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SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2016
Accounting Policies [Abstract]  
SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Principles of Consolidation and Presentation
These consolidated financial statements include the accounts of PBF Holding and its consolidated subsidiaries. All intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.
Reclassification
Certain amounts previously reported in the Company's consolidated financial statements for prior periods have been reclassified to conform to the 2016 presentation. These reclassifications include certain details about accrued expenses and deferred charges and other assets in those respective footnotes.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of the financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States ("GAAP") requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses and the related disclosures. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Business Combinations
We use the acquisition method of accounting for the recognition of assets acquired and liabilities assumed in business combinations at their estimated fair values as of the date of acquisition. Any excess consideration transferred over the estimated fair values of the identifiable net assets acquired is recorded as goodwill. Significant judgment is required in estimating the fair value of assets acquired. As a result, in the case of significant acquisitions, we obtain the assistance of third-party valuation specialists in estimating fair values of tangible and intangible assets based on available historical information and on expectations and assumptions about the future, considering the perspective of marketplace participants. While management believes those expectations and assumptions are reasonable, they are inherently uncertain. Unanticipated market or macroeconomic events and circumstances may occur, which could affect the accuracy or validity of the estimates and assumptions.
Cash and Cash Equivalents
The Company considers all highly liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less to be cash equivalents. The carrying amount of the cash equivalents approximates fair value due to the short-term maturity of those instruments.
Concentrations of Credit Risk
For the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014 no single customer amounted to greater than or equal to 10% of the Company's revenues.
No single customer accounted for 10% or more of our total trade accounts receivable as of December 31, 2016. Following the Chalmette Acquisition on November 1, 2015, ExxonMobil Oil Corporation and its affiliates represented approximately 18% of our total trade accounts receivable as of December 31, 2015.
Revenue, Deferred Revenue and Accounts Receivable
The Company sells various refined products primarily through its refinery subsidiaries and recognizes revenue related to the sale of products when there is persuasive evidence of an agreement, the sales prices are fixed or determinable, collectability is reasonably assured and when products are shipped or delivered in accordance with their respective agreements. Revenue for services is recorded when the services have been provided. Certain of the Company's refineries have product offtake agreements with third-parties under which these third parties purchase a portion of the refineries' daily gasoline production. The refineries also sell their products through short-term contracts or on the spot market.
On May 29, 2015, PBF Holding entered into amended and restated inventory intermediation agreements (the "A&R Intermediation Agreements") with J. Aron & Company, a subsidiary of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. ("J. Aron") pursuant to which certain terms of the existing inventory intermediation agreements were amended, including, among other things, pricing and an extension of the term for a period of two years from the original expiry date of July 1, 2015, subject to certain early termination rights. In addition, the A&R Intermediation Agreements include one-year renewal clauses by mutual consent of both parties.
Pursuant to each A&R Intermediation Agreement, J. Aron, will continue to purchase and hold title to certain of the intermediate and finished products (the "Products") produced by the Paulsboro and Delaware City refineries (the "Refineries"), respectively, and delivered into tanks at the Refineries. Furthermore, J. Aron agrees to sell the Products back to Paulsboro refinery and Delaware City refinery as the Products are discharged out of the Refineries' tanks. These purchases and sales are settled monthly at the daily market prices related to those products. These transactions are considered to be made in contemplation of each other and, accordingly, do not result in the recognition of a sale when title passes from the refineries to J. Aron. Additionally, J. Aron has the right to store the Products purchased in tanks under the A&R Intermediation Agreements and will retain these storage rights for the term of the agreements. PBF Holding will continue to market and sell the Products independently to third parties.
Accounts receivable are carried at invoiced amounts. An allowance for doubtful accounts is established, if required, to report such amounts at their estimated net realizable value. In estimating probable losses, management reviews accounts that are past due and determines if there are any known disputes. There was no allowance for doubtful accounts at December 31, 2016 and 2015.
Excise taxes on sales of refined products that are collected from customers and remitted to various governmental agencies are reported on a net basis.
