Recent Accounting Pronouncements - (Policies)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2019

New Accounting Pronouncements and Changes in Accounting Principles [Abstract]

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

New accounting pronouncements implemented by the company during the first nine months of 2019 are discussed below or in the related notes, where appropriate.

In the first quarter of 2019, the company adopted ASU 2016-02 (ASC Topic 842), “Leases” and related ASUs. See Note 3 for further discussion of the adoption and the impact on the company’s financial statements.

In the first quarter of 2019, the company adopted ASU 2018-02, “Reclassification of Certain Tax Effects from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income,” under which the company did not elect to reclassify the income tax effects stranded in accumulated other comprehensive income to retained earnings as a result of the enactment of comprehensive tax legislation, commonly referred to as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. As a result, there was no impact on the company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

New accounting pronouncements requiring implementation in future periods are discussed below.

In November 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-18, “Clarifying the Interaction between Topic 808 and Topic 606.” This ASU clarifies that certain transactions between participants in a collaborative arrangement should be accounted for under ASC 606 when the counterparty is a customer. ASU 2018-18 is effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2019. Management does not expect the adoption of ASU 2018-18 to have a material impact on the company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

In October 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-17, “Targeted Improvements to Related Party Guidance for Variable Interest Entities.” This ASU amends the guidance for determining whether a decision-making fee is a variable interest. ASU 2018-17 is effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2019. Management does not expect the adoption of ASU 2018-17 to have a material impact on the company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-15, “Customer’s Accounting for Implementation Costs Incurred in a Cloud Computing Arrangement That Is a Service Contract.” This ASU requires customers in a hosting arrangement that is a service contract to capitalize certain implementation costs as if the arrangement was an internal-use software project. ASU 2018-15 is effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2019, with early adoption permitted. Management does not expect the adoption of ASU 2018-15 to have a material impact on the company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-14, “Disclosure Framework - Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Defined Benefit Plans.” This ASU amends ASC 715 to add, remove and clarify certain disclosure requirements related to defined benefit pension and other postretirement plans. ASU 2018-14 is effective for fiscal years ending after December 15, 2020, with early adoption permitted. Management does not expect the adoption of ASU 2018-14 to have any impact on the company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-13, “Disclosure Framework - Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurement.” This ASU amends ASC 820 to add, remove and modify certain disclosure requirements for fair value measurements. For example, public companies will now be required to disclose the range and weighted average used to develop significant unobservable inputs for Level 3 fair value measurements. ASU 2018-13 is effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2019, with early adoption permitted. Management does not expect the adoption of ASU 2018-13 to have any impact on the company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, "Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments," and issued subsequent amendments to the initial guidance within ASU 2019-04 and ASU 2019-05. The amendments in ASU 2016-13 replace the incurred loss impairment methodology in current practice with a methodology that reflects expected credit losses and requires consideration of a broader range of reasonable and supportable information to estimate credit losses. ASU 2016-13 and its amendments are effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2019. Management is continuing to assess the impact of adopting ASU 2016-13 on the company’s financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

The company adopted ASU 2014-09 (ASC Topic 606), “Revenue from Contracts with Customers” in the first quarter of 2018. See the 2018 10-K for a further discussion of the adoption and the impact on the company’s financial statements. In accordance with ASU 2017-13, certain of the company’s unconsolidated partnerships and joint ventures will not adopt ASC Topic 606 until the fourth quarter of 2019, at which time the company expects to record a cumulative effect adjustment which is not expected to be significant.