FORM 10-K
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
(Mark One)
[x] Annual report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2005
OR
[ ] Transition report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934
For the transition period from to
Commission File Number 33-11576
Southwest Royalties Institutional Income Fund VII-B, L.P.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in
its limited partnership agreement)
Delaware 75-2165825
State or other jurisdiction (I.R.S. Employer
of incorporation or organization) Identification No.)
6 Desta Drive, Suite 6500, Midland, Texas 79705
(Address of principal executive office) (Zip Code)
Registrant's telephone number, including area code (432) 682-6324
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
None
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:
limited partnership interests
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer,
as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes No X
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 No X
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 X No
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 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. [x]
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer,
an accelerated filer, or a non-accelerated filer. See definition of
"accelerated filer and large accelerated filer" in Rule 12b-2 of the
Exchange Act.
Large accelerated filer [ ] Accelerated filer [ ] Non-
accelerated filer [X]
The registrant's outstanding securities consist of Units of limited
partnership interests for which there exists no established public market
from which to base a calculation of aggregate market value.
Table of Contents
Item Page
Glossary of Oil and Gas Terms 3
Part I
1. Business 5
1B. Unresolved Staff Comments 7
2. Properties 8
3. Legal Proceedings 9
4. Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders 9
Part II
5. Market for Registrant's Common Equity, Related
Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities 10
6. Selected Financial Data 11
7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of
Financial Condition and Results of Operations 12
7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk 15
8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data 16
9. Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants
on Accounting and Financial Disclosure 31
9A. Controls and Procedures 31
9B. Other Information 31
Part III
10. Directors and Executive Officers of the Registrant 32
11. Executive Compensation 32
12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management 33
13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions 33
14. Principal Accountant Fees and Services 33
Part IV
15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules 34
Signatures 35
Glossary of Oil and Gas Terms
The following are abbreviations and definitions of terms commonly used in
the oil and gas industry that are used in this filing. All volumes of
natural gas referred to herein are stated at the legal pressure base to the
state or area where the reserves exit and at 60 degrees Fahrenheit and in
most instances are rounded to the nearest major multiple.
Bbl. One stock tank barrel, or 42 United States gallons liquid volume.
BOE. Equivalent barrels of oil, with natural gas converted to oil
equivalents based on a ratio of six Mcf of natural gas to one Bbl of oil.
Developmental well. A well drilled within the proved area of an oil or
natural gas reservoir to the depth of a stratigraphic horizon known to be
productive.
Exploratory well. A well drilled to find and produce oil or gas in an
unproved area to find a new reservoir in a field previously found to be
productive of oil or natural gas in another reservoir or to extend a known
reservoir.
Farm-out arrangement. An agreement whereby the owner of a leasehold or
working interest agrees to assign his interest in certain specific acreage
to an assignee, retaining some interest, such as an overriding royalty
interest, subject to the drilling of one (1) or more wells or other
specified performance by the assignee.
Field. An area consisting of a single reservoir or multiple reservoirs
all grouped on or related to the same individual geological structural
feature and/or stratigraphic condition.
Mcf. One thousand cubic feet.
Net Profits Interest. An agreement whereby the owner receives a
specified percentage of the defined net profits from a producing property
in exchange for consideration paid. The net profits interest owner will
not otherwise participate in additional costs and expenses of the property.
Oil. Crude oil, condensate and natural gas liquids.
Overriding royalty interest. Interests that are carved out of a
working interest, and their duration is limited by the term of the lease
under which they are created.
Standardized measure of discounted future net cash flows. Present
value of proved reserves, as adjusted to give effect to estimated future
abandonment costs, net of the estimated salvage value of related equipment.
Production costs. Costs incurred to operate and maintain wells and
related equipment and facilities, including depreciation and applicable
operating costs of support equipment and facilities and other costs of
operating and maintaining those wells and related equipment and facilities.
Proved Area. The part of a property to which proved reserves have been
specifically attributed.
Proved developed oil and gas reserves. Proved oil and gas reserves
that can be expected to be recovered from existing wells with existing
equipment and operating methods.
Proved properties. Properties with proved reserves.
Proved oil and gas reserves. The estimated quantities of crude oil,
natural gas, and natural gas liquids with geological and engineering data
that demonstrate with reasonable certainty to be recoverable in future
years from known reservoirs under existing economic and operating
conditions, i.e., prices and costs as of the date the estimate is made.
Proved undeveloped reserves. Proved oil and gas reserves that are
expected to be recovered from new wells on undrilled acreage, or from
existing wells where a relatively major expenditure is required for
recompletion.
Reservoir. A porous and permeable underground formation containing a
natural accumulation of producible oil or gas that is confined by
impermeable rock or water barriers and is individual and separate from
other reservoirs.
Royalty interest. An interest in an oil and natural gas property
entitling the owner to a share of oil or natural gas production free of
costs of production.
Working interest. The operating interest that gives the owner the
right to drill, produce and conduct operating activities on the property
and a share of production.
Workover. Operations on a producing well to restore or increase
production.
Part I
Item 1. Business
General
Southwest Royalties Institutional Income Fund VII-B, L.P. (the
"Partnership" or "Registrant") was organized as a Delaware limited
partnership on January 28, 1987. The offering of limited partnership
interests began March 23, 1987, reached minimum capital requirements May
20, 1987, and concluded December 1, 1987. The Partnership has no
subsidiaries. The Managing General Partner of the Partnership is Southwest
Royalties, Inc. (the "Managing General Partner"), a Delaware corporation.
The Partnership has expended its capital and acquired interests in
producing oil and gas properties. After such acquisitions, the Partnership
has produced and marketed the crude oil and natural gas produced from such
properties. In most cases, the Partnership purchased royalty or overriding
royalty interests and working interests in oil and gas properties that were
converted into net profits interests or other non-operating interests. The
Partnership purchased either all or part of the rights and obligations
under various oil and gas leases.
During 2004, the Managing General Partner was acquired by Clayton Williams
Energy, Inc. ("CWEI"), a Delaware corporation, and is now a wholly owned
subsidiary of CWEI. CWEI is an oil and gas company based in Midland,
Texas, and its common stock is traded on the Nasdaq Stock Market's National
Market under the symbol "CWEI". All of the directors and executive
officers of the Managing General Partner are employees of CWEI. CWEI
maintains an internet website at www.claytonwilliams.com from which public
information about CWEI may be obtained.
The principal executive offices of the Partnership are located at 6 Desta
Drive, Suite 6500, Midland, Texas, 79705. The Managing General Partner and
its staff, together with certain independent consultants used on an "as
needed" basis, perform various services on behalf of the Partnership,
including the selection of oil and gas properties and the marketing of
production from such properties. The Partnership has no employees.
Operations
The business objective of the Partnership is to maximize the production and
related net cash flow from the properties it currently owns without
engaging in the drilling of any development or exploratory wells except
through farm-out arrangements. If additional drilling is necessary to
fully develop a Partnership property, the Partnership will enter into a
farmout agreement with the Managing General Partner to assign a portion of
the Partnership's interest in the property to the Managing General Partner
in exchange for retaining an interest in the one or more new wells at no
cost to the Partnership. The Managing General Partner obtains a fairness
opinion from an unaffiliated petroleum engineer with respect to the terms
of each farmout agreement with the Partnership.
In 2005, the Partnership entered into farmout agreements with the Managing
General Partner through which the Managing General Partner drilled the VT
Amacker 62 wells #9H and #11H. Both wells were completed as producers and
the Partnership paid none of the cost to drill and complete these wells.
The Partnership retained 10% of its original interest in the well #9H and
12.5% of its original interest in well #11H.
Principal Products and Markets
The Partnership has acquired and holds royalty, overriding royalty and net
profit interests in oil and gas properties located in Texas, New Mexico,
Oklahoma Louisiana and Illinois. All activities of the Partnership are
confined to the continental United States. During 2005, 69% of the
Partnership's revenues were derived from the sale of oil production and 31%
were derived from gas production. All oil and gas produced from these
properties is sold to unrelated third parties in the oil and gas business.
The Partnership believes that the loss of any of its purchasers would not
have a material adverse affect on its results of operations due to the
availability of other purchasers.
The revenues generated from the Partnership's oil and gas activities are
dependent upon the current market for oil and gas. The prices received by
the Partnership for its oil and gas production depend upon numerous factors
beyond the Partnership's control, including competition, economic,
political and regulatory developments and competitive energy sources. The
Partnership is unable to accurately predict future prices of oil and
natural gas.
Competition
Because the Partnership has utilized all of its funds available for the
acquisition of net profits or royalty interests in producing oil and gas
properties, it is not subject to competition from other oil and gas
property purchasers. See Item 2, Properties.
Factors that may adversely affect the Partnership include delays in
completing arrangements for the sale of production, availability of a
market for production, rising operating costs of producing oil and gas and
complying with applicable water and air pollution control statutes,
increasing costs and difficulties of transportation, and marketing of
competitive fuels. Moreover, domestic oil and gas must compete with
imported oil and gas and with coal, atomic energy, hydroelectric power and
other forms of energy.