Inventory
Inventories are carried at the lower of cost or market. The cost of crude oil, feedstocks, blendstocks and refined products are determined under the last-in first-out (“LIFO”) method using the dollar value LIFO method with increments valued based on average purchase prices during the year. The cost of supplies and other inventories is determined principally on the weighted average cost method.
The Company had the obligation to purchase and sell feedstocks under a supply agreement with Statoil for its Delaware City refinery. This Crude Supply Agreement expired on December 31, 2015. The Company's Paulsboro refinery also had a crude supply agreement with Statoil that was terminated in March 2013. Prior to the expiration or termination of these agreements, Statoil purchased the refineries' production of certain feedstocks or purchased feedstocks from third parties on the refineries' behalf. The Company took title to the crude oil as it was delivered to the processing units, in accordance with the Crude Supply Agreement; however, the Company was obligated to purchase all the crude oil held by Statoil on the Company’s behalf upon termination of the agreement at the then market price. The Paulsboro crude supply agreement also included an obligation to purchase a fixed volume of feedstocks from Statoil on the later of maturity or when the arrangement is terminated based on a forward market price of West Texas Intermediate crude oil. As a result of the purchase obligations, the Company recorded the inventory of crude oil and feedstocks in the refineries’ storage facilities. The Company determined the purchase obligations were contracts that contain derivatives that changed in value based on changes in commodity prices. Such changes in the fair value of these derivatives were included in cost of sales.
Prior to July 31, 2014, the Company’s Toledo refinery acquired substantially all of its crude oil from Morgan Stanley Capital Group, Inc. ("MSCG") under a crude oil acquisition agreement (the “Toledo Crude Oil Acquisition Agreement”). Under the Toledo Crude Oil Acquisition Agreement, the Company took title to crude oil at various pipeline locations for delivery to the refinery or sale to third parties. The Company recorded the crude oil inventory when it received title. Payment for the crude oil was due to MSCG under the Toledo Crude Oil Acquisition Agreement three days after the crude oil was delivered to the Toledo refinery processing units or upon sale to a third party. The Company terminated the Toledo Crude Oil Acquisition Agreement effective July 31, 2014 and began to source its crude oil needs independently.
Property, Plant and Equipment
Property, plant and equipment additions are recorded at cost. The Company capitalizes costs associated with the preliminary, pre-acquisition and development/construction stages of a major construction project. The Company capitalizes the interest cost associated with major construction projects based on the effective interest rate of total borrowings. The Company also capitalizes costs incurred in the acquisition and development of software for internal use, including the costs of software, materials, consultants and payroll-related costs for employees incurred in the application development stage.
Depreciation is computed using the straight-line method over the following estimated useful lives:
Process units and equipment
  
5-25 years
Pipeline and equipment
  
5-25 years
Buildings
  
25 years
Computers, furniture and fixtures
  
3-7 years
Leasehold improvements
  
20 years
Railcars
 
50 years

Maintenance and repairs are charged to operating expenses as they are incurred. Improvements and betterments, which extend the lives of the assets, are capitalized.
Deferred Charges and Other Assets, Net
Deferred charges and other assets include refinery turnaround costs, catalyst, precious metals catalyst, linefill, deferred financing costs and intangible assets. Refinery turnaround costs, which are incurred in connection with planned major maintenance activities, are capitalized when incurred and amortized on a straight-line basis over the period of time estimated to lapse until the next turnaround occurs (generally 3 to 5 years).
Precious metals catalyst and linefill are considered indefinite-lived assets as they are not expected to deteriorate in their prescribed functions. Such assets are assessed for impairment in connection with the Company’s review of its long-lived assets as indicators of impairment develop.
Deferred financing costs are capitalized when incurred and amortized over the life of the loan (generally 1 to 8 years).
Intangible assets with finite lives primarily consist of catalyst, emission credits and permits and are amortized over their estimated useful lives (generally 1 to 10 years).
Long-Lived Assets and Definite-Lived Intangibles
The Company reviews its long-lived assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying value may not be recoverable. Impairment is evaluated by comparing the carrying value of the long-lived assets to the estimated undiscounted future cash flows expected to result from use of the assets and their ultimate disposition. If such analysis indicates that the carrying value of the long-lived assets is not considered to be recoverable, the carrying value is reduced to the fair value.
