NEW ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2019

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

NEW ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS

NEW ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS

Adopted in 2019

Derivatives and Hedging

In August 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-12, Targeted Improvements to Accounting for Hedging Activities (“ASU 2017-12”), which amends ASC 815, Derivatives and Hedging. The purpose of this ASU is to better align a company’s risk management activities and financial reporting for hedging relationships, simplify the hedge accounting requirements and improve the disclosures of hedging arrangements. Among other provisions, the new standard (1) requires an entity to present the earnings effect of the hedging instrument in the same income statement line item in which the earnings effect of the hedged item is reported, (2) eliminates the separate measurement and reporting of hedge ineffectiveness and (3) permits an entity to recognize in earnings the initial value of an excluded component under a systematic and rational method over the life of the derivative instrument. The Company adopted ASU 2017-12 on January 1, 2019. The adoption did not have a material impact on our results of operations, financial position and cash flows.

Leases

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842) (“ASU 2016-02”), which supersedes ASC 840, Leases. Subsequently, the FASB has issued additional ASUs which further clarify this guidance. The ASU's most prominent change is the requirement for lessees to recognize leased assets and liabilities classified as operating leases under the previous standard. The ASU does not significantly change the lessee’s recognition, measurement and presentation of expenses and cash flows from the previous accounting standard. Lessors’ accounting under the ASC is largely unchanged from the previous accounting standard. ASU 2016-02 also will require disclosures designed to give financial statement users information on the amount, timing, and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases.

CNH Industrial has adopted the new standard effective January 1, 2019, using the modified retrospective approach, without recasting prior periods. CNH Industrial has applied certain practical expedients upon transition, including: not to reassess under the new guidance its prior conclusions about lease identification, lease classification and initial direct costs; and, those provided for short-term leases. In such case, the lease payments associated with leases are recognized as expense in the income statement. In addition, the Company has elected not to separate lease and non-lease components.

At January 1, 2019, the Company recognized approximately $480 million of right-of-use assets and lease liabilities without transition effect to equity.

The following paragraph presents the Company’s policy for leases for which it is a lessee after the adoption of the new accounting standard ASU 2016-02.

Lease policy

A lease is a contract that conveys the right to control the use of an identified asset (the leased asset) for a period of time in exchange for consideration. The lease term determined by the Company comprises the non-cancellable period of lease contract together with both periods covered by an option to extend the lease if the lessee is reasonably certain to exercise that option; and periods covered by an option to terminate the lease if the lessee is reasonably certain not to exercise that option. For lease agreements, we combine lease and non-lease components.

For leases with terms not exceeding twelve months (short-term leases), the Company recognizes the lease payments associated with those leases on a straight-line basis over the lease term as operating expense in the income statement.

For all other leases, the right-of-use asset includes the amount of lease liability recognized, initial direct costs incurred, and lease payments made at or before the commencement date less any lease incentives received. Correspondingly, the Company recognizes a lease liability, measured at the present value of lease payments to be made over the lease term. In calculating the present value of lease payments, the Company uses the incremental borrowing rate at the lease commencement date if the interest rate implicit in the lease is not readily determinable.

For finance leases, the right-of-use asset is classified within Property, plant and equipment, net and the lease liability, within Debt. Assets held under finance leases, which the Company assumes substantially all the risks and rewards of ownership, are recognized as assets of the Company at the lower of fair value or present value of the minimum lease payments.

In case of operating leases, the right-of-use asset is classified within Other assets and the lease liability, within Other liabilities. After the commencement date, the Company recognizes in profit or loss a single lease cost, calculated so that the remaining cost of the lease is allocated over the remaining lease term on a straight-line basis. In particular, after lease commencement, the lease liability is measured at the present value of any remaining lease payments, discounted by using the rate determined at lease commencement, consistently with the model used to calculate the liability related to the finance lease. Correspondingly, the right-of-use asset is measured as the lease liability adjusted by accrued or prepaid rents (i.e., the aggregate difference between the cash payment and straight-line lease cost), remaining unamortized initial direct costs and lease incentives, and any impairments of the right-of-use asset.