Regulation
The Partnership's oil and gas production and related operations are subject
to extensive rules and regulations promulgated by federal, state and local
agencies. Failure to comply with such rules and regulations can result in
substantial penalties. The regulatory burden on the oil and gas industry
increases the Partnership's cost of doing business and affects the
Partnership's profitability. Because such rules and regulations are
frequently amended or reinterpreted, the Partnership is unable to predict
the future cost or impact of complying with such laws.
All of the states in which the Partnership conducts business generally
require permits for drilling operations, drilling bonds and reports
concerning operations and impose other requirements relating to the
exploration and production of oil and gas. Such states also have statutes
or regulations addressing conservation matters, including provisions for
the unitization or pooling of oil and gas properties, the establishment of
maximum rates of production from oil and gas wells and the spacing,
plugging and abandonment of such wells. The statutes and regulations of
certain states also limit the rate at which oil and gas can be produced
from the Partnership's properties.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission ("FERC") regulates interstate
natural gas transportation rates and service conditions, which affect the
marketing of gas produced by the Partnership, as well as the revenues the
Partnership receives for sales of such production. Since the mid-1980s,
the FERC has issued various orders that have significantly altered the
marketing and transportation of gas. These orders resulted in a
fundamental restructuring of interstate pipeline sales and transportation
services, including the unbundling by interstate pipelines of the sales,
transportation, storage and other components of the city-gate sales
services such pipelines previously performed. These FERC actions were
designed to increase competition within all phases of the gas industry.
The interstate regulatory framework may enhance the Partnership's ability
to market and transport its gas, although this framework may also subject
the Partnership to competition and to the more restrictive pipeline
imbalance tolerances and greater associated penalties for violation of such
tolerances.
The Partnership's sales of oil production are not presently regulated and
are made at market prices. The price the Partnership receives from the
sale of those products is affected by the cost of transporting the products
to market. The FERC has implemented regulations establishing an indexing
system for transportation rates for oil pipelines, which, generally, would
index such rates to inflation, subject to certain conditions and
limitations. The Partnership is not able to predict with any certainty
what effect, if any, these regulations will have on the Partnership, but,
other factors being equal, the regulations may, over time, tend to increase
transportation costs which may have the effect of reducing wellhead prices
for oil and natural gas liquids.
Environmental Matters
The Partnership's operations pertaining to oil and gas production and
related activities are subject to numerous and constantly changing federal,
state and local laws governing the discharge of materials into the
environment or otherwise relating to environmental protection. These laws
and regulations may require the acquisition of certain permits prior to or
in connection with drilling activities, restrict or prohibit the types,
quantities and concentration of substances that can be released into the
environment in connection with drilling and production, restrict or
prohibit drilling activities that could impact wetlands, endangered or
threatened species or other protected areas or natural resources, require
some degree of remedial action to mitigate pollution from former
operations, such as pit cleanups and plugging abandoned wells, and impose
substantial liabilities for pollution resulting from the Partnership's
operations. Such laws and regulations may substantially increase the cost
of developing, producing or processing oil and gas and may prevent or delay
the commencement or continuation of a given project and thus generally
could have a material adverse effect upon the Partnership's cash flow and
earnings. The Partnership believes that it is in substantial compliance
with current applicable environmental laws and regulations, and the cost of
compliance with such laws and regulations has not been material and is not
expected to be material during 2006. Nevertheless, changes in existing
environmental laws and regulations or in the interpretations thereof could
have a significant impact on the Partnership's operations, as well as the
oil and gas industry in general. For instance, legislation has been
proposed in Congress from time to time that would reclassify certain oil
and gas production wastes as "hazardous wastes," which reclassification
would make exploration and production wastes subject to much more stringent
handling, disposal and clean-up requirements. State initiatives to further
regulate the disposal of oil and gas wastes and naturally occurring
radioactive materials, if adopted, could have a similar impact on the
Partnership.
The United States Oil Pollution Act of 1990 ("OPA `90"), and similar
legislation enacted in Texas, Louisiana and other coastal states, addresses
oil spill prevention and control and significantly expands liability
exposure across all segments of the oil and gas industry. OPA `90 and such
similar legislation and related regulations impose on us a variety of
obligations related to the prevention of oil spills and liability for
damages resulting from such spills. OPA `90 imposes strict and, with
limited exceptions, joint and several liabilities upon each responsible
party for oil removal costs and a variety of public and private damages.
The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act
("CERCLA"), also known as the "Superfund" law, imposes liability, without
regard to fault or the legality of the original conduct, on certain classes
of persons that are considered to have contributed to the release of a
"hazardous substance" into the environment. These persons include the
owner or operator of the disposal site or the site where the release
occurred and companies that disposed or arranged for the disposal of the
hazardous substances at the site where the release occurred. Under CERCLA,
such persons may be subject to joint and several liability for the costs of
cleaning up the hazardous substances that have been released into the
environment and for damages to natural resources, and it is not uncommon
for neighboring landowners and other third parties to file claims for
personal injury and property damage allegedly caused by the hazardous
substances released into the environment. The failure of an operator of a
property owned by the Partnership to comply with applicable environmental
regulations may, in certain circumstances, be attributed to the
Partnership. The Partnership does not believe that it will be required to
incur any material expenditures to comply with existing environmental
requirements.
The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act ("RCRA"), and analogous state
laws govern the handling and disposal of hazardous and solid wastes. Wastes
that are classified as hazardous under RCRA are subject to stringent
handling, recordkeeping, disposal and reporting requirements. RCRA
specifically excludes from the definition of hazardous waste "drilling
fluids, produced waters, and other wastes associated with the exploration,
development, or production of crude oil, natural gas or geothermal energy."
However, these wastes may be regulated by the EPA or state agencies as
solid waste. Moreover, many ordinary industrial wastes, such as paint
wastes, waste solvents, laboratory wastes and waste compressor oils, are
regulated as hazardous wastes. Although the costs of managing hazardous
waste may be significant, the Partnership does not expect to experience
more burdensome costs than similarly situated companies
State water discharge regulations and federal waste discharge permitting
requirements adopted pursuant to the Federal Water Pollution Control Act
prohibit or are expected in the future to prohibit the discharge of
produced water and sand and some other substances related to the oil and
gas industry, into coastal waters. Although the costs to comply with such
mandates under state or federal law may be significant, the entire industry
will experience similar costs, and the Partnership does not believe that
these costs will have a material adverse impact on its financial condition
and operations.
The Partnership maintains insurance against "sudden and accidental"
occurrences, which may cover some, but not all, of the environmental risks
described above. Most significantly, the insurance we maintain will not
cover the risks described above which occur over a sustained period of
time. Further, there can be no assurance that such insurance will continue
to be available to cover all such costs or that such insurance will be
available at premium levels that justify its purchase. The occurrence of a
significant event not fully insured or indemnified against could have a
material adverse effect on our financial condition and operations.
Limited partners should be aware that the assessment of liability
associated with environmental liabilities is not always correlated to the
value of a particular project. Accordingly, liability associated with the
environment under local, state, or federal regulations, particularly clean
ups under CERCLA, can exceed the value of the Partnership's investment in
the associated site.
Partnership Employees
The Partnership has no employees; however the Managing General Partner and
CWEI have a staff of geologists, engineers, accountants, landmen and
clerical staff who engage in Partnership activities and operations and
perform additional services for the Partnership as needed. In addition,
the Partnership engages independent consultants such as petroleum engineers
and geologists as needed.
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments
Not applicable.
Item 2. Properties
As of December 31, 2005, the Partnership possessed an interest in oil and
gas properties located in Crawford County of Illinois, Cameron Parish of
Louisiana; Eddy and Lea Counties of New Mexico; Alfalfa, Caddo, Garvin,
Hughes, Leflore, Marshall, Seminole and Stephens Counties of Oklahoma;
Andrews, Crane, Dawson, Ector, Fisher, Gaines, Gregg, Hale, Hockley,
Howard, Hutchinson, Lamb, Leon, Loving, Midland, Mitchell, Moore, Pecos,
Scurry, Stonewall, Terry, Upton, Ward, Wichita and Winkler Counties of
Texas. These properties consist of various interests in approximately
2,188 wells and units.
Reserves
The following table sets forth certain information as of December 31, 2005
with respect to the Partnership's estimated proved oil and gas reserves
pursuant to SEC guidelines and standardized measure of discounted future
net cash flows.
Proved Developed Proved Total
-------------------- -------- -------
-------------------- -------- ----
------- --
Producing Nonprod Undevelo Proved
ucing ped
--------- ------- -------- -------
--------- ------- -------- ----
- ---- --
Oil (Bbls) 221,000 2,000 5,000 228,000
Gas (Mcf) 618,000 17,000 49,000 684,000
Total (BOE) 324,000 5,000 13,000 342,000
Standardized
measure of
discounted
future net cash $6,872,
flows 000
The following table sets forth certain information as of December 31, 2005
regarding the Partnership's proved oil and gas reserves for certain
significant fields.
