these trade names will result in additional trade name impairments. It is possible that such impairments, if required, could be material and may need to be recorded prior to the fourth quarter of 2012 (i.e., during an interim period) if the Company's results of operations or other factors require such assets to be tested for impairment at an interim date.

        The Company does not hold or issue derivative financial instruments for trading or speculative purposes. The Company has entered into specific financial arrangements in the normal course of business to manage certain market risks, with a policy of matching positions and limiting the terms of contracts to relatively short durations.

        The Company has historically hedged a significant portion of its annual fuel consumption of approximately 21 million gallons. The Company has also hedged the interest payments on a portion of its variable rate debt through the use of interest rate swap agreements. All of the Company's fuel swap contracts and interest rate swap contracts are classified as cash flow hedges, and, as such, the hedging instruments are recorded on the Consolidated Statements of Financial Position as either an asset or liability at fair value, with the effective portion of changes in the fair value attributable to the hedged risks recorded in accumulated other comprehensive loss.

        See Note 1 of the Consolidated Financial Statements for a summary of newly issued accounting statements and positions applicable to the Company.

Information Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

        This report contains forward-looking statements and cautionary statements. Some of the forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terms such as "believes," "expects," "may," "will," "shall," "should," "would," "could," "seeks," "aims," "projects," "is optimistic," "intends," "plans," "estimates," "anticipates" or other comparable terms. Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, all matters that are not historical facts. They appear in a number of places throughout this report and include, without limitation, statements regarding our intentions, beliefs, assumptions or current expectations concerning, among other things, financial position; results of operations; cash flows; prospects; the sharing of best practices and talent across our businesses; growth strategies and/or expectations; expanding our commercial services; expansion opportunities in domestic and international territories; our estimates of market segment size and segment share; expectations for enhancing American Home Shield's ability to interact with customers through its new CRM system; projections for increases in existing home re-sales in 2012; capital expenditures and requirements; estimates for phasing out certain IT Services from IBM and projections for expenditures to IBM in 2012 and 2013; customer retention; the continuation of acquisitions; fuel prices; impairment charges related to goodwill and intangible assets; estimates of future amortization expense for intangible assets; attraction and retention of key personnel; the impact of interest rate hedges and fuel swaps; the cost savings from restructurings and reorganizations and expected charges related to such restructurings and reorganizations; the impact on the amount of unrecognized tax benefits resulting from pending tax

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settlements and expiration of statutes of limitations; the valuation of marketable securities; estimates of accruals for self-insured claims related to workers' compensation, auto and general liability risks; estimates of accruals for home service contract claims; estimates of future payments under operating and capital leases; estimates for increases in healthcare costs; the outcome (by judgment or settlement) and costs of legal or administrative proceedings, including, without limitation, collective, representative or class action litigation; post-closing purchase price adjustments, including, without limitation, items related to working capital and potential indemnification claims associated with the TruGreen LandCare disposition; our ability to renegotiate or extend our $50.0 million receivable securitization arrangement; and the impact of prevailing economic conditions.

        Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which may be beyond our control. We caution you that forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance or outcomes and that actual performance and outcomes, including, without limitation, our actual results of operations, financial condition and liquidity, and the development of the market segments in which we operate, may differ materially from those made in or suggested by the forward-looking statements contained in this report. In addition, even if our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows, and the development of the market segments in which we operate, are consistent with the forward-looking statements contained in this report, those results or developments may not be indicative of results or developments in subsequent periods. A number of important factors, including, without limitation, the risks and uncertainties discussed in Item 1A—Risk Factors in Part I of this report, could cause actual results and outcomes to differ materially from those reflected in the forward-looking statements. Additional factors that could cause actual results and outcomes to differ from those reflected in forward-looking statements include, without limitation:

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        You should read this report completely and with the understanding that actual future results may be materially different from expectations. All forward-looking statements made in this report are qualified by these cautionary statements. These forward-looking statements are made only as of the date of this report, and we do not undertake any obligation, other than as may be required by law, to update or revise any forward-looking or cautionary statements to reflect changes in assumptions, the occurrence of events, unanticipated or otherwise, changes in future operating results over time or otherwise.

        Comparisons of results between current and prior periods are not intended to express any future trends, or indications of future performance, unless expressed as such, and should only be viewed as historical data.

ITEM 7A.    QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

Interest Rate Risk

        The economy and its impact on discretionary consumer spending, labor wages, fuel prices, fertilizer and other material costs, home re-sales, unemployment rates, insurance costs and medical costs could have a material adverse impact on future results of operations.

        The Company does not hold or issue derivative financial instruments for trading or speculative purposes. The Company has entered into specific financial arrangements, primarily interest rate swaps and fuel hedges, in the normal course of business to manage certain market risks, with a policy of matching positions and limiting the terms of contracts to relatively short durations. The effect of derivative financial instrument transactions could have a material impact on the Company's financial statements.

        The Company has entered into various interest rate swap agreements. Under the terms of these agreements, the Company pays a fixed rate of interest on the stated notional amount and the Company receives a floating rate of interest (based on one month or three month LIBOR) on the stated notional amount. Therefore, during the term of the swap agreements, the effective interest rate on the portion of the term loans under the Term Facilities equal to the stated notional amount is fixed at the stated rate in the interest rate swap agreements plus the incremental borrowing margin

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(2.50 percent as of December 31, 2011). The changes in interest rate swap agreements in effect for the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009, as well as the cumulative interest rate swaps outstanding as of December 31, 2011 and 2010 are as follows:

(In thousands)
  Notional
Amount
  Weighted
Average Fixed
Rate(1)
 

Interest rate swap agreements in effect as of December 31, 2008

  $ 1,430,000     3.89 %

Entered into effect

           

Expired

           
           

Interest rate swap agreements in effect as of December 31, 2009

    1,430,000     3.89 %

Entered into effect

    530,000        

Expired

    (530,000 )      
           

Interest rate swap agreements in effect as of December 31, 2010

    1,430,000     3.68 %

Entered into effect

    450,000        

Expired

    (450,000 )      
           

Interest rate swap agreements in effect as of December 31, 2011

  $ 1,430,000     2.84 %
           

(1)
Before the application of the incremental borrowing margin (2.50 percent as of December 31, 2011).

