New Accounting Pronouncements, Policy | In April 2016, the FASB issued Accounting Standard Update (ASU) 2016-10, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Identifying Performance Obligations and Licensing. The amendments in this update apply to entities with transactions included within the scope of Topic 606 (i.e., contracts with customers to transfer goods or services for consideration). Per Topic 606, an entity should recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. The amendments in this update do not change the core principle of the guidance in Topic 606, but rather clarify various aspects. Prior to identifying performance obligations in a contract, an entity must first identify the promised goods or services in the contract. The amendments in this update clarify that: 1) An entity is not required to assess if goods or services are performance obligations if they are immaterial in the contract with the customer. 2) An entity can account for shipping and handling as activities to fulfill the promise to transfer the goods rather than an additional promised service. To identify performance obligations, Topic 606 includes criteria for assessing whether promises to transfer goods or services are distinct. This update improves guidance by: 1) Emphasizing that an entity determines whether the promise in the contract is to transfer each of the goods or services or to transfer a combined item (or items) to which the promised goods and/or services are inputs. 2) Revising the related factors and examples. The amendments in this update clarify licensing implementation guidance by stating: 1) An entitys promise to grant a customer a license to intellectual property that has significant standalone functionality does not include supporting or maintaining that intellectual property during the license period. An entitys promise to provide a customer with a right to use the entitys intellectual property is satisfied at the point in time the customer is able to use and benefit from the license, unless the entity expects to undertake activities that change the functionality of the intellectual property to which the customer has rights. 2) An entitys promise to grant a customer a license to intellectual property that does not have significant standalone functionality (symbolic intellectual property) includes supporting or maintaining that intellectual property during the license period. The nature of the entitys promise is both to (a) grant the customer rights to use and benefit from the entitys intellectual property and (b) support or maintain the intellectual property during the license period. As such, a license to symbolic intellectual property is satisfied over time. 3) An entity considers the nature of its promise in granting a license in order to apply the other guidance in Topic 606 to a single performance obligation that includes a license and other goods or services. Topic 606 includes implementation guidance on revenue recognition for a sales-based or usage-based royalty promised in exchange for a license of intellectual property. The amendments in this update clarify the following: 1) An entity should not split a sales-based or usage-based royalty into a portion subject to the recognition guidance on sales-based and usage based royalties and a portion that is not subject to that guidance. 2) The guidance on sales-based and usage-based royalties applies to a sales-based or usage-based royalty where the predominant item related to the royalty is a license of intellectual property. Lastly, this update clarifies that contractual provisions requiring an entity to transfer control of additional goods or services to a customer should be distinguished from contractual provisions that define the attributes of a single promised license. The effective date and transition requirements for the amendments in this update are the same as the effective date and transition requirements of update 2014-09. That is, the amendments in this update are effective for annual reporting periods after December 15, 2017, including interim reporting periods within that reporting period. The Company has contracts with customers to transfer goods or services for consideration within the scope of Topic 606; therefore, the noted amendments in ASU 2016-10 are applicable and the Company will implement the new guidance accordingly; however, due to the extensive nature of the new revenue recognition standard, the Company is evaluating the impact this new guidance will have on its financials. In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-09, CompensationStock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting. The FASB is issuing this update as part of its simplification initiative, which is aimed at reducing the cost and complexity of certain areas of the accounting codification. This update simplifies the accounting for share-based payment transactions through the following amendments: · · · · · For public entities, the amendments in this update are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016. The Company notes that this guidance does apply to its reporting requirements and will implement the new guidance accordingly. In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-08, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Principal versus Agent Considerations (Reporting Revenue Gross versus Net). The amendments in this update apply to entities with transactions included within the scope of Topic 606 (i.e., contracts with customers to transfer goods or services for consideration). The amendment in this update does not change the core principles in Topic 606, but rather clarify the implementation guidance on principle versus agent considerations. An entity is a principal if it controls the specified good or service before that good or service is transferred to a customer. To improve the implementation guidance on principal versus agent considerations, this update seeks to clarify the following: 1. An entity determines whether it is a principal or agent for each specified good or service promised to the customer. If a contract includes more than one specified good or service, an entity could be both a principal and agent. 2. An entity determines the nature of each specified good or service, whether it is a good, a service, or a right to a good or service. 3. When another party is involved in providing goods or services to a customer, an entity that is a principal obtains control of (a) a good or asset from the other party that it then transfers to the customer; (b) a right to a service that will be performed by another party, which gives the entity the ability to direct that party to provide the service to the customer on the entitys behalf; or (c) a good or service from the other party that it combines with other goods or services to provide the specified good or service to the customer. 4. The amendments in paragraph 606-10-55-39A clarify that indicators may be more or less relevant to the control assessment and that one or more indicators may be more or less persuasive to the control assessment. The effective date and transition requirements for the amendments in this update are the same as the effective date and transition requirements of update 2014-09. That is, the amendments in this update are effective for annual reporting periods after December 15, 2016, including interim reporting periods within that reporting period. The Company notes that this guidance does apply to its reporting requirements and will implement the new guidance accordingly. In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-07, InvestmentsEquity Method and Joint Ventures (Topic 323): Simplifying the Transition to the Equity Method of Accounting. The FASB is issuing this update as part of its simplification initiative, which is aimed at reducing the cost and complexity of certain areas of the accounting codification. The amendments in this update eliminate the requirement to retroactively adopt the equity method of accounting. Instead, the investor adds the cost of acquiring the additional interest in the investee to the current basis of the investors previously held interest and adopts the equity method of accounting as of the date the investment becomes qualified for equity method accounting. The update requires that an entity with an available-for-sale security that qualifies for the equity method should recognize in earnings the unrealized holding gain or loss in accumulated comprehensive income as of the date that the investment becomes qualified for the equity method use. This update becomes