Proved Reserves
-----------------------
-----------------------
----------
Total Percen
Oil t of
Oil Gas Equiva Total
lent Oil
(Bbls (Mcf) (BOE) Equiva
) lent
----- ----- ------ ------
----- ----- ------ ------
--- - --- ---
9,000 577,0 105,00 30.7%
Amacker/Wil 00 0
shire
Hendricks 91,00 24,00 95,000 27.8%
0 0
Howard 42,00 - 42,000 12.3%
Glasscock 0
Other 86,00 83,00 100,00 29.2%
0 0 0
----- ----- ------ ------
----- ----- ------ ------
-- -- --
Total 228,0 684,0 342,00 100.0%
00 00 0
===== ===== ====== ======
== == = ==
The estimates of proved reserves at December 31, 2005 and the standardized
measure of discounted future net cash flows were derived from a report
prepared by Ryder Scott Company, L.P., petroleum consultants. These
calculations were prepared using standard geological and engineering
methods generally accepted by the petroleum industry and in accordance with
SEC financial accounting and reporting standards.
In accordance with applicable financial accounting and reporting standards
of the SEC, the estimates of the Partnership's proved reserves and the
standardized measure of discounted future net cash flows set forth herein
are made using oil and gas sales prices estimated to be in effect as of the
date of such reserve estimates and are held constant throughout the life of
the properties. Estimated quantities of proved reserves and their present
value are affected by changes in oil and gas prices. The average prices
utilized for the purposes of estimating the Partnership's proved reserves
and the standardized measure of discounted future net cash flows as of
December 31, 2005 were $56.99 per Bbl of oil and natural gas liquids and
$10.80 per Mcf of gas, as compared to $40.93 per Bbl of oil and $5.25 per
Mcf of gas as of December 31, 2004.
The reserve information shown is estimated. The accuracy of any reserve
estimate is a function of the quality of available geological, geophysical,
engineering and economic data, the precision of the engineering and
geological interpretation and judgment. The estimates of reserves, future
cash flows and standardized measure are based on various assumptions,
including those prescribed by the SEC, and are inherently imprecise.
Although the Partnership believes these estimates are reasonable, actual
future production, cash flows, taxes, development expenditures, operating
expenses and quantities of recoverable oil and natural gas reserves may
vary substantially from these estimates. Also, the use of a 10% discount
factor for reporting purposes may not necessarily represent the most
appropriate discount factor, given actual interest rates and risks to which
our business or the oil and natural gas industry in general are subject.
Unanticipated depletion, if it occurs, will result in lower reserves than
previously estimated; thus an ultimately lower return for the Partnership.
Basic changes in past reserve estimates occur annually. As new data is
gathered during the subsequent year, the engineer must revise his earlier
estimates. A year of new information, which is pertinent to the estimation
of future recoverable volumes, is available during the subsequent year
evaluation. In applying industry standards and procedures, the new data
may cause the previous estimates to be revised. This revision may increase
or decrease the earlier estimated volumes. Pertinent information gathered
during the year may include actual production and decline rates, production
from offset wells drilled to the same geologic formation, increased or
decreased water production, workovers, and changes in lifting costs, among
others. Accordingly, reserve estimates are often different from the
quantities of oil and gas that are ultimately recovered.
Item 3. Legal Proceedings
There are no material pending legal proceedings to which the Partnership is
a party.
Item 4. Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders
No matter was submitted to a vote of security holders during the fourth
quarter of 2005 through the solicitation of proxies or otherwise.
Part II
Item 5. Market for Registrant's Common Equity, Related Stockholder
Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
Market Information
Limited partnership interests, or units, in the Partnership were initially
offered and sold for a price of $500. Limited partner units are not traded
on any exchange and there is no public or organized trading market for
them.
Number of Limited Partner Interest Holders
As of December 31, 2005, there were 626 holders of limited partner units in
the Partnership.
Distributions
Pursuant to Article IV, Section 4.01 of the Partnership's Certificate and
Agreement of Limited Partnership "Net Cash Flow" is distributed to the
partners on a quarterly basis. "Net Cash Flow" is defined as "the cash
generated by the Partnership's investments in producing oil and gas
properties, less (i) General and Administrative Costs, (ii) Operating
Costs, and (iii) any reserves necessary to meet current and anticipated
needs of the Partnership, as determined in the sole discretion of the
Managing General Partner." During 2005, distributions were made totaling
$950,000, with $855,000 ($57.00 per unit) distributed to the limited
partners and $95,000 to the general partners.
Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
After completion of the Partnership's first full fiscal year of operations
and each year thereafter, the Managing General Partner has offered and will
continue to offer to purchase each limited partner's interest in the
Partnership in accordance with the obligations set forth in the partnership
agreement. The pricing mechanism used to calculate the repurchase is based
on tangible assets of the Partnership, plus the present value of the future
net revenues of proved oil and gas properties, minus liabilities with a
risk factor discount of up to one-third which may be implemented in the
sole discretion of the Managing General Partner. However, the Managing
General Partner's obligation to purchase limited partner units under the
partnership agreement is limited to an annual expenditure of an amount not
in excess of 10% of the total limited partner units initially subscribed
for by limited partners. The following table sets forth certain
information regarding purchases of limited partnership units by the
Managing General Partner during the year of 2005.
Total
Number
of Units Average
Price
Period Purchase Paid Per
d Unit
- ------------- -------- --------
- ------------- -------- --------
-- - --
January 2005 12 $239.11
February 2005 - -
March 2005 - -
April 2005 - -
May 2005 - -
June 2005 - -
July 2005 625 373.74
August 2005 - -
September - -
2005
October 2005 - -
November 2005 - -
December 2005 - -
------- -------
--
TOTALS 637 $371.20
==== =====
Item 6. Selected Financial Data
The following selected financial data for the years ended December 31,
2005, 2004, 2003, 2002 and 2001 should be read in conjunction with the
financial statements included in Item 8:
Years ended December 31,
------------------------------------------------
---------
2005 2004 2003 2002 2001
------ ------ ------ ------ ------
Revenues $ 1,146,59 979,022 833,432 704,509 685,404
0
Net income before
cumulative
effect of accounting 981,942 809,295 641,878 527,014 473,239
change
Net income 981,942 809,295 614,383 543,014 473,239
Partners' share
of net income:
General partners 98,194 80,929 61,438 54,301 47,324
Limited partners 883,748 728,366 552,945 488,713 425,915
Limited partners'
net income per unit
before cumulative
effect
of accounting change 58.92 48.56
38.51 31.62 28.39
Limited partners'
net income per unit 58.92 48.56 32.58
36.86 28.39
Limited partners'
cash distributions 57.00 53.56
per unit 37.47 34.31 43.60
Total assets $ 893,148 855,110 931,788 868,602 897,412
Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and
Results of Operations
General
The Partnership was formed to acquire non-operating interests in producing
oil and gas properties, to produce and market crude oil and natural gas
produced from such properties and to distribute any net proceeds from
operations to the general and limited partners. Net revenues from
producing oil and gas properties are not reinvested in other revenue
producing assets except to the extent that producing facilities and wells
are reworked or where methods are employed to improve or enable more
efficient recovery of oil and gas reserves. The economic life of the
Partnership thus depends on the period over which the Partnership's oil and
gas reserves are economically recoverable.
Increases or decreases in Partnership revenues and, therefore,
distributions to partners will depend primarily on changes in the prices
received for production, changes in volumes of production sold, lease
operating expenses, enhanced recovery projects, offset drilling activities
pursuant to farm-out arrangements and on the depletion of wells. Since
wells deplete over time, production can generally be expected to decline
from year to year.
Well operating costs and general and administrative costs usually decrease
with production declines; however, these costs may not decrease
proportionately. Net income available for distribution to the limited
partners has fluctuated over the past few years and is expected to decline
in later years based on these factors.
Critical Accounting Policies
The Partnership follows the full cost method of accounting for its oil and
gas properties. The full cost method subjects companies to quarterly
calculations of a "ceiling", or limitation on the amount of properties that
can be capitalized on the balance sheet. If the Partnership's capitalized
costs are in excess of the calculated ceiling, the excess must be written
off as an expense.
The Partnership's discounted present value of its proved oil and natural
gas reserves is a major component of the ceiling calculation, and
represents the component that requires the most subjective judgments.
Estimates of reserves are forecasts based on engineering data, projected
future rates of production and the timing of future expenditures. The
process of estimating oil and natural gas reserves requires substantial
judgment, resulting in imprecise determinations, particularly for new
discoveries. Different reserve engineers may make different estimates of
reserve quantities based on the same data. The Partnership's reserve
estimates are prepared by outside consultants.