Impairment assessments inherently involve judgment as to assumptions about expected future cash flows and the impact of market conditions on those assumptions. Although management would utilize assumptions that it believes are reasonable, future events and changing market conditions may impact management’s assumptions, which could produce different results.
Investments in Equity Method Investments
For equity investments that are not required to be consolidated under the variable or voting interest model, the Company evaluates the level of influence it is able to exercise over an entity’s operations to determine whether to use the equity method of accounting.The Company's judgment regarding the level of control over an equity method investment includes considering key factors such as its ownership interest, participation in policy-making and other significant decisions and material intercompany transactions. Amounts recognized for equity method investments are included in equity method investments in the consolidated balance sheet and adjusted for the Company's shares of the net earnings and losses of the investee and cash distributions, which are included in the consolidated statements of operations and the consolidated statements of cash flows. Amounts recognized for earnings in excess of distributions of the Company's equity method investments are included in the operating section of the consolidated statements of cash flows. The Company evaluates its equity method investments for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amounts of such investments may be impaired. A loss is recorded in earnings in the current period to write down the carrying value of the investment to fair value if a decline in the value of an equity method investment is determined to be other than temporary.
Asset Retirement Obligations
The Company records an asset retirement obligation at fair value for the estimated cost to retire a tangible long-lived asset at the time the Company incurs that liability, which is generally when the asset is purchased, constructed, or leased. The Company records the liability when it has a legal or contractual obligation to incur costs to retire the asset and when a reasonable estimate of the fair value of the liability can be made. If a reasonable estimate cannot be made at the time the liability is incurred, the Company will record the liability when sufficient information is available to estimate the liability’s fair value. Certain of the Company’s asset retirement obligations are based on its legal obligation to perform remedial activity at its refinery sites when it permanently ceases operations of the long-lived assets. The Company therefore considers the settlement date of these obligations to be indeterminable. Accordingly, the Company cannot calculate an associated asset retirement liability for these obligations at this time. The Company will measure and recognize the fair value of these asset retirement obligations when the settlement date is determinable.
Environmental Matters
Liabilities for future remediation costs are recorded when environmental assessments and/or remedial efforts are probable and the costs can be reasonably estimated. Other than for assessments, the timing and magnitude of these accruals generally are based on the completion of investigations or other studies or a commitment to a formal plan of action. Environmental liabilities are based on best estimates of probable future costs using currently available technology and applying current regulations, as well as the Company’s own internal environmental policies. The measurement of environmental remediation liabilities may be discounted to reflect the time value of money if the aggregate amount and timing of cash payments of the liabilities are fixed or reliably determinable. The actual settlement of the Company’s liability for environmental matters could materially differ from its estimates due to a number of uncertainties such as the extent of contamination, changes in environmental laws and regulations, potential improvements in remediation technologies and the participation of other responsible parties.
Stock-Based Compensation
Stock-based compensation includes the accounting effect of options to purchase PBF Energy Class A common stock granted by PBF Energy to certain PBF Holding employees, Series A warrants issued or granted by PBF LLC to employees in connection with their acquisition of PBF LLC Series A units, options to acquire Series A units of PBF LLC granted by PBF LLC to certain employees, Series B units of PBF LLC that were granted to certain members of management and restricted PBF LLC Series A Units and restricted PBF Energy Class A common stock granted to certain directors and officers. The estimated fair value of the options to purchase PBF Energy Class A common stock and the PBF LLC Series A warrants and options, is based on the Black-Scholes option pricing model and the fair value of the PBF LLC Series B units is estimated based on a Monte Carlo simulation model. The estimated fair value is amortized as stock-based compensation expense on a straight-line method over the vesting period and included in general and administration expense with forfeitures recognized in the period they occur.
