ACCOUNTING POLICIES

For each accounting topic that is addressed in its own note, the description of the accompanying accounting policy may be found in the related note. The remaining accounting policies are described below.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements requires the use of estimates, as determined by management. Because of the inherent uncertainty involved in making estimates, actual results reported in future periods might be based upon amounts that differ from those estimates. The accounting estimates that are most important to our business involve the allowance for credit losses and accumulated depreciation on vehicles subject to operating leases.

NOTE 2. ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Continued)

Foreign Currency

We remeasure monetary assets and liabilities denominated in a currency that is different than a reporting entity’s functional currency from the transactional currency to the legal entity’s functional currency. The effect of this remeasurement process, and the results of our foreign currency hedging activities are reported in Other income, net.

Generally, our foreign subsidiaries use the local currency as their functional currency. We translate the assets and liabilities of our foreign subsidiaries from their respective functional currencies to U.S. dollars using end-of-period exchange rates. Changes in the carrying value of these assets and liabilities attributable to fluctuations in exchange rates are recognized in Foreign currency translation, a component of Total Other comprehensive income / (Ioss), net of tax. Upon sale or upon complete or substantially complete liquidation of an investment in a foreign subsidiary, the amount of accumulated foreign currency translation related to the entity is reclassified to Net income and recognized as part of the gain or loss on the investment.

Fair Value Measurements

Cash equivalents, marketable securities, and derivative financial instruments are remeasured and presented on our financial statements on a recurring basis at fair value, while other assets and liabilities are measured at fair value on a nonrecurring basis.

In measuring fair value, we use various valuation methods and prioritize the use of observable inputs. The use of observable and unobservable inputs and their significance in measuring fair value are reflected in our fair value hierarchy.


•	Level 1 – inputs include quoted prices for identical instruments and are the most observable


•	Level 2 – inputs include quoted prices for similar instruments and observable inputs such as interest rates, currency exchange rates, and yield curves


•	Level 3 – inputs include data not observable in the market and reflect management judgment about the assumptions market participants would use in pricing the instruments

Transfers into and transfers out of the hierarchy levels are recognized as if they had taken place at the end of the reporting period.

Adoption of New Accounting Standards

Accounting Standard Update (“ASU”) 2014-09, Revenue - Revenue from Contracts with Customers. We have adopted the new accounting standard, ASC 606 Revenue from Contracts with Customers and all the related amendments as of January 1, 2017 using the modified retrospective method. The comparative information has not been restated and continues to be reported under the accounting standards in effect for those periods. Adoption of the new revenue standard resulted in changes to the timing of revenue recognition and in the reclassification between financial statement line items. Under the new standard, we recognize insurance commissions at the time of sale of the product or service to our customer; previously, such income was recognized over the life of the insurance contract. The new standard also provided additional clarity that resulted in reclassifications from Other income, net to a new financial statement line entitled Fee based revenue and other.

We recognized the cumulative effect of initially applying the new standard as a $9 million increase to the opening balance of Retained earnings with the offset primarily reflected in Other assets. When compared to the previous standard, the impact of adopting the new standard was immaterial to Other assets and Retained earnings at December 31, 2017 and Net income for the period ended December 31, 2017. Under the previous standard, amounts reported in Fee based revenue and other for the period ended December 31, 2017 would have been included in Other income, net.

NOTE 2. ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Continued)

We also adopted the following standards during 2017, none of which had a material impact to our financial statements or financial statement disclosures:



Standard		Effective Date
2017-05	Gains and Losses from the Derecognition of Nonfinancial Assets - Clarifying the Scope of Asset Derecognition Guidance	January 1, 2017
2017-04	Goodwill and Other - Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment	January 1, 2017
2017-03	Accounting Changes and Error Corrections and Investments - Equity Method and Joint Ventures	January 1, 2017
2017-01	Business Combinations - Clarifying the Definition of a Business	January 1, 2017
2016-17	Consolidation - Interests Held through Related Parties That Are under Common Control	January 1, 2017
2016-09	Stock Compensation - Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting	January 1, 2017
2016-07	Equity Method and Joint Ventures - Simplifying the Transition to the Equity Method of Accounting	January 1, 2017
2016-06	Derivatives and Hedging - Contingent Put and Call Options in Debt Instruments	January 1, 2017
2016-05	Derivatives and Hedging - Effect of Derivative Contract Novations on Existing Hedge Accounting Relationships	January 1, 2017
2016-04	Extinguishments of Liabilities - Recognition of Breakage for Certain Prepaid Stored-Value Products	January 1, 2017
2017-09	Stock Compensation - Scope of Modification Accounting	April 1, 2017

Accounting Standards Issued But Not Yet Adopted

The following represent the standards that will, or are expected to, result in a significant change in practice and / or have a significant financial impact to Ford Credit.

ASU 2016-13, Credit Losses - Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments. In June 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued a new accounting standard which replaces the current incurred loss impairment method with a method that reflects expected credit losses. The new standard is effective as of January 1, 2020, and early adoption is permitted as of January 1, 2019. We will adopt the new credit loss guidance by recognizing the cumulative effect of initially applying the new standard as an adjustment to the opening balance of Retained earnings. We anticipate adoption will increase the amount of expected credit losses reported in Finance receivables, net on our consolidated balance sheet and do not expect a material impact to our income statement.

ASU 2016-02, Leases. In February 2016, the FASB issued a new accounting standard which provides guidance on the recognition, measurement, presentation, and disclosure of leases. The new standard supersedes the present U.S. GAAP standard on leases and requires substantially all leases to be reported on the balance sheet as right-of-use assets and lease liabilities, as well as additional disclosures. We plan to adopt the standard at its effective date of January 1, 2019. We anticipate adoption of the standard will add about $100 million of right-of-use assets and lease obligations to our balance sheet and will not significantly impact pre-tax profit. We plan to elect the practical expedients upon transition that will retain the lease classification and initial direct costs for any leases that exist prior to adoption of the standard. We will not reassess whether any contracts entered into prior to adoption are leases. We are in the early stages of implementation. We are in the process of cataloging our existing lease contracts and implementing changes to our systems.

ASU 2017-12, Derivatives and Hedging. In August 2017, the FASB issued a new accounting standard which aligns hedge accounting with risk management activities and simplifies the requirement to qualify for hedge accounting. We will adopt the new standard effective January 1, 2018. Adoption will require additional financial statement disclosures and may enable us to expand our risk management strategies.

ASU 2016-01, Financial Instruments - Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities. In January 2016, the FASB issued a new accounting standard that amends various aspects of the recognition, measurement, presentation, and disclosure of financial instruments. The new standard is effective January 1, 2018. The most significant impact to our consolidated financial statements will relate to the recognition of the change in fair value of our equity investments without readily determinable values (often referred to as cost method investments). The fair value of these investments will change when there is a change in the observable price for similar investments.