The passage of time provides more qualitative information regarding
estimates of reserves, and revisions are made to prior estimates to reflect
updated information. However, there can be no assurance that more
significant revisions will not be necessary in the future. If future
significant revisions are necessary that reduce previously estimated
reserve quantities, it could result in a full cost property writedown. In
addition to the impact of these estimates of proved reserves on calculation
of the ceiling, estimates of proved reserves are also a significant
component of the calculation of depletion, depreciation, and amortization
("DD&A").
While the quantities of proved reserves require substantial judgment, the
associated prices of oil and natural gas reserves that are included in the
discounted present value of the reserves do not require judgment. The
ceiling calculation dictates that prices and costs in effect as of the last
day of the period are generally held constant indefinitely. Because the
ceiling calculation dictates that prices in effect as of the last day of
the applicable quarter are held constant indefinitely, the resulting value
is not indicative of the true fair value of the reserves. Oil and natural
gas prices have historically been cyclical and, on any particular day at
the end of a quarter, can be either substantially higher or lower than the
Partnership's long-term price forecast that is a barometer for true fair
value.
Supplemental Information
The following unaudited information is intended to supplement the financial
statements included in this Form 10-K with data that is not readily
available from those statements.
Year Ended December 31,
2005 2004 2003
------ ------ --------
-----
Oil production in 18,524 20,870 22,500
barrels
Gas production in mcf 56,586 73,692 82,200
Total (BOE) 27,955 33,152 36,200
Average price per barrel $ 52.96 38.76
of oil 29.57
Average price per mcf of $ 7.62 6.11
gas 4.88
Partnership $ 950,000 892,945 623,290
distributions
Limited partner $ 855,000 803,381 562,055
distributions
Per unit distribution to $ 57.00 53.56
limited partners 37.47
Number of limited 15,000 15,000 15,000
partner units
Operating Results
The following discussion compares our results for the year ended December
31, 2005 to the two previous years. All references to 2005, 2004 and 2003
within this section refer to the respective annual periods.
Income from net profits
Oil and gas prices continued to climb to record levels compared to the
previous two years. Comparing 2005 to 2004, oil and gas sales increased
$152,500, of which price variances accounted for a $348,000 increase and
production variances accounted for a $195,500 decrease. Comparing 2004 to
2003, oil and gas sales increased $193,300, of which price variances
accounted for a $283,000 increase and production variances accounted for a
$89,700 decrease.
Production in 2005 (on a BOE basis) was 16% lower than 2004 and 23% lower
than 2003. Our oil production was 11% lower and our gas production was 23%
lower in 2005 than 2004 due primarily to normal production declines.
In 2005, our realized oil price was 37% higher than 2004 and 79% higher
than 2003, while our realized gas price was 25% higher than 2004 and 56%
higher than 2003. Historically, the markets for oil and gas have been
volatile, and they are likely to continue to be volatile. We have very
little control over the prices we receive for our production at the
wellhead since most of our physical marketing arrangements are market-
sensitive.
Oil and gas production costs on a BOE basis increased from $8.54 per BOE in
2004 and $6.72 per BOE in 2003 to $9.59 per BOE in 2005. The increase in
oil and gas production costs per BOE in 2005 was primarily due to increased
production tax costs related to higher product prices. It is likely that
these factors will continue to contribute to higher production costs in
future periods.
Expenses
Depletion on a BOE basis increased 16% from 2004 and decreased 18% from
2003. Comparing 2005 to 2004, depletion expense decreased $700, of which
rate variances accounted for a $5,500 increase and production variances
accounted for a $6,200 decrease. Comparing 2004 to 2003, depletion expense
decreased $21,400, of which rate variances accounted for a $16,300 decrease
and production variances accounted for a $5,100 decrease. Depletion rates
are a function of net capitalized costs and estimated reserve quantities.
The rates for 2006 are expected to be similar to the 2005 rates.
General and administrative ("G&A") expenses were 4% lower than 2004 and 3%
lower than 2003 due primarily to lower engineering fees and lower annual
report printing costs.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Partnership distributions during the year ended December 31, 2005 were
$950,000, of which $855,000 was distributed to the limited partners and
$95,000 to the general partners. Cumulative cash distributions of
$13,832,288 have been made to the general and limited partners as of
December 31, 2005. As of December 31, 2005, $12,464,794 or $830.99 per
limited partner unit has been distributed to the limited partners,
representing 166% of contributed capital.
Our primary source of cash from operating activities is our oil and gas
sales, net of production costs. Cash flow provided by operating activities
for 2005 was 22% higher than 2004 due to the combined effects of several
drivers. The positive benefits of a 12% increase in oil and gas sales,
driven primarily by higher oil and gas prices, were combined with lower
production costs. Our only use in financing activities is the distribution
to partners which was 6% higher than 2004.
As of December 31, 2005, the Partnership had approximately $342,900 in
working capital. The Managing General Partner knows of no unusual
contractual commitments. Although the Partnership held many long-lived
properties at inception, because of the restrictions on property
development imposed by the partnership agreement, the Partnership cannot
develop its non-producing properties, if any. Without continued
development, the producing reserves continue to deplete. Accordingly, as
the Partnership's properties have matured and depleted, the net cash flows
from operations for the Partnership has steadily declined, except in
periods of substantially increased commodity pricing. Maintenance of
properties and administrative expenses for the Partnership are increasing
relative to production. As the properties continue to deplete, maintenance
of properties and administrative costs as a percentage of production are
expected to continue to increase.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
In December 2004, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued
Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 153 "Exchanges of
Nonmonetary Assets, an amendment of APB Opinion No. 29" ("SFAS 153").
SFAS 153 specifies the criteria required to record a nonmonetary asset
exchange using carryover basis. SFAS 153 is effective for nonmonetary
asset exchanges occurring after July 1, 2005. The Partnership adopted this
statement in the third quarter of 2005, and it did not have an effect on
the financial statements.
In September 2004, the Securities and Exchange Commission issued Staff
Accounting Bulletin No. 106 ("SAB 106"). SAB 106 expresses the SEC staff's
views regarding SFAS No. 143 and its impact on both the full-cost ceiling
test and the calculation of depletion expense. In accordance with SAB 106,
beginning in the first quarter of 2005, undiscounted abandonment costs for
wells to be drilled in the future to develop proved reserves are included
in the unamortized cost of oil and gas properties, net of related salvage
value, for purposes of computing depreciation, depletion and amortization
("DD&A"). The implementation of SAB 106 did not have a material impact on
our financial statements.
Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
The Partnership is not a party to any derivative or embedded derivative
instruments.
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data
Index to Financial Statements
Page
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm 17
Balance Sheets 18
Statements of Operations 19
Statement of Changes in Partners' Equity 20
Statements of Cash Flows 21
Notes to Financial Statements 23
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED
PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
The Partners
Southwest Royalties Institutional Income Fund VII-B, L.P.
(A Delaware Limited Partnership)
We have audited the accompanying balance sheets of Southwest Royalties
Institutional Income Fund VII-B, L.P. (the "Partnership") as of December
31, 2005 and 2004, and the related statements of operations, partners'
equity, and cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended
December 31, 2005. These financial statements are the responsibility of
the Partnership's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion
on these 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, the financial statements referred to above present fairly,
in all material respects, the financial position of Southwest Royalties
Institutional Income Fund VII-B, L.P. as of December 31, 2005 and 2004, and
the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the years in
the three-year period ended December 31, 2005, in conformity with U.S.
generally accepted accounting principles.
As discussed in Note 3 to the financial statements, the Partnership changed
its method of accounting for asset retirement obligations as of January 1,
2003.
KPMG LLP
Dallas, Texas
March 30, 2006
Southwest Royalties Institutional Income Fund VII-B, L.P.
(a Delaware limited partnership)
Balance Sheets
December 31, 2005 and 2004
2005 2004
----- -----
Assets
- ---------
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents $ 153,691 110,804
Receivable from Managing 187,607 160,673
General Partner
Other 1,603 112
-------- --------
---- ----
Total current assets 342,901 271,589
-------- --------
---- ----
Oil and gas properties -
using the full-
cost method of accounting 4,247,61 4,242,03
8 8
Less accumulated
depreciation,
depletion and 3,697,37 3,658,51
amortization 1 7
-------- --------
---- ----
Net oil and gas 550,247 583,521
properties
-------- --------
---- ----
$ 893,148 855,110
======= =======
Liabilities and Partners'
Equity
- ----------------------------
- ------------
Current liability - $ - 3,348
distribution payable
-------- --------
---- ----
Asset retirement obligation 85,629 76,185
-------- --------
---- ----
Partners' equity (deficit):
General partner (556,320 (559,514
) )
Limited partners 1,363,83 1,335,09
9 1
-------- --------
---- ----
Total partners' equity 807,519 775,577
-------- --------
---- ----
$ 893,148 855,110
======= =======
The accompanying notes are an integral
part of these financial statements.
Southwest Royalties Institutional Income Fund VII-B, L.P.