Income Taxes
As PBF Holding is a limited liability company treated as a “flow-through” entity for income tax purposes, there is no benefit or provision for federal or state income tax in the accompanying financial statements apart from the income taxes attributable to two subsidiaries acquired in connection with the acquisition of Chalmette Refining that are treated as C-corporations for tax purposes.
The Federal tax returns for all years since 2013 and state tax returns for all years since 2012 or 2013 are subject to examination by the respective tax authorities.
Pension and Other Post-Retirement Benefits
The Company recognizes an asset for the overfunded status or a liability for the underfunded status of its pension and post-retirement benefit plans. The funded status is recorded within other long-term liabilities or assets. Changes in the plans’ funded status are recognized in other comprehensive income in the period the change occurs.
Fair Value Measurement
A fair value hierarchy (Level 1, Level 2, or Level 3) is used to categorize fair value amounts based on the quality of inputs used to measure fair value. Accordingly, fair values derived from Level 1 inputs utilize quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities. Fair values derived from Level 2 inputs are based on quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets, and inputs other than quoted prices that are either directly or indirectly observable for the asset or liability. Level 3 inputs are unobservable inputs for the asset or liability, and include situations where there is little, if any, market activity for the asset or liability.
The Company uses appropriate valuation techniques based on the available inputs to measure the fair values of its applicable assets and liabilities. When available, the Company measures fair value using Level 1 inputs because they generally provide the most reliable evidence of fair value. In some valuations, the inputs may fall into different levels in the hierarchy. In these cases, the asset or liability level within the fair value hierarchy is based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurements.
Financial Instruments
The estimated fair value of financial instruments has been determined based on the Company’s assessment of available market information and appropriate valuation methodologies. The Company’s non-derivative financial instruments that are included in current assets and current liabilities are recorded at cost in the consolidated balance sheets. The estimated fair value of these financial instruments approximates their carrying value due to their short-term nature. Derivative instruments are recorded at fair value in the consolidated balance sheets.
The Company’s commodity contracts are measured and recorded at fair value using Level 1 inputs based on quoted prices in an active market, Level 2 inputs based on quoted market prices for similar instruments, or Level 3 inputs based on third party sources and other available market based data. The Company’s catalyst lease obligation and derivatives related to the Company’s crude oil and feedstocks and refined product purchase obligations are measured and recorded at fair value using Level 2 inputs on a recurring basis, based on observable market prices for similar instruments.
Derivative Instruments
The Company is exposed to market risk, primarily related to changes in commodity prices for the crude oil and feedstocks used in the refining process as well as the prices of the refined products sold. The accounting treatment for commodity contracts depends on the intended use of the particular contract and on whether or not the contract meets the definition of a derivative.
All derivative instruments, not designated as normal purchases or sales, are recorded in the balance sheet as either assets or liabilities measured at their fair values. Changes in the fair value of derivative instruments that either are not designated or do not qualify for hedge accounting treatment or normal purchase or normal sale accounting are recognized currently in earnings. Contracts qualifying for the normal purchase and sales exemption are accounted for upon settlement. Cash flows related to derivative instruments that are not designated or do not qualify for hedge accounting treatment are included in operating activities.
The Company designates certain derivative instruments as fair value hedges of a particular risk associated with a recognized asset or liability. At the inception of the hedge designation, the Company documents the relationship between the hedging instrument and the hedged item, as well as its risk management objective and strategy for undertaking various hedge transactions. Derivative gains and losses related to these fair value hedges, including hedge ineffectiveness, are recorded in cost of sales along with the change in fair value of the hedged asset or liability attributable to the hedged risk. Cash flows related to derivative instruments that are designated as fair value hedges are included in operating activities.
Economic hedges are hedges not designated as fair value or cash flow hedges for accounting purposes that are used to (i) manage price volatility in certain refinery feedstock and refined product inventories, and (ii) manage price volatility in certain forecasted refinery feedstock purchases and refined product sales. These instruments are recorded at fair value and changes in the fair value of the derivative instruments are recognized currently in cost of sales.
