New Accounting Pronouncements

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2016

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

New Accounting Pronouncements

Note 2:   New Accounting Pronouncements

The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) has issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2016-09, Compensation—Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting, which is part of the FASB Simplification Initiative to identify specific areas of U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (U.S. GAAP) for which cost and complexity can be reduced while maintaining or improving the usefulness of the information provided. The simplifications, which cover various matters, including the income tax consequences of share-based payment arrangements, classification in the statement of cash flows of employee taxes paid, and two practical expedients for non-public entities, amends various Topics and Subtopics in the FASB Accounting Standards Codification (the “Codification”).

Accounting for Income Taxes - Under current U.S. GAAP, if the deduction for a share-based payment award for income tax purposes exceeds the compensation cost for accounting purposes, then the additional tax benefit is recognized in additional paid-in capital and referred to as an excess tax benefit. Accumulated excess tax benefits are available to offset current and subsequent period tax deficiencies (i.e., when the deduction for tax purposes is less than the compensation cost for accounting purposes). If the accumulated amount is exhausted, then all subsequent tax deficiencies are recognized in the income statement. The foregoing income tax accounting requirements apply to share-based-payment transactions and to employee stock ownership plan transactions. As amended by ASU No. 2016-09, (1) all excess tax benefits and all tax deficiencies are to be recognized as income tax expense or benefit in the income statement, (2) such benefits and deficiencies are deemed to be discrete items in the reporting period in which they occur (i.e., they should not be considered in determining the annual estimated effective tax rate), and (3) because there is no longer any excess tax benefits recognized in additional paid-in capital, the assumed proceeds from applying the treasury stock method when computing earnings per share (EPS) will exclude the amount of excess tax benefits that would have been recognized in additional paid-in capital.

Classification of Excess Tax Benefits in the Cash Flow Statement - Under current U.S. GAAP, excess tax benefits are required to be separated from other income tax cash flows and classified as a financing activity in the cash flow statement. As amended by ASU No. 2016-09, the requirement to present excess tax benefits as cash inflows from financing activities and as cash outflows from operating activities has been eliminated, and, thus, amounts relating to excess tax benefits must be classified in the cash flow statement as an operating activity.

Forfeitures - Current U.S. GAAP requires compensation cost to be recognized for awards in which the requisite service period is rendered (i.e., for awards with performance or service conditions, compensation cost is recognized only for awards that vest). Also, under current U.S. GAAP, an estimate must be made of the number of awards for which the requisite service period is expected to be rendered, and accruals of compensation cost must be based on the estimated number of awards that will vest. As amended by ASU No. 2016-09, an entity-wide accounting policy election could be made either to (1) estimate the effect of forfeitures in the initial accrual of compensation cost each year, or (2) account for forfeitures in compensation cost when they actually occur.

Minimum Statutory Withholding Tax Requirements - Current U.S. GAAP requires an award to be classified as a liability if an amount in excess of the minimum statutory withholding requirements is withheld (or may be withheld) at the employee’s discretion. As amended by ASU No. 2016-09, the requirement for classification as a liability has been modified so that a partial cash settlement of an award for tax withholding will not, of itself, automatically result in liability classification, provided that the amount withheld does not exceed the maximum individual statutory tax rate in the applicable jurisdictions.

Classification in the Cash Flow Statement of Employee Taxes Paid When an Employer Withholds Shares for Tax-Withholding Purposes - As amended by ASU No. 2016-09, cash paid by an employer to a taxing authority when directly withholding shares for tax withholding purposes is classified as a financing activity in the cash flow statement. Current U.S. GAAP does not directly address the cash flow statement classification of such transactions. The Practical Expedients for Non-Public Entities for the expected term of a share option and intrinsic value are not applicable to a public entity and therefore will not be discussed.

Elimination of Indefinitely Deferred Guidance - FASB Staff Position FAS 123(R)-1, Classification and Measurement of Freestanding Financial Instruments Originally Issued in Exchange for Employee Services under FASB Statement No. 123(R), indefinitely deferred the guidance making a freestanding financial instrument subject to the recognition and measurement requirements of other U.S. GAAP when the rights conveyed by the instrument are no longer dependent on the holder being an employee. As amended by ASU No. 2016-09, such deferred guidance has been eliminated from the Codification (and, accordingly, there will be no change in the application of existing U.S. GAAP).

The amended guidance in ASU No. 2016-09 is effective for public business entities, for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016 and for interim periods within those annual periods. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is evaluating the impact that this standard will have on their consolidated financial statements.