1. Accounting Policies

The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the financial statement disclosures contained in the 2011 Form 10-K for Target Corporation (Target or the Corporation). The same accounting policies are followed in preparing quarterly financial data as are followed in preparing annual data. See the notes in our Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 28, 2012, for those policies. In the opinion of management, all adjustments necessary for a fair presentation of quarterly operating results are reflected herein and are of a normal, recurring nature.

Due to the seasonal nature of our business, quarterly revenues, expenses, earnings and cash flows are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the full year.

2. Earnings Per Share

Basic earnings per share (EPS) is calculated as net earnings divided by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted EPS includes the potentially dilutive impact of share-based awards outstanding at period end, consisting of the incremental shares assumed to be issued upon the exercise of stock options and the incremental shares assumed to be issued under performance share and restricted stock unit arrangements.

(a) Excludes 5.8 million and 8.7 million share-based awards for the three and six months ended July 28, 2012, respectively, and 18.5 million and 16.5 million share-based awards for the three and six months ended July 30, 2011, respectively, because their effects were antidilutive.

3. Fair Value Measurements

Fair value measurements are categorized into one of three levels based on the lowest level of significant input used: Level 1 (unadjusted quoted prices in active markets); Level 2 (observable market inputs available at the measurement date, other than quoted prices included in Level 1); and Level 3 (unobservable inputs that cannot be corroborated by observable market data).

(a) There was one interest rate swap designated as an accounting hedge in all periods presented. See Note 7 for additional information on interest rate swaps.

(b) Company-owned life insurance investments consist of equity index funds and fixed income assets. Amounts are presented net of loans that are secured by some of these policies of $667 million at July 28, 2012, $669 million at January 28, 2012 and $656 million at July 30, 2011.

The following table presents the carrying amounts and estimated fair values of financial instruments not measured at fair value in the Consolidated Statements of Financial Position. The fair value of marketable securities is determined using available market prices at the reporting date and would be classified as Level 1. The fair value of debt is generally measured using a discounted cash flow analysis based on current market interest rates for similar types of financial instruments and would be classified as Level 2.

(a)         Held-to-maturity investments that are held to satisfy the regulatory requirements of Target Bank and Target National Bank.

(b)         Represents the sum of nonrecourse debt collateralized by credit card receivables and unsecured debt and other borrowings, excluding unamortized swap valuation adjustments and capital lease obligations.

Based on various inputs and assumptions, including discussions with third parties in the context of our intended sale, we believe the gross balance of our credit card receivables approximates fair value at July 28, 2012. The carrying amounts of accounts payable and certain accrued and other current liabilities also approximate fair value at July 28, 2012.

4. Credit Card Receivables

Credit card receivables are recorded net of an allowance for doubtful accounts and are our only significant class of financing receivables. Substantially all past-due accounts accrue finance charges until they are written off. Accounts are written off when they become 180 days past due.

Allowance for Doubtful Accounts

The allowance for doubtful accounts is recognized in an amount equal to the anticipated future write-offs of existing receivables and includes provisions for uncollectible finance charges and other credit-related fees. We estimate future write-offs on the entire credit card portfolio collectively based on historical experience of delinquencies, risk scores, aging trends and industry risk trends.

(a) Write-offs include the principal amount of losses (excluding accrued and unpaid finance charges), and recoveries include current period collections on previously written-off balances. These amounts combined represent net write-offs.

Deterioration of the macroeconomic conditions in the United States could adversely affect the risk profile of our credit card receivables portfolio based on credit card holders’ ability to pay their balances. If such deterioration were to occur, it could lead to an increase in bad debt expense. We monitor both the credit quality and the delinquency status of the credit card receivables portfolio. We consider accounts 30 or more days past due as delinquent, and we update delinquency status daily. We also monitor risk in the portfolio by assigning internally generated scores to each account and by obtaining current FICO scores, a nationally recognized credit scoring model, for a statistically representative sample of accounts each month. The credit-quality segmentation presented below is consistent with the approach used in determining our allowance for doubtful accounts.