Derivative accounting is complex and requires management judgment in the following respects: identification of derivatives and embedded derivatives, determination of the fair value of derivatives, documentation of hedge relationships, assessment and measurement of hedge ineffectiveness and election and designation of the normal purchases and sales exception. All of these judgments, depending upon their timing and effect, can have a significant impact on the Company’s earnings.
Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements
In February 2015, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2015-02, "Consolidation (Topic 810): Amendments to the Consolidation Analysis" ("ASU 2015-02"), which changed existing consolidation requirements associated with the analysis a reporting entity must perform to determine whether it should consolidate certain types of legal entities, including limited partnerships and variable interest entities. The Company has adopted this guidance retrospectively. The adoption of this guidance did not have any impact on the Company as it does not have any variable interest entities that would be affected by this ASU.
In August 2015, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2015-14, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Deferral of the Effective Date” (“ASU 2015-14”), which defers the effective date of ASU 2014-09, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers” (“ASU 2014-09”) for all entities by one year. Additional ASUs have been issued in 2016 that provide certain implementation guidance related to ASU 2014-09 (collectively, the Company refers to ASU 2014-09 and these additional ASUs as the "Updated Revenue Recognition Guidance").The Updated Revenue Recognition Guidance will replace most existing revenue recognition guidance in GAAP when it becomes effective. Under ASU 2015-14, this guidance becomes effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017 and permits the use of either the retrospective or modified retrospective transition method. Under ASU 2015-14, early adoption is permitted only as of annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016, including interim reporting periods within that reporting period. The Company has established a working group to assess the Updated Revenue Recognition Guidance, including its impact on our business processes, accounting systems, controls and financial statement disclosures. Our preliminary expectation is that we will adopt this guidance using the modified retrospective method whereby a cumulative effect adjustment is recognized upon adoption and the Updated Revenue Recognition is applied prospectively. It is not anticipated that the Company will early adopt this new guidance. The working group is in the early stages of its implementation plan and continues to evaluate the impact of this new standard on the Company’s consolidated financial statements and related disclosures. Although our analysis of the new standard is still in process and interpretative and industry specific guidance is still developing, the Company currently does not expect the new standard to have a material impact on the amount or timing of revenues recognized for the majority of its revenue arrangements.
In November 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-17 (Topic 740), "Balance Sheet Classification of Deferred Taxes" ("ASU 2015-17") which is intended to simplify the presentation of deferred taxes in a classified balance sheet. This guidance states that deferred tax assets and deferred tax liabilities should be presented as noncurrent in a classified statement of financial position. Under ASU 2015-17, this guidance becomes effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016 and interim periods within those annual periods with early adoption permitted as of the beginning of an annual or interim period after issuance of the ASU. The Company early adopted the new standard in its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures on a prospective basis. The Company did not have any current deferred tax assets or liabilities in the prior year to reclassify from current to non-current.
In January 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-01, "Financial Instruments - Overall (Subtopic 825-10): Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities" ("ASU 2016-01"), which amends how entities measure equity investments that do not result in consolidation and are not accounted for under the equity method and how they present changes in the fair value of financial liabilities measured under the fair value option that are attributable to their own credit. ASU 2016-01 also changes certain disclosure requirements and other aspects of current US GAAP but does not change the guidance for classifying and measuring investments in debt securities and loans. Under ASU 2016-01, this guidance becomes effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted in certain circumstances. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this new standard on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.
In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, "Leases (Topic 842)" ("ASU 2016-02"), to increase the transparency and comparability about leases among entities. The new guidance requires lessees to recognize a lease liability and a corresponding lease asset for virtually all lease contracts. It also requires additional disclosures about leasing arrangements. ASU 2016-02 is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2018, and requires a modified retrospective approach to adoption. Early adoption is permitted. The Company has established a working group to study and lead implementation of the new guidance in ASU 2016-02. This working group was formed during 2016 and has begun the process of compiling a central repository for all leases entered into by the Company and its subsidiaries for further analysis as the implementation project progresses. It is not anticipated that the Company will early adopt this new guidance. The working group continues to evaluate the impact of this new standard on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures. At this time, the Company has identified that the most significant impacts of this new guidance will be to bring nearly all leases on its balance sheet with “right of use assets” and “lease obligation liabilities” as well as accelerating the interest expense component of financing leases.