(a Delaware limited partnership)
Statements of Operations
Years ended December 31, 2005, 2004 and 2003
2005 2004 2003
------ ------ ------
Revenues
- -------------
Income from net profits $ 1,143,83 976,629 823,178
interests 3
Interest income 2,756 1,566 1,380
Other 1 827 8,874
-------- -------- --------
------ -- ---
1,146,59 979,022 833,432
0
-------- -------- --------
------ -- ---
Expenses
- ------------
Depreciation, depletion and 38,854 39,603 61,000
amortization
Accretion expense 4,819 4,011 5,342
General and administrative 120,975 126,113 125,212
-------- -------- --------
------ -- ---
164,648 169,727 191,554
-------- -------- --------
------ -- ---
Net income before cumulative
effect
of accounting change 981,942 809,295 641,878
Cumulative effect of change in
accounting
principle - SFAS No. 143 - - - (27,495)
See Note 3
-------- -------- --------
------ -- ---
Net income $ 981,942 809,295 614,383
======== ====== ======
Net income allocated to:
Managing General Partner $ 98,194 80,929 61,438
======== ====== ======
Limited partners $ 883,748 728,366 552,945
======== ====== ======
Per limited partner unit $ 58.92 48.56
before cumulative effects 38.51
Cumulative effects per - - (1.65)
limited partner unit
-------- -------- --------
------ -- ---
Per limited partner unit $ 58.92 48.56
36.86
======== ====== ======
The accompanying notes are an integral
part of these financial statements.
Southwest Royalties Institutional Income Fund VII-B, L.P.
(a Delaware limited partnership)
Statement of Changes in Partners' Equity
Years ended December 31, 2005, 2004 and 2003
General Limited
Partner Partners Total
-------- -------- -------
--- ----
Balance at December 31, $ (551,082 1,419,21 868,134
2002 ) 6
Net income 61,438 552,945 614,383
Distributions (61,235) (562,055 (623,290
) )
-------- -------- --------
---- ----- ----
Balance at December 31, (550,879 1,410,10 859,227
2003 ) 6
Net income 80,929 728,366 809,295
Distributions (89,564) (803,381 (892,945
) )
-------- -------- --------
---- ----- ----
Balance at December 31, (559,514 1,335,09 775,577
2004 ) 1
Net income 98,194 883,748 981,942
Distributions (95,000) (855,000 (950,000
) )
-------- -------- --------
---- ----- ----
Balance at December 31, $ (556,320 1,363,83 807,519
2005 ) 9
======= ======= =======
The accompanying notes are an integral
part of these financial statements.
Southwest Royalties Institutional Income Fund VII-B, L.P.
(a Delaware limited partnership)
Statements of Cash Flows
Years ended December 31, 2005, 2004 and 2003
2005 2004 2003
------ ------ ------
Cash flows from operating
activities:
Cash received from net $ 1,114,45 936,980 837,101
profits interest 3
Cash paid for administrative
fees and general
and administrative overhead (120,975 (126,113 (125,212
) ) )
Interest received 2,756 1,566 1,380
Miscellaneous 1 827 8,874
-------- -------- --------
---- ---- ----
Net cash provided by 996,235 813,260 722,143
operating activities
-------- -------- --------
---- ---- ----
Cash flows from investing
activities:
Sale of oil and gas - - 16,178
properties
-------- -------- --------
---- ---- ----
Cash flows from financing
activities:
Distributions to partners (950,000 (892,945 (623,290
) ) )
(Decrease) increase in (3,348) 3,290 (410)
distribution payable
-------- -------- --------
---- ---- ----
Net cash used in financing (953,348 (889,655 (623,700
activities ) ) )
-------- -------- --------
---- ---- ----
Net increase (decrease) in 42,887 (76,395) 114,621
cash and cash equivalents
Beginning of year 110,804 187,199 72,578
-------- -------- --------
---- ---- ----
End of year $ 153,691 110,804 187,199
======= ======= =======
(continu
ed)
Southwest Royalties Institutional Income Fund VII-B, L.P.
(a Delaware limited partnership)
Statements of Cash Flows
Years ended December 31, 2005, 2004 and 2003
2005 2004 2003
------ ------ ------
Reconciliation of net income
to net
cash provided by operating
activities
Net income $ 981,942 809,295 614,383
Adjustments to reconcile net
income to
net cash provided by
operating activities:
Depreciation, depletion and 38,854 39,603 61,000
amortization
Accretion expense 4,819 4,011 5,342
Cumulative effect of change - - 27,495
in accounting principle
Settlement of ARO for P&A (955) - -
wells
(Increase) decrease in (28,425) (39,649) 13,923
receivables
-------- -------- --------
---- ---- ----
Net cash provided by operating $ 996,235 813,260 722,143
activities
======= ======= =======
Noncash investing and
financing activities:
Increase in oil and gas
properties - Adoption
of SFAS No. 143 $ - - 38,901
======= ======= =======
Increase (decrease) in oil
and gas properties -
SFAS No. 143 $ 5,580 (329) (765)
======= ======= =======
The accompanying notes are an integral
part of these financial statements.
Southwest Royalties Institutional Income Fund VII-B, L.P.
(a Delaware limited partnership)
Notes to Financial Statements
1. Organization
Southwest Royalties Institutional Income Fund VII-B, L.P. was
organized under the laws of the state of Delaware on January 28, 1987,
for the purpose of acquiring producing oil and gas properties and to
produce and market crude oil and natural gas produced from such
properties for a term of 50 years, unless terminated at an earlier
date as provided for in the Partnership Agreement. The Partnership
sells its oil and gas production to a variety of purchasers with the
prices it receives being dependent upon the oil and gas economy.
Southwest Royalties, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Clayton
Williams Energy, Inc., serves as the Managing General Partner.
Revenues, costs and expenses are allocated as follows:
Limited General
Partners Partners
-------- --------
--- ---
Interest income on capital 100% -
contributions
Oil and gas sales 90% 10%
All other revenues 90% 10%
Organization and offering 100% -
costs (1)
Syndication costs 100% -
Amortization of organization 100% -
costs
Property acquisition costs 100% -
Gain/loss on property 90% 10%
disposition
Operating and administrative 90% 10%
costs (2)
Depreciation, depletion and
amortization of
oil and gas properties 90% 10%
All other costs 90% 10%
(1)All organization costs in excess of 3% of initial capital
contributions will be paid by the Managing General Partner and
will be treated as a capital contribution. The Partnership paid
the Managing General Partner an amount equal to 3% of initial
capital contributions for such organization costs.
(2)Administrative costs in any year, which exceed 2% of capital
contributions shall be paid by the Managing General Partner and
will be treated as a capital contribution.
2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Oil and Gas Properties
Oil and gas properties are accounted for at cost under the full-cost
method. Under this method, all productive and nonproductive costs
incurred in connection with the acquisition, exploration and
development of oil and gas reserves are capitalized. Gain or loss on
the sale of oil and gas properties is not recognized unless
significant oil and gas reserves are involved.
Should the net capitalized costs exceed the estimated present value of
oil and gas reserves, discounted at 10%, such excess costs would be
charged to current expense. As of December 31, 2005, 2004 and 2003,
the net capitalized costs did not exceed the estimated present value
of oil and gas reserves.
The Partnership's interest in oil and gas properties consists of net
profits interests in proved properties located within the continental
United States. A net profits interest is created when the owner of a
working interest in a property enters into an arrangement providing
that the net profits interest owner will receive a stated percentage
of the net profit from the property. The net profits interest owner
will not otherwise participate in additional costs and expenses of the
property.
Southwest Royalties Institutional Income Fund VII-B, L.P.
(a Delaware limited partnership)
Notes to Financial Statements
2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies - continued
Oil and Gas Properties - continued
The Partnership recognizes income from its net profits interest in oil
and gas property on an accrual basis, while the quarterly cash
distributions of the net profits interest are based on a calculation
of actual cash received from oil and gas sales, net of expenses
incurred during that quarterly period. If the net profits interest
calculation results in expenses incurred exceeding the oil and gas
income received during a quarter, no cash distribution is due to the
Partnership's net profits interest until the deficit is recovered from
future net profits. The Partnership accrues a quarterly loss on its
net profits interest provided there is a cumulative net amount due for
accrued revenue as of the balance sheet date. As of December 31,
2005, there were no timing differences which resulted in a deficit net
profit interest.
Estimates and Uncertainties
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally
accepted accounting principles requires management to make estimates
and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and
liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the
date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues
and expenses during the reporting period. The Partnership's depletion
calculation and full-cost ceiling test for oil and gas properties uses
oil and gas reserves estimates, which are inherently imprecise.
Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Syndication Costs
Syndication costs are accounted for as a reduction of partnership
equity.