Under certain circumstances, we offer cardholder payment plans that meet the accounting definition of a troubled debt restructuring (TDR). These plans modify finance charges, minimum payments and/or extend payment terms. Modified terms do not change the balance of the loan. These concessions are made on an individual cardholder basis for economic or legal reasons specific to each individual cardholder’s circumstances. Cardholders are not allowed additional charges while participating in a payment plan.

(a)     Includes loans modified within the twelve months prior to each respective period end.

(b)     Represents account balance at the time of default. We define default as not paying the full fixed payment amount for two consecutive billing cycles.

Receivables in cardholder payment plans that meet the definition of a TDR are treated consistently with other receivables in determining our allowance for doubtful accounts. Accounts that complete their assigned payment plan are no longer considered TDRs. As of July 28, 2012 and July 30, 2011 there were 102 thousand and 133 thousand modified contracts with outstanding receivables of $226 million and $334 million, respectively. Payments received on troubled debt restructurings are first applied to finance charges and fees, then to the unpaid principal balance.

Funding for Credit Card Receivables

As a method of providing funding for our credit card receivables, we sell, on an ongoing basis, all of our consumer credit card receivables to Target Receivables LLC (TR LLC), a wholly owned, bankruptcy remote subsidiary. TR LLC then transfers the receivables to the Target Credit Card Master Trust (the Trust), which from time to time will sell debt securities to third parties, either directly or through a related trust. These debt securities represent undivided interests in the Trust assets. TR LLC uses the proceeds from the sale of debt securities and its share of collections on the receivables to pay the purchase price of the receivables to the Corporation.

We consolidate the receivables within the Trust and any debt securities issued by the Trust, or a related trust, in our Consolidated Statements of Financial Position. The receivables transferred to the Trust are not available to general creditors of the Corporation.

All interests in our Credit Card Receivables issued by the Trust are accounted for as secured borrowings. Interest and principal payments are satisfied provided the cash flows from the Trust assets are sufficient and are nonrecourse to the general assets of the Corporation. If the cash flows are less than the periodic interest, the available amount, if any, is paid with respect to interest. Interest shortfalls will be paid to the extent subsequent cash flows from the assets in the Trust are sufficient. Future principal payments will be made from the third party’s pro rata share of cash flows from the Trust assets.

In March 2012 we amended the 2006/2007 Series Variable Funding Certificate to obtain additional funding of $500 million and to extend the maturity to 2013. Parties who hold the Variable Funding Certificate receive interest at a variable short-term market rate.

5. Commitments and Contingencies

We are exposed to claims and litigation arising in the ordinary course of business and use various methods to resolve these matters in a manner that we believe serves the best interest of our shareholders and other constituents. We believe the recorded reserves in our consolidated financial statements are adequate in light of the probable and estimable liabilities. We do not believe that any of the currently identified claims or litigation will be material to our results of operations, cash flows or financial condition.

6. Notes Payable and Long-Term Debt

We obtain short-term financing from time to time under our commercial paper program, a form of notes payable.

In June 2012, we issued $1.5 billion of unsecured fixed rate debt at 4.0% that matures in July 2042. Proceeds from this issuance were used for general corporate purposes.

7. Derivative Financial Instruments

Historically our derivative instruments have primarily consisted of interest rate swaps, which are used to mitigate interest rate risk. We have counterparty credit risk with large global financial institutions resulting from our derivative instruments. We monitor this concentration of counterparty credit risk on an ongoing basis. See Note 3 for a description of the fair value measurement of our derivative instruments and their classification on the Consolidated Statements of Financial Position.

As of July 28, 2012 and July 30, 2011, one swap was designated as a fair value hedge for accounting purposes, and no ineffectiveness was recognized during the three or six months ended July 28, 2012 or July 30, 2011.

Periodic payments, valuation adjustments and amortization of gains or losses on our derivative contracts had the following effect on our Consolidated Statements of Operations:

The amount remaining on unamortized hedged debt valuation gains from terminated or de-designated interest rate swaps that will be amortized into earnings over the remaining lives of the underlying debt totaled $93 million, $111 million and $132 million, at July 28, 2012, January 28, 2012 and July 30, 2011, respectively.