        Interest rate swap agreements in effect as of December 31, 2011 are as follows:

Trade Date   Effective Date   Expiration Date   Notional
Amount
  Weighted
Average
Fixed Rate(1)
  Floating Rate
  February 15, 2008     March 3, 2008   March 3, 2012   $ 250,000     3.48 % Three month LIBOR
  September 15, 2008     October 1, 2008   October 1, 2012     200,000     3.53 % One month LIBOR
  April 20, 2009     September 1, 2011 (2) August 1, 2013     530,000     1.51 % One month LIBOR
  June 10, 2010     March, 3, 2011   March 1 ,2013     100,000     1.77 % One month LIBOR
  June 10, 2010     September 1, 2011   September 1, 2013     50,000     2.25 % One month LIBOR
  June 15, 2010     March 3, 2011   March 1, 2013     150,000     1.66 % One month LIBOR
  June 15, 2010     September 1, 2011   September 1, 2013     150,000     2.21 % One month LIBOR

(1)
Before the application of the incremental borrowing margin (2.50 percent as of December 31, 2011).

(2)
In August 2011, the Company amended the terms of a $530.0 million interest rate swap agreement entered into in April 2009. In connection with the amendment, which became effective as of September 1, 2011, the expiration date of the agreement was extended from August 2012 to August 2013 and the fixed rate on the agreement was lowered from 2.55 percent to 1.51 percent.

        In accordance with accounting standards for derivative instruments and hedging activities, these interest rate swap agreements are classified as cash flow hedges, and, as such, the hedging instruments are recorded on the Consolidated Statements of Financial Position as either an asset or liability at fair value, with the effective portion of the changes in fair value attributable to the hedged risks recorded in other comprehensive loss.

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        The Company believes its exposure to interest rate fluctuations, when viewed on both a gross and net basis, is material to its overall results of operations. A significant portion of our outstanding debt, including debt under the Credit Facilities, bears interest at variable rates. As a result, increases in interest rates, whether because of an increase in market interest rates or a decrease in our creditworthiness, would increase the cost of servicing our debt and could adversely impact our results of operations and cash flows. As of December 31, 2011, each one percentage point change in interest rates would result in approximately an $11.0 million change in the annual interest expense on our Term Facilities after considering the impact of the interest rate swaps into which we had entered. Assuming all revolving loans were fully drawn, each one percentage point change in interest rates would result in approximately a $4.4 million change in annual interest expense on our Revolving Credit Facility as of December 31, 2011. We are also exposed to increases in interest rates with respect to our arrangement enabling us to transfer an interest in certain receivables to unrelated third parties. Assuming all available amounts were transferred under this arrangement, each one percentage point change in interest rates would result in approximately a $0.5 million change in annual interest expense with respect to this arrangement as of December 31, 2011. Additionally, we are exposed to increases in interest rates with respect to our floating rate operating leases, and a one percentage point change in interest rates would result in approximately a $0.3 million change in annual rent expense with respect to such operating leases as of December 31, 2011. The Company's exposure to interest rate fluctuations has not changed significantly since December 31, 2010. The impact of increases in interest rates could be more significant for us than it would be for some other companies because of our substantial debt and floating rate operating leases.

        The following table summarizes information about the Company's debt as of December 31, 2011 (after considering the effect of the interest rate swap agreements), including the principal cash payments and related weighted-average interest rates by expected maturity dates based on applicable rates at December 31, 2011.

 
  Expected Year of Maturity    
 
 
  Fair
Value
 
As of December 31,
2011
  2012   2013   2014   2015   2016   Thereafter   Total  
 
  ($ in millions)
   
 

Debt:

                                                 

Fixed rate

  $ 15.3   $ 9.9   $ 1,439.2   $ 1,002.4   $ 2.1   $ 357.2   $ 2,826.1   $ 2,713.0  

Average interest rate

    7.6 %   8.7 %   4.8 %   10.7 %   8.2 %   7.3 %   7.2 %      

Variable rate

  $ 36.5   $ 40.5   $ 1,047.8   $   $   $   $ 1,124.8   $ 1,075.2  

Average interest rate

    2.5 %   2.7 %   2.8 %   N/A     N/A     N/A     2.8 %      

Interest Rate Swaps:

                                                 

Receive variable/pay fixed

  $ 450.0   $ 980.0                                      

Average pay rate(1)

    3.5 %   1.7 %                                    

Average receive rate(1)

    0.5 %   0.3 %                                    

(1)
Before the application of the incremental borrowing margin (2.5 percent as of December 31, 2011).

        In February 2012, the Company issued $600 million of its 2020 Notes at 8 percent and has used, or will use, the proceeds of such offering, together with available cash, to redeem $600 million of its 10.75 percent 2015 Notes, which is not reflected in the table above. The following table summarizes information about the Company's debt as of December 31, 2011 as if the issuance of the 2020 Notes and the redemption of the 2015 Notes had occurred on December 31, 2011 (after considering the effect of the interest rate swap agreements), including the principal payments and related weighted-average interest rates by expected maturity dates based on applicable rates at December 31, 2011. For purposes of this pro forma table, the fair value of the 2020 Notes is assumed to be equal to their face value. This pro forma presentation impacts the

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expected year of maturity for a portion of the Company's fixed rate debt, the average interest rate on fixed rate debt for certain years of maturity and the fair value of fixed rate debt. No other changes have been made from the information presented in the debt and interest rate table above.

 
  Expected Year of Maturity    
 
 
  Fair
Value
 
As of December 31, 2011
  2012   2013   2014   2015   2016   Thereafter   Total  
 
  ($ in millions)
   
 

Debt:

                                                 

Fixed rate

  $ 15.3   $ 9.9   $ 1,439.2   $ 402.4   $ 2.1   $ 957.2   $ 2,826.1   $ 2,692.0  

Average interest rate

    7.6 %   8.7 %   4.8 %   10.7 %   8.2 %   7.7 %   6.7 %      

Variable rate

  $ 36.5   $ 40.5   $ 1,047.8   $   $   $   $ 1,124.8   $ 1,075.2  

Average interest rate

    2.5 %   2.7 %   2.8 %   N/A     N/A     N/A     2.8 %      

Interest Rate Swaps:

                                                 

Receive variable/pay fixed

  $ 450.0   $ 980.0                                      

Average pay rate(1)

    3.5 %   1.7 %                                    

Average receive rate(1)

    0.5 %   0.3 %                                    

(1)
Before the application of the incremental borrowing margin (2.5 percent as of December 31, 2011).

