Accounting Policies

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2020

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Accounting Policies

ACCOUNTING POLICIES

These condensed consolidated interim financial statements ("Interim Financial Statements") have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America for rate-regulated entities and are in Canadian dollars unless otherwise noted.

The Interim Financial Statements are comprised of the accounts of Fortis and its wholly owned subsidiaries and controlling ownership interests. All inter-company balances and transactions have been eliminated on consolidation, except as disclosed in Note 5.

These Interim Financial Statements do not include all of the disclosures required in the annual financial statements and should be read in conjunction with the Corporation's 2019 Annual Financial Statements. In management's opinion, these Interim Financial Statements include all adjustments that are of a normal recurring nature, necessary for fair presentation.

The preparation of the Interim Financial Statements requires management to make estimates and judgments, including those related to regulatory decisions, that affect the reported amounts of, and disclosures related to, assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses. Actual results could differ from estimates.

The accounting policies applied herein are consistent with those outlined in the Corporation's 2019 Annual Financial Statements, except as described below.

New Accounting Policies

Financial Instruments

Effective January 1, 2020, the Corporation adopted Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") No. 2016-13, Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments, which requires the use of reasonable and supportable forecasts in the estimate of credit losses and the recognition of expected losses upon initial recognition of a financial instrument, in addition to using past events and current conditions. The new guidance also requires quantitative and qualitative disclosures regarding the activity in the allowance for credit losses for financial assets within the scope of the guidance. Adoption did not have a material impact on the Interim Financial Statements.

Fortis and each subsidiary recognize an allowance for credit losses to reduce accounts receivable for amounts estimated to be uncollectible. The allowance is estimated based on historical collection patterns, sales, and current and forecast economic and other conditions. Accounts receivable are written off in the period in which they are deemed uncollectible (Note 6).