Comprehensive Income

In February 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-02, Reclassification of Certain Tax Effects from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (“ASU 2018-02”), which amends ASC 220, Income Statement - Reporting Comprehensive Income. In December 2017, the U.S. government enacted new tax legislation (“U.S. Tax Reform”). Included in the provisions of U.S. Tax Reform was a reduction of the corporate income tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent. U.S. GAAP requires that the remeasurement of deferred taxes to the new corporate tax rate occur in the period in which the legislation is enacted with the deferred tax adjustment being recorded in the provision for income taxes, including items for which the tax effects were originally recorded in Other Comprehensive Income (“OCI”). This treatment results in the items in OCI reflecting a disproportionate tax rate, a result often referred to as stranded tax effects. This ASU allows a reclassification from accumulated OCI to retained earnings for stranded tax effects resulting from U.S. Tax Reform. ASU 2018-02 is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2018 including interim periods within those fiscal years. The Company adopted this standard on January 1, 2019, and reclassified $65 million of tax effects from "Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)" to "Retained earnings" within its Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet.

Changes in Stockholders' Equity and Noncontrolling Interests

In August 2018, the SEC adopted a final rule that amends certain disclosure requirements that have become duplicative, overlapping, or outdated in light of other SEC disclosure requirements, U.S. GAAP, or changes in the information environment. However, the guidance also added requirements for registrants to include in their interim financial statements a reconciliation of changes in stockholders’ equity for each period for which an income statement is required (both year-to-date and quarterly periods). The Company adopted the new interim disclosure requirement in its U.S. GAAP quarterly report for the three months ended March 31, 2019, which had no material impact to the Statement of Changes in Equity.

Not Yet Adopted

Financial Instruments

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments (“ASU 2016-13”), which establishes ASC 326, Financial Instruments - Credit Losses. In November 2018, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued ASU 2018-19, Codification Improvements to Topic 326, Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (“ASU 2018-19”), which supersedes existing Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments (“ASU 2016-13”). The ASU introduced a new model for recognizing credit losses on financial instruments based on an estimate of current expected credit losses. Additional disclosures about significant estimates and credit quality are also required. ASU 2018-19 is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2019. The Company has established a cross functional implementation team. The team is validating and testing the models and procedures that will be used to calculate the allowance for credit losses and has started to design related processes and controls.

Fair Value Measurement

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-13, Disclosure Framework - Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurement, which amends ASC 820, Fair Value Measurement. This ASU modifies the disclosure requirements for fair value measurements by removing, modifying, or adding certain disclosures. The effective date is the first quarter of fiscal year 2021, with early adoption permitted for the removed disclosures and delayed adoption until fiscal year 2021 permitted for the new disclosures. The removed and modified disclosures will be adopted on a retrospective basis and the new disclosures will be adopted on a prospective basis. The Company is currently evaluating the impact the adoption of this standard will have on its consolidated financial statements.

Intangibles - Cloud Computing Arrangements

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-15, Customer's Accounting for Implementation Costs Incurred in a Cloud Computing Arrangement ("ASU 2018-15"), which expands upon the guidance set forth in ASU 2015-05, Customer's Accounting for Fees Paid in a Cloud Computing Arrangement. ASU 2018-15 aligns the requirements for capitalization of implementation costs in a cloud computing service contract with those requirements for capitalization of implementation costs incurred for an internal-use software license. ASU 2018-15 may be applied prospectively from the date the guidance is first applied or retrospectively.

ASU 2018-15 is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2019, including interim periods within those fiscal years, and early adoption is permitted. The Company expects to adopt the ASU on a prospective basis. The Company is currently evaluating the impact the adoption of this standard will have on its consolidated financial statements.

Related Party Guidance for Variable Interest Entities

In October 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-17, Targeted Improvements to Related Party Guidance for Variable Interest Entities ("ASU 2018-17"), which expands the application of a specific private company alternative related to VIEs and changes the guidance for determining whether a decision-making fee is a variable interest. Under the new guidance, to determine whether decision-making fees represent a variable interest, an entity considers indirect interests held through related parties under common control on a proportionate basis, rather than in their entirety. ASU 2018-17 is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2019, including interim periods within those fiscal years, and early adoption is permitted in any interim period. ASU 2018-17 is required to be applied retrospectively from the date the guidance is first applied. The Company does not expect the adoption of this standard to have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements.

Defined Benefit Plans Disclosure

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-14, Compensation - Retirement Benefits - Defined Benefit Plans - General: Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Defined Benefit Plans ("ASU 2018-14"), which modifies the disclosure requirements for employers that sponsor defined benefit pension or other postretirement plans by removing and adding certain disclosures for these plans. ASU 2018-14 is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2020. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adoption of this ASU on its related disclosures.