Fuel Price Risk

        The Company is exposed to market risk for changes in fuel prices through the consumption of fuel by its vehicle fleet in the delivery of services to its customers. The Company uses approximately 21 million gallons of fuel on an annual basis. A ten percent change in fuel prices would result in a change of approximately $6.5 million in the Company's annual fuel costs as of December 31, 2011 before considering the impact of fuel swap contracts. The Company's exposure to changes in fuel prices has not changed significantly since December 31, 2010.

        The Company uses fuel swap contracts to mitigate the financial impact of fluctuations in fuel prices. As of December 31, 2011, the Company had fuel swap contracts to pay fixed prices for fuel with an aggregate notional amount of $45.5 million, maturing through 2012. The estimated fair value of these contracts as of December 31, 2011 was a net liability of $0.7 million. These fuel swap contracts provide a fixed price for approximately 65 percent of the Company's estimated fuel usage for 2012.

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ITEM 8.    FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

To the Board of Directors of
The ServiceMaster Company
Memphis, Tennessee

        We have audited the accompanying consolidated statements of financial position of The ServiceMaster Company and subsidiaries (the "Company") as of December 31, 2011 and 2010, and the related consolidated statements of operations, shareholder's equity and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2011. These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the financial statements based on our audits.

        We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

        In our opinion, such consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of The ServiceMaster Company and subsidiaries as of December 31, 2011 and 2010, and the results of their operations and their cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2011, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

        We have also audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), the Company's internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2011, based on the criteria established in Internal Control—Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission and our report dated March 6, 2012, expressed an unqualified opinion on the Company's internal control over financial reporting.

/s/ Deloitte & Touche LLP
Memphis, Tennessee
March 6, 2012

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Consolidated Statements of Operations

(In thousands)

 
  Year Ended December 31,  
 
  2011   2010   2009  

Operating Revenue

  $ 3,205,872   $ 3,127,394   $ 2,977,885  

Operating Costs and Expenses:

                   

Cost of services rendered and products sold

    1,813,706     1,777,304     1,691,251  

Selling and administrative expenses

    880,492     895,950     830,747  

Amortization expense

    91,352     136,000     158,771  

Trade name impairment

    36,700         26,600  

Restructuring charges

    8,162     11,448     26,682  
               

Total operating costs and expenses

    2,830,412     2,820,702     2,734,051  
               

Operating Income

    375,460     306,692     243,834  

Non-operating Expense (Income)

                   

Interest expense

    273,123     286,933     299,333  

Interest and net investment income

    (10,886 )   (9,358 )   (7,079 )

Loss (gain) on extinguishment of debt

    774         (46,106 )

Other expense

    700     733     748  
               

Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations before Income Taxes

    111,749     28,384     (3,062 )

Provision (benefit) for income taxes

    43,912     10,945     (9,204 )
               

Income from Continuing Operations

    67,837     17,439     6,142  

(Loss) income from discontinued operations, net of income taxes

    (27,016 )   (31,998 )   7,353  
               

Net Income (Loss)

  $ 40,821   $ (14,559 ) $ 13,495  
               

   

See accompanying Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

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Consolidated Statements of Financial Position

(In thousands, except share data)

As of December 31,
  2011   2010  

Assets:

             

Current Assets:

             

Cash and cash equivalents

  $ 328,930   $ 252,698  

Marketable securities

    12,026     30,406  

Receivables, less allowances of $20,362 and $16,709, respectively

    374,200     352,094  

Inventories

    59,643     54,732  

Prepaid expenses and other assets

    38,295     40,864  

Deferred customer acquisition costs

    30,403     34,377  

Deferred taxes

    90,609     11,558  

Assets of discontinued operations

    17     51,004  
           

Total Current Assets

    934,123     827,733  
           

Property and Equipment:

             

At cost

    541,817     440,049  

Less: accumulated depreciation

    (235,058 )   (173,151 )
           

Net Property and Equipment

    306,759     266,898  
           

Other Assets:

             

Goodwill

    3,161,980     3,125,293  

Intangible assets, primarily trade names, service marks and trademarks, net

    2,543,539     2,653,511  

Notes receivable

    23,322     22,550  

Long-term marketable securities

    130,456     110,177  

Other assets

    8,846     7,164  

Debt issuance costs

    37,798     52,366  

Assets of discontinued operations

        32,398  
           

Total Assets

  $ 7,146,823   $ 7,098,090  
           

Liabilities and Shareholder's Equity:

             

Current Liabilities:

             

Accounts payable

  $ 81,641   $ 72,645  

Accrued liabilities:

             

Payroll and related expenses

    85,346     85,647  

Self-insured claims and related expenses

    73,071     81,278  

Accrued interest payable

    67,011     69,645  

Other

    70,103     83,114  

Deferred revenue

    473,242     449,647  

Liabilities of discontinued operations

    805     16,300  

Current portion of long-term debt

    51,838     49,412  
           

Total Current Liabilities

    903,057     907,688  
           

Long-Term Debt

    3,824,032     3,899,075  

Other Long-Term Liabilities:

             

Deferred taxes

    1,036,693     934,971  

Liabilities of discontinued operations

    2,070     4,848  

Other long-term obligations, primarily self-insured claims

    133,052     163,981  
           

Total Other Long-Term Liabilities

    1,171,815     1,103,800  
           

Commitments and Contingencies (See Note 9)

             

Shareholder's Equity:

             

Common stock $0.01 par value, authorized 1,000 shares; issued 1,000 shares

         

Additional paid-in capital

    1,464,293     1,455,881  

Retained deficit

    (210,162 )   (250,983 )

Accumulated other comprehensive loss

    (6,212 )   (17,371 )
           

Total Shareholder's Equity

    1,247,919     1,187,527  
           

Total Liabilities and Shareholder's Equity

  $ 7,146,823   $ 7,098,090  
           

   

See accompanying Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

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Consolidated Statements of Shareholder's Equity

(In thousands)

 
  Common
Stock
  Additional
Paid-in
Capital
  Retained
Earnings
(Deficit)
  Accumulated
Other
Comprehensive
Income (Loss)
  Total Equity  

Balance December 31, 2008

  $   $ 1,438,432   $ (249,919 ) $ (56,154 ) $ 1,132,359  
                       

Net income

                13,495           13,495  

Other comprehensive income, net of tax:

                               

Net unrealized gain on securities

                      4,598     4,598  

Net unrealized gain on derivative instruments

                      22,744     22,744  

Foreign currency translation

                      5,038     5,038  
                       

Total comprehensive income

                13,495     32,380     45,875  

Stock-based employee compensation—contribution from Holdings

          8,097                 8,097  
                       

Balance December 31, 2009

  $   $ 1,446,529   $ (236,424 ) $ (23,774 ) $ 1,186,331  
                       

Net loss

                (14,559 )         (14,559 )