Environmental Costs
The Partnership is subject to extensive federal, state and local
environmental laws and regulations. These laws, which are constantly
changing, regulate the discharge of materials into the environment and
may require the Partnership to remove or mitigate the environmental
effects of the disposal or release of petroleum or chemical substances
at various sites. Environmental expenditures are expensed or
capitalized depending on their future economic benefit. Costs, which
improve a property as compared with the condition of the property when
originally constructed or acquired and costs, which prevent future
environmental contamination are capitalized. Expenditures that relate
to an existing condition caused by past operations and that have no
future economic benefits are expensed. Liabilities for expenditures
of a non-capital nature are recorded when environmental assessment
and/or remediation is probable, and the costs can be reasonably
estimated.
Revenue Recognition
The Partnership recognizes oil and gas sales when delivery to the
purchaser has occurred and title has transferred. This occurs when
production has been delivered to a pipeline or transport vehicle.
Gas Balancing
The Partnership utilizes the sales method of accounting for gas-
balancing arrangements. Under this method the Partnership recognizes
sales revenue on all gas sold. As of December 31 2005 and 2004, the
Partnership was under produced by 2,368 mcf of gas.
Income Taxes
No provision for income taxes is reflected in these financial
statements, since the tax effects of the Partnership's income or loss
are passed through to the individual partners.
In accordance with the requirements of Statement of Financial
Accounting Standards No. 109, "Accounting for Income Taxes" the
Partnership's tax basis in its net oil and gas properties at December
31, 2005 and 2004 is $295,112 and $299,993 less than that shown on the
accompanying Balance Sheets in accordance with generally accepted
accounting principles.
Cash and Cash Equivalents
For purposes of the statement of cash flows, the Partnership considers
all highly liquid debt instruments purchased with a maturity of three
months or less to be cash equivalents. The Partnership maintains its
cash at one financial institution.
Southwest Royalties Institutional Income Fund VII-B, L.P.
(a Delaware limited partnership)
Notes to Financial Statements
2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies - continued
Number of Limited Partner Units
As of December 31, 2005, 2004 and 2003, there were 15,000 limited
partner units outstanding held by 626, 673 and 710 partners,
respectively.
Concentrations of Credit Risk
The Partnership is subject to credit risk through trade receivables.
Although a substantial portion of its debtors' ability to pay is
dependent upon the oil and gas industry, credit risk is minimized due
to a large customer base. All partnership revenues are received by
the Managing General Partner and subsequently remitted to the
partnership and all expenses are paid by the Managing General Partner
and subsequently reimbursed by the Partnership.
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
The carrying amount of cash and accounts receivable approximates fair
value due to the short maturity of these instruments.
Net Income per limited partnership unit
The net income per limited partnership unit is calculated by using the
number of outstanding limited partnership units.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
In December 2004, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB")
issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 153 "Exchanges
of Nonmonetary Assets, an amendment of APB Opinion No. 29"
("SFAS 153"). SFAS 153 specifies the criteria required to record a
nonmonetary asset exchange using carryover basis. SFAS 153 is
effective for nonmonetary asset exchanges occurring after July 1,
2005. The Partnership adopted this statement in the third quarter of
2005, and it did not have an effect on the financial statements.
In September 2004, the Securities and Exchange Commission issued Staff
Accounting Bulletin No. 106 ("SAB 106"). SAB 106 expresses the SEC
staff's views regarding SFAS No. 143 and its impact on both the full-
cost ceiling test and the calculation of depletion expense. In
accordance with SAB 106, beginning in the first quarter of 2005,
undiscounted abandonment costs for wells to be drilled in the future
to develop proved reserves are included in the unamortized cost of oil
and gas properties, net of related salvage value, for purposes of
computing depreciation, depletion and amortization ("DD&A"). The
implementation of SAB 106 did not have a material impact on our
financial statements.
3. Asset Retirement Obligations
On January 1, 2003, the Partnership adopted Statement of Financial
Accounting Standards No. 143, Accounting for Asset Retirement
Obligations ("SFAS No. 143"). The standard requires the Partnership
to recognize a liability for the present value of all legal
obligations associated with the retirement of tangible long-lived
assets and to capitalize an equal amount as a cost of the asset and
depreciate the additional cost over the estimated useful life of the
asset. On January 1, 2003, the Partnership recorded additional costs,
net of accumulated depreciation, of $38,901, a long term liability of
$66,396 and a loss of $27,495 for the cumulative effect on
depreciation of the additional costs and accretion expense on the
liability related to expected abandonment costs of its oil and natural
gas producing properties.
Southwest Royalties Institutional Income Fund VII-B, L.P.
(a Delaware limited partnership)
Notes to Financial Statements
3. Asset Retirement Obligations - continued
Changes in abandonment obligations for 2005 and 2004 are as
follows:
2005 2004
------- -------
Beginning of year $ 76,185 72,503
Additional abandonment obligations 162 14
from new wells
Reduction of obligations due to (955) (343)
wells plugged and abandoned
Accretion expense 4,819 4,011
Revisions of previous estimates 5,418 -
------- -------
------- -----
End of year $ 85,629 76,185
======= =======
=
4. Commitments and Contingent Liabilities
After completion of the Partnership's first full fiscal year of
operations and each year thereafter, the Managing General Partner has
offered and will continue to offer to purchase each limited partner's
interest in the Partnership. The pricing mechanism used to calculate
the repurchase is based on tangible assets of the Partnership, plus
the present value of the future net revenues of proved oil and gas
properties, minus liabilities with a risk factor discount of up to one-
third which may be implemented in the sole discretion of the Managing
General Partner. However, the Managing General Partner's obligation
to purchase limited partner units is limited to an annual expenditure
of an amount not in excess of 10% of the total limited partner units
initially subscribed for by limited partners.
The Partnership is subject to various federal, state and local
environmental laws and regulations, which establish standards and
requirements for protection of the environment. The Partnership
cannot predict the future impact of such standards and requirements,
which are subject to change and can have retroactive effectiveness.
The Partnership continues to monitor the status of these laws and
regulations.
As of December 31, 2005, the Partnership has not been fined, cited or
notified of any environmental violations and management is not aware
of any unasserted violations, which would have a material adverse
effect upon capital expenditures, earnings or the competitive position
in the oil and gas industry. However, the Managing General Partner
does recognize by the very nature of its business, material costs
could be incurred in the near term to bring the Partnership into total
compliance. The amount of such future expenditures is not
determinable due to several factors, including the unknown magnitude
of possible contaminations, the unknown timing and extent of the
corrective actions which may be required, the determination of the
Partnership's liability in proportion to other responsible parties and
the extent to which such expenditures are recoverable from insurance
or indemnifications from prior owners of Partnership's properties.
5. Related Party Transactions
A significant portion of the oil and gas properties in which the
Partnership has an interest are purchased from and operated by the
Managing General Partner. As provided for in the operating agreement
for each respective oil and gas property in which the Partnership has
an interest, the operator is paid an amount for administrative
overhead attributable to operating such properties, with such amounts
to Southwest Royalties, Inc. as operator approximating $19,100,
$18,700 and $19,000 for the years ended December 31, 2005, 2004 and
2003, respectively. The amounts for administrative overhead
attributable to operating the partnership properties has been deducted
from gross oil and gas revenues in the determination of net profit
interest. In addition, the Managing General Partner and certain
officers and employees may have an interest in some of the properties
that the Partnership also participates.
Southwest Royalties, Inc., the Managing General Partner, was paid
$108,000 during 2005, 2004 and 2003 as an administrative fee for
indirect general and administrative overhead expenses. The
administrative fees are included in general and administrative expense
on the statement of operations.
Southwest Royalties Institutional Income Fund VII-B, L.P.
(a Delaware limited partnership)
Notes to Financial Statements
5. Related Party Transactions - continued
Receivables from Southwest Royalties, Inc., the Managing General
Partner, of approximately $187,600 and $160,700 are from oil and gas
production, net of lease operating costs and production taxes, as of
December 31, 2005 and 2004, respectively.
6. Oil and Gas Reserves Information (unaudited)
The estimates of proved oil and gas reserves utilized in the
preparation of the financial statements were prepared by independent
petroleum engineers. Such estimates are in accordance with guidelines
established by the Securities and Exchange Commission and the
Financial Accounting Standards Board, which require that reserve
reports be prepared under economic and operating conditions existing
at the registrant's year end with no provision for price and cost
escalations except by contractual arrangements. Future cash inflows
were computed by applying year-end prices to the year-end quantities
of proved reserves. Future development, abandonment and production
costs were computed by estimating the expenditures to be incurred in
developing, producing, and abandoning proved oil and gas reserves at
the end of the year, based on year-end costs. All of the
Partnership's reserves are located in the United States. For
information about the Partnership's results of operations from oil and
gas producing activities, see the accompanying statements of
operations.