effective for all entities for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016. The Company does not believe adoption of this ASU will have a material impact on its financial statements. In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-06, Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815): Contingent Put and Call Options in Debt Instruments (a consensus of the Emerging Issues Task Force). The amendments in this update clarify the requirements for assessing whether contingent call (put) options that can accelerate the payment of principal on debt instruments are clearly and closely related to their debt hosts. An entity performing the assessment under the amendments in this update is required to assess the embedded call (put) options solely in accordance with the four-step decision sequence. The four-step decision sequence requires an entity to consider whether: 1) the payoff is adjusted based on changes in an index, 2) the payoff is indexed to an underlying other than interest rates or credit risk, 3) the debt involves a substantial premium or discount, and 4) the call (put) option is contingently exercisable. For public entities, the amendments in this update are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016. The Company does not believe adoption of this ASU will have a material impact on its financial statements. In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-05, Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815): Effect of Derivative Contract Novations on Existing Hedge Accounting Relationships (a consensus of the Emerging Issues Task Force). The amendments in this update clarify that a change in the counterparty to a derivative instrument that has been designated as a hedging instrument under Topic 815 does not, in and of itself, require de-designation of that hedging relationship provided that all other hedge accounting criteria continue to be met. For public entities, the amendments in this update are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016. The Company does not believe adoption of this ASU will have a material impact on its financial statements. In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-04, LiabilitiesExtinguishments of Liabilities (Subtopic 405-20): Recognition of Breakage for Certain Prepaid Stored-Value Products (a consensus of the Emerging Issues Task Force). The amendments in this update apply to prepaid stored-value products, which are physical or digital products containing a stored monetary value that are issued for the purpose of being accepted as payment for goods or services. This update states that the liabilities related to the sale of prepaid stored-value products are financial liabilities. For public companies, not-for-profit entities with traded securities, and employee benefit plans that file financial statements with the SEC, the amendments in this update are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018. The Company does not believe adoption of this ASU will have a material impact on its financial statements. In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842), including Sections A, B, & C. The objective of this update is to increase transparency and comparability among organizations by recognizing leased assets and lease liabilities on the balance sheet. Topic 842 affects any entity that enters into a lease. The main difference between previous GAAP and Topic 842 is the recognition of leased assets and lease liabilities for leases classified as operating leases under previous GAAP. For lessees, the recognition, measurement, and presentation of expenses and cash flows arising from a lease by a lessee have not significantly changed from previous GAAP. There continues to be a differentiation between finance leases and operating leases. However, the principal difference from previous guidance is that the leased assets and lease liabilities arising from operating leases should be recognized in the statement of financial position. For leases with a term of 12 months or less, a lessee is permitted to make an accounting policy election by class of underlying asset not to recognize lease assets and lease liabilities. If a lessee makes this election, it should recognize lease expense for such leases generally on a straight-line basis over the lease term. In transition, lessees and lessors are required to recognize and measure leases at the beginning of the earliest period presented using a modified retrospective approach. The modified retrospective approach includes a number of optional practical expedients that entities may elect to apply. If an entity elects to apply the practical expedients, it will, in effect, continue to account for leases that commence before the effective date in accordance with previous GAAP unless the lease is modified. The exception is that lessees are required to recognize a right-of-use asset and a lease liability for all operating leases at each reporting date based on the present value of the remaining minimum rental payments that were tracked and disclosed under previous GAAP. For public companies, not-for-profit entities with traded securities and employee benefit plans that file financial statements with the SEC, the amendments in this update are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018. Early application of the amendments in this update is permitted for all entities. The Company notes the new lease standard is applicable and will implement the new guidance accordingly; however, due to the extensive nature of the new lease standard, the Company is currently evaluating the impact this new guidance will have on its financials. In January 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-01, Financial Instruments Overall (Topic 825-10): Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities. The objective of this update is to enhance the reporting model for financial instruments to provide users of financial statements with more decision-useful information. The amendments in this update make the following eight improvements to GAAP: 1) Equity investments (except those accounted for under the equity method or that result in consolidation of the investee) are to be measured at fair value with changes in fair value included in net income. However, an entity may choose to measure equity investments without readily determinable fair values at cost minus impairment, if any, plus or minus changes resulting from observable price changes in orderly transactions for identical or similar investments of the same issuer. 2) A qualitative assessment is required for investments without readily determinable fair values in order to identify impairment. If impairment is identified, the investment is to be measured at fair value. 3) The requirement to disclose the fair value of financial instruments measured at amortized cost is eliminated for non-public business entities. 4) The requirement to disclose the method(s) and significant assumptions used to estimate the fair value of financial instruments measured at amortized cost is eliminated for public business entities. 5) Public entities are required to use the exit price notion when measuring the fair value of financial instruments for disclosure purposes. 6) An entity is required to present separately in other comprehensive income the portion of the total change in the fair value of a liability resulting from a change in the instrument-specific credit risk when the entity has elected to measure the liability at fair value in accordance with the fair value option for financial instruments. 7) Separate presentation of financial assets and liabilities by measurement category and form of financial asset is required on the balance sheet or accompanying notes. 8) An entity should evaluate the need for a valuation allowance on a deferred tax asset related to available-for-sale securities in combination with the entitys other deferred tax assets. For public business entities, the amendments in this update are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017. An entity should apply the amendments by means of a cumulative-effect adjustment to the balance sheet as of the beginning of the fiscal year of adoption. The amendments related to equity securities without readily determinable fair values should be applied prospectively to equity investments that exist as of the date of adoption. The Company notes this new guidance will apply to its reporting requirements and will implement the new guidance accordingly and is currently evaluating the impact this new guidance will have on its financials. |