Other comprehensive income, net of tax:

                               

Net unrealized gain on securities

                      1,583     1,583  

Net unrealized gain on derivative instruments

                      2,634     2,634  

Foreign currency translation

                      2,186     2,186  
                       

Total comprehensive (loss) income

                (14,559 )   6,403     (8,156 )

Stock-based employee compensation—contribution from Holdings

          9,352                 9,352  
                       

Balance December 31, 2010

  $   $ 1,455,881   $ (250,983 ) $ (17,371 ) $ 1,187,527  
                       

Net income

                40,821           40,821  

Other comprehensive income, net of tax:

                               

Net unrealized loss on securities

                      (695 )   (695 )

Net unrealized gain on derivative instruments

                      13,314     13,314  

Foreign currency translation

                      (1,460 )   (1,460 )
                       

Total comprehensive income

                40,821     11,159     51,980  

Stock-based employee compensation—contribution from Holdings

          8,412                 8,412  
                       

Balance December 31, 2011

  $   $ 1,464,293   $ (210,162 ) $ (6,212 ) $ 1,247,919  
                       

   

See accompanying Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

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Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

(In thousands)

 
  Year Ended December 31,  
 
  2011   2010   2009  

Cash and Cash Equivalents at Beginning of Period

  $ 252,698   $ 255,356   $ 407,347  

Cash Flows from Operating Activities from Continuing Operations:

                   

Net Income (Loss)

    40,821     (14,559 )   13,495  

Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash provided from operating activities:

                   

Loss (income) from discontinued operations

    27,016     31,998     (7,353 )

Depreciation expense

    72,084     60,625     56,021  

Amortization expense

    91,352     136,000     158,771  

Amortization of debt issuance costs

    14,061     14,503     14,639  

Loss (gain) on extinguishment of debt

    774         (46,106 )

Deferred income tax provision (benefit)

    35,048     4,455     (19,106 )

Stock-based compensation expense

    8,412     9,352     8,097  

Trade name impairment

    36,700         26,600  

Restructuring charges

    8,162     11,448     26,682  

Cash payments related to restructuring charges

    (7,530 )   (10,789 )   (23,601 )

Change in working capital, net of acquisitions:

                   

Current income taxes

    (2,856 )   (6,757 )   10,245  

Receivables

    (22,992 )   (32,914 )   (13,300 )

Inventories and other current assets

    1,538     (238 )   1,375  

Accounts payable

    2,581     11,899     (17,936 )

Deferred revenue

    22,134     (1,928 )   4,186  

Accrued liabilities

    (33,642 )   2,427     (35,382 )

Other, net

    1,338     7,022     11,005  
               

Net Cash Provided from Operating Activities from Continuing Operations

    295,001     222,544     168,332  
               

Cash Flows from Investing Activities from Continuing Operations:

                   

Property additions

    (96,540 )   (134,234 )   (56,004 )

Sale of equipment and other assets

    4,605     1,355     1,654  

Acquisition of The ServiceMaster Company

    (35 )   (2,245 )   (1,695 )

Other business acquisitions, net of cash acquired

    (44,365 )   (57,941 )   (32,647 )

Purchase of other intangibles

    (1,900 )   (2,500 )    

Notes receivable, financial investments and securities, net

    3,009     20,427     6,151  
               

Net Cash Used for Investing Activities from Continuing Operations

    (135,226 )   (175,138 )   (82,541 )
               

Cash Flows from Financing Activities from Continuing Operations:

                   

Borrowings of debt

    4,000     15,000      

Payments of debt

    (105,905 )   (61,333 )   (252,885 )

Debt issuance costs paid

    (267 )   (30 )   (426 )
               

Net Cash Used for Financing Activities from Continuing Operations

    (102,172 )   (46,363 )   (253,311 )
               

Cash Flows from Discontinued Operations:

                   

Cash (used for) provided from operating activities

    (5,888 )   6,776     21,426  

Cash provided from (used for) investing activities:

                   

Proceeds from sale of businesses

    26,134          

Other investing activities

    (1,617 )   (10,477 )   (5,897 )
               

Net Cash Provided from (Used for) Discontinued Operations

    18,629     (3,701 )   15,529  
               

Cash Increase (Decrease) During the Period

    76,232     (2,658 )   (151,991 )
               

Cash and Cash Equivalents at End of Period

  $ 328,930   $ 252,698   $ 255,356  
               

   

See accompanying Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

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Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

Note 1. Significant Accounting Policies

        The Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of ServiceMaster and its majority-owned subsidiary partnerships, limited liability companies and corporations. All consolidated ServiceMaster subsidiaries are wholly owned. Intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated.

        Summary:    The preparation of the Consolidated Financial Statements requires management to make certain estimates and assumptions required under GAAP which may differ from actual results. The more significant areas requiring the use of management estimates relate to revenue recognition; the allowance for uncollectible receivables; accruals for self-insured retention limits related to medical, workers' compensation, auto and general liability insurance claims; accruals for home service contracts and termite damage claims; the possible outcome of outstanding litigation and other disputes; accruals for income tax liabilities as well as deferred tax accounts; the deferral and amortization of customer acquisition costs; useful lives for depreciation and amortization expense; the valuation of marketable securities; and the valuation of tangible and intangible assets. In 2011, there have been no changes in the significant areas that require estimates or in the underlying methodologies used in determining the amounts of these associated estimates.

        The allowance for receivables is developed based on several factors including overall customer credit quality, historical write-off experience and specific account analyses that project the ultimate collectability of the outstanding balances. As such, these factors may change over time causing the reserve level to vary.

        The Company carries insurance policies on insurable risks at levels which it believes to be appropriate, including workers' compensation, auto and general liability risks. The Company purchases insurance from third-party insurance carriers. These policies typically incorporate significant deductibles or self-insured retentions. The Company is responsible for all claims that fall within the retention limits. In determining the Company's accrual for self-insured claims, the Company uses historical claims experience to establish both the current year accrual and the underlying provision for future losses. This actuarially determined provision and related accrual include both known claims, as well as incurred but not reported claims. The Company adjusts its estimate of accrued self-insured claims when required to reflect changes based on factors such as changes in health care costs, accident frequency and claim severity.

