Accounting Policies

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2020

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Accounting Policies

2. ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Basis of Presentation The unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements (“financial statements”) include the accounts of Glatfelter and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated.

We prepared these financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“generally accepted accounting principles” or “GAAP”) and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission pertaining to interim financial statements. In our opinion, the financial statements reflect all normal, recurring adjustments needed to present fairly our results for the interim periods. When preparing these financial statements, we have assumed you have read the audited consolidated financial statements included in our 2019 Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Discontinued Operations The results of operations for our former Specialty Papers business have been classified as discontinued operations for all periods presented in the condensed consolidated statements of income.

Accounting Estimates The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosures of contingencies as of the balance sheet date and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Management believes the estimates and assumptions used in the preparation of these financial statements are reasonable, based upon currently available facts and known circumstances, but recognizes actual results may differ from those estimates and assumptions.

Restricted Cash Restricted cash represents amounts contributed to a 401(k) suspense accounts in connection with the termination of the Company’s qualified pension plan in 2019 and subsequent reversion of excess plan assets to the Company in 2020. The amounts contributed to the 401(k)-suspense account can only be used to pay 401(k) contributions to employees for a period not to exceed the next seven years from its establishment in 2020.

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements   In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-13 “Financial Instruments—Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments” that changes the impairment model for most financial instruments, including trade receivables from an incurred loss method to a new forward-looking approach, based on expected losses. Under the new guidance, an allowance is recognized based on an estimate of expected credit losses. We adopted this standard effective January 1, 2020 using a modified retrospective approach. The adoption of this standard did not impact our results of operations or financial position.

In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU 2019-12, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes. The update eliminates, clarifies, and modifies certain guidance related to the accounting for income taxes. ASU 2019-12 is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2020, with early adoption permitted. We are currently evaluating the impact this ASU will have on our financial statements and we expect to adopt this standard in the first quarter of 2021.