In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-06, “Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815): Contingent Put and Call Options in Debt Instruments No. 2016-06 March 2016 a consensus of the FASB Emerging Issues Task Force” (“ASU 2016-06”), to increase consistency in practice in applying guidance on determining if an embedded derivative is clearly and closely related to the economic characteristics of the host contract, specifically for assessing whether call (put) options that can accelerate the repayment of principal on a debt instrument meet the clearly and closely related criterion. The guidance in ASU 2016-06 applies to all entities that are issuers of or investors in debt instruments (or hybrid financial instruments that are determined to have a debt host) with embedded call (put) options. ASU 2016-06 is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016, and requires a modified retrospective approach to adoption. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this new standard on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.
In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-09, “Compensation - Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting” (“ASU 2016-09”) which is intended to simplify certain aspects of the accounting for share-based payments to employees. The guidance in ASU 2016-09 requires all income tax effects of awards to be recognized in the income statement when the awards vest or are settled rather than recording excess tax benefits or deficiencies in additional paid-in capital. The guidance in ASU 2016-09 also allows an employer to repurchase more of an employee’s shares than it can today for tax withholding purposes without triggering liability accounting and to make a policy election to account for forfeitures as they occur. ASU 2016-09 also contains additional guidance for nonpublic entities that do not apply to the Company. ASU 2016-09 is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016, and requires a modified retrospective approach to adoption. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this new standard on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.
In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-13, “Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments” (“ASU 2016-13”) which requires credit losses on available-for-sale debt securities to be presented as an allowance rather than as a write-down. ASU 2016-13 is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2019, and requires a modified retrospective approach to adoption. Early adoption is permitted for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2018. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this new standard on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.
In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-15, "Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments" ("ASU 2016-15"), which reduces the existing diversity in practice in how certain cash receipts and cash payments are presented and classified in the statement of cash flows under Topic 230. ASU 2016-15 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted, including adoption in an interim period. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this new standard on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.
In October 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-16, "Income Taxes (Topic 740): Intra-Entity Transfers of Assets Other Than Inventory" ("ASU 2016-16"), which reduces the existing diversity in practice in how income tax consequences of an intra-entity transfer of an asset other than inventory should be recognized. The amendments in ASU 2016-16 require an entity to recognize such income tax consequences when the intra-entity transfer occurs rather than waiting until such time as the asset has been sold to an outside party. The amendments do not contain any new disclosure requirements but point out that certain existing income tax disclosures might be applicable in the period an intra-entity transfer of an asset other than inventory occurs. ASU 2016-16 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted as of the beginning of an annual reporting period for which interim or annual statements have not been issued. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this new standard on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.
In October 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-17, "Consolidation (Topic 810): Interests Held through Related Parties That Are under Common Control" ("ASU 2016-2017"), which amends the consolidation guidance on how a reporting entity that is the single decision maker of a variable interest entity (“VIE”) should treat indirect interests in the entity held through related parties that are under common control with the reporting entity when determining whether it is the primary beneficiary of that VIE. The amendments in this ASU do not change the characteristics of a primary beneficiary in current GAAP. The amendments in this ASU require that reporting entity, in determining whether it satisfies the second characteristic of a primary beneficiary, to include all of its direct variable interests in a VIE and, on a proportionate basis, its indirect variable interests in a VIE held through related parties, including related parties that are under common control with the reporting entity. ASU 2016-2017 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted, including adoption in an interim period. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this new standard on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.
In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-01, "Business Combinations (Topic 805): Clarifying the Definition of a Business" ("ASU 2017-01"), which provides guidance to assist entities with evaluating when a set of transferred assets and activities is a business. Under ASU 2017-01, it is expected that the definition of a business will be narrowed and more consistently applied. ASU 2017-01 is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within those periods. The amendments in this ASU should be applied prospectively on or after the effective date. The Company will apply the provisions of this guidance for determining if it has acquired a business or a set of assets for future acquisitions, if any, after it becomes effective.