        Accruals for home service contract claims in the American Home Shield business are made based on the Company's claims experience and actuarial projections. Termite damage claim accruals are recorded based on both the historical rates of claims incurred within a contract year and the cost per claim. Current activity could differ causing a change in estimates. The Company has certain liabilities with respect to existing or potential claims, lawsuits, and other proceedings. The Company accrues for these liabilities when it is probable that future costs will be incurred and such costs can be reasonably estimated. Any resulting adjustments, which could be material, are recorded in the period identified.

        The Company records deferred income tax balances based on the net tax effects of temporary differences between the carrying value of assets and liabilities for financial reporting purposes and income tax purposes. The Company records its deferred tax items based on the estimated value of the tax basis. The Company adjusts tax estimates when required to reflect changes based on factors such as changes in tax laws, relevant court decisions, results of tax authority reviews and statutes of limitations. The Company records a liability for unrecognized tax benefits resulting from

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Note 1. Significant Accounting Policies (Continued)

uncertain tax positions taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. The Company recognizes potential interest and penalties related to its uncertain tax positions in income tax expense.

        Revenue:    Revenues from lawn care and pest control services, as well as liquid and fumigation termite applications, are recognized as the services are provided. The Company eradicates termites through the use of non-baiting methods (e.g., fumigation or liquid treatments) and baiting systems. Termite services using baiting systems, termite inspection and protection contracts, as well as home service contracts, are frequently sold through annual contracts for a one-time, upfront payment. Direct costs of these contracts (service costs for termite contracts and claim costs for home service contracts) are expensed as incurred. The Company recognizes revenue over the life of these contracts in proportion to the expected direct costs. Those costs bear a direct relationship to the fulfillment of the Company's obligations under the contracts and are representative of the relative value provided to the customer (proportional performance method). The Company regularly reviews its estimates of direct costs for its termite bait and home service contracts and adjusts the estimates when appropriate.

        The Company has franchise agreements in its TruGreen, Terminix, ServiceMaster Clean, AmeriSpec, Furniture Medic and Merry Maids businesses. Franchise revenue (which in the aggregate represents approximately four percent of annual consolidated revenue from continuing operations) consists principally of continuing monthly fees based upon the franchisee's customer level revenue. Monthly fee revenue is recognized when the related customer level revenue is earned by the franchisee and collectability is reasonably assured. Franchise revenue also includes initial fees resulting from the sale of a franchise. These fees are fixed and are recognized as revenue when collectability is reasonably assured and all material services or conditions relating to the sale have been substantially performed. Total profits from the franchised operations were $74.1 million, $70.9 million and $66.5 million for the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively. Consolidated operating income from continuing operations was $375.5 million, $306.7 million and $243.8 for the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively. The Company evaluates the performance of its franchise businesses based primarily on operating profit before corporate general and administrative expenses, interest expense and amortization of intangible assets. The portion of total franchise fee income related to initial fees received from the sale of a franchise was immaterial to the Company's Consolidated Financial Statements for all periods.

        Revenues are presented net of sales taxes collected and remitted to government taxing authorities in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations.

        The Company had $473.2 million and $449.6 million of deferred revenue as of December 31, 2011 and 2010, respectively. Deferred revenue consists primarily of payments received for annual contracts relating to home service contracts, termite baiting, termite inspection, pest control and lawn care services.

        Deferred Customer Acquisition Costs:    Customer acquisition costs, which are incremental and direct costs of obtaining a customer, are deferred and amortized over the life of the related contract in proportion to revenue recognized. These costs include sales commissions and direct selling costs which can be shown to have resulted in a successful sale. Deferred customer acquisition costs amounted to $30.4 million and $34.4 million as of December 31, 2011 and 2010, respectively.

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Note 1. Significant Accounting Policies (Continued)

        Interim Reporting:    TruGreen has significant seasonality in its business. In the winter and spring, this business sells a series of lawn applications to customers which are rendered primarily in March through October (the production season). This business incurs incremental selling expenses at the beginning of the year that directly relate to successful sales for which the revenues are recognized in later quarters. On an interim basis, TruGreen defers these incremental selling expenses, pre-season advertising costs and annual repairs and maintenance procedures that are performed primarily in the first quarter. These costs are deferred and recognized in proportion to the contract revenue over the production season and are not deferred beyond the calendar year-end. Other business segments of the Company also defer, on an interim basis, advertising costs incurred early in the year. These pre-season costs are deferred and recognized approximately in proportion to revenue over the balance of the year and are not deferred beyond the calendar year-end.

        Advertising:    As discussed in the "Interim Reporting" note above, certain pre-season advertising costs are deferred and recognized approximately in proportion to the revenue over the year. Certain other advertising costs are expensed when the advertising occurs. The cost of direct-response advertising at Terminix and TruGreen, consisting primarily of direct-mail promotions, is capitalized and amortized over its expected period of future benefits. Advertising expense for the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009 was $155.1 million, $152.5 million and $149.8 million, respectively.

        Inventory:    Inventories are recorded at the lower of cost (primarily on a weighted average cost basis) or market. The Company's inventory primarily consists of finished goods to be used on the customers' premises or sold to franchisees.

        Property and equipment consist of the following:

 
  Balance as of
December 31,
   
 
  Estimated
Useful
Lives
(Years)
(In millions)
  2011   2010

Land

  $ 22.9   $ 22.9   N/A

Buildings and improvements

    76.0     75.8   10 - 40

Technology and communications

    207.0     152.4   3 - 7

Machinery, production equipment and vehicles

    216.7     170.2   3 - 9

Office equipment, furniture and fixtures

    19.2     18.7   5 - 7
             

    541.8     440.0    

Less accumulated depreciation

    (235.0 )   (173.1 )  
             

Net property and equipment

  $ 306.8   $ 266.9    
             

        Depreciation of property and equipment, including depreciation of assets held under capital leases, was $72.1 million, $60.6 million and $56.0 million for the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively.

        Intangible assets consisted primarily of goodwill in the amount of $3.162 billion and $3.125 billion, indefinite-lived trade names in the amount of $2.334 billion and $2.370 billion, and

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Note 1. Significant Accounting Policies (Continued)

other intangible assets in the amount of $210.0 million and $283.3 million as of December 31, 2011 and 2010, respectively.