8. Income Taxes

We file a U.S. federal income tax return and income tax returns in various states and foreign jurisdictions. We are no longer subject to U.S. federal income tax examinations for years before 2011 and, with few exceptions, are no longer subject to state and local or non-U.S. income tax examinations by tax authorities for years before 2003.

At July 28, 2012, foreign net operating loss carryforwards of approximately $340 million (resulting in a $90 million deferred tax asset) are available to offset future income. These carryforwards expire in 2032 and are expected to be fully utilized prior to expiration.

It is reasonably possible that the amount of our unrecognized tax benefits will significantly increase or decrease during the next twelve months; however, an estimate of the amount or range of the change cannot be made at this time.

9. Share Repurchase

We repurchase shares primarily through open market transactions under a $5 billion share repurchase program authorized by our Board of Directors in January 2012. During the first quarter of 2012, we completed a $10 billion share repurchase program that was authorized by our Board of Directors in November 2007.

Of the shares repurchased, a portion was delivered upon settlement of prepaid forward contracts as follows:

(a) These contracts are among the investment vehicles used to reduce our economic exposure related to our nonqualified deferred compensation plans. The details of our positions in prepaid forward contracts have been provided in Note 10.

(b) At their respective settlement dates.

10. Pension, Postretirement Health Care and Other Benefits

We have qualified defined benefit pension plans covering team members who meet age and service requirements, including in certain circumstances, date of hire. We also have unfunded nonqualified pension plans for team members with qualified plan compensation restrictions. Eligibility for, and the level of, these benefits varies depending on team members’ date of hire, length of service and/or team member compensation. Upon early retirement and prior to Medicare eligibility, team members also become eligible for certain health care benefits if they meet minimum age and service requirements and agree to contribute a portion of the cost. Effective January 1, 2009, our qualified defined benefit pension plan was closed to new participants, with limited exceptions.

We are not required to make any contributions in 2012. However, depending on investment performance and plan funded status, we may elect to make a contribution.

Our unfunded, nonqualified deferred compensation plan is offered to approximately 3,000 current and retired team members whose participation in our 401(k) plan is limited by statute or regulation. These team members choose from a menu of crediting rate alternatives that are the same as the investment choices in our 401(k) plan, including Target common stock. We credit an additional 2 percent per year to the accounts of all active participants, excluding members of our management executive committee, in part to recognize the risks inherent to their participation in a plan of this nature. We also maintain a nonqualified, unfunded deferred compensation plan that was frozen during 1996, covering substantially fewer than 100 participants, most of whom are retired. In this plan, deferred compensation earns returns tied to market levels of interest rates plus an additional 6 percent return, with a minimum of 12 percent and a maximum of 20 percent, as determined by the plan’s terms.

We mitigate some of our risk of offering the nonqualified plans through investing in vehicles, including company-owned life insurance and prepaid forward contracts in our own common stock, that offset a substantial portion of our economic exposure to the returns of these plans. These investment vehicles are general corporate assets and are marked to market with the related gains and losses recognized in the Consolidated Statements of Operations in the period they occur.

The total change in fair value for contracts indexed to our own common stock recognized in earnings was pretax income of $4 million in each of the three months ended July 28, 2012 and July 30, 2011, and pretax income/(loss) of $15 million and $(3) million for the six months ended July 28, 2012 and July 30, 2011, respectively. For the six months ended July 28, 2012 and July 30, 2011, we invested $13 million and $29 million, respectively, in such investment instruments, and this activity is included in the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows within other investing activities. Adjusting our position in these investment vehicles may involve repurchasing shares of Target common stock when settling the forward contracts as described in Note 9. The settlement dates of these instruments are regularly renegotiated with the counterparty.

11. Segment Reporting

Our segment measure of profit is used by management to evaluate the return on our investment and to make operating decisions.