The Partnership's interest in proved oil and gas reserves is as
follows:
Oil Gas
(bbls) (mcf)
-------- --------
----- -----
Total Proved -
January 1, 2003 223,000 906,000
Sales of reserves in place (9,000) -
Revisions of previous 89,000 92,000
estimates
Production (23,000) (82,000)
-------- --------
--- ----
December 31, 2003 280,000 916,000
New discoveries and 8,000 312,000
extensions
Revisions of previous 44,000 240,000
estimates
Production (21,000) (74,000)
-------- --------
--- ----
December 31, 2004 311,000 1,394,00
0
Revisions of previous (64,000) (653,000
estimates )
Production (19,000) (57,000)
-------- --------
--- ----
December 31, 2005 228,000 684,000
====== =======
Proved developed reserves -
December 31, 2003 244,000 681,000
====== =======
December 31, 2004 270,000 927,000
====== =======
December 31, 2005 223,000 635,000
====== =======
Net revisions of 173,000 BOE in 2005 consisted of approximately 26,000
BOE of upward revisions attributable to the effects of higher product
prices on the estimated quantities of proved reserves, net of downward
revisions of approximately 199,000 BOE attributable to well performance
primarily from properties in the Amacker/Wilshire field of West Texas.
Southwest Royalties Institutional Income Fund VII-B, L.P.
(a Delaware limited partnership)
Notes to Financial Statements
6. Oil and Gas Reserves Information (unaudited) - continued
Oil price adjustments were made in the individual evaluations to
reflect oil quality, gathering and transportation costs. The
standardized measure as of December 31, 2005, 2004 and 2003 reflects
an average oil price of $56.99, $40.93 and $30.24 per barrel.
Gas price adjustments were made in the individual evaluations to
reflect BTU content, gathering and transportation costs and gas
processing and shrinkage. The standardized measure as of December 31,
2005, 2004 and 2003 reflects an average natural gas price of $10.80,
$5.25 and $5.58 per Mcf.
The evaluation of oil and gas properties is not an exact science and
inevitably involves a significant degree of uncertainty, particularly
with respect to the quantity of oil or gas that any given property is
capable of producing. Estimates of oil and gas reserves are based on
available geological and engineering data, the extent and quality of
which may vary in each case and, in certain instances, may prove to be
inaccurate. Consequently, properties may be depleted more rapidly
than the geological and engineering data have indicated.
Unanticipated depletion, if it occurs, will result in lower reserves
than previously estimated; thus an ultimately lower return for the
Partnership. Basic changes in past reserve estimates occur annually.
As new data is gathered during the subsequent year, the engineer must
revise his earlier estimates. A year of new information, which is
pertinent to the estimation of future recoverable volumes, is
available during the subsequent year evaluation. In applying industry
standards and procedures, the new data may cause the previous
estimates to be revised. This revision may increase or decrease the
earlier estimated volumes. Pertinent information gathered during the
year may include actual production and decline rates, production from
offset wells drilled to the same geologic formation, increased or
decreased water production, workovers, and changes in lifting costs,
among others. Accordingly, reserve estimates are often different from
the quantities of oil and gas that are ultimately recovered.
The Partnership has reserves, which are classified as proved developed
and proved undeveloped. All of the proved reserves are included in
the engineering reports, which evaluate the Partnership's present
reserves.
Because the Partnership does not engage in drilling activities, the
development of proved undeveloped reserves is conducted pursuant to
farmout arrangements with the Managing General Partner or unrelated
third parties. Generally, the Partnership retains a carried interest
such as an overriding royalty interest under the terms of a farm-out.
Southwest Royalties Institutional Income Fund VII-B, L.P.
(a Delaware limited partnership)
Notes to Financial Statements
6. Oil and Gas Reserves Information (unaudited) - continued
The standardized measure of discounted future net cash flows relating
to proved oil and gas reserves at December 31, 2005, 2004 and 2003 is
presented below:
2005 2004 2003
---- ---- ----
Future cash inflows $ 20,365,0 20,054,0 13,575,0
00 00 00
Production, development
and
abandonment costs 6,117,00 5,086,00 4,184,00
0 0 0
-------- -------- --------
------ ------ ------
Future net cash flows 14,248,0 14,968,0 9,391,00
00 00 0
10% annual discount for
estimated timing of 7,376,00 7,340,00 4,612,00
cash flows 0 0 0
-------- -------- --------
------ ------ ------
Standardized measure of
discounted future net $ 6,872,00 7,628,00 4,779,00
cash flows 0 0 0
======== ======== ========
Changes in the standardized measure of discounted future net cash
flows relating to proved reserves for the years ended December 31,
2005, 2004 and 2003 are as follows:
2005 2004 2003
---- ---- ----
Sales of oil and gas
produced,
net of production $ (1,144,0 (977,000 (823,000
costs 00) ) )
Extensions and - 991,000 -
discoveries
Changes in prices and 3,668,00 1,364,00 524,000
production costs 0 0
Changes of production
rates
(timing) and others (570,000 (197,000 (348,000
) ) )
Sales of minerals in - - (69,000)
place
Revisions of previous
quantities estimates (3,473,0 1,190,00 1,144,00
00) 0 0
Accretion of discount 763,000 478,000 395,000
Discounted future net
cash flows -
Beginning of year 7,628,00 4,779,00 3,956,00
0 0 0
-------- -------- --------
---- ---- ----
End of year $ 6,872,00 7,628,00 4,779,00
0 0 0
======= ======= =======
Southwest Royalties Institutional Income Fund VII-B, L.P.
(a Delaware limited partnership)
Notes to Financial Statements
7. Selected Quarterly Financial Results - (unaudited)
Quarter
--------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
-
First Second Third Fourth
------ -------- ------- --------
--- -
2005:
Total revenues $ 219,070 286,221 316,751 324,548
Total expenses 41,169 42,867 38,826 41,786
-------- -------- -------- --------
---- ---- ---- ----
Net income $ 177,901 243,354 277,925 282,762
======= ======= ======= =======
Net income per limited $ 10.67
partners unit 14.60 16.68 16.97
======= ======= ======= =======
Quarter
--------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
-
First Second Third Fourth
------ -------- ------- --------
--- -
2004:
Total revenues $ 218,750 231,055 233,834 295,383
Total expenses 44,575 45,975 40,906 38,271
-------- -------- -------- --------
---- ---- ---- ----
Net income $ 174,175 185,080 192,928 257,112
======= ======= ======= =======
Net income per limited $ 10.45
partners unit 11.10 11.58 15.43
======= ======= ======= =======
Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements With Accountants on Accounting and
Financial Disclosure
None
Item 9A. Controls and Procedures
The Managing General Partner has established disclosure controls and
procedures that are adequate to provide reasonable assurance that
management will be able to collect, process and disclose both financial and
non-financial information, on a timely basis, in the Partnership's reports
to the SEC. Disclosure controls and procedures include all processes
necessary to ensure that material information is recorded, processed,
summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC's
rules and forms, and is accumulated and communicated to management,
including our chief executive and chief financial officers, to allow timely
decisions regarding required disclosures.
With respect to these disclosure controls and procedures:
management has evaluated the effectiveness of the disclosure
controls and procedures as of the end of the period covered by
this report;
this evaluation was conducted under the supervision and with the
participation of management, including the chief executive and
chief financial officers of the Managing General Partner; and
it is the conclusion of chief executive and chief financial
officers of the Managing General Partner that these disclosure
controls and procedures are effective in ensuring that
information that is required to be disclosed by the Partnership
in reports filed or submitted with the SEC is recorded,
processed, summarized and reported within the time periods
specified in the rules and forms established by the SEC.
Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
There has not been any change in the Partnership's internal control over
financial reporting that occurred during the quarter ended December 31,
2005 that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially
affect, its internal control over financial reporting.
Item 9B. Other Information
None.
Part III
Item 10. Directors and Executive Officers of the Registrant
Management of the Partnership is provided by Southwest Royalties, Inc., as
Managing General Partner. Since the Managing General Partner is a wholly
owned subsidiary of CWEI, the directors of the Managing General Partner are
elected by management of CWEI. Each director the Managing General Partner
serves for a term of one year. Following is certain information concerning
each of the directors and executive officers of the Managing General
Partner.
CLAYTON W. WILLIAMS, age 74, is Chairman of the Board and a director of the
Managing General Partner, having served in this capacity since May 2004.
Mr. Williams also serves as Chairman of the Board, President, Chief
Executive Officer and a director of CWEI.
L. PAUL LATHAM, age 54, is President, Chief Executive Officer and a
director of the Managing General Partner, having served in this capacity
since May 2004. Mr. Latham also serves as Executive Vice President, Chief
Operating Officer and a director of CWEI.
MEL G. RIGGS, age 51, is Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer
and a director of the Managing General Partner, having served in this
capacity since May 2004. Mr. Riggs also serves as Senior Vice President
and Chief Financial Officer of CWEI.
RANDY HOWARD, age 50, is Vice President - of the Managing General Partner,
having served in this capacity since March 2006.
ROBERT C. LYON, age 69, is Vice President - Gas Gathering and Marketing of
the Managing General Partner, having served in this capacity since May
2004. Mr. Lyon also serves as Vice President - Gas Gathering and Marketing
of CWEI.