        Fixed assets and intangible assets with finite lives are depreciated and amortized on a straight-line basis over their estimated useful lives. These lives are based on the Company's previous experience for similar assets, potential market obsolescence and other industry and business data. As required by accounting standards for the impairment or disposal of long- lived assets, the Company's long-lived assets, including fixed assets and intangible assets (other than goodwill), are tested for recoverability whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that their carrying amounts may not be recoverable. If the carrying value is no longer recoverable based upon the undiscounted future cash flows of the asset, an impairment loss would be recognized equal to the difference between the carrying amount and the fair value of the asset. Changes in the estimated useful lives or in the asset values could cause the Company to adjust its book value or future expense accordingly.

        As required under accounting standards for goodwill and other intangibles, goodwill is not subject to amortization, and intangible assets with indefinite useful lives are not amortized until their useful lives are determined to no longer be indefinite. Goodwill and intangible assets that are not subject to amortization are subject to assessment for impairment by applying a fair-value based test on an annual basis or more frequently if circumstances indicate a potential impairment. The Company adopted the provisions of ASU 2011-8, "Testing Goodwill for Impairment," in the fourth quarter of 2011. This ASU gives entities the option of performing a qualitative assessment before calculating the fair value of a reporting unit in Step 1 of the goodwill impairment test. If entities determine, on the basis of qualitative factors, that the fair value of a reporting unit is more likely than not greater than its carrying amount, the two-step impairment test would not be required. For the 2011 annual goodwill impairment review performed as of October 1, 2011, the Company performed qualitative assessments on the Terminix, American Home Shield and ServiceMaster Clean reporting units. Based on these assessments, the Company determined that, more likely than not, the fair values of Terminix, American Home Shield and ServiceMaster Clean were greater than their respective carrying amounts. As a result, the two-step goodwill impairment test was not performed for Terminix, American Home Shield and ServiceMaster Clean in 2011.

        As permitted under accounting standards for goodwill and other intangibles prior to the adoption of ASU 2011-08, the Company carried forward a reporting unit's valuation from the most recent valuation under the following conditions: the assets and liabilities of the reporting unit have not changed significantly since the most recent fair value calculation, the most recent fair value calculation resulted in an amount that exceeded the carrying amount of the reporting unit by a substantial margin and, based on the facts and circumstances of events that have occurred since the last fair value determination, the likelihood that a current fair value calculation would result in an impairment would be remote. For the 2010 annual goodwill impairment review performed as of October 1, 2010, the Company carried forward the valuations of the Terminix and ServiceMaster Clean reporting units completed as of October 1, 2009. The Company did not carry forward the valuations for any trade names for the 2011 or 2010 annual trade name impairment reviews. For the 2009 annual goodwill and trade name impairment reviews performed as of October 1, 2009, the Company did not carry forward the valuations of any reporting units or trade names.

        Goodwill impairment is determined using a two-step process. The first step involves a comparison of the estimated fair value of each of the Company's reporting units to its carrying

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Note 1. Significant Accounting Policies (Continued)

amount, including goodwill. In performing the first step, the Company determines the fair value of a reporting unit using a combination of a DCF analysis, a market-based comparable approach and a market-based transaction approach. Determining fair value requires the exercise of significant judgment, including judgment about appropriate discount rates, terminal growth rates, the amount and timing of expected future cash flows, as well as relevant comparable company earnings multiples for the market-based comparable approach and relevant transaction multiples for the market-based transaction approach. The cash flows employed in the DCF analyses are based on the Company's most recent budget and, for years beyond the budget, the Company's estimates, which are based on assumed growth rates. The discount rates used in the DCF analyses are intended to reflect the risks inherent in the future cash flows of the respective reporting units. In addition, the market-based comparable and transaction approaches utilize comparable company public trading values, comparable company historical results, research analyst estimates and, where available, values observed in private market transactions. If the estimated fair value of a reporting unit exceeds its carrying amount, goodwill of the reporting unit is not impaired and the second step of the impairment test is not necessary. If the carrying amount of a reporting unit exceeds its estimated fair value, then the second step of the goodwill impairment test must be performed. The second step of the goodwill impairment test compares the implied fair value of the reporting unit's goodwill with its goodwill carrying amount to measure the amount of impairment, if any. The implied fair value of goodwill is determined in the same manner as the amount of goodwill recognized in a business combination. In other words, the estimated fair value of the reporting unit is allocated to all of the assets and liabilities of that unit (including any unrecognized intangible assets) as if the reporting unit had been acquired in a business combination and the fair value of the reporting unit was the purchase price paid. If the carrying amount of the reporting unit's goodwill exceeds the implied fair value of that goodwill, an impairment is recognized in an amount equal to that excess.

        The impairment test for other intangible assets not subject to amortization involves a comparison of the estimated fair value of the intangible asset with its carrying value. If the carrying value of the intangible asset exceeds its fair value, an impairment loss is recognized in an amount equal to that excess. The estimates of fair value of intangible assets not subject to amortization are determined using a DCF valuation analysis. The DCF methodology used to value trade names is known as the relief from royalty method and entails identifying the hypothetical cash flows generated by an assumed royalty rate that a third party would pay to license the trade names and discounting them back to the valuation date. Significant judgments inherent in this analysis include the selection of appropriate discount rates and hypothetical royalty rates, estimating the amount and timing of estimated future cash flows attributable to the hypothetical royalty rates and identification of appropriate terminal growth rate assumptions. The discount rates used in the DCF analyses are intended to reflect the risk inherent in the projected future cash flows generated by the respective intangible assets.

        Goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets, primarily the Company's trade names, are assessed annually for impairment during the fourth quarter or earlier upon the occurrence of certain events or substantive changes in circumstances. The Company's 2011, 2010 and 2009 annual impairment analyses, which were performed as of October 1 of each year, did not result in any goodwill impairments. The Company's annual trade name impairment analyses, which were performed as of October 1 of each year, resulted in pre-tax non-cash impairments of $36.7 million and $26.6 million in 2011 and 2009, respectively. The Company's 2010 trade name impairment

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Note 1. Significant Accounting Policies (Continued)

analysis did not result in any impairment. The impairment charges by business segment for the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009, as well as the remaining value of the trade names not subject to amortization by business segment as of December 31, 2011 and 2010 are as follows:

(In thousands)
  TruGreen   Terminix   American
Home
Shield
  ServiceMaster
Clean
  Other
Operations &
Headquarters(1)
  Total  

Balance at Dec. 31, 2008

  $ 783,600   $ 875,100   $ 140,400   $ 152,600   $ 445,100   $ 2,396,800  

2009 Impairment

    (21,400 )               (5,200 )   (26,600 )
                           

Balance at Dec. 31, 2009 and 2010

    762,200     875,100     140,400     152,600     439,900     2,370,200  

2011 Impairment

    (36,700 )                   (36,700 )
                           

Balance at Dec. 31, 2011

  $ 725,500   $ 875,100   $ 140,400   $ 152,600   $ 439,900   $ 2,333,500  
                           

(1)
The Other Operations and Headquarters segment includes Merry Maids.

        The impairment charge in 2011 was primarily attributable to the use of higher discount rates in the DCF valuation analyses as compared to the discount rates used in the 2010 impairment analyses. Although the projected future growth in cash flows in 2011 were slightly higher than in the 2010 valuation, the increase in the discount rates more than offset the improved cash flows. The increase in the discount rates is primarily attributable to changes in market conditions which indicated a lower risk tolerance in 2011 as compared to 2010. This lower risk tolerance is exhibited through the marketplace's desire for higher returns in order to accept market risk. The aggregate impairment charge in 2009 was primarily attributable to the use of lower projected future cash flows related to the hypothetical royalty rates utilized in the DCF valuation analyses as compared to the projected future cash flows used in the 2008 impairment analysis. Although the Company projected future growth in cash flows, such growth was lower than that estimated at the time the trade names were tested for impairment in 2008. The terminal growth rates used in the analyses for the October 1, 2011, 2010 and 2009 impairment tests were the same and in line with historical U.S. gross domestic product growth rates. Had the Company used a discount rate in assessing the impairment of its trade names that was one percent higher across all business segments (holding all other assumptions unchanged), the Company would have recorded an additional impairment charge of approximately $114.8 million in 2011.

        As a result of the trade name impairment taken in 2011, the carrying value of the TruGreen trade name was adjusted to its estimated fair value as of October 1, 2011. Further, the October 1, 2011 estimated fair value of the trade name at the ServiceMaster Clean business segment was not significantly in excess of its carrying value. Consequently, any further decline in the estimated fair values of these trade names will result in additional trade name impairments. It is possible that such impairments, if required, could be material and may need to be recorded prior to the fourth quarter of 2012 (i.e., during an interim period) if the Company's results of operations or other factors require such assets to be tested for impairment at an interim date.

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Note 1. Significant Accounting Policies (Continued)

        Fair Value of Financial Instruments and Credit Risk:    See Note 19 for information relating to the fair value of financial instruments.

        Financial instruments, which potentially subject the Company to financial and credit risk, consist principally of investments and receivables. Investments consist primarily of publicly traded debt and common equity securities. The Company periodically reviews its portfolio of investments to determine whether there has been an other than temporary decline in the value of the investments from factors such as deterioration in the financial condition of the issuer or the market(s) in which it competes. The majority of the Company's receivables have little concentration of credit risk due to the large number of customers with relatively small balances and their dispersion across geographical areas. The Company maintains an allowance for losses based upon the expected collectability of receivables.

        Income Taxes:    The Company is included in the consolidated U.S. federal income tax return of Holdings. State and local returns are filed both on a separate company basis and on a combined unitary basis with Holdings. Current and deferred income taxes are provided for on a separate company basis. The Company accounts for income taxes using an asset and liability approach for the expected future tax consequences of events that have been recognized in the Company's financial statements or tax returns. Deferred income taxes are provided to reflect the differences between the tax bases of assets and liabilities and their reported amounts in the financial statements. Valuation allowances are established when necessary to reduce deferred income tax assets to the amounts expected to be realized.

        The Company records a liability for unrecognized tax benefits resulting from uncertain tax positions taken or expected to be taken in its tax return. The Company recognizes potential interest and penalties related to its uncertain tax positions in income tax expense.

        Stock-Based Compensation:    The Company accounts for stock-based compensation under accounting standards for share based payments, which require that stock options, restricted stock units and share grants be measured at fair value and this value is recognized as compensation expense over the vesting period.

        In September 2009, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued ASU 2009-13, "Multiple-Deliverable Revenue Arrangements," which amends the multiple-element arrangement guidance under ASC 605, "Revenue Recognition." This standard amends the criteria for separating consideration received for products or services in multiple-deliverable arrangements. This standard establishes a selling price hierarchy for determining the selling price of a deliverable, eliminates the residual method of allocation, and requires that total arrangement consideration be allocated at the inception of the arrangement to all deliverables using the relative selling price method. In addition, this standard significantly expands required disclosures related to a vendor's multiple-deliverable revenue arrangements. This standard is effective prospectively for revenue arrangements entered into or materially modified in fiscal years beginning on or after June 15, 2010 (calendar year 2011). The Company adopted the required provisions of this standard during the first quarter of 2011. The adoption of this standard did not have a material impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements.

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Note 1. Significant Accounting Policies (Continued)

        In May 2011, the FASB issued ASU 2011-04, "Amendments to Achieve Common Fair Value Measurement and Disclosure Requirements in U.S. GAAP and IFRS." This ASU is the result of joint efforts by the FASB and the International Accounting Standards Board to develop converged guidance on how to measure fair value and what disclosures to provide about fair value measurements. The ASU is largely consistent with existing fair value measurement principles in U.S. GAAP; however, it expands existing disclosure requirements for fair value measurements and makes other amendments, many of which eliminate unnecessary wording differences between U.S. GAAP and IFRS. This ASU is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2011 (calendar year 2012). The Company does not expect the adoption of this standard to have a material effect on its consolidated financial statements.

        In June 2011, the FASB issued ASU 2011-05, "Presentation of Comprehensive Income," to eliminate the option to present components of other comprehensive income as part of the statement of changes in stockholders' equity and require that all non-owner changes in stockholders' equity be presented either in a single continuous statement of comprehensive income or in two separate but consecutive statements. In both options, an entity is required to present each component of net income along with total net income, each component of other comprehensive income along with a total for other comprehensive income, and a total amount for comprehensive income. In December 2011, the FASB issued ASU 2011-12, "Comprehensive Income," to effectively defer the changes from ASU 2011-05 that relate to the presentation of reclassification adjustments out of accumulated other comprehensive income. The amendments will be temporary to allow the Board time to redeliberate the presentation requirements for reclassifications out of accumulated other comprehensive income for annual and interim financial statements. This standard is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2011 (calendar year 2012) and must be applied retrospectively to all periods upon adoption. The Company anticipates that the adoption of this standard will change the presentation of its consolidated financial statements.