T. MARK TISDALE, age 49, is Vice President and Secretary of the Managing
General Partner, having served in this capacity since May 2004. Mr.
Tisdale also serves as Vice President and General Counsel of CWEI.
Code of Ethics
As a wholly owned subsidiary of CWEI, the Managing General Partner is
subject to a Code of Conduct and Ethics ("Code") that applies to all
directors, executive officers and employees of CWEI and the Managing
General Partner. This Code assists employees in complying with the law, in
resolving ethical issues that may arise, and in complying with policies
established by CWEI. This Code is also designed to promote, among other
things, ethical handling of actual or apparent conflicts of interest; full,
fair, accurate and timely disclosure in filings with the SEC; compliance
with law; and prompt internal reporting of violations of the Code. This
Code is available on the website of CWEI at www.claytonwilliams.com under
"Investor Relations/Documents".
Item 11. Executive Compensation
The Partnership does not employ any directors, executive officers or
employees. The Managing General Partner receives an administrative fee for
the management of the Partnership. The Managing General Partner received
$108,000 during 2005, 2004 and 2003, as an annual administrative fee. The
executive officers of the Managing General Partner do not receive any form
of compensation, from the Partnership; instead, their compensation is paid
solely by Southwest. The executive officers, however, may occasionally
perform administrative duties for the Partnership but receive no additional
compensation for this work.
Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management
There are no limited partners who own of record, or are known by the
Managing General Partner to beneficially own, more than five percent of the
Partnership's limited partnership interests, other than the Managing
General Partner.
Through repurchase offers to the limited partners, the Managing General
Partner owns 5,477.5 limited partner units, a 32.9% limited partner
interest. The Managing General Partner's total percentage interest
ownership in the Partnership is 42.9%.
No officer or director of the Managing General Partner directly owns units
in the Partnership. CWEI is considered to be a beneficial owner of the
limited partner units acquired by the Managing General Partner by virtue of
its ownership of the Managing General Partner. Beneficial ownership is
determined in accordance with the rules of the Securities and Exchange
Commission and includes voting or investment power with respect to the
limited partner units.
Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions
In 2005, the Managing General Partner received $108,000 as an
administrative fee. This amount is part of the general and administrative
expenses incurred by the Partnership.
In some instances, the Managing General Partner and its affiliates may be
working interest owners in an oil and gas property in which the Partnership
also has a net profits interest. Certain properties in which the
Partnership has an interest are operated by the Managing General Partner,
who was paid approximately $19,100 for administrative overhead attributable
to operating such properties during 2005.
The terms of the above transactions are similar to ones, which would have
been obtained through arm's length negotiations with unaffiliated third
parties.
Item 14. Principal Accountant Fees and Services
The following table presents fees for professional audit services rendered
by KPMG LLP for the audit of the Partnership's annual financial statements
for the years ended December 31, 2005 and 2004 and fees billed for other
services rendered by KPMG during those periods.
For the Year Ended December 2005 2004
31,
------ ------
Audit Fees $13,303 $
12,865
Audit Related Fees - -
Tax Fees -
-
All Other Fees -
-
------
-- --------
TOTAL $13,303 $
12,865
=====
=====
The Audit Committee of CWEI reviewed and approved, in advance, all audit
and non-audit services provided by KPMG LLP.
Part IV
Item 15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules
(a)(1) Financial Statements:
Included in Part II of this report --
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
Balance Sheets
Statements of Operations
Statement of Changes in Partners' Equity
Statements of Cash Flows
Notes to Financial Statements
(2) Schedules required by Article 12 of Regulation S-
X are either omitted because they are not applicable or
because the required information is shown in the
financial statements or the notes thereto.
(3) Exhibits:
4 (a) Certificate of Limited
Partnership of Southwest Royalties Institutional
Income Fund VII-B, L.P., dated January 28, 1987.
(Incorporated by reference from Partnership's
Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31,
1988.)
(b) Agreement of Limited
Partnership of Southwest Royalties Institutional
Income Fund VII-B, L.P. dated May 20, 1987.
(Incorporated by reference from Partnership's
Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31,
1988.)
(c) Certificate of Amendment of
Limited Partnership of Southwest Royalties
Institutional Income Fund VII-B, L.P., dated July
21, 1987. (Incorporated by reference from
Partnership's Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended
December 31, 1988.)
31.1 Rule 13a-14(a)/15d-14(a) Certification
31.2 Rule 13a-14(a)/15d-14(a) Certification
32.1 Certification of Chief Executive Officer and
Chief Financial Officer
Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted
Pursuant to Section
906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
Signatures
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, the Partnership has duly caused this report to be
signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
Southwest Royalties Institutional Income Fund
VII-B, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership
By: Southwest Royalties, Inc.,
Managing
General Partner
By: /s/ L. Paul Latham
L. Paul Latham
President and Chief Executive Officer
Date: March 30, 2006
In accordance with the Exchange Act, this report has been signed below by
the following persons on behalf of the Registrant and in the capacities and
on the dates indicated.
/s/ Clayton W Williams /s/ L. Paul Latham
Clayton W. Williams, L. Paul Latham,
Chairman of the Board President and a Director
and a Director
Date: March 30, 2006 Date: March 30, 2006
/s/ Mel G. Riggs
Mel G. Riggs, Vice
President - Finance,
Treasurer and a Director
Date: March 30, 2006
SECTION 302 CERTIFICATION Exhibit 31.1
I, L. Paul Latham, certify that:
1. I have reviewed this annual report on Form 10-K of Southwest Royalties
Institutional Income Fund VII-B, L.P.
2.Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement
of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make
the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such
statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered
by this report;
3.Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial
information included in this report, fairly present in all material
respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows
of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;
4.The registrant's other certifying officer(s) and I are responsible for
establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as
defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) for the
registrant and have:
a)Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such
disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our
supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the
registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to
us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in
which this report is being prepared;
b)Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant's disclosure controls
and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the
effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end
of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and
c)Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant's internal
control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant's
most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant's fourth fiscal quarter in
the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is
reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant's internal
control over financial reporting; and
5.The registrant's other certifying officer(s) and I have disclosed, based
on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial
reporting, to the registrant's auditors and the audit committee of
registrant's board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent
functions):
a)All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or
operation of internal control over financial reporting which
reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant's ability to
record, process, summarize and report financial information; and
b)Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other
employees who have a significant role in the registrant's internal
control over financial reporting.
Date: March 30, 2006 /s/ L. Paul Latham
L. Paul Latham
President and Chief Executive Officer
of Southwest Royalties, Inc., the
Managing General Partner of
Southwest Royalties Institutional Income
Fund VII-B, L.P.
SECTION 302 CERTIFICATION Exhibit 31.2
I, Mel G. Riggs, certify that:
1. I have reviewed this annual report on Form 10-K of Southwest Royalties
Institutional Income Fund VII-B, L.P.,
2.Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement
of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make
the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such
statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered
by this report;
3.Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial
information included in this report, fairly present in all material
respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows
of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;
4.The registrant's other certifying officer(s) and I are responsible for
establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as
defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) for the
registrant and have:
a)Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such
disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our
supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the
registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to
us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in
which this report is being prepared;
b)Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant's disclosure controls
and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the
effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end
of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and
c)Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant's internal
control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant's
most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant's fourth fiscal quarter in
the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is
reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant's internal
control over financial reporting; and
5.The registrant's other certifying officer(s) and I have disclosed, based
on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial
reporting, to the registrant's auditors and the audit committee of
registrant's board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent
functions):
a)All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or
operation of internal control over financial reporting which
reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant's ability to
record, process, summarize and report financial information; and
b)Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other
employees who have a significant role in the registrant's internal
control over financial reporting.
Date: March 30, 2006 /s/ Mel G. Riggs
Mel G. Riggs
Vice President and Chief Financial
Officer of
Southwest Royalties, Inc., the
Managing General Partner of
Southwest Royalties Institutional Income
Fund VII-B, L.P.
Exhibit 32.1
CERTIFICATION OF CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER AND
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 1350 and in connection with the accompanying report
on Form 10-K for the period ended December 31, 2005 that is being filed
concurrently with the Securities and Exchange Commission on the date hereof
(the "Report"), each of the undersigned officers of Southwest Royalties
Institutional Income Fund VII-B, L. P. (the "Company"), hereby certifies
that:
1. The Report fully complies with the requirements of section 13(a)
or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; and
2. The information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all
material respects, the financial condition and results of
operation of the Company.
/s/ L. Paul Latham
L. Paul Latham
President and Chief Executive Officer
of Southwest Royalties, Inc., the
Managing General Partner of
Southwest Royalties Institutional
Income Fund VII-B, L.P.
March 30, 2006
/s/ Mel G. Riggs
Mel G. Riggs
Vice President and Chief Financial
Officer of
Southwest Royalties, Inc., the
Managing General Partner of
Southwest Royalties Institutional
Income Fund VII-B, L.P.
March 30, 2006