        In September 2011, the FASB issued ASU 2011-08, "Testing Goodwill for Impairment," which gives entities testing goodwill for impairment the option of performing a qualitative assessment before calculating the fair value of a reporting unit in Step 1 of the goodwill impairment test. If entities determine, on the basis of qualitative factors, that the fair value of a reporting unit is more likely than not greater than its carrying amount, the two-step impairment test would not be required. Otherwise, further testing would be needed. This ASU is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2011 (calendar year 2012). Early adoption is permitted. The Company adopted the provisions of this standard during the fourth quarter of 2011. The adoption of this standard did not have a material impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements.

Note 2. Acquisition of ServiceMaster

        On the Closing Date, ServiceMaster was acquired pursuant to the Merger, and, immediately following the completion of the Merger, all of the outstanding common stock of Holdings, the ultimate parent company of ServiceMaster, was owned by investment funds sponsored by, or affiliated with, the Equity Sponsors.

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Note 2. Acquisition of ServiceMaster (Continued)

        Equity contributions totaling $1.431 billion, together with (i) borrowings under a then new $1.150 billion senior unsecured interim loan facility, (the "Interim Loan Facility"), (ii) borrowings under a then new $2.650 billion senior secured term loan facility, and (iii) cash on hand at ServiceMaster, were used, among other things, to finance the aggregate Merger consideration, to make payments in satisfaction of other equity-based interests in ServiceMaster under the Merger agreement, to settle existing interest rate swaps, to redeem or provide for the repayment of certain of the Company's existing indebtedness and to pay related transaction fees and expenses. In addition, letters of credit issued under a new $150.0 million pre-funded letter of credit facility were used to replace and/or secure letters of credit previously issued under a ServiceMaster credit facility that was terminated as of the Closing Date. On the Closing Date, the Company also entered into, but did not then draw under, the Revolving Credit Facility.

        In connection with the Merger and the related transactions (the "Transactions"), ServiceMaster retired certain of its existing indebtedness, including ServiceMaster's $179.0 million, 7.875 percent notes due August 15, 2009 (the "2009 Notes"). On the Closing Date, the 2009 Notes were called for redemption and they were redeemed on August 29, 2007. Additionally, the Company utilized a portion of the proceeds from the Term Facilities to repay at maturity ServiceMaster's $49.2 million, 6.95 percent notes due August 15, 2007 (the "2007 Notes").

        The Interim Loan Facility matured on July 24, 2008. On the maturity date, outstanding amounts under the Interim Loan Facility were converted on a one-to-one basis into the 2015 Notes. The 2015 Notes were issued pursuant to a refinancing indenture. In connection with the issuance of the 2015 Notes, ServiceMaster entered into the Registration Rights Agreement, pursuant to which ServiceMaster filed with the SEC a registration statement with respect to the resale of the 2015 Notes, which was declared effective on January 16, 2009. ServiceMaster deregistered the 2015 Notes in accordance with the terms of the Registration Rights Agreement, and the effectiveness of the registration statement was terminated on November 19, 2009. See Note 12 for a description of the Company's indebtedness.

        Upon consummation of the Merger, ServiceMaster de-listed its shares of common stock from the New York Stock Exchange (the "NYSE") and deregistered under Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The last day of trading of ServiceMaster common stock on the NYSE was July 24, 2007.

Note 3. Business Segment Reporting

        The business of the Company is conducted through five reportable segments: TruGreen, Terminix, American Home Shield, ServiceMaster Clean and Other Operations and Headquarters.

        In accordance with accounting standards for segments, the Company's reportable segments are strategic business units that offer different services. The TruGreen segment provides residential and commercial lawn care services. The Terminix segment provides termite and pest control services to residential and commercial customers. The American Home Shield segment provides home service contracts to consumers that cover heating, ventilation, air conditioning, plumbing and other home systems and appliances. The ServiceMaster Clean segment provides residential and commercial disaster restoration and cleaning services primarily under the ServiceMaster and ServiceMaster Clean brand names, on-site furniture repair and restoration services primarily under the Furniture Medic brand name and home inspection services primarily under the AmeriSpec brand name. The Other Operations and Headquarters segment includes the franchised and

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Note 3. Business Segment Reporting (Continued)

Company-owned operations of Merry Maids, which provides house cleaning services. The Other Operations and Headquarters segment also includes SMAC, our financing subsidiary exclusively dedicated to providing financing to our franchisees and retail customers of our operating units, and the Company's headquarters operations, which provide various technology, marketing, finance, legal and other support services to the business units.

        Information regarding the accounting policies used by the Company is described in Note 1. The Company derives substantially all of its revenue from customers and franchisees in the United States with less than two percent generated in foreign markets. Operating expenses of the business units consist primarily of direct costs. Identifiable assets are those used in carrying out the operations of the business unit and include intangible assets directly related to its operations.

        Segment information for continuing operations is presented below:

 
  Year Ended Dec. 31,  
(In thousands)
  2011   2010   2009  

Operating Revenue:

                   

TruGreen

  $ 1,100,741   $ 1,096,667   $ 1,048,936  

Terminix

    1,193,075     1,157,346     1,089,072  

American Home Shield

    686,737     656,572     630,251  

ServiceMaster Clean

    138,691     132,132     125,614  

Other Operations and Headquarters

    86,628     84,677     84,012  
               

Total Operating Revenue

  $ 3,205,872   $ 3,127,394   $ 2,977,885  
               

Operating Income (Loss):(1)(2)(3)

                   

TruGreen

  $ 129,324   $ 112,312   $ 64,897  

Terminix

    220,622     199,750     184,131  

American Home Shield

    94,869     68,380     70,253  

ServiceMaster Clean

    57,674     55,450     50,456  

Other Operations and Headquarters

    (127,029 )   (129,200 )   (125,903 )
               

Total Operating Income

  $ 375,460   $ 306,692   $ 243,834  
               

Identifiable Assets:

                   

TruGreen

  $ 2,087,055   $ 2,103,341   $ 2,108,908  

Terminix

    2,601,869     2,615,388     2,584,937  

American Home Shield

    954,599     956,089     977,217  

ServiceMaster Clean

    370,526     385,287     388,847  

Other Operations and Headquarters

    1,132,757     954,583     950,593  
               

Total Identifiable Assets(4)

  $ 7,146,806   $ 7,014,688   $ 7,010,502  
               

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Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)

Note 3. Business Segment Reporting (Continued)

 
  Year Ended Dec. 31,  
(In thousands)
  2011   2010   2009  

Depreciation & Amortization Expense:

                   

TruGreen

  $ 41,929   $ 66,069   $ 87,726  

Terminix

    75,347     67,761     63,277